Chapter 88

Hunters

Cream meandered around Tails' workshop, packing and unpacking her knapsack. Jolts of certainty would strike her at thirty minute intervals, manifesting in resignation to returning home or in obstinate defiance. Neither of these episodes lasted long enough for Cream to make any real progress. Her most recent bout of indecision had left Cream sitting in the kitchen with her half emptied knapsack resting on the table.

It's not fair. She thought for the millionth was not Cream's father and he had no business ordering her around. However, that is exactly what he had done, and whatever Cream might have said in her defense, he had left her behind, without any promise to return. He had instructed her to return home, leaving unsaid what his pronouncement really meant; your part of the story is over. In truth, Cream longed to return home. She missed her mother desperately and, after all the grief and danger, safety and familiarity would be a sweet relief.

Whenever these homeward desires swelled inside her heart, they were always cooled by memories of the explosion that had decimated Hot Crator. In an instant, Cream had almost lost her entire village. Since then, the threat against her people had only grown in power. What was the use in returning home before she knew that they would be safe? But what can I do?

Her internal argument had returned back to the start of the circle. It was the question that Cream had no answer to, only a gut feeling. In a war of constantly increasing power, what help could Cream even provide to her friends? Emerl had died saving her, how could Cream live with herself if Tails was forced to do the same? "Chao!" Cheese sat mournfully on the table, and let known its frustration by kicking its little legs against the wood. The Chao had been stuck in the same cycle of depressed thoughts.

Cream smiled softly and held out her hand. Cheese sat on her palm and looked up at her. "What do we do?" She asked.

Cheese's answer was interrupted by a low grumble. The Chao blushed and covered its stomach and the two of them erupted into fits of laughter. "I suppose we can eat first." To occupy her disordered mind, Cream set about making lunch. She felt bad about taking Tails' food so she decided to only take a bit of the perishable goods, so that they wouldn't go bad while Tails was out on his adventure.

Cream and Cheese sat with their legs dangling and relished a meal of cream cheese bagels, slices of fruit and tall glasses of milk. The simple pleasure of eating only further reinforced the return home position. No one cooked better than Cream's mother Vanilla, and the idea of eating her meals three times a day again was a strong supporting argument. "Chao." Cheese said after gulping down a mouthful of orange.

"I just wish we could have done more," Cream lamented wistfully. Her eyes turned towards the door that led into the workshop. She had not been able to bring herself to go in there since Emerl had passed. "If Mister Emerl had gone with Tails, then perhaps I wouldn't feel so worried, but…" She sighed and took a sip of her drink. But what? Cream did not know how to explain how she was feeling. She was very young afterall, and Emerl's passing was the first time she had ever had to deal with a profound loss. Cream discovered that grief clouded her mind and made it difficult to think clearly. Her appetite was less and she felt kind of sluggish.

A tiny part of her wondered if she desired to continue in her adventures because it would prevent her from having to dwell on Emerl. Cream pushed down this voice and insisted that she wanted to help Tails, that she wanted to ensure that her village was safe from any external threats. But I don't know how to do that. What can I do?

"Power is not measured by what we can destroy or manipulate, but what we can save. That is what my maker never understood." The echo of Emerl's final words to Cream rang out inside her head. "A race has begun to possess ultimate power, to hold dominion in one's hand, and to shape the world as one sees fit. In war, ideals outweigh cost, and outcomes mean more than means. As either side strives for victory, the creatures of this planet will suffer. Someone has to remember them, the weak and the innocent, those whose support will not turn the tide and whose death will not be mourned." Cream had not understood what Emerl was talking about. She wasn't even sure if he was talking to her, but then his hand had scooted over the table to squeeze the ends of her fingers. "But if they die…then goodness dies with them…and then…what was the point? I…I'm glad I met you and Cheese. Thank you."

Cream wanted to make Emerl proud, to honor his dying wish, but the path ahead eluded her. Without Tails, where could she go? Perhaps Emerl had not meant to send her anywhere, and he had only meant for Cream to go home and protect her village. "I just don't know…" She glanced sideways at the window. The last vestiges of the daylight were streaking through the curtains. In less than an hour it would be night, and Cream would have wasted an entire day. "I just wish-"

Cream stopped short as she heard the sudden rush of footsteps. Her head spun in circles as the sound came from all around her. Her heart skipped several beats as she snatched Cheese and stuffed the Chao into her dress pocket. Cream hardly dared to breathe as she heard a repeating click.

"You inside the house. Come out with your hands raised in five seconds." A stern voice echoed through a speaker.

Cream yelped in fear and dived beneath the table. Her movement caused her chair to fall down and break. The crash served as the first alert and was followed by a rapid volley of gunfire. Cream screamed and covered herself with her ears. Shrapnel flew in every direction, as gunfire riddled the kitchen. Cream's screams were swallowed by the roar of bullets which were so loud Cream's ears popped.

