Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Twenty Three

The road was easy to follow, once Whisper actually saw it. It was impossible to see while in the forest because of all the trees in the way, but once they'd stopped, following the trail was easy.

Although she really wanted to know who had the gall to turn one of Eggman's complexes into a camping site? There had been a warning just underneath it to look out for 'mutant giant insects' and to report every incident with them.

Right. Because that was a thing that just 'happened'. What had she missed, if the wisps were right and she'd been transported through time?

The road wasn't paved, and Whisper could tell it was rarely used. She had only a vague idea of which way to go, but all of them involved following the road, for now. It took almost a full six hours of walking before she heard a small sound coming from behind her. The forest was long out of view now, Eggman's complex only vaguely visible as a light gray thing off in the distance, the towers making it only slightly easier.

A large car, going slow on the dirt road, came to a stop not far from her. "Hey...you alright there?" came from the driver. He was a ram of some sort, with a few horns that spiraled around from his head. His wife or girlfriend was next to him, a sheep who looked much fluffier than he was, but with a small pink bow and bell around her neck.

They were driving what looked like a van, although if anything was closer to a minivan. Taller than Whisper, and much longer than even the one the New Diamond Cutters had. Its green paint was chipping off at some points, and it looked old, used, and worn, with several points of rust on the metal bumper.

"I'm fine."

"You uh...need a ride somewhere? We're kind of out in the middle of nowhere, and it's a bit late to head back to the park, but we can head that way if you have a car there."

"I don't."

"Can you speak up a bit? It's rather hard to hear you!" the sheep said loudly from the passenger side. The radio was quiet, but still had some sound coming out of it. Had they turned it down when they came near her? She was lucky that the wisps had gone into their canisters for a nap around three hours ago. She really didn't want the questions she'd be asked if they were out right now.

"No, sorry," Whisper whispered. The ram said something to his wife that was difficult even for her hearing to catch.

"I see...well, uh...we're on the way to Digburg if you want to come with us! We can just drop you off on the way, there's a bus stop not too far from here."

Ideally Whisper wanted to keep walking, but she gave a quick glance up to see the darkening clouds gathering overhead. "And it's probably looking like it's gonna rain soon..." the ram continued.

Stay out in the rain and walk, or get in a strange car with others that she didn't know. That was a tough choice. But also...Digburg? She'd never heard of it. More things that didn't line up, that gave her more thought of 'alternate universe' than anything.

"If it's not a hassle," Whisper finally said after a minute.

"Nah, not a problem, hop on in!" the ram said, reaching behind him for the lock on the door. The door slid open soundlessly, and Whisper expected to see a bunch of kids in the back based on the size of the car, but only saw one seat up with the rest of the space taken up by...random boxes and crates.

"We usually have our son with us, but he decided to stay home this weekend. He prefers to play video games than hang out with us!" the ram explained as Whisper hopped in. She had one hand around her wispon, just in case of anything, but she didn't feel like she had too much to worry about.

She shut the door behind her with a resounding crash, despite trying to not let it slide too quick. Neither the ram or the sheep said anything, so maybe she'd done her part. She quickly found the seat belt and adjusted it so the wispon wouldn't bite into her back, and within another moment felt the movement of the car start.

It was weird to be sitting in an actual car again. Most of the time she just laid in the back with the rest of their equipment, and hoped that Lanolin was a better driver than Tangle was. The one time Tangle had driven, they'd all agreed, exception Tangle, that she was to never get within reach of the wheel again.

The lemur was very surprised, which surprised Whisper plenty. It wasn't as if most people liked being in a van that was jumping off a cliff at nearly a hundred fifty.

Green had gotten plenty of treats that day.

"So where are you from stranger? And what's your name?" The ram asked, his eyes looking at her through the mirror. "You from a convention or something?"

"Paul, be nice," the sheep spoke up. Her voice was much lighter, probably because she wasn't yelling to be heard this time. "We would like to know your name, if nothing else."

