Tails took his hand off Nine's shoulder, but before his twin could mourn its loss, he laid against Nine's chest.
Nine inhaled sharply as Tails' chin settled on his shoulder and he whispered, "You didn't deserve that. Neither of you deserved to be separated and…and I'm sorry I can't change what happened."
His voice cracked, a lump clogging his throat. However, he closed his eyes to ward off his tears and rubbed the side of his head against Nine's. His twin leaned into the touch, a quiet whine escaping him, and it bled Tails' already bleeding heart that Nine had been denied such affection for years.
"But we can finish what he started."
Tails' eyes opened. A fire sparked in his blue irises.
"And get justice for Glitch." He pulled away, face softening when his gaze met Nine's. "For you."
Nine's mouth wobbled but he nodded. "Yeah."
Tails smiled and called on his power. Green sparked in his pupils.
And blew out like a candle.
"Huh?" Tails blinked as the energy emptied out of him and his limbs fell heavy, exhaustion weighing down his head.
"What's wrong?" Nine peered worriedly at him.
Tails looked up and his vision swam at the motion. "My power," he said breathlessly. "It's not working, I just feel tired."
He panted and Nine's brow creased. "Well…you used a lot of your power in the core." He rubbed his chin. "Maybe your power needs to replenish itself? Or since your body isn't used to having these powers, it needs a break before you can use them again?"
Tails frowned. "That's probably it." He looked at his cuffs. "But we need to get out of here."
He reached for his backpack and his bound hands awkwardly pulled the zipper. "My Miles Electric should be able…"
His hand grasped nothing in the bag. He gasped, recalling his Electric hitting the floor.
"My Electric and the portal gun…"
Nine's expression turned grim. "I couldn't get them before I was captured." Tails shrunk yet Nine added, "But they're probably hidden under all that debris and it will take hours for the eggforcers to clean up the mess you made."
Tails relaxed a little. "Okay, so we've got a few hours—"
The forcefield shut down. Tails and Nine jumped, heads snapping towards it.
"Actually."
Mr. Dr. Eggman leaned back in his hoverchair, a smirk smeared under his mustache and three eggforcers on his sides. The kits' eyes widened.
"You've got five seconds to tell me why you rebels are so interested in my Ghost."
Nine tensed, but glared, and Tails' namesakes lashed out, his canines peeked through his snarl. Had Eggman killed Glitch? Or was it another councilor? He needed to know, yet admitting they knew Glitch, when the Council had clearly covered up the hedgehog's existence, might make Eggman kill them now.
Nine realized this too and held his tongue. Eggman raised a brow, waiting. However, when neither spoke, he sighed.
"So quiet," he shook his head, "But I'm sure I can get you out of your shells with some—"
Orange flashed on Tails' left. His fur rustled as an eggforcer swung its bulky electrical prod past his stunned face.
"Prodding."
Nine screamed, electricity flaring around him.
"Nine!"
Tails hopped to his feet, lurching towards the boy. Metal fingers snagged his bag straps, and he kicked out as the eggforcer lifted him high.
"And I'll keep prodding—"
The bot took back the electrical prod. Nine blinked dazedly, fur frazzled and listing.
"Until I get answers."
The prod stabbed into Nine's side. Nine cried out and Tails froze as Nine spasmed in the electricity while Eggman sneered, Nine's pained face reflecting across his goggles. The doctor said something else but Tails wasn't listening as the prod was taken back and Nine collapsed on the bench, chest pumping hard.
And maybe it was because Tails had spent over a month with a half-feral Blur or maybe he was still angry over Glitch, but suddenly rage swarmed his chest. His jaws opened with a fearsome growl, his twin tails unclipped his bag straps, and he dropped towards Eggman.
The doctor recoiled against his chair, mouth agape, right before Tails' teeth clamped on his arm.
Tails was suspended in a wide dark room. A white tractor beam buzzed around him, keeping his limbs stiff and tails limp while it shined from a silver conical device on the ceiling. He strained against its hold, grunts muffled, but it was like fighting a brick wall so his fingers barely twitched.
Gears whirred. His ears flicked and he scanned the darkness. Shadows shifted off to the side, sneakers padding the ground.
"Tails?" Nine appeared through the darkness, looking him over. "You're—"
"So Tails is his name?" a man, but not Eggman, asked.
