XII – Ex Machina

Scratch by scratch and scrape by scrape the cold metal peeled away as the tiny fragment inched its way along the surface. Held firm between tired fingers the sharp scrap of something tore the thinnest layers of the wall away in flakes, dragging coarse marks behind it. Though the fragment had almost worn down to nothing, its wielder persevered, their focus fixed on the wall, a soft tongue poking from the side of their mouth and lightly bit down upon to aid their concentration.

He took a step back, or tried to. To call the area he occupied a cell would be an insult to cells, and even calling it a box would betray a lower-than-average opinion of boxes. The space stood barely wider than his outstretched arms, and not much longer than he was tall. A single musty yellow square of light hummed from the ceiling, and along the back wall a shelf made a valiant attempt to pretend it was some kind of bed.

But from his limited vantage point he could still see his handiwork; a tangle of crude lines and symbols covered the wall, converging on an amateurish attempt at drawing a smiling fox boy. Around the image of Tails a host of equally poor scribbles represented various people and objects; Shadow, Knuckles, the Fake Emerald, Super Sonic and himself. Every other available space had been filled with questions.

Somewhere within the snaking lines lay the answer he sought. Everything was connected to Tails, that much he knew, but little else. Tails' experiment had somehow unleashed a demon from their past, but what did it want, apart from power? Why did Tails have visions of Shadow? And just what had attacked Knuckles, if not Tails?

Flopping down onto the shelf, its sudden flatness a shock to his backside, Sonic sighed. His attempts to connect the dots surrounding Tails made his brain hurt. If only he'd not been so rudely interrupted he could've had the whole truth laid bare.

He leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together in front of him. He knew Tails wasn't evil, that it was all Super Sonic's doing, but he still couldn't understand why Tails had lied to him, why he had kept secrets from him. More than anything that had happened recently, that stuck with him and played on his thoughts. Tails hadn't offered up an explanation for it, and the longer Sonic dwelled on it the more he felt his trust slipping through his fingers. He hoped that once they escaped this place he would hear what Tails had to say and all would be forgiven.

But that required them to escape first.

GUN. He cursed them under his breath for getting involved, always sticking their snouts where they didn't belong. What were they up to this time? Whatever it was, they had better not lay a finger on Tails if they wanted their base to stay in one piece.

His neck itched, and he fumbled at the collar constricting around it. He'd tried to take it off, but any force applied to the device sent a painful shock through his whole body. Even if he left it alone, the device still sapped his energy, leaving his limbs heavy and floppy. His legs shook when he tried to stand, and his stomach growled as if he hadn't eaten for days. Weakness clung to every muscle, and even holding his eyes open felt like he was lifting a bag of rocks on his head. So long as he wore that collar any escape attempt was futile; his whole body would collapse if he so much as tried to throw a punch.

The door slid open with a hiss, and a soldier entered, his face obscured by a black helmet.

"Let me guess," Sonic said, his breaths heavy, "you've decided to be really, really nice and let us all go?"

The soldier said nothing, instead advancing upon him and seizing him under the arm. With a sharp tug he jerked Sonic to his feet, and under the debilitating influence of the collar Sonic had no choice but to let himself be jerked.

"That's a no, then? Figures…"

The soldier dragged him out of the cell and into the corridor. A narrow space barely wider than his cell and almost as badly lit, it stretched out into the gloom with lines of doors like the one he had just stepped from lining either side. The guard gave him little time to consider who might be in the other rooms, instead hauling him towards the door at the end.

Shoved by the soldier, Sonic stepped onto a metal walkway. This passageway seemed to be bathed in daylight compared to where he had just been, but after his eyes adjusted he saw the walkway ran along the length of a rough-hewn shaft of stone, a skeleton of girders, pipes and wires straddling the rock and disappearing into the distance. Wherever he was, he figured it had to be underground somewhere.

His ever-silent chaperone marched him through the labyrinth, past doors through which he caught the briefest glimpse of workshops, laboratories and offices. Mobians in white coats scurried along the halls, focused intently on their papers and not even looking up as he passed, and soldiers stood like statues at every intersection, their faces obscured by black helmets with only their ears and tails preventing them from looking identical.

"Why do you guys wear those helmets anyway?" said Sonic. "Does GUN only hire really ugly people or something?"

The soldier said nothing, prodding him to keep moving. Sonic shook his head and sighed.

"You're the life of the party, pal. I really hope this turns out to one of those 'ally secretly pretending to be a faceless goon' scenes like in the movies. Is that it? You're just acting like you've got a stick up your ass so you don't give the game away?"

