"Prisoner 104, step forward!" The breeze blew over the high grey walls, ruffling the moustache of the lone prisoner in the yard. The sun gleamed like distant diamonds on the pointed spikes that stood atop the walls so very tall far from the lone human. He stood planted like a tree firm in a field, hands bound by thick chains to his ankles, crossing over the orange jumpsuit he had been crammed into. "Prisoner 104, move forward or we WILL use force!" The wolf mobian before him commanded. The doctors eyes didn't even bother to move towards the insignificant creature, focused on the distant walls. The mobian only grew in frustration when Robotnik responded, not even bothering to turn his eyes towards him.

"No. I don't think you will. You see, you need me." The scoff that came from the mobian was sharp and incredulous. He'd been briefed on this egomaniac, but this level of delusion was more than he expected. He was a prisoner, no allies, no hope of parole and staring down the barrel of a three digit prison sentence. The smirk on his face rubbed him the wrong way, raising a single claw he lowered the wire frame glasses and stared directly into the eyes of this maniac.

"Last chance prisoner 104." Still he kept quiet, not even sparing him a glance as his blood started to boil. "Screw it, Hodge, bring him out!" The wolf barked, patience already burning short. The armadillo at his side, nodded and moved forward without a word. Impressive, armored plating covering the already formidable scales the lumbering mobian had been born with. The human may have towered over him, but with a flick of the wrist the stun baton flared to life, bright blue electricity burning along its length. The armadillo felt nothing but confidence looking at this monster who had laid siege all across the U.F. The human just smiled as he approached, still not looking at him. The bright arcs of electricity lit his sneering face in stark relief. Still the human smiled, bound, helpless, he should have been terrified and still he smiled as if he hadn't a care in the world. The first blow brought the rotund human to his knees and still he smiled looking directly into the wolfs eyes, utterly ignoring his assailant.

"What, unable to handle the work yourself? Huff, pathetic! THWACK" The bloody smile he shot at him, as if he was somehow winning this fight was the last straw. He lit his own stun baton and moved forwards. Hodge held his next strike as he stood over the kneeling human, looking straight into his eyes. The guard opened his mouth to speak but before the first word left his mouth the doctor pounced striking him with a headbutt, remarkably quicker than a man his size should move. The scuffle that ensued was over within moments, three additional guards pouring from inside the prison, the flash of electricity arcing over the large human.

The wolf mobian stood back stopping the minor nosebleed with the back of his hand as he watched the large human laugh madly as the guards hauled him away. His glasses lay shattered in the fight. He grit his teeth as he watched the delusional doctor disappear down the corridor. He was mad, he hadn't gained a thing and yet the mad scientist whooped and howled like a beast proclaiming himself king undisputed. He snorted, flinching at the rush of copper taste. What an idiot was the guards final thought as he was dragged out of sight.

/

Ivo sat alone in his solitary cell, bright purple and yellow bruises covering his face, one eye completely swollen shut and the other little more than a slit from which a cold blue eye glared out. The bruises ran deep, all along his body, with a shuddering breath the doctor took in his surroundings, his expression as calm as someone taking in a lake on a summers day. A slow and amused smile formed, followed by a single raspy chuckle as he reached into his mouth and pulled a thin piece of wire he had hidden behind his lips. He stared at it in mute amusement, his smile only growing into a mad rictus grin, teeth on sharp display. Such a tiny bit of junk. Any other man would think it useless. Glasses really were a terrible thing for a guard to wear after all.

/

The heat from the freshly poured cup of tea was grounding. Just what Mile's needed as he sat between the two, Sticks on his left and Amy on his right on the plush couch. Their presence a gentle warmth as the group sat in silence, the young foxes tears having run out and no one certain what should come next. Mile's could admit, if only to himself, that things had gotten out of hand. This was the enemy! Even if they showed kindness, it was over once they knew he was different. Mobius didn't have a place for people like him. It was why the doctor and him needed to be in charge. To fix all the obvious problems that others were willing to ignore. He'd believed that ever since the doctor took him in. Made him feel like he wasn't some mistake, some freak who deserved all the abuse he'd grown to know. He needed to recenter. He'd known others could be kind, he knew it, he just wasn't used to it being directed at him. That was all, had to be all. He had a mission.

