GeneX - Knuckles the Echidna
Chapter 21 - Sewage Scramble
Stage 13(Hero 7) - Sewage Scramble
Minor Boss 9 - Techno Sonic

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.

The story thus far:
As Knuckles set off on his way to rescue Sonic from the clutches of Dr. Eggman, Tails and Amy broke Sonic out themselves! After a treacherous journey through Sandopolis and Lava Reef Zone, they discovered a hidden chamber in Hidden Palace Zone, which the Covenant of Despair was fighting GUN to destroy! After a series of battles, during which Kosmo rendered his assistance, Fera and Dr. Nammad both set off massive attacks that started a huge cave in! Did they manage to escape? And what does all this mean for Knuckles?
Now, on to the next chapter!


Arriving at the nearest city, Knuckles parted ways with Cream, who was eager to reunite with her mother after Despair's attack on Central City. Heading for the nearest train station that would take him back to Troblusk City, Knuckles was soon stopped when a flash of light went off in front of him! Gemini the fennec emerged when the light faded. "Knuckles! There you are! Can you help me? I really messed up!" she said quickly. Knuckles was a bit startled at first, but quickly became annoyed. "Gemini!? ...Um, not to sound mean, but isn't there anyone else you can bug right now? I kinda got my own problems!" he grumbled. Gemini sighed. "Well, Copter's on the case... maybe. He might've given up, though. He's such a flake!" she groaned. "What case?" Knuckles asked, motioning for her to follow as he resumed walking to the train station. Gemini looked at him a bit awkwardly. "I kinda ticked off Kosmo and he stomped off. I'm worried he might go berserkoid or something." she frowned. Knuckles suddenly jumped, staring at her in disbelief. "Kosmo!? That dude who Tails went super to duke it out with!? Where'd he go??" he shouted. "I talked to some people and he might have hopped a train to the Mystic Ruins." Gemini said, pointing ahead to the station. "OK, come on! It might take both of us if he's on a rampage!" Knuckles said hastily, grabbing her arm and rushing off!

Upon arriving at the Mystic Ruins, they saw Shadow and Omega leaving Angel Island from the train, so they decided to start their search there. On the cliff just outside the entrance to Red Mountain, they found a crowd gathered. Sonic, Tails, Amy, SPOT, Professor Pickle, Silver and Rainbow were gathered along with Bucky and his experiments: Vortex, Zipp, Zeke and Whisk. "Uhhh, Kosmo's not heeeere..." Gemini said skittishly upon seeing Silver, "Darn, him again? He ignored me before, but I'm sure he'd take me back home if I let him..." she thought. Knuckles looked around in surprise. "Hey! It's Sonic!? He's okay!? ...You mean I've been running all over the place for nothing!?" he groaned. Tails gasped upon seeing them arrive. "Oh, hey Knuckles! I, uh... I promise, I didn't forget about you!" he stammered. "He forgot about me." Knuckles sighed. Sonic was busy getting chewed out by Amy for taking too long to rescue her. "This is not acceptable! I almost got carried off by Kosmo just like that color-challenged echidna did!" she growled. "Whatever echidna you're talking about, leave them outta this, Pinky!" Rainbow snapped. Knuckles crossed his arms. "Sounds like Kosmo WAS here..." he muttered. Gemini backed away a bit. "I'll hang back here, Knuckles. You talk to 'em. In fact, I think I'll find you later!" she babbled. "Huh?? Why??" Knuckles wondered. At this point, Silver noticed her. "Hey, Gemini!" he called, forcing her to act fast. "Abra-ka-warpra!" In a flash of light, Gemini was gone. Thanks to that light, the entire group finally noticed Knuckles. "Umm... Okaaaay." Knuckles mumbled, "Sonic! Sorry about... um..." he sighed. "Yeah, you were way outta line." Sonic smirked. "What!? Wait a minute!!" Knuckles snapped. "But... Tails told me how Eggman had you over a barrel... Guess I jumped to conclusions." Sonic admitted. Bucky cleared his throat loudly. "I think the fennec had the right idea. We'd best be off." he said. "Hey, what's Bucky doing here?" Knuckles wondered. "He got us outta a jam after trying to kill me." Sonic explained, slowly glancing at the rat, "Hey, why DID you do that??" he wondered. Bucky had already turned his back to leave, and quietly muttered something. "Humans turned their back on me... However... If the Covenant of Despair knew the truth..." he whispered, turning, "We'll be watching, Sonic. Until next time." he said, nodding to Whisk, who promptly teleported Bucky and his experiments away, save for Zeke. "Huh?! Oh, I get it. I'm to find the others..." Zeke groaned, wandering off slowly. "So, what now?" Sonic said, turning to his friends. Professor Pickle wiped his forehead. "I'm quite exhausted. I must return to my office in Central City and rest... Preferably with a plate of cucumber sandwiches." he sighed. Knuckles looked around. "I gotta get those Covenant of Despair jerks so they'll leave my island alone! ...They were just here, weren't they?" he growled. Tails nodded. "I suggest we try Eggman. He's mixed up in this somehow. He might know something we can use!" he said. "All right! I'll tag along, too!" Silver offered. Since they were generally in agreement, they headed off for the train station to once again set out for Troblusk City.

