CHAPTER 1 *No title submitted*
Sunnysides' mystery, this is. (Poor Yoda imitation)
Right, so I was reviewing my reviews as of yesterday. I had 12 reviews/PM messages. Wow. You guys are awesome.
But PLEASE! IF YOU HAVE A FANFICTION ACCOUNT, PLEASE PM ME STUFF. ONLY IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN ACCOUNT YOU MAY REVIEW WITH A MYSTERY.
And I'm sorry, but people who sent in stuff for The Detective Agency… you won't have another chance for another mystery, mostly because I'm trying to get everyone a fair chance.
Ok, so here begins another series of random mysteries. Randomness ensured, laughs and other random stuff. A slight bit of horror also included along with awesomeness. BEGIN!
XxXxXxXx
The three detectives were enjoying another carefree day. Or…perhaps the right phrase was, 'suffering through another carefree day'. Although most of this was due to Charmy's boredom; causing trouble left and right to entertain himself.
"CHARMY!" Vector roared as the bee blew all the papers off the main desk.
"But Vector…I'm so bored! And I'm really sad, because Breezy moved away! I'll never see her again!" With that, he sat down on the desk and cried. Vector and Espio rolled their eyes.
Breezy the Cat was Charmy's so-called 'girlfriend', but she was more a hero to him than anything else. Just a few days ago she had moved away to another continent, leaving the poor bee in a state that was as close to depression as he could get.
"Don't worry, Charmy. You'll meet someone else." Vector sighed.
"But I don't wanna! I don't wanna meet anyone else!" The bee wailed.
That was about the moment that GhostKing's office's door slammed open and she ran down the stairs, black trench coat trailing behind her. She held up a large white envelope, a mixture of happiness and oh-crap-here-we-go-again on her face. "Guess what I found in the mail pile." She said.
"IS IT FROM BREEZY?!" Charmy leapt up and swiped the envelope from her hand, tearing it open in a flash. He read it over.
"Well?" Espio asked.
"You guys! We have another mystery!" The bee forgot about his heartbreak and somehow performed a dance gig in the air. "We don't have to be bored anymore! Now we just have to worry about our lives because we might die again!"
Vector snatched the letter away from him and began to read out loud: " 'Chaotix Detective Agency, I need your help badly. My brother, Josh, has gone missing. I'm not sure if it was a kidnapping or not, but I need your help. He's been gone a week and no one's seen any sign of him. I'm sure you've had lots of cases like this and that's why I turned to a group that's experienced. Meet me at the mall tomorrow at GameStop, 12:00 PM, for further details. Thanks from Luke the Hedgehog.'"
"Wow, we already have a kidnapping thing!" Charmy squealed. "This is awesome!"
"Well, we have a while yet. Might as well enjoy the rest of our break and start strong in the morning." Vector suggested.
XxXxXxXx
Out of all stores, GameStop was the least populated as the three detectives walked in. The only ones in there besides themselves were the cashier and a bright blue hedgehog with upturned quills near the back that must be Luke.
"Hey! Are you Luke?" Charmy asked.
The hedgehog turned. He wore blue jeans and a jacket that was gray with red stripes. He was also wearing blue and white sneakers that looked like a different colour version of Tails' shoes. And to complete the almost totally blue look, he wore two blue gloves also.
"Yeah, that's me." He said. "Are you three the detectives?"
"We received your letter yesterday." Espio said. "We're hoping you have more information for us."
"I do. I just didn't want to put it all in one letter in case the impossible happened and you didn't receive it." Luke pulled something from his pocket.
It was a spiked wrist bracelet with one of the spikes broken off. "This was Josh's. It's really the only clue we found…well, this and his house was obviously broken into."
"Who's 'we'?" Vector asked.
"It's kind of a long story." Luke said. "But I suppose you need to hear it. My brother and I were kicked from our house and forced to live on our own. We've been begging for anything for about a year now…and then he came and basically rescued us not that long ago."
