"Blast that Tails!" Doctor Ivo Robotnik slammed his one good hand into his computer console, almost causing the reinforced keys to pop from their sockets. His minions, Orbot and Cubot, hovered tentatively around, worrying at his other bandaged and slung arm. "He SHOT me! Can you believe that?! The twin tailed little cyborg freak SHOT me!"

"Yes, sir!" stammered Orbot, his optics slanting with worry, "And you're aggravating the wound!"

"Yeah! And you're totally making it worse!" Added cubot.

"SILENCE!" The doctor rounded on his minions, the robots cowering beneath his rage. The doctor had been lucky to escape the encounter with Tails, taking only a shot straight through the shoulder. But it had been a long time since anybody had tried, and almost succeeded, in truly trying to kill Robotnik, and the human was enraged. "I'll have my revenge... the doctor snarled, tapping at his console, "Mark my words! That bolt-headed little berk will pay! Even as we speak I have spy-bots rounding on the little abomination's workshop right now!" The doctor leaned back in his chair and watched with a leer as one said spybot indeed approached the fox's base of operations, searching for an entrance. "And I have a plan that will be so delightfully devilish, those two creatures will wish they never messed with me!"

The spybot camera tilted as the small egg-shaped bot hovered silently through an open window. The doctor chuckled, delighted his foe had been so careless.

The bot made its way through the living quarters of Tails' home at Mystic Ruins, finding no sign of the confounded fox. "Hmm..." the doctor mused as he stroked his moustache, "Little bleeder must be in his workshop... of course... never one to slack off, that one! Ah, Miles..." the doctor chuckled, "It's such a shame we had to be enemies... imagine the things I could accomplish with an apprentice of such intellect!"

"You have us, boss!" Cubot piped up.

"Yes, I am quite aware of that..." grumbled the doctor, guiding his probe through to Tails' lab. The bot rounded by a sleek red biplane - the brothers' blasted Tornado. The doctor cursed how many times the fox had ruined his plans with such a primitive vehicle. "Where are you, Tails..." the doctor grumbled, "Where are you you little... GAH!"

The doctor shrieked as the camera shook, blurring violently as the thing was grabbed from mid air. He leaned back in his chair, gripping the arm with his good hand... and gawped as a pair of glowing blue eyes curiously registered the spybot, their owner's face of remarkably familiar design...

"Oh," a synthesised voice said lightly, "Hello, doctor."

Robotnik and his lackeys simply watched at what they recognised had to be Tails raised the bot into the air, and blankly stared directly at the camera.

"Do me a favour? Don't send any more of your toys to my place? I'd hate to have to clean up the mess."

With that, the camera flickered and fizzled into static as the spybot was crushed into scrap.

Silence filled Robotnik's control room at the demise of the spybot.

"Sir..." said Orbot quietly, "Was that...?"

"I believe so..." Robotnik rounded on his minions, his face splitting into a malicious grin. "And it looks like he's done my work for me! Metal?" From the depths, clanking footsteps sounded as a fully-repaired Metal Sonic approached, visor lowered in an angry scowl. The doctor grinned at his greatest creation. "How do you feel about collecting... your new 'little buddy?'"

The robot simply nodded, and turned to leave as the doctor began to upload directives to his processing systems.

"Oh Tails..." the doctor hissed, "You are going to make a fine addition to my collection..."


It was another blissful sunny day in Green Hills, though the weather didn't appear to be raising Sonic's spirits. The hedgehog leaned his head in a hand, a chili dog remaining untouched on the plate before him. Around him in the fast food place were gathered several of his friends, among which a yellow fox was conspicuously absent.

"Are you okay, Sonic?" a concerned Amy Rose leaned over and squeezed his shoulder, "You haven't touched your food!"

"Huh?" Sonic snapped out of his trance with a start and shook his head. "Yeah... yeah, sure. I'm fine."

"Yeah, we know that's a lie..." Vector, chief detective of the Chaotix, hungrily shovelled burger into his elongated snout, the crocodile's appetite insatiable, "You know something's up when Sonic doesn't finish a chili dog!"

"Agreed," said Espio, the other Chaotix detective, while beside him a tiny bee child splattered ketchup over his fries.