They came to another door, so unremarkably similar to the others that Sonic thought they had gone in circles. The guard pushed a button on the wall and the door slid open. Before Sonic could peer inside, the guard shoved him on the back, causing him to stumble forward into the room and fall on his front. He rolled onto his back in time to see the door closing behind him, the guard nowhere to be seen.

"So I guess that means you're not secretly a friend, then?"

"It seems friends are in short supply for you right now, aren't they Sonic?" said a voice. Sonic looked back over his shoulder. The featureless square room held only a white table with a chair on either side, with a light bulb hanging low above it, its lampshade focusing the yellow glow into the centre and plunging the rest into darkness. On the opposite side of the table sat a badger resting his hands in front of his mouth, his green eyes shining in the dim light. Nestled between his elbows sat a brown folder filled with papers.

"You!" growled Sonic as he clambered to his feet. "You've got some guts being alone in a room with me after kidnapping me and my friends."

Axton didn't move his hands from in front of him, but nonchalantly cast his eyes to the side. "If you think you can threaten me in your current state, be my guest. It will be amusing to watch. How's that collar by the way?"

Despite the anger bubbling inside him, Sonic's muscles barely twitched. The device around his neck still sapped him of the energy and will to raise his hand. Like it or not, he couldn't resist Axton even if he wanted to.

"I'd prefer it if you took it off me. It's not really my colour; it doesn't match my lipstick, for one."

"Very droll," said Axton, "I've heard how you like to use humour and sarcasm as a defence mechanism. But the time for jokes is over. We have serious business to discuss."

"My defence mechanism is more like kicking people in the face repeatedly until they stop pretending they've got me all figured out. Kicking them hard."

Axton's brow furrowed. "Am I supposed to be frightened?"

"Not until after I start kicking you."

"Enough bravado," said Axton, gesturing to the chair in front of him. "Sit, if you would."

"I'll stand, thanks."

"Suit yourself. So long as you answer my questions." Axton reached into the file and pulled out a slip of paper, sliding it across the table towards Sonic. "You know this individual?"

The paper bore a photograph of Tails, but for a moment Sonic hardly recognised him. His eyes practically lit up the room, their deep blue shining in the harsh light of the bulb, and his smile radiated a warmth that only he seemed to possess. This was not the Tails he'd spent recent days with; that boy was a ragged thing wearing a coat of matted fur, cheeks sunken into his face and deep bags resting on his eyes. Seeing the real Tails, fresh-faced and bright-eyed as he always used to be brought home to Sonic just how much Tails had gone to pieces in such a short space of time. Burying the tension gripping his heart, he looked Axton in the eyes.

"Seriously? What kind of question is that? You know who I am, so you know who that is, don't you?"

Sonic grabbed the empty chair and pulled it away from the table, its legs scraping along the floor. Then he dropped into it and leant forward, gripping the edge of the table and staring intently into Axton's cold eyes.

"Now let me ask you a question. What have you done with him? Where is he?"

"Mr. Prower's current location is none of your concern. Rest assured, for the time being he is being kept safe. Our scientists are very keen to study him, and they won't risk harming him unless it becomes necessary for their research."

Sonic stood up, knocking the chair over. "Necessary?! You're gonna sit there and tell me it's okay to cut up a little boy for your experiments and expect me to just accept it?! Even if it wasn't Tails I'd still tear this place apart to stop you, so tell me where he is already before I start breaking stuff!"

Axton's eyelid batted not. His hands dropped from in front of his mouth and he leant his elbow on the table, silently scanning Sonic with a dispassionate stare.

"I know what you think of GUN. That we're some shadowy, amoral arm of the government kidnapping people of the streets…"

"You did kidnap us… right off the street!"

"…that we experiment on people…"

"You are experimenting on people! You're experimenting on Tails right now!"

"…all because we can do what we want without consequence…"

"You can do whatever… you know what? Forget it."

"But we're not the bad guys here," said Axton. "We have a duty to protect the people of this world from anything that could harm them, and your friend is a clear and present danger to said people. Maybe you can sleep at night knowing something like that is roaming free, but I can't. Believe it or not, I have a conscience, and my conscience is telling me that the life of Miles Prower matters not one bit compared to everyone outside these walls. The sooner you accept that the safer we'll all be."

Sonic tried to tense up, to let his anger overflow and his fury descend on Axton, but he could barely muster a choked growl and slight shake thanks to the collar.

"If I didn't have his collar on I'd…"

"But you do. So whatever you were going to say doesn't matter. Please sit down again and let's talk like sensible adults. If you answer all my questions to my satisfaction you can go free. You and Miss Rose."

"Amy?!" Sonic's heart jumped; he had almost forgotten about her. "Where is she?"

