Tails watched in horror as the scene below unfolded.  Sonic ran for his life, pursued by an all new Metal Sonic robot throughout the desert below, their combined speed creating such intense turbulence that it caused the sands to fly in all directions so fast that it stung when it impacted skin.  This robot was no ordinary Robotnik robot.  This robot knew all of Sonic’s weaknesses.  It was equipped for any contingency.  It was prepared for any of Sonic’s tricks.  And it was all Tails’ fault.

He should have resisted harder when Robotnik tried to force information from him.  If he hadn’t let his guard down with Wave a few days ago perhaps this would never have happened in the first place.  But what was done was done, and now Tails was left with the problem of defeating a robot consisting of the combined efforts of two of the greatest mechanics in the world.

The supersonic sound of Sonic’s and the new Metal Sonic’s passing below was only drowned out by the humming of Wave’s Extreme Gear as it hovered about two feet off the cliff top they watched from.  Tails held on tight, his arms around Wave’s waist, looking over her shoulder.  “We’ve got to do something!” he announced, grimacing as his sore muscles throbbed with his words. 

“Easy there, Brainiac,” Wave remarked, looking behind her worriedly.  “You’re in no condition to do anything right now.  We barely got out of Robotnik’s ship in one piece.”

“But if we don’t do anything Sonic is going to be killed,” Tails reasoned.  “We’re responsible for this; we have to do something about it.  There has to be a way to stop that thing!”

Wave looked over the edge of the cliff at the scene below, pensively.  “If I were really smart I’d just take off and not look back,” she explained, her hands gripping those that surrounded her waist tightly.  “I guess you’re rubbing off on me,” she suggested, smirking behind her.

A grin tugged at Tails’ lips.  “I can only hope,” he replied. 

Wave sighed.  “Let’s do it,” she said, taking a breath and shifting her position on the board.  With a loud hum the jets fired up, and the board sailed off the edge of the cliff, propelling the pair towards the battle below.  Hopefully they weren’t too late…
 

It all began about a week ago when Jet learned two interesting facts.  First, a private company announced the coming of a new EX World Grand Prix.  Six years after the first such event, when Dr. Robotnik held it as cover for his plan to steal the key to Babylon Garden from Jet the Hawk and the Babylon Rogues.  Apparently whoever sponsored the new tournament thought that Extreme Gear racing was a worthwhile enough sport, or at least a profitable enough one.  This bit of news on its own was hardly enough to warrant any form of interest on Wave’s part.  However Jet also informed his compatriots of one other fact.  Sonic and his friends had all entered.

Jet was eager to get his rematch against Sonic.  He spent 6 years hoping for another chance to go up against the one racer who ever gave him a challenge.  Jet’s ego was fired up and ready to go the minute he learned Sonic would be there, and he planned to drag the rest of his team with him.  Storm was looking forward to settling the score with Knuckles, the echidna who showed him up in the last grand prix by eliminating him in his first preliminary race.  Storm just wouldn’t live that indignity down, mostly because Wave wouldn’t let him.  She loved to tease him about his skills.  But of greatest interest to Wave was the prospect of seeing her old rival again.  That little fox kid Tails… 

He was a talented mechanic, she had to admit.  He had nowhere near her experience level with Extreme Gears but his designs were quite good.  She was interested in seeing how much he improved in the six years since they had seen each other, and fully intended to prove to him that she was still the better engineer.

Wave spent a week working on their gears while they all trained, and Jet just drove them harder and harder the closer they came to the day of the first race.  He craved victory, and Wave and Storm both suffered his obsession.  However there was one good thing to say about Jet’s training regimen from hell: it got them sufficiently stoked by the time they set out for Station Square to participate in the race.

Wave was surprised to see the excitement throughout Station Square as they rode by.  Banners advertising the event waved in the wind, people were talking, workers were handing out programs, and roads were blocked off where the race track would pass.  What’s more, they were actually welcomed there.  For the time being, nobody cared they were thieves.  When people saw their Extreme Gears, they became athletes, competitors in the grand spectacle about to take place before their very eyes.  Wave had to admit it was a refreshing feeling.  She could see that Jet and Storm were soaking it in too, and it made her smile.  For the moment, while the wind whipped past their faces and the crowds cheered them on, all her problems seemed to disappear. 

The registration information for the grand prix stated that all participants would be provided accommodations at the best hotel in Station Square, and Wave was looking forward to getting settled in before it was time to race.  As they pulled up Wave got her first look at the facility.  The hotel was one of the larger buildings in the downtown region of Station Square, across the road from a vast park in the center of the city.  Wave had of course seen the building in passing before while the gang made their getaways, but she had never been inside.  Wave remembered once wishing she could arrange to have a complete spa treatment there, but the fear of being arrested was one of the many things standing in her way. 

When the three birds arrived at the hotel they hopped off their boards and soon found themselves greeted by some very familiar faces.  “Hey, hey! The gang’s all here!” called out the smug voice of the hedgehog, Sonic.  He broke away from Amy Rose and approached the trio, his trademark grin on his face, crossing his arms over his chest.  He didn’t seem to have changed much over the years.  He was still easily recognizable, not much taller if at all, and still just as sure of himself as ever.  It was heartening to know that some things never changed.  They had parted ways as friends, after all.

Jet flashed his self-assured smirk.  “I see at least you’re polite enough to greet us.  Where’s the rest of your posse?  They chicken out at the last minute?”

“Oh we’re around,” a gruff voice sounded from nearby.  Knuckles stood leaning near the front door of the hotel, grinning.  “I’ve been looking forward to settling the score with you thieves.”

“You won’t have us beat that easily, chump!” Storm declared, punching his fist into his palm.  “We’ll take down the whole bunch of you!”

Wave scoffed, hopping off her board and catching it under her arm.  She didn’t need to get involved in this pissing contest when she’d much rather find her hotel room and get settled in before the race started.  Wave was just about to pass through the door to the hotel when it opened, and Wave bumped into someone coming out.  “Watch where you’re going,” Wave remarked.  She didn’t even bother to look at the person until she felt a strong hand grab her arm. 

She turned and came face to face with Tails.  And it was indeed face to face now, as Tails was now as tall as Wave was.  Her eyes widened as she saw him for the first time in 6 years.  No longer the child she once knew and mocked, he was bigger, his eyes steelier, and his form stronger, devoid of the youthful curves that once defined him.  Wave grew wary and her chest seemed to tighten as she found she couldn’t take her eyes off of his.  All was silent for what felt like hours as she looked at him and he looked back at her.  Then she saw a grin curl up on his face.  “Nice to see you again,” he said.

“Hi,” Wave responded, still trying to gather her mind after this shock and formulate a coherent response.

“I hope you’re ready,” Tails continued, letting go of her arm.  “I’ve gotten better since you saw me last, my Gears are gonna be tough to beat!” he said, leaving her to head for Sonic.

“Hey, Tails!” Wave heard Sonic call out to his friend, but she didn’t care.  She vaguely registered the friendly banter going on just behind her as she slowly pulled herself through the door to the hotel.  What just happened to her?  She saw his face and she just couldn’t think of anything.  Was she just stunned by how much he changed, or…?  No, she was just surprised.  She hadn’t expected him to change this much, even though she knew that six years had indeed passed.  He surprised her this time, but he wouldn’t do so again.

Tails knew there was going to be trouble.  It seemed to follow Rouge the Bat wherever she went.  So when she approached Sonic in the lobby, that sultry grin on her face, he knew it was going to be a bad day for all of them.

“Hey there, hero,” Rouge greeted Sonic smugly.  She hadn’t changed much in the last six years.  She was still part treasure hunter, part secret agent, and physically she hadn’t changed much at all.  She wore her sporty tank top and bellbottoms, a similar outfit to what she wore during the last EX World Grand Prix.

Sonic raised his eyebrow curiously.  “You talking to me?” he asked, pointing at himself.

“Is there any other hero around here?” she asked, smirking as she wrapped an arm around Sonic’s shoulders.  “Surprised to see me?”

“Not really, just surprised to hear you talking to me like this,” he remarked, glancing at her arm and speaking with a calm that hid any interest in her closeness to him, if there was any.  Tails had to admire him for his control; were he in Sonic’s position he wouldn’t have been nearly that calm.

Of course calm was never Amy Rose’s strong point.  The hedgehog girl glared darkly at Rouge, probably wondering at her audacity to touch what she believed was her property.  Amy hadn’t changed much at all either; she still chased after Sonic, and Sonic still managed to evade her every advance.  And yet despite her failures Amy never relented.  Secretly it gave Tails some comfort, to know that for everything that changed there were still some things that remained constant.  “What are you doing here?” Amy asked sternly, crossing her arms in front of her, not bothering to disguise her frustration.

Rouge rolled her eyes and laughed.  “I’m on a top secret mission, hon, and it involves blue boy here,” she explained, lifting a finger and tapping Sonic’s nose.

“Are you sure you can’t explain it?” asked the calm, serene voice of Cream the Rabbit.  Cream was perhaps the one that changed the most in the last six years.  Puberty usually did that.  She blossomed physically and emotionally, and everyone noticed.  She was quite pretty for being 14, with a figure that betrayed the beautiful woman she was surely going to grow up into.  She changed in other ways as well; she was calmer, less emotionally driven, and brought a level headed cool to whatever she did.  She still raised her pet chao Cheese, and as always the two were inseparable.  Also uncomfortably present was her newfound interest in the males in her life.  Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles found themselves objects of her affection; as the only constant male figures she had around she seemed to be basing her ideal traits on those the three of them expressed.  She may not have acted, but Tails could tell she was at least looking.

Rouge smirked.  “I don’t know if I should…”

“Can you explain it to me then?” Sonic asked, chuckling.  “I mean, if I’m part of it, I’d like to know what’s going on.”

“Well,” Rouge began, tapping her chin in mock thought, “all right.”  Rouge brought both of her arms to wrap around Sonic’s left arm, leaning closer to him and saying, “I’ve been assigned by the president to protect you during the race.”

“Sonic doesn’t need your protection!” Amy blurted out.  “He’s got me to protect him!”

“Bold words coming from the damsel in distress,” Knuckles commented slyly.

“What was that?” Amy shouted at him.

Rouge shook her head.  Sonic glanced at her and asked, “Protect me?  What could I possibly need protection from?  The Rogues?”

The bat blinked.  “You mean you don’t know?” she asked, genuinely surprised.

“Know what?” Sonic asked.  “I’m getting confused here!”

“She means me,” a deep scratchy voice announced from behind him.

Sonic turned his head and his eyes immediately widened.  “You’ve gotta be kidding me!” he shouted, pulling away from Rouge and jumping back.  Sonic’s shout caught everyone’s attention, and suddenly it became clear why the president thought Sonic would need the extra protection.

