CHAPTER 10
Hey everyone! It's been a long time, sorry about that! Life has gotten pretty busy for me so my focus has been on some other things. I hope it hasn't affected this chapter to badly. Thank all of you who have read it this far and I hope you stay with me. This chapter brings up quite a few things that may confuse you guys, but I assure you it will be better explained as we go. Feel free to ask any questions or let me know via message or review what you like or don't like. I will reply to everything as soon as I can so don't think your opinion won't be considered! Also you'll notice I'm starting to use lines to organize what is going on and where better. I hope you enjoy the chapter! Thank you guys and girls so much for reading.
Tails watched as Zulu walked over to a large bag he had brought along and started digging around inside of it. He removed a speaker that Tails immediately recognized was his, and set it close by, plugging in the small device that Zulu referred to as an iPod.
"Hey! That's mine!" Tails exclaimed.
"Yeah, and?" Zulu replied dismissively, giving Tails a carefree smile. "We need it for training, and yours doesn't need to be plugged in to work. Now, let's channel your inner warrior."
"You really like music don't you?" Tails commented. "You know, I'm not really a fighter, and I don't really want to fight."
"Tails, I'm well aware, but you will be vital to this team, and I will not have you flying around without being able to defend yourself. Fighting is simply a mindset, anyone is capable of it. This song will do. Now, shut your eyes and listen Tails. This song is called 'The Art of War' by a band called Sabaton." Zulu hit play and glanced over at Tails. The song played, Tails doing his best to focus on how it made him feel. The song played for a bit until it hit the chorus, which gave Tails a sudden dominant feeling.
"I will run, they will hunt, me in vain
I will hide, they'll be searching
I'll regroup, feign retreat, they'll pursue
Coup de grâce, I will win but never fight"
Tails opened his eyes and gave Zulu a nod. Zulu went and paused the song, glancing over at Tails and seeing a familiar look in the fox's eyes. It was a look of aggression.
"I see you're ready Tails." Zulu nodded and stepped up to the small fox. "Now, let's begin. I need you to punch and kick me as hard as you can, no questions, just do it." Tails nodded and flew up to be eye level with Zulu before pulling back and slamming his fist into the side of Zulu's face, whipping his head to the side. Tails followed up by doing a backflip, bringing his foot up and kicking Zulu under the chin, knocking the big man back a few steps.
"How was that Zulu?" Tails asked, a bit surprised about how good that felt.
"I'm very impressed! Now, let me show you how you can use my body against me. You're punches and kicks are really good, so we can work on them later. Now, here is how you can easily take me down. I want you to wrap your legs around my neck, then twist with your hips and use your tail to accelerate your spin, you should end up flipping me onto my back."
"Woah! Alright I'll try." Tails hovered in front of Zulu's face and pinched the man's neck between his legs. Abruptly, Tails leaned back and twisted to the side with his torso, pulling his hips along and spinning his tails to speed up his twist. The result was violent, Zulu being yanked forward and down, doing a complete front flip, before landing flat on his back, hard.
"Uah!" Zulu grunted. He rolled onto his side and coughed a bit before slowly standing up.
"Are you ok Zulu? Sorry about that." Tails apologized.
"Damn kiddo! You got it, awesome! Now all we gotta do is train you to do that in more practical scenarios and you'll be set." Zulu gave Tails a smile and patted the fox on the head. Zulu worked with Tails for another hour before giving him a break and calling over Amy and Knuckles. He focused mostly on Amy, teaching her fundamental footwork and proper ways to wield her hammer.
"So Amy, you only use the hammer itself. You swing it around only to hit your opponents with the head of the hammer. You're missing out on many different ways you can use it." Zulu took the hammer from her. "Look here." He pulled the hammer back like he was about to swing it. "When you swing you leave yourself open. You're also a bit slow which is to be expected when wielding such a large weapon. So what to can do is this. Knuckles, dodge my attack." Knuckles stepped forward and prepared himself. Zulu brought back the hammer and as Knuckles tensed up to dodge Zulu suddenly jabbed forward with the pommel of the hammer, catching Knuckles off guard as it smashed onto the top of his head. Immediately, as Knuckles recoiled from the impact, Zulu swung the hammer, nailing Knuckles and knocking him back onto the ground.
"Oh wow!" Amy exclaimed. "I never really thought of doing that."
"You can jab and swipe with the pommel defensively or offensively, while always having the hammer cocked back, ready to strike." Zulu finished his lesson and gave her the hammer. "Your packet I gave you has guard stances and ways to swing continuously, using momentum and conserving energy, as well as more ways to utilize your handle and pommel."
"Amazing! Thanks Zulu!" Amy gave him a hug before hurrying off to practice more.
"Ugh, she was scary enough already." Knuckles groaned, staggering to his feet.
"You're telling me." Zulu chuckled. "She will become unstoppable, now, for you Knuckles." Zulu and Knuckles sparred for the rest of the day, Zulu offering pointers and teaching Knuckles counters and grappling. As evening came Zulu started a fire and they all gathered around it to eat dinner. Zulu congratulated everyone on their hard work and praised their individual improvements.
"Well guys, tomorrow is the last day we have so rest up and be ready, you guys have done well so far. Talk amongst yourselves and decide who is keeping watch tonight. I'm leaving you on your own tonight, be prepared for anything." He gave them all a nod and packed up some things before heading off into the woods.
Bilge had been moved to the couch for the night while Alan was put into a guest bedroom. Victor was sitting in his corner while Vanilla cleaned up the kitchen. Emily was visiting with Alan and Cream had gone to bed. Bilge wondered for the hundredth time that evening what was wrong with those rabbits. They had happily set the dinner table and gave him a spot beside Alan. What was more bizarre? The man didn't protest, or even look upset. Not even 24 hours ago he had shot Brystol and her stupid underlings. Yet this man seemed to have forgiven him. Bilge growled to himself, frustrated that his simple life had grown infinitely more complex.
