In the dead of night, many would travel the great forest only with feelings of great dismay, but Tails didn't. To him, it was routine to wander the night in his twilight hours, mostly of a mild form of insomnia, and a little bit of boredom.
      But after he decided that he had enough of the adrenaline producing darkness, he left the wander of the forest, and walked to his cabin. It was a sturdy log cabin that ran on a rusty, gas-powered generator. The windows were armed with cold, iron bars, and the door had four locks, two of which could only be opened by the inside. But to Tails, it was hardly enough to ease the uneasiness that kept him up at night.
     The interior was furnished by his old belongings from knothole, which consisted of a rough couch in one corner of the living room, one desk in his room, which also contained his small bed with a bedside table and some warm clothing, the refrigerator and other kitchen materials, and finally, his laser rifle, which was armed and ready at his side.
     Of course, it made him even more nervous to see his living room lit by one bulb, which cast shadows everywhere. He closed the door and snapped every lock in place, testing each one several times. When he turned around, the vibration from the door made the bulb move, making the shadows dance of a deadly seduction only he noticed. He loathed that feeling, like every force of nature seeked to drive him mad.

     After hiding his rifle under his preferred side of the bed, he shut off the bulb in his room, and climbed in his neglected bed. Why, was the constant question that he always thought to himself. Why, during that night three years ago did fate choose Tails and Sonic victim? The night's events, as usual, played again through his mind.
     Sonic and Tails were sneaking through the tunnels of Robotropolis. It was Tails' fourteenth birthday, and Sonic had the crazy idea that Tails was ready for some real action. Lately, the ground defense over Robotropolis was too high to match, so trampling around in discarded metal and oil in the darkness, pushed back only a few feet by a flashlight, seemed like a good way to stab Robotnik in the back. It was very nerve racking, but it seemed safe enough, after all, they didn't have to worry about any Swatbots or laser turrets.
     Sonic, as usual, strode a little faster than Tails, putting him a foot or two ahead. Tails, as a sort of rite-of-passage, was allowed to carry a laser rifle instead of a backpack full of tactical equipment. It felt satisfying to not be in that situation as he usually was. Sonic was moving faster and faster through the scrap, leaving Tails behind by ten feet, while Tails tried to catch up, pushing harder through the oily stream. Suddenly, the flashlight's beam turned towards him.
     "Tails," Sonic said quietly and in his impatient voice. "Hurry up. You don't want this do take all day, do you?"
     "We've been down here for hours," Tails said, trying to mask his irritation. "What difference does it make!" Tails began against the beam, hoping to get things moving.
     Sonic shrugged, and continued on.
     As they continued on, Tails rarely gave a forward glance, only following the faint light ahead, cast by Sonic's flashlight.
     In years past, most of the Freedom Fighters activities were carried out at day, and as the hours of walking in faint light, and while tired at night, made Tails dose off. The faint light had begun to fade, and he didn't notice it. And in a frame of time he had no idea of, he realized that Sonic and unknowingly ditched him in pitch darkness. And as if shocked bye electricity, his body tightened fast in reflexive alertness. He wanted to think his eye's had been closed, but he knew better.
     "SONIC," Tails desperately yelled.
     He waited for some seconds, but didn't hear anything. He was about to yell again when he heard yelling in the sound of a whisper.
     "Taaaiiiilllllllssssssssssssss."
     Tails' exhaled, releasing the held-up air, then yelled, "SONIC! COME BACK HERE NOW!!!"
     He waited again.
     "What da," echoed. And two seconds later, a silent scream came down the tunnel followed by an eerie whisper.
     "Tailsssssssss, hellllllllllllp!"
     Tails began to run until he heard a roar that silenced Sonic and traveled down the tunnel.
     Instantly, as if shot, Tails was frozen. More and more adrenaline pumped through his veins, and he kept to his stance. He didn't think, didn't breathe. Splashing sounds came down the tunnel, but grew quieter with each one. Whatever it was, it had run in the opposite direction.
      Then, what Tails dreaded the most came. Faint light, growing more and more bright, until the gentle current carried down the flashlight. Around it, the oil glowed crimson red, whereas before it glowed black, and floating next to it, was a partially shredded, bloodied backpack. And right before he fainted, Tails could see something far down the tunnel, something no one could explain.

     *BAMMM*
      When Tails opened his eyes, he was staring through the crosshair of his laser rifle at the burn in his bedroom wall.
      What's happening to me?!
     Tails stood up from the wooden floor, frozen in question.