“Is that any way to greet an old friend?” asked Metal Sonic, crossing his arms and tapping on his elbow with a finger.  His glowing red eyes betrayed no emotion, and his face bore no expression, just like he was designed.  The robotic hedgehog’s long quills and sturdy appendages seemed to hearken back to his brief stint as the Metal Overlord who took control of Dr. Robotnik’s battle fleet before merging with it to become a giant engine of destruction.  The black cape was gone, though, and his form was streamlined as if to promote speed over intimidation. 

“Last I checked we weren’t friends,” Sonic retorted.  “I thought Eggman wasn’t in charge of this race,” he remarked.

“He’s not,” Metal Sonic replied.  Tails thought that were the robot’s face capable of expression it would surely be grinning.  “I’m here to compete.”

“Now you’ve gotta be kidding!” Tails said.  “How could they possibly let you in?”

“There are no rules saying I can’t, vulpine pest,” he remarked.  “Don’t worry; I don’t care about you or any of your pitiful friends.  My grievance is with Sonic.”

“Still think you can take me?” Sonic asked his face devoid of any semblance of humor.  He was taking this seriously.

Metal chuckled.  “I’m not going to pick a fight with you here.  There’s plenty of time for that.  No, my score will be settled on the race track.  You’d better grow eyes in the back of your head, because I will be gunning for you.”  With that, Metal Sonic turned and walked away.

When the robot was gone Sonic slowly exited combat mode, loosening his tense fists and straightening up.  “So much for a fun race,” he remarked sourly. 

“Now you see why I’m here,” Rouge explained.

“But why is he here?” Knuckles asked.  “I thought he and Eggman parted ways after Metal locked Eggman up and tried to take over.”

“We haven’t been able to figure that out,” Rouge explained, crossing her arms.  “We believe he’s here on his own.  If he is working for Dr. Robotnik we haven’t been able to catch them together.”

Tails shook his head.  “Well, one thing’s for sure.  If Metal Sonic is here he’s going to be trouble for everyone.  Sonic’s going to be his target, and he’ll be taking out anyone in his way.”

“Well, we’re not afraid of him!” Amy commented with a smile.  “It’s gonna take more than him to beat our Sonic!”

“My sentiments exactly,” Rouge said, smirking as she wrapped her arms around Sonic’s again.  “But just to be sure, I’m going to need to stay very close to you the whole time.  Just to make sure I’m doing my job…”

Sonic couldn’t help a grin.  “Well, how’s a guy to complain about that?”

Amy fumed.  Cream giggled.  Knuckles groaned.  Tails shook his head.  He couldn’t believe how nonchalant Sonic was being about this whole thing, but then again he wasn’t surprised.  Sonic was, for lack of a better word, cool.  He didn’t let things bother him, and while that would be fine on a normal day it didn’t help things now, not when a killer robot was threatening you and your friends with physical harm.  And yet there he was, cracking wise and flirting with his new bodyguard.

Tails figured that maybe he should try to take a page from Sonic’s book and not worry so much about this.  This was a fun race, despite Metal Sonic’s presence, and he would just have to think of it as such.  He enjoyed Extreme Gear racing, and now that he had time to work on his technique in not only construction but also actual racing he had a lot to prove to both himself and to his biggest naysayer of them all.  Wave the Swallow, the one who mocked him and inspired him to better himself.  He was going to show her just how good he was.  He would best her at racing, he would best her at engineering, and he would earn her respect.  He would finally make her take him seriously, like he never could six years ago…

Wave was honestly trying to get psyched about the impending race.  The next day marked the first of the five race set that would determine the champion of the second EX World Grand Prix.  But she had so much on her mind… 

Her earlier reaction to Tails’ presence was bothering her, even now as she waited at the starting gate for the signal to begin.  She steeled herself, gripping her trusty Type-W Gear under her arm and lowering her sunglasses into position on her face.  As she looked up and down the row of competitors standing next to her she took inventory.  At the end of the line Rouge blew Sonic a kiss, which only made the hedgehog grin like the idiot he was.  Jet was glaring at Sonic as if he meant to bore a hole in his head with his eyes.  Amy was staring at Rouge with such a horrible stare that, were looks able to kill, would have killed Rouge about ten times before she hit the ground.  Cream and Knuckles both looked ahead of them.  These two were probably the most rational of them all; readying themselves physically and mentally for the race and Wave had to give them some credit for that.  Storm was stretching and flexing; knowing him he was probably trying to engage in psychological warfare and failing horribly.

Then there was Tails.  She tried not to pay attention to him, not since their encounter the other day.  He’d caught her off guard then…  She just hadn’t been ready for how much he changed, that was all.  But all her rationalization just flew out the window when she saw him look at her, his eyes freezing her in place, and his self-assured voice saying “Good luck in the race, Wave!”

Wave was lost for a response, trying to force her eyes away from his.  She just couldn’t place why she was acting this way around him.  He was a goody-two-shoes sidekick for the biggest do-gooder in the world!  But there was one inescapable fact about him, she realized, something that had been lost in the confusion of meeting him yesterday.  In the six years since she last saw him he had become hot.  Being ashamed of her baser nature was enough to force her eyes away from him.  She formulated a retort.  “Yeah yeah.  Just concentrate on your own race, Gear Head!”

“Takes one to know one,” Tails responded, smirking and looking away from her and ahead of him.  Was he taking some sort of perverse joy in taunting her like this?  He must have been!  That was the only explanation she could think of for why he was doing this to her!  He must have been trying to throw off her concentration by flirting with her!  Well, she wasn’t going to let that stand.  Now she had even more reason to defeat him.  She didn’t even care if she got in first.  She just had to beat Tails to show him that she wasn’t that easily swayed, no matter how attractive he was…

“Cease your babbling,” the raspy, metallic voice of Metal Sonic instructed from nearby.  If there was anything that could have unnerved Wave more than Tails’ toying with her emotions it was that creepy robot.  With any other enemy you could tell where they stood, but Metal Sonic’s emotionless, expressionless face and eyes just couldn’t be read.  And the calm, neutral pose he took while he waited for the starting signal didn’t betray any intent or emotion.  Sonic had warned her, Jet and Storm about Metal Sonic the previous day, and Wave only got from it one thing: Metal Sonic had a single minded obsession with beating Sonic, and it didn’t matter who he had to go through to get to him.

“Racers, to your positions!” came the race announcer over the intercom in the pit area.  The first race took place in the streets of Station Square.  The streets had been barricaded and ramps and obstacles were put in place to guide the racers along a track that twisted through the streets and ultimately led up ramps to a series of jumps along the rooftops, down another ramp, and back to the pit area.  The rules were the same as last time: first to complete three laps was the winner. 

Wave and the other racers immediately prepped themselves for the run out of the pit area.  Above them a digital monitor displayed the countdown. 

3… Wave crouched down to ready herself for a sprint.

2… Wave kicked off and started running for the starting gate.

1… Almost there…

When the counter reached zero, Wave crossed the starting gate.  She tossed her board down beneath her and in one smooth motion hopped on board, kicked the starter, and took off down the streets.  Luckily for her she managed to take the early lead, but she knew that wouldn’t last.  She would have to work hard to keep that position…

“Sorry, Wave,” Jet shouted from behind her as he whipped up next to her in a green blur, “but I’ve got a race to win!”  Wave was about to yell something at him, but she was too late.  Jet had blown past her.  Shortly after him Sonic raced by her, followed by Knuckles and Storm.  That didn’t last long…

The racers flew along the prescribed track, the wind racing past them and whipping against them like a thousand reeds.  Traveling at such high velocities was already dangerous, and at those speeds the wind felt like a hard slap every time it blew towards them.  Wave had grown accustomed to it though; all her years of riding had hardened her to the intensity of the experience, making it all second nature to her.  Not many others in the race had that kind of experience.

Faster and faster the procession moved, passing building after building at lightning speeds until they reached the turn in the road.  This is where it was going to get interesting.  The turn curved sharply, forcing Wave to hold down the air brake through the entire length of the turn to make it.  These sharp turns were the worst.  One slip and you lost all momentum. The trick was to hold the brake and turn, holding the turn and building up resistance in front of you.  Once you were out of the turn, you released the brake, and the air pressure would release, propelling you forward.  It was all a routine to Wave now, and she executed the turn with no trouble.  Amy caught up to her in the middle of the turn, and Wave grinned as the other girl encountered a bit of trouble.  She slipped, and lost the air pressure she was building up, allowing Wave to propel well beyond her.  “Nice try, sucker!” she taunted back at Amy, heading along the new track as it elevated higher into the air.  Just ahead of her she could see Sonic, Jet, Knuckles and Storm, and they were already experiencing the tricky jumps in between rooftops that had been laid out for them.  A zigzagging path of jump ramps was set up to provide great distance between landings, forcing racers to take each jump seriously.  As if she was going to do otherwise. 

Wave neared the first jump ramp.  This was going to be a shorter jump than the other three that were coming up.  Wave crouched down, built up speed, and jumped off the ramp.  The sensation of flying through the air at such speeds was incredible, she thought, as she twisted in mid-air, kicking her feet under her to twirl the board beneath her in a practiced trick.  She felt like she could have been floating there for hours.  Yet almost as soon as the jump began it started coming to an end.  With the second rooftop coming up fast, Wave had to right herself quickly or risk wiping out.  Wave planted her feet firmly back on her board and straightened herself out, tilting the nose of the board down.  Wave didn’t even feel the impact as the board caught the air current just under her feet and brought her back to the track.  It all took place as if it were one smooth motion.  Wave took off from the remaining ramps with equal zeal, feeling the intoxicating rush of adrenaline flow through her as each time she dared to look down and realize just where she was.  She was practiced enough that doing so became the only new thrill to her now.

The racers continued to blaze through the track, and the first lap was over.  The standings had not changed in any significant way so far; Jet and Sonic fought for first place, with Knuckles and Storm right behind them.  Wave led up in fifth place, and everyone else was right behind her.  She hadn’t heard or seen much of any of them so far, but that was about to change.  Shortly after the second lap began Wave heard another Gear’s engine behind her.  It was closing in faster and faster.  She didn’t dare turn around to see who was tailing her for fear of missing something in the road ahead and wiping out, but she apparently didn’t have to wait long.  Zipping up next to her gradually was Tails.  “How you holding up?” he shouted to her with a grin.

She couldn’t believe it.  Taunting her?  Now?  The kid had guts, no doubt about it.  “Keep your eyes on the road,” she ordered.  “And stop bothering me!”

Tails just grinned wider.  “Whatever you say,” he replied.  “But be careful, Metal Sonic’s moving up fast, and he’s out for blood!”  With that he zipped ahead of her.

