Emeraldtopia Ch. 4

Chapter 4

     

    Now that he was stuck helping her in the case about Jet the Hawk, Tails walked Cream through the streets of Emeraldtopia and to a park. There, they saw a purple chameleon doing a meditation exercise.

    “This is where Jet the Hawk went to?” asked Cream.

    “Yeah. I saw him go to that purple chameleon and talk to him,” said Tails.

    Cream walked over to the purple chameleon. As she did, Tails watched her. He crossed his arms and didn’t show any expression.

    ‘I just hope that after this is over with, I can get that pen and avoid trouble. I’m sick of all the trouble just because of the fact that I’m a fox…’ he thought.

    Cream walked up the purple chameleon and said, “Excuse me?”

    The purple chameleon opened his eyes and said, “Hello. Espio the Chamelon. How can I help you?”

    “Officer Cream the Rabbit. I’m working on a case for Jet the Hawk. He’s been missing for a while. Do you know him?” Cream said. She pulled out the photo of Jet and Wave to show Espio.

    “Jet? Oh sure I know him. I teach yoga classes and he’s one of my students. I haven’t seen him for a while. He stayed for a short while the last time he showed up, because he said he had to cut his time in his last session short,” said Espio.

    “Why did he have to leave early?” asked Cream. She pulled out her notepad and started to write down notes.

    “A car came by to pick him up. He said he had to go somewhere and meet someone,” said Espio.

    “Any information on what the car looks like?” asked Cream.

    “I don’t remember what it looks like, but I did catch the license plate. It was D29HG03,” said Espio.

    Cream wrote down the license plate number and said, “Thank you, sir.”

    “You’re welcome. When you find Jet, please tell him I said, ‘hello’,” said Espio.

    Cream and Tails walked out of the park. Cream looked over her notes as she read over them, but Tails was feeling impatient.

    “Well, anyone can run a license plate, so I guess I don’t need to help you out anymore. I was glad to help you out. You’re welcome for the clue. I’ll just take that pen, and we’ll be on our ways and part as colleagues,” said Tails.

    “What did you say? Anyone can run a license plate? I’m not in the system yet, so… any ideas?” Cream asked him with a smirk.

    Tails sighed in frustration. He didn’t want to be kept on the hook for long, but he had to keep helping Cream.

    “Actually,” he said, forming a fake smile, “I have a buddy at the DMV who can help you out.”

    Shortly later, Tails brought Cream to the DMV. As they walked up to the DMV, Tails said, “Flash is the fastest guy in there. You need anything, then he’ll be there to help you.”

    Cream sighed in relief and said, “Oh thank goodness. We are really short on time, so it’ll be good that-”

    Before she could continue, Cream cut herself off as they entered the DMV. That’s when she saw what kind of Mobians the staff at the DMV were.

    “Wait, they’re all sloths?!” she asked.

    Sure enough, all the DMV staff members were sloths, and they were super slow with every movement they made. Cream wasn’t happy with this. This could waste her precious time on solving the case.

    “What? You’re saying that just because they’re sloths, they can’t move fast?” Tails snapped at her.

    Cream didn’t say anything. She just followed him as he walked her up to a counter where a sloth was waiting.

    “Hey Flash!” Tails greeted him.

    “Hi… Tails…” the sloth said, very slowly.

    “My colleague here has a favor to ask,” said Tails.

    “Hi. Officer Cream of EPD,” said Cream. “I was-”

    “Hello… How can… I… help you… out… today…” said Flash.

    Cream waited for a minute to see if he was finished talking.  When Flash was done, Cream said, “Well, I was wondering if you could run a plate for me.”

    “Sure… what is… the plate… number?” asked Flash.

    “D29HG03,” said Cream.

    Flash started to slowly type in the letters and numbers onto his I-Pad. He slowly repeated each digit after pressing it. And the longer he took, Cream felt more impatient with each passing minute.

    Before Flash could type in the last digit, Tails said, “Hey Flash, do you want to hear a joke?”

    “What? No!” Cream snapped at him.

    “Sure…” said Flash.