As quickly as it started, the gunfire stopped. Cream could not hear anything, her eardrums felt as if they had burst apart. Blood trickled down the side of her face, but Cream could not worry about that now. Slowly, she started to crawl and pieces of broken wood cut at her hands and arms. Cream gritted her teeth and kept moving forward, towards the entrance of the workshop.

It took every ounce of Cream's courage to raise her arm to open the door. The squeak it made as it opened gave her away. The kitchen door burst open as five humans in black armor stormed inside. Cream yelped, threw herself into the workshop and slammed the door shut, quickly locking it. She threw herself to the floor just as another volley of gunfire shot off. However, to her surprise, the bullets did not reach the workshop. It seemed that the walls and door of the laboratory were bulletproof.

Cream scooted into a corner beneath Tails' computer and held her knees with her arms. A piercing pain persisted in her ears, but Cream resisted the temptation to cry. Someone knocked on the door. "You're trapped in there. You may as well open up. Our boys will blow this door to kingdom come if you don't, and all you would have done is waste our time."

"Wha-" Cream could barely hear herself speak so it was difficult to modulate her volume. "What do you want?" She squeaked.

"We are looking for a Mister Miles Prower. He is wanted for questioning regarding the explosion near Emerald City." The man behind the door replied.

"Tails had nothing to do with that! Go away, please, he isn't here."

"Not here?" The man paused. "Who are you?"

"My name is Cream, I…I was just visiting, but Tails isn't here, and I don't know where we went."

A long pause followed. For a moment, Cream wondered if the man had left, but then he spoke out. "Well Miss Cream, I suppose we will just have to talk with you."

"Why? I don't know anything, please just leave us alone."

"Us?"

Cream cursed herself. "Me and my Chao."

"Listen here Miss Cream, this is a matter of national security. Let's say I don't believe you. I think you do know where this Miles Prower is, and you are going to come out here and tell us."

Cream glanced rapidly around the laboratory, searching for anything she could use as a weapon. BANG! Something hard and heavy rocked against the laboratory door with such force that it made the ground shake. Cream jolted to her feet and seized a heavy wrench off the far wall. BANG! The door shook on its hinges. Cream clutched the wrench with both hands as tightly as she could, mustering all of her courage for one desperate surge. Her heat hummed in preparation for the final strike that would break the door down. But it didn't come. Cream waited, holding her breath in anticipation. Muffled sounds were coming from behind the door. Cream had to strain to try and hear them. The voice was talking again, speaking to someone who had just entered the kitchen.

"YOU!" Gunfire echoed and Cream instinctively dropped to the floor and covered her head. A second later she realized that the gunfire was coming from outside. New sounds were added to the mix, loud crashes and screams of pain.

"How do you like that?" A new voice called out. Cream did not understand what was happening. Steadily the gunfire and the screams grew quiet. Heavy footsteps approached the door. "Tails are you in there?"

"He's not here," Cream squeaked. "Please, just go away." She rose to her feet and held the wrench high above her head.

"Open up." The voice demanded.

"Go away!" Cream cried.

BANG! The hinges broke as the door fell back. A figure stepped forward and Cream let out a loud battle cry, bringing the wrench down with all the force she had. Quick as a whip, a hand shot up and caught her blow with ease. Cream lost all her momentum in an instant, rocking forward and nearly headbutting the red echidna who had walked into the laboratory. "Take it easy," He said as he pushed Cream backward.

She retreated to the far wall, but did not drop her weapon. "Who are you?" Cream tried to sound intimidating, but her girlish voice rang hollow.

"I'm the one asking the questions." The echidna had a deep, serious voice, but his eyes

were kinder than his tone. He wore a strange crystal crown upon his head which sparkled slightly in the light of the laboratory. "I came here looking for my friend Tails, why are you in his house, and where is he?"

"You're..you're friends with Tails?" Cream asked hesitantly, slightly lowering her weapon.

"Yes, now who are you, and where is Tails?"

"My name is Cream the Rabbit. I met Tails not too long ago, and…it's a long story, but I'm his friend too."

"So where is he?"

"He left. Some of Eggman's badniks came here and Tails left with them. Something about going to an arctic base to save Metal Sonic. I didn't really understand what he was talking about."

The echidna looked flabbergasted. "Metal Sonic?" He rubbed his chin with his massive hands and tapped his foot impatiently. "You need to tell me everything. But first, we should get out of here, more GUN soldiers may arrive soon. Oh, and I'm Knuckles by the way."

By the time night had fallen in earnest, Cream and Knuckles had retreated to a secluded grove on the edges of the Mystic Ruins. Knuckles tended to Cream's ears by crushing up a series of orange berries and mixing them into a poultice which Cream rubbed gently on her ears. The ointment dulled the pain for which Cream was incredibly grateful.