Of all the unmitigated gall!  Not only does he pass her but he does it while teasing her and giving her racing advice?  He was making her look bad, and she wasn’t going to stand for it!  Wave fired up her engine and increased her speed, trying to close in on the fox.  She got closer and closer, and as she did she became ever more aware of his expressions and posture.  Tails carried himself with an air of confidence, steeling himself and keeping his gaze straight ahead of him.  Wave found it harder and harder to dismiss him as not taking this seriously while she watched him; he was concentrating far too hard for that.  She had to admit she was surprised…

Wave was only aware she was wobbling on her board when she came close to falling off.  Her eyes widened and she quickly worked to steady herself and regain her balance.  She saw Tails zip off in her confusion, obviously not aware of what had happened to her.  Good, because if he saw she had made such an amateurish slip she would never have forgiven herself.  When she finally righted herself she could hear two more riders closing in on her.  Not content to let that one slip ruin the entire race for her Wave took off again, her foot wearing on the booster as hard as she could.  It would take a lot of energy, but she was willing to make that sacrifice to regain her lost ground.

In almost no time the third lap was upon her and she was finally catching up to Tails.  Forget winning the race, all she cared about was beating him.  She was finally closing in on him when she heard the roar of another engine behind her, closing fast.  Wave tried to ignore it and just concentrated on speeding up, but the engine just got closer and closer.  Finally Wave felt someone behind her knick the back of her board and with a shocked look she turned her head. 

Metal Sonic swerved alongside her, turning his head to face her, his eyes glowing bright red.  “You’re in my way,” he announced.

“Aren’t you the pushy one,” Wave remarked, trying to swerve away from him.  But he reacted faster than she did.  Quick as a flash Metal Sonic reached out a hand and grabbed Wave by the neck, yanking her off her board, which went careening into an alleyway as he reached the turn to the rooftop ramp.  Wave struggled in his grip, trying to pry his fingers off her neck as her lungs were denied the air they needed.  Metal Sonic made the turn expertly, holding her out to the side, dangling like a fish on a hook.  As he started up the ramp to the rooftops Metal Sonic again looked at her.

“Don’t get in my way,” he warned her. 

In the space of a few seconds Wave noticed several things happen at once.  First, Metal Sonic reached the jump ramp and leaped off of it.  Second, in mid-air, he flung Wave towards the street far below.  As Wave started to fall she became aware of one more thing happening. 

Tails looked behind him and saw Wave start to fall.  He turned around and took off back towards her position, and without any hesitation jumped off of the rooftop, firing his boosters and pointing the nose of his Gear towards the ground.  As Wave started to feel her life flash before her eyes she only became aware of Tails’ efforts when she felt the fox grab her arm, pulling her close to him and straightening his board, kicking on the breaks and starting to spin his tails rapidly in an attempt to slow his descent.  His arms wrapped tightly around her waist to hold her steady, and Wave wrapped her arms around him tightly, not willfully but more out of a sheer survival instinct as the pair slowly but surely returned to the street below. 

When Wave finally realized she was not about to die she blinked a few times and stared in shock at her savior.  When she saw his face turned skyward Wave followed his gaze and saw the remaining three racers pass overhead in rapid succession.  They were officially both in last place.  She tilted her head back to face him.  She knew she should probably be grateful for the assist, and if he were anyone else she would most likely have told him so.  But when she saw his smug face look back at her and ask whether she was okay something inside of her just snapped.

“I don’t need your help!” she announced, pushing herself away from him and hopping off his board to the street. 

“I beg to differ,” Tails responded, crossing his arms as off in the distance they heard the crowd roaring as the victors crossed the finish line.  “Either way, what’s done is done.  Want a lift back to the starting gate?” he asked, offering his hand to her.

Wave stared at him as if he were from another world.  She couldn’t believe what he was doing.  She batted his hand away and glared at him angrily, announcing, “I can take care of myself, so just leave me alone.”

Tails actually looked hurt when she said that.  His confident expression showed a small sign of cracking.  “Suit yourself,” he responded calmly.  He didn’t pay her a second glance as he fired up his board and took off down the track again, leaving Wave by herself.  She wasn’t entirely sure what to make of what just happened.  She should have been glad he came to her rescue; she could have died a few moments ago.  And he gave up his position in the race just to help her, without giving it a second thought.  She should have thanked him, but she just couldn’t.  Since learning about the race all she could think of was beating Tails at his own game.  She had to show him up, she had to beat him, and she had to prove that she was the better racer and the better engineer.  She should have been grateful.  Yet now as she walked back to the alley where her board had disappeared all she could feel was anger at the thought that he may not be as inferior to her as she led herself to believe.
 

Wave was starting to drive Tails nuts.  He tried to banter with her and she brushed him off.  He tried to help her and she bit his head off.  He sacrificed the race to come to her aid and she just couldn’t show one damn bit of appreciation.  Even at the after-race gathering, while Sonic gloated over his victory, Wave refused to give him the time of day.  This was turning out to be one hell of a disappointment.  He came to confront Wave and have a fair contest with her, but between her mood and Metal Sonic’s efforts that was becoming only a memory. 

Tails wanted to confront the bird at the party, to salvage what little was left of this once friendly competition, only to learn from a frustrated Jet that Wave had ditched the party shortly after it began.  No problem, he would just talk to her when she came back.  But that night, when the party finally wound down and there was no sign of her, Tails decided he would go looking for her.  Later that night Tails gathered up his Gear and snuck out of his room.  When he was sure the coast was clear he started down the darkened hallway…

And bumped right into Rouge.

Tails stepped back a few paces and took a few deep breaths to calm his now pounding heart while he worked over the surprise of seeing her there.  “What are you doing here?” he whispered.

“I’m going to see Sonic, what about you?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow at him.  Tails looked her over.  She was wearing a thin pink frilly robe, and if he wasn’t mistaken, nothing else. 

“I’m going to regret asking, but why?” he asked.

Rouge grinned.  “We reached an arrangement.  If I’m going to protect him I’m going to need to stay… very close to him,” she replied, crossing her arms across her waist.

Tails rolled his eyes.  Typical.  “Oh yeah, you’ve done a bang-up job of helping so far.  Wave almost got killed, and you were nowhere to be seen.”

The playfulness was gone from Rouge’s face when he said that.  She leaned forward and with low, yet stern, voice said, “You’re not as observant as you think you are, kid.”

“What’s that?”

“Why do you think Metal Sonic only attacked on the last lap?” she asked.  “I hung back and tried to keep him with me the whole race, but on the last lap he managed to give me the slip.  He was plowing through everyone in his way to get to Sonic.  As for what happened to Wave, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t have prevented it.  She’s just lucky you were there to catch her.”

Tails blinked.  He hadn’t seen hide or hair of Metal Sonic until the third lap started, had he?  If Rouge was keeping him at bay while the others raced it meant a terrific sacrifice on her part.  “I’m sorry,” he replied.  “I didn’t realize.”

Rouge just lifted a hand and patted his shoulder, flashing him a smile.  “Don’t worry about it, kid, no harm done.  Just remember, I am here to do a job, and when I have a job I always do it.”

“I can’t argue with that,” Tails replied.  “But I didn’t realize your job description involved pink silk,” he remarked.

Rouge grinned widely, releasing his shoulder and continuing towards the door to Sonic’s room.  “I may be working, but I’m getting a rare opportunity to mix work and play.  Who am I to say no?”

Tails sighed and shook his head.  “You sound a lot like Sonic just now,” he told her.

“Really?” she asked, chuckling.  “I guess that’s why we’re getting along so well,” she explained, placing her hand on the doorknob.

“Oh, one more thing,” Tails began before she disappeared.  It was then that he realized he didn’t know where to start looking for Wave.  Perhaps Rouge had seen her?  Only one way to find out.  “Do you know where Wave went when she left the party?”

Rouge smirked at him.  “Looking to mix a little work and play yourself, kid?” she asked.

Tails’ eyes widened.  “N-no!” he replied a little too quickly.  “I want to talk to her!”

Rouge just kept smirking.  “I saw her head towards the park with her Gear when she left.  Your damsel in distress is probably still there,” she explained.

Tails glared at her.  “Very funny.”

The bat just winked at him as she opened the door to the hedgehog’s room and slipped inside, closing it quietly behind her.  Tails sighed.  At least he had a place to look so he didn’t have to stay next door to that all night.
 

Wave didn’t want to go back.  Not now, not with her humiliation so fresh in her mind.  It was bad enough that she came in last place, but the fact that she had to rely on Tails to pull her out of a jam?  That was the worst.  She couldn’t be at that party, not when there was the chance she would run into him.  Jet and Storm looked concerned for her and she had to appreciate them for that, but they couldn’t understand.

For two days now Wave felt uneasy and nervous whenever that fox was around.  She just couldn’t figure out why.  He had changed a good deal in the last six years, much more so than anyone else there.  In all ways he had changed for the better.  He was more confident, bigger, faster, and he always seemed to be on her mind.

Wave shook her head.  She couldn’t be attracted to him.  She just couldn’t.  Not that insignificant puke!  The little kid who couldn’t hold a torch to her! 

Well, he wasn’t so little anymore, and the more time she spent with him the more she noticed it.  He was an intellectual, just like her.  He had a knack for engineering, just like she did.  On top of all that, he could ride.  He had an aptitude for racing.  In fact, the more she thought about it the more she realized that fundamentally he was a kindred spirit.

And that was what bothered her most.  Her pride didn’t want to let her think of him that way, and right now her pride was in serious conflict with her heart.  She thought that getting away from the others for a while would help her regain her composure, but it seemed fate had another plan in mind for her. 

Wave was currently situated in a tree deep within the park in the center of the city.  For such a bustling metropolis she was surprised to find such a lush patch of forestry situated right in the middle.  And it was no small park either.  It stretched for many city blocks in all directions.  Wave sat on a thick branch high above the tree, leaning against the trunk and crossing her arms around her knees.  She almost fell out of the tree as the calm night scene before her was interrupted by a disturbingly familiar face that instantly became level with hers.  “What’s up?” Tails asked her, smiling a friendly smile that only made her want to sock him one.

She backed up, quite startled, until her mind finally registered who this idiot was.  With a sigh and a glare, she responded, “Get out of here.”

Tails slowly brought his spinning namesakes to a stop, landing gracefully on the branch Wave now occupied.  “For your information, this is a public park, so you can’t exactly tell me to leave,” he explained.  “Besides, I only wanted to talk.”

“Well I don’t,” Wave replied.  “I don’t have anything to say to you.”

“Not even ‘thank you’?” he asked.  “I did save your life.”

Wave scoffed.  “If you thought you’d earn my everlasting gratitude you were dead wrong,” she answered.  “I could have taken care of myself.”

Tails blinked.  “I didn’t do it because I wanted your gratitude.”

“Then why did you do it?” she asked.  Her pride was taking over now; her reason and rationale found themselves pushed to the side as the hateful words just started flowing forth.  “Did you want to put the moves on me?  Think playing the knight in shining armor would get you a little action?”

“Now that’s not fair!” Tails shouted at her. 

Wave couldn’t believe the things she was saying to him.  Had she been of sound mind she would have held her tongue.  In fact she may have even said thank you.  But right now that wasn’t her impulse.  “Then why?”

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” Tails shouted back.  “Friends are there for each other!  No other reason!”