Chapter 2

      Tails locked his cabin door and turned around. The sun was barely above the morning horizon, which gave the his forest surroundings a pleasant glow. The air was rich with the smell of pine, and the path seemed good ahead.
      When Tails had woke an hour earlier, he had shot the wall, as a response to his nightmare. It was almost the worst case of an unpleasant awakening he had ever experienced. The dreams were gradually getting worse, every detail becoming more and more real.
     He had finally decided to go to Knothole for some advice from his old friends, hoping that they had similar experiences and would be able to help. And though it would take a day's walk to get there, he looked at the path with a sense of hope, hoping it would go away.

* * *

      In the hills a few miles away from Knothole, where the great forest could be seen from a near sky perspective, sat Sonic's grave. It wasn't, in any way, a fancy memorial, though everybody Sonic knew wanted it that way except for Sally. As her small royal craft lay far behind, she silently walked up the hill.
     The location itself seemed to call for more than one person to be there at a time. The lonely breezes ruffled the grass in a peaceful pattern. Those peaceful breezes also made the location seem dangerous in the sense that it was too solemn, too quiet.
     However, Sally didn't seem at all affected by it at all, only concentrating on the small gravestone that lay up ahead. When she finally made it up, she didn't immediately look down at what remained of Sonic, but instead looked straight ahead, at the sky and a forest that never seemed to end. This was the third anniversary of that terrible night. The sun was over the west horizon, and what was left of the day dwindled away. Except for the dying light to the west, the sky was black. It was an impenetrable darkness that seemed to never end. It made her wonder.
     Was that the darkness of those tunnels? She thought. Then she visualized the tunnel. Sonic was going against the darkness with a puny flashlight. He could never truly see more than five feet in front of him. The darkness only just swallowed the light. And as soon as the thought of whether or not he could even see what killed him occurred, Sally turned away from the sky, and looked at the grave. But then, as if she were living the nightmare, the sky began to darken fast. From dark blue to midnight blue, and then, only after a few seconds, Sally's surroundings became pitch-black. Then the temperature began to drop, until her vest was obsolete against what felt like twenty degrees.
     "Wha w ww wa whatssss goinging on," she asked of no one. And as if a response, the temperature dropped again, down to what felt like a negative degree. She attempted to run, but the darkness and cold had stopped her from noticing the large rock right by the path. The rock hit her in the stomach, slamming out her wind. Stunned, she fell to the ground. Then, out of the dark, glowed two white eyes, stuck in a gleeful squint.
     Wind chills came, projecting a whispering voice along with a certain twenty-degree drop.
      "You will soon join him. You will be the first of many to die!" His voice showed no imperfections of tone, or phrase. Completely solid.
      Struggling to stay awake, Sally yelled, "Who are you?!" She had to regain her breath. "Did you kill him?!" She waited, gasping again while the expression in the darkness did not change. "Answer me!"
      The temperature dropped too low for Sally to even feel.
      "If you must know-" the engines of another transport landing quickly nearby cut out his voice. Then, to Sally's despair, she noticed that her vision became blurry, and she was losing her breath.
      "They'll never make it in time! Goodbye, Sally Acorn."
      Her vision was about to fade to black, then was lit again by laser fire, blasting into the two eyes. It fizzled away. Warmth began to return to Sally's body, but unconsciousness came faster than her rescuers.

