Hi again! This chapter was difficult to write and one of the longer ones so far. I'll warn you now that it ends kind of abruptly. Go and read!
Chapter 7: Good-bye to Blue House
The sun peered over the treetops and its light gushed forward. Like a cascade of water it flooded onto the house in the forest. The morning light lit up every angle of the incorrectly named "blue house". As the birds awoke and started to sing, the bright sunshine hit the eastern window and entered the room.
It was Saturday morning, 7:21a.m. Cream the Rabbit sat on the edge of her bed in the east guestroom. The crisp temperature of the early autumn air had made her put a blanket around herself. She stood up and walked out of the room as the blanket dragged behind her.
Once downstairs, Cream found she was the first to wake. That was normal though, she was always waking up early for the chao. I hope Butterscotch is doing okay, she thought.
Butterscotch was Cream's younger cousin. A rabbit also, she was Cream's "apprentice". Butterscotch, Scotch for short, was training to raise a chao garden of her own in the Southern Valley. The weather's nice down there, I think the chao will like it. At any rate, Cream had left her garden in Scotch's hands until she returned, and Cream was starting to think that it might be awhile.
Cream took a seat at the wooden table and looked out the window. With her sensitive hearing she detected the soft sound of padded feet from behind.
She tried to turn in her seat, but this proved difficult with the bulky blanket. When she finally managed to do so, she saw that it was just Knuckles.
The red echidna wore a light sweatshirt with the logo-Angel National Park, and held the Master Emerald.
"I thought I was the first one up," he said softly.
"Nop," she whispered back.
Knuckles came and sat down next to her at the table. He gently placed the emerald on the table. He acted like the slightest touch would shatter it into a million pieces. When he was satisfied with its position he yawned deeply.
"I was up all night watching it," he told her with another yawn.
"Did anything happen?" Cream asked.
"No, but I didn't want to take a chance," Knuckles replied.
He stared into the green gem. Cream looked too but didn't see anything.
"I have a feeling," he said without taking his eyes away from it. "I don't know what it is, but it feels like a strong power. It's coming from the Master Emerald, and its something I've never felt from it before."
"I don't like this," Cream said in a less hushed voice. "Shoca Lief isn't a chao, she's some-some… thing. I feel scared with her here."
"It's okay," Knuckles tried to comfort her. "We all feel that way."
There was a silence. In it they could hear the muted songs of the morning birds outside. Each was with their own thoughts when something fell.
From the living room came a crash followed by muffled cursing. They both looked to the kitchen entrance and saw Rouge hobble in on a pair of crutches.
Rouge was much better then she had been when she'd arrived at the blue house. Her injuries had been treated and covered. Amy had found a pair of crutches (where? who knows) and Tails had fitted them to her size. Rouge though, was thoroughly independent and had been very opposed to them. In the end she'd given in, but that doesn't mean she was very good at using them.
"Did you have a nice trip?' Knuckles asked laughingly.
"Good morning to you too!" she spat at him.
"Now, now you two," said Cream. She had taken it upon herself to try and referee Knuckles and Rouge's arguments. After failed pleas to stop her, everyone else had shrugged and let her try.
"I came down for something to drink," Rouge said. She continued to the fridge but Cream cut her off.
"You sit down and I'll get it," she said gently but firmly.
Rouge fumed and went over to the table. She pulled out a chair with difficulty and sat as far from Knuckles as possible.
Cream got Rouge a glass of orange juice and brought it over. Rouge quickly downed in a single gulp, handed it back to Cream, and looked at the Master Emerald.
"Don't even think about it!' Knuckles nearly growled at her.
"I don't want it," she told him, "it sticks like echidnas do."
Knuckles let up a little bit.
"I do want to know if anything happened last night," she told him.
He told her no as Cream set down the second cup of juice. This time Rouge took her time.
Cream sat down with her own glass, one of milk, and glanced at the microwave's clock. It read 7:49 a.m.
Tails entered the room. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he pulled out a chair. The small table was nearly full, four of the five seats taken. There were a pair of table leaves in the kitchen closest, they would make the seats number ten instead of five, but no one thought of this.
