Flip Card 2: Tails (Miles) Prower

Age: 10

Species: fox

Height: 1:2

Sex: male

Profession: Young inventor, pilot and sidekick

Come high noon, downtown Station Square was suddenly in chaos. Without any warning at all, several of Eggman's drop ships flew overhead and at least two-dozen of the largest combat robots in his mechanical army came bellowing down, reeking havoc even before their large metallic feet touched the ground.

Standing as tall at most of the buildings around them, these colossal battle machines, with missile launching pads hidden inside their legs and arms sent a tidal wave of frightened people running for their lives. These robots were those larger walkers Eggman had updated from maintenance work to combat situations. They proved far more effective killing machines then the clumsy Egg-pawns before them.

G.U.N choppers, tanks and their own robotic machines were already on their way. Whatever force they could muster however would obviously arrive too late, the police, even with their newest robotic swat teams to help proved no match for these larger, far more advanced robot giants.

Sonic had been taking a detour through downtown when he saw the fireworks start. He groaned in exasperation.

"Amy's going to have my head for being late!" He thought to himself, before diverting his course at top speed and sprinting directly for the trouble zone. One of the large robots reared it's large triangular head up and stared in his direction, the fast moving target already in it's crosshairs. It's raised a large arm, preparing to fire a barrage of missile fire, before a large blunt object came flying seemingly out of nowhere, hitting the mechanical giant directly on the elbow, dismembering it's arm.

Sonic came screeching to a direct halt at the entrance to the street as the robot collapsed to the ground, a large metallic hammer imbedded in it's shattered skin.

Amy Rose simply walked up to it and wrenched her hammer free, balancing it on her shoulders. A wild, almost excited look on her face as the remaining androids reared up in front of her, redirecting their targeting sensors toward her instead. Amy had changed over the last few mouths since the whole Egg Fleet thing. It was something that Sonic couldn't help noticing again and again as he walked up beside her, the two of them standing side by side in defiance of the metal giants. Her hips and…other areas were wider and her legs were slightly longer, Sonic would nearly go as far to say her body was nearly like Rouge's now. Of course he would never say it out load, to Rouge or Amy. Her pink quills were longer, almost reaching past her shoulders, he same red dress still covering her body.

"So this was why you were late picking me up." She said with a side glance. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me." Sonic smirked.

"Me? No never." The two leading robots swung their arms forward, the two large machine gun adaptations built into their arms starting to swing into life. "Can we talk later, over Cheeseburgers?"

"Only if your buying." She replied as bullets began flying through the air.

As chaos ensued, neither of them noticed the small surveillance robot hovering a short distance above the roof tops, a large disc like eye following their movements throughout the battle. The notorious, Doctor Eggman watched the feed on the monitor, his fatty eyebrows overhanging the spectacles that blotted out his eyes. He leaned back in his metal chair, which had been especially designed to cope with his round bulk and built into a rail system that allowed him complete access to his laboratory without ever having to set foot on the floor.

The fact that Sonic had turned up to stop his little raid on Station Square was no surprise. Eggman would have been more surprised if he hadn't. Sonic was always there, getting in the way, and in there lay the challenge, the only thing that would stand in the way for his plans for imperial expansion. Sonic had to be removed first.

It had been two months already and Eggman was beginning to loose patience with his fired mercenary. He could not put the invasion off much longer. If he were to succeed militaristically, he had to strike before the entire world's military was updated with that technology they stole from him. Sonic had to be dead before that time.

He had given Fang only more two weeks to finish the job. Then, Sonic or not, he would have to make his move. If Sonic was dead before that date, not only would Fang not receive the richly promised reward but he would be put on the Eggman Empire's most wanted list and shot on sight should he rear his head again.

The raid on the city had served one purpose and one purpose only. The people were starting to forget that he was here and that it was only a matter of time before he took over and made the entire world a metallic paradise. Already other large monitors around the observation chamber were recording news broadcasts covering the attack. Already talk was rampant of a large scale assault on the world's capitals. A large grin crossed the mad scientists face. Well, not yet maybe. But the time drew near.

Angel Island now floated just above the clouds, remaining for the most part, out of sight. It seemed the Master Emerald thought it safer this way, although Knuckles admitted he'd miss the unending rolling beauty of the ocean from the edge of the island. Still, endless white and silver cloud turned out to be a good substitute and far be it from him to argue with the Emeralds' divine judgement. He was just a guardian after all.

