Jaiden the Hedgehog #3 - The Wolfen Angel

The third issue of Jaiden's time with the Resistance

The subsequent events occur after Jaiden the Hedgehog #2 - A Needed Spark.

IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: I've decided to change some of the lore of this story. Instead of giving other worlds with different characters their world name, I'm just going to reference their galaxy. Instead of "Segatopia" being the world name, I will just reference it as Galaxy 001 and the Earth within that galaxy. Jaiden's homeworld will still be called Xevir because his galaxy works differently, like Xenic and Jaqual. The reasoning behind this was that it would be tricky to come up with unique names that represent a character's world without using a subpar name.

CONTENT WARNING: The following writing contains strong language, graphic depictions of violence, and triggering topics like suicide, survivor's guilt, and death. This issue, series, and its content are meant for readers 16. Reader discretion is advised.

DISCLAIMER: All characters except original characters are owned/created by SEGA and IDW Publishing.

Eggman HQ - Inside Laboratory

From inside a dark, ominous facility, lies Eggman's laboratory. This facility is known to hold countless machines of destruction for the tyrant scientist, Eggman. As from issue #2, he was made aware of Jaiden's presence, and he knows about the chaos energy that resides in the hedgehog's body. To get information on him, he sends a massive badnik to attack Cream the Bunny, while Vanilla, the young child's mother, is out running errands. Despite Gemerl's best efforts, the bot was inevitably scraped by the giant badnik's power. As Vanilla alerted Rouge and the bat alerted the rest of the Resistance, time was completely of the essence, but to their surprise, Jaiden ran in first, amid damaged teeth from his gritted teeth, slashed the badnik in one instance. As the rest of the present members ran in, Jaiden was nowhere to be found. Now, after the team brings Cream back and reunites her with Vanilla, Tails is enlightened by Belle, and Sonic sets out to search for Jaiden. The story picks up first in Eggman's POV.

Eggman, standing in front of his massive computer screen and keyboard with his red and yellow robot companions Orbot and Cubot, observes the footage taken from the badnik sent to Cream's house. The screen has a red tint from the color of the droid's eyes. On the bottom right corner of the screen, you can see the model name: "HEAVY-ARTILLERY ALPHA." Starting the feed, you can see the earlier events of what the droid saw, from its short burn fight with Gemerl to Cream's Choas' futile resistance, but Eggman didn't want to see that portion.

"Heavy here has enough power to withstand a lot of Sonic's attacks and even from some of his other vermin friends. He was built for a much bigger operation. However, chaos energy is to never be taken lightly. I originally sent it after Gemerl to get rid of that traitor, but I guess that bunny ended up being caught in the crossfire," Eggman says, his eyeglasses glistening in the reflection from the screen.

"But wait, if he was so tough, how come he was destroyed," Cubot asks before a loud clunk sound can be heard. The evil scientist smacked the yellow robot. "Owwwwww!"

"Shut up! I know that you fool," shouts the scientist in response, baring his teeth at the robot. He then looks back at the big screen. He presses a key and fast-forwards the footage until the light-gray hedgehog that Eggman has seen before is standing before ARTILLERY. The footage shows the animal standing there momentarily, clenching his teeth. The evil scientist leans in closer, seeing that the hedgehog's right hand is glowing a dark blue hue just like last time. Suddenly, he heard a squelching noise, seeing that his gums were now bleeding, and what happened next made him and his robot companions jump in shock. In a short blur, all they could see was the animal's angered expression, before the footage cut, and the droid was shown as offline. Orbot and Cubot were holding each other, shaken and shuttering at the sight, while Eggman's mouth was agape.

"I've seen the power of Chaos Emeralds at work. One has enough power to manipulate time and space itself, but never have I ever seen one with as much raw power as I have from this vermin." The mad scientist thinks to himself. He rewinds the footage and stops right at the moment where the light gray animal is charging at the giant badnik itself. The picture emanated a dangerous aura, even being a non-moving display. The hedgehog's mouth was agape, his blood staining his teeth, as his right arm was primed to his side to swing his manifested dark blue energy sword. "I haven't seen many use its power to wield a weapon, but even then, this creature doesn't seem to be in some kind of ultimate form, he just has a brawny build. Still, from an emerald that's implanted in his hand, either from birth or forced to have enough power to achieve that kind of speed and power to destroy a heavy badnik in one blow…" Eggman smirks.