"It's Tails, isn't it?" Knuckles grumbled, a scowl plastered over his face, "And this whole 'modification' thing he's got going on?"

Sonic nodded. "He's been locked in his workshop for days... completely barred me from seeing what he's up to... I'll be honest guys, I'm kinda terrified at this point..."

"Is it really that bad?" Vector grunted, frowning in concern, "I thought he was just replacing the parts those... yeet-i guys bolted onto him?"

"I believe," Espio said, the chameleon eyeing Sonic pointedly, "There may be more to it than that..."

Sonic chewed his lip and nodded. "Yeah... yeah, there's more..."

"Tell us, Sonic?" Amy said gently, "We can help!"

"Yeah!" Charmy piped up, ketchup plastered over his face, "We're your friends!"

Sonic considered his options. Hs friends knew what had happened to Tails on the Lost Hex, but they didn't know how far Tails was seemingly willing to... fix himself. Sonic had been hoping the fox would come to his senses. "Okay..." the hedgehog said, "Okay... I haven't told you guys everything... I was kinda hoping this would all blow over, but now I'm not so sure..."

Sonic was cut off as curious muttering sounded from surrounding tables... and the sound of jet thrusters slowly began to pierce the air. The gang's attention fixed to the sky, where a streak of yellow was quickly descending on jets of flame and spinning tails, making for a landing in the restaurant's open deck.

"Oh my gosh..." Amy whispered as the figure came to a landing, leg joints hissing as they took the weight, thrusters winding down, golden metal gleaming in the sun.

"Tails?!" Sonic gawped, leaning up from his seat, "Oh no..."

Before them, the entirely metal form of a completely roboticized yellow fox regarded his friends with glowing blue eyes above a blank face.

"Tails?" Sonic said again, as people all around stared in fear and fascination at what had been a mobian fox.

Tails clasped his hands - both made of steel - behind his back, the blank visage of his face lowering. The gold and white mask was almost featureless, save for the black visor and a sensor module where his nose had been. The others gawped at the android in a mixture of horror and curiosity. "Hello, everyone."

"Holy..." Vector muttered beneath his breath, while Espio eyed the robot unblinkingly and Knuckles looked as though he could lunge for the thing in an instant. Amy simply clasped both hands over her mouth, while Charmy hopped out of his seat with big fascinated eyes.

"Woah!" The bee child gasped, buzzing over to investigate his roboticized friend before either of the other Chaotix could stop him, "Tails, is that you?"

"Affirmative," came a flat reply, Tails barely even registering the bee as he fluttered around his head, "My exterior construction is now one hundred percent artificial. Self-roboticization seventy-three percent complete." The android cocked his head with a slight whirr, blankly regarding Sonic. "What do you think of my work, Sonic?"

Sonic shook his head. "Tails... what have you done to yourself?"

Tails stared at him, utterly still. "What do you mean, Sonic? I told you - I've improved myself. My altered state was irreversible, it was only logical to pursue total roboticization." The head twitched again. "I thought you would be proud?"

"PROUD?!" Knuckles growled, glaring at the cyborg, "You've mutilated yourself, Tails! You... you're a Badnik!"

The visor lowered, increasing the effect of the 'scowl'. "Badniks are inferior units. I have altered my body into the ultimate fighting machine. I am faster, stronger, better. Not that I'd expect organics to understand."

"Inferior? Organics?" Sonic said, rounding the table to approach his brother, "Tails, do you have any idea who you look like?" the hedgehog lapped both hands on Tails reconstituted shoulders and shook him. "Do you have any idea who you sound like?"

Tails regarded the hedgehog blankly as he was shaken. "Please don't do that."

"Tails, buddy!" Another shake. "You need help! That artificial part of your brain has made you do this!"

"Please let me go."

"Tails, listen to me! We're gonna help fix you, okay?" Shake "We're gonna fix you, and we're gonna find a way to change you b-"

"GET OFF OF ME."

Sonic was instantly cut off as an iron fist plunged into his sternum, launching him back into the plates of food and drink scattered over the table. Screams rang out from around the restaurant, while the others scrambled to take care of their winded friend.

"TAILS?!" Knuckled snarled, raising to his feet with fists clenched, "What the HELL are you doing?!"

