HOME | DD

Description
Chapter 6

Tails helplessly gazed up at the thousands and thousands of wiped Robians. In the face of so much needless death, his anger at Fiona, and the situation she had put them in, seemed to fade away.

No, this wasn’t death. This was murder. And what had he been doing about it? Nothing. He roughly wiped away his tears, his fists clenching and teeth gritting, fury coiling around his heart like a burning snake.

He had let himself be led around by the nose, buying into Cassandra’s lies instead of digging deeper to get the complete picture.

So what if he had been suspicious of her? So what if he didn’t completely buy everything she had been saying? If Fiona, of all people, hadn’t dropped by, he would still be sitting on his thumbs, waiting for Cassandra to do something suspicious. How many Robians had she wiped with her technomancy while he did nothing? How much more death would she have caused if Fiona hadn’t come around?

The idea made him sick.

“I’m gonna kill her,” he snarled. “I’m gonna kill that lying, conniving, mass-murdering…” Tails sputtered as he failed to find the words. He turned towards the door.

“No, you’re not.” Fiona’s hand grabbed him by the shoulder.

He turned on her with an angry snarl. “Really?” He gestured towards the lifeless Robians. “Look around you! Every single one of these people, dead. And their bodies are being kept around to serve her! She’s a monster.” He tried to shrug her hand off, but she held fast.

“She is,” Fiona said in a soft determined tone. “But you shouldn’t kill her, Tails.”

“Who do you think you are? What makes you think you can tell me what to do?” Tails ground out in between gritted teeth, slapping her hand of his shoulder. “Like you can act all high and mighty!” He ignored Fiona’s wince at those words. “Doing one good thing doesn’t wipe your slate clean of all the shit you’ve pulled.” He felt tears stinging in his eyes and his throat felt tight. “You… you can’t just expect me to forget and act like you’ve never done all that shit!” he hoarsely spat out. “So why the hell should I listen to you? A monster like her deserves to die!”

"That doesn't mean you should kill her," Fiona said quietly. Tails snapped his head around and found her staring at the floor. "When you take someone's life... it changes you. It's a burden that you shoulder for the rest of your life. You’re too good of a person to just ... get over something like that.” She awkwardly rubbed her arms, unable to look him in the eye.

“And I know I’m not gonna be able to wipe the slate clean. I’m gonna have to live with the consequences of my mistakes for the rest of my life.” She hesitated. “I... I don’t want you to go through that.”

Tail’s teeth ground together as he rubbed his hand across the top of his head, hackles raised. As much as he wanted to deny it, Fiona was right; he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for killing Cassandra, if he managed to go through with it at all. His eyes burned and his throat felt like it was being squeezed shut; every breath was a struggle. He felt the tears drip over his cheeks, making his fur all soggy, but he didn’t even bother hiding them.

“I was so damned stupid,” he choked out, more to himself than to Fiona. “I knew something was up, but I was too busy suspecting Gregory that I didn’t even notice how much she was leading me by the nose. I should’ve done something the moment I knew she had the anarchy beryl shard.”

“That’s bullshit.” Fiona’s voice pulled him out of his rant and he looked back up at her. Her lips pulled back in a snarl and anger flashed in her eyes.

“What could you have done?” she snapped. “You didn’t know the base, you didn’t know the patrols, and you didn't know what she was planning.”

“I could’ve at least tried something!” Tails shot back.

“Of course.” Fiona rolled her eyes. “We both know you just sat on those nice comfortable cushions the entire time. Not planning to find out what was going on, or building things that would help you when you got the chance. And then, when you actually got the chance to escape, you instead dug deeper and found out one of the - probably numerous - fucked up things they were doing here.” She gestured around her. “You did a lot. And as soon as we’re out of here, you can call Sonic and the rest of the Freedom Fighters, and Cassandra and her goons are gonna be behind bars for what they did.”

His thoughts were stopped in their tracks at Fiona’s words. She was right. He let out a weak chuckle at the thought. Fiona of all people was making him feel better. He would’ve thought he was dreaming if the rest of the situation wasn’t such a nightmare. He took a few deep shuddering breaths.

Tails wiped away his tears. “I… we can’t go. Not yet.”

Fiona crossed her arms and took a step closer. “Why not? We’re on a time limit, here!”

“Don’t you think they’ll notice when I’m gone?” Tails started. “As soon as they know they’re discovered, they’re not gonna sit and wait for Sonic and the Freedom Fighters to come and beat them. They’re gonna run, and take the shard with them. I can’t let that happen.” He looked Fiona straight in the eyes. “Cassandra is close to figuring out how to tap into it.

Fiona let out a sigh, shoulders sagging. “Okay, so we can’t let them have the shard. But do you have any idea how to get your hands on it and get away afterwards? I don’t even know where the shard is.”

“But I do,” Tails said as he crossed his arms. “Cassandra couldn’t help but show it to me and brag about it. It’s guarded by Robians, so I should be able to get to it.”

“We,” Fiona interrupted, She put her hands on her hips as she gave him a cross glare.. “We should be able to get to it. Or did you really think I’d let you go off alone?”

“I want you to get my emergency beacons while I go for the shard.”

“So you really want to split up?” Fiona looked at him with disbelief.

“I don’t want to split up,” Tails said. He curled his hands into fists to hide their trembling, but his swishing tail and twitching muzzle betrayed his fear. He really didn’t want to walk through the base by himself “But you said it yourself: we don’t have much time. And I need at least one of those beacons to call for Sonic and the Freedom Fighters as soon as we get out.” Tails crossed his arms. “They’re not going to let us go easily. When they notice we’re gone, they’re gonna tear this place apart looking for us.”

Fiona’s sighed, her muzzle scrunching up in thought. “Can’t you think of a plan that doesn’t involve the two of us splitting up?”

Tails shook his head. “I’ve got nothing else.”

“Fine… then we’ll need a rendezvous point. The corridor crossing marked B-C, we passed it on the way here, is fairly close to the exit. You remember where it is?”

Tails nodded slowly. “I remember We’ll meet there as soon as we can.” He started to turn around, only to be stopped by Fiona’s hand on his shoulder again.

“Don’t go storming off before before I’m done! I haven’t even told you where the exit is yet.” She looked torn between amusement and annoyance. “We’re splitting up. What if I don’t make it to the meeting point and you have to escape on your own?”

“I wouldn’t leave anybody at the mercy of people who do things like...” he gestured to the Robians lining the walls, “this. We’re wasting time, Fiona. I…” he paused, the words sticking in his throat.

Did he really trust Fiona to show up? There still was that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that this could all be a trap. That this was some strange, convoluted plan that Fiona had thought up to help Cassandra and Gregory.

But why would she have led him to the Robian rest cradles? Blowing all off Cassandra’s lies wide open? It just didn’t make sense for Fiona to be working with Cassandra or Gregory at this point. And if she was in it for herself, well, he’d take that risk if it meant getting that shard out of Cassandra’s hands.

“I trust you to get the beacons.”

Fiona perked up at his words, her eyes brightening, and Tails felt his ears heat up at the sight. His tails brushed against the floor, wagging once or twice before he could get them back under control. He cleared his throat awkwardly, scratching beneath his chin.

“Don’t get caught,” he mumbled.

Fiona gave him a smile. “Same to you. I’ll see you soon.”

----------------------------------------

Fiona pressed herself against the wall and the support pillar, making herself as tiny as possible and trying to ignore her heart pounding in her chest. She silently counted the loud, clanking footsteps as the Robian patrol passed her.

As soon as the footsteps faded, she pushed away from the wall and hurried down the corridor. As she arrived to the storage room, she swiped Alyona’s keycard and pushed open the door.

Get in, get the beacons, and get out.

Should be easy.

She flicked the lights on and began walking between the shelves. She’d been here a few times to get supplies for the medbay, so she knew how they organized things in here. It didn’t take her very long to find the shelf where they stored the confiscated items of their prisoners.

She pulled a small storage container off the shelf and pried open the lid. She couldn’t suppress a sob of relief when she saw the beacons blinking calmly at the top of the pile. She let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head, and pocketed them with a grin. She reached for her old clothes in the box, hesitating as memories of Scourge shot through her mind. She forcefully slammed the storage container shut and roughly shoved it back onto the shelf.

And then the door behind her slammed shut with with a pneumatic hiss. A bolt of fear shot down her spine, ans she jumped, bumping against the storage container, causing it to fall to the floor with a loud crash. The contents of the box spilled out across the tiles.

“Once a traitor, always a traitor, isn’t that right, little fox? Pity the boy hasn’t figured that out yet.”

Fiona shivered at the cold, familiar voice. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and turned.

“I’d rather be a traitor than help a mass-murdering lunatic, Gregory.” She clenched her fists to stop them from shaking, but she couldn’t keep her voice from wavering.

Gregory bared his teeth at her and he took a step forward. “I think you’d rather be a traitor than anything else,” the jackal hissed, his narrow eyes watching her every move. “Put whatever you stole back, and I promise I’ll make it quick and painless.”

