Disclaimer: Ye gads, could it be? A Chapter done BEFORE the span of a month? Truly, this IS the year that the Earth Ends… oh well, at least I made it this far with this tale. Just a little something to cap off the end of Spring Break. Once more, massive props to my beta reader, for whom without this story would be even cruddier then it already is. Anyway, time for the obligatory disclaimers; I own nothing, nothing at all in this fic, it's all SEGA, Archie, and DIC, and I do this for entertainment rather than profit, and claim no copyright. Erik was not made up by me, he appeared in the Comics and Saturday morning show once or twice.
A Difficult Road Travelled
Chapter Twelve: Reunion
It was a pleasant day in Knothole, as pleasant as any other could be for a village hidden right under the ominous shadow of Robotropolis. The villagers went about their days, maintaining their hours with chores or odd jobs or simply socializing with one another, years spent out of sight from the planet's tyrant granting the village a sense of ease and normalcy normally not seen in many communities these days. Even those who wore the mark of Robotnik's evil on them could momentarily forget the horrors that laid in wait beyond the village and the forest, horrors of machinery and science and industry taken to the most horrible conclusion imaginable. Such was the case for one Bunnie Rabbot. A beautiful young rabbit with golden fur originally hailing from the southern regions of the past Kingdom of Acorn, like so many before her she herself had experienced firsthand the terrors of the Roboticizer… unlike those who'd gone before her, she had escaped with her freedom intact, even if her body now stood at uncomfortable half-way point between Mobian and Robian. Gazing at her now however, humming a southern tune as she worked in her vegetable garden, one could almost forget her mechanical limbs and the sordid story behind them as she contently set about her current task without any kind of care in all of Mobius.
The peace and quiet was suddenly, though not quite unexpectedly, interrupted by a blue blur, followed by a gust of wind and a triumphant chortle.
"Freedom Fighters One: Robuttnik Zero!"
The self-named Rabbot didn't even look up from her work, so used was she to such events. She instead simply smiled and continued her work even as she spoke. "Mission was a success then, Sug?" she asked pleasantly.
"As if you had to ask," Sonic said with a smirk as he glanced down at his comrade, green eyes practically aglow from the high of his most recent victory, his face breaking out into a wide grin. "Have I mentioned that I love solo missions? No? Well, lemme repeat; I LOVE solo missions!"
Bunnie chuckled and looked up at him. "Ah'd have never guessed," she drawled, playfully sarcastic. "Ah take it you had fun givin' ol giblet head the run around?"
"Oh, like you would NOT believe," Sonic grinned. "You shoulda been there, Bunnie, if only to see the look on his face when I brought that convoy of his crashing down; literally looked like his head was gonna explode this time around, I swear!"
The rabbot let out a small laugh. "Sounds like it was a blast Sugah-Hog," she then gave a challenging smirk. "Course, now Ah gotta make sure Ah do even better next solo mission Ah end up getting, now won't Ah?"
"You might do as much damage as me, but I'll always have the edge when it comes to pissin' off blubberbolts," Sonic shot back playfully, before an uncharacteristically uncertain expression came across his face. "Ah… I gotta ask… how's she doin'?"
Bunnie knew who 'she' was and let out a sigh. "She's doin' alright sug, all things considered… it ain't your fault, ya know," she gave him a serious look as she finished her planting and began to stand up, a small frown on her face, her ears pinned back. Sonic snorted, crossing his arms over his chest as a self-recriminating glare came over his face.
"Easy for you to say, you didn't end up gettin' her hopes up," he muttered, Bunnie's frown deepening in response.
"Now don't you be talkin' like that, hun," Bunnie placed her hands to her hips. "She knew it were a long shot even when ya offered to go lookin' for Cream. She don't blame you for not finding her, and neither should you."
"Doesn't mean I don't feel guilty about it," Sonic sighed out, rubbing the back of his head. Bunnie gave him a sympathetic glance, reaching out to pat his shoulder with her organic hand.
"Sugah-hog, Vanilla knows ya did everythin' ya could have for her, and that's all she could ask from ya," she said with a small smile. "It's all I could ask from ya as well. Ya have to stop beatin' yerself up over this honey, otherwise yer gonna drive yerself downright batty!"
Sonic took in a deep breath and let out a long heavy sigh before finally allowing himself to smile a little. "Heh, alright, you talked me into it; I'll start trying to put it behind me," he said as he looked her in the eye. Bunnie beamed, giving him a hearty pat on the back with care, minding his spines.
"Now that's the sugah-hog Ah know," she laughed out. "Though since yer around an' all, Ah don't supposed you'd be willing ta help me get my latest 'pickins to the storage hut?" she waved her hand over a small pile of vegetables that were ripe and ready for consumption. "There's an awful lot of 'em here, and it'd be mighty convenient if you-"
"SOOOOONIC!"
Both hedgehog AND rabbit jerked and turned their heads suddenly to face the source of the interruption. Up in the air an orange form was speeding towards them, twin tails rapidly twirling like the blades of a helicopter in their owner's mad dash to reach them. The airborne fox was soon on his feet and physically running towards the two, stopping to catch his breath as he reached the both of them.
"Man, Tails, where's the fire?" Sonic chuckled out as his friend tried to collect himself.
"What's got ya so excited, hun?" Bunnie asked, concerned by the fox kit's sudden arrival.
Tails looked up at the both of them, still panting lightly even as he spoke excitedly, wildly gesturing behind me. "That girl you were looking for, Cream… she's been found! She's here in Knothole!"
"WHAT?" Both Sonic and Bunnie yelled out at the same time, their expressions mirrors of pure shock. Surely, what the kit was saying was too good to be true…
Tails nodded rapidly before continuing breathlessly. "St. John came in from patrol with an overlander captured, Diablo was with them, and they had Cream-!" At the word 'overlander' both of the older Mobians snapped to attention.
"An overlander? There was an OVERLANDER with 'em?" Sonic asked with a raised brow.
"Yeah, there was!" Tails explained with wide eyes. "He was with Diablo and Cream and St. John stunned him! Cream and Diablo and this weird little blue thing are at the command hut, and oh MAN, is Diablo ticked off!"
"Oh man," Sonic winced, and then looked over to Bunnie. "Bunnie, if you could-?"
"Already on it, sug!" She nodded and promptly ran off, while Sonic took his young friend by the arm and without another word sped off for the command hut with his friend in tow, still scarcely believing what he'd just heard. Between Cream not only being found but an overlander being involved as well, it almost sounded too weird to be true. However, he also knew Tails wasn't the sort to simply make up something like this, and he sincerely hoped his lil' bro was correct. Within moments the two were before the command hut, and Sonic noted two things; the small crowd of Mobians outside of the hut, and the fact that he could hear some intense arguing even from where he stood.
