GeneXXX - A New Beginning - Adult Version

2BIT: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and all related fancharacters are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.
The Cosmic Interstate is (c) Archie comics.

---Chapter 1: Canine Companions---

"One ticket to Station Square, please!" Copter was going to take a trip to the city where he and Tails first met. He wanted to really be there this time, unlike last time, when it was just business. His travels by train had taken him to many different places, but he hadn't gone there yet. So, he boarded the train and took a seat. He looked out the window at the people, with all their comings and goings. He still felt like he was on the outside looking in, like he really didn't belong in the world. As the train filled up, Copter began to fall asleep. He was awoken before the train took off. A black coyote girl wearing a small, sleeveless purple shirt and short jeans had woken him. "Hey, can I sit next to you?" she asked. Copter looked around. It seemed there were no other seats. "Sure." he said sleepily. The coyote sat down beside him and shook his hand. "I'm Katie the Coyote. What's your name?" she asked. "I'm Copter." he replied, still sleepy. The movement of the train as it left the station woke him up, and he looked over at the canine beside him. He was instantly struck by her beauty. He did not speak, as he couldn't think of what to say. After a while, though, she noticed him staring at her. "You recognize me, don't you?" she said, "Yeah, I'm the reporter for channel 2. I guess you want an autograph or something?" Copter shook his head. "No, I don't watch the news..." He looked away and tried to change the subject. "I... errr... I bet you covered the Kosmogon incident at Station Square? I was around when it happened..." he said. Katie smiled. "That was an exciting story. You know, you look a bit like the guy that fought alongside Tails." she said, "You know, the media still doesn't have much info on that. Sargent Gunner keeps declining interviews. If you were there, perhaps I could interview you?" Copter quickly snapped up the invitation. "Sure! Anytime!" he said. "Great. How about when we get off? Where are you getting off, anyway?" Katie asked. "Station Square." he replied. Katie gasped in surprise. "Me, too! I got a camera at my house, we can start as soon as we get there!" Copter blushed a little. "Uh... At your house?" he said nervously. Katie shook her head. "No, silly! I'll get my camera and meet you somewhere. How about Emerald Coast?" Copter looked out the window to hide his look of embarrassment. "Sure. I'll meet you there..."

The train soon reached Station Square, and the two of them got off together. Leaving the station, Katie called a cab to take her home. It seemed that Katie knew the cab driver. "Heya, Mia!" she said to the driver. Mia was a blue cat with violet eyes, and was wearing her "cabbie uniform," as she calls it. "Yo, Kat, who's the skunk?" Mia said. Katie looked over her shoulder at Copter. "You're still here? What, don't you know where Emerald Coast is?" she asked him. Copter scratched his head and looked around. "Ummm.... No." he finally said. Mia pointed to the nearby hotel. "There's an entrance through there, skunk boy." she said. "Call me skunk boy again and I'll take your muffler with me!" Copter growled. Katie climbed into the cab as Mia laughed at Copter. "Chill out, buddy! I'm just messin' with ya. What's your name, then?" Katie shut the car door. "He's Copter. Stop eyeballin' him, Mia." she said quietly, so Copter couldn't hear. Mia waved at Copter and drove the cab away, leaving the fairly annoyed fox to himself. "Idiot. Skunks have stripes down their backs." he muttered, heading for the hotel.

After a while, Katie showed up and set up her camera on a stand so she could begin the interview. Holding a microphone, she made her introduction. "Hi, I'm here at Station Square for an interview with a fox who was present at the Kosmogon incident. Hello, Copter!" She held her mic to Copter, who didn't know how to react. "Oh, umm... hi?" Katie began the interview right away. "So, Copter, where were you when that big ship passed over Station Square?" Copter realized that he shouldn't tell the truth, as it might get him in trouble. "Umm... I was... uhhh... just... wandering the streets..." he said, a very bad liar. Katie pretended to ignore this and went on to the next question. "So, describe to us what you saw when the ship arrived." Copter struggled to think of a good lie. "Ummm, well, you see... I umm.... It was..." Katie interrupted him before he could finish. "You weren't in the streets, were you, Copter?" she asked knowingly. "Wh-what? Yes, I said I was in the streets!" he protested, but it was no use. "C'mon. I'm not an idiot, Copter. You were the second fox up there, weren't you?" she said, turning off the camera. Copter's jaw dropped. "You KNEW!?" he grumbled. Katie smiled. "I was in the streets myself. I saw you. What I'm very curious to know is why a hero like you lies." Copter looked like a little kid who was caught causing trouble, and Katie found this adorable. "Hey, listen, it's OK. If it makes you feel better, that camera wasn't really recording." she said, patting him on the back. "It's GUN, mostly." Copter said, "They've always been out to get me." Katie started packing up her camera. "You don't have to worry about me. I may be a news hound, but I can keep a secret!"

As Katie and Copter left the beach, Copter couldn't shake the feeling someone was watching him. Up in a high floor of the hotel nearby, a brown raccoon watched him with binoculars. "At last, I've found you!" he muttered to himself, "And what's more, I've found a nice bargaining chip." He put away his binoculars and picked a sheathed sword up from beside the window. "Of course, if all else fails, this won't." He started laughing as he thought of his plan. "Another day, another hunt! It won't be too long before I have everything I need!" He gazed over at a picture he'd placed on the table. It was a picture of a dark blue squirrel girl. "Nothing will stand in my way, ever again."

Copter and Katie went their separate ways. It was getting late, and Katie needed to go home. Copter, on the other hand, had nothing but time. As he wandered the streets, exploring the city, he was eventually spotted by a familiar face. "Tails! Good to see you!" Amy's voice came from behind him. He turned around and she realized her error. "Ooops, it's just you, Copter. I gotta get my eyes checked..." she said. "I suppose you were hoping that I was Tails because that might mean Sonic was in town?" Copter asked. Amy noticed something odd about him, something only she could notice. "Say, Copter... You seem... different..." she said. Copter placed his hands on his hips and shut his eyes, sighing an irritated sigh. "How so?" he asked, humoring her. Amy took him by the hand and led him in a circle. "Joyous day for Copter! He's in love!" she cheered. Copter pulled his hand free and backed away from her. "Are you always this nuts? What makes you say I'm..." he began to say, and Amy answered quickly. "In love? I can tell! So, who is it? Anyone I know? Have you told her how you feel yet?" All these questions took Copter a bit off guard. "I-I don't know what... No, I haven't told her..." he said hurriedly. Amy frowned at him. "Oh, that won't do! You gotta tell her! You can't keep such a feeling all bottled up inside, you'll explode!" she said scoldingly. "H-hold on! I only just met her!" Copter protested. This only got Amy's romantic thoughts going more. "Love at first sight! How cute! Just like me, when I met Sonic..." She sighed longingly, reminiscing about when she first met Sonic. Copter turned and ran toward the hotel while she was distracted. "Uh, nice talking to ya, but I gotta get a hotel room for the night! See ya!" he shouted. Amy waved as he left. "Good luck with your romance, Copter! I hope you can be as happy as me someday!"

Copter couldn't sleep that night. There was far too much on his mind. Amy was right, the fact he'd said nothing ate away at him viciously. However, that wasn't all he was worried about. Earlier that day, he'd revisited the Mystic Ruins. It turned out, Shadow Arcangel had taken off again! While Copter was certain Bucky would not do anything drastic for a while, he was still concerned. Bucky's misdeeds had gotten Copter imprisoned once, and he feared it may happen again. "Since I may not have much time... I have to tell her how I feel..." he thought. Still, it wasn't the first time he'd felt he loved someone. During the day of the Kosmogon, Copter had felt something for Rainbow and Cream at certain times. Perhaps this wasn't love exactly, but it had to be something...

The next evening, Copter stumbled sleepily out of the hotel. He'd spent the whole day trying to sleep, but didn't get much. Now, it was rather late the next day. "Should've listened to Amy..." he thought.  As he was about to cross the street, Mia's taxi cab pulled up to him. "Get in, now!" Mia ordered. Copter hesitated, so she opened the door and pulled him in really quickly, and sped away toward the busy streets of Station Square. "Hey, what's going on!? You do know kidnapping is illegal here, don't you?" Copter shouted angrily. Mia let out a sort of angry laugh. "Now that's irony! Here, read this!" she said, handing Copter a scrap of paper. Copter read what was written on the paper aloud. "Dear Skunk-Looking Fox, I highly suggest you bring your tailband to Speed Highway by 10:00. Otherwise, I'll just have to test the sharpness of my blade on your little girlfriend. Warmest regards, Conan the 'Coon." Mia nodded as she drove. "Yeah, do you have that tailband thing the note's talking about?" she said gruffly. Copter re-read the note and scratched his head. "I don't have a girlfriend...yet..." he said, mystified. Mia took the note back with one hand and continued steering with the other. "He thinks Katie's your girlfriend. Now do you have the trinket or what?!" she shouted. Copter fully realized what was going on and grabbed the band from his tail. "Shoot, he's after the Tailbands of Chaos!? How'd he learn about them? And... He's got Katie!?" Mia let out an irritated groan. "Not very fast in the head, are ya? That raccoon's insane! He's got this sword and... You're gonna help Katie or I'll personally kill you!" she shouted. Copter nodded in agreement. "I can't believe I got her in such trouble so quickly..." he thought, horrified at the situation he'd caused.

Mia's cab soon reached the meeting place at Speed Highway. It was on a blocked off bridge, so Mia stopped next to the cones blocking the bridge. She rushed Copter out of the cab. "Go, go, go! I'll be right back with the cops, okay?" she said. Copter shook his head. "No police. This is my mess, and I'll fix it." he told her. Mia gave him another angry laugh. "No thanks, pal. If you don't want police involvement, you better wrap it up quick, before I get back!" As Copter walked past the cones and onto the bridge, Mia's cab drove away quickly and recklessly. "She cares, I'll give her that..." Copter thought, running to reach the meeting place. He only had a few minutes left before 10:00, so he had to hurry!

Copter soon learned why the bridge was blocked off. It led to a dead end, high above the ground. Conan was waiting there with Katie, who had been tied up. Conan wore a grey hat and a black cape. A belt around his waist held the sheath to his sword. As Copter approached, he drew the sword, a silver blade with a golden hilt. "It took you long enough, didn't it, vermin?" Conan said deviously, "Have you brought the item?" Copter held it in his hand and showed it to him. Conan had a wicked smile on his face. "That's nice. Would you happen to have the other one?" he asked. Copter closed his fist over the tailband. "You never said anything about both of them! And you're not getting this one until you let Katie go!" he growled. "How bold. But I know the tailbands were hidden together. Where is the second one?" Conan demanded. "Let Katie go, then we'll talk!" Copter shouted. Conan looked over at his captive. "This is getting us nowhere, isn't it? G'bye, love!" he said, pushing Katie over the ledge! Copter leapt over the edge after her, slipping the tailband on his tail along the way and catching Katie before she could fall far! Copter flew back to the bridge and landed a safe distance away from Conan. He quickly untied Katie so she could move. "Hide. This won't be pretty." Copter instructed her. Katie gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before running off. "Good luck, Copter!" she said.

Copter turned to Conan, who had pointed his sword toward Copter. "Very impressive. Just the sort of defiance I expect from GeneX Experiment 2!" he growled, swinging the sword to his side. Copter clenched his fists and bared his teeth, ready for a fight. "Just who are you, Conan? What do you want with the tailbands!?" he shouted. "My dear boy, it's power I want! As for me, I am the ultimate treasure hunter! And this... This blade is one of the many treasures I've unearthed! The Chaos Sword! Let me show you what it can do.... Blade, grant me power! Chao Spear!" Conan pointed the blade at Copter again, and a Chaos Spear blasted forth from it! Copter was taken off guard and it knocked him on his back. Conan laughed as he approached the wounded fox. "The old world was truly amazing, wasn't it? Now, die!" Copter quickly rolled out of the way as Conan thrust his sword at him. As he stood up he was struck by another Chaos Spear, and in order to get away from the attacks he had to fly behind Conan. "Nice try!" Conan shouted as he pointed his sword behind him and sent more spears after Copter with surprising accuracy. Copter swiftly avoided the attacks as Conan turned toward him, which allowed him more accuracy. In moments, Copter found a barrage of spears coming straight at him, and all he could do was try to block with his tails. As he did this, the tailband glowed and emitted a blast of energy that negated the spears. Copter slowly lowered his guard when he realized he wasn't being hit. "What was that...?" he muttered. "Tapping into its power eh? Ha! I'll find you!" Conan shouted, looking around. Copter was puzzled. "What's he looking for?" he thought. Suddenly, Conan spun in a circle with his blade pointing forward, firing spears all around him. A spear struck Copter and knocked him over. "Ah, I see. You didn't move. I do wonder if you even know you're invisible!" Conan laughed as he approached Copter. "I'm invisible?! What are you talking about!?" Copter grunted, standing up. "It's a shame you're so stupid. I almost hoped you might keep me amused!" Conan said, swinging his sword at Copter, who quickly jumped out of the way. As Copter landed behind Conan, the raccoon simply spun around and smacked him with a Chaos Spear. As Copter tumbled forward from the attack, he suddenly noticed that his tailband had stopped glowing. "Can't control the tailband, eh?" Conan observed, chuckling softly at Copter's confusion. Copter turned to face Conan. "My tailband can make me invisible? But I guess since it stopped glowing, I'm visible again, aren't I?" he asked. "Oh, you DO catch on!" Conan said in mock surprise. "Now, once again, die!" The raccoon lunged after Copter with his blade, but Copter quickly jumped into the air and hit Conan in the head with his tails, knocking the raccoon backward hard. Conan had been taken by surprise, and the hit was sending him over the edge of the bridge. "Not totally clueless, eh? We'll meet again, Experiment 2!!!!" he yelled, seemingly falling to his doom. Copter, however, knew better. "Someone like that always has a contingency plan. He WILL be back... And next time he'll know that I know BOTH powers of the tailband..."

Copter found Katie back where Mia had dropped him off earlier. "I don't think we'll see him for a while." he said. Katie ran up to Copter and hugged him tightly. "Thank goodness, you're all right! What are ya, crazy? You should've waited for the police!" she said, holding back tears. "What is it with everyone and cops today? Doesn't anyone trust me even a little? I DID help beat the Kosmogon!" Copter grumbled. Katie released him from her embrace and looked away. "I'm sorry, I know. You don't need help." They could hear a siren heading their way after a moment. "I think I'd better go." Copter said, walking away. Katie ran to his side. "Shouldn't you stay and talk to the police?" he asked. "Mia will explain everything well. She's good at that sort of thing. And I'd rather walk home with you." she said, taking his arm. "Well, um... O...K..." Copter muttered nervously. Copter can sure be shy when the mood takes him.

They walked slowly on their way to Katie's house. Copter kept his head down most of the way, afraid to look at her. It was apparently up to Katie to make conversation. "I see you on the train a lot." Katie said, "What brings you there so often?" Copter shrugged. "I'm on a journey. Sort of...searching for something." he replied. "Really? What are you searching for?" Katie wondered. Copter thought for a moment. "I'm not really sure. I'll know it once I've found it." Katie laughed a bit. "Are you sure? Hard to know you've found something if you don't know what you're looking for! Still, I do have faith in you. You'll find it." It was a bit cold out, and Copter thought she might be cold, so he put his arm around her, huddling close for warmth. "Who knows? Maybe I already have..." he said quietly. They walked a while, huddling close all the way. Whether it was the excitement earlier, or the cold on the way, the two had become quite close quite fast. Though they didn't talk much along the way, they mutually seemed to think nothing needed to be said. Soon, they reached Katie's home. Katie lived in a small house by the streets of Speed Highway. Only a couple rooms, but her whole life was in there. "Wanna come in?" Katie asked him. Copter thought a moment. It beat a hotel, so he decided to stay at her place that night.

Katie's home was surprisingly plain. It was nice, sure, it just didn't really stand out in any way, other than a few pictures hanging on the walls of her friends and family, and a bunch of newspaper clippings in an album on her living room table. "What're these?" Copter wondered aloud. "Sonic stories. Many written by me. I worked with a newspaper before getting on TV." she told him, "To be honest, I'm fairly new to the TV news." Copter looked over the clippings, detailing the battles with Chaos, the Biolizard, and the Black Arms. The two sat down on Katie's couch. "Do you know that I've never really been in a house in my life?" Copter said, realizing it suddenly. Katie looked at him quizzically. "Never? That can't be true." Copter frowned, and she could tell that it was. "Goodness, you've had a rough life, haven't you, Copter?" she said sadly. She took his hand in hers and gazed into his lonesome eyes, sensing the pain he had felt in his short life. Copter gazed back into her eyes and found his heart pounding with nervousness. Katie put her hand on the back of his head, making Copter a bit nervous. "Wh-what are you..." he started to say, but was interrupted by her with a passionate kiss on the lips, at first just pressing her lips against his. Once Copter knew what was going on, instinct moved him to open his mouth, while she opened hers as well, and he darted his tongue into her mouth, savoring her taste. It was his first kiss, an experience he would never forget.