Nine turned and Tails gazed past him as a spotlight hit a man in a cushy hoverchair. Teal hair pulled back in a bun, tattoos running up his left arm, and an almost normal-length mustache cutting across his face under rectangular shades, Tails didn't perceive him as an Eggman until he flashed his teeth in a familiar grin.
"Interesting that we have no records of any Tails." Dr. Deep looked over to Nine. "Or of you having a twin."
He steepled his hands under his chin, raising a brow. "Care to explain?"
Tails' expression went deadpan, and Deep blinked as he noticed the metal band locked over most of the kit's muzzle.
"Uh," Deep faltered, hands dropping in surprise, "Is that really necessary?"
"Yes, it's necessary!" Eggman snapped, a spotlight falling on him.
The Doctor glared at Tails, fist raised and a thick bandage wrapped around his bicep. "That rabid dog bit me!"
Tails scoffed. He'd barely punctured his skin. He rolled his eyes while Nine deadpanned, "We're foxes."
Eggman went to retort when another spotlight shined beside him.
"You wouldn't have gotten bit if you didn't insist on meeting them in person," Dr. Don't huffed, his short legs resting on his chair arm and gaze on the holographic handheld he was button mashing. "That's some NPC behavior," he muttered.
Tails' brow rose at the contempt between the doctors, though it wasn't too surprising. Eggman's inflated ego put him at odds with most people, and five Eggmen were bound to knock heads.
Gurgles sputtered beside the teen before spotlights dropped on Dr. Babble and a snoozing Dr. Done-It. Tails' brow inched up even more as the baby jabbered, his tiny hands gesturing like he was giving a speech, and Deep nodded—he understood him?
"True," Deep hummed. "Even identical twins shouldn't have the same mutation."
He looked from Tails' namesakes to the mechanical tails hiding Nine's. Both foxes stiffened. Yet Nine couldn't excuse the oddity as Eggman slammed his fist on his chair arm.
"Who cares if they're both freaks!?" Eggman threw up his arched hands, toupee jumping from the force. "Have you all forgotten what he did to our core in minutes? The intangibility he used against Rusty? How he matched Ghost's speed?"
His eyes narrowed and Tails gulped as all the councilors leveled calculating looks upon him. "Such power could tear apart everything we've built." His voice dropped into a threatening hiss. "Where did you get it from?"
Tails frowned and Nine glared. "We don't know where his powers came from."
Nine held his head high though both of them anticipated retaliation. However, Babble cooed curiously and Eggman's mouth thinned into a line.
"I believe you."
Shock splayed across the kits' faces.
"So we'll just have to figure it out ourselves."
Eggman smirked. Metal clanked in front of Tails. Nine gasped and Tails' eyes widened as Rusty straightened from her crouch in the tractor beam's light. Her cold red pupil observed him and Tails' face crumbled. He'd hoped his words would affect the girl, motivate her to become her own person again. Yet that hope was clearly for naught as Rusty turned to the Council, arm drawing behind her back in strict military fashion.
"I have concluded my survey of the core. While there, my sensors uncovered traces of powerful energy on several damaged pipelines. Glitch detected the same energy during his confrontation with Tails."
She walked over to a short podium, tapping on a wide-back computer.
"Further analysis revealed this energy greatly likens the power harnessed from the core."
Nine tensed and Tails' mouth would have dropped if it could. His powers came from dimensional energy? But how? Just traveling through a couple of portals shouldn't have given him powers.
"So he's found a way to siphon the city's energy and make it his own?" Deep stroked his goatee thoughtfully.
"Negative." Rusty pulled up a graph with an ascending green line overlaying a red line. "He produces the energy himself…and his power is far greater than the portal's."
Deep froze, Eggman choked, Babble's pacifier popped out of his gaping mouth, and Don't's fingers paused over his game while Done-It jolted awake.
"Huh, wha—I wasn't asleep!" the old man glanced around sluggishly.
Yet Tails hardly noticed as his heart pounded. His powers were stronger than a dimensional portal? That meant his powers were practically unlimited.
"That much power…" Eggman said in a hush, and Tails tensed at the hunger in his gaze. "If we could extract it…"
Nine shifted protectively between him and the Council, glaring. "Extract what? His powers have been depleted." He shook his head. "There's nothing left to extract."
Tails eyed him. Nine's expression was flat, eyes betraying nothing, and wow, his lying skills were scarily good.
"Incorrect." Rusty's head rotated 180 degrees towards the Council, and Tails' insides squirmed at the unnatural movement. "His body still emits minute traces of the energy. However, the quantity is too small for extraction."