    Cream sighed in frustration.

    “Why did the skeleton want some friends?” said Tails.

    Cream gave Tails an unamused look as Flash said, “I don’t… know.”

    “Because she was feeling BONE-ly,” said Tails.

    Cream watched as Flash slowly changed his expression, and started to say, “Ha… Ha… Ha… Ha…” to show that he was laughing.

    It both irritated her, and surprised her to see Flash laughing so slowly. But she quickly went back to irritated, and she tried to get Flash to focus and finish running the plate for her.

    But it didn’t take Flash long to turn his focus away and try to tell one of his co-workers the joke. Cream facepalmed, and she gave Tails an angry look.

    “What? Don’t like a joke?” Tails said, smirking at her.

    Cream didn’t say anything. She just kept on angrily staring at Tails.

     

    Finally, after what felt like forever, Flash finished running the plate and handed Cream the paper he printed out. Cream quickly took it and read it over.

    “A limo took Jet the Hawk, and it works for a company! I better get there!” said Cream.

    She quickly ran out the door. Tails told Flash thank you and goodbye before following Cream. When he caught up with Cream, she was standing outside with a horrified look. It was night time.

    “It’s night!?” she shouted angrily.

    As she and Tails headed to the location of where the limo service was located, Cream angrily looked at the twin-tailed fox and said, “You wasted the day on purpose!”

    “What? You think I’d like to mess up your pretend investigation?” Tails sarcastically asked.

    “This is not a pretend investigation! I am a cop!” said Cream. She pulled out the photo of Jet and Wave that the swallow gave her and said, “Look at this hawk! He’s missing, and his wife misses him! She asked me to find him! Why would I make a pretend investigation about someone missing?!”

    She put the photo away and said, “Does seeing me fail at my job satisfy you?”

    “Frankly, yes it does,” Tails snapped at her.

    Cream gave him an angry look and said, “Oh really? What did I ever do to you to crush you and or your dreams?”

    Tails was quiet for a minute. He didn’t want to answer. He didn’t trust talking to Cream about his past. “None of your business…” he muttered.

    Cream didn’t say anything.

    The two of them were quiet as they arrived at the address. Since it was night time, the place was already closed up.

    “Locked…” Cream muttered angrily.

    “Well, I can’t help you get in, so I guess my job of helping you is done,” said Tails.

    “Nope. I’m not giving you the pen,” said Cream.

    Tails sighed in frustration and said, “Come on. You can’t keep me on the hook forever!”

    “Well don’t worry. You have another thirty six hours, since I have only two days to solve this case,” said Cream.

    She started to climb up over the fence so she could get inside the back and check out the limos. As Cream climbed over the fence, Tails was a bit quiet. He was shocked to find out that Cream only got two days to work on this case.

    ‘Man, she’s really determined to crack this case. Maybe she was only given two days because her boss doubts her. I’ve never seen any cop so determined to do their job. No wonder she wants to solve this case instead of be a meter maid…’ he thought.

    He climbed over the fence and got into the back with her. He followed Cream as she pulled out her cell phone and used the flashlight on it to search the license plates. She checked a few limos and finally found a white limo that had the matching license plate number.

    “This is the one!” she said.

    Cream and Tails opened up the front doors and checked inside. Cream checked the floor and saw a few pieces of polar bear fur, while Tails opened up a compartment.

    “Oh my god!” he said.

    “What?” asked Cream.

    Tails pulled out some CDs and said, “Who the heck uses CDs still?”

    Cream just gave him an unamused look.

    Tails didn’t say anything. He spotted the window where the passengers could talk to the driver. He opened it up, but when he looked inside, he formed a shocked look.

    “Uh rabbit… if your hawk was here… he had a bad day…” he said quietly.

    He moved aside so that Cream could look inside. The passenger seating area looked like a mess. It looked like an animal got in and started to go crazy and attack whoever was sitting in it.

    Cream gasped when she saw the marks. She spotted a wallet lying on the floor, so she climbed through the window and looked at the stuff inside the wallet.

