So far, it had been quiet. Eggman's latest scheme, just a week ago, blew up in his face. His defeat started the time that Tails and most other people called vacation. Sonic- after sleeping in a few days- called everything after that boredom.

It was hard to tell when Eggman would try something again. Sonic had complained about it just that morning at breakfast before running off. Sometimes it was years, to put together something as big as the Death Egg. Smaller schemes to build up money or steal resources could be weeks, even days apart. Once Eggman had somehow stolen Sonic's shoes and the hedgehog had gotten them back, all while Tails was asleep.

The shifts in pace made his head spin. Sonic's only problem with it was that it was slow sometimes.

Like today. Tails was making the most of it. The garage door was shut tight against the summer heat. Air conditioners he'd tuned up himself hummed the room cool. A computer desk with a chair tucked in, supporting a boxy PC, was nestled between tool benches. Tools littered the garage like confetti. They were on the shelves, hanging on the walls, on the floor, and of a chosen few on the wing of a red biplane.

A hinged panel on the wing was open, spilling out a mass of wiring and electronics. The small fox kneeled over it in deep concentration. He crimped two wires together with pliers and held down a small button nestled in the panel.

The red lights on the back of the wing lit up and fizzled out.

"Darn it." Tails sighed. Still not working. He released the button and glanced around on the wing for the pliers. He just now had them, where-

"Hey there!"

Tails jumped, "Ah!" and one of his tools clattered to the floor.

Oh. Sonic was at the door. And unfazed, of course. Though he was only a little bit taller than the fox, he was at least five years older.

"Sorry, bud." The hedgehog nudged aside a wrench with his foot to step forward. Tails stuttered something about it being ok. "Still working on the lights?"

Tails nodded. "Yeah, they won't work. I'll, um, have to stop ordering parts off the internet." His ears drooped and he looked down at the plane's wing. Now that he thought about it, ordering parts from some random person and expecting them to work was kind of dumb.

"Tails, hey."

The fox looked back down at Sonic. The hedgehog had one hand on his hip and spoke gently, but perfectly assured. "You're a genius. You'll figure it out."

Tails couldn't help but grin back. "Thanks, Sonic." That level of confidence was amazing. Someday he'd get up there too.

Something metallic glinted in the hand dangling at Sonic's side.

"Ooh, what's that?" Tails asked, leaning forward a little.

"The wha- Oh yeah." He held it up for the fox to see. A black rectangle emblazed with the grinning red Eggman logo leered up at him.

Sonic flipped it up and spun it on his finger. So cool. "It fell out of Metal when I trashed him today. You know what it is?"

Oh man, Sonic asking him to do something. "Let me see!" Tails hopped to his feet and held out his hands.

The hedgehog snapped the egg-rectangle back into his grip. "Catch!"

Tails fumbled it, but managed not to let the thing drop. He tilted and turned it around carefully. There were USB ports on the side-

"Ooh!" The fox looked up, beaming. "It's his hard drive!" His tails swished around in excitement. Sonic tilted his head, confused.

Tails jumped off the wing and whirled the few feet to the floor. "There's probably lots of neat stuff on here! Where's that cord-" He bounced around like a pinball until he found it hanging on a wall. Sonic hopped here and there to dodge him.

"Whoa, bud!" Another jump out of the fox's way. "What could that ugly thing have on it that we'd want?"

"Lots of stuff! Security captures, or Eggman's plans-." Tails hit the computer's power button and plugged the rectangle and cord and computer all into each other. "Or blueprints! We could find the weaknesses of all his robots that way."

Sonic nodded. "I getcha. Let's see 'em then." The fox yanked out the chair and hopped into it. Sonic stepped to stand behind him, leaning on the top of the chair.

By then the computer had booted up all the way. Tails clicked into My Computer, then 'MetalS (F:)', and a grid of the drive's contents came up.

"Nice one, Tails." Sonic patted him on the head. "So…what are these?"

Tails scrolled down the display of files. "They're all videos. There's about fifty, too. They're all-"

He squinted at the screen. "That can't be right."

"What? What isn't right?" Sonic leaned in, pushing Tail's head aside.

"Ow! Your quills!"

"Sorry!" He retreated. "But the- the things?"

The mouse hovered over one. "Either Eggman camouflaged them somehow or Metal Sonic's video capture isn't working. Look, each one is only six seconds long."

Tails moused over a few more to show him.

Sonic stood up straight. "That short? Why would-…Wait." He snorted. "Oh man, if they're what I think they are-!"

Tails turned his head back to look at the hedgehog, concerned. "What?"

"Can-" He let out a few more giggles. "Can you play one?" Sonic asked, leaning over again.

Tails faced the screen again and dodged the quills. "It looks like I can. I'll try, um, this one?"

He double clicked a random one and the media player popped up. Tails tensed up. Sonic and he were on the screen in Mystic Ruins. He remembered that. It was just yesterday.

Blurry grey claws appeared in front of the camera and pinched over Sonic. "I'M SQUISHING YOUR HEAD!" A robotic voice said gleefully, "SQUISHING YOUR HEAD! SQUISH."

Sonic collapsed on the back of Tails' chair, gasping.

"Uh-? Sonic?" Tails turned around in the chair. "Are you ok?"

"Another- one-" Sonic breathed between laughter. "S-Squishing your head- Hahahaaa!"

The fox obliged. This time Metal stood in front of a large dust devil, almost tornado-sized. He gave a thumbs-up to the camera and jumped into the tornado. It cut to a pile of blue and yellow robot parts, one of the hands still giving a thumbs-up.

"Metal you idiohahaha-a!" Sonic beat one hand on the top of the chair, clinging to it to keep himself up with the other. "Oh my god this is- this is the best thing."

"S-So these-" Tails had to stop and laugh too. "These are Vines?"

"I know!" Sonic pulled himself back up with the chair. He grinned. "All a killer robot made to kill me does is make Vines? This is the best day ever."

He flashed-stepped to Tails' right and pointed at the screen. "Can I go ahead and watch the rest? I'll tell you if there are actual important things in here somewhere."

Tails smiled and nodded. "Ok!" He giggled. "I have some light repairs to finish anyway." He stood up in the chair and jumped, spinning his tails to stay in the air.

"'Light' repairs?" Sonic rolled his eyes as Tails coptered to the Tornado. "That was bad. You work on your puns," He flopped into the chair. "And I'll watch Metal fall on his face trying to break-dance."

Tails alighted on the plane's wing, smiling, and returned to the plane's circuitry. For a day, at least, Sonic's vacation wouldn't be boring too.