Tails: Hidden Hero
*The (*) symbol indicates the start of a new scene and three (*) symbols indicates the end of a scene. Sorry for the confusion.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Tails suddenly sat up in bed in a cold sweat. His breathing was heavy and his heart violently pounded from his chest. Sweat and hot tears streamed down his furry cheeks. It took a moment for him to realize that his arm was outstretched in front of him. He let it drop to his side. He was dreaming about Cosmo again. Poor, sweet Cosmo. It had been three weeks since her death, and that event still lingered in his head as if it had happened just yesterday. She did it to save him and countless others, but it left a hole inside of Tails that could never be patched up.
Tails knew he was better than this. Having been found and raised by Sonic the hedgehog and Princess Sally, he was almost constantly in Sonic's company, so the hedgehog's influence should've trained him to be stronger. That was Sonic's specialty around others. He inspired confidence and strength in them. That's what he did with the earth human Chris Thorndyke, that's what he did with the hedgehog Amy Rose, and that's what he supposedly did with Tails.
And yet, a small part of Tails still cowered and wept like a small child.
Deciding he couldn't go back to sleep, Tails climbed out of bed, walked out of his small home and went into his shed. Tools and parts littered the floor. He was careful to walk around the tools to keep his feet from getting messed up until he finally reached an empty place on the floor. Immediately finding tools that he wanted, he began to tinker with parts. He was hungry to build something. To get his mind off of Cosmo and her terrible death. After a few minutes, no part of his mind thought about Cosmo for now. Every part of his mind was dedicated to building and fixing. The more Tails worked, the wider his smile stretched as he tinkered away. Building was his life. Without it, he was nothing.
All Tails could do was stare dumbfounded at what he had created. It was a robot. Not a friendly-looking, cute one, but one that looked like it was ready for hot action. The dark red eyes were not yet lit up, and its dark gray body stood motionless, waiting to be activated. So this was what he had created overnight? He had never built anything like it. He felt that that the inspiration came from his desire to protect everybody else he cared about. He swore that he would never let someone else he cared about die, and the memories of Cosmo flooded back in a violent tidal wave. Spurred on by this, he began building again, much faster and harder this time.
Tails was so absorbed in his work, that he jumped in fear when there was a soft knocking on the door of the shed. He dropped everything and ran to the door, cautiously opening it. It was Sonic.
"Sonic, what is it?" Tails asked a little nervously.
"Is everything okay Tails? You haven't come out all day. It's nearly supper time," Sonic said. Tails' eyes widened in surprise. He had been working that long?
"Sorry Sonic, I've been a little busier than usual," he said, not sure if he wanted to show Sonic what was inside the shed yet.
"Okay. I was beginning to wonder if something was wrong," Sonic said. Tails shook his head.
"Nothing's wrong. How's Sally? Is she feeling better?" Tails asked. Sonic nodded with a mischievous smile on his face.
"You know how she is. A lot of scolding and arms folded. She's still uptight with me for being away from her for so long," he replied. Tails frowned.
"It wasn't your fault," he said.
"Yeah, I know," Sonic replied. Six years ago, during a battle with Eggman's nephew Snively, Sonic was separated from Sally and the Knothole Freedom Fighters. He suffered amnesia, and after a series of adventures, including being accidentally transported to earth and then coming back, Sonic and Sally were reunited. But not before Eggman had gotten to her first, roboticizing her and pitting her against him. The Freedom Fighters were able to get her back to her normal form, and the two had a proper reunion. Sonic's worst nightmare had come true, but was reverted. Tails hoped none of his nightmares would ever come true. And hopefully, this would be accomplished through what he was building all day.
"Would you like to join me and Sally for supper?" Sonic asked. Tails had to admit that he didn't want to leave his work, but he had been working all day. He needed a break.
"Sure. Okay. I'll be right there," Tails said. Sonic winked and sped off.
