"You're leaving?" the hedgehog asked with an inquisitive look.
"Yes," Tails answered, "I'll be taking the Tornado with me, I don't imagine you'll be needing it, what with the condition Eggman's in."
"But where are you going?"
"Just… away for a while. I need to get this out of my system, and I need to reflect on myself."
Sonic raised an eyebrow, "That's… not a where, Tails. And if this is about what happened that night, I know someone that can help. There's this guy Shadow goes to see that-"
"No, Sonic," the fox said with a solemn look, "I need to do this myself... for myself. I need to "man-up" as you say."
"Tails, this is different. Something like this… you don't just bottle up. Knuckles and I… You are hurt, and I can see you are hurt, and you need help. It's not being weak, it's communicating. Now come on. You can at least tell me where you plan to go. I mean, we both know you don't just go off on random trips."
He sighed, "Alright, I'm going to Little Planet. I'm going there to get some help-"
"Wh...Tails, why there of all places?"
"I'm going there and I'm going to get some things to set this straight."
"And what's there that can help?"
He shrugged, "A good scientific community, someone who can help me with a project of mine."
"A project being some sort of revenge, right?"
"...I'm not going to kill her, if that's what you're implying."
"Look," Sonic scratched his neck, "Just try to get someone you can talk about it with while you're there."
"I will," Tails nodded, turning toward the plane behind him, "I'll be back by the end of next month. Tell the other's I'm off on a sabbatical, and that I'll be too far away to call."
"Alright," the hedgehog sighed, "Just remember you're not alone in all this."
"I will," he turned and clambered into the cockpit before turning to Sonic again, "And Sonic…"
"Yeah, Tails?"
"...Thanks," and with that word he turned the ignition and the engine roared. The yellow fox affixed his goggles and opened the throttle. With a push of a button on the console, the catapult launched the plane off the runway and into the air.
Many hours later, Tails braced himself for the shift in gravity to come, and sure enough it did. Feeling his head being pulled forward in spite of there being no change in speed, he pulled back on the control column to level himself with the ground. When he was confidently cruising again, he glanced down at the , then a buzz of static came from the transmitter, "Attention aircraft, attention aircraft, identify yourself and state your business. Over."
"Miles Prower. Requesting clearance to land. Over."
"Miles Prower?" The voice backed away to background noise for a moment before resuming, "And what interest would you have in Palmtree? Over."
"I'm looking for a one, Doctor Russell. I'll show my credentials once I land. Requesting clearance. Over."
"Clearance granted. Proceed to the airstrip to your north. Over."
After the busywork at the airport and reception was out of the way Tails made his way to his room, encumbered by his luggage and drowsiness. Lazily pulling down the handle and using his shoulder to push, he opened the door to his dark room, with only a sliver of moonlight seeping in to light it up. He paid little mind to it and sauntered to the bed, tripping and falling face-first onto it. He just laid there, not bothering to get under the covers or even change.
Within minutes he felt something else get onto the bed and opened his eyes to see it. Some of his weariness had gone and he found the strength to turn his head to see her faint smile. He sighed in ease and a bit of relief. The seedrian rubbed her head and turned toward the window, he looked forward to see an orange hue coming into the room. Suddenly remembering something, he quickly got up and said, "Oh, Cosmo! Have a look at the sunrise!" Intrigue filling her she followed him to the window. Opening the door to the balcony, the two stepped out to a landscape of amber. Palms of mechanical and natural forms swaying in the breeze. The glistening waters running as smooth as polished glass to the shaded waterfall in the distance. The seemingly chiseled mountains and mesas, along with the fields were carpeted in flowers of every color as the great glowing red sphere peeked over the horizon.
Her eyes watered as she smiled, "It's beautiful, Tails..."
He chuckled a bit as he hugged her from behind, "I thought you'd like it. I always wanted to take you here. I wanted to show you all of it."
"And I want to see all of it…"
That perked something in his head, "You know… lets." And he tightened his grip and spun his tails, with newfound strength, he lifted them off the balcony and carried her to the skies, to the rest of the land. They bounced together through the spring-loaded jungle of Collision Chaos, diving in the clear waters of Tidal Tempest, exploring the crystal cities and canals of Quartz Quadrant, even shopping in Wacky Workbench. Finally, with nightfall closing in, they danced on the Stardust Speedway, vines and instruments lining the way and a thousand stars illuminating the night sky. They stopped at an old park before a great cathedral where they sat down to rest.
"This...was wonderful…" Cosmo said through weary breaths.
"It...it was," Tails replied, just as exhausted.
"I feel, I could stay here forever...You could too."
"I'd love that… I'd love to live here with you…" his expression turned somber, "But I… I can't."
