GeneX Generations
Chapter 9 - Team Copter
Stage - Seaside Hill, Hang Castle - Sonic Heroes

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.

"Follow me inside! Outside! Through the stratosphere!
The moon is shining for you; it knows that I adore you.
Suddenly all the sadness will just slip away,
And you will see what I mean.
If you just follow me in my dreams!" - Follow Me, Sonic Heroes


The story thus far:
After taking a shot at Sonic & friends, and damaging SPOT, GUN's Richard Gunner fled into City Escape with his lackey, Spy in tow. Sonic and Classic Sonic chased after him, joined by Copter and Dimentime, but Gunner and Spy had a trap prepared for them. They escaped in a pair of GUN trucks and unleashed robots into the city, as well as Guard the Gargoyle. Sonic and Classic Sonic split up to pursue the two trucks, and soon Spy's truck ended up totaled. Gunner picked up Spy, who made it through the crash OK, and drove after Modern Sonic, coming at him with buzz saws mounted on his truck while Copter and Dimentime fought with Guard on the back of the truck. Sonic led the truck to a point where it would crash, so Guard was forced to rescue Gunner and Spy, allowing Copter, Dimentime, and the two Sonics to escape. Outside, they found and restored Rouge the Bat and reunited with Modern Tails. However, the trouble wasn't over yet. Shadow the Hedgehog suddenly appeared and attacked Sonic, luring him to a door and heading inside! The door led to Space Colony ARK, and as Modern Sonic chased Shadow to face off with him, Classic Sonic heard a roar and ran off to investigate, while the others followed him, searching for Mephiles, who had also slipped into the door. Mephiles found Rainbow the Echidna and dove into her shadow, escaping as Copter arrived and restored her color. Suddenly, the group was attacked by the Biolizard, which was the source of the roars Classic Sonic had heard! They attempted to flee from it, and were eventually bought some time by the arrival of Shadow, who stunned the creature long enough for them to get away. It was then that they learned that this was the Shadow of the present, and that Sonic was fighting the Shadow of the past. Shadow ran off to aid Sonic, but arrived too late to stop Sonic from knocking out his past self. He informed Sonic of the danger his friends were facing, so Sonic ran to the rescue. Meanwhile, Mephiles surprised Shadow and dove into his shadow, taking his form, and briefly offering him a chance to join him before leaving. The Biolizard cornered Copter and the others at the core of the Eclipse Cannon, and they seemed powerless to defeat it. Then, Sonic arrived on the scene, getting the Biolizard's attention and enabling the group to escape. After defeating the Biolizard, Sonic met everyone outside. Shadow decided to remain by the door to guard it and keep his past self from getting out again. Classic Tails arrived and informed Copter that he and a group of the others had managed to get his plane, the Hurricane, out of Green Hill Zone and over to Shadow Arc, though it was still in bad shape. While the Sonics and Tails stopped to chat, Copter and Dimentime started on their way to the next area...
Now, on to the next chapter!


Copter and Dimentime found themselves at the entrance to Seaside Hill, a coastal area with what appeared to be the ruins of an ancient civilization nearby. As they contemplated checking it out, Amy, Cream and Cheese approached them nonchalantly, looking into the entrance to Seaside Hill. "Hey, guys... Going to the sea, are you?" Amy asked. Copter glanced at her. "Maybe..." he muttered. Cream smiled, seeing no reason to beat around the bush. "Can we come along, Mr. Copter?" she asked. Copter and Dimentime both shook their heads. "It's safer for you two out here..." Dimentime pointed out. Amy groaned. "It's also boring! Sonic always runs off before I can ask to go with him! I went with the others to rescue your plane earlier, but that wasn't much fun... A trip to the sea shore is just what we need!" she insisted. Dimentime sighed. "This isn't a pleasure trip. We're looking for clues to help us fix the world. Sure, you were fine back at that pinball place, but I'm not sure about bringing Cream along..." he said. Cream looked at him with sweet puppy dog eyes. "Please let me come along. I won't be a burden..." she promised. Copter and Dimentime glanced away, trying to ignore her cuteness. "I don't know..." Copter groaned. Amy tapped her foot grouchily. "Oh, come on! Don't be jerks! Anyway, we have more experience with this than you do! We've both been here before!" she said. Cream nodded. "We went on a big adventure with Mr. Big! Cheese and I were looking for Chocola..." she explained. Copter scratched his head. "A chocolate soda...? Um... Sounds tasty?" he muttered. Cream shook her head. "You can't eat Chocola!" she groaned as Cheese yelped angrily. Copter wasn't quite sure what that was about, but he knew when he was beat. "Okay, okay... Seems you two know something about this place... I guess you can come." he said. Amy and Cream cheered a bit, while Copter and Dimentime glanced at each other awkwardly. "This could be a long day..." Copter said. "Has been a long day... Can you tell when one day ends and another begins in here? Because I can't." Dimentime sighed. "All right, you two! Enough mumbling! Let's hit the beach!" Amy ordered, leading the way into Seaside Hill.

