Sonic the Hedgehog "My Brother's Keeper" by Shawn Wolski

The author will accept questions and comments via E-mail at the
following address: n5una@mail.utexas.edu

Sonic the Hedgehog and other associated characters are based on
the creations of Service and Games (Sega), Archie Comic
Publications, and the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons (Saturday
morning issue) created by DIC and Sega of America.  Additional
characters that appear are the original creations of their
respective authors (characters indexed by author):

Holly-Beth Vixie Kraft:  Nina
David Pistone:  Bookshire Draftwood
Shawn Wolski:  David

This work is protected under various copyright laws.  The author
grants his permission for free distribution, under the premise
that the work retains its original format.  No other utilization
of the following work, monetary or otherwise, is permitted.



Temporal Notice:  The background of the following story takes
place a few months after the failed Doomsday Project, during the
midsummer of the year 3236.

	The maturity of the day was very near the hour of midnight in
Knothole's time zone.  Almost everyone of the Knothole Freedom
Fighters and their associates from the Wolf Pack and other
groups were asleep in their huts, dreaming the dreams of a
benevolent future for their planet.  Nearly all the lights were
out, to promote each individual's travel into the dream world, a
place where everyone lived an alternate life for the duration of
their time of slumber.  The borders and the interior of the
encampment that was home to members of an extended family, the
members consisting of various decent of status and other aspects
of heritage, were as silent as the vacuum of space.  Almost.
	If one could listen and look with more intensity and
persistence, Knothole was not the perfect example of peaceful
and somber darkness.  In one particular hut, no unlit regions
existed for the blackness to take refuge.  It was a warning to
the agents of the shade that their victory would come another
day, another time in the hereafter.  Or, more than likely, it
was only Rotor and Bookshire in the development phase of yet
another late-night project in Rotor's new workshop.
	Inside, Rotor hefted the massive glass vat from the biogenics
storage closet, a 100 kg cylinder containing twenty kg of an
intricate, carefully balanced powder holding the basic chemical
elements of life.  No DNA or other evidence of order resided in
the powder, but it was a segment of preface to a new artificial
lifeform that Rotor and Bookshire toiled to design for some
time.  He carried it cautiously over to the main computer, where
Bookshire was laboring over the theoretical designs and
composition of the endoskeletal frame.  The middle-aged raccoon
displayed signs of his steadily advancing age, with suggestions
of silver streaking through his fur.  However, when intensely
working on a project worthy of provoking his prowess, he was no
older than his teenage associate.  Younger, in fact, for he
concentrated on such projects like a child with a new playtoy.
	Rotor slowly lowered the vat to a temporary resting place by
the main computer, grunting with the gradual displacement of its
mass from his powerful muscles.  After Robotnik's failed attempt
to finally bring Mobius and its inhabitants groveling to his
feet, he had more leisure time to exercise, both physically and
mentally.  A short time ago, Rotor might not have been able to
perform such an act as carrying the voluminous load the short
distance to the main computer.  Then again, the old Rotor wasn't
the walrus working on the important experiment that night.
	Bookshire sensed Rotor's presence, but did not look up to
examine his comrade.  The majority of his concentration centered
on the computer display, while he softly pressed the appropriate
controls to alter the various parameters of the endoskeleton to
conform to his specifications.  The endoskeleton took the
structure of a young eleven year-old fox, belying the strength
that would normally be present in a lifeform many times its
size.  The new alloy that Rotor and Bookshire designed for the
frame was perfect:  high tensile strength, nearly invulnerable
to multiple weapons-grade laser impacts, stealthy (nearly all
forms of detection devices were blind to its presence, except
optical), and more than adequate to the task of shielding the
organic overlay (on connection to the positronic matrix, it
could expand the stealthy field of influence, retarding nearly
every sensor).
	The raccoon also reviewed the positronic matrix.  It was a work
of art for something that had been conceived of in such a short
time.  Countless hours were spent on the cranial cognitive unit,
which it was more officially known as between the two partners
in cybernetics.  Part computer, part organic design, it would
allow the new lifeform to function and think.  This would
promote interaction with the other Knothole residents.  Many
sleepless nights produced the perfect programming that the new
artificial life would need:  tactics, command procedures,
physiology, and other subjects important to Freedom Fighter
commanders.  For this was to be Sonic's near-future second, if
not his replacement.
	"Whew.  That was some workout.  How's everything at your end?"
the walrus asked his friend.
	Retaining his focus on the computer display, Bookshire replied,
"Faster than expected, Rotor.  The endoskeleton and the
positronic matrix designs are ready for freezing.  I don't think
we left anything out of the system that might be needed."
	"Great.  The sooner, the better.  Sonic's been complaining that
he didn't have any excuse to get out of Knothole these days,
with noone to go on missions with."  Rotor dictated this with an
air of finality.
	In truth, Sonic had been rather wearied by the now perpetual
boredom that seemed to permeate Knothole.  However, there was
more to his mood under the surface.  He was seriously
considering an alteration to the chain of command, wanting to
have more time to devote to his other hobbies.  He tired of not
having the opportunity to make command decisions, or to risk his
life to safe another's.  He thought of taking a step down from
his command position, but had noone to offer it to.  His
relationship with his friends was also taking a precarious turn.
 Sally had been put under increasingly higher degrees of
workload, and didn't have the time that she and Sonic used to
have for leisure in the past.  Sally wasn't the only one;  just
about everyone else had been assigned to other tasks, except
him.  He felt left out, since nothing that he could do seemed to
be available for him to concern himself with.  Ultimately, he
needed something to do, or someone he could talk to that would
understand his condition.  Otherwise, the irritated hedgehog
might die of boredom, a point that he attempted to make
abundantly clear to everyone else at Knothole.
	"Well, I hope that this little project of ours does," said
Bookshire with a grave tone to his voice, "I can't bear to see
Sonic like that anymore.  All alone and depressed, something
must be done, and fast.  That boy's too young to waste away like
he's doing now."
	Rotor nodded in silent agreement, knowing all too well what one
of his closest friends was feeling now, without a function
worthy of his attention.  The two cybernetics experts taxed
themselves further into the early hours of the next day, with no
further verbal exchange on any subject.  Working as a single
entity, they both continued on their task of creating a new
life, and possibly a new comrade for Sonic.

