An Odd Secret

I

	Todd was on his way back after a long day walking along trails in the mountains surrounding his home.  His dark grey fur was warm and toasty from the sunlight, and the scent of honeysuckle was heavy in the humid summer air.  Having enjoyed being out in the woods all day, the young rat was looking forward to getting back to the house and into the air conditioning.
	The whiskers on the left side of his muzzle twitched as if something were nearby just as he was rounding the last bend in the road.  A few more steps and home sweet home would come into view.
	Again his whiskers twitched and this time they made contact with something cool and firm.  Todd lifted his paw reflexively to swat at whatever it was and he hit something solid.  He woke in an instant to find himself pressed up against the ceiling of his rundown apartment.  The rat looked down and saw his bed several feet below.  "What the FU--" he began to say, only to drop down onto his bed a second later.  He jerked upright and sat there a moment, breathing heavily as he looked around the room.
	"What the Hell was that?!" Todd asked himself as he fumbled for the bedside light switch.  He began to calm down somewhat when the light came on, revealing everything was just the same as it was when he had gone to bed a few hours earlier.  "What a freaking nightmare..." he muttered.
	Though not all of it had been just a dream.  Todd had enjoyed hiking in the mountains near his childhood home, thirty years ago.  But what the heck was with the levitating off the bed part?  An out of body experience while still in his body?  Just the weirdness that can crop up in an ordinary dream?  That part hadn't happened- couldn't have, he told himself.
	Todd got up and went into the bathroom to splash some water on his face.  He spent a moment then looking into the mirror, frowning at the lighter grey fur around his temples and the end of his muzzle.  That fur would turn silver in a few years, and spread from there like a plague through the fur everywhere else on his body.  "Getting old sucks," he muttered to himself, then began his morning routine before getting ready for work.
	An hour later Todd was on the highway, grumbling at the usual traffic.  His temper flared when he found himself stuck behind someone going five under the speed limit in the left lane, matching the speed of someone in the right lane and backing up the entire interstate.  He could see a clear road for a mile ahead of the suv in front of him, and his rage flared up even more.  "Get the Hell out of my way!" he yelled as he stared daggers at the vehicle in front of him.
	Just as he was about to lay on the horn all four of the suv's tires blew out and the entire middle of the vehicle sagged inward as if collapsing under its own weight.  Todd barely had time to swerve into the right hand lane and get around the rapidly slowing vehicle.  He peered into the rearview mirror in shock at the half crushed suv before veering back into the left lane and speeding off.  "What the Hell was that?!" he exclaimed for the second time that day.  Little did he know that this was just the beginning of what was to come.

***

	Over the course of the next few weeks Todd had more vivid dreams.  Sometimes they involved his past, other times they were a jumbled mix of sensations.  He would wake up unable to move at times, as if he had cement blocks laying all over his body.  He thought little about the dreams though, as he had more pressing issues to deal with.
	A large crack had formed in the floor of Todd's bedroom.  It was wide enough that he could see light coming in from the apartment downstairs.  Both he and the neighbors below him had reported the damage to the landlord but nothing was done about it, which didn't surprise him much.
	Todd also put in a ticket regarding the fridge, which seemed to have become unbalanced and was leaning heavily forward.  He had bumped into it a few times when leaving his bedroom, which only served to aggravate him further.
	Problems began to crop up at work as well.  The back of Todd's computer chair broke off one evening, tumbling the rat onto the floor.  The roof had sprung a leak right over his desk and since it was getting into the rainy season he had to keep a bucket on the desk to catch dripping water.
	So Todd wasn't in the best of moods when someone knocked on his apartment door one evening while he was watching tv.  He opened the door just a little, keeping the chain lock in place.  "What do you want?" he asked, clearly irritated.
	An orange and white fox was standing in the hallway, holding what looked like some fancy version of a barcode scanner.  "Todd?" he asked.
	The rat narrowed his eyes.  "Whatever you're selling I'm not buying," he replied and went to close the door.
	"Wait, I'm not selling anything.  I'm Miles, with apartment maintenance," the fox quickly said.
	Todd paused, then unlocked the door.  "About time one of you guys showed up.  Are you here to look at the floor or the fridge?"
	Miles stepped inside and hit a few buttons on his device.  "The floor.  Definitely the floor," he replied distractedly.
	Todd peered sidelong at the vulpine.  "That gizmo ain't gonna fix it," he gruffed, but led him into the bedroom.
	The fox went straight to the crack in the floor and scanned it.  "Just as I thought.  Though the neutrino count is even higher than I thought it would be," he said quietly.
	Todd crossed his arms over his chest and peered at him.  "New what count?  What are you yapping about?"
	Miles rose to his feet and smiled.  "You'll find out soon enough," he said, then pointed the device at Todd.
	The rat blinked.  "Wait a minute, wha--"
	There was a small jetting sound and Todd felt a stinging sensation on his left arm.  He looked at it to see a dart of some sort sticking from it.  "What the H..." he started to say, then everything went black.  The last thing he saw before his eyes shut was that scrawny fox giving him a smug look.

	Todd woke up on a bed with silk sheets.  Classical music was playing softly, and the room he found himself in was spacious.  Thick carpeting shifted between his toes when he got up and went to the door only to find it opening just before he reached it.
	A blue hedgehog with greying fur stood on the other side, a warm smile on his face as he looked at Todd.  "Ah, you're awake.  Sorry about all the cloak and dagger shenanigans but I had to make sure you got here safely before someone else got their hands on you," he said.
	Todd blinked, still a bit groggy from whatever sedative he had been given.  He glanced at his arm and rubbed it as he remembered the jab of the dart earlier.  He gave the blue furred critter a confused look and asked "Wh... Who are you?"
	The hedgehog smiled and replied "I'm Sonic.  And you're at my school for gifted individuals."
	Todd blinked.  "Gifted?  I think you've got the wrong rat.  I'm not all that smart."
	Sonic chuckled.  "Not that kind of gifted my friend.  Please, follow me,"  he said, then led Todd out of the room and into a hall.  The sound of tranquil music continued to play softly from somewhere overhead as Sonic explained.  "We've had our eye on you for sometime, Todd.  Normally a mutant's abilities awaken during puberty.  I suppose you're something of a late bloomer."
	Todd was still somewhat dazed from the tranquilizer dart but his temper was already beginning to return.  "Mutant?  Look Sodas, or whatever you said your name was, I don't know what your angle is.  But I'm just an office worker, I ain't got a ton of money.  And nobody is gonna be up for paying a ransom to get me back.  So how about you just show me to the door and we'll forget any of this ever happened?"
	"You don't have to lie or hide, Todd.  Not here," Sonic replied.  "You're among friends, I promise."
	Miles walked around the corner while tapping at a device strapped to his forearm.  "I don't think he's lying, Sonic.  He hasn't been using his powers intentionally," he said while glancing at Sonic.
	Todd looked at the fox and blinked.  "Why you little---"
	Sonic placed his hand on the rat's chest.  "Please don't be mad at Miles.  He was only following my directions," he said while mulling over what the fox said.
	Todd glared at Sonic.  "Alright then, I'll be mad at you.  You've got about ten seconds to tell me what the Hell is going on here."
	Miles pressed several buttons on his device and looked alarmed.  "Sonic, neutrino levels are rising rap--"
	Sonic held his paw out toward Tails, indicating for him to be still.  The fox quickly went quiet but continued to watch the scene nervously.
	The hedgehog smiled gently at the rat. "Todd, all the damage in your apartment?  The cracked floor, the leaning fridge?  The damage at your workplace?  That was all you.  You're a gravity controller."
	Todd looked at Sonic incredulously.  "How do you know about all that?  And: a what controller?  What kind of idiot do you t--"
	The rat stopped mid sentence as Sonic's entire form seemed to become a streak of blue light that disappeared down the hall.  A second later, someone tapped on Todd's shoulder from behind.  He jumped and spun around to see Sonic standing there, offering him a chili dog.
	"I'm told these aren't the healthiest things to have for breakfast but I'm quite addicted to them," the hedgehog said with a chuckle.
	Todd reflexively took the chili dog while staring at Sonic.  "How did you do that?"
	Sonic smiled.  "Super speed.  It is my mutant ability.  Just like yours is the ability to manipulate gravity."
	Todd dropped the chili dog and Sonic caught it an instant before putting it back in the rat's hand.  "Lets try not to stain the carpet on your first day here," Sonic said with a small grin.
	Todd shook his head then blinked as he began to get it.  The dreams where he was floating, then later feeling like he was weighed down.  The damage to the areas of his apartment and work place where he was the most.  "You're saying I can make things heavier or something?"
	Sonic nodded.  "That is one of the reasons I wanted to get you here.  We can help you to not only control your power but use it to help the world.  All you need is a little training."
	Todd glanced around at the pristine walls, ceiling, and carpeting under his feet.  He did a double take when he saw Miles actually had two tails and was now using them like helicopter blades to hover nearby while scanning the ceiling with a device of some sort.  Somehow though, all of this didn't  seem as strange to Todd as it would have yesterday.
	Turning his attention back to Sonic, Todd said "There ain't no way I make enough money to afford whatever training you're talking about."
	"Your schooling will be free of charge," Sonic replied.  "So long as you help us find others like yourself.  There's more of us than anyone realizes.  Many don't know what is happening to them, just as you didn't until today.  Others are using their abilities for the wrong purposes.  Yet others live on the outskirts of society, barely scraping by from day to day because they don't dare show their abilities to anyone."
	Sonic rested his hand on Todd's shoulder.  "Will you help us, Todd?  Help us to bring these poor souls here where they can find their true purpose?"
	Todd thought about it for a moment, then took a bite of the almost forgotten chili dog in his hand.  "I get to stay here in this fancy place?  And the food is free too?"
	Sonic chuckled and nodded.  "You can even quit your job.  I assure you that you won't need it anymore."
	Todd's tail twitched and his ears perked up.  "Alright.  I'm in."

	The rest of the day Todd spent in orientation.  He learned something of the layout of the sprawling mansion he was in.  The food he had for dinner in the giant cafeteria was the best he had eaten in months, and he paid little attention to the stares he got from others at how ravenously he was eating.
	After finishing his third plate of roast beef and chasing it down with a white russian, Todd felt comfortably full for the first time in a while.  His contentment was dampened however when Miles approached his table.
	"Hello Todd," the fox said with a small smile.  "While you were in orientation I arranged for most of your belongings to be moved from your apartment to your new room here at the school.  Figured it was the least I could do to help smooth down any ruffled fur."
	The rat glared at Tails.  "So you went rifling through all my stuff?  Ever heard of these things called boundaries, fox?"
	Miles blinked and folded his ears back.  "I just thought you might appreciate not having to move everything yourself.  I really don't want there to be any problems between us, honest."
	Todd's glare softened somewhat.  It seemed like Miles was being sincere but it had always been difficult for Todd to tell for sure with foxes.  "Well.  I appreciate the thought," he said before rising from the table.  "There better not be anything missing," he gruffed as he walked past the fox to go back to his room and check things.
	Miles' tails swayed slightly and there was a curious smile on his face as he watched Todd  leave the cafeteria.

	After unpacking and settling in Todd got to meet the rest of the team.  There was Knuckles, a red echidna with super strength.  He showed off some by lifting an entire desk with just a couple fingers.
	Then there was Blaze, a slender purple cat with the ability to control and manipulate fire at will.  She preferred spending much of her time alone, only appearing at meetings and occasionally to join everyone else for dinner.
	Amy- or Professor Rose as she preferred to be called- was nearly as old as Sonic but possessed super reflexes and a degree of invulnerability that made Todd glad she wasn't an enemy.
	There were a smattering of other students at the facility as well.  Todd didn't know much about them other than they were much younger than him and were learning to control their powers just as he was.  He mostly saw them during the classes that Professor Rose taught.  Said classes consisted mostly of the history of mutants, theories about where their powers came from, and the importance of blending in with normal Mobian society in order to have anything resembling a normal life.  The classes lasted several hours each day and required a lot of reading.  It was all kind of boring to Todd but the free food and board more than made up for it.

	A month after moving into the mansion, Sonic and Miles met Todd in the cafeteria one morning after breakfast.
	"Hello Todd.  Are you ready for some more hands-on training?" Sonic asked with a smile.
	Todd pushed his plate aside and nodded.  "Sure.  I was about done with high school 2.0"
	Sonic chuckled and led Todd down one of the many corridors in the sprawling facility while Miles followed not far behind.  Todd glanced over his shoulder at the fox then leaned closer to Sonic and asked quietly "So what's with Miles?  He's always hovering around wherever you're at."
	The hedgehog chuckled quietly.  "Tails- or Miles- is my best friend.  We go back at least twenty years now.  He is very observant and often gives me insights that I would otherwise miss."
	Sonic stopped and reached between a couple of bookshelves where a bust of a stallion sat.  When he pulled down on the figure's head there was a whirring noise followed by the wall in between the shelves sliding away to reveal a hidden elevator.   The hedgehog stepped into the elevator, Tails following and a hesitant Todd following afterwards.
	As the elevator began to descend, Sonic said "You'll be working with Silver today, Todd.  He is a very good and patient mentor.  Tails will be monitoring your progress."
	Todd glanced sidelong at the fox.  "Okay sure, whatever."  He then looked at the display above the door and blinked.  "Six sub floors?  This place is more underground than it is above it."
	Tails nodded.  "Our most sensitive equipment and artifacts are kept down here where they won't be found if we are attacked."
	Todd tilted his head.  "Attacked?  By who?"
	Sonic grimaced.  "There are other mutant groups that we must be wary of.  I'm sure that Professor Rose mentioned them during your class training."
	Todd groaned.  "Yeah.  She likes to talk a lot, that's for sure."
	Sonic and Tails exchanged a glance and a chuckle but said nothing in response.  A moment later the elevator doors opened and Todd was led down a short hallway and into a large room with grey metal on all the walls, floor and ceiling.  Several random objects were lined up in rows on tables in the center of the room.
	While Todd was taking in the stark contrast between this room and the elegant mansion above, a grey furred hedgehog approached the trio.
	Sonic smiled and shook his hand.  "Silver, good to see you.  This is Todd."
	The rat peered at Silver and shook his hand as well.  "Easy to see where your name comes from," he said with a smirk.
	Silver chuckled and smiled.  "I... get that a lot."  He then tilted his head as he studied the rodent.  "So, you control gravity?"
	Todd shrugged.  "That's what I'm told.  So far though it just kinda does what it wants.”
	Silver smiled.  "We can fix that."  He then glanced at Tails.  "Good to see you again buddy."
	Tails smiled in return and nodded before tapping several buttons on the device strapped to his arm.  "Alright, monitoring is set up."
	Sonic waved to the group.  "I'll let you get to it.  I have a ton of paperwork to do."
	After Sonic left Tails retreated off to the side.  His ears perked forward as he watched the training session begin.
	Silver glanced over some notes he had written on a tablet.  "Your abilities manifest in tune with your emotions from what I have read, and you just need to target it.  I can help with that.  My own ability is telekinesis, which is somewhat similar."
	Todd blinked.  "Tele kin knees what?"
	Silver chuckled and looked over at one of the tables in the middle of the room.  The table slowly lifted off the floor and floated over to where the hedgehog was before settling again in front of him.  "I can move things with my mind," Silver said after the fact.
	Todd gaped at the table then narrowed his eyes and waved his hand above it and then underneath it, checking for wires.  He wasn't very surprised when he found none.
	The rat then crossed his arms over his chest and peered at Silver.  "Okay then.  What do you want me to do?"
	Silver motioned to another nearby table with an empty can of soda sitting on top of it.  "Think of something that makes you angry while at the same time focusing your gaze on the can."
	Todd sighed and looked at the can.  "This feels stupid," he muttered.
	Silver smiled gently.  "Don't concern yourself about how it might look or feel.  Just imagine filling the can up with your anger."
	Todd smirked and shook his head.  "I'll give it a shot."  He stared at the can a moment then blinked.  Then he really began to glare at it while thinking back on how angry he was when seeing Tails again after the fox had shot him with a tranquilizer gun.
	For a moment nothing happened.  Then the soda can suddenly pancaked itself to the table.  A second later, the table's legs gave out and it fell to the floor.
	Todd's eyes went wide.  "Holy shit!  Did I do that?"
	Tails peered incredulously at some readings on his device.  "Yes... Yes, you did."
	Silver glanced from the table to Todd and back again.  "Time to put up some debris shields."
	Todd spent the next several hours altering the density of objects ranging in size from a can of soda to a steel drum.  They all ended up flattened against the floor as if they had been placed under a hydraulic press.
	On more than one occasion Tails was certain that he heard Todd muttering his name while gleefully crushing something.

