"Sonic! Wait! I'm still in here!" The kit cried, hoping that he could get out.
Before he could get out of the cell a bright white light burst into the room, consuming everything. Tails didn't even have a chance to cry out as he was engulfed by the ethereal light.
The sound of seagulls filled the air, and what sounded like waves cresting into a beach side. Slowly the other senses began to flow back. Rough grains could be felt along his back and a cool breeze ran over him, ruffling though his fur. His mouth was next to awaken; a bitter saltiness tingled through his taste buds. Soon after, the fox opened his eyes, and the bright light blinded him for a moment, forcing him to close his eyes.
Tails sat up slowly, as if he had been sleeping all day. He felt groggy, rubbing at his eyes before opening them again. The light started to dim as his eyes readjusted to the brightness. As he took a deep breath, the fresh air of the coast filled his lungs, and caused him to cough a few times as it seemed his chest was just awakening as well.
Questions started to rise through the kit's head as he stood up and brushed the sand out of his fur. How long had he been out? Where was he? What had happened to Sonic, and the others? How did he end up on a beach?
As he looked about the young fox realized that he didn't recognize this area at all. The beach seemed to stretch out into the horizon, and the ocean before him seemed endless. Was this what the afterlife was like? Being alone, waiting for your friends on a beach? Further inland, a forest seemed to be rolled out upon a rising terrain, and eventually was swallowed up by dark brownish steep mountains. It seemed kind of odd for this to be where death takes you, it looked too much like the real world.
Since he had so many unanswered questions that he couldn't answer himself, the only way to answer them was to find someone who could. If there was someone here, a good chance they'd be swimming or wander around the beachside. As he moved along the beach he wondered if he should mark his path to keep from getting lost. Something told him that that would be a waste, probably because he was lost already.
A brown cabin seemed to be waiting for the kit in the green grasses where the ocean of sand met with the green earth. In the breeze a swing moved about back and forth as the ocean waves crashed against a sharp pier. The fox came up to the structure, running with his feet. It seemed as if it was inviting him in, the door was cracked open a bit.
"Anyone here?" the kit asked into the door, his own voice reverberating, coming back to his own ears.
Leaning into the door and pushing it open, Tails didn't see any sign of life in the room. The young one stepped inside...
VVVVVV
The darkness surrounded the fox, even as he was aroused from the strange dream. Were these more memories slipping in on their own? The older fox looking to see the glowing blue gem in his hand... he tucks it into a glove to keep it safe. The odd brown fox was te one that told him that it ould givehim his memories back, it wuld be important to keep it.
The air was cold, crisp, and very clean.
The older Tails, also noticed that there was a strange glow of green that aligned the walls about him, the lighting being provided by some strange terminal-like machines. Even with his innate expertise in mechanics, it seemed almost unworldly to him. These huge contraptions, which seemed to take up most of the enormous room he was in, made whirling noises as they seemed to go about their functions.
Were these contraptions Robotnik's doing?
With a shake of his head, the fox told himself that they couldn't be. The looks of the machines were different then the style the evil genius used, which were usually deep, grey, and jagged. These contraptions seemed to be far sleeker, and were colored in a deep blue.
Then was this some sort of alien technology?
After the questions continued to bounce around in Tails's head, the adult fox took a step toward the machine. The only way he could find out was by investigating.
Suddenly there was a blinding flash as a florescent glow began to light up the once darkened room, causing the vulpine to shield his eyes as they had to adjust. A large holographic display became visible in the center of the large complex, surrounded by a large type of rail. As the fox took his hands away from his eyes, he realized he was in the midst of some type of super computer.
Still having no idea where he was, Tails watched as the display showed the figure of a grey squirrel. The figure looked feminine, and about the age of the adult fox. The soft elegent grey fur of the Mobian looking figure was almost hypnotizing. She was almost perfection if the fox had ever seen it. A jade gown flowed down her body, and covered everything from he upper chest to her feet. Golden streaks flowed down the dress, with twinkling lights traveling about them. It reminded the technically inclined fox of a basic circuit board. Somehow, with the unusual attire and almost too perfect figure, Tails had a feeling that the form projected before him was not that of a real Mobian.
A beam of light shot forth form the squirrel's piercing blue eyes and scanned toward the fox's direction, causing him to step back a bit, a bad feeling plagued his mind. After the probing light faded, the figure's eyes returned to normal, a familiar voice rang though the air... Tails knew that he had heard it before, but among all the confusion, he couldn't get his mind to make the connection.
