A/N: Hey guys! Before we continue the story, I just want to apologise for the continuity errors. I went back to the begging of the story to read and remember what I was doing. Keep in mind, this story wasn't originally going to BE a story, more or less a few parts.

I realised I have since changed a few things in the storyline (i.e. the reader (you) saying your brother would never go into the illegal business, only to then later know he was in the illegal business) I'll work on fixing that up and making it seem to be a part of the story, and not an accident.

That is all for now, apologies for that! And enjoy the story!

The grey cat was tied to a chair, his eye black and swollen. He had bruises showing through his furred muzzle, and his ears laid back in hostility as the door opened slowly. (Y/N) walked into the room, taking in the clearly beaten cat and wondered if Vector was normally this violent.

She walked over to the cat, taking in the emptiness of the room. It was filled with boxes, shelves full of dust-covered trinkets. The only light swung above the cat, a small white bulb that hung from a wire. Clearly this was a storage room for the Chaotix.

The (a/t) took a seat across from the silent cat, sitting as straight as she could, her hands resting in her lap. Quietly, she cleared her throat, and the cat's eyes snapped open. His red irises glared at her, and a hiss came from him.

"What do YOU want..?" He asked, straining against the plastic restraints around his wrists. The (a/t) raised her gaze, staring down at the cat; her whole body shook, and she hoped she was hiding her nerves well.

"My brother..." She said quietly.

"Your brother?" The cat let out a chuckle, "Sweet-cheeks, that could be anyone. You'll need to be more specific. Especially about what you want to know."

"My... Brother..." She looked around the room, before lowering her head, "Jacob..."

"Oh that failure of a recruit?" The cat huffed, giving a weak shrug, "Funny, I wasn't aware he had a sister, let alone a rat in the family."

(Y/N) raised her gaze quickly, "Where is he...?"

A smirk appeared on the cat's face, "That's more like it, real questions. Unfortunately for you, I can't tell you."

A cold feeling set in the (a/t)'s stomach. How was she going to get him to talk? She could barely keep eye contact with him, let alone demand he answer her questions. Her (e/c) eyes scanned the room, wondering where Espio could be.

They had agreed just before walking into the room that he should be with her, considering her timid self, the (a/t) would probably need back up in case things went south. He insisted she entered the room first, and hasn't seen him since.

Did he even walk into the room? Is he hiding somewhere? Did he just leave her to talk to this hostile cat by herself?

"Well? Anything else?" The cat asked, snapping her out of her slightly panicked state.

"U-Uh..." Her hands shook slightly, and she lowered her gaze again. How could she get through to him? Espio clearly wasn't here to help her, so she'd have to figure it out on her own.

An idea popped into her mind. One she wasn't entirely fond of.

"P-Please..." She stuttered out, and her ears pressed against her head, "I-I want my brother..."

Another chuckle came from the cat, "When brutal beatings don't work, send in the emotional one. Some detectives."

Something sharp went through the (a/t)'s chest, an emotion. One she hadn't felt before, and she raised her gaze to glare at the cat.

"They are wonderful detectives." She said in an almost snappy tone, "I want to know where my brother is. Now."

The feline's red gaze bored into the girl, and she felt like shrinking back almost instantly, "It's going to take more than yelling to get me to talk sweetheart. You're very new to this, aren't you?"

(Y/N) stared at him, she could feel tears threatening to fall. This was getting her nowhere, why would he even bother talking to her? She was useless, there was no way she was going to get him to talk. She had hoped looking desperate would help, but when he took a jab at the Chaotix, she felt... Rage? She couldn't even act.

A hand rested on her shoulder, and the (a/t) jumped startled. She turned her gaze, only to find nothing there. The feeling of a hand remained, and she blinked, before closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. Espio was here, he was just hiding.

The girl quickly calmed her nerves, slowly shutting away the thoughts and worries that circled her mind, before she looked at the cat once more.

"Tell me where my brother is." She said stoically, "I won't ask again."

The male Mobian watched her, his eyes showing suspicion, "You're a strange one, you know that?"

"Tell me." The (a/t) let out a growl, "I need to know what happened to him."

"Like I said before sugar, I can't tell you." The cat huffed, rolling his eyes, "I had nothing to do with what happened to him, I have nothing to say."

"So you don't know?"

"Do you really think I'll tell you that?"

"Just tell me. He's all I have." (Y/N) closed her eyes, before taking a deep breath, "Please... I just... Want him back... That's all I want..."

She could feel her nerves coming back, it was like an endless war. Espio's hand disappeared, and a sudden chill went through her spine. The (a/t) felt alone again, and the crushing thoughts once again returned. Where was he going? Why was he leaving you here by yourself?

