Sonic GeneX: Doomsday
Chapter 36 - Burying the Past
Stage 18x - The ARK: Finalhazard
Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.
"Suffer long and it will set you free.
Only through trial do we
Find the strength we need.
It's never over, just another day,
Of hope and tragedies,
And everything that comes our way.
Determination of the strong.
Found the meaning that you
Searched for so long!
All hail Shadow!
Heroes rise again.
Obliterating everything
That's not your friend.
Nothing can stop you now;
No ghost to bring you down.
When there's nothing left to lose,
You win!" - All Hail Shadow; Shadow's Theme
Previously on GeneX…
With an insane Nova charging the Eclipse Cannon, everyone aboard Space Colony ARK raced to the Cannon's Core, but not without being faced with the defenses reactivated by Dark Spiny. Tabitha reached Nova first, finding him brainwashed by the mask and believing himself to be Enerjak, an ancient god.
On the way, Starr and Ozzie worried about getting off the ARK safely, and they split away from the group to look for a ship, despite the odds of finding one being slim.
Tabitha crystallized the last of her power and sent it to Shadow as she turned to dust, destroyed by Enerjak. Shadow and Kosmo faced the crazed morph, ultimately leading to the mask's power being used to sample Shadow's memories. This drove Nova more insane, and with the mask stuck physically inside his head, the insanity mixed with Shadow's memories led him to transform...into Black Doom!
Now, our tale continues...
Gator's Crazy Adventure!!
The Lost Ones' armies were spreading further and further across the land. Avoiding them as best he could, Gator ended up at GUN's bunker. Somehow Big had beaten him there, but Gator was tired of interacting with Big, so he ignored him, Amy and Cream. "I'm not talking to the crybabies, either." he murmured, passing by Tommy, Ridley and their friends, who gave him a bit of a glare for calling them crybabies. Gator doesn't know Razor's dead, but he'd probably be a jerk anyway so let's move on. "What's a Razor? It's dead? Aww..." he murmured, annoyingly replying to the narration again. He passed by the gargoyle refugees and the Central City refugees, who seemed to be getting along alright. Zooey was even having a nice chat with Rick the gargoyle, which Gator wasn't interested in. "This is a weird convention. Why's everyone here sitting around like they're scared?" he wondered. "What are ya, stupid!?" asked Storm the albatross, who had also taken shelter here, "We're hidin' out from the Lost Ones!" he grumbled. Gator scratched his head. "But if they're lost, then they can't find us, so why hide? WAIT A SECOND!! THIEVES!!!" he shouted, pointing at the Babylon Rogues furiously, "You made me sink my boat! And you stole my Time Stone!!" he yelled, referencing events he really shouldn't be able to remember. Jet and Wave briefly glanced at him before returning to their own conversation. "Yeah, the blimp's toast. Speedy's toast. Armada's toast." Wave said with a defeated sigh. "Grrr!! Those distracting foxes and gargoyles!! And...and those Lost Ones!! Is there any way we can make 'em PAY for this?!" he growled. The birds silenced and looked surprised as the one in charge of this bunker approached, the GUN Commander. "Funny you should mention that. We could use some aerial support. If we keep running, this world is lost. So, what say you?" he asked, looking out over the crowded bunker, "What say all of you!?"
