Chapter 4

Sonic is a rather patient guy, something he's had to learn from his regretful years of being impulsive. He's learned that to be his greatest weakness, even to this day. It's a shortage he's asked Sally and others to help him bridge so that way he'd never make such a colossal mistake again. After years and years of practice he's mastered how to stay calm and composed in tense situations. He even allows Eggman to go on long spiels just because the hedgehog learned the good doctor accidently let's his plan slip a few times, or maybe that was intentional as Eggman says it is, but he's been getting the sense it might be otherwise. Regardless, this was a long ramble on how he is very patient.

Even then, he was losing said patience with mister 'Wannabe.'

Ever since Sonic first came in Wannabe has been unnecessarily hostile and outright uncooperative. The only reason Sonic hasn't called the idiot out on his temper tantrums was because the hedgehog wanted to be the professional one to represent how wrong the bigot was. Then it became the hero wanting not to lower his standards to match the moron. Then it became putting the bastard in his place with an insulting pun-name. Now he just wanted to shout the guy down then kick this fine sand in his face.

After they began their mission searching the mountains for cave entrances, the wallaby has been not to subtle about how he better see Barby alive when they get back, or how Barby better not be molested/hurt by the fox. Sonic first reassured him of Tails' reliability and polite nature. Then the wallaby had the audacity to argue Tails' past 'crimes,' ignoring Sonic when the hedgehog pointed out the former leader was calling on the moral judgment of a four to six-year-old as evidence to why an adult version, over a decade older, was evil. So, Sonic tried explaining that the fox was abused by the only role model he had, Sonic himself, and decided that the only way to function in this world was to emulate the brutality. The damn idiot argued back, using the fox's intelligence to 'prove' the FOUR-YEAR-OLD had enough maturity to know better.

Sonic is a rather patient guy, but grating the sore spot of his little brother and you'll find a salivating beast wanting to gnaw on your bones. As such, he did the right thing by not tearing the guy's tail off and feeding it to him. Instead, he just ran with the paranoia, subtly implying the attractiveness and sweet nature of their lovely leader and openly wondered how the fox was ever resisting such a beaut. He was probably going to regret soiling Tails' name with these people, but the hedgehog was too busy enjoying the glorious flustered face of Wannabe to be considering such a thing. At the very least it shut the guy up.

Instead they were now marching silently across the rocky path, each upset person doing their best to ignore the other. The tension was high and the remaining group members were nervous, trying to keep their distance and remaining silence to prolong the peace as much as possible.

Stu and Guru were slowly coming to Sonic's side, seeing the hedgehog stay composed and calm, then the whole what may happen to Barby thing made them want to stay out of it. Rather they stayed back along with Bill so they wouldn't be sucked into it.

Stu rubbed his forehead as he heard Sonic crack another joke, making Walt glare at him. He couldn't actually hear what was said, but he got the general gist that it was designed to irritate their former leader.

Guru briefly looked at him before looking back up at the mountain. "You chill, man?"

"I think having Sonic create the machine and Tails lead this team would have been a better choice at this point."

"I thought Barby said this was the best arrangement."

"It is, that doesn't make it good." Stu sighed looking up the mountain. He was hoping to treat this little excursion as a somewhat hike across the lovely landscape. Enjoying the air, looking at the scarce vegetation like a rare treasure and trying to spot the animals that thrived in this ecosystem. Granted he wouldn't treat this like some vacation and would look for this opening, but he knew they weren't near the designated location. He was one of the navigators of the group and practically knew where this spot Eggman mentioned was. He wasn't aware of a cave there, but if there was one he'd realize it pretty quickly.

Bill grumbled lowering the visor on his head to scan the rocky slopes. "You can't deny that Walt is right."

Stu and Guru cast dubious glances toward each other, a silent agreement between them. Guru looked to the platypus, "It almost sounds like you're trying to start an argument, dude."

"I'm not. The fox has done despicable things in the past, I have every right to be worried about her."

Stu rolled his eyes. "Knock it off, Bill. If she needed to, she'll snap the twerp's neck like a twig. We don't keep her around for her 'cuteness and charm.'" The wombat was quoting Sonic from earlier. "Remember when we were fighting those robots? She wasn't a pushover."

Bill flicked the visor back on his forehead, growling at his companion. "I have every right to be worried about her! He ain't no palsy either!"

Stu matched his gaze. "And you are bringing your emotions into this. You're affections are clouding your judgment."

"How I feel about Barby isn't the point." He stared forward, the blush lightly tingeing his bill. "Regardless of how I feel, I am concerned as a friend and teammate. I think it's more questionable why you two aren't worried." He shoved a finger at them.

Stu and Guru looked at each other again, unamused. Guru looked to him, shaking his head. "Dude, why would the Acorn Kingdom send him over unsupervised if he were slimy?"

"Not to mention, why would Sonic, the very person who fought the in frontlines and the fox personally, vet him? Calling to question our judgment is calling into question a kingdom's and the world hero's judgment. It's not that I trust the fox, I trust the others who in turn trust him."