Joined by Rainbow, and parting ways with Professor Pickle, the group soon arrived at Troblusk City. They started on their way to Eggman's not-so-hidden base right away, but they soon stopped when they noticed Covenant of Despair agents hanging around in the middle of the street. What's more, Gemini was there shouting at them. "Hey, isn't that your girlfriend over there, Knuckles?" Sonic joked. "I'm not gonna dignify that with..." Knuckles muttered. Silver scratched his head. "What's she doing here? She shouldn't..." he said, trailing off. Eddie the hyena and Infin the weasel were there, keeping Gemini busy while some gargoyles in black suits were forcing open a sewer cover. "Why would they be sneaking into the sewer?" Tails wondered. Suddenly, a loud tremor startled the group, and drew their attention away from Gemini and Despair! "That came from Eggman's Eggtopia!" Sonic shouted. "Did you seriously just say Eggtopia?" Tails groaned. "What about Despair?!" Knuckles wondered. Sonic started running off in the direction of Eggtopia. "You better hold 'em off, Knuckles! I'll be right back after I check out Eggman's base!" he shouted. Tails, Silver and Amy immediately started to follow him, while Knuckles turned to the sewer entrance again. "Stop!! Come back, you crooks!" Gemini was shouting, following them down the open manhole! Rainbow started towards the sewer as well. "Come on, Knucklehead! Those guys might know about my sister!" she said. "Huh? You're still here?? ...Do you have to call me knucklehead?" Knuckles groaned. Suddenly, SPOT beeped loudly. "Alert!! Alert!!" it said. "Huh? Tails's mutt's still here, too!" Knuckles gasped. Rainbow checked out SPOT's monitor and gulped. "It... It says those guys have bombs!" she stammered. With that information, Knuckles, Rainbow and SPOT quickly jumped down into the sewer after them!

