Intruder Alert

Dragged like dogs towards the spacious hangar, Sonic was tied to his fellow prisoners by a line of chains going through their legs, but he actively avoided staring at them. They were here for a reason, the thought of stealing something so valuable from a friend made his stomach turn, the carrier's arrival seemed like an eternity away. Eggman had to contain his ire upon seeing the symbol of his empire on his genius aircrafts being painted over.

Slowly, the bridge lowered outwards, revealing the night sky. Rays of moonlight crept into the vast airport as the clanking sounds of machinery echoed throughout as the military helicopter crept closer, It's outline projected into the full moon.

'About time, what was taking them so long?,' Sonic thought as the platform lowered into place with a metallic bang ringing through the facility.

Sonic covered his face as it got closer, the breeze gradually picked up until a powerful gust of wind blew against them as the chopper arrived, the helicopter blades gradually slowing down as it landed softly on the base. It was partially covered with bulky plates of armor, adorned by a dark green camouflage pattern. Despite being large enough to hold atleast 20 people, it was still dwarved by the surrounding warships.

"As we all know, the Marauders also have their eyes on the Master Emerald," the sarge said as the aircraft's hatch opened with a hiss.

A cloud of smoke dispersed around the group, sillhouetes of various sizes appeared from within. Sonic and the group let out a few coughs, trying to wave the smoke away as it dissipated, revealing another group of criminals.

Two of them were very familiar, like a distant, fading memory coming back after so long. Bean - who flapped his feet incessantly, and Fang - who had changed his name so many times not even he could keep track.

Next to them was a bulky white wolf, bent over playing rock-paper-scissors with a greenish hedgehog. Tired of losing so often, he tried to attack her, only to stop upon realizing the door was open. She took the opportunity to punch him in the chin.

"We assembled another group of prisoners—" The sarge spoke when a yellow Chinchilla jumped out from the helicopter and swarmed Eggman with various hugs of affection. "—They will serve as distractions."

"Glad to see someone here appreciates my greatness," Eggman whispered to his archenemy, twirling his mustache as she continued hugging him in a way that was almost reminiscent of Amy, though Sonic couldn't help but feel something sinister beneath her sickeningly sweet facade.

"Sir! We have a problem!" A voice yelled from afar, it was unmistakably Topaz, drenched in water from head to toes. "Intruders have entered the facility and we're down to our last troops! They're unstoppable!"

"Let our security handle them, and YOU!" He pointed at the inmates, as they all froze to pay attention, "Stop messing around and get into the carrier NOW! We can't afford to waste any time!" The sargeant barked as he forced everyone else into the carrier.

The cold breeze of the night enveloped the empty battlefield, Amy, Cream and Cheese shivered from both cold and fear as the hedgehog's artificial doppleganger scanned his surroundings. Every other mech was nothing but scraps on the floor, wires and motherboards exposed. The only other sign of life came from the occasional spark of still live wires, like a robotic version of muscle spasms.

"ENEMIES DETECTED. SIDETRACK MISSION. ELIMINATE."

'Oh, fudge.'

Tails was dead set on proving himself once more, he chose the Cyclone because of It's strength and yet, Metal almost seemed to pity him. After all, the final barrier between them and the real Sonic was comprised of eachother, a wall of pride and worth about to be torn down under the watchful eyes behind the security camera.

The three of them crouched as Metal fired a burst of energy bullets at the cyclone. Before they could hit them, Tails enveloped his mech in a yellow energy barrier that deflected them all, each bullet leaving behind a trail of smoke upon impact.

Metal wrapped himself in a fiery ball and charged at them, spotlights following each movement. With the force of his clawed hands, Metal tried penetrating the shield but only pushed the Cyclone back into the edge of the battlefield, tearing the pavement apart as the metal screeched and sparked, chunks flying into air.

They reached the leftmost edge of the land that meets the ocean, bushes and palmtrees hanging from the cliffs above them, one step back and they'll sink into the ocean. Tails shot a series of lock-on missiles, one by one, they launched Metal upwards after each blast until they lost him amongst the clouds.

Trailed by the remaining missiles, Metal dove straight towards the Cyclone, plummetting towards the mech like a meteor falling from the night sky. Amy jumped onto the nose of the Mech, swinging her PikoPiko Hammer like a batter ready for a home run.

"Leave this to me!"

With no choice but to receive it, Amy sent a powerful blow to the side of his metal skull, throwing him into a rocky wall at the other side of the port. The rockets followed, exploding like a fireworks display. Cream and Cheese covered their eyes from the blast as lit up the environment in a bright bronze hue for a couple seconds.