* * *

	At 0800 hours the next morning, the sun's bright rays pierced
through holes in the foliage that protected Knothole from
detection by sensors and other silent, unseen observers.  The
solar radiation continued its confrontation until it came near a
blue teenage hedgehog, sitting on the steps to his home.  It
seemed to notice the mental condition of the hedgehog, for it
softened from a shower of fine thorns to a smoother, blanketing
shape over the hedgehog's body.  After not receiving any
response from this gesture of kindness, the rays intensified
their IR components, as if it was attempting to warm the
beleaguered hedgehog's heart.  Still no reaction from him.  The
rays persisted, as if hoping that the hedgehog would appreciate
their attempt to lighten his mood.  Sonic steadfastly maintained
his hunched-over, sulking position.
	'Man,' he thought to himself, his mind replete with anxiety,
'what am I gonna do with myself?  Sal and everyone else is too
busy to do anything with me.  I can't even help them out, since
I don't have a clue as to even half the stuff they're doing.
I'm gettin' tired of being the Number One hedgehog, 'cause
there's nothing for me to do at the top.  Maybe I need to step
down, give someone else a chance to save Mobius.  But who?'
Sonic had no answer to that question, one that had fused itself
into his mind gradually over the period of time after the
destruction of the Doomsday Project.  Everyone had a position to
fill but him.
	'I wanted to teach the kids, let them know how it's done being
a Freedom Fighter,' Sonic's private tirade continued.  'But
Tails got a hold of that, maybe I taught the big guy TOO well.
Sal's been working on managerial whatever-she-calls-it for who
knows how long, and I ain't any good at that.  I can't even get
a hold of Rotor, since he's always either asleep or working on
that project of his.  And Dulcy's not going anywhere, not with
that hurt leg she got making that bad landing a few weeks ago.'
A labored sigh of dismissal. 'What's a hedgehog like me to do?'
	The sound of differentially-displaced air brought Sonic to his
full alert condition, ready to react to any form of danger.  The
sound was very familiar, but something he had not heard for a
long time, or so it seemed to him.  The sound gradually wavered,
then abruptly ended as an expertly-placed drop to the ground was
executed by a ten year-old red fox.  The fox then paced over to
Sonic's position, with a distressed look on his face.
	"What's ya up to, Sonic?" the concerned red vulpine queried his
best friend and mentor.
	"Nothing at all, Tails," the hedgehog responded, sighing.
"What's a cool dude like you doing hanging around a major drag
like me for?" he questioned, not without a slight hint of
frustration to his voice.
	"Well, you been looking really down lately, Sonic.  I know it's
that you've had nothing to do here, now that Robotnik and
Sneezeley's gone.  I thought I might be able to do something to
cheer you up," Tails said, unable to keep the hopefulness out of
his voice.
	'Why, that little genius,' Sonic thought, his face copious with
surprise.  'He read my mind.'  He said nothing, expecting Tails
to continue prodding the point further.
	He was not disappointed.  "I did have a class to teach today,
but I told everyone else to take the day off.  So, how about it,
Sonic?" the little cub demanded, uncertain what method the
dispirited hedgehog would use to respond with.
	It was Tails' turn to not be disappointed.  "Sure, big guy,"
Sonic finally replied, after contemplating the current
alteration in plans for the day.  He gently stroked Tails' head
with an almost religious reverence, and stared straight into his
eyes with a smile on his face.  "It'll be just like old times,
you and me together."
	Tails chuckled a bit, then said with sincerity, "Yeah, just
like old times.  Race ya past the lookout tower!"  He then
curled his tails together, then slowly levitated from the ground
as his tails rotated around their mutual center of axis.
	"Hey, hold up a bit!" Sonic exclaimed jocularly, all evidence
of downslide in his normally cavorting mood eliminated for the
time being.  Accelerating in place, he called to his airborne
comrade, "OK, three.....two....one....juice time!"
	They discharged themselves from the area as quickly as their
respective legs or tails would permit them, and accelerated
toward their arbitrary finish line.  The race had begun, and
Sonic felt like a new hedgehog again.

