"No, no!" Sonic chastised Knuckles, "you're supposed to say 'cool' when you think something's really neat! And you've gotta use more contractions, buddy! No one likes a windbag!"
"I still do not understand the purpose of these 'speech lessons'," the Guardian grumbled impatiently, "it feels like you are doing this more for your convenience than my own good."
Miles chuckled a bit to himself as he took a momentary break from his work on repairing the Tornado. Sonic had been spending the past couple of days trying to get the echidna to speak more casually, with less than stellar results. The Guardian was a stubborn guy, stuck in the ways that he'd been brought up on under his parents, including his vernacular. But then, the hedgehog was just as persistent, if not more, so he wasn't going to give up easily.
As for the others, Big was fishing on the shore of the nearby lake, a basket full of numerous catches on one side while Froggy sat leisurely on the other. Gizmo was bringing over more parts that they'd managed to scrounge from the base the Kukkus had set up during their time reconstructing the Battle Moon. Gadget was serving as the mediator between Sonic and Knuckles whenever one side got too pushy or heated, while Fuchsia was off somewhere else.
'She probably still feels bad about being Converted and fighting us,' he assumed with a slight frown.
When he thought about it, aside from getting together for meals and taking stock of supplies, Miles hadn't seen very much of his feline friend since their latest victory against the Empire. Her red wolf lover had been giving her space as well, letting her process things at her own pace while he kept himself busy and distracted. The fox knew that Gadget had his own hangups about what happened, though, not to mention what it must have done to his confidence. And he'd be lying if he didn't blame himself a little bit. After all, if he'd just said no to Fuchsia coming along, then it never would have happened.
'To her, anyway,' a small part of him corrected his ruminations, 'who's to say that the doctor wouldn't have gone for any of the others instead?'
He shook away the idea before he could start picturing his siblings or Sonic in Kukku uniforms. All of the updated models of the Conversion Therapy Pods had been aboard the Battle Moon when it was destroyed, and they had scrapped the older ones remaining on the ground for parts. Data on their construction had been entirely purged from any and all of the Empire's data banks and cloud storage, thanks to Gizmo. The whole CT process, as far as Miles knew, was no longer something anyone had to worry about. That was, unless some desperate Kukku remnants found some earlier machines somewhere, but he had a feeling that was extremely unlikely.
However, even with the Empire gone, or at least down for the count, they were hardly the only enemies he'd made. Miles thought about the time he'd crossed the Dazzling Desert and ran afoul of the territory's most notorious individuals. An infamous band of bounty hunters, contract killers, and other ne'er do wells known as the Jackal Squad, which was composed exclusively of the species in its name. They'd believed him easy prey, as he'd been a fresh teenager at the time, and even if they didn't know what a Chaos Emerald was, it had looked valuable enough for them to want to kill him for it. He'd proven them wrong, and he knew that their leader, Zero, hadn't taken the loss lightly. The self-proclaimed "Ultimate Mercenary" had sworn vengeance against him for such an embarrassment, a threat that he had yet to carry out. Who knew when the Jackal Squad would show up again?
And then after that, he'd happened across that one little island in the Pacific. It had been a picturesque place, with a pine-studded forest, some small mountains, and some grassy ruins that included an old castle. The problem had been that Wendy Witchcart and her gang had set up shop there, terrorizing the local Critters and using her magic to encase any would-be heroes in crystal. Like with the Jackal Squad, Miles recalled how despite a few hairy situations, he'd managed to show them what for and set things right. It had turned out that the witch's minions were mind-controlled by another of her powers, but they weren't any more pleasant once they were free, so the fox had ended up leaving them to the authorities as well. He had a feeling that he hadn't seen the last of them, though.
Then there were the Hooligans. Well, he hadn't met them personally, but he knew of them, as did many others. A trio of troublemakers that included the master sharpshooter Fang the Sniper, the unstable and bomb-obsessed Bean the Dynamite, and the silent brawler Bark the Polar Bear. Each of them were wanted criminals in their own right, but not long before he and the others had set out for Angel Island, those guys had put their group together. Other than the odd alliance being established, the three crooks had kept quiet about whatever it was they were up to. Miles wasn't keen on running into them, but if it happened, he'd bring them to justice like they deserved. That, and he'd get a pretty penny for bringing them in, given that they were wanted.
There weren't just potential enemies waiting for him, though. He knew there were others out there that would be much more pleasant to hang out with. He remembered Ray the Flying Squirrel and his own little buddy, Mighty the Armadillo. How they'd all been coincidentally captured in a surprise attack launched by Dr. Fukurokov, who'd taken matters into his own hands as far as trying to get rid of the fox for good. Working together, they'd beaten his traps and robots, and sunk his island fortress, leaving him to return to the GBK in shame and defeat. And now that he looked back on it, the dynamic between the two was similar to what he and Sonic had, but not too similar. Having the four of them in the same room together would be interesting, to be sure.
Or how about the two girls he'd met when he went to see Little Planet for himself? Amy Rose was a bit of a rascal, but she was a good kid, in a manner that was both like and unlike his blue partner. And then there was Cream, who was as sweet as her name suggested, but also rather brave. She'd only hesitated a little when he'd suggested exploring Little Planet, albeit for understandable reasons, such as having to look after the pink hedgehog with her. By the end, though, she'd been glad she came along, and Miles had been happy to have her and Amy share the experience. He imagined she'd be surprised at how he'd grown, since he wasn't nearly as tall those couple of years ago, nor did he sport his tawny markings yet at the time. Given that she was only a little younger than himself, and thus also at that time of her life when big changes occurred, Miles couldn't help but wonder how she'd developed since they last met.
