Tails ran through the trees at near his top speed. He was on a path, a trail he had learned to follow well. He was going to meet someone he had met many times over the past month. Together, they had been working to find what happened to Fiona. Tails had been sure she was dead, but this contact gave him new hope. Neither of them knew if she really was still alive, but it seemed more hopeful now.
He skidded to a stop at the end of the trail, looking over the clearing to make sure nothing had changed since last time, then moving towards the small house in the center. The house was an old design, but it looked recently built and well kept. Tails ignored the wooden porch and the front door, instead going around the side and opening a wooden hatch that led to a cellar. Despite the darkness that greeted him, he jumped in without a second thought and began speaking to the shadows.
"We have a problem."
A row of lights above him buzzed to life, illuminating the room and revealing a Mobian Fox standing beside another door. He nodded knowingly and moved to a computer station on the wall, starting up the machinery.
Briefly, Tails thought he heard footsteps in the house above them. He stepped over to the computers and stood behind the other Mobian. "Do you have visitors, Zak?"
Zak shrugged. "The Chaotix are interested in your disappearance. They were just leaving, so you're safe. They also brought news of another problem for us to deal with, but I have a feeling it's related to whatever you found."
Tails sighed, brushing his long bangs back with his hand only for them to bounce right back into place. He didn't like hiding from his friends, but he didn't want to risk losing anyone else. "What's this problem they've got then?"
Zak pulled up some files on the computer, scrolling through pages of information that would have been gibberish if Tails were not so familiar with them. Zak answered carefully, but didn't hide anything. "Nicole has been shut down. Her system was hacked from an unknown source. The Chaotix and I were supposed to trade information, but they were unable to obtain the files I required due to this hacker. Fortunately, I think I can guess who's behind it."
This surprised Tails at first, but then he realized that it shouldn't have. He knew about Zak's extensive connections. "Alright, so who is it?"
Zak grinned in triumph. "A machine. More specifically, a robotic Mobian."
"A Robian? Those don't exist anymore."
"No, a duplicate. A machine disguised as a Mobian, designed to look like one Mobian in particular. Unfortunately, that means we have to deal with someone more dangerous. And, perhaps, that brings us to your problem." He looked at Tails questioningly.
Tails was always annoyed by how easily Zak figured out the layout of the situation, and he let it show on his face, but he answered regardless. "Silver the Hedgehog. For some reason, he's got what looks like a mining operation going in a canyon about a hundred miles south of here. I can't pretend to know what he's up to, but Mina jumped right into it and got captured. I don't think he'll hurt her, but I don't want to take any chances."
Zak nodded. "And the people he's got working for him?"
Tails grunted, acknowledging how far ahead Zak was. "They look like robotic duplicates. I couldn't particularly tell that they were robotic, but it's a bit telling that half of the ones I saw were duplicates of dead people."
"And what do you think about the Echidna girl?"
This surprised Tails, and this time he was sure it should have. "How did you know about her?"
Zak shrugged again. "I have connections. Anyway, I'm sure she's not that important. What is important is Silver. One of the robotics he's got working for him is likely the hacker who shut down Nicole. That's problem enough, but shutting Nicole down is an effective first strike and could easily indicate an attack in the future. If their intentions are hostile, your friends could all be at risk."
Tails caught on. "So I need to get to Silver and beat the crap out of him in order to find out what he's planning on doing."
Zak gave Tails a thumbs up. "But make sure to allow for the possibility that the robotic is acting against Silver. He may not be aware of it's actions, and in that case he might be able to help you stop it. If he is aware, and it's acting under his orders, then Mina could very well be in serious danger."
Tails walked back to the hatch. "Alright, I'll get it done. Any new leads on Fiona?"
Zak stood up and headed to the door. "I was hoping for some from the Chaotix, but... you know how that went."
Tails understood. The information was coming from Nicole. This gave him even more reason to get her back. He jumped up through the hatch and sped off towards the canyon, his mind racing to come up with a battle plan.
Zak turned and opened the door, coming face to face with a Vixen. She gave him a quizzical look. He smiled cheerfully at her. "I need to let Silver know Tails is on his way. He needs to have Fiona's location so he can give it to Tails. This needs to go off without a hitch, or Tails might wreck the excavation project."
She stepped out of the way and followed Zak up the stairs. "How long does Silver need to stay involved? He brought Lara-su into the picture too. That'll be another obstacle we have to deal with."
Zak opened another door and let her enter first. She sat in the corner while he seated himself at a desk, facing a computer screen. He looked to her, nodding thoughtfully. "She shouldn't be here, but that isn't a problem. I have little concern when it comes to the time travelers. They're lives hold little consequence when they come to the past, so we should be able to get rid of both of them in short order. We need Silver for now, so we're going to wait, but I can trust you to take care of business when the time comes."
She smiled. "Yes, you can."
"I figured as much. Are you sure Nicole won't come back online until we're done?"
"Absolutely."