*"Guys, I think you might want to see this," Sally Acorn said, placing her handheld computer NICOLE on the table. Tails and Sonic leaned over to get a better look at the screen. On it was a broadcast featuring a bearded man. Only this was no ordinary man. He was an Overlander. The Overlanders were enemies of the Mobians. They had waged war with them years ago when Sonic and Sally were just young children running through the streets of Mobotropolis, which was once ruled by Sally's father King Maximillian. Mobotropolis was just a ghost town without King Max, who was trapped in the Zone of Silence, a realm that couldn't be found. The difference between the Overlanders and the humans was that Overlanders had only four fingers on each hand instead of five, and they relied heavily on technology for power.
"Years ago, the Great War caused dark times for both sides of the conflict. Villages were leveled, thousands perished, and much damage was done to nature. Now, years after this conflict, we Overlanders will rise again. We have not forgotten what the Mobians have done to us. Vengeance is top priority. We will have our revenge. If you pledge yourselves to us, we will do nothing. Resist, and you will die. You have exactly twenty-four hours to make your decision," the Overlander announced. Tails felt his heart sink into his stomach. His eyes widened and his ears drooped in depression. The screen went black. Sally looked at Tails and Sonic with a grim look on her face. She was horribly worried, as she should be.
"What will happen?" Sally asked. Sonic clenched his fists.
"We won't submit, that's what will happen," he insisted.
"Then, we will all die," Sally pointed out.
"I can't believe he's still alive," Sonic said, looking at the screen again. Tails frowned.
"You know him? Who is he?" He asked. Sonic and Sally exchanged grim glances. Sonic inched closer over to Tails and placed his hand on Tails' hand.
"He's a lieutenant. He played a big part in the Great War, and…" Sonic stopped, as if having second thoughts about telling Tails the horrible truth.
"What did he do?" Tails asked, his voice desperately rising.
"He killed your father, Amadeus," Sally spoke up so that Sonic didn't have to. Tails' mind exploded, leaving him weak and broken where he sat. His heart slowed down so far, for a moment he wondered if it would completely stop. All sounds around him fell silent with the exception of his heart. He could hear his heartbeat beat out his chest and ears. The realization poured over him like freezing water, causing him to shiver as a response. Tears flooded his eyes.
"It can't be…" Tails whispered. Sally and Sonic nodded in return, confirming the truth. Shock slowly changed to anger, unlike any kind Tails had ever felt before.
"He will pay for what he did," Tails vowed through gritted teeth. Sonic put a hand on his shoulder, but Tails wrenched it away.
"Tails, you can't do that. Revenge will only make things worse," Sonic tried, but Tails violently shook his head.
"He killed my dad! He can't get away with that!" Tails screamed.
"He won't, I promise. I'll figure out a way to stop him," Sonic assured him.
"He's too dangerous," Tails insisted. Sonic's eyes widened.
"Whoa, are you kidding? Have you not been watching me when I encountered Eggman and his schemes?" Sonic asked.
"That's different."
"Not to me lil' bro. Trust me," Sonic said. Tails didn't, but he didn't anything more. He pushed his supper away from him.
"I lost my appetite," he admitted. He felt sick to his stomach now. He didn't know when he would feel well enough to eat again. Sonic nodded in understanding.
"That's okay. You can go. Do you want me to go with you?" He asked. Tails shook his head. He had something else in mind.
"No. I just need some time alone in my shed," he said. Sonic nodded again and let him go. Tails' feet felt heavy as he slowly walked out of Sally's hut and back to his shed. When he reached the door, he couldn't open it. The palm of his hand pressed against the wood, but he still couldn't summon enough strength to push it open. He shut his eyes, trying to fight back tears. He had never known his father, but he would've been able to if this Overlander hadn't killed him. Mercilessly too, he reckoned, with no thought of how that might affect others. Anger stirred up in him once again, but also a sense of duty. This was his moment where he would have to protect everybody he cared about. And he needed to do it by himself.
