The subsequent events occur after Jaiden the Hedgehog #1 - The Resistance's shining hope.
The world of Xenic - Dimension 006 - Palace of Masters
The royal apprentice, known by the name of Xix-xeron, an anthropomorphic hare, was running up the long steps of the royal palace, surrounded by a glass dome showing the world's architecture. Of the world, that is Xenic. Xix seemed stressed and angsty about something, and as he continued running and running up the many steps upward, his breathing kept growing louder and louder. Moments later, after running and running, he finally reached the very top, revealing a small space with two metallic doors. The hare wasted zero moments and pushed through the doors thoroughly. The hare's eyes were blinded by the sudden light that hit his eyes, and it made him use his left arm to shield himself. Once his eyes adjusted, he could see clearly what this room was. It was a massive corridor, all the walls made from glass, glistening from the sun pointed at them. The walls you could find were metallic black and carbon, a sense of modern architecture. In front of the hare, he sees a wide desk with a chair seemingly pointed toward the glass pane behind it. Xix jogs toward the desk.
"Sir, sir," the hare said, huffing, puffing, and jogging toward that long desk. He reaches it finally and stands in front of it with an edgy look, seeing the many devices and papers. The sweat, running down his gray fur, raining from his long ears, the right one folded, "Sir, it's… Jal-Xeron…."
"My son," a voice that was quite obviously coming from the chair questioned, a sad tone apparent from his voice. He sighs heavily, and then the chair slowly turns around, starting to reveal that a feline Xenician sits there. His fur was purple with small hinges of gray from age. He had several scars on his right cheekbone, and his eyes were yellow as the sun. His body was built like a retired boxer's, and his attire was a white hooded robe with white gloves and a mask over his mouth.
"Master Zhire, your son, while he was pulling off the assignment you gave him, to destroy the Limnites-" is all the gray hare could say before the big cat sitting in the chair spoke up, cutting him off.
"Was killed while he was at the last one? Yes, I- I'm aware, Xix-Xeron," Zhire said to the hare choppily. He looks down at his desk, a tear rolling down his cheek, "I persumed it was the case when he didn't return back home." The hare's face was sympathetic towards the feline, and to try and slightly lighten things, he shared some news he thought the Mater would like.
"But not without any notable progress now, sir," Xix adds pridefully, "Jacie was succefully able to completely destroy Xevir from the face of Dimension oh, oh, seven, wiping out almost all traces of the Limnites."
"That may be the case," Zhire adds, "But when it came down to the last two, the prestige Limnites, Shira and Jaiden, something went wrong."
"Wait, really? Jaiden? Their king? I thought his powers weren't even active yet?"
"Thats what I thought too, so I'd have to persume that the sister, Shira, killed my son." The feline sees the hare's ears perk up when he says this and sees his face looking ashamed.
"Well, that's the problem," the hare says, scratching the back of his head, "It, was reported that the purple hedgehog, Shira, was actually succesfuly taken out by Jal-xeron, but…." The feline's face looked to be he came to a realization. His pupils shrank, and his mouth was open in a surprised look, one of his feline teeth showing.
"...but the other one lived," says the feline, shocked at a revelation he's starting to see, "… so that means that… he got his powers, and, used them, to kill my son." The hare, now also starting to put the pieces together, comes to the same realization.
"You have a point," he says, agreeing with Zhire's observation, "A mere Limnite without the power of their chaos emeralds wouldn't be able to stand against a Xenicians superior combat skills. Jacie should have killed him with ease."
"So why was he able to kill Shira," questions the feline, "From what I know, her powers were already with her."
"If I had to guess master," replies the hare with his hand on his chin, "She was holding back fondly. You did send Jal to Xevir as a mere baby to pose as a lost Xenician child, having the Prestige Limnites adopt him as their own. Maybe his betrayal took an emotional toll on her."
"You raise a fair point, Xix-xeron," exclaims the feline master, still sitting in his chair. He turns his chair around and walks toward the window, staring at the buildings, citizens, and the sheer innovative technology this world has, "What is the last known location of Jacie?" The hare pulls out a document on a phone/tablet-like device and reads the intel.
