Author's note: Here's chapter 2! More action this time… down the road, anyway!

Chapter 2

In Sonic's opinion, there were some things that shouldn't be allowed to exist in the morning. Alarm clocks were one. An empty fridge was another. On the top of the list though, he would gladly place what was currently interrupting his beauty sleep – overzealous foxes. Grabbing a pillow and placing it over his head, he groaned loudly as Tails ran around the room, collecting notes and pens and equipment and gadgets, ready to run off to the first lecture, an introduction to advanced robotics.

"You coming, Sonic? The first seminar starts in 10 minutes, it's on robots!" Tails asked, hoping against hope.

"Urf" was the only reply, and the kit rolled his eyes. Nudging his friend twice before giving it up as an impossible task, he ran off, leaving a groaning hedgehog behind.

Sonic was a wary creature with lightning reflexes. Relaxing did not always come easy to him, but once his guard was down and successfully fell asleep, he was very slow to wake up again. It took several minutes before he groggily sat up in the bed, which looked rather more worn than the previous night, thanks to a spiky hedgehog treatment, and slowly put on his shoes and gloves.

"Robots, pfft" he murmured, rubbing his eyes and standing with a lazy stretch. Deciding there was no point in going back to that bed anyway, he took off for a morning run, planning to learn more about the surrounding area and, he thought grimly, look for signs of Eggman… just in case.

A few hours later, Sonic and Tails were eating lunch together at the centre cafeteria. Carefully, they had chosen the most remote table possible, though for very different reasons. Tails looked happy, excited and tired – he had just come back from unloading armfuls of notes and instructions, tools and contraptions, back into their room. After listening to two seminars and talking with various humans and even a few Sapients about robotics, he had learnt quite a bit and had even been able to offer new knowledge regarding the use of chaos emeralds to power technology – not a subject many beyond him – and Eggman, unfortunately – had been able to look into. Wanting to get as much rest as possible before the next seminar, he was hoping for some peace and quiet during lunch.

As for Sonic, he was getting quite tired too, although for different reasons. He was used to being followed around by fans whenever going into crowds, but this crowd was quite different than the usual ones. While he had indeed signed some autographs already, he had also been hustled by throngs of excited scientists wanting to know all about his speed and agility and how he could move like that and how his mind could process that amount of information so quickly and in what ways he was different from the regular Mobian hedgehog and he didn't know what else… Sonic had been willing to put up with the first few tests, mostly consisting of running/jumping around and looking cool (like always!) while the others took notes, but had tired of that game as soon as a few of the researchers were bold enough to start begging him for blood samples, chaos energy readings, x-rays and whatever else they could think of. By the time he heard the third "I promise, it's just a slight prick, won't hurt a bit!" he had decided that enough was enough and simply run off. At that point, he had been reminded by no one as much as Eggman – Chaos knew he'd had enough human-founded experimentation done on him to last a lifetime already. He had found Tails just exiting one of the lecture rooms and all but demanded they go do something else. Hence, lunch.

And so it was, they ate together, one of them very excited and barely able to chew on his chicken sandwich as he had so much to tell his older brother, the other one eyeing him quietly as he chewed on his hamburger (unfortunately, the closest equivalent to a chili dog around these parts) and looking not all that impressed with how the day was unfolding.

In Tails' defense, he was indeed trying his best to keep Sonic occupied. He knew this wasn't an activity the hedgehog would ever willingly choose. Sonic needed to be on the move constantly, or he'd go insane (not to mention drive everyone around him crazy with his pent up energy). To keep the hedgehog happy, he had suggested he explore the jungle around him during the days, which kept Sonic occupied… for a few hours. Following that, he had eventually proposed they take a trip with the plane. Sonic had heartily agreed.

As soon as they were done eating, they'd headed over to the plane. Tails had unpacked almost everything he had brought with him to Adabat – it'd just be them, no gadgets or electronics to annoy the blue speedster. Just like old times. They brought nothing with them but lunch and were soon ready to take off.

