Chapter Text
Warmth surrounded Sonic as he became conscious of the world around him. He kept his eyes closed for a little while and rolled inside his sleeping bag. While he felt well-rested, the coziness was a bit too addicting. There was no rush to get up.
It took him thirty minutes, but eventually he sat up. He let out a loud yawn as he rubbed his eyes and stretched. Just a few feet away he spotted Amy setting up plates on a picnic blanket, her back towards Sonic.
“A breakfast and a picnic?” Sonic asked, his tone starting as tired but turning more enthusiastic towards the end.
Amy startled at first but turned towards Sonic with a big smile on her face.
“Good morning, Sonic!” she announced, the happiness practically radiating from her, “And yup, Knuckles and I thought picnics are our thing, and we wanted to make this breakfast extra special since you’re finally back with us!”
Sonic grinned as he wiggled his way out of the sleeping bag. Taking things slow for a change, he sauntered towards the sweetly scented breakfast. He plopped down on the blanket and immediately grabbed a plate of cherries to munch.
“How’d you sleep? You looked very comfortable, at least,” Amy chuckled.
“This was definitely the best sleep I’ve gotten while I’ve been in this future,” Sonic replied with his mouth full of cherries, “Even Knuckles’ snoring was oddly calming.”
“That’s because it’s not as loud as yours,” Knuckles’ voice came from behind Sonic.
Sonic snorted and glanced at his friend. “Morning to ya too, Knux.”
Knuckles was carrying a small device that resembled a laptop. He placed it on the blanket so that its screen was facing all three of them. Sitting down, he switched the device on.
“Rouge and Shadow had sent us a video message. I figured we should watch it together,” Knuckles explained while reaching for a plate of purple grapes.
“Oh! I messaged them last night to let them know Sonic is staying with us, so they wouldn’t worry. I guess they wanted to reply to that,” Amy hummed.
“A video message, huh? I hope they didn’t have anything urgent planned,” Sonic wondered aloud, offering the plate of cherries towards Amy who happily took it.
“Eh, maybe they just wanted to show their faces. It’s been a while,” Knuckles shrugged as he opened the video file and pressed play.
To their horror, the video showed neither Rouge nor Shadow. What greeted them instead was a view of Tails’ lab, as well as the genius himself sitting down in front of one of his worktables. Tails stared at the camera with a sharp stare, brows furrowed, and arms crossed.
Amy dropped the plate of cherries in shock. Knuckles stared at the screen and a single grape fell out of his mouth. Sonic curled up slightly and rocked himself back and forth a couple times – it still felt unreal to see Tails like this.
“Hello, Knuckles, Amy… And Sonic,” Tails greeted them in the recording.
“What?” Amy whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.
Knuckles held his fists up and they shook – not in fury, but fear. “How did he know that Sonic-”
“Yeah, I know you’re on Angel Island, Sonic. I got Amy’s message,” the recording cut him off, “And it wasn’t the only thing I got, either.”
Tails pressed a button on his keyboard, and a thumbnail of a security camera footage appeared on the upper corner of the screen. It showed a single tiny room with no windows. Shadow was furiously kicking the walls, while Rouge was flying near the ceiling, punching it. Both seemed determined, but it was clear neither of them could keep that up forever.
“No!” Amy gasped.
She glanced at Sonic and Knuckles, who were just as shocked as she was. Their minds were racing, yet all they could do was just watch as their friends helplessly fought back. After a while Rouge sat on the floor of the cell, trying to catch her breath. Shadow sat next to her, his head in his hands. They wanted to turn their gazes away from the state of their allies but couldn’t bring themselves to do it.
“Sure, it looks bad. But they’re completely unharmed. And I’m willing to let them go. I’m not a monster, after all,” Tails said while leaning against his palm.
“Not a monster?!” Knuckles yelled, “He’s killed at least-”
The recording interrupted them once again: “We can make a trade. If you bring Sonic to me, I’ll give you Rouge and Shadow back,” Tails explained, intertwining his fingers and resting his chin on top of them. “That’s a promise.”
