At the Chaotix Agencies (or now, the Cafe Chaotix...)

"Welcome to Vector's Juice Bar! We put the squeeze on your thirst!" Charmy announced as he flew around holding drinks in his hand.

Vector smiled as he played his piano before returning to the readers. "I bet you didn't know I was such a musical maestro, didn't you?" He raised his finger. "You shouldn't be surprised. I'm more than just a pretty face! Being a crock, I'm naturally swamped for talent!" He smiled as he turned back to the black and white keys. (makes me like Vector more because I'm a pianist as well! We'd probably get along like peas in a pod :))

Vector continued. "Bet you're probably wondering why I'm playing piano instead of doing detective work! It all started after the boys and me said adios to the crew of the Blue Typhoon..."

FLASHBACK

"Okay, Vector," Espio said to the crocodile as they drove off. "Make a right just before the star system."

"Space travel sure can be boring!" Vector said, keeping his eyes on the skies. "Somebody oughta build a rest stop at this part of the galaxy so you can get out and stretch your legs!"

"Oh, boy!" Charmy said hopefully. "I wish we can stop and grab a bite to eat!"

Espio shook his head before returning to the papers. "There aren't any rest stops listed here."

"Let's see," Vector said. Something caught his eye and he looked up to see a strange wormhole. Vector smiled. "Maybe we'll find one over there!"

Espio glanced at the papers in his hands, frowning. "I don't see that place on the map!" He said.

"Let's check it out!" Charmy said excitedly.

"All righty," Vector said. "After all, investigating unknown mysteries is part of a detective's job!"

"Go for it, Vector!" Charmy cheered excitedly.

Vector drove through the wormhole when suddenly something strange occurred... their bodies were wobbling around like jello!

"What THEEEEE?!" Vector yelled.

"It's some kind of gravittttyyy..." Espio tried to speak, but he couldn't finish due to the wobbling motion.

"Boy, I feel totally cooooollll..." Charmy cheered, his voice echoing too.

Vector's ship continued to fly through the wormhole.

END OF FLASHBACK

"So, we ended up crash landing on this planet!" He would've said more if he hadn't looked towards a complaining customer.

"Send me a bill and I'll pay you next month!" The visitor promised Charmy.

"Why...uh..." Charmy said, not sure what to do.

Vector popped up behind him. "Something wrong?" He asked. Charmy looked at him. "This clown says he's gonna pay us later!"

"LATER?!" Vector growled. The visitor shrugged. "Next week, maybe!"

Vector got close to the visitor, growling threateningly. "Listen, pal," he said, wrapping an arm around the guy's neck. "The policy in this establishment is when you pig out, you have to pay up!"

"What are you gonna do, Vector?" Charmy asked.

"Let's see..." Vector said, studying the nervous guy. "I could try to squeeze the money out of him!"

"I-I know!" The guy said. "What if I pay you tomorrow?"

"No way!" Vector growled. "It's cash or bash if you get my drift!"

Later...

"That's everything I own," The guy said, walking out with his head hanging down.

"Come back soon!" Charmy smiled cheekily.

"We won't be getting rich at this rate, Vector," Espio said, frowning at Vector. Vector turned to him. "We just need to earn enough dough to pay for ship repairs!" He told the ninja. "Then we can be on our ay!"

The door opened. Charmy smiled. "Hi, what can we get ya?" He asked, but paused when he saw who was at the door.

It was Eggman, Decoe, and Bocoe. In their arms were posters.

"It's Eggman!" Vector said.

"Is that you, Vector?" Eggman growled, clenching his fist.

"What are you doing here?!" Vector asked.

"I'm looking for someone!" Eggman said.

"Oh yeah?!" Vector snarled. He immediately took a desk, put on his glasses, and grabbed a pencil and paper. "Now, I'll need a name and alias and you'll have to give me a description, too!"

Vector snapped his fingers, and Decoe unrolled one of the posters. Vector's eyes widened that it was a wanted poster for Sonic, Silver, Penny, Chris, Kat, and the others.

"Huh?!" Vector yelped. "How come you're looking for Sonic?!"

"The Metarex would like to ask him a few questions," Eggman explained.

Espio frowned. "They want to have a friendly chat, huh?" He asked.

"Forget it, Eggman!" Vector said, immediately putting away his detective gear. "You're going to have to be a low life to work for the Metarex!"

