Chapter 37: Defective Detectives
"Kidnapped?" Amy exclaimed.
"Y-yeah…" Cream sniffled as she kept one palm on the floor of the trunk as the car sped down the road, the fabric of the bag inhibiting her movement.
"Are you safe at the moment?" Amy asked as her friends started piling into Cream's bedroom, having heard the concerned gasp from the pink hedgehog.
"I think so," Cream replied. "There's an air hole in this bag at least. Whoever captured me just threw me back here."
"C-chao…" Tears started to well up in Cheese's eyes.
"Can you hand me the phone?" Helen asked, sticking her arm out to Amy.
"Sure," Amy replied. "I'm handing off the phone to Helen. I think she has a plan."
"O-okay…" Cream nodded from within the bag as the pink hedgehog gave the young human her cell phone. She put it on speaker mode.
"Hello, Cream?" Helen asked.
"H-hello…Ms. He-Helen…" Cream struggled to say, tears dripping down her muzzle.
"I'm going to try helping you escape," Helen said. "Okay, so first you need to escape from the bag. Is the opening tide shut?"
"Mmhmm," Cream replied, setting the phone down to try escaping from the opening, but to no avail.
"You mentioned there was an air hole," Helen continued. "Can you stick your fingers inside?"
"Yes, I can do it," she said, trying it out for herself, the two appendages wiggling as she stuck them fully through the hole.
"Okay, now I want you to try tearing the hole," Helen directed. "If the bag is weak enough, you just might be able to stretch the hole enough to escape.
"I'll give it a try, Ms. Helen," Cream replied. Setting the phone down once more, the young rabbit inserted two fingers and began enlarging the circle. The opening was now large enough to insert her hands. "I think it's working!" She gripped both sides of the opening and widened it further until she was nearly freed.
"Great!" Helen cheered, as did the rest of the party, save for Tails, who was busy devising a plan using his wristwatch communicator.
"Sonic," Tails asked.
"Yeah, bud?" Sonic replied, placing his hands on his hips.
"I was able to pinpoint the coordinates of Cream's cell phone."
"Just tell me where, and I'm already there," Sonic replied, throwing air punches in anticipation. The blue hedgehog had been taking it easy since last encounter with Eggman and Chris, so he was, admittedly, excited to save Cream and confront the kidnappers.
"I currently have them at the intersection of Main Street and Station Square Avenue in downtow—"
With a whoosh, the blue hedgehog leapt through the open window, only leaving behind an afterimage and a gust of wind.
"All right, Ms. Helen," Cream said as she pulled herself out of the bag. "What's next?"
"The next step is to find the emergency trunk release," Helen replied. "Use your cell phone light to locate a handle."
"Let's see…" The young bunny shook her cell phone, activating its flashlight. Peering around, she noticed the red handle on the trunk door. "I found it!"
"Chao, chao!" Cheese exclaimed in excitement as they sat on Helen's shoulder.
"This is the emergency trunk release switch," Helen said. "Pull it, and the trunk will open. Try opening it the next time yo—"
"I opened it!" Cream exclaimed. She kicked open the door to find herself on Main Street in the heart of Station Square. "I'm gonna jump out to safety!"
"Be careful!" Amy exclaimed. "Sonic's on the way."
"I will, Ms. Amy," Cream replied. "I will see you all soon." She ended the call, slipped the phone back into her dress, and took a gulp before jumping out, using her ears to flap just enough to avoid crashing into the windshield of the car directly behind the kidnapper's vehicle. Thankfully, the Mobian rabbit safely landed on the roof of the car.
Peering around as she kept herself balanced by swaying her arms, she was two more lanes of traffic away from the safety of the sidewalk. Furrowing her brow, she jumped to the roof of the next car. Stopping to catch her breath, she jumped to the final car before leaping off to the sidewalk.
Cream gripped her knees with her palms as sweat rolled down her face. As she wiped her brow with her arm, she was met by Sonic, who screeched to a stop within feet of the young bunny.
"Hiya, Cream!" Sonic greeted, waving his hand playfully at his Mobian counterpart.
"Sonic!" Cream exclaimed, giving the blue hedgehog a big hug.
"I'm glad to be reunited too," Sonic replied, "but I need to know where the kidnappers went so I can show them a piece of my mind."
"They went that way!" Cream replied, pointing her finger down the road. "I don't know the color of the car, but the trunk was wide open!"
"That should be enough info," Sonic said with a nod. "Wanna come with?" He gave the young bunny a wink.
"Sure!" Cream replied.
