This fanfiction has been a long time coming. I started this story more than six years ago and have been working on it ever since. Finally, it is finished. I am so excited to have the opportunity to share it with all of you! I have to edit the chapters before they're updated, so there will be some time between each update.

A very important note: I started writing this story before seeing the last few episodes of Sonic X. The most noticeable difference is that Chris is present in this novel. Other facts are incorporated from the video games and old cartoons, but those are less important.

Please read and enjoy this story! And review. I would very much appreciate that. Anonymous reviews should be enabled.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic X, etc.

UPDATE: This chapter has been completely rewritten from the original. It does not alter important facts from the original chapter, but it has been revamped.

December 19th, 2011

Dear journal,

Okay, so I probably shouldn't be using this journal for my own purposes. I'm supposed to be using it for notes. But you can only sit in the ventilation ducts so long before you begin to lose your mind. After hanging out with Sonic for so long, you kind of get used to not needing patience. I'm…just too anxious right now to not keep myself busy. So since my notebook that's supposed to be used to journal in is back at the base, I'll write in this one.

For five years…officially today, actually, my best friend and big brother Sonic has been missing. I probably don't need to say much about him, since everyone knows who he is. He's the world's fastest supersonic hedgehog. I last saw him on this day five years ago. He left to fight the Metarex, this…incredibly vicious group of robotic monsters determined to wipe out all flesh and blood creatures throughout the galaxy. I don't really know how he knew they'd come back. It was just a gut feeling, I guess. But since he left, I haven't seen or heard word of him. Without Sonic, the Metarex took over our home planet, Mobius, and my friends and I were forced into hiding. But this time, the Metarex seem to have changed their methods because instead of trying to spread trees and plants through the galaxy, they're determined to destroy our planet. And I have no idea why.

But yeah, sitting in ventilation ducts right now. I have been for a few hours now. About four according to my wrist communicator. I feel stiff all over, and my heart feels like it's going to pound out of chest. The waiting makes me anxious. But we need to get some kind of information from the Metarex. We haven't gotten a decent hint of their plans in ages. I don't like the not knowing. And like usual, I hope I hear word of Sonic. He can't be dead; he just can't be. But even if that was the word I heard of him…I don't want to think that way. I just want to know where he went.

Unfortunately, so far I've heard nothing from the Metarex. They haven't come through the room below me in a while now, so I have no news to return back to base. I need to have something; I can't go back empty handed. I just hope, like always, that I can bring back news of Sonic.

..Miles "Tails" Prower

Tails slipped his pencil into the metal coil spine of his notebook, and leaned his head back against the metal air duct. A small black backpack sat beside him, brushing against the yellow fur of his twin tails. For being early winter, the air-conditioning blasted powerfully throughout the entire facility, probably so that the machinery wouldn't overheat, and Tails shivered violently. Though floors above it, Tails could hear metal clanging loudly somewhere below him.

He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds around him. Besides the machinery below him, he heard the screech of metal against metal as Metarex moved around the facility. He heard the fans buzzing softly somewhere down the ducts. The robotic speech of the robots rumbled through the facility, but they were too far away to actually make out any words.

Tails wanted to make contact with his friends back at base, but that could be more dangerous. If his voice echoed too loudly, the Metarex would find him. Already it was by sheer miracle that he hadn't been found out. The fact that he had been sitting there for four hours without being detected…Tails would never have thought such a thing possible.

He opened his eyes and felt tears burning there. He stiffened his jaw and willed them to leave. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard and with that, he banished the threat of crying. He let out a heavy sigh. I need to be stronger, he told himself. He knew better than to break down like this.

Suddenly, he realized the clanging was much closer than before. He stiffened and leaned over to look through the grate next to him. Sure enough, he saw a flash of color as a Metarex entered the room beneath him. He fumbled trying to yank his pencil back out from the metal coil and flipped the notebook open to a new page. Now that he had a chance to get the information he so desperately needed, he barely dared to breathe for fear that it would mask the sound of the Metarex's voice. "It's not enough anymore," it snarled in an unfamiliar voice. All Tails could tell of him was that his plating was green.

"You definitely seem more concerned than is necessary," another Metarex replied smoothly, sounding unconcerned.

"And you seem far too unconcerned. Shining Birch, just because there has been no effective move against us on this planet does not mean they're won't be one!" the green Metarex complained.

Shining Birch sighed loudly, sounding like the sound had been set through a microphone rather than a mortal mouth. The sound made Tails shiver and tighten the grip on his pencil. Shining Birch said, "Yes, I understand. But you must not act like your every fear will lead to the end of all of us. We are many, and they are but few."

