"All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved."

-Sun Tzu

1 – The Gathering Storm

October 23, 3238; 2224 hours: Knothole

So it begins, Miles "Tails" Prower thought bleakly as he gazed out into the horizon. It was dark, the sound of crickets and frogs permeated the atmosphere, but the young fox did not care about that. His golden fur was somewhat matted and his hair was long, signs of tiredness, fatigue, and neglect. Truth be told, morale in the young vulpine's heart was wearing thin – Knothole had mounted an official campaign against Robotnik's forces, branching out to more than just the twelfth brigade (The SWATbot task force which patrolled the great forest that formed Knothole's primary defense) and the occasional raid to Robotropolis. It was now or never, and Princess Sally Acorn – Aunt Sally – finally found it within her frail heart to do something more productive.

The boy sighed, leaning back on the warm structure of his roof to gaze at the pale orb suspended in the inky sky above. It was for nothing, he thought. Well – He didn't know if that was his own thinking that or his teenage angst. The doubt occupied his mind and wouldn't leave. It was something that he hated, this feeling. A feeling of regret for ever being born in this situation.

Tails would be turning thirteen tomorrow. However, he didn't see his birthday as a good thing. Last year, he had gotten what he wished for in joining the Freedom Fighter's primary frontline force. However, this joining was on a probationary basis, and tomorrow, he would be given the powers and responsibilities of a full-fledged member of the Freedom Fighters.

But he wasn't ready. It wasn't that he believed himself to be inexperienced. In the contrary, he felt more than ready. The feeling was caused by his worry. He didn't want to leave his friends behind once again, and he knew that in the coming missions, he would have to. There was no say in the matter – his skills lied in many places different from those of the other Freedom Fighters, and he knew that Aunt Sally would take every step to maximize the group's efficiency and power, being the small force it was. So Tails accepted that he would indeed have to be split from his friends a lot of the time.

But he didn't want them to die in his absence.

Perhaps it was the innate knowledge he carried, that he could supervise his friends. It was something instinctual, reflexive, and uncontrollable. He hated being left away while his best friends – his family – were risking their lives while he sat there twiddling his thumbs. Even if they were on a keyboard, or building things, it wasn't the same. But he knew that's where he would go – The frontline hacker, or a spy.

He lowered his face into his hands. Why him? Why was this whole war happening?

But he knew the answer already.

October 24, 3238; 0546 hours: Knothole

The morning light appeared right on schedule, piercing the young fox's eyelids. He squirmed and rolled over, but found it was of no use. Grudgingly, he admitted defeat to the sun this time and rose, finding himself still on the roof from last night.

I must have fallen asleep here, he thought tiredly as he rubbed any sleep out of his eyes. His ruffled bangs fell into his eyes, but he paid them no heed as he agilely leapt off of the roof, landing in a crouch before dusting his knees off.

He had to admit, Knothole was peaceful when no one was up and about. It was still sunrise, and although people like Aunt Sally would no doubt be awake, those like his pal Sonic would be indubitably still fast asleep. His dark blue eyes scanned the area, relishing the shady beauty the forest offered. Knothole wasn't a city or even a village so much as a group of huts that miraculously found themselves together, and whose inhabitants had a similar goal. He could see the huts not lined up but placed in a disorderly pseudo-array. The roofs were bright, enjoying the sun's warmth, and shading the area below. However, given the sun's current angle, their shade wasn't much needed, for the trees provided enough at this time if one stood by them. Tails liked to escape from the sun in this fashion, enjoying the temperature and the peace. He could hear many things in the mornings, various feral animals waking up and starting their daily routines, whatever they may be. He heard birds tweeting and small animals chattering. The wind rolled lazily by, occasionally blessing the world with a slight refreshing gust. The sun's light here colored the glade in such a way that made everything usual seem a tad more vibrant and new.

He made his way toward the resident princess's hut, rapping softly on the door before entering anyway. He knew Sally would be up, even if it was merely five in the morning. He knew because she was a morning person anyways, just like himself.

Tails chucked to himself as he thought of Sally and her habits. She was such a workaholic, as was he. She was the brains of the operation, even as much as it developed, with all the new inhabitants of Knothole she still insisted that she take the helm. It was correct, as she was a princess, but at the same time Tails did not want her in danger. Any more than she him, he thought wryly. They both cared for each other more than they knew.