"She's being questioned just like you. I really hope she's being more co-operative though, I'd hate my boys to have to get rough on such a pretty young thing. Now, please…" he gestured to the fallen chair, "sit down."

Sonic grunted in disgust, but picked up the chair regardless, placing it back in front of the table and sitting down. With no other form of resistance left available he channelled his defiance into a searing glare fired across the table.

"So I just have to answer your stupid questions and then we call all go home?"

"You and Miss Rose may leave," Axton brought his hands together again, concealing a wry smirk that started to show itself, "if I think you've told us all you know and you've no wrong-doing to answer for, that is. You'll both be taken away and dropped at a nearby settlement. From there you're on your own."

"I'm not leaving without Tails."

"Oh yes, that reminds me," said Axton, his hands now completely failing to cover his grin, "once you leave this facility, if you are seen here again you will be shot on sight. So don't even think about staging any rescue attempts. Prower is ours now, until further notice."

"He doesn't belong to you!" yelled Sonic. "He belongs to me… I mean, he's his own fox! You can't keep him here against his will, he hasn't done anything wrong!"

Axton's hands dropped, as did his smile, and he fixed Sonic with a half-intrigued, half-outraged look.

"'Hasn't done anything wrong?' Are you seriously trying to pull this crap on me? Or do you believe that murder isn't a crime?"

"M-murder? No w-wait…" stammered Sonic.

"I heard it from your own lips, thanks to your tracking device. Miles Prower is responsible for the murder of Quinn the Red Panda."

Sonic put his hands up in protest. "Hold on a s-sec!"

"And for the assaults on Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat and Ivo Robotnik, the theft of the Chaos Emeralds and the partial destruction of the Verdant Spiral Zone. Starting to think he might not be such a good guy after all?"

"W-wait! You've got it all wrong! Tails couldn't help any of that! Something's happened to him and he can't control it. You can't blame him for everything that's happened!"

"We know something's happened to him, and that's what we're really interested in. Whatever crimes he may have committed are irrelevant compared to what he's done to himself. Just from the lab's initial findings it's clear that Prower has transformed himself into something monstrously powerful, far beyond even Omega-level classification for Chaos entities. I've seen the devastation he's capable of, and I'm not prepared to let something like that go free until I find a way to contain it or neutralise it, understand?"

"What do you mean, 'neutralise?'"

"Either we find a way to undo Prower's current state or we destroy him."

Sonic tried to bang his fist, but in his weakened state he could only manage to softly massage the table with the edge of his hand. "I won't let you kill him!"

Axton closed his eyes, inhaling deeply.

"Picture the scene if you will. Empire City at the height of tourist season, streets packed with people, skyscrapers filled with workers, and in the heart of it all a small child, or a vagrant, or a tourist clad in 'I love EC' merchandise. Someone who wouldn't look out of place and wouldn't arouse any suspicion from the authorities."

"Is this going somewhere?" Sonic moaned.

"This person has been altered the same way Prower has been altered. Maybe they didn't do it to themselves, maybe they don't even know what they've become. But then they're triggered, and every single person in Empire City dies in a heartbeat. Men, women, children, the elderly… all reduced to a shrivelled husk, drained of their very life-force. A city of over a million people becomes a mass grave. Is that what you want?"

"Of course not! Anyway, you're exaggerating; there's no way that could happen!"

"Can't it? You saw what was left of the Verdant Spiral Zone; complete destruction of miles upon miles of woodland, scrubbed clean of all life right down to the bacteria. This terrible power is real, and if Prower can do it to himself, I don't want anyone else to learn his secret. In the wrong hands the cost to Mobius could be more than either of us bare to contemplate."

Sonic wanted to speak, but Axton's ghastly scenario plagued his mind. Though he didn't think it possible, what if someone could copy Tails' powers? Tails himself would never do something that awful, but someone else might not have his strength of conscience.

"Listen, Sonic," Axton said, leaning forward with his hands clasped together, "I'm on your side here. If we work together, if you help me understand his condition, there might be a chance of saving Prower and preventing his power from being misused. Continue to be difficult, however..."

"Alright, alright. Enough, already. What..." He sighed, cursing himself for relenting. "What do you wanna know?"

"I want to know how this happened. What did Prower do to himself, and what was he planning on doing with that power?"

Sonic looked down at the table, avoiding eye-contact with Axton so as not to glimpse the satisfaction in his eyes.

"I'm not entirely sure. We were almost about to find out when your goons showed up. All I know is it has something to do with Super Sonic."

Sonic glanced at Axton from the corner of his eye; the badger's eyes narrowed with curious interest.

"Super Sonic? Isn't that just what you call yourself when you reach a certain level of Chaos power?"