Katie broke the embrace and took Copter's arm, leading him to her bedroom. "What's up? What're we doing now?" Copter said ignorently. Katie smiled excitedly at him. "Can't you guess?" she said. Copter gave her one look and she realized he couldn't. "Oh, wow. A guy who doesn't know about THAT! Take it easy, buddy, I'll teach you what you need to know!" She playfully tossed Copter down onto the violet sheets of her bed. He looked up at her, confused, terrified, and oddly excited. She climbed up on top of him, taking his hands in hers and leading them to the bottom of her shirt. Slowly understanding, he pulled the shirt upwards, stopping suddenly as he neared her breasts. "Go ahead." she said, and he obeyed, yanking her shirt over her head and, still clutching the shirt, gazed at breasts for the first time. He was instantly hypnotized by this discovery, gazing at the beautiful round treasures before him. Her light pink tits perked up as he looked at them, and Katie blushed as she noticed Copter's rapidly growing erection. Copter, finally noticing that himself, gasped at how big he was now that he was hard. Instinct taking over, Copter grabbed Katie by the arms and flipped over her, with himself on top.

He reached for her breasts, but stopped before touching them. "Are you sure about this?" Copter asked, feeling somehow that he ought to. Katie reached between his legs and touched his balls. "I've never been with a virgin before. I'd be happy to take yours." she said lustfully. To show he understood, Copter touched her breasts gently, carressing her tits as she gasped in pleasure. A few moments, and Copter's instinct led him to take a tit in his mouth, causing her to gasp more excitedly. "That's good... I like that..." Katie moaned, reaching for Copter's member. She felt the tip of his cock and made her own discovery. "Foreskin? Something new for me, too!" she said, taking his shaft in her hand and moving it back and forth. As she slowly stroked his foxhood, he stopped touching her tits. "What the... ahhh...." he moaned, taking in another new experience.

He savored her touch for a moment, then wrapped his arms around her and gave her another kiss, this one longer, and even more passionate. She let his cock go and wrapped her own arms around him. The two felt around each other's backs, while their tongues got better aquainted. Copter's erection rubbed against her jeans throughout the embrace, and this was filling Copter with an indescribable feeling. As their lips parted, Copter reached down between her legs. She let him go, allowing him to sit up and slide off her. He then slowly pulled off her jeans, taking her panties with them. Another surprise met his eyes, her soaking wet vagina. Copter, curious, lowered his head toward her flower and took in the scent. He smiled. "How lovely... I wonder how it tastes..." He brought his lips to these new lips, and slowly felt it with his tongue. "Ah! Ohhh... Copter... Do that again..." Katie begged. Copter obliged, this time sucking with his mouth as well, slurping up her love juices as she panted with pleasure. Katie cupped her breasts in her hands as he did this, enjoying every moment. He pulled out suddenly as she called his name. "Copter! That's enough foreplay! Let's go all the way! I want to be your first!" Copter stood up, unsure how to proceed. Sensing his uncertainty, she sat up as well. "Think for a moment Copter. Then, go as hard and fast as you can, for as long as you can. Don't worry about hurting me, 'cuz I'll love it as much as you!" She laid back down, and Copter thought a moment. Looking down at her juice soaked pussy, and then at his precum tipped member, he then realized what to do.

Copter got up on the bed on all fours, arching his back over her. He looked like a strong, savage animal to her, and if his twin tails weren't wagging playfully, she might have been frightened. Copter gazed into her beautiful brown eyes, and smiling warmly, mouthed the words, "I love you." Then, at last, he let his instincts take over. His body crashed down onto hers, his member forcefully thrusting into her pussy. At first, Katie screamed, but immediately afterward she started gasping and panting in unison with Copter, as they both thrust their hips in time with each other. At first, the whole experience felt a bit weird to Copter, especially when his forskin pulled all the way back for the first time. As he continued to push in and pull out, he forgot the strangeness entirely and slowly raised himself over her again, the two becoming further aroused looking at each other's bodies, her breasts bouncing and the muscles tensing beneath his fur as he continued. Each thrust taught Copter more than he ever thought possible. Each gasp from her lips filled him with an odd delight. She was gasping for him, she was allowing him to do this to her. All at once he felt other feelings he never thought he'd feel, foremost, a sense of acceptance, of belonging. He smiled at his lover as he screwed her. "This is the absolute best day of my life." he said between pants. Katie smiled back, blushing bright red. She had become too exhausted to move with him now, as, truth be told, she was a bit tired at the start. It was all Copter now, and she just sat back and enjoyed the ride of what was one of the best sex encounters she had ever had. "You're really good, for a first timer..." she gasped.

As Copter continued, he lowered himself closer to her, until she reached out her arms and pulled him to her, his thrusts still growing more intense by the moment. The two began to let themselves go, calling out to each other, shouting each other's name, and various words of encouragement. Katie called out his name almost every other breath, begging him to take it as far as he could. However, soon Copter knew it was coming to its end. "I think I'm gonna explode!" he shouted. At that moment, Katie came, covering Copter's foxhood in her juices. Still, she urged him to continue. "Keep it up, Copter! Go as long as you can! Cum deep inside me... Your first seed... Give me your virginity!!!"

And he gave it to her. He thrust his cock into her one final time, and he became a new fox. His warm, virgin seed burst forth from his foxhood, planting itself deep within her soft, heavenly flower. Copter let out a surprised gasp as his body fell onto hers, caught by her waiting arms. She gave him another kiss, then asked him, "So, Copter, how does it feel to have lost your virginity to me?" She was obviously a bit proud over this, as though she had somehow won a victory over him. Copter blushed, smiling a bit shyly. "H-how did I do?" he asked. Katie kissed him once more, then mouthed "I love you" to him, giving him his answer.

Copter rested a moment in her arms, then asked her a question. "Wanna go again?"

Katie was shocked! This was the first time she found a man that not only stayed awake afterward, but was eager for another go! Despite how tired she was, it was a Friday, and she COULD sleep in the next day... "S-sure!" she said, her turn to feel a bit nervous. For what she didn't know, was that as an experiment, Copter had a few special gifts, like this increased stamina. Also, it was believed by Bucky that the experiments were impotent. Though this theory was untested, it seemed a safe bet. Essentially, aside from their combat abilities, the experiments were also sex machines! And with Copter newly hooked, it was more or less a sleepless night for Katie the coyote. But more importantly, an unforgettable one.


The next day, Conan searched the city for Copter, but did not find him. He had survived his fall through his own special methods, and now wanted revenge. "No one defeats me! No one! I may have been caught off guard last time, but next time, he WILL die!" he thought, holding the picture of the squirrel girl. "I will find all of the Chaos treasures, just you wait and see!"

---Chapter 2: The Jackal---

"I've had ENOUGH!" Knuckles had caught Punchy attempting to steal the Master Emerald for the umpteenth time. Punchy leaned against the emerald while Knuckles shouted at him. "What is this to you, a game!? It's bad enough I have to live here at this lonely shrine, but I have to have you giving me grief constantly, too?!" he shouted. Punchy snickered at him. "Gee, Red, wouldn't you be bored without me?" he chuckled. Knuckles pushed him away from the Master Emerald. "It was peaceful before you were created! Now, I can never rest! Well, that's it! I'm taking a vacation!" he declared. Punchy looked at him quizzically. "Vacation? You're going to leave the Master Emerald here?" he asked. Knuckles replied by lifting the Master Emerald and stomping off. Punchy followed slowly behind. "Now, hold on! You can't just take off like that! What about Angel Island? What about..." Punchy found himself at a loss for words as Knuckles crossed the bridge toward the Red Mountain area. "The island will be fine. I'm outta here!" Knuckles muttered. "You know I'm just gonna follow you, Red!" Punchy shouted, still following Knuckles. "Right, sure, you're gonna chase me through Red Mountain without gliding? Good luck, Green!" Knuckles chuckled. He had a point, too...

Punchy found himself lost with Knuckles out of sight in no time. In the attempt to keep up, he'd gotten himself lost in the mountain caves. Now, he'd be content just to find an exit. "Who made these caves so big... and full of lava? Stupid Knuckles..." he mumbled, frustrated. He wasn't used to the heat, and didn't take to it very well. So, he hurriedly searched for a way out, heading on an upward path to distance himself from the lava.

"That's him!" A black and brown jackel was comparing Punchy to a sketch of Knuckles, which was in black and white. "The guardian of the Master Emerald. My mission begins now. Prepare yourself, echidna, to face the fiery wrath that is me! Anubis the Jackal!" Anubis waved his hands over the ground before him. "Arise, my servants! The time has come to bring despair to the denizens of the light once again!" Responding to the jackal's call, several arms burst out from beneath the ground, clawing their way to the surface. "I just wish there was a way to hurry this up. I grow weary waiting for the carnage to commence." Anubis complained as his minions dug themselves out of their resting places.

Punchy reached a dead end, a cliff at the peak of the path he was traveling on. The cliff overlooked a sea of lava, seemingly endless. "I guess I better turn back." he sighed, really wishing he hadn't followed Knuckles this far. As he turned to leave the area, he discovered that a group of black mummies had followed him! "What's with the black toilet paper? Who are you guys?" he growled, clenching his fists. Anubis stepped past them and stood in front of Punchy. "We are the agents of despair! I, Anubis, shall be taking the Master Emerald to its new home, guardian!" Punchy looked at the group he was faced with, and gave Anubis a confused look. "Guardian? No, I'm the guy trying to steal it. And I seem to have lost track of it myself..." he explained. Anubis stared blankly at Punchy. "Your lies are amusing, but far more amusing will be your cries of agony! Break him, my servants!"


Knuckles was pretty pleased with himself as he made his way to the Mystic Ruins train station. He needed this vacation, and he was glad Punchy wouldn't be following him. As he reached the station, a train from Station Square arrived. "I wonder if there's a train to Soleanna from here..." Knuckles thought. He hoped to make it in time for the Sun Festival. As the passengers cleared off the train, Knckles spotted a familiar face, Rainbow's. She spotted him quickly. "Hey, there, Knucklehead! What's up? Where's One?" she said cheerfully, looking around for her friend. She looked behind Knuckles, over the nearby railing, and then lifted up Knuckles' foot. Knuckles jumped away from her. "I'm not STANDING on him, crazy! He's not here!" he said, flustered. Rainbow scratched her head in confusion. "Then where is he?" she asked. Knuckles pointed to Angel Island. "I lost him in the mountains on my island. He can't glide, so it was pretty easy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to catch a train!" Rainbow shook Knuckles' hand before taking off. "Thanks, Knucklehead!" she shouted back as she left. Knuckles shook his head. "I can't help feeling a bit sorry for Punchy... Having to put up with HER..."


"Hi-ya!" Punchy smashed the last of the mummies to dust after a bit of a fight. "If they already died once, what makes anyone think I couldn't kill them again?" he muttered, looking around and seeing no one in sight. "Looks like that weirdo got scared and ran! Ha ha!" As Punchy started to head back the way he came, a wall of fire blocked erupted in front of him, blocking his exit. "How in the..." he started to say, when Anubis dropped from the sky behind him, cackling loudly to get his attention. "That was merely a test to guage your power. An infant could have defeated those mummies. Now, you face my fury! Burn in my Hellfire!!!" Anubis held out his hand and produced a flame from his palm. "Despair, for your miserable existance is about to end!" The flame burst into a large fireball, which Anubis hurled at Punchy. Punchy scrambled to get out of the way, but Anubis merely shot a jet of flames in front of him, cutting off his escape! "It's no use. You would be wise not to resist. The pain shall end faster." he insisted. Of course, that was out of the question. "You think you're so tough? I'll show you!" Punchy shouted, jumping high into the air. "I hope this works..." He lunged foreward in the air, attempting to glide, but he couldn't. He tumbled to the floor and rolled over the ledge, barely grabbing the wall before falling. Anubis slowly turned around and watched him pull himself up. "Or perhaps you'd prefer to destroy yourself, oaf." he said. Punchy climbed to his feet and smirked at Anubis. "No thanks. I think I'll show you my true power! Chaos Avelanche!" Punchy lifted up chunks of the ground using his Chaos powers and threw them at Anubis. The jackal did not panic. He slowly and skillfully stepped left and right, dodging the rocks effortlessly. "Mere trifles. You cannot hope to harm me. Still, you're welcome to try. Approach me, imbecile!" Anubis growled. Punchy ran at him and attempted to punch him, but Anubis simply caught his fist in his hand, retaliating with a swift, flaming kick to Punchy's chest! Punchy was knocked away, but not shaken much. Anubis didn't waste a moment, and quickly shot two fiery pillars from his hands toward Punchy. Seeing no easy way to dodge the attack, Punchy flung himself over the ledge and grabbed the wall as the flames passed by him. "It is futile to hide!" Anubis slowly walked toward where Punchy was clinging to the wall. "I am not exiting this abyss without the great controller! As for you, you will never leave this place!" Punchy was climbing along the side of the wall, desperately trying to come up with a strategy. Soon, Anubis had reached the ledge, and spotted Punchy trying to escape. "Burn to ashes!" Anubis shouted, spouting flames at Punchy from his mouth! Punchy quickly pushed himself back to the top of the ledge and climbed to his feet while Anubis was busy. "You sure like to talk!" Punchy grunted, running after Anubis once again. Anubis was too slow turning around, and Punchy managed to push him over the ledge! However, Anubis wasn't caught off guard, and managed to grab Punchy's hand as he fell! Punchy grabbed the ledge with his other hand, and tried to drop the jackal into the lava. Anubis climbed up Punchy's body to reach the ledge and within moments stood over the echidna, ready to deliver the final blow. "Any final words, guardian?" he asked as he created another fireball in his palm.

"You leave One alone!" Rainbow's voice shouted from behind Anubis. The jackal quickly turned around to see Rainbow gliding toward him at high speed, fists forward. She flew right into Anubis and knocked him over the ledge! As he fell, he attempted to drag Punchy down with him, but Rainbow managed to grab Punchy's arm just as Anubis pulled him off the wall! Punchy kicked Anubis away from him, and the fiery jackal plunged into the lava as Rainbow pulled Punchy up. They looked down to catch a final glimpse of a flaming Anubis as he sunk beneath the sea of lava. Anubis let out a terrible shriek and left them with some final words. "My death is nothing! Soon, you and all the world will succumb to the ultimate despair!!" With that, Anubis was gone.

Rainbow waved farewell to Anubis. "Um... Sorry... I didn't mean to..." she started to say before beginning to cry, "Oh, my gosh... I just killed that guy..." Punchy looked out over the sea of lava. "Yup, looks like it. You'd think a pyrokinetic would be able to survive in lava..." he said, They were silent a moment, when Punchy suddenly realized something. "You just saved my life..." he said, stunned. Rainbow's crying subsided somewhat at his words. "He was about to kill you...? Then it serves him right!" she said, her cheery demeaner returning. "How'd you know I was here, anyway?" Punchy asked as they started to leave, since Anubis' flames were no longer blocking the path. "I saw Knucklehead on my way off the train! He said you were here!" she explained. "He must be long gone by now..." Punchy realized, "Well, maybe he went to Station Square! At least if I'm wrong, I can spend the night at your place...um...maybe?" Rainbow smiled and nodded. "Sure! Follow me, One!" she said excitedly, running ahead to lead the way out.

Of course, Knuckles wasn't in Station Square. However, Punchy did run into Copter during his search. They both shared the stories of their recent adventures while chatting in front of the train station. "Sounds like you really like this Katie gal, eh, Copter?" Punchy chuckled. "Well, I only just met her... But, yeah. I think so. At any rate, she sure gave me an unforgettable evening." Copter said. "Really? What'd you two do all night?" Punchy asked. Copter blushed, remembering the incredible night he'd had. "Uh, None of your business!" he said, "Hey, I bet Rainbow likes you, Punch! She saved your life, what, twenty times already?" Punchy shook his head. "You've got it all wrong. I'm the one who normally saves her!" he insisted. Copter laughed. "Ah, so you're the one who likes her? Or maybe you're secretly a couple! Have you slept with her yet?" Punchy smacked Copter in the back of the head. "Shut up! You sick bastard!" Copter continued chuckling. "That's not sick. What, are you gay?" he said. "Ah, I get it. You slept with Katie already, didn't ya, Copter?" Punchy realized. Copter leaned against the wall, grinning smugly. "I wouldn't say sleep... heh heh..." Punchy shook his head. "Whatever. I gotta go." Punchy muttered, walking away. Copter waved as he left. "Nice talking to ya, One!" Punchy hurled a rock at Copter. "Fine, fine. Mr. One!"

After a while, Punchy gave up the search and found his way to Rainbow's underground home. As he walked down the roads of the hidden city, he noticed that little had changed. Remnants of the robots he had fought on his first visit were still scattered about. The hole in the library where Terra had crashed through it was still there, as well as the hole where Rainbow's doorway used to be. "I guess she can't fix this stuff by herself." he thought, feeling some remorse for the damage that he'd caused by leading Terra to her home. "Well, it wasn't REALLY my fault... Still..." he thought as he walked into Rainbow's temple-esque home.

Rainbow wasn't at the entrance room, and Punchy didn't feel like getting lost, so he looked around the first room. There were ancient statues of echidnas along the walls, possibly Rainbow's ancestors. From looking at them, Punchy determined that Rainbow must be the last of an ancient echidna race. "It must be a lonely life she leads..." he thought, "I guess we do have something in common. We're alone."