Once they were in the air, Tails was happy to see Sonic at ease again, quills flying in the wind, an adventurous look on his face, eyes shining with joy. He deserved it after putting up with Tails' interests for three days straight, the fox thought.

After an hour in the air, they had travelled a respectable distance. The ground below them was stretching out as an endless green carpet, occasionally interrupted by swirls of shallow rivers. Tails had been looking for a suitable place to land for some time, but had trouble finding a clear area large enough. At this point, they probably would have to turn back without actually landing at all – not something he looked forward to telling the fidgeting hedgehog who was just itching for a good run.

"Sonic, do you see anything?" he called for his friend, mostly to gauge his current mood. Here goes…

"Yeah Tails, I do!" Sonic replied, shading his eyes with a gloved hand. He sounded excited, but also thoughtful.

"What? Where?"

Tails looked ahead excitedly, but saw nothing but the same dark green below him.

"Seven o' clock, look! It's Eggman, I'm sure of it!"

Tails gasped as he looked closer in the direction Sonic pointed. He was right. There was something moving below them, something large, a robot of some kind? It was tearing down trees, great stems crashing down around it. What was it looking for? More focused on looking ahead, Tails would have missed it if not for the hedgehog's sharp eyes. It was Eggman, no doubt about it. Up to no good as usual, it seemed.

"What should we do, Sonic?"

"Oh, do you ever need to ask? Let's take her down right here! Obviously, he's up to something!"

Sonic grinned from ear to ear. Finally some action!

Tails, truth be told, was not all that excited about the idea of landing here. On top of that, he doubted they had escaped Eggman's attention, either. Surely he'd noticed the plane above. Circling the Tornado around, he eventually settled on landing on the edge of a barren cliff. Not a place he'd choose if he had options, but he didn't.

Fortunately, the landing went without any major issues. Their feet had barely touched the ground before Sonic had grabbed Tails by his arm and taken off. It took them several minutes to move the few kilometres through the dense jungle before reaching their final destination. As they neared, they could already hear the yelps of fleeing animals and whirring electronics as more trees fell.

Unbeknownst to them, Eggman was quite frantically preparing for their promised appearance – a guarantee now that he had spotted the plane going down some distance away. How in the world had they known to look for him here?! He was out in the middle of nowhere, he hadn't even attacked any nearby cities to draw attention to himself! It was only good fortune that he was at least operating one of his latest mechas when they saw him. True, it was still not fully finished, but the test run in the forest had been going well enough until he was interrupted. He supposed it was ready for its first fight. He moved its legs into position, waiting for the hedgehog to approach. He thought he could already hear a faint swishing sound through the forest. They were getting closer. As a last second preparation, he went over a quickly put together speech in his head.

Sonic muttered as he rubbed his arm over his forehead, wiping off a patch of sticky mud. What a place! He didn't mind forests, not at all, but when your preferred speed was somewhere in the category of "astronomical" you had a tendency to prefer more open landscapes when trying to move as quickly as possible.

"Over there, there he is!"

Sonic's ears perked as he heard his companion pointing ahead. He slowed his speed considerably so that he could let go of the fox without risking sending him flying as he lessened his grip on the tan arm. His plan was to leave Tails at a safe distance while engaging in battle. Tails defiantly jogged behind his friend as he walked closer to the doctor, though. He wanted to help, not hide.

Tails had been right on the money – between two large trees, in a small clearing littered by fallen vegetation, they saw it. Eggman had, unsurprisingly regarding the time it'd taken them to reach him, prepared himself, complete with one of the obligatory Evil Overlord Speeches. Cackling as they slowed to stand in front of them, he gestured to the duo. Good thing his plan was already well into action or he'd been completely unprepared for this. Still, he frowned as he considered this kink in his otherwise smooth-running strategy.

"Well, how unexpected to find you pests here of all places. Come to visit me, have you? Well, I'll have you know you're already much too late… it's almost finished now, anyway. You've already failed… but if you want, I'll play with you for a bit anyway!"

Sonic snorted. He knew the doctor had been up to something, as usual!