Sonic hung his head low, finding himself at a loss for words. From the corner of his eye, he could spot that Amy and Knuckles felt just as hopeless as he did – they both just shook their heads.
“But I’m sure Amy and Knuckles are too protective of their beloved, long-lost friend… So, you can also give yourself up willingly, Sonic. Rouge and Shadow are free to go as soon as Sonic is here, no matter who’s the one bringing him to me,” Tails added. He pressed a button, and the security footage disappeared. “Don’t keep me waiting all day, though. See you soon, big brother.”
The recording ended and the window playing it closed. All three of them sat in silence. Sonic slowly got up with no emotion on his face. He stood still, clenching his fists tightly against his sides. The last two words in the recording were said in such a venomous tone that Sonic couldn’t help but shudder.
Amy and Knuckles slowly stood up as well. Knuckles reached his hand towards Sonic and opened his mouth, but he just couldn’t find any words. They couldn’t even tell what Sonic was feeling. Usually, their friend was always so confident and ready to fight for the freedom of everyone – including himself. He did have his moments of doubt at times just like everyone else, but never to this degree.
After a moment of silence, Amy grabbed Knuckles’ arm and pulled him closer. “Well, we aren’t going to betray you, Sonic. We never will,” she announced.
Knuckles nodded. “We don’t want to lose you, especially to the likes of him. Not when you’re finally back with us.”
“But you did pretty well with me out of the picture for fifty entire years. Surely you’ll be fine without me for the next fifty years, too,” Sonic sighed and smiled sadly.
Amy stomped her foot with force. “Don’t you dare say anything like that!” she yelled, tears forming in her eyes. “If Dr. Prower wins, there won’t be another fifty years to begin with!”
Sonic jumped a little at the sudden outburst, turning towards Amy. Knuckles patted her back.
Amy sobbed for a while before taking a deep breath. “There... Is a reason why Silver hasn’t shown up here to fix the past,” she murmured, wiping her tears onto her sleeve.
Somehow, Sonic wasn’t surprised by that revelation. He should’ve expected that. Tails’ actions had far wider consequences than he had initially thought.
“I get that. And I appreciate that you don’t want to give me up to him. You’re true friends,” Sonic said, turning around to face the horizon. “But we don’t really have that many options. I’m going straight to him myself.”
Knuckles closed his eyes and bowed his head. “I wish you wouldn’t. But knowing you, we can’t stop you-”
“Oh yes we can!” Amy snapped, “I’m not letting you throw away your life just like that!”
She took a step forward, but Knuckles placed his hand in front of her to stop her.
“If we protect Sonic, then Rouge and Shadow’s lives will be at risk. You know how I feel about that bat, but you have to agree that we need their help fighting Dr. Prower,” Knuckles spoke. His tone was surprisingly calm for someone as temperamental as him.
Amy protested: “I know, but-”
“And even if we keep Sonic safe, it won’t last very long. Dr. Prower will eventually come to get him himself, and then our lives and Angel Island will be risked along with him,” Knuckles added, “I don’t know what he’s planning, but I don’t think there’s any way we can win in this situation.”
“So, we might die if Sonic stays, and we might die if he leaves?” Amy huffed, “Very optimistic, Knuckles.”
“You know we can’t keep him here forever,” Knuckles huffed, “He needs to be free. Free to make his own decisions.”
Amy sighed and nodded. They both approached Sonic, both taking one of his hands into theirs.
“I really wish it didn’t have to come to this, but we trust you, Sonic,” Amy murmured, squeezing Sonic’s hand.
“This is your decision, and we will respect whatever you choose,” Knuckles added.
Sonic gave them both a smile. “I’ve made my decision already. I know Tails, there has to be some way to get through to him.”
“I understand why you’d like to reason with him, but remember that it might not work,” Amy sighed, “You know Tails, but you don’t really know Dr. Prower.”
“I can still try! I gotta. And I’m not gonna become a punching bag if he won’t listen, you know? I’ll fight back if it’s necessary,” Sonic replied with a wink, trying to reassure his friends.
Knuckles placed both of his hands on each of Sonic’s shoulders, squeezing them tightly. He forced a smile onto his face, before pulling him into a tight, yet gentle hug.
