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Espio had always thought that he was good at staying calm. It was one of the things he took most pride in, right after his speed and combat skills. But, the funny thing about composure is that anything can take it away in a moment, it’s only a matter of when and how.
He roamed the lengths of an abandoned mineshaft, rocky ground dampened and rough. A soft, flickering source of luminescence came from a flashlight in his hands, batteries evidently beginning to run out of energy.
He and Silver had approached the area in order to investigate what locals described as a jumbled figure, whom they consistently saw in or around the mineshaft, accompanied by an increase of slaughtered animals, roadkill, and even some unfortunate Mobians. It was, originally, supposed to be the four of the Chaotix examining the cave, but Vector had recalled some dinner date with Vanilla. And, with how terrified the locals had seemed of the culprit, Espio did not want to bring Charmy into any unnecessary danger without having their usual strength in numbers. Besides, the two of them aren’t exactly the stealthiest.
The chameleon wondered how Silver was faring in his part of the mineshaft. It couldn’t have been worse than Espio’s dingy, cobweb-ridden, and cramped section. He came to a halt when the ground he had been walking on suddenly became smoother. Light fluttered over the space for a moment before cutting out completely.
Espio held in a prolonged sigh, fruitlessly tapping the side of the flashlight in hopes to coax just a bit more energy from it. It was promptly shoved into a compartment in his shoe and he continued to inspect the patch.
The rocks and dirt had been compressed down and compacted. A clear line between the affected and unaffected terrain. Not exactly a footprint, though. Its shape was irregular, not at all resembling any sort of creature that Espio knew of. He pressed a finger to the centre of the print, observing how it could glide downwards just a bit before being stopped completely. The culprit had to be quite lightweight.
Espio continued on, his only source of light working no longer. He had to rely solely on the way the ground felt beneath him and how he could sense the walls with his hands.
He noticed another patch in the terrain, and another, and another. Each one different from the rest, yet spaced out in a clear walking pattern. Espio followed it, his back beginning to ache from all the crouching that the low ceiling demanded of him.
The agitating sound of gravel crunching underneath his weight is something he had gotten used to, and had began to tune out. Though, a new sound sprouted up, ricocheting off the walls. Espio paused, listening for it carefully.
A string of clicks was coming from some point behind him, fading in and out of a lower, grumbling noise. He focused his attention to himself and turned transparent to wander in the direction of the noise.
Focusing proved difficult when the crunching of gravel occurred only a few steps ahead of him, loud and slow.
Espio kept still, half to keep himself invisible, half to try to see what was causing the noise. He scanned the area, concentration wavering with every new noise. Now a combination of heavy steps, a disgraceful scraping against the rock walls, and what sounded inexplicably like huffed breaths.
He brought his kunai out to wield protectively in front of his chest. Over the gravel, additional darkness crept inwards. The moment Espio began to back up, the series of clicks started up again. This time, directly above his head.
With a hint of hesitance, he craned his neck, ready to sprint in any direction. There was nothing above him, save for one lone drop of water that landed right on his forehead.
But water didn’t have that consistency. He realized that too late.
A deafening screech erupted from above, and he booked it down the mineshaft, using all of his will to not stumble or trip on any of the loose rocks. The cries did not let up, but the echoing might have made it sound more disturbing.
He attempted to recall the way he came from, or at least how to loop back to it. If he could get to a more open area, it would be easier to fight. Having a flashlight would certainly have helped, as well.
His movements began to grow messier, much more desperate. Espio always knew that swiftness on its own wasn’t very useful. That was one of the reasons why he trained. The level-headedness he worked so hard to obtain, though, was beginning to fade.
He turned a sharp corner, hands slamming into the rough walls to keep his speed. A piercing pain shot down his wrists, the wince that came from him concealed.
Gaia, this is bad. Espio thought. Stay focused. Just keep—
The chameleon skidded to a halt, then resorted to scampering when that wasn’t enough to stop his momentum. He almost hadn’t caught it, but a massive pit was right in his path and there was no going around it. At least the ceiling was higher.
Espio planted his feet firmly and looked behind him, the noises from the creature coming to a crescendo. He could see it better now.
The only definitive features was its stick-like arms and crooked teeth. Everything else on it, he couldn’t exactly name. It lacked proper legs and feet, which would explain the irregular prints Espio found earlier, and was some dark shade of brown.