"Hey, there, One! How'd it go?" Punchy turned to see Rainbow entering from a hallway to the left. She was wearing a towel. "I thought I heard someone come in. Did you find Knucklehead?" she asked. Punchy was a bit surprised that she'd come to see him before getting dressed, but didn't think too much on it. "I don't think he came to Station Square." he said in response to Rainbow's question. Rainbow shrugged her shoulders, holding up her towel as she did. "Ah, well. Tomorrow is another day! Don't worry too much about it, One!" she said. Punchy felt a bit nervous with her standing there in a towel, so he averted his gaze. "Did you just get out of the shower?" he asked. Rainbow let out a soft chuckle. "The ancient city doesn't have showers! Silly! I was going to the water fountain. I don't think I washed myself since that day we met! I hope I wasn't killin' anyone with my stink!" Punchy sniffed the air a bit. "I don't smell anything." he said. Rainbow chuckled again. "Still, I better get goin'. You can look around 'till I get back." She started to leave, but hesitated before exiting. "Unless... you'd care to join me?" Punchy was stunned, and thought for sure he hadn't heard her right. "Wha?" he said with surprise. Rainbow looked in his direction. He was still standing with his back to her. "I imagine that you haven't washed yourself in a while, either." she observed. It was true, in fact he couldn't recall EVER washing himself. Now that he was certain he had heard her right, his shock made him forget why he wasn't looking at her, and he turned around. "Are you okay, Rainbow? I mean, you know we'd be NAKED together, right?" he said. Rainbow didn't seem to understand. "So what? I mean, you're naked all the time, One!" she pointed out. Punchy couldn't believe she could be this naive. "Well, uh... Don't you wear clothes for a REASON?" he said. "Yeah. I get cold. I don't see how you and the other guys don't get cold. Why, should I have another reason?" Rainbow replied. Suddenly, Punchy realized the truth of the situation. Somehow, Rainbow had grown up without learning the ideas of shame, modesty, or decency as it pertains to the body. She saw no reason why she should hide her feminine parts. So, Punchy realized the incredible opportuniy he'd just been offered. He decided to take it. "Um, no reason. Don't pay attention to me. I just... never got asked to bathe with someone before. It seemed kinda... weird to me." he said. Rainbow stared at him blankly. "Weird? So is that a no?" she asked. Punchy quickly shook his head. "No, I mean, yes... Uh, I mean..." he gathered his thoughts, cleared his throat, and continued, "I... um, I'd be delighted to join you. If you'll have me." he said politely. "Well, then what're we standing around here for? Follow me, One!" Rainbow said cheerfully, leading Punchy to her "bathing fountain." Punchy smiled excitedly to himself as he followed her. "I can't believe my luck! Perhaps this friendship is worth it after all! I dare say I'm even starting to like her!" he thought.

She led him to a large room with the fountain in the center. Water flowed from a statue five echidnas holding jars over their heads. Water flowed from the jars to the ground, where it then flowed down a drain. "Haven't seen you guys in a while!" Rainbow said, waving to the statues. Beside the fountain was some soap and rags that Rainbow had picked up on one of her trips to the surface. "I don't know how, but the water from these fountains is always just perfect! Take off your shoes and hop on in!" she said, playfully tossing off her towel and running to the fountain! Punchy's mouth hung open a moment. It had all happened so fast, it took a moment for his brain to process it. Rainbow had stopped before going underwater to turn around wait for Punchy. Now, her gorgeous, beautiful body was in full view of Punchy, who was utterly stunned. He never imagined that she could be so sexy, and he was quickly getting hard looking at her. Realizing what was happening, he quickly turned around to hide his boner, then pulled off his gloves and shoes. "Holy crap, what'll she do if she sees my... echidnahood...?" he thought to himself, hestitant to turn around. "What's the hold up, One? There's plenty room for both of us!" Rainbow called. "Well, here goes nothing..." Punchy thought as he turned around to face her.

Rainbow gasped with surprise once she saw Punchy's privates. "Oh..." She started to say something, but abruptly silenced herself. Punchy grinned at this. "What's the matter?" he said, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary. Since nothing seemed strange to him, Rainbow decided not to question anything. The fact was, she really knew nothing about sexuality, and she was seeing a penis for the very first time. Of course, this was the first time Punchy saw a female nude as well, but somehow he already knew about this stuff. Possibly dormant memories from Knuckles told him these things? He didn't know, and didn't care.

Punchy joined Rainbow in the fountain. They each took a rag and a bar of soap, and began washing themselves, each using their own fountain for water. Punchy really didn't spend much time washing himself, though. He was too busy watching Rainbow as she ran the soapy rag all over her body. Her arms, her breasts, her chest, legs, everywhere. Except her back. Punchy tried to look busy by moving the rag over himself, but it was futile. Had she been watching him, she would know something was up. As it happened, though, she was very busy washing herself. After a few moments, though, she realized she had a predicament, and asked Punchy for help. "Hey, One? Could you give me a hand?" she asked. Punchy quickly looked away from her and tried to look busy, scrubbing his...cock. (real smooth, genious) Rainbow looked over to him and held back a chuckle. He sort of looked silly, the way he was doing it. "Uh, One?" she said, tapping his shoulder. Punchy jumped a moment and them turned to her, finding it rather difficult to focus on her face. Rainbow didn't notice where he was looking, and simply told him what she needed. "Could you wash my back for me? I have trouble reaching there." she said, turning around and handing the rag backwards to Punchy. He took the rag, shaking nervously all the while. "Crap, if I touch her, I'll probably go mad..." he thought, "Why did she have to be so damn hot?!"

Still, Punchy found that he'd underestimated his self control. Holding a soapy rag in each hand, he began to scrub Rainbow's back. "Okay, I still have my wits..." he thought, "But... Now I have an idea..." He continued rubbing the rags over her back until she spoke up. "OK, One! I'm sure that's enough. You can hand me back my rag now!" she said. Instead, Punchy brought the rags back up to her shoulders and started giving her a massage. "One, what are you... Ah! Ohhhh..." Once she found how good this felt, she decided not to question it. The back massage was soapy, but sensual, and Rainbow found herself moaning softly in enjoyment. "All going according to plan..." Punchy thought as he continued, making Rainbow feel too good to care what else he was up to. In a moment, he made his decision, and dropped one of the rags, bringing that hand down between his legs while still massaging her with the other hand. Using his free hand, Punchy slowly guided his cock toward Rainbow's ass hole, but he hesitated. "She looks old enough... But she has the mentality of a child... It almost feels like child molestation..." he thought. This thought caused him to stop massaging her, as the internal struggle between himself and his dark side began. "Aw, don't stop, One! That felt good!" Rainbow said. Her words stirred him into action, and his dark side won out as he slowly pushed his member into Rainbow's ass! (note: he is not becoming Dark Punchy, he's just listening to that evil voice in his head!)

Rainbow yelped in surprise and pain at this new sensation. "W-what're you doing, One?! Th-that kinda hurts! Oww!" Her yelps of pain pleased him, though. After all, she'd annoyed him countless times, and he'd often felt like hitting her. At the same time, though, he felt the need to assuage her fears. "Don't worry... This'll feel really good in a little bit..." he insisted as he began moving his hips slowly back and forth, pushing his cock deeper in, then pulling it out somewhat. Rainbow protested at first. "H-how can this feel goo--OH!" Punchy slowly began to speed up as it became easier to move his rod back and forth in her ass. It helped that they were both wet and a bit soapy, as the soap made a nice lubricant. Punchy reached around and held her by her breasts, preventing her from struggling. (he was much too strong for her to fight back.) After a few moments, though, Rainbow's struggling stopped and was replaced with surprised moans of pleasure as the pain of the anal penetration lessened. "Ah... *gasp* Th-that... Really does feel... *pant*" Rainbow didn't finish saying it, but Punchy could tell she'd begun to enjoy it, so he loosened his grip and instead began massaging her tits as he continued pushing his cock back and forth. He couldn't see it, but Rainbow had begun blushing. She was a bit embarrassed that she'd not trusted Punchy from the start. "Oh... One... this is... *pant* incredible... I'm never gonna doubt you again!" she promised. Punchy was very much encouraged by her words. "In that case... Allow me to *gasp* take this... a step further..."

Punchy released his grasp on her breasts and reached down for her legs. First, he pulled his penis out of her ass, then lifted her up by her thighs! In order to support her weight, he leaned against the nearest statue. "Whoa! What now?" Rainbow shouted excitedly, no longer afraid of what Punchy might do. He reached around her legs and pulled her vagina open wider, then slowly (and carefully) lowered it over his cock! She gasped and groaned as Punchy's throbbing echidnahood poked its way into her flower for the first time. As before, there was pain, but she was confident that it would feel good as it did before, so she allowed Punchy to do his thing. He tried to take it as slow as possible, but it wasn't easy holding Rainbow up like that. Still, he was pretty strong, and slowly pushed his way into her. They both let out excited gasps and moans, and Punchy stopped moving his cock into her abruptly, savoring this moment. Truth be told, he really, truly wanted this. He really, truly wanted her, as his first. "I don't love her, won't marry her, and yet I'm glad we're each other's first..." he thought. He wouldn't even admit it to himself, but he had in fact developed feelings for her. 

He hadn't penetrated far into her, and his next move would be to dive right in, so he had hesitated in order to give Rainbow a moment to brace herself. "Don't panic Rainbow, but this WILL hurt, I'm sure!" he warned. "It's all right, One! I'll be okay!" she insisted. She didn't mind, anything he wanted to do to her was all right. He was her friend, and she was the sort of girl who would do anything for her friends, even this. However, the fact that this was Punchy made it that much better for her. He had won her heart, though the idea of the two of them being anything more than friends never crossed her mind. Not that she wouldn't like that, the idea simply never occurred to her. Even now, the whole thing was just fun between friends to her, she could comprehend nothing else, but make no mistake, there was mutual love between the two of them.

Finally, Punchy lowered her the rest of the way down. Rainbow's vagina crashed down over the rest of Punchy's manhood, taking it all the way in very quickly, thanks to gravity. She screamed loudly as his cock was forced deep into her, and it was apparent she wasn't quite expecting the pain that now burned in her flower. Punchy was a bit startled by her scream, and for the first time since this started, felt a bit of concern for her. "I'm so sorry! Are you OK?" he managed to say as he started to lift her back up. Rainbow was gasping and panting, slowly getting over the shock her body had just been hit with. She managed to look down and catch a glimpse of Punchy's rod, now stained with blood! She knew it was hers, yet did not want to worry Punchy. "I-I'm f-f-fine, One... *pant* D-don't *gasp* stop!" What she said really mattered little anyway, he'd come too far to stop now. Using all his might, he lifted and dropped Rainbow repeatedly, compensating for any problems by moving his hips in time with her. It was hard work for him, and slightly painful on the drop, but not as painful as it was for Rainbow. Her screams and yelps continued as Punchy pushed his way in and out of her. But soon, as she had anticipated, the pain began to take a back seat to the incredible pleasure that soon followed. She soon forgot the pain entirely, replacing the screams with cheers, the yelps with lustful gasps. "Ohhh, One! This is so... incredible!"

As much as Punchy enjoyed this as well, he couldn't keep it up this way much longer. "I have to put ya down, Rainbow!" he told her. "Oh, no, don't stop, One!" she cried. "Who said we'd stop?" he replied. He held her in place with all his might as he slowly lowered them both toward the ground. In a moment, he quickly moved away from the statue, and landed himself on his back, leaving Rainbow to kneel over him, facing his legs, with his rod still poking into her flower. "Whoa! That coulda ended badly!" Rainbow noted, "But I guess you were gettin' too tired. You rest, One! I'll keep it goin'!"

Rainbow hopped herself up and down along Punchy's member, allowing him to rest and enjoy the pleasure she was giving him. Still, he had gone through the whole encounter with her facing away from him. He grabbed her attention by grabbing her tail. "Hey, what's up, One!?" she said, panting. "Could ya turn around?" he asked. Without interrupting the rythm of her movement, she slowly eased her way around to face her lover. Now, he had visual contact. As Rainbow continued moving herself up and down over him, Punchy moved his hips as well, helping as much as he could. It was the least he could do, as he truly loved what he was seeing; Her open flower, moving up and down the soaking stem that was his cock; Her beautiful bouncing breasts, jumping and jiggling as she moved; To his surprise, though, the thing he enjoyed seeing the most, was her face. He had never previously took notice of how pretty she really was. She had tears in her eyes, previously from pain, now from joy. The tears streamed down her cheeks, while her mouth hung open, letting out gasps and moans of pleasure. She was a mess, yet more beautiful than ever. She gazed down at Punchy, enjoying the sight of him every much as he enjoyed the sight of her; His throbbing manhood, repeatedly poking deep into her clit; His chest, still tensed from the effort of holding her up earlier; She also found great joy looking at his face, especially as she gazed into his eyes, as he gazed back. They could see the love in each others' eyes that they couldn't see in themselves. Soon, Punchy was overcome by a new feeling. He slowly reached his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and moving his arms up her back as he did so. Rainbow was having the same feeling, and wrapped her own arms around Punchy as she dropped over him. Their faces drew closer... Their mouths hung open, gasping and moaning in anticipation... The sounds finally ceased as their lips met, and the two of them shared their first kiss together. It was the most passionate experience either of them ever had, as their tongues darted into each others' mouths, continuing their exploration of each others' bodies. As all this happened, they continued bucking their hips in time with each other, faster and faster. In this final moment of passion, Rainbow was pushed over the edge, and Punchy, who had been holding back for some time, let himself go...

Thus, they shared a simultaneous orgasm! Not to mention their first.

Their lips parted, and their intense movement that proceeded the climax ceased. For a few moments, they were content just to lie in each others arms. "Wow..." Rainbow eventually managed to say. "What do you call what we just did, One?" Punchy smiled as the two of them slowly rose to their feet. "That, Rainbow, was sex." Rainbow found the rags they had dropped earlier. "Really? Hmmm... I think I'd rather call it fun. By the way, One..." Punchy looked at her as she tossed the rags out of the fountain. "The night is young! Want to have some more fun?" she asked, grinning excitedly. Being an experiment, Punchy was certainly up to it. "Sure, Rainbow! We got all the time in the world!"

---Chapter 3: Android Assignment---

Experiment 6, Guard the Gargoyle, looked over the city of Station Square from his vantage point atop the tallest building in the city. It was a clear night, one of those rare sorts where every star in the sky was visible. The beauty of it went unnoticed, however, as the sound of every police car siren in the city kept most indoors, unable to stand the noise. Guard, however, had too much to do to go indoors. "They're here... I can sense them..." he thought as his internal scanners searched the city. It wasn't the scanners that informed him of this, though. It was something more. Something he himself didn't understand. "I have a feeling about this..." he muttered to himself as he leapt from his high perch, stretching out his wings so that he could glide down to his destination. "What's bugging me is... How can an android, an artifical being... have feelings at all?"

Guard landed in near the Station Square police station. A police car was waiting for him just outside. As the android approached, a green porcupine in a police uniforn stepped out of the car to greet him. "You must be the guy from GUN." he said, extending his hand in greeting. Guard ignored the gesture and headed inside the station. "Oh, I can see it'll be a blast working with you!" the porcupine said sarcastically, following Guard. It was rather busy in the station, with people rushing to and fro all over the place, with the exception of a young yellow porcupine sitting behind the front desk. "Grrrr... You can't be authorized to be there." Guard growled. The green porcupine stepped between them, sitting on the counter. "Leave him alone, it's just my little brother, Tommy." he explained. Guard glared at the youngster, who looked a bit frightened, then turned away and looked around the area. "Who's in charge here?" he asked. The green porcupine stepped in front of Guard again. "I'm the highest ranked officer here, sir! The chief and the other head blowhards are busy and I've been instructed to bring you up to speed. I am officer Razor the Porcupine, and if I'm not mistaken, you're here for the GeneX case, right?" Guard nodded. "I have been instructed to bring fugitives such as Kosmo the Morph and the other four experiments to justice. Grrrr... If you have any information I don't already know, please share it!" Razor gave him a sly smile. "All business, aren't you? Follow me then, I have some informants waiting." he said, leading Guard away. Tommy stood up from behind the counter and watched them leave. "Now I get what Razor's always talking about. There's some scary dudes out there..."

Razor led Guard to an interrogation room where two brown hedgehogs were seated, one with darker fur than the other. The light furred one stood up. "Hey, Raze, what's with the accommodations? We're not under arrest, are we?" he said in a gruff tone. Razor shrugged. "Standing room only around here tonight, Bill. The head honchos have every cop in the city hunting experiments. Experiments that you two claim to have spotted, am I right?" Bill looked over to the other hedgehog. "You tell 'em what you told me, Bob." he instructed. "I done spotted that there black chameleon in the poster." Bob said, holding up the poster with Vortex on it. Guard stepped past Razor and glared at Bob. "Where! Grrrr... Where was he?" he growled. Bill held up his hand between them. "Easy, fella! We're here voluntarily, an' if you threaten us, we'll take our info elsewhere!" he warned. Guard backed off slightly, growling softly. "Go ahead, Bob." Bill said. Bob cleared his throat and continued. "I followed 'em. Very careful-like. But I had to stop, 'cuz I didn't have no cash to get in. See, he went into Twinkle Park." Guard immediately began to exit the room. "Hey, hold up!" Razor said. Guard stopped and looked back. "Anything else to report?" he growled. Bob shook his head. "Don't think so, sir." Guard let out an irritated growl. "Then don't detain me any longer!" Razor hurriedly followed Guard out, with Bill and Bob following. "There a reward?" Bill shouted as Razor and Guard left the station. "Put it on my tab!" Razor shouted back. Bill scoffed at him. "Fine thing. You'd think we was runnin' a charity, eh, Bob?" Bob looked at his watch. "I think it's 'bout time we got back to the bar, dontcha think, Bill?" Bill nodded. "Gotta call in some tabs if we wanna pay the rent! Let's go!"

