Chapter 2: Two of 'em

"So Robotnik attacks pretty often?" Doherty inquired as the two continued to walk.

"Yep, guy doesn't rest. Ever. He's very determined, I can give him that."

"You said he attacks with robots, how exactly does he build so many of them over the years? Where does he get the resources?"

"He, uh," Sonic scratched his head a bit before continuing, "has the equipment formerly owned by some technological company before he took over, sorta. They let him work for them 'cause he'd expressed technical genius before. So…"

"They just let him in?"

"He wasn't really that crazy back then, well, not as much."

"What happened to them?"

Sonic shrugged, in a pretty serious manner. "No idea. No one's ever heard from them for a long time. Not sure how long, though."

"How effective are military or police efforts against him?" As he asked that, Alan wondered if it would be a good idea to meet his own mobian equivalent, their own FBI. Would they welcome or shoot him?

"Oh, to put it simply, well…" Sonic shrugged again, "that's complicated."

"Why?"

"Don't know how it is on your planet, but here, many areas don't really have a ruling government, well, not big ones. Many parts of the world are pretty self-contained, kinda small communities, only interact with each other, not much with the big nations, and only they got militaries that can challenge Robotnik," Sonic explained as quickly as he could, though his speech generally wasn't as fast as his running. "Which is why Robotnik generally doesn't go against them, only targets less the less well off areas. Quite smart, actually, if not very nice. And actually that's where we are now, by the way."

Doherty thought about it for a moment. The last time such a situation existed on Earth was probably before the rise of the British or Spanish empires. He found it a bit hard to conceive, especially on a world where such modern technology apparently exists. "So their militaries don't step in to help? At all?"

"Nah. They got colonized before, didn't like it, didn't go so well. And other than volunteers, many folks in the big countries don't support sending their own people out to the middle of nowhere to help people they don't know."

"So you took on the job instead."

"Yeah, I guess," the hedgehog replied, trying not to sound boastful. "I don't really blame them, Robotnik can be pretty scary, and he knows how to hide pretty well. I just can't stand the idea of the weak or defenseless being preyed upon, you know, and the killing…and I can run pretty fast, so I figured I could do some good with it. Hasn't been easy, but Tails and I do what we can, and sometimes Knux, when he bothers, heh."

Alan would have asked more questions, but before he could think of another, he saw that a small, flat house with large trees over it was visible, located up a small hill – the second sign of civilization he'd seen so far.

"There it is. Tails' own home and workshop. Don't worry, it's larger than it seems on the outside," Sonic assured.

"You keep calling it his home. You don't have your own?" Alan asked, eyebrows raised.

"Mmm, not really, to be honest." Sonic appeared slightly sheepish as he answered that, "though I'll explain later. Tails is probably mad at me right now, I'll go up to the door first. Oh yeah, and one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Don't let him see you unless I say you can, just in case." Alan was confused by this at first, but complied by shifting to and standing behind a tree just the right size to his left. Sonic gave a thumbs up.

And with that, the cobalt hedgehog turned and zoomed up the steps so fast Alan could have literally missed it if he blinked, and he stopped just as fast as he'd started, right at the door, and pressed the bell next to it.

Tapping his foot as he waited, Sonic was greeted fifteen seconds later as the door opened, revealing a small, orange fox who was slightly shorter than Sonic and, true to his name, had two large, furry tails. Alan could not see this from below the steps and behind the tree, however, and neither could Tails see the human. Fortunately.

"Sonic, where've you been?" The fox asked, sounding concerned, though there was no sign of impatience or anger in his young voice. "You're supposed to be here about twenty minutes ago."

"Sorry bud, I really got held up in something. Honest," Sonic spoke hurriedly, hoping it wouldn't be interpreted as an excuse, something Sonic made enough times before. "You want me to help you with the plane now?" he asked, wondering what he should with Alan in the meantime, not forgetting how Tails reacted to strangers.

"Oh, actually I solved it myself already, got one of the cranes working. Lucky for you too, since otherwise you'd be getting an earful from me right now," Tails answered cheerily. "But what were you doing out there?"