It was closing in. His legs trembled, just a bit. He resisted the overwhelming urge to back up when the creature was just an arms length away. Eyes darting all around, Espio tried to force a level head. His mind wouldn’t listen.
It swiped towards his chest, nails just barely grazing his scales before he got the good instinct to step to the side and clutch the outer wall for dear life.
Luckily, his anthropomorphic traits as a chameleon allowed him to inch away from the mineshaft entrance, crawling along the edge. Espio held his breath and watched as the creature snarled and turned away, disappearing into the rest of the cave.
By now, his entire body was being wracked by tremors to some degree. At least now he could catch his breath.
Espio reached far into his mind, digging out the calmness he had been taught to maintain. He found it and scanned his surroundings, or as much of it as he could. It appeared that the walls of the pit were smooth. Smooth as the surface he was currently clinging to. His body demonstrated that with his right foot sliding slightly downwards.
He stayed as still as possible, ensuring that no more movement would come of him. The pit stretched down as far as he could see, which wasn’t much, but he wasn’t willing to take any chances. He couldn’t spot any other mineshaft entrances he could climb towards either.
There was one option left, which was to re-enter the same place he just came from and hope that he wouldn’t be spotted until he could get backup. It certainly wasn’t the best plan, but it was a plan.
Espio pressed his body closer to the wall and lifted his right hand. When he was sure that his position was stable, he cautiously outstretched it. The chameleon could feel his pulse in his fingertips, thrumming into the stone.
Wait. He paused. That wasn’t his heartbeat. He realized that too late when the vibrations were accompanied by a swift string of ticks.
Espio felt the creature as he saw it once more, peeking out the mineshaft and knocking him violently off his balance with a swift swing of its arm.
His grip on the wall shook and wavered, eventually becoming painful to maintain. The thing above him continued to swipe in his direction.
He didn’t know what to do, his mind was racing and everything was just so loud. Focus was no longer in the question.
Espio slid down the wall just an inch. And that was all it took for his grip to be completely lost.
He scrambled against it, desperately seeking purchase while falling further into the dark pit. His body refused to cooperate, his lungs not taking in a single bit of air.
Eventually, there was no more wall to claw at. Just the rest of the inky darkness to fade into. The chameleon felt wind whistle past, his limbs becoming numb, and finally, his eyes closing.
—
First, Espio was aware of his shivering. The cold ground had not been kind to him, enveloping him in its harsh embrace. He foggily knew that however frigid he was, he hadn’t felt anything like it in a long time. Next, he became observant of his body, how it lay uncomfortably on the gravel.
His entire body ached like hell, the chameleon’s legs having the worst of it. At some point, he wasn’t sure when, his eyes fluttered open. It was only the ground and some of his own body that he could see.
One conscious thought popped into his brain soon enough.
Am I dead? It feels like I’m dead.
No… it can’t be that.
As if to prove it to himself, he flexed his fingers outwards.
Not dead. Cool.
It still took more effort than he thought it should have.
Then, Espio noticed that his entire body wasn’t freezing. His legs actually felt a bit warm.
With a great deal of effort he pointed his head down, chin digging into his collarbone. Most of it was concealed by darkness, but the little bit he could make out told him everything he needed to know.
Ah. He thought.
Espio’s right leg was mostly unharmed. Going off of feels alone, probably just a rolled ankle. His left leg had received the brunt of the impact, it appeared.
Noticeably, the part of his leg below his knee was bent in a way that should not have been remotely possible, in any way. If that wasn’t bad enough on its own, he was pretty sure that part of his tibia was piercing through the flesh.
He didn’t really know what to make of that. Perhaps it was the drowsiness, maybe some shock. In that moment, he had no feelings about it, until he remembered something.
Silver. Espio recalled. He was still in the mines. Maybe he had already left. Maybe he was looking for him. Maybe he had suffered the same fate.
That alone gave him the boost of energy he needed to so much as think about sitting up.
He tested his current capabilities slowly, placing both of his hands flat on the floor, elbows bent. Pain flared up through his body when he pushed up, but he kept going, jaw tightly clenched.
Some clarity entered his mind as his weight shifted to his shoulders. He used it to bring his less injured leg beneath himself. Swiftly, Espio experimented on how well said leg could hold him up. It concluded with ‘well enough.’ And he hobbled into a stand.