"Do you feel better Max?" Amy's voice was gentle and soft, a comforting hand on his shoulder as he let himself calm, he needed to move past this and get back to his mission.

"Yeah, uhh sorry about all that. Not sure what came over me, ha." The young fox awkwardly scratched at the back of his head and pasted on a smile. Perfect, play it off as a joke and move on, a brilliant social scheme!

"Yeah, not buying it."

"Sticks!"

"What? Kid's nots dealin with his issues Ames! Look. I don't know what ya been through. Won't even pry. But you gotta deal with it and look! Two people willing to help. Right here! So, you look me in the eye and tell me you got somewhere safe to go home to. That we read this whole thing wrong. I drop it. Right here. So, Max. You got someone at home taking care of ya?" The eyes burned with that terrifying intensity, the most ancient parts of his mind starting to rise up again, he swallowed the lie trying to bubble up. How was he so bad at this? He needed to get information not be coddled! One look into the badgers eyes, though and he knew a lie wouldn't do any good, he knew he couldn't answer that, not when the truth had been gnawing at him for weeks. His eyes studied his shoes, the silence growing like frost on painted glass.

"Alright." The exhale from Sticks filled the room as she stared upwards at the ceiling rubbing her eyes. "Are ya safe if you go back to get your stuff or do you need…er, want one of us to come with you?"

"NO! Uhmm, no I can…get my own things. But what, uhm what's. I mean what are you going to do with me?" Miles, tried to keep the waver out of his voice as he shifted his hand towards the laser embedded in his watch. He was NOT going to some orphanage, thank you very much.

"You can stay with me till we find someplace better. Or…"

"Sticks! A word, please. Max, you stay right there." The badger swallowed as she looked into the eyes of her best friend, before being grasped by the arm and all but dragged away to the kitchen. Miles wrung his hands together, this wasn't supposed to happen. Was this a good thing? A way to spy more effectively? Or was this a recipe for disaster. His act must have been too convincing. Yeah, that had to be it. Sticks had latched onto him for whatever reason and was intent on helping him with whatever she thought was going on, the same way Amy had initially. Maybe there was something about him that screamed, help me? Like a lost puppy? Shaking his head to get rid of that sad thought, he perked his ears and did his best to parse the hushed yelling coming from the kitchen.

"Sticks what do you think you're doing!? We can't just abduct him!"

"Wha, you're the one who brought him here! Weren't you the one saying he seemed like he needed help!?

"Yes! Help, like getting him a proper home or therapy. Making sure he was eating enough." Amy waved her arms for emphasis; she was NOT ready to have a kid. Let alone an eight year old.

"Tch, therapy ain't helping nobody. And why can't we help him? Better here than in some la…! errr … other, place." Sticks finished lamely trailed off from aggression to avoiding eye contact as Amy raised an eyebrow very obviously aware Sticks was letting her mysterious past affect her decisions. Again.

"…?" Sticks seemed to marshal her resolve quickly enough and met Amy's eye with a fierce determination, edged with a softness she rarely showed to anyone other than her.

"I…look Ames, WE, can help him. You saw the kid. He needs us."

"Sticks, were not trained for this! I don't know how to raise a kid!" Amy swallowed as she turned over the thought that everyone else had passed this child over. Since the attack at least, her brain oh so helpfully supplied.

"Keep him fed and watered?" Sticks tried to joke, awkward grin plastered on, hoping to ease the conversation back on track.

"That's! No! He needs care, and a home." Amy threw her hands in the air. Sticks, only doubled down serious expression replacing her cheesy grin.

"Well, we care and look around you, home! Everything else we can figure out. I mean, look at him Ames. Kid flinches whenever someone walks by him. He needs someone he can trust. Why can't it be us?" Amy, didn't have a response to that.