"They are aimed and ready. One pointing to each major capital of the world. At the press of a button, I will annihilate every major city on this miserable planet! And when I tell them that they are already at my mercy, they will have to submit to my will. It's so simple, I'm amazed I never thought of it before… I will rule this world!"

Technically, that wasn't entirely true. Sure, it was his plan, but there were still some bugs in the firing mechanisms that needed to be fixed before he could pronounce his evil plot to the world, but he hoped to have that fixed soon. The hedgehog didn't need to know that part, though.

"What are you talking about, Eggman?" Sonic asked rebelliously. He had no idea what the doctor was pulling, but it didn't sound promising.

"Missiles, you idiot! One for Spagonia, one for Shamar, one for Mazuri, one for every corner of the world!"

"Sonic…" Tails whispered. The hedgehog turned to his brother upon hearing his pained whisper, and then nodded.

"Don't worry, we'll stop him here and now, then we'll find and disarm whatever he's planning to fire" he replied.

Eggman laughed at them.

"You need not worry! Your troubles – and lives – will end here and now! Behold, the Egg Mantis! " he took a step forward, bringing the mecha into full sunlight.

The robot reminded Tails of nothing as much as a giant praying mantis that had been squashed and then haphazardly put together again by someone who had only the faintest idea over what an insect should look like. It had six legs ending in massive metal claws, a surprisingly heavy body with a protective glass bubble where Eggman was sitting and finally, its major feature, two massive, long bent arms that had earned the robot its name, each ending in what reminded him of nothing as much as long razors, or perhaps scissors. They looked deadly sharp and he suspected they could strike at high speeds. As it were, his theory would soon be tested.

"Tails, back off!" Sonic shouted, waving behind him for his friend. "Stay safe, this thing looks nasty!"

Tails had wanted nothing more than to join in the fight, but upon seeing the massive mecha and its deadly claws, he realized he would hinder more than he would help after all. Looking around him, he found a great tree some 50 yards away. Hiding in a safe spot behind the stem, he prepared himself for cheering his big brother on. If only he'd had his own mecha with him! The Cyclone was still at home, though. There'd been no way to bring it with him all the way to Adabat.

Eggman let him go. The fox was of little importance – his main focus now being the far more lethal hedgehog.

Sonic on the other hand was smirking, relieved that his buddy was safe for the time being though as always he put on an expression of bravado. With a snort, he sized up the oversized metal insect… thing… before launching himself straight at it. Oh, how he had been itching for some fun. This was just what he needed!

"Time to put you out of commission for good, hedgehog!" Eggman roared as Sonic came at him with a yell of his own, though his battle cry sounded rather more like something along the lines of "Teriaaah!" No wonder more than one person had sometimes wondered just what went on inside that blue skull.

A minute or two later found Sonic grinning wider than ever, while Eggman was growing more and more furious. Indeed, the robot had proven to have very sharp, very lethal arms indeed. Too bad they were simply too large and bulky, too slow, for the supersonic hedgehog.

"Take this, you pesky rodent!" Eggman bellowed, one razor arm flying in the hedgehog's direction once again as the blue blur sped around him.

"Actually!" Sonic shouted gleefully between jumps, smiling like a mad thing, neatly leaping from part to part on the great machine, a mischievous look in his eyes. "Hedgehogs aren't related to rodents at all!"

With a smirk, he aimed a hard kick at the razor-clad claw that came at him, damaging it and giving him the momentum to throw himself towards the opposite end of the hulking mass.

"Closer to foxes!" Diving his feet deep into the machinery, denting the hull. Not much, but it was a start. He took off again.

"Closer to bats!" This time he landed on the offending claw again as it snapped after him, grabbing onto a loose wire, barely visible in the metal joint, pulling fiercely. He heard Eggman's low curses as the claw malfunctioned and then hung limply. One down, one to go. Not to mention the grand finale, of course. Another jump. Next he landed on the slick hull of the main body, near the windshield slash bubble, standing on all four, using his hands to hold on as the robot lurched and moved awkwardly below him, its balance interrupted by the broken arm. He looked directly into the doctor's eyes, smirking.

"Closer to porpoises, would you believe it!"

