Ghost in the Maze

Lieutenant Gadget

In the village, the battle with Eggman rages on.

In spite of the calamity taking place outside of her jewel shop, Rouge the Bat attempts to have a professional conversation with Infinite. She holds her temple, annoyed at the racket of banging and explosions.

"Arg, anyway, I need you and your squad to find me the most beautiful jewels on the island for such an occasion. I would of course, go myself, but I don't like to leave my shop unattended... for obvious reasons. Ya never know when a robot attack might happen right outside your door."

Infinite nods, his facial expression is unknown since he once again, wears the mask. Although he does sound a bit shaky.

"My squad and I will find you the most exquisite jewels we can locate, outshining even your treasure hunting abilities."

"Hmph, I doubt you'll ever compare to me," chuckles Rouge. "You're good, but you're not that good."

BLAST! They feel a laser hit one of the shop's outer walls.

"Ack! Bunch-a jerks! I need to take care of this, hun. Bring me the jewels by tonight and I'll pay you double. Kay, sugar? My baby's wedding rings are worth the extra cash, so don't let me down. Oh and, drink some tea or something, Infinite. You sound a bit under the weather."

Rouge flies out the door and engages in combat just as Sonic and Tails show up for the fight. Infinite watches for a moment as they tear through Eggman's robots, then he runs out the back door to go find his squad. He knows exactly which gems will earn him the loot!

Fast forward to a bit later.

It doesn't take long for Infinite to locate his team in the canyon. After explaining the mission to everyone, they head to the jungle, where Infinite leads them to the Buddy Buddy Temple. He watches everyone enter, with Gadget pausing to talk to him after everyone else has gone inside.

"Hey boss, Shadow told me you're hurt pretty bad. Is that true?" he asks.

Infinite sighs. Then he reluctantly removes his mask, allowing Gadget to see the bandages on his forehead. Gadget tries not to gasp but the sight of his friend being injured so badly is truly upsetting. He can tell by the indention of stitches peeking through the gauze, that the cut is deep.

"I'm sorry about the other day, solider. I lied to you," Infinite admits. "Yes, I did injure myself but Shadow found me and I am much better today. Please do not let it worry you. We need to complete this mission. You need to focus."

Infinite puts the mask back on and is about to enter the temple but Gadget blocks him.

"You're not going down there."

Infinite is stunned.

"How dare you! I'm your commander. You do what I say. I don't take orders from you, Gadget!"

"Zero, you're my friend. I can't let you enter this place with an injury that severe. I'm second in command. Let me lead this mission. You wait here."

"No. I never abandon my squad. I die before all of you do."

Gadget reminds him.

"We're not your former squad. You need to stop beating yourself up over what happened to them. It wasn't your fault. I know you hate me right now but I'm not letting you pass, Zero."

Infinite becomes angry, growling but standing firm. He and Gadget engage in an intense staring contest before Infinite steps back.

"If I let you lead this mission, will you promise me you'll return with everyone, including yourself, completely unharmed?" he asks.

"Yes, boss," Gadget sternly replies.

"It's more important for you all to return alive than to retrieve those jewels. I'll take the blame if you can't find them."

"I'll come back with everyone safe and sound, and the jewels," Gadget promises.

Infinite is silent for a few seconds before fully agreeing to pass the mission over to Gadget.

"Fine, Gadget. I know you've been wanting to lead a mission for a while. Be safe. I'll wait right here until the moment you all return. I'm not moving from this spot. Use the directions I sent to your communicators to find the pathway to the emeralds. If I command you all to return at any point, you must pledge to obey me."

"Absolutely, boss," Gadget salutes, then heads into the Buddy Buddy Temple.

Infinite sits and waits patiently, monitoring his squadron using his communicator, checking in with Gadget periodically. But after about thirty minutes, he loses the wolf's signal completely and is unable to establish communication with anyone on his team. Worried, he contacts Shadow, hoping the edgy hedgehog can escort him into the temple. Shadow arrives promptly, willing to help the jackal, but not without a bit of banter.

"What'd ya do this time, little brother?" Shadow teases.

"Shadow, I made the mistake of letting Gadget lead a mission into this temple and now I've lost Jackal Squad's communication signal," Infinite informs, trying not to sound panicked.

"And you want me to help you find them because your head injury is throwing off your mojo," Shadow realizes. "Jeez, Sonic's benevolence and street lingo rubbed off on me."

"Yes, please," Infinite asks.

"Sure, Jackal," Shadow agrees. "No need to panic. This temple has terrible reception so try to relax, okay?"

Infinite nods. The two then enter the temple to search for Jackal Squad.