The street was gloomy, dank and overgrown with twisting vines and questionable marks on the walls that an inquisitive person might conclude could be blood. The two shadowy figures walking it didn`t seem to mind, one tall and the other barely reaching the others chest and both clad in dark hoodies with firearms tucked firmly in hands reach on hip holsters. John had started with the handguns hidden but entering darker parts of the city made appearing unarmed less than advisable. The dust kicked up by their footsteps never seemed to bother him, although Cream would have to occasionally stifle a cough from the rough mix of stone and grime floating up, swirling into a storm when a brick from the nearby buildings would crumble and fall into the ancient paving slabs with a load crack.

"John?" Cream uttered softly, almost under her breath.

"Hmm?"

"Where are we?"

He went silent for a moment, consideration ripe in the air before his almost dream edged tone returned.

"It`s never been about the journey, but where we`ll be at the end of it honey."

She considered his response for retorting; "Is that human for I`m lost?" She teased.

"Human for my marker says this way, not where this way is." John pouted

"Marker?"

"Its kind of a beeping in my head, very basic output but the input is connected to the satellites. It does single letters in Morse code, directions. It gets grating after a while mind but what can you do?"

"That`s kind of fucked up John…if I stick one of my ears next to yours can I hear it?"

"…I have no idea. We need to find a clothing store before closing time."

"How come?" Cream replied, confused by the sudden change of topic and priorities from "we need to go to a safe place, meet with a friend before this place gets hotter than Knothole under a magnifying glass" to clothes.

"I lost my socks."

"You`re kidding me, right?"

"No! They were cotton as well! Today's just a nightmare you know?"

"You`re unbelievable" She replied, looking around yet another alley, this time with cables above and several of the walls holey and crumbling, a pair of trainers hanging solemnly on a wire above and a few homeless citizens, huddled close around a barrel in one of the shattered structures; all human and unaware of the pair passing across the alley nearby, one breastfeeding a small child at her chest. Stopped suddenly by the touch of John`s hand on her shoulder she went to speak before he put one finger on her lips, the barely black skin nearly healed from the fight a mere dozen hours before, baby soft.

"Look" he whispered in her ear, softer than any human could ever hear.

It only took her a moment to see why he had stopped her, the humans were not as alone as she first thought, the angle and allowed her to see in the shadow a small hedgehog male, thin and pale looking sleeping near a pair of humans. It took her a full minute of observation before she noticed why John was holding two fingers up now; the baby wasn`t human. She held two fingers back up in response.

He whispered again "This is why we fight, this is why are friends may die. Because of a few fools at the top of a pair of trees they will gladly burn the forest inbetween them in their vain attempts to fix a problem. This kindness is a crime here Cream. What does that say about this city?"

They moved on, solemn sight behind and fate infront.

Within a further ten minutes, with Cream hidden in a nearby alley John stepped forward into the clothing store, the place on the brink of closure. The shop was immaculate in places, cleaned and vacuumed and in others the sight of dirt and grime were still in the process of being attacked by a female, human, before him. Another, male, stood behind the counter, staring at John with cation, almost wearily.

Approaching him John pulled out a note, sliding it across the counter. "Three universal cotton please?"

The man gave him the socks without a word. It was only when John turned to leave he spoke out.

"Brunts?"

John turned almost with purpose, hand casually drifting by his gun. "How do you know that name?"

"You have powerful friends in low places Mister."

"How do you know that name", a growl that time, the women sinking into the woodwork as John`s pistol slid out of its holster.

"He said you`d come here, to give you this." He held out a piece of paper, moving slowly. "To tell you some people can be redeemed for a price."

"Cryptic" John retorted, snatching the note and reading it. A cocked eyebrow later and John had left the store, but the wife of the store owner could almost have sworn she heard him mutter something.

It almost sounded like "Bastard".