“I…  I…”  Wave tried hard to formulate a response to that statement.  He wasn’t wrong; they had parted as friends years ago.  Somewhere inside her she wanted nothing more than to apologize to him and get back to the competition she came here for.  But that’s not what she said.  “I don’t need your help, friend or not!  We’re rivals!  If it weren’t for Metal Sonic I’d be the one gloating over you right now!”

“I’m not gloating!” Tails shouted.  She could tell he was getting as irked as she was.  Her stomach felt like it was tying itself up in knots as she watched the angry expressions on his face, and she had convinced herself that he actually hated her.  “I was trying to help!”

“You just can’t handle the idea that I’m a better racer than you!” Wave accused, sitting up from the tree.  “If it were just you and me there’d be no contest!”

“Oh yeah?” Tails shouted.  “Care to put your money where your mouth is?”

“Let’s do it!  Right here, right now!” Wave replied.  As Tails spun his tails and floated down from the tree to his waiting Gear, Wave finally asked herself just what she had done.

A few minutes later the pair stood on their boards while Wave laid out the ground rules.  “Okay, this race is only one lap.  Once around the park.  Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Tails responded.  “I’ll show you what’s for.”

Wave wanted to stop this right now.  She wanted to apologize and be done with it.  But she wanted his respect.  She just had to end this suspense, end this tension.  Once this rivalry was settled everything could go back to the way it was.  She might even be able to stop thinking about Tails as if she were a wide-eyed schoolgirl.  “All right then.  Three…”

“Two,” Tails continued, readying himself for an immediate takeoff. 

“One…”

“Go!” they shouted in unison as they kicked off and fired their engines, beginning the late night race through the park.  The park was supposed to be closed by this time, so it was just them, their boards, and the walking trail that circled the inside of the park.  At the start of the race Wave had an early lead, and yet she felt no exhilaration, no joy, none of the fun that she usually had when she raced.  This wasn’t a fun race.  This was personal, and it just sucked all of the fun out of the effort.  Whereas Wave could normally just concentrate on the feel of the wind rushing past her, leaving her motions, techniques and actions as second nature.  But now that she couldn’t enjoy it she became painfully aware of all the little nuances of Gear riding that she tended to relegate to instinct.  She felt like a novice again.  She just wanted the race to be over.  Her heart wasn’t in it.

At least until Tails started to gain on her.  It was about two thirds of the way through the park when she noticed him closing in on her.  This felt familiar.  She knew he was gaining on her, despite her efforts to speed up.  She braced herself for the impending taunts as Tails started to enter her field of vision…

The taunts never came.  Tails didn’t even look at her.  He just looked ahead of him and concentrated on the track ahead.  She was surprised by what she saw.  He looked so… intense.  She had never seen him with that kind of devoted look on his face before. 

There was something else, too.  His face lacked the joy, the whimsy she had come to expect from him.  It looked like she wasn’t the only one who wasn’t enjoying this race.  But as he inched ahead of her Wave decided that she wasn’t about to let him win either way. 

The finish line was starting to come into view in the distance and Wave was just barely behind Tails.  She didn’t have long to act if she was going to pull a victory out of this.  Wave fired up her boosters and inched towards Tails ever so slightly.  She had to time this just right.  As soon as she came up alongside Tails’ Gear she swerved, ramming the edge of her Gear into Tails’.  The fox looked at her disbelievingly.  “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded. 

Wave didn’t answer.  She just swerved once more.  This time though she didn’t bounce back.  Tails slipped as she hoped, but when he started to tumble he reached out and grabbed her arm.  Her gambit had backfired on her as Tails pulled her off her board while he fell off his, the boards shutting down as the riders fell off and tumbled off to the side.  Tails pulled Wave close to him and took the brunt of the fall, rolling off and skidding through the grass to a slow stop while Wave clutched to him for dear life, her heart racing.

When the short ride was over Wave found she was lying on top of Tails, breathing heavily and her mind awash with feelings.  Tails coughed, presumably from taking the brunt of the fall, and looked up at her, propping himself up on his elbows.  As they lay in that position all was quiet for a few moments as each of them scrambled to find the words to say.  Ultimately Tails was the first.  “What the hell were you doing?” he asked.

“Trying to win,” Wave replied, trying to will herself off of him.

“You could have killed us both!” he said, not bothering to move from his position at all.

Wave finally pushed off of him, getting to her knees next to him.  She dusted her legs off and said “If you can’t handle it then maybe you shouldn’t be racing.”

“Just because I don’t pull dirty tricks like that?” he asked, sitting up and kneeling next to her.

“You’re way too nice for your own good,” she said, glaring at him.  “Nice guys finish last.”

“Nice works for me,” Tails retorted angrily.  “I’m just sorry you can’t see that.”

“Oh I see it all too clearly,” Wave explained.  “You’re still the same stubborn kid you were last time I saw you!”

“I am not a stubborn kid!” Tails shouted back.

“Yes you are!”

“No, I’m not!”

“No amount of saying it will change it,” Wave informed him, scowling fiercely.  “You’re nothing more than a stubborn child.”

Tails’ expression changed.  He still looked angry, but now he looked… decisive.  “I’m not a child anymore,” he told her, grabbing her arms, “and I’ll prove it to you.”  Wave could have been prepared for a slap, for a shout, for anything but what actually happened.  Tails tightened his grip on her arms as he pulled her towards him and kissed her.  Her eyes widened as she felt his tongue pry at her beak, but she found she could not deny him what he sought.  Wave wanted so much to push him away from her, to run off and forget this had all happened, but her body was locked in place as the fox assailed her with his lips.  Her heart raced as his hands gripped her tightly, as if he were afraid that she would run away if he let go, and she admitted that fear was probably not unfounded.  If she were of sound mind she would have fled at the first chance, but now she was far from having a sound mind.  The adrenaline from the fall, the torrent of negativity, and her confused feelings for Tails each worked their magic on her sensibilities.

When Tails finally released her lips to catch his breath, he panted and stared at her with hungry, wild eyes that made Wave’s heart beat faster.  He looked like a different person…  As if something had finally snapped and he was living out some action he would never have been able to do otherwise…  In between laboured breaths, Wave only had one thought.  She had to have more.  The pride that had denied her such simple feelings was now but a quiet voice lost in a sea of emotion, and so went ignored.  “Don’t stop now,” she forced out huskily.

  Wave’s eyes squeezed shut as her small beak fit against Tails’ lips and kissed firmly.  She felt the fox’s hands lift up her back to her head, where he grabbed her bandana and sunglasses and pulled them off, dropping them to the grass beside him and then run his fingers through the purple feathers he revealed.  This time she made no attempt to break away, and found she couldn’t even muster up a single thought of escape.  Wave lifted her hands and pushed on Tails’ chest, forcing him to fall back to the grass below.  Tails made a surprised sound, but it didn’t deter him from his attentions to her.  Wave just couldn’t completely understand what compelled her to do this, especially not in her current state of mind.  All she knew was that somewhere deep inside her she needed this, and while the fox helped her rid herself of the rest of her clothing Wave decided that she would just have to sort it all out later.

When it was all over there was only one thought on Tails’ mind.  What the hell just happened?!  He lay on his side, facing away from the bird, while he tried to make sense of what was going on.  He heard Wave’s clothes slowly rustling as she got dressed again, and he asked himself what this all meant.  She was certainly sending him mixed messages… 

Whatever he did that got her so mad at him apparently wasn’t enough to stop her from doing this.  Tails didn’t dare speak for fear that doing so would just cause the fight to start up all over again, but he desperately wanted to see this awkward silence end.

Thankfully Wave was the one who broke the silence.  “So, want to explain to me what you thought you were doing?” she asked.

“I’d have thought that was obvious,” Tails mumbled.

“Well I know that,” she replied.  “What I want to know is why.  And for god’s sake, look at me.”

“Are you decent?” he asked.

He heard Wave sigh.  “Yes, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.  At least not anymore,” she replied ruefully.

Slowly Tails rolled onto his back, tilting his head to face her.  The anger was gone, or at least carefully masked.  Now she was just… confused, probably as confused as he was.  “I’m sorry,” he said.  “I don’t know what came over me.”

“Well, guess I was right,” Wave replied, putting her hands on her hips, “you just couldn’t wait to sink your claws into me.”

Tails raised an eyebrow.  “Well pardon me, but you weren’t exactly trying to stop me,” he corrected her, propping himself up on his elbows. 

“What if I did?” she asked.  “Would it have changed your mind?”

“What kind of question is that?” Tails asked.  “Of course it would have.  Why can’t you just accept that I’m not here to make your life miserable?  What did I do that’s got you so mad at me?”

Wave appeared lost in thought for a moment.  “I…  You…”

“Yes?”

“You… changed.”

Tails blinked.  “I changed?”

“Yes, you changed,” she reiterated. 

“Well pardon me, but I don’t see how that’s a problem,” Tails explained.  “I for one think I’ve done a lot of growing up.”

Wave sighed and sank to a sitting position next to him.  “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, trying to change the subject. 

“I think this is something we really should talk about,” Tails said, shifting closer to her.  “What’s wrong with me changing?”

“I told you I don’t want to talk about it!” she shouted back defensively.

“Fine by me,” called out a sickeningly familiar scratchy voice as the pair heard another Gear closing in on them.  Tails and Wave got to their feet quickly and tried to make a break for it, but before they could reach their boards Metal Sonic swerved to a stop, kicking up his board and standing in their path.  “All this emotional babble is getting irritating.”

Of all the people to see now, Tails thought.  As if things weren’t complicated enough.  “What do you want, Metal?” Tails asked, backing off slowly, grabbing Wave’s arm and pulling her back with him.

“I’ll make it quick,” Metal Sonic explained, lifting his arm.  “My boss wants a chat with you.”  A small hatch opened in Metal’s palm and out came a small white orb.  Tails and Wave turned and tried to run but it was too late.  The ball fell to the ground and exploded, releasing a cloud of strange tasting gas.  The animals coughed violently as the gas entered their lungs, and Tails felt his eyes and his chest becoming heavy.  He twisted his head to face Wave, only to see her in no better shape than he was.  He tried to say something to her, but the gas was taking its toll on him.  He couldn’t force any words from his mouth.  In fact all he could do was collapse.  On the ground Tails tried to look up at Metal Sonic as he approached the fallen pair, and the last thing he remembered was Metal Sonic saying “Nothing personal, kids.”

Tails couldn’t figure out what time it was when he regained consciousness.  All he knew was it was dark.  And he couldn’t move.

Trying to lift his arm, he felt a firm resistance against it.  When he finally blinked the fog from his eyes Tails looked down and saw that he was strapped down to a metal table.  All around him was darkness, except for a bright light that shone down on him and left him squinting.  All was quiet except for a deep hum that Tails just couldn’t place.  “Who’s there?” he called out.  Nothing.  “Anybody?” he called out again, louder this time.

“Glad you’re finally awake.  I was beginning to think Metal Sonic had overdone it a bit.”

“Eggman?” Tails shouted.