'Look at me, thinking about a girl like this,' he mused, a goofy grin forming as his cheeks reddened beneath the fluffy white fur, 'it would be nice to see her again, though. Maybe a trip to Never Lake is in order this year...I wonder if I can get Sonic to stay behind this time? I could use an outing without anyone else coming along.'
That made his mind turn to a matter that he didn't want any of the others getting involved with. Not yet, anyway. He'd been quiet about his discovery concerning his biological parents, as well as his relation to author and archaeologist J. P. Cross. The other vulpine had been the one to give him those photos, and that led Miles to believe that he knew something about what happened to them. The teen wasn't really sure why he didn't just come out and tell him, rather than being all low-key about it. Maybe the cross fox thought he wouldn't have believed him if he did that? Still, to think he had a cousin, and an aunt and uncle as well, if they were still around, when he'd previously thought he might not have any family out there...
CLANG!
Miles jumped a little when a racket of parts and pieces being dropped next to the plane shook him out of his thoughts. He peered over the side to see his lupine sister waving at him with a light smile on her muzzle.
"I'd ask if mechanic's block is getting you down," she remarked, kneeling down to sift through the contents she'd brought. Her smirk fell into a more neutral purse of the lips. "But that's not it, is it?"
The fox set his spanner to the side and hovered down across from her, stretching out his arms and legs and letting out a bit of a tuckered sigh. "There's a lot to unpack, but I'd rather wait until we're home again, and we still need to get the Tornado back in the air before that."
He noticed that she stopped what she was doing, as he didn't hear the junk being moved around. Gazing down, he noticed that her expression had softened to one of concern.
"I don't wanna be too pushy," the she-wolf said, her orange eyes momentarily looking away, then back to him, "but you've been...pretty out of it today."
The teen blinked at that, modestly rubbing at his nearly shoulder-length hair. "Really? I don't think I've been that bad, Sis."
"It's already close to the bottom of the afternoon," Gizmo argued, pointing out the shifting colors in the western part of the sky, "and you're still working on things you said you didn't need help with and would get done by the end of the day!" She stood up and folded her arms like a mother would. "It's not like you to make up a deadline and potentially miss it. There's something that's really eating at you, Miles, and playing dumb isn't going to help with it. You know I hate it when you do that, too!"
Miles hummed and looked away. He didn't want to admit that he'd been more distracted than he would sometimes get, especially not what was diverting his attention. But, he couldn't fool his adopted sister. She had a sort of sense for whenever something was bothering him, though she usually didn't confront him unless it was obvious and or serious. He must have been really spacing out for her to lay into him like this, and his attempt to brush it off certainly wasn't doing him any favors.
"You're right, I'm sorry," he apologized, sparing a momentary glance at the others, "but, I don't want to worry you and the others. I really think it'd be better if we waited until we were back home."
It appeared Gizmo got the message, relaxing her posture and seeming to move past him to go get more supplies. That was, until he felt a sharp pain in the corner of one ear as the she-wolf tugged on it and started dragging him along.
"Ow! What the hell, Giselle!?" he protested, getting the attention of the other guys, "I said I didn't want you guys worrying about me!"
"Saying that only makes me worry more!" Gizmo growled, pulling on him a bit more firmly. They made their way over to Sonic, Knuckles, and Gadget, where the teal wolf pointed at her brother, then behind her. "Gad, family talk."
The red twin perked his brow. "Right now?"
"Yes, right now," she affirmed, putting her free hand on her hip impatiently.
Gadget shrugged and got up, giving the hedgehog and echidna a two-finger salute before joining his siblings. Seeing that he had both of them about to sit him down for a chat, Miles stopped resisting. Thankfully, Gizmo released her grip on his ear once she felt him quit tugging back, but she still kept an eye on him as they headed for a quieter spot. They settled for one of the more modest buildings in the abandoned base, one that wasn't too far away from camp.
"So, what's up?" asked the bespectacled wolf once they were inside.
The one with goggles peered over at the fox. "That's what I'd like to know. What's going on, Miles?"
Miles let out a little bit of a sigh and reached into one of his belt pouches to pull out his multitool. Of all the things on his mind, the matter regarding his family was the one that was bugging him the most, if he were to assign any value. The Wolves were family too, and he was going to tell them about this sooner or later. He just didn't expect it to be quite so soon. But maybe, when he brought this up with Gob and Guen, it would be easier if Gad and Giselle were already aware and could better support him.
"It's about the time I went to see J," he started, booting up the device and accessing its internal memory, "before Sonic and I left, he gave me an envelope and told me to check its contents when I had privacy."
The twins both perked up at that.
"Well, what was in it?" Gadget inquired, leaning back against a nearby wall and gesturing for the fox to continue, "something he thought you could figure out for him?"
"I'm guessing it wasn't a copy of his latest manuscript," Gizmo commented, having taken a seat on a bit of relatively flat and smooth rubble.
Miles appreciated the levity they were trying to bring. That said, he wasn't sure how long it would last once they learned the truth.
"I'm not sure if he needs help with this, Gad," he replied, "but then, I haven't had the chance to ask since he gave the envelope to me."
He came across the images that the cross fox had given him, now uploaded onto the Miles Electric. Swiping over to the image of him and his parents, Miles prepared to hand it over and let them see, but he hesitated for a second. He didn't debate for long, though, and he ultimately turned the multitool around so they could take it by the handle. Gadget did the honors, adjusting his glasses as he brought the screen up close so that he could see properly. He squinted his eyes and mouthed the words at the bottom of the photograph, those orange orbs of his widening and his jaw hanging slightly once the full weight set it. Morbidly curious at such an expression, Gizmo swiped it to get a look for herself, getting an indignant "Hey!" from her brother in response. After getting her fill, she was sporting an identical face to the other twin.