"A world called 'Segatopia,' Dimension oh, oh, one," the hare reads off the screen.
"Right then," the standing feline adds while putting his hands behind his back, "The last Limnite must be there at that location. We must find him and kill him, to ensure that the Limnites are erased for good." The feline slightly turned his head toward Xix, who was still standing in front of the desk, watching as the master of Xenic came up with a tactic. "Gather the team of X-Soilders, and get an airship ready to go to this, 'Segatopia,' we're leaving soon to take care of this Limnite." The hare does some tapping on his device and gives Zhire a thumbs up.
"Right away," the hare says, implying that he has listened to the feline, "But, what if Jaiden has made new friends? What if they protect him?" The cat looks back at the window with a severe and cold expression.
"Then we go through them," says the feline coldly, "We will spill the blood of those who stand in our way." The hare could feel a shudder run through his body, making some of his fur stick upward. "Now go; no time needs to be wasted." The hare nods and turns around, jogging back to where he came. He opens the doors and shuts them back, leaving Master Zhire alone. He looks up toward the sky through the window and closes his eyes, another tear rolling down his furred cheekbone.
"Descansa, hijo mío, enorgulleciste a tu padre," the feline blatantly says, frowning and seemingly sniffing in, almost like he was about to break down, "We finish this fiesco with that erizo, the son of William real soon." With that, the master puts his face in his arm, audibly crying, still having the thought that his son, Jacie, Jal-xeron, is gone now.
The world of Segatopia - Dimension 001
We now return to our protagonist, Jaiden, with the other protagonist, Sonic. As asked by Amy, Sonic took Jaiden to walk around the area to show him around. After walking with Jaiden, exploring and talking with him, Sonic decides to make the two stop and lay briefly. Sonic props himself up against a tree on the edge of a forest. Jaiden gets on one knee next to him.
"So you serious about this place looking much better before this whole, 'war,' thing," asked Jaiden, crouched down next to Sonic, whose back was against the wood of a tree. His right hand was behind his head, and he used his left index finger to wipe his nose.
"Yep. Believe it or not, dude, this place was looking way better before Egg-head decided to spoil it, as usual," adds the blue hedgehog to the light-grey one's inquiry. Jaiden, still on one knee, looks out into the distance. He saw more grass swaying as the wind blew and could hear the trees bristle. He decided to sit on a tree next to Sonic; both hands were behind his head now. Moments go by, the silence accented by the wind, the trees, and the grass. Jaiden looks at himself for a quick moment, and then he turns to Sonic.
"What happened," asks Jaiden, curious to know what this Eggman person did that disturbed the beauty of this place.
"Oh, where do I begin," responds the blue hedgehog in a playful manner. He looked at Jaiden, though, and he could tell that this guy's tone was not playful, so his face tightened up, "Well, I guess you can say it started when the guy made himself a super weapon."
"A super weapon? What kind of weapon we talkin' here, Sonic?"
"It was a being, known as Infinite."
"Infinite… you mentioned that name earlier while we were at your base. Who were they?"
"In all honesty, I really don't know. All I can remember was that I had my tail handed to me by him and some of my other previous enemies."
"Dang man."
"Yep. He had like this, weird purple and black crystal thing in his chest, it was implanted in there, similar to how you have a chaos emerald in your hand."
"Word?"
"Word, man. You two didn't know each other, right?"
"Bro, I ain't even know this world existed 'till just recently and you gon' tell me that I know a guy that whooped yo' 'tale?"
"Just messin' with ya, dude. Y'know Jaiden, you seem very up tense a lot, is there something you aren't telling us?" When Jaiden heard this, his ears perked down, and he looked away from Sonic.
"I'd, rather not answer that, homie," the light-greyed hedgehog responds quietly. It seems like he wasn't quite emotionally ready to open up completely. Sonic looks over at him for a moment, then he closes his eyes again and turns his head back straight.
