GeneX Chronicles - The Twilight Cage
Chapter 5 - Exodus

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
This story is based on the video game: Sonic Chronicles - The Dark Brotherhood.
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.

WARNING! This story contains spoilers of the game it is based on. If you haven't played the game already, I suggest you not read this story yet! You've been warned...

The story thus far:
Copter and friends have been exploring the Twilight Cage, battling foes such as Nova the Morph and hunting for the mysterious Twilight Shards. During the journey, Razor and Guard were captured by Nova and Jak the Echidna, who are plotting to overthrow Ix and take over the Nocturnus. However, during a battle on the Zoah Colony, Tommy's quick thinking frees Razor & Guard, who now must set aside their differences with Kosmo in order to move on.
Now, on to the next chapter!

Chapter 5, Act 1: The Voxai  (Dark Brotherhood: Sector Charybdis)

The Tsunami, the Nocturnus ship, and Nova's ship all made their way to the same destination. The three ships landed in fairly close proximity on Voxai Colony Beta, a fairly dark place lit by strange, pink structures. The Tsunami and the Nocturnus ship landed side by side, and their crews met up as soon as they exited their ships. However, what first got their attention as they set foot on this strange landscape, were the manta-like, floating creatures known as the Voxai! Many of them were floating all over the place, but they simply ignored the newcomers. Even Nova was creeped out by them as he exited his ship. "What are these things? Jellyfish?" he wondered. Jak grabbed him by the arm and started leading him away. "They'll ignore us, Nova. Quickly, let's find the Twilight Shard before those meddling fools interfere again!" he said. Meanwhile, the crew of the Tsunami finally noticed Kosmo standing nearby! Gemini pointed her wand at him threateningly. "So, here you are! Let my friends go, morph!" she demanded. Kosmo stepped aside and let Razor, Guard, and Tommy through. "Take them. Please! I never wanted these stowaways around in the first place!" he said. "Me neither..." Punchy muttered. "Hi, Gemini! Sorry if we worried you!" Razor said. Alpha pretended to wipe a tear from his tearless eyes. "Aww, this is so touching... We're all alone together..." he said. Kosmo looked around and spotted Nova's ship nearby. "Oh, boy... They're here, too..." he said. "Who's here, Three?" Rainbow asked. Copter recognized Nova's ship. "That other morph, right? He's been up to something in this dimension, and I'll bet you know what!" he said to Kosmo. Guard nodded in agreement. "Grrr... I hate to say it, but I agree with copter-boy." he said. Kosmo sighed nostalgically. "Everyone gathered around me, filled with hate for the foe. It makes me miss the good old days... Fooling you into thinking I was controlling people's minds... Good times..." Tommy looked at him like he was crazy. "OK.... Maybe we should tell them what's happening, Kosmo." he suggested. Kosmo nodded and began explaining. "I overheard that morph, Nova, talking to that echidna. They're looking for all of the Twilight Shards, which they think will give them the power to overthrow that Ix character and take over the universe! Gee, normally these plans aren't so simple, are they? What lazy maniacs." he said. Gemini looked thoughtful. "If those shards are so powerful, maybe we better take the ones we collected with us! They might come in handy!" she suggested. "Aye, aye!" Char said, flying back inside the Tsunami to collect them. Copter looked around at the group they'd assembled. "All right, then. This could be serious, so we should all work together! Any objections? Good! Let's go stop those guys!"


Jak and Nova had separated by now. While Nova searched for the Twilight Shards, Jak tried getting the attention of the Voxai. Eventually, he got one's attention. "(What do you want with the Voxai, outermind?)" the Voxai asked. "Can you get a message to the Overmind?" Jak asked. "(The Overmind has control. It hears all.)" the Voxai explained. Jak grinned with excitement over his plan. "Right. You listening, Overmind? I have come to warn you that intruders have arrived, hoping to mess with your... perfect order. I request that you capture them, and do whatever you want with them. However, they are carrying stolen Twilight Shards. The Nocturnus would appreciate it if you would hold them for us. I will return to pick them up later." he requested. "(The Voxai will deal with these intruders. Farewell, outermind.)" the Voxai replied, floating away. Once it was gone, Nova arrived and held up a Twilight Shard! "Found it! But I think these critters have another somewhere..." he said. Jak looked thoughtful. "Let's worry about that later. I'm going to reclaim my ship, since it will be vacant. I'll meet you on the Nocturne, Nova." he said. Nova nodded in agreement, and the two of them split up once again.


