An Age Awakened

[Razor_Guardian]

Yeah. My last fan fictions were totally plagiarizing and utterly stupid pieces of crap, and I must say I'm exceptionally proud with this one. In case you have that impending sense of deja vu, I put this on the SZF and Sonic Turbine, too.

'~Chapter 1~'

=*-*=

The hallway was long; it appeared to span about one hundred yards. On each side of the hallway were cells guarded by sturdy metal bars – he concluded that they were titanium alloy. He was shoved along by the two robotic guards and began walking at a fast clip. He examined the cells, and not one of them was home to a captive. He observed that the floor in one of the cells was streaked with blood.

Suddenly they stopped about three quarters of the way through the hallway. One of the mechanical guards punched in a code, and the cell door opened with a satisfying beeping sound. The other guard grabbed him and hurled him into the cell; he smashed into the wall on his shoulder blade. The door closed, and the guards strode off.

He sat up and rubbed his shoulder blade. Amazingly the area didn’t hurt; he simply glanced off the wall causing minimal damage to the bone. He stood up, his mind racing. He tried to reach through the bars to use the control panel, but the bars were too close together. He felt around the walls for any worn or poorly constructed spots, but the steel enclosure was perfectly sound. He sat against the wall, digging for ideas.

Suddenly he remembered something. He searched around…where had he put it? Aha! He pulled out a glistening power ring he had gotten from one of the robot guards. It had enough energy for about a 1 second effect – just enough time. He tapped into the ring’s power.

The guards around the corner heard a small explosion. They rounded the wall – and one of them got a taste of worn sneaker. It careened into the wall, and the other one reached for its plasma pistol. The former prisoner was too quick, and kicked the gun out of the guard’s hand as it raised the weapon. He jumped in the air, grabbed the droid’s head, and delivered a well-placed snap kick to its chest. It soared into the guard that was already down, and they both deactivated.

He didn’t care that the guard robos were out in the open. He just ran. Neither guard had gotten the opportunity to sound the alarm, but he still had to be stealthy. He heard heavy footsteps and ducked into the other hallway as two bots marched past, and continued on.

He found himself situated at a ledge. He peeked down; it appeared to drop about fifteen feet. He scanned the area for potentially approaching guards, and leapt. Once he hit the ground he rolled to minimize impact damage and stood back up. He looked around and noticed the hallway getting brighter south of his position. He headed that way.

The hallway broke off to the right, where there was a large window at its end. He walked up to it and looked out. There was a great stretch of metal ground going out about one hundred-and-fifty yards and encompassing the building. He peered into an area with a low ceiling covering it. His craft was still there, unseen by the guards.

There was a door just to his right. The control panel was next to it, and, to his relief; there were only five buttons. He punched in an assortment of different possible combinations and the door opened in about four minutes. By that time he heard clanking footsteps coming down the corridor again and he took off through the doorway. He heard the footsteps’ pace increase as the guards began pursuit. He found a small loose shaft on the wall and yanked it off. The guards came into sight and one of them fired a shot. He held the shaft in front of himself, and, as he had hoped, the bullet ricocheted off. It slammed back into the robo, who exploded on impact. The other one was stunned by the explosion. He hurled the shaft at it, delaying it more, and he dashed. He picked the shaft back up while he was still running, hopped, and swung down. The guard disassembled in mid-air and hit the ground in seven neat pieces.

There were still no alarms sounding, so he began sprinting with less worry. Another mechanical guard came into view halfway down the corridor. He was going to fast to stop, so he did a small hop, ducked, and lifted off. He was moving through the air in a sort of sideways type motion, with one foot far in front of him. It collided with the bot’s head, but he wasn’t done yet. His other foot came around in an arc ass he was spinning, and it caught the droid on the side. He did a neat corkscrew before he landed lightly and continued running. A perfect butterfly kick.

He glimpsed large double doors ahead and his heart leaped. There were no control panels next to this door, so he just positioned himself in a versatile defensive tackle. The door gave way instantly. The alarm finally sound once the door opened. Almost instantly there were guard robos everywhere – he could see almost twenty on the flat platform. They shot at him, but he was going at a rate way ahead of their aim. He was almost to his plane when the gunfire suddenly ceased and the guards disappeared around him. He was starting to wonder why when the answer came.

He saw a figure ahead and skidded to a stop. His heart sank. He faced a large robotic contraption, a manual one that requires a person at the controls. It had two cannons on each arm and rocket packs under each foot. It was painted red and black, and was covered with thick armor. He didn’t even have to look to know who was in it.

“Well, well,” came the dark, pompous voice of Dr. Ivo Robotnik. “I knew those pathetic contraptions wouldn’t be able to hold you for a day. They revealed their incompetence much sooner than expected, though.”

He sneered. “But this is where it all comes to and end, Miles. You’re going with me this time, and this time there’s no escaping.”

Tails finally locked eyes with the pathetic criminal. “Since when has that ever worked, Eggman?”

“Since now.”

“You say that every time.”

The sneer was gone. “You see, Miles, I learn from mistakes…and it isn’t long until I’ve learned all that I can about bringing you and that blasted hedgehog to your knees.”

“It’s been six years, Egghead. Six years of mistakes. Either you just can’t win or you’re a really slow learner.”

