GeneX - Knuckles the Echidna
Chapter 22 - The Wrong Wand
Stage 13(Hero 7) - Sewage Scramble
Boss 13 - Eddie & Infin

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:
After reuniting with Sonic, Knuckles was forced to split up with Sonic again when both Eggman and the Covenant of Despair proved to be up to something separately in Troblusk City! Following Despair into the sewers, Knuckles teamed up with Rainbow, Gemini, SPOT and, oddly, Metal Sonic to find bombs planted all over the city's underside!
They found Vortex and Whisk along the way, who studied the bombs' coordinates from SPOT's monitor so they could search them out separately.
At one of the bombs, Knuckles's group received surprise aid from Adam and Evelyn, who Gemini realized were there to take her home. The pair had to leave in a hurry, and with time running out, can our heroes find the bombs fast enough? And will Gemini's mission end regardless?
Now, on to the next chapter!


Vortex and Whisk had fought their way through a number of Eggman's Crabmeat robots, which had apparently been released into the sewer as part of a plan to infiltrate the city. Now, they'd found one of the bombs, attached directly to the underside of a manhole cover. "Thought they could hide it from ussss there, hm?" Vortex muttered. "What do we do? That thing's blocking the way out." Whisk said. "We're not looking to get out! Errr... Jussst leave thisss to me." Vortex sighed. "It's stinky down here." Whisk protested. While they were talking, a beam of ice struck the bomb, freezing it solid and startling Vortex! "What'ssss thisss!?" he hissed. Freeze stood nearby, glancing up at the bomb. "Explosive disarmed. There are still more down here." he said. "Disssarmed? It'sss jussst cold!" Vortex snapped. Freeze started to run off. "If you do not trust me, attempt to dissect it yourself!" the Gizoid shouted. Vortex glanced up at the ice and shivered. "Umm... Let'sss go..." he sighed. "But what about that thing?" Whisk asked. "I sssaid let'sss go!" Vortex hissed, running off. Whisk shrugged, and flapped up to check out the frozen bomb. A loud crash made Vortex spin around, and he saw the explosive device in pieces on the floor amidst chunks of ice. "Um... I broke it..." Whisk said sheepishly. "Happy? Ice disssarmsss the cheap explosssive. NOW can we go?!" he groaned. Whisk sighed as she followed him. "I don't think he likes me..." she muttered.


Knuckles, Rainbow, SPOT, Gemini and Metal Sonic were riding the rushing water of a sewer pipe, escaping from lospides that Lospecter had left behind. It was like a smelly, disgusting water slide, but soon they saw a mass of ice blocking their trip! "Iceberg, dead ahead!!" Rainbow shouted. "Good, grab it!" Knuckles gasped. Climbing onto the ice, the group was soon able to get back to stable ground. "That icy robot must've been through here." Gemini realized. However, SPOT was still detecting a bomb nearby. "Guess he missed something." Knuckles groaned. "{Impossible. Explosive must have been planted after Freeze passed by.}" Metal Sonic figured. Before they could start looking for the bomb, they found themselves getting surrounded by Crabmeats and Kuragens, Eggman's aquatic robots! While Knuckles and SPOT started punching and blasting the bots, respectively, Rainbow and Gemini were stuck hiding behind Metal Sonic. "Can't you reason with them or something?" Gemini asked. Metal Sonic stood firmly, doing nothing. "Are you helping us or what, Robo-Speedy!?" Rainbow yelled. Metal Sonic beeped a little. "{Analyzing situation... Eggtopia may still be in blast zone. Delay does not compute.}" As Crabmeat missiles came searing toward Rainbow and Gemini, Metal Sonic suddenly shot them out of the sky! He then sped into the fray and started to whack the robots with homing attacks, his metal body being impervious to the electric shocks emitted by the Kuragens! "About time you lent a hand, Metal Sonic!" Knuckles said. Rainbow smiled and started to run ahead once there was an opening. "I'll scout ahead! Let's stop those bombs!" she cheered. "Hey, wait! You don't know that's the way!!" Gemini yelled, chasing after her. They came running back moments later, being chased by lospides again. "Wrong way!" Rainbow shouted. SPOT started leading them down another path, so they hurried to escape the monstrous spiders, swiftly knocking out any robots that happened to get in their path on the way.

