GeneX - Knuckles the Echidna
Chapter 36 - The Secret Relic
Stage 20(Dark 10) - Hidden Ruins
Boss 20 - Ridley

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:
Kosmo and Copter witnessed Punchy transform into Dark Punchy at the hand of Fera. Fearing he'd harm Rainbow, Punchy fled to Troblusk City, and made a treacherous climb to the peak of Troblusk Plateau. At the peak, he faced Illusi and the Deathbringer, but after Rainbow and Team Rose arrived to help him, Fera appeared and overcharged the Despair Seal, sending Dark Punchy into a rampage! Illusi was injured, dropping his "Chaos Key," which Fera took. She then had Anubis kidnap Rainbow, her cries for help getting through to Punchy enough to make him shatter the Despair Seal...but it was too late. Rainbow was captured. Punchy enlisted Copter and Kosmo's aid to rescue her, but first Basker jumped them and stole Kosmo's ancient coin! Their chase led them to Station Square, where Demon Island hung ominously in the sky. Joined by Guard and Rouge, they followed the trail to the Hidden Ruins where Rainbow resides. There, they met up with Espio and Charmy, who told them that Vector had been captured, too! With the Covenant of Despair's forces amassed in the underground echidna city, what is it they could be after...?
Now, on to the next chapter!


Copter and Punchy led Kosmo, Espio, Charmy, Guard and Rouge to the temple that Rainbow often stayed in as her home, but a quick search revealed that no one was there. When they came back out, they saw no Despair agents in the immediate area. There was no trail to follow. "Well, now what do we do?" Kosmo frowned. Guard grunted softly. "...Something's jamming my sensors. Grrrr... Might just be... underground interference of some kind..." he said. "Is that a scientific assessment?" Espio murmured. "Grr... I'm a science experiment, not a scientist!" Guard snapped. "Hey! Someone's coming!" Charmy exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to a strange pair wandering the underground streets. It was Talon the griffin and Char the Chao. Rouge stomped down to Talon with raised fists. "You!! Give me those Chaos Emeralds you stole!!!" she shouted. Talon jumped up and flapped away from her attack, then flicked his finger, tossing her back with psychokinesis! "Calm yourself! ...The emeralds are safe. Away from here." he said, "I just rescued this Chao from the Covenant of Despair." Char had a troubled expression on his face. "They nabbed me when I was on my way to find Dr. Eggman at Central City. They wanted me to help them get to... Um, I better not say..." he mumbled. Copter knelt down in front of Char to be at eye level with him. "Listen... They have more of our friends. If you know where they went, please help us. We'll keep you safe." he said. Char frowned, but nodded. "The servers are the seven chaos! Chaos is power, enriched by the heart! The controller serves to unify the chaos! ...But the other forces of chaos must be controlled by a higher controller!" he stated. Rouge's eyes widened. "Hey... I've heard that before!" she remembered. "Only we Chao know this secret! Follow me! Char will lead the way!" Char said proudly. The group started to follow Char, but Talon stayed behind, and Kosmo stopped to talk to him before leaving. "Hey... You seen Carrie lately?" he asked. Talon's eyes darted back and forth. "Umm... Why do you ask?" he wondered. Kosmo glanced away. "...Thanks, kid." he muttered, dodging the question.

As the group followed Char through the dirt roads of the underground city, they were being watched from an alleyway by some Despair guards. Violet the echidna and Zeke the dragon observed them, knowing that they were finally heading in the right direction. "...Let me reach out to them." Violet suggested, "Maybe I can persuade them to turn around." Zeke crossed his arms and shrugged. "I'll be there to pick up the pieces when that fails." he smirked. Violet quickly ran into the group's path, and Punchy was the first to walk up to her. "All of you... Please, leave us in peace. What we are doing... It's all for the greater good. For a better world... Wouldn't you experiments like to live free?" Violet reasoned. Punchy growled softly. "That's really nice... But what about Rainbow? Did Fera happen to tell you what she plans to do with her!?" he snapped. Violet, hearing this, stepped back a little. "R-rainbow...? I don't..." she muttered. "Wake up, girl!" Kosmo shouted, stepping beside Punchy, "You've been betrayed, as I was! They've taken your sister! What do you say to that!?" he yelled. Violet continued to back away, tears forming in her eyes. "N-no... T-they couldn't... Why would they??" she stammered, "But then... Why would we be HERE..." she gasped, the truth dawning on her. Just then, Zeke dropped down in front of her! "RAWR!! And what do you think you're doing to my comrade here!? You can punch us out, bury us in a rock slide, leave us for dead in a ditch... BUT don't you DARE make our agents cry!! ...We have an image to maintain!!" he shouted. Guard clutched his scythe and approached Zeke. "Grrrrrr!! All of you, go! Time may be running out! Grrr... I'll deal with this one!" he growled. Zeke chuckled. "I think Bucky likes me best. That's why I don't work for GUN!" he huffed. Guard smirked at him. "At least I can breathe properly." he grunted. Zeke's crackling breath crackled even louder as he spouted flames at Guard, which he flew to avoid! Meanwhile, Char waved the others along. "NOTHIN' ta see here! C'mon, we've got a bad guy party to crash! Keep it movin!" he said. Violet wiped her eyes and started to follow them. "Wait... I must know if what you say is true!" she cried.