***

	Over the course of the next several months Silver trained Todd on how to better control his gravity manipulation.  Todd learned more about how to focus his emotions with his ability.  Though he still had trouble separating the two when he got unexpectedly angry or happy, he was gradually getting better with it.
	Focusing on an object and keeping his mood light also helped him to lighten the density of his target until it began to float.  A complete opposite of how his anger practically glued something to the ground.
	Once Todd had mastered simply turning his power on and off then came the more difficult part of increasing or decreasing it slowly.  ‘Catching’ a falling chair from the ceiling so that it descended more slowly until settling softly on the floor.  Causing a balloon being blown upward by a fan to come down despite the force of the air, increasing its density gradually so as not to pop it until it finally landed gently on the ground.
	Todd learned to visualize gravity like waves on the ocean.  Stilling the "waters" or even parting them in his mind while keeping his thoughts light.  Letting the water rage and engulf an object while focusing on his anger.
	After nearly a year of practice Todd had mastered his control of gravity enough to practice on himself.  Calming the gravitational waves enough to make himself float, then gradually allowing the wave action to resume normally so that he came back down.  The first few times were frightening for him, as it reminded him of how he would wake up pinned to the ceiling when his powers first started manifesting.  Finally however, he felt comfortable enough to float at times through the practice room instead of walking about.
	At the end of the training, Todd settled on a callname for himself: Nodd.  "It sounds enough like my own name that I'll know someone is talking to me," he told Sonic one day over lunch.  "Maybe I'll pick something 'cooler sounding' later."
	Sonic chuckled and shrugged.  "Whatever works for you my friend.  Just don't change it so often that even I can't keep up."
	Nodd rolled his eyes and sipped his coffee.  "Not like I'm gonna wear a spandex suit with the name stitched on it."
	Sonic looked thoughtful for a moment.  "Hmm."
	Nodd blinked at him.  "You're not considering making us wear ridiculous outfits are you?"
	Sonic slowly grinned.  "I had you worried for a moment didn't I?"
	Nodd smirked and tried to nudge Sonic with his foot but the he was already gone.

	A few months later Sonic had a meeting with the team.  After the preliminaries were out of the way he pulled out a file and read from it.  "We have gotten reports of a large cat with extraordinary strength and borderline invincibility, often seen in the presence of a much smaller female rabbit.  We believe her to be a mutant as well though we do not know what her power may be."
	Sonic paused and looked up at the group.  "I think a good team for this mission would be Knuckles- in case the cat gives us trouble," he looked around the meeting table for a second.  "Tails- to help explain our cause and keep things from becoming trouble in the first place."  Sonic smiled and glanced at Nodd "And Nodd- mostly as an observer since this is his first mission, but also to help keep things under control."
	Nodd grimaced a little at the thought of working with Tails but he didn't say anything.  He had the feeling that Sonic was purposely teaming him with the fox to help the two of them iron out any remaining differences.  "Alright.  When do we head out?" Nodd asked.
	Sonic gave him, Knuckles and Tails each a folder.  "Here's everything we know about these two so far.  Read up, then head out first thing in the morning."

	The next morning Nodd met Knuckles for breakfast and glanced around.  "Where's Tails?"
	Knuckles grinned and cracked his knuckles.  "Probably on the roof prepping the chopper.  Lets just grab a granola bar or something and go."
	Nodd chuckled and grabbed an apple.  "I should have known the butt-propeller would be the one flying us around."
	Knuckles laughed and shook his head as the two of them headed for the elevator.  "I dunno what your beef is with the fox but you should drop it.  He's saved my tail more than once."
	Nodd huffed and grew quiet.  What was his beef with the fox anyway?  Sure, Tails tricked him and knocked him out but that was well over a year ago and on Sonic's orders no less.  Still, there was something about Tails that just rubbed Nodd the wrong way and he didn't know why.

	At least the chopper ride to the coast was uneventful.  Nodd spent the short trip looking out over the landscape.  He had flown before but only on commercial airliners, never in a helicopter.
	Soon they landed at a small airport where one of Sonic's cars was waiting for them.  Nodd climbed into the vehicle and whistled to himself when he realized it was brand new.  "The hedgehog spares no expense."
	Tails smiled and shrugged.  "Sonic made his fortune a long time ago.  I'm just glad we get to play with all these gizmos and gadgets."
	Before anyone could say anything else Tails sped the car down the interstate, passing many other vehicles as if they were sitting still.
	Knuckles glanced over at Nodd and laughed at the way the rat looked plastered to the backseat.  "You get used to the way Tails drives after a while."
	In practically no time three of them were at a large fishing dock by the ocean.  "The report says that the cat fishes by himself every day, about half a mile from here.  Everyone up for a little hike?"
	Nodd stretched a moment and nodded.  "A big purple cat should be easy enough to spot."
	Knuckles began down along the trail.  "Yup.  And if not, the fox has a mutant scanner."
	Nodd perked an ear and glanced sidelong at Tails.  "That what you used to track me down?"
	The fox nodded as he tapped the device strapped to his wrist.  "Every mutant has a biosignature that is slightly different from a normal Mobian's.  This scanner can pick up that signal within a mile radius."
	The trio soon reached a secluded area on the beach where few seemed to have been before.  Sure enough there was the purple cat sitting on a rock with a fishing rod in his hand while looking contentedly out over the water.
	Nodd glanced at Tails and smirked.  "Gonna tranquilize him real quick?"
	Tails huffed and shook his head.  "I only did that to you because you didn't know how to use your powers and I didn't wanna get squashed.  Besides, if the cat is as invulnerable as Knuckles, a dart wouldn't pierce his skin."
	Nodd glanced between Tails and Knuckles.  "So what's the plan then?"
	Tails smiled.  "We go talk to him, obviously.  Or, I will.  You two stay here for now."
	Nodd gave the fox an annoyed look but kept back with Knuckles while Tails continued down the beach.
	Once he was close enough for casual conversation, Tails paused and looked out over the water.  He glanced sidelong at the cat and smiled.  "Hey there friend.  Nice day isn't it?"
	The feline glanced at Tails but said nothing.  He grew tense and started to reel in his line.
	Tails flicked his second tail free from under the long coat he was wearing.  "I think we have something in common.  My name's Tails.  I work for a group that helps people like us."
	Upon seeing Miles' extra tail the cat dropped his fishing pole and rose to his considerable height.  He scowled at Tails and began walking toward him.
	Tails backed up some while Nodd and Knuckles stepped up alongside him.  "It's okay buddy, we're not here to hurt you," Tails tried.
	Knuckles stepped in between Tails and the cat.  "But we are more than capable of defending ourselves."
	Nodd facepalmed and shook his head while Tails looked alarmed.  "Knuckles, stand down!" the fox said firmly.
	But it was too late.  With surprising speed, the cat rushed forward and brought his large fists down toward Knuckles.  The echidna braced himself, holding his arms up to ward off the blow.  He grunted at the impact then blinked while his knees began to buckle as his own strength was tested by that of the cat's.
	Seeing Knuckles was in trouble, Nodd reached his hand out toward the cat.  Gravity around the feline lessened until he began to slightly float.  Knuckles took the opportunity to roll out of the way just as the cat's eyes flashed purple.
Nodd grunted and staggered back as his gravity control was suddenly broken.  The cat's fists slammed into the ground where Knuckles was a second earlier.  "Holy cow, he IS strong," Nodd muttered under his breath.	
	A small bunny dashed out from the underbrush and stood in front of the cat.  "Big, stop!  They are telling the truth," she said soothingly.
	Big blinked at her then nodded slowly before giving Tails' group another wary look.
	Turning her attention to the trio, the small rabbit said "Please forgive my friend.  Just last week a dark hedgehog was here trying to recruit us.  He became hostile when we refused to go with him."
	Tails grimaced.  "I think I know who that was."  He then smiled and stepped a little closer.  "We aren't like him.  We will leave right now if you want, and never bother you again.  But like you, each of us has our own gifts.  We work for--"
	The rabbit tilted her head.  "Sonic.  A blue hedgehog.  He has a very nice house further inland."
	Tails blinked.  "Have you heard of him?"
	She smiled and shook her head.  "No, but I saw him in your mind.  You are his best friend, and something of a mechanical genius."
	Tails' eyes widened slightly.  "You're a telepath."
	She nodded slightly.  "Yes.  I am Cream and this is Big.  He is mute and so I speak for him, for I know his thoughts just as well as I know my own."
	Knuckles chuckled a little and rubbed his wrists.  "Your friend packs a helluva punch."
	Nodd nodded.  "I've never had anyone break my gravity control before."
	Tails smiled hopefully at Cream and Big.  "Will you give us and Sonic a chance, then?  We can always bring you right back here if you change your mind."
	Cream turned to look at Big.  The two of them stared silently at one another for a moment before she turned back to Tails and smiled a little.  "Big is nervous but he is willing to give you a chance.  We were soon going to move on from here anyway, and I told him that your house has a lot of food."
	Tails chuckled.  "That it does.  Alright then, follow us.  We're parked not far from here."
	The fox turned and smiled at Nodd and Knuckles.  "Good job guys.  Let's get out of here."

	A couple months later Cream and Big were settled in at Sonic's school.  Big and Knuckles became fast friends and spent a lot of time wrestling and sparring in one of the more sturdy practice rooms.  Cream and Amy took to each other right away as well since they were two of the only females on the team.
	"So, what are you gonna do when this place has no rooms left?" Nodd half jokingly asked Sonic one evening over a game of chess.
	Sonic smiled and waved his hand.  "I have another even larger facility down in Green Hills.  There's still some construction going on but it will eventually become our main base."
	Nodd whistled quietly.  "That's one of those fancy gated communities on the southern coast, right?  You really are loaded."
	Sonic smirked and shook his head.  "Not everything is about money, Nodd."
	Nodd grinned slightly.  "I suppose not.”  He looked at the board, pondering his next move.  “You’ve been kind of dodgy lately, Sonic.  Got something big planned?” he asked, then moved a bishop.
	Sonic's smirked and shook his head.  “You’re trying to distract me,” he said before moving his queen across the board, taking the bishop.  “Check.”
	Nodd blinked at the sudden loss of the bishop before tilting his head at Sonic.  “No, honestly.  I’ve been here a while now and it's nice and all.  But I kinda wanna know what you have planned for the future,” the rat said, then moved his knight and took out Sonic’s queen.  "Check right back at you."
	Sonic looked serious for a moment before casually moving one of his knights.  “You’ll find out in time.  The future can be a devious thing, my friend.  Checkmate.”