"Yes, but..." Sonic rubbed the back of his head, "it's kinda complicated. I'm not sure I understand it myself."

"We have plenty of time to discuss it. Not going anywhere, are you?"

Sonic grumbled to himself. Without looking he knew Axton was smiling when he said that.

"Okay, okay, okay, you remember the Doppelganger Crisis?"

Axton said nothing, plunging the room into silence. Sonic peeked up and saw his face had become icy cold, a flicker of barely contained rage lurking behind his lips.

"I had a cousin who worked at GUN HQ in Station Square." He said, his voice a low rumble. "She never came home that day. When they found her, she had been beaten so badly her own mother barely recognised her. And just like everyone else who died that day, the last thing she saw was your face."

"Not my face," Sonic pleaded. "They were just robot copies of me, created by a maniac. None of that was my fault!"

"Just like how none of what's happening now is Prower's fault, right?"

Sonic turned away from Axton's chilling stare. This was not an argument he felt he could win.

"Look, anyway, what I'm trying to say is: during all that mess another robot copy of me went Super. The whole point of the attack was just to summon him. From what I heard this guy was completely crazy and scary powerful.

"But Tails stopped him. I don't know how, but somehow he managed to kill the evil Super Sonic before it got out of the building. I'm sorry for all the people who died but Tails saved way more by what he did that day. I've never felt more proud of him in my life, and nothing you say can change that. He's a bigger hero than I could ever be, than any of us."

"Touching as this is, this doesn't explain our current situation."

"Right... sorry. Look, I don't know how it's possible, but Super Sonic is somehow possessing or controlling Tails and making him do all this bad stuff. If you want to keep Mobius safe you need to free Tails from his control."

Axton let his hand slump to the table. "Let me get this straight; you're telling me that Tails is possessed... by a robot?"

"Yes?"

"A robot which was destroyed six months ago?"

"I... guess?"

"And which has somehow bestowed never-before-seen levels of power into a pubescent child?"

"Kinda?"

"Pathetic," Axton said, standing up. "I offer you a chance to help your friend and yourself and instead you choose to waste my time."

"But it's the truth! At least... I think it is..."

"You'll be returned to your cell until you're ready to take this seriously. You can only hope that your lady-friend is more forthcoming with the truth, for your sake as well as hers."

"Listen to me! I..."

Axton's phone began to buzz, and he took it from his pocket.

"Be quiet!" he snapped at Sonic. "I need to take this." Looking at the screen, his irritated face dropped into silent concern. Swiping across with his thumb, he then lifted the phone to his ear.

"Axton." His face became more confused. "Who is this? How did you get this number?"

A low buzzing filled the room, and the light began to pulse and flicker. Sonic rose to his feet, backing away slowly as if it might pop at any moment.

"Wait... how are you doing..." Axton tried to speak, but a yawn took over. "What... what is this..." Another yawn, then his eyelids began to droop. He slumped down into his chair and toppled forward, his head resting against the table while his arms flopped down. The phone slipped from his hand and skidded across the table top.

The light continue to flicker and pulse, and Sonic crept towards the table, reaching for Axton and placing his hand on him. Still breathing, just asleep.

With his mind spinning Sonic grabbed the phone. The screen said 'UNKNOWN CALLER' but Sonic could hear something faint coming through the speaker.

He brought the phone up to his ear and heard what sounded like music. No, not music; singing. The voice on the phone sounded ethereal, like an echo in a wide valley, but he could clearly hear someone singing. Through the distortion he thought it sounded familiar, both in voice, and in melody. Then the words became clear, a stilted and hastily constructed meter but sung in a carefree and soothing voice:

Hush now, little fox, go to sleep,

No more need for you to weep,

Happy dreams are coming soon,

And when you wake I'll be here too.

With a start Sonic tossed the phone away, and it bounced across the table onto the floor. His heart pounded and his lip trembled, for he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

How could it be that song? That melody, those words; they lived in his heart, and he had only shared it with one other. It could not be here, in this time and place.

A soft click reached his ears, and the tension around his neck eased. The collar wound itself back up into its casing and dropped to the floor. Sonic felt his energy returning, his muscles springing back to life and his lungs re-inflating. He gasped for air like a drowning man breaking through the surface, and he laughed out loud.

Behind him, the door slid open on its own, and he saw the lights from outside the room flickering and pulsing. With his fur standing on end he crept into the corridor.

The guard outside the door lay slumped against the wall, his head tilted to one side. Sonic checked him and found him to be asleep as well. All along the corridor guards and scientists lay on the floor, leaned against girders or clung to pipes, their eyes all tightly closed.

"Seriously, can this week get any weirder?" he whispered, although he wasn't sure why. "What the heck is going on?"

