Chapter 8: Grand Theft Biplane

Sonic slowly stepped closer, rubbing his eyes to confirm what he was seeing was real. The blue hedgehog witnessed the prodigious fox cub welding metal together, finishing off the frame of a small biplane custom built by Screwy herself. Pulling up her mask, she turned to her papa and waved, giggling with a smile on her oil-smeared face.

"Ummm…hey?" Sonic nervously waved back. Screwy returned to work, pulling her mask back over her face before making a few final welds and checking the engine.

The blue hedgehog stepped forward, extending his hand.

"Ya sure it's safe to be usin' such dangerous equipment?"

Screwy pulled the welder away with a frown, shaking her head with puffed out cheeks.

"Oh, okay then…" Sonic placed a palm against his face with a groan. "What do I do now?" Turning around, he approached the two-tailed fox, sleeping peacefully on the hard floor of the workshop.

"Hey, Tails…" The blue blur knelt down and poked his pudgy belly with a gloved finger. "We've got a bit of a situation here."

"No, Sonic…those are…my mints…" Tails rolled over, curling up with his twin namesakes as he spoke in his sleep.

"All right, Tails," the blue hedgehog sighed as he knelt down to his younger brother's hip, "you forced my hand." Taking in a deep breath, Sonic blew a raspberry against Tails' furry skin. The young kitsune's eyes instantly shot open as he rolled backward and landed on his feet, blushing profusely.

"What was that for?!" Tails exclaimed as he balled his fists, leaning forward slightly with puffed out cheeks.

"I had no other choice!" Sonic replied, chuckling as he pulled himself up. "I had to get you up somehow. You know what Screwy's been up to?" Tails put a gloved finger to his chin.

"Last time I checked, we were drinking some mint tea when I sorta…passed out." The orange fox itched the back of his head. "Where is she anyway?"

As soon as he asked, the brotherly duo heard the sound of an engine roaring to life. Stepping around the Tornado 1, they watched in amazement as Screwdriver was running through a mental checklist, twisting knobs and pulling levers on the small dashboard of her tiny biplane. Pulling a pair of steampunk goggles over her eyes, she smirked as she put her smol hands on the yoke.

"You don't think she's…" Sonic stood still, almost at a loss for words. "…she's gonna…take off…do you?"

"Incredible." Tails' mouth was agape. "When I was her age, I could never have imagined actually building my own plane. This kiddo's truly something special." Lost in thought, he squeaked as Sonic dove against him, pushing them out of the away as Screwdriver drove the plane out from its parking spot between Tails' own aircrafts and began rolling down the long workshop, making her way to the adjoining landing strip.

"Screwy!" Tails and Sonic yelled, simultaneously spindashing toward the aircraft. Before the two could reach the airstrip, however, the plane was already in the air. Screwdriver had left her fathers behind.

"Dang it!" Sonic yelled as he snapped his fingers. "We gotta go after her!"

"I'll start up the Tornado 2, and you gather up the kids." Tails pointed to their shared abode.

"Right." Nodding his head, the blue hedgehog sped back into the house, returning moments later with Leo, Blitz, Clover, and Amanda, two curled up in either arm. The cubs were confused, wondering why they were pried away from their afternoon cartoons by their papa, but they rolled with it.

Sonic scaled the Tornado with a few jumps, landing in the backseat and gently placing the babies on either side.

"All right, kiddos," Tails greeted, spinning around from the pilot's seat with a smile on his face. He was clearly suppressing his anxiety in the hopes he wouldn't stress out the cubs. "Who's ready for a little field trip?"

"Me! I am! Meeee!" Replied the fox cubs in baby speak as they raised their arms high in the air.

"Then let's get this show in the road!" With a wink, the orange kitsune spun himself back around and began rolling his aircraft out of the workshop.

"Where d'ya think we're goin'?" Blitz asked Leo to his right.

"Pshh, who cares." Leo scoffed and folded his arms, looking out the window with an apathetic expression. Shaking his head, Blitz peered over at the girls across from Sonic's legs. "Ya know where we're goin'?"

"I don't know!" Amanda replied, a smile on her face. "I love surprises, though!"

"Indeed," Clover added in a soft voice, straightening her green blouse, "I look forward to this family outing."

