Sonic GeneX - Entering Despair
Chapter 1 - The Invitation

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


The universe of GeneX Prime. Similar to many dimensions, but set apart by the appearance of animals with intelligence comparable to humans. These "furries" have long lived in relative peace with the humans, but not absolute peace. Fear, mistrust, and suspicion between the two groups have many times come to blows, but rarely on a large scale. The thing about rarities, though, is that they sometimes happen. Hatred and greed eventually reach a boiling point, and those with dark intentions may use that to set horrible events in motion. The echidna race of GeneX Prime once learned this the hard way, and a fatal way. Long hidden from mankind, the discovery of a lost echidna tribe quickly set the hate and greed of some to work. Few even know that it even happened, but it happened. It was not very long ago...


Fire. The entire city was engulfed in flames. The humans had launched an all out assault on the hidden echidna city, and their robots had decimated their army. As a purple echidna named Violet ran through the burning streets, one thing was on her mind. She had to escape. She turned a corner and found a group of her fellow villagers surrounded by the robots, each bearing the symbol of the Guardian Unit of Nations, GUN. A large man in a uniform stepped past the robots to confront the villagers. "Any of you want to live?" he grunted, glaring at each of the echidnas. A poor looking brown echidna spoke up first. "You'll never get the relic! Only those with pure intentions may be allowed to see it!" The large man grabbed the brown echidna by the throat. "What intention could be better than wiping you monsters off the face of the earth?" the man tossed the echidna to the floor, and the other echidnas ran to him to help him up. A younger man came up behind the large one. "What shall we do with these furry freaks, Sergeant Murten?" he asked, saluting. Murten turned to the younger man. "What do you think, Mr. Gunner?" he asked. Gunner gave him a knowing smile. "I understand, sir!"

Violet was hiding, watching from around the corner. She watched as Gunner gave an order to the robots. The mechanical soldiers surrounded the echidnas and aimed their guns. "Wait! Don't do it!" one of the echidnas pleaded, but it was too late. The robots opened fire, sending a hail of bullets piercing through the bodies of the innocent villagers. The young female echidna watched helplessly as her neighbors were brutally murdered by the heartless military troops. She couldn't watch long, and ran off in the opposite direction, tears streaming down her face. She ran until she hit a horse, which reared up on its hind legs in order to back away from her. She looked up to see an orange female echidna holding on to her child tightly. "Mother!" Violet shouted. "We have to get out of here!" she said. Her mother hopped off the horse, gently placing the child on her feet. The child was a yellow echidna with multi colored quills. "Listen to me, my children!" the mother said. "I must go and help our friends and family!" she looked at her daughter, the purple echidna. "Violet, I want you to take Rainbow and get to the Hidden Ruins! Don't let yourselves be followed! We mustn't let these villains get the relic!" Young Rainbow tugged at her mother's skirt. "Will you be all right, Lady?" she said worriedly. The orange echidna kissed her forehead. "Don't worry for me. Just go with Violet and be safe." She kissed Violet as well, and wiped some tears from her eyes. "It'll be all right, Violet. But you must get yourselves out safely. If anything happens to me or your father, you must protect the relic!" The orange echidna helped Violet and Rainbow onto the horse. "Ride, and keep riding! Don't look back!"

As the horse bore the two young echidna girls through the burning streets, Violet looked back to her mother. Sergeant Murten and Gunner had turned the corner and were walking towards her. Violet looked ahead and steered the horse into a safe building. "Wait for me here, Rainbow, OK?" she said. Rainbow nodded. "I'll be right here, Viola!" she said, speaking the nickname she had for Violet. Violet ran back in the direction her mother was. She had to make sure she was safe, she just had to!

As she reached the area, she saw her mother being beaten up by Murten, shouting insults at her as he backed her to a fiery wall. Suddenly, a blue echidna dropped from the roof, pushing Murten back to protect Violet's mother. "You will not touch my wife again!" the blue echidna, Violet's father, roared. Murten wiped some blood from his mouth, where the echidna had hit him. "Fine, have it your way, sire." the infuriated sergeant growled. Gunner walked over to him and handed him a rifle. "If neither of you will talk, then you're no use to me. I'll raze this city to the ground to find the relic!" he declared. The royal blue echidna shook his head. "You will never get the relic's power, even if you find it. It will destroy you, and then the world!" Murten cackled manically. "You think so, do you? Then think of it this way. I'm sparing you the pain of watching your children burn in the apocalypse! Farewell, my liege!" Murten pulled the trigger...

...Violet was never the same again...


Ten years later, Violet roamed the world alone, haunted by the horror she witnessed on that dark day. Her parents, her family, her friends, all slaughtered in an insane man's quest for power. Revenge on her parent's killer could never be attained, for he had died as well. When Murten died, his even more sadistic apprentice, Gunner, became the new sergeant. Violet didn't care. Her entire life was consumed by the desire to avenge her parent's death. If Murten was dead, though, then what could she do?

She had left the burden of protecting the Hidden Ruins on Rainbow's shoulders. Violet could care less if the world was destroyed. Now she lived in the city of Troblusk, a place where rogues and lost souls lived in darkness, consumed by their hatred of the world. Living alone in an apartment situated above a known hideout of mobsters, Violet had become emotionally dead. As she gazed out her window at the chaotic hell she had chosen to reside in, she muttered to herself. "These miserable humans. They rule the Earth, and kill at will. They murdered me. If I could, I'd make them suffer as much as I have at their hands."

"Would you now?" came a voice behind her. Violet spun around to find a dark grey she-wolf standing in her doorway. She wore a tight black uniform with a crimson symbol over the chest. The symbol was a star with thirteen points. Her right eye was covered by overgrown hair. She had an air of malice about her. "You wish to amass vengeance on the humans?" she asked Violet. The wolf walked across the room to her. "You want to kill the fiends? I can offer you the chance. The chance to join our covenant." Violet backed away from her, somewhat scared. "What are you talking about?" she said shakily. The wolf walked around a table in the room. "The Covenant of Despair. We are the warriors who fight for all furry kind. Fight, to free us from the oppression of the humans. You've seen it firsthand. You saw the devastation the humans can, and will, inflict upon us. They are a hateful species, often even fighting each other over their petty differences. They are unfit to rule this planet. To even exist, for that matter." she stopped across from Violet, gazing into her eyes as if probing into her soul. "You can avenge your parents, Violet. Join us, fight with us!" Violet looked away from her. "How do you know about my past? How do you know of my parents?" she questioned. The wolf smiled. "I make a point to know everything about our potential recruits. For I am a Huntress of the Covenant. Among other duties, I also scout out our new recruits. Furries living in this town are usually up for this. But in you, I sense something... greater..." she said, approaching Violet. "It's more than just hatred in you. It's a desire for justice. Join us, bring the humans to justice."

A heavyset, furious old man burst into the room. "Violet! About time I caught you at home for once! You're three months overdue with the rent, you know! Either pay up or pack up!" he growled. The wolf turned to the old man. "How dare you speak to her like that! Look at this goddess! You should not even be standing in her presence!" The old man walked out of the room in a huff. "Go jump out the window!" he shouted back. The wolf nearly lost control there, but Violet held her back. "Leave him be! He's not worth it!" she pleaded. The wolf broke out of Violet's grip. "You're right, of course. It's a waste of time to simply thrash one of them. We should burn this entire city!" the wolf growled. Violet shook her head. "I have no desire to kill people. I-I don't want any part of your covenant!" The wolf, looking at her with a tense expression, reached behind her back and pulled an odd object seemingly from nowhere. It looked like a glass pyramid on a steel handle. It looked like a lantern was inside the pyramid. The wolf handed it to Violet. "Should you change your mind, go to the Troblusk Plateau at midnight and hold this beacon above your head. I will be there." The wolf walked toward the doorway. "My name is Fera, by the way. Think about my generous offer, all right?"

As Fera shut the door behind her, Violet gazed out at the night sky. No stars could be seen, a result of the humans' air pollution. She recalled her mother telling her of the world's former beauty, and realized what a plague the humans were. She also recalled her parents telling her that murder is inexcusable. With such conflict in her mind, all Violet could do was run into her bedroom and cry into her pillow until she fell asleep. Hopefully, her dreams would show her what it is she wanted...


Fera walked down the steps to the floor below Violet's apartment. There was a door near the staircase, with a sign that read "Keep out if you know what's good for you!" The wolf knocked on the door three times. Someone on the other side of the door knocked twice in response, paused, and then knocked three times. Fera replied by knocking five more times. With the code completed, the door opened, and Fera entered. The room was dirty, with a wobbly table and partially busted chairs around it. As Fera entered, the door shut behind her, and the creature who shut it took a seat across from Fera. The creature was a weasel, and it wore a rather expensive looking suit, which may have cost more than the room. The weasel spoke first. "So, you think the echidna gal will join us?" he asked. Fera smirked at him. "In due time. She wants the humans gone, maybe even more than I do. How are things with you?" she asked. The weasel lit a cigarette and spoke with it clutched in his mouth. "I think the goyles are onto us. They're askin' a lotta questions. That's the problem with mobsters, they don't trust even their own." he said. "With good reason." Fera replied. The weasel chuckled. "Yeah, that's a fact. But I think we just might finish with 'em before they figure us out. Just be ready with the Covenant." he said. Fera stood up to leave, but grabbed the cigarette out of the weasel's mouth first. "Seriously, Mitch, quit. It's a dirty habit of the humans." Mitch, as the weasel was called, glared at Fera. "I'll quit, when you start using my codename." he said. Fera walked out the door. "You know I don't compromise." she said as she left.


Violet's sleep was plagued by nightmares. Fera's appearance, and references to her parents, caused her to relive that dark night in her dream. The fire, the panic, the senseless violence, and Sergeant Murten, laughing uncontrollably as he pulled the trigger, all sent Violet through a whirlwind of horror, pain, and hatred. She tried to fight back, to help her friends and family, but as she approached Murten, everything suddenly appeared to go black. The scene shifted. Now, she was riding the horse with Rainbow, fleeing as GUN agents attempted to pursue. Luckily, the agents were on foot, but they still somehow appeared to be keeping up at the same distance. With young Rainbow holding onto her for dear life, Violet was desperately steering the horse through the forest, yet never leaving sight of the burning city they were fleeing. The agents began shooting at them. Bullets whizzed by, several just barely missing them. They seemed to be fleeing in vain for hours, when finally their horse was hit! As the horse skidded to the ground, Violet and Rainbow fell, and kept falling. The floor seemed to split below them, and they fell into the darkness below. It grew darker and darker, and soon Rainbow seemed to disappear into the darkness. Violet fell for some time, and then abruptly stopped. Looking around, she could now see the remains of her home, as she recalled it when she once returned. She was alone. The buildings were charred and broken, the gardens were bare, and everything had an almost surreal quality. It was raining, but the moonlight still shone between the clouds, revealing the devastation caused when the city was destroyed. Violet ran through the city, searching for something. Anything. She had to find a sign that someone had survived. But there was no one. "Hello!!?" she called out, desperate. There was no reply. "Someone!? Anyone!?" she shouted in vain. She continued searching. "Please! ANSWER ME!!" she yelled. Finally, she heard a sound. Footsteps? Someone was inside a nearby home! She scrambled in the direction of the sound. She knew she couldn't be alone! There was no door. She burst into the building, hoping to find an old friend...

Nothing. The room was empty, save for some broken furniture and miscellaneous objects. She whimpered hopelessly. Suddenly, something jumped up from behind a table! Violet jumped back with alarm, but she found it was just a little squirrel. A mere normal animal, not a furry at all. It scampered across the room, gazed up at her for a moment, then scampered past her and into the city streets. Violet felt like crying. A menacing laugh behind her startled her out of her sadness and into a panic! Spinning around, she saw Sergeant Murten, with a sickening smirk on his face. "There you are. Were you looking for me?" he said sinisterly, pointing a rifle at Violet, who responded not with fear, but rage. "You... MONSTER!! You murderer! I'll make you pay!" she shouted defiantly. Murten fired his rifle into the air. "Make me pay? I did this world a service! Besides, you can't touch me." he said. Violet didn't care. She dove after Murten, and tried to punch him, but as she was about to, he vanished! As he did, the entire city seemed to vanish with him, and the world became dark. Violet dropped to her knees, wanting to cry but finding herself unable to. She began to feel as empty as the blackness around her. She had nothing.

