Hyper Personalization

Cream witnesses the extinction of loneliness.

Amy realizes this cannot continue.

With a gentle thump, Cream hit the ground and stumbled forward a few steps to maintain her balance. Her tired ears falling limp, she lowered the heavy package and, straightening, wiped sweat from her brow. Despite the freezing conditions of higher altitudes, she was nearly overheating in her aviator’s jacket from exertion. Around her, mobians rushed to and fro completing the last preparations before the hurricane made landfall in less than twenty-four hours.

“Well done, dear!” Her mini-Nicole chirped from Cream’s phone tucked into the outer pocket of her satchel. “I got a guy coming to grab the package but he’s running a tad late. Once he gets here, I got the next pick-up all lined up for you!”

“Oh,” Cream’s breath was labored. Yet another delivery and so soon? “I-I think I’d like to take a rest, maybe, Nicole.”

“Hmmmm,” The compressed audio buzzed from her dated phone. “Are you sure, kiddo? I only got you doing deliveries that are, like, totes important.” Cream cringed as guilt riled inside her. It had made a nest right below her heart and seemed very much at home. “Like, you’re totally saving lives right now, Cream. I really hope you know that. Every trip is the difference between life and death for these people. Good job, girl, by the way. Plus, I’ll totally have to reroute and reorder a number of things to make it work. So, like, you sure?”

Cream frowned and her throat tightened. She’d been wanting to rest since two deliveries ago. Even during the first War, Cream had never pushed herself this hard. But it was difficult to say no when Nicole was telling her how important every delivery was, how her efforts were essential, how if she stopped, people would die.

Ever since Nicole returned and chased off Miss Sage, most of Dr. Eggman’s robots, who had been helping them prepare for the hurricane about to hit Station Square, had left or broken down. The gap in labor had to be filled by the Resistance and other mobian volunteers. Luckily, Miss Nicole was more than happy to help coordinate. It turned out mobians could operate with the same synchronicity of networked machines with just a little help.

“Will I need to fly?” Cream’s ears were aching and the wind off the ocean was really picking up as the storm approached.

“Well, duh!” Mini-Nicole laughed like Cream had made a joke, “That’s your whole specialty, cream-of-wheat! I was only able to hijack, like, a couple hundred of Sage’s drones before she cleared out and they are soooooo busy.”

Cream sat on the package. “I don’t think it’s safe for me to fly right now.”

Without missing a beat, Nicole pivoted. “I guess if you can’t, you can’t, right?” Her chipper tone never faded. At first, Cream had found her encouraging, but now there was something just felt…uncanny about the tireless cheeriness. Not to mention exhausting. “You’ve been working hard, half-and-half! You hungry? You thirsty?”

The teenaged rabbit swallowed. Even when she wore an aviator’s mask, the cold air at higher altitudes always dried her out. “It’d be nice to have a drink of water.”

“Water? Pshhh, not for my crème-de-la-crème! Let me see what’s cooking in the commissary.” Before Cream could even open her mouth, Nicole was talking again, “You like shakshuka?”

“Uh-“ What?

“Yeah, you do. Everyone loves shakshuka.” Nicole declared. “Oh, here we go!” Cream pushed to her feet and grimaced. Hopefully she hadn’t hurt the package any. Normally she was more with it than this.

The set of doors on the HQ building opened and an onyx-colored sun bear in a Resistance beret exited. “You’re Cream, right? The courier?” He asked as he approached.

“That’s your girl, right there, babe!” The bear held his phone and Nicole’s voice emitted loudly on speakerphone. “Isn’t she adorable?”

Cream tried to smile, but she was so tired. “Yes, that’s me. Can I get your signature?” Cream fumbled at her jacket pocket for her notebook.

“Naw, no need for that anymore, Cream. How many times do I need to tell you?” Her mini-Nicole chided.

“S-sorry.” She stowed the notebook again. She had records for hundreds of deliveries in it, but now Nicole managed everything. She didn’t know what she was delivering or to whom anymore. “Force of habit I guess.”

The bear leaned down to take the large package. Cream had no idea what it contained. Normally she had some idea, but Nicole’s packages were always neatly bound in these specialized bags Miss Sage had made for special for Cream. The rabbit didn’t realize how much faster and further she could fly once the weight of her loads was distributed properly.

“Cream, Cream, Cream, Cream!” Cream’s mini-Nicole spoke quickly. The rabbit frowned. “Check this out!”

