Here I am , with yet another chapter! I have nothing more to say, so why are you reading this?
G.U.N. Headquarters
December-25-3456
8:52 Mobius Time
G.U.N.'s main operations room was abuzz with light. In the relatively dark room, the sudden changes in color and luminosity from the three large screens seemed all the more drastic. Some of the few consistent sources of light were the dim red lights, bolted to the ceiling.
On the balcony of the second floor, General Felix O'Donnell paced back and forth, contemplating that which had been haunting him for the past few days. With a stogy in his mouth, and smoke coming out in large puffs, you could tell he was not alright. A nearby leopard, who kept tabs on the system to make sure there were no viruses, found herself watching the General more than her monitor, and she was not one to be easily distracted
The operator, known as Delilah by her peers, sighed and spoke up, "You know, sir, planning for missions like this can take weeks, maybe even months. Give them time. You've faced more panicking and stressful issues out on the battlefield, and you haven't broken a sweat, but look at yourself!"
O'Donnell readjusted his focus to her and took the cigar from his mouth momentarily. "Pray tell what that is supposed to mean, Delilah?" He asked her before returning the cigar to his mouth. The leopard sighed inwardly once more.
"What I mean is: quit worrying about it. We should be receiving word from them any day now." She replied collectedly.
The grey fox breathed outward again, but it came out in a steady stream. He smiled slightly and a peaceful expression returned to his face. He then nodded in her direction. "Thanks for the reminder."
Delilah meekly smiled and returned to her work. She noticed that a virus had momentarily appeared and she widened her eyes. Typing rapidly, she overrode the virus, expunging it from the system. It was those little moments that made her job exciting.
Not a full minute later, a golden cat ran in, wearing his green military uniform. On his right shoulder was a yellow patch that resembled two arrows stacked close together. One was on top of the other and they lacked the stem. This was the patch of a Corporal.
"SIR!" He saluted, snapping his right hand up to his forehead. "I have received a package for you!" He enthusiastically stated.
Felix returned the salute and retrieved the yellow envelope in the Corporal's hands. With no other words said, the golden cat left the room, leaving a curious General in waiting.
He unwound the tightened string and opened the envelope, revealing two things. One was a small flash drive in a steel case. The other was a typed note. He read the note slowly; capturing every word.
Dear Felix O'Donnell,
Hey General. You're probably wondering why I hadn't reported yet, but this is it. I thought, "The holidays are upon us. Why not wait till then?" So, here are the oh-so important files that you've wanted. The so called "oil rig" is now a trash heap, as an added bonus. All objectives completed with ease.
Merry Christmas,
At the bottom of the note, where the signature would go, was a print instead. The seal had the Roman numeral IX surrounded by nine wavy lines that fanned outward.
Felix gasped at the flash drive and immediately injected it into the nearest available computer. It showed files and blueprints of designs he had never seen before. He was certain that these were the files and he would have them investigated by the best scientists and mechanics. Impressive work, Miles.
He then reread the final part of the note and laughed inwardly.
I appreciate the thought, Miles, He thought, feeling embarrassed slightly, but I'm Jewish.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
…Syaoron the Fox presents…
…The Third in the Series…
The Mobius Code
Tribulations
Chapter 2
Long Time, No See
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\|\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Pagus Vulpes*
December-25-3456
12:27 Mobius Time
In a large clearing of the Great Forest, in five inches of snow, the small community of Pagus Vulpes existed. It was a lively community with a very unlikely feature. This small town was inhabited almost solely by foxes! Every now and then, you'd see another breed, but mainly those that were similar to foxes, like wolves or dogs, but it was mainly foxes that lived in this town.
Most things were not very technologically run here, giving it the representation that it was very homely. Nonetheless, the citizens somehow caught wind of Tails' banishment and all within were firm believers of his innocents. Ever since the Parliament banished Tails from Mobotropolis, they had enlisted a law that would require the removal of all those who were of non-fox origin.
Basically, if none of your ancestry has a direct fox bloodline, you're not allowed into the community.
It was because of these defined traits that a certain nine-tails fox was allowed to walk freely in the market, without his over-cumbersome cloak on. He let his tails wave freely in the air behind him as he was greeted gladly by his fellow neighbors.
When he had first arrived, the community had named him a hero for what he had done for Mobius. It wasn't till three months later, after they had gone through trouble of making a dignified statue and putting his insignia on the city coin, that they began treating him as simply one of the community.
He wasn't sure he deserved all that thanks, but they had let up eventually. Tails still walked by his statue regularly. It was basically an entirely golden Tails with his nine tails flaring out and his right fist held upward, as if in victory. It was ten-fold the size of the kitsune, however.