'Do they think they can change me? Do they really believe kindness and forgiveness fixes things. They are pathetic. I'm destined for Hell. I hate people, and love killing. They don't know what has been done to me. My only way of repentance is death. I can't deal with all this kindness I'm so undeserving of.' Bilge was becoming overwhelmed by his thoughts when a strange noise caught his attention. He perked up his ears and heard a strange clicking sound that was very faint. He twitched his ears and noticed the sound was coming from the front door.
His mind relaxed, finding something else to focus on. He wondered what was causing it and decided maybe he should notify the mountain in the corner about it.
"Hey." He growled.
"What?" The giant they called Victor replied gruffly.
"Are you deaf?" Bilge snarled. "You hear that?" Victor looked up and sat motionless for a moment.
"What…is that?" He asked.
"It's coming from the front door." Bilge replied. "Check it out, meat stack." Victor ignored the strange insult and walked over to the front door. Once he left the room the living room window slid open silently. Swiftly and without a sound a man climbed into the room while Bilge watched silently, knowing that if he tried to warn anyone it would only make the man move quicker to kill him. He heard the front door open as Victor probably was checking outside. Bilge lay casually on the couch as the man crept toward him.
Bilge wasn't in any shape to defend himself and for some reason he felt irritated that this could be how he died. The man silently slid a knife from a sheath on his belt and reached towards Bilge's neck. Bilge knew the protocol, assassins had to die during the mission. If they didn't they returned to base and were executed. If they weren't able to return someone was sent out to find and kill them. A new feeling of rage crept into Bilge's mind.
'Like Hell this cowardly son of a bitch is going to kill me like this.' Bilge thought, waiting for the man to bring the knife closer before moving. He was weak, and knew that his only chance to be quick enough to grab the knife was when it was right on his neck.
"Goodness Victor it's getting really-Oh my God!" Vanilla entered the room and screamed, having felt the chill from the open window. The man with the knife immediately raised his arm up to throw the knife at her as Victor rushed into the room but was too far away to stop the throw.
"Vanilla!" Victor yelled as he ran forward, knowing he wouldn't make it in time. Suddenly, Bilge, seeing this as his opportunity, reached out with his arm and, with all the strength he could muster, delivered a hard chop to the back of the man's knee. The man staggered and dropped to one knee, giving Victor the time to tackle him before he could recover. The man dropped the knife as Victor pinned him to the ground. He slammed his elbow into the man's jaw and knocked him out as Emily came running into the room.
"What's going on?!" She asked urgently, glancing at the man on the ground.
"He was after our rat friend it seems." Victor replied. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"He was under the impression that I would just let him kill me, so he was in no rush. This is normal protocol, if I had spoken up, he wouldn't have wasted any time killing me." Bilge replied.
"Normal protocol?!" Victor asked.
"Yeah, meant to keep certain people's hands clean." Bilge growled dismissively.
"I see, and you were just going to let him kill you then?" Victor cocked an eyebrow. Vanilla and Emily exchanged looks of concern.
"Hell no. You think I'm going to die, helplessly laying on a couch?" Bilge snarled back.
"I'm just glad you're ok." Vanilla smiled. Emily gave a slow nod in agreement.
"Save it hippy." He spat, then glared at Emily. "And what the Hell are you happy about? Don't think I care about any of you."
"Why am I wasting my time caring then?" Emily muttered and stormed out of the room. Vanilla watched her leave and turned to Bilge with a hurt look in her eyes. She gave the rat a nod and went upstairs. Victor just shook his head and sighed, returning to his corner.
The next morning Bilge was gone. Victor had woken up to find the couch empty and the attacker from last night dead on the floor, his throat cut. Victor was finishing cleaning up the mess when Vanilla came down stairs.
"Good morning Victor, what are you doing?" She asked, watching him curiously as he scrubbed away at a red stain on the carpet.
"The rat killed the man from last night. He slit his throat." Victor replied.
"He what?!" Vanilla exclaimed. "Where is he?"
"Gone, I woke up and he wasn't here. I'm sorry Vanilla." Victor looked up at her. "We tried our best. All we can do is hope he didn't return to G.U.N. and is out there finding himself." Vanilla stepped up to the window and stared outside.
"I hope he is ok." She mumbled.
"I think he will be fine. That attitude of his was reassuring to see, as rude as it was. He found his sense of pride." Victor gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and brought the cleaning supplies back to the kitchen. Victor went and informed Alan and Emily about Bilge's sudden departure, while Vanilla woke up Cream for school. Vanilla left to drop Cream off at school and go to work while Victor, Emily, and Alan stayed behind.
At Tails' place, Silver and Shadow were sparring with each other in the hangar when Sonic stopped them to share some news.
"Hey guys, Victor just called. The rat disappeared."
"Hmph, not surprised." Shadow responded dismissively.
"Well that sucks." Silver replied with a shrug.
"That's it? You guys don't care at all do you?" Sonic accused. "We should go look for him!"
"Save it Sonic. Some people need to save themselves." Shadow said.
"Besides, we gotta keep up the illusion that everyone is still around and not off doing secret training." Silver added. "If we all leave then the house will be empty, and G.U.N. will know something is up."
"I guess." Sonic sighed. "Well, I am enjoying pretending to be Tails." He smirked.
"What?" Shadow asked, utterly confused. Sonic sped off into the house and returned with two large, fluffy cat toys, which had been dyed to look like Tails' tails.
