GeneX - Knuckles the Echidna
Chapter 48 - Death & Disorder
Stage 25 - Pit of Despair
Boss 26-27 - The Lost Ones; The Covenant of Despair

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:
The Darkseeker has been revealed as Howler, and his schemes are reaching fruition! Kept alive for centuries through the magic of the Chaos Crown, Howler desires nothing less than the world! His efforts to obtain the Chaos Emeralds soon put Cheese in danger, and Shadow Chaos appeared to defend the Chao! This was what Howler was waiting for, and he set about using the Master Emerald AND the Chaos Crystal to begin to fuse with Shadow Chaos! His magic ceased supporting Demon Island, and it fell into a great maelstrom in the ocean, breaking into large pieces in the whirlpool!
This didn't stop Sonic and Kosmo from attempting to halt his plans. He still had Bucky strapped to the GXterminate machine, and intended to use it. When Razor attempted to get to the machine while Sonic & Kosmo were fighting Howler, he found himself under attack! Chet jumped between his friend and the Darkseeker, ending up sacrificing himself! Howler then activated the machine, nearly killing everyone in the world, but Kosmo realized that machines were unaffected by it, and became a robot himself in order to avoid GXterminate's influence and destroy it! However, Howler's transformation was starting to progress, and he washed away his foes in a black wave...
Now, on to the next chapter!


Tails and Cream were on a segment of Demon Island's floating debris that contained both part of Despair Castle and part of the forest surrounding it. They had met up with Gemini outside the castle walls, and together they searched for any others that might have been injured in the fall of the island. Tails set SPOT to the task of scanning for life-forms, and they came across an angry Vortex trying to sneak around first. "Tailsss!! Sssshining a ssspotlight on a camouflaging chameleon isss rude!!" he shouted. Tails chuckled nervously. "Uh... Okay, he doesn't need our help... Let's keep moving..." he sighed. "Hey! Don't turn your back on me, Prower!!" Vortex yelled, following them. They hadn't gone far before they came across Lucky and Talon. Other than being a bit rattled, Lucky seemed okay, but Talon had a busted wing. "Do any of you have a splint or something...?" the griffin groaned. Gemini looked over his wing and held out her wand. "Recoveration!" Her healing spell seemed to work wonders, and Talon stood in awe as the pain left him. "...Um... Thanks!" he said. "Just be glad I got my real wand back." Gemini smiled. "This is all very cute... Now if some of you could GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!!" The agitated voice of Bucky the rat startled most of them, but Lucky jumped right up a tree! This happened to be where the voice was coming from, though. "Ah! Hey, how'd you get up here...?" he chuckled nervously. Bucky groaned miserably. "I was thrown by a mutated megalomaniac, what do you THINK?!" he snapped. Tails and Cream flew up to help the rat and the cat down from the tree, and once he got down, Vortex greeted him with relief. "Massster... I wassss jussst on my way to resssscue you!" he said. "Save it. The world needs rescuing. That machine may have been stopped, but that madman's still fusing with Shadow Chaos. We need the Chaos Emeralds." Bucky said. Tails nodded. "Right! Good thing we have SPOT, then!" he grinned. Cream looked a bit nervous. "Shouldn't we maybe find Mr. Sonic? He might be able to stop this before it gets any...scarier." she said. Bucky frowned. "Not without the emeralds, I'm afraid."

As SPOT started to lead them in pursuit of an emerald, their activities did not go unnoticed. Still, a small number of people following them didn't bother Bucky in the slightest; They had to know that they were in grave peril, right? No one would dare hinder him in defeating Howler. SPOT led the group to the cavern where the dark demons of the island originated from. Vortex, having been there already, took a moment to warn the group, but it meant little. "We have to get the Chaos Emeralds at any cost. Fortunately, these demons should be no match for us..." Bucky said. Lucky scratched his head. "Which 'us' is he talking about?" he wondered. Of course, as they entered, various crazed demons came at them straight away, but Bucky and Vortex immediately fried the initial welcome committee with lightning and Chaos Inferno, respectively. "...I've no patience for these mindless energy-echoes." Bucky grumbled. Tails sighed as he followed them into the cavern. "Glad he's on our side this time..." he said. "Stay on your toes, though... Those things could come out of anywhere..." Gemini warned. Deeper into the cave, she was proven right, and had to add her magic to the defense of the group as the demons swarmed from all sides! Tails and Cream stuck close together, covering each other's backs as they fought the monsters in front of them with all their might! Lucky and Talon were running around in a panic, and Bucky soon grew tired of it. "Fifteen! Enough of this foolishness! Remove your gloves and fight!" he shouted. Talon gulped. "B-but... I look like a freak!" he protested. "Newssss flasssh! You look like a freak either way!!" Vortex yelled. Sighing miserably, Talon pulled off his gloves, revealing powerful birdlike claws that may not be filled with superpowers, but could certainly be used for combat purposes! He then jumped behind Lucky and started slashing the lizard-like demons that were chasing him, tearing them into mists of darkness! It seemed Bucky was right, the demons had proven to be little more than a nuisance to their team.

