Archive of Our Own

The young detective nodded his way past security, and had his vest checked by his commanding officer again.

"Careful." Vector remarked quietly. Espio rolled his eyes.

"He's in custody. Whatever weapon he used, it isn't on him."

Vector glared at him, his long nose tipped up:

"You'd think, wouldn't you? They found nothing."

Espio waved him off, and passed to the maximum security hold. He did think that the officers on the scene would have removed everything from this person, but the concern was valid, since they had no idea how he'd done what he'd done. Or how he knew what he knew. He had been arrested based on his own admission, and although that was strong, they would need more to push this through court quickly, without blowing cover on their own investigation.

The door was guarded by two armed officers, who Espio nodded politely to, despite their disdain for him.

"Is your supervisor late?" One sneered.

"Only people with clearance may investigate this suspect until we're certain he is uninvolved." Espio said steadily back. He omitted the specific clearance order, or what he should be uninvolved in, but since he worked with Vector, he was certain they would know instantly. Indeed, they let him through.

In the cell, handcuffed and naked to the fur sat a greyish hedgehog with the wildest quills Espio had ever seen - all stuck up and out like he'd been electrocuted. He jittered and fidgeted with energy too, and when the door was opened his face cracked into a huge smile - Espio registered with some unease.

"Espio! How are you?"

Espio tensed all over, but continued to his seat, opposite the suspect. He considered if he should acknowledge his own name or not, and settled on not, presuming that someone in the force had mentioned him erroneously at some point. He just stared at the hedgehog.

The hedgehog tried to calm his face, shaking his head hard, and pretending to be serious for a moment, before he burst into giggles again.

"Nice hat." He snickered, making to take it. Instantly Espio gripped his wrist and bent it back, slamming his arm on the table. The hedgehog whimpered pathetically, still with an awful grin on his face.

"Oof, ouch! Okay, I won't touch. I take it you haven't seen a 'me'?"

Espio glared at him, held him there, pressing his cuffs into his wrist. The hedgehog's face finally dripped to sad, and the tired bags under his eyes became more prominent.

"Okay, sorry. I guess I seem scary, huh? You don't know me this time." He sighed, and yawned.

"I'm sorry, is custody boring to you? Or perhaps you expected to be served refreshments for your crime?" Espio spat. He didn't let on how much this strange young man's demeanour disturbed him, or how endearing his face was. Espio had never let who was or wasn't his type impact his arrests or investigations, and sadly knew he was in the minority for this.

"No, I'm not trying to be difficult. Oh, but I did kill that Eggman. So, I guess that's kinda being difficult, if the Chaotix are real police workers here..." The hedgehog murmured the last to himself, but it sent waves of terror invisibly through Espio's solid exterior. This man murdering someone at the centre of a top-secret investigation was one thing, but he could only know about Vector's old garage band he was trying to restart through an uncomfortably close view of their lives.

"If I release you, will you comply with questioning?" He insisted, pressing again on his handcuffs. The hedgehog nodded, so Espio released his arm. He rubbed his eyes, yawned again, and patted his cheeks.

"Yes, sorry, today's just not been my day. Let's start over." He sighed. Espio opened his notebook, leaving one eye on Silver.

"Name:"

"Silver."

"Identifier:"

"Hedgehog."

"Address:"

"Ah. Haven't got one."

Espio stopped, pen poised, switching both eyes to Silver. He grimace-grinned apologetically.

"I know, not helpful. I'm not a resident here."

"What state are you from?"

"State?"

"You came from outside the United Federation?"

"Ah, right, I see. We're in Central City? That's part of United Federation now. Interesting. When did that happen?"

Espio narrowed his eyes at Silver.

"This is not how one should play dumb. Are you slow, or just terrible at this?"

Silver laughed warmly, setting Espio on edge. He let one eye flick to the one-way glass Vector would be watching and listening from.

"The first one, probably. Like I said, not from here. From a long way from here, in a few directions."

Espio dotted his notes, and kissed his teeth. He'd progress for now, and circle back.

"You're not too slow to understand why you're here?"

"No, I presume that was the whole Killing Eggman thing?" Silver said easily, swinging his legs in his chair. Espio snarled at him.