Tails sat inside a robot he had built, which had a glass dome surrounding him. He controlled it to run away from Knothole Village. This robot was a large, round one, with a glass dome surrounding Tails at the controls. Tails had a comlink in his ear, knowing whom to call when the time was right. Thoughts of payback spurred him on to advance to the Overlander lieutenant's base. This time, Sonic wasn't going to help him. He didn't need it this time.
The robot ran faster and faster, until Tails saw a tall tower that stretched out towards the dark clouds above. There was a wall surrounding the tower, with armed guards pacing in front of the front gate. Already, they began to notice Tails' arrival. Laser fire whizzed around Tails, threatening to destroy his robot. Tails returned fire, blowing up chunks of the wall, the impact, tossing soldiers left and right. He aimed at the front gate, and fired a single torpedo. The gate exploded to pieces. Small fires danced in several places. Several turrets were on the wall. They fired at the robot. One shot grazed the left side of the robot. There was a spark, and it left a scorch mark, but nothing was seriously damaged. Tails aimed the robots arm, and fired missiles at the turrets with target lock. The missiles flew and crashed into the turrets, instantly blowing them up. Tails made it over the ruins of the gate, then gulped when he saw that tanks were lined up on both sides of him. Most of them were not occupied, but three of them were being controlled by Overlander soldiers.
Tails pressed a button on the control system, and the robot began to transform itself into a plane. Jerking the yoke down, Tails flew his plane up, just narrowly missing the wall of the tower. Flipping it over, he got it back in the right position, and sent rockets down at the tanks. One tank exploded, then two, then three. Spinning the plane once more, Tails fired several more rockets, taking out several more empty tanks. Laser fire slammed into his plane from all sides, but the metal was just strong enough to keep the plane intact. The thought of getting to the lieutenant dawned on Tails again, causing him to turn for the door into the tower. He pressed a button, allowing the plane to transform into a robot again. He fired missiles from its back to strike anything that was trying to stop him from behind.
He fired a rocket to blow up the door, and charged in. The doorway was just large enough for him to fit through. He got in, and ran across a bridge that overlooked a large armory below. Tanks, and handheld weapons of every kind Tails could think of were everywhere. Several Overlanders ran forward to stop him, their lasers smacking into the robot and ricocheting off the robot. Tails pressed another button, and this time, his robot transformed into a rolling, metal ball. The ball rolled over the Overlanders that stood in its way, and got off the bridge and into a small control room. Tails could feel more laser bullets hitting his invention. Pressing another button, a blue stream of lasers exploded out from all sides of his machine, destroying anything or anybody that tried to stop him. When Tails got his machine back to robot form, he realized that all his attackers had been robots themselves.
Taking a deep breath and whisking the sweat away from his forehead, Tails continued on, knowing that the lieutenant would probably be at the top of the tower. He spotted a doorway where a set of stairs going up waited for him. He ran towards it, but something happened. His systems began failing, electric bolts exploded across the controls. He realized that electric bolts had engulfed his robot right inside the doorway.
"No, no! Come on!" Tails cried desperately. But after a single, violent electric shock, all his robot's power went out. Everything went out, leaving Tails in the dark. The robot fell backwards, forcing Tails back as well, crashing the back of his head into the dome wall. Glass cracked behind his head.
"What do we have here?" An ominous voice said. Tails froze. He recognized the voice to be the same as the lieutenant's. He saw a tall form loom over him, staring down at him with cold, red, piercing eyes.
"We will take him to the dungeon, sir," a robot said. The lieutenant raised a halting hand.
"Wait," he said. He leaned closer to Tails. He frowned as he studied him.
"I remember those eyes. I killed someone that looked very much like you," he said. Tails stared up at him, anger and rage boiling up inside him.
"That was my dad you killed," he spat out. The lieutenant's eyes slightly widened, then a smile stretched across his face.