"Subject: Miles Prower. Known Aliases: "Tails". Current Status: Unbound." The voice sounded like that of a computer. Like an AI of sorts, maybe that form represented a powerful program, and it chose to present itself as the grey squirrel he saw before him. How it knew who he was though, was what really made the vulpine nervous.
Tails was hardly able to even stutter a reply before the voice spoke again, with a sudden improved fluidity. If he hadn't heard what he had earlier, the fox would have sworn that it was an actual Mobian speaking.
"Hmm... you managed to find your way back to threaten me again, huh?" the squirrel chuckled evilly, the flow of her syntax matching that of a Mobian's perfectly. "Distorting your memory and throwing you back through the depths of time only seemed to accomplish bringing us back to our current stand... and I must thank you for helping me achieve the events that allowed me to be. So now that you have served your purpose in the past, it's now time for you to serve me in the present."
With those words, the figure projection faded back into the darkness it had come from. A whooshing sound caught the fox's ears and through the newly opened slot, dark pods flew out into the room. They looked like the spybots Tails was familiar with, only they looked a bit more dangerous.
Faced with these sinister looking contraptions, the fox growled as he readied his wrist laser to defend himself. He fired a blast of energy up at the incoming attackers. Thankfully his aim was still decent as one of the bots took a hit and was sent spiraling to crash into a nearby security door.
As the pod burst into flames, the darkness of the room was alleviated by a bright red light and a siren. Some type of fire extinguishing system seemed to come alive and started to spray the room with white clouds of some type of flame retardant. This substance also started to suck the breathable oxygen out of the air, causing the fox to start to choke.
The image of the squirrel reappeared before Tails's eyes. "If you persist on resisting me, then I guess I have no choice but to extinguish you instead Miles. It is unfortunate that an icon such as yourself could not help me in my quest of making this planet a network of perfection."
Everything began to swirl together as lack of air was starting to make him dizzy. The vulpine began to shoot at anything that looked vital... pipes, consoles, anything that would stop this machine from taking his life.
"Desist... you don't know what you are doing..." the computer said as the screens shattered from the weakening blasts. After enough damage had been done to convince the mainframe of the dangers of keeping the fox locked inside, a door slid open. Tails took this opportunity to run for it, he didn't know where he was going, but he continued to charge forward as air started to return to his lungs upon his escape.
He climbed up a large stairway and immediately found himself surrounded by what appeared to be the outside world, but it was nothing he could have ever dreamed about, even in his worst nightmares. What appeared to be wires ran up and down all the structures, and life in the area. The sky was an overtone grey, buildings looked almost in perfect condition. It looked like Robotropolis... only there wasn't even a molecule of debris in sight. The few trees he could see were all of equal height, and green patches of grass were all evenly cut... well cut might not be the word... they were just naturally even. As Tails stepped forward into this quiet, utopia-like city he hardly saw anyone on the streets. It was like a ghost town.
What was going on? What was that machine? Why is this city so deathly quiet? The questions swirled as his head began to spin. Whatever was in that fire retardant gas was messing with him.
A flicker of flame caught his eye, and suddenly more memories started to come back to him.
The flames grew to a great intensity, consuming the foliage of the forest around him. Tails flew up above the canopy, above the smoke and heat, landing on a high branch in order to get a better view of the area.
Looking into the distance, the fox could see what appeared to be some type of hovercraft. He would have to take the risk, it was the only way to figure out what was going on and get out of this inferno safely. "Help!" He shouted as his hands waved at the craft.
The hovership changed direction suddenly, turning toward the fox. Tails saw that there was indeed a Mobian pilot, a mallard duck, at the helm. A ray of hope struck the fox, and he smiled.
Without warning, the craft started to charge full steam ahead at the young fox kit, a flame shooting out of the front of the machine at the startled fox. With a gasp Tails ducked back into the burning forest, moving quickly to a lower branch as the flamethrower burnt off the top of the tree where he was standing before.
The pod hovered inches above the young vulpine's head. "Sir we have a problem..." Tails heard the pilot speak.
"What is it?" A burly voice replied, scuffled by a type of electronic snow, indicating the voice was coming from the other side of the radio devise.
"There's this fox nosing about. What should I do? I thought you told us the island was uninhabited." The duck replied.
There was a pause... "We don't have time for interference. Kill him, and find that emerald!"
"...Yes sir."
After the conversation came to a close, Tails felt his eyes widen and his pulse quicken... he really wished Sonic were here right now, to get him out of this mess. Why were these Mobians attacking him? What were these emeralds they were talking about? Were they the Chaos Emeralds? They had to be if this group wanted them so badly. If this was the case, then if he could collect them all then chances are he would run into Knuckles or maybe even Sonic... that is if he was still on Mobius.. but there was only one way to find out.