They spotted the third bomb, planted on yet another ceiling, but the lospides were still chasing them. "All right! Deal with the bomb! I'll squash these spiders!" Knuckles yelled. "Solare!!" A sudden beam of light took out the lospides before Knuckles could approach them! Gemini gulped, and looked around to see Cuthburt the alligator stomping toward her. "You know how many flushed into the sewer jokes I've had to endure from Adam thanks to you, Gemini!?" he growled. "Oh, geez!" Gemini whimpered. Her teacher, Fred the fennec, was standing behind Knuckles, and was the one who had taken out the spiders. "Better stop that bomb. Poppration!" Fred's spell caused the bomb to burst into a harmless display of fireworks, and once it was gone, he turned his attention to Gemini. "T-teacher! What are you doing here!?" she stammered. "Teacher?" Knuckles muttered, scratching his head. "At the moment, I'm defusing bombs..." Fred sighed, "We have to have a talk, Gemini, but first we must get back your wand." he said, crossing his arms. Gemini was a bit surprised how quickly he'd put together the fact that she'd lost it. "O-okay..." she mumbled, quietly sighing with relief that they didn't have to have that talk NOW. SPOT beeped a bit. "Alert!! Alert!!" Glancing at the robot's monitor, they could see that the remaining bombs were all being set up in a single location. "Well... They sure don't like whatever's above that place..." Knuckles muttered. When they looked up, Fred and Cuthburt were already gone. "Well, Freddie's awfully quick. Oh, wait... He coulda teleported us! Aw, he's as bad as Mousy!" Rainbow groaned. "Teleporting's not that easy! It's better to warp small groups around so no one gets stuck in a wall." Gemini said in his defense. Knuckles shrugged. "Whatever! Let's get to those bombs before they blow up the whole city! That many bombs in one place will make a big explosion!" he said, heading off in the direction SPOT started to lead.

They soon found themselves wandering an abandoned subway tunnel. "Are we lost? Why does the sewer lead to a subway?" Knuckles wondered. "Looks like poor planning." Gemini said, noticing water on the tracks. On the way, they saw a gargoyle in a suit, looking a lot like the ones that were with the Covenant of Despair. "Cover me. I'm going in..." Gemini growled, stomping over to him. "Hey, what'sa matta you?" the gargoyle grunted. Gemini stomped his foot and shoved him against the wall, growling at him. "My wand! You got it? Know who has it!?" she yelled. "Jeez, youse one whacked out fox! Where's the resta da gang when I need 'em?" the gargoyle groaned. Knuckles and Rainbow stood there awkwardly. "Umm... Maybe point us in the direction of the bombs?" Knuckles suggested. The gargoyle's eyes went wide. "Ya kiddin me? B-bombs!? I thought we was doin' another smash and grab job! That coven's outta there gourds!" he yelped. "This guy talks funny. Funnier than Six." Rainbow muttered. "What are you saying? You guys in the suits aren't with Despair?" Gemini asked. The gargoyle nodded. "We're a, uh... family business." he grinned. Knuckles crossed his arms. "Ho ho, so it's a gargoyle mafia. Cute." he said. "Ya won't think it’s so cute when we fly ya a mile out over the ocean and drop ya... wearin' cement shoes!" he growled, reaching into his coat slowly. Suddenly, Metal Sonic appeared beside him and grabbed his arm, twisting it and making him drop the gun he was reaching for onto the ground! "Gah!! Youse mugs are as nuts as Despair! I'm flyin' out before I blow sky high!" he growled, jumping into the air and flapping his wings hurriedly to get away from them! Gemini started after him, but Knuckles called after her. "He doesn't have it, Gemini! C'mon, let's get going before WE get blown sky high!" he suggested. Gemini sighed. "You're right... But I don't know what good I am without my wand..." she whimpered.

SPOT led the group to a large storage room that Despair had mostly cleared out in order to plant the remaining bombs. Infin and Eddie were there with a few of the gargoyle mobsters, including one particular blue one. "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!" Knuckles shouted as he entered! "Geez, what now!?" Infin yelped as he turned around. "Eeee hee hee! Keep working, 'goyles. I know how to handle this goof." Eddie chuckled. "Hey, he can't boss us around! Shoot him, Infin!" one of the gargoyles yelled. "How about you do as he says... or I shoot the bombs?" Infin said, turning and pointing a gun up at the nearest bomb. "You- you don't got the guts!" the gargoyle stammered. "Don't I? Wanna know how I lost this foot?" Infin grinned. "Y-you... You mugs're... insane....!" the gargoyle gasped while his associates whimpered. "Heehee! Who says 'mugs' anymore? Unless they mean cups, that is." Rainbow chuckled. Knuckles growled softly. "Enough! Eddie, stop it right now! You're gonna get people killed!" he shouted. "Eeee hee hee hee! That's the idea, stupid!" Eddie laughed. "Get back my wand, Knuckles. I'll put them in their place!" Gemini said. "Grrrr!! I'll put them in their place myself!" Knuckles shouted, running at Eddie and hurling a punch at him! As the punch connected, however, Eddie vanished and Knuckles stumbled over! "AAAAH, What the!?" Knuckles stammered! "Eeee hee hee hee! BOO!!" Eddie said from behind the girls! "Eeeek!! Sneak attack!" Rainbow shouted as she and Gemini backed away! "Magic!? No... wait..." Gemini murmured. "Hey! What's the big idea!?" Knuckles yelled. Eddie grinned. "The idea? It's me... Kicking your butt... And taking the Master Emerald. Eeee hee hee!" he cackled. Infin turned, pulling a second, more high tech gun from his coat. "We'll waste ya here, and blow the police station and the GUN outpost ta boot!" he grinned. "Huh? This wasn't about Tubby?" Rainbow asked. "Eeee hee hee! Why yes it was! The tubby old police chief! We'll be taking out the humans who run this town..." Eddie began, "...And then we'll own it!" Infin finished. "That's gotta be the most disgusting thing I've ever heard!" Gemini shouted. "Let's clobber these psychos quick so we can stop those bombs!" Knuckles said. Eddie's hands glowed slightly, and then two more Eddie's appeared beside him! "Eeee hee hee hee hee!! My illusions will make quick work of you! Eeeeeee hee hee hee!" he laughed. "Aw, it's an evil version of Mousy..." Rainbow sighed. "Illusions? Hah! I'm not gonna fall for that! You're going down!" Knuckles shouted.

