Part One. Location – High above Station Square in the dead of night.

'Aaah! Look out!' Tails shouted. He took the plane into a sharp spin, avoiding total annihilation from a deadly missile. The missile skimmed past harmlessly, bursting into flame a few derelict buildings away. Tails glanced back, his heart still thumping like crazy with adrenaline. If he had swerved only a fraction of a second later, both he and Sonic would have been dead for sure.

'Phew, that was a close one,' Sonic exclaimed. He wiped a hand across his forehead in relief. But not for long. 'He's coming back, Tails! Man, doesn't Eggman ever know when to give up?'

'I guess not,' Tails replied, with a slight frown on his furry face. 'Here we go again...'

He performed a spectacular three hundred and sixty degree turn, followed by a vertical nose dive Tails weaved expertly between rows and rows of tall buildings in the derelict industrial estate, bullets spraying all around them but none ever touching the plane. It was certainly a heart-thumping, adrenaline-pumping experience. But hell, this was their life!

Sonic turned around to see Dr. Robotnik in his flying machine (well, by the eccentric design it could hardly be called a plane) trying to catch up with Tails's wild piloting in order to lock on another missile, but failing miserably.

'Nyaah! Looks like you lost this time, Doctor Eggman!' Sonic sneered triumphantly.

'I'm not finished with you yet!' Dr Robotnik growled.

'Yeah, right. Like I've never heard that before,' Sonic called back.

But all of a sudden there came an uneasy chug-chugging sound from the front of the plane. It did not sound good.

'The engine's failing! It can't have fully recovered from the effects of the Chaos Emerald!' Tails said in frenzied dismay.

The pair remembered that escapade all too well. A few summers ago, Tails had tried using one of the Chaos Emeralds in his new biplane engine. It had not worked very well, and Sonic had ended up having to rescue Tails from the wreckage of his plane on a desert island.

'I shouldn't have used the old plane material to build the Tornado Version 3!' Tails cried out. But it was too late for regrets. Sonic was just about to say so – when the propellers burst into flame. Shots from Robotnik's machine rippled out behind them at that moment, battering and tearing apart the machinery that Tails had spent so long building, refining, perfecting. The plane twizzled out of control towards the ground.

Tails strained to steer the plane with all his might, but in vain.

'Nooo!'

Touchdown.

The plane finally made contact with the hard concrete ground. Tails and Sonic were choked in thick, black smoke. Coughing and spluttering, they stumbled out of the wreckage as the once-brand-new aircraft fizzed and crackled and slowly broke apart.

By a mysterious turn of fate, as often did happen to the two friends, they were both unscathed from the fall.

'Well, goodbye Tornado 3,' Tails said glumly. He then turned his back on the object which had been his pride and joy for the last three months. Tails had learnt during his time with Sonic that there was no time to feel sorry for things like that.

Instead, he looked about him. They had crashed in an enclosed square yard in the derelict industrial part of Station Square. In other words – the city slums. On three sides they were surrounded by abandoned warehouses. The last side led down to the old docks.

Sonic nudged his elbow.

'Here, Tails. Take this and hide it. Keep it safe,' he said, unchaining a golden amulet from around his neck. 'Whatever you do, don't let Robotnik get it.'

Tails had not paid much attention to the amulet before now. In truth, he had not had the time to – Sonic had surprised him earlier in the hangar, bursting in all wet from the storm and asking for a ride as though the devil was on his tail. What happened next had been a blur as he realised it was not the devil, but Eggman that was chasing Sonic.

But, now that he looked at the amulet, something about it was...almost familiar...

Sonic was just about to thrust the amulet into Tails's hand when they heard a loud clicking sound behind them. They turned round in surprise as a tall, dark figure stepped out of the shadows.

Tails could tell that the figure was female, her long voluptuous hair gave that away. She was wearing a leather jacket and dark trousers. Shades of the blackest black covered her eyes, despite it being the dead of night. But more importantly was the very long and very deadly rifle she was holding. It was this that had made the telltale clicking sound, and it was pointed straight at them.

Before either of them could utter a word of surprise, she said fiercely;

'Give me the amulet, or you both die.'

Tails was so bewildered by her appearance that he did not react quick enough. Sonic did though.

'Not this time, lady,' he said, standing his ground defiantly. As he expected, she pointed the weapon at the dumbstruck Tails and fired. Sonic reacted lightning-fast and shoved Tails out of the way. Tails uttered a small cry as he was bowled over by Sonic. The bullet whistled by and into the Tornado wreckage.