The sky always remained clear as there were few clouds that drifted higher than the islands present orbit. To maintain the various and many forms of plant life on the island, it would occasionally dip to acquire some rain before ascending again. The large mountainous underbelly of the island slicing into the cloud, the small landmass gently and slowly sailed across this puffy sea with no destination in mind.

As the Red Echidna sat there, day after day, leaving only to train himself and gather food, he had time to do a lot of thinking. Knuckles thought about a lot things, sitting there staring into nothingness. He thought about life, death, the eternal struggle between good and evil, that sort of thing. But what he found began to dominate his thoughts was his own past.

Knuckles stretched his arms out until he heard a loud snap and turned to give the large, diagonally shaped enormous green jewel on the stone pedestal behind him a long stare. It's omnipresent, soft glow radiating into the ground, filling the island with it's magically energy. How had he come here, exactly why was HE guarding this emerald, bound to guardianship probably for the rest of his life? The not knowing was the kind of thing that would drive Sonic insane, but not Knuckles. He'd not know the answer for so long it got to the point where it didn't matter and all that remained was the steadfast responsibilities of his guardianship. Yet still it would be nice to know exactly where he came from and now he got here.

He knew Chaos destroyed his people eons ago, but the fact that he was alive in this day and age proved that their race had carried on until his birth. The earliest memory Knuckles had went back to his late childhood, and that said it was not a pleasant memory. Running through the jungle rain, the vines lashing at his legs, tears stinging his eyes. He couldn't remember exactly what he had been running from, but the distinct impression of a pair of glowing red eyes closely following him stuck in his memory. All he remembered was that it terrified him and he had to get away from it. Suddenly, he found himself at the foot of the stone stairs leading up the shrine. The inviting green light at the top drew him in and he found himself lost in it's warm radiance. It protested him, made him feel safe and it was sometime around then he realized that he had been chosen as it's guardian. And so he had been ever since, training himself in seclusion to contour act any threat that came his way.

Ten years later, that threat arrived. Knuckles sighed and leaned back against a crumbling stone pillar, remembering that day all too well, when Eggman arrived on the island. His greatest doomsday weapon, the Death Egg came falling from it's orbit thanks to one of Sonic's earliest adventures, landing with an enormous crash on a spit of land somewhere in a southern sea, narrowly missing Angel Island. Had Knuckles known exactly what trouble it would have caused, he would have ignored the crashed ship and let the island float on. But he did not do that, instead he abandoned the Master Emerald and went to help. That single decision changed Knuckles' life. Shortly after that he meet up with Sonic and his friends, and although mislead by Eggman's lies they eventually gained an understanding. Ever since then whenever Sonic faced a powerful enemy Knuckles always seemed to be there fighting by his side.

"Am I wrong is thinking that this somehow orchestrated?" He asked suddenly out load, one eye fixed on the Master Emerald, which not surprisingly did not reply. Instead, it maintained it's soft glow. The gently leaves of the lush green trees encircling the ruins beginning to silently sway in the cold wind, one branch occasionally eclipsing beam of light from the sun above. A short grin crossed the Echidna's face before he lay back down. "Fine conversationalist you are." He added, closing his eyes and loosing his mind in his thoughts again.

"I don't know about that big jewel." Said a familiar voice suddenly. Knuckle's eye shot open and he was instantly in a sitting position. Standing at the bottom of the shrine steps with her arms folded behind her back and wings outstretched was the one person Knuckles would rather not have on the island. "But I can certainly lend a friendly ear." She added, gently waving her large left ear for emphasise. Knuckles barred his teeth and somersaulted to his feet.

"You again?!" Rouge giggled at him, her emerald eyes fixing him with a seductive gaze. "What is with you?! I thought I told you to get off my island!" Rouge, one of the best jewel thieves in existence gave him a coy smile. About a year ago she'd been caught by the Government in possession of a stolen priceless Ruby and so in order to claim immunity from prosecution she agreed to become one of their agents. Which turned out to be quite the successful career move as all that spy stuff was just what she was suited to even if she was easily distracted by shiny things.

"Technically." She said, raising a finger and closing he eye with an annoying superior look on her face. "You told me to get out of your face, not get off your island." Knuckles clenched both fists by his side, fuming in rage, before he regained some composure, turned around and sat down with his back to her.