As she opened her eyes the next morning, having awakened from the nightmare, she felt she was still asleep. Nothing had changed. She sat in her dark apartment, even as the sun rose, it still seemed dark. She still had nothing. As she climbed out of the bed, she looked out the bedroom door and into the next room. Her eyes immediately caught sight of the odd beacon Fera had left behind, sitting on her table. For a moment, she considered Fera's offer. "Join other furs... Kill the humans... Avenge my parents..." she found herself thinking. This line of thought scared her. She ran into the room, grabbed the beacon, and flung it out the open window! After it was gone, she fell to her knees, panting heavily, and trying to gather her thoughts. The notion of revenge didn't bother her much, but the idea of going against what her parents taught her seemed a betrayal of their memory. Worse, she found herself unable to banish the thoughts of revenge from her mind. Climbing back to her feet, she shook her head in frustration. "Maybe if I just start like this is a normal day... I'll forget Fera... Maybe..." she said to herself, walking towards her kitchen to look for something for breakfast. She knew, however, that it was futile. She would not forget. She could never forget...


Chapter 2 - Entering Despair

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


Troblusk City is never a bright place. Morning, noon, and night, there seems to be a slight veil around the city, making it darker than other cities in the United Federation. Some attribute this dark atmosphere to pollution, but visitors believe it is simply a reflection of the overall demeanor of the city. As Violet wandered through the town, the morning sky looked more like an evening sky, save for the position of the sun. It was less crowded than usual, since it was a Sunday morning, and the criminal element of the city was mostly indoors, not for religious reasons, but because there were no places open to commit their crimes at. Violet was walking down a residential area, which was mostly quiet, except for a human child playing with a ball in the street. The child wore the trademark outfit of the city, a black tee shirt, jeans, and a black baseball cap. Violet stopped to watch the child, frowning with annoyance. Kids were always unsupervised in this city, often playing in the street without regard for the vehicles that never obeyed speed limits. A prime example of this began to play out before her eyes, as Violet spotted a car speeding down the street toward the child, whose back was turned! Horrified at what might happen, Violet dashed into the street and pulled the child out of the way! As she did, the ball the child was playing with fell to the ground, and the car passed over it seconds later! Violet sighed with relief, then proceeded to scold the child. "Do you realize how close you just came to being killed!? You should know not to play in the street! What would your parents say if they were here!?" she said sternly. She was about to get her answer, as an angry voice was heard behind her! "What are you doing to my kid, you animal!?" Turning around, Violet saw the child's father, who was glaring down at her in a very unpleasant manner. "Your kid almost--" Violet started to say, when the child's mother ran over with a baseball bat. "What's going on here!? Did you touch my kid!?" she yelled. Violet stared at the parents in disbelief. "Are you serious?" was all she could manage to say. "You better get the hell outta here!" the father threatened. "And if I EVER catch you around here again, I'll kill ya!!" the mother added. Violet now had no pity for these humans. She walked away in a huff. "You're welcome, ingrates!" she mumbled as her pace quickened to a run. It was disgusting to her. They wouldn't teach their kid to watch for traffic, but they'd threaten her, who just saved the child's life! Yes, it was best to suspect everyone in Troblusk City, but even so, it just didn't seem right to Violet.


Though the criminals were mostly inactive that day, some were quite busy. Mitch the Weasel was seated at a table inside a construction site. It was an abandoned project, and the first floor had only three walls. Mitch was surrounded by gargoyles. They were rough customers, every one. A few were dressed in black suits, similar to Mitch's. There was a map laid out over the table, depicting a large building. Mitch pointed to the main entrance with a ruler. "Now, this job should be cake. The only guards on Sunday nights are posted at the main entrance, here." he said. A brown gargoyle with a black suit and hat stood across from Mitch, and growled at him. "That's not how I hear it. Word is they got guards at the back doors, and some patrolling around the more... interesting exhibits. Are you settin' us up, Infin?" he said. Mitch grinned at the gargoyle. "Now, who told you that? 'Cuz I'm tellin' you, the MUSEUM don't got any extra guards..." The brown gargoyle raised an eyebrow. "Just what do you mean by that? If those guards aren't museum guards, then what..." He was interrupted by Mitch. "Listen up, 'cuz I'm only gonna say this once..."

Meanwhile, Violet was walking past the construction site. She heard voices inside, and at first just ignored them. Suddenly, the voices became louder. Violet, having nowhere in particular to go, decided to investigate. She walked over to the opening in the wall, standing just out of sight, and listened to what the voices were saying. "Calm it down, goyles, I got a plan. Don't worry about it. You'll all get your cash." It was Mitch's voice. One of the gargoyles spoke next. "Grrruh... I don't know. You sure robbin' the museum will be worth all the trouble?" Violet gasped at what she'd heard. She'd never actually caught any of the criminals in the city plotting their crimes before, and it startled her a little. Unfortunately, she gasped too loud. "Hey, what was that?" one of the gargoyles asked. Realizing what was happening, Violet backed away from the wall, and since she wasn't watching where she was stepping, she stepped on a discarded soda can, making a loud crunching sound as she crushed it. "Grrruh... Someone's out there! Get 'em!!" shouted a gargoyle. Violet froze for a moment, shocked. As Mitch and a pair of the gargoyles found her, she snapped out of it and started to run away. The gargoyles started to chase her, but Mitch grabbed them by the tails. As Violet ran out of earshot, Mitch explained himself. "Don't worry none about her. I recognize that one. I know where she lives... Besides, I don't think she'll squeal on us." he said. The two gargoyles glared at him. "Grrruh... Did you have to pull our tails!?"

Violet had run towards the police station, but stopped before she reached it. Since the gargoyles had stopped chasing her, she felt safe enough. Still, the upcoming robbery worried her. "Should I tell someone about it? The museum's run by humans... And I'm not so sure I want to help THEM..." she thought, turning to head home. Her thoughts turned to that morning, when those parents were shouting at her. "Humans don't deserve to be helped..." she thought, growing enraged by how she was treated before. However, her thoughts soon turned to the child. She had helped that human, without a second thought. "I guess it would still be the right thing to do... To help them..." she thought. It was later in the afternoon now. Violet had found the gargoyles after she had eaten her lunch. People were out and about now. Almost all of them were humans. As she passed by some stores, she watched the people coming and going. They didn't seem quite as bad as she always made them out to be, they were just normal creatures going about their usual business. Looking inside a shop's window, she saw some TVs on display. A news report was shown on each of them. Since she was outside the shop, she couldn't tell if there was any sound, but a familiar blue hedgehog was soon shown onscreen. No doubt the report was covering some of Sonic's recent heroics. Violet smiled a bit. Like many, she admired Sonic. "I bet he wouldn't give it any thought at all. He'd stop those crooks before they knew he'd found them! No thought about whether he's helping humans or animals. I guess that's what being a hero's all about!" she said to herself. This line of thought helped her make up her mind. "He's got the right idea, too! I can't just let those bad guys get away! I mean, I can't stop them myself, but I can warn the police!" she thought, turning back toward the police station. "I just hope they'll listen to me..."


Meanwhile, back at the building that contained Violet's apartment, Mitch was using the secret knock on the door to the room he'd been in the night before. "Come in." came a voice inside the room. Mitch opened the door to find Fera inside. "I see you got my message." Mitch said. Fera was sitting on the table, but hopped down as Mitch entered. "What's the problem, Mitch?" she asked. Mitch crossed his arms. "Infin, please! The code name exists for a reason!" he said. Fera tapped her foot against the floor impatiently. Mitch sighed and explained the situation. "That echidna chick you were plannin' to recruit was at the construction site. I think she overheard some of the plan." he said. Fera grinned at this. "Really... Interesting coincidence... I'm thinking... This could be helpful. Call the inside man, Mitch. Tell him to look out for her..." she said. Mitch scratched his head. "You want she should be... removed?" he asked. Fera shook her head. "Not exactly. The inside man will know what to do, don't worry." she said. Mitch nodded, turned to leave, but hesitated. "Is there something else?" Fera wondered. Mitch turned back towards Fera. "The goyles are gettin' very suspicious. Me lettin' that echidna go didn't help. I'm thinkin' they might cause problems." he explained. Fera shrugged. "Mobsters are always trouble. Don't worry though, I'm thinking they won't trouble us for long. Just be sure to do your job, and everything will be fine, Mitch." she told him. Mitch lit a cigarette. "My name's Infin. Later, Fera." he said, turning to leave. Fera quickly stepped past him and snatched his cigarette. "Smoking kills, whoever you are!" she said, leaving. Mitch lit another cigarette and headed for the exit slowly. "That cur sure is expensive. Seems she throws away as much as I smoke." he muttered, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a phone. He dialed, and in a moment, someone answered. "Hello, pal. Our mutual acquaintance, the wolf, told me to tell you something, so listen up..."


Razor the Porcupine was sitting in the police station, looking over paperwork from behind a desk. He'd placed his hat on the desk, and next to it was a can of soda. It wasn't long ago that he was protecting witnesses in Soleanna, and it seemed almost as soon as he got home to Station Square, he was transferred here, to Troblusk City. He very much hated it, but he remained without complaint, because he felt he could truly make a difference in a place like this. As Violet entered the station, Razor glanced up at her briefly. He didn't know what it was, but she seemed familiar to him. Violet started talking to an officer seated at the front desk, when an old man with a droopy gray mustache approached them. It was the chief of police of Troblusk City. "What's going on here? Are you here to waste the department's time? Out with it!" he said, clearly having no patience whatsoever. The officer Violet was talking to spoke up first. "Ah, Chief Paynson! This echidna says she overheard something." he explained. Paynson glared at Violet, as though he recognized her. "Something? What is something? Out with it, animal!" he shouted. Violet spoke up. "Some gargoyles are planning to rob the museum! I heard them!" she said. Paynson scoffed at her. "Nonsense! Do you have any proof? We can't go wasting the department's time based on the suspicions of a talking hairball! Good night!" he yelled, stomping off. Violet attempted to follow him. "But it's true! Listen to me! When they saw me listening, they came after me! They..." she was interrupted as the chief turned toward her and stomped his foot loudly. "You are wasting my time, girl! There are a thousand reports of actual crimes in progress coming in as we speak! This is Troblusk City! Now, get out of our way, or you will be removed from the premises!" he shouted. Razor had stopped what he was doing and was watching this with disgust. "Why won't he listen to her?" he said to himself quietly. Violet was growing frustrated now, and couldn't help shouting at Paynson. "You call yourself the chief of police!? You're as crooked as the crooks!" she shouted. Paynson had had all he would take. "Remove this ANIMAL!!" he screamed. Several officers started moving towards Violet at once, carrying police batons and glaring at Violet in a very unpleasant fashion. Violet began heading for the door. "All... right... I'm leaving..." she said nervously. "Get that miserable beast!" one of the officers shouted. Shocked and terrified, Violet started running, and Razor watched as the officers chased her, hatred burning in their eyes. Razor stood up suddenly, as though he was going to say something. "Officer Razor?" Paynson questioned. Razor realized that it was probably best not to anger the chief further. "I... uh... I'm going to step out for a bit, if that's OK.... I feel a little... sick." he said. Paynson nodded. "Go on. We don't need officers throwing up in here." he grumbled. Razor picked up his hat and headed for the door. "I'll check that museum out, even if the chief's too stupid to." he thought.

Violet was running as fast as she could, crazed police chasing her with batons. It was insane, but it was happening. Unfortunately for Violet, some of the officers had piled into a police car and skidded it to a halt in front of her, cutting off her escape! She tried to run around the car, but soon she was surrounded by the police. "L-look... I'm sorry... I... Wait!" Violet shouted as the police approached her. One officer behind her clubbed her in the back with his baton. "Furry fool! We'll teach you a lesson!" he shouted. Another officer clubbed her right arm. "Ow!! Owwww!! W-why are you doing this!? I only..." before she could finish speaking, another officer clubbed her across the face! "You animals should learn your place! Get on the ground, rodent!" the cop said. The scene was beginning to draw a crowd, all of them humans. Violet tried to push past the cops and appeal to the crowd. "H-help me!!" she shouted, only to be pulled back into the crowd of police and beaten some more. "Crawl, freak! Animals belong at our feet!" an officer yelled. The humans in the crowd began jeering at Violet as well, and it became clear to her that there was probably no way out of this. The officers began treating this like a game, taking turns hitting her like a living pi�ata! Violet attempted to fight them off, but it was useless. The more she struggled, the more violent the police became, and the more violent the police became, the louder the crowds encouragement of their behavior became. Soon, Violet fell to the ground, and the police continued their brutality anyway. She gazed up at the crowd, hatefully shouting at her. Cheering the police on. Even the children among them. As she looked around, Violet even thought she saw the child she saved earlier that morning, not speaking, but mimicking the behavior of the police, swinging an invisible baton. Seeing this, Violet shut her eyes and endured the abuse bitterly. Now, she was just hoping that the humans would stop playing around and kill her already, so it would all just be over with.