"Oooh boy," he winced.
"I told you Diablo was ticked off," Tails murmured, ears flinching as he heard the noise from within the hut spike up some.
"You really weren't kiddin' there, little bro," Sonic remarked dryly before maneuvering himself around the gathered Mobians, Tails by his side as always. When he made his way to the front he turned to face the crowd, mustering up as much authority as he could manage. "Awright folks, nothin' to see here! Get back to whatever it is you were doin' before this!"
"Doesn't sound like nothing!" A dog piped up from the crowd, murmurs of agreement following. "They say there's an overlander in the village, is that true?"
"Beats me," Sonic shrugged. "Whatever's going on in there ain't any of your business, and Sal'll tell ya everything to ya need to know when it comes time for that, so just clear out and wait for any news on what's going on, kay?"
To Sonic's immense relief, the words seemed to placate the crowd and slowly, they dispersed. Once gone, the hedgehog let out a sigh and proceeded to enter the hut, Tails following after him. Already he could hear the intense arguing going on in the war room.
"-our chieftess contacted you ahead of time! We TOLD you we were coming here!"
"Diablo, I'm telling you that we received no such message from Lupe. If you would please just calm down and let us-"
"To hell with that! You bring an overlander into the Great Forest, you got no right to expect anything other than what the hairless blighter got!"
"Oh yes, because everyone who you don't like is EXACTLY the same as Robotnik!"
Tails wasn't kiddin', sheesh, Sonic thought to himself as both he and Tails silently came upon the scene. Diablo was there, bristling with anger as he exchanged harsh words with an equally enraged looking Geoffrey St. John, while caught between two was none other than Princess Sally Acorn herself, looking as weary as any as she set herself about the unenviable task of playing peacekeeper between the two. Leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, Sonic kept his silence as the dispute continued.
"Diablo, please believe me when I say we didn't receive ANY kind of message from your pack," Sally stated patiently as she looked up at the old wolf. "I don't doubt that Lupe SENT a message, but the fact is we never received it."
"Even if she did send the message…" he sneered before continuing, "… She should've bloody well known better then to send an overlander here," St. John sneered, prompting a harsh glare from Diablo.
"That 'overlander's' name is Chris," the wolf snapped. "The fact that Lupe trusted him enough to allow me to show him to Knothole should tell you enough about the kind of man he is, to say nothing of the fact you wouldn't have even found the girl if not for-!"
"And you're correct, Diablo," Sally cut in. "At least a few of our citizens owe this Chris big time for finding Cream. This is all just a very horrible misunderstanding and I implore the both of you to just calm down."
"Oh for crying out loud, he's an overlander," the skunk groaned out with massive irritation, as if explaining elementary logic to a child. "Just because Lupe hasn't got enough sense to know not to trust one of them doesn't mean the rest of us are gonna fall for his game!"
Sally winced at the insult, already sensing Diablo's anger, as his eyes widened in shock for before narrowing, and his ears pinning to his head as a growl began to emanate from his throat. "What was that, mofeta?" he snarled dangerously, glaring daggers at the aforementioned 'mofeta' while Geoffrey glared right back at him.
"I'm sayin' that I don't know what this overlander is pulling…" Geoffrey began slowly, "but I'm not about to let him kill us all, and on top of that, your chieftain ought to get her head examined!" Geoffrey challenged. Now it was Sally's turn to let her temper go.
"That is ENOUGH out of you, Geoffrey!" she snapped angrily, actually causing the skunk to flinch a little. For Diablo however it wasn't enough to satisfy him; the old wolf's growls grew louder and he rounded upon the smaller mobian, fangs now bared and his posture ready to go on the attack.
It was at that moment that Sonic decided to make his presence known, and in a flash he was in between Diablo and Geoffrey, smiling pleasantly despite the tense situation. "Whoa whoa whoa, simmer down there buddy," Sonic said, placing his hand up to halt Diablo in his tracks.
"Stand aside, hedgehog. This bastard has insulted the honor of my chief and my pack, and for that he must pay," Diablo growled out dangerously, still glaring intently at the skunk. For his part, Sonic just chuckled lightly.
"Believe me, I'd LOVE to just sit back and watch you pound St. John into hamburger meat, really I would," Sonic said in honesty, "But I can't… come on, Diablo, you really gonna let St. Jerk get to you like this? He ain't worth the time or effort, trust me."
Geoffrey bristled at the insult, opening his mouth to offer a rebuttal before withering away from a harsh glance from Sally. Diablo's lip curled as he let out another light growl, for a moment looking as though he was seriously contemplating simply shoving Sonic aside and proceeding to rip St. John into pieces before relenting, straightening his posture and glancing down at the hedgehog evenly. "You… are correct, Sonic. The little hijo de puta wouldn't be worth picking out of my teeth," he took a moment to give St. John the most disdainful glare that he could manage. It was at that moment that Tails decided to make his presence known.
"So…what happened exactly? Is Cream alright?" All heads turned to face the young fox. He shrank back slightly at the sudden attention before pressing onward, approaching the other Freedom Fighters present. Sally was the first to answer him.
"Diablo tells us that Cream was found by an overlander, who later tried to find a home for her… they Wolf Pack came across them and Lupe decided to send them our way. Along the way they came across a badnik patrol, and St. John stunned the overlander thinking he was a threat," Sally explained, still stunned at this turn of events… she'd never once heard of anything like what Diablo had informed them. "Lupe apparently sent us a message, but it never got here," she sighed out. She would have to check with Rotor or even Tails himself about what could have gone wrong.
"As for whether or not she's alright, that largely depends on your definition of the word," Diablo interjected crossly. "Physically she's quite alright, but considering she just saw a very close friend of hers get shot with a stunner bolt shortly after being wounded in a combat situation…" his eyes trailed over to St. John, who simply snorted in dismissal and rolled his eyes.
"Which is why we're going to check on her now," Sally nodded, looking over to Sonic. "I take it you informed Bunnie?"
"Yup, she's getting Vanilla even as we speak," Sonic shrugged.
"Where IS Cream anyway?" Tails looked around curiously.
"She's with Rosie in the other room. And since the issue concerning the incident in the woods has been settled, we're going to check on her," Sally explained with a smile before giving a harsh look to St. John. "You however will stay here, commander. When this is all finished with, we are going to have a good, long discussion concerning your actions, understand me?"
St. John frowned, gripping his fists as he shook slightly, but otherwise held his tongue, giving a curt nod to the princess. "Good," she muttered and began to head out the door. Sonic allowed himself a moment to smirk at his rival's misfortune before following after, Diablo and Tails doing the same as the group headed down the halls of the command hut. Soon enough, they reached one of the auxiliary rooms of the hut, where Rosie awaited with a forlorn looking Cream and Cheese. Recognition sparked in the young rabbit's eyes upon seeing Diablo, and she immediately got to her feet and rushed over to grab at the wolf's legs, hugging tightly.
