The Tribulations of Tails Copyright 1996 by Jeff Gustafson (Moogle@tmbg.org) This story is protected by copyright laws. This story may be freely distributed, but not modified in any way without permission from the author. All "Sonic the Hedgehog" charcters and related indica mentioned are Copyright Sega Of America, Inc. Used Without Permission. "Nate" and "Mitzi" © 1996 by Jeff Gustafson. If want to use these characters in your own work, you must get permission first. ******************************************************************* Timeline: Sometime after Archie comics issue #40 ******************************************************************* Tails sat up in a watch tower in a large tree outside of Knothole. It was night time and he had to fight to keep his eyes open, and his attention on his task, watching out for any of Robotnik's badniks. Robotnik had been pretty quiet lately, so the freedom fighters had been putting Tails on watch duty a lot more than normal because they suspected he'd be trying something soon. Tails was getting pretty impatient, waiting for Antoine to come take over. 'Where is Antoine anyway?' Tails wondered, 'He must be at least two hours late." Tails figured Antoine was probably sleeping, something Tails would like to be doing. As Tails started to drift off, he was startled awake by a rustling sound. "Antoine, is that you?" he said softy. Tails breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Antoine climbing up to the watchtower. "Your late Antoine," said Tails. "Oui, I am very sorry about being late. But I am having ze good reason for being so. You see..." "Antoine," Tails cut him off, "Can your story keep until morning? I've got to get some sleep." "Oui. Goodnight, Tails." Antoine took Tails' place as lookout as Tails climbed out of the watchtower and walked toward his hut at Knothole. * * * "Wow, getting out of that prison was easier this time than last time!" Nack the Weasel said quietly to himself as he slunk away from the Knothole jail house. 'Those Knothole suckers won't notice I'm gone till dawn,' Nack thought. 'Oh drat, I forgot about that stupid hedgehog. He'll catch up with me as soon as he knows I'm gone!' But Nack's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of leaves crunching. Someone was out there! Nack snuck into the brush to see what was going on. He spotted Tails, on his way home from the lookout station. 'Why it's nothing more than a little fox!' This gave Nack his idea on how to get away. Tails was barely aware of anything going on. All he knew was he was near his hut and only moments away from being in bed. He had no idea that he'd be asleep even sooner than he thought. Seemingly out of nowhere, a large rock came hurtling through the air and knocked him on the head. He let out a grunt, and then fell to the ground and laid there unconscious. "Bingo," said Nack quietly to himself. He approached Tails and proceeded to tie up his arms and legs with a vine. Then he tossed the young fox over his shoulder. "I just need to make a stop at the jail to tend to some buisiness and we'll be on our way" Nack heard thunder in the distance and saw that the moon was getting covered by rain clouds. "I'd better hurry, if I want to be gone before this storm hits." * * * Nack had been walking a good six or seven hours, he estimated, and walking through the dark woods carrying an unconscious fox kit had exhausted him. He had little light but a small flashlight he had grabbed form the jail. But, as luck would have it, he came upon a small, rundown hut. Not thinking twice about anyone that might already be there, he barged inside. The inside looked more rundown than the outside. Cobwebs decorated the place, and the dust on the floor and the furniture was an inch deep. "Talk about bad housekeeping," Nack said aloud, though he knew that it probably had belonged to a loner who had once lived there but was captured by Robotnik. The hut was just one room. It had a small bed in the left corner and a table and chair in the right. Next to the door were shelves, which contained a number of items on them. Near the center of the floor was a pan which had a little bit of water in it. Probably a leak in the roof there, Nack guessed. His theory was proven when rain suddenly started pouring from the night sky. A strong wind blew the door shut behind Nack, startling him slightly. "Looks like we're gonna be crashing here for a bit," Nack said to the still unconscious Tails. He set the flashlight on the table so the beam was up, and set Tails down on the bed. He dusted the bed pillow off and lay Tails' head on it. Nack knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep with the loud thunder cracking outside. He took his flashlight and investigated the shelves on the wall. There wasn't much there but some rotten fruit, a few tools such as a hammer and nails, and a small stack of paper. Nack wiped the dust off a nearby chair and sat down, leaning the chair on it's back legs. Nack collected his thoughts. Thinking about what to do now that he was free, and what to do with his little vulpine friend on the bed. Nack sat up thinking until just about dawn, when he heard a soft moaning coming from Tails. 