They came up to a cave and Sonic pranced up to it. "Oh man." He sounded lethargic. "Wow a cave. I wonder what's inside. Let's keep walking around the mountain."

"Take the mission seriously!" Walt snarled. "We're supposed to be discreet."

"Oh really? Well, we lost that after your insistent yelling a few miles back. The whole mountain knows about your girlfriend's special situation."

"She's not my girlfriend, you snobbish, bloody galah!"

"I'm actually a cobalt blue hedgehog, thank you."

"You son of a…"

Bill scoffed, shoving an indignant arm toward the hero. "You're trusting that's judgment?"

Sue fought the urge to sigh, the same could be said for Bill trusting Walt's judgment right now, but they were teetering toward an argument and they didn't have that luxury. "If you're that concerned, radio in the check on her. Stop trying to argue with us. We're on a mission."

Grumbling Bill pressed on his earpiece, "Barby, Bill. Checking in."

Barby pinched the brim of her nose before recomposing herself to press her earpiece. "I'm fine, Bill. Focus on the mountain." She sighed, leaned back against the counter.

Tails glanced at her before inserting a wire into the component he held. "It's nice to know they care."

She shook her head. "I figured they'd check in on me, but it's getting too frequent."

Tails paused, thinking about what Sonic told him before they left. About trying to know this woman as a person. His heart skipped a beat and he swallowed. "S-so you guys must be really close?" Stupid, stupid question.

She nodded, crossing her arms. "Yeah, we've fought together in several battles, including the war. We risk our lives together, I'd say we are family. No one I trust more than them."

What was he suppose to ask now? His question was answered to a satisfying degree, it's not like he's puzzling over her relationships after all. The only things that keep popping up were personal questions about her likes and dislikes, but it felt so awkward trying to bring it up it made him fidget and try and think of something.

Barby leaned to the side, studying him. The fox was all tense and twitchy, like he was nervous. Her eyes narrowed, and she scratched the underside of her chin. "How's it coming?"

"Huh?" He jumped, the looked down at the device. "It looks fine. I'd say it's going smoothly." He seemed to relax at her question, but then tensed up again. "Am I not moving fast enough?"

"No. it's fine. I'm not used to advanced technology, so I can't say I know how long it takes." She scrunched her brow and turned away. What was going on? The fox was obviously bothered by something, but it had nothing to do with the device. There was nothing in the environment that would cause this, her anti-fox team members were probably miles away, and he was fine a couple of minutes ago.

"What kind of tech are you used to?"

"Mostly explosives and handheld weaponry. The most advanced thing I ever use is the computer upstairs."

"Really? Is it a desktop or laptop?"

"Err… it… has a big engine."

"A desktop. If it's slow it might be the operating system is outdated. Maybe some of the hardware has worn out and could use an upgrade."

"I guess."

Tails stopped, his whiskers twitching at the simple answers he was getting. The situation was feeling less and less friendly. He scolded himself as he thought about how he was beginning to get technical. She was obviously someone more interested in tangible activities. He scratched his nose. "S-sorry, I'm getting technical."

"It's good, that's just your thing."

"What kind of arsenal do you use?"

"Interested in my wares, young fox?"

"Uh, well… I-I'm just wondering."

She smiled. "Mostly small explosives, kind of like grenades. I also carry a small pistol up my gloves. And then there's," she cracked her knuckles, "these. Pretty effective so far."

Tails looked at her pointed knuckles, his mind beginning to wander. "Knuckles has similar barbs on his hands, were you born with them like he was or is it manufactured in your gloves?"

Her smile fell and she stared at her hands. She pried one glove off and wiggled her fingers as she showed spike-free knuckles. "Used to wear gloves without them, but those barbs come in handy when fighting robots. I just decided to keep them." She pulled them back on. "Didn't know someone was born with them."

Tails laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, it was strange when I first saw him, but it's his body developing to accommodate his physical strength. I think chaos energy works that way, it's adaptive." He stopped the spiel before it could come out. She didn't deal with the Chaos Emeralds, she's not going to care about their influence.

Clearing his throat he looked at her, trying to find these bombs she mentioned. "Considering your style of combat, I'm guessing you use a sort of chemical contact explosive. The size implies it's an accelerant too."

The koala blinked, then something dawned on her. She pushed herself off the counter and slowly walked over to him. "Pretty much. It also acts as an acid to melt robotic parts."

"Really?!" Tails perked up. "Wait, is it chlorine trifluoride? That would match that description perfectly. Being hypergolic with most substances it would be a very effective weapon."

She snickered, pulling out a chair and sitting on it so she could lean in on the back stand. "Can't say, that's classified."

"But it's too unstable and it becomes a toxic gas at room temperatures. Not conducive for close quarters combat. That can't be it." Tails hands began rapidly working on the machine as he mulled it over.

Seeing him work so hard and full of joyous energy made him rather cute. She couldn't stop smiling at his antics.

The fox stuck out his tongue in thought. "Acidic and combustible… maybe…" He smiled up at her. "If you use it against robots maybe it uses sulfuric acid."

His nose nearly grazed her's. He went 'eek' as he realized how close she got. She was leaning her chin on an arm resting on the table. "Mister Tails, are you flirting with me?"