"Mister Diablo!" she called out as she held onto the wolf. "I was worried when I heard the yelling and… and is Chris okay? Where's Chris?" she looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes, Cheese immediately by her side and echoing her sentiments. Sally knelt down by the child, gently placing her hand to the girl's shoulder and giving the most disarming smile she could muster.
"He's currently being patched up by Doctor Quack. He's very good at his job, and your friend will be fine," she spoke soothingly, recalling that St. John had mentioned having 'the Overlander' taken to Quack's so he could be patched up for a later interrogation. Not quite a fib, but it was perhaps best the girl knew only certain details.
Cream sniffed a little, releasing the wolf to gaze up at the adults present. It was when her eyes came upon Sonic that a phantom of recognition came across her face. "Are…are you Sonic the Hedgehog?" she asked innocently, and the aforementioned hedgehog gave a small smile.
"The one and only, kiddo… and we're really, really sorry this happened," he offered up gently, though he did raise a brow as Cheese floated on up to give him a closer examination.
"We know now that Lupe sent a message to tell us about you, and about your friend," Sally further elaborated. "Something went wrong though, and it never came through."
"He's not a bad person!" Cream suddenly shouted, causing the princess to back off slightly. "That skunk, he says Chris is evil, but he isn't! Chris isn't bad, he saved me!"
"Child, they know that now; I've done much to tell them of what happened," Diablo stated patiently. "Everything will be fine from here on in, you will see."
"O….okay," Cream murmured, looking down at the floor and sounding somewhat dejected. Cheese let out a soothing coo and floated by her side, taking her arm in hand and giving a quick, comforting nuzzle. Cream gave a tiny, shaky smile to the Chao before looking up at the assembled adults once more. "Can…can I see my-?"
"Cream?" a voice spoke out, hushed in tone and yet holding an effect not unlike thunder. Heads turned and the adults parted ways to make room for the newcomer; a rabbit in a white and lavender dress styled after the fashions of the southern regions of the Kingdom, and almost identical in appearance to the young girl in the room. "Is that you?" she asked, sounding as if she scarcely believed the reality.
Cream's eyes widened. "…Momma?"
"Cream!" Vanilla cried out, and without even thinking the two rabbits made a beeline for one another, Cream leaping into her mother's open arms and receiving a desperate, heartfelt hug from her mother, one that was eagerly returned. Vanilla quickly fell to her knees, and grateful sobbing swiftly followed from the both of them.
"I was so scared; I thought I'd never see you again!" Cream cried out as she nuzzled her mother, letting the tears run freely while Cheese held onto the both of them. Vanilla forced herself to calm down a little, smiling even as she her tears flowed, looking her daughter in the eyes as she spoke.
"So did I, I just about lost hope… but now that you're here, I promise I'll never let you go, ever again," she said, tightening her hug around Cream for emphasis. Bunnie Rabbot, who had followed in after Vanilla, smiled down at the sight feeling a bit blurry eyed herself. Vanilla wiped her own eyes and looked over at the others present, her eyes resting upon Diablo. "You…were you the one who found her?"
Diablo frowned. "I was not. She was found by-"
"Chris!" Cream yelped with wide eyes. "He's still hurt! Momma, you have to believe me, Chris isn't a bad person just because he's a human, he isn't!"
"A…A human?" Vanilla blinked in confusion. A human had saved her daughter? How had THAT happened?
She was still attempting to process this new revelation when yet another newcomer made his presence known. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I have news for the princess."
It was Doctor Quack, carrying a clipboard in hand and his brow raised high at the spectacle before him. Sonic smirked and looked over to the waterfowl, arms crossed. "Nothin' much doc, just a tearful reunion," he drawled out. "What's up?"
"Er, yes. I see," Quack murmured before turning to face Sally. "I am here to inform you that the, ah… visitor brought in by Commander St. John has been stabilized and subsequently detained. Despite my objections," here he frowned in disapproval. "I managed to stop his bleeding. However he needs more than a simple patch job for a cut like that."
Sally groaned and rubbed the bridge between her eyes. "I see," she murmured and then gave an authoritative look to the doctor. "Return to the hospital and prep, immediately," she then looked to Cream, her expression softening some. "Cream… I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am this has happened, but I'm going to go and make sure your friend is alright," her gaze then turned to the others. "Everybody just stay put until I return."
Without even waiting for a response, the princess swiftly ran out of the command hut and towards the holding area. It was mostly just a few jail cells meant to keep hold of troublemakers as punishment, nothing serious as, well, this. Located at the far edge of the village, it was a utilitarian and somewhat forbidding looking building made from brick and mortar unlike the majority of the other buildings in Knothole. At the front door stood a tall, well-muscled Mobian horse, Erik, arms crossed over his chest as he took to his appointed task for the moment with all the professionalism he could muster. His serious demeanor broke the instant Sally approached, blinking in confusion. "Princess? What are you doing here?"
"I would ask the same about you, Erik," she sighed out. "I'm here to talk to the prisoner. Please let me in."
"Are you sure you wanna?" Erik asked with a raised brow. "He's an overlander, princess. Commander St. John said-"
"Commander St. John overstepped his authority by having him imprisoned without informing me that he'd been captured at all," Sally cut in, her tone brooking no room for argument. Erik swallowed hard and stood aside a moment later, an uneasy expression on his face. "Thank you, Erik," Sally smiled before making her way into the jail, her eyes seeking out and soon locating the keys to the cells. She took them in hand, and Erik chose this moment to speak up once more.
"Princess, no, I can't- I know what you're thinking, but you shouldn't," Erik said as he entered after her, trying to be firm. "He's not just an overlander, but he's also been injured and isn't going to respond well to seeing a Mobian. I can't let you go in there to let him out, it isn't safe."
Sally sighed, turning to face the worried horse. "Erik," she began diplomatically. "I can understand your concern, but I wouldn't let him go if I thought there would be a threat to myself or anyone else. All I can ask is that you trust my judgment here; he helped return a lost Mobian child to her mother. That should hopefully tell us a lot about what kind of person he is, overlander or not."
"He helped return a kid?" Erik asked, surprised by the revelation. He winced, rubbing the back of his head. "Commander St. John didn't mention that…"
"Why am I not surprised?" Sally drawled out, shaking her head before smiling up at Erik. "Just trust me, Erik."
"Okay…" Erik sighed out, before regaining a bit of his former fire. "If anything happens though, all bets are off."