"Wait a second, Agent Guard! I'm to accompany you on the mission!" Razor shouted as he followed Guard to his squad car. Guard jumped over the car and took to the air, flying in the direction of Twinkle Park. "Dang GUN! No respect for police authority!" Razor groaned, hopping into the driver's seat of his car. "I had a feeling this'd be a bad day. Better break out the siren..." In a few moments, he was off, following Guard as best he could. He also had to get the other officers off the wild goose chase they were on. "Attention all units! Suspects have been spotted in Twinkle Park! Repeat, suspects spotted at Twinkle Park!"


Vortex the Chameleon had indeed gone to Twinkle Park, and he wasn't alone. "Find any ringssss yet, Zipp?" he asked his companion once he caught up to him. "A few, but my luck isn't all that great. Guess I better not go to Vegas." the hornet said. "What's the grand total?" came a nearby voice, which belonged to none other than Bucky the Rat. Zipp held up one of his shimmering prizes proudly. "Fifty so far! How many are we shooting for?" Vortex looked around the park. "A lot more. Ssssshadow Arcangel won't fly much longer on the power we've been usssing. I only hope that thesssse ringssss will do the job." he said. "I don't know, but we'd better hurry up and finish gathering as many as we can! Four, Five, move out!" Bucky instructed. Zipp hesitated. "Say, master, why did we come here looking for rings, instead of at the casino?" Vortex looked back as he was leaving, curious to know as well. "An enclosed area like the casino could make for dicey situations if the military came looking for us." Bucky explained. "So? They're no match for us! We could crush the fools easily!" Zipp said. Bucky let a few warning sparks fly from his fingers. "Innocents could be hurt if we were to battle inside such a place! There's more room out here! I did not create life with the intent of taking lives, though I did plot revenge when I realized GUN was after me..." he fell silent, lost in memories. "I lost sight of my true purpose when I planned vengeance against GUN. I won't let it happen again." Vortex and Zipp left after a moment, unquestioningly carrying out their orders. Still, Zipp wasn't quite satisfied with Bucky's attitude. "Why do we have all this destructive power if we are not to use it? I say he's going soft! Well, maybe it's just something to do with how Kosmo almost killed us all, but I still want my revenge on GUN!"


It wasn't long before Guard reached Twinkle Park. His android components sent a signal that enabled him to activate the entrance elevator without a pass. "Grrr... Now, finally commencing the mission." he said, feeling that he'd been slowed down by visiting the police station. As he entered the park, his sensors began to detect the presence of the experiments. Their unique genetic signature was unmistakable, and it would not take too long for Guard to find them. Before his exploration of the park could really begin, though, Razor caught up to him. "Yo, sunshine! While you're in this city, I'm your partner! You don't leave without me!" he shouted as he ran toward Guard. "Grrrr.... Tell your superiors.... I work alone!" he grumbled, flying away. Razor slowly began to follow him, loading his gun with some odd looking darts as he did. "Maybe he don't need me, who knows? But what kind of cop would I be if I didn't follow him anyway?"


"Cursed vermin! I'd almost swear he was hiding from me!" Conan the Raccoon was still attempting a vain attempt at searching for Copter in the city. Little did he realize that Copter had already moved on, continuing his journey from town to town. At any rate, he'd grown tired of searching for the black fox, so he'd decided to try his original plan again. "If I can't find him, I'll make him find me! After all, if he came for that girl once, he'd surely do so again!" To that end, Conan searched a while for his old hostage, Katie, and found her at Twinkle Park, along with her friend, Mia. However, Conan did not make his move right away. The park was crowded that night, as they were once again having their popular "cute couple special." Conan wasn't interested in creating a big ruckus, and instead chose to bide his time for a while, hoping the crowds would dissipate at some point.

At the same time, Zipp had found the perfect way to win rings for himself: a shooting gallery! In no time at all, he'd won hundreds of rings with his incredible shooting skill. Still, the game was a bit too simple for him, and he grew bored quickly. "C'mon! Where's the challenge! I could make these shots from the other side of the park!" he bragged as he packed his winnings into a bag. At that moment, Vortex and Bucky arrived. "Hey, Zipp! Massster sssaysss that Guardssss around!" Vortex said. He was carrying four ring bags that seemed to be filled as much as Zipp's single bag. "Impossible! How'd you win all that!?" Zipp said with surprise. "Enough! I'm thinking it's time for us to leave!" Bucky said. He couldn't be more right, too.

Just then, an announcement was heard throughout the park. "Attention, patrons! We ask that everyone calmly vacate the park in an orderly fashion, through the main exit.The Station Square police force is on its way, as some terrorists have been sighted in the area!" The rest of the announcement could not be heard, for at the very mention of the word "terrorist," everyone in the park was sent into a panicked frenzy! Chaos and confusion broke out through the entire park as the patrons rushed to reach the exit. Zipp began to follow them when Vortex grabbed him by the wings. "Hey, lemme go! I hate when you do that!" he shouted in a panic. "Zipp, what are you sssso worked up about?" he asked him. "Didn't you hear?! Terrorists!" Zipp shouted. Bucky shook his head in annoyance. "Idiot! We ARE the terrorists! Apparently, my fears have already been realized. Sargent Gunner has Guard and the police force on our trail! These rings will have to do. Let's get out of here!"

Katie and Mia were among those that were alarmed by the thought of terrorists in the area, but it was a story that Katie just couldn't pass up. "It's too dangerous, Kate! Let's just get out of here!" Mia insisted. "No way! Not this news hound! You can go, Mia, but I've gotta get as much info as I can!" Katie said, pulling out the digital camera she had started carrying around for just such an occasion. Mia thought for a moment, then followed Katie as she ran against the crowd. "Least I can do is keep you from facing all this danger by yourself! Gimmie that camera!"


All the exitement soon came together in the large pool area near the entrance to the park. As Bucky, Vortex, and Zipp ran to find an exit, Guard arrived and stood in their way. Seeing this event unfolding, Katie and Mia ran to get a closer look. However, Mia insisted they keep their distance, so as not to get dragged into the possible fight that may have been coming. Unaware of the audience, Guard pointed his scythe at Vortex. "I've been searching for you. Grrrr... The boss wants you and Zipp in custody." he growled. Zipp aimed a pistol at Guard. "Yeah, well I'm thinking he'll be disappointed, as always!" he said. Vortex held out his arm in front of Zipp, as a sign for him to stand down. "What about the massster? Would you sssstand againsssst him, too?" he hissed. Guard remained unfazed. "Boss said to arrest the experiments. Grrrr... He said nothing about master! Besides, I would never harm my master! Grrrrr... But you aren't him!" Bucky pushed past his two experiments. "Experiment 6, I order you to stand down!"

"Are you getting all this, Mia?" Katie asked her reluctant camera-girl from their vantage point atop the steps near the pool. "Yes, but I don't think we're getting any hearable dialog..." Mia replied. Suddenly, a Chaos Spear struck the camera from her hand! "Sorry, love, your show's cancelled!" Conan declared, jumping down from the roof of the hall of mirrors building. Katie and Mia watched in horror as the villain they now believed was the terrorist approached. "I'd considered using you to lure Experiment 2 back to me, but I just remembered that I tried to kill you before, and I really think I should finish the job. You'll be my hostage this time, feline. Now, as for you, canine, die!" Conan aimed his Chaos Sword at Katie, firing a spear straight towards her! However, at the last moment, someone rushed up the steps with incredible speed and intercepted the attack before it could hit Katie! It was certainly a fast customer, but it wasn't Sonic! It was a light orange cheetah wearing a red jacket and red pants, someone Katie apparently knew quite well. "Chet! Oh, my god, are you okay!?" she gasped, helping him to his feet. "I'm a bit banged up, but I'll live, Kate..." he said with difficulty. Conan laughed at this event. "Oh, this is too amusing! How many boyfriends have you got, you dog! One less once I'm through with you!"

Guard heard the noise nearby, and found himself struggling to decide what to do next. "There are innocents in danger. An immediate threat, that for some reason I feel I should put a stop to. Then there's my mission, everything in my android programming says to carry out the mission... Yet..." his thoughts distracted him, and Bucky sensed the internal struggle. "So, what's it gonna be, six? You can try to capture us, and please your unpleasant commander, or you could rescue the innocents and be a hero. Clock's ticking, better choose!" Bucky declared, pointing to the hall of mirrors to inform Vortex and Zipp of where to go. Guard looked from Bucky to Conan, back to Bucky, then to the helpless citizens Conan was threatening. Suddenly, as a higher intelligence than his programming took over, Guard flew off toward the objective he chose...

Conan approached his victims. He grabbed Mia by the arm and restrained her with some ropes he'd brought with him. "Not enough to tie you all up, so I have no further use for you lovebirds! Now, die!" He began to swing his sword at them, but before it could hit its mark, the blade of Guard's scythe blocked it! "What's this!? Who dares stand in my way!" Conan growled as he pulled back his sword and looked around, seeing no one other than his hostages. Suddenly, Guard dropped down from the sky between Conan and Katie. "Get out of here! Grrrr... Get that cheetah medical attention!" he instructed. Katie began to lead Chet away, but Chet hesitated. "What about Mia?" he asked. Guard turned around and pointed away past the two of them. "Go! I'll take care of this!" Katie helped Chet limp away from the dangerous area, while Guard turned to face Conan. "Who do you think you are? Sonic the Hedgehog? Not that that bonehead could hope to challenge me, either! I am Conan, master of chaos!" He held his sword above his head before pointing it at Guard. "Blade, grant me power! Chaos Spear!" As Conan sent his attack at Guard, the gargoyle retaliated by firing an energy blast from his scythe! The energy blast flew straight into the spear, causing an explosion at the point where the attacks made contact! Conan stood still a moment in disbelief. "Another weapon like my own!? Impossible! There is no Chaos Scythe! Where did you get that!?" he demanded to know. Guard flew a distance away in order to draw the battle away from Mia. "The good scientists at GUN upgraded the scythe that my master gave to me upon my birth! Grrrr! And in the name of GUN, I place you under arrest, raccoon!" As Guard said this, Conan made his way down the steps toward him, sword in hand. "Ah, I get it! You must be GeneX Experiment 6! The so-called only gargoyle in existance! What would you say if I told you there were more gargoyles out there?" he said. "I would not care, for I am merely an android! Grrr... They are not my kin!" Guard replied. Conan chuckled softly and somewhat angrily. He was a bit annoyed at this turn of events. "What, may I ask, could possibly be your motive for challenging me?" he asked, just out of curiosity. "Grrr... When I fully understand myself, I'll let you know!" he said. "Oh, you won't get the chance! Those who stand in my way all share the same fate! En garde!"

Thus, Conan and Guard became locked in combat. Each were highly skilled with their respective weapons, but Conan lost interest in the fair fight quickly. He backed up and fired a Chaos Spear at Guard, which he flew out of the way to dodge and fired an energy blast from his scythe in response. Though the attack hit, it did little to slow Conan down. "Indeed, that is simply a machine! Your scythe's blasts are nowhere near as powerful as Chaos Spear!" With those words, Conan began firing shot after shot at Guard, who was being kept too busy dodging to fire his own energy blasts in retaliation. Since he couldn't shoot back, Guard chose to fly around behind Conan and try to get close enough to attack. However, Conan was too fast with his sword, and Guard couldn't get behind him. That was okay, though. Guard had a new trick to try. He flew straight toward Conan, which left him wide open for attack, but before a spear could hit him, he activated a new function that had been built into him. The spear bounced off of the new force field that he had just activated! Using the surprise caused by this, Guard managed to hit Conan, though only the side of the scythe hit him. While the raccoon was stunned, Guard spun in the air and kicked him aside! Following that hit, though, Conan was back to his senses. He realized that since Guard was able to hit him through the force field, the shield probably only blocked energy attacks, such as Chaos Spear. However, it had no such effect when Conan fought back with his fist! He gave Guard a nasty uppercut, then kicked him with all his might! Guard was knocked high into the air, then crashed into the nearby pool!

Conan walked toward the pool, laughing in triumph. "You fool! I'll grant that you're an expert scythe wielder, but you're a poor fighter all 'round!" Guard burst out of the water, gasping for breath. Though he was an android, it seemed he required oxygen to survive as well. "Grrrr... You haven't won... yet..." he said between gasps. Conan pointed his sword at Guard's head. "Perhaps not, but in a moment it will all be over! You saved two lives, but sacrificed your own! How sickeningly noble! Now..." Before Conan could finish his gloating, he was struck from behind by a small dart. "Ow... What in the..." In a moment, the dart shot bolts of electricity through Conan's body, rendering him helpless. As quickly as the shock started, it soon ceased. "Impossible!!!" Conan shouted as he fell to the floor, making it possible for Guard to see officer Razor standing a few meters behind the villainous raccoon. "Nighty night, sucker! THAT is what I call good backup!" he said, blowing smoke away from the barrel of his gun. Mia, whom Razor had untied, ran to the edge of the pool to offer Guard a hand. "Are you all right, sir? Thank you so much for saving me, by the way!" she said as she pulled him out of the pool. Guard climbed to his feet and saluted Razor. "Grrr... I had it under control... But thanks just the same." he said. Razor smiled and nodded, then saw to it that Conan was handcuffed. "All in a day's work, Agent Guard. By the way, any sign of the experiments?" he asked. Guard hung his head in shame. "I am sorry. Grrrr.... I let them escape in order to rescue these civilians. I will accept the responsibility for my failure..." he said in the saddest tone he seemed capable of. (which was still pretty gruff) Razor laughed at his seriousness. "What do you mean? I think you did the right thing. Protecting the innocent should always come first, for an agent as well as an officer!" he said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get a stretcher for this one. He shouldn't have suffered any permanent damage, but we better have him examined just in case. Think they'll mind if I skip reading him his rights while he's out? Heheheh..." 

While Razor was busy, Mia took the opportunity to speak to Guard. "So... You're an agent? Like a secret agent?" she asked. "I don't know if I'd say 'secret'..." Guard replied. Mia saluted him in a playful manner. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me, sir! And if you ever need a ride anywhere, call me! It'll be the least I can do!" she said. "Grrrr... Thank you. I think you can leave now, we have this under control." Guard said. Razor interrupted them, "No, I think she'd better stick around. The officers may have a few questions for her." with that, he resumed his work, as some other officers arrived with a stretcher. Mia gave Guard a quick kiss on the cheek before heading off to see if there were any questions for her. "Thanks again, agent..." As she hesitated to finish her sentence, Guard realized he hadn't introduced himself. "Guard. I'm Guard the Gargoyle." Mia winked playfully at him as she walked away. "Don't be a stranger!" she said.


Later, Guard found himself with some free time, something that had never happened to him before. He found himself sitting in the police station, waiting for Sargent Gunner to call him with further instructions. However, Gunner never called. Soon, it grew late, and Razor was ready to head home. He spotted Guard on his way out. "Hey, why are you still here?" he asked. "Awaiting further orders..." Guard replied. "It's kind late. I don't think you're gonna get any more instructions tonight. Why don't you go home?" Razor asked. Guard looked at Razor like a lost child. "Home? Where is home?" he asked. Razor didn't quite understand, but realized what Guard's problem probably was. "You don't have a place to stay tonight? Try the hotel." Razor started to leave before Guard could respond. "I gotta go, my brother's waiting for me. Bye!" As Razor exited the building, Guard stood up to leave as well. "I suppose there's nothing more I can do today, so... Grrr... Now what...?" He didn't know where the hotel was. Then, he remembered that Mia promised to help him if he needed a ride. Before she left, she had given him a card with her cell phone number on it, so he decided to give her a call.

Guard waited in front of the police station, and within moments, Mia's cab arrived. She beckoned to him to enter the vehicle, and so Guard did. She was actually off duty, and was wearing her street clothes rather than her uniform. She wore a very small pink shirt, and matching shorts. "So, where to?" she asked Guard. "The hotel." Guard replied. Mia shook her head. "Aw, no, you shouldn't have to stay in a crummy hotel! I'll take you to my place, OK?" Guard was tempted to accept that offer, but declined. "No, I don't want to be any trouble..." he said. Mia started driving in the direction of her home anyway. "It's no trouble. Besides, I owe you one. Three, actually. You helped my friends, too. So you just stick with me tonight, kay?" Guard didn't respond. He wasn't sure what to say, and, truth be told, Mia wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Soon, they reached Mia's humble abode. Smaller than Katie's place, and rather run down, but to Mia, it was home. Mia parked the cab beside her home, then led Guard to her door. "C'mon in, just keep your thoughts about how the hotel would've been better to yourself!" she said, leading him into the living room. "Thirsty? I'll get us some drinks." Mia said, exiting to the adjacent kitchen. Guard looked around a moment, then sat down on Mia's lavender couch. On the table in front of him were a few scraps of paper. Guard, not having the word "privacy" in his vocabulary, took a look through the papers. One, in particular, caught his eye. It was a list of names, some of which Guard recognized, like Sonic. In a moment, Guard noted that everyone on the list were boys. Just then, Mia walked in with a pair of cups, and quickly put them down on the table and snatched the list from Guard's hands. "Curious fella, eh?" she giggled, her face a bit red. "What is it?" Guard asked, apparently not knowing when to shut up. Mia calmed herself down, then answered. "Well... It's a checklist. These are people I want to... sleep with..." she said a bit nervously. Then, she suddenly thought to herself, "Oh, hell with it!" and told him more bluntly, "People I want to fuck! Why, does that bother you?" Guard thought a moment. "Why should it bother me? Grrrr.... I'm not on the list!" he seemed serious, but then chuckled a bit. "You're somethin' else." they both said at once.