      When Sally opened her eyes, she only saw darkness, accompanied by silence.
      'Is this death? No way!'
      And as a test, she tried to move, but instead fell off of her bed, and to the hardwood floor.
      "Owww!" Overcome by happiness, she simply exhaled. "Well, at least I know I'm not dead."
      She stood. The surroundings were dark except for the open window of her hut, which let in the full-moon night and gentle breeze. She shuddered as the memory returned.
     Clearly, she had been rescued, but who helped? Antoine, who was in the pilot seat, must've noticed the sight at the top of the hill, and fired, she figured.
     Feeling no point to stand around paranoid, Sally got back to her bed, but couldn't seem to close her eyes, still cautious of the breeze. She began to think of better things.
     'Ah, the moonlit sky, the summer grass, the-' [SNAP] 'sound of a twig being crushed nearby-'
     She stopped thinking. And as if whoever was sneaking, the crushing of twigs was quiet and gradual. She slowly left her bed, tiptoed to the fireplace, and grabbed the fire poker, just as three gentle knocks hit the wooden door. She snuck up to the door, just as three more came. As she got close, a floorboard creaked loudly.
     'Shit!'
     Ready to crush anybody on the other side, she quietly asked, "He-Hello?"
     "Sally," Asked a quiet but all too familiar voice. "It's me, Tails."
      She put the iron poker back and opened the door. Through the bright moonlight, she could hardly see what her memory said was Tails. His hair had grown denser over his orange fur, his height was equal to hers now, he wore a shoddy cloak, and though she couldn't see his eyes in the dim light, he appeared to be frowning or stressed.
      "Tails! What're you doing here this late? Come in."
      "Thanks," Tails said, and he walked calmly in.
     Sally shut the door behind him. He stood patiently, obviously trying to be as polite as possible.
     "You can sit down if you want, ya know."
     Tails sat in her desk chair. Sally decided to just stand.
     "So, what brings you back? It sounded like you were going to be gone a long time." She spoke polite and lifelessly, curious.
     Tails' expression became clear in the light now pointed at him from the outside. He looked scared or worried. "I was. But I've been having nightmares recently and-" He searched Sally's concerned face for something then went on. "Its been driving me nuts. It gets worse and worse every time. I don't what to think."
     Sally didn't have to ask what he was dreaming about, she had that much figured out.
     "I'm curious. Sally, I need to know something."
     "What," she asked.
     "When I blacked out in the tunnels, how did you find me? You never told me."
     Just the mention of that night made Sally shudder. She didn't want to tell him. It hurt almost equally as bad as thinking of how her boyfriend died. She took a deep breath.
     "Don't make me, please."
     "If it's that bad, I just want to know." His words were cold and determined.
     "Are you sure?"
     "Yes."
     "Fine." She took another deep breath.
     "That night, during the time when you and Sonic were going through the tunnels, we received some sort of interference back here in the communications room which made it impossible to track you by simple signal." As she finished the sentence, she realized just how long she had avoided saying Sonic's name. "We thought you and Sonic had planted the explosives at the vital locations and had caused it. After an hour, we got worried. When the interference left, the emergency beacon in the backpack was on. We tracked it to the entrance of the tunnel and you..."
     "What?"
     "You were sitting there, staring into nothing while holding the bloody back pack and the beacon. You were out for a week." She could feel moisture and burning in her eyes.
     "But when I woke, you spoke as if he died the day before!" He barely kept quiet.
     "We lied. I'm sorry. Dr. Quack said it would be best for your heath if you didn't know."
     She watched for his reaction. No sign of any emotion except frustration.
     "I...understand. I'm sorry for waking you this late. I just had this feeling, like a something was stirring within me that I can't describe. I guess I'll be going now." Tails stood up and reached for the small amount of gear he had carried with him.
     "No wait!" Tails turned around. "You can stay till morning. It's not like you are an outcast or something."
     "Thanks, I'll just hit the floor and I'll be gone in the morning."

Chapter 3

      The sun was not yet over the horizon, and the early morning fog still hung over the bright grass. Nothing moved. Everything was in tranquility. Quietness can be louder than noise, and Tails was now awake.
      He slept slightly troubled, and he woke feeling the same. Out of Sally's window, he could see that it was still early morning, and no one should've been up yet. But coming out of another hut a hundred yards away or so, Tails could see a uniformed figure. It was approaching the hut, and Tails could tell who it was.
      'Antoine!? Crap, I better split before the big reunion. So much for advice.'
      Tails noted that there was only one window, in which an escape attempt would be noted, setting off an annoying chain of events. All Tails felt he needed was everyone giving him "How's it going?" and "How are you holdin up?" Tails could hear footsteps now.
     Tails looked and noted that if Antoine was at the door, he could then go out the window, which faced Antoine's right. He would make a little noise, but nobody would see him. Besides, Antoine never did have much sense and would shrug it off, thinking that the wind or something had something to do with the noise.
     Tails put his back to the wall near the window, ready to jump out at the right time, just before Sally would wake up and before Antoine could get in. The footsteps got up to the door and three knocks sounded. Tails jumped. He passed through the window and to the grass below. However, he jumped too high and made a large thud on the landing.
     "Huh? What ez it?"
     Tails ran to the back of the hut. He could hear footsteps getting closer. Tails was going to run, but if he went around anymore, anybody else on the loose could see him. Each step got closer until...
     "Antoine? What are you doing near my window," Sally's awakened voice asked.
     The steps stopped.
     "My apologeez, highness. I zought I heard zee noise. I zought your attackier was about."
     'Attacker?'
     "No Antoine, I'm fine. Go about your business."
     "Yes, majesty!"
     The steps went distant and disappeared.
     'What was he talking about?'
     Tails got close to the window, but kept hidden.
     "Attacker, Sally?" He hoped that she was listening.
     "Nevermind, Tails. Just get going before anybody else gets near.
     "Alright. Bye."
      Tails went in the opposite direction of which he came. Because of everybody else waking up, he would have to circle around distantly to avoid detection.
      It was de ja vu all over again, walking through the forest where he had spent so long. It had almost felt like he was home again, but sympathy was annoyance, and then he felt like a foreigner.
      As he looked around, he noticed that it was darker than usual for this early in the morning. It seemed like night but there was still faint blue light. Nobody was in sight, which made him feel more comfortable.
     Then something touched his right foot as he walked forward. He looked at the shadow up ahead, and knew he was in for it.