Off to his left Tails heard footfalls approaching the table.  He tilted his head to the side and saw the unmistakable bulk of the dreaded mad scientist enter the beam of light.  Dr. Robotnik’s mouth was curled up in a grin, and the bright light reflected off his glasses, forcing Tails to look away.  One of his pudgy hands was raised to his flaming orange moustache, tugging and twisting it in his fingers while he looked down at his captive.  “That’s Dr. Robotnik, boy, for the last time,” he said sternly. 

“What do you want?” Tails demanded angrily.  “Where’s Wave?”

“The bird?” Robotnik asked.  “She is well, for the time being.  She will stay that way if you give me what I want.”

“And what do you want?” he asked again, struggling against the bindings.

Robotnik chuckled.  “Struggling won’t help you; you’ve already missed the race today.  Both you and your friend should be disqualified from the grand prix by now.”

“I thought you didn’t have a hand in this tournament,” Tails accused.

Robotnik laughed.  “I don’t, child, I don’t.  But that doesn’t mean I can’t use it to my advantage.”  Robotnik crouched down next to the table and placed his hands on the edge.  “As for what I want from you…  I want to have a little chat about your best friend and my greatest annoyance.”

Tails’ eyes widened.  “Sonic?”

“I want to know everything about him,” Robotnik explained.  “I want to know what he eats, how he sleeps, where he goes, what his mannerisms are, what his strengths are, and most importantly what his weaknesses are.  And you are going to tell me.”

“Like hell I will!” Tails shouted defiantly. 

Robotnik just grinned.  “Oh, you’ll tell me.  Maybe not with your words, but you will tell me,” he explained as he stood up from the table and reached for the pocket of his jacket.  He removed a small silver remote control and pressed a button.  With a loud hum Tails saw a large metal arm descending from the ceiling, bearing what appeared to be a metal electrode plate.  From behind, Tails felt a metal ring slip around his head and tighten.  “I’d like to introduce you to a little toy I’ve been working on,” Robotnik explained as the plate lowered to Tails’ chest and pressed against it.  “This device combines a specialized neural scanning technology with electroshock treatment to forcibly stimulate the brain into dwelling on specific memories that will then be scanned and interpreted by my computer systems.  In essence, it’ll torture you into thinking of whatever I want you to think of.”

“That is the most twisted idea I have ever heard of, Eggman,” Tails said, unable to hide the fear on his voice.

Robotnik scowled.  He lifted the remote and mashed his pudgy finger down on a button.  Instantly Tails felt a surge of electricity run through his body, causing every nerve ending to fire up in pain and forcing his body to convulse and spasm violently.  Tails couldn’t hold back the scream that desperately sought escape from his lips.  Tails wasn’t aware of the passage of time while he was being shocked, and to him the short burst of electricity felt like an eternity.  Finally, Robotnik released the button, and Tails’ pain subsided.  The fox panted heavily for breath as the electricity stopped and he was granted a momentary reprieve.  “My name is Dr. Ivo Robotnik,” Robotnik declared.  “And don’t you forget it.  Now, let’s talk about Sonic…”

Robotnik’s finger inched towards the button again and Tails’ eyes widened in terror.  He couldn’t focus on anything else except the fear he felt.  He only hoped that whatever happened Sonic could forgive him.
 

It was several hours before Wave was finally dropped off in her cell by two of Robotnik’s E-10000 robots, hurled into the dark metal room by her arms.  She hadn’t seen Tails since she regained consciousness.  Dr. Robotnik had confronted her and told her the fox was elsewhere before presenting her with a set of blueprints and giving her a choice.  He told her she could either construct a compact, high capacity, high performance air engine to the specifications he provided, or both she and Tails would suffer like they had never suffered before.  Wave didn’t know what compelled her to agree to his terms; she wasn’t so much afraid for herself as she was for Tails.  Her mind wandered back to the exchange they had in the park, where she refused to admit to him what was truly bothering her.  In the back of her mind she knew the reason was she wasn’t completely ready to admit it to herself either.  She just hoped he was okay.

Wave got to her feet and decided to try and figure out just where she was being held prisoner.  The cell had only one barred window, so that seemed like her only shot.  Taking a look outside Wave gasped at what she saw.  They were apparently in the desert, or more accurately over the desert.  Down below in the distance Wave could see the preparations already underway for the upcoming race.  They must not have been on the ground.  An airship, maybe?

Her speculation was cut short as the door to the cell opened behind her.  Wave turned just in time to see two E-10000 robots fling Tails into the cell and shut it behind them.  Wave hurried to the fox’s side and dropped to her knees next to his prone form.  He looked weak and he was shaking slightly.  He had a slight burned smell to his fur, and his eyes were squeezed shut.  Wave was furious.  Eggman promised he wouldn’t be harmed!  Putting all her confusion and pride aside for the moment Wave gripped Tails’ shoulders softly and rolled him over, resting his head in her lap and stroking her fingers through his fur.  Slowly Tails’ eyes began to open as soon as he realized he wasn’t in any danger, and he seemed to calm when he saw Wave looking down at him.  “You look terrible,” he quipped weakly.

Wave couldn’t restrain her smile.  “Same to you, kiddo,” she retorted wistfully, running her fingers through his hair.  “Are you all right?”

“Eggman gave me a date with an electrode,” Tails explained, grimacing as he tried to sit up.  Wave just held his shoulders down.  “I’ll be fine, it just hurt like hell,” he tried to reassure her.

“You need rest now,” she chided him. 

“What makes you think you can tell me what to do?” he asked with a smile.

“Because I’m smarter than you,” she explained with a happy smirk.  She felt so relieved to see him alive that she forgot all about wanting to compete with him or any of that silly stuff, and resting there with his head in her lap made her feel pure contentment.  If they were only in a park instead of a brig it might even have been romantic.

But then Tails had to go and spoil the mood by asking the question she had been dreading.  “Why did my changing bother you?” he asked, looking up into her eyes.  “I really want to know.”

Wave was quiet.  She not only had to explain it to him in a way that would satisfy him, she also had to explain it in a way that would satisfy her as well.  What could she say to him?  What did she really feel for him?  “I…  Well…”  Finally she sighed.  She would just have to come right out and say it.  “Ever since I saw you again you’re all I’ve been able to think about,” she explained.  “Not just because I wanted to be better than you, but because it wasn’t hard to notice that you had grown up a lot, especially on the outside.”

Tails looked up as if he finally understood.  “I see…”

“The last thing I wanted was to look weak in front of you,” she continued.  “I guess I wanted your respect more than anything, especially now, after seeing how much you’ve changed.”

“You always had it,” Tails told her, lifting a hand to cup hers softly.

“Six years ago I knew from the start that you and I were a lot alike,” Wave explained.  “We’re both geniuses in our fields and in general, not many people understand us, and we both suffer from this obsession with bettering ourselves,” she said with a rueful chuckle.  “Except I didn’t even try to think about you back then because you were so young,” she added.

“I’m only two years younger than you,” Tails chuckled.

Wave shook her head.  “From my position it felt like a bigger difference.  The point is that when I saw you again I almost completely forgot about the age difference, and I couldn’t help thinking about you in the front of my head.”

“And you were afraid of that?” he asked.

“Perceptive, aren’t you?” she asked with a smile.  “I just couldn’t stand the thought that you thought I needed saving because I wasn’t capable enough on my own.  I felt like I had to get your respect by being independent.  Well, I guess we know where that got us,” she added.

Tails looked into her eyes.  “Can I tell you something?”  She nodded.  “Six years ago all I wanted was your respect, and it felt to me like nothing I did could earn it.  I knew you thought little of me because I was so much younger, so when I learned you were going to be at the race I just had to be there.  All I wanted was to show you how much I had grown and changed.  I had to prove that I was worthy of your respect.  I guess I also wanted you to, well… notice me.”

Wave blinked in confusion.  “Notice you?”

“I never told anyone this,” Tails explained, “but back then I actually had a bit of a crush on you.”  Wave felt herself blush a bit at that, but let him continue.  “Even though you made fun of me I thought you were smart and beautiful.”

“Liar,” Wave accused, smiling at him.

Tails shook his head.  “Never.  Goody-two-shoes, remember?”

“How could I forget?”

Tails smiled at her.  “I tried to get over you by reminding myself you were a thief; that all you ever did was put me down.  But I never really could.”

“Aw, Shorty,” Wave said affectionately.  This was a side of him she had never seen before.  He was confident, he was determined.  He spoke honestly and from the heart and that only made him better to her. 

Tails grinned weakly.  “I’m not short,” he retorted.

She grinned back.  “Would you rather I called you Miles?” she asked jokingly.

“Well, I guess I’ll let you get away with Shorty for now,” he relented, shifting his position in her lap.

Wave brought her fingers to gently stroke through the fur on her cheek.  All of her anger and frustration towards him were gone, and no amount of willpower could bring them back.  All she had now was a contented glow.  And he was the source.  “You know,” she began, “you really have changed for the better.  I like it.”

“So I noticed,” Tails responded with a smirk.  “And for the record, last night was fantastic.”

Wave blushed, but her grin just couldn’t be stopped.  “Well, you certainly proved your point,” she said.  “You’re no kid anymore.”

“Damn right,” he said playfully.  “Sorry if I caught you by surprise,” he added.

Wave just leaned down and kissed his lips softly.  “I can’t say I complain,” she said with a smile.  “And I’m sorry you thought you had to earn what you already had,” she said.

“Likewise,” Tails replied, smiling and lifting his hand to her cheek.  “Any idea where are we?”

“I think we’re on an airship,” she answered.  “I looked outside and saw the race track being set up in the distance.”

“Do you have any idea what Eggman wants with us?” he asked.

Wave shook her head.  “He wants me to build him a very specialized air engine, but I have no idea what it’s for.  What about you?”

“He tried to torture information about Sonic out of me,” he explained.  “But what he plans to do with all that is beyond me.”

Wave stroked his arm softly.  “We’ll figure this out soon,” she reassured him.  “I just wish there was more I could do to help you.  I don’t know if I can take knowing what he’s doing to you…”

“I’ll endure it,” Tails told her.  “I can’t betray Sonic like that.”

“Can’t you tell him something?” Wave asked.  “If you can save yourself from getting hurt, you should do it.”

Tails shook his head.  “I just can’t.”

Wave shook her head.  “You’re more stubborn than Jet,” she remarked.  “You’re gonna give me an ulcer.”

Tails smiled up at her.  “If it’ll make you feel any better when they throw us back in here I’ll give you a kiss that’ll make your legs give out,” he said with a self-assured smirk.

Wave couldn’t help but laugh.  “Not much,” she answered.  “Just rest up for now, Miles, we’ll deal with this tomorrow.”