With Despair off their backs and the group experiencing a moment of calm, Kosmo hung back and walked with Punchy, who was limping, still weak from everything he'd gone through at Troblusk Plateau. "Hey... What exactly happened to you?" he wondered. Punchy looked down at the arm that previously wore the Despair Seal. "...Fera tricked me. She trapped me with my own dark form... And I could've killed a bunch of people because of it. I destroyed the Despair Seal, and it looks to everyone like it left me weak... Actually, I'm holding back." he said. Kosmo raised an eyebrow. "So that Fera can knock you on your rear?" he muttered. Punchy shook his head. "I still... feel Dark Punchy... He may still have a hold on me. If I let him loose again... What if there's no way back?" he worried. Kosmo shrugged. "I sure don't wanna be you right now." he remarked. Suddenly, bullets came flying down at the group's feet, startling Char into hiding behind Rouge! "Assassins! Don't panic. I'll flush them out..." Espio growled. "They're shooting at us from that building!" Charmy pointed quickly. "What!? How'd you do that...?" Espio stammered. Violet ran up front, blocking the line of fire. "Hold it!!" she shouted. Infin poked his head out of a second story window and shouted down at her. "Hey... Vy!! Move it, ya daft broad! I gots a point ta make wit these clowns!" he shouted. Copter shook his fist cockily at him. "Easy to say from up there, Mr. Monkey-Suit! Come on down and lemme take off your other foot!" he yelled. Violet frowned. "Not helping, Copter..." she sighed. "Yeah, stay still, 'Chopper,' I'll pop yer blinkin' head off!!" Infin yelled, only to be startled when Violet teleported up next to him. "Cheeze, Louise!! It nearly stops my ticker when Fera does that, and I half expect it! What's yer problem!?" he yelped. Violet stared at him seriously. "I heard... that they have my sister. This mission... Do you know what it's about?" she asked him. Infin scratched his head under his hat. "Well, heck, ain't no one but da leader knows..." he muttered. Violet looked him square in the eye. "I NEED to know... And if that means throwing in with these guys... Well, maybe you'd better shoot me!" she said plainly. Infin stared at her a moment, then took off his hat dejectedly. "Aw, heck... I ain't gonna shoot ya, Violet..." he admitted. She nodded and warped away. "...I hope ya know what yer doin..." he muttered.

Char eventually led them to a corner of the underground city where the walls had been forced open, revealing a series of tunnels that had long been hidden away. "Uh oh... I think they're close." he said worriedly. "To what...?" Rouge wondered. They followed the tunnels, where the first thing they heard up ahead was Vector's yammering protests. "You KNOW you guys won't get away with this! Why, when my boys track you down, you'll..." A loud thud stopped his yacking. "Enough! Your VOICE is grating on me!" came Fera's voice! "That does it!" Espio said, charging ahead with Charmy. "Hey, wait!!" Copter stammered, followed by the entire group dashing the rest of the way through the tunnel to what awaited at the other side! Vector and Rainbow were being guarded by a number of Despair agents, and they were all standing before a great, golden door with a complex-looking lock. The Darkseeker was puzzling over this lock, a couple of agents beside him holding the Chaos Key, Kosmo's ancient coin, and the stone tablet that was unearthed from Emerald Coast! "Rainbow!! Are you all right!?" Punchy and Violet shouted at once. Rainbow glanced up from the corner she was trapped in. "Viola... One... You came...!" she gasped. Fera nodded to one of the animals guarding the prisoners, and he turned to block the group's path, revealing himself to be Ridley the coati, wearing the golden cape he'd retrieved from the Security Tower, the Chaos Wing! "What!? Wait, don't you work for Eggman!?" Charmy said, making most of the others glance at him in puzzlement. "We're detectives!" the bee explained. Ridley nodded. "My tenure with Eggman was a nice ruse dreamed up by my creator... If you didn't dig that up with your 'detective work,' I'm Experiment 12!" he revealed. Kosmo shrugged. "Well, there had to be a twelve somewhere." he said. "When did Bucky pass 9?" Rouge groaned. Ridley sighed. "Well, as I was saying... Being one of Bucky's spies allowed me to look at this Despair conflict from all sides. Eggman's a clown. Gunner's an old fool. In the interest of self-preservation, there really is only one side to choose... Despair!" he declared. Char dropped to the floor in utter disbelief. "ANOTHER traitor!? Aw, and I really liked you..." he whined.