Infin was about to pull the trigger while Knuckles was distracted with Eddie, when Metal Sonic fired his own laser at his feet! "Wuzzat?? A robot?" he grunted. "{Eggtopia bombers located! Destroy!}" flashed on Metal Sonic's monitor. Infin pointed his shock gun at Metal Sonic, and the two started exchanging shots while Knuckles charged at the three Eddies. He took a swing at the first one and it vanished. "Missed me!" Eddie chuckled, "Wrong again!" he laughed as Knuckles knocked out his other copy. He looked around and couldn't see the real Eddie anywhere. Suddenly, a feral alligator tackled him from behind, and he started struggling to force it off of him! "Eeee hee! The things people dump down here!" Eddie taunted. "Where'd this even...come from!?" Knuckles yelled, struggling. Rainbow slowly approached them, looking for an opening. "St-stay back! It'll take your arm clean off!" Knuckles shouted. However, Rainbow simply struck the gator in the back with a swift karate chop, and it disappeared in a burst of smoke! "Wha...WHAAAT??" Knuckles stammered. "Mousy's critters just take one good hit to knock out. This guy's the same way!" Rainbow grinned. Eddie chuckled and jumped over the echidnas, landing as a quartet of Eddies juggling lit sticks of dynamite. "I'm inspired by our explosive plot to blow you to bits! Try and stop me! Eeeee hee hee!!" Rainbow chuckled nervously. "Did I mention my sister works for you guys?" she whimpered. Knuckles shoved her out of the way and started trying to fight the four Eddies, though he was forced to duck and dodge as the hyenas tossed the dynamite back and forth between each other, laughing at him. "Wise guys... How about this, then?" Knuckles said, changing his tactic into attempting to catch the dynamite tossed at him! "Not sure how this illusion-dynamite works... But the hot potato's gonna burn you!" he said, tossing each stick of dynamite to a different Eddie than it was originally heading for! The hyena seemed to have trouble keeping up as he tried to control all four of himself at once, and soon they missed catching the explosives and were blown away! Once there was just one Eddie left, Knuckles attempted to throw a punch at him again. However, he once again fell right through him! "I think that one almost hit me! Eeee hee!" Eddie chuckled from behind him!

"Quit playin' around! We gotta finish these chumps before the cops catch wind of what we're up to down here!" Infin shouted, struggling to avoid Metal Sonic's homing attacks. "Dr. Eggman has already caught wind of this!" shouted Freeze as he, Vortex and Whisk charged into the room! "Another bot!? Oh dis is just great! Eddie, this operation's blown!" Infin yelled. Eddie backed away from Knuckles and glanced at Infin. "Eee hee... Wasn't that the point, Mitch?" he asked. "I-It's INFIIIIIIN!!! This is why I didn't wanna put my real name on the application form in the first place!" the weasel whined. "Um... Do you surrender yet?" Knuckles asked. Gemini, who had been sneaking toward the blue gargoyle the whole time, suddenly spoke up. "Before you go, GIMME BACK MY WAND!!!" she cried. "Make me!" the gargoyle said gruffly, seeming unfazed that she'd been sneaking up on him. "C'mon, give her back her toy." Whisk said, nudging him. This startled him. "How'd you!?" he yelped. "Whisssk!! Come back here until the bombsss are disssarmed!" Vortex yelled. Eddie grinned. "Eeee hee! That reminds me! Detonate the bombs!" he said. "Ignore him, boys." the lead gargoyle ordered. "No time to waste! Give back my wand right now!!" Gemini insisted. "No way! You'll zap me wit it again!" the gargoyle protested. Infin once again pointed his gun at the bombs. "Right, then. I'll shoot those bombs real quick!" he growled. "One, do something!!" Rainbow shouted to Knuckles. "I'm NOT One-err, Punchy!!" Knuckles shouted indignantly. Before Infin could shoot, Freeze ran ahead and blasted the bombs with ice! Infin fired anyway, but this only dislodged the bombs from the roof, making them crash down uselessly. "Whew! That was close... If Freeze hadn't froze them, they'd blow sky high!" Knuckles sighed. Infin looked completely dumbfounded. "What kinda cheapo explosives we got here!? A little ice clogs 'em up!?" he grumbled. "Oh, well. Guess we can settle for causing a ruckus in the city on our way back to base. Eeee hee hee!" Eddie chuckled. "Huh!? Hey, wait a second! Don't even think about it!" Knuckles warned. However, Eddie started to cover their escape with a swarm of illusion locusts! As Despair and the gargoyles began to escape, Gemini and Whisk grabbed the blue gargoyle. "Hold still, you!" Gemini yelled. "Eeee hee hee! So long!" Eddie cackled in the distance as the locusts vanished. "That was gross..." Rainbow sighed. "I will pursue them!" Freeze said, joined by Metal Sonic as he left.