Eggman’s face twisted in anger, and his machine raised its weapons. They fired at Tails, who dove out of the way.

“You’ll see,” Eggman growled between clenched teeth. “You’ll all see. One day this planet will be mine, and you and that gang of wretched mutants will be begging for death!”

Tails scoffed. “Say it all you want, Eggman. Everyone knows you don’t really have it in you to kill.”

“Is that what you think?!” suddenly the anger left his face. Then, as suddenly as it had gone, it came back in full force, and the craft charged at Tails.

Tails launched himself up, and the machine whizzed right below his long, furry two tails, causing them to jerk violently. Eggman turned the machine around, and saw Tails pulling his eyelid down in a classic taunting fashion Sonic had taught him. Eggman fired again, and Tails began spinning on the ground, creating incredible torque. The bullets all bounced back off wildly, and a few of them hit the robot, only the ones hitting the cockpit doing any noticeable damage to it. Tails grinned once he stopped spinning.

“Come on, Eggman! Six years and you haven’t changed your weapon’s weak point!”

Tails sprinted at the machine and leapt, spinning like a tornado in mid-air, his tails outstretched and working as blades. He crashed into the cockpit and blew the robotic contraption over, flipping through the air and denting the ground with a heavy thud. The ground tremored violently and knocked Tails over. Apparently the machine’s fall had damaged the platform.

The craft picked itself back up and tried to take advantage of Tail’s fall by smashing him with its fist. Tails narrowly dodged by rolling over and kicked himself back up. The other hand came at Tails with its palm out, and Tails held out his arms. It pushed him back as he tried to keep standing. Tails tripped on an indentation in the platform, and the palm pushed him into the ground. The ground was quite dentable, however, and Tails wasn’t greatly harmed. Another metal fist tried to crush him once again, and he rolled backward.

Eggman tried the hand with the palm out again, but Tails jumped this time. He landed on the stretchable arm, and gave it a straight punch at its bending point. It gave way, and he repeated. It broke in half, and the arm dropped into the ground. Another tremor came, but Tails held steady this time. Tails leapt again, this time somersaulting and kicking as he was arcing down. The machine ducked and jumped, causing Tails to land on the cockpit. It rocket launched into the air and gained altitude at an impressive rate. The robot’s remaining arm grabbed Tails and hurled him toward the ground.

Tails righted himself and began spinning his tails, slowly at first, and gaining speed. Once they had reached a high velocity his descent slowed down. However, it still wasn’t enough to land comfortably. He flipped over and outstretched his arms, clamping his eyes shut and waiting. His timing had to be perfect. His hands touched the ground and he waited half a second for the momentum of the impact start rapidly to give his body G’s. Once the G force was built up enough, he pushed off. His calculations were correct, and instead of the impact damaging his own body, the force was transferred into the ground, causing it to be pushed into the sea. Tails was now standing in water that was about three inches deep.

Eggman’s machine landed with a thud, pushing the platform in a few more inches and creating a dent were his machine was now standing. Tails was tiring, and Eggman knew so.

Eggman fired his cannons again, and Tails slid through the shallow water. The water sprayed and evaporated where the mildly powered bullets landed. Eggman reached the remaining arm at Tails, who jumped again, but this time Eggman was one step ahead of him. He made the machine jump with Tails and the arm came back like a spring. It hit Tails in the back and he smacked into the water.

Eggman again didn’t bother with the rockets and let the heavy machine slam into the ground. The platform sank even more, and began to shake – and this time it didn’t cease. Eggman looked through the cockpit’s glass at Tails with a triumphant grin.

“This platform is doomed now,” he said in a proud tone. “and I’m afraid this is where I take my leave. Good luck at getting to your little plane before it’s on the ocean floor!”

He cackled, and with a loud beeping noise, the cockpit launched out of the machine and floated away, Eggman’s laughter floating through the sea breeze.

=*-*=

Yeah, I gave Tails l33t skillz because I'm tired of seeing him as the dude in distress. Also I rushed the ending because I had to go to bed. :P

So, how is it?

[Bazooka the Ferret]

You did give Tails some skizzles. Its been a while since I saw a Tails action fic. I'm so anxious to see whats next.

[Razor_Guardian]

Actually, it's not really a Tails action fic. In later chapters it'll be from other charries' points of view.

I'm not exactly thrilled with how this scene turned out, but it's sort of the glue that holds the story together. 'Sides, we get some more character introductions. ^.^

'~Chapter 2~'

=*-*=

Tails bolted toward the plane, the water exploding where his feet pounded the ground. He knew that if the water reached the control panel, he was done for. The warm seawater reached his waist and it became impossible to run, so he hopped out and spun his tails like a propeller to glide over it. That, too, he would soon realize; was also impossible. He felt a surging pain when the tails spun, and looking back, he saw a huge cut where the machine’s arm had smashed into his back. He sank back into the water, which reached his stomach by then.

He was only forty yards away from the airplane when his feet slipped off of the platform and was forced to start paddling. He was already exhausted; it was all he could do to swim at a fast rate and stay afloat. When he finally reached his craft, the water was almost up to the wings.