They soon found themselves on the beach by the sea, which was missing quite a bit of its color. "All right... Let's look around. Someone's frozen around here somewhere." Copter realized. "Huh? You think so?" Amy asked. Cream pointed by the edge of the shore. "Found him!" she said. He was pretty hard to miss. It was Big the Cat, and he was frozen sitting by the water with his fishing line cast, with a serene expression on his face. "Wow, he looks so peaceful. Seems a shame to wake him..." Copter said awkwardly. Dimentime took a look around and sighed with relief. "We've caught a lucky break. There's no sign of Mephiles. Let's not miss this opportunity!" They hurried over to Big, and his color began to return. However, he remained still for a moment, until something started to tug at his fishing line. "Hey, I got a bite!" he mumbled, pulling his rod back and working on reeling in his catch! Much to everyone's dismay, he pulled up one of Eggman's Chopper robots. "Aaawww, that's not Froggy..." Big groaned. Dimentime blasted the robotic fish with magic from his staff, not giving it a chance to bite the slow-witted cat. "That takes care of that..." he muttered. "Ummm... Did you say something about Froggy, Big?" Amy asked. Big glanced at her. "Oh, hi Amy. Hello, Cream and Cheese! Have you seen Froggy? We got separated and I was looking for him, when I heard something go 'WHOOSH!' Then the fish stopped biting for a long time..." he explained. Copter smacked himself on the forehead. "He didn't even notice the monster suck him up!! How oblivious can you get!" he groaned. Cream smiled at Big cheerfully. "Don't worry, Mr. Big! We'll help you find your friend again! Cheese and I promise!" she said as Cheese cheered. Copter crossed his arms. "I don't want to rain on your parade here, but he said they were separated BEFORE the monster got him. 'Froggy' probably isn't here." he pointed out. Amy pulled out her hammer. "Big comes with us! Any objections?" she growled. Copter backed away and mimicked Big's voice. "Froggy!! Oh Froooggy!!" he shouted. Big smiled. "Thanks. I'll be glad to help you out with what you're doing, too! Um... What were you doing?" he mumbled. "Just smash robots, OK..." Dimentime sighed.

With that, their journey through Seaside Hill truly began. As Copter looked around, he started to groan. "Anyone else notice that this place is just Green Hill Zone with some ruins in the background? If I didn't know better, I'd say this was some sort of lazy writer's work..." he grumbled, prompting everyone to stare at him for a second. "Don't talk for a while, Copter... Just don't..." Amy sighed. As they proceeded towards the ruins, they saw robots coming towards them. For the first time since Copter had been exploring these past areas, Eggman's robots now looked familiar. "Aw, nooo... Egg Pawns!?" he growled, prompting Amy to raise her hammer towards him. "What did I say!?" she reminded him. The Egg Pawns were carrying spears, and didn't seem particularly threatening, except for their sheer numbers. Big nodded. "All right. I remember what to do... I think." Amy and Cream nodded, too, and jumped up on Big's shoulders as the Egg Pawns started to charge at them. Copter and Dimentime watched, scratching their heads. "What are they doing...?" Dimentime wondered, holding Copter's mouth shut to keep him from getting in trouble with Amy again. Big reached up and hurled Amy and Cream at the Egg Pawns like projectiles, the two girls tucking themselves into balls as they flew at the robots! They crashed into a couple of the Egg Pawns, destroying them, but the rest kept charging towards Big! Unfazed, he raised his fishing pole and started swinging it around, smacking the robots with his lure! In a few moments, the robots were reduced to scrap, and Copter and Dimentime stared with their jaws hanging open. "All done!" Big said cheerfully. "That was easy." Amy grinned. "Come on, guys, let's go!" Cream said, motioning for the foxes to follow. Dimentime blinked a couple of times. "Did that... just happen...?" he muttered before following Team Rose. Along the way, they found sections of the ruins begin to fall apart for no apparent reason. "Again!?" Amy groaned. Big simply smashed through the rubble, enabling them to continue forward. "Good thing Mr. Big is really strong!" Cream giggled. Copter just stood back and watched, sighing and groaning periodically. When would he be allowed to talk again, anyway? Not that he cared, he was feeling somewhat tired after so many crazy adventures with no rest. They soon came to a large fan, and saw no apparent way forward. Big shrugged. "Okay. Hold on to me, I guess..." he muttered. Amy and Cream grabbed on to him, and he held up his fishing rod. Dimentime scratched his head. "Huh...?" he muttered. With a flick of a switch, his fishing rod turned into a big, strong umbrella, which he used to catch the current from the fan and ride it up to the high platform above them! Copter stared up at them. "Wait!! What about us!?" he groaned. Dimentime raised his staff and teleported up, leaving Copter. "Huh!? Very funny!! You jerk!!" Copter groaned and jumped over the fan, using its current to aid his tails in flying himself up. There, he found the group dealing with Egg Flappers, flying versions of Egg Pawns. Cream was airborne, and was carrying Amy, while Big held on to her by the ankles. "Oooh, that looks like a broken back waiting to happen..." Copter grimaced. Cream seemed to be carrying them both amazingly easily, though. She was unbelievably strong, and she was tossing Amy and Big at the Egg Flappers like balls, taking them down one by one! Soon, the robots were gone, and Cream set Amy and Big on the ground, panting heavily. "Did I ever mention how much that takes out of me, Amy?" she sighed. "I'm sorry, Cream... You gotta admit, the thunder shoot's effective, though." Amy said.

