Sonic: Earthbound

Chapter 17

"T-Tails! You're... You're Tails!"

She said it as though it were almost an unbelievable thing. And yet... how did she know his name?

"Yes. I'm Tails... Tails Prower. Have we met before? I feel like I would remember if I've met a human before. I mean, besides Dr. Robotnik of course..."

"N-No. But I know you. I..."

Alex trailed off. That was far too much to explain right now. It was neither the time nor the place. So, she settled for something simple.

"I'm a friend of Sonic's. And I'm..." The waterworks started and she began to bawl hysterically. "And I'm so glad to see you!"

Suddenly, she was up off the bed, throwing her arms around him and giving him perhaps the tightest hug anyone had ever given him.

Tails' eyes widened and a pinkish tint lit his furry cheeks. "O-Oh... Uh... Heh... Well..."

He was so soft and fluffy! He felt just like a life-size version of her old Tails plushie. It had once been her father's, and she had loved cuddling with it. But sometime after her father passed, it got lost in the shuffle when Aunt Dena had been going through his old things, and what to sell and what to keep. Alex hadn't saved it in time. Who knew where it was now?

Realizing that this was a living creature and not a stuffed animal, Alex quickly released him, stammering out a hasty apology. "S-Sorry. I just..." She wiped at her eyes. "Oh man... You're gonna save me, right? We can escape, right?"

"Well, if you're an unwitting prisoner of Robotnik's, then I can't just leave you here." He looked around the room for a moment before glancing down at a small computer-like device he held in his hands. "Hey, have you seen a glowing, brilliant cut gemstone around here? My detector says that there's one in this room but I don't see it."

"Uh... th-that would be me," said Alex, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Huh? You???"

"Long story."

Tails checked his device again. "According to my readings, there's a very high concentration of Chaos Energy. And you're right... it is coming from you! But you don't seem to have a Chaos Emerald on you. Where would you possibly be hiding it?"

"Well..."

"Doesn't matter. We can talk about that later. We should concentrate on getting out of here."

Alex agreed. With the flashing lights and the sirens, it was only a matter of time before they found Tails. Then their chance at escape would be blown.

"We'll have to get to the hanger bay. I'm certain that's where Robotnik is keeping my plane."

Alex's face lit up. "You mean the Tornado?" She couldn't help geeking out a little. "It's here? That's great!"

For a moment, Tails gaped at her in silence, baffled that she knew the name of his plane. How strange. This girl sure did know quite a bit for someone he'd never met. Maybe Sonic filled her in. After all, she claimed she was his friend.

"So... how do we get there?" she asked.

Tails tapped on the screen of his device and a holographic projection of the Robo Dome rose up. Alex leaned closer, fascinated. Though, this time, she tried to keep her geeking out to a minimum.

"Well, if these schematics I copied from Robotnik's system are correct, we're currently in Holding Level Alpha. There are two air craft hangar bays just below the command level. I was going to try to find my way there through the air ducts, but I don't think we could both do that. You're not going to fit in there." He blushed a little. "Uh... no offense."