***

	Several months later while half the team was out on a mission, Nodd awoke to a loud crash followed by alarms going off.  He raced from his room toward the front of the mansion where the crash had come from.
	There he saw one of the large stately oak trees from the courtyard protruding well into the foyer as if someone had rammed it in through the front doors.
	Sonic was already there of course, and was glaring toward the entryway.  When he saw others arriving he waved them off.  "Everyone stand back!"
	A black hedgehog came levitating in through the demolished front doors.  He glared at Sonic and said "Wise of you to keep your minions at bay."
	Sonic glared back as blue energy began to crackle around his quills.  "What is the meaning of this, Shadow?"
	Shadow tilted his head.  "All your scheming, your manipulations, your purchases of people in power," the hedgehog said as he descended toward the floor.  "I knew it would never really amount to anything.  But that was before you got the emeralds.  I cannot allow the likes of you to have them."
	Nodd blinked and glanced sidelong at Knuckles.  "What's he babbling about?"
	Knuckles stared coldly at Shadow while answering Nodd.  "You’ll learn about the emeralds later.  But don’t listen to Shadow.  The chaos magic he uses has made him go mad.”
	Meanwhile Sonic shook his head and sighed.  "You have veered so far off the path, Shadow.  I am not the twisted one here and you know it."
	Shadow stared coldly at the blue hedgehog.  "Do you really think your lies will still work on me, Sonic?  I am not the wide eyed youngster I was when you took me under your wing.  I see you now for what you truly are."
	Sonic's eyes began to glow blue and he bared his teeth in fury, poised to attack the other hedgehog.
	Shadow nodded.  "Yes, by all means: show your true colors.  Not that it will do you any good.  Now Omega!"
	 With that a large robot barreled by Shadow and swatted at Sonic.  The blue hedgehog darted out of the way with ease and began to pummel the robot while racing around it at super speed.  The machine staggered slightly but then calculated where Sonic would be and fired its laser cannon ahead of him.  The bolt hit Sonic and sent him careening into the wall.
	Any orders to stay back were thrown out the window in an instant.  Big and Knuckles converged on Shadow, Nodd began slowing down Omega by increasing its density, and Tails went flying to Sonic's assistance.
	Shadow teleported at the last second, causing Knuckles and Big to crash into one another.  The hedgehog then closed in on Sonic, who had recovered and was getting back on his feet.
	Shadow tore one of the large branches off the oak tree and threw it at Sonic who easily dodged it.  Tails meanwhile flew up into the air and was suddenly dual-wielding laser pistols, firing down on Shadow from above.
	At the same time, Knuckles and Big had recovered and were closing in on Shadow as well.  Shadow teleported out of harm's way then barked out "Omega 4.0!"
	The large machine split instantly into four separate units and began to fight Sonic's team.  However, Shadow knew quickly something was wrong.  None of the robots were moving very fast; it was as if they were being subjected to deep ocean pressures.  
	He then noticed Nodd off in a corner, holding his hand out toward the robots.  The rat's body was quivering and his ears were folded back in effort.  Sensing the power coming off of Nodd, Shadow charged at him.  Nodd blinked in surprise, not having thought that Shadow would find him out.  It would take a moment for him to shift his gravity control off of the robots: a moment that he didn't have.
	At the last second Tails flew in between the two and raised an energy shield from the device on his arm.  The shield held for only a second before flickering out under the impact of Shadow's attack, sending the fox careening off through a window.  Thrown off course, Shadow barrelled through the wall inches from where Nodd was standing.  The rat received only a few knicks from flying debris.
	Sonic launched himself through the hole in the wall in pursuit of Shadow.  Meanwhile, Big and Knuckles were making quick work of the four Omegas despite being outnumbered.
	Nodd raced outside to check on Tails.  He found the fox laying on his back with shards of glass glinting in his fur and a few cuts on his face.
	The rat knelt down beside the fox and rested his hand on Tails' shoulder.  "Miles?  Are you okay?"
	Tails opened his eyes and smiled wanly.  "I'm alright, just a few cuts and bruises," he said as he sat up.  "Glad I got my shield up in time."
	Nodd sat back on his heels.  "Whew, good.  Um... thanks for the interception back there."
	Tails smiled.  "Of course.  What are friends for?" he said before spinning up his tails and flying off to join Sonic in driving Shadow back.
	Nodd blinked and got to his feet to watch as Tails fired his laser pistols, keeping Shadow on the defensive while Sonic pummelled him.
	All this time the rat had been holding a grudge against that orange fox.  And all this time Tails had thought of Nodd as a friend.
	Nodd growled and flew forward while concentrating his attention on Shadow's hover boots, turning them into something more like lead boots.  The levitating hedgehog plummeted to the ground in an instant.  Dazed, he barely had time to teleport away before Sonic would have grabbed him.
	The badly damaged Omega reassembled and limped out the ruined front of the building, joining Shadow in the distance.  The dark hedgehog glared at Sonic one more time before placing his hand on Omega, teleporting the both of them out of sight.
	Sonic looked around, keeping his guard up.  "Is everyone alright?" he asked.
	The group was a bit battered but nobody was seriously hurt.
	Sonic breathed a sigh of relief.  "Alright, let's get back inside.  I doubt Shadow will be back tonight but we must be vigilant till morning when repairs can be made."  He paused and smiled at his team.  “I told you all to stay back.  Thank you for not obeying my order.  But don't make a habit out of it.”
	Nodd fell in alongside Tails as the group headed back into the mansion.  "So this Shadow leads another mutant group?  And he went through all this trouble just to get some emeralds?"
	Tails shook his head.  "It's just Shadow and his robot of the week.  And not just any emeralds: chaos emeralds.  They are magical artifacts of immense power stored deep in the vaults."
	A year ago Nodd wouldn't have believed in magic.  But after all that he had seen since then, it sounded almost commonplace now.  "Gadgets and ghosts.  Teleportation and trigonometry.  What have I gotten myself into?" he muttered.
	Tails smiled.  "Nothing that you can't handle.  Come on, let's start cleaning up this mess."
	Nodd smiled back and followed Tails inside.

	Repairs to the mansion were done in a few weeks and security was beefed up quite a bit.  The speed of the restoration served as a further reminder to Nodd as to the resources that were at Sonic's disposal.
	Tails began work on a generator for producing a dampening field that would prohibit Shadow's teleporting should the dark hedgehog make another appearance.  The exotic materials that the fox needed to build the machine were made available within a matter of days.
	Nodd kept Tails company often while the fox worked on building the generator.  Any lingering resentment that the rat had toward Miles was gone.  The two also spent time together sparring against holograms and robotic targets in the practice room.
	"So, why did you pick the name Nodd?" Tails asked one evening after one of their practice sessions.  "I get the feeling there's more to it than just sounding like Todd."
	Nodd glanced at him and grinned.  "Clever fox.  I had this nervous tick when I was a kid that made me nod my head a lot.  Kids started calling me Nod instead of Todd.  Nod the Odd.  And well... I'm a helluva lot odder than I ever was back then.  So that's why the extra D."
	Tails smiled.  "You're not odd.  You're you."
	The rat glanced over at him and smirked.  "Thanks buddy.  Heh... sorry that I was such an ass early on."
	Tails grinned softly and hugged Nodd.  "Don't worry about it.  You didn't know what the heck was going on."
	Nodd blinked at the unexpected hug and went from hovering to flying upward in tune with his emotions.  Having not anticipated to suddenly be holding onto a rocket, Tails went along for the ride.
	Nodd stopped himself a little shy of the ceiling.  There was a second of shocked silence before the rat and fox were both laughing as they descended slowly to the floor then stepped back from one another.
	The inside of Tails' ears were reddening while he rubbed the back of his head.  "Sorry about that.  I've always been a bit hug-happy with my friends."
	Nodd's own ears were reddening quite a bit as he replied "It's alright.  Just... that was the first time anyone's hugged me in years."
	Tails blinked.  "Really?  Well, that'll change starting now," the fox said while giving Nodd an affectionate smile.
	Nodd didn't know what to say so he just stood there with his ears blushing all the more.  The awkward silence was thankfully broken when Silver wandered in.
	"Hi Nodd, Tails.  What's up?" the oblivious hedgehog asked.
	Tails smiled bashfully.  "Err... nothing," he said before heading for the door.  He paused just before leaving and looked over his shoulder.  "Catch you in the cafeteria at dinner later, Nodd?"
	Nodd smiled and nodded.  "Sure thing," he replied, then watched Tails leave before turning back to Silver.  He blinked when he saw the way the hedgehog was smirking at him.  "What are you looking at?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.
	Silver chuckled and shook his head.  "Oh, I'm sure it's like Tails said: nothing.  Come on, let's see if you can crush this wrecking ball I had shipped in earlier."

	A few weeks later, Sonic was having lunch with Nodd while telling him about an idea he wanted to try.
	"Nodd, what do you know about singularities?" the hedgehog asked.
	Nodd tilted his head.  "The dot in the center of a black hole that turns you into spaghetti?"
	Sonic chuckled.  "Yes, though what I am thinking is on a much smaller scale.  Tails, Silver and a few of the scientists on staff have been brainstorming.  They've developed a device that may be able to harness the power of a tiny singularity and use it to create a temporary wormhole."
	Nodd put down his fork and blinked.  "Like, a tunnel in space to the other side of the universe?"
	Sonic shook his head.  "Nothing that grandiose.  Just something that would allow one to take a shortcut to the other side of the planet," he said while peering thoughtfully at Nodd.
	The rat smirked.  "I know that look.  You're wanting me to make you one of these things."
	Sonic blinked, then smiled.  "You've come a long way since you first arrived here Nodd.  Yes, I believe that you can force a small item- say, a paperclip- down to such a tiny size that it will create a singularity.  Normally such a small one would evaporate in seconds but if contained correctly and its energies manipulated-- well, I won't go into all the details.  They are confusing even to me.  Will you help us with it?"
	Nodd crossed his arms over his chest.  "You sure this thing won't eat the entire planet for breakfast and have the Sun for lunch?"
	Sonic chuckled.  "Yes, it is 100% safe I assure you.  None of Tails' devices have ever let me down before."
	Nodd smiled softly.  "That fox is something else."
	Sonic nodded and smiled as well.  "I don't know what I'd do without him.  So, is that a yes?"
Nodd nodded.  "Never tried anything like it before so why not?"

	A couple weeks later and all the preparations had been made.  Nodd and Tails were in one of the reinforced underground rooms while Sonic, Silver and several physicists monitored the area from behind a plexiglass wall.
	A steel ball bearing was floating in between several small but powerful magnets, all of which was inside a bullet proof glass capsule.
	Tails walked Nodd through the procedure one more time.  "Focus your power on the ball bearing only.  Pretend like nothing is around it.  I'll let you know when to stop.  Ready?"
	Nodd glanced at his friend and nodded.  "Ready as I'll ever be."
	With that, the rat peered through the glass at the bearing.  In his mind's eye he saw the gravitational waves flowing normally all around the room.  As he held out his hand toward the bearing, the waves began to flow inward toward it.
	Nobody else watching noticed anything unusual at first.  Then the solid titanium table that the capsule was resting on began to sag in the middle as the bearing began to shrink.  Tails monitored the situation carefully, glancing from his scanner to the capsule and back again as it began to make an even more visible dent in the middle of the table.
	The bearing grew smaller and smaller.  At first it was the size of a large marble but it was soon only pea-sized.
	Nodd grunted and gritted his teeth while closing his hand slowly into a fist.  "Never made anything get this dense before," he muttered as the bearing shrank further, to the point that Nodd could no longer see it.  From there he focused his attention on the small whirlpool of gravitational waves where the bearing was.
	The titanium table groaned and began to buckle further in the middle while the ends of the table curled upward.
	"Okay Nodd, stop now," Tails suddenly said.
	The rat staggered back a few steps and sat down heavily in a chair while Tails used a robotic arm to pick up the now very heavy capsule then quickly snapped it into place in an opening designed for it on a computer console.  As readings began to fill the screen Tails typed in some coordinates.  An empty round metal frame several feet away began to glow and suddenly the space in the middle was filled with the view of a desert.
	Hot air rushed into the room along with some sand before the portal winked shut and the computer powered down.
	Nodd watched on in amazement then looked a little crestfallen when the portal closed so quickly.  "That was it?  There wasn't even enough time to toss through a message in a bottle."
	Tails smiled and squeezed Nodd's shoulder.  "This was just the first test.  I still have to perfect the magnetic field in the capsule to make the singularity last longer.  You did great, Nodd."
	The rat smiled and gave Tails' hand a squeeze where it rested on his shoulder.  "I figured I had screwed something up.  Thanks buddy."
	Tails smiled widely while his tails wagged a bit.  "What are friends for?"

	Over the next several weeks Nodd turned various small objects into tiny singularities while Tails made adjustments to the containment field to make the resulting microscopic black holes last longer.  Their efforts were met with varying degrees of success.  The more durable the original item was the longer the resulting singularity held.
	The experiments were taxing Nodd's gravity control to its limits.  And no matter how strong the containment field was, having a black hole inside the school was damaging to its immediate surroundings.  There were constant minor repairs being made throughout the rooms near the main lab.
	Sonic was adamant that the experiments continue, however.  "Think of the good we could accomplish for the entire world," he said during a meeting with the team.  "Food delivered instantly to starving nations.  A dangerous avalanche of snow being diverted to the other side of a continent where a vast fire is raging.  This is our best chance yet to show the people of the world what we can truly do,” Sonic said, his eyes briefly glowing blue.
	Cream had been studying Sonic for some time both during the meeting and for a while before.  "Your goals are noble Sonic but I feel as though you are hiding something."
	Sonic glanced at her and tilted his head.  "Wouldn't you know if I were?”
	Cream shook her head.  "I try not to eavesdrop on the minds of others.  Besides, your thoughts are as fast as you are.  It is like trying to listen to a recording being played twenty times its normal speed.  And yet I cannot help but feel you are withholding... something."
	Sonic smiled a little.  "We all have our secrets.  Things that nobody else will ever know." 
	The room went quiet as Sonic and Cream had something of a stare down.  Finally, Sonic glanced over at Miles.  "Tails, you wanted to report about the containment concerns?"
	Tails nodded and stood from his seat.  "I know there have been some concerns over the singularities and some minor damage to the mansion.  But don't worry, the containment capsule system has been upgraded and there shouldn't be any more structural failures."
	Sonic smiled over at Tails when the fox sat back down.  “Thanks buddy.”  He then looked at Silver and nodded.
	Silver stood and opened a velvet bag before withdrawing a large emerald from it and placing it on the table.  The gem seemed to glow from deep inside.
	"This is a replication of a chaos emerald," Silver said.  "We would never think of risking one of the actual mystical gems in an experiment like this.  But the emeralds have been replicated before, the resulting gem only lasting a few months before crumbling to pieces.  However, the containment field Tails has come up with could help keep it stable."
	Having retrieved one of the actual emeralds from the vault earlier, Silver placed it on the table beside the copy.  Other than a slight increase in glow from the original gem, it was difficult to tell them apart.
	Cream was skeptical.  "Mixing magic and cutting edge technology?  Are you sure that's a good idea?"
	Sonic was intrigued.  "High tech was used to replicate the emeralds in the past.  So long as the original gem is not damaged, I say we give it a try."
	Knuckles nodded.  "We could set up a larger safety parameter to make sure nobody is too close, just in case."
	Tails had an idea.  He turned to Nodd and asked "Do you think you could increase the density of an object that you're viewing on a screen?"
	Nodd blinked.  "I've never thought to try that before.  I'd like to attempt it with a normal object first."
	Sonic nodded.  "Alright, sounds like we have a plan of action.  Let's get to it."

