Infinite Sadness

Mephiles VS Tikal

Tikal floats over Infinite in Null Space. He's pissed, he wanted to fight Modern Sonic and Gadget. He could have won!

"You!" he yells, "what have you done? Send me back! You insipid wench, send me back right now! Ugh!"

He grips his chest and realizes the Phantom Ruby is gone.

"You belong here," Tikal gently tells him. "That world made you crazy."

He winces, doubled over, on his knees. Tikal waves her hand, causing the mask to fall from his face. He's in such agony, he can't even react. She floats down, lands in front of him, sits, and lifts his chin.

"There you are, Zero. You lost yourself."

"Guh! Shut... up," he weakly demands, shaking, grunting, wet in the face.

Black sludge seeps into the space, creating a toxic puddle between them. The ooze takes the form of Mephiles the Dark, in his purest form: crystalized, menacing, red-eyed. He hovers over them and commands...

"Infinite, put the mask back on, you piece of trash."

Zero hurriedly puts the mask back on, tries to stand firmly, trembles... then faints. Tikal catches him and cushions him in her arms, on the floor of Null Space. She softly pets his long, white hair with one hand, and grips his exhausted body closely with the other.

"It'll be alright," she meekly tells him. "I know you're mad at me, but I only wish to help you."

Mephiles bends down next to her and chuckles with amusement.

"He's the weakest creature, is he not? Throwing temper tantrums for the pettiest of reasons."

Tikal is deeply offended.

"Stay away from him, you savage!"

Mephiles steps back, a bit surprised by her forcefulness.

"He's a savage too, Princess. He belongs to me. He spoke like me, fought like me, became me! He wouldn't dare revert back to who he was before I consumed him. I gave him power, I made him Infinite."

Tikal carefully lays the limp jackal down and stands firmly.

"You can't have him back. I'll block him from you!"

Mephiles tilts his creepy, neckless head.

"You think you can save this mangy shell of a person? How do you intend to stop me, little girl? With your pacifism? We both know how well that worked out when Chaos destroyed your father's Knuckles Clan. Face it, there's no stopping me."

Tikal commands Null Space to fade with the wave of her hand.

Gasp!

"Zero? Is that you?"

Zero feels someone remove his Infinite mask. Then he feels someone shaking him, seemingly concerned, upset even.

"Cousin! Where's the pack? Zero! Don't you dare die, I need to know where our family went! You never go anywhere without them. Grah! Wake up right now!"

Zero opens his eyes to the sight of his con-man cousin, T.W. Barker. There's a short-lived exchange of loving relief between the two of them.

"Oh marvelous! For a moment, I thought you were gone for sure! Where's the rest of the gang? Tell me they're okay."

"No," Zero horsely replies, "everything is ruined."

"But my jackal brethren, they're not ruined," Barker responds. "They're... they're okay, right? Zero, tell me they're okay or so help me..."