Chapter Nine: The Fall

"Hey Tails, something came in the mail for you." Sonia said as she put a box on a kitchen counter.

"Is that the Capacitor?" He asked while opening it.

Sonia nodded. "Uh-huh."

The fox pulled what looked like a flash drive out if it's package. "This is great! I can build a prototype SAGE program if we can't recover the original."

The pink hedgehog pointed at the super computer. "Let's hope you find out where they're keeping it so we can move."

Tails had no trouble opening Millay's super computer and began his hack of the system. He'd gotten through much more complicated security firewalls than this one, most of them created by Dr. Eggman, and he gained access within twenty minutes. As he opened up G.U.N's secure files, his friends had settled into the common areas of Sonia's loft and waited. The Rogues sat with Drago in the living room and Cream continued chatting with Fiona and Charmy near the minibar. The only ones missing were Starr, Falke and Marine.

After reading irrelevant information in two files, Tails opened an email thread between Millay and someone with the handle "Willful Murder", hoping to find something useful.

He navigated to the beginning of the thread and got some answers right away. "Oh, man."

Cream looked over. "What is it?"

"It's Sonic and Amy-"

As he read the message over, everyone slowly gathered around him in the large kitchen so they could listen.

"...when Agent Warwick disbanded us, he sent Sonic and Amy on a flight to someplace called Seaside Island. He offered me a ticket on that flight but I decided to stay here. They were supposed to come back before the school year started, but never did. Now I know why. The director of G.U.N authorized this Willful Murder guy to cut all access to and from Seaside Island, apart from supply drops. They sent them overseas so they could isolate them from the rest of the world."

Sonia banged the table as she stood. "Those corrupt, paranoid BASTARDS!"

"That's unfortunate." Drago said. "We could really use him in this situation."

Jet looked up. "Man, if we could get Sonic back-"

"He could cripple them by himself!" Charmy exclaimed.

Fiona touched Tails' forearm. "What else does it say?"

He scrolled down and read the next message. "...Knuckles is part of some expendable team working under Wilful Murder-"

"He's working FOR them?" Storm asked.

"They're using his daughters as leverage over him."

The albatross sunk into his seat. "Man..."

"I didn't even know he had daughters." Wave said.

Sonia turned to her. "Yeah, Julie gave birth to the twins earlier this year. They sent Knuckles out right after."

"These next few messages detail a series of conflicts with a 'rebel' group based out of Hydro City. It says Manic is the leader of this outfit, and they've grown exponentially over the past few months." Tails read aloud. "These guys are the reason G.U.N's been sent out of the city. I knew it!"

"Tails, do you know what it would mean if we could get everybody here right now? That'd be the end of G.U.N. Like, for good."

"I know, Cream. I'm just trying to think of a way we could get them into the city." The fox said while navigating through the files. "...alright, I've got an idea. We're going to hit the Control Tower downtown, it's the only way-"

Everyone was startled when the patio door suddenly swung open. "Very good Miles."

Sonia jumped out of her seat. "What the hell?! You just bypassed my security measures! That's violation of privacy on top of trespassing!"

"You're conspiring against your government, again. We have lawful right to enter at will."

Millay walked down the wooden staircase and faced the group in the kitchen. "We underestimated your resolve. It was no secret to us that you were resourceful, Mr. Prower, but I truly doubted you could succeed without Sonic."

"You don't know a damn thing about him or us!" Fiona shouted.

The G.U.N woman smirked. "Not personally, no. But I now know what you're capable of, and what you amount to. He leads, each of you follows. That's precisely what we're expecting of your generation. Work ethic-"

"You're out of your mind if you think we're going to work for you."

"We only want compliance." Millay said as her gloved right hand reached inside her trench coat pocket. "I am even willing to let you keep your toys."

Tails eyes widened as she slid the SAGE program across the black tile floor to his feet. He sensed something was wrong but he picked up the device, anyway. The loft stayed silent while he unlocked and navigated the touchscreen. His failsafe was still in effect, and he didn't want to deactivate it right this moment in fear of being tricked.

"Satisfied?"

"I can see through your bullshit act." Tails responded. "You're stalling for something."

"A fleet of Guardians are currently inbound for Greenhill City. The entire Zone will be under full occupation once they arrive, and my time as Tiltyard principal will come to an end."

"Why's that?"

"Because G.U.N will shut down the public system and incorporate their own education network for youth such as yourselves."

"By that, you mean G.U.N's opening military schools and forcing us to submit." Wave clarified.

"You say military school. We say necessity. Take it as you will. By the end of this conversation, you will be back in a classroom, I will be presiding over the network board, and those who defy the Guardians WILL be made to heel. This is a fair warning to you: Disobedience will not be tolerated under their watch."

"That's insane!" Tails said. "You're saying we'll no longer have free will under these Guardians. You can't do that!"

"We were patient with you." Millay snapped. "All of you children. Like any responsible parent, we provided the basic necessities while allowing you room to grow on your own. But clearly you cannot be trusted to follow order, so this game ends here."