"Aunt Sally," Tails greeted, "Good morning."

She nodded back to him as she turned from her seat at the desk. The boy looked over the documents that laid bare on her workplace briefly before deciding that he shouldn't be nosy.

"You seem excited for your thirteenth." Sally quipped.

"No, I'm actually not," Tails managed to restrain himself from saying. Rather, his mouth wisely decided to say something along the lines of an affirmative response.

"You ready to begin making full contributions to our efforts, Tails? I know that's what you've come in here for."

"Heh, guilty as charged." Tails put on a grin in order to cover up his nervousness and took a seat on Sally's bed. They said nothing for a few moments, awkwardness ensuing. "I, uh, suppose that's what I came in here to ask, about what exactly I would do now."

"Well…" Sally put up what it was that she was working on, turning her chair toward him and clasping her hands together over her lap. "You would most likely remain where you are as a techie; your skills there are immeasurable. However, the difference, as you know, lies in the fact that you are now able to take," She paused unnoticeably, "independent solo missions, such as more espionage related things rather than directly doing onsite hacking and whatnot to aid a campaign. In fact…" Again she paused. Tails knew that it was hard for her to say this. He knew that she felt that, by saying these words, she was condemning him, but the fox had to hear them. "I would place you most likely in espionage. It won't be uncommon where you leave for extended periods of time. I could imagine you hijacking one of Robotnik's outposts and such and staying there for… months…" She trailed off. Tails nodded in confirmation.

"I see. All I needed was the confirmation, Aunt Sally." He put on a grin. He was nervous, oh gods he was nervous! But she didn't need to know that. "I'm entirely ready. Don't worry about me. A bird's gotta leave his nest sometime after all, right?"

"Right…" Sally's eyes became dark and clouded. She was pensive. Tails took the moment to give her a hug before dismissing himself.

"I'll be around the woods if you need me." He said, before exiting. Sally sat there, unmoving.

Why did Tails feel so concerned?

October 24, 3238; 0656 hours: Knothole

He remembered being small.

The scent of flowers assailed his nose as he took generous whiffs of the area. A grin lit his face as he wandered through the meadow of colors.

He remembered his innocence.

The war with Robotnik did not concern him this moment. It could have, Tails knew that it was soon his time to be a freedom fighter trainee, and he couldn't be more excited. His Aunt Sally walked beside him calmly as he whirled around, using up the last of his childhood. But he didn't know that.

"Tails." She began. He did not listen, too preoccupied with the idea of becoming, in his mind, an adult. "Tails! Pay attention!"

Aunt Sally didn't usually snap like that. She now had the young fox's undivided attention.

"Listen, Tails…" She began, more softly. "You must remember what I'm about to tell you. There will be times when we are losing."

He nodded. He remembered his ignorance. "But why? Sonic will just take care of them, right?"

She smiled. He recalled it having a hint of sadness. "Sonic can't do everything, Tails. What I'm trying to say is that… Remember to do your best. Sonic may be the fastest of us, but there's a power inside of you too. We just have to find it."

He nodded. "Right!"

"What a fool I am."

Tails sat down again by the tree. But he was no longer contented by the sounds and smells of his surroundings. No bird calls comforted him, and the wind's caress did not reach him. His mind lingered on his mission, the mission he knew he was going to have.

"Aunt Sally?" He remembered asking, "Will we win?"

Sally smiled at him. It was such a strange move to make. To this day he still did not know why she smiled at him. Was it because of his naïveté? "Sure we will. All you have to do is do your part when the time comes."

Tails closed his eyes. His mind racing. He took a deep breath, feeling his chest rising. He felt it. This was no time to sit and wait. He was ready for his mission.

A lone cloud obscured the sun.

October 25, 3238; 0735 hours: Freedom HQ

Tails did not notice that the room was stuffy. He did not notice the creaking of the chair as he unconsciously shifted back and forth. He did not notice when he cradled his head on his intertwined hands and he most certainly did not notice the blinding sunlight that speared his pupils. He did not notice any of that. He rather concentrated on Sally and only Sally. He concentrated on only his mission, nothing more.