He painfully pulled himself from the water up onto the wing and scrambled into the cockpit. The ceiling was too low to allow Tails to lift off vertically; he had to somehow move the plane straight through the water until the roof ended before the cockpit began filling up. Tails flipped the power switch on and made sure the plane wasn’t already damaged. It wasn’t built for maneuvering in water. He tried to move the thrusters forward, and got no response for a moment. The water began to ripple, and the aircraft inched forward. The water was past the wings by now.

It took over a minute for the Tornado to slink its way under the low ceiling, and the water was threatening to overtake the short window; the only thing protecting the cockpit. He was finally clear, and tried to lift off. The liquid under the plane moved out from under it and bubbled up to the surface, but the craft didn’t budge. He pulled the controls toward him as much as he dared, but still nothing.

“Come on…” Tails growled, his heart thumping loudly. The water was swirling around Tails’s sneakers and rising quickly. Tails gunned down on the throttle, and the Tornado finally began to take off. The water ceased pouring in and the plane’s familiar whirring sound faded in. But the danger wasn’t over yet. There was so much strain being put on the engine that it could blow out at any time.

But it didn’t, and the plane jerked upwards, indicating it had overcome the salty water. Easing the tension on the plane, Tails drew up the map and looked around for Station Square, which was about 2,500 miles due north.

“Good girl…” he whispered, patting the plane’s royal blue armor, and speeded towards Station Square.

\_.|._/

Tails landed the Tornado in the large grassy area hidden in the outskirts of the city. By the time he shut the plane off, the encounter at the droid base had really begun to take its toll. Instead of landing gracefully on the ground when he hopped out, his knees buckled beneath him and he smacked the lush earth, tasting the bitterness of grass. The wound on his back was making it difficult to move without experiencing a sharp protest, and the salt water seemed to have aggravated it. He gingerly picked himself up and trudged into the beaten-up building he called home.

“Hello?” he called weakly as he stepped through the dented glass door into the living room. The couches were ripped up, the TV was old, and the floor was dark and worn, but it worked, and was quite humble to Tails. It gave him a quaint feeling that made him comfortable whenever he was in it. “Hello?” he shouted again, a little louder this time. He heard pounding coming from the stairs and Cream emerged with the infant reincarnation of Cheese, Milky. Cream let out a short cry when she saw Tails’s condition. She rushed to his side, and when she pressed him for details; he just replied, “Eggman. It’s a long story.”

He fell onto the couch and saw Sonic coming down the stairs. He glimpsed the weary and pained expression on his young friend’s face. “Run into some trouble?” he questioned in his common, cheerful voice.

“A little,” Tails said back. “Turns out Eggman was behind the whole thing.”

Sonic grinned mischievously. “I told you so.” He tossed Tails a cold bottled water, which he gratefully gulped down.

He sat up. “He just let the platform sink into the ocean, along with the building. Apparently there was nothing of value in there, or with those guard robos. He also left the machine he used to try to take me down with there.” Sonic sat down next to Tails, who was staring at a mark on the floor. “I think the whole thing was just a plot to use me. For what, I have no clue.”

“Eggman’s a headcase.” Sonic sat back and put his arms behind his head. “Probably just trying to get rid of you again. He should’ve known better.”

“Actually, he came pretty close this time.” Tails paused to the sound of Cream rummaging around in the kitchen. “He left me on the platform while it was sinking.”

“What a bastard!” Sonic jeered. “I’m gonna have to bop him harder next time.”

Tails gulped down some water, which tasted amazingly fresh after being deprived of it, and grinned. Sonic hadn’t changed a bit.

Cream placed a sandwich in front of Tails and kneeled in front of him. She had a long, white bandage that she began covering the wound on his back with. “Does it hurt badly?”

Tails immediately relaxed a bit at the sound of her soft, flowing voice. “Not really,” he lied.

Once she was done, he picked up the sandwich and took a bite. Sonic seemed amused at how hungrily he was chewing it up. Suddenly Cream’s face lit up. She held up a finger and raced into the kitchen again, leaving Milky behind to play with Tails’s long strands of hair. Tails grabbed the chao and ruffled its head. It had Cheese’s knowing and playful eyes.

Tails jumped when Cream slammed something down onto the coffee table, sending a jolt of complaint down his spinal cord. He studied the object and scratched his head. “A new tool kit? Why?”

Sonic looked puzzled. “Don’t you remember?”

Tails looked at Sonic blankly, and he eased back into the couch. “I suppose I don’t blame you…after all, you’ve been gone for two days.”

Tails was genuinely confused. Cream giggled. “Tails, your fourteenth birthday was yesterday.”

Tails felt his cheeks get hot. “Uh…thanks.”

Suddenly, he heard a noise at the door and Cream stood up. Amy Rose was at the living room’s entrance, wearing a wide grin and carrying a plastic bag. “Hellooooooo, So-” then she saw Tails, looking back at her with sheepish eyes.

Almost immediately there was an angry gloved finger pointing at his nose. “There you are! Do you know how worried we all were? What happened to you? Why are you looking at me like that?” she touched his fur, which was bristly and hardened with salt. “And what happened to your fur? It looks like you had a bottle of soap poured on you!”