"Miles?" the red wolf asked softly, getting those cyan-blue eyes to focus on him, "is it really them? You've never shown us any pictures before."
The teen rubbed one of his arms with the other hand. "That's because I didn't have any until now. It may have been a long time since I last saw them or anything that had their likeness, but...that's Mom and Dad all right."
"It brings up an odd question, though," the teal twin said, "why did J have a picture of you and your parents?"
Miles made a motion to keep going. "There are a few more photos that'll give you the answer."
They did as he prompted and went through each of them. The she-wolf let out a sound of adoration at one point, no doubt the picture of him and a young J together. She always did have a fondness for cute things, even if she tried to hide it. But by the end of it, the two of them were clearly more surprised than they had been a moment ago.
"Wow, that's, um," Gadget stuttered, handing the device back to his brother, "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that J. P. Cross is your cousin. But, why didn't he just come out and tell you?"
Miles shrugged as put his multitool away. "Maybe he didn't think I'd believe him if he did that. That's run through my mind more than once."
"I guess that's understandable," Gizmo mumbled, though she wasn't entirely convinced, "still, he could've been a little more direct."
Maybe that was true, but it was too late to think about the what-ifs now. Besides, he had an inkling that there was some yet unknown reason that kept J from divulging the truth there and then. Hopefully, he would discover what that was when he returned to West Side Island and discussed it with him.
"I guess I'll find out what he really knows soon enough," Miles said, pressing one hand to his chest, "but, that's not all that's been bothering me."
There was the matter of the other antagonistic forces that he'd encountered, but that wasn't on his mind at the moment. Rather, the one that they'd most recently dealt with had come back to the forefront.
"About what happened aboard the Battle Moon after you left," he started, taking a moment to find the words, "do you guys think I made the right choice?"
The twins glanced at one another, then turned to him with almost unreadable faces. He wasn't sure whether that was good or bad.
"If it were up to me," Gadget admitted with a little shake in his voice, "I wouldn't have been so merciful. Fu told me that while the doc made the machine, it was the bird bird himself who put her in there!" He clenched his fists, evident anger showing in his eyes. "To be frank, I'd have let them both burn up with the station!"
Miles was a bit taken aback by the passionate fury his brother was displaying. But, he couldn't really blame him for how he felt. He turned to his sister, wondering if she felt the same.
"I don't think I'd have let them go either, Miles," Gizmo told him, "but I know you're not like that, and neither of us hold that against you." She offered a light smile. "Besides, we'll see soon enough whether or not they humbled themselves enough to accept your help."
He conceded that point, though he still couldn't help asking the obvious question. "And if they didn't?"
"Then the world's better off," the she-wolf replied bluntly, flipping her hair with a scoff, "you gave them a chance, so it's not your fault if they end up dead."
The fox knew that was true, but he also knew he'd feel bad if that turned out to be what happened. What would Speedy think if he ran into him again? Something to ponder for later, he supposed.
"So, was there anything else?" Gadget inquired, getting the fox's mind off the subject.
Miles pondered for a brief moment, then shook his head. "No, nothing as big as those two."
"Now, don't you feel better after sharing?" Gizmo asked, a modest smile on her face.
The fox rubbed at his hair and chuckled softly. "I do feel a little less anxious. It shouldn't be a problem to get the Tornado done now."
"Then I'll meet you guys back at the site," the red twin told them as he got up, "I'm gonna go find Fu and check up on her."
With that, he left them to their devices. Seeing as the conversation seemed to be done, the other two canids made their way back to the plane, now less distracted from their task. With a bit of extra elbow grease, they could finish up repairs and head out the next day. After that, then he could start worrying about some of those matters again.
"You doing alright there, Ace?" Rouge asked Speedy.
Night was starting to fall over the world below, but up in the clouds, the two fliers still had a good view of the last traces of dusk. Both had been given aerial assistance in the form of jet packs modified from what the ace remembered of his people's technology, which helped them reach the altitude they were soaring at. They were moving at a fairly steady pace, both to conserve fuel, and so that they didn't alert anyone in case they had any sort of long-range detection. That had been the reason they traveled in this manner instead of taking a fighter jet or transport, since those would've been too conspicuous. In all that time, the former Kukku prince had barely spoken a word, mostly keeping his attention on the sky in front of them. He kept up that same steely glare, too, so it was hard to get a read on what he was thinking or feeling. The bat had a few ideas, though, given recent events.
"I'm fine," he answered briskly, a tinge of annoyance crossing his features, "that's the third time you've asked me in the past twenty minutes, by the way."
Rouge chuckled sardonically. "Nice to know you're paying attention. I just wanna be sure your head's in the game, Your Highness."
"Don't patronize me, mammal," Speedy shot back, "I've been accustomed to the soldier's way for my entire life, so I'm no rookie when it comes to this sort of work."
The bat hummed and went ahead of him a little, showing off some by flipping over so she could fly backwards and face him. "Oh, believe me, I'm well aware." She smirked cheekily. "But doing something good isn't something you have a lot of experience with."
"As if stealing from a hero can be considered 'good' in any meaningful capacity," the avian remarked snidely, "I'm only following along because the alternative means being thrown into Prison Island or one of G.U.N.'s other correctional facilities."
Rouge rolled her eyes. "You've made that crystal clear, honey. I get it, you don't like it because the fox boy gave you a second chance and doing this makes you look ungrateful." She pulled back so that she was on his three, looking over her shoulder at him with a more mild expression. "Look, you don't have to help me take the Emerald. You just have to make sure we get away safely. It'd be easier for me if you laid low while I went in, anyway."
