Ok… the reason why I update at the speed of snail is because I have, many, other things to do, and many, many things which have a higher priority than writing fan fiction. I am sorry for this, but I'll try my best to keep my writing spirit alive and finish my stories first. And yeah, I was too anxious to get reviews the last chapter, so it was shorter than I intended it to. Sorry. Anyway, a moderately long chapter to fulfill your large appetites. If you have not left the table, that is.

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Chapter 5 – Submission

Tails' PoV

I stood beside the tree trunk, mesmerized by the huge, burning piece of metal in front of my eyes, flames dancing in the darkness. I had crashed the Tornado into the woods, and now, it seemed to be beyond repair. Yet, I was now standing here bewildered and unscathed, with a huge gap in my memory. Sweat beads flowed down my face, as I found myself unable to remember what had happened after turning on the landing gear. The last few minutes, hours, maybe even days, were a blur, and I had no idea what I had been doing then… The more I focused on the Tornado, the more frustrated I became, as I failed to recall what had happened.

I turned my head away from the burning debris, instead trying to focus on something else. I then looked at myself, running my fingers through my fur as I tried to find any wounds or injuries on me. But I was still without a scratch…

I must have jumped out of the plane or something while it was going down… But how could I forget doing such a thing? How could I even land the plane landing onto the island? The last thing I could recall before that gap was me, losing my hold over myself, as darkness took over the sky…

Eclipse. Or was it something more sinister…?

Then I remembered the entity that had been gaining absolute control over me… It was capable of controlling my every move and now, it seemed to be able to completely displace me out of my own body. I shook my head in despair. There was no way I could even put up a moderate resistance towards it. First, it controlled me in the Tornado, and forced me to almost kill Sonic. Then I involuntarily flown onto the island and deliberately crashed the plane. Who knew what would come next?

All the people that are going to be hurt…

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What is my fate…?

What was it, what was the inevitable that I had to suffer and why? Why did West Island now seem so inter-connected with my life? It is now more than what it had originally been, my place of birth, and has escalated into something much more sinister and dangerous, with me being manipulated by an unseen being. What had started out as a little trip to find out about my past, to meet my old uncle Merlin, had transformed into a twisted nightmare, and I may have already dug up a little more than what I had bargained for… I could only wonder what the invisible entity wanted to do with me, how he wanted to use me…

But why me?

I looked down to my feet, and then looked up to the sky, pondering… What was so special about me, and why was I chosen by him? There was no way to answer those questions, not at all; thinking about it only merely adding fuel to the fire, for their answers needed to be from someone else. Its range was too wide for me, or anyone, to filter out and acquire the correct one, and furthermore, my understanding of the situation was scarce. But chances are that no answers would be given to me tonight.

Why did he know so much about me, while I knew so little about him?

Angrily, I kicked the rocks on the floor, towards the direction of the blazing, melting metal. A silent, low-pitched 'ding' was made on impact. Only then did I consciously remember what the steel, once coated with ocean blue paint, made up. The Tornado, something I would spend hours on perfecting, adding more components, or taking it out for a spin or two. It was my pride; it was an important part of my life. And now, it was gone…, slowly burning up on the ground; the white paint that wrote the words 'Tornado' melting away into something unreadable…

The minutes of joy and exhilaration, gained by ascending up to the blue sky, being, for the moment, at one with the clouds, riding in the quietness of the atmosphere as one looks down from a great height, the spectacular view of the ocean. These experiences were to forever leave me. Cause' the plane could never ever take to the skies again.

Tears flowed down my cheeks, as I tried to keep my eyes away from the flames, lowering my head. By now, the burning piece that lay in front of me did not even remotely resemble a plane anymore. It was just mostly a pile of black ash now, much less than what it used to be, my plane, the Tornado.

Now, I felt hopeless and miserable. Sonic wasn't here to guide me, the Tornado was now in ashes, the two things that my life revolved around were gone, perhaps permanently. Moreover, now that the plane crashed, I had no way of getting out of this island.

I had to act quickly. The less time I spent here, the better. If that someone wanted me to be on this island, it couldn't be for a good reason…

But getting out of here, it wasn't easy, rather it was… impossible.

I slumped onto the big palm tree, in a state of hopelessness. The only way I could get away in a reasonably short amount of time was to leave by boat, airplane, or any other mode of transportation there I was on the island; I hadn't been on West Island for a quite a while, so I didn't really know. The catch was that I had to communicate in some way to the people here to have a chance of using them.

But there was where the problem lay…

In my childhood, the only memories I had before meeting Sonic were the ones where I got teased at, or even kicked at, the kind that I didn't want to relieve or find out further about. I cringed…, oh how painful it was… Alone, facing enemies from all sides, without a friend in the world to help you face them. That was how dire it was… No one would be there to accompany you when things got dire, no one would be there to console you, no one would even care the slightest about you. You would be nothing more than a grain of dust in the world, unconnected by any life thread, ignored by all others.

