"Get everyone out! Go!"
"We need a medic over here!"
"Where's my baby?!?"
"Help me... please..."
Drone fire rained down on the village on the Isle of Babylon as a robotic army tore through, destroying everything in their path. Tails and Vector, along with Akhil joined the fight to protect the villagers, but even as the fighting slowed down there were many casualties.
"Akhil, we need to get to that tower." said Tails.
"Come, I know a way to it." said Akhil, leading Vector and Tails into the forest.
Akhil bent down, opening up a door that was hidden under the grass. Tails and Vector climbed with Akhil quickly closing the hatch.
An hour or so went by, Tails, Vector and Akhil still walked through the underground tunnels leading to Robotnik's tower.
"Man, how long is it until we get there?" asked Vector.
"We're almost..." said Akhil, being cut off by a noise coming from around the corner.
The three readied their weapons. Two silhouettes shown on the wall. When came out from around the corner it was none other than Bark and Charmy.
"Bark, Charmy." sighed Tails "We thought you guys were goners."
"No." said Charmy "They locked us in a cell, but we managed to escape before they could do anything to us. But guys, you'll never believe it."
"Believe what?" asked Vector.
"Foxtrot. He was here." said Charmy.
"What?" said Tails.
"Yeah, and... and... he was working with them."
"No way." said Vector.
"There must be some kind of mistake." said Tails "Are you sure it was him?"
"Yes. And Tails... he's changed... there's something different about him... like he's not himself."
"Robotnik must have done something to him." said Vector.
"Charmy, Bark are communicators still online?" asked Tails.
"Yeah, why?"
"Call Knuckles and the rest, we need them here ASAP." said Tails.
"Already did. Bark and I stole some communicators from a couple robots and rewired them before we found these tunnels. The whole fleet is on it's way."
"Wow, you thought of everything." said Akhil.
"Actually it was Bark's idea."
The four looked up at Bark, surprised he was capable of coming up with such ideas.
"Well then, Akhil, go back and try to protect everyone in the village until the fleet gets here." said Tails.
"On it." Akhil saluted and ran back the way they came.
"The rest of us, we'll keep going until we reach the tower. There has to be some kind of control panel controlling these robots." said Tails.
"And what if there's robots roaming the halls of the tower?" asked Vector.
"Bark will clear them out so we can get there. Meanwhile, Charmy will try reprogramming the robots to stop their attacks. Vector, you protect Charmy."
"And what are you going to do Tails?" asked Charmy.
"I'm going to make my way to the top of the tower."
"Why?" asked Vector.
"Because I feel there's something there that might help us end this war." said Tails.
As the four go ahead with their plans on Snively's chopper Cosmo is tied up to a chair unable to move anywhere.
"Where is it?" asked Snively.
"Where... is what?" asked Cosmo, before being slapped by Snively.
"Where... IS...IT?!?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." cried Cosmo.
"The green, emerald-like substance? Does that ring a bell?" asked Snively, getting closer to Cosmo's face, to which Cosmo spat "I see you don't want to talk, well how about I nuke the whole base and the island too?"
"No." sighed Cosmo "You can't."
"Oh yes, I can. I have just what I need to do it. Would like to be responsible for all of those deaths?"
"No."
"Then talk."
"It's... it's underneath Angel Island. Under the base."
"All this time. I had the correct location of it, I was just looking in the wrong place."
"Why? Why do you need it? Don't you know what it can do? Don't you know what it's capable of?"
"Oh yes, I know."
Meanwhile, in Robotnik's tower, robot after robot falls as Bark, Charmy, Tails and Vector push their way through the tower. Bark leads the group to a door labeled "Control Room" and opens it with ease. The four rush in, closing the door behind them. Charmy took a seat at the computer and started typing away.
"I need a code." said Charmy.
"Try robot." said Vector.
"No, it needs a numbers." said Charmy.
"I'll make my way up to the top. I'll let you know if I find it." said Tails.
"Thanks." said Charmy "I'll be waiting for you down here."
Tails stepped out of the door and into the halls. Sneaking along the wall he made his way to the stairwell and decided to climb up.
"I'm coming Cosmo, Foxtrot." said Tails.
Meanwhile, outside the tower, in the village the fleet arrives to lend a hand.
"Everyone, prepare for an aerial strike." ordered Knuckles.
In the meantime, troops along the ground, lead by Espio were scattered around the village, to ambush any oncoming robots making their way towards it. An army of bots, lead by an Omega came pass, but the team jumped out of the trees on Espio's orders, slashing the bots with their knives. Espio though had his sights set on the Omega and pounced upon the back of it. The Omega tried to reach for Espio, but Espio slashed it's hand, cutting it off. Espio held on tightly as the bot started running towards a tree, ramming it's back into it. But Espio held on and lifted his knife, bringing it straight down into the bot's eye multiple times. After about ten stabs the Omega bot fell and Espio climbed off.
"Well that was fun." said Espio, wiping the sweat from his brow.
At the top of the tower, Tails walks into a room undetected and spots a desk. He hurries over to the desk and starts opening and closing drawers to find a code.
"It's not there."
Tails looked up from the desk and saw Shade pointing a gun at him and holding to her side.
"I should have known you'd be up here." said Tails "Where's Cosmo? And why did you take her?"
"Cosmo isn't here, and the reason I took her is because she had important information that could save this place."
"What kind of information?"
"The whereabouts of the Master Emerald."
"Master Emerald?"
"It's an emerald made up from a hardened green substance that can only be found in certain parts of the world. The people here had equipment to track the emerald's locations, but they weren't completely accurate. When Cosmo found she told me of the times before she joined the force, about her life as an archeologist's daughter. She described some of findings, one in particular being green and crytal-shaped. The more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that this was what I was looking for. But I wasn't going to just ask her straight out where it was. No, that would have aroused suspicion. So I took her with me too tell Robotnik working up a deal to give her to him in exchange for the freedom of the Rogues. Unfortunately the bastard didn't hold up his deal of the bargain, shot me in the side, took her and fled. I was left here, bleeding out, to hear the screams of all the people I love die."
"Where'd they go?" asked Tails.
"Like I'd tell you. I'd rather shoot you instead."
"Where'd they go?" said Tails again, more seriousness in his voice.
"I'm not talking."
"I'm not fighting you on this." said Tails, walking up to Shade and pointing the gun her hand at his own forehead "I'll die if I have to, but I'm through hurting others."
Shade was taken aback. Never had she seen such bravery. Not even from her own people. Shade slowly lowered her gun and gave Tails the code.
"Come with me, we'll try to get you healed up." said Tails.
"Thank you. I realize now, what I did was cowardly and stupid. I'm sorry."
"There's no time to think about all of that. We need to hurry." said Tails, letting Shade lean on him.
"Thank you." whispered Shade.
"By the way, did you see a guy named Foxtrot by any chance?" asked Tails.
"He was the one piloting the chopper that took Cosmo and Snively out of here."
Near the Angel Island base, the chopper lands. Snively steps out holding Cosmo at gunpoint, followed by Foxtrot. The three follow Cosmo to secret a tunnel, hidden on a mountain overlooking the base below.