Sonic GeneX - Soleanna Struggle
Arc 2 - Final Struggles
Chapter 11 - The Firefly

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"We can make it if we all stick together!
We won't give up, not ever!
And everything's gonna be all right!" - We Can, Sonic Heroes


Copter had just witnessed the power of the phoenix. He was having trouble comprehending what he saw, though. "Wha... wai... You were shot!" he stuttered. Heather frowned. "Yes. That was unpleasant. But it's a good thing Vortex didn't know that phoenixes are revived from their own ashes." she said. "How'd you catch fire?!" Copter asked. Heather led Copter out of the train, which had been shut down by Vortex shortly after Copter boarded it. "I'm a pyrokinetic. That's what Bucky said. When I die, the fire inside me spreads, and I am revived from the ashes." she explained. Copter looked thoughtful. "Ah, that's why you're afraid of water. It might put out the fire inside you..." he realized. Heather was shaking as she walked. Copter believed it was simply an understandable reaction to dying, but it wasn't. "Did you know... That when you die... You see your entire life flash before your eyes? I did. I saw that day... When I escaped from Bucky... I wasn't sure before, but now I am. I... I killed someone!" As she said this, she dropped to her knees and started crying. Copter hadn't wanted to believe Vortex before, but now it seemed he was right. Still, seeing Heather crying about it erased any doubts of whether or not she was evil. He knelt down beside her and put his arm around her. "Don't cry, Heather. You're making steam!" he said, trying to sound sympathetic. Heather wouldn't stop. "I remember now... I was so angry... Then I just lost control of myself. It was like someone else was inside me... Controlling me! That's why I couldn't remember that night well. That's why I won't let myself fight anyone. What if... What if that evil takes me again!?" she sobbed. "It won't." Copter said quickly, "Not if you don't let it. You're you right now, right? If there is another presence inside you, then you're beating it right now! You're stronger than it is!" Heather didn't quite believe this, but Copter's logic was good. She calmed down slightly, and she and Copter stood up. "Let's get out of this place. Since Vortex thinks you're dead, Team GeneX will be out of our way, at least. We should get back to Soleanna, and try to think of a plan to stop everyone from chasing you!" Copter suggested. "I'm sorry..." Heather said sadly, "For everything. I'm sorry I killed that person. I'm sorry you got mixed up in this. I'm just..." Copter took her hand. "Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault. It was your dark side. The Heather I know is no murderer!" he insisted. They started heading out of the tunnel. It would be a long walk back to Soleanna, but they were looking forward to taking a break from everything on the way.


Guard had thought about how to get Gemini and Chet into the GUN compound. He wasn't allowed to bring unauthorized friends into any GUN base, so they would probably be turned away at the door. There was only one solution he could think of. He had some handcuffs among the equipment he was issued for this mission. He cuffed Gemini and Chet, and then led them to the entrance to the compound. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this..." Chet groaned as they approached the door. "Quiet, Chet! This won't work if you blab the plan!" Gemini whispered. The door was blocked by two GUN agents. "Halt! What's your business here?" one of the agents asked. "Grrrr... It's me, Agent Guard. Grrrr... Sergeant Gunner sent me out to get some prisoners." Guard lied. It was against his programming to lie to GUN agents, but logic told him it was a necessary lie. The agents turned to each other. "I didn't hear about this, did you?" one agent asked. The other one shook his head. Guard let out a loud growl. "Are you implying that a GUN programmed android is lying to you!? Grrrrr, MOVE IT!! You know how Gunner gets when things don't go his way! All three of us will be in for it!" he shouted. The agents exchanged frightened glances, then stepped aside. "All right. We don't want any trouble from Gunner. Go on through." they both said at once. Guard walked into the compound with a snort, leading Gemini and Chet inside. They quietly followed Guard for a while until they reached a small computer room. "This should suffice. Grrr... I'll just be a moment, I need to download a map of the compound." Guard told them. Chet blocked his way. "Oh, no you don't! Take off these handcuffs, first!" he shouted. Guard hesitated. "Grrrr.... Maybe that's not a good idea. I don't know either of you very well." he said. "Wha? You know me! I stood up to Conan! I'm not a bad guy!" Chet protested. "We won't be a problem, Guard. I promise." Gemini added. Guard thought about it, and determined that they wouldn't cause trouble. He unlocked the handcuffs and then went to download a map. "Great, I knew this guy couldn't be totally unreasonable!" Chet muttered. "So, where are our friends being held?" Gemini asked. In a few seconds, Guard finished loading the map. "Grrrr... The prison is underground. Grrr... We'll have to take the main elevator. It's near the center of the compound. Grrrr... I'm going to have a word with my boss if we see him. If I am satisfied with his explanation for his actions, you'll likely be arrested, too." he said. Chet shrugged his shoulders. "That won't happen. Anyone who'd arrest Razor is certifiable." he said. "Lead the way, Guard!" Gemini said. With that all cleared up, Guard began leading them to the center of the compound without further delay.


Deep within the compound was a large room filled with video screens and computers. It was a security center and a control room combined. Seated in front of the large screen on the center of the wall was Sergeant Gunner. His spy cameras were combing the train tracks searching for Heather. "I know that phoenix was here... And I'll find her! Nothing will stand in my way this time!" he growled to himself. If he'd learned anything from the recent Arcangel incident, it was that the experiments were likely among the most powerful beings on the planet. He despised the 'furry freaks,' but his love of power outweighed his hatred in this case. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door behind him. "Unless you have my coffee, I recommend you leave at once!" Gunner yelled. Spy's voice was heard through the door. "Sorry, Sarge! This is urgent!" he said. "So is my coffee!! Come in, but make it quick!" Gunner growled. Spy entered the room and saluted the Sergeant. "Agent Guard has found the compound!" he reported. Gunner turned in his chair and shot Spy a murderous look. "That's it!? You call that urgent!?" he sneered. Spy backed away nervously. "Th-there's more, sir! He brought two prisoners with him. I wasn't aware he was sent to capture anyone..." he said. Gunner turned to the big screen. "He wasn't! Bring up the security cameras!" he ordered. Spy pressed a few buttons on a control panel, and in moments, an image of Guard leading Gemini and Chet through the base appeared onscreen. Gunner turned to Spy. "Now, why aren't they wearing handcuffs?" he asked Spy, as though he already knew the answer. "Um... They turned themselves in?" Spy said. Gunner shook his head. "No, you dunce! They're NOT prisoners! Guard's up to something fishy! Send our security robots after him! Prep the Firefly for battle! ...AND BRING ME MY COFFEE!!!!" he shouted, scaring Spy off. "Yes sir, right away sir!! Don't shoot me sir!!" Spy said as he ran off. Gunner stood up and followed him. "No one betrays me!! I'll see that freak burn personally!!"


Guard, Gemini, and Chet soon reached a long hallway, with the main elevator at the end. There was another hallway that ran past the main elevator, as well. It was from this other hallway that robots began to enter! They were all flamethrower equipped versions of regular GUN robots, specifically the beetles and hunters. Guard could sense beforehand that they'd arrived for him and his companions. "Grrrr! It seems my boss doesn't like us being here. Grrr... Unfortunately, my programming completely forbids me from fighting GUN robots." he informed them. Chet raised his fists. "Well, who needs ya! These are the same robots that attacked me in the jungle! It's payback time!" he growled. Already, the robots had charged down the hall and began to attack! Many of the hunter robots carried a normal blaster along with their flamethrowers, and were the first to start shooting! Chet ran down the hall, carefully avoiding the shots until he was close enough to begin taking the robots apart! Guard, on the other hand, was forced to merely defend by blocking attacks with the blade of his scythe, rather than fight back. The blade of his scythe was built to absorb laser attacks, but if those flamethrowers got too close, he'd have problems. Gemini had readied her wand, and began blasting robots, when a small, black hunter robot came up behind her and took her wand! The little robot was apparently built for speed; it ran away before Gemini could do anything! "Aaahh!! Not my wand!! I'm defenseless without it!" she shouted, attempting to chase the robot that took the wand. She quickly found herself surrounded by robots, and would likely have been fried if Chet didn't jump in and draw their attention away from her. Chet was fighting like a maniac. His only weapons were his claws, which he could slash with such speed and force that he could even tear the metal bodies of the robots! Though they were outnumbered, the small space of the hallway limited the amount of robots that could attack them at once, making things somewhat easier. Soon, Gemini managed to reach the elevator, with Chet's help. Guard soon followed. "So long, rusties. See you on the way out!" Chet taunted as the elevator began to take them to the lower levels of the compound.

When the elevator stopped, they stepped into a large room that was mostly empty. All that could really be seen in the room was a few boxes with the GUN symbol on them. There was an exit on the other side of the room. "The prison area is a short walk down that hallway. Grrrr... Stay alert. The boss knows we're here. Grrrr... He'll probably be here before we get out." Guard warned. Chet didn't seem to care, but Gemini looked rather nervous. "Oh... I wish I still had my wand! I don't think we'll be able to make it out of here if Chet's the only one fighting..." she said worriedly. Chet looked rather relaxed. "Aw, don't worry, pretty girl. I'll protect you!" he said. They walked down a short hallway beyond the large room and soon found a smaller room where a guard was sleeping in a chair. Chet grinned. "Boy, this Gunner guy gets all the stupid henchmen!" he whispered. Guard walked over to the guard and cuffed him to the chair! The guard woke up with a start. "H-hey! What the!!? HELP!!" he shouted. Chet smacked him over the head hard, knocking him out. "That'll shut him up." he said. Gemini frowned. "He was restrained. Was that really necessary?" she asked. "Trust me, it was." Chet insisted. Guard grabbed the keys from the agent's belt. "Grrr... Let's hurry up!" he said, leading them into the prison area. There were only a few cells, and Razor and Katie's cells were side by side! "Chet! I knew you'd find me!" Katie shouted happily, running to the bars of the cell. Chet hugged her through the bars. "I've missed you terribly!" he said. Gemini looked at Chet suspiciously. "Say... Is that your girlfriend?" she asked. Razor approached the bars of his cell. "She sure is. Now, let me just ask, Chet, is my brother safe!? I told you to go back to the safe house! Please tell me Mia and Tommy listened!!" he shouted, half panicked. Chet turned to him, looking guilty. "Well... Uh... Tommy's with Mia... They went with us to the station... Then we were separated. They might've gone back..." he told him. Gemini stepped forward and looked at Razor apologetically. "Don't blame him. It was my fault. I helped them get into the station. I'm sorry if I caused any trouble..." she said. Guard walked to the door to Razor's cell and unlocked it. "Grrr... There's no time for this! My boss will be here any second!" he growled. As Razor stepped out of the cell, Guard unlocked Katie's cell. Chet then handed Razor a blaster. "Faster than the eye can see! I snagged this from a robot. I bet you can use it!" he said. Razor looked it over. "Very nice. Standard issue for hunter robots. I never thought your... skills... would come in handy like this." he said, recalling the time he first met Chet. (which we won't go into here) Guard stood in front of the exit. "Grrrr... Before I let you leave, I must ask... Grrrr... Why were you arrested?" Katie and Razor looked at each other doubtfully. "Gunner said treason. On the train ride he asked me something about a... phoenix..." Razor said. "Me too. He asked me about this girl I met... Heather. He's after her for some reason, but I don't know why." Katie added. Guard thought about what they said for a moment, then motioned for them to follow him. "Let's go! Grrr... There's no reason for the boss to keep you here any longer!" he said, leading the way as the group headed back toward the elevator.

They were all chatting among themselves as they walked back toward the large room containing the elevator. "GUN's gonna be sorry for this! I'm going to get this all over the news! That Gunner guy's gonna be in a lot of trouble!" Katie was saying as they entered the large room. A large metal door suddenly slammed shut behind them, and they found themselves standing face to face with Sergeant Gunner! He was accompanied by a large mech that resembled Flying Dog, but was larger. Its size allowed for additional weapons to be attached to it, along with more powerful engines. "So, I'm in trouble am I? I think not! It's you freaks that are in for it!!" Gunner snarled, mostly glaring at Guard. Razor and Chet stepped to the front of the group, Chet baring his claws and Razor holding his blaster. Guard was a couple steps behind. "Grrr... Why, boss!? Grrr... Why are you doing all this!?" he growled. Gunner couldn't believe the question. "Are you serious!? You're asking me WHY!? Because I HATE you furry freaks, that's why!! That's why I called Lord Regis before you went to question him. It was ME who told him you were evil! I told him you were with Eggman!" he growled. Razor's eyes went wide. "You created mistrust, so Guard got frustrated and hit him. I'll bet you made sure his programming would make him do it, even against his better judgment!" he shouted. Gunner grinned. "Now you're catching on. Placing those experiments under arrest was just step one! I'll do whatever it takes to make the world see the evil that I see in all of you!" Just then, the elevator opened and Spy came in with a coffee mug. "Your coffee, Sarge!" he said. "About time!" Gunner took the mug and downed the coffee in one gulp. "Ahh... Such a satisfying day..." he said. Katie pointed to Spy. "You!! You're the jerk who kidnapped me!!" she shouted. Spy took the empty mug from Gunner and backed toward the elevator. "Nothing personal. I heard you talking about that red bird. The Sarge wanted me to bring anyone with any information to him." he said nervously. Everyone was a bit surprised. "He doesn't look like the type who could pull off a kidnapping..." Gemini said. "Never mind that!" Gunner shouted. "He'll do what I say, because I will personally kill him if he doesn't! That's why he'll help me capture the phoenix when the time comes! You see, I was tipped off by someone that this bird had immense power... But was weak-willed enough to be controlled. I'll use this weapon to further my cause! To wipe you furry freaks from the face of the earth!! And not a single one of you can do anything to stop me!!! Because the R-6/A Firefly will burn you to ashes first! Destroy them, Firefly!!" Guard dropped to his knees. He wanted so badly to stop Gunner, but his programming completely held him back. There was just one thing he could do. "Chet! Grrr... Take this!" He threw his scythe to Chet, which he caught easily. "Its energy blasts won't work without me, but it'll be able to do some damage anyway. Grrrr... That thing's armor will be too strong for your claws. Grrrr... Please, beat it in my place!" Guard said. Chet winked at him. "No sweat! Just keep the girls safe, OK?" While Guard and Chet were talking, Razor had been shooting at the Firefly, but soon realized that the blaster was too weak to damage it. "Hey, Chet? I don't want to alarm you, but you're our only hope, here!" he shouted. Chet turned to the mech and chased after it. As he went to attack, it quickly sped out of the way and fired some small missiles at him! They hit the floor around him, and the force of the blast sent him flying! "Aaah!! Chet, be more careful!!" Katie shouted. Chet stood up and ran after Firefly again. The mech responded by spouting flames from a pair of flamethrowers mounted on its sides! Chet was forced to quickly turn back, slightly singing his tail in the process. "Yow!! What is it with this base and fire!?" he shouted, grabbing his tail and blowing on it. "Man, I like this tail... You'll pay for that!"

As Chet's battle with Firefly began heating up, Gunner pressed a button on a remote he was carrying. "You other freaks look bored... This should keep you busy!" As it turned out, the side walls had hidden doors, and they now opened to allow a squad of robots to enter! Among them was the small black hunter, which was still carrying Gemini's wand! "Th-that robot!! I've got to catch it!" Gemini shouted, rushing after it without thinking. Razor used his blaster to shoot some robots as they went after her! "You don't have a weapon! Get back here!" he shouted. Gemini refused. "I can't! I need my wand!" she shouted back. Razor chased after her. "I'll do my best to cover you, then!" he said. Meanwhile, Katie had looked inside one of the crates in the room, and found some guns. She took one for herself, and tossed another to Guard, who could only fire warning shots at the robots. "Ignore Guard! Fight the others!" Gunner shouted, realizing that Guard couldn't fight back. Chet was getting the worst of the enemies, having to deal with beetles as well as the Firefly. Guard's scythe proved quite useful to him, though. Its reach helped him destroy several beetles as he attempted to chase the speedy Firefly mech. However, every time he got close, the mech would activate its flamethrowers. It was virtually impossible to get close enough to hit it! Worse, it still had the gatling guns and missile launchers that the original Flying Dog used as well. Chet had one advantage, though. He was fast, even for a cheetah. He wasn't as fast as Sonic, of course, but he didn't have to be, because Firefly wasn't either. As he ran around, looking for a way to hit the mech, he soon had an idea. He turned away from Firefly and jumped after one of the beetles. He landed on top of it! Next, he jumped to another one closer to the Firefly, and kept using the beetles as stepping stones until he got close to his target. He jumped at Firefly, which couldn't hit him with the flamethrowers from below, and slashed at it with the scythe! Chet landed behind Firefly. "Gotcha!" he grinned, but it was too soon to celebrate. Firefly's armor had been damaged, but not the mech itself! "You're wasting your time!" Gunner shouted, "Firefly was built to be the ultimate combat mech! You can keep slashing away at its armor all day, and you'll never cause any real damage! You lose, freaks!" Guard was watching the whole thing, unable to take action. He'd dropped his gun, since he really couldn't use it. Katie was doing her best to cover Chet from a distance, while Gemini was frantically chasing the robot that had taken her wand, covered by Razor. There were a lot of robots, and it seemed to Guard that they'd all soon be overrun. He decided his only option was to try to talk to Gunner. "Grrr... This is nonsense, boss! Grrrr... You have to stop this! Grrrr... There are so many worse threats in Soleanna! Like Eggman, and the dangerous experiments!" he shouted. Gunner looked annoyed, he'd wanted to watch the battle without being disturbed. "Shut up, Guard! The experiments will be dealt with. I'll tell you what, though. If you eliminate these pests for me, you will be spared. Then you can deal with the other threats yourself!" he offered. Guard thought that the robots� attacking him earlier was a mistake, and that was why Gunner had ordered them to ignore him. "Grrr!? Wait, I'm an agent of GUN!! Grrrr!! But you DID intend to attack me!?" he growled. Gunner glared at him. "You smuggled intruders into the compound!! And besides, in case you haven't noticed... You're a furry freak, too!! You were always an enemy!! Just an incredibly stupid enemy!" he shouted. Guard fell to his knees once again, grinding his teeth and clenching his fists. "Grrrrr... I... I'm an enemy? That's how you treat me after pledging my life to serve GUN?! Grrrrr!! I don't get paid. I don't get to go home. Grrrr... But I loyally do my duties, and it means absolutely nothing to you!?" he snarled, struggling with his rage and his programming. "I had you built for one single purpose, and you couldn't do it! Remember? Experiment 2 escaped from under your watch! I should have known better than to expect any better from you, though. An actual robot would have been better. And more likeable! I hated you... I still hate you!! Now get out of my face and die quietly!!" Gunner shouted furiously. His words changed something in Guard. His android mind was overloaded, and his rage cancelled out his programming! He rose to his feet in a rage, his body beginning to glow with the same type of energy he would normally shoot through his scythe! "GRRRRRRR!!!!" He flew into the air, dashing around the room! The energy he was using allowed him to tear right through all the robots in the room, taking out the robot holding Gemini's wand in the process! Gunner reacted by heading through one of the side doors the robots had come from. Spy was close behind him. Once they made it out, the doors closed behind them. Guard soon destroyed all of the normal robots in the room, and then turned to Firefly. As he soared towards it, he snatched his scythe back from Chet and smashed it into the Firefly! It burst into flames and crashed to the ground, knocking Guard away as it exploded! He landed on his feet, and the energy surrounding his body disappeared. "OK... That was cool!" Katie said as they all ran over to Guard. Gemini was holding her wand and her spell book. "Are you hurt? Maybe I can find a healing spell!" she offered. Guard ignored her and started heading for the elevator. "Grrrr... If I know Gunner, he's already on his way to the control room to put the compound on full alert. Grrrr... We need to get out of here, quickly!"

Guard led them to the nearest exit he could find, which turned out to be an exit to the airfield! They had moved quickly, so Gunner hadn't managed to retaliate yet. "So, think we can take one of these helicopters?" Razor asked Guard. Before he could answer, though, he was interrupted by Katie. "Hey, is that Mia!?" she said, pointing to a helicopter near the edge of the airfield. Mia was climbing into the helicopter, which Tommy was already seated in. It seemed they were having difficulty making it work, though. Razor started running after them first. "Might've gone back... Of all the..." he was muttering. Katie and Chet followed him first, with Gemini and Guard close behind. Gemini stopped suddenly as a cold chill went down her spine. She sensed that someone was watching her, and she was right. Looking back, she saw Mephiles following her! "Y-you... That person who was talking to Silver... What are you doing here!? What's going on?" she gasped, a feeling of dread filling her. "I haven't spoken to that hedgehog yet. I need something first. Namely... The Chaos Emerald you have with you!" Mephiles said. Gemini pointed her wand at him. "Now that I see you up close... I don't think I trust you! Your eyes... There's something about your eyes!" she said, slowly backing away from him. Mephiles chuckled to himself, and in a flash of light, transformed! His body still vaguely resembled Shadow, but now appeared to be composed of jagged crystal. "I am Mephiles the Dark! Using that Chaos Emerald, I will join myself with the Flames of Disaster, Iblis! No Divine mage is going to stand in my way!" Suddenly, a swarm of monsters resembling the ones from the future appeared, only these monsters were purple! Gemini started to run away, hoping to catch up with Guard and the others. "H-heeeeelp!! Monsters!!" she shouted. The others were all talking amongst themselves, but quickly sprang into action when they saw the monsters. Razor took out the blaster he'd used to fight the GUN robots and ran to fight the monsters. "Start the chopper, Guard! I'll help Gemini!" he shouted. Chet joined him. "Might be a bit much for you alone, Razor! I'll join ya!"

A battle with Mephiles's monsters ensued. Razor started shooting at the monsters, but it took several shots to bring down any single monster. Chet was running to help Gemini, slashing any monsters in his way with his claws. However, they couldn't destroy the monsters fast enough. Once Chet caught up with Gemini, they found themselves surrounded. Razor's blaster had run out of shots, too. "Oh, no! Hang in there, guys! I'll get Guard!" he shouted, but there was no time. The monsters were moving in to attack. It was then that Gemini grabbed Chet by the arm. "Abra-ka-warpra!" She warped them both away from the monsters, and they reappeared near the helicopter! "Whoa! Warn me before you do that!" Chet shouted, shaken by the unexpected transport. Razor, who had arrived seconds before they did, led them into the chopper. "Grrrr... Hold on! There aren't enough seat belts for all of you!" Guard cautioned them as the chopped lifted from the ground and began to fly away. "Run all you want! I WILL get that emerald!" Mephiles shouted before disappearing into another of his time vortexes. "Wow... That was close! Good thing you knew how to work this thing, Guard!" Mia said. Razor was looking rather grumpy. "Do I have to lock up the safe house like a prison!? I told you all to go back!" he grumbled. "Sorry, Razor... But we had to come!" Tommy said. Katie gave Tommy a hug. "You were worried about me, weren't you?" she said, turning to Razor afterward. "Don't worry, Razor. I'm sure we can all stay home now that everyone is accounted for!" Gemini suddenly gasped with alarm. "Not everyone, yet! Guard, I think we should help out Copter!" she suggested. Guard nodded. "Grrrr... Why not? Maybe he can tell us something about this phoenix everyone seems to be after." he said, turning the helicopter to begin searching for him.


Earlier, Vortex had run out of the tunnel and said to everyone that the phoenix was dead. This caused everyone in the area who was after the phoenix to leave. Copter and Heather thought the coast would be clear as a result, but they soon learned they were wrong. After wandering around outside the tunnel for a while, the Babylon Rogues charged after them on their Extreme Gear, hoping to get the Time Stone back! Copter and Heather worked together to fight them off for a little while, but they were getting tired. "Enough! Just hand over the stone, and we'll leave you alone!" Jet said. Copter thought about it, but then saw something that changed his mind. "Forget it, birdbrain! You gotta run from that now!" he said, pointing to the helicopter piloted by Guard! The helicopter fired a few warning shots at the Babylon Rogues! "Darn it! We'll have to try again another time! Let's get out of here!" Jet shouted, leading Wave and Storm away! In a few moments, Copter and Heather were able to board the copter. Heather was welcomed by a hug from Katie. "Heather! It's great to see you're OK!" she said. Heather smiled. "Yeah, same to you!" Copter handed Gemini the red Time Stone. "I think you wanted one of these..." he said. Gemini took it and smiled at him. "Thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me!" she said. Razor walked over to Copter next, extending his hand in friendship. "Gemini told me how you tried to help me. Seems I was completely wrong about you!" he said. Copter shook his hand and smiled. "You're not the first. Thanks." Chet walked over to Heather and grinned. "And how are you, miss? It certainly is a pleasure to see your pretty face again!" Katie hit him over the head. "Stop flirting with people, Chet! Seriously!" she scolded him. Everyone sat down as the chopper began to take off once again. It seemed the bad guys were beaten for now, and they were all looking forward to taking a break back in Soleanna...


Chapter 12 - The Lost Mine

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"Fly in the freedom! 
Time never stop and wait for me. 
Show the way!
Looking for answers, and looking for the clues!" - Fly in the Freedom, Sonic Adventure 2


For a while, things seemed to be finally calming down. Katie had been rescued, and Heather as well. Guard and Razor now saw Sergeant Gunner for what he really was. Best of all, Heather's pursuers now generally seemed to believe she was dead. As the group took a much needed rest just outside the safe house, it felt as though nothing could spoil their peaceful afternoon. Unfortunately, the battles weren't over yet. The peace was soon shattered as residents of Soleanna began panicking over the sudden reappearance of the gigantic flying battleship, the Egg Carrier! Apparently, Dr. Eggman wasn't ready to give up on his plans yet. His voice boomed throughout Soleanna. "Princess Elise, ruler of Soleanna! By refusing to negotiate with me, you have forced me to take drastic actions!" The voice of the mad scientist reached everyone in the city, including Punchy and Rainbow, who had finally returned from Radical Train moments ago. "Wow, Tubby sure sounds angry!" Rainbow said, gazing up at the ship as it moved closer to the castle. Eggman's ultimatum continued. "Meet me at the specified point alone at four o'clock today! Failure to do so on time, will result in my leveling of this city, so that nothing but ashes remain!" On a balcony high atop the castle, Princess Elise was listening. One of her servants called out to her. "Miss Elise!" The princess didn't look at her. "I cannot allow harm to come to my people." she said, turning to leave. "Miss Elise?" another servant shouted, worried. "It is my duty as princess of Soleanna to go." Elise said, looking back briefly. "There is no other choice." With no other course of action, Elise left to meet Eggman by herself.

Copter, Heather, Chet, Katie, Mia, Guard, Tommy, Gemini, and Razor all heard Eggman's threat. "He's got some nerve, flying around up there like he owns the place!" Razor shouted. Heather looked thoughtful. "Eggman's after the princess, too? I wonder... Could that have been..." she muttered. "What is it?" Katie asked curiously. Heather took a moment to explain. "While I was being held captive on Eggman's train, I met someone else he'd captured. I didn't get her name, but she helped me escape. Now that I think about it, it was the same girl that hedgehog was talking to on the plains..." she said. Copter thought back. "That was the princess... Looks like she's been getting caught and rescued more than you today! Don't worry, I'm sure Sonic will take care of her." he said confidently. Chet was leaning against Mia's cab nearby, looking up at the Egg Carrier with binoculars. "That ship sure is impressive, but it seems kinda familiar. Didn't Eggman take a similar ship over Station Square once?" he said. Mia walked over and grabbed the binoculars from him. "Don't touch my stuff, Chet!" she grumbled, taking a look for herself. "Uh oh..." she said nervously after a moment. Gemini walked over and tried to see what she was looking at. "What's the matter? Is Eggman attacking?" she asked. Mia handed her the binoculars, and she took a look. "Oh boy... I think you'd better look at this, Copter!" Copter walked over to grab the binoculars, but a large, black object was already starting to come into view. "Oh, crud, is that what I think it is!?" Razor grumbled worriedly. Guard had used his android eyes to scan the skies. "Grrrr... It's Shadow Arc. My master must be here to capture the phoenix personally." he told them. "That's the ship that flew over Station Square on the night that monster attacked, isn't it?" Tommy said, a little frightened. "There's still time!" Katie said to Heather, "You can hide, really quick, before they get here!" Copter returned the binoculars to Mia, then turned to Heather. "I don't think we want to just keep hiding forever, though!" He thought for a moment and then glanced at Guard. "Um... I feel kinda weird asking YOU for help, but did you leave that GUN helicopter in a place where we can reach it?" Guard nodded. "Grrrr... It's close, but... Are you planning to fight our creator?!" he growled. Copter seemed indifferent to the idea. "If I don't have to, I won't. But I gotta try to convince him to leave Heather alone!" he said. Heather looked up at Shadow Arcangel with fear. "I'd rather not go back there... But all of this... Everything that's happend... It's my fault! I have to try to put a stop to it, too!" she realized. Gemini was thinking something over. "I'm not sure if this is a good idea... But I'll go with you, too!" Copter, Heather, and Guard looked over at her with surprise, so she decided to explain. "I'm here to stop the Lost Ones. They've often been spotted in that place. If I go there, maybe I'll find some clues to help me beat them!" she said. Guard began to walk towards the place where the helicopter was parked. "Grrr... I'll fly you up there, but I'm going inside with you, too. Grrrr... If you try to harm my master, you'll have to go through me first!" he growled. Copter grinned at him. "There's the Guard I know! Deal!" Razor and the others waved good-bye as they left. "Good luck!" Chet said. Once they were gone, Razor began to walk away as well. "I can't just sit here the rest of the day! I'm gonna see if I can do anything to help stop Eggman!" he said. The others started to follow him. "Yeah, well we're coming too, this time! And you ain't gonna say a thing to stop us!" Mia shouted. "Fine! At least that way, I can keep an eye on you guys myself!" Razor grumbled.


Punchy and Rainbow were not far away. They had wandered to the docks, searching aimlessly for Illusi. "Why couldn't that guy just take us with him for once!?" Punchy grumbled to himself. Rainbow seemed cheery as ever. "Don't worry, One! Mousy always seems to pop in when we need him! Besides, it's not like we had something better to do!" she said. Punchy rolled his eyes at her. "Have you been paying attention today, Rainbow? We have a lot of better things to do! Like helping out Copter, or finding out what happened to that knucklehead, Knuckles! ...and by the way, don't call me One!" Suddenly, that familiar puff of smoke appeared in front of them, followed by Illusi! "I'm here! Are you ready, Dark One?" he asked. Punchy stomped his foot angrily. "I... AM... PUNCHY!!!" he screamed, like a child throwing a tantrum. Illusi crossed his arms. "Is that a no?" he asked. Rainbow grinned at the shrew. "Don't mind One, he's grumpy 'cause he keeps getting interrupted from what he wants to do today." Illusi grinned back and chuckled to himself a little. "I know. Clearly someone up there likes messing with him. But, anyway, about Mephiles... You're not ready to face him yet. If you go as you are, he'll either escape or send you far away... Several years away, that is. He has the power to control time!" he told them. Punchy looked a bit surprised. "Control time? What does that mean? Can he stop time? Rewind? Pause? Picture-in-picture?" he asked. Illusi waved his hand and called in a Wrongo to illustrate that Punchy was incorrect. "Time is not a TV, Dark One! What I mean is he can send himself, or someone else, to a different point in time." he explained. Rainbow looked confused. "Then why not say time travel? I mean, it's not like he's really 'controlling' time..." she said. Illusi was getting a little annoyed. "Enough! That's just what everyone's calling it! Now, as I was about to say... You'll be powerless to do anything against Mephiles if you can't move through time yourself. Therefore, we need to find a Time Stone, and I just so happen to know where one is hidden." he said. Punchy thought about the Time Stones he'd seen so far that day. "Gemini's got one. Maybe she'll let us borrow it?" he suggested. Illusi shook his head. "No, she needs hers. We have to get the one I found. Quickly, before the Babylon Rogues find it. Those thieves have already beaten me to the last one I tried to get. Meet me at the warehouse area. It's not far..." Without even telling them which way to go, Illusi vanished once again. "Stop showing off and take us with you for once!! Arrrrgh!!!" Punchy shouted in frustration.  Rainbow grabbed Punchy by the arm. "I know where that is! We passed it before! Follow me, One!"

It didn't take long to reach the warehouse district, which Punchy recognized as the place where Knuckles met Sonic before heading for White Acropolis. Illusi was waiting close to the entrance. "OK, why'd you drag us here? I don't see any Time Stone..." Punchy said. Illusi walked over to one of the warehouses and opened the door. "Follow me. And keep quiet. We're not exactly authorized to be in here..." the shrew cautioned. Inside, it looked like a perfectly normal warehouse. Soon, however, Illusi began moving aside some boxes, revealing a hidden hatch. Inside was a secret staircase! "Cool! This warehouse has a basement!" Rainbow said. "Not exactly. Come on, the Time Stone is down there... somewhere." Illusi explained. They walked down the stairs, and found themselves in an underground cavern. "What is this place, Illusi?" Punchy asked before they started wandering. "It was once an underground mine. There were all kinds of precious minerals and such down here. But the miners were inexperienced, and made many mistakes. Ultimately, the mining operation was shut down because it was deemed unsafe. But not before an extensive series of tunnels were dug down here. Be careful, it could be easy to get lost in here." Illusi explained. They now began to explore the dark tunnels, with only an illusionary flashlight to guide them. The tunnels were fairly wide, but not very stable; They noticed several areas where the mine had caved in. It also soon became apparent that they weren't alone. "Anyone else notice that it seems to be getting brighter in here? Where's that light coming from?" Punchy asked. He soon got his answer as a monster jumped out from an intersecting tunnel! "Eeeek!! It's the same monsters from the future!! Did we take them with us, One?" Rainbow shouted, hiding behind Punchy and Illusi. "Mephiles must've brought them here! We can't afford causing a cave-in, so let's just try to outrun it!" Illusi suggested. Punchy pointed behind the monster. "Hey, isn't that Sonic!?" he shouted. The monster looked where Punchy was pointing, and the three of them quickly ran past it. "Sucker!!!"

There were more of the monsters deeper in the mines, and so, they were left with little choice but to fight. Illusi's Wrongos kept many of them busy, while Punchy dealt with any others using his fists. Things were going well enough for a while, until a monster tried to sneak up behind Rainbow! Without thinking, Punchy attacked it from a distance! "Chaos Avelanche!!" The tunnel soon began to cave in, causing everyone to panic and scatter to escape the collapsing roof! Once the dust settled, Punchy could see Rainbow standing safely nearby, but no one else. "Illusi!? Hello!? Are you OK!?" Punchy shouted. Illusi's voice could be heard from the other side of the rock wall that now separated them. "I'm all right, but those monsters aren't. It's a lucky thing that the entire mine didn't start to collapse!" he shouted. "Can you poof yourself over here, Mousy?" Rainbow asked. Illusi was silent for a moment, but soon his voice was heard once again. "I'd rather not. I'm not sure just how large this rock wall is, and I believe I mentioned what happens when two objects try to occupy the same space to you before. I'll try to find another way around and meet you later! Just go on without me!" he told them. Punchy sighed dejectedly. "I guess we're on our own. As usual. Let's go, Rainbow!"

The cave-in apparently scared any monsters ahead of them away, so Punchy took an opportunity to talk to Rainbow. Despite Illusi's advice back at Wave Ocean, he couldn't help worrying about what he'd seen in the future. "Say... Uh... Rainbow. About these crazy adventures we're always on... Do you ever feel... Resentful?" he asked her. Rainbow looked a bit confused, so Punchy tried to explain better. "I mean, I never exacly ask you if you WANT to travel with me... And also, I did stay a while at your place like a bum... Are you ever... mad at me?" Rainbow chuckled to herself a bit. "Why would I be mad? I'm having a blast! To tell the truth... I was alone for a very long time. No family, just my mission to guard that relic. It was peaceful... but... lonely." she seemed to grow a little sad as she thought back on her past. Punchy felt a little guilty about thinking of her so suspiciously. However, she wasn't finished. As she continued, her eyes lit up. "Then, you came along! You helped me, and you took me on an adventure. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what I'd be doing right now... But I doubt I'd be having as much fun! Mad? No way! Not a chance!" The more she spoke, the more Punchy felt that he had to have gone temporarily insane in the future. Still, he saw it, and that scene of Rainbow with that smoking gun just kept eating away at him inside. "I have to ask you, Rainbow... Can you think of any reason you'd want to... do away with me?" he asked. Rainbow just laughed and placed her arm around him. "One... You're so silly!"

After some exploration, they reach a large, dead-end chamber, which was apparently the place the miners had been working at when the mine was shut down. There were several colorful crystals of varying sizes and shapes sticking out of the ground in several places, as well as on the walls and the roof! "Whoa! It's a treasure room! Pretty!" Rainbow said, awestruck. Punchy pointed to the center of the chamber. A glowing yellow object was there. "It's the Time Stone!" Punchy realized. As they began to approach the stone, they could feel a presence in the room. "Something's not right... This is too easy." Punchy said. "No, it's not. I'm here!" came a voice above them! Looking up, they saw the gaseous form of Lospecter! "Were you looking for that little glowing rock? Well, that's too bad. See, Mephiles knows all about your little plans to stop him. Hey, I got news for ya, you don't have to worry about it. After he goes and makes his big mess, we'll put him in his place... And then the world will be all mine... I mean-- ours... All of us Lost Ones. Hee hee hee!!" Lospecter dropped down in front of Punchy and Rainbow, who both raised their fists. "I don't think so, creep! You're gonna be sorry you ever teamed up with Mephiles!" Punchy shouted. "Yeah! Besides, Wanda's gonna stop you, Smokey!" Rainbow added. Lospecter just hovered there, shuffling his deck of cards. "You know something? You unlost ones amuse me. You take yourselves so seriously. Lighten up. Let's play a quick game. Single Draw. How's it played? I draw one card..." Lospecter stopped shuffling and drew a card and looked at it. "Ah, how nice. The great thing about this game, is that I always win. I win whatever's on the card. Like this!" The spirit showed the card to Punchy and Rainbow. It depicted a giant creature, that sort of resembled a Lospirit. Lospecter tossed the card to the ground, and it exploded into a cloud of black smoke! The smoke made Punchy and Rainbow start coughing, so they backed away from it. When the smoke cleared, the creature from the card was hovering before them! It was a huge ghost, with six disconnected hands around it. It had a pair of giant, black eyes, and a gaping mouth that was dripping slime! On its head was a large crown with red gems on it, except for one yellow gem. The Time Stone! "All righty, Lospirit Lord! Sic 'em!" Lospecter commanded, letting out an evil laugh!


Meanwhile, Illusi was exploring the mines on his own. The tunnels snaked in many different directions, though, so it was hard to know which way to go. Worse yet, there were several places where the mines had caved in and sealed off entire areas. Illusi was beginning to get the feeling that Punchy and Rainbow may be trapped. As he searched for any way to reach them, he eventually saw a black smoke ahead of him. The smoke soon took shape, and Illusi recognized that shape as the crystalline version of Mephiles. "I thought you'd be here..." Illusi said gruffly. "I heard you've been trying to find a way to stop me. I wanted to come and see what foolishness looked like." Mephiles replied coldly. Illusi decided this was probably the only opportunity he would get to talk to Mephiles, so he should find out all he could. "What exactly are you after? I know that a Dark can't be up to any good. What's your scheme?" he asked. Mephiles glared at Illusi with malice. "Scheme? I'm just trying to get back what's mine. To awakon the Flames of Disaster!" he declared. "To what end? Is it merely a desire to destroy all of time? What's your interest in that phoenix, then?" Illusi asked. Mephiles was tiring of these questions. "This is all none of your business. But if you insist on trying to stop me, then I have no choice. Prepare to die!!" Mephiles began preparing an attack of some sort, and Illusi realized that this was as long as he could linger here. He pulled out his strange key and used it to escape before Mephiles's attack could connect! "Have it your way! You won't be able to escape me in the end!" Mephiles growled before leaving himself.


Punchy had begun fighting with the Lospirit Lord, despite the fact that he couldn't figure out how to harm it. Every punch he threw at the creature simply went right through it, and it wasn't safe to use Chaos Avelanche in the mines. The Lospirit Lord, however, was very much capable of fighting back. It lunged its dismembered hands at Punchy, knocking him away, then fired shockwaves from its body that sent Punchy flying. "Whoa!! Careful, One! You almost fell into me!" Rainbow shouted, helping him up. "This thing doesn't scare me! It's just... kinda gross..." Punchy growled as the Lospirit Lord hovered in the air, drooling ectoplasm. Punchy ran after it again, this time trying a different tactic. He pulled some of the crystals from the ground and flung them at the Lospirit Lord. It swatted some away with its hands, while the others flew right through it. Next, the ghost fired more shockwaves at Punchy, forcing him to jump out of the way! "You better stop that! This cave isn't very stable! You might bury us alive!" Punchy shouted. Lospecter started laughing. "Like we care? We can just fly out through the roof, dummy!" he said. The Lospirit Lord next tried spitting slime at Punchy, which he quickly jumped away from. "Come on, what're you trying to do? Make me throw up!?" he shouted. Suddenly, he heard Rainbow scream! It wasn't slime after all, the Lospirit Lord had spit losol at them! Rainbow was running away from them, grabbing crystals and using them to clobber the losol. Punchy decided to just try to grab the Time Stone and escape, and to do that, he had to get to the creature's crown. One thing he'd noticed was that the Lospirit Lord's hands appeared to be solid, so he ran over and jumped on them, using them as stepping stones to get up to the crown! The monster seemed to panic suddenly, and attempted to fire shockwaves to stop Punchy! The shockwaves erupted from the crown and knocked Punchy away, but they also slammed into the roof! It had hit with such force, that the entire mine began to rumble! "Aw, now look what you gone and done! The mines are collapsing! Aw, well. Our work here is done. Let's go, Lospirit Lord! Remember to bring the Time Stone, too!" Lospecter said, flying out through the roof. Punchy had to stop this monster now, so he quickly came up with an idea! The monster panicked when the crown was attacked, and the shockwaves appeared to be coming from the crown. "That's it! The crown is its power source! Well, I'll fix that! Chaos Avelanche!!!" Since the caves were already collapsing, Punchy decided to bring down a portion of the roof right onto the Lospirit Lord's crown, shattering it into pieces! The creature began screaming and convulsing, and finally exploded into a rain of slime! Punchy grabbed the Time Stone from out of the slime. "Yuck! Why are monsters always so disgusting?!" he grumbled. Rainbow tapped him on the shoulder. "I hate to bother you, but I don't think this place is very safe right now! C'mon, we gotta find an exit! Follow me!!" she shouted, leading Punchy out of the chamber!

