Brother of Mine
Thank you to all those who read/review/favorite/follow this story! It means a lot to me!
Disclaimer: Never owned Sonic the Hedgehog, probably never will.
Chapter 5: Elite Team
"And, who might you be, young man?"
A kind old voice had asked while standing in the doorway of his warm home. A few feet in front of him sat a very young fox looking back with wide eyes.
"M-M-Miles Prower S-sir…" The shivering kitsune replied.
"Oh dear me you must be freezing out there! Come inside and warm up!" The old brown fox said with a kind, nurturing smile. He quickly stepped to the side of the door and lifted his arm up to welcome the snow covered fox inside.
A refreshing warm breeze drifted out of the open doorway and wrapped itself around the trembling fox, protecting him from the harsh winter winds. Unconsciously his legs took a small step towards the comforting warmth, the tips of his mouth curling up slightly on his frozen face. His eyes closed in bliss and before he realized it, he was now inside the older fox's home.
"Sit down by the fireplace lad; I'll be back with something to drink." Complying, Miles sat cross legged in front of the fireplace, his twin tails waving happily in the air behind him. 'It's so…warm…' He thought with eyes closed, resting his head on a brown blanket wrapped around his neck.
'So…nice…'
A square section of the wall of the Egg Battleship dislodged itself and slid to the side, revealing an entrance of sorts. Not long after, a fat man sitting in a semicircular shaped levitator flew out of the dark entrance, the steel door returning in place moments later.
Robotnik looked on curiously as his eyes wandered around the flaming city. Few times had the doctor witnessed such chaos to this extent and to say he was intrigued would be an understatement. Those inferno bombs may be even more powerful than mine! I may have to ask that hedgehog where he found them when my Elite E-100s bring him in! Robotnik thought in joy at the idea of his E-100s capturing the hedgehog once and for all. Never before had such a rich and waterful opportunity presented itself to the doctor and he made sure that this one would not be wasted.
But that will have to wait…His eyes narrowed on a smaller section of the city where the fire was less prevalent. The Egg Mobile hovered around the area before finding a suitable area to land. Robotnik hopped out just as one of his Egg Workers approached him.
"MASTER, WE HAVE FOUND THE HIDDEN ENTRANCE YOU HAVE REQUESTED." The white robot spoke monotonously.
"That fast?" Robotnik asked disbelievingly. "Are you certain that this is it?"
"YES MASTER." The worker replied while motioning for the fat doctor to follow. "THE ONLY REASON WE MANAGED TO LOCATE IT IS BECAUSE OF ITS ELECTROMAGNETIC DISCHARGE. IT IS THE ONLY OBJECT LEFT IN THE CITY OTHER THAN OURSELVES THAT IS EMITTING A FREQUENCY."
For once Robotnik didn't further question the robot's certainty. If there was one thing he knew about the man it was that his technological ability was undeniable. If there was anything that was capable of withstanding the destruction of the hellfire bombs, it was his creation.
As the man and machine walked side by side, Robotnik had a chance to inspect the damage done to the city up close. On either side of their path, Egg Workers sprouted water hoses that desperately attempted to quell the raging inferno that blackened the sky. The cement roads and sidewalks were all cracked and dislodged in the chaos. Adding onto the disorderly mess was the unbearable heat that threatened to suffocate the round doctor.
The Egg Worker suddenly stopped in the middle of what appeared to be the ruins of a former building. "WE HAVE ARRIVED MASTER. THE HIDDEN ENTRANCE IS DIRECTLY BELOW US." It said while pointing at its feet.
"Good good, have you figured a way to access it yet?" Robotnik replied while wiping his heavily sweating brow.
"NO SIR, WE COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING THAT WOULD SERVE AS AN INITIATOR TO OPEN THE ENTRENCE." The robot said slightly diligently. "BRUTE FORCE DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE MUCH OF AN EFFECT DUE TO ITS ABILITY TO WITHSTAND MULTIPLE NEARBY EXPLOSIONS."
Robotnik furrowed his brows as he thought of ways his old friend could have made a hidden lock. He kneeled down and swept his hand against the loose dirt and burnt wood but only managed to uncover more debris. Robotnik frowned as his thoughts and actions came to no conclusion. Gazing around the former building, he could tell that it was quite small. The walls had been knocked over or burned and the only objects left were a few steel rods and sheets. If there was ever a hidden access panel then it would no doubt have been lost in the explosions.
"MASTER, WE HAVE DISCOVERED ANOTHER TRAPDOOR." An Egg Worker suddenly beeped behind him causing him to spin around hurriedly. The worker beckoned for Robotnik to follow which the doctor agreed to and began walking alongside the white robot.
A trapdoor? He wouldn't create something as simple as that…No, this is something else…Robotnik concluded as the two quickly found themselves in front of a large steel trapdoor slanted onto a medium sized hill. The door was easily twice the length and height of the fat doctor and was covered in rust as well as newly received burn marks.
Robotnik instantly knew that this was not of his friend's work and glared curiously at the contraption. Enlisting the help of a few Egg Workers, the steel cover was pried out of its slot with a loud screech of metal against metal.
At first nothing could be seen inside the dark hole but as Robotnik peered inside, his grin nearly split his face in two.
"HO OH OH OH…So this is where all you city scum escaped to!" He bellowed at the revelation. Inside the dark hole sat hundreds of Mobians, the former citizens of West Side City. All eyes looked at the evil doctor in fear and surprise. Some of the younger Mobians began to cry which only added to the doctor's enjoyment.
"MASTER WE HAVE FOUND ANOTHER TRAPDOOR." An Egg Worker said as it approached the delighted doctor. As if that wasn't enough, another Egg Worker suddenly made its way to him and spoke the exact same message.
Robotnik's eyes widened to be the same size as his grin. "Seal the doors, don't let them escape!" He shouted to the workers. The sound of protests and screaming could be heard behind him as the trapdoor was once again refitted with a heavy bang. "And here I was thinking they were all burned up…" He said and began to walk away. "But now that I know they're alive, I'll make them all into robots for the Robotnik Empire! OH HO HO HO! Nobody can possibly stop me now!"
"So young man, what were you doing out in that winter storm all on your own?"
Tails looked up from the cup of hot chocolate he cradled in his small hands. His deep blue eyes seemed to have a hint of sadness to them.