She was silent for a moment, and then spoke remorsefully, "I know… but… at least you could. Safe here… safe from her…"
He sighed, "I'd love to believe that. But I think she'd come looking for me, or find me when she's looking for more gems to steal. That's why I came back. Something's here. Something I can confront her with, and... fight her with… I imagine you know, what…"
Cosmo hung her head and nodded slightly. Looking down through the rose bushes at the cracks and brambles in the ground. "I know…"
"Then would you mind telling me?" Asked a familiar voice from out of nowhere, startling the two "I feel I'm a little in the dark on this. But that shouldn't be too much of a problem." They quickly stood up and looked around, but finding only empty chairs on the cracked masonry.
Tails turned to Cosmo, "Let's get out of here," and he picked her up and started to fly off. They didn't get high up when a huge explosion went off beneath them, shaking everything around them. Shards of rock flew at them and knocked them around. The flying fox still held tight to the seedrian.
"Tails! Look out!" screamed Cosmo as he saw the cathedral toppling right above them. With such little time to react, they smashed through the stained glass window as the front fell down.
Cringing, he glimpsed to see her face full of worry, "Are you alright?"
"Does it matter anymore?" the voice spoke before she could answer, "The plant's been plucked, little one." Tails looked below to see her: Rouge, fluttering above the rubble with her signature smirk. He hurried up through the torn open sanctuary to the skies above. A thunderous red cloud had shrouded the once starry sky, blocking their escape.
"Tails, the highway!" Cosmo pointed ahead to the twisted line that hung suspended over the city. The fox flew to it with the bat taking off after them. He touched down and ran as fast as his free limbs could take him. They could escape at the end, as that was the entrance to Metallic Madness. A great terrible noise crashed and crackled behind them.
"Is she still following us?" Tails asked, not looking back. Cosmo's eyes widened to see not only Rouge was flying along it after them, but a tremendous pillar of lightning wasn't much further behind. It seemed to adhere to the track barreling after them like a blazing tornado.
"I sure am!" Rouge shouted while Cosmo was mute with horror, and stomped the road below her, making the broken instruments on it ring in disharmonious racket.
In spite of this Tails persisted as the glass doorway was close now. Running with all of the strength in his legs, clutching his lover with all the grip in his arms, and pushing forward with all the speed in his tails. Then Cosmo saw something worse still, Rouge was charging after them in overdrive, glowing as bright as the lightning, smashing through anything coming in their path, and gaining on them. Cosmo screamed, "Tails! Look out!"
But it was too late, the bat swung her legs and double-kicked the fox, tripping him up and making him drop the seedrian. They slid and tumbled down, Tails and Rouge getting through the door while Cosmo fell off the road altogether. He watched through the glass floor as his lover fell into the yawning chasm that was once the city.
"COSMOOO!" he screamed with tear-filled eyes as he saw her descend into the darkness. He went limp, sobbing into the floor with all of his strength gone while Rouge watched in self-satisfaction. As Tails continued to cry, he clenched his fists, and beat them on the floor in despair. He did it so hard that it started to draw out blood, it even cracked the floor. His short breaths and wheezes soon gave way to screams of rage. He looked ahead to see a dark grey fog seep into the chamber, it twisted and flowed, and it started to cover him. The metallic smog concentrated into specs around his hands and eyes, taking his sight and making him numb. He felt it course through him as he turned to see the silhouette of the bat shrouded and covered by the smog.
Tails blinked to get a better view of his enemy, only for his eyes to erase everything. The specs on his eyes crusted and cracked and revealed... a green quilted fabric in front of his eyes. He groped around to feel himself on a cushioning surface with patches of smooth white cloth around him. He gripped it to help his head up and feel the cold sweat all over him. He scanned the room and breathed a weary sigh.
Finally getting up, he wiped his face, and got a smell of himself. He looked at the clock to see the time and dug through his folded tight pocket for his phone. There was still some charge in it. Checking the list, he selected a number and the dial tone hummed before a voice called out from it, "Hello?"
"Hi, Doctor Vic Russell? Nanoengineer?"
"Speaking. May I ask who's calling?"
"Miles Prower."
"Ah, Doctor Prower! I was getting worried, you said you'd call me early in the morning."
"Yeah, I overslept. And please just call me Tails."
"Very well, Tails. Now we spoke earlier a bit, and you said you needed my skills, or my nanobots, but you didn't say what for exactly."
"Yeah, I'll explain it further when I get there in… about an hour," Tails paused and smelled himself, "Er, make that two."
"We'll meet in Metallic Madness, but can you give me a little more to go on? If we are to be working together…"
"Okay. So, you're really good with biomedical engineering, right?"
"I am a biomedical engineer, yes."
"How about neuroengineering?"