Unfortunately, the trembling of the mines had flushed out the monsters that had seemed to be hiding earlier, and they appeared determined to make sure Punchy and Rainbow would be buried here. Punchy simply charged straight ahead, smacking aside any monster foolish enough to get in his way. "I sure hope we're going the right way!!" Punchy shouted, noting that they seemed to be running through random tunnels. "Well, we can't go back the way we came, it's blocked!" Rainbow pointed out. Unfortunately, they soon found their path blocked by a cave-in! "It's been nice knowing ya, One!" Rainbow said in a panic. Punchy tried to think of something, but was distracted by a noise he could hear coming their way. "Is that..." Punchy turned around and saw the Babylon Rogues racing toward them! Storm was in the front, and he used his incredible strength to smash the rocks out of the way as he passed by. Jet and Wave stopped near Punchy and Rainbow. "There's no time to waste! Hop on now, or we'll leave you here!" Jet shouted. Since there wasn't any time, Punchy decided not to question this and simply jumped on to the back of Jet's board, while Rainbow hopped on to Wave's board. "Hang on, my colorblind passenger! If you fall off, I'm not coming back for you!" Wave sneered. Without further delay, the Rogues took off, speeding through the mines faster than the monsters in their way could react! Storm was sure to clear out any obstacles in their path, so all they had to do was find the way out. There wasn't much time left, as the mines had begun collapsing more rapidly! Luckily, they were nearing the exit. A few moments more, and they reached the staircase leading out. At this point, Punchy and Rainbow jumped off the boards. "We can't leave Mousy in there!" Rainbow shouted as she realized they'd forgotten him. Jet was lingering at the exit. "You're gonna have to! This place is coming down, now!" he shouted. "Illusiiiii!!!" Punchy shouted, hoping the shrew was nearby. The mines began shaking more violently, and Jet wouldn't stay any longer. Punchy and Rainbow quickly realized that there was nothing they could do, and ran up the stairs, just as the rest of the mine came crashing to the ground! The two of them ran out of the warehouse and collapsed to the ground, exhausted. "Boy, I hope Illusi wasn't still in there..." Punchy said to himself. Rainbow looked around the area. "Say, One... If the mine collapsed, how come the warehouses didn't collapse on top of it?" she asked. Punchy shrugged. "How should I know. Let's just get outta here..."

As Punchy and Rainbow left the warehouse district and began wandering the streets of Soleanna, Rainbow thought of something. "Hey, where'd the birdies go?" she wondered aloud. "Nowhere!" shouted Storm, who was behind them! Before Punchy could turn around, all three Babylon Rogues charged into them and snatched away the Time Stone! "Just think of this as our reward for rescuing you! Later, losers!" Jet shouted, leading Wave and Storm away. Punchy wasn't about to let them get away with it this time, though, and began chasing them as fast as his legs would carry him. "COME BACK HERE, YOU CROOKS!!! NO ONE STEALS FROM ME!!!!" he shouted, but it was no use. The Babylon Rogues were getting away. Someone watching from the sidewalk in front of them stepped out in front of Punchy. "Slow down. You're just going to tire yourself out like that!" It was a wolf, whom Punchy had never met. "Wha? Who are you, and what business is it of yours!?" Punchy growled. "My name is Fera, and it really isn't any of my business... I guess if you don't want my help, there's no sense offering it." the wolf said bluntly. Rainbow finally caught up with Punchy now. "Pardon One. You'd be pretty upset if something you risked your life to get was stolen from you, too." she said. Fera crossed her arms and began looking Punchy and Rainbow over, as though studying them. "Yeeees... I understand... You know, you both remind me of people I've seen before... But never mind. I think I will help you. See, I know where those thieves are taking the Time Stones." she told them. Punchy looked at her suspiciously. "Really? And how do you know THAT?" he asked. Fera placed her hands on her hips. "Look, do you want my help or not? I don't have all day!" she growled. Punchy and Rainbow glanced at each other. "What do ya think, One?" she asked. Punchy frowned. "I wish Illusi was here... Aw, what the heck, let's see what happens! Fera, we accept your offer! Lead the way!" he decided. Fera grinned at them. "Right. Anything for honest looking furs like yourselves! Come with me!" she said, leading them away. Punchy wasn't quite sure what to expect, but he couldn't help feeling all of a sudden as though he'd made a deal with the devil...


Chapter 13 - Return To The Arcangel

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"Can you see all of me?
Walk into my mystery.
Step inside and hold on for dear life!
Do you remember me?
Capture you, or set you free?
I am all, and I am all of me!" - I Am, Shadow the Hedgehog


Shadow Arcangel was hovering off the coast of Soleanna castle town. Bucky the Rat stood in the control room, gazing out over the city from the window. From this high place, it was easy to spot the GUN helicopter approaching them. "Aha... A visitor... Experiment 4! Use your helmet's visor! Tell me who's in that chopper!" the rat commanded. Zipp flew to the window and pressed some hidden buttons on his helmet. "Oooh, this is interesting! It seems our old pal number six is bringing Copter and seven right to us! And... That fennec girl is with them, too! Shall I shoot them down?" the hornet said. Bucky looked a bit puzzled. "How... Unexpected. I very much doubt that Experiment 2 is here to simply hand over Experiment 7... Not after all the trouble he went to fighting us..." he muttered. Vortex and Spiny had also wandered to the window at this point. "Shall we bring them here? Personally, I prefer Zipp's idea..." Spiny said. Vortex was silent, glaring hatefully at the helicopter until Bucky asked for their attention. "Move in, but don't be seen. I want you to observe them... ONLY observe! Call me once you've figured out what they're up to!" he ordered. "What about the others?" Zipp asked, noting the absence of the other experiments. Bucky thought about it. "You should definitely relay my orders to Experiment 10. There's no telling what that one will do otherwise. As for eight... You may leave him be. I trust he will behave well enough. Now, quit standing around here! Get going!" he shouted. "Yessss, massster... Whatever you ssssay..." Vortex hissed, leading the other experiments out of the room. "I cannot believe I was so stupid..." the chameleon thought as he walked, "Thinking a phoenix could die from a gunshot... But now's my chance to correct that mistake!"


Soon, Copter and company had arrived at the entrance to Shadow Arc used when the ship was mostly underground. It remained pretty much unchanged from the last time Copter was there, just before the ship took off for the first time. "This place is even creepier than I remember... Then again, I was never in this room..." Heather said, looking around. Guard pointed to the gate leading to Experiment 3's old containment area. "Grrrr... If I remember correctly, my master's control room is that way." he told them. "Yeah, but I bet Bucky's expecting us. Probably sent the welcoming committee already. I didn't come all this way to be shot by Zipp!" Copter said, beginning to wonder if this wasn't a good idea. Gemini had been looking up the staircase that Shadow had opened on his first visit to Shadow Arc, and spotted someone at the top of the steps. It was too dark to see who it was. "Hey! Who are you, and why are you spying on us up there!?" she shouted. Guard walked over to see what Gemini was talking about, and was quickly forced to jump away as an energy blast was hurled towards him! "GRRRR!! You again!!" Guard shouted as the attacker began to run away. Gemini immediately guessed who it was. "The Deathbringer!? What's he doing here!?" she shouted with alarm. Guard began to run up the stairs. "Grrrr!! I'm not letting you get away again!!" he shouted. Gemini began to chase them. "H-hey! Wait!! Fighting won't solve anything!!" she yelled as she ran up the stairs. Copter had been observing this, but decided not to follow them. "They're going the wrong way... Bah, who needs them! Guard was just going to get in my way in the end, anyhow!" he reasoned. Heather looked a bit concerned. "Think they'll be all right? Think WE'LL be all right?" she asked. Copter smiled confidently. "For once, we're in a place we all know. We'll all be just fine! Come on, let's find that control room and teach Bucky a lesson once and for all!" he said, leading Heather through the gate towards the control room.

Guard and the Deathbringer were exchanging shots as they dashed through the halls of the ship. Guard's scythe could not only fire energy blasts at the Deathbringer, but it was fairly effective at deflecting the Deathbringer's attacks as well. Gemini followed behind as best she could, but the shots Guard dodged often almost hit her. "Guard, stop it! You're just antagonizing the Deathbringer! This is just going to get someone hurt! ...Probably me!" she shouted, hoping to convince Guard to stop. "Grrrr!! Don't follow me, then! Grrr... I need to stop this assassin before more die by his hand!" Guard shouted in response, never once looking back or slowing down. Gemini couldn't leave this alone, though. Both combatants had helped her in the past, and she had to try to save both of them! As they continued on, they soon reached the computer room where Shadow and Espio had battled a Losol Golem before. Gemini found them still hurling projectiles at each other when she entered the room. Since Guard would not listen to her, she decided to try talking to the Deathbringer. "You have to stop this! All fighting does is cause pain!" she shouted. The fighting paused for a moment while the Deathbringer responded. "That gargoyle is going to cause more pain if left alive than if I stop him now! You must not interfere!" it said, pausing to wait for Gemini's response. Guard, however, would wait no longer. He lunged his scythe toward the Deathbringer, who responded by stepping out of the way and then punching Guard in the chest, launching him across the room and into the computer terminal! The Deathbringer was about to fire an energy blast at Guard in an attempt to finish him, when Gemini ran between them to protect Guard! "I can't let you do this! I won't!" she yelled. As Guard stood back up, he accidentally pressed a button on the computer terminal, causing the wall next to it to open up, revealing a secret passageway! Seeing their chance to escape, Gemini grabbed Guard by the arm and led him into the passageway, which slammed shut behind them! The Deathbringer growled in frustration, and began searching for the button Guard pressed.


As Copter and Heather searched for Bucky's control room, they stumbled upon Bucky's laboratory. It had been left much the same as it was after Heather destroyed it during her escape. Only the hole in the roof had seen any attempt at repairs, and it was merely covered by wooden boards. Heather looked at the broken pieces of the table that Experiment 11 was sitting on before she escaped, and dropped to her knees, sobbing. Copter understood quickly. "You did this... Burned the lab... The place where I was born..." he gasped, in shock over actually seeing the damage. Heather looked around at the destroyed lab. "I remember... Zipp told me about our lot in life. How we were just science projects... I hated the thought. I struggled with myself... Practically argued... I didn't know what was to become of me, and it scared me... and angered me... So I eventually lost control..." she whispered, and recalled the night she escaped.

She'd entered the lab, even though Vortex told her not to. Bucky was busy checking the health of his latest creation, and didn't notice her at first. "Ah, Seven... I cannot speak to you now, I have to make sure 11 is healthy enough to leave the lab." he'd said. Heather didn't care in the slightest. "It'd be better off dying now! It's better than a life of slavery and being your personal guinea pig!" she'd growled, growing angrier by the moment. Bucky didn't understand, but tried to calm her. "Don't throw a tantrum! Have I ever asked anything of you? This is not slavery! I only want--" he didn't get to finish, though. Heather roared at him in her rage, flames bursting from her body! "I don't need your lies! Why else would a scientist create life!? You want me to exist solely to serve your every whim! To faithfully obey, like Vortex and Zipp!! But I will NOT be controlled!! I will live my OWN life!" she screeched, the flames from her body scorching areas of the lab already! "Calm yourself! Stop this now, Experiment 7!" Bucky shouted, vainly attempting to stop this madness. It was useless, and Heather only had one thing left to say. "I am not Experiment 7! I am no slave to be controlled! I am myself! ...And I shall henceforth be known as Heather the Phoenix!!" Experiment 11 had stood up on the table, and looked as though it desired to protect Bucky. Heather, consumed by hatred and rage, blasted through the lab, straight through the roof, and flew. She just kept flying, until she reached Soleanna.

"I didn't see what I did exactly... But I know I killed Experiment 11. A creature that merely wanted to protect its parent... I'm nothing but a monster..." Heather sobbed as she finished telling the story to Copter. He knelt down beside her and grabbed a piece of the table, examining it. "This was the table I was lying on when Bucky examined me... When he... Attached a bomb to my wrist." he crumbled the charred piece of the table as he remembered what Bucky did to him. "I woke up in a tube, originally. Filled with some sort of fluid... It was over there." Copter said, pointing to a corner. "Heh, gone now. I broke that one. Broke right out, and Bucky knelt down and pulled me up from the floor. He told me who I was, and introduced me to my original, Tails, who was passed out on another table, over there..." Heather was listening with interest. "You were a clone? I had no idea... And... Bucky attached a bomb to you!?" she gasped. Copter nodded. "He wanted to force me to obey him. And I did, for a while. But when the time came for the bomb to be removed... He tried to make me attack my original. It was a hologram, but I didn't know it. Still, despite all the fighting I'd done with the real Tails, I refused to do it any more. He blew me up, but I survived. In the end, I chose to join Tails to save the world from Kosmo, a monster Bucky had created. Another one he couldn't control. I had served Dr. Eggman. I'd fought with the government. I still haven't atoned for all my crimes... But I'm beginning to..." he said. Heather thought about Copter's story. "At least you didn't kill anyone. I can never make up for my crimes..." Heather said sadly. "Don't say that!" Copter said, "It is always possible to stop being evil. All that you have to do, is make a choice. You'll make it right someday, if you choose to." Upon hearing that, Heather began to stop crying. "I... I'm sorry. Sitting here in self-pity isn't going to get me anywhere..." she said. Copter helped her to her feet and led her out of the lab. "Thank you... For being here for me. I'll never forget it." she said as they began to search for Bucky again.


Meanwhile, Vortex and Zipp were searching for the intruders, while Spiny searched for Experiment 10 elsewhere. Vortex had a plan, but he realized it was likely to fail if the other experiments wouldn't side with him, so he had to convince them to help. "Zipp... What are your thoughtsss about the death of Experiment 11?" he asked. Zipp hadn't really thought about it before. "Maybe it doesn't count, since it was killed so quickly. Bucky can always try again!" he said. This wasn't what Vortex wanted to hear. "No, Zipp! It lived! However briefly, it lived! The next experiment will be 12! You know what thisss meansss? I'll tell you. 11 wasss murdered!" he yelled. Zipp crossed his arms. "OK, so it was murdered. Too bad. I coulda got some target practice with it!" he said, not getting Vortex's point. The irritated chameleon resisted the urge to swat Zipp. "It isss bad... Very bad. And what doesss Bucky want to do?" he asked. Zipp shrugged. "He wants her brought back. I guess he wants to punish her himself, or something." he said. "Bah! No, he wantsss her to rejoin the team! He wantsss usss to work with that traitor! I sssay we ssshould make her pay! Avenge 11! Wouldn't you want to be avenged if sssomeone killed you!?" Vortex asked. Zipp chuckled. "No one can kill me! I'll kill them first! But I see what you're getting at. I'm in! How do we do it, huh? Can I shoot her?" he asked, his wings buzzing excitedly. Vortex shook his head. "No, you dolt! Didn't you pay attention?! Sssshe can't be killed by gunsss! We mussst drown her! We can do it now, while the Arcangel isss over the sssea!" Zipp looked a little disappointed, but then had an idea. "Why stop there? Just tossing her in the sea seems kinda... Overly simple. C'mon, we're wanted terrorists! We gotta use that terrorist flair! And I know how to do it! With explosions! KABOOM!! But we can't do fun stuff like that here... So, we try someone else's ship... Get the picture?" he said giggling over his sinister plan. Vortex understood. "That'sss my sssick older brother. Bravo! But we need help. You find our intrudersss, and I'll convince the othersss to join usss! You get to blow ssstuff up, and I get my revenge! Ha ha ha ha!!"


As Gemini and Guard explored the secret passage, they soon discovered an army of Lost Ones! "I knew it! They're still in here! This ship must be how they came to be at Soleanna in the first place!" Gemini said. They had found the lost ones in a square room, with hallways on all four sides. The Lost Ones were moving like a river, preventing Gemini and Guard from moving forward. "Grrr... They're all heading in the same direction! Grrrr... Where could they be going?" Guard wondered. Some of the Lost Ones heard his words and stopped to look at him, but then continued back in the direction they were originally going. Gemini shivered at what almost happened. "They looked right at us, but they left us alone. Somehow, I feel more creeped out that they're not interested in us..." she said. Guard began walking in the direction the losol were going. "Grrrr... I see nowhere else to go. We might as well see where they're going!" he suggested. Gemini slowly began to follow him. "This has to be the worst idea ever... I hope they continue to ignore us..." she said.

The Lost Ones continued to ignore them as they followed the losol stream through a long, winding corridor. It staggered their minds to think of how large the ship may truly be. Eventually, the corridor ended at another square room with four exits, but this one was slightly larger than the last. In the corner, Gemini was shocked by what she saw. "No way... This has to be impossible!" she gasped, pointing to the creature in the corner. It was the Lost version of her dragon form, which she had become when she was lost in Shadow Arc before! Los Gemini appeared to be sleeping, and didn't move at all. "When I was a dragon, I almost became one of these monsters... I looked like that! How can this be here!?" she said. Guard scanned the creature with his sensors. "Grrrr... It appears to be made up of the same stuff the other Lost Ones are made of... Grrr... It would seem to be a mere copy." he said. It was a creepy thing to see, and Gemini didn't like it. "Let's get out of here... Before it wakes up or something..." she said. Guard agreed, and they resumed following the stream of losol.


Copter and Heather had backtracked to the room with the containment unit that once held Experiment 3. They had gone the wrong way last time, but Copter now remembered which way the control room was. Unfortunately, they found Crash blocking the way! "Shoot! I didn't know you two were aboard! How long have you been wandering around here?!" the rhino grunted, unsure of what he should be doing. "I dunno... I don't carry a 'watch' anymore!" Copter replied, recalling his wrist bomb. Crash had no idea what Copter meant, but he didn't like his tone. He raised his fists, ready to fight. "You're nuts if you think you're gonna fight Bucky! I'll stop ya first!" Crash threatened. Heather stepped forward. "You stop it, right now! We're not going to hurt our creator! We just want to talk to him! And... I want the opportunity... To apologize for what I've done... Not that it makes up for anything..." Crash backed down upon hearing her plans. "...Apologize? After all the fighting we've been doing?" he said in slight disbelief. Copter crossed his arms. "That's if Bucky'll hear us out. If he won't, I'll have to fight him." he said. Crash backed away a bit, still blocking the exit. He thought a moment, and then smiled at them. "You two are pretty honest... I like that. And I believe our maker is wise and benevolent. If you're being as truthful as I think, I don't think there will be any fighting here today..." he said. Copter was a bit surprised by how nice a brute like Crash could be. "That's... interesting... But I'd take a closer look at Bucky's history before calling him 'benevolent' if I was you." he said. Crash moved aside to allow them to pass. "Still, I've received no orders. He surely knows you're here, and since he hasn't called me, I guess I'm not supposed to fight with you. Go on ahead. But remember, if you DO cause trouble, I'll be coming for you!" the rhino warned them. "Yeah, good luck with that." Copter said a bit impatiently. Crash watched as the two of them ran off down the hallway. "I wonder if I did the right thing..." he thought, wondering what the other experiments would've done.

It was a good distance between the containment room and the control room, as Copter knew from the last time he made the trip. Still, the Lost Ones were no longer patrolling the halls, so it was a much easier trip than before. Soon, they reached the area where Copter had found Cream just before the battles with Kosmo. It was more or less the same as he remembered, though he really hadn't been paying attention before. There were two dragon statues at the entrance to a large room ahead. The room contained a large pool of lava, and a bridge leading across. When there were Lost Ones on the bridge, the trip seemed to take forever. Now, the bridge was empty. Since they had time, they stopped to look at the dragon statues. "Strange... I only remember there being one statue here..." Copter said, looking over the newer looking one. Heather stepped closer to examine it. "It looks so... lifelike..." she observed. This statue was smaller than the other one. It was orange, with large, red wings and some red stripes across its back. Strangely enough, it also appeared to be wearing white gloves and black boots. Seeing that, Copter wasn't completely shocked when he noticed its eyes open! Its amber irises quickly locked onto Heather! It was now made very clear that this was no statue, as the dragon let out a loud "RAWR!!!" As Copter and Heather backed away quickly, the dragon began flapping its wings and flying toward Heather, lifting her into the air before she or Copter could react! The dragon hovered in the air above the lava pond for a moment, and then spoke! "You're so stupid! I can't believe that worked! Awww, you look confused, though! Then, I'll introduce myself! I'm Experiment 10, but I'd rather be called Zeke the Dragon!" Zeke's voice and breathing was constantly accompanied by a strange noise that sounded almost like laughing. (Kekekekeke!) It was apparently a result of a mistake Bucky made in the construction of his body. Zeke began to fly away. "If you'll excuse me, I have to take this fellow creature of legends somewhere... But I'll leave my pals, Spiny and Vortex to keep you company!" Looking around, Copter quickly spotted Spiny and Vortex rushing towards him across the bridge! Copter tried to chase Zeke, but Spiny's Chaos Spears prevented him. "You're not goin' anywhere, punk!" Spiny shouted. Copter landed behind the real statue, and was soon greeted by Vortex and Spiny. "Ssssso, Copter, do you really think you can beat both of ussss?" Vortex hissed. Before a fight could begin, the dragon statue crumbled to pieces as Crash smashed through it and pushed Copter past Vortex and Spiny! "Get moving, Copter! I'll deal with these two!" he shouted, giving Copter his opportunity to escape. Spiny looked from Copter to Crash, puzzled. "Should I follow him, Vortex?" he asked. Vortex shot dirty looks at both of his companions. "Leave him. We've bought Zeke the time he needsss... Asss for you, Crassssh... Who'ssss ssside are you on!?"  he yelled. Crash looked as though he couldn't believe what he was being asked. "Bucky's side, of course. He wanted seven back, and Copter brought her back. Why are we interfering?" he asked. Vortex rolled his eyes. "Becaussssse... Sssseven murdered eleven!! Punissshment mussst be meted out! Who might be next, otherwissse? Why, it could even BE our massster! Sssshouldn't we protect him... Even from himsssself?" Crash thought about it, and had to admit that Vortex was making sense. "All right... Then what do we do?" he asked. Vortex started to walk away. "You explain it to him, Ssssspiny!"

Copter had begun frantically searching for Zeke, but it became apparent that he'd lost him as he reached the place where he had once fought Kosmo disguised as Bucky. The only one there to greet him this time was Zipp. "Hey, look, it's Copter the hero! How's business, boy scout?" he taunted. Copter swatted Zipp with his tails before the hornet could even realize he was hostile! "Yow! That's not very polite! Remember that golden rule!" Zipp shouted, flying above Copter to avoid being hit again. Copter shook his fist at Zipp. "Where's Zeke taking her?! Tell me right now, or else!" he snarled. Zipp pointed a gun at Copter's head. "Don't make a threat you can't back up! You should be thrilled! We're gonna do you a favor... And stop Dr. Eggman while we're at it. But if you got a problem, why don't you take it up with my master? After all, that's gotta be more constructive than getting shot by me, right?" he said, firing a warning shot at Copter's feet and laughing as Copter jumped away. "I'm off! Enjoy your visit here, bro!" Zipp flew away before Copter could say anything. "I hate him..." Copter muttered, looking ahead in the direction of the control room. "Looks like I'll have to fight after all... Saw that coming! Look out, Bucky! I'm not backing away this time!" 


The stream of Lost Ones that Gemini and Guard was following ended at an open doorway. The Lost Ones appeared to be gathering in anticipation of some event. "Whatever they're here for must be in that room..." Gemini said. Guard nodded. "Grrrr.... Let's check it out." he suggested. As they entered the room, they first noticed that it was rather warm inside. "Grrr! This is the engine room! Grrr!! Could they be planning to make the ship crash?!" Guard wondered. Gemini pointed to the ground. "What is THAT!?" she shouted in fear. It was a large puddle of slime, but it was different from the regular losol slime. It seemed to be bubbling with evil, and in the center of the puddle, there seemed to be a face. Gemini quickly realized what she was looking at. "Oh, my gosh! That's Losipher!" she shouted, horrified. Guard raised his scythe. "Grrrr!! What is it? Some kind of super Lost One?" he asked. Gemini raised her wand, trying to think of what to do. "The reason I'm here... The creature that killed my friends... How do I fight it...?" she said quietly, realizing that she wasn't ready for this. Unfortunately, there would be no putting it off! The puddle began to rise from Losipher's face, rising up like a giant snake! Guard and Gemini stood defensively as Losipher's incomplete form gazed down at them and roared demonically! There was no turning back. It was time for Gemini to attempt to end this once and for all!


Chapter 14 - Moment Of Truth

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"In this world, where one is all,
In this world, never fear that fall!
In this world, where compromise does not exist,
In this world of worlds, every step meets the rest!" - His World (Crush 40 version)


Gemini and Guard were standing face to face with the hideous original form of Losipher. A quivering mass of slime that could rise from its resting place like a cobra, poised to strike at the incoming intruders. At first, it seemed that Losipher was currently nothing more than a mindless, snarling beast, but with some effort, the creature began to speak. "Who dares... trespass... on my domain? Lospecter... did not bring you... did he?" he snarled. Gemini was frightened, but tried to appear calm. "I have come here on behalf of my friends! I am here to destroy you, Losipher!" she shouted, the memory of her friends driving her forward. Losipher backed up a little and growled at her. "I cannot... be called by that name... yet. Only... 999 souls... have Lospecter brought to me. I... still need one final soul to be complete!" The more Losipher spoke, the more he began to sound like his future self. Guard, Gemini, and Losipher were so fixated on each other; they didn't notice the Deathbringer's appearance at the entrance. It stood there, watching them for the time being, as Losipher continued to speak. "I have waited here for a long time, as Lospecter hunted down souls appropriate for my creation, one by one. Now, I have the fortunate opportunity to take the final soul for myself! Once I absorb one of you, sorrow shall walk the earth, and spread across the land! Prepare to lose thy soul!!" Before Gemini or Guard could react, Losipher dived into Gemini, attempting to separate her soul from her body! Gemini had shut her eyes, certain that this was the end, but Losipher's anguished screams caught her attention. As she opened her eyes, she found her body emitting a bright light, which seemed to repel Losipher! The slime creature returned to the center of the room and glared at Gemini with frustration. "How can this be!? Why can I not absorb your soul!?" he yelled. Gemini looked a bit dazed and confused. "Beats me..." she muttered, shaking her head to snap herself out of her daze. Losipher turned his attention to Guard next. "If I cannot consume her, then I will take you first! Then, I will kill her personally!" Guard flew out of the way as Losipher attempted to dive after him. "Grrrr!! I'd like to see you try!!"


It wasn't long before Copter finally found his way back to the control room, the place where Sonic and Shadow had teamed up to battle Kosmo. Bucky was seated at the controls, unmoving. "Hey, 'Dad!' I have a bone to pick with you!" Copter shouted, stopping a few feet from Bucky's chair. The rat simply sat there, motionless, with his back turned to Copter. "Where's Heather? And Vortex? What have you done, old rodent!?" Copter demanded to know. Bucky remained motionless as he responded. "I don't even know anymore... Am I creating life, or just misery..." he muttered. Copter stomped his foot loudly. "Answer my question!" he growled. Bucky finally turned his chair around so he could face Copter. "I've been expecting you, son. First, let me say that you really should call more often." he said, grinning and twiddling his thumbs. Copter crossed his arms and glared irritatedly at his creator. "Is this a game to you? Do you have any idea what's been going on since you started chasing Heather?" he grumbled. Bucky took on a slightly more serious expression. "You don't know the half of it... You have no idea of what Seven is capable of... Or even what YOU are capable of. We're quite fortunate that you are generally calmer than you often appear to be." he said gravely. Copter didn't understand. "What I'm capable of... What are you talking about?!" he asked. "I've been careless... Churning out experiments like cars on an assembly line. I've left all of your souls in such vulnerable states. And I've only recently realized how dangerous that is. You see, what I have come to understand, thanks to Heather, is that each of you have duel personalities." Bucky explained. Copter scoffed at him. "That's absurd! I don't have a second personality!" he said. "Yes, you do. The dominant personalities, the ones we know, are normal, restrained, thought driven personalities. The kind natural born creatures have. But each of you, when you reach a certain level of emotional strain... When you reach a level of anger beyond mere frustration... Another personality attempts to take over. A personality of instinct, impulse, and hatred. A dark side." Bucky said with utter seriousness. Copter thought about it, and realized that he had indeed felt a dark presence inside him before, though he never paid any attention to it. "OK... So we have dark sides. But Heather seems pretty stable... Most of the time." he said. Bucky shook his head. "How long can that last? Every power-hungry maniac in the world is hunting her. If they catch her, she will surely lose control at some point. I wish I knew who told everyone her secret..." he said with concern. Copter raised an eyebrow. "What secret?" he asked. Bucky's eyes filled with dread, and he couldn't answer right away, so Copter quickly realized Bucky had done something major. "What is it!? What did you do to her!?" he snapped. Bucky folded his hands in his lap, looked Copter in the eyes, and answered. "I'm sorry... We scientists are a curious lot, and I couldn't help myself. Heather... The fire within her... I created her using embers from the Flames of Disaster!" 


Guard had begun fighting with Losipher, but even in his incomplete form, it seemed impossible to harm him. Every swing of Guard's scythe seemed to simply pass through Losipher's slimy body, leaving no sign that Losipher was affected at all. The Deathbringer saw an opportunity here, and began to move in closer, so that it may attempt to destroy Guard. Gemini had been watching Guard fight Losipher helplessly, she could think of nothing she could do. She could think of no spell that she believed would work on Losipher. As she slowly backed away from the battle, she caught sight of the Deathbringer through the corner of her eye. It appeared to be building up energy in its hands in order to prepare an attack! Before the attack could be launched, Gemini ran to block the Deathbringer's path! "Get out of my way! I have allowed this to go too far already!" the mysterious figure shouted. Gemini glared at it, as though looking at a traitor. "Whose side are you on? You seem to recognize me, so I figure you're the same Deathbringer I met in the future. You helped me come to this time to stop Losipher! Now, you're planning to kill the only one who seems capable of fighting him? What is it that you want!?" she yelled. The Deathbringer did not stop charging its attack. "You don't understand! This is the time! I must stop that gargoyle now, or something terrible will happen!" it insisted. "Terrible things will happen if we let Losipher get his full power! I can't allow that!" Gemini said. The Deathbringer's face was impossible to see, but it still seemed clear it was facing some sort of internal struggle as it held back its attack, appearing unsure of what to do. "I do agree... Losipher must be stopped... But you don't know what I know..." it said. Gemini nodded. "That's true, I don't... But you don't know for sure what will happen either. Even if you know what happens in the future without your interference, you've already interfered by showing up here. If there's one thing I've learned... It's that the future can never be predicted!" she said with certainty. The energy emitted by the Deathbringer's hands seemed to fade a little. Other than that, it made no sign as to what it was thinking. "Please! Hurting those who are fighting on the side of good can never be for the best! If you must fight someone... Help us fight Losipher!" Gemini pleaded. The Deathbringer looked behind Gemini at the battle. Guard and Losipher were each keeping the other at bay, neither managing to defeat the other. It seemed lost in thought, and Gemini waited anxiously for its decision.


Copter didn't react to what Bucky had revealed to him at first. After all, he had no idea what the Flames of Disaster were. Bucky expected this, so he chose to explain. "I was a friend to the previous ruler of Soleanna. Ten years ago, he attempted experiments in controlling time using a flame called Solaris. I was, as I am now, a fugitive, and so I hid here, with my friend. The condition was that I help him with his experiment. It resulted in a horrible accident, but I managed to escape with a sample of the Flames of Disaster. My friend... regrettably... died in the accident... At any rate, I used that sample I obtained as Heather's life flames. Therefore, she has the same power as the Flames of Disaster." he said. Copter wasn't really interested in the story, and nearly fell asleep, but he still managed to hear what Bucky was saying. "So, that's the power Eggman and Gunner want to harness. I suppose, since she's so dangerous, you had Vortex lock her up somewhere, didn't you?" he asked. Bucky rose to his feet and heaved a heavy sigh. "So, Vortex has taken her? I suspected as much. He wanted to meet Experiment 11 so badly, and he took what happened so hard. He tried to hide it, but I could tell." he said bitterly. Copter looked at Bucky in disbelief. "Wait... So, you didn't order them to take her? Grrr, Zipp!!! That lying little pest! I bet his remark about stopping Dr. Eggman was meant to confuse me, too!" he shouted in frustration. Bucky raised an eyebrow. "Dr. Eggman? Why would... Oh, I see. Zipp's madness meets Vortex's revenge. So, that means that Seven is not already dead..." he muttered. Copter only managed to hear the part about Heather's fate. "Do you know what they're going to do with her?" he asked. Bucky hopped into his chair and began pressing buttons on the control panel. "Dr. Eggman flew off in the direction of Kingdom Valley, a place with an abundance of water. If Vortex wishes a dramatic death for Experiment 7, he and Zipp will crash Eggman's battleship so that it falls into the ocean, for she can only die if her body is immersed in water... or a high powered vacuum or... well, whatever! Perhaps it's best that she and Eggman die, and the dangers caused by their existence would vanish." the rat said. "No way! Heather's an innocent bystander in all this, if your dark side theory is to be believed! We have to save her!" Copter insisted. Bucky chuckled to himself. "Don't worry. I'm plotting a course for Kingdom Valley now! Just sit tight!"


The Deathbringer soon came to a decision. It spread out its wings and flew above Gemini, then fired the blasts it had been charging! Gemini spun around to see what was going to be hit, and watched the blast explode, but couldn't tell who the target was, since Guard and Losipher were fighting in close quarters and the smoke from the explosion obscured her vision. As the dust settled, both Guard and Losipher seemed only to be taken by surprise, neither seemed injured. "That shot would've barbequed Guard if it hit, so... You attacked Losipher!" Gemini realized. The Deathbringer approached Losipher, already preparing another attack. "You are the spawn of hatred and evil! The result of stealing souls just to gain power! You will never have your thousandth soul, you wretched demon of Hell!" it declared, shooting another attack at Losipher! This time, Losipher recoiled slightly, showing that the attack actually could harm him! But he wasn't even close to finished. "You will regret this intrusion, mark my words! Minion of shadows, to me! Let us loose their souls from their flesh!" the demon roared. In response, the Lost version of Gemini's dragon form stomped into the room, its eyes glowing a deep shade of crimson. Gemini pointed her wand to it. "I'll handle this! You two beat Losipher!" she shouted. Los Gemini was first to move, leaping into the air and shooting flames down towards Gemini, who magically conjured a weak barrier for protection. "That was close! Blastrotall!!" she shouted, firing blasts from her wand at the dragon. Meanwhile, Losipher was diving across the floor like a dolphin jumping from the water, attempting to catch Guard and the Deathbringer. Guard dodged the attacks by flying above them, and attempted to hit Los Gemini as it passed by! The Deathbringer's normal attacks were too weak to damage Losipher, so it was forced to fly around the room, avoiding attacks as it built up energy to fight back. The chaos of the battle soon forced Gemini into a tough spot, backed against the engine with Los Gemini chasing after her! Guard noticed her plight and flew to catch the dragon, with his scythe poised to strike! The Deathbringer fired a shot at Losipher and, stunning him, and then noticed what was happening near the engines. "Nooooo!!!" it shouted, shooting several energy blasts toward Guard! The blasts were poorly aimed, and quickly flew past Guard and into Los Gemini, causing the dragon to take to the air in order to recover! Gemini jumped out of the way as Guard charged ahead, moving too fast to stop, and crashed into the engines! His scythe had slashed the engines somewhat, causing them to spark violently! Explosions followed, and Guard and Gemini were forced to retreat! Losipher shrieked angrily as he realized what was happening. "You fool!! Now you've done it! The ship is going to crash!" he shouted. Guard ran towards the exit, motioning for Gemini to follow him. "Grrrr!! It's time to go! It's not safe here!" he barked hastily. Gemini followed him, waving for the Deathbringer to follow as well. "Come on!" she shouted. The Deathbringer hesitated a moment. "All along... It was my own fault... Not the gargoyle's..." it muttered to itself before leaving.


As Bucky sat at the controls of the Arcangel, an alarm suddenly screeched on, and a damage report appeared on a screen above the control panel. "What's this? NO!!" Bucky looked over the report and fired bolts of lighting from his fingers at the screen in frustration. Copter hadn't managed to see what was on the screen, but could tell from Bucky's reaction that it couldn't be good. "What's going on?" he asked. Bucky spun around in his chair and shot Copter a nasty look. "You... You did this! Revenge, I presume? After all, the engines didn't damage themselves just now!" he shouted accusingly. Copter backed away from him slowly. "Whoa there... I've been here with you the whole time! You know I didn't do anything!" he said nervously. Bucky's hands were sparking violently. "True, but you didn't come here alone! Zipp could spot your friends in that helicopter from a mile away! Did you do something to Guard's program? Or was it GUN, I wonder? He'd never attack me normally! Or was it the girl?!" he growled. Copter could tell it was useless arguing with Bucky. "I guess this means the ride to Kingdom Valley's out... Gotta go!!" he said, running towards the nearest exit. If he couldn't use the Arcangel to catch Team GeneX, he would have to hurry to Kingdom Valley some other way. Bucky shook his fist at Copter. "Curse you, you treacherous vermin! Get out and never enter my sight again!!" he yelled. With only precious little time, Bucky sat back at the controls and started pressing buttons. "Shocking the monitor... Brilliant move, Stein! Now we're practically flying blind! But I can't allow the ship to crash into Soleanna!" The ship began to turn as he continued pressing buttons. "This may be the last thing I do... What a way to end my quest for knowledge..."


With Guard leading the way, Gemini and the Deathbringer soon found an exit. There was no time to wander back to where they'd left the GUN helicopter. "Grrrr... I'll fly you to safety, Gemini. Grrr... There's no time to waste!" Guard offered. Gemini shook her head. "We can't just leave Copter and Heather! What if they don't realize the ship is crashing until it's too late!?" she said. Guard crossed his arms. "Grrrr... She's a bird, and Copter can fly. I'm sure they'll be fine." he said. Gemini wasn't convinced. "I don't want to take the chance! If we can help them, we should!" she pleaded. "And I should help Bucky. Grrrr... But there's no time!" Guard insisted. The Deathbringer had had all it could take of this. "Enough! Get off the ship! I'll see to the safety of your friends! Now stop wasting time!" it shouted. Gemini calmed down slightly. "All right then... Thank you!" she said. Guard, wasting no time, lifted Gemini into his arms and began to fly away. The Deathbringer watched them go for a moment, and then turned and ran back into the ship...