Today, he was picking up groceries for Cosmo to make her meals out of. The small town always believed in fresh fruits and vegetables as making the best meals. Tails couldn't complain; they sold the best harvest food he had eaten in a while.
Winter was here, so Tails made sure to by extra to last them through the cold days, when food would be less abundant. He made petty conversation with the merchant while he selected and paid for the wide variety of fruits and veggies.
"Well, if it isn't the big hero, Tails!" The middle aged red vixen exclaimed. "What can I do for you?"
Tails laughed heartily at the remark. "Oh, I'm just picking out groceries for Cosmo to make dinner from, Tally." He explained. "Why so enthusiastic today?"
The vixen addressed as Tally smiled in reply. "Aren't I always the enthusiastic one?" She replied, receiving a shrug from Tails.
"I suppose you are." He affirmed, picking out a couple tomatoes here and there and… is that a Mango? He thought before immediately snatching a couple of the avocado shaped fruits.
She then remembered something. "So, where've you been the past couple of days? I haven't seen you or Cosmo in a while."
Tails shifted his position a little to get a better look at the basket of walnuts. "Oh, we had another assignment from G.U.N."
She whistled at the mention. "You're still doing assignments for a city that banished you?"
Tails shook his head. "I'm not doing it for the city." He disproved, getting her to stop what she was doing and pay attention. "I'm doing this for the people."
Tails then looked in a direction, as if staring off into space. "Every day, people are dying, Tally. The world needs our skills, so we need to do what we can while remaining under the grid." He told her, receiving an understanding nod.
"So, what was your mission?" She asked, curious as to what it actually was.
Tails smirked. He enjoyed bragging sometimes, because he licked the self-confidence it gave him. "We had to infiltrate Oil Rig #19 in the Shivery Sea. Turns out, it's a factory for some of Eggman's robots." She awed at the story he told, as she normally did when the kitsune told tales of his missions.
"Our objective was to extract blueprints and data that could be beneficial to the Mobian army. It was a gold mine! There were all sorts of information from the materials the robots are made out of, down to even the thought patterns they normally have. After we extracted what we need, we created some chaos, escaped, and set the whole rig aflame.
She awed at the shortened version of the story. "Wow! So that's why you were gone for the past few days?"
He nodded. "Yeah, Cosmo and I were perfectly synced that day. It was teamwork to the max."
She laughed a little at his rambling. "I really think you two should get married." She cooed, receiving a nervous nod from Tails.
"I know." He said. "Still, we're too young. I'll ask her when I get older."
Tally nodded understandingly and handed him the basket full of groceries. "Have a nice day!" She said.
Tails waved and replied with the same sentence. He was on his way to his house when he felt it again. His instincts were practically screaming to him that he was being watched or someone was hiding nearby. Tails took note of it and went behind the row of buildings till he entered his through the backdoor.
"Cosmo, I'm home!" He shouted, drawing the adolescent plant girl over to him from the living room. She gave him a tight hug and a peck on the cheek before she noticed his facial expression.
"Tails, what's wrong?" She asked him. Tails felt almost shivery as he shook slightly. His tails drooped on the floor, signifying that he was troubled. It was hard to hide your emotions when you practically wore them on your skin.
"Cosmo, check the thermal again." He advised her, and she immediately knew what the issue was.
She nodded and went off to a nearby computer, followed by her significant other. She pulled up a program that showed the areas around the house in white-hot thermal vision.
Once again, they noticed the clump of white hiding behind bushes a couple meters from their house. "It's still just them." Tails moaned. "Who are these people?"
Cosmo shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. I know it's a group of more than five, but less than ten people, but I can't tell because of the white hot sensor." She speculated.
Tails was not very happy about this. As a matter of fact, he was downright pissed about the whole issue. Some strangers decided that they could spy on him and his beloved. He was going to show them a thing or two.
Meanwhile, outside in the snow, seven figures lie in wait. One of them budged the other and whispered, "Just give up, man." The first one said. "We've been here for…" the figure counted on his fingers for a moment, "… seventeen days and we haven't seen hide or hair of Tails. I think this lead is inaccurate."
The first figure seemed angered slightly. "He WILL come." He whispered in return. "Just you wait."
Ask and you shall receive, though not exactly as you asked for it. This statement is proved once again as Tails walked out of his front door and glared in their general direction. "We've never met…" He began saying. He seemed enraged, so that his energy started leaking out, and they could feel it. "… and you have the audacity to spy on me and my girlfriend?" He yelled now, as if he knew they would hear.
He then waved his arms around in a circle like fashion. The figures beneath the bushes became frightened as they attempted to escape, but to no avail. A tunnel of wind blew the brush out of the ground and tore the roots of trees up, revealing the perpetrators. A blue hedgehog poked his head through the snow that had been blown over him and shook his head to clear his thoughts.