"Hopefully it won't come to that," Sally murmured gravely before turning away and heading deeper into the jail, directly into the holding cell area. It didn't take her long to locate the current 'guest' of Knothole's jail; in the corner cell furthest from the entrance was the oft mentioned Chris. He'd been propped up onto his knees, heavy and thick manacles clamped around his wrists and neck, tied against the floor. Even if he were conscious, he would have been forced to remain kneeling. Sally winced at the sight of him; he was shirtless, his midsection hastily bandaged and a red blot could be seen through, in addition to the various lightly-colored scars that were visible on his body and arms. What kind of life has he lived? She wondered to herself as she opened up his cell. He didn't look that much older than her (it was hard to tell, she had little experience with humans outside of Robotnik and Snively), and she could only begin to imagine the kind of experiences he'd had to gain so many marks. It was only moments after she'd opened his cell door that he began to groan and awaken, the sudden sound causing Sally to flinch but not to run. Standing before the awakening human she quickly slipped the keys into the inner pocket of her vest, and stood her ground before Chris. Kneeling down like this they were at eye level.
The human winced slightly as he opened his eyes slowly, his vision somewhat blurry as he returned to the waking world, his head and side hurting. "Ugh… where…?" he tried to move, and instead found himself unable to as the sound of clinking metal reached his ears. His eyes shot open in alarm, gazing around in a panic. "What the-?" it was then that he saw Sally standing before him, and immediately stopped his panic attack in its inception as he put the pieces together, and suddenly slackened before her, glaring flatly. "…hell," he grumbled out. "I suppose that I'm your prisoner, then." He did not ask so much as state it for the ugly reality he was expecting.
The redhead gazed up at him, coughing into her hand lightly. "Technically, yes, but I didn't authorize it," she said evenly. Chris cocked his head in confusion. "The person responsible for this acted without consulting me first, and while I can't honestly say that I might have responded any better, you have to understand-"
"Are you Princess Sally Acorn?" he asked suddenly, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Sally winced, hoping that this could have been put off for a bit longer, but it seemed that it would be no use doing so. Taking in a calming breath, she looked the human squarely in the eye.
"Yes, I am," she stated truthfully, feeling her blood run cold as Chris' frown deepen. "I… hope that won't be a problem," she murmured. Chris for his part continued to stare at her, glowering heavily before he let out a sigh of his own, his tense body slackening.
"No… no, it won't," he stated in a tired, almost defeated tone of voice. "I promised Lupe that I wouldn't make it a problem," he explained as he faced her. "Didn't she tell you about us? That we were coming?"
"We never got the message," Sally explained sadly. "If we had, your reception wouldn't have turned out like this. Diablo and Cream both told us about you… Cream was very worried."
"She's a sweet girl," Chris chuckled, then winced as the pain in his side flared up. "So then, if that's the case why am I still in chains?"
"I was actually about to release you before you woke up, but before that I had to know for certain if you could be trusted," Sally said. "Diablo's word is pretty good, but I'm still curious… why did you go to so much effort on Cream's behalf?" Chris's expression of amusement at thinking of Cream changed quickly into a look of frustration and pain.
"Is it really so difficult to believe that maybe, just maybe, I'm capable of empathy towards others who aren't the same species as me?" Chris asked in annoyance, before forcing himself back into calm and began to tell his sorry story once more. "Her situation reminded me of my own. I lost my home and my parents to Robotnik, and over the years I lost everything else as well…" He swallowed as he tried to steel himself for the most painful part of his story. "To… to my knowledge, I am probably the last human alive," he hung his head as he let his plight be known. "When I met Cream, I couldn't help but see some of myself in her… and I knew I could do right for her, and I hoped to find others of her kind so that she might be able to have something close to a normal life," he looked up to face the princess. "It was only through sheer dumb luck that I came across Lupe and the wolves, and they sent us your way."
Sally looked up at him for a moment, her expression inquisitive and at the same time holding a terrible sadness and guilt. She'd long had to live with the fact that her father's trust of Julian had led to so much of the horror and tragedy that had been inflicted upon her people, and Chris' tale served to further hammer home what her father's misplaced trust had wrought. She didn't dare try to picture what had driven the human to such extremes. Without another word she pulled the key from her vest and in rapid succession unlocked the manacles around his wrists and neck. Swiftly removing them, Chris soon got to his feet, easily towering over the Mobian princess and causing her to reflexively take a step back. Even wounded an unarmed, it would have been an easy task for him to snap her in two.
Chris looked down at her for a moment, his expression uncertain. And then, with perhaps a bit of hesitance, he offered up his hand in greeting. "Chris Thorndyke of the House of Galileo, your majesty," he offered up curtly. Sally smiled, taking the much larger hand in her own and giving a gentle shake.
"Sally Acorn, and I wouldn't bother with the honorifics… my title hasn't meant much in a long while," she managed, cracking a light joke at her expense, something that caused Chris to regard her with a mild bit of surprise as he withdrew his hand from her own.
"I'll confess, even with Lupe's description… you're not what I was expecting," he stated, before giving a very small smile. "You'll forgive me for expecting the worst. It's all I've been able to count on for a long time," he murmured apologetically.
"Given how things have started out here for you here, I can't say you'd be unjustified," Sally sighed out before looking to his wounded side. "And before we can do anything else, we need to get you back to the medical hut. You were healed up enough to stop the bleeding, but our doctor tells us you're in need of further work."
"Does he know how to work on humans?" Chris asked in concern.
"I can't answer that, but it's not like you have much of a choice in the matter," Sally stated firmly. Chris had to concede her that much, but the thought of allowing a Mobian such easy access to him, within reach of various sharp, pointy medical instruments… he let out a momentary shudder before swallowing his fear.
"Point taken… lead the way, then," he stated stiffly.
"Come on," she waved him over as she turned and exited the jail cell, and Chris obediently followed. They passed by Erik (who watched Chris with the intensity of a hawk) and soon headed into the main village itself. Experiences back at the Wolf Pack's hideaway had prepared him for the inevitable, but even still it felt disconcerting to be subject to the reactions he was getting. Various Mobians halted in their tracks, staring at Chris; a few curious, most scornful. He could hear whispering and murmurs already, quiet enough that he couldn't hear the precise insults and words likely being used to describe him. At that moment he was thankful for the princess; he doubted that he'd have lasted so long walking by his own.
Soon enough they came across the medical hut, distinguishable from the others thanks to the medical flag sticking from the top of it (it was a strange thing how both humans AND Mobians associated a red cross with healing), and in short time Chris was entrusted to the care of Dr. Quack while Sally went off to discuss a few things concerning Chris' stay in Knothole. Left alone with the man who would be responsible for healing him, Chris could find only one thing to say as he lay atop the medical bench.
"Doctor…Quack?" he asked in disbelief, prompting a small chuckle from the avian doctor.