"…He has to have someone looking out for him, or at least looking for him. Right?" The question hung as the pair peered around the doorframe, catching the guilty looking fox quickly turning away and averting his eyes. That he had been listening in had been obvious. Amy swallowed the lump in her throat as she moved silently away from Sticks. The small fox looked up at her as she stood in front of the couch. He was so small, his eyes so wide and worried, worn and winded. She was really going to do this. "Max, you can stay here as long as you need to ok. If you ever feel uncomfortable we can go to the police or any family you know and find you someplace else, ok. You don't have to stay if you don't want to. I, we just want to make sure you're doing ok."

Miles froze, this…it was perfect, right? He had succeeded wildly past expectation. Embedding himself right in the middle of the enemy ranks. It was perfect, so why was he hesitating? Why did he feel guilty accepting? This was a chance to gather intel, a logical albeit risky decision that would lead to him finally rescuing the doctor. He looked into the eyes of these two strangers, they were worried about him. They wanted to help him. They were the sort of people he'd always wished would come and take him away all those lonely nights before the doctor. He didn't even register he was nodding when the pair hugged him. He didn't flinch, not this time.

"It's gonna be ok kid." The pair whispered as he felt the warmth envelop him. He really wanted to believe that.

/

Miles put the bags down, well more accurately a backpack and garbage bag. The number of bags that didn't have the doctor's logo were, unfortunately, few and far between. The two strangers, roommates, guardians? Looked at him with a sense of relief, as if they were happy he had actually come back. They waited for him and hoped he would show up. It left a weird squirming feeling deep in his stomach. He knew people could be kind, he'd seen it! In cameras and shadows he knew it happened everyday. So why did it still feel so strange when it was directed at him. They looked to be waiting for him to say something. Lightly scratching the back of his head he mustered up a smile even though he could tell was shaky.

"Uhm, this is it. Do, um. What now?" Miles pressed the tips of his index fingers together, he didn't know what to do with his hands let alone whatever this situation was.

"You can take my room Max, me and Sticks will take the couch until we finish clearing out my office. Then, if you want, that can be your bedroom." Amy finished with a gentle smile. They were going to give him a room? They'd met twice and they were sacrificing a productive office space for a stranger? They had to be insane, or at the furthest right end of a normal distribution curve. Statistically Miles supposed it made sense. If cruelty could exist like it had on West side island, there had to be kindness somewhere. He briefly wondered if he measured the kindness in this whole city what percentage these two alone would account for? NO, he was getting sidetracked.

"Thank you! Uhmmm, thank you. But I don't want to be in the way. You don't need to give up your office! I'm fine with the couch! OR! I can even take a corner, I have blankets so I could make, like a nest or…"

"Nope! You get the bed. Period." The smile on the badgers face was disconcerting, as was the finality of the statement. With a quick swallow he nodded his head and followed the pair into the bedroom. The large bed was made, with fresh sheets displaying a cheerful fireworks pattern, pinks, blues and reds shining in starbursts. The bedroom itself held a few pieces, a dresser in light cherrywood and a few plants atop it along with a vanity covered in brushes and pictures taped around the mirror showing the two women at various events, both smiling. From the look of it, Sticks, eye bags were a permanent feature in all the photos Miles noted.

"Wait, if I'm taking your room where is Sticks gonna sleep?" The snort from the badger and toothy smile from her were somewhat negated by the exasperated sigh from Amy.

"She barely sleeps. Believe me, I've tried. Many. Many times. She'll take a few naps throughout the day." Sticks seemed proud of this fact, which Miles found odd. It had to be impacting her overall health, even he knew that, despite all the times he ignored his own bodies needs. Amy drew his attention back to her with a clearing of her throat and a flourish as she showed off the room before her.

"This is my bedroom Max. If you're looking for anything just ask and I'll show you where it is. Uhm, welcome home!" He grasped at his chest with those words, biting his lip. He didn't even know why he felt like this. He already had a home. The scrap brain zone, the hums of electricity and creaking of metal. The smell of motor oil, the doctor! This was nothing like that, so why, why did it feel so similar? He couldn't cry in front of them again. The comforting hands on his back as they rubbed soothing circles certainly didn't help him keep his composure. They didn't pry, didn't judge, just enveloped him in a hug that paradoxically felt like home and wrong decisions at the same time.