"You said it, sis!" Blitz replied with a thumbs up before resting his back against the seat, placing his hands behind his head not unlike the blue hedgehog next to him.

"Say," Clover looked around the back seat of the Tornado, "where's Screwy?" Blitz and Amanda looked at each other before returning her gaze with a shrug.

"Who cares." The three turned their attention to the edgy fox in the corner, who slouched against his seat and closed his eyes.

"That's kinda harsh, brah," Blitz nudged him with a playful fist against his shoulder, which was caught by Leo's crushing palm

"N-nani?" Blitz tried to pull his arm away, but Leo tightened his hold.

"You listen here, baka," Leo scoffed, "nobody messes with me. Got that?" He swatted his arm away.

"Geez." Blitz grasped his smol wrist and examined his tiny fingers. "Has anyone ever told you to chillax, dude?"

"Hmph…" Folding his arms, Leo peered out the window once more with an apathetic gaze.

"Now, now boys," Sonic patted Blitz on the head, who responded with a warm smile, before doing the same for Leo, who grimaced at the affection, "no need to fight in such a cramped space. You can duke it out when we're on the ground."

"Sonic!" Tails exclaimed from the pilot's seat, giving him a glare through the rearview mirror.

"What?" Sonic shrugged his shoulders. "Bros can tussle. It's only natural. How else are they supposed to build character?"

"No way," Tails replied as he shook his head, "in our household, we talk through our differences."

"Boring!" Sonic smirked as he nudged Blitz from his right. "Am I right?" Blitz laughed, smiled, and nodded back at him. "Way to go m' lil' champ!" Sonic presented his palm, and the cool fox cub slapped his own against, giving his papa a low five.

"Sonic…" Tails puffed out his cheeks once more, not amused in the slightest.

"All right, fine." Sonic wrapped his arms around the four cubs, pulling them in closer. "Remember kiddos, Sonic sez you should only use violence as a last resort."

"Well," Sonic continued, in a whispered voice, "unless we're dealing with Egghead."

"That's…" Tails froze with a raised, protesting finger, thinking through the blue hedgehog's commentary. "That's…actually correct. Yes kids," the orange kitsune nodded his head, looking at them through the mirror, "violence is wrong unless you have no other option, or you come across Eggman's machines."

"Or the fat tub o' lard himself!" Sonic exclaimed. While Blitz, Amanda, and Clover laughed, Leo rolled his eyes, the most uncomfortable out of the group snuggled together in the blue hedgehog's arms.

"Sonic," Tails said in a whispered voice, "it's not very nice to call people fat, remember?"

"Ahh, gotcha." Sonic gave his younger brother a wink before returning his attention to the fox cubs. "N' remember, Sonic n' Tails say to never make fun of someone for their weight."

"Unless it's Eggman," the blue hedgehog whispered.

"What was that?" Tails asked with a furrowed brow.

"Oh, nothin', bud!"

"Likely story…" The orange kitsune returned his attention to the flight path before him. The sun was starting to recede in the blue, mid-afternoon sky, still more than enough light to look for the reckless, high-flyin' baby fox.

"Geesh," Sonic brought his hands behind his head and leaned back, "bein' a parent's hard work." He sighed as he closed his eyes.

"At least he's trying," Clover noted to Amanda to her side. "A bit unrefined, but he truly cares about us."

"Exactly!" Amanda replied with a nod. "He's learning." She snuggled against her side as the green-clad fox closed her eyes, placing her small palm over hers.

"I see her!" Tails pointed ahead to a small biplane in the distance. Unlike the Tornado, Screwy's model was more rudimentary, reaching a lower top speed than even Tails' original biplane.

No response.

"Sonic?" Tails peered back to reveal his older brother sleeping between the fox cubs, snoring gently with his hands behind his head. "Wake up, ni-san!" This caught the attention of the snoozing hedgehog and the fox cubs alike.

"Huh, whut?" Sonic shook his head to wake himself up. "Whud I miss?"

"Look!" Tails pointed forward once more, Screwy's aircraft now closer.

"Way to go, Tails!" Sonic gave him a thumbs up from the backseat. "What's the plan now?"

