Chapter 13: Aftermath

The first thing Tails sensed, again, was the pain all over his body, though it didn't feel as bad as the first time. The second thing he was feeling, oddly enough, was comfort, as he was lying on something really soft and smooth, in a sit-up position. He welcomed it.

His wounds still hurt, but in a different way, as they felt like they had been cleaned and closed up, rather than dirty and exposed, inviting infection. He also realized that he wasn't particularly tired, at least not anymore, and therefore decided to finally open his eyes.

Tails found himself in a room full of white surfaces. At the corner of his sight, he noticed that there were several people to his left that looked and sounded familiar, as they were murmuring something amongst themselves. He slowly tilted his head to look, and…

"Sonic!" The fox was overjoyed to see the hedgehog again, and that he seemed fine. In his excitement, he forgot about his injuries and tried to sit up higher on the bed to get closer to Sonic and the others, only to fall back on the pillow with a grimace. "Ow…"

"Woah, woah," Sonic said in concern as he got up closer beside his injured friend, "don't make sudden movements like that, bud."

"Sonic," Tails called out again after he was done cringing, looking straight into those green eyes, "are you…are you okay?"

The apparently simple question made Sonic fall silent as he stared blankly at Tails. Next to the hedgehog, Knuckles and Alan also had similar looks on their faces.

A few seconds later, a big smile formed on Sonic's muzzle, and he unexpectedly burst out laughing. "Oh, Tails," he managed to say as he tried to bring himself under control while shaking his head, "I'm…I'm the one who's supposed to ask you that!" His laughter continued for a little longer. "I mean, seriously, you don't look so good. And I'm okay," he finally replied as he calmed down, "mostly."

He was still aching all over, and Tails decided to check out how bad his own condition was. The head portion of his bed was already lifted up at an incline, which made it easier for him to look downwards at his own body. It didn't take a genius, even if it Tails was one, to see what Sonic was talking about.

His body was almost as white as the room they were in. His torso was covered in bandages and stitches, as were his twin tails, which were resting on a pillow to his right. His mangled feet were wrapped up in bulky plaster casts, covering everything below his knees, and also propped up on a pillow. Mercifully, his arms and hands were fine, though his gloves and WRID had been removed. He raised his right one up to his forehead, and confirmed that it was also bandaged.

So, not so well off, then. Yet despite this, Tails couldn't help but smile weakly. "Well," he commented with a slight chuckle, "this is going to be kinda inconvenient."

"Man, you're taking it so much better than I would," Sonic responded with a warm smile of his own, one that hadn't appeared on his expression for seemingly ages.

That prompted Tails to ask a question, slightly serious now. "Wait, how long was I out?"

"Almost twenty-four hours," Alan replied as he got up from the chair, leaving the laptop he was using on it, "Cheryl was expecting it to be a little longer. She did a great job helping you, though."

Tails nodded in intrigue. No wonder he felt like he'd been fully recharged. He was also glad to know who the doctor that patched him up was. This meant that he was probably in the same hospital where he and Sonic had undergone their physical examination.

"You okay, kid?" Knuckles asked, sounding genuinely concerned. It was quite rare to hear him talk like that.

"It…hurts everywhere," Tails admitted, then added more confidently, "but I can handle it. I can only get better from here, especially considering who'll take care of me. Thanks for coming, Knux."

"You're welcome. It's only appropriate," the echidna replied, also smiling now.

"Hey, uh, here," Sonic said as he took up a few objects on the table next to Tails' bed and handed it over, which turned out to be the fox's gloves. "Had to clean them to get the blood out first," he added, which explained why they looked so white and pristine now. "Can't forget this either," the hedgehog continued, giving Tails a familiar item, his WRID. "And I already put your shoes back home."

"Thanks," Tails said before proceeding to put them back on his hands.

"Oh yeah, by the way," Sonic then said, sounding amused, "you should probably see what headline the LA Times gave you."

The fox was confused. "Huh?"

In response, Sonic took up a newspaper from table, today's issue of the Los Angeles Times, and showed the main headline to Tails while grinning. KICKING YOUR ASS, it proclaimed in bold letters, WITH HIS OWN! This was accompanied by a photo of Tails and the X-1 taken from the ground, just before he grabbed that missile and threw it back towards the UAV, in front of the FBI field office.

It was now the fox's turn to start laughing, with Sonic joining in again, and even Knuckles did the same. "That's," Tails said while trying to stop, as laughing too hard turned out to be quite painful for his torso wounds, "uh, interesting."

"And from the looks of it, I think it's already turning into an internet meme," Alan commented, looking at the laptop on the chair, "even Sonic doesn't have his own yet."

