Sonic GeneX - The Series
Episode 11 - Flaming 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.
Previously on Sonic GeneX...
While battling bounty hunters led by Nack the Weasel, Sonic won the hearts of the public back with an impromptu musical performance that was recorded by onlookers and spread through the internet like wildfire. As a result, the general public ceased trying to capture him.
The Covenant of Despair's leader was defeated a while ago, and recently Eddie the Hyena was arrested, but members of the organization are still at large.
Rainbow's sister, Violet, has been on her own since leaving the Covenant of Despair, seldom even seeing her sister...
Now, let us begin today's story...
Violet the Echidna returned to Station Square to find the once hidden underground ruins a ransacked mess, the result of looters unofficially sent by Col. Gunner months before. Worried and frantic, she searched the city for any sign of her sister, but Rainbow wasn't there. The only familiar face she did come across was Amy Rose, who was carrying a milkshake after a stop at the burger shop. "Hey... I know you!" she mumbled, stopping and looking at the clearly upset echidna with concern, "Are you okay?" she asked. Violet looked at her awkwardly. "What do you care? We're not exactly friends..." she pointed out. Amy nodded. "Fine, whatever..." she said, starting on her way, "If you're looking for the colorful echidna, though, she moved out of town months ago. I think she actually lived in those ruins under the city that GUN found while tracking the Covenant of Despair..." she added. Violet sighed heavily. "Of course... Despair... I should've seen this coming, I was there..." she said, turning to Amy, "Thank you. Now that I know Rainbow's safe, I can focus on my real problem... I was going to ask for her help, but I guess I'm on my own..." she stated. Amy sighed and turned back around. "Don't act like that. Just tell me your problem already!" she said bossily. Violet looked awkward again, but complied. "Well, it's about my friends... They're still trapped working for Despair. I want to help them escape." she explained. Amy chuckled softly. "You sure they don't WANT to be there?" she asked, making Violet scoff at her angrily. "Chill out. Don't worry. I'll help you!" Amy said, smiling, "...Maybe this could even get Sonic back to me! He's been touring the country since it became safe for him to be in public again... I'll call him right away! Hold my milkshake!" she said excitedly, thrusting the cup into Violet's hands before pulling out her phone. Violet looked a bit unsure about all this. "Maybe it would be better if I just... didn't bother you..." she mumbled. "Shh! I'm busy dialing!" Amy grunted, "I wish Tails would teach me how speed dial works..." Violet gulped in response. What was she getting herself into, teaming with Amy?
Sonic answered his cell phone, but didn't listen to Amy long before interrupting. "Sorry, Amy, call me back, would you? I'm kinda busy with something..." he told her, barely dodging a laser blast as he hung up! He was on a long bridge over the sea connecting Central City to another city, the bridge and roads leading between the cities being known as Route 101. The laser he'd dodged had come from Alpha, who was accompanied by E-5X Jolt the yellow Egg Pawn and E-6X Freeze the icy blue Gizoid. "So... Eggman's not giving up on GUN's bounty, or is this a more personal visit?" Sonic asked as they surrounded them. "It's both, you pesky porcu-mouse! I'll teach you to humiliate the boss of the Egg Pawns!" Jolt shouted, sparking wildly. Sonic chuckled in response. "I don't need to be taught that; I'm a natural!" he taunted. "Enough of this banter! I'll stop him cold..." Freeze said, firing a blast of ice in Sonic's direction while Jolt fired a bolt of electricity as well! Sonic zipped out of the way, dodging between cars that swerved to avoid the robots' elemental blasts. "Hey... You're in the wrong lane!!" Alpha shouted, chasing Sonic and shooting at him wildly! "And you're not wearing knee pads! Bad bicycle!!" the robot yelled manically. Sonic leapt onto a red truck in order to gain height. "'Scuse me, sir! Hey! Stop texting and watch the road!!" he shouted before returning his attention to the incoming robots. "Stop running from me!! I need to zap you!!" Jolt shouted. "Okay! You get one shot! Here I come!" Sonic smirked, leaping off the truck and launching into a series of homing attacks, knocking each robot into the side of the bridge before landing and speeding away! "If you guys wanna catch me, you'll have to get off the bridge!" he shouted, sticking his tongue out at the dazed robots. Char the Chao flew along the bridge from the other side and caught up to Alpha. "What?? I missed all the fun!? Waaaaugh! C'mon, Alpha! Get up, ya lazy blue trash can!" he yelled. Alpha sat up and groaned. "I have a boo-boo mommy..." he whined. "Shut up!!" Jolt shouted, tossing a bolt of lightning at Alpha, which only made him giggle. "You two play nice, or I'll have Freeze ice ya!" Char scolded them, "Now try again! ...I missed it!"