"How is she?" Cream asked Tails.
"She's sleeping up stairs," he said, "was quiet all night. She'll wake up and be hungry at about 8:30, so I came down here to start her food."
He shivered in the cool air and regretted not grabbing a blanket. Cream walked over and put hers around his shoulders.
"That's okay Cream," he said and tried to give it back, "I'm okay."
"I'm going back upstairs to get dressed anyway," Cream said, and so Tails accepted the blanket.
Cream left the group and headed upstairs. She slowly made her way up the spiral staircase. At the top she saw Amy headed her way. The pink hedgehog was dressed in pink pajamas, the same ones she'd wore the day Knuckles came.
Amy waved a hello as she yawned and headed down to the kitchen.
The only ones not up were Sonic and Shoca Lief. She would wake up soon but knowing him, he'd do whatever he felt like, whether it meant waking up at 6 am or noon.
Cream got to her room and went to the window to close the curtains. It's not like anyone is out there watching, she told herself, but it was an old habit. As she closed them she once again could here the morning noises.
She opened her pack and produced a set of clothing. After taking off her pajamas, she put these clean clothes on. When she had just finished buttoning up, she noticed that it was very quiet. Looking at the guestroom clock she saw it was exactly 8:00 a.m.
Sonic lay awake in his bedroom. He was staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of it all. What are we going to do with her? What if she gets out of control? How will Tails feel? What can I do? He sighed.
Looking around his nice but rarely used room, Sonic found something that interested him. In the right ceiling corner there was plaster falling.
Sonic sat up and got out of bed. He stood under the forming hole in his pajamas, the flakes falling on his head. What in the…?
Suddenly someone fell out of the ceiling. It was a man cloaked in black camouflage, a light on his head, and an expression of surprise on his face.
Sonic stared at the intruder. Okay…
Sonic was just about to ask the strange man what he was doing when the man attacked him.
The Private sprung on Sonic and they tumbled on the ground. Sonic expertly slipped out of the man's grasp and jumped on the bed.
"Who are you!" Sonic shouted, even though he had a pretty good idea.
His attacker said nothing but assumed a martial arts stance.
"Sure, try it," said Sonic who had assumed his regular cockiness.
The Private kicked low and then punched high. Sonic dodged it and the man kept coming. As the man once again tried to grab the hedgehog, Sonic ran around him so fast that the man twisted and fell to the floor, his walkie-talkie flew and hit the wall.
As the device hit the wall Sonic heard static come from it. Sonic began tying the man up with the bed sheets when he heard a voice.
"Private Stapis? What is going on? Is it clear, repeat, is it clear?"
Below him, Sonic could feel the house beginning to shake. Oh no… From the walkie-talkie he picked up commands being given in the background.
Before leaving the room Sonic checked the man for any weapons. He found a light firearm, discharged it, and tossed the empty gun into his open closet. He also found a badge that read-"Private First Class Stapis, GUN". I knew it!
The shaking grew louder as he ran down the stairs. How could we have been so unprepared! I should have known they'd come for her!
Once in the kitchen he found the rest of the gang.
"Sonic! What's happening?" shouted Amy at him. She rushed up and clutched him.
"We all have to get out of here right now!" he told them.
Sonic looked at Knuckles. The echidna was staring wide eyed at the Master Emerald. It was glowing brightly and a humming could be heard from it.
"Knuckles! Get everyone out, and now!" Sonic yelled at him.
"I knew something was going to happen," Knuckles said as he got up.
He had just got the emerald into its "carry-size" when GUN attacked.
The front door was thrown open and in entered 3 missile mounted robots. Another 4 took out the back entrance to the kitchen, where everyone was.
Tails grabbed Amy and they both ducked under the strike of the first robot. Knuckles picked up his chair and threw it at the robot who sliced it in two.
"Cream and Shoca are upstairs!" Tails yelled to Sonic.
"Get out!" Knuckles was screaming, while Amy took out her hammer and started to swing at the enemies.
The house was falling apart. The robots smashed the walls and the two stories above them were falling down.
