The Last Freedom Fighter

by Campcrystallake11

The War is Over... Robotnik has won, and now a lone soldier... A relic of that war wanders the apocalyptic landscape struggling to protect the few Mobians that remain, while clinging to a past he can't let go of, fighting for a future that no longer exists. That is Until he's presented with the seemingly impossible opportunity to undo the events that led to the downfall of Mobius.

8. Touched By Death

Chapter 8: Touched by Death

The systematic dismantling of the bunker was well ahead of schedule. Ellie was satisfied with their progress at least, feeling they'd managed to get a lot done especially in the face of protests and just the general dissatisfaction directed towards her from many of her fellow bunker inhabitants. They'd been massive distractions for sure, but so far, most people appeared to be complying with their orders without raising too much of a stink. You didn't necessarily have to like reality, to accept that there was no way around it. Ellie was currently overseeing the boxing of all essential supplies from the kitchen facilities, aided by several volunteers she trusted. Unfortunately, they couldn't take along everything they might've wanted to bring with them, so items were prioritized by how essential they would be upon arrival at their new home. Food and preservatives mostly, with some cutlery included, cookware, and trays to eat on though the amount they'd be taking with them would be kept to a minimum. They couldn't take more than they could carry, nor could they take so much that the load might slow them down. Hurriedly moving from point to point was essential if they were going to survive this trip. While much of it would be traveled through the extensive underground tunnel system that the Resistance had built for a hasty retreat if Robotnik ever discovered the bunker's location, they'd still eventually be on the surface, out in the open and exposed for far longer than Ellie would care to be. Being slowed down by an overburdened wagon train would not be ideal.

"Alrighty folks, I think we've packed up everything we can reasonably carry with us, so whaddya say we load up the wagons and call it a day?"

"Belay that order ladies and gentlemen," demanded an accented voice that wasn't too dissimilar to that of Ellie's, only more pronounced. The rabbit cringed at the sound of the pompous racoon as he waddled into the kitchen area, flanked by his two cronies. A tall ram and a boar-like Mobian with small tusks protruding from his mouth. Ellie had her suspicions that this bumptious twit would pull something while her uncle was away.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up…" she said dismissively, refusing to look directly at him. She wasn't going to play in to his desperate desire to be viewed as important. "Look, some of us are actually tryin' to get some work done, so if you're not here to help, spare us your usual pot stirrin' and get the heck outta here!"

"My apologies little lady, but you can't order a gentleman around who doesn't recognize your authority. Just because Prower shows you preferential treatment, that doesn't mean the rest of us 'common folk' are keen on takin' orders from a mere child."

"I don't give a damn what you're 'keen' on you conceited gasbag! You have a problem with the way things are run around here then well… It's like Uncle Miles said, take it up with him… If he had a fireplace, I'm sure you'd make a nice rug to lay in front of it…"

"How vulgar… At least there's one thing he taught you well… A proper lady shouldn't speak that way, nor show such disrespect to her betters."

"Betters?" Ellie snorted, more amused than angry. This racoon certainly lived in his own little world where he'd completely self-aggrandized how respectable he was. "I give the same amount of respect that I'm given thank you very much… Though I'm not shocked at all that you'd be the type to tell a lady how she should speak. Your wife is one lucky woman…" Ellie grimaced, already having tired of the sight of this arrogant racoon. "Look Cooper, Miles already told you that anyone who doesn't want to join us on the journey to the new site is more than welcome to stay behind or strike out on their own."

"Oh, my family and associates have no intention of participatin' in your little death march. We're finished takin' orders for that sociopath of a fox and his ilk. We like it mighty fine right where we are, so I reckon this is where we'll stay."

"Suit yourself Cooper… But your condemnin' your family and your followers to death by doing so. What part of the soil and the water gettin' contaminated can't you understand?"

"All lies, pure and simple… Misinformation designed to keep us under his thumb. I don't buy for a second that some mysterious poison seeped into the soil when not a soul was lookin', not when the harvests were so bountiful not all that long ago. Perhaps your uncle just isn't as smart as he likes to make himself out to be?"

"He's forgotten more than you've been able to cram into that little peabrain of yours throughout your entire life… If you want to stay, it's your funeral. Just get out of our way, so we can do our jobs!" Ellie turned to the Mobians assisting her. "Okay guys, let's get these boxes down to the carts waitin' in the tunnels!"

"You still don't get it do you darlin?" Cooper snipped condescendingly, completely forgoing his usual polite debonair front. "You're not takin' those supplies anywhere… Everything is stayin' right here in the bunker where it belongs."

"They belong to everyone who lives down here you creep! You'll get your fair share of the rations just like everybody else! They won't last ya very long if you can't figure out another way to get your hands on food and water, but that's your bridge to cross now ain't it?"

"Oh, but I believe that you're missin' the big picture my dear… We weren't askin' your permission! We have no idea how long it may take us to fix whatever damage your uncle has inflicted upon our food supply. It's mighty likely we're gona need these supplies to get us through the next few months while we figure things out."

"If you think for a second that I'm gona letcha steal from the colony because you're too pig-headed to face reality, then you gotta 'nother thing coming!" Ellie sneered at the racoon with disdain. "You're pathetic… You've read too many hokey drama novels, if you think you can take over the bunker by force just because you were able to smooth talk a few desperate folks into buyin' into your bull… Keep on blabberin' all you want, but your eventually gona hafta accept that you're just an insignificant little man whose only as important as your imagination will allow you to be!"

"We'll see who's insignificant," Cooper growled, as he snapped his fingers. Immediately, the raccoon's two associates each grabbed Ellie by one of her arms and tried to hold her in place. The Mobians who'd been assisting Ellie all took a few steps backward in fear. None of them were fighters and had no idea what they could or even should do. "I was hopin' I wouldn't have to get rough young lady, but you and that mouth of yours haven't exactly left me much choice now, have you?" The look on the racoon's face hinted that he'd been hoping for the exact opposite of what he claimed.

Ellie didn't appear to be sweating her situation in the least. "You boys know it's rude to put your hands on a lady without her permission dontcha?"

"It's shameful I know, but these are desperate times. Of course, if you're willing to cooperate and acknowledge my…"

"Nah, that ain't happenin'." Ellie easily yanked her arms free from the pair serving as Cooper's 'muscle', catching them both off guard. The ram felt the bunny's wrath first, as a hard back kick sent Ellie's boot on a crash course with his testicles. The ram went down in a riving heap, while the stunned boar got an elbow in his sternum for taking his eye off the prize, quickly followed by a hard forearm that connected with his jaw and knocked his ass clear out before he even hit the ground. The ram had managed to stagger to his feet, only to get Ellie's other boot square in the face, putting him down for a nice little nap along with this partner.

Cooper, wide-eyed, otherwise came across as more annoyed than anything. "Well, if you need something done right, they say…" The racoon pulled a shank from his pocket and pointed it at Ellie's throat. Her eyes widened, not so much out of fear as surprise that someone would dare break the bunker's strict no weapons policy. "Nowwww… You see who's really in control here 'little girl'. Now be a dear and would you please…"

Ellie rolled her eyes before, faster than Cooper could react, punched the racoon right on the inside of the elbow, causing him to cry out in pain. He wouldn't doubt that his arm might be broken. He didn't know how it happened, but somehow, Ellie now had possession of his shank and was now pointing it directly at 'his' throat.

