It didn't take long for Tails and Nicole to figure out that Eggman's robots were heading for a port city. No discussion was needed as Tails turned on the afterburners in the hopes they could stop the small army from reaching the city. The town was known as Newfound Sanctuary: founded by people displaced by the Eggman War and the pollution and desertification Eggman caused. That the Mad Doctor was striking here was an especially low blow, even for him. Thankfully, it didn't look like any Super Badniks were deployed. That hopefully meant Eggman simply didn't have the ability to produce Super Badniks anymore.
Both Tails and Nicole were forced back in their seats as the Pteropodidae hit Mach 5. They were going too fast to see anything clearly and had to entirely rely on the radar equipment to know their surroundings. It was less than a half-hour before Tails had to activate the speed brakes and lower altitude. The Wispons built into the custom-made jet quickly finished charging and Tails fired.
The Pteropodidae destroyed all the transport vessels, referred to as 'Egg Cartons' by the Sonic Team and the rest of the world, in the first pass. The other vehicles and robots stopped in their advance and scattered. Knowing that they were going to try and shoot them down before continuing, Nicole focused her efforts on managing the radar and advising Tails.
"They're the most densely gathered in the South, but the Northern squadrons have all of the dedicated anti-aircraft and building busters," Nicole informed, "I suggest we clear the North before they can get into position."
"Sounds like a plan," Tails agreed.
Tails pivoted the Pteropodidae North and fired on the war machines again. Between Tails' skill as a pilot and the advanced equipment built into the Pteropodidae, each and every shot devastated one of the robots. Less than a handful of the artillery survived the Pteropodidae's second pass, as their munitions exploded with them and crippled or destroyed robots that the Pteropodidae didn't shoot at directly. The robots in the South were tanks, roboticizors, and non-combat models meant for construction and containment, neither of which posed any threat to the Pteropodidae. However, they were threats to Newfound Sanctuary, especially in their number.
Tails turned to the South on his third pass and showed the robots no mercy. He barely had to adjust his flight path for enemy fire as he blasted away scores of Eggman Robots. Tails even managed to finish off the artillery on the fourth pass. Tails couldn't keep the smile off his face. The Pteropodidae was performing beyond expectation and felt amazing to control. I bet I could have sunk the Egg Carrier with a girl this sweet Tails thought to himself, still bitter that Eggman's flagship had managed to shoot down the first Tornado during the Chaos Incident. Having to belly-flop the Tornado 2 because of his own oversights did not make Tails feel any less resentment at the Egg Carrier.
Tails had almost finished off the robots when Nicole spoke up, "Miles, there are Eggman Robots in the city."
"What!?" Tails exclaimed, "How?"
Nicole stayed silent for a moment, studying the radar, "I think they're coming from the sea."
"Damn," Tails said as he flew away from the remaining war mechs.
Eggman downed most of the world's satellites during his takeover of the planet and put up his own in their place. Those satellites had to be destroyed by the Restoration when Eggman was finally defeated to keep his hold on the planet broken. While the Restoration made remaking the globe's satellite network one of their top priorities, The End had inadvertently destroyed all satellites as it orbited the planet in its fight against Super Sonic and Titan Supreme. It was a minor miracle that the Ark and all of its equipment had survived and could be used. The Restoration was still working on reestablishing the internet and global communications, they didn't have the time or resources to spend on making orbital trackers that could pierce leagues upon leagues of ocean. Tails was kicking himself for not even considering that Eggman could be hiding out on the sea floor.
"Heads up Miles: the amphibious robots have air support from Egg Vipers and Egg Hawks," Nicole announced.
"Understood," Tails acknowledged, "We'll probably have to shoot them down before we can give street-level aid."
"I could also just take over the Pteropodidae while you keep them from advancing further into Newfound Sanctuary," Nicole suggested.
Tails hesitated, "Are you sure you can manage the radar, piloting, and weapons systems all on your own?"
"Absolutely," Nicole assured.
"Okay, I'll trust you on this," Tails replied.