And that was what I was. A pitiful two-tailed fox, alone in a hostile world, seemingly unloved. That was why…

"Friends are the best things ever!" I thought aloud, half-smiling, sitting up more straight, as if a sudden pride was infused in me… How my whole life was suddenly thrust from darkness into light when I met Sonic, how my sure fate as a two-tailed freak rotting in a dark corner of a street, unloved and hated by everyone, became a joyful one, part of a circle of friends that could last forever… I don't think anything else in the whole of Mobius could make me happier.

Knuckles, Cream, Amy Rose, Johnny Lightfoot…

Best Friends Forever…

But now, I was alone. A throwback to those times… Those dark times. Only much worse, I thought; it could mark the end of everything I had. It was as if fate suddenly knocked on my door, snatched me from my happiness, and dragged me back into the darkness, kicking and screaming, to complete what it had started. There was no one to turn to, no one to pull me out from the clutches of fate; I had to face this one on my own.

I slumped yet again onto the palm tree. The feeling of slight happiness I had a few moments ago seemed unreal and absurd (how could I be happy in this situation?), and was replaced by a feeling of despair. Even as I tried to think of a plan to escape, something at the back of my mind kept yelling at me, that it was useless and inevitable that I die.

One part of me thought that I was going to die anyway. Meeting Sonic did not change anything, it did not prevent me from dying in the hands of the unknown, and all it did was to delay it. The other part still tried to think of a solution, but in the end, my brains failed me. I couldn't think clearly when fear gripped my heart, threatening to squeeze it and pop it like a balloon. Anyway, my mind had already been set; there was no way to escape West Island. It was futile anyway, wasn't it? The mysterious spirit would simply lead me back again, having all the power in the world to do so, and I could only scratch my head and wonder again how I got back to the island…

I tried to think of something else, a solution to the problem, when someone whispered to me, as if he was just a hair's width away from me, speaking directly into my pointy ears,

"Fate is inevitable."

I stood up like a bolt, and looked around frantically, searching for the speaker of these words. But nowhere in the area could I see anyone. Then I realized…

"Fate is written in stone."

That the spirit was striking again from within. The entity which would cause me to die, the thing that was coming to bring me straight face to face with my dark destiny, my fate, and to make me conform to it whether I liked it or not. I shivered, with the look of paleness frozen on my face. Fear gradually consumed my whole body, and I felt myself tensing up instinctively…, aware of the immense power it had.

Deep down inside, a voice told me to stand up against it, to fight against it, but it was near silent, and it was not even nearly as convincing as the fear that drowned it out. Memories of past events filled up my mind, especially how I pointed the laser blaster into Sonic's head, one action from ending the life of the one that brought light into my life, the one that unknowingly tried to pull me away from my fate.

(Too bad, Sonic, cause' you failed miserably.)

It was still as vivid as ever, and by now, I stopped breathing, waiting…

"Succumb to it, Miles Prower."

And now, I ran as fast as I could, deeper and deeper into the forest, whirling my tails quickly. I didn't care about where I was going at all, I just wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible; speed was of the essence. I was genuinely scared…, and I did not want to hear a word about how my situation was hopeless, how everything I was going to do to get out of the rough would accomplish anything but, no matter what would happen.

There was still a way out of this; I tried to tell myself. There had to be a way. I wanted to see my Tornado in tip-top condition again, I wanted to survive to see Sonic being chased by Amy yet again, and I wanted to have the chance to grow up and be like him

I didn't want to end here, to end now. I did not want to see my life come to an abrupt stop like that, without a chance to realize my ambitions. I would survive. I just had to… At all costs.

"Do not run away from fate, as it would only serve to hurt you more than what is necessary, and nothing else."

But every word that I heard only served to chip off piece by piece my resolve to live, just like how the strong wind gradually erodes away the mountains, and lays it to waste. My molehill was quickly fading away into a mixture of brown dust and sand, as much of me remained unconvinced by my own words. The sparkle in my eyes faded as I started to feel that I was losing faith…

"You aren't going to cheat fate, you are going to rot into the darkness, you are going to die, Tails, you are not going to see the light ever again. He's too powerful, you have absolutely no chance of escaping; give up that hopeless fantasy and just surrender yourself to him." That was what the sensible side of me was thinking. And everything it had been saying was purely logical; common sense, in contrast to how far-fetched my hopes that I could see the light again were, no matter how I wanted those thoughts to become true.

They would never be…

But still, all those seven years of being with Sonic, saving the world from the evil clutches of Dr. Robotnik, making all sorts of discoveries together, regarding the chaos emeralds and other things. There was so much I did, so much I saw…

I was there when Sonic fell from space into the Mobian atmosphere, as my 6-year old self swooped down in the simple, red biplane to pick Sonic up, saving him from death.

I was there when Sonic turned into Super Sonic for the first time, shining in brilliant hues of yellow, in his all-powerful form, cutting through badniks like knife through butter,

I was there when Sonic saved the world countless times, me playing at least some part in them during those days.