'Great,' he thought, 'What am I going to do with him?' As Tails started to wake, he realized he wasn't in his home at Knothole. His heart skipped a beat, and he snapped to full awareness. He tried to move his arms and legs, but found that they were tied. He surveyed the small room he was in and gasped when he saw Nack on the opposite side of the room. "Glad you could join the party," said Nack. "Wh-where am I?" Tails asked nervously as he darted his eyes about the room. "Relax, kid. I've merely kidnapped you for awhile." "Kidnapped me? What...? Why...? Who...? "One question at a time, thank you. I, Nack the Weasel, have kidnapped you." Tails gasped, "Nack the Weasel? Your the guy who..." "Please," Nack interrupted, "Allow me to finish. You see, I'm a fugitive, and I'd like it to stay that way. So if your freedom fighter friends value your life, they won't be trying to track me down anytime soon. Now don't get alarmed, I'm really not that bad a guy, you know? I didn't do anything wrong." "You turned my friend Sonic into Dr. Robotnik who robotisized him." "Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, that's water under the bridge now, I'm sure. "And now you're going to do the same to me right?" "Don't be ridiculous. I have no quarrel with you. I'll let you go in no time. But for now, just sit back and enjoy the rustic atmosphere of this cabin. Besides, Tubbo isn't exactly on my good side at the moment." Tails struggled to sit up on the bed. Nack came over and helped him up. Tails reluctantly thanked him, and Nack returned to his chair. Tails' stomach started rumbling. "Anything for breakfast?" Tails asked. "Well, there's some fruit over on those shelves, I don't recommend eating that." "Oh great." "Hey, compared to prison food, its exquisite quisine!" Tails sighed. Nack frowned, feeling sorry for the kid. "There's some rain water if your thirsty." "Okay." Nack offered the pan of water to Tails, who lapped half of it up. When Tails was finished, Nack slurped the rest up and set the pan back under the leaky part of the roof. The two sat quietly for awhile, then Tails spoke up. "You Know, the least you could do is untie these ropes, they're very uncomfortable." Nack yawned, "Actually, the least I could do is absolutely nothing. I think I'll go with that for now." He yawned again. The rain was beginning to let up. The sun had begun rising. Nack knew the freedom fighters would notice Tails' absence soon. Nack would know soon if Sonic would try to rescue his friend. The question on Nack's mind was if Sonic did come, would he be able to go through with his threat to kill Tails? Being a thief was one thing, could he live with himself if the murder of a child were added to his list of crimes? "You are gonna let me go though, right?" Tails asked. "Yeah, yeah, but on one condition. You don't tell anyone that I was here. I don't need anyone tracking me." "Deal," said Tails, relieved that the condition of his release was reasonable. "And, as an added incentive to make sure you keep your word, let me point out that I know the location of your little hideout. Anyone comes after me, and I'll be sure that Robotnik is informed of its whereabouts. Tails slightly gasped at that threat, but he agreed to the condition. "Good. Now, let's just sit back and wait." * * * Sonic and Antoine rushed into Princess Sally's hut. "My Princess! My Princess!" Antoine called frantically. Sally rose slowly from her sleep. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and wondered why there could never be a crises until sometime after dawn. "What is it, guys?" She asked with a yawn. "Sal, we've got mondo bad news. We found this note in the prison!" Sonic handed Sally a note. As Sally went over the note her jaw dropped slightly as she read the message. Dear Freedom Fighters, I've escaped your little prisonand now plan to enjoy my freedom. To ensure nobody tries to deprive me of my newfound freedom, I've taken a slight precaution. I'mholding your fox friend with the two tails hostage. As long as you don't make any attempts to stop me, the fox goes free, but as soon as any of you try something funny, theres going to be one less fox in the world. With warmest regards, Nack the Weasel "Oh my god," Sally gasped. She hid her eyes so the boys could not see the tears welling up in her eyes. "Say no more, Sal. I'll catch up to that weasel and free Tails in a sonic second." "No!" exclaimed Sally, "ahem, I mean, no. We can't risk Tails' life. We just have to wait and hope that Nack keeps his word." Sonic stood in silence for a second to collect his thoughts, "I guess I agree with you this time Sal. It's just..." Sonic tried to fight back his own tears. After another short pause he said, "I'm sure the big guy will be okay." Sonic turned and left abruptly. After watching Sonic go, Sally hung her head down and let out a deep sigh, then laid back down and buried her head down into her pillow. Antoine, not knowing how to react, attempted to comfort Sally. "My Princess, I..." "Just go, Antoine," Sally said, her voice muffled by her pillow. "As you wish, my princess," Antoine walked slowly out of Sally's hut, pausing briefly to look back at her when he reached the door. He felt plagued by the guilt of having been so late to his lookout position at the power ring pool. 