“Sorry, Amy…” Tails muttered meekly. “I was just out and about…for two days…”

Sonic and Cream were desperately trying to hold back mirth. All happiness left Sonic when the attention shifted his way.

“Hellooooo, Sonic!” Sonic sank back into the cushion with a nervous grin as Amy pulled something out of the bag. “Look, Sonic! I got you a box of candy! It was the biggest box in the aisle, too! Don’t you love candy?”

Tails knew Sonic never had an interest in candy. “Uh…thanks, Amy…” There was no escaping when she reached down to hug him. He gave Tails the GET ME OUT OF THIS! PLEASE! look, and it was Tails’s turn to restrain laughter.

Then she moved back to him, and put her hands on her hips. “Are you tired?”

Tails gulped. “Yeah.”

“Then what are you doing? Get some rest! And you’ll tell me what the hell you were doing once you wake up.”

Sonic had gotten up and begun to inconspicuously creep away, but Amy’s trained ears heard the tentative footsteps. Sonic froze when he felt her eyes drilling into the back of his head. Amy pulled out her large hammer, and all Sonic could do was cringe. gonk! Sonic was left sprawled on the floor with a headache and Amy leaned over him. “You never told me anything! I know that you knew about this!” Sonic probably only half understood her in his daze, and Tails thought that was probably for the best. Amy defiantly marched out of the room, the mallet of the hammer tapping her shoulder.

Cream was flabbergasted, caught in the middle of all of this. Milky seemed to be enjoying it. Tails still sat there, embarrassed and dumbstruck. He fell back into the cushion. “What a woman,” Tails muttered. Cream merely nodded, eyes wide, and Milky shrieked with delight.

=*-*=

Amy is quite moody...

Yeah, this one's a lot shorter, too. Hopefully it's not totally inferior to the first chapter...

[Black Knight]

It's really good so far!
It's one of the few fanfics that interest me. =P

[Steel Valor]

Note to self: Never ever piss off Amy if I meet her. Results in doing so may include another trip to the hospital.

[Razor_Guardian]

Positive replies to fic = happy panda. :D

Thankies to you all. Perhaps another chapter tomorrow, but I'm not promising anything with my new eighth grade homework schedule.

[Shotgun da ferret]

Yeah 8th grade is a pain. Anyways its getting good why'd you make it so short?

[Razor_Guardian]

What, the chapter? Couldn't find anything else to throw into the house scene that wouldn't make it stupid. So, I cut it short. Maybe we'll look into Eggman's plans a little on the next part...

[Razor_Guardian]

...Or not.

Awright. I slacked off for a bit there, but here's the next one.

'~Chapter 3~'

=*-*=

The moon was perfectly round and especially luminous on that night. The sky was completely clear, so the moon was the only visible object in its wake; bathing the city in a florescent, almost ghostly; light source. Tails sat on the top of the building he lived in next to Sonic, something they did on suitable nights. Usually these moments were full of conversation, but tonight talk was scarce.

Sonic shifted suddenly. “You know, I hear that rumors are floating around town about signs of activity in the abandoned building at the edge of town.”

Tails grinned. “Yeah? I don’t believe it.”

They were silent for a few more minutes, transfixed on the shiny surface of the moon. Then Sonic said, “You all right?”

Tails turned his head. “Yeah, my back feels fine now.”

“I meant you.”

Tails was surprised by that. “What do you mean?”

Sonic still gazed at the moon. “You’ve been really quiet lately. You never really talk unless someone addresses you. Besides that, you seem…uneasy.” Sonic looked at Tails now, studying his face. “I know when something’s bothering you, Tails. What is it?”

Tails didn’t know why, but he was embarrassed. He looked down. “I can’t help but think…” He trailed off. “I can’t help but wonder…if Eggman’s really up to something huge now. He’s been…I don’t know…monotonous?...He’s doing the same things every time, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s all just a cop out. Is he hiding something?”

Sonic laid back against the hard and cool steel surface of the large building. “I don’t think Eggman’s that patient. ‘Sides, you worry too much.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Hey.” Sonic punched him in the arm lightly. “You’re taking all of this way too seriously. Stop stressing out so much.”

Tails said nothing. He glanced at the moon again. “I’ll try.”

Sonic sat up again. “Let’s do something to take your mind off of it. Do you feel like sparring tonight?”

“Sure, that’s fine with me.”

They leapt off the building and landed softly on the ground. They were in the large backyard, with the moon poking above the trees; which provided perfect light. They paced backward to widen the gap between them and then stood perfectly still. “Let’s see if you’ve learned anything from last time. Give me all you’ve got!” Tails nodded, and abruptly dashed at Sonic. He hopped, turning his body backward in mid-air and straightening; both legs stretched out in front of him; and began spinning. Sonic jumped out of the way of the screw kick and curled himself, revving up as he did so, and careened into Tails as he was recovering. Tails twisted in mid-air to land on his feet and dove to the left as Sonic revved at him again. Tails then sprinted at Sonic again, this time rotating his tails very quickly until he lifted off of the ground. The head-on tackle caught Sonic off guard, and Tails rammed into him. Sonic rocketed backward, but Tails wasn’t finished. He ran as hard as he could and caught up to Sonic quickly, hopping over him and grabbing him. Sonic’s momentum pushed them far backward, and once they finished sliding, Tails launched him into the air, leapt after him, and sent him plummeting to the ground with a downward snap kick.