"You see… Uncle Miles doesn't put me in charge of the bunker because I'm such a pretty face…" That pretty face became hard. "I was bred for this…"

Ellie lifted her leg and gave Cooper a hard kick to his chest that sent him tumbling to the ground. "You know the conditions Cooper! You're welcome to stay in the bunker or leave and go somewhere else. Until then, stay the hell out of my way, and keep your grubby hands off of our supplies! Oh, and one more little thing… I fixed my communicator last night. Uncle Miles contacted me this morning, and said he'd be arrivin' home in a couple of hours… I'm sure he'd love to hear all about what you've been up too…"

The blistering comeback Cooper had been crafting in his head died before the words left his lips. He'd incorrectly assumed he'd still have a couple of days before Prower returned from his latest of many field trips. Despite all the bluster the racoon reveled in blowing when there were witnesses present, or whenever he believed he had adequate support from the bunker's population, he under no circumstances had the spine to go nose-to-nose with Miles Prower. He was ambitious yes, but that ambition didn't include a death wish. As to why he thought his attempts to usurp control over the bunker in Miles' absence while potentially harming Ellie in the process could possibly end in any way that wouldn't end horribly wrong for him was a mystery only Cooper could answer. More than likely, he was just so arrogant that he believed the majority of the bunker would side with him against the evil baron who ruled over them all.

"This isn't over yet little missy… This insult is one that I won't soon forget…"

"Good. Try anything stupid like this again, and I'll make double sure the ass whoopin' that follows will be something you'll definitely never forget! Now go!"

Mostly at the behest of his two cohorts, who no longer appeared to have any interest in causing more trouble for the obviously capable bunny, the trio staggered out of the kitchen area all favoring their various and newly acquired injuries. Ellie turned her attention back to the stunned audience that had watched the entire spectacle unfold. "Sorry about the interruption fellas! It's crazy how rude some people can be, ain't it?"

Storming through the halls of the bunker, the often painted on visage of a charming and condescendingly friendly racoon had completely melted away. "That pampered little brat! She has no clue of the hornet's nest she stirred up if she thinks she can humiliate me and not suffer the consequences… She'd best watch her back otherwise I'll…"

"Otherwise, you'll what?"

The deep voice stopped all three Mobians in their tracks. They turned around slowly, as if they expected the devil himself to be looming over them… Because for them, Miles Prower might as well have been. The fox had returned to his den. Miles didn't know any of their names, and only vaguely recognized the racoon's face because he'd been a very vocal troublemaker as of late. In his line of work, Miles had decided he was better off leaving trivial details like faces and names at the periphery of his vision and locked away in the deepest recesses of his mind. "You causing trouble again?"

"No, no, no, sir! Nothing like that Mr. Prower sir!... Just a little disagreement amongst friends you see… You know how it is, you get all worked up and then you say some things you don't necessarily mean…"

"I take all threats seriously. It's my job…" Miles narrowed his eye at the racoon, who feared he just might be crushed under the weight of that glare. "You three get back to your quarters and you'd better stay where I can find you. Depending on Ellie's report, I may be stopping by to have a little 'chat' with the three of you."

Miles proceeded to forget the three suspicious characters even existed as he made his way towards the kitchen sector of the bunker. Sure enough, he found Ellie there doing exactly what he'd expect from her, taking care of business. The young rabbit noticed him immediately and called out to him with a little wave before approaching. Miles noticed, though otherwise paid little attention too, that several of the faceless blobs who were assisting Ellie seemed to stiffen upon noticing his arrival, a couple even making vain attempts to hide themselves, or at the very least go unnoticed.

"Uncle Miles! You're back sooner than expected!"

"I had to learn to be quick in order to keep up with a certain hedgehog when I was younger… Good work with fixing your communicator by the way. It's good to see those mechanical skills of yours haven't gone to waste. How have things been moving along with packing up the bunker? No issues I take it?"

"Nope, we're right on schedule!" Ellie responded cheerfully, still blushing faintly from her uncle's praise. "In fact, once we get these here boxes loaded up onto the carts, we should be set and ready to go whenever you say the word! Other than everybody's personal effects of course…"

"Excellent, I wouldn't expect anything less from you… On a sidenote though…. Nobody gave you any trouble while I was gone did they?"

"Well… The packing process went smoothly enough… There were quite a few complaints, and a lot of folks just plain worried over what's going to become of us in the future but… It's been mostly just talk. Nuthin' I couldn't handle!"

"I have no doubt… But that wasn't the question I asked. Nobody gave you a hard time or tried to threaten you? Like maybe those three clowns I just saw limping away from the kitchen. That guy with the horns was wobbling like somebody just ground his coin purse into dust."

Ellie couldn't help but chuckle at her uncle's bluntness. In return, the sound of Ellie's titter brought a smirk to Miles' face that he couldn't have fought off if he tried. "Oh, that's right… Cooper and his goons... I… Might've had just a small run in with 'em. Cooper really doesn't seem to like the way things are run around here so him and his cronies have decided they're gona stay behind in the bunker once we leave and somehow thought that meant he was entitled to keepin' all the bunker's rations for himself. I had no choice but to try and convince him he was wrong."

"So that's why he was cursing your name," Miles snorted. "Good on you for handling the situation, but I did overhear him directly threaten you though, so I do plan on having a little chat with that fool before he decides to make a bigger ass of himself than he already has..."

"Awe, I don't think that's necessary Uncle Miles… I'm not sweatin' that slimy little windbag. He even tried to use this on me, for all the good it did 'em."

Ellie showed Miles the shank Cooper had created, and that might've been a mistake. Miles snatched it from her hand and glared at it as if it had just insulted his mother. "He pulled a weapon on you! When I get my hands on him…"

"Now, now, there's no need to do anything drastic!" Ellie begged off nervously. She felt she'd already gotten her point across that she wasn't going to be a pushover, so she didn't want the fox seeking out any further retribution. "I already took care of it, so Cooper should think twice before he tries messin' with me again! I confiscated his little toy and used it against him anyhow."

Ellie's quick thinking appeared to work, as Miles no longer wore a look of a man about to commit murder. "I suppose you did… He's lucky he decided to stay behind in the bunker of his own volition… If he thinks he'd be welcomed to accompany us after all the shit he's pulled, then he really has lost touch with reality."

"For the final time Uncle Miles, I can handle Cooper…" From Ellie's perspective, it was time for a strategic change of topic. "So, how did your mission go?"

Miles responded by removing the red emerald from a compartment on his belt and showing it off to the teen. Ellie marveled at the glowing gemstone. "Four down… Three more to go… And then, just maybe, all this hiding underground nonsense can be put behind us."

Ellie was a bit confused by what her uncle meant by that, but chose to ignore it for now… There was another issue that was a bit more important to her personally than the fancy gemstone. "And St. John…"

"Won't be hurting anybody else… His days of outrunning justice are over… If it gives you any piece of mind at all, Nicole seems to believe that St. John was legitimately remorseful over killing your father on top of siding with Robotnik."

"Funny… Hearin' that doesn't make me feel better at all… Then again, I also thought I'd feel happier knowin' he was dead… Honestly, I don't really feel anything at all."

"Which is exactly why I couldn't allow you to go after St. John yourself... Vengeance for the sake of vengeance never brings you the closure or satisfaction you think it should… The bitterness never goes away, nor does that hole in your chest ever seem to get filled… Enough about that messy business though. I'd like to get a full report on everything I missed while I was away…" Miles' request was quickly followed up by a rumble originating from his stomach.