With some exploration, they found their way to a strange vehicle parked at the beginning of a long road. "Hey, it's a bobsled!" Amy said. Copter raised an eyebrow. "No, it's not. I was at the Winter Olympics. I remember what bobsleds looked like. This is no bobsled." he grumbled. Big stared with wide eyes. "Uh oh... Now I'm confused..." he whimpered. "See what you did, Copter? This is why you shouldn't talk! It's not THAT kind of bobsled!!" Amy growled. Dimentime looked it over. "It seems to require three people to operate. One to steer, one to push the vehicle forward, and one to... jump." he said. Cream stared at him. "That's right! How did you figure all that out?" she wondered. Amy sighed. "Never mind. Let's get riding! We'll meet you on the other side!" she said, hopping onto the back of the bobsled. While Team Rose was boarding the vehicle, Copter spied another one not far away. "Hey, are we gonna take this from them? Let's show 'em a thing or two!" he said, pointing to the spare bobsled. Dimentime raised an eyebrow. "It's a three person vehicle. Who's going to be our third, Cheese?" he asked. Copter shrugged. "Do we really need a jumper? C'mon, let's go!" They hurried to the bobsled, and Amy glanced at them. "Oh, you wanna race, huh?" she sneered. Cream looked down from her jumping perch nervously. "Amy, isn't that dangerous?" she asked. Amy snickered. "For them, maybe!" she said. "Ready? I'll... steer." Big said, looking ahead uncertainly. Copter sat in the driver's seat of the other vehicle, while Dimentime did a spin dash from behind to start it up. As the bobsleds started moving, the drivers saw obstacles ahead; there were bombs scattered along the road! Amy twirled her hammer and knocked her team's sled towards Copter's, trying to ram them and knock them off course! "Yaaah!! Hey, that's cheating!!" Copter shouted as Cream jumped her team over the bombs safely, leaving Copter to swerve frantically out of the way. Dimentime stopped spinning and switched to a jump-ready position. "H-hey! We're gonna lose!!" Copter yelled. "Yeah, and the other way we were gonna die. Besides, have a little faith in yourself, Copter..." Dimentime winked. Ahead, Cream scolded Amy. "That wasn't nice, Amy! You could have hurt Mr. Copter!" she said. Amy didn't say anything; the spinning was making her nauseous. Big was focused on his driving, and certainly wasn't as interested in winning any race as Amy was. As they evaded some bombs and plowed through some hapless Egg Pawns on the road, Copter and Dimentime's bobsled suddenly came charging towards them! "Heeeh? What's that??" Big muttered, glancing back. Dimentime was still operating the jump function while Copter drove, but some force was propelling their bobsled forward without a third rider! "So long, ladies!! And... Big..." Copter taunted as they zoomed by. Amy growled as she spun around. "Using... magic... is... CHEATING!!!" she yelled. Copter and Dimentime was getting close to the end of the road, but there were more and more bombs and they were moving a bit too fast for Copter's taste. "I... can't... steeeeeer!!" Copter groaned, causing the bobsled to spin out of control as he tried to evade the bombs and eventually crashed the vehicle onto its side, sending himself and Dimentime tumbling onto the ground! In a few moments, Team Rose passed them by, taking the lead and winning their race by default. Copter shook his fist at them. "If we had a third person, things would be so different!!" he shouted, slowly working his way towards them. "Losers gotta stay quiet until we find Froggy!" Amy shouted, "And if you talk, you gotta buy us dinner!" Copter opened his mouth to protest, but it occurred to him that he might have to buy Big dinner. He hung his head and silently vowed revenge.

