Chapter 13: The Black Gem Case, Part 3
"So, this is the scene of the crime?" Vector asked.
"Mhm," Sapphire replied. Shadow had led them back to the alleyway where they were knocked out.
"So, please, could you tell me again what happened?" Espio asked.
"Well, we were walking along, and then Gemerl detected a threat or something," Sapphire explained. "Then someone fired off an EMP, shutting him down. And then they immediately released some gas that made us fall asleep. When we woke up, we were back at Cream's place, and Shadow said he brought us back."
"And what were you doing at the time of the assault?" Vector asked the black hedgehog.
"Minding my own business," Shadow said, "up until I heard some commotion. I went to investigate, and I found the girls knocked out on the ground."
"Was anyone else around?"
"A few people, but I was more concerned with Sapphire's well-being."
"...And Cream's too, right?"
Before Shadow could respond to Vector, Charmy butted in. "Hey, aren't you a government agent? Why didn't ask where the bad guy went!?"
"Charmy!" Vector shouted.
Shadow scoffed. "My job as an agent is to handle large-scale threats. G.U.N. has other agents for the smaller investigation-type stuff like what you do, along with other things. Besides, I was off duty. Also, I would've gone after the 'bad guy', if I had known what was going on, but it was all over by the time I got there. I acted on what I could see, and that was the unconscious girls."
"What were these other people doing, might I ask?" Espio inquired.
Shadow sighed. "There were maybe three or four others. One was checking on the condition of the girls, until I said I'd take care of them. When I asked what happened, they said they came to find out about some loud sounds going off."
"Did any of them call the police?"
"I didn't stay long enough to see if they had."
"Very well, we'll have to check that ourselves."
"All right!" Vector called out to his team, "time to get some information. Espio, go around and ask the residents what they saw."
"Does he have a badge?" Shadow asked as Espio literally vanished from sight, which surprised the unaware Sapphire.
"He does..." Vector replied, "getting them certified was a pain. Anyways, Charmy, you're with me. We're looking for evidence. And remember, don't TOUCH any of it!"
"Aw, you're no fun!" Charmy complained.
"After what you did last time? We were lucky to still have completed that case!"
"...Um, if I may, I'm not super familiar with explosives, but maybe the bomb casings are still here?" Sapphire interjected.
"She's right," Shadow added. "Unless the perpetrator was smart enough to get rid of them, the casings could help in the investigation."
"Right, okay, let's look around!" Vector cried, as he and Charmy ran into the alley to search.
"Let us help!" Cream cried and she and Cheese followed along.
With Sapphire and Shadow, things... felt a bit awkward. "So..." Sapphire started, "how did Espio... disappear like that?"
"He's a chameleon," Shadow answered. "it's what they do."
"Oh... right." Sapphire felt silly. Chameleons were known for their ability to change their skin and blend into the environment. She knew that, she just never realized they could be so good at it, even the broad daylight.
"That... and he is a trained ninja," Shadow added. "Stealth is his primary skill. That's why I think he's the only competent member."
"Oh, that's cool. It must be nice, to have a ninja as a part of your detective group."
"I think they were friends before they made their agency, but I don't know for sure. When I first met them, I had amnesia, so I had other things to worry about."
"Oh, that's really sad. Did... did you ever get your memories back?"
Shadow nodded, but didn't provide any more details.
Before Sapphire could ask anything else, Charmy cried out, "I found something! Woo-hoohoo!" he sang that last part.
"What you find?" Shadow called out, walking over to check.
Vector came over too. Whatever it was, it was in the trash. Digging it out, he pulled out a few strange objects. "Bomb casings?"
Shadow checked them and nodded. "Looks like it. Whoever this is, they were sloppy, trying to hide the evidence."
"Hey, that's good for us!" Vector replied.
Sapphire came over to see what they found. On was a metal can of sorts, and a mechanical cylinder that looked fired.
Shadow motioned to be passed the can. Once he was given it, he said, "the is a sleeping gas can, alright, standard military issue. They must have good connections to get their hands on this stuff. The EMP on the other hand..."
"What about it?" Charmy asked.
After inspecting it, Shadow said, "it looks custom made."
"Well, that doesn't help."
"Actually it does," Shadow explained. "If it's handcrafted, they might have a specific way they make it, so what can compare it to other similar devices, and determine who made it."
"That makes sense. Every mechanic has a different way to built their machines," Sapphire said. "Tails said so. And sometimes, they also have their own specialties, like my focus on hardlight tech."