"I…was kicked out of the orphanage a few days ago…I have…nowhere to go now…" He replied, his eyes wandering back down to the cup of hot chocolate, staring sadly into the liquid. "They said I was getting too old but… I'm only one and a half years old…"
The old fox's expression changed to one of remorse and compassion. He had known who the twin tailed fox was upon seeing him outside his doorstep trudging down the snow covered street. Unlike the other inhabitants of the city, he did not hate the cub for his genetic mutation or think of him as a so called 'freak'. He cared for the child. Seeing one of his own kind on their own, especially at such a young age, broke his aging heart.
"Well you're…welcome to stay here for as long as you wish…The name's Theodore, by the way."
Miles looked up to the elder fox with wide eyes only to see the most caring smile anyone had ever given him. Suddenly, all the stress that the young fox carried for days was alleviated and tossed to the side for that moment. No longer did he feel alone and lost, but instead felt belonging and purpose. A stray tear welled up in his right eye, not of sadness or despair like it usually was, but of happiness.
"T-Thank you…" Miles said in a whisper as the lone streaked down his muzzle before coming in contact with a gloved hand. Miles quickly looked up again to see Theodore's hand brushing his tear away.
"Now, now, don't cry." He spoke softly, his gentle expression never leaving. "After all, you're not alone anymore."
Inside the city, fire had already spread to all flammable material and now began to melt the concrete and stone itself to fuel its never ending hunger. Smoke clouded every inch of the once fresh air in high concentrations. Anybody caught inside would definitely burn to death or die due to smoke inhalation.
Three sets of green lights observed the burning wreckage with stoic calmness. One set of eyes belonged to a blue humanoid robot. On both sides of the war machine stood similar looking robots, one light-orange and the other dark purple. All three had heavy cannons and machine guns in the place of hands that hung by their sides.
"EPSILON, ZETA, SPREAD OUT. THE TARGET'S PLANE LANDED ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF THE ISLAND MEANING HE IS STILL HERE." The leader of the trio, the blue robot Delta, said in a robotic voice.
"IF YOU FIND HIM RADIO IT IN. WE CANNOT FAIL LIKE GAMMA HAS." The purple figure, Zeta spoke.
The trio of robots split apart, Delta heading towards the center of the city, Zeta to the left, and Epsilon to the right. Being Robotnik's elite team of machinery, the E-100s easily disregarded the blazing heat that would render other badniks a melting pile of mush. The smoke also did not affect their health but it did inhibit their ability to see more than a few meters in front of them. Those were just a few of the reasons Robotnik had chosen the elite trio to partake on this mission.
"What are you working on there Miles?"
Miles' eyes gleamed happily as he turned around to greet his adoptive parent.
"Oh, this?" He said pointing at a metallic dog like object in his hand. "This is just a prototype of a robotic dog I wanted to build but it doesn't seem to be working."
"Want me to lend you a hand?"
Miles looked back at the elder fox in surprise. "You know how to build machines?"
"Of course I do, I used to be the best mechanic this city had ever seen!" Theodore responded with a chuckle.
He plucked the mechanical dog out of Miles' extended hands and slowly turned it over, eyeing the contraption with a keen eye.
"Ah, I see the problem." He said before setting the dog back on the table and picking up a few tools that were lying around. Miles had to stand on his stool and crane his neck just to look over the taller fox's shoulder. Just a few moments later however Theodore turned back around and offered the dog back to the shocked kitsune. "Here ya go!"
Miles held the dog in his hands and eyed it curiously. Just then the robotic dog let out a bark and turned its head towards its young owner.
"Wow!" Miles exclaimed in pure joy. "You really did fix him!"
Theodore pat the younger fox on the head happily. "Haha, you probably could have figured it out yourself, given time."
"Do you think you can teach me how to do that?" Miles asked, looking up to the smiling man. Upon receiving a delighted nod, Miles pulled Theodore into a grateful hug.
"You're the best!"
"DAMN THAT ZETA," The yellow robot, Epsilon, muttered loudly to himself. "WE ARE THE ELITE TEAM FOR A REASON. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO TEAM UP TO TAKE CARE OF ONE BURNING HEDGEHOG." The talkative and prideful robot said.
"IT WASN'T THE HEDGEHOG WHO TOOK OUT GAMMA, IT WAS A BOM…HOLY-, GAMMA IS THAT YOU?!" Epsilon exclaimed in robotic surprise as his green sensory eyes spotted a burnt red metal in the center of a crater. The prideful robot quickly marched into the crater and examined the damage done to his surrogate brother. "DAMN GAMMA, I'VE NEVER SEEN YOU IN SUCH BAD SHAPE."
Gamma laid face down unresponsively. Large burn marks were evident all around the formerly red robot. Wires were burnt out and smoking accompanied by small electrical fires.
Epsilon lowered himself and picked the downed robot up in his cannon arms.
"BETTER GET YOU BACK TO MASTER BEFORE HE THROWS A FIT." The yellow robot turned around to walk back to the Egg Battleship but stopped when he an unidentified object moved in his peripheral vision. Rotating his head around, Epsilon's green eyes locked onto a figure standing on the very edge of the crater, two tails swinging side to side slowly behind him. The magnificent flames that danced behind the figure casted a dark shadow over his entire body and combined with the thick smoke, Epsilon couldn't make out any further details.
"HMM…JUST A KID, FORM DOES NOT MATCH A HEDGEHOG, TARGET NOT FOUND." Epsilon spoke robotically before returning to his usual method of speech, "HEHE, LET ME PUT YOU OUT OF YOUR MISERY KID."
Epsilon lifted his right arm out from under Gamma and aimed at the dark figure's head. A yellow-white light began to radiate from the innards of the cannon before the bright light grew to be larger than its holder.
"SWEET DREAMS, KID!" He yelled as the light exploded forward towards the figure, ripping through the dense smoke and impacting against a collapsed house, obliterating the structure and everything around it entirely and rocking the very ground he stood on. The figure was nowhere to be found.
"HEH…MAYBE A BIT TOO OVERBOARD…AH WELL, I NEVER GET TO HAVE ANY FUN." The robot virtually shrugged uncaringly and turned back around to resume his trek back to his master. What Epsilon didn't expect however was for a swift kick to impact against his steel enforced backside sending him flying to the other end of the crater and plowing into the dirt.
Epsilon recovered quickly and leaped into the air, landing on heavy feet with the help of his jetpack. Green LED's scanned the surrounding area at full blast, lighting up the smoke and dust in the air. The yellow robot rotated his head in all directions but the only movement was from the smoke and fire.
