I made an attempt

Infinite’s eyes lit up. Twist did make amazing pancakes. Luckily though, his mask was able to hide the excitement on his face. Even after staying here for weeks, Infinite still refused to take his mask off around Twist. He only took it off after locking himself in the bathroom to eat food. That also made it easier for Infinite to hide his love for Twist’s cooking, which was another reason he was thankful for the mask. However he had yet to find a way to take his mask off for sleeping. Unfortunately, there wasn’t really room to sleep in the bathroom comfortably, so he just had to keep the mask on while sleeping on the couch. He was starting to get used to the discomfort though.

Infinite sat quietly as he waited for Twist to finish up in the kitchen. He found himself glued to the couch most of the time. He was always either on the couch, or in the bathroom. He hadn’t even explored any other parts of this house. Because why should he? There’s nothing of interest, it’s just the house of some worthless civilian.

Twist was still in the kitchen, making sure the pancakes were a perfect golden brown. Usually, he didn’t care too much if his pancakes were a little burnt, but for Infinite? He feared if the pancakes weren’t perfect, then he’d have a vengeful god on his hands that would smite him where he stood. And that was the last thing he wanted.

As soon as the final pancake was finished to perfection, Twist gently lifted it with the spatula and placed it upon the top of the stack. He then drizzled the syrup over the tower of pancakes, grabbed a fork, and headed towards the living room to present the meal to the jackal.

“Pancakes are done,” Twist announced.

“Finally,” Infinite replied. “Took you long enough.”

“I uh… just wanted to make sure they were perfect for your radiance, Infinite,” Twist assured.

Infinite smirked to himself. Radiance? he thought. I could get used to that. Infinite had to admit, he was fond of the way Twist seemed to worship him.

Infinite grabbed his plate of pancakes and made his way to the bathroom like usual. In the meantime, Twist headed back to the kitchen so he could make himself breakfast as well.

Infinite did his best to eat the pancakes as quickly as he could. The less time he spent having to catch glances of his face in the mirror, the better. After he finished the last few bites, he secured his mask back on his face and headed back towards the living room. He noticed Twist sitting on the couch eating, and Infinite simply sat down next to him, placing his dirty place on the coffee table. Twist seemed to tense up as soon as Infinite sat down.

“Did you enjoy your pancakes?” Twist asked with his mouth full.

“It was sufficient,” Infinite replied. That was always the response he gave.

“Glad to be of service,” Twist said, a somewhat forced looking smile on his face.

Things began to grow quiet. Not just that, but the room filled with a very awkward silence. Infinite didn’t seem to mind, but Twist looked like he was growing more and more uncomfortable.

“Are you uh… enjoying your time here?” Twist asked.

“It is sufficient,” Infinite replied plainly.

“A-are you sure?” Twist asked. “Because I can make things more comfortable if you’d like. Do you wanna take my bed and I can sleep on the couch?”

“I would like it if you stopped talking,” Infinite answered, a sharpness in his gaze.

“Oh- sorry…” Twist apologized.

Things grew awkward and silent once again. Twist had also finished his pancakes now, so he didn’t even have anything to distract himself with. He looked around the room for a moment.

“Did you uh… want me to leave you alone?” Twist asked.

“No!” Infinite snapped suddenly, causing Twist to jump back. “I- er I mean…” Infinite quickly caught himself. “I’m only staying here until I regain my strength. And I need you to stay and aid me in my… recovery.”

Twist had a confused look on his face. “I meant if you wanted me to leave the room,” he clarified.

“Oh,” Infinite replied. “Then yes, you can leave.”

“Ok!” Twist quickly stood up and looked like he was about to go into the other room, but he stopped. “Do you uh… know when your powers will come back?” he asked.

“Hm?” Infinite questioned.

“You know, when your like… reality warping powers are gonna come back?” Twist reiterated. “Any idea at all?”

Infinite stared blankly at Twist, completely silent. It was hard to tell if he was trying to process the question or simply think of an answer. But eventually, it seemed like Infinite did have a response.

“I don’t know…” he muttered.

“You don’t know…” Twist repeated. He went quiet for a moment. “Sonic really must’ve beat you hard, didn’t he?”

“How dare you mention that blue hedgehog's name!” Infinite snapped.