It didn't take long for the Pteropodidae to reach Newfound Sanctuary and the invading robots, "Stay safe," Tails ordered before he opened the pilot canopy. He couldn't hear Nicole changing seats over the sound of the wind, but Tails had total confidence in her. Tails crawled to the edge of one of the wings before Spindashing into a Homing Attack at an Egg Hawk below him. Combining the Homing Attack with the force and velocity gained from a high-altitude fall like this was a technique Tails had coined as the 'Homing Meteor,' a name that proved accurate as he tore right through the center of the Egg Hawk. Tails could hear the fighter craft explode above him, and Tails couldn't help but be proud of himself. Even Sonic would need to hit an Egg Hawk a few times to make it go down.
Tails blitzed through several minor aerial robots, mostly Buzz Bombers and Egg Pawns with jetpacks, before hitting asphalt. Instead of becoming a bloodied pancake or bouncing off the road, Tails immediately went into another Spindash and tore through the middle of an Egg Pawn company. Feeling his momentum slowing, Tails uncurled and ducked into an alleyway to check how many Rings he had. Rings were used to power most things in the world, the most common of which were Personal Shield Generators. PSGs were high-tech bracelets that made energy shields that could tank tons' worth of force in hits and allowed one to fall from anywhere in atmosphere without damage but used more than one hundred Rings per instance. The one drawback to the Homing Meteor was that it consumed hundreds of Rings. Tails was pleasantly surprised to find that he still had two hundred and thirty Rings of the five hundred he had before. I guess all those bots cushioned my fall more than I realized.
It was doubtful that Tails would get hit by such basic robots if Eggman or his AI Lieutenant wasn't here controlling them directly, but Tails didn't like risks as much as Sonic did. Tails pulled his glove back over his PSG and glanced at his Rhythm Badge. The magic in it dissipated when Chaos and Tikal moved on to the afterlife and Tails had since figured out how to use the Rapid Tails Attack on his own, but it gave him happy nostalgia to see, and he had become confident enough in himself that he was no longer afraid of it getting damaged. Tails also thought wearing it made him look cool.
Tails could hear one of Eggman's tanks, machines that Cream had started calling 'Egg Shells,' and several Egg Pawns coming for him. Tails drained twenty of his Rings to create a pair of Dummy Ring Bombs. Dummy Rings were Rings of Tails' own creation that used a significantly higher voltage from most modern machines. Instead of charging a device, Dummy Rings caused things to short circuit or explode. Tails flew up with his namesake and went back around the corner.
The robots didn't notice his shadow or the sound of his spinning tails. Tails threw the first Dummy Ring Bomb at the Egg Shell, where it shattered upon contact and launched Dummy Rings into the Egg Pawns. The Pawns exploded and destroyed their constructs-in-arms next to them. The cannon of the Egg Shell was lifting to fire at the Mobian Fox, but he threw the other Dummy Ring Bomb directly into the barrel. Tails dropped himself out of the sky and hit the ground running with his tails spinning, quickly escaping the blast radius of the violently exploding tank.
Tails charged into a hoard of robots surrounding a building. They didn't break off their advance to chase him, so Tails had to assume that whatever Eggman was after was in this building. Tails Homing Attacked into the back of a Motor Bug and used the momentum to jumpstart his Rapid Tails Attack from the wreckage. Eggman could only produce robots so quickly because they were mostly made from inferior materials that were easy to work with, but fragile. Even basic steel had to be reserved for his bases and personal vehicles. Every punch, kick, tail swipe, and headbutt tore through the horde of machines like they were made from papier-mâché. Tails cleared two-thirds of the gathered robots when he realized that they had already made their way into the building.
Oops, it looks like I got a little too carried away Tails thought as he rushed into the building. While the remaining robots could follow the Fox in, Tails knew it was more important to make sure anyone and anything within was kept safe from Eggman. Besides, there was nothing stopping him from ruining them once they entered. Fortunately, the robots were not subtle about where they were heading and left a trail of broken-down doors and Eggman logos behind them. Tails did have to make a few side trips to save people who had been trapped and captured, but he was still confident that even Sonic would have been impressed by how quickly he went through the building.