"Whisper," she answered back. "I'm heading to the Restoration HQ."

"The Restoration? Been years since we've heard them. Where were they?" The ram asked. "I want to say Mobo...something. Moboville."

"They're out of Emeraldville aren't they? Or was that the city that just sprung out...oh no, give me a moment to check. Been a long time since we've heard that name," the sheep said, pulling out a small handheld device, the size of Whisper's radio, out of her pocket.

A phone of some kind, but one that was a bit more advanced than Whisper had last seen. Note to self, she thought, give Cyan a treat. She had called it.

"I think they were in Central City. Or was that just some of their members? What do you need from them, Whisper? They've been disbanded for years now!"

What.

Whisper stared at him. Disbanded? How have they been disbanded!? That was impossible! They'd literally sworn to be together for as long as Eggman's influence was felt! "I...didn't know they disbanded," she tried.

"Oh yeah, that was years ago. After Eggman died from old age, Sonic and Surge went in to dismantle everything else. That was nearly...ten years ago? Eight?"

"Twelve. It was right after Roil was born. Remember? I don't blame if you don't, we both got blackout drunk when we got the news," the ram said.

Twelve years. Minimum twelve years...Eggman had died? Of old age? Sonic and Surge!? Surge the Tenrec? Last Whisper had heard, the girl was taking some time far away from everyone with Kit to get her head on straight, and would violently maim whoever was sent after her. This went all the way to include both Sonic and Metal Sonic!

"Oh no, I remember that now! Or, no, I remember the day after. The day after was not fun," the sheep answered. "Ah, right, here it is. Restoration HQ was out of Emeraldville. That's quite a ways, young lady."

"I can take a bus," Whisper answered. All she needed was a bit of money, and she had enough to cover most bus fares on her person at least.

"Nah, we're heading to Digburg. It's not far, only a few more hours."

"Paul, if she feels she needs to take a bus, we should let her. Get her facts together. We can drop you off at a bus station though."

She'd greatly prefer a bus. At least then she wouldn't be so out of place, although she was feeling a bit out of time as a whole. Everything was...everything had changed. This wasn't some alternate universe though...or maybe it still was. She had two options at least, for what had happened. Time travel or alternate universe.

"You know though, most of those old fighters are out of Central City! You'd probably be better off heading there than the old headquarters. Last I heard they blew up the entrance to make sure no one else could slip in and steal their tech! Paranoid for sure, but I think it saved a lot of headache," the ram said.

She'd still prefer to head to the HQ. Maybe she'd have some answers, there. Something, at least.

The journey lasted only a few hours, but it was enough to make it look dark by the time that the van pulled up to the new town. It was very earthy, with subtle browns everywhere, built into the mountains and around them. There were a lot of tunnels, with little lights, at least until they pulled to the bus stop.

It was a small squarish thing, built half into the ground and half above it if only to show that it existed. "Here you are, Whisper! Give us a call if you need anything," Paul said as Whisper unbuckled herself. She thanked all five wisps that they had stayed within their canisters. She really didn't want to have to be accused of being a 'wisperer'.

Name courtesy of Tangle, of course.

Or of trafficking wisps. That was another thing that had popped up after the Resistance had, and just about as illegal as chao trafficking.

The sun was starting to set, already more than halfway down. The sky was a burning orange, with more than a few of the sparkling stars above her starting to come out. The building was cool as the ram and sheep drove off. Whisper hadn't even realized she'd never gotten their full names, although it was pretty obvious, at least if they're names were the same style as hers.

The inside of the bus stop was surprisingly roomy. It had a couple of stairwells that went downward, probably for more of the underground folk. Digburg seemed like it was focused towards them, the moles and the gophers, and such. Rabbits, also.

There were rows and rows of chairs, and only one holoscreen that showed real time updates of a variety of buses. There was a row of desks on the closer side, with only a single gopher at a workstation. There was a uniformed mole next to the door that had a small scanner type thing hanging onto his hip.