"This power," The evil scientist chuckles. "I MUST HAVE IT!" He starts to laugh maniacally, all the while Orbot and Cubot stand idly.

"Um, b-boss," the red robot stars, "I don't think whoever that is will just… give up their power." Eggman turns his head over the right side of his shoulder, where Orbot is standing.

"You think I don't know that you red doofus," the scientist shouts. "We're gonna see who this overgrown meat sack is, and take that emerald from his hand by force! Maybe then I'll have all the power I need to re-enslave this damned world and bring it under the Eggman Empire's control!" The Egg Carrier arrives right in front of the evil man. He struggles slightly to get in it but eventually succeeds in doing so. The mad scientist pushes and holds a button in his carrier. A faint radio static was heard before a voice was heard, its tone arrogant and defiant.

"Yes… doctor," questioned the cold voice.

"Starline, whatever you're doing is probably irrelevant and doesn't matter in the slightest, so come to the main lab, now!"

Dr. Starline, the platypus scoffs, before hesitantly answering. "Yes, doctor." As the comms cut, Eggman quickly turns and hovers out of his computer room, followed by his robot companions.

Eggman HQ - Corner of the main lab

We now go to the perspective of Dr. Starline, the arrogant platypus, while scheming.

Adjusting the large hypno glove on his right hand, Starline's beak goes into a light snarl.

"After your first big plan with the metal virus was a failure, I'd think you'd stop to replan this whole insignificant revenge scheme, but I fail to realize how foolish you are, doctor," The animal says to himself, adjusting a dial on his glove, a faint humming noise sounding off. "What you fail to realize is that this boy's power can be used for more than just settling the score with a blue runt. If I were to get that power…" the platypus smirks maniacally, "I believe I'll be able to control more than just Sonic and his meddling friends. I'll be able to discover these rumored universes, and control them all." Starline turns his body, facing a large vial tube, vacant of anything.

"And I think I know exactly where to start. I'll use Eggman as a stepping stone to find this hedgehog. Once I find him, I'll take control of his mind, and I'll force him to give up his power. I might have lost Surge and Kitsumaki, however, I can still handle things all by myself." The platypus primes his glove, walking to a corner to get into position. "All I have to do is continue playing this foolish man, and I'll be one step closer to my goals."

Galaxy 001 - Earth - Green Hill Zone

As we travel back to where Jaiden and his deceased siblings Shira and Jacie landed, a large, but quiet-sounding ship arrives, landing just outside of the majority of Green Hill. The ship's main door opens and emerges 2 lines of soldiers. The soldiers are wearing full black military attire, adorned with black helmets with dim visors. They were all holding firearms, what seemed to be Assault Rifle weapons. They all walked in unison down to the green flats below the ramp of the ship, and emerging behind them, was." He stands with his AR pointed toward the ground. He points behind him, signaling Master Zhire where to look. He sees four soldiers carrying a flat medical bed, with a blanket covering it, the blanket, of course, having a bulge shaped like a person. The master knew this was his son. The tall feline looks away after moments of staring, trying to keep his composure.

"I should have never sent you on a mission like this," he thinks to himself. "¡Soy un idiota! What sort of father requires his child to go undercover as his enemy's adopted son!?" The feline looks ahead of him, his expression now angered, his sharp fangs bared in a fierce snarl. "I should have handled those damn Limnites myself. I will put an end to their bloodline. Jaiden… Te cazaré, pequeño erizo. Count your days." Zhire points toward the ship, directing the four soldiers to carry his son's body inside the ship.t They follow directions, escorting the deceased young feline with care inside the large vehicle. As they disappeared behind the walls, Master Zhire's apprentice, Xix-xeron, came into view at the doorway. Along with his gray fur, he adorned a brown jumpsuit, paired with a black tactical vest. His long ears twitched as he took in the sounds of his surroundings.

"Xix," Zhire calls out to the hare, "Tell me, where exactly are we?" Hearing his superior's voice, Xix's ears twitch toward the direction of the feline. He hustles to him and stands at his side.