"I say this smelled like filler for a shorter chapter. Also I want my Time Stone back!" - Gator
Shadow and Kosmo stood before the amalgamation of their nemesis, Black Doom's body composed of Nova's watery being. "If you won't finish what we started, Shadow, then I will! Say goodbye to the world you have chosen, Shadow!!" Nova declared in Black Doom's voice, his body glowing once again as he began to change into an even larger shape! "Are... are his crazy shapes being powered by the mask inside him??" Carrie whispered, gasping loudly as she saw the form he took! It was Black Doom's nightmarish final form, Devil Doom! Shadow stared in shock, taking a step backward. Even he was unsure if he could stop this without the Chaos Emeralds. "Cower in fear over your final moments! Chaos...Control!!" Nova Doom roared, suddenly vanishing before their eyes! Kosmo looked around with a frown. "And of course, my no-good daughter and that Ozzie are missing. Well, we'd better find them and bail before Nova destroys this Space Colony for us!" he said, taking Carrie's hand and heading back for the exit. Shadow looked towards them. "As if there's anywhere to go. We need to find a way to stop Nova here, or the world could be in even more trouble than it's already in." he reasoned before breaking out into a run to catch up, and then pass Kosmo and Carrie. "You can try to run if you want, but if you want to help fight Nova, then follow me!" he shouted, not slowing down. Kosmo glanced at Carrie. "Well, you know I'm going. Less a revenge thing and more a 'don't mess with my family' thing. Can't have him blow this place up with my daughter here...or her probable mother." he said, smiling at Carrie with a light blush before quickly turning to chase Shadow. Carrie looked at him with wide eyes, her own face red. "Hey, wait! Come back! We gotta talk about that before you kill yourself! KOSMO!!" she shouted, rushing after him!
Starr and Ozzie found themselves wandering the walkways of Final Rush, out in the space around the colony. "You know... If we were going to find a ship... I'm pretty sure this is the wrong way." Ozzie sighed. "Well, I didn't see you coming up with great directions..." Starr pouted. Their little discussion was interrupted by a terrible roar, and when they turned toward the source, they saw "Nova Doom" flying through space! "What in the unholy name of Metarex is that!?" Ozzie shouted, pointing. Looking, Starr could see that the creature was hurling blasts of water at a set of rails connecting areas of Final Rush. She gasped when she realized that their friends were grinding on those rails. "Dad's in trouble!!" she shouted, looking for a way over there. "We're about to be in trouble! That thing's getting closer!" Ozzie stammered. As Nova Doom was floating through space in their direction, Kosmo transformed into his dragon form and leapt off the rails! The mighty Kosmogon was dwarfed by Nova Doom, but Kosmo still spouted flames from his mouth to keep the attention of the beast away from the younger morphs. Shadow leapt from the Kosmogon's back and into a homing attack, but a watery tendril grew out of Nova Doom's body and whipped him away, to be caught by Carrie's psychokinesis as she passed on the rail. "Well, this is going great... Kosmo, look out!!" she gasped as the tendrils lashed out, grabbing and squeezing his dragon form! "No!!" Starr cried, grabbing on to the railing of the platform she was on and frantically looking for any means of helping him. Kosmo shifted into an eagle to slip out of Nova's grip, though, and as Starr sighed in relief, Ozzie placed his hand on hers. "Keep it together, Starr... We got this..." he said.
Nova swatted the rail with the powerful arms of Devil Doom, sending Shadow and Carrie flying into the air! Kosmo flew out and caught Carrie, while Shadow tried warping behind the beast. "Oh, right... He's two-headed..." Devil Doom had a second head on his back, and unlike the real thing, Nova had a glowing eye watching from each head rather than a detached eye swapping between both! "Chaos Spear!" Shadow shouted, stabbing at that eye as he landed on the next rail below! Kosmo spotted Starr and Ozzie, dropping off Carrie with them. "You three get out of here!" he shouted, returning to the battle. Despite getting shot in the eye, Nova didn't seem very much bothered, and Starr watched the situation with great fear in her eyes. "Th-they'll die..." she stammered. "Wait, what's Shadow doing?" Ozzie questioned, the three of them looking at the end of the rail where Shadow arrived at a platform. He was looking at a sparkling object in his hand. "I have no idea." Carrie murmured, "But he'd better have a plan!" Nova was closing in on him, and simultaneously keeping Kosmo busy with watery blasts which the flying morph had to avoid. The sparkling object Shadow was looking at was the orange gem Tabitha had left him. "This power feels... familiar. Alright. I'll put it to use. But not for revenge... I'll use this power to lay our demons to rest!" The orange light glowed brighter as Shadow invoked its power, holding it over his head! Nova held one of his wings in front of his eye to shield him from the light. "This... It's not possible!" he groaned in Black Doom's voice. Shadow was now floating in the air, his body glowing gold with power. The last of Tabitha's power had transformed him into Super Shadow!