They ran past an area with giant, round, spiky rocks rolling around trying to crush them, screaming hysterically as they went. Not far past there, they arrived back at a strip of the beach, where they heard what sounded like a combination of a helicopter and a plane engine. Soon, they saw the source of the noise landing in front of them. It was Dr. Eggman, piloting his Egg Hawk, a big, red, bird vehicle. "So, you're the ones who were playing games with my army?" Eggman asked, glaring at them. He was even holding Froggy, so Copter sighed with relief and cheered. "Yes!! Thank you, Eggman!! I've never been happier to see you!! I can talk again!! Now give back that frog or we'll whup ya!" he shouted. Eggman sighed. "Useless frog! I was hoping it could give me a little bit of helpful data for the next phase of my plan... Say, maybe that could... Perhaps you'd be willing to trade your Chao for my frog?" he suggested. Cream hugged Cheese tight. "You're not taking Cheese!!" she yelled. "You shouldn't have took Froggy, doc!" Big bellowed. Copter sighed. "Hey, what happened to Char, anyway?" he asked. Eggman had a stupid look on his face. "Errm... Good point. Char... Grrr, but how dare you tell me what I should and shouldn't do! I'm the boss here! My Egg Hawk says so!" he declared. Amy pulled out her hammer. "That's not what it said last time!! You are so going down!" she said. "Oh, yeah? Come and get me!" Eggman growled, flying his Egg Hawk in reverse down the strip of beach. Copter, Dimentime and Team Rose gave chase, though Big wasn't exactly built for running like this. Some Egg Pawns manning the Egg Hawk's turrets began firing at the group as they ran, forcing them to evade in different directions. "Go, Cheese!" Cream shouted, prompting the Chao to fly ahead, nimbly dodging the shots from the turrets until he reached one of the Egg Pawns. Cheese then gave the pawn a good smack in the head, and then a kick and another smack! He managed to damage the robot enough to make it start sparking, and then flew out of the way as it exploded! With that robot down, Eggman started firing on them with the Egg Hawk's main gun, but the group stayed to the side with the busted Egg Pawn and had an easier time. Soon, they arrived at an open area where some of Eggman's robots were waiting around. The Egg Hawk stopped moving and started rotating in place. "Initiate rotary attack!!" Eggman shouted. Copter stared for a minute. "What, does he want to hit us with his rotors??" he wondered. Amy ran up and started smacking at the Egg Hawk with her hammer. "Take this and this and this!! Give back Froggy and stop harassing Sonic so we can get married and live happily ever after!!" she yelled, furious. Copter chuckled. "What was that? You want to marry the frog?" he teased. "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!!" Amy yelled. For all her rage, her hammer wasn't doing much damage, and Eggman laughed from the safety of his cockpit. "Tell you what, I'll give you the frog if you invite me to the wedding. I want to see Froggy in a tuxedo. Hooo ho ho ho ho!! I'll leave before you have to kiss him, though, that's just gross... Hee hee hee..." he was getting such a kick out of teasing Amy, he didn't notice Big catching up. Now that the Egg Hawk was in sight again, Big was coming at a run, and he looked mad. "You... give... back... Froggy!!!" he shouted, catching everyone's attention. Copter finished smashing an Egg Pawn that was bugging him and glanced at Big. "Hey, is that a meteor?" he mumbled. Eggman yelped when he saw Big coming at him. "Wait, what are you doing!? Are you insane!? Get back!!" Unfortunately for Eggman, Big would not be deterred. He charged and slammed into the Egg Hawk with a powerful crash, resulting in a large explosion! "M-mr. Big!!" Cream gasped, watching with concern. As the dust settled, the Egg Hawk crumpled to the floor as a wreck, while Big hopped to the ground, unscathed! "...Froggy??" he muttered, looking around. "Rrribbit." The frog hopped onto his head, safe and sound. "Ah, there you are!! I was worried for a minute!" Big said cheerfully. Amy and Cream ran to Big to congratulate him, while Copter and Dimentime crept towards the wreck to check on Eggman. He was lying on the ground, and he wasn't moving. "Is he... dead?" Copter wondered. Dimentime picked up a broken metal rod and poked him, only to be shocked when a hatch opened in his chest and a goofy toy Eggman head popped out!! "Yaaaah!! It's an alien hatchling!!!" he shouted, freaked out. Eggman's voice came from the toy, laughing at them and catching Team Rose's attention. "Muahahaha!! Too bad, suckers! That me wasn't me!" Eggman taunted. Amy raised an eyebrow. "A fake Eggman?! This is all TOO familiar..." she said. Copter growled angrily. "Eggman!! Too lazy to face me in person!?" he shouted. The Eggman head bobbed back and forth on its spring, taunting them in its way. "No, no, not at all! In fact, let's settle this right now, shall we, Copter? And, uh... Coptwo." Eggman said. Dimentime rolled his eyes. "It's Dimentime..." Big glanced at him. "It is?? I thought it was snack time." he said hungrily. Eggman could be heard chuckling at this, but quickly composed himself. "Anyway... You two treacherous clones have been a thorn in my side for long enough! So if you'd like to end this petty conflict, meet me at Hang Castle, which you can find floating in the white space. I'll be glad to put you in your place! See you!" with that, Eggman hung up, leaving Copter and Dimentime to think about his challenge.

Upon reaching white space, Copter and Dimentime were ready to say their goodbyes to Team Rose. "Good luck, Copter. I'd go with you, but... I get the feeling you don't really want my help." Amy said. Copter smirked. "Who needs ya. Besides, I know you just want to wait for Sonic to turn up again." he pointed out. Amy blushed and looked away. "Well, there is more to life than blowing up robots..." she giggled. Cream bowed politely. "Thank you for letting me go with you, Mr. Copter. And you too, Mr. Dimentime. It was fun! Good luck out there." she said. Big smiled. "Thanks for helping find Froggy! Now, um... Where are we? And um... When's lunch? And... Why's it all white? My head hurts..." he sighed, sitting down with Froggy on his head. Copter frowned. "Poor simple guy... Think he'll be all right?" he wondered. Amy nodded. "We'll just find him some food and he'll feel like a million rings!" she said.