"Well, according to the records, sir, we're in Galaxy 001 on Earth, of course, with our precise location reading 'Green Hill.'" Zhire looks around the area for a moment, his frown never leaving his hardened snout.

"If the Limnite is here, we'll find him, and kill him, to ensure the end of all Limnites," the feline announces. "I will be sure my will be done, even if I have to level this world." Zhire walks forward, Xix following as his soldiers stay in a tight parameter around him. "Raw, untamed chaos energy like his cannot be allowed to roam free. I'd be putting all the galaxies at risk if I allow him to live." Xix's face is slightly confused.

"Well, why, Master Zhire," questions the hare.

"Have you no knowledge of Limnite heritage, Xix," the feline questions in response. "Limnites, whether they know it or not, pose a strong threat to all lifeforms, and if the Intel my son gave me was correct, Jaiden's power grew late, so he has the most powerful strand of all, a strand even that erizo doesn't understand. He-" Suddenly, grass can be heard rustling by. This quickly catches the attention of the entire group. Zhire sharply turns to his East, along with Xix, and all his soldiers, the sounds of ARs priming as they aim down sights, all getting on a knee. The tall feline's attentive eye scanned around the hilltop and tall grass where the abnormal sound came from. Not quite in view though, stood a black and red hedgehog, with scarlet-colored eyes. His face was stoic, yet, his breath screamed a close call. The Hedgehog slowly takes deep, quiet breaths, the white streak of fur across his chest rising and declining in rapid succession.

Zhire's attentive gaze never wavered, his suspension growing rapidly. His cat-like eyes constrict suddenly.

"Fire." At the signal, the group of soldiers at Zhire's command open their fire. Extremely loud gunfire echoes in the distance, and bullets fly by in orange streaks. Birds and other animals flew and ran away from the loud noises they heard in their forest. After a barrage of bullets, the feline master raises his fist, a signal to cease fire.

"No targets appear to be hit, sir," a soldier reported. The tree from earlier was the main victim of the lead rain. Zhire never lost his gaze on that tree. Inevitably, the tree started to fall, the wood making a loud sound as it fell over to the grass floor, showing the checkered dirt hidden under it. Behind where the tree once stood, was just air. Zhire's eyes eventually dilate, and he sighs. Xix, who stood by the feline's side the whole time, body tenses.

"Were we being watched, Master Zhire," he questions, his teeth clenched as he looks around the area that was fired upon tensely.

"Calm down, Xix," the tall feline responds, extending his hand in front of the hare. "If we were, they'd be mace meat in front of us right now." His superiors' reassurance calmed the hare down, but even then, Zhire had his suspicions. "Sector Team, formation." The Xenician soldiers line up in an escort group around Zhire and Xix.

"We're in formation, sir," shouts the leading sector member in front of the group. Out of all the other soldiers, he and two other soldiers had different appearances. The one that shouted was a tiger, with a big stature. His eyes were blue and bright as his orange fur, accented with black streaks. You couldn't see his snout because of the red cloth mask that covers it. His weapon was a large LMG. Beside him were two more animals. To his left was a slightly shorter falcon. His feathers were brown, his eyes a piercing yellow, and his beek sunflower yellow. His attire was looser, adoring a short-sleeved shirt, covered with a military vest. He rested his left hand on his collar, while his right held a SMG. Like the tiger, a cloth mask covered most of his beak. Finally, to the right, was an even shorter leopard. She had a pretty orange fur coat with prominent black spots. Her eyes were a tangy orange, and her head was full of braids made from excess fur. Her attire showed her heritage, she adorned a gray tank top, her navel exposed below the vest that also covered her. Her cloth mask was white, and it covered her muzzle as well. Her weapon of choice was a sniper rifle.

"Tank, Swiftwing, Stalker, my top lieutenants," Zhire shouts, "Me and the rest of the soldiers will return to the ship and hover in close proximity out of view. You three will scout out the area, and you will get back to us about your findings. ¿Entiendo?"

"Понятно," responded Tank, the tiger nodding his head.

"Gotcha, bossman," responded Swiftwing, the falcon pulling back the chamber on his SMG to prime it.