	After a few hours of high-velocity enjoyment (amplified by
giving Antoine a few moments of fright by rocketing next to the
tree where he was assigned as lookout), Sonic and Tails returned
to Knothole, halting about three meters in front of Rotor's
workshop.  They were both so exuberant, that Sonic forgot his
former mode of depression, and Tails forgot that his friend was
depressed.  As if remembering something, Sonic quirked his eyes
toward his two-tailed companion.
	"Oh, man!  I give up, Tails!  You beat me every time!" Sonic
blurted out, with an expression of mock anger on his face.
	"Oh, gee," Tails retorted in kind, mimicking Sonic's facial
expression, "next time, I'll make sure I beat you by more than a
few seconds!"
	More hopelessly uncontrollable laughter flowed from their
mouths.  Unable to repress the urge, they embraced and kissed
each other, like long-lost friends that had met again after
years of separation.  Sonic was beginning to feel more like
himself again, and he enjoyed it as much as Tails did.  He felt
as if he had finally found a role to conform to in Knothole, and
that was to be Tails' friend.  An act of gratitude that he had
not had the time to display recently, and he pondered over why
he didn't do such a thing sooner.  He found no answer to his
personal inquiry, and didn't concern himself with that at the
moment.
	"Hey, Sonic," the young vulpine said to his associate in
gaiety, after regaining control of his guffawing, "how about we
go see Rotor and Bookshire?  I bet ya they're working on that
new project right now."
	The more senior hedgehog considered the matter for a few
seconds, with his arms crossed and his left foot rapping the
ground.  "I don't know, kid," he said thoughtfully.  "They might
be too busy to worry about us."
	"Ah, come on, Sonic," his little friend pleaded.  "Besides,
they invited me to come over here yesterday.  They said that it
might be ready to show off now."
	More silence and concerned thought from the hedgehog.  He
wasn't entirely enthusiastic about interrupting Rotor and
Bookshire in the middle of what they regarded as an important
activity, since none of the technobabble would make any coherent
sense to him anyway.  However, he was interested in at least
knowing what the project was, considering the fact that the
specifics and even generalities had been concealed from him.
When he was satisfied with his decision, he replied, "OK, Tails.
 Let's see what their little secret project is."
	The two companions trotted to the entrance of Rotor's workshop.
 They arrived together at the door, and came to an uneasy stop.
For reasons unknown to him, Sonic somehow forfeited his nerve to
enter the hut.  His former reservations resurfaced, as he
thought about how too premeditated and convenient this encounter
appeared to be.  The windows emitted no illumination from the
interior, and something about the way Tails dictated his
suggestion forced the hedgehog to delay his advance.  He looked
to his friend;  Tails revealed nothing, but patiently waited for
the hedgehog to signal a request for entry.
	"Go ahead, Sonic," his two-tailed comrade commanded
encouragingly, "knock on the door.  It won't bite."
	The reluctant hedgehog complied with the order, totally
prepared for what he expected to happen.  He was equally
unprepared for the unexpected events.
	The door opened, with a suspicious creaking sound attached to
its movement on the hinges.  A shaded figure of a blue walrus
lingered inside, beyond the doorway in the darkness.  He
gestured to them for passage, and the hedgehog and fox gradually
paced into the dimmed workshop.  Sonic gazed around the
blanketing blackness, endeavoring to focus his eyes.
	As if in retaliation, the room suddenly altered in form.  He
was blinded by the sudden increase in illumination, and deafened
by the multitude of voices crying out the word, "Surprise!"