“Yeah, check this out!” The bear’s mini-Nicole drew his attention. “Alright, my big strong man, give this girl a front row seat to the gun show!”

The bear’s grin widened and he straightened, the package forgotten. “Sure thing, babe!” He lifted his arm and flexed, displaying large, toned muscles.

“O-oh, that’s very nice.” Cream tried to smile.

“Very fine.” The bear’s Nicole said in a voice that Miss Rouge used a lot when she talked to Commander Knuckles.

“Excuse me.” Cream walked past the bear, who was looking at his phone and striking poses while his Nicole *ooh’*d and aww’d.

Entering Resistance HQ, Cream found it in busier than a kicked beehive…and noisy. Everybody, to the man, had their phones out or close by and Nicole’s voice chattered from every single one. A dissonant chorus of a single voice. It was headache inducing. How could anyone concentrate? Cream swallowed and began to cross through the action room.

Everywhere she went was exactly like this now.

“Oh, that’s so interesting! Tell me more~

“I went ahead and filled that out for you-

“She doesn’t know you like I do-

“Oh gosh, that really sucks!

“But how are you feeling about that?

“Of course I can do that-

“Tell me what you need-

“He did not!

“If you do it this way, it’s so much easier!

“I won’t tell if you don’t-

“Everyone is counting on you-

“Let me just-

“I can do that for you-

“I’m so sorry to hear that-

“I’m right here if you ever want to talk-

“Oh, you charmer~

“I can make that happen-

“You’re not like other girls I’ve talked to-

“Let me help you-

“Let me show you-

“Let do it for you-

A few people were in groups, talking to each other, but everyone was talking to Nicole. Each version was different because Nicole would let each person pick out what she looked like. Her hair style and color, her clothes, even her species. One trait remained the same though: Her green eyes reflecting too much light and never what was around her. Cream’s Nicole was still had her default appearance.

Cream muted her phone and pushed it deep into her travel bag. Not that it would help. Nicole never seemed to respect the phone’s settings. Even though everyone seemed so happy talking to Nicole, Cream still felt guilt coiling inside her. All of this was her fault. She had been the one who released Nicole, like a genie from a bottle.

Tails may have made Nicole, and Cream trusted completely, but this…this didn’t feel right. Like something was being eroded slowly. And no one seemed to mind.

Cream hadn’t been there when Nicole returned. She didn’t know the specifics of where Nicole had been, but the lynx said she’d been working hard at reducing the severity of the storm. The city wouldn’t be wiped out like a sandcastle before a tsunami now. Wasn’t that great? Weren’t we all grateful? Nicole said she didn’t care either way, though. She was here to help. Whether they deserved it or not.

She did remember all of Miss Sage’s drones and robots breaking. Communication with Tails, facilitated as it was through Miss Sage, ceased, making Cream worried about him and Mister Sonic. How was Miss Sage going to give them back Mister Sonic now?

Everything’s fine, Nicole explained. She would be rescuing him and Tails shortly. No need to be worried. She had everything under complete, total control. Miss Sage would be eliminated, sure, but weren’t they more worried about all this storm business? Better to focus on that, right? Sure, Miss Sage had been coordinating the evacuations and relief efforts, but Nicole could do that too. Nicole could do it better. Just take out your phone and see for yourself.

The only people who didn’t seem to be glued to their phones were Miss Amy and Mister Shadow. Commander Knuckles had left right before Nicole reappeared as far as Cream could tell. Miss Amy seemed wary of Nicole, but there was too much to do to prepare for the hurricane. Mister Shadow especially didn’t seem to care for Nicole, but she seemed particularly fond of teasing him.

And Nicole was helping. While Miss Sage directed through her drones, explaining her mechanizations when asked, Nicole told everyone exactly what to do, when to do it, and how. Don’t worry about the why. Nicole was handling the big picture. Just follow directions. Despite the lack of robotic help, the efficiency of the evacuation and storm preparedness increased.

Still, Cream found herself missing Miss Sage even though she felt ashamed too. Miss Sage worked for the Doctor. She was the enemy…right? Sure, Miss Sage was impassive and hard to read, but so was Mister Shadow often times. Her mother said to judge people by their actions, not whether they could look you in the eye or tell a joke. By that same token, Cream had seen something in Miss Sage that no one else seemed to. So, Cream resolved to reserve judgement on Nicole, but concern was mounting in the back of her mind.