'What will the others think when they find out?' he wondered. * * * Dr. Ivo Robotnik stood at his command center, facing a view screen projecting the image of his assistant, Snively. "Snively, I need a status report," Robotnik commanded. Snively turned to face the monitor showing Robotnik. "Yes, sir. We've moved everything to the island as you've requested sir, and the project is well under way." "So you haven't encountered any troubles then?" "No sir, everything is running smoothly." "Excellent." "Sir, might I ask why you want this project done here? I'm sure that the project could be built in Robotropolis." "Isn't it obvious Snively? Previous projects have all been ruined by those miserable freedom fighters snooping around the city and finding out about it. The freedom fighters won't be snooping around an insignificant island out in the middle of the ocean. Secrecy is the key, understand?" "Yes sir." "Now then Snively, I shall come down there to oversee the construction process tomorrow, in the meantime, I want you to dispatch some bots to find a living test subject." "Yes sir. Oh sir, you have taken off all files related to this project off the computer network, haven't you?" "Of course, Snively. All precautions are going to be taken. No freedom fighters will meddle with this project. Mark my word, Snively." * * * Nack was leaning back in a chair with his feet rested upon the table, he was fast asleep. Tails sat silently, slightly annoyed by Nack's loud snoring. Nack may have tied his feet and hands together, but his two tails were still able to move about. He maneuvered his tails around so he would be able to untie the knots. He only hoped he didn't somehow get his tails tied up as well. Success! He tossed the vine aside and proceeded to quickly untie the vine around his legs. With little difficulty, he had that vine off too. After slowly crawling off the bed, he began to creep his way over to the door. He had only gotten about half way to the end of the room when he saw Nack begin to stir. He held in a gasp, and froze to observe what Nack would do. Nack only leaned back further in the chair and pulled his hat down over his eyes. Tails waited a second to calm down, and then crept the rest of the way to the door. Finally outside, Tails breathed out a sigh of relief. But now, he had to find his way home. The rain had washed away Nack's scent, and there were no footprints to follow. Not wanting to risk being caught by Nack, he shot off in one direction, hoping his guess would be a good one. * * * Whump! Nack had tilted his chair back too far, tipping it, and himself over. He woke up as soon as he hit the floor. He stood up and dusted off his hat. He looked over toward the bed, and noticed that all that was left were the two vines that had held Tails' hands and legs. Nack scratched his head. "What do you know? He escaped!" he said to himself. "That kid's got potential!" * * * Sonic, Sally, Antoine, and Bunnie sat in Sally's hut, all of them sitting at a round table, except for Sonic who was pacing beside the others. "Sonic, ah think you oughta sit down. No use over worryin' yourself," said Bunnie. Sonic stopped pacing and pulled up a chair next to Bunnie. "Do you have any plans, Sal?" "Sonic, you have to understand, we can't do anything irrational. We don't want to put Tails' life in any danger." Sonic got back up out of the chair and started pacing again. "C'mon Sal, I need to take some action about this!" "Now calm down Sugar Hog. Ah'm sure Tails will be okay. He's gotten to be a pretty resourceful young lad. Why, he may have already escaped from that old weasel." "The thing I don't understand is how Nack was able to get Tails," Sally said, "He was supposed to be on lookout duty. His shift should have been over by dusk, someone should have been out and seen him after Antoine took over the shift..." All eyes turned to Antoine. Antoine gulped. "Antoine, do you know anything about this?" asked Sally. "W-w-well, I.... um.... that... is I..." "Spit it out 'Twan!" Said Sonic. "Well, I came to take over ze shift, and..." "What time did you come, Antoine?" Asked Sally. Antoine gulped again. "Well, I am not being too sure, I..." "Antoine, you fell asleep before your shift again, didn't you?" "Oui, my princess. I am sorry." Sonic lunged at Antoine, "Why I oughta..." Bunnie stopped Sonic from charging Antoine, "Whoa, there, Sugar Hog!" "We can't start turning against each other!" Sally exclaimed to Sonic, "No one is to blame for this. Antoine couldn't have known Tails would be kidnapped." Sonic backed down. Everyone sat silent for a moment. "That does it, I can't take it! I'm going to go find him!" Sonic said. "Sonic, wait!" Sally yelled, But her pleas were futile, Sonic had already taken off. "Oh, why doesn't he ever listen?!" "Can you blame him, Sally Girl? Sonic loves little Tails like a brother!" "No, no I can't." Sally sighed. "I hope he can find him." "We all do, Sally, we all do." * * * Tails had been wandering through the forest for what felt like hours. "Oh, my feet!" Tails moaned. He sat down on a nearby rock to rest. He looked around at his surroundings. "Aw man, everything looks the same! I'm completely lost. I Don't even know which way is...up." Tails had just given himself the answer he was looking for, "How could I have forgotten? I could just fly up! All I've got to do is find the Floating Island, and I'm sure Knuckles will get me home!" Tails wound his two tails up and started twirling them like a helicopter. Up he rose, past the clearing of the trees, and into the air. He had to fly a couple thousand feet until he was high enough to see the Floating Island. All he could make out was a small dot above the horizon floating over the ocean, but it was unmistakably it. He flew toward it at full speed. "Boy, the Floating Island is a lot farther than I thought," said Tails to himself. He had been flying for some time and the Floating Island still seemed a long ways away. The problem was, he was flying over the ocean, so he couldn't land. But he felt so tired he didn't think he could make it without fainting from exhaustion. However, luck was with him, and he spotted a