While shouts of hate filled Violet's ears, at the museum, it was silent. The front guards were standing in front of the entrance, drowsily watching for any signs of intrusion. Soon, a pair of gargoyles walked up the steps of the museum towards the entrance. The guards immediately woke up. "H-hey! You can't be here! The museum is closed!" one of the guards said. The gargoyles did not speak, they simply pointed guns at the guards and shot them in the heads! As the two guards fell to the ground, Mitch emerged from behind the gargoyles. "Very subtle, boys. Excuse me a moment..." he said, walking up to the front door with explosives under his arms! The gargoyles flew up high as Mitch prepped the explosives, then ran down the steps with the detonator in hand. "Time to start the fireworks! I wish all jobs were this straightforward..." Mitch muttered, detonating the explosives! The blast could be heard from rather far away, but in this city, it didn't much matter. Across the street from the museum, Razor's car pulled up, and seeing the explosion, Razor gasped with alarm. "Criminals sure are bold around here!" he said, grabbing his police car's radio phone. "This is Officer Razor. There's been a break-in at the museum! The suspects have explosives! Requesting backup! Repeat! Requesting backup!"


Razor's call was heard through the car near where the police were beating Violet. One of the officers, hearing it, responded to Razor's call. "On our way, officer!" he said, running to the crowd of officers with a megaphone. Before using the megaphone, he addressed the officers. "Guys! Break in at the Troblusk Museum! We'd better get down there!" he said. The officers stopped beating Violet and turned to leave. One of the officers glared at her before leaving. "Let this be a lesson to ya, animal." he sneered, spitting on Violet before leaving. The officer with the megaphone used it to speak to the crowd. "Citizens, disperse immediately! There's a crime in progress at the museum, and we need the street clear to drive there!" he said. The crowd began leaving right away, none stopping to even look at Violet, much less help her up. As the police drove away, Violet was left alone, battered and bleeding, but nothing was broken. Still, she was in such pain, she found herself forced to crawl as she began to attempt to get home. "Those humans... I guess they're happy... I'm on the ground, where I 'belong.'" she thought, sobbing as she crawled off the street and sat down on the sidewalk, feeling more alone than ever.


The gargoyles, with Mitch in tow, were making their way to the back of the museum. They were heading for the area where new artifacts and other such things were brought into the museum. The guards that the gargoyles mentioned earlier were absent, due to arrangements Mitch had made beforehand. As they went, the gargoyles would occasionally stop to steal something they thought might be valuable, but aside from that, the mission was proceeding without delay. However, the gargoyles' path of thievery was easy to follow, and soon the police arrived, with Razor among them! "Freeze! You're all under arrest!" Razor shouted. Mitch turned around slowly. He was carrying a briefcase, and now he held it up. "Bomb, officers! Here, catch!" he said, tossing the briefcase and causing the police to scatter in panic, as well as the gargoyles. In the confusion, Mitch ran for the loading area, hoping to get what he came for before it was too late. The briefcase, however, did not explode. A member of the bomb squad, who came with the other officers, examined the briefcase. "There's no bomb in here..." he said, opening the case and revealing nothing but bricks, likely taken from the construction site! As both sides realized that, they quickly drew their weapons, and the first shot, coming from a gargoyle, killed the bomb squad member! As a gunfight began, Mitch reached his goal and found the object of his search. Opening one of the crates stored in the area, he found it full of weapons! "Stupid military, thinking to hide their weapons in a museum shipment! I wonder just what kinda stuff they got in here, anyway..." he said. Reaching into his pockets, Mitch pulled out his phone. "Found 'em, pals... And lost the goyles, too!" he said. A garage door at the back of the loading area suddenly exploded, and some furries in the same black uniforms as Fera entered the area, each uniform bearing the same red symbol: the thirteen pointed star. Mitch motioned to the crates of weapons. "Help yourselves, and let's go before the police finish with the goyles!"


As Violet began nearing her apartment, she tripped over something. Looking at her feet, she found the beacon Fera had given her the night before! She recalled what Fera had said the night before, and thinking about everything the humans had done to her, both that day, and throughout her life, she came to a realization. "I... hate the humans!" she said to herself, leaning down and picking up the beacon. Gone were any questions of what was right and what was wrong. Violet was fed up with the humans, and she wanted revenge. Wasting no time, she made her way to Troblusk Plateau, the place Fera had spoken of the night before. By the time she reached the place, it was nearing midnight. From the plateau, one could see all of Troblusk City, in all its dirty, hate-infested glory. As a clock tower near the center of the city struck midnight, Violet held the beacon over her head. "Fera... I will join you! I will see the humans pay!!" she shouted as the beacon activated, the lantern within it emitting a bright, red light that seemed to pierce the dark clouds overhead, a signal that could easily be seen. As Violet gazed at the light, awestruck, she didn't see Fera approach. "Welcome, Violet. I've been expecting you! The humans will be made to pay, I promise you! Now, it will soon be time for your training to begin! You have entered despair, so now, you will learn to use that power against those who inflicted it upon you!" she proclaimed. Violet gazed at Fera, and found herself smiling gratefully. Nothing else mattered to her now. Her loneliness was leaving, and her vengeance would soon begin...


Chapter 3 - Basic Training

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


Sergeant Gunner, upon hearing that a mafia run by gargoyles had robbed a secret shipment of GUN's weapons, was the first to volunteer to lead the investigation. However, it was decided that he would not be in charge. Gunner's superior officer, Colonel Thade, would head up the investigation, taking Gunner along to assist. They found Chief Paynson at the scene of the crime, flustered and frustrated. Thade looked over the report on the incident he'd received and glared at Paynson. "Chief... According to this, there were supposed to be guards here, but you had them removed. Why?" he asked suspiciously. Paynson was sweating heavily, obviously nervous. "Well... Colonel, sir... I felt that the guards' presence here was unnecessary. This is a dangerous city, and we need all the help we can get in more... troubled areas..." he said, as though making it up as he went. Gunner looked outraged at that explanation. "OBVIOUSLY, the guards WERE necessary! More important, how could you let a mob led by furry freaks get such power that they could pull off such a..." Gunner was interrupted by Thade. "That's quite enough, Sergeant. I think we've learned just about all we can here. We best see if any of the captured gargoyles have anything to say. Good day, chief." the colonel said. As they began walking away from Paynson, Gunner looked concerned. "Colonel... The... mobsters... They didn't get away with the... special shipment, did they?" he asked. Thade shook his head. "That shipment is quite safe. I assure you. More important is to find out where our stolen weapons are now. Hopefully they're still in this city. Otherwise, I'd hate to find out where they turn up..." he said. As they exited the museum through the hole left by the explosives, Gunner growled softly. "Those freaks are going to pay for this..." he muttered. Thade sighed in annoyance. "They're not freaks, Sergeant. They're intelligent beings, no different from us. Not all suspicious characters in this city are furry." he said. "But I'm sure MOST of them are." Gunner grumbled. "Well, let's concentrate on the ones we KNOW are dangerous first." Thade replied, heading for his car.



Violet awoke that morning in a tent. Fera had used a strange sort of magic the night before, sending them both to a forest. Their camp had already been prepared, and Violet wasn't the only new recruit for the covenant in the area, but she was so exhausted the night before that she'd gone straight to sleep. She woke up moments before someone arrived to wake her up. A pink female skunk with a green shirt and tan pants opened the tent and shouted to Violet. "Rise and shine! Quick, before everyone leaves without ya!" she said. Violet climbed out of the tent and looked around. A small crowd was forming near Fera, who was apparently going to lead them somewhere soon. "You sure looked roughed up last night. Did you come unwillingly?" the skunk asked, still standing beside Violet. "I... um... no." Violet said sleepily. "I'm Daisy by the way." said the skunk. Violet rubbed her eyes and glanced at Daisy. "Violet..." she said for introduction. Daisy shook her hand. "Pleasure! C'mon, sleepy, let's see what Fera's up to!" she said, leading Violet to the group. Fera pointed to a path through the forest. "All right, everyone. Let's get moving. Breakfast will be served at the end of the trail. If you stay on the trail, you won't get lost, so... get going already!" The group began moving without delay as Fera watched. Daisy and Violet moved at the back of the line, and were joined by Fera. "Where are we going?" Daisy asked. Fera grinned at her. "Wait and see." she said. Violet was moving slower than the others, apparently still not fully recovered from the night before. "Are you all right?" Fera asked, a bit concerned. Violet nodded. "Just a little tired..." she said. Fera frowned. "The humans were rather cruel, weren't they..." she said tensely. "I'm OK..." Violet insisted. Daisy took her hand. "Don't worry! I'll take care of you! Just stick with me!" she said. Fera frowned, as though Daisy was doing something wrong, but she said nothing. In fact, Fera remained fairly silent throughout the journey, while Violet and Daisy made friendly conversation until they reached the edge of the forest. Exiting the forest, the group found that the trail ended at the front door of a massive black castle, towering high above the trees. Fera addressed the group. "Welcome to Despair Castle! After breakfast, your training will begin!"


Razor had interrogated some of the gargoyles from the robbery the night before, but couldn't learn much from them. In fact, all he learned was that the weasel present at the robbery was known as "Infin." It wasn't much to go on, but Razor knew of someone who might be able to help him. After leaving Soleanna, Bill and Bob had reopened the Neon Tavern in Troblusk City, so Razor paid the knowledgeable hedgehogs a visit. "Hiya, Razor. You on duty?" Bill asked as Razor sat down on a stool. "'Fraid so, Bill. I'm looking for a guy called 'Infin.' Ever heard of him?" he asked. "Info Finder." Bob said, taking a glass a customer was finished with. Bill nodded. "Infin is said to be very good at learning things." he said. "Kinda like you." Razor added. Bill shook his head. "Not like me. He works for some real shady characters. I don't really know anything but rumors, though... But I guess he was working with the goyles recently." he said. Razor leaned against the counter. "Any idea where I can find this guy?" he asked. Bill glanced over to Bob. "Write it down." he instructed. As Bob was writing, Bill explained. "If anyone asks, you didn't get this from us. We got an address where he might be found. MIGHT. Be careful around there though, Razor." he said. Razor took the paper from Bob and stood up to leave. "Tell our pals in Station Square we said hi!" Bill said. "Sure. See ya, guys." As Razor stepped out of the bar, his attention was immediately drawn to someone across the street. It was a man in a black suit, wearing sunglasses, who apparently was trying not to be spotted and doing a poor job, hiding behind things like telephone poles as he dashed from spot to spot. Razor recognized him from the news report on the experiments that called for their arrest. "Hey, you! You work for Sergeant Gunner, right?" he asked. The man hid behind a car, muttering to himself. "Did that guy see me? Naw, he must've seen Agent 77... What's Agent 77 doing here?" he stood up, looking for someone, and saw Razor. "Yikes! Um... Wait, a police officer? Oh. Yeah, I guess you WERE talking to me. My code name's Spy! Yeah, I work for Gunner..." he said, a bit jumpy. "Spy? THAT's your code name?" Razor asked. Spy nodded. "I'm off duty, though. Gunner let me visit my granny. She lives in this city! But she's mean, so I'm just hiding from her AND the sarge..." he admitted. Razor raised an eyebrow. "OK.... Well, I'm busy. I'm investigating that robbery that brought Gunner here." he said. Spy ran across the street to Razor. "Let me come! If I help solve this thing, maybe the sarge will overlook some of the stupid things I've done recently!" Razor was hesitant to say yes, but realized that it was Spy's mission, too. "All right... But don't 'sneak around' like you were doing before. It actually calls attention to you!" he said. Spy gave Razor a salute. "Yes, sir! I won't let you down, sir! I mean, maybe..." Razor groaned with irritation. Clearly it was going to be a long day.


At breakfast, Violet's group met up with other groups of trainees, and once breakfast was over, they were split up into teams for basic training. Violet and Daisy remained in a group led by Fera, who led them to the first part of their training. Daisy had befriended a dark-green gecko during breakfast, and he joined them at the first training area, too. They had arrived at a shooting range within the castle. As everyone waited for Fera to give them instructions, Daisy introduced Violet to her friend. "This is Simon. He's from Central City!" she said. Fera called everyone's attention. "All right, new recruits, you're all here for one reason. To fight back against the tyranny and hatred of mankind! To do that, you'll need to be prepared. Humans take great pride in their weapons of death, and in order to fight them, you must be able to use that power against them! So, our first training exercise will be in the use of firearms." While Fera was talking, Violet noticed a fox with a uniform standing in the corner, tossing a knife and catching it in his hand. His fur had many different colors. His head was mostly yellow, but he had blue ears. His tail was green, except for a tuft of cyan fur at the tip. He was looking at the people in the crowd, and soon his eyes met Violet's. He grinned at her unpleasantly, waving. Violet looked away and found hand guns being passed out. Daisy handed her one. "You should pay more attention, Violet! C'mon, let's see what these things can do! Just, like Fera says, don't shoot anything but the targets." she said. "Watch this, ladies..." Simon said, standing a good distance away from where the others were practicing shooting. He aimed his gun with just one eye and fired a few shots, hitting the human-shaped target in the heart with each shot. Fera was watching and walked over to Simon, clapping. "Impressive. I think we've found your specialty already!" she said. Violet and Daisy found some targets side by side and began practicing, but it took much longer for them to aim, and from the normal distance. The colorful fox had walked over to them and was watching with interest. "Take as long as you want, gals, the targets aren't gonna shoot back at least! Hee hee! Or are they?" Violet glanced back at him. "Cut me a break! I've never fired a gun before. And... Is this really necessary...?" she wondered. The fox laughed at her. "No, it's not necessary! Hee hee! You could throw marshmallows at the baaaad people!" he said. This fox's demeanor was rather crazed, and Violet decided it was probably best to ignore him. Daisy fired the gun until it was out of ammo, and found that her shots were all over the place. The fox was giggling uncontrollably. "Wow, I wish I could shoot like that! It looks like fun!" he said. Daisy turned around and grinned at the fox. "You're nuts, aren't you? And what's your name?" she asked. The fox was hopping on one foot, tossing his knife from hand to hand. "Name? MY name? It's Patch! Hee hee! I like knives and sporks! But mostly I like games! Wanna play with me?" Violet fired her ammo at the target and found that she was a worse shot than Daisy. Patch looked at her target and fell over laughing. "Oh, no, stop! Ha ha ha ha ha!! You're so lame you're cool!" he giggled. Simon tapped his foot in annoyance over Patch. "Leave 'em alone, you bugger. They're new at this. You're not... probably..." he said. Patch ignored him and continued laughing until Fera approached him. "Pull yourself together, Patch! It's time for more direct weapons training!" she said. Patch pulled himself up. "Can I watch?" he asked. Fera groaned with annoyance. "You're the instructor!!" she said.