      Though it had been a weird beginning to his morning, Antoine finished his morning stroll despite the nagging in his head that he had in fact seen an intruder. He stopped to sit by the well in the center. He looked around at the ring of huts and other more differently made and strategically important buildings. Everything was calm.
     It had been a tense day yesterday when the mysterious shadow thing had attacked the princess. He felt somewhat pleased that he had shot it. Rotor picked up the disturbance somehow and had tried to get there in time. Antoine felt even better knowing he had saved the princess' life and had successfully fulfilled is responsibilities. And now, sitting in the quiet village, he was their protector. A smile broke his face.
     Winds suddenly shot forth from the well, knocking him off in panic. And in the whistling of the wind, he could hear a deep and distorted voice.
     "You're about to die, small fry!"
     The wind stopped. Antoine was panicked but figured it was just his mind messing with him. He almost sat back down, until he noticed it. Black mist was flowing out of the well.
     "Sheeeeet!"
     Antoine ran in the direction of the princess' hut, hoping to send the warning. He got a few feet before something pounded him hard in the back. He turned to see a black cloud with two white eyes staring at him. He tried to get up, but was slammed by a tendril from the small cloud.
     'Must find zee way!'
     Antoine managed to scream for help as the cloud surrounded him. The last thing he could hear where the sounds of the huts' doors opening.

     When the ache in his head became noticeable, Tails opened his eyes. He had fallen. He used to run Sonic into the same trap where he would get Sonic's foot stuck in the tree root, he would fly into a tree branch, and fall twenty feet or so into a natural pit. It was hard to get out of because mud lined the darkened walls of the pit.
     Tails looked up to see his backpack on the branch that had clotheslined him.
     'No problem.'
     Working the trick, he spun his two tails fast. He hadn't done it in a while, but he slowly floated up to his gear and to the ledge. It was tiring since he was out of practice. He breathed in hard and coughed out a load of smoke.
     "The hell?"
     In the distance, he could see the red, orange, and yellow mosaic that was the inferno far ahead of him. What had happened? Ducking low to get air, Tails ran towards Knothole Village.
     As he got closer, Tails could point out what was burning. The entire area near Sally's hut was ablaze. Through the smoke, Tails could see Freedom Fighters scrambling to get the proper fire extinguishing equipment from a burning building. No one seemed to notice him, and who would anyway. Tails put part of his cloak over his mouth, for it was getting difficult to breathe.
     He stopped one of the Mobians running.
     "What happened?!!!"
     "Sorry sir, we got a situation! The princess is trapped!"
      He ran towards the blaze.
      'Gotta help!'
      Carefully, Tails dropped his gear, buttoned up his cloak, and put his hood on. The heat of the flames was intense, and Tails was getting dizzy from it. That and the smoke made it impossible to tell what was what. He looked for the building with the most Mobians trying to put it out. He couldn't see them either. Picking what had been served from his memory, he backed up, and sprinted at what he figured was a door as if nothing else mattered.
      As he ran through the flames, no feelings of pain arose, and even when he dove into the door, it had felt like fling to him. When instinct died and his logic regained control, he was surrounded by flames. Nearly everything except the now igniting floor was on fire. The walls, ceiling, and even debris that had sealed shut the window. Had she got away?
      Carefully as he could, he looked around for some sign of the princess. There was nothing living there except him, and as the flames drew closer, he wondered how much longer even that would be true. And then from under him came a voice.
      "Is anybody there?! I'm trapped!" The voice was undoubtedly Sally's. Then he noticed what he had overlooked. The debris that had sealed the window also was jammed in the floor. Somehow, Sally must have gotten down there. How could he get her out? The hungry flaming beast was drawing even closer, only five feet away at all his sides.
      'Hmmm.'
      Though Tails might be able to think of a better way, it would take too much time. He walked near the edge of the ring that had him, jumped, and body slammed a nearly destroyed part of the floor. He passed through the floor. And as soon as he had jumped, he was face first into the hidden basement, only two feet tall.
      "Tails, stop goofing around," lectured the voice of princess Sally.
     Tails rolled, dodging the pieces of the floor that were collapsing near him. He got up. Sally was behind him.
     "Just dropping in, I guess."
     "Let's just get out of here!"
     Sally impatiently went in front of him, and jumped out of the hole.
     "Wait, the fire!"
     Tails jumped out. The floor was now completely on fire. His right sleeve began to burn. Tails jumped, and ran for the door.