As she briefed, Tails listened raptly, so he noticed when she began to address him specifically.

"Tails, you're going to disable Robotnik's security mainframe while Sonic enters the base. Whilst doing so, you are to collect as much data on its operation as you can and report back to me."

Tails nodded. "Any specific info you want?" He asked.

"We need shift change times and blueprints and plans for his future designs mostly. Use discretion on what else you need to pick up. I'll lend you NICOLE for this assignment to get into his system. You'll leave two hours or so depending on what you find before the main push in order to relay the information back to us."

"Wait! Sal, Sal, hold the phone here," Sonic shook his head vigorously; "You want us to send Tails alone to Robuttnik's pad? Are you insane?"

"Listen, Sonic. Tails told me this morning that he is ready for whatever I have for him, and we need this information. We've trained him to be exactly what we lack, a spy! If one of us comes with him, we could compromise his stealth."

"There are so many uncool things that could go on, Sal. We can't send Tails right up to Robuttnik's grimy hands, that's a no go!"

"Sonic." Tails cut in before Sally could argue back. "I'm ready for this. I've done countless simulations with NICOLE on Doctor Robotnik's security measures; I've versed myself on everything you all have told me on his robot types and how to beat them. I'm all set. I can do this."

Sonic's face turned solemn. He looked Tails dead in the eye. His foot was tapping. "Are you so sure, big guy? There are so many things that guy can do to you. We don't wanna see you roboticized, bud. Nuh uh." He sighed, looked away from Tails then looked back. The fox didn't flinch. His dark gaze said it all.

"Sonic. I'm ready."

October 25, 3238; 0943 hours: The Rannart

The air around Robotropolis was filled with the spirits of dead men and their dreams. It was apparent to Tails that; as the land was flattened, barren, and torn asunder by the war; there would be no redemption for the ghosts of the innocent whose blood stained the soil now unseen. An eternal fog permeated the winds of this land, and it polluted the hearts of those who walked it. The corpses of grass billowed in the foul breeze, reminding the fox that what once had been a meadow was now a battlefield. The Rannart was a shell of its former self. It pained Tails to see the power that Robotnik carried, to change a climate from such beauty and mildness into the roil of poison and disparity that it was now. The novice warrior feared his for his boots, as the muddy ground was moist with a liquid that very well might not be water, and the scent that filled his nose begged him to quicken his pace.

Of course, that wasn't to say that at this current moment in time, the yellow of the grass didn't help him. Crouching down, he found that it actually served as valid camouflage, with the surrounding foliage being consistently at least four feet tall, it was more than easy to hide in the dense plant life. He was more than aware, with his fluency in technology, that Robotnik's typical border patrol robots relied majorly on their optical sensors. They couldn't differentiate between the wind rustling the dead grass or something else. As such, it made a fantastic entry point for the fox, whose fur allowed for near invisibility while in it.

"And here we are." He whispered to himself as he approached the metallic wall of Robotropolis. The grass still covered him, so he sidled along the face of the wall across, looking for a point of entry. There were vents all over the fortification, but most were too small or too high up to allow for feasible entry. Thus, Tails had resorted to moving around the wall, trying to find a possible port from which to breach its defenses, without compromising his stealth.

His patience prevailed as the grasses parted to reveal a small creek which flowed under the wall, through a cage. His nose crinkled as the odor of the polluted water filled it, but he steeled himself, as this was his point of entry. Taking a quick breath, he dove under the water and kicked the cage in before swimming through.

October 25, 3238; 1002 hours: Robotropolis

He made absolutely sure to check his surroundings thoroughly before he fully surfaced, and he finally did so when he could not see any cameras or patrolling robots. He was inside a material depot, considering his surroundings, which judging by the water flow doubled as a hydroelectric power plant. There were metal crates and containers everywhere. The air was stale and moist. Tails wondered what was in here, as he didn't hear any clanging footfalls or hums of air boosters. Either there wasn't anything valuable inside of here, or getting out would be very hard.

He meandered through the boxes, double checking every time he rounded a corner so as to make sure that his aloneness was not false. From what he could tell, there was nothing important in here. It would be too time consuming to open any of the boxes, so he resolved to find the exit to this room and hurry to a computer terminal, where completing his mission would be a snap.