"A soldier's son attempting revenge? I'm not impressed," he admitted. He looked at his robot companions.
"Take him to the dungeon now. I'll deal with him after I deal with his friends," he vowed. Tails' eyes widened, rage was immediately replaced by terror.
"No…" Tails was completely defenseless when the robots pulled him out and took him away. He didn't get to look back at his own machine, which lay broken behind him.
Luckily, nobody had thought of checking Tails' ear for a comlink. He sat in a cell surrounded by a glass wall next to many other cells. Surprisingly, all of them were empty. After waiting for another guard to pass his cell, Tails tapped his comlink.
*Rotor the walrus tinkered away at another computer. He was one of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, and was relied upon for planes, hacking into systems, and created new technology to improve the lifestyle in the Great Forest. Tails was a good friend of his, which came as no surprise considering that the two carried a common interest: mechanics. They loved to build things, or tinker with things to reverse scenarios. Rotor couldn't get enough of the story when Tails had diffused a large bomb that Eggman had set up on earth.
Suddenly, Rotor's comlink chirped.
"Hello?" He asked, pressing the receiver.
"Rotor, this is Tails," was the reply. It was indeed Tails. Rotor wondered why he was whispering.
"What could I do for you, Tails?" Rotor asked.
"Don't tell anybody, not even Sonic or Sally, but I'm trapped in a dungeon. I need you to go to my shed, and activate all of the robots that I've built. I have a homing device that will bring them straight here," Tails said.
"Why can't Sonic help you?" Rotor asked.
"I want to do this on my own. I've done things by myself before, I can do it again. Now go, hurry!" Tails urged. Knowing this was no time to argue, Rotor got to Tails' shed and opened the door. He couldn't help but gasp at what he saw. There were indeed robots, and lots of them. All had heads with dark red eyes and small slits for mouths. They were all dark gray, with missile and torpedo launchers built into their arms. They all looked the same, like clones. In the corner of the shed, he saw a handheld computer, like NICOLE. He walked towards it, his eyes everywhere in the shed.
How did I not know about any of this? He wondered, shaking his head in disbelief. Did Sonic know Tails was doing all this? He reached the computer, and powered it on. There was a list of with names such as ROBOT1 and ROBOT2. All in all, there were twelve. Next to all the names was the word in all caps: DEACTIVATED. At the bottom of the list, there was an option: ACTIVATE ALL. Realizing that's what he had to do, Rotor tapped the option. He jumped and dropped the computer when there was a loud start of a humming sound. The sounds of machines powering up engulfed the shed, and all at once, the robots' dark red eyes flashed on. Before Rotor could make another move, the robots shot off through the roof, flying away with rocket boots. Rotor wordlessly stared up at the large hole in the roof, his mouth wide open in astonishment. ***
*"You are one intelligent little fox, for a child," the Lieutenant taunted as he stood right outside Tails' cell. Tails quickly stood up, clenching his fists.
"I'm not a kid," he replied. The Lieutenant smiled, glad to see that Tails was infuriated.
"You sound like one. I'm only being observant."
"You're a murderer."
"So are you. All you Mobians. You destroyed a great portion of my people during the Great War. Your father died because he killed my brother," the Lieutenant said. Tails was taken aback by that, but only for a moment.
"He did it to protect all those innocent people," he said. For the first time, the Lieutenant's face twisted into an angry expression. He slammed the flat of his hand on the cell wall.
"My brother was defending himself because you Mobians launched an invasion on us."
"They were trying to save others from you," Tails insisted.
"You were not alive during the Great War, were you?" The Lieutenant asked. Tails shook his head, admitting it was true.
"Then consider this a history lesson. More innocents on our side were killed because of your people than on your side because of us."
Tails didn't know what to say now. The truth was, he didn't know the truth. He wasn't there, so he couldn't prove anything. But whatever his dad did, he didn't care. This Overlander still murdered a part of his family. Now because of him, he will never be able to know his dad, never get to embrace him, to talk to him, to share memories with him. All that had been ripped away from him.