small island in the ocean that he could land on and rest. He lowered himself slowly to the sandy shoreline of the island. The island was beautiful, sparkling water washed calmly onto to sandy beach, and a lush, green forest made up a good portion of the island. Tails decided to go into the woods to be cooled by the shade, and perhaps find some fruit growing on one of the trees. He had only walked through the forest for a few minutes when he spotted an apple tree. He was so hungry, he couldn't help but try to grab an apple as quick as possible. He jumped up as high as he could and batted at an apple dangling from the branch. he apple broke off and knocked Tails on his head. "Ouch! Stupid apple!" Tails rubbed the sore spot on his head. He picked up the apple and wiped it off on his fur. He stood in the forest as he ate his apple. A rustle came from the trees. Tails darted his head back to investigate. He couldn't see anything. He shrugged it off and continued to eat. Then he heard it again. He quickly tuned around. Again, there was nothing there. "Hello?" "Hi!" Came a voice from behind. Startled, Tails screamed and stumbled on the ground. He turned around, and met the eyes of a young female fox hanging upside down on a tree branch by her tail. She unwrapped her tail from the tree branch and spun around as she fell, landing on her feet. "What're ya doing lying on the ground?" Tails examined the fox. She had light pink fur and blue eyes. She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. "Here, let me, help you up," the fox extended her paw out to Tails. Tails took her hand and she pulled him up. "Um, thanks," he said. "No, problem. My name's Mitzi. I've never seen you here before, what're you doing here?" "Hi, Mitzi. I'm here because, well, its kind of a long story." "I love long stories," Mitzi said. So Tails proceeded to tell her about how he had gotten there. "Whoa! Sounds like you've got quit a hectic life! So, you have a name?" "Oh, sorry. My names Miles, but my friends just call me Tails." Mitzi looked down at Tails' Tails, "Hey! You've got two tails!" "Yeah, pretty neat, huh?" "I'll say," "Let me show you the best part, watch," Tails used his tails to fly up into the apple tree and tossed an apple to Mitzi. Mitzi's eyes widened, "That was amazing! Is that what you meant when you said you flew over here?" "Yeah. Cool, huh?" Tails said in a deeper voice in an effort to impress Mitzi. He flew up a few more feet and bumped his head against a tree branch and he fell down to the ground. "Are you okay?" Mitzi asked. Tails picked himself up, "Oh yeah, I'm fine." Mitzi giggled. "C'mon, I'll take you back to my house. You can rest there for awhile." Tails followed Mitzi a short way to a small cabin in the woods. "Here we go, it's not much, but its home," Mitzi said. "You live alone?" "No, I live with my older brother, Nate. I'll introduce you." Mitzi led him into the cabin and into a living room area. Sitting in a chair at a table reading a book was a young male fox, about a year older than Tails, who had reddish-brown fur. But the quality Tails noticed most about him was that this fox had no legs. "Ahem, Nate, we have a visitor." Nate looked up from his book and glared at Tails. "Nate, this is Tails, Tails, this is Nate." "Uh, hi," said Tails. "Mitzi, what in Mobius are you thinking letting a stranger in here?" Snarled Nate. "Jeez, your moody today. Tails is my friend, I think we can trust him." Nate sighed. "I'm sorry. Tails, nice to meet you... wait a second, turn around." "Uh, okay," Tails turned around. "Either I'm seeing things, or you've got two tails." "Uh huh." "That's amazing! How did that happen?" "I was just born that way, I guess." Mitzi pulled a chair over to the table. "Have a seat." "Thanks. So, um, how did you guys get here? Don't you have any parents?" "Actually, we don't have any parents," Nate said. "They disappeared a long time ago, before I even got to know them," said Mitzi sadly. "I took care of Mitzi when I was only five. We've been living alone here for years." "I'm sorry," said Tails, "I know what its like to have your parents die before you get a chance to know them." "Your parents are gone too?" Mitzi asked. "Yeah, I don't know what happened. I was sorta adopted by a friend, and that's as far back as I can remember." Suddenly Tails began to miss Sonic and the freedom fighters. "That reminds me, what are you doing here?" asked Nate. So Tails told them all about the war with Robotnik and how he had been kidnapped by Nack. "Now wait a second, who is this Robotnik guy?" asked Nate. "Robotnik is the most evil being ever to set foot on Mobius! He's the guy who captured almost everyone one Mobius and turned them into his robot slaves!" Nate's eyes widened. "You don't suppose he captured Mitzi and my parents, do you?" "I wouldn't doubt it. He probably got my parents too." "Man! I'd love to give that guy a piece of my mind!" "That's what my friends the freedom fighters and I are trying to do. We haven't gotten too far, but we're hopeful." "Tails, I'd love to help you out, but as you can see, I'm not exactly able to do to much with my physical condition." "Oh, yeah. I wasn't going to bring it up but, what happened to your legs?" "Oh, I don't mind. I guess it was just a birth defect, like your two tails, although a bit more of an inconvenience, I assure you." "Tails, you must be exhausted. You can go rest in my room if you'd like," Mitzi said. She pointed to a doorway. "Thanks Mitzi. I guess I'll see you guys in a while. "Sleep well," said Mitzi. She watched