Chapter 4

     "So, what the hell happened?!" Tails couldn't hide his irritation.
     In the past hour, he had helped Sally escape an inferno, revealing his presence to everybody he had not wanted to. It turns out the only injury had been to Antoine, who was in a coma. Except for Bunnie, everybody seemed focused on his situation. Every question they'd ask, he'd answer with the universal cold shoulder word, "Fine." And now, in the more secure comm. Building, he couldn't help but feel that something was being hidden from him.
     "I don't know," Sally calmly spoke back. "After you high-tailed it out, I went back to sleep. I woke later when I saw Antoine being consumed by the same black cloud thing I saw last night!"
     "Last night?"
     "Yeah, it knew my name! After it put Antoine down, it came towards me, so I hid."
     "Okay I get it. Whatever it was got angry when it couldn't find you so it decided to torch the place!"
     The room grew silent. Geoffrey St. John, suspicious as always, was monitoring Tail's every move. It was uncomfortable. He also had a calculating face, which suggested that he thought it was his turn to speak.
     "Ya know...mate, this hasn't been the first occurrence that has been like the sorts..." He looked at Tails, almost sympathetically.
     "How could that possibly be?" The mere insinuation was aggravating.
     "Well, when I met with him, he did mention...Sonic in a vengeful way," Sally painfully added on.
     'This is pointless!'
     "Forget it," Tails said. "I have my own ideas right now, see ya later." Tails proceeded to walk out the door.

     The sun was setting on the forest. Around Knothole, the theories and controversy did not become stifled through time, but strengthened.
     Tails tightened his bandolier under his cloak, which contained weapon batteries, rations, high-beam flashlight, first aid, and emergency beacon. Concealed, he kept his laser rifle, a dagger, and a three-burst laser pistol. He figured the armory wouldn't miss them.
     It reminded him of the night that he envisioned so often. He didn't want to go back, but ever since the meeting, he had felt the need to return to that tunnel. Perhaps, if he was lucky, he missed something vital to whether or not the beast from his memory was related to this enemy Sally spoke of.
     It didn't concern him that much; he just wanted a chance, if at all, to get revenge.
     He walked calmly towards the same drainage pipe. By the time he got to the entrance, the sky was becoming dark in the absence of the sun, which had gone over the horizon. The tunnel was pitch black. Chills went up Tails back and all around his body, and he had begun to sweat. He reached for the flashlight in his cloak. When he turned it on, he could see down twenty-five or so feet before the light faded away. With every muscle in his body fighting him, he slowly walked in.
      When he had gone too far to see the entrance, his mind went from quiet to berserk. Thoughts like 'what am I doing," "Damn it," "It won't be so bad,' and 'I'll kill it if its here!' were potentially more noisy in his head than any of the sounds that could echo down the tunnel. He continued, feeling like he could sweat blood in the fearful cloud that followed him, while an unchanging tunnel curved every now and then. He pulled out his rifle, and held it tightly in his right hand, keeping the flashlight at his left.
      Time went on, and before long, Tails lost all concept of it. But his feelings and thought kept him alert. A shadow on the wall appeared at him, and Tails aimed directly at it.
      'Writing. Whew!"
      "It was spray-painted clearly in red. "A youngster met his fate here. Go any farther and you will to!" Tails instantly became more alert. There was no water below him, and the air had an eerie whisper of breeze. And he punched at the writing. His fist slammed into the cement, and the pain turned his terror to anger. Tails aggressively strode down the tunnel, eager to meet the person who wrote the note. And only seconds later, a roar boomed down the tunnel. At the end of his flashlight's beam, he could see crimson substance flow.
      The next roar formed a sentence. "GO NOW!"
      "Come here and make me you...you...YOU FUCKING COWARD!!!
      "SO BE IT!"
      And at the end of his beam, a large figure of orange and yellow fur, and teeth dripping with blood rushed at him. It resembled Kudos but he would have nothing to do here.
     Tails pulled the trigger again and again, and between each flash, he could see the lion beast dodge each and every bolt of energy that came his way. Faster than the four shots, he had dove into Tails. The flashlight was thrown back with the rifle, and enough light came his way to see the face, full of rage, smile.
      "Lets go!" Tails grabbed his dagger, and slashed at the lion that had him to the ground. A massive right hand grabbed his and pried the knife to his right hand, and he threw it, and then let go of Tails hand.
      "SHUT UP!" It curled its clawed right hand and slammed it into Tails face.
      Tails could feel his jaw snap and nose nearly do the same. Blood appeared on the wall.
      "AH ON'T OOSE!" Tails saw the thing smile from his slurred speech, but it didn't matter.
      "YES YOU WILL!" His right hand spread out, and the thing looked at Tails' throat.
      'No...NOT THIS WAY!'
      Tails squirmed away a few inches, and five sharp claws slashed at his chest. More blood appeared on the wall, but pain still hadn't even caught up with him. And while it began to laugh, Tails reached into his cloak and pulled out the pistol. He aimed at the beast's head and depressed the trigger. Three fast bolts of vengeance flew into its head. A black and red substance splashed into the wall, along with some smoke. Tails squirmed away.
      He looked down at his chest. His fur under his cut up bandolier was bloodstained white. He tried to relocate his jaw, and as he bent down, two bloodied teeth fell to the ground.
      'That's just fucking marvelous! I'll look great later on.'
      He grabbed for gauze from his small first aid and put it in the tooth spaces and his chest.
      And finally comfortable, he grabbed the flashlight and rifle, and headed for the body. As he got closer, he could see light from the hole in its head. As he shined the light, electric sparks became visible. He looked up at the blood and it smelled of low-budget oil.
      'This can't be! A ROBOT!'
      He aimed his rifle at his head and shot and shot it's mouth and the black-red, oil smelling, substance poured out, and following it, a hard plastic sack.
      'Fake blood! That's what Sonic's backpack floated on! That means...'
      Tails kicked the robot over and ran down the tunnel, eager to see Robotnik on the other end, ready to spill the beans or his brains. One way or another, Tails would find out what really happened to Sonic!