"Something to do with murdering Ivo Robotnik, on the streets, in broad daylight, by means of..." He reviewed his notes.

"Oh, squeezing. I just really squeezed him." Silver said simply, making a pop sound with his hand. Espio blew air out through his nostrils hard.

"Do you need that in fancy words? I, um, applied pressure? Corporal Compression? Is that a formal diagnosis?" Silver offered, leaning over to try to view Espio's notes. Lightning fast, Espio smacked his hand between his shoulder blades to hold him to the table.

"Right, right, sorry, not allowed to come near you. Sorry, you can let me up. I won't do anything to you." He said, giggling slightly. Espio hated physically restraining people, but he darted his eyes to the 'mirror' for the reassurance he imagined he received.

His radio buzzed:

"Backup, Espio?" Vector's voice asked.

"Hey, Vector!" Silver called excitedly. Espio again tried not to respond, frustrated his name had been confirmed now, as well as his senior's.

"Let's not escalate just yet." He said quietly into his radio. Silver nodded.

"Yep, sorry, I'm a good boy. Just nosy."

Espio released him a small amount as he listened to security codes on the radio. Silver wriggled under his hand.

"I have an itch on my back, can you get it while you're there?"

"You are certainly sick to think murdering a beloved family man, a Doctor no less, is joking business." He snapped. Silver sat up and frowned at him.

"You think he's more important because he has a family and a degree? That's not very 'Espio' of you." He pointed out, legs swinging again. It burned Espio to know he was once again right, but sometimes this sort of rhetoric worked to bring out grudges or guilt. Silver shouldn't have known what was and wasn't 'Espio', so he pretended he didn't.

"Let's return to how you managed to 'squeeze' him. You were ten feet away. Had you done something to his... clothes?" he started down the feeble list of ideas the detectives had cobbled together. Silver blinked hard.

"Of course. You've never met me. Maybe never met any of the others. Oh my god, what a world. Do you have a driver's license?" He rambled, scratching his ears.

"Of course I do. If you have a license on your person that was not found in search, you must surrender it now."

Silver waved him away.

"Of course I don't, nobody does, in the right time. You've got a license, you're official detectives - not freelance: this is so U.F., no wonder everything's so grey and boring. What's Sonic doing, does he even do stuff - did he meet Tails? Oh my god, did anyone even go get Shadow, did Project Shadow happen? Where's G.U.N.?" Silver asked quickly, practically shaking in his seat. Espio heard alarm bells all around him in his mind: this young man didn't know where he was, but had managed to execute the suspected conspirator they'd been tailing for years from across the road, knew eco-terrorists by names that the police had to fight to find, and casually brought up decades-old military operations that Espio wasn't even supposed to know about. The time for holding cards had passed.

"Just how do you know about Project Shadow?" He tried to speak normally, but found himself whispering. Silver nodded cryptically.

"So it did happen. Did anyone go find him again? You'll have to be careful about that, if I'm not told wrong. Wild. But, I shouldn't be telling you that."

"You should be telling me everything. Stop stalling, how did you kill him?"

"Oh, right, I have psychic powers."

Espio rested his pen over the words 'Pleading Insanity.'

"Psychic powers. And when did you first experience those?"

"Experience... err, is that relevant? I don't really remember. That got wiped when I went back the first time. Big mess, that - at least, I presume, and I know a big mess when I make one." He rambled, nodding at Espio like he made sense.

Espio noted this, his face blank. People experiencing delusions were not inherently a risk of violence for that, but he would need to tread more carefully, and be sure not to debase Silver's perception. He made a note to call in a professional.

"You don't believe me? I can prove it!" Silver said deaperately, his handcuffs jingling.

"That... won't be necessary. Don't stress yourself."

"You think I'm mad! Let me prove it, can I prove it to you? I know you're gonna understand me if I do!" Silver begged Espio. Internally, Espio grimaced. He was so pretty, and so weird he left him feeling powerless. Espio wasn't a psychologist, and was sure a consultant should be present for any communications with this person from here onwards. It wasn't sensible to even continue this inquiry.

Silver tapped the table in front of Espio, his quills dancing as he moved. They waved with a mystical sort of aura, as if they were blowing in the draftless room. It flushed playfulness over Espio's face, that he all but completely resisted.