"No more bombs detected..." SPOT's monitor read, allowing Knuckles to breathe a slight sigh of relief. However, the blue gargoyle was breaking free of Gemini and Whisk's grip. "Outta my way, or get a gut fulla lead!" he warned, pulling out a gun. "Wanda!!" Rainbow shouted. "Whisssk! Teleport!!" Vortex yelled. "Don't shoot me! Don't shoot me!" Whisk cried, vanishing from the sewer in a flash of light! However, she'd left Gemini. "You gonna move!?" the gargoyle growled. "I... can't..." Gemini whimpered. Knuckles and Rainbow started toward the gargoyle, but they wouldn't make it. Suddenly, a large flash of light emerged in front of the gargoyle! Fred, Adam, Evelyn and Cuthburt stood between the gargoyle and Gemini, and quickly surrounded him! "Who what where!? What's goin' on!? What's happening!? My parole officer was right!!" the gargoyle stammered in a panic. "Teacher!" Gemini cried in relief. "Hand over the wand... Or I'll show you what MY wand can do!" Fred warned. "And if ya don't believe in magic, then how about I just rough ya up!?" Cuthburt growled. "We got ya surrounded, chump!" Adam added. "You okay, Gemini?" Evelyn asked. Gemini nodded, and the gargoyle started to freak out. "I didn't sign up for all this! Bombs and illusions and crazy magic people! I'm goin' straight! Take the stick! TAKE IT!!" he screamed, thrusting the wand into Fred's hands and flying as fast as he could for the exit! "I WANT MY NANA!!!" the gargoyle cried as he left. Vortex shrugged and left now that the drama seemed to be over, and Knuckles and Rainbow rested nearby while Gemini had a proper reunion with her friends. "T-teacher Leo... I... I'm so relieved to see you..." she sniffled. Fred had a stern look on his face. "Gemini.... You're in serious trouble, you know that? Time travel is not to be trifled with..." he said, glancing over Gemini's wand, "Wait a second... This isn't your wand!" he gasped. "What? Of course it is! What are you saying?" Gemini stammered. "I don't doubt that the gargoyle had nothing to do with this... He could barely tie his own shoes." Fred muttered to himself, "How have your spells been lately?" he asked. Gemini thought back. "Well, they worked. I even healed someone with a gunshot wound! Only... it wasn't enough..." she said. "Are you sure the wand's a fake?" Adam wondered. "Positive. It should have put the victim in stable condition if you used the spell right. The wound couldn't be fully healed, but... The victim couldn't walk?" Fred asked. Gemini shook her head. "What's going on here...?" Knuckles wondered, noticing the looks of concern among Gemini's friends. "Was your wand stolen at any other point?" Fred asked. "Eggman's Tree Fort! That Dr. Nammad took my wand! He was experimenting on it! I thought I got it back..." Gemini explained. "Eggman has a Tree Fort?" Knuckles wondered. Rainbow nodded. "It's in the Mystical Ruins. Not far from your island." she said. Fred looked thoughtful. "He must've crafted a replica for some reason... and he still has the real wand! Gemini, we must recover it!" he said urgently. "Awww... Gemini, you really are a troublemaker!" Cuthburt groaned. "Well, I guess I'll leave you with your friends here, Gemini. I'd better catch up with Sonic!" Knuckles realized, starting off to find a way out of the sewer with SPOT. "Good luck, Wanda!" Rainbow said, following Knuckles. "Thanks, Rainbow..." Gemini said. "I'm gonna need it..." she thought. She had to get her wand back, but GUN would not be easy to infiltrate...

To be continued...