The G.U.N woman took a few steps back and looked through Sonia's skylight window. The glass shattered and rained down throughout the kitchen, then the newest Android Shadow landed in front of Millay. The lights reflected off of his golden body, and gasps were heard as his two red eyes locked onto the group.

"Oh Jesus!"

"Shadow!"

"He's gold!"

"This is only my property you're destroying..."

"I knew it! I told you she was crazy!"

"Why's he GOLD?!"

As everyone was distracted by Shadow's presence, Tails quickly deactivated his failsafe on SAGE, inserted the Capacitor and aimed his hacking A.I at the Android. When nothing happened, he quickly adjusted the settings and tried to hack him once again, but it didn't work. Shadow hadn't even move, showing Tails neither he or Millay cared he had his device operational.

"You would be a fool to rely solely on an outdated piece of technology such as that, and expect us not to have counter measures ready."

Everyone looked at Tails for a response, but none came.

"The doors to every single plan of attack are closed. I sincerely hope this defeat is enough to convince you all to abandon your little crusade and yield." Millay said. "Consider this as my one and only offer. Stand down and obey the G.U.N regime."

Charmy flew up next to Tails. "We can still get Sonic back, bro! This isn't the end, come on!"

Millay laughed at this. "You will not bring Sonic the hedgehog into the fray, although your determination is admirable, young one. You have a true friend, Miles. Perhaps the most loyal of your followers."

Tails turned to face the bee, immediately seeing that determined look in his eyes. While, Drago had the opposite aura and that influence was spreading to the Rogues. He felt they were beaten, and there was no way out. But one look at his friends was enough to push the fox to keep fighting. Tails composed himself and cleared his throat as he stepped forward.

"...I speak for everyone here-"

Drago looked up. "Prower?..."

"I choose freedom."

"You choose poorly." Millay pushed a small button inside of her trench coat as she turned around. "Hand me the Super Computer."

Shadow snatched the case off of the table top and was back beside Millay before anyone could react.

"Eradicate him, incapacitate the rest. And draw it out."

Storm jumped up to front. "Ah, son of a bitch! Let's do it!"

Shadow easily pushed the albatross out of the way, then swatted Jet and Charmy aside as he moved forward. Drago connected with a spinning wheel kick and a roundhouse kick, but was grasped and thrown through the skylight, landing on the roof. Shadow reached for Tails' throat but the fox backflipped and jump-kicked his attacker in the back of the head in return. The kick only hurt Tails, however, since the Android had a reinforced shell.

"OW!" Tails growled.

He landed and limped on his right leg, then ducked just as Shadow threw a punch at him. Cream and Fiona broke chair legs and struck the Android a few times before he knocked them away. Sonia released the chain holding a chandelier above the living room and as it crashed on to Shadow's head, Tails wrapped the chain around his neck. The Android reached for him once more so Sonia pressed a button to raise the chandelier, which then hung Shadow high above the floor. Everyone got a chance to catch their breath while watching the Android go limp.

"God damnit!..." Jet called out. "Is he dead?"

Shadow ripped the chain from the pulley which held it up, and he fell 10 feet to the floor below. Tails instinctively pulled Fiona down and covered her just as the Android swung the chain around the room. Charmy jumped in front of Cream, Jet grabbed Wave and both cried out as they took a few lashes each. Storm ran in, held his right arm out and the chain wrapped around his thick forearm, then he pulled Shadow close. Each strike dented the golden shell, but Millay's insurance policy wasn't affected. He knocked the albatross down with one headbutt and made his way toward his primary target. He pulled Fiona and her boyfriend apart, then clamped on to Tails' throat.

"NO!" Fiona shouted while striking Shadow.

Sonia ran over and smashed a metal bar over his head, but the Android didn't let up. Wave jumped up to help the girls get the attacker off but nothing worked. Tails' eyes began to turn red and water as he was choked into unconsciousness.

Starr suddenly crashed through the living room window and blasted Shadow with her magenta energy, forcing him to finally release the fox.

"Miles, come here!" Fiona exclaimed while reaching for him.

Shadow got to one knee when the elemental pounced on him with a barrage of forearm and elbow strikes to the top of his head. He was driven into the floor, then stomped over and over until he crashed through the foundation and into the ground.

"You guys get outta here! I'll handle him!" Starr shouted just before diving into the hole in the ground.

Tails coughed as he was helped up by his girlfriend, while Cream and Wave checked on Charmy and Jet.

"We - we've gotta get Sonic off that Island and back here!..." Tails said in between breaths. "...they couldn't have upgraded every security firewall in the Control Tower so, I'm going to TRY and hack in. Hopefully I can open an access point from Seaside Island, Sonic should be able to make it back after that..."

"What do you want us to do?" Charmy asked.

"Help me get inside, then stay together. You know, in case I fail and the Guardians takeover."

Drago jumped through the skylight and landed inside Sonia's living room. "Let's have a little more faith than that."

"What? You were ready to give up and bow down, a second ago!" Fiona shouted.

"Fight them, not each other. Come on, this is our last chance."