He found a pair of large doors and pushed them open. They took great force to do so, so Tails figured that they hadn't been opened in a long time. That meant he had been in an obsolete warehouse, which further meant that there would be little security around this location. He grinned at his luck and as he exited, he made sure to keep close to a wall at all times as he exited the building.

The ground was dirt mostly, with metal scrap lining the outer edges. Keeping in the scrap parts made it easier to hide, so that's what Tails made sure to do. Still, he abhorred the rotten stench emerging from the area.

Tails was versed in the Eggman's security measures. He had gone over intelligence that the others had provided many times and come to his own conclusions also. His objective was to obtain the time schedule for his patrols and the blueprints of Robotropolis's innards. Thankfully, since the city was patrolled by robots, a detailed map of the city was necessary to be stored digitally for their navigation purposes. He looked toward the skyline, seeing the spire that Robotnik himself was most likely in. It was obviously the most fortified of all the buildings, as it housed the main computer.

The fox was absolutely certain that he would be unable to enter that building without backup, so he resolved to locate instead a subordinate terminal. From what intelligence told him, he knew that there were three of them in this city, each situated in a triangle around the main command center. He also theorized that they were only for reading purposes. He knew that each terminal contained a server subordinate to the master server. They each served as backup images. The reason why there were three was simple – if one was detected to be different from the other two, then the discrepancy would automatically be fixed, meaning that any alterations would last only one clock cycle, unable to matter in that time. The data path between the subordinate servers and the master server was gated. Data flowed freely from the master server to the subordinates, but in the opposite direction it was filtered heavily so that no data other than status updates could pass through without configuration from the master server. It was brilliant, and for Tails's mission, it thankfully did not matter that much, as all he was here for was to read from Robotnik's servers.

He stopped against a building and caught his breath for a moment. Noting the wires that connected with this building and the spire, it had to be a hotspot for some action. He hoped that he was correct in assuming it was a terminal.

Tails placed an ear toward the door, listening for activity inside. He heard some, so he decided to take an alternate route. Atop a pile of scrap opened an air duct, so the fox scurried up and into the hole provided. Once inside the small space, he fished out a handheld from his tool belt and held it in front of him. "NICOLE, scan this building please."

"As you wish Tails." The program complied, taking only a few moments to bring up a holographic map of the innards of the building. There were many computers in the building; it was impossible to tell exactly which one was the terminal from the hologram, and it would be too risky to go down only to have to visit multiple computers.

"Can you show me which one is most likely one of the terminals described in the mission briefing?"

The computer paused and analyzed its data. "Judging by wiring paths and data traffic, there is an 85 percent chance that the object highlighted is your mark. Is that all, Tails?"

"Yes NICOLE. Please hibernate and cease all wireless communication."

The hologram flickered away. Having an eidetic memory, Tails had long since memorized the map, so using an acute sense of direction he crawled through the air ducts until he arrived at a vent. He peeked through it, and saw his mark, but also many SWATbots below.

"Hmm…." He thought to himself. "What would be the best way to go about this…?"

He scanned the robots' formation until he noticed a blind spot from which he could attack. Four patrolled along the perimeter of the room, and two looked out from the center, and two stood on each side of the terminal. It was heavily guarded, so it was a gambit, but the point in between the two in the center could work if he played his cards right.

He checked his supplied, happily noting that there was a flash bomb in his pack. That would screw with the sentries' optics for a bit. He dropped the object through the grate and waited for it to go before he kicked the cage through, eyes closed and dropped to the center.

When he was still training, he was taught how to fight and to effectively dispose of robots by Sonic and Bunnie. With them he honed his strength and speed, and with Antoine he was taught the finesse of fighting. Having studied this model of SWATbot rigorously, he knew all of their weak points, so it was quick work to dispose of all eight scrambled robots.

First, he delivered two quick chops to the robots that surrounded him, aiming for their necks, which severed their optics from their processors, effectively making them useless. He then destroyed the four along the walls each by kicking their lightly-armored chest cavity in, which punctured their hard drives and corrupted their BIOS and OS data. The two beside the computer were different models and more heavily armored, so he took care to collapse their optical sensors before shoving his foot roughly through their midsections, taking care of vital wiring. He tossed the useless hunks of metal away from the terminal before they self-destructed.

