The night was quiet as Silver laid down to rest in bed, alone. It had already been four nights since Blaze had left him, had completely disappeared from his life. He still was having difficulty comprehending what had happened, he couldn’t believe she had died. For the past few days he had kept going over it again and again, trying to believe that she had survived some how, but he couldn’t see anyway now that it was possible. Every night he was seeing her in his dreams, then waking up in the middle of it, unused to sleeping alone. It terrified him, knowing that he was going to have to live his life alone from now on. After a few more hours, he finally fell asleep, exhausted from crying.
“Silver…” “Blaze? Blaze?! Where are you?!” Silver yelled into the darkness. “Where am I?” He said to himself, staring into the nothingness. It was dark everywhere, he couldn’t even see where he was walking, or his hands in front of his face. “Silver…” The voice came again. “Blaze! Blaze!” The hedgehog screamed, the fear growing in him. He ran, even though he couldn’t see.  “I’m here, Silver… In your mind…” “What?!” He frantically ran in the darkness. Unable to locate the voice, he finally fell to his hands and knees, sobbing with his broken heart. The hedgehog just couldn’t understand these dreams, having them everynight, was he going mad?
Silver woke up, his fur soaked in sweat and his body still trembling. Why was this happening to him? “I don’t understand… If it’s her… How can it be?!” He screamed, his body glowing as his psychic powers became stronger with his emotions. The objects around him flew up into the air, smashing against the walls over and over again as his rage and sorrow were left uncontrolled. “Blaze… Why’d you have to leave me?!!”  Finally, he collapsed again, and all went quiet. He was out of energy, and fell in slumber again.
“Silver…” The hedgehog knew he was sleeping, and ignored the voice this time. “I’m still here Silver... Come find me…” It sounded so much like Blaze, but it couldn’t be… “Silver, do you still love me?” Silver ‘looked’ up, sighing. “Yes. Blaze. I do.” He replied. If this really was his lover he couldn’t ignore her, even if she was just his mind going insane. Suddenly, she was there, but… She wasn’t? Silver went to touch her, and his hand went through hers; she was an apperation? “Silver. Why haven’t you been listening to me?” The white hedgehog stayed in his sitting position before her standing form. He looked down again. “Silver… I’ll always be with you. Do you want to see me again, in life?” She asked. Silver stood up. “Yes! Please, I’ll do anything to bring you back!” He stared at her glowing figure, desperate. “Then find… Shadow… Free him…”
Silver opened his eyes, surprised to find that he was more relaxed from his waking then last time. It was then that he realized all the broken furniture around him. He had been lucky to find this abandoned hotel intact, though how it had survived Iblis’ attack before he had no idea. Now that the flames were gone, people were slowly beginning to build lives, and establish a society. Silver shook his head, he hardly ever lost control like this, but that was because before Blaze had helped him with his emotions. The hedgehog sat up, trying to figure out what she had told him. Shadow… That’s right… In the past, the black hedgehog had helped him, he was the ultimate lifeform. And in this future, he had been captured by the government because they believed he was Mephiles. “Okay, Blaze. I’ll do it. I’ll do anything…”
It took Silver a while, but he did find the black hedgehog. He was in a containment chamber deep underground, in a old G.U.N. bunker. It took him even longer to figure out how to get it open, apparently it was shielded from his powers and required a code. But the machine for that was broken, so he had to hotwire it. Not having any clue about that sort of thing, it was days before he finally got it to work. It made a loud noise as it opened, as if an airlock were being released. Silver caught Shadow as he fell out, obviously still unconscious. He dragged him over and sat him up against the wall, and waited.
After a few hours, Shadow’s eyes slowly opened. Looking up, he saw Silver looking at him. “So, did you stop Iblis?” He asked. The white hedgehog blinked at him, then nodded. “Yes.” Shadow looked around. “Thanks for letting me out. Where’s the cat?” Silver looked away and stood up. The black hedgehog got up, his limbs shaking from not being used in so long. “She didn’t survive?” Silver didn’t like his tone, it was somewhat indifferent, but knew it was because his friend felt drugged from the gases from the chamber. The effects hadn’t quite worn off yet, and even if they had, it was Shadow’s personality to not show emotions easily. “She survived. That’s part of the reason I’m here. She told me to find you, she… Said you would help me find her.” Shadow stared at him, his face unchanged but vast confusion showing in his eyes.
It took him a while to explain, but in the end Shadow understood. Somewhat. “I think I know why she told you this. During my time of conscious imprisonment, the scientists talked about different demensions, and how some psychic’s minds can connect to them. It sounds like she’s in one of these, and is using you to ask for help.” Silver stared at him. “So… I’m not…?” Shadow shook his head. “No, she really is speaking to you.” The white hedgehog was relieved to know that he wasn’t crazy. “How did she know to have you tell me this though?” He wondered. The ultimate lifeform stood up and began walking out, Silver following him. “She knew that I would be around people researching those things, because I would be trapped in their prisons. I could hear everything, even if it was against my will to be there.” “Where are we going?” Silver asked. “To find an old friend, who can help us.”
