Then...
The city was in complete chaos. The Badnik had arrived suddenly and chaotically. There was no fanfare or charlatanry from their creator, they just started the destruction and people had to start fleeing.
A Super-Badnik was near a residential building where a mother and daughter had not yet been able to leave. The little girl was desperately looking for her friend Wisp Magenta, her most faithful companion. But just as the girl was very fearful, in that moment of crisis the little creature succumbed to panic and hid somewhere unknown to the girl. The mother, for her part, tried by any means possible to convince the little girl to escape, but no matter how hard she begged, the girl would not give in, she could not leave her friend Wisp behind.
The Super-Badnik shook the building with every step it took, one small earthquake after another. When the girl could recognize a familiar shape under the living room furniture, the Super-Badnik was preparing to deliver a withering blow that would surely collapse half the building, burying the little family. When at last the girl could hold the Wisp in her hands, the robot's fist was already breaking through the concrete and heading in her direction...
A split second was enough, when the girl finished her blink, she, her mother and her friend Wisp were safe in the parking lot of the building.
"Are you all right?" asked the strange blue hedgehog that accompanied them.
When the girl blinked again, she realized who it was, but it was too late to thank him, because just as he arrived, he vanished, leaving only dust and a few grateful souls. Almost at the same time that this happened, a plane flew over the family, attacking the giant robot that was destroying what was left of the building. At one point the plane spun into the sky and then swooped down while firing. Two trails, one red and the other pink, fell from the vehicle at great speed until they hit the robot's head, stunning it so that the blue trail that ran around it caused it to lose its balance and fall, being destroyed by its own weight.
All the people present celebrated the victory, they had witnessed a true heroic act. The red and pink trails returned to the plane, being accompanied at the end by the blue trail, which, according to the girl who swears she saw very clearly, turned to say goodbye.
Now...
Despite everything that had happened... the sunrise was still beautiful. Cream remembered how before "The Union" she begged her mother to watch the sunrise together. They would both finish their homework early so they could go to sleep as soon as possible and wake up before the end of the morning. Their home then was on a hill near the eastern shore of West Side Island, so they had a perfect view of the spectacle of the sun rising from the golden ocean, imbuing everything its light touched with new life.
Now the view was very different, they had left that hill several years ago, their new home no longer enjoyed such a good view, but the young rabbit managed to enjoy the sunshine. She would wake up long before the roosters crowed, dress in The Academy's uniform and run as fast as she could to the border area to climb to her favorite spot at the top of the Meta-Sequoias, those impossibly huge and almost indestructible trees that serve as a natural barrier to Oak Shire, the capital of the Kingdom of Acorn, her new home.
Years of practice made it easier and easier for her to climb, and she was able to reach the summit with several minutes of advantage, which gave her time to reflect, remember her past... and her lost friends.
Yes, the dawn of this new world was still beautiful. Perhaps there was no longer a sea from which the sun could emerge, but the desert had its own charm. Cream had learned to love it, to accept it for what it is: her new reality. The sun was peeking over the horizon and she could see the arid dust levitate in a mystical way, the light tinged everything it touched with vivid and warm colors, little by little the contrast between the still green of the capital and the arid of the rest of the territory became clearer, so fascinating and sad at the same time.
"Chao..." exclaimed Chocola, who rested with a melancholy look on the young rabbit's shoulder.
"I'd like Mommy to join us too, Chocola. But she's too busy," replied Cream, imitating the little Chao, losing her gaze on the horizon.
"Chao chao chao cha," said Cheese, who was resting on Cream's lap.
"I don't know if she even has days off, I should ask her...when I can see her."
"Chao cha chao chao?" asked Chocola.
"I doubt he knows anything...and being frank, I'm not in the mood to talk to him."
A melody began to play at the same time as a buzzing sound was emitted from Cream's back pants pocket. She pulled out a small cell phone, saw the caller's name and rolled her eyes.
"Speak of the devil..." she exclaimed in a whisper before answering.
"Where are you! I found your bedroom window open!" a raspy, husky male voice came out of the device's speaker.
"You broke into my room, Vector? What about my privacy?".
"You'll have all the privacy you want when you get home, eat your breakfast and get ready to go to The Academy! You know if you don't show up you'll get you and Vanilla in trouble-".
"Yes, yes, I know, she moved heaven and earth to get me in ... Even though I didn't ask her to."
"What did you say, Miss? Never mind, I heard you anyway! Go back to the house immediately before you get yourself into a big jam!".
