Sonic GeneX: Doomsday
Chapter 9 - Infinite's Revenge
Stage 5 - City Escape Act III

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.


"Cause I was born in this pain, 
It only hurts if you let it, 
So if you think you can take me, 
Then you should go and forget it!
 
And after all this time, you're back for more! 
(I won't stop until they know my name!) 
So I'll take what's mine and start this war! 
(I'm coming at you like a tidal wave!) " - Infinite's Theme, Sonic Forces


Previously on GeneX…
Central City had been invaded and ruined by the Lost Ones as well. Fortunately, GUN had gathered civilians into GUN trucks and were preparing to evacuate them to safety.
Gunner had captured Guard and reprogrammed him to fight Sonic, but with Mia's help, the gargoyle regained his mind.
On Professor Pickle's suggestion, Knuckles and Violet set out to find the former site of a Temple of Gaia, where a clue to defeating the Lost Ones might be found.
Now, our tale continues...


Null Space, a world of nothingness. No place to run, no place to go. This void was the prison Infinite the jackal had been trapped in after his final defeat at the hands of Tails, Kosmo and Heather. His Phantom Ruby was shattered, there was no way for him to escape. All he could do was curse that trio, and also Sonic, who defeated Eggman and destroyed the other Phantom Ruby, too, cutting off his means of escape. He thought he would wander the darkness of Null Space forever... but then, one day, a bright portal opened before him! Lospecter floated in with a smirk, and Infinite stepped back, unsure what the ghost wanted from him. "How? How are you here? Null Space is a realm created and controlled by Phantom Rubies..." he said, wondering a bit if he'd just lost his mind. Lospecter snickered. "There are no doors beyond the Chaos Key's power to open... Now, I've got a question for you, sparky. How'd you like a little payback on a Mister, oh what was his name... Sonic the hedgehog?" he asked, playfully pretending to forget the name. Infinite was clearly growling behind his mask. "Sonic... Everything went wrong after that blue buffoon escaped the doctor's grasp! If I were to be released from this prison, I would dedicate my every waking moment to making him suffer as I have suffered. He would beg for death by the end!" the jackal declared with barely masked rage. Lospecter recoiled from him slightly. "Ooooh, I see the name Infinite refers to all the edginess! So scaaaary!" he said in mock fear. "Do you haunt me only to laugh at me? Is that seriously why you're here!?" Infinite snarled, losing his cool. He reclaimed his composure when he saw Lospecter toss something shiny in his hand. It was...a Phantom Ruby! "Did you know your Phantom Ruby came from a different dimension in the first place? So, there had to be more in the multiverse..." Lospecter grinned, tossing the gem to Infinite, "Don't disappoint us, doggo. I intend to make good use of you..." Holding the Phantom Ruby in his clawed hand, Infinite nodded. "Tell me your plan, and I will execute it... And execute those who oppose me, as well..." he vowed.


Lara explained to Lucky and Junior that Tails' son, Skye, was being held captive by the Lost Ones. If there was any chance of saving him, they had to try. "If it wasn't for Skye's time machine, none of us would be here..." Junior sighed. Pepper and Minnie glanced at one another and nodded. "Right! We'll get to searching for the location where the Lost Ones are holding him!" Minnie announced. "Assuming he's still alive..." Pepper sighed. Lucky very much wanted to go as well. He wanted to be useful. "How can I help?" he asked. Lara, still listening on the ProwerPhone, had her arms crossed as she shook her head. "We can't risk you, Lucky Senior. You die, Junior, Pepper and Minnie all die. Plus, you told me you can't summon your weapon." she pointed out. Minnie placed a consoling hand on his shoulder. "We'll be fine! We'll watch each other's backs and teleport to safety if there'd danger!" she said. "On that note, let's get going..." Pepper said seriously, "No time to lose if Skye is alive..." she pointed out. The both of them warped away, leaving Lucky and Junior alone with Lara on the phone. "So... What should we do, boss lady?" Junior asked. Lara sighed. "Get yourselves to the meeting place. You remember where that is, right? On Angel Island?" she said with a hint of annoyance. Lucky shook his head. "I won't be sidelined! Least not while I don't know where Whisk is! Sorry, but we'll just have to talk later!" he said, looking for the way to hang up the ProwerPhone. Lara tried to protest in the meantime. "Whisk will be fine! You're the one in danger! Luckys, both of you, hold on!" Ignoring her, Junior took the phone and turned it off. "You're right, dad. We can't leave mom alone out there!" he said. Lucky chuckled awkwardly. "Don't call her mom, I'm still wrapping my head around being dad..." he said. As they started walking away, they discussed where to go next. How could they find Whisk... This could be tough...