"What number am I thinking of?"

Silver snorted: "Not that kind of psychic!"

"Ah. I see. Okay."

"Come on, let me show you! I won't do anything bad, I'll only do it if you tell me I can. I don't want to get you in more trouble..."

Getting in trouble was a life Espio swore off when he joined the police force. There was no room as a state of the U.F. for any other kind of justice, so his dreams were pushed aside for reality.

Silver's eyes shone dangerously as he watched Espio's blank face. It was as if he could see the wheels turning behind his eyes, but Espio was told he was unreadable. This stranger couldn't possibly know how tempting he was to believe.

"I'm so lucky it's you in the police force." He said quietly, staring just below his horn at his lips curiously. There was something weird in his voice, like a purr but not so joyful; a lilt that sounded warm and loving, the verbal equivalent of falling onto a bed at the end of the day.

"Fine, show me how you believe you are psychic. Safely, without hurting yourself." Espio said firmly, eyes trained on Silver. Silver raised an eyebrow, tapping one hand then the other, and snickering as Espio's eye caught the tiny movements.

"Nothing gets past you, Espio. Not much, anyway." He said smugly, as a police cap descended onto his head.

Espio blinked, looking up, and feeling the lack of cap on his own brow. Silver looked at himself in the mirror, trying to stuff a quill under the rim.

"It's not really my look, is it?" He said casually. Espio's whole body clenched and his tail coiled.

"How did you do that? Who else is in this room?" He called around him. Behind the door and the mirror someone was scuffling with something.

"Nobody, detective. Just us. And Vector, I guess he's behind there."

Espio watched as the cap glowed cyan, and floated off Silver's head and back to his. It tucked itself back onto his head like an invisible loving hand was fixing it. When Espio's feet could move, he bolted to the door.

"Wait, no, don't go-"

"Get back!" He shouted, one hand on the door handle and the other pulling out a pistol. Silver raised his cuffed hands.

"Woah, woah, you said I could show you! No, don't leave, you're the only-" He looked hard at the door and it glowed; as Espio tugged it, it wouldn't budge.

On the other side of the door, Vector was shouting at him, and slamming his body into it.

"I'm never gonna hurt you! Not ever, you're like, the last person in the world I would hurt, even after me, I swear." Silver pled, his handcuffs jingling as he knelt down in front of Espio. Espio pointed the barrel of the gun straight between his eyes. Neither of them moved for a minute.

"Door's no good. Get away from the window."

Vector buzzed on his radio, and Espio supposed he was back in the viewing room. But the little room they were in left no space to put distance between himself and the window.

"No! You'll get hurt, there's too much glass!" Silver said quickly. Espio took one eye off him to confirm, then glared back at him.

"I will have to neutralise you. For my safety."

"You're not a killer! You wouldn't kill me! I know you wouldn't, stop pretending you're something you're not!" Silver insisted, and he bumped his head against Espio's gun almost affectionately, like a cat against a hand, knocking it slightly off target. Espio felt sick, pulling it away and his finger off the trigger.

"How can I disarm you?" He said quietly. Silver smiled in relief, and lent his head onto Espio's knees.

"Thanks, you nearly had me there. I am disarmed. I'm never going to hurt you." He said, rubbing his head more. Espio looked to the window on fright, and tried the door again.

"Then, let me out."

"But... you're the only person who might listen. Don't leave me just yet, please. It's been so long." He whined slightly, then pulled his head up and stared him down in sudden menace: "And you're the only person I promise I'm never going to hurt. Anyone else, I could."

Espio's heart couldn't thump any faster in his chest if he'd run all around the world. Silver stayed at his knees, holding the door closed. Something thumped against the window, and Silver caught that too, reinforcing it with a cyan sheen.

"Tell them to stop. I'm just... I'm trying to be as helpful as I can, okay? I'm being good. I'm being so so good. You have no idea, I could be-"

"You killed someone. Instantly. With this?" Espio snapped, gesturing to the door with his gun. Silver nodded.

"Yeah. I did. And that's probably against the law? Yeah, okay, fine. I'll go to court and stuff, I can stay that long."

"Stay?" Espio said fiercely. Silver squeaked slightly as he shouted at him, knocking back against the ground like he'd hit him: "Like you have a choice!"