"You're still going to pay for what you did," Tails vowed. Suddenly, alarms began ringing all around them, warning everybody of intruders. Tails looked past the Lieutenant. The Lieutenant turned around, shrieked, and jumped out of the way as a fresh, dome-shaped robot crashed through the cell wall, tossing glass everywhere. Tails smiled and jumped, the dome flew open, allowing him to sit at the controls and start it up. The Lieutenant scrambled back to his feet and ran for it. Tails tried firing lasers at him, but he missed.
"Let's go get him," Tails muttered, and he raced his robot where the Lieutenant had disappeared up a set of stairs that spiraled upwards. The stairs cracked and splintered underneath the robot's feet as it sped up higher and higher. Finally, he made it, then realized that he was standing on the roof of the tower. It was just big enough for two robots to fight on, and Tails realized with a sinking feeling that that's exactly what was about to happen. The Lieutenant was inside a robot of his own, a little taller than Tails' so that he could fit inside. There was a launcher of some kind built into the center of the chest. The word 'sadist' was labeled on the left arm. Tails guessed it was the robot's name. All around Tails and the Lieutenant, Tails' robots laid waste to the Overlanders' artillery and fought Overlanders that continued to pour out of the tower. One even managed to take a rocket to one of them. The robot went out in a fiery, debris-filled explosion that halfway lit the dark sky.
"It's too late Tails. I will destroy you and all these robots, then all the Mobians that stand in my way. Even if it means a Second Great War," the Lieutenant declared. Tails, with the robot, took a threatening step forward.
"I wouldn't get so confident. This is the same robot that I used to kill your father," the Lieutenant revealed. Tails stopped, then hated himself for doing so. He knew he was better than this. He had thought the same thing not too long ago when he thought about Cosmo. He really was better than this. Nothing was going to make him fear anything now. He charged, and swung the metal arm into Sadist's face. Sadist stumbled backwards, stunned by the blow, but quickly recovered and swung back, smashing its fist into Tails' robot's chest. Tails could almost feel the pain from that blow as if he had been hit like that himself. The two robots continued brawling it out, throwing hard punches and head-butting each other. Metal splintered under the impact of the blows.
Finally, Sadist stepped back, and the launcher in the center of his chest began to glow, warning Tails that it was about to fire. Tails braced himself, and realized just a second before it fired that it was ice to freeze him solid where he stood. When the ice exploded towards him, Tails' flamethrower instantly melted the ice. Cold water fell and splashed hard on the floor. Tails was completely unprepared when Sadist charged for him, and grabbed him. Sadist fired up its rocket boots and lifted Tails off the ground away from the roof, then dropped him. Tails frantically slammed at the button that would power up his own rocket boots and he flew up to Sadist, swinging the robot's metal arm like a bat in Sadist's face. Sadist was flung backwards, losing control of his rocket boots, but managed to right himself again. Tails flew forwards; his robot's arms outstretched to tackle Sadist, and grabbed it, throwing it onto the roof of the tower again. Tails could hear the Lieutenant's breathing through Sadist's speaker. It was hard and tired. He was getting worn out.
Tails saw his chance. He fired a rocket in Sadist's direction, and it blew up right by it, tossing it over the roof's edge. Tails landed on the roof and walked over to where Sadist had slid over. The Lieutenant, still inside Sadist, was hanging for dear life on the edge. He looked up at Tails.
"Well go on, kick me off. Isn't that what you came all this way to do?" He asked. It was. But now, suddenly, Tails was reluctant. He didn't understand. Isn't this exactly what he wanted? Avenge his dad? Yet somehow now, in a position where he could end the Lieutenant's life here and now, he couldn't move. Below the Lieutenant the field around the tower was in flames. All of the Overlanders guarding the tower had been destroyed, and his robots were hovering behind the Lieutenant, waiting for further orders. Tails thought about Sonic. Would he have liked it if he had murdered someone?