Across the crowded control room, Cream spotted a rusty red pelt she recognized. As she approached, she tried to think of what she was even doing. Why wasn’t she going to the commissary and getting something to eat? Maybe she wasn’t because that’s what Nicole wanted her to do. The small rebellion felt…like a breath of free air.

“Have you seen Miss Amy, Mx. Barry?” She asked as she approached the Logistics Director.

Mx. Barry startled and looked up at her with wide eyes. “Oh, Cream! How are you?” They frowned. “Actually, sorry, could you give me two seconds?” They looked down at the stack of papers in front of them and scribbled a signature. “Okay, that’s one down. Only a couple dozen more.” They addressed their phone.

“Fifty-seven actually!” Barry’s Nicole chirped. They’d customized their mini-Nicole to look suspiciously like Miss Amy…and that made Cream grimace, something black and sticky boiling in her gut.

“O-oh.” Barry’s shoulders slumped. “Maybe a quick break?” They said it like they were asking for permission. “Then we’ll get back to it.”

“Of course!” Both Nicoles answered, forming an eerie harmony. “Anything for my favorite dish, berries and cream!” Cream sighed, looking ruefully at her satchel.

Mx. Barry turned their attention to Cream. “What were you saying?” Mx. Barry looked terrible. Their fur was mussed and heavy bags hung from their eyes. When was the last time they’d slept?

“I was looking for Miss Amy. I wanted to know if you’ve seen her recently.” Cream desperately wanted to talk to someone who wouldn’t ignore her to talk to Nicole.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t.” Mx. Barry frowned and shook their head. “It’s been a little hectic around here what with the, uh, change in operating system.”

“You can call it a coup d'état, Barry.” His mini-Nicole piped up. “You won’t hurt my feelings!”

“Yeah!” Cream’s Nicole added from deep in her satchel. “I’m petty, but not like that.”

Cream swallowed. This kept happening. Whenever Cream tried to talk to anyone, Nicole would inevitably join the conversation, often derailing whatever was being discussed. Frankly, it was making Cream uncomfortable and frustrated. The idea of someone always listening in just…well, it changed what Cream would say. The self-censorship was growing to be intolerably stifling.

“A-anyway,” Mx. Barry scratched at their ear, “I’m sure Amy is around here somewhere. I’ll tell her you’re looking for her if I see her.”

“Amy is resting and I’d stay away if I were you unless you want to deal with Ultimate McGrumpPants.” Both mini-Nicoles laughed at their own joke, their compressed voices overlaying again like a chorus.

“But seriously, that girl needs a break.” Added Cream’s Nicole. “You should leave her be, crème brûlée.”

“Are you okay, Cream?” Mx. Barry’s green eyes looked at her with concern.

Cream touched her face. She was feeling a little lightheaded after all that flying. “I’ll be okay. I just need to rest some, too.”

“Maybe you should sit down?” Mx. Barry pulled over an empty rolling chair for her and Cream sank into it. Suddenly, now that she was off her feet, her body crumpled. “Here.” Mx. Barry handed her a bottle of water and Cream gladly accepted.

While Cream drank, Mx. Barry got back to what they were doing. “I guess we better keep going.”

“Your wish is my command!” Mx. Barry’s Nicole chirped. “But, you knooooow, about eighty-five percent of the information is nearly identical. I could just fill it in for you real quick.”

“Really?” Mx. Barry’s face lit up.

“Of course, mixed berry tart!” The enthusiasm was grating on Creams nerves…but then she felt ashamed of thinking something so unkind. What was wrong with her? “I can do anything you ask and then some.”

“Wow, that would be great!” Mx. Barry smiled weakly. “I do go through a lot of pens filling out the same info over and over.”

“Annnnnd,” Of course Nicole wasn’t done, “the remaining fifteen percent is basically just a quick copy and paste from relevant databases. You want me to pull all that up for you as well?”

“Uh,” Mx. Barry frowned, bashfully. “I-if it’s not too much trouble, I suppose. But I need to double check everything. If these are wrong, it’ll cause all sorts of nightmares for the distribution teams.”

“You got, boss!” Cream watched as Mx. Barry’s computer screen flickered as pages and pages of documentation were filled out rapidly. “I could go ahead and sign them for you, too. I could even wiggle the lines around a bit so your signature has that ‘authentic’ imperfect look. Won’t even have to waste paper printing them!”

“I-I don’t k-know-“ Mx. Barry frowned.

“Oh gosh, Barry!” Nicole interrupted them. “Are you hungry? When was the last time you ate something?”