Speedy clicked his beak, though he said nothing more. The agent had a point about maintaining stealth, but it would also reduce his chances of running into Miles. There were several reasons he didn't want to face the fox, not just because being caught here would make him look bad. However, now wasn't the time to be dwelling on them. He had a mission to take care of, whether he liked it or not.
Just as planned, night fell when they arrived at the location where Angel Island had last been spotted, finding the mystical floating landmass hidden behind a huge veil of clouds. Once they'd gotten past the barrier, they could see around the place as though the covering wasn't there, suggesting that it was an illusion. With how dark it was now, the ace slipped on a pair of night-vision goggles, while the other agent was naturally well-adapted to such conditions. Conversely, she had to huddle in a little bit and rub her bare arms with her gloves to keep warm, but the bird was feeling fine thanks to his feathers.
After a few more minutes, the two spotted a large lake that was surrounded by forest and mountains, with numerous buildings, cranes, and other structures set up along the shore and on the water. That must have been where the Empire had set up operations while repairing the Battle Moon, and from what they could see, there was still some activity there. None of it was coming from within the base itself, but rather, a small patch of woods just a stone's throw away from the eastern shore. The tell-tale orange glow of a campfire lit up a section of trees, and several shadows were cast from its radiance.
Once they were about a hundred meters above the site, the two operatives cut the engines on their jet packs and resorted to their natural flight. They lowered themselves down halfway, then came to a stop, treading the air with their respective means of keeping afloat.
"Do you see our target's owner down there, Ace?" she asked him as she tried to peek for herself.
Speedy adjusted the settings on his goggles to go from NV Mode to infrared, making sure to turn it down a little so the fire didn't blind him. With that change, he was easily able to detect how many life forms were below them, and there were more than just their quarry. There was Miles, who could be told apart from the other two canids by his tails, as well as the hedgehog kid that tagged along by his side. The aforementioned wolves were present, as were two cats, one of which was female and around the same size as the fox, while the other was bigger and taller than any of the other Animals. The seventh figure was one that Speedy didn't know what to make of, as it seemed similar to the spiny boy, but definitely was not the same species. He had an odd feeling that he'd seen that person's kind before, though, maybe in pictures or something.
"Yeah, he's there," the bird confirmed, gesturing at his location below them, "along with six other Animals...and one frog Critter."
Rouge nodded and shot a glance at where he'd pointed out Miles' whereabouts. "So where does he keep the Emerald? Any kind of storage?"
"It's in one of the pouches on his utility belt," Speedy elaborated, "knowing him, he keeps it on him pretty much at all times. It would be best to wait until everyone's retired for the night."
"In that case, I'm going to do a little exploring to pass the time," the bat decided, giving him a sly wink before silently flying off.
Speedy let out a puff through his beak as he watched her go, no doubt looking to see if there was anything else worth pilfering in this place. As for him, he elected to descend onto the roof of one of the base's structures and kick up his feet while he kept an eye on the others. When it came to his responsibilities for this job, this was the extent of them, as far as he was concerned. Unless Rouge got careless and needed him to bail her out, she was on her own from here.
Having heard the old legend about this place from her father, especially the part about the illustrious "Stone of Power", Rouge was determined to see it for herself. After all, "stone" usually meant gemstone, and there weren't many of those that were considered mythical. And if she were something so extraordinary, then she would certainly be kept in the most treacherous place to prevent others from being able to take her so easily.
'A place like that volcano in the center north,' she surmised, making her way to the island's tallest peak, 'my nose for gems is telling me that has to be it!'
And luckily for her, it didn't take very long to reach the crater. Diving past the rim, the bat was stunned to see pathways and tunnels hewn into the sides and across the center of the mountain's inner space. But most impressive of all was the towering stronghold nestled among cool blue and purple crystals, like something out of an old movie she'd seen once.
Rouge touched down at the entrance of the joint, taking in the sights up close before going up the steps, the clacking of her boots echoing through the hall. Moving past a few pillars, she spotted a mural of a colossal bird creature and a golden two-tailed fox wrapped in a fierce blue aura. It wasn't the first time she had seen the image, as G.U.N. apparently had it archived from the last time an expedition had been sent to Angel Island. Still, it was quite the piece of art, and it would probably make for a nice decoration, but she wasn't much of an art girl. She found some amusement that Miles appeared to have been fated to fight against the Kukkus, not that she believed in that stuff.
Moving on, the bat stepped into what she presumed to be the main chamber, and her eyes shined with delight. Nestled in the center of a great altar, surrounded by seven flower-like crystal platforms, was the biggest gemstone she had ever seen. It had a brilliant cut like diamonds, but was a deep green like an emerald. Not only that, its form pulsated with light, going from dim to bright and back again like a slowly beating heart.
"Well, aren't you gorgeous?" she complimented the rock, jumping up onto the ledge next to it and running one of her gloves along the facets, "not merely flawless, but perfect. And with such a charismatic aura like that, I don't think anyone could deny that you're the real deal."
Rouge thought it truly was a shame that she couldn't bring this one along with her as well. But, even if she wanted to, she didn't have the equipment needed to haul it along. And besides, the Commander would likely give her another earful for taking more than she was supposed to. Maybe she could come back for it another time, but for the moment, she wanted to spend a little longer in its presence.
The beeping of her comm, however, disturbed her "private time" with the giant gem.
"Rouge, important update," Speedy's voice echoed from one of her wrists.
The bat let out an annoyed sigh and pushed her glove's cuff forward as she raised it to her lips. "You sure know how to kill a girl's buzz, Ace."