Copter had run faster than he could ever remember, quickly crossing the lava bridge and soon after making his way back to the containment cell that once held Kosmo. As he passed by the door of the cell, he heard something. "E-excuse me, sir!" It was a voice he didn't recognize. Despite the rush he was in, he stopped to see who it was. The voice had apparently come from inside the cell, which Copter couldn't see into. "Is that you, Kosmo, disguised as a girl? If it is, I don't have time for this!" Copter growled. "Oh, no, please, wait!" said the creature in the cell, stepping out into view. It was a species Copter didn't know, that sort of resembled a cat with large whiskers, and even larger ears. Its fur was a light shade of blue, but its ears and whiskers were yellow. It had a long tail with stripes of those same colors, and it wore a tight, one-piece suit that was blue from the waist-up and green from the waist-down. Its eyes were emerald green, and on its back was a pair of large white wings! "OK, you're not Kosmo, because your eyes aren't glowing... So who the heck are you, and what are you doing up here?!" Copter asked with suspicion. The creature recoiled slightly, apparently afraid. "D-don't yell at me! You're the trespasser here!" she said. Copter scoffed at her. "C'mon! You're saying you're NOT a trespasser? You'd have to be either Bucky or one of his experiments if....." he paused a moment as he thought of who this could possibly be. The creature nodded. "That's right! I'm one of those experiment dealies! And... Ah! Almost forgot the reason I called to you. What's going on? It feels like we're falling!" she said. Copter thought about the experiments he knew of. "Hold on now... There's Punchy, me, Kosmo, Zipp, Vortex, Guard, Heather, Crash, that porcupine, and that dragon... That's ten..." As he began to figure out what this meant, his eyes grew wide with shock. "You... You're Experiment 11!! You're supposed to be dead!" he gasped. The creature looked over itself, as if checking, and then glanced back at Copter. "I am? Gee, I'm sorry... I didn't know..." she said with disturbing sincerity. Copter realized what this meant. "They thought you were burned to nothing! If you survived... That means Heather was innocent all along! Vortex is gonna try to kill her for something she didn't even do, but she thinks she did! Heeey... Why does she think she did if she didn't? Argh! This is confusing!" he muttered. Experiment 11 seemed to be falling asleep standing up, until Copter woke her. "Hey, uh... you... What's your name? Hey! Wake up!" Experiment 11 woke with a start. "I didn't do it! It was... Oh, I'm still here with you... What were we talking about again?" she asked, a bit dazed. Copter shook her hand. "It's nice to meet ya, I'm Copter. Bucky blew me up once. Sorry to rush through this, but there's not a lot of time. What's your name and story?" he asked quickly. Experiment 11 backed away from him. "Don't rush me! Let's see... Name... Gee, I should know this... Um... Call me Whisk! Yeah, I'm Whisk the Divine!" she said, keeping her distance from Copter. "How is it you're alive, Whisk? As I understand it, you were tackled by a fiery phoenix!" Copter asked. If her story made sense, he would know for sure if she was really Experiment 11. Whisk looked thoughtful. "Wow, that was soooo long ago... Let's see if I can remember something for once... Ah! I was just born, and that Bucky character was givin' me a checkup, when this real mad lookin' bird stomped in and started spoutin' nonsense. She got real mad, and I think she might've even transformed... Hard to tell, 'cuz there was so much fire. She charged at Bucky, but when I stood up, hoping to help him, she changed course and came after me instead! It was frightening, so I used my power... And I've been hiding around on this ship ever since. The ordeal made me scared of everyone, you see... But since I had to find out what was going on, I talked to you. You're not so scary... But you never answered my question... did you?" The story sounded right, but Copter still had one more question. "You used a power? What power?" he asked. Whisk decided to demonstrate. Faint white lights surrounded her body, and then flashed brightly, vanishing along with her! Copter was stunned. "Whoa! What was that?! Where'd you go!?" he shouted. "Not so LOUD!" Whisk shouted in response. She was right behind him! Copter turned around and chuckled. "So, you can 'whisk' yourself away... Cool." he said. Whisk looked a little impatient now. "So, for the last time, what's going on with this ship!?" she shouted. Copter had forgotten until this point, and now looked panicked. "Shoot! Why'd you have to distract me!? This ship is crashing! We gotta get out of here!!" he yelled. Whisk yelped in fear. "Ship crashing... Gotta go out there... OUT THERE!? With the world!? Aw, buttercups! But if I have no choice, I have no choice..." she said sadly. As the two of them began to run towards the nearest exit, Copter tried to ask Whisk for help. "Whisk, everyone thinks Heather killed you! Even she does! She's real sorry about it, too, but Vortex is gonna kill her! You have to come with me so we can clear her name!" he said. Whisk glared at him. "Excuse me? All I HAVE to do is get off this ship! There's no way I'm gonna join your little quest! Not to save the person who tried to kill me, especially!" she growled. Copter wanted to try to change her mind, but they'd reached the exit, and had to fly off the ship.


The Deathbringer watched Copter and Whisk fly away from the ship through a window. "Good. I wasn't going to help THEM anyway. I have my own things to deal with before this ship crashes!" it said to itself, glancing down at the rapidly approaching ocean. "I still can't believe... That in the end... It was my own interference that caused this catastrophe. Looks like the Doomsayer was right..." Looking around, it noticed that even the Lost Ones were running around the ship now, desperately searching for a safe way off. "Oh, quit acting all terrified, creatures! I already know that you all survive the crash! Too bad... This was probably the only chance to stop Losipher." The Deathbringer glanced back out the window, then began running to accomplish its goal. "There's not much time! I must pick up the pace, or perish with the ship!"


Whisk had flown off in a different direction than Copter. He had to get to the nearest land, since his tails would tire after a short while, but Whisk's wings could take her much further. Copter landed on the southernmost bell tower in Soleanna's castle town. From there, he watched grimly as his birthplace crashed into the ocean. Bucky had managed to steer it away from the city, and it flew far enough away that the waves caused by its crash wouldn't do much damage. The ship began sinking slowly, and Copter was watching anxiously to see if anyone else would escape. Unfortunately, he could see no one. "I sure hope Guard got Gemini off the ship... Heck, strangely enough, I hope Bucky got off the ship... Weird..." he said to himself. "Yo, Copter!" Looking down, Copter saw officer Razor waving to him. He was accompanied by the others: Mia, Chet, Katie, and Tommy. Copter hopped down from the bell tower. "That was quite a crash! What happened?" Chet asked. Copter was in a hurry, but he attempted to give a quick explanation. "Heather was kidnapped by the experiments on the ship, and they took her away! It seems Bucky only wanted to talk to her, but Vortex wants to kill her! Then the ship started to crash, and I found Experiment 11. Vortex thinks Heather killed her, and worse, Heather thinks so, too! Eleven escaped, but she won't help me... So I'm on my own! And I gotta get to Kingdom Valley! Vortex is taking Heather to Eggman's battleship there!" he said. Mia took Copter by the hand. "Hey, you're not alone! We'll do everything we can to get you there before it's too late!" she promised. Tommy looked worried. "What happened to Guard and Gemini?" he wondered. Everyone could tell from Copter's expression that he didn't see them get off the ship. Katie tried to comfort Tommy. "It's OK. I'm sure Guard got them off in time. They probably just landed somewhere else." she said. Razor blew his police whistle to get everyone's attention. "Hey, either way, Heather's the one in immediate danger! Come on, let's get to Kingdom Valley, pronto!" he suggested. With that, the group quickly began rushing for the gate to the jungle. After all, time was rapidly running out!


Chapter 15 - Six Stone Showdown

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"I must play this game by my rules.
I will conquer the world with my tools.
All my machines are made for destruction.
I will build my empire!" - e.g.g.m.a.n., Sonic Adventure 2


Fera led Punchy and Rainbow into a hidden underwater facility, the purpose of which was unknown to them. "This is Aquatic Base." Fera explained, "A long time ago, at least ten years, the ruler of Soleanna was performing experiments here. Dangerous experiments, apparently, since he died after they went bad." The floor of the room they had entered through was covered in a strange, silver-colored substance, which seemed like liquid, but was safe to walk on. Small orbs that appeared to be made of the same material floated in the air. "I bet they had fun tossing these balls around..." Rainbow said, reaching for one, but for safety's sake, not touching it. Fera tapped her foot on the floor loudly and impatiently to get Punchy and Rainbow's attention. She pointed to a door at the end of the room. "That way. Those annoying birds are meeting their benefactor in that general direction. Punch 'em in the beaks a couple times for me." she said seriously. Punchy looked at her with disappointment. "You're not coming with us? But this place is so huge we could be lost for hours!" he groaned. Fera's expression remained ever serious. "I have confidence in you. Besides, I have my own things to deal with. I HAVE to leave. Don't like it? Tough!" she growled. Rainbow waved to Fera as she began to run ahead. "Well, thanks for your help, Wolfie! We'll be fine, I'll lead the way! Follow me, One!" Punchy rushed to catch up with Rainbow. "Slow down, Rainbow! You'll scare those birds away!" he shouted, stopping briefly to wave good-bye to Fera. Once they were out of the room, Fera slowly walked to the door. "Those fools may just prove useful... This could prove easier than I expected!" she thought, slowly and stealthily following Punchy and Rainbow as they began to search the underwater base.

Punchy and Rainbow found themselves wandering down a long hallway, where laser defenses flickered on and off intermittently to block their path. It was particularly annoying since they were in a hurry. "C'mon, stupid lasers! We have to catch up with those darn thieves before they move on!" Punchy grumbled as they waited for a set of lasers to turn off. "Don't worry, One! I'm sure those birdies were slowed down just as much as us!" Rainbow said. As the lasers turned off, they quickly darted past them and continued until they reached the end of the hall. Fera, who remained a fair distance behind them, would simply use her dark powers to warp past the lasers whenever they blocked her path. The hallway ended at a large room with a round pillar in the center. A balcony encircled the pillar halfway to the roof, but it seemed impossible to get to. The room was shaped like an octagon, but there was only a single exit on the other side. Unfortunately, there were also monsters in the room! Punchy and Rainbow backed away a few steps upon entering, hoping they weren't spotted. Much to their relief, the monsters were too preoccupied to notice them. On closer observation, Punchy and Rainbow saw a squad of black Egg Pawns fighting with the monsters! These Pawns seemed stronger and more agile than normal red ones, but just as stupid. The monsters kept them on the run for the most part. "Why are Tubby's robots fighting with future-monsters?" Rainbow asked loudly, trying to talk over the noise of the battle. Punchy grabbed her and covered her mouth, but it was too late. Both the monsters and the Egg Pawns stopped abruptly and glared at the two echidnas. Punchy released Rainbow and backed away slowly. "Now you've done it! Don't you have any common sense!?" Punchy grumbled. The robots and monsters seemed to be calling a temporary truce to attack Punchy and Rainbow, and right away they were in trouble! Punchy quickly thought up a plan. "Rainbow, see if you can get up to that balcony there! Try to get these jerks to chase you!" he said. Rainbow looked around. It seemed like a dumb idea, but she decided to try it anyway. She dashed directly towards the enemies, startling them for a moment, and then jumped over their heads and began gliding towards the wall! Most of the enemies immediately began chasing after her, and Punchy easily trounced the robots and monsters that stayed to come after him! In a moment, Rainbow managed to get up to the balcony, but since there were no flying enemies present, they could only stand under the balcony and try to climb the pillar. "Perfect! Get ready to jump, Rainbow!" Punchy shouted. He began concentrating on the balcony next. "Chaos Avalanche!!" he shouted, causing the balcony to break off the pillar and begin falling on the helpless enemies below! Rainbow had jumped down and landed at the exit, where Punchy met her moments later. "Let's hurry up! I don't know if that balcony was heavy enough to destroy them, so they might climb out any second!" he shouted, running through the door. Rainbow stopped to stick out her tongue at the bad guys before quickly running ahead of Punchy.

They continued exploring the base for a while, finding that monsters appeared to be mostly in one area of the base while robots patrolled the other. "Y'know... I'll just bet that those birds are working for Eggman. That'd explain all those robots wandering around." Punchy said after a while. Rainbow didn't look so sure. "Tubby's more interested in those gems, isn't he? Would he really chase after the Time Rocks, too?" she wondered. Punchy seemed quite sure of himself. "There's monsters and robots here. I doubt they're working for the monsters! So, I say we follow the trail of robots and see where it leads us!" he suggested. They had come to a crossroads by now. On one side, the hall was patrolled by the black Egg Pawns, while the other side was infested with purple monsters. Rainbow scratched her head. "Could there possibly be a third option? Those halls don't look so friendly." she said. Punchy pointed to the hall on the left, the Egg Pawn path. "The robots don't seem as dangerous as the monsters, Rainbow." he reminded her. With that, Rainbow began leading the way into the path of robots. "All right, One! Let's get a move on, then! Tubby's not gonna wait for us!" she said excitedly. As Punchy followed her into the hallway, Fera walked into the area. She glanced down both halls, her eyes lingering on the hall of monsters. "Those monsters...." she muttered, recalling something. She smiled as she thought of what this could mean. "Mephiles... I wonder if he's here..." she said. As curious as she was, though, she had other reasons for being here. "Rotten timing. I can't change my plans now... Better just keep moving..." Without further hesitation, she turned and entered the path with the Egg Pawns...


Egg Pawns are among the simplest of the robots that Eggman has ever assembled. While they come in many variations, with various different weapons, the simple fact is that they are not quite as dangerous as other robots. Even Rainbow managed to knock out a few of the robots as she and Punchy made their way to wherever the robots were coming from. More dangerous were the lasers and other defenses they encountered along the way. Things got really chaotic when they began fighting in a room with the same floating balls they'd encountered at the entrance. They and the robots would occasionally smack one of the balls, and they'd begin bouncing around like the room was a pinball machine! As the balls bounced around, they'd smack Punchy and the robots, making things rather difficult for both sides! "Lousy mad scientists and their stupid super balls! Why do they have to keep hitting me in the head!? I'm getting a migraine!" Punchy grumbled. Rainbow was much more nimble than he was, and remained generally untouched. "Tee hee! This is like dodge ball! Take this, rusties!" she giggled, slapping a ball into a robot! The balls might have been an annoyance, but they did provide some help, and soon the robots were all destroyed. As Punchy smashed the last one, something shiny flew out of its hands and landed on the floor! Rainbow picked the shiny purple object up. "Hey, it's another Time Rock!" she said, bringing it over to Punchy. He grabbed it from her hands and looked over it. "Yeah, seems like it. I guess we could take this one and go after that Mephiles character Illusi was talking about..." he said. Rainbow looked back the way they came, and then in the direction they had been heading. "Hmmm... What about the birdies? Should we just forget about them?" she wondered. Punchy thought about it. "Good point. If we leave them alone, they'll just swipe this Time Stone from us, too. I guess we should go pay Eggman a visit and make him call off his scavenger birds!" he decided. Rainbow agreed. "Yeah, it's getting old chasing those birds around! Let's get 'em!" she shouted, taking off towards the next hallway, with Punchy close behind!

After a while, Punchy and Rainbow found their way to a room that looked quite different from the others. The first thing they noticed was that much of what was in the room appeared to have been destroyed. There were shattered windows around the room, machinery knocked over, and parts of the walls seemed to have been burned at one time. It quickly became apparent to Punchy where they were. "This must be the lab Fera was talking about... Where the king of Soleanna died working on those experiments..." he said, looking around. Rainbow shivered at the thought. "Creepy... His ghost could be hanging around here!" she said. Punchy looked at the remains of the device in the center of the room. "I wonder what this was used for..." he muttered, trying to imagine the device before its destruction. Fera grinned as she snuck into the room while Punchy and Rainbow's backs were turned. She knew what had happened here. "This is where Mephiles was born... Extracted from the Flames of Disaster..." she thought, "We're almost there... Just need to open the path..." She made sure to keep out of sight as she crept carefully towards a machine that wasn't wrecked. In fact, the device looked fairly new. Fera pressed a button on the device, and then quickly warped away. The device buzzed and beeped to life, catching Punchy and Rainbow's attention. "What's that!?" Punchy said, puzzled. In a few moments, the device carried out its function, and a hidden door opened up across from where Punchy and Rainbow entered the room! Some Egg Pawns quickly dashed into the room and looked around in confusion for a moment before chasing after Punchy and Rainbow! There were five of them, and Punchy quickly took them out with a few simple yet swift punches! "That was weird... I don't think those robots opened that door on purpose..." Rainbow said. Punchy nodded. "Yeah, this is awfully suspicious... But then again, we could've stepped on some secret switch in the floor by accident. Either way, I think we're almost there!" he said, heading for the new exit. Fera was hiding in the shadows, watching from the broken windows above. "Now, those fools should make a nice distraction while I find out just how many of the Time Stones have been collected..." she chuckled, jumping back into the room and starting to follow them...

A short hallway separated the lab from a new area that was apparently redecorated recently. Eggman symbols could be seen stamped on the walls, and a large, mechanical object was lying on the ground on the far side of the room. As Punchy and Rainbow entered, they knew they had reached their destination. "All right, crooks! We know you gotta be around here somewhere! Let's settle this!" Punchy shouted as he stomped to the center of the room. "As you wish!" came a taunting voice above him, which belonged to Jet! The three Babylon Rogues dropped from above and grabbed the purple Time Stone from Punchy's hand before he could react, laughing and taunting him as they flew to the machine in front of Punchy. "You've been a very profitable patsy, slowpoke! Now, we've got six Time Stones for our client!" Jet squawked. Punchy and Rainbow both shook their fists at them. "Scavengers! You better give those back, right now!!" Punchy shouted. Wave wagged her finger at him. "Don't talk to us like that! We're not scavengers! At least, not in this case!" she said. Rainbow nodded in agreement. "That's true. You're not scavengers. You're just thieves!" she said matter-of-factly. Storm chuckled at them. "Well, whatcha gonna do about it? You can't even catch us!" he said. "We're businessbirds today! We made a very lucrative deal with someone, and with just one more of those silly stones, we'll get a king's ransom!" Jet added. Punchy growled at them a little. "You're making me mad! You won't like me when I'm mad!" he said. All three of the Rogues started laughing at him. "We already don't like you that much! What, you think you scare us?" Storm said. Rainbow grabbed Punchy by the arm. "Don't let 'em get to you, One! We'll get those rocks back!" she said. Punchy smiled a moment, but the smile vanished when the Rogues spoke again. "That's not gonna happen, kids. You're already too late!" Wave said. "Yeah, our boss will be here any second!" Jet added. Punchy started running after the birds. "I'll just have to make this quick, then!" he shouted. Suddenly, Eggman's voice echoed through the room. "Step away from the merchandise!"

A part of the roof opened up, allowing an Egg Mobile to drop into the room. However, it wasn't the same Egg Mobile that Punchy and Rainbow recognized! The man at the controls did resemble Dr. Eggman, though, so Punchy felt sure that was who it was. "Eggman!" he shouted. "Tubby!!" Rainbow shouted. The Eggman doppelganger frowned at her. "Tubby? How very rude. I would much prefer that you call me "Doctor." Dr. Eggman Nega, to be precise!" the Eggman of the future said with unusual politeness. Punchy and Rainbow backed away from him slightly to get a better view. "You do LOOK a bit different... But I bet you just disguised yourself to make fun of how I look like Knuckles! That's pretty immature, doc!" Punchy shouted, feeling a bit offended. Eggman Nega raised a hand, calling for silence. "If you please, I would like to share my story with someone. The only contact I've had with others for a while has been with the Babylon Rogues. You see, I came from the future! Quite by accident, too. A bunch of ruffians had wandered into my secret base, and a fennec that was with them had a Time Stone! She accidentally brought me back with her when she traveled back in time. Lucky for me, I got away with her Time Stone. These little beauties were thought to be lost after this time's Eggman failed to successfully use them. But it would seem Sonic collected them, and subsequently lost them." he explained. Punchy had no idea what he was talking about. "Look, I'm fairly new around here, so I don't know much about Sonic or Eggman's history. Why don't you just get to the point already!" he shouted. Eggman Nega shushed him. "Don't interrupt me. The Eggman of this time still wishes to control time, so he's going after Princess Elise. He's going to fail, but I won't! With the seven Time Stones, I will rule over time instead! And, thanks to you, I know that the Solaris Prototype that this time's Eggman is making, holds no power over the Time Stones!" As Nega finished his story, Punchy came to a realization. "It was you! You sent Rainbow, Gemini and me to the future! You'll pay for that!" he threatened. Nega ignored the threat and turned to Jet. "My friend, go and fetch the final Time Stone for me, will you? Bring it to my base. I will deal with these miscreants. When this is all over, you'll get your reward!" he said. Jet saluted him. "Aye, aye, Eggman 2! Let's go!" As the Rogues headed for the exit, Fera hid in the shadows, and after they passed her, she began following them. "Those birds will lead me where I want to go!" she thought.

Eggman Nega pressed some buttons on his Egg Mobile, and the machinery behind him sprung to life! As it rose up, Punchy realized that it was what appeared to be a giant black Egg Pawn with a jet pack! There were slots on each of its arms and legs, and a seventh slot on its chest. Eggman Nega tossed the purple Time Stone into the last empty slot on the limbs, leaving only the slot in the robots chest vacant. Next, his Egg Mobile hovered over the robot and locked into the top of it, completing the contraption. "What you see before you is my latest stroke of genius. Composed entirely of recycled parts from my counterpart in this time! I call it... the Egg Timer! OK, so it's very similar to the Egg Emperor, but there are a few key differences. The biggest is that the Egg Timer can control time! The more Time Stones it has, the more powerful it is, and it already has six! With one more, I will mold all of time into my own Empire of Ages!" he proclaimed. Rainbow let out an impressed whistle. "He's about as good at tinkering as Tubby... But he sure is a copycat. Everything about him is ripped off from Tubby." she observed. Eggman Nega ignored that remark as well. "You know, I've been observing you every chance I got. I have to say, you two have... potential. And you've worked for the other Eggman once. Could there be a possibility that you two might wish to join me?" he asked. Punchy looked thoughtful for a moment, as though he was considering it. "You HAVE proved to be a worthy foe so far... But then again, that was the birds, not you. But if you were to succeed, I guess it would be good to be in the employ of your 'empire'... However, I don't think you'll succeed!" he said. Eggman Nega raised an eyebrow. "You think there's a flaw in my plan! Ridiculous! But... I suppose I'll hear you out... If only for amusement." he said. Punchy paced back and forth as he explained his reasoning. "First off, you're a total Eggman wannabe. I mean, what kinda weirdo fixes himself up to look almost identical to his ancestor? But, that's not why you'll fail. Your plan is too dangerous. If you do succeed, you'll probably screw up time so much that you'll destroy it, and if that happens... There won't be any 'Empire of Ages!'" he said. Eggman Nega finally appeared to be getting angry. "You think I'm capable of such a foolish miscalculation? You think I would do something as stupid as accidentally destroy the world!? If I destroy the world, it will be on purpose! But I suppose your weak mind simply can't fathom genius such as mine... Allow me to end the strain of your poor brain!"

Nega's Egg Timer was all prepped for battle, and it already took off after Punchy, bashing him with its giant fists! Punchy was hurled into the air, and the robot kicked him away before he hit the ground! Punchy picked himself up after landing. That hurt, but he could recall worse. "Is that your best? I'll show you a REAL fist fight!" he said, charging fist first at the robot! Nega attempted to hit him, but Punchy was ready this time. A quick dodge, and he was all set to start smacking away at the robot! However, its armor was pretty tough, and the Egg Timer swatted him away before he could cause much damage. "Don't worry, One! I'll help fight him, too!" Rainbow shouted, occupying the robot by outrunning its attacks. "Hold still, you gaudy pin cushion!" Nega growled. Punchy thought to use the distraction to get an easy hit on the Egg Timer, but Nega wasn't about to be fooled! Just before Punchy could launch an attack, Nega spun the robot around and kicked Punchy away! Rainbow attempted to fight back, but he swiftly swatted her aside as well! "Please! You think a strategy as mundane as double teaming is going to work on me? I'm not your time's primitive Eggman!" Punchy grinned at Nega as his robot approached him. "'Course not, future fatty. But this might work! Chaos Avalanche!!" Punchy used the power of Chaos in an attempt to bring the roof crashing down on the Egg Timer, but Nega simply had his robot run out of the way, faster than it had moved so far in the battle! "You are rather slow-witted, aren't you? Didn't I say I've been watching you? I know all of your abilities!" Nega said, grinning menacingly. Punchy frowned at him. "That's the trouble with jerks like you. You think you can determine everything about someone simply from a little bit of observation! Well, I bet you won't see this coming!" he shouted. Nega started to move the Egg Timer towards Punchy to prepare for whatever he was planning, when Rainbow suddenly landed on top of the Egg Timer behind Nega and covered his eyes with her hands! "Guess who, Tubby 2!" she said, chuckling. Nega struggled in his seat to push her away. "Unhand me, you stupid--" he shouted until Rainbow jumped away. "That's better! Now--" Before Eggman Nega could do anything else, the rubble created by Chaos Avalanche was tossed back at the Egg Timer thanks to another Chaos Avalanche attack from Punchy! The Egg Timer stumbled around for a moment before crashing to the floor! Punchy and Rainbow met up in front of the robot and began making faces to taunt Eggman Nega. "You think you've beaten me? Observe, the power of the Time Stones!!" Eggman Nega shouted, pressing a button on his controls to in order to fire a beam of bright light at Punchy and Rainbow...


Punchy and Rainbow had no time to comprehend what had happened. The second they opened their eyes, they found themselves underwater! Acting on instinct rather than their own thoughts, they quickly swam for the nearest source of air, not paying any attention to where they were going. Once they got out of that mess and regained their senses, they found themselves still inside Aquatic Base, but something was clearly different. After some wandering, they found themselves back at the exit from Aquatic Base to Soleanna's Castle Town, but they instantly knew they weren't in Soleanna anymore. "Nega... That jerk! He sent us back to the future!" Punchy realized. Rainbow looked around. "Aww, this is Crisis City again... And we don't have a Time Rock OR a gem! Now what?" she said worriedly. Punchy looked thoughtful. "Well... First we should try to figure out what time we're at exactly. Did the past versions of us get here yet, or did they... we... already leave?" he said. Rainbow held her head like it was hurting. "Oh, this is so confusing! C'mon, One! Let's try that place with Wanda's friends! Follow me!" she said, running off in the direction she believed the Freedom Fighter headquarters was located. Punchy looked extremely worried. "Yeah... I hope they're still alive... And at the end of all of this, I hope I'M still alive!"


Chapter 16 - Gemini's Burden

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"In the night-light, do you see what you dream?
All your triumph, and all you'll ever be.
Look around you, then you may realize,
Happiness lies trapped in misery." - Dreams of an Absolution, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006


After escaping the crashing Shadow Arcangel, Gemini was very worried about Copter and Heather. She could think of nothing else but finding out if they were OK. To assuage her fears, Guard used his internal sensors to see if he could find Copter. It didn't take long until he succeeded. "Grrrr... Copter is safe. He's in Soleanna, somewhere, but he appears to be moving fast. Grrr... He might be in a car." he said to Gemini. She looked thankfully at Guard. "That's good. I'm very glad to hear that. Thank you, Guard!" she said as they began walking through Soleanna. "Grrrr... So... What will you do now?" Guard asked. Gemini looked rather unsure of herself. "I really have no idea. I may just collapse... It's been a tough day... Or couple of days... I don't even know anymore." she said grimly. Suddenly, Illusi appeared in front of them in his usual puff of smoke! Guard quickly struck a defensive pose. "Grrr!? What the...? Who are you!?" he growled. Despite the fact that they were both on Shadow Arcangel when it first took off, Guard had never actually seen him. Gemini calmed him down. "It's OK! That's Illusi, a friend of mine. What brings you here, Illusi?" she asked. Illusi appeared frustrated. "I lost track of the Dark One, um... Punchy, a moment ago. Have you seen him?" he asked. Gemini looked worried again. "He wasn't on Shadow Arc, was he?" she asked. Illusi shook his head. "Of course not. Why? Has something happened?" he asked. Guard pointed in the direction the ship had crashed. "Grrrr... The ship plummeted into the ocean moments ago. Grrrr... Don't tell my master, but I was partially responsible..." he explained. Gemini smiled slightly. "There were a lot of Lost Ones, including Losipher up there! I bet they're finished now!" she said. Illusi frowned. "Wow, what a mess. First, let me tell you that any celebration is quite premature, those Lost Ones will all have survived. They're probably hiding out in sewers or something... With Shadow Arc gone, they'll simply roam around, which in my opinion is far more dangerous!" he said. Gemini's heart sank upon hearing this news. "Just great... I set out to change the future for the better, and I end up just making things worse..." she sighed. Illusi looked at Gemini and Guard's weary faces and got an idea. "Hey, now, chin up! Sure, Lost Ones are on the loose and Dark One is missing. I at least heard that Shadow has taken up the task of battling Mephiles! Come, you two need to relax. We'll visit those hedgehog bartenders. Drinks are on me!" he said cheerfully. Gemini and Guard didn't seem to be in the mood, but they followed Illusi anyway. After all, drinks were on him!

Bill and Bob were quite glad to have customers. It had been a rough time for them. Due to Eggman's attacks and threats, everyone in the city was too busy preparing for the worst, and their business had dried up. "It's awful. I tell ya, that Eggman character sure ruins everything for everybody!" Bill had said. Bob gave Gemini a can of soda, and then set to work pouring tea for Illusi. Guard didn't order anything; as an android, he had no need for food or drink. "So, didja ever find those folks you was lookin' fer?" Bob asked Guard. The gargoyle nodded. "Grrrr... Both the phoenix and the assassin." he said. Gemini and Illusi were both eager to hear the full story behind Guard's presence there, so he took a moment to explain. He told them everything: How Gunner had asked him to spy on Shadow, the death of Rick the Gargoyle, his mission to capture Heather, all of it. "That's quite a story." Bill said at the end. Illusi was a bit miffed. "It's an outrage, what they let Sergeant Gunner get away with! And stranger still is this Deathbringer..." he said. Bill looked thoughtful at the mention of the Deathbringer. "Y'know, I think that character came here before chasing you to that shadowy angel ship. The hooded, black winged character." he said. Bob nodded in agreement. "Ordered a black coffee. I bet there's a real purty gal under that there hood of hers..." he said dreamily. Bill slapped him in the head. "What're you, stupid!? The Deathbringer's all man! Didn't you hear his deep voice?" he said. Gemini had her own thoughts on this. "The Deathbringer's voice keeps changing. I think he uses a machine to disguise his voice." she said. Illusi sipped his tea. "It's probably best not to dwell on it. After all, this 'Deathbringer' may have died on that ship." he said. Bill nodded in agreement. "You're right, but I think I may be able to offer some insight on this shady character's motivations. See, when he came here, I got to talkin' with him. He told me about that phoenix. See, he'd found this bird, all alone and scared, and it knew better'n she did that folks were after her. He told her to hide out here in Soleanna, and meet him here on the day of the Sun Festival. She did, and he told her that some thugs were coming to town to look for her, but that one among them might be trustworthy. I think he proved helpful to her." he told them. This story gave them all something to think about, even as they finished their drinks and left. One thing was certain: the Deathbringer was truly a mystery.

Gemini, Guard, and Illusi began wandering the streets of Soleanna's New City, and Gemini told Illusi more about her battle with Losipher. "That monster... Losipher... In the future, he killed several of my friends. We only wanted a safe refuge to hide from Iblis, but no place is safe in my time. I came back to stop Losipher. In the end, I literally spent most of the battle fighting myself. It was a Lost One that looked the way I looked when I almost became one of them." she told him. Illusi looked thoughtful. "Guard said earlier that when Losipher tried to absorb you, he couldn't. I think I understand why now." he said. Guard and Gemini stopped walking and looked at Illusi, curious to hear his answer. Illusi cleared his throat and began to explain. "The Lost Ones, as I understand them, are creatures born of souls either lost... or stolen. Lost Ones can extract the souls of others, even corrupt their bodies with their souls still in them if they so desire! You faced that when they took over you before." he said. Gemini nodded. "Yeah... It was only because of Knuckles that I was able to escape from that nightmare." she recalled. Illusi seemed fascinated by her story. "I've never heard of one being saved from the Lost Ones after they'd been taken over. The ramifications of this may be the real reason why Lospecter started attacking you. If you managed to free your soul from their grip, then you may have developed an immunity to their power as a result! It's truly remarkable!" he said. Guard seemed interested in this as well. "Grrrr... Perhaps if she can do that, others could as well. Grrr... That would render those monsters almost harmless." he reasoned. Illusi shook his head. "No, it's too dangerous to test that theory. Not without being fairly certain of the conditions that allowed Gemini to escape. But there's still one important fact in this. If you, Gemini, really are immune to the soul snatching power of the Lost Ones, this can give you an incredible advantage over them. I might go so far as to say that you may be the only one who actually stands a real chance of defeating them!" he said.

"And that is why I must insist that you die!" Lospecter's voice rang out through the area, seeming to come from everywhere! In a moment, his gassy form appeared in front of Gemini, Guard, and Illusi, holding out a hand of cards. "Pick a card... Any card... Like this one!" He flipped over one of the cards, which displayed an image of a Loskel! In an instant, the card vanished and around 20 Loskel appeared, surrounding them! "Lospecter! You didn't come here just for this! Fess up! What are you after!?" Illusi shouted, hoping to finally learn why exactly Lospecter was in Soleanna. The card loving spirit merely laughed at him. "Hee ha... Sorry, you're just a joke. I came here to kill that girl and take her Chaos Emerald. And the Time Stone, while I'm at it, not that either object really interests me. Oh, you wanted to know what it is I REALLY want here in this sickening city of water, eh? I dunno... It's sensitive information, I'm not sure I can trust soon to be dead people with it!" he chuckled. Guard had his scythe ready and waiting to fight. "Grrrr... Don't worry about that, we're not dying any time soon!" he growled. Lospecter grinned at his defiance. "You really are an amusing dog-bat-devil-thing, aren't you? Well, if you think you'll survive, I guess that changes everything! Or nothing... Aw, what the heck! Keeping a secret is dull and boring! I confess, I don't really want ol' Mephy-less to get his power and revive the Flames of Disaster and all that jazz. Really, I plan to double-cross him and play keep away with the Chaos Emerald." Lospecter flew down to Gemini and held out his hand. "So what do ya say? Give it to me?" he offered. Gemini swatted the spirit with her wand, which simply passed right through his gaseous form. "Ha ha ha, you're feisty! I like that! No, wait, I hate that... Well, whatever, while I'm telling you guys everything, I might as well add that I chose the perfect soul for Losipher's thousandth... before I ever even showed up here! It's that phoenix, you know. Her fiery spirit seems like just the thing that sad and miserable Losipher needs!" he said, flying a distance away to get a better view of what was about to happen. "That was all I needed to hear!" Illusi said, pulling out the strange key that he'd been using throughout the day. "Gemini, I recommend you return to your own time. As honorable as your intentions were, it is not right to meddle with the past. Don't worry, I am confident that you can defeat Losipher now!" he said before turning the key and using it to escape!

Lospecter snapped his "fingers" as Illusi escaped. "I gotta get that key thing away from that guy!" he said, "Well, we still got you two! Loskel, mash 'em like sweet potatoes!" The Loskel began to approach them, and Gemini thought about what Illusi said. Guard would probably be fine, and going to another time would be an easy way out of this battle, so Gemini held out the red Time Stone that Copter had retrieved for her. Lospecter began to worry as he considered what she was about to do. "Hey, there, little mage! Hold it! You better not be thinking what I think you're thinking!" he shouted. Gemini smiled, certain she was making the right decision. "Sorry, Lospecter, but I think we need some time apart. Say... about 200 years!" With that, she held the Time Stone over her head and used it, vanishing in a brilliant flash of light! 

As the light faded, Gemini found herself back in Crisis City, but on a street that was unfamiliar to her. She thought to begin searching for Losipher, but quickly found that she'd accidentally taken some of the Loskel with her! Three of them surrounded her and prepared to strike, while Gemini hurriedly attempted to ready her wand, but in her rush, she dropped it! Just when it looked bleak, she heard a familiar growling, followed by the Loskel getting slashed one by one by a scythe blade! Guard had also joined Gemini on her trip to the future, and easily saw the Loskel defeated. However, their slimy remains started quivering on the floor. "Grrrr!! C'mon, let's get out of here before they pull themselves together!" he suggested. Gemini quickly hopped over the slimy mess and ran over to Guard, hugging him in her relief. "Thanks for that... I thought I'd left you behind..." she said. Guard looked very serious as she released him. "Grrrr... Don't act surprised. I couldn't leave you to deal with this all by yourself. Grrrr... Now, let's hurry. Those puddles are writhing faster." he said, following Gemini as she led the way.

As Gemini led Guard around the fiery city, contemplating what to do next, Guard gazed at the chaos and destruction around him. "Grrr? This... is the future? A giant ruin? Grrr... How did this happen?" he wondered aloud. Gemini shushed him. "Not so loud... Monsters could be anywhere. It's dangerous in this city." she said quietly. Guard spoke more cautiously as he restated his question. "Grr... How did the world come to be destroyed like this?" Gemini did like most people in her time, and pointed to the flames all around. "The flames. They belong to an eternal life form, that appeared sometime in the past. The Flames of Disaster, which we call Iblis. Life's tough because of Iblis. He can't be destroyed, as far as we can see. I wanted to help everyone find a way to live with Iblis, so I became a mage and joined a group of freedom fighters. We searched for a safer place for people to live, and we found the one place untouched by Iblis' flames, Onyx Island. You might know it as Angel Island. But Eggman Nega and the Lost Ones controlled that place. We Freedom Fighters were massacred, especially when Losipher got into the battle. I can't stop Iblis, but maybe I can stop Losipher. I want to do that to help my people find a safer home!" she explained. Guard continued looking around at the destruction as they wandered the city. "So, that's the story, is it? Grrr... Iblis... I'd like to try to fight it, but I suppose that might just be a waste of time. Grrr... So, I will help you battle Losipher before returning to my own time. Grrr... Perhaps in my own time, I can devise a way to stop Iblis before it destroys everything." he decided. Gemini scanned the horizon for any sign of her destination. "I appreciate that, Guard. If I didn't think I'd need the help, though, I'd send you back to your own time right now. Losipher is much stronger in this time, and he was no pushover in the past." she said. Guard started looking in the direction Gemini was looking. "Grrr... Where will we find Losipher? Do we have to go to Onyx Island?" he asked. Gemini seemed hesitant to answer. Bringing Guard to the place of his death seemed a creepy idea, but it was the last place she'd seen the Losipher of her time. "We head for Soleanna Castle. On my last return to this city, Losipher was there." she said, heading off in the direction she believed it was in.

Things began to get dangerous as they got closer to the castle. An increasingly large amount of monsters attacked them at every turn, but Guard and Gemini easily took out anything in their path. Still, the way the monsters were appearing troubled Gemini. "This is strange. So many monsters are coming after us. It's almost like they're actually looking for us!" she said at one point. Guard nodded. "Grrrr... They're movements are not that of a group of patrolling guards. Grrrr... It's more like an army on the march..." he noted. Still, they proceeded easily enough for a while, but Gemini felt it necessary to try another path to the castle, hoping to throw the monsters off. As they wandered through an old city street that seemed in particularly bad shape, though, they found themselves surrounded! Monsters seemed to leap out of every nook and cranny of the area, including some of the larger varieties. Additionally, these monsters were purple, rather than red. As Gemini and Guard moved around, clutching their weapons, a sinister laugh rang out through the area. "I know that voice..." Gemini muttered, turning in the direction it was coming from. Sure enough, the crystalline shape of Mephiles showed itself before them. "Surely, you didn't think I forgot about you! I still want that Chaos Emerald of yours!" he sneered. Gemini backed away from him, while Guard stood to defend her. "There's no way I'm ever giving it to you!" she shouted defiantly. Mephiles didn't seem to care about what she said. "You know, it's useless to try and stop me. I already know how this all turns out. I know I will get that Chaos Emerald in the end, and when I do, my plan will be complete!" he said confidently. Guard glared at him with hatred. "Grrrr!! You're the same one that attacked us at the GUN compound! Grrr!! So, you can travel through time? I don't care. Your plans will never succeed, no matter what you think!" he yelled. Mephiles seemed to smile at that statement. "It's amusing how you mortal creatures cling to your false hopes, even in the face of the unstoppable. I can see it's useless talking to you. So, I'll leave you with my friends here!" At Mephiles' command, the monsters began to approach them, but Gemini wasn't about to fight a useless battle with them. She grabbed Guard by the arm and waved her wand. "Abra-ka-warpra!!" she shouted, warping them both away in a flash of light! Mephiles seemed not to care about this event, though. "Run all you like. I'm through playing your games..."


Gemini's plan to throw off the monsters worked, she'd changed direction to make them think she was going somewhere other than the castle. As a result, her warping dropped them off at a safe path that soon led them to the castle where they'd fought the Lost Ones before. This time, however, the guard monsters were missing. A possible reason for that was standing around in front of the castle. Gemini's surviving friends, Fred, Adam, and Evelyn were there! Gemini ran over to them in a moment of extreme relief and joy, and was greeted by Evelyn, who gave her a big hug. "I was certain this time that you all were dead!" she said, sobbing uncontrollably. Evelyn released her and she rushed to hug Adam next. "Wah!! Get off!! OK, OK, I'm happy to see you, too, but don't cry all over me!" he shouted, struggling against the embrace. They were so preoccupied with Gemini that they didn't see Guard at first. "Hey, isn't he dead? I could've sworn..." Adam started to say until Evelyn elbowed him in the chest. "Oof!! What'd I say?" he grumbled. Evelyn simply grinned and waved at both of them. "It's good to see you. Welcome back, Gemini." she said. Gemini was overwhelmed by the moment, but had to know how it happened. "Did you guys beat Losipher? How'd you escape?" she asked. Adam and Evelyn were too fixated on Guard to answer, so Fred took over explanations. "After you and Punchy disappeared, Losipher... well... he called the running cowardice, and claimed to be so sickened by it that he'd lost his appetite for our souls. Then he told us that he was planning to go after Iblis and try to consume him or combine himself with him. With their combined power, I don't think anyone will stand a chance of survival. After replenishing our ammunition, we were going to chase him and try to stop him." he said. Gemini frowned. "No, you can't! He'll just kill the rest of you! I don't want to see any of you die! That's why I'm going to stop Losipher myself!" she insisted. Guard felt her argument needed support. "Grrrr... I will look after her, as well." he said. Adam couldn't contain himself after hearing that. "You can't do that, Guard! You're dead! I saw you die, just moments ago! If a more experienced you couldn't handle Losipher, what chance do you think YOU have!?" he shouted, haunted by the recollection of Guard's death. Evelyn grabbed Adam by the shoulders and started shaking him. "Are... you... NUTS!?" she shouted. Guard thought about what he'd just heard. "Gr... Losipher killed me? Here? In this place and time?" he said, seeming unsure how to take it at first. Gemini was ashamed that she didn't tell him sooner. "Guard, I..." she started to say, but Guard silenced her. "It doesn't matter. Grrrr... I'm just... astonished I lived for so long. 200 years, you said? Grrr... Given that sort of time, it must have been a full life. Grrr... And I helped you all out in some way, didn't I? Grrrr... That's comforting to know. I have no regrets." he said calmly. Fred tapped Gemini on the shoulder after Guard was finished. "May I speak to you, alone, please?" he said, leading her away.