Patch tested the new recruits with various non-projectile weapons. He used nunchucks, while the trainees each chose from a number of training weapons to fight him with. It turned out that Patch was a skilled combatant, though, and most of the trainees looked rather pathetic fighting against him. Simon put up more of a fight than most, but Patch was fast and unpredictable, and Patch soon knocked him over like the rest. Next was Violet's turn. She chose a small training sword, and approached Patch. "OK! Time to play! Come and get me!" he challenged. "All right, you asked for it!" Violet shouted, running at Patch with the sword. She swung it three times, and each time, Patch jumped over it. "Strike one! Strike two! Strike three! Strike you!" he said, smacking Violet in the head with his nunchucks! Violet fell over, defeated, like everyone else. Daisy was next, but she and Simon helped Violet stand up first. "He's tough..." Violet said. "No kidding..." Simon added. Daisy picked up a training katana. "I think this one looks cool..." she said. Patch was jumping around impatiently, so Daisy ran into the arena and began swinging the weapon at Patch, while he jumped around, playfully dodging. "Hee hee! You're lotsa fun! Now try this!" he said, attacking with his nunchucks. Daisy blocked with the sword, and counterattacked. She missed again, but also managed to block Patch again. "C'mon! Let me hit you! It's fun!" he said, trying to hit her again. She dodged it, then successfully smacked Patch with the sword, knocking him over! "Bwaaaa!!! Help! I fall down go boom!!" Patch shouted, struggling to get up. Fera stepped into the arena and shook hands with Daisy. "Well done. Not many trainees can hit Patch. Too bad it wasn't a real katana, though. It might've shut him up for once." she said, noting that Patch was shouting even more than usual. "All right everyone! On to the next training exercise!"


Razor and Spy soon arrived at the address Bill and Bob had given them, and seeing gargoyles standing guard outside, Razor knew it was a mob hideout. "We gotta get in there and see if Infin is there, and if not, see if we can find out where he is. But how..." Razor said to himself. Spy looked thoughtful. "I think... We're doomed! Let's go back and ask the sarge for backup!" he suggested. Razor looked at him quizzically. "I thought you were a spy. Can't you sneak in there? Go on, I got your back. If you get in trouble, I'll help you!" he said. Spy looked nervous. "I don't have a gun. I'm off duty!" he whined. "Go on!" Razor ordered, frustrated. "OK, OK... But I better get a medal for this..." Spy muttered, sneaking carefully towards the back entrance to the building, which was unguarded. Razor watched him enter, then looked through the nearby window, finding gargoyles standing around in there. It wasn't long before the gargoyles were pointing weapons at Spy. "Aw, shoot!" Razor shouted, running for the door. He burst into the room gun-first! "Freeze! Drop the weapons!" Razor shouted as Spy ran behind him. "How did you get to be a spy!?" Razor growled. "That's a long story..." Spy said. The gargoyles were pointing their guns at Razor now. "So, officer, any last requests?" one of the gargoyles asked. "I request you not shoot us!" Spy whimpered. Suddenly, an energy blast crashed through the window and passed through each of the gargoyles' guns, smashing them in their hands! Looking out the window, Razor spotted Guard, who flew in and held his scythe readily. "Grrrr... I may be a gargoyle, but those are friends of mine! Grrr... You will not harm them!" he growled. Razor looked both shocked and relieved. "How did you know we were here?" he asked. "Grrrr.... Boss told me to watch Spy. Grrrr... He thought something like this might happen to him." The gargoyle mobsters all had spare weapons, and were already pointing them at Razor. "What do you guys want!? Speak, or we'll shoot the lot of ya!" a gargoyle yelled. Razor nodded. "Fair enough. We're lookin' for someone called Infin. He left your fellow goyles high and dry last night, but they don't seem to know where he is. Any of you know?" he asked. Spy backed towards the door. "If you don't wanna answer, we could just leave..." he said. The gargoyles glanced at Guard. "You're a gargoyle. If you want, we'll tell you what we know about Infin. You wanna tell the cop? Not our business. But the cop's gotta leave, and take that screwball with him, right now!" a gargoyle said. Guard nodded, so Razor and Spy stepped outside. "So, Gunner had Guard babysit you..." Razor said, glancing at Spy and trying to contain laughter. "I hate my job..." Spy muttered.


The next training exercise was about stealth. The group had been split into teams of two and placed in a dark, mazelike area. The goal was to find the way out without getting spotted or setting off any alarms. Violet was teamed up with Daisy, and together, they were utterly lost. "It would've helped if Fera would've drawn us a map!" Daisy said. Violet looked around. "You just gotta remember where you've already been... I think we've been that way already, so let's go the other way!" Violet suggested. Daisy looked surprised. "How can you tell the hallways apart!? They all look the same!" she said. Violet shrugged. "I'm just paying attention..." Daisy grinned at her. "Well, it's about time you started doing that!" she joked. As they continued down the path Violet suggested, they found a long hall with guards patrolling at several points where the hallways intersected. Daisy looked a bit worried. "How do we get past this?" she wondered. There were large boxes scattered along the hall, and they gave Violet an idea. "Wait 'till the guards pass, then run by and hide behind the boxes!" she suggested. While Violet and Daisy started to test this strategy, Patch, who was one of the guards, spotted them making their way towards them. He grinned to himself excitedly as he continued patrolling, waiting for their approach. Violet and Daisy's strategy was working, and they slowly darted past the guards one by one. Soon, they were near Patch. The fox skipped across the hall, stopping abruptly just out of Violet and Daisy's sight. As the two of them attempted to pass, Patch jumped after them and grabbed Daisy by the arm! "I got an intruder! I got an intruder!" he chanted in a singsong voice! "Daisy!" Violet shouted, turning and running for Patch, hoping to free her friend. Before she reached him, Fera warped into her path! "What do you think you're doing!?" Fera growled. Violet looked confused. "I was... trying to help." she said. Fera motioned to the guards patrolling nearby. "See them? If they were humans, you'd both be dead by now! Never stop! No matter what! The mission always comes first!" she said. "But..." Violet started to say. "No buts! The mission ALWAYS comes first! It is best that some die and the mission succeed, than for all to die as a result of sentiment! Understand!?" Fera asked. Violet nodded. "I... guess so..."


Guard led Razor and Spy to a building said to be Infin's hideout. They let themselves in, finding Infin was away. The building was apparently his home. "I bet this guy has a lot of hideouts like this." Razor said, "After all, in his line of work, it's probably best to keep on the move." Spy found some stairs and began climbing them. "I think I'll look around alone." he said. Guard was examining the building using the scanners in his eyes. "Grrrr... Pretty big place for a crook..." he observed. Meanwhile, Spy found a bedroom, and began searching it. As he opened the closet, he found, among the fancy suits, a Covenant of Despair uniform! Spy recognized the thirteen pointed star symbol. "Oh boy... This isn't good... I better tell those guys!" he said. Back downstairs, Guard and Razor were looking around the rooms and found an elevator. "This place must not have been originally intended as a single residence..." Razor said. Suddenly, they heard the front door open! Guard headed back towards the entrance and found Mitch the Weasel, otherwise known as Infin! "Grrrr... You must be the owner of this... establishment." Guard growled. Mitch was smiling as Spy ran down the stairs. "Agent Guard! This Infin character is... wait, is that him!?" he said with alarm. Mitch held up a remote device as Razor walked into the area. "I knew the goyles would sell me out, so I rigged up this dump with some explosives. I got 'em rigged with a timer, see. I got two buttons here. One starts the timer, and one blows the dump up right away. Follow me, and this place'll go up before you can get your police chief out... 'Cuz he's... y'know... tied up at the moment, and he won't be leavin' any time soon!" he explained, pressing the button to start the timer! "Youse got five minutes. Better get movin'!" As Mitch ran out of the building, Spy panicked. "What do we do?! I guess the chief's dead!" he said. Razor ran for the elevator while Guard headed up the stairs. "Get out once Infin is gone, Spy!" Razor shouted as he left. A note in the elevator gave Razor the floor he needed. "That was thoughtful of the maniac." he thought. As the elevator reached the floor, Razor heard a phone ringing, and ran towards it to find Chief Paynson tied up with duct tape covering his mouth! Razor answered the phone before doing anything else. "Hello, officer?" It was Mitch! "I gotta confess something. I lied. Actually, you only got three minutes, and that time's just about up..." Razor dropped the phone and turned to the chief. Luckily, Guard had arrived already! "Man, you're fast..." Razor remarked. "Grrrr... It helps to have wings!" Guard replied, handing Razor his scythe and picking up Chief Paynson. Razor jumped onto Guard's back. "You'll have to fly us both out! This dump's about to blow!" he explained. "Grrrr... Great..." Guard grumbled. Outside, Spy had already escaped the building, and watched as the timer ran out and the building was destroyed in a fiery explosion! "Oh, well. I never much liked Guard anyway..." Spy muttered, believing Guard had died in the explosion. "Grrrr... I'm not too fond of you, either!" came Guard's voice overhead! He quickly dropped down next to Spy, exhausted from carrying Razor and Paynson. "Hey! You even saved the chief!" Spy said, pulling the tape off of the chief's mouth. "OWWW!!! You almost pulled my moustache off!!" Paynson yelled. Spy frowned. "Sorry..." he said, putting the tape back on while Paynson shouted in protest.


The training group had come to Fera's specialty: dark magic. Fera was spending time with each recruit, teaching those that could be taught. Not everyone could use dark magic, it seemed, and Simon and Daisy were both dismissed shortly after Fera called them. "Looks like I couldn't do it..." Daisy said upon exiting the training room. "Well, we can't all be magicians." Simon noted. Soon, Fera called in Violet. "Good luck, Vy!" Daisy said. "Don't let Fera scare you!" Simon added. As Violet walked into the training room, the first thing she noticed was that it was the darkest room she'd seen yet. Lanterns similar to the one inside the beacon Violet had used the night before glowed faintly as Violet entered the room, and Fera was waiting in the center of the room. "The lanterns in here respond to dark energy." Fera said as the lanterns became brighter. "It seems you can use dark magic..." she realized. Violet looked around at the lanterns. "I can? Really?" Violet said with wonder. Fera extended her hand to Violet. "You possess a certain... Understanding. I sensed it when we first met." she said as Violet took her hand. Fera shot sparks of dark energy through Violet's body, causing her to scream in pain! "Darkness is a great power... Feel it course through you! This power is yours to use!" she said, releasing Violet's hand. Violet backed away from her, shocked. "Yes, it hurts. Like the pain those humans cause. If you use this power, you can turn this pain against them! Just focus your inner darkness... This will help." Fera handed her a bracelet shaped like the covenant's thirteen-pointed star, "The Despair Seal will help you channel your dark power. Now show me what you can do." Violet attempted to give it a try. As she attempted to focus, small black sparks came from her fingers, but they soon dissipated. "I can't focus..." she said quietly. Fera was circling Violet, staring at her with her good eye. "Do you know about Daisy? Neither does she. Her parents died when she was young. She was raised by humans briefly. Do you know what they did to her? Can you imagine? They treated her like property. She was so abused, she ran away, and was forced to grow up on the streets! Where every day, humans continue to look at her with contempt!" Fera's words angered Violet. It wasn't fair. Humans could be so cruel, and furries were just supposed to accept it? Fera used darkness to warp across the room. "Try that..." she instructed. Violet concentrated on the spot in front of Fera, channeling her inner darkness. The darkness covered her briefly, but soon subsided. Still, it was more than she'd managed moments before. "Let me tell you about Patch. He came from a long line of... lab rats. The humans performed all kinds of terrible experiments on him and his family. His mother died from an experiment. It was... An experimental toothpaste. Turned out to be poisonous. Was that worth it? And those experiments... Well, you see what they did to Patch's poor mind." Violet was growing angrier. How could they? The humans were so selfish. Fera held a ball of dark energy in her hand. "Try this." she suggested. Violet held out her hand, and quickly created a small orb of dark energy. However, like the other spells, she couldn't quite maintain it. Fera looked thoughtful. "Simon once worked side by side with the humans. He was a police officer. He saw a human crime boss arrested. His own human comrades accepted bribes from his henchmen, and kept Simon busy while the crooks murdered his family. He was to be targeted next, but he escaped, then came to us himself. And while I'm at it... You have a story, too. Don't you? Similar to Simon's, isn't it? The humans killed your family, too! They're murderous, vile wretches, all of them!" she declared. "Shut up!!" Violet shouted, unable to take any more. "They kill. They take. They hate. They betray." As Fera kept speaking, Violet kept begging her to stop, until the rage filled her completely. Her hands were sparking with dark energy. "I... said... STOOOOOOP!!!" she screamed, sending black sparks all throughout the room! Fera warped away until the sparks subsided, then warped back into the room, finding Violet on her knees. Fera leaned down and helped her up. "You... are a natural..." she said, "I don't expect you will require the Despair Seal for very long..."


