Wade Whipple, acting sheriff of Green Hills, whistled along with the radio as he drove to the police station.

He was in a good mood. The weather was perfect, the town was quiet, and he felt confident he could show Tom that he could handle the added responsibility of protecting Green Hills while the Wachowskis enjoyed their camping trip.

Sure, this wasn't his first time as acting sheriff, but those other times didn't really count. When a crazy doctor shows up to mess with a little alien hedgehog—TWICE—it kind of requires special handling. Tom was better with those kind of things. He didn't get as stressed as Wade did when things were strange or different. It was something Wade really admired about his best friend.

And Wade was trying to be better about that. He'd learned a few new breathing techniques to help through the worst of his anxiety when it flared, and was working on keeping calm in new, unknown situations. Besides, Tom was just a phone call away if anything happened.

But Wade didn't anticipate needing to bother Tom while the sheriff enjoyed some time off with his family. Things had been quiet lately, and that nut Robotnik was not likely to show up again.

He could do this. Do some cruising to keep an eye on things, help anyone who needed it, and show everyone he was more than just the nervous deputy. He could handle things, even if no one else seemed to think so. Even before Robotnik, the town looked to Tom. Whenever anything serious happened, everyone always called the sheriff, even if he wasn't on duty.

Wade knew what people thought about him. That he was a . . . well, kind of a joke. Sure, everyone smiled at him, treated him friendly, but they didn't really expect much from him. Not really.

It hurt his heart if he thought about it too much. He'd spent his entire life in Green Hills. Went to school with many of the people who still lived here. Dedicated his life to doing what he could to keep the town safe and protected. It hurt to know so many thought so little of him.

Okay, so maybe he had some anxiety issues that reared their ugly head at the worst possible times. And maybe at the height of those attacks he'd freeze and be unable to think clearly. And maybe he could be a bit naive, or get confused easily. He was trying to be better about all that. He really was.

And maybe the last few times he was left in charge had ended with him kinda freaking out and letting Tom take lead.

Well this time was different.

Yep. This weekend was his chance to prove to everyone—both the town and Tom—that Wade Whipple wasn't just some bumbling idiot. That he could roll with the punches and take charge. That he could handle taking care of Green Hills, Montana.

Yessiree. Nothing but smooth sailing. He'd make Tom proud.

The police scanner crackled at him, and Wade clicked off the radio before lifting the CB mic to his lips.

"Go for Acting Sheriff Wade," he said, and smiled. That sounded so cool.

"Hi Wade," the dispatcher, Gwen, said. "I got a call from Callie MacPherson a few minutes ago. She was asking if you'd swing by her place when you got a chance."

Huh. That was weird. "Did she say why?"

"Said she had something weird happen this morning," Gwen said, and Wade could almost hear the shrug. "Said it wasn't urgent, but that she wanted to report it."

Brow furrowed, Wade clicked his turn signal to turn around. "Okay. I'll head over there now."

"Sure thing, Acting Sheriff. See you when you get back."

Wade hung up the CB mic and headed toward the home of the town librarian. He frowned and massaged his temple. Something weird? A lump appeared in his belly. This might cause a hiccup in his "I can handle this" plan.

But maybe he was overreacting. Callie said it wasn't urgent, so maybe it was just something normal weird, not alien weird. Normal weird still happened, right?

Wade didn't know much about Callie. She was pretty close with the Wachowskis, the boys certainly seemed to like her, but he'd never really interacted with her much before. Just the occasional greeting in passing. But maybe if she saw him being responsible and professional, she'd tell Tom. He smiled at that thought.

"Acting Sheriff Wade Whipple is on the way," he said to himself. He had to admit, it was a cool title, and it did make him feel important and in control.

He could do this.

~X~X~X~

"Hey, Callie!" Wade called as he climbed her front steps. The lump in his stomach hadn't completely gone away, but she didn't seem overly upset or freaked out, so that helped.

