Robo Tails beep boop you know the drill let's jump right into it! As always, hope you enjoy!
0-0-0-0
Trees, highways, fields, towns, they all passed by in a screaming blur as the fastest thing alive raced toward his destination with a firm determination.
He had questions, and he was hurtling toward his answers, consequences be damned. His brother needed him, and Sonic the Hedgehog would tear down a mountain if it meant Tails would be safe.
He'd make it to Green Hill within the hour if he maintained his current speed. And he would. Slowing down was not an option.
That robot was the key. It had to be. Why else would King Max prevent them from interacting with it? Sonic's insides had dropped when he'd briefly considered the idea that the thing might have hurt Tails to get him out of the way.
But the more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed. Surely Uncle Chuck would have told him if that were the case, right? Even if the news would have utterly destroyed Sonic, he's sure his trusted uncle wouldn't keep something like that from him. Sir Charles had broken rank over far less.
Plus, it would make so much more sense for Robotnik to capture Tails instead. The Doctor loved having leverage, lording his accomplishments and threats over others.
So no, Tails had to be alright. For the moment, at least. So what else?
Maybe it was telling the truth.
Sonic very nearly stumbled over his own two feet, a usually unthinkable idea. Why would he entertain such a stupid impossibility? The machine had been lying, that's all. Trying to save face after blowing its cover too early. He'd lived with the guy for years, after all. Since they were kids! No, he would have known long ago if his own brother was an unfeeling hunk of metal.
Right?
He grit his teeth, and pressed on, letting the wash of his surroundings ease his mind.
0-0-0-0
Tails sat in the accommodations provided for him at the Green Hill barracks: a modest, but reasonably comfortable apartment not far removed from a particularly utilitarian hotel room. This was fine by him, machines needed very little in the way of comfort.
He'd spent the remainder of his evening at the base typing away on a government-issued laptop. It wasn't exactly top-of-the-line, but it was good enough for the moment and...circumstances. Technically, he was fairly sure he would be able to access the internet through...his own mind, but he preferred to hold off on anything that extreme for a while yet. He'd been scouring to find any mention online of what had occurred earlier at the hospital, but thankfully, either due to serendipity or, more than likely, some government assistance, the exact cause of the kerfuffle in Minton hadn't made its way to the news at-large.
This was, to say the least, an enormous relief. The Freedom Fighters, by virtue of their very public altercations with Robotnik and their connection to the royal family, were extremely well-known, some might even say famous, within the Acorn Kingdom. To have his robotic nature become public knowledge, especially as a result of a near assassination, would have been the absolute worst-case scenario, not only for himself, but for the entire team. Perhaps for the entire nation.
His communicator had been buzzing off the hook since he'd arrived at the base. He didn't dare check the messages left by his terrified friends, who doubtlessly believed him to be in serious danger or perhaps even dead.
Once they found out what he was, they might prefer that option.
Tails' fingers danced across the keyboard as he opened up the shared drive containing all the information they'd gathered about his physiology and abilities, some from experimentation, and some via directly uploading the data from his internal systems. Hard-light hologram projections to create synthetic skin and fur, nanobots to stimulate automatic repairs in the event of damage, multiple redundancies to conceal potential malfunctions. No real need to eat, sleep, or even blink. Every piece of him was meticulously crafted, and every piece also wholly artificial.
It continued to horrify as much as it did fascinate him.
The android was interrupted from his research by a light but definite knock on the door of his dormitory.
"It's open."
The door swung slowly open to reveal a familiar raccoon. Howard was his name, if Tails recalled correctly. And he did; his memory banks were practically infinite and infallible.
"Can I help you?" Tails asked, though not with the venom he'd expected. The fox really had no reason to dislike the man, other than his association with Penn. But that was purely professional, and so Tails tried his best not to hold it against Howard; the guy at least deserved a chance.
"Sir Charles wanted me to tell you to get some rest; the rest of the team will be brought here first thing in the morning to be...brought into the loop."
"I assume that means...informing them about me."
"I would think so."
Tails sighed heavily and closed the laptop, placing it carefully on the nightstand. The fox-droid folded his arms and seemed to consider something, before turning his head to the raccoon.
"Howard, what do you think of me?"
If Howard had been caught off guard by the question, it didn't show, "Well, it's hard to say. I don't really know you."
Tails stood, making his way toward a small toolkit on the opposite end of the room, "You know what I mean. Your superior's made his thoughts pretty well known, but, I dunno, I guess I'd be interested to learn how the second-in-command feels."
"Look, the General has done a lot for me, and I respect him more than probably anyone else in the world," Howard said, moving his way into the room and closing the door behind him, "But candidly? A lot of his shit is smoke and mirrors. He loves to play the hard-ass because that's what he knows people expect, but most of it's a show."
