Chapter 66

What Remains

Nothing remained. The largest surviving pieces of the great island were hardly the size of boulders. They floated mournfully in the mournful sea below. Tails thought painfully of the Master Emerald and how it had been broken into pieces. Knuckles had managed to restore it by gathering all the shards together. That would not be the fate of Angel Island.

The sky was stained from the severity of the blast. Even the air still carried the scent of smoke and sulfur. Unnatural storms had preceded the blast, but now there was an even more sinister stillness. It was as if the wind itself feared to push away the memory.

Tails stood at the edge of a cliff that looked out across the sea. He stared up at the empty maw of purple, yellow and pink sky with an empty feeling in his gut that grew heavier every second. His analytical mind betrayed him at once, forming conclusions one after another, with each one stripping his heart apart. Angel Island was gone, Knuckles was gone, the Master Emerald was gone, he could never get Sonic back.

In a single moment, everything in his life had fallen part. He had lost his closest friends and the only means of getting one of them back. Nothing remained. There was no point in resistance or denial. He did not cry, or rage, nor did he feel any inclination to do so. Tails was silent and as still as the empty sky.

He was vaguely aware of Emerl and Cream. The former watched the sky, his pearl-like eyes shimmering in the semi-darkness. Cream was watching Tails. Her hands were pressed together nervously, she seemed to be trying to work up the courage to say something. Tails wished that she wouldn't. He wished that they would both leave him alone. There was no use in company right now. He did not want to be cheered up, listened to, or understood.

"Metal Sonic would gain nothing from this attack," Emerl declared suddenly. "It pushes no advantage."

Tails didn't care. He was not remotely curious as to who or what, only that it had happened.

"Unless things have changed greatly, he would not have the means to do so anyway. Eggman did not have such a weapon on hand before he left."

"Chao." Cheese replied. Cream took a half step towards Emerl and whispered something to him. Tails felt a pang of annoyance. Why were they still here?

"There will be a war," Emerl whispered. "But by whose design I cannot say."

"Mi…mister Tails.." Cream squeaked. "We ought to be going back. It might not be safe here."

"Go." He did not look back at her. It was better for Cream that she imagined that Tails was crying.

Emerl turned away and took Cream by the arm. "Do not linger. The Heavy King may still be in the area."

They left him at last. Tails felt his legs give out on him and he collapsed into a sitting position. His breathing hitched and he started to gulp the air. Genius though he was, Tails was still only a child. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes and came streaming down his face despite his protests. Why was he crying? What was the point? Lamentation would not bring his friends back.

The hole in the sky mirrored the hole expanding in his chest. Everything was being sucked into it. All of his pleasant memories, all his hopes for the future were pulled into the blackness. A star was imploding within him. Tails fell forward. His hands dug into the earth. It couldn't be true. There had to be something left, anything…Without thinking, Tails launched himself into the sky.

He soared into the swirling mass of color. The air was hot and heavy. A horrible stench clung to his fur. Gas stung his eyes as he searched. Deep within the center of the blast radius, Tails found a dome of floating rocks. By some intermixing of the magic of the island and the scientific twisting of the weapon, these pieces of Angel Island remained in the sky. Charges of green lighting spread from rock to rock.

Tails landed on the largest piece which was still barely wide enough for him to place his feet. The rock was completely nondescript, giving Tails no indication of what part of the island it had come from. Tails thought of his and Sonic's journey through Angel Island. They had passed through mushroom forests, underwater cities, and haunted castles of sand. From the highest ice caps to the lava filled subterranean depths, they had pursued Dr. Eggman. Now it was only a memory, a blimp that he was the only one on earth that could recall it. What happened to that adventure once Tails was gone? Would it fade from the collective consciousness as cosmic dust slips into the ether?

Hummmmmm…..The roaring of an engine brought Tails out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw a spark of a jet engine ahead. A second later, a massive floating ship entered the center of the blast zone. It was the Heavy Brigadier; the ship Tails had seen the Hard Boiled Heavies use to escape.

The ship came to a halt and a door on its hood slid open. Three of the heavies emerged and took positions on the roof of the ship. Tails accepted the challenge at once. He landed gracefully in front of them. Heavy Gunner ignited the battle by firing his rocket launcher. Tails dived forward to avoid and then sprinted straight at them. Magician launched a ball of magical aura forcing Tails to sidestep. Heavy Rider swung his ball and chain and came roaring towards Tails.

Tails timed his response perfectly. He struck like an arrow, seizing Rider's weapon and turning it on its owner. Rider managed to jump to safety, but Tails destroyed his badnik mount. Magician and Gunner fired their weapons, but Tails took to the sky to avoid. He rolled into a ball and crashed down before uncurling and swiping Gunner across the face with his namesakes.

"Die!" Magician fired a rapid assault of aura blasts. One hit Tails in the chest with the force of a hard punch. He fell but managed to stay upright by supporting himself with his tails. He leaned backward and propelled himself back into the sky. That proved a mistake as Gunner had anticipated the move. Rockets were already on their way to greet him. Tails curled into a ball to shield himself. BANG! The force of the blast shot Tails down and he landed hard on the deck of the ship.

He groaned as he rose back up to his feet. Rider had retrieved his weapon and was charging straight at him. Tails readied to meet him…SMACK! Tails swayed to his side. Everything was suddenly spinning. He caught a glimpse of the red metal frame of Heavy King and then everything turned black.

"He's been gone too long," Cream repeated as she paced back and forth. She took another nervous glance at the window which revealed a steadily darkening sky.

Emerl sat passively at the table, his hands folded together. "He is hurting. He will want to be alone."

"Chao." Cheese added.

Cream ignored them both. "None of us should wander alone. We…we need to stick together." After the blast of the previous day, Cream's nerves had withered away completely. She was positively sick of adventure.

Emerl's chair scraped against the floor as he pushed it back. "I will go look for him."

"No!" Cream stomped her foot to make her point. "We need to stick together, didn't you just hear what I said?"

"Then we all go." Emerl scooped Cheese up and placed the Chao on his shoulder. Cream sighed in relief and led them outside. It was still unnaturally quiet outside. It seemed that storm and rain would be more appropriate after what had happened. Cream wondered if nature herself was storing in her anger. Even at her village far away, Cream knew what Angel Island represented to the natural world.

The trio retraced their steps from the morning, but found no sign of Tails on his return. Every minute that passed increased Cream's sense of foreboding. She walked close to Emerl, her hand only a few inches from his. I don't need to be afraid. Emerl has the Chaos Emeralds, no one can stop him.

An hour later, they returned to the spot they had been at before. There was no sign of Tails. Emerl approached the cliff's edge and crouched down. He inspected the grass and shook his head. "Tails never came back here. These footprints are old."

"Where did he go then?" Cream asked.

Emerl stood up and his eyes flashed. They changed from blue to red and he scanned the nearby environment. "Over here." His eyes returned and he walked away. Cream followed. In an empty patch of grass there was faint smoke issuing from where someone had set a fire. Cream walked over before letting out a scream. There were yellow fox hairs set in a circle. Words were burned into the grass. "His life for the emeralds. Where things are remade." Cream clutched Emerl and trembled.

"What does that mean? Where things are remade?"

"It is where we were sent after we were deemed defective. A ruin on South Island, the Scrap Brain."