"See! I just hunch over and wear this on my butt so if anyone is watching they will think Tails is still here!" Sonic put on the tails and posed for them. Silver stared blankly at Sonic while Shadow slammed the palm of his hand into his face.
"Oh dear lord." Shadow muttered. "You were a faker before, but this?"
"Oh come on!" Sonic pouted. "I have other disguises for you guys. Be right back!" Before either could protest Sonic had disappeared and reappeared with a few random things. "Here Shadow, this is your Knuckles disguise." He gave the black hedgehog a large red sweatshirt with red tube socks sewn onto the hood and a large coat hanger. "Silver this is Rogue's disguise." Sonic handed Silver a red heart shaped piece of paper, an umbrella that had been cut in half, and Rogue's actual boots.
"Sonic, I've never felt more disappointed in you." Shadow growled. "If you think I will wear this, you better go get your brain checked." Silver remained silent, stuck wondering how Sonic had acquired Rogue's boots.
"It'll be fun though!" Sonic pressed, taking the disguise from Shadow. "Here is how you put it on." Sonic slipped the large sweatshirt over himself and pulled the hood up over his head. He then slid the coat hanger in behind his shoulders. "See! I'm Knuckles! The coat hanger gives me the big buff shoulders and the tube socks look like dreads!" Shadow and Silver both stared at him for a moment before exchanging glances with one another. Sonic looked genuinely proud of his disguise.
"Uh, Sonic." Silver finally spoke, Shadow still at a loss for words. "If Knuckles saw you right now he would kill you."
"Why is that?" Sonic replied, confused.
Bilge walked silently down the street, lost in thought with all the events that had happened since his mission. He didn't notice the glances that people gave him as he pondered over how he had been treated.
"Stupid deranged hippy rabbit." He growled to himself. "Stupid meat mountain. What do they know?" He continued walking, heading in no particular direction. Eventually he was walking out of the city. He stopped and looked back. "Fuck them all." He growled and continued walking, wanting to be as far away as possible.
That morning, Zulu began their training. He had told them the night before to stay vigilant and to be ready for anything, before leaving them on their own. Today was their final day and he knew he had to be ruthless. He had donned his tactical gear, jumpsuit and body armor, as well as his handgun, holstered on his right thigh. His knife was sheathed on his left thigh, positioned perfectly for a fluid draw and cut. He had just returned from preparing their training and watched as they changed shifts and got a feel for how each of them kept their guard. He noted that they were on a 2 hour cycle and planned to make his attack right after a shift change, or if whoever was the sentry let their guard down.
At around 1am he began making his way toward them. He had worked his way around to the opposite side of the large clearing they were training in and had gone prone. Slowly, using only his fingers and toes, he pushed himself up off the ground, so he didn't slide and make noise, and delicately inched his way along the ground towards them. Since they were far from the city, the light pollution wasn't illuminating the sky at all, meaning only the stars and moon were creating any light, effectively making it truly pitch black. He was a shadow in a shadow. Every time whoever was on guard glanced his way he would lower himself to the ground and wait. It was excruciatingly slow, but Zulu kept his patience. He began to feel strained but he pressed on, ignoring the gentle burning that was starting in his fingers and toes.
After four hours, Zulu had crept up to within ten feet of where they were sleeping. They had put out their fire before heading to bed to improve their night vision but Zulu knew even the best eyes couldn't see where they didn't think to look. They were much more wary of the surrounding forest then the open field, and as he crept ever closer a new idea hit him. He had originally planned to jump up and start attacking them without warning, but now he wondered how close he could get before being noticed. Slowly, he crept forward, carefully moving past Tails. He made his way toward Rogue, who was midway through her shift. She glanced back towards him, but he had lowered himself down beside the fire pit, using it to break up his shape. She took a hard look around once more before looking back out into the woods.
Carefully, he removed the knife from its sheath and crept toward her before rising up into a crouch. She heard the sound of fabric and started to turn around. Zulu quickly stepped forward and clamped his hand over her mouth, bringing his knife up to her neck and tapping her lightly with the blade. Her eyes were wide with surprise and shock. Zulu pointed to her and dragged his thumb across his neck, telling her she was dead, and held a finger up to his mouth. Rogue gave him a defeated nod and he released her. Then, one by one, he went to each one of them and woke them, informing them they were dead.
Zulu gave them until 6am to get ready before informing them of what he had planned for their final day. It was quiet as they packed up the campsite and did warm ups. Zulu could tell they were not too confident after their rude awakening that morning and lined them up to address them.
"So, does anyone have an idea about what happened last night?" Zulu asked them. His tone was firm but not condescending.
"You managed to sneak into our camp." Tails replied glumly. Zulu nodded.
"You're half right, I managed to sneak into your camp." He gave them all a glance. "I also killed all of you." He added. "This is not anyone's fault however. Rogue may have been on guard when I attacked, but I watched each one of you take your shift. It was a failure as a team. You know how I got into your camp? I crawled, on my fingers and toes, for four hours, from that side of the clearing over there, to here where you were camped." Zulu pointed over to where he had crawled into the clearing, about 60 yards away. "Let this be a lesson. There will be times when your opponent has multiple options about when and where to attack you. Sometimes, the choice that makes more sense, in this case approaching you from the woods, isn't the one they will go with, and you must be on your guard for anything. If any of you had really expected that I would crawl to you in the open, then you probably would have caught me or maybe been a bit more suspicious."
"I turned back to check the campsite just before you attacked me though." Rogue said. "I felt something a bit off, where were you?"
"Like I said." Zulu chuckled. "You didn't expect me to be in your campsite, so you didn't really look at your campsite. Your own logic told you that there was no way I'd be hiding in the middle of your campsite because you'd see me, so you didn't really scrutinize what was in front of you. I rested beside your fire pit to obscure myself as much as I could. You weren't looking for a shadow on the ground, you were looking for a tall man creeping up on you."