Tails as he walked to the room. "I think you have a crush on our friend Tails there," said Nate teasingly. "And what makes you say that?" "I saw you staring at him throughout our entire conversation. I think the feeling from him may be mutual." "Hmpf. Well, cute foxes don't show up everyday, after all." "Whatever." * * * Sonic sped through the Great Forest at lightning speed, searching out Nack and Tails. He halted his feet, kicking up mud behind him. He had come across the small hut in the woods. He walked up to the hut and burst the door down. "Allright! Where's Tails?!" "Well look who's come to join the party!" said Nack. Sonic darted his eyes about the room. "Where are you, weasel?" "Get the rotten fruit out of your eyes and look!" Nack threw a few pieces of squishy, rotten fruit at Sonic's eyes. Sonic groaned and wiped the fruit out of his eyes. "Still fighting dirty, Nack? That's way past uncool!" Sonic leapt at Nack and knocked him to the ground. Nack slid under the table. "We really have to stop meeting this way. Next time we meet, you should be flat as a pancake!" Nack jumped up and flipped the table on to Sonic. Sonic grunted as he was hit by the weight of the table. He stood up, holding the table up. "The only one who's going to be flat is you if you don't tell me what happened to Tails!" Sonic heaved the table back at Nack, and crushed him against the wall. "I didn't hurt your buddy, he's long gone. But your not going to be so lucky!" Nack squeezed out from between the table and the wall. He flew at Sonic and sent him reeling with a flying kick to the head. Sonic slowly rose to his hands and knees. He rubbed his head. 'What am I doing fighting with Nack?' he thought to himself, 'I need to be looking for Tails.' Nack snuck up behind him, with a chair over his head, ready to bring it down on Sonic. "Say goodnight, hedgehog!" Nack said. But Sonic quickly reacted and gave Nack a drop kick to the stomach. Nack flew backwards, fell to the ground, and the chair he was holding smashed into his head. "I'd love to deal with you now, but I've got to go fox hunting. But next time, your mine, Nack!" Sonic took off at top speed back into the Great Forest. Nack got up and brushed his fur off. "Not Likely." Nack decided he'd been in the hut long enough. Now that his cover was blown he decided to hit the road. Sonic was back on Tails' trail. This time he had found foot prints left in the wet mud, which Sonic hoped would lead him straight to Tails. He stopped in an instant when he found the end of Tails footprints. Puzzled, he looked around for any other footprints. The though that Tails had been captured had occurred to him, but he saw no signs of struggle. "Now where could he have gone?" Sonic asked himself. "Tails!" he called out in case Tails may have still been around. Then he realized that Tails could have flown someplace, where that was he couldn't guess. He turned around and shot off back to Knothole. * * * "Come on Tails! Keep up!" Mitzi shouted. She leapt from tree to tree with ease. Tails was having a hard time following. He tried to leap from one tree to another, but he lost his footing on a branch. He nearly fell down, but he grabbed another branch on his way down. Mitzi bounded back over to him. "Tails, your never going to get anywhere with gymnastics like that!" Tails panted. "How did you ever learn how to do that?" "Well, I don't have too much to do out here, so I just learned gymnastics by playing around. Now come on, your still 'it!'" She said and leaped with a giggle away. Tails propped himself up and used his tails to fly after her. "Tag!" yelled Tails as he hit Mitzi lightly on the shoulder. He came down on the branch Mitzi was on. "And you thought I couldn't keep up," he said boastfully. Mitzi laughed. "I didn't think you couldn't keep up, I just thought it wasn't likely," she teased. "Now you'd better run, cause there's no way you can get away from me for long!" Tails jumped up and flew about the trees. He looked back to see if Mitzi was close behind. When he didn't see her, he stopped on the ground. "Mitzi?!" He called out. "Gotcha!" Mitzi yelled as she leaped out and tackled Tails. The two rolled on the ground for a moment. When they came to a stop, they laid on the ground for awhile, laughing. Mitzi sat herself up. "I have never had this much fun in my life." Tails leaned up. "I feel the same way." "I'm glad you came to visit, Tails. It's so lonely staying here all alone." "Oh my gosh!" "What, what is it?" "I forgot all about it! I'm should be going home!" "No, not yet! We're having so much fun! Can't you stay for a few days?" Tails sighed. It was a very tempting option. "Sorry Mitzi. I'd love to, but I can't let my friends worry about me." A tear came to Mitzi's eye. "You can come visit, right?" "I hope so. My life is pretty hectic, but as soon as I have some free time, you won't be able to keep me away!" "Can you come back home and say good-bye to Nate?" "You bet." Mitzi was uncomfortably silent on the way back. Tails guessed she was mad at him, and he could think of no way to console her. When Mitzi opened the cabin door, she got the shock of life. The whole place was trashed. Furniture was scatter about, and trash lay on the floor. "Oh my god!" Mitzi shrieked. She frantically darted through the house calling out to Nate. When she had looked everywhere, she fell to her knees and sobbed. Tails came over to her and gently hugged her. She wept on his shoulder for a few minutes. "I think we'd better leave," Tails said, "It isn't safe here." He slowly