Jayde and the Seven Shards [1]

26: A Problem? ✔️

MUSIC: Malik Bash - Crash

"Do you," Rouge took a heavy breath after fighting the Guardian for some time, "Give up?" This wolf was one of the strongest Guardians, and he did everything in his power to make sure they didn't get the Shard.

"N-No." He struggled to his feet after having another knock down by the red echidna.

Knuckles frowned, glaring at the elder in front of his and crossing his arms, "You don't give up easily, do you?"

The Guardian rose to his feet, resting against his staff with the pink Shard in his hand, "I have been trained to the fullest to not give up until my final breath. I must protect the Shard with all I have."

Rouge wiped her mouth, "As much as I admire that, we need that jewel to protect this world from Dr Eggman."

The Guardian's eyes widened, "Eggman, you say?" A frown laced on his face, "He has stolen two of the Shards already using his ruthless machinery to destroy some of us Guardians."

The bat huffed, "Heh, with the amount of power you have, I doubt he'd just destroy you."

"What do you mean by that?" The Guardian asked, dropping his battle stance.

"Eggman doesn't just want power, he uses it." Knuckles stated, "You guys are a powerful bunch, he wouldn't just destroy you if you have so much power within you."

The elder's orbs widened, "You mean he'd extract the power from us and kill us slowly and painfully?"

"Possibly." Rouge muttered, wiping some dirt from her arms. The Guardian moved his arms around, his eyes shut before blue wisps clouded his fingers. The blue flew up slightly before enlarging in front of the three, showing an image of two Guardians in a container, light beams travelling through them. Their bodies looked exhausted as they breathed heavily, their palms resting against the glass.

The elder had fear in his eyes, "We must save them!" he cried, looking away and swiping a hand through the wisps, not being able to watch any more, "I fear they may not last long."

"You fear an awful lot." Knuckles muttered, crossing his arms and huffing, "There's nothing we can do. We don't know where Eggman's base is." The Guardian looked pleadingly towards the two, desperate for any kind of help from them. He was afraid for his fellow wolves and it was clear as day in his eyes.

Rouge placed a hand on her hip, looking at the ground below her feet. The bat's sapphire orbs widened and she clicked her fingers, "Shadow does!" The red echidna fiddled with his communicator before it connected with the twin-tailed fox.

Meanwhile with Tails and Amy

"I'm getting worried." The pink hedgehog sighed, staring up at the fire-like sky, "They should have been back by now." The young fox glanced at her, his eyelashes folding down into a troubled look.

"I'm sure they're fine Amy." He spoke, screwing up another bolt on his plane. After the long flight back, she needed some repairs, especially after the Eggman attack. Tails' orbs flickered to his communicator as it flashed. He removed his goggles, wiping his gloves on his fur before connecting with the caller, "Tails, here." He spoke.

"Tails, buddy, we've got a slight problem." Knuckles' voice came through the speaker, Amy walking over to join her friend, "We think Egghead might have two of the Guardians."

"I do not think that horrible man has them. I know he does. You saw the image, did you not?" A voice snapped behind him, causing the echidna to roll his eyes a bit.

The rose hedgehog gasped, "That's impossible! Eggman doesn't know where the secret gardens are."

"Well, he found out." Rouge's voice came to hearing, "The Guardian here has said that Eggman had already taken two of the Shards. My guess is that he won't just let the Guardians go with all the power they possess."

Tails balanced the communicator on his plane wing as he continued the repairs, "You make a good point. Are you going to get them back?"

"Tails, are you nuts? Who knows what kind of traps Eggman has set. And we don't even know where he is!" Knuckles exclaimed through the device.

"Well, you can't just leave them there!" the pink hedgehog cried, switching the communicator to camera, watching as Knuckles and Rouge came to view.

"He's right." Rouge spoke up, turning the screen towards her, "Eggman has hidden his base but Shadow knows where he is."

The twin-tailed fox froze, "Uh, they aren't back yet."

"What do you mean?! I thought he was staying in the workshop along with everyone else?" Knuckles shouted, clenching his fists.

"Jayde and Sonic went to find out about the Shards in the original place of the blue one she had. After a distress call from Sonic's communicator, Shadow, Blaze and Silver ran out to help." Amy explained, picking a few bits of dirt from her hammer.

"Well, we need them. Jayde can sneak into Eggman's base with her invisibility and Shadow can help them escape." Rouge thought up the plan, glancing at the Guardian who bit his thumb with worry.

"I'll try and connect with them but I don't know how far away they went. Apparently, Metal Sonic turned up." Tails muttered, digging through his tool box.

"Just try to communicate with them. I don't know how long the Guardians have left; Eggman seems to be pretty set on getting their power." Rouge sighed, ending the call.

The twin-tailed fox frowned, "Amy, try and connect with Sonic, Shadow and Jayde should be with him. If you can't, we'll just have to wait until they come back."

The pink hedgehog huffed, "Are you kidding? I can just run around and find him easily! My love for him will help me." Tails didn't even have time to stop her before she grabbed a spare communicator and rushed out the door. The young fox sighed, shaking his head. Trust Amy.