"Understood, Zhire," responded Stalker, an African accent apparent in her speech, as she held her rifle against her arm. With that, Zhire, Xix, and the entire sector of soldiers apart from the top 3 walked back onboard their ship, leaving the three alone.

"Well comrades, we have our job, да," the tiger says in a heavy Russian accent.

"Well obviously, bro, but we could probably just leave it to you. Big ass," the falcon responds in a heavy Floridian accent, putting his SMG into his side holster and crossing his arms.

"Why so down, Swiftwing, you are much faster than I! You're skills are just as important as mine," responds the tiger, his smile hidden under his cloth mask. He puts an arm around the falcon, making him stagger and grunt a little bit.

"Vichwa vya pini, pinheads, focus up," the hardened, yet soothing voice of Stalker inputs, her accent screaming African heritage. "I don't plan on failing a mission for the first time because of you lot. Almost as bad as my brothers back home. Knuckleheads." She shakes her head and rolls her eyes, as she holsters her sniper and takes off. Swiftwing and Tank exclaim, swiftly following behind, with the falcon right behind the leopard, and the tiger following behind both of them.

"Aye, aye, Stalker, you know I don't understand a lot of that Swahili shit, but I understand enough to know you play too damn much," the falcon shouts in response as he runs.

"Well good, my point came across," responds the Leopard. "Maybe you'll understand this too: Nitaweka mguu wangu juu ya punda wako."

"Girl wha!?"

"Call me crazy," the booming voice of Tank shouts, "But I think she said something about a foot in ass, Swiftwing."

"Ooooo you play too damn much, jit!" shouts the falcon. The leopard lady chuckles.

"Thank you, Tank, for understanding more than Bird Boy here," she says. "Now, on me. We need to quickly scout out this area, and find a good vantage spot for Zhire so he can quickly take this Limnite guy down. Try to stay out of sight and out of mind of others for now."

"But why," questions Tank. "Who wouldn't want to see gorgeous face, and of course, I'm talking about мне."

"Yeah Tank, I think you're about the last person people want to see. A big ass tiger carrying a big ass LMG," the leopard shouts in response.

"That's a valid point, Stalker, but still, all this beauty can't be contained," laughs Tank.

"Yeah, don't tell no one else that, my boy," scoffs Swiftwing. The group chuckles amongst themselves, as they continue their pursuit amongst the trees, loopdeloops, and grass. The mission to carry out the Master's Will starts now. Little did anyone know, though, caught behind a rock in a water stream, was a glowing piece of paper, like a shard of some kind. The black hedgehog from earlier approaches the water, his red eyes fixed on its glowing light. He reaches into the water and grabs the scroll, prying it from behind the rock, the water never damaging it. He brings it up to his face to examine it.

"How could a group like this miss something this obvious," questioned the hedgehog to himself. He pondered that thought for a moment. "Because they didn't come looking for that. They came to recover that body, and now their objective is to eliminate that newcomer. I knew he was gonna bring trouble with him from the start." He takes a look at the scroll, before opening it. The language was foreign, in some sort of pig Latin and this hedgehog could not understand a thing. However, as he went to pocket it, the scroll started to glow a blue hue. This scared the mysterious hedgehog, and he quickly dropped it. "What in the hell… is this thing?" As this thought passes his mind, he gets a sudden analogy. Slowly, he takes out a green Chaos emerald and holds it up to the scroll, and his reaction is all he needs, to realize the situation now at hand.

Flashback - Galaxy 007 - Xevir

"For as long as I can remember, my sister Shira always made it a goal to teach me everything she knows. Sure, she was a scientist, but her combat skills with those Kali Sticks were far superior than most of our royal guard. Even then, though, as much as I didn't want to admit it, she had her weaknesses, much like all these other suckas."

Grunting can be heard in this flashback, as the visuals shift to Jaiden striking a punching bag in a large gym room. Surrounding the hedgehog were benches, dumbbells, and a huge matt room for combat training. He was around 13 at the time, portrayed by his shorter posture, and the lack of bass in his grunts. As the younger Jaiden kept striking away, the punching bag being knocked notches away from his force, emerging from the front entrance, was none other than Shira. Her dark brown pearls caught her brothers before she softly chuckles, and jogs to him, dressed in black sweats, and a white sports bra. She holds the bag in place, looking at Jaiden as he strikes the bag.