With no answer forthcoming, Sonic realised now was his chance to escape. But the corridors of this twisting labyrinth all looked the same; he could be searching for hours before he found the exit, and he had no way to know how long this strangely fortunate occurrence, whatever it was, would last.

He needed to find Tails and Amy. But where would he even begin to look?

Then he heard it again; distant at first, but growing louder until it rattled the air itself. The song from Axton's phone hung in the air all around him, making his knees shake and his breath halt. His shadow grew long, and he felt a gentle warmth at his back. Turning around he saw a bright light at the end of the corridor and within its golden rays he thought he could make out a figure.

"Wh-who's there?" He called out, shielding his eyes. The figure, tall and slender and shimmering, said nothing, instead slowly turning and strolling out of sight, a large tail lazily following. As it vanished the song went with it, fading into the distance as the corridor fell dark.

"Hey! Wait!" yelled Sonic, sprinting to the end of the corridor. Looking in the direction the figure went, he saw the tip of its shining tail slipping around a corner.

"I'm not gonna hurt you!" Sonic called out as he resumed the chase, the figure just appearing at the end of each hallway, always managing to slip away no matter how fast he ran. Then he turned a corner, entering a hallway longer than all the others he'd seen. Far in the distance he saw the figure, but it wasn't moving this time. Instead it raised a long, slender arm and pointed to its right.

Sonic charged down the corridor towards the light. The figure didn't move, and as Sonic drew nearer its form became clearer. A fox, its lithe body standing taller than him and its eyes shining with a dazzling white light. Behind it two large tails covered in silky golden fur swished back and forth playfully.

"Tails?!" Sonic cried, slowing himself down as he neared the figure. But when he got close, a flash of light stung his eyes, and when he'd rubbed them clear the figure had vanished.

Sonic stood hunched over, panting heavily.

"Come back..." he called out through stilted breaths, "Tails..."

Footsteps rattled the gangway behind him, and he span around. Before he could adjust to the flickering darkness something collided with him, knocking him over and falling on top of him.

Green eyes sparkled in the limited light.

"Amy? Amy!" said Sonic, gripping her by the shoulders. "Oh man, am I glad to see you!"

"Sonic!" Amy cried, collapsing onto him and into a hug. "What's going on? I was being interrogated and I had this collar thing on and they were asking me all sorts of strange questions and then I heard this music and my guards fell asleep and the doors opened and then I saw this bright light and I followed it and I found you and I don't know where Tails is and..."

"Amy, slow down!" Sonic gently pushed her off him, then hauled himself off the floor. "I'm still trying to figure this all out myself."

"Did you see that bright light?"

"Yeah, but it was more than some light. It was some kind of person or ghost maybe. But I swear it looked just like Tails!"

"Tails?!" Amy scratched her head. "Are you sure? It just looked like a glowing ball to me."

"I..." Sonic stopped himself from continuing. Whatever the figure looked like didn't matter right now, and with Amy unable to back him up he couldn't be certain its appearance wasn't just a product of his stressed mind. But then there was that song; that couldn't be a coincidence as well, could it?

"I'm not so sure now," Sonic lied, "but it doesn't matter. We both saw it, so we know it's real, at least. It seemed to be leading me to this room."

A door stood open where the figure had been pointing. Sonic and Amy peered inside, but only darkness greeted them.

"I-in there?" Amy whispered. "I'm not sure about this; what if it's a trap?"

Sonic strained his eyes trying to make out any shape within the black room, but nothing revealed itself to him.

"I don't know if we have much choice, Ames. We've no clue how to get out of this base, and even if we did, I'm not leaving without Tails."

"No, of course not," Amy said, her voice uneasy, "still..."

"Come on." Sonic held his hand out behind him. "Take my hand. I'll keep you safe, I promise."

He felt Amy take a firm hold of his hand, then he began to inch slowly into the room. The darkness engulfed him after a few steps, and he held his free hand in front of him, pawing at the air to feel for obstacles. His foot caught something hard, and it clattered away, its racket ringing louder in the absence of light. He moved to the left slightly, and took another step forward. His foot caught something again, but this time the object felt heavy, soft and warm. The object grunted, and Sonic jumped back a foot. Low mumbling followed, then a relaxed sigh, then silence.

"What was that?" whispered Amy. "Was that a person?"

"I think there might be more people asleep in here. Really wish I had some light; I'd hate to step on any... um, delicate areas."

As if in answer several white lights flickered to life, throwing shadows around the room. A circular array of screens turned on by themselves, graphs and numbers swarming across the screen like ants, while unseen devices hummed and whirred in the dark. From what Sonic could make out the room looked like some kind of lab, with rows of desks filled with papers, computer screens, microscopes and other equipment running along its length. Mobians in white coats rested their heads on their keyboards, while others lay curled up under their desks. One unfortunate researcher appeared to have passed out over the waste paper basket and got their head stuck in it.