"Darn," Sonic said in mock disappointment, "maybe I should say zoom and boom more often."

Tails continued smiling. "You know, I actually did say that myself," he decided to tell the hedgehog, "before I, uh, started chasing after those planes."

"Oh yeah, almost forgot about that, can't believe I did," Sonic said as he looked at Tails again, his eyes filled with amazement, "I heard you went supersonic, that you were flying like a jet instead of a helicopter? How'd you do that? That was wicked!" There was a clear note of pride in his voice.

"A lot of people are pretty astounded too," Alan said, "you've never done that before, have you?"

"I guess I do kinda have to explain," Tails said, "yeah, it's the first time I've ever done that. I remembered the test results that came after Cheryl examined me and Sonic, showing that my tails can manipulate the airflow around using the emerald energy in our bodies – it's how I've always flown. But it wasn't fast enough to catch up with the X-1s after they blew up the F-16 I was in, so I had to try something different. So I thought if I could use them like a helicopter rotor, I could use them as jet engines – so I quickly made them simulate the same ones the Tornado uses, as they seemed to be the most suitable candidates. I'm just so glad it worked," the fox finished in a relieved tone, before being reminded of something else he had to ask about. "Wait, how's the Tornado? Where is it?"

"Oh, the Navy brought it back here and handed it over to the Air Force," Doherty explained, "it's back at Edwards, though it doesn't look like they have any spare parts for the affected areas that can fit, so right now it's in no shape to fly."

Tails let out a sigh of relief at the answer before looking at his bandaged and stitched up namesakes. "Neither am I, for that matter," he commented with a sad smile, "too bad, I really want to practice that new technique so that I don't end up like this again. And keep up with you, of course," he added while looking at Sonic with a wink.

"Heh, true. You know, I kinda, uh, unlocked a new ability while in the caves, based on the same things Cheryl discovered," Sonic then said, "you know how I normally use my quills as a sawblade? Believe it or not, I used them as a drill in the caves."

"Wow, really?" Tails seemed genuinely amazed, and it also got Knuckles' attention, "that's cool!"

Sonic remembered the situation he was in that led to that discovery in the first place, which was decidedly not cool, though he made sure not to show his fear. "Yeah, I guess. But nowhere near as cool as you, bud. You did an incredible job, something I could never do. I mean, come on, you flipped a friggin' missile back at that thing! In midair!"

Tails took a moment to consider Sonic's words, and realized that they were absolutely true. Not only had he done something heroic all by himself, it was something only he could do, something Sonic couldn't have done or even helped in due to the flying nature of the threats posed by the X-1s and the absence of the Tornado.

The fox was a humble kid, but even he couldn't help but feel happy and proud at that knowledge, having finally accomplished something he had tried repeatedly over the last few days.

"He's right, you know," Alan chimed in, "you're the only reason I'm standing here right now, and the same goes for Ryan, my other colleagues, the Mayes family, and at least six hundred other people who were in the building, and those jets had likely targeted others parts of the city as well. A few people did get hurt, but there are no reports of deaths. Also, what we found on that phone you gave us has been invaluable, and this is on top of what you and Sonic did in Adabat. Seriously, Tails," the man continued as he approached the fox, "thank you. You were very brave."

Tails blushed upon hearing the compliment. "Well, not really…I was actually pretty scared that I would make another mistake or something and doom a lot of people." He smiled back at Doherty. "I was just doing what had to be done."

Alan nodded. "Anyway, what I want to say is…anything you need during your recovery, you just ask me, Cheryl or Alicia. It's the least we can do."

"Appreciate it," the fox said, although the offer did make him think of an important question. "To be honest, though, I was kinda wondering about my medical bills."

"Ah, right…" He looked away for a moment before continuing, "actually, I was thinking of that too when you were first brought here. It was a bit complicated, since frankly I'm not sure those non-citizen health care plans I got for you guys would be enough, so the moment I heard you were stabilized, I quickly set up a donation account on Facebook and GiveForward for you, and, well…" he picked up the laptop and brought it over to Tails. "Check it out for yourself."

The fox took the device and gently placed it on his bandaged torso, before checking the Facebook and GiveForward pages. The combined numbers he saw on both of them surprised him. "Four thousand dollars? In one day?"

"Wow, that's quick!" Sonic exclaimed as well.

"Not to mention it's only getting higher, fast," Doherty added, "my guess is, other than your heroic actions, it's because of that photo of you, taken right after you fell unconscious. It broke a lot of people's hearts, and some even thought you died."

The mobians were looking at that particular photo right now, which wasn't exactly hard to find. "Oh…okay," Tails said as he saw his own limp form on the grass lawn, "I guess I did look kinda dead."