Fiona glared at him, tail flicking as she calculated the odds of her chances. She didn’t want to test how well-founded Alyona’s fear of this man was. He was bigger, stronger, and faster than her.

But she had the element of surprise.

She dashed forward, aiming a punch at his side and trying to shove herself past him.
Gregory grinned, showing off a set of sharp teeth, ears perking up. His eyes widened in excitement as he slapped her arm away.

Fiona redoubled her assault, twisting around to drive her elbow into Gregory’s face. Her eyes widened in surprise as Gregory caught her arm. Fiona yelped in pain as he squeezed down. She struggled wildly in his vice-like grip.

If she couldn’t break his hold, then she would make him let her go in another way. She grit her teeth and slammed her other fist into his stomach. It felt like punching a brick wall, and she yelped in pain.

But she couldn’t give up, Tails was relying on her. If she died here, then he wouldn’t have a way out. The idea of Tails getting to their meeting point and finding Fiona nowhere in sight made her stomach twist. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind Gregory and Cassandra would make it seem like she had abandoned him again. She snarled as she hurled herself at Gregory, desperation fueling her lunge.

She wasn’t going to let that happen ever again.

Fiona grabbed him by the collar, using it as leverage to slam her knee in his crotch as hard as she could. Gregory grunted in pain and his grip on her slackened just enough for her to slip out of his grasp.

Gregory took a few deep breaths and the glare he gave her made her stomach turn. There was not a shred of mercy in his eyes. He straightened, shaking himself off as if she hadn’t just kicked him straight in the balls.

“Gotta do better than that,” he snarled before he leapt forward, bearing down on her again.

Fiona barely managed to bring up her arms in time to block the jackal’s punch. The force of the impact slammed her arms against her muzzle, and pain blasted through her skull.

Gregory pushed the assault, lashing out at her stomach. Fiona lowered her arms to block the incoming blow and braced herself for impact. But it didn’t come, eyes widened in realization as she tried to get her guard back up. But she was to late, his feint had worked. He easily knocked her shoddy guard aside and grabbed her by the hair. She clutched at his arm, trying to wrench it off, squirming in his grip. Her eyes went wide and her ears flattened against her head as she saw the cruel smile that played on Gregory’s lips.

He slammed her face-first against the metal shelves. Fiona let out a muffled scream of pain. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth as she felt a tooth crack, gagging as the shattered pieces bounced against the back of her throat. She braced against the metal shelf and kicked blindly at Gregory. Her feet scraped against his shins and sides without much effect.

She yelped as Gregory yanked her away from the shelves by her hair and kicked her legs out from underneath her, sending her sprawling to the ground. She tried to get back on her feet, but a harsh kick against her ribs sent her back down. She writhed on the ground, mouth gaping and lungs burning at the lack of oxygen. Panic shooting through her head as she couldn’t breathe.

“You really should choose your battles better.” Gregory said in a satisfied tone.

She grit her teeth, blind gasping wouldn’t help, she knew this, she’d been in this situation before. She shuddered as she carefully drew breath. A bolt of pain shot through her ribs with every breath she took. She tried to stifle her sobs and push through the pain. Every part of her brain was screaming that she needed to get the hell away from him. Her vision was blurry from the tears and all she wanted to do was stay curled up in a ball.

But Tails was counting on her. She couldn’t let Gregory win.

Gregory grabbed her by the scruff, rolling her over so she was on her back. Fiona struggled weakly in his grip.

“Ge…” Her words were cut of as he rammed his elbow against her throat. She desperately tried to breathe, grabbing his arm, trying to get it off her. Her mind was racing and her free hand blindly reaching around for something, anything.

Her hand closed around something small and cylindrical. Somehow, through the panic and the pain, her brain managed to recall the memory of searing, blinding light.

Tails’ flashlight. spark of hope flickered through her mind.

She fumbled with it, trying to find the dial, and turned the setting up as high as it would go.

She pointed the flashlight at Gregory, closed her eyes and flipped the switch.

Gregory howled in pain. Fiona could see the harsh light through her eyelids.

The pressure on her neck vanished and she sucked in a deep, gasping breath. In all her life, nothing had ever tasted as good as that stale, damp cavern air.

Adrenaline rushed through her body. She shoved Gregory off her, scrambled to her feet as fast as she could, ignoring the pain in her muscles and the burning in her lungs, and bolted towards the door, fishing Alyona’s keycard out of her pocket.

She slammed the keycard against the door, and didn’t wait until the door was fully open to slip through. Her blood went cold as she glanced behind her. Gregory was already closing in fast. She knew she couldn’t outrun him forever. Not with the beating she’d just taken.

She pulled out one of Tails’ contraptions and flipped it’s switch.

“I hope this thing works on more than just Robians,” she wheezed as she slammed the contraption against the cardreader.

Fiona smiled as the cardreader began to spark, and with a grinding noise the door slammed shut.

That would keep him of her back. For now, at least.

With the adrenaline slowly draining away, just how badly she had been shoved through the wringer by Gregory finally sunk in. Slumping against the wall, she cradled her aching ribs and spat out a mouthful of blood, wincing as she heard shards of her tooth hit the metal floor with a faint pinging sound. She wasn’t looking forward to living with that.

The door groaned as something slammed into it, and Fiona jolted upright. She let out a sigh of relief as the heavy metal held fast.

“Thank god.” Given her luck, she had half-expected him to smash through the door like a living wrecking-ball.

She reached for the beacons in her pocket, letting out a relieved sigh as her hand curled around one of them; They were still intact.

She pushed herself off the wall and hobbled towards the meeting point.

“Hope you’ve had an easier time then I did, Tails.”

----------------------------------------

Tails peeked into the workshop; it was deserted except for the two Robians standing guard by the door that led to Cassandra’s private laboratory, where the shard of Anarchy Berel was held.

He reached for his tools. If he got close enough, he could easily disable the Robians. The problem was getting close enough.

He shuddered as he remembered the voltage those guns could deal out. Once was enough.

He scanned the workshop.

With crates and workspaces littering the workshop, there was enough cover for him to get close without the Robians having a clear shot, and with a bit of luck, he could probably get close enough without them noticing.

But, however he was going to take them down, he had to do it quick. He had no doubt in his mind that Cassandra or Gregory was going to get alerted when the Robians went down.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to steady his nerves.

Now or never.

As soon as he was through the door, the Robians reacted, yelling at him to halt in their screeching voices as they raised their weapons, electricity crackling over the barrels.

So much for a stealthy approach. Tails dove behind a crate, bolts of energy slamming harmlessly against the metal crate.

A set of heavy, clanking footsteps began to close in.

Tails poked his head from out behind his cover as the guns were recharging. His ears flattened against his head as he watched one of the Robians steadily advancing towards him.

Tails dove back behind his cover as another volley of energy bolts cut through the air. There was a rhythm to it. Shoot, recharge, shoot, recharge. Neither of the Robians was programmed to cover the other, or keep a stream of fire going to keep him pinned.

He could use that.

He pulled out one of his jammers and flicked the switch, anxiously waiting for the next volley.

His hair stood on end from the static electricity as the bolts of electricity smashed into his cover and he jumped out from behind the crate, dashing towards the nearest Robian.

“Halt!” it screeched as it reached for him.

They might have been faster and quicker to react than a standard Robian, but their programming was unaware of the device’s purpose and the danger it posed.

With a loud, metallic clang, Tails slammed it against the Robian’s chest. The device activated with a loud whine, and the Robian spasmed as the device scrambled its system. The sharp crackle of the second Robian’s gun recharging split through the air.

Tails ducked underneath the disabled Robian’s flailing arms and jumped behind a workstation, wincing as he slid on the floor and hit the workstation.

One down. Now to get past the other one before reinforcements showed up.

He grabbed his final device and flipped its switch as he scrambled back to his feet, hunching behind the workstation.

He could hear the Robian’s heavy footsteps getting closer. He tensed up, ready to pounce.

As soon as the Robian was close enough, he leapt from behind his cover and pounced. Pushing the Robian’s gun away from him, the discharge hitting the ground, Tails slammed the device against the Robian’s chest. The Robian twitched as it sank to the ground.

Tails didn’t give the fallen Robian another glance as he hurried over towards the door and popped open the keycard reader; it only took him a quick rewire to force the door open, and he stepped inside.

Tails couldn’t help but sigh in relief when he saw the shard, connected to the research equipment by a tangle of wires. It wasn’t until his fingers were just millimeters away that he could feel the sheer wrongness emanating from the gem. He hesitated, his mouth going dry.. The idea of touching it making his stomach clench.

He grit his teeth. This was stupid; he had never reacted to anarchy beryl like this, before. The jagged purple facets shone in the artificial light, mocking him.

Tails shook the thought out of his mind; it was a shard, a thing. It couldn’t mock him. He yanked the shard off the wires. The gem felt uncomfortably warm in his palm, the twisted power pulsating underneath it’s smooth, crystal surface, almost begging him to use it.

Now he just had to meet up with Fiona before the reinforcements arrived.

He could hear the workshop door open, the sound of heavy footfalls echoing as they quickly got closer.

He slumped, his tails curling around his legs and his ears going flat. He just had to jinx it.