"Your strikes are getting some more oomph into 'em, Jay. You're getting stronger," Shira said, pride evident in her tone, along with her smile. To her admiring words, Jaiden smirks, and his punches get stronger and faster.

"Well, yeah," he responds between grunts and pants. "You did say pops told me to work on my physical strength, that way when my powers come in on my gem here, I'll be ridiculously strong!" Jaiden continued his assault, Shira holding the punching bag steadily in place.

"Yeah, of course," sighs the purple hedgehog, looking down.

"She never verbally expressed it, but I could tell she was worried about my power development."

With his mother and father out of frame, and Shira; two years old at the time with a wide smile and dressed in a black shirt and overalls, resting in her father's arms, while Jaiden rested in his mother's arms. "Of course, when my momma brought me into this world, it was all sunshine and rainbows, and I'm pretty sure my pops was excited that he finally created an heir to his throne. Maybe I'm tweaking, but I think I remember Jacie there, too."

As he said that, standing in a corner, distant, was a 5-year-old and recently adopted Jacie. He stood with his arms crossed, at the time wearing a t-shirt along with shorts. A muffled voice of Jaiden's father calls out to Jacie, while Shira stares at him, a look of curiosity on her face. The young cat never responded. "Should have known right then and there that his bitch-ass would be trouble. Shit's fucking weird and suspicious. Beyond that, though, the royal doctor walked into the room and told my parents something. I don't remember what they said, probably because I was too busy sleeping on my momma's chest, but I remember shocked sounds. You can probably just put two and two together, and say that was the news saying that I was showing no signs of power in my emerald."

"Fast forward a couple of years later, I was 11, Shira was 13, and Jacie was 16. I remember leaving my room and going into the palace kitchen. That joint was huge, and I remember we had 3 personal cooks. No wonder I'm so big, I was always getting my protein intake, whether it was from one or the other. I forget their faces though, because my father had them sent off on paid pension, something about, 'finding something more to do with their life,' or whatever. Not gonna lie, I just miss the food, but that's beside the point. One day, while the kitchen was empty, my father and Shira sat down at the table. Whatever it was I'm guessing I didn't have any business knowing, cause their whispers were not even audible it felt like. Although, I was able to decrypt some of it, and I understood the overall message. My father was telling Shira that I would be the heir no matter what, and that she should train me as soon as I hit 13. I never saw my parents much, probably because they were always out doing royal work, so I can't be outraged, but, thinking about it now, I think I know why. We were still at war, against Xenic and Jaqual. I didn't hear until I was 13 that Jaqual had been destroyed, and the war seemingly had ended, because both sides supposedly didn't want any more casualties. Thinking about it now, I call bullshit, because my old man invited Zhire to the royal hall for dinner. My mom was there too, and supposedly, they were attacked by unknown forces. Pops was killed trying to protect my mother, but they still killed her as well. When the royal guard, specifically Ronin, gave the news, me and my sister were distraught, but that feeling Shira felt was quickly replaced by confusion, because Zhire didn't even show up to the table.

Needless to say, fast forward a couple of months later, my sister wasted no time in getting me in shape. She taught me everything I knew like our lives depended on it. Everyday, even after I get back from school we'd train. Sometimes that shit made me struggle, but nonetheless, I'm still my sister's brother, so I still made good grades. We did combat training, where she'd spar with me. She'd make us use wooden weapons. She used sticks made from birch wood, while she made me use a wooden sword. Heh, guess she guessed which weapon I'd get correctly. On top of that, I did standard weight training, which got me stronger. The bench PR of the strongest Limnite was 540, but that was with the use of his power. I surpassed that, benching 675 without the use of any chaos power. Shira said it was because Limnite's still have metahuman abilities, but that's still a lot, which is why I'm so buff. On top of that, though, she'd still make me do speed training. Having me run my ass on a treadmill after every session. Shit had me tired, but it paid off tremendously, making me fast for my size.