Copter and Dimentime began their search for Hang Castle, when they heard someone call out to them. "AHA!! There he is!! Wait for us, Two!!!" Copter stopped in his tracks and started to sweat. "Oh... I thought I was free of craziness..." he groaned. Turning around, he and Dimentime saw Punchy and Rainbow chasing after them. "We've been looking all over for you, Copt! I'm sick of hanging around Bucky and the rest of the loony bin! Take me with you!" Punchy begged. Rainbow giggled. "Never mind him. We just wanted to help you on your epic quest, Two! It'll be like old times... Just without Tubby!" she said. Dimentime sighed. "Not exactly... We're going after 'Tubby' right now..." he explained. Punchy made a fist and smacked it into his hand, grinning. "Perfect! Sounds like fun!" he said. Copter shrugged. "He's somewhere above us. In a place called Hang Castle. He's waiting for us..." he told them. Rainbow glanced up. "A hanging castle? Sorta like that?" she asked, pointing. High above them, there was a spooky castle partially obscured by dark clouds. There were a number of platforms leading up to it, but it was out of the way, another place Sonic was unlikely to find in his haste to just run forward. Copter nodded. "Yeah, I guess that'd be it..." he said.


Copter, Dimentime, Punchy and Rainbow soon arrived at Hang Castle. Actually appearing to be a series of castles suspended in midair and connected by bridges and floating platforms, the dark locale had a very haunting feel to it. Rainbow shivered as they made their way towards the first of the castles. "Why would Tubby lure us out here...? Isn't he s-scared?" she stammered. Punchy scoffed. "This coming from the girl who lives in the underground ghost town. I swear your place is haunted." he said. Dimentime shushed them. "I sense something... There is a dark presence in this place..." he whispered. Copter rolled his eyes. "Oh, you're a ghost whisperer now?" he grumbled. Dimentime shushed him and proceeded into the courtyard of the castle ahead of them, holding his staff in front of him. He looked around carefully, and suddenly, he jumped back. "It's here!!" he gasped. Suddenly, a swarm of pumpkin headed ghosts surrounded the group, giggling as they menaced them! "Eeeek!! Bad spirits! It's not even Halloween yet!" Rainbow shouted, slapping a ghost as it neared her. The ghost vanished from the physical contact, and Copter and Punchy exchanged surprised looks. "It's THAT easy...?" Punchy muttered. However, Dimentime had somehow missed it. "I cast you out, dark spirits!! Take this!!" he shouted, firing blinding lights at the ghosts from his staff, making the spooks flee in horror from the spells! Copter glanced at Dimentime and shook his head. "Ever hear of overkill... Mr. no magic?" he sighed. Suddenly, a squad of robots started to lower into the area from above. They were magical robots called Egg Bishops, which carried magic staffs and looked like wizards. Punchy sighed. "Magic, magic, magic... Whatever happened to a good old fashioned butt kicking?" he said. The robots stayed in the air, just out of reach, and started flinging spells at them! "Aww, that's no fair!" Rainbow groaned. Copter saw this and got an idea. "Hey, I know... Why don't we try the thunder shoot ourselves!" he suggested. Punchy and Rainbow stared at him in confusion, while Dimentime chuckled. "You sure you don't want my magic?" he asked. Copter rolled his eyes and gathered Punchy and Rainbow into a huddle, while Dimentime distracted the Egg Bishops. Punchy occasionally shouted "What!?" and "You're crazy!!" during the huddle, but soon the thunder shoot had been explained. "Sounds like fun! Let's try it, Two!" Rainbow said at the end. "You're crazy, too!" Punchy scoffed. "Don't pout, One! Be a team player!" Rainbow said. Copter flew up and grabbed Punchy's hands, while Rainbow grabbed Punchy's ankles. "Why do I gotta be in the middle?! Ugh..." Punchy grunted. Copter panted. "This... isn't as easy as Cream made it look... You two are heavy!" he groaned. He took aim at the Egg Bishops, and then hurled Punchy and Rainbow at them! Rainbow didn't seem to get as much distance as Punchy, but she made up for it by gliding at the robot she was closest to. Two robots went down, but there were still several more. Copter dodged some spells and shot back. "Chaos Whirlwind!" His chaotic wind did not destroy the robots, however. Instead, the robots flipped over, revealing a more sinister, purple version of themselves. Punchy and Rainbow scrambled back to the formation. "Copter... What did you do!?" Punchy yelped. The Egg Magicians started flinging fiercer, darker spells at them, as if to answer Punchy's question. Copter weaved out of the way. "Don't blame Two, One... He was just trying to heeeelp!!" Rainbow shouted as Copter pulled them away from another spell. "Grrrr!! Take this, robots!!" Copter tried the thunder shoot again, using Punchy and Rainbow to take out a couple more robots, but this strategy was getting him tired. As Punchy ran back again, he grabbed Copter by the ankles. "Hey, what the...?!" Copter yelped. "Let's see how YOU like it!!" Punchy growled, hurling Copter at the next Egg Magician. "REAL MATURE, PUNCHY!!!" Copter yelled as he crashed into the robot. Rainbow giggled. "Oooh! Do me, do me!" she suggested. Punchy scratched his head, but accepted her hands when she offered them. He swung her around and tossed her, taking out another robot! Copter staggered back and grabbed onto Punchy, anger in his eyes. "You little... I'll show you!! Chaos Whirlwind!!!" he shouted. Punchy gasped and then growled. "Oh, yeah? Chaos Avalanche!!" he yelled, grabbing Copter by the arms. The two of them started tumbling around, kicking up wind and rubble as they went, forcing Rainbow and Dimentime to take cover! "You maniacs!! What are you...?!" Dimentime yelped, only to notice their crazed rumbled was taking out the remaining robots! When the dust settled, they were lying on their backs, groaning. "I hate you..." Punchy growled. "Knucklehead..." Copter grumbled. Rainbow giggled. "Way to go, guys! We make a great team!" she said. They sat up and looked around. "Team...?" Copter muttered. "Uh, right. We're Team Copter!" he said. Punchy glared at him. "WHAT!? No way!! Why?" he snapped. Copter chuckled. "Because the thunder shoot was my idea. Hence the team up was my idea." he said. Punchy shook his head. "I don't wanna be on your team. Hey, Dimentime, wanna join Team Punchy?" he asked. Dimentime was examining an odd switch at the other side of the courtyard. "This switch has a strange power..." he muttered. Copter, Punchy and Rainbow hurried over to him. "What's up, Dimentwo?" Rainbow asked. Punchy shrugged. "It's a big ball. What's the big deal?" he said, reaching out to touch it. "No, wait!!" Dimentime shouted.

