The rest of the day was spent exploring Grand Metropolis. It gave Cosmo the opportunity to break in her new shoes and take in the sights. Cosmo didn't feel right being with the sky being out of view for long periods of time, and Nicole was happy to go with the flow, so there were no complaints. Cosmo didn't notice it, but Tails couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched her explore the city. It reminded him of the first time he visited Station Square. Eventually, they came across a floral display for one of the many stores in the city. Cosmo spent ten whole minutes trying to figure out what was 'wrong' with the flowers, before the owner came out and told her they were plastic plants. While Cosmo was embarrassed, she did join Tails and Nicole in their laughter over the incident.

As promised, when the sun started to set, the three heroes returned to the park connected to the Kyubi Enterprises facility. Tails went ahead to R&D to finish the upgraded parts for Nicole that other researchers and engineers had worked on throughout the day. Nicole stayed with Cosmo in the park and was a fantastic guide. Cosmo occupied herself with wild fireflies, light star gazing, and Lilies that were blooming under the moonlight. Cosmo and Nicole both got startled as a wild bat swooped down and caught a moth that was right in front of their faces.

Cosmo and Nicole were in the middle of their third lap around the park, when Tails sent Nicole a message telling her that he had finished her upgrades. Between the late hour and not knowing where Cosmo was going to sleep, the ladies decided to call it a night and go back to the facility. Tails was waiting for them at the station. As Cosmo and Nicole got off the car, Tails revealed a function of the PSG Cosmo was unaware of: mapping programs. She quickly figured out how to use the user-friendly software and found there was already a waypoint for 'guest quarters.' Tails and Nicole had to split ways from Cosmo for the night, as Tails still needed to install the upgrades into Nicole's body.

With the late hour, most of the employees had returned to their homes. Cosmo found the largely empty halls of the buildings and the quiet grounds to be eerie but found comfort in being able to see the night sky. Her room even had a window that looked out, not at the rest of the compound, but at the forest that surrounded most of Grand Metropolis. A wild spider had cleverly made its web on the window, using the lights within the room to attract bugs. Cosmo stayed up a little to make sure the spider got food and to admire its intricately woven web. Satisfied that the eight-legged predator wouldn't starve anytime soon, Cosmo put herself to bed.

Tails would have been fine with letting Cosmo sleep in for a little while, he knew she must have been mentally exhausted from yesterday. However, he had just found out they were going to have an important visitor. One with information on Eggman's base. Tails could have had someone else get Cosmo for him, but he was afraid the meeting would start without Cosmo if he was there before her.

Just as he was about to knock on the door to Cosmo's room, it opened, "Oh, good morning, Miles."

"Good morning, Cosmo," Tails said as he put down his hand, "I thought would still be asleep."

"Yet, here you are," She replied with a smirk, "Has something happened?"

"It's about to," Tails answered, "We don't have much time, so we should hurry."

Cosmo nodded her head and followed Tails. Tails led her to another building in the compound, but they arrived there in less than five minutes with their heightened pace. Eventually, they entered a boardroom where Nicole was already seated.

"You two wasted no time," Nicole commented, "The Commander's ship has only just landed."

"You raced us here to meet with someone?" Cosmo asked, "Who is this 'Commander?'"

"The Supreme Commander of GUN," Miles answered, "He found out I was in town and was hoping I would help with their siege on Eggman's base."

"Siege!?" Cosmo exclaimed, "My people will get hurt if they're not careful!"

"That's why we're having this meeting," Tails said, "I didn't want to discuss any details in case Eggman has somehow tapped our lines, but I also thought you had a right to be here."

Cosmo quickly calmed herself down, "Thank you for thinking of me, and I'm sorry for losing my composure."

"Don't worry about it," Tails said, "I raided one of the most heavily fortified military complexes on the planet when Sonic was falsely arrested, raising your voice when the people you care are in danger about is nothing."

"I'm sorry, you did what?" Cosmo asked.

While waiting for the Commander to arrive, Tails detailed his attack on Prison Island during the Ark Incident. Someone had the foresight to take advantage of the room's outlets to have a minifridge installed, so they wouldn't need to worry about refreshments. A short time after Tails was done with his story, the guest of honor had arrived.

A pair of Humans in tactical combat armor with assault rifles entered the room, the GUN insignia printed on their black armor. Next, a Human and a pair of Mobians in grey combat fatigues entered the room. Tails was only familiar with the Commander himself: a middle aged Mobian Fox. The Commander's outfit was decorated with four gold stars on red and blue backings upon his shoulder boards and jacket color. He had a saber at one side and a Wispon at the other. His fur was brown with his muzzle, cheeks, and the end of his tail being a lighter brown. Tails knew the Commander had hair that could be styled, but it had always been covered by his pitch-black beret any time Tails had seen him. The beret proudly displayed the GUN insignia on it. His most notable feature was his prosthetic eye; a clearly mechanical contraption emitting a deep blue light where his pupil would be, matching his natural eye color. He had lost his eye during the Eggman War at the Fall of Station Square. The second most notable feature were his oddly thick eyebrows.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me at such short notice, Tails," The Commander took a quick look around the room, "I don't mean to be rude, but will Sonic not be joining us?"

