Chapter 3

Recuperation and Reassurance

Tails' fingers flew over the keyboard, his eyes darting across the screen. He desperately tried to ignore the other noises exploding around him as he concentrated. Eggman had his files open, no hacking was even necessary. This was a golden opportunity! Easy pickings. Tails was sure he could find something about Sonic on here if the Doctor was behind what had happened to him in any way. In fact, Tails hit the jackpot. One of Eggman's open files displayed an image of a small lab-like facility that looked as if it was in the middle of nowhere, along with coordinates to its location. And from what Tails interpreted from the data, consisting of readings, observations and silhouette diagrams of a certain familiar spiky figure, it looked like this was where Eggman was keeping Sonic.

Tails shoved a USB into the computer drive to copy the current file, flinching as an explosion occurred not far above his head. He looked up to see Shadow making quick work of a bunch of other robots trying to hurtle towards them. Eggman's shouts carried over the clamour, something on the lines of 'Get away from that computer you furry pests!' and it only made Tails more certain that this was exactly what they needed. He returned his gaze to the USB's download progress, hand tapping wildly on the desk as the impatience and nerves threatened to consume him. Finally the bar went green and flashed with a bright '100%' and Tails immediately yanked the USB out before searching for Shadow, just in time to see the black hedgehog teleport back into existence on the railing. He set his tails spinning and darted towards him, startling him as he appeared by his side.

"I got it! Let's get out of here!" he said urgently.

Without missing a beat Shadow nodded and jumped back down to the floor. Tails swooped down after him.

"Knuckles, clear out!" Shadow shouted at the echidna and together the two of them pummelled through the robots to clear a path back to the Tornado.

"No! Get back here!" Eggman hollered, but Tails paid him no heed.

Tails flew towards his plane and dropped into the driver's seat, moving to start it up before he'd even landed properly. He looked up and shouted warning to his companions. "Knuckles, Shadow! Now!"

Both of them heeded his call, clearing robots out of the way for the Tornado to roll forward a little before lifting off. Tails took the plane into the air before dragging on the wheel and circling around. Knuckles sent a bot flying, then turned to see him coming before running and leaping up onto a wing. Tails searched for Shadow, barely spotting him as he darted under the plane in a black blur before leaping upwards and letting loose a hail of chaos spears on a line of approaching robots, sending them up in smoke. Then barely as Tails opened his mouth to call for him, Shadow vanished before reappearing safe on the other wing of the plane.

Tails focused back on straight ahead and lowered his head determinedly as he sent the Tornado into full throttle, and they shot out through the hole in the wall where they'd made their entrance. The plane soared upwards into the night sky, leaving the wreckage of Eggman's lair behind. Despite himself, Tails felt a surge of triumph that brought a ghost of a smile to his face. He turned to share a glance with Knuckles, and the echidna raised a hand in acknowledgement and flashed him a grin. Tails then swivelled his head to the other side, catching sight of Shadow as he crouched on the other wing. Then… he couldn't help it.

As Tails stared at Shadow, the black hedgehog shifted and morphed into a blue one. Sonic, turning to him, grinning and giving him a thumbs up as if this was just yet another big, exciting adventure. Sonic… Then Tails blinked and Sonic turned back into Shadow, who shot him a stoic glance. Tails jolted before concentrating back on where he was flying, but the sudden weight that had settled upon him did not leave his chest. He occupied himself by checking the dash of the plane as he searched his radar for a safe place to land, then steered in the desired direction. They wanted to put a decent amount of distance between themselves and Eggman, just in case he came hunting for revenge.

"There's some mountains about two hours away," Tails called to his companions, glancing between them. "We can land and take shelter there."

"Sounds good to me," Knuckles replied. "Lemme back in the cockpit though I'm not holding onto this wing for two hours."

Tails slowed the plane a little and tilted it slightly to make it safer for Knuckles to walk along the wing and hop back into the cockpit. He then turned to Shadow.

"Shadow?"

Shadow glanced at him before averting his gaze back to straight ahead. "Lower the plane and I'll go by foot." Was all he said.

"Okay…" Tails murmured and took them into a slow descent.

Though as he did so, his eyes strayed back to Shadow and lingered. After a moment the dark hedgehog met his gaze, and in response Tails smiled faintly.

"Thanks for the assist with the chaos blast back there by the way. Though you know I didn't really need it."

Shadow merely stared at him for a moment, then he grunted and looked away. "It was easier."

His response caused Tails to deflate a little, and he turned slowly to look back at his steering wheel. "Yeah… Right."

Sonic would have come back with some funny or teasing rebuttal. I know pal, but hey you know me, I just gotta have my fun. Tails shook his head. No, what was he doing? It wasn't fair to compare Shadow to Sonic. In fact, he realised that was something the black hedgehog hated. He set his mouth in a firm line and instead channelled his focus into flying the plane. He eased closer to the ground until Shadow rose and jumped clear off the wing to continue skating along down below. Tails then tilted the plane back into an ascent as they continued their trajectory to the mountains. He heard Knuckles yawn behind him, though he suspected it was a mock one.