He didn’t have time to react before a dozen Robians charged into the room, leveling their guns at him. The ominous crackle of the charging weapons sounded like a thunderstorm.

“Miles?” Cassandra’s confused voice rang out, and the ranks of Robians parted as she approached. The confusion was replaced with a coy smile. “Well, I should’ve known better than to think my security could keep you in for too long. Still, it would be best for you to put the shard back and follow me back to your room. Gregory would have a fit if he knew of this, and who knows what he would do?”

The friendly and familiar way she was acting made Tails’ blood boil. She had murdered enough people to fill that entire room. And she was acting as if nothing was wrong.

Well, screw that. He was done playing along with her.

“I know Gregory isn’t the greatest evil in this base,” Tails snapped as his eyes flitted around the room. Looking for something, anything, that could get him out of this mess. “I found out how you placate the Robians.” He felt the sharp edges of the shard bite into his flesh as his hands squeezed into fists. He didn’t give Cassandra a chance to respond. “You wiped their memories clean. You killed them.”

For a few moments only the crackle of electricity was heard. Cassandra’s mouth opened and closed a few times. And Tails couldn’t help but feel a smidge of satisfaction at seeing her completely at a loss for words.

Cassandra’s tail twitched as she stepped forward. A tense smile curled her lips. “I was afraid you would react like this, Miles. I was going to tell you when you were in the right state of mind to hear it.”

“Right state of mind...?” Tails sputtered out. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Sally, Sonic, the freedom fighters. They’ve been stuffing your head with lies and preventing you from being who you truly could be... what you deserve to be,” she said in a slow and even tone.

“And what,” Tails snarled, taking a step towards her, “do you mean by that?” He felt the power of the shard pulse in his hands, calling to him.

“They’ve convinced you that they and the rest of their ilk are equal to you. To us.” Her voice rose as she straightened herself up. “We are geniuses; our intellect is vastly superior to theirs. The rightful order is that we stand above our lessers, using them to achieve our wishes and wants.”

Tails shuddered at the words. The casual way she dismissed nearly everybody as lesser with such certainty in her voice.

“One wouldn’t let a child rule an adult. Compared to us, they might as well be children. It’s in their own best interest to follow our rule.“ She reached out towards him with a warm smile on her face.

No hint of doubt, no twitch of her face or a twinge of guilt for what she just said. She truly believed what she was saying. “You’re insane.”

Cassandra frowned and shook her head in disappointment, retracting her hand. “They really have gotten their claws in you deeply.” She gave him a sad smile. “Don’t worry, Miles. I’ll help you get through it.” She reached out with her hand. “Don’t make this more difficult than it has to be Miles, please.”

Tails dove for cover. His fur tingled as he felt Cassandra send a technomantic command to her goons.

The Robians raised their rifles. But Tails was already moving, vaulting over some lab equipment. Energy bolts screeched through the air, impacting against his cover. The Robians marched closer as the volley of energy bolts forced Tails to keep his head down.

“You can’t win this, Miles. Please be reasonable and surrender. We don’t have to do this.”

Tails tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach has he wracked his brain for anything to get him out of his mess. There wasn’t enough cover between him and the exit, not to withstand the volume of fire.

He winced as a stray bolt hit something in the equipment he was hiding behind, showering him with sparks. He ignored Cassandra’s demands for surrender, trying desperately to think of something.

But he came up with nothing; there was no time to get his hands on some of the machinery and jury-rig something, and he was too far away from the Robians to use the bits of technomancy he knew on them.

Unless...

He ran his fingers over the sharp shard, the energy angrily pulsing inside it’s crystal prison.
His stomach clenched at the idea. It twisted people. Scourge always was a bad guy, but whenever he called upon the power of the shard, he was more beast than man.

But what choice did Tails have?

He gripped the shard and let the power flow, whimpering as the energy shot up his arm and into every fiber of his being like he was gripping an electric wire. He drew in sharp shallow breaths as the energy spread through him. His fur darkened to a dull, cobalt blue. The rage and anger he’d been feeling ever since he found out about Cassandra’s deception began to grow, clawing at his mind, pushing on the inside of his skull.

He needed to do something, anything to get it all out.

He felt a grin crawl on his face as his hand closed around the machinery he had been hiding behind, the metal deforming under his grip as he tore it off the ground, leapt to his feet, and threw it at the group.

The heavy machinery flew through the air, bowling over a handful of Robians. He’d been aiming for Cassandra, but one of her goons pulled her out of the way an instant before the metal crumpled against the opposite wall, right where she’d been standing.

He could feel his heart pounding in his ears, his teeth bared in a feral grin as the hatred and rage felt like it was slowly boiling him from within.

Wasn’t it lucky, wasn’t it so perfect and grand, that he’d found something to work out his anger out on?

----------------------------------------

Tails was late.

Fiona wrung her hands as she glanced down the hallways, ears perked for any sound of movement. Thoughts of why Tails could be delayed shot through her head. A simple delay, capture… betrayal.

She shoved that thought out of her mind. Tails wouldn’t betray her to Cassandra and her ilk, not after what they’d found in the Robian lab.

She resisted the urge to go and look for him. She had no clue where to start, and what if he came back while she was out looking?

The crunch of crumpling metal echoed through the base and Fiona straightened, wincing as her aching body protested at the sudden movement.

“Tails?” She grit her teeth against the pain as she started running towards it. There was no doubt in her mind that Tails had something to do with that. If there was one thing Tails managed to pick up from Sonic, it was that he always managed to be in the midst of trouble.

-_--__-

Tails growled in frustration as the taste of ozone lingered in his mouth and the hum of chaos energy hung thick in the air. The energy of the Anarchy Beryl rushed through his veins, making his fists tremble. His heartbeat pounded in his skull, like a jackhammer against his brain, stoking his rage to burn brighter and hotter with each hit. The feel of metal crumpling beneath his fists like they were made out of cardboard.

It felt great.

Green tendrils of energy sparked towards the fallen Robians. Broken bits and pieces, cracked gears and bent springs pulled themselves back together before his eyes, and the reborn Robians got back on their feet.

But no matter how many times he turned those tin cans into scrap, they just kept coming back.

One of the Robians aimed it’s rifle at him. Tails swatted it away. With a snarl, he smashed his fist into the Robian’s chest, metal shrieking as he wrenched the creature’s torso apart.

He eyed the Robians forming a wall between him and Cassandra with distaste. The mangled robotic corpse hung still and cold in his grip.

Cassandra was the head of this snake. The Robians didn’t matter, her other henchmen didn’t matter. If he could remove Cassandra, then all of this madness would stop and she would never be able to kill another person.

The desire to destroy her, to end this, it burned like hunger in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to watch the life bleed out of her, the light fade from her eyes.

And yet…

There was something else, something quiet and calm, a voice that begged him to stop this. To just get the hell out of here.

From somewhere deep inside him, that voice cried out, begging him to stop, to run, to stick to the plan.

But why should he? He was winning.

As soon as Cassandra was gone and her technomancy fell away, it would all end. The Robians would go down permanently. It was just a matter of time.

He threw the mangled Robian at Cassandra’s remaining guard, smashing a few other Robians to bits. The others quickly closed ranks to shield their master.

“The ease with which you wield this power, it’s as if you were born to do it, ” Cassandra said with a genuine smile on her face. “Despite it being unnatural to this dimension, don’t you see how much talent and potential you have Tails? Think of what you could do under my guidance. We could transform this broken world into a paradise. ”

Another spark of unnatural green light illuminated the room as the fallen soldiers clawed their way back to their feet. Grasping at him.

Tails snarled as he watched his enemies stand once more to face him. Blind fury crashed over him, and an instant later, he charged, using his tails to propel himself forward.

Cassandra’s bodyguards closed in on him.

Tails didn’t stop, crashing into the mob of Robians and crushing the steel shells with pure brute force. He was beyond the point of strategy or intelligence as he clawed his way through them, his glare fixed on Cassandra.

The remaining Robians swarmed him, ignoring their weapons and fighting tactics as they clamped their hands and teeth onto him. At first, it didn't stop him, but as more of the lifeless corpses sprang into motion, grabbing on and refusing to let go, Tails began to slow. He ignored his own body screaming in protest as the energy coursed through it.

“Stop hiding behind these tin cans,” Tails snarled. panting heavily as the rush slowly began to die down. “Face me, you coward.”

Cassandra said nothing. She just waited and watched, with a smile on her face and madness in her eyes.

His muscles protested as he struggled against the mass of metal bodies. His breath hitched as the raging energy from the shard began to drain out of him. It left nothing but bruised and screaming muscles behind.

The Robians shoved him to his knees, pinning him down

He struggled, but his limbs were encased in lead, his head pounding, pain like bolts of white-hot lightning shooting through him with each movement, no matter how slight. He had to force himself to look up as he heard soft footsteps coming closer. All he could do was give her a defiant glare.

Cassandra made a simple gesture and the Robians pulled him to his feet.

