Location: Farley Mansion
Tails sat on his bed playing Game Boy. To him this whole vacation was just a bore. He needed something exciting to happen, some unexpected turn of events. As he sat there thinking, he felt a slight gust of wind blow across his face. He quickly looked up from his game and noticed a small envelope placed right in front of him. Puzzled as to how it got there, he picked it up and read the contents.
First time I saw
you. But I know how to make things
more exciting for
you. Meet me in the library across
from the master
bedroom. I guarantee that things will
become more
interesting.
Zachary
Tails sat puzzled and perplexed as he dropped the note on the bed. *How did he know?* That was the question burning in his mind. He knew the only way to find out if this was a hoax or not was to go to the library and investigate. Although this kind of thinking was unbearably familiar to him, he decided that just sitting and wondering wasn't going to get him anywhere. He turned off the Game Boy and walked out of his room. As he opened the door he looked around to make sure no one, mainly Sonic, was trying to sneak up on him or pull some kind of a dirty trick. As soon as he saw the coast was clear, he flew down the hall into the main entryway. He turned right to the small door and opened it. One door was clearly marked "Library". He pushed it open to reveal a room with a mass store of books and Atlas's, quite possibly dating back four or five hundred years ago. He looked left, then right, and then down the halls between the shelves. He sighed *Well, this is dull* Suddenly the silence was broken.
"Is it really?" Tails jumped and turned to see Zachary, standing five feet away from him. "Got my letter didn't you?"
"But…how did you," Tails stammered for words, "Can you…"
"Read minds? Why, of course! How else would I know that you were bored, and that you longed for excitement."
"But…it's impossible," Tails stuttered, "No one can read minds?"
"No one that you know at least," Zachary said. He laughed to himself and turned to face the other direction.
After Tails had taken in what Zachary had just said, he maid a reply. "So what's so exciting,"
"Come. Follow me," he motioned for Tails to follow him. He walked to a seemingly normal wall and stopped. He turned to face Tails. He stood silent for a moment, then smiled. He pressed a button on the wall and the boards flew back to reveal yet another library, but with slightly less books. These were not in rows, but on high standing shelves, stretching to the ceiling. Also the books were much less outdated. There was a single desk and chair, and one large window on the opposite wall.
"Cool, a secret library," Tails yawned, "Booring."
"You haven't seen the best part yet," Zachary said, walking over to one of the large bookshelves. He reached out his hand and seemed to press keys like on a keypad, but in thin air. Tails jumped back as the bookshelves revolved and a super-computer appeared in their place. On the opposite wall appeared a serried of large tubes, filled with some sort of green fluid.
"What is this," Tails asked in awe.
"Why, it's my laboratory," Zachary replied, "This is where all dreams come true. Surely with your intellect and knowledge of computers you can guess what I do here!"
Tails looked around for a bit. "It's almost as if you could…," Tails didn't even believe what he said next, "create…life."
"Exactly," Zachary said enthusiastically, "I create life here in secrecy. Most of my faculty knows nothing of this place. I let you see it because…how should I put this…you are superior."
Tails was confused. "Superior?"
"Yes, exactly," Zachary said as he pulled up two chairs and placed them so that they were facing each other. Zachary motioned for Tails to sit. Tails hesitated a bit, but then sat down but kept his wits about him. Zachary's tone became stern, "Now, I am going to be very straightforward with you," he said staring straight at Tails, which made him uncomfortable, "This may be hard to believe, but…I created you."
Tails stared at Zachary as if he were a complete lunatic, but Zachary kept his stern expression. "Yeah, sure," Tails said and laughed. Zachary didn't even move from his position, making Tails even more uncomfortable.
Soon Zachary smiled, "I knew you wouldn't believe me right away. That's why I brought some proof." He stood up, "Did you take a look at those tubes on the right wall?"
"Yeah," Tails said, "From a distance."
"Well," Zachary said calmly, "Take a closer look." He motioned to the far left tube. Tails slowly walked over to it, not knowing what to expect. What was inside the tube caused Tails to be amazed and terrified at the same time. Inside the tube lay a direct replica of himself, but in some sort of suspended animation. It was like him in every way, hair, feet, tails. Then Tails thought of something he hadn't before.
"Wait a sec! How do I know if this isn't some sort of projected image of me?"
"Well, do you want to see him in person," Zachary asked. He pressed a few buttons on the keypad left of the tube, and suddenly it started to open. The figure that looked like Tails fell out in a green blob of slime. Soon after it stood up.
"What the…" Tails took a step backward, "What is it?"
"You mean you don't recognize yourself," the figure spoke.
*Impossible! He has my voice* Tails stepped back once more. "How is this possible," Tails asked in disbelief.
"Just some DNA and a few other minor commodities," Zachary said as he looked down at Tails' clone, "Quite life like, really." Zachary paused for a moment and looked up at Tails with an evil glimmer in his eye. "Of course, you know," he spoke with a sort of Hannibal Lectar tone, "We can't have two of you running around. So I'll strike you a deal, how does that sound?"
"What," Tails asked. The whole cloning thing confused him beyond belief.
Zachary turned to look out the window. "I am a man who believes in natural selection. Survival of the fittest. It is practiced all around the world. The stronger destroy the weaker." He turned to look a t Tails once more, "You and your clone. A battle to the death. May the best man win?"
Suddenly the clone lunged at Tails, catching him off guard. He hit him to the ground with a swift right hook. As Tails lay there, confused and bewildered, the clone put his foot under him, and, in a swift kicking motion, flung him into the air. Before Tails could even react the clone jumped and kicked him across the room to hit the wall next to Zachary. Tails looked up at him with his blurry vision, and took one last breath of air before the clone again threw him across the room. His head hit the wall with a 'thud', and he fell to the ground unconscious.
Zachary walked over to him and inspected his bruises. "I hope you didn't damage anything of importance," he said firmly to the clone, "I still need him for testing."
"Don't worry," the clone said, "He'll be fine. Now who do you want next?"
"Zachary was silent for a moment. He rubbed his chin, then stood up. "Just lie low for a while," he said calmly, "But in the mean time, help me get him down to the testing chamber." Zachary got Tails' arms as the clone took his legs and they dragged him to a corner of the wall where, on Zachary's voice command, flew open to reveal a stairway down to a basement filled with many tubes like the ones the clone was in. He opened one and put Tails inside. After closing it he Pressed a few buttons in the keypad near the tube and it began to fill up with the same green liquid that the clone was in before. A breathing apparatus came down and wrapped itself around Tails' muzzle just as the liquid reached his neck. As the tube filled to capacity, Zachary chuckled to himself. *It has begun. Finally I will know what went wrong so many years ago*