The Fox and the Seedrian, A Taismo Story

Chapter Ten: A Fox's Fury

"We have to go after him." Sonic said, as Amy came back with a damp cloth for his bleeding lip.

"Sonic, a cut lip is one thing. You're not going to look as dashing if you're missing some teeth." Amy retorted, sitting him down in the closest chair across from Cosmo's room.

"I can't believe you think now is a time to make jokes."

"This coming from the one who makes the most wisecracks in the heat of battle." Amy shot back.

"The heat of battle is exactly what I'm concerned about right now. He's either going to get himself killed, or he's going to have blood on his hands for the rest of his life. I won't let that happen." Sonic claimed, starting to get up, only to be held down by Amy's hand on his shoulder.

"What in the name of chaos makes you think it's your choice this time? He's right you know. This has gone on for far too long. What about the next time? What if you have to call him again for something like this, and it's worse? Do you really want to see what happens to him if, gods forbid, he loses her again?" Amy said, looking him in the eyes. Sonic returned the locked gaze.

"Let me be equally frank; do you want to have to walk into that room and tell her that something happened to him because he went off seeking vengeance?" Sonic asked her.

"Blood on his hands, hm? And how much blood does Eggman have on his, Sonic?"

Sonic didn't reply to that.

"He's right about that too, isn't he? Eggman is a source of unpredictability and excitement that you just can't let go of. You do what you have to when people get hurt, but you always let him get away. Tails is not willing to take that risk anymore, and you know what? I can hardly blame him."

Amy released her hold on his shoulder.

"So if you want to go help him, then go. But don't you dare stop him when he decides Eggman's fate."


Hauler-01 came to a halt underneath the crane assembly, and the arm immediately began unloading the device that had been transported through the forest, onto the massive cruiser that was undergoing final launch preparations.

Decoe and Bocoe exited the cockpit and went into the nearest access point to the inside of the ship.

"Doctor!" The duo screamed running onto the bridge.

"About time you lug nuts got here. You're behind schedule." Eggman replied, from the captain's chair.

"Yes, we have a problem, sir." Bocoe replied.

"Is the shield generator intact?" Eggman asked.

"Yes, but we ran into some... Resistance along the way."

"That's what the autocannon on top is for."

"Yes, that's the problem." Decoe said, handing Eggman a data pad, containing the cannon's targeting data, including an image of the single target the cannon had shot at. He stared at it for a moment, then looked back at Decoe.

"That's impossible."

"Tell that to the targeting data. It fired a single burst of three rounds, and she fell." Decoe told him.

"She's here?!" Eggman exclaimed, tossing the data pad onto the console in front of him, stroking his mustache a few times in thought.

"Get that shield generator installed now." Eggman commanded his two henchbots.

"Is staying on this ship really the best decision, Doctor? They have the chaos emeralds, and they'll come when they realize what's happened." Bocoe warned.

"I'm aware of that. So we're going to need the one thing that can nullify them. The moment that it's installed, prepare for immediate takeoff and set course for Angel Island."


Tails carefully lined up the X-Tornado's landing gear with the deactivated maglocks of the Blue Typhoon. When he touched down, he cut the engines and immediately opened the canopy, hopping out onto the deck with a cloth sack over his shoulder.

The sun had disappeared behind the hills an hour ago, and now the only light source was the moonlight on this clear night, reflecting off of both the metallic surfaces of the Blue Typhoon, as well as the waters of the Sapphire Sea. He went to the rear underside of the plane, and turned on the jet's exterior navigation lights, giving him adequate lighting to work in. He repeated the task he had done before; opening the hatch built into the runway, and pulled out the auxiliary power cable, and pulled it towards the X-Tornado, opened the panel on the rear underside, and plugged it into the port, providing a link for the residual chaos energy to pass into the Blue Typhoon's systems.

Next, he went one panel further back on the underside, and opened it. This was the plane's countermeasure compartment. Inside, were a dozen identical metal-and-glass chaff vials, each eight inches in length. Carefully, he disengaged and removed each of them, setting them on the deck in two rows of six. Then, he removed the top seal from each of them, setting them to the immediate side of each chaff. Inside each were tiny steel ball bearings and aluminum shavings.