"Don't I? Oh, sure then."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing..." Silver spoke sulkily, but the mischievous look in his eyes was back.

"Will you sit down and stand down your... weapon?" Espio said evenly, stumbling over the worn phrase. Silver snickered.

"Well, I can sit."

Back at the table. Espio kept his gun ready, and a firm hand on it, bracing for telepathy. He could practically hear the held breath of the officers likely gathered in the viewing gallery. Silver might have been able to hear it too, as his ears twitched.

"How much do you know about Eggman?" He asked plainly. Espio bristled.

"Just who are you to be asking questions?"

"A guy who knows a hell of a lot more than you and is not afraid of you."

The first sign of anger from Silver did indeed spark fear in Espio, but he hid it expertly. Silver rolled his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing with a gun? Awful style for you. Anyway, be my friend for a minute, and I'll tell you what you need to know. You need me to go through court, right? So you lot don't get in trouble, I can do that."

Espio pretended to slack the gun and relax to play the right game for Silver, but his heart was still ringing in his ears.

"... Do you know the penalty for murder is death?"

"I did not. New information. Good to know. Thanks. Okay, I'll tell you something: that isn't going to happen. I could leave right now if I wanted."

"Who are you? You have no power here, you're not even on records."

"So you've done some homework, classic you. I'm from nowhere. I'm from... a whole different place. Nobody normal would believe me, but I am."

"Nor- nevermind. How far?"

"Furthest I've ever travelled."

"Another planet?" Espio challenged with a grim smile. Silver squinted at him, his head tilted to one side.

"Another dimension." Silver said finally. Espio didn't react. He couldn't. He filed that in the back of his mind to process later. Silver didn't seem impressed with his lack of reaction.

"Oh, and the future too. I travel time. I can do space if I need to, usually just to land in the right place. And now, I guess, I travel dimensions. It's been a hell of a year."

Espio sifted the words, and almost laughed.

"How do you know it's been a year, if you've travelled time?"

Silver blinked, staring at him, then started giggling.

"You're right. I don't. I have no idea how long I've been going. I don't even remember when I last slept." He chuckled, covering his face: "Of course you would think of that. Of course, I wouldn't."

He laughed, but it sounded like crying, and his face was red and tired when he brought his hands away, and grinned at Espio. Espio's breath froze in his lungs as the magic man who lent on one palm and gazed at Espio like he hung the moon and stars.

"I missed you so much." He said softly, sparkles dancing in his eyes.

"We've never met."

"Yeah, obviously. You're right. Sorry." Silver sighed, and although the sparkles stayed they fell sad.

Espio cleared his throat and looked down at his nonsensical notes. He hoped Silver had left the recording equipment intact, because nobody was going to believe him.

"So, you say you're planning to escape this dimension?"

"Yeah, but I think that'd be a problem for you. Besides, you know some secrets. You probably know about Chaos Control by now. Or an equivalent, whatever this dimension is called, I forget."

"... I am sure I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Bull. I know your face, Espio. So, it's like, a government secret? Chaos, or whatever other emeralds and stones you have? None of that exists on record here? No wonder Eggman got so far so quick! That's dangerous."

Espio's mind swum with questions, and he studied his notes to hide his expression. It didn't work.

"Okay, okay, where did I lose you?"

"I understand exactly. Carry on."

"No, it's okay. I'm trying to be helpful. What do you need to know?" Silver put his bare hand on the back of Espio's, and Espio jumped.

"Shoot, sorry - no don't shoot! I just forgot. I'm tired, did I mention it's been a long year? Oh yeah, 'cause it... right, I'll shut up." Silver babbled, shuffling upright in his seat and away from Espio. Espio puffed air out of his lungs, expelling the rush of excitement Silver's paw sent through his skin.

"You think you know me."

"I know another you... pretty well." He said, smirking slightly and looking at the zip on Espio's leather jacket, which covered a bulletproof vest, that covered a heart-shaped pattern on his stomach. Something about that face panicked Espio as he remembered his supervisor was watching, and he cleared his throat, jostling papers.

"And you're... dimension hopping. So that you can kill people. It seems we would be doing a lot of people a favour to put you down."

Silver laughed.