The convoy of GUN trucks were making their final preparations to leave. With her cab stolen, Mia determined that she'd have to ride in the back of the trucks with the other civilians. As she went to climb aboard, Zooey the fox offered a hand to help her up. "Hey, there. How's it look out there?" she asked. "Like a ghost town..." Mia sighed. Walking in to find a place to sit, she found Vanilla the rabbit seated with a certain Gizoid, Gemerl. She looked worried, and when she saw Mia, a flicker of desperation came to her eyes. "Oh! You! That's a Station Square taxi uniform! My daughter, could you possibly have seen my daughter?" she asked with concern. Mia sat beside her and sadly shook her head. "It was chaos over there. I don't know what to tell you..." she sighed. Outside the truck, Sonic was doing some stretches, preparing to speed off. Guard watched him, guessing at his intentions. "Grrr… Sonic, scouting ahead might seem right, but...we'd be stronger and safer together." he stated. Ridley nodded in agreement as he sat perched on his motorcycle. Sonic shook his head. "You'll all be safer if I can take out the dangers on the road before you even get there." he said, and started off into a run even as Guard and Ridley tried to protest! Sonic kept his eyes on the road, not on the ruined, empty building around him. His mind couldn't avoid flashing back to the Security Tower, though. He wasn't fast enough. He couldn't be fast enough. The Lost Ones were too many. And they destroyed two cities now, and scattered his friends. Amy was still missing. "How could I let this happen... I won't forgive myself if they're...if they're gone..." he thought, gritting his teeth and speeding up. It was his idea to bring everyone together to defeat Gunner in one fell swoop. He put them all in danger, gathering them like that. That was the thought stinging in his mind. He had to do everything to make up for it. He had to save...everyone!


Meanwhile, Knuckles and Violet had gone another way. They were searching for an exit to the city, and they planned to hunt down the Chaos Emeralds, the Chaos Relics, and maybe check out a former Gaia Temple site. So much work for a treasure hunter. They heard some stomping as they walked, and glancing at each other with concern, they hid behind a corner to peer around and see what it was. They then heard a voice behind them. "It's rude to spy! ...Well, I should talk!" Knuckles spun around to find Rouge the bat hovering in the air behind him! The stomping was Omega's footsteps as he approached the corner. "Do not attack, it would be wasteful for me to have to disintegrate you!" the robot stated. Violet sighed and shrugged. "I guess..." she murmured. Rouge chuckled at the sight of Knuckles and Violet together. "Are you two on a date, Knuckles? Maybe you're the clone of Punchy, going out with his wife's sister..." she teased. Both echidnas blushed and growled. "Now's not the time for jokes, Rouge!" Knuckles snapped. The bat girl dropped to the ground and crossed her arms. "Joke, right... Say, who's guarding the Master Emerald during all this, anyway?" she questioned. Knuckles scoffed. "I am, of course! Angel Island's down in the ocean, but I haven't let the Master Emerald out of my sight, so don't get any ideas!" he grunted. Omega made some impatient motions with his large arms. "This dialogue is a waste of time! Mission directive required!" he stated. Violet looked at him and smiled. "Ah, want something to do? Well, GUN is attempting to evacuate the civilians from the city. Maybe you two can be good Samaritans and help out?" she suggested. Rouge shrugged. "I guess it's technically my job. Why aren't you helping, Knuxie?" she asked. Knuckles scoffed. "They already have Sonic. My talents are best served elsewhere right now. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation if we wanna beat the Lost Ones, you know!" he stated. Rouge smirked at him. "Oooh, still all commanding. Your tenure as Resistance Commander did you wonders. Well, come on, Omega. Duty calls!" she winked, turning to leave. Omega began to stomp after her. "Best of luck. If you see Eggman, punch him for me." the robot stated. Violet leaned against the wall and sighed. "She's so full of herself..." she murmured. "A date..." Knuckles scoffed, glancing at Violet. The two blushed again and quickly looked away. "So, ah, which way, Knuckles?" Violet asked.