"That's great!" Vector exclaimed, before realizing a problem. "...But we don't have the means to examine it."
"I have some contacts in G.U.N. that might help," Shadow said. "Just give me some time."
"Hey, I thought you said you didn't know about this stuff," Chramy told Shadow.
"I said it wasn't my job. Doesn't mean I don't know anything about it. Sometimes I'm tasked to work with other teams, each of us with different jobs, and I've worked with bomb experts before."
"Well, then, take these," Vector handed Shadow the evidence.
"All right, contact me if when Espio comes back with some info," then Shadow teleported away.
"Did I miss something important?" a voice asked, causing Sapphire to freak out. Then Espio appeared before them. "I suppose she's not used to that."
"No," Vector and Charmy replied at the same time.
"Did you find anything?" Cream asked.
"I asked many of neighbors if they saw anything," Espio replied, "most just mentioned how they heard some loud sounds, found some girls unconscious, then the Ultimate Lifeform himself came and carried them off."
"I see, I see."
"But I did find out something from one. They saw a purple van in the alleyway from their window."
"Did he catch the license plate?"
"No, he didn't think much of it, and went back to sleep. And he missed the rest of the event. But... he did mention that he swore he saw the same van often at a diner on the edge of town."
"Well... it's a better lead than anything else we got," Vector replied. "Okay, I'll send a message to Shadow to meet us there. Did you get info on where the diner is?"
"Indeed."
"Aw yeah! Lunchtime!" Charmy exclaimed.
"Charmy, we're not going to get a meal!" Vector told him.
The group had traveled to the "Seven Rings Diner". Waiting for them was Shadow, who was standing by the front dark.
"This better be good," he said as they approached. "I didn't come here a meal."
"No, we heard that a strange van might've been seen here," Vector went on to explain what they had learned.
"Hm, okay," Shadow replied. "Then shall we?"
Entering the diner, they found a quaint little place, with a few different people enjoying their meals.
Approaching the bartender, Vector introduced himself. "Hey, there, my name's Vector, and I work the Chaotix Detective Agency. May I ask you a few questions?"
"Ah, name's Eric," the bartender replied, a tall, dark-skinned human with dark brown hair. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes, we are on a robot theft case, and we believe there may have been a vehicle involved that has been seen here."
"Did you see a purple van here?" Sapphire continued for Vector.
Eric took a moment to think about it. "Yeah... I see a purple van occasionally in the parking lot. I don't think much about it."
"Do you know who the driver is, at least?" Shadow asked.
"Yeah... sort of," Eric started. "So here's the thing. There is this guy. He's a regular here at my diner. He claims to be an 'informant'. Of what, I don't know."
"You never thought to ask what he does. It sounds suspicious," Espio commented.
"Hey, it's none of my business, as long as they order something," the bartender explained. "Anyways, this guy, whenever he's here, he's visited by somebody. Perhaps his clients or whatever. And the driver of that van... that's one of them."
"So, who are they?" Vector inquired.
"Well, the driver... I couldn't say. They're always wearing a hooded jacket with the hood up, fully covering their face. I never listened closely to their conversations, but the hooded person sounded feminine. The other guy, mobian, fox with dark gray fur, unusually tall, like you good sir." Eric motioned to Vector.
"What's his name?" Vector continued.
"I... don't know. But I remember what he ordered. He always orders two cheeseburgers, fries, and a soda. So, I can go look at copies of the receipts for his orders, if you want."
"That would help."
"Okay. So, while I look, do you want my chefs to whip something up for you?"
"Yeah, come on, Vector," Charmy cried out. "Let's get some food!"
Vector groaned. "FINE! We'll order something! What do you want!?"
After ordering their food, everyone, gathered in a booth, began discussing what they had learned as they ate their food.
"So, a hooded figure and an informant," Vector noted.
"Yeah... they must be the ones who took Gemerl!" Sapphire cried out.
"Now hold on. We don't know that yet," Vector exclaimed. "If the second guy is an informant, then he might not be responsible for the theft..."
"But he may have given the real thieve the target," Shadow continued, "likely the hooded figure."
"Exactly."
"How would he know about Gemerl?" Cream asked. "And why would someone target him?"
"It is hard to say," Espio replied, "my working theory is that this 'informant', must've been searching for locations where high tech is, so he can tell others where to steal it."