Chapter 5

      Even though working on the new project was getting boring for Robotnik. As he walked around the metallic corridors though, he began to become proud of it, for he had kept it so long. The next blast door opened, and he proudly stepped into the large room with his computer. Two Swatbots stood at the entrance of his command center.
      "Good evening, Dr. Robotnik." Their blank and computerized voices sounded pleasant and yet, boring to Robotnik. He didn't respond, but sat in his chair, custom made to fit his massive egg-shaped body and implanted to the floor. Then he looked up. And alert sign showed on the bed-sized screen. He hit the necessary key.
      "Dr.," began a female computerized voice. "Unit zero-sixty-one of the tunnel patrol has been deactivated." He opened his eyes in shock.
      'Isn't that the one that got Sonic for me?'
      "Computer, show diagnostic and video recording now!"
      "Not possible."
      "What!"
      "All attempts in performing assigned actions report in failure."
      'That couldn't be possible unless its head was blown away!'
      "Computer, activate code ret alert status, we have an intruder!"
      "As you wish." All around, lights turned red.
      "Also, up the security around the new project 100% on the double!"
      "As you wish."
      Robotnik ran for a door concealed in the shadow behind his computer. It was covered in dust and cobwebs. He spoke, "The great and ingenious Dr. Robotnik." With a groan, the door slowly opened. He ran in a corridor. Some of the dying lights flickered to life as he rushed in. As the door closed behind him, he could hear an air duct grate fall to the floor in the command center. He ran as fast as his fat legs could carry him.
      As he opened the main door, he could hear the one he had previously walked through, about thirty feet away, being banged on. The main blast door shut behind him. He was now in the room where he would make his stand against whatever was coming. The same dying blue lights shined around the large cylindrical room, and in the center, was it.
      'He'll never beat this!'