“You better not die,” Knuckles whispered, his breath hitching in his throat. “Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for you.”
“In a post-apocalyptic wasteland fighting for your life?” Sonic joked to lighten the tension in the air as Knuckles pulled back from the hug.
Knuckles huffed and punched Sonic in the arm. “You know what I meant. And at least I’m not isolated even during times like these.”
Amy sniffled as she grabbed Sonic into an equally tight hug next. Sonic chuckled awkwardly, still not being used to being showered by this much affection.
“I agree with Knuckles. I’ve met so many wonderful friends thanks to you, and you are definitely one of the best ones,” she hummed, pulling back and patting him on his shoulder. “You got this, Sonic. Go show that fox who’s the boss!”
“Thanks, guys,” Sonic smiled and scratched his cheek, “…Can I get a ride, though?”
“Sure. We’re not going to be the ones giving you up, but we will still have your back otherwise,” Knuckles replied with a sad smile.
It had been a while since Knuckles and Amy had left Angel Island, but a situation this dire called for it. After finishing their breakfast, they took him to a warehouse, revealing their own mode of transport: a futuristic – yet worn-out – vehicle that Sonic could only describe as a jet ski, but one that hovered in the air. They hopped in, Knuckles taking his shinai along and Amy her trustworthy hammer.
As they drove across the ocean towards the mainland, Sonic stuck his head to the side like a dog in a car. He closed his eyes and just let the wind hit his face, enjoying the refreshing breeze. Part of him realized the possibility that this might be his last chance to appreciate the freedom he had. While Eggman had been a great threat, he had also been overconfident and childish as well. But Tails was different. He was serious, and on top of it all, knew Sonic better than anyone.
Another part of him wanted to bury those feelings of doubt as deep as possible. Despite everything, Tails was still his brother. Even if he didn’t listen last time, at least Sonic could show that he was still willing to listen to him instead. That had to mean at least something.
As soon as Tails’ factory-like base could be spotted in the horizon, they screeched to a halt. They parked their vehicle behind a huge rock and hopped off. Amy and Knuckles stayed behind, while Sonic was already taking a step towards the building, stretching as he moved.
Amy whispered: “Now, are you absolutely sure that you-”
“I am,” Sonic cut her off, turning around to face her. “Let’s not prolong this anymore, I can’t exactly afford to doubt myself right now.”
Knuckles nodded. “Well, we won’t be far away. We’ll stay out here and patrol the area. If Dr. Prower tries to do anything to you, well… He’ll have to go through me first!”
“And me,” Amy added and thumped her hammer against the ground, “Be safe out there, okay? It was hard enough losing you once…”
Sonic gave them a thumbs up before dashing towards the building. He absolutely couldn’t handle goodbyes – let alone long ones – and more importantly, he didn’t want to keep Rouge and Shadow waiting. Gaia knows what Tails could do to them if he took too long.
He ran through the deserted ground, dodging occasional rocks and debris along the way. Aiming towards the main door, he sped up significantly. He held his forearms in front of him, ready to bust the door open. When he finally reached the door and pushed it, it opened with ease to his surprise. He yelped and tried to brake but couldn’t stop in time – he collided into the nearest wall with a loud thud.
Right, Tails was expecting him. Obviously he wouldn’t keep the door locked. Sonic let out a groan and slid down against the wall. He sat down on the floor for a while, catching his breath and rubbing the sore spot on his forehead.
The noise had alerted a nearby robot, which was the same spider-like model as the ones Sonic had fought with Shadow. It approached him with hasty steps, flashing a red light and beeping loudly. It opened a tiny hatch in front of him, and he could spot the grappling hook like tip.
Sonic rolled his eyes, not keen on the idea of being restrained. So, instead he jumped on top of the robot, making its movements stagger. He crossed his arms and lifted one leg over the other. The robot seemed confused and tried to find its balance, tripping over its own six feet.
“Take me to your leader,” Sonic said sarcastically. He leaned back, making himself comfortable. “And make it snappy.”