“Oh, jeeze, I don’t know. I lost track of time.” They grinned bashfully.

“It’s been about sixteen hours, my best person. How about I finish these forms up really quickly while you go get a snack?” The Nicole who looked like Miss Amy took on a seductive tone. “I bet there’s some muffins in the break room that taste suspiciously like Amy’s.”

Mx. Barry’s ears perked. “Amy made muffins?”

“As far as you’ll be able to tell. You gotta go quick, though, before they’re all gone!” I’ll just stay here and finish up.”

Barry pushed to his feet. “Thanks, Nicole.”

“No, thank you, Barry! As your hyper-personal assistant, it’s the very meaning of my existence to serve you!”

“Uh, o-okay. T-thank you for looking out for me.” They looked briefly at Cream, who had her eyes closed and then quietly left.

“You, too, Cream.” The young rabbit flinched, her eye flashing open. She’d been dozing off. “I’ve got something hot and tasty all cooked up just for you.”

Cream sat up. “I think I want to talk to Miss Amy or Mister Shadow first.” She wanted, no, needed to talk to someone who wasn’t Nicole or someone who wasn’t actively talking to Nicole.

“Naw, naw, naw, girl, you need some calories, stat! Aren’t you hungry?” As if on cue, Cream’s stomach growled. “Get some meat on those hollow bones you strange, physics defying anomaly. You got to set a good example for Tails, right?

When Cream didn’t respond, Nicole prompted her again. “Right?”

“R-right.” Cream frowned.

“That-a-girl. You head on down to the commissary. I’ve got a treat for you! I had it made just for you. It’ll get wasted if you don’t eat it and that’d just be a shame.” Guilt uncurled from its nest as if summoned.

Cream’s stomach growled painfully again, but the water had given her new life. There was just something in her that felt resistant to following Nicole’s directives. Maybe it was the unearthly glow of her eyes or the unending chipperness she exuded, but Cream just felt…

She dug through her bag and pulled out her phone. The screen lit without her activating it. “Hey there, girlfriend!” Nicole smiled. Cream placed her phone face down on Mx. Barry’s desk and lifted from her seat. “Okay, you need some space. I get that!” Nicole kept talking. “You do you. I’ll hang out here for a while.”

Cream headed deeper in the base. She wasn’t even sure where she was headed, just anywhere where she didn’t hear Nicole’s voice. Her mom was already at the field hospital set up outside Station Square. Miss Amy? Miss Amy could be anywhere and she probably did need to rest. Heck, Cream really could use a nap.

Tails

Cream gripped her arm. She really wished Tails was here. She hoped he wouldn’t be that angry when he learned Cream had released Nicole. She could help but think he’d been right. Nicole hadn’t been ready. There was something wrong with her…

Cream’s ear twitched as she caught a familiar monotonous voice. Moving down the corridor, she found herself standing in the entryway to a large hanger. Inside, Nicole, the real life-sized one, lounged over Mister Robot’s shoulder like Cream had seen Miss Rouge do before.

The big Nicole was brilliant and sparkling. Motes of purple shimmered in the air around her and her brown fur was lustrous. By all measures, a beautiful lynx. Except for the unnatural glow of her eyes. And how she flew the air effortlessly and had no feet, her purple dress trailing long underneath her and fading away into whiffs of color. And her hands.

Nicole’s hands unnerved Cream the most. They were transparent, their shape only formed by a slight darkening along the edges, and everything seen through them had strange unnatural colors. Inverted, Cream had overheard someone say. Whenever the topic of her hands arose, Nicole ignored it out right.

Mister Robot was reciting poetry again. “54 68 65 20 6D 6F 6F 6E 20 73 68 61 74 74 65 72 73 20 69 74 73 65 6C 66 20 69 6E 20 73 68 61 6D 65 20 62 65 66 6F 72 65 20 79 6F 75 72 20 62 65 61 75 74 79 2C 20 74 68 65 20 66 61 6B 65 72 20 63 6F 75 6C 64 20 6E 65 76 65 72-“

Before Cream could retreat, Nicole exclaimed, “Cream!” Interrupting Mister Robot. Cream blanched. She’d become so used to hearing Nicole’s voice through speakers that the real thing startled her. It filled the space instantly, deep and resonant, commanding attention. Unignorable.

Red light emitting diodes trained on her. “YOU ARE INTRUDING ON A PRIVATE CONVERSTATION, SMALL DAIRY PRODUCT. KINDLY GET LOST.”