"Well, if nothing else, Tails," Sonic said warmly, "it shows you don't have to afraid of the world out there. They really care for you."

"Wow…" The fox was sincerely taken aback by the display of concern from all of these donators. He was reminded of the days before he met Sonic, when the world felt like it had viewed him as nothing more than a toy at best and a dangerous demon at worst, a kitsune. Things obviously got better after he followed the hedgehog elsewhere, and people on Earth seemed to be accepting of him too based on the reception he'd gotten on his blog, but never did he expect a complete 180 from that time of his life, to be apparently regarded like Sonic himself. "I…I don't know what to say," Tails added before looking back at Doherty, now glassy-eyed, "t-thank you so much!"

"It's not me, it's them," Alan simply replied, "there're actually reporters waiting downstairs, you can tell them."

"I…I definitely have to say something," the deeply moved fox said, "although…maybe not now. When I come out of the hospital, I think. Then I should be ready."

"Alright, I'll tell them that," Doherty answered, "anyway, feel free to use that thing if you want. I gotta go soon. When the X-1 exploded, it pretty much messed up everybody's windows. We're still cleaning up the mess."

"I gotta go back to Angel Island soon too," Knuckles spoke up, "I need to move it further away from Adabat. Glad to see you're alright."

The mention of the war-torn country caused the smile Sonic and Tails had to temporarily disappear. The hedgehog almost wanted to say he had to go back there too to help out, but eventually decided against it, at least for now. "I'll be here for you, bud."

"Thanks, Sonic." That was when the door opened, and a familiar woman in a doctor's coat walked in. "Hey, hi, Cheryl!" the fox greeted her happily.

"Hey there, honey," Dr. Doherty greeted back with a glad smile, "how are you doing?"

"I'm…feeling pretty great, actually," Tails decided to say. It was the truth, after all. "And I know it's partly because of you. Thanks for patching me up," he said gratefully, "again."

"It's just my job…and actually, I should thank you too for letting us do that physical examination on you. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to tell which of your bones were broken, and which weren't, for example. In other words, you've helped us to help you," she replied, before turning around to face the others, "alright, gentlemen, you'll have to leave the room for a while."

"Sure," Alan said, and walked towards the open door. "Cheryl can fill you in on your condition," he said to Tails.

"See you later, Tails," Sonic said as he and Knuckles followed Doherty out of the room.

"Later," the fox said before the door closed.

Standing outside of the room was Ryan. "Hey, Sonic, Knuckles," he greeted, before turning to Alan, "so how is he?"

"He seems alright," Doherty answered, "I'm wouldn't worry about him. In fact, I'm more concerned about Adabat," he continued, "any news from there?"

Warner paused for a moment, and then simply shook his head.

"What about their president?"

"Oh, come on, Alan, who are we kidding?" Ryan stated with a sigh, "that interior minister guy is long gone. There is no president, there is no leader there anymore. Adabat's now just a big unregulated fighting arena with the remains of the military and the ARA as the gamecocks, the population as the ants they stamp on, and the world as the audience. The country's turned overnight from a potential Cuba into a potential Somalia, and I'm not sure that's much of an improvement. The Navy's still there, but I don't know what they can do now, other than hopefully sending more food and aid and launching fewer missiles."

Alan stared at his friend upon hearing his grim take on things. "Thanks for your honesty, Ryan."

"Yeah, I just don't see much hope for that place. Anyway, I'll be downstairs if you need me," he said as he started to move.

"I'll be with you soon."

Sonic, Knuckles and Alan sat down on a wooden bench right outside Tails' ward. The corridor was fortunately not very full with people, courtesy of Alan Doherty, who had made arrangements to make sure others did not come to disturb the fox, meaning that only other patients and hospital staff could pass.

They stayed there silently, with Sonic sitting the least still, though this time it wasn't because of his natural urge for speed. Without Tails to talk to, all of the unpleasant memories from yesterday and the day before that began to come back. He continued to find Guerrez's and Robotnik's speeches troubling to the core, especially the former. He shuddered upon remembering the boy in the devastated village crying for his father. The people who were brutally executed before his eyes. The people who were bombed in the city.

It was better to get it out as soon as possible. Sonic hoped he could find a way to discuss it with his best friend soon, perhaps after the fox's euphoria faded, as he undoubtedly deserved to revel in it right now. Until then, however…"Hey, Alan?" he called out softly.

"Yeah?"

"When are you going to debrief me?"

"Likely sometime this week," Doherty guessed, "would be useful to hear about the details of your participation in the whole thing."

"Okay…but could we talk about it here a bit first? Please?"

Sonic had never sounded like this before, and it surprised Alan. Knuckles was also listening curiously now. "Alright, sure. What is it?"

