Tomorrow

Colors flashed erratically as he hurtled through time, creating hoops in an endless tunnel from his perspective. Looking at them was a strain on the eyes, and they were everywhere one could look. Shutting his eyes brought about a churning in his stomach, which was already threatening to turn inside-out. Rocketing through time felt like having your limbs stretched out on a rack for hundreds of years, all in an instant.

Silver had endured this pain before. The pain of time travel, the pain of loneliness, the pain of failure. This hadn't been the first time he had returned to the past to save the future. Each time, he had traveled forward in time to be greeted by empty ruins. 'Please, let this work,' Silver focused intensely in the few moments he had before he was spat out into the future.

The hedgehog put his hand out to help break his fall, alighting on a grassy hilltop near a tree. An idyllic blue sky hung overhead, fluffy white clouds bringing in some shade. His eyes went wide as fresh air filled his lungs, it wasn't fully free of air pollution but it was leagues above the ashy smog that typically greeted him.

"I… I did it!" Silver looked around as he tried to take in everything all at once, "We did it! The air is so crisp! The sky looks so blue, it's… it's so amazing!" Laughter echoed across the hilltop as he laid back, letting the blades of grass tickle his quills. This feeling is what he had been fighting for for so long, had failed to attain so many times, and now that he had it it was almost surreal.

The pangs of loneliness faded fast. Silver got to his feet and took off, enjoying the feeling of the wind. He'd soon take flight in a green envelope of telekinetic power, soaring high over a snow-capped mountain. Using his powers tended to be tiring, but properly pacing himself allowed for near constant flight. So the psychic took the scenic route, taking in the rocky crags and snow banks of the chilly mountaintop, cresting above it to take in the horizon.

Buildings nearly as tall as the mountain stretched towards the sky, flying cars darting in between them. Even in the daytime, numerous holographic displays showed advertisements. Everywhere you looked, there was bustling activity, there were people. Silver knew he had to finally be a part of this, speeding up now that he had a clear goal.

The buildings grew larger by the second, an ecstatic grin plastered on his face. He was so excited to start meeting the other people that lived in his future! One flying car seemed to stand out from the rest, and so he turned to face it. The flashing lights and wailing siren became even more noticeable as Silver approached it, and the cruiser turned right in his direction. They both touched down on the ground just near city limits, the siren switching off as the hovercar came to a halt.

Silver had never interacted with law enforcement before, there were no laws to enforce in the gravelly ruins he lived in all of his life. All he thought to do when the officer - a brown-furred ocelot - stepped out of the car was to wave at him.

"Howdy, kid. Officer Bradshaw, Station Square PD," the police officer smiled and waved as he approached, "Got a call about some kind of weird energy goin' off just outside the city. Reckon you wouldn't know anything about that?"

"Oh, that might have been me," Silver laughed casually, "Sorry!"

"Uh-huh. I need to see your ID," Bradshaw pushed a button on the gadget strapped to his wrist. A small white orb - no, it was an oblong shape - was released from the squad car, hovering over to the two of them.

The hedgehog couldn't help but grimace, there were no offices to obtain an ID in his ruined timeline. "Sorry again, but I don't have one on me."

"That's ok, we can just give ya a little scan here and' we'll sort this all out," the small drone hovered closer to Silver. Blue holographic lines projected from its suddenly glowing underbelly, slowly drifting down across his body. He lifted his hands to watch the pattern drift along his gloves as he was scanned. Information all about this hedgehog popped up above officer Bradshaw's wrist, and Silver caught a peek at a picture of himself on the display.

"Kid," a pair of unamused eyes suddenly fell upon him, "You a time traveler?"

"H-huh? Well yeah-"

"Alright, kid," officer Bradshaw pulled out a small pair of metal rings, "I'm gonna need you to come down to the station." From the ocelot's tone, it was clear he wasn't asking.

"But I saved the future!" Silver exclaimed. It wasn't fair that he was being treated like this! Before he had any more time to protest, the ocelot's southern drawl spat out to interrupt him.

"Now, kid!" The drone that had been hovering by the hedgehog flicked a metal ring onto his forehead, and that device made everything go white.


After that, everything that followed was something of a blur. Silver vaguely remembered getting handcuffs placed on his wrists, and the officer saying some spiel before forcing him into the squad car. There was no way of fighting back, everything felt like he was moving through gelatin. His head was spinning, and even the smooth ride in the police cruiser was a disorienting experience. Before the hedgehog knew it, he was being ushered through the halls of a police station, uncuffed as a cell door slammed behind him.

Silver didn't even notice the other occupant of the cell resting on the bench, groaning as he stumbled around. "Argh… this isn't fair!" He kicked the door as some clarity began returning to him, "Why did I have to come back to a future where time travel is illegal?!"

"Hey man, keep it down," the red-feathered prisoner turned his head to the new arrival. The shape of his bill made it obvious he was a duck, "Some people here just want to sleep."

"Oh! Sorry, I- AHHH!" Silver's eyes shot wide-open as the realization hit him. He pointed to the missing limb, where the duck's right arm should be, "What happened to your arm?!"

His cellmate sat up a little, showing the cybernetic nerve connectors, "Confiscated."

"What?! Why would they take away your arm?!"

"It has a gun built into it."

Silver stood stunned in silence, eventually managing a tiny "Oh."

The duck chuckled, making space for the fresh meat on the bench, "You're a hoot. I like you better when you're not loud, so keep that up. Name's Mack. You?"

"Silver," he took a seat in the new spot on the bench, shuffling in next to the duck.

"You a psionic, Silver?" It was only with the close proximity that he noticed the duck's voice still sounded far away.

"Yeah. How can you tell?"

A finger pointed up at the headband clamped around his skull, "Boys in blue clamped you with a psionic suppressor. This your first time or what?"

"Um… yeah. Sorry, it's really hard to stay focused with this," a gloved hand ran along the edges of the suppressor, the simple touches making his fingertips feel tingly.

"No foolin'? Huh. You first-timers usually pass out for a day when they slap those on," the red fowl leaned back on the bench, "You must got serious guts to still be standing. Hey, you said you time-traveled too?"

"To the past. I saved the future."

"That's big-time stuff right there. Guess that must be why the coppers are all in a frenzy."

Silver listened for the police moving around, but could only make out the sounds of shouting. Everything felt so far away, and he hated this headband so much. It was impossible to focus, a ringing filled his ears every time he tried to use his powers or push away the mental block. He didn't want to break down and cry in front of someone he just met, who might end up being a hardened criminal. This whole situation felt like such a slap in the face.

A horned bull strode down the corridor of holding cells, barking orders at the inmates, "Line up against the back wall of your cell! Hands against the wall where we can see 'em!"

Mack tapped the psionic's shoulder to make sure he understood, then placed his singular organic hand on the wall. Silver's hands soon followed, head slightly turned to try and get a glimpse of what this was all about. A shadow approached from down the corridor, stopping at each cell to inspect the occupants. Its owner made their way to Silver's cell, stopping as he turned to face them both. The cleanly pressed military uniform was decorated with medals showing the highest honors of the Guardian Unit of Nations, worn by none other than the commander. The hedgehog's piercing gaze was cast upon Silver, carried on eyes just as red as the stripes in his quills.

"Shadow?!" He had to do a double-take to believe what he was seeing. Shadow merely pointed the time-traveler out to the bull officer.

"He's the one I'm looking for."

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Pub: 30 Aug 2022 01:17 UTC
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