"Well, for what it's worth, I trust that it's not anything that would hurt us, seeing that you brought us a gift as you did," the blue hedgehog starts saying in a soft, modest tone, "I know it's not my place going into your business." The hedgehog then stands up and walks to help Jaiden. He accepts Sonic's help and gets back up on two feet, barely towering over Sonic height-wise, "But you have friends in the Resistance now. Whenever you're ready to open up about something, our ears will be up for you, okay?" Jaiden hearing this gave him a slightly warm feeling in his heart. He knew that until proven otherwise, he could start to trust this blue hedgehog.
"I, 'preciate that, Sonic. Really, I do," Jaiden says to Sonic in a calmer, warmer tone, "I'll keep that in mind, ight? You got my word." The two hedgehogs exchange a smile, looking each other directly in the eye so that they know that the other is sincere with their word.
"Well, sun's starting to set, and we've been running around all day, might as well stop it here, yeah," asks Sonic to Jaiden, "I'll finish up telling you about the war later, right now, I was actually supposed to be doing these three guys a favor."
"Oh, okay," the light grey hedgehog says, dusting himself off and looking around, "Mind if I ask who they are?"
"Oh, it's a detective agency called 'Team Chaotix.' I was supposed to help them out with some work they had to do, and uh, technically, I'm late…."
"Uh oh, okay, sounds like you need to go."
"Meh, they can wait a little longer; I gotta make sure you make it back to base safely." As Sonic says this, he walks toward Resistance HQ, expecting Jaiden to follow. The light-gry hedgehog looks off into the distance for a moment, the orange rays of the sunset softly hitting his eyes, and in the following moments, he decides something.
"You mind if I, uh, roll with you," asks Jaiden to Sonic, who was walking but was stopped in his tracks hearing Jaiden's middle-pitched voice say those words. He looks back at him.
"Uh, you sure man? You really don't have too if you don't wanna."
"Nah, I think I wanna help you out on this one, meet some new folk, you feel?" Jaiden sees Sonic's face lighten up with a smile. He walks back toward Jaiden, preparing to lead the way to this detective agency.
"Race ya," Sonic exclaims right after this, taking off at high speed; Jaidesees a blue blur again.
"Bro, wha-" is all Jaiden can say, "Ight then, you on." Jaiden slowly gets into a runner's stance and closes his eyes, quickly gathering his thoughts. His crown-pendant necklace just barely hanging from his neck down toward the ground. Once he gathered himself, without thinking, he took off, leaving a blur of grey and white behind him.
Resistance HQ
We now go back to the Resistance HQ, where Tails, Amy, and Belle are trying to make sense of the new Limnite technology given to them by Jaiden, made by Shira. Tails and Belle were looking at the blueprints on their computer closely, trying to figure out the tech they'd need even to pull off such advanced weaponry and devices.
Tails and Belle were at the computer, scrolling and typing through the schematics of the technology they just received, the wispons, the devices, all pilling up in the hard drive of the two-tailed fox.
"Hey Tails, where did Amy go," questioned the tinkerer, "I just realized she was gone."
"She went out to go grab the others, Belle," responded Tails, looking at Belle, "She thinks we need to get everyone so we can introduce Jaiden the right way." Tails then looks back up at his computer, typing and scrolling away. "This technology will do wonders for our forces, but I just can't seem to pinpoint how we're going to make all of this." Belle then looks up at the computer; the brightness of seeing all of the blueprints and the schematics could almost overload her eyes.
"This is a lot," quietly adds Belle. She stands by Tails' side as they go through each file. They open a folder containing a bunch of wispon blueprints, with names varying from an M4A1 to a Rytec, all having "-W" at the end. The two characters knew that these could be an essential tool to make their forces stronger. As Tails kept scrolling, Belle pointed at a text box filled with information.
'These wispon blueprints were under heavy experimenting and were eventually passed for making by the Limnite Scientific Technology Division. Unlike your standard wispon, these wispons are all built will multi-functions, which include different ammo types, whose effects vary based on the type of wisp used. Unfortunately, we never gained access to any wisps, so it never was prominent to make any of these weapons. We're hoping that maybe one day, we find a world that can provide the wisps we need to make these wispons prove useful.'