"Oh, I know what you're thinking. I can promise you, my name is scarcely an indicator of my level of competence as a doctor," Dr. Quack explained as he washed his hands (wings?) in a nearby sink, the tools for the coming surgery right beside Chris on a medical tray. "Granted, it wouldn't take a particularly skilled doctor to tell you're in need of stitches," he noted as he looked over his shoulder to the now uncovered wound on Chris' side.
"Not the first time I've had them," Chris sighed out before looking to the doctor questionably. "Do you know anything about the human body?"
Finished with his hands, Dr. Quack was in the process of placing a pair of latex gloves on. "Prior to my role here as Knothole's chief medic, I was the chief physician to King Acorn himself, and during the Great War I was also in charge of looking after Warlord Julian's health," he let out a sad sigh at the mention of that name. "If I knew then what I know now I may have done something to violate my Healer's Oath… but to answer your question, I know enough. Human physiology is similar enough to chimpanzee physiology that I can help you," he turned to face Chris, pulling a syringe and small bottle from his table. "Anasthesia," he clarified to the wary human, who let out a heavy sigh and rested his head back, staring up at the ceiling.
"I'm going to have to get used to the idea of letting you work on me, aren't I?" he asked somewhat glumly, not even flinching as the needle went in.
"I'm afraid you're quite out of luck in that department, fellow," Quack conceded as he waited for the anesthetic to take effect, focusing his efforts in the meantime of threading a medical needle. "If it eases your mind any, you should know that my Oath is the same that a human doctor would swear under," he mentioned idly, something that caught Chris' attention.
"Really?" he asked, turning his head to face the duck. The doctor smiled and looked up at the human.
"I'm being quite honest; the teachings of the Healer's Oath were learnt under the same man, the same human man, who cared little for what species his students were," he nodded before finishing up tying the medical wire to the needle. "I have lived my entire life by the Healer's Oath… I would help you, even if you were Robotnik himself."
"You're… a bigger man then me, that's for certain," Chris muttered as he resumed looking up at the ceiling, deciding to take mental note that the unfortunately named doctor could be counted among those Mobians who might be sympathetic to him, very fortunate considering he was also the only one who would know how to heal him in case of an emergency. He chose to focus on this, rather than the mild outrage he felt at the idea of anybody extending any kind of mercy towards Robotnik.
"Alright then, the anesthetic should be taking effect by now," Quack murmured as he observed the wound. "Tell me, do you feel anything?"
"Nope…I can't feel much of anything," Chris confirmed neutrally, patiently awaiting Quack to begin.
"Good," Quack murmured and placed his map up. "Now, just keep looking at the ceiling, and think of pleasant things," he ordered as he neared the wound, threaded needle in hand, and Chris allowed his mind to wander away from the subject at hand.
And while the esteemed doctor worked on his newfound patient, elsewhere in the command hut discussions were abound concerning Knothole's newcomer… specifically, how to keep him.
"With all due respect your highness, you're out of your mind if you think the villagers will accept keepin' here in Knothole," St. John hissed to the other Mobians assembled, prompting a snort from Sonic.
"Why are you here again, Johnny boy?" he drawled out sardonically. "I thought Sal put you in time out?" Geoffrey fixed Sonic with a hateful glare.
"I'm here because the security of this village is my job, something I happen to be very good at, unlike certain glory houndin' hedgehogs who think that just because they can bloody well get a move on that they-!"
"Cool it, both of you," Sally snapped, looking to Sonic. "St. John isn't off the hook for going over my head like that, but I can also get a realistic look at the problems of keeping Chris here in the village through him," she stated evenly as she eyed the two tiredly, less then appreciative of their continual goading and clashing with one another.
"Um…" Vanilla coughed, then spoke up softly, "If he requires a place to stay, I'd let him. My hut has a few rooms that have no use of yet, and it's the least I can do to repay him for rescuing Cream," St. John looked at her as if she'd just sprouted another head.
"Are you mad? Live with an OVERLANDER? They're dangerous, Miss Rabeau. You can't honestly expect me to believe you're completely fine with the idea of him living with you or your child," he asked incredulously, and before the rabbit could answer the elderly woodchuck Rosie decided to get her two mobiums in.
"Young man, you didn't have to calm the poor girl down after you shot her friend," She stated flatly. "She's decidedly attached to the boy, and I don't think she's going to agree with your assessment of him any time soon."
"She's a child," Geoffrey waved her off dismissively. "She doesn't know what's what in the world."
Rosie raised an eyebrow, restraining the urge to point out the same could be said of him, but that would have been quite rude.
"Commander," Vanilla said evenly, keeping her tone and demeanor passive as she addressed the younger mobian. "I won't lie and say that I'm not slightly unsure of the idea, however… Cream has spoken the world of him, and told me precisely what he has gone through on her behalf. It would be unconscionable of me not to help him in any way I could."
Geoffrey muttered darkly to himself. Sally turned her attention to Sonic. "With that settled, I don't suppose you'd mind taking Chris' supply bag to Vanilla's house? It's being kept with the rest of the confiscated things in the-"
"Don't sweat it, I'm all over this," Sonic smirked, and in a flash he was gone. Moments later, the blue blur returned, kicking up the air in the process. "Aaaand done," he smiled triumphantly, quite pleased with himself.
"You're honestly going through with this," St. John shook his head. "You can't tell me you don't see problems arising from this."
"I don't doubt that there might be problems," Vanilla conceded. "But until that happens, I see nothing wrong with giving aid to the one responsible for bringing my daughter back to me," here her town was firm, and she gave a hard gaze down to the skunk.
"Fine, you all take leave of your sanity then. When this all goes to hell, and I know it will, don't come crying to me," St. John snorted in disgust.
"Wouldn't dream of it, bud," Sonic smirked. A few rooms away, Cream and Cheese both were having a discussion of their own; namely around the discovery that they had a new family member in the village.
"Are you really my cousin?" Cream asked with wide eyes as she looked up at Bunnie, the rabbot giving a small chuckle and smiling down at the younger rabbit.
"Sure am, honey!" she said. "Ah never dreamt of seeing yer momma again, and ah can't begin ta tell ya how much of a pleasure it is ta meet ya," she grinned, kneeling down so that she was at eye level with her relative. Cream smiled and bowed her head politely.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too Bunnie," she then looked over to the cyborg limbs of her cousin, frowning in concern. "Oh dear… how did that happen?" she asked, placing a hand to her mouth as she had a chance to get a good look at the source of Bunnie's namesake. Sighing, Bunnie stood up once more, giving her robotic hand a contemplative look as she related the tale of its origins to Cream.
"Got 'em on a mission gone wrong… ol Iron Lips got the drop on us, an' I ended up in the roboticizer," she shivered at the memory. "If not for Sugah-hog, Ah'd have been a goner, but I still ended up with somethin' to remember the whole thing by," she frowned, and then gave a wicked grin. "Turns out the joke's on chubsy-ubsy; these limbs are strong, much stronger than a Mobian's, an' Ah've been puttin' 'em to good use ever since."