With Sonic unavailable, Amy figured they'd need some alternate backup. They WERE going to visit the Covenant of Despair, after all. So, when Violet and Amy arrived in Troblusk City, they met Amy's second choice, Blaze the Cat. "I got your message... So, care to explain the problem in greater detail?" Blaze asked as they met her outside the train station. "Uh... It's not complicated. My friends are being forced to work for the Covenant of Despair." Violet stated. Blaze looked a bit unclear. "Covenant of Despair... I assume that's bad, just from the name..." she said. Amy nodded. "Yeah. You're lucky you missed the big war they waged on everybody last year." she told her. "Well, I guess I'll get a taste of it now... So, where do we go?" Blaze asked. Violet motioned for the others to follow. "This is why I was looking for Rainbow. I finally found where the covenant is set up now. Certainly a downgrade from the castle we were in last year..." she explained. As they walked, Blaze let what Violet said sink in. "We...? You were with them, too??" she said in surprise. Violet nodded. "It was when they threatened my sister... That's when I quit." she told Blaze. Amy frowned. "Yeah, you had that to snap you out of it... But what makes you think your friends are really looking to leave? I know I asked already, but... You got out. Why aren't they out without help?" she said with a hint of suspicion. "They're scared. Have you ever met Despair's leadership? They're not pleasant people. Look, you don't have to come..." Violet snapped. Blaze sighed. "Don't fight. It will be clear whether her friends are there by choice or not soon. If they are being kept against their will, I will persuade this 'covenant' to release them..." she said plainly. Violet glanced at her with surprise. "Thanks... Really. You don't even know me and you're willing to help..." she said. Soon the trio had arrived at their destination: a dark wooded area at the edge of the city, beyond which stood the decrepit building known as Hollow Manor.
As they approached Hollow Manor, Violet was slower in her steps than Amy and Blaze. "Careful... Despair isn't known for being welcoming..." she said. Amy chuckled. "You don't have to tell us! We've been through so many adventures, we're ready for anything!" she said. Before they could get too close to the creepy house, however, a pair of bladed weapons were swung at them, forcing Amy and Blaze to jump back quickly! Holding those weapons, a katana and a bladed nunchuck, were Daisy the pink skunk and Patch the multi-colored fox respectively. Before anyone could speak, Daisy came at Amy again, forcing her to parry the katana with her Piko Piko Hammer! "Hee hee!! You won't invade us so easily, lady invaders!!" Patch laughed, flailing his nunchucks at Blaze only to be kicked back by her heel. "I will not be ambushed, especially by a crazed fool!" she shouted. Violet soon leapt into action, warping in between the combatants with her dark magic and holding out her hands to halt them. "Stop!! Daisy and Patch!! I came to rescue you!" she shouted. Amy looked at the crazed expression on Patch's face before glancing back at Violet. "THESE are your friends??" she yelled. "We can't all be besties with Sonic the Hedgehog..." Violet grumbled. Daisy sighed. "It's good to see you, Vy, but you shouldn't have come..." she said. "Hee hee... Basker's even nuttier than I am... Even nuttier than our old boss, I bet! He'd hunt us down and EAT us if we left!" Patch babbled. Amy shrugged. "Please! He can't be worse than that Darkseeker!" she said. Daisy frowned. "He's not exaggerating too much. Basker took over after Eddie was arrested... He rules with fear." she shuddered. Violet nodded. "Well, that is his thing... I suppose I'll have to come back with a plan." she sighed. Blaze had been listening intently the whole time, and now started toward the manor again. "I'm not afraid of this 'Basker.' Take me to him!" she said. "Are you serious!?" Daisy gasped. "He'll listen to reason, I'm sure. After all, he's not hunting Violet as rabidly as you claim he'd hunt you." the feline stated. The others looked a bit nervous as they followed her.
The group entered the manor, which was still dusty and had cobwebs strewn across its ceiling, but some of the damage done by years of decay had actually been patched up recently by its new occupants. As they entered, with Blaze up front, a pair of glowing red eyes cut through the darkness ahead, glaring at them. "You are foolish to return here, Violet..." came the drowsy yet sinister voice of Basker. "We won't stay long..." Blaze stated, "Violet's companions are coming with us! And you're going to let them go without menacing them..." she said sternly. "How commanding... I have a different way of giving orders..." Basker replied, his eyes glowing brighter briefly. Then, a blast of flames shot out of the darkness, hitting Blaze and knocking her backward into Patch! "Ooof!! Hey, look! Birdies... C'mere, lemme stab ya, birdies..." Patch babbled, dazed. As Blaze got up, Anubis the jackal stepped out of the shadows, a crazed, panicked look in his eyes as his hands became covered in flames! The flames lit up the room, revealing the bluish hound, Basker, as well as Infin the weasel and a number of other nervous-looking uniformed animals. The girls gasped at the sight of them. "Basker... What have you done? What have you done to their minds!?" Violet gasped. "I've brought order to Despair!" Basker replied. "This is a freaky version of order..." Amy muttered. Anubis howled in a mix of fright and rage, and started sending jets of flames at the group, forcing them to back away! Blaze, however, shot her own flames back at Anubis. "I don't know what he's done to you, but I'll snap you out of it!" she grunted, powering her way towards Anubis as he tried to knock her back with his fire again. Meanwhile, Amy and Violet tried to sneak around them towards Basker, but Infin blocked their way, joined by a few minions. "If I wanna avoid windin' up like Anubis, I can't let you mugs pass!" he said, pointing his gun at their feet in warning. "Oh, you, huh... You're just a low-rent Nack." Amy muttered. Infin gritted his teeth and growled at her. "Shut it! He ain't even a proper weasel, from what I hear!" he shouted. All the while, Patch and Daisy edged past the conflicts towards the back of the room where the other agents were standing around Basker.