Tails yawned.  “I prefer Shorty,” he said, rolling over slightly and planting a kiss on Wave’s bare belly, eliciting a small shiver from her.  Tails just grinned, cuddling up against her gently and closing his eyes.  Wave just smiled.  So much had changed between them tonight, and all for the better.  All her anger and jealousy was gone and in their place was a warm, tender feeling that stretched from the tips of her feathers to the tips of her toes.  As Wave shifted their position so she could lean against the wall, she stroked her hands over the fox’s back, shutting her eyes.

Before she dropped off to sleep it occurred to her to try and put these wonderful feelings she was having into words.  She mumbled softly, “I love you,” and before she lost consciousness she could swear she heard the same coming from him.

Two days passed and Tails wasn’t sure whether his confidence was founded or not.  Robotnik spent plenty of time interrogating Tails, and at other times he was poring over plans for something.  When Tails was allowed to return to his cell he eagerly anticipated seeing Wave again.  Since that talk they had two days ago in their cell they had only gotten closer.  Tails felt for her like he had never felt for anyone before.  When they were together they talked over escape plans, but when those ended they found themselves just talking about themselves.  They shared their pasts, their thoughts, their hopes, dreams, fears, anything that came to mind, and Tails was amazed at just how much they really did have in common.  He had never been that close to anyone since Sonic.  He thought they could be the perfect couple.  They had emotional attraction and certainly there was physical attraction.  But a thought nagged at the back of Tails’ mind, and it successfully managed to derail his hopes and dreams for a happy future with the bird.

When the Grand Prix ended Wave would go back to the Rogues and Tails would go back to helping Sonic.  Opposite sides of the law, where never the two shall meet.  Tails wasn’t sure what to do about it.  He would have given anything to stay with Wave after the race ended, but he wasn’t sure what could be done.  There was no denying it now; he was in love with Wave.

But that soon became the least of his worries, as Tails soon learned when Robotnik’s drones dragged him to their master that day.  This time they didn’t strap him into the interrogation table, but just held him before the mad scientist.  Robotnik sat in a towering chair bearing his insignia on the head, crossing his hands under his chins and grinning.  “Well child, today is a great day.  Do you know why?” he asked.

“No, and I don’t care,” Tails retorted.

“Oh, I think you do,” Robotnik continued, getting up from his seat and walking up to a tall figure that was covered in a black shroud.  Tails raised his eyebrows as Robotnik explained, “This is the culmination of months of efforts, finalized with the contribution of your little birdie and the information you’ve given me.  Let me introduce you to my little surprise for Sonic…”  Robotnik pulled the shroud off of the figure and Tails’ eyes went wide with disbelief.  “This is my brand new Silver Sonic.”

It was terrifying.  Tall and with a silver sheen, the robot was smooth and sleek with minimal features.  Its arms and legs seemed to be nearly perfectly integrated into its body, almost as if it were coated in liquid metal.  The only thing that broke up the robotic hedgehog’s sleek exterior was a thin strip of clear plastic on its head, from which two bright red dots glowed.  “So this is what you brought us here for?” Tails asked.

“Correct,” Robotnik answered, grinning maliciously.  “The bird’s engine has provided it with a lightweight, high capacity, maneuverable engine that will allow it to match that hedgehog move for move, and thanks to the information you’ve provided me it has been programmed with a database of information about its target.  It knows Sonic so well it will be able to anticipate his moves before he makes them.”

Tails’ eyes went wide.  “This isn’t going to work, Eggman,” he retorted, “Your Metal Sonic robots have never succeeded before and they won’t again.  Besides, what about the Metal Sonic in the race?”

Robotnik laughed.  “That obsolete piece of junk?  He was all too easy to manipulate.  Yes, he betrayed me years ago, but he was all too willing to help me once more after I promised to upgrade him to defeat Sonic in exchange for his services in bringing you two here.  The foolish robot never had a clue.”

“And what do you think he will do when he finds out you betrayed him?” Tails asked with a smirk.

Robotnik just laughed.  “Please, he’s only second hand merchandise.  My new and improved model is more than a match for him.  Now this is good news for you, child,” he added.  “I won’t be terminating you or your friend just yet.  I want you both to witness Sonic’s destruction so you can revel in the knowledge that you had a hand in it.”  He made a motion with his hand and the two robot guards began to drag Tails away.

“Sonic won’t go down without a fight!” Tails shouted after him.

Robotnik laughed.  “I’m counting on it!”

When Wave was returned to her cell she was confident that her plan for escape was foolproof.  All she needed was for Tails to be returned as well, and she could set everything in motion.  He wasn’t necessary for her plan to succeed, but after how close they had become she couldn’t bear the idea of leaving him behind.  Five days ago she would have ditched him there without a second thought, but over the last few days he had become something very special to her.  His charm and pleasant disposition were infectious, and he worked his way under her feathers with ease.  She just wished circumstances were different, and that he could go with her when the Rogues left following the tournament. 

But she couldn’t ask him to leave his friends and home like that.  Besides, Jet and Storm wouldn’t understand.  The rational part of Wave’s mind told her that she couldn’t let things with him go any further than they had, despite the fact that they had already gone pretty far, but the longer they talked, the more she learned, the more he made her laugh, the more she realized that she just couldn’t forget what he was making her feel.

But there was nothing that could be done about that just yet.  Right now there were infinitely more pressing matters to deal with, like warning the others about Silver Sonic before it was too late.  Wave only learned what her engine was for when Robotnik presented her with the robot shell and ordered her to install the engine.  Wave just hoped Robotnik returned Tails soon.  She had to warn her friends before anything bad happened to them. 

At least one of her prayers were answered as she heard the cell door creak open and the familiar image of Tails being flung in by his arms while the door slammed shut behind him filled her with relief.  “Thank goodness.  Are you all right?” she asked, immediately going to his side. 

“We’ve gotta get out of here,” Tails said, forcing himself up slowly and grimacing as his weakened body protested.  “Eggman’s got a new Metal Sonic and he’s ready to sic it on Sonic!”

Wave nodded.  “I know,” she said.  “But don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.”

“I hope Sonic can forgive me,” Tails mused.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Wave told him, standing up and reaching for the button to her pants.  “Eggman used his machines on you; there was nothing you could do.

“I know, but…”  Tails stopped when he saw Wave unzip and lower her pants.  “What are you doing?”

Wave rolled her eyes.  “It’s not for you, I didn’t have anywhere else to stow these parts,” she explained as she revealed the straps around her legs, each one concealing a piece of machinery.  Wave began to undo the straps, placing the objects on the ground slowly and carefully, and when the last piece was gone she refastened her pants. 

Tails weakly applauded.  “Nice show,” he remarked smugly.

Wave grinned.  “Thank you.  Now give me a hand with this.”

“What is it?” Tails asked.

“This is our ticket out of here,” Wave explained as she picked up two pieces and began to fit them together.  “A crude bomb I cobbled together from parts in the lab while I was working on the air engine.”

Tails grinned.  “You’re beautiful and a genius.  Have I told you that lately?”

“No, but feel free to say it again,” Wave replied as she fit the last pieces together.  When it was ready, the device looked like a three cylinder apparatus with a larger metal cap connecting them at the ends.  There was no room for a timer or anything fancy.  “I had to save space and time, so I rigged it up on a five second delay.  We’re gonna blow out the wall of the cell and make a break for it.”

“How are we going to get out of here?  We’re on an airship!”

“Easy, Shorty,” Wave explained, “I have a plan.”  Wave reached a hand to her necklace, removing the red orb.  “I have a homing device on my Gear.  All I have to do is push a button and it’ll find us, giving us a perfect getaway vehicle.”

Tails nodded.  “I said it before and I’ll say it again, you’re beautiful and a genius.”

Wave smirked.  “I love hearing that,” she responded as she lifted the red orb and switched on the tiny computer.  With a few small motions Wave activated the homing device, and on the holographic projection a counter appeared to display an approximate time of arrival.  Three minutes.  Metal Sonic must have brought their Gears when he abducted them to avoid suspicion, so they were on board and had less distance to travel.  For once things were going right. 

Tails forced himself to his feet, wincing.  “I can move a bit, I’ll set the charge.”

“Just be careful, we don’t want it going off early,” Wave instructed. 

Tails reached down to pick up the bomb and lifted it from the metal floor gingerly.  He was very careful not to make any sudden movements for fear of dropping it…

Then, the craft shook violently.  Tails stumbled and almost dropped the bomb, his hands scrambling to grab hold of it, letting out a pained noise as his tired body strained to save their lives.  Wave turned towards him quickly, panic on her face until she saw that all was under control.  “What just happened?” she asked, hurrying to the window. 

Now the desert sands that were once so far away were right before them.  Robotnik had landed the ship.  And a moment later a silver streak took off from the ship, heading in the direction of the track.  “This is bad,” Tails remarked.

“We’ve gotta hurry if we’re going to warn everyone,” Wave explained, going to Tails’ side to help steady him.  With her help Tails placed the bomb down on the floor next to the outside wall of the cell and pressed the detonator.  Wave grabbed him and leaped backwards, ducking down while the bomb let out a beep, a second beep, a third, a fourth, and then…

With a resounding BOOM! the wall was gone and the room was filled with a cloud of dark smoke.  Wave and Tails coughed the ash out of their lungs and waved the smoke away, and when Wave could finally see again she looked towards the site of the explosion.  Sure enough the wall was gone, leaving only the desert before them, and floating just outside the wreckage was Wave’s Type-W Gear.  “We’re getting out of here,” she informed Tails as she helped him up and towards the exit.

“Good thing too, because I hear the guards coming!”

Wave wrapped an arm around Tails’ waist and placed his arm around her shoulders, taking a leap out of the cell and onto her board.  As Wave kicked the accelerator on she looked behind her to see the door open and the E-10000 robots pour in, just in time to miss their grand exit.  All that was left was to get to the others and try to help them before Silver Sonic made short work of them.

This brings us to our current predicament, Tails thought as he and Wave accelerated down the hill towards the scene of the battle below.  There was no sign of the others, just Sonic and Silver Sonic as they tore through the desert.  “Guess the race is over,” Wave quipped.

Tails’ eyes scanned the desert.  “What do we do?” he asked.

Wave looked like she was trying to find an answer, but then they heard a hum in the distance.  With a turn of their heads they saw a procession of Gears approaching them.  The others were okay, it seemed.  Silver Sonic hadn’t taken them out.  For once things were going right.  “Where have you two been?” Jet demanded angrily.  “You had us worried sick!”

“We were kidnapped,” Wave explained.  “Metal Sonic caught us off guard and took us to Eggman.”

“Glad to see you both okay,” Knuckles said.  “Any idea what that thing chasing Sonic is?” he asked.  “It interrupted the race, and now Sonic’s leading it in circles to keep it away from us and the spectators.”

Tails looked down.  Wave tried to fill in for him.  “It’s called Silver Sonic.  Eggman kidnapped us so we could build some components for it.”

“I assume that means you know how to stop it,” interjected a familiar scratchy voice.

Tails’ eyes widened.  “You!” he shouted, pointing angrily at Metal Sonic, noticing the robot’s presence in the group for the first time.  “You’re the one who ambushed us!”