	'Whoa,' Sonic thought to himself, 'what's going on here?'  He
rubbed his eyes to compensate for the appearance of light where
there was only an unlit region about two seconds ago.  After his
eyes finally terminated the task of focusing, he noticed that
all his friends in and out of Knothole were waiting for him.
	Sally walked over to the baffled hedgehog.  "Surprise, Sonic.
I hope you like it," she said, then kissed him.  "I'm sorry that
we've been keeping you in the dark about this, but now's a good
a time as any to reveal it to you."
	Sonic's jaw dropped with an almost audible thunk.  "You mean,"
he ventured, "that all this time you've been busy working on
whatever that is?  And you were fibbing about all that
administrative work you were doing?"  His outstretched finger
indicated the endoskeleton and the vat full of the prepared
organic mixture.
	It was Bookshire's turn to explain the rationale of their
former, "busy" atmosphere.  He carefully limped over to Sonic to
illustrate the actual scene of events.  "Not exactly, Sonic," he
answered to his confused juvenile comrade.  "You see, we know
that you've been bored and all, with nothing to do here at
Knothole while the rest of Mobius isn't in danger anymore.  So
we decided that you probably wanted to step down off your
command status so that you would have more time to do other
things.  That's when the idea came up to design a new Freedom
Fighter."
	"New Freedom Fighter?" the hedgehog inquired.  "To replace me?"
	"It can take whatever position in the chain of command you
want," the raccoon continued, "it can be the commander of
Knothole, or like a first officer to you.  It's your choice,
Sonic."
	"What about training and everything else?"
	"Don't worry about this one.  The new artificial lifeform will
be totally self-sufficient, and it's programmed to have basic
emotions, ability to command, repair itself, and other
functions.  We also gave it the ability to dynamically respond
to new situations, learn from them.  Not a problem at all," the
experienced raccoon reassured.
	"How's it repair itself?" the still-cynical hedgehog asked.
	"It has nanites in it to take care of damage and construct new
parts," Bookshire replied.  Seeing a shocked expression on the
hedgehog's face again, he continued, "No, not those nanites.
These nanites aren't programmed to do anything to us;  their
made for the compuorganic lifeform."  Bookshire was all too
aware of the unpleasant memories the word had to Sonic, not to
mention the rest of the Freedom Fighters.
	"Cool.  So when's it gonna be active?" the now-interested Sonic
questioned.
	Tails took charge of leading him to the main computer.  "Right
over on that computer, Sonic.  Press that big red switch."  As
he and his companion walked to the computer, Tails didn't notice
the large bundle of cables lying stretched out across the floor.
	Sonic saw the cables first.  "Tails, the ca-" he tried to warn
his friend.
	It was too late.  Tails foot located the cables and reacted via
the appropriate physical laws of the universe, long before his
eyes could see them and direct his body to avoid.  He flew
across the space between his former location and the main
computer, his nose impacting with the indicated red key that
would activate the new lifeform.  Before his blackout, Tails
slid down the side of the computer, opening one of the storage
compartments.  After coming to rest on the floor in a
semi-unconsious state, mind probing electrodes attached
themselves to his head.
	The room exploded into a blinding radiance. Inside the vat with
the organic mixture, the component atoms combined and
recombined, forming a DNA structure over the endoskeletal frame.
 The nanites worked hard at their labors, manipulating the
organic overlay into the appropriate electrical and organic
constituents.  Influxes of data came from Tails, as the cranial
positronic unit scanned the information by utilizing the remote