The echidna had directly approached the roboticized unit, or so it appeared from Tails' perspective. Updated combat routines engaged and the former fox stepped back and raised his right arm, the limb morphing and reshaping into a crackling energy cannon. The weapon fixed directly at Knuckles, who paused in his tracks.

"Target locked." The synthesized voice said blankly, "Preparing to fire."


A terrible silence had descended over the fast food joint, as Sonic wheezed on the table, the others staring cautiously at the roboticized fox. Espio looked as though he were about to slip into his camouflaged state and attack, Vector had grabbed Charmy and was using his own body as a shield, but it was Amy to make the first move.

"Tails?" the pink hedgehog said, slowly approaching her friend, "What are you going to do?"

Tails didn't respond, his reconfigured arm pointed steadily at Knuckles, who wore a grimace.

"Tails, come on..." Amy gently sidled beside him and slowly began to lower the weapon, noting how warm the thing was to the touch. "Let's just talk about this, okay?"

The weapon lowered fully, as Tails realised what it was he was doing. Knuckles snarled and looked as though he were about to attack... but instead the hot headed echidna turned to check on Sonic.

Vector and Espio eyed the former fox with caution, while Sonic stared at him with wet, bloodshot eyes. Beside him, Amy wore a very similar expression. Tails realised now. They were scared of him.

"You don't understand me..." Tails, synthesized voice low, stared blankly at his friends. "You... organics don't understand me..."

"Tails, let us help you..." Amy said, doing her best to remain calm and deescalate the situation, "Please? We're your friends..."

Tails glanced at her, blue eyes glowing, before turning and marching stoically away. "I'm leaving," the roboticized fox said, his arm reconfiguring back into its usual shape. He didn't say another word as his flight systems engaged, tails spinning and thrusts of flame spurting from his hands and feet, before boosting into the sky like a gleaming yellow missile. Below, the gang watched as their altered and utterly unrecognisable friend departed, heading where they didn't know.

"Tails..." whispered Sonic, helpless as his brother left him.


Tails touched down gently into soft, thick grass, his flight systems winding down as he sank into the earth below. He looked down to regard his metal feet, twin-clawed and red. He felt nothing through the steel. Looking back up, the cyborg absorbed his surroundings. It had been a long time since he had been here, to this beach, next to this lake. The first place he had met Sonic.

The roboticized fox slowly marched across the field toward the beach, metal feet crushing grass beneath his tread. He would come here often when he was little, to escape the other kids who bullied him for his twin tails. The flickies would come to investigate the quiet fox-boy, who would in turn happily observe the curious animals. No animals came to see him today. They knew better than to approach strange robots these days.

He replayed the incident at the restaurant with perfect clarity in his mind. He remembered his friends' shocked faces at his altered state, he remembered Sonic pleading with him... he remembered a spike of anger at Sonic's insistence he needed to be 'fixed'. Tails was fixed. He was improved. He was, in every conceivable way, better. And his friends, inferior organics that they were, couldn't see it.

Still, he remembered shame at what he'd done. Sonic was as good as his brother, and Tails had hit him with enough force to send the hedgehog flying.

I shouldn't have done that. But he shouldn't have provoked me.

The cyborg finally reached the shore and kneeled down beside the lake, relaxing into a cross-legged position. He leaned over and looked into the water, his own reflection staring blankly back. Glowing blue eyes stood out from their visor, fashioned into a permanent scowl. His own design reflected that of Metal Sonic.

What have I done to myself?

A flutter of regret began to rise in his chest as Tails understood exactly how irreversible his condition was. An emotional response. Illogical, and irrelevant. The artificial side of his brain squashed it. He was improved now. Superior.

And being watched.

Too absorbed in his own thoughts, Tails was once again too late to react as a bolt of energy slashed toward him. The golden android swung around just in time to register the blast, and shuddered in place as his systems were overloaded. His glowing eyes dimmed out, leaving a blank visor, and fell into the grass with a thump.

Moments later, a gleaming blue robot of similar construction hovered to a soft landing meters away from the inert cyborg, red eyes locked onto its target. Metal Sonic pinged a notification through to his creator, before leaning down and slinging the smaller cyborg over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Metal Sonic readied his flight systems and boosted into the sky, ready to transport the package back to the doctor.