She offered him a smile, her thumbs hooked in the front pockets of her jeans. "Hey, Wade. How's your morning going?"

He shrugged. "Aw, it's a beautiful day, can't complain. What about you? You said something weird happened this morning?"

She sighed, dipping her head a slight nod. "Yeah, you could say that." She led him around her porch to point to the damaged trees. "About an hour ago there was a . . . well, I guess it was some sort of vortex thing? Kind of a swirling cloud up in the trees over there."

"A vortex thing?" he said, brow furrowed. "You mean like one of those ring portals Sonic has?"

"Based on how Maddie described them, no, this was different. It was dark and swirling, almost like a tornado laid in its side."

Wade wandered to the treeline, his brow wrinkled. "Like a sideways tornado?" he muttered to himself. That wasn't normal weird. The lump in his belly felt heavier.

"Yeah," the librarian said behind him. "While it was there I heard an explosion, but it was like the sound traveled through a tunnel. Loud, but distant. Know what I mean?"

He nodded. "I getcha." The acting sheriff rolled his head back to look higher in the trees. "Were these branches always damaged like that?"

She shook her head. "No, that happened after the vortex thing appeared." She paused, pulling her lips tight. "There was something else."

Wade moved to examine the line in the dirt. "Wow, that's a mess. Starting a garden?"

"No, Wade," she said, moving closer. "Something came through."

He froze, eyes going wide. This was definitely not normal weird. This was encroaching into the territory of 'something big could be going on that might endanger the entire town again' weird.

Panic began swirling in his chest, and he took three deep breaths to push it down. He turned to her, a nervous laugh crawling out his throat. "Came through? Like from somewhere else?"

A small shrug lifted her shoulders. "That's usually where those kinda portals lead, I guess."

Wade pressed his lips together, casting quick glances around himself. "Did you see it?"

She gave him a tight smile. "You might say that. It's currently on my couch."

He blinked. "What?"

She nodded. "I think you're gonna want to see it."

"Is it dangerous?" His hand automatically went for the pistol on his hip. Whatever fear or dread or discomfort he felt up to this point receded. His police training moved to the fore, ready to protect his town, and specifically the librarian, from whatever threat there may be.

She gave him a look, her eyebrow arching when she saw his posture change. "Wade, think for a second. Would I have taken it into my house if I thought it was at all dangerous?"

Her voice was calm and gentle, with no hint of the annoyance or frustration he usually heard when someone was explaining something plainly obvious to him. It loosened the panic in his chest more.

He pursed his lips as he thought, his hand relaxing. "Yeah, fair point. Okay. Let's see whatcha got."

~X~X~X~

Wade stood slack-jawed, staring at the unconscious form on the librarian's couch.

"That's," he said, pointing. "That's a hedgehog."

"Yep."

"Another alien hedgehog."

She sighed. "So it would seem."

Silence drummed in their ears for a few seconds. Wade was doing his very best to stay calm.

"He's not blue."

He wasn't sure why he said it, but it felt like something needed to be said.

Beside him, Callie lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. "Just because Sonic's blue doesn't mean all hedgehogs are."

He responded with his own half-shrug. "Well, Knuckles is red and he said all the other echidna were red too, so . . ."

Callie gave him a little smile. "Touche. That's a fair point. Maybe we'll ask him when he wakes up." She gave a short laugh. "Assuming he doesn't try to kill us, of course."

Wade hissed in breath through his teeth, and ran both hands through his hair. That's right. These little guys may look cute, but they could be really dangerous.

The lump in his belly rose to sit squarely behind his ribs. The panic was starting to return.

So much for a quiet, uneventful weekend.

So much for handling everything himself.

The universe must really have a wicked sense of humor.

~X~X~X~

Callie watched as the acting sheriff took a few deep breaths. She didn't know Wade very well, but Tom had once said he struggled with anxiety issues, so she stood nearby to let him work through it.

"Breathe, Wade," she soothed, her voice soft. "It's not like we've never dealt with one of these guys before."