"Well, that was fun. Nothing like trashing some Eggman robots to lift your spirits."

Tails stayed quiet. Maybe it had lifted some of their spirits. From there he and Knuckles talked little, using the time to recuperate before eventually Tails brought them to a landing at the spot in the mountains he'd chosen. Shadow joined them almost without delay, skidding to a halt by the plane right as Tails and Knuckles jumped out of the cockpit.

"What did you find on Eggman's computer?" Shadow asked.

Tails jerked. The black hedgehog really was all business, wasn't he? But in this case Tails didn't mind. Anything to find Sonic faster. He pulled out the USB.

"Coordinates to a lab. Looked like it was in a pretty isolated, desolate area. Maybe it's a new facility Eggman has built. And from the looks of the digital blueprints, it looks like he might be keeping Sonic there."

Shadow eyed him thoughtfully.

Knuckles hummed and nodded. "Seems promising."

Shadow grunted his acknowledgement. "We'll investigate tomorrow then."

Tails jolted. "Tomorrow?! Why don't we just go now?"

Shadow met his gaze. "It's getting late. And we don't know for certain what we might be up against. It would probably be much more sensible for us to approach this place in the day rather than in the night."

Knuckles huffed. "Looks like for once I find myself agreeing with Shady the Hedgehog here." Shadow shot the echidna an annoyed glare at the nickname but Knuckles swiftly moved on. "Plus, Tails, we've been searching all day… We could use a break. Get some grub into us. I haven't eaten since lunchtime."

Tails hesitated. "But…" However any protest of his was snuffed, as at the mention and subsequent thought of food, his own stomach let out an angry growl. Tails widened his eyes before pressing a hand to his belly and looking up sheepishly as his two companions fixed him with a look.

Knuckles snorted. "And let me guess… You haven't eaten at all today, have you?"

Tails ducked his head. "I was too excited about what Sonic had planned… Then I obviously got too preoccupied with looking for him…"

Shadow regarded him silently before giving a nod. "We should rest. If this place is where the Doctor is keeping Sonic, then it likely isn't going to be a simple walk in the park. We need to make sure we're in good shape to face it."

"Yeah, and rest is the way to be at your best," Knuckles declared. He cocked his head at Tails. "So Tails, did you pack any food?"

Tails froze. "Umm… No."

"Ah, of course not," Knuckles muttered, clearly unimpressed.

Tails felt the urge to shrink into himself. He knew his friend wasn't angry or disappointed in him, but still. Being so focused on going after Eggman, and in extension Sonic, the thought hadn't even crossed his mind and he was annoyed at himself that he'd let something like that slip. Although to be fair he hadn't expected this to turn into a day-trip. But then again, he realised he was the one who was supposed to think about these things, he should have made preparations for the possibility. His worry for Sonic was consuming him.

Shadow sighed before waving a hand in a gesture of indifference. "I'll run to Central City and get us something to eat. You two set up camp here."

Tails perked up. At least they had a plan, and Knuckles and Shadow were probably both right. They needed to rest to ensure they were prepared to face whatever might come.

"Alright."

Without another word Shadow was off. Knuckles glanced at Tails, then strode over and placed a hand on Tails' shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry. We'll find him."

Tails looked up at him and managed a small smile. "Yeah, we will."

Knuckles gave him a nod before turning to head towards the woodland a little further down the mountain. "I'll go collect some firewood. You sit tight."

"Okay…" Tails mumbled, half irritated at being the one to stay behind like a little kid, but also not fully minding it because it gave him a chance to better analyse what he'd found on the USB.

He plugged it into Miles Electric and became immersed in that until Knuckles returned with the firewood. Shortly after they'd gotten the fire going, Shadow arrived with food, and they munched on it mostly in silence.

Tails then continued his analysis on the coordinates he'd found, translating them into a direct location.

"Yeah… It looks like this lab is in the middle of some uninhabited, barren stretch of land. Nothing nearby but some caves. Nearest city is Metropolis to the northeast. But it's still a fair way away from the city or the Metropolitan Highway."

"Inching towards typical Eggman territory too," Knuckles commented distastefully.

Tails conceded his point. Indeed it wasn't far from the north-western part of the continent that Eggman tended to reside over and cause the most trouble. To him it was seeming more and more likely that Sonic was there.

Shadow nodded before he suddenly stood. "We have our lead. We'll make do on it tomorrow." He cast his gaze over the both of them. "For now, we should probably still set up a watch while we sleep. We can't put it past Eggman to try something. I'll take first shift."

Knuckles seemed content not to argue. "Great."

"Okay…" Tails agreed more tentatively.

He recalled that moment back in his workshop, when he and Knuckles had noticed Shadow leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. It had seemed like he was dozing off, but had he just been contemplating? The dark hedgehog was hard to read, however Tails couldn't help but feel he was more tired than he was letting on. But he doubted Shadow would budge on this. If he and Sonic had anything in common, it was their stubbornness. Maybe that was why they clashed so much.