"No problem!" Ellie smiled slyly. "Though over lunch I take it?" Miles grunted and gave a nod. "Perfect, I could use a bite myself! Alright guys, why don't you finish up movin' these boxes down into the tunnels and load them onto the carts? Take a break after, and we'll reconvene once we know for sure what the plan is!"

Nobody argued, as her helpers hastily got to work moving the remaining cargo. Miles couldn't help but wonder if they were so eager to comply because it got them out of the room that had 'him' in it. Not that he faulted them, mind you. This was the reputation he intentionally cultivated for himself.

Miles hadn't eaten since he left for the chemical plant a couple of days prior. In all honesty, eating wasn't much of a priority for him these days. He looked at food the same way he did sleep or using the bathroom… Necessary maintenance required to keep his body running at maximum capacity. He ate because he had too, and quite frankly if he could skip his daily meal, he'd do it if it got him back to work faster. His stomach would only allow him to neglect it for so long before raising a fuss, so he forced a small meal of salad and nuts down his throat, while his protégé gave her report. It was quite detailed and thorough, running through what supplies had been deemed essential, what had to be left behind, how much Mobian power they'd require to move everything, and how many individual Mobians would be joining them on the trip to the new site. Somewhere during their conversation, they'd run out of work topics to discuss and the questions began to get more personal. Even Miles couldn't help but scratch a particular itch that had been bugging him concerning Ellie's personal life.

"So… Whose, this young fennec I've noticed you've been hanging around with a lot lately?"

"Who?" Ellie feigned ignorance, a light dusting of pink forming across her muzzle. She knew where he was going with this, and the young rabbit didn't like it. "Oh, you must be talkin' about Dusty… Yeah, he's kind of a friend, I guess… A dependable sort, and one of the few people around here I can count on to pitch in and help out without raisin' a fuss…"

"Just a friend huh?" Miles couldn't help but tease, while secretly probing for any reason why he may need to keep an eye on this particular boy. "You sure it's nothing more than that?"

"Nope, nuthin' like that at all," she replied with sincere honesty. A friend was all she viewed him as. "He's a little old for me for one… Plus, I don't have time for all that romance nonsense. We're tryin' to keep people alive down here… I just don't have any interest in anything like that at this point in my life."

"That's… Quite responsible of you Ellie," Miles admitted, with a hint of pride. "I just wish we could've given you a world to live in where all you had to worry about was all the normal garbage teenage girls should have to worry about."

"Meh, I don't even know what normal teenaged nonsense would be, so I'm not missin' anything. Besides, even if I was interested, there ain't too many boys my own age runnin' around down here… Kinda feels like if there was someone out there meant for me, he probably never got the chance to be born…" Ellie philosophized whimsically, before asking innocently, "What about you Uncle Miles?… Have you… You know, ever been in love…"

The question hit Miles in the face like a right hook to the jaw. His hand immediately clenched onto the chain he wore around his neck, which Ellie couldn't help but take notice of, as she waited on his response. Her eyes widened, knowing full-well who that necklace he was wearing once belonged to… "Wait… You mean you guys were…"

Miles wasn't hearing the girl across the table from him anymore. His mind had taken another side-trip down memory lane. This one dating back to just a few short years ago.

---

Several Years Prior:

Deep into the wee hours of the night, Miles Prower was trying to sneak out of the Freedom Stormer under the cover of darkness. He hated sneaking around behind the backs of his friends like this, but he knew if one of them caught him, they'd try to stop him from taking off by himself… Or even worse in his mind, insist on going with him. Miles wanted to avoid the latter scenario at any cost. This was too dangerous of a mission, and he downright refused to risk anyone's neck to complete it other than his own….

During the briefing for this mission earlier that evening, the plan was for a team of four to leave first thing in the morning, but that was just a smokescreen on Miles' part. He'd lost too many friends, seen too many allies die to risk losing anybody else over a mission he felt confident he could handle himself. So, with a heavy heart weighed down by guilt and responsibility, he adjusted his hat and briefly acknowledged the newest accessory to his ensemble. Whisper's mask which hung loosely around his neck… He didn't quite feel worthy of wearing it just yet.

Unfortunately for Miles, there was somebody else in the Freedom Stormer who'd known him far too well, so she knew exactly what he was planning to do. That's why she lied in wait for him until the moment he tried to sneak out the back exit of the concealed vehicle. Miles barely got one foot out of the door before he was pulled back inside by a bushy two-toned grey tail that could stretch far longer than you'd think it had any business doing. Miles gulped before he slowly turned around to face the music in the form of a very irate looking Tangle, an unsettling sight indeed considering this type of expression just didn't look natural on the lemur's face. Even now, during these darkest days of the Resistance, she remained mostly upbeat and smiling. Her boundless optimism and positivity were both things that the battered and bruised militia needed during these trying times, so much so that sometimes the people closest to her could tell that the act sometimes felt forced… Like she was aware that the team relied on her to lift their spirits, thus prompting Tangle to keep her pain and anguish locked up inside. Miles didn't believe for a second that she'd gotten over Whisper's death in the span of a couple of weeks. It left both Miles and Nicole concerned that Tangle wasn't processing her grief in a healthy manner.

"I knew it! I knew you were going to try and sneak off alone when you thought nobody was looking! You promised you wouldn't do stuff like this anymore!"

"That's not technically true… I promised I wouldn't sneak off anymore without letting anyone know where I was going… I made it pretty clear during the briefing where I planned to be…"

"What's the difference?! Just because you worded your intentions slightly different, hoping none of us would notice, doesn't make you any less of a liar! We were all supposed to do this together… As a team!" Tangle emphasized her point by jabbing her index finger into the fox's chest. "Is this really what it's come down to now?! Do you have that little faith in the rest of us?!"

"Of course not! What would give you that idea?! I just… I…"

"I-I-I what?! And it better be a damn good answer, because I'm getting tired of being treated like I'm going to break like some porcelain doll! I've stood by your side for over twenty years now, so you'd think that would mean something to you… Instead, it feels like you don't even trust in me at all anymore…"

Miles had no idea how she'd gotten so good at it, but Tangle knew how to punch him directly in the heart. The moisture beginning to form around her eyes certainly didn't help. "Of course it means something to me Tangle… And I trust you as much as I do anybody, you know that… It's just… I… I don't want to lose anybody else! I've seen too much death already… If I took the entire team with me like we planned and we fail, it would practically wipe out what's left of the Resistance!"

"Then at least we'd go out together! Like the team we're supposed to be… Weren't the Freedom Fighters built on the foundation of trust and looking out for one another?! That's what you always used to tell us anyhow… It's what we believed in when we were young, and it's a mantra I still believe in, even after all the crap we've been through… Maybe you've stopped believing in it, but I haven't…"

"Tangle look… I can't risk all of you. If we all died in Robotropolis, who'd be left to look after Ellie and the other residents of the bunker? That's always been the hardest part, with the burden of leadership and all… Having to make near impossible decisions like this, making sure I'm looking at the big picture, rather than just winging it in the moment. Faced with the choice of risking all of our lives or just mine… The decision wasn't a hard one to make…"

Tangle regarded the fox, unsure of how to receive his explanation. She was still angry, and though Tails was making some sense, the lemur wasn't thinking logically at that exact moment. She was thinking with her heart. "Whisper's… Loss really was the last straw for you, wasn't it?"

"There's been a lot of last straws for me… I'm running out of people to mourn…" Miles couldn't help but notice Tangle's eyes lingering on the mask dangling from his neck. "Does it bother you?... That I'm wearing this?"