Even if the emeralds didn't lead him to his friends, he could tell that he didn't want these waterfowl to get them. They obviously were bad news, if they were willing to destroy an entire forest for these emeralds, he could only imagine what they would do with them. As scary as it was being forced to fight this group alone, it was clear that he had no choice but to try and get the emeralds before they did.
"You there! Halt!" A shout snapped Tails out of his contemplations. He looked up to see there were now three flying crafts turned directly to him, threateningly.
The fox froze, the danger becoming real in an instant. He really wished Sonic were here to help him out of this. Thinking of Sonic, though, caused him to remember the confidence the hedgehog would have in these kind of situations, and maybe it was about time he used some of that vigor he idoled.
"In your dreams beak-brains..." Tails growled as he took off back into the burning forest below. He was instantly hit by a wall of smoke; hopefully it would help him lose his pursuers.
VVVVVV
Coughing as he aroused from this vision, Tails opened his eyes to find himself in a dark room. He was laying down this time, on something soft, probably a bed of some sort. Attempting to sit up, he learned that he was bound down by something to keep him still. The fox started to feel annoyed. Every time he tried to wrap his head around one situation, he found himself in another predicament. He wished someone would just tell him what was going on!
"Looks like he's up!" a nasally sounding voice called out.
"Hey Tails." There was another voice, however this one sounded more familiar to the fox. He looked toward where it was coming from to see a pale mouse, the same one he had befriended back when he was in the past, saving those he considered family.
"Jerome?" Tails was sure that's who it was, but since the albino looked about ten years older when he saw him last, there was a little uncertainty.
"You remember my name, huh? Guess that's a good sign." The mouse stood up and walked over to the bed. "We found you unconscious outside of Bunker 301... what were you doing going out there by yourself? If we're going to strike a mainframe then we should do it together."
The fox's head throbbed, he wished he knew why he was in that bunker... but his brain was scrambled... he really hoped he could get some answers. From what the form in the void stated he could guess that he was sent to the Great Forest from the room he had found himself in, where that strange computer tried to kill him. Anything that happened before that moment he couldn't recall, and the harder he tried the more his head ached.
Judging from the fact that Jerome looked older by about ten years, he was about ten years in the future from when he had saved Sonic and Sally. But what about when Chaos Control consumed him and the Freedom Fighters thought he was dead? What had happened between then and now to get him to that bunker? So that Jerome wasn't surprised to see him alive??
"Hello? You in there?" Jerome called to the pondering fox.
"Well... I did a full bio-scan. I don't see any signs of an infection." The other voice came back again, and stepped forward, revealing a grey raccoon Mobian that Tails had never seen before.
The Mobian was holding a palm type computer that kind of reminded the fox of the one Aunt Sally would carry around. These memories made the fox want to ask where Sonic and Sally were, if they were ok or not, if they had finally learned that he didn't die on that day on Mount Gimmick. Something told him, though, that asking that would be out of place at the moment.
"That's a relief..." The mouse sighed. "We'll take off the straps now Tails. Sorry we tied you down, we can't be too cautious."
"Who are you?" Tails asked, looking to the raccoon Mobian with the devise in his hand. Annoyed by he fact he didn't know who it was, but something told him he should.
With those words the mouse and raccoon looked confused as the fox sat up in bed. After a breif pause, Jerome finally spoke up. "You have amnesia or something? This is Script, he works as our computer technician... you know this."
Tails shakes his head. "Oh... sorry my memory is just fuzzy..."
Jerome looked paler then he already was. "You're not joking... are you?"
The vulpine somberly shook his head... "The first thing I can recall is escaping from that bunker, before that everything recent is blank."
There was a heavy silence before the raccoon spoke up. "You remember your name though. Maybe you can remember some things about your past, what's the first thing you can recall before you were escaping the bunker?"
Tails thought a bit. "I remember being in the Winged Fortress and then seeing a bright light..."
Jerome's eyes went wide... "Winged Fortress?... you mean on Gimmick...? That was ten years ago!" He scratched his ear as he thought about the incident, it was indeed very long ago. The amnesia was really serious. "That was when you first disappeard... when Sonic thought he killed you."
"Where is Sonic?" The fox asked, worried about what had happened to his friend.
Once again the two looked to each other with uncertainty.
"We haven't heard from him since--" Jerome started before he was interrupted by a beeping noise. The mouse picked up the ringing devise he was carrying and looked to it. "Darn... Rotor has to talk with me... could you help Tails catch up on what's going on Script?"