Tails removed several components from the box, including a long, thick cable and what looked to be something not dissimilar to a compact computer tower. "So, what, you're suggesting he secretly likes me?" the android replied sardonically, "He's just some playground bully kicking sand in my face because he wants to be my friend?"
"Oh no, he definitely hates you."
Tails looked up to shoot a glare at his visitor, and Howard was half sure he saw the robot's sky blue eyes glow for a moment.
"Hey, I call 'em like I see 'em," he defended, "But what I'm saying is: he's playing it up, trying to make an example."
"Well I kind of figured that when he threatened to kill me a few hours ago in front of an advisor to the King. He's lucky our talk about mental retraining was still fresh on my mind."
"You did good," Howard conceded, sincerity creeping into his tone, "But to be honest, and to answer your question, I can't say I like the possibility that your switch might just flip at the drop of a hat and then we're all dead."
"Well that's something we both can agree on, at least."
It finally clicked for Howard, then, what exactly the box and cable were for, as Tails flipped some switches on the device and disengaged a portion of the synthetic covering from the back of his neck. He inserted one end of the cable into the console and the other into the top of what would be a normal Mobian's spine. The android's eyes briefly flashed red as the connection was established.
Tails seemed to notice the look of realization on the soldier's face, and tried to ignore how the raccoon's hand moved subtly toward his sidearm, "Oh...yeah. I can recharge by powering down into a mode designed to mimic sleep to conserve power, but Uncle Chuck and I figured out it's much more efficient to just plug into this modified UPS we rigged up and go into standby. One night of this can theoretically give me about six days' worth of charge. Joys of technology, huh?"
"I suppose so," Howard murmured, his eyes finally betraying some semblance of surprise, "You seem awfully comfortable with this sort of thing."
Tails barked out a mirthless laugh, "Oh believe me, I'm not. But these past few days have been kind of...sink or swim. I just have to do my best to deal with what comes."
Howard's stance relaxed almost imperceptibly, "I guess there's something to be said for that."
The soldier turned to open the door, and before stepping out into the hall, gave one last look at the machine in the room behind him.
"Get some rest, Prower."
0-0-0-0
It was around 8 o'clock, about the time Charles expected, when the front doors of the barracks slammed open, and a fuming blue hedgehog marched his way into the foyer.
"Won't you come in, dearest nephew?" the elder hedgehog sighed, lifting himself from his perch on a nearby armchair.
Sonic stopped directly in front of his uncle, arms crossed and glaring daggers.
"Can I...help you, Sonic?"
"You know what I'm here for."
"Well, in a broader sense, I suppose I do," Charles responded evenly, "But you'll have to be a bit more specific."
That was that, and Sonic was off to the races.
"Specific!? Oh, oh, specific he says! You all weren't too caught up on specifics when you swept away that murder machine that almost killed Sally! And then you exclude us from whatever the hell is going on here even though my best friend could be hurt or even killed!"
"Sonic, son, calm down," Charles soothed, "You don't know the whole situation."
"Of course I don't, Chuck! That's the problem!" Sonic snapped, "We've never been this out of the loop before, especially not for something this serious. Why now?"
"It's precisely because of the situation's sensitive nature, Sonic."
"Oh like that's anything new. We deal with sensitive stuff all the time; it's kind of our thing. Why's everything so hush-hush all of a sudden?"
"It's not 'hush-hush'. We're just being prudent. And if you would bother to stop your panicking and speak to me like a civilized adult, you might actually learn something, Maurice."
Sonic walked slowly up to his uncle so that their noses nearly touched, and jabbed an index finger into the man's chest.
"No. I love you Uncle Chuck, but you don't get to stand there and talk down to me like a kid when it's something this important. Tails' life could be in danger and you act like you don't even care."
"Sonic," Charles scolded, and his piercing eyes caused the younger hedgehog to hesitate, "Tails is fine."
This finally seemed to put the brakes on Sonic, as he looked for any hint that his uncle was bluffing. He knew he needn't bother, though; Uncle Chuck had never been untruthful with him.
"He's...he's okay?"
Charles sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Yes, my boy, he is. Physically at least."
"How do you know that?"
"He's here on the base, Sonic. I talked to him less than an hour ago."
"Here on the base!? Are you serious?"
Charles only nodded.
"I don't understand, how'd you find him?"
Charles lowered himself back into the chair, and motioned for Sonic to sit across from him.
"If you had even the smallest modicum of patience, Maurice Hedgehog, I swear this mustache would be much less gray. You were, and most likely still are, due to receive a message from Max summoning yourself and the rest of the Fighters, Rotor excluded of course, here in the morning to begin preparations for an upcoming mission."
"Another mission? We just got back! Look, far be it from me to suggest slowin' anything down, but a guy's gotta rest sometime."