"SHOW YOURSELF, HEDGEHOG!" But no response was given.
THAT KICK, IT DENTED THE STEEL PLATES ON MY REINFORCED ARMOR…THIS HEDGEHOG IS STRONGER THAN I HAD THOUGHT… Epsilon realized while still scanning the crater. He slowly marched across the large pit towards the downed Gamma, all the while never letting his sensors down for even a millisecond.
Reaching his arms down to bait his enemy, Epsilon's sensors suddenly activated as movement was detected to his very right. The warbot was anticipating this however and extended his cannon arm to its full length and released a bright blast of energy that easily tore up the ground it touched.
Expecting to see a dead hedgehog when he turned to the explosion, Epsilon was shocked to find a fist mere inches away from his steel head forcing him to hastily activate every thruster in his arsenal and blast himself backwards and out of the crater, scorching earth and rubble into mush.
Epsilon raised his head and looked back into the crater and was even more bewildered to see the twin tailed fox appearing perfectly fine in place of the blue hedgehog that he was meant to capture.
"THIS KID…" He muttered to himself before raising a hand to his head. What he wasn't expecting to feel was an indentation the size of a fist on the right side of his armored head.
IMPOSSIBLE! THAT PUNCH DIDN'T LAND! HOW…WHAT CAUSED THIS?! The robot questioned frantically with wide green LEDs locked onto the motionless fox. Epsilon began to feel something that was unknown to him, something completely contrasting to how he normally felt. NO…I CAN'T BE SCARED OF HIM…HE'S JUST A KID… But no matter how much the prideful robot tried to convince himself, the fear stemming from the still kitsune remained.
Epsilon was forced out of his cogitation when his sensors lit up like fireworks and he had to blast his thrusters once again to evade a splitting axe kick from the fox that had stood lifeless just a nanosecond ago. In doing so he was spared from the brunt of the attack but was showered in an immense amount of flying dirt and debris not a second later as the kick impacted against the earth in a massive shockwave that shook the very ground.
WHAT IS THIS POWER?! His sensors worked in overdrive to comprehend what had just occurred. Epsilon had immediately dug his robotic feet into the trembling ground and raised both hand cannons to block against the force of the attack but was shocked when only his left arm rose up. His head spun down to look at the damage done to his right arm but was frozen when he noticed…
…It wasn't there.
YOU'RE KIDDING ME…THE KICK NEVER HIT…THAT MEANS…HE MANAGED TO RIP MY ARM OFF USING JUST THE WIND FROM THE FORCE OF THE ATTACK?! The formerly prideful robot felt his circuits frying at the revelation. WHO…HOW?! NOBODY IS THIS POWERFUL!
Realizing that this battle was substantially one sided, Epsilon activated his communicator to do the one thing he never thought he would ever do, call for help.
"DELTA! ZETA! REQUESTING IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE ISLAND!" Epsilon bellowed pleadingly but was met with no response. "DELTA?! ZETA?! DO YOU COPY?!"
Quick footsteps resounded behind the warbot forcing him to lift his head out of the cover of his left arm. Green LEDs flashed in confusion however as Epsilon realized that he was no longer anywhere near the crater and that there was a deep trench stretching between him and it.
THE FORCE OF AIR FROM THE ATTACK…IT PUSHED ME ALL THE WAY OVER HERE?!
Epsilon stood in pure shock, not even taking in the fact that a fist had landed against his heavily enforced chest, denting it inwards before exploding out of his backside in a shower of fried wires and steel. His body collapsed onto the ground despite the robot's desperate attempts to move.
The fox climbed onto his hollow chest and was now standing on top of downed warbot. It was then that Epsilon got a clear look at his executioner.
His mouth was closed in a straight line and surprisingly, so were his eyes. His face was calm and tranquil, as if the fox didn't even realize what he was doing which only confused Epsilon even more. Lastly and most notable, his fur was a dark grey and contrasted greatly with his white muzzle and chest.
Epsilon could only look on silently as his body began to shut down and malfunction. The fox raised his gloved hand up and wrapped it around the warbot's dented neck.
And in one swift move, his head was severed.
"Hey everyone look! It's 'Miles per hour'!"
Before he knew it, Miles was confronted by a group of older kids at the playground Theodore had dropped him off at while he went to go grocery shopping.
"Are you even listening to me freak? Or are you too slow to understand what I'm saying?"
Before he could even get a chance to respond, Miles was abruptly shoved off the swing from behind and landed in a pained heap on the ground.
"V-V-V-Victor p-p-please…I can l-l-leave if y-you want…" He shakily said, willing to do anything to avoid Victor and his group of friends.
Victor's eyes gleamed at the proposal, though not in the way Miles had wanted.
Before Miles could realize what was about to occur, Victor stomped his steel toed boot onto one of the two orange tails eliciting a yelp of pain from Miles who instantly sat straight up upon feeling his tail being crushed under the pressure of the shoe.
"Freak, you should know this already, considering what a nerd you are." Victor glared savagely at the younger fox who was trying with all his might to pry the heavy boot off his aching tail before he was harshly shoved back onto the unforgiving asphalt. "This isn't your playground, you don't belong here. Freaks don't belong here."
Miles looked back up to the grinning Victor with pleading eyes. "I-I-I'm sorry V-Victor, I-I didn't mean to, I s-swear, but c-can you p-please just lift your f-foot it's r-really hu-" Before he could finish, Victor applied even more pressure to his tail forcing Miles to bite down on his lip and shut his eyes as his entire body became tense from the pain that became unbearable for the two year old. A pained groan escaped his trembling lips enticing Victor to drag his boot roughly over the fox cub's tail which resulted in a higher pitched cry.
"Now to make sure you don't come here again…how about my friends and I give you a nice long lecture about obedience?" Victor said putting extra emphasis on the word obedience. "Hehe…you'd like that wouldn't you, hm? Freak?"
Victor reached out to grab the downed fox by his neck but his hand was suddenly swatted away by a wooden cane. He looked up in annoyance only to realize that the handle of the cane had wrapped itself around his back. Suddenly, the cane yanked his entire body forward only for a gloved hand to roughly grab him by the fur on his chest lifting him several feet into the air.
Victor looked on in shock and fear as a much older fox glared at him with pure hatred in his void eyes.
"BACK AWAY FROM MY GRANDSON!"
Victor froze in the air, too scared to move as a wooden cane came crashing down on his skull and entrenched him painfully into the ground. He shakily began to stand up only for the cane to slam into his midsection launching him back into the air before he landed hard onto the ground.
