Sonic GeneX: Doomsday
Chapter 51 - Friends or Foes?
Stage 24 - Chemical Plant
Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.
"No such thing as fate for those who speed.
A path out of time instead of just livin' it.
So many things erased before they begin.
Hopes un-dream instead of what could have been." - Seven Rings In Hand, Sonic & the Secret Rings
Previously on GeneX…
After participating in a bit of a tournament and then battling the Covenant of Despair, it seemed Tails' group had gone on a wild goose chase after the same Chaos Emerald Skye had brought back from the future. However, Alpha had managed to snag it during the confusion of Despair's attack, and when Loscream's forces surrounded them, Fera warped Tails, his kids and Alpha to safety (while Pepper, Minnie and Whisk warped the others present for the tournament out of danger separately).
Raven the Divine has largely been sitting out the action ever since Xezek's demise, feeling resentful that their so-called allies let him be destroyed.
Shadow Arcangel was destroyed on the approach to Demon Island, and the passengers have been stranded on the island ever since, including Team GeneX and Conan the raccoon.
Infinite the jackal was sent by Apocalos to settle old scores and bring the Doomsayer prophecy to fruition by killing Tails once and for all.
Now, our tale continues...
Tails, Fera, Melody, Skye and Alpha had all managed to reach Tails' Central City Workshop safely. They'd been unable to get into contact with the others, however, because every time one of the ProwerPhones rang, a startled Alpha shot the device out of a fox's hand, thereby wrecking it. Now they had no phones. "Tell me again why we don't just take this dumb robot apart?" Skye grumbled. "Yes, I also would like to know." Fera growled. Tails shrugged. "He's already come in handy nabbing the Chaos Emerald. He may not be very smart, but I think everyone deserves a fair chance." he stated. Alpha was spinning in a nearby chair like a child while he said that. "Robots don't get dizzy! But they do get woozy! I'm gonna throw up!" he shouted. The door to the workshop opened, and everyone looked that way apprehensively, but it was just Cosmo. "Hey, she was at the tournament!" Melody recalled. Cosmo sighed in relief. "Everyone feared the worst when we couldn't contact you, but I thought checking here would be wise." she smiled. There was a bit of catching up to do for them; Skye explained that before coming to the Workshop, they'd looked for his time machine only to find the whole place they'd left it missing. Cosmo explained what their friends had learned; that Demon Island was back in the sky and assimilating other pieces of the world into itself. "So... the time machine is most likely up there." Fera mused, "Do you suppose the Lost Ones intend to use it?" Tails shook his head. "We'd probably already know if they were time traveling. They might be trying to lure us..." he murmured. "Can we go outside and play in traffic, daddy?" Alpha asked, seeming bored. Cosmo glanced at him. "So, why don't you destroy that robot?" she asked, making Tails groan softly.
Tails called the Tornado via remote, and while they waited for the plane to arrive, they discussed who was going along. "True, we could all go if I used both planes, but we're flying into enemy territory and I don't want to split my focus piloting a second plane remotely..." Tails had stated. No one else among them had enough flight experience to fly themselves. "I'm going up there..." Fera stated, "I have things to settle. A past to reconcile..." she sighed. It was clear there wouldn't be a seat for Cosmo, and she sat herself down by one of Tails' workbenches. "At least it should be fairly safe here..." she murmured. Melody looked at her and nodded. "I'll stay and keep you company. We'll keep each other safe!" she smiled. Skye had to go anyway. He hugged his sister tight. "You be careful on your own..." he told her. The plane wasn't that far, and it soon arrived. As they all headed outside, Alpha tried to climb onto the plane's wing! "Vroom, vroom! I wanna horsy ride!" the deranged robot cried. Tails frantically tugged the robot away from his plane. "You're too heavy for wing-walking! You'll have to stay here!" he told him. "Aw, boo!" Alpha whined. With Cosmo and Melody keeping an eye on the robot, Tails got into the cockpit with Skye taking a seat behind him. Fera sat herself on the wing. "Be prepared for anything! Remember, they want you dead desperately!" she warned the foxes. Tails nodded. "Can't let that happen. Too many people are counting on me!" The plane started to take off, and as they took to the sky, Alpha soon caught up to them via his jetpack! "Come back blue horsy! You're not the boss of cheese!" he shouted. Skye looked at the robot blankly. "Oh...goodie...he's coming after all..." he murmured, not sounding too thrilled.