Tails looked shocked as rocks and debris flew past them, some even hitting the Cyclone and leaving some insignificant dents. A smile widened on her face before letting out a squeal, clutching her hands before defiantly pointing at the pile of rubble.

"That's what you get for kidnapping me, you creep!"

"Well, that was easy—" Tails grasped his chin, confusion turned into concern as the ground trembled, "—Maybe too easy."

Tails pressed a button, erecting a long container from the control panel. Ressembling a handle of sorts, it was a metallic gray cylinder with yellow accents at the tip and bottom, just big enough to fit on his palm. He pulled it from the charger and hopped onto the wing before climbing down to the ground. Stones rattled and the shaking intensified, Tails shook in nervousness as he drew closer, both hands shaking as he gripped the device.

Right behind him, Metal Knuckles bursted from the ground, sending soil and concrete flying throughout the arena. Tails narrowly dodged his sudden appearence with a flip. He closed his eyes shut and coughed as particles of dirt landed on him, a strong earthy smell radiated through the air.

Keeping up with Sonic meant more than just speed, Tails pressed a red button, a yellow saber of light emerged with a hiss. He sidestepped as Metal Knuckles landed right in front of him and swiped his claws. Right as Tails was about to swing, the sword lengthened dramatically into a flimsy whip. He tapped the unstable prototype and shook it, trying to fix it as Metal Knuckles dug back into the floor.

'I definitely need to test things more before bringing them out into the field.'

Like a dolphin leaping out of the ocean, Metal Knuckles gracefully shot from the floor again. This time, something pushed Tails out of the way and took the hit. The rocks and dirt flying by made it hard to discern, but the squeak he heard as he swiped off the dirt that landed on him cleared it up.

"Cream!?" Tails looked behind him, seeing that Cheese fell onto Cream's hands, "Stay back, it's dangerous!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't stand to see a friend getting hurt," Cream said, feeling a little guilty for worrying him; Cheese squeaked in agreement.

"Tails! Look behind you!" Amy leaned towards them from the Cyclone's seat.

Metal Knuckles landed right behind him and sunk his claws into Tails' back, blood came pouring as he threw him a few yards. The whip fell into the ground with a clank, followed by an eratic buzzing as he nearly fell into the ocean, but he managed to grab onto a pole, launching himself towards Cream and grabbed her before Metal Knuckles could harm her. Tails slid onto the ground and fell into his knees, he bit his lips and fought against the pain to get back up, then looked for the whip hastily before realizing it was gone.

Metal Knuckles pierced through the floor with his claws, crunching and cracking as he slowly tore it apart before swiftly lifting up a giant boulder, twice the Cyclone's size, like it was a feather. Pebbles fell from the separated bits, accompanied by dusty particles of dirt, overshadowing his targets.

"Go back with Amy, I'll take him out by myself," Tails panted.

"But.. the whi-" Tails embraced her and jumped away as Metal Knuckles threw the boulder at them, rolling towards the edge of the port. The impact left a giant crater on the rocky cliffs as it crumbled into pieces like dry bread, small chunks of concrete detatched from the ground and fell to the sea.

"I can handle him without it," Tails let Cream go, he then grabbed a pebble from the ground and threw it at the robot's head. "Leave her alone... juh-junkhead! The real Knuckles wouldn't go after a helpless little girl!"

As Cream ran to the safety of the cyclone, carrying Cheese in her hands, Metal Knuckles turned his gaze to face Tails. The robotic doppelganger's eyes, for the briefiest of seconds, switched to a celeste blue, before fading into a blood red hue. The robot took a step forward, stomping down on the ground hard enough to crack the concrete under it, and sent a brief rumbling towards Tails.

Even an AI is capable of feeling anger.

Metal Knuckles recoiled his arm before charging at Tails with two thrusters hidden in each feet, unaware of the cracks on the floor. Tails dodged the punch, but it was followed by a series of jabs flying at him like bullets in a burst of robotic rage.

The only thing he could do was diving to the ground, and leaping in a feral stance towards the edge of the battlefield like a frog until the ground gave in beneath them. Tails tried coiling his two namesakes to fly, but Metal Knuckles was quick to catch one of them.

"NO!" Amy yelled while she covered her mouth.

Tails and Metal Knuckles fell into the ocean, their sillhouettes fading in the water as they sunk deeper and deeper. Tails could do nothing but struggle, flailing his arms desperately as the two kept sinking, but he was held back, anchored to 'Metal's' grasp like a balloon with it's string held back.

He saw Amy diving towards him with his invention in hand. He took it and pushed the button, expecting the whip to come out, but it turned back into a sword. He sliced through the metallic tubes and cables that comprised Metal Knuckles' arm, it's grasp remained on him even as it detached from it's body.