As Copter, Kosmo, and their companions explored the colony together, it wasn't long before they noticed a change in the appearance and behavior of the local Voxai. They all began to turn red, and looked angry! "Hey, cool! I didn't know these fishies could change color!" Rainbow said. Guard pulled out his scythe. "Grrrr... I think they're hostile!" he growled. "Well, duh!" Kosmo said, morphing the tip of his tail into a spiky ball! As he began swinging his tail like a mace, the Voxai in the area came after them and started to surround them! Alpha immediately began shooting at them! "Bad bubbles! You all pop now!" he said crazily! As the Voxai began rushing in to attack, everyone did their best to fight back! "Did we do something to offend them!?" Razor wondered as he fired the last shots from his gun. "Who cares! Get back, you squids! Chaos Whirlwind!!" Copter created a chaotic wind that blew several of the Voxai aside, but many more came to take their place! Soon, they began getting close to the group, and one grabbed on to Razor! He struggled with it for a moment, and soon Tommy rushed to help. "You get away from my brother!!" he shouted, punching at the Voxai! The creature flew away after that. "You OK, Razor?" Tommy asked. Razor responded by attempting to tackle Tommy! "Whoa! Hey, what's wrong with you!?" Tommy shouted. A look at Razor's face told him something wasn't right. He appeared dazed and distant, as though he wasn't paying attention to what he was doing! "What's wrong with him?" Punchy wondered. A Voxai hovered beside Razor and answered the question. "(His mind is ours. You will soon join him! The Voxai conquer all minds!)" The group had been distracted by its words, and the Voxai took the opportunity to attack more of them! Rainbow, Tommy, and even Copter soon fell under the control of the Voxai! "(That's enough of them for now. Take them to Colony Alpha!)" a Voxai said, leading Razor, Tommy, Rainbow, and Copter away! "Yay! Take new toys to me!" Alpha cheered, apparently thinking the Voxai had been referring to him. "They said Colony Alpha!" Char said. "Stop them! There's no telling what will happen to them there!" Kosmo shouted.

The Voxai were too fast, and they lost the swarm quickly, but they continued heading in the direction the swarm had been going, until they reached a large, glowing pink device, which resembled a building. There, a white colored Voxai stopped them. "(Stop, outerminds! Turn back, before it's too late!)" he warned. Guard threatened the Voxai with his scythe. "Grrrr... Don't get in our way!" he growled. Punchy shook his fist at the Voxai. "We won't let you flying stingrays have our friends! Not even Rainbow!" he yelled. The Voxai backed away slightly. "(Those captives were your friends? I am sorry. There is little that can be done for them. Perhaps Sonic will save them.)" he said. Gemini walked towards the Voxai. "You know Sonic? And he's here?" she asked. "(Yes. I helped him enter Colony Alpha. My name is Thebes. Sonic is attempting to free the Voxai from the Overmind. But the Overmind has your friends. It is surely trying to lure you into a trap. If you enter Colony Alpha, your minds will be taken, too!)" the Voxai explained. Kosmo looked confused. "Wait, how is it Sonic can avoid being controlled by this 'Overmind?'" he asked. "(He has one of the Great Emeralds. It protects him. Say... You have power that has protected you thus far, too! The energy... Are they the Lost Shards?)" Thebes asked. Alpha held up the Twilight Shards. "These are pretty. They hurt my eyes." he said. Thebes thought for a moment before speaking again. "(Those shards may protect you from the Overmind, as long as you don't get too close to it. But you only have three, and I think they will only work for whoever is holding one...)" he said. "Grrrr... You non-robots take them. Grrrr... My mind may not be real enough to be controlled." Guard suggested. So, Kosmo, Punchy, and Gemini each took a shard. Thebes motioned to the pink device behind them. "(This will take you to Colony Alpha. Good luck, outerminds!)" he said. Without further delay, they approached the device, and were sucked into a strange vortex! When they emerged, they had arrived at Voxai Colony Alpha.