"Not at all," Tangle responded with a somber smile. "I always thought your collection was a sweet way of remembering the people we've lost… Whisper would've been honored that you chose to add her mask to your little uniform… You meant a lot to her too you know..."

"And I led her straight to her grave just like so many others…"

"Okay, it's that crap right there that needs to stop! You can't keep blaming yourself for every little thing that's gone wrong before and since you took over! Without you, none of us would've lasted this long…"

"I really wish I could believe that…"

"You should, that's how the rest of us see you… Sonic and Sally would've been so proud of what you've been able to accomplish!" Some of Tangle's trademark bubbliness started to seep through, though she wasn't exactly without concern. "So, I'm guessing there's no possible way I can talk you out of taking on this mission by yourself then?..."

"Yes… I believe going solo is for the best…"

"And there's nothing I can do to convince you to let me go with you is there?"

"I'm sorry… I can't risk you too… If something happens to me…. "

"Can… You at least wait until morning before you leave?" she asked, almost in a whisper, a sense of desperation in her voice. Before Miles could venture a guess as to why, he felt Tangles tail wrap around him and pull the fox uncomfortably close to the lemur… Well, it might've been comfortably close under any other circumstance.

"Why do you want me too…" Miles paused noticing Tangle clutching the pendant around her neck, as she tightened her tail's grip around him.

"Stay with me tonight Tails…" Tangle looked into the vulpine's azure-blue eyes as they went wide. "I don't even care if I wake up and you're gone… Just… Stay with me tonight. We both know too well by now that there's no way of knowing when one of us might not come back from one of these missions…. I don't want to have any regrets."

"Tangle I…" There was a part of him, oh Chaos was there a part of him that would love to take her up on that offer… And it wasn't just the part of him physically reacting to just how close the two of them currently were, or how warm her body felt against his, wrapped up possessively by her tail, their faces so dangerously close that all hell could break loose at any second…. But Miles just couldn't allow that to happen. "I… Just can't…"

"And why the hell not Tails?! I've seen that exact same look in your eyes before... You want this just as much as I do, but you've been pushing me away for months! Years even!"

"Because that's the way it has to be," Miles deflated, sagging his shoulders as if shamed by the words coming out of his mouth. "I have a responsibility to everyone that's still a part of the Resistance… That lives in the bunker… I can't allow myself to get distracted by… My own personal desires."

"That's your excuse?!… You're just hiding behind…"

Tangle got interrupted rather abruptly. Miles wasn't done. "I can't risk getting too close and then losing you too Tangle… That would completely break me, so I can't put myself in a position where that could happen. And believe me, getting close to me is a good way to get yourself killed. It's like I'm a terminal disease anyone can catch if they get too close." Reluctantly, and a bit ironically, Miles managed to untangle himself from the lemur who was no longer bothering to try to keep him restrained. She looked so… Defeated, that it nearly tore the vulpine's heart in half. "I should get going… I really am sorry Tangle…"

Miles quickly exited the Freedom Stormer before he could change his mind. Tangle was left standing there, still clutching at the pendant around her neck, and from his perspective, for one of the few times in her life, she was radiating absolutely no sunshine.

Tails absolutely hated having to reject her, playing the scene repeatedly in his head as he sped towards Robotropolis. His decision proved to be for the best… Within a matter of months, Tangle would no longer be with them. That never fixed one nagging little fact that would haunt him for the rest of his days after turning her away that night.

Never had he regretted a decision so much in his life.

---

Back in the present, a gloved hand was clutching a familiar pendant. He had to shake his head clear in order to pry himself out of the memory and bring himself back into the conversation. Ellie assumed he wouldn't bother answering her and wasn't about to pry any deeper than she already had, yet to her surprise, the two-tailed fox provided her with the information voluntarily. "I… Was close once… But I couldn't allow it to happen. I just had too many responsibilities at the time, and the Freedom Fighters were in such bad shape… Plus, I'd seen what happens when things go bad… What Sally went through after Sonic died, and how it changed her… What your mother went through after your father was killed… With our people dropping like flies, I just didn't want to risk putting myself through that… And even more importantly, I didn't want to put anyone else through that either… Especially not her. If there's one thing I've learned from nearly four decades of this war Ellie, it's that the people I get close to tend to wind up dead."

"Couldn't you basically say the same thing for every other member of the Freedom Fighters though?" Ellie asked, causing the fox's eye to widen slightly, surprised by her observation. "Doesn't it feel more like a coincidence that you just happened to be close with most of the folks at the head of the Resistance… Heck, by your logic, I could be just as much to blame for everyone we knew being dead as you are. It's nobody's fault Uncle Miles… Nobody's but Robotnik and his damn war…"

"You're aware I was born on the day Robotnik launched his coup, right?" Now it was Ellie's turn to go wide-eyed. "A two-tailed fox born on the day the most demented man in our planet's history takes over Mobotropolis. Some people would consider that a bad omen, or that I'm cursed. My parents sure did, it's one of the reasons I was left in a swamp to die… And maybe they were right. Maybe I am cursed with the touch of death and everyone that gets too close to me is doomed to die…"

"Hey, I'm still kickin', aren't I? I guess it's a good thing I don't believe in all that curse or hex mumbo-jumbo. I think the only thing you've really been cursed with is bein' the one who had to live long enough to be the last Freedom Fighter standing…"

Miles sat there in awe of the girl for a moment, mulling over words far too wise to have been said by a girl her age. "You speak strangely philosophical for someone your age. Most fifteen-year-olds don't think that way."

"Guess you rubbed off on me in more ways than ya think," Ellie giggled, though her smile quickly faded from her face. "I reckon that's where I get my lack of interest in any kind of love life then… Just too focused on everything else I have to do…" Ellie paused, recalling what her uncle had let slip earlier. "But you said you wouldn't allow yourself to fall in love… Does that mean you were at least interested?"

Miles wasn't sure how to respond to that. The answer was far too complicated for even him to comprehend. "Ellie… Fighting back that feeling… Was one of the hardest things I ever had to do in my life. Especially knowing I was hurting the last person in the world I'd ever want to hurt by acting that way."

"So, Aunt Tan… I mean, she felt the same way then?" Ellie almost used her name but stopped herself. Miles didn't usually open up to her like this anymore so she didn't want to derail the conversation by saying anything that might upset him. Hearing 'her' name could easily be one of those triggers that turned him back into a cranky mute.

To Ellie's surprise, Miles actually laughed, a small smile forming across his muzzle. It seemed as if talking about 'her' instead brought some of the old Tails out of the Wanderer. "She wasn't exactly the type of person who was afraid to be blunt with how she felt about people… And even as dense as I could be when it came to girls, even I couldn't ignore those signs… Subtlety wasn't her thing. The only confusing thing about it that made me ever question her intentions was that she batted for both teams… One of the reasons I had to fight so damn hard to deny those bubbling feelings was because she was just so damn persistent… It didn't help that she'd been one of my closest friends ever since we were teenagers… I made the right choice though… It wouldn't be long before she was gone too, and if we had taken that next step well… You think I'm a hard ass now, could you imagine if I lost somebody that I…" Miles paused and frowned. This conversation was getting way too personal, and it was time to change the subject. "Anyway, there's something I wanted to give you Ellie… Something I think you've earned after all the hard work you've put in as of late. Heck, with me gone so often, you practically run the bunker yourself!"

"What is it?" Ellie asked, intrigued. She watched in confusion as the fox smiled and stood up from the table. She observed as Miles took the cowboy hat off his head… And planted it right on top of Ellies.