"Too little, too late. This mess is all my fault." He said easily, and put his hands on the desk to gesture as he spoke; "See, I come from this universe, we call it the Chaos Dimension, and I travel back in time from my time every few weeks or so, to this point in the twenty-first century. There's this guy called Eggman there, and he sucks - like ruining the world, domination and enslaving and killing people. And there's Sonic, and his pals, and you guys - you're his pals too, and mine - and everybody stops him getting too far. And, like, I'm from their future, my time, the twenty-third century. Oh, sorry, I already said. So anyway, I know when they're about to lose, because my time goes wrong, and I go back to help." He explained quickly. Espio scribbled senselessly, and Silver peaked over his notes.

"Yeah, you got that - so anyway, I'm hangin' out with you in the twenty-first, and had this idea like maybe we wanna-" He stopped himself, suddenly stammering. He now didn't seem like a young man, more a bashful teenager, his face glowing red, and paws gripped tight.

"Want to...?" Espio prompted. Silver shook his head.

"Um, can you take the other Espio off-record, please, I don't think he'd wanna be involved in this. Anyway. Doesn't matter what I was asking, because I had to go home so he said no, wasn't a good idea, makes sense, and I was thinking: Eggman, he's the reason I have to keep going back and forward in time. If he wasn't around, I'd be able to stay in the twenty-first century with you. Not you. My... other friend. Friends. All my friends. That doesn't matter. Anyway. So, I thought I could go back in time to when Eggman was born, give him a-" He clicked his tongue and motioned bashing something: "Then go back to the twenty-first century and have a blast."

"So, you completely ruined their timeline." Espio offered. Silver blinked.

"How'd you know?"

"Because I've seen movies."

Silver sucked his teeth; "Maybe that's my problem, I haven't. Yeah, it was totally buggered. Way worse. So I went back and undid me doing that."

"That shouldn't have worked."

"Well, it did! I reasoned it out with myself, didn't even have to kill that me! But... it kinda made a bigger problem."

"You don't say."

"Yeah, my friend from another Dimension, the Sol dimension, she had another Eggman popping up, and we looked into it and there's like - loads of them. This is my thirtieth dimension that wasn't supposed to have an Eggman, and Blaze is probably on the same score by now, with all this time I wasted. Your Ivo Robotnik wasn't supposed to go bad, his cousin was, but it's like our Eggman's ideas all got splatted across the dimension. And I'm tryna fix em, ideally before my not-boyfriend notices." He trailed off, grumbling to himself. Espio stared hard at him, waiting for more insanity to dribble out of his mouth. Silver fiddled with his fur and scowled at the glass in a distant stare, so Espio scribbled some more notes. The scribbling brought Silver's attention to him again, and a dreamy, vacant smile stretched over his face.

"You are the most beautiful thing in every dimension." He remarked as though it were normal. Espio broke his pen as he pressed it hard on the paper. Silver didn't register that, just gazed at him:

"I hope this me comes back soon. Maybe he will, this is the sort of mess that might bring him back. Or Iblis, maybe? Can you trigger Iblis?"

Espio just stared at him. His brain had fried somewhere between dimension travel and pretty young men.

His radio buzzed.

"How'd he know about Robotnik's movements?" Vector prompted in a stage whisper. Espio shook himself.

"How did you-"

"Hey, Vector." Silver waved at the mirror; "'cause I could see it in the future. Peeked in, saw it was mucked up, came to now, just happened on him over the street. Not my finest work, but there's no negotiating with evil. You just have to-" He made a popping sound.

Espio winced, but pressed on: "So, you know of no leak regarding any investigations?"

Silver shrugged: "I don't know what day it is, you think I know what this dimension's police are up to? You are, let's see, you're the Metus dimension? Yeah, he was messing with your energy sources, dunno what they were. They make fear. Go where you feel really afraid, you'll maybe find 'em. Oh, I shouldn't tell a police that, you'll use it for nastiness. Can you tell Sonic for me, he's great, he's the one you should be following." he said loosely, yawning hard.

"We aren't in contact with Sonic the Hedgehog. If we were, we wouldn't be in this job." He said with wide and serious eyes. Silver looked puzzled at him, then pinched his mouth small, and winked.