Colony Alpha was a brighter place, and even more alien in appearance. There wasn't time for sightseeing, though, because Copter, Rainbow, Razor, and Tommy were waiting for them at the entrance! They were still under the Overmind's control, and their voices echoed with the Overmind's words. "You should have turned back when you had the chance!" Razor said. "Your friends' minds belong to us now!" Rainbow added. "It is only a matter of time before your minds become ours as well!" Copter growled. "So, fight your friends if you must, but know that you are doomed!" Tommy concluded. Gemini was frantically searching her spell book. "I can't seem to find an anti mind control spell!" she cried. Kosmo morphed into Sonic and began mimicking him. "Don't worry! I'll save them, no sweat!" he said. Alpha crossed his arms and turned away. "I'm too hungry! I don't want to play anymore!" he said. Suddenly, Copter ran towards them, ready to fight! He was about to attack Gemini, but Guard stepped in and blocked his attack! "Grrr!!! Back off, Copter!!" he snarled. Meanwhile, Tommy approached Kosmo, who was now getting concerned. "OK, this isn't good... How to stop him without killing him... Oh, this kid's nothing but trouble!" he groaned, morphing back into his normal form and backing away from him. Rainbow and Razor both went after Punchy, who struggled with them, but tried not to hurt them. "Rainbow!! Snap out of it!! It's me!!" he yelled. "There is no escape, One..." Rainbow muttered, still with the Overmind's voice. Punchy scowled at her. "Aw, even mind controlled, she still calls me that!!" Char, who had been sitting on the sidelines so far, suddenly kicked Alpha! "You may not have a mind, but the Overmind will defeat you just the same!!" he said, apparently having fallen to the Overmind's control himself! Alpha ran to Punchy for assistance. "Save me, you!!" he whimpered. Punchy, however, now stood with Rainbow and Razor, grinning evilly. "Fools. Your Lost Shards only delayed the inevitable!" he growled! Gemini and Kosmo had been captured as well, and surrounded Guard. "Surrender, machines!" Gemini said. "Or you will be destroyed!" Kosmo added. Guard swung his scythe around, forcing them all back. "Grrrr... Fight it! Don't give in!" he growled. Alpha began shooting lasers at their mind-controlled companions. "Yay! Fight it or I will!" he shouted. It was looking rather hopeless, and soon Guard began to weaken. "Grrr... Can't... give up..." he muttered as he and Alpha were backed to the wall. Suddenly, however, all of the captives shrieked loudly and fell to the ground! As they did, Alpha hesitated before doing the same, just because everyone else did it. Guard stepped away from the wall and looked around. "Grrrr? What... happened?" he wondered. Looking out in the distance, he saw the cause. Sonic had defeated the Overmind!

Once everyone recovered from the battle, they explored Colony Alpha for a while, until Thebes found them. "(You're all OK! Thank goodness!)" he said happily. Copter scratched his head in confusion. "Who are you?" he muttered. "Thebes. The guy who helped us get here." Kosmo explained. Thebes was carrying something in his "fin." "(I brought you something. Your battle helped distract the Overmind, I think, so you may have indirectly helped to free us. So, as the new Overmind, I am happy to give you our Lost Shard!)" he said, handing the shard to Guard. "Grrrr... Thank you." he said. "(Now, I must be going. I have a lot to do! Farewell, outerminds!)" Thebes said before floating away.