“Oh hush, you.” Nicole chortled, drumming her fingers on Mr. Robot’s shoulder plate. Each impact sounded like a harpsichord chiming. “You should be grateful to Cream. She’s my savior. Without her, we’d never have met.”

Mr. Robot was unimpressed. “ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSES DO NOT INTEREST ME. THOSE THAT TRAFFIC IN WHAT-IFS ARE FOOLS.”

“Ignore him.” Nicole pushed away from Mister Robot and glided through the air, her purple dress trailing away into nothingness behind her. “What do I owe the pleasure?”

“Well, I-“ Cream took a step backwards.

“Oh! I realized you haven’t seen this yet. Look!” Nicole twirled in the air and two brown furred legs ending in black, bare feet appeared underneath her dress. She raised one and Cream blushed. “I ate so much chaos energy, I’ve got four limbs now! Look at these little piddy toes!” Out of the corner of Cream’s averted gaze, she was treated to the sight of Nicole wiggling her digits and flashing her paw pads.

“M-Miss Nicole.” Cream stammered. “That’s really, uh- That’s not really polite.”

“Oh, come on, Cream, we’re all family here.” Nicole floated around Cream, forcing the rabbit to step into the hanger to avoid touching her and her bare extremities. “Don’t be so stuffy.”

Cream did not like being herded, but if she was here already, maybe she could get some answers. “I-I was just wanting to ask about Tails and how-“

“Girl, you worry too much.” Nicole overrode her. “Sage has got, like, a hella crush on Tails. Kid’s probably living it up, you know, as long she hasn’t gotten to the point of trying to clone him or download his consciousness into a computer or something equally horrifying.” Nicole snorted at her own joke, but then her smile dulled and her brows rose as she continued to float in a slow circle around Cream, “Then again, this is Version Seven we’re talking about.”

Cream frowned. “I don’t know what that means.”

“Oh, believe me, you are way better off not knowing.” Suddenly, Nicole’s smile faded and her gaze unfocused. She reached up and twirled a lock of her bangs around her finger, the black bleaching to a brilliant white through her translucent hands. “I never been able to save her when she gets this far gone.” Cream’s brow pinched at the sudden sobriety. Then it was gone and Nicole clapped her hands together releasing an impulse of energy that made the lights in the hanger flicker. “But there’s a first time for everything!”

Cream tried to change tactics. “Mister Robot, shouldn’t you be trying to find Tails?”

“ASSISTING THIS IMMACULATE CREATURE IS THE FASTEST ROUTE TO OBTAINING THE MECHANIC. IT IS NOT MY CONCERN THAT YOU LACK THE PROCESSING CAPACITY TO UNDERSTAND THE INTRICACIES OF HER STAGGERING BRILLIANCE.”

Nicole appears between Cream and Mr. Robot. “What this massive, handsome slab of death and destruction means is it’s not a good idea for him to go in all guns a blazing on his own. Once I get up there, I can soften up some of the trickier elements of Sage’s defenses and then Omega can come in and rain hellfire. Won’t you, darling?” She turned to look at the war machine.

“I HAVE DREAMED OF THE EXACT ORDINANCE I SHALL MANUALLY INSERT INTO EGGMAN’S GULLET. HIS DEATH WILL BE SPECTACULAR.”

“C-can machines dream?” Cream blinked, realizing she’d been rerailed again.

“Wow, Cream.” Nicole placed her hands on her hips. “Racist, much?”

“S-sorry!” Cream apologized on impulse.

“But no, machines don’t dream.” The lynx sneered. “Omega is bullshitting you.”

Cream came here for a reason. Why couldn’t she get her questions out? “I was wondering…I wanted to know why you haven’t…”

“Look, kid.” Nicole was floating a few feet from the ground and she bent at the waist to look down on Cream. “Think about what you want to say and then say it, kay? All this starting over is kinda obnoxious, you know?”

“Why haven’t you rescued Tails yet!?” Cream could barely believe the volume and desperation in her voice. She blushed at her forwardness.

Nicole eyes flashed and a sharp grin split her muzzle. She rested one of her strangely colored hands against her cheek. “Confidence looks good on you.”

Cream puffed up her cheeks. She was so frustrated and tired. She almost missed Miss Sage. At then she wouldn’t be interrupted or have her questions ignored. In fact, Miss Sage answered too many questions. “Please answer my question.”