Somehow, they landed on Demon Island without too much trouble. Or perhaps their arrival was part of the Lost Ones' plan. Either way, the plane was left on the outskirts of the forest, and as the group started to explore, they soon came across the survivors of Shadow Arcangel's destruction who were still together, who had themselves met up with Guard, Heather, Illusi and Aurora. "Well, Tails is still alive. Guess I owe you a soda, Vortex!" Zipp mumbled. "I'm not in the mood..." Vortex sighed. Alpha was kept busy annoying Crash and Talon, which left Tails and Skye to chat with the others, hoping to recruit help. In the meanwhile, Fera found herself alone with Illusi. "....I saw an illusion of you." Fera told him. Illusi had no words. Instead, he held out his arms for her. She hesitated at first, but moving past that hesitation, she hugged him tightly, tears streaming from her eye as she tried to hide it in his neck. Illusi gently patted her head. "You've been holding this in a long time, haven't you, child?" he said softly. "Shut up!" Fera choked. For a moment, she was home, safe with him. Her pride wouldn't let her fully embrace the moment, but she got pretty close. While she dried her tears, Tails was talking to Conan and Emily. "Time travel? There's an adventure I've yet to embark upon..." the raccoon mused. Tails nodded. "If we play it right, we can stop everything terrible that happened today!" he explained. Conan glanced at Emily. "All that and more..." he mused, "Allow us to accompany you." he offered. "Ahh... S-sure." Tails babbled. Unfortunately, they weren't able to convince anyone else to go, most considered it a fool's errand. However, Aurora handed Skye her ProwerPhone. "I'm gonna catch up to my parents. I think you may need this more than me." she told him. They glared at Alpha. "Just gotta watch that one..." Skye murmured. Through all of this, Gideon silently watched. It was especially focused on Skye and Aurora. "...I fear these children's time...is nearly up..." it whispered.
So, they set out with Conan and Emily added to their party. One of the first things they noticed was the ruins of Despair Castle, but that didn't much surprise them considering the island's prior stay under the sea; They'd be more surprised if the castle had been in one piece. With the ProwerPhone helping them track the location of Skye's time machine, they followed the signal, and found themselves passing by the Chaos Shrine, which gave both Tails and Fera pause. "This is where I got the tailband the first time... How'd it get up here??" Tails questioned. "Uh, Cosmo already told us the island was assimilating places..." Skye reminded him. Fera growled, stepping to the open door. "The traumas of my past just have to follow me everywhere. Well, screw you, Gunner! I don't care what's in there!" she scoffed, turning away from the building with a snarl. Emily tilted her head. "I have a lot to learn about, don't I?" she murmured. Conan nodded. "I can tell the story of when I infiltrated this shrine and found it empty...but that's basically the whole story right there." he murmured. The group continued on, leaving the shrine in their memories, and soon the ProwerPhone led them to the most industrialized location assimilated into the island. Tails gasped to see it. Tubes of blue and purple, transporting pink liquids into giant vats. "This is Eggman's Chemical Plant!" he realized. It wasn't exactly the site of his first adventure with Sonic, but it was the first place they really started to work together, helping one another escape the clutches of Grabber robots as needed. Alpha jumped up and down, seeming a bit excited. "Honey, I'm home!! Where's my cookie?" he babbled. Fera looked at the vats the chemicals were being pumped into, and growled softly. The vats were full of slime. "Seems like they've converted this facility for their own purposes..." she growled.
