Chapter 9: Along Comes the Spider
"A plentiful harvest. Truly, the Eggman-GUN alliance worked wonders in Station Square. Pity the nuclear fallout made it inhospitable, but I was behind schedule on bombing it myself, anyway!"
Eggman's laughter echoed in the enormous cavern. The villain sounded too happy for it to bode any good and the robot horde he brought along was doubly suspect. If this was Eggman's idea of a friendly welcome, Tails would have hated to see the hostile version.
The closer the robots got, the more apparent it was that they were going to search the train. Tails didn't stand a chance against such an army, not after losing both of his tails to Metal.
His first instinct was to flee. There was a hole in the floor that he could jump through and…fall to his death because he couldn't fly anymore. He could surrender and hope that Eggman would take pity on him.
Ho-ho-ho, yeah right!
Frustrated, Tails punched the train's control console hard enough to crash its display. It made a loud noise as it fizzled.
"If you break any of my stasis pods, your next assignment will be in the incinerator!" Eggman barked at his robots outside.
Tails stared blankly at the pieces of machinery next to him. "Pods…"
They were in pretty bad shape due to the fighting that had taken place, but Tails managed to find one that looked like it could pass as an operational unit. He damaged the pod's lock before hopping in to be sure it wouldn't activate and hunkered down, waiting to be picked up by an unsuspecting bot.
His heart sank when no fewer than two dozen metal feet rushed inside the train carriage he was in. They couldn't have spotted him; he had barely peeked out the door. Tension chewed on his already strained nerves. Those robots were waiting for something. Were they expecting him to come out and surrender?
The answer he got exceeded all expectations. Laboured breathing accompanied by not-so-metal footsteps foretold the big bad wanted to get personally involved. Dark clouds hung over Tails' chances of survival as Eggman hummed in discontent while assessing the damage dealt to his train.
"Never send a treasonous bucket of bolts to do the evil genius' job. Computer: status report."
"NEGATIVE."
Tails' ears perked up at the rejection Eggman got; he hadn't known the train possessed an AI, let alone a rebellious one. The fox held fleeting hope under wraps.
"I won't have my own handiwork defy me. What the devil happened here?"
"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, EGGMAN."
The robots charged their guns after registering the threat and kept a close watch on their master's reaction. He seemed amused by the unexpected discovery.
"Interesting. You know who I am, but I don't believe the feeling is mutual." Eggman approached the busted console and attempted to manipulate it. The controls sparked with static when he touched them.
"BITE ME."
"A suicidal AI! That is hysterical! Tell me, suicidal AI, what is your mission?"
"MUST ERADICATE ALL EGGMAN'S ROBOTS."
The reply gave both Tails and Eggman pause when they realised what it meant.
"Extract this AI and call off the squad tailing Metal Sonic. He deserves some respite for bringing this lost lamb back into the fold." Eggman chuckled before addressing the AI in a poisonous tone, "Welcome home, E-123 Omega. We're going to have such fun, you and I."
A deafening screech ensued; Eggman's escorts dismantled the console to get to the artificial brain running it. Seconds in, the lights blinked out and Eggman had a black and red chip in his hands. It was a momentous occasion; Eggman had previously lost every encounter with the insubordinate machine, so the opportunity to settle the score once and for all warmed the cockles of his heart. Eggman contemplated the exquisite punishment he would exact as he gleefully stared at the large Omega symbol on the front of the chip until a wayward Egg Pawn reported in.
"Cargo transfer complete."
Tails' pod wobbled off-balance and rolled out of the corner, pushed by the debris borne from the dismantled console.
"Cargo transfer in progress." The Egg Pawn rushed to its next target, prompting Tails to do a fistpump inside the pod. He was going to give Eggman the slip right from under the man's nose.
"Wait!" Eggman bellowed. Tails felt his heart skip a beat. It could mean fight or flight.
Eggman bucked the pod. "This one is clearly defective. Put it in the repair bay with the other duds."