They found themselves in a long sewage canal, with rank water rushing by and a narrow walkway above the rushing water. Not far from the ladder leading back out of the sewer, they found a blue gargoyle busily planting a bomb against the roof! Below the gargoyle, Gemini was standing face to face with Sergeant Drol and Agent 32! "Please! Listen to me! The Covenant of Despair is loose in the sewers!" Gemini shouted. "She's, uh, lyin'! We're, umm... contractors?" the gargoyle said feebly. Drol was covering his nose with his cape, a very displeased look in his eyes. "I am aware of the situation, you impudent girl! Why else would I be down here in these wretched depths!" he growled. He then spotted Knuckles and Rainbow, and the look in his eyes became more intent. "However, the petty schemes of the Covenant of Despair mean little to me next to the big picture, and I see people to interrogate." he said. Knuckles squinted at him. "Heeey... I know you... I think." he muttered. "Address Sgt. Drol only when he speaks to you!" Agent 32 shouted, seeming not to mind the stench of the sewer as much. Drol pointed at Rainbow. "You! Female echidna! You were at the shore before! Tell me, where was the stone tablet taken?" he asked. Rainbow shook her fist at him. "I don't know what you're talking about, Dork Knight! Besides, you tried to hurt my sister! Shame on you!" she yelled. "Hmm, I'll come back to you." Drol muttered, glancing at the other echidna, "Knuckles, isn't it? I've read up on you. You're USUALLY on GUN's side. Tell me about the Chaos Gauntlets." he demanded. "Umm... I think Eggman's got 'em." Knuckles mumbled. Drol was getting very frustrated now. "You THINK?! Are you echidnas taking me for a fool!?" he growled. Just then, a blast of ice came shooting at the gargoyle from behind the echidnas! "Halt! You will not activate that explosive!" said Freeze the Gizoid! "Whaa!? Eggman's robot!? I'm outta here!!" the gargoyle shouted, flapping away hastily! Freeze glanced up at the bomb intently. "I will put this on ice. And pursue them." he said. "Looks like Eggman wants his base protected from the explosion, too." Knuckles smirked. Drol growled in aggravation. "If I waste any more time I'll be buried in this filth! Most unbecoming for GUN's Noble Knight!" he said. A familiar-looking robot started to stir behind him, and Drol stepped aside to let GUN's robotic copy of Sonic through! "Techno Sonic! Brute force seems to be the only way to obtain the truth from them! Show them GUN's true might!" Drol commanded!

"Target locked! Preparing to strike!" Techno Sonic said, swapping its hands for laser cannons! "Gemini, get back!" Knuckles shouted. "It's not... targeting me, is it!?" she gasped, scrambling to get away as it opened fire on her! "Wanda! Look out! Didn't you get back your wand??" she asked noticing she wasn't holding it. "That gargoyle swiped it when I came after him..." she said hopelessly. Knuckles shrugged. "Then I'll take it on myself!" he said, running ahead and dodging lasers on his way to Techno Sonic, hurling his fist straight at the robot! However, he was repelled by an invisible energy shield around it! "I am Techno Sonic Mark 2, redesigned by Dr. Nammad! You cannot defeat me!" the robot declared, opening a hatch on its chest to reveal a sparking electrode. This electrode fired a burst of electricity at Knuckles, throwing him back even more, but he wasn't ready to quit yet. "Nice bug zapper... But in order to protect the Master Emerald, I have to be ready for cheap tricks like this!" he smirked. Rainbow and Gemini backed away a bit to give them room. "Not that I don't have confidence in you, but I'm gonna keep my distance..." Gemini sighed. Knuckles nodded. "Fine, and I'll take this even further away..." he said, gliding across the sewer water to the walkway on the other side! Techno Sonic tried staying put and shooting at him from across the water, but it was too easy for him to dodge at this range. "Don't let him escape." Drol ordered. Techno Sonic fired up its jetpack and flew after him, and Knuckles jumped and glided at him at the same time! The electrode fired at him again, but he glided right through it, clenching his teeth through the pain and punching at Techno Sonic's head, only to be repelled by the shield! It tossed him upward, and he kicked off the roof in order to strike the shield with greater force! Techno Sonic fell into the sewer water, and Knuckles glided back to the walkway Rainbow and Gemini were on. "I guess the shield was still affected by gravity." he smirked. "Don't be dumb. You just made Techno Sonic reroute his power too much." Agent 32 said. Knuckles shrugged. "Well, anyway, the water should short him out..." However, Techno Sonic quickly splashed back out of the water!