“I’m sorry!” Twist quickly apologized. “I just- well, Sonic defeated you and that’s when you lost your powers, right?”

Infinite seemed to relax slightly. He placed a hand over his chest, almost like he was trying to grab for something that wasn’t there. “I suppose that is what happened,” he agreed. His hand then clenched into a fist.

“Is… this the first time you lost your power?” Twist asked.

“No…” Infinite muttered. His expression shifted slightly. Why did he say that?

“Well, do you remember how long it took you to regain your power before?” Twist questioned.

Infinite didn’t answer. Instead, he quietly stood up and began walking towards the front door.

“I-I didn’t mean to make you upset!” Twist began to panic. He ran over towards Infinite and without thinking, he grabbed the jackal’s wrist. Infinite immediately snapped his head towards Twist.

Twist stared at Infinite in complete fear and he froze up. He could feel his fur stand on end as Infinite’s one visible pupil pierced into his soul.

“I-uh… wh-where are you going?” Twist managed to ask.

Infinite pulled his wrist away. “You made me realize something, kinkajou,” he said, his voice surprisingly calm. “As I am now, I am completely powerless. A husk of what I used to be. I need to climb my way back up to where I was before.”

“Uh… ok,” Twist replied, clearly somewhat confused by what Infinite was saying.

“I’m going to one of Eggman's bases,” Infinite stated plainly. “There, I will find the first step I need to take.”

Infinite opened the front door and began to step outside.

“W-wait!” Twist yelled.

Infinite surprisingly listened and stopped walking. He turned back towards Twist. “What do you want?” he asked.

“I…” Twist muttered. He thought for a moment about whether or not he actually wanted to go through with this. He took in a deep breath and put on a brave face. “I’m going with you!”

Infinite stared blankly at Twist, completely silent and unmoving like a statue. He then turned around again. “Very well,” he agreed.

Twist was caught off guard by Infinite’s response, but he quickly realized he needed to follow or else he’d get left behind. Twist wasn’t exactly experienced in adventuring or anything like that, but he was terrified that if Infinite left, then he wouldn’t come back. He couldn’t let him out of his sight for too long. Not when he was this close to finally finding security in his life.

______________________________________________

Twist tried his best to keep up with Infinite, but his lack of hiking or running, or really any outdoor activity was very apparent. He was utterly exhausted, but he was too determined and wasn’t ready to sit back and let Infinite get away from him. Luckily, it seemed like Infinite’s loss of power made him a bit slower than what Twist would have expected. He was definitely in better shape than Twist, but he clearly struggled to do anything that was a little more taxing on the body.

Infinite grunted as he climbed up some rocks to get to slightly higher ground. He waited for a brief moment as Twist followed.

“Ugh…” Twist groaned pathetically. “Uh… a little help?” he asked.

Infinite glanced back at Twist with disinterest before he simply walked forward. Twist let out a tired sigh as he used the last of his strength to pull himself up. He rolled onto the ground and tried to catch his breath. He looked over as Infinite continued walking, so he quickly scrambled onto his feet again to catch up.

“Do you think… we could slow down a bit?” Twist asked.

“We’re almost there,” Infinite informed, clearly not wanting to stop.

“How close?”

“I’d say about an hour left of walking.”

“UGH!” Twist groaned loudly. “That’s so long!”

“You didn’t have to come along,” Infinite reminded.

“I didn’t want you going all by yourself though,” Twist assured. “Not when you’re…”

Infinite shot an intimidating glare in Twist’s direction, silently warning him to choose his next words very carefully.

“Um…” Twist clearly struggled to think of something. “Look, can we at least have a snack break?”

“Snack break?” Infinite questioned.

Twist reached for his small pack on the back of his belt. He pulled out a pair of bars still in their wrappers. “I brought energy bars.”

Infinite stared at the two bars. One seemed to be peanut butter flavored while the other one was some type of fruit. Without another word, Infinite snatched the peanut butter bar from Twist.

“O-oh,” Twist said, sounding somewhat disappointed as he looked at the fruit bar still in his hand. “Yeah, you can have that one…”

Infinite was in the middle of unwrapping the bar when he remembered the mask on his face. He thought for a brief moment before he turned away from Twist. He tried to discreetly shove the bar underneath his mask and into his mouth. Fortunately, Twist didn’t seem to notice.