“I’m not making any apologies, least of all to you,” Metal said, floating to the front of the pack.  “The fat man has betrayed me, and if you know how to defeat that abomination out there then I want to know how.”

“I thought you wanted Sonic dead,” Tails queried.

“Yes, but by my own hands,” Metal explained.  “I won’t have the doctor’s latest science experiment take that pleasure from me, so for the time being we’re on the same side.”

“And you expect us to trust you?” Wave asked accusingly. 

“…I trust him,” Knuckles said. 

Tails blinked disbelievingly at the echidna.  “Are you deaf?  He’s the one who kidnapped us!”

“He also saved Sonic’s life when that thing first attacked,” Knuckles retorted.

“Silence, rodent,” Metal Sonic interrupted.  To Tails he asked again, “How do we defeat it?”

Tails blinked, completely confused by this information.  Wave was the one who cut in first.  “I built a flaw into the engine, just small enough to give us an edge over it.  The air engine has a small leak.  It can’t recharge once it’s used up all its energy, but the tank has such a high capacity I couldn’t tell you how long it’d take to empty.”

“Then the plan is to exhaust it,” Metal finished, firing up his Gear’s boosters.  “That’s all I needed to hear.”  With that, Metal soared off in the direction of the fight.

Tails looked back at Knuckles and asked, “What do you mean, he saved Sonic?”

Knuckles crossed his arms.  “Near the end of the last lap of the race that thing flew in front of the pack.  Metal was tailing Sonic and Jet, and when it attacked Sonic Metal pushed him out of the way.  That’s why I trust him now.”

Tails was very confused by this.  While he may not have trusted Metal Sonic’s intentions, he did trust Knuckles’.  After Metal Sonic was gone, Rouge came forward.  “Well, protecting Sonic is my job and I’ll be damned if I’ll let that tin can do it for me,” she announced, kicking on her engines.

“Wait!” Jet instructed.  “We need to figure out a plan of attack or else it’ll be a suicide run,” he said.

“What plan?” Rouge asked.  If Tails didn’t know better he would have thought she was actually… worried about Sonic.  “We know we just have to wear it down, so if we try to divide its attention up between us we’ll take it down in no time.  Now I don’t know about you but I’m not going to sit around and wait for something to happen.”  With that Rouge took off towards the scene of the battle as well.

Jet sighed.  “I can’t believe I’m doing this…”  Addressing Wave, he instructed, “Get the fox out of here, he’s in no condition to help.  Storm, let’s go!”

“Got it, boss!” Storm replied as the two took off themselves. 

Amy flew up next.  “I don’t like how Rouge is cuddling up to Sonic, but I’m going to show him he can depend on me too!”  With that, she was gone too.

“I guess that leaves us,” Knuckles said, looking behind him at Cream.

Cream smiled sweetly at him.  “I’m with you, Knuckles,” she said in a voice Tails usually only ever heard reserved for Amy.  Knuckles looked uneasily behind him at Tails, who just grinned jokingly back at him.

“That’s not funny,” Knuckles mumbled.

“Yes it is,” Tails corrected him.

Knuckles sighed.  With a kick of his leg Knuckles took off, and Cream took off right behind him.  When they were gone Wave and Tails watched as Silver Sonic was rushed by the swarm of racers.  The distraction gave Sonic ample time to fall back, while his friends, enemies, and rivals all pitched in to face this newest threat head-on.  “We should be out there helping,” Tails said.

“Jet told me to get you to safety and that’s what I’m going to do,” Wave told him.

“But I can help,” Tails protested.

Wave shook her head.  “Not only is he my boss, but I happen to agree with him.  You’re in no condition to join in,” she explained as she turned the board and took off towards the starting gate.  When they arrived, Wave helped Tails off to the ground, the fox insisting he could move himself and proving her right.  “Take care of yourself,” she told him.

“You too,” he instructed, gripping his arm. 

Wave smiled weakly before turning her board and returning to the scene of the battle, leaving Tails alone to worry.  Like hell he was going to stay here.  He was going to fix this mess he helped create.  But how… 

Tails looked around the hanger for any sign of something he could use.  Anything at all that would allow him to help.

Tails’ eyes settled on the rack of spare Gears off to the side, intended to help the racers continue if their regular Gears were damaged.  Suddenly, he had an idea.  It was a long shot, but at this point they all tended to be.

The battle was going poorly, Wave mused as she made a close pass by Silver Sonic, just barely dodging a swiping claw aimed for her heart.  They had been fighting for a while now and they didn’t seem any closer to weakening it.  Under normal circumstances she would have been proud of her achievement in engineering, but not when she was on the receiving end.

Jet and Metal Sonic worked to keep themselves between the new robot and Sonic, but it was persistent.  Fortunately it was programmed to predict Sonic’s moves, not those of the rest of them.  Amy and Cream were next on their run past the machine, only this time it was ready for them.  With two quick swipes of its massive arms the girls were launched from their boards and vaulted over the robot, left to plummet to the desert below.  Fortunately for them their friends were quick to come to their aid.  Knuckles swooped by and snatched Cream from the air before she could land, and Rouge grabbed Amy, pulling her on to the back of her board. 

“My hero,” Cream said, wrapping her arms around Knuckles’ neck and holding close to him in his arms.

Knuckles grumbled.  “Stop doing that,” he muttered angrily.

Amy wrapped her arms around Rouge’s waist and held on tight.  “I’m not giving up on Sonic, you know.”  Rouge just laughed.

Storm signaled Wave over to him.  “Wave!  Plan B!” he shouted.

Wave grinned.  Plan B was a maneuver they had perfected some time ago.  She had no idea whether it would work now, but it was the best shot they had.  Wave turned and zipped behind Storm to set herself up for the move.  Storm positioned himself ahead of her, holding his arms up.  Wave kicked off and rode towards her teammate.  With a crouch and a jump she landed right in Storm’s hands.  Immediately Storm moved his hand to grip the back of her board and with a mighty heave he hurled Wave’s board towards Silver Sonic.  Now Wave had to try and kick the robot’s head out from under her as she passed, so she prepared herself.  She crouched down and lifted her foot from the board, extending it…

She wasn’t prepared for Silver Sonic’s reflexes.  It caught sight of her moments before she attacked, and easily twisted its lithe body around.  Before Wave knew what hit her, the robot bent over backwards and lifted its legs, kicking Wave in the stomach and sending her flying backwards into Storm.  The pair tumbled over into the sand, but Storm took the brunt of the fall.  “Ow,” he mumbled, rubbing his head while Wave got off of him.

“That didn’t work,” she mused.  She had to get back in there…  But then she noticed her board.  Apparently the robot kicked harder than she thought.  The front of her board was collapsed in on itself.  It wasn’t going to fly again.  “Oh shit,” she mumbled.  All she could do now was watch…

The only thing that stood between Silver Sonic and his prey now were Jet and Metal Sonic.  Sonic’s two rivals were now his only hope.  Wave hoped the irony was not lost on any of them. 

“What do we do now?” Jet asked.

“We fight,” Metal Sonic replied, sliding in front of Jet, standing between him and the robot.  “You will not continue,” he proclaimed as the robot floated towards him.

For the first time the robot spoke in a voice not unlike Metal Sonic’s own.  “Obsolete mechanism,” it began, “you are to be retired.”

“Make me,” he replied, firing up his engine and flying towards his target. 

“Metal, wait!” Sonic called out.  But it was too late.  The two robots began fighting.  Their metal limbs flew at each other with incredible speed and agility.  Had Metal been able to show any expressions, Wave guessed he would have been determined. 

Determination alone, it seemed, was not all it would take.  Metal moved with incredible skill, but his younger cousin seemed much more capable.  For every punch Metal threw, it was able to parry.  For every kick there was a block.  And every time it threw an attack it was with such speed and unpredictability that Metal’s computerized mind couldn’t react in time.  It grabbed Metal’s arm, prompting him to twist around and disconnect his arm from its socket.  The silver robot was disoriented by that move long enough.  Metal whirled his leg around to deliver a roundhouse kick…

But once again he was outclassed.  The robot’s other arm reached out to grab the attacking leg and swung Metal around its head like a rag doll.  It dropped the severed arm and grabbed Metal around the neck.  “Inferior model, you will be terminated.”

“Nobody… will kill…  Sonic…  but me!” Metal shouted.

“Irrelevant.”

With a tremendous tug Metal was ripped in half.  The robot pulled on either side of Metal’s body, and with a terrible shrieking of metal and snapping of wires he was gone.  Metal didn’t even make a sound as his body was torn asunder and the two halves discarded to either side to make way for the robot’s approach.  Wave saw Metal’s eyes slowly dim until they went out completely, and for a brief moment she actually felt sorry for him.

“This is not good,” Jet mumbled as he suddenly realized that he was the only obstacle left. 

“Jet, get out of here!” Sonic told him.  “He’s after me, not you!”

Jet looked behind him.  “We’re friends, right?  Even though I want nothing more than to beat you I can’t deny that,” he said with a smirk.

Sonic slowly grinned back.  “Then let’s do it together,” he suggested, floating up next to Jet.  “Let’s show this bucket of bolts what it means to mess with us!”

Jet cracked his knuckles.  “I’m game!”

“Your struggle is futile,” the robot informed them.

“Cram it up your exhaust port,” Sonic shouted as he and Jet took off in either direction, circling around the robot.

It tried to turn and follow them, attempting to divide its attention between them evenly, only to find that their movements were so similar it could not predict what they were going to do next.  Sonic grinned at Jet, and Jet nodded in response as they silently communicated a plan of attack.  They came to a stop on either side of him.  Jet crouched down and extended his legs while Sonic leaped into a spin attack, crashing into the robot’s chest.  It tipped backwards and tripped over Jet’s legs, starting to fall.  Jet took that as his cue.  Zooming off around it, Jet leaped with his board into the air, tilting the nose down to drop down at the robot…

This time though it was ready for them.  Two metal hands shot up and grabbed Jet’s board.  With a heave he flung Jet away, but Sonic used the distraction to curl up and make another try for attacking him.  While Jet tumbled to the side Sonic crashed into the robot’s chest, finding that its armor was far too tough for his spines to shred through.  Before he could regroup and figure out a new plan of attack, it had grabbed Sonic and pulled him off his board.  The robot touched down on the desert sand and shoved Sonic to the ground, pinning him by the neck with one hand while its other arm rose into the air and changed shape into a blade.  “Sonic the Hedgehog: Terminated,” it announced.

“Head’s up!” shouted a voice in the distance, approaching fast.  Wave turned to see who it was…

“Tails?” she shouted.  Sure enough, the fox was on his spare board, racing towards Sonic and his attacker at lightning speed.  Silver Sonic turned its head, but it was too late.  Tails crouched down and leaped, starting to corkscrew in the air.