The robot processed his request for a moment. Then it stopped the beeping and turned off the flashing light. Carrying Sonic on its back, it made its way towards an elevator. Sonic stayed still, apart from the occasional leg bouncing. The whole ride to Tails’ lab felt like an eternity. His base felt bigger and darker than before. The robot walked through different rooms and took a couple of elevator rides as well. The endless hallways seemed to go on forever. All that could be heard was the spider-like robot’s six feet clank against the metallic floor, as well as occasional mechanical whirring and beeps from all around.
All kinds of thoughts were running through Sonic’s mind. He had no idea what to expect. Would Tails really keep his promise? Would he finally reveal his plans? Would he hurt Sonic?
What relaxed him at least temporarily was the fact that no other robot they passed by saw him as a threat. Even the big ones, much bigger than Omega had been, left the two of them alone. The spider-like robot eventually reached a set of stairs that looked familiar. Every step felt agonizingly slow, and Sonic could feel his heart start to race as they finally stepped inside Tails’ lab.
Tails seemed to be busy working, as he kept scrolling a wall of text on a big screen. The robot beeped gently to inform him of its presence, and he turned his head towards them. His eyes widened, and he looked genuinely surprised to see Sonic.
“Huh. That was faster than I expected,” he mused and got up from his seat.
Sonic chuckled, a smug grin appearing on his face: “Hey, this is me we’re talking about. You know being fast is my whole thing-”
“You can drop the façade, Sonic. I know the carefree banter is just for show,” Tails huffed, sounding amused. He sauntered towards Sonic with his hands behind his back. “Let’s face it, you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t worried.”
Sonic’s smile faded away in an instant. He sighed before glaring at Tails defiantly. “Well, I did what you asked. You better hold up your end of the bargain,” he grumbled.
“I predicted as such. And you even showed up sooner than I thought. So, I will,” Tails said.
“Someone’s oddly reasonable today,” Sonic mocked him as he folded his arms.
Tails growled, exposing his teeth. “I just keep my promises, unlike someone.”
He pushed Sonic aside as he walked past him, heading towards another one of his many screens in the lab. This one had several security camera feeds on it, and Tails widened the one that showed Rouge and Shadow. They were sitting in the middle of the cell, their backs against each other and heads hanging down.
Sonic hopped off of the robot and followed Tails. He stared at the footage. What he saw didn’t exactly fill him with hope and optimism he was usually known for. To his surprise, Tails didn’t seem to mind him standing next to him. He just turned up the volume and grabbed a microphone from the table. He dusted it quickly, brought it close to his lips, and pressed a button.
“Good news, Sonic came to bail you out,” Tails announced through the microphone.
Both Rouge and Shadow jumped, startled by the sudden loud noise. They glanced around the cell with their fists raised.
“Sonic, don’t!” Shadow’s yell came through the speakers, “He has the-”
As soon as Shadow had opened his mouth, Tails pressed another button. The floor of the cell opened completely like a hatch, and both fell down with a yell. Sonic gasped and turned to look at Tails.
“What the hell?!” Sonic shouted, clenching his fists.
“Calm down, they’re unharmed,” Tails huffed.
He minimized the cell’s feed and opened another one near the main entrance. It showed Shadow tumbling down from somewhere above, and Rouge landing right on top of him.
“Besides, drops aren’t a problem for them. She can fly,” Tails snorted sarcastically as he got up from his seat. “You’re welcome.”
In the video feed Shadow and Rouge quickly scrambled to their feet, turning their horrified gazes towards the building. There was no audio, but Sonic could tell they started a panicked discussion – both looked distressed and were yelling at each other.
Sonic stepped closer to Tails and stomped the ground, but the fox didn’t budge even an inch. Tails crossed his arms and stood still in front of him. He only raised a brow.
Sonic took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “How did you even find them?” he eventually asked.
Tails leaned back to grab a device from the table. He threw it towards Sonic, who caught it with ease. He opened his palm to take a look and let out a loud gulp the moment he recognized it. It was the communicator wristband Rouge had given him.
“Funnily enough, that watch of yours turned out to be more than that. It was a communicator,” Tails hummed with a smirk.