Eggman nodded slowly. "So we need to draw it out." He grinned. "Why not give us a power demonstration, Tails?"
The fox scowled. He couldn't even if he wanted to.
Done-It realized this, grumbling, "He can't. Or the vermin would have used it to escape by now."
"In that case." Deep smiled wide, lifting his pointer finger. "Why don't we put him through some yoga? Perhaps getting his inner energy balanced is the key—"
Babble blew a raspberry. Deep scowled at him, setting his fists on his sides.
"Hey! Yoga has proven mental health benefits—"
"Tails' power spiked when he attacked you."
A hush swept across the room while everyone regarded Rusty. The girl's impassive gaze bored into a stunned Eggman.
"And it spiked every time you harmed his companion, though it reached its highest level when you first mentioned Ghost."
Nine's breath hitched and he whispered, "His powers are responding to his emotions."
Tails stiffened. Now that he thought about it, his powers had showed up unprovoked whenever he felt strong emotions. His intangibility when the red portal startled him, healing abilities after Ghost ambushed them, and speed after learning about Glitch's tragic end. Were his powers mistaking the adrenaline rush from his heightened emotions as a threat? Were they trying to protect him?
"So you do have a connection to Ghost." Eggman's hoverchair glided towards Tails and the fox glowered as he stopped before the tractor beam. "Or more likely—" His mustache twitched with a cruel smile— "Glitch."
Tails snarled though the metal band pressed painfully into his muzzle, anger flaring in his chest.
Nine's eyes widened and his cuffed hands reached for him. "Tails, don't—"
"Another energy spike." Rusty typed on the keyboard, green iris reflecting the bar graph on the screen. "Even higher than those previously recorded."
Eggman's smile broadened, and Tails balked. No, what was he doing? He couldn't let Eggman get a rise out of him. There was no telling what forcibly draining the energy from him would do, and the Council would undoubtedly use his stolen energy for nefarious means. He needed to escape quickly.
Tails stared hard at the floor. Well, the Resistance hadn't launched their attack yet or the Council wouldn't be so focused on him. So the attack would catch the doctors off guard, and if his powers had regenerated by then, he could use the distraction to break out himself and Nine.
"Do you know how Glitch died?"
Tails' breath stuttered. Nine's ears shot up, and though it was such obvious bait, neither could help turning to the doctor.
Eggman knew it too and smirked, leaning back in his chair. "All those years I and Glitch fought," his voice darkened, "All those losses."
His smirk returned. "Yet that night was different…that night…"
His smirk sharpened.
"I won."
Eggman's mech suit plowed through the core's ceiling. The doctor yelled through the speaker, the mech's scarlet arms flailing and dented boosters flickering. Yet the flames fizzled out and the suit crashed heavily onto the floor, concrete cracking around it.
The walls shook as debris tumbled onto the mech's sparking chassis, some splashing into the vortex while dust kicked up everywhere. The mech's head slid open and Eggman coughed as he peeked out.
"Wow, Eggy."
A blue sphere arched through the air. Eggman jumped as Glitch sprung out of his curl and fell onto the mech's chassis. The boy grinned smugly, leaning on his knee towards Eggman, and the Doctor glowered.
"Gotta say, I hate what you've done to the place. I mean, I had to throw on these," he jiggled the sunglasses on his forehead, "Just to see past all the neon."
"So as far as design goes," he jabbed his thumb down. "This one's a flop."
Eggman grounded his teeth. However, soon a sly grin curved his mouth. "Oh, don't like the City's design? But tell me, how do you like hers?"
Glitch's brow furrowed and he went to speak.
A silver knuckle socked his jaw. Eggman cackled while the hedgehog stumbled off the mech. Yet he quickly waved his arms, righting himself.
"Ah," Glitch hissed, rubbing his sore cheek. "What was—"
A silhouette fell over him. His eyes widened and he twisted around in a blink, catching a silver foot. He grunted under its weight, arm shaking.
"What's this?" Glitch cocked an eye. "You built some new…"
Rusty's cold gaze met his. Horror dawned on Glitch's face.
"Amy…?" he whispered, fearful and desperate.
"Incorrect." Rusty jumped off his hand, flipped up high, and extended her leg towards Glitch.
"I am Rusty Rose."
Her foot rammed into his gut. Glitch choked as he was kicked into a wall. He banged against a giant pipe and it echoed as he fell to the floor, rolling roughly. Glitch caught himself by the portal, groaning while he lifted his head.