"I know, but," he said, a slight laugh in his voice. A nervous tic. "Why why why is he here? Is he after Sonic or one of the others? Whose side is he on? Is he working for Robotnik, like Knuckles did? Does he have powers too?" He gasped, pressing his hands to his mouth. "Oh, what if he has mind powers?!"

The librarian arched an eyebrow. "Mind powers?"

Wade nodded. "Yeah, you know, like," he flicked his hands around his head, "like psychic powers or something. What if he can control us with his mind? What if he's here to turn us all into zombies to do his bidding? Like Hypnotoad!"

Callie said nothing. What in the world could she say to a theory like that?

"Wade," she started, speaking slowly and gently. "I think you need to take a few more deep breaths."

Instead, the deputy pulled his phone from his back pocket.

"What are you doing?"

He tapped the screen a few times, then put the phone to his ear. "Calling Tom."

The redhead reached over to yank the phone away. "What? No! NO!"

Wade was surprisingly strong, and pulled the phone back toward him as it rang a second time. "Wha—what are you doing?"

"Hang up!"

The ringing stopped and a familiar voice came on the line. "Hey, Wade. What's up?"

"Uh, hey Tom," Wade started, as the librarian continued to pull at his arm. "Listen, there's, uh, something-"

"Hang up!" she hissed, pulling a hand across her neck in a 'shut up' motion. "Don't tell him about this!"

"Wade?" Tom asked. "Is someone else there? What's going on?"

"Uh, I'm at Callie's and-"

"NO!" She pinched his arm.

He jerked away from her, a mixture of shock and annoyance on his face. "OW!"

"Wade, what's going on?" It sounded like Tom turned away from the phone and spoke with someone else before returning. "Is everything okay? Why are you at Callie's?"

Rubbing his hurt arm, Wade pinched his eyebrows in a question toward the librarian before returning his attention back to the phone. "Uh, could you hold on a second?" Then he tapped the mute icon before turning back to the redhead. "What? What's the matter with you?"

"Do not tell him about this!"

The man stood still for a second in complete shock. "Why?"

"Because this trip is literally the only thing the boys talked about for over a week," she said, her hands still clamped onto his wrist. "They need this, Wade. They were really looking forward to it-"

She was cut off by her cell's ringtone, as it vibrated in her back pocket. Her brow furrowed as she yanked it before her, and then her eyes went wide. She uttered an annoyed grunt. "It's Sonic!"

"Maybe it's a coincidence?" Wade said, pulling his shoulders up. The man seemed to clench right in front of her. His anxiety was obviously flaring.

Callie shot him an annoyed look before letting out a breath and pushing a smile to her lips. She flicked the icon to answer the call, and Sonic's blue mug appeared on her screen. "Hey, hog! How's the trip?"

"Yeah it's great, hey, are you okay?" he said, his brows pinching. "Dad said Wade's there? Is everything-"

A hand appeared on Sonic's face and shoved him to the side. The camera jostled violently as the phone was apparently manhandled out of the hedgehog's grip, much to the very vocal frustration of the hedgehog in question, and Knuckles literally muscled his way into view.

"Callie!" he boomed, his face pinched in concern. "Are you in danger? Do you need assistance? I shall come at once-"

"No! Knuckles, NO!" Callie cried, cutting off the freaked out echidna. "Knux, listen to me. I'm fine, there's nothing wrong. Everything's fine. You stay right there."

The boy quieted, his brow pinching in suspicion. "Are you being coerced into saying that? Is there some intruder threatening you? Show me your house!"

"For crying out loud," she muttered and turned around to pull Wade into the shot. "Look, Wade's right here, there's no one else."

"Hmmm," Knuckles said, suspicion still etched on his face. "Why is Wade there?"

Callie felt Wade stiffen beside her, shooting a wide-eyed glance in her direction. Think fast, redhead.