Fred had a look of utter and complete seriousness in his eyes, and Gemini knew what was coming. "You don't seriously expect me to allow you to go through with this. Taking on Losipher with only a young version of Guard with you? Have you not stopped to think about this for a second?" he asked her sternly. Gemini looked down at her feet. "I know, it sounds like suicide. And if it is, I don't really care anymore. I can't sit around and watch any more of my friends die. It's too much! I won't let it happen!" she said. Fred could see the pain in her eyes, so he gave her a hug to comfort her. "It'll be OK... You must be strong. Running off and getting yourself killed won't do anyone the least bit of good!" he said. He then released her and brushed some tears from her eyes. "I know you, Gemini. There's surely something you haven't told me." he noted. Gemini nodded. "Too well. You know me too well. Something happened to me in the past, you see. The Losipher then tried to absorb my soul, but he couldn't. I... I think I might have developed an immunity to the Lost Ones' powers!" she explained. Fred's expression did not change, he remained quite serious. "That does not mean they cannot harm you. You are not immune to death!" he insisted. "I know that! But it does give me an advantage that the rest of you don't have! I have to try this... no matter what happens. Please, don't try to stop me... Don't..." Gemini pleaded. Fred was silent for a moment, lost in thought. He appeared to be looking for something in her eyes, perhaps trying to see her thoughts. In a moment, he apparently found what he was looking for, and let out a tired sigh. "I don't like this. In fact, I hate this. But I sense that the decision is out of my hands. If you feel you must go, then I suppose I cannot stand in your way..." he said. Gemini smiled slightly at his words. "But, you will not be alone! Hold out your wand, Gemini." he added, taking her wand and touching the gem on her wand to the gem on his wand. A surge of energy emanated from the wands, and it appeared to be draining some of Fred's strength, as he started breathing heavily as he did this! In a moment, he broke the connection between the wands and handed Gemini her wand back. As she took it, Fred stumbled slightly, nearly falling. "I have transferred some of my power to your wand... I wish you the best of luck... And ask that if your mission seems impossible, do try to flee, and return yourself to us. For we could not bear to lose you either." he said. Gemini hugged him once more. "Thank you... Thank you so much, Teacher..." she said, and then helped him walk back to where the others were waiting.

As Gemini and Fred returned, Fred already seemed to be regaining his energy, and was able to walk by himself once they got there. Unfortunately, there was no time to chat. Another swarm of monsters suddenly jumped out of nowhere, surrounding the group and attacking without hesitation! Guard began fighting at once, while Adam and Evelyn pulled out their weapons and joined the fray quickly. Fred avoided the monsters as much as possible, for his strength had not fully returned yet. There were many monsters, and Gemini was certain that Mephiles was behind this, so she felt she had to help, but Fred shouted for her to go. "Gemini, you must leave now! Quickly, we'll hold off the monsters!" he shouted. Gemini refused. "No! You don't have all your energy! I won't leave you all like this!" she said, panicked. Fred quickly dodged an attacking monster. "You must! If you don't leave now, you may not get another chance!" he shouted. Guard heard the argument between student and teacher, and ran over to Gemini, grabbing her in his arms. "Grrrr! He's right! Don't worry about them! Grrrr! They've survived this long, they're not about to die now!" he said, flying past the monsters with Gemini. "N-no!! I can't leave them! Let me go!!" she shouted, struggling. Fred, Adam, and Evelyn were fighting heroically, but took a moment to call to Gemini. "Good luck, Gemini!" Evelyn shouted. "You KNOW I'll be fine!" Adam yelled. "It will all be OK, Gemini! Never forget, no matter what happens, we'll always be with you!" Fred added, as Guard carried Gemini off towards Flame Core, where he'd been told earlier Losipher had gone. Gemini realized now that there was no turning back, and waved to her friends even as monsters obscured her view of them. "Good-bye everyone... I... I'll never forget you! No matter what!" she said, feeling in her heart that this would probably be the final time she would ever see them alive...


Chapter 17 - The Tests Of Soleanna

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"Wish tomorrow,
Would be that day that comes to make it up to you,
For all I never did.
Let me make it up to you.
Love is worth a chance." - Worth A Chance, Sonic and the Secret Rings


Doctor Eggman paced around the control room of the Egg Carrier. He was somewhat frustrated with how many times he'd needed to recapture the princess that day. "You've wasted so much of my time." he said to Elise, "If you had cooperated with me earlier, I wouldn't have had to do this!" The princess was seated in the middle of the room, watching the fat scientist as he wandered about. "What are you trying to do, Dr. Eggman? Why do you wish to revive the flames of disaster?" she asked. Eggman stepped around behind Elise's chair. "Did your parents ever disclose to you anything about Solaris?" he asked as he stopped to her right. Elise didn't answer, so Eggman continued. "Solaris' secrets are in his eternal flames." He stepped away from Elise for a moment. "His power, can change time, and even manipulate the fabric of time itself!" he said with awe before turning back to Elise. "I wish to obtain this power, and dominate everything in this world, from the past, all the way to the future!" As the mad scientist turned to look at the monitors above the controls, Elise thought about what he said. "You wish... to rule over... time?" she said. Eggman smiled at the thought. "Yes, truly. And the secret..." he said, turning back to Elise, "It remains dormant in you, princess." Returning to his controls, Dr. Eggman began pressing some buttons. "The princess of Soleanna and the seven Chaos Emeralds... Once I have everything, the fate of the whole world will change! And one of the beautiful gems is just ahead!" he said with excitement. He was right, too. An announcement from his radar soon made that clear. "Chaos Emerald located." Eggman was glad that for once, things seemed to be going according to plan. "Finally... Now, let's go collect that Chaos Emerald!" he said. Suddenly, Alpha and Char came into the room. "Your fatness! Are we there yet?" Alpha asked like a bored child. Char giggled at the robot. "Good question, Alphie!" he said. Eggman frowned. "I really must find time to fix that robot... into a washing machine!" he muttered. Char fluttered over to the controls to look at the monitors. "Do you get cable on those TVs?" he asked. Eggman clenched his teeth in an attempt to contain his annoyance. "Forget that, Char. I have a mission for you and Alpha. Exit the ship and patrol the area for intruders! Don't allow anyone aboard! Especially Sonic!" he ordered. Char and Alpha both saluted him. "Yessir, Mr. Egg Salad, sir!" Alpha said. Char flew to catch up with Alpha as the robot exited. "You can count on us, doc!" he said. "No, I can't..." Eggman thought, "But at least I'll know if any intruders get aboard the ship..." However, this was too little, too late. Elsewhere on the ship, intruders were already aboard...


Copter, with help from Razor, Mia, Katie, Chet, and Tommy, managed to reach the Soleanna jungle while the Egg Carrier was still hovering above it. "All right! Eggman's not even in Kingdom Valley yet!" Copter said, thrilled. "Yup, there's still time to catch it. Told you my 'crazy driving' would be useful!" Mia said smugly. Razor pointed to an altar with three pillars on it. On top of the pillars were orbs, one blue, one yellow, and one red. "That's the entrance to Kingdom Valley. It'll probably be easier for you to catch that ship from on top of the towers and cliffs in there!" Razor said. Chet grinned. "OK, race ya!" he said, speeding off towards the altar with the others in pursuit! Just before he reached the altar, though, he found his path blocked by an old man. "Bwaaaa!! Where'd you come from?!" Chet gasped, having not seen him a moment ago. As the rest of the group arrived, Katie remembered something. "Oh, yeah, I read about this place! They won't let anyone in without first passing some sort of test!" she said. The old man nodded. "Such a smart girl. Yes, it is true, none shall pass without fist facing the tests of Soleanna. Not one, but three tests must be conquered before you may be deemed worthy to enter." he said. Copter's jaw dropped in disbelief. "H-hold on, here! You're gonna make us take tests!? We gotta get into Kingdom Valley now, before that ship gets away!" he shouted, pointing to the Egg Carrier. Tommy gasped at Copter's behavior. "You can't talk to him like that! He's a priest!" he said. Copter looked at Tommy, then at the old man. "Priest...? Oh, boy... Umm..." he muttered uncomfortably. The old priest simply smiled at him. "It's all right. I can see you are in a hurry. Tell you what, I will allow all of you to pass, if one of you can pass the tests. That will be much faster than having each of you take the tests. That said, which one of you will represent your group?" he asked. Everyone in the group took a step backwards except for Copter. Once he realized what was going on, Copter looked around at the others in protest. "Oh, come on! I've been fighting all day!" he muttered. The priest didn't listen to his complaint, and called another, younger priest down from the altar. "You have been chosen, young fox. Do not worry, the tests won't take long." the old man said. Copter groaned at his misfortune. "Fine, I'll do it. SOMEBODY has to care what happens to Heather!"

The old priest took a moment to explain the Tests of Soleanna to Copter and the group. "These tests are an ancient tradition, dating back many, many generations. There are several different tests, and different ones are chosen for different people. Your first test, young fox, will be the Test of Courage." he said. The younger priest stepped forward to take over. "Your courage will be tested here. You will fight enemies in a life-or-death battle!" he said. Copter looked at the priests with shock. "Life-or-death!? I thought you priests were peaceful!" he said. The young priest nodded. "We are. But the enemies you will face aren't. Are you ready?" he asked. Copter looked around. "I don't see any enemies around here. Seems to me YOU aren't ready!" he said. The young priest snapped his fingers, and a swarm of robots dropped into the jungle from the sky! They were the same robots Eggman had been using throughout the day. "Heeeeeeey... Those are Eggman's robots! Did he hire you guys just to slow us down!?" Copter growled. "This IS kinda weird. How'd you get Eggman's robots to participate in your little test?" Chet asked. The young priest turned to the older priest with uncertainty. It was the older priest's duty to answer. "We priests work in mysterious ways. We cannot tell you how we did it, just as a magician cannot tell anyone how he performs his magic tricks." he said. Mia crossed her arms. "I thought you priests were against magic." she said. The old priest chuckled a little. "Who said we used magic?" he said. Copter sighed impatiently. "Whatever! Those robots don't scare me! This test will be a cinch!" he said, starting to walk away. The young priest stopped him. "Hold on! You can't go like that!" he shouted. Copter turned to the priest. "Like what?" he asked. The priest walked over to him. "The rules of the Test of Courage require that the person taking the test must give up something. He must be put at a disadvantage, of sorts. That is what makes it a true test of your courage. For this test, you must give up your tailband!" he explained. "Oh, this keeps getting better and better..." Copter groaned, taking off his tailband and handing it to the priest. "By the way, how'd you know about..." he started to say, but thought better of it. "Never mind. You priests know everything, I guess..."

There was a large, nearly empty area right in front of the altar, and the robots had gathered there. Copter gulped nervously as he stepped towards them. He hadn't fought without at least wearing his tailband for a long time, and he was used to having it as a little insurance policy if a fight got too tough. However, he quickly forgot those worries when the robots began attacking him! At first, things seemed to be going fine. Copter swiftly avoided their attacks, and retaliated with a few of his own, causing the robots numbers to quickly deteriorate. "Yeah, go Copter!" Tommy cheered. However, the test was only just beginning. In a moment, more dangerous types of robots began to appear, including large, tough-looking ones and flying ones with laser turrets encircling them. Copter was so preoccupied with what was already there, he didn't see the new ones coming at first! "Copter, look out!" Razor shouted, running off to help him! Razor fired a few shots from his gun at the robots, but then ran out of ammo. "Oh, right... I forgot to finish loading it!" To make matters worse, the robots were now coming after him, too! The others were about to rush in to help Razor, when the old priest stopped them. "This is the fox's test! No more of you shall interfere!" he said. By this time, Copter had noticed the predicament Razor had landed himself in. "You troublemaker! Hang in there, I'm coming!" Copter shouted, running to the rescue! It was a little tough without his tailband, but if there was one thing Copter had plenty of, it was courage. He quickly ran from robot to robot, smashing them one by one with his tails, until all that was left were the giant robots. During the fight, Copter and Razor had managed to leave themselves surrounded by these giants, but Copter had a plan. He grabbed Razor's hands. "Hold on or die!" he shouted, flying up over the robots as they began shooting! The remaining robots took themselves out due to the crossfire, and Copter dropped Razor off back at the altar. "Piece of cake! They're just as dumb as any of Eggman's robots, too!" Copter grinned. The two priests clapped their hands, impressed with Copter's performance. "You have passed the Test of Courage. Congratulations!" the young priest said.

The older priest motioned to the pillars as the blue orb atop one of the pillars lit up. "With the first test completed, we must take a moment to prepare your second test. It will be the Test of Memory. While we prepare, I recommend you rest. That first test looked exhausting!" he said, leading the younger priest back to the altar. Copter shook hands with Razor. "Thanks for... trying to help. But do me a favor, don't do it again!" he said, joking a little. "Don't worry, I won't!" Razor chuckled. Katie tapped Razor on the shoulder. "Can Chet and I talk to Copter alone for a minute?" she asked. Razor nodded, and led Mia and Tommy away. "C'mon, c'mon, they want some privacy!" he said as Mia and Tommy protested. Once they were alone, Copter tried to guess what this was about. "You guys want closure for what happened at Station Square... Right?" he asked. Chet shook his head. "That's all Katie. I'd rather not think about it." he said. Copter nodded in agreement, and they both tried to leave, but Katie grabbed both their arms. "Stop it! We need to talk about this! We all did some nasty stuff to each other!" she said sternly. Chet crossed his arms. "I didn't do anything! I just... got punched in the face!" he protested. Copter grinned at the memory. "Yeah, I got you good!" he said. Katie stomped his foot. "OWW!!! Cut it out!!" he shouted, struggling to get away. Katie wouldn't let go of either of their arms. "LISTEN!!! I just... Wanted to apologize... To both of you..." Copter and Chet both stopped struggling after hearing Katie's words. "The whole thing that happened between all of us... Was really my fault. I let Copter think I wanted to be his girlfriend... Because I thought I did... You'd been gone so long, Chet, and I became lonely... I'm sorry... So sorry..." she said tearfully. Chet gave her a hug. "I understand... Don't worry about it..." he told her. Copter cleared his throat to get their attention. "So, that's the truth? You really did... like me?" he asked. Katie nodded. Learning this, Copter looked very apologetic. "Whoa, even now this is all so complicated... All right, I'm sorry, too. Thinking back, I did say some really... jerky things. And then, when you offered me friendship, Chet... Hehehe... POW! Really, I was the one who made a whole thing out of it... Sorry." Chet shook hands with Copter. "Don't worry about it. Seriously, I think you've more than made up for it by trying to save Katie." he said. Copter smiled at him. "You're all right, Chet... In spite of yourself!"

In a short while, the old priest returned with a different younger priest. "As I have said, you now face the Test of Memory!" the old priest said. The younger priest took over as everyone gathered around the altar. "This is the second test! Let's see how good your memory is. You will be asked three questions from your past. If you can answer them, you will pass." he said. Copter stomped his foot in protest. "Aw, now, come on! How can you presume to know anything about my past!? This is too silly!" he shouted. The older priest raised his hands as a signal for quiet. "We have ways of knowing things. However, for your particular test, we are going to try a more unorthodox style. I have been giving this test for a long time, but this time, something has happened that has never happened before! A spirit, an actual spirit, has requested the honor of testing you! The spirit understands the rules, and wishes to ask you his own questions." he explained. Copter looked suspicious. "A spirit? Do you priests believe in ghosts?" he said. The younger priest answered. "I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it myself. We feel there must be something important about you, if spirits are coming to test you!" he said. The old priest had one more thing to say. "Since the nature of this test is rather unusual, I have decided that you may have assistance from your friends on a single question, but only one. Now, the spirit has asked that we priests leave you alone for this test, so we must go for now. Best of luck!" As the priests walked away, Copter and the others wondered if they hadn't gone crazy. In a moment, they found that wasn't quite the case. "Hello, and welcome!!" shouted a familiar voice, as the "spirit" the priests referred to made itself known! Flying down from above them was none other than Lospecter! "It's time for another edition of Lospecter's Quiz Mania! Dust off the old thinking cap, fox boy!" he said, laughing at them. Copter slipped his tailband back onto his tail and raised his fists. "Not YOU again! Can't you leave me alone!? Besides, I already know that you don't know the answers!" Copter growled. Lospecter chuckled at him. "On the contrary, this time I hold all the cards... Answer cards that is! And, unlike those boring priests' version, when you lose MY quiz, I win your soul!" 

The quiz began right away. "So, this is the only way into Kingdom Valley for you, so play nice, kids! Question number one! Right here on this card... What comes to mind when I say: 'Experiment,' 'flames,' and 'runaway?' These questions are multiple choice, but nuts to that. I'm not GIVING you the answers!" Lospecter said. Copter chuckled at him. "That's the best you got? It's Heather, Experiment 7!" he said. Lospecter frowned. "I only require one answer! But, who cares! They both mean the same anyway! Correct, you little wise guy! Now, question number 2! When I say, 'train,' 'bomb,' and 'roof,' you say...?" The question was phrased in such a way that Copter didn't quite get it at first. "Wait, what? Come on, this is supposed to be multiple choice, you said! Gimmie the choices!" he shouted. "Eeeehh!! Incorrect! But the priests said you get a cheat. Anyone else care to guess?" Lospecter taunted, counting Copter's complaint as an answer. Chet understood the question, having seen enough at Radical Train before. "That refers to when he and Gemini fought Fera. I'm sure one of the choices sounds something like that!" he said. Lospecter laughed. "That's ridiculous..." he said, looking at the card. Once he looked at it, his smile turned to a look of anger. "Fera... All right, you punks! But he don't get help the rest of the way! Here's question number 3! What do you think of when I say 'Whisk?' Heck, I'll throw in the choices this time. 'Truth' or 'death?' I say it, 'cuz I like how it sounds!" he said, feeling confident Copter couldn't get this. Of course, Copter knew perfectly well. "Truth!" he said. Lospecter looked at the card and grew enraged. "How the heck could you know that!? What does it even mean!? Those stupid priests gave me these cards! Aw, that does it! I'm the smarty-pants spirit, and I say we're going to try a bonus round! Now, tell me this! What caused Shadow Arcangel to crash into the ocean?" he asked, knowing Copter couldn't answer. "Hey, that's not fair! There was only supposed to be three questions, and we got them right!" Mia shouted. Lospecter made a buzzer noise. "Time's up! The correct answer was, 'I have no idea!' Oh, but that was also the wrong answer. Ain't I a stinker? Aw, well. Come and get your lunch, Losohsts!" As Lospecter vanished from the area, a swarm of Losohsts surrounded them! The cloaked specters each carried an axe, and began attacking at once! The group wasn't prepared to fight with them, and the battle quickly became dangerous. Copter, however, was not about to let his friends be harmed. "Hey, monsters! It was MY test, so leave them be! There's plenty of me to go around! Eat this! Chaos Whirlwind!" He managed to knock the ghosts around somewhat, but his shouting and fighting drew all of the Losohsts to gang up on him! Just as things seemed hopeless, four loud voices shouted at the Losohsts. "Dark spirits! The power of light compels thee! BEGONE!!!!" With a huge flash of light, the Losohsts were repelled, and Copter watched in confusion as they all flew away. "What the...?" he said, turning to see who did that. The old priest was standing at the altar with three younger priests, each holding a book of holy text. The old priest stepped toward Copter. "We were watching the whole thing from afar. That spirit, it seems, was an evil spirit." he said. Katie scoffed at them. "Yeah, 'this just in!'" she said sarcastically. The old priest looked apologetically at Copter and his friends. "We put you in great danger there. And, since we are so moved by your heroic efforts to save your friends, young fox, we have decided to grant you passage into Kingdom Valley!" Everyone cheered excitedly at the news, but the priest quieted them. "However, we ask that you at least attempt the final test, for tradition's sake. It will not take long, and you need not pass the test. Just attempt it." he said. Copter figured that he couldn't refuse, so he just smiled and accepted the challenge. "Bring it on!"

The yellow orb on the pillars was lit, and now Copter would try to light the third. In a moment, the priests were ready, and the old priest called everyone's attention. He was accompanied by the third of the younger priests. "The third and final test we have chosen for you, young fox, is the Test of Love. We have sensed that you have been having difficulty in this area." the old priest said, leaving the rest to the young priest. "The last challenge is about love. This may be the hardest test you've ever experienced. You must lose something in order to gain something. In life, there may be moments like this. When that moment comes, you must make your decision here and now." the young priest explained. Copter raised an eyebrow. "What the heck are you talking about? Are you speaking a different language?" he asked. Chet laughed at his confusion. "C'mon, Copter! He's talking about love! That's what the test is about, remember?" he said. Razor seemed to share Copter's confusion. "So... He has to make some sort of decision...? What do you mean?" he asked. The young priest silenced the group. "This test is a decision, which only you can make. You cannot ask your friends for guidance. This is a private matter, so we will go inside the temple behind the altar for this test. Once you make your choice, you will be permitted to enter Kingdom Valley." he said. "We can't go? What a gyp!" Chet muttered. Copter looked a bit uneasy. "The test is a... private matter, you say? I'm not sure I want to try it, then." he said. "Relax, Copter! You'll do fine!" Katie said encouragingly. The priest smiled. "Besides, you've already agreed to this. Don't worry, the test won't change your life... necessarily. I will give you my counsel on your choice once you make it as well. Come along, now! Don't be shy!" he said, leading the way. Copter stepped backward a moment, but Tommy and Mia pushed him forward. "Hurry up! Heather's not going to wait very long, y'know!" Mia reminded him. Copter gulped nervously, wondering what the test would be about. "All right... I'm going..." he said wearily as he followed the priest into the temple.

As Copter wandered into the temple, he found the priest already inside waiting for him. In addition, he saw others, each of whom were quite familiar to him! "Here, you see several friends that you have encountered in your journeys. You must choose one of them. This is the Test of Love!" the priest explained. Copter saw six familiar people standing three on each side of the priest. They were Heather, Katie, Mia, Rainbow, Gemini, and Whisk! Copter's eyes went wide as he tried to comprehend what was going on. "Didn't I leave all of these people elsewhere... Katie, Mia, get back outside, you're not supposed to follow me!" he said in confusion. The priest explained. "They are merely here in spirit. Each of them is still where you left them outside. You have been struggling to understand love, and now we face you with a romantic choice. Who is it you love?" Copter still didn't quite understand, but he decided not to question that and to instead focus on the choice before him. Each of his friends called out to him. "Copter... You know we belong together, don't you? I'll be waiting here on the left." Katie said. "We met only for a brief moment, but... You felt something, didn't you?" Whisk asked from beside Katie. On Copter's immediate left, and the priest's right, was Heather. "I know you denied this earlier, but you're helping me because you're in love with me, aren't you, Copter? Please, come over to me!" she begged, like a cry for help. On Copter's immediate right was Gemini. "We're good friends, aren't we, Copter? If you want to take it further, I'll wait here for you." she offered. Next was Mia. "Yo, buddy! I know you like me! Don't be shy, c'mere, you!" she called. "Oooh!! Oooh, Two!! Pick me! Over here! Pick me!" said Rainbow on the far right, acting like an excited child. Copter listened to each of their calls and attempted to come to a decision. He now understood what the priest had meant earlier, this was the most difficult thing he'd ever faced. Which one was truly right for him? Were any of them right for him? He wasn't sure, but he knew there wasn't much time. He had to make a choice!

There is no true solution for this, so below are the results for each choice. You can choose the one you think Copter should end up with. I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me who you picked!   -2BIT

Katie
As Copter thought about it, he realized there was only one choice. Only one he'd ever actually had a romantic interest in. He ran to the far left, taking Katie's hands in his and giving her a kiss! "Of course, Katie... You're the only one for me. Too bad you're spoken for..." he said as he realized that it truly wasn't Katie standing before him. As all of the "spirits" vanished, the priest walked over to Copter. "Well, it's quite obvious she was your choice. Your heart's first love. That is your choice. I respect that. It takes real strength to follow your heart, even as logic dictates that you shouldn't. This strength will see you through the coming battle." he said. Copter frowned. "But I think it probably won't have a happy ending..." he said. The priest shrugged. "I don't know. Only time will tell."

Whisk
Copter had absolutely no idea how to go about this choice. It seemed the priest was playing a cruel joke on him. Still, as he gazed into the eyes of each of his choices, he suddenly felt his heart pointing him to one in particular. He found himself walking over to Whisk, whom it seemed he'd fallen in love at second sight with! "You know, you're pretty cute. I can't believe anyone would even try to kill you!" he said, feeling that he was now beginning to understand Vortex's anger. "Still, I gotta save the one who tried. Can you forgive me?" he asked, but never got his answer, as Whisk vanished along with the others. The priest was now at his side. "Whisk is your choice? That was unexpected. Love does act in mysterious ways. Basing love on merely sight can lead to difficulties, but such strength of conviction is good to have. Good luck to you."

Heather
With his time running out on the outside, Copter struggled to come up with a choice. He thought about each one carefully, but was overwhelmed by a desire to protect one in particular. Rushing to his left, Copter threw his arms around Heather! "OK.... I admit it! Maybe I wasn't sure before, but I am now! I love you! And I promise... I'm going to save you!" he said as Heather returned the embrace, tears forming in her eyes. However, the moment was merely an illusion, and Heather soon vanished. Copter turned to the priest, tears in his eyes. "Are you quite satisfied? That was a sick game you set up just now!" he shouted. The priest wore a serious expression. "It was necessary. You now know what it is you want. You've chosen the damsel in distress, the one for whom your desire to protect has blossomed into love. This could be true love. And I can see you surely won't lose sight of it."

Gemini
"This is insane!" Copter thought as he tried to find an answer. After all, this was no way to choose a girlfriend. Still, he had to pick. As he looked around, he could think of one who'd been more of a friend to him than any other. Copter walked over to Gemini. "You've supported me for a while. At first, we didn't get along so well, but when I was full of doubt, you and Cream gave me the strength to face Kosmo. It meant a lot to me. I just wish you were here now... I could really use your help." he said. Gemini placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'm your friend, Copter. I'm always with you... If you know where to look." she said, pointing to his heart with her other hand before vanishing. The priest smiled warmly at the touching scene that had just played out. "How sweet. You've chosen a good friend. The spirit reacts to your words, because you hold her close in your heart. She will take good care of you, wherever she is."

Mia
Copter tried to think seriously, but he couldn't take his eyes off Mia. She was kind of playful, and very friendly. He'd never thought of her as a romantic interest before, but the thought began to intrigue him now, more than any other. "What the heck." he thought after a moment, walking over to Mia. Once he was close enough, Mia grabbed him and gave him a big kiss! "That wasn't so hard, was it, skunk boy?" she said, her "insult" merely serving to excite Copter further. "You know, I never realized that calling me 'skunk' was just your way of flirting with me! After all, that's kind of a mixed message!" he said, falling over as Mia disappeared. The priest walked over to him and chuckled. "Interesting. Your choice is one you've never considered before. The heart will sometimes show scenarios to us that are quite unexpected, but that can lead to some truly fun relationships. Be cautious, though. It's possible that 'skunk' really is an insult!"

Rainbow
Thinking about his choice, Copter noted that as everyone else fell silent, Rainbow continued calling out for him to choose her. Her enthusiasm both touched and annoyed him. Still, of the six of them, Rainbow was the one he'd known the longest and felt the closest to. As she continued to call out to him, Copter walked over. "Calm down, Rainbow. I am picking you!" he said, somewhat playfully. Rainbow jumped up and cheered. "Yay! Thanks, Two! I knew you'd come to me!" she said, trying to hide her uncertainty. Copter gave her a hug. "Punchy might be mean to you, but I'll treat you right!" he said. As Rainbow vanished, Copter found the priest had walked over to him. "You've chosen the friend of a friend. This may cause friction. Still, you seem to feel that each of you is the right choice for the other. Love may cause rifts between friends, but it is the true friendships that will endure even that. It may bring all three of you closer."

That concludes the multiple choice. The ending (below) is the same for all six.

The final test having been cleared, Copter and the priest returned to the altar. As they did, the red orb lit up, signifying the completion of the Tests of Soleanna. "So, what was the choice? What did you choose?" Chet asked eagerly. Copter shrugged at him. "Doesn't matter. I can still change my answer... If my heart tells me to." he said. The three young priests stood at the pillar representing the test they administered, while the old priest stood at the entrance to the altar to address the group. "You have completed the tests, and proven yourselves more than worthy. With your courage, memory, and loved ones with you, the coming journey will easily be overcome!" he said in congratulations. Above the altar, six eagles waited to carry each of them to Kingdom Valley. "It is impossible to reach Kingdom Valley by foot, so the eagles of Soleanna will aide you. Good luck on your journey." the old priest said. As the rest of the group stepped to the altar and prepared to leave, Copter stopped to speak to the priest. "I'm not sure what the true purpose of those tests was, but I want to thank you just the same. It got me thinking about stuff I really needed to think about, and I think I'm more prepared for what's coming next now more than ever." he said. The priest smiled at him. "I am glad you could take something good out of that. It makes the whole thing worthwhile!" he said. As the eagles dropped down, and each member of the group grabbed on to their talons, the four priests waved farewell to them. "Hold on tight, and return safely!" they said. The eagles lifted each member of the group into the air, and began flying in the direction the Egg Carrier was moving. The eagles wouldn't be able to carry them all the way to the Egg Carrier, but they at least would have time to think of another solution. With the tests behind them, the only challenge left before them was Kingdom Valley!


Chapter 18 - Who Shot Punchy?

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"Oh, dark, the darkness that dozes in the dusk,
Throw it all away!
No one can break you, nobody can tear you.
You live an endless life forever!" - Throw it all Away, Sonic Adventure 2


Punchy and Rainbow had been searching for the base of the Crisis City Freedom Fighters for quite a while. After all, the Soleanna of the future was still mostly new to them, and Punchy had never actually been to the place they were going to. As Rainbow led the way, Punchy was filled with a feeling of dread, fearing that the scene he'd seen the last time he was in this time was soon to happen. Rainbow, however, still maintained the cheerful and ever-optimistic demeanor that she'd kept through most of their Soleanna adventures. Even as they reached their destination, Punchy found it difficult to imagine that what he'd seen before could be true.

The run-down, former safe house that the Freedom Fighters called "headquarters" was mostly empty when they arrived. The only person they found inside was Gator, who was busy raiding the old refrigerator they used to store what little food they had available. "Yipe!! This isn't what it looks like, Chompers!! And... What are you guys doing back already?" Gator yelped when they caught him. "What do you mean back, Bluehair? We just got here!" Rainbow said. Gator looked at them with confusion. "Whuzzuh? You just left... You just got here... Make up your minds!! And... Who's that green guy again?" he whined. Punchy was a little confused himself, having not seen Gator in this time before. "Umm... Did you travel through time, too? Never mind, I think I'd rather not know..." he said. Rainbow thought about what was happening and came to a conclusion. "Looks like we got here just after the past me left with Wanda and her pals to find you, One!" she said. Gator stared blankly at her. "I have absolutely no idea what you just said. Oh, well, I found pie in the fridge, so I'm happy!" he said, carrying the pie away. Punchy looked around miserably. "Now what do we do? I don't think they're coming back from that castle, not with that Losipher dude about to murder the lot of 'em." he said with frustration. "I don't know, One. Maybe they'll figure out a way to beat him and come back safely!" Rainbow said hopefully. "I don't think so. There were only three of them left, and they didn't look any tougher than the ones we saw get killed!" Punchy pointed out. Gator walked back into the room. "Excuse me, Chompers, but this is the last call for that pie!" he said. Punchy decided to see if Gator could help them. "Hey, pie pirate, do you have any idea where we might find a Time Stone?" he asked. Gator raised an eyebrow. "What's that? A diamond ring that also works as a watch?" he wondered. Rainbow tried to explain. "It's a big, colorful rock that can let people travel through time!" she said. Gator shook his head. "Never saw nothing like that. Sorry. Now, on to the pie!" he said, leaving the room. Rainbow followed him excitedly. "Save me a piece, Bluehair!" she shouted. Punchy let out a slight yawn. "Maybe we could use a little rest. It's been a rough day... or days..."

While Gator and Rainbow attacked the pie, Punchy tried to rest a bit, but he couldn't. His mind kept returning to what he saw before. "I can't kid myself. I DID see that. It was real. Rainbow... with that gun... Could she have really... shot me?" he thought, struggling to make sense of it. As he wandered around the old, broken down building they were in, his thoughts also turned to Gemini's problems. "This future is really horrible. No wonder Gemini went back to try and change it. Those fiery monsters are really nasty, too. Maybe they made Rainbow... Nah, that's too farfetched." he muttered. Every solution he could think of, every explanation he could concoct, simply didn't sound plausible to him. Rainbow couldn't have shot him, but if it wasn't her, than who? She was the one holding the gun. As Punchy thought about the gun, he swore he could see it before him. As he blinked his eyes, though, he found he really could see it! He'd wandered into a room where the Freedom Fighters stored their weapons, and on a table was a pair of guns that looked just like the one Rainbow was holding! Punchy was shocked at seeing it, and backed away from the table, only to bump into someone behind him! "Whoa!! Watch it, One! I almost dropped the piece of pie I brought ya!" said Rainbow. Punchy looked from her to the table and then moved himself to block Rainbow's view of the table. "D-don't sneak up on me like that!" he shouted, flustered. Rainbow handed him a slice of pie on a plate. "Here you go, One! It's cherry, and it�s not bad, considering how old Bluehair said it was!" she said. Punchy tried to get Rainbow to leave. "All right, thanks, Rainbow, now let's go back to the cafeteria place and... Hold on!!" he said hurriedly as Rainbow started to look around. She soon spotted the guns on the table. "Heeeey... You found weapons! That should be helpful. Now we can go looking for a Time Rock, and I'll be able to help fight the monsters! Good thinking, One!" she said, picking one of the guns up and examining it. "You think it's loaded? I never used one of these before. Will it really work on those monsters?" she wondered aloud. Punchy grabbed the gun from her hand and took the other one from the table as well, leaving the plate Rainbow gave him on the table. "Don't play with those in here! There's ammo and gunpowder and stuff! You'll blow us to kingdom come!!" he shouted, leaving the room with both guns. Rainbow picked up the pie and followed him. "If you don't want this, can I have it?" she asked.

Punchy and Rainbow rejoined Gator in the "mess hall," and Punchy let Rainbow have the pie she'd saved for him. He checked the guns, and found them both loaded. Despite his fear, he knew that taking the guns on the search for a Time Stone was the only way Rainbow could go safely. "We gotta find a Time Stone..." he said to himself. It was, after all, the only way they were going to get back to their own time. Gator watched Punchy tinkering with the guns, and walked over to talk to him. "My memory's usually pretty bad, but there's one thing in my long life I know very well. Those things are the worst inventions that were ever made. Still, it's not the thingy itself that's so scary. It's the person using it. That's what makes it dangerous, and also what decides how it's used. I try not to think about it usually, but it's sure scary that people can wish something as terrible as the injuries taken from that contraption on others. You aren't thinking of using it, are you, Chomper?" he asked, an unusual tone of seriousness in his goofy voice. Punchy placed the guns on the table. "It's not me I'm worried about... But we just want to use these on the monsters, so we'll be safe out there." he said. Gator let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. That's the only good use for those things, protecting ourselves and our friends. Just make sure you only use them on monsters! Now, if you'll excuse Gator, I got to fix the DVD player! It's boring around here without it!" he said, leaving the room. Rainbow had finished her pie, and now walked over to Punchy. "Should we go look for a Time Rock, One?" she asked. Punchy nodded. "Take one of these guns with you. I think we should split up for this! Um, to cover more ground!" he suggested. Rainbow picked up one of the guns and headed for the door. "That's a good idea, One! I think you'll be fine without me if you have that weapon! I'll meet you here if I find a Time Rock, OK?" she said. Punchy picked up the other gun and followed her. "Just... be careful..." he said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.


Punchy and Rainbow went off in two different directions, but her absence didn't do anything to calm Punchy's nerves. As he explored the city, he found it hard to concentrate on the search for the Time Stone. Illusi's words echoed in his mind: "It's probably best you don't worry too much over this. Whatever will be, will be. All one can do is their very best. Perhaps your fears will prove to be unfounded. And, if I may say so, I very much doubt that she would do something like that on purpose." It sounded logical and wise, but Punchy couldn't help worrying about it. "She did seem a little more eager to use the gun than I'd previously expected... Maybe she really is going to shoot me... But then again, she's pretty easygoing about everything. Maybe that was just Rainbow being Rainbow...." he said to himself. By this point, his wandering had taken him to a dead end, where a large, fiery tornado was just beyond the edge of the road! Objects had been lifted up by the tornado, and were being tossed all over the place by it. "Boy, this place is hellish! I half expect to see the devil himself wandering around here!" Punchy grumbled, moving to avoid the falling cars and boulders. As he did so, he soon noticed a group of monsters following him! They were large monsters, and many of them were lifting large balls of fire over their heads, preparing to throw them at Punchy! "You don't want to do that, big guy! I'm tougher than I look!" he shouted. The monsters simply ignored him, and tossed the fiery balls right at him! Rather than use the gun, Punchy decided to trust his own abilities. "Chaos Avalanche!!" He used the attack to lift chunks of the ground into the air, then toss them at the large fireballs! The force of the impact sent all the objects hurtling back at the monsters, knocking them all out in one swift barrage! Punchy grinned at his handiwork. "Not bad, eh, Rainbow?" he found himself saying. "Oh, right... She's not here..." Since he'd reached a dead end, he started to head back in the direction he came. As he walked, he thought more about Rainbow, and Illusi's advice. "Illusi's right... She'd never do a thing like that on purpose... Or even by accident....!!" Punchy said, coming to a realization. If his hunch was right, there wasn't much time to waste, so he quickly began running toward the place where he'd seen himself shot before...


Rainbow had wandered in the direction of Flame Core, feeling certain that she'd find a Time Stone that way. She was lucky in that she hadn't attracted the attention of any monsters along the way, and as a result, it didn't take long for her to reach the edge of Crisis City, just before Flame Core. Things seemed eerily quiet there, but Rainbow didn't notice. She was skipping along, happily humming the accordion song she recalled hearing in Soleanna, until someone called out to her. "Rainbow..." It was a voice both familiar, and unfamiliar. She looked over in the direction of the voice and saw someone standing just outside an alleyway between the last two buildings before the edge of Crisis City. It appeared to be Punchy! Rainbow ran over to him excitedly, thinking he'd found a Time Stone. "Hey, One! That was fast!" she said. However, she could tell from the look in his eyes that something wasn't right. "You OK? What's up?" she asked. Punchy looked down at the ground. He seemed sad about something. "I knew this was the time... All along. As the guardian of Onyx Island, I felt it was my duty to help the freedom fighters get back home. Heh, only Fred really knew who I was, I was wearing an old hood I got from Illusi once..." he muttered, just loud enough for Rainbow to hear. "What're you talking about, One? What hood? I don't get it." she said with concern. Punchy chuckled softly. "'One.' Even now, I still can't abide being called that. And you... You don't understand, do you? Of course not. You never could understand much of anything!" he said, a hint of anger entering his voice. Rainbow backed away from him slightly. "Something's not right here..." she said. Punchy scoffed at her. "Nothing was ever right for us. Things were always going wrong. But we still had each other... Until you up and died! But me, I never even aged. Just like Guard, I found the years passing, my friends dying, but I never showed any outward signs of change! Then, you passed on. I couldn't handle it. Even now, I still can't handle it!!" he shouted. As it began to sink in just who it was that Rainbow had found, she began to notice his fur changing color. "One... Future One... Hang on!! Don't let Dark One take you!" Rainbow shouted, finally realizing the truth!

It was a Punchy that had survived for many years to reach this time, not one that used a Time Stone! This Punchy was so filled with turmoil, that just being around Rainbow again was causing him to transform into Dark Punchy! Still, even as the physical transformation was nearing completion, this future Punchy tried to cling to his normal mind. "I... I can't hold myself back! Rainbow, my dark side is totally evil! If I fully transform, he'll kill you! Before that happens... You must use that gun! You must kill me!!" he yelled. Rainbow shook her head nervously. "No, One... I can't do that to you!! I just can't!" she shouted, backing away from him. Dark Punchy grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the alley. "Oh, no, you didn't just call me One again!! If I'd had the chance before, I'd have killed you for it! Give me that gun, Colors!" he shouted, his mind succumbing to the darkness. Rainbow struggled with him, and desperately attempted to keep him from the gun! "St-stop this!! One, you gotta fight Dark One! Stop!!" she shouted. Dark Punchy simply snickered at her. "It's too late. You have no idea what your death did to my weaker self. It's a pity, but he actually allowed himself to become attached to you! How tragic... I think I'll try to prevent that tragedy!" he said, still fighting with her. Luckily, part of him was still himself, and he managed to hold himself back enough so that Rainbow could get free. Trying to think, she shakily pointed the gun at him. "I d-don't want to do this... Please... Just c-calm down!" she begged. Dark Punchy stepped towards her slowly. "You won't kill me. You can't. You're so weak, I'm amazed you're not already dead!" he growled. Rainbow pulled the trigger, but found herself pointing the gun down so that she missed Dark Punchy. Sobbing, she dropped the gun. "You're right... I can't... One's my friend... I just can't..." she said. Dark Punchy crept towards the gun on the floor, laughing. Suddenly, another shot was heard from outside the alley, and a bullet pierced Dark Punchy's chest! He fell to the floor, reverting to his original form before gasping his final words, "About time..." Rainbow quickly turned to the entrance of the alley and spotted the Punchy from her time, still holding the gun in the direction he aimed it! Rainbow hesitated to speak. It was a lot to take it. "One... You shot yourself! Why?" she finally managed to say. Punchy had already begun to walk away, but stopped for a moment to answer her. "Because I knew you wouldn't. That's why." As Punchy wandered out of sight, Rainbow picked up the still smoking gun that she'd fired at the ground and stood for a moment over the body of the Punchy of the future. She was there just long enough for the Punchy of the past to see her, and as he looked away in disbelief, the Punchy of the present called out to Rainbow. "C'mon, we gotta find a Time Stone!" Without further hesitation, Rainbow ran off to catch up with her friend, leaving the Punchy of the past to ponder over these events.