Theodore knelt down and pulled Miles into a comforting hug which the cub gratefully accepted.
"Everything's fine now Miles, don't be scared." He said soothingly to the frightened fox. Taking the flattened tail into his free hand, Theodore massaged the bruise gently. "There there…let's go home."
Lifting the younger fox off the ground, Theodore snugly placed his arm around the fox and gently hugged him while walking. "Shhh Shhh It's okay Miles, everything will be just fine."
Quiet sobs could be heard coming from the quivering fox but they slowly began to fade as Theodore comforted him.
Miles lifted his head up and through teary blue eyes saw the familiar, gentle smile of his grandfather figure. Feeling himself relax, Miles wrapped his arms around the elder fox's neck and hugged him tightly.
"T-Thank you…"
Zeta hurriedly marched through the burning debris and rubble of the former city. Just a few moments ago he had heard Epsilon requesting backup on their shared communication link, something the egotistical robot had never done before and, of course, now it was up to him to rescue his idiotic surrogate brother because Delta didn't even bother communicating with them!
THAT IDIOT! WHY DOES HE ALWAYS THINK HE CAN WIN EVERY FIGHT HE TAKES?! The purple robot fumed silently while trudging over a burnt car. MASTER BETTER REMOVE HIS PERSONALITY MODULATOR AFTER THIS OR I SWEAR I WILL DO IT MYSELF…
Zeta was brought out of his brooding upon hearing a distinct sound from his sensory map. Where there should have been three dots to indicate the position of the elite team, one of them faded away with a high pitched beep. Now there were only two.
IDIOT…HE'S LOST TO THE HEDGEHOG…MASTER WILL BE MOST UNHAPPY AT THIS… Were Zeta's final thoughts before arriving at the last recorded position of his fallen brother. Using his high power focus lens, Zeta scanned the chaotic battlefield for an orange robot. What he found instead however was a burnt up red robot. GAMMA…BUT WHERE IS EPSILON? Through thick smoke and dust, Zeta could faintly make out the markings of battle along the opposite end of the large crater. The warbot begrudgingly marched into the large arena with heavy footsteps. As he got closer, the marks that he had noticed previously could be seen extending outwards, away from the crater.
Zeta extended both his cannon arm and his machine gun arm, ready to fire at a moment's notice. Climbing out of the crater with just his metallic clawed feet, the cautious robot scanned the area for any signs of his teammate. Through the thick black smoke, his sensors managed to pick up on the smallest of movement behind a column of the towering flames. Zeta walked around the obstruction with quiet steps and was met with an unusual sight.
A few meters ahead of the purple warbot lay his fallen brother. What was interesting to note however was the grey twin tailed fox that stood on top of the destroyed, comatose robot holding a detached warbot head in his hand.
EPSILON?! DEFEATED TO THIS EXTENT?! Zeta mused while observing the damage and the motionless fox. EPSILON WOULD NEVER LOSE TO A KID…HE MUST BE STRONGER THAN HE SEEMS… But the fox remained unmoving, as if he were meditating in a deep trance. NO SIGNS OF THE BLUE HEDGEHOG…I SUPPOSE TAKING CARE OF THE KID RIGHT NOW WOULD TAKE PRIORITY HOWEVER…
Zeta aimed both cannon and machine gun at the fox's head and heart simultaneously. As if he could tell what lay behind him, the fox's ears twitched slightly, the only movement coming from him other than the slow waving of his dual tails. Zeta noticed the twitch but paid no heed to it as his cannon shot out a large beam of energy that went straight for the kitsune's heart while the machine gun fired at his head.
In a move that not even Zeta's advanced sensors could follow, the grey fox slipped under the fallen yellow warbot before the bullets and cannon fire could even leave the respective barrels. What shocked Zeta was when Epsilon's ten ton body was suddenly hurled towards him, blocking all the bullets and taking the force of the cannon fire. The cannon ripped through the already dented metal with ease and generated a destructive explosion right in front of the wide eyed robot.
Zeta was forced to halt his assault and leap backwards a considerable distance as his former brother was disintegrated right in front of his eyes.
DEFINITELY A LOT STRONGER THAN HE LOOKS… He concluded quickly. His temporary rest was brought to an end when red indicators flashed across his sensors highlighting a fast-moving figure heading in his direction. Zeta hurriedly brought both arms up to shield his body as not a moment later a child sized foot imbedded itself deep within his forearm protectors and propelled the warbot across the battlefield with a deadly amount of force.
THIS METAL IS HEAVILY REINFORCED YET HE MANAGED TO BEND IT THIS MUCH?! The amazed warbot was once again given no time to pause as numerous red indicators popped up across the screen warning of imminent danger. Zeta raised his left arm just in time to parry a downwards punch coming from the grey kitsune but it did nothing to block the damage as the ground underneath them gave way and shattered like fragile glass. Dirt erupted high into the sky in all directions as huge cracks spiraled away from the source of impact.
Zeta felt like his robotic legs had turned to molten jelly as he pushed the airborne kitsune away with his right arm. It came as a mild surprise to the robot to see that his left arm had been completely obliterated.
WHAT IMMENSE POWER… Zeta thought as he realized that this was a battle he could not win. His remaining hand trembled violently as it reached for his communicator in a desperate attempt to escape.
His hand quickly angled itself back up in order to block another kicked from the impossibly fast kitsune. This, however, proved futile as the twenty ton robot felt himself being lifted off the ground upon impact and rocketed across the smoke filled sky helplessly. Before his sensors could even acknowledge the damage done, the grey kitsune was suddenly above the wide eyed robot that could do nothing as the axe kick cleaved through his midsection in a flurry of bolts and wires before the parts rained over the battlefield like hailstones.
As the top section of Zeta lay in its own cataclysmic crater, the warbot stared into the smoke filled sky and felt what his fallen brother had felt not long ago. Fear. A warbot's worst enemy. Never before had he been defeated so quickly, but then again, he had never fought a being whose power rivalled that of demons. Zeta couldn't quite believe it himself, but after the battle he had just lost, he didn't have a choice.
Zeta's green LED eyes grew large as the head of the child slowly came into his immobile view. He could only stare as what looked to be red lightning danced across the palm of the child's hand chaotically. He could only watch as the gloved hand descended itself down onto his armored neck. And he couldn't do anything as the child severed his neck in one swift move.
"What's wrong Miles?"