"Uh…" Sonic looked bewildered. "Look, I'll tell you, even show you, but you gotta promise to stay calm, don't overreact, okay? It's a bit…unexpected."

"Is it a guest?" There was a hint of apprehension underneath Tails' voice.

"Yeah. Again, just don't freak out or something, okay? He isn't the most typical kind." Sonic's expression was more serious than usual. Now that didn't happen often.

"Alright, I promise. Not really sure where you're going this, though."

Sonic turned his head and called for Alan. "Hey, it's alright now, come on up."

Alan, who partially overheard their conversation, moved out from behind the tree and headed up the steps slowly, keeping his stance and movements as calm as possible. He had to make a good impression and have more mobians than just Sonic friendly to him. As he neared the top, he realized the door wasn't very tall, at least by Earth standards, barely taller than himself.

At the door stood an orange fox who suddenly did not look so cheery. It was immediately apparent to Alan why he was named Tails…and why he had a look of fear on his face as he approached and stopped next to Sonic.

"Uh, Tails?" Sonic spoke again, preparing for how his friend could react.

As it was, the fox began stepping back rapidly, bumping into a couch in the process, and continued stumbling backwards – the fear on his face was still there, growing worse.

"Woah, woah!" Sonic had already gone inside even more rapidly and went around, careful not to knock anything over, up to Tails' side before he crashed into other furniture. "Don't trip yourself over, bud, don't worry, let me exp-"

"Wh-who is that? What is that? What-why-" Tails could barely get the words out due to his shuddering and deep, quick breaths. "Is he with-"

"Robotnik? No no no," Sonic hurriedly replied, "I wouldn't bring anything or anyone back that can endanger you, bud, I always make sure of that, and I made sure of it this time." Sonic was amazed at how fast he himself could talk to bring things under control.

Alan, who had not stepped through the door, was sweating. "Sonic, please don't make me look or feel bad."

"I'm not trying to, but I think you gotta do something yourself," Sonic told him as he wrapped his hand around the neck of Tails, who was almost on the verge of tears.

He's right, Doherty thought. It was best to make an introduction, one that makes it abundantly clear he's not like Robotnik in the way Sonic had described. He stepped forward once and said in the most authoritative voice he could muster, "My name is Alan Doherty. I got teleported onto this planet due to what you call a Chaos Emerald, and I only just ran in - no, sorry, Sonic had just run into me earlier, and I had no idea who Robotnik was until Sonic told me. He led me here because he felt it's the best place for me to be for now. From what Sonic has told me, Robotnik does not sound like someone I would want to work with or be associated with, but rather someone I would hunt. I am an FBI Special Agent, a servant of the law, at your service. And I apologize if I have frightened you."

After he finished, Tails' breathing slowed and calmed considerably. His large, sky blue eyes continued to stare at the human. Alan had put on a face he normally only did while he was still in the Army, lips straight, eyes unmoving. A face that showed he was ready to submit to an authority higher than himself, a sign of passivity. A sign of wanting to trust, and be trusted in return.

Alan got what he desired as Tails clearly relaxed himself and gave out a sigh of relief. Sonic almost did the same himself, but decided that wouldn't be so nice to his friend. Still, the fox's stare didn't cease. At least it was now more due to curiosity rather than fear, it seemed.

"I'm…Miles Prower," he finally spoke, though he sounded like he didn't want to. When he saw Alan raise his eyebrows, he continued, "but I prefer to be called Tails. You can…ask about my name later." He didn't like giving out his real name for both obvious and not so obvious reasons, but he decided being honest was more important than his own fears or biases.

"You okay?" Sonic asked in a concerned tone. "Man, I thought you were having a panic attack that you've never told me about or something."

"I'm fine," Tails replied, having regained his normal voice. "It's just, well, what do you-no, I mean…" he stopped talking, still nervous and conflicted enough that it affected his speech and thought. Not every day you got a human of all things being escorted to your house by your best friend. He pressed a gloved hand against his temple and closed his eyes. "What…what do I do?" he said quietly, though not at anyone in particular.

"Sonic, you sure this is a good idea? If you have problems accommodating guests, I won't trouble you. I can leave and find some other shelter…somehow." Alan offered.