“I’ll scope out ahead while you sit and eat,” Infinite decided. “We’re going to be entering Eggman’s territory so there may be badniks around.”

“O-oh, good idea,” Twist agreed. “I’ll just stay here and-” Twist didn’t get to finish his sentence as Infinite was already walking away. He let out a long sigh and sat down against a nearby rock. He unwrapped his energy bar and stared at it for a moment. He looked strangely somber until his gaze narrowed and he took a bite.

Twist leaned his head against the rock as he looked up at the sky. “What am I even doing?” he asked himself. “Why do I get the feeling I’m getting in way over my head?” Twist then shook his head. “No, I gotta look at the big picture here. If I actually get Infinite on my side, then I’ll never have to be afraid again. If Eggman tries anything, Infinite will be there to protect me. If Sonic tries anything, Infinite will…” Twist went quiet. “Infinite will… maybe be able to protect me…”

Twist seemed to tense up as he kept thinking about Sonic. His breathing started to get more quick and shallow, his mind seemingly beginning to spiral. However, before things could go further, Infinite came back.

“Things look quiet ahead,” Infinite informed, breaking Twist out of his thoughts.

“Oh, uh, that’s good to hear!” Twist replied, trying to sound cheerful.

Infinite nodded. “So get off your ass and let’s get moving.”

“R-right!” Twist agreed, springing onto his feet.

As the two of them kept walking, things grew quiet. Although the entire trip seemed very quiet. It was clear that Infinite wasn’t much for conversations and Twist was way too awkward to fill the silence in any way that would feel natural. They began to near the base and Infinite held an arm out to direct Twist to stop moving. Twist was confused for a moment until he noticed a small group of Egg Pawns walking around. Twist’s fur stood on end as fear quickly filled his chest.

“I thought you said things were quiet?” Twist asked in a whisper.

“They were,” Infinite replied. “A few Egg Pawns are nothing. They’re just lower peons for Eggman. Why do you think he calls them ‘pawns’, after all?”

“Y-yeah, but they’re still badniks,” Twist argued.

“We can easily sneak past them,” Infinite explained. “As long as you don’t give away our position.” There was a distinct sharpness in Infinite’s tone as he spoke.

Twist just nodded silently in response.

Infinite surveyed the area, trying to find a path to get past the Egg Pawns. As much as he wanted to tear those robots apart, he realized he needed to be smart. He could be arrogant, sure, but he wasn't a complete idiot.

“Those trees,” Infinite pointed. “We can climb across those, get past the Egg Pawns unspotted, and infiltrate the base.”

“But… won’t infiltrating the base alert them?” Twist questioned.

“Are you doubting me?” Infinite shot back.

“N-no! Of course not!” Twist denied. “I would never doubt your abilities, Infinite!”

“Then shut up and follow my lead,” Infinite ordered.

Infinite jumped up, grabbing onto a tree branch and pulling himself up.

“Oh Gaia…” Twist muttered to himself before he followed Infinite into the trees.

Infinite jumped from tree to tree, trying his best to stay silent. Twist followed as closely as he could, but was struggling to move quite as fast as the jackal. Infinite was almost past the Egg Pawns when suddenly, the branch he was standing on snapped. Thinking quickly, Infinite tried catching himself with the power of the Phantom Ruby. However, he quickly remembered he no longer held that power. He was fully prepared for a rough landing, but before he could crash onto the ground, he felt something grab his arm.

“I-I got you!” Twist assured as he held Infinite with both of his arms. The kinkajou’s tail was wrapped tightly around the thick tree branch he was standing on. Using all of his strength, Twist managed to pull Infinite back up.

Infinite found his balance, putting his hands on Twist’s shoulders to help steady himself. Infinite looked down at the Egg Pawns who still seemed oblivious to the two of them. Infinite then looked over at Twist who was staring at him with wide eyes and red cheeks. Infinite narrowed his expression as he shoved Twist off of him. Twist stumbled back, but luckily his tail was able to keep him from falling completely.

The two of them remained silent as they finished making their way past the Egg Pawns. Once they were in the clear, they jumped down from the trees and continued walking on foot.