"Ma… Mama's hat?" Ellie blushed as the brim fell over her eyes compelling the rabbit to force the hat back up with her ears. She removed the well-traveled Stetson from her head and her eyes immediately went to the name 'Bunnie' scribbled in black ink on the inside.

"I was always just keeping it warm for you until you finally grew into it… I think it's high time I passed it on to you."

"T… Thank you…" Slightly teary eyed, Ellie placed the hat back on her head, only for it to slide over her eyes once again. "Still a touch too big though…"

"Well, I could always take it back if you don't…"

Ellie's hand flew up to the old cowboy hat protectively. "No, it's fine really! I just need to get used to it that's all…" Ellie maneuvered her ears until they inserted comfortably through the little ear slits cut into the top of the hat, and that seemed to be enough to prevent the headwear from blinding her. "There, much better." Ellie looked up at her uncle and smiled.

She had never looked more like her mother than she did at that very moment. Give her a couple of robotic limbs and a little too much eye makeup and she'd be a dead ringer. "It looks good on you kid…"

This had probably been the most normal and productive conversation the two had had in months, and Ellie loved every second of it. Too bad it had to come to a screeching halt when the bunker's security alarms began to blare, flooding the bunker with their ear-piercing screech. Miles' expression intensified as swirling lights began to strobe, and the voices of panicked Mobians throughout the bunker reached his sensitive ears.

"Uncle Miles… What's goin' on?"

"I don't know yet… But it can't be anything good… Ellie, I want you to get down to the tunnels and prepare for evacuation of the bunker if necessary. Inform anyone you bump into along the way to do the same!"

"Yes sir! I'll get right on it!" Ever dutiful, Ellie sprinted out of the dining area without looking back, leaving Miles standing there alone. Miles put his finger up to his ear to speak with the one person who might have some answers for him.

"Nicole, any idea as to what just set off the security system?"

"That would be me Miles… We have a major situation brewing… My sensors have picked up a large force of badniks within two miles of the bunker…. And yes, they seem to be heading directly towards our location!"

"How large of a force are we talking about here?..."

Nicole hesitated for but a moment. "Well over a hundred so far... With dozens more blipping onto my radar every second…"

The eye of the fox went wide before the scowl followed. "An invasion force… It can't be a coincidence… They've found our location! But how?! We weren't being tailed after leaving the chemical plant, were we?"

"Negative. My sensors would've picked up on any Robotnik tech if there had been any within range to follow us… Unless Robotnik's developed some sort of dampener that can interfere with my sensors, but if he has, I'd assume he'd have used it to conceal this pending attack rather than giving us ample warning to act."

"I guess we'll have to worry about the how later… Right now, we need to focus on getting everyone down into the tunnels and out of the bunker before they level the place!"

"They would almost certainly pursue us through the tunnels though. Those people will be completely exposed and vulnerable down there."

"I know… That's why I'm staying behind to cover their escape… Buy enough time for Ellie to get the train moving, and make sure there's no bot left standing to go in after them."

"Miles… This is a small army of deadly robots we're talking about here… Even for you that's going to be a tall order."

"There's no other choice… Robotnik following us to Site B is not an option! I won't completely abandon these people… Not when they need me the most!"

For the next hour, every precious minute was spent trying to get all the residents of the bunker organized and safely down into the tunnels for the evacuation. Amazingly, there were still some stragglers who either weren't taking the deafening sirens seriously, and others who were wasting time just downright being defiant, like that irritating racoon who'd been giving Ellie problems while Miles was gone. Why that clown could never just follow directions without posturing first like he wasn't going to eventually crumble the second things got dicey, Miles just couldn't understand… Had to put on a show for his handful of followers, Miles assumed, so they'd have a reason to buy into his bullshit. If the man's wife and kids hadn't been watching, the irritated fox might've just put a blaster round between his eyes and cut their losses before this guy's idiocy got somebody else killed. Instead, he settled for just sticking his blaster in the moron's face to finally convince him to get moving.

"Come on people, get your butts in gear! This isn't a false alarm! Robotnik's on our doorstep, and I don't think he plans on knocking when he gets here!" Miles waved forward a pair of confused and scared looking Mobians, encouraging them to move faster towards the stairwell that led down to the sub-most level of the bunker. Once those two were safely further below ground, Miles scanned the area for any stragglers.

And that's when the first explosion rocked the bunker. Miles legs wobbled as the ground shook, chunks of dirt and rock drizzling down from above him. Two more explosions followed in quick succession from elsewhere in the complex. There was little doubt about it now… Robotnik's invasion force had arrived. The location of the bunker had clearly been compromised. Miles prepared himself to face off with any hunk of tin that got too close to the only entrance into the tunnels but soon noticed a female squirrel slowly running towards him. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me…"

Before Miles could call out to her, the cavern wall next to the squirrel burst open, knocking her to the ground. A Swatbot emerged, its retinal scanners immediately taking notice of the downed Mobian. "Rodent detected… Objective, eliminate all organic life in facility."

Before the poor squirrel could scream, several blaster shots ripped through the bot's chassis, knocking it backwards. The next thing the squirrel saw was a large orange fox leaping in front of her and smashing the robot's head in with his fist. Miles stood over the badnik to make sure it was out of commission before turning his attention to his fellow Mobian. He offered her his hand to help her back to her feet. "Come on now, let's get you below ground…"

"Thank you, thank you…" she whimpered, but as she stood up, they could both hear the sounds of drilling burrowing through the cavern walls. Miles' brow furrowed at the sight of a pair of grounder units beginning to emerge from their freshly dug holes.

"Go! Get down into the tunnels now!" The squirrel didn't have to be told again, and she raced towards the stairwell. The second the pair of grounder units got their bearings straight, they both received blaster shots straight through their heads, disabling them instantly. Searching for any other immediate threats, Miles found some as blaster fire began raining in from the opposite direction. One shot managed to graze his right arm, and with a wince, he shook off the pain and took evasive action to avoid the incoming fire that was beginning to increase in intensity all around him from a small group of half a dozen Swatbots. While he didn't want to stray too far from the stairwell he was determined to guard with his life, he did need to retreat to an area with better cover.

"Nicole, any insight as to what the hell we're dealing with here?!"

"Not anything overly helpful I'm afraid… The bunker is so infested with badniks that I'm having a difficult time distinguishing between individual units and large groups that have bunched together. I can only really differentiate the bots within our immediate vicinity."

"Well, that's better than nothing at least…" Miles conversation with Nicole was interrupted by the crackling of his communicator.

"Uncle Miles! What in the world is goin' on?! It sounds like all hell is breakin' loose up there!"

"Because it is Ellie… We're under heavy attack from Robotnik. Now tell me quickly, as far as you can tell, are most of the bunker residents down in the tunnel area and accounted for?"

"Yeah, I think so… There are a few folks I haven't noticed yet but…"

"Then I'm afraid they're out of luck. Everyone has had plenty of time to evacuate, so anyone who's failed to show, we'll have to assume has either deserted or… The worst has happened during the attack." Miles heard Ellie gasp over the com but didn't have anything more to add. "Ellie… I need you to listen closely and obey every order I relay without question, understood?"

"Well, that doesn't sound ominous at all…"

"I'm deadly serious here Ellie! I need you to get everyone organized, gather all the supplies you can carry without overburdening yourselves and man the wagons as quickly as possible… As soon as everyone is ready, I want you to immediately retreat towards Site B and move as quickly as possible. We can't take the chance of any of Robotnik's trashcans sneaking past me and reaching your position!"

"What?! But… What about you?"

