Chapter 21
The ship pinged on the Tornado's radar. Tails watched the dot slowly expand on the screen. That's gotta be it. Fog and swollen clouds carpeted the sky off the coast of Isolated Island. Thunder rumbled in the depths of the black masts of cloud but for the moment the storm had yet to break. Tails directed the Tornado towards the blimp on his radar and pressed his comm device.
"Sonic?" There was static followed by the sound of rushing feet.
"What's up Tails?"
"I think I've found the Egg Carrier. It's hovering off the coast of Isolated Island about five hundred kilometers from Westopolis."
"Do you want me to come back you up?"
Tails paused. The storm mixed with the dark ambience of the sky cast a spell of doubt on the fox. "No, that's alright. If I get in trouble I'll call you back."
"Right on. Good luck out there." The comm clicked off and Tails sighed. He checked his radar and saw that the blinking dot was right on top of him. There's no reason to be scared. While the Egg Carrier had at one time been Eggman's principle ship, the design had fallen out of favor after the first two models were destroyed in quick succession. Tails only even knew of the because of air traffic reports. He supposed that Eggman still appreciated the utility of having a flying fortress in the skies, but assumed it was no longer as critical to his operations and therefore would probably be less defended.
BOOM. A low grumble shook the heavens and Tails saw a flash of white lighting. It illuminated the sky and in the center of a hive of black clouds loomed the shadow of the Egg Carrier. Tails gulped. He had forgotten how large and imposing the ship really was. This is why every nation reports sightings but nobody's Air Force dares to defend their skies.
Tails pulled a leaver at the base of his console and his plane transformed. Its bi-plane design was effective for long range flights and for reaching top speeds, but it lacked the ability to change directions quickly enough to avoid gunfire. Therefore Tails had created the jet plane formation, a transformation that collapsed the standard two wing design in favor of a four winged X formation. The Egg Carrier was coated in turrets and other defensive measures but all the guns in the world don't make any difference if they can't hit their target. That was a lesson Tails had learned from Sonic and he had implemented it into the design of the jet plane.
Tails pulled back on the throttle and the jet plane shot up and through a net of dense clouds. Sound dimmed inside the clouds and all Tails could hear was the low groan of distant thunder. Otherwise everything was perfectly still and calm. Tails felt transported to a different world encompassed by gray curtains. I must be right in the eye of the storm.
BLAST! Tails emerged out of the cloud and the spell of peace shattered. The Egg Carrier was a war zone. Its turrets were firing and missiles whistled through the night sky. Small black ships hovered around the great flying fortress like flies over a carcass. Tails dove down just narrowly avoiding a stray missile.
What's going on? The roar of aerial combat was so loud Tails could hardly hear himself think. Several of the smaller black ships exploded in a spark of yellow light which illuminated the Egg Carrier. Tails looked over and saw an armada of bi-pedal badniks clustered on the deck firing up into the sky. Click. "Sonic? Can you hear me?"
"Tails? What's all that sound?"
"The Egg Carrier is under attack!"
"Attacked by who?"
"Not sure yet. I'm gonna see if I can't land and find out."
"Be careful Tails. Should I head over there?"
"Stand by for now." Tails answered. He turned off the comm and nose dived towards the massive floating ship. Turrets automatically locked onto his approach and fired a barrage. Tails spun and avoided the gunfire. He answered with shots of his own and neutralized the turrets barring his landing.
A dry smile crossed his face as he remembered his first assault on the Egg Carrier with Sonic. Tails had been so proud of his X-Wing design he had neglected to install any means of parking. This time, there was no need to crash and Tails was able to land smoothly and safely upon the Sky Deck.
He crept forward and stayed low as the battle above him raged on. Tails knew the layout of the Egg Carrier fairly well so it was not difficult for him to reach the upper deck. All of Eggman's research and data should be in his captain's quarters. However, it would not be so easy to get there.
The invaders had landed on the deck and an all out war was being fought for control. Small, nondescript mechs were throwing themselves against the army of E series badniks. It appeared that the E-series side would prevail. They were stronger than the other mechs and appeared far more organized.
Tails was about to attempt to cross the battleground when he saw a streak of blue. It moved faster than he could keep up with and crashed down upon a group of E series badniks. In mere seconds the tide of the battle shifted. The E series drew back as the blue blur started tearing through their ranks like butter. Sonic? Tails tapped his comm. "Sonic are you here?" He whispered.
"You told me to standby?"
Tails shuddered. He had heard the story but he had never actually seen him up close. It was only when he stopped moving could Tails verify his assumption. Metal Sonic resembled his best friend from a glance but the eyes were so starkly different that the two of them would never be confused for one another. He's so fast. Tails had never actually seen a mech match Sonic's speed. Even when Sonic confessed to Tails that Metal had almost been his equal the fox had struggled to believe it.
The battle for the deck ended swiftly and Metal Sonic regrouped his army of mechs. Why are they fighting each other? His observations only earned more questions and no answers. A second hedgehog landed on the Egg Carrier and walked up to Metal.
It was difficult to see in the darkness but Tails felt he recognized the silhouette. Shadow? Eggman had created metal versions of Sonic; perhaps he had done the same with his grandfather's Ultimate Life Form? Tails reached into his belt and drew out a small blinking device. He reared back and threw it forward. It landed with a small click beside the host of robots. The copycat Shadow turned but quickly gave up the sound as nothing.