"Go away." He said plainly, one eye twitching. The Master Emerald almost seemed to alter it's glow in amusement at it's Guardian's distress.

"Make me." She replied, gently landing beside him, her wings folding behind her back. Knuckles looked back for a moment, considering the offer, before thinking better of it and resuming his iron glad glare on the Master Emerald. "Why are you so opposed to company anyway?" She asked, sitting down and leaning on his shoulder, trying to get him to cast his eyes in her direction. Knuckles refused to budge, but the edge of his mouth began to twitch slightly. "I must get lonely, sitting here all day and all night with no one to talk to."

"I've gotten by fine until now." Finally he turned to give her a warning glare. "Besides, you aren't here to keep me company." Rouge pretended to look insulted.

"Don't you trust me?"

"No I do not." Rouge slumped down, leaning against the Echidna, nearly tilting him over. Knuckles crossed his arms and tried to find his happy place.

"Oh, I'm hurt Knucklehead. I come all the way up here to engage in some friendly conversation, and I'm bombarded with suspicion." Knuckles edged a little closer to the master Emerald. "But to be perfectly honest…" She added, suddenly sounding very devious. "I'm here to make you an offer."

"I knew it." The Echidna groaned, collapsed to his hands in exasperation. She latched onto him, her arms wrapping at his neck, gently nuzzling the side of his cheek. "First you try and hook me up with the military, then you build that annoying tracking device on the edge of the island. Hardly know it's there my…"

"How'd you like to see the world?" Rouge butted in and Knuckles shook his head, looking very tired all of a sudden.

"I have my guardianship to tend to. I'm not going anywhere."

"You certainly have a one track mind don't you? It's guardianship this and guardianship that with you. I bet you won't set foot off this island unless you had little other choice." Knuckles didn't reply. "I'm offering you a place on the new team the Government is putting together to help battle Doctor Eggman more efficiently. In return, we give you outfitted security for this run down old wreck you call a shrine." The Echidna sighed angrily through his teeth.

"I'm sure if I were Sonic, I'd be writing my name on the dotted line already. but the answer from me is still no." Rouge didn't hide the fact that it wasn't the answer she'd hoped for. She knew that there was little point in attempted to convince him otherwise. So instead of trying to add anything, she simply laid down next to him, staring up at the sky.

"Well if that's your decision."

"Yes it is, so why are you still hanging around?" She suddenly bore a wide smile.

"I thought I'd keep you company." Knuckles face faulted and fell backwards in both astonishment and frustration.

"Chao!" The gently cries of Chao gently filled the streets. Since their discovery by the modern world, more and more Chao had been seen in and around the city areas. They were quickly becoming common pets, so common in fact that centres had been built with artificial replicas of their natural colonies. They became known as Chao' Gardens and ever now and then, the humorous event of a Chao racing would be held. It was actually quite pathetic, watching the sky blue creature running along on their incredible short legs and large pad like feet, trying to outdistance each other. Some falling over, the balls floating above their heads becoming confused spirals.

"So, what exactly is this?" Sonic asked, giving the strange creature Amy had in her arms a look over. It looked like a Chao, but it had pure white skin and black eyes. A large pair of red and golden feathered wings sprouting out it's back, gently curved around it's small, red tipped forearms. A strange, almost leaf like projection with red tips gently curving out from the top of it's head like hair. It's feet where bird like talons, strangely downsized to looked almost cute and instead of a ball floating above it's head there was a semi orange halo.

"This is Turel." Amy replied with a smile and the strange creature stuck it's fingerless hand in the air. "My adopted Chao." She added proudly.