"Then hold on tight!" The blue hedgehog got down on one knee, allowing the young bunny to sit on his shoulders. Sonic's quills were fluffy enough to do no harm to his new occupant. Grinning, Sonic grabbed Cream's knees dangling from his shoulders and took off, zooming between cars down the busy street, the light from the headlights, streetlamps, and the moon above helping to illuminate the way.
Ring, ring!
As he continued running, Sonic reached down to his wristwatch communicator. A stream of Tails was displayed on the screen, the orange kitsune flying his Tornado 2 biplane with Amy, Knuckles, Bokkun, Cheese, and Helen as passengers.
"Yo Tails, any updates?" Sonic asked.
"Yes, Sonic," Tails replied. "I am tracking them from the sky as we speak. Based on the last coordinates of Cream's cell phone, and my live satellite images, I found the car with the trunk opened parked in an alleyway close to your location. Hang a left, and it's your first alley to your right."
"Gotcha," Sonic replied with a nod.
"Thank you, Mr. Tails!" Cream added.
"No problem!" Tails replied with a thumbs up before hanging up the call.
"I sure hope they didn't hurt Cream," Bokkun said with a downcast face, staring at his knees as he kicked his legs back and forth, dangling off the side of his seat.
"I'm sure she's doing just fine," Amy replied, giving the concerned robot a pat on the shoulder. "And plus, she's with Sonic now! She's in good hands."
Bokkun sniffled before peering up at the pink hedgehog, his beady eyes glistening with tears. "You really think so?"
"I know so," Amy said, giving him a nod. She wasn't prepared for the small robot to lung for a hug, burying his face into her side. The pink hedgehog gave him some headpats as she reflected on how, only a few months prior, she was still suspicious of the messenger robot, not fully trusting him after his defection from the Eggman Empire. Through the messenger robot's heroic actions, though, he had become a valued asset of Team Sonic and a trustworthy companion for Cream.
Of course, it helped that he'd face the wrath of her Piko Piko Hammer if he ever did anything to hurt her.
As Bokkun continued his hug, Cheese decided to share their affection as well, giving a hug alongside the messenger robot, providing another head that needed pats from the pink hedgehog. Helen giggled from her seat behind while Knuckles simply stared at the skyline, Angel Island floating above the municipal park, unmoving since its sudden arrival three months prior.
Meanwhile, Sonic and Cheese arrived at the entrance of the alley, a single, dimly lit bulb providing little illumination as the blue hedgehog and his young bunny companion crept through the dark path, following the trail of fresh exhaust and the creeks of opening car doors.
Sonic grabbed Cream and dove behind a dumpster to spy on the suspected kidnappers.
"What the heck!?" Espio exclaimed.
"What's the matter?" Vector asked. "It's not every day ya break yer composure like that."
"The trunk…it's open…" The purple chameleon pointed at the back of the car, the crocodile and bee soon joining him on either side, their mouths equally agape.
"And Cream is gone!" Vector cried. "Espio, I thought you secured her!"
"I did!" Espio defended. "I tied her up in a bag and set her back here."
"Uhhh, guys?" Charmy flew into the trunk and started playing with the emergency release switch. "Looks like this is how Cream got out."
"Why didn't you disable the switch, Espio!?" Vector exclaimed.
"You're the one who stole a random car without proper inspections," Espio replied, folding his arms and leaning against the brick wall of one of the buildings lining the alley. "We're a team. We shouldn't be pointing fingers."
"Wanna know who always says that?" Vector asked rhetorically. "The guilty party!" A vein grew across Espio's forehead as the chameleon attempted to suppress his growing anger.
"The question we have to ask now," Espio said as he approached the trunk, examining the stretched-out bag, "is where she went."
"I don't know," Vector shrugged, "she could be absolutely anywhere in this big ol' city!"
"Looking for us?"
"Huh?" Team Chaotix collectively gasped as Sonic and Cream emerged from the opposite side of the dumpster.
"Well if it ain't our old pal Sonic!" Vector exclaimed, pointing at the blue hedgehog. "And from the look of things, it looks like my theory was correct after all!"
"What do you mean?" Espio asked. "You're not still going on about your crazy accusations, are you?"
"Oh, but these accusations won't sound so crazy after I apply my skills of deduction!" The crocodile quickly slipped into a detective outfit reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, complete with a single monocle and a pipe that blows bubbles. "You see, it's rather elementary my dear Espio!" Blowing several bubbles, the overconfident crocodile approached sonic, bent his knees, and flicked his nose.
"Oww, watch it!" Sonic exclaimed.