His eyes widened and he felt bile in the back of his throat as she gently stroked his cheek. As soon as her fingers touched his skin he could feel the tendrils of chaos energy spreading out from her, towards all the Robians. He shuddered as he sensed the path of that energy, how it it coursed through their battered shells and kept them upright.

“I know this all looks bad now, Miles. But trust me, I’ll make you see how wrong the freedom fighters were, how they stunted your potential.”

A sinking feeling formed in the pit of his stomach as she leaned closer, her eyes glinting green. She kept gently stroking his cheek.

“I can teach you so much, if you just let me.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I promise it will be very enjoyable.”

Tails squeezed his eyes shut and shuddered as he felt the heat of her breath on his cheek. His body recoiled on instinct, struggling desperately to back away.

“Just let it happen, Miles….”

“Get away from him, you creep!”

Tails’ eyes snapped open.

“Fiona?” He barely managed to utter the word, it was barely more than a whisper..

Cassandra reacted as if she’d been slapped Tails winced as her fist clenched his cheek, lips curling back as she bared her teeth at Fiona.

“You!” Cassandra snarled. “You’re the cause of all this.”

Fiona growled in response, fur bristling as she stomped towards Cassandra, fists clenched and tail flicking angrily. Tails could see the signs of exhaustion, the sight limp in her step, the way her shoulders sagged. But despite her weariness, she still stood tall, anger burning bright and hot in her eyes.

Tails felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards, and then he winced, because even smiling hurt.

He met Fiona’s gaze, and saw her falter. Saw the way her shoulders tensed. Whatever she saw in him, it was something that scared her.

“You came,” he rasped. Cassandra glanced between them, her eyes narrowing, and Tails’ ears went flat against his head as cold dread curled down his spine.

Fiona had come for him, running straight into a pissed Cassandra with a whole host of Robians at her command.

If Tails didn’t do something, Fiona was going to die.

He weakly struggled in the Robian’s grip, wracking his mind for something, anything to get Fiona out of this mess.

No matter how much he tried, the shard was unresponsive. The chaotic, unnatural energy continued to leach out of him with every passing second, taking the last vestiges of his strength with him. He slumped over.

The Robians kept him upright as his legs failed and he slumped over. He drew in ragged breaths as his vision began to fade.

“Bring me her head!” Cassandra roared.

Panic sunk its sharp claws into his heart and fear forced his battered, bruised and despondent body to move. He reached up, feebly grabbing the hand on his cheek.

“No!”

Cassandra recoiled from his touch as if she had been burned. Her hand and arm twitched as the energy from the shard shot into her.

But in that brief moment he had felt everything. The strands of energy flowing out from Cassandra and binding around the Robians, the flicker and pulse of the strands as she gave orders, and the way the shard’s energy had been disrupting the flow.

The grip of the Robians holding him up slacked.

The dimension Anarchy beryl came from was a polar opposite in nearly every way than their own. Of Course it worked against chaos energy.

And then what? He had wasted the power from the shard with his stupid tantrum and it would take time for it to charge itself again. It wasn’t as if he could just reverse what he used for technomancy.

Unless…
Anarchy beryl generated the energy from emotions, just like the chaos emeralds did. But it used negative ones instead. So if he could just feed it.

A shiver went down his spine as he felt the yawning emptiness inside the crystal. It felt as if the crystal was eager, eager to glut itself emotional dregs and bloat itself with energy. The very thought of willingly giving something of himself to that twisted his stomach. He knew that nothing good would come from it. Nothing ever did from Anarchy beryl.

It was a stupid idea, ridiculously dangerous and liable to kill him. He strained to look up at Fiona, who stood defiant as the Robians closed in around her.

He remembered the anger in her, when he had first met her in the tunnel. The bitterness, the desperation and mistrust that filled her. The haunted look in her eyes when she had realized that she had been betrayed.

It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Now, he saw the set of her jaw, and the bright, hard determination that glinted in her eyes, and he knew that he couldn’t let her die. He couldn’t fail her. So many people had failed her, so many people had betrayed and abandoned her and left her on her own.

He refused to be one of them. No matter what.

Tails swallowed and closed his eyes, focusing every single bit of anger, hatred and fear he’d felt during all of this, packing it together, the pain, fear, anger and distrust burning like poison in his chest and then he gave it over towards the shard.

He slumped over as the greedy maw took, and took and took. A cold feeling crawling through his veins, making him shudder.

A trickle of power filled him, faint and feeble, flickering like a candle flame in a gust of wind.

“Let him go, Cassandra,” Fiona said quietly, eyeing the Robians as they encircled her.

Cassandra tilted her head down at Tails, her eyes narrowing as her smile widened. “Now, why would I do that?”

“Because he doesn’t want this. He doesn’t want you.”

A flash of anger and confusion swept through Tails as he struggled weakly. What was Fiona thinking? Was she trying to get herself killed?!

Cassandra’s grip on his face tightened, her claws pricking his skin, and then her expression changed. She smiled.

“And yet,” she said in a soft, sickeningly sweet voice, “he is here, isn’t he, little fox? Instead of finding you and helping you escape, as I’m sure he promised… he came back to me.”

Fiona flinched, and in her eyes, Tails saw the same pain, the same betrayal and uncertainty and loneliness, that he had seen in the tunnel, when they had first gotten into this mess.

White hot pain exploded behind his eyes as the energy slammed into him, blasting away the icy cold.. He gasped as his stomach clenched, tasting bile in the back of his throat as his body rebelled against what he was doing. The pain was even worse than last time, his battered and bruised body already stretched to the breaking point beforehand, no anger and hate to cover up the pain, no surge of overconfidence. The shard took that, leaving just his body and mind screaming at him to stop doing this to himself.

But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. He had to do this.

For Fiona.

He wrenched his arm out the Robian’s slackened grip, grasped Cassandra by the wrist and hoped that this would be enough. He let the warped chaos energy flow into Cassandra, and it left a trail of pain in its wake like acid flowing through his arm. Burning, screaming, searing away everything in its path.

Cassandra screamed, yanking her arm away. The technomancy that was holding up the battered Robians crumbled and the sound of metal hitting the floor filled the air.

Tails couldn’t keep his eyes open as he felt himself fall towards the hard floor, falling into the blissful embrace of unconsciousness

-_-_-_

Cassandra’s cry of alarm, the crumbling Robians. None of that mattered as she saw Tails’ limp body hitting the ground.

“Tails!”

She ran towards him. Scowling as Cassandra stepped in her way, her eyes filled with rage. “I won’t let you steal him from me” she hissed.

Fiona responded by ramming her fist into Cassandra’s muzzle, a sickening crunch that sent Cassandra staggering backwards with a howl of pain.

Cassandra was nothing compared to Gregory. But she was still fresh. Fiona panted and grit her teeth, trying to catch her breath. Her body hurt, her sides were aching and the exhaustion of the day still clung to her, weighing her down.

She cursed her lack of a follow through as Cassandra didn’t go down. A shiver slid down her spine as Cassandra glared at her, eyes wide with surprise and disbelief.

“You dare?” she shrieked.

Fiona ignored her, eyes flicking towards Tails, lying motionlessly on the floor. The worst case scenarios flashed through her brain, edging her desperation into wild panic. Dead. Paralyzed. Burnt out from the energy of the shard. She might be fighting for nothing; she might have already lost him.

She took a deep breath as she squared her shoulders, narrowing her eyes at Cassandra. No, she would not give up on him. She would not give up on herself. Not anymore.

She needed to get Tails out of here, and that bitch wasn’t going to stand in her way.

All she needed was a chance. She let Cassandra make the first move, and took a defensive stance, weathering through Cassandra’s blows. Gritting her teeth and curling in on herself, waiting for the perfect moment. She was tired and running on nothing but fumes. Her body desperately wanted to give up and collapse.

But she had made a promise.. And she had but one shot at this.

When Cassandra overextended herself, Fiona couldn’t help but grin as she lashed out, slamming her fist into Cassandra’s stomach. She didn’t stop to gloat, she kept going, grabbing Cassandra’s arm, turning into the movement and throwing Cassandra over her shoulder, ramming her into the ground. She didn’t give Cassandra chance to react, she simply lifted her fist and slammed it into the other woman’s temple.

Cassandra instantly went limp.

Fiona panted heavily, waiting a few tense moments for any sign of movement. Cassandra was still breathing, but she was out cold..

Fiona stood, staggered, and then rushed to Tails’ side. Falling down on her knees next to him, she gently turned him over and pressed her ear to his chest,holding her breath as she listened. Her stomach clenched.

Please, be okay. Please. Don’t leave me.

A strong heartbeat, the slight movement of his chest. She let out a sigh of relief that turned into a quiet sob. He was alive. Unconscious, but alive. The patches of cobalt fur in his coat were something to care for later, after they were out of this place.

Slowly, and with great effort, Fiona managed to sling Tails across her shoulders. In the past, she’d seen Sonic use this method to carry an injured Tails away from the fight, and if that scrawny blue rat could do it, then she sure as hell could.

For a long moment, she stood there, staring at the chaos and destruction around them, listening to Tails heart beating strong and slow in his chest.

It was time for them to get the hell out of this mess.