“That… was a close one,” Twist commented, but Infinite didn’t have a response. Twist returned to silence as he followed Infinite. He was a little disappointed that he didn’t even get a thank you from Infinite, but Twist also knew how out of line it would be for him to argue. Infinite was a god. He didn’t owe Twist anything.

After the long walk in silence, the two of them finally reached a large, ominous building. It looked overgrown and abandoned, but the large Eggman logo was still very apparent.

“We’re here,” Infinite announced.

“Uh, yeah I figured,” Twist replied.

Infinite rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything about Twist’s comment. He walked forward to what seemed to be the front entrance to this base. There was a keypad at the door as it was obviously password protected. Infinite narrowed his gaze as he stared at the keypad before he put a code in. The keypad buzzed at him, shining a red light.

“Damnit…” Infinite muttered.

“What?” Twist questioned. “What’s wrong?”

“Eggman must have changed the passwords since I left…” Infinite theorized.

“Crap…” Twist replied. “How are we supposed to get in then?”

Infinite crossed his arms and pushed up his mask as he thought. Then suddenly, he punched the keypad with full force, destroying it.

“WHAH?!” Twist yelped. “Why did you do that?!” Infinite didn’t answer the question. He watched as sparks shot from the keypad and then looked at the door which seemed to start malfunctioning slightly. The doors appeared to slide open just a crack and Infinite let out a quiet snicker.

Infinite grabbed one of the doors and attempted to force it open. “Urgh!” he grunted as he struggled to get it open. “Come on!”

While Infinite continued trying to shove the doors open, Twist walked up and gave his assistance. He put some extra force into it and the two of them managed to get the doors to move. Infinite looked over at Twist in surprise. 

In response, Twist gave him a nervous smile. “Heh, you’re welcome,” he said.

Infinite ignored him and simply walked into the base. Twist tried not to feel disappointed as he quietly followed Infinite.

As they entered the base, it seemed even more apparent that this place had been abandoned. None of the lights were on and there didn’t seem to be any security. Twist kept looking around cautiously, trying to make out anything in the darkness. Infinite however seemed to know exactly where he was going.

“So um… what was it you needed from here again?” Twist asked.

“A weapon,” Infinite explained vaguely.

“Ok…” Twist responded. “What kind of weapon?”

As usual, Infinite didn’t answer. This habit was starting to get annoying for Twist, but he continued to hold his tongue.

Infinite continued looking around the base, seemingly unable to find anything. He then glanced over at a large computer screen. His expression narrowed as he stared at it. He remembered going over Eggman’s plans here and part of him was curious as to what the doctor would be planning next.

“Kinkajou,” Infinite ordered, “try to find a way to turn the power on.”

“G-got it!” Twist insisted. He quickly got to work looking around. It was difficult in the darkness as Twist was basically feeling around blindly, but eventually, he did find what felt like a large switch. He tried flipping it, and in an instant, the lights began to turn on one by one.

Infinite looked up as the room brightened His attention was then drawn towards the computer again as it started booting up. He walked up towards the monitor, his eyes locked onto the screen. Soon, it prompted him to type in a password. Only knowing one possible password, Infinite typed it in. Luckily, this password didn’t seem to have been changed yet as Infinite was able to easily login.

Twist noticed Infinite over on the computer and felt confused. “Is… that gonna help you find the weapon?” he asked.

“Shut up,” Infinite replied, his focus still on the computer.

Twist listened and refused to say another word. However, his curiosity still got the better of him. He walked over and stood behind Infinite, trying to get a peak at what he was looking at, but the jackal seemed to be clicking through things too quickly for Twist to process anything.

Infinite was skimming through everything Eggman had documented about the war. Obviously he had been involved in most of these encounters, so he didn’t look in depth. He was simply trying to put together anything about Eggman’s current plans. However, they seemed to just end suddenly.

“That can’t be right…” Infinite muttered.

“What can’t be right?” Twist asked.

Infinite ignored him once more. He again tried to find any current notes. He knew that all of Eggman’s computers were linked together by the Eggnet, so he knew that if Eggman had any current plans, then they would be here. But there was nothing.

“He couldn’t have just given up so quickly…” Infinite said. “We had everything right where we wanted it!”

At this point, Twist knew better than to question Infinite since he knew he wouldn’t get an answer. But still, he wanted to know what was going through Infinite’s mind right now.

