Hello Everyone!

Alright, I'm very sorry for the continued absence, how very rude of me to leave you with nothing for so long!

Anywho, I am still alive and this story is still kicking out chapters (for a bit longer, then I'll finish)

For those of you who have not read my story before this "Eggman Finds a Friend Up North" there will be an entrance by a OC of mine to help the story flow; don't worry too much as this is still mainly a canon character centered piece.

For those of you who which to PM me with ideas or whatever else floats in your mind, please feel welcome. I try and check that at least regularly.

Also! Any references made here are also not owned by myself, no matter how much I like the source material they come from.

And Now for the Chapter!

Chapter 7: Of Malls and Menaces (Part 1)

At the Chaotix Detective Agency

Three sleepy figures watched tiredly as an energetic, silver furred hedgehog ended his tale.

"And then I slipped off the ropes and went whoosh! and I was really scared 'cause I heard Eggman say something about a mall tomorrow so I thought I'd come see you guys to ask if you could help!"

"...help do what exactly?" Said a grounded Charmy as he tried to keep his eyes from closing

"Y'know, detectivey stuff! Like looking for clues or running from monsters or "Jinkies!" and "Zoinks!" every time something happens!" Silver replied.

Espio ran a hand over his face. "Silver?"

"Yes?"

"...Do you know what time it is?"

"Ah... no. I don't. Why?" Silver started looking around the dark office for a clock

Vector picked up Silver and started shaking him, yelling "BECAUSE IT'S TWO F-"

Conveniently, several pans crashed onto the floor nearby as Vector talked.

"-ING THIRTY IN THE MORNING! We need to SLEEP!"

"...Oh." Silver said shakily as he was dropped down on the floor.

Vector sighed. "Alright, everyone go to bed. Silver, you can crash here but I don' wanna here anymore gobbledygook 'bout Eggman." Vector waved his arm to the general vicinity of a nearby couch. "He died in that mountain crash couple weeks ago. Found his jacket and everything, well what was left anyway."

Silver shook his head "No its okay, I'll go head on home. I'm just going to go check on the Rabbits tomorrow anyway."

Vector froze. "What did you say?"

"Well It's just that when I heard Eggman mention the mall, I heard someone else say that Vanilla and Cream wer-"

Vector zipped over and started shaking Silver's hand earnestly "Say no more! You've got yourself a detective team Silver! We'll be at the mall bright and early tomorrow, right boyos?"

Faint hearts could be seen in a small trail going above Vector's head

Charmy rolled his eyes "Oh, brother. Yeah boss, we'll be ready" as he hovered over to bed, Espio letting out a sigh as he followed suit.

At Mr. Kintobor's house

He had gotten up early that day.

Something didn't feel right; Silver's escape would be problematic for his status as "dead" and the last thing he wanted was for more scrutiny to come upon him for his long "vacation" periods from the business.

He looked at the note in his hand.

I don't have a choice, I need to call him in for help.

He dialed the faded numbers nervously into the phone.

One ring.

Two rings.

"Speak."

"It's me. I need a favor."

"Favors are costly."

"I can pay."

"No need for that now. What do you ask?"

"Come to the Metropolis Center Mall at 10:00, I need a shadow."

"You'll never know I was there."

"That's exactly why I need you. Also, look for a silver-grey hedgehog. I need him to understand my real intentions."

"It is done. Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Good." The phone dial clicked.

"Well, that was one problem solved. Today should be full of surprises."

11:00 A.M. Metropolis Center Mall, Fuzbear's Pizza

Eggman was feeling apprehensive.

Vanilla was sensing his distress.

Cream and Cheese were having far too much fun in the ball pit at the restaurant.

"Hey, what's up? You seem distant." Vanilla nudged his hand as they sat in a nearby booth watching the kid and Chao.

"Hmmm? Oh! I, well... I have a bad feeling about today." He fumbled with his glasses, a slight tinge to his cheeks.

"About what? No one knows you're here, Cream and Cheese are having a ball, as well as myself just being able to relax. Please, for my sake just forget about it. This is about you turning over a new leaf, right? So you're just a man sitting down and enjoying some food if it ever gets here."

Eggman smiled a bit at that. "Restaurants, life's perfect patience tester." He chuckled softly and relaxed "Alright, I'll try and have some fun. Oh look, here it comes now! Cream, Cheese, come and get some food!"

"Yay!" Said Cream

"Chao!" Agreed Cheese

"But wash your hands first!" Announced Vanilla

"Awww" Cried both of them.

11:05 A.M.

Espio, Charmy and Vector were crudely designed bushes.

Correction: They were crudely designed bushes with binoculars sticking out of them.

No one seemed to notice.

They were a floor above Fuzbear's Pizza, looking down into it from the opposite side of the large and cylindrical opening that was the middle of the mall.

"That's our man right boss?" Charmy said, his bush hovering slightly above the ground

"I sure hope he is. What's he thinkin' sitting so close to Vanilla?" Vector replied with a slightly different green tail sticking out of his bush

"But why would anyone, especially Eggman, want to get so close to their own target? Wouldn't that make you more easily hit by your own machine?" Espio wondered out loud, his purple bush rustling as he crouched down to peer through the walkways open sided rail.

"Hmmmm." The three wondered.

Bush-Vector moved to look more at Bush-Espio. "Espio where's your cover?"

"What do you mean? I'm surrounded by it."

"But I can see you clearly with that purple bush." Vector pointed out.

"My cover is should be like me, invisible. So, since it needs to be like me, it needs to be purple like my skin." Espio explained.

"Oh."

The two bushes turned back to peer at their unwitting victims.

11:10

Silver was wondering the mall, looking for Vanilla and Cream.

Why were those three bushes so out of place? I don't know, this is 200 years before my time so screw my sense of normality!

He was gazing fondly at some very fuzzy looking pajamas when suddenly a brown, massive hand grabbed him.

"Hey!" Shouted Silver at his unknown taker

"You will be silent." Said a voice as he was flicked across the ears hard.

"Ow! I mean um, okay." Silver replied, being maneuvered into a nearby bathroom.

The hand let go and Silver was dropped to the floor and saw a pair of very worn, very dangerous looking boots staring back at him.

Literally staring back, as there were faded eyes painted on them.

The voice growled out "Now, you will listen to me or you will find my boots looking down from on top of you instead of in front."

Silver gulped. What have I gotten into now?