"Gripe at me later!" the bird snapped, "the fire's out, and I can see them settling in. One's gone off in your direction, but I can't tell what he's up to."
She hummed, sparing one last look at the Master Emerald. "I'll be there soon, Ace. Just give me a few minutes."
"Don't take too long," he said in an authoritative tone, "the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get out of here, and I'd like to leave as soon as possible, if that's not too inconvenient for you."
Rouge let out a "hmph" and was about to give him a piece of her mind for the jab, only to hear the line disconnect. She was ready to open up communications again, but a bright flash of light in the center of the chamber gave her second thoughts. The bat hastily flew down from the altar and behind a pillar before it faded. In its place, she saw a spiny red fellow that was around her height, perhaps a little taller, with purple eyes that reminded her of amethysts. Admittedly, she did find him a bit of a looker, but she didn't have time to ogle him. As quietly as she could, Rouge slipped through the hallway with the mural and out of the palace, then zipped up and out of the crater.
Several minutes later, Speedy spotted her coming in low over the valley forest. He rose to meet the bat, guiding the two of them down to the shore of the lake, where they moved in and took up positions behind some thick brush.
"How's it looking?" she whispered to him.
The Kukku peeked over his bush just enough to see the darkened campsite, taking a moment to scan around. The big cat was propped up with his back against a tree, snoring away while the frog Critter was nestled in his lap. Gizmo was curled up on her side in a sleeping bag, using both of her arms to rest her head on. Miles was flat on his back with one arm folded over his torso while the other laid at his side, his mouth slightly ajar and one of his tails laying across Sonic, who was hugging it like a body pillow as he snoozed. That was when he discovered that there were two other sleeping bags that were currently unoccupied, ones that Gadget and that other cat should be tucked into.
"You'll have to be quick," he murmured to Rouge, "Miles and the others there are asleep. However, aside from the one that left, two others are out and about, though I didn't see where they went off to. They might be acting as a night watch, so I'll give your comm a silent ping if I spot them."
Easy enough, she thought. Rouge folded her wings in and crept around the edge of the site, stepping over loose rocks and twigs, and keeping to where the ground was most bare. In short order, she came to stand over the fox, glancing down at the handful of pouches he had on his belt. She used one hand to muffle her breathing as she bent down, trying to see which of the pockets to pick through. Her teal eyes caught sight of a glint she was all too familiar with, and with great care, she undid the flap on the pouch and reached in.
Rouge smiled as she felt a long emerald-cut shape, and pulled it out to reveal the cyan stone she was after. No picture could do it justice after seeing it up close, and while it might not have compared with what she saw earlier, it was still a legendary treasure in its own right. Now all she had to do was get out of there and they would be–
"ACHOO!"
Sonic let out one hell of a sneeze due to the hairs on Miles' tail tickling his nose, one strong enough to wake him up. It was so loud, in fact, that the fox also bolted upright and awake, and the others around the camp started to stir themselves. He almost immediately saw that there was someone in their midst that didn't belong, and she had his charm!
"Hey! My Emerald!" he cried out as he got to his feet, "give that back!"
"Sorry, sweetie, but this doesn't belong to you," Rouge crowed, turning on her heels and taking to the air.
She didn't get far before she felt a tether wrap around one of her legs, followed by a powerful tug. The bat grunted as she was brought back down to the ground, though she still kept a tight hold on the Emerald. She turned back to see the teal she-wolf with one hand raised, the same wire around the agent's boot attached to a device on the other woman's glove.
"It doesn't belong to you either, you slag!" Gizmo swore at her, reeling the bat in like a fish with her grappler device.
Rouge bristled at the insult and jumped up from her prone position, flying at the lady lupine with a kick. She was interrupted as Miles came in on her left with a Rolling Jump, the impact being enough to knock the Emerald out of her hand. Gizmo recalled the cable just as her brother caught the fumbling gem, with Sonic zipping up between them. The big cat was also up and about now, though he was more confused than alarmed by the situation.
The agent cursed her luck, but took up a stance all the same, determined to finish her mission. That was when a lightning-fast green blur whipped through the air and dove at Miles, who brought both of his tails to guard against the sudden attack. It flipped back and landed next to Rouge, revealing itself to be none other than the fox's greatest aerial rival.
"Speedy!?" Miles blurted out in disbelief, stunned to see the Kukku again so soon since last they met, "what are you doing here? Who is she and what's going on!?"
Rouge growled at her partner. "I didn't need your help. I had everything under control!"
"Uh-huh, sure you did," he said with obvious sarcasm, "losing the Emerald was just part of your brilliant strategy."
"How about you stop criticizing me and start helping me get it back?" she snapped.
"How about you both stop ignoring me and answer my goddamn questions!" the fox shouted at them, which brought their attention back to him.
The bird knew that he had a mission to accomplish, even in the face of such odds. But rather than leap forward to do so, he grabbed one of Rogue's arms.
"Hey!" she protested, struggling against his grip, "we still have an Emerald to get, Ace!"
Speedy shook his head firmly. "No. I don't care how much training you've had, Rouge, we have to withdraw for now. We don't stand a chance once he taps into that thing, especially not with his friends backing him up." He briefly centered his red eyes on the fox. "But before that..." The bird gave an almost imperceptible bow of the head. "Thank you for putting the Empire to rest, Miles. Now I can live without fear of retribution from my father or that foolish old owl." He took a few steps back. "We'll have a proper reunion and rematch at some other time, two-tails."
The former prince used his natural speed to airlift himself and Rouge out of sight before Miles or any of the others could move in on them. A sonic boom thundered out overhead as they took off, leaving the group of Animals bewildered.