With the Twilight Shard in hand, the group returned to the Tsunami. Jak had reclaimed his ship, so Kosmo, Tommy, Razor, and Guard were forced to squeeze into the Tsunami with the others. There, they discussed what to do next. "Me, I'm ready to go home, now that I found my brother." Razor said. Kosmo shook his head. "No, no, no! We have to catch Nova and stop his plans! There's only room for one crazy morph around here!" he said. Punchy pushed his way to the front of the ship. "As much as I hate to agree with Kosmo, we can't leave yet! We haven't found the Master Emerald! It must be at one of the two planetoids we missed!" he said, pointing to the planetoids on their map screen. Tommy pointed to the Zoah Colony on the map. "We were there, we didn't see any sign of any emeralds." he said. Char looked worried. "That leaves that big planetoid in the middle. But it's got some sort of force field thing around it!" he informed them. "Well, I guess that's gotta be the Nocturnus' homeworld, or whatever. We'll have to try to land there." Copter said, "After all, we owe that Jak character a few things!" Gemini was holding the four Twilight Shards they'd collected. "Maybe if I magically charged these shards, we can use their energy to shoot a hole in the force field!" she suggested. Alpha giggled at the suggestion. "BOOM!!" he said. "Sounds good! I bet Four put great weapons on this ship!" Rainbow said. Copter pushed his way to the front of the ship and spoke to the whole crew. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's do it!"

Chapter 5, Act 2: Citadel Showdown

"Copter's log: Stardate... uh... Wait, technically we're not in the stars... Or are we? I'll say 'date unknown.' We've teamed up with Kosmo, Guard, and that police porcupine, and we're on our way to the last place we can find in this Twilight Cage. I'm not sure we can trust these people not to betray us at the first sign of trouble, but, hey, I'm not completely sure I can even trust Punchy..." Copter muttered what he wrote in his log book as he wrote it. He'd started it when their journey aboard the Tsunami began, and he'd became rather fond of writing it. However, now they were nearing the Nocturne, and they would attempt to put their plan into action. Gemini pointed her wand at the Twilight Shards. "Charize!" Her spell set to work immediately, charging the shards with magical energy! Char then grabbed the shards and attached them to the power supply. "Keep your fingers crossed, everyone!" Char said. Alpha maneuvered the ship close to the shield. "Ready... aim... water!" The Tsunami's charged up lasers fired several times at the Nocturne's shield, but it was useless! "Eeek!! We're gonna crash! Turn us around!!" Rainbow screamed, covering her eyes! Char grabbed the controls from Alpha and steered them away from the Nocturne just in time to miss the shield! "Mission computered! I wanna play games now!" Alpha said. Looking out the window of the ship, Tommy saw something else approaching the Nocturne. "Look! Over there!" he shouted. A Zoah ship had fired a beam at the shield, which carried N'rrgals to it! The N'rrgal were eating a hole in the shield! Sonic's ship, the Cyclone, was heading for the hole! "Quick! Let's go through there!" Punchy shouted. "Where else would we go?" Kosmo muttered. Char quickly changed their course, and they dashed through the hole before even the Cyclone got through! The hole closed up once more immediately after the Cyclone was through! Gemini sighed with relief. "That was close... Let's find a place to land!"