As Tails and Belle get done reading all this, several thoughts are prominent, and Tails is the first to speak.
"So, Limnites always had wispons, but, they were never able to get a hold of a wisp to operate them," exclaimed the young fox, coming to his realization. Belle looks around, seeming like she is also coming too.
"Do, you think that they were gonna come here to get some," questions Belle, "I don't know much about them, but I can only assume that they don't come from there."
"The wisps originate from Planet Wisp, but they are still around during the fallout. I know that sometimes they aid Sonic, and some travel around with Whisper. They do that to aid with the wispon that she uses, as they do with the wispons we have for our forces, but these don't look like they transform to meet the need of what the wisp can do, maybe it works differently based on the way it fires…."
"...But how do you think were gonna be able to make these?" At Belle's question, Tails takes out a wrench and twirls it.
"I've invented a lot of things, and this stuff might be ahead of even myself, but I'm a good learner; it can be figured out!" At Tails' confidence, Belle found herself smiling lightly. Tails smiles back, and then he turns back to the computer. He closes the wispon files, and just as he is about to open another, they are interrupted by some footsteps coming through the door. Tails jumps in front of Belle with his wrench, ready to protect her, but to their dismay, it is only Amy, followed by a red echidna and a bat. He and the tinkerer breathe a sigh of relief as they figure out it's just more of their friends.
"Now I was busy trying to clean up a refuge that Egg-for-brains tried attacking," the bat said, "Then Amy here tells me that an alien shows up, as if we had enough of those around here." The red echidna walks in with his arms crossed, a smug expression on his face. The bat had a black jumpsuit on, pink stripes going down the sides of her shirt and pants, and she wore black and pink heels, and the echidna wore no clothes, a long white U-shaped tinge on his chest, and spikey gloves, along with red, yellow, and green shoes, the top of them having metal plates.
"This person had better be important," he says arrogantly, "I was just trying to guard the master emerald, and then she shows up." Amy, hearing this, walks in front of the red echidna, her hands on her hips.
"You were asleep," she shouts, "You've got nothing else better to do, Knucklehead!" The other three giggle at this, the echidna rolling his eyes. They walk toward Tails and Belle, taking a look at the computer as they do.
"Sorry I couldn't get Shadow here," the bat says, "He was being dark and moody as usual, says he doesn't want to meet another alien." She leans against a cargo box, still looking at the screen, "Whats all this?" The echidna walks and stands next to Tails and Belle, his arms still crossed as he looks up.
"You made some new advances, Tails," he asks, directed to the two-tailed fox.
"That's the thing, you guys," adds Tails, turning around to look at everyone, "The person who brought us all this is out with Sonic, exploring the area. As you know, he's an alien, and his species is called 'Limnite.'"
"A Lim-who," the red individual says, stretching his chin slightly.
"A 'Limnite,' knuckles-for-brains," the bat says to him, leaning and putting one hand on her hip. The echidna glares at her, and she gives him one back before their attention shifts back to Tails.
"While we don't know much about them, through what we're seeing on the computer, they're a civilization that has high-end technology, beyond what we could ever comprehend," Tails announces. The group gathers around the fox, looking up in awe at the screen.
"Wow, you weren't kidding," the white bat says, "I never seen anything like these, well, some of it seems familiar."
"Tails," the red echidna adds, "Who made all this?" The fox turns around with a smile, glancing at everyone.
"Well Knuckles, Rouge," Tails responds, "Take a seat, because this will be a while."
Team Chaotix Detective Agency - Outside
The blue blur arrives in a large city on the coast of a bay. It comprises low and high buildings, modern office buildings, a downtown, and a humble outskirts for smaller installations. This was Seaside City, a city full of architecture, cars driving by, and the location that Sonic needs to be, the Team Chaotix Detective Agency. He walks up the balcony stairs, waving at bystanders as they drive and walk by him with a smile. He leans next to the door, crossing his arms and smirking, as finally, Jaiden arrives in a light gray blur. He looks to be catching his breath, but not too badly, like the run affected him, but he was primarily used to it.