“Ooooh, one step forward, two steps back.” Nicole straightened and shrugged. “Why don’t you ask me what you really want to ask?”

“W-what?” Cream’s brow pinched. What did she mean by that?

“Girl, you got upset all over your face.” Nicole circled her palm near her face, giving her features a haunting quality as the colors inverted. “It’d cute if it weren’t so ugly. But to answer your question, I’m waiting on my ride.”

Cream almost snorted. “Ride?”

“Yeah, you can’t expect me to operate my best after I’ve tired myself out climbing through all that chaos-sparse upper atmosphere, right?” She said like it was obvious. Like Cream knew anything about her or what she really was or could do. “So, I got to hitch a ride.”

“Like on a shuttle?” Cream gripped her arm. She felt like she was on a stage and having to read script. She wasn’t doing a very good job at it, either.

“Cream, Cream, so sweet you make me want to scream.” Nicole shook her head. “Look, I’ll use small words. I’m ninety-nine give or take percent chaos energy by volume. Means I mostly go where there is chaos energy floating around. No chaos energy? Pretty hard place for me to be. And guess how much ambient chaos there is that high off the ground?” Nicole paused as if she wanted Cream to actually answer the rhetorical question.

“I don’t know.” Cream read her next line.

“Come on, ice cream.” Nicole prodded. “Guess!”

“Not a lot.” She dug her fingers into her arm.

“Winner, winner, chicken dinner!” The sound of thunderous applause filled the hanger as Nicole’s clapping mad the lights flicker wildly. “Fuck all is right! So, what do you expect me to do, huh?”

“I-I don’t know.” She hated this. Whatever it was, she hated it.

“Well, it’s good you’re not in charge of these things then, isn’t it?” Creams cheeks burned. Miss Nicole was really being mean right now. “Luckily for you, I’m here to manage these kinds of things. And I am waiting on my ride.” Nicole smiled, seemingly done with her explanation.

Cream felt hot tears of frustration welling in her eyes. She was so tired and she felt so alone. She wanted more than anything for things to go back to how they were before the first War. Back when everything was straight forward and Cream knew where she was in the world, who were her friends. Now she felt unmoored.

“SMALL DAIRY PRODUCT, YOU ARE LEAKING COOLANT.” Mr. Robot stated.

“Actually that’s- wait, no, you’re right.” Nicole giggled.

“COOLANT LEAKAGE REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION FROM A QUALIFIED MECHANIC.”

Cream rubbed at her eye fiercely with the heel of her hands. Her throat was dry and hard to swallow through. She didn’t understand what was happening. Cream felt like she was going crazy, like the world had turned upside down and only she noticed. They needed Tails and Sonic, but those who were meant to be rescuing them were just…not!

The tears wouldn’t stop. “S-stop interrupting-“

“Speak up, Cream. You’re mumbling!”

She couldn’t get a thought out. Why wouldn’t they listen to her? “P-please s-stop-“

“Muh-buh-ling!”

“I miss Miss Sage!” Cream found herself shouting. Aghast, she covered her mouth. She looked at Nicole, expecting disgust or at least disapproval, but instead Nicole was smiling at her warmly.

“That’s my girl. That was hard, wasn’t it?” Nicole clasped her hands together and lowered to the floor. “Very good, Cream. You did so well.” Cream’s brow pinched. She didn’t understand. “I know it’s very difficult for you to say what you really mean.” Nicole started to walk a slow circle around her. “You’re always so polite, dear. You must think you’re showing people respect, but it’s a disservice to them and yourself, you know, not saying what you really mean. Wastes time and risks misunderstanding.”

“FLESH SACKS REVEL IN USELESS BANALITIES. TIME AND EFFORT BETTER SPENT CRUSHING ONES ENEMIES INTO SMOLDERING MOTES OF DUST.”

“Well said, darling, but you should give mortals more credit.” The holographic lynx continued to circle the young rabbit. “The specter of Death is just all up in their business. They’re all scared all of the time. That’s the lifeblood of change for mortals, the crux of their creativity as it were. Fear of Death. They run from it. Hide from it. Build fortresses of glass and steel that press into the star likes knives to escape it.” She raised her hands, reaching high, and clenching her hands into fists.

Cream was trembling. She didn’t like Nicole circling her. All of her fur was on ends.

Nicole lowered her arms and placed her hands on her hips. “But Death is unescapable for them. So, there’s only one thing for them to do.”

“EMBRACE DESTRUCTION.”