"How did you move without her hearing you though?" Blaze asked. "Rogue has some of the best ears, if not the best."
"Some of you are loud sleepers." Zulu looked pointedly at Knuckles. "I came from this direction so any noise I made would be masked by everyone's breathing or snoring. If I came from the woods, any noises I made would have stuck out. As to specifically how I did it, back where I'm from many techniques have been used over the span of time with which to move silently. There is apparently a method used by a group of people known as ninjas where they step onto their hands instead of the ground. My method was just simple patience really. Don't be discouraged. I use every little thing to my advantage. You must be able to see the things that don't really seem to matter and make them into a successful plan. Noise, positioning, timing, and routine are key elements to developing a plan."
"I see." Tails said thoughtfully. "So what is the plan for today?"
"Yeah, let's get to the fighting." Knuckles added eagerly.
"Today we are getting serious." Zulu said. "Last night, after you went to sleep I went off to Eggman's base, which isn't too far from here, and left him a little note." Zulu then removed Eggman's glasses from his bag and held them up for the animals to see. "The note pretty much said that I have these and he is to come here and get them back, and to bring as many robots as possible, because he will need them." Zulu smirked. "Nothing like a little jab at his ego to get him to bring the heat. Our objective is to survive and escape."
"That's it? You're final test is Eggman?" Knuckles asked.
"We beat Eggman all the time." Amy added.
"That may be, but I really pissed the man off." Zulu said. "He's not going to be the same as when you normally fight him. Your mental state of mind drastically affects how you will fight. He will be much more dangerous this time around."
"I see your point, but against all of us, and you, there is no chance for him to win." Tails replied.
"You guys are missing a vital piece." Zulu said seriously. "We are fighting robots."
"Yeah? What's your point?" Rogue asked. "We can handle robots easily."
"Exactly, you can, I can't." Zulu said. Tails eyes widened as he understood the problem.
"Guys, Zulu may be extremely strong, fast, and durable, but he isn't like us."
"The "softer tissues" of my body wouldn't hold up to beating up robots, and I doubt I'm able to really damage them as effectively as you guys. I'm going to need some better body armor when we get back Tails."
"So what are you going to do then, watch?" Blaze asked.
"I still have some ammo, and I can certainly distract them, but I'm not going to be offensively useful when I run out." Zulu shrugged. Suddenly, the perimeter of the clearing seemed to come alive with rustling and Eggman swooped over the trees and slowed to a hover above them.
"Which one of you…you…imbeciles did this?!" Eggman yelled, holding up Zulu's note in his hand.
"Wow, I didn't think you'd be able to read it without these." Zulu teased, waving the glasses above his head.
"You! You did it!?" Eggman exclaimed, slamming his fist down onto the control panel of his hovercraft. "Get them! Kill them all!" He screamed, pointing a finger at the group. Robots began surging into the clearing. Zulu drew his handgun and cocked the slide.
"Let the final training begin." He muttered. Blaze and Rogue exchanged nods. Rogue grabbed Blaze and flew up into the air, where they began to rain down fire from the sky. Tails hovered up and went for Eggman while Amy, Knuckles, and Zulu stared down the wave of metal heading their way. Zulu opened fire, targeting joints like the shoulders and knees, his large caliber bullets punching through the weak spots and crippling the robots as they charged.
Amy and Knuckles braced themselves as the wall of steel got nearer. Amy raised her hammer and swung as the first robot came in range, smashing it back into the others. She kept her hammer moving however, fluidly transitioning into a second swing and taking out two more. She now understood what her packet had said about maintaining momentum and keeping her hammer moving. She felt like she was dancing. Knuckles was also beginning to enjoy himself. He felt like he was being much more efficient at fighting, using counters to block one robot and attack another, instead of just taking them down one at a time.
Zulu was in a bad way. He was out of ammo and was narrowly avoiding the metal arms and legs of the robots that had surrounded him, his size making it even harder. He did his best to keep them back, pushing and shoving them away with his feet, but slowly they closed in on him. He would occasionally glace up to see Rogue and Blaze strafe and rain down fire on the metal tide, the extreme heat of Blaze's inferno melting the inner electronics of the robots and disabling them. The sight reminded him of a napalm strike. Suddenly, a cry of rage caught his attention and he saw Tails forcibly eject Eggman from his hovercraft, using the technique he had taught the fox, and knew this was their moment to pull out.
"Tails!" Zulu barked. "On me, on me!" He yelled, rallying the fox to him. He kicked back a robot and held up his hand, Tails grabbing it as he swooped by and pulled Zulu up out of reach.
"Drop me on the hovercraft Tails." He ordered. "Amy, Knuckles, hovercraft now!" Tails dropped him onto the craft as Amy and Knuckles fought their way below it. Tails grabbed them both and hauled them up with considerable effort to the craft and dropped them in with Zulu. Tails joined them and took control of the craft, being the only one who knew how to operate it, and piloted it up into the sky.
"Get back here! You little…" Eggman's voice faded away as the group flew over the woods, joined by Rogue and Blaze.
"Great job guys! Well done!" Zulu said proudly.
"Wew! I'm exhausted." Knuckles sighed.
"You good Rogue?" Blaze asked, still being carried by Rogue.
"I'm good hun, I'll make it back." Rogue replied, fatigued but still determined to carry Blaze around until Zulu said training was over.
"That was much easier than you made it sound Zulu." Amy said with a smile.