	And so the experiments continued for several weeks with Nodd on one end of the mansion watching a monitor that displayed an object in a capsule on the other end of the complex.  It was discovered that while he could increase the density of the item by seeing it on a screen, range was an issue.  He would need to be closer for his power to work on it no matter how clear the image was.
	With everything finally set up the replicated chaos emerald was placed in the improved containment capsule, this time held stable by powerful earth magnets.  The capsule was linked to the portal computer, which had coordinates loaded for a deserted island in the middle of the ocean.
	Nodd peered at the image of the emerald on the screen and grimaced.  "I know this isn't a real gem but I still kinda feel bad about essentially destroying it."
	Sonic tilted his head.  "Think of it this way: if the singularity created from the gem remains stable it could provide energy for portals for many years to come."
	Nodd nodded and sighed.  "Alright.  Well... here goes nothing."  The then rat focused his attention on the screen and began to condense gravity waves around the cloned chaos emerald.
	Power dimmed for a moment as the emerald began to shrink.  Tails monitored everything closely with the assistance of Silver.
	Just when the emerald began to shrink out of sight a large explosion shook the building.  The power went out and the generators kicked in.
	Knuckles looked over the security footage and grimaced.  "Robots!  Two squads, maybe more.  Shadow is leading them."
	Sonic was livid.  He super sped to the vault, retrieved a chaos emerald, and was back in an instant.  "Knuckles, with me!  Tails, shut down the experiment before the power fails all together," Sonic said before he and Knuckles bolted from the room.
	As if on queue, another explosion shook the reinforced steel walls of the labs even as deep underground as they were.  The lights went a second time and dim blue emergency lights came on a second later.
	Tails worked frantically at the computer.  "There's been an overload!  Some of the circuits are fused!"
	As Tails and Silver tried to bypass the main control systems Nodd's attention was drawn to footage of the lab where the emerald singularity now spun and a portal had been opened beside it.  "What the Hell?" the rat said to himself.  The portal hadn't opened to some island.  Instead, it had opened to a view of pure golden energy.   As Nodd watched, tendrils of the same energy began to emerge into the lab.

				                 II

	"Is anyone else seeing this?" Nodd asked and motioned to the screen.
	Tails glanced briefly then blinked and looked closer.  "That can't be good.  Nodd, can you lessen the mass of the singularity?  Without it the portal will close."
	Nodd peered at the whirlpool of gravity waves he could make out through the writhing mass of energy tendrils that were spreading across the room.  "I'll try," he replied and began to concentrate.
	"The energy is escaping the lab through the ventilation system," Cream said, pointing at other security camera views of the rooms surrounding the lab where the tendrils could be seen emerging through air ducts.
	Knowing that only a few rooms separated them from the lab, Nodd redoubled his efforts of untying the knot of gravity where the emerald was.  "It... It is resisting me," the rat said in astonishment.  "It's as if it has a mind of its own."
	Tails grimaced.  "It's been said that the emeralds have some form of sentience but I didn't believe it.  And even then, this one was made from synthetic materials.  It can't possibly be ali--"
	The fox was cut off by the sound of a scream that ended as abruptly as it began.  The sound came from somewhere nearby.
	"Oh no... Amy!" Cream exclaimed, and pointed at one of the camera feeds.  It showed that one of the tendrils had curled around Amy down by the elevators.  She now laid motionless on the floor as more tendrils moved over her.
	Nodd continued trying to normalize the gravity around the singularity until one of the tendrils lashed out at the camera and the screen went black.
	"We need to evacuate," Tails said as he looked around.  Most eyes were on him, seeing him as second in command since Sonic was outside dealing with Shadow.
	"Nodd, Silver: try to use your powers to free Amy.  Everyone else: head for the stairs.  We can't trust the elevators right now."
	Silver and Nodd bought Tails some time as he flew friends up the stairwells while others continued to trudge up the stairs.  While neither Nodd's gravity control nor Silver's telekinesis had any effect on the energy tendrils, it did lure the energy toward them and away from the stairs.
“I have an idea,” Silver said while backing away from the slow moving filaments.  He led Nodd to a small room down the hall from the lab.  "This is a portable force field generator," Silver explained as he grabbed a device the size of a car battery.  "We can use it to create an energy barrier around the lab.  It likely won't hold for long but it should be long enough," Silver said before carrying the generator out of the room and back down the hall.  Nodd kept an eye on the advancing tendrils while Silver input some codes and set the parameters of the force field.
	The field crackled into existence and the tendrils in the doorway of the lab were cut off.  Those outside the door vanished instantly while the remaining ones began to explore along the wall of energy.  Silver rushed to Amy and checked her pulse.  He then looked at Nodd and shook his head.
	Nodd sighed and rubbed his forehead.  He hadn't known Amy that well but he knew that she and Sonic were close.  He could only imagine the impact her loss would have on him.
	Silver and Nodd moved to the doorway of the lab and gaped at the writhing tendrils that now covered every surface and were clinging to the walls and ceiling.
	"I have the feeling those things will be able to move through solid objects given enough time," Silver said.
	Nodd gave him an alarmed look.  "That's a horrifying thought."
	Silver nodded.  "All the more reason to stop them now.  You said that you couldn't undo the singularity?  Then destroy the portal instead."
	Nodd perked an ear.  "I get it," he said in sudden realization of Silver's intent.  The rat then focused his attention on the reinforced titanium frame that made up the rim of the portal.  As the density of the frame increased the tendrils inside it began to press against it from within to counteract the crushing pressure.
	Realizing that the tentacles were powerful enough to keep the portal intact, Nodd changed tactics.  Instead of trying to collapse the frame of the portal he just made it more and more dense.  Any loose objects around the room began to be drawn to the increasingly dense and metal frame.  Since it was much larger than anything that Nodd had densified before, it was drawing a lot of his energy.  He held out both hands toward the portal and gritted his teeth in concentration.
	As if the singularity knew what was happening, the tendrils around the room began to converge on the doorway to lash out against the force field.
	Nodd and Silver stepped back further while the rat continued to densify the portal frame.  Finally, a large chunk of the ceiling fell onto it followed by a cabinet falling over onto the portal along with several chairs, all sinking into the hole in the floor that the portal was creating beneath its own weight.
	When just the upper quarter of the portal was still visible, the force field gave way and the tendrils began lashing out into the hallway.  Nodd and Silver moved back further but one of the energy tendrils grabbed Silver and yanked him into the lab, pulling him against the mound of debris and up against the sinking portal.  More of the room caved in around the portal, burying it along with Silver.
	Knowing what happened to Amy when the tendrils touched her, Nodd knew that Silver was gone now as well.  Faint traces of golden energy were already probing at the various objects that covered the portal and Nodd knew he couldn't stay there any longer.  "I'm sorry my friend," the rat said quietly before turning and scurrying to the stairs.  There he found Tails nearly exhausted and trying to fly Cream to safety.  The rat wrapped his arms around the fox.
	"Hold on," he said, before negating the gravity beneath all three of them, sending them flying up the stairwell and to the entrance on the first floor.
	Tails smiled at his friend.  "Thanks Nodd!  I--" he stopped and tilted his head.  "What's wrong?"
	Nodd looked sadly at the fox.  "I plugged the portal for now but... Silver is gone."
	Tails hugged Nodd tightly.  "Don't blame yourself, Nodd.  I know Silver wouldn't blame you either.  Come on, we have to get out of here."
	Nodd hugged Tails just as tightly, taking the moment of respite while it lasted.
	Cream had already left the stairwell and soon Nodd and Tails followed.  They were greeted by the smoke filled ruins of the mansion and the shattered husks of Shadow’s robot attack force.  Emergency services had arrived and had put out the flames but it was apparent that much of the building would be a total loss.
	First responders were working desperately on the still bodies of staff, scientists and several members of Sonic's team that had been pulled out of the building.
	Sonic stood over the body of Shadow.  Sonic’s fur was golden and his eyes were red from the power of the chaos emerald he had taken with him.  He was just about to punch Shadow again when Tails and Nodd ran over.
	"Sonic, what are you doing?!  He's down!" Tails exclaimed.
	 Sonic looked over at him and snarled "And so are many others!  Look at what he has done to your home, to your family!"
	Tails shook his head.  "Shadow's attack did a lot of damage but it didn't hurt anyone.  That was my fault," the fox quietly said.
	Sonic blinked and looked at his friend in disbelief.  "What?" he asked, while paramedics took the opportunity to pull Shadow away and attend to him..
	Nodd put his arm around Tails' shoulders. "No, it was singularity.  If Shadow hadn't attacked things would have been fine.  We could have closed the portal on... whatever those things are."
	Sonic looked alarmed.  "The portal?  What happened?"
	Nodd and Tails quickly filled Sonic in about the golden tendrils of energy that had emerged from the portal and how it was temporarily buried.
	Sonic clenched his hands into fists and started walking back toward the stairs.
	"What are you going to do?" Tails asked him.
	Sonic looked over his shoulder.  "I'm going to get the remaining emeralds and put an end to this," he replied before flying down the stairs.
	Tails tapped several buttons on his arm device and got into the camera feed of what remained of the mansion's security system.  He and Nodd then watched as Sonic entered the deepest vault in the underground tunnels.
	"No cameras are in there," Tails said.  "But we should move back further.  It will take Sonic a moment to assemble the emeralds into the master emerald.  He can be unpredictable in the form that he takes when he uses its power."
	Nodd didn't quite understand but he readily followed Tails further away from the ruins of the school.  The two stood under a large tree and turned back to the building just in time to see tendrils of golden energy suddenly erupt from every shattered window.  More slithered along the ground and others whipped wildly about in the air.
	Cream, Big, Shadow, and several of the emergency service personnel were snatched up by tendrils and pulled back into the building.  None of them even had time to scream.
	"Sonic!" Knuckles yelled and went barreling toward the building.
	"Knuckles stay back!" Tails cried out just as several of the tendrils converged on the echidna, pulling him inside the ruined mansion.
	Nodd and Tails took to the air and watched in horror as the tendrils of energy began to spread outward in all directions like a network of arteries while others flailed higher, forcing the two surviving members of Sonic's team to fly higher still.
	Then there was a low rumbling sound that built into a steady roar.  Tails looked wide eyed at the display on his device and saw the vault door deep beneath the mansion fly away as Sonic emerged.  "He made it!" the fox said excitedly.
	Many tendrils converged on the super powered mutant but he shrugged them off easily.  However as he made his way to the lab more of the tendrils assailed him.  They began to slow him down but they could not stop him.  Sonic entered the lab to find that the tentacles had indeed dug their way up from the buried portal and were streaming up from the floor in all directions.
	As he closed in on the containment capsule housing the singularity- which was now floating in the air all on its own- tendrils of energy circled around it as if to protect it.  Undeterred, Sonic finally reached the capsule and wrapped his hands around it.  Channeling all his anger, all his grief and all his energy into his hands, he destroyed the energy shield that the tendrils had been trying to make around the capsule.  Then he shattered the capsule itself.  Without the magnets and containment field, the singularity quickly grew unstable and the portal began to close.
	Outside, Tails and Nodd watched the tendrils flail more wildly than ever before as the energy source that sustained the portal died.
	One of the tendrils arced up higher than the rest and for a split second it barely grazed Tails' left ankle before all the filaments of golden energy vanished without a trace.
	The spinning of Miles' tails faltered.  He looked over at Nodd with wide eyes and said "Keep Sonic safe..." And then the fox began to fall.
	Nodd caught him but the rat's own ability to fly was quickly giving out due to his emotions.  "Tails... Tails!" he tried while squeezing his friend close.
	He managed to stabilize himself just enough for a rough landing and then held Tails in his arms.  "Tails... you can't.... no, no... you can't be..."
	Nodd gently caressed his friend's cheek as the fox lay limply in his arms looking ever so serene, like he was simply resting for a moment.
	The rat let out a howl of utter anguish as he sat there holding Tails.
	A localized tremor rippled through the ground as gravity began to shift abruptly.  The earth beneath the rat dipped inward.  Trees in a three mile radius toppled over, all falling in the direction of Nodd.  The ruins of the school groaned and shifted forward as the gravity emanating from Nodd started to rival that of the Earth beneath the building.

Sonic dashed out of the mansion just before it fully collapsed.  He stopped beside Nodd and looked wide eyed at the rat holding the lifeless body of the hedgehog's best friend.  Sonic's golden fur turned blue again as the shock of what he was seeing powered him down.
	Tears streamed down Nodd's muzzle and dripped onto Tails' face while he held the fox closely.  Another quake shook the area, causing Sonic to stumble and then fall onto his knees.
	"Nodd..." Sonic said quietly then squeezed his eyes shut.  "Nodd," he tried again.  "We have to go."
	Nodd looked at Sonic through the blur of tears.  "I never told him.  Why didn't I tell him?  I wanted to...." he sobbed.  "Wanted to tell him how much I... I..."
	Sonic rested his hand on Nodd's shoulder.  "He knows, Nodd.  He knows.  But you have to pull yourself together.  We have to go, now."
	But the rat was inconsolable.  He just squeezed Tails tighter and sobbed while the gravity pit beneath him grew stronger by the second.
	Having no other choice, Sonic hit Nodd firmly on the back of the head.  Another quake rippled through the land as gravity abruptly shifted back to normal while Sonic snatched up Nodd and sped off into the night.

***

	Nodd gradually woke up to the sound of a newcaster's voice.  "....registering 4 on the Richter scale.  Minor damage to several buildings around the city has been reported along with fallen trees and downed power lines.  Seismograph readings indicate that the epicenter of the earthquake was beneath the grounds of Sonic's School for Gifted Individuals, which has collapsed.  Preliminary reports suggest that little is left of the facility and there may be no survivors.  Stay tuned to--"
	There was a click and the sound stopped.  Nodd slowly opened his eyes and looked around, finding himself in a soft bed.  He could hear the ocean in the distance as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.
	"Sorry about that.  I should have realized that news coverage would reach even here," Sonic said where he sat beside the rat's bed.  
	Nodd jumped briefly then looked groggily at Sonic.  Memories of the previous night began flooding back to him but it all seemed so hazy.
	Sonic gently squeezed Nodd's arm.  "Take a deep breath and relax.  You're safe."
	Nodd laid back on the bed and sighed.  "Why do I feel like I'm stoned?"
	Sonic smiled wanly.  "Because you are.  You're pumped full of several drugs to help keep your mood stable until you can get past this and control your ability again."
	Nodd looked vacantly at Sonic.  "Get past this?  I don't... I don't know if I can."  His eyes filled with tears as more of the events from the previous night came back to him.  "I never knew how much he meant to me, Sonic.  Not until he was gone."
	Sonic’s greying fur looked even more grey than it did just a week ago as he sighed and nodded.  "Guys our age grew up being told to keep our emotions to ourselves.  Bullshit.  And yet we keep doing it."
	Nodd rubbed his hands over his face and groaned.  "Where are we?" he asked in a tired voice.
	"Green Hill.  Our secondary on the south coast," Sonic replied.  "Rest now, build your strength back up: especially your mental fortitude.  We have a lot of funerals to attend over the next week..."