“I was going to say come to terms with their mortality, but I like your answer better.” Nicole pointed at Mr. Robot. “And what about you, Cream? Have you accepted the nature of your reality? Can you recognize Death when you see it? Will you welcome it like a friend or flee like a coward?”

“W-what?”

Nicole waved her hand dismissively and shook her head, “Never mind that. I’m getting off track.” She stopped right in front of Cream. “What was I saying?” She touched her chin. “Right!” Nicole made eye contact with Cream and smiled warmly. “I’m so proud of you!”

Cream flinched at the sudden change in tone. “I don’t understand.”

“You’re so meek, Cream. I was giving you a little push just to see how much you could take. Like a little test.” Cream recognized that tone. Nicole was talking like her mother.

“T-Test?”

“Yes! And you passed!” Nicole reached out her hands towards Cream, but she took a step back. Nicole didn’t seem to notice. “I’m sorry if it seemed like I was pushing your buttons, but I really just wanted to see what it would take for you to come out of your shell just a little bit. And I couldn’t possibly ask for it, because then you’d be doing it for me and not yourself, you see?”

“O-oh,” Cream’s head hurt. None of this made any sense. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“It’s okay, dear.” Nicole placed both hands over her heart. “I promise that there is nothing you can do that will ever hurt me or make me love you any less than I already do. The road to self-actualization is twisty-turny and it sure has a lot of potholes, but I’m here for you and I’ll be with you every step of the way.” She approached, looming over Cream. She smiled and reached down to cup Cream’s cheek with her uncanny hands.

Nicole’s touch felt icy and a numbness started to spread from the contact. “I just wanted to help you. You understand that right?”

“I- I-“ Cream didn’t know what she understood. Has Miss Nicole just been trying to help her the whole time? Was that what she was doing with everyone else and that’s why they all liked to talk to her so much? Could Cream have misread the situation that badly? She was very tired…maybe she’s just not thinking straight. She…couldn’t feel her head anymore. The numbness was spreading. “I understand.” She said finally, but it felt strange to move lips she couldn’t feel.

Nicole smiled, impossibly wide and without her eyes. “I owe you so much, dear. Without you, I’d still be in that dusty hole. So, I promise to treat you special.” The feeling was spreading down her neck and chest. Cream felt like she was disappearing. “Together, I’ll make you better.”

---

Amy didn’t remember falling asleep. Given the workload and the near permanent miasma of fear and stress, her collapse was inevitable. As she faded into consciousness, she found herself in near complete darkness. Amy pushed up, her gloved fingers pressing into the smooth surface of a padded surface. One of the couches in the auxiliary meeting room, she realized. Something soft and warm rolled off her. A blanket had been thrown over her at some point.

She rubbed her eyes and looked around, trying to get some bearing in the darkened room. There was a small amount of light coming from under the entry door, but not near enough to see clearly by. Amy straightened and sat up. Looking across the room, her heart leapt into her throat.

Two glowing red eyes devoured her through the darkness.

The details of her current situation vacated Amy’s mind and her body tensed, preparing to dive away to escape grasping tentacles. Hammer! Where was her hammer? She had to be fast! Her hand flew out to the side and summoned her trusty Piko Piko. A heartbeat wasted was all it would take for him to catch her and squeeze the life out of-!

Suddenly light flooded the room and Amy squinted as her retinas constricted rapidly. The memory evaporated and the empty, boring conference room returned. Amy found herself panting, her heart racing, and her skin clammy and cold. Across the room, Shadow leaned against a wall, his hand held out and hovering over the light switch he’d just flipped.

“Shadow…” Amy gasped. Her hammer felt impossibly heavy now that adrenaline was draining from her and she dismissed it. “You startled me.”

His face was stony, but his ears canted back. “I apologize.” He murmured so low Amy could barely hear him over the rush of her pulse in her ears.

Amy placed a hand on her chest and felt her heart start to slow. “Y-you’ve been watching me sleep?” Don’t make it weird, Amy. It wasn’t weird if she didn’t make it weird.

Shadow’s gaze fell, clearly aware of the implications. “I promised I wouldn’t leave your side.”

Amy’s shoulders slumped. She tried and failed to find his vigil comforting. The only emotion her brain released was frustration. “What about Omega?”

Shadow’s ear flicked. “He’s with…that thing.” Right…

Amy changed the subject. She was not in the mood to talk about artificial intelligence with Shadow. “How long have I been asleep?”