      Tails knew Robotnik had run through the door. The Swatbots didn't even see him hide in the shadow. He sniped them with his rifle. Metal flew everywhere as they blew in smoldering pieces. His bleeding had slowed at his jaw and his chest had stopped completely. He felt a little dizzy from blood loss, and even though it clouded his perceptions, he focused and kicked the old-looking door. It plainly fell.
      'Don't make them like they used to.'
      He walked through the crappy, old corridor to the next door. Feeling all of his lost confidence come back as he did so, he kicked it open. He was now in a cylindrical room lit the same as the corridor. In the center, was a cylindrical metal capsule, covered in wires and other tubes.
      'Nothing here?'
      He looked in all horizontal directions but saw nothing in the dimness. He pulled out his flashlight.
      "Put it away, whoever you are, I surrender." And out of behind the cylinder, Robotnik walked out with his hands up.
     He rebounded in shock when he saw two tails coming out of the rear of his pursuer. It was obvious by his expression. He thought he was going to die. Tails had the rifle and pistol out and pointed at him by now.
     Robotnik looked at him carefully. "So my robot even broke your jaw, did he not. You must be lucky, even Sonic couldn't deal with him."
     Tails growled from deep in his throat. Robotnik knew he was beaten up. It really didn't matter, because it was obvious anyway.
     "Don't know what to do, do you?" Robotnik quickly pulled out a remote control and hit its single button. "Too late. A moment's hesitation will now cost you your life!" Tails didn't fire.
     He could see the pressure seal open on the capsule. He knew what was inside. He knew what irony was going to play on him. Sonic walked out. His chassis was polished metallic-black. His eyes were now glowing black and red, his quills were sharp, and his metallic boots were so unlike his sneakers. He was robotisized once more. Tails had seen Sonic like this before, and knew this couldn't be so bad.
     Sonic appeared not to notice Tails in the slightest. He slowly moved his feet and walked to Robotnik.
     "Neutral mode," calmly spoke a distorted version of Sonic's voice.
     Robotnik smiled.
     "Assume primary function." After saying this, the shiny version of Sonic twitched and stood loose just like the true one did.
     "So Robuttnik, whaddya what me to do?" He looked at Tails, and his expression seemed to be surprised. "Tails, you look like crap!" He took a fighting stance.
     'The hell! It's just as if Sonic really wasn't robotisized at all!'
     Smirking, Robotnik put his hands down. "You see Tails, by keeping some parts of the real Sonic intact, I can keep his personality and mannerisms active, but with undoubtful loyalty to me. He thinks for himself. He has other useful qualities about him, one being that being like this, he will not be able to accept the ring trick you did last time. Isn't that right, Sonic?"
     "That's right Buttnik!"
     Tails felt all of his confidence disappear. Using the 1,000,000th ring Sonic got was the only way besides using the original Robotisizer that would return him to normal. He looked Sonic in the artificial eyes.
     "Sonic," Robotnik began sharply. "Kill him."
     "Sounds like a plan, man."
     Sonic didn't have a real mouth, but Tails knew he was smiling.
     'Hope he has a bug like anything else Buttnik makes, or I'm FUCKED!'
      Sonic stepped forward. Tails fired both the rifle and pistol again and again. Upon hitting him, they induced some sparks and that's it. Sonic grabbed both weapons. Tails fired again. Sonic's grip began to tighten, and before long, the barrels were squeezed shut.
      Tails ran for the door, but cold metal arms grabbed him by the neck.
      "Sorry little buddy." Somehow, Tails didn't think he was.
      Sonic lifted him, and walked toward the Robotisizer.
      'Don't worry Tails, I'll help you.' His thoughts spoke a different voice.
      'What?'
     Violently, his jaw snapped into place. The pain was enough. He kicked Sonic even though he was made of metal. Suddenly, his neck was free; his feet were on the ground. He turned around, and stuck to the wall, Sonic sat, sparks of electricity flowed across his black frame.
     "Ha! You had it coming!"
     'How did I do that???'
     Sonic stood up.
     "You realize Tails, that this means war!" Shutters opened on his arms, and on each, three-laser cannons rose.
     Tails couldn't explain what was going on, but if he didn't do something, it would be over. A feeling of power, not like his own rose and tensed his body. A different thought came to him.
     'DIE.'
     "Sonic, you will pay for your treachery!" Sonic fired all cannons. Tails saw all six beams fly into his face. No pain, no darkness. He rushed to the source and punched. When his vision cleared, Sonic stood shocked, pressed into the wall again. His forehead showed a dent and a small opening. Sparks flew everywhere, lighting up the dim room
     "AAAGGGGGGGGGGH!" Robotnik ran for the door. He would be caught soon enough, Tails figured. Sonic slowly lifted out of the dent in the wall, exactly his shape. He held his head.
     "Ow Tails, my head! I can't believe you did that! That makes me so..." He flew into Tails. "ANGRY!"
     The pain was incredible. Sonic stepped back, with a sick grin. Tails looked down. In the dim light, he could see a spike of metal soaking in the blood of his chest. Blood dripped out of the fatal wound.
     "Whatever." Tails reached for his chest. Within seconds, he held the bloody spike in his right hand. He dropped it. The bleeding got worse, as did the pain. Tails winced at it.
     "It can't be! That's not cool Tails!" He aimed all cannons at him.
     As fast as the chills, piercing pain shot into Tails' head. He grabbed at his head, clenching his teeth. It grew worse. He fell to his knees. His eyes were clenched shut in agony. As fast as the pain had come to his head, burning lasers hit him hard all over his body. He left the ground, and hit solid steel. Pain shot everywhere, with no exception.
     Ahead of him, he could hear Sonic say something like, "Wow, you're sill alive," or something of the nature. Tails knew it. As he writhed in his torture, he pieced it together. He was bleeding; he figured Sonic had blasted him with so many cannons that he was charred badly. He felt it; he was going to die that night. But before he did, he figured Sonic would have to go to.
     Tails, despite the pain, opened his eyes. Sonic have standing cross-armed and cocky. Tails saw the gleam of blood from the spike right next to him. Quickly, Tails rose to his feet and dashed for the spike. He dove, covering it.
     "Whoa, little buddy, you could put somebody's eye out with that!"
     Sonic grabbed for the spike projectile, but Tails already had it dug in his robotic neck before he could even touch it. Sonic's neck sparked, and he pulled it out gently.
     "Bad idea, now the ball's in my court."
     Tails collapsed at his feet. His vision was getting blurry. No doubt he was dieing and Sonic would finish him. He felt Sonic's cold hand reach for his throat and lift him. Then at the power of hydraulic pressure, Sonic's hand squeezed. His air was being cut off. Then it hit him. He would not die at the hands of the enemy!
     'My turn.'