On top of all that, though, she also had me in a firing range, showing me how to shoot firearms of different types. It was fun shooting them and when I shot the LMG's I always went "BRRRRR" to make the folks around me laugh. However, my favorites were always the SMG's, specifically the MP5. It's small, fast, maneuverable, and plus it's just cool looking. I take the stock off that joint and put a suppressor along with a grip, perfect balance of speed and accuracy. There was something Shira always told me about using guns, "If your barrel is in front of someone, you'd better be ready to pull that trigger, otherwise, it doesn't need to leave your side." I translate that to use them only when needed, and be ready to ice a sucka if it ever comes too. Aside from that from the couple years of practice, I got accurate with my shots, and a lot faster on the hand, so much so that I even impressed the Guard with how fast my draw and reload is.

Beyond it all, even though she trained me to be ready for this life, the bullshit of this life…

End of Flashback - Seaside City

We now cut to the perspective of Jaiden, who is sitting on a bench next to the bustling streets of Seaside City. Cars drove by, people walked by, chatter being heard in the distance. On the light post, the green sign reading "Elson Street." The hedgehog was looking down at the ground, his hands clasped together, resting between his legs.

"Why do I feel like it's whooping my ass," the young hedgehog said to himself. "I finally have my power, yet, I feel… so weak." He looks at his right hand, the emerald implanted shining slightly in the sunlight from the sinking bright orb. "What the hell is the dammed point of this thing, when I couldn't even use it when shit mattered the most." Jaiden clenches his fist, his teeth clenched softly, his gums still in pain from earlier.

"It matters because it's still yours," a voice calls out. Jaiden, confused at first, looks up, and sees Espio, the purple chameleon he was helping earlier, walking up to him. "Hello, Jaiden. Fancy seeing you out here."

"Oh, Espio," the sitting hedgehog starts. "What are you doing h-"

"We're all looking for you, back at HQ. You should come back, Sonic is out searching for you as we speak."

"Damn, really? My fault, bro. I was gonna come back, eventually." Espio, suspicion evident, crosses his arms.

"I'm sure you were, but I think it'd be better if you came back now."

"Ight dawg, look, I told you that I-"

"You were consumed by emotion, were you?" Jaiden freezes. "After that power surge, saving Cream, you were overwhelmed, right? Something in your past compelled you to act. Now you're thinking about whatever it was, and it's messing with your head." Espio, his yellow eyes cold and observant. Jaiden was slightly shook. He stood up, looking Espio directly in the eye as he stood chest to cheat.

"How the hell-"

"Jaiden, I'm a ninja. I'm quiet, but I still observe my surroundings and those in it. You're not as hard to read as you think." Jaiden was visibly getting frustrated.

"Man, shut that shit up. You know nothing about me, or the shit I've been through! You couldn't possibly understand!" the hedgehog said, his voice booming as he was steaming up, his fists clenched and his right hand glowing. Some people stopped to look at him and Espio. The purple chameleon, his calm demeanor slightly fading, holds a hand behind his back, a kunai just barely visible in it. Before things escalated any further, someone got in-between them, a blue blur only visible for a second before the body behind it came into view. Sonic, who had finally found Jaiden, stood with his hands out between Espio and the angered hedgehog.

"Hey, let's not do this here," he shouts, his face worried. He turns his head to the purple chameleon. "Espio, Jaiden is just confused, is all. We have no clue what he's going through, but he'll keep it under control." He then turns to the other hedgehog. "Right?" Jaiden's chest puffs down as he let out a sigh. He closes his eyes for a second, the light in his right hand dimming, before looking back at Sonic and Espio.

"I'll keep my peace," he grunts out. Espio, loosening up, puts his kunai back and crosses his arms.

"Apologies," he murmured. Sonic breathes a sigh of relief. The people around the trio went about their day as the situation died back down. The blue hedgehog stood back upright, and turned to face Jaiden.

"I've been looking for you everywhere. Why'd you run off earlier," Sonic questions. Jaiden crosses his arms.

"Sorry, I, just had a lot on my mind," the buff hedgehog responds. "Taking down that badnik wasn't an issue, it was just, when I had Cream in my arms… I just, thought about something in my past. Something, someone I failed." Espio keeps a cold look on the hedgehog as he speaks, but more compassion is felt. The blue blur gives Jaiden a warm smile as he chuckles and puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Jaiden, you didn't fail her," he says. "She's still around, is she? The only thing I'd say you did wrong was let her see you bleed from the mouth. That was probably scary for her. She's a very tough girl though, so I wouldn't worry about that." The light gray hedgehog with a small smirk on his face, chuckles lightly.