"Who's 'he'?"
"His name's Shadow the Hedgehog. He's basically the father we never really had. I'm not even sure if he knows how much he's done for us, but we're still looking for ways to pay him back." Luke beamed.
"The funny thing is we actually know that guy!" Charmy said. "And I never knew he was nice!"
Luke laughed. "Apparently that's what a lot of people think about him. But what I don't understand is why someone would kidnap my brother. He's…really just a nobody. He doesn't really have an important job or anything."
"Where does he work?" Espio asked.
"He's got a desk job that he can't seem to tear himself away from." Luke said. "I myself work as a chef in a restaurant downtown."
"Maybe he's been having trouble at work." Vector suggested. "Has he ever said anything about it?"
"Not really. But the night before he was taken, he said to me, 'Luke, I want to quit, but they won't let me.'"
"And then he went missing, and all you could find was the bracelet?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
XxXxXxXx
"This is the building." Luke pointed to a tall, almost completely glass structure. "He works on one of the top floors."
" 'Gonzo Insurance Agency?'" Espio asked.
"Or GIA." Luke said, pulling open the door.
The inside of the building was absolutely sparkling, not a speck of dust anywhere. The secretary was professional looking and didn't miss a beat as they walked up to the front desk.
"May I help you?"
"We're looking for Josh the Hedgehog. Is he here, by any chance? He works on floor seven in office 64." Luke said.
The secretary quickly glanced at the computer before saying, "I'm sorry. There is no record of Josh the Hedgehog on these files. I don't believe he's even worked here even for a short amount of time."
"What do you mean? He's my brother! This is where he goes every day-"
"I'm sorry, sir, but he's not here." The secretary glared.
"How is that possible?" Luke demanded. "I've even seen his office! How can you just…" He trailed off.
"I'm going to have to ask you to leave, sir."
The group quickly left after that, sitting on a long bench outside the GIA.
"We'll find him!" Charmy said. "Don't worry!"
"I think I should show you the break-in." Luke finally sighed. "Maybe you'll be able to make more out of it than I was able to."
XxXxXxXx
Luke and Josh's apartment was small, two bedrooms, a single bathroom, a kitchen and a main room. The lock was broken on the door, so Luke just walked right in. Everything seemed normal in the rooms they passed until they came to Josh's room.
Things were knocked everywhere across the room, more than one object broken or even trampled. Espio knelt down to examine the remains of a lava lamp imbedded in the carpet and Charmy gaped in horror at the broken TV.
"But the amazing thing is I never heard a thing." Luke admitted. "I don't know how the kidnappers managed to do this, but they're good."
"Look at this." Espio said, pointing to the stain. "You can see the outline of a combat boot."
"Does Josh wear that kind of shoe?" Charmy asked.
"No." Luke said.
"Do you know anyone who does?" Vector asked.
"I don't know…we never really had any friends or-"
"I might know." The group jumped and turned towards the door, where Shadow was suddenly standing.
"How did you get here?" Luke asked.
"I came to ask if you found anything since the kidnapping." Shadow said. "And it appears you've got help."
"So what about the boot print?" Espio asked.
"You probably wouldn't believe me." Shadow said, staring at the remains of the lava lamp. "But GUN wears combat boots like that. Why they want Josh, I don't know."
"You're kidding." Luke gaped. "We've got to rescue him!"
"Easier said than done. They must have a reason for doing this."
"Can't we talk to them about this?" Luke asked.
"We've got to. Shadow, can you take us to them?" Vector asked.
XxXxXxXx
The outside of GUN was nothing more than a military base surrounded by tall fences of barbed wire. Army vehicles lined the courtyard between the gate and the door. And sitting outside the base in a folding chair was a soldier, a rifle across his lap and a newspaper in his hands.
"We need to speak to the person in charge!" Charmy said bravely.