Further into the room, the desks gave way to an open space, its edge defined by the bank of screens, and in this space a group of scientists lay in a heap, their clipboards scattered to the floor and their mouths hanging open as they dozed peacefully. Masses of cables snaked around and underneath them towards a large black shape that lurked just out of reach of the light. Sonic thought it looked like some kind of idol.

As he approached, another light flicked on, lighting the shape up. Sonic and Amy gasped in tandem.

Its outline resembled a coffin, and it stood upright and flat like a headstone. The wires converged behind it, and mechanical arms bore down on it from above holding spinning and pointed instruments. In its centre, so small compared to the mass of machinery around it, a figure was held fast by thick metal clamps.

Sonic's knees trembled, and he nearly fell forward but for Amy holding him up.

"Tails! Oh my... what have they done to you?!"

Tails' arms were held to one side like he was being crucified, his wrists and ankles pinned to the wall by metal bands nearly half a foot thick. Something like an iron lung clung to his chest, a circular screen in its centre displaying rows of numbers on its deep blue face and clicking constantly. On his muzzle he wore something like a gas mask, or one of those masks a psycho would wear to stop them biting people, except this was a thing of solid metal and covered in pulsing multi-coloured lights. Tubes, gauges and strips of metal covered his body, and around his neck he wore a collar, albeit a much thicker version than the one Sonic had worn.

"This is sick!" Sonic growled. He turned around a kicked one of the sleeping scientists, who gave a soft grunt but didn't wake. "'Protect Mobius' my furry blue butt! They're trying to weaponise him themselves!"

Amy shook her head, holding it between her hands. "Oh, poor Tails! We've got to get him out of that thing!"

"Hurry," said Sonic, hopping close to the machine and tugging at it. "There must be a way to release the mechanism. Maybe this bit?"

The two hedgehogs pulled and yanked at various sections of Tails' restraints, but the thick metal refused to budge, even as Sonic and Amy strained their muscles until their arms felt like they might pop their sockets.

"Oh come on!" groaned Sonic. "What's this thing made of?"

They twisted and pounded, clawed and wrenched the metal, but no amount of force seemed to yield any results. After working themselves to exhaustion, they collapsed backwards, brows dripping with sweat.

"This is useless!" moaned Amy. "We've not moved it an inch! If only I still had my hammer…"

Sonic sat down on one of the prone scientists, grinding his teeth. "I can't stand seeing Tails like this. There must be some way to free him. They got him in there in the first place, didn't they?" He looked up at Tails' sleeping form. "Hang in there, buddy… ah, sorry… bad joke. What I meant was; we'll get you out of there no matter how long it takes. No way are we leaving without you, right Ames?"

"Mmm-hmm," Amy cheerily replied, as if to lift Tails' spirits. "We're trying as hard as we can, Tails. We won't let you down."

"Well, we will literally let you down. From that thing, I mean." Sonic continued to stare at Tails, his shaken nerves eased partially by how peaceful the fox looked despite the nightmare of metal around him. The only comfort he could take from this situation was the fact that Tails couldn't see what was happening to him.

Then Tails opened his eyes.

Sonic leapt to his feet, his heart leaping up just as quickly. Tails' eyes opened wide, his pupils shrinking as his face filled with fear. He started to struggle against the machine, tears pouring along his face, and from beneath his mask Sonic heard the shrill whine of his muffled screaming.

"Don't panic, Tails!" yelled Sonic, waving his arms in a frantic bid to catch the boy's attention. But Tails' hysteria left him unfocused, and he continued to writhe in his restraints.

"He's gonna break himself in half like that!" cried Amy. "We need to do something, quickly!"

The sound of Tails' muted screaming filled his ears, and that fearful look in his eyes pierced into him. Deep inside he felt himself sinking, the same feeling of powerlessness he had experienced back at the power plant, when Tails had been just as terrified. He couldn't do anything for his friend then, and it looked like once again he couldn't save him when he needed it most.

"No!" he yelled, leaping forward and grabbing the machine with both hands. "I'm not giving up on you, Tails! I'm gonna get you out of there, just hold on!"

He brought up his leg and pushed it against the metal, leaning back as far as he could, throwing his head back and gritting his teeth. Pain surged through his muscles as he pulled with all his might, refusing to release his grip even as his knuckles started to tear through his gloves and his fingers began to slip. Something gripped him from behind, and he realise Amy was pulling on his shoulders, dragging him back and adding her strength to his own. With shaking arms he forced as much of his strength into his limbs, until the pain rose to his head and he screamed aloud. Amy screamed as well, and they gave one last, desperate tug.