"Wait-no!" Tails suddenly spoke up. He again made eye contact with the human about twice his height and took a deep breath. I can do this…have to do this. "No, I mean, it's OK. You can stay. There's food, stuff and whatnot here. I…overreacted just now. I'm sorry. I don't want you to think it was a rejection."

Despite the fact that these two were possibly the only ones on the planet now that wouldn't act violently against him, Alan was somewhat reluctant to accept the offer. Not out of lack of trust, but rather, it was just that this Tails seemed so young, and Sonic not that much older…wait a second.

"Thanks for the offer," Doherty said, "though I would like to ask, how old are you, exactly? Both of you? It just occurred to me."

"I'm…eight." Tails seemed hesitant to say it. "But I'll be nine soon, honest," he was quick to add.

"Fifteen," Sonic answered instantly. "First we forget about the names, now the ages, heh, silly us. So what about you?"

"I'm…forty-three," slowly came the answer. Eight? Fifteen? "Wait, so where are your parents?"

"Uh…we don't have any," Sonic replied frankly. "We've been on our own most of our lives. We can tell you all about it later if you want."

"Then, this house?"

"Found it and refurbished it ourselves."

"So you can take care of it, and you are sure I'll be comfortable enough here?"

"Well, we – or mostly Tails to be exact - can take care of an airplane, a house and a guest aren't much more difficult." Sonic got up closer to Alan. "I know what you're thinking, that maybe we're too young or something, but I think we've done pretty well so far…just ask Robotnik." He smirked, and went on. "And to be fair, when I first met Tails I was pretty surprised by what he could do with machines too, so it's not like all mobian foxes, or young kids, for that matter, are like him." As he said that, the two-tailed fox's face turned noticeably red and he looked at the ground sheepishly, hands behind his back, tails swaying nervously.

Doherty accepted Sonic's explanation. Still, given what he'd seen so far on this world…"Fine, I guess I'll just have to get used to it," he admitted. "Is there anything else…amazing that I should know? Just in case I don't hit a wall to try and wake myself up."

"Oh yeah, good idea. Try this one then: Tails can fly," Sonic said with a smile.

Alan could only stare at the two of them. But…how? "Excuse me?"

"Show him, will ya, bud?" Tails simply blushed and shrunk himself back even more. The hedgehog laid a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. He whispered into his ear, "It's OK, I'm here. And besides, put it this way, it'll show him not to mess with you or us."

After a while, Tails finally relented, giving a nod and a sigh. Unenthusiastically, he headed towards the door past Alan, stepped outside, and performed what he had known how to do since he was four. He twisted his tails in a very rapid circular motion and bent his body slightly, letting them spin above him like a helicopter rotor. In an instant, he lifted off the ground, and reached a height of some fifteen feet. Remembering Sonic's advice, he even performed a barrel roll and a somersault.

On the ground, Alan was simply wondering whether to be awed or scared at the display. He let himself to be more of the former.

After a while, the flying fox finally descended and landed gracefully in front of Alan, his twin tails turning back into exactly that. He allowed himself to smile at the completely frozen human.

"After I get out of this funny farm, I'll probably be sent directly to another," he could only comment. "But until then, could you show me inside?"

About five minutes later, the tour, mostly given by Sonic, was complete, and Alan Doherty was impressed for the umpteenth time. He had been shown the living room, an unused room in which he would sleep, Tails' own bedroom, the kitchen, a bathroom, and was even allowed a peek at Tails' personal fighter jet in an underground airstrip tunnel, though no more than that. Alan didn't blame them. His only real complaint so far, which he did not voice, was how everything was adjusted to standard mobian sizes rather than that of humans, making certain places cramped and the doors short, though it was still bearable. Other than that though, it was a very comfortable, clean and well-maintained home for a place inhabited only by a kid and a teenager.

Doherty was currently in the bathroom washing himself after realizing all the sweat and smell on him. The shower was naturally rather small in size, but he wouldn't rule it out for such showers to exist in poorer areas back on Earth. Minus the cleanliness, the constant water supply –which was filtered from a nearby river, he was told - and the heater, of course.