"There we go." He clapped his hands together and placed them on his hips before looking at the terminal. "Now how do I get in here?"

He eyed the computer thoroughly, seeing no ports to enter. The only input method was the keyboard.

"Guess I'm going without NICOLE's magic on this." He sighed, and got to work manually hacking the computer. "NICOLE, power on."

The little computer turned on. "Yes Tails?"

"Record my words and store them, and prompt me for mission objectives as I look into this computer."

"Yes Tails." NICOLE spoke. "Identify patrol schedule."

Tails looked through the computer. "Patrol schedule for all borders today is based on the following increments of minutes. Depending on location importance, the interval is longer. For all gates the change is at 0330 hours daily. The main command center outer perimeter changes at 1345 hours every other day, and will change today."

He continued, following NICOLE's prompts as they came. "Additional information."

Tails looked through the system for anything that would be of interest. He came upon an interesting data cluster and read it. A frown etched across his face. "Urgent information: Robotnik has limited data on his subordinate servers covering a project known as SOL. Whether or not this is a weapon is unknown. Actually… from what I can gather, this project is a new model of robot…"

He clicked enter. His voice lost its mechanical tone as fear flooded through him.

"Oh shit. SOL comprises of robot models with organic parts. Judging from the information provided, I can assume that this is a new stage of partial roboticization. I can imagine… that he plans to use organic intelligence, but alter them in some way to make them his slaves." He accessed a new file and paused, now he had a reason to be mortified. "Robotnik plans on introducing this as through a contagious viral agent. I recommend cancellation of the coming attack. NICOLE, end recording."

"Yes Tails." The computer chirped.

"NICOLE, access this computer wirelessly."

The computer complied, and a progress bar opened up on the screen. Tails watched intently as NICOLE tried to access the terminal. The terminal then spoke.

"Malicious hardware detected. Terminating process."

"NICOLE! Get out of there!" Tails hissed urgently.

"Error: You do not have sufficient access privileges to issue commands." NICOLE replied back.

Tails then opened the handheld and removed the battery, forcing the connection to be lost.

"Error: Connection lost." The terminal spat. "One intruder detected in command room, terminal two. Identification: Miles Prower, priority three. Terminating."

Gas began to fill the room, and panic filled the fox's heart equally. With this gas, the air duct would be dangerous, so he made sure he had NICOLE and bolted out of the door, kicking it off its hinges. The SWATbots around the room were immediately alerted to his presence, but he paid no heed as the gas began to fill the building at alarming speeds. The fox made it to the door, but it was much stronger and could not be forcibly removed, so he took a deep breath and held it in his lungs as he worked the number pad on the door, trying to crack the code.

It took about a minute before he managed to get the door open. His lungs burned like fire, and he dashed out away from the gaseous chamber before taking a momentary breather. His reprieve didn't last long, however, as sentries flooded the alerted location. His training kicked in, and he dodged the bullets and lasers the robots issued in a mad dash for the exit.

Seeing the river from which he entered, the fox jumped and held his hands ahead, diving into the water and swimming away as fast as he could.

October 25, 3238; 1030 hours: The Rannart

It was a while before he crawled out of the water back in the Rannart, utterly exhausted. He found himself not too far from the Great Forest, so he set to walking at a relaxed pace, confident that he lost his pursuers. He decided to assess the implications of whatever the terminal had done to NICOLE before he cut the power.

"NICOLE, power on."

The computer booted up. "Hello Tails."

"List all status updates and changes made to the system since 1000 hours today."

"1008 hours: Scan of terminal facility completed and placed into memory. 1015 hours: Recording made by you. Shall I replay it?"

"No, continue your report."

"Very well. 1018 hours: Connection attempted to terminal. 1018 hours: Attack detected. 1018 hours: Administrator permissions changed. 1018 hours: Power interrupted. 1030 hours: Corrupted sectors in primary volume restored to most recent backup."

"Good. Were any files written to memory by the terminal that were not removed by backup?"

"Yes."

"Delete them."

"Access denied."