Kosmo smirked as he saw Super Shadow launch into the offensive, his first instinct being to go for the eyes, which Nova indeed was quick to block with those broad wings again. Looking back, Kosmo saw the others still hanging around, and flew back to check on them. "What're you all standing around for?? I said get outta here! I'll do better helping Shadow fight if I know you guys are safe!" he shouted. Starr was about to say something when Ozzie grabbed her hand and gave Kosmo a salute. "You have my word, I'll get everyone to safety!" he promised. Kosmo nodded, and then gasped as he heard explosions behind him. Nearby pieces of the space colony were breaking off and seeming to orbit around Nova Doom! "Can he use Psychokinesis now!?" Kosmo shouted, starting back in the direction of the battle, "Get the heck outta here!" he shouted in parting. Carrie looked around nervously. "Never mind that there's literally no way back to Earth, right?" she murmured. Ozzie stepped to the edge of the platform they were standing on. "There's one way. Only one way. And it's up to me..." he said, heaving a heavy sigh, "Don't question it, sis. Just climb aboard..." he said, giving Starr a brief smile before he jumped off the platform! "Ozzie!? What are you-" she gasped, a bright flash of light cutting her off! A white spacecraft hovered up to the platform in the next moment, looking a bit alien in its construction. Its glowing yellow headlights looked almost like eyes, and the hatch on its side opened to let Starr and Carrie aboard seemingly on its own. "Get in!" came Ozzie's voice through a speaker. Carrie tugged her collar awkwardly. "Is it REALLY safe inside you?" she murmured, walking into the Ozzie-ship nervously. Starr followed slowly. "This is crazy, Ozzie... B-be careful, alright?" she said as the hatch closed behind her. "Fasten your seat belts, this might be a turbulent ride!" Ozzie said via the speaker.
Kosmo landed on one of the bits of debris orbiting Nova Doom, shifting into his default form and leaping from object to object as he looked for a means to strike their foe. "We need to get that mask out of him!" Shadow grunted as he flew past, charging a Chaos Spear before hurling it at one of Nova Doom's faces! The crazed morph snarled angrily at being zapped in the eye. "Such petty tactics! I will end this the way you ended my Black Comet!" Nova declared, still speaking as Black Doom, "Chaos Control!!" He vanished from Final Rush, and Kosmo shifted wings onto his back as the debris started to fall. "Did he just go back where he started?" he questioned. Shadow grabbed Kosmo by the arm. "Chaos Control!" Warping them both, he brought them to the exterior of the Space Colony, where the barrel of the Eclipse Cannon pointed down at the Earth. Nova Doom was affixed to the tip in a manner similar to how the Biolizard previously tried to control the Space Colony, great watery tendrils sprouting from the bottom of his alien form and wrapping around the length of the cannon. Sparks ran along those tendrils, feeding power from Enerjak's mask to the Eclipse Cannon! "Once my power feeds this weapon... Your beloved Earth will crumble in a final destructive blast!" Nova declared, cackling in Black Doom's demonic voice. Shadow and Kosmo glanced at each other. "Not a chance in hell that's happening, Nova!" Kosmo shouted. "Black Doom, and my past, are already dead. Maybe I've had trouble letting go... Held on to nostalgia while telling myself I'd moved on... But no more. I'll bury you once and for all, Black Doom!" Super Shadow declared. "Do attempt it... I could use a final amusement!" Nova sneered.
