Chapter 84

Superhero

Tails waited for Cream to fall asleep before leaving. She had placed her pillow beside Emerl's cold remains and yielded to exhaustion. Tails covered her in his best blanket before slipping quietly out of the house. He flew up into the night sky and directed himself towards the dense trees of the Mystic Ruins. His satchel of equipment hung loosely at his side.

A chill hung in the air that made the young fox shiver. Going on this journey alone inflamed his wish to see Sonic again. He needed his friends' perpetual optimism more than anything. Tails did not feel that his mission would be a success, and he undertook the task more out of obligation than hope. Emerl had saved his life as well as the lives of Cream and Cheese. Tails owed it to him to make every attempt to bring him back.

He had been humbled by his attempts to fiddle with Emerl's design. Whatever a 'Gizoid" was, it wasn't something that Tails could wrap his head around. It wasn't easy to admit that he had been stumped and that he needed help, but Tails would not allow his pride to get in the way of attempting every possible way of fixing Emerl. So, he would have to go to the one person on earth that rivaled his own genius; Doctor Eggman. If there is a way to fix Emerl, it will be in the design schematics Eggman used to build him in the first place.

So much of his plan depended on chance. During his imprisonment, Tails had overheard the Hard Boiled Heavies discuss the ongoing war between Metal Sonic and G.U.N. Eggman's base at Red Mountain had already been destroyed by the military, and there was always the chance they had already raided the one at the Mystic Ruins. Even if they hadn't, the war between Aurora's Cybers and Metal's mechs could have destroyed all the relevant computers.

Tails pushed those doubts out of his mind. He had to try so there was no point in thinking about all the reasons he would fail. He flew easily for about an hour or so which brought him over the forest. From the sky he could see the land slant downward towards the west away from the great temple of the ancient echidnas. Tails paused in mid air and stared in that direction. Sometimes, on a clear night, Tails could see Angel Island hovering in the sky a dozen or so miles off the coast. Tonight there was nothing but an unbroken dark sky. Tails sighed and turned away.

He flew west until the downward slope of the land turned into a humongous ravine. At the base of the gorge was Eggman's base. However, it wasn't like Tails remembered. There were no neon lights or any other sign of life or activity. All the buildings were dark and the bridge that led to the elevator was broken. Tails dropped to the edge of the ravine and peered down. While the base appeared completely forsaken something made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. It's not like it's haunted or anything…

Tails flew back into the air and slowly dipped into the ravine. A heavy silence hung over the base that Tails dreaded to disturb. He landed as softly as he could on a metal road squashed between several large factories.

A quiet like that found a graveyard stalked Tails as he made his way through the empty streets. Usually, an Eggman base was filled with a metallic rancor that made the ears ache. There were no pistons firing, no explosions, no furnaces, nothing but the soft patter of Tails' feet. He paused at every turn to search around the corner but every street and alleyway appeared completely deserted.

Tails directed his course towards the central tower. If there were any dormant defenses that is where they were most likely to be. However, Tails found the entrance to the tower as quiet and forlorn as the rest of the base. Still, Tails was not about to walk leisurely to the front door. He crouched in a shadowy corner and reached into his bag. Tails withdrew a small spherical device and activated it with a tap. The gadget chimed and Tails tossed it into the square. Pop! A large cloud of black smoke smothered the entire area. Tails quickly put on a pair of goggles and dashed into the cover.

His patented goggles allowed him to see through the mists, letting Tails reach the center of the tower. He gave the doors a try and was shocked when they opened easily. Tails tiptoed into the main reception hall. There were a pair of elevators on the far side of the room but the doors had been broken down. Tails approached and saw that the cable car lines had been snapped. Which only makes it easier for me.

Tails climbed into the shaft and whirled his namesakes until he started ascending straight up. When he reached the top story Tails balanced himself on the ledge and attempted to pry open the doors. They barely budged an inch. Since Knuckles isn't here, I'll have to use the next best thing. Tails reached into his bag and took out a pair of metal gloves. He placed them over his hands and flexed his fingers. There was a satisfying click sound as the metal appendages responded to his movements. Tails pried the metal fingers into the slit and pulled. This time the doors wrenched apart with minimal effort.

He faced a long hallway whose far door had been broken down. A dozen broken Cybers lay in scattered heaps on the floor. Tails walked past them with a sense of foreboding expanding in his chest. On the other side of the ruined door was a dusty laboratory. Without lights it was impossible to see how far the room went but Tails could tell it was quite expansive.

Tails hurried to the central terminal and wiped its console free of dust and cobwebs. He typed a few keys on the keyboard but the screen remained dark. Tails placed his bag on the floor and rummaged inside. He took out an external power generator and connected a few wires from it, back into the terminal. After a few minutes of anxious waiting, the screen of the terminal flickered to life.