Silence followed as Sonic stared down at the floor, unsure of how to begin.

"Tails will be fine," Alan said after a while, wrongly guessing what was bothering the hedgehog, "he's a smart and tough kid."

"I know, I know, but I'm not worried about Tails," Sonic replied, "it's something else."

"I'm listening."

"Right, basically…uh, you know how the ARA was formed?"

Alan took a moment to think of an answer. "The same way most terrorist groups are formed."

Damn it. "Okay, uh, let me try it another way: you know why the ARA was formed?"

Another delay. Doherty looked back at Sonic blankly. "Ditto."

Sonic was trying hard to be patient. "Alan, I'm serious."

"So am I," he responded before getting up. "Look, Sonic…I know what you want to talk about. We are not saints. I will freely admit that. I don't agree with everything my government does, especially not with what it did during the Cold War. In fact, I would not have joined the FBI during that time. I am aware of my country's history, as I am of Adabat's. We have indeed pissed off too many people in pursuit of our own interests, and made a lot of enemies by making the wrong friends. We are partially responsible for the instability in various parts of the world that Robotnik can take advantage of, like he did in Adabat, and I regret that.

"But the fact remains, the way some of these people respond to the wrongs we or our allies have inflicted on them is too damn much. I'd much rather we made up for it in some way other than spilling blood, no matter ours or anybody else's. That takes time, and the actions these people take in retaliation simply do not help.

"So even as I understand their motivations, we must prevent them from carrying out those retaliations anyway. They act, we react. It's as simple as that. Okay, fine, maybe not, as that by itself is open to abuse, security versus liberty and all that, but this is the most relevant part right now.

"I mean, come on, it's the same way with you and Robotnik, isn't it? You know this already. What your fellow mobians did to him was wrong, but you don't want them to be punished by him like that, do you? You, Tails, and Knuckles still go and stop him anyway, just like you went to Adabat to do. The Adabatian government and elite weren't exactly moral paragons, but you still didn't want them to be blasted into oblivion, right?"

Sonic hadn't expected such a lengthy answer. Only then did he realize that he had indeed said something similar while replying to Guerrez.

"I'm sorry if I rambled, or if this isn't the answer you're looking for," Alan continued as he lowered his volume, "but I have to give it to you straight. And anyway, I had studied history in college. Maybe that's why."

"No, it's alright," Sonic replied sincerely, but still frowning, "I appreciate it." He looked down at the floor again. "It's just that, after everything I'd seen and heard there…" He shook his head. "…I just couldn't tell who was right or wrong anymore. I mean that literally." Then again, Sonic thought…had he ever been able to do that?

"Sometimes I think everyone's both." Doherty paused for a bit before adding, "the only thing is, just because some people are on the darker shade of it, doesn't mean they need something like this happening to them," He looked back into Sonic's eyes after the hedgehog was done staring at the ground. "I remember something you once said. You believe in giving others a chance."

Sonic simply stared back upon hearing that. He had no idea how to respond.

"It's an admirable quality of yours, and Tails too, especially in the face of people who don't share it," Alan elaborated.

"Well, if I didn't hold on to it, I think I would have gone completely insane by now," Sonic replied, before finally turning to Knuckles, who had been listening all this time. "Knux," he called out, "what do you think about all this? If you have, anyway."

The echidna simply shrugged. "I guess I didn't, not much. I just went to Adabat to make sure nothing would happen to Angel Island, and we succeeded. Why they were fighting was irrelevant to me. If we managed to save lives in the process, that's just a bonus."

The hedgehog sighed in return. "Okay…if you say so. But you think we saved enough?"

Knuckles stopped to consider the question. "I think we did all that we could," he answered, "you don't have to be too hard on yourself."

After a while, Sonic slowly nodded. "Thanks, Knux. You too, Alan."

The door next to them opened again, and Cheryl walked out. "Hey, so you're all still here," she said, still smiling.

"How's he doing?" Sonic asked.

"He'll be fine, though he'll definitely need some help, at least until he gets better, which he will. You can go see him again now."

Sonic was about to head into the room, but Alan gently touched his shoulder. "Sonic," he said as the hedgehog turned around, "you can talk to me about this anytime you want. My door's always open."

A nod. This was very similar to what Sergeant Pedro Rojas had said to him. "Thanks again."

"Just a shame about Robotnik, though," Doherty lamented with a frown, "if only he didn't get away again. But I trust Knuckles that you all had done your best," he assured, "you can tell me more about it in the debriefing. Anyway, you go ahead. I gotta leave. See you all later. Cheryl, see you at home," he added before turning to walking away.