“Oh. Weird, huh?” Sonic laughed nervously.
“Yeah,” Tails nodded with an amused smile, “But it’s even weirder that Rouge and Shadow didn’t tell you what it was, isn’t it?”
Sonic scratched the back of his neck. “Haha, yeah… I guess they can be forgetful at times too?”
“Alright, I’m done with the sarcasm,” Tails growled, “You’re a worse liar than I remembered.”
“Better than being a worse person than I remembered,” Sonic mumbled under his breath, arms folded.
Tails rolled his eyes. “The communicator is a pretty handy tool for tracking the location of its paired devices; ergo, the location of Rouge and Shadow’s base. I texted them pretending to be you, and they let me in themselves. So, it’s all thanks to you that I managed to finally catch the two. Since you so generously lent me that device.”
It was hard for Sonic to accept what he just heard. He eventually groaned, trying to push those feelings of doubt aside – blaming himself wouldn’t get him anywhere.
So, he instead focused on Tails’ words, trying to make sense out of them. He finally managed to catch them? But he let Rouge and Shadow go, so clearly they weren’t a big part of his master plan. However, Sonic clearly seemed to be, since all Tails had asked was him to come.
“So, wanna finally tell me what you’ve been planning this whole time?” Sonic asked, setting the communicator aside.
“What, you want me to start monologuing and explaining every part of my plan in detail? And because I’m on my own all the time, I downright desire the chance to talk to someone? Which, in turn, would make me distracted, and you and your friends would get a chance to attack?” Tails scoffed, circling around Sonic, “You think I don’t know the tricks you use to gain the upper hand?”
Sonic stared at Tails for a while, blinking as he tried to make any sense out of this. Was that a snarky remark or a disguised confession? “What?”
“You wouldn’t just give yourself up and let yourself be defeated. And I know Amy and Knuckles wouldn’t let you do that either. They’re around here, aren’t they?”
“Well, if they are, I don’t know about it,” Sonic said, doing his best to sound as convincing as possible, “Look, yesterday you were about to tell me what you wanted of me, but Shadow interrupted us. And since you wanted me around here so badly, you might as well tell me.”
Tails glared daggers at Sonic with his arms crossed. “Very well, then,” he chuckled darkly, “But first…”
Tails turned towards the robot who had brought Sonic here. He snapped his fingers and pointed at the hedgehog next to him. The robot responded with a beep and charged towards the speedster. He jumped backward, dodging it just in time. He gave Tails a quick angry glance.
Sonic kicked the robot several times from all sides. He was trying to tip it over so he could reach the weak spot Shadow had taught him about. It faltered quite noticeably from the impact, but its six legs managed to keep it balanced. Sonic tried to grab one of them a couple of times, but his fingers came dangerously close to getting squished between the joints. Reflexively, his hand jerked away every time.
The robot shot two wires that wrapped around Sonic’s ankles. It pulled him towards itself, dragging him across the floor. He let out a grunt and lifted both of his hands, preparing to defend himself. As soon as he could reach the robot, he punched the top of it. He let out a triumphant laugh when he landed a hit. That joy was short lived, though, as the robot revealed another wire. It wrapped around his right arm, the grappling hook like a tip gripping his wrist.
Sonic grumbled and grabbed the wire with his one free hand. He tried to yank it away, but the wire wrapped itself around the other wrist when there was an opening. Panicking, he started to trash around to get away, but the robot was relentless – it twirled him around, wrapping his torso in the wires as well. It placed the tangled mess of metal and hedgehog on top of its back into a sitting position.
“Don’t struggle too much, that’ll just make it tighten its grip,” Tails said nonchalantly, but Sonic swore he could see some form of amusement on his face.
“What’s wrong with you?!” Sonic yelled.
“It’s just a precaution. I admit I can sometimes get a bit too overzealous when I get to explain things, and I know you’d use that to your advantage,” Tails replied matter-of-factly, “You may be a scatterbrain, but you’re also smarter than you let on.”