Later that night, Guard lay awake on Mia's couch. To be honest, he was as ignorent about sex as Copter had been, perhaps even more so. However, he had begun to recall things. Things that were likely placed in his memory by Bucky. He began to wonder. "Could it be possible? Could I be so far advanced an android... as to be able to do... that?" He lay awake with his thoughts for some time, wondering and wishing. Soon, some paper fell onto his face, dropped from behind the couch. "What's this?" he muttered, picking it up and looking over it. It was Mia's checklist! It had apparently been revised, and now Guard found his name scribbled at the top of the list! Guard quickly stood up and looked around. No sign of Mia. He dropped the list on the couch and walked around behind the couch. The back of the couch faced a hallway that led to Mia's room and a bathroom. Guard could hear heavy breathing coming from Mia's room...

Guard slowly entered Mia's room. The lights were out, but moonlight from a window allowed Guard to see. Her room was mostly empty, except for a closet and a bed, each on opposite walls, while the window was directly across from the door. Standing in front of the window was Mia, completely nude, a breathtaking sight. She had blue fur all over her body, except for her muzzle and chest, which were covered with white fur. Her large, white breasts seemed to glisten in the moonlight. "Well, Guard... You like what you see?" she asked. Guard couldn't answer. He was totally stunned. So, his body did the talking for him. His erection poked through his fur, pointing quiveringly at Mia. She grinned devilishly, then seemed to take on an entirely new personality! She crossed the room to where Guard stood, then began circling around him, looking him over. Then, she started feeling him over, starting from behind him. She felt his broad, powerful wings, ran her fingers down the back of his spine and over his tail, reached around his wings and felt his chest, pressing her breasts to his back as she did so. Guard was breathing heavily, purring softly at her touch. "How can this be?" he thought, "I am an android. Why do I have those parts? I am a robot. How can I be enjoying this?" As he pondered such questions, Mia moved her hands to his arms, then walked around in front of him to touch his chest a bit more. "I am a machine. How can I be a love machine?" Guard thought as Mia's hands moved lower, until they reached his penis. She knelt down so that she faced his erection, and without hesitation, licked at the tip of his cock. He shuddered slightly as she did so. Next, she took his rod into her mouth, and gave Guard his first blowjob!

In a few moments, Guard let out a low growl, and Mia released his cock from her mouth in response. Thus, Guard came over her face, covering her muzzle in his warm, virgin cum. Guard enjoyed the blowjob immensely, and once Mia finished slurping up and swallowing his cum, he decided it was his turn. He pulled Mia to her feet and began to feel over her as she'd done to him. Mia giggled and panted often as Guard touched her, beginning with her breasts, then her shoulders, her back, her chest... She inserted two of her fingers into her clit and began thrusting them in and out as Guard explored her body, adding moans of pleasure to her giggles. Indeed, the two were filled with lust, but nothing more. They each knew that this wouldn't lead anywhere, and neither of them truly cared. This was making out, not making love.

Soon, Guard's wandering hands wandered to her vagina, and somehow, this virgin gargoyle knew precisely how he wanted to procede, despite having never known of sex prior to this evening. He rose to his feet and placed his hand on her shoulder, then slowly lowered her body to the floor, which she allowed quite obediantly. Guard rose to his feet once more and gazed at the foxy feline before him, laying on her side, waiting to see what he'd do next. Mia lay with her right side to the ground, so, Guard had to lift her left leg upwards to create a way for his cock to reach her pussy. He pushed his way in, quickly and aggresively, without restraint, and Mia wouldn't have had it any other way. She liked it rough, and to her it was a refreshing change that this time her partner was the rough one. Grasping her leg the whole time, Guard thrust back and forth into her relentlessly. He growled and gasped in pleasure, while Mia was even less able to contain her excitement. She screamed, moaned, sighed, yelled, begging for more. However, the rougher it is, the sooner the body has all it can take. Within moments, they came, first Guard, then Mia. Soon, Guard joined Mia on the floor. "That was quick!" she murmured drowsily. 

In a short while, the two sat up, still breathing heavily from their encounter. Mia stood up and walked out of the room, momentarily returning with her checklist. She crossed off Guard's name. "And you are number twenty..." she muttered. Guard rose shakily to his feet. "Twenty?" he said quietly. "Give or take." Mia responded, "I'll get to everyone eventually. That's my goal!" Guard sat down on Mia's bed, lost in thought. "Ah, you can sleep in the bed with me if you want." Mia offered, "I know that couch isn't all that comfy." Guard smiled and nodded, then walked out of the room. "Grrr... Think I'll use the restroom..." he said as he passed Mia.

He sat on the toilet, not using it, and pondered a few questions. "Could this day have been real?" he asked himself. "This morning, I was just another of GUN's mechs. Might as well have been a beetle. Grrrr.... Boss treats me as such. Then, all at once, I become more. I felt things. Made friends. Made a decision that even went against orders! Grrrr.... Saved lives... Made love... But it's impossible. I'm just an android... Aren't I?"

Mia was listening outside the bathroom. She walked in after a moment and gave him her thoughts on the matter. "The reason you were able to do all those things... Is no great mystery. It's all part of free will. Something that only living things have. So, even if you do have some robotic parts..." she paused a moment and placed her arm around him, "You're still alive." Guard smiled at her, and they kissed. Then, without another word, they returned to Mia's bed and slept the night away together. It was the first time Guard experienced sleep, and dreams.

---Chapter 4: The Report Heard Round The World---

"And now, it's time for an important SSTV News Bulletin!" are the first words Punchy hears upon turning on Rainbow's television set (a rather old model, by the way). The two sit down to hear what the big message is. At the same time, Copter is catching the report on a large screen that was recently installed in Station Square's train station. It is a few days after Bucky was in the city, and now Copter had at last returned. Elsewhere, in front of an electronics store, a purple creature wearing a brown trench coat was watching the report on the TVs in the store window. His glowing yellow eyes were fixed on the screen...

Katie the Coyote appeared on screen to break the story. "Today, the military has released a list of dangerous fugitives that are loose here in the Untited Federation. The list was compiled by GUN's very own Sergeant Richard Jackson Gunner, who is here with us to provide further details." After that introduction, the camera turned toward Gunner, who was standing nearby. Spy was standing behind him, holding up a sign that read "Hi Mom!" Gunner cleared his throat and began his sinister speech. "Citizens of the United Federation. I come today with a dire warning. In the past few weeks, a terrible threat has been unleashed on our great nation. The most sinister manifestation of which was the giant dragon that nearly destroyed Station Square recently." The purple creature in front of the electronics store growled angrily at that statement. "That is taken completely out of context! He forgot to mention how he was the one who drove me so mad!" His complaints go unheard, and Gunner's speech continues. "Shortly prior to that, similar forces, led by one who escaped military custody, stole the Chaos Emeralds, which were used to release that abomination!" Punchy spit out the soda he was drinking when he heard this. "That underhanded jackanape! He's gonna pin this on me when he was the one that released Experiment 3 in the end!?" he shouted. "Calm down, One. Mind your inner darkness!" Rainbow warned. Sergeant Gunner's slander continued. "These six menaces have been known to work with the notorious Dr. Eggman, and are to be considered a great threat. Therefore, I beseech each and every one of you out there watching; If you happen to see any of the five GeneX Experiments or their sinister creator, call the police immediately. I fear to think what would happen if they were left to accomplish their dark, malicious goals..." As Gunner's speech came to a close, the camera returned to Katie. "Wanted posters are being sent throughout the nation so that everyone can be aware of what the fugitives look like. After the commercial, we'll be showing all you viewers the wanted posters as well, don't go away!"

Copter froze during the commercial break. He couldn't believe it. Katie, the same girl who had told him she loved him only a few days ago, was now betraying him to all of Station Square! "This can't be happening... I trusted her..." he thought. Suddenly, he noticed that everyone in the station was staring at him. Copter looked up at the screen, and saw the six wanted posters displayed. There was Punchy, Vortex, Kosmo, Bucky, Zipp... and of course, Copter himself. He looked around the station as the fearful eyes of the citizens looked from him to the screen and back to him. Their fear turned to anger, then to hatred. Copter realized that it was no longer safe where he was. He addressed the gathering crowd in order to stall for time. "Umm... Gee, you sure can hear crazy things on TV... I once saw this show where this guy was claiming to have been to Saturn..." The crowd grew restless fast, and started shouting hateful things to Copter, who stepped backward toward the door slowly. "OK, wanna see some magic? Nothing up my gloves..." He turned and ran out the door. "Ta-da! I made myself disappear!" he shouted, running off through the streets to escape the furious mob.


Bucky, Vortex, and Zipp sat in front of a TV screen in Shadow Arcangel's control room. "We hooked up the TV for thissss?" Vortex hissed, glaring at the wanted posters. "I don't look like that!" Zipp growled, tossing a knife at the screen, which missed and landed on the floor. Bucky stood up and walked to the controls of the ship, gazing out the still broken window. "I knew this was coming. That's why I'm glad we collected so many rings. I just hope the other experiments don't do anything foolish." he said. Zipp hopped into the air and hovered beside Vortex, who had turned to look out the window as well. "I'm beginning to think Kosmo had the right idea! Kill them all and they'll leave us alone!" Zipp snorted. Bucky shook his head. "That's not the way. We must find a way to coexist with everyone else. This witch hunt, however, is a very nasty obstacle. Yet if we fight back, we just make them right!" Bucky slammed his fist against the control panel, furious with the recent turn of events. Vortex looked at the emerald terminal nearby, which held a fake Chaos Emerald inside it. "The fake emeraldsss are almossst out of power. Are you ssssure the ringsss can power thisss ssship?" he asked. Bucky turned to him. "They already are. I installed a few before we took off. That's why the fake emeralds aren't losing power. Because we're not using them. If we were, they'd be useless already." he explained. Zipp flew to another terminal, which held a fake red emerald. "How can rings power this ship, anyway?" he said. "The ship was designed to run on rings by the ancient people who first built it. The emerald terminals there were added by another people that took over the ship when its creators disappeared. A single ring can power this ship for a few hours, but the rings have grown weaker over the centuries. There was a time when one ring would power the ship for months! Though a lot of this ship and its history is still unknown to me, I have been able to determine that the ancients who built this ship relied heavily on ring power. Perhaps they were even the creators of the rings!" Bucky explained. Zipp dropped from his hovering place and landed on his head. "Ooof! You nearly put me to sleep! I didn't ask for a history lesson!" Bucky chuckled heartily at Zipp's remarks. "Sorry. Vortex, man the controls. I must resume work on the next generation of GeneX!" he said, heading for the exit to the control room. "Come, Zipp! Your banter will keep me focused!" Zipp flew over and picked up his knife before following Bucky. "I'll show you my new juggling act! Just let me find another knife!" he said excitedly as he left. Vortex manned the controls and sighed heavily. "I sssure hope experiment sssseven isss ssssmarter than Zipp..."


As another news day came to a close, Katie made her way out of the news studio, met by Chet on the way. "I can't believe they wouldn't let me see the wanted posters during the broadcast. Well, I'm checking them out on the way out the door! Are they posted there, Chet?" she asked him. Chet nodded. "I think I saw some of those guys at Twinkle Park the other day. Scary thought." he said. As they neared the main entrance, Katie rushed to the bulletin board and gasped as she looked at the posters for the first time. "Oh, my gosh! This can't be!" she shrieked, causing Chet to rush to her side. "What's up? Are you OK? You look like you've seen a ghost!" he said. Katie began sobbing uncontrollably. "Wh-what have I done? That's Copter up there!" Chet placed his arm around her and dried her tears with a hankie. "One of them a friend of yours?" he asked. Katie was too distraught to respond. She knew Copter was present during the fight against the Kosmogon, but she had no idea that he was related to it in any way! Chet did not quite understand why she was so upset, but tried his best to comfort her as he led her out of the building. "It'll be okay... We'll do whatever we can to fix this..." he said, hoping they could. However, it was far too late to take it back now. The damage had been done.


Razor was off duty for the moment, so he took a break at his favorite watering hole, the Neon Tavern, known by those who frequently visit as "Bill's Bar." Having recently turned 21, Razor could order whatever he wanted, but always settled for soda. Today was no exception. Bill and Bob were both moving to and fro behind the counter, serving customers. That didn't stop Bill from chatting with his favorite customer, Razor. "What's up today, Raze? You on the hunt for them terrorists still?" he asked. Razor took a sip from his drink before replying. "It's a madhouse at the station. Since all of the fugitives have been spotted around sometime or other during the week, Station Square's bein' called a hot zone. By the way..." Razor reached into his pocket and handed Bill a wad of cash. "For your trouble. That GUN agent's a real nasty customer. Still, he means well. He rescued Mia from some maniac that night." he said. Bill chuckled. "Hoo boy... She got herself in trouble again? Was the whole gang there?" he asked. Razor nodded. "They left before I got there. Lucky thing Chet came back to town when he did. Katie nearly bought the farm, but he saved her again." he explained. Suddenly, a ringing was heard in the bar. After a moment, Razor checked his cell phone. "It's mine..." he muttered as he answered it. "Yo, big bro! It's me!" It was Tommy. "Hey there, little guy, what's the good word?" Razor said. "I'm soooo bored... Thought I'd see if you were doin' anything exciting..." Tommy replied in a drowsy voice. "My work's dangerous, Tom, you know that. Why don't you go help out at the station again. They need all they can get." Razor suggested. "All I get to do there is sort papers. I'm tryin' to reduce my boredom, not make it worse!" Tommy protested. "Well, it's better than wasting time! It's about time for me to get back to work, so I'll talk to you later, bro. G'bye!" Razor hung up his phone and started on his way out the door. Bill stopped him. "You gonna pay fer that soda!?" he shouted. "Tab!" Razor shouted back, rushing through the door. Bill glared at the doorway. "He's lucky he's my friend. And a cop. Or I'd..." he trailed off. Bob tapped Bill's shoulder. "We need cash to make the rent, Bill!" he said. Bill nodded, then stood up on his stool. "Right, I'm callin' in all yer tabs!" Before he even finished his sentence, the bar emptied as everyone fleed paying their immense bills. "Thanks for nothing, bums!" Bill shouted, climbing down from the stool. Rather than complain to Bob, Bill simply began cleaning glasses.


Copter was furious. After getting by the initial shock of what had happened, he decided that Katie must have known exactly what she was doing, and now Copter was searching for her to confirm his suspicians. "She must've known I was one of the experiments. How long has she known? Does she really think me some criminal? After I saved her life!?" His thoughts ran uncontrollably, filling him with a terrible fear and intense paranoia. He was walking along a busy street when he spotted her on the other side. She and Chet were walking hand in hand, talking and laughing. Copter's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. "She's got a boyfriend...? But I thought..." before Copter could complete his thought, he heard a siren nearby. Razor was on a police motorcycle, and he stopped a few meters from Copter. "Hey, you! Experiment! Freeze! You are under arrest!" he shouted. Copter glared defiantly at Razor. "The Hell I am! On what charge? Existing? Fine, try and catch me if you dare!" With those fiery words, Copter ran into the street and blocked another motorcyclist, who skidded to a stop quickly. Copter jumped at the motorcycle, and the rider hopped off and ran away in terror, possibly because he knew who Copter was. "Thanks for the bike!" Copter shouted, taking off as fast as the motorcycle would go! Razor sighed in annoyance. "Resisting arrest of course. You'll be sorry." He took off after Copter as fast as he could, though with a little more regard for the safety of those on the road.

Copter had never driven a motorcycle before, and it was extremely difficult to keep himself from hitting anything. Luckily for him, his unpredictability did make it difficult for Razor to keep up with him, much less shoot out his tires, which is what he was attempting. "This guy's gonna kill himself and anyone in his way! I have to stop him!" Razor thought, doing his best to aim his gun and steer the motorcycle at the same time. Copter, in the meantime, was having trouble focusing on the situation at hand. The events of the day had really gotten to him. When he woke up in the morning, everything seemed much simpler than it did now. He'd been looking forward to seeing Katie again, but now he felt betrayed. His mind racing, he struggled to keep focused enough to steer the motorcycle. Since it was dangerous on the crowded streets, so he turned at the first opportunity. Razor followed behind very stubbornly. "You obviously can't drive that thing! Pull over before you hurt someone!" Razor shouted, to no avail. Copter was too busy thinking to listen anyway. He simply sped up in hopes of losing Razor. Copter turned whenever he could, hoping to find a road he recognized, and Razor struggled to maintain pursuit. "I gotta make him stop, but I can't risk shooting at him. Odds are, I'd hit a civilian!" Razor thought, weighing his options. Soon, however, Copter found a street he recognized. It was a road rarely visited, and Copter could use the space in order to figure out how to better control his vehicle. Followed by Razor, he tore down the street, passing a dark alley with a secret...

The noise got the attention of the only nearby resident in this forgotten part of the city. Namely, Rainbow and her guest, Punchy! The two of them climbed out of the sewer to see what the commotion was. "We never get traffic 'round here, One! I wonder who it could be..." Rainbow said, gazing down the street in the direction the noise came from. In a moment, though, Copter and Razor passed by them again, coming from the opposite direction, as Copter had turned at the end of the street. Copter passed by his old "friends" too quickly to acknowledge that he saw them, not that he would have had he been going any slower. Punchy watched as Copter was chased to the end of the street and then turned out of sight. "Looks like the police aren't wasting any time rounding us up..." Punchy noted, a bit worried. "You think they saw us?" he asked Rainbow, who was waving in the direction Copter had gone. "Bye, Two! Stay longer next time!" she said, then turned to Punchy. "I don't think it's safe for you out here, One! Better get back underground!" she suggested. Punchy shook his head. "Can't. I know Copter. He don't belong locked up. Heck, I'd say he's more innocent in all this than I am! I have to bring him back here, so he'll be safe!" As he started to head off after Copter, Rainbow grabbed him by the arm and looked at him worriedly. Punchy didn't give her the chance to speak, "Stay out of sight. If they find you helping us, you'll be under arrest, too." Rainbow let go of his arm and watched him run after Copter. "Good luck, One..." she whispered.


