Silver Chapter 3: Vacation
The hedgehog and the cyborg sat still in comfortable silence and enjoyed the rest of their treats. Silver repeatedly reached out and munched on the offered cookies with an enthusiasm not unlike that displayed by a child in the middle of a candy store. As before, as his teeth sank into the scrumptious crumbs of the sweet delicacies, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the heavenly explosion of flavors inside him. The two corners of his lips were seen with two visible upward curves, clearly expressing his delight. His entire posture was relaxed and laid-back as he leaned further against the backrest of his chair.
At that moment, he looked young, exactly as he should be. It was a sight that stood in stark contrast with the image he had just displayed a few seconds ago – that of a powerful psychic with an extraordinary burden to bear. Abel said nothing, and instead, opted to study his little furry friend where he hovered in private.
The oversized coat of white that hugged Silver's frame effectively covered most of his body, but within, he was certain there would be painful reminders of the previous journey. Silver did not seem to notice his watchful gaze and continued gulping down as many cookies as his stomach could hold.
Always one to enjoy the simpler things in life that hedgehog was, Abel thought briefly before he placed his cup down with more force than necessary. The soft clang it made as the bottom made contact with the plate forced Silver out of his blissful eating spree. After gulping down another cookie, Silver placed both hands on the table. His attention was gained.
Abel coughed politely into his metal fist and began.
"Silver, I called you here today because I wanted to talk to you about your, and do excuse me for saying this…your obvious martyr complex…"
"I have nothing of the sort!" the hedgehog protested at once, vehemently so.
"…And some attitude problems as well, which I must admit make for quite endearing personality flaws." Abel chuckled a little at the pouting expression on the other's face, but that humor was not meant to last. Soon, his seriousness returned, and he resumed.
"In any case, I want you to take a short vacation…" he began, and in an instant, Silver's head whipped back, his amber eyes staring straight at him.
"Vacation?" the hedgehog interrupted, appearing somewhat incredulous. He then laughed in absolute amusement before he talked again, "In case you forgot, doc, I just took a whole week off from work here. That's enough vacation for me already."
"Recuperation and vacation are two very different concepts, my friend."
"They practically mean the same to me, though," Silver shrugged dismissively, "Time off from work and practically wasted. There!"
"You are earnest, Silver, more so than any of my men, but still, you are still young. You should at least enjoy life a little more, enjoy your time being young, learn new things, open your mind to the world around you. You should not feel obliged to live your life for others alone."
"But I'm worried that the moment I go on this…vacation," Silver stressed and even air quoted the words for better emphasis, "Something bad is going to happen, like Eggman Nega…"
"In jail, my friend," Abel interrupted, "Isolated maximum security, without bail and currently awaiting trial, and let's hope he will receive a life sentence this time. Thus, I believe that he should stay out of your hair for a very, very long time."
"…What about unexpected troubles caused by some Time Felons that you're looking for, like that time thief Lupe the Deceptive or arms dealer Talon the Faceless or…"
"We have the Time Guardians for those things, Silver," said Abel gently and patiently. "You need not concern yourself with our responsibilities. Although, if you want, after you turn eighteen, you are more than welcome to officially join our ranks. I will gladly put in my words of recommendation for the appointment of one of the world's greatest psychic users."
"Ha ha, very funny, and this comes from the second most powerful psychic user himself," Silver huffed and rolled his eyes at the familiar offer, but secretly, he could not help but feel somewhat honored that his efforts and skills were recognized.
"You flatter me," said Abel with a small smile. "But let's not stray from the topic at hand, shall we? I still want you to go on a vacation to take your mind off things for a while. With Eggman Nega gone, and most of the known Time Felons are either safely situated behind bars or laying low, it is the perfect time for a break."
"I don't know," Silver admitted, torn between the prospect of taking a brief reprieve and the thought of getting ready for trouble whenever it might strike. "I can't just think for myself. There are just so many things to do here, like taking care of the children…"
"They understand, hence the promise for a full play date with you upon your return, and believe me, they performed admirably as negotiators," Abel said immediately and still holding on to his saint-like patience. Silver's antics might stem from good intentions, but his disregard for his own welfare could be infuriating at times, especially to those who knew him well.