The group's reward for fighting through hordes of demons was finding the white Chaos Emerald. Bucky walked over to pick it up, but stopped suddenly as he heard wings pass overhead. Zeke the dragon dropped down in front of him, carrying Ridley the coati on his back! "Hey! Bucky! Great thing we found you!" Zeke said. Vortex glared at them. "You're the onesss that have been ssssneaking around in the sssshadowsss! What are you sssscheming!?" he hissed. "Oh, now, you wound me, Vortex! Surely I'm not still working for Howler after he just tried to KILL me! Give me some credit!" Ridley pointed out. Tails looked around suspiciously. "Something does seem fishy, though... SPOT, gimme a light!" he said, shining a light up at the ceiling near where Zeke had recently flown by. Corky the frog was sticking to the roof, possibly with suction cups, and cursed now that the light was on him. Then, he shot his tongue straight down into Tails's face, blinding him with frog-slobber! "AAAAGH!! Gross-gross-gross!!!" he wailed. With the light off him again, he started moving, and Zeke quickly picked up the Chaos Emerald. "We can still get a pretty penny for this from the right buyer, eh? Gotta get something outta this disaster!" he grinned. Lucky pushed past Bucky and stared up at Zeke. "...Put...that...down!" he warned. Zeke simply patted his head. "Cute..." he chuckled. Suddenly, Corky landed behind Bucky. "I slice Mr. Rat's throat, think of da reward I git from cranky-pants Gunner!!" he grinned raising a knife! As Bucky was turning around, however, a bolt from the shadows stopped Corky cold, his knife falling to the floor. "...Tell me mum... I hated 'er guts! There, I said it..." Corky wheezed as he fell to the floor, dead! Everyone glanced at Gemini. "I didn't do THAT!" she shouted as the Deathbringer flew out into the open, charging at Zeke next, who was still holding the Chaos Emerald, and was not as bright as Ridley was to make a break for it at this point. The Deathbringer landed behind Zeke, and growled furiously at him. "For a Chaos Emerald...?" it snarled. Before the Deathbringer could strike, though, Bucky jumped between them, pushing the winged being back! The Deathbringer was knocked off-balance, and its hood fell off, no longer covering its face! This meant nothing to most everyone in the room, but to Bucky, everything both instantly made sense, and was shattered. "...Hope?? But...It's impossible!" he gasped. The Deathbringer was Hope the Raven, a voice-altering device fitted over her beak and a scar across her left eye. "I... Never wanted you to know... Buck... I only wanted to protect you..." she said. She began to stand up, when suddenly, something shot out from the darkness and pierced her chest! "N-NOOOOO!!!" Bucky screamed. A slimy tentacle, followed by more slime covering her body as Losipher emerged from the shadows! "You were indeed... followed... I followed your tales... of Hope... And I decided that... if she indeed was alive... her soul...would make me complete!!"

While a few stared in horror, Vortex ran ahead and reached for Hope's hand, hoping to pull her out of Losipher before he could devour her! However, a red beam seared between them, making him jump back to get a view of what had intervened. "Tis time for the proper ending... All life's but a walking shadow, and such shadow is best portrayed by the Lost Ones!" said Loskeletor as he crept out from behind Losipher. Lospecter hovered down from the ceiling as well. "Hey, Bucky-boy! Why don't you finish the story you were telling us Lost Ones? I'm so eager to hear the end of it..." he grinned. Bucky was near in shock. He'd already witnessed the death of his old love once. This couldn't be happening. "No...It cannot be her... I watched her die... I... AVENGED her!!" he snarled.