"Restore permissions to match most recent backup."

"Permissions already match most recent backup."

"Can Sally access these files?"

"Yes."

"When Sally next accesses the system, prompt her to go over these files. Do not allow changes of permissions unless commands are issued vocally by me, or Sally… or Rotor also."

"Very well."

Tails sighed. His feet had taken him to the Great Forest already. There wasn't much farther to go after this. His thoughts wandered to the information he found on the terminal. That Robotnik would now be using biochemical technology mortified him. He didn't even know that Robotnik was so well versed outside of engineering, but now that he looked backward he shouldn't have been so surprised. That madman seemed to know everything.

He stopped. So why didn't he know where Knothole was? The more Tails thought about it, the stranger that reality became. There were many ways to locate their shabby base. It would have been easy enough to send along a tracking bug after them.

Well, maybe not Sonic, but a bug could easily follow the others. There could be a bug following Tails right now and he wouldn't even know it.

He began walking again, but shifted uneasily. There was something fishy about all of this. Why didn't Robotnik go after Knothole? There was only one solution and it made perfect sense.

Knothole wasn't his objective. Tails laughed ruefully at this realization. They had been so arrogant to assume that Robotnik was going after them. No, they were merely a thorn in his side. There was something in the Great Forest he was looking for, but it wasn't them.

It was something much bigger.

October 25, 3238; 1058 hours: Knothole

As NICOLE finished giving her report and Tails' recording, Sally's heart beat wildly in her chest. She was just as afraid as Tails had been, for from now forward, the war against Robotnik would be much harder. It would be very difficult to attack him if he could just sling a virus their way and take control of her allies.

"So, this virus is complete then?" Sally asked Tails, who sat across from her.

"I didn't find conclusive information on that front." Tails replied. "But I can guess somewhat certainly that it is still in the prototype stages, based on what data I did find. Nonetheless, Aunt Sally, if we play our cards right, we won't be in as much danger from the virus."

Sally blinked. "How?"

"Well," Tails began; recounting the days he sat with his nose in some book. That had been his ultimate pastime when not working on a project. "Any biological material is delicate. Viruses are a little more resilient, but the truth is that in order to maintain maximum effectiveness, they must be within a certain temperature and pH level, lest they be denatured. I didn't find any information on what this environmental range is, but we can assume that it is around that of a Mobian body, considering its target."

"Okay," Sally said, "so avoid areas that we find comfortable then. Great."

Tails crossed his fingers, propping his chin up over his knees. "Sally. Don't be discouraged. There are still many opportunities to weaken his forces, and to go from there. I also figured out another bit of information."

"Hmm?"

"There's certain evidence to support that we are not his primary target."

"Excuse me?" Sally leaned forward on her chair. Tails leaned back and placed his feet on the ottoman between them.

"Think about it. Knothole is a petty city filled with petty fighters. The only true threat is Sonic, who once eliminated, renders us a non-issue. We're not even a thorn in his side." Tails argued. "That and, why do you think he hasn't found Knothole yet? Because he's not looking for it. He's looking for something else in the Great Forest, something bigger."

Sally crossed her arms. "NICOLE, evaluate the chances on what Tails is proposing."

"Given the evidence, Sally, what Tails is proposing has a 98 percent chance of being accurate."

Tails smirked. "NICOLE, based on our excursion today, can you evaluate our effectiveness against Robotnik's forces total? With and without Sonic please?"

"Evaluating… With Sonic: five percent effectiveness. Without Sonic: Negligible."

Sally's lips pursed. "Tails, what is your point on all of this?"

"Sally, I learned something today. Things are getting serious out there. We need to step it up to meet all of this threat. Otherwise, we will be brushed to the side."

Sally raised her voice, speaking vehemently. "We have Sonic still! He does major damage to all of Robotnik's robots-"

"What if Sonic were killed, Sally?" Tails snarled. Seeing Sally's shocked expression, his voice dropped. "What then? We can't rely on Sonic forever. He's just as susceptible as the rest of us to that virus, and what if some stray bullet nailed him? You're taking this too easily, Sally, we-"

"Don't talk to me about easy, Tails!" Sally yelled. "You're not leading a losing fight every day. You're not sending people out to battle knowing they might not come back. This is the afterglow of your first mission, Tails. You don't know how everything is going."