electrodes on his head.  The process continued on for about ten
seconds.
	Tails woke up to see a black and dark gray fox, about his
height and size, trapped in the glass vat.  One powerful fist
strike later, and glass shards erupted from the vat, spreading
over the floor like a tidal wave crashes over a ocean-front
city.  Everyone else in the room watched in horror as the new
artificial lifeform slowly paced across the room in a precise,
measured cadence toward Tails, making no sound as it did.  When
it arrived at its location in front of its organic counterpart,
it gently and flawlessly lifted the dazed vulpine up to examine
his condition.
	What the compuorganic lifeform said was even more startling.
"What has occurred to format my brother into his current state?"
it demanded, seemingly concerned about Tails' condition.  The
voice was so much like Tails, only this particular vocalization
was that of an adolescent fox.  It was deeper and slightly
harsher, yet still very similar to that of its organic
counterpart.
	Tails replied for all the observers in the room.  "Waht?" he
asked, bewildered by the turn of events.  He attempted to force
the stinging pain from his nose.  "Wo's 'or bro'her?  I ain' 'or
bro'her."
	The artificial lifeform didn't have any difficulty interpreting
its "brother's" speech.  "My medical sensors detect a minor
concussion in your olfactory region, and it is in my estimation
that you have been injured in a procedure which I am unaware of.
 Please allow me, brother, to attend to your ailments.  I have
no intention of inducing any detriment to your organic
configuration."
	The awestruck organic fox's eyes expanded wide with primal
fear.  He struggled to escape from the grasp of his oppressor,
and succeeded in his savage body motions.  Tails screamed,
staring a hardened sneer into the compuorganic's video
receptors, "You're not my brother, and I never want to see you
again, you robot!"  He darted out of the workshop before anyone
could detain him, and disappeared into the Great Forest.  The
new lifeform could only observe the scene that occurred,
speechless and almost upset by the unfavorable reaction that
Tails displayed.
	"Someone's gotta go after Tails," Sonic finally said, returning
to reality again.
	"I'll take care of this," replied Dulcy.  "Besides, he can fly,
and I might have a better chance of getting him."
	"Yo, Dulce," the baffled hedgehog queried, "what about your
leg?"
	"Oh, this?" she answered.  "This was the only way I could think
of from telling you about the project too early.  There's
nothing wrong with it.  You know how much I can babble at
times."  As if proving her point that her leg had sustained no
damage, she prodded out of the hut and used it to force herself
away from the ground, then flew off to retrieve Tails.
	Sally walked over to comfort their latest addition to the
Freedom Fighter group.  "Are you OK?" she asked, concerned about
how it would react to prejudice immediately after it had just
been constructed.
	It took in a deep breath, as if to calm itself.  "I am fully
functional, physically and mentally," it stated, "however, I am
rather perturbed by the way Tails reacted to my endeavors to
assist him.  I also realize that lack a denomination, something
for others to know me by."
	Sally thought the matter over.  "How about....David?" she
suggested.
	"Very well, then," the compuorganic replied, "that shall be
sufficient for my purposes of identification."  He smiled, as if
pleased with the privilege of having a name.
	Sally embraced and kissed him, gratified to have him as a new
Freedom Fighter and companion.  Not quite certain how to respond
to this gesture of kindness, he returned the act to her, making
certain his finely-tuned tactile sensors returned signals of a
firm, but tame grip.  David did not desire to destroy a
near-future ally in the college of life.