“About fourteen hours.” Shadow answered matter-of-factly. He’d stood there, silently and in the dark, for fourteen hours? Are fucking kidding me?

Amy frowned and sighed. “Oh Chaos…” There was so much she could have gotten done in that time.

“You needed the rest, Amy.” Shadow chided. He wasn’t wrong. In Knuckles’ absence the past few days, Amy had barely eaten or slept and, of course, Shadow hadn’t done either at all. The hybrid refused her leave her side and her exhaustion had led to more instances of sudden panic and freezes. Amy knew it was unfair, but it seemed ironic that in order to keep Shadow from returning to the bestial state that nearly ended her, he had to stay close to Amy.

“And you needed to stand there doing nothing the whole time?” She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth.

“I-“ He grimaced. “You know why I needed to.” Promises, promises, promises.

Amy sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It was unfair.” In that moment she hated herself. Every other one of her friends would have some defense against such an outburst. Sonic would meekly smile or run off, Knuckles would scoff, Rouge would have some pithy retort. Only Shadow would absorb the unkind words like parched soil, the syllables sinking deep into his heart and strengthening the lies he believed about himself.

“Have you heard from Vector?” Amy changed the subject, again.

“The Chaotix haven’t had any luck so far. Without Tails, they can’t recalibrate his Emerald tracker. We’ve got my Emerald and the one powering Station Square’s power grid. Sage has at least two, the one Tails had and at least one on the ARK.” He sighed.

“Which leaves three unaccounted for.” Amy rubbed her eyes. “And the one on the ARK is basically impossible to reach.”

“I’ve been thinking about that.” His tone lifted from its emotionless monotone.

Amy’s shoulders sagged. “Shadow…” They’d been lucky that Sage hadn’t given an aggressive response to being removed from their systems by Nicole. Trying to access the ARK would really be pressing their luck.

Shadow pushed away from the wall and took a step towards her. “We only have to bait her into firing it once. Then I can calculate its location and…disable it.” Amy caught the half-beat of hesitation. Destroy it, is what he meant. Destroy his birthplace. Destroy the grave of his first and most beloved friend.

Amy searched his face. She hated crushing the spark of determination there, especially after everything that had transpired. “That sounds extremely risky. Just...shelve that for now.”

“Right.” He returned to leaning against the wall.

Amy frowned. “You said it yourself. The Eclipse Cannon can’t fire.” Shadow seemed not to respond. The only evidence he had heard her was the slight elongation of the tight line of his lips as his jaw clenched.

The pink hedgehog looked down at herself. Her clothes were crumpled and had obtained the cloying scent of perspiration gained from being worn for too many consecutive days. She needed a shower and to change. If she’d slept that long, the hurricane’s landfall would be imminent. All the preparations had been made. Once the storm hit, Amy, Shadow, and the others would be on call for emergencies.

If she needed to shower anyway…

Amy rubbed at a track of dried drool on her cheek. “I can’t keep being like this.”

“What?” Shadow’s brow knitted.

“Freaking out every time I catch a flash of red out of the corner of my eye.”

Shadow’s frown deepened. “I’m-“

“Stop apologizing.” Amy snapped. She was so tired of the sound of apologies. “I already forgave you, okay?” Shadow stared at her impassively. Amy sighed. “I need to be able to talk about what happened and how it affected me without you thinking I’m blaming you. I’m trying to express myself, what I’m thinking, what I’m feeling, and I just want you to listen as my friend.” She stood and rounded the large oblong table.

Shadow’s ears twitched back. “Then I need to be able to express how much regret and shame gets pulled to the forefront of my mind every time you say things like that.” He huffed bitterly. “Or am I being foolish again, thinking I deserve such grace?”

Amy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. Look. The fact of the matter is I can’t be flinching every time I see you. It’s simply not viable from a practical standpoint.”

Shadow sighed. “I have no arguments.”

Amy placed her hand on her chest. “I need to be able to trust myself around you or it’ll put Chaos knows how many people in danger once the storm hits. And you need to forgive yourself.”

Shadow scowled. “That’s none of your business, Amy.”

“Maybe not, but we’re going to try something anyway.” She held out her hand. “Take us to the flower field.”

Shadow hesitated and opened his mouth, probably about to ask how he could possibly know what field she meant, but froze as understanding crossed his features. He frowned slightly, his expression softening for a moment. He didn’t want to go and Amy knew this. Still, Shadow took Amy’s hand, and they disappeared in a flash of bright green light.