"That's because you won't let me." He spoke quietly, yet loudly at the same time. "I've seen this war from the sidelines all my life, and when I finally am allowed to share my thoughts you deny me that? I may have little to no field experience, but I can assure you that I know exactly how you're managing this campaign, and I'll let you know that I believe what you're doing is wrong. If you wish to send us all to our deaths then go right ahead, but when it comes to me helping you mismanage this charade, then count me out." He stood from his seat, turning around.

"Tails, you will sit down and speak to me." Sally said firmly.

He did look back at her, but his dark eyes were filled with contempt. "I don't think I have anything else to talk about. Good day, Aunt Sally." He walked out of the door, not slamming it as he exited.

Sally sat there in silence for half a minute before allowing her head to fall into her palms. "Oh what have I done to him? NICOLE, was he right about all of this?"

The computer sat in silence for a bit, before speaking. "I'm sorry, but I cannot answer that question, Sally."

NICOLE then beeped. "Sally, Tails requested that you look at certain files that he was not able to access. I will bring them up now."

October 25, 3238; 1123 hours: Knothole

Tails stormed to his hut, slamming the door as he entered, before flopping onto his chair. He reached over his side table and retrieved a binder hidden behind his bookshelf. He opened it and penciled in his latest findings, under the tab labeled "Operation Documents."

"Obviously, Sally doesn't know what she's doing. But I do, and I intend to set things straight." He mumbled to himself as he wrote. When he was done, he flipped through his binder, looking at all of the papers and notes he collected from various places in Knothole, especially when the Freedom Fighters would go and leave him alone in Knothole, save for one who would be too busy keeping an eye out for trouble to notice Tails' internal espionage efforts.

Inside of his binder were papers stolen from Rotor and Sally, papers which detailed operation plans and tactics outlines. As he flipped through, he noticed a correlation among these files.

All of them were poorly thought out, and as such, the missions, at least those he had recorded down, all ended badly.

He had learned from this mission today, he realized. There would be no blind faith in Sally, not anymore. The situation was on a far larger scale than she realized; and he had been blinded by this ignorance just this morning. He closed his binder and set it down just as he heard a tapping on his window. Looking about, he noticed a hawk sitting on the window sill. Why not? He figured, and opened the window to allow the bird in. The hawk landed on his side table and deposited a small box before taking off.

"What's this?" Tails held it and opened it up, making sure to draw the curtains closed before he did so. Inside were a letter in an envelope and a small electronic device. He opened the letter first, noting the fancy handwriting.

Hello Tails,

We haven't met, but do not be alarmed at this letter. I am sure that you realize now that the tides of your struggle against Robotnik seem to be growing grimmer as the situation becomes clear. As you are a spy, it will be a good measure to establish a network of contacts in order to get information in places where you normally would not be able to reach. I will volunteer to be your first contact. Allow me to cement this partnership by presenting you with the enclosed gift. Its name is PHOENIX. Use it wisely.

We may only escape our darkest fears by trumping the light that blinds us.

Your friendly correspondent,
S

"S must be an alias," Tails mused. There was no way that someone would give their name – or anything related to a name, for S would be a remarkably weird given name – so freely in a situation like this. Could this S fellow even be trusted? He or she gave the impression of being rather secretive about the situation he was currently in. Or did he or she actually know nothing and was just fishing for information?

Tails looked to the other item in the parcel, apparently called PHOENIX. It was a small computer. He figured that it would function similarly to NICOLE.

"PHOENIX, power on."

The screen flashed on. In a distinctly female voice, it said, "I am PHOENIX. What is your name?"

"Miles Prower." Tails said. "But call me Tails."

"Authenticating. Please repeat the sentence, 'The quick red fox jumped over the lazy brown dog.'"

He did so, and let PHOENIX do its work.

"Vocal patterns recorded. Hello Tails. I am to be of good use to you as a personal assistant."

"Lovely." Tails said. Why would S give him this? "Please tell me about yourself. Specifications and whatnot."

As the computer did so and Tails listened, he couldn't help but feel that the situation was changing, and he would be a big player in it.

But who was S?