    Inside the wallet was a driver’s license, money, some gift cards, and a photo of Jet the Hawk with his wife Wave.

    “He was definitely here… but… what do you think happened?” Cream asked Tails.

    “I… I don’t know…” Tails whispered.

    He looked around the car, trying to figure out what could’ve happened. He was just as spooked as Cream. However, he picked up a fancy glass cup and looked at it. He saw a logo on it, and it made him nervous.

    “Oh no…” he whispered.

    “What?” asked Cream.

    “I know who’s limo this is! We have to go!” said Tails.

    “What? We can’t, this is a crime scene!” said Cream.

    “There’s going to be an even bigger crime scene, because this limo belongs to Mr. Gerald Robotnik, and he’s one of the most feared dealers in the city! He’s not one to anger, and I angered him once!” said Tails.

    He opened up the door to try to escape with Cream, but he and Cream found themselves facing a couple of polar bears.

    “AH!” Tails cried. He smiled nervously and said, “Hey guys, long time no see! And speaking of no see, how about forget that you saw me?”

    Instead of answering him, the polar bears grabbed him and Cream.

    “Uh… I’m going to take that as a no…” Tails said nervously.

    The polar bears dragged Tails and Cream to their car and made them get inside. After they followed Cream and Tails into the car, the driver shut the doors and started to take them somewhere.

    Inside the car, Tails and Cream just sat in silence as they waited to see where they were being taken.

    Tails was feeling nervous. In fact, he felt so nervous, he started holding Cream’s hand. Cream noticed this and blushed.

    ‘Man, I don’t think I’ve seen him act this way before. Maybe he’s not a jerk like he’s been acting lately…’ thought Cream.

    Tails must’ve not cared if he was holding Cream’s hand, because he whispered, “Listen, if we don’t make it out of this alive, I just want to say… I’m sorry I couldn’t help you solve your case…”

    Now Cream was surprised.

    ‘There’s more to him than it seems. I know it. Once we find Jet the Hawk, I should talk to him. I know we got off on a rough start, but Tails is my friend. I know it,’ she thought.

     

    After about a half hour, the car finally pulled up to some sort of mansion in Emeraldtopia. The polar bears made Tails and Cream walk out and go inside. Since the mansion was in the tundra district of the city, it was cold and snowing everywhere. Tails and Cream were forced to go inside and into some sort of office. When they arrived, an old hedgehog with a big mustache wearing a tuxedo was sitting at the desk.

    Tails smiled nervously and said, “Heh… Hi Mr. Robotnik…”

    Gerald sighed and said, “I told you to never come back Tails. Not after you tried to take all those parts I needed for my latest product, to try to build one of your little… inventions.”

    ‘Inventions? Wait, is Tails an inventor?’ Cream thought. The last time she saw Tails doing a job, it was being a con artist.

    “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to go into your limo! Something else came up!” said Tails. He was panicking.

    Gerald shook his head. “My granddaughter is getting married this evening, and you have to interrupt me because you go snooping around in my limo with… this… this… who are you? What’s with the costume?” he said as he looked at Cream.

    Cream didn’t’ like how Gerald was ignoring Tails, but she got even more triggered when he didn’t think of her as a real cop. She was sick of people thinking she didn’t have what it took to be a police officer.

    She frowned at the aged hedgehog and said, “I’m Officer Cream the Rabbit! I’m on the missing Mobian case looking for Jet the Hawk! And my evidence puts him in your car! So taunt me all you want! I’ll figure out what happened to that poor hawk if it’s the last thing I do!”

    Tails was horrified to see Cream stand up to Gerald like that.

    Gerald formed an angry look. He turned to face his followers and said, “Ice them!”

    Two of the polar bears grabbed Tails and Cream. A third one moved a rug on the floor and moved a trap door, revealing a pit with ice cold water.

    “What?” cried Cream.

    “Mr. Robotnik! Please, don’t ice Cream! She didn’t mean to insult you! I brought her to the limo and said to search there! It was my fault! Spare her!” Tails shouted.