"What the heck was that all about?" Sonic asked the question they'd all been pondering, turning to his partner, "and why were they after the Chaos Emerald?"
"I don't know, but I'm a little worried," Gizmo said as she turned to her adopted brother, "Did you see what was on the left breast of Speedy's jacket? That was G.U.N.'s insignia!"
"Wait, G.U.N.!?" Sonic exclaimed, "I thought they were supposed to be good guys!"
Miles hadn't been sure that he had seen it right, but now that the she-wolf pointed it out, there was no mistake. However, that wasn't what was bothering him the most.
"You heard what else he said, didn't you?" he mumbled, taking a seat and putting his face in both hands, "the GBK and the doctor are dead."
The fox let out a sigh so heavy the others thought he'd deflate like a balloon. Big wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but he could tell that his new friend was distressed, so he patiently stood by the other teen's side. Sonic had been afraid that things might turn out this way, but he had enough tact not to tell his partner that he'd been right. Lastly, Gizmo knelt down in front of Miles and hugged him tightly, resting her chin between his ears.
"It's not your fault," she whispered to him, gently rubbing over his back, "those ruddy birds chose their fate." She puffed a bit of air out of her nose. "But if it still bothers you...we can talk about it with Mama and Papa once we're all back home."
It did, and Miles knew that it would for a while. He'd done his best not to take any lives, even indirectly, but it seemed that streak was over. Or perhaps, it had been broken earlier than that, but this was the first time he'd ever heard of such casualties from his actions. Even if it had been their decision to die, it still weighed on him.
Speedy thanking him for it, as though the fox had done it with his own two hands, didn't make him feel any better, either. He had imagined the ace would be at least a little upset about the loss of his father. Maybe he was, but he was doing an awfully good job of hiding it, if that was so. Perhaps he'd get to see the former prince let it all out the next time they ran into each other.
Miles nodded against Gizmo's chin, and after a few more moments, she let him go. Given that everyone was still a little on edge after what happened, it was difficult for any of them to go back to sleep just yet. Well, everyone aside from Big, who had no trouble shuffling off to dream land once more.
The fox and wolf's suspicions were only raised when the crashing of branches and footsteps sounded off close to their camp and only drew nearer. Gizmo reached down and grabbed her blaster, then aimed it towards the thicket where the noises seemed to be coming from. Miles dropped into a fighting stance and prepared himself for whatever was coming, now more alert than he'd been with Rouge and Speedy. Before either of them could make a move, a pink hand with white claws waved frantically from around the side of a tree.
"Wait, wait, don't shoot, Gizzy!" Fuchsia cried out, peeking from behind her cover, "it's me!"
Gizmo dropped the barrel so that it was aimed at the ground, fixing her friend with an unamused frown. "Blood, Fu, don't make a ruckus like that! We thought you were someone that was coming to attack us!"
"Sorry about that," Gad chimed in, peering from behind a trunk of his own, "we heard the commotion at camp, so we came as fast as we could."
Miles was at least glad to see that they were okay, though something else was bothering him. The hands of his brother and the wolf's girlfriend were bare, and from what little he could tell, so were the rest of them. It was Sonic who beat him to the punch, however, when it came to asking what that was about, though the fox already knew.
"Um, where are your clothes?" the hoglet asked the two.
The red wolf and the cat glanced at each other, then their peach muzzles both burned brightly in embarrassment.
"Um, well," the former stuttered, "we have them with us..."
The latter rubbed at her ears bashfully. "We just, ah..."
"You two were off shagging and eschewed getting dressed in your rush to get back?" Gizmo concluded, one brow cocked up. When the blushing from her friend and brother only grew deeper, she rolled her eyes and sighed. "Well, at least nobody had to see you two in the buff."
Once everyone had settled down, and the two remaining members of their group had solved their wardrobe issue, they set about going to bed for real. And of course, just as his eyelids felt like they couldn't lift themselves back up, Miles heard his companion make a confused noise.
"Hey, big guy?" the hedgehog whispered.
The fox opened one eye. "What is it, kid?"
"What's 'shagging' mean?" Sonic wondered, looking to him for an answer.
Miles blinked for a few moments, then turned over onto his side to face away from the boy. He was too tired to deal with this, and he wasn't about to explain the birds and the bees to someone that wasn't quite there physically themselves. A part of him cursed his sister for being so loose with certain slang.
"I'll tell you when you're older," he muttered.
"Well, looks like it's time we hit the skies, Knux," Sonic told the echidna as he extended a fist to him, "if you ever need us, don't forget about the comm that Tails fixed for ya!"
Knuckles glanced down at the offered hand curiously, casting a glance at the two-tailed fox. Miles simply smirked and gestured between the two of them, then made the motion of hitting his own together. The Guardian seemed to get it after that, giving the boy a fist bump, though perhaps a little harder than he'd expected, as Sonic stumbled back a few steps. The teen came over and did the same with him, making sure to put a little extra force behind his thrust so he didn't end up like his partner.
"Take care, Knuckles," Miles said sincerely, "we might've gotten off on the wrong foot, but I'm glad we were able to set things right."
"Indeed," the monotreme agreed, a small grin of his own showing on his muzzle, "and I believe I will take up your offer of traveling the surface, when we both have the time."
"Just watch out for a bat lady with white fur and a sleazy getup," Gizmo warned him from the pilot's seat of the Tornado. She then happily waved over at Big and Froggy. "We'll have to do this again sometime, Big! Thanks for all the food and support!"
The large feline returned it with a smile, looking around at the others and nodding his head at them. With that, the hedgehog jumped into the she-wolf's lap and started up the plane's engine, while the fox took up his position on the wings. All five of them gave one last wave goodbye to the other Animals, then lifted off from the lake. In just a couple of minutes, they left the edge of the island and then went past the cloud barrier that kept it hidden from prying eyes, but not before Miles grabbed a few final pictures with his multitool.