"Please don't move, I'll need to scan you," the mole said dryly, moving his scanner up and down. Whisper stared. Was this a thing that happened regularly now? She couldn't recall anything like that happening before.

"Scan?" she asked.

"For robot parts. Others like to come here and grab a few parts from the complex close by, claim as 'souvenirs.' You're clean," the mole said. Their eyes were shut, the same as hers. Although she couldn't quite tell if they were blind or not.

Also, that confirmed that the clock thing on her waist was not an actual Eggman created thing. It was handy to know, but it meant that she had a few less roads to travel on.

She went up to the gopher at the workstation. "How can I help you?" the gopher asked kindly. There was a small nametag on her chest, proudly proclaiming her to be part of the 'Dachsund' bus company, and her name to be 'Beverly'.

"Emeraldville," Whisper said quietly. She hoped either her cards would work, or that she had enough cash. The prices were written above them, and they were surprisingly expensive. If she had the amount she had right, she had just enough. Though far too close for comfort.

"Ah. Two fifty. It's a two day bus ride from here, but leaves only in the morning. You're welcome to stay here for the night. Do you have anything to declare?" Beverly asked. Whisper tilted her head. "Anything like a wispon, or any pets? Any chao or wisps?" Beverly asked again.

"Yes. Wispon and wisps."

"You'll have to surrender the wispon to the driver in the morning. Just for safety reasons, you see. And how many, of which variety?"

"That's okay. Five," Whisper started, getting a startled look from the gopher. "Orange, Pink, Blue, Green, and Cyan."

"Five holy-, sorry. Sorry. Just...surprised. Most people can't handle more than one. Do they have their own specialized containers?"

Whisper thought about answering it with 'Depends entirely on if they wish to stay in them', but knew that wouldn't really fly. "They do."

"Good, good, that does make this easier. Please fill this out," she said, handing over a small piece of paper. Whisper tilted her head at it, a small frown on her face, before she started filling it out. Most of it was basic; just name, current address or residence...Whisper wasn't sure what to put for half of it. Restoration HQ? The Diamond Cutters original base, back when they'd had full five members?

She just made up a good chunk of it before she handed it back. That's generally what Jewel had said to do whenever they were asked for important information. Make it up and they'll fix it later if it becomes important.

It took most of Whisper's cash on hand, but a few minutes later found her sitting in one of the uncomfortable seats, a small paper ticket in hand. She'd have to wait most of the night here, which she was glad she was allowed to do as she doubted she had enough for a hotel.

In the corner there was a small ATM, right below a large TV that was on mute, some newscasters talking about some sports team. Whisper had never followed sports much, but the ATM was...a possibility. She looked back at the gopher and the mole, now talking quietly in the corner. Little sign of whether or not they knew anything. She reached up to the radio built into the earpiece, signaling it to go out again to all the important channels.

"This is Whisper, again, to anyone in Restoration HQ," she tried.

She wasn't surprised at all when there was only silence. It was worth a shot at least. She could try her cards next, maybe after they got declined she'd be able to find something. The ATM was the same style that she was used to, although maybe slightly more advanced. She took a deep breath and took out her main debit card, looking just as spotless as it always did. She pushed it in.

The ATM accepted her card easily enough, and her PIN didn't trigger any alarms, although Whisper still stared at the screen. Her account was still active? What on earth? She pushed the 'account summary' button, her eyes widening as she glanced at it.

How did she have that much money!? She hadn't been working for...at least twelve years! And yet, her account was still active. There were dozens of messages and alerts on the sidebar, all from various timestamps about her account being inactive except for deposits and interest.

She felt Cyan knock on her container, and with a quick gesture unleashed all five around her. Whisper barely heard Beverly let out a small gasp as they bundled around her. "I figured you should see," Whisper said, pointing to the summary date furthest back, and the newest one.

"Called it! Mail me that check because I need to cash that in!" Cyan shouted, pumping her...fist, energy arm...one of the things on the side of her body that Whisper appropriated to arms.