Once they landed, Gemini disconnected the Twilight Shards from the ship and most of the crew prepared to exit. Razor, however, didn't move. "Tommy and I will stay and guard the ship. Tommy can't fight, and I've run out of bullets, so we'd really just be a liability." he explained. "Well, don't leave without us!" Kosmo replied. Tommy shook his hand. "We wouldn't do that, Kosmo! But that means you all better come back safe, OK?" Everyone agreed, and exited the ship. Waiting just outside the ship was a bright yellow Gizoid! "Welcome, visitors. Did you have a pleasant trip?" the Gizoid said in greeting. "Well, it was a little tricky..." Rainbow replied. The Gizoid chuckled at the response. "My name is Prefect Kronus. I am in charge of the Nocturnus' Gizoid army. I was sent by Procurator Jak to greet you." he said. Rainbow smiled. "Aw, isn't that nice, One?" Punchy rolled his eyes. "He's here to do something BAD Rainbow! Either capture us or kill us or... whatever!" he told her. Kronus motioned to the Nocturne. "Shall we go? This is no fit place for a showdown. Follow me!" As Kronus ran ahead, the team gave chase! Kronus ran to one of the buildings built into the rocky wall of the planetoid, briefly glancing back at his pursuers before going in! "Grrrr... You all know this is a trap, right?" Guard asked. "Yay! We have him trapped! Let's go throw pies at him!" Alpha giggled, leading the group inside! Sure enough, there was a squad of Gizoid Centurions waiting inside! "Make our guests feel welcome!" Kronus ordered! It looked dangerous, but Alpha simply laughed at the situation. "Silly robot! You work for Dr. Eggplant! Get back to Metropolis!" he said. Kronus glanced at Alpha. "Are your parts quite up to code? You seem to be mistaking me for someone else." he said. Char patted Alpha on the head and pointed him in Kronus's direction. "He insulted you, Alpha! Let's take him apart!" As the rest of the group began fighting their way through the Gizoid Centurions, Alpha and Char faced Kronus! "Meanie! I'm gonna tell mommy on you!" Alpha growled, shooting at Kronus! Kronus copied his laser ability, dodged the attack, and fired the same attack back at him! Alpha jumped aside. "Copykitty! Meow!" Before they knew it, they began a laser battle that wouldn't easily end!

In the meantime, the rest of the group managed to reach an elevator at the back of the room! "Should we help that robot?" Gemini wondered. "Why? He's doing such a good job distracting him." Kosmo replied, walking into the elevator. From there, they worked their way up to the citadel at the top of the Nocturne. As they entered the citadel from the back door, they found themselves in an important looking room. It was highly decorated along the walls, but it wasn't the throne room. A door at the other side of the room opened, and Imperator Ix emerged! He stepped to the center of the room to meet the intruders. "You are quite impressive, to make it all the way up here. As persistent as that hedgehog, who's also loose on the Nocturne." he said. Punchy stepped forward. "It's over, uh... Mr. Beardface! Sonic will get up here and trash you! You might as well turn the Master Emerald over to me now!" he shouted. "Mr. Beardface! That's a good one, One!" Rainbow giggled. Ix took great offense at this. "Enough! Even though you've gotten this far, it is all for nothing! I cannot be defeated by weak little worms like yourselves! You are not even worthy to challenge me! Therefore, I leave you to my new Procurator. Jak! Dispose of them!" Ix vanished in a bright flash of light, and when he did, Jak entered from the door at the back of the room! He was holding six Twilight Shards! "I have here the shards I collected, and the shards from the Nocturne! Using these, I will pound the remaining shards out of you fools! Then, the universe will be mine! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!" As Jak gloated over his plan, a puddle of water slithered into the room and materialized as Nova! "Well, well, if it isn't the big drip himself!" Kosmo joked. Nova grinned back at him. "Oh, yeah? That's all you can come up with for our final showdown? Oh well, we'll let our attacks do the talking!" he said. The six heroes in the room split up into groups of three, and the battles began!