"There's nowhere left to run, Stein, you mutant! I'll see an example made out of you! No one defies GUN!" Sergeant Murten, Gunner's predecessor and former mentor, had tracked down Bucky's laboratory and attacked him with a powerful predecessor to the Diablon mech. Gunner was there, but only as an observer. "If you end him here, sarge, I'll be sure and let the Commander know you did your VERY BEST to take him alive!" he sneered. Bucky was tired of running. Tired of GUN's accusations and hatred. "So, you've found the rat-man. Using my accident as part of the premise to shut down Space Colony ARK wasn't enough for you psychopaths... You'll hurt everyone around me to ensure my silence. Heck, by now I doubt many of you are alive who even know what I'm talking about...so this is pointless. Just end me, and let my friends go!" Bucky shouted, resigned to let this be finished at last. Murten smiled fiendishly. "Whatever brings your twisted mind peace..." he said, charging at him! As Murten launched his attack, however, a shriek came as Hope lunged herself between them! "Don't hurt hiiiim!!" she cried, only to be pierced by a blade sliding out of the mech's right arm! "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Bucky caught her as she fell backward, but she was fading fast. "...Don't let them stop you... You...are...good!" she wheezed before fading. Murten pointed the blade at Bucky next. "If there's no one else that wants to be stupid, let's finish this..." he said. Bucky glared up at him with complete fury, all warmth and compassion gone from his soul. "Yes... Why DON'T we!?" he shouted. He then stood up and fired massive arcs of lightning at Murten's mech, the likes of which he'd never done before, and might never muster again! Murten tried to catch this lightning with the blade and direct it away, but there was simply too much energy! "Th-this is impossible!! No creature can have this much power!! You can't survive with such force in you!!" he shouted. Gunner backed away to avoid the lightning, and soon broke into a run as the mech started to burst into a fiery explosion! "You... You MURDERER!! You're nothing but an ANIMAL now, Stein!! I'll see you fry, one of these days!!!" he shouted back as he escaped.


"And you cried and cried all night in a corner somewhere. How touching! Seems the doc failed to check-see if his girl was actually dead!! Ha ha ha!!" Lospecter laughed. "What are you...?" Bucky said, but now it was too late. Lospecter's chatter was meant to keep everyone busy while Losipher finished feeding, and now Hope had been fully absorbed into his mass of slime! "Oh, no... No!!" Gemini gasped, realizing what was about to happen. The slimy mass of Losipher began to take form, and as a sorrowful moan shook the cavern, he soon stood before them in his completed, vampire-esque glory! "Gaze upon me, and know true despair! I am Losipher the Lost!!" he roared. Bucky started sparking in rage. "I don't know how she was alive, but return Hope to me, NOW!" he growled. Losipher sighed. "Demands, demands... Her soul is mine now. I feel her suffering... How she wanted to return to you... Pitiful, really. Yet she felt shame at what she had become... Is that closure enough before I add your soul to join hers?" he sneered. Suddenly, Losipher started getting struck repeatedly by spells from Gemini's wand, until Tails grabbed her and pulled her airborn to dodge beams from Loskeletor! "Watch the temper, Gemini! ...Why am I getting a familiar vibe from this?" he whimpered. "Some nightmares do come true..." Gemini frowned. Lospecter shook his head as they flew away from Loskeletor. "These guys have no respect. Hey, Losipher! That wand wench has been a thorn in my side for too long! Kindly bring me her head, would ya? That'd be good." he said. Losipher nodded. "I recognize her... I will devour these souls, and end her life!" At these words, Losipher started to grow in size, and sent tentacles from his arms to chase the group throughout the room! Bucky and the experiments attempted to resist, but Losipher simply shrugged off every attack! Even Zeke wasn't safe, and dropped the Chaos Emerald as he was caught in a tentacle! Cream hid behind SPOT, holding Cheese tightly and hoping the robo-puppy's shield would hold, but it didn't look good. Suddenly, something truly unexpected happened. The demons returned, but these demons resembled Shadow Chaos, and they quickly surrounded Cream and Cheese, seeking to protect the Chao as though they really WERE Chaos! Lospecter watched this awkwardly. "Uhhh... Do we eat pure darkness?" he asked. "In truth, I hadst believed we WERE pure darkness." Loskeletor said. The enraged demons charged the Lost Ones, and Lospecter quickly got nervous. "Let's just go, fellas! We got our win for now! Tomorrow is another soul-stealing day!" he said, prompting Losipher to grudgingly drop everyone. "...We'll meet again..." he sneered.