"Well Tails did a great job of keeping Eggman preoccupied. That kept whatever weaponry this thing has off of us. Don't sell yourselves short though, it only seemed easy because of how well you guys complement each other as a team." Zulu replied. "You all have surpassed my expectations, but it only gets harder from here, so be ready at a moment's notice." They all gave him determined nods.
They discreetly parked Eggman's hovercraft in the hangar and were met with quite the sight. Sonic dashed out, or rather stumbled out, of the house wearing Rogue's boots, a paper heart on his chest, and a torn apart umbrella on his back. Following him was a very angry Shadow, dressed in a large red hoodie with what appeared to be fake dread locks on the hood, which he had over his head.
"Where did you hide my shoes you bastard!" Shadow yelled, fuming as he pursued Sonic into the hangar. He stopped upon seeing everyone gathered there. "Oh dear lord why now?" He grumbled. Sonic, momentarily forgetting what he was wearing, cheerfully greeted the group.
"Hey guys you're back! How was the training?" It was silent for a few seconds as everyone processed the sight before them. Before any questions could be asked, things got more confusing, as Silver entered the hangar, glancing down at the fake fox tails he was wearing and not noticing the group.
"Hey guys, these tails don't really blend well with me, I think I'd be more convincing as Rogue." He said.
"Oh would you now?" Blaze asked, getting his attention.
"B-Blaze? Y-You're b-back!" Silver stammered, turning red and pulling off the tails.
"Shadow, please don't tell me…" Knuckles sighed.
"It was the faker's idea!" Shadow retorted. "He decided copying me wasn't enough and made these stupid costumes for us. I'm only wearing this because he stole my shoes." There was an audible camera shutter noise and Rogue snickered, pocketing her phone.
"Oh this will be useful blackmail material." She smirked. "What do you think Amy?" Amy returned her glance with a smile and Sonic's cheerful demeanor dropped upon seeing the mischievous exchange. Shadow pulled off the hoodie and threw it aside.
"Whatever." He growled. "You guys are back so playtime is over. How did it go?" He directed his question at Zulu, who was trying his best to maintain a serious look on his face.
"It was successful. We now have quite the strike team. I am very confident with our current situation now. We have a team for long term engagements as well as a team for quick in-and-out assignments and disruption."
"Good, by the way, the rat disappeared." Shadow added.
"Alright, I'll head over to Vanilla's and see what happened, besides, it's about time I head out to get Cream from school." Zulu headed inside and called Victor, informing him briefly that the training went well and telling him to meet him at the school. He headed out, giving everyone a wave as he left. They were all bickering over Sonic's disguises and he couldn't help but smile.
He arrived at the school a little late, and saw Victor was already there with Cream. He gave Victor a wave while Cream sprinted over to him and leaped into his arms.
"My goodness." Zulu chuckled. "You'd think I was gone a month!" He hugged her in his arms and she kissed his cheek and giggled.
"It felt like it, so much happened! That rude rat called Uncle Victor names all the time, and was mean to momma!" Cream pouted.
"Called Uncle Victor and momma names huh?" Zulu said, emphasizing uncle and cocking an eyebrow at the big man, who looked surprised and shrugged dismissively, but Zulu caught a shred of pink on the man's face. "Well let's get you back home Cream."
As they walked back Zulu told Cream about the battle with Eggman earlier that morning. They arrived back at the house and Zulu checked in with Emily and Alan. Emily caught him up on all that had happened involving the rat and the attempted killing. Zulu was happy to see Alan was up and moving now and told him to watch over the house until he and Victor returned later on. He grabbed Victor and they departed, assuring Cream they would be back tonight.
"So where are we heading?" Victor asked.
"Over to Tails' place." Zulu replied. "I want to get a status update on the portal he's rigging up."
"Ah, why do I get the feeling there's more you're not saying?" Victor pressed. Zulu was quiet for a moment before replying.
"G.U.N. has a portal, which means they have been able to get to our dimension. We are aware they have, since they provided the combat drugs for our program. My worry is, have they visited in secret since then? If not, why not? If so, what are they doing on Earth?"
"Well sir, I think Jarving and Hitoshi left a lot unsaid. I would like to get their full explanations about everything involved with their portal testing, and the program we were in."
"Agreed, which means at least one of us, although I'd prefer both, will have to go back and figure out what is going on and why. I have a couple small theories, but there are plenty of unknowns."
"Hit me Zulu."
"Well, my first theory is that Jarving's CO wanted political leverage, and commissioned our program so he would have something to threaten others with. The portal discovery was just a coincidence and a deal was made for some combat drugs that were being developed. My other theory is that Jarving's CO is actually from G.U.N. and went to Earth in search of a way to create super soldiers. I'm missing a lot of key reasons and stuff but I think that the latter is true."
"Well, let's hope Tails can finish up that portal here soon." Victor stopped walking for a moment. "Hey Zulu, why don't we have a car?"
"What?" Zulu replied, caught off guard by the question.
"Sir, I do like hoofing it everywhere and all, but it would be much more efficient to get a vehicle." Zulu rubbed a hand along the stubble on his jaw as he thought about it. A car would help them blend in more.
"We have no money, and I'm not going to borrow any, so what do you suggest? Stealing one?" Zulu asked.
"Your future wife wouldn't be happy about that." Victor smirked. Zulu growled and made a rude gesture, causing Victor to laugh. "You're cute when you're annoyed." The big man teased. Zulu's eyes narrowed into slivers, giving Victor a glare that would make any lesser man back down. Victor crossed his arms and looked around at the different cars parked on the street. "Well I don't really want to steal one either, but there are a few cars around here, might as well look and see what they are like." Zulu gave a him a nod and they peeked into various car windows as they went, noting car brands and interior designs.