Sonic raced into the living room to find the other robots. They fired shots at him that hit the entertainment center and caused it to explode. Fragments of the TV fell on Sonic as he started a Spin Dash move. He flew through the air and sliced the legs off the first two robots. Streams of hissing steam came from the wounded robots and they crashed on the ground.
Sonic dodged the next one with a quick side step and then took it out with another spin dash. He could hear the destruction of his house and the shouts of the others. I have to get Cream, GUN can't have Shoca!
He made it upstairs when the whole house crumbled. The second story smashed into the first one and Sonic fell to the ground. Getting up, he ran into the east guestroom and found Cream in a bundle of tears.
"What—?" she was cut short as Sonic grabbed her around the waist and rushed to Tails's bedroom.
He made it to the doorway when something ripped off the ceiling. More debris fell down but luckily nothing hit them.
Where the ceiling had been appeared a giant machine. Where its head would have been was a glass cockpit, and Sonic could see its human operator.
"Surrender yourselves, Sonic the Hedgehog!" was shouted through a huge voice speaker.
Sonic yelled back 'in your dreams!' but it couldn't be heard over the noise of the Tornado flying over the scene.
Tails took one well-aimed shot and the machine blew apart. Cream screamed and hung onto Sonic tightly. At least they got out, he was thinking.
Sonic bust the door down with a kick and found Shoca Lief. The 'not-chao' was sitting on her own little bed in the corner. She was glowing almost too brightly to look at.
"Shoca come!" Sonic commanded and Cream echoed it.
"Chao cho!" it screamed-NO!
Then it was gone.
In a sudden blast like the one at Horseshoe Path it took off. Shoca shot through the falling house and out into Angel National Park. She was gone.
Sonic had just enough time to see the remainder of the GUN squad take after her when he realized the house was burning too. The smoke clouded his eyes and Cream was crying into his shoulder.
With lightning speed he took a blanket off of Tails's bed and wrapped it around Cream and himself. He looked to the window and jumped out of it.
They landed on the grass below, the blanket protecting them from the glass. Sonic made sure Cream was alright and then went back into the house.
He emerged again with Private Stapis and some of the other GUN officers removed from their robots. They were choking and dazed.
Sonic threw them on the ground in anger and continued to tie them up with more sheets.
"It is more then you deserve!" he told them.
The blood was pumping in him and he was mad as could be. They'd attacked him, destroyed his house, possibly hurt his friends, and tried to steal Shoca who was now loose in Angel National Park; but that small conscience angel on his shoulder still told him he couldn't let them die.
When he was satisfied they wouldn't escape, he helped Cream stand and they walked around the destroyed blue house to find the others.
Near Tails's mechanic shed stood the Tornado, a large fighter jet of his own design. In the shadow of its wings sat Knuckles who was checking the Master Emerald, Amy with her Piko Hammer, and Rouge.
"You little!" shouted Amy in frustration. She lifted her hammer and brought it down on the nearest robot piece. The metal arm crunched and Amy continued to hit it.
"Is everyone okay?' asked Sonic.
"Yeah," replied Rouge. She was propped up against the Tornado's leg and looked at Amy. "She's a little out of it though."
"Amy stop," Sonic said. He gently took the hammer from her and she collapsed in his arms.
"All my stuff!…I was so sc-scared!…Oh Sonic!" she wept.
"Hey Amy its okay," he told her. Someone has to be strong.
"Where is Shoca Lief?" asked Tails with concern.
Sonic looked at the boy fox with a sad face. What do I tell him?
"She's gone," he said flatly. "But I'm going to find her."
"I'm coming with you!" Tails told him.
"No Tails," Sonic continued. "Everybody here needs some place to stay, you need to fly the Tornado and take them somewhere safe."
"We can all go to Floating Angel Island," Knuckles put in. "It'll be safe there and I'll make everyone something to eat."
"I'm cold," Amy said.
"Okay Tails?" Sonic pleaded. He put his hands on the fox's shoulders and looked in his eyes. "I'll find Shoca, but I need you to do this for me, before GUN comes back. Okay?"
Tails nodded in silent agreement.
"Good, I'll see you all later," said Sonic. He then began to run east, the way Shoca and GUN had gone, hoping he would find her before them.