Razor, Guard, Spy, and Chief Paynson found Colonel Thade and Sergeant Gunner at the police station. "Where have you all been!?" Gunner shouted, looking at Spy in particular. Paynson patted Razor on the shoulder. "My own officer here, with assistance from your men there, just saved my life! Moreover, they discovered that the true masterminds behind the recent museum robbery were agents of the anti-human organization, the Covenant of Despair!" he reported. Gunner's face seemed to turn red with rage at the mention of the covenant. "I found that out!" Spy pointed out before Gunner could start shouting. Thade nodded. "Well done, men. That's some important information. If the covenant is involved, we'll have to be ready for anything." he said. "I say we should consider the robbery an act of war in this case!" Gunner snarled. Paynson looked concerned. "Do you really think it will come to that?" he asked. Thade looked uncertain. "We'll let the Commander be the judge of that. Come, I'd like to have a word with you." he said, motioning to Gunner and Paynson. "Come on, Spy!" Gunner said as he followed the colonel to the back of the station. After they were gone, Guard glanced at Razor. "Grrrr... I think the chief is hiding something." he said. Razor looked thoughtful. "Yeah... Maybe that's why Infin had him tied up in there... But, Guard... Who are these covenant crooks I've been hearing about?" he wondered. Guard frowned. "Grrrr... We don't know much yet. Grrrr... But they're clearly not friendly..."


With basic training completed, Fera and other covenant members were now passing out uniforms to the new recruits. Patch was carrying a bundle of uniforms as Fera passed them out. Once they came to Violet, Daisy, and Simon, Patch had only three uniforms left. As Fera passed them out, Patch shook hands with each of them. "Welcome to the covenant, newbies! Congrats! Just don't get killed on your first missions! Hee hee!" he giggled. "Gee, thanks..." Simon said. Violet looked at her new uniform as Fera handed it to her. This was it. Now, she would have a chance for revenge. Daisy received her uniform last. "Here, as requested..." Fera said, handing a uniform with a green star instead of a red star. "Thanks very much! Red's just not my color!" Daisy said, grinning. With the uniforms all passed out, Fera spoke to the entire group. "Congratulations to all of you. Though you may not all be quite skilled with everything, you have all shown enough prowess in some field to pass basic training. Your first missions will be prepared soon enough!" As Fera finished speaking, the group clapped for their success. Patch stepped up to speak as well. "Hey! Congratulate Fera, too! Since she's so great, she was promoted to Commander today! Yay, Commander Fera!" he declared, leading the group in applauding Fera's promotion. Fera, however, seemed unmoved by this. "Yeah, whatever... Thank you, Patch. Yes, I'm Commander Fera now. Some of you will be in my unit for your first missions..." she announced, glancing toward Violet as if to say that she would be one of them. "Dismissed..." As everyone started leaving the room to take a well earned break, Violet saw Mitch the Weasel enter the room. "Infin reporting, Commander... Hey, that feels weird to say..." he said, approaching Fera. Daisy and Simon walked over to Violet and pointed to the door. "C'mon, Vy! I want to explore the castle a bit before we get a mission!" Daisy said. Violet realized she'd seen Mitch before. "I know him... Somehow..." she said, not recalling where exactly she'd seen him. Simon glanced at Mitch a moment. "Hmmm... He seems sorta familiar to me, too... Maybe he was one of the guards in the maze." he said thoughtfully. Since none of them thought it was very important, they headed out the door a moment later. Meanwhile, Mitch was reporting to Fera while smoking a cigarette. "That chief guy... I'm afraid he ain't so trustworthy any more." he informed Fera, who didn't seem to care. "We're through with him anyway. More important, did you find out where the items missing from the shipment are?" she asked, grabbing Mitch's cigarette out of his mouth. "You know, I just start smoking again after you leave... Oh, the shipment... GUN's got that secure. We ain't gonna be getting that now..." he reported. Fera dropped Mitch's cigarette and stepped on it. "Mitch... Have you ever known me to give up? Just tell me, where is it..."


Chapter 4 - The First Mission

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


It was another dark Tuesday morning in Troblusk City. After spending an entire day and night at Despair Castle, Violet found herself back in the familiar surroundings of the streets near her home. Joining her was Daisy and Simon, who were going to help her gather her things to be moved to her new home within the covenant's castle. As they reached the building containing Violet's apartment, they found objects being thrown out of her window! "Whoa, looks like somebody's mad at somebody..." Daisy observed. "That's my stuff!" Violet shouted, running over to find a pile of junk below the window. "Better get up there and try to save something, then..." Simon suggested. Violet ran into the building, with Daisy and Simon following, and soon made it to the door to her apartment, which was wide open! Inside, Violet found her landlord stepping out of her bedroom carrying a bundle of her clothes. "Made it back, eh? Well, that's good; I can say this to your face! You've been late with the rent for the last time! So, you're outta here!!" he shouted, tossing Violet's clothes out the window! "Hey! I was right here! You could've handed that to me!" Violet shouted, furious. The old landlord walked over and pushed her back out the door, right into Simon and Daisy! "You had your chance, furball! I've been a bit too generous with you for way too long! Now, you run out under the window and CATCH your junk!" he snarled, slamming the door in Violet's face! "Now what?" Daisy wondered. Violet was growling hatefully at this treatment. She had to make him pay! Using the dark magic she learned from Fera, she created two balls of dark energy in her hands and used them to blast the door off its hinges! The old landlord turned to Violet in a fury. "What the hell are you doing, freak!?" he yelled. Violet's eyes seemed to be emitting dark energy as her hands began sparking with darkness. "You called me a freak?" she said angrily. The landlord kicked a chair out of his way. "That's right! Freak! You owe me a new door now!" he shouted. Violet responded by shooting black lightning through the room, which slammed the old man into the wall! Violet began stepping towards him, when Simon grabbed her by the arm. "That's enough, Violet! Let's go, before someone calls the police on us!" he pleaded. The dark energy coming from Violet subsided as she realized Simon was right. "Yeah, we've got other things to do today..." Daisy muttered as they turned to leave. "D-don't let me catch you back here, freak..." the landlord said weakly. Violet didn't bother trying to take anything with her as they left. Her old life didn't mean so much to her anyway, and she felt it was better left forgotten.


At the Troblusk police station, Colonel Thade and Sergeant Gunner were preparing to leave for the nearest GUN base. Thade had called Razor and Chief Paynson together. "Chief, I'm ordering this officer here to keep an eye on you. The Covenant of Despair targeted you once, and it is likely that you will be targeted again. I'm sure officer Razor will be up to the task of keeping you safe." he told them. Razor saluted the colonel. "Yes, sir! It is an honor to be chosen, sir!" he said. Not far away, Gunner was giving Guard new orders. "All right, Guard, listen up! The Covenant of Despair has been allowed to come and go as they please for far too long! I'm ordering you to locate their headquarters so we can put a stop to their plans before it's too late! Understood!?" he growled. Guard looked a bit unsure. "Grrrr.... Yes, but it won't be easy. Grrrr... I likely won't return for some time." he said. "You'll be faster than me!" Spy noted. Gunner glared at Guard. "I don't care how easy it is! Get it done, and get it done fast! Now, move!!" he shouted, prompting Guard to exit the police station. Thade walked past Gunner at this moment. "Let's get going, Sergeant." he said. Paynson followed them. "W-wait, colonel! I protest! You can't leave me in the hands of this animal! He's only working here because the Commissioner insisted we have at least one animal officer!" he said nervously. Gunner and Thade stopped to speak to Paynson. "I agree, colonel. A human would probably be more appropriate..." said Gunner. Thade smiled at Paynson. "He helped save your life once already, and you still don't trust him? Listen, stick with him. It might be good for you. You might learn something." he insisted. "But, colonel!!" both Gunner and Paynson whined. "My orders stand. Trust my judgment on this. I'm not saying any more." Thade said before exiting the station with Gunner and Spy behind. Razor stepped beside Paynson. "Don't worry, sir. You're in good hands!" he said. Paynson looked worried. "This week just keeps getting worse..."


Violet, Daisy, and Simon had another job to do in Troblusk City. They'd been assigned their first mission, and were discussing it near the construction site, since Violet knew it was a good enough place for the mobsters to make plans at. "So, we gotta capture the chief of police and bring him to Troblusk Plateau. Sounds like a tough job. Why are we the only ones in charge of it?" Daisy wondered. "There're probably more important jobs that more experienced agents are working on." Violet reasoned, "After all, what important info could that fat old monster know, anyway?" Simon held a bag he'd been given by Fera and peeked inside it. "Well, I think we have a plan. I'll create a... disturbance, and draw out all the police near the chief. Then, you two should be able to make your move." he suggested. "Won't you get arrested?" Daisy said with concern. "It's a possibility, but at least THESE cops will only imprison me. Don't worry, I won't tell 'em anything." Simon told them. Violet thought about the plan. "I'll get us all out okay. I can use my dark magic!" she realized. Simon nodded. "Right, but just remember, the mission comes first! Now, let's get moving!" he said. As the three of them started to leave, a strange man with blue hair wearing an alligator costume peered out from inside the construction site. He was holding a hot dog. "Gee, I finally find a peaceful place to eat, and bad guys come and mess up my appetite... Wait, there it is!" he said, quickly eating the entire hot dog. "Yummy! Now, Gator better think... What to do..." Gator stepped out of the construction site and paced around, thinking. "Aha! I got it! If I tell someone and help save the chief, I'll be a hero, and maybe they'll forgive me for forgetting to pay for that hot dog! Brilliant! Away I goes!!" he said with glee, teleporting away in a puff of smoke!


Troblusk Plateau was a small mountain just outside of the city that could easily be climbed. From its peak, one could see the entire city. There, Fera the Wolf and Mitch the Weasel were waiting for Violet, Daisy, and Simon to arrive. Mitch lit a cigarette as he gazed out at the dark, dirty city below. "Y'know, Fera, I don't think that police chief is gonna have any more information for us. I think we know enough to complete the next mission, anyhow." he said. Fera snatched the cigarette away from Mitch. "It disgusts me to see you smoking, Mitch! Do you wish you were a human?" she growled. "Only if it means I can smoke." Mitch grumbled. Fera crossed her arms. "I'm your superior now, you know. Don't take that tone with me! Anyway, I'm sure this mission won't be a total waste. I've got some questions for that chief that he might be able to answer. Besides, this will be a good test for our new recruits." she reasoned. Mitch chuckled. "I knew it. This is just another training exercise... Still thinkin' like a Huntress, Fera?" he asked. The rank of Hunter within the Covenant of Despair was responsible for finding and training new recruits. Fera scoffed at Mitch. "There are no small missions, only small agents." she said. Suddenly, the smell of smoke filled the air around them. Mitch looked around. "Did you start a fire with my cigarette?" he asked. Smoke obscured their vision, but Fera didn't even move. "Come out, Anubis. You don't need a smokescreen here." she said. The smoke, as though in response to Fera's words, quickly subsided, revealing a black and brown jackal approaching from behind Fera and Mitch. "I bring news. There has been a sighting." said Anubis. Fera and Mitch turned to face him. Fera looked a bit intrigued. "A sighting? Is it..." she said, trailing off. Anubis guessed what she was asking about and shook his head. "No, not that. One of the GeneX Experiments has been sighted in the city. They could be powerful allies... or enemies. I know from experience." he snarled, recalling his defeat at the hands of Punchy and Rainbow. He had managed to fool them into thinking he had died, but he never forgot that day. Fera looked thoughtful. "Well, I'm not a Huntress anymore, but I suppose I should look into this. You'll be OK on your own, won't you, Mitch?" she asked. Mitch frowned. "Infin! You're supposed to call me Infin!" he groaned. Fera handed Mitch a paper. "Ask the chief about this stuff. We'll see you later." she said, following Anubis away. Mitch lit another cigarette once they were gone. "At least she's off my case..." he muttered to himself.