"Because . . ." Her eyes flicked to the couch, where the new hedgehog still slept. Blinking, she refocused on the echidna. "Because I thought I left my sweater at your house, and was wondering if Wade had an extra key so he could check for me." She turned to give Wade a pointed look. "Right, Wade?"

For his part, Wade shut his mouth with a snap, pulling his lips tight and nodding.

"Yep," he said, turning back to the phone. "Oh, yep yep, that's . . . that's why she called. Oh, mmhmm."

"Hmmm."

Both Wade and Callie held their breath as the boy on the screen seemed to consider this. Finally his brows relaxed and he nodded.

"Okay," he said, and both man and woman exhaled silently. "I apologize for overreacting. But as your protector, it is my duty to ensure your safety."

"Well, I appreciate that, Knuckles," Callie said, smiling. "But I'm fine."

"If you are sure."

"I'm sure."

"Very well. I shall see you once we return from our camping."

"Okay, Knux. Have a good time."

He nodded, and the phone swung around again, before an annoyed Sonic appeared once more. He rubbed the side of his head and shot an angry glare at his older brother.

"You okay, kiddo?"

"Yeah, great," he muttered, before looking back at her. "So you're really good? Like, really?"

She nodded. "Really really. Stop worrying about me and get on with your fun camping trip that you talked endlessly about."

"I'm not sure I appreciate your tone," the hedgehog said, turning his nose up in an overly dramatic fashion. "Besides, when Dad said Wade was there we were just worried about you and-"

"I tried to tell them," Tails said, popping his head into view. Sonic turned the phone slightly to get him into the shot. "I told them you'd call if you needed anything or if anything happened. Right?"

"Right-o, fox boy. That's why you're the smart one."

That made Tails smile, and Sonic gave him a light shove out of frame.

"Yeah, yeah. You're a genius. But you'll never have my dashing good looks."

A loud laugh occurred off-screen, and Knuckles punched Sonic in the shoulder.

"That is a funny joke, Brother!" the boy said as his younger brother struggled to stay upright. "But it is obvious that I am the most handsome of the family. No offense, Father."

"Yeah, you think what you want, echidna," Tom said, leaning into view. "So everything's good?"

"Everything's good," Callie agreed, nodding. She elbowed Wade.

"Uh, yeah, everything's just . . . good." His eyes wandered over to the boy on the couch, before flicking back to the screen. "I just . . . wanna do a good job and not disappoint you. I guess."

"Aw, Wade," Tom said, his tone and posture relaxing. "You'll do great. Just think about what I would do in a situation and do that. But if you have any trouble, just give me a call. 'Kay?"

Wade nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

"All right," Callie said, shaking her head. "Enough of this worry and checking up. You guys get back to your hiking and sleeping outdoors and eating fish and whatever it is you do when you camp."

"I plan to show my brothers how to live off the land," Knuckles said, slamming a fist against his chest. "We must hunt to survive, and defend ourselves against the vicious wildlife."

"Knux, we have plenty of hot dogs and the wildest thing we've seen so far are some possums," Maddie said, sliding into view. "Hey, Cal."

"Hey, Mads."

"Okay, that's it boys," the vet said, clapping her hands. "You've checked in and everything's fine back home. Time to hang up. Let Callie enjoy a peaceful weekend without little furballs causing problems."

Wade and Callie both glanced toward the hedgehog on the couch. He took a deep breath while she pulled her lips tight.

"Yep, nothing but a peaceful, uneventful, same-old same-old weekend for me," the librarian said.

"Okay, we'll see you when we get back," Tom said, reaching for the phone. "You guys call if you need anything. Wade, just take it easy. You got this."

The two nodded as the screen went black. Callie let out a long breath, the tension she didn't realize she had been holding finally running out out of her muscles.

"Holy crap," she breathed, tucking her phone back into her pocket. "That was close."

Wade stayed quiet beside her as he returned his phone to his pocket. He was taking deep breaths.

"Wade," Callie said, leaning forward to get a better look at him. "You okay?"

He stared at nothing for a few seconds, before reaching over and grabbing her upper arms.