Tails' eyes widened as he looked at the figures. He rubbed his eyes to try and clear them up, but the figures still remained. "Sonic? Is that you?"
The blue hedgehog in question perked his head up and peered at the nine-tailed fox that stood before him. A hand was extended forward to help him from his position, which he gladly accepted. After taking one good look at the fox, Sonic was convinced enough to pull him into a brotherly hug.
"Tails! How long had it been, man?" Sonic asked. Tails' face lit up almost instantly.
He nodded as he answered, "It's been nine months Sonic." He then flared his nine tails out to show off.
Sen peeked out of the snow to see him and noticed. "Hey, you've got nine tails now Tails!" She yelled, which the kitsune smiled at.
Sonic let go of his brother for a moment to look around. "Where's Cosmo?"
Tails mouth formed a small o. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot." He turned around to face his house and shouted, "Cosmo, get out here! You'll never guess who's been spying on us!"
Sonic remained to be a little embarrassed that his surrogate little brother knew he was being spied upon. He would have to work on his spying skills in the future.
Cosmo came out moments later and stared at the group that stood outside. "Wow! What are you guys doing here?" She questioned of them, while beckoning them to come in.
Soon to be sat on the couches were Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, Sen, Shane, Gary, Alexa, Melodi, Sam and Durin. Tails looked at them and rotated his eyes about. "What about everybody else?"
Shane answered that. "They couldn't come, dad. Their protecting Castle Acorn. The war has become quite a problem."
Tails nodded in understanding before wondering… "How did you guys find us?"
The group exchanged glances and Melodi spoke. "St. John handed us a document that he said was from the Black Ops file. We used that to help locate you."
Tails' eyes widened almost immediately. He grumbled and said, "I thought my secrecy was sound." Alexa waved her hand at her neck area, signifying to shut up.
They all perked their ears up to hear what he had to say. "A couple weeks ago, Cosmo and I infiltrated one of Eggman's factories, which was hidden under the alias of being an oil rig in the Shivery Sea. Our mission was to collect valuable blueprints on the robots, and destroy the compound."
Shadow was impressed that his protégé had been handed such an important mission. "So, how did it go?" He asked.
Tails smirked at the thought. "What can I say? We raised hell and completed both objectives with ease.
"General O'Donnell called me on the phone earlier today; said I would be getting another assignment in the mail soon."
As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Tails walked over and opened it, revealing The Postman. This brown fox was an enigma, only being known as The Postman and has never failed to deliver. He has no fancy vehicles or super speed, but one does question if he can teleport.
"Letter for Mr. Miles Prower." He said, handing him a small rectangular, white envelope. Tails tore the envelope open and unfolded the note.
Dear Miles "Tails" Prower,
Sorry, but I'm Jewish. As revenge: Happy Hanukkah. Your mission objective is in the below. Whatever you do, do NOT show this message to anyone besides Cosmo and Sonic's company. Yeah, I know they're there. I was the one who let John have the document so they could find you and you could complete this mission, sorry.
Tails smirked and chuckled for a moment before continuing.
Operation Abstergo
SitRep: We've found that some Mobians are beginning to revolt. They aren't joining Eggman, but they have created their own faction called: Abstergo, similar to the United Mobian Insurrection (UMI) that was put down several months ago.Peace talk has failed and we need you to infiltrate a base and gather intelligence and, if possible, destroy the compound.
Location: Golf Uniform. Coordinates: Alpha-19.2, Bravo-20.4, Charlie-0.0
Objective A: Infiltrate and gather Intel on this Insurrection. Names, locations, strategies, anything will suffice.
Objective B: Initiate the EXCIDIUM** protocol. This is an order, not a suggestion.
IMPORTANT: Burn this message after documenting all the information.
Yours Truly,
General Felix O'Donnell
Tails finished reading and sighed. "I was afraid this would happen."
Everyone gathered around to read the message and had differed expression. Cosmo, for one, was nervous while the others were contemplating this.
Tails turned toward the computer and was followed by Durin. "What do those words and numbers in the location segment mean, Tails?"
Tails was imputing variables into a program while he spoke to him. "Well, Golf Uniform is phonetic code for: G.U. To some, the letters mean nothing, but to someone like me and Cosmo, who have practically memorized the map of Mobius, we know it refers to the Great Unknown; a large and mostly unexplored desert. The Great Unknown does have a map of its own, however, thanks to satellite technology."
Tails pulled up a three dimensional map of the Great Unknown. As he described, it was a vast landscape, and all of it was desert.
Durin nodded in understanding. "Okay, so what's with the Alpha, Bravo, Charlie thingy?" He asked.