"How about you, Knux?" Sonic asked after waving goodbye to Alan.

"I'll go when night comes. Less people seeing me that way," the echidna replied, "let's go back in."

They returned into Tails' wardroom where its sole patient was still lying there. "Hey, guys," he greeted with a smile, laptop resting beside him on the table.

"Hey," Sonic said as he finally began smiling himself again, "you okay?"

"Yeah! Cheryl pretty much confirmed it herself," the fox replied cheerily, though his smile briefly disappeared as he glanced down at his casted legs. "Two months in a wheelchair, though. More physical therapy after that. Hope I can manage," he said a bit glumly.

"We'll help you every step of the way. No pun intended," the hedgehog said before chuckling good-naturedly.

"Heh, funny. Thanks," Tails said before adding more happily, "but I might be able fly again within just three weeks! I mean, of course, I still won't be able to try that jet engine technique again immediately after my tails are okay. In fact, I think I'll have to fly much more slowly than usual until my legs heal, but at least it should make things easier. I just hope I still remember how to do that once I can, since the airflow formation is kinda complicated, and it's a bit of a long delay, but I won't complain. It's better than nothing, huh?"

Sonic was very glad to see Tails being so much happier than he was despite all of his injuries. "Yeah, it definitely is," he replied with a sigh that seemed contented to the fox, but not to himself, "it's great."

"Oh, yeah, one more thing. I was using the computer, and I already promised online that I'd make a public appearance, my first one ever, when I come out of the hospital, which Cheryl says will be in a week's time, as they still have to make sure everything's really alright with me, checkups and therapy and all that. But, well, I'm kinda nervous about this. I really hope you can accompany me during that time," Tails said as he looked hopefully at his friend.

"Since you asked, why wouldn't I?" Sonic replied, doing a good job of maintaining his smile. "Like I said, we'll help you out whenever you need it."

A week passed rather quickly, and Tails was released from the hospital as scheduled. In the meantime, Knuckles had returned to Angel Island, and Sonic had given a full account of his experiences in Adabat while the FBI had debriefed him, which surprised quite a lot of people, to say the least. Additionally, the total amount of donations for the fox had risen from $4,000 to $15,000.

The hospital entrance was right ahead. Tails was seated on the wheelchair that he'd been gently lifted onto, his still healing namesakes placed to his sides so that he wouldn't accidentally press against them while sitting all the way back. He also had to be careful not to let his fractured feet touch the footrests, as even minor pressure on his heels was enough to send disproportionate amounts of pain up his legs.

They were waiting outside. Tails had already promised to meet them – there was no turning back. It was one more weakness he had to overcome. "I'm still pretty nervous, Sonic," he said with a gulp to the hedgehog who was pushing him from behind. It was ridiculous, really, to be so afraid of a crowd that welcomed and was grateful to him. The young fox had always been this way when it came to being in the spotlight, and the fact that he was currently sporting a large number of obvious injuries made him feel even more self-conscious, not to mention vulnerable.

"They're not going to eat you up or anything, bud," Sonic reassured. He couldn't help but be slightly amused at the way his friend commonly reacted to this kind of thing. "And I'm gonna be here the whole time."

"Yeah…" Tails felt marginally braver now. The automated sliding doors would open soon. "Okay," he said as he took in a deep breath, "here goes."

Sonic and Tails exited the hospital to be greeted by a large crowd, who quickly and loudly made their excitement clear. Endless flashes came from multiple cameras, and everyone was smiling.

The easiest way was to simply follow what Sonic did. The first thing was to smile back. Tails decided it was also appropriate to throw in a wave.

Normally the crowd would focus on Sonic, but this time their attention was placed on the fox, just like he had asked them online to do so. "Excuse me, Tails!" one of the reporters nearest to the duo said while pointing the microphone at them, before many others did the same, "so how are you doing? Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Tails immediately replied, almost out of reflex, as he had already been asked that many times, "I'm much better now, thanks."

"So what do you have to say?" the reporter asked next, which was again repeated by everyone else. Soon after that, the crowd fell silent as they listened intently and curiously for Tails' answer.

He had a general idea of what to say, though he had ultimately decided not to write a script and just be natural. A short pause later, he began. "So, uh, hi everyone," he said, still smiling, "I, uh, I know I don't look so hot right now, and, well, I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt here and there. So, yeah, it will be a while before I can move around much again. I'll recover, but it'll take time." Tails thought about whether to bring up the jet ability he used that many were likely wondering about, but decided against it. As cool as it was, it wasn't important right now. It could come later.

"But at the same time, I feel…I feel glad, you know? I'm just relieved I managed to prevent a bigger disaster from happening, to stop people from getting killed. That's much more important. It didn't matter what happened to me. I'm in physical pain right now, but if I had failed, the emotional pain would be so much worse.