"We knew this entire time that Sonic and his friends forced Cream away from her precious mother and made her take this perilous journey to Earth. We also know that she is being forced to stay at a human's house, and Cream would've simply lied if we confronted her directly about it in front of her captors." The crocodile started pacing back and forth as he continued taking puffs out of his novelty pipe. He then turned to the blue hedgehog, pointing at him with fire in his eyes. "When you discovered Cream was captured by Eggman, you had to rescue her to keep her under your custody and, more importantly, to prevent her from spilling the beans!"
Sonic peered up at the crocodile with mouth agape.
"I'll admit," Espio said, "that theory sounds even dumber now that you've explained it in full."
"Vector's full of croc! Vector's full croc! Vector's full o—"
"That's already gettin' old!" Vector exclaimed as he swatted Charmy into the nearby dumpster.
"Oww, why'd you do that for?" The bee was about to pull himself up when he discovered a greasy fast food bag. Sticking his gloved hand within, he found what he had been dreaming of since they arrived on Earth. "Oh hey, some Chicken Nuggets. Score!" He happily ate the processed chicken pieces, dunking them into a half-finished cup of barbeque sauce.
"I'm going to have to agree with your colleague on this one," Sonic replied as he ripped the detective attire off the crocodile, putting it on for himself instead, "for you see, Vector, your theories are nothing but conjecture, a smattering of fanfiction devoid of all reality! For starters, what evidence do you have of my true intentions?"
"I, ummmm, well…" The crocodile scratched his head in thought. "Call it a detective's intuition!"
"Really?" Sonic placed his hands on his hips. "Remind me never to hire your agency the next time my chili dog goes missing." The blue hedgehog shook his head as he took some puffs out of Vector's pipe before pointing his finger at the large crocodile. "If you actually did your homework, you'd have known that me and my friends rescued Cream from Eggman's lair but that, through Chaos Control, we were transported to this planet against our will." Sonic turned to Cream. "That's the reason why she's been separated for Vanilla for so long. Nobody wanted her to be taken from her mother."
"Or maybe you planned her abduction from the start!" Vector exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at the blue hedgehog.
"OBJECTION!" Sonic exclaimed, taking his turn to point at Vector once more. "Please explain how that makes any sort of sense. What incentive would I have to kidnap Cream? I'd never do anything to hurt her."
"You clearly helped Eggman kidnap Cream so that Vanilla would hire you to rescue you!"
"That's ridiculous!" Sonic exclaimed, ripping off Vector's detective outfit and throwing it to the side. "Vanilla didn't hire me to rescue her daughter. She asked me to help, so I took action."
"Yeah, no doubt," Vector replied, folding his arms. "Even if she didn't hire you, I'm sure she would've made you one of her famous apple pies! Or maybe a big ol' plate of chili dogs? Or maybe she would've baked you a cake and given you a nice, big kiss on the nose! I'm sure a romantic date would've been reason enough to help Eggman kidnap Cream."
"I've had about enough of this!" Cream exclaimed. "The only one who kidnapped me back on Mobius was Dr. Eggman! Sonic had no part in it. He even rescued me before we arrived to Earth." Cream placed her hands on her waist. "Shame on you, Mr. Vector, for accusing Mr. Sonic of lying."
"Ehh," Vector waved his arms dismissively. "Kids these days can be easily brainwashed. All I know is that Vanilla was worried sick about you, and the Sonic we all know would've never put you in harm's way, yet here you are, stuck on some totally different world, separated from your mother in a literal alternative dimension! If Sonic's such a hip hero, why would he have put you in that situation?"
"Hey, Cream…" Sonic dropped to a single knee and placed his palm on the young bunny's shoulder. "Vector's theories may be outlandish, but there was an ounce of truth there."
"W-what do you mean, Mr. Sonic?" Cream asked, peering up at the blue hedgehog through glistening eyes.
"I…failed to protect you." Sonic balled his other hand into a fist. "I should've at least tried to get us to safety when Chaos Control occurred, but I did nothing, and I was too powerless to even rescue us from Area 99." The blue hedgehog shook his head. "I'm sorry…"
"Sonic…" Cream raised her head. "It's…okay. It wasn't your fault. It's Eggman who captured my mother, and Eggman is the reason why we ended up on Earth. You did your best to make me happy at Area 99, even through all they did to us…" The young bunny gave the blue hedgehog a big embrace. Frozen for a second, Sonic eventually loosened up, returning Cream's hug.
"Well Vector," Espio said by the crocodile's side, nudging his hip with his elbow. "I think you have something to say."