Violet, Daisy, and Simon were not far from the police station now. It was almost time to put their plan to work. "All right, get going, ladies. It's about to get very loud out here..." Simon said. Violet and Daisy immediately began running towards the police station so that they would be ready once the police came out. Once Simon saw that they were safely hidden near the entrance to the police station, he made his move! Reaching into the bag Fera had given him, Simon pulled out a hand grenade! "All right, United Federation, ready to see what your tax dollars pay for?" he muttered. The grenades were among the weapons stolen at the museum robbery two days before! Simon pulled the pin out of the one in his hand and tossed it at a car parked nearby! As the car exploded, Simon chuckled to himself. "That's what you get for being illegally parked!" he shouted, tossing another grenade at another car! Civilians began running in panic from the explosions as Simon continued wreaking havoc in the area! Soon, police began scrambling out of the station, hoping to take control of the situation!

The explosions got the attention of more than just the police, though. Copter the Fox, who had arrived in Troblusk City earlier that morning, ran towards the loud noises he heard, and found the police station, with cops scrambling out the door. "Geez, I should probably be running the other way..." he said, worried that the police might come after him. After all, he was still a fugitive. Glancing down the street, Copter saw Simon using grenades to repel the police. "Well, I WAS bored... But this looks more like a job for Sonic." he said, glancing back at the station. In front of the station, he saw Violet and Daisy who, like Simon, were wearing uniforms of the Covenant of Despair. "Oh, that guy's just a diversion... Interesting. But am I bored enough to check it out..." Copter squinted at Violet as she and Daisy entered the police station. "Well, this is weird. She kinda looks like Rainbow! Just... less colorful. Consider me curious..."

Razor was the only police officer to remain inside the station with Chief Paynson. "What in the world do you think is going on out there?" Razor wondered. Paynson scoffed at the question. "Just some nut, I'll bet." he said. As Violet and Daisy entered, Razor recognized their uniforms based on the description Spy had given of Infin's uniform! "Heya, chief! You're coming with us!" Daisy announced. "Not if I can help it!" Razor shouted, pointing his gun at them! "You don't want to be doing that..." Violet warned. "Yes, you do! Shoot them!" Paynson shouted. Razor didn't stop pointing the gun, but didn't fire either. "Hands on your heads! Right now!" he ordered. Violet responded by tossing balls of dark energy at Razor, knocking him across the room! With no one left in their way, Violet and Daisy approached the chief. "Now, come quietly, or else!" Violet threatened. "T-take it easy, miss. The other officers will be back any minute!" Paynson said with uncertainty. "Hello, what have we here?" came a voice at the entrance! Violet and Daisy turned around to find Copter standing in the doorway. "Now, what's all this? Trying to get payback for a few parking tickets? What's going on?" he asked. Violet raised a fist covered in dark energy at Copter. "Stay out of it, pal! No need for a fur to get hurt defending a human!" she warned. Copter crossed his arms. "Hurt? Defend who? Look, I came in late. The least you could do is bring me up to speed. What, am I in your way? Heh, look, don't threaten people you don't know..." he said, only to find Daisy approaching him with a katana. "Look, we don't have time for unwanted guests! So, take this!" As Daisy attacked Copter with the sword, he flew over her head, causing her to miss! "Let's try this another way. I'm Copter the Fox! Now, traditionally, you should give me your name, next!" Copter said as he landed back on the ground. "E-experiment 2!" shouted a dazed Razor, who was just making his way back to the area. Copter turned to face him, squinting. "Huh...? Oh, you again!? What are you, EVERYWHERE!?" he shouted, frustrated at running into the same police officer for the third time in a different city. This served as enough distraction for Violet and Daisy to reach Chief Paynson and grab him! Realizing they'd never make it out the door, Violet tried plan B. She focused her inner darkness to conceal all three of them and warp away!

Violet, Daisy, and Chief Paynson reappeared outside, near Simon, who found himself targeted by a large amount of police weapons. As Paynson appeared in front of them, the police lowered their weapons. "No, stop, you fools! Shoot these kidnappers! Help!!" Paynson yelled. Simon aimed a gun that was also in the bag at Paynson. "Sure you want them to risk it, chief?" he asked. Daisy waved at the police officers. "So long, scumbags! It's been real!" she said. Violet motioned for Simon to come closer so she could warp them all away. "Enjoy the world while it's yours, humans, because the Covenant of Despair will bring your rule to an end soon!" she declared as she used her dark magic to warp the four of them away! Razor and Copter exited the police station just in time to see them warp. "Shoot, I'll have to let you go again, experiment! I gotta try to save the chief!" Razor shouted, running for his car, which was parked nearby. He pressed some buttons below a screen in his car to display a map of the city. "Good thing I had the foresight to plant a tracking device on his person!" he said to himself as he began to drive away. Copter growled as he watched Razor leave. "Sure, he gets to have all the fun! Well, I think I'd like to have a word with those mannerless maniacs!" he said, pulling out the Hurricane Remote. "Too bad I have no idea how to find them..." Suddenly, a puff of purple smoke appeared nearby, with Gator emerging from it! "Aha! Mr. Prower! I've been looking for you, Chomper!" he said, running over to Copter, who rolled his eyes at his sudden appearance. "What do you want, Gat- I mean- captain?" he asked as the Hurricane appeared overhead. Gator looked a bit flustered, like he didn't know where to start. "What was it, what... Oh, yeah! There's these bad guys who are gonna kidnap the mayor! No, wait... The hot dog vendor? Naw..." he said quickly, failing to gather his thoughts. Copter groaned at him, guessing what he was trying to say. "The police chief? Too late, Gator! They already captured him!" he said. Gator kicked the Hurricane in frustration as it landed. "Dang it! Now we'll never find them before they get to that play-dough place! And... OW, my foot!!" he said, hopping around holding the foot that didn't hit the Hurricane. Copter scratched his head. "Play-dough...? Hmmm..." he muttered, reaching for a map he left on the Hurricane's seat the last time he used it. "Ah! Do you mean Troblusk Plateau? Thanks, Gator!" As he hopped into the Hurricane, Gator waved to him. "Bye, swabbie! Bring back pie!" he said as the Hurricane flew off. Suddenly, Gator noticed all the police around. "Uh, oh... Someone told them about that hot dog! I'm outta here!! Bwaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" he screamed, running away.


Violet, Simon, Daisy, and Paynson emerged a good distance away from the police station, but close enough that the people in the area were hiding, due to fear of the explosions that had been going off. Simon pulled ropes out of the bag and began to tie up the chief. "You really should have listened to me that night, chief." Violet said angrily. The chief squinted at her a moment, and then seemed to remember her. "Oh, you! You actually JOINED the covenant? It was they that robbed the museum!" he told her. Violet glared at him. "Maybe they did. So? What were weapons doing in the museum anyway? They sure don't seem like artifacts!" she said. Daisy nodded in agreement. "You humans are all alike! All sneaky and violent! How do you like your own junk used against you?" she growled. Paynson was desperately trying to think of a way to get them to reconsider this. "W-wait! Listen! There's more! It was them! The covenant! They told me not to listen to you! They paid me to look the other way a lot, and they had me ignore you that night! Them!" he told them. Simon had finished tying him up by now. "What's this joker going on about?" he wondered. Violet scoffed. "It doesn't matter. Whatever the covenant did, I doubt they would have allowed what you did! Your men, they came after me! They... They tried to kill me! I swear, if they hadn't found something else to do, they would have!" she yelled. Daisy looked disgusted with what she heard. "Always with the killing, eh, you hairless monkeys! I wish we could just tear you apart right now!" she shouted. Simon tried to quiet them down. "Shhhh!! We can't do that, remember the mission! And don't let any cops hear us!" he warned. Suddenly, a police car siren was heard coming towards them! Razor's car was rapidly approaching, and soon stopped in front of them! Razor hopped out of the car and pointed his gun at them. "For crying out loud, freeze! I won't let you get away with this!" he shouted. Violet started to warp them away again. "You're going to have to! I may not be able to warp far yet, but it's still going to be enough that you won't be able to catch us!" she exclaimed. Razor attempted to stop them by shooting at Violet, but they were already gone by the time his bullet reached them. "Blast! This is just not my day!!" he shouted, running back to his car.


As Mitch waited at the Troblusk Plateau, and lit another cigarette, a black and red plane could be seen heading his way. Mitch glanced up at it and grinned, not bothering to try running away. "Not a cop. I wonder who this is?" he said to himself as the Hurricane passed overhead. The plane continued flying straight as Copter dropped down from the sky and landed in front of Mitch, who had already pulled out a gun. "Ain't ya gonna lose your plane that way?" he asked. Copter shrugged. "Who needs it. Anyway, have you seen an echidna, skunk, or lizard?" he replied. "Gecko." Mitch corrected. Copter pointed at the gun in Mitch's hand. "Bad time for visitors? Why be all cowardly like that, anyway? You in a hurry?" Mitch lowered the gun, then blew some smoke from his cigarette. "Can't be too careful around this neighborhood. Hey, it's pretty cool that you found me. I wonder... Would you be interested in joinin' the Covenant of Despair? We could use a resourceful fella like you." he said. Copter grabbed the cigarette away from him, prompting Mitch to point his gun again. "Give it back!" he threatened. "Hey, I'm just looking out for your health, pal. By the way, what exactly is this covenant? What's it all about? And why did you kidnap the police chief?" Copter asked. Mitch grabbed the cigarette back from Copter, who didn't bother to fight over it. "Addicted, eh?" Copter said. Mitch continued pointing his gun at Copter. "You ask a lotta questions. Just why do you care?" he wondered. Copter grinned at him. "I don't. I'm just really, really bored lately." Suddenly, Violet, Simon, Daisy, and Paynson appeared nearby, immediately drawing Copter and Mitch's attention! "Ah, good, you're all here! Listen, could youse see that this guy's comfy while I ask the chief a couple questions?" Mitch instructed. Violet pointed at Copter with surprise. "You again!?" she yelled. Daisy pulled out her katana again. "What is your DEAL!?" she growled. Simon picked up a grenade from his bag. "Last one. Lucky you!" he said. Copter waved to the covenant members. "Hi. I'm still waiting for those names! Oh, but there are new people here, so I'll start again. I'm Copter, and you all are?" In response, Simon tossed the grenade at Copter, who flew over it and allowed it to fall over the edge of the plateau, exploding in the air! "Argh! He's just like Tails!" Simon observed. "Let's get him!" Daisy shouted, leading the charge! As the three of them rushed at Copter, Mitch was holding the gun against Paynson's head, asking questions. Paynson was utterly terrified. "All right! I'll tell you all I know! Just... Stop pointing that gun at me!" he whimpered. "That's a good big boy. OK, I'm all ears..." Mitch replied.