The Station Square police station also housed the only prison facility in the city, which was more a temporary holding area for the more dangerous criminals detained there. It had taken longer than anyone would have liked, but the transport to the higher security prisons would arrive that night. Since there was delay, Conan was still being held in his temporary cell in Station Square, awaiting the transport. He had no plans to get on the transport, though. Yes, he would be leaving that night, but not with the other murderers and cutthroats. "Yes, Paulsy, my man, I'll be free once again when that transport arrives!" Conan sighed, lying against the wall of his cell. His cell mate, however, was skeptical. "Sure, you're gonna escape. And I'm gonna become queen of Soleanna. You're nothin' but talk." he grumbled, gazing down at the raccoon with hatred only learned through terrible deeds. Conan looked up at him sleepily. "You know, Paulsy, you have been disturbing my sleep all week. Maybe you need to lie down..." Before "Paulsy" knew what was happening, Conan jumped to his feet and pushed the man against the wall, holding one hand over his mouth while the other choked the life out of him! It took only a moment, and the few guards around were in the middle of changing shifts. Conan had killed the killer so quickly and efficiently, it was easy to pass him off as sleeping. "Ah, well, Paulsy. You did say you were on death row, anyway. You've just been spared the crummy last meal they would've given you. Pleasant dreams, pal..."


Copter's cycle driving improved quickly. He was able to move faster as a result, but as Copter's driving became less unpredictable, Razor found it easier to pursue him. Copter was now speeding through the bridge at Radical Highway, when Razor gave him one final warning. "Pull over, experiment, or I'll be forced to shoot out your tires!" Copter responded by looking back and sticking his tongue out at Razor. He only looked back for a second, but it was long enough to cause him to crash his motorcycle into the side of the bridge! The impact sent him flying over the side of the bridge! Razor pulled over near the wreakage of Copter's motorcycle and glanced down the side of the bridge. "Stupid idiot!" he groaned, seeing no sign of Copter, "Why don't anyone ever listen to me?" As Razor turned to leave, Copter flew back up from under the bridge, apparently unharmed. "OK... I pulled over..." he said, panting with exhaustion. Razor spun around and aimed his gun at Copter. "Hands on your head!" he ordered. Normally, Copter would've just flown away, but he just didn't have the energy for it now, so he did as he was told. As Razor approached Copter with a pair of handcuffs, a jet of flame flew past both of them from behind Razor! The two of them looked in the direction the blast came from to see the Kosmogon flying towards them! At least, it looked like the Kosmogon, but much smaller than the version Copter had faced before. Kosmo flew under the bridge, and Razor ran over to the side to look for him. While Razor searched for a dragon at one side of the bridge, Kosmo flew back up through the other side in his gargoyle form. Upon landing on the bridge, he reverted to his normal form. "Run for it, Copter. I'll distract him!" he whispered. Copter nodded, "Just don't hurt anyone. You don't want me to have to kick your rear again!" Kosmo pointed away from the area. "Just get going! Don't make me reconsider this!" As Copter began to run away, Razor spun around and aimed his gun at him, then at Kosmo once he noticed him. "Freeze, monster!" he growled, having decided Kosmo was the greater threat. Kosmo held out his arms. "All right. Cuff me, officer, I've been baaaaad..." he said. Razor slowly stepped over to Kosmo and cuffed him, when Kosmo suddenly transformed into a bee! "Whoops, they don't fit me!" Kosmo chuckled, tossing the cuffs aside. "Aw well, better luck next time, constable!" Before Razor could fire a shot, Kosmo flew off over the bridge! Razor tried, but couldn't manage to hit the morph. He was further frustrated by the realization that Copter was long gone now. He tossed his now empty gun to the ground in frustration. "They're gonna love this back at the station..."


Copter really didn't have any idea as to where he should go. It seemed to him that once again, he was all alone without any friends. In the end, he decided that there was one person he had to see. He had to confront Katie, and find out for himself if she really did betray him. Therefore, his next stop became Katie's house. He wasted no time getting there, and as he went to ring the doorbell, he heard voices coming from inside. "Perhaps I shouldn't let them know I'm here yet..." he thought, "I might get more honest answers if I eavesdrop..."

Katie and Chet were just beyond her front door, in her living room. Their conversation had apparently been going on for some time. "It's all right, Katie, don't cry." Chet said, drying tears from Katies eyes, "I'm sure he'll be all right. We'll talk to the police in the morning and see if we can't get this all straightened out." Katie shook her head slightly. "No, it's not that. It's the deception. Copter never told me he was... one of them... I thought we trusted each other, but he didn't tell me the whole truth..." Chet put his arms around her, holding her tightly. "I'm sure he had his reasons. Even so, it doesn't really mean anything. Maybe he didn't think it was all that important for you to know." Katie returned his embrace and smiled. "At least I know I can trust you, Chet." They eased out of their embrace, gazed briefly into each other's eyes, then kissed each other. It was a truly passionate kiss, fueled by a burning desire that went far beyond mere friendship. She loved him. A much truer love than when she was with Copter days before.

Their lips remained locked for a full minute. When it was over, they spoke to each other softly, and Copter could no longer make out anything they were saying. "Make love to me..." Katie whispered. Chet smiled and embraced her. "Fifth time since I came back... I guess you really missed me, huh?" Chet replied softly. He released her from the embrace and then took her shirt from the bottom, slipping his hand up slowly, feeling her chest on his way to her breasts. Next, his other hand. He began to massage her tits through her bra, an action he well knew she loved. She moaned softly as he pleasured her. In a moment, she decided to return the favor, unzipping Chet's jacket in order to rub his chest, something she knew Chet enjoyed immensely. This was passionate, but also routine. Next, Chet slowly moved his right hand southward, soon leaving her shirt and entering her panties. He slipped a finger into her slit, then two, slowly, then rapidly massaging her insides. She sighed lustfully, and began gasping in pleasure. She threw her arms around him and began kissing all over his face. Their eyes were closed, but they knew each other so well that they could "see" each other "without seeing," as they tended to describe it. Katie's arms soon lowered, and her hands reached down into Chet's pants, feeling his erection. They just sat there, pleasuring each other, for a good while. Copter began to wonder if they'd gone to sleep, as he could not hear anything through the door. However, he could not think of anything else to do, so he remained there for a time.

It wasn't long before Katie and Chet began to undress each other. Mia removed her hands from Chet's pants, allowing him to pull off her shirt. Then, she slipped off his jacket. They threw their arms around each other, somewhat impatient, and Chet took the opportunity to unfasten her bra. When they released each other, he tossed the bra aside and proceeded to lick at her left tit. She giggled in reaction. Encouraged by this, Chet switched to the right tit, while Katie fingered herself. This did not last long, and once they stopped, they each stood up a moment to remove what was left of their clothes, until they each stood in front of each other, naked. Chet's erect cock was a bit wet with precum, while Katie's pussy was literally soaked. Neither could wait any longer.

Copter had heard a few sounds coming from inside up to this point, though he remained clueless as to what was happening. But now, Katie and Chet began to speak louder. "I can see you're ready..." Chet said to Katie, noting how wet she was. Katie giggled. "Oh, dear, look at you! Are you getting bigger somehow?" she said, referring, of course, to Chet's erection. It was no different than ever, but Katie did note that it was noticeably larger than Copter's. "Maybe I'm mistaken, but I know a way to test that..." she added, sprawling herself over the couch. Chet grinned, letting out a low, playful growl. "Ah, prey..." he chuckled, pouncing on top of Katie. She screamed for a second, but the scream was quickly replaced by uncontrollable laughter. "Don't do that! You could knock the couch over!" she said. They grew silent quite suddenly as they gazed into each other's eyes. Chet's manhood inched closer to her vagina as his lips approached hers. He held back his cock and kissed her first, a kiss as passionate as the one they shared moments ago.

Copter looked in through the window at that point, and right then and there had all he could take. He rang the doorbell, but found he couldn't even wait for them to open the door, so instead he bashed it in with a powerful blow from his tails! "Foul, trecherous, two-timing dog!" he yelled, bursting into the room just as they ended their kiss. Chet and Katie quickly jumped out of each others' arms as Copter pointed an accusing finger at Katie, who quickly grabbed some clothes from the floor to cover herself with. "I saved your life, then you condemned mine! You told me you loved me, but here I find you lettin' this guy hump ya! What else do you plan to do to me, you hag!" he roared. Just then, Chet stood up between Copter and Katie. The cheetah was a bit taller than Copter, and might've seemed intimidating to him if he wasn't so angry. "Now wait just a minute, you dirty skunk! Don't you DARE speak to her like that again!" Chet warned. Copter opened his mouth to speak, but found himself instead shocked by Chet's naked body. "Um... Could you cover yourself?" he finally said. Chet was not amused. "Shut your trap, and listen up! Katie had no interest in betraying you. That newscast was aired BEFORE she got to see just who these experiments were. She had no idea who you were. Maybe you should've told her something before, then maybe she'd have done something differently! And as for your romance..." he turned to Katie as his voice trailed off. "Was there a romance?" Katie sat there with her arms crossed, looking at the ground. "We... We fucked once. Just once! You know I do that with all my friends once... He just took it the wrong way..." Chet turned back to Copter. "It's apparent that you haven't known her long. She's... Free with her sexuality... So am I. We're good with it..." Copter turned away from them for a moment, lost in thought. "Th-that... She... you... How could I have known that? The truth is, you let me believe you loved me, anyway..." he muttered. Katie rose to her feet, looking apologetically at Copter. "I'm sorry if I hurt you... I didn't mean it. Could we be friends anyway?" Chet put his hand on Copter's shoulder. "How about it. Truce?" Copter went rigid when Chet touched him. He stayed perfectly still for a moment, then spun around and punched Chet in the jaw! Chet fell backward onto the couch, and Katie rushed to see if he was all right. "I don't need any friends." Copter growled, walking out the doorway. "Farewell."

Copter propped the door he knocked over back up on his way out. "Sorry about the door." he muttered, stomping off. Chet sat up on the couch. He appeared all right, just a bit rattled. "That wasn't nice..." he said. Katie hugged him. "I'm so sorry. I should've told you about our..." Chet silenced her. "I know you." he said. "We'll try to make him understand, too, if you want. But right now, I think we were in the middle of something..." he said. Katie chuckled. "Only you understand me. Let's go then. I still want to have your baby, after all..." With that, their passions ignited once more. They returned to the position they were in before Copter burst into the room, but this time, Chet thrust his dick into her pussy right away. It may not have ended up being the best sex they ever had, but it did bring them closer...


Back at Shadow Arc, Experiment 7 had been completed. A masterpiece, the fruit of all Bucky's research. Zipp was waiting outside the lab when the door slid open, and Bucky scurried out to announce his newest creation. "Experiment 4, you are fortunate to be here! May I now present the newest addition to our ranks! The first of its kind, and the seventh of your kind, say hello to the phoenix!" Through the doorway stepped a fire red bird, wearing one of Bucky's old lab coats. It was beautiful. It was legendary. It was...

"A girl!?" Zipp gasped. It was, after all, the first female experiment created. Bucky smiled like a proud parent. "That she is. Why don't you introduce yourself, Experiment 7! What name would you like to be called?" he asked. Experiment 7 looked around the area. She was a bit dazed, having not been alive long. "I... I don't... Understand..." she finally said. Bucky chuckled. "No rush. Look around our home, but stay with Zipp. That's him, there. I'm feeling inspired, so I'm going to start my next experiment immediately." Without delay, Bucky walked past Experiment 7 and re-entered his lab, shutting the door behind him. Zipp flew over to the newbie to get a better look at her. "Ah, lovely. Always wanted a sister. Allow me to explain us... Team GeneX." he said, flying a distance in front of her. "Follow me, ma'am. I'll show you around while we talk." The phoenix, still new to the world, followed Zipp slowly and tried to comprehend everything that was happening. Zipp spoke while they walked. "Here's how I see us. We are the few, the proud, the fake. Face it, we came off an assembly line. Old man Bucky wants to call you the first phoenix in existance, but you're just a science fair project, like the rest of us. We don't count. At least, not in the eyes of all those so called 'real' creatures. They don't accept us, because we don't have a mother. No, we just have a doctor. Crazy rat don't give his own behind about us anyhow, I reckon. He just wants to use us for his own ends. But, he's my pappy, so I grin and bear it. So, anyway, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Experiment 4, Zipp the hornet!" Heather said his name, just to see if she could, while Zipp continued. But she was no longer paying muchg attention to him. "I'm not real? I was created by that rat? I won't be accepted? But why? I don't understand... Does everyone hate me? That's not fair! I won't stand for this!" she thought. Anger began to fill her heart. And with anger, can darkness not be far behind?

---Chapter 5: A New Threat, A New Beginning---

The night grew later. Storm clouds were gathering over Station Square. In the light of the full moon, the prison transport at last arrived at the Station Square police station. The guards went through their routine, as always, until they reached Conan's cell. A few cells away, a prisoner was shouting and complaining. That prisoner was an odd man in an alligator costume, known as Gator the pirate. "Let me out! I don't wanna be in here anymooooore!!" he whined. One of the three guards looked at his prisoner list, then walked over to Gator's cell. "It says here this cell should be empty. Who are you and how'd you get in there?" the guard asked. "I am the great Gator! As for how I got here, your guess is as good as pie... er, MINE!" Gator said in a panicky tone. The guard walked back toward Conan's cell. "We'll deal with you later." he told Gator. The other two guards had already opened Conan's cell. "What, is he sleeping?" one of the guards said, pointing at Conan's cell mate. All three of the guards surrounded the man and tried to wake him up. Conan took advantage of the opportunity to take out the guards by smacking their heads together! All three of the guards fell to the ground, unconscious. "Good evening, officers! Lovely day for an escape, isn't it?" As Conan began to head out of the prison area, Gator appeared in a puff of purple smoke in front of him! "I forgot I could do that!" Gator said, realizing that he probably accidentally teleported into his cell in the first place, too. "Get out of my way, you oaf!" Conan growled, pushing Gator aside. "Oh, how rude of me. Sorry!" Gator said as Conan passed by. "Say... That guy had a nasty look about him.... Meh, it's late. Maybe he's just tired..." Gator then teleported away.


Outside, it had begun to rain. In this weather, most would go inside. Copter, however, had nowhere to go. So, he wandered the streets, hoping not to draw too much attention to himself. He soon found himself in front of city hall, at the place where Sonic and Chaos had faced off for the first time, before Copter was even born.  "So, here I am. Back to where I started. Alone. Hated and hunted. Betrayed. The only thing left is for them to send me back to Death Row. Maybe I should let them..." he thought, then he took off and looked at the tailband. Tails had allowed him to leave with this one, and might've let him leave with both, too, had Copter seen fit to take it. "What kinda crazy talk am I thinking? I'm not as pathetic as I was before. I'll get outta Gunner's latest trap! I always do!" Copter felt a bit better. He may have been cold and alone in the rain, but he was still free. Just knowing that felt good enough for the moment.

Then, all at once, the moment turned sour. Copter suddenly spotted a familiar silhouette on the roof of city hall. Thunder crashed behind the figure, illuminating the area and revealing the snarling form of Guard the Gargoyle! Guard swooped down to the ground in front of city hall, pointing his scythe at Copter. "Grrrrrr!! There you are! I've a score to settle with you, copter-boy!" Guard growled, "Give yourself up, experiment! Grrrr... In the name of GUN, I arrest you!" Copter hopped smugly through the gate, ever defiant. His freedom was the only thing that kept his spirits up, and now, he found he'd have to fight for it. "Maybe I'd give up if I thought there was any chance of you beating me, but there's not. The score stands at two-zip! Care to give me another point, dog breath?" Copter said boldly. Guard snarled like a crazed wolf, raising his scythe in preparation for a beam attack. "Your luck's run out, Copter! Tonight, I shall defeat you once and for all!" He swung his scythe, releasing an energy beam toward Copter! The black fox quickly slipped his tailband back onto his tail and then deflected the beam by hitting it with the banded tail! The beam simply crashed to the floor, wreaking the drain that Chaos had once used to escape from Sonic!


