PART 2 - The Black Desert

CHAPTER 6 - The Fox of the Wastes

A gale of roaring winds battered the windows and whistled through the gaps in the door of the small log cabin. Driving rain hammered on the roof with a deafening roar and streamed off into eroded dirt channels that flowed like waterfalls down rocky cliffs. Huge black-blue waves crashed mercilessly on the beach. Tropical Cocoa island - Stay for the weather.

Thick black clouds blanketed the night sky but inside the cabin was lit; a sterile blue glared coldly from a draftsman's lamp and onto a workbench in the corner. Sharply silhouetted, a lone figure stood hunched, hands planted firmly on the bench. The young fox stared fixedly at the radio in front of him, two tails flicked anxiously at the floor behind him.

It was bitterly cold but if he noticed Tails didn't show it. His face showed little these days. The carefree boy that he had once been was worn out. Though still young and handsome, not even fully a man, his face betrayed a great tiredness, his expression was weary and drawn, his eyes without the spark of youth. Tails glanced quickly at the dusty old clock on the bookshelf and his forehead creased in frustration. 2:20 am. Knuckles is never late like this! Has something gone wrong? He pulled the cover panel off the old two-way and carefully surveyed the insides, checking and re-checking for a loose wire or a faulty fuse, anything to explain the deafening silence.

A fork of brilliant white lightning hit the ground nearby, shaking the windows with a thundering boom and for the hundredth time that evening the young fox flinched back in fear, gritting his teeth and trying to force the panic back inside. Steadying himself on the bench, he gulped a deep breath and closed his eyes, It's just thunder, it'll be over soon, it'll be over soon. His ears were ringing but there was another noise too, Is that? Yes! through the crackle of interference and the sound of driving rain, the faintest of voices spoke out "Emerald Island to Cocoa Island, Emerald Island to Cocoa Island, come in Cocoa Island! over"

Quickly donning his headphones and adjusting the gain, Tails leaned in close to the microphone. "Cocoa Island here I read you but your signal is weak, can you bring it up any more? over"

Crackling noises, more distortion, louder now. "Tails *** can you hear me?" came the familiar voice. Tails let out a sigh of relief.

"I can hear you Knuckles old buddy and geez I'm glad you called! This storm; It's the worst one yet and it's coming on fast"

"Roger on that, I think we're in the same storm! Started raining here a week ago and no signs of letting up. Sorry for the delay, I was just getting ready to call you when lightning hit the transformer and the whole system went down. These damn storms just keep getting worse, It's not going to stop is it?"

A week?! the horror of the thought sapped the warmth from Tails' fingertips.

"I don't know Knux but I'm not gonna sit here and wait to find out! Put me out of my misery, did you follow that lead?"

"Yeah I did Tails I ********* *** *** **"

Tails pressed the headphones to his ears, the crackling distortion was louder, worse than the driving rain.

"Repeat Knuckles, Repeat!"

More crackling.

"*** found it Tails. The chaos emerald you asked ab*** its there"

Blood pounded in Tails' ears.Could it be? Finally a power source!

"Do you have it? Knuckles do you have it with you!?"

"No, I couldn't ge*****. couldn't get to it ************* still there. It's in the ***** ***** Too m*ch ra**********"

The radio hissed like a sandblaster.

"KNUCKLES REPEAT! Too much what? The chaos emerald why did you leave it!? KNUCKLES!"

The empty airwaves hissed into Tails' ears like a jeering snake; He tore off his headphones, slamming them down on the table. Glancing back to the clock and then out at the storm his mind began to race. It's only going to get worse! I can't afford to stay here, I need that emerald! Thunder blasted as he snatched his heavy coat from the wall and threw open the door, leaning into the wind, greeting the angry tempest head-on.

Blinding sheets of sideways rain cascaded down as Tails dashed towards the hangar, his slipping boots leaving indented pools in the waterlogged grass. He lunged for the door, throwing it open and dashing inside; a cacophony, the sound of rain on the curved tin roof, reverberated like a million tiny gunshots around the large open shed. Damn the power's out! Tails grabbed his flashlight off the wall, it's beam revealing the puddles of water now inching across the cement floor. In the center sat the Tornado, his pride and joy, gleaming a metallic blue in the halogen beam, its chrome propeller polished to a mirror. Tails braced himself against the onslaught of wind as he slowly cranked open the heavy hangar door. This is going to be rough...

The gale pulsing through the opening tugged at the Tornado's wings, rocking it back and forth as Tails swung himself up into the cockpit. With the push of a button, the starter motor engaged and the propeller roared into life, headlights glared out, illuminating a dense wall of water. Rudder, check. Ailerons, check. Everything was operational. Here goes nothing.

Tails took a deep breath and thrust the throttle forward. The battle began, Tornado vs hurricane.