The tech lab was in upheaval. Tails knelt on the floor in the foyer, beneath the overhang of the great spiraling stairwell. Chains wound around his tails and arms, and one of his shoulders slumped. The fox watched the combots securing the building, his body stiff and jaw locked.

He had finally stopped shouting at them.

He had not destroyed the missiles and he had not warned Sonic. And who knew how many innocent Mobians would die alongside him today because of it.

He only hoped he could bravely endure the pain they would inflict on him before they killed him. Like Sonic would.

"Keep moving the live workers, CB360L, your regiment has two minutes to get them all in the basement—quietly, in the basement."

Eggman marched into the foyer. He spoke into a combot messenger with one hand and held an ice pack to the back of his head with the other. He shot a pointed smile at Tails as he walked into the room. "Understand, CB360L? They'll be our Plan B if Plan A falls through."

Tails lifted his chin higher. A shaky breath escaped him.

Eggman turned off the messenger and approached Tails.

Tails watched him, swallowing.

"Well, I think we've got everything in order now." Eggman put his hands behind his back. He nodded to the combots holding Tails. "We're going up the stairs. To the top floor."

The two combots standing on either side of Tails snatched his upper arms, and the fox scrambled to his feet. The movement jarred his shoulder and a grimace struck across his face. He growled back a cry of pain, bowing his head.

"Do you need me to pop that back in for you?" Eggman said, clasping his hands.

Tails' forelocks fell into his eyes as he glared up at Eggman. He didn't say a word.

"Good, because I wouldn't," Eggman snickered. He laughed at himself.

Tail's good shoulder slumped. He stared at the human before him, confusion crossing his eyes.

Eggman's words were so… characteristic of him. Just a bunch of mean, bullying, snide words.

How could this human really do this to them? He wasn't a mass murderer, was he? Tails had never seen him kill one Mobian before. There had been several times when Eggman had ordered him to do an especially dangerous job, and sometimes he played cruel or painful jokes, but—He had even let Sonic escape that once—

The fox lunged forward.

"Please, sir, you don't have to do this," Tails blurted out. Before he could stop himself, tears welled up in his eyes. "You don't have to do what Robotnik says—you can deprogram the missiles before it's too late-you don't have to kill us-" Tails stopped, choking on the words.

His clenched his fists, his body stiff.

He knew people were terrible. The worst had thrown rocks at him and hated him for being a mutate. The better ones had left him and Sonic to fight alone. People were selfish and dumb and cruel.

But… then there was Grampa Chuck, who had taken him in and accepted him into his shack, into his home…there was Sonic, who'd seen him half-dead in a cage on the new Mobius orphanage rooftop, decided he didn't like it, broke him out, and kept him ever since…there was Zoey at the exchange school, who smiled at him when she caught him looking at her and each of those smiles he'd locked into his memory forever…there was Sally and Bunnie and Knuckles and Crème and Amy Rose—and then there were the people he saw every day, like Grampa Chuck's customers and people on the street, people with light in their eyes, people who told flat jokes, people who cried, people who hugged, people who forgave, people who hoped…

How could Eggman not understand that? Weren't humans people too? How could Eggman look on while Robotnik gunned them down, and chained them to Mobium extractors, and dragged them to the roboticizer to turn their bodies into machines

"Aw, Tails," Eggman crooned.

The words cut into Tail's thoughts. His gaze refocused. He watched Eggman, desperation on his face.

"You and those big blue eyes of yours—still trying to see the best in everyone, aren't you?" Eggman leaned over and tugged on one of his cheek tufts.

Tails stiffened.

"Even me." Eggman smiled.

Tails stared at Eggman's tinted glasses. He breathed out slowly.

Eggman laughed. "Unfortunately for you, I really like the idea of living forever in a world of flawless robotic beings, where I am free to explore the bounds of my creativity. No mess or fuss." He brushed off his hands. "We're all downgrades now, Tails. You Mobians will be happier creatures once your social problems have all been programmed out of you—I know I certainly will."

For a second, Tails did not move. He blinked.

He took a deep breath, his chest heaving. He began to shake.

"Eggman," he said. "I hope when you have your eternal world you wish you could die after all." His voice rose. "Because of the guilt. I hope you drown in it, and the memories of the people you let die, until you are sick, and wish you could die-!"

Eggman forced out a laugh. He pinched Tail's cheek, hard.

Tails winced, cutting his words short.

"Speaking of which—it's time we went upstairs together." Eggman said.

Tails' eyes sharpened in understanding.