As Alan continued showering, Sonic and Tails were having a talk in the living room.

"Sonic, what really happened out there?"

"He pretty much told you the short version just now, it's all true. I found him lost in the woods, he had a Chaos Emerald, and he almost got killed while trying to ask the nearby village some questions, so I saved him."

"You're really sure he isn't working with Robotnik?" Tails' worry was apparent in his eyes as he looked to his surrogate big brother for an answer.

"Yes," Sonic replied confidently. He didn't use that word often, as it was rather formal by his standards. "It's actually quite funny you asked me that, since I'm pretty sure Alan was ready to declare us mobians as homicidal maniacs right there, if he even survived. And besides, you had such thoughts and experiences before too, didn't ya? Before you met me?"

Tails' face slumped downward a bit, as did his large triangular ears. He remembered those times alright, and they weren't exactly pleasant. "Y…yeah," he let out, "I…guess you have a point there."

"Exactly. Sorry I had to bring that up, though I really couldn't think of anything else I could compare to," the hedgehog assured. "If you're still worried, you could always check all of his gear he piled on the floor there," he continued as he pointed at Alan's FBI equipment which he took off before starting to shower. "If he was hiding something, like maybe a radio com or something, he wouldn't leave all his stuff out here."

"Hmm…" The fox went over to the equipment and did a quick visual scan. It consisted of Alan's bullet-resistant armor – one of whose pouches held the depleted Chaos Emerald - his helmet, rifle, handgun – both of which had been unloaded just in case – holster, weapon box magazines, and, like Sonic had guessed earlier, a radio communicator and cellphone.

Alarmed, Tails quickly took both up and examined them, fearing they could be transmitting their location or secretly recording. After fiddling with the buttons and dials a bit, he opened them up, which wasn't that hard to do, and examined their contents critically, though after a while, he professionally reassembled them and placed them back. "False alarm, I guess. One's a primitive walkie-talkie, the other's a cellphone, which is a bit more advanced. Both offline and not connected to anything. I'd like to examine them more, the phone especially, but for now they're safe."

"See, what I'd tell ya?" Sonic smiled again.

Tails also decided to have a look at the Chaos Emerald. He took it out from the pouch and held it out in awe. "Wow…so he really wasn't kidding. Knuckles will definitely want to see this."

"Yeah. It's probably the best way to help Alan get back anyway." Sonic waited until Tails put the Emerald back into the pouch before saying more. "Hey, bud?"

"Yeah?"

"It's actually been a while since you last talked to someone other than me. You could start with him."

"Why me and not you?"

"Didn't I say I wouldn't talk to him more. I think he's fascinating. But you can't stay all closed up forever."

Tails sighed. "I know. I really do try, I just…get so worried, like what if they're like those…those people before."

"Aw come on, what did I just say? He hasn't acted that way towards you, has he?"

"Yeah, but you're around."

"Then maybe I'll just sleep a little earlier tonight, huh?" Sonic jokingly suggested.

"Look, I promise to try. I think I'll have to talk to him one-on-one anyway to really make sure of everything…though I just hope I don't ruin it."

Right after he said that, the bathroom door opened and a completely cleaned and refreshed Alan Doherty emerged from it. He had taken off his shirt, which he held in his hand, but not his trousers, revealing a well-built and muscular torso as well as a light amount of chest hair. To the mobians this was unexpected, mostly due to people here with obvious muscles being uncommon, as even Knuckles didn't really appear to have them, and the fact that they'd never seen Robotnik take off his shirt before – not that they wanted him to, before or now – though they didn't say anything.

Alan was about to head into the kitchen to put his laundry when Sonic asked, "Hey, you wanna eat something?"

He paused. In the midst of the combat operation, his arrival to Mobius and his meeting of Sonic earlier, he had not once considered if he were hungry. And now that it was brought up…"Actually, yeah, that would be nice…what do you have?"

Alan had his dinner, courtesy of Tails Prower, who interestingly enough knew how to cook. His meal consisted of chili dogs, a favourite of both Sonic and Tails, which, although tasty, caused Alan to wonder out loud where exactly did the meat come from. The two mobians were confused by his reaction, as if humans did not make meat out of animals on Earth, which caused Alan in return to be confused by their reaction. It didn't take long to consume the food entirely, so they didn't get to touch on other topics much.