Description
Chapter 6

Tails helplessly gazed up at the thousands and thousands of wiped Robians. In the face of so much needless death, his anger at Fiona, and the situation she had put them in, seemed to fade away.

No, this wasn’t death. This was murder. And what had he been doing about it? Nothing. He roughly wiped away his tears, his fists clenching and teeth gritting, fury coiling around his heart like a burning snake.

He had let himself be led around by the nose, buying into Cassandra’s lies instead of digging deeper to get the complete picture.

So what if he had been suspicious of her? So what if he didn’t completely buy everything she had been saying? If Fiona, of all people, hadn’t dropped by, he would still be sitting on his thumbs, waiting for Cassandra to do something suspicious. How many Robians had she wiped with her technomancy while he did nothing? How much more death would she have caused if Fiona hadn’t come around?

The idea made him sick.

“I’m gonna kill her,” he snarled. “I’m gonna kill that lying, conniving, mass-murdering…” Tails sputtered as he failed to find the words. He turned towards the door.

“No, you’re not.” Fiona’s hand grabbed him by the shoulder.

He turned on her with an angry snarl. “Really?” He gestured towards the lifeless Robians. “Look around you! Every single one of these people, dead. And their bodies are being kept around to serve her! She’s a monster.” He tried to shrug her hand off, but she held fast.

“She is,” Fiona said in a soft determined tone. “But you shouldn’t kill her, Tails.”

“Who do you think you are? What makes you think you can tell me what to do?” Tails ground out in between gritted teeth, slapping her hand of his shoulder. “Like you can act all high and mighty!” He ignored Fiona’s wince at those words. “Doing one good thing doesn’t wipe your slate clean of all the shit you’ve pulled.” He felt tears stinging in his eyes and his throat felt tight. “You… you can’t just expect me to forget and act like you’ve never done all that shit!” he hoarsely spat out. “So why the hell should I listen to you? A monster like her deserves to die!”

"That doesn't mean you should kill her," Fiona said quietly. Tails snapped his head around and found her staring at the floor. "When you take someone's life... it changes you. It's a burden that you shoulder for the rest of your life. You’re too good of a person to just ... get over something like that.” She awkwardly rubbed her arms, unable to look him in the eye.

“And I know I’m not gonna be able to wipe the slate clean. I’m gonna have to live with the consequences of my mistakes for the rest of my life.” She hesitated. “I... I don’t want you to go through that.”

Tail’s teeth ground together as he rubbed his hand across the top of his head, hackles raised. As much as he wanted to deny it, Fiona was right; he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for killing Cassandra, if he managed to go through with it at all. His eyes burned and his throat felt like it was being squeezed shut; every breath was a struggle. He felt the tears drip over his cheeks, making his fur all soggy, but he didn’t even bother hiding them.

“I was so damned stupid,” he choked out, more to himself than to Fiona. “I knew something was up, but I was too busy suspecting Gregory that I didn’t even notice how much she was leading me by the nose. I should’ve done something the moment I knew she had the anarchy beryl shard.”

“That’s bullshit.” Fiona’s voice pulled him out of his rant and he looked back up at her. Her lips pulled back in a snarl and anger flashed in her eyes.

“What could you have done?” she snapped. “You didn’t know the base, you didn’t know the patrols, and you didn't know what she was planning.”

“I could’ve at least tried something!” Tails shot back.

“Of course.” Fiona rolled her eyes. “We both know you just sat on those nice comfortable cushions the entire time. Not planning to find out what was going on, or building things that would help you when you got the chance. And then, when you actually got the chance to escape, you instead dug deeper and found out one of the - probably numerous - fucked up things they were doing here.” She gestured around her. “You did a lot. And as soon as we’re out of here, you can call Sonic and the rest of the Freedom Fighters, and Cassandra and her goons are gonna be behind bars for what they did.”

His thoughts were stopped in their tracks at Fiona’s words. She was right. He let out a weak chuckle at the thought. Fiona of all people was making him feel better. He would’ve thought he was dreaming if the rest of the situation wasn’t such a nightmare. He took a few deep shuddering breaths.

Tails wiped away his tears. “I… we can’t go. Not yet.”

Fiona crossed her arms and took a step closer. “Why not? We’re on a time limit, here!”

“Don’t you think they’ll notice when I’m gone?” Tails started. “As soon as they know they’re discovered, they’re not gonna sit and wait for Sonic and the Freedom Fighters to come and beat them. They’re gonna run, and take the shard with them. I can’t let that happen.” He looked Fiona straight in the eyes. “Cassandra is close to figuring out how to tap into it.

Fiona let out a sigh, shoulders sagging. “Okay, so we can’t let them have the shard. But do you have any idea how to get your hands on it and get away afterwards? I don’t even know where the shard is.”

“But I do,” Tails said as he crossed his arms. “Cassandra couldn’t help but show it to me and brag about it. It’s guarded by Robians, so I should be able to get to it.”

“We,” Fiona interrupted, She put her hands on her hips as she gave him a cross glare.. “We should be able to get to it. Or did you really think I’d let you go off alone?”

“I want you to get my emergency beacons while I go for the shard.”

“So you really want to split up?” Fiona looked at him with disbelief.

“I don’t want to split up,” Tails said. He curled his hands into fists to hide their trembling, but his swishing tail and twitching muzzle betrayed his fear. He really didn’t want to walk through the base by himself “But you said it yourself: we don’t have much time. And I need at least one of those beacons to call for Sonic and the Freedom Fighters as soon as we get out.” Tails crossed his arms. “They’re not going to let us go easily. When they notice we’re gone, they’re gonna tear this place apart looking for us.”

Fiona’s sighed, her muzzle scrunching up in thought. “Can’t you think of a plan that doesn’t involve the two of us splitting up?”

Tails shook his head. “I’ve got nothing else.”

“Fine… then we’ll need a rendezvous point. The corridor crossing marked B-C, we passed it on the way here, is fairly close to the exit. You remember where it is?”

Tails nodded slowly. “I remember We’ll meet there as soon as we can.” He started to turn around, only to be stopped by Fiona’s hand on his shoulder again.

“Don’t go storming off before before I’m done! I haven’t even told you where the exit is yet.” She looked torn between amusement and annoyance. “We’re splitting up. What if I don’t make it to the meeting point and you have to escape on your own?”

“I wouldn’t leave anybody at the mercy of people who do things like...” he gestured to the Robians lining the walls, “this. We’re wasting time, Fiona. I…” he paused, the words sticking in his throat.

Did he really trust Fiona to show up? There still was that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that this could all be a trap. That this was some strange, convoluted plan that Fiona had thought up to help Cassandra and Gregory.

But why would she have led him to the Robian rest cradles? Blowing all off Cassandra’s lies wide open? It just didn’t make sense for Fiona to be working with Cassandra or Gregory at this point. And if she was in it for herself, well, he’d take that risk if it meant getting that shard out of Cassandra’s hands.

“I trust you to get the beacons.”

Fiona perked up at his words, her eyes brightening, and Tails felt his ears heat up at the sight. His tails brushed against the floor, wagging once or twice before he could get them back under control. He cleared his throat awkwardly, scratching beneath his chin.

“Don’t get caught,” he mumbled.

Fiona gave him a smile. “Same to you. I’ll see you soon.”

----------------------------------------

Fiona pressed herself against the wall and the support pillar, making herself as tiny as possible and trying to ignore her heart pounding in her chest. She silently counted the loud, clanking footsteps as the Robian patrol passed her.

As soon as the footsteps faded, she pushed away from the wall and hurried down the corridor. As she arrived to the storage room, she swiped Alyona’s keycard and pushed open the door.

Get in, get the beacons, and get out.

Should be easy.

She flicked the lights on and began walking between the shelves. She’d been here a few times to get supplies for the medbay, so she knew how they organized things in here. It didn’t take her very long to find the shelf where they stored the confiscated items of their prisoners.

She pulled a small storage container off the shelf and pried open the lid. She couldn’t suppress a sob of relief when she saw the beacons blinking calmly at the top of the pile. She let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head, and pocketed them with a grin. She reached for her old clothes in the box, hesitating as memories of Scourge shot through her mind. She forcefully slammed the storage container shut and roughly shoved it back onto the shelf.

And then the door behind her slammed shut with with a pneumatic hiss. A bolt of fear shot down her spine, ans she jumped, bumping against the storage container, causing it to fall to the floor with a loud crash. The contents of the box spilled out across the tiles.

“Once a traitor, always a traitor, isn’t that right, little fox? Pity the boy hasn’t figured that out yet.”

Fiona shivered at the cold, familiar voice. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and turned.

“I’d rather be a traitor than help a mass-murdering lunatic, Gregory.” She clenched her fists to stop them from shaking, but she couldn’t keep her voice from wavering.

Gregory bared his teeth at her and he took a step forward. “I think you’d rather be a traitor than anything else,” the jackal hissed, his narrow eyes watching her every move. “Put whatever you stole back, and I promise I’ll make it quick and painless.”