"Why does this stuff always happen when Tom's out of town?" he cried, before seeming to realize what he was doing. He released her and stood back, crossing his arms and tucking his hands into his armpits.

"Sorry," he said, pulling his lips tight. "I'm sorry. I just . . ."

"It's okay," she soothed, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Hey, look at me." He did. "Take a breath." He did that too. "You did really well. You stayed calm and didn't freak out. We don't need to bother Tom with this. We can handle it. Right?"

He gave her a dubious look. "We can?"

She nodded, offering him a smile. "We can."

He took another breath, and gave her a shaky nod. "Okay. Right."

She nodded. "Right. Now, until this kid wakes up, we won't know anything about why he's here or what he maybe, possibly, can or can't do. Let's try to stay calm and see what we can determine until then. Okay?" He took a breath and nodded. She have his shoulders a squeeze. "It's gonna be okay, Wade."

"We can handle it," he said, nodding.

"We can handle it," she agreed, releasing his shoulders.

"Okay," Wade said, hands on hips. "What's first?"

"Well," she said, walking over to stand next to the couch. "You're a police officer, trained to look for clues, right? What do you see?"

"Right." He nodded, and moved to kneel next to the couch, examining the gray boy. "Well . . . uh . . . H-he looks smaller than Sonic. Think he's younger?"

"Possibly. Maybe by a year or two. Probably older than Tails, though."

Leaning forward, Wade sniffed before wrinkling his nose. "Ugh. He smells like an ashtray."

"I noticed that. He looks pretty dirty, too. Could use a bath and a good shampoo."

Gently, Wade lifted one of the boy's arms to examine his hands. "He doesn't have gloves like the others."

"I took 'em off," Callie said, pointing to the pair on the coffee table. "They were filthy and worn. More hole than cloth."

The deputy carefully turned the boy's hand over, revealing a light blue circle on his palm and the back of his hand. "That's different."

"They're on the bottom of his feet, too," she said, pointing. "His shoes were almost as bad as his gloves. And I think they're too small."

"Did you see this?" Wade asked, carefully brushing the thinner fur at the boy's wrists. The skin beneath was still pink with healing. "Looks like something rubbed here."

"His ankles, too." Callie's voice was soft. "I'm no expert but they look like he may have been . . . restrained. For a while."

Wade sat back on his ankles. "Was he a prisoner? Or . . . maybe an experiment?"

"Maybe both."

The deputy looked back at her, his brow furrowed. "Both?"

She flicked her eyes to him, but said nothing.

He stood, and looked down at the boy on the couch. "He's so skinny."

"You could play a song on those ribs," Callie said, rubbing her temple. "He's so much worse off than Knuckles or Tails were when they arrived."

"Where do you think he came from?"

She shook her head. "Somewhere not nice, judging by his condition."

Silence settled in the living room, as the two watched the unconscious boy.

"So," Wade said, rubbing his neck with a hand. "You gonna keep him?"

She gave him a look. "He's not a stray cat, Wade."

"You know what I mean."

"I guess I could . . . I dunno, foster him until we can find him a home. If he's staying, anyway."

Wade furrowed his brow. "But he landed here, I thought . . ."

"Oh, are we going by the rule of 'finders keepers' now?" she asked, the annoyance obvious in her tone. "He showed up in my yard so obviously I have to keep him?"

The deputy flinched, seeming to shrink before her eyes. It was a pose she saw often from him, as though he were a scared dog waiting for a kick. People around town didn't really seem to treat Wade very well—from her perspective, they 'indulged' his role of authority with little more than good humor, like when a child plays pretend—and the deputy's anxiety didn't help matters. He just didn't seem to have much confidence in himself.

She mentally kicked herself for letting her tongue get away from her. The emotional grinder she had gone through last night put her on edge. But that didn't mean she should take it out on anyone else. Least of all someone who only wanted to help.

She pulled in a breath and let it out slowly.

