Spike the Hedgehog's motorcycle sputtered to a halt as she pulled up to Jack and Cyber's cabin in the deep jungles of the Mystic Ruins. A secluded spot with plenty of trees in the nearby area, Spike figured it was logical for Jack to move his makeshift family there after the Eggman War, but dang if it wasn't one heck of a trek to get there.
Her Spike Wisp, a scarred little thing named Roxanne, came out of the Wispon in her bag for some fresh air, while Spike knocked on the front door. Answering it was Cyber, who gave the hedgehog a firm hug upon seeing her. The two hadn't met in-person before, but they'd managed to connect through text messages since Spike had *re-established her friendship with Jack. Cyber led her into the house, excitedly beeping in her Badnik language as she brought over a small case from a nearby shelf. Inside was a small, yellow earpiece bearing the Miles Electric branding. Cyber motioned for Spike to put it in her ear and turn it on, to which she complied. "-Testing, one two. Testing, one two.-"
"Blimey, is this thing a translator?" Spike asked. Cyber nodded. "-Tails brought it in just after Jack and Raccoon went on their little trip a few days ago. I'm glad you stopped by, I've been needing to test it.-"
"Oh, Jack and Raccoon aren't here right now?" Spike said. "-Yeah, the Restoration figured Raccoon would be a good nature guide for a group of Chao Scouts a few islands over. They'll be back in another day or two.-" Cyber confirmed. Spike nodded as she brought out a large folder from her travel bag. "Well, guess we don't need them for THIS anyway."
"So, I've been hanging my coat up in Monopole lately..."
"-That high-tech city with the floating cars?-" Cyber interrupted. "-Always looked like a hassle to live there.-"
"Heh, it's manageable if you know the layout." Spike replied, before continuing. "Anyway, a lot of the ECS Units you guys have been rescuing have started moving there...And recently, they've been going missing."
"-Missing? How many?-" Cyber asked, concerned. Spike turned the folder to a page of headshots. "About 15 in the past two weeks...Here's the latest one."
"-Wrecker.-" Cyber muttered, recognizing the face from **when she had helped liberate him from a lab in the Mystic Jungle. "-Have you told the Restoration about this?-" Spike just shook her head. "I've tried. Multiple times, in fact, but...Nobody has responded, and these guys have just continued disappearing. That's part of why I decided to drop in on you guys." Cyber got up and began to pace a bit, considering her options. "-Well, I DO have my emergency communicator...I'm sure I could just call them up...-"
"OR, WE could just do it on our OWN. The two of us, together!" Spike said, before Roxanne made a small noise beside her. "Right, sorry, THREE of us...Four? You've still got your Burst Wisp, right?"
"-Yeah, Huey's still here.-" Cyber responded, as the Wisp in question groggily popped out of the Wispon it had been sleeping in. Cyber coddled it in her hands as she continued. "-But really, though? Just us?-"
"Yeah, we can make a girls night out of it!" Spike replied, giving Cyber a playful bump on the arm as she passed the cyborg canary and opened up a cabinet that, as she had guessed, held Cyber's battle gear. "Now come on, girl! Daylight's fading!"
*Seen in Those Who Left Us Behind
**All the way back in Prototypes