Rainbow caught up to Punchy on a path that lead to the foot of the mountain in the area known as Flame Core. For a moment, they were both very quiet, thinking about what had happened. Finally, Rainbow spoke up. "That was very... Strange. Did you know it was you when you fired that shot, One?" she asked. Punchy nodded. "Illusi showed me my dark side once. I knew it was me. Heck, I realized the truth before I got there. I fought a bunch of monsters and got to thinking, and I realized that, like Guard, the other experiments might be able to survive into this future." he said. Rainbow thought about what Punchy said. "Hang on... How'd you know I'd be there, One? I kinda wandered aimlessly from where we split up!" she said. Punchy decided to explain it to her. "The last time we were here, when you and I were separated, I... Well, you see... You found me near that place, right? I got there after that future me had been shot, and I saw you, with that gun." he said. Rainbow gasped with surprise. "But... That... Why didn't you tell me? We might've been able to avoid this!" she said in disbelief. Punchy sighed regretfully. "I probably should have, but I wasn't sure how you'd react." he said. "You didn't... You didn't think I shot you, didja?" she asked. Punchy looked at the ground ashamedly. "I didn't know what to think. At first, I didn't think it was real. I guess... For a minute... I did suspect you might..." he explained. Once again, they were both silent for a moment. Punchy was too ashamed to look at Rainbow, he didn't want to know what she was thinking. In a moment, Rainbow broke the silence. "I can't imagine what that must've been like, thinking I might do that to you... I'm sorry you had to go through that, One." she said sadly. Punchy looked up at her with surprise. "Aren't you mad at me or something? I mean, I think I should've known all along that you could never shoot me!" he said. Rainbow chuckled a little. "Why should you? It's never come up before! Besides, you basically sacrificed yourself there to save me! I shouldn't be mad at you, I should be apologizing! I'm sorry... I'm sorry I made you kill yourself, One!" As she spoke her apology, she began to cry as what had happened finally fully sunk in. Punchy took her hand in his as they continued to walk along the path. "Don't cry. I'd do it again if I had to. Life can't be fun for me without you to lead me around. Come on. You lead, I'll follow!" he said warmly. Rainbow smiled at Punchy. "All right... Thanks... Now... Follow me! That Time Stone's gotta be around here somewhere!" she said, slowly returning to her normal cheerful demeanor. Punchy sighed as she ran ahead of him. "Should have told her to go slow... Wait up, Rainbow!"

As they began to enter Flame Core, Punchy and Rainbow were shocked to find Gemini and Guard wandering around ahead of them! "Hey, Wanda!! Over here!" Rainbow called as she and Punchy ran over to her. Gemini was even more shocked to see them! "Rainbow... Punchy... What are you two doing back here!?" she said, half surprised and half happy. Punchy pointed to Guard. "First off, isn't he dead in this time?" he said. Guard nodded. "Grrrr.... So I've been told. Grrrr... I'm from the same time as you." he explained. Rainbow shook Gemini's hand excitedly. "We're glad to see you! See, we got blasted into this time again, and we need a Time Stone to take us back!" she explained. Gemini pulled out the red Time Stone she'd used to return to the future. "I guess I can let you have this... But I can't go back to the past. I never should have went there in the first place." she said. Punchy crossed his arms. "Never should have gone back? Are you saying you're sorry to have met us?" he said, joking. "Of course not! It's just... I caused some trouble by going to the past. I've decided that I'll just have to fight Losipher in my own time." she explained. Rainbow looked worried. "I don't think that's a good idea. That guy seemed awfully dangerous!" she said. "Grrrr... Don't worry. I'll stay and see to it she remains safe. Grrr... I don't think I'm needed in the past, anyway." Guard said. Gemini handed the Time Stone to Punchy. "Go on without us. I'll figure a way to get Guard back to his own time when this is all over." she said. Punchy took the Time Stone and frowned. "One thing you've overlooked... I can't use the Time Stone!" he said. Gemini pointed to Rainbow. "Let her try. We didn't have time to find out if she could use it before, but I think she has the right spirit for it!" she suggested. Punchy handed the Time Stone to Rainbow, and the four of them waved good-bye to each other. "Bye, Wanda! Good luck fighting that goopy monster!" Rainbow said. "And good luck with what you're doing, too. Unless you're still after the Master Emerald. Knuckles is my friend, too!" Gemini told them. With that, Rainbow held up the Time Stone and tried to use it...

With a large flash of light, the Time Stone was activated, and when Punchy and Rainbow opened their eyes, they found themselves in the jungle area of Soleanna! Punchy and Rainbow jumped with excitement over their success! "Great job, Rainbow! You did it!" Punchy cheered. Rainbow grinned excitedly. "Feels good to be back, doesn't it? By the way, where are we, One?" she asked. Punchy pointed in the direction of Soleanna. "We're just outside the gate to New City. Now that we've got a Time Stone, maybe we should go look for that Mephiles jerk, like we were going to do before all this craziness started!" he suggested. Rainbow shook a finger at Punchy. "Nope, wrong! Before the craziness started, we were gonna help Two with Seven!" she said to correct him. Punchy sighed tiredly. "Whatever. Copter's fine, let's beat up Mephiles." he said. Rainbow nodded in agreement. "Sure! But... Where is that guy, anyway? Where do we look, One?" Rainbow asked. Punchy thought about it, then shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't a clue. Let's just head back to Soleanna. Maybe we'll come up with a plan there!" he suggested. Rainbow snapped her fingers. "That's it! We'll probably find him in there, anyhow! Follow me, One!" she said, running for the gate.


On the other side of the gate, Illusi was sitting on a rooftop, contemplating what to do next. As Punchy and Rainbow entered the city, Illusi heard their voices. "Is that..." he muttered, looking down from the rooftop. He spotted them instantly. "Ah, they're back! What a relief! I was worried something terrible had befallen them! But as I see them now, they appear to be in better spirits than before!" he said, observing that Punchy was actually smiling a little as they wandered into the city. Suddenly, Illusi caught sight of a shiny red object in Rainbow's hand. "Is that a Chaos Emerald?" he muttered. Suddenly, a Wrongo jumped out next to him! Illusi shooed it away. "I guess not... But that means it's a Time Stone! And it's red... Just like Gemini's! What could've happened, I wonder? I suppose I can guess... Or ask them..." he said to himself, but as Punchy and Rainbow turned a corner and began heading further into the city, Illusi changed his mind. "I think they know what they're doing now. I suppose I'll simply watch them and see what happens..." he said before using his power to vanish in a puff of smoke.


As Punchy and Rainbow wandered through Soleanna, trying to think of what to do next, they soon found themselves back in the Castle Town. After walking around for a while, Rainbow spotted something in the sky and pointed it out to Punchy. "Hey, isn't that the blimp those birdies fly around in?" she said. It was true; the Babylon Rogues' blimp was hovering overhead nearby! "Hmm... The blimp's heading for the desert! I bet that's where Eggman Nega set up his base!" Punchy realized. Rainbow hid the Time Stone behind her back. "You don't think they already spotted us with the Time Rock, do you, One?" she wondered. Punchy shook his head. "I think they've given up the search for now. But, you know what? This gives me an idea..." he said thoughtfully. Rainbow smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I wanna get our own blimp, too!" she said enthusiastically. Punchy shook his head. "No, silly! I thought of the perfect way to test our theory that the Time Stone will let us fight a time traveler, like Mephiles! Let's go take on that Eggman Nega jerk!" he suggested. Rainbow grinned at the idea. "Yeah, and maybe we can get those birdies to give us a blimp ride afterward!" she said excitedly. Punchy began walking toward the entrance to Dusty Desert. "Can't do any of that until we get there! Let's go!" he said. Rainbow ran off ahead of him. "Right! I'll lead, you follow!" she shouted. Punchy sighed as he began attempting to catch up with her. With the mystery of Punchy's death solved, it seemed their lives were once again returning to normal. Or what passes for normal with them.


Chapter 19 - Race Against Time!

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"It doesn't matter now what happens,
I will never give up the fight!
Long as the voice inside drives me to run and fight,
Place all your bets on the one you think is right!" - It Doesn't Matter, Sonic Adventure 2


Shortly after the eagles dropped Copter and company at Kingdom Valley, they spotted the Egg Carrier in the sky! The eagles had helped them catch up by a lot, but they still had a ways to go to get close enough for Copter to get on. Looking around, they could tell this wouldn't be easy. Kingdom Valley was, for the most part, covered with water. Cliffs, ledges, and stone platforms could be seen poking out of the water in many places, but most of those platforms seemed rather unsafe. However, they were the only way to get to any of the several castles and towers that were scattered around the region. As they started to attempt to chase the Egg Carrier, Copter noticed a problem. "This isn't going to work! I'm never gonna make it if I have to wait for all of you! I'd get there much faster going on my own!" he grumbled. Tommy looked sad. "Sorry... We just want to help..." he said. Copter sighed with frustration. He didn't mean to hurt the kid's feelings, but he had to hurry! "Look, I know you want to help, but I really need to do this by myself. I'm sorry you guys came all this way for nothing..." he said, starting to go ahead on his own. Razor stopped him. "Hold it! You can't just leave all of us behind! You think Eggman's just gonna let you waltz onto his ship?" he shouted. Copter turned to him and crossed his arms. "I don't see why not! I don't see Vortex or any of the experiments here, so it would seem they got on easily enough!" he pointed out. Chet was looking up at the Egg Carrier with Mia's binoculars. "He does have a point..." he said. Mia snatched the binoculars back. "Get your own gear, Chet!" she snapped. Razor, however, wasn't finished. "If you haven't noticed, those experiments seem to be pretty good at sneaking around. Also, they work as a team! I'm certain you're going to need help at some point on this trip!" he reasoned. Copter started walking again. "Do what you want, but I'm not waiting for you! I've wasted enough time already with those silly tests that those silly priests insisted on!" he said. Razor looked from Copter to his friends. "Hmmm... Chet, I know you can keep up with him. I'll go, too. But, the rest of you? Copter's right, you'll slow us down." he realized. Katie frowned. "So, that's it? You want us to turn back?" she asked. "Not gonna happen!" Mia shouted, "You two go and help Copter! We'll do our best to catch up!" Chet started running off after Copter. "Works for me!" he said. Razor had a look of concern on his face. "It's going to be dangerous. If things start to get too tough, I want you three to get yourselves out of here! Understand?" he said. Tommy, Mia, and Katie all nodded. "You don't have to worry about us, bro! Just help Copter!" Tommy said. With that settled, Razor turned to chase after Copter and Chet.

Copter, Chet, and Razor were racing towards the nearest castle, hoping to quickly climb to the roof before the Egg Carrier could get too far ahead. Copter wasn't sure if he could fly himself up to the ship, but it was the only thing he could do. As they ran, someone hovering high above them looked on. "Gee, Alphie, those guys are sure in a hurry, aren't they?" It was Char, and he was accompanied by Alpha! "They're having a race to get to that castle! Oooh! We gotta hurry! We're in last place!" Alpha said in a panic. Char patted Alpha on his metal head. "Don't worry, we're not competing! We're spectators! Except I don't think they're racing. See, they're running towards our ship! They're intruders!" he said, grinning playfully. Alpha waved his arms excitedly. "Wheeee!! Over here, intruders! I'll put on a pot of coffee and we'll go bowling!" the crazed robot shouted. Char flew around and tried to get Alpha to quiet down. "Hold it! Hold it! Don't let them see us! We can surprise them!" he said. "SURPRISE!! SURPRISE!!!" Alpha yelled excitedly. Char kicked Alpha in the head. "Quiet, I say! Gimme the phone thingy! I'll call the ship and get us some pals to help us play with those guys!" Char grabbed a walkie talkie from Alpha's hand. "Hello? Is this thing on? Hee hee! Hey, doc! Our old pal, Copter is here! And he looks kinda grumpy! Send us some robots to keep him company! I bet that'll cheer him up!" he said, handing the walkie talkie back to Alpha once he was finished. Alpha spun his robotic head around in a circle. "So, can I go after those monkeys now, mommy?" he asked. Char frowned a little. "Don't call me mommy! I'm a boy! Tee hee! Call me daddy if you want! But I think we should stay out of sight for now, Alphie. Let's sneak around near the castle! C'mon!" the Chao said, laughing excitedly as he led Alpha towards the castle. "Finally, it's time for us to have some fun!"


Copter and Chet entered the castle together, with Razor close behind. Inside was only a single large room, with no ceiling. Looking up, Copter saw ropes hanging at different points above them. There was another door in the room as well. Chet walked over to see if he could open it. "Dang, this door is locked! And I think the stairs leading up the side of the building are there, too!" he groaned, walking back over to Copter and Razor. "That's just great... And there doesn't appear to be any other way up the tower!" Copter growled. Razor was looking above them. "We got a bigger problem, guys! Look out!" Copter and Chet looked up and saw what Razor was talking about. A swarm of Eggman's robots were hovering in from above! They were the same sorts of robots Eggman had been using throughout his activities in Soleanna, but here Copter was encountering yellow and red versions of these robots for the first time, and the guns they carried seemed a bit more dangerous than the weapons of the white and blue robots he'd encountered previously! Copter, Chet, and Razor readied themselves to fight as the robots surrounded them. "So, you guys are here to welcome us, eh? That's just fine! You tin cans aren't gonna stop us!" Copter shouted. The robots simply ignored his words and aimed their weapons, firing moments later! Copter, Chet, and Razor quickly sprung into action, avoiding their shots as well as they could! The yellow and red robots fired homing missiles at them. The yellow robots could fire several small missiles, while the red ones would shoot one large one at a time! Either way, Chet saw to it that they all locked on to him, and used his speed to outrun them, making them useless! Some white robots were also hovering overhead, shooting at the group with their machine guns. Razor took cover and attempted to shoot back whenever he could. Meanwhile, Copter joined Chet in bashing the robots on the ground. Chet slashed the robots with his claws whenever he got the chance, while Copter used powerful tailband powered attacks to destroy even the heavily armored yellow robots with a single hit! However, they couldn't destroy the robots fast enough! More continued to drop into the room, and Copter had to take to the sky in order to attempt to stop some of them before they could land! After each attack, Copter started to fall, so he used the ropes hung around to bounce back into the air! Seeing this, Razor got an idea. "Copter! Use those ropes to bounce up to the top of the tower! That way, you can get outta here and chase that ship!" he shouted. Copter continued to attack the robots as he replied. "What about you guys?!" he yelled. Chet smashed a robot and then waved up to Copter. "We'll be fine! We'll distract these robots so you can get away!" he said. Copter, realizing this was the only way, started making his way up the tower by jumping from rope to rope! "Good luck, guys!" he shouted, waving down to them as he flew up towards the next rope.

Copter was too busy watching the incoming robots as he hopped up the tower, and wasn't watching where he was going much. Soon, he ran out of ropes to jump on, and found himself soaring towards a stained glass window! "Oh, shooooooot!!!!" he shouted as he crashed through the window, finding nothing below him on the other side! He was forced to fly ahead, straining his two tails as he found his way to a platform a short distance away from the castle. Grabbing the edge of the platform and climbing to his feet, Copter glanced up at the Egg Carrier. It was starting to get away, but there was still time to catch it. Copter shook his fist at the ship. "You big, fat maniac!! When I'm done with Vortex, I'm coming after YOU!!" he shouted in frustration. As he looked around the area he'd landed at, he suddenly found that he'd attracted the attention of more flying robots. "Aw, this is for the flickies!!" he groaned, running to avoid the bullets as they began flying at him! The platform he was on was small, but a cliff was within flying distance from it. Copter made it to the cliff, and continued running off towards the Egg Carrier, avoiding multitudes of robots as he went. After all, he simply didn't have the time to deal with them! Watching him flee from the air above was Char and Alpha. "Would you look at that? All the trouble we went to get those robots here, and he's just ignoring them!" Char said playfully. "He's gonna steal my cookies!! Then what will I put in the toaster!?" Alpha shouted. They continued to follow Copter as he reached an area with two large towers. Alpha aimed his gun at the tower closest to Copter. "Eat this, towers! You looks hungry!!" he shouted, firing! These towers were rather weak, and as Alpha's shot crashed into the first one, it began to crumble and collapse from where it was hit! Worse, it was falling towards the cliff Copter was standing on! "Aw, dang it!! Even gravity's against me!!" he shouted, jumping away from the cliff and flying around the falling tower, landing himself on top of its remains. Alpha then fired a shot at the second tower, which Copter once again avoided, flying around the collapsing part and landing on the platform that remained. "You'll have to do better than that, chump!!" he shouted, having finally spotted Alpha.

No longer hiding, Alpha flew down to the platform Copter was waiting on, with Char close behind. "Hello, old pal! Wanna play marbles?" Alpha said in greeting. Char chuckled at the face Copter made in reaction to Alpha's silliness. "What's the matter, Copter? Aren't you happy to see us? Well, Doctor Eggman won't be happy to see you today, so scram!" he said. Copter raised his fists in anticipation of a fight. "Sorry, guys, but I have business on that flying box of bolts! And after all I went through to get this far, there's no way I'm turning back now! You don't like it? Then I'll kick the screws out of you, crazy robot!" he threatened. Alpha laughed at Copter. "Hee hee hee! Screwy robot! You silly, black kitty! Now I watch you dance!" the robot chuckled, firing laser blasts at Copter's feet! Copter jumped out of the way and ran after Alpha, smacking him with his tails! "Owie! You a bad monkey! Hold my phone thingy, little devil guy. Alphie has to punish him!" Alpha said, handing his walkie talkie to Char. Without further hesitation, Alpha charged after Copter, unleashing a flurry of physical attacks mixed with laser fire! Copter was taken off guard, and knocked around a bit. He was forced to run and put some distance between himself and Alpha. "You're nuts!" Copter said, startled by Alpha's bizarre fighting style. "I'm bolts, too! Now, I show you more Alphie-fu! GASP!! That rhymed!" Alpha shouted before charging at Copter again! Copter wasn't about to take any more cheap shots from Alpha, though. He quickly moved out of the way, carefully dodging all of Alpha's attacks until he could figure out how to retaliate. Once he was ready, Copter jumped away from Alpha, prompting him to charge again! "Hold still, jumping bean!!" Alpha shouted, running after Copter. This time, Copter waited where he was until Alpha got close to him, then stepped aside and stuck out his foot, tripping Alpha and causing him to fall over! "Have a nice 'trip,' Alpha!" he chuckled, walking away. Char flew over to Alpha and watched him stand up. "You OK, Alphie?" he asked. "My kidneys hurt..." Alpha whined. Char turned to Copter. "You bully! I'll teach you! Time to deploy something nasty!" he shouted, turning his attention to the walkie talkie. "Send the Egg Genesis, right away!"

Seconds later, the Egg Genesis arrived! It was a giant, yellow robot that flew over the area. It had four large "arms" that were equipped with several missile launchers, and on top of its central body was a retractable "head," that resembled the heads of normal E-Series robots. It certainly looked intimidating, but Copter could see signs of battle damage, such as dents, all over it. "Looks like you guys have recycled this thing at least once! I bet it's nowhere near as tough as it looks!" he said, jumping and flying towards it! "Wow, he's crazy! The Egg Genesis will blow him to smithereens!" Char said, covering his eyes. Alpha started clapping. "Cool! Now we got a show! If only we had dinner, too..." he said. As the Egg Genesis began launching missiles at Copter, he flew over the robot and landed on its head! It was a little tough to keep his footing, since the head kept rotating, but Copter didn't have time to balance himself. The missiles were still chasing him! With that in mind, he ran for one of the robot's arms and hurried across it, with missiles crashing behind him as he did so! A large, stone bridge stretched across the water in front of him, so Copter jumped onto it! Char and Alpha had flown over to observe the battle. "Hey, he's just running away from it!! That's cheating!" Char shouted. "Cheating? Cool! Why didn't I think of that?" Alpha said. Char pointed to the rapidly escaping Copter. "Don't just hover there! Get him, Egg Genesis!" The giant robot swiveled its head to face Copter and began to chase him. It was surprisingly fast, and Copter realized that it would catch up to him any minute. "Aw, crud! Why do I keep running into all the stubborn enemies? Boy, I could sure use a quick method of transportation..." he grumbled, trying to speed up to escape the robot. Suddenly, he spotted a spring at the end of the path! As he reached it, Copter wondered whether or not he should use it. "This is too convenient. I bet it's gonna lead me into a poison swamp or something!" he muttered, turning around to find the Egg Genesis closing in on him. "Whatever!! Stinky swamp, here I come!!" he shouted, jumping onto the spring.

The spring launched Copter far into the air, towards the top of a tower where another spring waited. Unable to control his flight path, Copter could only scream as the second spring launched him across the valley to a cliff where a third spring bounced him down to a small platform where a fourth spring sent him soaring onto a large, stone platform that was big enough to hold the Egg Genesis. Copter stood up shakily and dizzily, glancing around to get his bearings. "Whoever invented those crazy springs is going to the top of my enemies list... After my stomach catches up to the rest of me..." he muttered woozily. Suddenly, much to his dismay, the Egg Genesis flew over the platform, casting its plus (+) shaped shadow over it! Copter stomped his foot on the ground in frustration. "How the heck did that stupid thing follow me!!?" he shouted. Alpha and Char caught up just in time to hear that. "Yeah, that was sure crazy, but you're not getting away from us that easily! Time for you to go BOOM!!" Char said, sitting on Alpha's head to rest his wings. "Yeah, and don't even think about hitting that weird blue circle thing on the bottom of that robot! It isn't fair to take advantage of weak spots! Play nice!" Alpha said, prompting Char to hit him over the head. "Dummy! Don't you understand the concept of a secret!?" the Chao shouted. Copter grinned and waved at Alpha. "Thanks for the tip, metal moron!" he said. Suddenly, the Egg Genesis fired an energy blast from the blue sphere on its underside, which Copter was only able to step far enough away from to avoid its full blast! The attack knocked him over, but he quickly stood back up. "No thanks for the distraction..." he muttered, rushing to avoid the missiles that the Egg Genesis began shooting! At the first opportunity, Copter jumped into the air and flew towards the robot's weak spot, tapping into the power of his tailband to unleash a devastating attack that caused the blue sphere to explode! "Oh well. At least the ship will land on top of him." Char sighed, "Let's go home, Alphie!" As Char and Alpha flew away, Copter realized that the Egg Genesis was trying to crash directly on top of him! Since the platform he was standing on was too small for him to escape the blast, Copter ran to the edge and jumped away, flying for the nearest land he could find as the Egg Genesis exploded behind him!


High above Kingdom Valley, Zipp the Hornet watched the explosion created by the Egg Genesis, and then watched Copter land on a bridge leading in the direction of the Egg Carrier. "Geez, doesn't Copter ever tire? He really doesn't take a hint, does he?" he thought, pressing the button on his helmet to call Vortex. "Hey, 'Tex! Our bro Copter is catching up! And boy, I think he's gonna be mad if he does!" he reported. Vortex was busy on his end, and hesitated to respond. "What'sss that, Zipp?" he asked once he was ready. "Copter's headed this way! Err... Your way! What shall I do? Blow his brains out?" Zipp said. Vortex paused a moment before replying. "You're not kidding. I can ssssee him through the window here. But it doessssn't matter. He cannot actually get onto the sssship. We are flying too high, and hissss tailssss are not wingssss! If he triessss it, he will crassssh and drown." Vortex reasoned. Zipp moved to follow Copter and observed him as he climbed the stairs circling a tower. His determination seemed unsettling to Zipp. "Are you sure? I mean, he sure seems sure of himself. Then again, he IS an idiot. But he's an idiot powered by a magic tail thingy!" he said. Vortex didn't seem to care. "He'ssss not all that tough. Even if he doessss get up here, what'sss he gonna do? Eggman issss already aware of him, and on top of that, sssso are we. He doessssn't sssstand a chance againsssst all of usss! Bessssidessss, hissss time issss running out!" he hissed. Zipp smiled, convinced that Vortex's logic was sound. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Actually, it's kinda disappointing. We could use a good challenge! Oh well, maybe I can blast a few robots on my way off the ship!" he said. Vortex's voice came through Zipp's helmet again. "If you're quite finisssshed fooling around, I ssssuggesssst you return to the sssship. We're going to need ssssome of your... expertisssse..." he said. "Roger. One maniacal killing expert, coming right up! Over and out!" Zipp chuckled, pressing the button again to turn the phone off. "Time to make some fireworks!" he grinned, flying towards the Egg Carrier.


Copter's difficult, tiring trip through Kingdom Valley was reaching its end, and soon he managed to reach a high point atop a tower, close to the Egg Carrier. Although he was about as close as he could get, he realized that the Egg Carrier was too high. "Shoot, my tails will never carry me that far! I knew this was a long shot in the first place, but still... I can't let it end this way!" he said to himself, trying to think of a plan to get himself onto the ship. "Dang, where's a conveniently placed spring when I REALLY need it? Those crazy things might've been able to give me the boost I need." he said, looking around to make sure he didn't miss one. "Nothing..." he sighed. Suddenly, he got an idea. "Duh! I don't need a spring! I just need a bounce! Like my Bouncy Shoes!" he said, recalling how he defeated the Arachnoegg at Darkegg Fortress. He tapped the heels of his shoes together and jumped, activating the power of his Bouncy Shoes to rocket himself up into the air! It sent him high, but he'd still have to fly like he'd never flown before to reach the Egg Carrier! With that in mind, he started spinning his tails as fast as he could, desperately trying to push himself to catch the Egg Carrier. He inched closer and closer to the ship. With some effort, it seemed possible that he might make it. "I believe I can fly! I believe I can touch the sky!" Copter found himself singing, but the words beyond that point escaped him. He drew closer and closer to the ship, but soon his tails began to tire. "I believe... I can... soar?" he panted, beginning to realize that this wasn't going to work after all. "Blast it... Looks like Punchy's future knowledge was wrong. I'm not even gonna reach the ship!" he thought as his tails' strength failed, and he began to fall. There was nothing but water below him, and he was too tired to swim at this point. It seemed as though he was a goner. As Copter shut his eyes, preparing for his impending impact with the water, he suddenly felt himself lifted up by the tails! "Ow!! What the...?" As he opened his eyes, he found the ocean getting further away from him as he was carried towards the Egg Carrier! "Silly goose! You can't fly far without wings!" said the person who had come to his rescue. Copter looked up and saw that it was Whisk pulling him by the tails! Too exhausted to say anything, Copter simply growled in pain at being dragged by the tails. Once they reached the Egg Carrier and Whisk pulled them aboard, Copter stood up to talk to her. "Did you have to pull my tails...? Aw, never mind. You just saved me. Thank you... But why did you do it?" he asked, recalling her refusal to help earlier. Whisk shrugged. "I dunno. I guess... I dunno. Well, anyway, I've done my good deed for the day! Um... What was your name again? Never mind, I'll just forget again. Bye bye! Good luck with saving what's-her-name!" she said, jumping off the ship and flying away. Copter watched her leave as he rested himself. "She's a strange bird... But I guess she's not bad." he said.

Copter really didn't have time to rest, though, because the ship was due to crash soon, and he had no idea how soon. Thus, he had to begin exploring the ship very soon after Whisk was out of sight. It was a large ship, but most of the robots that had been aboard had left earlier to invade Kingdom Valley. Still, it didn't take long for Copter to run into his first obstacle. Spiny was waiting for him in a hallway on the ship! "Well, well, if it isn't the infamous Copter. Vortex sure underestimated you, didn't he?" he said, grinning menacingly. Copter grinned back at him. "Ah, you're one of those new experiments. Bucky sure likes imitating Sonic and his pals, don't he?" he said, pointing out Spiny's resemblance to the famous blue hedgehog. Spiny immediately became enraged. "Come on! You should know better than most my pain! You look like Tails, but you're not. Well, I'm not Sonic, either! And don't you forget it!!" he growled. Copter seemed amused by Spiny's reaction. "You sure do get upset over that. Come on, there's a lot of people... and animals... that look like other people... or animals. Get over it." he said, snickering a little. Spiny calmed himself down, but continued glaring at Copter. "Aren't you smug? You think you scare me? I saw how Experiment 11 had to rescue you down there. Oh, yeah, I know she's alive. But I won't tell Bucky. The way I see it, we experiments have these nifty powers of ours for a reason... To destroy. And, y'know, it would be a shame to ruin Vortex's desire for destruction by telling him that no crime actually happened..." said the sinister porcupine. Now, Copter realized the extent of Spiny's murderous nature. "Wow, you sure aren't Sonic. Did you adopt that attitude simply to distance yourself from him, or were you always a sicko?" he growled, realizing that a fight was about to happen. Spiny let out an enraged roar. "GRRRRrrrrrraaaaaaarrrrrr!!! You idiotic son of a... I am NOT Sonic!!! I am SPINY!!! SPINY THE PORCUPINE!!! And I'll make sure you understand that before you die!!" he shouted. Copter grinned confidently at Spiny. "Well, you'll have a long time to work on that, then. Now, let's get going already! I'm in a hurry!"


Chapter 20 - Battle For The Time Stones

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"Nothing can stop you now!
No ghosts can bring you down!
When there's nothing left to lose, you win!" - All Hail Shadow, Shadow the Hedgehog


Punchy and Rainbow chased the Babylon Rogues' blimp far into Dusty Desert. It led them to a secluded, usually ignored area of the desert. In that area was what appeared to be another large temple. As Punchy and Rainbow approached it, however, they could tell that something was different about it. "All the other temples around here look old. This one looks almost brand new!" Punchy observed. "Maybe this one just doesn't get any tourists. That big stone door looks like it'd keep most people out!" Rainbow said, walking over to the door. As she approached it, it suddenly started rumbling! "What the...!? An earthquake?" Punchy shouted. It wasn't an earthquake, though. The large door slowly slid open, revealing the inside of the temple to actually be a highly advanced secret base! "Cool! That was an automatic door!" Rainbow said. "Just as I thought! This must be Eggman Nega's base. He tried to disguise it, but I bet he didn't expect anyone to come looking for him!" Punchy said, stepping into the base. As he and Rainbow entered, the black Egg Pawns they saw at Aquatic Base began rushing into the room through several metal doors in the sides of the room! "Wasn't that thoughtful? Tubby 2 sent us some playmates!" Rainbow said in a singsong voice. Punchy charged straight ahead, right into the middle of the swarm of enemies. "All right!! Make way!! Echidna comin' through!!" he shouted, bashing aside every Pawn in his path before they could retaliate! Rainbow simply jumped into the air in order to glide over the robots. As she met Punchy on the other side, they noticed that most of the robots were still behind them, and already turning to chase them! "Aww, they don't want us to leave! They'll be lonely without us!" Rainbow said. "Nah, I'll leave something for them to remember us by." Punchy grinned, "Chaos Avalanche!!" Using the power of chaos, Punchy caused a portion of the roof to collapse on top of the robots in the front, blocking the path of the other remaining enemies! "There, problem solved! Now, let's go after Eggman Nega!" Punchy said. "Right! Well, there's only one door this way! Let's go, One!" said Rainbow as she took off with Punchy close behind her.


Elsewhere in Dusty Desert, Shadow the Hedgehog, accompanied by Rouge the Bat and E-123 Omega, had managed to track down Mephiles. They charged into the large room where the Dark creature was waiting, perched on a high platform with his back turned to Shadow. "Mephiles!!" the black hedgehog shouted. Mephiles didn't move at first. "I was expecting you sooner." he said before turning around. "As you must know, you're already too late!" He held up a yellow Chaos Emerald to illustrate his point. Mephiles had previously tried to convince Shadow to join him, and now he gave the hedgehog one more chance. "But there's still time for you to change your mind. Join me, Shadow! Let us teach this world a lesson, and rewrite the future!" he offered. Shadow recalled what he had learned about the future. After Iblis devastated the world, Shadow was blamed, and eventually imprisoned. However, Shadow knew better than to trust Mephiles. "Don't try to deceive me!" he growled. "What?" said Mephiles. Shadow pointed an accusing finger at Mephiles. "You have no desire for revenge! You only crave destruction! Your only lust is to fuel Iblis until there is nothing left of time itself!" he said. Mephiles paused for a moment, glaring at him. "It's a pity, Shadow the Hedgehog!" he said, levitating the Chaos Emerald over his head. "Truly a shame that you wish to go against me!" The emerald flashed a bright yellow light as Mephiles tapped into its power! Shadow, Rouge, and Omega were thrown backwards by a shockwave, landing in the center of the room. Suddenly, the floor began to glow and transform, becoming a battlefield consumed with Mephiles's power! Mephiles flew towards Shadow and his companions, glaring at them with contempt and hatred. Shadow, however, remained undaunted. "Mephiles! I won't let you escape!" he shouted. "Oh, I'm through running!" Mephiles growled as a small army of his tiniest minions dove into the strange floor he'd created. As the last one dove in, Mephiles dove in himself! "Drown in darkness!!" he shouted. In a moment, strange, giant creatures climbed up from his dark battlefield! "Hey, hey, hey, that doesn't look good!!" Rouge shouted with concern. Shadow was ready for battle now. "Hmph! Mephiles is just cowering behind his minions again! Well, if I have to go through them to get to him, so be it!"


Meanwhile, Punchy and Rainbow made their way though Eggman Nega's base. It was large, but pretty straightforward, and for once Punchy and Rainbow weren't wandering around lost. Each room had a single exit, blocked by legions of Eggman Nega's robots. The trip was exhausting, but not all that difficult. It wasn't long before they began to get close to the back of the base, where they believed Eggman Nega was waiting. Just before the final room, Punchy and Rainbow found the Babylon Rogues waiting! Punchy clenched his fists. "So, you birdbrains are waiting here to ambush us, eh? All right, bring it on!" he shouted, running straight for Jet! Storm simply stepped into his path and blocked his punch. "Nice try, punk!" he growled. Rainbow ran over to Punchy and grabbed his arm, restraining him. "Hold it, One! They're not even on their board thingys!" she said. Punchy backed away from Storm and turned to Rainbow. "So?! That just means we'll be able to catch them for once!" he shouted. Wave stepped forward. "Listen, you dumb mutt! If we were going to attack you, we would've done it already!" she pointed out. Rainbow nodded in agreement. "That's right! They're dirty cheats! But I don't think they want to fight with us, One!" she said. Punchy turned to Jet. "Is this true?" he asked. Jet yawned. "It's too boring messing with you. You're easy prey. Besides, you're bringing the Time Stone straight to our boss yourself! Why should we interfere?" he explained. Punchy scratched his head. "Well, gee, isn't it supposed to be your job?" he asked. "If Nega gets all seven Time Stones, it doesn't matter if we get them or he does." Storm said. "We already collected most of them ourselves, anyway!" Wave added. "So, he'll have to pay us anyway!" Jet reasoned. Rainbow smiled at them. "Makes sense." she said. Punchy crossed his arms. "So, are you guys gonna let us through, then?" he asked. Jet, Wave, and Storm responded by stepping aside, clearing the path to the door. Punchy and Rainbow started to leave. "All right... I guess we shouldn't question this any further... Um... Bye bye, birdies..." Punchy said. "Yeah, sure. Have fun getting clobbered by Nega!" Jet chuckled as they entered the next room.

The final room in Eggman Nega's base was what appeared to be a gigantic robotics lab, with computers, gadgets, and miscellaneous robot parts organized neatly around the room. On the walls hung several blueprints, some resembling robots Punchy and Rainbow had smashed up on the way there. In the center of the room was Eggman Nega, seated at the controls of the Egg Timer! "Aha!! So, here you are, future Eggman!" Punchy shouted. "We're back, and don't even think about trying to send us back to the future again, because now we have a Time Rock!" Rainbow said, holding up the red Time Stone she used to get herself and Punchy back to the present. Eggman Nega grinned upon seeing the final Time Stone. "Yes, I knew you'd bring it back with you! So, I've been waiting here for you to bring it to me. I got bored during that time, so I made some adjustments!" he said, pointing to the hands of the Egg Timer, which were now holding large rifles! While Punchy and Rainbow looked at the guns, Eggman Nega pressed a button on his control panel, causing a robotic arm to shoot out of the Egg Timer's empty Time Stone slot and grab the last Time Stone from Rainbow's hand! "Hey!! Give that back, Tubby 2!" she shouted, running after the hand in a feeble attempt to catch the Time Stone! As the robotic arm retracted into the slot, the stone slid into it perfectly! "Finally, the first Time Stone returns to me! As the last, ironically!" Nega said. "You see, I'd taken this red Time Stone from that fennec before, but it was taken from me when someone I had working for me decided to betray me." Punchy shook his fist at Eggman Nega. "Well, you're gonna lose it again when we're through with you!" he declared. Eggman Nega chuckled at him. "He he he. Surely you know I can't be stopped now! It would be a waste for you to die here. Why don't you reconsider my generous offer for you to join me?" he said. Rainbow placed her hands on her hips. "C'mon, we smacked that thing around last time! We can do it again!" she said. Punchy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you only got away by sending us to the future! If we all stay in the same time period, your machine is toast! Besides, after everything you put us through, we'll never join you!" he shouted. Eggman Nega stroked his moustache as he glared at them. "I suppose your lack of a brain diminishes your worth to a considerable extent. I retract my offer! Instead, I'll take this opportunity to show you the true power of my Egg Timer! Prepare to die!"

The Egg Timer raised its rifles and began shooting at Punchy! Though they looked like giant versions of ordinary rifles, they were in fact lasers! Punchy and Rainbow both ran off in different directions. The Egg Timer pursued Punchy, keeping him so busy dodging lasers that he couldn't seem to find an opportunity to fight back! While Eggman Nega was busy, Rainbow tried to sneak up behind him. She jumped onto the Egg Timer's right arm and tried to grab one of the Time Stones, but the Egg Timer simply shook her off! "Trying to grab my Time Stones, eh? You'll be sorry you even tried that!" Nega shouted, turning to shoot at Rainbow! Punchy quickly turned and chased down the Egg Timer, launching a powerful punch at its jetpack! The force of the impact messed up the Egg Timer's aim, allowing Rainbow to escape, but didn't damage it. "It's too dangerous for you, Rainbow! Don't worry, I can take him myself!" Punchy said confidently. Rainbow ran out of the way of the battle. "All right, One! I'll just cheer you on from here! Goooo, One!!" she said. Eggman Nega turned his attention back to Punchy. "Fine! This'll end faster this way! Now, let's try a different tactic..." he said, pressing a button. The laser rifles in the Egg Timer's hands suddenly began to transform, becoming a pair of powerful missile launchers! "Now, try dodging this!" Nega shouted, firing a barrage of missiles at Punchy! They were homing missiles, but they moved slower than the lasers, and Punchy finally saw his chance to attack! Rather than avoid the missiles, Punchy ran ahead and jumped onto them, then jumping off quickly before they could explode! This allowed him to get closer and closer to the Egg Timer, until he made one final jump and attacked the cockpit, causing Eggman Nega to fumble with the controls and make the robot fall over! Rainbow began clapping and cheering. "Good hit, One! That's the way!" Punchy dropped back to the floor and ran after the robot while it was still down, but Eggman Nega was far from finished. "All right, wise guy! Take this!" Nega shouted, activating the power of the Time Stones! Using the stones, the Egg Timer slowed time, allowing itself to stand back up and fire several shots at Punchy before he could figure out what was happening! The blasts knocked Punchy backwards into a pile of robot parts, and left him struggling to stand up!

"Eeeek!! One, are you OK?! Quick, get up!" Rainbow shouted. Punchy stumbled around in the pile of robot parts. "What do you think I'm trying to do, Rainbow!?" he shouted. Eggman Nega chuckled malevolently as he aimed the Egg Timer's guns at Punchy. "Looks like I win!" he sneered. Suddenly, he was interrupted. "Did you say you win? Great!" Jet the Hawk flew into the room on his board, with Wave and Storm close behind. "Now that you've got all the Time Stones, it's time for you to pay up!" Wave said. "A deal's a deal!" Storm added. As he watched the three birds fly in front of him, Eggman Nega groaned in frustration. "If you don't mind, get out of the way! You're blocking my shot!" he shouted. Jet smirked at him. "OK, OK. Just give us our reward, and we'll be on our way!" he said. Eggman Nega growled angrily at them. It was apparent that he was in no mood for this. "You want your reward? Here, try this!!" he yelled, firing several missiles towards the Babylon Rogues! "Whoa!!!" Jet squawked as he and his companions dashed to get away! The missiles couldn't keep up with them, and crashed to the ground when they lost their targets. "That was uncalled for!" Jet growled. Eggman Nega ignored him. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes..." he said, firing missiles at Punchy, who was still struggling to stand up! As the missiles sped towards him, Punchy was suddenly picked up and carried off by Jet! "Whoa!! Hey, put me down!!" he shouted. "With pleasure!" Jet growled, dropping Punchy on his rear! Eggman Nega pounded his fists on his control panel in frustration. "You troublemaking bird brains!! All you're doing is making me glad I wasn't going to pay you for finding those Time Stones!" he shouted. "Y-y-you w-w-what!?" Storm stuttered. "I knew it..." Wave groaned. Jet flew over to Eggman Nega's control panel to shout at him. "So, you were lying to us all along, eh? I guess all you Eggmans are alike! Well, if you won't pay for 'em, we'll just have to take them back!" he shouted. Eggman Nega attempted to swat him with the Egg Timer's fist, but he flew out of the way. "That does it! I have had just about enough of all of you! Therefore, I'll just have to destroy the lot of you! And to do that, I'll just have to use the full power of the Time Stones!"