"Chaoooo!" It replied, gently flapping it's large wings enthusiastically. The article Chao garden they were sitting on the edge of was part of the multimillion dollar corporation, the Foundation Organisation's Chao adaptation program. They where many of them all over Station Square now, large garden made specifically to tend and house young Chao. Since Chao were a newly discovered species, researchers were constantly there, taking notes of the physical and mental traits of the cute little creatures. This particular garden was built into the pent house on the top of a hotel on the shore line. The garden itself was a large, square room with a fountain and pool with clear water at the end. Some newly hatched Chao were already there, playing in the shallow clear water. A group of people in white technican coats were already there, taking notes, taking excitedly to one another. At the far end of the room was the synthetic garden itself, with large patches of grass and pal trees sprouting up out of the sectioned corners. Large, white eggs with blue and yellow spots were dotted around the trees. Several had electrodes attached to their shells, the wires connected to some type of complex looking equipment. The ceiling itself was an arched glass construct, the orange sky of the sunset seen through the windows. The rest of the floor was made from marble, young and older Chao already there in large gathered crowds. Their (owners) stood around the outside of these large groups, taking to some of the researches about their latest finds. Since Chao had been already been discovered on Mobius, the researchers encouraged any mobian with knowledge of Chao to come forward to help them with their work. In fact, many of the Chaos' owners here were Mobians themselves.

Sonic gave the ordinary, blue and yellow Chao a glance, the looked back at the angel like thing in the pink hedgehog's arms.

"Doesn't look like any Chao I've seen before." He stated, retching himself behind his ear. One of the researchers, a human in a white coat and black trousers looked back over his shoulder.

"That is an adult Chao." He said with a smile. Sonic looked up, his expression warranting an explanation. "All Chao are born looking the same, from the moment they hatch." he gestured over toward the egg he was studying. "After their infant stage is over, they enter a chrysalis like state and when they emerge they…" he hesitated, Sonic's expression hadn't changed at all. "Think caterpillar and butterfly." Realization finally came over the hedgehog's face.

"Oh." He said simply.

"You mean to tell me you didn't know?" Amy asked, looking slightly confused. Sonic gained a goofy, smile, folding his arms behind his head.

"Well, I never really slowed done long enough to find out."

"Hey Sonic!" The blue hedgehog blinked and looked over toward the large set of doors as they opened. A human boy with brown hair and a young mobian young entered, carefully picking their way around large groups of chao.

"Hey Tails, Chris." Amy said, putting her evolved Chao down and it began to fly off enthusiastically yelling, "chao" over and over again. "How'd you find us?" Tails gained a superior smirk as Chris stared after the chao.

"You left us a pretty obvious trail." He said smugly, gesturing to the window and the pillars of smoke still rising from the shattered pieces of the robot's, G.U.N clean up crews already salvaging whatever they could from the remains.

"So what's new in your part of the world Chris?" Sonic asked as the four of them sat down to ice creams at the pool side near the beech, the late summer sun blazing down on the swimmers inside splashing around and those in deck chairs. The shadow from the hotel barley covering anything. The arrangement of palm trees alone along the beech adding a welcome and warm atmosphere.

"Well my Grandpa's finally out of his garage, and that's a miracle in itself." The boy replied, pausing for a moment before taking a bite of his ice cream. Tails looked up from his own desert, his tails twitching.

"He Didn't actually do it did he?…." He lowered his voice. "Finish the repairs to…you know." Chris widened his eyes, sighed in exasperation let his arm support his head.

"You know Grandpa, once he gets started on something that's it, he won't stopped until he finishes." He paused. "That's a yes." Tails moaned and flopped his head down on the table several times. Sonic grinned and smacked a fist into his palm.

"Great. I can hardly wait." Everyone looked his way in confusion.

"Hardly wait for what?" Amy asked. Sonic didn't answer, he just grinned, smug with the knowledge that the return of Metal Sonic would not be what his friends thought it would be. He could tell them that, but he doubted very much if they would believe him and besides, he wanted it to be a surprise.

"Anyway, what's been going with Eggman?" Chris asked as Sonic shovelled a large quantity of ice cream into his mouth.

"Despite that raid on the city, surprisingly little." Amy answered for him, she glanced up towards the sky and the nearly transparent outline of the moon that would grow stronger as the day began to fade. "He's up there, planning something. The knowledge ruins a perfectly good midnight walk, I simply can't look at that moon lately..." Tails gave Sonic a sly look.

"A midnight walk?" Sonic paused from his ice cream long enough to give his friend a warning glare.

From the ceiling on the hotel, Fang the Sniper watched through a pair of binoculars. This was too perfect, everything was proceeding according to plan, now all they need to do was snatch the bait and at the same time, rattle the hedgehog's cage a bit, that should make him nice and angry. He reached for a two way radio at his side.

"Ok boys." He said, clicking the button down. "It's show time."