Conan had retrieved his sword from the evidence room, which was conveniently very close to the prison area. Now, he was making his way toward the exit to the station. Anyone who stood in his way would up hurt, or worse! As chaos and confusion spread through the station, Tommy soon caught wind of the escape attempt at his "post" at the front desk of the station. "That crazy guy's gonna come through here... Shoot, I gotta call Razor!" Tommy said excitedly, fumbling through his backpack in an attempt to find his cell phone. The receptionist chuckled and tried to reassure Tommy. "We're in a police station, Tom. You don't really think any crook's gonna get too far, much less to here, do ya?" Tommy wasn't so sure. "How'd he get loose in the first place, Ms. Dedam? I think that's scary enough to think about! I wish I could find my cell phone..." The old receptionist just sighed in an irritated manner. "That's just a goof on the part of the guards. You think a group of trained professionals is going to make two goofs in one night? Gimme a break, Thomas." Tommy pulled out his phone at last. "I thought I looked in there first..." he muttered, dialing Razor's number. Suddenly, screams and shouts were heard nearby, as well as the growls and grunts of a furious Conan! "Out of my way, pitiful scum! You can't stop me!" the crazed raccoon shouted as a blast from his sword sent several police flying through the door to the front office. Tommy panicked, and tried to dial faster, but his haste causedb him to make mistakes, forcing him to start over repeatedly. Ms. Dedam ran around the desk and grabbed Tommy by the arm. "Come on, kid! We have to get you out of here!" she said hurriedly. Tommy, however, had frozen in place, terrified by what was happening. Suddenly, Conan burst into the room, and noticed Tommy holding his phone. "Trying to blow the whistle on me, eh, kid?" Conan growled. Ms. Dedam stood between Conan and Tommy, attempting to protect the young porcupine. "Leave the young one alone!" she shouted. Conan stared hatefully at her. "I'll have no one chasing me once I get outside! Now, die!" Conan fired a Chaos Spear from his sword, which passed clean through the old woman's body and passed over Tommy's head before hitting the wall! Ms. Dedam fell to the floor, and now Conan pointed his sword at Tommy!


As the thunderstorm worsened outside, Punchy found himself caught in the middle of it. The winds had picked up speed, and the rain was really doing a number on his eyes. Punchy had lost track of Copter while he was still being chased by Razor, and now he'd settle for just finding his way back to the Hidden Ruins. "Last time I try to help that lunatic Copter out!" he muttered just before bumping into someone in front of him. "Ooof! Sorry, mister! I didn't see you!" Punchy said, attempting to dry his eyes with his arm. "Quite all right, Dark One." the person responded. Right away, Punchy recognized the voice. "Illusi?!" Indeed, it was. The shrew was wearing a red hood along with his blue cape, so he remained relatively dry. "Yes, Dark One, I'm here. Back from my vacation in the Cosmic Interstate." he said, though Punchy couldn't have had any idea what that meant. Illusi handed him a long black coat with a hood, which he quickly put on to keep the rain out of his eyes. "So, what do you want now, Illusi?" Punchy asked. Illusi gazed up at the sky, which was illuminated by lighting. "As storm clouds gather, so, too, does the darkness. Something terrible is drawing near." he said. Punchy looked out where Illusi was looking, and spotted Kosmo flying by. As quickly as the morph was there, he was gone. "Was that who I think it was?" Punchy said in disbelief. Illusi nodded. "He is just as outraged over the arrest order as the rest of you are." he said. Punchy let out a disbelieving, angry "HA!" before saying, "He's the reason we're all in this mess to begin with!" Illusi turned to Punchy. "No, Dark One. This has been a long time coming. Sargent Gunner has been planning this from the beginning. Anyway, I happened to see Copter on my way here. I presume you are out in this weather looking for him? That way." Illusi pointed in the general direction where he spotted Copter, then dissappeared. "Well... Thanks, I guess." Punchy groaned, annoyed that Illusi left without warning. At least now he had clothes, and could continue his search with greater ease.


"Did you call anyone on that phone?" Conan demanded, slowly stepping toward Tommy. The young porcupine was too terrified to speak, and instead just backed away, shivering and stuttering. "I-I-I..." Conan grew impatient quickly. "Stop stalling! Who did you call!? Speak!!" At that moment, Razor burst into the station and pointed his gun at Conan. "Drop the sword, coonsky! One of the guards you knocked out woke up and called for backup. Very sloppy escape, pal!" Conan was furious. "I am no 'pal' to you! Now, die!" He jumped out of the way of Razor's gun and fired a Chaos Spear at him, knocking him over! Sirens were heard approaching outside, so Conan took his last chance to escape, and fled through the door without delay. Tommy rushed over to his wounded brother, who sat up slowly. "I'm okay. I only hurt my pride." he said. Tommy hugged him tightly, sobbing. "Ms. Dedam... he killed the old lady..." Tommy managed to say. Razor hugged Tommy back. "Next time you call me and say your bored, I promise I'll have a better answer! Now, help me up, bro. Don't worry, everything'll be all right..." While all present would like to believe that, in the next moment it was proven quite uncertain. The backup police that had just arrived came in and informed all present that Conan had given them the slip. It seemed that the sinister raccoon's escape scheme had worked.


Copter and Guard's battle raged on, each refusing to back down. Ever since his fight with Conan, Guard had been training himself to become a better fighter, and it showed. Still, Guard remained a bit clumsy. Copter had managed to knock the scythe out of his hands. So, for the first time, Guard found himself fighting unarmed, and in this more close ranged combat, the two of them appeared more evenly matched. "So, I see you're serious for a change." Copter said after a while. "Grrrrrr, I'm not losing to you again!" Guard growled, attempting to kick Copter from the air. Copter was knocked backward a bit, but quickly responded by punching Guard in the chest. The two backed away a moment. "Yeah, you've improved. I almost feel the need to tap into the tailband's power!" Copter chuckled. He was wearing the tailband, but not using it. After all, it was just Guard. "Grrrrr.... You arrogant skunk! You think you've already won! Grrrr... But this is far from over!" Guard jumped into Copter, sending them both tumbling across the ground and into the gate, where Copter kicked Guard away from him! Guard jumped away and took the opportunity to reclaim his scythe, which he immediately used to send a torrent of energy blasts hurtling toward Copter! The blasts crashed around the gate, obscuring it in a cloud of dust and smoke. Guard squinted to see through the smoke, when suddenly, Copter jumped out of it! He'd recieved a few bruises and burns, but nothing he couldn't bear. Now, however, he was incredibly frustrated. He tore after Guard in a fury, hoping to put an end to the battle right away. Guard, seeing the rage in Copter's eyes, took advantage of his blind anger and flew straight upwards, allowing Copter to pass under him before landing on top of him with a crash! Guard jumped away from Copter and pointed his scythe at the fox, who was on the ground and struggling to stand. "It's over, Copter! Grrrrr, give yourself up, now!" Copter glared up at Guard, defiant as ever, refusing without speaking. Guard sighed heavily. "Grrrr.... You have the right to remain silent..."

Suddenly, a figure soared over the gate, coming straight for Guard! "Back.... off!!!" Guard heard this warning and flew straight up to avoid the oncoming attack. Guard landed behind the attacker, who turned around toward him. It was a green echidna in a long, black, hooded coat. "I've seen you before... Shadow Arc, right? But we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Punchy the Echidna!" he said, glancing back at Copter a moment to see that he was okay, then looking back to Guard, "And this idiot you're attacking happens to be a friend of mine. Errr... Maybe more an aquaintance..." Copter climbed to his feet. "Bah, he's lying, Guard! I don't know this bozo!" he snickered, joking. Guard tightened his grip on his scythe. "Grrrrr! You fool! I have orders to arrest you, too, 'Punchy!' Both of you will be coming with me now! Unconscious, if necessary!" Before any of them could make a move, however, they were interrupted by the sound of screeching brakes nearby! A taxi cab had pulled up to the gate, and Mia the cat ran out, trying to shield herself from the rain with her arms. "Guard! There's an emergency!" she shouted. Copter stepped past Punchy and looked through the storm to see Mia. "So, you're with Guard, eh? Why am I not surprised? Is everyone in this town so trecherous!?" he shouted. "I'm just as surprised about Katie's report as you are! But that doesn't mean I can't be friends with GUN agents!" Mia replied. Guard let out an impatient growl, which Mia quickly replied to. "Right, the problem. Conan's escaped from prison! He's caused utter chaos at the station! Razor and the others need you there!" She dashed to her cab upon finishing her explanation. "Hop in! I'll give you a ride!" she offered, but before she could open the cab door, Guard was flying off toward the station. "Fine! Catch a cold in the rain for all I care!"

As Mia's cab took off, Copter and Punchy watched. "Seems like you're having a bad day, Copt." Punchy observed. "What was your first clue?" Copter groaned. "You're welcome." Punchy said sarcastically. "I didn't need your help, greenie." Copter retorted. Punchy started to leave, without a word. "Thanks, though," Copter said, "'aquaintance!'" Punchy turned around, giving Copter an odd look, which he couldn't help but laugh at. "You look utterly rediculous, Punch! Where's you get that oversized robe?" Punchy chuckled as well. "Wish I knew. So, it seems everyone's after us. Need a place to stay, 'bro?'" Copter walked over to Punchy and shook his hand. "Sure. I guess this makes us partners in crime, eh, 'bro?'" Punchy placed a hand on Copter's shoulder and looked at him with a grave expression. "There's one small catch. How do you feel about our host calling you 'Two' all the time?" Copter gave Punchy a similar, comically serious look. "Well, 'One', we're fugitives. We could always tie her up and gag her." They both chuckled a bit and then started walking side by side. "Beats prison, buddy." Punchy said.


It had been a busy night at Shadow Arcangel. Bucky's spree of inspiration had spawned four new experiments, each currently adjusting to their newfound lives. Experiments 9 and 10 were busy exploring the ship on their own, while Zipp was off conversing with Experiment 8 elsewhere on the ship. Vortex, in the meantime, had put the ship on auto pilot, and was waiting outside Bucky's lab, hoping to greet Experiment 11, who Bucky was now in the final stages of creating. "The massster hasss grown quite sssskilled at creating life. He'sss made almosssst asss much in a ssssingle night asss he did in the weeksss it took to create usss originalssss." Vortex said to himself. "Well, he did have help thissss time, though." He was referring to the little break he took from pilotiong the ship after Zipp was finished talking to Experiment 7. Bucky had requested that Vortex and Zipp aid him in the creation of Experiment 8. They did well, and when Zipp left to begin talking to Experiment 8, Bucky took Vortex aside and had a chat with him. "I'm quite impressed by your work, five." Bucky had told him, "You'll make a fine assistant in the years to come, and I couldn't be prouder of you. Four was all right, but he plays around too much. He lacks focus. You, on the other hand, may surpass even me some day!" He'd then asked Vortex what sort of creature he'd like to see. When Vortex answered, Bucky told him to expect a surprise once Experiment 11 was finished. So, here he was.

Experiment 7 was also in the hallway leading to Bucky's lab, lost in thought. "I'm just here to serve the whims of that crazed rat. To be 'Experiment 7.' To never be me." she thought, her anger building. She found herself speaking to herself, arguing even. "He did create me. I should respect him. He is my father." Then, her voice grew angrier, her attitude with it. "But he created me just as a specimen! Just as a project! He'll probably trash me once he's done with me!" Her voice then softened again. "No. Perhaps not. He'll treat me like a bird. Nurture me, care for me. Sure, he'll also be studying me, but he'll let me fly away when I'm ready!" Then, anger took her again. "I'm ready now! He won't release me! I'm a prisoner! He's betrayed me, brought me into the world only to cast me to darkness!" Vortex noticed that something was odd about her, but couldn't hear exactly what she was saying, and frankly, he didn't care. He was too excited to meet the newest addition to what he and Zipp referred to as "Team GeneX." After a few moments, Experiment 7 fell silent. She walked down the hall, to the door of the lab. "Massster cannot be disssturbed." Vortex hissed quietly. He'd become a bit drowsy waiting, though, and dropped off to sleep as Experiment 7 entered the lab. It was silent for a few moments in that hallway, until Vortex was woken by the sounds of explosions! Experiment 7's voice echoed into the hallway, "...And I shall henceforth be known as Heather the Phoenix!!!!" Vortex ran for the door to the lab, halted as he felt an incredible surge of heat coming from inside the lab. Another loud explosion, a violent crash, and the heat subsided, allowing Vortex to enter. He looked around the room with terror, and Zipp followed him inside moments later. The lab lay in ruins, all the equipment had been knocked around and burned. Bucky stood over a charred table, gazing through a gaping hole in the roof. "Where'd we get the new skylight?" Zipp joked. Bucky crashed his fist onto the table, causing it to crumble to pieces, before turning to Vortex and Zipp. His lab coat was burned in places, but he was mostly unharmed. He spoke in a shaky voice, disbelieving what had just occurred. "Experiment 11... had only just begun to live... and now she's dead. Experiment 7 saw to that on her way out. She's escaped...." Tears were rolling down his face, but a look of outrage burned through. "I will not lose this one. I will not be betrayed again!! I shall not allow another monster to be unleashed! Vortex! Zipp! Gather the rest of Team GeneX and bring Experiment 7 back! Chase her to the ends of the earth if need be! Move out!!!" With his fiery commands, Zipp headed out immediately. Vortex left a bit slowly, looking around the room for any trace of Experiment 11. "By heaven or hell... She shall be avenged!" he thought, heading out for his next mission.


Copter and Punchy soon found themselves at Rainbow's house, and the three of them were seated at her "kitchen" table, discussing the events of the day. "I thought I had friends in this town, but today, every last one of them betrayed me." Copter said after explaining his situation. "Not me, Two!" Rainbow pointed out. Punchy had related the story of his battle with Anubis as well. "At least you didn't have to endure that insane heat I dealt with." he said. Copter stood up from his seat, leaning against the table. He appeared exhausted. "I'd prefer fighting a real enemy, like you did. Someone clearly in the wrong. But the police... They've just been taken in by Gunner's biased reports." He began to walk away, then stopped, looking out a nearby window. "This underground city's incredible. I've never seen anything like it..." Punchy and Rainbow had stood up as well. "Yeah, this place is neat. We could stay here for years and they'd never find us. Maybe we ought to." Punchy said. "That'd be neat! You could each take one of the old houses in the city! We could have a lot of fun here, guys!" Rainbow said excitedly. Copter looked blankly at her. "No, I can't stay here. It'd be just like prison, only the food would be better. I for one don't want to give Gunner the satisfaction! I can't live in hiding!" he insisted. Rainbow looked a bit disappointed, but cheered up quickly. "It's okay. You're still welcome here anytime, Two!" Copter walked toward the exit. "Thanks." he said without stopping. "Coming back, Copt?" Punchy asked. "Probably." he replied, leaving their sight. "He's a fox of few words, ain't he, One?" Rainbow said a bit too cheerfully. "He's troubled, Rainbow. Are you so dense you can't see that?" Punchy muttered, too quiet for her to hear. Rainbow sighed lustfully all of a sudden. "I just remembered our fun night." she said, "We gotta do that again sometime soon!" Punchy thought about what Rainbow'd just said for a moment. He wondered about something. "Say, Rainbow... What would you think about 'having' that 'fun' with someone else... Or more than one someone at the same time?" he asked. She smiled as she headed out of the room. "Sure. Anyone, anytime. It'd still be just as fun... wouldn't it? And the more the merrier, I say!" As she exited, she turned in the opposite direction that Copter had gone in. Punchy's eyes were wide as he realized what sort of person he'd found. A fully developed woman who, despite having lost her virginity, had largely retained her childlike innocence. As a thought entered his mind, Punchy took off in the direction Copter'd gone in.

Copter was standing outside Rainbow's home, lost in thought. Punchy found him there and stepped beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Copter. Got time to talk?" he asked. Copter glared at him slightly. "You know I do. I can't leave until I'm sure I can leave safely." he pointed out. Punchy removed his hand from Copter's shoulder and got to the point. "You know Rainbow, right?" he said. "A bit annoying, but her heart's in the right place." Copter said. Punchy nodded. "Yes, she can be annoying. But another thing she is, is playful. And she ain't picky about who she plays with." he said. Copter raised an eyebrow. "What in the name of Chaos are you talking about?" Punchy looked around, then led Copter a few steps away from Rainbow's house. "I did her Copter! It was incredible, and even as we were doing it, she was oblivious as to what exactly we were doing!" he told him. Copter scoffed at him. "My tails, you did her. I can tell about you Punchy, you couldn't even try." Punchy smiled, remembering that night. "She made it so easy. She asked me if I wanted to bathe with her, and one thing led to another... And she lost her virginity without knowing what it was. And she'd do it again. With both of us at once, if we wanted...." Copter shook his head. "Look, Punchy, I may not have been born all that long ago, but I wasn't born yesterday. Take your sick games and shove 'em!" Punchy tried to say something, but couldn't decide what to say and the words came out jumbled and confused. Copter walked back into Rainbow's house in a huff, believing Punchy to be a liar.


As the night grew later, the rain slowed down and eventually ceased. By this time, Guard had accomplished the task Razor set before him: to find and gather the citizens of Station Square who'd been involved in the recent events with the experiments and Conan. Back in the same interrogation room, all of them were assembled. Razor addressed the small crowd, which consisted of Tommy, Katie, Mia, Chet, Bill, and Bob, "I've called you all here because each of you have been involved with the recent experiment business, not to mention the capture of Conan the Raccoon. First off, let me inform you all that Conan has escaped!" A couple gasps and words of surprise followed before Razor continued, "Yes, yes, I know. I also know that he's bound to have thoughts of revenge for each of us. Not to mention the fact that the experiments might, as well. In fact, Chet here tells me Experiment 2 was at Katie's house tonight." Katie shot Chet a dirty look. "I was worried about you!" Chet explained. "He seemed violence prone!" Razor hushed the group and continued, "Therefore, you all are being placed under the witness protection program, and moved to a safe place. They tell me we'll be shipped to Soleanna." Everyone was upset by this news. "But... My bar! I poured my life into that bar!" Bill protested. "I just got back to Station Square!" Chet groaned. "Are we gonna have to change our names?" Mia asked. Razor hushed the crowd again. "One question at a time! No, our names will not be changed. With us furries, we can be found simply by our species, there's so few of us. Now I'm very sorry about all this, but it's the safest way to go." he insisted. Bill raised his hand. "Why, pray tell, would anyone come after me and Bob?" he asked. "You led us to where we confronted some experiments and arrested Conan! All of them may come after you!" Razor explained. "What about our jobs? Our friends? Our LIVES?!" Katie nearly shouted. "I'm sorry. No one can know where we're going. Don't worry, though. I'll take care of all of you. I'm being transferred to Soleanna as part of your protection." Razor said. "Fine thing!" Mia shouted. "See if I'll be helpin' youse guys again!" Bob muttered. "HEY!" Tommy shouted, silencing everyone. "You think my big brother likes this? He's a target, too! We all have to leave everything behind, because those scary people hate us! It's not fair, but we don't want to die, do we?" Everyone silently agreed, and they were dismissed to begin getting their affairs in order.