Scrambling to his feet again, Tails saw the woman aim for Sonic this time. She fired. He jumped. She missed. Tails watched is as though it was a slow-motion film.

'Aaargh!' The strange woman roared ferociously. She wiped away a few strands of dark wavy hair from her face and prepared to fire again. Sonic was quicker. In the blink of an eye, he had jumped forth and knocked the rifle out of the woman's hands. The offending weapon landed on top of a skip, far out of her reach. Sonic skidded and swung round arrogantly to face her.

'Easy peasy,' he commented, pacing back and forth on the tarmac. The woman was in a state now. 'So let me see. You want this amulet, right? But what for? Why should I give it to you? I don't even know who you are!'

'That's not necessary. I'm not going to let myself be defeated by a rat like you,' she said icily. Sonic's expression clearly showed that he was offended. He was about to retaliate when...

All of a sudden there was a humongous clap like rolling thunder, and the earth began to groan and tremble. Tails was so disoriented he thought it was an earthquake at first, but in that same split-second the thought was torn away from him, as a great chunk of blackened metal from the still-smouldering Tornado fell off and trapped his left leg underneath it. The burning metal fell with titanic force on his shin bone and seared through fur and flesh. Tails screamed aloud as an immediate shockwave of pain coursed through him. He could not move the metal off, it was far too heavy.

Clenching his teeth, he turned his head round as far as he could. Sonic was looking wildly around, just as baffled as he was. When he saw what had happened to Tails, his eyes opened wide and he began to run over to him.

Just then Tails saw what had made the grand crash. Dr. Robotnik's flying machine had landed behind one of the warehouses, and now the familiar rotund figure of the doctor was approaching towards them.

'Tails! Tails, you... you okay?' Sonic asked, fraught with genuine worry.

Tears streaming down Tails's face, he tried to speak and tell Sonic that it was Eggman, but every time the pain made his muscles clench and his breath seize up.

Eggman was holding a strange black... thing... in his hands. It was spherical and grew bigger and bigger as is pulsed with energy. The woman was standing in the background, smiling, with an evil glint in her eye. Something was going to happen...

'Sonic , watch – AAAGH!' Tails's attempt to warn Sonic ended in a scream as Sonic managed to heave the metal off his leg.

Sonic stumbled backwards from the effort, and Tails found the voice to finally shout;

'Behind you!'

Sonic turned around as the black void opened from the centre of the sphere. A look of horror and dismay crossed his face as the void enveloped him. Eggman lunged for the amulet that Sonic was still holding, but the amulet disappeared into the black mist. As did Sonic. Then the void snapped shut and became the small black orb again.

'No! The amulet!' Dr. Eggman hissed. The woman walked over to Dr. Eggman and slapped him angrily.

'You... I could've handled this!' She then stormed over to his flying machine and started it up.

Tails was too bewildered to speak coherently. 'No, no, it can't be... not true... not...true...' The weight of what had happened was only just beginning to sink in. Sonic gone? No way! it was just not possible!

'Ha haaa!' Dr. Robotnik jeered. 'That was easier than I thought. Farewell, Sonic! I always told you I'd win someday...'

Then the woman shouted out from the cockpit;

'Tell Sonic that Stella Novacassica wishes him a good trip! Hm hm,' she allowed herself a small snigger, 'after all, you'll be joining him soon enough.'

Tails found his voice as the engine of Dr. Eggman's machine began to roar.

'You'll never win! Sonic isn't dead, I tell you! Sonic never gives up! he'll come back and we'll make you pay for what you've done!' Tails practically screamed out at Eggman and the woman who called herself Stella. He was boiling with rage.

'Aw, how sweet!' Eggman said sarcastically. 'We don't have time for fairytales, Stella, let's get a move on.' They both laughed and flew off.

Tails was left all alone in that deserted square in the middle of the night. At that moment, he felt weaker and more helpless than ever before in his life.

A few hours later and Tails was limping sullenly back to his flat. His leg ached terribly. The metal pole he had picked up for walking support was not being of much help; every time he moved, his muscles wanted to seize up.

The boiling, heavy piece of metal from his plane had left a dark, deep scorch mark on his leg, and the shin bone looked unnaturally bent. He was not sure whether it was broken or sprained, but it felt bad.

