Jade stared at the sky, breathing heavily from holding her breath for so long. Where was the next Chaos Emerald? She didn't know where to look first. The only people who would know were Tails and Eggman. She closed her eyes and imagined she was home on the Hex with her family.
The sand beneath her back was soft and warm. It should have calmed her down but it did the opposite. She was aware of every rock in her back and every particle that wanted to bury itself in her soft skin.
"I've found her, boss!" A robot's voice called. The robot's voice was familiar. She dared not move.
"Take her up, then." Eggman's voice came. He was much closer than she realized. She could feel her body being picked up but she still feint sleep. Why am I so willing to go with them? Maybe they'll lead me to Big Brother or Espio or someone! Someone I know. She waited for a long while, her body ached with the need to move, and then she felt something cold and uncomfortable under her. She opened her eyes in time to see Orbot locking her inside a cell. She heard him exit another door but she wasn't sure where it was. She must be on Eggman's ship. The memory hit her like walking into a wall. This looked like the same cell she stayed in before.
Slowly she sat up and looked around a bit more. There was a single window that showed the ship was moving very slowly. Maybe Eggman would take her to Big Brother. Outside she saw the shallow water below.
Jade spent hours watching out the window and she dreamed of the Hex. Orbot came in a few times to check on her because of how quiet she was. Why wouldn't she be quiet? She trusted that Eggman would eventually run into someone she knew and she trusted that they would rescue her and take her home.
"I should have just gone home like Big Brother said," Jade whispered to herself but there was no turning back now. There was no way to turn back the clock and change history.
Suddenly the clouds started to rise above them. They were landing? Why would they be landing so suddenly?
As if to answer her, an ember lit itself in the middle of her chest. With each exhale the warmth grew for a short moment. If she could tell Eggman somehow she could sense chaos emeralds he would have to let her out!
As the ship landed she saw out the window old ruins covered in vines. The vines kept the bricks from falling in on itself but she suspected there was something else.
The ember grew into a fire and the fire pinched her heart. She grabbed her chest and cried out dramatically. She continued crying out for several minutes, and for a moment she feared she overplayed the part when the two robots burst into the room and unlocked the door.
Eggman walked in, though not calmly, and asked in a rushed tone, "What is it?"
"My chest…" Jade complained. "The emerald."
Orbot checked her health. "It seems this is caused by the reaction of the chaos emeralds." He proposed. "It must be calling each other. My suggestion; take her along and have her hold the emerald. She should feel better if the emeralds can be near each other."
Eggman didn't seem to like the idea but allowed her to come with him anyways, with a few robots to keep their weapons trained on her.
Sonic watched Zavok from the other side of the plane. He swore he could see a dark cloud hanging over the Zeti's head. Every attempt to annoy him or get him to yell at somebody resulted in nothing. Finally Sonic gave up after hours and everyone rode the plane in silence.
"Where is the Chaos Emerald again?" Sonic asked Tails.
"Somewhere far north. That's all I know."
"Far north as in like the North Pole?"
"Yeah that's exactly it, Sonic."
The plane seemed louder than it usually did. It was the only sound Sonic heard for miles. When they reached the end of forever Tails finally landed. Sonic peeked over Tails' shoulder at his device. It was still miles out.
"Why did we stop?" Zavok demanded. He was leaning over too, watching the blinking dot.
"The plane's engines can't take the cold whether. We have to walk. And partly I want to take as long as possible. If Jade is with Eggman he'll come. And if Eggman is smart enough to figure out she senses Chaos Emeralds he'll bring her with him."
Zavok was annoyed by the cold air and by Sonic's talking and by Tails stopping the plane miles before she should have. To him, this cold was nothing. He hardly felt the frost bite at his skin but to his traveling companions the cold was more than they could bear. They bundled themselves in thick coats that made them move slower.
He was annoyed that Eggman would take away his happiness. He was angry at the thought of what he could be doing to Jade. He was angry and annoyed and sad and it ate away at his black heart until, he was sure, he would die. The ache in his chest grew with every step until he wanted to give up, lay down, and never wake from sleep.
"Zavok," Zavok stopped and looked around. He thought he had heard Jade but it was only the small fox, looking up at him with child-like eyes. "You know, Jade will eventually come back and she'll be okay. I promise we won't let Eggman hurt her!"
He didn't believe Tails. Empty promises meant nothing unless you could carry them out but Zavok nodded anyway and the three didn't say a word to each other for the rest of the walk.