"I'll try calling her." The orange fox reached for his corded speakerphone affixed to his dashboard. "Screwy, this is Daddy. Do you read me, over?"

"Dada!" her voice rang through the speaker.

"Listen to me very carefully," Tails replied, furrowing his brow as he tightened his grip on the phone. "I need you to return home and land ASAP, all right? Your plane hasn't been properly inspected or tested. You can't just fly off in a plane you whipped together in an afternoon."

Silence.

"Can you hear me, over?"

"…Gaga."

Click.

"I think she hung up on me," Tails said with a shrug.

"She what?" Sonic pulled himself forward, resting his chin above Tails' headrest. "Man, she's so grounded."

Blitz crawled over the seat where Sonic was sitting moments ago.

"Is Screwy flying that plane?" he asked.

"It sounds like it," Amanda replied, tears forming in her eyes. "I hope she doesn't crash…" Clover patted her hand with a smile.

"I'm sure Screwdriver will be all right. She is a smart cookie, after all."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Amanda sighed as she slouched back in her seat and wiped away the tears. "Hey, where did Blitz go?" she asked as she looked to her right, unable to find the energetic fox who had been there mere moments earlier. Looking around the cabin, they soon found Blitz crawling up Sonic's blue quills, eventually reaching his head.

"You go, Screwy! Whoohooo!" he yelled as he pulled against the hedgehog's triangular ears.

"Woah, there…" Sonic grabbed the free-roaming fox and cradled him in his arms. "You should chill with your siblings, dude."

"Okay, Papa…" Blitz replied in baby speak, wearing a sour expression, one which changed to a giggle as the blue hedgehog poked his furry belly.

"See, all better." With a smile, Sonic placed Blitz next to Amanda as he returned his attention to his younger brother. Leo scoffed from the sidelines.

"How long do you think her plane can fly, Tails?"

"Good question." Tails raised a gloved finger to his chin in thought. "Let's see…given the size of the plane, and assuming she filled it to the brim, I'd say she could go another several hours."

"Several hours!" Sonic exclaimed. "When's she supposed to take her nap?" Tails peered down at his watch, his eyes bulging out at the unwelcomed realization.

"Her nap was scheduled an hour ago, but she went rogue and built that heccin' plane instead." The two stared at the aircraft ahead, which started tilting to the left.

"Screwy!" they yelled.

"All right, kids," Sonic said as he spun around, "I need you to stay put, you understand?"

"Yes, Papa," replied Blitz, Amanda, and Clover as they nodded. Leo merely looked up at the blue hedgehog, grunted, and resumed his gaze out the window.

"Tails," Sonic continued as he peered down at his little brother from above the headrest. "Get us next to Screwy n' open the hatch. I have a plan." The fox peered up at the blue hedgehog with a worried expression.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing, Sonic…" Doing as he was told, Tails increased his velocity, swerving around the smaller aircraft and bringing his speed closer to hers. Thankfully, Screwy leveled off her plane, and her flight path was now less sporadic.

Sonic jumped out of the cockpit as soon as Tails opened the protective glass covering, riding the right wing like a surfboard. Observing the smaller plane, he could make out the sight of the prodigious fox cub smiling and waving back at him, giggling without a care in the world.

"Here!" Looking back, Sonic caught a wireless headset.

"Thanks, buddy!" The blue hedgehog gave Tails a thumbs up as he put on the device and returned his focus to Screwdriver's plane.

"Listen to me," Sonic began as he pointed back the way they came, "you need to return home n' land this plane." Screwy placed a finger against her chin in thought.

"Nah."

"N-nani?" Sonic was dumbstruck. "Listen to your papa, Screwdriver Prower-Hedgehog!" She blew him a raspberry before disconnecting the call.

"That son of a…" The blue hedgehog removed his headset and crushed it in his palm, the pieces falling to the ocean below. Sighing, Sonic jumped back in his seat between the fox cubs. "Well, I'm all out of ideas."

"I think we're in luck!" Tails pointed to Screwdriver's biplane, which veered to the right, approaching a floating island in the distance.

"Well kiddos," Sonic observed the fox cubs below, who intently stared back at him, save for the apathetic Leo to his right.

"Time for a lil' fieldtrip."