As everyone was resting, Fred the fennec teleported in and found Gemini. "...I sensed Losipher... I'm glad you're safe." he said. Gemini's face was filled with tears. "Somehow, I caused him to fully form earlier!" she cried. Fred patted her head. "Now, none of that. You can't say it was purely your doing. You aren't the only one traveling through time today." he said, trying his best to comfort her. Meanwhile, Tails was picking up the Chaos Emerald, while the experiments were gathered around a distant Bucky. "...Do I know anything anymore?" he muttered. A pair of yellow eyes met his gaze in the dark. "You know part of the story. Allow me to conclude it..." a dark voice said. Tails's ears perked at the sound. "...The Doomsayer?" he gasped.


The Doomsayer recounted the rest of the tale. After killing Murten, Bucky stumbled back to his lab and passed out, too full of grief to carry on. Hope laid where she fell, her body broken, and her life seemingly gone. Soon, raindrops started to fall over the area. The Doomsayer had arrived. "So young... So promising... You could be of use. I grant you a Divine rebirth! Awaken!!" A strange magic surrounded Hope's body, and a beam of light shone down upon her, seeming to lift her into the air as she was both restored and transformed! A pair of strong, black wings burst out of the back of her shirt, and as she landed on the ground, the Doomsayer handed her a black cloak to replace the tattered clothing. "...You have been reborn. You are an offshoot of the Divine species... Your power being a forbidden sort unworthy of the name. I name you... Deathbringer." the Doomsayer said. Hope looked at him nervously. "Deathbringer...? No... What about Buck? I can't do this to him..." she stammered, "We work to create life, not destroy it!" The Doomsayer nodded. "Regardless, I have need of you. And I know you won't let your debt to me go unpaid. Afterward, you can use your gifts to aid your friends, if you so choose..." he offered. Hope looked at the hood a moment, and then dejectedly put it on. "Very well... Where do I start?" she said.


Bucky glared at the Doomsayer. "You expect me to believe that you've mastered raising the dead?" he growled. The Doomsayer backed away a step. "Why don't you ask... your son." he said, starting his usual vanishing act. "Come back here!!" Bucky shouted, trying to catch him, only to find him gone in a flash. "...We should get back to the emerald hunt..." Tails suggested. Bucky scoffed. "Fine. Do as you like... I might as well even go along with you... Someone's gotta pay for all this suffering, and it might as well be Howler!" he snarled.


Copter found himself stuck with Guard, and the pair of them had washed up farther away from Despair Castle, not far from where Shadow Arcangel had been parked on the island. Heading for the ship, they met up with Heather and Team Chaotix. "Heather! Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes..." Copter sighed. Guard grunted in annoyance and glanced at the crumbling castle in the distance. "Grrr... It would seem the Covenant of Despair is no more. My objective is complete." he stated. Vector shrugged. "Yeah... not dying from that weird death-wave would seem to say we won... But why don't I feel like celebratin?" he said. "'Cuz we're trapped in a killer storm! Duh!" Charmy shouted. Copter sighed. "Well, let's see what I can do about that..." he said, pulling the Hurricane Remote from his pocket. He pressed a button and got Hoover's voice coming over a speaker. "Sorry, sparky! I recalled the plane when that there island started gettin' all wobbly!" he said. Copter sighed. "Yeah, I figured you'd have done that. Now I need it back!" he stated. Hoover laughed a bit before responding. "Yer nuts! The Hurricane is MY baby! I ain't sendin' it down inta that mess fer nothin! No way, no how!" he said before hanging up on Copter. "Hoover!! Hoover, you buck-toothed tin can!! If I get outta this alive I'll have you rebuilt into a blender!! ...Probably have to ask Tails to do it, but that's beside the point!" he growled. Heather looked at him worriedly. "So... no luck?" she asked. "I was wondering how you were intending to fly everyone to shore on a little biplane, anyway." Espio muttered. Guard shook his head. "We can't leave yet... Grrrr... It occurs to me that I must see the other GUN agents to safety..." he grunted. Vector nodded. "This island's goin' down... We should try to get EVERYONE off!" he reasoned. "Um... how?" Charmy asked. They all stood with stupid expressions for a moment until they noticed the huge ship right near them. "Right! We'll fly everyone out on Shadow Arc!" Vector suggested. Heather nodded. "Good idea! Um... I'll stay... And guard the ship... You guys have fun playing in the storm..." she said, running inside. Copter nodded. "Understandably, she doesn't like water." he said.