"I see. Definitely don't tell him, then. And don't tell him someone called Maria Robotnik is gonna be causing a hell of a lot of trouble. Actually, she should have just started, something about revenge. I hope that wasn't me. Sorry if it was."

He shrugged, shaking slightly. He leant on the table to look at Espio's notes, and Espio saw closer how raggedy he was, with sunken eyes and parched lips.

"That's... all I was supposed to find out from you. Are you sure this is all accurate?"

"Sure as sure. I don't lie. You don't know that, but trust the other you." Silver laughed; "Can you move me to someone else's custody so I can zip outta here without feeling bad for you? It's been fun, though. Nobody's talked to me in... oh I don't know, months? And it's you, too! Luckiest day for me."

Espio felt hot again, and wished he weren't acting under supervision. This young man made him think crazy things about the world, what he could do with his connections, who he could be and what he wanted. Silver's pelt had tangles in it he would love to tug free, and he could smell his sweat and fur from where he lent. Espio pushed himself away from the table.

"Please... don't 'leave' just yet. We need to pose a case, and have you sign it, and er, then we have to move to trial."

"Why? I confessed, hurry it up so I can go without ruining your records."

"We'll do what we can..."

Espio stood up quickly, his whole body itching and writhing. Silver watched him go dopily and sadly.

"Will you be the one to come tell me when you're done with me?" He said sweetly. Espio stood at the door out of view of the mirror, waiting for it to be unlocked, and looked over his shoulder. He nodded, but spoke the opposite:

"Certainly not. It will be a high-security officer."

Silver smirked at his face; "Alright, Detective. Always a pleasure to see you again."

Espio looked pointedly at the door; "I'm sure it's not. Could you let me out?"

"It's been open for ages."

Espio tried the door, and to his embarrassment found it open, but the officers on the other side seemed puzzled too.

Silver snickered at him, and Espio lingered at the door, waiting for any more extraordinary things to come from him.

"Alright, stay safe, love." Silver yawned, putting his head on the table, and laid awkwardly on his cuffed hands.

Espio flushed as pink as his body could go and disappeared out the door. He was immediately patted down and inspected for damage by Vector, who was chewing nicotine gum at a rate of knots and rattling off theories and protocols. Espio couldn't hear him over the blood rushing in his head.

The night before Silver's sentence would be released, Espio scaled the wall of the maximum security cells, invisible and silent in just his shoes and gloves. He hadn't used these skills in years since joining the police academy, and he had little faith in them, but had to press on through the red lights that shone over the sides of the grey and grim building.

He snuck through the fire escape he'd broken last visit, crawling along the ceilings and down the stairs upside down. It was exhilarating to be a chameleon again, to be a ninja as he'd always hoped, but the stakes were too high to enjoy it just yet.

He inserted a copy of the key to Silver's wing into the lock, and cringed at the tiny creak, but nobody came. He skittered down the hall.

Silver unsettled the guards and the other inmates alike; he was too calm, too unbothered. They moved him up and up the security ladder every time he professed that he would get out against Vector's advice.

Always with Vector in tow, Espio had mined Silver for more information, and tried to coach him through trial underhand, but he was pushed through a kangaroo court that was determined to get him out quickly, as they knew what a danger his knowledge posed if it were true. Espio heard that the verdict was set to be announced the next day, and knew their plan had to be ready.

He unlocked the final bolt in Silver's door, and swung it open as quietly as he could. Silver was sleeping soundly, and rolled over.

Once inside the cell, Espio materialised, still in the shadow. He closed the door again, and now Silver awoke.

"Oh, hello. What time is it?"

"Time to do your thing. You're to be given the death penalty tomorrow, and they'll put you first in line."

Silver stretched easily. He looked brighter for having slept on an awful bed and eaten horrific food for almost a week.

"Oh dear. I suppose so. You came out all this way to tell me?" He smiled so warmly as he stood up. Espio nodded, producing his gloves, socks and boots.

"Perfect! These are tricky to replace, thank you."

"I couldn't find your clothes."

"I didn't wear them."

"But you have to."

"Have to here, not most universes. Besides, you aren't."

Espio shrunk in on himself.

"Easier to disguise myself this way. I do not make a habit of public indecency."