Tails was running out of breath as they swam upwards, his vision beginning to darken as the robotic arm melted into liquid metal. Amy hurried, feeling his body weakening the closer they and desperately reached upwards, hoping to feel fresh air before he passed out. They both exhaled deeply, sucking as much air as they could upon reaching the surface, spitting out the water they swallowed.

"You're the best!" Cream exclaimed, as Tails flew towards her, carrying Amy, and landed relatively unharmed. "I want to grow up just like you, Mr. Tails!"

"Uuh, thanks..." Tails scratched the back of his head, looking at the sea. He went quiet upon noticing a small glow fading in from the ocean's depths.

"Hey, what about me?" Amy whinned. "I just saved him!"

"Chao, Chao!" Cheese flew towards him.

"He retrieved your invention while you fought Metal Knuckles!" Cream explained, but Tails paid more attention to a muffled whirring noise. "Seems like the hit fixed it."

"Is it me, or is something's coming towards us?" Amy asked as she looked around.

"Step back, it's not over yet!" Tails snatched it from his hands and extended his arm over them, brandishing the sword once more.

Bubbles grew and popped in an increasing rate as the whirring grew louder. The light rapidly approached the surface, illuminating the area before a towering pillar of water emerged from the ocean, which then dissolved to reveal Metal Tails.

"Again!?" Amy gasped, "Will this creep ever give up?"

"Atleast it's not a creepy doll," Tails shrugged.

Lacking an arm wasn't a weakness for the robot doppleganger, who brandished his own energy sword from his wrist and charged towards with the two turbines on his waist, which mimicked the real deal's two tails.

Metal lunged at Tails, who swung his sword like a pendulum to block each attack, getting progressively faster. He was lucky to get out in time.

Sparks of electricity came flying upon impact as the two swords clashed, buzzing as they struggled to overpower eachother in a bout of strength. Tails responded to Metal's advance with a sideways slash, but his blade clashed against Metal's before he could leave a scratch on him.

Tails blinked, next second, Metal riposted and blood flew out as he stabbed his shoulder, nearly incapacitating him if he didn't lean to the right. He instinctively swung his blade to one of his doppleganger's thrusters, but Metal, still like a statue, blocked the attack and knocked him to the ground.

He grabbed his aching shoulder, his scream shocking Amy and Cream as the robot took flight. Metal aimed his sword along with his entire body towards him, at this point, his namesakes were the only part of his body that wasn't in pain.

Thoughts about Sonic flooded Tails' mind as he took flight, his senses heightened, he couldn't afford to lose him now. Metal swooped down before taking a sharp turn upwards, Tails flew around the attack and noticed the red gem encrusted on his copy's forehead, common sense indicated a weak point. Cautiously, he grabbed his sword and flew towards him.

Metal knocked Tails back, making him briefly lose control in the air. He then charged towards him but Tails managed to deflected his attack with a downwards slash. The robot zoomed behind him, almost teleporting. Tails ceased flight recoiling his namesakes upon reaching the ground, Metal zipped towards him and slammed his fleshy counterpart to the ground, It was painful, but they landed in the perfect spot.

"Cream! Throw something at the gem on his forehead!" Tails yelled, using Metal's own hand to push his head upwards.

Cream grabbed a rock from the ground and followed his orders, causing the gemstone to crack. Electricity fired in every direction as Metal recoiled, allowing Tails to slip out, only for him to regain focus. He was unscaved, it was a red herring, any Metal copy was too good for a weak point. Tails recoiled his namesakes and rocketed towards the sky, Metal following suit

As exhaustion began to creep into Tails' body as Metal flew right past him. Metal had an undeniable advantage, he had the high ground now but Tails had a trick up his glove. He held the sword upwards, his hands tingled as electricity ran through It's mast.

Metal floated into the air only to snap around facing Tails, whom he began charging towards. Tails positioned his blade above himself, weidling it with both hands, as gravity delt the finishing blow. Metal's metallic skull was impaled—slicing through innumerable wires and chips.

Tails cowered as lighting bounced from the robot in all directions upon letting go, then slowly peeked through his hands to see Metal stopped moving. He sighed, thinking he was done, until realizing Metal was still suspended in the air. He tried taking his sword back but the still concious Metal grabbed one of his arms and electrocuted him. He fell into the ground and Metal trailed him like the smoke coming from his body, ready to take him out.

"TAILS!" Cream yelled, her eyes following him as his sillhouette appeared from the clouds, falling.

Amy's view was on the control panel instead, as she pushed random buttons in a desperate attempt to save him. Two lasers melted small holes into the gate in front of them, as the Cyclone tilted left and right with each thruster before crashing to the ground after changing into plane mode. Finally she accidentally uncovered a small keyboard, like that of a telephone.