Super Shadow attempted to charge straight into Nova's liquid body, gaining as much momentum as he could in hopes of breaking through to the mask. Unfortunately, Nova's body simply solidified and hardened just before impact, preventing Shadow from penetrating. He then fired a powerful energy beam from one of his eyes, knocking Shadow back and costing him rings! "I take it Chaos Controlling inside him isn't a good option?" Kosmo asked. "Not if he can turn solid like that at will!" Shadow grunted. Nodding, Kosmo flew around to the other side of the beast. "Hey, ugly! Which eye's the front and which is the back?" he shouted to catch Nova's attention. The morph's hands turned into sharp pendulum blades, which he swung at Kosmo in an attempt to slice and dice him! He kept just out of Nova's reach, though, watching the mask float inside his watery head. "Love to fish that out, but I ain't throwin' my tail at him again..." he murmured, noticing Shadow approaching from behind again. Kosmo decided to distract Nova, morphing into a variation on the Death Egg Robots he'd seen during Eggman and Infinite's world takeover not too long ago. One key difference was the arms ending in swordlike blades, enabling him to clash with Nova's own hand-blades directly! Of course, Nova's other eye could see Shadow coming, so that eye fired more powerful beams his way, forcing the hedgehog to dodge in order to maintain his ring count! "Wait, if he can do that to me... Kosmo!!" Shadow gasped. As if on cue, Nova fired a mighty Enerjak energy beam from his other eye, causing the robot Kosmo to explode! "K-kosmo!!" Shadow cried frantically. Within the wreckage, Kosmo's ordinary form floated limply, burned and wounded. He wasn't moving, and Nova turned his focus to Shadow. "The end is here! The Eclipse Cannon is nearly charged! Prepare your farewells, Shadow!" he snarled!
Super Shadow looked from Nova to the Space Colony. "There is one way I can stop you for sure." he stated, soaring past the imitation of Black Doom and heading directly for the Space Colony itself, "...I can bury Professor Gerald's legacy... Lay his demons to rest, once and for all!" he declared with determination! "Stop! You can't do this! I will tear you apart first!" Nova Doom snarled, sprouting more tendrils from the tendrils holding the Eclipse Cannon and trying to catch Shadow with them. However, he was distracted by a brilliant flash of light from Kosmo's body, the morph changing shape, growing into a long, powerful form. He became a purple serpent- dragon, similar to what Ozzie had done at Casino Park, and swiftly coiled his body around Nova Doom, shocking the Morph's system and preventing him from sending his tendrils after Shadow! "Y-you fool!" Nova growled, his watery body splashing and squirming in a panicked effort to escape Kosmo's grip, "Y-your friend will kill us both! What is your love for this planet!?" he shouted, now in his own voice. Kosmo squeezed him tight, looking back as Shadow propelled himself into the base of the Eclipse Cannon at destructive speed! "You made two mistakes, Nova... One was threatening the world of my future wife and daughter!" he growled. Nova's eyes widened as the Eclipse Cannon, and the Space Colony ARK, started to explode from Super Shadow's attack! "...Your other mistake was shoving a giant stick up your butt. Bye!" Kosmo snickered, uncoiling from Nova and flying away as quick as he could while the bulky form of Devil Doom struggled, securely attached to the tip of the Eclipse Cannon! "No, no!! I was supposed to be... a god!!!!" he wailed as the explosions enveloped his body, sending sparkling Twilight Shards tumbling into the vacuum of space in the aftermath... the last lost remnants of Enerjak.
