Jayde the Hedgehog • Negative Rebound [4]

28 • Cleobella ✔️

Music: Theory of Everything - DJ Nate

Mystic Ruins

Azure eyes studied the analysis on his screen with a frown, "How is this possible?" he muttered to himself.

Cleobella looked through the microscope at the DNA from Shine's fight with Raven. The DNA seemed to be shifting every so often, the blood darkening. From the screen above, the two fox's saw Rouge, Wave, Silver, Blaze and Manic, "What is it?" the ivory female asked.

"Well since Raven is already in Jayde, her DNA should be a replica of that." Tails answered, "But Jayde's DNA is physically changing because of the sudden transformation, and Raven's individual genes are taking over – this would explain her sudden anger and why she's attacking us."

"Raven sees us as a threat." Cleobella muttered.

The twin-tailed fox nodded, "Even though Raven would have all of Jayde's memories, it's safe to assume that the negative form doesn't recognize us, which considers us threats."

"But she remembered Shadow and Knuckles - and I'm pretty sure she remembers Sonic, too." Blaze pointed out.

Tails sighed and shrugged, "It might be because Jayde spends the most time with them. She wasn't able to recognize Shine, so perhaps it's their chaotic energy that she remembers."

"Is that why she's attacking us?" Rouge asked, glancing over to the echidna who slowly began to wake again.

"One of the reasons." Cleobella answered.

"One? What's the other?" Wave asked.

The blue female sighed, "When Jaylee used her negative energy to bring forth Raven, it wasn't just that which changed her." She brought up a few documents from the doctor's lab that she had secretly kept, "Cell she was in was feeding her negative energy as well, but this was beginning to control her from the moment she stepped in that cell."

"You mean, Eggman is controlling her?" Silver enquired.

Cleobella shook her head, "She may work on the doctor's side, but she is still her own person. Unlike me who didn't know what she was doing, Raven does. The only difference is that she is choosing to work with him because of the negative energy the cell was feeding her."

"So, Egghead is controlling her, but also isn't?" Manic responded before frowning, "I think that makes sense."

"It is complicated." She sighed.

"So, how do we bring her back?" Blaze asked.

It was Tails' turn to sigh, and he shrugged, "I'm not sure. By looking at her DNA, the only way I can think of doing that is by physically taking the negative energy out of her. But that would take a lot of time, experimentation and risks to Jayde's overall health. It's a risk I don't want to take." He concluded.

Silver huffed, "If we want to bring Jayde back it's a risk we'll have to take!"

"Silver..." Blaze mumbled.

"I don't want to have to make that decision!" Tails hissed angrily, "If I did this, and it went wrong, it would mean the end of Jayde. She's told me once before that one of her fears is being experimented on – what if she woke up and saw me doing just that? What kind of friend would she see me as?"

Silver fell quiet, feeling ashamed of himself. He didn't want Jayde to suffer, but she was. Whether she could see what she was doing or not, it was hurting all of them – and it would hurt her the most. This time was worse than when Mephiles unleashed her, it was far more dangerous.