Chapter 9 is up and it is a biggie. Read on. Thank you for reviewing and please continue to do so, I did notice a new reviewer you know who you are, and thank you.
lets not waste anymore time, I do not own Sonic or Sega all rights and characters belong to them.
It was cold, dark, and held a smell of burning oil, it was Robotnik's main fortress and as Tails walked down its halls the swat-bots remained silent, he held a scowl on his face attempting to look menacing, though inside he was smiling, his plan was so far working and Robotnik had allowed him in. It hadn't been all that hard to convince him, he simply walked up to the first swat-bot he saw and told it he wanted and audience with Robotnik to discuss a deal, it had taken him and though he could have escaped anytime he chose, he was soon held in place before the mountainous tyrant. Robotnik had the most curious look on him as he spoke; Tails remembered the conversation in detail.
"So, the little fox has decided to pay the good doctor a visit, why I'm honoured, so tell me little fox why did you leave that collection of vermin called the freedom fighters and come to see me?" Tails replied and he didn't need to fake a tone in his voice and truth was in his eyes when he spoke. "I want to kill Sonic; I want him dead and begging for mercy before I end him." Robotnik let the shock on his face show for only in instant before he covered it up and banged his fist on the console next to him. "Ha. Preposterous, you a child want Sonic dead; I would have been more likely to believe Snively was a martial arts expert." Tails spoke again in his cold voice and Robotnik felt a small shiver creep up the back of his neck. "I'm not as young as I look, I am in fact older than you Robotnik, and yes I want Sonic dead, he betrayed me, used me and threw me away when it was convenient and I will kill him with or without your aid. Oh and if you think I'm bluffing have one of your Robots run a medical scan on me, I think you'll find the results surprising." The last part got his attention, it was a mystery and Robotnik loved ripping open a mystery and exposing it, he clicked a series of buttons on his console and a thin blue light shone out of his egg shaped throne and ran itself over Tails, when it was done Robotnik read the reading's and felt his heart miss a beat. It said the subject was dead, no heartbeat or pulse, he turned a nervous eye at whatever stood in front of him and repeated the test, he knew there was no flaw in his machine, he had designed it himself, he motioned with his hands to allow Tails to proceed with his offer now fully interested. "I already told you what I want most, but in addition I want at least a sixth of Robotropolis to do with as I please, and I return…..I'll show you were the Freedom fighters are hiding." Robotnik pretended to turn it over in his head, he would accept and when his part of the bargain came up he would betray the fox, it all seemed perfect, he agreed and the two began discussing details, Tails vampirism, plans for the attack of New Knothole, and a rather disturbing conversation on how to mutilate a hedgehog.
Tails was walking through the halls and thinking how perfectly he had played it, he had given Robotnik a perfect false location, one of the other back up towns encase Knothole was ever destroyed, he would find it and realize he had been tricked, but by that time he would have hacked into Robotniks network and uncovered his real location, and then, Tails licked his lips just thinking about it. He had reached the door he had been looking for, he pressed a side panel and it slid open revealing a rather large room with a bed and desk as well as a bathroom connected directly to the room, he closed the door behind him and settled down on the bed hands behind his head. It was going well, he would kill Robotnik, set up the rest of Robotnik's systems to recognize Sally as the administrator so she could begin rebuilding Mobius, and after that, he would meet up with Sonic, just thinking of the hedgehog brought a growl to his lips and his claws slid out as he jumped off the bed and punched the cold metallic wall, it dented. He held his fist in the dent as he remembered the times they spent together; he kept telling his past self to not trust him, that he would betray you, but his past self just went on, it enraged Tails, the memories of when he had called him little bro, when they shared a chilidog or would just relax and stare at the clouds, all those memories were tainted by a bullet. He would deal with Sonic later, for now he had to play the part until he could get into Robotnik's main room and hack his console, his thought was interrupted as an intercom he hadn't noticed buzzed to life and the voice of Robotnik came through.
"My fine associate, I believe I have captured a spy and I would like your help in dealing with it, I've set up a lighted trail on the hallway floor so you should be able to find us easily, come immediately" Tails was stunned, he hadn't anticipated a spy, what if it was someone he knew and Robotnik made him…his thoughts trailed off he didn't want to go there, he knew he had to listen so he left his room and just as Robotnik had said a light red trail was visible on the floor and Tails began following it. He arrived in the prison area and there was Robotnik, arms crossed waiting expectantly a depraved grin on his face as he saw Tails approach, motioned with his hands and Tails followed him to a now occupied cell, Tails noticed how cold the bars looked and how dimly lit it was in here, and then he noticed the Mobian and his hands curled into fists as he sighted laying on the cold ground a minx. It was the one that had held a gun to his head, hell it was probably the same one that had shot him he thought, and here she was, a prisoner in Robotnik's fortress, Tails couldn't think of a more suitable place for her to be. "So my friend, what do we do with her huhhm? Perhaps a trip to the Roboticizer, or would you prefer to deal with her more personally, you told me it had been awhile since you last fed?" It was true Tails thought, he was hungry, and for one who hated vampires it would be perfect irony for her to become one, or at the very least he could exact some amount of revenge on her before sending her to the Roboticizer, he was still thinking when the minx spoke up.