    Cream couldn’t believe how Tails was begging for mercy, but not for himself. For her. She started to blush, forgetting that they were about to be doomed. None of her friends, not even in school when she was a kid, stood up for her that much.

    Before the polar bears could drop them, a voice called out.

    “Grandpa, it’s time for our dance!” said the voice.

    A younger, female yellow hedgehog in a wedding dress came out. When she saw that the polar bears were about to ice Tails and Cream. She gasped.

    “Grandpa, I asked you not to ice anyone tonight! It’s my wedding, and I want this to be a good day for everyone,” she said.

    “I’m sorry, Maria, but I have to,” said Gerald.

    He was about to snap his fingers and signal for his workers to drop Tails and Cream, but Maria said, “Wait a second. I know her! She’s the rabbit who saved my life earlier today!”

    “The one who saved you when Fiona Fox threw you off the balcony at the shopping center?” asked Gerald.

    “Yes. Yes, this is her!” said Maria excitedly. “Hello,” she greeted Cream.

    “Hey,” Cream greeted her in return. “I like your dress,” she complemented her.

    “Aw, thank you,” said Maria, smiling.

    “Boys, put them down,” Gerald told the polar bears.

    The polar bears put Tails and Cream back on the floor while the third one closed up the ice pit. Gerald smiled at Cream and said, “You saved my granddaughter’s life, and I’m very grateful for your act of kindness. Thank you for saving my dear Maria. I’ll help you out with this case on Jet the Hawk in any way I can.”

    He stood up from his seat and extended his hand out to Cream, smiling. Cream smiled back and shook hands with him.

    Tails just watched in awe.

    ‘Wow. She really is a real cop. I… I feel bad for doubting her. She had the guts to chase after that Fiona jerk, and she saved Maria even if it was a distraction during the chase. Cream really is something else…’ he thought.

     

    Gerald invited Tails and Cream over to where Maria’s wedding was taking place. While they waited for Gerald to finish his dance with his granddaughter, Tails and Cream sat at a table, watching as everyone danced and listened to the music that played.

    Cream started to nod her head up and down as she listened to the music.

    “You like this song?” Tails asked her.

    “I love it. ‘Love Story’ is my favorite Taylor Swift song. I prefer her older songs over the new ones,” said Cream.

    Tails chuckled and said, “Heh… me to…” quietly.

    Cream smiled nervously and said, “Nice.”

    Gerald came over and sat down.

    “Was I interrupting your conversation?” he asked.

    “Oh no. No you weren’t,” said Cream.

    Gerald smiled again and said, “Anyway, I know you’re both short on time, so I’ll tell you everything I know. Jet is my florist, as well as my friend. He’s like a part of the family. I had something to discuss with him the day he disappeared. I sent that limo to pick him up, but it never arrived…”

    After he finished talking, there was a hint of concern in his voice.

    “Because he was attacked…” said Cream, as she remembered the claw marks in the car.

    “My dear, he attacked,” said Gerald.

    “Wait, what?” asked Tails and Cream.

    “Jet. For some reason, he went… crazy. Started going around clawing the seats. And then attacked the driver. She got out alive, but she was scared half to death…” said Gerald.

    “Why would Jet suddenly go so crazy? I know he’s a hawk, and that is a predator, but no one’s savage like that,” said Cream.

    “My dear, we may be evolved, but we still are animals,” said Gerald.

    “Where is the driver? Can she help us out a bit more?” asked Cream.

    “Her name is Sticks. Sticks the Jungle Badger. If you want to talk to her, here’s her address,” said Gerald. He pulled out a pen and wrote the address on a napkin before handing it to Cream.

    “Thank you for all this information, Mr. Robotnik,” said Cream.

    “You’re welcome. Just… be careful. Both of you. If Jet went crazy like that, then I wish you both to be safe,” said Gerald.

    Cream stood up from her seat and said, “Thank you. But we’ll be okay. We’re going to find Jet and return him to his wife. Thank you for all this information.”

    Tails and Cream told Gerald and Maria goodbye, and they left the mansion and headed to Sticks’s address.