Never As It Seems

The Other Problem

"Come on," said Adam, and he gripped Flames' arm and tried to pull him away.  

Flames sputtered and he grabbed Adam's hand and took it off his arm. "What are you doing?"

"We need to hide you," he said. "It probably isn't a good idea to hang around a place with a ton of threatening posters with your name and face on them." 

"But where are we going?" They left the building behind and half-jogged half-walked back to the car. Rick and Annmarie noticed them and ran after them.  

"I don't know. Somewhere. Away from here." 

They had reached the car again and they stood around it. Flames uncomfortably noticed that the other three were deliberately avoiding his gaze.  

"How did this happen?" said Annmarie. "How could Flames be a wanted enemy? I thought we fixed everything." 

"We fixed everything in the future," said Adam. "That's what I don't get. It didn't affect this time and place at all. I mean, we weren't even on the same planet." 

"Maybe we did something in the future that had repercussions in the past." 

"How would that even work?" said Rick. "That's effect before cause, isn't it? I don't know much about time travel, but I don't think it works that way." 

"...Anyway," said Adam. "Flames, we need to hide you. We don't know what they'll do if they see you're here, and you don't know enough about the situation to have a good defense if they interrogate you or anything." 

"So, what can I do?" 

He sighed. "I don't know. I really did not expect this to happen. How did this happen, anyway?" He stared at him perplexedly. 

"Don't look at me," said Flames. "I know exactly as much about this as you three do." 

"You sure?" said Rick.  

"Yes, I'm sure. What, do you think I wanted this to happen or something? I don't want to be a wanted criminal in the place where I live and work. I've already got enough to worry about." 

"That's true," said Adam. He yawned.  

"Don't get tired on us," said Flames.  

"I'll try not to." 

Instead of responding, Flames decided to lie down on his back on the grass.  

"You okay?" said Rick, peering down at him.  

"No. I'm a criminal." 

"Obviously you're not, or you wouldn't feel bad about it." 

"Well I had to have done something." 

"Maybe you didn't." 

He looked up. "What do you mean?" 

"I mean..." Rick stared at each of them with a bright look of sudden understanding on his face. "What if you've been framed?" 

"Framed?" 

"Yes, framed. Framed by someone for something you didn't do, but everyone else believes you did." 

"That's an idea," said Annmarie. "And that's why we're confused because we know he hasn't done anything. Because he hasn't." 

"Yes, exactly. But what do the other people here know? Nothing. They're dumb as a brick. They'll probably believe anything as long as it's scandalous." 

"I would try to argue with that, but it's true," said Annmarie.  

"We just need to figure out what it is. Then we can try to persuade them that it obviously isn't true... and I have no idea how to do that. Anyone got any brilliant ideas? Flames?"