Fiona glared at him, tail flicking as she calculated the odds of her chances. She didn’t want to test how well-founded Alyona’s fear of this man was. He was bigger, stronger, and faster than her.

But she had the element of surprise.

She dashed forward, aiming a punch at his side and trying to shove herself past him.
Gregory grinned, showing off a set of sharp teeth, ears perking up. His eyes widened in excitement as he slapped her arm away.

Fiona redoubled her assault, twisting around to drive her elbow into Gregory’s face. Her eyes widened in surprise as Gregory caught her arm. Fiona yelped in pain as he squeezed down. She struggled wildly in his vice-like grip.

If she couldn’t break his hold, then she would make him let her go in another way. She grit her teeth and slammed her other fist into his stomach. It felt like punching a brick wall, and she yelped in pain.

But she couldn’t give up, Tails was relying on her. If she died here, then he wouldn’t have a way out. The idea of Tails getting to their meeting point and finding Fiona nowhere in sight made her stomach twist. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind Gregory and Cassandra would make it seem like she had abandoned him again. She snarled as she hurled herself at Gregory, desperation fueling her lunge.

She wasn’t going to let that happen ever again.

Fiona grabbed him by the collar, using it as leverage to slam her knee in his crotch as hard as she could. Gregory grunted in pain and his grip on her slackened just enough for her to slip out of his grasp.

Gregory took a few deep breaths and the glare he gave her made her stomach turn. There was not a shred of mercy in his eyes. He straightened, shaking himself off as if she hadn’t just kicked him straight in the balls.

“Gotta do better than that,” he snarled before he leapt forward, bearing down on her again.

Fiona barely managed to bring up her arms in time to block the jackal’s punch. The force of the impact slammed her arms against her muzzle, and pain blasted through her skull.

Gregory pushed the assault, lashing out at her stomach. Fiona lowered her arms to block the incoming blow and braced herself for impact. But it didn’t come, eyes widened in realization as she tried to get her guard back up. But she was to late, his feint had worked. He easily knocked her shoddy guard aside and grabbed her by the hair. She clutched at his arm, trying to wrench it off, squirming in his grip. Her eyes went wide and her ears flattened against her head as she saw the cruel smile that played on Gregory’s lips.

He slammed her face-first against the metal shelves. Fiona let out a muffled scream of pain. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth as she felt a tooth crack, gagging as the shattered pieces bounced against the back of her throat. She braced against the metal shelf and kicked blindly at Gregory. Her feet scraped against his shins and sides without much effect.

She yelped as Gregory yanked her away from the shelves by her hair and kicked her legs out from underneath her, sending her sprawling to the ground. She tried to get back on her feet, but a harsh kick against her ribs sent her back down. She writhed on the ground, mouth gaping and lungs burning at the lack of oxygen. Panic shooting through her head as she couldn’t breathe.

“You really should choose your battles better.” Gregory said in a satisfied tone.

She grit her teeth, blind gasping wouldn’t help, she knew this, she’d been in this situation before. She shuddered as she carefully drew breath. A bolt of pain shot through her ribs with every breath she took. She tried to stifle her sobs and push through the pain. Every part of her brain was screaming that she needed to get the hell away from him. Her vision was blurry from the tears and all she wanted to do was stay curled up in a ball.

But Tails was counting on her. She couldn’t let Gregory win.

Gregory grabbed her by the scruff, rolling her over so she was on her back. Fiona struggled weakly in his grip.

“Ge…” Her words were cut of as he rammed his elbow against her throat. She desperately tried to breathe, grabbing his arm, trying to get it off her. Her mind was racing and her free hand blindly reaching around for something, anything.

Her hand closed around something small and cylindrical. Somehow, through the panic and the pain, her brain managed to recall the memory of searing, blinding light.

Tails’ flashlight. spark of hope flickered through her mind.

She fumbled with it, trying to find the dial, and turned the setting up as high as it would go.

She pointed the flashlight at Gregory, closed her eyes and flipped the switch.

Gregory howled in pain. Fiona could see the harsh light through her eyelids.

The pressure on her neck vanished and she sucked in a deep, gasping breath. In all her life, nothing had ever tasted as good as that stale, damp cavern air.

Adrenaline rushed through her body. She shoved Gregory off her, scrambled to her feet as fast as she could, ignoring the pain in her muscles and the burning in her lungs, and bolted towards the door, fishing Alyona’s keycard out of her pocket.

She slammed the keycard against the door, and didn’t wait until the door was fully open to slip through. Her blood went cold as she glanced behind her. Gregory was already closing in fast. She knew she couldn’t outrun him forever. Not with the beating she’d just taken.

She pulled out one of Tails’ contraptions and flipped it’s switch.

“I hope this thing works on more than just Robians,” she wheezed as she slammed the contraption against the cardreader.

Fiona smiled as the cardreader began to spark, and with a grinding noise the door slammed shut.

That would keep him of her back. For now, at least.

With the adrenaline slowly draining away, just how badly she had been shoved through the wringer by Gregory finally sunk in. Slumping against the wall, she cradled her aching ribs and spat out a mouthful of blood, wincing as she heard shards of her tooth hit the metal floor with a faint pinging sound. She wasn’t looking forward to living with that.

The door groaned as something slammed into it, and Fiona jolted upright. She let out a sigh of relief as the heavy metal held fast.

“Thank god.” Given her luck, she had half-expected him to smash through the door like a living wrecking-ball.

She reached for the beacons in her pocket, letting out a relieved sigh as her hand curled around one of them; They were still intact.

She pushed herself off the wall and hobbled towards the meeting point.

“Hope you’ve had an easier time then I did, Tails.”

----------------------------------------

Tails peeked into the workshop; it was deserted except for the two Robians standing guard by the door that led to Cassandra’s private laboratory, where the shard of Anarchy Berel was held.

He reached for his tools. If he got close enough, he could easily disable the Robians. The problem was getting close enough.

He shuddered as he remembered the voltage those guns could deal out. Once was enough.

He scanned the workshop.

With crates and workspaces littering the workshop, there was enough cover for him to get close without the Robians having a clear shot, and with a bit of luck, he could probably get close enough without them noticing.

But, however he was going to take them down, he had to do it quick. He had no doubt in his mind that Cassandra or Gregory was going to get alerted when the Robians went down.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to steady his nerves.

Now or never.

As soon as he was through the door, the Robians reacted, yelling at him to halt in their screeching voices as they raised their weapons, electricity crackling over the barrels.

So much for a stealthy approach. Tails dove behind a crate, bolts of energy slamming harmlessly against the metal crate.

A set of heavy, clanking footsteps began to close in.

Tails poked his head from out behind his cover as the guns were recharging. His ears flattened against his head as he watched one of the Robians steadily advancing towards him.

Tails dove back behind his cover as another volley of energy bolts cut through the air. There was a rhythm to it. Shoot, recharge, shoot, recharge. Neither of the Robians was programmed to cover the other, or keep a stream of fire going to keep him pinned.

He could use that.

He pulled out one of his jammers and flicked the switch, anxiously waiting for the next volley.

His hair stood on end from the static electricity as the bolts of electricity smashed into his cover and he jumped out from behind the crate, dashing towards the nearest Robian.

“Halt!” it screeched as it reached for him.

They might have been faster and quicker to react than a standard Robian, but their programming was unaware of the device’s purpose and the danger it posed.

With a loud, metallic clang, Tails slammed it against the Robian’s chest. The device activated with a loud whine, and the Robian spasmed as the device scrambled its system. The sharp crackle of the second Robian’s gun recharging split through the air.

Tails ducked underneath the disabled Robian’s flailing arms and jumped behind a workstation, wincing as he slid on the floor and hit the workstation.

One down. Now to get past the other one before reinforcements showed up.

He grabbed his final device and flipped its switch as he scrambled back to his feet, hunching behind the workstation.

He could hear the Robian’s heavy footsteps getting closer. He tensed up, ready to pounce.

As soon as the Robian was close enough, he leapt from behind his cover and pounced. Pushing the Robian’s gun away from him, the discharge hitting the ground, Tails slammed the device against the Robian’s chest. The Robian twitched as it sank to the ground.

Tails didn’t give the fallen Robian another glance as he hurried over towards the door and popped open the keycard reader; it only took him a quick rewire to force the door open, and he stepped inside.

Tails couldn’t help but sigh in relief when he saw the shard, connected to the research equipment by a tangle of wires. It wasn’t until his fingers were just millimeters away that he could feel the sheer wrongness emanating from the gem. He hesitated, his mouth going dry.. The idea of touching it making his stomach clench.

He grit his teeth. This was stupid; he had never reacted to anarchy beryl like this, before. The jagged purple facets shone in the artificial light, mocking him.

Tails shook the thought out of his mind; it was a shard, a thing. It couldn’t mock him. He yanked the shard off the wires. The gem felt uncomfortably warm in his palm, the twisted power pulsating underneath it’s smooth, crystal surface, almost begging him to use it.

Now he just had to meet up with Fiona before the reinforcements arrived.

He could hear the workshop door open, the sound of heavy footfalls echoing as they quickly got closer.

He slumped, his tails curling around his legs and his ears going flat. He just had to jinx it.