Blaze and Anubis were now exchanging fireballs and blazing fisticuffs, the jackal's fear-driven mind seeming to make him a fiercer opponent than he might be otherwise. Violet tried to warp past Infin, but he saw that coming and quickly started shooting at the area where she emerged, forcing her to fight back with blasts of dark energy. Amy, meanwhile, started smacking random agents with her hammer to get them out of the way. "I thought I was done fighting with Despair! Lemme at that Basker!!" she shouted. Blaze tried to pin Anubis down by tackling him to the floor, but he scarcely stopped thrashing under her. "Rrrr... Graaaaah!! Infidels...!! I will not be... entombed!!" he snarled, his mind clearly trapped in some form of illusion. Blaze hesitated, unsure how to free him from this spell, and this gave him a chance to toss her off him! "Ugh!! S-stop!! No one is looking to... entomb you!" she shouted, but her words were useless as Anubis continued to charge at her! Meanwhile, Amy and Violet managed to fight their way past Infin and his crew, only to be blocked by Daisy! "What are you doing, Daisy?? We're here to help you!" Violet shouted. Daisy sighed. "You can't... Please... Get yourselves out before Basker takes control of you, too!" she warned, raising her blade. Amy lifted her hammer to counter it. "He can try... And if he succeeds, then he'll have Sonic to contend with! There's no way he wins!" she smirked. Amidst all the struggles, there was Patch, watching with bored disinterest. "...Basker... You've been a... dull boss..." he whispered, turning to the hound with a wide grin. "What are you smiling about, Patch? Do I need to show you your fears to get you to obey me, too?" he growled, his eyes glowing brightly as his power tried to take hold of the fox. However, Patch just kept smiling. In fact, he smiled WIDER. "Hee...hee...heeee... Honey, I'm home!!" he cackled before lunging at Basker, taking him off guard! With Basker knocked for a loop, Anubis snapped out of his trance, but his rage didn't leave him. "Ugghh... My mind is my own... I must BURN this place before Basker's foulness corrupts me again!!" he roared, tossing flames around erratically at the highly flammable walls of the old manor!
With Hollow Manor rapidly becoming engulfed in flames, everyone realized they had to get out. "Get up or burn, ya lazy mugs!!" Infin yelled, leading the uniformed animals to a door at the back of the room. Daisy and Patch followed him, and seeing this, Violet looked a bit saddened, but quickly turned her attention to the panicked Amy who was surrounded by flames and running back and forth frantically, seeing no clear way out. "Hold still! I've got you!" Violet called out, warping over to Amy before warping them both outside the manor. Blaze burst out of the door a moment later, the flames scarcely having bothered her. The three girls rested a safe distance away from the manor, watching it burn down with crestfallen expressions. "...I'm sure your friends got out... Probably through a back way..." Amy said to try to comfort Violet. The echidna nodded. "I'm not even sure they really wanted my help... Maybe Despair's hold on them is just too strong... But I hate leaving them like this. They were my friends..." she said sadly. Blaze nodded. "I understand... I'm usually a whole world away from most of my friends..." she said. As the fire died down, leaving a burnt-out husk remaining of Hollow Manor, Violet turned to leave with a small smile. "Thanks for trying you two... I may not have gotten my old friends back, but at least I've made some new friends." she said to them. Amy nodded and waved as Violet left. "Yeah... She's a big softy after all..." she said, reaching for her cell phone, "Now, Sonic better talk to me THIS time, or else he's in for it!" she grumbled, dialing while Blaze started on her way as well. "Heh... Good luck with that, and see you later!" she sighed, hurrying off out of a desire not to be there if Amy did get hung up on again. "...SONIIIIIIIIC!!!!" Amy's agitated shouts a moment later seemed to indicate that she was right to hurry, "Blaze, Violet!! Come back!! I need someone to yell at!!!"
Episode End!