     As soon as the noise stopped, Robotnik came closer to the doorway to the room. He heard a clank of something hit the floor, and then came a shriek. No, it was laughter. Insane laughter pounded his ears. Then as soon as it had begun, it had stopped. Robotnik reached into his pocket and pulled out his remote, and pushed the big button labeled "PANIC." Soon Swatbots would fill the area.
     Footsteps sounded, heading up the darkened corridor. Robotnik knew Sonic would have killed Tails. How could Tails even have lived so long anyway? Robotnik turned the corner with a smile.
     "Congrats Sonic, you..." Robotnik looked into the face of Tails.
     "You're gonna die." Tails sounded not like how Robotnik expected. The voice was dark, malevolent, and maybe even evil. It was as if a demon spoke instead of an innocent child.
     Robotnik walked backwards, and as he did, he noticed the metal head in the young fox's hand, that of Sonic himself. Blood was on his clothing, but no wounds were evident. As if he never was hurt.
     "That can't b-b-b-be! I could hear it! You lost Tails!" According to their standard reaction time, Robotnik expected the Swatbots any second.
     "Tails? That's must be the worst name one could have. Glad I don't have it." A dark smile appeared in his face, not too far under his now narrow mustard yellow eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm jabbering, you should've already received the blade!" With his free, right hand, he yanked out a knife and leaped.
     Behind Robotnik, the quick-open door revealed a Swatbot, laser aimed. Robotnik ducked in time for the evil Tails to receive a burst of heat. He flew into the large computer screen. Two hundred thousand volts charged into the fox as he stuck in it.
     "AARRRRRRGH!" The heinous voice sounded hard throughout the room, echoing in all its ferocity as its source burned to a crisp.
     More Swatbots came in. Each aimed with its arm-mounted laser and fired. Robotnik could not see due to the light, but he had a good feeling to this one.
     When the shots stopped, there was no more computer screen. Robotnik walked over to the large computer. No remains of Tails, or Sonic's head.
     'Hah, he must have been vaporized!'
     "Swatbots, assume normal conditions, and send a repair crew to replace the monitor and clean up this mess!"
     Robotnik took a great breath, in his realization that neither Tails nor Sonic could ever interfere with him again.
     'Not such a bad day after all!'

Chapter 6

     For the past hour and a half, Sally had sat impatiently in the command building. She knew Tails had run off in the tunnels were Sonic had been chewed up. Sally looked at the small radar screen in the shadowy confines of the monitoring room, never blinking away from the small dot that had entered Robotropolis and had stayed there.       Suddenly, the steel door opened, and the collapse of her concentration made her jump out of her seat. It was Rotor.
      "Princess! We found Tails! Come on!"
     No question about it. She followed him, trying not to look embarrassed.
     It was now late at night. Sally tried to remember what exact time it was, but to no avail. The countless time in front of a radar screen had made her quite zombie like. As Rotor led, they passed by gloomy trees. She had a bad feeling about everything she looked at. Even the wind was frightening, as it sounded of mournful whispers.
     They were just passing a hill in the outskirts of the village when she saw Antoine standing over something. And in all of the grim light of the full moon, she saw him. Smoking and crippled.

     As his sore vision resurrected, Tails could see the brightest light, as if he was heading towards oblivion. Then, as his eyes adapted, he saw Antoine, Sally and Rotor behind the light. They weren't looking at him, though. Tails looked too.
     It hit hard. His jaw dropped. In the paling light from the flashlight, Tails saw it; the black polished surface, the deactivated strobe lights. In his right hand, lay Sonic's head.
     And from that moment on, Tails didn't think, but knew life would never be the same again.