A few hours later, the familiar shape of West Side Island came into view. Miles had decided that, before he went back to Cocoa Island, he needed to settle matters with J. But, just as they were prepared to land at the site of Sonic's old airfield, the fox motioned for them to keep on going. It didn't take them too much longer to reach Metropolis and pinpoint where the museum was where J worked as a curator.
"You guys go on ahead!" he told them as he prepared to jump, "I can just use the ferry service to get back!"
While it was pretty sudden, the rest of the group didn't debate this decision. After all, Miles could take care of himself well enough, as he'd often demonstrated.
"No problem, big guy!" Sonic shouted up to him, "we'll catch ya later!"
The fox bid them farewell for the moment, then leapt up so that the Tornado went on ahead of him. He flipped into a head-first dive with his arms and legs straight as a post, squinting his eyes as he felt the air whipping against his fur. Several seconds later, once the concrete jungle began rushing up to meet him, he spun his tails to help gradually slow his descent. As discreetly as he could, Miles touched down atop one of the taller buildings near the museum, then parkoured his way down to an alleyway. He peered around for a moment, then walked out as though he was someone who'd accidentally taken a wrong turn, putting on his shades and disguising his twin fluffy limbs as a single entity.
He made his way inside the building and did as he'd done before during his previous visit. After being cleared by the present worker, he was escorted to the curator's office and left on his own from there. Miles took in a breath, let it out slowly, and raised one hand to knock on the fine wood.
"The door is open!" came J's voice, sounding as jovial as ever.
Taking the invitation, Miles opened the door and stepped on into the office. It appeared much the same as it did last time, except that perhaps there were a few more open books on the other vulpine's desk now. J himself was sporting a more casual gray button-up shirt, and a comfortable, but still presentable pair of black slacks. Upon seeing his visitor, the cross fox stood up from his desk and sported a broad smile.
"Miles, What a pleasant surprise!" he declared, "I didn't expect you to return from your adventure so soon!" His face fell a little bit at the realization of what he said. "I hope that isn't a bad thing."
There was a lot that the younger fox wanted to say, but he did have a promise to keep. Pulling out the Miles Electric, he messed around with a few things, locating the curator's tablet using his device's universal Wi-Fi. Another couple of quick motions, and J's object let out a ping to notify him of something.
"Don't worry," Miles assured him, "I may not have brought back any artifacts, but I did snap plenty of pictures."
There was an eager glint in the cross fox's eyes that reminded the teen of how he got whenever he was in the flow with his tinkering. Without hesitation, J turned on the tablet's screen, seeing a message that its internal storage had received a sizable volume of files. And the moment he opened it up to view the contents, he grinned from ear to ear.
"By the gods," he marveled as he scrolled through each and every one of them carefully, "so many different biomes and conditions on one piece of land. And the architecture is preserved so well, especially in these right here!"
He let Miles come over to see that he was studying the Hidden Palace. The cross fox's muzzle just about dropped when he saw the image of Knuckles and the Master Emerald show up, which made the two-tailed one smirk.
"Is...is that?" J stammered, rubbing at his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
"Knuckles, the last of the echidnas," Miles elaborated proudly on behalf of his new friend, "and the Guardian of the Master Emerald, the true identity of the 'Stone of Power' in the old legend."
The curator bolted out of his chair and squeezed the slightly smaller vulpine in a crushing hug, then spun him around whimsically. It seemed that certain habits were shared among family members, whether genetic or adopted.
"What a discovery!" he yelled out jubilantly, almost dancing with the other Animal, "the Stone of Power is real, as is Angel Island! And to think that the echidnas did not go extinct after all! Oh, Miles, this is simply incredible what you've brought back!"
"Yeah, I'm happy for you too," Miles grunted, feeling his face turning blue under his cheeks, "now can you loosen up before I conk out?"
"Oh!" J immediately let go of him and sheepishly adjusted his collar. "Sorry about that, chum, I got a bit too swept up in the moment."
Miles understood the feeling well, so he didn't blame J for getting so excited. It made him feel a little bad that he had to bring up other matters that weren't so happy.
"It's okay," he told the cross fox nonchalantly. His smile thinned to a neutral line on his lips. "But, not to be a downer, I didn't come here just to talk about those."
J studied him for a moment, then adopted an almost identical expression. Without a word, he gestured to one of the seats in front of his desk, which Miles took just as silently. The cross fox settled down in his rolling chair and pulled it forward, sitting up straight as he stared down the teen.
"So, I take it this means you've had a look at what I passed off to you last time?" he asked the amber boy, who nodded, "I expected as much." He laced the digits on both of his hands together and leveled his deep brown eyes with the other's cyan-blue orbs. "I also bet that you have quite a few questions for me."
"You're damn right I do!" Miles almost shouted, slapping both of his hands on the desk and startling his cousin, "for starters, what happened with my parents? I may have only been a baby, but you were a pre-teen when they moved to Cocoa Island, so you'd remember better."
J breathed in slowly through his nose, then let it out as his eyes wandered off to one side. Of course the kid would be agitated with him, after being so cryptic in the way he revealed their relation to each other. He felt his hackles rising in response to the aggressive posturing, but he wouldn't feed the boy's fire or his own. After spending a couple of moments trying to remember, as well as help keep his cool, J's gaze returned to the front.