The green Metarex apparently smashed his fist into the wall; Tails heard the sound of drywall exploding and crumbling to the floor. "If you consider all that aren't Metarex to be our enemy, than of course there are many more of them than there are of us."

"But I don't," Shining Birch said. Tails narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the sound of this Metarex. I just wish he'd move so I could get a better look, he thought. Given, all he'd catch would be a flash of color, but if he ever encountered this Metarex, that would be enough to tell him to start running.

Shining Birch continued, "You see, many of those who aren't with us fear us, and would never dare to oppose the might of the Metarex. There are very few who are foolish enough to even try to touch us. And I know but one who would be a real threat. In fact, Green Ficus, if you are indeed so worried, I would very much like if you would send Blue Seed on a mission for me."

The green Metarex—Green Ficus—suddenly laughed. "Oh, I'm sure he'd love that. What exactly is the mission we're talking about?"

"Well," Shining Birch sighed, "I would like him to take out the biggest threat we still have."

"And that would be?"

"You don't know?" Shining Birch asked in disbelief. "The biggest threat to our mission at this time is Miles Prower, better known as Tails."

Tails froze, the tip of his pencil suspended just above the notebook. Literally no oxygen entered his lungs. He felt like he was a million miles away. There was only one thought running through his head: How can I be the biggest threat to the Metarex?

He distantly realized that the Metarex had left the room without him catching the end of their conversation. Tails clumsily closed his notebook and stuffed it in his backpack. His heart beat so quickly he felt it pounding in his head. He pulled the backpack over his shoulders but didn't make a move to get out of the duct. Bricks seemed to weigh him down. He knew if he even tried to make his escape now, he would do it far too clumsily and get caught.

Where could he move from here? If there was one piece of news he hadn't been expected to hear from the Metarex that was it. He took in a deep shuddering breath. I have to hold it together. Then I can ask my friends for help, he said, praying he would believe himself.

He forced himself to slide through the air duct until he reached where it exited the building. He slipped out and dropped to the dry dead grass beneath. The metal grate lay in the grass, and Tails slipped it back into place.

There was no time for Tails to catch his breath. He took a brief moment to glance around the setting surrounding him for any sign of Metarex. No patrols wandered through the once beautiful forest, now reduced to gnarled trees and dead grass beneath a steel gray sky. To this day it made Tails's heart ache to see his once beautiful world reduced to one clinging to life. Beyond him used to be a wilderness; now, it was a wasteland.

He sprinted for the trees, weaving through the graying trunks once bright with warmth and color. Beneath his feet, dead grass crunched softly. His tails waved out behind him, brushing along the trees he passed. No leaves hung from tree branches to cover Tails's mad dash. Instead, he had to hope the trees were thick enough to hide him.

He reached a clearing in the trees where the X-Tornado awaited. Using his twin tails, he flew up to the cockpit and slipped inside. His fingers pushed through buttons more quickly than ever before in his life. The blast shield slid closed around him, and within seconds, he was in the air.

Tails rubbed his hand across his forehead. Both of his arms shook, and his heart beat painfully in his chest. All he'd been hoping to hear about was the fate of Sonic. But the way the Metarex were talking…

Not only was Tails in danger, but Tails feared that Sonic might already be dead.

-(-)-

Tails landed in the docking bay built off their base. Tears ringed the bottom of his eyes, threatening to spill over. Tails wiped his hand across his eyes. News taken from the Metarex was supposed to make things easier, not more difficult.

Chris stood at the doors to the bay, watching Tails expectantly. "Any news?" he called as Tails dropped over the side of the X-Tornado to land on the ground.

Tails frowned. "Yeah, and it's nothing good. It's not really something we can do anything about."

He walked over toward Chris as Chris narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? How can it not be something we can do anything about?"

Tails looked up at Chris out the top of his eyes. "Because the news is that they want me. They think I'm their biggest threat, and they want to get rid of me."

"Are you sure?" Chris asked.

Tails nodded heavily. "Definitely. Some Metarex named Green Ficus was told to send Blue Seed after me."

Chris crossed his arms. "I don't like the sound of that. Plus, and don't take this the wrong way, but why you? If they're not worried about Sonic anymore, for whatever reason, then I would have thought they'd go after someone like Knuckles next."

"I would have though the same thing!" Tails exclaimed. Then his voice dropped. "I don't get it. What exactly could I be worth to the Metarex?"