The next thing Tails knew, the Egg Pawn picked him up to carry him off somewhere. Albeit Tails couldn't see where he was being hauled off to, he heard Eggman rave and rant at his robots. In the end, Tails must have reached a gathering of robots because he heard mechanical ambience from all around.
"Hmm? Yes, I see you lot are also in need of repairs. Disable your weapons and your problems will be dealt with. I'm sure even antiquated GUN technology is compatible with the procedure."
A robotic voice warned everyone to stand clear for the repair bay to open. The vibrations Tails felt led him to imagine a heavily fortified compound behind unbreakable doors. He was too excited to see that as a threat, though, happy to enter Eggman's inner sanctum undetected. Fighting off a bunch of defective disarmed robots was bound to be a walk in the park. He might even get to use their parts to build Eggman a nasty surprise. Tails snickered to himself at the idea.
Eggman came on air through the speaker system. He did not sound happy. "Filthy treacherous bots. I don't know how Metal Sonic persuaded you to rise against your GUN masters, but I know a fool-proof way of dealing with you – the incinerator! The repair bay, hah! You were programmed by morons!"
The heat went from zero to unbearable in an instant, prompting Tails to bust out of the pod. It was a trick all along. Tails chastised himself for thinking Eggman would offer anyone a second chance.
"What the?" He looked around and saw all the robots he had fought on the train. Egg Hammers, Egg Pawns and GUN Hunters were standing there, idly awaiting their fate. Their mission was over.
Tails had mixed feelings about these robots. They clearly deserved a bitter end, yet it saddened him to see such acceptance. Had they been the rebels Eggman branded them as, they would not have gone peacefully.
Metal bars separated them from freedom. While the robots were too big to squeeze between them, Tails could easily get past. These were built with size in mind, too thick for an Egg Hammer to grasp.
Just as he was about to reach the edge of the incinerator, something grabbed him. Tails turned around and spotted the blade used to remove his tails. He pulled away violently, but the Egg Pawn that had approached him wasn't looking for a fight. It took a step back into the raging fire and put out its arm, offering him the weapon.
The Egg Pawn's action caught him off guard. It had nothing to gain from helping him and he wasn't intending to save these robots. Even Knuckles would have had trouble breaking one of the metal bars holding them captive.
Still, he took the blade. Tails ignored the hot metal burning into his hand as he watched the Egg Pawn disappear behind a wall of fire. Tails sped past the bars and barely escaped the firestorm.
His exhilaration crashed the moment he found no ground under his feet. The incinerator was high above the ground, on the back of a huge spider robot. Falling down, Tails realised the spider's abdomen was lined with layers upon layers of pods. Those who survived the destruction of Station Square were now powering Eggman's latest death machine.
Eggman didn't take long to show off its potential. The heat in the incinerator had grown so intense that molten metal started leaking from between the bars. Eggman's laughter echoed in the caves.
"Eggman-GUN alliance! And they call me crazy! Isn't that right, Omega?"
Tails didn't know what was so funny about it until a beam of concentrated fire went out of the spider robot's rear-end incinerator and connected with the train. The transport and its tracks were blown to smithereens.
Flopping unprepared on the ground hurt less than the realisation Eggman had cut off the way back. Tails let his vitriol simmer, hiding quietly behind a few boxes on the now-defunct railway platform. No one was coming to clean up the burning mess, which let Tails plan his next move.
The train ride would have put him somewhere around Bullet Station and the caves supported that theory. Had there been a cannon at the top, getting out would have been easy, but this cave was protected by an energy dome like the one GUN had used in Station Square. A crimson projection of Eggman's smiling face scrolled near the top. Tails shuddered at what it could result in if the flying shadow monster found this place.
It was a small self-contained outpost by Eggman's standards. Other than the train platform and the dome generator tower, it housed an operating compound and a large hangar. Perhaps, that was where Eggman had assembled the spider robot. Tails couldn't spot any mining equipment, which clued him that Eggman had used the railway extensively.