Standing below the stairs, Jaiden looks at Sonic, his hands behind his head, over his tied makeshift quill dreadlocks.
"Damn, man," he says between breaths, looking around. "You really be doing this all the time?" Sonic chuckles, swiftly bouncing off the wall, back standing on his feet.
"Well, it's just my thing," replies the blue hedgehog. "It's all about speed, you know? By the looks of it, you're pretty speedy yourself." Jaiden, walking up the stairs, rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, whatever, man. Don't be running off like that. Over here, making me chase behind a blur. Can't believe you be making yo friends do this." Sonic giggles, patting Jaiden on the back; then, the two hedgehogs make their way to the brown wooden door, a window at the top center, and a light to the right side of the doorway. Sonic knocks on the door 5 times, with the light grey hedgehog at his side. While the blue blur impatiently tapped his right foot up and down, holding his right arm up like he was looking at a watch, Jaiden glanced around at his surroundings. Just behind him was a street with a stone wall with railings, a stop sign to his right, and a signal light post with street signs, a one-way sign, and a stop sign on it. Brick-based complexes surrounded the area by the streets, and just beyond the dip of the road lay more complexes, and in the far distance, a tall building with glass panes all over it. For a second, Jaiden saw Xevir, his now-destroyed home world. The buildings reminded him of the metropolis that was his home. His dark brown eyes went down the street, watching as cars drove by, blending with the ambient sound of walking and chatting. His gaze lingered there for a moment like déjà vu, and then he snapped back into reality when he heard the door open. He turned around to see a tall, large, green crocodile. His appearance captivated Jaiden's curiosity: wearing a thick golden chain around his neck, black and gold buckles around his wrists, white gloves, black shoes with white outlined soles and gold buckles around his ankles, and silver and black headphones. The croc's gaze meets Sonic's green eyes, a toothy smile crossing his long muzzle.
"Ah, Sonic, my man," he announces, slapping hands with the blue hedgehog with a firm pop.
"What's up, Vector? It's been a minute," Sonic responds with his signature smirk. The two then let their grip go. Vector crosses his arms. Sonic puts his right hand on his hip and the other on his nose.
"Yeah, it has," Vector responds with the same smile. Just as fast as the smile came, it was replaced by a sarcastic face, half-lidded eyes, and a faint frown on his muzzle. "You're late." Using his left hand to scratch the back of his head, Sonic chuckles nervously.
"Hey, you know me, Vector, always fashionably late," responds the blue blur. "But I got a good reason. I was showing my friend Jaiden here around the place." Sonic points his thumb to his right. Vector shifts his attention to Sonic's right, seeing the light gray, buff-built hedgehog known as Jaiden. The crocodile's look never faltered, his arms crossed, giving Jaiden an intense stare. Jaiden, slightly nervous and confused, quickly looked to his left and right before meeting those yellow eyes again. Their gaze line was tense, and Jaiden felt a familiar emotion: unease. Moments go by, then Vector closes his eyes and chuckles. He then opens them and gives Jaiden a friendly, approachable smile. The light gray hedgehog sighs with relief.
"Jaiden, huh?" the green crocodile says, sizing Jaiden up with a look of admiration and respect. "It's good to see another big guy around here. As Sonic said, names Vector!" Vector extends his arm out, clenching his hand into a fist. Jaiden momentarily gazes at his gloved fist, and then a smile crosses his face. He extends his arm out and meets Vector's fist with his own.
"Nice to meet you, Vector," Jaiden replies, looking Vector in his eyes, then at the giant chain around his neck. "That chain is live, bro. Never seen one that big, though." Vector looks down at his neck, then smiles, using both his thumbs to thump his chain up and down.