"Be sure to wake one of us up to take over when you need it Shadow," he added, hoping that would provide a little incentive for Shadow not to overexert himself.

Shadow grunted in reply before he strode off and took up a spot on a nearby flat rock.

Knuckles let out a yawn – a real one this time – and stretched out his arms. "I suppose you didn't pack sleeping bags either?" he asked drowsily.

Tails' ears drooped with realisation. "No…"

Knuckles waved a hand. "It's fine. Guess the plane will have to do," he proclaimed cheerily before hauling himself into the back seat.

Tails followed suit, adjusting his own seat a little to give himself some room and so he wasn't so close to the wheel. He worked himself into the best sleeping position he could and closed his eyes. But as was always the curse of having a sharp, active mind, Tails couldn't cease the thoughts racing around in his head. Along with the worry that gnawed at his insides. Was Sonic okay? What kind of state might he be in when they found him? These were the thoughts that plagued him as Tails tossed and turned, for however long he had no idea, until finally it just became too much.

He opened his eyes and found he still felt wide awake, then rose with a sigh. He glanced to Knuckles, saw that he was snoring softly while sprawled in his seat, then he turned to check on Shadow. But his ears pricked at the sight he found.

Shadow had changed from standing on the rock to sitting on it, his elbow on his knee and his head slumped in his hand. He didn't have his back to Tails but was instead side on to him, and so Tails could see part of his face and one eye. And that eye was almost half closed. As Tails watched, it slipped down all the more until it closed completely, and Shadow's head started to droop.

Tails sucked in a breath. He knew how guarded Shadow was, how seriously he took such jobs and tasks. So if he was nodding off, then he was clearly exhausted.

Quickly but quietly, Tails extricated himself from the Tornado's cockpit and padded carefully over to Shadow. His eyes were fully closed now, his head sinking more heavily against his hand. But it seemed the increase in weight from that – in addition to the fact that his muscles would have been slackening as he inched closer to sleep – caused his elbow to slip off his knee. Shadow lurched and woke with a start, his eyes shooting back open and his foot shifting to steady himself. Tails froze and waited, watching as Shadow grunted and hunched over, closing his eyes and massaging his forehead. Tails frowned worriedly, then continued on over.

"Shadow?" he murmured softly when he was at Shadow's shoulder.

Shadow jolted and turned to look at him, but he quickly hid his surprise as he narrowed his eyes. "Why aren't you asleep?"

But Tails didn't back down. His brow furrowed as he met Shadow's gaze unwaveringly and folded his arms, unknowingly kind of copying the hedgehog's signature stance in that moment, albeit unintentionally.

"I think I'm the one who should be asking you that question."

Shadow looked at him puzzledly. "What?"

"Shadow…" Tails said pointedly. "I saw you just now. You almost keeled over." Shadow averted his gaze, seemingly finding himself unable to argue that. And since the hedgehog wasn't insisting that he was fine, that was certainly saying something. Tails pressed on. "Are you okay? How long have you been awake?"

Shadow glanced at him before staring into space as he seemingly sank into thought. "Mm…" Then his expression only grew more befuddled as his eyes strayed to the sky. "Uh…"

Tails found it rather concerning that he had to think that hard about it. Then Shadow finally seemed to come to a conclusion as he blinked.

"Forty hours…"

Tails' eyes stretched wide. "Shadow! You need to sleep! That's why you found it so hard to remember. Lack of sleep affects your memory. Not to mention at this rate you could start hallucinating."

"I know the effects of sleep deprivation Tails…" Shadow muttered.

Tails closed his mouth, realising he was rambling. Then he lifted his gaze and looked Shadow in the eye.

"Get some rest, Shadow… I can take over the watch." He turned his head and stared at the ground. "I can't sleep anyway… I'm too worried about Sonic…"

He felt Shadow's eyes on him for a long moment and he half expected him to protest, but finally, he sighed and stood. "Fine…"

Tails deduced that Shadow really must have been exhausted if he wasn't putting up much of a fight. All the more reason he needed the rest then. Tails gave him a nod, though he'd more or less sunk back into the abyss of his mind at the mention of Sonic. He went ahead and sat down on the rock as Shadow vacated it, resuming his staring at the ground.

"Tails…" Tails jumped as Shadow's voice jerked him out of his thoughts. The hedgehog had paused to look back at him over his shoulder, his gaze hard but not unkind. "We'll find him. We won't rest until we do."

Tails stared as the words washed over him. Somehow, the fact that they came from Shadow, the guy who was probably the least likely to be compassionate or reassuring, made it mean more. Maybe because it proved that the hedgehog, who didn't usually seem to care, was in truth putting in just as much effort as he was. A small smile crept onto Tails' face.

"Thanks, Shadow…"

Shadow's only response was a nod before he made his way over to the plane. Tails watched to make sure he settled, then let out a long breath through his nose and looked up towards the stars. He felt a pang in his chest, a thorn of worry, but at the same time, the spark of a determined flame. And it was the flame he focused on as he frowned up at the sky.

"Just hang on Sonic… We're coming…"