Tails stood, and stared without feeling. "What's the point." He thought, luminescent blue eyes staring out into the darkness.

He ran his hand down the cool blue finish of his Tornado Mark V. It had lost the legs and now relied entirely on magnetic levitation and thrusters to blast around at supersonic speeds. Then he lay his head against it and closed his eyes.

I wish I could dream again. But everything hurts too much to dream. Nightmares dance around me in dizzying array, and yet I walk a sleeping dreamer.

Sonic had disappeared one day… Five years ago, and no one knew where he went.

Images flashed behind his eyelids.

"Hey Tails!" Grinned Sonic, "Thanks for the shoes lil buddy! I'm going to take them for a spin!"

And with this he blasted off. "He didn't come back that day." Tails thought dully. First came denial, "He's going to come back, he's probably on some big adventure!" Then worry set in. "M-maybe he Robotnik captured him... " Then anger, "I-if he hurt him I'm going to make him pay!" Then with this he had begun his most massive, and expensive technological undertakings ever.

Operation Sonic.

It began with information gathering. Simply, hacking into every database that Tails thought could have any relevance to his search. He created an entire learning AI to automate the process to refine itself, and re-engineer itself whenever it was found. He called it Sai and it infiltrated GUN, the government, Robotniks labs, secret organizations and more. He found out more than he ever wanted to know about the world. But not a whisper about Sonic. Only that he was last seen speeding across Angel Island.

With all the information he had, he became sickened. The world was a more messed up place then he thought, and their were people more evil than Robotnik out there. Playing their cards from the shadows intent on grasping at power and using eugenics to shape the world.

Phase two was business, Tails buckled down and decided to really focus his efforts on making tons of money, because he was going to need it, to fund his battle, to build his robots, to continue his search.

Within 2 years he had become one of the youngest, most famous, and wealthiest Mobian on the planet.

But he hadn't found his friend.

He had the strongest (Secret) robotic military force on the planet, and had disarmed Robotnik and even had him working under him. But his strip search of Robotnik's base revealed some interesting insights on inter-dimensional travel but nothing on Sonic.

His drive and work ethic had left him with no time to socialize, to spend time with his peers. To think, to dream, anything but just one thing. Find Sonic.

And he hadn't.

Maybe it was all a dream he whispered. Maybe my only friend was just a hallucination, and imaginary friend that I made up to combat my loneliness. He laughed "Stop being stupid Tails."

He curled up in a ball under his blanket. The nano-security bots dancing around his room like stars. "I am alone."

A tear rolled down his muzzle, and he fell asleep.