"Check this out!" Eggman said, pulling out a card with a strange spider on it.

"You wanna play cards?" Vector asked.

"This happens to be my new business card!" Eggman said. "I guess you haven't heard the Metarex made me one of their top four commanders! What a simpleton!" He grumbled the last part, then ordered his robots. "Hurry and get all of those posters plastered up!"

"Sure thing!" Decoe said, walking up to a wall. "This looks like a good spot!"

"Now hold on a second!" Vector snapped, waving his hands. "I don't want my walls covered in wanted posters! Find someplace where they ain't gonna be an eyesore!"

Decoe sighed. "If you say so." He took off the poster and he and Bocoe started placing them underneath the tables. "With all the chewing gum under this table, I do not even need tape!" Decoe said happily.

"I'll have a nice cold refreshing glass of water," Eggman ordered Espio. When Espio didn't answer, Eggman growled. "I said WATER!"

"Too late, Eggman." Espio said, turning off the faucet. "We just ran out!"

"Eh. I wish you were dried up!" Eggman grumbled.

"We are done putting up the posters, doctor!" Decoe and Bocoe said. Eggman stood up. "If you do see Sonic or his friends, contact me right away. Understand?"

"Sorry, Eggman, but I happen to be a crocodile, not a stool pigeon!"

Eggman grumbled and turned to his bots. "Let's ditch this dump."

"Yes, doctor!" Both robots said once again.

"What are you gonna do, Vector?" Charmy whispered to him once the coast was clear. "Will you let Sonic and Silver know about this?" Vector turned to Charmy. "You betcha!"

Later...

"Eggman's putting up wanted posters?!" Hiro looked shocked at this.

"He's hunting us down like we're criminals!" Penny said. "I feel like this is twisted."

"I agree with you, Penny." Whisper nodded, standing up from her seat.

"This is bad news," Chris said. "If the Metarex find out we're hiding on this planet, they'll send a fleet after us! We won't have a chance!"

"We need to fix our ship and get out of here!" Amy said finally.

"You guys can't go outside!" Vector said. "One of the locals might turn you in!"

Sonic smirked. "Then I'll make sure none of them see me!"

"We need parts." Knuckles said. "Tails and Cosmo are waiting at the ship for them!"

"I'll just dash to the store and buy the parts we need!" Sonic said.

"Sonic, I don't think it'll be that easy," Penny said, looking queazy about this whole wanted business. "Vector, tell him!"

Vector nodded at the human girl and glanced at Sonic. "But when you're at the register, they'll see your face!"

finally, Sonic sighed. "Okay, you're right. I can't do any shopping!"

"What are we gonna do..." Chris sighed. "Without those parts, we'll be stuck here!"

For a moment, the room was silent as everyone thought of what to do. Finally, Vector smiled. "Why don't you let me buy the parts for ya?" He volunteered.

"Would you really?!" Cream gasped.

"Sure, I run errands all the time when I'm doing undercover work!" He said, holding up a piece of paper. Penny glanced at it, and the paper showed Vector doing all kinds of work... doing shopping, walking dogs, and doing gardening. "You see, I don't just collar crooks!"

"Sorry, we've only got enough cash for the parts..." Sonic said.

"Don't worry about my salary!" Vector said, tossing the paper away. "I think you guys are a-okay, so I'll take an I owe you!"

"Then it's settled!" Charmy smiled, high fiving Penny.

"All right, then!" Blaze said, holding out a list and a purse to Vector. "Here's your shopping list!"

Later...

Vector found himself shopping at the store for parts for the Blue Typhoon. All was going well until he found parts that were on Sonic's list that he needed for his ship. He paused, his hand half outreached for the object. "This is the part I need for my ship!" He shook the thought off. "I'm shopping for Sonic and Silver! I ain't no crooking crock!" He thought as he placed the parts in his cart.

"One power punctual, one gravity stabilizer, two quantum flux capacitors..." The cash registerer said as he filled Vector's bag with the supplies.

What Vector didn't know was that not too far behind, a Metarex was watching. The Metarex took his radio and muttered, "Come in, commander!"

...

"So, my instincts were correct." the Metarex said. "Sonic and Silver are hiding on that planet. When he fixes his ship and returns to space, I'll be waiting for them."

...