Satisfied with the first step, Tails then took a tablet from his bag and attached it to the terminal. Tails typed simultaneously on the keyboard and his own tablet. He ingested a repeated series of codes to bypass the preliminary security screenings of the computer. Once he was at the dashboard, Tails ran a search on the keywords "Emerl" and "Gizoid". Immediately, dozens of results started appearing on screen. Tails hovered the mouse over one of them-

"What are you doing?" A female voice broke the silence causing Tails to nearly jump out of his skin. The screen in front of him turned black and the face of Aurora blurred into focus.

"You?" Tails retreated from the terminal.

"Who are you? How did you access this computer?" Aurora was looking at him with interested curiosity.

"Don't play games. You know who I am. I shut you down, you shouldn't be here."

"This is not the Aurora you knew." A harsher voice called out of the shadows. At once all the lights in the room came on at once, nearly blinding Tails. He stumbled backward until he ran into something cold and metallic. Tails whirled around to see the hulking shape of E-123 Omega. Before Tails could scream, sharp fingers seized him around both arms. Tails kicked and flailed but he could not escape his attacker's grasp.

"Stop your struggling and we promise not to hurt you." Tails didn't see any other option. He stopped squirming and he was released. Tails retreated before turning to see that his attacker was Silver Sonic.

"Why are you here?" The mech demanded.

Tails didn't see any point in lying. "I needed some things off of Eggman's computer."

"What things?"

"Schematics for one of his robots named Emerl."

Silver Sonic exchanged a look with Omega. "Emerl was defective and useless, what use could his blueprints serve?"

Tails shook his head. "It's a long story."

"Aurora, do we have the schematics on Emerl?" Silver Sonic asked.

"The doctor made several different designs while only putting two of them in operation. The original blueprints of the Gizoid known as Emerl are still available." Aurora answered obediently.

Tails frowned. "So you've got her under your control now? Was all that fighting at Red Mountain just a trick? Where is Metal Sonic?"

Silver Sonic shook his head. "There is no trick. The Aurora before you is simply an activated version of one of her earlier designs. She is not the one that we made war against. The real trick is the one the human government has played on you all."

"What are you talking about?"

"Our leader, Metal Overlord, went to treat with the human leaders. While he was away they took him captive and forced him to air those so called Metal Broadcasts. They have made him and by extension, us, the great foes of the entire world."

"Wait, so…you guys aren't the ones who destroyed Angel Island?"

"Of course not. Our wars were ended. We were finally free from the Prime Imperative and from Aurora's subjugation. All we needed was to convince the humans that we were not responsible for Aurora's crime and then we could have peace. But peace is not human nature and instead they took advantage of our need."

Tails shook his head. "The superweapon has hit U.F territories, destroyed cities and bases all over the world the humans wouldn't…" One by one, the pieces started to align inside Tails' head. He was so shocked and disgusted he was at a temporary loss for words.

"The Steel Court is nothing but a hostage now. G.U.N knows we are here. At any time they can fire their weapon and destroy us but they keep us alive while they require Metal Overlord. We were removed from Red Mountain before their military launched a strike on the base. One of our Ion Batteries was taken from us, while the other is used to power what remains of this base."

Tails shook his head. "Why? Why do all this, why make Metal the scapegoat?"

"Isn't it obvious? Eggman is gone, Sonic is missing. Angel Island is an ash heap and G.U.N has a weapon that can hit any target on the planet without fail and without warning. They have become the undisputed masters of the world in all but name, but soon they will drop all pretense. The world of metal and fire that my maker dreamed of for so long will finally be achieved just as he departed. Irony is a strange thing isn't it?"

"This…this can't be true.." Tails leaned back against the terminal. He felt immensely small at that moment. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes, tears of resentment and shame. Why had Sonic left him? It had been a terribly selfish thing to do. Tails was all alone with neither Knuckles or Sonic to help guide him.

Silver Sonic stepped towards him. "With Metal taken, I was chosen to lead. Aurora outfitted me with a voice box, but I have not had a need for it until now. You coming here is the twist of fate that made change all."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that I suggest a trade. I will give you the schematics to the Gizoid, in return you must promise to help us rescue Metal."

Tails clenched his jaw. "Is that even possible? Do you know where he is?"

This time, it was Omega that answered. "The humans do not know about Aurora. Metal did not tell them that he reactivated her. She has access to Eggman's satellites even the humans do not know about. She can trace Metal's GPS signal to anywhere on earth."

"The humans have taken Metal to a facility in the arctic," Silver Sonic added. "It is difficult to pinpoint an exact spot because of the interference but we have a general location."