In an instant, his body felt five times heavier, urging him back down onto the harsh rocks. Espio’s face contorted into a poorly suppressed grimace, eyes squeezed shut like it would block out the agony that flared through his limbs. He kept himself stationary, controlling his breathing as much as he could.
Well, it’s too late to be calm and rational now, isn’t it? The chameleon thought to himself irritably. Through the misty dark, he found that if he squinted, he could make out an archway of sorts, likely the entrance to a tunnel. Perhaps he could find Silver in there. Espio hobbled towards it, ignoring the way his legs trembled under the slightest of pressure. He just had to get to Silver.
—
Being inside of the tunnel was a bit easier. Espio trailed one hand against the inner wall and clenched at an almost smooth surface any time he had to shift his weight to his more injured limb. Every so often, he’d call out the telekinetic’s name, trying hard to keep the hurt out of his voice. He didn’t want to worry him. After all, he had been able to tune out some of the pain, gaining enough sense to recall some of his training. It still had momentary flare ups, which forced him to stop and huff out a couple of breaths before continuing.
“Silver!” He shouted, throat scratchy and dry. There was no reply, other than the echo resounding through the tunnel, making him fear that the only one to hear his cries would only ever be himself. He kept moving.
Minutes stretched on. Espio didn’t know how long he had been wandering for, how long he had been searching for, but he didn’t want to give up. He couldn’t give up.
And then he heard clicking from behind him.
Slowly, he turned his head. There was only one thought in his mind when he saw the disfigured creature once more. Simple, flickering images of his family. Of Charmy, bothering the hell out of him whenever he was doing something of importance. Of Vector, assuring everyone that things would be alright when they were tight on money, or the way his face went completely red whenever Vanilla spoke to him. And of Silver, returning to the timeline after weeks on end of them not being together.
I’m sorry. Espio thought, watching the figure rush towards him. Then;
I didn’t know ‘the light’ was blue.
It wasn’t.
Cyan sparks flew past him and into the creature, unintelligible mixes of sounds bursting into around the tunnel. He found himself unable to keep up, completely lost at what was happening and why, until he saw one familiar face.
Standing in front of the chameleon protectively was Silver the Hedgehog, furiously attacking the creature.
Electric waves continued on for a few more moments, and then, nothing. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, see afterimages of the bright flashes across the tunnel, the soft glow of Silver’s gloves and boots.
Something more could be heard, something Espio couldn’t exactly understand. His eyes soon readjusted to the darkness, allowing him to take in the hedgehog’s features little by little. Silver’s mouth was moving. Rather swiftly, at that. When he paused, he realized that the hedgehog was expecting a response to something. He must have been saying something earlier.
Espio swallowed thickly. “…Sorry, what?” He said breathily.
Silver simply blinked at him for a moment before ducking his head down, hands in his quills. “Gaia, this is bad.” He muttered.
“What’s bad?” The chameleon asked, feeling fog invade his mind.
Sharp, concerned eyes fell on him. “What— what’s bad?” Silver sputtered with outstretched hands, one hovering near either side of Espio’s waist. “You!” He exclaimed. “Look at you!”
He did as he was told and tilted his head down, a nice reminder of his physical state meeting his gaze.
Right.
All the blood was still there. It was still a bit gross to look at, but the pain had long subsided, although his legs were trembling violently.
“Well, if it helps, I can’t feel my lower body at all.” He said.
Silver’s distraught expression told him that it did not help at all. “How are you even standing right now?” The hedgehog yelped.
Espio wondered the exact same thing. The confusion didn’t last long, for in an agonizing turn of events, his knees buckled, turning his vision to a blinding white-light.
He bit his tongue and held his breath to keep from screaming. Something was preventing him from hitting the ground harshly, which he was dimly grateful for. Eventually, though, his body had made its way to the tunnel floor, the heels of his palms holding him up.
When he trusted himself enough to not yell, Espio caught his breath shallowly.
“Espio? Espio, are you okay?” Silver’s voice cut through.
He readjusted himself. “I’m fine.” He said, his wavering voice betraying him.
A pause.
“We’re going home.” The hedgehog asserted, beginning to gather Espio’s half-limp body in his hands.
“No, we— we can’t.” He said, fumbling around and trying to rid himself of the other’s hold. “We still don’t know what happened to… all those missing people.” Speaking was starting to be a difficult task.