He didn’t have time to react before a dozen Robians charged into the room, leveling their guns at him. The ominous crackle of the charging weapons sounded like a thunderstorm.

“Miles?” Cassandra’s confused voice rang out, and the ranks of Robians parted as she approached. The confusion was replaced with a coy smile. “Well, I should’ve known better than to think my security could keep you in for too long. Still, it would be best for you to put the shard back and follow me back to your room. Gregory would have a fit if he knew of this, and who knows what he would do?”

The friendly and familiar way she was acting made Tails’ blood boil. She had murdered enough people to fill that entire room. And she was acting as if nothing was wrong.

Well, screw that. He was done playing along with her.

“I know Gregory isn’t the greatest evil in this base,” Tails snapped as his eyes flitted around the room. Looking for something, anything, that could get him out of this mess. “I found out how you placate the Robians.” He felt the sharp edges of the shard bite into his flesh as his hands squeezed into fists. He didn’t give Cassandra a chance to respond. “You wiped their memories clean. You killed them.”

For a few moments only the crackle of electricity was heard. Cassandra’s mouth opened and closed a few times. And Tails couldn’t help but feel a smidge of satisfaction at seeing her completely at a loss for words.

Cassandra’s tail twitched as she stepped forward. A tense smile curled her lips. “I was afraid you would react like this, Miles. I was going to tell you when you were in the right state of mind to hear it.”

“Right state of mind...?” Tails sputtered out. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Sally, Sonic, the freedom fighters. They’ve been stuffing your head with lies and preventing you from being who you truly could be... what you deserve to be,” she said in a slow and even tone.

“And what,” Tails snarled, taking a step towards her, “do you mean by that?” He felt the power of the shard pulse in his hands, calling to him.

“They’ve convinced you that they and the rest of their ilk are equal to you. To us.” Her voice rose as she straightened herself up. “We are geniuses; our intellect is vastly superior to theirs. The rightful order is that we stand above our lessers, using them to achieve our wishes and wants.”

Tails shuddered at the words. The casual way she dismissed nearly everybody as lesser with such certainty in her voice.

“One wouldn’t let a child rule an adult. Compared to us, they might as well be children. It’s in their own best interest to follow our rule.“ She reached out towards him with a warm smile on her face.

No hint of doubt, no twitch of her face or a twinge of guilt for what she just said. She truly believed what she was saying. “You’re insane.”

Cassandra frowned and shook her head in disappointment, retracting her hand. “They really have gotten their claws in you deeply.” She gave him a sad smile. “Don’t worry, Miles. I’ll help you get through it.” She reached out with her hand. “Don’t make this more difficult than it has to be Miles, please.”

Tails dove for cover. His fur tingled as he felt Cassandra send a technomantic command to her goons.

The Robians raised their rifles. But Tails was already moving, vaulting over some lab equipment. Energy bolts screeched through the air, impacting against his cover. The Robians marched closer as the volley of energy bolts forced Tails to keep his head down.

“You can’t win this, Miles. Please be reasonable and surrender. We don’t have to do this.”

Tails tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach has he wracked his brain for anything to get him out of his mess. There wasn’t enough cover between him and the exit, not to withstand the volume of fire.

He winced as a stray bolt hit something in the equipment he was hiding behind, showering him with sparks. He ignored Cassandra’s demands for surrender, trying desperately to think of something.

But he came up with nothing; there was no time to get his hands on some of the machinery and jury-rig something, and he was too far away from the Robians to use the bits of technomancy he knew on them.

Unless...

He ran his fingers over the sharp shard, the energy angrily pulsing inside it’s crystal prison.
His stomach clenched at the idea. It twisted people. Scourge always was a bad guy, but whenever he called upon the power of the shard, he was more beast than man.

But what choice did Tails have?

He gripped the shard and let the power flow, whimpering as the energy shot up his arm and into every fiber of his being like he was gripping an electric wire. He drew in sharp shallow breaths as the energy spread through him. His fur darkened to a dull, cobalt blue. The rage and anger he’d been feeling ever since he found out about Cassandra’s deception began to grow, clawing at his mind, pushing on the inside of his skull.

He needed to do something, anything to get it all out.

He felt a grin crawl on his face as his hand closed around the machinery he had been hiding behind, the metal deforming under his grip as he tore it off the ground, leapt to his feet, and threw it at the group.

The heavy machinery flew through the air, bowling over a handful of Robians. He’d been aiming for Cassandra, but one of her goons pulled her out of the way an instant before the metal crumpled against the opposite wall, right where she’d been standing.

He could feel his heart pounding in his ears, his teeth bared in a feral grin as the hatred and rage felt like it was slowly boiling him from within.

Wasn’t it lucky, wasn’t it so perfect and grand, that he’d found something to work out his anger out on?

----------------------------------------

Tails was late.

Fiona wrung her hands as she glanced down the hallways, ears perked for any sound of movement. Thoughts of why Tails could be delayed shot through her head. A simple delay, capture… betrayal.

She shoved that thought out of her mind. Tails wouldn’t betray her to Cassandra and her ilk, not after what they’d found in the Robian lab.

She resisted the urge to go and look for him. She had no clue where to start, and what if he came back while she was out looking?

The crunch of crumpling metal echoed through the base and Fiona straightened, wincing as her aching body protested at the sudden movement.

“Tails?” She grit her teeth against the pain as she started running towards it. There was no doubt in her mind that Tails had something to do with that. If there was one thing Tails managed to pick up from Sonic, it was that he always managed to be in the midst of trouble.

-_--__-

Tails growled in frustration as the taste of ozone lingered in his mouth and the hum of chaos energy hung thick in the air. The energy of the Anarchy Beryl rushed through his veins, making his fists tremble. His heartbeat pounded in his skull, like a jackhammer against his brain, stoking his rage to burn brighter and hotter with each hit. The feel of metal crumpling beneath his fists like they were made out of cardboard.

It felt great.

Green tendrils of energy sparked towards the fallen Robians. Broken bits and pieces, cracked gears and bent springs pulled themselves back together before his eyes, and the reborn Robians got back on their feet.

But no matter how many times he turned those tin cans into scrap, they just kept coming back.

One of the Robians aimed it’s rifle at him. Tails swatted it away. With a snarl, he smashed his fist into the Robian’s chest, metal shrieking as he wrenched the creature’s torso apart.

He eyed the Robians forming a wall between him and Cassandra with distaste. The mangled robotic corpse hung still and cold in his grip.

Cassandra was the head of this snake. The Robians didn’t matter, her other henchmen didn’t matter. If he could remove Cassandra, then all of this madness would stop and she would never be able to kill another person.

The desire to destroy her, to end this, it burned like hunger in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to watch the life bleed out of her, the light fade from her eyes.

And yet…

There was something else, something quiet and calm, a voice that begged him to stop this. To just get the hell out of here.

From somewhere deep inside him, that voice cried out, begging him to stop, to run, to stick to the plan.

But why should he? He was winning.

As soon as Cassandra was gone and her technomancy fell away, it would all end. The Robians would go down permanently. It was just a matter of time.

He threw the mangled Robian at Cassandra’s remaining guard, smashing a few other Robians to bits. The others quickly closed ranks to shield their master.

“The ease with which you wield this power, it’s as if you were born to do it, ” Cassandra said with a genuine smile on her face. “Despite it being unnatural to this dimension, don’t you see how much talent and potential you have Tails? Think of what you could do under my guidance. We could transform this broken world into a paradise. ”

Another spark of unnatural green light illuminated the room as the fallen soldiers clawed their way back to their feet. Grasping at him.

Tails snarled as he watched his enemies stand once more to face him. Blind fury crashed over him, and an instant later, he charged, using his tails to propel himself forward.

Cassandra’s bodyguards closed in on him.

Tails didn’t stop, crashing into the mob of Robians and crushing the steel shells with pure brute force. He was beyond the point of strategy or intelligence as he clawed his way through them, his glare fixed on Cassandra.

The remaining Robians swarmed him, ignoring their weapons and fighting tactics as they clamped their hands and teeth onto him. At first, it didn't stop him, but as more of the lifeless corpses sprang into motion, grabbing on and refusing to let go, Tails began to slow. He ignored his own body screaming in protest as the energy coursed through it.

“Stop hiding behind these tin cans,” Tails snarled. panting heavily as the rush slowly began to die down. “Face me, you coward.”

Cassandra said nothing. She just waited and watched, with a smile on her face and madness in her eyes.

His muscles protested as he struggled against the mass of metal bodies. His breath hitched as the raging energy from the shard began to drain out of him. It left nothing but bruised and screaming muscles behind.

The Robians shoved him to his knees, pinning him down

He struggled, but his limbs were encased in lead, his head pounding, pain like bolts of white-hot lightning shooting through him with each movement, no matter how slight. He had to force himself to look up as he heard soft footsteps coming closer. All he could do was give her a defiant glare.

Cassandra made a simple gesture and the Robians pulled him to his feet.