As Sonic was speeding through the streets, a black and brown jackal observed him through binoculars. One of his ears was bent, and he wore a uniform of the Covenant of Despair adorned with a red thirteen-pointed star. He was also wearing a Despair Seal on his wrist that contained the spirit of the covenant's former leader, Howler the wolf, somehow. This was Anubis the jackal. He lifted a walkie talkie to his muzzle. "Sonic is on the way. Give him the welcome he deserves..." he commanded. On the ground, the Battle Bird Armada lay in wait. They had joined forces with Despair last year, though Battle Lord Kukku really wanted to take over for himself. "Finally, a chance to tangle with Sonic himself! Steady yourselves, my soldiers!" the large bird ordered his comrades. The other birds were equipped with armor and weapons much like what they'd once used against Tails years ago. Sonic could see them on the road ahead, and stopped his run a good distance in front of them, close enough that he could shout to them. "Hey, angry birds! We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Seriously, the world's under attack by monsters! Didn't you all notice? You should be worried about other things besides settling a score with me!" he shouted. Anubis landed on the ground behind Sonic. "Now we have you surrounded..." he snarled, raising his hands to call forth his signature black mummies from under the ground! Sonic looked around to see that he was indeed covered from all sides. "But hey, those mummies are pretty slow..." Sonic chuckled, and backflipped toward the birds, dashing out of the way upon landing to avoid their incoming bullets and explosives! "Catch him! Catch him! What do I promise to pay you for!?" Kukku shouted as he observed Sonic leaping from armored bird to armored bird, rattling them pretty good with homing attacks! Anubis snarled and started towards him. "Don't laugh me off! I'll incinerate you!!" he snarled, pointing his arms at Sonic and shooting jets of flames in the hedgehog's direction with his other superpower!

Naturally, the fighting stopped Sonic's forward progress for a bit, and this allowed Guard and Ridley the time to catch up. Sonic was quite outnumbered, and enemies were closing in on him. "Gee, what do you know, the guy who ran off alone could use some help, who could have predicted this..." Ridley sighed. "Grrr, well move it, then, officer!" Guard grumbled, leaping into action. Sonic was busy evading Anubis' fire and trying to knock down the approaching mummies with his homing attack, but he wasn't able to get enough speed to give his hits the right oomph. Fortunately, Ridley's cycle pulled up, and the coati smirked as he saw Anubis. "Hey, hothead! You need to cool off! Chaos Splash!" Before Anubis could react, a blast of water struck him, putting out his fire for the moment! He turned with a look of rage. "You traitor! Now you're playing at being a police officer?? As though the humans could ever accept you!" the jackal scoffed. Guard suddenly swooped down, his scythe decapitating one of the black mummies while Sonic managed to spin dash into another, knocking it over! Anubis was surrounded. "Battle Lord! Where the blazes are you!?" he shouted. The massive bird leapt out of seemingly nowhere and hurled his fist at Guard, knocking him backward! "Well! The agent who led the team that foiled our most recent invasion! I've been waiting for someone to use Dr. Funnibone's death ray on!" Out in the distance, an old voice shouted "Fukurokov!! Dag blast it!!" Kukku shrugged and went to fire the comically large gun he'd produced out of nowhere. However, an energy blast from Guard's scythe knocked it from his hands! Anubis picked it up next, it was shockingly light. "This will do... Now, hold still, Sonic..." he sneered, pointing the weapon at the hedgehog. Sonic yawned and tapped his foot. "I coulda zapped me ten times by now." he teased. Anubis growled and squeezed the trigger. A massive ball of deadly energy zoomed towards...nothing? Sonic had leapt clear over the shot, and launched a homing attack right at the weapon, smashing it into pieces! The massive blast from it destroyed a car, but otherwise caused little damage. However, Sonic could see the GUN trucks approaching. "Shoot, we gotta wrap this up!" he realized.