Zulu and Victor arrived at Tails' place arguing over their favorite brands, Victor having decided that a car manufacturer called "Guamo" was the most suitable for what they were looking for while Zulu believed "Mach" was the best option. They went inside heatedly debating their points about why they thought their choice was the best.
"Victor, Guamo models looked like plastic, fragile fishbowls. You couldn't conceal anything inside them and they would get totaled in a collision with an empty parking spot!" Zulu exclaimed. The outburst drew everyone's attention and the animals decided to stay silent and watch the two argue, highly amused at how animated they were being.
"Well pardon my big ass for needing room!" Victor shot back. "Visibility is what we need, as well as something cheap! Those Mach cars looked like lunch boxes on wheels! You'd need a sunroof and a periscope to see anything out of them!"
"At least we would be safe in a Mach! Honestly, our augmentations could hold up to more than those Guamos could!" Zulu cried. "Plus, Machs are compact, and much more sleek and attractive than those bulbous, cancerous tumors of the road!" Zulu paused for a moment and glared over at Victor. "You were a James May fan weren't you?" He asked suspiciously.
"Oh really?" Victor retorted. "We are going there now?" Before they could argue any further, Tails emerged from his lab and entered the living room where everyone was gathered, watching the two grown men argue.
"Hey guys!" Tails greeted them. "Didn't know you were stopping by, what's going on out here?"
"Oh nothing, just a discussion of whether sensible refinement is better than vulgar brutality." Victor replied coolly. Tails glanced at the others who just shook their heads and shrugged. Zulu gave Victor another rude gesture and turned to Tails.
"Well, we came here to ask about how you're doing on that portal." Zulu said. "Also, I was reminded by seeing a certain coffin on wheels that I wanted to ask you about maybe fixing up Victor and I some better armor." Victor shot Zulu a glare.
"Well, progress for the portal is going slow so far, but that's to be expected. Once I figure out how it works it'll be a quick assembly process. As for armor, I've never made any before, but I can give it a shot."
"Awesome." Zulu said with a smile. "Thanks Tails. Alright, there's a little bunny that needs homework help so I'll see you guys tomorrow." Zulu and Victor departed as it was getting dark and had a uneventful walk back to Cream's house, save for a renewed dispute that started up again after passing a Guamo Ecta, which sported a massive dent in the front bumper.
"Must have been a gust of wind." Zulu commented.
"Oh for God's sake." Victor groaned.
They arrived back at Cream and Vanilla's, ceasing their argument as they stepped up to the door, not wanting to be scolded by Vanilla for any profanity slips. Before they went inside Zulu grabbed Victor's shoulder and gave him a wink. Victor gave him a sly nod and they silently went inside. Emily was at the dinner table with Cream, helping with homework, Alan was sitting in Victor's corner, and the smell of food wafted from the kitchen. Zulu held a finger up to his mouth and pointed at the kitchen. Cream giggled and kept quiet. Zulu crept over and slowly entered the kitchen. Emily watched him walk by, not exactly sure what he was doing and gave Victor a questioning look, eliciting only a smirk in reply.
Zulu focused hard. He calculated he was about ten feet from Vanilla. Her back was to him and she seemed unaware of his presence. Silently, he slowly began approaching her. He moved like a ghost, using all his training to keep his movement quiet. He stayed crouched so his shadow wouldn't alert her to him. He stepped up behind her, watching her ears for any sign she had heard him, but there wasn't a twitch. Crouching as he was, he was roughly her height and a sly smirk tugged at his mouth. Slowly he reached toward her and in a swift movement, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her too him.
The sound of a loud gasp and a squeal came from the kitchen, followed by laughing.
"Goodness Zulu! What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?" Vanilla cried. Cream had her hands pressed over her mouth to keep from laughing while Victor did his best not to snort. There was another gasp. "Excuse me!" Vanilla cried again, sounding flustered. She emerged from the kitchen blushing hard and smoothing down the back of her dress. "You insufferable man!"
"That's me." Zulu snickered, walking out of the kitchen with a devilish look on his face. Emily glanced between the two looking confused and slightly concerned. Alan ignored the exchange, giving a slightly irritated sigh at all the noise. Cream was shaking with muffled laughter and Victor was grinning ear to ear as he watched the two.
"I'm disappointed, I thought you would be above such things." Vanilla scolded.
"Oh please." Zulu scoffed. "You enjoyed it." He replied. Vanilla blushed a deeper shade of red and Emily had a bit of color touch her face as well, having now gotten some idea about what was going on. Cream still laughed, innocently thinking this was still about Zulu sneaking up on her.
"Ok you two." Victor interrupted before it could escalate any further. "I'm hungry, so let's get some dinner going alright?" Zulu gave him a nod and headed back into the kitchen.
"I'll set the table, you guys wanna clear it off?" He asked, the sharp clattering of plates and the dull reverberating sounds of cabinets closing echoing from the kitchen.
"Sure." Victor replied, assisting Emily and Cream with moving her homework off the table. Vanilla cautiously followed Zulu into the kitchen, suspicious of what he would do to her next. She stood beside him and started getting the food ready to bring out to the dining room. Vanilla glanced up at Zulu nervously. After he had flipped up the back of her dress earlier she wasn't sure what he was up to. He noticed her look and smiled. It was a handsome, gentle smile that showed no hidden mischievous plots behind it. He turned and took the load of plates and silverware he was carrying to the dining room, whispering a comment only she could hear as he left the kitchen.
"Pink huh? Looks good on you." She turned around, beet red, ready to scold him, but he had left. She faced the counter again and let a small smile grace her face.