“Espio,” Silver said firmly, hands placed on the chameleon’s shoulders. Even in his woozy state, he could hear some residual panic in his voice. “We can do that later. You’re hurt. We need to go.”
He struggled to find an argument. “I…” Next, he struggled to keep his eyes open. Espio’s sight fluttered shut and he slumped forward into Silver’s chest.
—
The Chaotix Detective Agency’s building had a very distinct scent, but it was never just one. Sometimes it smelt like burnt toast, something that wouldn’t leave the air until perhaps the next day, if they were lucky. Sometimes it was sweet, almost honey-like. That usually happened after Vanilla and Cream brought baked goods over. Other times, there was a woodsy aroma, likely brought on from warm days when they couldn’t afford air conditioning and had to settle for leaving the doors and windows open.
This evening, the air around Espio smelt like none of those, yet he knew exactly where he was.
There was a gentle, comforting warmth over half of his face, the same area where he could sense some light from his closed eyes. A soft fabric sat over his body. The air smelled of antiseptic.
Espio’s limbs were heavy, comfortably fitting into the plush material he was on, the couch, he noted.
With a low groan he brought a hand up to his eyes, rubbing the sleep out lethargically. For a moment, his vision was blurry. Then, he was able to take in his surroundings properly.
The house seemed calmer. Quieter.
Rays of light came beaming through the windows. It was either early morning or evening. A thin blanket laid atop of him, though half of it was on the ground.
Espio didn’t recall falling asleep on the couch. Last he checked, he was…
He shot upright instantly and ripped the blanket off of himself, staring at his legs.
Even though it wasn’t true, he could still see his limbs mangled and bloodied, making Espio sick. But right now, they were cleaned up. Bandaged. They looked how legs were supposed to.
He stared for a moment more, then took a deep breath to ground himself. His lower body still ached, and he didn’t think it was wise to try and stand. He tensed when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
“Espio!” A high voice, Silver, exclaimed. “You’re up!”
Espio turned to see his face, the hedgehog swiftly coming up beside him and sitting down on the edge of the couch.
“How’re you feeling?” He asked, slight hesitance in the way he held his hands in front of himself.
“Fine.” The other replied, not meeting his gaze. “What… happened?”
Silver’s ears flattened a bit. “Well, you remember how we went out for an investigation, right?”
Espio nodded.
“You… took a really bad fall and ended up passing out. I took you back here last night and you’ve been asleep since.”
So then it’s morning.
The chameleon hummed to himself, staring at the blanket over his legs. He wasn’t used to being injured, let alone being unable to move freely because of a poor physical state.
The last time it had happened, he was about six years old. He had been wandering in an abandoned building and got his foot trapped in a weak floorboard. An acceptable mistake to make for a child, but for someone who should be wise, he didn’t appreciate it one bit.
“Are Vector and Charmy asleep?” Espio asked. He didn’t want to dwell on his negative thoughts for too long.
“Yeah, Vector watched over you for most of the night,” Silver chuckled lightly. After a brief pause, he spoke again. “Oh, are you hungry? I can get you something to eat if you want.”
He contemplated, then told himself that sustenance was key to a speedy recovery.
“Food would be nice, thank you, Silver.” Espio replied, but he had already stood up before even getting an answer.
The chameleon heard some pots and pans banging together, some opening and closing of a few different appliances, and finally, the low hum of the microwave. He carefully moved to lean back on the arm of the couch while he waited.
“Espio!”
He jumped at the sudden noise, then mentally scolded himself for doing so. It was the voice of Charmy that was coming from behind him, who immediately flew into Espio’s face the moment he turned his head.
“Charmy—“
“What did it look like after you got hurt? How bad was it? Nobody told me anything.” The young bee pouted, his wings buzzing.
“Charmy, let him rest!” Silver shouted out from the kitchen.
Espio sighed and waited for Charmy to be anywhere but directly in his face. At some point, he had plopped down on the coffee table.
“To answer your questions,” He started, already knowing he was going to regret it one way or another. “I couldn’t see much after I got hurt. It was dark and my vision was hazy, likely from the blood loss.”
The bee nodded eagerly, silently telling him to continue.
“I recall it was pretty bad but I won’t bore you with the details.”
“What!? No, bore me! I wanna be bored!” Charmy sprang up.
