Tails was running circles in his workshop, stopping on a laptop connected to his Miles Electric every second lap or so.
I don't get it. Something's not adding up.
Then, Amy stepped into his shop. "Hey Tails", the pink hedgehog greeted. "What are you up to?"
Tails switched his gaze towards Amy. "Oh, hey Amy. Just trying to figure something out, you know."
"May I ask what's it about?"
Tails hesitated for a moment and then sighed. "About Sonic. Something doesn't add up."
"Didn't all the doctors and scientists have some good understanding for it?"
"Yeah, well, I mean they're right. But it's like something is missing. I analyzed all the scans I made by myself and there just seems to be something off. A weird fluctuation in his chaos levels that occurs on seemingly random moments but always looks the same."
Amy listened to the young fox with interest but a little struggled trying to understand what Tails tried to say. "Couldn't it only be what Dr. Foxington explained? The overlap of cyber and chaos energy, from what I recall?"
"That's the weird point. I thought the same, of course, but, for some reason, one could read the anomaly like binary code. And it's totally random so it does not add up with the other issue. It's like a digital trace, but the data appears to be damaged or encoded or something. He was cyber courrupted before and it did not seem to have affected his mental state. He's been through so much. Why is he in such a state now? It's not like him at all", Tails finished with a sad expression.
"I'm not too good with computers, but I'm pretty sure Sonic's mind isn't one. He is a kinda complicated guy", Amy said a little shy.
Tails chuckled a bit. "Well, from your perspective, he may be".
"What are you saying, Tails", Amy snarled. The fox held his hands high in a defense. "N-nothing, heh."
"But yeah", he continued, "a brain is no computer….hang on a sec!"
"Huh?"
"That's brilliant, Amy!"
"Huh, what do you mean?"
"You see, one thing the ancients had built cyberspace for, was to store their personal memories within it. Maybe, just maybe, they found a way to have some sort of interface functions between biological brains and… well artificial ones… A processor and a brain don't work too differently in principle, after all. You would just have to simulate neurotransmitters and hormones and-"
"-Tails?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry. But I think we could be onto something here."
"Yeah, but I actually came here for another reason. Don't think I can cope with another lecture."
"And that would be?"
"Can you try the cake, I baked for Sonic? New recipe. You know, nerve food."
"Oh, yeah sure, what kind of cake is it?"
"Strawberry-short"
Oh boy.
Meanwhile, Shadow und Nyls chilled on Nyls' bigger boat some hundred feet offshore.
"You know Shadow, I always wondered what you really think about Sonic. You guys always seem to fight, but then be nice and become friends out of nowhere for a few days."
Shadow silently sipped on a can of beer.
"Come on, punk, don't ignore me. You care for that blue son-of-a-gun. Moving the whole world to get him back in action and then some."
Shadow gazed towards Nyls.
"I don't understand how you can drink that apple juice", the ebony hedgehog mumbled.
"Huh? Cider?"
"Whatever you want to call it."
"Says the guy who eats friggin' whole coffee beans…But, well, it's getting me buzzed up and tastes nice."
"How about water for a change?"
"Says the moron who gets so wasted that he confesses war crimes twice a week. And, is that water in your can there?"
"You simply have a bad influence."
"Damn Shadow, aren't you supposed to be like some sort of supernatural-above-everything-perfect being? How am I, a mildly autistic redneck number cruncher, supposed to influence anything about you?"
Shadow stared to Nyls indifferently. Then he grabbed him and chaos controlled both of them to the beach.
"…the fuck you asshole?"
"Your boat is not anchored and wind is offshore", Shadow chuckled darkly.
"Yeah, I know that, shithead! Beam us back on there so I can get my boat back!"
"How much profit will I miss out on, because of that latest screw up of Eggman and yours?"
"What?"
"Boat is the pawn until you answer the question."
"Arrgh". Nyls kind of knew this was Shadows humor with him. He decided, it would probably be best to just play along. "Well according to your last balance, I know about, and the estimated volatility I built the strategy around… around three quarters, I guess", he shrugged.
"…of a what?"
"You're not a billionaire, Shadow."
" 750.000?! Boat is mine now", Shadow growled.
"So, that's why you care for him, huh? Oh, and it's not."
Shadow stared into the distance with a cold expression, his arms crossen, shaking his head.
Amy and Tails sat now in front of Tails' shop.
"Well, I'm not too much a fan of strawberry cake but I really liked this one, Amy."
"Thanks, Tails. You think, Sonic will like it?"
"Probably. You still care much about him, don't you?"
Amy blushed a little. "I mean, yeah of course. He has always been the hero in my life, to be honest. And seeing him the way he is now…It does feel…, let's say, difficult."
Amy gazed to the ground a little sad.
"Yeah, it's the same for me."
"Ugh and" Amy said in a very dark tone "when I think of that arrogant drug addict of a hedgehog that is wandering around here, who got him the idea, I could-"
"-We don't know that, Amy", Tails tried to calm her down.
"Of course, we do!"
Tails shrugged with a nervous smile.
"I think he missed you too, Amy. Err, Sonic, not Nyls."
"Y-you think?"
"Well, yeah."
For a brief moment Amy felt herself tremble inside, a shy smile finding its way on her heated-up muzzle. She tried to hide it though, shaking it off.
"He has been alone for some time, after all", Tails went on. "But he has been before. However, when I moved my shop here and realized Sonic really kind of settled here…I thought it was weird. Looking back, I probably should have seen the signs. He has not been acting too energetic for quite some time… I mean, even a day would be off. It's Sonic after all".
"Hey, don't beat yourself up, Tails."
"B-but I should have realized it earlier. He must have really spiraled down if he even started to hurt himself and…and I was there a-and d-did nothing...", Tails voice cracked, a little tear running down his face.
Tails stood up. "I promised Sonic to bring him some personal stuff. You can come if you wanna. Give him that cake of yours or whatever."
Amy watched Tails, a heavy and sad sympathy and affection filling her.
It will be alright, guys, This time, I assure you. Tails and m-my Sonic.
Then they went to the hospital, finding Sonic asleep but visibly more peaceful.