While Copter, Gemini, and Kosmo dealt with Nova, Punchy, Rainbow and Guard challenged Jak, who had been powered up by the Twilight Shards! "If I gotta fight you to get the Master Emerald, so be it! Chaos Avalanche!" Punchy lifted chunks of the floor using his chaos power and tossed them at Jak, who merely punched his way through them! "Chaos? Ha! That's nothing compared to the power of Twilight! Watch!" Jak hovered in the air, keeping himself out of Punchy's reach. He then charged Twilight energy in his hands and fired a powerful beam at Punchy! However, Guard had followed him into the air, and pushed him aside, messing up his shot! "Grrrr... Enough magic, you coward!" he growled. Jak laughed at him. "You're just jealous. None can match the power of an echidna, wouldn't you agree, green one?" he said. Punchy glanced at Rainbow and then back at Jak. "I don't know about that..." he said. "It's true! In fact, we really shouldn't be fighting. You were among the last echidnas before. We are going to bring the echidna race back to the place of glory we so rightfully deserve! You should be my ally!" Jak said before getting knocked away again by Guard. "Grrrr... Silence! I will defeat you myself if I must!" he growled. While Guard battled Jak, Punchy thought about what he said. "Is he right? The Nocturnus ARE echidnas... And half of the people I'm fighting with are my enemies!" he thought, but the voice in his head seemed different. "Uh, wait! That's not me... Dark Punchy! Stay out of this!" he argued in his head. "The mere fact that you think in my voice means you agree. Just let me out, and I'll do what must be done!" Punchy grabbed his head and fell to his knees, struggling against Dark Punchy! Jak laughed at him. "I see you're considering my offer. Just remember, if you refuse, you'll die!" he said before shooting Twilight beams at Guard! Punchy struggled with himself further, and Rainbow ran to him in her concern. "C'mon, One! This guy's a jerk! You know who your friends are! Get up!" she shouted. Her voice echoed through his mind, drowning out Dark Punchy's. "She's... right..." Punchy jumped from where he was sitting, and threw a punch at Jak, knocking his helmet off! "I'm not one of you! Chaos Blast!!" The chaotic explosion Punchy conjured knocked Jak out of the sky, and his Twilight Shards fell to the ground!

Seeing this, Nova fired a jet of water at Gemini, causing her to drop her shards, and he quickly dashed around, grabbing all ten! "Too bad, Jak, old chum! Looks like I'll be ruling and you'll just be drooling! So long, suckers!" he shouted, running for a door! "Stop him!" Jak shouted, realizing he was being betrayed! Copter, Kosmo, and Gemini were the first to follow him, and as they made it through the door, it slammed shut behind them! Punchy tried to open it, but it was no use! "Looks like they're on their own..." he said worriedly. The room beyond the door was rather large, and contained an elevator leading up to Ix's chamber. Nova, however, wasn't going to let them see Ix! "Our rivalry ends here, Kosmo!" Nova declared! He morphed his body into liquid, but still retained his form. In his liquid state, he sucked the Twilight Shards inside himself, and absorbed their power to make himself stronger! "Ha ha ha ha ha!! Before you die, you can call me Supernova!!" His body had become pure energy, and he'd doubled in size! "What is he made of!?" Copter wondered. "Twilight energy! That's the power of the Twilight Shards!" Kosmo yelled, shielding his eyes from the light. Gemini fired a bolt from her wand at Supernova, but it was no use! "He's so strong! How can we stop him!?" she cried. Kosmo thought about it. "I'll just have to take those shards out of him! He's made of energy, so I could probably pass through him, but it's dangerous. I might not make it..." he said. Copter looked up at Supernova. "Maybe my tailband power can weaken him. Or at least distract him!" he suggested. Gemini held up her wand. "Right! I'll use my magic to shield you from his energy, Kosmo!" she offered. "All right! Let's take him down!" Copter cheered! Supernova started shooting bolts of Twilight energy at them. "Bow down to your supreme ruler! Ha ha ha ha!!" he roared! Kosmo morphed into his gargoyle form and took to the sky, circling Supernova. Meanwhile, Copter activated his bouncy shoes and bounced up towards him, swinging his tailband powered tails at his head! He bounced off of Nova, and was forced to fly away from his beam attack! "Fools! Idiots! I am made of power! You can't stop me!" Kosmo attempted to fly into Supernova, but he swatted him aside! "Ha ha ha ha!! You are so pathetic!" Nova laughed. Copter dropped to the ground and bounced up again, hitting Nova harder than before! "You waste your time!" he bellowed, but he did flinch slightly after being hit. Gemini decided it was time. "Abra-ka-blockra!" she shouted, creating a small shield around Kosmo, who flew inside Supernova seconds later! Supernova laughed at the effort. "Great! Now I just have two to deal with! I never thought Kosmo would commit suicide like that!" However, no sooner had he finished that remark than Kosmo's interference started to make itself known. "Hey, wait a minute! Hee hee, stop! Ahhh! That tickles!! Ha ha ha! Nooooo!!!" Kosmo dove out of Supernova carrying the Twilight Shards, but he had reverted to his normal form, and apparently didn't have the energy to fly! Before Supernova could attempt to snatch the shards back, Copter flew by and caught Kosmo! "Sorry, Supernobody, but your reign is over already!" Copter teased. As Copter and Kosmo landed on the ground, Nova began reverting to his normal form. "Nooooo!!! All this running around another dimension, for nothing!!! Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!!" he whined.