"I'm sorry, Wade," she said, her voice soft. "I had a . . . hard night. Still feeling kinda off from that."

He relaxed a bit, and gave her a smile. "Ah, it's okay."

"No it's not. I'm sorry I snapped at you." She looked back at the hedgehog. "I just . . . I don't think I'm the best person to take care of him."

He gave her a puzzled look. "But you're so good with kids. Sonic and the others love you."

"I've done the child-rearing thing already, thank you," she muttered, still looking at the boy. "It didn't end well and I'm not keen on going through that again."

His puzzled look intensified. "What?"

She blinked, turning away. "Nothing. You want something to drink?"

"Just some water, thanks."

She pulled her fridge open and grabbed two water bottles, tossing one to the deputy. He took a drink, and silence settled once again.

"So," he said, rocking on his heels. "Now what?"

She shrugged. "We wait. Nothing we can do until he wakes up."

He nodded. "Right." A pause, then a hard sigh. "Are you sure we shouldn't tell Tom? This is . . . kinda something he's got more experience with."

She shook her head. "Wade, they're about five hours away at the moment. At best, if they left right this minute, they wouldn't be back until this evening, and I'm really hoping this kid will be awake before that so we can figure out who he is and what he's doing here." She shrugged. "Besides, if he is here for the boys, I'd rather not endanger them if I can possibly help it."

"Yeah," Wade said, his brow furrowed as he thought about this. "Me neither. But . . . what do we do if he is? Here for the others, I mean."

Another shrug. "We convince him we have no idea who he's talking about and hope he goes on his way."

The deputy stood silent for a moment, his eyes glued to the hedgehog. "What if he doesn't believe us? Or doesn't leave?"

Callie massaged her temples. She was getting a headache. "We'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it, Wade. One problem at a time. Right now we need him to just wake up."

Wade stood where he was for a few seconds, before nodding. "Yeah. Okay. That sounds like a plan. Well, I'd better get back to, you know, sheriffing." He turned toward the door before spinning back around. "Oh, lemme get your phone number. You know, just in case."

Callie hesitated at that. Her contact list was short, with the only numbers programmed in being the library, Wachowskis, and local pizza place. She could technically call the station if she needed to get in contact with him, but the thought of going through a middleman of sorts to reach him didn't seem very efficient. Especially in a situation like this.

Ultimately, she decided she was being stupid about it, and nodded.

"Good idea," she said, walking toward him and pulling her phone from her back pocket. "Give me yours, too."

Once numbers were exchanged, Wade promised to check in throughout the day before heading back out. As the police car pulled away from her house, Callie looked back at the unconscious boy.

"Just you and me now, kiddo."

She sighed, and began her vigil.

~X~X~X~

Two hours later and he was still out cold. Callie had tried checking him over with her limited knowledge about alien hedgehog physiology, and determined he probably didn't have any broken bones, at least that she could tell. Maddie would, of course, have the last say on that, but for now, she chose to believe he wasn't badly injured.

Once she'd gone over him to assess his condition, she covered him with a blanket and let him rest.

She tried to go about her day. Have some lunch, do some library paperwork, pay some bills, wash some dishes. She would get a few minutes of work done, then move back to check on the boy on her couch. He hadn't moved in all that time. If he weren't still breathing, she would have thought he was dead.

Another hour passed, and still he didn't wake. Callie decided if he hadn't woken in another hour, she'd have to bite the bullet and call Maddie.

She really hoped he woke before then.

~X~X~X~

Outside, not far from where the vortex had opened in Callie's trees, another portal flared into life. This one was much smaller, and allowed a little surveillance drone through before it closed.

The drone extended a small camera lens, and hovered over to the trench the hedgehog had gouged with his entry into this world. A tiny door opened on the drone's underbelly, and it scanned the disturbed earth, emitting a soft beep once complete.

It turned, honing its camera on the house nearby. A single figure moved inside, but not the one it came seeking.

With a soft beep, the drone hovered back into the nearby trees, settling in on a branch to watch for its target.