Eyes Of A Rookie (Infinite and Rookie)

Chapter 20

Mumbling unnecessary and unfortunately accurate homosexual terms and thoughts all the way back to the base, I shoved the door open and stepped into the main room, where everyone glanced there eyes at me and CJ. And I mean ALL. Micah, Daniel, Taylor, even Commander Knuckles. I gently pushed CJ to the group and gave them all a very awkward wave.

Me: Hey guys. We're back. Torn up, but we're still in one piece.

Micah: Good to see you back. I mean it. Get to the med bay, you look like shit.

I nodded and did just that: hobbled my way to the next bay and right into one of the beds, where Charmy Bee hooked me up to an intravenous system and to a heart rate monitor as a "just in case" scenario. I laid my head down and stared at the ceiling, thinking about what I should have told CJ before we left the Jackal. As I stared and tried drifting off to sleep, a door slamming open shot my head right up. It was the commander, who pulled himself over a chair.

Me: Commander Knuckles. Good to see you.

Knuckles: I don't want to be blunt when I ask you this, but it's gotta be asked so I can know. Do you work for Infinite?

Me: FOR Infinite? No. I'm working with you guys, have been for the past couple of days. Why do you think I'm against you?

Knuckles: I didn't say that. All I ask is that you tell me one thing. Are you with us, or are you with Eggman?

Me: I escaped from the city with my friends and brother, we worked for a ragtag Resistance before you guys. I'm not lying, we were. We disbanded because everyone was dying or weakened. Other than the twins Morgan and Ivy, the only one I've seen was Travis. You know how that ended. Speaking of, he ever come back for his sister?

Knuckles: Yes he did. He also asked where you were, and I told him you were out defending yourself wherever you were. Green Hill? I'm sorry that I don't remember where you were at the time, but that's not the problem. The problem is with you and Infinite.

Me: What about him? He's just a Jackal with a mask and a crystal that grants him special powers. Like being in two places at once, telekinesis, and the power to use the cubes to his advantage.

Knuckles: Yes, those are all true. But the connections between you two, they're... hmmm... inconsistent with the encounters of others. Silver said he had fought as hard as he could, but could barely stand up to the mask. Sonic and Infinite fought as well, and while the Hedgehog prevailed, it wasn't a success without casualty. Sure, the wounds heal, but the scars do not for a long while.

Me: Scars or not, we learn to deal with them. I've seen death, I've felt him breathe down my neck. He's choked me before, many times, even went so far as to harm myself physically. I still have the scar on my arm from when I dragged that knife down it.

Knuckles: All I ask from you is one simple answer, Wolf. What connection do you have with Infinite?

Me: What are you trying to say? That he SHOULD kill me?

Knuckles: You've run into the Jackal more times than all of us combined, Rook. Now I want to know. Why does he spare you?

Me: You honestly think I'd be better off dead, don't you? You're asking me "Why would the enemy show a sign of mercy against one soldier?" FUCK YOU!!

Knuckles: ROOK! Let me explain. I'm not asking why he'd spare you. I'm asking why didn't anything treacherous happen WHEN you two would come face-to-face? I know your brother met him too. So answer my question. What connection do you have to Infinite that makes him spare you?

I growled at the red echidna and turned my head away. Balling my hand into a fist, my claws bared themselves and embedded themselves into the bed. I immediately retracted my claws and held my head with one hand, the other rubbing itself against the side of my med bed.