"Somebody needs to cover your escape, and I'm perfectly capable of catching up with you later. I can't leave until every bot Robotnik's sent down here has been scrapped. 'Nothing' can be allowed to follow us into those tunnels…" Miles brief reprieve was over. One of the Swatbots pursuing him rounded the corner and began firing at him. Miles rolled out of the way as several shots connected with the rocky surface his head had just been resting upon a second before. "Now, if you don't mind Ellie… I really need to concentrate here before I get the other half of my face blown off!"

Miles cut off the communication as he continued to weave out of the way of blaster fire from what was now two Swatbots. Apparently the jerk that had snuck up on him had seemingly phoned a friend. Miles raced down a narrow passage and into a large more cavernous area that served as a sort of buffer between the main sector of the bunker that was heavily developed, and the backend that led to the sublevel and the tunnels which still resembled the Mobian-made underground cave that it was. Miles grimaced as he could hear the sounds of badniks in the main complex wrecking everything in sight, alongside the occasional scream of fear or agony.

The fox-hunting robots entered the cavern seconds later, only to find a fully charged arm cannon pointed in their direction. "We don't take kindly to trespassers around here…" Miles then positioned his cannon and fired.

Back at the other end of the passage, the other four members of the small robotic squadron had gathered near its mouth, ready to join their squad mates on the hunt for target alpha… Before the hunt was interrupted as the bot closest to the passage witnessed the image of its comrades speeding towards it in the wrong direction. Their carcass's crashed into it, leading to the Swatbot getting caught up in the momentum of the collision and sending it flying into the cave wall behind it, falling to pieces due to the force of the crash. It's two comrades crumbled in heaps in front of what was left of Bot #3, a large smoking hole in the middle of each of their torso's.

Swatbot #4 regarded its fallen brethren only briefly before turning its attention back to the narrow tunnel, only to find a glowing orange ball barreling towards it, smashing into its chest violently enough to knock the bot off its feet. By the time Bot #4 cleared the cobwebs out of its processors enough to notice the large Mobian fox standing atop its chest, the vulpine had already fired half a dozen blaster rounds into Bot #5, who'd been standing next to them, the fox glaring as the badnik teetered as if the force from the fox's stare alone forced it to fall to the ground where it ceased moving. Miles then aimed his blaster at the downed bot's head and fired two more shots, blowing the head casing to bits, effectively ceasing its functionality.

"Okay that's five… Wasn't there supposed to be one more…" Miles grunted in surprise and pain as he was seized by the throat. He'd completely lost track of Bot #6, who'd been concealed within the shadows of the darkened cavern. With an annoyed scowl, Miles clamped his mechanical hand around the bot's wrist, and proceeded to crush the inferior steel, effectively severing its hand from its arm and releasing the fox from its grip. Now annoyed, the fox ripped the rest of the bot's arm clean off before punching the swat bot repeatedly in the face until the head dislodged from its torso.

Still slightly panting after getting choked, Miles gently placed his fingers to his neck knowing he was likely destined for some bruising there, though he wouldn't have much time to dwell on it. "Miles! There's a group of Buzz Bomber's incoming!"

"Buzz Bombers?! Below ground?"

"Hey, I'm just relaying to you what my sensors are picking up! I'm not the one who sent them down here."

Miles growled in agitation as the telltale sound of buzzing hit his ears, getting closer and closer. Even without much of an arial advantage in the tight caverns, with their ability to rapid fire laser blasts from their stingers, which had a tendency to ricochet wildly, those bots that were typically cannon fodder might prove at least an irritant if not dangerous. "I can't deal with this right now…" Miles' fur gradually turned a soft golden color as he powered up, ready to pounce as the burdensome insect bots began to buzz into the cavern.

"Miles, you shouldn't risk using up your chaos energy on…" Nicole's concerns fell on a deaf ear as Miles spun into a ball and propelled himself upward at the flying swarm. Miles' ping-ponged back and forth, off the ceiling and from wall to wall as he sliced through the horde of buzzing pests with ease. His feet touched the ground before the carcass of the last Buzz Bomber quickly followed.

"Well then… Overkill it is."

"Hey, if this isn't the time to use the power Chaos granted me, then I have no idea when that'll be..."

"Point taken…" Nicole let out a sudden gasp. "Looks like you're going to get quite the workout… Something big is headed this way, just outside the outer wall there. Several big automatons actually."

"What class are they exactly?"

"I'm uncertain… There's nothing in my files on Robotnik's creations that remotely matches the signature my censors are picking up… It must be something new Robotnik has cooked up…"

That something introduced itself by bursting through the cavern wall, it's beady glassy eyes immediately falling upon the wide-eyed fox as if it had known the vulpine would be waiting to greet it on the other side. It was a large scorpion-based badnik roughly three times the size of the two-tail, by weight and width at least. Height-wise the machine only reached up to Miles' shoulders, all except its gleaming metallic stinger which towered above all. "Something new indeed… What the hell is it with Robotnik and his fetish with insects?"

"Technically, scorpions are arachnids Miles…"

Miles frowned, not that Nicole could see it. "Did you seriously just biology-check me in the middle of a battle?"

"Oh, like you haven't done similar a thousand times before!"

The badnik began its attack by striking at the fox with its stinger, forcing him to leap out of its reach. The arachnid retracted its tail like a chain attached to a conveyor belt before attempting to strike again. Miles hopped out of the way once more before opening fire on the scorpion with his blaster… Only for his shots to bounce off the machine's glistening coat of refined steel, forcing the fox to dodge a couple of ricocheting blaster rounds in addition to the stinger as the badnik attempted to strike him repeatedly in rapid succession. While on the defensive, Miles used his artificial eye to scan the badnik, which simultaneously allowed Nicole to make use of her AI brain to instantly analyze the data while Miles focused on staying alive. "The badnik's steel coating is as strong as any metal I've seen Robotnik utilize in a long time… I'm not even sure if your cannon would do much more than slightly inconvenience it."

"Anything tangible about this thing you can share that might help me fight it? Other than the fact that I'm almost one hundred percent certain I don't want that stinger to touch me!" It almost did just that, as the steel tip of the stinger struck the cavern floor.

"Yes… There's two weak points you may be able to exploit… The stinger itself doesn't appear to be reenforced at its base so it can fire and retract its tip with greater efficiency, and oddly enough, its head doesn't appear to be coated with the same grade of steel as the rest of its body."

"That… Sounds almost too convenient…"

"Knowing Robotnik, it undoubtedly is… Miles, behind you!"

Under cover of the chaos caused by the appearance of the scorpion badnik, a second appeared directly behind Miles and fired its own stinger towards the base of the fox's neck. Miles twirled out of the way in the nick of time, causing the stinger of the second scorpion badnik to pierce the armor of the first. An electric charged surged through the robot, frying every circuit in the arachnabot's body to a crisp. The badnik's gears let out a defeated whine as it collapsed lifelessly into a smoking charred husk, leaving Miles staring at the carcass wide-eyed and dumbfounded.

"Yeah… Definitely don't want to get stung by one of those things." Miles readied his blaster and aimed it directly at his new challenger's head. "Well here goes nothing…"

Miles fired, his aim true and destined to land directly between the robot's eyes… Only for a shield-like structure to appear around the scorpion's cranium and deflect Miles shot right back at him. He wasn't quite fast enough to move out of the way this time, his own blaster round striking him just below his right shoulder and knocking him off his feet. The shot did little more than wind him, but it still frickin' hurt. "Ouch… Definitely should've seen that coming."