The Darkseeker turned, his red eyes glaring upon the intruders. "If you are serious about self-preservation, keep those fools occupied." he ordered Ridley. "Can do...boss!" the coati grinned, his hands becoming engulfed in chaos-charged water! Most of the group was ready to fight, but the Despair agents guarding the prisoners held some clear-bladed swords to them. "Take a wrong step and we'll Chaos Spear the girl with these high-tech GUN blades! Try to fight us and we'll cut the croc!!" they warned. This made Espio, Charmy, Copter, Punchy and Violet all back down. "Grrr... We can't risk Rainbow's safety..." Punchy growled. Vector shouted out to his friends. "Don't just stand there! I can take care of myself! Espio, Charmy!!" he called, but they didn't move. "We must wait for the tide to turn... A ninja knows patience..." Espio said. Rouge rolled her eyes. "The tide won't turn with everyone standing around!" she said, flying ahead only to have Fera toss balls of dark energy at her! This left Kosmo and Ridley. "...You sure you want to fight me?" Kosmo asked, "Might be easier to fight THEM." he said. The collar of the Chaos Wing cape flashed, and then the cape transformed into a pair of magnificent golden wings, which flapped Ridley up above Kosmo. "Despair comes with its perks. Chaos Splash!!" he fired a burst of water at Kosmo, which he stared at awkwardly, allowing it to hit him, only to realize that a water ball actually CAN hurt. "Ooof!! Okay... Painful water balloons... I guess you asked for it." he said. Meanwhile, the Darkseeker had Rainbow brought before the golden door. "You are the guardian of this city... Open it." he commanded. Rainbow looked at him, then at the door. "Look, even if I thought this was a good idea, I have NO idea how to open this door! I've never been down here before!" she shouted. The Darkseeker's eyes narrowed. "Don't trifle with me... We will get this door opened, one way or another..." he said ominously. Rainbow shrunk back, chuckling nervously. "D-did you try that shiny key, Mr. Red Reaper?" she stammered. Violet watched this nervously. "I have to get her out of here..." she whimpered.

Kosmo sprouted white wings of his own, making him resemble a Divine. "You wanna fly? Let's fly!" he growled, taking off after Ridley while Rouge and Fera fought below. Ridley kept Kosmo busy by tossing Chaos Splash attacks at him repeatedly, forcing him to focus on his flying for the time being. In the meantime, the Darkseeker worked on the door. He noticed a small, circular impression in the doorway, the designs around it matching the ancient coin. He slid the coin into the impression, and the door started to react, sections of the doorway sliding around like a puzzle, gradually revealing something. All while Kosmo was gaining on Ridley. "All right, aqua-boy! Eat octopus tentacles!" Kosmo morphed his arms into stretchy tentacles and tried to grab Ridley in their suction-cupped grip, but he reacted quickly. "Chaos Splatter!!" A great blast of aquatic chaos-energy knocked back Kosmo as well as Rouge, while Fera warped out of the way! Kosmo had been knocked to the roof, and the suction cups of his tentacles caused him to stick to it. "This isn't... funny..." he groaned. The door finished sliding around, revealing a keyhole perfect for the Chaos Key. The Darkseeker attempted to open the lock with the key, but the door wouldn't budge. "...Yes, of course..." he whispered. At any rate, Kosmo had to act fast. He morphed his arms free of the roof in time to dodge Ridley's next wave of Splash attacks. "I heard you were supposed to be tough! Guess the hype is always bigger than the reality!" Ridley taunted. Kosmo scoffed. "If I ever have room to turn into a dragon again, your covenant's history!" he taunted back. "We'll see... First you have to get past me!!" Ridley said, diving forward with his body becoming enveloped in water, planning to end this quickly! Kosmo flapped towards him as well with a similar intention, all while the Darkseeker once again was addressing Rainbow. "The stone tablet is clear... You must be the one to open the door. I can attempt to open it by force, but there may be a failsafe keeping my prize from me..." he stated. "Aww, wouldn't THAT be a shame." Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. "...We'll see how long you keep up this attitude..." the Darkseeker mused.