Suddenly, an unusual sound rang out through the area. A frighteningly familiar sound. In the sky, a large flickering red cube appeared, and before anyone knew what was happening, they were struck by lasers fired from all sides of the cube! Everyone but Sonic had been disabled by the energy of the lasers, the hedgehog managing to evade it. "It can't be!" Sonic gasped, looking up at the cube, and seeing it fade away, leaving behind in its wake the masked figure known as Infinite the jackal! He adjusted the mask on his face, leering down at the group. "Ah, Anubis. Pitiful as ever I see. I'm pleased to see you survived... Having you to humiliate makes life all the more worthwhile." Infinite mused. Sonic pointed up at him. "You! Where have you been!? How did you get another Phantom Ruby!?" he questioned. The jackal in the sky barely glanced at him. "I would so delight in destroying you. However, I owe a debt to the Lost Ones... a debt that the souls on those trucks should easily satisfy..." he said, and with a flick of his wrist, he used the Phantom Ruby's power to create a red ramp in front of the trucks, leading up to a suspended road that would take them wherever he wanted. However, the trucks stopped moving. "You don't honestly think we'll drive ourselves to the Lost Ones!" the GUN Commander grunted from his driver's seat. Infinite chuckled softly, and motioned his clawed finger as though beckoning them closer. A small red block of energy appeared over the gas pedal, forcing the GUN truck forward as the passengers yelped in the cargo hold! "Wh-what's happening??" Zooey gasped. "I should be the one driving!" Mia growled. "Don't panic, I'm certain Sonic will protect us..." Vanilla said shakily. Outside, Sonic sped onto the red ramp, dashing ahead of the truck as Infinite led it on a twisted path through the air! "Alright, I get it. The Lost Ones brought ya back, eh? Always the follower, never the leader!" Sonic shouted tauntingly. "That's it, Sonic... Run in front of a speeding truck! If I don't crush you, your runaway friends will! I'll show you the folly of your heroic ways!" Infinite taunted back!

The road Infinite had created was winding around buildings, climbing over bridges, all that was missing to make a roller coaster out of it was a loop, but the Lost Ones wanted those souls alive. Behind Sonic, the GUN trucks were at his heels, and in front of him was Infinite, ready to throw anything he could at the hedgehog to try and get him flattened by said trucks. Making matters worse, there were Lost Ones crashing out of nearby windows, going straight for the trucks! This was getting to be too much for one hedgehog to manage. "Hang in there, guys! I'll take out that jackal fast as I can!" he said uncertainly, leaping to avoid a snapped street light that Infinite's phantom cubes had yanked up and hurled at him! Fortunately, Sonic wasn't in this alone. Guard was flying up above the trucks, using energy beams from his scythe to try and knock away any losol and lospides that grabbed on to the trucks! Ridley was below the red road, keeping up with his cycle. He pointed his gun up, and energy from his Chaos power covered it. "How's this for a Wispon?" he murmured, firing a water-enveloped bullet that sent a lospide flying! Despite their efforts, though, there were still a bit too many Lost Ones coming at the trucks, and they managed to open the back door on the front truck as it swerved through a tight turn! Mia nearly stumbled out the back, caught just in time by Zooey! "H-hold on!" the fox cried, as Vanilla rushed over to help pull them up! However, lospide webs were trying to pull Mia back! "Ugh!! Yuck! Get off, get off!! N-nooo!!" It looked like the three of them would be pulled out, when suddenly, someone dropped from the sky and knocked the bugs away with a powerful kick! "I got your backs, girls!" As the trio stumbled back into the truck, they looked up to see Rouge the bat! "Sorry I'm late! I'll keep those slimy creeps away while you shut that door!" she shouted, flying up to join Guard in battling the creatures! Omega boarded the red road using his thrusters as well, charging after the trucks from the rear! "Target confirmed! Lost Ones and Infinite, prepare for annihilation!" he declared. Seeing all the help Sonic was getting enraged Infinite. Where was his help when he was trapped in Null Space? He had to wait for Lost Ones!? No Eggman, no Jackal Squad. Friendship was a joke. A joke! "Sonic!! Forget the meddlers! When it comes down to me and you, I will go on forever, and you will be broken, left in the dust!" he declared.