He also should've predicted that the third scorpion badnik would make an appearance, but didn't until it was on top of him, pinning him to the ground with its pincer. Miles struggled to push the metallic appendage off him but just couldn't manage in time before the robot's stinger was speeding down towards his face.

"Miles, target the stinger!"

He picked up on what his friend had in mind instantly. Miles summoned his saber and timed his strike true enough that he was able to lob off the badnik's stinger at its vulnerable base moments before it could pierce his flesh. The robot appeared a bit perplexed what to do, now that its primary weapon was disabled, almost as if it hadn't registered its stinger had been lost. Miles finally managed to push the pincer off him and quickly called forth a familiar hammer. Playing off a hunch, Miles aimed a mighty downward swing towards the badnik's smallish head. As he expected, the same energy-based shield generated in order to protect the head. While resistant to blaster fire, apparently the shield was no match for the pure fury of piko power. The hammer phased right through the shield and smashed the scorpions head into the ground like one of those tests of strength carnival games. The badnik went limp, allowing Miles to square up to the only machine left standing. Miles dodged several stinger strikes as he moved forward, twirling in a circle to avoid its final attempt at a sting before Miles delivered a backhand smash with his hammer that completely obliterated the scorpion's head. With a now familiar whine the machine slumped to the ground, leaving Miles, once again, as the last one standing.

"That…" Miles panted. "Was a lot closer than I would've preferred." The fox winced at the sound of more machines coming his way. "And it looks like I'm just getting started…"

"Good luck Miles… I'll be here with you every step of the way!"

Somewhere beneath the war being waged in the bunker, Ellie D'Coolette was working diligently to make sure everyone had their assignments and where ready to begin the exodus from their doomed home. "Is everyone mannin' the wagon's ready? Alright then, let's get movin' people!"

"Wait, wait, wait! Let's not be so hasty now…" Ellie cringed as she was interrupted by that familiar smarmy and nauseating voice. She was beginning to understand why her uncle was usually so quick to resort to shooting at or just straight up punching folks in the face who just didn't know when to shut… the hell… up! "Let's hold our horses for just a moment here and talk things through like rational adults rather than reckless ignorant children… You can't expect my family and all these good folk to start wanderin' through those dark tunnels with an alleged robot invasion overhead? We'd be sittin' ducks if any of those robots got loose in them tunnels with us."

"That's why Uncle Miles is clearing out the badnik's before he joins us… Look, we don't have time to argue about this Cooper! The tunnels are the only escape route out of the bunker not currently blocked off by an army of Robotnik's worst! Unless you want to take your chances navigatin' through them to get to the surface, this is the best chance we've got…"

"So, you claim…" Cooper chuckled as he took note of Ellie's new headwear. "Ah, I see Prower has passed down his crown to his heir apparent! How adorable… Does this explain why we're so bold all of the sudden? Has Prower finally handed the keys to his kingdom unto you?"

"This was my mama's hat, and I won't have you disrespectin' her memory like that again! Uncle Miles is riskin' his life up their trying' to buy us time to escape…" Ellie was speaking through gritted teeth by this point. "Time you're wastin' standing around arguin' with me while actin' like a total jackass!"

"Hmph, like I'd trust that madman to screw in a lightbulb, let alone leave the fate of my family in his hands… I declare, it was no longer than an hour ago that he was holding my poor wife and children at gunpoint threatening our very lives." This comment drew weird looks from everyone around the racoon… Even his wife and kids who had been there, and knew what their patriarch had claimed most definitely did not happen. The only one who had a blaster pointed at them was Cooper himself, and his wife was almost certain Miles had barely even registered the rest of the family was even present. "I'm still of a mind to call your bluff and say this little invasion is as phony as the supposed toxic soil the two of you used as an excuse to evict us from our homes." Despite the rumbling going on above his head and pieces of rock and dirt falling all around him, Cooper managed to keep a straight face.

"Cooper… You have got to be the dumbest son of a bitch I've ever met in my life! A Swatbot could fall through the ceiling and land on your empty head, and you'd still claim it was a plot by Uncle Miles to make you look bad! Now I don't know if you were born with half your brain missin', or if your just pissy because your dick stopped workin', but I've had it up to here with your conniving bull crap! By all means, feel free to stay behind! The rest of us are gettin' gone while the gettin's good, and we're too short of time to waste any more of it on your bullshit!"

Ellie turned her back on the racoon and headed into the tunnels, ready to lead the charge into the unknown. Something about the girl verbally skewering him like that finally made something inside of Cooper snap. He charged forward towards the retreating back of the young rabbit. "We're not finished until I decide this conversation is over! I've suffered you long enough you insolent child, actin' like you have some kind of dominion over the rest of us! I'm takin' over this operation as of this moment and I say!..."

Somebody else had reached their breaking point as well… Ellie whirled around and fired a single blaster shot into the advancing racoon's shoulder. Cooper hit the ground, howling in pain as his family and minions rushed to gather around him. "Did… Did you all see that?! She just tried to kill me!"

"If I wanted you dead, then you'd be food for the worms! Now get your ass up off the ground and get it back up those stairs!"

Cooper's eyes widened in disbelief. "What do you mean by…"

"What do you think I mean?! You're out of the colony and no longer welcome to travel with us! I'm not spendin' the comin' days worried that some lowlife snake is gona try to stab me in the back the first chance he gets or get us all killed because he can't get his own head out of his ass! Now go!"

"You… Can't do that! You'd be sentencing me to death!"

"Oh, am I now? I thought this was all an elaborate hoax to keep you under our thumb?! Well, look on the bright side Cooper. You'll finally get to be in charge of the bunker now just like you've always wanted! Well, whatever's left of it after Robotnik's through that is! Now get the hell out of my sight before I blow your god damn head off!"

"As you wish princess…" Cooper hissed as he was helped to his feet. He headed towards the stairs that led up to the bunker, flanked by his nervous looking goons. He was a bit perplexed as to why his family wasn't following him. "Honey… Kids… Come along now. The lovely little bunny here said we were no longer welcome in her uncle's little cult..."

Cooper's wife looked concerned at first before a stern look overtook her features. "No… She said 'you' were no longer welcome. She didn't say anything about me or the kids."

"Woman, stop being ridiculous. We were already plannin' on remainin' in the bunker while these poor souls embarked on their foolhardy adventure in the first place."

"No, we didn't decide anything Cooper… You decided for us! And don't you ever call me woman! The kids and I wanted to leave, but you didn't give us a say… Things may not have been perfect in the bunker, but Mr. Prower and Ellie have always looked after us the best they could. I'm not going to risk my children's lives because their farther has delusions of being a cult leader!"

Cooper looked aghast at first, but like most selfish men who always put themselves first, he settled for sneering at his wife before turning his back to her. "Fine then… Good riddance to the entire ungrateful disrespectful lot of you…"

"Isn't he just lovely… Well then, now that the distraction is gone… Let's get a move on! Hopefully all the time that darn fool just wasted doesn't come back to bite us…"

The wagon train finally got moving, away from the looming danger that had consumed the bunker, moving at a steady pace so that the folks pushing or pulling the wagons could keep up with the group. Several minutes passed, and while they hadn't traveled far yet, Ellie could at least find solace that they were making some kind of progress.

"You did the right thing back there," a somewhat familiar voice spoke, drawing Ellie's attention to the Mobian walking next to her while he helped pulled one of the wagons. It was the same otter and former Freedom Fighter that her Uncle Miles had that altercation with several days before. "That Raccoon has been stirring the pot for months now. I can't really see a scenario where he wouldn't have become more of a hindrance than a help on this trip."

