With the captives from the mine cart chamber freed and safely hidden away in the carts, Miles made his way to the larger chamber where the remaining captives were forced to dig for and harvest the actual ores and minerals buried deep in the Earth.
Sticking to the upper ledges of the mine Miles was able to avoid detection and observe the layout of the chamber. "Let's see... Three guards, all armed and fourteen captives." Thinking quickly he remembered the wrench in his hand. "If I'm fast enough I can take them all out and unlock the chains before reinforcements arrive!"
Dropping down from the ledge, using the dark and abundant shadows as his cover, Miles crept up behind one of the Badnik guards who had its back to the mining chamber. By jamming the wrench into the Badnik's power supply located on its back, Miles was able to disrupt the flow of power and disable it quickly.
The sound of the Badnik's motor sputtering and stopping suddenly caught the attention of the two remaining guards. 'ALERT. ALERT.'
"Get down!" Miles yelled at the captives as he climbed up on top of the downed Badnik, unintimidated by the machines.
The captives, more squirrels, rabbits and flickies, all did as they were instructed. They dropped to the floor of the mine and laid on their bellies with their hands over their heads in a protective manner. They watched in a mix of joy and horror as Miles proceeded to fight back on their behalf.
Leaping from his perch on top of the destroyed Badnik, Miles avoided the laser blasts from the two still operational Badniks who were programmed to stop any and all intruders. With the wrench still in hand Miles used it as his only weapon. Swinging the tool like a sword Miles smashed one Badnik's cannon before easily ducking under the second's bombardment of shots and smashing its body, disabling its primary functions.
Returning his attention to the unarmed Badnik Miles used the wrench to smash its head, shutting it down permanently.
Miles stood in the center of the chamber, the black smoke from the destroyed robots swirling around him. "Is everyone alright?"
The captives slowly returned to their feet and nodded at their fox rescuer.
"Good. Let's get those chains off of you." Miles used the wrench to open the locks on the chains, one by one. "Listen, I already freed your friends in the next chamber. Once I get these chains loose join them in the mine carts. We're getting out of here. Together."
As each lock was opened the newly freed and grateful captives made their way to the mine carts. It wasn't easy but all of the captives were able to fit inside the two mine carts, anxious to escape the mine.
Miles followed the last captive to the mine cart and helped him climb inside the cart. "Is everyone accounted for?"
One of the captives, a red squirrel spoke up quietly. "Not everyone."
"Who's missing?" Miles asked as he prepared the two mine carts for the rapid exit.
"Well... I'm not so much sure if he's really missing or... gone."
"Who?"
"A black hedgehog with red stripes and golden eyes."
"Shadow..." Miles wasn't expecting this answer and he felt a knot form in his stomach. "Shadow was here?"
"A long time ago. He tried to fight back against the Renegade Soldier. He kept saying something like... 'This isn't who you are. Stop now.' I didn't understand why but I remember him talking to the soldier."
"Strange..." Miles pushed one of the carts to get it in motion. "Do you know where he might be, now?"
"No. After he fought against the Renegade Soldier, and lost... he was dragged away by Eggman's elite guard and we never saw him again. That was... almost five years ago. I think."
"Sounds about right..." Miles commented sadly as he checked the second mine cart. "Okay, hold tight. These carts are going to leaving the mine at top speed and they aren't going to stop! Ready?"
The captives all prepared for the hasty exit as best as they could. Some held onto the edge of the cart while the others held onto each other.
As the carts began rolling down the track Miles heard a robotic voice in the distance speak up. 'Uh-oh...' He thought to himself. 'Better create a distraction.'
Running ahead of the carts Miles used the wrench the break as many of the high powered machines as possible. The loud noise covered up the sound of the mine carts' squeaking wheels and the thick smoke obscured the sight of anyone who would try to look inside the chamber.
The carts raced through the smoke and out of the mines, into daylight. Miles used his electronic pad as a light and followed the carts as quickly as he could. Just as he exited the main chamber he heard a squadron of Badnik's enter to investigate the disturbance. "No you don't!"
Using the wrench one last time, Miles drove the tool into the edge of the tunnel and disturbed the delicate foundation. The tunnel began collapsing in on itself, causing large borders and broken support beams to fall loose and block the entry way from the mine to the tunnel. Cutting off the Badnik's route allowing for an uninterrupted escape.
"Move, move, move!" Miles called out for the escaping captives ahead of him and to encourage himself to keep running.
Diving out of the collapsing tunnel, Miles found himself laying on the ground just behind the stopped mine carts. He coughed as the smoky dust cloud from the mine collapse filled the air. Brushing the dirt from his fur he stood up and looked at the shaken captives, all of whom were waiting for his next move.
"Is everyone okay?" He asked between coughs.
The captives all nodded.
"Okay, we need to get you to safety." Using his electronic pad Miles brought up a map. With a few adjustments he created a pathway leading from the mine to the isolated little village of Willow Glen. "I know you're all tired and I know you don't feel like you can walk another step, but you have to make it to this spot before dark."
Miles handed the electronic pad to the red squirrel who had told him about Shadow. The squirrel took the item and gave Miles a sad look. "You're not coming with us?"
"I can't. I have something else I need to take care of. Something very important."
"Well, you saved us once, so I guess we can trust your map." The captives smiled warmly at their hero.
"Thanks." Miles was genuinely happy and appreciative of their trust. "Please, be careful. Stay low: stick the shadows and use the trees as cover. When you arrive at the village just say you're friends of Miles and they'll take care of you."
"Right. Thanks!"
Miles watched as the freed captives headed off toward Willow Glen, disappearing from sight behind the boulders and over the hills leading back into the dense jungle. "Stay safe." He softly uttered to the escapees, hoping they'd make it on their own.
Taking the low route from the mine, Miles checked on the silver Chaos Emerald that was still in his possession. "Mission accomplished." He used the ear piece communicator to make contact with Amy. "Amy, can you hear me?"
"Miles! There you are!" Amy's relieved voice responded from the other end of the line. "I've been trying to contact you for almost twenty minutes!"
"Sorry, the mine was full of natural mineral deposits that blocked our signal. I have the Chaos Emerald and I managed to free the captives in the mine. How're things on your end?"
"You freed the captives? Nice work! I got the Chaos Emerald from the Nova Dunes without any problem, and I discovered an interesting mural-"
"Sh! Hold it Amy." Miles suddenly ducked down, taking shelter beneath a large rock jutting out from the mountain. "The Renegade Soldier has returned to the mine." Miles whispered. It was then he remembered that the soldier claimed that Sonic had been injured at the Lone Oasis. "Amy, we have to move. I'll call in the Tornado III and swing by to pick you up. Stay safe."
"Okay. I'll be waiting!"
Miles pushed up the cuff of his thick glove and exposed a small electronic watch on his wrist. It was a miniature version of his electronic pad, unfortunately it wasn't as powerful as its larger counterpart. "Glad I always keep a back-up on hand." Pressing a small button on the side of the watch's display, he called in the Tornado III.
The stealthy green plane circled overhead silently. Climbing up the rock face until he was almost level with the plane, Miles timed his jump perfectly and landed in the plane's cockpit. Turning off the auto-pilot Miles began flying East to the Nova Dunes where Amy was waiting.
The plane easily eluded the sight of the Renegade Soldier, allowing Miles to slip away unnoticed.
"I hope we didn't waste our time collecting these Chaos Emeralds." Miles commented as the plane flew over the ruined landscapes that were filled with Eggman's squadrons and machines. "If Knuckles AND Shadow were taken down... then maybe all of this... it was for nothing!"
...to be continued...