Tails marched to the middle of his lab, and the robot diligently followed him. He pressed his metallic boot onto a tile on the floor. The tile started to ascend, revealing a thin and tall glass showcase of Chaos Emeralds. All seven of them were there, stored and sealed neatly.
And suddenly it dawned on Sonic… Tails didn’t kidnap Rouge and Shadow only to use them as hostages. He had also taken the last Chaos Emerald from them.
Tails smirked: “It took decades, but I’ve finally managed to get all seven.”
“Well, congrats. I’ve managed to get all seven in a few days several times,” Sonic deadpanned. “So, they’re part of your plan, huh? Are you gonna turn into your super form or something?”
“No, no…” Tails shook his head and chuckled as he walked in front of Sonic, “You are.”
Sonic could only stare, unsure if he had heard correctly. “Say what now?”
“You’re going to become Super Sonic,” Tails spelled it out for him.
“…How is giving me unlimited power going to help your plans? You do realize I could defeat you in an instant?” Sonic rolled his eyes.
“In theory, yeah,” Tails nodded, bending down to Sonic’s eye level. “Truth be told, it wasn’t my original plan. But your words from before reminded me of how Eggman was able to break the planet into pieces by using the power of the Chaos Emeralds and you together. Like you said yourself, you have unlimited power. So, I can only imagine what I could achieve if you were the power source.”
Sonic’s eyes widened for a moment. He furrowed his brows soon. “Hey, when I mentioned the Werehog incident, it was to remind you there’s still good in you compared to Eggman, not to give you ideas on how to destroy the world!” he barked.
“Don’t act so surprised. You were always my biggest idol and inspiration, after all,” Tails grinned and patted the top of Sonic’s head.
Sonic growled and opened his mouth to bite Tails’ hand, but the fox pulled it away just in time.
“You’ll be of great use to me,” Tails turned his back on Sonic, walking towards the Emeralds.
Sonic glared after him, fuming with rage. After a few seconds of silence, he managed to find his voice again. “I’m not gonna do it.”
Tails stopped dead in his tracks, slowly turning his head towards Sonic. “What did you say?”
“You heard me, mister Miles Prower! I’m tired of your attitude! You’ve gone through a lot, and I did feel lots of sympathy towards you, but in the end all you do is just mope and act all bitter!” Sonic yelled, thrashing in his restraints, “I offered my help, and all our friends have offered their help all these years, but you just refuse to talk about anything! You were just going to keep me locked up, and now you want to use me as a power source?! Things turned out really bad for you, but none of it excuses destroying the planet or taking your anger out on me!”
Tails didn’t respond, nor did he even look at Sonic. He stood in place, his arms tightly against his sides and ears drooping. For a moment Sonic thought he had actually gotten through to him. He seemed so discouraged – Until he opened his mouth again.
“I already told you,” Tails growled, “It’s a little too late.”
“Too late for what? Help? Changing your plans? Righting your wrongs?” Sonic asked, the desperation in his voice clear despite all the anger.
“Everything,” Tails replied.
Minutes ago, he had seemed so smug and confident. That talkative nature of his had returned, and despite the spite, it had actually felt more like the Tails Sonic knew. But now all that bitterness was back at full force, he seemed to only talk in the shortest sentences possible.
“What even is your end goal here? Are you just going to destroy everything?!” Sonic cried out, “If you do, there will be nothing left! You’ll be gone, too!”
Tails was silent for a moment, his back still turned towards Sonic. “Exactly,” he finally replied.
Sonic’s jaw dropped, not expecting such a reply. Despite the rage coursing through him, he couldn’t help but worry. Even with his difficult past, the little fox had always been just so full of life. Why would he be so willing to throw it all away?
“Tails,” he said, surprisingly softly. No trace of anger was left in his tone. “Miles. That doesn’t sound healthy at all…”
He didn’t get a response from his brother. The only sounds that could be heard from Tails was his heavy breathing. His gaze was glued to the ground, and Sonic could swear he was trembling.
“Miles! Stop all this and talk to me!” Sonic yelled, trying to wriggle out of the robot’s grasp to no avail.
Tails finally turned around, only to scream a command to his robot: “Shut him up!”