The soldier jumped at the sudden visitor, reaching for his rifle slightly. "Who are you? What is your purpose here?"
"Let them in, Drake." Shadow said. "This is between us and the Commander."
"Yes, sir!" The soldier wasted no time in calling up the Commander in a communicator, then escorting the group inside the base. "Don't stray. Don't touch anything." He said.
The Commander was waiting for them, flanked by two guards with rifles that could be readied to fire at a second's notice. He nodded at the guard—Drake—and then said, "Follow me."
"Shadow…do you work for GUN?" Espio asked.
"You never knew?" Shadow asked. "I'm one of their top agents."
They all entered into a small office, the two guards standing at the doors while the Commander sat behind a desk and motioned to the chairs in front of him. "Please, sit."
The group sat, Luke quickly launching into his story; shortening it to the point where they had found evidence of GUN at their apartment.
"Josh the Hedgehog, you say?" The Commander said.
"My brother." Luke growled.
"He is indeed here."
"What do you want with him? Is he ok?" Luke demanded, jumping up. The two guards at the back didn't move in the slightest.
"I assure you, he's being well cared for. But he's here because he knows something we don't." The Commander leaned back in his chair. "I'm afraid that's all I can tell you for the moment."
"Can I talk to him?" Luke asked. "And why haven't you let him go yet? Hasn't he told you anything?"
"That's the thing. He can't remember." The Commander said. "He told the truth. This information is buried deep within his mind."
"What is possibly this important?" Luke demanded.
The three detective exchanged glances. There they go again, getting themselves into something involving the fate of multiple lives.
"I'm afraid that's classified." The Commander stood. "But if you want to see him, please follow me."
The group stood, following the Commander down multiple hallways until they came to a prison block. Josh was in one of the cells.
"Josh!" Luke shouted. "What happened?"
"I really don't know!" The slightly darker hedgehog said. "They just came and dragged me out of the house!"
"And they erased every trace of you existing in civilization. Your workplace was supposedly non-existent…I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but I think GUN made you quit your job."
Josh sighed loudly. "Really? Now I'm really mad…"
"I thought you wanted to quit."
"It kind of gets really dull there, sometimes." Josh sighed. "But the boss said I'm one of the most dedicated workers…I guess in a way GUN did me a favor…"
"What did they want of you?" Luke lowered his voice.
"Something about-" Josh was cut off as the Commander yanked Luke away from his prison.
"That's classified!" the GUN leader growled. "Guards! Show them to the door! Now!"
And just like that, they found themselves outside the base again.
"What do I do?" Luke sighed. "They're going to keep him locked up forever!"
"Not while we're on the case." Vector promised.
"I believe the question they need an answer to involves past events." Shadow said. "I overheard the Commander speaking to the President a while ago. Somehow, Josh has information on the attack by Scourge."
"Are you kidding?" Espio asked.
"No. But what he could know is beyond me."
"So is there anything you can do?" Luke asked. "Anything at all?"
"Not while he's being held by GUN." Vector sighed. "But when the opportunity arises to free him, we will take it. And don't worry, you'll be with us."
"So until then…what next?" Luke stared at his feet as he walked.
"Go back to your normal life. Keep in touch with us…we'll let you know all we can." Espio said.
"Right," Luke seemed to wilt. "Good luck."
XxXxXxXx
"That poor guy!" Charmy said a bit later. "I wish there was something we could do!"
"Me too. But until the chance comes…there's really nothing we can do to help." Vector sighed. "I wonder what GUN's up to…I wonder if they know something we don't about Scourge's attack. Was there a backup plan in case this one failed—which it did—and they're trying to stop it before it's too late?"
"Something tells me we'll find out." Espio said.
XxXxXxXx
And thus concludes the first chapter. WITH A CLIFFIE! ALREADY!
So, sunnysides, you like?
Next up is TheFoxyNerd's mystery!
Hasta la Vista, Readers!
Lordoftheghostking28