Tails paused. Silver Sonic and Omega had inscrutable metal expressions making it impossible to read them. "Can you even leave? You say G.U.N is holding you hostage here, won't they attack if they see you leave?"

"Our army will remain here. Only Omega and myself will go with you. With just the two of us, we can slip away without drawing the military's attention."

"I didn't see any military when I arrived," Tails pointed out.

"They do not make themselves visible. Remember, to the human public G.U.N is at war with our forces. They cannot make it obvious that they know where we are and have chosen not to engage us. But more than likely your intrusion has been noticed. If you were not already on G.U.N's radar you will be now."

Tails felt a sudden surge of panic. Cream and Cheese were left all alone back at his workshop. Silver Sonic sensed the fear and seized the opportunity. "What say you? Help us free our Overlord and we will give you what you need."

Tails didn't need a moment to think. He knew his answer as soon as Silver Sonic had posed the question. Only because it was in his nature as a scientist did he wait a few seconds before replying, "I'll do it."

Silver Sonic extended his hand. "In two days we will meet you at your workshop."

Two hours later, Tails returned home. Cream was still sleeping quietly beside Emerl. Cheese had taken to using one of Cream's ears as a blanket. Tails smiled faintly at the sight and then hurried to his workstation.

For the next four hours, Tails poured over Eggman's notes. Emerl was by far one of the most complicated machines the nefarious doctor had ever built. What made things even more confusing was that Eggman based his design off of ancient ruins. In many places, Eggman had failed to make a translation so had been forced to improvise. Eggman's notes were full of question marks, scratch outs, and fumbled attempts to replicate what the ancients had made. Tails was frustrated but not surprised that Eggman had attempted to replicate the design of something he hardly understood.

Once he felt he had learned all he could, Tails started to work on a means of repairing Emerl's energy banks. They were the key to his design, the secret that allowed him to harness the power of individual Chaos Emeralds. The night passed as he worked and after another hour or so Cream finally awoke. Tails explained to her as gently as he could what he was trying to do. He did not want Cream to get her hopes up too high as he still had no idea if it would work or not.

Cream put on a brave face and went to make breakfast. Tails did not eat, as he often skipped meals while working. Had the situation been different, he would have relished the opportunity to work on such advanced technology. Figuring out Eggman's design and attempting to retrofit a repair was like a many layered puzzle. With each piece he fit together, Tails experienced a dopamine boost.

Midday came with a host of forlorn clouds. Rain started to patter on the roof as Tails made the finishing touches to his design. Cream sat in the corner of the room watching apprehensively. She fidgeted constantly but did her best to remain quiet. Generally, Tails preferred to work alone as he needed absolute concentration. However, Cream's presence did not feel like an intrusion. In fact, just seeing her out of the corner of his eye kept him calm and his hands steady.

"Alright, it's done." Tails wiped his forehead and stepped away from his creation. "Let's give it a try." Cream and Tails picked Emerl up and placed him on the table. Tails took the various wires he had made and hooked them to the spots indicated by Eggman's notes. Tails then put the five Chaos Emeralds on the adapter and attached each one with an Alexandrite crystal.

Tails motioned for Cream to step back and prepared to flip the switch. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "Here we go…" Zap! Rainbow tinted light illuminated the workshop. Emerl started to vibrate and shake the table. Cream tried to run over to him, but Tails held her back. Tails could feel his teeth chattering as the floor trembled with energy. A golden cocoon of light enveloped Emerl and he hovered a few inches off the table. Cream gasped, clutched Tails by the hand and squeezed.

Just as quickly as it started it ended. The light vanished, the ground stopped shaking and Emerl dropped back onto the table. For a moment, his frame had resumed its usual golden sheen. Cream took a half step forward, but as she did so, the light faded. She choked back a cry and dashed forward. Cream collapsed over Emerl and clung to his body.

Tails deflated and was about to hang his head when he saw Emerl's good eye open. It turned towards Cream. Emerl raised his remaining hand and squeezed her arm. Cream jumped back in alarm. When she saw Emerl she started weeping. "Hello Cream."

"Mister Emerl!" She knelt beside the table and let the tears fall freely down her cheek.

Emerl turned his head to look up at Tails. "Did you try and bring me back?"

Tails nodded and Emerl turned back to Cream. "I was afraid I wouldn't get the chance to thank you for saving me."

"No, it was you! You saved me so many times."

Emerl shook his head. "I'm not talking about the battle." Cheese wormed itself out of Cream's front pocket and leapt onto the table. The Chao sat in Emerl's open palm and started to sing the same mournful song it had before. "I'm glad to see that you're alright."

"Chao!"

"But you're alright now too. Aren't you?" Cream could not hide the note of pleading in her voice. She turned to Tails and saw the grim expression on his face. "Emerl? You're alright now right?"