Infinite was furious. Using the Phantom Ruby, he summoned dozens of gun turrets along the walls of the nearby buildings! They started to fire indiscriminately, and in order to protect the cargo of the GUN trucks, even the Lost Ones were jumping into the line of fire to block the shots! "Hey, hey! You leave those refugees out of this! It's me and you, Infinite!" Sonic shouted, picking up speed to try and catch the jackal! Infinite clenched his fists, and the Phantom Ruby created giant illusions of those fists, allowing him to throw giant punches at the hedgehog! But this was just the sort of thing Sonic needed. He jumped onto the huge disembodied fist, and then leapt at Infinite as the fist drew back! Sonic's homing attack struck Infinite in the mask, driving him to grab for his face to hold it on! However, his phantom hands did the same, and swatted him backward as Sonic landed on the red road, chuckling softly. "Graaa! You little gnat! How is it you grow more annoying with each battle?" Infinite grunted. Sonic shrugged as he ran. "Practice, I guess!" he replied. Infinite decided to move the GUN trucks onto a separate tract, splitting the road and sending the trucks away while he dealt with Sonic one-on-one! "Now I can get serious without damaging the precious cargo! Take this!" he sneered as spikes randomly jutted up from the red road, forcing Sonic to jump and bounce off a building to get another hit off Infinite! "Aaargh!! But where will you land?" he asked as spikes covered the entirety of the road! "Uh-oh..." Sonic whimpered as he was falling towards impalement! "Hang in, big blue!" Rouge suddenly swooped in, catching him and flying him to safety! Infinite watched them land on the street below, and snickered. The GUN trucks suddenly turned a corner and were coming at them! "W-we still can't stop!!" the Commander yelled. Sonic and Rouge went to move, but found a red barrier blocking them! "I've got you now!" Infinite crowed. However, the red barrier suddenly flickered and vanished, while the trucks were able to brake! The trucks stopped inches from Sonic and Rouge's faces, and they placed their hands against the grill, panting in relief. Infinite growled as he shakily flew away. "This Phantom Ruby hasn't been perfected the was Eggman's was... But I can still accomplish one thing..." he said, appearing before Anubis as quickly as he could and grabbing the other jackal's wrist! "Nice bracelet..." he said, looking at the Despair Seal, "I know someone who'd like to have a look at that..." he said, walking off while dragging Anubis behind him. "You're weakened... What's stopping me from killing you?" Anubis growled. Infinite glanced back, lifting his mask to glare at him with his scarred face. "My ruby has energy enough to crush you. Besides, don't you want a little Jackal Squad reunion?" he smirked, putting his mask back on as the pair of them walked together through the city.

Freed from Infinite, and with allies to defend them from the Lost Ones, the GUN trucks soon reached the edge of the city. "What a relief..." the President sighed from the passenger seat beside the Commander. "We're not out of the woods yet." the Commander pointed out. Sonic was standing outside the trucks with Guard, Ridley, Rouge and Omega. "So, what do we all do now?" he asked. Ridley patted the side of the truck he was standing beside. "We should stick with these trucks 'till they get to safety. Then, I'm off to find the chief and Razor." he said. Rouge nodded. "Same here, except I'm gonna find Shadow once this is over." she said. Guard grunted softly. "Grrr… Maybe we should join the hunt for the Chaos Emeralds and Relics, too?" he suggested. "Affirmative. Every weapon can be put to use in this battle." Omega agreed. Sonic smiled and gave the group a thumbs-up. "Good to see you all have a keen grasp on where to go. I'll get right on those Chaos Emeralds right away!" he said, stretching to prepare for another run. Guard and Ridley glanced at each other. "Runnin' off alone again? Shouldn't someone go with you?" Ridley asked. Sonic shrugged. "If Infinite's batteries hadn't gone dead, we all woulda been toast and I would've failed to protect you. It's better I go alone. If I fail alone... No one else has to pay..." he said, his voice becoming unusually serious. Rouge almost reached out to touch his shoulder, but recoiled her hand. "Sonic... We all share the burden." she said. Sonic nodded, and flashed her a cool smile. "I know, I know! You're all a big help!" he winked, and then started to dash off on his own anyway. They didn't understand. It was always him and Eggman, it had been quite the game. But then people started getting hurt. Aliens invaded. The planet blew apart. Time travel, monsters, prophecies. He'd seen so much. He couldn't outrun all this forever. "Hey, Tails, anyone, gimmie a report!" he said, pressing a finger to his ear. Little did he realize, the Doomsayer was watching him from an alleyway. "You doubt yourself... Right on cue." the hooded figure whispered, looking down at his gloved hand. He closed it into a fist. "It's all coming to pass... My suffering will finally end..."

To be continued...