"Well, a big chain for a big guy like me, y'know. I like how this guy speaks," the crocodile responds enthusiastically. His yellow eyes then gaze down at Jaiden's neck, catching a full glimpse of the diamond crown necklace around his neck, the crown glaring in the sunlight. "Your chain isn't too bad itself."
"'Preciate it," responds the light gray hedgehog, gripping the charm of his necklace in his right hand—Sonic, standing idly by, chimes in.
"Alright, Vector, you said you needed help with a case, right," questioned the blue animal, crossing his arms.
"Yep, another missing persons case," responds Vector, a tone of stress in his voice. "They've died down a bit because it's been quite some time since the metal virus outbreak, but it's still been a pain in the tail." Jaiden's eyes widen at the mention of the metal virus, and he looks at Sonic.
"Eh, a story for another day," the blue animal says, shrugging his shoulders. Suddenly, the three heard a loud phone ring come from inside. Vector quickly turned and ran inside. Jaiden, giving Sonic a quick glance, followed suit with the crocodile and walked in.
Team Chaotix Detective Agency - Inside
When Jaiden and Sonic walked in, Jaiden was surprised when Vector was already at the broad desk at the center of the room. Three phones were on top of it: a blue one on the right, a red one in the middle, and a black one on the left. Vector had the blue phone in his right hand at his ear and holding the black phone in his left at his ear. There were even phones on his desk below him that kept ringing.
The crocodile was talking all at once on the phone, "Hello, yes, this is Chaotix Detective Agency! Please hold! Hello, yes, we're on the corner of Oshima Street and Naka Drive! Please hold! Hello, for the last time, NO CHEESE! Please Hold!" Jaiden's gaze lingered on Vector as he spoke on the phone. He then hears footsteps approaching and papers flying by amidst the boxes around.
Who came running in was a violet-colored Chameleon holding a tall, thick stack of papers. Our hedgehog protagonist took in the details of his appearance, noticing that he had a pointy, long yellow… nose; he thinks? He adorned black wrist pads with yellow studs around them, white gloves with black and white arrows on the back of his hand, purple shoes with a black bottom and a black stripe over the top, black rings with yellow studs around them over his ankles, and bandages wrapped around a small portion of his leg above his black rings, along with another black round. He had a long tail that curled behind him in a swirl. He quickly placed the papers on the corner of the wide desk Vector was at while the phones remained ringing, and the crocodile remained answering calls back and forth.
"Here's the rest of the files that need to be finalized, Vector," the chameleon inputs, a look of just about the same stress as Vector in his eyes. He turns to meet Sonic and Jaiden's gazes. "Sonic, always a pleasure," he first says to Sonic, then turns his head to Jaiden and introduces himself swiftly. "Espio."
"Jaiden," responds the light gray animal, already knowing he should just let them do their thing. The following person he saw was the third and final member of the Chaotix, the bee that Sonic and Tails spoke about. His name was Charmy. He was flying around the croc's hand, trying to offer solace and support. Jaiden's mouth was slightly agape in astonishment. "Well, I'll be dammed…" he sputters quietly. Sonic, seeing this, chuckles and nudges him with his shoulder.
"Told ya," he says with a smirk. He then turns to the three animals before them, "Alright, you guys, what's the sitch?" Vector looked up from the many papers and pulled the phones away from him, followed by Espio leaning against the edge of the desk on the left side and Charmy flying in a loop before fluttering just by the green crocodile.
"The case we got is in the central city," he says to everyone, then flipping through some of the papers on the broad desk pile. "Rouge assigned us this before she went to Resistance HQ. Apparently Tails and Amy called everyone over for some reason. I told her we were busy, and we'd be there later." Happily buzzing by, Charmy chimed in with his innocent, child-like voice.
"She said somethin' about meeting a new hedgehog," he says, scratching his head. Espio, who was still leaning on the desk, added his input.
"I'd assume that this said hedgehog is you, Jaiden," he exclaims, looking Jaiden directly in his dark brown eyes.
"Yep, the one and only," Sonic shouts, playfully nudging Jaiden's side. The young adult hedgehog barely seems to move from this nudge, and his static expression softens slightly.