Copter's style of fighting was not something the new covenant members were used to, and Violet wasn't even used to fighting at all. Still, with her dark magic, she fared better than Simon, who Copter managed to knock down with a Tailband of Chaos powered tail whip! "Simon!!" Daisy shouted. "Relax, he'll be fine. He just might take a while to get back up..." Copter assured them. Daisy glared at Copter and came at him with her katana! She kept swinging it at him, ensuring that though he could dodge it, he couldn't counterattack easily. "Geez, all I did was ask your names... I wonder what happens if I ask something really personal!" Copter joked. Violet was ready to join the fight, but was suddenly called by Mitch. "Violet! Over here!" Hearing the name, Copter jumped away from Daisy and towards Simon. "OK, he's Simon, she's Violet... Now, who are you?" he asked. Daisy pointed the katana at Copter. "I'm Daisy, and I will tear you apart if you don't get away from Simon!" she warned. "All right, whatever..." Copter said, stepping away from Simon and focusing on the enemy in front of him. Meanwhile, Mitch tossed his gun to Violet. "I've got all the info we need outta this guy. He's outlived his usefulness now. So, since you're not busy, why don't you finish him off?" he said, telling more than asking. Violet walked over to Paynson with the gun. "H-hey, wait! I told you what you needed to know! S-stop!" Paynson pleaded. Violet pointed the gun at Paynson. Now was her chance for revenge on him. However, she hesitated. She'd caused quite a bit of damage so far, but she hadn't actually killed anyone yet. She stood there shakily. This man might be vile, but it was still a life. Did she really have a right to take that life? She thought about her parents. "I... I can't do it..." she thought. Mitch was growing impatient. "Come on. He's a human. He deserves it. You can't fight 'em if you're gonna have a weak stomach. Do it!" he ordered. Suddenly, a gunshot was heard, but it wasn't from Violet's gun! Mitch fell over suddenly, grabbing his foot, which had been shot. "Son of a... Aaaaah!!!" he yelled! Violet pointed the gun at the shooter. It was Razor! "Listen! Put the gun down! I got backup on the way!" he warned. Hearing this, Violet dropped the gun and turned to Simon, who was just standing back up. Daisy was still fighting Copter, but Copter grew impatient at the sight of Razor. "Gotta go, Daisy! Chaos Whirlwind!" he shouted, knocking Daisy towards Violet with a chaotic wind! Copter then used the Hurricane remote to call back his plane. Daisy stood up and ran to Simon, helping him over to Violet. "Remember the mission, Vy! Get the chief!" she shouted. Violet glanced from the chief to Mitch. "We don't need the chief. Just the info he gave us." she reasoned, running towards Mitch. Daisy and Simon followed her, and in a moment, she warped them all away! Razor sighed and pointed his gun at Copter. "I knew they'd do that, but I can still catch you!" he shouted. Copter backed towards the edge of the plateau. "You could, but I kinda just helped buy you time to save your big fat boss. I think you owe me." he said, jumping off the edge and landing on the Hurricane, which he'd called to that area using the remote! As Copter flew away, Razor didn't bother shooting at him. "Plane probably would've crashed into civilians if I did anything, eh, chief?" he reasoned, rushing over to untie Paynson. The chief stood up and saluted Razor. "You... You saved me again... Without the GUN agents watching... I guess I was wrong about you! I'm sorry to have doubted you. I promise, I won't make the same mistakes again! I'm going to change my ways, and together, we'll put an end to crime, and to the Covenant of Despair!" he said, shaking hands with Razor, who smiled back at him. Paynson seemed to be sincere, so Razor felt he'd won a small victory after all. "That's great, chief! Now, let's get back to the city! After all, we're still on duty!"

To be continued...    ...    ...    ...    BZZ BVZZZ ZZZT!!!


Back at Despair Castle, a meeting was taking place at the throne room deep inside. A figure cloaked with a black hood with red stripes sat upon the throne, glowing red eyes gazing at a pair of Agents of Despair approaching him. One was a blue hyena with a big, crazed grin. The other was a canine with a grayish blue fur color, black ears, and a uniform with a blue star. His bored, droopy-looking eyes were made terrifying by the red glow they sported. The cloaked figure on the throne spoke first. "Has there yet been a sighting?" his voice boomed. The canine shook his head. "Not the sort we've been waiting for." he said. "Eeee hee hee! Some of our new recruits have run afoul of the GeneX Experiment that unleashed it." the hyena reported. The red eyes of the cloaked figure narrowed ever so slightly. "That is intriguing, Eddie. Keep me apprised, and keep a vigilant eye for any sightings of that which emerged from the Shrine." he said. "Do you believe the experiment could be an ally?" the canine asked. "All furries are my allies, Basker... I need only understand how to use them..." the hooded figure mused. "Eeee hee! Eloquently put, master!" Eddie chuckled. With a gesture toward the door, the hooded figure dismissed Basker and Eddie, and as they waked out of the throne room, he sat with his fingers tented and a ponderous expression on his face. "We'll meet soon enough... 'Copter'..."


Chapter 5 - Shadow Striker

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


Upon arriving back at Despair Castle after the mission, Mitch was immediately transported to the medical center. "We don't have much in the line of a hospital, but I'm sure Mitch will survive." Fera told Violet and her friends. Violet sighed with relief. "That's good..." she said. "Congrats to all of you, you completed your first mission. You did well to bring Mitch back, considering he had the information we needed... But I am a bit disappointed..." Fera told them. Daisy was shocked. "Disappointed? Why? We did a great job!" she protested. Fera pointed to Violet. "You let the human go. You had a chance, and you hesitated. Had you not shown mercy, you may have finished before Mitch was shot! The next time you show mercy, a human could be the one to retaliate, and they will not be forgiving!" she explained. Simon crossed his arms. "Take it easy. Not all of us are cut out to be killers. It wasn't Violet's idea to be the one that had to shoot the chief." he said. Fera nodded. "Yes, Mitch should have finished the human himself. Don't worry, though, he's paying for it. We don't have the equipment to heal his foot. Our scientists are going to work with our healers and create a new foot for him. Once he's back in action, I can tell you he won't make the same mistake again. I know from experience..." she said, turning her bad eye away from them. After a moment, Fera walked away. "Whew... She can be... intense..." Daisy muttered. In a moment, Fera returned with the other members of her unit, and they gathered in front of her to hear an announcement. "Oh, boy, we're not going on another mission NOW, are we?" Simon groaned, apparently tired. Fera called for everyone's attention. "Get a good night's sleep tonight, team. Tomorrow, we have a dangerous mission ahead of us. We'll be heading for the outskirts of Troblusk City, where I have been informed GUN's Outpost Shadowy Black can be found. We will be fighting with the military itself this time, so there's no room for sloppiness! That'll be all for now..." she announced, turning to leave once more. Patch, who was part of Fera's unit, walked over to Violet, Daisy, and Simon. "Hee hee! You guys joined at a great time! Hope you're all ready for action!" he giggled. Violet looked a bit worried. "Yeah, I hope so, too..." she thought.


The next day, Colonel Thade and Sergeant Gunner arrived at Outpost Shadowy Black. Their first stop was the science department, where GUN's greatest minds worked on the technology used in all of GUN's operations. Colonel Thade approached a man with messy black hair, a white lab coat, and a pair of small glasses. The man was seated at a lab table, working on a Rubik's cube. He put the cube down and glanced up at the colonel as he approached. "Sergeant Gunner, allow me to introduce GUN's greatest genius, Dr. Ivan Nammad." Thade said. Nammad stood up and adjusted his glasses. "You can call me Dr. Nam. Just, uh, remember the 'Dr.' It took a lot of work to get that added to my name, and I insist it be used." he said. Gunner crossed his arms in annoyance at "Nam's" words. "We've met, you imbecile... Are we visiting this puzzle-playing slacker for a reason?" he asked impatiently. Thade ignored Gunner and looked to Nammad. "How is the work on your project going, doctor." he asked. Nam stood up and walked over to a large crate in the corner of the room. "Not only am I done..." he said, opening the crate, "...but I've had them mass produced! I would've waited for your approval, but, uh, I think you'll agree... This is my greatest work of, uh... genius. Heh heh..." Dr. Nammad reached into the crate and pulled out what appeared to be a sword with a clear, crystalline blade. There was a large jewel lodged in the handle. Gunner frowned. "A glass sword? I'm not impressed." he said. "Uh... Hold on, allow me to demonstrate..." Nam said, pulling a remote out of his coat and pressing a button. A hatch in the floor opened a good distance away, and a dart board suspended by a pole slid up. Thade stood back, so Gunner did as well. "This should be something..." Thade said seriously. Dr. Nammad pointed the sword at the target and tapped the jewel on the handle like a button. "Chaos... Spear!!" he shouted, and as he did, a spear was shot from the blade of the sword, slamming into the dart board and knocking it off the pole! Gunner's eyes went wide, and Thade clapped softly. "Bravo. I see you made good use of the items we shipped over." he said. Dr. Nammad tossed the sword back into the crate and adjusted his glasses again. "Not as powerful as real Chaos Spears... It's of course, uh, artificial. I call it the AC Sword... Uh, that's 'Artificial Chaos' Sword. The shot isn't lethal... But, uh, the blade is." he said proudly. Colonel Thade glanced at the crate, then at Nam. "It is good, I'll give you that, but I'm not sure how useful it could be in combat. It'll need to be tested in experimental situations..." he told him. Dr. Nammad nodded. "Uh, yeah, sure, I'll see to it... But, I'm telling you, it's ready... Definitely, ready..."


At Despair Castle, Fera's team was preparing to leave for the GUN Outpost. It was a rather large group, as it would take an army to fight an army. Violet had arrived in the area with Simon and Daisy, and soon, Patch found them. Anubis was also present. He stood near Fera, and was apparently the second in command. Violet noticed one person in the group that wasn't in uniform. It was a brown raccoon, wearing a black cape, a grey hat, and a belt with a sheathed sword attached. "Who's that?" Violet asked. Simon and Daisy didn't seem to know, but Patch did. "Hee hee! You're wondering why he gets to wear whatever, eh? It's 'cuz he's so coooool! Hee hee! That's Conan the 'Coon!" he explained. Simon glanced over at Conan. "No foolin'? Wow, I never expected to be working with him!" he said. Daisy looked thoughtful. "You've heard of him? Is he famous?" she asked. Simon chuckled. "Only among the right people. Conan's a treasure hunter, and he's known to do whatever it takes to get the treasure he's after. Even if it�s already got an owner. I wonder what he's doing here..." he wondered. Conan apparently noticed them looking at him, and walked over. "It is not polite to stare!" he said to Simon and Patch. He then turned to Violet and Daisy, tipping his hat to them. "G'day, loves. Sorry to disturb your conversation." he said politely. Daisy giggled at him. "He called us 'loves.' Hehehe!" Patch pushed between the three of them and held his nunchucks up to Conan. "Hee hee! I'm a big fan of shiny-thing finders! Will you sign my chucks?" he asked. Conan looked a bit uneasy. "Don't... stand so close to me..." he said, backing away. Suddenly, Fera called for everyone's attention! "It is time you all knew our objective! Three days ago, a team led by... sigh... 'Infin,' broke into Troblusk City's museum and seized a shipment of items GUN had hidden there, expecting none would look for it there. Unfortunately, someone in their organization had the foresight to move the true target of the mission: artificial Chaos Emeralds! Now, according to information 'Infin' brought us, the emeralds were moved to GUN Outpost Shadowy Black, where GUN has been experimenting on weaponizing them! Our mission is to get it, seize the emeralds or the weapons the emeralds have become, and escape with them! If we can harness the power of chaos artificially, this could give us an incredible advantage over the humans! Any questions? Good! We leave immediately!" With Fera's speech finished, the team immediately began moving. Violet followed nervously. This was it, now she would truly find out if she had what it takes to be a true member of the Covenant of Despair!


That night, under cover of darkness, the mission began. Anubis approached the outpost from the front entrance, while the rest of the team was sneaking around the side of the building, being careful to avoid detection. As Anubis neared the entrance, he began waving his hands above the ground, calling upon his undead servants. "Rise! Show these humans true terror!" he commanded as the black mummies clawed their way up from under the ground! Within moments, Anubis was commanding a small army of his own, and his troops quickly got the attention of the outpost's guards! Hearing commotion at the front entrance, Fera called Simon over to her. "It's time." she said. Simon nodded and produced a time bomb, which he set by the wall of the outpost. Everyone quickly backed away from the wall as the timer started, and in a few seconds, the wall was blown to smithereens, giving the covenant another entrance! As they scrambled into the outpost, they found themselves in a large room that was relatively empty. One man was sitting with his feet resting on a table. He was wearing a suit similar to Spy's, but had purple tinted sunglasses. He began to stir as the covenant entered the room, apparently having been awoken from sleep. "Wha...? Security breach!! S-soldiers!! This is Agent 77, requesting immediate support!" the man shouted through a walkie talkie as he jumped out of the chair and ran for the nearest door! Just as he reached the door, it opened, and a squad of GUN soldiers scrambled into the room, preventing Agent 77 from exiting as a result. Panicked, Agent 77 stopped one of the soldiers and grabbed a rifle from him. "I need this more than you do!" he said. Fera glanced around the room as she entered, surveying the situation. "All right, team. Attack!!" she soon shouted, pointing at the GUN soldiers entering the room! Patch was the first to spring into action, pulling out his nunchucks and pressing a tiny button on each handle, which caused knives to pop out of each end! "Hee hee! Playtime!!" he giggled. Behind him, other furries, with Daisy among them, ran towards the soldiers! Conan pulled out his Chaos Sword and pointed it at the soldiers from a distance. "I was hoping this wouldn't be too easy! Now, die! Chaos Spear!!" he shouted, firing spears from his sword! Simon joined him with a gun, helping to cover the others. Violet hesitated, finding herself the only one remaining near Fera. "Go, Violet. You can't hide while everyone else does all the work! Some of your friends are out there, right? Help them!" Fera ordered before running ahead to join the fight!


