This is what you wanted, right? I stare up at the sun, knees shaking slightly as I stood on the metal platform. My energy was depleted, standing on its own was a challenge, but I refused to sit down. This is what you had meant to do.

   I look to the ground, at my sharp-pointed shoes. "Right?" I mutter. I close my eyes, expecting to feel relief. Nothing. Just emptiness. Dead. Numb. There was a slight weight in my stomach, what was this feeling? Guilt? No, that's absurd. I don't feel such a petty emotion like that.

   "Are you happy now?" I hear an all-too familiar voice ask. It was sad, almost disappointed.

   I quickly open my eyes, hoping that the hallucinations would only be auditory. They weren't. The world around me was turned to darkness, it was similar to the Null Space environment that I had created with the Ruby. The Null Space was empty, like it always was, an extension of the emptiness I feel. Only now, I was not alone. There were six Jackals. Two stood behind from the four standing in a line in front of me. My emotions began to swing.

   "You finally got what you wanted. You 'changed the world'." Diego said. The scar over his nose shifting as his face moved to a sad smile.

   No...

   Chevron crosses her arms, eyes almost angry, but hiding pain and sadness. Beside her was Ryder, he had his bandaged arms limps by his sides. Ryder didn't even make eye-contact with me.

   I look towards Shroud, he had his arms crossed, thick yellow gloves covering most of his chest. He looked at me, up and down, then he looked away. I expected him to not say a word, like usual.

   "How could you have fallen this far, boss?" I hear a low, rough voice wondered. Shroud's voice. It sent a numb feeling throughout my body.

   I turn my back to them, placing my hands over the glass on my mask, where through my eyes should be. No. This isn't happening again. A feeling of dread feels me, I try to force the feeling away, but it wouldn't leave.

   "You can't just ignore us, Zero," Ryder says. My weakened muscles instantly tensed at what was said. I remove my hands from my mask, staring ahead of me. I slowly turn around.

   "I don't know who you're speaking of. They died long ago." I narrow my eyes, thinking back to the horrible day: my trembling body. No, his terrified shaking body. That wasn't me.

   Shroud rolls his eyes and steps forward, uncrossing his arms. "Seriously? How long are you gonna keep up the charade? We know it's you. You know it's you." He bared his teeth.

   My hands become fists, my heartbeat quickened slowly but surely. I try to overtake the depression with rage instead. "Zero's dead! He died with you!" I snapped.

   Yes, the voice in my head says. Put them in their place.

   Shroud takes a step back, somewhat stunned by my words, but he quickly puts back on an angry face. He shakes his head, closing his eyes. "Then there's nothing left to save." Shroud turns his back and walks off into Null Space, slowly disappearing into nothing. I forced my hand to stay by my side and not reach out to him.

   Trust no one, I kept telling myself. You can't rely anyone. They abandoned me.

   "That voice in your head is screwing you up," Chevron taps her finger against her temple. "Look at what's it's made you do."

   I growl. "I don't take advice from a girl whose own parents beat her for being a disappointment." Zero would have regretted what was said, but I am not. Rage and words being fed to me from the other being was washing away the emotion of regret. Yet my heart and breathing quickened.

   Chevron looks at me with a look of absolute horror and pain. Her eyes water, she crushes them shut and turns away and walks away, clearly having hit a nerve. She vanished. Ryder looks at me in disgust. Diego was in shock at my behaviour.

   You're taking this too far, a part of me says. But then it's met with: no one can be trusted. This world is cruel, just because you're not sugar-coating it doesn't make you evil.

   Ryder shakes his head in disbelief and follows Chevron's lead. Diego takes slow steps towards me, holding out his hand like I was a wild animal. He stops a few feet away, lowering his hand.

   "How could you have done all those things..." he mutters. "Kill all those people with no remorse? How could you do that to that girl?" Diego was talking about (Y/N). How I did all those things? I didn't do most of those things. Most was the cruel thing I am forced to share a body with. The rest are what I am forced to do. Or me causing quick, efficient kills instead of the violent, brutal ones the thing would inflict if I didn't first.

   Diego takes another step towards me, hand raised again. "Boss... Zero, how could you—"

   "He is dead!" I snatch Diego's wrist in my sharp-nailed glove. My exhaustion was replaced by irritation. I glare into his eyes, mine wide with rage and pain at the identity that was abandoned long ago. Diego's jaw was dropped, fangs visible.

   I throw the young Jackal to the ground. "He was pathetic like the rest of you!" Was I still the one in control? "Shroud is a selectively mute drifter. Ryder is a cutter. Chevron is an insecure wreck. And you're an annoying, aggravating child who ran away from home!" My voice was on the point of shouting, my hands were in fists as I glare down at Diego. My breathing slowed, but not my heart.