Sonic slammed into the ground with a giant thud but picked himself up swiftly before Tails could assault him any longer. This time Sonic charged Tails, but did so slowly to confuse him. When he approached the fox he abruptly sped up and smote Tails in the gut with a flying kick. Tails slid and bounced across the grassy expanse, buffeted in the back each time he hit the ground. He finally stopped, dirt spraying into the air, and kicked himself up, countering Sonic’s attempted grab. Tails promptly threw his fist sideways and caught Sonic on the side of the face, which he followed with a knee to his chest; and finished the combination with a roundhouse. Sonic handsprung as he fell and threw a side kick at Tails, which he blocked, but then hit Tails with an uppercut, sending him into the air a few inches, in which Sonic vaulted - rolling violently as he did so – into Tails, catapulting him into the sky.

They both were flying through the air when Sonic finished the homing attack. Sonic grabbed Tails’s legs and began to wind up, whirling him through the air. Sonic let go, and Tails soared to the ground. Tails regained balance and landed upright, but then pushed off hard. The two were headed at a collision course in mid-air. Tails thrust his arms out in front of him and began to revolve, preparing a drill attack, while Sonic seemed to take no offensive action at all. As Tails was about to slam into Sonic, he somersaulted and moved to the side, Tails missing him by a few inches. Then as he passed, Sonic finished the flip and stomped both legs out, blasting Tails in the stomach. He was unable to react and hit the ground hard, Sonic landing gracefully.

Tails wasn’t done yet, but he stood up gingerly, coughing as he did so. Sonic ran at him when he stood up and leaped forward. Tails knew this move well. He jumped as Sonic began to throw out his leg and spin. When he saw Sonic was coming dangerously close to landing the Windmill, he curled backward and rolled out of the way of the attack. Tails landed with his back to Sonic, who tried to get off a running kick, but Tails clotheslined him by snapping his elbow behind him. Sonic worked his way back to his feet and the two friends stared each other off for a second, panting hard.

Tails jogged at Sonic and sprung at him, pulling off a butterfly kick. Sonic sidestepped the move. After landing, Tails dashed at him, reared up, and punched, only to be blocked. Desperate, he did a low jump, spun around, and tried to land a spiral kick on Sonic’s head. Sonic ducked and grabbed Tails’s leg as he was descending. He hurled Tails over his body and slammed him into the ground. Tails slowly got up again, planted his hands on the ground, and swung both of his legs at Sonic; but he leaned backward to avoid the attack, stepped forward, and unleashed a devastating high kick. Tails whizzed through the air for a second, and twisted across the ground, ending on his face. He made no effort to right himself. He was maxed out. His entire body throbbed and he could hardly move.

Sonic kneeled by Tails and helped him up. Tails bent forward and leaned on his knees, gasping for air. “You’re leaving yourself too many openings. I get the feeling you’re just trying to be fancy rather than bash my head in.”

Tails smiled faintly. “I guess I was a little slow…”

“I can see how you’re thinking. Those technical attacks would work on a slower opponent or one who doesn’t think on his feet, but your moves are too easy for me to predict. You need to surprise me with quicker, more outright ones so I don’t have any time to counter.”

Sonic looked at Tails for a moment, then said, “You’re really improving. I like the way you’re mixing moves and techniques the way you do. But you have to stop fighting mindlessly, or else your opponents will find openings.”

Tails nodded, and stumbled. “Could you help me inside? I need to rest.”

“Sure.” Sonic put and arm around him and helped him walk back into the building.

\_.|._/

Tails was standing in a very large and dark room. It appeared to be mostly empty except for what looked like a giant computer and many panels taking up a small portion of the left wall. He scanned his surroundings, and noticed Sonic sprawled on the floor to his right. He rushed to his side, and noticed blood pouring out of a wound in his gut. He was still alive, but his breaths were short and pained.

Suddenly Tails saw something move out of the corner of his eye and jumped up. He whirled around and was facing the dark, shadowy outline of a creature. It was holding a pistol in its right hand. Suddenly feeling bold, Tails yelled, sprinted at it, and threw a mighty axe kick. His foot went right through the figure, and it disappeared. Tails’s eyes flitted about the room, searching for the strange creature, but then he felt an excruciating pain coming from his side.

He yelped loudly and his knees buckled, seemingly on their own. He hit the ground and remained there on his back. He couldn’t move, and breathing was becoming hard. He knew nothing but pain, nothing but the bursts of agony pulsing through his entire body. Suddenly the dark figure appeared over him and stood there for a moment. Fresh smoke was seeping out of its gun. Then an awful sound erupted from it. A short, violent sound that Tails recognized as his vision began to fade away.

The person was laughing.

Tails awoke with a start and bolted into a sitting position. Aches and pains immediately assaulted him after the sudden movement. After a few hard gasps, the feeling of relief washed over him as he realized he was simply dreaming. But a feeling of fear and uneasiness also beset him.