"Darn it! I thought for sure it was alternates!" Orange said. "Seriously, Digburg? Who'd ever heard of this town!?"

Whisper had full access to her statements from the ATM, although she couldn't print them out. There was a three coin surcharge because her bank was technically 'out of network'. Whisper didn't doubt that, although she was surprised it was still around. Most banks wouldn't last that long, let alone for nearly twenty three years.

Twenty three years.

That's how long she'd been out of time for. "This doesn't disprove alternate worlds," Whisper reminded.

"I know, but it's so unlikely without having to cross entire rifts that putting it down to 'just time' is so much easier!" Cyan pointed out.

Pink nodded his body, "We would've been able to tell if we crossed a rift. We hadn't. Same world, different time."

"Twenty three years apparently. Means that Planet Wisp has moved...what, half a light year?" Green asked. Blue nodded. "Yeah, that about checks out."

That also meant that Tangle had been without her for nearly twenty three years. How...had she been able to work through it? Had she met someone new?

Oh wait, did that mean everyone settled down with someone!? Restoration disbanded...she'd need to get some news somehow. A three coin surcharge was basically nothing, not when she could withdraw a thousand and not even bat an eye at the balance loss.

Although the machine did. The machine only had around five hundred in it. That was...fine. Hopefully they'd fill it back up by the time others came in the morning.

"Um...Ma'am? Please put your wisps back in their containers," Beverly said, trying to make her presence known behind Whisper.

"You can't contain our awesomeness!" Cyan shouted, making a heroic pose, only thwarted by the fact she was a wisp.

Orange came over and whacked her with one of Orange's...rocket things. Whisper really had to grill them on their physiology some day. "She means nothing!" Orange yelled back.

"I'm afraid I can't understand you. Ma'am, please put them back."

"They're saying they don't want to go back in right now," Whisper translated. "Please? I'll give you all some treats in a bit," she asked.

"Fine, but just because you asked!"

"Alright. I'm not against getting treats for doing nothing."

"Sure thing."

"You don't have to bribe me, but I'll take it!"

"You can...understand them?" the gopher asked. "I didn't think there was anyone that could, asides from Miles Prower."

Who was that? Whisper thought. She'd never heard the name. Did they pop up during her...and she still was having a hard time believing this...twenty three year absence?

She lifted up her jacket, and the five wisps went back into their canisters, exactly as she'd asked. "Sorry. They wanted out. And they made a bet with each other," Whisper said.

"I...see," the gopher said, looking less at awe at Whisper and more than she was wondering if she would need to call a clinic for a pickup. "Yes...please only let out one at a time for future reference, and please give me your wispon. We don't want any accidents."

Whisper tilted her head at her, before she reached behind her and grabbed the variable wispon. "I...am not certain I'm comfortable with giving it to you."

"Do you have a license for it?"

Wait, she needed to have a license for this now? She hadn't before...although that was also twenty three years ago. Also, twenty three!? Twenty three years and a hundred sixty days if she was honest with herself.

Right, license. She did have her Restoration badge...that would probably get her out of most trouble as a whole, assuming that people would believe that she was part of the Restoration. Apparently she'd have needed to be in the group since she was four to be her actual age of sixteen now.

She pulled it out anyways, flashing it lightly. "Is...that a Restoration badge!? Digger, take a look at this!" the gopher shouted to the mole. He was sitting in a chair, reading a newspaper now. Apparently the mole trusted her more than the gopher did. He gave a sigh as he furled up his newspaper, forcing himself up to come over where they were.

"Yeah whaddya lookin...by rights almighty that is. I should know, my pa has one lookin' close to it! It's one of the really old ones, but it looks like it was issued just yesterdays..." The mole said, his eyes widening to show off the green irises.

"Where did you find this? And why didn't this trigger on the scanner?"

Right, Whisper thought, that was why she hadn't told anyone yet. Hopefully they didn't end up calling the police on her. That would just...end up poorly. Twenty three years. Did Jewel ever go back to that gem museum of hers? Maybe she could get in contact with Jewel if necessary...

