Chapter 7:

Futility

A/N: Thank you for waiting, dear readers. I appreciate the hits and reviews, but as always ask for more feedback. I cannot give you my best story without critique!

Their feet crunched through the muddy ground, their heads downcast not in defeat, but fatigue, sweat dripping down from their foreheads to their nostrils, as they puffed air from their lungs with a groan, feet shuffling through the forest, through the greenery rather than through a real trail, soldiers following the trek of those in front of them, with Zoran Prower leading the band, clearing the way.

They had been marching for almost eight hours now, but Zoran had wanted to achieve maximum distance. He feared being spied upon, and desired to fatigue them before they could figure out his direction. He carefully carved his path so that they could not figure out he was doing a direct attack on the capitol. Yet if they had followed him this far, then they would know. He was too close to the capitol for them to miss it.

It was only the afternoon. Zoran wanted to wait until sunset before he appeared over the horizon, alerting the enemy that he was going to attack. One thing he and Tails did not coordinate was communication, but he silently knew it was risky, it could give Tails away, and at this time, Tails and his party needed all the surprise they could get when entering the palace.

Yet Zoran knew if he strikes too late, then Sonic would merely crush Tails small group first, and then finish them off without even dividing his forces. The best time Zoran believed was sunset, but it was still risky. He did not know how long Tails could go undetected.

It was their best bet. He just hoped it would work…

"General." A voice prodded Zoran out of his thoughts. The fox turned around, noticing the wise woodchuck that had practically placed him as leader of the rebels. The woodchuck had experienced, piercing eyes, but fatigued showed on his face as he gave him a solemn look. "How long are we resting?"

"When the sum comes down, I want them to see that we are coming."

"That should be ample resting time." The woodchuck nodded.

"I am not worried about their rest, Wendel." Zoran informed him. "I am concerned solely about timing. Too early, and I lose too many men, then he will shift his forces to the palace, and Tails is doomed. Too late, and Tails is already doomed, and we would be treating within a few hours. But at the right time…."

"We'd have minimal losses." The woodchuck finished. "Assuming everything went according to plan."

"The problem is we are also assuming Tails and his party move efficiently." Zoran added. "I do not know how long our men will be able to hold out."

"If it took a week, they would sacrifice it."

Zoran did not think they could even last a full day, let alone the night, but the woodchuck seemed so serious and determined he did not argue.

"It is 2:00 now." The woodchuck told him. "I will rouse the men at 6:00."

Zoran nodded. Hopefully four hours wasn't too much… or too little.

He leaned against a tree, and sat down, watching as a few men gathered beside a campfire, laughing merrily as another began singing. They were roasting a meal, perhaps their last meal for them, maybe for all of them.

Zoran could not help but think of Cream, and he began to wish he hadn't sent her off with them, but kept her to himself, where she would be safe.

"It's too late." He thought to himself. "Just going to have to die out here without here."

He laughed to himself, despite the cold and misery in his heart, walking to his tent as he would plan how they'd fight this end out.

"Come on." Shadow motioned to them, as they looked one last time at the destruction and the dead bodies. "There's nothing we can do here."

They trudged along slowly, and Tails could not but help glance back as firefighters came, strollers bringing people through the dead, a building flaming, as inhabitants screamed within. He really wanted to turn around and fly to a window, releasing people to safety… but it would jeapordize the entire mission. It was terrible burden, but the fox knew that for not saving these lives, he would save so much more.

Cream was the only one not looking back, as Cosmo was practically shivering, completely haunted by what she had just seen. Her face was downcast, the nearby blood and destruction making her flinch her eyes shut tight. Near the sides of the streets close to the buidling, trees were being enflamed, children running across the streets, some to dead parents, some to dead siblings. Shadow was able to walk through it all without a grimace, and Cream was trying her hardest not to look back, although a few tears were falling. Cosmo was just broken.

Tails reached for her hand, but the mere contact of touch made the green seedrian spin around and embrace him needingly, tears spilling down her cheeks as she sobbed against him, helmet on her side as her green hairs were visible to the clear sky. Shadow rolled his eyes muttering under his breath, as Cream looked at the two sadly, halting her steps.

"Ssssh…" Tails whispered soothingly to her. "Oh rose-bird, it's going to be okay." He coddled her tightly with his arms, as his hands stroked her hairs, wiping her tears away. "Be strong, rose-bird."

The plant looked up at him in a sad smile, as the fox removed his helmet and gently kissed at her cheeks and forehead, before grasping his face in her hands and kissing him deeply, breaking away slowly. "I'll be strong, Tails. I'll be your strong rose-bird."

The lovers smiled as their foreheads pressed together gently, as Shadow coughed in irritation. "We need to get moving. There's only going to be more bloodshed if we don't stop Sonic."

Cosmo nodded, as she slowly seperated her hands from Tails'. "I'm sorry. Let us continue, Shadow."

The hedgehog grunted in irritation, before moving on, Cosmo and Tails placing their helmets back on their head. "How close are we to the palace?" Cream asked Shadow.

"Not much further." The hedgehog told her. "Is it behind a wall, Tails?"

"I did not design it with such a wall in mind." Tails informed him.

"Well, there's certainly a wall up here now." Shadow said, as they turned a street corner, noticing a large column of tight-packed, sturdy cement wall blocking the entrance to the palace. A check-in point seemed the only way in.

"Well, we're not getting through the check-in point." Tails sighed in dissapointment. "There is no way the type of guards whose uniform we've taken are allowed to enter.

"Then what do we do?" Cream asked worriedly. "Pretend we didn't know the rules."

"That won't get us anywhere." Cosmo shook her head. "They'll only shoo us away, or worse."

"We go to Plan B." Shadow looked at Tails, and the fox nodded. "Got an idea for a plan B?"

Tails looked over the wall, but Shadow already shook his head. "No, we can't just go over, we'll attract too much attention."

The fox sighed, as he scanned for a way in, and then smiled as he noticed a bronze circle with the engraved mark of S on it. He was glad Sonic had given him complete control of the palace's design.

"If we can't go over…" Tails began, directing their eyes toward his mark. "Then we go under."