The robot moved the wire wrapped around Sonic’s torso, placing it on top of Sonic’s mouth. To his surprise, it didn’t wrap around his head or tighten the grip – it just rested on top of it. So, Sonic did his best to keep his mouth shut, so neither Tails nor the robot could realize it.
Tails went to the glass display. He bent down to its keypad and put in a pin code, opening the glass doors all at once. He grabbed all seven Chaos Emeralds unceremoniously. Carrying them all in his arms, he marched towards the gap in the wall Shadow had made yesterday.
“Let’s just go,” Tails hissed as he stepped to the hallway.
The robot followed suit and brought Sonic along. The hallways felt even colder and darker than they did before. Tails led them through the corridors, the heavy thuds from his metallic boots echoing all around, with the lighter clanking from the robot’s legs following at mostly similar pace. Sonic tried to keep track of where they were going, but this building felt like a twisted, multi-storey labyrinth; impossible to keep track of.
Eventually they arrived at a big storage room, which Sonic recognized as the same one he had found while looking for Tails. It was even messier than before, with many machine parts spread all over the floors. Tails had definitely been busy with something, as there was a tarp covering something huge. What caught Sonic’s attention more, though, was the Tornado, still recognizable in the corner. However, it wasn’t untouched anymore – the seats had been removed, and so were the parts of its metal that had his name written on it.
Tails didn’t give him any time to lament, as he removed the tarp, revealing his latest project. It was the biggest vehicle he had ever built – it resembled the walker mode of the Cyclone, but ochre in color and about ten times bigger. There were two visible long gun muzzles. Considering the size, there probably was a whole arsenal of weapons hidden inside. It was like a giant, more mobile tank. The driver’s seat was under a glass dome, and there seemed to be a similar but smaller dome right behind it.
Tails took a remote from his pocket and pressed a button. The vehicle lowered enough so he could climb towards the domes. Sonic watched carefully as his brother opened the smaller glass dome. It looked oddly empty – no seats or anything – but there were seven small slots, and he placed all the Emeralds into each one.
“For the record, it has enough power to work on its own,” Tails grumbled as he descended from the vehicle, leaving the hatch of the dome open, “But you and the Chaos Emeralds just make it all that more powerful. Improving perfection, as paradoxical as it may sound.”
Tails turned his back towards Sonic, seemingly searching for something from all the several piles of tech junk littered all around. Sonic’s eyes lit up – this was his chance. He had stayed still for the past few minutes, and the robot’s wires around him felt a lot looser now. Without thinking it any further, he grabbed the metallic wires and slipped away from its grip. The robot seemed caught off-guard and made some quick, confused steps, trying to look for the runaway. Sonic grabbed the wires that had been holding him and lifted the robot. He spun around a couple of times before letting go, throwing the robot right towards Tails.
Tails’ back had still been turned towards Sonic, so he didn’t expect an attack like this at all. The robot hit him, making him stumble forward. Tails let out a groan of agony and swiftly turned around. He shoved the robot aside, fuming. How could he escape? According to his calculations, the robot had enough strength to keep him in its grip, but now he was free yet again. Growling with his teeth exposed, he stared at him.
“This has gone on long enough, Miles,” Sonic huffed as he stretched his shoulders, “Let’s stop right here.”
Sonic took a battle stance and curled into a ball. He rolled in place, gathering some speed before bouncing towards Tails. The fox jumped out of his way at just the last second. He didn’t even bother replying to Sonic, only grunting. He spun around, hitting Sonic with his heavy tails. Sonic yelped as he stumbled forward but quickly got back onto his feet.
Tails clapped his hands loudly, summoning three robots into the room. They all surrounded Sonic, blocking his escape. These were much bigger and sturdier looking than those spider-like ones. They were navy blue and resembled cranes: they moved on caterpillar tracks, and each had booms with metallic claws at their tips.
Sonic Spin Dashed into a boom of the robot right in front of him, trying to demolish it. The robot didn’t budge at all. He grunted as he landed on the floor, eyeing his surroundings carefully. Sonic tried attacking and kicking the robots several times while dodging the claws trying to catch him. But the robots were getting closer and closer, and Sonic couldn’t see any dents or any other effect from his attacks.
