The Blue Comet

Another Emerald

"Some of these memories, they aren't mine." Sonic thought to himself replaying what the emerald had shown him, yet they were clouded over with the unfitting visions of running down a hall and a girl left behind. He hadn't seen Scourge since he gained his first emerald. "Where did they come from? They are familiar but as a story being told to me. Not as my own." He couldn't shake the awkward feeling.
Jet and his team stayed well out of sight, a few miles behind reading him on their emerald tracker.
"Team Chaotix he's coming your way." Wave radioed into them, her voice dragged with exhaustion. "I can't believe he's been going nonstop since last night. I'm tired."
"That's what she said." Storm grumbled lowly.
"You don't even understand that joke, shut up Storm." She lazily shot back.
"Stop you're complaining already." Jet shushed them seeming to be the only one bright eyed and alert, "Hey when he get's over to ya guys why don't we switch off and you follow him. I'm afraid I have a bunch of babies to take care of."
"Roger that Team Babylon, Chaotix is on the job!" Charmy sang over the radio.
"We'll make sure to point him in the right direction." Jet answered back looking back at Wave and Storm looking to be sleeping standing up on their boards, "Well... I will anyway." He rolled his eyes waking them up and ordered for them to take a break and rest. Arching his back and accelerating his speed the wind cooled through his feathers keeping him alert as he sped up towards the running blue hedgehog.

"Hey!" He called coming up from behind him.
Sonic gasped trying to run faster was he after him, the emerald he already had?
"You won't get that Emerald in the valley before me!" Jet yelled keeping pace with his friend.
"You're after the chaos emerald too?!"
"That's right I'm the notorious treasure hunter of the Babylon Rogues, Jet the Hawk! And that Emerald is goin on display in my vault!"
"N-No! I need that emerald!" Sonic cried, "You don't understand I, I have to find out who I am!"
"Oh yeah?! Then race me for it!!" Jet smiled smacking his foot on the turbo gear and flew out in front of him. Sonic shielded his eyes from the blades of grass and dirt being kicked up from the shock wave of speed coming off the board.
"Whoa that thing is fast..." He thought again, "He looked awful familiar, that guy from the picture? Heh he thinks he can out speed me, with a modified skate board?" There seemed to be a fire within him, a bolt of lightning charging within him as he pressed forward and gained his speed. "Faster, I can go more than this!" He smiled to himself as he caught up with Jet running side by side him and seeing the stunned face of the bird.
"Just because you have an identity crisis don't think I'll hold back on you!" He yelled over the wind rushing past them both as he swerved closer as the came to two canyon walls creating a valley in between, Jet used the walls to do a trick gaining him some air speed and kept back into first place.
But Sonic was just as swift using his surroundings to gain footing higher up, dodging the rocks that shot up from the valley's ground, he ran on the wall without having to navigate the twists of the obstacles he regained place in first. Without looking back he ran and ran until he cleared the valley and came up upon an oasis tucked away from the rest of the world, cradled in a nest of vines and leaves was another Emerald. Sonic snatched it up quickly looking back to see he'd shaken the Hawk off his tail. Thankfully he didn't pass out as he did when he achieved the first emerald. As he held the other he noticed something attached to it, another picture. This one had three other people with him, a purple chameleon, a child bee, and a large crocodile all striking a pose. Shoving the both of them within the pocket of his quills and took off running again, if Jet was still trying to get the emerald he'd be catching ups soon.