“Looks like a pile of junk.” Silver said, as they came upon the remains of the robot. “The pile of junk’s name is Omega. When we get him running again, he’ll help find Blaze. He can detect what demesion she is in.” Shadow told him with a glare, lifting the shut-down robot up. “Come on, we can work on him at my place.” Silver said and led him off to the old hotel.
“It would be nice to have Tails, for once.” Shadow muttered as he and Silver attempted to make sense of the wired mess. “I have an idea, wait here.” The white hedgehog said, jumping out of the window and floating to the ground. Shadow sat down on the couch, which Silver had recently flipped back over; it had been upside down when he’d got here. Silver ran off, his heart racing as it finally hit him. Blaze was still alive, and she was coming back! He ran about seven blocks down the scattered, dicapitated buildings until he reached a rather small structure that looked like it used to be a car shop. And it had been. There was a hand-made neon sign in the front that said ‘Mech’, and it flickered on and off from a short curcuit. When Silver entered, a fox was sitting behind the counter, balancing a screwdriver on his nose. He had a black bandana tied around his head, and wore ragged gray clothes that made his white fur and red eyes seem brighter. “Heya, Silv. Like my new place?” He asked, tossing the screwdriver up and catching it in his hand. “Yeah, it’s nice. Listen. Scamp, I need you to fix something.” The fox looked at him through his tinted glasses. “If it’s one of those TV boxes, forget it. Turns out you need to have a station of some sort for those, like a radio. People keep asking me about them so I put had to put up a sign explaining why they won’t work now.” The hedgehog shook his head. “No, no! It’s a robot. I found him and need to get him working again, he’s completely shot. If anyone can fix him, it’s you!” Silver told him. Scamp stared at him suspiciously. The fox had been a loner for a long time, he had once lived in a shelter in the time when Iblis was rampant, but had run away and lived underground like his friend because they had not understood his albino needs. He had to stay in the darkness, and when he went out, he wore a protective jacket he had made and goggles to protect his eyes. He had stayed with Silver and Blaze until they had started going after Iblis, trying to destroy it, then he left them and stayed underground, alone. “What’s in it for me?” He asked. Silver realized he hadn’t told him about Blaze yet. “You have something to trade?” The fox pried. The hedgehog thought for a moment, then realized that he pretty much now owned the entire hotel building, since he had been the first to find it since the destruction of Iblis. “Yes. I do. But you have to come with me first.” Silver knew the basic’s to bartering, he wanted the robot fixed first, it was all a matter of trust now. “You had better have something good. Fine. Let me tell my alarm before I leave.” Scamp said, leaving Silver looking puzzled. The fox snapped his fingers, and a small rabbit with pink fur came out from the back. She was wearing black, and was somewhat well dressed, in her clothes weren’t rags. “This is Candy. Candy, this is Silver. There is nothing better to protect your place from thieves, then another thief. Let’s go.” Scamp led Silver out, the hedgehog unnerved from Candy’s strange stare. She hadn’t said a word.
Going down the street, the albino fox answered his friend’s unspoken question. “Candy is a mute. She can’t speak. She’s psychic like you though. She’s also been stealing since as long as she can remember. Survival of the fittest.” He said. Silver nodded, he understood that. Seeing people walking about, though they were jittery and highly nervous, was strange for both of them. Some of the people couldn’t quite believe that the flames had stopped, and thought that it would come back, so they were staying underground. But others were out and about taking the risks, and a rare few were dancing and singing.
“You didn’t tell me you had an entire hotel to yourself! Are you even having it protected?!” Scamp asked his friend, amazed at this rare find. The fox stopped in his tracks and Silver knew he had lost his main advantage now that he knew what he had. “I’ll tell you what I want right now.” He started. Silver rolled his eyes, hoping that he wouldn’t ask for the entire building, but knowing he would have to give it up if asked. “I want to set up my shop here. I want a share of the building.” The hedgehog smiled. He should have know that his friend wouldn’t be that selfish, and he didn’t really mind that. “Deal. I don’t have a problem with it.” He said, shaking the fox’s hand. “You aren’t going to ask Blaze about it first?” Silver’s ears drooped, and he led the fox inside without an answer.
“So, you want me to fix this? It’s gonna take some time. I start on it once I get my stuff over here.” Scamp had told them before leaving. Shadow had glared at the fox for some time, and Scamp had just smiled at him, thinking his dislike was humorous. “I like your friend there.” Scamp had whispered to Silver just before he took off. “Well, he doesn’t seem to like you. Please don’t get him going, he’s stronger then he looks. He dragged that robot here with ease, and it’s three times his size, without psychic powers!” Silver had told him. Immediately when the fox was gone, the black hedgehog had shared his thoughts. “I don’t like him. You can’t see his eyes with those goggles on.” Shadow said. Silver sighed, then walked to the door. “He’ll be back, we’re sharing the building so that he will fix Omega.” “Where are you going?” The black hedgehog said. “Get us something to eat, I’m hoping there’s a cook who’s brave enough to come out.” His friend replied.