"Unless they haven't gotten their hands on Sonic yet, and they think you'd make good bait," Chris suggested.

Tails bit his lip. "But then where's Sonic? He would have come back if he could, wouldn't he?"

Chris fell silent, and Tails didn't offer any other alternatives. The air in the docking bay felt colder than usual, and Tails shivered. Chris finally said, "Until we find out more, maybe we shouldn't tell the others, at least not the girls."

Tails shook his head. "We have to tell Amy. The way they were talking…it made it sound like Sonic is dead." Tears burned in Tails's eyes again. "She has to know."

Chris sighed heavily. "Yeah, okay. So just her and Knuckles. I don't like the idea of not telling Cream and Cosmo, but I don't want to worry them if we don't have to."

Tails nodded slowly but didn't say anything. He swayed on his feet, the nerves overwhelming him only more that he had time to dwell on them. "Anyway," Chris said, "we're about to bring out the cake for Cream's birthday."

Tails looked back over his shoulder at the X-Tornado. "I'll be there in a minute."

Chris stood there for a moment, and Tails wondered if he had something else to say. But instead, he turned and left the docking bay. Tails wandered over to the X-Tornado and brushed his hand along the side. He shut his eyes tight, and the tears rimming the bottom of his eyes finally spilled over. Please don't be dead, Sonic, he prayed.

When Sonic ran off, he gave little warning, leaving all of them with absolutely no closure. Tails was in his workshop when Sonic ran in, bringing with him a powerful breeze. Tails barely looked up, busy working on the X-Tornado. "Hi!" he called absentmindedly, distracted by the job at hand.

"Just wanted to let you know I might be gone for a little while," Sonic said casually.

So that was nothing new. Rarely did Sonic even bother to mention such a thing. "Why?" Tails asked.

"Something's been bothering me. I think the Metarex might be back." He said it so casually, like it was any other battle.

Tails looked up at him then, narrowing his eyes. "But they're gone," he said stubbornly. "We watched the war end. Cosmo gave her life for it." His heart accelerated with the idea that such vicious enemies could return from the dead.

Sonic shrugged. "I know, little buddy, but I've got to check it out. I'll see if there's anything up, but I'll probably be back before you know it."

Those were Sonic's last words before bolting out of the room to fade from existence. It was always in the back of Tails's mind that Sonic was gone, but truly realizing that it was real and not just some story that would have to turn out all right made it so much harder. Happy endings didn't always happen in life.

Tails balled his hand into a fist against the X-Tornado's metal plating. He was fourteen; he shouldn't have to be so strong.

-(-)-

After Tails made sure all the tears in his eyes had dried up, he allowed himself to leave the docking bay and enter the base he had lived in since the beginning of the war. It wasn't so much a base as an abandoned home, but it was exactly what they needed.

Tails walked down the hall and into the dining room. Everyone around the table looked up at him. Immediately, Tails found Amy's eyes, wondering if she knew yet. Despite her smile, Tails noticed the sadness weighing down her normally bright green eyes, and he knew that Chris had told her.

Cosmo asked suddenly, "How did the mission go?"

Tails dragged his eyes away from Amy and to the sweet face of Cosmo. His heart warmed to see her, but the anxiety didn't leave him for even a moment. The fact that the small white seed Sonic had been able to find of her had managed to bring back Cosmo only reminded Tails of Sonic's absence.

Tails struggled to offer a smile. "Nothing much that'll be of any use to us," he lied.

He slipped into the seat between Cosmo and Knuckles. Knuckles glanced at him, raising his eyebrows. Tails shook his head and turned away before anyone could notice. Amy got up as he sat down and slipped into the kitchen. Cream grinned from ear to ear, watching the door to the kitchen. Next to her, Cheese jumped up and down in his own seat. If anything, he was more excited for Cream's birthday than she was.

Amy walked back through the door carrying a two-layer cake with yellow frosting and topped with twelve red, lit candles. Cream's eyes shone with a light from more than just the candles' reflection as she looked at the cake. "You went to so much work for me?" Cream asked in disbelief, unable to pull her eyes away from the cake.

Amy smiled. "It wasn't that much work. Now make a wish before the candles melt wax all over the cake!"

Cream closed her eyes in careful thought. She took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then blew out all the candles in one breath. She opened one eye, as if scared to see if she was successful. Seeing all the candles out, she smiled. "Now I get my wish!" she exclaimed.

Tails's heart ached. I've been waiting for my wish to come true for a long time, Cream. I wouldn't count on it.