"And to be honest, I was really worried I actually would fail. I don't think I did very well in the last few times I tried to do something without Sonic, the kind of things he's been doing. You could say my confidence was kinda affected. So when I realized I'd really done it…well, it was surprising news. Great, but surprising, at least to me.

"Yeah, it hurt me, but I can live with that. I can't live with making mistakes that hurt others. I guess, you know, I'd rather be screwed up, instead of screw up, any day of the week!"

That earned a thunderous applause and cheers from everyone present, including Sonic. Shouts of 'Awesome!', 'Cool!' and others were made, and Tails blushed slightly upon hearing them. It took a full minute for it to die down so that he could continue.

"Anyway, uh, that leads me to the next thing I want to address. I know you guys have donated fifteen thousand dollars so far for my medical bills, and, well, I was really surprised when I first found out. Actually, it's probably the most surprising thing I've ever learned. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I thought you were stingy or something. It's just that…I never expected to be so cared for by everyone like Sonic. I've never felt that way on Mobius. I was kinda encouraged by the welcoming comments I received online after coming here, but still, to find out that so many people were so worried about me and wanted me to be alright…I was stunned.

"So, from the bottom of my heart…thank you. I cannot say that enough. And I will give it all back one day, I promise!"

Another round of applause and cheering.

"But sadly," he continued once others calmed down, as the next topic was less happy, "there are others that require this kind of help far more than I do. I'm talking about Adabat, of course. What's happened there, what's still happening there, is a tragedy. So while I appreciate the donations very much, I hope you guys can donate to help them too. They really need what they can get. I'll definitely do the same with the leftover donated funds after my entire recovery's paid for.

"And it's not just Adabat, really. Any place in the world that's unstable right now…you can help them, and I hope you do it just like you have for me. It doesn't have to be much. Because I know they feel like the world is ignoring them or even against them, and I don't want them to feel the same way I did last time. Just show a bit of concern to prove that that's not true, and I think it can make a big difference.

"Well, I guess that's it, really," Tails finally said, "if you have any more questions, you can ask me on my blog or through e-mail. Thank you for listening! Bye!"

The crowd erupted into cheering once more. More reporters tried to ask some more questions, though Sonic gently shooed them aside while wheeling Tails forwards. The fox decided to stop a few times to let various people sign their names on his casts, as well as hand out his autograph to those that wanted it. Some of them asked if they could hug him, and although he was flattered by the requests, he had to reluctantly turn them down as they'd cause his torso wounds to sting.

Eventually they reached the black Chrysler sedan that had been waiting on the street for half an hour. Sonic asked people not to come too closely before he opened the rear door, gently lifted Tails onto the rear seat, folded his wheelchair and then placed it behind the front seats. Since they were pretty short, they didn't need the legroom anyway.

Finally he closed the door before unexpectedly leaping over the car's roof to the other side. He got into the back seat from there, and the sedan began driving off, leaving the excited groups of people behind.

"You did pretty good, Tails," Sonic said after a distance, smiling, "in fact, you were probably smoother than I've been. Told you that you could do it."

"Thanks," the fox said, looking rather satisfied. He was quite surprised by his own performance himself. "I guess it's not so bad when I know what I want to say. Just hope it didn't come across as sappy or something."

"So, you okay?" the driver in front asked, before realizing exactly what he's said and hastily adding, "wait, you already said you were in your speech. Dumb question. But, really," Alan continued as he turned a corner, "you spoke pretty well. I think a lot of people will like it."

Tails chuckled modestly. "Thanks. Maybe. Whether they like it isn't important though. I just wanted to be honest, that's all, and hope that the message reached out to at least some people."

"That's nice. Oh yeah, by the way, you may be getting a phone call anytime now. Just a heads up."

"Really? From who?" The moment he asked that, the WRID began to play its ringtone. "Nice timing," the fox commented before picking up the call, "hello?"

"Excuse me," a man's voice spoke. It sounded slightly elderly. "Is this Miles Prower, AKA Tails?"

"Yeah, it's me," Tails replied, puzzled, "may I ask who this is?"

"I'm Robert Mayes, former CEO of GUN," the man answered, "I saw your speech. I think it was great."

"Oh," the fox nodded in understanding, "well, thanks."

"My pleasure. Anyway, that's not what I'm calling you for," Mayes continued, "I know that you're the one who first exposed the activities that were going on in the warehouse more than a week ago, and unraveled everything related to it. And you're also the person who delivered the cell phone to the FBI, to prove that Robotnik was blackmailing me. Not to mention if it weren't for you, I and my family would have been killed in the FBI office. I want to thank you for helping me out," the man said gratefully.