escorted her out of her cabin. "Tails?" Mitzi said between sobs, "your not going to leave me now, are you?" "No, I'll stay as long as you need me... hey! What's that?!" Mitzi sniffled, "What's what?" Tails was examining the ground. "Look at this!" he said, "There are footprints all over." "Those are some weird footprints. What sort of animal made those?" "No kind of animal. Those are robot tracks!" "Robots? You don't think some robots took Nate do you?" "That has to be what happened. I'm going to follow them!" "I'm coming too!" "Maybe you should stay here. I've had experience with this kind of thing and..." Then Tails remembered how angry he felt whenever Sonic and Sally wouldn't give him a chance to prove himself on a mission. "On second thought, I may need some backup after all." * * * Tails and Mitzi peered over some tall bushes, and saw a large, hi-tech building. "What is that?" Mitzi asked. "Looks like a factory or something. I'm sure it belongs to Robotnik." "Well come on! Those tracks go into there. Let's go!" "Wait! Let's go from the air. We don't want to be captured. I'll fly us up to one of those windows on the top floor." Tails hovered in the air and held his hands out for Mitzi to grab onto. "Are you sure I won't weigh you down?" "Nah, don't worry about that. Now come on." Tails lifted himself and Mitzi up to the top of the building where there was a hole in the wall. Once they entered the building, they lowered down so they could walk on the floor. "It's pretty dark in here, Tails." "I know, stay close to me, and be alert to anything that might be coming this way." They were in a poorly lit hallway. "Somebody is coming!" Tails whispered. He grabbed Mitzi and flew up to the ceiling, and just in time. A group of five swatbots walked right underneath them. When he was sure they were safe, he lowered back down. Tails noticed Mitzi appeared a bit shaken, so he held her hand as they continued. Tails stopped again. They had come to the end of the hallway. They were now in a very large circular room which served mainly as a walkway to get to various rooms and hallways on the top floor. Most of it was just a pit which was surrounded by a balcony. From there, the bottom floor could be seen. "Why are we stopping here?" Mitzi asked in a whisper. "Shhhh. Someone's coming down there." Tails recognized who was coming. From one end came Snively, and from the other came the familiar egg-shaped Dr. Robotnik, who was followed by his robot crustacean lackey, Crabmeat. "The fat ugly one is Robotnik." Tails whispered. "Snively. How is the project going?" asked Robotnik. "The cloning device is almost ready, sir, we're ready to perform the first test." "Excellent Snively. Let's go see how it works." "Sir, are you sure we should perform the first test on a living subject?" "Don't question the masters plans. He's the genius here!" said Crabmeat. "Be quiet you crusty little crab," said Snively. Crabmeat snapped his claw at Snively. "Shut up both of you before I have you terminated! Now Snively, show me the way to the cloning device!" After Robotnik and Snively had left the area, the two foxes made their way down, courtesy of Tails. They snuck cautiously down the corridor where Robotnik and his henchmen had gone off to. Mitzi gasped. "Tails, I hear voices coming from that room ahead on the right," she whispered. Tails nodded, and they crept down the wall to hear better. Tails popped his head around the door for a split second, just long enough to get a glimpse of what was in the room. "What did you see?" Mitzi asked quietly. "They're gathered around some sort of machine. It looked like two chambers connected, and a bunch of computer stuff." Mitzi peered into the room to see. "Is the test subject here Snively?" "I left him in the other room. Believe me, sir, this one isn't going to get to far on his own." Two Swatbots came in, holding the hostage. It was Nate. "Superb, Snively! Throw him into the cloning chamber!" "Nate! No!" Mitzi yelled. Robotnik turned around. "What the... an intruder! Snively, send all swatbots after her!" "Mitzi, I think we've overstayed our welcome," said Tails. He grabbed Mitzi and flew away. Robotnik and Snively ran out in time to see them getting away. "Snively, that two tailed brat is here!" bellowed Robotnik. "Yes, sir. Which means Sonic must be here as well." "I'm aware of that, Snively. Now hurry! Let's test this device before that hedgehog ruins everything! The swatbots should have him found out momentarily anyway." "The machine is all ready, your roundness," said Crabmeat. "Very well. This had better not disappoint me, Snively." Snively gulped. He walked over to the main control console and pushed a few buttons. A transparent material closed over each chamber. Nate sat in his, frozen with fear. "Activating," said Snively. He pushed another button and various lights on the machine began flashing. After a moment or two, the lights turned off as the machine deactivated. Nate sat unharmed in one container, and the other one was still empty. Robotnik's temper rose. He grabbed Snively by his shirt collar. "Snively! Why isn't anything happening!?" "Eeep! I-I-I really d-don't know s-s-sir. I followed your blueprints exactly..." "Let me see those blueprints!" Robotnik released Snively, who then brought up the blueprints on the computer. Robotnik studied them for a while. "I don't know why I didn't remember this! The machine needs to be powered by the Stone of Gamel!" "But sir, nobody even knows where the Stone of Gamel is or if it even exists!" "Well then, Snively, maybe