"From what I can recall," he began, "your parents and mine were all living on West Side Island. Back then, the family was situated out in Emerald Hill, with Aunt Amelia and Uncle Francis taking a break from their flying due to expecting you. Sylvanus, or Silas as he preferred to be called, who is the father of your father and my mother, had delivered the cyan Chaos Emerald to your parents not long before you came into the world. He'd told me he wanted you to have it as a sort of charm to protect you and help you grow. When the day came, everyone was a bit perplexed to see you were born with two tails, but we all loved you anyway."
Miles hung on every word. Not only was he getting to hear about his parents, but other members of his family as well, such as his paternal grandfather. If only Silas could see how right he'd been about the Emerald helping his grandson grow!
"But, just a scant few weeks after you were born," J went on with a more melancholic tone, "Grandpa Silas skipped town, and we learned that he was being pursued by G.U.N of all possible people. Fearing for their safety as well as yours, Aunt Amelia and Uncle Francis fled to Cocoa Island, where they hoped they could raise you in peace." His head bowed down. "They wrote to us every once in a while, and I always enjoyed hearing about them and you, and how you were all doing. But, eventually, the letters stopped coming altogether."
The teen's hands gripped the edge of the desk. "When was that?"
"It was shortly after my 16th birthday when all correspondence from Cocoa Island had ceased," the cross fox mused, stroking his chin, "you would have been 4 going on 5 at the time."
Miles let out a low whine. That certainly did match up with the time his parents left their home for the last time. But, he just had to ask, even though he feared he already knew the answer.
"So...do you know what happened to them after that?" he inquired, feeling a heaviness in his heart.
"I wish I knew," J replied sympathetically, "I loved your parents very much, Miles. When mine gave up hope of hearing from them again, we thought you were gone along with them." He paused to reach up and wipe his eyes, which had started to tear up a bit, and let out a light sniffle. "Excuse me. It's just...you have to imagine the look on my face when I realized that not only were you alive, but at how much you'd matured."
Miles nodded solemnly. Indeed, it must have been quite a shock to see your younger cousin alive and well when you'd believed they were gone. In a way, the latter sounded more painful than not knowing you had any other relatives aside from your parents until finding out otherwise. And while the teen was disappointed that J knew nothing about what happened to them after they disappeared, he couldn't say he was surprised. In their place, though, other questions had risen.
"What about Grandpa Silas?" he wondered aloud, changing the subject, "why was G.U.N. after him?"
"Grandpa Silas was," he mumbled as he struggled to find the words, "eccentric, even compared to you and I. A contemporary Robin Hood, if there ever was one, but a gentleman and a scholar all the same."
Miles tilted his head at that. "He was a thief?"
"One of the best," J replied with a hint of pride, "famous treasure hunters like Blanc the Bat took a lot of notes from our grandfather's methods and approaches. He was noble for the most part, filching the fraudulent and bolstering the beaten. But, every once in a blue moon, he felt the calling of a true challenge, and what target could possibly be more tempting than the global military organization supported by many of the world's nations?"
So, G.U.N. had been after his grandfather because he'd stolen something from them. Managing to get into wherever they were holed up was one thing, but actually getting out with the loot and avoiding those people for as long as he did? Silas must have been something else.
"But then," Miles thought out loud, "what did he..." His eyes widened as he recalled what J had said to him not even a few minutes ago. "The Emerald. He stole the Chaos Emerald, didn't he?"
The cross fox gave him the "okay" sign. "That's right. The charm you've been carrying around for your whole life was the target of Grandpa Silas' final heist."
"Then that's why Speedy and that bat woman were trying to steal it from me!" the hero concluded, his fists clenching and shaking as he got up from his chair, "G.U.N. was attempting to take back what was stolen from them, now that they know who the current owner is!"
J reached forward and gently grabbed onto Miles' wrists, who stopped trembling when he did. "Which is why you have to find a way to hide it. I hate to suggest it, seeing as how important it is to you...but you should separate yourself from the Emerald for a while, Miles, if only to throw them off. As strong and smart as you are, even you can't take on G.U.N.'s full might."
Much as the younger fox hated to admit it, his cousin had a very valid point. Short of gathering the Chaos Emeralds together again, he wouldn't be able to tackle such numbers, not that he wanted to try. He didn't want to make an enemy of G.U.N., but he wasn't willing to simply hand over the cyan gem. J was right that the idea of leaving it with another left a bad taste in his mouth, too. It was the stone that the organization was after, not him personally, so he worried that Speedy and Rouge, or some other operatives, would descend on his friends and family while he was away.
Even so, there wasn't really a better option.
"Maybe you're right," Miles finally said, which got his cousin to let go, "I'm worried about G.U.N. going after someone else, and about potential withdrawal from not having that energy always nearby. But, I'll find a way so that neither of those things become a problem."
J nodded, leaning back in his chair a bit. "I have faith that you'll do so." He then opened his arms a bit with a welcoming gesture. "If there's anything else you want to ask, go right ahead."
"I think," the younger fox started, then hesitated before finding his voice again, "I think that's as much as I can take in, for now. I didn't come here with much else in mind than inquiring about my parents." A few seconds went by, then a shy smile showed on his muzzle. "But, maybe if we had the time, would you be willing to reintroduce me to your parents?"
The cross fox said nothing at first, merely rising out of his seat so that he and his relative were both standing. He then went over and laid a hand on the other vulpine's shoulder, offering a warm smile of his own.
"Mum and Dad would love to see you again, Miles," he proclaimed, giving that amber fur there a soft squeeze, "they told me they were in tears when they saw you on the tube and recognized who it was they were gawking at."
Well, at least he had something to look forward to with the next visit to his birthplace. But, for the time being, he just wanted to go home and relax until the upcoming big day. With everything that had happened recently, he'd nearly forgotten that he was turning sixteen years old very soon.