	Over the next several months officials visited often with their myriad of questions.  Sonic insisted that the school had collapsed due to the fact that it had been built in a part of the country where earthquakes were unheard of and that it had the misfortune of being directly over the center of one when it happened.  The case was finally closed, the decision to do so undoubtedly aided by the deep pockets that Sonic still had even after the loss of his main facility.
	But money couldn't bring back everything that Sonic had lost.  Almost everyone he had been close to was gone now except for Nodd.  And so the hedgehog spent a lot of time with the rat, telling him stories about Tails from the decades that the two had been best friends and making certain that Nodd's mental health was in check.
	Likewise, Sonic was Nodd's only lifeline now.  If not for Sonic and his school, Nodd's out of control powers would have inadvertently gotten himself killed at best, or gotten him discovered and dissected in some lab at worst.    And if Sonic hadn't knocked him out the night that Tails died, Nodd would have certainly died: and taken who knows how many innocent people with him.
	Between the loss of his school and his friends and family, Sonic's own mental health began to deteriorate.  It didn't help that word of what happened at Sonic's school had spread through the mutant world.  Rumors spread that Sonic had killed his entire team in a fit of rage and then destroyed the facility to cover up the crime.  It wasn't true of course but mutants weren't a trusting bunch in the best of times.  And so what attempts Sonic made to rebuild his team over the next year all met with failure.
	Sonic turned his attention to figuring out what had happened that fateful night at the mansion in order to have some form of closure.  He recruited some of the brightest minds in the world to create simulations of the singularity that had been made and what had come out of the portal.
	Nodd steered clear of most of the scientists.  He admired how smart they were but their brilliance was far out of his league.  And the rat wanted nothing to do with singularities, not after what it had cost him.  Nodd didn't need drugs to keep him stable anymore but he didn't want constant reminders of that dreadful night either.

	A little over a year later the science team made a breakthrough.  After studying their results Sonic went to Nodd late one evening.
	"It was from another universe!" the hedgehog said as he rushed into the rat's room.
	Nodd had been dozing while listening to some meditation music.  He just about jumped out of his chair and glared at Sonic.  "You nearly scared the life out of me!"
	Sonic grinned widely.  "Sorry, sorry.  But look," he said, then showed Nodd some formulas and 3D recreations on a tablet.  "The tendrils: they weren't from this world, not even from this reality."
	Nodd peered confusedly at the tablet and shook his head.  "I wouldn't want to go to a universe filled with those things."
	Sonic squeezed Nodd's shoulder and laughed quietly.  "I wouldn't either.  But don't you see?  If we can access such bizarre universes then we can also open gateways to much more familiar ones.  We could get our family back!  Starting with..."
	Realization dawned on Nodd and his eyes widened as he finished Sonic's thought.  "...Tails."

***

	Even with the brightest minds in the world at Sonic's disposal several years passed with few results.  A full year of that time was spent just getting Nodd comfortable enough to create another singularity.  Another two years before the containment field could be perfected so that the singularity would not evaporate in seconds.  It was all so much more difficult without Tails and Silver and their brilliant minds to help.
	Perfection became the theme of the project.  Everything had to be exactly right in order to create a portal to another universe.  Then there was the problem finding universes that were similar enough instead of hostile to all forms of life.
	Many more universes were discovered that contained an infinite number of golden tendrils.  These portals were quickly shut at first but as the technology continued to be perfected it became possible to reverse the polarity on a portal to allow someone to step through to another universe and not allow anything from the other universe to enter.
	Sonic began going on brief excursions to these tendril universes while using the power of the master emerald.  He began harvesting some of the tendrils, storing them in containers similar to the ones used to keep microscopic singularities stable.  Then back in the lab teams of scientists studied the energy tendrils and slowly began to unravel their secrets.
	It was concluded that the tendrils were artificial in origin.  Furthermore, the process that the filaments used to siphon energy could be reversed.  The implications were obvious.  These tendrils could be used to transfer energy from one object to another.
	Many experiments were carried out where the captured tendrils were allowed to harvest energy from one plant- which instantly withered away- to another plant that was rejuvenated by the energy.
	Further tests were then conducted in which energy was transferred from one insect to another using the tendril as a conduit.  Tests with worms and later fish followed.  In each instance the subject that was harvested died and the one that received the energy flourished.
	However, any attempts to transfer energy into a dead subject were met with failure, even if the subject was very recently dead or had died from being drained by the very same tendril.
	Another breakthrough occurred when it was discovered that it was possible to have a tendril drain energy from an object and store it in a containment field.  A giant version of a singularity containment capsule was soon developed to hold energy harvested from the tendrils.  The energy was unlike anything ever contained before, its light seeping through the walls of the capsule and bathing the lab in a golden glow.  One of the younger scientists mentioned it was like a well of energy.  The name stuck.

	Three months later. Green Hill had been mostly evacuated due to a large hurricane coming up the southern coast.  Sonic, Nodd and just a few scientists remained at the facility to safeguard against something going wrong.  None of them could have foreseen what would happen that night.
	During the height of the hurricane the power went out and one of the generators failed to kick in.  With limited power for sustaining the stasis field in the Well it was decided to vent some of the energy.  The lab was evacuated and monitored from behind six inch thick transparent aluminum walls.  As the energy emerged from the Well it looked like a sunrise, only not quite so bright.
	One of the scientists monitoring the situation suddenly looked alarmed.  "What the... it's coming through the wall!"
	The entire scene faded into a golden glow and Nodd found himself in a familiar dream.  He was walking home after hiking in the forest near his childhood home.  The sunlight was warm on his dark grey fur and there was a spring in his step as he rounded the last curve in the road and his mother's house was starting to come into view.
	But just like every time before, Nodd was jarred awake from the pleasant dream.  He opened his eyes and found that he was laying on his back.  He groaned and rubbed a hand over his face then froze.  He stared intently at his hand.  Decades worth of wrinkles were gone.  An old scar on his left thumb was no longer there.  He lifted his other hand and looked at it in disbelief as it too appeared like it had in the dream he was just having from his younger days.
	Sonic and the three scientists lying where they had passed out began to come to.  They quickly discovered similar restorations of their own forms.  As everyone got to their feet Nodd's eyes widened when he saw Sonic.  Not a single strand of grey fur was on the hedgehog, his fur restored to a bright shade of blue that Nodd had only seen before in old videos and photos.
	Sonic spent the next several weeks breaking speed records he had set in his youth.  Nodd went on hikes in the mountains, long walks in the forest, and just enjoyed no longer having stiff knees, greying fur, or the minor aches and pains that had become normal for him in the past few years.
	But word of what had happened in Green Hill the night of the hurricane spread despite Sonic's initial attempts to keep it quiet.  The Well was seen as a potential fountain of youth by some, as a cure for all ailments by others, and as a source of unlimited power by yet others.
	Sonic's school soon became more of a fortress to keep the Well secure.  This was necessary because even with Sonic's super speed and Nodd's control over gravity, the two of them could not be everywhere at once.  Now more than ever, they needed their team back.
	Moreover, mutants that had been wary of Sonic in the past now wanted to work with him.  But Sonic did not trust any of them, not after their past accusations and mistrust of him.  The hedgehog became even more of a recluse, willing to only see Nodd and the science team that had been working in the facility the night of the hurricane.
	More scientists and researchers from around the world also applied to study at the Green Hill facility but most were turned away until one email in particular caught Sonic's attention.
	"I know what your goal is and I can help, for I have the Warp Topaz," the message read.
	Sonic showed the email to Nodd and then explained.  "If what this individual claims is true then it might be the key to finding our friends in other universes."
	Nodd was intrigued but cautious.  "What is this Warp Topaz and what does it do?" he asked.
	Sonic sat back and looked thoughtful.  "According to legend it can create gateways to other parts of the world, much as what we were trying to do here initially.  But if given enough power it can create wormholes to other universes much more easily than anything we have tried so far."
	Nodd perked up for a second but then grimaced.  "It's probably some fraud just trying to get to the Well."
	Sonic shrugged.  "This could be our biggest breakthrough yet if this individual indeed has the Warp Topaz.  So tomorrow we'll have a meeting with this..." he glanced at the email again "...Doctor Starline, and see what's what."

	The next day Starline arrived at Green Hill Castle as it had come to be called by the locals.  The platypus walked with a cane and looked to be much older than Sonic and Nodd were even before they had been restored by the Well.
	"Gentlemen," the scientist began.  "I will get straight to the point.  I am dying.  The best doctors in the world can do nothing for me.  But you may be able to.  In exchange, I will give you the Warp Topaz.”
	Sonic rubbed his chin as he peered at Starline.  "What if the Well can't restore you?"
	The platypus smiled and shrugged in response.  "I will set fire to that bridge when I come to it.  You will get the gemstone either way.  I can do little with it because I don't have the power to sustain it anymore.  And if I do survive then I will stay here and lead your science team with my expertise."
	Sonic tilted his head.  "You assume much, doctor.  But I will take your offer into consideration.  And you may even get the topaz back once we are done with it."
	Starline had a coughing fit that lasted several seconds.  Afterward he wiped his muzzle with a handkerchief.  Nodd noticed that the cloth was stained red afterward.
	"Please make your decision quickly, Sonic.  Time is a luxury I do not have," the platypus said.
	Sonic nodded understandingly.  "You will have our decision in the morning.  You may stay the night here if you wish."
	Starline accepted the offer and was escorted to one of the guest rooms.  Afterwards, Nodd and Sonic discussed the situation.
	"He thinks that now that we are younger we are dumber as well," Sonic said.
	Nodd thought a moment then shook his head.  "I don't trust him but I don't think he is trying to trick us.  He was coughing up blood for a moment there."
	Sonic perked one ear then looked thoughtful.  "IF the Well can cure him and IF we take him aboard afterwards, we will have him watched at all times for quite a while.  He goes nowhere alone."
	Nodd nodded.  "Sounds good to me.  We have enough guards and cameras around this place to know if a fly farts."
	Sonic chuckled.  "Your crude sense of humor never fails to amuse me, Nodd.  Alright then.  Let's get things set up for Starline and the Well tomorrow."

	The next day Starline was introduced to the Well.  More safeguards had been put in place since the night of the hurricane and so the doctor found himself put in an airlock.  He sat in a large chair and was strapped down in case he flailed when exposed to the intense energies from the Well.
	Sonic and Nodd watched from a control room as the inner door of the airlock was opened and golden light flooded into it, covering Starline in an instant.
	The platypus sat rigidly in place for a moment then quickly passed out.  The doctor's body began to contort in unnatural ways while the sheen of his fur returned.  After just a few seconds the energy flow was shut off and a medical doctor entered the airlock to check on Starline.
	Doctor Starline's clothing was now much too big on him as his body had de-aged to the point that he was only 12 years old.  Though instead of being enraged by going back that far, Starline seemed quite delighted.  When asked about it he simply replied "My body began to fail me long before I was an adult."
	While Starline was allowed to stay on board afterward, he did not get the science lead position he wanted.  This led to occasional arguments between him and other scientists, who took offense at being talked down to by a preteen boy.  Often however, they hushed up once they realized the brilliance of the mind behind those young eyes.
	Soon after, Nodd managed to turn a solid sphere of pure titanium into a singularity.  Once it proved to be stable in its capsule, Starline was able to use the power from it as a virtually never ending battery for the Warp Topaz.  Whereas before opening a portal to another universe was a complicated and lengthy process, the energy infused gemstone was able to do so in seconds.
	Starline continued to earn his keep by developing a  ‘universal scanner’.  It would scan a sample of DNA and then using the giant quantum computer adjacent to the Well, views of alternate worlds would be displayed: worlds where someone with that DNA resided.  Since Sonic still had fur samples of all the mutants that had been on his team from when they first joined, finding alternate versions of each of them was feasible.
	Using a tuft of Tails' fur, the quantum computer was tasked with finding alternate worlds in which his DNA signature was present within roughly the same geographical location.
	For the first time in what felt like years, Sonic got to see his best friend again.
While the hedgehog was able to hold his emotions in check, Nodd struggled.  As he looked at different versions of Tails in other realities, he sighed and shook his head.
	Sonic glanced sidelong at Nodd and asked "What's wrong?"
	Nodd smiled sadly and replied.  "Just look at him.  He's so happy," he said while pointing at a Tails that was teaching a class in one universe, and then another where he was throwing a surprise party for the Sonic of that reality, and yet another where he was cheering up an injured Cream by bringing flowers to her hospital room.
	"We can't just pull a Tails from his world where he's wanted and needed.  We have to find one that needs our help.  A Tails that doesn't have a family anymore," Nodd decided, his grey eyes bright with determination.
	Sonic looked at his friend and slowly nodded.  "You're right.  We will take our time and find a Tails that needs us as much as we need him."

	Over the next few weeks Sonic and Nodd peeked into many different universes to find just the right Tails.  Early one morning Sonic entered the computer room and found Nodd still sitting at the monitors.
	"Have you been here all night?" Sonic asked as he crossed his arms over his chest, about to give the rat a talking to.
	Nodd looked over at Sonic and quickly beckoned him closer.  "I found him, Sonic.  We have to help him."
	Sonic walked over and looked at the monitor that Nodd had gestured to.  There he saw Tails walking through an alley as snow was beginning to fall.  The fox looked much skinnier and taller than their Tails had been but his eyes were the most striking thing about him.  Tails' eyes were purple and blue with green elongated pupils that appeared to almost go from the top of his eyes to the bottom.  At one point the fox seemed to almost stare through the screen for a second before looking all around quickly to make sure he was alone.  Then he sighed and climbed into a dumpster and under some trash bags to try and keep the snow off him.
	Sonic grimaced at Tails' situation but shook his head.  "I don't know Nodd.  He doesn't seem very much like our Tails."
	Nodd looked at Sonic.  "I know.  But if he doesn't fit in here then we can still at least help him get back on his feet and make something of himself."  He looked back at the monitor again and added "Readings indicate the temperature is well below zero in that alley.  I can't watch Tails die again.  I just... can't."
	Sonic placed a hand on Nodd's shoulder and sighed.  "Alright.  I'll let Starline know.  We can have a portal open within the hour."

