Sonic Forces: Not a Hero

City Evacuation

I opened my eyes to find myself floating above the clouds. Seeing nothing but the bright blue sky, feeling the wind across my face. For once I wasn't afraid, I felt free gazing at the beauty of the world. I didn't want to leave, but then the sky turned red. The sun had turned into an eclipse as the world below was set to flames.

"No! How could this happen?" I cried. As if to answer familiar ominous laughter rang throughout the sky.

"You honestly don't know?" laughed Zero as he appeared before me.

"Zero, how could you do this?" I cried.

"Still the naive child you were when I found you," laughed Zero, "You didn't care about this world before."

"I'm here now," I growled, "The Resistance will stop Eggman and I'm going to save you."

Zero laughs again so loud that it shook every bone in my body, "Save me? What makes you think I need saving? This is who I am."

"No, it's not," I argued, "I know deep down that this isn't who you are."

"I've embraced this power, the Zero you know is dead," he explained, "The true question you should be asking is who are you?"

"I know who I am!" I growled.

"But does the Resistance?" he asked, I looked away to avoid his gaze, "That's what I thought. Once the Resistance finds out who you are, do you think they'd treat you any different than me?"

"I'm not like you," I said.

"OH REALLY?!" yelled out Zero as he summoned illusions of all the things I've done while I was in the Jackel Squad, "You've stolen, raided, hunted, and killed all these innocents. How is this any different from what I'm doing right now?"

I just stood there, fists clenched, crying. I had nothing to say, nothing that would change anything. Nothing that would make this all go away.

"When they realize who you are they will cast you out," said Zero, "And you will be left with nothing once again. Once the emptiness fills you, you will return to me."

"No, I won't," I muttered under my breath, terrified to move, "I will stop this before they even realize who I am. Do you hear me? I will stop you!"

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Waking from my dream, I found myself back at the Resistance HQ, more specifically the infirmary.

"Nice to see you awake," said the voice of Sonic sitting in a bed next to me, covered in bandages

"Sonic? What happened? Are you okay?" I asked, sitting up.

"I've been better, I'll be good to go by tomorrow" he laughs, "You've been out for a couple of days. The doc said you hadn't been sleeping, so we just let you be."

"Oh, I see," I said, then I noticed someone in the bed behind Sonic, "Silver?" I rushed over to see him knocked out and covered in bandages like Sonic.

"He's okay," explained Sonic, "We both ran into Infinite again and it didn't go the way we wanted it to."

"Infinite?" I asked.