"Hmm, funny culture you guys have here. I won't miss it."

"Where will you go?" Espio said quickly, handing Silver his gloves as he finished clipping his boots. Silver twizzled one ring onto his wrist, and it projected a sort of scatter graph of coloured points, with lots of different lines going between glowing points.

"Dip into your future here, check it's on track, then over to the Protos Dimension, where there's an EggBaby launching war on some poor hoglet." Silver shrugged. Espio held onto the last glove, shyly placing it on Silver's hand for him.

"I hope I see you in the future."

"Shouldn't see me, but maybe the other me. Cause a loada trouble, I'll rock up." He said with a small laugh. Espio's hand lingered on the ring for just a moment, before it joined the other behind his back.

"If it's not all fixed, I'll be back in about, ooh, one second."

"Just one moment:"

Silver stopped, just as he started to glow with supernatural energy. Espio held his hands behind his back, his tongue tying and untying itself.

"Yes, dear?" Silver said softly, and it sent shivers down his spine. Silver had nearly had the stuffing knocked out of him by Vector when he accidentally slipped up like this during one questioning: Espio's superior was sure this was some kind of grooming or scheming, but it seemed to Espio that Silver genuinely forgot he wasn't talking to his version of Espio.

Espio hoped he would do it again. Silver's eyes lingered on the bow of his chest again, so he supposed he had.

"Tell the other me how hard you have worked? I suppose you won't be back for some time. But, I think I would like to know."

Silver looked away and sniffed grumpily.

"No, you'd say something like; 'this wouldn't have happened if you listened the first time.', and you'd be right." Silver sighed, imitating Espio as he spoke. The Espio in the room inclined his head.

"Maybe so. But the fact that you tried, and dared to try, it's probably what I like about you."

Silver suddenly looked embarrassed again, and rubbed his face. Espio couldn't quite work out why things like running around naked and calling a stranger 'darling' didn't embarrass him, but even suggesting that this mystical other version might or might not like him back sent his bravery packing.

"I... I don't know what he sees in me. Maybe nothing, now. Can't think about it yet. Got too many worlds to save. That question's for later." He hurried, kicking his toes on the ground.

"I'd say yes."

Silver twinged slightly, eyes popping. Espio wanted to back away as he stepped forward, suddenly regretting saying more than a few words here. Silver still terrified him. But he couldn't stop thinking about him, and now he was about to upheave his whole life over him.

Silver quietly took Espio's hand, and rubbed his thumb over his palm.

"Thank you." He whispered. Espio's watch timer told him that he was overdue back at the car, and his chest told him he didn't care. He dropped Silver's hand and kissed him, holding both his cheeks at first, then letting his fingers tangle in the knots of his wild hair.

He was gently walked backward, until his shoulder rested on the cold wall. Silver seemed more stumbled than he ever had, but his hands found Espio's waist and rested there. He bit his lip slightly, but found a rhythm eventually, and huffed slightly with enthusiasm. He held him tighter, then suddenly pulled his face away.

"Wait-a-minute, wait, am I cheating?" He said into Espio's cheek, panting slightly in panic. Espio kissed the other side of his face.

"I thought you said you weren't dating."

"... I'm not sure if he meant no, or just said no." Silver ran a hand through his quills as he spoke, suddenly terrified; "I'm so sorry, I keep confusing things - oh my god, I have to go. I'm making such a mess!"

He sprang back from Espio, who stayed leant against the wall in a stupor.

"I... would probably understand. Good luck." He managed, and gazed in what he presumed was madness as Silver glowed cyan, brighter and brighter, like a sun ready to burst.

He didn't take his eyes off Espio, instead studied him all over as though he were the brilliant thing in the room. He shifted from cyan, to bright shiny purple, then into ultraviolet before Espio couldn't see him anymore, and something rumbled like thunder. Espio waited for a minute, before he presumed Silver wasn't coming back, and began his escape from the prison.

Invisible again, he tapped three times on the tinted glass of the unmarked van. It opened, and he leapt in, as the engine started.

"Where the hell were you? That creep didn't-"

"He didn't touch me. He's not a creep, he's just weird. Step on it, I have a feeling I was spotted."

As if it heard, the siren in the prison started, and Vector pulled away as fast as he could.