Something came away, but it wasn't the metal. Sonic's sweat-soaked fingers slid loose, and he flew backwards, tumbling across the lab in an uncontrolled run with Amy hanging from him the whole time. He tripped over a sleeping researcher and toppled forward, throwing his arm out towards a console to try and catch himself. His hand smacked against the row of buttons, causing a loud beep to ring through the lab. Jets of gas poured from Tails' restraints, and in a flurry of clicks, whirrs and rattles the web of metal unravelled itself, the heavy clamps bursting open one by one and the wires popping from their sockets. Amidst the cloud of steam filling the room Sonic looked up at where he had put his hand.

A large red button, above which was a sign that read: 'EMERGENCY RELEASE.'

"Oh, son of a-!"

Sonic leapt to his feet, pushing through the dissipating gas. When he reached the machine, he saw it had completely disassembled itself, and below it Tails clutched at his chest, coughing and spluttering on all fours.

Sonic vaulted a dozing lab technician and sprinted towards him. As soon as he reached him he swept the boy up in his arms, drawing him as close to his body as he could. Tails threw his arms around his neck and buried his face in Sonic's fur, his whole body trembling with enough force to make Sonic's knees shake.

"It's alright, Tails! It's over now; I'm here for you, buddy. There's no need to be scared anymore."

"Sonic!" Tails bawled. "They… they did stuff to me… they hurt me…"

"Hush now, you don't need to say anything." Sonic stroked his head. "Don't think about that anymore, just think about you and me, together again. Just think about us. You and me, little buddy… you and me…"

Tails continue to cry, and Sonic held him tight, repeating his mantra of 'you and me' and trying to project a shell of safety around them with his presence. Eventually the crying became a sniffle, and Tails' shaking subsided. Sonic lowered him the floor gently but kept his arms wrapped tightly around him until he was sure Tails could stand, then he held the boy by the side of his head and touched his forehead to the other, staring into his moist blue eyes.

"I can't believe they did this to you," he whispered, contempt bristling below his tone. "GUN have done some nasty things in the past but I swear I will never forgive them for this."

"Sonic, please don't get mad," said Tails, "cause you're not you when you're mad. The thing is, GUN are really just frightened of what I can do and... well..." His gaze dropped to the floor. "People do stupid things when they're afraid. They do things that are dangerous or harmful without thinking."

Sonic gently tapped Tails chin to encourage him to look up. "Don't be like that. You're not the same as these guys, so don't beat yourself up. Anyway, I... hey!"

His hand found its way down to Tails' neck. "You've still got that dumb collar on. Let me see if I can get it off."

A flash of white preceded a strike to his arm, knocking his hand away into empty space.

"Hey! What was that for?!"

Tails held his hand up, locked in his finishing pose following his backhand. Any sorrow or guilt vanished from his face, and he scowled at Sonic, a humourless aura surrounding him.

"Don't take it off," he growled. "It's the only thing keeping you safe."

Sonic rubbed the back of his aching hand. "What are you saying? You wouldn't hurt us, right?"

"I told myself I wouldn't hurt Rouge or Shadow. I told myself I wouldn't hurt Quinn or Eggman. I'm telling myself now that I won't hurt you. But I can't believe anything I tell myself anymore. I've tried to fight it off, but its power is growing. This collar is the only thing keeping it in check right now. So please, leave it alone... for all our sakes."

"If you say so, buddy. But it bums me out to see you wearing that thing. Mine made me feel like I'd been run over. Repeatedly. By a steamroller. With spikes on it."

"If anything, this is the closest to normal I've felt in a long time. Not only that, but the colour really brings out my eyes, don'tcha think?"

He tilted his head to the side to show of the collar, batting his eyelids and flashing a toothy smile Sonic's way. Sonic returned a grin without thinking, as if the curves of Tails mouth were joined to his by invisible string, and he chuckled. The tingle of joy rippling through him, long dormant but now awoken again, seemed to reinvigorate his spirit. This was his Tails; warm, playful and happy. His chuckle became a high-pitched giggle, and he held his hand over his mouth until tears ran from his eyes. Then he could hold it back no longer, exploding with laughter that filled the whole room with its rapturous joy.

"It wasn't that funny..." mumbled Tails.

"Oh man," Sonic said, wiping away a tear, his voice descending in gasps, "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. It's just so good to see you safe, little buddy."

"We're not out of the woods yet," said Amy. "We still need to get out of this base, and these guys could wake up at any time."

"Yeah," said Tails, squatting down near a snoozing Mobian, "what's with these guys? They're all... asleep? What happened?"