Tails then pulled up another box with adjustable options labeled: X, Y, and Z. "Those are just X-Y-Z coordinates. When I insert them, the computer automatically determines the exact location of the base." As is said, a blinking red dot appeared in the 3-D diagram.
After inserting the coordinate, Tails gave the message to Durin and nodded. The black echidna smirked while turning the message into ash.
Sonic was remembering Objective B again, wondering what it all was. "Hey, Tails!" He yelled. "What's The EXCIDIUM protocol?"
Tails' previously happy expression drooped. "I'm surprised you've never heard of it.
"It's a protocol that was created soon after the war began." He explained. "Only Cosmo and I have ever been given authorization to enact it, because we're the only ones who can."
Melodi had her hand underneath her chin and was narrowing her eyes at him skeptically. "That's not what we asked you." She pointed out. "So what is this protocol?"
Tails sighed deeply and glanced at her. She could see something in that stare. Something telling her that he was concealing something, but she couldn't quite understand it. "You'll see." He assured her, and went off to a nearby wall.
He flipped open a pad and punched in a combination before hitting the enter key. In response, the wall turned around, revealing a hidden armory. Tails retrieved his special sword as well as a bag of ammunition. He then let the others choose as they will.
"Lock and load guys." He advised them. "We have an entire compound to take out."
While Melodi, Alexa, Knuckles, Durin, Sonic, Sen and Sam went with their own means of offense, the others retrieved some weapons of their own.
Shadow picked up an MG4 light machine gun and attached a holographic sight to the heavy gun. He then loaded a one-hundred magazine box and pulled the breach bolt. He strapped that on his back, grabbed a belt for a pistol holster and took a Caracal pistol.
Shane decided he wouldn't need much so he took a holster and a Glock 18 machine pistol, as well as several cases of ammunition.
Gary chose a simple M1014 shotgun with silencer. Tails took a moment talk to Gary. "You're… silencing… a shotgun?" He asked him slowly.
Gary looked at his gun again. "Yeah, I want to keep our operation silent."
Tails shrugged and moved off to prepare more. Sonic, however, was kind of stunned.
He pulled Cosmo aside and had to ask her, "You know, these are real Mobians we have to kill, right?"
She sighed and took his hands off of her shoulder. "Don't remind me." She stated, walking over to comfort Tails.
Sonic, being convinced that something was wrong, decided to follow and talk to Tails. When he got to the separate bedroom, Tails was crying on to Cosmo's shoulder. When he noticed Sonic had walked in, he wiped his eyes, cleared his throat and said. "What is it, Sonic?"
Sonic sat down with Tails on the bed and asked, "Tails, what happened while you were gone?"
The kitsune sighed and sagged his shoulders. "Sonic, there are a couple things you learn when your own city banishes you." He said.
He held up a finger. "One, very few can be trusted."
He continued to count as he went through a list. "Two, self-preservation is the top priority.
"Three, there's always something you can do better.
"And four, morals are just figments that blind one from what has to be done."
Tails then walked out of the room, an inner-conflict raging inside of him. One part of him wanted to explain everything, but the other told him "Not yet."
Oh well. They'll see. He thought, as he prepared to leave.
Sonic was still talking with Cosmo, however. "What's wrong with him?" He asked her, being the concerned brother figure of Tails'.
She shook her head. "Let's just say that we've seen enough to last a lifetime." She then took her leave and rejoined the others. Sonic remained confused, but joined them in the living room anyway.
Just outside the room, it was as if Tails had shed his coat of sadness and replaced it with enthusiasm as he began a pep talk. "Alright guys, our mission objective is to obtain intelligence. Remember, these are not our allies." He reminded them. Everyone was just a little uneasy since they were facing other Mobians, but Tails seemed… like he had done this before. "They have defected and you will treat them with no mercy."
"We will infiltrate the base on four fronts. Sonic's team, which consists of Gary, Alexa and Melodi, will be our distraction. You will go to the north side of the base and raise hell. I won't lie to you; I'm sending you into one of the most heavily protected areas of the base. Are you prepared?"
Sonic looked over to his teammates who nodded at him. Sonic then returned a nod to Tails who smiled. "Okay! Shadow, your team, which includes Sam and Sen, will find a way to disable the security for me and Cosmo to infiltrate. We will be securing the data."
Shadow nodded, so Tails turned towards Knuckles and Durin. "You two will be providing back up for Sonic's team. You will sneak around the east side and flank the enemy when they've drawn their attention."
Cosmo stepped forward to say her favorite part of the briefing. "What are the rules of engagement, sir?" She mockingly asked. She knew the parameters, but she loved saying that.
Tails smirked at her and gave the most obvious answer. "Everyone's hostile."
*Pagus Vulpes is Latin. The literal translation is "Village of Foxes"
**Excidium is also Latin. The literal translation is "Obliteration."