Starr and Carrie could see the exploding Space Colony from the Ozzie-ship. They watched it go up in a huge ball of fire with wide eyes. "Dad..." Starr murmured, "Wait, I'm still here!" she realized. The ship's door opened up in a moment to let Shadow and Kosmo in, the hedgehog carrying the rather exhausted-looking morph. When the door closed behind them, Shadow's Super Form wore off, and he took a knee as well, panting softly. "Let's get back to Earth now..." he huffed. Kosmo nodded, but Starr shook her head. "W-we can't! Ozzie...he'll burn up and die when we enter the atmosphere! He's the ship!" she said frantically. Kosmo, Carrie and Shadow glanced at one another, as though searching for ideas. Ozzie, however, didn't wait, and started towards the Earth right away. "Ozzie, don't! Th-there must be another way!" Starr cried. "There isn't, sis. Sure, when Shadow's got his energy back he could warp us, but until then we're sitting ducks up here, and we know the Lost Ones planned on us never coming back. I've gotta get you all down there to disrupt their plans...this is what I was sent to do!" he said via the ship's speakers. Starr stammered, not wanting to accept this, but unable to think of any way to convince him. Already, it was getting hot in the ship. "Kosmo..." Ozzie said, "I'm glad I found you... It's no mistake I've been calling Starr 'sis,' ya see." he said with a soft chuckle, making Kosmo's eyes widen. "Wait...you're saying... B-but then, no! I should be doing this!" Kosmo stammered. "It's okay, Dad..." Ozzie said peacefully, gasping a bit as the heat started burning his hull, "First you disappeared, then Mom's sickness got her... You only enlisted to pay for her treatments... I know you don't remember. I searched for you...so long. I'm glad I found you... And met my sis, too. You stay alive so she gets born proper, alright, Dad?" he said with a pained grunt. "Ozzie! B-brother!!" Starr cried, tearing up and hugging Carrie tightly. There wasn't time to answer all of Kosmo's questions. "I'm glad I found you too, son... I won't forget you..." he said, a tear falling from his glowing eye. Ozzie wheezed as the atmosphere burned the life out of him. "Best ditch me when we get past this burning... I'm gonna crash... It's an honor to die saving you..." These were Ozzie's final words.
Starr and Kosmo both had gargoyle wings as they flew from the falling ship, Kosmo carrying Shadow and Starr carrying Carrie. They followed the ship as it fell, seeing a brief flash of light as Ozzie reverted to his true form. His body impacted the sands of Emerald Coast, and the others landed near him, the family rushing to Ozzie's side while Shadow stayed back, looking up at the sky where the ARK once orbited. "Rest in peace, Gerald...Maria... I know I'm all that's left of your legacy now, and I'll do my best to do you both proud." he whispered to himself. Kosmo and Starr were both kneeling beside Ozzie. His eyes had lost their yellow glow, now pale and lifeless. Carrie gently flicked her fingers, closing his eyes with her psychokinesis. "It's a beautiful place..." she said with a sniffle, looking out over the ocean, "I wonder if he'd have liked it here?" Starr huddled close to her father, and he placed a gentle arm around her as they shared a silent moment with their fallen family. As much as a funeral seemed the proper thing to do, an ominous sight on the horizon soon drew Shadow's attention. "What the... Demon Island??" Floating above Station Square was the island headquarters of the Covenant of Despair, raised from the depths by the Lost Ones. Carrie looked that way first, followed by a reluctant Kosmo and Starr. "Those Lost Ones are responsible... They put us in space. It's only right we bring them down to honor Ozzie's sacrifice!" Kosmo said with a growl. Starr nodded, standing between Kosmo and Carrie, taking the hand of each of them. Shadow looked at them and nodded. "Of course. The battle isn't over. But to avoid further unnecessary death, we'd better make contact with the others and prepare for the coming battle." he reasoned. They weren't sure where to start...but they wouldn't let Ozzie die in vain.
To be continued...
Oh, one more thing...
"You're lucky I even bothered to rescue you..." Lospecter grumbled from somewhere within Despair Castle, hovering over Dark Spiny as he held his throbbing head. "I was just supposed to run interference, and I did. Anyway, the dumb planet-killer-laser's gone now, so that's...good?" he questioned. "Well, they can't blow up this island with it..." Lospecter shrugged, "And three overpowered chumps died to boot. Seems like a good day. Too bad Mephiles was too busy to collect their souls..." he murmured. "I'm not too busy now..." said Mephiles as he slowly creeped out of the shadows, "And I'm interested to hear more about this Soleil person that's surfaced..." he said with a sinister chuckle.