With each chaff open, he then reached into the cloth sack, and retrieved the first item he needed; a small flask of water. He poured a small amount of water into each chaff, then put the flask to the side. The second item he grabbed was a precision knife. Removing his left glove, he extended his middle finger, gritted his teeth, and made an incision on the tip. It began bleeding immediately, and he held it over each open chaff, depositing several drops per container, and staining the water, and the metallic contents, red.

Once each vial had been filled, he gathered bandages from the bag and immediately sealed the self-inflicted cut, then put his glove back on. Then he carefully re-inserted each chaff into it's launcher, and closed the compartment. Putting everything else back in the bag, he returned to the cockpit, and closed the canopy. He pulled a final item from the sack; a silver and blue data disc, six inches in diameter. He inserted it into a small console to the side of the seat, and waited for the device to boot. The console lit up, and a robotic voice came from the cockpit's speakers.

"Co-pilot Program 'CP-1000' online. Authorization code." It stated, emotionless.

"Prower, one-nine-nine-two." Tails replied, almost as emotionless.

"Voiceprint and authorization accepted. CP online and awaiting instructions." It responded.

"Activate capacitors three through seven, and transfer the power into the Blue Typhoon through the auxiliary system." Tails commanded.

"Capacitors activated; power level at 700%, transferring... Energy link complete. Capacitor is holding stable." The AI informed him.

"Activate the Maglock System." The fox instructed.

The ship beneath him came to life, and there was a momentary vibrant hum from below the jet as it was locked into place.

"Maglocks activated, seals stable."

"Override X-Tornado inputs with the Blue Typhoon's. Charge the Phase Shift Drive. Full power to engines and shields."


Sonic raced through the starry Emerald Hills towards Tails' workshop. When he got there, he screeched to a halt on the runway, and found both the living quarters and hangar empty, with the X-Tornado nowhere to be seen. He put a finger to his chin and impatiently tapped his foot, trying to wonder where else the fox would go. It only took a few moments, and with a snap of his fingers, he turned towards the direction of the southeast beachfront, when he heard the distant roar of a jet engine, and it was getting louder.

It was another five seconds before he saw it against the starry night sky, and by then the ground beneath his feet was vibrating from the proximity.

"Tails!" The hedgehog yelled, but there was no way the fox could have heard him as the Blue Typhoon rocketed overhead, towards the Mystic Ruins. Sonic gave chase, and managed to keep pace with the large vessel, though there was no way he would be able to reach it without the needed power boost of a ring. As he raced to keep up, Sonic remembered that Tails had managed to keep his head through so many crises, and hoped that he'd be able to do so this time.

Two minutes later, he had reached the large clearing in the Green Forest where Eggman's Heavy Hauler had plowed through, and it was here where the Blue Typhoon changed it's heading to follow the path towards the Mystic Ruins.


For Knuckles, it had been a peaceful night so far at the shrine. During the warmer months, he preferred to keep watch at night; ne'er do wells weren't as likely to try something during the daylight. This was also the time of year where Angel Island would pass closest to it's point of origin as it spent the last several days slowly moving down the southern coastline. Due to the proximity to land, any potential thieves might use that as an opportunity to board the island if they couldn't access it by air over the ocean, where the island spent most of it's time.

Knuckles' peaceful watch was interrupted when his ears picked up the whirring of approaching engines. He was instantly on his feet, and turned towards the shrine's cliff side, which was currently facing the swamps of the Mystic Ruins below. He looked up to see a large red, silver, and black cruiser, spotted only with the help of the moonlight above. Suddenly, spotlights came on from the ship's lower hull, coating the shrine in light, and briefly blinding the echidna.

"I'm only going to say this once, Knuckles. Out of the way, or I level your precious shrine!" Came Eggman's voice over the external loudspeaker.

A third Egg Carrier.

Undaunted, Knuckles placed himself between the approaching vessel and the Master Emerald. Eggman wouldn't dare fire; the emerald was useless in pieces.