Tails found something he was not expecting at the end of this trail: someone else fighting off the Eggman Robots. Tails didn't know who or what this person was, or if it was a person at all, but they were tearing apart the robots like they were nothing. It stood on two legs like most people, but it was completely covered in barbed protrusions that reminded Tails of bone. Tails didn't know if it looked like this normally or if it was wearing some kind of armor, but the protrusions were shrugging off Egg Pawn lances and Badnik charges like they were gentle breezes. It jabbed with its spiked elbow and shredded the head of an Egg Pawn before cutting its body in half with an uppercut from its other arm. The claws on its hands looked like they grafted from a Mobian Mole. This being was doing an amazing job of fighting off the robots but was clearly fatigued.
Tails revved up a Spindash charged through a phalanx of Egg Pawns at the being's flank. It looked back as Tails attacked but didn't say or do anything to Tails. Tails couldn't see its face through the armor around its head, but he could make out slits for eyes that could have been mistaken for snow goggles. While the two of them were shattering ranks of Eggman Robots, the people that Tails saved earlier rushed into the room. Fortunately, the gymnasium they were in was very spacious and the civilians were able to skirt around the fighting and get to the other side of the room without risk.
The being fell to its knees when the last of the robots were destroyed, breathing heavily. Definitely a person then Tails decided. He rushed to its side, "You've done an amazing job fighting off Eggman's Robots, but there's a lot more and you're in no condition to fight. Go back with the others and rest. If my friend and I haven't beaten them back by the time you can stand without wobbling, you're more than welcome to rejoin the fight."
Tails could hear it breathing through its armor, but it opted to simply nod instead of saying anything. Tails helped it to its feet, and it went into the back room where the other people went. Tails could only hope that this gymnasium was the only entrance into wherever that led. Tails could hear more Egg Pawns marching to the gymnasium. In the brief moments he had before the fighting started again, Tails couldn't help but think about his new companion. Nicole must be doing a good job clearing the skies if this place hasn't been hit with air support yet. I wonder if you're having fun up there.
She was. The Pteropodidae used hover jets instead of traditional jet engines, allowing it to stop and turn on a dime. It was significantly more advanced than these older model Eggman Robots. Nicole smirked as she circled a skyscraper and got behind the Egg Vipers that were chasing her. The energy cannons built into their bodies couldn't even turn far enough to target the Pteropodidae before she wasted them. The Pteropodidae completely cleared a roadway in a single strafing run.
Nicole glanced at the fuel gage and saw that it had barely drifted from the full mark. Miles really outdid himself on the power source Nicole thought to herself. They were only able to install so many weapons and other features into the Pteropodidae by having everything draw from the same power source. The energy type the Pteropodidae used was extremely efficient but required numerous systems and safety features to keep it stable. This kept them from installing more than one battery in the Pteropodidae, but it evidently didn't need another.
The Pteropodidae's onboard computer gave an update notice in the middle of Nicole's current strafe. The Eggman Robots had to be coming from either a massive submarine or some kind of underwater base for them to be coming in such great number. Nicole could have found it on her own, but clearing the streets and skyline was more important. Besides, they had background processes for this kind of situation. Nicole shot down another squad of Egg Hawks on her way back to the ocean.
The Pteropodidae could go underwater, just in case, but Nicole had something else in mind. Whatever vessel the robots were coming from was so deep in the sea, that the Pteropodidae's normal weapon functions wouldn't be able to fire on it from the air. Certain that the enemy air support had been destroyed, Nicole set the Pteropodidae's weapon into 'Overcharge Mode.' Miles had hoped for a real test of the Pteropodidae's experimental energy weapons and Nicole intended to deliver. The weapons could charge up on their own for blasts of varying levels of power, if only to limit collateral damage. Overcharge Mode was meant to be used against threats great enough that anything below nuclear winter was acceptable. Nicole had to circle over the area the Eggman vessel was submerged in to give the guns the time they needed to charge, but Nicole had to rely entirely on the Pteropodidae's targeting computers to get a good shot through multiple miles' worth of water.
Nicole dove towards the water as she fired all four of the Pteropodidae's energy cannons in a single concentrated blast. The explosion and the small tidal wave it caused was expected, the tsunami that came inland was only chest high, but the massive energy drain was not. The Pteropodidae's fuel tank went from ninety-nine percent full to somewhere between fifty and sixty percent full. Nicole's expression fell that's more than double the power draw we expected. On the bright side, the targeting computers confirmed that the enemy vessel had been totally destroyed. Satisfied that the Pteropodidae had fulfilled its role in this engagement, Nicole landed her in the road along the dock and exited it.
