Chapter 4

Mission: Failure – Part 2

As they calmed down from all of the laughter, forgetting instantly their peculiar moment, they settled back down and got comfortable in their seats.

"Next time I won't be that nice and do what you say, got it?" he said once the silence was recognized.

"I know I know.  I really was just joking; I didn't even think you'd remember that still.  But what I don't understand is why you always get so wrapped up in proving that you're not a 'faker', what with that incident with the black hedgehog.

"Shadow?  Yeah, no matter what he said, I'm not the faker!  He is!"

"Sure.  So…you want to tell me what happened after you walked inside?"

"Why do you want to know so badly?  Can't it wait?  I want to know what happened during my little knock-out incident," he said.

All Tails did was look at him, not an expression in his face.

"What?…"

"…"

"…why won't you tell me?"

"Well, uh…" he stopped.

"Uhm…you go first, then I'll go after you're done," the young fox said under a sigh.  "How's that?"

"Fine, I guess."  He closed his eyes and focused within the darkenss of his mind.  (Geez, is it that bad?)

Tails then switched the chair around so the back of the chair was against his chest and just stared at him.

(Why is he looking at me like that?  Hmm, guess I'll know when I'm done with my side…)

"Well, to put it in short, Eggman was there and I faced him hands on.  But he had this weird Dimensional Travel Beam or something, don't tell me to think of the correct name right now, and I was hit.  And…"

He stopped talking.  Something told him not to continue.  Not because he was eager to hear Tails' side of the picture afterwards, but also because telling his life as a rebel against the Dark Legion would definitely place him under the impression that he was either dreaming or delusional, just like over there.  At least here he was wanted…

"And…?"

"How should I know?" he said quickly in response.  "I was knocked cold.  Yeah! I was knocked out, and that's the last thing I remember…uh…yeah."   (That's it, you go blue!  Now no one will ever question you!)  Although he was proud of himself in his mind, he was able to display a grief-stricken face. 

"Ok.  Your turn." He said with a low tone, although he was just dying to know.  "What happened?"

"Well…" He crossed and rested his arms against the back of the chair and took a deep breath.  "Alright.  I'll just tell you as it is.  Actually, I was sorta unsure whether to tell you all of it or only the things you need to know.  But there's no way you can escape that, not once you leave this room."  He pointed at the door using his index finger.

"Really?  Well, what are you waiting for?"  (But by the sounds of it, do I really WANT to know?  Oh well, no way I'm letting this slip off my back)

"…"

As the vent swung open on the other side, a coughing soot-covered fox climbed out of the tunnel.  He then shook himself like a dog and completely shook off all of the rubbish.  "Yuck," he thought as he began to feverishly rub his right arm.  After that little predicament, he then looked around and studied the surroundings.  This room he was in was very dim, almost as if the only thing lighting up this area were computer monitors and flashing radars.  Why this room was unprotected he did not know, but far more important matters, where was Sonic?  Did he take care of the badniks already?  Probably so, but still, Aunt Sally told him to stay there until Sonic arrived, and that was what he was going to do.  But really, he wasn't just going to stand there in that spot all DAY…

He then just strolled along the gloomy room, glancing at each monitor but in reality was paying almost no attention to what really went on in the screen.  "Hmm…must be the Surveillance room," he said under his voice.  Then with no warning, the room all of a sudden got brighter, but it wasn't because the lights were turned on.  It was because of this one particular monitor, it turns out, and that instantly caught his attention.  "What's going on here?"  He walks over to the bright monitor and faces it, squinting his eyes and raising his hand over his forehead in order for him to try and make out whatever was causing it.  Then the glum black and white camera finally focuses correctly, everything was back to normal.  Everything was still once again, but something wasn't right.  He focuses on the still image carefully until he could make out what was really happening.  "Wait a minute…could it be…"

It was the one thing he'd hope he'd never see in his entire life…

There lied Sonic.  Motionless.

His whole heart sunk.  His body instantly gave out, his knees sank down to the floor.  Emotions and thoughts he never thought he had flared up and all rushed through his mind.

"…So…Sonicno…no, it can't be…" he uttered under his breath. 

"NO!  This can't be real!  It just CAN'T!  I'M SEEING THINGS I'M SEEING THINGS I'M SEEING THINGS!!!!" the distraught child wails as he covers his head and ducks on the floor, closing his eyes so tightly as if to prevent them from being ripped out.  His tails twitched in every direction.  Hard sobbing breaks out of his crackling voice and then cries severely, choking for air.  And in doing so, his arms pressed against the tiny headpiece and a flick went off.

"Ta-Tails?  What's wrong?  What's the matter honey?"  Sally said in shock.  But that didn't rip Tails away from the motionless screen.