Suddenly, his eyes noticed something off to the right, and saw three plumes of fire rocket towards Eggman's ship. The torpedoes impacted, and the shimmering silvery surface briefly shown during the resulting explosions revealed the craft's energy shields. Knuckles turned to look at the source, and found the similarly-sized Blue Typhoon, coming down from the top of the ravine high above the swamp, barreling down on the Egg Carrier at what must have been full speed, with the front autocannons spinning up and firing.


"Three direct missile impacts! Shields at 87%, incoming autocannon fire. Shields at 85%... 82%." Decoe reported from his station.

"The Blue Typhoon is closing. Twelve hundred and fifty meters." Bocoe also offered.

"Are we close enough to siphon?" Eggman demanded.

"Yes. Chaos Siphon is deployed and ready, Doctor." Bocoe answered.

"Do it, and turn us towards him. Use the siphon to charge the energy lance."


Knuckles wasn't sure of what to do from down here, and right now was content to continue guarding the Master Emerald. He felt a brief pang of relief when the Egg Carrier began to turn towards the Typhoon, but immediately became alarmed again when he noticed the Master Emerald's glow intensify, as it gave off motes of green light, which were being drawn towards a glowing white rod on the bottom of Eggman's ship. As it did, a glowing ball of energy began glowing brighter and brighter at the nose of the ship. The moment the Egg Carrier had aligned with the quickly-approaching Blue Typhoon, the white-hot ball of energy was launched at it, and it was moving much too quickly for a ship of its size to react or otherwise avoid.

A half-second before impact, however, there was a crackling sound, and the Blue Typhoon vanished into thin air, and the ball of energy was hurled harmlessly into the night sky.

"What the..." Knuckles said, perplexed.

Barely three seconds later, he felt an intense heat, and there was a deafening bang as the air above exploded, and the Blue Typhoon re-materialized directly above the Egg Carrier.

Knuckles could do nothing but watch in shock.


The instant the ship exited from its Phase Jump, Tails was ready.

"Fire all dorsal thrusters!" He yelled, not letting go of the trigger that was firing the autocannons.

Short plumes of flame erupted from the entire dorsal top of the Blue Typhoon, and the cruiser lurched downward.

"Collision warning. Pull up." CP barely had time to say before the bottom of the Blue Typhoon's nose slammed into the front section of the Egg Carrier, and Tails was jolted in his restraints.

"Hull integrity compromised. Warning: Hull integrity-" Tails barely heard over the deafening scraping, ripping, and crunching of metal against metal as the two cruisers collided.

"All power to dorsal and rear thrusters! Everything! Disengage maglocks on my mark!" He yelled as the ship tilted to the left as more and more of it's surface met the Egg Carrier's dorsal hull plating.


Sonic stood in shock at the top of the ravine as the Blue Typhoon, immediately after transporting through thin air, made a full speed collision with the Egg Carrier in what could only be described as the aviation equivalent of a body slam. Sparks flew and explosions ripped through the hulls of both vessels, and still it didn't stop. The cruiser's engine burned brighter still as the front ventral stabilizing fin tore through the top hull of Eggman's ship like tissue paper, as both of them now began to lose altitude as the nose of the Typhoon came closer and closer to the command tower of the Carrier. Finally, after more than one hundred and fifty feet, the main engine of the Blue Typhoon gave out, and became nothing more than a huge weight on top of the Egg Carrier. Both ships would hit the ground in seconds. The Typhoon's runway began to crumple as it impacted with the Carrier's command tower, and at the last second, Sonic saw the X-Tornado rocket away from the Typhoon moments before both ships slammed into the swamp floor. Flames engulfed both ships, and Sonic's eyes were glued to the gold-plated jet as it gained altitude away from the wreck. His sigh of relief was interrupted when the command tower of the Egg Carrier disintegrated, and a bulbous mech launched up into the sky.


"All Death Robo Mk-2 systems online, Doctor." Bocoe reported as they put distance between themselves and the flaming wreck of the Egg Carrier.