"Well, rodent?"
Glitch's fingers arched on the ground as he shakily pulled himself up.
"What do you think about my latest creation?"
Glitch glared fire at the man. Yet he flinched, mouth parting.
"And my new army?"
Eggforcers drifted down from the ceiling, their lasers charging, while some raised flaming saw blades. Eggman grinned wide behind an impassive Rusty.
Fear flashed across Glitch's face and his ears curled low as Rusty and the bots stepped closer, their shadows falling over him.
However, his eyes narrowed. "What—"
He threw himself into a spin, and in a blink, eight eggforcers had gaping holes in their chests.
"Army?"
Glitch's back was turned to the bots while they toppled, optics going dim. Yet he looked over his shoulder, smirk hidden by his high collar.
"Cause all I see is trash—"
Rusty's extended hand seized his ankle. Glitch shouted as he was bashed against the wall. Yet Rusty dragged him back up before he could recover, swinging him towards the eggforcers.
Glitch's eyes widened as a bot raised its flaming buzzsaws.
An agonized scream tore up to the ceiling. A shredded red jacket drifted onto the ground.
Tails glared at Eggman even while his vision blurred, eyes glistening. Nine's fists trembled, teeth clenched. Neither noticed Rusty staring at her palms, hands shaking.
"He was your friend." Eggman sneered. "Wasn't he?"
Tails bristled and he wanted to punch, kick, scream, make him pay. He'd killed Glitch, turned Rusty into a tool, and stolen Nine's future.
Heat shot through Tails' veins and his eyes flashed green. Whirring overhead, and Nine gasped while a large laser between two long needles extended out the ceiling over Tails.
Nine looked to his twin, reaching fearfully. "Tails, calm down."
The fox jolted, suddenly noticing the energy extractor. He made a fearful sound, muscles tensing. Yet he forced himself to take a deep breath. He exhaled slowly, relaxing. His green eyes dimmed to sky blue.
"But that's not the end of the story."
Tails glanced at Eggman yet swiftly looked away. He couldn't listen, he was getting too emotional.
"Glitch died."
Tails' fingers twitched. He and Nine regarded Eggman in rapt attention.
"And when he did, something happened…"
The man leaned forward like he was sharing a secret.
"Something magnificent."
Glitch wheezed a rattling breath. Sunglasses cracked and the tattered remains of a sleeve hanging off his shoulder, Glitch crouched at the portal edge, his arm wrapped around his middle and the other trembling while it barely kept him up.
Metal feet clanked as they landed before him. He weakly raised his head. Rusty stared back coldly, her fist over his head like a hammer about to drop.
Glitch's face creased sorrowfully. "Amy…"
Her fist soared towards his head.
"You're beautiful."
Her hand froze inches from his spiked hair.
Glitch inhaled a ragged breath, then exhaled, "Gotcha." A crooked grin curved his muzzle. "You're still…in there, Amy."
"What are you doing!?" Eggman stomped his foot behind the girl. "Finish him!"
Rusty didn't move and Glitch snickered. "You're not winning this time, Eggface." His smile turned melancholic. "But I might not either."
Eggman growled and whirled towards his eggforcers. "Don't just stand there!" He pointed at Glitch. "Blast him!"
The eggforcers aimed their lasers at the hedgehog. Glitch glanced at them before looking to Rusty. Slowly, he unwrapped his arm from himself. He sucked in a sharp breath, face screwing up, yet he still captured her fist.
"Give me a boost, Ames."
Rusty's red pupil flashed blue. The eggforcers fired a barrage of green lasers, but Rusty's fist lengthened, carrying Glitch toward the ceiling.
"No!" Eggman thundered. "Don't let him escape!"
The lasers followed Glitch, some ricocheting off Rusty's arm and jostling the boy. Yet Glitch looked down at the white portal, face soft.
Breathless, he whispered, "Sorry, Tails…I'm…going to be late."
Resolve slanted his eyes, Glitch let her go, and he plummeted towards the portal.
Eggman's eyes widened. "He's not escaping?"
Glitch gritted his teeth to keep in a scream and threw himself into a rapid spin. The green lasers struck him. His skin burned. Then his spines scraped on the portal.
White light exploded. Eggman was thrown back, yelling, Rusty tumbled to the ground, and the eggforcers smashed into the wall, falling onto each other.
The light vanished, and eggforcers fell around the downed crimson mech in a broken pile. Eggman groaned, picking himself from the rubble.