The switch glowed with eerie light, and before they knew what was happening, the entire world seemed to flip upside down! "Aaaaaaahhh!! I don't wanna be a ghoooost!!" Copter yelled. Below them, they spotted what appeared to be another building, with something like a rail along the roof... or was it the bottom? At any rate, they each aimed for the rail and used it to grind their way to wherever it might lead. To their dismay, it led straight to a wall. "Oh, nooo!!" shouted Punchy, who was at the front. He smacked into the wall, and the others smacked into him one by one. Then, they all fell, landing on a platform floating below. There, as they rested their sore bodies, they found someone sitting around looking rather lost. It was Shadow! "...Hmm... You four wouldn't happen to have seen a bat and a robot would you? I seem to have lost them." he muttered. Dimentime got up slowly and squinted at Shadow. "Um... Do you know who I am?" he asked. Shadow frowned. "I don't even know who I am." he muttered. Punchy looked at him curiously. "Amnesia?" he suggested. Copter sighed. "Past self, I think... Hey, why are there TWO past Shadows around here!?" he grumbled. Dimentime shrugged. "Maybe the monster likes his... mopey attitude." Shadow crossed his arms impatiently. "You're wasting my time..." he grumbled. Suddenly, a sinister chuckle was heard nearby. "How observant. I like that about you, Shadow..." Mephiles the Dark emerged from behind Shadow, still using Shadow's form that he had taken while at Space Colony ARK. Dimentime gasped upon seeing it. "How...?!" he stammered. Mephiles ignored him and faced Shadow. "Interested in your past? Why worry about it. Together, we can control the future. In the past, you were hated and feared. Why do you think you woke up in the same place as Omega? Together, Shadow... The world could be ours..." he offered. Shadow watched Mephiles intently. "What you say... Makes sense... Maybe I was feared..." he muttered. Copter growled and stepped forward. "Hey, Shadow! Snap out of it! Who cares if a bunch of losers are scared of you? I mean, you ARE scary. You can't really blame them. People are scared of me, too, but you don't see me working for Mephiles. You strike me as the independent type, anyway. Are you gonna let someone boss you around?" he snapped. Mephiles fired a dark energy blast at Copter in anger, which Copter promptly evaded. "Insignificant pest! How dare you meddle with me!" he yelled. Shadow glanced at Mephiles and gave him a swift punch in the chest in retaliation. "Oooof!! Why you..." he growled. "Hmph... The fox is right. Only I decide what I'm going to do. And it seems to me... You have an agenda of destruction. One that I'm not sure I share." Shadow said. Just then, a group of robots jumped down to the platform from a higher platform! Mephiles sneered at the group and created a portal of darkness. "You'll see it my way, Shadow... We were meant to work together. And if you won't join me... You'll die!" he warned, escaping into the portal. With Mephiles gone, the group turned to face the robots. They were mostly Egg Pawns, but they were joined by a massive, hammer toting robot appropriately named Egg Hammer. Copter, Punchy and Rainbow assembled together. "All right, Team Copter, let's get 'em!" Copter shouted. "Yeah, go, Team Two!" Rainbow cheered. Copter hung his head hopelessly while Punchy laughed, but Shadow did not seem amused by their theatrics. "Hmph... I don't need help fighting the doctor's toys. Stay out of my way." he said, dashing ahead to tackle the Egg Hammer on his own.