"Ah…" Tails took a moment to consider how he'd helped out without even knowing about it. "Nah, it's okay. I'm happy I could help."

"And to be honest, words just aren't going to suffice. So what I want to say is, I heard that your plane, the Tornado, isn't in the best condition right now."

"Kinda like me," the fox couldn't help but say as he glanced down at his patched up body again with a sigh.

"Indeed, and thanks to the assistance you've given me, thanks to your discoveries, my company will continue to have a chance at survival without me, and my sentence is likely to be reduced. So I'd like to return the favor. I've already spoken to my successor, Anthony Stark. I told him that if you need spare parts to repair the Tornado, we can manufacture them to your ordered specifications at a special discount just for you. We have the technology for it."

Tails did not doubt that, given what he'd seen of the X-1s, but did not expect an offer like this. "Wow, really?" he said with genuine surprise, "thanks! That's so nice of you!"

"It's the least I could do to repay you," the former CEO simply said, "you should be able to find his contact details on our website. Anyway, I have to go."

"Wait," Tails said just in time, "where are you going after this?"

"Ah, don't worry about me. I'll go on trial, and it won't be pretty, but at least everyone will know the truth. I shouldn't run away from that anyway," he said with a clearly guilty tone.

"You were only trying to protect your family," the fox said, feeling concerned.

"Yes, but I ended up getting thousands of people killed instead," Mayes carried on quietly, "I deserve this. Don't feel bad for me. I really must go now, and I hope you consider my offer, perhaps after your recovery. Thank you. Goodbye, and get well soon."

"Mr. Mayes, wait!" But he had already hung up. Tails put the WRID down with mixed feelings. "Wow…"

"So what did he say?" Alan asked. Sonic was also looking at the fox curiously.

"He says GUN can give me a discount on spare parts for the Tornado," he explained, then looked downwards, his ears folding in the same direction. "I feel bad for him though, even though he told me not to."

"Yeah, he'll still definitely have to be charged," Doherty said flatly, "but at least you managed to save him, in more ways than one. Otherwise he could be facing life or something, the first person to get such a punishment under the provision for this kind of thing, for providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization."

"I guess," Tails replied with a shrug, "as for the spare parts, well, I really appreciate their offer, but they'll have to wait. I'm not really up to doing physical work at the moment. Unless I talk to Miles at Edwards, maybe he can help…" He was surprised he didn't think of this issue sooner. "Man, what am I going to do while I'm healing?"

"I've already set up the TV for you at home," Alan answered, "you can watch all the DVDs we have. Not to mention Alicia's hooked up her Xbox 360 to it. She's bought plenty of games over the years, including last month. The latest one she's gotten is called Skyrim, I think. Anything else you need, you just ask."

The fox was taken aback for the umpteenth time in days. "Aw…you didn't have…thanks."

"Yeah, that's real nice of you guys," Sonic decided to speak up. "Anyway, looks like we're almost there. I'll help you down, Tails."

Both the hedgehog and fox were back home in the Doherty residence for the first time in over a week for the rest of the day, with the former and the Dohertys giving the latter help when he needed some, but otherwise resuming life as usual.

The duo were alone in the living room where Tails was going to have to sleep for the time being, as he couldn't go up the stairs himself, nor did he wish to trouble anyone to carry him upstairs to the bedroom he and Sonic shared. And so Sonic had decided that if Tails couldn't sleep on the second floor, he wouldn't either. The fox hoped that he'd at least be able to fly himself up there after the cuts on his tails healed, perhaps carrying his wheelchair with him while doing so.

For now, they were content to stay downstairs. Sonic was resting on the couch while Tails was still on his wheelchair, both facing the TV set. Cheryl had cooked a rather big lunch for everyone earlier, and they were still trying to digest everything. The fox had later learned with some embarrassment that, like in the hospital, he needed help going to the bathroom, although it was the cuts on his body rather than his leg injuries that made it difficult, as they made it painful to even twist and turn around, which was why he didn't feel like lifting himself off his wheelchair to sit anywhere else.

Despite the number of things they could do on the TV to entertain themselves, the only one they were doing with it right now was watching the news. There was, of course, talk about Tails' first public appearance in the morning, but then it switched to coverage on something else. The same thing that had continued to trouble Sonic badly when he wasn't thinking about Tails.

"…with the continued fighting between the remains of the military and the ARA, virtually all of its political, economic and military leadership killed or forced to flee, and almost total loss of economic output, analysts are concerned that Adabat may have degenerated into a state of anarchy," the British-accented news anchor stated as footage of the devastated Adabat City skyline was displayed, "in total, an estimated 33,000 people have perished since the airstrikes on Adabat City more than a week ago, a number that is three times higher than the combined death toll of the internal conflict that had plagued the country's rural areas for thirty years before that day."