Eggman Nega quickly pressed a series of buttons on the Egg Timer's controls, and the seven Time Stones suddenly began to glow! "Oh, boy. I have a bad feeling about this!" Punchy shouted. In a moment, the entire Egg Timer began glowing with a bright white light, and took off into the sky with its jetpack, shooting a multitude of missiles as it spun around in the air! "Yikes!! Evasive maneuvers!!" Jet shouted, prompting everyone to start scattering to avoid the missiles! Punchy attempted to use the missiles as stepping stones once again, but as he neared the Egg Timer, too many missiles were flying all over the area, and he soon found himself tossed away from the force of an explosion! As he fell, Jet grabbed him by the arm and pulled him onto his board. "Those are some cool moves, but you'll never get to Eggman Nega that way!" he said. Punchy hated to admit it, but Jet was right. So, he thought of another idea. "Think you can get me to that jetpack?" he asked. Jet smiled confidently. "You mean, do I think I can outrun those missiles? Sure, I'm the fastest guy around with Extreme Gear! You just hold on!" he squawked, changing his course to chase the Egg Timer as it flew around the room. "Wave, Storm! See if you can trip him up a little!" Jet said. Wave and Storm gave him a salute and flew in closer to the Egg Timer, taunting Eggman Nega as they dodged his shots. "Wow, all those missiles and you can't even hit Storm?! You're pathetic!" Wave snickered. "All I gotta do is get a little closer and I'll knock those arms off!" Storm boasted. Eggman Nega switched the rifles from missiles back to lasers and began pursuing Storm and Wave. "Let's see you dodge these!" he yelled. As the missiles disappeared from the area, Jet found it easy to sneak around to the back of the robot. "Thanks a lot!" Punchy said, jumping from the board and grabbing onto the jetpack. "Now, let's try this again!" he yelled, smashing his fist into the jetpack repeatedly! It took some effort, but Punchy soon managed to punch through its powerful armor and destroy the jetpack! He jumped away from the Egg Timer as it fell to the floor, but Eggman Nega was ready. With a few minor adjustments, the Egg Timer landed on its feet, and it began glowing more fiercely! "You fool! Now that the Time Stones aren't powering the jetpack, the main robot will get even more power! Now, you REALLY can't win! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!" he cackled, shooting his lasers even faster than before! The Babylon Rogues were forced to distance themselves from the Egg Timer to avoid its shots, and Punchy wondered how he would ever get close enough to attack again. "Dang it! Now what do I do?!" he groaned.


Meanwhile, back at Dusty Desert, Shadow, Rouge, and Omega had managed to defeat Mephiles, whose crystalline body now appeared to be melting before their eyes! Seeing his opportunity, Shadow pulled out the Scepter of Darkness that he'd obtained in Soleanna, and activated it. It began to glow, and levitated in the air while Mephiles's slimy true form was drawn into it! However, something was wrong. Shadow's expression turned to one of shock as the Scepter of Darkness was shattered before his eyes! "It's destroyed!" Rouge shouted, also shocked. In front of them, Mephiles's smoky form was swirling in the air, slowly solidifying back into the form of a crystal Shadow. "The 'I' of now absorbed your power through your shadow in the past!" he proclaimed, still floating in the air as he returned to his previous form. "What may have worked ten years ago no longer does!!" he shouted, sending a powerful blast of energy down at the ground, causing the floor to crumble beneath the feet of Shadow and his friends! An additional, more powerful blast followed, tossing Shadow, Rouge, and Omega high into the air before landing with a crash! Having snatched the green Chaos Emerald away from Shadow, Mephiles now used its power along with the yellow emerald to surround Shadow and his friends with a multitude of copies of himself! As Shadow, Rouge, and Omega pulled themselves to their feet, they looked around for the lead Mephiles. "You must realize now that you cannot hope to defeat me with your... limited power." Mephiles sneered. Shadow turned to the source of the voice. "So you say..." he said. Mephiles scowled at the black hedgehog. "It's futile. The world will betray you. Why fight at all? Why risk your life for those who will persecute you later!?" he growled. Shadow reached for the rings he wore on his wrists, which he normally wore to restrain and control his power. "If the world chooses to become my enemy... I will fight like I always have!" he declared, removing the rings from his wrists! No more talk was necessary. The army of Mephileses began moving to attack them, but Shadow was ready. He tapped into his true power, and charged straight into the army, knocking out all in his path as Rouge and Omega followed him!


Back at Eggman Nega's base, the Egg Timer was keeping Jet, Wave, Storm, Rainbow, and Punchy all on the run. "Tubby 2 is crazy!! How are we supposed the fight back!?" Rainbow shouted as she ran over to Punchy. "How should I know!? The Time Stones let him slow down and speed up and... also seem to be giving that robot extra power, too! We can't get through!" he shouted, rushing out of the way of the rapid laser fire coming from the Egg Timer, which seemed to be moving faster and with more accuracy with each passing moment! Hoping to stop Eggman Nega before his machine could go too far out of control, the Babylon Rogues flew towards the cockpit of the Egg Timer at top speed, only to have each of their boards quickly shot down! As the Rogues tumbled to the ground, Eggman Nega slowed down so he could mock them. "No amount of speed or strength can stop the power of time! That is why, with all seven Time Stones in my possession, I can never be defeated! Ha ha ha ha ha!!" As the Babylon Rogues rose to their feet, and Punchy and Rainbow rushed to help them, they noticed something unsettling. The space around the Egg Timer had stopped glowing, but now had begun to appear twisted and distorted, like a strange gas was surrounding the Egg Timer. "You're a madman! You're using too much of the Time Stones' power, and the fabric of time itself is being torn up all around you! You gotta stop this before you destroy yourself as well as the rest of us!" Punchy warned. Eggman Nega glared at him through the distortion fog. "You're just trying to make me hold back so that you can fight back! Such a simple minded tactic won't work on me! But if you really think that time is in danger, then surrender, and I will shut down the Egg Timer!" he sneered. Jet and his companions looked at the mess Eggman Nega had caused with shock. "What have we done...?!" Wave gasped. "We've put a terrible power in the wrong hands!" Storm said. "We can't surrender! We have to fix this!" Jet squawked. While the birds were distracting Eggman Nega, Punchy and Rainbow were sneaking towards the Egg Timer. Unfortunately, Eggman Nega had spotted them, and swiftly kicked them away with the Egg Timer! "Give it up! This is growing quite tiresome!" Eggman Nega growled. "I agree!!" came a voice back at the entrance! Before anyone could react, a large, black beam of dark energy erupted from the entrance to the room and slammed into the Egg Timer with tremendous force! The blast rocked the machine hard, scattering the Time Stones around the room! Eggman Nega only had enough time to disconnect his Egg Mobile from the robot before Punchy took the opportunity to charge at the machine and slam it hard with the strongest punch he could muster, causing it to explode! A hatch in the roof opened above them, providing Eggman Nega with an escape route! "You'll pay for this! All of you! You haven't heard the last of Eggman Nega!!" he shouted in parting.

The time distortion had vanished, and the Egg Timer was destroyed. Wave examined her board along with Jet's and Storm's, and was quickly able to repair them. "Thank whoever fired that shot for us!" Wave said. "We don't want the Time Stones, so you figure out what to do with them!" Storm added. "Eggman Nega owes us, and we're gonna get our due one way or another! So long!" Jet squawked, leading the Babylon Rogues up through the hatch that Eggman Nega used to escape! Rainbow ran over to Punchy to see if he was all right after the Egg Timer exploded. Punchy was panting with exhaustion. "That was a close fight..." he muttered. "I wonder who helped us out there?" Rainbow said. "I did!" came the voice of Fera the wolf as she entered the room. "Oh, thanks a lot!" Rainbow said before wandering around the room to collect the Time Stones. Punchy glanced at Fera suspiciously. "What are you doing here?" he asked. Fera grinned as Rainbow returned to Punchy, holding all the Time Stones. "I was the one who betrayed Eggman Nega and took his first Time Stone. I couldn't leave something so powerful in the hands of that despicable human! I only joined him to learn about his plans. To be honest, I'm busy working to find a way to wipe out all of those inanimal humans!" the wolf explained. Rainbow frowned at her. "That's terrible! You can't just try to destroy an entire group just because you don't like them, Wolfie!" she said. Fera scowled at her. "Why not? They'd do the same to us! You saw the carelessness of Eggman Nega! That's how all humans behave! That's why I must insist that you turn over those Time Stones to me. I'll see they are used properly..." she said. Punchy looked at her with contempt. "No!" he said bluntly. Fera reacted by charging her dark powers through her hands. "It's utter foolishness for a fur to defend the humans! Have you no concept of the evil those humans are capable of!?" she snarled. Punchy raised his fists, prepared for another fight. "I know that quite well. But if we go and try wiping all of them out, that would make us just as bad, or worse than they are! That's why I'm not letting you take those Time Stones!" he shouted. Fera growled angrily at Punchy. "Fine! If that's what you want, you're in for a world of despair!!" she threatened. Punchy charged after her, determined to stop her plans. "Bring it on!!"


Chapter 21 - Showdown Of Darkness

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"'Cause every night I will save your life,
And every night I will be with you.
'Cause every night I still lay awake,
And I dream of an absolution." - Dreams of an Absolution, SONIC the Hedgehog (2006)


Silver the Hedgehog had gone on quite an adventure. After meeting Mephiles, he traveled to the past, hoping to stop Iblis by destroying Sonic, whom Mephiles had named the "Iblis Trigger." After some unsuccessful attempts, Silver traveled further into the past with Shadow, to see what had happened at the Aquatic Base laboratory ten years before. The truth was revealed to him: Iblis and Mephiles were both created from the same flames, and each was sealed away. Shadow sealed Mephiles inside the original Scepter of Darkness, while Iblis, the Flames of Disaster, was sealed within a young Princess Elise, through the power of a Chaos Emerald. Now, he was back at his own time, traversing Flame Core with the assistance of his friend, Blaze the Cat. He could feel he was getting close to Iblis, and now thought back to his entrance to Flame Core...

He'd helped Sonic to chase the Egg Carrier, where Princess Elise was being held captive, but they were too late. The ship crashed, supposedly taking the princess with it. As Sonic began to despair, Silver had an idea. Using the Chaos Emeralds that they'd each collected, they created a portal for Sonic to use to go to an earlier point in time and save the princess! Before he left, Sonic tossed Silver his Chaos Emerald. He realized that Silver had his own mission now, so he promised to take care of Elise himself. After Sonic departed for the past, Silver and Blaze used the time portal to return to the future. As they reached the entrance to Flame Core, Silver held out the cyan and white Chaos Emeralds he'd collected. "I know how to save our world now. We don't have to change the past. I'm sure of it." he said, certain he knew what to do. "So, you have a plan?" Blaze had asked. Silver nodded, and they both turned towards Flame Core. "Well, then let's hurry! I sense his flames..." Blaze said before the two of them walked towards the volcano ahead of them...

By now, Silver and Blaze had fought their way through Flame Core, and were getting close to Iblis. They hurried ahead, eager to finally end their battle with Iblis once and for all. Soon, they found him, waiting in a giant pool of lava below a steep cliff. Despite how low the pool was, Iblis was large enough to stand in the lava and still look down on Silver and Blaze on the cliff! However, Silver had fought with Iblis so many times by now that he wasn't afraid. "Come on, Iblis! This time I'll finally stop you!!" he shouted, ready for battle! Iblis simply roared at him in response. With that, the battle for the future had begun!


As Silver's final battle was beginning, Gemini and Guard were on their way to their own final battle. Losipher was powerful as well, and would surely be a terrible danger to the world if Iblis was removed from his path. As Gemini and Guard made their way through the treacherous landscape of Flame Core, they were soon greeted by Lospecter! "Well, well, well, aren't you two stubborn! How many times does Losipher have to kill you, gargoyle?" he said with an evil grin. Guard responded by using his scythe to fire an energy blast at Lospecter, which was easily dodged by the dark spirit. "Hehehe, you stink. Seriously, don't be fooled by Losipher's depressed, 'I'm always suffering' act! He's not a pushover! Why, if Iblis hadn't taken us by surprise by being freed sooner than we'd expected, you'd see an ocean of ectoplasm choking this sad little planet instead of all that fire! Face facts, no matter how you fight fate, no matter how much you try to change the past, you're still gonna be stuck with the same, sad story of your friends dying! Ooooh, that day must haunt your nightmares, don't it, fennec?" Lospecter taunted. Gemini was a little shaken by his words. What if he was right? What if her friends were destined to die, no matter what? The thought made her journey to the past seem even more foolish. Still, she'd put it behind her. "I'm not trying to change the past anymore! I'm going to defeat Losipher here and now! And if you stand in my way, I'll take you down, too!" she threatened. Lospecter gasped with mock fright. "Ooooh, I'm shaking in my... smoke... HA! Come on! Iblis doesn't even scare us! Losipher's been saving up power, preparing to take on that fireball since it took over! And you, you're just a couple of dust bunnies, waiting to be swept into the lava! I don't need to stand in your way... My little minions are more than enough!" he declared, pulling out his cards and taking half of them from his deck. "You wanna fight Losipher? Earn it!" he shouted, tossing half of his deck into the air, causing a legion of Lost Ones to be summoned wherever they landed!

Gemini and Guard had come too far. No matter how many there were, the Lost Ones were not about to stop them! Without wasting a second, they charged straight ahead, Guard with his scythe and Gemini with her wand! Every type of Lost One either of them could remember, and a few they hadn't seen yet, stood in their way, but they bravely fought their way through. Even Losol Golems and Lospirit Lords attempted to stop them, but Gemini was ready for them. The power boost Fred had given her wand gave her enough strength to defeat even those giant Lost Ones with only a little effort. As they fought their way to a large lake of lava, with a high cliff on the other side, Guard picked up Gemini to fly her across. "Grrrr.... Hold on!! This could get dangerous!" he said, observing that flying Lost Ones, accompanied by flying monsters, were swarming the area ahead of them! They took off right through the swarm, and Guard deftly avoided every foe in his path as they made their way to the cliff, which was covered in a fiery waterfall which flowed from a lava river! The only way to cross the river was by using the stone platforms being carried along by the flowing lava, so Guard quickly landed on the first one, then jumped from platform to platform, still carrying Gemini in his arms! Soon, they reached solid ground, but there was no time to rest! Dozens of monsters awaited them there, and the flying Lost Ones they'd flown away from were chasing them! "Grrrr... This sure doesn't look good..." Guard growled as he dropped Gemini on her feet. Gemini pulled out her wand again. "Well, no one said this would be easy! Let's get them!" she said with determination. Lospecter watched them from above as they continued to charge ahead, defeating their enemies one by one. "Whoa! They sure ain't playing around! Aw, well. They'll tire themselves out by the time they reach Losipher. I might as well just go back and pick up my cards! So long, weirdos! I'll miss torturing ya!" he said, flying away. Not long after Lospecter left, Gemini and Guard managed to defeat the monsters. Without taking a break, they hurried ahead!

It took some doing, but soon Gemini and Guard found their way to a giant cavern filled with lava. Stone footholds were scattered throughout the lava pool, and on a foothold in the center of the pool stood Losipher! Gemini and Guard hopped across the footholds to catch up to the dark lord. "I predicted you would come. You failed to defeat me in the past, so you wish to try again now. Can you not leave me alone with my misery? My souls are blacker than the night sky... I hear their screams each night... Those I have consumed. DO I NOT SUFFER ENOUGH!!?!!" Losipher moaned, as depressed and hateful as ever. "Don't give me that!" Gemini shouted. Losipher turned around to face her. "What.... did you.... say to me!?" he said, quivering with rage. "You don't suffer. You're just using the misery of the souls you've consumed to try to deceive us! Their pain... their misery... It pleases you, doesn't it!?" Gemini realized. "Grrrr!! You're a foul, twisted creature! And we're here to defeat you!" Guard added, raising his scythe. Losipher took a step forward and glared at them. "Did you... just try to tell me... I don't suffer? Did you just DARE to tell me that!? I AM what I consume!! Of course I suffer! Suffering fuels me!! Death satisfies me!! Yes, I CRAVE misery!! So, I will devour every soul I can find!! That is my destiny!! And now, you will meet your destiny here! NOW, YOU WILL KNOW TRUE HORROR!!!" With each passing moment, Losipher grew less depressed and more hateful, and now he was through talking. He backed away from Gemini and Guard, and stepped into the pool of lava. Rather than being consumed by fire, his ectoplasmic slime spread through the pool, consuming it! As his bubbling slime replaced the lava, his body convulsed and twisted itself, slowly growing larger until he finally took on the shape of an enormous, vampirical demon! He stood in the pool, with his legs completely submerged. His face still resembled its original form, but his teeth had all become fangs, which were too big for his mouth! Gemini and Guard scrambled to get away as Losipher destroyed the footholds immediately next to him. From the pool of slime, tentacles began writhing and flailing about! "Now, for the final time, prepare to lose thy soul!!!" Losipher roared in a twisted, demonic voice!

Losipher was now more intimidating than ever. With his slime covering the entire area, Guard was forced into the air to avoid the violently flailing tentacles erupting from the slime! Gemini defended herself with a magic shield, but found that the power Fred had loaned her had already been used up while she fought with the monsters earlier. Losipher's monstrous form only needed to watch as the tentacles quickly broke through Gemini's shield and began going after her! Guard flew to Gemini and defended her, slicing the tentacles to pieces as they attempted to attack her! As the pieces of the tentacles landed on the foothold, they became losol, and jumped onto Gemini! "Yikes!! Get these gross things off me!!! Aaaaahh!!!" she screamed, struggling to shake them off! When the losol found they couldn't absorb her soul, they simply jumped off of her and turned their attention to Guard, who was forced back into the air to escape them! "Blastrotall!!" Gemini shouted, firing bolts from her wand at the losol. By this point, Losipher had wandered close to the foothold Gemini was standing on. "If your soul cannot become lost, then I will just have to kill you!!!" he bellowed. Gemini rushed to another foothold as Losipher smashed the one she had been standing on with his giant fists! As she landed on the next foothold, she attempted to attack Losipher. "Blastrotall!!" The bolts from her wand merely bounced off Losipher, causing no damage whatsoever! Losipher laughed at her feeble attack. "I'm far too powerful to be harmed by your pitiful spells! You have no hope of defeating me!!" he snarled. As he began to chase Gemini, Guard flew in front of him and fired energy blasts from his scythe, serving only to annoy him. "You foolish little insect!! For that, I will swat you first!" Losipher growled, chasing after Guard. Gemini was kept busy as the tentacles surrounding the foothold she was on began attacking her. "Slibeam!!" Gemini shouted, swinging her wand like a sword! Beams shot from her wand and sliced through the tentacles, causing them to drop and become losol, which Gemini easily destroyed with a few bolts from her wand. She was holding her own, for now, but it began to seem clear that she could not win this fight!

Guard was busily keeping Losipher occupied, flying around and attacking when there was an opening. However, his attacks could not harm Losipher. "You already know you cannot beat me!! I killed you once, and that was a more experienced you!" Losipher growled, attempting to swat Guard with his giant hands. Guard flew out of the way and fired more energy blasts at Losipher. "Grrrr!! That may be true, but you will not win this time! Grrrr!! Take this!!" As the battle between Guard and Losipher continued, Gemini found herself watching helplessly from the sidelines once again. "This is just like every other time I encountered Losipher... I'm just too weak to beat him..." she said hopelessly. Suddenly, she heard a sinister laugh that sounded like gurgling. Looking behind her, she saw Los Cuthbert again! "I told you... Lost is the only way. All souls that do not become Lost will be destroyed. Since you have made the foolish error in denying the power of the Lost Ones, and can no longer become Lost, you are doomed!!" the twisted alligator said, with a sinister smile. Gemini backed away from him. "You're wrong..." she said shakily. Cuthbert laughed at her again. "I can see it in your eyes... You know the truth. It is over! You've failed utterly! The only remaining option for you is to accept your fate! Give up!" he snarled. His words echoed in her mind. Give up? The suggestion seemed to be the only option. Still, she'd come to defeat Losipher. As she thought about what Cuthbert had said, she glared at him and raised her wand. "You're not Cuthbert. He would never tell me to give up, and neither would any of my friends! You're nothing but a cheap imitation!" she shouted. Los Cuthbert growled at her. "You are pathetic! What could you ever hope to accomplish all by yourself?" he said. "I'm not by myself! My friends... Even the ones that were killed... Even the real Cuthbert... As long as I remember them, they're always with me! Now, go away, you fake! Slibeam!!" Gemini shouted, using her magic to destroy Los Cuthbert with one swift attack! Gemini next turned to Losipher. "Even when I'm alone, my friends give me strength! And with that power behind me, I'll beat you, Losipher!" She held her wand over her head. She didn't know any spell to help her, so she made up her own. "Light of Friendship!!"

The tip of Gemini's wand began to glow brightly, and the rest of her body soon followed! The magical energy surrounded her, filling her with new strength! Additionally, the magic light caused a pair of glowing energy wings to grow on her back! With this newfound power, Gemini jumped from the foothold and flew towards Losipher! Guard was distracted by the light from her attack, and Losipher took the opportunity to swat him aside! He tumbled through the air and hit the wall, but recovered quickly and joined Gemini as they faced Losipher! "So, you've found a more powerful spell, eh? Then by all means, attack! I look forward to hearing your anguished cries of despair as you die!" Losipher roared, unimpressed by Gemini's wings. "You'll be sorry you said that! This time, I'm fighting back!" Gemini shouted, flying at Losipher! She and Guard attempted to get close to him, but Losipher merely smacked them away. Still, they had been filled with new determination, and quickly recovered! To keep them at bay, Losipher spewed blue flames from his mouth, singeing their wings as they flew out of the way! Guard tried shooting energy blasts from his scythe at Losipher's eyes, which annoyed him more than usual. Gemini joined him by firing some of her own magic attacks at Losipher, but they still caused little, if any, damage. "I grow weary of your annoying attacks! Now, face my true wrath!!!" Losipher roared, using his dark powers to grow the tentacles in the slime pool larger so that they could attack Guard and Gemini, even as they flew high above the pool! As Guard and Gemini set to work slicing up the tentacles, Losipher blew more fire at them, making it even more difficult to avoid taking a hit! While Guard was practically immobilized, Gemini used the power her spell had granted her to gracefully avoid the attacks and make her way to Losipher! "It's useless! None of your feeble light magic can scratch me!! Accept your fate!! DIE!!!!" the monster roared, attempting to crush Gemini in his hands! Gemini flew out of the way and focused all of her power into her wand. "Losipher... Get a life!!" she said before calling out her spell. "Solare!!!" Using all of the power she could muster, Gemini fired a brilliant beam of golden light from her wand, consuming Losipher in its glow! "GRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!" Losipher let out an ear piercing roar as the force of the attack caused him to explode, scattering his slime into the pool below!

As the light faded, Gemini and Guard landed on the ledge near the exit. As she landed, Gemini noticed her wings vanish, meaning her spell had worn off. The slime had begun to be replaced by lava once again, and Losipher had apparently been defeated! "It's... over... I've finally... done it..." Gemini panted with relief. "Grrrr.... That was very impressive. Grrrr... I was worried for a minute, but you really..." Guard said, his voice trailing off. Gemini smiled and shook his hand. "Thanks, Guard. I couldn't have come so far without you!" she said. For once, Guard found himself smiling a little. "I should thank you. Grrrr... You've avenged my death for me." he said. Gemini gazed at the lava pond thoughtfully. "I really have done well, haven't I? Now that Losipher's been defeated, maybe my friends� souls are free. In fact, I'm sure they are!" she said happily. Guard turned towards the exit. "Grrrr... There's still one matter of business to attend to. Grrrr... We need to get you home to your friends." he said. Gemini nodded. "Yes, I wouldn't want them to worry about me any longer. Afterwards, we'll find a way to get you home, too! OK, Guard?" she said, following the gargoyle out of the room. As they exited the cavern, things appeared peaceful. However, a small puddle of slime had remained in the center of the pool of lava. It slowly floated along, until it reached one of the footholds. Like a slug, it stuck itself to the edge of the foothold and slowly climbed onto it. From there, it began to grow and take shape, until at last, Losipher stood in the room once again! His eyes remained shut for a moment, as he shakily found his balance. As he opened his eyes, he glanced around the room, looking for any sign of his enemies. "Cursed wretches... I can't go after Iblis now..." he groaned, his voice starting out scratchy until he fully recovered. He began walking towards the exit to the chamber, a lonely look in his eyes. "Whether my misery is a ploy or not, I cannot say. My stolen souls speak for me, for I have no soul of my own." he muttered sadly. His sadness quickly turned to rage. "This, I vow. That girl will suffer a horrific death by my hand! Be it in this time, this world, or elsewhere! I will have my vengeance!!!"


Elsewhere on the mountain, Silver and Blaze had managed to weaken Iblis. The Flames of Disaster now rose up above them as a blazing ball of fire! Silver stepped towards it, holding in his hands the two Chaos Emeralds. It was time to put his plan into action! "Chaos Emeralds, lend me your power." he said, looking up at the fireball. "Eternal Sun! The living flame that has been entrusted to the royal family! Fall into slumber with my soul, Iblis! You cursed flames of disaster!" he shouted, activating the emeralds' power in an attempt to seal Iblis within himself! The flames soared to him, and he let out some pained yells as the fire bounced off of him. "Ah! No! Why won't it accept me as the vessel!?" he shouted, realizing that his plan wasn't working. At this point, Blaze came to understand the plan, and walked towards Silver. "Blaze!?" Silver gasped as she reached for the Chaos Emeralds. The cat grabbed them out of his hands. "I'll take Iblis. Don't worry, my soul is already alit with flames. I will be accepted." she said, holding up the emeralds the way Silver had moments before. The flames changed course and flew into her! She was right, the flames had accepted her. However, Iblis had grown too powerful for her to contain, and the fires struggled to escape from her! "Come on! Make it quick! Use your Chaos Control to stop time! Then, seal us into a different dimension!" Blaze shouted, feeling that was the only choice. Silver was horrified by the very idea. "No!! I can't do that to you!" he said. Blaze glanced back at him. "Didn't we already go through this? We agreed to save the world at ANY price!" she said firmly. Silver knew she was right, so he raised his hand in preparation to do what was necessary. However, he held himself back. "I can't! I wouldn't know what to do... without you! You've fought alongside me to save the world! You're my friend... right?" he said, looking at the ground with uncertainty. Blaze turned to Silver. "You're still so naive..." she said, "But I've always liked that about you..." She dropped the Chaos Emeralds and began to rise into the air. Silver looked up at her and ran to the edge of the cliff. "Blaze!!!" he called out desperately. Blaze's body had become transparent, consumed by Iblis' flames. As she rose up into the heavens, she looked down at Silver, smiling. "Good luck, Silver!" she said in parting. A bright flash of light followed, parting the dark clouds overhead, and allowing the light from the sun into Silver's world for the first time...

Silver stood between the two Chaos Emeralds that Blaze had dropped, and scanned the skies for her. She was gone. He looked down at the ground, glanced at the Chaos Emeralds, and in a moment, found tears rolling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Blaze..." he whispered, leaning down to pick up the Chaos Emeralds. Behind him, Gemini and Guard were entering the area, gazing up at the bright sky above them. "The sun... I've only ever seen it in the past..." Gemini gasped. Guard tapped her shoulder and pointed to Silver, without saying anything. Realizing that Iblis was defeated, Gemini ran over to Silver excitedly. "You did it, didn't you? You beat Iblis! Joyous day! We're all free, at last!" she cheered. Guard walked over and tugged at her arm, motioning to Silver. As she looked at Guard's serious expression, she turned back to Silver and realized he was crying. A grim thought went through her mind. "Wh... Where's Blaze?" she said quietly. Silver glanced up at her, and she could guess right away what had happened. She stepped to Silver and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I... I'm so sorry, Silver..." she said, unable to think of anything else to say. Silver didn't move at first. "Is there anything I can do?" Gemini asked him. He shook his head. "I think I just want to be alone right now..." he said, walking away. Gemini started to follow him, but Guard held her back. "Grrr... Let him be. Grrr... I don't think you can help him right now." he said. Gemini sighed sadly. "I know... Because I know how he feels. We can beat the bad guys and avenge our friends... But it doesn't bring them back." she said, shedding a few tears as she recalled the friends she had lost...


Chapter 22 - Copter To The Rescue!

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"I wanna fly high,
So I can reach the highest of all the heavens!
Somebody will be,
Waiting for me, so I have gotta fly higher!" - Believe in Myself, Sonic Adventure


Copter and Spiny had begun fighting. Spiny was determined to prevent Copter from saving Heather, despite knowing the truth about Whisk. "You can't stop us, Copter! It's too late! Very soon, this ship will begin to crash, taking that pathetic phoenix and anyone else still hanging around this ship with it!" he said, firing Chaos Spears at Copter rapidly! They were fighting in a hallway, where there was little room to move around, so it was impossible for Copter to avoid all the attacks. Still, he pushed himself forward, and smacked Spiny backward with his tails! Spiny quickly recovered. "Ha! Forget it, Copter! There's no way you'll beat me here! My spears will skewer you easily! And there's nowhere for you to run from them!" he snickered. "So what? Those spears don't scare me! I'll just charge right through them! Don't run away, Sonic!" Copter replied. Spiny growled furiously at being called Sonic again. "That is IT!! No more mister nice guy! I'm gonna shut you up once and for all!! Spear Storm!!!" The spikes on his back began to glow as he readied his most powerful attack. Copter looked worried at first, but then had an idea. Dozens of spears began shooting from Spiny's back, then turned in midair to go after Copter. Rather than try to dodge them, Copter thought of a better idea. "Chaos Whirlwind!!" He called forth a mighty chaotic wind, which blew with such force that the Chaos Spears were deflected and sent back towards Spiny! "...Shoot..." was all Spiny could say before all of his spears flew back at him, knocking him over! Copter took the opportunity to run past Spiny. "Sorry to leave ya so quickly, but I need to see a chameleon about a bird." he said. Suddenly, he felt himself smacked in the back and fell over! Looking behind him, he found that Spiny had already recovered! Copter scrambled to his feet as Spiny prepared to launch another attack at him. "Take this, chump!" Spiny shouted. Before he could attack, a laser was fired at his feet from behind! Spiny turned to find Alpha and Char behind him. "So, it's you again! Thanks to you, Metal Eggman took off in the ejector seat and was shot down by Sergeant Gunner's minions! You owe us five thousand rings for that robot!!" Char shouted. Spiny glared at them. "Only five thousand, eh? I think I'll try for a million this time!" he shouted. Copter didn't say a word to them, and instead took this chance to escape. "There's no time to bother with those blue buffoons! I've gotta find Heather, now!" he thought.


Heather was tied up in the engine room, guarded by Crash. Zipp had set some explosives around the engines, and was now busily setting up more explosives elsewhere. Vortex and Zeke were standing outside the engine room, chatting. Since they were alone, Crash now had the chance he'd been waiting for since Spiny explained the plan to him. He walked over to Heather, knelt down beside her, and took of his hat. "I was hoping I'd get to talk to you. H-how are you? Did you get to talk to Bucky?" he asked. Heather didn't answer. She didn't even look at him. Crash was afraid she'd be like this. He looked apologetically at her. "I guess not... Look, I know you don't want to hurt our creator. But I also know Vortex. He won't rest until you're dead. But you... You didn't mean for eleven to die... Did you?" he asked. Heather still didn't look at him. "What difference does it make? Vortex is right... I killed her... I deserve to die." she said sadly. Crash shut his eyes, letting her words sink in. "You're so sorry... That you're willing to accept the fate Vortex has chosen for you..." he whispered. For a moment, they both stood there quietly. After some thought, Crash began fiddling with the ropes binding Heather. "Wh-what are you doing?" she gasped. Crash had loosened the ropes. "There... I think you can free yourself from that, and it should fool Vortex! I don't care what anyone says. You don't deserve to die! Now, you wait here until we leave, then you get yourself out of here! If all goes well, Vortex will think you bought the farm, and you can live in peace from now on." he said quietly. Heather watched Crash as he stood up, put his hat back on, and walked away. She found his kindness quite moving. "Thank you..." she whispered. In a few moments, Vortex and Zeke wandered into the room. Heather and Crash stayed silent, trying not to let on that anything had happened. Vortex was still talking to Zeke, and didn't notice anything amiss. "All right, Zeke. There'sss an exit from the sssship right outsssside the door to thissss room. If anything goesss wrong, and we can't get to the helicopter, we will essscape through there. You will have to fly Crassssh and me to sssssafety. Ssssspiny will be fine... We're not lucky enough to losssse him." he hissed. Zeke chuckled a little. "Spiny and Zipp will outlive us all... The little blighters! Don't worry! I'll take good care of my jobs! Though I still think I should've been in charge!" the dragon said. Vortex ignored his remark. "It won't be long now... Sssssoon we will return home... Mossst of ussss!" he said, glaring at Heather.


Copter knew where he had to go. Using an image of the ship in his mind as his only guide, he began searching frantically for the engine room. "If I know Zipp, he'll go for the biggest explosion he can get! And where better to trigger such an explosion than the engines?" he'd told himself. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite the ship expert Tails was, and found it difficult to figure where the engine room was. Complicating things further was the army of Eggman's robots that were patrolling the ship. Every type of robot he'd brought to Soleanna was aboard, and seemed determined to make Copter's life miserable. "Didn't the experiments have to deal with these robots on their way through here!? WHY ARE SO MANY OF THEM LEFT!?" he shouted in frustration as he wandered into a large room filled with robots and traps. As Copter charged into the room, he quickly found himself surrounded. "Rrrrgh!! I'll never make it in time at this rate!!" he groaned, desperately trying to find a way to escape the robots without having to destroy each one. Suddenly, as things started to look grim, something blazed into the room at incredibly high speed! All Copter could make out was a blue wind, and this wind quickly dashed around the room, taking out nearly all of the robots before stopping next to Copter! "Need a hand?" said Sonic, who had managed to get onto the ship earlier thanks to Silver's assistance with time travel. Copter looked around. Sonic had taken out most of the robots, but there were still a bunch left. "If I wasn't in a hurry, I would've taken them all myself! But... I've got someone to save!" the fox said. Sonic grinned at him. "Do ya? Goin' my way, are you?" he asked. Copter shook his head. "Engine room. Certain jerks are gonna make this ship crash, with my friend in it!" he explained. Sonic turned to the robots that were approaching them. "Jerks, huh? Well, that explains the crash, I guess. Looks like we'd both better hurry! Let's go!" he said, leading the charge as he and Copter took on the remaining robots! Once they were destroyed, Sonic pointed Copter towards the engine room. "Good luck, Copter! You take good care of your friend, and I'll take care of Princess Elise!" he said before speeding off towards the ship's bridge. Copter waved to Sonic before heading for the engine room. "Thanks a lot, Sonic. I won't forget this!"


Vortex, Crash, and Zeke were all talking amongst themselves when Zipp flew into the room. "Hey, guys! I think Spiny's having some sort of trouble! He's not responding to my calls!" he said. The other experiments ignored him, and continued their conversation. This kind of thing had become a trend whenever Zipp spoke, and he was growing increasingly more frustrated by it. "Hello!! Did you guys hear me?! I SAID Spiny could be in trouble! Isn't that important to any of you!?" Still, they ignored him. Zipp fired a gun into the air, but still they paid him no heed. "Oh, I get it. Crazy old Zipp, can't ever be doing anything serious! All right, I'll fix you guys! If you all want me to blow up the bombs now, without warning, give me absolutely no sign!" Vortex turned to Zipp grumpily. "Zipp! Didn't I tell you to call me when you were done ssssetting up the bombssss?" he said. Zipp crossed his arms. "Why should I? You're all right here! Maybe if you'd stop ignoring me..." he complained. "Well, maybe if you weren't always flying around like an idiot with your guns...!!" Zeke growled in annoyance. Zipp pointed his gun at Zeke. "Idiot, eh? Let's see who the idiot is when I pull this trigger!" he shouted. Crash grabbed the gun from his hand. "You shouldn't play with guns!" he said. Zipp started fighting with Crash, trying to get his gun back. "Give me that, you thick-headed klutz!!" he shouted. Crash was too strong, and Zipp couldn't pry the gun from his hands, so he tried something else. "Eat stinger, dirtbag!!" he yelled, aiming his stinger and shooting it at Crash! The rhino avoided the stinger, and it continued flying across the room until it hit one of the bombs! It suddenly exploded, setting off a chain reaction that caused the other bombs in the room to start blowing up as well! The experiments were forced to back away from the explosions, and the ship's alarms signaled the fact that they were going to crash soon! Vortex grabbed Zipp by the collar of his jacket. "You misssserable inssssect!! Now, the sssship'ssss going to crasssh before we can get off! Or, at leasssst before Sssspiny can get off!! Imbecile!!" he yelled. Zipp looked sheepishly at Vortex. "Well, uh, at least Copter can't save her!" he said. "That's where you're wrong!" came a voice at the door. Copter had arrived!

"It's about time you let Heather go now, Vortex!" Copter said boldly. Vortex released Zipp and hissed angrily at Copter. "You have ssssome nerve! Asssssissss... Assssssissst... Errr... Helping a murderer!" he sneered. Copter shook his head. "Heather's no murderer! Experiment 11 is alive!" he shouted. Heather looked up as she heard Copter's words. "Alive? Really?" she said hopefully. Vortex raised a fist at Copter. "You're a liar! If Eleven issss alive, where isss sssshe?! Sssshe wassss burned to asssshessss, and it'sss all Ssssseven'sss fault!! And now, I count you asss an accomplice!! Zipp, sssshoot that missserable cur!!" he screeched, infuriated. Zipp grabbed his gun from Crash's hands while he was distracted by Copter and aimed at Copter's head. "This is gonna be sweet... Just stand still..." Zipp said excitedly. He pulled the trigger, but found that the gun wasn't loaded. "Hey!! I just loaded this thing before I came in! Crash, did you..." Zipp said, turning to Crash. The rhino swatted him aside, knocking him unconscious! "Now, Seven! There's no time left to wait!" he shouted. Vortex looked at Crash with shock, then turned to Heather, who had quickly freed herself from the ropes and was rushing to join Copter. "Noooo!!! Thissss can't be happening!!! Zeke, grab her!! We'll drown her oursssselvessss, and watch our foolissssh brothersss fall with the sssship!!" shouted the flustered chameleon. Zeke grinned at the suggestion. "Won't Bucky be mad if only the two of us come back?" he asked. Vortex stomped his foot on the ground impatiently. "Do it, NOW!! Or elsssse!!!" he shouted. Zeke frowned. "Crud, better do what he says... Don't want him throwing black holes at me..." he muttered, running after Heather and grabbing her before she could reach Copter! "Let me go, you big, featherless chicken! Put me down!!!" she shouted, struggling to escape Zeke's grip. Copter blocked the doorway. "You'll have to go through me first!" he warned. Zeke smiled at him. "Gladly!" The dragon charged right at Copter, knocking him aside as he blew flames at the door in the hallway, blasting it open to reveal the exit to the ship! As Zeke began to fly off the ship, Vortex quickly chased him and jumped on his back. "Farewell, Copter!! Don't worry, we'll hold Sssseven long enough for her to watch you go down with the ssship!!" he said, laughing victoriously as Zeke flew them over the water!

Crash had picked up Zipp, and was holding him in his arms like an injured child as he entered the hallway where Copter was pulling himself to his feet after Zeke knocked him down. "This doesn't look good. Too bad I can't help you, Copter. I have to get Zipp to the helicopter, and Spiny, if possible. You're welcome to come with me.... At least you can save yourself." the rhino offered. Copter ran to the exit to the ship, looking around before turning to Crash. "I came to save Heather. And if I can't, I'll die with her! One way or another, this ends here!" he insisted. Crash sighed. He knew Copter would say something like that. "Well, good luck, then! Wish me luck, too!" he said, running off towards the place where the helicopter was waiting, still carrying Zipp in his arms. Without further hesitation, Copter jumped from the Egg Carrier, spinning his tails at top speed in hopes of catching Vortex, Zeke, and Heather! Vortex laughed at Copter's efforts. "Defiant to the end! Drop Sssseven after Copter fallsss, Zeke! Maybe ssshe'll land on top of him!" he hissed. Zeke hovered in place, watching Copter. "Sorry, pal! Tails aren't built for flying! Hope you enjoy your swim! Kekekekeke!!!" he cackled. Copter realized he was right as his tails began to tire. "Can't.... give... up....!" he said, pushing himself to continue on. He began to get close, but soon started to fall. As he did, though, he heard a noise behind him. At first, he thought he was delirious, but as he looked back below himself, he saw what he'd thought he'd heard. It was a plane engine, and it was coming from the rapidly approaching Hurricane! Copter carefully used his tails to adjust his fall so he landed in the cockpit just as the plane passed under him! "Thank you, Punchy! And thank you, Eggman, for making the Hurricane remote have such a good range!" Copter said, recalling when Punchy got him to use the Hurricane remote back at Radical Train. Vortex growled loudly as he saw Copter's plane arrive. "He jusssst refussssesss to die!!! Well, we'll have the lassst laugh! Drop Sssseven, Zeke!" Without hesitation, Zeke tossed Heather downward! Copter was forced to quickly speed up the Hurricane and fly it under her, catching her on the wings of the plane! Heather wasn't as graceful as Sonic, though, and found herself clinging to the edge of the wing rather than standing on it!