"And Gemerl was an easy target," Vector put together, "high-grade, repurposed ex-Eggman robot, living with a common family, so there would be nothing really protecting it from theft."
"Except for Sonic and Tails," Shadow added. "Fastest Thing Alive, and his buddy, a master mechanic, who is also Gemerl's personal mechanic. But right now, they're gone, off on some adventure."
"Perfect time to make their move," Espio summed up.
"Gemerl..." Sapphire softly said.
"Shadow, when will your guy at G.U.N. be done with his analysis of the EMP?" Vector asked the black hedgehog.
"I don't know, these things take time," he replied back. "It may take a few days. If we're lucky, it'll be done tonight. What I can say is that the EMP is very much custom made, and that is a feat not so easily accomplished."
"I see..."
"Well, whoever he is," Charmy said while still chewing some food, "when I find him, I going to beat him up!"
"Charmy, sallow your food before speaking!" Vector bellowed.
At that moment, Eric came back. "Hey, I got those receipts. The informant guy? His name is Raz Sly."
"Raz Sly..." Vector mused. "Whelp, it's the only lead her have so far. Let's run it through the database, and see where he lives."
"Finally, now we're getting somewhere," Shadow replied.
A little over two hours later, the group found themselves in an old apartment building, looking for the apartment number the landlord had given them.
"Here it is," Espio said, as he stopped everyone in front of the right door.
"You think he is here?" Charmy asked.
"Well, your info better be right," Shadow replied.
"Only one way to find out," Vector said, as he knocked on the door.
They heard a voice on the other side of the door, but they couldn't make out what he said. About half a minute later, the door opened.
The guy at the door fit the description Eric gave them, a mobian fox with dark gray fur, yellow eyes, almost matching Vector in height, but he was more scrawny. He was wearing a simple white tank top and cargo pants, going barefoot, though he looked well-groomed.
"What do you want?" he asked, irritated.
"Are you Raz Sly?" Vector asked.
"Yeah. What does it matter to you."
"I'm Vector, head of the Chaotix Detective Agency."
Raz let out a laugh. "Really. Oh, I've met your type before. Always want to know something. Listen, I deal in gathering and giving out information, but you detectives never get how this works. I don't give away for free. And it doesn't come cheap, either."
"Do you really want to mess with the law then?" Vector threatened.
"You're not even real cops, are you? Don't make me laugh! Listen, you either do business with me, or you can screw off!"
"I'm getting really tired of these 'business-types'," Shadow said as he began to move on Raz, but Espio held out his arm and stopped him.
"Allow me," the chameleon ninja said, before turning to Raz. "How do you get your information? You could tell us that for free, at least."
"Well, of course. I've got eyes and ears everywhere, and I also do a lot of... personal investigation."
"And did it ever occur to you that your information could be indirectly causing harm to others?"
"What is this? Are you trying to appeal to my greater sense of good...? News flash: I don't have one. Now get lost." Raz tried to close the door, but Espio stopped him.
"Perhaps..." Espio said with a hint of menace. Then suddenly, Espio make a quick motion. No one really saw what he did, except for Vector, who was very aware of Espio's capabilities, and Shadow, who had a high level of perception and reaction himself. But everyone heard a 'shink' and then a 'thud'. Once they could make out what happened, it became clear that Espio threw a kunai, and it sunk into the wall behind Raz. Raz himself wasn't harmed, but some of his fur was cut off, now falling to the floor. "...You should look a little harder."
"Ah, yeah, here we go!" Charmy said, and then fly up to Raz. He was noticeably spooked by Espio's false attack, so having this enthusiastic kid bee fly in his face did not help his nerves, and backed away rather quickly. Vector just facepalmed, as not only did Charmy act non-professionally (even though it was expected of a kid), he kind of ruined Espio's cool moment. "Now, where's Gemerl!?"
"Wha-what!? Who are you talking about? I don't deal in people!" Raz cried.
"He's a robot," Shadow explained. "An ex-Eggman, combat-learning robot. He's an android built like a mobian, colored black with yellow pieces, has a third eye on a three-pronged horn."
"W-w-well, you see... I... I don't know a robot like that," Raz told him.
"Don't lie. You just said you have eyes and ears everywhere."
"L-look, I deal a lot in the locations of old Eggman tech, true, but there is only so much I can find. If it's protected by the government, or say, someone like the Ultimate Lifeform," he pointed to Shadow, "then I can't learn anything without putting myself into major danger, or maybe a leak getting through. And I deal in the information, not taking the items themselves."