The portal was gone. Eggman froze, locking onto the empty concrete pool.
"No…"
Eggman scrambled to his feet, dust falling off his shoulders to powder his red sleeves. His knees burned, pants torn around his bruised skin, yet he ran to the pool edge and looked down.
His eyes widened.
"The portal was gone…Glitch was dead…"
"What is this?"
"But something was left behind."
A translucent Glitch floated on his back in the pool's center, his image flickering.
"I named him Ghost." Eggman gestured at the stunned Tails. "As in Glitch's ghost who has all of his abilities, his speed, and none of his annoying traits."
He chuckled. "Even better, our backup generators lasted long enough for a new portal to seep in through the same reality fracture the first portal came from."
Grief flooded Tails' face, his heart breaking. Glitch had sacrificed himself, yet his sacrifice was for nothing, and now all that remained of him was a digitized copy under the Council's control. Sorrow clawed at his chest and he struggled to keep it down, but his eyes flickered from green to blue.
"But your recording..."
Tails froze. He turned to Nine as the kit's forehead wrinkled. "You said Ghost couldn't be near his original self."
Tails' breath hitched.
"Why would you say that if Glitch was already dead?"
Eggman lifted an unimpressed brow. Then he sighed, "And here I thought you were smarter than the other rats in this city."
The foxes tensed as Eggman made a sharp hand motion. "Yet you missed what was right in front of you."
The ground rumbled, splitting open behind the Doctor. His hoverchair drifted aside while red light and fog hissed out the hole. The foxes gawked as a glass cylinder emerged before them, the ground sliding shut beneath it.
"The cylinder from the core?" Nine blinked. "But it's empty."
Eggman sneered. "Is it?"
The red light dimmed. The boys stared intently and even Rusty zoomed in on the glass.
A fuzzy outline emerged inside the cylinder. Rusty inhaled sharply and Tails' eyes widened.
"Glitch?" Nine whispered.
Glitch was a red translucent figure floating behind the glass, jacket, shades, boots, and all. However, his eyes were closed, and face lax.
"See, when I said he was dead," Eggman rolled his hand lazily, "I meant dead to me."
Tails stopped breathing. He stared at the red digitized Glitch and heat kindled inside him. This couldn't be real…
"Though his physical form perished, his essence was digitized, and I decided to keep him around just in case Ghost's data ever got corrupted and I needed a new—"
Nine keened. Tails and Eggman froze as Nine threw himself against the cylinder, bound hands pawing desperately at the glass. "He's alive…" His eyes squeezed shut. "He's alive," he cried, trembling.
Tails' heart panged. Glitch was alive…he could still save him and give Nine the friend—brother—he always should have had.
Hope breached through his despair. His energy levels spiked on the computer and Eggman smirked as the energy extractor whirred, needles nearing Tails' head. Neither noticed Rusty staring at Glitch, her brow scrunching slightly.
"Let the extraction begin," Eggman muttered, and turned triumphantly to the Council.
The doctors scowled back, unimpressed.
"Ugh." Dr. Don't blew aside his dyed hair without looking away from his game. "Please tell me he's done telling that story again."
"If I have to hear his yarn about defeating his greatest enemy one more time…" Done-It grumped.
Yet Deep raised a brow, scoffing, "Like you telling yarns about how things were 'back in your day' isn't just as bad."
Eggman growled and his chair whipped back, gliding towards the Council. "My plan worked, didn't it? So stop yapping." He retook his place between Deep and Don't, raising his arched hands skyward. "And bask in the glory of unlimited energy!"
The energy extractor hummed, and Tails jolted, finally noticing its nearness. A muffled cry left him, his heartbeat skyrocketing as the needles inched toward his head. He couldn't move, couldn't run—no, calm down, just calm down.
"I should have looked for you."
Tails froze at the broken whisper. His eyes slanted down while Nine sunk to his knees, face in his hands.
Emotions ballooned in his chest and he should fight them, yet he didn't want to. He was angry, happy, heartbroken, and everything in between. This…this wasn't fair!
The needles brushed Tails' fur and he closed his eyes reflexively as they pricked the sides of his face, digging in.
A door hissed. Tails' eyes flew open as the Councilors jumped, spinning towards the open entrance.
"Who…?"
Eggman leaned forward to see better.
Red lightning shot out the entrance. Eggman screamed and Tails let out a muffled cry as the lightning raced towards him. The electricity struck the ceiling. The tractor beam shut down and the extractor whined, going limp. Tails dropped to his feet in shock, wide-eyed. What… He stared at the entrance.