"He's gone?"

"Saw it myself. Just as he said it would be. Truly bizarre."

Vector wore his old leather jacket, and had a cigarette in his mouth for the first time since he'd been promoted. He chewed it, and waited until they hit the motorway before opening the window to light. They had the road to themselves, and he drove faster than they'd even gone with the blue lights on.

"You sure you got all our possessions?"

Vector sucked the roll guiltily, and blew it out the window.

"Everything that matters." He nodded over his shoulder. In the back of their car was his full drumkit and huge speakers, Espio's guitars, two suitcases, an assortment of litter - both the usual car trash and random kitchen things Vector had thrown in. Nestled in the pile was an old car seat, with a sleeping bee strapped under a blanket.

"You took the neighbour's kid? That's abduction, we'll get-"

"Got for a lot else too. In for the penny, I say. And who was gonna feed 'im if we went? Not his mum, that's for sure." Vector whined, fizzing in the night air like a rocket down the road. At times like these, Espio was sure that Vector, like him, had joined the police force without realising what it was really like. He didn't like paperwork, enforcing laws or courts. He liked justice, driving too fast, and sticking his nose into everyone's business. When they realised they were in the crosshairs of a lot of shady people asking for information and silence over the Silver case, it was Vector's idea to link up with an old band-mate of his across the border, and see if they could switch their skills to a better cause.

But there was no way a little kid would be safe in the hands of two messy, wanted men with no savings.

"I asked him. He said he'd rather come with us than stay home." Vector said softly, as though he read Espio's mind, then blew smoke out the window again.

They drove in silence, before they drove in oppressively loud rock music, and Espio started to feel excited for his new life.

"I'm going to become a ninja, like I always dreamed." Espio declared over the speakers. Vector snorted.

"Sure, I always knew you were a nerd. I'm going full-time as a crooner, obviously."

"You'll fail, and I'll watch."

"Oh, definitely, you have to be there for every gig. Throwing things at me, all that good stuff."

"I will. I think I can learn a language."

"Doubly a nerd. Which one?"

"Which one will you hate the most? Or, perhaps as many as I possibly can?"

"That does sound annoying. Maybe I'll take up wrestling."

"Why?"

"To have a luchador mask, and so I can hit people with a chair and make the crowd go wild."

"WWE is not real wrestling."

"Tell it to the chair."

He mimed hitting Espio, and they squabbled. They were so close to the border now, they could taste freedom in the smoky air.

"I'm gonna find the lady I met. The one who ran away with her kid and called me the worst guy she ever met. I got a kid now, maybe she'll be impressed by that." Vector said with a laugh, but the tiny shift in his tone told Espio he wasn't joking.

"You should. She might not have forgiven you for arresting her."

"It was my job. I think she went to knothole, anyway. You never know when you'll find your soulmate."

"If you subscribe to such a belief."

Espio sniffed. Vector nodded at that, but smiled anyway.

"It's nice to think about. You might find the one. She might even like you back."

Vector laughed quickly, and Espio stretched his mouth into a straight line.

"He might."

Vector stopped laughing, but didn't stop smiling.

"Yeah, I'm not very surprised. Didn't like to ask, what with work."

"That is appreciated."

"... you should leave criminals alone though."

"But what are we, now?"

Vector wanted to think of an answer, but his phone rang with a picture of an Armadillo with a saxophone. Mighty yawned down the phone:

"Oi, Vector, is this your sparkly grey hedgehog here? It just turned up, said it's from the future."

The car jolted, and the kid they called Charmy woke up. Vector slowly regained speed, and eyeballed Espio with his peripheral. Espio let his face fall blank, and took the phone.

"Could you ask him if he's from just the future, or also the... Chaos dimension?" He asked. Vector snorted as Mighty called something, and someone shouted.

"He said 'whaddya mean just the future' - so prob'ly that one."

"Oh, good. The world is saved." He remarked. Vector laughed harshly, and whistled the phone over.

"Keep him there for now. There's someone terribly excited to see him."

"Who's from the future? We going to the future?" The kid in the back of the car popped his head forward, saw the speed they were moving, and cackled wildly.

"Faster, faster! Whee!" he cheered, and they blasted past the border of the United Federation, into the lawless land.