While Sonic had a bit of a reputation, at least among those who had met him only once or twice, for being kind of… well, stupid, Tails knew better. True, he did have the attention span of a brain-dead goldfish and true, he rarely had the patience to pay sit still to listen to anything for more than 30 seconds, tops, but the fact was that the blue hedgehog was actually quite clever when he wanted to be. Much of his knowledge was on a more subconscious level – his grades had certainly never scored among the top percent in school back in the day, but he would never have been able to pull off his various feats without an extremely good eye and feel for pretty advanced physics. He may not have been able to put his knowledge into words, but his body knew. On top of that, his travels and many encounters with people of all kinds had given him the most random bits and pieces of knowledge, even if he rarely shared it with others and it was anyone's guess how much he knew about any given subject. You never knew what had somehow managed to stick to that quick mind. This was one of those times – Tails had no idea Sonic was that familiar with his genetic heritage and couldn't help but smile as he listened to his big brother's lecture in the midst of the action.

A lunge, a well-aimed sneaker and a loud crash followed as Sonic crashed straight into the windshield, broken glass raining around him. With a shriek, Eggman pressed one of the buttons as he ejected himself into the mandatory escape-ready hover pod. Sonic landed on the now empty seat of the mecha, tsking over the many controls before him. Far too many, in his opinion. Perhaps it was time to get rid of some. Left uncommanded, the robot was now standing still, giving him the opportunity to jump highly into the air, roll into his trademark spin-dash and dive straight for the instruments.

Unfortunately, Eggman had not given up yet. He had one trick left up his sleeve. Now a nice, safe distance away, already moving fast across the sky, as if he was in a hurry to leave. With a distant shout, he pressed a great red button on a small remote, previously hidden in his hand.

"Well then, take this, you cousin of a porpoise!"

A horrible, loud screech erupted from the still untried robot as it jerked wildly. What exactly it was meant to do, they never figured out. The spindash, combined with the previous attacks, had severely affected the robot's ability to function and Eggman cursed loudly as his recent masterpiece did little more than move spasmodically as if having an epileptic seizure, all the while making that horrible loud sound, blocking out everything else. Sonic stopped his path of destruction to grab his ears in agony, adding a yell of his own to the cacophony as he balanced as well as he could on the torn seat, or what remained of it. He clenched his teeth and his ears were flat against his head as he covered them with his hands. He looked like a perfect picture of unexpected pain, desperately wanting to get away but too surprised by the sudden onslaught of painful sound waves to move. For that moment, nothing else existed in his world other than that excruciating uproar. Tails winced and hunched lower where he was, further away but still far, far too close in his opinion. His own sensitive ears were ringing and aching with the sound and he tried his best to cover his ears too, counting his blessings that he was further away from it all, a low whimper escaping his throat. Knowing the battle was lost and that Sonic would come at him any second now as soon as the mecha stopped its rampage, Eggman fled as quickly as possible, soon no longer visible among the clouds.

Then the robot exploded.

Author's note: Ooooh cliffie!

Also, Sonic's right, you know... Despite Eggman's favourite insult, hedgehogs aren't even that closely related to rodents, and I have to admit it pains me a little inside every time someone refers to him as one in their fic (animal nerd alert!). Their closest relatives are moles, shrews and moonrats... Which granted is not helping my case as people probably think of those animals as rodents too lol! Hedgehogs belong to a superorder (group) of mammals called Laurasiatherians. Among others, this group includes carnivores, whales, bats, most hoofed animals... and hedgehogs. So a big, big group of very diverse animals. Rodents on the other hand belong to the other great mammal superorder, Euarchontoglires, which also includes lemurs, primates (including humans!) and a few others. So, hedgehogs and rodents don't even belong in the same Superorder - meaning they are only very distantly related. From a genetic viewpoint, Sonic would have more in common with a cat or a pony than he would with a rat! In fact, he's more distantly related to them than you and I are. Genetics be crazy. So, the next time Eggman calls Sonic a rodent, know that he does it as an insult, not as an actual description of his relation to other animals :P