Sonic GeneX - The Series: Countdown to Doomsday
Mini Episode - Ch. 1.5 - Silver Returns

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.


Previously - During training, Knuckles began to succumb to the curse of the Chaos Claws, which was making him angrier than usual. It enabled him to discover a new power of the claws, to cling to the very air itself. However, he'd be useless as an ally with all that rage. They had to break the curse of the Claws! Astra explained that the curse was caused when Luna the wolf became Loscream while wearing them...


It had been a while since anyone had seen Silver the hedgehog. He had returned to the future with Fred Leo, Adam the bat, Evelyn the fox and Cuthburt the alligator. With Zodiac out of the way, there was little holding them in the present, and Silver wanted to check on the status of his own time. Now, he had returned, and was stopping by to check Gemini's progress training the holders of the Chaos Relics. He found them on Angel Island, where Knuckles was hanging in midair over the steps of the Master Emerald shrine, and Tails and Copter were looking up as though deciding if they should let him down or not. "Huh...? Is Carrie here? Shouldn't she put Knuckles down?" Silver asked, knowing he himself wasn't lifting Knuckles up. "Ah, no, Knuckles did that to himself..." Gemini said awkwardly, glancing up at him, "It might be best to leave him there, he's been getting violent lately." she explained. "Come up here and say that! I dare ya!!" Knuckles yelled, kicking his legs angrily. Silver shrugged and tried pulling him down with his powers. "Agggh! He's stuck!? Arrgh!" he cried, yanking at him. Knuckles groaned as well. "Don't tear my arms off, Silver!!" he shouted. Astra the fennec had borrowed SPOT from Tails, and was sitting on his back to fly up and examine the stuck Chaos Claws. "They won't unstick until you relax, Knuckles." she told him. "How can I relax like this!?" he yelled. Gemini turned to Silver with a sigh. "It's gonna be noisy here. We can catch up across the bridge. I'll bring Libra and Tim, they might wanna hear what Fred's up to." she said.

The four of them gathered across the bridge, away from the shrine. Silver shrugged. "Fred's not planning on coming back right now. He needs to work some things out in the future. He lived there for quite some time. He wouldn't tell me his true time period, though." he stated, "But anyway, Adam and Eve say hi, Gemini, Timothy. They hope you'll return home soon." he added. Timothy nodded. "Once I'm done helping here, I'll be back." he said. Gemini looked more unsure. "I don't even know which is home for me..." she murmured. "Me either..." Libra added. Silver nodded. "I wish I had answers for you..." Then, he looked around, "Hey, wasn't Blaze training with you guys?" he asked. Libra chuckled softly. "She has royal matters to attend to back home." she said in a snooty tone. "Besides, we're kinda wrapped up in trying to figure out how to cure Knuckles..." Timothy added. Silver scratched his head. "Well, gee... the Chaos Claws got cursed I guess because Luna was wearing them when she became a Lost One, right? Maybe the Lost Ones have the answer to breaking the curse." he said simply. Gemini looked at him with a blank stare. "That... Huh... I see..." she murmured, rubbing her chin, "That's actually interesting..." she said. "Echidna coming through!!" they heard Copter yell. Knuckles was charging across the bridge with a fury in his eyes, swiping the claws about like a wild beast! "Oh boy... You wanna take it this time, Silver?" Libra asked. Silver sighed and raised his hand. "Psychic...control!" he cried, freezing Knuckles in place with his psychokinesis! "Argh!! Hey! Lemme go! I'll kill you, you albino freak!!" he shouted. "Albino?" Silver muttered. "Pay him no mind. He's crazy right now." Gemini sighed.

While Silver held him in place, Gemini discussed it with Astra. The golden furred fennec had a dire look on her face. "I'd hoped to come up with another solution, but yes. The best way to break the curse is to go to the source. It's a dangerous proposition, though. You need to bring back a piece of Loscream in order for a countercurse to be created." she stated. Gemini stared at her. "You knew?" she asked. Astra nodded. "You must understand... Loscream is Luna...my old ally. I can't go with you. And the journey will be your most dangerous thus far. You'll have to brave a Lost One nest." she said. "Don't worry, I'll go with you." Silver offered. Gemini shook her head. "No... It's too risky to take too many of us. We should attempt this as a stealth mission. I'll go alone." she said. "You will not!" Timothy snapped, having been listening, "We got too close to a Lost One nest in the future, and you went back in time to save me as a result, and all this was set in motion! I'm not letting you get into the same predicament... I'm going to protect you this time!" he insisted. Libra sighed. "I mean, I'd go, but I'm not the Deathbringer anymore..." she murmured, "What good am I?" she wondered. Silver patted her shoulder. "You'll figure something out. At least you're here for your sister now. You couldn't be when you were working for Zodiac." he pointed out. Knuckles huffed as he sat on the ground, having been released from Silver's grip. "Please hurry... I wanna take these dumb claws off... wash my hands... and punch something on my own terms..." he sighed. Gemini nodded. "Knuckles... I won't let you down. You helped me regain myself when we first met, and now I'm going to do the same for you!" she promised. "Yeah, yeah, everything's all full circle... Just get goin' already!" Knuckles groaned. She nodded, clutching her wand. It wouldn't be easy, but with Timothy at her side, she would take on the very stronghold of her enemy...and make it out alive!

To be continued...