"But…" Silver raised one finger up as he tried again to come up with another excuse. Abel would have none of it.
"As you can see, I have no butt, and as I see, your butt is currently on the chair, not your ears, my friend," he shot back in good humor, and Silver frowned, more annoyed than mad at the offhand jab. Silver looked at his friend, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not shake a decision that Abel had already made for him.
There was only one viable option left, and begrudgingly, Silver the hedgehog relented.
"Fine," he grumbled and popped another cookie into his mouth. He gulped and continued, "I'll go on this vacation, but only for one day…"
"Three days," the cyborg interjected.
"Two days. Deal or no deal, it's your call. Take it or leave it." Silver said with finality.
"As always, you strike the hardest and most absurd of bargains when your own benefits are involved, and I don't mean it in a good way. Fine, two days off work, and you can go anywhere you wish. No work, no mission, no fighting bad guys, just pure relaxation, are we understood?"
"I don't know why you're so fixed on getting me to stay still," Silver grumbled again.
"Unfortunately, someone's got to do that job, and let me say it is not easy to bring about that one single miracle."
"Okay, okay, stop the jabbing, doc," Silver complained, but Abel could see he was more or less amused by the prospect of getting a break from his hero work and his part-time employment.
"Oh, and the deal is effective immediately, so have the rest of the day off, and I'll see you after your forty-eight hours is up."
"Fine…But I…I have a small question if you don't mind," Silver asked, and Abel nodded. "Can I…well…travel to the past? Because let's face it, beside you, the teachers and the kids here, it's not like I have any other circles of friends in this timeline to hang out with…" he confessed, and for a brief second, a look of loneliness passed his face before it was wiped away by a smile.
Abel hummed thoughtfully and contemplated the idea, and when he looked at the hopeful look in the hedgehog's radiating amber eyes, his mind was made up.
"Sure," he said with a smile, and the smile that had formed on Silver's face grew all the wider. "But be very careful. I do not need to remind you of your interferences with past events, especially ones of great significance."
"I remember, Abel, I'm experienced in this kind of thing, so no need for your constant nagging," Silver replied, feigning exasperation. Abel eyed him with a certain amount of suspicion before he backed off and nodded once he was satisfied.
"Good," said the cyborg, satisfied, "Now wait here while I file a permit to officially authorize your use of time travelling. And then, you can leave."
Silver smiled and nodded as he watched the cyborg turned away. He popped another cookie into his mouth and happily chewed it, eyes once again closed in bliss. In his mind, thoughts about the past word began to emerge.
Internally, Silver knew he would be lying to himself if he said he was not, at the very least, a little bit excited about his upcoming time cruising trip.
…
Two hundred years into the past…at the dock of Station Square…ten minutes until midnight…
"Night-vision to Darkshade and Arsenal, do you copy?" asked an anthropomorphic bat as she expertly hid her presence within the thick shadows cast by the numerous gigantic containers that were stacked up all around her, all of which created a complex maze-like formation in the specific area of the port in which she was currently lurking about. "Do you copy?" she repeated, and from her tiny earbud, a low, seemingly emotionless voice responded.
"I honestly don't know why you have to come up with those kinds of codenames for us. If you ask me, they're a complete waste of time and only serve to raise needless confusion, nothing more."
"Oh hush, you," replied the bat with a sigh, "It's more exciting that way like what they do in the movies, don't you think, Shadie?"
"Do not call me that," Shadow's voice replied calmly from the other side, but in the bat's mind, she could clearly picture her solemn partner wearing the fiercest of his fearsome scowls as he spoke into his own earbud. That alone made her giggle, carefully stifled to maintain her cover.
"Aw," she cooed mischievously, "I think that's a lovely and quite suitable name for a cute, fluffy hedgehog such as yourself, don't you agree?" she added, teasingly.
"I am not fluffy, and I am most certainly not cute. I am the Ultimate Lifeform."
"Yeah, and all hedgehogs are supposed to be fluffy and adorable, and since you're the ultimate among them… well, you get the idea," she said teasingly, "Oh, and let's not forget your...unforgettable pom-pom version after the little incident with my club's plumbing system the other day, you know, the one you helped wreck. I still have some perfect blackmail materials saved up..."