Tails led the group out of the loft and back to street level, cutting through alleyways for cover as they moved. He was still recovering from the attack, so everything was a little fuzzy to him. Right away, they noticed almost every G.U.N unit was stationed outside the Control Tower, which made them nervous,

but this was something they needed to face if they wanted their freedom.

"Alright, don't sweat it," Tails said, heartbeat now racing. "We can do this. I'll draw their attention to me-"

Drago pushed him aside and revealed a pistol. "That's boring. I'mma just make things a little more exciting by-"

He fired two shots into the air and saluted to the fox before running around the back of the Control Tower. G.U.N agents shouted and followed the wolf, which gave the group a chance to get through the parameter. Tails ducked behind a white armoured truck and pointed the SAGE program at the Tower, looking for anything to hack. He saw options for the lights, locking mechanisms for the controlled entry doors and a few of the guards' cellphones.

"Get ready to move." Tails called out to the group.

The 10 guards that stood at the main door were startled as all of their cellphones began to ring aloud, with the volume being increased. They pulled them out of their pockets to try and shut them off, while Tails led the group to a side entrance. He quickly gained access, opened the door and ran inside.

"Move, move!"

Before anyone else could follow, G.U.N agents grabbed ahold of them and the side door shut. The last thing Tails saw was Fiona, Cream, Charmy and the Rogues get taken down.

"NO!" Tails screamed as he banged his fists off the metal door.

"Just go, Miles!" Fiona's muffled voice said from outside. "You can do this!"

He struck the door once more and then propelled himself down the halls of the Tower. He said nothing as personnel shouted at him while he flew down the navy blue corridors. Everything was a blur to him at this point. He used SAGE as a GPS for the main control room and dodged technicians while zigzagging through.

Don't stop. Fate of the world is up to you. Try not to let everyone down, again.

Tails thought of everything he'd been fighting for, and what it'll mean if he succeeds.

Remember your promise to Fiona.

The fox kicked open a set of blue doors and knocked a metal shelf in the way to stop anyone from coming in. He hadn't noticed the blaring alarm, it was just background noise to him.

"What was that?!"

"It's the intruder! Stop him!"

Let's not make things too easy, now...

Tails used SAGE to turn out all the lights just as the guards came down the hall. He slipped passed them easily and entered a circular room, looking up at a giant metallic silo. Each level had monitors, buttons and switches on the panels, but the station he was looking for was somewhere else. Higher.

Tails jumped off the freshly waxed black floor and flew upward, passing each level as quickly as he could. During the ascent, he dodged more guards as they reached for him, some even slipped over the railing and took a 20 foot fall. Nothing was stopping him. He thumbed through his touchscreen device as he gained height.

I need the main command console, come on!

SAGE was able to locate the console in question so Tails flew to the 29th level of the metallic silo and began his hack.

"Step away from the Commander's station and put your hands up!"

Tails was too busy to respond to the guard climbing up the silo. He gained access, clicked on "Seaside Island" and looked through all of the options available.

Open the bridge and disengage the SAM Sites. That should do it.

He tapped CONFIRM on the SAGE program and as he sighed in relief, the guard reached the console and aimed his pistol at the fox.

"On the ground. Now."

With a smile on his face, Tails put his hands up and knelt down. Before the guard could take him into custody, his radio beeped so he paused to answer.

"Command, I have Miles Prower. Please advise-"

"Stand down. My asset will acquire him. I am redirecting you to the Greenhill border." Millay said.

"But, ma'am-"

"That's an order."

"Roger." The guard grudgingly replied. "The queen must like you, kid."

Tails said nothing. He watched the tall guard put his pistol away and walk inside a staff elevator.

"I did it."

Tails was suddenly struck in the face with enough force to knock him on his back. Shadow managed to slip away from Starr and had finally caught up to him.

"Oh sh-"

The Android's assault was swift, stomping on the fox far too fast for him to evade. Tails looked up and was met with 2 dozen kicks, the only thing he could do was put his hands up to block. Shadow jumped up for a double foot stomp so the teenage fox rolled out of the way just as he landed.

He's trying to kill me!

As he got to one knee, Shadow grabbed one of his tails, held it against the metal railing and stomped as hard as he could. Tails screamed out as the blow instantly broke his tail, but the Android wasn't finished. He kicked the wailing fox in the back of the head and grabbed the second tail. Tails fought through the pain to pull away and slip under the railing.

Millay watched from the bottom floor as Tails fell from the 29th level of the silo, fully aware he could no longer fly. He bounced off another railing halfway down before smashing into a metal cabinet, which somewhat cushioned his landing.

Shadow landed on his feet and pulled the broken fox off the cabinet, his body made a SPLAT sound as he landed on the black floor.

The Android raised his fist to finish him when Millay spoke. "Wait. I want to draw this out."

Shadow complied and stepped back, letting the G.U.N woman stand over Tails. His right eye was shut and bruises were beginning to form on his face. His black long sleeve shirt was ripped, and the blood from the gashes had already dried. He was dry heaving at her feet, and she flashed a menacing grin down at him.

"You sure did it, Tails. You've won. Congratulations. I'm sure your friends will be impressed..."