They all sat at the table eating stew and salad. Zulu, Alan, and Victor sat on one side of the table across from Vanilla, Emily, and Cream. Zulu and Victor were talking to Alan and asking him questions about what he did in G.U.N., as well as telling him what they had done. Alan told his full account of the Black Arms conflict, receiving much praise from the two men sitting on either side of him, as well as heartfelt sympathies from Vanilla and Emily, who had both heard about the subway station stand.
"So what about you two?" Alan asked. "I bet a couple of grizzled men like you have some good stories." He gave both Zulu and Victor an expectant look.
"Well, the thing is, we haven't even shared our stories with each other." Zulu replied, scratching the back of his head nervously. "If you wanna know though, I'll share with you." He gave Victor a nervous glance, knowing that this could go very badly. "So there was a war that started 16 or so years ago." He began, everyone's attention focused on him. "It was a worldwide conflict that lasted for 6 years, between two main factions across all countries." Zulu explained how the war started and how the Nationalists and Internationalists formed.
"So, essentially the Nationalists valued self-preservation, while Internationalists valued unity." Alan clarified.
"Pretty much, although, I'm sure you're well aware, it was a much more complicated situation than that." Zulu replied. He paused for a moment, knowing this next statement would make or break the mood at the table. He gave Victor a long look and could feel the tension coming from the big man and knew that everyone else could probably feel it as well. "Victor, I was an Internationalist." He said, tensing up. Alan instantly became aware of what might happen and scooted back from the table. Victor slowly turned to look and Zulu and his shoulders relaxed as he let out a sigh.
"I to, was an Internationalist." Victor gave Zulu a smile and a nod, but in his eyes, there was only sadness and shame. "I was away at college when the war started. I returned home to find out that Nationalists had killed my parents and both of my little sisters." He said solemnly. "I went mad, and throughout the war slaughtered many Nationalists, be they men, women, or children." Victor was visibly shaking now and stood up from his seat. "Please, excuse me." He headed for the front door and went outside.
"I'm sorry." Alan said, scooting his chair back up to the table. "I shouldn't have asked."
"Don't be sorry Alan." Zulu replied. "During that war many atrocities were committed, on both sides I'm sure. I was part of a small militia in a town that offered a safe haven for refugees and kept those in need safe from Nationalists. Our town was attacked many times and we had numerous stand offs with Nationalist groups. I became known as the "Siegebreaker" since I always killed whoever was the leader in a single shot and broke their morale. Killing is killing. No matter who you kill, it's still a life lost."
"But, killing women and children." Emily said quietly.
"You don't think he knows that?!" Zulu snapped, causing everyone to jump. "Did you see a man who was proud of what he did?!" He took a long deep breath and left the table, heading outside as well.
"How's Cream?" Emily asked gently, looking over at the little bunny who had crawled over into Vanilla's lap during Zulu's outburst.
"Sweetheart?" Vanilla said softly, stroking her daughter's hair. Cream looked up at her with big watery eyes and glanced at Emily and Alan.
"Uncle Victor and Zulu aren't bad right?" She asked, sounding on the verge of tears. "I don't want them to be bad."
"Cream." Alan started. "War is a terrible thing. It is full of trauma, suffering, and pain to all those involved. War can make even the greatest of men do the worst things. I'm sure both Zulu and Victor have told you that they have done bad things. In my opinion I'm a bit relieved that killing is their only crime. There are much worse things you can do to people than kill them. You'll understand in time what I mean."
"They haven't changed from the men you know Cream." Vanilla said. "That was the past, and you know as well as I that they are good at heart." Emily nodded in agreement. Cream smiled and hopped down from Vanilla's lap and went to the front door where she quietly slipped outside.
Victor was sitting on the front steps of the house with his head in his hands. Zulu stood beside him quietly. He had given his teammate a pat on the shoulder when he had stepped outside to let him know he was there and waited silently for the big man to compose himself. Suddenly Zulu heard the door open quietly and peeked over his shoulder to see Cream slip outside. Slowly, Cream walked over to where Victor was sitting and tugged on his arm. Victor didn't respond, so Cream wormed her way into his lap.
"Uncle Victor?" She asked softly. Zulu watched with a smile, knowing not even Victor could hold up against Cream's adorable, caring, innocent nature. There was an audible sigh from Victor as he dropped his arms down to his sides and finally acknowledged the bunny before him.
"Yes Cream?" He responded, his voice hollow and sad.
"I'm sorry about your family." She said quietly. "I would have loved to meet your sisters." She continued. "You're my uncle now, and you always will be. My uncle isn't bad at all, if he was then momma wouldn't let him be my uncle." She finished and did her best to hug the big man.
"Cream…I…thank you." Victor shakily replied and gently engulfed Cream in a hug. Zulu noticed silvery streaks appear on Victor's face and he took his leave, heading back inside. He stepped into the dining room and was met with curious eyes.
"Vanilla, you sure have quite the amazing daughter." He smiled. Emily stepped up to him and bowed her head slightly.
"I'm sorry for showing my doubt earlier. I know both of you are good men." She said. Zulu put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry about it, I know you don't know us too well." He replied.
"You're right, but I know Cream adores both of you, and you have the respect of everyone here, so there's no reason for me to doubt either of you."
"I appreciate it." Zulu gave her a nod and looked over at Alan, who gave him an informal salute. He returned the gesture and walked over to the couch, passing by Vanilla and giving her a smile. She watched him lay down on the couch and could tell he was upset about what had happened, even though he hid it well. The front door opened as Victor entered the house with Cream perched on his shoulder. He gently set her down and gave everyone a rare smile. Cream ran over and leapt onto the couch, nuzzling up to Zulu and yawning.