The twin tailed fox glanced up from the ice cream cone he held in his hands and was met with the sight of his parent figure looking worriedly at him.
"It…It's nothing…"
Theodore instantly knew that something was definitely wrong. Taking a few steps forward, he sat down next to the distressed cub and pulled him into a one arm hug.
"Miles…you know that I won't make fun of you if there's something bothering you." He spoke gently. "Now tell me…what's the matter?"
Miles looked up into the eyes of his worried guardian and felt his heart slowly sink. Seeing the normally calm man sad like this pained him to no end.
"Why…why do they hate me so much…?"
Theodore sighed as he realized that the shaking fox was worrying over what had happened earlier that day.
"It's not your fault Miles…none of that is." He reassured the sobbing kitsune. "They pick on you because they merely want to. It may be a combination of other factors such as family life, wealth, and stress, but ultimately it all comes down to one reason."
Miles looked up at the elder fox in confusion. "It's because you're younger than them. In their minds you are inferior and easier to pick on."
"B-But…why me? Why…why couldn't it have been someone else?!" Miles practically shouted.
Theodore looked down at the quaking fox and slowly shook his head.
"That is not a good way to think Miles…" He said softly. "Wishing your pain onto others is the most terrible thing a person could do."
Miles broke down crying at that and leaned his tear streaked face into the fur of the elder fox.
"Then…what should I do?"
Theodore smiled kindly, though the younger fox couldn't see it. "Don't give up. Endure the pain for now and one day show them that they were wrong, that you're not lesser than them and they're not greater than you."
And though the cries continued, Miles slowly stopped shaking as the words sunk into his head.
"And above all, never become the bully that you wish to surpass…" Theodore finished firmly. "Because it will only bring you and the ones you affect more pain and regret…as I did." The last part muttered so quietly that it was muffled by the sobs and sniffs of the younger fox.
Miles began to calm down as the new philosophies ingrained themselves in his head. Looking back up to his guardian with puffy red eyes, Miles hugged him with both arms and rested his head on the elder fox`s shoulders.
"Thank you…"
Theodore smiled caringly at his adopted grandson and rose to his feet while holding him, cradling his head in his hand.
"You're welcome…now, let's get you to sleep."
Delta's emerald green LEDs watched through gaps in the smoke as Zeta's helpless body was thrown sky high before rocketing back down to earth with a tremendous bang. Contrary to what his two former teammates had thought, Delta was well aware that Epsilon had lost quite badly in his battle against the blue hedgehog. Thinking that the egotistical robot could learn a thing or two from a loss, he decided to observe the action from afar but could only see glimpses as the heavy smoke blocked much of his view. What surprised him was the speed at which his former brother had lost. Epsilon may be prideful but he was certainly no push over. For him to lose so quickly meant that the hedgehog was much stronger than Robotnik had told them. It would be no problem however, as the leader of the elite E-100s, he was by far stronger than Epsilon, Zeta and even Gamma. Sure Epsilon's power was a force to be reckoned with and Zeta's armor could withstand multitudes of bombs, but Delta had one thing none of the others had.
Speed.
No matter how powerful your attacks are, you'll never get anywhere if they don't hit and no matter how many hits you can take, if you can't return them then you won't do any damage. But speed had no negative counter effects. If your opponent can't keep up with you then there's no way that they can land a hit on you and if you move faster than them, then you can't possibly miss any attacks you throw at them. That was what made him stronger than the others. And after all, he was the leader for a reason.
SO IT SEEMS THAT EVEN ZETA HAS FALLEN TO THE HEDGEHOG…Delta muttered as the red blip that represented Zeta on his mini-map disappeared. NO MATTER…I WILL END HIM ONCE AND FOR ALL AND WE WILL FINALLY SEE WHICH ONE OF US IS THE FASTEST!
Delta continued marching through the burning city with no care whatsoever about the collapsing rubble around him. None of that mattered to him as his ambition to prove his speed against the fastest thing alive drove him forward.
OH HO HO…IT WILL BE SO LOVELY, CRUSHING HIS PRIDE… AND THEN HIS LEGS! He robotically laughed. Noticing that he was nearing the last location of Zeta, the blue warbot suddenly stopped as a distinct color was spotted in his high powered vision. Rotating his light head to the side, Delta was certainly surprised to see a blue figure lying face down in a circle of rubble. THAT CAN'T BE… He muttered briefly before beginning a slow march towards the downed figure.
As Delta moved closer to the figure, anger began to boil inside his virtual personality as his presumption was strengthened. IT IS HIM…BUT HOW? EPSILON AND ZETA WERE DEFEATED IN NO MORE THAN TEN MINUTES EACH…DID HE REALLY USE ALL HE HAD FIGHTING THOSE TWO? He stared motionlessly over the burnt hedgehog. The only indication that he was even alive came from the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed the smoky air.
PATHETIC WEAKLING…COULDN'T EVEN DEFEAT THOSE TWO…Delta inwardly sighed in frustration as his ambition died down to a sliver of its former glory. The warbot unconsciously readied a cannon blast as he looked angrily down at the weak hedgehog. FINE THEN…I'LL JUST HAVE TO DO THIS THE OLD FASHIONED WAY! He extended his cannon arm towards the sleeping form and readied himself to end the pathetic hedgehog's life.
The beam of energy shot out of its cannon at a frighteningly high speed and temporarily blinded Delta due to his close proximity to it. Explosions rocked the earth silencing any possible cries that came from the hedgehog as smoke bellowed out of the explosions, further blocking his view. The screeching that came from the beam itself was enough to render any Mobian deaf.
HOW UNFORTUNATE… Delta concluded as the beam began to die down. When the smoke also cleared, a large circular trench was revealed between him and the end of the line of fire. Delta's green eyes scanned the trench noting that there were no blood stains, meaning the hedgehog was effectively vaporized.
Delta lowered his smoking weapon with mild amusement and enjoyment at the fact that the hedgehog was taken down so easily. In fact, it almost seemed too easy.
PATHETIC… He thought a final time before he began turning around to head back to the Egg Battleship. Just as he turned however, his optical sensors noticed a hint of white among the black smoke. Curiously turning back around, Delta was left shocked as the smoke parted to reveal at the end of the trench, the back of a twin tailed fox with the blue hedgehog lying in front of him, no more injured than before Delta had blasted him.
The grey furred kitsune was hunched over the unconscious hedgehog protectively. The fur on his back was significantly darker than the other areas and wisps of white smoke could be seen originating from it.