Bright red boots with white stripes stepped past the door, scarlet electricity crackling under their soles. Tails gasped through his nose and Rusty flinched, fear and uncertainty crossing her face.
"You…" she whispered.
Gloved hands wrapped around a sparking red hammer, and a peach muzzle scowled.
"You hurt my friend." Amy glared at the Council, the ends of her hair spiking out behind her headband and scarlet electricity flaring wildly around her.
"Big mistake."
Amy's eyes glowed brilliant red. Then she charged at the Council with an enraged yell, jumping up and swinging her mallet high.
The Councilors screamed, zipping behind Eggman and cowering.
Eggman recoiled, stuttering, "Rusty!"
Pink and silver rushed in front of the Council. Metal groaned as Rusty's ten-foot arms caught the mallet above the council. Yet Amy growled, pushing against her hold while electricity jumped off her mallet and onto the cyborg's hands.
Rusty stifled a cry, expression tightening, and Amy glanced at the cyborg. Rusty's red eye met Amy's scarlet. Amy jolted, gasping, and the lightning faded around her.
"You…"
The hedgehog ripped back her hammer and fell gracefully onto the ground. Neither girl took their eyes off each other as Amy slowly rose from her crouch and Rusty reeled in her arms until they hung by her feet.
"Who are…" Rusty faltered. "You are…"
She didn't finish—couldn't finish—and the Council stared. Behind them, Tails was reeling. Amy was alive…and she had powers… What was happening?
"Another Rusty." Eggman looked over to the foxes. "Two pests." He squinted at Tails. "That's why there's no record of you." His mouth dropped. "You're from the other side of the portal."
Amy heard him and a tight smile wobbled across her face. "What are you saying? That we're…she's…"
Rusty's head bowed. For a second, she grimaced. Then her expression cooled into impassiveness and she looked up.
"I am Rusty Rose."
Amy paled. She trembled, backing away slowly with horror wracking her expression.
"No, you c-can't be…"
Tails' ears shot up.
"You c-can't be…"
Amy's voice when he'd been in the tree hollow with Sonic.
"I heard the future?" Tails tried saying, but his words were trapped under the metal band.
However, he quickly shook his head. Later. It was time to escape.
Tails' eyes narrowed and he turned to the fox on the ground by Glitch. He crouched beside him, grabbing Nine's bound hands and calling on his powers. His shackles fell through his wrists and the metal band dropped off Tails' face.
"Nine." Tails caught his shoulder. "I know you feel guilty but this isn't the time to dwell in the past, remember?" He smiled encouragingly. "It's time to give yourself a future."
Nine twitched. He looked up, eyes shiny yet determined. "I'll hack the computer, see how I can get Glitch out."
He pushed himself and sped towards the computers, Tails following. "I'll guard you—"
"No." Nine held up a hand, though his fingers flew across the keyboard. "You have to find the portal gun and seal the reality fracture feeding that dimensional hole in the core."
He paused and glanced back, face falling. "But if you do…"
Tails' shoulders slumped. "I won't have enough power to send myself home, that's why you tried to stop me back in the core."
He smiled though it was sad. "Thanks for looking out for me."
Nine huffed a laugh. "You looked out for me first."
They shared twin smiles.
A screech beside them. Nine and Tails cried out, slamming their hands over their ears and whirling around.
Clawed fingers raked down the cylinder. Tails and Nine gaped while Ghost snickered. Then in a streak of red, he was between them, claw glowing red while he punched the ground.
Lightning burst. Tails and Nine screamed as the electricity seared their veins, scalding their fur.
Amy whirled towards them, alarmed. "Tails!"
She raced to him. A metal boot swung into her chest. Amy cried out, hammer flying loose while she slammed into the floor.
Robotic fingers closed around her neck, yanking her up and scrapping her boots along the ground. Amy's eyes widened as Rusty dragged her in close.
"I am not you." Rusty's eye narrowed. "I am better."
Her fist sailed into Amy's face.
Ever drifting down the stream
Lingering in the golden gleam
So Amy's here, Glitch isn't quite dead, and I'm having too much fun writing the Council's banter 😆
Seriously though, thanks for reading and commenting! It's nice to see some of you fans from Tulgey Woods are still around. Also, shoutout to the one person who didn't think Glitch was dead, you got me 😉
Now take care and enjoy your summer break!