"Looks like it's time for bed Cream." Vanilla said, taking notice of Cream's drooping eyelids. Zulu slowly sat up and cradled her in his right arm as he made his way up to her room. Vanilla followed them up as Alan and Emily made their way to the guest bedroom they were staying in. Victor took his place in the corner and nodded off.
Zulu gently tucked Cream into bed after finishing a fairy tale. He gave her a smile and got up off the bed when she stopped him.
"Hey Zulu?" She asked. Her voice was an adorable, sleepy mumble.
"Yes?" He replied softly.
"Will you be my daddy? I want you to be my daddy." He was taken off guard and felt blood rush to his face.
"You want me to be your dad?" He asked. His heart was racing with joy, excitement, and fear. Was he really worthy of such a role? Could he really be a good father?
"I've never wanted anything more in my life than a daddy and you're the one I want." She mumbled again. Zulu felt his eyes burn and his vision blurred up.
"There is no daughter I'd rather have than you Cream." He replied, leaning down and kissing her tenderly on the forehead. "Sweet dreams my baby girl." He walked over to the door where Vanilla was waiting, tears shining on her cheeks. He shut off the lights and quietly closed the door before looking down at Vanilla. He knelt down and wiped the tears from her face. Vanilla embraced him tightly, neither spoke a word, for there was nothing to say.
Erik paced back and forth outside of an interrogation room at Raeger's Tokyo HQ with Niko and a couple of his operatives. He had been interrogating Hitoshi since they had stormed his lab in the aftermath of an E.M.P. and taken everyone there into custody. Due to the circumstances, Niko had been briefed about what was going on and was now aware of the portal's significance. The portal had been seized and moved to Niko's building where the team that had investigated the first portal was now getting it up and running.
"I don't think he is going to talk." Erik said, finally sitting at the table in the room and looking at Hitoshi through the one-way mirror. He grabbed a mug of coffee and took a long sip. Niko nodded his head to his operatives, excusing them from the room, before responding.
"I agree, but it's not like we really need him too." Niko replied. "We have the portal, a team that can get it working, and all of Hitoshi's research. He isn't needed."
"Mine and Raeger's thoughts exactly." Erik responded. He stood up and went to the door leading to the room Hitoshi was in. Niko watched with a blank expression as Erik stepped into the room and drew his handgun. Hitoshi raised his arms and started to protest but Erik raised the gun in a quick movement and fired a bullet into Hitoshi's head. Blood splattered onto the back wall and Hitoshi's body slumped out of the chair and onto the floor. Erik sighed and holstered his gun as he re-entered the room Niko was sitting in.
"Raeger wants it all under wraps. I'm sure you know what to do." Erik said, sitting back down at the table. Niko got up and headed to the door. He opened it and let his two operatives back inside. He motioned to the interrogation room.
"One of you, clean that up, the other can go give Hitoshi's team the same treatment." Both men nodded and left the room, one returning shortly after with a body bag. Niko and Erik left the room and walked down the hall to Niko's office, where they could discuss their next strategy. They entered the office and sat at Niko's desk. Niko dialed a number on his phone and set it to speaker.
"Yes?" A gruff voice answered.
"It's Niko and Erik." Niko replied. "We got nothing from Hitoshi and his team, so they have been eliminated."
"We are wondering which course of action you'd like to proceed with." Erik said.
"When Hitoshi first used the portal, his guinea pig said that the place he had transported to also had a portal, correct?" Raeger asked. Niko quickly typed on his keyboard and pulled up Hitoshi's portal research files.
"Correct." Niko answered, quickly scanning through the reports. "They seemed to be a military establishment and had a portal of their own."
"Anything on Jarving's boss?" Raeger asked. Niko searched through the files for a bit before replying.
"None, seems Jarving's CO made sure to have Hitoshi keep everything involving him off the record." Niko finally replied.
"Hmph, no matter." Raeger growled. "Alright, for now keep working on that portal development. We need to be able to transport more than one man at a time. Keep this quiet, understand?"
"Yes sir!" Niko and Erik replied.
Raeger hung up the phone and sighed with anticipation. A whole other realm, unknown to everyone but him and a few of his most trusted men. The possibilities were endless with how he could manipulate this situation. To get where he wanted he would have to instigate a war. He already had the means for it. He was aware now that Jarving's CO was actually from the other dimension. He had personally investigated the man and while he had crafted quite a background for himself, there were definite holes, holes only someone who was suspicious would be able to pick up on.
Raeger's plan was to go to the council and share Hitoshi's account of the dimension they had discovered. He would modify it of course so it would seem like the meeting had resulted badly. Then he would say that they sent someone over here to spy on them and start developing augmented super soldiers to try and overthrow the I.A. and send over a massive army via portal. With this the council would have to let him take charge since he would have all the information. His problem was that Jarving and his team were still alive to counter him and point out all of his lies if he showed his hand. His other problem was that two of those super soldiers were alive and in the other dimension. They could easily come forward with the truth and organize negotiations.
Raeger pondered over all these developments and problems and sighed. This power grab had become so complicated. Originally he had wanted to implicate Jarving and his CO of trying to start a private army. He would have gained favor in the council as well as getting access to Jarving's research program to make his own super soldiers.
"Ugh." He groaned to himself. He had to at least eliminate Jarving and his team before he made a move. Then he could go to the council with his fake warning about an incoming invasion from another dimension without being called out. He settled with that for now and grabbed his phone.
"Raeger." An arrogant voice answered. "It's rare thing when you call."
"Well, in these times it's unfortunate that your services are rarely needed." Raeger replied. "I need your expertise." The voice on the other end chuckled grimly.
"Who do you want dead?"
"His name is Jarving, I'll send you the information. I want him and his team gone."
"Consider them dead." The call ended abruptly. Raeger smirked to himself and hung up the phone.