Knuckles prepared a small campfire and they sat around it as Cream told him everything that had happened. As she began her story, Cream felt an odd sense of relief as telling her tale helped her deal with all that had happened. For some reason, it was easy to talk with the echidna, though he did not say much, his eyes had a wisdom and understanding to them that made Cream feel heard.

When she was done, Cream felt drained and ready for a long sleep. Knuckles sat on a stump on the other side of the fire. The embers glinted on the surface of his crown. "There is a lot to unpack." He said after a long delay. "So much has happened."

"I am sorry about your island," Cream offered. "Tails thought you were dead and he was terribly sad."

Knuckles accepted the consolation with a grim nod. "I wish Tails was here. I don't know much about the human world, and I'm not sure how to begin."

"Begin what?"

Knuckles looked up, a fire burned in his eyes. "Taking the fight back to GUN. They destroyed Angel Island, and if they aren't stopped soon, they will destroy even more. I can't allow that to happen." He wrung his hands together and glared intently at the campfire. "I thought Tails might have a lead on where the humans are storing the Eclipse Canon. We can't make any decisive moves against GUN while they have that piece on the board."

"If you don't mind me asking, Mister Knuckles, how did you survive? I mean that blast, it seemed to destroy everything."

"I got warned beforehand. A former agent of GUN who turned rogue told me that my island was on their list of targets. I didn't believe her, and in the end, she was forced to fight me to make me leave. After Angel Island was destroyed she asked if I would help her take GUN down, but I refused to go."

"Why?"

Knuckles shook his head. "I couldn't see the point. I had already lost everything. But now I realize that there is still an entire world to protect, and plenty of living things that still need a guardian."

"Like me," Cream added with a smile. "You saved my life back there, thank you."

"More like I saved that GUN commander from having his head bashed in with a wrench," Knuckles said with a toothy grin.

"Hardly. I was so scared, I don't think I could have done anything," Cream admitted. "It turns out being in danger all the time doesn't actually make one brave."

"Bravery isn't measured so easily," Knuckles said seriously. "Taking on danger, especially when you are well acquainted with the fear, takes more than simple courage. You did well, but for now you will want to get somewhere safe and remain there. Do you have somewhere like that?"

Cream nodded. "I have a village that is far outside the city. I don't think we'd ever be targeted by GUN. But…I don't want to go back. I know I can't do much, but I want to take down GUN also.I don't want to go home until I can ensure that my family will be safe."

Knuckles fixed her with a knowing stare. "I'm assuming that you were still at the workshop because Tails refused to take you with him?"

"Yes." Cream looked down at her feet, feeling more and more deflated.

Knuckles cracked his fingers and looked up at the sky. "We can rest here tonight. We should be safe enough. In the morning, I'll go with you to make sure you can leave the area without GUN following. After that, you should return to your family."

"What about you?"

Knuckles sighed. "I'm not sure. I need to try and find Rouge. I don't think Tails will return home if he knows GUN is after him. Perhaps, I can learn something if I go into the city."

"Won't that put you in danger? If you go to the city GUN will know you're still alive."

This made Knuckles chuckle. "They don't scare me."

"Then take me with you!" Cream insisted. "I know I can be of help."

"I can't babysit you." Knuckles said it gently, but the rebuke still stung. "I mean to go to war. This-" Knuckles indicated the crown on his head "-is the crown of an echidna chieftain, something they wore when they led my ancestors into battle."

"But I want to help," Cream's voice broke. She fought against the bubbling tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes. "Emerl…I owe it to him."

"I'm sorry, I just can't-"

At that moment, Cheese erupted out of Cream's front pocket. The chao had been hiding there since the GUN soldiers had first opened fire. Cheese flew in front of Knuckles and spread its tiny limbs outward in a sign of defiance. "CHAOOOOOOOO!"

Knuckles drew back in surprise. For a moment, Cream thought he would be angry, but then he rose to his feet. "You have a chao?"

"Yes, Cheese has been with me for years."

Knuckles held out his hand and Cheese landed on his palm. "Then you should consider yourself very lucky. It is possible that it is now one of the last of its kind. Just like me." Cheese inclined its head respectfully towards Knuckles. Cream had never seen her chao act that way before. She had also never considered what the loss of Angel Island had meant to her oldest friend.

A change seemed to come over Knuckles. The intensity from a few moments ago had left him. He took a long moment to choose his next words. "Perhaps you and I were meant to meet. You may come with me."

Cream jumped to her feet in surprise. "Really? You mean it?"

Knuckles nodded. "We will leave at first light tomorrow. This will not be an easy journey, and I don't even know where our road will lead up. However, it would be foolish to reject help, no matter where it comes from. Rest, for today we were the hunted, but tomorrow we become the hunters."