I’ve never had a dream that felt that real. Tails inched off of the mattress and stretched. He decided that his collarbone hurt the most from Sonic’s high kick, followed by his gut where Sonic rent him with the mid-air stomp. Tails grimaced and staggered out of the doorway of his room. At least I can walk. Tails ran off some of the tap water into a glass and drank it, welcoming the smooth sensation of the icy water that ran down his throat. Peering into the living room, he noticed it was empty. The girls are probably still asleep.

He stepped outside and was blinded momentarily by the rays of sunlight that glittered down upon him. Ignoring the protests that bombarded his body, he leaped up to the roof to look over the city. Sonic was already up there, assessing the mass of buildings and roads that lay tangled in front of them. Sonic greeted him with a warm grin. “Feeling better?”

“Well enough.” Tails sat next to Sonic and they watched as the city steadily came to life. The number of cars on the road rapidly increased and people began to emerge on the sidewalks.

“Good ol’ Station Square,” Sonic said absentmindedly. Looking up, he observed, “Looks like a storm’s coming.”

Tails adjusted the metal bands on his gloves and followed his gaze. Immediately he knew something was wrong. “What the hell?” He promptly stood up and flew to the mini skyscraper near their building. He knew people would see him, but they were used to Sonic and his friends by that time. He studied the wide expanse of clouds looming in front of the city and was deeply puzzled.

The clouds were jet black and rapidly threatening to overtake the sun in the east. Blue strands of lighting constantly snaked across the thunderheads, creating a faint rumbling sound. However everything about the approaching storm seemed fake, and Tails knew that’s exactly what it was.

He jumped back onto the roof of their building, using his tails to soften the descent. “That’s an artificial storm. It wasn’t naturally created; someone spawned it.”

Sonic gave him a blank look. “That’s impossible. How could anyone create a storm?”

Tails faltered. “I don’t know. But I’ve researched these. All I can remember is that they’re visually similar to real storms, but they’re more intense.”

Sonic stood up and examined the approaching clouds. “Eggman.”

“It’s possible…but I’d imagine this would take lots of technology, and lots of money.”

“He has been doing the same things each time,” Sonic realized, “so he could ave his resources and come up with this! But this looks like a pathetic result.”

“No, Sonic.” Tails was becoming exasperated. “I also read that artificial storms upset the magnetic polarities of the areas they cover. When this storm hits Station Square, the very lifestyles of these people could be turned upside down!”

“What do we do?”

“We have to stop it somehow.” Tails looked away, racking his brain, and his face brightened as he remembered. “The center.”

“What about it?”

“The artificial storm is fueled by a type of generator. The generator is always placed in the center of the storm.”

“Alright, so we have to fly in there and destroy that thing.”

Tails pulled at his tuft of hair. “Are you insane? We can’t just fly into an artificial storm with a modified biplane! It wasn’t – “

“Tails,” Sonic said, becoming exasperated as well. “You said yourself the lifestyles of these citizens are threatened by this thing. Hell, they’re probably planning to just wait it out in their houses and it’ll blow over in a few minutes!”

Tails looked down. "There has to be another way."

"I'm not taking the chance of there not being one." Sonic dropped to the ground and shouted “Come on!” before taking off at a blur towards the hangar. Tails paced across the roof for a few seconds, panicking silently, and jumped off of the building after him.

=*-*=

I see adventure in their future. >=D

[Razor_Guardian]

Ookay then.

'~Chapter 4~'

=*-*=

Tails ran after Sonic toward the hangar, ignoring his aches from the previous night and setting aside his worries for their survival. When he emerged through the door of the hangar, which was actually just a large garage perfect for housing a plane; he saw that Sonic was already situated on the Tornado’s nose.

“You ready?” Sonic began stretching his legs as he addressed his best friend.

“Let’s fly.” Tails approached the side of the plane and vaulted into the cockpit. He flipped the power on, and as the plane buzzed to life he examined its condition. “All systems normal,” he reported, relieved. He was afraid that the repairs he made on the strained engine would do no good.

The door retracted and revolved outward, concealing itself on the ceiling of the hangar. Tails eased the plane forward and turned it onto the fairly long strip of pavement Tails used for the runway. Sonic glanced back at him and gave him the thumbs up. Tails nodded and pushed forward on the throttle gradually. The Tornado began to speed down the runway, trees and plants shaking and rustling in its wake. When the plane reached a desirable speed, Tails pulled back on the flight stick and the plane lifted off of the ground. Buildings and cars and people began to shrink as the aircraft gained altitude, and wind whooshed past the windows surrounding the cockpit.

“Sorry I cowered on you earlier,” Tails said sheepishly.

“What? Oh, hey, don’t worry about it. I probably would have reacted the same way.”

“No, you wouldn’t have,” Tails replied, and he was right.

To his surprise, Sonic chuckled. “Jeez, Tails! You have to stop getting so down on yourself. You need a little self confidence.”

“Sorry.”

“See, there you go again.”

Tails grinned, but immediately became serious again. “It’s closer than I thought. You should probably get inside the cockpit.”

The artificial storm raged in front of them. The blue streaks of lightning continued to curl through the pitch black clouds at an increased pace, creating drum-like booms as they spawned friction with the air. The wind picked up immediately and began to emit a high-pitched whistle. Tails’s long bangs were snagged by the wind and thrashed wildly about. Sonic, heeding to his buddy’s advice, appeared in the seat next to him. At the press of the larger button on the panel’s left side, a glass covering protruded from both windows and encased the top of the cockpit, causing the whistle to die down and the vigorous winds with it.