	Starline was soon shown the footage of where Tails was hiding.  After replaying the recording the platypus tilted his head.  "I would be wary of this one," he told Sonic and Nodd.  "He has the look about him of someone who has nothing left to lose."
	The rat and hedgehog exchanged glances.  Then Sonic looked at Starline and said "You sound as though you speak from experience."
	The platypus grinned at Sonic.  "I will be the first to say that I am no saint.  I am sure you have done your research on me and already know as much.  And yes, I have been in situations where I had nowhere left to go, nobody to turn to," he said, then looked deep in thought for a moment.  "In any case.  Are you both going to retrieve this Tails or just one?"
	Sonic stood and walked over to the currently empty frame where the portal would appear.  "I'll go.  I have the speed to get out of there in a hurry if need be and I have known Tails longer than anyone."
	Nodd sighed then nodded.  "Just be careful.  Remember, this version of Tails might not know you at all."
	"I'll keep that in mind," Sonic replied, then looked at Starline.  "Ready whenever you are, Doctor."
	Nodd went to the monitoring station.  "If anything does go wrong I'll be there in a second."
	Starline punched in the coordinates into the quantum computer.  The Warp Topaz glowed orange for a moment and the portal frame was filled with the view of the snowy alley where Tails was sleeping.
	Sonic stepped through the portal and immediately felt the chill in the air as the snow crunched under his shoes.  The light from the portal dimly lit the alley as some powdery snow and bits of paper settled back down to the ground after the initial air disturbance that the vortex caused.
	As Sonic approached the dumpster he called out to the fox.  "Miles?  I know you're in there buddy.  Can you come out where I can see you?  I want to help you."
	From the dumpster came a peal of maniacal laughter that started out light and quickly grew louder.  The sound echoed off the alley walls so that it seemed to come from everywhere at once.
	Even with all the experience Sonic had with dealing with mutants, the hedgehog paused at the sound of that laughter.  He watched as the trash bags in the dumpster shifted and Tails finally came crawling out into view.
	This was certainly not anything like the Tails that Sonic had known.  As this version of the fox came out onto the ground his joints and bones shifted audibly, the fox more slithering than climbing out.  Once on the ground there were more crackling sounds he rose to his feet, remaining hunched over as he peered at Sonic.  The fox sniffed in the direction of the hedgehog and glanced at the portal behind him.
	"Another imposter?  Another FRAUD?  Another FAKE?" Tails asked as he slowly stepped toward Sonic.
	Sonic was taken aback but managed to put on a small smile.  "An imposter?  Not me, I'm the real deal.  I'm just from somewhere else, that's all."
	Tails peered at the portal again.  "A gateway.  Somewhere else?  Yes... somewhere else," the fox said, seeming to grasp the principle of what he was looking at.
	Sonic tilted his head and slowly offered his hand to Tails.  "I don't know what you have been through my friend but I want to help.  Will you let me?"
	Tails stared at the offered hand as if he were completely unfamiliar with the gesture.  Slowly, he reached out and grasped Sonic's hand.  "Sonic and Tails.... beeest friends?" he asked hopefully.
	Sonic grinned a little.  "That's... quite the grip you have there buddy," he said as he shook Tails' hand.  "The Tails in my world is gone," he said sadly.  "And it looks like you don't have much going for you here.  So... wanna come with me, best friend?"
	Tails' eyes widened when Sonic called him his best friend.  The fox let go of the hedgehog's hand only to hug him extremely tightly and shivered, though it was clear that he wasn't quivering just from the cold.  "The REAL Sonic... it really IS you," he said, his voice breaking.
	Sonic grimaced at the tightness of the hug but slowly returned it while curling his nose at the smell coming off of Tails.  "Of course it's me, you crazy fox.  Now come on, let's get you out of the cold."

	A few moments later Sonic and Tails stepped through the portal and back into Green Hill Castle.  The portal winked out of existence a second later while Starline and Nodd watched from their stations.
	Tails peered warily at the two and half hid behind Sonic.  "What's this?  Who are these things, Sonic?" he asked, his voice almost a screech.
	Sonic turned to Tails and squeezed his shoulder.  "Calm down buddy.  This is my friend, Nodd.  And that is Doctor Starline," he said.
	Tails flinched initially at the touch but then relaxed and even leaned into it slightly.  "Other... friend?"  He seemed to consider this a moment.  "Only if Sonic is my BEST friend!  The TRUE Sonic, Tails' BEST FRIEND!"
	Sonic smiled warmly and nodded.  "That's right.  You're my best friend, Tails.  And don't you forget it."
	Tails grinned and went to hug Sonic again but the hedgehog super sped off to one side.  "Since Nodd is my friend, I want you to be his friend as well.  Can you do that for me buddy?" Sonic asked while maintaining his smile.
	Tails peered at Nodd distrustfully but then gave a big toothy grin.  "Sure.  After all... what are friends for?"
	Nodd felt an odd mix of familiarity and foreboding at the way that this Tails said that phrase.  Like many other things about him, it was far different from the Tails that Nodd had known.  Still, he put on his best smile and walked slowly over to Tails.  "Miles... it's really, really good to see you..." he said, almost adding 'again' at the end.
	Tails' grin faltered when Nodd didn't cringe away from him and instead approached him.  It was obvious that he wasn't used to having anyone happy to see him.  When Nodd offered his hand, Tails looked at it for a moment before shaking it just as firmly as he had shook Sonic's earlier.  The fox seemed surprised again when the rat shook his hand nearly as firmly and didn't complain about the tight grip.
	Sonic smiled as he watched the two for a second then said "Nodd, care to show Tails to his new room?  It will be 203,  the one right between yours and mine."
	Tails blinked.  "I get my own room?" he asked in disbelief.
	Sonic grinned and nodded.  "Things will be a lot better for you here Tails, I promise," he said, then walked over to discuss some energy readings with Starline before heading out of the lab.
	Nodd smiled and turned to lead Tails to his room then realized that Tails was heading toward the door that Sonic had exited through.  Nodd stepped in front of Tails.  "Woah, slow down there Tails.  You heard Sonic.  Come on along with me and I'll show you where you'll be staying," the rat gently said.
	Tails gave Nodd an annoyed look but allowed himself to be guided out another door on the other side of the lab.  As the two of them walked through the corridors Nodd glanced at the tall, lanky fox from time to time.  The way that Tails looked around at everything with wide eyes was almost endearing.
	Once they reached the room Nodd pressed a button next to the door and it slid open.  Tails peered warily inside before slowly stepping in to look around.  Nodd followed quietly and the door slid shut behind him.
	"I'll be right next door on the left if you need anything, Tails.  And Sonic's room is on the right," Nodd said.
	Tails turned toward Nodd and scowled.  "Why are you being so nice to me?  Sonic is my best friend.  Who are you?"
	Nodd looked away for a second and sighed.  "I was a close friend of the Tails that lived here before.  And I'd really like to be your friend too," he told the fox.  "I don't know what happened that led you to living on the streets in your world.  But all that is over now.  Things will be better for you here from now on."
	Tails got a distant look about him for a second.  "I was on the streets because of IMPOSTER Sonic!  He tricked me, used me, had FAKE FRIENDS and ignored ME, his BEST FRIEND!" he said, growing more agitated by the second.
	Nodd tried to calm Tails down.  "You're safe here Tails.  Just calm d--"
	"Go away!" Tails yelled in return.  "Where's Sonic?!"
	Nodd backed toward the door.  "He'll come to see you soon, I promise.  He's not like the imposter Sonic."
	Tails calmed down somewhat.  "No, he's not.  He told me I was his beeest friend..." he said in a tone of disbelief.
	Nodd opened the door and backed out into the hall.  "I'm sure you're tired.  Get cleaned up and get some rest," he suggested, then closed the door and locked it to be on the safe side.  He grimaced as he heard things getting thrown around and broken in the room a moment later.  Nodd retreated to his own room but could still hear Tails ransacking his new room for a couple hours before things finally quieted down.
	Later that evening when Sonic went to check on Tails he found the fox sleeping on the middle of the floor.  Tails had torn the couch apart, upturned most of the furniture, dragged the mattress from the bedroom and tore a large hole in it before curling up inside the mattress with only his head sticking out as he snored heavily.
	Sonic and Nodd had their work cut out for them.

	Over the course of the next few weeks Sonic spent a lot of time with Tails to help the fox acclimate to his new surroundings and to keep him from going into another frenzy.  After a while Nodd joined the two of them.  This was Sonic's idea in order to help Tails not fixate so much on him alone.
	Tails was also given a brief exposure to energy from the Well.  While he was more excitable for hours after, the energy proved to help ease his anxious mind long term.
	After a while Tails gradually began to relax further.  He still had mental breakdowns but they weren't as common anymore.  Just being seen and heard, especially by Sonic, was helping Tails become somewhat normal.
	Ever so gradually Sonic started spending less time with Tails.  He told Nodd that this was another step in helping Tails not be so attached to him.  And Nodd of course jumped at the chance to spend more time with the fox.
	One evening Nodd was finally able to convince Tails to watch a movie with him in one of the auditoriums.
	At first Tails couldn't sit still, constantly squirming and shifting about in his chair.  He looked over his shoulder often, hoping for Sonic to join them.  Finally though, he settled and began to get interested in the film: a comedy about three stooges.
	Nodd glanced sidelong at Tails often to make sure he was doing alright.  He smiled to himself when Tails began to chortle, and then outright laughed at some of the scenes.  Not his usual harsh, demented sounding laugh: this sounded more genuine.
	During one particularly hilarious scene Tails almost fell out of his chair with laughter. tears rolling down his face.  Then suddenly the tears were genuine.  The fox turned into a sobbing mess and buried his muzzle in his hands.
	Alarmed, Nodd rested his hand on Tails' shoulder.  "Miles?  What's wrong?" he gently asked.
	Tails tensed up for a second but then looked at Nodd and trembled.  "They laughed at me.  LAUGHED AND LAUGHED, while doing their tests and stabbing me with their needles.  The flashing lights, the loud sounds, different- in one ear than the other.  Day after day, night after night…”
	Realizing that Tails was reliving some kind of repressed memory, Nodd continued to lightly rub the fox's neck and shoulder.  "Who?  Who did this to you Tails?" he asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.
	Suddenly Tails clung to Nodd, squeezing the rat almost tightly enough to crack ribs.  "SEGA!  They said it was to help me be normal... to be what they wanted."
	Nodd held Tails tightly and rubbed along his back.  "They won't ever hurt you again, Tails.  I won't ever let ANYONE hurt you again," he quietly vowed.
	Sensing the sincerity in Nodd's voice, Tails eased back from the hug and looked at him, a sense of wonder in his green, blue and purple eyes.  "Why?" he asked, his voice breaking.  "Why do you care what happens to me?"
	Nodd took Tails' hand in his own and squeezed it.  "Because I... I like you, Tails.  I like you a lot," he answered.
	Tails looked at Nodd's hand then squeezed it tightly before hugging Nodd again.
	Nodd held Tails protectively close, and gently asked "What did Sega want you to be?"
	Tails seemed to snap out of it as he pulled away suddenly.  He grinned unnaturally widely as he looked at Nodd and replied "Sonic's BEEEEST FRIEND..."

	Sonic meanwhile started spending a lot of time in the lab, searching other universes for the next member of his team.  When not doing that he was discussing the Well with Starline.  Sometimes the two of them would discuss their work with Nodd and Tails.  While a lot of it went over Nodd's head, Tails seemed to grasp some of the lofty scientific principles that were discussed.
	Nodd couldn't help but notice how much more cordial and friendly Sonic was with Starline.  He began to grow concerned and decided to question Sonic about it one morning over breakfast.
	"So... what is going on with you and Starline?" Nodd asked, then took a sip of coffee.
	Sonic chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.  "You know the saying: keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"
	Nodd relaxed a little.  "Ah, I get you.  I was worried you were starting to actually trust him," he said with a chuckle.  "The last thing Tails asked me to do was keep you safe.  So I was a little worried is all.  I have read Starline's history an--"
	"Keep Sonic safe?  From who?  Nobody can hurt my BEST FRIEND!" Tails interrupted, having just entered the dining room and overheard Nodd talking.
	Sonic got up and walked over to Tails, then slipped his arm around the fox's shoulders and guided him over to the table to sit with him and Nodd.  "Nobody is going to hurt me buddy," he told Tails.  "Nodd is just looking out for me is all."
	Tails sat down and looked anxiously at Sonic.  "If anyone gives you trouble, come to ME.  I'll make sure they never bother you again," he adamantly said.
	Sonic and Nodd exchanged glances, then Sonic smiled at Tails.  "I appreciate that buddy.  I don't know what I would do without you."
	Tails grinned widely, enjoying the praise.  "You won't ever have to find out.  I'll always be around.  There's no getting rid of me now."

	A couple months later, Sonic started noticing grey appearing in his blue fur and quills again.  It seemed that exposure to the raw energies of the Well the night of the hurricane was wearing off.  Soon both Sonic and Nodd were feeling old familiar aches and pains returning even though they looked to be only in their early thirties.
	"We're going to need another dose of energy from the Well," Sonic decided one evening while talking with Nodd and Starline.
	Nodd grimaced.  "While I sure as heck didn't mind being in my twenties again, are you sure that getting flooded with all that gold stuff is safe to keep doing?"
	Starline smiled.  "Do not worry, my rodent friend.  I have been researching the Well extensively and have devised a way to get us lower, near constant exposure.  Such low levels will simply keep us spry, nothing more."
	Nodd tilted his head.  "Won't a leaking well eventually run dry?"
	Sonic shook his head.  "We have taken that into account.  Using portals, we will drain lifeless worlds of their energy.  Barren rock doesn't give the Well much but enough of it should do the trick."
	"Life is very rare in the multiverse," Starline added.  "There are more than enough dead planets to choose from."
	Nodd sat brooding until Sonic asked "Something the matter, old friend?"
	The rat's grey eyes met Sonic's blue ones.  "Probably nothing.  I was just thinking about the story of King Midas and his golden touch."