"Heh, yep, that's ya boy," he hesitantly adds, instinctively fixing the black hair tie that holds his makeshift dreadlocks. "I ain't no one special, really. I'm just here to help y'all out with Sonic." Charmy flies around Jaiden, taking in the details of his unique appearance.
"Well, you're pretty big and strong looking to say you're not special," the young bee observes, smiling at the hedgehog while hovering before him. The purple chameleon pushes himself off the desk, and looks at him from the side, crossing his arms, letting his bright yellow eyes meet his gaze.
"And I couldn't help but notice that chaos emerald in your hand," he adds.
"Oh, um, yeah, about this…" Jaiden nervously responds, but Sonic, having his back, defends him.
"It's just his thing. He's an alien and they are born with those." The Chaotix widen their eyes at this detail, finding it hard to believe.
"You're telling me that things part of him," questioned Vector, pointing at the light gray hedgehog. Charmy hovered down to Jaiden's side, where his right hand lay to rest. His mouth went agape, and his orange eyes reflected the glimmer of the blue emerald lodged in the hedgehog's body part.
"Charmy, don't overwhelm him," Espio chimes in. Charmy flies over to Vector's side, then the purple animal approaches Jaiden. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that what Sonic is saying about you is true, Jaiden, but understand this: emeralds like that in this world are highly sought after by evil, like Eggman. This could make you a high-value target." Jaiden's gaze went down to the floor, taking in the chameleon's words. He lifted his right hand, the gem shimmering in the light, and the hedgehog's reflection there and staring back at him, giving the same contemplative gaze. Sonic, who stood by Jaiden's right side the whole time, chimed in.
"We told him that," the blue blur says, looking at Espio. "Chaos emeralds are powerful as is, and Egghead already yearns for the 7 we have here, but Jaiden's chaos readings are high just by himself. Since that's the case, I'd assume that Eggman already has him on the radar." Vector and Espio's eyes widened. They exchange a mutual glance, then look back at Sonic and Jaiden.
"And why would you bring him around here if he's gonna attract trouble," questions the green crocodile. Sonic's expression gets serious, his eyes reflecting his unwavering perseverance.
"Jaiden doesn't know how things work around here," he starts, giving each Chaotix a quick glance. "We can't just risk him wandering alone, and letting Eggman capture him. We have to keep a close eye in him, to make sure nobody can take advantage of the power he has." Jaiden looks at Sonic when he finishes talking, then, he looks back at the three animals in front of them.
"I'm still not so sure who this Eggman fool is," the light gray animal says, his voice skeptical but confident. "But I told Sonic and his boys that I'm here to help out with him. I won't let him touch me though, you can count on that one."
"You look like the type of guy that won't take lightly to being captured or messed with," Vector adds, admiring the buff hedgehog's resolve. Espio, obviously showing he's the realist of the group, chimes in.
"But Eggman is a very intelligent man. He can overcome that fight you have, Jaiden, no matter how big and strong you may be," the chameleon explains. "We've seen the things that man is capable of."
"That includes all this," Vector added, holding up some of the paperwork on his desk. Jaiden walked up closer to the long, wood desk, to take a closer look at the papers the green crocodile was flipping through. He saw portraits of animal citizens with a red, slightly stretched stamp on some of them, saying "MISSING." There were names on the files, species of animal, gender, a brief description of their physical appearance, and where they were spotted last. "This right here was all because of him. All these missing people, folks away from their families, lost." Jaiden looked down with a sympathetic look on his face, although he had completely lost those dear to him, he'd wish no other the same fate he's suffering right now. What sold him even further, was the file of a young boy. His portrait was him shining a bright, optimistic smile. Based on his features, like his fluffy snout, he was a red furred raccoon. Unfortunately, his upbeat portrait was stained from across with the red writing of absence. His name, Strikes. His age, 9. His last known location, Seaside City; around the central area. For moments, Jaiden's gaze focused on that portrait, solely on that portrait. That gaze was so intensely focused, Vector, Sonic, Espio, and Charmy looked at him with confused and nervous looks, not knowing what was going on with this hedgehog. In Jaiden's mind, that portrait of that kid, reminded him of that Limnite child he spoke too on the ship, before it took off, and he saw it blow up right in front of him. All the light gray hedgehog could hear in his ears was static, and his breathing was getting faster and labored.