The fox gagged, his ears flattening against his skull while his cheeks flooded with the deepest red he's ever felt. He hide his face into his palms with a muffled moan. "I knew this was a bad idea. I knew it."

The koala sat back, stifling her laughter. "I was wondering why you were acting so strange, I didn't think it was because of me. So you find me attractive?"

He looked away from her, hands twisting against each other. "I-I… well… you see…" He did, but was he suppose to say stuff like that? Being Silver's wingman did nothing for him and he was glad the grey hedgehog wasn't here to see this. If he were, he'd be rolling on the floor laughing at the face the fox was making.

The koala stood up and spun her chair around so she could sit in it properly. "That's sweet, but I don't think this is appropriate considering what we should be doing."

Tails pounded the table, shutting his eyes so he didn't have to see anything. "I wasn't going to ask you out! I was just trying to get to know you. Sonic said to try that. I'm no good at communicating."

"Yeah, you tend to diverge into smarts-vill and lose me in a few seconds flat." She shrugged. "It's not a bad thing, but I can't contribute if I don't know what you're talking about. That's why small talk is important."

The fox sighed, rubbing his forehead before picking his device back up. "Any recommendations?"

"Find someone who you feel easy to talk around. There needs to be a chemistry for a relationship to work. In your case, one that feels just right to talk about anything and still feel passionate around them. In this case, someone smart enough to keep up with you."

He grumbled. "You seemed to be doing just fine."

"I know how to fake it. I don't know what chlorine tri…floor-mine is. Though I will admit, it sounds dangerous. Can it be used?"

"No. It's needs a special container so it doesn't… go berserk. People've tried using it as a weapon and rocket fuel but it ends in disasters. It's very nature is too unstable and dangerous to be reliable and safe so it's hardly used at all."

Barby sighed. "Too bad. It sounds like it could've been helpful." She stared down at the tips of her fingers then back up at him. "Look, Tails. I'm flattered that you were so willing to admit your feelings, no one's really every seen me as a woman before, but I don't think it would be very appropriate for us to date. I'm the leader of a reputable government team, a government which, I hate to tell you, but they requested you not be sent. They only rescinded it when Eggman threatened to pull out entirely. It's not that I wouldn't date you, it's just that there would be too much pressure on me and you. It wouldn't be fair for either of us. I'm sorry, but I think you can find someone better suited than me."

Tails planted his eyes into his palm. Was this the experience Sonic wanted him to have? If so, he was going to shove the hedgehog's face into the oven and turn on the self cleaning cycle. It was bad enough he felt embarrassed for being called out on it, though he doesn't know how the hell that could be flirting, it felt worse being rejected. This is why he didn't want to try for a girlfriend. Who in their right mind would pick him?

With a shove, he planted the final piece into the equipment. "Done." He mumbled before switching it on and plugging the wire into his computer.

The koala flinched at his reaction. The response was expected, she already knew rejection wasn't a kind companion. Still, she truly felt they wouldn't be a good match, not to mention she wasn't comfortable with the idea of dating someone so much younger than her, despite how mature he acted. A kid was still a kid after all. She stood up and looked at the screen. "What does it show?"

Tails shook his head and looked over the scan. "It says the shape is there… but it's not a field. It's a…" He shot up with a yelp, "WHAT?!"

Barby fell back and onto the floor. She watched him as he snatched up his earpiece and yelled into it. "Sonic! Pull back! Pull back now! Don't go in! Don't go in!"

Sonic and group walked along the mountain when the hedgehog stopped to stare at the section of the rocky face. He rubbed the underside of his nose. "Hey!" He called back to the stragglers. "Are we at the spot?"

Stu paused in thought, but nodded. "Yeah!"

Walt crossed his arms as the hero picked up a rock. "What are you doing now?!"

Sonic stared at him, then chucked the stone over his shoulder. It phased right through.

Walt staggered back, staring up and down at the 'solid matter' before him. "What?! What was that?"

Sonic turned to face the entrance of whatever cave they were going to enter. "Seems like we found our entrance. They were using some sort of cloaking device. I only noticed it because it's flickering slightly."

Bill came up to it, lowering his visor to study the area. "I don't see it."

"Cause I'm faster. A bullet can look like a dangling art piece to me." The hedgehog stepped through the barrier, the freedom fighters with him crying out in shock at his forwardness.

He came across the barrier and stared down the hallway, his legs freezing in place. The walls were glowing. Specifically, the strange techno-like inscription lines on the walls were glowing. Like it were some fancy computer. He stepped up to the wall and touched it. It grew brighter at his touch. The other freedom fighters came in, awestruck at the sight.

Sonic grabbed them. Shoved them. Rushed to the exit. Then they smashed into the hologram. It was solid. The hero stood up just as he heard Tails' voice yelling for him. He spun around and glared into the hallway. "Get behind me! Now!"

The freedom fighters did as he commanded as something began walking down the hallway. It was an assassin droid. One he's never seen before. One he's never seen glow like the walls before. The hedgehog's brow was matted with sweat. "What is this? I thought we destroyed all the Mysterious Villain bases."