His eyes widened and he felt bile in the back of his throat as she gently stroked his cheek. As soon as her fingers touched his skin he could feel the tendrils of chaos energy spreading out from her, towards all the Robians. He shuddered as he sensed the path of that energy, how it it coursed through their battered shells and kept them upright.

“I know this all looks bad now, Miles. But trust me, I’ll make you see how wrong the freedom fighters were, how they stunted your potential.”

A sinking feeling formed in the pit of his stomach as she leaned closer, her eyes glinting green. She kept gently stroking his cheek.

“I can teach you so much, if you just let me.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I promise it will be very enjoyable.”

Tails squeezed his eyes shut and shuddered as he felt the heat of her breath on his cheek. His body recoiled on instinct, struggling desperately to back away.

“Just let it happen, Miles….”

“Get away from him, you creep!”

Tails’ eyes snapped open.

“Fiona?” He barely managed to utter the word, it was barely more than a whisper..

Cassandra reacted as if she’d been slapped Tails winced as her fist clenched his cheek, lips curling back as she bared her teeth at Fiona.

“You!” Cassandra snarled. “You’re the cause of all this.”

Fiona growled in response, fur bristling as she stomped towards Cassandra, fists clenched and tail flicking angrily. Tails could see the signs of exhaustion, the sight limp in her step, the way her shoulders sagged. But despite her weariness, she still stood tall, anger burning bright and hot in her eyes.

Tails felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards, and then he winced, because even smiling hurt.

He met Fiona’s gaze, and saw her falter. Saw the way her shoulders tensed. Whatever she saw in him, it was something that scared her.

“You came,” he rasped. Cassandra glanced between them, her eyes narrowing, and Tails’ ears went flat against his head as cold dread curled down his spine.

Fiona had come for him, running straight into a pissed Cassandra with a whole host of Robians at her command.

If Tails didn’t do something, Fiona was going to die.

He weakly struggled in the Robian’s grip, wracking his mind for something, anything to get Fiona out of this mess.

No matter how much he tried, the shard was unresponsive. The chaotic, unnatural energy continued to leach out of him with every passing second, taking the last vestiges of his strength with him. He slumped over.

The Robians kept him upright as his legs failed and he slumped over. He drew in ragged breaths as his vision began to fade.

“Bring me her head!” Cassandra roared.

Panic sunk its sharp claws into his heart and fear forced his battered, bruised and despondent body to move. He reached up, feebly grabbing the hand on his cheek.

“No!”

Cassandra recoiled from his touch as if she had been burned. Her hand and arm twitched as the energy from the shard shot into her.

But in that brief moment he had felt everything. The strands of energy flowing out from Cassandra and binding around the Robians, the flicker and pulse of the strands as she gave orders, and the way the shard’s energy had been disrupting the flow.

The grip of the Robians holding him up slacked.

The dimension Anarchy beryl came from was a polar opposite in nearly every way than their own. Of Course it worked against chaos energy.

And then what? He had wasted the power from the shard with his stupid tantrum and it would take time for it to charge itself again. It wasn’t as if he could just reverse what he used for technomancy.

Unless…
Anarchy beryl generated the energy from emotions, just like the chaos emeralds did. But it used negative ones instead. So if he could just feed it.

A shiver went down his spine as he felt the yawning emptiness inside the crystal. It felt as if the crystal was eager, eager to glut itself emotional dregs and bloat itself with energy. The very thought of willingly giving something of himself to that twisted his stomach. He knew that nothing good would come from it. Nothing ever did from Anarchy beryl.

It was a stupid idea, ridiculously dangerous and liable to kill him. He strained to look up at Fiona, who stood defiant as the Robians closed in around her.

He remembered the anger in her, when he had first met her in the tunnel. The bitterness, the desperation and mistrust that filled her. The haunted look in her eyes when she had realized that she had been betrayed.

It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Now, he saw the set of her jaw, and the bright, hard determination that glinted in her eyes, and he knew that he couldn’t let her die. He couldn’t fail her. So many people had failed her, so many people had betrayed and abandoned her and left her on her own.

He refused to be one of them. No matter what.

Tails swallowed and closed his eyes, focusing every single bit of anger, hatred and fear he’d felt during all of this, packing it together, the pain, fear, anger and distrust burning like poison in his chest and then he gave it over towards the shard.

He slumped over as the greedy maw took, and took and took. A cold feeling crawling through his veins, making him shudder.

A trickle of power filled him, faint and feeble, flickering like a candle flame in a gust of wind.

“Let him go, Cassandra,” Fiona said quietly, eyeing the Robians as they encircled her.

Cassandra tilted her head down at Tails, her eyes narrowing as her smile widened. “Now, why would I do that?”

“Because he doesn’t want this. He doesn’t want you.”

A flash of anger and confusion swept through Tails as he struggled weakly. What was Fiona thinking? Was she trying to get herself killed?!

Cassandra’s grip on his face tightened, her claws pricking his skin, and then her expression changed. She smiled.

“And yet,” she said in a soft, sickeningly sweet voice, “he is here, isn’t he, little fox? Instead of finding you and helping you escape, as I’m sure he promised… he came back to me.”

Fiona flinched, and in her eyes, Tails saw the same pain, the same betrayal and uncertainty and loneliness, that he had seen in the tunnel, when they had first gotten into this mess.

White hot pain exploded behind his eyes as the energy slammed into him, blasting away the icy cold.. He gasped as his stomach clenched, tasting bile in the back of his throat as his body rebelled against what he was doing. The pain was even worse than last time, his battered and bruised body already stretched to the breaking point beforehand, no anger and hate to cover up the pain, no surge of overconfidence. The shard took that, leaving just his body and mind screaming at him to stop doing this to himself.

But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. He had to do this.

For Fiona.

He wrenched his arm out the Robian’s slackened grip, grasped Cassandra by the wrist and hoped that this would be enough. He let the warped chaos energy flow into Cassandra, and it left a trail of pain in its wake like acid flowing through his arm. Burning, screaming, searing away everything in its path.

Cassandra screamed, yanking her arm away. The technomancy that was holding up the battered Robians crumbled and the sound of metal hitting the floor filled the air.

Tails couldn’t keep his eyes open as he felt himself fall towards the hard floor, falling into the blissful embrace of unconsciousness

-_-_-_

Cassandra’s cry of alarm, the crumbling Robians. None of that mattered as she saw Tails’ limp body hitting the ground.

“Tails!”

She ran towards him. Scowling as Cassandra stepped in her way, her eyes filled with rage. “I won’t let you steal him from me” she hissed.

Fiona responded by ramming her fist into Cassandra’s muzzle, a sickening crunch that sent Cassandra staggering backwards with a howl of pain.

Cassandra was nothing compared to Gregory. But she was still fresh. Fiona panted and grit her teeth, trying to catch her breath. Her body hurt, her sides were aching and the exhaustion of the day still clung to her, weighing her down.

She cursed her lack of a follow through as Cassandra didn’t go down. A shiver slid down her spine as Cassandra glared at her, eyes wide with surprise and disbelief.

“You dare?” she shrieked.

Fiona ignored her, eyes flicking towards Tails, lying motionlessly on the floor. The worst case scenarios flashed through her brain, edging her desperation into wild panic. Dead. Paralyzed. Burnt out from the energy of the shard. She might be fighting for nothing; she might have already lost him.

She took a deep breath as she squared her shoulders, narrowing her eyes at Cassandra. No, she would not give up on him. She would not give up on herself. Not anymore.

She needed to get Tails out of here, and that bitch wasn’t going to stand in her way.

All she needed was a chance. She let Cassandra make the first move, and took a defensive stance, weathering through Cassandra’s blows. Gritting her teeth and curling in on herself, waiting for the perfect moment. She was tired and running on nothing but fumes. Her body desperately wanted to give up and collapse.

But she had made a promise.. And she had but one shot at this.

When Cassandra overextended herself, Fiona couldn’t help but grin as she lashed out, slamming her fist into Cassandra’s stomach. She didn’t stop to gloat, she kept going, grabbing Cassandra’s arm, turning into the movement and throwing Cassandra over her shoulder, ramming her into the ground. She didn’t give Cassandra chance to react, she simply lifted her fist and slammed it into the other woman’s temple.

Cassandra instantly went limp.

Fiona panted heavily, waiting a few tense moments for any sign of movement. Cassandra was still breathing, but she was out cold..

Fiona stood, staggered, and then rushed to Tails’ side. Falling down on her knees next to him, she gently turned him over and pressed her ear to his chest,holding her breath as she listened. Her stomach clenched.

Please, be okay. Please. Don’t leave me.

A strong heartbeat, the slight movement of his chest. She let out a sigh of relief that turned into a quiet sob. He was alive. Unconscious, but alive. The patches of cobalt fur in his coat were something to care for later, after they were out of this place.

Slowly, and with great effort, Fiona managed to sling Tails across her shoulders. In the past, she’d seen Sonic use this method to carry an injured Tails away from the fight, and if that scrawny blue rat could do it, then she sure as hell could.

For a long moment, she stood there, staring at the chaos and destruction around them, listening to Tails heart beating strong and slow in his chest.

It was time for them to get the hell out of this mess.