For that brief moment it was as if time had become molasses, flowing so slowly Wave became aware of every single motion even though they happened at lightning speed.  When Tails was coming out of his corkscrew she saw a small red device held in his hand.  Tails’ arm reached out and he slapped the device onto Silver Sonic’s back, and when it was in place Wave noticed a small blinking light.  Then as Tails came out of his corkscrew Sonic’s arms reached up and grabbed on to the end of Tails’ board, and quick as a flash Sonic was pulled out of Silver Sonic’s grip.  Tails came to a stop a short distance away while the robot tried to reach its own back and grab the explosive charge Tails had planted on it, but it was too late. 

The bomb detonated with a cloud of smoke that obscured the result from sight.  Had it been destroyed?  Did they win?  For a moment all was tense.  Sonic got to his feet next to Tails while they watched for any sign of movement in the cloud…

But then a pair of bright red eyes shone through the smoke.  Silver Sonic emerged unscathed.  “Charge insufficient to damage this unit,” it informed them in a droning metallic voice.  “My armor is too strong.”

Tails just grinned.  “I wasn’t trying to damage your armor,” he said.

Suddenly a burst of steam shot out through Silver Sonic’s shoulder.  The robot tilted its head to face the outpour.  “What have you done?” it demanded.

“I couldn’t penetrate your body, but the vibration was just enough to crack your already leaking air tank,” Tails explained.

Suddenly the once smooth surface of the robot began to betray all of its seams as steam began to shoot through them.  The pressure built up further and further and started to blow its limbs off.  “Warning!  Air tank damage confirmed!” it announced as its arm blew off, and then its leg.  “Auto repair sequence not functioning!  Power supply is… draining…”  With a tremendous bang the pressurized steam forced its head to pop right off its shoulders.  One loud clang later and the robot fell to the desert, rendered into nothing more than a shiny pile of scrap metal.  They were victorious.

“Way to go, Tails!” Sonic congratulated his friend, grinning and smacking Tails on the back.  Tails, who had already exerted himself a good deal, collapsed to his knees on the board with Sonic’s smack, prompting the hedgehog to drop down with him.  “Tails!  Are you okay?!”

“I’ll be fine,” he answered with a smile.  “I’ll explain everything later.  Trust me, it’s a long story.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Sonic told him. 

“Sonic,” Tails began, “Eggman…  He took me and Wave prisoner.  He made us help him build that thing.  I’m sorry…”

Sonic patted his back gently.  “Well, the robot is down, you’re safe, and Eggman’s gonna pay,” Sonic informed him.  “This time he’s gone too far.”

As if on cue a loud roar shook the desert.  In the distance a large metallic shape lifted off the desert floor and took off into the distance.  “I guess you’ll have to wait on that,” Tails remarked.

“He’ll be back,” Sonic remarked.  “He always is.  What’s important is that we won and you’re a hero, buddy!”

Tails shook his head.  “No I’m not.  I helped make that thing.”

“Yeah, but you opened up one hell of a can of whoop-ass on that bot!” Sonic exclaimed, grinning.  “That was an awesome move there!”

Slowly Tails smiled back at him.  “Thanks, Sonic.”

Wave watched the exchange with a smile.  It worked out for Tails in the end…

Sonic got to his feet and was instantly latched on to by Amy.  “Oh you’re okay!” she exclaimed.  “You’re okay, you’re okay!  I was so worried!”

“Easy there, Amy,” Sonic said, trying to gently push her off of him.  “Of course I’m okay!  It’s me!”

“You can say that again,” Rouge said from behind him.  When Sonic pried Amy off of himself Rouge grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her, dipping him down and giving him a deep kiss that made Sonic’s eyes widen.  Tails palmed his forehead and Wave just chuckled. 

When Rouge finally let go of Sonic he was grinning ear to ear.  “Thanks,” he said.

“Don’t mention it, hero,” Rouge remarked, ignoring Amy’s fuming anger.  Cream giggled, and Knuckles outright laughed.

Jet approached Sonic.  “Nice fighting there,” he said. 

“You weren’t half bad yourself,” Sonic said.  “So, who won?”

Jet thought about it.  “Well, we each had 36 points before the last race.  I think I’ll call it a draw if you will.”

“But Boss,” Storm asked, “what about beating him?”

Jet grinned.  “There’ll be other races,” he explained.  “And if I beat him now I’ll have nothing to look forward to next time!”

Sonic grinned back and shot out his hand.  “Amen to that!”  Jet gripped his and shook it.

Wave approached Tails and knelt next to him.  “I thought you were staying at the starting gate,” she asked. 

“I couldn’t help it,” Tails told her with a weak smile.  “Can you ever forgive me?”

Wave smiled back and cupped his cheeks.  “You survived and you’re a hero.  I think I can cut you some slack this once.”

“Good,” Tails replied with a smile that made her heart melt.  It only made her feel worse as she finally realized that the moment she had been dreading for so long was coming closer.  And she had no idea what to say to him.

That night was the last night they had to stay in the hotel.  The race was over, for better or worse, and a reception was held to celebrate the winners, Jet and Sonic.  For once they seemed content to share the spotlight, which suited everyone else just fine.  But Tails and Wave didn’t particularly feel like attending the reception.  As soon as they could escape the party they snuck off to Tails’ room where they certainly tried to make the most of their last night together.

When it was over they cuddled up in each other’s arms under the covers, not daring to open their eyes or speak for fear of shattering the moment.  But the silence soon became unbearable for Tails.  He had to say something.  “Wow…”

Wave looked up at him with a smile.  “For someone with nothing to prove you certainly showed me,” she remarked. 

Tails laughed.  “Good.”

They both knew what needed to be said, but neither of them had the courage to do it.  “Do you have to go?” Tails finally asked. 

Wave nodded.  “Jet wants to get going before morning comes.  We’ve got temporary amnesty, but he doesn’t want to wear out our welcome.”

“I wish you didn’t have to go,” Tails said honestly, stroking her arm.

She sighed.   “We both knew this was coming,” she said.  “I’m a thief, you’re a hero.”

“What if you left the Rogues?” Tails asked.  “Or I could go with you.”

Wave shook her head.  “I can’t do that.  They’re my family.  The only family I have left.  I can’t give my life up just because of you, and you can’t give up your life just because of me.  Sonic depends on you, even if he’d never admit it, just like Jet and Storm depend on me.”

Tails’ heart sank.  He knew it was a hopeless suggestion when he made it, but that didn’t help.  “I love you, Wave,” he said quietly.

Wave smiled at him.  “I love you too, Miles,” she said, leaning in to him and kissing him again.  Tails was pleased with how much better they had gotten at this; her beak wasn’t even a problem anymore.

“Don’t call me that,” he mumbled through the kiss.

“If the shoe fits,” Wave mumbled back, wrapping her arms around his torso.  She pulled back slightly and smiled down at him.  “I may be going away, but it’s not goodbye.  I’m a thief, after all.  I’ll be back to steal your heart again,” she said with a playful grin. 

Tails couldn’t help the grin that took over his features.  “I’m looking forward to it,” he said. 

Wave looked at the clock on the nightstand.  “Well, the party has a while to go before it winds down, so that means we’ve still got plenty of time to ourselves,” she said, smirking brightly at him while shifting her position over him. 

Tails grinned up at her.  “I’m yours.”

“That’s my boy,” she grinned, leaning down to kiss him.

“I’ve been wondering something,” Tails began.  “If you Rogues are descended from genies, does that mean if I rub you I get a wish?”

Wave just grinned wider.  “Why don’t you find out?

And so he did.

It was much later in the evening when the party quieted down and the pair finally had to end their loving game.  They dressed—well, she dressed—and said their goodbyes, feeling the bittersweet moment deeply while they tried to remind themselves that this goodbye would not be forever.  It didn’t make things any easier for Tails when he watched Wave walk out his door finally, wishing he had some sort of sign when he would see her again.

About an hour later Tails wandered down to the lobby.  He didn’t see anyone there; the janitorial staff had already straightened up after the reception and gone to bed.  Not surprisingly, considering it was three in the morning.  Besides, he didn’t know how much he felt like actually talking to anyone.  Tails wandered to an armchair off by the far wall and sat himself down, staring at the wall.

He was only broken from his reverie when he felt an arm on his shoulder, startling him.  Tails looked up and saw Sonic standing there, smiling down at him.  “Want some company, bro?” he asked.

“If I said no, would it stop you?” Tails mumbled.

“Nope,” Sonic replied, sitting in a chair across from Tails.  “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing.”

“Come on,” Sonic said, leaning forward on his elbows.  “I’ve known you way too long to be fooled by that.  It’s Wave, isn’t it?”

Tails looked up at him.  “How did you—”

Sonic smirked.  “I’ve seen the way you obsessed about her all week.  Besides, I saw you two sneak off partway through the party.”

Tails sighed.  There was no fooling him now.  “I’m in love with her, Sonic.”

“I figured as much,” he said.  “My little bro is finally growing up,” he remarked jokingly.

“It’s not funny,” Tails retorted, narrowing his eyes.  “She’s gone now and I don’t know when I’ll ever see her again.”

Sonic nodded understandingly.  “I see what you mean.  I can sympathize.  Rouge left.”

Tails looked at him.  “You love Rouge?”

Sonic shook his head.  “I dunno, but damn did we have a good time while she was here,” he explained with a chuckle that Tails couldn’t help but emulate.  “I guess I just got to get to know her better and got so used to having her around that it just feels… lonely without her, you know?”

Slowly Tails nodded.  “Yeah, I know,” he answered. 

“I’m not worried though,” Sonic continued.  “And you shouldn’t be either.”

“How’s that?”

Sonic smiled.  “She’s a spy.  Wave is a thief.  Spies and thieves tend to pop up when you least expect them.”

“But last time we said goodbye I didn’t see her again for six years,” Tails complained.

“Maybe,” Sonic said, “but this time she’s got more incentive to come back.  She loves you.”  With that Sonic got to his feet and smiled at Tails.  “Don’t lose heart, bud.  She’ll come back.”

Tails smiled weakly at him.  “I guess you’re right.  The waiting is the hardest part though.”

“I know, bud, I know,” Sonic answered.  “Good night.”

“Good night, Sonic.”

With that Sonic returned back upstairs, leaving Tails alone to stare at the wall and contemplate his words.  “I’ll be waiting, Wave,” he whispered to himself.

As dawn broke, the Babylon Rogues’ airship soared slowly across the sky, carrying the band of thieves off with it.  Wave sat in her room, perched on her bed and staring out the window.  She didn’t have the courage to tell her partners what had transpired between her and Tails, and she didn’t know how they would react.  All she knew now was that somewhere inside her she felt… empty.  Now that Tails was really gone she was painfully aware of how much he had come to mean to her.  In a short time he had become a good friend and lover.  She hated to say goodbye.

But then she remembered her final words to him.  “It’s not goodbye,” she had told him, “because it’s not forever.”

Wave looked out the window of the airship as it soared off into the horizon and whispered, “Just you wait, Tails, I’ll be back for your heart before you know it.”