	The next day Starline's plans were put into action.  A gradual release of energy from the Well bathed everything in Green Hill Castle in a golden glow.  Soon, Sonic's greying fur was restored to blue and Nodd's stiff joints eased up.  Even Tails seemed more spry as he rushed about the lab, checking the readings on one computer then another.
A few weeks later Sonic, Starline and a team of scientists prepared for a trip into another universe.  "I'm counting on you two to hold down the fort while I'm gone," Sonic said while chatting with Nodd and Tails over dinner.  "We should only be out a week but Starline says that time dilation may make it slightly longer."
	Nodd was clearly at odds.  On the one hand he was still suspicious of Starline.  On the other hand, he couldn't pass up the chance to have more time with Tails.  Despite the fox's eccentric ways, Nodd couldn't help but find something about him quite enthralling.
	After mulling it over a moment, Nodd asked "You'll be wanting the portal closed behind you since you'll be there a while?"
	Sonic nodded.  "We will open it again periodically using one of the Chaos Emeralds.  That is part of the reason for this excursion.  We want to see how long the gemstone can remain powered with one of your singularities and Starline's new portable generator.  Don't worry though, the coordinates for the universe we will be visiting are in the quantum computer, and it is locked onto my DNA as well.  If anything goes wrong you can open a portal from this side using the Warp Topaz."
	Nodd sighed but nodded.  "Alright.  Just be careful," he said.
	Sonic grinned and patted Nodd on the shoulder.  "Aren't I always?" he asked, then he laughed at the glare Nodd gave him.
	The hedgehog turned his attention to Tails, who was absolutely fuming.  "Why are you taking that duck-billed thing with you and not ME, your best friend?!" Tails demanded.
	Sonic ruffled the fox's head fur.  "Because you're too important to risk, Tails.  I have big plans for you when I get back."
	Tails still looked indignant but was also intrigued.  "You do?  What plans?" he asked.
	Sonic grinned softly.  "You'll find out.  In the meantime, spend some time with Nodd.  He really likes you, you know?"
	Nodd looked mortified at Sonic for calling him out like that.  His ears went red and he suddenly found the floor very interesting to stare at.

	Once Sonic and Starline were gone, Tails was suddenly following Nodd around everywhere since the rat was the only other person that the fox was even slightly comfortable with.
	At first he was just constantly talking about Sonic, how much he missed him, and couldn’t wait for him to return.  But once Nodd began having meals with him and spending time with him in general- even more time than Sonic had on a daily basis- Tails asked after Sonic just a little less.  It was clear to Nodd that Tails' obsession with Sonic would never go away but that was alright.  He was just happy to have some time with the fox.
	As the two of them talked, Nodd learned that Tails was just as inventive and creative as the Tails that Nodd once knew.  When one of the keyboards in the lab stopped working, Tails had it fixed within moments.  He similarly was able to repair a non-responsive drive in one of the many lab computers and retrieve data from it that had been thought lost.
	A few days later, Nodd was heading into his room after a late dinner with Tails.  Standing in the open doorway, he gave the fox a sleepy smile.  "It's been great spending so much time with you, Tails.  You're really something else," Nodd said somewhat shyly.
	Tails tilted his head and wagged his tails slightly.  "You're not Sonic.  But... you like me.  Sonic said so.  You said so.  Why do you like me?" the wily fox asked.
	Nodd was taken aback.  The reddening in his ears was quickly visible.  "W-Well, of course I like you Tails.  You're my friend."
	Tails wagged a little more and perked one ear.  "You have a picture of me in your room?" he asked, looking over Nodd's shoulder.
	Nodd turned around and to see what Tails was looking at but he already knew what it was.  There was indeed a portrait of Tails on an end table next to the couch.  He walked over to it and smiled a little sadly.  "In a way, yes.  That is the Miles from this world.  He... died a long time ago," Nodd said, then turned around to find that Tails had followed him into the room and was standing quite close to him.
	"Tell me about him?" the fox quietly asked.
	Nodd nodded then sat down on the couch.  He blinked when Tails sat right next to him instead of leaving some space in between.  Nodd's blush was back in an instant.
	Tails looked perplexed.  "Why do your ears do that so often whenever you're alone with me?"
	Nodd rubbed his ears.  "It's like you said.  I like you.  But don't worry: I'm not trying to replace Sonic as your best friend.  I wouldn't ever dream of that."
	Tails sat back on the couch and crossed his arms over his chest.  "I know.  You look at me... different, than how Sonic looks at me.  Sonic is my beeeest friend, yes.  But you?  What are you to me, Nodd?"
	Nodd picked up the portrait of Miles and ran his fingers along the edge of it a moment before putting it back down.  "I don't know, Tails.  But I want to find out.  And part of that finding out is separating you from the Miles that I remember."
	With that, Nodd told Tails all about how Sonic sent Miles to bring the rat to the school, how he resented Miles at first but gradually became friends with him, and then what happened on the final night when the school collapsed.
	Tails listened attentively, letting Nodd talk and only asking questions sparingly.  Toward the end when Nodd recalled the night that Miles died, Tails could see that Nodd was becoming upset.  The fox tilted his head slightly and looked conflicted.  Finally, he reached over and very hesitantly squeezed Nodd's shoulder.
	And then the dam broke.  Nodd hugged Tails tightly and sobbed into the thick fur along the fox's chest.  "I miss him so much," he mumbled in between sobs.
	Tails blinked in surprise but then he slowly grinned as if getting an idea.  He placed his fingers under Nodd's chin and peered into the rat's watery eyes.  "The Sonic in this world isn't the Sonic from my world but he is the TRUE Sonic.  I am not the Tails from this world..." Tails paused as his eyes brightened while he looked deep into Nodd's eyes.  "...But I am the TRUE Tails," he said confidently.  "That means... I can be YOUR Tails... as if he never went away at all..." he said quietly, as if on some level he resented the other Tails that had stirred such deep emotions in Nodd.  "Would you like that, Nodd?  Me being YOUR Tails?" he asked in the most soothing voice he could muster.
	Nodd looked into those glowing eyes.  The purple, green and blue hues were almost hypnotic.  He was confused and certain all at the same time.  His heart was suddenly racing and his mind was full of fuzz.  "My... Tails..." Nodd said quietly.
	As if speaking the words made them true, Nodd suddenly wrapped his arms tighter around Tails and kissed him.  Not a friendly little kiss but one of utter need and yearning.
	Tails was more than a little shocked.  His entire body went stiff and his fur briefly poofed like he had been dealt a static charge.  This was not what he had expected to happen, the greedy fox had simply wanted more of Nodd's attention.  The surprise only lasted for an instant, however.  Then Tails was kissing Nodd back, uncertainly at first but then much more demandingly as something awakened within him for the very first time.

***

	By the time Sonic and Starline came back from their expedition two weeks later, it was obvious there had been a shift in the relationship between Tails and Nodd.  Anytime the two were seen together Tails often had one of his tails wrapped around Nodd: sometimes without even realizing he was doing it.  There was a lot of hand holding as well when they walked around the Castle together.  If Nodd was in the lab at one of the computers, Tails would sneak up on him and nibble on one of the rodent's large ears.
	Nodd would rest his chin between Miles' ears while he was at his computer station, which invariably set the fox's tails to wagging.  He would sometimes whisper something into Tails' ear that would get him laughing.  While many found Tails' laughter unsettling, it was easy to tell that Nodd enjoyed it.
	Upon first seeing some of this behavior Sonic chuckled and shook his head.  "I leave you two alone for a couple weeks and this is what happens," he teased.
	Nodd blushed mildly in his ears and squeezed Tails' shoulder.  "Oh shut-up.  You kind of played matchmaker and you know it."
	Sonic smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.  "Lies.  I am completely innocent."
	Tails huffed and clung to Nodd's hand while also wrapping his arm around the rat and peering at Sonic with a grin.  "My beeest friend is back!  And I have a boyfriend now too."
	Nodd looked positively giddy at Tails calling him that.  He placed a kiss on the corner of the fox's muzzle, causing Tails to make a small grr sound and wrap Nodd in a possessive hug with both his arms and tails.
	While Sonic chuckled at all of this, Starline looked annoyed.  "Disgusting," he muttered as he walked over to one of the lab computers and began uploading the data that had been collected from the other universe.
	Sonic gave the platypus an irritated look.  "If it isn't your thing that's fine, Doctor.  But there's no need to be insulting."
	"Ow!  Not so hard!" Nodd said with a giggle as Tails was biting his ear.  Then he slipped behind Tails and wrapped his arms around him, resting his paws on the fox's belly while Tails leaned back against him with a blissed out expression on his face.
	Peering over the top of Tails' head, Nodd said to Starline "You'll understand when you find the right woman, or man."
	Starline bristled and glared at the rat.  "Neither.  Such things are beneath me.  And you would be wise not to assume anything about me, rodent.  I have developed the portal technology to the point that your singularities won't be needed soon.  You are quite... expendable," he said while adjusting his glasses.
	Perceiving a threat to his boyfriend, Tails growled and his fur poofed up.  If Nodd hadn't been cuddling him the fox might have lunged at the platypus then and there.
	Sonic glared at Starline while Nodd held Tails and quietly soothed him.  "If anyone is expendable around here Starline, it is you.  You're on the verge of undermining the friendship we were starting during the trip," Sonic said.
	Starline snarled and rose from his chair.  "None of you are friends of mine.  You are merely useful tools.  Some more so than others," he said before storming out of the lab.
	Tails glared in the direction that Starline went.  "He needs to die," the fox said matter of factly.
	Nodd chuckled softly and kissed Tails atop his head.  "Now, now.  We can't go around murdering everyone that is an asshole."
	Tails tilted his head quizzically.  "Why not?"
	Nodd blinked, realizing that the fox was being serious.  "Well.  Because we all have days when we're in a bad mood, right?" he asked with a little smile.  Though deep down, the thought of Tails killing someone didn't seem that far fetched.  Especially when he remembered the way the fox was when he first arrived at the Castle.  And the idea of Tails killing someone in order to protect him?  That thought made Nodd hold Tails close and nuzzle him.
	Tails' brooding was disrupted as a result so he just clung to Nodd and nuzzled up under his chin.
	Sonic went to say something but then got a far off look in his eyes and stumbled.  Nodd and Tails went to him quickly and helped him into a chair.
	"What's wrong?" Tails anxiously asked while gripping Sonic's arm.
	Sonic shook his head and smiled.  "Got dizzy for a moment.  I think it's just adjusting to being back under the effects of the Well," he said while gazing about the gold-tinged walls, ceiling and floor of the lab.  He got to his feet and wrapped an arm around both Nodd and Tails before walking out of the lab with them.  "Come on.  Let's get some dinner while you tell me what date you've picked."
	Nodd blinked and blushed red in his ears.
	Tails looked confused.  "Date for what?"
	Sonic tilted his head back and laughed as the three of them walked out the door.

	As Sonic, Nodd and Tails had dinner Sonic went into details about the universe that he and Starline had visited. 
	"Have either of you heard of grey goo?" Sonic asked.
	Nodd thought for a moment.  "Blob stuff but full of nanites?" he asked.
	Tails grinned at Nodd.  "Close!  It is self-replicating micro-computers used to perform a variety of tasks."
	Sonic smiled.  "Impressive.  You're both right.  This 'stuff' though, has taken over most of the world in this other universe."  As Sonic continued his tone became grim.  "There's mats of the grey ooze everywhere in the temperate climates, and it has formed metal bug-looking machines.  Most of those were idle now that it has won its war."
	Nodd grimaced.  "So it wiped out everyone on the planet?"
	Sonic nodded.  "It appears so.  There was little of it in the colder climate where Starline and I were, and our hazmat suits kept us safe from it.  We spent the better part of a day studying it, as Starline was certain he could make use of the technology it is founded on."
	Nodd picked at his food, suddenly not very hungry.  "He didn't bring any samples of the stuff back, did he?  I wouldn't trust him with a possibly world ending grey sludge."
	Tails smirked and wagged his tails.  "I bet I could crack its programming and tame it.  Then we could use it to help guard the Castle and especially the Well."
	Sonic shook his head.  "We didn't bring any back though Starline wanted to.  He did detailed scans on it though and we MIGHT try to replicate it in a controlled environment at some point."
	Tails looked disappointed at not having any of the grey goo to toy with.  But then he perked up, remembering what Sonic said before he left on the expedition.  "You said you had big plans for me when you got back from your trip," the fox reminded him, his tone almost demanding.
	Sonic chuckled and nodded.  He was by this point used to Tails steering conversations toward anything that might possibly help prove his friendship even if he didn't need to do so.   "I want you to practice your shifting abilities, Tails.  Like how you did when we first met," Sonic said.
	Tails grinned unnaturally widely and then slowly spun his head around in a full circle, looking behind himself at his own tails.  "Like this?" he asked.
	Nodd blushed red in his ears at the display and tried some more of his food.
	Sonic noticed Nodd's reaction and quietly snickered.  He didn't ask nor did he want to know.  Turning his attention back to Tails he said "Yes, but a bit more challenging.  I want you to study the image of a Tails from another universe and mimic him as closely as possible."
	Tails turned his head back around the correct way and gave Sonic a curious look.  "Why?"
	Sonic grinned and his eyes flashed brighter blue for a second.  "You'll find out soon enough."

	The next day Tails sat and watched this other Tails on one of the many monitors at the quantum computer attached to the Well.  After just a couple hours of watching the other fox, Tails had many of his mannerisms down pat.
	Nodd was amused by this shorter and younger version of his boyfriend when he first saw him.  "You look like you could be your son or something," the rat teased.
	Tails smirked and reverted to his normal form, his joints popping and shifting as he grew taller.  His eyes returned to their normal purple, green and blue hues as he stalked over to Nodd and lightly nipped his chin.  "Too bad you can't carry my pups.  But maybe one day I can splice some of our DNA together and make one."
	Nodd was getting better about not blushing so much at Tails' teasing but he still squirmed a little.  "A little rax would be really cute.  Or would we call it a fot?"
	Miles grinned toothily as he wrapped his lengthy arms and tails around Nodd.  "It would be a whole new species.  We'd have to--"
	A warning tone began to go off from the quantum computer.  In an instant Nodd and Tails were back to business and turning their attention to the monitor bank.