"You're a freedom fighter?" Cream's eyes were wide once more, amazed by the idea a family member of hers could be doing something so heroic with their life.
"Yup," Bunnie nodded. "Tails-honey is one too!" she beamed, pointing towards the aforementioned twin tailed fox who, at the moment was busying himself by studying Cheese, the chao returning the favor as the two circled each other inquisitively.
"Oh how exciting! Are you really a Freedom Fighter as well, Tails?" she asked with a wide smile. Snapped out of his studying by the question, he blinked a moment before returning the smile.
"Yep! I've been an official member of the last two years," his fluffy chest puffed out slightly with pride at the declaration. "I'm one of their tech experts."
"You'll like Chris then, he's also good with technology," Cream grinned.
"Neat, but I gotta ask," Tails turned his eyes back to Cheese, who was still studying him intently. "What IS Cheese here? I've never heard about anything like him… and why's he staring at me?" he raised a brow, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable with the Chao's scrutiny.
"He's just doing that because he's never seen anything like you before," Cream giggled. "Cheese is a Chao, and I don't know much about them either except that they come from the southern jungles."
"Chao chao," Cheese nodded with a smirk. "Chao chao chao?"
"He wants to know why you have two tails," Cream clarified for the fox, blushing slightly at having translated the question so directly. Tails however didn't seem to take the question personally, instead giving her a cockeyed look.
"You…understand him?"
"Apparently yes, yes she does," Diablo spoke up, at last deciding to add to the conversation. Tails looked at him questioningly, the old wolf simply offering up a shrug. "I don't know how it works any more then you do."
"O…kay then," Tails murmured, then turned to face Cheese with a grin. "To answer your question though, I've got two tails so I can do… this!" Without another word his tails twirled around behind him and he hopped into the air, hovering in place. Both Cheese and Cream gasped, while Diablo and Bunnie simply exchanged a knowing smile with another.
"Oh wow, that's fantastic!" She gushed, her eyes practically sparkling from how amazement at Tails' ability. "How high and how fast can you go?"
"Pretty high and pretty fast," Tails smiled proudly as he got to his feet. "I can almost keep up with Sonic you know, using my tails," he grinned. "Which uh, kind of explains why I'm called Tails… my real name's Miles Prower, but I prefer to go by Tails if that's alright with you," he rubbed the back of his head as he offered up a hand to the rabbit girl, who graciously accepted.
"I'm Cream Rabeau, and I'm very pleased to meet you," she smiled, then looking up at Bunnie with a worried expression. "Are you sure Chris is going to be okay?"
"Don't you worry none, sugah," Bunnie said confidently. "Sally-girl's just gotta clear a few things up while yer friend is getting' patched up. He'll be fine, and if anybody starts anythin' up Ah'll be more than happy ta show'em the error of their ways," she winked, giving her robotic arm a pat, prompting a giggle from the younger Mobian. Diablo crossed his arms over his chest and let out a loud grunt of annoyance.
"In which case you'd better keep a close eye out on that St. John character," he sneered, and Cream frowned, nodding in agreement.
"I don't like him very much," she said with a frown.
"Chao chao chaaaao," Cream muttered darkly. Whatever he had said caused Cream to blush and stare at the Chao, a hand over her mouth while he smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his teardrop shaped head.
"What exactly did he say?" Diablo asked.
"Um… I don't want to repeat it, but I'm going to have to find out where he learned such bad words," she mumbled in embarrassment. Before any questions could be asked concerning just WHAT the Chao had said, both Sally and Vanilla fortuitously enough entered into the room. Cream immediately perked up upon seeing her mother, rushing toward her and greeting her with a hug, Vanilla immediately kneeling down to return the gesture even as Cheese got in on it.
"Is the meeting over, Momma?" she asked politely.
"It is, Cream," Vanilla answered with a smile before getting back up. "For the time being, your friend will be staying with us. I have a room available for him, and it really is the least I could do for Chris for bringing you back into my life," she then looked over to Diablo. "And I am told I owe you a great deal as well, Mister Diablo… thank you so much for helping to bring my baby back to me," she bowed her head slightly in gratitude.
"I mostly just led the kid here, but you're welcome all the same," Diablo smiled.
"So, where is Chris then?" Cream asked, looking about for signs of her surrogate sibling.
"Still being patched up by Dr. Quack," Sally said. "Don't worry, once he's all done Chris will be with you, right as rain," she smiled before turning her attention over to Diablo. "It's getting dark out, and I was wondering if you'd be willing to bunk down here in Knothole for the time being?"
"After the incident with those badniks, I won't be taking any chances," Diablo nodded to her.
"Alright then," Sally sighed out. "It's been a very long, very strange day… Diablo, I'll show you to where you'll be staying, and I'll show Chris to your home when he's all done at the doctor's," she nodded to Cream and Vanilla, Cheese hovering close by. "With that said, let's all get to where we need to be."
And with that, the Mobians all dispersed, Sally leading Diablo to his temporary lodgings and Vanilla leading Cream and Cheese to their new home, Bunnie and Tails both heading back to their own respective living areas. Shortly after, Sally received the news from a nurse that Dr. Quack was finished stitching Chris up, and as per her word she took it upon herself to lead him back to Cream and Vanilla (even managing to locate a plain gray t-shirt, oversized for a Mobian but a fine enough fit for a human). Once they said their goodbyes, Chris took a moment to observe the hut… for a Mobian building it was reasonably spacious looking, though he would still have to be careful with how he moved around.
A strange sense of unease came over him as he approached the door, wrapping his hand around the knob and pausing for a moment. Entering this house would be the final step towards abandoning his old life and his old goals and the first step towards accepting that he would be living amongst the Mobians for the rest of his life. Despite how he felt for Cream, and despite knowing intellectually that not every Mobian alive would be out to get him, he could not help but feel a bit of… reluctance? Fear? Defiance? Whatever it was, it was enough to give him pause. Then, he took in a breath and twisted the knob, opened the door, and took his first step into what would likely be the rest of his life.
"Hello…?" he asked awkwardly as he looked about the interior of the hut; it was sparsely decorated, no surprise considering that Vanilla hadn't lived here for long. Past the main hall he could see there were lights on, and soon a pair of familiar figures entered his range of sight; Cream and Cheese. He smiled gratefully even as the pair charged his way.
"CHRIS!" she called out in a relieved sob, leaping towards him with open arms, and Chris catching her and holding her up against him with ease, the sound of soft sobbing coming from her and from Cheese as he clung to his arm.