"You're damn right about that. It felt like she was the one comforting me. She must have been through some tough shit to hold herself together like that."

"Cream has been through alot, and just recently, when the metal virus was still around, she had lost her mother, her choas, and so many more people she loved. This also included herself at one point, so it's no surprise on how mature she is for her age," Espio chimes in.

"It's almost like my trauma ain't nothing compared to hers. She's one hell of a kid." Jaiden thinks to himself.

"You found him. Excellent," shouts an oncoming voice. The three look toward The direction it came. Who came walking up was Silver the Hedgehog. He had a neutral expression, his eyes shifting between the three animals.

"Yo, Sonic, who's this cat," the light gray hedgehog asks Sonic. Before the blue animal could respond, Silver's voice cuts in.

"How rude of me to keep you waiting. My name is Silver. You're Jaiden, right," the white animal questions, extending a hand for Jaiden to shake.

"Um, yeah, that's me. It's nice to meet you, Silver," the light gray animal says in response, shaking his hand. "Can I ask how you know me, my man?"

"Well, let's just say… I have people who told me about you," responds Silver, a small smirk crossing his face. "I heard about that power you got in your chaos emerald, the one in your right hand. You used it to save Cream. That's just as noble as I thought you'd be."

"Ermm, 'preciate it… I guess." Silver chuckles and scratches the back of his head.

"I'm sure you're very confused, Jaiden, but I'll explain later. Right now, you mind if I ask a favor from you?" Jaiden gives the white animal a confused look.

"Well, I just met you, homie, so I dunno," responds the light gray hedgehog.

"Don't worry, he's trustworthy," Sonic chimes into Jaiden's words. "Silver here is a saint." Jaiden, reluctant at first, thinks for a moment, before sighing.

"Ight bro. Whatchu need," questions the buff animal crossing his arms.

"There's two people I want you to find and meet, two ladies. They're the newer members of the Resistance, and everyone has grown to love and trust them, and one of them has a mysterious past like you, which made her quiet. Maybe you two could bond over that?"

"Hm, okay. So I'm looking for two ladies. Bet," responded Jaiden. He then looks up, seeing that time flew by so fast, it was now nighttime. "Damn it's already dusk. Any particular reason why none of y'all will come with me?"

"We're gonna head back to HQ and get things together so you can meet everyone formally," the blue blur announces. "Things'll be ready for ya when you get back, man. In the meantime, you're pretty fast, it won't take you long." Jaiden gives Sonic a little side eye.

"Ight, Sonic. Now I'm starting to trust you so don't fuck me over, okay," responded the light gray hedgehog.

"You cuss a lot."

"Life'll do that to ya. Anyway, Silver, can you point where these two girls are?"

"Yep, of course. You're gonna be looking for a wolf and a lemur. They went out on a mission recently near a disturbance Jewel reported over there. They gotta get through with that before they head to Resistance HQ," He points to his west. "The wolf might be hostile to you at first. Tell her you know me. I call her 'The Guardian Angel.'"

"All I ask is that she had better not be trigger happy," Jaiden says jokingly. "Wait, why do you call her that? That's yo girl or sum?" Silver stammers, a blush etching his cheekbones.

"Erm… n-no i-i-its not like that, I promise," shouts the white animal in response. "It's just that during the Battle for Angel Island, she'd provide good marksman support from afar. That's all!"

"You're not doing a very good job covering yourself, Silver," a quiet Espio finally says. Silver chuckles awkwardly.

"Go ahead on, Jaiden. Me and the gang will be at HQ. We should have everyone there for ya, and knowing Tails, maybe he already figured out that tech of your sister's." Sonic says to Jaiden.

"I gotchu. Guess I'll see you boys soon," responds a waving Jaiden. The other three animals wave back, before they depart toward Resistance HQ. "Okay, so a wolf and a lemur, and the wolf is a marksman." He says to himself, a small smile etching his face.

"Maybe she's kind of like me."