“That’s new,” Sonic observed.

“I threw it in while taking a look at the engine.”

“Miles Prower,” Sonic patted his shoulder; “thank God for your timing.”

“Hold on…we’re going to experience some major turbulence.”

Almost immediately after Tails’s statement, the Tornado began to jostle around. Sonic buckled on the safety belt and tightened it. Tails strengthened his grip on the controls, ensuring that the aircraft remained under his manipulation. Tails’s visibility was eliminated completely – all he was able to see was the smoky essence of the clouds billowing around him and occasional bolts of lightning snaking across them in front of the plane.

Two minutes later the situation hadn’t changed. Worry washed through Tails’s heart. “I can’t tell where we’re headed.”

“What do you mean?”

“I…” Tails trailed off. “I think we’re lost.”

“We’re not lost. What’s on the radar?”

“Nothing. The heat and matter that’s being created with the storm is interfering. That thing could be any - “

Lights suddenly blew out, leaving the Tornado’s cockpit in total darkness. Sparks radiated through the control panel. The warning buzzer began to go off, but immediately faded away.

“Damn it!” Tails’s low and sharp voice snapped through the cockpit. “The storm’s magnetism shorted out the power! I’ve totally lost control of the plane!”

The shuddering and vibration that besieged the cockpit turned into a violent churning. The aircraft’s whirring sound became deep and anguished as it lost altitude.

But then, as suddenly as it went out, the power came back on. Tails’s control abruptly guided the plane again, and it jerked upward. The normal whirring sound returned, and the intense shaking subsided.

“We dodged a bullet there,” Sonic murmured.

“More like the bullet avoided us,” Tails corrected him. “Hey…”

Tails peered at the radar. A green object appeared on the right side of the screen, and it stood out brighter and larger than any other of the readings. “Sonic, I think we found the generator.”

Tails veered to the right. The signal came closer and closer to the center of the screen. “Tails, slow down! I think I see it.”

Tails did as Sonic said and gained altitude before letting off of the throttle. Straining his keen eyes out the windshield, Tails discovered it as well. The generator was suspended in mid-air and moving with the storm, a glow pulsing from it ever other second. It appeared to be a giant egg with electric currents visibly running across its surface. As it glowed, Tails noticed an insignia printed on its side. Tails leaned forward to study it, and was set aback after examining.

“That’s not Eggman’s symbol,” the teenaged fox realized.

A large intricately and spiffily shaped ‘T’ jutted in and out of the lines of an ellipse. A diagonal streak began at the left end of the ellipse, ran through the center of the T – not overlapping it, however – and ended at the right side of the ellipse. When Tails looked at it, it sent a cold shiver tingling down his spine.

“Do you know what organization it represents?” Sonic breathed, eyes glued to the strange marking.

“Not a clue. I’ve never even seen this anywhere before…”

“Tails, we’re losing altitude. Shoot the generator!”

Snapping out of his awe-stricken state, Tails grabbed the firing stick and pushed the button on the top, holding it down. Long blue plasma bullets rapidly careened out of both of the barrels that were mounted on either side of the plane. Tiny explosions began to form where the bullets hit. Tails continued the assault, keeping his thumb parked on the button. Gradually the explosions became larger until the generator was engulfed in flames and blasts. It began to sink down through the air, and the storm started to wear down. Tails let his thumb off the button. Keeping the Tornado steady became easier as the buffeting winds died down. The quivering in the cockpit began to cease. Tails made a 90 degree turn and revved the throttle. The aircraft stopped plummeting and climbed back into the air, soaring away from the neutralized generator.

The clouds turned a brighter color, and the blue lighting faded away. Eventually, rays of sunlight penetrated through the fake clouds and they disappeared entirely. Tails retracted the glass covering that was placed over their heads by pressing the same button that had put it up. A faint kaboom could be heard behind them as the generator collided with the salt water and became no more.

“That was fun,” Sonic proclaimed in his usual tone of voice. Tails grunted and kept the airplane in the same direction. Station Square became a dot in the background.

Sonic gave Tails a puzzled expression. “Tails, where are you headed? Shouldn’t we head back home and explain this to the girls…before Amy gets worried again?”

Tails didn’t want Amy to get worried again. He knew she wouldn’t be so lenient on him next time. “Not yet. There’s someone I need to see about this insignia.”

“Someone…” Sonic realized who he meant, and fell back into the seat. “Oh, God…Tails, we haven’t seen him in three years.”

“All the more reason to go see him.” Tails grinned at him playfully. “If he tries to ‘kill’ you again, I’ll stick up for you, alright?”

“Yeah, okay.” Sonic unbuckled himself and leapt onto the nose of the plane again in one swift motion.

\_.|._/

Angel Island had many large grassy expanses, perfect places for Tails to land the Tornado. The plane touched down near the south edge of the floating island, and slowed to a stop in the meadow with the large willow tree – which was now even larger. Sonic hopped off of the front of the plane, and Tails unstrapped himself before jumping out of the side, not bothering with the door. Landing softly, he stood next to Sonic, taking in the details of the environment.