"Even old Eggman robots living with a regular family?" Vector asked.
"Doesn't change the fact that I don't know anything about a 'combat-learning robot'. Even I can't know everything!"
"But... what about the person you talk to?" Sapphire asked.
"You're going to have to be more specific, doll."
"We have reason to believe that you have spoken to a hooded figure, one who may be the actual thief we're looking for," Vector explained.
"Look, I have lots of contacts. And they want to keep their identities a secret," Raz explained.
"So you don't know who they are," Espio noted.
"Oh, I know who they are. At least a few. At their digression, they'll tell me who they are. It's guys like you that aren't supposed to know who they are."
"Definitely shady," Sapphire said to Cream, who nodded in agreement.
"How many hooded figures do you meet at the Seven Rings?" Vector continued.
"A few," Raz replied. "And remember, I don't know all of them."
Suddenly, a beeping sound was heard. Shadow pulled out a phone, and checked the message he received.
"What's that?" Charmy asked.
"The EMP was fully analyzed, and we have the identity of the maker," Shadow explained, before turning to Raz. "Was 'Cybra' someone you talk to in the Seven Rings often?"
Raz grumbled. "Perhaps."
"Who's Cybra?" Sapphire asked.
"She's a weapons dealer, often dealing in terrorists and other such criminals. She happens to craft her own weapons, too, but by scavenging other tech, and remaking it," Shadow explained. "She's marked as one of the most dangerous criminals in the G.U.N. database, because her weapons have cause lots of trouble. But Eggman tech is especially valuable to people like her, because it's so advanced, and if you know how to work with it, one could make amazing... and very dangerous contraptions."
"That's... scary," Sapphire replied.
Raz started laughing at this. "If Cybra was the one who took your robot friend, then there is no way she hasn't already pulled him apart."
"No..." Sapphire replied in despair.
Vector approached Raz. "Okay, do you know where Cybra goes when you're not meeting at the Seven Rings."
Raz was about to tell them to screw off again, but then he saw Vector cracking his knuckles, Espio, having recovered his thrown kunai, ready to throw it again, Charmy getting ready to sting him, and Shadow standing there, arms crossed, and glowing with Chaos energy. Even Cream was being threatening, waiting to command Cheese to attack. Only Sapphire wasn't trying to threaten him, as she had no means to fight. "You guys really aren't real cops, are ya?" the sly fox replied.
"I'm an agent of G.U.N.," Shadow said, "but I little tolerance for those hiding things from me. And that's not considering my comrades here."
Raz grunted. "Fine, I know where she is."
Author's Note: Welp, here it is, the case itself. I mean, it's not finished, the conclusion will be the next chapter, but this is the bulk of the case. There isn't that much "bumbling" here, as you might expect from the Chaotix. I mean, I guess the Chaotix aren't THAT bumbling, at least in the games (in Sonic X, they definitely are). But the real reason is that there wasn't much action in this chapter, aside from Espio being cool. I did want to give something to each member, at least.
The next chapter is planned to have more action, mostly because I want to show the Chaotix working as a team, plus I want to give more validation to Shadow being here than the whole "I want to give Shadow more of a presence in this story". Funnily enough, at the end of Sonic X, the Chaotix are seen working with Shadow, so there is validation for them working together.
As for a few things in the chapter itself, yes, the "Seven Rings Diner" is a light reference to Sonic and the Secret Rings. I mean, the diner is just any regular diner, it's not Arabian themed (should've thought of that), but the name of the bartender, Eric, was the most normal name I could think of that also sounded kind of like Erazor, as in Erazor Djinn (yeah, I thought of THAT of all things).
And finally, if there is any character I like more, it's freaking Raz Sly (not related to Sly Cooper, the Playstation 2 mascot). While I knew what kind of character I wanted for that part of the chapter, I pretty much came up with his character on the spot, with little thought going into him beyond "I need to give him a good description", and looking up to see what Raz meant when I thought of the name (it means "the Lord's secret", which kind of fits his character, I suppose). He was only ever intended as a one-shot character, but despite how little thought I put into him, I think he came out great, at least as a side character. I'm considering bringing him back later down the line, as a morally-ambiguous side villain of sorts.
I name-dropped the real culprit in this chapter, Cybra, but I'll talk more about her next chapter, where she'll finally appear.