However Jet had drawn back and met up with his team sound asleep against each other.
"He's all yours Chaotix." Jet huffed stepping off his board and sank to the ground. "Yer lucky Sonic the hedgehog, if it weren't to help ya, that emerald would have been as good as mine." He rested his head back laying on the ground and finally gave himself a rest.
Meanwhile Team Chaotix took on the chase; or rather only Espio as Charmy stayed behind with Vector who wasn't exactly in shape to keep up with Sonic like he used to.
"No fair!!!" Charmy whined, "I have to stay behind."
"You don't have to.." Vector gazed up at Charmy, "Don't let me hold ya back kiddo. I'll be alright." The croc waddled out of the hiding spot well after Espio took off after Sonic leaving them both behind.
Charmy puffed up his cheeks, "Aww, it's okay Vector. I didn't mean it like that." Even though he wanted to be mad and the selfish child side of him still very prominent wanted to blame him for the reason of being left behind, he also matured well enough to hold his younger and gained a few manners.
"Sorry Charmy." Vector said still knowing how his younger and always hyper team mate felt about the situation, without needing to he already blamed himself for being such a hinderance and felt like an inconvenience. "I only came along because it was Sonic y'know. For old time sake, being out on a mission, the three of us. Just like when he used to be here."
"N-no Vector really!" Charmy hid his face, "It was just as fun with you here even if I couldn't go on the big chase."
"Sure it is Charmy. Thanks..." Vector nodded heading out from the valley squeezing past the rocks that both Jet and Sonic had easily slipped past moments ago.
"Aw come on Vector..." Charmy whined having to be stuck with the duty of cheering up the easily emotionally offset croc.

—
"Mr.President I highly advise against this." A Zone officer replied over the phone.
"I know that's why I don't have to gain your permission or listen to your useless opinions." Eggman grunted, "And for saying against it, you're fired."
"I-You can't fire me..."
"I can't but your boss can, and I'll send in a notice of termination for you or have the facility shut down and under new management."
"Sir, Scourge is unstable and untrustworthy, if you go through with this you'll be putting everyone and even yourself at risk of death.You should be fully staffed in security, have a cage for him to keep him contained when not in use."
"Nothing different from any other day. He and I came to a very understanding agreement, and so far he's done very well out from his kennel. Now if you excuse me I have business to attend to."
Scourge darted in, the wind he brought made papers fly around the room, "Sup fatty."
"Excuse you, mind the nicknames you insignificant booger, need I remind you I control that bomb attached to your ankle."
"Tch." Scourge scoffed taking a glance down to his ankle, under his sock clamped a metal bracelet armed to detonate  with the push of a button whenever Eggman decided it so. "Mr. President." He corrected his greeting.
"Very good. Keep this up and I might have you set free again."
"No need to butter me up with yer obvious lies. I haven't my sights set on freedom, even when I'm out of the pin. Look at me, like a dog with a shock collar, this ain't free."
"Well at least you're a realist." Eggman chuckled, "So then have you found your blue counterpart?"
"Yeah. He's collecting the chaos emeralds. Apparently they're a cure of amnesia, I mean how obvious, that's what Shadow did to regain his memory right? A chaos control hunting adventure solves everything."
"Hmm intriguing.." Eggman hummed stroking his chin.
"Not really, kinda obvious." Scourge crossed his arms glaring through his shades.
"Silence. This is perfect, he'll eventually have to face me to gain these two emeralds."
"Oh yeah forgot to mention; if it even is of importance, his friends just so happen to be leaving pictures of themselves everywhere with him helping him gain back some of his true memory."
"Oh ho, so that's their play is it? You have a good mouth on you, twist those truths with some lies, he can't trust anyone, no one but me, and if you see Shadow, kill him."
"Got it. If this is all I'm outta here again."
Eggman waved him away as he bolted out the house still receiving construction from the break in. "As for you my useless mechanical hunks of junk..." He turned back to the two robot servants quivering in their gears, "I suppose I'll recycle you into children's tin lunch boxes."

"W-wait Do-P-President! Please no! Don't turn us into lunch boxes!" They cried a thing him walk away.

—
Sonic sat down finally taking a break.  He set out the emeralds in front of him and the pictures watching them as they began to wake up his memory. The emerald glowed warmly to his frayed nerves and the smiling faces of his friends comforted him. He settled down holding them close to his chest letting the memories dance through his mind like dreams, but the deeper he went the haze came back. Eggman's echoed in the dark, "They will stop at nothing to trick you. Even using a woman and child to gain your heart."
But Sonic was beginning to see for himself that maybe it isn't true. That fox kid, Tails he couldn't be bad or out to get him. Not if he knew him from so early in life and knew him till this very day. There was something bigger going on here in this place. People needed a real hero's help, seeming to be suppressed in some kind of depressive funk, perhaps that's why there was so many people tracking him, some to team up and others to hinder. Either way he'll have to be careful with who he trusts and lets in.