Copter put the plane on autopilot while he helped Heather. "Let's switch! You fly, and I'll ride the wing! I'll take on Vortex!" he suggested. Heather grabbed Copter's hand, and he pulled her to the seat, climbing onto the wing in the process. As she sat at the controls, Heather looked below them. There was no land, only water. She looked terrified as she took the wheel of the plane. "C-copter? I don't know how to fly a plane!" she said nervously. Copter chuckled. "That's OK! Neither do I! Just try to figure out enough so we don't crash!" he said. As the two of them were getting ready, Vortex and Zeke were watching above them. "Thissss issss outrageoussss!! Why issss it sssso hard to kill them!?" Vortex groaned. Zeke scratched his head. "Maybe they're carrying rabbit feet and four leaf clovers?" he said. "That wasss a rhetorical quessstion!! Get ussss alongsssside them!! I will finissssh thossse pessstssss off mysssself!!" Vortex ordered. "Not if I finish them first! RAWR!!!" Zeke roared, flying himself towards the Hurricane! By now, the Hurricane's autopilot was off, and Heather was quickly teaching herself how to fly it. Not a moment too soon, either, for Zeke was pulling up beside them! "RAWR!! It's time to turn up the heat here! I hope you like your meat well done!!" the dragon growled, blowing fire at them! Heather quickly pulled the wheel back, causing the Hurricane to begin flying up and away from the fire! Unfortunately, the wing had caught fire! "Chaos Whirlwind!" Copter shouted, using the chaotic wind to blow out the fire! Suddenly, they heard Vortex behind them. "Chaossss Inferno!" Heather quickly turned the plane to avoid the beam as Vortex fired it at them, and Copter turned to retaliate. "I'll knock you off that dragon! Chaos Whirlwind!!" Copter yelled, sending the windy attack towards Zeke! The dragon flew out of the way, but not without being slowed down somewhat. Still, this didn't deter Vortex. He fired another Inferno attack, this time at Copter, who was forced to jump off the wing and fly over the attack! In a moment, he landed back onto the wing and tried blowing Zeke away with Chaos Whirlwind again. Just as before, Zeke dodged it.

The battle continued in this way, and as Vortex and Zeke began using their attacks together, Heather was forced to take more drastic actions to avoid them. Being new to flying, she tended to move somewhat unpredictably, but this was just as hard on Copter as it was on Vortex and Zeke! "If you keep flying like that, I'm gonna fall off!" Copter shouted. Heather turned to escape Zeke's fiery breath before responding. "This is all I can do to keep us in the air!" she said with panic. "We gotta end this, quick! Try to get us close to Zeke! Then, I can try to finish this!" Copter suggested. This was far easier said than done, since Vortex kept using Chaos Inferno and Zeke kept blowing fire, but soon, Vortex began to tire. "Blassst!! Chaosss Inferno drainsss ssso much of my energy! Enough gamesss!!! Zeke, I don't care how, get me a clear ssshot!!" he shouted. Zeke stopped blowing fire, and started chasing the Hurricane. "RAWR!! We're right behind them! Perfect!" he said, speeding up to get Vortex his shot. As they began to get close, Heather pulled back on the wheel again, causing Zeke to pass under them! Copter jumped from the wing and landed on Zeke's back, right on top of Vortex! The chameleon pushed Copter to the side, but he wouldn't be pushed off of Zeke! As they began struggling, Zeke roared in pain as every punch and kick that missed hit him! "RAWR!!!! Stop that, you maniacs! I'll drop you both!" he growled, trying to shake them off! Copter and Vortex grabbed on tight, refusing to let go! "Sssstop that, Zeke! I'll get Copter off if you sssstop that!!" he yelled. "Fine, but make it quick!" Zeke said, steadying himself again. With this one chance, Copter and Vortex each called out their attacks! "Chaos Whirlwind!!" Copter shouted! "Chaosss Inferno!!" Vortex hissed! The two attacks were launched at the same time, and both Copter and Vortex were slammed directly! They both began falling from Zeke, and the dragon was unable to catch them due to the Whirlwind attack knocking one of his wings off balance! "Vortex!!!" he shouted, watching his companion falling alongside Copter! Heather wasted no time flying the Hurricane under Copter and catching him on the wing. Vortex, though within arm's reach of the wing, chose not to grab it. "Come on! Grab hold!" Heather shouted. "I'd rather die! Either way, I can't avenge Eleven now!" Vortex growled. As he fell below the Hurricane, it seemed he was done for! "Vortex!!" Copter shouted, stunned by his stubbornness. Suddenly, as Vortex fell, something flew towards him! In a moment, it caught up and grabbed him in its arms! "Dying is for losers! You're much too good for that! Oh, let me introduce myself. I'm Whisk!" As Vortex looked up at his savior, he knew who it was instantly. "A divine.... E-experiment 11!" he gasped, fainting in her arms with relief and exhaustion...


At the edge of Kingdom Valley, Katie, Tommy, and Mia had caught up with Chet and Razor, who were watching from afar as the Egg Carrier was crashing into a cliffside. The battle between Copter and Vortex had happened on the other side of the ship, and they couldn't see what had happened. As the ship was destroyed by a huge explosion, the group had a terrible feeling of dread. "C-copter!!!" Katie shouted, devastated by the thought that Copter had died. Higher up, on a cliff above them, they heard Sonic's voice as well. "Elise!!!" Hearing that, they believed the princess was gone as well. Turning away from the wreck, the group shed a few tears for their supposedly lost friends. "They... They're gone... Aren't they?" Tommy said, sobbing. Mia tried to remain optimistic. "Well, they might've gotten off... Maybe... Who can tell from here?" she said. Looking around at all the sad faces, though, she couldn't help crying herself. "That phoenix was so pretty... It's just not fair!!" Chet shouted. Razor nodded solemnly. "It's a dark day for Soleanna... So much tragedy... The princess, too. The nation will be devastated..." he said grimly. Katie wiped away her tears and started heading back. "Katie..." Chet said, wondering what she was thinking. "If they're dead... Then it's my duty as a reporter to break the story. I don't work for the TV stations here, but I can write to the newspaper. I'll make sure the public knows of this story! And hopefully... It will never be forgotten." she said. As she started to leave, the rest of the group followed her. "We did our best... I guess Katie's idea is all that remains for us to do..." Razor said. Upon their return, she did write to the papers, and the story was saved for generations on the computers in Soleanna, until at last it reached the eyes of Tails and Punchy when they arrived in the future...


However, the report wasn't entirely true. Copter and Heather had escaped the ship on the Hurricane, while Vortex was saved by Whisk. Zeke flew himself to safety, and as the Egg Carrier began to crash, Copter spotted a GUN helicopter flying away from it. All that was left was Sonic and Elise. Sonic was rushing for the nearest exit to the ship, carrying Elise in his arms. As they reached an exit, they watched as the front of the ship broke away in front of them, leaving them a distance away from the cliff ahead. Copter and Heather watched from the Hurricane overhead. "What now, Sonic?" Copter said worriedly. As Sonic looked around for a way out of this mess, Elise pointed to pieces of the ship that were falling around the cliff. "Sonic!" she called. As Sonic looked where she was pointing and thought about what she was suggesting they do, he grinned at her. "Aren't you worried?" he asked. Elise smiled back at him. "'If you have time to worry, then run,' right?" she said, recalling what Sonic had told her before. Without further hesitation, Sonic built up some speed and jumped into the air heroically, carrying Elise as they landed on a piece of the ship ahead of them. He quickly jumped off of it towards another piece, quickly making his way towards the cliff as the ship was crashing all around them! Copter was covering his eyes with his hands now. "Oh, he's insane! He's not gonna make it!" he cried. Heather chuckled at Copter. "Open your eyes! He'll make it! Trust me! After all, you made it!" she said. As Copter uncovered his eyes, it didn't look good. Sonic had made one final leap for the cliff, but as he reached out to grab it, he found that he just wasn't high enough! As Sonic and Elise began to fall, another piece of the ship crashed into the cliff below them, and the resulting explosion catapulted Sonic and Elise back into the air, hurtling them onto the cliff! The two of them tumbled onto the grass atop the cliff, and at first, didn't move. Copter had covered his eyes again. "Open your eyes! They made it!" Heather cheered. "No way, that's impossible!" Copter muttered, uncovering his eyes. Sonic had walked over to where Elise was sprawled out on the floor, and extended his hand to help her sit up. As he did so, the two of them started laughing. "Figures he enjoyed that! What a nut!" Copter said before breaking out laughing himself, along with Heather. As Sonic and Elise stopped laughing, Sonic gave her a thumbs up. "Nice smile!" he said. At the same time, the Hurricane flew over them. "Time to get as far from the water as possible!" Heather said. "Amen to that, my friend. But I gotta admit, that Sonic's sure got guts..." Copter muttered, sitting on the edge of the Hurricane's wing. Heather chuckled at him. "You're pretty cool yourself. Thank you, Copter. For everything!" she grinned. As the Hurricane soared over the plains, leaving their troubles behind, it seemed the whole ordeal was finally over...


Chapter 23 - The Time-Space Rift

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"Shadows of dark creatures.
Steel clouds floating in the air.
People run for shelter!
What gonna happen to us?" - Open Your Heart, Sonic Adventure


On the way back to Crisis City, Gemini thought of how to get Guard home. He couldn't stay in the future, but there were no Time Stones left to return them to the past. "Grrrr... Is there any other way to travel through time? Grrrr... A spell, perhaps?" Guard asked. Gemini shook her head. "There are no time travel spells for the type of magic I study. But there are other ways to travel through time..." she said. Suddenly, she remembered something. "The Chaos Emeralds! Silver had two of them! With those, we could go back to the past!" Guard scanned ahead for signs of Silver or the Chaos Emeralds. "Grrrr, follow me!" he said, leading Gemini ahead. Silver hadn't gone far. He was still upset over what happened to Blaze, and was walking rather slowly. "Silver! We need your help!" Gemini shouted as she and Guard approached him. "What is it?" Silver asked. "Grrrr... We need to use those Chaos Emeralds so I may return to my own time." Guard explained. Silver held up the cyan and white emeralds he was carrying with him. "Uh... What about you, Gemini? Are you going back, too?" he asked. Gemini thought about it for a moment. "I really should go back and see if my friends are all right... But then again, I could return at an early time, so it'll be like I never left! Even if I can't change the past to save my friends, I'd like to at least say good-bye to the new friends I made in the past." she said. Silver nodded. "I'll go tell the Freedom Fighters your decision. Have a safe trip!" he said, holding out the Chaos Emeralds to use them. "Chaos Control!" The two Chaos Emeralds glowed brightly for a moment, and then a time vortex appeared in front of Silver! "Grrrr... Thanks. Good-bye!" Guard said, jumping into the vortex. Gemini followed. "I appreciate this, Silver! Bye!"

The vortex led Gemini and Guard to the jungle of Soleanna back at the present time. As they fell out of the vortex, they stumbled, and Gemini dropped the purple Chaos Emerald, which she'd forgotten she was carrying! It tumbled across the floor, and landed at the feet of Mephiles the Dark! He levitated the Chaos Emerald over his head, and then lowered it into his hand. As it fell into his clutches, Mephiles appeared to be smiling, despite having no mouth. It was eerie. "I told you it would be mine sooner or later..." he said, looking down on Gemini and Guard as they stood up from their fall. As Gemini gazed up at him in contempt, Mephiles laughed at her. "You are one pathetic life form. Don't worry, you'll be put out of your misery shortly... There's just one thing I have to do!" he said. Guard jumped to chase after him, but he was too late. Mephiles quickly teleported away...


Heather landed the Hurricane somewhere in the middle of the large, grassy plains where she and Copter had talked before. As they hopped down from the plane, they could think of nothing more than resting. "It sure has been a tiring day... I think I could just fall asleep here..." Copter said, exhausted from the battle that had taken place moments ago. Heather stepped away from the Hurricane, gazing out over the plains. "Am I free now? Are our battles over? It feels weird... I don't know what to do with myself..." she said. It seemed like a dream to her. She'd never been so happy. "Don't get too carried away. Certain people might still be looking for you!" Copter reminded her. Heather looked back at him, smiling. "Don't be a killjoy, Copter! What could go wrong now?" she asked. Lospecter's voice rang out through the field in response. "Nothing could go wrong, now! At least, not for us!!" As Copter stood up to look for Lospecter, Heather was suddenly enveloped by a pillar of slime, which appeared to come out of nowhere! "Heather!!!" Copter shouted, swinging his tails at the slime, only to be tossed away by the slime! As he looked helplessly at the swirling vortex of ectoplasm, he could see Heather struggling and screaming! "Let her go, Lost Ones!" he shouted. "Not a chance." said Lospecter, who was now hovering beside him. "She has the perfect soul inside her! But don't worry, it's not the soul you've come to love!" he explained, chuckling and pointing to the slime tornado. As Heather struggled, her spirit appeared to be separated from her body! However, as the spirit left her, she continued struggling! On closer inspection, Copter noticed that the spirit looked somewhat different from Heather. It looked more sinister! As the dark spirit was absorbed by the slime, Heather was tossed out of it! Copter quickly caught her in his arms before she hit the ground, but she quickly jumped out of his arms and back to her feet. "Th-that felt weird! What did you do to me!?" she shouted. Lospecter hovered beside the slime pillar and laughed at them. "Relax, I just fed the soul of your dark side to Losipher here! Consider yourself lucky you had two souls to spare, and he only needed one! Now, prepare to meet misery incarnate! Wakey, wakey, Losipher!" As Lospecter spoke, the slime cyclone began to take shape, and within moments, Losipher was born before their eyes! "AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaahhhhhh ha ha ha ha!!! Gaze upon me, and know fear! I am Losipher the Lost!!" he screamed malevolently. Copter and Heather prepared for battle. "Good for you, but we're gonna stop you!" Copter said. Heather seemed more confident and bold than usual as she created a fireball in her hand. "Thanks for freeing me from my dark side! Now, I can fight you without losing myself to it!" she said. Lospecter laughed at them like this was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. "You think you can stop us now? Please, we won't even waste our time with you! Time to go, my new para-abnormal pal!" he said. In a moment, Lospecter and Losipher sank into the ground, vanishing before them. "Why do I get the feeling that this is the start of something really bad...?" Copter said as he and Heather exchanged worried looks.


Sonic and Elise were walking through the mountainous region near Kingdom Valley, making their way back to Soleanna. As they walked, they suddenly heard a sound behind them. Turning around, they were blinded by a flashing light coming from a purple Chaos Emerald! As they squinted through the light, trying to figure out what was happening, Mephiles rose from the ground behind them! Without speaking a word, the dark being held out his hand towards Sonic, and from it came a giant beam attack! Sonic gasped in pain as the beam pierced his back, continuing right through his body and a good distance in front of him! Elise could only scream in horror as she watched Sonic being skewered by the white beam coming from Mephiles's hand! In a moment, Mephiles halted the beam. It hadn't actually caused any visible injury, but it was clear Sonic was hit hard. He lurched forward a moment, and then dropped slowly to the ground! Elise ran to him, kneeling beside the injured hedgehog and shaking him. "Sonic? Sonic!" she called, trying to wake him, but it was no use. She turned him onto his back, and he remained motionless on the ground. As a horrifying truth began to become clear, Mephiles began laughing manically and victoriously. Elise called to the hedgehog one more time. "Sonic?" There was no response. Feeling the worst had just happened, Elise thought back to what her father had once told her: "Yes, Elise... Don't cry, no matter what happens..." As her father's voice faded in her mind, she tried to heed his advice, but found she just couldn't hold it in. This was too terrible, and she couldn't simply ignore it. "No.... No..... NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Tears flowed forth from her eyes as she screamed out in pain and sorrow! As she did, her tears called forth the flames within her! A giant fireball burst forth from Elise's body, and hovered overhead. Mephiles laughed once more as his plan came full circle. "Finally! The seal is broken! At long last, I'll be able to join with you... Iblis!" he shouted, gazing up at the fireball with excitement. He held out the purple emerald and levitated it high into the air. "Now, Chaos Emerald, it's time for the final curtain call!" he said in a sinister tone. The time the Doomsayer had spoken of was now. It was the beginning of the end!


At Dusty Desert, Shadow had managed to defeat the Mephiles army, which was now nothing more than a giant black smear circling the area where he, Rouge, and Omega now stood. Shadow put his restraint rings back onto his wrists and looked down at the green and yellow Chaos Emeralds. As he did so, they suddenly began to glow brightly!

Meanwhile, at the base of Eggman Nega, Punchy and Fera were still fighting away while Rainbow held onto the Time Stones, cheering Punchy on. Without warning, the Time Stones suddenly began glowing brilliantly, startling Rainbow into dropping them! As Punchy and Fera turned to see what was happening, the light covered the entire room!

High above Soleanna, Mephiles hovered amidst a huge ball of flames! The seven Chaos Emeralds had been drawn to him as his fusion with Iblis began, and were now encircling him, filling him with power! As Iblis's flames consumed his body, a bright light burst forth from them, and from the light, a single being began to emerge! As the fusion was completed, the light shone even brighter, catching everything as it spread! Tails, Knuckles, and Amy covered their eyes and shouted in panic as the light directly above them obscured them from view. Razor, Chet, Katie, Tommy, and Mia had just arrived back in Soleanna, and were blinded by the light moments later! "What's happening!?" Chet shouted. "I think the sun is crashing into the earth!" Mia yelled in panic. Still, the light kept spreading, and soon found its way to Guard and Gemini in the jungle. "Grrrr!!! That light!!!" Guard growled. "Mephiles... Could it be?!" Gemini gasped. Even still, the light continued, and caught Sergeant Gunner at the GUN outpost. "Spy, what IS that light!? What's going on!?" Gunner snarled. Spy was even blinded with his sunglasses on. "I don't know, but would now be a good time to ask for a raise?" he asked, prompting Gunner to try to smack him. The light consumed the entire planet, and even spread through time itself, catching Fred, Evelyn, Adam, and Gator eventually. As the light faded, everyone would find the world changed.

As everyone opened their eyes, they found themselves in a strange new world. The sky had become a strange mix of dark blues and purples, and seemed to be caught in a strange energy. In the center of this new world was a giant light, that looked like a new sun! A group of Sonic's friends, which included Silver and Dr. Eggman, were near the center of this place, while everyone else seemed to be in front of the castle of Soleanna, which looked as it did in the future. As Adam the Bat walked over to the ledge where the castle had been pulled from its original location, he found that they were now rather high up! "Ulp... This is surreal... How'd we get up here!? And why does the festival torch look brand new, while the castle still looks ancient?" he wondered aloud. Gemini spotted Adam and ran to him. "What are you doing here!? I thought I was back in the past!" she said. Guard, who had followed her, motioned behind them. "Grrrr.... We are not alone." he said. It was true! Scattered around the area were many familiar faces, and a few not so familiar. Copter pushed through the crowd, along with Heather, Punchy, and Rainbow, to get a look around. "What's going on here!? First this dude called Losipher jumps us, now this!" Copter grumbled. "Anyone seen Fera or the Time Stones?" Punchy asked. Illusi appeared in the area in a puff of smoke. "It's all over! Look at that light! It can only mean one thing!" he said, terrified. Eggman Nega was hovering overhead in his Egg Mobile. "It would appear that everyone was caught up in some sort of... spatial distortion..." he said. Vortex, Zipp, Crash, and Whisk were standing near the ledge to Adam's left, gazing down at Sonic's friends. "Aww, shut up, Eggman wannabe! We all figured that out long ago! Now be quiet, I'm trying to find out how this happened!" Zipp said. Zeke dropped down from overhead, with Spiny on his back. "You guys have to see this! It's a doozy!" Spiny chuckled, motioning to the group of Sonic's friends below them. Chet pushed through the crowd, accompanied by Razor. "Lemme through! I got binoculars!" he shouted. Mia ran after Chet and snatched the binoculars from him. "Stop stealing my binoculars, you moron! Now, let me see what all the ruckus is about down there..." she said. As she gazed into the binoculars, she suddenly dropped them, gasping in disbelief. "Look, everyone! Lissssten!" Vortex shouted, pointing to Zipp. "I'll put my helmet on speaker! Listen to Eggman!" he said. "Oh, great! Eggman's behind this, eh? I should have known!" Sergeant Gunner grumbled as he pushed to the front of the crowd gathering around Zipp. Eggman's voice was heard through Zipp's helmet. "Iblis's seal has been broken..." Eggman said, motioning to the motionless hedgehog lying nearby. "Due to Mephiles's manipulation!" As Mia's binoculars were passed around the crowd, everyone saw what Mephiles had done. As Copter looked through them, he handed it to Punchy and backed away from the ledge. "N-no... I saw him, just moments ago! Th-this can't be..." he stuttered. "Ohmigosh! Speedy's... dead!!" Rainbow shouted, telling everyone the grim truth. Jet the Hawk grabbed the binoculars from Rainbow. "Who's Speedy?" he muttered. Spiny laughed excitedly as everyone realized it. "No more of that miserable hedgehog! Everyone can stop mistaking me for him! I love it!! Ha ha HA!" he said. Jet threw the binoculars to the ground in angry disbelief. "Was it really..." Wave asked him. Jet was growling. "No! He... he can't die yet!! He owes me a rematch!! I was gonna prove I was the fastest in the world... You... CURSE YOU, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!!!" he screamed. Fred stood beside Zipp and hushed the crowd. "Calm down! There's still more for us to hear!" he said. As everyone quieted down, Eggman's voice came over Zipp's helmet again. "Mephiles played us all for fools! His plan all along was to cause the princess to be so consumed with despair, that she'd cry..." he said. Silver's voice was heard over the helmet next. "So, that's why he wanted me to kill Sonic before!" he realized. "Silver..." Gemini gasped in disbelief. Suddenly, crying was heard behind the crowd. Everyone turned around to see Bill, Bob, Tommy, Char, and Alpha standing around Cream and Cheese, who were crying. SPOT let out an electronic growling sound directed at Alpha. "Stupid doggy. You made the little dopey dope cry!" Alpha said. "You're the one who made her cry! Talking about Sonic like he was nothing but a target!" Tommy shouted. Char kicked Alpha in the head. "Fun is fun, but I didn't want anyone to die!" he sobbed, flying over to Cheese and patting him on the back to comfort him. Gunner laughed mockingly at the scene. "If you ask me, that rodent got exactly what he deserved!" he growled. "No one asked you, old man!" Bill shouted. The entire group began to go into an uproar over the situation, when suddenly, a loud roar was heard from the giant light in the center of the area, and the whole world seemed to shake! Everyone turned their attention to the light, and Eggman Nega called for everyone's attention. "That creature is Solaris. If left unchecked, it will consume all existing timelines, and all of time will collapse, destroying everything!" he said. "Sounds like fun! Let's dance the world away!" Alpha giggled, jumping in place. "This time-space rift was caused by the instability of time... I think..." Illusi said. Zipp nodded. "That's what Shadow says, but listen!" he said, turning the speaker on his helmet back on. "It won't remain for much longer..." Eggman said in defeat. "We've no time to waste! We've got to defeat it, now!" Knuckles shouted. "No. It is a transcendent life form that exists in the past, present, and future. Defeating it here, now, would do nothing!" Eggman replied. After a pause, Silver spoke up. "No, I won't give up! There has to be a way! If you say it exists in the past, present, and future, I'll destroy them all at once!" he declared. "Certainly, it might have been possible, if he was still alive..." said Shadow, turning to Sonic. As everyone's thoughts turned to despair again, Elise felt a strange wind. "Sonic..." she muttered. "What's the matter?" Silver asked. Elise's eyes went wide as she spoke. "I feel Sonic's presence in the wind... I don't think he's dead yet! I'm sure of it! It's not too late!" she realized. Suddenly, Silver had an idea. "Of course! Let's call him back with the power of the Chaos Emeralds!" he said, walking over to Elise. "Focus your thoughts on using its power to perform this miracle! You can do it, princess!" he explained. "I can?" Elise asked. "You were the vessel that was used to seal Iblis! You should be able to use the gems' power to rescue Sonic's soul!" Silver told her. It didn't take long for Elise to make up her mind. "I'll do it!" she said.

At this point, Zipp turned off his helmet's speaker. "All right! Looks like we have a plan!" Punchy said excitedly. "It won't work!" came a voice from inside the castle! As the castle door opened, Bucky the Rat stepped into the area! He was limping, and had to use a cane for support, but he had escaped from Shadow Arcangel! "They can weaken Solaris, but even if they do destroy him, irreparable damage has been done to time-space. We're trapped in a time loop, and we can't get out! We'd need a power greater than Solaris's time control!" he said. Everyone looked worried for a moment, when Eggman Nega spoke up. "That's it! There IS a way! The Time Stones!" he said. Punchy nodded in agreement. "Yeah! The Time Stones were immune to the Solaris Prototype! They might be able to break us out of this time loop!" he said confidently. "Where are they, Rainbow?" Rainbow looked at the ground sheepishly. "I dropped them... Sorry, One..." she said. Fred looked unsure of the plan. "It won't work. The user of the Time Stones would need a certain... something... as well. To really overpower Solaris." he said. Whisk stepped forward. "I have the answer! You, Experiment 7!" she said, pointing to Heather. "Me? What could I do?" she asked. Copter snapped his fingers. "Of course! You were created from the Flames of Disaster!" he said. Whisk nodded in agreement. "Yes! If you use the Time Stones, it'd be like combining the flames with the time controller all over again! And if the Time Stones are really more powerful than Solaris, you'll be able to break free from this timeline!" she said. Bucky and Eggman Nega looked thoughtful. "It's a long shot..." Nega said. "But it just might work!" Bucky added. Suddenly, Zipp flew high overhead, carrying SPOT in his arms. "One of us should be able to... Bingo! This sensor puppy caught the energy signature of the Time Stones!" the hornet said excitedly, carrying SPOT back down to Cream. The rabbit looked over SPOT's monitor. "SPOT says the Time Stones were thrown all over this weird place! It seems they landed wherever a Chaos Emerald didn't!" she explained. Vortex scanned the skyline for the different locations the Time Stones were at. "We'll need to ssssplit up to get to them in time!" he reasoned. Everyone glanced around the area and wandered to people they'd want to work with. "Right! Together, we'll get those Time Stones in no time at all!" Jet squawked excitedly. Heather looked to those who might be unable to make the journey. "I'll stay here with everyone who can't go! We'll keep each other safe until you get back! And I promise, I'll free us all from Solaris's power when you get back!" she declared. Everyone let out a cheer and began to split up into groups, each heading after a Time Stone! Meanwhile, Lospecter and Fera were watching from the roof of the castle. "Whoa, we can't let them do this!" Lospecter said. Fera nodded in agreement. "Mephiles promised me he'd kill all those wretched humans, and then return the world to its original state! That's why he asked me to get Heather and the Time Stones! So they couldn't be used against him!" she said. Lospecter held out his cards. "You take one road, the Lost Ones will take the rest! Those doomed humans will make great additions to our army!" he said, flying off to create obstacles and prevent the Time Stones from being collected. Fera hesitated to leave. "OK... I know who I'll take out... There's no way I'll let Solaris be defeated! Prepare to die, human scum!!" she growled, jumping from the roof and heading on her way.


Punchy and Rainbow had traveled to the Dusty Desert region with Eggman Nega, who gave them a ride on the wings of his Egg Mobile. They found their way back to Eggman Nega's base, where one of the Time Stones had been detected. Inside, they found the remnants of Eggman Nega's robots running around the entrance room in a panic! Punchy and Rainbow jumped off of Nega's Egg Mobile and were immediately targeted by the robots. "Ummm.... OK, Nega.... Could you call these guys off?" Punchy said nervously. Eggman Nega pushed some buttons on his controls. "They're not responding! Grrrr!! Minions! Stand down! Bring me the Time Stone hidden in the base!" he shouted. The robots ignored him and began shooting at them! "Yikes!! Good going, Tubby 2! You just made them madder!" Rainbow shouted, running out of the way of the lasers. Punchy prepared to fight back, but Eggman Nega fired some lasers from his Egg Mobile before he could. "Wretched Pawns! I should have known better than to borrow designs from the past Eggman!" Nega shouted, blasting the robots as quickly as he could. "There's no time to waste! I'll handle them, and you two find that Time Stone!" he shouted. Punchy and Rainbow agreed, and quickly charged through the remaining robots, only to find a swarm of losol in the next room! "Hey, who put these here!? This makes no sense!" Rainbow said. Punchy pointed to the center of the room. "There! Those Lost Ones are guarding the Time Stone!" he said. Rainbow grinned excitedly. "Wow, that was easy! OK, One! You smash the slugs, and I'll snag the Time Rock!" she suggested. Punchy raised his hands in preparation for an attack. "Ready, Rainbow? OK, then... Chaos Avalanche!!" he shouted, using all the power he could muster to magically lift several pieces of the ground up from under the losol, hurling them straight up in order to destroy them quickly! Rainbow glided through the chaotic attack and landed near the cyan colored Time Stone in the center of the room. She quickly picked it up and took it back to Punchy. "Got it, One!" she said. Punchy took it from her and turned to leave. "That's great! I hope the others find their Time Stones this easily!"


Despite what Heather had thought earlier, most everyone would make the journey to find the Time Stones. Mia, Katie, and Tommy refused to be left behind, so they joined Guard as he searched GUN Outpost Fiery Red, where they'd previously battled with Sergeant Gunner's Firefly mech. "Grrrr... Stay close to me! Grrrr.... My sensors detect... trouble." Guard warned as they began searching the outpost. As they reached the hallway leading to the central elevator, Mia looked thoughtful. "I haven't seen anything in this base so far. What did you mean when you said you detected trouble?" she asked. Suddenly, Lost Ones that resembled spiders, Lospides, crawled into the hallway from the halls next to the elevator! "Grrrr!! That's what I meant! Grrrr!! Get to the elevator! I'll deal with these beasts!" Guard growled, dashing ahead to challenge the Lospides. "Careful, Tommy! Stay behind me!" Katie said, leading the young porcupine down the hall. "Those things are scary!" Tommy said fearfully. "So, hurry into the elevator before they catch you!" Mia shouted. With Guard to do their fighting, they soon reached the elevator. Tommy stuck his tongue out at the monsters as Guard jumped into the elevator and the door shut behind him. Soon, the elevator reached the prison level, where they found Sergeant Gunner waiting with the purple Time Stone! "Hey guys! I tried to reason with the sarge, but he threatened to shoot me..." Spy said as they stepped off the elevator. "You furry freaks are just trying to pull off an elaborate trick! I'll collect these Time Stones myself and get to the bottom of this!" Gunner snarled, pointing a gun at Guard. Katie pointed behind Gunner. "Aren't those things more dangerous? Point your gun at them!" she shouted. Gunner scoffed at her. "I'm not falling for that trick!" he shouted. Suddenly, he heard a snarling sound behind him. As Gunner and Spy turned around, they found Lospides heading straight for them! Gunner began shooting at the monsters, while Guard quickly ran over to him and took the Time Stone! "Hey, give that back!" Gunner shouted. "Grrrr!! Sorry, 'boss!' You've got bigger problems!" Guard growled, hopping on the elevator with the others and leaving Gunner with the Lost Ones...


Razor and Chet had teamed up to search the Soleanna Castle. It was the same version of the castle that Losipher had taken a Time Stone from in the future, but Razor and Chet simply thought it had gotten damaged in the time-space rift, rather than through age. The castle was rather quiet most of the way, but as they reached the throne room, they found Lospecter waiting for them! "A big, spooky, run down castle, and all they send to visit me is the cop and the robber! What, I don't scare you guys enough to send Copter or Illusi?" Lospecter said sarcastically. "Razor, look!" Chet shouted, pointing to Lospecter. In his ghostly 'hand,' he held the yellow Time Stone! Razor pointed a gun at Lospecter. "Drop the stone and... uh... leave quietly?" he said, unsure if he could really pose any threat to a ghost. "Nice try, officer, but... That was lame! You're so lame, all I'm gonna summon to deal with you are some bats. Losoars, to be more... honest. Have fun!" Lospecter shouted, dropping some cards that transformed into batlike Losoar monsters! The bats flew around the room, slapping Razor and Chet as they passed them! "Ow!! Now what, Razor?!" Chet wondered. "You slash, I shoot! What else?" Razor said, attempting to shoot at the Losoars! Chet's claws were much more useful in this situation, and with his speed, the Losoars proved to be less intimidating than they appeared to be. Still, Lospecter was unfazed. "Look, you can smack my minions all you want, but I'm just slimy smoke! You can't touch me!" he said smugly. "This might! Eat extinguisher!" shouted a voice behind Razor and Chet! Bill and Bob had arrived, and were carrying fire extinguishers, which they quickly fired at Lospecter! "Yaaaaa!!! You hedgehogs are crazy!!! Stop that!!!" Lospecter shouted, coughing. He dropped the Time Stone and flew through the roof, flustered. "All right! I reckon that there spirit never expected that!" Bob grinned. Chet ran over and grabbed the Time Stone. "Where'd you get those fire extinguishers?" Razor asked. Bill shrugged. "The castle halls. This place may look ancient, but it WAS being used in our time!" he explained. As they started to leave, Chet looked over the Time Stone. "I wonder if the others have found any more of these yet... Well, I guess we'd better hurry and find out!"


In truth, Bucky's injuries were minor, and once he got back aboard Shadow Arcangel, which was floating in the strange, purple void that made up Solaris's world, he was ready to lead Team GeneX in the search for the next Time Stone. As the entered Experiment 3's old containment room, though, they found that the Lost Ones had once again overrun the ship! "Curssssed Losssst Onessss!!" Vortex shouted in frustration. "This is worse than when Kosmo tried to destroy the world!" Zipp groaned. "We'll never get through all this in time!" Crash grumbled. Zeke, Spiny, and Whisk didn't look very encouraged either. Suddenly, a powerful barrage of energy blasts soared through the room from behind them, instantly destroying most of the Lost Ones! Turning around, Team GeneX saw the Deathbringer behind them! "Go on ahead! I will cover you!" it shouted. Bucky nodded knowingly. "I thought I'd see you here. Well, you all heard the hooded person! Let's go!"

Together, Team GeneX and the Deathbringer were more than a match for the Lost Ones patrolling the ship, and soon they reached the control room. "Honey, we're home!!" Zeke shouted excitedly. Zipp flew into the room and dove into a pile of boxes in the corner, pulling out various weapons he'd thought were lost. "Guns! Knives! Explosives! Empty bags to leave at the airport and drive the security nuts! I've missed you all!!" he said blissfully. Whisk and Spiny rolled their eyes at him. "He has problems..." Whisk observed. "No kidding..." Spiny groaned. Bucky walked over to the controls of the ship and found the white Time Stone in his seat. "Perfect! We'll fly back to the castle now! ...Hopefully..." he said. Vortex called everyone's attention to the large window in the front of the ship. "Everyone! Look! Ssssolarissss!!!" he shouted, pointing at the ball of light that had begun glowing brighter by now. The Deathbringer looked at it and pointed to the castle in the distance. "There's no time to waste! Solaris is rapidly gaining power! We have to hurry, before it's too late!" No one disputed that, and all of Team GeneX quickly gathered to await Bucky's orders. There truly was no time to lose. The rest of the Time Stones had to be gathered, quickly!


Chapter 24 - Solaris

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"As the sun shines down on me,
I hold the key to give.
Take hold of the destiny.
I may give you life." - My Destiny, SONIC the Hedgehog (2006)


Using the Hurricane, Copter, Cream, Cheese, and SPOT made their way to the remains of the Egg Carrier, where SPOT had detected one of the Time Stones. The ship was a terrible wreck, but the back of the ship was far less damaged than the front, and it even seemed relatively safe to walk on. As Copter and Cream explored the ship, Cheese soon called them to a window. Looking outside, they could see that the seven Chaos Emeralds had already been collected! "Show offs! If the Time Stones weren't flung so much further than the emeralds, we'd have finished first!" Copter said, half joking. The emeralds had been arranged so that they formed a circle around Sonic. Elise was now ready to do her part. She folded her hands, as though praying, and called upon the power of the emeralds. "Oh, Chaos Emeralds, gems of miracles... Please heed my call. I wish to save this world. I wish to cleanse my father's sin, and I wish to talk to Sonic... Once again!" In response to her call, the Chaos Emeralds were lifted into the air, carrying Sonic with them. Elise walked over and stood beside the blue hedgehog. "You have given me so many things. Now, it is my time to return the favor! I care not what happens to me, but please heed my voice! Sonic... Come back! To me... to us!" Elise begged, leaning in close to Sonic and giving him a kiss! As she kissed him, the Chaos Emeralds flashed a dazzling light, and when it faded, Sonic stood before his friends once more, now in his super form! Elise began to collapse with relief and exhaustion, but Sonic caught her before she fell. "Thank you, Elise..." he whispered. Everyone who was watching cheered happily as they saw Sonic was back, but there wasn't time to celebrate, and despite having been unconscious, even Sonic realized that. After helping Elise back to her feet, Super Sonic turned to Shadow and Silver. A brief glance was all it took for them to understand. Sonic held his hands out to Shadow and Silver and began transferring some power from the Chaos Emeralds to them! In moments, all three hedgehogs glowed a brilliant, golden hue! With no time to waste, they launched themselves into the air to chase Solaris. This would be their only chance, so everyone waved and wished them good luck as the super hedgehogs raced to save all of time!


Copter and Cream wasted no more time. They quickly resumed their search for the Time Stone, which went largely unhindered due to the fact that Eggman's robots were destroyed in the crash. SPOT led them to a large platform on the underside of the ship, not unlike the place where Sonic battled Eggman to rescue Elise moments before the world fell into its present state. The green Time Stone was there, but they were too late! Fera was waiting for them, already clutching the stone in her hands! "Sorry, Copter, but I can't allow any of you to attempt to stop Solaris's plan!" she declared. "But, all of time will be destroyed if we don't..." Cream said worriedly. Fera laughed at her. "You honestly think Solaris would do that? That would destroy him, too! No, he's just going to take a moment to use his powers to destroy the humans who tried to take those powers for themselves!" she said. Copter glared at her. "I don't think so. Besides, that's no justification! Either way, countless innocents will die! That isn't right!" he growled. Fera continued holding the Time Stone in one hand while she began charging her dark power in the other. "I can see you simply can't bring yourself to understand! So, I'm afraid you'll have to die as well! Take this!" She fired a beam of dark energy a second later, barely leaving Copter with enough time to move out of the way! "Cream, Cheese, SPOT! All of you, stay back! I'll take care of Fera!" Copter shouted. Cream backed away slightly. She didn't like it, but she could feel that Fera was not one to mess around with. "Be careful, Copter!" she said. Copter ran to attack Fera, but was quickly knocked away as Fera tossed several balls of dark energy at him! Backing away slightly, Copter decided there wasn't time to mess around dodging attacks. "Chaos Whirlwind!" he shouted, trying to use the chaotic wind to knock Fera off balance! Fera simply warped away from the attack and behind Copter, slamming him in the back with her fist! Copter fell over, and Fera stomped on his tails to prevent him from standing up! "YOWWW!!! Th-that's fighting dirty!" Copter growled. "The method doesn't matter, only the result! If you show mercy in any way, you're weak!!" Fera shouted, preparing to end the battle. Suddenly, she herself was knocked over by laser fire! "Aaaah!!!" she shouted, dropping the Time Stone! Copter scrambled to his feet and spotted Char and Alpha flying overhead, waving to them. Wasting no time, Cream rushed in and grabbed the Time Stone. "That was fun! Threaten someone again!" Alpha said, aiming at Fera. The wolf stood up and glared at the robot. "Miserable machine! Fine, take the stone! There's no chance of you stopping Solaris, anyway!" she growled, warping away. Char flew down to Copter and Cream. "You guys OK? Sorry we took so long getting here. Alphie was a little scared!" the Chao explained. "I see dead batteries..." Alpha said with fear. Cream patted the robot on the back. "It'll be OK... But we have to hurry back to the castle!" she said. Copter nodded in agreement. "Right! Can't keep Heather waiting!" he said.


The sound of speeding hover boards could be heard through the halls of Aquatic Base. The Babylon Rogues were busily searching for the next Time Stone from atop their extreme gear, while Illusi joined them on his own, illusionary board. "Wh-whoa!! These things are dangerous! How do you fly around on these all the time!?" Illusi said, struggling to balance himself on the board. "Ha! It's not dangerous for people with our talent!" Jet squawked, leading the pack as they flew into a long hallway. They all put on the breaks for a moment as they found that Lost Ones had teamed up with Solaris's monsters to block the path! "OK, this looks dangerous!" Storm said with concern. "Suck it up, Storm! We don't have time to be cowards!" Wave insisted. Illusi grinned confidently. "No need to worry. I'll keep these guys in check!" he said, snapping his fingers to summon an army of Wrongos! "All right, my friends! Keep those fiends busy for us! Let's go!" The Wrongos sped ahead of them, tackling any monsters in their path so that the Babylon Rogues and Illusi could move on! The monsters far outnumbered the Wrongos, but they made the trip much easier as the Extreme Gear boards dashed through the hall, carefully avoiding any obstacles that attempted to impede their progress. It wasn't long before they found their way to the room Eggman Nega had used as his meeting place with the Babylon Rogues, where they found a Lospirit Lord waiting for them! The creature's crown contained the blue Time Stone, so they'd have to fight to get at it! "Distract the beast! I'll retrieve the Time Stone!" Illusi shouted, hopping off his imaginary board as it vanished. Jet flew up to the Lospirit Lord and taunted it. "Nya nya! You can't catch us!" he shouted, leading Wave and Storm as they swarmed around the creature, sending it into a frenzy as it frantically tried to swat them with its six hands! Once Illusi was sure it was distracted enough, he produced an illusionary sword in his hand. "OK, this is my cue. Take this, Lospirit!" he said to himself, disappearing in a puff of smoke before reappearing atop the monster's crown! He pulled the Time Stone from the crown and sliced his sword into it! "Consider yourself de-throned, lord!" he yelled, teleporting back to the ground as the Lospirit Lord died in a slimy explosion! The Babylon Rogues landed beside Illusi, covered in slime. "WHY DIDN'T YOU WARN US THAT WOULD HAPPEN!?" Jet shouted, trying to shake the slime off himself. "Ooops... Never crossed my mind..." Illusi said sheepishly. "Well, you can find a place to wash off after we get this stone back to the castle. Let's go!"