"Rest isn't an option for the moment, I'm afraid. I think His Highness himself is working on about 36 hours now."
"...that big?"
"That big."
Aside from the two hedgehogs, the foyer was utterly silent. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes past eight, but it certainly felt like the dead of night had descended on Green Hill.
"Well spill it, Chuck. I'm already here."
"Very well," Charles paused, and seemed to consider his wording before continuing, "Do you remember those 'unconfirmed reports' we told you about before you left to secure the emeralds?"
Sonic nodded slowly.
"They've been confirmed, in wretched detail. We believe Robotnik, over the past few weeks, has abducted anywhere between 20 and 30 children."
Sonic's fists immediately clenched, and a fire of true fury very seldom seen in the good-natured hero was alight in his eyes.
"He...he WHAT!?"
Charles merely stared ahead, "Indeed. I don't think I need to pound in any further how grave this is."
"That rotten son of a bitch. We all knew he was low, but...but...they're just kids, Uncle Chuck! What's he planning on doing with 'em?"
"We have a few theories that we'll go over in the meeting tomorrow, but suffice to say, nothing good."
The younger hedgehog couldn't even bring himself to speak for a moment for his rage, but recomposed himself somewhat as a look of resolve replaced the anger.
"I...I need to see Tails."
Charles wasted no time cutting off that train of thought, "Sonic, I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why wouldn't it be?" Sonic shot back.
"Tails...has been through quite a lot." Charles' eyes struggled to find something to focus on, and he had to fight valiantly to keep his hands from wringing together. It had been a very long time since Charles Hedgehog had been rattled, "And as much as I hate to say it, he'll be going through quite a bit more very soon. Give him tonight, at least."
"How about we just get it over with?"
The uncle and nephew, so caught up in their bickering, had failed to notice the new presence in the room. As they whipped their heads to the right at the voice, they saw one Miles Prower standing at the entrance to the hallway. Sonic's expression instantly softened in relief, and he turned fully to face the young fox.
"Tails, bud!" Sonic exclaimed joyfully as he made his way over to his younger brother, "Man I'm so glad you're safe!"
Sonic eagerly reached his arms out for a hug, and most likely a traditional noogie, before he was stopped by a hand placed gently but firmly in the middle of his chest. He looked in confusion at the fox's face, steeped in dread but masked by a facade of stoicism.
"W-what's up, man?" Sonic asked, trying in vain to affect an air of casualness.
Tails looked into him with eyes sadder than the hedgehog had ever seen, "Sonic, we need to talk."
"Miles."
Tails looked over Sonic's shoulder to see his Uncle Chuck begging him with kind eyes. Begging, but not demanding. The older man knew that this was Miles' choice to make.
"I'm sure, Uncle Chuck," he answered, "Can't hide forever."
Sonic turned to glance at Charles, then back at Tails, "What are you two talking about? I feel like I missed a page. Tails, everything okay, buddy?"
"No, Sonic...not really," each word from Tails' mouth felt like it weighed ten tons, "I...I tried to tell you...in the hospital..."
Sonic's eyes went wide.
"I was telling the truth, Sonic."
"You."
Sonic jumped back as if burned by fire, and placed himself purposefully between the android and Charles.
"Why the hell are you not locked up?"
"Sonic, for God's sake!" Charles shouted, "Did you even hear what he said?"
"What, you believe this thing!?"
Charles grabbed his nephew's shoulder and forced him around, and held his arms in a firm grip as their faces were less than an inch apart.
"That thing is your brother!"
The last word of Charles' reprimand echoed off the white walls and lofted ceiling of the foyer, leaving the two mobians and android awash in an all too familiar silence. Finally, it was Tails who ventured to break it.
"It's me, Sonic," he said, "It's always been me."
"No...no, there's no way," Sonic stammered, backing away from Tails as if he were a dangerous animal.
"I'm an Alpha class combat android, specialized for espionage and deception. Basically, the long and short of it is: I was built by Robotnik to spy on the Kingdom and the inner workings of the palace, and, as a secondary objective, to...kill you."
Sonic had absolutely nothing for this. What he was being told made no sense. It was entirely, completely incomprehensible. There's no way the universe could do something so cruel to him. There's no way Robotnik could ever cut him this deep.
"I was most likely deployed onto Westside in a deliberately crippled state, so that you would find me. Since then...since then I guess my latent code's been laying in wait, gathering data and extrapolating the best way to go about completing my mission. But there's no 'original' Tails, Sonic. It's always been...this way."
Sonic's voice was incredibly small, "You told me you didn't have any memories from before Westside…"
"I didn't," Tails responded, determined to rip this bandage off once and for all, "I still don't, but...I have data logs in my programming. Mission objectives, protocols, subroutines...it spells it out pretty clearly."