someone should find out! In the meantime, I want this project to be transferred back to Robotropolis and all work on it to cease until its found. In the meantime I want to have everything done on my ultimate weapon of destruction. Perhaps we can finish it much sooner than I had hoped." "Yes sir, Dr. Robotnik." "Very well then, I shall return to Robotropolis, and I'll take our prisoner with me. And Snively, when those miserable freedom fighters have been caught, contact me immediately. Come Crabmeat, we're off." Bam! A laser shot flew right over Tails head and hit the wall. "Looks like we've got uninvited company!" he said to Mitzi. He flew about in an erratic way to avoid laser fire from the swatbots. "I'm too tired to fly any more, I'm going to put us on the ground and we'll have to run!" Tails quickly dropped in altitude, letting Mitzi down first, then he lowered himself to the ground. They ran as fast as they could, but the swatbots behind them matched their speed. As they came to a hallway intersection, another group of swatbots charged them from the front. Each of the foxes veered off down separate hallways, with swatbot groups following them both. Mitzi quickly darted up a set of stairs to the next floor. She recognized the area she was in as the same area she and Tails first saw Robotnik in. She ran over to the side of the balcony and looked down. She saw Tails on the lower area, followed by a group of swatbots. She tossed her head back. Swatbots were coming up behind her fast. She didn't have much time to think, so she flipped over the balcony and landed on the head of a swatbot on the first floor. Several swatbots turned their attention to her and gave chase. She didn't have any time to locate Tails so she scurried down a hallway. Down the hallway, she could see light from the sun beaming in. She headed toward it. When she reached the exit, she was horrified at what she saw. Dr. Robotnik and his escort of robots were entering a hovercraft. One of the robots was carrying something in its arms. It was Nate. Mitzi cried out to him, but he disappeared into the hovercraft. Mitzi wanted to cry as the hovercraft lifted off, but she had no time. A group of swatbots were coming after her from all directions. She ran back the way she had come. When she was nearly in the grasp of the swatbots she jumped up as high as she could and cleared the swatbot group. She ran back toward the large circular room. As she attempted to run down another corridor, something grabbed her arm. She gasped, and turned around to look. To her relief, she saw that it was Tails. "Come on," said Tails, "we have to get out of here while we're still alive." He flew them back up to the top story, with swatbots on the lower level shooting lasers at them. They made their way back the way they came and after they left, Tails flew them deep into the woods. Tails and Mitzi returned to Mitzi's house. Mitzi went to her room and laid on her bed. She stared at the ceiling thinking of all that had happened. Tails came into the room and sat next to her. "Don't give up, Mitz. We can go back there and get Nate back!" said Tails. "No we can't. I saw him. that Robotnik guy took him away in some flying machine. I'll never see him again!" "Sure you will! Robotnik probably took him back to Robotropolis. We'll get him back, Mitzi. My friends and I can get him back." "Do you really think so?" "Yeah!" "So, what are you planning to do tomorrow? I'm sure your getting pretty homesick by now." "I think I should set off tomorrow afternoon. I want to see my friend Knuckles and get directions back to my home. But don't worry. I'm going to come back for you." "Okay. Thank you Tails." She leaned over and kissed Tails on the cheek. Tails smiled. "Uh.. er.. your welcome." he said, lovestruck. Mitzi laughed, then yawned. "Well, I'm going to try to get some sleep. You can sleep in Nate's bedroom whenever you feel like tired." "Okay, g'nite Mitz." The mornings peace was shattered when a crash outside awoke Tails. He rolled out of bed and stumbled, half asleep, out of the room and over to the cabins entrance. Mitzi emerged from her room. She walked over out to the front of the cabin where Tails was looking around. She rubbed her eyes as she adjusted them to the sunlight. "What's going on? What happened?" she asked. Tails scratched his head. "I'm not sure. I'd better go check it out. Wait here Mitz." He walked out into the woods to investigate. He followed the sound of rustling to a nearby clearing. He peered over a tree to see what had happened. What he saw made his eyes light up from sheer excitement and joy. "Man, you have got to work on those landings, Dulce!" said the familiar voice. "Sonic!" yelled out Tails. Sonic the Hedgehog turned his attention to the fox bounding down to him. "Big guy!" Finally reunited, the two met in an embrace. "Where you been, buddy?" asked Sonic. "It's a long story. How'd did you ever find me?" "It was an accident. I figured you may have flown to the floating island, so Dulcy and I set off to come see if you were there. We came here for a rest stop." "I'm really glad to see you Sonic." "Same here, big guy. You ready to get home?" "Not quite. Theres someone I want you to meet." Tails noticed Sonic looked confused. Tails waved to a nearby bush, "Come on out, Mitz!" The young fox popped her head out from behind the bush. "How did you know I was there." "Like you would have just sat there when there may have been something big happening." he said with a laugh. "Sonic. This is Mitzi, my friend. Her brother was just kidnapped by Robotnik and..." "Wait a sonic second. What is old Robuttnik doing here?" "I'll explain it to you later. This may be something the rest of the group will want to hear about. Anyway, Robotnik kidnapped her brother and took him away. So now she has nobody. I want her to come live in Knothole." "You mean it, Tails?" Mitzi asked excitedly. "I mean, if its no trouble." "Of course you can," said Sonic. Sonic went over and shook Mitzi's paw. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sonic." Tails jumped with delight. He ran over and gave Mitzi a hug. "Now, I think we should get going. Sal and the others have been worried about you, Tails." "I've missed everyone, too," said Tails. "Well Mitzi, is there anything you need to get before we go?" "No, that is, there's nothing really important." "In that case, let's get going. Ready Dulcy?" "Ready!" replied the dragon. Sonic, Tails, and Mitzi climbed on to Dulcy's back. Dulcy flapped her wings. She rose above the island and flew off toward Knothole. * * * After much relief and celebration following Tails' return, things had begun to settle down and life returned to normal, more or less. But with all of the recent events that had been occurring, Princess Sally wondered how life could possibly get any more Hectic. She and Sonic sat outside, resting against Sally's hut. The children ran around in front of them, playing a game of tag. Sonic noticed Sally seemed to be concentrating on her thoughts. "Something on your mind Sal?" "Nothing more than usual," she replied. "It seems that life just can't get any more complicated. Its just been one thing after another." "Don't you think you've got enough to worry about without dwelling on that?" "That's exactly what I'm saying, I've got too much to worry about. We've still got the problem of getting my father out of the void, and now Nack's on the loose, Robotnik seems to have multiple things being prepared, and if what Tails' tells me is true, Robotnik may be about to give us a lot to worry about." "That's right, Tails said there was something important. What did he tell you?" "Tails and Mitzi apparently found that Robotnik is designing a cloning machine. With that kind of technology, he could easily increase the number of robots he makes. And worse yet, he could clone himself." "This world isn't big enough for more than one Robotnik, Sal. And I mean that literally!" The two young foxes tired of their game and came to sit beside Sonic and Sally. Sally turned to Mitzi and smiled. "So, Mitzi. Have you decided if you'd like to be a freedom fighter?" she asked. "Yeah, I'd love to!" Mitzi said enthusiastically. "Now you know, there will be a lot of dangers, and you'll have to be trained for awhile, just like Tails was not long ago." "I know, Sally. But I'd love to help." "I'm glad to see such enthusiasm to do what's right in you kids. Now then, Tails, since you've more than proven yourself to be so resourceful and responsible, I'd like for you to help train Mitzi when your not needed for a mission." Tails and Mitzi turned to each other and grinned. "Thanks Aunt Sally!" Tails said. Sally turned her attention to Sonic, who had shut his eyes and was leaning back. "I think its time for everyone to get to bed. We've got some things to go over with the others in the morning about our current Robotnik situation." She stood up and the kids followed. Sally showed Mitzi to where she would be staying. Tails glanced over at Sonic. "Aren't you going to bed Sonic?" he asked. But the only response he got was Sonic making a soft snoring sound. Tails crept away, without making a sound. * * * Robotnik was not happy after his latest plan had to be put on hold. "Well, Snively, did you find any of those miserable freedom fighters?" he asked his assistant. "I'm afraid not sir. The swatbots gave chase to a couple of foxes but no freedom fighters were found." "That's absurd! I saw that fox brat Tails with my own eyes! "Well sir, maybe it was another fox, I..." "How many other two-tailed foxes have you seen around here, you imbecile?!" "Well, sir, I haven't..." "Shut up Snively! I've had enough of your blundering for one day! Now I need to find someone gullible enough to find the legendary Stone of Gamel." "But sir, nobody knows where it is! Nobody would be willing to go on an impossible quest to find it." "Nobody? Don't be so sure." "So let me get this straight. You want me to find the stone of Gamel, the most magical stone on Mobius, and give it to you?" said Nack. "That's right," replied Dr. Robotnik. "And why should I trust you? The last time I did something for you, you didn't pay me. Why should I trust you now?" Robotnik signaled to Crabmeat waiting outside the room. Crabmeat came in carrying a huge shining diamond. "Wow! What a rock!" Nack exclaimed as his eyes lit up. "Its yours, as payment for bringing me Sonic the last time we met. And there's much more for you if you find the stone." "Its a deal, Doc! Just tell me where I can find this thing!" "I'm afraid that's what you've got to figure out for yourself." "Allright. I'll do it." "Excellent. Mr. Weasel, you know the way out." After Nack had left, Crabmeat asked Robotnik; "Master, are you really planning to pay the Weasel off?" "Of course Crabmeat. But what he doesn't know is those diamonds are completely fake. They're worth less than dirt." "Oh master, you are truly a genius." "Thank you, Crabmeat. Soon, all of Mobius will be in my power!" Robotnik laughed, and his evil laughter could be heard echoing throughout Robotropolis." To be continued...