Suddenly, a laser was fired at Techno Sonic, striking the electrode on its chest! Its shield had apparently been shorted out by the water, and the laser caused an energy overload in the electrode, causing Techno Sonic to explode! Turning around, Knuckles saw Metal Sonic standing beside Rainbow and Gemini! "{Metal Sonic is the superior Sonic!}" the small text on his eye monitor read. "Our robots stink..." Agent 32 groaned as Drol growled. "So... You were threatening us?" Knuckles said, smirking at them. "Colonel Gunner was right about you... About all of you!" Drol growled, stomping his way past them toward the sewer exit, "Come on, Agent 32! We must find the Chaos Relics!" he sneered. Once Drol was gone, they noticed that Freeze was also gone, but Metal Sonic remained. "Well, can't count on Freeze to stop any bombs other than those that threaten Eggman. Can you find 'em, Gemini?" Knuckles asked. "The Covenant of Despair swiped my wand! I... I'm useless..." she whimpered. "No, you're not, Wanda! We'll all look together!" Rainbow said. "Emergency!!" SPOT said loudly. "Huh? SPOT? I didn't notice you there!" Knuckles gasped. "I know..." SPOT's monitor said, "Explosive signals detected. They will be detonated by remote." it added. "Well, good thing you can detect them... So, why is Metal Sonic still here?" Knuckles wondered. "Yeah, I thought we left you at the floaty island, Robo-Speedy!" Rainbow said. "{Mission Directive: Locate Bombs beneath Eggman's Eggtopia & disarm.}" Metal Sonic's text read, not that anyone could read it. "Seriously, WHY did Eggman take away your voice??" Knuckles groaned. "Maybe he couldn't afford a voice actor...?" Rainbow mumbled. "{Knuckles is following same directive... Team up advised.}" Metal Sonic "thought." The robot pointed deeper into the sewer, and the trio around him all crossed their arms. "I guess... He wants to go with us?" Gemini figured. Metal Sonic nodded. "See, Wanda? You're not useless!" Rainbow said as SPOT started to lead them to the next bomb. "Great... I'm the robot-whisperer..." she sighed.

Soon, they found that the sewer tunnels were less like tunnels and more like an expansive underground complex, a mazelike facility with water being routed in numerous directions. "Shouldn't the sewer water all be going to the same place...?" Knuckles muttered. "Oh, when is anything ever simple!? It HAD to be a stinkin' maze, so we'd never find the bombs in time!" Gemini shouted. Suddenly, the group was startled by something leaping out of the sewer water! "Gah! Techno Sonic lives!!" Knuckles yelled, while Metal Sonic started shooting at the intruder straight away! "No, Robo-Speedy! Wait! It's Bluehair!!" Rainbow stammered. A dazed man in an alligator suit stood smoking from Metal Sonic's lasers, a robotic crab latched to his "tail." He groaned weakly. "Everyone in this city stinks! Sic a crab on me and flush me down a toilet, will ya, city!?" he grumbled. Knuckles blinked a few times. "Are... are you okay??" he muttered. "Huh? Oh, sure! I'm the Great Gator! I love a good swim in stinky, swamp-type water! Um... Please get this pinchy guy off my tail..." he yelped. Gemini reached for her wand, then shrugged, realizing she didn't have it. Knuckles pulled the robot off of Gator, but then several more of Eggman's Crabmeat robots jumped out of the water! "You can shoot them, Robo-Speedy!" Rainbow shouted. SPOT opened fire on the robots instead, Metal Sonic refusing to shoot Eggman's creations. "Can I borrow this?" Gator said, taking the robot Knuckles had pulled off of him and using it to pummel another one! "There! Now who's the smart guy!?" he grinned, only to find the remaining Crabmeats aiming missiles from their claws at him. "Aw, fudge..." With the robots distracted by Gator, the group hurried on their way. "Sorry, Bluehair, we got bombs to find!" Rainbow said hastily. "I'll never eat seafood again!!" Gator shouted.