	"Power levels in the Well are spiking!" Tails said, his ears perked forward in alarm as he typed in several commands into the console, then growled "I'm locked out!"
	Nodd shook his head as he rapidly input his own commands and passwords.  "Me too.  What's going on?!"
	Starline stepped into the lab and chuckled quietly as the doors slid shut behind him.  "Gentlemen.  I am now in full control of the Well.  If you wish to live you will do exactly as I say."
	Starline could literally feel the pressure as gravity began to alter around him while Nodd glared intently at him.  At the same time, Tails suddenly had far too many teeth and was baring them all as he closed in on the platypus.
	Though Starline was struggling to even move he smiled as he managed a step closer.  "Now, now.  If something happens to me then the Well is going to explode: and take all of you with it."
	Sonic dashed in just in time to hear the doctor's last comment.  "Nodd!  Tails!  Stand down!" he ordered.  The fox and the rat reluctantly did as told while staring daggers at Starline.
	 The doctor staggered as his density returned to normal.  "Ah.  That's better.  Now then.  Let us discuss terms, shall we?"
	Power readings in the Well continued to spike and more alarms started to go off.  Sonic glanced at the readings then peered at the platypus.  "What have you done?"
	Starline grinned smugly.  "Oh, not much.  I simply opened a gate to another world last night and allowed the Well to consume it."
	Sonic blinked slowly.  "An empty world... right?"
	Starline smirked.  "Hardly.  It was the one this wretched thing came from," he said as he pointed at Tails.
	Tails tilted his head slightly then began to laugh like mad.  Soon he was doubled over and still cackling.
	Starline's smirk slowly faded and he looked just the slightest bit scared of Tails.  Nodd looked worriedly at his boyfriend and rested his hand on the fox's shoulder.  Sonic allowed Nodd to tend to Tails while the hedgehog dashed about the lab at super speed to both verify Starline's claim and to try and shut down the overload.
	Suddenly Tails stopped laughing and gave Starline a wide eyed grin.  "Do you think I care about THAT place after what they did to me!  After what that IMPOSTER SONIC did to me!?" he shrieked, then resumed laughing until he was out of breath and leaning against Nodd.
	The blue blur came to a sudden halt in front of Starline and glared at him.  "You destroyed an entire world full of life... for what?!"
	Starline adjusted his glasses and smiled.  "Two reasons really.  One was to see how quickly it could be accomplished.  And the other was to see how much more power the Well would get from it."  He grinned as another warning alarm started to go off.  "Now I know."
	Sonic seethed with fury but held it together.  "What do you WANT, Starline?"
	Starline crossed his arms over his chest.  "I want you all out of the Castle.  Now.  I want complete control over the Well and its power.  Otherwise the Well will explode in less than an hour, and likely take most of this planet with it."
	Nodd glared at Starline.  "You're mad," he said as he held Tails, who had mostly calmed down.
	Starline shrugged and smiled.  "Mad or not, only I know the code that will expel the excess energy back into the now dead world it came from.  You have a little under an hour to transfer all remaining security and command codes over to me."
	Tails smiled widely.  "Or we could beat you until you give us the code to vent the Well."
	When Nodd nor Sonic seemed opposed to the idea, Starline looked alarmed.  "I assure you my pain tolerance is high enough that you won't have enough time to get the code out of me."
	Nodd sighed, then blinked.  "...vent the Well," he said, quietly repeating the last thing Tails had said.  He turned and sat at one of the computer terminals and began entering commands.  Tails perked an ear and grinned, then went to another computer and began doing the same.
	Starline blinked and glanced at Sonic.  "What are they doing?"
	Sonic looked thoughtful for a moment then slowly smiled.  "They are making you lose," he replied smugly.  He leaned back against a chair and grinned.  "For all your computer know how Starline, you didn't think about manual override."
	After entering the correct codes in the correct order, two small glowing red buttons rose up through hatches on the computer tables that Nodd and Tails were sitting.  Tails turned his head at an unnatural angle and grinned widely at Starline.  "When we press these buttons at the same time all the fail safes on the Well will be lowered to let the energy out before it can go critical."
	Starline blinked.  "You have no idea what that could do!  It could kill us all!"
	Sonic smirked.  "Better than leaving you in control of everything."
	Starline glanced rapidly in between the Well, the rat and the fox.  "I-I'll give you the code to power down the Well!"
	Sonic, Nodd and Tails exchanged looks.  Sonic shook his head and slowly grinned.  That was all the confirmation that Tails and Nodd needed.  They pressed the buttons.
	All the maintenance hatches and compartment doors on the Well opened at once, along with both the inner and outer airlock doors and most importantly: the twin vents atop the Well.  It was through these vents that two beams of concentrated golden energy shot through, plowing through the ceiling in an instant and high into the upper atmosphere.  Once the beams reached the lower exosphere they began to disperse, coming back down in a large umbrella formation, bathing everything below in golden energy.
	Starline stood gaping at the display and was completely off guard.  Sonic used the opportunity to grab the platypus and dash through the airlock doors with him and into the Well itself.  There he released him before speeding back out, then turned to watch along with Nodd and Tails what happened next.
	Inside the unbridled energies of the Well, Starline shrieked as his body contorted and writhed: growing smaller and younger by the second.  His clothing was reduced to the basic components it was made from before vanishing all together.  Within seconds Starline was a screaming toddler, an infant, a newborn, a fetus, and then disappeared.
	"Well.  Now we know what happens if you go in the Well," Tails quipped before helping Nodd reset the controls and close the ports and doors.
	"That could have gone badly if it turned him into a god or something," Nodd noted.
	Sonic shook his head.  "I knew exactly what would happen after seeing recordings of some of Starline's experiments where he tossed helpless animals into the Well."
	Nodd glanced at Tails.  "You were right.  He needed to die."
	The fox grinned toothily.  "I knew you'd see things my way."
	Sonic blinked when he noticed something on the security camera footage outside the Castle.  "Now that I did NOT expect."
	Tails and Nodd looked at footage as the entire landscape slowly turned golden.

                                                                      III

	As the planet rotated under the plume of energy released by the Well, everything was tinged with gold across wide swaths of the globe.  Those outside at the time experienced regenerative effects similar to what Sonic and Nodd had when first exposed to the same energies in the past, though the effects were to a much less degree since the power was more widely dispersed.  And since the power was stretched out over such a wide area, the shed years and healed scars of the population returned within a few weeks.
	It did not take long at all for Mobians to figure out the source of the "Gold Dawn" as it came to be known.  Many came to see Sonic as a saint or even a godly figure while others wanted the power for themselves.  As a result the Castle's defenses were on high alert shortly after the release of energy.
	To calm the situation, Sonic scheduled an announcement.  Thousands flocked to Green Hill to hear what he had to say in person.  On a third floor balcony and under the protection of a force field generator designed by Tails and powered by a perfect diamond singularity created by Nodd, Sonic stood with the fox and the rat on either side of him as he looked out at the masses.
	"People of Mobius.  Last month something extraordinary happened," Sonic began.  "What was meant to be a simple release of excess energy from a new reactor here at the Castle has turned into something I could have never foreseen.  I know you all have many questions and concerns, all of which will be answered in time.  Just know for now that none of us here mean you any harm.  Quite the opposite in fact.  It is my belief that we have stumbled upon a way to perfect this world and end all suffering.  In the coming months my team and I will work tirelessly to perfect the energy output of what we call the Well.  Once that is accomplished the healing and soothing power it produces will become self sustaining, allowing us all to remain young... forever!"
	Sonic paused to let the uproar from the crowd die down.  He then made further assurances that the Well was absolutely safe before retreating back inside with his friends while a press agent fielded some questions.
	Once inside Sonic's office Nodd looked sidelong at the hedgehog and smirked.  "You seemed very much in your element back there.  You had them all eating out of the palm of your hand."
	Tails laughed quietly and agreed.  "It sounds like my beeeest friend is about to take over the world!"
	Sonic rolled his eyes and chuckled.  "Oh shut-up, both of you.  The two of you know me better than anyone.  I only said what I had to out there to keep the masses calm."
	Nodd stopped and looked at Sonic.  "I dunno.  You've been a little off for a while now.  Even more so after dashing into the Well with Starline.  Are you sure all that energy didn't fry some brain cells even with your speed?"
	Sonic knew Nodd well enough to catch the serious question hidden in the humor.  "The only thing that got fried in there was Starline.  And maybe another three years or so of my physical age.  I feel great!  It's like I'm 17 again," Sonic said, then playfully shoved Nodd toward Tails.  "You should focus on spending time with your boyfriend.  He'll be in another universe next month."
	Nodd grimaced and hugged his fox possessively.  "Don't remind me.  I'm gonna worry the entire time."
	Tails hugged Nodd back tightly and whined.  He peeked over top of the rat's head and gave Sonic his best puppy dog look.  "Can't Nodd come with me?  Pleeeeease?"
	Sonic smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.  "That's not going to work on me, Tails.  And we've been over this before.  There isn't a Nodd in the universe you're going to.  Him suddenly showing up there might throw a wrench in the plan: especially if you two spend the entire time fawning over each other."
	Nodd huffed and let go of Tails, turning his attention back to Sonic.  "We are able to behave ourselves when the situation calls for it," he said, even as he subconsciously leaned against Tails when the fox just as thoughtlessly wrapped one of his tails around the rat.
	Sonic facepalmed and shook his head but chuckled quietly despite it all.  "Tails: you'll be back before you know it, I promise.  Nodd: you'll be able to keep tabs on your boyfriend at all times via the quantum computer."
	When Nodd and Tails still looked disgruntled at the idea of being apart, Sonic rolled his eyes and walked over behind his desk before keying open a wall safe.   Reaching in, he tugged out a harness with an empty socket in the middle.
	Nodd looked at it and blinked.  "What, are you gonna cosplay as He-Man now?"
	Sonic grinned widely.  "Not exactly.  The armor is missing something.  Something that your gravity control can help me with."
	The hedgehog reached into the safe again and pulled out a blue diamond that seemed to glow from within.
	"The Master Emerald," Sonic said quietly as Tails and Nodd moved in for a closer look.
	"Wow.  I've never been this close to it before," Nodd said while staring at the largest gem he had ever seen.
	Sonic grinned a little.  "I figured that might distract the two of you from your worries."  He looked pointedly at Tails and added "I need you to make the strongest containment capsule you have so far, best friend."
	Tails looked intrigued, then realization dawned on him and Nodd at about the same time.  "You want me to turn the Master Emerald into a singularity?!" Nodd asked in shock.
	Sonic chuckled.  "Calm down.  This is actually just an exact replica of the Master Emerald.  It is perhaps only half as powerful as the original, though that still makes it quite potent.  Turning it into a singularity will power the armor which in turn will amplify my superspeed to where I could literally be in several places at once... in theory."
	Nodd tilted his head.  "What's the worst that could happen if something goes wrong?"
	Sonic grimaced.  "I'd rather not think about it.  But I trust Tails to design the containment capsule with my utmost safety in mind since I will literally be wearing it."
	Tails grinned widely and wagged his tails.  "I'll get to running some simulations right away to see just how strong the magnets and the quartz container need to be.  I wouldn't ever let anything happen to my beeest friend."
	Sonic smiled and gave Tails' shoulder a squeeze, then looked at Nodd.  "Turning an emerald this size into a singularity will be difficult even for you.  Do you think you can do it?"
	Nodd grinned slowly and peered at Sonic before doing his best imitation of Tails' voice.  "Why not?  After all... what are friends for?"
	Tails blinked then pounced Nodd, the two of them soon wrestling around and giggling.
	Sonic rolled his eyes and chuckled, then gathered up the harness and the emerald before taking them to the lab.

	Over the course of the next week, Tails ran several hundred simulations and tweaked the design of the containment capsule many times to ensure his best friend would be completely safe using it.  Once the capsule was created it was tested with less dense objects that Nodd turned into singularities  The capsule held up perfectly and the readings indicated it could take much more power.
	Finally, Nodd condensed the replica of the Master Emerald into a singularity over the better part of a day.  The rat was exhausted afterward and sat with Tails massaging his shoulders while Sonic picked up the harness with the circular red capsule now in place.  When Sonic put the armor on the capsule glowed red for a moment.   Sonic immediately felt the increase in power.  As the hedgehog created brief duplicates of himself and raced around the large room at speeds that broke all his previous records, a thought occurred to Nodd.  He had just helped to make Sonic all but invincible.

	For the rest of the month Tails and Nodd saw little of Sonic as he set out across the world, putting his new armor through its paces.  The hedgehog also visited a few other worlds via portals, using his improved super speed to go places without anyone ever knowing he was there.  The fox and the rat just took the opportunity to spend that much more time together, knowing they would soon not see each other for a while.
	Once Sonic was back from testing his armor it was decided to move the portal out of the Castle.  It was a strategic move that Tails came up with to keep something from emerging in the heart of the Castle in the event that the failsafe protocols were overwhelmed.  However, even with such a short distance in between the Well and the portal, the power required to open a vortex increased substantially.  It was a price that was considered worth it in order to keep the Well safe.
	Finally the day arrived for Tails to go through the portal and on his mission into another universe.  Standing outside the portal, Nodd and Tails clung to each other for several moments.  Sonic was monitoring the other universe from the lab.  He was tracking the location of Miles in that universe, waiting for him to leave his workshop so that Tails could appear there and then ambush Miles when he returned.  Once Miles was subdued, Tails would take his place and proceed with the plan.
	Nodd didn't know exactly what the plan was other than Tails was going to try and persuade the Amy of that universe to join their team.  Sonic had given Tails a lot of info about this version of Amy and what needed to be done but had otherwise left it up to Tails as to how best proceed.
	All that mattered to Nodd is that he got his fox back safe and sound.  So when he heard Sonic give the all clear through his communicator, he clung to Tails a moment longer.  "Remember, if anything goes wrong let us know immediately and we'll get you out of there."
	Tails squeezed Nodd tightly in return.  "I'll be fine.  Keep Sonic safe."
	Nodd's eyes went wide.  Those were the last words that the Miles from this universe had said.  "Tails... I love you," Nodd hastily said, then kissed the fox.
	Tails kissed Nodd back deeply for several seconds and curled both tails around him.
	Then they both heard Sonic through their communicators saying "Tails!  You need to go now!"
	The fox stepped back finally and gave Nodd a toothy grin.  "I love you too, Nodd," he said as his eyes morphed to blue.  Tails then shrunk in size and appeared younger than his true age, all within a matter of seconds.  He blew one more kiss to Nodd then turned and stepped through the portal of golden energy.
	A second later the portal winked out of existence and Nodd stood there for a moment, his mind a sea of thoughts and emotions.  Love for his fox, worry about something going wrong a whole universe away, confidence in his boyfriend's ability to take care of himself.  The rat took a deep breath and sighed before turning and walking back over the glowing gold landscape toward the Castle.  Somehow, he had a feeling that this was only the beginning of what was to come.

End Part 1