Delta analyzed the new presence with a hint of excitement. Judging by the darkened fur, the fox had taken the blast from the cannon and possibly saved the hedgehog's life. Few of his enemies had ever endured a direct hit from his cannon and lived to tell the tale, meaning that this fox was certainly durable, if not powerful.
"WHO ARE YOU?" Delta asked commandingly to the hunched over figure. A slight rise and fall of his shoulders was the only response he received as the fox seemingly struggled to stand back up. At the sight, Delta's excitement began to fade along with his patience. Frustration returned to the warbot as another promising battle was taken away due to the fox's weakness.
Delta drew his cannon arm back out and aimed it at the struggling form of the grey fox. Just as he was about to fire, the fox's head rotated around and Delta could see the angered expression on his otherwise neutral face.
By then, the cannon was fully charged and ready to fire. Delta watched in disappointment as the energy blasted out of his hold and headed straight for the fox's head. That disappointment soon turned to surprise as his arm suddenly lurched upwards changing the trajectory of the blast and shooting it sky high.
Delta quickly snapped his head downwards only to see the angered grey fox directly below him with his leg extended forwards, kicking the cannon upwards with an insane amount of strength.
Shocked at the fox's speed, Delta halted his cannon fire and brought the arm down hard, slamming it into the ground right beside the quick kitsune. The fox managed to dodge, albeit just barely and rolled across the rocky ground away from Delta.
Delta looked at the kitsune standing on one knee in a mix of excitement and intrigue. HES FAST...HEHE… And with that he took off using his thrusters to propel himself towards the kneeling fox. The kitsune's head snapped up at the rapidly approaching sound but was too late as Delta's arm crashed into his midsection, unable to move away from the fast robot as Delta activated every thruster in his arsenal. With a sonic boom, the fox blazed into piles of rubble and fire across the entire city as he unwillingly hung off of Delta's outstretched arm that piloted him into the remains of buildings. His arms gripped desperately at the robot's larger weaponized arm in an attempt to escape the carnival ride of hell but to no avail.
Delta had noticed the fox's desperate means of escape and grinned inwardly. All at once, every thruster was turned to propel him in the opposite direction as he fully extended his cannon arm and took aim at the now free flying kitsune. Not a moment later, the destructive beam of energy ripped apart the scenery in front of Delta in a bright shining light.
As the beam began to disappear, Delta lowered his smoking arm and scanned the area for traces of the grey fox.
FAST BUT NOT FAST ENOUGH...He thought as the massive trench in front of him was revealed to be empty. UNFORTUNATE…HE WAS QUITE FAST TOO.
The fire around Delta continued to burn, the crackling of flames the only sound left in the area.
Suddenly as Delta was about to head back, his sensors lit up bright red in danger. Not even a nanosecond later, another sonic boom resounded across the battlefield as Delta was met face to face with the fist of the dangerously close kitsune. Acting based solely on instinct, Delta blasted every thruster in the opposite direction, pouring every ounce of his energy reserves into the action and using his maximum speed. The earth scorched underneath the flames and dug deep trenches into the ground.
Delta stared back up, wide eyed as his eyes locked onto the grey fox. Except this time, his eyes were open. A brilliant white light shone out of the kitsune's eyes, no pupil or iris in sight. The warbot looked on in wonder and shock as the light bore into his mechanical body.
The area the kitsune stood suddenly exploded in a shower of rock as the fox launched himself at blinding speeds that not even Delta could follow. The fox threw a punch at the warbot's head but was intercepted by a cannon arm. The steel bent and snapped in two with a resounding bang that sent Delta sprawling back hundreds of meters.
CAN'T LET HIM HIT ME- Delta realized but was even more aghast to see the fox only a few feet in front of him with a clenched fist aimed at his head. The warbot rolled to the side just in time as the fist impacted the concrete ground below shattering it into tiny pieces instantly. The grey fox turned his head and locked eyes with Delta and sent a lightning fast roundhouse kick towards the stunned robot.
Delta lurched away from the kick but was knocked off balance by the absurd gust of wind that the force of the attack generated. His sensors were violently blinking red as Delta rolled to the side to evade a splitting kick from the near black fox. He used his thrusters to stand back up just as the kick from the fox split the ground in two. Dirt was sprayed everywhere and blocked the vision of the two combatants.
Using this time to formulate a plan, Delta recalled how helpless the fox was during his thruster ride around the city. SO LITTLE FOX, LET'S SEE WHOS FASTER, YOU, OR ME! The blue warbot took off in a flash of dirt and appeared right in front of the kitsune. Before the fox could even realize that Delta had found him, he was suddenly launched through the air at breakneck speeds. Delta held the fox between what was left of his arms in front of him, trapping him in the hold. The fox struggled against the vice grip but it became useless as every time his back and head smashed into rubble and fire, he felt himself getting weaker.
Delta noticed that the light shining from the kitsune's eyes was slowly dimming with each crash which only pushed the warbot into going faster. Soon the two became nothing but a blur as they plowed through everything in their wake; the entire city now their battlefield.
The dust covered kitsune could do nothing as he was repeatedly thrown into debris. Delta grinned inwardly as the last of the light coming from the fox's eyes dissipated into nothing, his eyelids shutting completely.
With one final push, Delta angled his thrusters and soared into the smoky air with the grey fox in hand. In only a few seconds, they managed to break through the smoke and into the peaceful blue skies above it, the sun reflecting off of his metallic body and shining bright rays around them. The peace was short lasting however as Delta summoned all the strength left in his system and flared every thruster, plunging the two straight back down into the smoke at blinding speeds.
Delta struggled to hold the fox below him as the air pushed against them violently. Sonic booms erupted every few seconds as the forces of gravity and fire drove the two down into a rapid descent. The fox kicked weakly at the superior robot, his strength diminishing by the second. His triangular ears thrashed against the air currents as the howling of the wind became almost deafening.
The scorched earth soon came into view below them. Delta's excitement unconsciously fueled his strength as they accelerated faster. All of his sensors were completely shut off as his entire field of view was blinded by a white light.
Delta felt as if every bolt in his body ejected as the fox collided with the terrain, headfirst. In the blink of an eye, the ground ruptured into hundreds of chunks across the entire city as the very earth trembled at the display of power. A tremendous crater was formed around the two combatants and easily enveloped more than half the former city. Fires that surrounded them were instantly extinguished as a gust of wind so powerful as to lift cars and buildings into the air exploded away from the center of the crater and knocked away anything in its path.
