WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys #4 by Ian Flynn, Jack Lawrence & Leonardo Ito and Sonic the Hedgehog #36 by Evan Stanley and Reggie Graham on sale now.
There's something sinister afoot and Tails could be in great danger! No matter how many times Sonic and his friends manage to defeat Dr. Starline, he always seems to have a new scheme in motion. In Sonic the Hedgehog #36, Dr. Starline hints at a terrible possibility that he has in store for Sonic's partner Tails.
Dr. Starline has proven himself to be a ruthless and treacherous villain even towards those he called his allies. His last plan involved breaking a number of high profile criminals from prison so that they could help him steal the components necessary for him to build a new device: the tricore. With that plan a success, Starline then planned to take over an entire base that belonged to Dr. Eggman. Unfortunately for him, Starline's true plan was discovered by the criminals he freed, who turned on Starline before the mission was complete. With the power of his tricore device, Starline was able to escape.
Now, with his sights set on Sonic, Dr. Starline has begun a new plan. Starline kidnapped Tails and Rouge and held them hostage. He wanted Sonic and Shadow to make a choice: save Tails and Rouge or save their friends back at the chalet. Rouge was able to break free and ruin Starline's plan, but not before Starline was able to create a giant avalanche from rushing down to the chalet.
Back at the chalet, Amy and the others were successful in freeing the captive Chaos and in defeating the giant robo bear that was attacking them. But just as Tails was able to return to the chalet, Dr. Starline appeared. He wasted no time in declaring his intentions: he wanted Tails. He didn't give any specific reasons, but Starline made it abundantly clear he was only interested in taking Tails away. Of course, this didn't quite work out the way he wanted it to. Not only did Tails and Belle repel him, but his own avalanche came crashing through the wall, putting an end to his scheme very quickly.
For Tails and the rest, it would seem as if all is well for the time being. The Chaos were rescued, Belle joined their team and proved herself to be courageous and Starline was foiled. But what they don't know is that Starline was successful in furthering his dastardly plot, even without having Tails in his clutches. Back at his secret base, Starline reflected on how his latest plan played out. Despite getting kicked in the face and having his hair messed up, Starline was able to get something he needed: a few of Tails' hairs.
As Dr. Starline looks at Tails' fur, he smiles to himself and says that what he has will do nicely. What could he possibly need with Tails' fur? The first thing that comes to mind is cloning Tails. What else could he possibly do with his fur? He can't make robots out of it. He can't derive a flight serum out of it. He can't pull Tails' IQ from it. But he could make a copy of Tails with it. Could this clone be a perfect copy or would it be a simple creature, capable of only doing what Starline commands? And what could Starline hope to accomplish with a single clone? Is this just a prototype, a single experiment meant to prove a theory? Or does he plan on cloning not just Tails, but all of the heroes? The questions this development raises are a great cause for alarm. Luckily for Starline, no one is even aware that this new plan is already underway.