They didn't get far before running into Vortex and Whisk, who were drawn to the noise caused by Gator and the Crabmeats. "Oh, Knucklessss. We meet again." Vortex said. "No time, Bombs!" Knuckles shouted. "Wait, that'sss our concern, too." Vortex said hastily. "Now what are YOU doing here? You on a date?" Rainbow giggled. Vortex glared at her. "We were keeping an eye on Ssssonic! But Zipp detected the bombsss... Much more presssing." Vortex hissed. Whisk smiled. "Hi, my name's Whisk! Who are all of you?" she asked. Rainbow quickly realized that she didn't even recognize her. "It's me, Angel! We were JUST on an adventure together!" she said. "Hm? Oh, nice to meet you, Angel!" Whisk said. Rainbow took a moment to process what she'd said. ".....Huh, WHAAAA???" she gasped loudly. "Real battle of wits going on here..." Knuckles sighed. Gemini squinted at Vortex. "Hey, don't I know you?" she asked. "Oh, uh, Gemini, this is Vortex. He helped save you from the Lost Ones when you were a dragon." Knuckles explained. Vortex's eyes widened. "Wait... Thisss isss the dragon!? ...Never mind. We could usssse assssissssss.... Argh!! We could ussse help finding the bombsss." he said. Gemini nodded. "I suggest we split up. SPOT, give the chameleon the coordinates for one of the bombs, and we'll chase another of them." she said. SPOT displayed a map of the sewer with a few blips on it, which Vortex studied quickly. "Good thing I have a near-photographic memory..." he muttered. Metal Sonic buzzed impatiently, and Knuckles nodded in agreement. "Let's get this show on the road, before we explode!" he said.

With Vortex and Whisk heading off in a separate direction, the rest of the group went through a short series of corridors before finding the next bomb. The gargoyles had attached it to the roof, hanging over the rushing sewage water. "Great, and we sent that winged whatever-she-was with Vortex..." Knuckles groaned. Making matters worse, Lospecter floated out from under the water! "Greetings and cowabunga, sewer spelunkers! Your ol' pals the Lost Ones are here to save you a lot of trouble... and blow you to smithereens right now!" he grinned. Spiderlike lospides rose from the sewer water with him, their arachnid legs somehow skating across the surface as though it were ice! "Spiders to climb the walls... Why not doom us faster and use the bats?" Gemini sighed. Lospecter chuckled. "Thanks, Gems, you just gave me Plan B! ...But I'm actually planning to blow the bomb myself. Lospides, keep 'em busy!" he said, flying off toward the bomb while the spiders skated towards Knuckles and the others! SPOT and Metal Sonic started to fire at them, but their lasers had limited effect on the Lost Ones! "Quick, use your superpowers, One! ...errr..." Rainbow said, glancing at Knuckles and quickly realizing her mistake. With things looking bleak, they suddenly received some unexpected aid! Adam the bat flew up to the bomb, pulling it off the roof and away from Lospecter! "Hey... can you do that!?" he stammered. "Bomb's not motion activated. Despair gets what they pay for." Adam said. Evelyn the fox stepped between Rainbow and Gemini, firing a futuristic laser that disintegrated any lospides it contacted! "We got this, guys!" she grinned. "E-eve?! Adam!?" Gemini stammered in disbelief. "No time to chat! Gotta get rid of this bomb!!" Adam shouted, flying off as fast as he could! "Hey, come back with my toy!" Lospecter shouted, only to almost get zapped by Evelyn's blaster! "Eeep... I didn't like that I could feel the heat from that... Know what? I got better things to be doing!" Lospecter said, flying away through the roof! Gemini growled at Evelyn. "How could you miss!? You could've..." Evelyn gave her a stern look and shook her head. "Well, better catch Adam. He doesn't know how to disarm that thing!" she said, running off. Knuckles stood there with a dumbfounded expression. The lospides that weren't killed vanished under the water once Lospecter was gone. "Ummm... I guess... Find the next bomb, SPOT?" he muttered. Gemini looked off in the direction her friends had gone intently. "Oh no... They've come to take me home..." she thought.

To be continued...