"I've been well aware of what Cooper's been up too … I also know a lot of folks walkin' through these tunnels right now agree with him."

"A lot of us have been unhappy with the way things have been run lately, that's no secret…" The otter panted as he lurched forward. "I'm not going to lie… I'm one of those Mobians who wanted to see some changes made while we were still living in the bunker… That was out of concern for myself and other's wellbeing however… Cooper… Wanted to shake things up for the wrong reasons. He was never concerned about anyone other than himself. He wanted power… To be in charge so he could make all the decisions based off his own wants and desires… He never had the colony's best interests at heart. Even his own family started to see through his crap and realized he was more than willing to sacrifice them if he couldn't get his own way. I may have my differences with Prower and how he runs things, but like most everybody else in the colony, I still appreciate everything he's done and sacrificed to keep us all alive."

"That's… Comforting to know. I'm sorry about how he treated ya when he broke the news to us about the evacuation… He can get sensitive when…"

"No need to explain kid. Scared me half to death, but I didn't take it personally. A soldier should know better than to insult the fallen comrades of another soldier. I was just… Overwhelmed by the idea of having my life upended again. I've had to suffer this war since well… I was your age."

"Funny… It's all I've ever known…"

"So, um… I know the tunnels branch off in three separate directions up ahead. Which road are we taking?"

"None of the above… Not too far up ahead, there's a shaft that leads to another sub-tunnel below this one, which was always meant to be the main escape route. There's even a ramp that should be plenty big enough for us to fit the wagons down, so that's the route we'll be takin'."

The otter wasn't against the idea but was clearly curious about the decision. "Another super-secret tunnel even further down huh? What's the point of the other three tunnels then if that's the main route?"

"Misdirection mostly. If Cooper was smart enough to consider that Robotnik might send troops down into the tunnels to follow us, of course the Freedom Fighters planned a contingency for that too when they dug these tunnels. The entrance to the sub-tunnel was designed to be invisible to most Robotnik tech, so chaos willing, if anything that wasn't supposed to be down in the tunnels did get down here, they should pass right by and go on a wild goose chase down one of the other tunnels. In fact, we should be reachin' that shaft right about…"

Ellie was abruptly interrupted by the hum of what sounded like metal grinding together… In the distance, those at the front of the wagon train could see something metallic approaching from the other side of the tunnel where nothing had any business being. "What in the world is…"

"It's a tank!"

"How the heck did it… Everybody hit the deck, quick!" Ellie commanded as the smallish but still imposing tank lumbered forward.

Manning the SUV sized tank was a blueish-grey hyena dressed in a leather aviator hat, for some reason, and oversized goggles. The wild dog laughed manically as the scattering Mobians entered his crosshairs. "Well, will ya look at that! Looks like the doc was right about cutting the runners off by making my own way through the other end of these weird tunnels! Finally, I get to see how much firepower this puppy can really unleash!" The tank made a whining sound as it charged up for a blast that could potentially eradicate everything trapped in that tunnel, living or not.

Back in the bunker, Miles was still smashing through Robotnik's badnik's as if his life depended on it, because it did, as did Ellie's and the others. Blaster shots ripped through several more Swatbots, adding their carcasses to the growing piles of twisted and charred chunks of metal that were beginning to flood the cavern. More Swatbots advanced, a little too in his face to feel comfortable shooting them, so Miles summoned his Saber and sliced off the arm of the bot violating his personal space, before jamming the blade into its face. Struggling to pull his sword out of the block of iron stone, this allowed a second Swatbot to storm in and strike the fox in his sternum, knocking him backwards. Hocked up on adrenaline and Chaos Energy, Miles barely felt it, and hey, at least the considerate bot had helped him pry his sword free from its comrade's corpse. The bot rushed him again, but this time Miles was ready, calling forth his stun gun. He fired a small electric pulse into the bot's neck causing the Swatbot to temporarily lose all sense of function. That was more than enough time for Miles to summon the piko hammer and began to wail on the bot mercilessly until it ceased functioning, parts flying everywhere with each frenzied strike.

Miles still didn't have time to rest, however. Heavy footsteps were a precursor to a large Brute unit entering the cavern, so tall that its head nearly scraped the ceiling. Unimpressed and fresh out of patience, Miles retrieved the last explosive charge he had available, tucked away in a compartment of his toolbelt. He never had gotten around to making more like he'd intended. Miles fingers rapidly entered a short code before tossing the small device toward the badnik's face. "Here, catch!"

Unexpectedly, the Brute did just that and stared at the device briefly before it exploded and took the upper half of the robot with it. What remained of it mercifully fell backwards and didn't further clog the cavern already drowning it chunks of badnik. "You sensing anything else nearby Nicole?"

"Nothing in the immediate area no… You seem to have been the primary target, so most of the badnik's just came straight to you."

"It pays to be popular I guess…." Miles eyes then fell back to the stairwell he was so staunchly protecting. "If I can just buy them a few more minutes they should be able to reach the entrance to the sub-tunnel. Once that happens, I can finally breathe easy… Do you think you can reach out that far and check if Ellie and the others are still on the upper level?"

"There's not as much interference down here as there is in the bunker at the moment, so I should be able to… It'll take just a moment to recalibrate." Nicole paused as she detected a strange anomaly lurking within the tunnels. She gasped when she identified what the abnormality was. "Miles! There's an egg-series tank in the tunnel system approaching the bunker from the north! Assuming the caravan left the moment they arrived at the mouth of the tunnels, that tank is on a trajectory to intercept the caravan before they should theoretically be able to fully transition down into the sub-tunnel…"

"What?!" Miles snarled as he began to understand the implications. "Damn it! Somehow, Robotnik's been able to survey the entire complex, including the tunnels! He knew we'd try to escape that way and set up a trap! Even if Ellie and the others managed to escape from the diversion tunnel in time, Robotnik would still likely be tipped off that the true escape route is beneath the fake one…"

"I'm sensing a buildup of energy in that vicinity Miles… It appears the tank is charging up to fire…"

"I'm going down there…"

"Miles wait! We have no way of knowing if…"

Miles wasn't listening at that point. He raced for the stairwell only to be met by a massive shockwave and a blinding light. The fox was sent flying backwards into a scrapyard of metal, his body bouncing off the cavern floor several times, and sliding a few more feet before mercifully coming to a stop. Miles struggled to sit up, but the strain on his body was just too much. Even Chaos couldn't help him this time, as the two-tail slipped into a world of darkness.

End Chapter 8.

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-I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something about this chapter I'm just not completely satisfied with… One part I am proud of is that conversation between Tails and Ellie… Can't quite say why yet though.

None of the bunker residents were originally meant to have names… I did this both to symbolize Miles general disassociation with the people around him… They weren't important enough for him to remember their names, so they weren't important enough to name in story. It's also a personal preference, since I believe that if you name a character, you're indicating that character is going to have some sort of significance to the story. There are exceptions of course, but I don't see a point in naming a character that has one line or is featured in one or two paragraphs of a story, never to be seen or heard from again. Cooper originally wasn't going to have a name either, but he worked his way into being just relevant enough to earn one. He showed up a little too much to keep referring to him as 'pompous racoon'.

Well, we're about to get into one of my favorite mini-arch's of this story… Can't really do much else to promote the next four chapters without spoiling anything, but I had a lot of fun writing them. That probably means nobody else is going to like them, but at least I had a blast with them, lol.