Kosmo started to morph into a more mechanical form, soon resembling a winged Egg Pawn. "Ha! You kidding?? An EGG PAWN!? Now you're dead!" Ridley laughed, only to light up with electric sparks when he touched Kosmo! Char picked himself up and gave a cheer. "Aw, yeah! He turned into Jolt! Sweet!" he said excitedly. With the water intensifying the electric shock, Ridley collapsed in a heap, out of commission for the moment, and Kosmo morphed back to normal. "Well... That's a glaring weakness, isn't it?" he muttered. Just then, several people started to arrive through the tunnel, led by Chet. This included Guard, Talon and Illusi. "Figures Illusi would show up..." Punchy grunted. "I'm here to get my item back..." the shrew said, staring at Fera. Rouge flew back to Guard and tagged him. "Fera's tough... Take over." she said. The Darkseeker, however, was through waiting. "Enough! Open this door, NOW!" he growled. Just then, Violet teleported over next to Rainbow. "Don't raise your voice to my sister!!" she shouted, only to be lifted up by the throat by the Darkseeker! "Viola!!" Rainbow cried. The Darkseeker chuckled. "You value her life... Open the door, or you'll see her lose it!" he threatened. "No!!" Punchy gasped, "I gotta... do something!" he grunted. However, Rainbow acted first. "All right!" she said, with tears in her eyes, "Put her down! I'll open the dumb door!" she sobbed. She then turned the key, and the ancient coin glowed brightly as the golden door creaked open! The Darkseeker tossed Violet to the floor and hastily went into the chamber beyond, emerging a very short time later with a great sky blue crystal in his clutches! "BEHOLD!! The Chaos Crystal, object of my long search, and the great controller of the Chaos Relics!" he said triumphantly. Copter growled softly. "Great... What makes you think you'll get it past all of us?" he said. The Darkseeker chuckled. "While eliminating you all here would be a simple matter... I grant you a reprieve." he said, holding up the false wand that was part of the GXterminate machine! "My power will take ALL Despair agents from this place! Galaporta!!" he said amidst protests from Violet and Chet. After a blinding flash of light, the Darkseeker, the Crystal, and everyone who was wearing a Despair uniform was gone. The Chaos Key was gone, too. However, Kosmo retrieved the ancient coin, which turned to dust in his hand. "So much for luck..." he sighed. "What's going to happen now?" Talon wondered. "The world... will turn red... with the fires of destruction!" Rainbow shivered, "What have I done!?"

Aboveground, Sonic the Hedgehog had arrived in Station Square, though the idea to go underground could never have occurred to him. He met up with Heather the phoenix, who also found her way there. Now that Despair had gotten the Chaos Crystal to their island base, however, said island was emitting some unusual activity. A shroud of darkness was veiling Demon Island from direct sight, making its presence in the sky even more ominous than before! "Okay... Big dark clouds in the middle of the day are never a good sign. Especially when they surround an evil lair of some kind." Sonic said. Heather noticed something else up in the sky. "Hey, look! A plane!" she pointed. The tornado had arrived, and Tails brought it in for a landing in the street near Sonic, the streets having been vacated soon after Demon Island first appeared. "Hey! ...What'd I miss?" Tails asked with concern. "Too much... And weren't you supposed to bring someone back with you?" Sonic recalled. Copter, Punchy, Kosmo and many of the others met up with them the next moment. "Speedy! Nothing but bad news!" Rainbow panted. "The Covenant of Despair's got some 'controller' for the Chaos Relics!" Copter added. Prof. Pickle and SPOT joined them next. "It's as I feared." he said, munching a cucumber sandwich nervously. Tails gulped. "They have the Master Emerald, too..." he murmured. Pickle nodded. "Then they hold the power to control Chaos in its entirety. What fate is to befall the world now?" he sighed. Kosmo looked up and nodded. "We'll have to get up there..." he said, glancing at Sonic, "Right?" Sonic looked at him and gave him a thumb's up. "Well, you've come a long way. I guess we'll need some rides up there..." he smiled. Vector was standing further back, chatting on a cell phone. "Well... we got our ride. C'mon, boys. The client wants to meet." he said. "We have a client!?" Charmy gasped. Vector sighed. "How long do you think we can work for free? Yes, I found someone to pay us for lookin' into Despair! Now let's go!" he said. While everyone was starting to look for a way up to Demon Island, Kosmo was suddenly startled by Carrie appearing out of nowhere. "You...! Where have you been?" he asked. "I heard you've been looking for me. Sweet of you to be concerned, but I'm fine. You were concerned?" she figured. Kosmo nodded slowly. "Dangerous folks you're angering." he said. Carrie winked and walked off. "You, too. See ya around." she said, vanishing before Kosmo's eyes. "...Yeah, but will I see you?" he wondered.

To be continued...