"Well come on, I already know what a sick bastard like you is going to do, so get it over with. Come on I'm full of blood that a monster like you is just itching to get at so. GET A FUCKING MOVE ON!" Tails was angered further, she had called him a monster, he hated the word, he loathed it to his deepest core, his mind was made up, the minx would die, he wouldn't turn her, she didn't deserve any form of life, he went towards the door and Robotnik quickly gave a voice command and it swung open. Her arms and legs were tied and she lay there on the floor looking straight into his eyes, he could smell her scent and for once he didn't try to restrain himself, his fangs slid out and his claws went to their fullest length, he could already taste her blood and he ran a nail across her spine and she shivered, she was tough, but this was torture, he bent down on one knee to look her straight in the eye as he spoke, his voice was cold and a slight sadistic note was in it. "So look how the roles have changed. It doesn't feel very good to have your fate in the hands of another now does it? I tried…..for so long to be something I'm not, a good guy. You showed me what I really am, come on say it, call me a monster one more time before you die." She looked frightened now, she was sweating, she didn't want to die, she was struggling with her bindings, this was it she thought, I'm going to die, she shut her eyes and waited to feel the blood come pouring out, except the pain never came. Tails had his fangs hovering and inch from her throat and was about to tear into her when a thought came to his head, what if Rotor walked in, would he understand? He looked down at the quivering minx and felt a pang of guilt, he still wanted to hurt her, to hurt someone the way he had been hurt, yet he couldn't bring himself to do it, it confused and annoyed him, he wanted to scream their and then, he wasn't a monster no matter how much he wanted to be, no matter how simple it would have been it just wasn't him.
He stood up and walked calmly to Robotnik and tore his head clean off, a shower of sparks came from it showing itself to be a robotic double, he left the cell door open and cut her bindings slightly with his claws, just enough that she would be able to get out herself eventually and walked back into the halls. The robots this time opened fire on him, he easily dodged and made his way out of the base, if any robot stood in his way it was reduced to scrap metal in an instant as he continued on. He walked into the sun and felt its sting, he was miserable, he had no place, not as a villain and not as a hero, his existence had no merit, he looked up from his feet and had his eyes widen, and then narrow, for a shadow was cast and it ended directly in front of him, and at the shadows base stood a hedgehog, blue quills wavering in the breeze. Sonic's eyes looked sad seeing his brother before him, he could see pain in the fox's eyes so clearly it broke the hedgehogs heart he opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the Tails tight grip on his had moved fast and held Sonic in the air by his throat, his grip was iron and Sonic was trying to break the stranglehold. Tails emotions had imploded, he wasn't sure of himself anymore, he couldn't kill the minx and he wasn't even sure he could kill Sonic, the true target of all his anger and betrayal, tears started falling down his face as he started asking why and lowered Sonic to the ground and begun punching him in furiously in the face. "WHY?WHY,WHY,WHY,WHY!" Sonic wasn't fighting back and this only angered Tails more as he continued punching him, he was drawing blood now and it was staining his knuckles, but he didn't care about the blood, what mattered was his former brother before him.
He finished with a large punch to the face that sent Sonic a flying to the ground as Tails caught his breath, Sonic stood up and coughed out some blood as he tried to speak. "T..ails, I'm So..r.y, I…was wrong, please, just talk to me." Tails couldn't talk, he was choking up, Sonic had said he was sorry, he was about to take a step forward, about to trust, when he remembered the bullet, it had to be another trap, that was the only explanation that made sense, but why hadn't it been sprung yet, why hadn't they tried to shoot Tails again and protect Sonic, his mind was reeling, the ground was shaking and his vision was blurring. The transport at this point had arrived and out of it came Max, the one who had suggested Sonic run ahead, Tails hardly noticed him and Sonic was entirely focused on breaking through to Tails, so he didn't hear Max approach behind him, he didn't hear the cocking of the trigger, and only barely heard the blast of the bullet, but he felt the searing pain as it was buried deep into his chest. Sonic stared in disbelief at Max who had a sad expression on his face as he collapsed to the ground, Tails ran and caught Sonic and ran with him away from Max, he had no idea what was going on, he carried Sonic, he couldn't allow Sonic to die, not after he had apologized, not after it looked like happiness was attainable. Max watched them leave with the same sad expression as he walked into Robotnik's fortress and set to work on his plan, the plan that Max had foreseen nearly two centuries earlier, with most of the Robots cleared by Tails it was a simple task for Max to reach the main console and the remaining robots showed no reaction to this presence. He settled into the chair and spoke, his voice cold and sad but filled with conviction. "Computer, activate Sengir Protocol, and begin operation endgame." The computer responded with a buzz before its mechanical voice replied. "Sengir Protocol in place, welcome back master Max" He smiled a hollow and sad smile and settled into the chair, his work was just beginning.