   I knew every one of their flaws. I smirk at the damage done, Diego on the brink of crying. Doubt, shame and fear radiated off him. He slowly got up and looked me in the eye.

   "Is that you or the other man talking?" he asks. He pauses for a moment. "...I just want to know what Zero would say if he was here right now." He maintained eye contact for a few seconds. Without choice, I raise my chin up high. Realizing I was not going to speak, Diego turns away from me and walks off in the distance.

   I look to the ground of Null Space. I could feel the presence back down. The rage was replaced by numbness.

   "I'm sorry..." I mutter. I will be able to tell you that in person soon.

   My eyes open wide, gasping, heart pounding in my head. I was lying on the metal floor. I force my tired body to stand up. I place a hand on my mask, head dizzy, weakened. I shake my head to clear my wits, taking slow breaths. I struggled to get my emotions back under control.

   Damn it... I think, disoriented. I must have passed out.

   They had meant all lot to you, didn't they? The voice asks in my head.

   They did mean a lot, to someone else. I answer. Since when do you speak in such a peaceful tone?

   Don't grow accustomed. Look to your left, we have a certain someone nearby.

   I look. A black figure was standing on top of a slowly descending airship, flames bursting from it. In a flash of green, it's gone, and another air ship is destroyed. I growl at who is was. Shadow. Another ivory figure with a blue hue was flying about as well, downing airships. Silver... he must be recovered by the damage I had inflicted.

   Let's disembowel them. The voice smiled.

   Something catches my eye. (Y/N), running up the tower. What was running through her head? I force my attention back to Shadow for a moment, I raise my hand. A single cube appears, I will it towards the figure in the distance. While Shadow was jumping from one ship to another, the red cube hit him in the center of the chest. He falls down from the sky, flailing. Silver flies to him, holding out his arm, telepathy holding him still in the sky before falling down another several hundred feet. I mentally command a dozen Metal Sonic's towards Silver. One charges Silver, tackling him through the air, causing him to let go of Shadow who was mentally trapped in one of my realities. Shadow fell through the sky, and I smiled as he met the ground, creating a small crater. When the dust cleared, Shadow remained where he was when he made impact, still stuck in one of his nightmares. Or better, injured greatly.

   Sonic rushed towards Shadow's body, trying to help him. I dismissed this, Shadow will have to break free from the memories before he can be helped.

   I look to (Y/N), she was nowhere to be seen. I strain my body by forcing myself to fly up to the sun. It took a lot of energy to create a forcefield to keep myself from burning to nothing before the sun destroys this cruel, abomination of a world.

   I floated close to the sun, sights adjusting. The Jackals flash in my head, a weight pulled at my heart. I couldn't shake away the memories of them.

   Something was flying towards me, I just realized. I see them zip by me, I use my speed to see who it was and to stop them. (Y/N)'s eye was staring into mine, wide. There was the Phantom Ruby prototype in her hand, forming into it. Has she heard the voice yet?

   I am instantly able to put the pieces together.

   No. She is going to get killed! I never wanted such a poor, hurt person to feel the pain I – it – has caused. I feel hate for what I have done.

   She is going to try and stop the sun! The voice growls, not hearing my thought.

   I reach my arm out to try and grab her, but the other person takes over and yanks my hand back, letting (Y/N) fly into the light. I stare wide-eyed, unsure of what to feel.

   She can't stop it, she's going to perish. Let her dissolve.

   There was a blinding flash of red light, and the illusion was gone. Nothing was left in the sky.

   She really did it... I thought.

   A shooting star of red light plummeted down from where the sun was. It passed me, I couldn't even see if (Y/N) was inside. The beam fell past the tower and to the battlefield below, far from any enemies or allies. The light acted like a meteorite, impacting with the earth and dragging along in the dirt for several yards.

   I flew closer. When the light finally faded, (Y/N) was there, lying in the dirt. Obviously very injured from the energy use and painful landing that accompanied. She was facing up towards the sky, Ruby breaking and crumbling in her hand.

   Lucky bitch, the voice swears, angered.

   I lower myself closer, almost touching the ground. I wasn't certain whether I should be impressed or infuriated. I was admittedly stunned.

   Her eyes barely opened, but they roll back under her lids. Death was a risk when you overuse the Ruby's abilities. This could very well be what could happen to her.

   "I thought the prototypes were destroyed, Infinite!" I hear the doctor complain. I turn to face the voice, trying not to roll my eyes. The doctor was in his strange metal carrier as usual. His hands were in fists, enraged.

   I didn't even bother with a response. Often when he is in such rage like this nothing can calm him down, so there was no point in making it worse.

   He looks down at the small (F/S) in the crater, scowling.

   "Bring her to the top of the tower," he orders, calmer. He was planning something, I could tell.

   Before I could ask why, he elaborated. "I will teach her the lesson of pain all over again."