Hey, this is the first chapter I've ever started totally rewriting halfway through! I hope it was worth the wait for making it better, though.
Yori Micah and Remnants of Fantasy: Yeah, that's what I was doing before I started Warfox, but I'm using docs again. Thanks for that, though!
LordVoltra: Thank you, sir! I hope to keep it!
This chapter doesn't have any action or anything, but it's pretty important. I hope you enjoy nonetheless!
I flew wide circles around the deserted battlespace in waiting for my allies' arrival. By the time the Royal Air Force was finally upon me, the Luftwaffe was nearly halfway towards the horizon. Several minutes of idle circling commensed in anticipation of replacements for the fleet's obsoleted orders. These orders finally arrived through a transmission.
"Return to base." Several seconds later, a different voice occupied my radio. "Prower, return to your camp."
That was all. Everyone broke their circle and made off towards home.
x
I landed on the same strip that I left from, and I was welcomed by the same officer who saw me off. He led me back to the shed-style building and to my room.
"The Chief said that some of the pilots made some pretty questionable claims about you, so you'll continue to be held here. You'll be getting more visits from the boys in the lab, too."
"How… How long?" He shrugged.
"It looks pretty boring in there, so…" He revealed a folded mess of paper and a few pens that were dubiously stuffed into his pocket and offered them to me. "Have fun."
I gave a confused smile as he closed and locked the door. And so, I was once again alone, stuck in that small, comfy room. I sat on the bed and looked at the gifts I had been given—smiling, for I couldn't have asked for anything better.
x
I worked late into the afternoon on something I had been putting off for a long time: an assistory AI. I was planning on adding more features to my plane than I could control by myself, so it would become necessary sooner or later. I had decided to name it CoMAI—Copiloting Multifunctional AI—and planned out its basic framework. Shortly after I had filled up five of the six papers with neural network algorithms, I heard two sets of footsteps enter the building. They crossed the hallway and stopped short of the door.
"Ready?" one of them asked in the loudest whisper I'd ever heard, and affirmation followed. The door was unlocked, and in stepped two young men clad in casual attire, each carrying a box of equipment. The second closed the door behind him, and both sat their boxes on the floor.
"Morning, Tails. We're here to play a few games with you."
"Tests, you mean?" I corrected.
"Er… Yes, but you could think of them as games."
"Games seem like a waste of time; I prefer to consider them tests," I commented, indirectly urging them to disregard my age. He raised his eyebrows, and the other pressed his lips and tilted his head. "So what's first?"
"I, uh. I noticed you were doing something on that paper, there. Mind if we take a look?"
"Ah, I thought it was a little strange that he had so much paper stuffed in his pocket…" I collected the papers and delivered them to him. A frown immediately crossed his face.
"What's this?"
"Neural network algorithms."
"What?"
"Neural network algorithms. Like… an AI." His face was brimming with doubt and confusion.
"AI? What's that mean?"
"Artificial Intelligence." For a moment, both of their faces contorted in contemplation of what that could possibly entail. He stuffed the papers back into my hands.
"First test—game—er, test! We're gonna solve some puzzles."
"An intelligence test?"
"Um, yes." The scientist turned to his partner. "You can conduct this one; I'll start setting up the next ones."
The second man nodded and knelt in front of one of the boxes. I sat across from him and sat the papers behind me as he rummaged through the container.
"Here it is," he said as he produced a large, colorful, cardstock, ring-bound packet and a stopwatch. "Each page here has some sort of puzzle you need to solve. When you know the answer, just tell me."
I nodded as he held up the stopwatch. The moment it started, I began to blow through the questions at rapid fire. Three minutes and one hundred questions later, I was finished. He took a few notes.
"You're ten, correct?" I nodded, and he made a few calculations. He suddenly became rather uncomfortable. "Let's move on."
Few words beyond instruction were spoken after this point. They then began to test my senses: field width, depth perception, and detail and color detection for sight; basic sensitivity for smell; several samples of flavors for taste; pitch and volume ranges for audio; and temperature range, pressure sensitivity, and (with my permission) pain tolerance for tact. They also tested for reaction, balance, and a multitude of other coordinative abilities. One they were done, they packed up and began to leave without revealing any of my results, or even so much as a goodbye.
"Hey, wait!" They halted at the doorway and turned. "Can I… have some more paper?"
"Uh… Next time—tomorrow, probably. I'll bring a whole stack." I nodded with a grin. He returned an uncomfortable smile, and they left, shutting and locking the door behind them. I took up my papers from where I left them on the floor and resumed my work.
x
I used up my last sheet of paper long before the day's end, so I busied myself with checking over my work until my bedtime. The next day as I was saying at the head of my bed, I was paid a morning visit, but it wasn't by the scientist from yesterday. Instead, it was the officer from yesterday morning who had been bringing my meals and whatnot. As he unlocked and opened the door, I took a glance at his name tag: Benson. He carried a large stack of paper with him.
"Morning, Tails," he greeted as he handed over the paper. "These are for you… I've got two messages. The lab boys won't be back until tomorrow, so they wanted you to have that. Second, officers from the fleet in yesterday's battle been deliberating, and your actions in yesterday's battle have been legitimized. You'll be named an Ace with fifty-five kills."
I balked at the news. He wore a wide grin.
"Also… you'll be sent on a solo mission next week. To deal some damage on Germany." That reminded me of something.
"Thanks, uh… Do you have some time?" He nodded.
"Sure. I was assigned to attend to you full time. I'm not sure why they didn't want a nurse to do the job instead, though…"
"Oh. Well," I motioned to the foot of the bed, and he sat. "I guess my first question is… what's this war that's going on called?"
"World War Two."
"World War…" The implications scared me a bit. "What's it over?"
"To Hitler? It's about establishing a worldwide empire of the 'superior race.' To us, it's about stopping the madman."
"Huh…" Sounds like Eggman… without the race part. "So what caused the war?"
We talked for hours, and I learned everything that I might have needed to know about recent events. I learned of the situation that Germany had been forced into due to the first World War and of Hitler's violent reaction. I learned of the oppressive nature of the fascist regimes and the demagoguery used to create them. By the end of the conversation, I had decided that although the Axis was quite evil, the Allies were only slightly less so. He had boasted of plenty of the Allies' feats of warpower that, to me, constituted as war crimes. That very moment, I decided to play a fully unbiased defensive role in the war. And that meant turning down the solo mission that was coming next week. Perhaps.
x
I spent the following week continuing my work on CoMAI, of course, and upgrade designs for my plane. When the time came for the mission, I accepted (not that I was given a choice) and given a personal sendoff by the Chief himself. For the last time.
Sorry that took so long. Ya know, exam week and all. Again, I hope this was worth the wait!