"You know I have unobstructed visuals of you from up here, Rouge," replied the other's voice, calmly – dangerously so in her opinion.
"Oh," Rouge faked a cry along with a convincing look of surprise - a skill which she had had years of practice and could perform to perfection effortlessly. "Really? Tell me then, how do I look in this outfit? Alluring? Debonair? Mesmerizing? Intoxicating? Like a movie star?" she continued her relentless teasing and struck a pose for her partner to see. Another grumble entered her ear through her communication device.
"Like someone who's about to be shot," Shadow retorted dryly.
"Okay, okay, jeez, you're no fun at all. Live and learn to live a little, wouldja, Shadow?" asked the female bat with a playful roll of her eyes. The small, mysterious smirk stayed fixed on her lips. It was always fun to try and get under her eternally stiff and rigid associate's skin whenever possible, and tonight was no different from their usual routine of one-sided banters, much to Shadow's distaste. And as usual, the hedgehog tried to ignore her offhanded remarks and comments in favor of concentrating on the task at hand.
"Now that's one name I can accept," replied the hedgehog as he stood atop one of the container far away from his partner's current location. From his vantage point, Shadow had complete coverage of the dock below, including the rendezvous point where Rouge was scheduled to meet up with their target.
"Fine, fine, we'll drop the codenames thing then, mister Moody, seriously, you're just so insufferably grumpy to the point that you'll probably give the Grinch a run for his money," Rouge resumed her playful, lighthearted jokes before she grew serious once more, her eyes analytically studying the group of suspicious and menacing-looking creatures patrolling the dock from her hiding location within the cover of the darkness.
"You're in one of your moods tonight?" asked Shadow, sardonic. Rouge, however, took no offense at the remark and merely laughed it away, merrily even. If anything, she seemed to enjoy the dry sense of humor occasionally displayed by her partner.
"All jokes aside, Shadow, are you in position yet?" she asked, and on the other end, the dark hedgehog confirmed.
"I'm in position, and so is Omega," he said shortly as he crouched down, effectively disappearing from view altogether.
"Do you have clear visuals?" asked Rouge as she took a quick head count of the men her eyes could spot. Five were seen.
"Twelve guards in total," confirmed Shadow after a brief pause, "Five right before you, three walking around on the west side and another three patrolling on the east side of the dock. For small fries, they sure pack some heavy firepower, so stay sharp. As for our target, he has yet to show his face."
"Well, rumor has it our guy holds punctuality in high regards, and we still have hmm, three…two…one…" the countdown stopped at the exact moment the sound of a car approaching reached her sensitive ears.
"And speak of the devil. Can you confirm he's the one we're supposed to capture?"
"Wait a sec," Shadow said from where he was. With his binoculars, the stealthy hedgehog zoomed in on the newly arrived human and cross-checked with his pre-given data. It was a perfect match.
"It's him. Lorenzo Romero," Shadow stated.
"Big bad international arms dealer is here at last," Rouge muttered, "Then I suppose it's curtain up for me. I'm going in. Shads, you and robo-boy stay quiet and wait for your cue and then we'll be done sweeping this place in a flash. Over."
"Copy that. Over."
Rouge then left the sanctuary offered by the shadows and confidently walked out into the open, clad in an expensive-looking and captivating red business suit. Her posture was completely relaxed and her pace was firm, showing not a single trace of hesitation or worry as she approached her hostile-looking targets, a black suitcase in tow. Immediately, the henchmen's wary eyes were set on her, and seconds later, so were the mouths of their weapons. In the midst of dangers, a small smile slowly formed on the bat's face, and her eyes analytically studied the foot soldiers surrounding her.
A dozen men, a dozen lethal weapons, one objective, one target. Simple, she thought with utmost buoyancy. Her feet moved forward, her head held high.
The smile gracing her lips widened and grew from one of good humor to its more devious, conniving counterpart. Undeterred by the antagonistic presences around her, Rouge continued to walk closer and closer, her gait casual and at ease despite the gravity of the dangers to which she was currently being exposed.
But then again, there was nothing an experienced agent of her status had never seen before in her long years of service. In Rouge's mind, it was simply another day in the office, and she had just clocked in.
Mission started.