Nicole immediately rushed further into the city. Most of Eggman's Robots had been destroyed, but there were several small pockets of them all over Newfound Sanctuary. Knowing that Miles could take care of himself and could call for help, Nicole decided her time was better spent securing the city. She and Miles both had their own reasons for helping people, but Nicole would never give up an opportunity to keep Eggman from his objectives.
Nicole quickly found Egg Pawns laying siege to an apartment building and wasted no time ruining the robots with her claws and bone breaking kicks. She circled to the side of the building and found more. Nicole ran towards the nearest Eggman Pawn, but did a baseball slide to dodge the jab from its lance. She swept the legs of the machine, tossed it into the air with a knee strike, and used its own lance as a bat as she leapt up into the air and used the Egg Pawn as a projectile. The robot crashed into its carbon copies and proceeded to maim or destroy several others with a satisfying cacophony.
Nicole blitzed her way to the still-standing Egg Pawns, stomping on the crippled ones on the way. Nicole took off the head of the next Egg Pawn with a swipe of her claws and grabbed its shield in the same motion. She spun the round-shield in her hand before tossing it into the air. Still holding the lance from earlier, Nicole smacked the shield before it could land hard enough to make the weapon snap. The improvised frisbee tore through several Egg Pawns before flying down the road and out of sight. Nicole continued much the same way on the other two sides of the building before looking for more Eggman Robots.
Remembering the pings from the Pteropodidae's radar, Nicole raced to where the next closest pocket of Eggman Robots was sighted. Eggman had done a lot of terrible things over the years, both to Mobius and the people who lived on it, but what he had done to Nicole was especially heinous and she wasn't going to forgive him. It was only made worse by the fact that Nicole knew there were other people who had suffered the same way she had. I hope Miles will eventually forgive me when I kill Eggman Nicole thought Taking apart his machines and ruining his plans will have to be enough until then.
Grabbing a pair of broken Egg Pawns, Tails flew into the air. Tails used the Egg Pawn wrecks as projectiles for his Thunder Shoot and destroyed half a dozen other robots. Tails stopped spinning his namesake and curled into a ball as he fell, performing a Drop Dash as he landed. Knowing he couldn't turn tight enough in a Spindash to get the last of the robots, Tails kicked off the gymnasium floor into a front flip once he passed by the remaining bots. He drained four Ring from his PSG mid-air and tossed the Dummy Rings into the final squad of Egg Pawns, the glass lenses over their eyes and teeth shattering as they were charged beyond capacity.
Hearing a whistle echoing through the gymnasium as he landed, Tails looked around to find the source. His eyes landed on an odd looking Mobian Porcupine coming from the panic-room that people were hiding in. The Porcupine was a well-built male with black fur, though Tails could see the ends of the white spines that sprouted from the bottom of his shoulder blades to his waste. While clearly muscular, the rodent also had a large frame. It was hard to discern his facial features between his stygian fur and the distance between them, but Tails could see his small pink nose and bronze-colored eyes. He could also see that he was more than a head taller than Sonic, meaning he was a full adult. The most stand-out feature of the Porcupine though, were his massive hands and claws that looked identical to the armor the thing fighting off Eggman's Robots earlier wore.
"Damn laddie," He said with a Angletic accent, "I returned to back you up, but seems I was a tube fer thinkin' you needed help sendin' dese tings tah hell. 'nd you ern't even winded!" He finished with a clap.
Tails got closer so they didn't have to yell at each other, "I'm glad you were here all the same. If you weren't, Eggman would have gotten whatever he came here for. By the way, my name is Miles Prower. How should I call you?"
"Ah'm Marrow," The Porcupine replied, "'nd thank you fer showin' up when ya did, Ah wouldnae held out fer much longar."
Marrow's impressed expression fell, "I kin show ya what the not-su-gud Doctor was here fer though," And he motioned for Tails to follow. Not having a reason to distrust Marrow, Tails followed him.
Leading Tails through the double doors at the back of the gymnasium, both Marrow and Tails entered a closet-sized room with another door and a keypad attached to it. The Porcupine swiftly punched in an access code and the lock to the door clicked. Marrow opened the door to reveal a staircase and started down. Catching the door before it could close itself, Tails let himself into the stairway and closed the door behind him.