Instead of pushing the Overlander off, Tails leaned down and spoke:
"I'm not a murderer like you," he said. The Lieutenant's face changed. At first it was surprise, then rage. His expression was so twisted, it made Tails shiver from head to toe.
"That truth will lead you to your death," he declared. Then, Tails heard Sadist's rocket boots fire on, and Tails felt himself get violently knocked off his feet. He hit the surface of the roof with a grunt. He saw Sadist jump on top of him, and began throwing punches at the dome. The glass cracked and large slits began to form. Tails had his robot reach and grab Sadist's arm, then send electric energy exploding through its entire body. Tails heard the Lieutenant scream in agony, and he wrenched himself away. Tails saw Sadist's metal arm fall to the ground. The Lieutenant clasped his skin arm, now burned and blackened, to Sadist's chest.
"Even if you leave me alive, I will hunt you down! You will always have to look behind you, and even if you don't see me, I am there," the Lieutenant declared. Tails contacted his robot clones.
"Attack the enemy. Rip his robot apart, but don't kill the Lieutenant," he commanded. The robots advanced. Instantly, the roof of the tower became a show of flying colors, blue lasers, red metal cutters, and explosions. Tails had to activate a special shield to keep the impact of the weapons from forcing him off the roof. By the time the Lieutenant's armor had been stripped away from him, the Lieutenant had taken down seven robots. Only five remained.
"Take the Lieutenant to the Great Forest," Tails ordered. The Lieutenant got one last look at Tails before the robots took him and flew away.
"No!" He screamed. His screams faded out when the robots were far enough away. Tails looked down at the controls in front of him and took a deep breath. He did it. He had defeated the enemy without killing him. His engineering skills had won the day.
"I'm sorry, dad," he said. He didn't know if his dad could hear him, but he said those words as a way to apologize for his vengeful thoughts. He wished never to do that again. He was able to win the day without killing the one who had hurt him. Not only that, he had saved the Mobians, at least for now, from great pain and suffering. He was a hero, just like Sonic. Being raised by Sonic was a special gift. He considered it a precious privilege to be raised by someone like him. That was something he actually rarely thought. He had become so obsessed with what was taken from him, that he didn't think about what was given.
After having thought what he wanted, he activated his rocket boots and flew off. The first red light of the early morning rose before him.
*The sky was still a dark red when Tails got back to the Great Forest. The Lieutenant had already been imprisoned in a special hut for prisoners. Sonic was waiting for Tails when he got there.
"Well, well, well," Sonic said, uncrossing his arms as Tails approached him. Tails hung his head, his eyes on the ground. He couldn't look at Sonic.
"I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"You told me not to get involved, and I did," Tails said. He felt a comforting, gloved hand on his shoulder.
"You succeeded. That's what matters," Sonic said. Tails finally got the strength to look up at Sonic. His best friend. His 'big brother'.
"You know, you're a lot like me, in quite a few ways," Sonic said. Tails smiled, then threw his arms around him, pressing his head against Sonic's chest.
"Sonic, did I ever tell you 'thank you'?" Tails asked.
"For what?"
"For finding me. For raising me. For being a big brother to me, for teaching me everything I needed to know. You gave me everything. Thank you." Tails said. Sonic looked down at Tails, taking a shaky, deep breath.
"You're welcome, Tails. You're very, very welcome," he replied, and he returned the embrace. Behind Tails, his five remaining robots touched down on the ground, powering off their rocket boots. Here, under the early morning light, in Sonic's arms, and with his robots, he felt safer than he ever had. He didn't think about any threats or danger, including the danger that he didn't know the whole truth of, and he had brought it with him right into the Great Forest.***
*This is NOT the end of the storyline. More is to come in future short stories. There's more to the lieutenant than it seems!