Sonic really did go to sleep early after eating, in his own room, feeling unexpectedly worn out by the day's events. Neither Tails nor Alan were that tired yet.

Doherty was lying on the mattress in his room, deep in thought, mostly about Robotnik. Though he hadn't even seen or met the guy, the aftereffects of what that man did were pretty clear. Alan really was nearly killed for simply being of the same species as him, and Tails had at first looked at him as though he were the devil himself, for the same reason. Sonic had said he trusted Alan to be harmless only after observing him for a while.

That was becoming a rather annoying theme. Tails' house was nice, but he had no intention of being stuck here just because the world outside would try and slaughter him at first glance.

Eventually he decided his own mission right now was not to find a way to get back to Earth – that one would be left to Sonic and Tails who had a way better idea about this than he did - but rather to get familiar with both Mobius and Robotnik, and see what he could do about the latter to improve his standing with the former. He didn't know how long he would be here. If he could return before learning more about Robotnik, so be it. If not, he had the chance of solving something himself. How exactly did this Robotnik even come here?

But he had to start somewhere first, right here. He had an idea how. Alan could sense that, beneath Tails' quietness and shyness, the fox was a nice, accepting individual who was willing to help. And there was the matter of his technological interest and talent. Certainly he could get his first bits of information from him?

Not wanting to wait anymore, he got up and opened the door. Nearly midnight already, the place was now rather dark, with the only bit of light coming from Tails' bedroom, through underneath his door. He crossed the unlit living room to the door and knocked lightly. It was opened a few seconds later.

Tails the fox stood there with a surprised look, clearly having thought Alan had slept already. "Um…hi," the youngster greeted nervously. "Is there…can I help you with something?"

"I, uh…" Alan hadn't really thought about how to get the conversation going. "I…couldn't sleep." Well, that was true enough.

"Hmm, same here, actually," Tails admitted, before he went back to his desk and sat on his chair. He swiveled it around to face Alan. "So…what is it?"

Alan remained standing at the doorway. "I don't know, I just…is it okay to talk with you?" Tails actually seemed to gulp at that question, though he maintained eye contact.

"Y…yeah, it's fine, it's OK," he replied, even though his voice made it sound like it wasn't.

Alan decided to address the issue directly. "Look, if you're…afraid, do you want to me keep my distance or something? I won't mind."

"No, don't worry," Tails said to Alan, though it applied equally well to himself. "It's not you or your fault, at all. I…don't talk to a lot of people other than Sonic much." He looked downwards as he said that. It seemed to be something he was ashamed of.

"Why not?" Alan inquired. Then it hit him. "Is it because of, uh, those?" He motioned just barely towards the orange fox's namesake appendages, which were curved down, almost touching the floor. Alan noticed they were actually pretty long, perhaps longer than Tails' own height.

"Y…yeah," Tails answered reluctantly again as he glanced at them and sighed. "I guess, sort of."

"So, it's unusual, having two tails?"

Tails nodded. "You bet. I've never heard of anyone else with two tails." He looked downward again.

Alan understood. "You were ostracized."

"Where I come from, yeah. Though my hobbies and name probably didn't help either."

Doherty was reminded about Tails giving his real name earlier. "So your name really is Miles Prower?" He did not want to sound too deep in disbelief since it seemed to be a sensitive subject for the fox, though it still sounded like a joke.

"Y…yeah, it is." It seemed to take some effort for him to actually say so. "Though I really prefer Tails…Sonic gave it to me. So…please don't use my real name. It…doesn't exactly bring back good memories."

"Very well…though you told it to me yourself."

Tails awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "I just…like being honest, that's all."

"Even with a total stranger of a species you fear?"

He shrugged. "Sonic said you were okay, so, uh, I believed him." He knew Sonic must have been right, judging by the conversation they were having.

"What about your parents? Or Sonic's? They didn't help you out with all that?"