The chameleon began to open his mouth, knowing he didn’t have the energy to put up with any more pestering, but the creaking of a door opening caught his attention.
It was Vector, exiting out of his main-floor bedroom.
“Espio!” He exclaimed, swiftly moving up and wrapping his arms around the other. Espio wasn’t very fond of hugs, he itched to shove him back a bit. “You gave us quite a scare.” Vector said, pulling away.
He forced a light smile. “Sorry about that.”
The mindless doting had slowed down a bit, but never completely. Every move Espio made had all eyes on him. Hell, even if he was quiet for too long his friends would be asking if he was okay.
He tried to stop himself from feeling frustrated, knowing they were just worried and wanted to help, but he wasn’t used to being so… dependant. It made him sick to his stomach.
—
The sun had almost set, a calm glow settling over the bedsheets and the walls. Pain still lingered in Espio’s limbs. It wasn’t particularly bad, tolerable at most times. Other times, it would flare up, become nearly unbearable for a few seconds, then subside again. He’d do his best to hide it when that happened.
He and Silver were sat on their bed, his bandages being carefully removed. The sight of blood never really bothered the chameleon, but he couldn’t help but think of the state his legs used to be in when he saw the leftover gashes over his scales.
“You doing okay?” Silver asked for the fifth time now, pausing with his hands hovering.
Espio took a deep breath to conceal his annoyance. “Yes, I’m fine.” He said with a bit too much poison in his voice.
The hedgehog stared at him with a tight expression. “I’m just worried about you.”
“Right. Sorry.”
Silver didn’t seem satisfied, but he continued to work, peeling off the last bandage. He turned away and shuffled through a white box sitting next to him.
“Why have you been such an ass lately?” He said, not meeting his gaze.
“S-sorry, what?” Espio sputtered. Silver had said it so casually, as if he were telling somebody he liked their shoes or something.
The hedgehog looked at him firmly, the expression then shifting to a bit more of a sympathetic one. “What’s going on with you? And don’t lie.”
He looked at the bedsheets, struggling to find the right words. He did, kind of, want to lie. To say that he was alright, maybe just a bit irritable from all the pain, but he owed it to Silver to tell him the truth.
“I…” Espio started. “I don’t… like feeling like this.”
“Feeling… in pain?” The other questioned.
He shook his head. “Feeling… useless.” His words came out lightly.
Silver finished tying up the bandages on his left leg as Espio spoke. “Why do you think you’re useless?”
“I can’t exactly do anything productive while I’m like this, Silver.” He let out a small chuckle while gesturing to his injuries. “I can’t even meditate in a proper position.”
The hedgehog looked at the wounds the other had motioned to, staring as if he had just been reminded of their existence. He quietly finished up bandaging the other leg. The chameleon leaned back on the headboard, thankful the conversation was over. Then, he felt a gentle hand above his knee.
“Why do you think useful stuff is only physical?” Silver asked, though he didn’t say it like a question.
Espio opened his mouth, then closed it when he realized the answer wasn’t a simple because it is. He didn’t know what else to say, though.
“You can still be useful like this, y’know.” The hedgehog added, coming up next to Espio.
He tried to make sense of it, understand what he was saying, but he couldn’t.
“How?” He asked, attempting to not sound upset.
“Well, you can start by losing the bitter attitude.” Silver suggested with one of those smiles on his face, one that meant he didn’t mean any harm with his words.
Espio sighed, a smile of his own creeping on. “Alright.”
“Good! Because as I recall,” He then put on his best Espio impression. “Society cannot do good without those in it being good.”
The chameleon laughed. “Gaia, do I really sound like that?”
“You totally do.”
Espio placed his hand atop of the other’s, intertwining their fingers together.
“Also,” Silver started again, pointing a finger in the air. “You can totally still do detective stuff. Just less investigation and more, like, thinking. That make sense?”
Espio supposed he was right. “Yeah. That makes sense.” He thumbed over the cyan circle in his palm.
“Thank you, Silver. For everything, not just… this.” He spoke quietly.
“Of course, Espio.”
A brief moment of silence.
“Maybe get some sleep. Then, in the morning, we can figure out what happened to all those missing people.” Silver suggested, pulling the blanket over the chameleon’s legs.
Espio wanted to protest, but he knew that it was best for him to get some rest.
“Okay.” He said, and the two of them laid their heads down next to each other, slowly drifting into sleep, hands still laced together.