Guided by her gut feeling, she input Tails' birthday, 241184, which made the Cyclone's nose open to reveal a canon. Cheese pushed Tails out of the way as Metal pinned himself on the ground like a dart. He tugged at his sword which pierced through the ground, but was unable to move.

Metal barely had time to look up as Amy fired a series of rockets that pushed him to the wall-, the only thing he could do without a partner to move him out of the way, was staring at the glowing canon amassing energy into a growing sphere before sending a blast his way. The coat of liquid metal evaporated as Tails' invention was destroyed, leaving nothing but a useless robot carcass.

Amy and Cream ran towards Tails and checked on him. Amy picked him up, he coughed up some blood and slowly looked over to see a gray, featureless robot lying on the floor. He smiled and petted Cheese, who squealed with joy to see that he was alive, albeit injured. Tails tried to get up, but the pain was too much for him.

"We've got to get him to the hospital, quick!" Cream yelled, and Cheese squeaked in an equally worried tone.

"But how are we going to get him there?," Amy said, trying to look for an autopilot feature before realizing they ran out of energy, all of it wasted on that blast. "It's a shame I don't know how to pilot this thing."

"We're lucky this worked at all," Cream sighed.

"Hault right there! This military base is no playground for kids like you to stick your noses in," the guard stepped out of the shadows. He was a tall, menacing, athletically built golden retriever with a pistol pointed at them. "I'll take any trespassers to hell where they belong, regardless of age!"

Waves of guards revealed themselves from hiding, some popped up from bushes and others appeared behind crates, but all were pointing their guns at them. Amy held Tails on her arms as the spotlights turned back on, each one focusing directly on them. Tails was barely conscious, almost blinded by the light, but he and everyone else heard a flapping noise as a huge helicopter carrier right passed above them.

Then, one of the guards screamed, everyone looked as his body dropped into the ground, so did the guard next to him. No matter where the dog looked, each one of his comrades were dropping like flies. He intuitively pointed at Amy and Cream, who saw a green light flashing behind each soldier that was taken out. It wasn't long before he was the last one standing, only to feel a powerful kick on the face, rendering him unconscious.

"Shadow!!" Amy and Cream exclaimed.

Tails slowly rose to see Shadow appear behind the collapsing dog, his expression as cold and distant as ever. Trusting him was more difficult than usual, knowing he and the rest of Team Dark were currently working for GUN but they were stuck in a corner, they had no other choice. Shadow walked towards them, lifting Tails and carrying him on his shoulder as he passed out.

"Follow me," Shadow said, grabbing the robot as he walked away.

Sonic tapped his feet impatiently, but not in his usual cocky way. He wished to finish the mission quickly and run away before the guilt caught up to him. He looked at the pilot's window, the sargeant's hulking frame was just out of the way for him to see between the grid, that Angel Island was nearing. His face lowered, looking down as the helicopter flew over the vast forest, illuminated by fireflies and giant luminescent mushrooms into the lush jungle, with waterfalls falling from the mountains into the ocean below.

"You're looking uncharacteristically down, hedgehog," Eggman remarked, leaning closer at his archenemy, "Shame it wasn't me who painted that face on you."

He looked away without saying anything, instead focusing on the other inmates. Despite his previously calm demeanor, Mist was the most nervous of the bunch. His eyes were twitching and his breath hastened, Sonic assumed it was a craving for cigarettes or something. His restlessness caught the wolf's attention, who sat right in front of him.

"Quit that, you two-tailed freak!" He yelled, pointing at him as he punched the wall right next to Mist, catching everyone's attention, some gasping. "What's wrong with you, eh? You want me to fix that face of yours!?"

"You think you're better than him, meathead!?"

Sonic sprung up from his seat and leaned towards Mist, his stare remaining fixed on the wolf's. This wasn't the first time Sonic saved a two-tailed fox from bullies, but he did notice something ominous upon taking another look at Mist, a strange purple flicker in one of his eyes. There was no time to ponder, however, as the sargeant's whistle pierced through everyone's ears.

They both sat down, if only because of the sargeant's vigilant stare. Sonic sighed and rested his head on his hands as the wolf whimpered, ears lowered like a puppy caught stealing. Sonic groaned at the wolf after seeing Mist break down crying, only to be confused as his stare became empty and liveless, a little creeped out by his crooked smile and clenching fist.

"Is he OK?" Sonic asked the sargeant, curious and concerned, but there were more important things.

He only looked at the clock, it was almost twelve o'clock midnight. The helicopter lowered, getting ready to land on their destination and there was nothing Sonic could do about it much to his dismay. So far, this was an adventure Sonic wasn't looking forward to.

"Get ready! As soon as we land, Operation Angel Island begins!"