Chapter 13-Enter Tails

Shadow's mini-vacation didn't last long. During landing, the new toy got wrecked, because he couldn't land the right way. Espio never told him that he couldn't use landing gear once it went into hyper mode!

They left the plane there, and it still hasn't been found.

But it was their lucky day, because they landed in a clearing right near the city, and an investigation was in progress. That investigation was what would lead them to their next adventure.

A man was on the ground, dead. The investigation was to find out how he got there.

Shadow turned his head to talk to Amy, but she was gone.

He started to walk around looking for her, and saw her in her black cloak, looking for clues, in the crime scene. Suddenly, a black shadow passed over the city. Shadow followed it.

The entire city stared into the sky in awe as a black shadow passed by everyone's head. The thing was flying fast. Shadow jumped, and used his rocket shoes to fly clear over the city.

It came into view. It was Miles "Tails" Prower, a huge-brained orange fox boy with two tails for flight, and acting as a fan when moving at high speeds across the ground. Only eight years old, his IQ rivaled that of Robotnik himself.

Shadow sped up, and was now within view of the fox-boy.

Tails said, "What are you doing here?

Without answering, Shadow descended, and approached the ground. A SWAT team was waiting for him, with a missile launcher in hand.

Shadow realized what they were planning, and ascended high above the city. He spotted Tails again.

Tails told Shadow, "You're not allowed here. The city is planning against you. They now know what you know.

Shadow said, "You mean the articles?"

"You saw them, right?"
"Yes. So?

"They want you dead for that reason. They think that you will take your revenge on the city."

"What reason would they think that? The articles have nothing to do with the city."

"They don't know that. If they did, then you wouldn't be chased down.

"Why don't they know?"

"They've never seen them."

"What?"

Shadow thought that the city was the first to see the articles. But this news was new to him.

"Tell me more."

"The news is only to be discussed among government officials. Though they report directly to the President, they have no idea what they're doing."

"But that would mean…"

"That's right. If militants found out they were hunting a perfectly innocent hedgehog, they would revolt. If the news were to leak out, the entire world would be hunting the President down, for the criminal offense of elimination of the innocent. Who knows what sort of chaos would break out."

"I see. But that's still no reason to want me dead."

"They plan on shutting down the ARK and any evidence of its existence."

"But that wouldn't result in anything but destruction. The people will still know. They were the first to find out."

"That's what the nuclear weapon is for."

"Nuclear weapon? They plan on slaughtering them all?"

"No. The nuclear weapon results in a lot of chemicals, called perpetual-chlorides, being released into the air. Those chemicals can be targeted to eliminate certain memory brain cells. If a high-altitude detonation were to take place…"

"That doesn't change the fact that it happened."

"Shadow, whether or not Sonic opposes this, I'm going to fight on your side. I was up here scouting the area for any sign of the weapon. They're planning on launching it into space, so if the thing launches anytime soon, I'll be the first to know. You don't have to worry about me ratting you out. Oh, and another thing. You'll find this interesting."

"What is it?"

"We aren't from another planet."

"What?"

"They've been doing this for years. No one knows but me."

"How?"

"See, at the end of the Robotnik Era, an era where this place was called something different, and a dangerous wasteland, they did this on almost the entire planet by accident."

"How?"

"It turns out that we're actually secret military projects as well. During the time that you were locked in the military's top-secret base, we were created, and Robotnik's father was leader, they launched a nuclear weapon at his base as well. However, due to unexpected air currents, the chemical was spread into the air, and our attack unit, the Freedom Fighters, was nearly wiped out. Those of us who survived, except myself and one other, didn't remember their creation, and think that they're from another planet due to military influence. I tried to tell them, but they didn't believe me."

"Who was the other?"

"He's dead. Assassinated. The guy that you just passed was the one."