With Shadow's help, traversing the castle was much easier. They flipped it over again, made their way through some traps, and found another castle flipping switch near a giant statue of Dr. Eggman. "That statue must mean this is where Eggman wants to meet us..." Copter realized. Sure enough, Eggman came cruising along in his Egg Mobile to greet them. "Well, well... That's more visitors than I was expecting." he said. Copter looked around and then looked up at Eggman. "I'm no coward, if that's what you're saying! I'll take you on, fox to egg!" he shouted. Eggman chuckled. "Oh, I have no doubt. But I'm a multitasker, anyway. And to me, you're a nobody. A nothing. You'll always be a nobody, Copter. You've got nothing on Sonic, which is why I'm busy focusing my efforts on plotting HIS demise..." he said. Copter opened his mouth to argue, but before he could speak, Dr. Eggman started to transform before them! It turned out, Eggman was not there at all; it was another fake, and this fake soon took the form of Metal Sonic. This version of Metal Sonic was looking spikier and more fearsome than usual, with a more armored body and a black cape. Eggman's voice echoed from somewhere, perhaps the statue. "I pulled some strings to get Neo Metal Sonic here to take care of you. He may be treacherous, but so are the rest of you. Maybe I'll get lucky and you'll all exterminate each other!" he said, laughing before his voice faded away. Neo Metal Sonic hopped down and activated the switch, flipping over the castle and sending everyone to the somewhat larger platform below. From upside down, the Eggman statue resembled Neo Metal Sonic, surprisingly. "When I'm through with you, I'll escape from here and find Sonic... And once I take him down, nothing will stop me from becoming the ultimate overlord of this world!" Metal Sonic declared. Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Aww, not THIS again..." she sighed, making Copter look at her funny. "Metal Sonic turned on Eggman when he and Gunner set Kosmo loose back on Shadow Arcangel way back that day, going on about wanting to be the ultimate overlord." Punchy explained. Copter chuckled nervously. "I didn't know you had mental problems, Metal... Look, I'd rather not wreck you. I'll need you later. I don't wanna go boom in Gunner's jail cell..." he said. Metal Sonic charged at him, only to get knocked away by Shadow! "Hmph... Enough talk..." he said.

Copter scratched his head as Neo Metal Sonic started fighting with Shadow. "Come to think of it, we fought Metal Sonic already... Oh, yeah, Robotnik was in charge then. But shouldn't Eggman remember? Arrgh..." he mumbled. Shadow attacked Metal Sonic with Chaos Spear, but the robot jumped aside. Then, to everyone's surprise, Neo Metal Sonic mimicked Shadow's movements. "Ultimate Life Form data has been copied... Chaos Spear!!" he shouted, flinging his own version of Chaos Spear back at Shadow! Rainbow backed away slowly. "Metal Speedy's a copycat! This looks bad..." she said. Punchy growled. "Oh, yeah? Let's see him copy this!! Chaos Avalanche!!" He used Chaos energy to break off chunks of the platform and toss them at Metal Sonic. "Experiment 1 data has been copied. Chaos Avalanche!" The robot snatched the chunks as they came at him and hurled them at Punchy and Copter, forcing them both to run! "Seriously, Punchy!? Seriously!?" Copter yelled. He then ran at Metal Sonic, determined to end this before it got out of hand. "No chaos nonsense! He can't copy my tails!" he reasoned, jumping at Metal Sonic and whipping his tails at him. However, Metal Sonic simply warped out of the way! "Chaos Control!" he shouted. "What!?" Copter whimpered. "Experiment 2 data has been copied... Chaos Whirlwind!!" Metal Sonic yelled, smacking Copter towards the ledge with the very chaotic wind he'd refused to use! Dimentime ran over and grabbed Copter before he could fall. "No fair!! I didn't even use it!! You dirty stupid... I HATE MACHINES!!!" he yelled. "How are we supposed to beat this guy?!" Punchy growled. "You can't hope to match my power! With all your data, I'm unstoppable!" Metal Sonic taunted them. Shadow had been silently observing, but now seemed to have an idea. "You can't hit him if he uses Chaos Control. But I can use Chaos Control, too. I'll stall his Chaos Control. While I do, hit him with everything you have." he said. "I'll get him to use the Chaos Control." Dimentime said, running ahead. Copter, Punchy and Rainbow exchanged glances and then nodded. "Up to Team Copter..." Punchy muttered. Copter smirked, but then Punchy added, "I don't want my name on this train wreck." Dimentime came at Metal Sonic with his staff, prompting him to try to use Chaos Control, but Shadow activated his Chaos Control at the same time, attempting to neutralize the affect. "What is this!?" Metal Sonic roared. "Now! Attack!!" Shadow shouted. Copter, Punchy and Rainbow joined hands. "This'll either work or kill us all... Chaos Whirlwind!!" Copter shouted. "Chaos Avalanche!" Punchy added. "I want my mommy!!" Rainbow yelled. The three of them started spinning towards Metal Sonic, a whirling vortex of chaotic wind and torn up stones! Metal Sonic attempted to evade the attack, but there was little he could do. He was struck hard and caught in the vortex, knocked around for a few moments before the trio let go of each others' hands and went flying in different directions! Dimentime caught Rainbow before she could tumble over the ledge, while Shadow stopped Punchy's fall. Copter ended up hanging over the edge, grumbling to himself. "I hate you, Metal Sonic..." When they all got back up, they found Neo Metal Sonic on the ground, apparently deactivated. "What do we do with him?" Shadow asked. "I'll wipe his mind a bit. He has a place in history that doesn't involve the white space." Dimentime said, lowering his staff to Metal Sonic's head. Copter scratched his head while Dimentime worked on Metal Sonic. "Why'd you mention white space in front of Shadow?" he asked. Once finished with Metal Sonic, Dimentime quickly smacked Shadow on the head and did the same to his memory! "Hey! That was mean, Dimentwo!" Rainbow snapped. "For him, these events are best forgotten. He has a team waiting for him, and it's best he get back to them." Dimentime explained. So, they took Shadow away from Metal Sonic, leaving him somewhere Rouge and Omega, if they were in Hang Castle, would be likely to find him.