"Wish I knew," said Sonic, "we heard this strange song, and then all the GUN dudes just zonked out on us. Then we saw this..." he glanced at Amy, "…this glowing ball of light. It lead us to you."

Tails scratched his chin. "Hmm, that's a little too convenient. Just when we were in one heck of a jam, too. If this sort of thing happened in one of my sci-fi books I'd find it a bit contrived."

"What do you mean? You think something's up?"

"I know something's up!" Tails declared, his finger in the air. "Someone wants us to get out of here, that much is clear. But who? And why?"

"Whoever they are, I owe them a chilli dog. As for why, well… maybe they're just super nice? They have to be if they're busting us out of this joint, right?"

"Hnnnh-"

Sonic clucked his tongue. "Don't start making the noise again. We can try and figure out who's helping us after we get out of here. Come on, let's move it!"

"Wait a second!" Tails piped up. He began to run around the lab, flitting between desks and rifling through papers.

"What is it?"

"These reports are all the data they've collected on me. It might help us understand how I ended up… the way I am now. Quick, grab as much as you can carry!"

Taking heed of his command, Sonic and Amy leapt to the nearest workbench, sweeping up folders and printouts into their arms until they could carry no more. Barely able to see around their loot and with paper spilling from their arms, they hopped over the sleeping scientists and headed for the door.

"This stuff better be worth it!" said Sonic as he waddled into the hallway. Three lengths of identical corridor stretched out to his left, his right and in front, and he flicked his head between them.

"How the heck do we get out of here?"

"This way!" yelled Tails, taking off down the left-hand corridor with his mountain of files wedged between outstretched arms. Sonic and Amy followed after, their eyes fixed on Tails as he weaved his way through the network of tunnels seemingly at random. Then they came to a corridor where the floor inclined upwards at a shallow angle, but at its end stood a blank wall.

"Tails, wait up!" Sonic puffed, trying to stabilise the papers slipping from his arms. "We need to find a map or something, we won't get out of here by guessing."

"I know. That's why I'm not." Tails smiled, jerking his head towards a point of the wall above them. There, in a box glowing with green light, the words 'FIRE EXIT' shone in white.

"Huh… would ya look at that? I'll never moan about Health & Safety again."

"You will, though," said Tails, eyebrows wiggling.

"Yeah, I totally will." They laughed, and with elation spurring them they sprinted towards the end of the corridor. The wall that appeared featureless in the dark now revealed a release bar, and Sonic hip-checked it, throwing open the door and allowing a column of bright light to flood the dark complex.

"We made it," said Sonic, peering through the light to try and catch a glimpse of the outside world, "we're free. But where do we go now?"

"We can't go home," said Amy. "That's the first place GUN will look for us."

"So we keep a low profile until we can figure out what's happening with me and find a way to fix it," said Tails. "This data should help immeasurably, but I need somewhere quiet to study it. I suggest we keep away from Station Square, and if at all possible, avoid being seen in case someone reports us. We're fugitives now."

"Fugitives?" Amy moaned. "But when I woke up this morning I didn't wanna be a fugitive! Do you know what being a fugitive can do to a girl's reputation?"

"Sorry, Amy," said Sonic, "but Tails is right. They won't rest until they get him back in that awful machine. We've gotta keep running until we can solve this whole mystery and put a stop to their plans. So it looks like we have no choice; we're fugitives, alright."

Amy's shoulders slumped. "Oh, brother…"

"It's not so bad. If I gotta run, I'm glad it's with you guys. Just remember; stay together, stay strong, and never ever give up. Now come on, let's get out of here!"

Sonic turned and leapt into the light. Tails and Amy exchanged a knowing look and a nod, then followed after, disappearing into the unknown and leaving the base to its silence. Silent except for the snoring and stirring of the GUN personnel, and the frantic clicking of a metal device that was earlier attached to Tails' chest. The clicking continued, growing faster and louder as the circular blue screen flashed with numbers and words.

SUBJECT: MILES PROWER.

DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE.

ANALYSIS OF CHAOTIC POTENTIAL PENDING…

POWER LEVEL: ERROR – STACK OVERFLOW. NUMBER EXCEEDS MAXIMUM LIMIT.

The cool blue turned to murderous red, and a siren blared in low, deep tones that scratched at the walls. The words grew from detached reports to huge letters that screamed out from behind the glass.

WARNING: SPACE-TIME INSTABILITY DETECTED.

DETERMINING SCOPE…

CLASS Z ANOMALY DETECTED. TOTAL EVENT COLLAPSE IMMINENT. LOCATING SOURCE…

SOURCE: MILES PROWER.

~O~