Penny hid underneath one of the tables of the Cafe Chaotix, shaking like a leaf. This was weird for her. Whisper put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Besides her and Whisper, Chris, Cloud, and Tangle, hid under one, while Knuckles, Kat, Hiro, Blaze hid underneath another one. Silver stood by Sonic, cautiously waiting by the window.

Eggman walked outside the Chaotix. Decoe was the first to speak. "We put up wanted posters all around town!" Decoe announced. Bocoe sighed tiredly. "It was exhausting."

"Is there something wrong, doctor?" Decoe asked, noticing his boss staring at the window of the Cafe Chaotix. Eggman glared at them. "It's none of your business!" He said. "Let's go!"

"Roger!" Decoe said, marching off. Bocoe followed him. "Whatever..."

Eggman was about to follow when he thought he saw something blue at the window. But when he looked back, nothing was there. Eggman raised his brows. When no one was there, Eggman let out a sigh and walked away.

Sonic sighed in relief. "For a second I thought he saw me."

"How'd it go, Vector?" Charmy whispered as Vector walked in.

"No problem," Vector said.

Penny and the others crawled out from the table, and Sonic walked up to Penny. "You doing okay?" He asked her.

Penny nodded, hugging herself. "Y-yeah," she answered. "This whole thing is creepy..."

Sonic nodded, completely understanding her.

"All right," Knuckles said, turning to everyone. "Let's help Vector unload the parts."

Later...

Chris sighed as he carried the last part upstairs. "This is the last part..." He sighed.

"Let's call Tails to pick this up in the X Tornado," Tangle said. And Penny immediately started to panic. Tangle looked at Penny. "What's wrong?"

"Tangle, they could be monitoring our communications!" The human girl said. Tangle looked at her. "What are you saying? You expect us to carry the parts there?!"

"I can take you guys over!" Vector said.

"Really?" Silver asked, surprised.

"Sure!" Vector said. "I'm a warm-hearted reptile."

Later...

"Okay, hang on everybody!" Vector said. He would've taken off if Eggman's voice didn't appear on the radio. "Vector, we need to talk!"

"That figures..." Kat mumbled.

"OH!" Amy grumbled. "What's Eggman doing here?! I'd like to give him a piece of my mind and fist!"

"Don't worry, I'll go show Dr. egghead the exit!" Vector said as he stood up. "Be right back..."

When he reached the bar, he glared at Eggman's back. "I already told ya, I'm not gonna help you, Eggman!"

"If you're this rude to all of your customers, it's no wonder this place is empty!" Eggman grumbled.

"We're closed up for the night!" Vector said, trying to reason with Eggman. Eggman still sat down. "I'm not leaving this stool."

"Oh, really?!"

"I came here tonight to celebrate and that's exactly what I'm going to do, Vector!" Eggman told him.

"Celebrate what?" Vector asked suspiciously.

"Before this night is over, I'm going to be rid of Sonic and Silver the Hedgehogs once and for all! The Metarex sent me to track down Sonic and Silver, and now I've figured exactly where they're hiding!" He laughed wickedly. "Sonic and Silver don't expect anything, so he won't stand a chance when the Metarex attacks!"

...

"So Eggman's setting us up!" Knuckles growled.

"Sonic, what do we do?!" Penny asked, fear in her voice.

Sonic smirked.

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

...

Vector finally got up and went to get Eggman an orange drink. "How about some juice?"

Eggman smirked in delight.

...

"Vector was supposed to get rid of Eggman!" Knuckles grumbled.

"Yeah!" Hiro said, frowning. "What's he letting him hang around here for?"

Sonic chuckled. "Doctor Eggman doesn't get to defeat us very often so he really deserves to enjoy it this time!"

"HUH?!" Everyone stared at Sonic, shocked of what he said.

...

Eggman sipped his juice and smirked at Vector. "Let me tell you, those Metarex aren't kidding around! They've had enough of Sonic, Silver, and their friends, and this time they're planning to pull out all the stops to make sure he's destroyed once and for all!"

"Really?" Vector looked at Eggman curiously. "What are they going to do?"

"It's a secret," Eggman said, raising his glass. "Let's just say it will involve a whole fleet of ships attacking the Blue Typhoon. I almost wish I could give Sonic and Silver some kind of warning! I'm sure they'd much rather be beaten by me than by those miserable Metarex."