“Infinite…?” Twist spoke. He started to reach a hand towards the jackal.

“Go wait outside,” Infinite ordered.

“What?” Twist questioned, his hand recoiling before even making contact.

“Are you deaf?!” Infinite snapped. “Go wait outside before I decide you aren’t worth my time!”

“R-right,” Twist stammered. “I’ll be… outside.” He backed away before turning around and walking away.

Infinite watched with narrowed eyes, waiting to make sure Twist would actually leave. He then turned back towards the computer and began typing again.

Phantom Ruby he typed in. However, nothing appeared. Infinite was stunned until he remembered something; a codeword Eggman would occasionally use to keep his plans extra hidden and secure.

Red Specter he typed in. Suddenly, a folder appeared. Infinite clicked on it and began reading through the documents. He skimmed through the initial reports as they were all things he already knew about. It wasn’t until he had gotten to logs that were from months into the war that things got interesting.

“Infinite has been one of my greatest projects yet,” Eggman had written. “The power of the [REDACTED] is truly something else. However, Infinite has yet to properly prove himself. The Resistance may be struggling, but they have yet to be eliminated. And his torture methods for Sonic have grown tiring. He acts as if he can rival me, the brilliant Dr. Eggman! Luckily, he seems to know his place for now. Still, once I finish my [REDACTED] powered Death Egg Robot, he will become obsolete. He has been a good test subject, but as I’ve learned over the years, if you want something done you must do it yourself.”

Infinite’s eyes went wide as he read the log. “O-obsolete…?” he questioned. “He… he planned to just throw me away like I was nothing?!” Infinite could feel himself shaking with anger as he fully processed the doctor’s words. “After I lost EVERYTHING for him?! He would treat me like this?!” Infinite continued to stare at the screen in disbelief. His eyes kept focusing on the word ‘obsolete’ until he finally felt his rage boil over and he punched the monitor, causing the entire screen to crack and break.

Infinite breathed heavily in anger, wanting nothing but to find Eggman and tear him to pieces. However, his thoughts of revenge were interrupted as something caught his eye. He looked over as he saw a sliver of red hiding behind some boxes. He recognized the shade of red in an instant. He walked over to uncover the weapon that he had been looking for.

______________________________________________

Twist was trying his best not to dwell too much on what Infinite had said. He had pushed him too far, stepped out of line. He was just hoping Infinite would be forgiving.

Twist paced back and forth as he waited for Infinite to return. However, the sound of beeping caught his attention. He looked over in fear as a group of Egg Pawns seemed to be approaching.

“Crap!” Twist yelled.

The Egg Pawns ran towards the base, but strangely, they seemed uncoordinated. Still though, they were badniks and they were dangerous. One of them ran towards Twist and it looked like it was readying an attack. All Twist could do was cower in fear as he prepared for the worst. But before the Egg Pawn could strike, Twist heard the sound of a blade slicing through the air.

Twist blinked and looked in front of him to see Infinite wielding a red scimitar. The Egg Pawn that had antagonized Twist now lay on the ground, a giant slash mark down the middle of its body. Infinite turned his head slightly, staring down at Twist with an expression that was impossible to pinpoint. Infinite then noticed the other Egg Pawns running around aimlessly. Without as much as a huff, Infinite dashed off, slashing at each of the badniks and destroying them with ease.

It took some time for Twist to fully process what was going on. As all the now destroyed Egg Pawns lay on the ground, Twist slowly stood up.

“I… you…” Twist said, clearly at a loss for words.

“I got what we came here for,” Infinite informed. “We’re leaving.”

“W-wait!” Twist insisted. “Won’t Eggman find out we were here? His Egg Pawns, they’ll-”

“He won’t find out,” Infinite cut him off.

“B-but-”

“Eggman will never know we were here,” Infinite maintained, his voice as sharp and harsh as his stare. “I made sure of that.” He began to walk away. “Now come on.”

“R-right…” Twist assured as he began to follow Infinite once more. He glanced down at the weapon now grasped firmly in Infinite’s hand.

Did we seriously only come here for a sword?! Twist questioned. He quickly shook his head. Maybe it’s like… a magical sword. It has to be if Infinite wanted it… right?