Chapter 2
So long as little children are allowed to suffer, there is no true love in this world.
-Isodore Duncan
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We went ashore that evening, after Knuckles and Mighty the Armadillo had stretched a rope bridge from the island to the mainland. From there it was a mile to the outskirts of Sapphire City, where we caught a taxi and rode to the Chao Company. As we pulled up outside the light blue building, my stomach began to tighten. I had left Zinc in the care of these people, and he had been taken from under their noses. There had to be a better way to care for chao than by this ... this socialist method. I glanced at Sonic and Knuckles, who looked grim. I wasn't the only one having dark thoughts.
We went inside and were surprised to see guards standing in the lobby. They eyed us as we trooped up to the sign-in desk, where a teenaged human secretary was sitting.
"Hi," said Sonic. "Some of our chao were stolen, and we came down here to, uh..." He looked at Knuckles, who was massaging his knuclaws and looking dangerous.
The girl stood up, her eyes glistening. "Oh, you poor people," she murmured. "Go right in, garden six. We moved all the valuable chao in there after..." She pulled out a kleenex and covered her face.
Knuckles and Sonic walked off, looking awkward, but I didn't want to leave the girl crying like that. "It's okay," I said, patting her shoulder and wishing my hands weren't metal. "We're going to go after the kidnappers. You know Sonic Hedgehog? That was him, he's going to help."
She lowered her kleenex and looked at me. "I hope you find them," she said in a quavery voice. "We came in here this morning and the doors were open and the hatchlings were gone ... and that one rare silver chao, I felt so bad!"
A knot formed in my throat. I patted her again, said something about seeing the other chao, and walked off to find garden six, trying not to cry.
A while back we had been given seven chao to raise at Knothole, and the chao turned out as colorful as the people who had raised them. The five remaining in the garden were violet, blue, green, white and purple, and they ran to us as we entered. Sonic was holding Velocity, and the others gathered around Knuckles and me, trying to tell us how sorry they were about Chimera and Zinc. The knot in my throat grew bigger at the sight of them. Zinc would have been so happy to see me, but he was gone, a victim of who knows what...
I wheeled and strode out of the garden. I wound up on the sidewalk outside the Chao Company. There was nobody around, so I broke down and cried. As I cried I walked, as if that could help Zinc. It was a relief to let out the emotions that had been building up all day. By the time I reached the end of the block I felt better. I turned and headed back, wiping my eyes. My head was clear now. First thing was to pack some food, because if I knew Sonic and Knuckles, they would take off into the wild with nothing but the fur on their backs. I had brought along my knapsack, and I thought there was enough room in it for some human-made dehydrated rations.
As I reached the Chao Co., the doors opened and Knuckles stepped out. "Are you okay?"
I knew my eyes were still red, but I smiled. "Fine, thanks. In fact, I think I'm going shopping."
His jaw dropped open in disbelief. Then he recovered himself and said, "Suit yourself. But be back here by seven. We'll be ready to start by then."
"But it'll be dark," I protested. "How will we track anything?"
He only looked at me, and I sensed his unspoken anger.
"Okay," I said. "I'll pick up some flashlights while I'm out."
Shopping in the human colonies is a unique experience. They have weird inventions and products, and all the racks and shelves are a little too big for a Mobian to reach. You're constantly reminded that these people are from another world, and their brains work differently from ours. They're friendly to our kind, but just ... alien. I see why there have been wars between our species.
Shopping cheered me up a little, although my metal body drew stares. I bought a first-aid kit and two week's worth of rations. I also picked up three flashlights and some weird processed human candy. I figured I'd give it to Sonic later on, because he loves human cuisine.
When I returned to the Chao Company, Sonic and Knuckles were sitting on the steps, waiting for me. It was twilight by then, and the air had grown chilly. They got up when they saw me, and Sonic raced toward me so fast I threw up a hand to ward off a collision. He stopped a foot away from me, laughing. "You think I'd hit you, Zephyer?"
"You did this morning," I said, tapping his nose. "Are we leaving?"
"Yes," said Knuckles, striding up and shooting Sonic a dark look. "Some of the chao saw the kidnappers and gave the police descriptions. They were ... monkeys."
"Monkeys?" I exclaimed in outrage. Monkeys are a race of thieves and thugs, and the perfect type to kidnap chao.
"A gang of primates were seen travelling east early this morning," Knuckles went on, sounding like a newspaper article. "That's the direction we'll go."
"Lighten up, Knux," said Sonic. "We've got something to go on now."
"It's not your chao who's missing," said Knuckles. He stalked off, and Sonic and I followed him.
* * *
Travelling east from Sapphire City is easier said than done. East of the city is a mountain range, and east of that is a desert. Beyond that human maps are blank.
The human police escorted us to the place where they had tracked the primates, and we saw they had gone in a northeast direction. The humans were happy to point us after the kidnappers, but when Sonic asked them why they had not pursued them, the men hemmed and hawed without answering. Looking back on it, I wonder how deep the corruption went.