Was that all for naught? I shook my head, using new-found strength to run faster and faster, a hollow smirk on my face. It could not possibly be. My presence in those events; they played some significant parts, haven't they? Those years weren't just a mere obstruction, delaying the journey to the horizon of inevitability. Because I had helped, I have at least played some part in the history of Mobius, and I did change things. I was significant enough to make a change…

I winced at thought that fate had been using me as a mere tool all along, only to throw me into the dustbin like a disused toy. But at least that infused me with some blind hope, provided me with something to build on, and gave me a boost of spirit, and that was long needed. Now I kept trying to remember the things me and Sonic had done in the past, when I actually helped. Maybe that would give me hope and strength, and let me think up of an actual solution…

I kept on running…

"It was all for nothing, Miles…"

But the ethereal voice did not let up.

I ran faster, willing myself not to listen to it, thinking up of as many memories that I could.

Everything would turn out okay; somehow, good would always triumph over evil…, and something good will come out of this run.

"For the centerpiece of the future you have hoped for, the foolish ambitions that you have thought of, and the past you have lived, has been dislodged."

It took me a moment to figure out where this was leading to. And at this moment, additional fear gradually crept into my soul, causing me to pick up the speed and cover my ears, willing him not to say it.

But he did say it, without any feeling of relent or mercy on me. And I could hear every single word, crystal clear.

"You pointed the weapon at him. You almost squeezed the very button that would mean his death. You were the one who almost killed him."

Like a key, it unlocked thoughts that I had barely managed to suppress. Thoughts that would cause guilt and misery to flow within my heart. Thoughts that would give that entity what he wanted from me. And no matter how hard I tried to close that door, I found myself unable to control the endless stream of thoughts that came out from those sentences.

I slowed my pace.

Tears streamed down from my eyes, as the assortment of memories of good times, happy times started to fade, and that one dominant memory, that fateful event, that blaster…

"You were the one who did that, not me! You controlled me, you manipulated me, and you were the one who made me do all of that…" I was cut short by the voice yet again.

"Sonic abandoned you."

"No he did not!" I shouted back, closing my eyes, more of a reflex action than anything else. But after that, something held me back…

Another stream of thoughts hit me squarely in the face.

How I looked back at my shoulder only to see Sonic gone, and how I only hugged him this morning, appreciating him for what he had done; these memories pelted my mind, feeling as painful as being hit by stones. It was too sudden, everything was just too sudden.

"Leaving you hollow and empty…"

In a snap of a finger, he had left me. He had given up all hope on me, effectively undoing all these years of friendship we had, rendering the times that I have been with him null and void. The significance of those events seemed to fade into nothingness now, since Sonic no longer thought anything of me. He wasn't a friend of mine anymore, was he?

Was he even a friend of mine to start with?

"With only questions filling your mind."

No, that was a rhetorical question. Of course he was. He had to be. He just… had.

Memories replayed themselves in my brain yet again, the same kind that had allowed me to continue running just now; the kind which had caused blind hope to surge through my veins. But this time, it had a different effect on me now. Not a boost of morale, but rather, desperation.

"You long for him to come back, to be happy again…"

An intense wanting for those times to happen again, for the clock to turn back its hands and make everything the way it should be; full of comfortable happiness and laughter.

It was like trying to grab the stars that were out of reach, but failing miserably, helpless along the tides of fate, drifting towards the horizon of inevitability…

"But he does not, and you are left alone crying."

I tried hard not to think about the past anymore, or to even think about him. I could not give up now, and cause my life to end here. I would fight, I told myself; I would fight all the way till the end. I concentrated solely on running now, not willing to admit defeat just yet.

But I found that my body was not listening to me. My tails were no longer spinning, and no longer was I running. Instead, I was jogging, and worse of all, I was not panting at all. The cause of all this was not physical exhaustion, rather it was a…

Lack of faith…

My heart cried out to him again, and now I started wondering whether I was true to myself, when I said that I would fight till the end.

I looked up at the night sky. To my dismay, it was starless.

"And find that there is no one to support your shoulder…"

Sonic.

I wish you were here with me now.

I wish you were here, so that I could hold your hand, and then you could run at the speed of sound, and out of the island.

I wish that you could say to me that everything was alright, and you could take all my troubles and fears away. Like the wind can.

But you are not… You left me in the lurch, Sonic. And now, I do not know what to do.

"As you fall to your knees."

I felt a very great urge to stop now, to give in to my fears and let the darkness consume me, to stop the pain. To stop everything going on within me, and let go, with minimal pain. Suddenly, I did not feel like running away from him anymore. I wanted to stop; I wanted to surrender myself to him, since…

Nothing mattered anymore.

The image of Sonic continued to haunt me, as I slowed my jog to a walk, and then to a complete stop. Never had I felt so weak spiritually, never had I ever knew what one meant when he 'loses the will to live'. And now, felt those two feelings all at once.

I was in a trance-like state, as I clutched the left side of my chest; where my heart was. Memories appeared in my head again, but this time, they were more painful then ever before. They collided into me at full force, and this was reflected in the physical sense, as I fell onto the ground; the look of death on my face.

I did not even bother to break the fall.