Cream hung up and gave a sigh of exasperation. She stared at the horizon, the sun was now fully risen and was illuminating the entire kingdom. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, a calming technique she had picked up long ago, though she couldn't remember exactly who had taught her. Her memories had become chaotic in recent years, which was why she frequented the sunrise, so she could remember well, or at least not forget, as the others seemed to have done.
Then she stood up, leaped into the void and, stretching out his long ears, glided until she reached the ground in order to start running.
The smell of bacon and fried eggs permeated the home, an unusual occurrence only reserved for special moments. When Cream entered the kitchen she found a huge crocodile with headphones playing loud music wearing a pink apron, a somewhat ridiculous but usual image for her. Discreetly the young rabbit approached the table, her plan was to take the food and escape immediately, but the Chaos that accompanied her had another plan in mind, as they couldn't stand the hunger and dived head first on the food, making a big fuss that alerted the big lizard.
"Hm? Aha! I saw you! No eating in the room! Sit down and eat!" the crocodile said before going back to washing dishes.
Cream gave a murderous look at the Chaos, and while Chocola did look a little embarrassed at his actions, Cheese was too busy devouring the food. Cream took a seat and served herself, as the smell of the food hit her closer, her stomach took on a life of its own and began to demand food. After taking the first few bites the Rabbit's bad mood began to fade, then the guilt over the bad attitude she had towards Vector began to nag at the deepest part of her conscience.
"Vector...," Cream began to say as she ate. "I'm sorry-".
"Don't talk while you eat," interrupted the crocodile . "And don't say anything you don't really mean, I've told you that several times."
Cream swallowed hard. That small part of her more polite and sensitive past self was berating her for her attitude, while her present self cared very little whether her attitude was good or not. The internal debate made her head hurt, so she resolved not to make a big deal out of it.
"What's the occasion?" asked Cream to change the conversation. "Eggs and bacon are scarce and to be treasured, you repeat that a lot too."
"Your notes from The Academy came in," Vector replied as, with a slight nod of his head, he pointed to the papers on the table.
Cream wiped her hands, picked up the papers and went through them with a slight nervousness. Everything was full of A's.
"You may not want to be in The Academy, but you work just as hard as someone who does want to be there with all their might."
"Can you call not actually trying hard work?" asked Cream putting the papers back in their place. "I don't remember doing anything different from the others."
"You're a natural, that still has its merit. Maybe you were nicer before, but now you are becoming an exceptional warrior. In the future you might even make Commander," Vector concluded before giving a chuckle.
"Future...," Cream whispered to herself skeptically.
"Yeah, that's what you won't get if you just stare into the void and don't get out of here!", exclaimed the crocodile while throwing soapy water at the rabbit as a game.
"Okay!" exclaimed Cream getting up from the table as she covered herself from the water. "Cheese, Chocola, see you later," she told the little Chao's. Chocola did follow suit and said goodbye, but Cheese immediately flew off in Cream's direction looking like he wanted to cry.
"Cheese, we talked about this, I can't take you even if I wanted to, I'd get in trouble."
At that precise moment Cream had a fleeting presentiment, less than a fraction of a second, that made her hand move automatically, raising it to the level of her face and thus catching an apple flying in her direction. She had to blink once to realize what she had done, still not out of shock at how refined her reflexes had become in recent years.
"A perfect catch, as always. Don't forget your snack," Vector said as he turned to continue washing the dishes. "And also that you don't have to want to be nice to others if it means not being authentic. Take care of yourself."
"Thank you Vector," Cream replied with a smile as she took a bite of the apple and retreated from the kitchen.
After the Acorn Castle, The Academy was the largest building in the capital and for a good reason, it was the only one that could accommodate all the recruits coming from all over the kingdom. But another thing that made it stand out apart from its immense size was its appearance: a cold reinforced concrete building of brutalist design, hostile to the eye and that gave the impression that it would last for millennia; quite a contrast with the more traditional and friendly designs of the rest of the capital's architecture, this because The Academy was built after The Union.
"Academy" was a somewhat misleading name, since the least there was inside were academics, nor were there any traditional classes, it was a military camp where they prepared the "Freedom Fighters", the Armed Forces of the Kingdom. The Academy was full of young people who attended more for commitment than for pleasure, since being part of any of the defense organs of the Kingdom, be it the Freedom Fighters or the "Diamond Cutters", which are the Royal Police, they were assured a much more dignified life. Cream was there at her mother's request, although she didn't know why, since she didn't have the same need as the others. Since her mother Vanilla took over as Minister of Education, food and comforts were not lacking, despite the current harsh situation and Vector's attachment to the family. Cream could have been part of the Ministry in the future, but her mother insisted that she be part of the Freedom Fighters, and Cream simply could not refuse or protest, so she limited herself to just maintaining an unpleasant attitude to express her discontent.