He chuckled. He stood up and smiled at Vector. "I'll be shoving off now!" He said. Vector glared at him. "I don't ever wanna see you in here again, Eggman!"

"That's the best news I've had all day," Eggman said, walking out.

"Come in, doctor!" Bokkun said.

"What now?!" Eggman grumbled.

"I thought you should know, I just spotted Bailey's fleet!"

"All right, keep me posted." Eggman said, turning off the comunicator and walking out. "Oh well, I guess Sonic and Silver are goners. That fleet will stay in orbit around the planet waiting for the Blue Typhoon to take off so that they can destroy it! Yes! The second the Metarex spot that ship, it will be blown to a billion bits! there won't be an escape for Sonic and Silver the Hedgehogs!" He said as he walked out the door. "This time!"

"Heh!" Vector chuckled. "He could use an acting coach!"

...

"We can't leave the planet now even if we can't fix the ship!" Chris sighed.

"I feel sick about this..." Penny muttered, clutching her stomach. Sonic patted her back reassuringly.

"If we just stay here, they'll track us down and attack us anyway." Blaze said.

"Thanks for the tip-off, Eggman!" Sonic smirked.

At the Blue Typhoon...

"Do you know how many ships the Metarex have in their fleet?" Cosmo asked once they got back.

"Afraid not." Knuckles said.

"Why don't you just use the scopes?!" Amy yelled at Tails. He looked down at her. "They're not working! I disconnected all the scopes to make repairs and it will take hours to reconnect them!"

"What are the options?" Cosmo asked.

"If we just sitting around here we won't have any chance of getting away!" Sonic frowned. Penny looked at him with worry. "What should we do?"

Sonic looked at the human girl. "We have to repair our ship and take on that fleet!" He turned to the Chaotix. "You wanna join us?"

Almost immediately, Vector, Espio, and Charmy quickly shook their heads and hands. "No offences, Sonic," Vector said. "But we'd rather play it safe than be sorry!"

...

"Sir, their ship has just left the planet!" The Metarex informed one of their leaders. The Metarex leader stood up. "Put it up on the viewscreen." He ordered.

"Roger."

On the screen, they could see a tiny blue dot indicating the Blue Typhoon leaving the planet at full speed. "That's the Blue Typhoon!" The Metarex gasped. "Deploy cannons!"

At Black Narcissus's command of fire, the Metarex launched missiles at the Blue Typhoon until it was destroyed. The leader clasped his hands excitedly. "I've done it!" He cried. "I've defeated Sonic the Hedgehog! We must leave immediately to deliver the message to Dark Oak in person!"

...

At the Chaotix Cafe, Eggman stumbled into the room, looking badly beaten up. His arm was in a swing. Vector's eyes widened at the sight of him. "Play it again, Vector," Eggman growled at him.

"I thought I told you to never come back here!" Vector said, returning to the piano.

"Believe me, I didn't wanna come back. But I didn't have anyplace else to go." He sat down at the bar. "I'll have a prune juice and a soft boiled egg."

Espio looked at Vector. "Well, Vector?" He asked.

Vector sighed, going back to playing the piano. "Give him what he wants..."

"Are you sure?" Espio asked, giving Eggman a sideways glass.

"Yeah, and it's all on the house, too!" Vector said.

Espio shrugged, and poured Eggman his drink and handed him the egg. Eggman took the drink and poured the egg in it. He held it up. "Heres to my best enemies," Eggman said, before glugging his drink.

...

The damages of the Blue Typhoon cracked open to reveal none other than Eggman's ship hiding underneath it. Decoe and Bocoe sighed as they started making repairs to the ship.

"Why did we have to protect Sonic and Silver?" Bocoe asked.

"Yeah!" Decoe said. "I thought Dr. Eggman wanted to see them destroyed!"

"If you ask me, the doc's starting to go soft!" Bokkun grumbled. "In the head!"

...

When they left, Knuckles was pretty confused on why the Metarex weren't attacking. "I thought there was supposed to be a Metarex fleet!" He grumbled. "But there isn't even a single ship here!"

"We should've suspected all along it was a lie," Amy said. "I guess Eggman was just trying to psych us out!"

"I'm glad he lied!" Penny said. "If there was a fleet, we'd be in trouble." She turned to Sonic. "Wouldn't we, Sonic?"

"Thanks, doctor!" Sonic said with a smirk.