* * *

	And learn David most certainly did.  He found that there were
many functions to life besides his undecided role in the chain
of command.  Over the period of three weeks, David accomplished
many tasks to improve his status in his new domicile.  He
learned more about the intricacies of his organic companions'
speech and emotional displays.  He also learned how to fly,
since his endoskeleton was modeled very closely after Tails.
After some instruction from Dulcy and receiving her experience
from seeing what procedures Tails used to hover, fly, and land,
David became capable of flying to almost any location.  He
studied novels, encyclopedias, poetry, and it seemed as if there
was no way to quench David's lust for information.  He
instructed his nanites to manufacture appropriate hardware for
upgrading his survivability, and to improve the preexisting
equipment that he had built inside him.  Yet, there was one area
which he failed to complete successfully:  his relationship to
Tails.  As David built up his emotional database, that fact only
served to compile to complex and frustratingly gargantuan
proportions.
	In reality, the situation was no more severe than it was on
David's first day of life.  Through an almost telepathic
agreement, for Tails had no intention of being anywhere near
David, they managed to maintain a respectable distance.  Sally
counseled him about his bind with Tails;  Sonic tried to
convince Tails to rethink his misgivings about David.  Nothing
seemed to work.  The only alternative was to permit Tails a wide
berth from David.  For a while, everything was almost perfect,
as long they did so.  However, as life would have control over
events, this status of peace would not survive for an extended
period of time.