"Why yes, I, ummm…" Vector cleared his throat, catching the attention of Cream and Sonic. "On behalf of the Chaotix Detective Agency, I would like to formally apologize for accusing you and your friends of kidnapping Cream. The idea made sense at the time, and I built a flawed case around this assumption." The crocodile crawled onto his knees. "Will you forgive me?" He slapped his palms together and bowed his head.
"No worries, my dude!" Sonic replied. "Let's just let bygones be bygones. It's just water under the bridge!"
"Thank you, Sonic," Espio replied. "I'm the brains of the operation and hold myself responsible for Vector's actions."
"Don't' sweat it." Sonic slapped Espio's shoulder.
"Vector's no longer a croc!" Charmy exclaimed as he wiped the barbeque sauce from his face. "Does that mean we can get McDonald's?"
Vector and Espio raised a finger to their chins in thought.
"You know what?" Espio said. "Fine. Let's go get you a fresh meal instead of eating yesterday's trash."
"Yay!"
"Well," Vector approached Sonic once more, extending out his arm, "I'm sure we'll be in touch. If you figure out how to get home, please keep us in da loop!"
"I will!" Sonic replied with a thumbs up.
Right as Vector released his grip from Sonic's glove and spun around, a portal opened 15 feet above, dropping a Mobian rabbit from the sky.
"Woahhh!" She cried.
Instead of landing on the sidewalk, however, she fell into the arms of a certain crocodile.
"M-Miss Vanilla!?" Vector exclaimed, a blush covering his face.
"Vector?" Vanilla replied, a blush nearly as bright as his appearing across her muzzle.
"M-mom!"
Peering down, the elder bunny jumped out of Vector's arms, tears filling her eyes as her daughter gave her a big hug.
"Mom, I've missed you so much!" Cream exclaimed, crying profusely.
"I know, Cream. Me too…" Vanilla tightened her hug around the young bunny, the two crying in each other's arms as Team Chaotix and Sonic watched from either side, smiles covering their faces and their eyes glistening ever slightly.
The blue hedgehog peered up at the portal, the apparent dimensional rift still hovered over Vanilla and Cream. Sonic caught a glimpse of her kitchen before the hole started shrinking, eventually disappearing.
"That's absolutely bizarre!" Tails exclaimed. The entire party, including the Chaotix and Vanilla, had since returned to Helen's place. It was 10 PM, the moon was out, and Sonic had just finished recounting the events in the alleyway over bowls of mint ice cream. "We've known that Mobian animals and landmasses have been appearing on Earth, but to hear a first-hand account of fellow Mobians landing on Earth like this…it's unreal."
"I can't really describe it myself," Vanilla said, her bowl of ice cream untouched as her daughter slept in her lap, with Cheese sleeping in Cream's lap. "One moment I was enjoying my evening tea in the kitchen, and as I set my cup on the table, the portal opened in the floor. The next thing I knew, I was in Vector's arms. Oh, that's right!" The rabbit pulled out some Mobian dollars from her purse and handed them to Vector, who was sitting close by. "For saving my daughter."
"Nah, we're already square," Vector replied, scratching the back of his head as a blush appeared across his face once more. "You already paid in full back on Mobius. Plus, it's not like Mobian money has any value on Earth anyway." The crocodile laughed nervously.
"Then how about this?" Cradling Cream in her arms, Vanilla carefully pulled herself out of her chair, approached Vector, and gave him a kiss on the side of his snout.
Steam erupted from his nose, and his face became as red as a cherry, before ultimately passing out, earning a chorus of laughter from the party.
"Ummm…Ms. Vanilla?"
The elder bunny peered down at the messenger robot on the floor.
"Yes, my dear?"
"Ummm…I haven't introduced myself. My name is Bokkun, and I…ummm…"
"He's my boyfriend," said Cream, who was now fully awake in Vanilla's arms.
"Well, isn't that lovely!" Vanilla replied, a bright smile across her face. "Kids these days grow up so quick, and you seem like a nice young gentleman! I can't wait to get to know you better."
"Why thank you, Ms. Vanilla," Bokkun replied, a blush across his face as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Hey Chuck," Tails asked, still pondering the portal. "What are your thoughts on this rift situation?"
"I am as stumped as you are, Tails," Chuck replied. "The one thing I'm sure about is that the latest episode of Chaos Control in Station Square was the catalyst, and there are more reports of structures and fauna from your home planet appearing by the day. We'll probably start seeing more Mobians arrive in the near future. It's a bit concerning if I'm being honest." The aging scientist took a sip of his evening coffee.