Copter, Guard and Team Chaotix started into the woods, looking for anyone in the vicinity who could use a ride off the island. What they found instead perplexed them. There were Covenant of Despair agents everywhere, and they appeared to be fighting amongst themselves! "...Hey, cool! The bad guys are beating themselves!" Charmy snickered. "Not cool, kid. We came to get everyone off the island... if we can." Copter muttered. "Uhhh... Maybe there are lifeboats of doom or something these guys can use when they're through whaling on each other..." Vector grumbled. "You don't get what's happening, do you?" came a voice from seemingly nowhere! Copter and Vector jumped in surprise, but Guard pointed his scythe and growled. "I can detect you, so do not think to sneak up on us!" he warned. Carrie appeared in front of him and smirked. "I can yank that stick right out of your hands with my mind, so watch yourself. Hi, Carrie, Experiment 14... Now that that's out of the way, someone wanna call off dog breath?" she said. "Down, Fido." Copter smirked. Espio seemed rather unfazed by all of this, and knew the question to ask. "Were you saying you know what's going on with these agents?" he asked. Carrie nodded. "Yeah. Pays to wander around invisible. Basically, most of the Covenant of Despair feels kinda betrayed by the Darkseeker... rightfully so, I guess. But they still liked the IDEA of the Covenant of Despair. So I guess you could say they're... hashing out who the new leader will be." she said. "If I got to be the leader, would I get free candy?" Charmy asked, making everyone glare at him. "...What? I wasn't gonna be an evil leader!" he protested. Copter groaned. "This is just great. Take down the Darkseeker, and we still gotta deal with his psycho followers that won't quit. He HAD to make a cult that was bigger than he was, didn't he!?" he grumbled. Carrie chuckled. "Relaaaax! You guys stress easy. Just knock out the heads of this craziness and I'm sure it'll stop. Follow me if you've got a mind to try. Watch your step!" she said, carefully heading right through the chaotic rumble ahead. Copter sighed and joined the others in following her.

They would soon find several commanders leading the free-for-all from a wide clearing. Leading one band of agents was Eddie the hyena. "Eeee hee hee!! See those traitors to our master, the Darkseeker!? Reward their lack of loyalty with severe pain!" he cackled. Directly opposing him was Basker the hound, who appeared to be intimidating his minions at least partly. "The Darkseeker has abandoned us... The time has come for a new master of this Covenant, and who better to lead than I? We shall tear down our opposition through fear!" he snarled. Fighting among these agents were gargoyles from the mob, who seemed to be led by Infin the weasel. "Fight past 'em, boys! Let's grab what loot we can and quit this death-trap!" he shouted, zapping anyone that neared him with his electric gun. At the back, Illusi the shrew emerged, and sent his Wrongos into the fray as well. "You...all...are...FOOLS!!" he yelled, "The Covenant of Despair was a giant trap for you and the whole world, laid by the Darkseeker! Rather than fighting over who should continue it, you SHOULD seek to dissolve it once and for all!!" he shouted, though his speech was largely ignored. Copter and his friends inevitably found themselves caught right in the middle of this four-way skirmish, whether they wanted it or not. The Despair bosses each had a bone to pick with at least someone in his group, and Team Chaotix wasn't held in high regard by the various agents fighting there, either. As the first wave of random agents started to occupy the team, Copter and Guard started to head for Illusi. "Cape boy can probably help us if we get his attention..." Copter reasoned. Carrie started to go with them, but Basker blocked her way! "I'm not one for petty revenge... But I do wonder how you'll fare without your maker to electrocute me!" he growled. Carrie vanished from his sight and chuckled. "Find me and find out!" she taunted. In the meanwhile, Illusi had gotten tied up fighting with Eddie, and they were tossing illusions all over the place. Copter and Guard were about to intervene, when Infin started shooting at them! "Well! My two least favorite people, together! Only one missin' is the cop that took my foot!!" he growled, coming at Copter and kicking with his metallic foot to illustrate his point! Guard blocked it with his scythe and growled. "We have no quarrel with you right now. Grrrr... You should be seeking refuge from this place!" he said plainly. "Yeah, well, so should you, moron." Infin scoffed.