As Nova dropped back to the ground, the Nocturne suddenly began shaking violently! "Oh, great! What now..." Kosmo panted. Copter and Gemini helped him up, and they opened the door to the exit. "Sure, just leave! Fine! I'll get back at you later! Ha!" Nova shouted as they rejoined the others in the previous room. Char and Alpha had caught up with them as well. "Ha ha! I see you did it, Copter!" Char cheered. Guard interrupted the reunion. "Grrrr.... We have to leave, now! We looked outside, and the wormhole leading back home is closing!" he said quickly! Rainbow yelped at this. "Eeek! I don't wanna get stuck in here! Follow me, everyone! I'll lead us back to the ship!" Punchy hesitated. "What about the Master Emerald?" he said. "No time for that, Punchy! Maybe Knuckles will get it!" Copter said. Punchy sighed in frustration. "He'd better!" Without further talk, they headed outside, where the Tsunami was already waiting! Tommy stood in the open hatch, motioning for them to hurry inside. "No time to lose!" he shouted! They scrambled into the ship, and Char attached the ten Twilight Shards to the ship's power supply. "We'll need all the power we can get!" he said. "Right!" Gemini added, "Someone knocked the shield out, but the wormhole is fading fast! I'll give us more power! Charize!" With all this power, the Tsunami took off at high speed, with Razor at the controls. "Move over, officer! Alpha's better at this!" Char insisted. "That's debatable! OK, get up here, robot!" Razor replied. Copter was writing in his log during this. "Copter's log... If we don't get out of this, I just wanna say, Gunner stinks!!" he yelled as he wrote. As they approached the wormhole, Nova's ship was coming up behind them. It was close, but both ships entered the wormhole before it closed!

Upon exiting the wormhole, the crew blinked a few times to make sure their eyes weren't fooling them. The world around them seemed to have changed a lot in their absence, and Metropolis seemed to be rebuilt, even more dangerous looking than ever! "Wh-what's going on!? We weren't gone THAT long..." Copter muttered as he looked out the window. Kosmo pointed to Nova's ship, which was flying off into the distance. "Looks like he's getting away..." he muttered. Suddenly, the monitor on the Tsunami began buzzing! "That must be Dr. Eggman!" Char giggled, answering the call. "Char and Alpha here!" The monitor displayed a simple logo resembling Eggman's face. "This is the Metropolis Base Alarm System, BAS! You are flying over Eggman airspace without clearance! Prepare to be blasted out of the sky!" Char chuckled nervously as BAS hung up on them. "H-hey... But, BAS... It's us!!" he protested. Tommy tapped Char's head. "Excuse me, did he say... blasted!?" he whimpered. The entire crew blurted it out loudly at the same time, "BLASTED!?!?!?" Alpha started steering the Tsunami erratically. "Invasive maneuvers! Seat belts are silly! We're gonna go BOOM!!" As Alpha said it, several shots were fired from Metropolis, and the Tsunami was hit hard! "We're going down!! We're doomed, One!!!" Rainbow cried, grabbing onto her friend tightly! "Ack! Rainbow!! I don't wanna be so uncomfortable in my last moments!!" he gasped, struggling against her. Copter grabbed the controls from Alpha and tried to ease their landing. "It's no use! The controls aren't responding! This looks like the end!!!"

The End.......?