"Sonic isn't available at the moment, Commander," Tails replied, "I'm afraid that what you see is what you're going to get."

The Commander nodded, "I am Commander Amadeus Sonnenfeld of the Guardian Unit of Nations. I don't believe I have met either of you two."

Surprisingly, Cosmo spoke first, "I am Cosmo Rhodoreae of the Oak Clan."

"And I am Nicole," The Lynx stated simply.

Cmdr. Sonnenfeld was silent for a moment before locking eyes with Tails, "And you trust both of these people with your life?"

"Absolutely," Tails replied without hesitation, "They have both proven themselves to be selfless, brave, and quick-witted. Also, Cosmo has more reason to be here than the rest of us."

"Y-yes," Cosmo said with a stutter, perhaps caught off guard by being put on the spot, "Many of my people have been taken captive by Eggman, and we have reason to believe they are being held at his Rail Canyon base."

"So, we're dealing with a hostage situation," Cmdr. Sonnenfeld stated, "I'm not sure how much that changes things."

"So, you weren't just going to bomb the base from orbit?" Tails asked.

The older Fox shook his head, "We believe that this base is where Eggman was living until recently. With luck, he hasn't completely wiped the servers and we can get something that we can use to track him."

Tails nodded, "The Ancient's Cyberspace held hundreds of Yottabytes of data. If he hasn't leveled the base himself, then we're bound to find something on what he's been working on."

"Do you have any idea why he was hiding out there specifically?" Tails asked.

"We never got around to leveling that facility," Cmdr. Sonnenfeld admitted, "By the time we took down all of the rouge airships still under Neo-Metal's directives, the Black Arms invaded. Between that and reconstruction efforts, wiping it off the map got pushed to the sidelines. It might have just been a convenient, out of the way, place for him to set up shop."

"Speaking of Neo-Metal," The Commander said, making Tails' eyes go wide, "We have already have Team Jubilee and Team Dark's cooperation for this Mission."

Tails visibly and audibly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Neo-Metal hadn't somehow come back, "That's good, all five of them are skilled veterans against Eggman's robots."

"Six," The Commander corrected, "Team Jubilee has made a new addition. She isn't the most… stable person there is, but she is an amazing fighter and hates Eggman more than anyone."

"Even better," Tails stated, "However, Eggman has some new toys."

That prompted Nicole to display a hologram of the Mecha Sonics they fought at Eggman's prison, "It seems that Eggman has started mass-producing robotic copies of Sonic," Nicole said.

"If their coloration is anything to go by, they have been made to be camouflaged in sand deserts," Nicole continued, "The desert heat will conceal them from thermal imaging. I personally suggest a nocturnal operation to make them easier to spot."

"Jet fires would stand out more in the dark of night," Cmdr. Sonnenfeld agreed, "I don't have a problem with this, but what of his captives?"

"It… Won't matter how poorly they're being treated if we get repealed," Cosmo commented, "If it means better chances at freeing my people, I-I'll consent to another delay."

"I'm glad we're on the same page," The Commander replied. Though his voice and body were steady, his one organic eye betrayed the conflict he felt within himself, "I'll be frank, if Eggman has already rebuilt even a fraction of his army, I'm not sure we can dedicate enough resources to stop him in open warfare."

"Shouldn't stopping Eggman be your topmost priority?" Cosmo asked, "What could be more pressing than a madman who nearly took over the world?"

"Eggman is a long-term threat," The Commander answered, "We have a whole host of immediate threats to deal with."

Cmdr. Sonnenfeld proceeded to take out a small metal disk. Pressing a button on its side revealed it to be a hologram projector that emitted a color-coded world map with stars of varying colors representing major cities and capitals.

"Princess Elise of Soleanna was assassinated shortly after the Eggman War," He stated, "She wasn't old enough to take the throne, and certainly didn't leave behind an heir. The only thing keeping the whole country from descending into civil war, are the massive garrisons we're keeping in the area to force peace talks."

"Eggman also blasted much of the crop land in the surrounding countries," Tails added, "The only reason Soleanna was spared this fate, was because of how quickly they surrendered to Eggman. This also makes Soleanna's farmland one of the few viable sources of food for the whole region."

"Stopping Eggman from taking over the world again won't matter if the world burns itself to the ground," Cmdr. Sonnenfeld finished as he turned off the projector.

"These Mechas do differ from the ones Eggman has used in the past," Nicole stated, "I have prepared a dossier on their capabilities based on combat data and researching their wrecks."