Elsewhere in the outpost, Sergeant Gunner had been informed of the attack. Now, he ran into an office where Colonel Thade was looking over some papers. Spy followed behind him. "Colonel! The outpost is under attack! It's those freaks from the Covenant of Despair!" he shouted with urgency. Colonel Thade stood up from his seat, frowning. "I guess they're here searching for the fake Chaos Emeralds. That must have been their true target all along. I'll have to secure the lab." he realized. Gunner opened his mouth to say something, but Thade wasn't finished speaking. "I'll be prepping the outpost's secret weapon. Sergeant, I'm counting on you to defend the outpost until I'm ready. Understood?" he said. Gunner nodded. "Yes, but colonel..." Thade began walking towards the door. "Good. Get moving right away. Hopefully the soldiers are doing all right on their own so far..." As Thade exited the room, Gunner noticed Spy was pacing around nervously. "What's your problem now!?" he asked. Spy stopped to respond to Gunner. "Guard's not back yet... And I've heard the covenant is really tough... We could really use that gargoyle... But he'll never make it, even if we do get a message out to him..." he said. Gunner crossed his arms. "You forget, Spy, we have a small army of well trained soldiers here. There's nothing a furry freak can do alone that they can't do together, and that goes for Guard, too!" he snarled, heading for the door. Spy hesitated, and when Gunner noticed, he glared at him. "Are you not finished?" he asked. Spy looked at Gunner nervously. "Um... Well... What you said makes sense, but there's a lot of... 'freaks' attacking us... and, um... Well..." he saluted nervously as he spoke his mind. "Requesting permission to retreat, sir!" he said. Gunner looked as though he was sickened by Spy's cowardice. "You want to retreat?! Well, fine! You do that! You wouldn't be any help anyway! I'll handle those vile FREAKS myself!!" he yelled, slamming the door behind him as he left!


As the battle raged on between the GUN soldiers and the Covenant of Despair, Daisy and Patch found themselves running into a bit of trouble as soldiers managed to get closer to them. "Yikes!! Stay back!" Daisy shouted, slashing one of the agents with her katana! However, soldiers were rushing them, and they wouldn't be able to fend them off easily. Luckily, the soldiers were suddenly stopped as a jet of flame shot through the area, setting several of the soldiers ablaze! Patch knew what this meant immediately. "Hee hee! Thanks, Anubis! But you're laaaaate!" he giggled. Anubis had managed to catch up with the team while his mummies kept the soldiers at the entrance busy. At this point, the soldiers began retreating to the next area of the base, since most of their forces were being overpowered. Fera pointed at the fleeing enemies. "After them! They are most likely heading for the areas of the base that need the most defending! That would most likely include wherever the emeralds are being held!" she ordered. As the covenant followed the soldiers into another large room, they were forced back a little as bullets rained down at them from a turret mounted on a raised platform towards the back of the room! Sergeant Gunner was manning the turret himself! "Come on out, furry freaks! It will be my pleasure to exterminate you all!!" he roared. Fera pointed at the turret. "Don't be deterred! Scatter and attack! Someone, stop that turret!!" she instructed. Violet followed from the back as the team charged into the room, scattering to avoid giving Gunner easy targets. The hateful Sergeant wasted no time firing down at the generally defenseless furries below! Violet watched as several of her comrades were hit, falling over as they died. Suddenly, her mind was back at the night her parents were killed. Once again, she felt completely helpless as her friends were being gunned down by a demented human. She ran into the room, but away from where the turret was facing, terrified. She saw Simon nearby, heading towards the turret with his gun. Realizing the turret was probably bulletproof, he instead pulled out a grenade. He used one of the stairways located at either side of the turret's platform to get closer, then tossed the grenade at the turret! Gunner spotted the grenade quickly, and scrambled to get away as the turret was blown apart! Violet was greatly relieved, and started to walk over to congratulate Simon, but she wouldn't get the chance. As Gunner made his escape, Dr. Nammad emerged from the top of the steps and pointed an AC Sword at Simon. "Ah, uh, hello, sir. Don't come any closer!" he warned. Simon chuckled at him and held up his gun. "Don't make me laugh." he said. Dr. Nam suddenly took on a crazed expression. "You think this is, uh, funny? Well, uh, I think so, too! Laugh it up! Chaos Spear!" he shouted, stunning Simon with a spear shot from his sword! Violet screamed as Simon dropped his gun! Before she could run over to help him, Dr. Nammad reached him and plunged the sword through Simon's chest! He was laughing as he pulled back the sword, and Simon fell down the stairs, dead. "I told them... It was, uh, ready! Hya ha ha ha ha ha!!" he laughed, running away. Daisy, Patch, and Conan arrived as Violet began chasing the mad scientist. She was completely enraged now. She had to avenge Simon's death!

As Violet chased Nammad, he stopped briefly, realizing he was being followed. "Oh, was that lizard your, uh, friend? Well, you saw how he, uh, died. You don't want to die the same way, do you?" he said unsympathetically. "Shut up!" Violet yelled, "You... How could you!? You heartless human!! I'll break your neck!" Dr. Nammad chuckled at her. "Ha... huh ha ha... Right. I've been, uh, watching this battle, and, uh, I can see you can't do it. New in their group, I'll bet. Well, I've got places to be..." Nammad's stalling was all the time needed for soldiers to find them, led by Agent 77! They quickly surrounded Violet. "Get going, Dr. Nammad! We'll handle the fighting!" he said. Violet glanced around, realizing she was trapped. "H-hold it... Wait!" she pleaded desperately. Agent 77 glanced at the agents next to him, then back at Violet. "Open fire!" he ordered! Before they could do it, though, Chaos Spears rapidly knocked down most of the soldiers, while Patch took out several of the others using the gun Simon had dropped! As Conan and Daisy came closer, Agent 77 found himself alone. "Whoa, wait a minute!" he stammered. Violet's hands became covered in dark energy as she glared at the agent. "Which way did that scientist go!? Tell me!" she shouted, since she was distracted by the arrival of the GUN soldiers and didn't see him leave. Agent 77 pointed to a door behind him. "Th-that way! Definitely! That's where his lab is!" he said. Violet grinned at him devilishly. "Thank you... Now, get out of my way!" she yelled, firing sparks of dark energy at Agent 77, knocking him over! The agent scrambled away on his hands and knees, which Patch laughed at. "Hee hee! Bye! Send us a postcard sometime!" he giggled. As Agent 77 escaped, Violet ran through the door Dr. Nam had exited through. Daisy, Patch, and Conan attempted to follow, but as Violet entered, a metal door slammed shut behind her, sealing her friends out of the lab!

The lab had been mostly emptied recently, but the crate holding the AC Swords was still sitting in the corner. Dr. Nammad was standing near the box, still holding the sword he used to kill Simon. "Hmmm... No, uh, I can't carry all this... Ah!" he quickly noticed that Violet had entered the room. He wagged his finger at her. "Oh, no, no, no! You, uh, can't be in here! I just had the door locked to keep you covenant members, uh, out... Besides... You'll regret it." he warned. Violet's eyes were spewing dark energy. "You'll regret it, more!" she growled. Suddenly, the back wall slid up through the roof, revealing a larger room behind it! Dr. Nam ran into the room, escaping as a large mech in the center of the room sprung to life! It looked a bit like a combination of a bigfoot mech and Diablon, only it was painted black. Its robotic "head" was a cockpit, and in the driver's seat was Colonel Thade! Written in white text on the sides of the ship was the code St-66/M. The mech stepped into the lab, which was a decent sized room itself, especially with all the lab equipment removed. Violet continued emitting dark energy, but was now backing away a little. Thade looked down at her from his seat, frowning. "You should have stayed with the rest of your team, covenant agent! I am Colonel Thade, and I order you to surrender! Come quietly, there's no need for you to die here!" he suggested. Violet glared up at him. "I know you humans. If I surrender, you'll just kill me later! I won't be killed in captivity! Not after all I've been through!" she shouted. Thade sighed regretfully. "So be it. I gave you a chance. Now, prepare to feel the might of the Shadow Striker!" The machine began firing at Violet using guns mounted on its arms, which she protected herself from by blocking the bullets with a dark energy barrier! The barrier didn't last very long, and Violet was forced to run in a moment! The Shadow Striker moved quickly, cutting off her escape! Violet attempted to hit it with dark energy balls, but the machine blocked them with a plasma shield! "You have no hope of defeating me! Come to your senses and surrender!" Thade shouted. Violet tried to hit the Shadow Striker again, only to have it shield itself and fight back with laser cannons! The lasers missed Violet, but exploded on impact with the ground, knocking her backward!

Suddenly, a flash of dark energy appeared nearby, with Fera emerging from within it! Immediately, she attacked the Shadow Striker with sparks of dark lightning! Thade was caught off guard, but managed to erect the plasma shield before taking too much damage! With his attention now diverted from Violet, she backed away from the Shadow Striker a little, unsure of what to do now. Fera was holding the Shadow Striker back somewhat, but she seemed unable to break through the plasma shield on her own! "Fera! Let's get out of here!" Violet suggested. Fera did not stop her attacks even a little. "The mission! Those swords were made with the fake emeralds! We have to bring them with us! But we can't get them with this machine here!" she shouted, struggling to maintain her dark lightning. Violet was terrified, realizing that Fera would sooner die than fail in her mission. This was the person who saved her, who brought her to the covenant and gave her life a purpose. Violet did not want to watch her die, too! As Colonel Thade began aiming the arm cannons of the Shadow Striker to shoot at Fera, Violet's fear turned to rage. "Don't you dare harm her! I won't let you!!" she shouted, her entire body seeming to be enveloped by dark energy as she let her rage take over for her! Fera, seeing this reaction, ceased her attack on the Shadow Striker. As Colonel Thade was about to shoot at her, the machine's plasma shield was lowered, giving Violet the opening she needed! "Human!!! Feel the despair that you have brought to my friends!! DIE!!!" She fired a large beam of black energy from her hands, which pierced the armor of the Shadow Striker, causing the machine to explode! As the Shadow Striker collapsed to the ground in a heap, Fera wandered over to the crate, peering inside to be sure it was what they were after. "Perfect. Let's go, Violet!" she said. Violet ran over to her. "Are you all right?" she asked. Fera scoffed at her. "Touching, but we have no time for sentiment. Let's go, before any more of us die!" she said. As Fera and Violet warped away with the weapons, Sergeant Gunner entered the room from the exit Dr. Nammad had used earlier. He quickly scrambled to the Shadow Striker and used the blunt side of a gun to smash the cockpit open so he could reach Colonel Thade. "Sir! Is... Is there anything I can do?" The colonel was gravely injured, having received severe burns in the explosion. He was bleeding heavily, and they both knew he was dying. "R-richard..." Thade said, calling Gunner by name for the first time ever, "Y-you will be the next colonel... I'm sure of it... D-don't let your hatred rule you... Promise me... You'll do the right thing... in the end..." As Colonel Thade passed away before Gunner's eyes, he did not shed any tears. "I'll do the right thing. You can be sure of it. All the furry freaks... All of them... I will see them all perish!! I'll kill them all!!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!" As he realized that he would have more power to accomplish his dark goals than ever before now, Gunner couldn't help but laugh. Indeed, Thade's death was far from a victory for the Covenant of Despair.


Much later, not far from Despair Castle, Violet was standing over a large stone, with Simon's name carved into it. Daisy was standing nearby, a sad look in her eyes. Fera was watching from afar, glaring at the display. The covenant had never held any sort of funeral for fallen comrades before, but despite being unable to recover Simon's body, Violet and Daisy had insisted on it, just so they could say goodbye. Violet was crying as she thought of her friend, who had been so mercilessly slain so soon in his life. She placed a violet beside the stone, which was the best grave they could manage. "I'm so sorry, Simon... If I hadn't been so hesitant, if I'd only understood what we were up against, maybe I could have saved you..." she said sadly. Daisy placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can't blame yourself. Lots of people died during that attack." she pointed out. Violet didn't care, and continued to speak as though Simon's spirit was there. "I promise... Your death will not be in vain. The humans... They'll pay! All of them.... I'll see them all pay! I'll avenge you, as well as my parents. I promise..." As Violet and Daisy fell silent, Fera was further disgusted to see more approaching the grave. First, was Patch, who was unusually quiet and still. "Bye bye, guy... I'll always remember what a good shot you were..." he said sadly. Following behind him was Mitch, who was hobbling, and used a cane for support. His left foot, which Razor had shot, was replaced with a robotic one, which he was still getting used to. "You was still in your prime... Tragic. Bye, pal..." he said, pulling out a cigarette. He glanced at it a moment, then threw it away without lighting it. "No, can't smoke. Might be disrespectful, eh?" he murmured. Fera had had just about all she could take of this. She abhorred such displays of emotion. She walked over to the mourners and cleared her throat loudly. "Ahem... Yeah, um, all of you... Get ahold of yourselves!! Simon knew what he was getting into when he joined us, probably more so than any of you! Now, enough of this foolishness! Our fights are far from over! Get some rest, because the next mission will start before you know it!" As the mourners began walking away, still hanging their heads in grief, Fera hesitated at Simon's grave. She looked slightly sad for a second, but only a second. "Goodbye.... Simon the Gecko..."

The End.

However, the story continues in "GeneX - Knuckles the Echidna".