Copter had been wandering Rainbow's spacious home for a while, searching for a place he felt comfortable sleeping in. However, his thoughts were tormented. Punchy's little chat with him had triggered the memory of Chet with Katie. He imagined them together, humping, laughing, revelling in the betrayal Katie'd handed Copter. Then, he thought of Punchy, raping the sweet, innocent girl who'd taken him in when no one else would. He was so haunted by those thoughts that he neglected to watch where he was going, and soon he bumped into Rainbow! They fell over, and Copter landed on top of her. Startled out of his thoughts, Copter jumped off of her. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you all right?" he asked. Rainbow picked herself up and smiled. "One of us needs to watch where we're goin', I guess! Sorry, Two!" she chuckled. "It was my fault. I was too lost in thought..." Copter told her. "What were ya thinking about?" Rainbow asked. Copter felt he had to answer, but wasn't about to tell her what Punchy'd told him. "Well... Actually... I was thinking about... You." Rainbow blushed a little. Encouraged by this, Copter decided to tell her something else on his mind. "You know... I'm a fugitive, and you took me in. Without asking anything in return. You're the nicest girl I know. The only girl I feel I can trust." A feeling stirred inside him. Was he falling in love... with her? Perhaps Copter felt something, but Rainbow's heart belonged to someone else. Still, she did consider Copter a close friend. So, she felt a desire to cheer him up. "You don't owe me anything, Two! We're friends. But don't look so down. You can trust others. It's not like Katie really knew who you were. She had no reason to think reporting that news would get you in trouble." Copter nodded. "You're right, I guess..." he sighed. He still looked sad, and Rainbow wasn't sure what would cheer him up. She tried giving him a hug. "One way or another, I'll make you feel better!" she promised. Copter hugged her back, placing his arms around her slender figure. "She IS kinda sexy..." he found himself thinking. Still holding him, Rainbow looked into his eyes, and through them, she could tell he needed someone. Not quite knowing why, she suddenly felt like kissing him. So, she did. She pressed her lips against his, and without thinking, he opened his mouth to accept her tongue into his. She explored his mouth with her tongue for a few moments, during which Copter's mind switched the image of Punchy raping her to an image of himself. Startled by his thought, he broke away from the kiss and backed away from her. "I-I'm sorry... I don't know what's wrong with me..." Copter said, staring guiltily at the ground. Rainbow took his hands in hers. "What do ya mean, Two? If you don't want to play with me, there's nothing wrong with that. I just thought it might take your mind off your problems." Copter looked into her eyes now. There was a certain purity about her, despite what she seemed to be suggesting. He could also see a slight hint of disappointment in her eyes. "Holy crap, Punchy was telling the truth..." he thought, "Well, it could just be a misunderstanding..." He looked her over for a second. Not a bad person to "play" with. Still, he had to ask, "What exactly was it you wanted to 'play?'" Rainbow blushed as she explained, "Well, we play with each other's bodies. One taught me how. Want me to teach you?" Now, Copter was blushing. "Punchy's goin' to hell, and I'm goin' with him." he thought as he nodded. "I.... see.... Well, I know how to play that..." he muttered just loud enough for Rainbow to hear. She smiled excitedly as she noticed Copter's growing erection. "OK, let's play!"

Just then, Punchy turned the corner into the same hallway and immediately spotted Copter's erection. "So! Thought you'd have some fun without me, eh?" he shouted, getting their attention. Copter's face turned bright red at that moment. "One thing led to another..." he said, imitating Punchy. "Oh, hey, One! Want to join us? I bet it'd be more fun with three of us!" Rainbow offered. Punchy chuckled. "Well, if Copter doesn't mind..." Copter shrugged his shoulders. "Well, all right, what the heck." After all, Punchy'd already seen him. He might as well see Punchy, too. Rainbow started fiddling with her clothes when Punchy proposed an idea. "What's the rush, Rainbow? I'm sure you'd enjoy watching us for a bit first." Rainbow sat off to the side. "Sure. That'll give me time to get in the right mood!" she said. Copter looked nervously from her to Punchy, and found that he had an erection now as well. Copter was straight, and didn't really like the idea of fucking another male without a female to balance things. Punchy was straight as well, but he'd been overcome with a bit of curiosity upon seeing Copter's rod. He walked up to Copter and placed his arms around him, feeling his body. "Don't fret, Copter. This'll just be a one time deal. Just to see if we like it..." he whispered before forcing his tongue into Copter's mouth. At first, Copter was terrified, but that quickly changed. Really, this wasn't so bad. Soon, he found himself returning the embrace, which in turn caused their cocks to rub against each other. Not only was this pleasurable, but the experience gave them the chance to compare themselves to each other. Copter noted that Punchy appeared to be less muscular than he was, while Punchy noted that his penis was larger than Copter's. However, Punchy also noticed the difference in physique, and he couldn't believe it. He suddenly felt the need to prove to himself that he was the stronger, so he dragged Copter to the ground. Copter didn't resist, and Punchy could tell, but let it go for the moment. On the floor, they rubbed their hips against each other as they explored each other's bodies with their hands. The scene filled Rainbow with excitement. She felt hot, and had stripped down to her underwear in order to cool down. As the erotic scene unfolded before her, she found herself fingering her vagina. Meanwhile, Punchy soon felt the desire to assert his dominance over Copter again, so he rose to his feet. Copter looked up from the floor, a bit confused, when Punchy lowered himself in oreder to attempt to flip Copter, which the black fox again allowed. Punchy grabbed Copter's rear and lifted him a bit, causing Copter to get on his hands and knees. Next, Punchy spread Copter's tails apart to reveal his ass hole, which Punchy used his thumbs to pull open wider. He moved his cock so the tip touched Copter's hole, and at this point, he noticed Copter getting a bit tense. "You're not gonna do what I think you're gonna do..." he started to say when Punchy forced his way into Copter's ass, causing him to yelp in surprise and pain! Now, Punchy began to find the answers he sought. He held Copter down as the fox struggled to escape, pounding his rear all the while with his rod. To get a better grip on Copter, Punchy reached around him and grabbed at his cock, pumping Copter's foreskin back and forth as he continued having his way with his ass. The shock of the pain had made Copter desire to escape, but soon his grunts of effort turned to gasps of pleasure as Punchy continued his work. Punchy was happily victorious, having proved himself the stronger, while Copter had savored every moment of his defeat. He had now gone from straight to bi, while Punchy merely reveled in his victory. Never mind that by the time Copter had begun to struggle, he was in a disadvantageous position. Punchy didn't care. Meanwhile, their encounter was doing its job. Rainbow's panties were now soaked. She was ready.


Guard, meanwhile, was talking to Gunner on a video display elsewhere in the police station. "Guard, I have a new mission for you." he began. "A few hours ago, the president contacted Shadow the Hedgehog in regards to the recent disappearance of Rouge the bat in Soleanna. Her mission was to retrieve a stolen artifact from Dr. Eggman. Guard, I suspect foul play, and I don't trust Shadow. You are to go to Soleanna, find Shadow, and observe his activities. If you see him doing anything out of line, kill him immediately!" Guard was a bit suspicious himself. "Grrr? How'd you get this information?" he said. Spy's voice was heard somewhere behind Gunner. "I AM a spy, after all!" Gunner groaned at Spy's stupidity. "Never mind my methods. Drastic measures must be taken to ensure the nation's security. You are to set out immediately! Gunner, out!"


By now, Punchy's seed was planted deep in Copter's rear, while Copter had yet to cum. Punchy had worn himself out with his show of strength earlier, but Copter still had plenty of energy as he squirmed free of Punchy's grip. "I think that's enough of that." he said to Punchy, "While you rest up, I'll keep occupied..." Copter glanced at Rainbow, who had removed her panties after they'd become a bit too wet. Copter was stunned a moment by her beauty. She was even prettier than Katie, both on the outside, and deep within her soul. By now, rather than feeling guilty as he had been earlier, Copter was filled with nothing but excitement. Now, it was time for his own victory, the chance to screw Punchy's girl in front of him. Not that Copter cared much about that, more exciting was the prospect of being with such a good friend. He dashed over to where she was standing and pushed her passionately to the wall, kissing her hungrily as he did. Rainbow embraced him tightly as she accepted his kiss, giggling into his mouth as this was happening. In a moment, Copter released her from the kiss and eased back on the embrace. "Sorry. I like you better than Punchy, y'know?" Rainbow chuckled a bit. "That's kinda rude to say in front of him, Two!" she said. Copter chuckled back. "Sorry, but I think he knows it. Anyway, what do you want me to do?" he asked. Rainbow was delighted at being given a choice, and knew exactly what she wanted. She pointed from his cock to her pussy. "Would you put that in there please? That'd be great!" Obeying her wish, Copter slowly pushed into her, with her back still against the wall. He moved slowly and gently, and Rainbow sighed happily as he did so. Next, he began pushing in and out of her, slowly at first, but Rainbow soon requested he go faster. As he did, he stared down her bra, desperately desiring to see what it hid. However, his hands were occupied holding Rainbow's hips in place. Meanwhile, Rainbow slipped a pair of fingers into Copter's ass hole, rubbing the inside of it as she moved as deep as she could. It was a bit easier since Punchy's cock had gone through first, and left a slight "tunnel." Copter gasped and moaned in pleasure as she did this, and soon he reached orgasm. At that moment, Rainbow pulled out her fingers, which were wet with some of Punchy's cum. As Copter stood there, gasping and recovering from his orgasm, Rainbow put one of her cum soaked fingers in her mouth. "Mmmm.... One's stuff tastes good. Wanna try some?" She offered Copter her other cum covered finger, which he licked clean. He seemed only to care that Rainbow had offered it, not where it came from.

Now, Punchy was ready to continue. After all, the experiments were quick to recover energy. He walked over to Copter and Rainbow and placed a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "Mind if I join in?" he said. Copter and Rainbow backed away from the wall, giving Punchy room to move behind Rainbow. He started by unfastening her bra. "I think it's about time this came off..." he said, tossing the bra aside so that her breasts were now free and visible. Copter found his energy instantly renewed upon seeing Rainbow in all her glory. He was so excited now, he just had to touch her breasts. Meanwhile, Punchy slowly and carefully pushed his dick into Rainbow's behind, while Copter shoved his own rod deep into her pussy. The three of them next dropped to the ground, with Rainbow on top of Punchy and Copter on top of Rainbow. The three of them quickly began bucking their hips in unison, They were each filled with such pleasure as they moved, and each found themselves shouting excitedly as they continued. "Oh.... yeah.... You are awesome, Rainbow! Keep.... moving...!!" Punchy shouted. "I'm gonna make you cum, Rainbow! I'm gonna keep fucking ya till ya can't take any more!" Copter yelled. Rainbow, being pleasured two ways, found herself unable to say complete sentences as the pleasure overcame her. "Whooooooa.... Yeaaaaah... That feels.... Whoa!! Keep going.... Oh, yes!!! Fast as you can..." It wasn't long before the three of them reached orgasm, one after another, but none were tired. They continued, trying a few different positions, until late into the night...


Much later in the night, at a point where the three of them were asleep where they'd fucked, Copter awoke and wandered back to the surface just outside the Hidden Ruins. The storm had ended. Copter was wondering what would come next for him. As storm clouds gathered once more, he soon got his answer. "Storms don't come up this fast..." Copter said as a thunderstorm started raging again in the area. Lightning crashed nearby, and almost as though appearing from it, the Doomsayer approached Copter. "You again! I was beginning to wonder what happened to you!" Copter said. The Doomsayer's chilly demeanor remained unchanged. "Copter... There is darkness in the air tonight. It is a terrible omen. The Dark is coming." he said. Copter chuckled. "You're afraid of the dark?" Thunder crashed near Copter, causing him to jump. "OK, I get it! Don't mock the Doomsayer!" he said, gasping to recover from his near heart attack. "Evil stirs once again. A great flame is being unleashed, in more ways than one." the cloaked enigma warned. "Can you try being specific for a change?" Copter asked. The Doomsayer let out a low growl. "An experiment has escaped. A new creation, of immense power. It is full of confusion. Confusion that the darkness could use to its advantage. Worse, it is being pursued, by more foes than one, and for more reasons than one. These events will lead to the ending of the very fabric of the universe. You changed the future, but for the worse! Now, more than just this world is threatened. I warned you repeatedly, and you defied me to the end! Now, it's over. There's no hope for you now. Or anyone, for that matter. Doom has come!!!" As the storm grew more violent, the Doomsayer vanished into a cyclone of sleet and hail, and the storm subsided. The Doomsayer's voice echoed on the wind, "It shall begin at Soleanna..."

Copter looked up at the sky, now clearer than before. "Should I really care? Tails fought Kosmo, too! And Sonic, and Shadow! Let them deal with this! I'VE FOUGHT MY BATTLE!!!" His scream was heard below ground, and Punchy and Rainbow soon climbed up from the Hidden Ruins. "What is the MATTER with you!?" Punchy shouted, "Every cop in the city's looking for us, and you're just calling them over!" Rainbow tapped Punchy on the shoulder. "So are you, One!" Copter didn't avert his gaze at the sky. "One of the experiments has escaped from Bucky. A new one. And it's being chased." Copter said solumnly. Punchy looked up where Copter was looking. "You're kidding? Bucky's chasing it? He didn't chase me, and I was glad of it. This isn't fair! If that experiment wants to be free, it should be... But, what are you gonna do? Not our problem." he said. Copter's eyes went wide, and he looked at Punchy with disbelief. "You're right... You son of a gun, you're right!" he said. "Yeah!" Rainbow added, "What are we gonna do?" Copter shook his head. "No, I mean, she should be free. Don't you see? This experiment's in the same situation we're in! Wouldn't we like someone to help us?" Rainbow scratched her head. "Well, gee, what about me? I'll help you!" she said. Punchy looked confused as well. "Yeah, I don't see where you're going with this." Copter chuckled. "You two have been hanging around each other too long. One of you is making the other equally dense." Rainbow smacked Punchy in the arm. "What're you doin' to me, One?" Punchy rubbed his arm where she hit him. "Me?! He meant you!" Copter chuckled again. "Don't you see? We have to find that experiment and help it. We gotta get to Soleanna!" he declared. "Anna? Who's she?" Rainbow asked. Punchy rolled his eyes. "It's a PLACE Rainbow! But how do we get there? I mean, we can't exactly waltz into an airport, we'll be arrested in two seconds flat!" Suddenly, Gator appeared in a puff of purple smoke! "Hi! Gator was nearby and couldn't help overhearing! You need to get to Soleanna? Well, Gator needs a crew to get to treasure! And I bet Soleanna's bursting with treasure! And pie! So, set sail with me! I am Captain Giseppi Gator! Pirate extraordinaire!" Copter and Punchy exchanged strange glances. Rainbow, however, was smiling. "I like him!" she said, "I'm in, Bluehair!" Copter and Punchy excused themselves and discussed it privately. "What do you think, Punchy?" Copter asked. "I think I'm drunk." Punchy replied, "This is too weird to actually be happening." Copter nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but let's say you're not drunk, since you don't drink. Should we go?" They both pondered this a moment. "Soleanna's got nothing against us..." Punchy realized. "And this guy seems... friendly..." Copter noted. "We're gonna regret this, but..." they both said at once, "We're in!"


"Dr. Eggman!" Char flew through the passageways of Eggman's new Egg Carrier in a huge rush. Soon, he reached Eggman's control room. "Yo, doc! Your spy satellites just sent us these pictures!" Dr. Eggman turned in his seat to take the pictures. They showed what appeared to be a figure, blasting through the roof of Shadow Arcangel, covered in flames. "Ah, old Dr. Stein has created another monster beyond his control. A powerful critter, too. Perhaps I can harness this power for the Eggman Empire! Alpha!" The blue robot quickly reported to the control room. "Yes, sir, big red, sir!" he said, saluting. "Stop calling me that! I want you to find the creature in these photos and bring it to me. Alive, please. Char, you're in charge of this mission. Take a squad of robots with you." Eggman ordered. "Aye, aye, Eggman!" Char said enthusiastically. "Yes, Santa!" Alpha added. As the two of them left the control room, Char turned around. "Good luck with the Solaris thing!" he said. Eggman chuckled. "Who needs luck when you're this big a genious?" As Char flew off on his way, Eggman let loose a symphony of his insane laughter!


The next morning, Copter, Punchy, and Rainbow gazed out at the sea as Gator's ship set sail. They had no idea what time had in store for them, but they would face this next adventure together. It was time for a new quest. They had started a new beginning...

To be continued in Chapter 1 of GeneX - Soleanna Struggle! But for now...

The End