"I…" Alan immediately regretted asking the question so bluntly judging from the frown on Tails' face, though it disappeared as quickly as it formed. "Like Sonic said, I never knew who my parents were, he never knew his either. We just have each other, but before that…" Tails shook his head. "…yeah."

Damn. It was best to change the subject. "You said Sonic gave you the name Tails?"

"Yeah," he replied, and his lips formed a small smile. "He became my best friend ever since. Brought me along with him to many places, fought Robotnik and let me help when he needed it, found and fixed this house together with me, let me fix and upgrade the plane…" His eyes were full of admiration. "And made me…well, me, right now. I wouldn't be here without him."

"He seems pretty popular," Alan remarked, remembering how the villagers earlier deferred to him and spoke as if he had done a lot for them and others.

"Yeah, many people in the less developed areas can't do much against Robotnik. That, and, you know, his speed."

"Hmm," Alan wondered aloud, "I don't get it. So he's a hero for being fast and defeating Robotnik, yet you aren't one for being able to fly, fix stuff and defeating Robotnik?"

"Oh, it's not really like that…it's just where I came from, there was some superstition about anyone with two or more tails being evil, or something. They called me a…let me think…right, a kitsune."

Alan could recall he had heard about that somewhere on Earth before. Though he didn't say anything, he had to admit this was a little creepy. How could there be this many cross-world links?

Tails continued. "When I went around following Sonic, it wasn't so bad anymore," he explained, though it was followed by another sigh. "At least, I think so. I don't really…feel like testing that theory too hard."

"That bad?"

Tails' head, ears and tails were all drooped, and not slightly either. "Yeah. I promised Sonic to open up more…but it's hard."

"What have you done so far?"

"Sometimes I meet with some people who need help fixing things when we need money. They're nice to me, but Sonic's always with me when I meet them, so I'm not sure it counts. Other than that, I mostly communicate through the internet. It's gone okay so far, but I've never given my identity, mostly so that Robotnik can't track me, but…I don't know, maybe that's just an excuse."

The internet? On Mobius? Doherty noticed the powered down computer on the desk. Suddenly he remembered why he came to Tails. "I was wondering, uh, if it's okay if you let me use the internet for a while."

"Hmm…" Tails checked some of the components next to the computer. "I'd like to, but there's a problem with it today. It's my own connection, you see, rather than one of the other pay services, so it's not perfect. In fact I was trying to fix it before you came in. It should be usable tomorrow. Sorry. I imagine there's a lot you'd want to know about Mobius."

"Oh, then it's alright," Alan assured. He was a bit disappointed at that, though he really needed to think of what he had to look up first anyway. He found himself yawning. "Well, at least I still got something by coming over here."

There was again a pained expression on Tails' face. "Sorry for boring you to sleep with my life story and personal problems. I know that's not why you came here."

"Huh? No, that's not what I meant," Alan said with a wave of his hand. "I'm just saying it's been nice to talk to you. I'm not annoyed at all."

"Oh…" The fox blushed slightly. "Thanks." He himself started yawning too. "So…you're going?"

"Yeah, I guess. Goodnight."

He turned to go back, but before he took a step, Tails wanted to say one last thing. "Hey, Mr. Doherty?"

"Yes?" He turned around again, not expecting to be addressed formally.

"I…" Tails paused to think his words through. Expressing gratitude was important for the fox kit. "Thanks for this conversation. You're the first person I've talked to face-to-face in a while without Sonic. It…helped a lot. Thank you." He gave a sincere smile.

Alan just nodded. "No problem. Just don't be too hard on yourself, this kind of thing takes time, even for geniuses – I've seen it happen before. With adults. So you have it pretty well off at your age. Take it easy."

"I should be better at that now, thanks."

"Alright, and just call me Alan. Goodnight."

"Okay, goodnight…oh, one more thing!"

"Yeah?"

"I…promise to help you get back to Earth. I'll do what I can." He showed a determined fist as he made the claim.

"Thanks." Doherty smiled in return. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight…Alan." Tails wished before he closed the door.

After going back to his room and before knocking himself out, Alan found that he felt pretty good about the talk he had earlier, and that he now had two allies in this place instead of just one. It wasn't the goal he had in mind just now, but he was glad he fulfilled this one first instead.