"I'M SEEING THINGS! I'M SEEING THINGS!" he keeps on repeating.

"What?  What do you see?  Tails! TAILS!  Take a deep breath and TELL ME!" she says, now more worried than ever.

Then all of a sudden he stopped, still chocking and gasping for air, tears pouring down his face.  He was too focused on the monitor—something was moving.  But it wasn't the corpse on the far left side of the monitor, but it was rather Dr. Eggman, walking towards it.

"NO! NO! GET AWAY FROM HIM! STAY AWAY!!!" he shrieks fiercely in both agony and anger.

"What the?  Tails, what are you talking about?  Speak to me, please!  What the heck's going on?!"

But as soon as she said that, the monitor displays Eggman violently kicking the hedgehog, sending it mid-air for only a millisecond, but enough to prove that it didn't move a single inch on its own. 

Sonic the Hedgehog…the legendary hero and role model of many…was dead.

"NOOO!  SONIC!  SONIC!!!!"

"Sonic?! What about Sonic?!  TELL ME DAMNIT!" she yells in his ear and even forced to lower the volume to its lowest level next to mute, but Tails was long gone.

"I'M GONNA KILL HIM!  I'LL KILL HIM!  I'LL FUCKING KILL HIM!!!"  He stopped only to gasp, rage rapidly consuming him.  He breathed harder and harder.

"WHAT?!?  Why are you going to kill Sonic?  I don't understan—"

"HE'S GONNA PAY!  I'LL FUCKING KILL HIS ASS!  I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS EGGMAN!  I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR SONIC'S DEATH!!!"

"WHAT?!? YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!?!  SONIC'S DEAD?!?!…YOU'RE LYING! HE'S NOT DEAD!!!…NO!…no…he's not dead…he's not……dead…"  She dropped NICOLE without even noticing.  Her voice cracked, and she broke into tears and began weeping silently while Tails screamed furiously.  But she couldn't take it anymore…he began to get to her.

"Tails!  Please, stop it!  Calm down—"
"SONIC'S DEAD! SONIC'S DEAD! SONIC'S DEAD—"

"Stop it, PLEASE!"

"SONIC'S DEAD! SONIC'S DEAD! SONIC'S DEAD! SONIC'S—"

"STOP IT!!!"

"………"

Her yelling let off her guard in suppressing her sadness.  She busted into tears and began to wail into the microphone, covering her hysterical face with her delicate hands.

"Sally?…Aunt Sally…please stop crying…please, stop it!  Stop it…" his voice cracked as well, and then could no longer speak.  Sadness consumed him as well.

And poor Rotor being out of place, coming back excitedly from where he once entered, had finally spotted Sally crying in the far ledge of the rocky region after minutes of trying to find her to let her know that he was okay.  Now he was just plainly left confused when he finally approached the mourning young princess, leaning on a rock covering her face, crying as if someone had just died…

"Princess Sal?  You okay?  What happened?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her, trying to sooth her down.  In response, she flung herself around the walrus and began to cry even harder against his fur.  Her yelps due to gasping of air were silenced a bit.

"There, there.  It's alright, Princess, I'm alright!  You can quit worrying now, everything's going to be alright."

"Sonic…Sonic…" it seemed like she said while she pressed her entire face against him.

"Hey, where is Sonic anyways?"

She cried even louder than before, even though she was being covered with fur.

"STOP SAYING SONIC!!!" another voice said from what seemed as it came from inside of him.

"What the…Tails?"  He switched the knob on his headpiece until he heard steady breathing.  "Where are you little buddy?  Why is Sal crying?"

"Rotor, it's Sonic…he's…dead."

"Oh my god, are you serious?!" Rotor exclaimed.

"…yes…" he said in such a sad, higher-than-usual tone.

"No way, are you telling the truth?"

"…"

"Oh man.  That's just unbelievable.  What are we going to do?"  Silence was instantly broken after that remark.

"HOW CAN YOU JUST SAY THAT?!?  'WHAT ARE WE GOING TO FUCKING DO?'  CALL THE REST OF THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS AND SEND A FULL ATTACK, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO!!!"

"WHAT?!"

"JUST DO IT!" –shphmmmt–………

"Uhm, okay, if you say so.  C'mon Princess, let's get up.  Can you still walk?"

The weeping princess didn't say anything.

He picked up NICOLE and placed it in his belt pocket, hoisted her up in his arms and left.

Tails got up from his spot.  But he was no longer the soft, kind fox as before.  He now looked vicious and wild; his face was screaming revenge.

"I have an appointment with the doctor…"

And with clenched fists, he ran towards the nearest door.