Most people and governments have built bunkers and saferooms in their cities since the Eggman War. Of course, a city built by people who lost their homes to him would do the same. I wonder how many exist in Newfound Sanctuary Tails kept his thoughts to himself as he followed Marrow. Tails wasn't the best at reading the room, but he couldn't imagine someone who just had their home attacked by Eggman would be in the mood for small talk.
At the bottom of the stairway was an archetypical doomsday shelter. Sterile stone walls lined with racks stocked with full jugs of water and nonperishable foodstuffs. Tails could also see hallways that likely lead into barracks or other storage areas. Tails could also see a gunnery line of people in riot gear armed with Wispons.
Marrow held his hands up with an amused smile on his face, "Weapons doon boys, our new friend just sent Baldy McNosehair packin'!" He stated with a slap to Tails' back.
Tails was briefly deafened by cheers echoing throughout the bunk. He spoke up when it quieted down, "I saw what Marrow did earlier and I also didn't come here by myself. My friend has probably cleared the streets by herself."
"Then the parade we throw will be fer the both of ya!" Marrow announced with a laugh, "Ah'd buy you drinks as well, but you're barely off the teat."
"Soda's half the price anyhow," Tails said with a smirk, "So, what was Eggman after?"
"Not what lad, who," Marrow, "She's further back. We knew that sleekit bastart would come fer'er sooner or later, but we had no idea he'd come so quick."
"She?" Tails asked. It wasn't very often that Eggman had aims on specific individuals that weren't either Sonic, his friends, or people in power. Either this woman had powers or knowledge Eggman thought he could exploit, or she had managed to cross him and get away. It could also be a combination of the three, most people who told Eggman 'no' found themselves down range of a robot firing line.
Following Marrow further into the bunker, they both passed by several more people. They all praised the two of them and gave their thanks. Though Tails was visibly embarrassed, not used to being the center of so much attention, the young Fox still noticed something peculiar: nearly everyone called Marrow 'captain.' He's certainly well known. I wonder if he's professional law enforcement. That would explain why the SWAT at the entryway were so quick to be at ease Tails thought.
Marrow led Tails to a section of the bunker that was turned into a medical center, if the red cross signs and people in scrubs were anything to go by. Marrow stopped at a door and knocked, "Oi, Rosebud, kin I come in?"
"Of course, you can Marrow," A muffled posh voice replied through the door.
Marrow let himself and Tails into the room. Inside, Tails saw something he didn't expect: a Seedrian. Seedrians were the only known species of sapient plant life. Bipeds, like Humans and Mobians, that all had pale skin of various colors and the ability to commune with and control plants. Males had natural thorns and barbs throughout their bodies while females had flowers or flower buds. They were just as diverse in appearance and personality as Mobians were, but often had to keep to themselves because of fear, misconceptions, and superstitions.
The Seedrian in the room was female, by the red flowers at the sides of her head, and was sitting down in a chair reading a book. Her flowers were accessorized with golden hair ties at their base. Her sky-blue eyes each had a single thick lash sticking out the side. She had cream colored skin that was an even lighter color than Cream's. Her dress was white over the stomach and thighs and green over her arms and at the ends of her pedal like skirt with gilded cuffs by the hands, the same shade of green as her short straight hair. Tails also noted the large red broach over chest. She also wore sheet-white tights with green flats.
Tails also noted that the flowers protruding from her head looked like they were about to bloom but seemed to be perpetually closed. I guess that's why they call her 'Rosebud.' Is it selfish of me that I want to be her friend just to learn about Seedrian culture?
The Seedrian put a ruler into the book in her lap and closed it. When she looked up, her eyes locked on Tails in surprise, "You didn't tell me you had company with you!" Now there wasn't a door between them, Tails could clearly hear her soft and sophisticated voice, and was relieved that it seemed to be devoid of any trace of self-superiority her accent stereotypically had. He was also thankful that she either hadn't noticed his two tails or didn't care.
She set the book on the table next to her and stood to give a curtsy, "I am Cosmo Rhodoreae of the Oak Clan. Pray, may I have your name?"