The chameleon, unknown to the girl, was hiding behind her chair. Using his cloaking ability, he had kept out of sight, only ready to defend the (a/t) if anything went wrong. He watched her carefully, picking up on every little emotion she showed. Fear, desperation that quickly turned to rage, the calm in her eyes, and the fear once again.

He felt guilty for making her do this on her own, but the purple Mobian knew if he appeared, the cat wouldn't say anything. (Y/N) had to leave her comfort zone to get what she needed, even if she hated it. He could see her struggling but he knew better than to interfere.

He watched as the cat stared at the (a/t), tilting his head in a slight curiosity, "How do I know that? How do I know you won't swarm our corporation with G.U.N agents, the police, anyone that would stop what we're doing?"

"I... I d-don't care about that..." She mumbled, holding a hand to her chest, Espio could tell she was nervous now. Was she about to say something personal?

"And how can I trust you?"

"H-He... He told me all about it..." (Y/N) said quietly, "I've know about your work f-for... For a long while now..."

"That dirty snitch." The cat let out a growl, pulling on his restraints, "It's a good thing they did what they did then, we can't have anyone talk about our business."

The (a/t) raised her head, her ears perked in interest. Something shone in her eyes, fear once again, along with disbelief. Her hand moved to her mouth, and tears appeared in her eyes.

"N-No... They didn't..."

The smirk returned to the cat's face, "Oh yeah..."

"B-But I never told anyone!" The girl yelled, standing abruptly, "I-I swore I never would! I-I only came here because he went m-missing!"

"Welp, when you snitch, you get ditched." The cat only shrugged, "There, is that what you wanted to know? Can I leave now?"

N-No! You're lying!" The she-(a/t) yelled, grabbing onto his shoulders, "H-He can't be dead! Y-You can't have... T-Tell me the truth!"

But he said nothing else, only smirking up at her. Espio watched him, frowning to himself. Something seemed off, like he was lying, or trying to trick the (a/t); but at the same time, he seemed sincere. The chameleon could tell he was getting to (Y/N), no way was she going to be able to continue with that thought in her head.

He stood, allowing himself to be seen by the two, and the cat's red gaze turned to him in shock.

"(Y/N), lets go." Espio said quietly, once again resting a hand on her shoulder, "I think we have all the information we need."

"N-No..." Her shoulders sagged beneath his caress, and her head dropped, "He can't... He c-can't be..."

The chameleon let out a sigh, gently wrapping an arm around the (a/t) and pulling her away from the cat. The grey feline let out a snicker as he lead the girl to the doorway, and Espio glanced back at him.

"We're not done here." Was all he said, before closing the door.

Once they were in the hallway, (Y/N) collapsed into his chest. She sobbed quietly, covering her face in embarrassment as she did so. Espio's gaze softened, and he gently held her in a hug, patting her back slowly.

She hugged back tightly; her entire body shook. This mystery had just gotten... A lot darker. Slowly, Epsio lead her back into their main room, where Vector was currently on the phone. He looked up, and upon seeing the (a/t) in tears, gave a very concerned look to the Chameleon.

"Hold on Tails, I'll be with you in a second." The crocodile set the phone down, turning his full attention to the two, "What happened?"

"A lot, you're talking to Tails?"

"Yeah, I've told him our situation with Charmy."

"Alright." Espio nodded, before an idea came to mind, "Actually, he might be able to help us."

"I know, that's why I'm talking to him."

"No." The chameleon sighed, holding his head in his hand, "Ask him to make a tracking device. We can implant it onto the cat, let him go, and follow him to wherever he ends up."

The crocodile nodded, giving a smile, "Did ya get all that Tails?"

"Yep!" A young sounding voice came through the phone, "I'll make one in a jiffy, fill me in on the rest when I get there!"

And he hung up. Vector gave a sigh, before leaning back in his chair, "So, what happened in there?"

(Y/N) raised her gaze slowly, before lowering it again. She wiped her face, her cheeks red from the tears and embarrassment of crying in front of these two. The grey cat had to be wrong. He had to be. She didn't want to believe what he said, but he seemed so serious, so happy to tell her.

"It's a long story." Espio let out a sigh, before giving the (a/t) a pat on the back, "Keep her company, will you? I have my own questions for him."

The crocodile raised a brow at the other detective, before nodding and holding a hand out for (Y/N) to take a seat. She obliged, sniffling and wiping her muzzle, and the green Mobian offered her a tissue.

Espio nodded to the two, before making his way back to their storage room, a frown on his face and hands balled into fists.