"...jaiden…" His breathing came in short gasps, like he was suffocating. The static in his ears was cut through by the repeating voices of that child.
"jaiden…" The grip he had on Strikes' file got tighter. The voice got louder, the innocent words from that child kept echoing, stabbing Jaiden like a knife. His right hand emitted a faint glow.
"jaiden," His breathing was getting worse. His vision conned into the portrait. At this point, everything else was blurry. His face was distraught, and now he could hear that explosion sound go off over and over. His pupils started shaking, and his body was now slick with a cold sweat.
"Jaiden," it's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. Everything is gone because of me. Everyone is dead because of me. There's blood on my hands. Why am I still living?
"JAIDEN!" He finally snapped out of it. The hedgehog looks up, still heavily breathing, at the 4 animals before him. Sonic, who was next to him, had an anxious look on his face. The Chaotix, who all three were in front of the hedgehogs, also had nervous, confused looks on their faces. Jaiden, his breathing finally stabilizing, lets go of the file. He looks at his right hand, and gasps when he notices that his emerald was glowing again, brightly. Seconds later, the glow dims, and then it dissipates.
'It happened again. This time… because I was in my own head,' the hedgehog thought, staring at his hand. He then brings it back to his side, and he looks back at the four anxious animals before him.
"That's… that's my fault, y'all," he says, looking around. A faint moment of silence passes, then Vector finally breaks the silence.
"Are, you okay," questions the green crocodile. Sonic's face turns to that of sympathy, because even he knows what Jaiden will say.
"I'm fine bro, alright," responds the light gray animal firmly. "Let's just focus on this case, and find this kid, ight?" Espio's expression softened with pity, and sadness crossed the face of Charmy. This hedgehog obviously has a story to tell, but, he's just not telling it, but why? They can't dwell on it for long though, a job needed to be done.
"Right about that one, big guy," Vector says, a smile just barely etching on his muzzle. He gets up, grabbing Strikes' file, closing it up and making sure none of the important papers fall out. "Alright, here's how we'll do this: Sonic, Charmy and I will check directly in the central city for this kid. Espio, take Jaiden and go check around the outer city." Jaiden and Espio glanced at each other at the same time, meeting a mutual understanding. The hedgehog looks away, but the chameleon's gaze lingers for a moment. He thinks about what could have caused Jaiden to react to a file this way, but then, his eyes go back to Vector after he sighs.
"Alright, gang," Sonic's familiar upbeat and energetic voice inputs. "We'll get this case done fast, then, we'll all meet back at Resistance HQ. Everyone should be waiting for us there to get Jaiden fully acquainted." Everyone nods in agreement. Vector walks over to the front door and opens it, Sonic speeds out, and Charmy flies behind him. The crocodile looks at Espio on the way out.
"Make sure you help out Jaiden, Espio, he's new," he says, before closing the door and catching up with the hedgehog and bee. Jaiden and Espio were now the only two in the Chaotix Detective Agency. The purple animal crosses his arms and looks down chuckling, shaking his head. He makes his way to the door, and puts his hand on the handle. He looks back at the hedgehog present with him, his yellow eyes locking onto his dark brown saucers.
"Well, we should go ahead and get to work, Jaiden," he says, opening the door. "You coming?" Jaiden looks back at the desk, before looking at Espio again. He walks over to him, and stands behind him.
"Let's roll, man," he exclaims, his eagerness high and plausible. As they walk out, Jaiden contemplates his thoughts. What happened in there while he was reading that file was something he never experienced before, and because of it, his emerald glowed again. Why did he get so deep into his thoughts looking at that kid? Why did it shake him so much? And the biggest question,
What's gonna cause a reaction like this again?
END OF PART 1