"I don't… wait, so…"
It was incomprehensible.
"S-sonic?"
But his uncle had never been untruthful with him.
Tails. His brother.
His partner.
His best friend.
Completely synthetic.
And...was it all…?
"Sonic. Please say something."
"It was all a lie?"
Tails flinched, "It...it's complicated. But Sonic, I didn't…"
"This whole time you've...just been a machine?" Sonic stammered, "What does this mean? My little brother...never existed?"
"That's not true, Sonic!"
"What isn't true!?" Sonic screamed, "What you just told me? Are you or are you not a robot!?"
"I-I am b-b-but I-"
"So what? Can you even feel? Think for yourself? And why now?" Sonic said, taking a step closer to the android, "Why show your true colors now, huh? Couldn't hold off anymore? I mean, after all, robots aren't made to be friends, or brothers; killing's what you're built for, right?
"Sonic, that's enough!" Charles interjected.
"NO! You don't get to tell me what's enough Chuck!" Sonic raged, directing an accusatory finger at his uncle, "This thing tried to kill Sally! And it…" tears had begun to pour down the younger hedgehog's face; Tails, for his part, just looked hollow, "it stole ten years of my life."
"I didn't know Sonic," Tails asserted, "I was as in the dark as you were! I thought I was a normal Mobian until a few days ago! I swear, Sonic!"
"Bullshit! That's bullshit! How do you go ten years without even registering you're not a real person!"
Tails' eyes snapped up at that, and briefly flashed the same hellish black and red they'd been in the hospital. Time seemed to freeze as Sonic and Charles' breath stopped, and they were certain they'd just been pulled into another life-or-death fight.
But, just as quickly, the droid's optics receded to their usual radiant blue. Tails trembled as the hedgehogs watched him anxiously.
"I'm...still...me, Sonic," he ground out, seeming to wrestle with each word.
Sonic was a mess. "You're still trying to convince me, after *that*!?" he declared, aghast. He turned to Charles and gestured strongly at the struggling fox, "Chuck, why are you...humoring this thing!"
"Sonic, you need to calm down. You're only going to make the situation worse," Charles spoke in a soothing, even tone. He could see his nephew wasn't thinking clearly in through his whirling emotions, and it was quite frankly a miracle Tails had managed to reign in his violent instincts.
This had the potential to spiral, but Sonic stilled for a moment as something seemed to flash across his eyes. He immediately whipped back around to address his (former?) brother.
"Did you shoot Rotor?" he asked venomously.
"What?" Tails spat.
"Did. You. Shoot. Rotor," Sonic reiterated, marching back toward Tails, "We never did get the whole story about what happened in the forest. Maybe you didn't start with Sally."
"I didn't shoot anyone," Tails growled through clenched teeth, "It was a SWATbot."
Sonic jabbed a finger into the android's chest, "You are a SWATbot."
And, very abruptly, Sonic found himself on his back, staring at the ceiling of the foyer. A faint trickle of blood fell from his lip. The form of his ex-partner stood over him, one hand clenched into a fist, but eyes still very blue, and very wet with tears that robots weren't meant to produce.
"All those times you told me you'd always be there for me," he began, his voice shuddering with every word, "I guess we've both been lying to each other for a long time."
With that, the synthetic fox turned and walked purposeful back down the hallway and out of sight. Sonic made no move to get up. He didn't know what good it would do him; he'd never been so completely lost in his life. He barely registered the presence of his uncle as the older hedgehog moved to sit next to him on the floor. Charles clasped his nephew's hand, and only then did Sonic allow his tears to flow once more.
0-0-0-0
Secure channel: FF01 - All
"Another mission? Daddy, you realize Rotor hasn't even woken up from surgery."
"I know, I do. And believe me, if there were any other way, I would never ask this of you all. But I cannot overestimate the severity of what we're dealing with. We need the Freedom Fighters if we want any chance at success."
"And what are we to be doing about monsieur Tails, eh? He iz still M.I.A.!"
"That's right! I talked to Knuckles just a moment ago, and he said he figured the android has been here for at least the past three days! Who knows what kind of shape Tails could be in by now."
"I can assure you that Tails is 100% safe. He's being lodged at Green Hill base, where you're all to report to at 800 hours tomorrow morning."
"What!?"
"He's safe!?"
"But ze robot-"
"Please trust me when I say that everything will be explained tomorrow. I've already been on the phone with Ari, and he's more than willing to stay with Rotor in your absence. We can all be on the same page once we're in the same room."
...
"Of course, daddy. We'll be there."
"Thank you, sweetheart. Thank you all, so much. I can't possibly put my gratitude into words. You are the backbone of this Kingdom. I'll see you tomorrow."
Channel closed...