	David was pacing around the Knothole/Great Forest border near
the bridge at about 1700 hours, testing his latest sensors for
accuracy.  During his passive IR scan, he noticed a form appear
about thirty meters in front of him as he directed his head
forward.  Intrigued by this, he converted his sensors to visible
light scan, and magnified the image.  It was a young female
skunk, about Tails' age and height.  Nina saw David and ran over
to him.
	David downloaded the required data about Nina into one of his
dynamic provisional memory storage units.  What he read he
didn't enjoy at all.  According to his data, Nina was a close
friend to Tails.  And if Tails saw David and Nina together, the
situation could become an unsettling one for all three parties.
That was one confrontation that he had no intention of
participating in.  David's stress registers increased with the
anticipated battle that would ensue if he didn't act to prevent
it.  He turned around to evade the near-future battle.
	It was too late.  Nina already had him contained in her
powerful grasp, and David had no hope of immediate salvation
except to implement his overwhelming strength.  He was unable to
do so, for any such act would critically injure Nina, and part
of his basic moralistic programming prevented him from doing so.
 His respect for life was too strong to justify a violent
response.  Therefore, other, more civil procedures would have to
be acted on.
	"Oh, David!" the young skunk exclaimed to him, not softening
her grip one iota.  "It's so good to see you again!  It's about
time you got away from those adults and over to those your own
age!"
	David attempted to find a diplomatic mean of escape.  "Nina, I
would very much appreciate your friendly attitude towards me, if
you would please allow me to maintain a respectable distance!"
	"Oh, sorry about that," she apologized, and complied with his
implied request.  "It's just that I've never had a chance to see
you personally, I got a little too excited."
	"You aren't the only one that might get excited," David
retorted, as kindly as possible.  "According to my information,
you are Tails' friend, and....Tails and I do not exactly have an
amicable relationship as of this current time.  I have no desire
to be the perpetrator of any distress between the two of you,"
David stated, using all of his sensors to locate Tails before he
and Nina severely got into trouble.
	Tails was located about 300 meters away, but his location was
surrounded by trees.  It was more than likely that he would not
see David and Nina, but David wasn't inclined to take any risks.
 He said so to Nina.
	"Why can't you two get along?" she inquired.  "From what I saw
over the past few weeks, you're not the one at fault for this."
	That took David completely off guard.  He was uncertain as to
how to answer Nina's question.  Of course, David wasn't at fault
for anything, except for being created.  And that, he had no
control over.
	He never had the opportunity to answer.  Tails arrived, his
eyes silted and teeth exposed with anger.  David measured Tails'
stress levels, and found that an eruption was about to take
place, no matter what David could try to prevent it with.  His
organic counterpart stood in his position, slowly breathing with
a dangerous tension.
	"What...are...you...doing...with...Nina?" Tails managed to
slowly spit out, unable to control the rage in his voice.
	Nina answered for David.  "He's just talking to me;  nothing
more.  I just wanted to be friends with him after I saw him away
from all the adults here."  Her calm voice belied the anger she
was feeling toward Tails and the way he was treating David.
	"That doesn't matter!  He's a robot, something to take us back
to Robotropolis whenever he has the chance to!" Tails barked
out, even more stressed than before.
	Nina continued as calmly as the situation would permit, "No,
David's a Freedom Fighter, just like you are.  And nothing is
going to change that!"
	David wished that he could contribute something to the
conversation, but considered the consequences beforehand.  It
would ultimately serve to further degrade the already tenuous
relationship he had with Tails.  And the condition was becoming
more precarious just from this exchange.
	"Well, what do you need to associate with a robot for?  He
doesn't have anything to give you, he's emotionless, stupid, and
the worst excuse I've ever seen for a brother!"  With that last
remark, Tails ran back into the Great Forest.
	Little did Nina and Tails know that a storm was advancing over
the area.  And Tails was in the middle of it, unheeding of the
warnings.  David warned Nina of the situation.
	"Someone has to go after him, at least to teach him a lesson,"
Nina replied, unable to maintain the level of calm she had only
a few seconds ago.  She moved to go after him.
	"No," he ordered, extending his hand to block her path.  "I'll
retrieve Tails."
	"Are you sure about that, David?" his friend asked.
	"I will have a higher probability of retrieving Tails, since I
have capabilities to utilize that you don't have available," he
answered, with a determined look on his face.  "The way you can
assist me is to get help from the others in Knothole.  I require
their presence here in order to prevent the situation from
becoming critical."
	She considered his orders, but said nothing further.  She knew
what the unspoken words were.  She then ran off to Knothole, as
quickly as she could.
	David did the same, only in the opposite direction.  With all
his sensors active, he searched for Tails as far as he could
scan.  After locating his trail, he rushed to Tails' aid.