"Ssshhh, it's okay Cream, it's alright now," he murmured gently, giving her a quick cuddle. "Everything's better, and I'm fine," he smiled as she looked up at him with watery eyes, hastily wiping at the sides of her eyes and sniffing, trying to get a grip on herself.
"I… I know, it's just I was so worried after that awful skunk shot you and after the robots hurt you, especially since we got so close it didn't seem fair.."
"Chao chao!"
"I know, but that's behind us now… things will be okay from here on in, you'll see," he maintained that smile even as he smothered his own doubts as to the truthfulness of that statement. "I know things looked bad back there, but I'm fine; still healing, but fine."
"Okay," Cream smiled and then hopped out of his arms, reaching up to take his hand in her own and tugging insistently. "Come with me, I want to introduce you to my mother!"
"Cream, I understand that you are excited to see your friend is alright," the lights in the hall turned on, and Chris found himself temporarily blinded, blinking rapidly to get his eyesight back, "But do you really need to drag the poor boy around like that?" the voice teased, and once Chris's vision cleared he caught sight of its owner; standing by an electric lamp was none other than Vanilla, smiling playfully toward her daughter even as she took in the scene. Chris recognized her from the photos, and couldn't help but stare… it was almost surreal to see her in the fur after hearing so much about and only seeing her as a picture on a wall. The older rabbit stepped forward, standing before Chris and looking up at him with a grateful smile. "So… you are Christopher, then?" she asked.
"Last I checked I am," he quipped. "And you are Vanilla... Cream spoke a lot about you while we were together. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"I assure you that the pleasure is all mine," she gave a polite curtsy before looking up at Chris, her expression showing the deepest levels of gratitude possible. "You went to so much effort to return my daughter to me after I'd lost all hope. I can't even begin to thank you for that, words seem rather hollow, and actions insufficient… but they'll have to do for now," she smiled softly.
"I don't need anything elaborate, I'm just happy that Cream's safe and with her family again," Chris said, feeling slightly embarrassed by the gratitude. "The fact you're willing to give me room and board is more than enough, believe me."
"Perhaps, though it still feels like I could do more… you cannot begin to know what Cream's worth to me," she murmured gently, placing a hand down on Cream's head and giving an affectionate stroke. At this action, Cheese gave a confused look to her.
"Chao chao? Chao chao?"
Vanilla gave a small chuckle. "You mean a lot to me too, Cheese," she said, not losing her smile. "I'd be devastated to lose either of you."
"Wait, you can understand him as well?" Chris blinked, and Vanilla let out a small laugh.
"Oh just a little. Only after seeing him and Cream together for so long."
"Nice to know I'm not the only one then," Chris muttered, rubbing the back of his head. Cream then let out a loud yawn, rubbing her eye sleepily, while Chris looked down and smiled. "And it seems like it's time for you to go to sleep."
"I can stay up a bit longer," she murmured even as her tone and drooping ears betrayed otherwise. Vanilla simply shook her head at that as she took Cream in hand.
"Oh no little lady, you've had a rather exciting day and now, now is the time for you to rest."
"But Chris just got here!" Cream whined in that deliberate, begging sort of whine that all young children were masters of, Cheese doing his best impression shortly after.
"And I'll be here in the morning. I'm not going anywhere for a while now, particularly since this wound is gonna keep me out of action for a bit," Chris said, gesturing towards the cut at his side as he did so. "Don't worry Cream, nothing bad will happen between the time you got to sleep and the time you wake."
"Promise?" Cream asked even as she was hoisted up into her mother's arms.
"Pinky Promise," Chris smirked, offering up the aforementioned digit to the young rabbit. Placated by this, Cream grinned and took the pinky in her own and thus sealed the sacred deal, and with that Vanilla began to walk away with her.
"Feel free to make yourself at home, Chris," Vanilla called out as she left, and Chris decided to oblige her, carefully walking down the hall to enter the room that Vanilla had left. It appeared to be a combination between a living room and a kitchen, a dinner table and pair of chairs at one end of the room while the other contained several crude but useful conveniences; a stove (designed so that smoke would disperse rather than form into a cloud), spice racks, cupboards and various other things one might expect to see in the house of a home maker, while at the far end of the room was a simple table meant for several mobian-sized guests and a few electrical lamps to provide some ambiance. He carefully walked through, taking note of everything that he could before reaching the table and chairs, mentally debating if he should risk trying to sit down in one of the chairs… they were more like stools to him, and he wasn't certain they'd support his weight.
"You can sit down on them you know," Vanilla's voice rang out from behind him, and he twirled around to face her out of reflex, the move startling Vanilla slightly. "… The chairs aren't built with humans in mind, but they're fairly strong. I think you can sit down, if that's what you wish," she finished up, a bit warily, before slowly approaching him.
"Ah… gotcha, though I apologize in advance if this doesn't work," Chris chuckled nervously, painfully aware that he'd startled her. Looking behind him he carefully maneuvered himself into the chair, wincing as the wooden construct creaked almost violently under his weight. However, despite is fears the chair didn't snap into a thousand pieces and so he allowed himself to relax, turning his attention back to Vanilla and giving a somewhat self-depreciative smile. "This is going to take some getting used to."
"If I had known that I'd be playing host for a human, I would have gone to the effort to build some more accommodating furnishings," Vanilla said apologetically, though Chris waved her off.
"Nah, it's alright. The message Lupe sent got lost in transmission, you could not have possibly seen something like me entering the picture anytime soon," he said, then rose a brow towards her. "You built this?" he asked as he looked down at the chairs around him, and Vanilla giggled.
"Oh no, these were here before I got here. However, I do know a few things about carpentry and woodcraft, I'm confident I could have managed something for you," she said, smiling pleasantly. Chris's curiosity was now piqued.
"How'd you learn to build this stuff?" he asked, managing to bite down that she didn't strike him as the carpenter sort.
"When your options are taken away from you, you tend to teach yourself new things in order to survive," Vanilla sighed, and Chris let out an affirming grunt in response. "I take it this is something you're familiar with as well then?" Vanilla asked, her own curiosity now stoked about her oft mentioned houseguest.
"Oooh yeah," Chris chuckled. "I picked up a thing or two over the years that I doubt I'd ever have if not for this entire war. Heck, if not for that I'd have never run across your daughter."
"Cream told me about it, while you were being freed from the jail and being worked on by Dr. Quack," Cream nodded. "It still sounds unbelievable, and yet here you are, and so are both Cream and Cheese. Who am I to question when fate smiles down on me?"
"Because more often than not, fate seems to enjoy getting your expectations up before delivering a nice sucker punch to the gut," he muttered, perhaps a bit darkly. Realizing his tone he quickly shook his head and gave an apologetic look to Vanilla. "Ah, I'm sorry, it's just…"
"No, I understand," Vanilla said, giving Chris a sympathetic look. "In this day and age, more often the not it seems optimism just sets people up for a fall. Though," now she began to smile, gently, "Not always."