The raccoon gave a nod to the mouse. "Did Rotor tell you anything about what he wants?"
Jerome shook his head and gave the two tailed fox a pat on the shoulder. "It's good to know we didn't lose you though... at least physically." He chuckled before he continued. "I'm sure the rest will come in time, maybe when you're up to it you can come see Rotor... maybe something will click."
"Maybe... there are too many questions right now. Hopefully I won't be a bother." Being trouble for his friends is something the vulpine hated the most.
"Even without you memory, as long as you're fighting with us and not against us... you're not a burden. I can handle things while you try and sort things out."
Those words made Tail's eyes go wild. "Why was I leading? What about Sally?" After all that time trying to cover his identity in the past he hardly realized that he didn't say aunt.
Once again there was an awkward silence.
The beeping devise that Jerome was carrying broke in as it started to chime again, causing the mouse to groan. "Hold your horses... sheesh, I hate these things..." He headed quickly for the door. "Try and fill in the blanks as best as you can Script. I know you haven't known Tails for as long as I have... but you should at least tell him what's going on now. You're more knowledgeable in that then I am."
"Sure thing." The raccoon nodded as the mouse made his exit.
There was a bit of silence as the two just looked at each other for a bit. Script decided to try and break the ice. "You don't remember me at all, huh?"
"Not in the slightest." Tails rubbed his forehead. "So why did you guys tie me in bed? Where are Sonic and Sally?"
"Well... I've never had the honor of meeting either.. so I'm sorry, I can't help you with that last question, but I can clear up why we had to keep you bound..."
The fox sighed... he was really worried about his friends. But right now he had to take what he could get. If he stayed in the dark he wouldn't be able to help anyone. "Ya... and what was that squirrel I saw in the bunker?"
Script thought a bit and then gave a nod. "Oh.. that image you saw was not really a Mobian, it was purely a form the system had given itself in order to confuse those about it that she is real."
"So you're saying we're fighting against a computer?"
"You could say that... after you disappeared on Gimmick... Robotnik returned, at least that's what I heard. Eventually though, Robotnik was defeated and Mobius had started to piece itself back together. I was about nine when the reconstruction had began. Before that day I had been raised in a Freedom Fighter group far north of the Great Forest ruins. That was a wonderous day, and even though I was very young, I still can remember the great joy and change that day brang.
"So, anyways, the years went by, and the institutions of the past I have never seen began to become reestablished, slowly of course. I went to school during this time like other of the younger Mobians. The scar never really had time to fully heal though. Mobotropolis had hardly been restored. And only about seven years after the fall of Robotnik... he returned again."
"What? How? Why'd it take so long?" Tails was confused.
"Well, not the dictator himself, but a nice little parting gift. You see an ancient, technologically advanced race, had made a computer system. It is said that there was a huge network that spanned the whole globe and was completely decentralized. However, after many years of prosperity and expansion, an invading alien race found a way to find a type of blaster worm to crash the entire thing, there was no way to stop it, as the anti-viral technology of the ancient race had no way to defend against it.
"They were able to push back the alien force with the help of what was said to be 'strange creatures from another world', but anyways, after that incident the ancient race decided to make a new inter-web. However unlike the older one it would have a centralization component that would keep the other components safe... but it was also used to keep the 'true' data of the world, since the old design could have networks pass false information as true. So with that they developed the Network for Integrating the Centralized Operation of Large Executables.
"Also, this new center was able to take data and 'analyze' it using its vast database of knowledge, meaning it could also speculate using facts... an amazing piece of work. It is still uncertain how they could have done it... it's an extremely complicated AI. Of course the race's governmental powers made sure that the information was regulated.
"The terminal survived the old race's extinction, and was found by the Mobians... the Royal Family took the terminal as their own and used the knowledge it contained within to structure their own society, and technology. Of course, Robotnik must have found the central terminal... a location that was probably a massive secret to most. He probably placed a virus in it... and that brings us to where we are today.
"Through the AI's ability to analyze, and the program now brought to 'madness' by the glitch placed into it by Robotnik, the system is now networking with everything it can, even living beings, regulating their thoughts and actions in exchange of sharing all the knowledge she has with the host. You noticed how all the trees are perfectly tall, and all the grass, even. This is a result of this. She is trying to make the perfect network. She knows what happens in every terminal she controls, and around every host she has. Robotnik has unleashed a deadly regulator more dangerous then even the mad tyrant himself was."
The raccoon concludes, "Because unlike the human doctor, NICOLE's eyes are everywhere..."