Tails sighed in relief and put a headphone in his ear. He turned up the volume and listened. "Omega has barricaded the inside." Tails attributed the grinding voice to Metal Sonic.
"Blow this place up then and let's get out of here." He was not very familiar with Shadow's voice but Tails had to admit it sounded exactly like the real thing.
"The Ion Battery is still inside. If the ship blows it will create an explosion more terrible than several of the human nuclear bombs. Besides, we are not here to destroy them. Omega must emerge from his hiding place and face me."
"It seems he wants to hide."
"Not so. Omega is fighting to win. Out on the deck our speed gives us the advantage. Down below his strength and superior metal casing gives him the edge. We must go into the depths and draw him out."
"Leave it to me. I'll just need the emerald."
Tails gasped as Metal Sonic drew out a purple Chaos Emerald. He handed it to the one that looked like Shadow. There was a flash of white light and Shadow disappeared. Was that Chaos Control? Before Tails could even consider what that could mean Metal Sonic rallied his troops behind him and stormed inside the Egg Carrier. The sound of blaster fire and combat quickly resumed.
Shaking himself, Tails raced out into the undefended open. With so much going on elsewhere, the captain's quarters was left only partially defended. A group of ten mechs were attempting to break through the door leading inside. Tails charged at them with a spin dash and when they targeted him with their blasters, he leapt into the sky and threw down a handful of EMPs. The devices found their targets and by the time Tails landed on his feet his foes were all shut down.
Tails wiped the dust off his hands and strode confidently around them. The door they had been attempting to break open showed no signs of damage. Tails ignored their strategy in favor of a smarter one and placed a tablet device on the doors console. Hacking the door controls could take a while so Tails instead decided to overcharge the door and cause the circuits to break. CLICK! The door console crackled with electricity and the door slid open.
Feeling slightly cocky and impressed with himself, Tails strutted inside. Several bi-pedal badniks defended the captain's room and started firing at Tails as soon as he approached. Dodging gunfire in the narrow space was almost impossible so Tails resorted to something new. I've been waiting to give this a shot. He strapped a metal band around his wrist and the two ends connected with magnetic union. Tails then tapped the circle on the top and a shield made of plasma erupted around him.
Blaster fire bounced off the shield and Tails was able to get in close and dispatch his foes with swift flicks of his signature tails. It was well that he had ended the fight so soon because only a second later his shield flickered and then died. I'll have to do something about that battery life.
Ignoring that for now, Tails set to work on the computer. Immediately he noted that the Egg Carrier was disconnected from the A.I Aurora and found that particularly interesting. Tails shifted through various data streams and narrowed his search on fuel depots for the Egg Carrier. He was shown dozens of places throughout the world where the fortress was likely to stop to fuel up. Many were places that Tails recognized and others he was able to eliminate as possible locations for Eggman's last secret base. Through cross referencing and simple deduction, Tails managed to land on a single place; Red Mountain.
He was about to tap his comm and inform Sonic when he heard something behind him. Tails reacted just in time to avoid the blast of gunfire that destroyed the screen he had been sitting by. He whirled around to see a robot Sonic overlaid in Silver Steel. Beside that was a mecha Knuckles whose fits had been drawn back to reveal barreled shotguns.
Locked in a narrow place, Tails had nowhere to run. He desperately activated his shield as the mecha Knuckles flooded the room in shotgun fire. The shells were deflected by the shield but the sheer momentum of the impacts rocketed Tails backward into a wall. Silver Sonic sped forward and dug his vice like claws right through the shield to wrap around Tails' neck. The fox gasped as he was lifted into the air.
Tails fumbled for his belt and managed to free a single EMP. He pressed it into his attacker and Silver's hand slacked. Tails dropped to the ground and rolled sideways as Mecha Knuckles resumed his barrage of gunfire. Computers exploded and wires broke off the ceiling, sparking and crackling as they exposed their inner parts. Seeing his opportunity, Tails flew upward, took hold of some wire by the plastic end and jabbed the exposed end at Mecha Knuckles. The electricity zapped him and he fell backward with a heavy thud.
Tails tapped his comm. "Sonic I-"
BANG! A heavy metal body tackled Tails and the two figures rumbled down the hall and back outside to the Egg Carrier deck. Thunder raged overhead and rain had finally started to fall. Silver Sonic lifted Tails with contemptible ease and threw him against a pillar.
The fox's back smashed and all the air in Tails' lungs shot out. He collapsed onto the floor. He could taste rain water mixed with blood in his mouth. Silver picked him back up and pinned him against the pillar. The mechanical Sonic's quills started to spin like a saw. He raised Tails up and started to lower him onto the churning blades.
Tails resisted with all the feeble strength he had left in his body. It was too cruel. Far too cruel. Tears mixed with the rain as the heat of the buzzing quills scorched Tails' cheek. "SONIC!"
"Stop this." The voice was not Sonic's. It was cold and somewhat indifferent to the matter at hand. Yet it managed to make Silver come to a stop. Tails waited, mere inches away from the spinning blades. He did not dare open his eyes to see his savior.
"Let him go."
Tails waited but Silver did not release him.
"Can you not hear me? Let him go. He is obviously not one of Omega's, so let him be."
Tails could not believe it. Silver moved and set him gently onto his feet. Only then did Tails have the courage to open his eyes. Standing next to him with his arms folded and a scowl spread across his face, was Shadow.
AN: Watching the Sonic 2 movie tonight! Next chapter should be out this weekend.