Nicole unceremoniously slid a thumb-drive down the table to the Commander. The Commander caught it and handed it to one of the officers who accompanied him, "Get that information to our squad leaders as quickly as possible."

The officer stood up, saluted, and left the boardroom. The next four hours were spent discussing strategy and delegation of tasks. GUN had cleverly coopted the Eclipse Cannon's targeting equipment to scout the Rail Canyon facility. The first stage of the raid would be capturing smaller bases. Eggman had constructed 'Egg Bunkers' all around the canyon, these Bunkers were full of machine parts that could be quickly assembled into different robots to counter any kind of enemy combatant. Blowing past them not only guaranteed getting flanked, but also promised that the Eggman Robots would be custom-built to fight any would be besiegers. Ideally, operatives would be able to break into the Bunkers and deactivate the equipment within so it could be repurposed, but making sure the main Rail Canyon facility fell was their top priority.

Next, was Bullet Station. Bullet Station was originally just a train depot that was used to move supplies to buildings and outposts in the canyon. Now, Bullet Station could be an Eggman Stronghold in its own right. It was clear that Eggman had been excavating in the walls of Rail Canyon, with Bullet Station as a central point for the operation, but the Eclipse Canyon's systems couldn't pierce far enough into the rock to see how far he had gone or what he was hoping to find. It was anyone's guess as to why Eggman was digging caverns into the cliff faces instead of expanding the canyon. He was impatient enough to simply dig directly to what he wanted, but smart enough to use the layers of rock to protect his project. Unfortunately, they would have no idea what he was doing or what kinds of traps or machines he had within the cliffs until they started pushing into them.

Finally, there was Dreadnaught Plateau. The natural plateau in the canyon was used as a staging area and dock for the Egg Fleet during Neo-Metal's coup. It was mined hollow almost a thousand years ago, and the outer plateau walls made for an excellent defensive shell. The mined-out chasm turned dockyard was untouched as the groups fighting Neo-Metal had rushed to halt the advance of the Egg Fleet. Now that Eggman had the Ancients' knowledge on top of years with an assaulted base to work out of, it was bound to be as fortified and boobytrapped as any of his Death Eggs. This made Eggman's relocation from the base all the more bizarre, as he couldn't possibly have a better well-made base of operations for himself. Either Eggman knew that GUN had located him and fled, or he had moved to oversee a different project personally.

The plan was to let regular GUN forces engage the Rail Canyon garrison to lock down as many of Eggman's machines as possible. Then, GUN special forces strike teams and the groups of Mobian vigilantes would begin their attack. Eggman may have improved his creations with the knowledge and technology of the Ancients, but Tails had done the same for both himself and the Federation. If Eggman's forces tried breaking away from the GUN regulars entirely, they would wind up getting pincered. Any smaller groups of robots would either get blasted by artillery fire or be too small to be of any consequence to the flanking groups. This promised to be the largest military engagement since the Battle of the Eggman Empire Fortress. Thankfully, Rail Canyon and the surrounding area was already barren.

"I am well pleased with this plan of attack," Cmdr. Sonnenfeld stated, "There is just one minor issue we should address."

"Really?" Cosmo asked tiredly, "What could possibly be left?"

"You're callsign," The Commander answered plainly, "Only one of you is in Team Sonic and I know Tails isn't going to take to 'Team Tails.'"

"How about the 'Prower Company,'" Nicole suggested with a smirk. She then turned her head to face Tails, shit-eating grin still plastered on her face, "Our plane seats far more than three people, and it's rare that enough of your friends will be in the same place at the same time to use them."

"Damn you for taking advantage of my love of puns," Tails said with a smile. Even Cosmo was chuckling at the bad joke, "The Prower Company it is."

The Commander shook his head in mock disapproval, "Very well, Prower Company, you all should get ready. We were originally going to wait a couple of days and hoped more assets would become available. However, the presence of hostages means we can't really afford to wait."

AUTHOR'S NOTES-

The only thing I can think of to mention is the new GUN Commander. I know we only saw Humans in GUN in Shadow the Hedgehog and that even the Commander himself was a Human, but there's no reason they would forbid Mobians from joining. GUN answers to the United Mobius Federation of States in this universe, and that's basically the United Nations of our world. Eggman said that he put GUN 'in their place' in Forces, so I think we can safely assume that the guy from Shadow the Hedgehog is dead. Amadeus was a natural choice as a cannon character to use as a replacement. He was a veteran military leader in the Great War from the Archie Comics and he has a really nice design. I personally like his uniform from the comics more but I had to put him in the GUN Commander's uniform, especially since the Kingdom of Acorn isn't a thing in this universe. Who knows if he's Tails' father in this universe. They have different surnames here, but Tails didn't have friends or family until he met Sonic. Even if he is Tails' biological father, there's no reason Tails would still have the name his parents gave him by the time he wound up in whatever orphanage he was sent to.