Before Copter could join Guard in fighting off Infin, a Chaos Spear struck at his feet! Conan the raccoon was coming down from above, his normal cape having been swapped with the Chaos Wing, which he was using to fly! "Copter! You knew I'd be coming for you, so let's not waste any time playing around! Hand over your tailband and I'll let you resume...whatever it is you're doing." he demanded. Copter twirled his tails and flew up to eye level with Conan. "Hey, here's an idea, Conan! Go try and swipe the Darkseeker's crown. See how that goes!" he growled. "It'll go a lot better with the tailband. Obviously, you won't hand it over, so... die!!" As Conan thrusted his sword straight at Copter, he flew over the attack quickly and kicked off from his head to get away! "Yeah, try it! I might just toss you off the island this time!" he grumbled. While everyone else was busy fighting, Charmy was buzzing around, humming in amusement, enjoying the fact that no one appeared to be paying attention to him on account of the fact that he was a little kid. "I bet I could fly right into the bad guy's throne room, yoink his crown, and be a big hero before anyone knows I'm gone! Brilliant, Charmy!" he chuckled, stopping suddenly in midair as he noticed a sparkle in the woods nearby. "Hey... Could that be it!?" he gasped, hurrying over to check it out. "Hey! Oooof!! Where ya goin, Charmy!?" Vector shouted, though busy fending off some assorted Despair agents. Charmy dug through the bushes at the edge of the clearing, and pulled out a shiny yellow Chaos Emerald! "Aww, I thought this was something more useful..." he sighed. "Hold on to that, child!" shouted Illusi, taking a break from battling Eddie to advise him, "The Chaos Emeralds may prove vital in stopping the Darkseeker!" he said. Eddie appeared between them and growled at Illusi. "What's this grudge you have against my master?? Eeee hee hee... Wait, that's right... You owned the key. Our bad." he smirked. Illusi snarled furiously at him. "The key? You think this is about some meaningless Chaos Relic!?" he snapped, shooting a beam of pure energy at Eddie from his eyes! "FERA WAS KILLED FOLLOWING YOU FOOLS!!" he roared.

Copter was busy evading Chaos Spears from Conan's sword, but he noticed Illusi's sudden outburst. "Geez, he's still intense..." he muttered. Conan slashed his sword at the distracted fox, blocked by the very tailband he was out to steal. "Grr! Don't take me lightly! I will have ALL the Chaos Relics, and none will stand in my way!" he shouted. "I'm afraid not, my riches-driven friend... Because the Relics all belong to ME!!" Howler's voice stunned the combatants into a sudden halt, and as they looked around for its source, a black, watery image appeared in the sky overhead! It was Howler, already gaining control over Shadow Chaos, and using it to project himself as a watery double. "So much you have gathered in this place... Now, all sources of power are MINE to command!" he declared! From the direction of the forest his back was turned to, big black tendrils started to lash out at the people in the clearing! They were watery tendrils, much like the kind Shadow Chaos could use, and they rapidly snaked their way into the crowd and went straight for Copter and Conan! Without much resistance, the tendrils wrested the Chaos Wing, Chaos Tailband, and Chaos Sword from them! "AAAAH!! N-noooo!!" Conan wailed, falling to the floor with a growl of defeat as his treasures were stolen from him! "This is bad! Now he's got both the tailbands!" Copter grunted, feeling a bit overwhelmed himself. "No! Stop! Bad giant arm!! Give back my shiny!!!" Charmy squealed, pulling at his Chaos Emerald as the tendril dragged it away, too! "Charmy, don't let him get you, too!!" Vector shouted, while Espio jumped into action and grabbed the bee before he could be taken away by the dangerous enemy. "Put me down, Espio!! He's got my Chaos Emerald!!!" Charmy whined. "...Be grateful he is not taking your life." Espio sighed. Carrie and Basker even called a truce at this point, seeing how grave the situation was getting. "...I need to move my forces in a strategic retreat..." Basker sighed. "Looks to me like there won't be anywhere to retreat to soon..." Carrie shivered. "Grrrr... Can we even stop him now?" Guard questioned. Copter glanced at him and shrugged. "I'll look into that... You guys get as many as you can aboard Shadow Arc...before it's too late!" he said, hurrying off to catch up with Howler!

To be continued...