Doubtless, he was done using it. Tails didn't know what the villain's plan was, but if the spider robot was any indication, it wouldn't take long for him to resume wreaking havoc on the surface.
This brought his attention back to the dome generator sat atop the tower. Tails would fry if he tried to breach the dome armed with an artificial Chaos Emerald. He'd have to disable it first.
Tails waited for the spider to return to its hangar before he left cover. When he assumed the coast was clear and he had a free shot to the tower, he heard steps behind him.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The voice gave him the creeps, yet all he saw when he turned in its direction was an Egg Pawn. Tails made short work of the bot by leaving a dent in its head before smashing its torso in two.
Tails wouldn't stop shuddering even after the light in the Egg Pawn's eyes died. He could have sworn he had heard Shadow. Tails rubbed his arms, trying to calm down, and got an idea as he looked at the Egg Pawn's shell.
More robots were coming his way. They followed a predictable patrol path, so they probably didn't know he had entered the outpost. Tails wanted to keep it that way.
After disconnecting the broken Egg Pawn's armour from its innards, Tails put on its head and torso casing to better blend in with the crowd. The patrol seemed to ignore him parading as an Egg Pawn, giving him much-needed respite.
He was free to outright walk to the tower. Pulling off such a bold stunt made him giggle inside.
"Don't be a fool."
Tails disregarded the ghostly voice, encouraged by the very real circumstances: two Egg Pawns armed with lances stood guard at the entrance. Tails could take them on, only he didn't think he'd have to. Egg Pawns weren't the brightest in the bunch and his assumed identity could help him enter.
They crossed their lances in front of the door. Perhaps, it wasn't going to be that easy.
"All hail Lord Eggman," he greeted them in a chiptune voice. The robots saluted, letting him through.
Programmed by a moron, indeed, Tails thought to himself.
The tower was well-protected inside. Tails could see squid-like Klagens patrolling on several levels and the occasional tremor hinted at something bigger accompanying them. For their imposing size and weaponry, none of the robots could refuse an Egg Pawn on a maintenance assignment. The lift took him to the very top without a hitch.
"You will hurt yourself."
Tails turned around, ready to face the hedgehog goading him, yet saw nothing there. If Shadow had something of substance to say, he should have stopped playing these games. The lift took him up to a level below the dome generator.
He would have to take the stairs to reach his objective, hidden behind a coded door. Just as he considered breaking in, he saw something strange on the password keypad: several letters had scratch marks on them, M, R, I, A.
"Maria…"
Tails felt uneasy about typing it in. It wasn't Eggman's typical password of choice. Something was amiss.
"Are you deaf?" he heard Shadow's voice from behind the closed door.
The fox grumbled. "No, I'm not deaf! I'm not blind and I'm not a fool!" He opened the door and saw no one waiting for him on the other side. Aside for him and the dome generator, the top floor was deserted.
A sigh escaped Tails' lips. He removed his Egg Pawn armour to have a look around. He had a stunning view of the entire cavern from the top floor. Unfortunately, having lost his flying ability, Tails was more at ease away from the edges. There was work to do.
"Stop."
Tails didn't stop. He approached the generator's controls to see what information he could mine from its systems.
Eggman had taken an interest in something he labelled as Chaos Radiation. Tails glanced over a few charts recording the metric over time inside and outside the dome as well as marks for normal and safe ambient radiation. The normal level was at less than a third of the safe ambience and that was several orders of magnitude below the radiation currently outside the dome. Not even the seven Chaos Emeralds could radiate this much power.
Shaking his head, Tails drilled further into the data to find out when it reached present levels. The answer baffled him: it was hours before the explosion that sent Angel Island plummeting. The world was awash with Chaos and Tails feared that what he had seen so far was just a sample of the disaster yet to come.
"What have you done, Eggman?"