The drained warbot released his vice grip on the unmoving fox and toppled over onto his backside.
HEHE…NOBODY'S EVER MANAGED TO PUSH ME THIS FAR…He silently congratulated the fox for his splendid performance. Rotating his unsteady head around to look at his enemy, Delta watched as the grey fox lay embedded deep in the ground, unmoving. YOU DID GOOD…KID. He thought in a show of appreciation that he almost never showed. WELL…NOTHING MORE TO DO NOW THAN JUST LAY HERE AND WAIT FOR MASTER. Testing for any strength left in his system, the warbot wasn't surprised that he couldn't even lift his arm.
The smoke that covered the sky had begun to clear up without any fire to generate more. Soon the sun was shining through and onto the fractured battlefield, revealing the true extent of the damage that had been done. The city no longer held any reason to believe that it was once a city, every building and street had been completely obliterated during the three fights as well as the trees and grass being burned up in the hellfire. Cracks decorated the dirt grounds and shattered sidewalks for as far as the island was afloat. The other side of the city that had not been impacted by the devastating final move was however, still ablaze with infrequent fires and smoke.
Delta stared up into the blue sky and for once felt a sense of peace. His ambition to find a worthy adversary had been fulfilled for now and all he wished for was a rest from the grueling battle. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he only barely managed to defeat the kitsune and had the kid managed to survive the crash, Delta had no doubts that the powerful fox would beat him.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of shifting stone. Rotating his head back around, Delta's eyes widened as the grey fox child slowly pushed himself off the ground. A thin trail of blood stained the corners of his otherwise white muzzle as he heaved himself out of the fox shaped hole.
Delta could do nothing as the child wobbly stood up on shaky feet. The grey fox slowly began to limp towards him, faltering with every step.
Though his sensors were offline, Delta manually scanned the child's body in an attempt to find a weakness. His eyes lit up and locked onto a darker section of the fox's right knee that seemed to pain the child with every step he took.
Delta anxiously waited for the fox to approach him. Summoning the last of his energy, the beaten warbot swung his arm outwards and smashed it straight into the fox's kneecap. A loud crack resonated across the crater followed by a thud as the grey fox collapsed onto his stomach.
The warbot lay there and watched as the fox' form was completely still.
YOU TRULY ARE A WORTHY ADVERSARY… He thought as the fox's hand began to move. BUT IT SEEMS I WAS NOT WORTHY ENOUGH FOR YOU… was his last thought before the hand sliced through his neck, his green eyes powering off forever.
The grey fox kneeled on the uneven ground; both arms supporting him as he weakly struggled to stand. His face remained neutral and expressionless as he slowly began limping away from the center of the crater. The sun shone on his dust covered grey fur. His twin tails pointed downwards without any strength left to hold them up.
Though his eyes remained shut, the fox limped towards a blue figure lying in his own hole in the ground. As if he could see where the figure was, the kitsune gently kneeled in front of the burnt blue hedgehog, slung the blue arms over his shoulder, and placed the larger person over his back in a piggyback. Though the hedgehog's body dwarfed the size of the child that was carrying it, the kitsune limped at only a slightly slower speed when compared to without the extra weight.
Luckily for the two, the fire and rubble that would otherwise hinder their path had been blown far away to the outskirts of the city. The only obstructions now were the large chunks of earth that had been ejected when the fox crashed into the ground.
Within minutes a beach could be seen on the horizon. The remaining forests around them were still ablaze due to their distance away from the battlefield. The fox slowed slightly however as he continued to trek through the boiling temperatures and smoke filled air.
At long last, the terrain transformed from smoky grains of dirt to pale grains of sand. The sound of the ocean rising and falling mimicked the breathing of the weakened fox. A red biplane contrasted against the plain colors of the beach in the distance.
By now the fox's limping had slowed to a crawl speed. His breath was haggard and forced, as if it was painful just to breathe in. His grey fur began to slowly morph back into its original orange-yellow pelt.
Taking one last step, the fox released the blue hedgehog behind him as his legs gave out from underneath him and he collapsed; face down into the sand with a resounding thud.
Robotnik observed as his Egg Workers silently cleaned the area surrounding the hidden entrance. It had been almost half an hour since he had sent the Elite team to capture the hedgehog and it had been almost half an hour since his last contact with them.
That blasted hedgehog couldn't have won against them, could he? Robotnik wondered silently. No…With Epsilon's strength, Zeta's defence, and Delta's speed, they should have no problems in defeating Sonic…but then what is taking them so long?
Periodically during the half hour they had been gone, violent tremors had shaken the ground leading the fat doctor to believe that Sonic was either incredibly durable or he was plowing the E-100s into the ground. Neither option appealed to the doctor but he could do nothing but wait patiently. The E-100s were the only robots in his arsenal that could withstand the intense heat and smoke and Robotnik couldn't even stand near the flames without breaking out into a sweat.
The smoke filled sky obstructed his vision from watching the battle. Despite multiple attempts by the doctor to clear away the smoke, the fires that expelled it just continued to bellow the foul substance. As such he was forced to succumb to being a sitting duck and predict what was happening just by the tremors that shook the earth, which was not a very easy thing to do.
"Try to contact them again." He commanded the silent Egg Worker that stood beside him. A few beeps and buzzes later, the worker looked back to him and shook his head.
"NEGATIVE SIR, THE COMMUNICATION LINK IS STILL JAMMED. SOMETHING MUST STILL BE INTERFERING WITH THE SIGNAL."
Robotnik sighed in anger as the same message was repeated.
"Well unjam that signal before I-"
But before he could finish his sentence, a tremor shot through the ground once again. But this time it was incomparable to any previous tremor. Robotnik's eyes widened as the smoke that had previously been flowing into the sky bulged forwards and covered him in its foul air. Not a moment later, the ground itself violently cracked and jutted out of the earth and into massive segments. Dust encompassed the entire area as the quake continued to shoot dirt and split apart the very earth they stood on.
Robotnik felt his grasp on the ground loosen as he was sent sprawling in the air. His limbs flailed desperately into the storm of dust and fire as he felt himself repeatedly crashing into dirt and stone.
Finally the wind calmed enough to drop him as he fell onto the ground and rolled several times over until he hit water. Robotnik gasped while shooting his head out of the liquid and wiping his eyes of dirt and grime. He quickly swam back onto shore and his eyes widened at the sight that beheld him. Dust and dirt floated everywhere, hindering his view from seeing more than a few meters. What he could make out however, was that the previously burning trees and houses had been extinguished entirely of the flames and were now either laying on the choppy earth or bent at impossible angles.