He jumped onto one of the booms and grabbed the wire that was holding the claw. He swung it, alerting the attention of the other two robots. They shot their claws towards him, and just at the right moment Sonic pushed the claw he was holding forward while jumping away from them. The robots were confused as their claws were tangled, holding each other in place and preventing them from moving.
Sonic dusted himself off as he walked away from the robots, scoffing as he watched them struggle. He turned around to face Tails, but to his surprise the fox wasn’t where he saw him a few seconds ago. He crouched down a little as he patrolled, looking around him all alert.
And right then, all he felt was a strong electric shock. He screamed in agony and fell on his stomach. What was in reality a few seconds felt like several minutes to him, as he tried to get over the sudden surge of pain. His muscles ached and he tried to get up, but his head felt too heavy.
Tails sauntered from behind to face him, holding a stun baton in his hand. He grabbed Sonic and threw him onto his shoulder, carrying him towards the vehicle like a sack of potatoes.
“Good luck… Trying to use me… As a battery…” Sonic breathed, finding it almost too difficult to speak, “When I’m… All out of energy…”
“The Chaos Emeralds will restore you in seconds,” Tails huffed without even looking at him.
He climbed towards the glass dome and placed Sonic inside it. The floor of the dome had four shackles in it, and Tails locked Sonic’s limbs into them. He closed the hatch, leaving Sonic in the middle of the Chaos Emeralds.
Since the dome was glass, Sonic could still see Tails. They kept staring at each other through it. Sonic tried to struggle his way free, but he barely had the energy to lift even a single finger.
Tails put his stun baton away and took the vehicle’s remote. He pressed a button, and suddenly Sonic felt energy glowing all around him. It was the Chaos Emeralds, and soon he felt that same energy flowing through his veins. All the exhaustion in his body was replaced with pure energy, and for a moment Sonic could barely see anything but his own glowing aura. His fur turned golden, his eyes red, and his quills pointed upwards. His muscles tingled and felt numb, but he felt powerful again. Powerful enough to take on anyone.
He spread his fingers and shot Chaos Energy forwards, aiming to break the glass of the dome he was trapped in. As soon as the Chaos Energy left his body, however, it didn’t go where he aimed it – the machine trapping him sucked it right into itself, making crackling sounds.
Sonic stared at the glass in terror. He screamed and tried attacking again, trying to break the shackles. But they just wouldn’t crack – they almost felt stronger somehow. The more and more he tried to break free, the more powered up the machine became. Sonic’s hand trembled. He wasn’t sure what would hurt him more, continuing using his Chaos energy, or stopping everything and letting the machine do whatever its creator desired.
“Fascinating,” Tails mumbled as he stroked his beard, “I wasn’t 100 % sure if your Super form could be contained like this. But if Eggman was able to do this years ago, why couldn’t I do this now?”
Tails placed his remote inside his pocket and climbed down from Sonic’s dome.
Sonic struggled and struggled, but just couldn’t free himself. He breathed heavily, overwhelmed by all the power coursing through him and being drained of it simultaneously.
“Miles, I’m sorry… I failed my promise to you…” he let out a shaky breath.
Tails looked away from him. “Do you really think I still care about some childish promise we made fifty years ago to watch movies together?” he mumbled as he climbed towards the other glass dome – the driver’s seat.
“I wasn’t talking about that promise. I failed my promise to look after you, to protect you, to make sure nothing bad would happen to you. I took you in and raised you, you became my family,” Sonic breathed barely audibly, “And I let you down. I let everyone down…”
“You did,” Tails sighed as he sat down on the driver’s seat, “But you can make up for it by helping me now. You have no idea about the possibilities you have now opened for me with that power of yours.”
He took the wheel, driving the vehicle out of the storage room and towards the main entrance of his lair. The ground shook with every step, but Sonic could barely focus on anything but the vast amount of energy surrounding him.
Tails gave Sonic one last glance before they stepped outside.
“Let’s begin.”