Furthest from the castle was the resting place of the final Time Stone, Onyx Island! Gemini was joined by her fellow Freedom Fighters, Fred, Adam, and Evelyn, as they searched frantically for it. The world seemed to be getting more distorted by the moment, but they knew exactly where to find the last Time Stone. They quickly made their way to the temple of Losipher, battling their way past an army of losol and loslime as they went! They'd seen many of their friends die here last time, but the stakes were far higher this time, so they weren't about to run away again. As they made their way through the Lost Temple, they could hear a mournful song coming from the organ in Losipher's room. As the melody grew louder, they knew they were getting closer, and soon they faced Losipher once again! The dark lord finished playing his song before standing up to face the Freedom Fighters. "I... assume... you are here.... for this?" he said, holding up the red Time Stone! His voice was very tense, and full of rage. "I crave death. Solaris will obliterate everything, and I will be satisfied. But first... I will kill you meddlesome wretches!!" he bellowed, already transforming into the same horrific shape he'd taken the first time they encountered him, growing to an immense size in the process! His tentacles spread through the room like wildfire, but there was one piece of good news. He'd dropped the Time Stone! "All right, everyone! Don't bother with Losipher! Get the Time Stone!" Fred shouted, prompting the group to scatter and begin going after it! Evelyn quickly found herself in trouble. "Yaaaa!! Too many tentacles!" she shouted. She was nearly grabbed by them, but Adam flew in and rescued her! "Now, now, no dying! We're too close for that, now!" he said. Gemini and Fred quickly made their way to the Time Stone, when suddenly, one of Losipher's tentacles grabbed Fred! He struggled to get free, and Gemini hesitated to continue. "Teacher!!!" she shouted in fear. Fred tried to get her to focus. "Don't worry about me! Get the stone!" he shouted. She froze. She couldn't leave him like this. Losipher sensed her fear and laughed at her. "What are you to do? If you grab the stone, I will kill him. If you don't, I will retrieve it. You cannot defeat me, you never did. I escaped. And now, I shall have my revenge! Now, what do you say, you weak, pathetic creature!" he roared. She covered her ears as he spoke, and tried to focus. As she did, the answer dawned on her. "I don't have to defeat you... And I don't have to choose!" she said, pointing her wand straight at Losipher's giant face! "Solare!!!" A giant beam of light erupted from her wand and blinded Losipher, causing him to drop Fred as he screamed in pain! Meanwhile, Adam flew Evelyn to the Time Stone, and flew her away as she grabbed it! As the light from Gemini's attack faded, Losipher could see the four of them standing in front of him with the Time Stone. "Fool! Even if you have the stone, you will never escape!!!" he growled. Fred and Gemini held up their wands as Adam and Evelyn held onto them. "On the contrary, Losipher. You can't catch us! Now, Gemini!" Fred shouted. With her friends there to back her up, Gemini remembered the one spell that would help here. "Galaporta!!" she shouted along with Fred. The group was suddenly covered in a huge beam of light, which took them away from the temple as it faded! Losipher shrieked in pain as the light hit his eyes. "Blast!! Light!!! N-N-NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"


The spell they had used was the most powerful warp spell, capable of sending groups of people great distances, especially when more than one wand cast the spell. They'd used it to warp straight back to the Soleanna castle, where everyone was waiting. "We got it!" Gemini cheered, taking it from Evelyn and adding it to the other six that the groups had left on the floor in front of Heather. "Is it time? Can I use them to get us out of here?" the phoenix asked. Bucky stepped forward. "Not until Sonic and his companions weaken Solaris. We want to be sure to have every advantage we can get!" he explained. As everyone watched the battle going on high above them, Sonic, Silver, and Shadow appeared to be making progress. Solaris was a large creature that appeared to be made of a glasslike crystal substance. At the start of the battle, he had been wearing armor that appeared to be made from hardened lava, but during the battle, the super hedgehogs had managed to destroy the armor on his arms. Now, Super Sonic was ready to tackle the rest of the armor! As Shadow and Silver kept Solaris busy defending himself against their attacks, Sonic began flying around, building up speed until he was ready. Faster than Solaris could react, Sonic charged into its chest, shattering the rest of his armor to pieces! The creature began to collapse, appearing to be defeated. "Is it over?" Silver asked hopefully. As a bright light flashed from Solaris, Shadow replied to Silver's question. "No, it's not over yet!" In a moment, Solaris reemerged from the light, transformed! He now had giant wings made of the same material as his body, and a large red sphere lodged in his chest. "I guess it's not gonna be that easy." Sonic said, noting that Solaris seemed more powerful than ever now! Dr. Eggman groaned in frustration. "Is it impossible to defeat a super-dimensional being after all?" he said, shocked by Solaris's power. Suddenly, Princess Elise noticed something. "No... Something's different... I can feel a large, powerful consciousness coming from Solaris!" she said. Eggman looked from Elise to Solaris. "What? A consciousness? Hmm... That's it! That's his core! Even if we can't stop his form, we can stop his consciousness!" he realized. Amy pointed up at the sphere lodged in Solaris's chest. "Look! There's a strange thing in the middle of Solaris! Isn't that the core?" she said. Super Sonic pointed to the red sphere. "Right, we know what to do then! Let's get that core!" he said to Silver and Shadow.

Thus, the final showdown began! Solaris began firing lasers from his core, but the super hedgehogs had no problem avoiding them. Additionally, Solaris hurled meteors at them, which seemed a bit harder to dodge. As Sonic and Shadow rushed out of the way, Super Silver used his psychic powers to grab the meteors before they could hit him! He then hurled them back at Solaris, but the laser coming from its core destroyed most of the meteors before they could hit! Still, some of the meteors did hurt Solaris, and Super Sonic attempted to attack him while he recovered. However, Solaris recovered quickly, and smacked Sonic away with his crystal hand, causing Sonic to drop some rings as well! "Sonic! Be careful, will you!? We just used up a lot of time saving your life!" Shadow shouted. Sonic grinned sheepishly at him. "Right... Sorry... I'll go find some rings!" he said, flying out of the line of fire. Super Shadow took his place on the offensive. "Time to unleash the ultimate power! Spear Storm!!" he shouted, unleashing a barrage of Chaos Spears toward the core! Solaris took the hit, but seemed unfazed as it quickly fought back with a laser, sending Shadow flying, along with some of his rings. "Aah!! He seems to be speeding up!" Shadow said as he flew in search of rings. Silver flew back into the fray, grabbing meteors as Solaris threw them. "All right! It's just you and me, Solaris! Take this!" he shouted, hurling the meteors back at Solaris. The creature spun around in the air, swatting the incoming meteors with his wings! "Hey, I didn't know you could do that!" Silver groaned, starting to feel a bit helpless. Solaris began firing lasers at Silver, which he was having trouble dodging, but stopped after his core was struck by more Chaos Spears! Shadow and Sonic had already returned, ready to fight! Shadow immediately began shooting spears rapidly to keep Solaris busy. "This isn't going to work fast enough!" he said, realizing that Chaos Spear wasn't causing much damage. "We need to try to hit him all at once! That should do it!" Sonic suggested. Silver looked worried. "I can't seem to even hit him. And I'm running low on rings!" he said. Sonic pointed in the direction of the rings he'd found. "You go, and we'll keep Solaris busy!" he said. As Silver left, Sonic raced towards the core, while Shadow had unleashed another barrage of spears! As both attacks approached Solaris, he retaliated by firing several lasers in all directions, making it impossible for Sonic to hit him! As the two hedgehogs scrambled to escape the attack, Sonic knew there was only one way he was going to hit Solaris. "I'm gonna need to fly away for a minute! Think you can handle Solaris for now?" he asked Shadow. "No problem..." Shadow muttered. As Sonic left, Silver returned. Shadow was busy avoiding Solaris's attacks, so Silver used his power to grab the meteors and make it easier for Shadow. "Silver! Go and grab as many of those meteors as you can!" Shadow told him. "What for? Solaris just keeps destroying them when I throw them!" Silver said. "Then grab more than he can destroy!" Shadow replied. Super Silver wasn't sure if it would do any good, but he decided to give it a try. Solaris's lasers made it difficult to keep the meteors from being destroyed, but Shadow did his best to keep Solaris distracted. In a moment, he could hear an object approaching at high speed. "Now, Silver!" Shadow shouted, firing as many Chaos Spears as he could towards Solaris. Silver threw all the meteors he'd collected, and as Solaris fired the laser to destroy most of them, Super Sonic came speeding towards Solaris's core! He pushed some meteors Solaris had missed along as he charged at the core at speeds only he could pull off, and as a result, all three of the super hedgehogs' attacks managed to hit the core at once, with extreme force! The impacts created a large explosion, and as Sonic rejoined Shadow and Silver, they peered through the smoke to see what happened to Solaris. At first, it seemed that Solaris was only shaken, but in a second, the creature began screeching in pain as the red sphere began to crack and shatter!

From their vantage point below the action, it seemed to those watching that the light containing Solaris was breaking up, sending dozens of glowing meteors flying as Solaris was apparently destroyed. Everyone gave a cheer as they believed it was finally over, but Elise continued praying until Super Silver, Super Shadow, and Super Sonic emerged from the light, landing in front of them. As the light began flashing brighter, Copter and Gemini stood beside Heather. "It's time..." Copter said, glancing back at Bucky to be sure. Bucky nodded. Knowing what she had to do, Heather called upon the power of the Time Stones, causing them to levitate around her. "Time Stones... grant me your power! Show us the way to completely stop Solaris!" she shouted as the Time Stones began to lift her into the air! Copter flew into the air to follow her. "Aeroft." Gemini whispered, using her wand's power to float along with Copter and Heather. As the Time Stones began glowing, they seemed to catch Solaris with their power, making it appear to change shape. As everything went dark, Heather could see a single, tiny flame amidst the darkness...

Princess Elise found herself floating in the darkness, glancing around in search of anything she could find. In a moment, she found Sonic floating near her. As a soft light began shining behind them, Elise had to ask a question. "Did you destroy it?" Sonic glanced at the light behind them. "...No." he said, motioning to a time portal behind them. Sonic could see something on the other side of the portal. "That is the true Solaris." he realized. Elise followed Sonic as he floated over to the portal, disappearing into another time. Heather, Copter, and Gemini arrived moments later. Gemini was holding the Time Stones. "What do we do now?" she asked, unsure of what had just happened. Copter glanced at the portal. "We see where it takes us. It should lead to a way to stop Solaris... Right?" he said, looking over at Heather. The phoenix nodded. "Yes... That's what I asked for..." she said. Without any further debate, the three of them followed Sonic and Elise's trail, floating into the portal. They didn't notice that someone else was following them from the shadows...

Sonic, Elise, Copter, Heather, and Gemini each saw a glimpse of the past. The former king of Soleanna stood before an altar, along with a young Princess Elise. A tiny flame sat inside a small barrier. "Look, Elise. This is Solaris, the Flame of Hope." the old king said. Young Elise gazed at the flame with wonder. "It's so beautiful..." she said. Her father smiled at her. "When the flame has grown large enough, our world will change. Solaris will allow us to control time, and move through history. People will be able to rectify past mistakes, and avoid bitter fate." he explained. Elise looked up at him hopefully. "Will we be able to see Momma?" she asked. The king smiled warmly. "Yes, Elise. We'll both be able to see your mother once again." he said. As the king led the young Elise away, the room appeared to become black and white as Sonic and Elise entered. Copter, Heather, and Gemini stayed just outside the entrance, watching them. Elise walked up to the altar. "This is where everything began. Who knew such a tiny flame could bring such devastation." she said, tapping her fingers on the barrier around the flame and causing it to vanish. She reached out and took the object the flame was burning on. "If we put out this flame, Solaris will never exist, and then we'll never have to worry about the Flames of Disaster, right?" she asked, glancing at Sonic. The hedgehog nodded. It sounded like an ideal solution. However, Elise thought of something. "But our encounter..." she said, turning to Sonic. He knew what she was thinking as he looked up at her, but he didn't say anything. "You and I will never meet!" Elise realized, sadness entering her voice. A tear ran down her face as she continued. "I... To tell the truth... I don't care what happens to the world!" she shouted. "Elise..." Sonic said. She looked down at him, waiting to hear what he had to say. "Just smile." Sonic told her. His words filled her heart, and a second later, she did find herself smiling. Neither of them spoke another word. Elise looked down at the flame, then slowly began to blow it out...

"No!" gasped someone behind Copter, Heather, and Gemini! They turned around to find Fera, who looked horrified by what was happening. "You... you fools!! You'll give the world back to those humans! I... I can't allow that to happen!" she shouted. Copter was unmoved by Fera's words. "It's over, Fera. Give it up!" he said. Heather nodded in agreement. "This is for the best." she said. Fera growled menacingly at them. "For... For the BEST!? You say it's for the best!?! You fake furries!! This is the worst! But I can still set it right... Give me those Time Stones!" she shouted, reaching for the Time Stones in Gemini's arms. "No! Stop it! Get away from me! Fera!!" she shouted as Copter and Heather rushed to help her! As they began to struggle, the Time Stones started to glow, and in a sudden flash of light, all four of them were carried to another point in time!


With Solaris's flame blown out, the future changed, but not completely. The Sun Festival was still as magnificent as it had been before. Crowds gathered all around Soleanna's Castle Town to watch the festivities. Just as before, Elise was being transported on a large boat to the Festival Torch as dancers pranced about and fireworks dazzled the crowd. Still, there was one difference. As the boat carrying Princess Elise passed under the bridge just before the Festival Torch, Sonic the Hedgehog ran through the streets! He stopped for a moment to look at the boat, then ran across the bridge, stirring up a mighty wind as he did so! The wind was so strong that it blew one of the feathers from Elise's hair! The princess looked startled for a moment. "Miss Elise?" called one of her attendants, wondering what was wrong. Elise gazed up at her feather as it blew away. "It felt like... Someone was calling me." she said. Her attendant smiled. "I'm sure it's just the wind." she said. "Of course." Elise replied, her mind trying to recall a distant memory that was now lost to her. "But it felt so... familiar somehow..." As her feather flew across the sky, it passed Sonic, who had run up to a rooftop high above the city. He smiled as he watched it blow high into the sky. Though he couldn't remember his adventure with Elise, his heart could recall what his mind couldn't...


Elsewhere, Copter the Fox was exploring the city of Soleanna, searching for someone. He'd never met the person he was looking for. All he knew was that it was Experiment 7. Even the Doomsayer had seemed unsure of this experiment's significance, but Copter came to search for it anyway. As he wandered near the gate to New City, he recognized her immediately, though he didn't know how. Heather was standing with the crowd, looking around like a lost child. She glanced at Copter for a moment, and stared at him for a few seconds, as though she thought she recognized him. In another moment, though, she looked away. Originally, the Doomsayer had made Copter believe that Experiment 7 was dangerous, but as Copter saw her now, his heart told him otherwise. He walked toward her, hoping to make a new friend. However, a pair of sinister eyes watched them from the shadows...


Chapter 25 - Final Chapter - Soleanna Struggle

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

"Evil poisons all I see.
It won't stop us, just come with me!
Together we can at last break free!
We'll be what we always wished to be!
What can I say? It's a beautiful dream.
I wish that we could be a team..." - Dark Angel, Theme of Copter the Fox


As the Sun Festival continued, Copter walked up to Heather. "Hello. Nice night, isn't it?" he said to her. As he spoke to her, she backed away from him, recoiling in fright! "Whoa! Hold it! I mean you no harm!" he said, trying to sound as calm as he could. There was something strange about the phoenix, and she stood there glaring at Copter with intense hatred. Gone was the feeling that either of them recalled the other. "Get away from me! D-don't come any closer!" she shouted, shaking intensely. Copter backed away slightly. "Easy... It's OK... My name's Copter. I've come to help you. What's your name?" he asked. The phoenix continued shaking, as though she was overcome with terror. "I... I'm Heather. Pl-please... J-just stay back!" she screeched, causing the crowd around her to back away, as they were unsure of what was going on. Suddenly, Punchy and Rainbow ran up to Copter, pursued by Razor the Porcupine! "Freeze, experiments!! You're under arrest, punks!" Razor shouted, pointing a gun at them. "H-hold up! I'm not an experiment!" Rainbow shouted, raising her hands over her head. Copter turned to Punchy. "What did you do, pack that guy in your suitcase?" he grumbled. Punchy shrugged his shoulders. "That guy hates us so much, I think he followed us!" he said. Heather screeched as she saw the gun in Razor's hand. "Y-you're here to hurt me!! Get back!! I-I'm warning you!!" she shouted. Razor looked at Heather with surprise. He wasn't pointing his gun at her, but she was still terrified of him. "I'm just here to arrest these experiments... I--" before he could finish talking, Heather screamed again. "I-it's not my fault! I didn't ask to be an experiment! Y-you're all sick people!! STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!" she screamed. Copter had a terrible feeling all of a sudden, like Heather was going to explode if she didn't calm down. "Enough! You point that gun away from us, officer! You're scaring civilians! Anyway, I was just trying to help--" Copter was interrupted by a sinister laughing that could be heard throughout Castle Town. It even startled Elise, who dropped the flame she was going to light the torch with into the water. The crowds began running off in a panic as a strange, black shadow flew by, stopping at the bridge behind Heather and taking the shape of a black, crystalline rat. "Bucky?" Copter gasped, finding the creature's resemblance to the lab rat to be uncanny. The crystal rat cackled loudly as it began walking towards Heather. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Mephiles. Mephiles the Dark!!"

Heather gasped in horror at seeing Mephiles. "Y-you!! N-n-noooo!!!" she screamed, backing away as he approached. "Wait. Do not recoil from me. I am not the one who means to do you harm." Mephiles said, staring coldly at her. Heather stopped backing away, but still appeared scared. "But you..." she muttered, unable to speak further. Mephiles pointed to Copter accusingly. "Him... and his kind. And the rat who's shadow I resemble... They all mean to do you harm. But I... I only wish to return to you, my love. These creatures... They tore us apart. Please, come back to me..." he said. Copter ran between Mephiles and Heather, feeling for sure that Mephiles was planning something evil. "You're a liar! I don't know who you are, but I do know why I came here! I want to help her, not hurt her!" he shouted. The spectacle unfolding near the Festival Torch had now gotten the attention of certain visitors to Soleanna, including Sonic and Tails! "Hey! What's goin' on here?" Sonic asked, somewhat confused. "No clue, really. But I don't like the looks of this guy." Copter said, pointing to Mephiles. Tails looked over at Heather, who was still shaking. "Are you OK?" he asked, stepping toward her to see if he could help. Heather backed away from him, and ran toward the canal nearby. Seeing the water, she backed away from there as well, and felt trapped as she looked around the area. "You... You all stay away from me!!" she yelled, holding her head as though it was hurting. Gemini had wandered into the area from New City, and was now looking around with confusion. "What the... What's happening?" she asked, but was ignored. Mephiles continued walking towards Heather, extending a hand to her. "Come with me, my love. Together, we will rid the world of everyone we choose, and make it a place where we may live in peace." he said calmly. Heather looked around. Of all the faces in the group, Mephiles's was the only one she recognized, so she decided to trust him. "O-OK... I will go with you... Please, protect me from them!" she said, taking Mephiles's hand. Copter ran after them. "Heather, no!!" he shouted, but it was too late. As their hands met, they began glowing, and Mephiles began laughing as Heather tried to pull away, but found she couldn't. "Wh-what is this!? What are you doing!?" she shouted fearfully. "Relax. This is what you wanted, isn't it? Come now, Flames of Disaster, it is time for our last dance!" Mephiles proclaimed, carrying Heather with him as they began levitating high above Soleanna!

As Mephiles carried Heather high into the sky, Heather's body burst into flames! These flames spread out in a similar way to Iblis's flames before, surrounding Mephiles and Heather as they began to transform! A bright light covered the sky above, but it wasn't quite as bright as the light from Solaris. Still, the world around the light began to be distorted, and the sky became a dark shade of purple. As the light began to fade, everyone could see a giant creature above, that resembled Solaris! Rather than the previous, monstrous form of the original Solaris, this creature looked like a giant bird made of the same glasslike crystal. Blue flames covered its body, while a large red sphere was lodged in the creature's chest. It had giant, crystal talons, and its birdlike head had red eyes with green pupils, resembling the eyes of Mephiles. The creature let out a horrible screech, and everyone covered their ears. As Copter, Sonic, and Gemini looked up at the creature, they heard a familiar voice behind them. "Blast! I'm too late!" They turned to find Bucky staring up at the creature. Behind him were his experiments. All of Team GeneX was there, including Crash, Spiny, Zeke, and Whisk. Vortex and Zipp were beside Bucky. "Oh, sssshoot! Thissss doesssn't look good at all!" Vortex hissed. "Hmm... Maybe a real big rocket launcher can stop it?" Zipp suggested. Copter glared at Bucky. "You have some explaining to do, old man!" he shouted. Bucky nodded. "Yes... I owe you all that much. You see, a long time ago, I was living here in Soleanna. The previous king was my friend. During my stay, I met a wolf. She told me of Solaris, which the king had referred to as the 'Flame of Hope.' This wolf told me that I should take an ember from the flame, and do it quickly, for I would find something incredible to do with it one day. I didn't think much of that prediction, but I figured it couldn't hurt. I snuck in and took an ember from the flame. I hid it in my secret lab. I knew that the king was planning an experiment involving the flame, but shortly after I took that ember, I learned that the flame went out! I saved the flame until recently, when I decided to use it to make a phoenix. But something went wrong... I don't quite understand, but I triggered something in the flame, creating both that dark creature, Mephiles, along with Heather! Mephiles attacked me, and took his form from my shadow! But the incident frightened Heather, and she ran away! I knew something terrible was to come of this, so I made a few more experiments to aid me..." As he finished his explanation, he noticed Sonic was tapping his foot impatiently. "You sure know how to make a mess. Now what do we do?" he asked. Gemini looked up at the creature. "I think it's planning to destroy Soleanna! We have to stop it, fast!" she realized.

"That creature is similar to Solaris, but it's a phoenix. Let's call it, Solenix." came a voice nearby. Looking around, the group could see a bent figure in an old cloak, leaning on a wood staff. It was Dimentime! "Hey, what gives you the right to go naming things!?" Spiny growled. "What's a Solaris?" Crash wondered. Dimentime tapped his staff on the ground, calling for silence. "I told you I'd see you again somewhere, young fox." the hooded figure said, chuckling. Copter had no idea what he was talking about. "Do I know you?" he asked. "Call me Dimentime. We met shortly before you reached Soleanna, in another place and time. Now, don't anyone panic." the old person said. "Why shouldn't we panic!? That thing looks like it'll smash everything in just a few minutes!" Zeke shouted, panicking slightly. Dimentime shook his head. "Now, now, hold your horses. You young ones are always in such a hurry. Listen, Solenix doesn't have the aid of the Chaos Emeralds, nor does Heather really want to be up there. It needs more time before it can begin doing irreversible damage to time-space. However, once it is powerful enough, it will consume all timelines, and essentially destroy the universe." he explained. Sonic scratched his head. "How do you know about... what's her name? Heather? She disappeared before you got here!" he said. "Who cares!? You heard the man!! Time's... um.... That bully's gonna wreak everything!!" Whisk shouted with fear. Rainbow pointed at the red sphere on Solenix's chest. "What's that thing? Sure is pretty.... In a scary, destructive way." she said. Dimentime looked up at Solenix. "That contains the consciousness of the creature. However, that sphere contains two consciousnesses, battling for control! That's why the creature is hesitating. Mephiles and Heather disagree on how to proceed!" he said. Punchy crossed his arms. "Who cares. Once that internal struggle is over, we're doomed, aren't we?" he said. Bucky turned to his experiments, holding up a green Chaos Emerald. "All of you... Did you collect the Chaos Emeralds, like I told you to?" he asked. Each of the six experiments accompanying Bucky held up a single Chaos Emerald, and Bucky's made seven! "There's still one chance!" the lab rat said, turning to Sonic. The blue hedgehog grinned as he realized what Bucky meant. "All right! I'm ready!" he said excitedly. Copter looked a bit worried. "Do you think you can handle it by yourself? I'd like to go with you..." he said. Just then, Tails ran up to Copter and handed him his tailband. "You can help, Copter! I know you can use the tailbands!" he said. Copter accepted the tailband gratefully. "Thanks for keeping it safe for me!" he said. Dimentime walked over to Gemini next. "You want to go as well, don't you?" he asked. Gemini looked unsure. "I'd like to... But I can't use the Chaos Emeralds..." she said. Dimentime tapped his staff on the ground. "That's no hindrance! All you need is some help." he said, leaning close to her and whispering instructions. Gemini still didn't seem sure about this, but nodded anyway. "I'll try." she said. So, all at once, Sonic, Copter, and Gemini invoked the powers at their disposal! The Chaos Emeralds spun around Sonic rapidly as their power became active! Copter placed the tailband on the tail that lacked one and they both began to glow! Gemini held her magic wand above her head and called out the spell Dimentime told her about while concentrating on her friends and loved ones. "Light of Friendship!!" All at once, the three of them transformed! Sonic glowed a bright, golden hue, while Copter glowed silver, and Gemini glowed in a lighter shade of gold. Super Sonic was the first to take flight, followed by Super Gemini, and finally Super Copter. As they flew up towards Solenix, the others below watched the Soleanna struggle unfold!

As Sonic, Gemini, and Copter flew towards Solenix, the flames covering its body dissipated, and it began moving to attack! To begin the battle, Solenix summoned hundreds of Mephiles's tiny shadow creatures to battle with them. Sonic and Gemini immediately started attacking the creatures, but Copter hesitated. "What did Dimentime say? Heather doesn't want to be up here? I wonder if there's a better way to handle this..." he thought, flying past the shadow creatures to get close to Solenix's core. "Heather! Can you hear me!?" Copter shouted. There was no response from Heather, but Solenix clearly didn't like how close Copter had gotten. It swatted Copter away with one of its giant wings, knocking some rings from Copter as a result! Rather than turning back to find more rings, Copter tried again. "It doesn't have to be this way, Heather! Try to get Mephiles to stop!" he shouted. Sonic and Gemini had defeated most of the shadow creatures by now, and flew towards Copter. "It's no use! I don't think Heather can hear you in there!" Gemini told him. "Besides, this creature seems pretty sure of itself now! We're gonna have to stop it the hard way!" Sonic added. Solenix let out a loud roar. Sonic, Copter, and Gemini was too close to it for its liking. It fought back by blowing fire at them from its mouth, forcing them to get out of the way! As the three super forms backed away from Solenix, the giant crystal phoenix began to fly higher into the sky, above the clouds! Sonic and Gemini chased after it immediately. "I guess they're right... It's too late for me to reason with her now..." Copter said sadly. Realizing that his ring count was running low, he flew off to try to find some rings.


Everyone in Soleanna watched the battle as best they could. Though the clouds obscured their view, each of the combatants were glowing, making it easy to spot them through the clouds. By now, Tails had been joined by Knuckles and Cream, who were also visiting Soleanna. After he explained the situation to them, they looked up at the battle overhead. "Wow... This is scary. I hope they'll be OK..." Cream said. Knuckles looked around and spotted Punchy and Rainbow, who grinned and waved to him. "Aw, great, of all the... I can't even take a brief vacation..." Knuckles groaned. Punchy turned to Rainbow. "He's not waving back. Think he's not happy to see us?" he chuckled. Rainbow glanced up at the fight overhead. "Maybe he's just worried, One." she said. Not far away, Razor was observing all of the experiments. As Chet arrived in the area, Razor gazed up at the battle in the sky. "There's experiments here too, eh?" Chet said, seeming surprisingly calm despite the battle taking place. "Did they follow us?" he asked Razor. "No. In fact, it seems like they came here to help... They may have done some bad stuff, but I'm beginning to think there's no reason for you witnesses to be protected... From them at least." Razor said. As the battle overhead raged on, the people of Soleanna soon started cheering for Sonic, putting all their hopes in the speedy hedgehog. (After all, they didn't know Copter or Gemini!)


As Copter finished collecting the rings and returned to the battle, he found Sonic and Gemini fleeing laser attacks from Solenix's core! Copter flew towards Gemini to ask her a question. "Did you guys find any weak point yet?" Gemini shook her head. "Every time we attack, Solenix finds a new way to stop us! But we can tell you one thing, attacks to the head don't work!" she said. Sonic glanced at the core where the lasers were coming from. "That sphere! Didn't Dimentime say that Solenix's two consciousnesses were in there?" he said. Copter nodded. "Yeah, but so what?" he asked. Gemini understood what Sonic was getting at. "Its body seems impervious, but maybe that core isn't!" she said. To test that theory, Gemini began firing bolts from her wand at the core! Solenix used its broad wings to block the attacks, but this only served to convince them further. "It won't let anything get close to that core! That's gotta be its weak point!" Sonic said. Now that they knew, all three of them began attempting to attack it! Gemini went in first, attempting to get close enough for her attacks to hit before being blocked. Solenix blew fire at her to keep her away, but since it was distracted, Sonic and Copter were able to quickly fly around the fire and strike the core! Sonic quickly flew away after hitting it, but Copter hesitated after smacking the core with his tails. From this close to the core, he could hear voices coming from inside it. It sounded as though Heather was screaming, but Mephiles was laughing. "Do that all you want, you�ll only knock out Heather! Then, full control will be mine!" Mephiles sneered. After hearing that, Copter was blasted away from the core by a laser! He was sent flying away, and lost a bunch of rings, but he had no time to waste. "Copter!! That looked pretty bad! Go get some rings, and we'll handle this!" Gemini suggested. "Wait!! Don't attack the core! You can't..." Copter shouted, but Sonic and Gemini wouldn't listen. As they moved to attack the core again, Copter dashed ahead to stop them! Sonic struck the core, but Copter managed to stop Gemini. "Listen! Heather's not attacking us on purpose! She's a prisoner inside Solenix! We have to find a way to stop Mephiles without hurting her!" he said. Gemini looked concerned. "How can we do that?" she asked. Sonic had overheard them talking as he fled Solenix's lasers. "Heather's a part of that thing. If she really wants to fight it, she can!" he told them. Copter understood, and flew towards the core in an attempt to talk to Heather again. "Listen, Heather! You can stop this! You just have to fight Mephiles!" he shouted. This time, Heather's voice was heard calling from the core. "I can't fight Mephiles! He... He's too strong! You have to stop him! Even if it means destroying me..." she said. Gemini and Sonic heard her as well. "It's true! She's a prisoner! Sonic, we can't destroy her!" Gemini said. Sonic looked very serious. "Are you sure you can't fight back?" he asked. Heather responded again. "There's no way... I'm not strong enough..." she said. Mephiles laughed at them from within Solenix. "You can't defeat me without destroying your friend! Now, what will you do? All you can do is watch as I consume everything!" he declared. Gemini and Copter looked to Sonic, wondering what to do. As Solenix hovered in front of them, Super Sonic knew there was only one choice. He started to fly away, but then quickly turned around and slammed into Solenix's core, shattering it to pieces! "NO!!! You maniac!!! What have you done!?" Copter shouted in terror. Gemini patted him on the back. "It had to be done, Copter..." she said. Sonic flew beside them and pointed to Solenix. "I don't think it's over..." he said. Suddenly, Solenix's body burst into flames, and as the flames covered the entire creature, a new core was created, bringing Solenix back to full power! "She's a phoenix, and so is Solenix! It can just regenerate itself!" Sonic shouted. Solenix demonstrated its power by shooting lasers from its core in all directions, knocking the super forms away as it descended back to Soleanna, hovering above the giant sconce of the Festival Torch!

As Solenix hovered where the torch's flames should have been, the citizens of Soleanna began running for cover! Tails and Knuckles stood in front of Cream, as if to shield her, while Punchy and Rainbow ran to join Team GeneX. Solenix hesitated while Super Sonic, Super Gemini, and Super Copter collected rings to maintain their super forms. As they approached Solenix, Gemini lagged behind. "Guys? I don't think we can win this..." she said. "We have to!" Copter insisted. Sonic stopped suddenly, and Copter and Gemini stopped with him. "Isn't that Dimentime?" he said, pointing to the altar in front of the torch. Dimentime stood there, gazing up at Solenix. The creature looked down at him, appearing somewhat confused by his boldness. "Heather!! Can you hear me? Listen to my voice!" Dimentime shouted. Gemini looked very worried. "Has he gone insane!? What is he doing!?" she wondered. Copter and Sonic remained silent, waiting to see what would happen. Solenix screeched at Dimentime, flapping its wings fiercely in an attempt to get rid of him! Dimentime struggled against the wind, leaning on his staff for support. "You don't want to do this, Heather! Please, calm yourself and listen to me!" he shouted. Copter wouldn't wait any longer. "He's going to get himself killed!" he shouted, flying towards Solenix. "Copter, wait!!" Sonic shouted. Copter could not reach Dimentime fast enough anyway. As Solenix flapped its wings even faster, the hooded being was flung into the air! Copter stopped moving suddenly as a pair of tails slid out from under Dimentime's cloak and began spinning, allowing him to land back on the altar! The force of the wind had blown off his hood, revealing a familiar black fox with a few strands of white hair on his head. As Solenix saw Dimentime's face, something stirred within Heather's heart, and she finally managed to hold Solenix back for a moment. Dimentime glanced back at Super Copter and waved to him before turning back to Solenix. "You sense memories in your heart now, don't you? This will help further." he said, tapping his staff on the ground once more, this time invoking a strange power. The wood staff seemed to melt away in his hands, leaving a magic wand in its place. Super Gemini flew beside Super Copter and compared her wand against Dimentime's. "Th-that... wand..." she said, realizing that the two were identical! Dimentime whispered a spell, and as the tip of the wand began to glow, Solenix began screeching again. Sonic and Gemini started to fly after Solenix again, but Copter held them back. "I'm sure I know what I'm doing..." he said in an almost dazed voice. Dimentime stared lovingly at the core of Solenix, as though he could see Heather inside it. "You remember now, don't you? The adventures we shared. The bond of friendship we forged. I know you're no evil being. You never were." he said. Heather's spirit seemed to step out through the core of Solenix, and smiled at him. "I missed you..." she said as she started to cry. "Yes... And I missed you..." Dimentime replied. Only he and Heather quite knew what was going on, but they were no longer afraid for their safety. "I... I'm sorry for what happened to you... It looks like it was rough..." Heather said. Dimentime nodded. "I set out on this adventure, hoping to save you. Things never did go quite as planned, but I wouldn't trade our time together for anything. You owe me no apology." he said. Heather smiled at him through her tears. "I know what I have to do. Thank you... For everything. Though it may not look like it, you did save me in the end." she told him. Dimentime shed a tear as he waved to her. She waved back at him, and then to Copter. "Good bye... Copter the Fox..."

Heather's spirit returned to the core of Solenix, and immediately set to work. The creature screeched loudly as Heather battled with Mephiles. In a few moments, the crystal phoenix began flapping its wings, flying high over Soleanna and towards the ocean. Super Copter could see that its eyes had changed from Mephiles's to Heather's, and tears were falling from them. He attempted to chase Solenix, but Sonic and Gemini held him back. "No, let me go!! Heather!! Don't do it!!" he shouted, realizing what was happening. Solenix glanced back at Super Copter briefly, but then resumed flying towards the coast of Soleanna. It hesitated a moment as Mephiles attempted to regain control, but continued flying shakily as a terrible struggle was waged within the creature. As Solenix reached the ocean, it began to shatter into pieces, collapsing! As the core of the creature exploded in a ball of flames, the super forms could just barely see Heather pulling Mephiles down with her as the creature crashed into the ocean. Mephiles tried to pull himself away from her, but they were still fused together, and so their fates would be the same. In a few moments, Solenix disappeared beneath the waves, finally putting an end to Solaris and the Flames of Disaster. Copter had tears in his eyes as he watched Heather sacrifice herself to save the world, and as he turned away from the scene, he could see Dimentime was crying as well. In a moment, Copter's attention returned to the sea as a bright light flashed from where Solenix had sunk, and with that light, the sky began returning to normal, signifying that the struggle was finally over.


As Sonic, Gemini, and Copter landed back near the gate to New City and reverted to their normal forms, Dimentime flew over to them. Copter handed Tails's tailband back to him, then turned to Dimentime. "Y-you're me... right?" he said, somewhat confused. Dimentime nodded. "I am you, from another time and dimension. In my world, Heather was not the only one to carry the Flames of Disaster, and Mephiles fused with that other being to create Solaris." he said. "That's the name of the sun god of Soleanna..." Razor pointed out. Dimentime continued his story. "Solaris nearly destroyed our world, catching all timelines in his grip. After Sonic and his companions weakened Solaris, Heather was able to use our world's Time Stones to send us to a time when we could stop Solaris. But there was one misguided person who tried to stop us. After the flame Solaris came from was blown out, this person grabbed the Time Stones, taking myself, Gemini, and Heather with her as we went to an even earlier point in time." he explained. Bucky stepped forward. "That wolf... She was from another time and dimension? So, that's how she knew of the flame." he said. Dimentime still had more to say. "She got Bucky to get the flame early, but without the knowledge he gained in my dimension from helping the king of Soleanna's experiment, he made the same mistakes as before, and Mephiles was created along with Heather." he said. Sonic was curious about something now. "What happened to the others that came back with you?" he asked. "They... are no longer among us. In either dimension. You see, the Time Stones reacted in a way unexpected. They created duplicates of the four of us that existed simultaneously in both our original world and this world. Events played out differently in both worlds. The wolf was defeated before she could see Bucky in our original world, but not in this world... The story still confuses me somewhat even now..." As Dimentime fell silent, he began to turn to leave. Copter started to follow him, and once they were away from everyone else, Dimentime turned back to him. "I took on a new name once you were created. Actually, I got this name from someone very special to me. It was Arthur... Arthur Prower, I called myself. I changed it to Dimentime shortly before you left for Soleanna. I... don't really know why..." he said. Copter looked at him funny, and Dimentime chuckled at that. By now, Gemini, Punchy, and Rainbow had caught up to them. "We still have so many questions..." Gemini said. Dimentime raised his hand to halt them before they got any closer. "Cherish the time you have on Earth, as long as you have it. For you cannot control time, and the future is naught but a memory, yet to be recalled." Those words were all Dimentime had to say. Before anyone could say anything else, he faded right before their eyes as though he'd never really existed. Copter scratched his head as he thought about the strange events of the past hour. "Arthur Prower, eh? Hmmm... I suppose it does suit me... In a way..."

Copter, Punchy, Rainbow, and Gemini turned back towards the group they'd left behind. As they did so, the Sun Festival had already begun to resume, as though nothing had happened. Looking around, Copter noted that Bucky and his experiments had already left, and Sonic was leaving along with Tails, Knuckles, and Cream. Razor stood in the path of Copter and Punchy, accompanied by Chet. "Did you arrest Bucky or something?" Punchy asked. Chet shook his head. "We let them go." he said. Copter raised an eyebrow. "Why? I thought you were determined to see us rot in prison." he said. Razor nodded. "And I will... But for now, I'm granting you a pardon. You all did help save the city. But you'll still have to pay for your crimes one of these days!" he said. Rainbow grinned at him. "Yeah, I caught One littering once!" she said sarcastically. Razor chuckled at her. "Whatever... Let's go, Chet. I think Katie and the others will be anxious to get back home." he said, leading Chet away. Gemini waved to Copter, Punchy, and Rainbow as she began to leave. "I'll see you guys later. Sonic's 'girlfriend' is in the city, and I bet she'd like to hear where Sonic was last spotted!" she said, grinning. As she walked away, Copter, Punchy, and Rainbow began heading back towards the place where they left Gator. "So, now what do we do, 'Artie?'" Punchy asked. Copter glared at Punchy. "First off, don't call me Artie! I'm still Copter to you!" he said. "And you're still Two to me! Where to now, Two?" Rainbow asked. Copter shrugged. "No clue. I kinda wish I could've gotten to know Heather the way Dimentime did..." he said. Punchy nodded in agreement. "She wasn't so bad after all in the end, was she?" he said. "Maybe she'll be back. Maybe Binky will re-make Seven somehow!" Rainbow said. Copter smiled. "Yeah, maybe. Who knows what the future may bring." he said, stopping briefly to gaze out at the sea as Punchy and Rainbow kept walking. "...But I'll try to make it a good one. Thank you, Heather...."


As I said, Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and Sonic Team.
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.


The End... Until the next adventure...