Robotnik stood up slowly on shaky legs. He could feel his senses coming back to him now as he held a hand to his head. To his surprise, blood was seeping down his fingers rapidly. The mad doctor grit his teeth as he suddenly got a good feeling that Delta had gone all out, and that meant that the hedgehog managed to take down his entire team of E-100s.
His hands trembled at his side as Robotnik pulled a device out of his pocket. Holding it up to his mouth, the doctor spoke in a hoarse voice, unknown to even him. "SNIVELY…MAKE SURE THAT HEDGEHOG DOESN'T GET AWAY."
With his message sent, Robotnik pulled out a tracker with a red dot on its interface and began walking back to the Egg Battleship
His eyelids fluttered open but were shut again upon seeing a bright light turned on. Muffled voices could be heard behind him as he once again tried in vain to open his eyes.
The voices soon became clearer as his senses returned to him.
"His heart's beating too fast!"
"Turn the volts up!"
"Breathe Theodore, breathe!"
Miles' head instantly shot up at the sound of foreign voices.
"W-W-who are y-you? W-Why are y-you in this h-house?" He asked as he quickly sat up on the couch.
The black and white dressed figures seemed to ignore him, as if he wasn't even there.
"We need to get him to the hospital!"
"I'm going to get the stretcher, keep his heart rate steady until we get there!"
One of the figures dashed out into the cold rainy night and returned moments later with a white stretcher. As the tall figures loaded someone onto the stretcher, Miles' heart skipped a beat.
It was Theodore.
"W-W-What's happening? W-What's going o-on?" He managed to stutter out.
One of the figures turned to him. "Stay home kid, go back to bed."
The figures quickly exited the house and moments later a loud siren was heard over the pounding rain and retreating into the distance.
Miles stood, frozen to the spot, his eyes wide awake and frantic. As soon as the sirens blasted through the rainstorm, Miles leapt out of the still open door.
"T-Theodore! Wait!"
His short legs made a mad dash for the ambulance but he was too slow.
"W-wait! Don't go!"
Unconsciously his tails began to whirl around in a circle, propelling him forward.
"THEODORE! DON'T LEAVE ME!"
A loud bang erupted out of the sky and shocked the poor kitsune who tumbled over into the mud staring wide eyed at the back of the silent vehicle.
"GRANDPA! COME BACK!"
Emerald green eyes blinked open to be met with the magnificent blue of the sky. The eyes blinked repeatedly in order to refocus and adjust to the bright sunshine that shone through the white clouds.
Sonic stared at the open sky as his ears picked up the sound of crashing waves. Taking a moment to recollect his thoughts, the hedgehog quickly shot up with wide eyes. How did I get here? He asked as he looked out at the calm sea. The last thing I remember is falling and being too weak to move…but that was in… His head spun around to face the direction the smell of smoke originated from. To his surprise, the fire that consumed the city was only at a fraction of its former ability. How did that happen? There's no way that fire could have been stopped… He questioned before looking back into the sky. It's only noon, which means I haven't been out all that long…
He turned his head downwards to view the extent of his injuries but stopped when his eyes caught sight of a familiar yellow fur. Instantly his eyes were locked onto the figure that lay only a few feet in front of him.
"Tails!" Sonic heaved himself off the ground and dashed to the blackened fox's side. "Tails are you okay?!" Gently he flipped the cub over onto his back and was surprised to see almost completely black burnt fur in multiple areas on the kitsune's fur and a thin trail of blood on his muzzle and right kneecap. He quickly held two fingers to his unconscious friend's neck and was relieved to feel a faint heartbeat.
Despite having his own injuries, Sonic lifted the fox into his arms and noticed that the Tornado was directly in front of them. His legs begged for rest but Sonic ignored the pain and limped over to his plane.
I couldn't save the city from Robotnik…He suddenly realized as an uneasy feeling began to eat away at his nerves. But I'll be damned if I can't save even one kid. He thought but as his gaze fell into the cockpit it was obvious to see that there wasn't going to be enough room for the both of them.
No! I won't abandon the kid! Quickly dismissing the unwanted thoughts, Sonic gently laid the fox cub in the pilot's seat and went about emptying the storage container behind the seat, throwing all the tools out onto the sand. As soon as that was finished, he retrieved a few large leaves that had been out of reach of the fire and used them to cushion the inside of the compartment. He looked regretfully at the comatose kitsune as he cautiously placed him into the compartment and left the lid open so that air could move freely in and out.
Climbing into the pilot's seat, Sonic looked back at the remains of the city in defeat. He had failed the citizens of the city, and he had failed himself.
"When will you realize Sonic that you can't save everyone no matter how hard you try?"
Robotnik's words stung him repeatedly. Very few times had the hedgehog actually failed to save someone he had been protecting. The stress and regret of not being able to save them had already been negatively affecting him and then Robotnik had to swoop in and make it even worse.
The hedgehog shook his head of the belittling thoughts and returned his view to the controls of the Tornado. He couldn't let the fox die under his watch. The plane's engine started to roar as the propeller rotated in front of it. Had the time been any different, Sonic would have been ecstatically joyful that the Tornado looked good as new, but right now was not that time.
The plane lurched forwards on the sand and taxied on the small grains before slowly lifting into the air. He couldn't save the city, but he still had a chance at saving Tails.
Robotnik glared furiously as he made his way back into the command room of the Egg Battleship. Snively sat in the piloting chair looking rather contently until his fat uncle barged into the room. The doctor stormed up to the short man and picked him up by his collar before hurling him across the room and into a steel wall.
"You idiot! Where is the hedgehog!?" He questioned menacingly.
Snively stood back up and looked away from his seething uncle's eyes. "I sent all the robots to retrieve him after you radioed in but they haven't returned yet."
Smoke began to rise out of Robotnik's head as his rage increased tenfold. "Argh…I don't care what you did, find that hedgehog before-" His eyes widened as he spotted a red biplane on the other end of the island taking off. "It's them! Get them! Before they escape!"
Snively gladly took the chance to escape his fuming uncle and run into a hanger full of fighter planes. The planes activated at Snively's presence and after receiving orders, blasted out of the hanger at supersonic speed.
Robotnik watched as the robotic fighter planes shot towards the Tornado like a heat seeking bullet. "HO OH OH…Soon, you will die my careless blue friend…And it will be by my hand..."