The mere sight of the Academy, the one she had before setting foot inside, filled Cream with a deep sadness that did not dissipate until the end of the instruction at dusk. She stood for a few seconds looking at the imposing walled building, so dark that it seemed to swallow the sunlight, and before taking the first step inside, she heard someone to her right:
"You're late," A husky male voice, with a menacing air, came from within the shadow cast by the front wall.
Cream stood still for a few seconds, when she was able to snap out of her astonishment, she pulled out her phone and checked the time.
"By two minutes, and I'm the first one here" she replied a bit exasperated.
"It's still late."
"Can't a recruit of exceptional performance enjoy some privileges...?".
"Quite the contrary," the voice exclaimed categorically, footsteps on the gravel began to sound, leisurely and determined. "Whoever stands out the most is demanded the most."
"What an incentive! It already makes me want to stand out more and be required to be an hour early, or even a day," Cream replied even more vehemently. "What if I stopped trying to stand out? could I be later, could I even skip whole days?".
"You can be as late as you like, Miss Rabbit...," from the shadow emerged a jet-dark hedgehog, hands behind his back and a meditative gait. His crimson gaze was stern and penetrating. He was attired in a Military uniform that just by looking at him out of the corner of your eye you knew, even if you knew nothing of the military, that he was of a very high rank, perhaps the highest of all. "But it will still be late. And being late always brings its consequences."
Cream swallowed saliva and stiffened. She took a firm soldier's stance, looked away, took a deep breath and replied:
"Sir, I'm sorry I was late, Commander Shadow, sir!".
There was a long silence, in the distance a bustle of people talking in unison could be heard approaching, the other recruits. Then Shadow sighed and placed his hand on Cream's back.
"At ease, Cream. And the double 'sir' is unnecessary."
"Sir, yes Sir... ah, Commander."
Shadow gave a snort, something had given him a laugh. He gave a light slap to Cream's back and began to walk away.
"Ah... Mr. Coman-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Shadow had already turned to look at her. Cream tensed up again.
"Permission to speak, s-!"
"Talk, Cream," interrupted the commander.
"Uh... Is there a reason for your visit to The Academy...?"
Still another silence, the voices of strangers were approaching. At no time did Shadow avert his piercing gaze from the rabbit, until at last he answered:
"Times are getting... complicated, we have to be prepared."
And after that Shadow continued on his way. As Cream lost sight of him, she was surrounded by her other companions, immersed in a sea of people and thoughts.
More complicated than now?
In the large conference room all the recruits of The Academy waited expectantly for the lecture for which they had been assembled. The hubbub of incessant gossip was deafening; several recruits had seen Commander Shadow when they arrived, and others claimed to have seen Sergeant Lanolin of the Diamond Cutters arrive later. No one knew for sure the reason for the arrival of the Kingdom's top defense commanders; no advance notice had been given. Even the Academy instructors were puzzled, they could clearly be seen sitting uncomfortably in the chairs at the back of the main stage.
Cream for her part still couldn't get the last thing Commander Shadow said out of her head before she was lost in the crowd. If there was something going on that required the Commander himself to be present, perhaps calling it "complicated" was reductive.
"Are we being invaded?" a voice whispered in Cream's ear.
"What?", Cream immediately turned to see who was speaking to her and found an anxious Charmy Bee, his hair and uniform disheveled, as was his wont.
"I say if we're being invaded," Charmy stressed. "Do you think someone has broken through the outer rim?".
"It's impossible to get through the outer rim," Cream replied flatly. "The wall of meta-sequoias is twice as thick as that of the capital. And even if they managed to break through it, the Diamond Cutters would cut them down in seconds."
"Well, but if both Lanolin and the commander are here, that means none of it has worked, right?".
"If so, we would already be on high alert... or dead."
Suddenly there were two loud stomps that echoed throughout the room, to which the recruits responded with a synchronized stomp that sounded like a roar, then there was absolute silence. After a few seconds, the one who had done the stomping, Sergeant Lanolin, stepped forward toward the podium. She cleared her throat and began to speak:
"I am glad to see how disciplined you are, it makes you reliable and faithful, qualities that are much needed in these times," she gave a short pause to inspect all the recruits. When she was satisfied, she continued, "Loyalty and trust is what we need most for the next generation of Freedom Fighters and Diamond Cutters, to be loyal to the crown and trustworthy to the people. Today may be the day when you will prove yourselves if you are really that reliable and faithful or if you had better leave The Academy immediately".