	About fifteen minutes later, David located his counterpart.
Tails was sitting on a rock, apparently unheeding of the rain
pouring down on him, and the thunder which seemed to be getting
closer every second.  Tails was also blind to David's arrival,
since he made no indication that he noticed the compuorganic
fox's presence.  Then again, in the darkness created by the
storm, David would be the only one who could view anything.  He
thought with a belated sense of worthiness that he didn't send
Nina, or tell her to send anyone after the two foxes.  They
would have become as lost as Tails appeared to be.
	"Tails?" he called over the thunder.  "It's me, David."
	"Get away!" the other fox retorted.  "We don't have anything to
talk about!"
	"On the contrary," David replied, maintaining his outer calm,
"we have everything to discuss.  Starting with the condition
between us."
	"There's nothing I have to say to you, David!" Tails yelled,
wishing that he could be alone right now and nothing else.
	"Please, Tails!" David nearly pleaded.  "Tell me what it is
that troubles you about me!"
	As if the very storm had tired of the confrontation between the
two foxes, a fork of lightning streaked down the sky and found
an impact point on a nearby tree.  The violated branch erupted
into flames, falling straight down on Tails' position.  He saw
the branch and instinctively crouched over, in the hope that
this would protect him.
	David took action to rescue Tails from a conflagration that
would otherwise consume him.  He flew up to the falling branch,
and disengaged his rotating tails.  Utilizing both of his tails,
David swatted the flaming branch, dislocating it from its lethal
flight path.  Tails was safe for now.
	On the ground, Tails waited for the fiery death to fill his
field of vision.  It never came.  The only sounds he could hear
were the rain, thunder, and David's tails slowly returning him
from the tormented areas above ground.  He saw David stop
rotating his tails about two meters above ground, then expertly
drop to the ground, landing so that the shock would dissipate
through his body.  Tails' savior slowly walked over to him, his
face a testimony to worry.
	"You...you really care about me?" Tails asked, not trusting his
voice to sound coherent.
	David understood him without difficulty.  "Of course I care
about you," he responded, "as well as the rest of the Freedom
Fighters.  What ever gave you the impression I didn't?  Is that
what you were concerned about?"
	Tails started crying, for he had overlooked something in David,
and had neglected him for so long.  He felt sorry for David, and
ashamed of himself for harboring the prejudice he had, just for
the fact that David was something of a form he had no personal
control over.  He got up and hugged David, and didn't release
his grip on him for a long time.
	Sniffling, Tails said, "I'm sorry I treated you the way I did,
David.  I just didn't know that you really cared about me so
much.  I thought you would go crazy and send us back to
Robotropolis or something."
	"Tails," David answered jovially, "you know me better than
that.  Besides, even if I did want to take you back to
Robotropolis, I couldn't."
	"Why's that?" Tails inquired, the shamed look on his face
converting to one of wonder.
	"Because you're like a brother to me," David continued, "and
there's no Robotropolis available for me to send you and the
rest of the Freedom Fighters to."
	"It's good to have you back.....brother."
	They both shared in a mutual session of laughter, then David
gradually guided his brother back to the refuge of Knothole.

* * *

	The next day, there was no indication of the adversarial state
that existed between Tails and David.  They were like two foxes
that had finally found themselves, which in this case, they did.
 Sally and Sonic watched from a distance as they saw the two
foxes actually playing together, instead of Tails being at
David's throat, and David doing everything in his power to
escape.  They were like friends, or (dare they think it?)
brothers that were concerned for each other's welfare.
	"I can't believe it, Sonic," Sally said after the realization
struck her as to what the fox pair was doing.  "It seems like
they were enemies just yesterday.  I wonder what brought Tails
out of it?"
	"Don't know, Sal," the hedgehog said, equally awed by the
transition.  "I asked them earlier, but they wouldn't tell me
why."
	"Maybe it's just as well that way.  These two are going to be a
powerful team in the future."
	And the condition of Tails' transition remained a secret, to
everyone in Knothole.  All that mattered now is that they loved
each other like brothers of a long acquaintance.  They both
agreed to tell everyone one thing though:  that David's name be
changed to David Prower.

EOF.