Sonic and Classic Sonic had just gone through Seaside Hill. They might not have found Eggman there, but they did manage to find something Copter had missed. A statue of Espio, blended in to its white environment. Fortunately, Classic Sonic managed to spot him. As he awakened, Espio jumped up into the air, looked around, and gracefully landed back on the ground. "Thank you my friend. Beware, for I have looked into the soul of our enemy, and I saw only darkness." he said. Classic Sonic nodded, and was soon joined by Modern Sonic. "BOO! Did we surprise ya, Espio?" Sonic chuckled. Espio seemed unimpressed by the fact that there were two Sonics. "I knew you were there. But I must admit the monster took me by surprise. It takes a mighty foe to trap a ninja. Be on your guard, Sonic. If you'll excuse me, I'll be searching for clues to my team's whereabouts..." the chameleon said, vanishing before Sonic's eyes. Sonic sighed. "Well, good luck, pal..." he muttered.

While the Sonics walked away from Seaside Hill, Tails and Classic Tails flew over. "So I think we've pieced together more of what's happening... and it's not good." Modern Tails said. Suddenly, white space shook violently as the monster made a sudden appearance in the sky, flying by really quickly and disappearing into a portal. "When that thing goes through time it tears space apart, leaving the areas empty and dead and sticking them in this weird white limbo." Classic Tails explained, glancing at a number of areas ahead that were still white. "When the Sonics accelerate through time they fix space, returning color and life!" Modern Tails added. Sonic looked thoughtful. "Then I guess we have to run like there's no tomorrow, or there won't be a tomorrow!" he said, glancing at Classic Sonic, who nodded in agreement.

Copter and Dimentime had arrived back at white space. Punchy and Rainbow said goodbye to them and headed off to find something safer to do for a while, but promising that they'd be back to help if Copter needed them. Alone again, the two foxes soon spotted the Sonics and Tails making their way towards Emerald Coast. "What? Another beach? No thanks, I've had enough sunburn..." Copter muttered. Dimentime nodded. "We should try somewhere else..." As they looked around for a place they felt like checking out, however, they heard someone shout at them. "Get down!!" Suddenly, they were tackled to the ground as a barrage of crystalline bullets passed over them! Espio suddenly appeared over them, having tackled them to the ground, and tossed a shuriken at their assailant, Mephiles, who had taken the form of Razor! "Bah!! Meddler! I won't forget this!" Mephiles growled. Espio helped Copter and Dimentime to their feet and glared at Mephiles. "Cowardly tactic, sneaking behind your foe. Shameful." he said. Mephiles shifted his shape to that of Classic Tails, much to Copter's shock. "Dude, that ain't right..." he growled. Mephiles chuckled and flew off. "Catch me if you can... We'll settle this in more... suitable surroundings!" he challenged. Copter and Dimentime took off after Mephiles, waving to Espio as they ran. "Thanks, guy! I owe ya one!" Copter yelled. "Good luck..." Espio said, watching them. Mephiles led them towards what appeared to be a large comet resting behind the areas of white space Sonic had already visited. Much of it was whited out, but the areas that retained their color appeared black. As they ran, someone else came up beside them, joining their chase, running beside Copter. Copter glanced at the man running beside him, and then did a double take. "Oh, hey, Gunner... Wh-what!?!? GUNNER!?" Copter yelped as he recognized the man chasing Mephiles beside him. Gunner glanced at him and growled. "FREAK!! Die!!" he yelled, pulling out a gun and firing at Copter! He missed, and then lowered his weapon. "Grrrr, forget it! I'll need my ammo... Bigger freak ahead! You just stay out of my way!!" he yelled. Copter chuckled nervously. "Greeeeat... Wait, how is Gunner on OUR side?" he asked, glancing at Dimentime, who looked completely dumbfounded. "He's on OUR side???" he muttered. Neither was sure what to make of Gunner's sudden appearance, but as the three of them chased Mephiles towards the comet, it certainly seemed they were in for some excitement...

To be continued...