Another pause. The tension was palpable among the recruits, Cream could see how some of them shifted uncomfortably in their position, struggling not to look at the colleague next to them, holding their ground with difficulty. Although no one wanted to stay, they didn't want to be expelled either.
"As you may have noticed...," Lanolin continued as she pointed to Commander Shadow at her back, "Our Minister of Defense and Commander General Shadow is with us today. He and I have come to brief you on the current security situation of the Kingdom and the role you will be playing from now on."
Lanolin stepped back and nodded her head. At that moment a large screen began to emerge from the ceiling of the stage, and when it stopped, the lights in the room went out and a projector behind the recruits' backs began to beam images onto the screen.
"In the last few weeks we have been suffering serious damage to the supply system. Reiterative and well-organized sabotage and looting, too fleeting to be able to give them a proper response."
The projector showed images of the wrecked supply trucks, engulfed in flames and completely emptied.
"Fortunately, our supply pool is ample, but if we let this perpetuate, we will no longer be so lucky. Furthermore, and this is the most worrying thing, the attacks are being made closer and closer to the kingdom."
The next picture from the projector showed a supply truck engulfed in flames in the middle of the outer rim outpost, but that was not what caught Cream's attention. In one corner of the image, barely noticeable, a fuzzy blur of a strange color seemed to recede into the horizon.
"In addition to being difficult to respond to the attacks, it has also been nearly impossible to correctly identify the perpetrator(s). Because of how well organized the attacks have been, without leaving a trace of their presence, we rule out common scavengers. So far..."
Suddenly Lanolin looked distinctly uncomfortable, as if what she was going to show next was hard for her to believe or admit. The recruits could sense that discomfort and seemed to share it, only Shadow remained unmoved.
"So far, this is the clearest picture we have...".
The projector showed a picture of a blue blur contrasting starkly with the desert sand and the flames of a wrecked supply truck.
None of the recruits could contain their shock and an anxious bustle took over the entire room. The only one who remained silent, looking directly at the image, almost unblinking, was Cream. Shadow then stomped twice, much more loudly and forcefully than Lanolin had earlier, and then the recruits quieted their ruckus and responded with a slightly less determined and synchronized stomp. Shadow moved closer to the edge of the stage, stomped harder again, and this time the recruits did respond forcefully, although the only one who could not respond was Cream, who was absorbed in the image in front of her.
One recruit raised his hand and exclaimed:
"Sir, permission to speak!"
Lanolin turned to look at Shadow, and when she noticed that he wasn't paying attention, she gave the recruit the floor.
"Sir, by the images and the way they act... Wouldn't it be..."
"No," Shadow interrupted flatly, not turning to look at the recruit for a second.
A sepulchral silence took over the room...
"As the Commander said," Lanolin continued, "What you think is... unlikely-",
"Impossible," Shadow corrected.
"Yes... impossible," Lanolin stressed with some resignation. "Our analyses of the facts have concluded that, despite the fact that there are similarities... It must be other agents who are carrying out the attacks, perhaps imitating... The actions of what you are thinking of".
Why does she avoid saying his name, the question echoed inside Cream's head.
Shadow started walking towards the podium. Lanolin got the message and moved to the back of the stage. Shadow stood for a few seconds in silence, visually scanning all the people in front of him. He ran his tongue lightly across his lips and began to speak:
"This is our home, the home of all of us after The Union. Despite countless hardships, we have prevailed, we have grown. The Academy, the Freedom Fighters and the Diamond Cutters exist for the sole purpose of defending our Kingdom, our home. Any act that threatens the integrity of the Kingdom will bring consequences."
Those last words made Cream tense up even more. Although she wasn't entirely sure, she felt that Shadow was looking directly at her and that he was talking to her.
"Whoever is affecting the integrity of our supply system is using privileged and confidential information. There is a rat in our midst."
The recruits panicked again. Two stomps from Shadow and they returned to silence.
"From now on you will be the plague killer of the Kingdom. Your mission will be to keep eyes and ears always on the alert. Any suspicious activity must be reported immediately to the appropriate bodies. No direct confrontations! Subversive agents are merciless against anyone who gets in their way, so no heroes or martyrs. You talk, we act.
Shadow paused to take another clear look at the recruits. They were all visibly nervous, trying to keep their posture and eyes steady, the only one who seemed to remain unmoved was Cream, but Shadow could not discern what was crossing the young rabbit's mind.
"Let us all protect our home together. You may leave now".
The recruits responded with a stomp, did a 180° turn, and row by row retreated in an orderly fashion.
"A rat...," Cream heard Charmy say facetiously behind her. "More like another kind of rodent-".
"Quiet," Cream snapped at him. "Or you'll get in trouble."