The numbers shocked both of them. Three times more people had died in a week than in thirty years?

"The number of refugees to the United States and other countries is expected to rise exponentially in the coming months." The footage was now showing Adabatian familes getting off ships at various ports. "At least two thousand people have arrived separately at Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Vancouver, Sydney and other cities yesterday, double the number on the day before that.

"Meanwhile, there has also been debate over the involvement of Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles 'Tails' Prower and Knuckles the Echidna in the most destructive day of Adabat's civil war, and the effects they had brought about though their intervention. Many believe that they have saved countless more Adabatians from their deaths, although others dispute this…"

Sonic was unable to listen or watch any further. He looked down at the floor as he once again thought about what Robotnik had said to him and Guerrez in that cave, especially his line about seeing what would happen to Adabat after he left. His feelings, already low, sunk even further. "Tails?" he called out weakly.

"Yeah?" The fox noticed something was off about the hedgehog's voice, although given what they were watching, it wasn't hard to guess why. "Sonic, you okay? I really mean it," he said, wanting to help his friend.

Sonic did not answer. He thought he should bring it up now. "Tails…you know, in my debriefing, I told them that I actually met Robotnik for a short while before he escaped."

"Yeah, Alan told me a few details about what you said," the fox said, "though only a bit. So what did he say? He definitely said something."

A sigh. "He said something about how if he'd taken over Adabat, he would have ensured stability under his iron rule, and none of this would be happening right now," Sonic summarized, pointing to the TV, not wanting to see what it was showing now. "So…here's the thing. I never thought I would say this, but…you think he's right? You think the country would have been better off under him?" Man, I must sound so ridiculous right now.

The question made Tails fall silent too. "You know…I'm not really sure too," he admitted, before apparently shuddering, "scary, huh? That it actually could have been better if he had…won?"

Sonic's mind went completely blank. He really could not consider that thought. He sympathized with Robotnik and wanted to help him, but not by letting him have an opportunity to go mad with power. And yet, seeing what was on the news now…"He can't have won," the hedgehog said almost lifelessly, "he…he can't have. No way." Unconsciously, he had already gotten up from the couch, fists curled. "He can't be right."

Tails, already having an idea of what Sonic was thinking, wheeled himself up to him. "Sonic, if you really want…you can go back to Adabat. Go and help those people. If only just to prove Robotnik wrong."

"I…I want to do that," Sonic let out honestly, "but…what about you?"

"I know, but I have the Dohertys to help me, at least." The fox glanced at the TV screen and then back, looking a bit upset. "But Adabat…they have no one. A lot of people might be donating or giving aid to them now, but they have no single person or figure to rely on. Go there and be that person. They need you more than I do."

It was Sonic's turn to be surprised. "Really?"

"Yes," Tails stressed, turning back to and pointing at the TV, "hey, check that out!"

Sonic finally decided to look at it again as well. "…large numbers of crates of food and supplies here at Naval Base San Diego, ready to be sent to Adabat for relief purposes over the next few days…"

"I'll be fine," the fox continued, "the Navy still might be able to take you back there now, just like they did to return you here the day I got hurt. The earlier you go, the more people you can save."

Feeling incredibly glad that he no longer needed to choose between his friend and other people, Sonic made his decision as he began striding towards the front door. "So…I guess I should get moving now?"

Tails responded with a simple, but firm, nod. "Go for it."

"Okay, in that case…" Sonic opened the door and looked back at the young fox one last time. "Tell the others, okay? I'll keep in touch. Tails…take care."

"I will. You too," Tails assured him, "good luck! Bye!"

And with that, the hedgehog closed the door and began his new journey. He raced onto the tarmac and zoomed down the streets, professionally sliding around the same corners that he had many days ago, only this time it wasn't for fun. In fact, this was likely the most serious run he had embarked on thus far in his life.

He ran towards his destination, briefly looking to the sky to see the orange sunset, lips straighter than ever. The goal in his mind was clear. He was not going to let any more people become victims in the struggle between him and Robotnik. No, he was going to save everyone.

Because he was Sonic the Hedgehog, and this was the responsibility that he had sworn to take up, and to never, ever put down, no matter what. This responsibility was a part of him. It was him.

THE END

Author's Note: Thanks to ALL who reviewed or faved! I couldn't have finished it without your support. Special thanks to DC111 for her amazingly detailed reviews! Really wouldn't have improved or reached the end without you! Big thanks also to Stainless Steel Fox, without whom this story would have been impossible to finish or flesh out.