“Not much has changed,” Sonic mumbled absentmindedly. “Everything just seems…bigger.”

Tails agreed with a slight nod. “We shouldn’t waste any time.”

He started off at a hard jog, which still sent him hurtling past the objects in the meadow. Sonic trailed behind him with a blank look on his face. The hedgehog didn’t like Knuckles the Echidna’s grasp on the world and attitude towards others, but knew Knuckles could help them with these sorts of things. Tails knew that Sonic always treated their visits this way – with defeated reluctance.

The red echidna was in the same spot he always was when he was on Angel Island. In the middle of the island there was a large pedestal of sorts, the south side covered with several stairs. Knuckles sat on the top stair, the luminous green Master Emerald laid in the indentation behind him. It was his duty to guard the Master Emerald, the mother of all the Chaos Emeralds; a duty given to him by his ancestors – or, at least, that’s what he babbled about. His eyes were shut, so Tails knew that he was either deep in though or angry about something. He suspected the latter.

“I heard you land,” came the dark, rough voice of the echidna. His eyes remained hidden by their lids. “You’re not welcome to simply barge onto the island without permission.”

“Why don’t you put up some ‘No Trespassing’ signs?” Sonic boldly mused.

Knuckles growled behind his teeth. “I want you to leave.”

Tails stepped forward. “We can’t. We need you for something.”

Knuckles seemed troubled. “Was that Tails?” His eyes opened. They were a deep purple and were darkened with a serious and mature air. He proceeded to look the kit over, flabbergasted. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Aging. It tends to happen sometimes…always a bit of a shock when it decides to come around.”

The echidna’s eyes narrowed. “What do you need me for?”

“Identifying a symbol.” Tails took the pad and pencil he grabbed out of the Tornado and began sketching. As he did so, Sonic queried, “Have you ever heard of artificial storms?”

Knuckles stood and crossed his arms. “Yes, I have. Powerful man-made storms that are fueled by some sort of machine. Why?”

“We ran into one, and we saw this on the machine.” Tails finished and handed the paper to Knuckles. He examined the paper closely, and scratched his chin.

“I thought that was a legend…”

“You know the symbol?” Sonic sounded genuinely surprised.

“Theta Black,” Knuckles said quietly. A chill ran throughout Tails’s entire body as he heard the name of the organization. “I’ve heard stories. They say it’s a rebel group that sides with neither Eggman nor the free nations. They’re an independent group of Mobians and – strangely enough – Overlanders.”

“Overlanders?” Tails blurted, superstitious. Overlanders generally wanted nothing to do with Mobians – the four-fingered humans hated them as a race. Calming himself, he questioned, “What’s their purpose?”

“No one knows for sure. But they despise anyone who is not a recruit in their team, and have been known to kill mercilessly. I didn’t know they had the technology to build an artificial storm…in that case, we have to be wary, because they’re advancing as a group.”

Sonic paced around the stone pedestal. “They sent the storm to Station Square,” he said. “Maybe they planned to attack the humans while they were out of balance.”

“They’re coming.” Knuckles looked up from the paper. “Whenever they send an object to an area that contains their insignia, they’re coming to that area. Sonic may be right.”

“Tails, did you hear that?” Sonic slapped Knuckles on the back. “He just agreed with me!”

“Don’t push it,” the echidna grumbled.

Tails felt he needed to point out the obvious. “They’re mistaken if they think the artificial storm worked. The generator’s busted.”

“Theta Black is known for spreading fear more than destruction and wealth in their numbers.” Knuckles addressed Tails. “If they come, they’re going to be causing trouble in Station Square for a while.”

\_.|._/

“Why would Theta Black want to cause trouble in the last pure human city?” Tails wondered aloud as he piloted the Tornado back to Station Square.

“To expand their ‘empire’, most likely,” Sonic replied from the plane’s nose. “Either that, or to eradicate the humans.”

“Why would they want to do that? They’ve been existing peacefully here, not causing any trouble with anyone.”

“I don’t know. Knucklehead said that they are known for spreading fear, so it could be a way of making a statement to either the free nations or Eggman.”

Tails was scared about how much sense the blue blur was making. “I believe you’ve hit the nail on the head with one of those reasons.”

The nineteen-year-old hedgehog shrugged. “Maybe. I’m just throwing out some crap.”

As Tails was approaching the beach, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. He glanced to the left, and squinted. When he realized what he was looking at, he immediately drew back to the controls. “Sonic, hold on! We’re landing on the beach.”

“What –“ the hedgehog began, but the Tornado made a dive. Tails straightened the plane about ten feet off of the ground and let it glide down on the sands of the empty beach – at least, almost empty. Tails quickly leapt out of the cockpit and broke into a run upon landing.

“Tails, what the hell is going on?” Sonic ran after Tails, but found his friend to have stopped after several meters and screeched to a halt next to him. The blue blur looked down and realized why Tails had landed on the beach.

Laying unconscious in front of them was a pale blue female fox.

=*-*=

Commence fan charries. O noes.

Oh, and the reason why Sonic is 19 while Tails is 14 is because they were only 5 years apart in the Archie comics (biologically 4 because of Sonic's time spent in space).