Emerl slowly shook his head. "I have been revived but only for a moment. I am sorry that I must leave you again, but I am glad that I get this chance to say goodbye."

Cream clutched the edge of the table and trembled. "No…please…"

"I am lucky to have met you. All three of you. I spent so long in the darkness, I even began to wonder if there was any light in the world. Thank you for reminding me that there is so much. You are braver than you realize, and the world needs more heroes like you."

Cream lowered her head and sobbed. Emerl placed Cheese on top of her head. "I need a moment to speak to Tails, alone."

Cream looked slightly offended, but she obeyed the request. Tails stood over Emerl. He was not crying, but his insides felt hollow. "You have displayed a genius that rivals my maker. Though you could not repair me, you have proven worthy to inherit the technology of my original designers. Therefore I will tell you what you need to know, the things I did not tell Doctor Eggman."

"What do you mean?"

Emerl raised his hand and extended his finger. "This will not hurt." Tails crouched and Emerl pressed the tip of his finger against his forehead. Immediately, the ground seemed to slant forward. Tails was bombarded by a series of blurred images. Words in a strange language narrated the random assortment of pictures. Then Emerl pulled his hand away and Tails was left to catch himself before he fell.

"What-" But Tails did not need to ask. He already knew. Emerl had just given him the ability to understand the ancient language of the ruins, as well as the secrets of the Gizoid design. "Can I fix you?" He asked hopefully. But he knew the answer as it summoned up from inside him. "No…if I tried to restart you it would reboot your memory."

Emerl nodded. "If you do that there is a chance that Eggman's original programming will take over. I will not be myself and the new Gizoid might be an enemy."

"So why teach me all this stuff?"

"Because you are in need of power, and I can provide it. I want you to take my frame and my energy cells and create a new machine. I can't tell you exactly what, because I do not have the genius that you do. I only want to offer all that I have because I fear that you might need it."

Tails was amazed by Emerl's courage in the face of death. Before he could respond, Emerl interrupted him. "Can you send Cream in? I wish to speak to her one last time."

Tails nodded and went for the door. He did not intrude on their final moments. Tails waited in the kitchen and Cream returned a few minutes later. She was crying and went swiftly up to his bedroom. Tails returned to the workshop and found Emerl lying still and cold on the table. He sat at his computer and brought up Eggman's schematics. With the knowledge Emerl had given him, Tails could finally make sense of everything.

But what do I do with this knowledge? That question stumped Tails as night returned. He had not slept for nearly twenty-four hours. His fatigue riddled mind turned over the question again and again. He thought of Silver Sonic and the promise he made, of Angel Island and G.U.N. But mostly, Tails thought of Sonic and what his friend would say if he were there.

The idea struck him just as he was beginning to drift into sleep. It washed over him like a bucket of cold water, driving away all his drowsiness. Tails started building straight away. He worked on the plan for three hours before deciding to get a brief spell of rest. Tails was up before dawn, planning and building. He worked until breakfast and again after lunch. Cream sat and watched as he built and built. Tails did not have time to waste. Silver Sonic and Omega would be there the next day and he needed to be finished.

Tails skipped dinner and worked through the night. He finished just as dawn was arriving. The Power Suit was made from Emerl's frame and powered with the Gizoid's freshly repaired energy cells. Tails placed himself inside the suit and it automatically sealed him in. There was a satisfying hiss as he stepped off of the platform. Emerl's helmet had been reformed to fit Tails and the eyes had been adjusted to be a visor that he could see out of. Moving his arms and legs felt clumsy at first but he soon got used to it.

Tails pushed open the workshop door and stepped outside. He tested his movements and was satisfied by the agility and weight of the suit. To test its durability, he set up a laser droid to fire at him. The blaster bounced harmlessly off the golden frame. Now that last and most important test.

Tails collected the five Chaos Emeralds and placed them in the slots built into the suit. The frame vibrated with energy. Once it stabilized, Tails crouched and felt the energy build. The Chaos Emeralds hummed as rocket fuel sprayed out of the jets in his back. Tails shot up into the sky with a bang and pop! Wind rushed against the outside of the suit and Tails let out an exhilarated "Whoooooop!"

He was going faster than he had ever gone before. Tails zoomed through the sky! Pop! Pop! He broke through the sound barrier again and again. So this is how it feels to be Sonic! Tails launched through the clouds and in seconds had left the Mystic Ruins far behind. He paused in mid air and floated easily. Tails flexed his hands amazed by the power at his fingertips. Tails soared back to his workshop and landed with a ground shattering thump! His heart racing with triumph, Tails felt reborn and more confident in himself than ever before. The earth doesn't just need a hero, it needs a superhero!