"Not bad, fox boy. You think you're the only one who can pilot something bigger with something smaller? Let's see how much you've really improved. Arm all Interceptor Mk-2 Missiles." Eggman ordered, as he began locking on.

"All six missiles armed. Awaiting lock." Bocoe told him.

The targeting software on Eggman's screen slowly gained a lock as the X-Tornado came around and began to fire its guns at the mech.

"Shields at 95%." Decoe reported.

The steadily increasing tempo of beeps on Eggman's console gave way to a solid tone, indicating a lock.

"Fire."


Sonic saw six silver missiles launch out of the wrists of the robot, which resembled Eggman in both color scheme and figure. Sonic felt uneasy when he recognized the warhead design; those were Eggman's interceptor missiles; the targeting software wasn't fooled by any of Tails' countermeasures or maneuverability. It would track him until they hit. As the missiles quickly closed at the attacking jet, Tails rolled away at the last second and activated his afterburners, and the six missiles gave chase.


Eggman watched with glee as his new and improved designs on his already deadliest homing weapon slowly closed in on the X-Tornado. He saw the jet deploy countermeasures.

"Nice try, Tails. Even if you improved your defenses, these new missiles lock onto you; not your plane."

When the chaff canister exploded, he was surprised to see two of the missiles fall for it, dipping from their path and impacting with the cloud of shrapnel.

"What?! It was a solid lock on him!" Eggman frustratingly yelled.

"Both missiles report direct hit on target. He must have coated those countermeasures in his DNA." Bocoe chimed in.

"Clever fox..." Eggman mused as he saw the X-Tornado deploy four more countermeasures, and the four remaining missiles lost their tracking and exploded in the shrapnel clouds. The jet fired two missiles and pulled up to make another pass. The missiles slammed into the Death Robo's shields, exploding against them.

"Shields at 65%." Decoe reported.

"I know a good design when I see it. Deploy the Egg Driver Cannon!" Eggman ordered.

"Egg Driver deployed. Charging..." Bocoe said.

"Similar in design, but much more crude! Nothing like a magnetically-accelerated iron projectile to ruin your day..."


Sonic saw robotic hands move up into place from where the missiles had launched. The mech's arms reached up and back, and grabbed a large weapon that had been mounted on it's back. It looked strikingly similar to the Sonic Driver Cannon of the Blue Typhoon, but smaller in size.

Sonic stood, fists clenched. There was no way he could help from up here without rings, and the closest ground access to the swamp two hundred feet below was four miles away on the other end of the ravine.

The X-Tornado swung around, and made another firing run against the mech, and Sonic's concern grew when it just stood there, steadily aiming the cannon towards the approaching jet as its arsenal hit harmlessly against the energy shields.

"Tails... Tails break away! He's stalling, it's a trap! Tails!" Sonic screamed futilely.


"Shields at 55%... 50%..." Decoe updated.

"Not just yet... I'm through playing games with you." Eggman growled, as the X-Tornado continued to close. On his screen, his cross-hairs for the Driver Cannon were dead center with the jet's nose, which was not weaving or adjusting it's angle of attack in the slightest.

"45%... 35%..."

"Almost..." Eggman said. This shot had to be perfect, with absolutely no time to react.

"30%!"

"Goodbye, Prower." Eggman sneered, and pulled the trigger.


The report from Eggman's cannon overtook everything else in the vicinity. Whatever shot out of the barrel was impossibly fast; too fast for even Sonic to see, and eyes widened as there was a flash of light, and the X-Tornado exploded into flames in midair.

"TAILS!" Sonic screamed.

His legs grew weak, and he dropped to his knees as the wave of heat from the blast passed over him. Smoldering pieces of metal began falling to the swamp out of the plume of smoke and fire that hung in the sky at the point of impact. Tears welled up in the hedgehog's eyes as despair and anger jostled for control inside him.

His eyes caught something. A small golden glowing orb came up out of the explosion... Then darted back inside. Then another... And another... None of them affected by gravity. They bobbed, hovered, and weaved, zipping in and out of the flames as the explosion slowly began to fall away. Sonic squinted at them to get a better look. Were those... Birds?

"What...?"