And bad feelings can turn on oneself, as they often tend to, and Tails ended up thinking about how it was really his fault for Sonic disappearing into the black orb like that. He thought about how he had let Sonic down, how he should have reacted when he did not, how he could have prevented it all from happening, how he should have been a better pilot...

He limped down the dark, silent streets for what seemed like ages. The stomach-churning feelings inside him were enough to make him want to die.

---

'My name is Loren,' said the elegant shimmering apparition before him. 'And you are Tails, yes, I know.'

'But – but how do you know my name?' Tails stammered, taking a small step back and shading his eyes from the intense light emanating from the figure. He had no idea where he was. Everything was hazy and pastel pink, as though he was standing on a cloud. Every now and then, he would see a fragment of something around him that resembled a natural landscape, fading slowly in and out of vision.

'That is a fairy secret,' Loren replied. 'But, I need you to do something for me. The fate of your friend and the fate of my tribe depends on what you decide to do now. Take heed of my words; There is a piece of computer hardware, a tripartite device that uses the Opicular system in the QH-10 port. I'm sure you're familiar with that system, aren't you? Anyway, this precious device is hidden in a research facility in Station Square, not far from your flat. The building is owned by a company called M.S.C. The device, in the shape of a small white box resembling an external hard drive, is on Block 15, inside a room with a red door that nobody uses any more. Find the device and connect it to your computer using the Opicular system. What you find should confirm your next actions, and I hope it shall be for the good of all of us.'

Tails was dumbstruck.

'Um.. I... don't want to sound mean or anything...'

'Yes?'

'But... if you know so much about this device's location, why can't you get it?'

'I am a fairy, and I may have powers, but in this world I am only a spiritual apparition. I am not of your world, and cannot physically pass through the barriers, even though there is a way for you and your friends to.'

She looked mournful for a second after she spoke – perhaps because she longed for real flesh, like himself, Tails wondered. As he watched, she began to disappear into the mist, not unlike Sonic had done in the clutches of the black orb.

'Remember all that I have told you. In your world, you will see a rainbow when you wake. That is how you will know it is not a dream,' she said, her voice slowly fading as well.

Just then a thought hit Tails.

'Wait!' Tails called. 'You mentioned my friends... Does that mean Sonic? Do you know anything about him? Is he okay?' Tails could not bring himself to say 'Is he alive?'

'I'm afraid I cannot say... But you will not be able to find him in your world,' Loren said before her fairy form drifted away into nothingness. Tails had no time to feel angry or bemused, for the whole scene broke up before his very eyes.

---

It was grey and foggy outside. Light rain drizzled down the window pane. Tails rubbed his eyes and sat up, wincing at the sudden sharp pain in his left leg. He was back in his flat in Station Square.

Immediately recalling his dream, he glance out of the window. The sky was dark and grey, threatening to rain at any minute. He sighed. The fairy called Loren, the tripartite device – could it all have been a dream?

He limped into the kitchen to get some breakfast. As he ate, he mulled over what to do about his leg, and about Sonic. He considered picking up the phone and calling the ambulance... but then chided himself for not thinking about Sonic first. And then he chided himself again, for how could he help Sonic unless he himself was better?

He sighed, and took a swig of apple juice.

Rain began to patter outside the window.

He sighed again.

Then it grew very sunny outside. Tails blinked as the light entered his eyes, and he peered curiously out of the window. As he watched, the clouds parted and sunlight hit the softly falling rain, creating a beautiful pastel arc of a rainbow across the sky.

'It wasn't a dream!' He jumped up, winced with pain from his leg and sat back down immediately. 'Loren really did send the rainbow! Okay...I have to get that device,' he said to himself, smiling happily.

But another part of him felt a sort of lurching feeling, a nausea settling deep in his stomach. Tails had felt this a lot before. It was his 'adventure sense'.

'It's my job to make sure I get the hardware, and find a way to save Sonic...somehow. Uh-oh... I think I feel another adventure coming on,' Tails said to himself. 'Well, that's okay, but it's gonna be a lot harder without Sonic around.' His little furry face assumed a serious frown. 'Hmm, I'd better get started right away.'

He managed to find a packet of painkillers, antiseptic and some bandages in his medicine cupboard. After attending to his wound, he grabbed an umbrella to act as a walking stick and strode as best he could out of the building as the sun rose high.

-end chapter one-