Did Tangle go back with her? What about Sonic, or Tails? Did Silver end up with Blaze like Whisper had bet on, ages back after Silver ended up leaving the New Diamond Cutters? How much money did she owe Tangle for saying when Sonic would get together with Amy? Or had he!? Belle? Wait, Belle was probably still at HQ. Could she leave?

She had so many questions now.

"It's too old to trigger on the scanner. Whisper...you know, I remember my pa told me about another of the core members of the Restoration who simply disappeared one day around here. He'd only heard it as a rumor. Was that you miss?"

Whisper shrugged.

"Yeah if she disappeared I don't think she'd be right in front of us," Beverly said. "Right...you know, I'm just going to...I'm just going to say you're licensed to use that thing. Don't get in trouble, because otherwise I'm out on my ass in the street."

"Oh Bev, you know old Doug wouldn't just kick you out like that. You have tenure! You've been here for too long already," Digger answered, heading back to his chair. He looked back to glance at Whisper, "Oh, and uh...Whisper, was it? I suspect you're going to be on your own for a few hours tonight. Try and get some sleep."

"Too long my ass, I've only been here three years. And yes, feel free to sleep anywhere. I've been told the chairs aren't the best but you can move the armrests up and they create a nice makeshift cushion," Beverly said.

Twenty three years she'd been gone, Whisper thought. Twenty three years...twelve since Eggman had died. Which means that he'd died nearly...eleven after she disappeared. How many things had she missed? How many times could she have helped?

Although since the world was still mostly standing, that means the Restoration did their duty. But...did that mean everyone got what they wanted? There were so many questions she had...

She was lost in thought for only around an hour before both Beverly and Digger got up to leave, their time being up. They locked the doors, and said that someone would be back in at six, long before the bus was supposed to leave.

The lights stayed on, but Digger pulled a curtain over the window, and Whisper could imagine he'd put a large 'closed' sign in front of it. The doors shut, and she was left alone.

Twenty three years...that was alarming to think about. With another gesture she let out all five wisps, and unthinkingly let her other hand fall towards the wisp treats. They did deserve it; they had actually listened to her, after all.

"So what kind of changes do you think we'll find? Think we'll find future cars, like hovering and such!?" Pink asked.

Green shook his head. "I don't think so. Hovering is harder than it seems, but I think it'd remind everyone of Eggman."

That got a series of nods from the others. "Ooh, I wonder if they've figured out that black hole technology yet, leading to wormholes! Can you imagine if we could see home again?" Orange asked.

"The only one working on that was Tails, and he hadn't perfected it when we fell. I mean, it's possible, but unless Tails really had time to work on it..." Cyan said.

Blue nodded, "I don't think so. Unless another group of wisps randomly bonded and imbued an islander, I think Sonic was one of a kind."

Whisper stared. "Bonded?" she asked. She needed something, anything, to keep her mind off her situation.

"Yeah! It's when a wisp chooses to imbue themselves into another living being. Some can be open to some, it's rare to be open to them all. Although I suppose Yellow or Red never tried to imbue Sonic..." Blue explained.

Cyan shook her head, "No, they did. Or at least Red did. What did he call it...'Burst'? Yeah, Burst. There was also the weird nega-wisps, for Void. I'm glad that those research papers were lost."

"Yeah, Bonded just means that we've imbued a living person. We've tried to imbue you before, but we can't. Sorry Whisper, no bonding from us! But we're still friends, right? We wouldn't be here if we weren't!" Orange explained.

Whisper nodded. She had a sigh of relief; they were still here, but out of choice rather than anything else. Strangely enough, the talk did at least alleviate some of her fears in this new time. But...not as many as she'd like. Twenty three years...

23...It wasn't a number I just pulled out for no reason. There's a reason for that particular number, but it mostly has to do with ages. I think the original Teen Titans episode was twenty years.

Until Next Time!