"Hey what's going on?" Amy asked, glancing back over her shoulder to the pair of glass doors that lead into the hotel lobby. Someone at the front desk was making a lot of noise, and things were getting thrown about. Before any of them could get up to investigate, there was a sudden shriek and without warning, several heavily armed mobians burst in through the glass doors leading out from the hotel, firing shots into the air. People ran screaming, some hide under tables and others hit the floor with their hands behind their heads. One was a rhino with a chipped horn on the end of end of his nose, several large fire arms thrown into his large hands, his clumsy fingers trying to keep a finger of each trigger. Another was a turtle, he was one firing rounds into the air and the final one, a Roaster was knocking over deck chairs and tables.

"Every on the floor, NOW!" One screamed, firing shots into the air.

"Oh not again." Sonic groaned, pulling himself to his feet. This was the third hostage situation he'd dealt with this month and they were hardly challenging. They were actually annoying. Where was Doctor Eggman and his robot legions when boredom set in? "Can you guys…" he was about to finish his sentence, but he already could see the rest of them were hiding under the table. "Yeah… like that." He added, before racing of, landing a punch before so much as a second had passed.

As Sonic was busy beating the living daylights out of these would be hi-jackers, everyone's attention was fixed on him. No one really noticed a swift dark shape jump down from the roof of a hotel floor on the balcony of one of the windows.

"Ah, the old age art of distraction, thanks for the tip Espio." It said to itself, aiming a large bazooka type weapon toward the ground floor and squeezing the trigger. A large grapping hook flying from the barrel, opening up like some giant metallic skeletal hand as it flew.

"Sonic!" Tails screamed as it seized him, pinning his arms to his sides, tearing him out from under the table. As the last one fell to the ground with a solid punch, Sonic looked back to see Tails had disappeared. The others were staring with wide expressions of confusion up toward balconies, following their gaze the blue hedgehog finally saw what had happened.

Tails was there, squirming in a grip of another mobian. He had a similar physique to Sonic, but was several inches taller. His fur was purple with a pink tint here and there, his muzzle, chest and the inside of his large pointed ears were snow white. A large, protruding fang came from his lips. A large brown belt with a silver buckle ran around his waist and there was a pair of knee high white and brown boots on his feet. There was also a cowboy style canvas hat on his heat, pressing his ears down to a near vertical line. His tail had a strange, ninety degree kink in it, making it level in angle with his back. What stopped Sonic racing to his friends rescue was the fact that this weasel had a gun barrel pressed against the foxes head and his finger was already on the trigger.

"Nice job boys." The weasel said proudly as the three mobians pulled themselves up rather unsteadily, dropping their weapons on the floor. "A brilliant distraction."

"Not a problem boss." The rhino had just enough time to yell back for disappearing out through the hotel lobby following the others.

"Let him go!" Amy yelled, her hammer already his hand as she tore herself out from under the table.

"Back off missy!" The weasel snarled, pressing the gun harder against Tails' head. That stopped her in her tracks. The weasel gained a large smug grin and turned back to Sonic.

"Now your probably wondering what this is all about, or perhaps you just want this little…" he paused to give Tails a look over. "…Freak back." Sonic barred his teeth and clenched his fists. "You can have him back by all means, just come the old warehouse out by pier four downtown, Friday night, alone!" The weasel stepped back toward the edge of the pool. Without warning a large, but fast shape descended from the roof of the hotel, coming to a sudden stop a few inches behind them. It was an air bike, a vehicle made using technology stolen from the downed Egg fleet. It resembled a water sled, with a pair of hover thrusters built into the back. This one was painted purple had the words…(Marvellous Queen) engraved on the left hand side. The weasel took a final step back, stepping onto the vehicle. It swayed slightly under the weight as Tails abductor pushed the fox into the back seat as he took the front. "The name's Fang the Sniper blue boy, remember it." The weasel called back with a grin, take hold of the controls as it began to quickly rise into the air again. "Because that's the name of the one who's going to do you in." With that, and a roar from the engine of the sled, he disappeared, becoming a dot on the horizon. Racing across the water, where Sonic knew he could not follow, not even with his speed.

(In Chris' voice)

Fang? Who is he and where did he come from? Maybe Chaotix has the answers. Will Sonic be able to save Tails? Find out next time on Sonic X, A Nack for trouble. Don't miss it!