"You've definitely got a point there," Chris chuckled, then letting out a yawn.
"It would seem that Cream isn't the only one in need of sleep," Vanilla noted, perhaps a bit wryly, and Chris let out a small groan.
"Oh boy, no kidding… between the fight against the badniks, getting tasered and then coming to the realization that this is pretty much the first night of the rest of my life," he murmured, looking around him. "No offense, but you can't begin to know how surreal this all is for me, even after everything else… I still feel almost like I'm in a dream."
"I almost wish it so," Vanilla sighed out. "If this was all just your dream, then at least you could wake up and hopefully make the worst of it nothing but a bad memory… though I think Cream would object to never having met you. She thinks very highly of you, you know," she pointed out, pleasant smile returning to her face.
"Yeah, I do," Chris returned that smile. "And I think similar of her… she has a very good head on her shoulders, better in some ways than many adults."
"Oh, I know. She really is a very special girl, and it saddens me that I can't give her more opportunities in life. But come what may, I can at least try and give her the best possible life under these circumstances." Vanilla now stood up and away from the table and gave a leading wave with her hand. "Come, I will lead you to your room."
"Just a moment," Chris muttered and wriggled around a bit; he was stuck in the chair. Vanilla put a hand to her mouth and suppressed the urge to giggle at the sight of the human trying to dislodge himself from the too-small bit of furniture, successfully doing so as he finally managed to force himself out. "Okay, you want to show your gratitude to me for saving Cream? A chair. That's all I ask," he quipped.
"I'll see what I can do," Vanilla chuckled before waving him over, "Come, this way."
Chris obediently followed after the Mobian woman, carefully minding his height as he maneuvered around the house proportioned for people half his size. A few rooms down from what was presumably Cream and Vanillas own rooms, Chris was led into a mostly empty room that had little going for it save what appeared to be an extra-large couch and a closet. "I apologize for the lack of a proper bed… this was meant to be a guest room, however I wasn't able to bring myself to really work at it for after I arrived here. My cousin Bunnie donated the couch," Vanilla explained apologetically as she opened the closet, pulling out pillows and a blanket and leaving them atop the couch while Chris was left to ponder the bizarre nature of Mobian naming conventions. Vanilla walked up to him and bowed her head slightly. "I…hope this will do for now."
"It will," Chris smiled. "Trust me Vanilla; I've been sleeping on things more uncomfortable then couches for a while now. Until I can possibly get a bed built for me into here, this will do nicely," he nodded back gratefully. "Don't sweat it… right now I just appreciate being able to sleep somewhere without having to worry about killer robots," he chuckled.
"Understood. Still, if you need anything do not hesitate to ask," Vanilla said, before turning around and heading for the door, pausing just before she left. "Good night, Chris… and once more, thank you," she said softly as she looked over at him.
"Good night, Vanilla… and don't mention it," he smiled back to her. With nothing other than a quick nod, Vanilla turned and exited the room. Chris soon after removed his boots and socks and lay back down upon the couch, testing to see what position would be most comfortable upon it. Unsurprisingly his limbs sprawled out well over the edge of the couch, but its cushioning was more than enough to compensate. From the outside there was a soft glow not unlike moon light, and through the window it gave his room a soft illumination even though he could not guess at the source… he knew for a fact that the trees above obscured the night's sky for the most part, enough so that neither the stars nor moon would likely shine quite so bright. Simply a mystery for him to decipher another day he mused to himself as he stared at the ceiling, now given time to contemplate where he was now in his life.
He'd never, ever in his wildest dreams pictured that this is where his life would take him; life amongst Mobians, with no other humans around save for the vile pair in Robotropolis who were responsible for possible extermination of his people… for obvious reasons, he refused to consider them as he would other human beings. So, this is it then… no going back. This is the rest of your life, however long that is, and you have to make do with what you are given, Chris thought to himself, frowning slightly as he shifted on the couch a bit. On the plus side he knew conclusively that the Mobians were not of one mind concerning him, and it was especially a relief that Princess Sally was willing to treat him with an open mind rather than rampant hatred and suspicion… Lupe had been more than right about her, he now realized. However, while he never made this journey without anticipating that there would be resistance to his presence here, the fact that he'd been shot with a taser bolt while suffering an awful wound told him this much; there was at least one person in this village who hated him and his kind enough to pull something like that, and he had a feeling that the longer he stayed here the more of them were going to pop up. Visions of a lynch mob wielding flames and pitchforks danced around in his mind, as did visions of his beaten, bruised body hanging from a nearby tree.
He shuddered and forced the disturbing imagery out of his mind, wrapping his covers around himself as he did so, shaking his head slightly. He prayed it would not come to that. Though as he allowed his mind to wander elsewhere, other ugly realizations and feelings began to make themselves known. Though it caused his blood to run cold, he now knew that sooner or later he would have to encounter the hedgehog… Sonic. The figure he'd seen on security tapes and learnt to resent so horribly. He wasn't sure what to expect, or how he was going to conduct himself. Just thinking of him as he sped around, thwarting the Swat Bots so easily that he made it look like a game… he could not stop his anger from flaring up, thinking of how damned insulting it was that he could just reduce the cause of so much tragedy an horror into a God damned game. So much Chris had lost thanks to Robotnik and his creations, but oh no, Sonic the Hedgehog could afford to goof around and make it look like it was nothing. Thankfully, another worry entered his mind before he could stew further into his resentment of the blue hero… namely, what would accepting this mean with regards to those whose lives had been lost?
His friends, his family, his people… in doing this, was he somehow betraying them? Was living amongst the Mobians somehow committing treason against the memory of his people given the indirect part they had played in the wholesale destruction of Overland and all within it? The implication that he was somehow spitting on the collective graves of those he sought to avenge made his blood chill even worse than thinking about Sonic did. He rationalized it to himself; living here was a means to end, and that end was towards defeating Robotnik once and for all. If he helped the Mobians do this, then it would be enough to satisfy the vengeance of those who came and gone before him. And yet somehow he could not shake that uneasy, insidious feeling of guilt that coiled around the dark depths of his mind, attacking his confidence and his ability to believe in the rightness of what he was doing.
He shook his head rapidly. No point on dwelling, he murmured to himself as he shut his eyes, sighing and resting his head. What's done is done, and I can't change any of it. All that matters now is surviving and seeing the Eggman go down. All I can hope for, all I can really do by this point is just adapt and hope for the best… because like it or not, this is now officially my life, for better or worse.
With that on his mind, he managed to bring himself enough peace that he could eventually drift off into sleep, thus officially ending the first day of what would be the rest of his life for however long he might be able to live it. Mercifully, no dreams came to assail him about his doubts and fears… a good sign as any, all things considered.