"I agree," Tails replied. "If this exacerbates, all of Mobius could end up on Earth. I couldn't even begin to imagine the ramifications. For starters, if Mobians happen to land in unsafe conditions, like in oncoming traffic or the ocean, this could result in deadly consequences. Also, how would the world be able to accommodate an entire population of aliens…and what if larger chunks of Mobians land on Earth? That could create chaos and devastation for all of us!"
"Remember what the ancient echidna said in your vision," Knuckles said after polishing off his bowl of ice cream with fresh grapes. "The people of Earth still need our help. Only then will the path home become clear. We can stop this if we follow this guidance."
"Yeah, I suppose," Tails replied as he scratched behind his triangular ears. "In the meantime, though, I can't stop thinking about all the Mobians whose lives are being uprooted, like what happened with Vanilla and Cream…" The orange fox peered over at the mother-daughter duo. "Just think of all the Mobians out there on Earth who are currently trying to find refuge after being torn apart from their friends and families." Tails shook his head. "I can't help but take responsibility."
"Hey, buddy, it's not your fault at all," Sonic replied. "Chaos Control wasn't your doing, and you're trying to get to the bottom of things."
"That's right," Amy added. "The only one we should blame is Dr. Eggman!"
"And thankfully he's still in jail," Doug added.
"I read that no lawyer's willing to represent him in court," Alicia added, sipping at a cup of tea with her legs folded, "so he's been rotting in prison. Chris hasn't been able to buy himself out of jail either, surprisingly. Apparently not even his wealthy allies can shield him from domestic terrorism charges."
As the group continued conversing, Helen rolled out of the living room, making her way to the backyard deck. Noticing the young girl's departure, Tails soon followed.
"Is something wrong?" Tails asked, sitting in the outdoor chair next to Helen.
The young girl was silent for several moments, staring up at the moon and what little stars were visible through the light pollution of the suburb. "Based on that vision you had back at the Master Emerald, the people of Earth still need to be helped, presumably from some sort of threat. The drone we discovered turned out to belong to Team Chaotix, who don't appear to be any threat at all…" Helen peered over at the orange fox, whose namesakes fluttered as he pondered the young girl's analysis of recent events. "So what do you think we should do next?"
"Not sure, to be honest." It was Tails' turn to peer up at the night sky, placing his gloved hands behind his head. "About the vision, I was thinking it involved Eggman somehow, but he's been locked up the past three months. To be frank, I would've thought he'd have escaped by now."
"I'm sure they have Eggman on constant surveillance," Helen replied.
"Even still…" Tails brought a finger to his chin in thought. "He's an evil mastermind. If he wanted to escape, I'm sure he would've done so by now."
"Are you saying that Eggman wants to be kept in prison?" Helen tilted her head in thought.
"He's probably hatching his next plan," Tails replied, "and perhaps looking for the right opportunity to make his escape."
The two companions sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts as the night continued pressing on.
Eventually, Team Chaotix left in their stolen car, promising to return it back where they found it. Sonic and Amy left as well on the pink hedgehog's motorcycle, as she had to wake up early to open the bakery the next morning. Knuckles returned to Angel Island to guard the Master Emerald before bedtime.
As the remaining party waved their goodbyes to their departing friends, Vanilla approached Doug and Alicia. "I don't wish to impose, and I appreciate the care you've provided for Cream and Cheese in my absence, but may I stay here for a while?"
"Of course!" Alicia replied. "Our house is rather modest, but we can certainly accommodate. You're welcome to stay for as long as you'd like!"
"Thank you so much," Vanilla replied with a bow. "I'll make it up to you somehow."
And so the remaining humans and Mobians alike turned in for the night. Tails decided it was safer for him to camp out in the living room instead of flying home drowsy, so he set up camp on the sofa, falling asleep almost as soon as he cuddled up in his namesakes. Doug, Alicia, Helen, and Chuck made their way to bed as well. Bokkun went fast asleep on a small air mattress in Cream's bedroom.
Finally, Vanilla brought Cream, who was sleeping in her arms, to her bedroom. The elder rabbit tucked her daughter in before heading to the living room, where Alicia blew up another air mattress for her a few minutes prior. She got into bed, but she tossed and turned into the night. Knowing what was keeping her up, the tired rabbit pulled herself out from the air mattress and made her way to Cream's bed, gently pulling the bunny in close. This allowed Vanilla who had spent countless, sleepless nights worried for her only daughter, to get the first good night of sleep she had experienced since the day her daughter was kidnapped.