It wasn't important to worry about what the Lost Ones wanted with a Chemical Plant. It was more important to get to the time machine. As the group began exploring, running across some of the piping, they noticed that ghostly Lost Ones were rising from the slime vats. In horrifying numbers. Conan clutched the deck of Chaos Cards, watching anxiously. "They...don't seem interested in us, do they?" he whispered. The spirits rose high into the sky before altering their course, heading for the rubble of Despair Castle. "It's like they're manufacturing Lost Ones somehow... Or maybe they're powering them up?" Tails considered. Alpha tried shooting at a few of the spirits. "Creepy dead guys! I kill you!!" the robot shouted as Emily and Fera grabbed onto him, trying to stop him from shooting. "You stupid pile of broken parts! You want an army to rain down on us!?" Fera growled. "Yes!" Alpha replied in a silly tone. "I don't think the poor thing understands anything happening around it." Emily sighed. Fortunately, the entire army didn't come after them. However, some losharks leapt out of the vat and snapped their jaws at the pipeline they were standing on, threatening them! "Let's get a move on before something worse jumps out!" Skye suggested, leading the way as they ran across the pipes and arrived at one of the plant's many buildings, the purpose of which wasn't immediately known to any of them. Alpha was still trying to blast the Lost Ones as the girls dragged him. "Bad guys! Where did you take daddy?? Put back our playhouse!!" he shouted. Tails glanced at Alpha awkwardly. "I think I've known him too long. That almost made some sense." he murmured. Conan let out a slight growl, looking around. "I think we've been followed. Stay on your toes..." he warned.
As they traveled across the exterior of the building, a divine dropped from the sky, landing in front of them! "I knew it!" Conan snapped, preparing to draw a card. It was a black divine with pink ears & tail stripes and a purple & red suit. It was Raven, Whisk's Dark. "I'm not here to fight you. I want to tell you, using that time machine will be a big mistake." she said plainly. "Why should we trust you??" Tails asked. "Indeed! You were with the morph who took the Chaos Sword from me!" Conan snarled. Emily gasped. "Wait, Conan... She made him spare your life!" she told him. Skye and Tails looked surprised. "Really? That doesn't sound like a Dark..." Skye murmured. Conan started to step forward, a fierce look in his eyes. "I don't care. We're using the machine, and it will send me back to the beginning! I'll save Emily before her death, before she can be experimented on and her memory stolen!!" he declared, "And you won't stop me!" However, a bolt of dark lightning did stop his forward progress, and he turned to see an angry Fera. "I can't have you mucking up the timeline before me! I'm going to repair my own past, so that I can have a future!!" she growled. Alpha sat on the ground, watching intently. "Oooh! They're doing a movie! I can't wait for the commercials!" he babbled. Tails was beside himself. "Fera, you can't mean that! Agh... The time machine is only to be used to stop the Lost Ones!!" he insisted. Raven shook her head. "It doesn't matter who gets their way, using that machine will spell disaster for all of you! You have to listen to me! Someone HAS to listen to me!!" she cried. Fera sighed. "We'll settle this later, Tails. Right now, I have to remove this obstacle from our path! And you hash it out with the raccoon...he was bound to betray us, anyway!" she huffed. "You're one to talk!!" Conan snapped.
So, Fera charged at Raven, who leapt back and flapped her wings, hovering in the air. "Are you kidding me!? How are you supposed to be the good guys!" she spat, her wings starting to glow with energy as her frustration grew. Fera created dark flames in her hands, ready to counter what Raven would throw at her. "Never claimed to be 'good,' so shut up!" she shouted, tossing those flames only for a magic wind to blow from Raven's wings and put that fire out! She tried instead to zap Raven with dark lightning, but the divine vanished only to reappear behind her! Raven caught Fera in a headlock and tried to hold her still. "Listen to me! I'm trying to tell you something important!" she grunted. Fera managed to elbow her in the gut, and then shifted their weight, tossing the winged feline over her head! "You may have tricks, but I have training! I would stay down if I were you!" she warned. Raven groaned, and warped back into the air, flying a bit more shakily now. "Maybe YOU don't deserve my help, but I want him to hear me out!" she panted, pointing toward the scuffle between Tails and Conan. Fera couldn't actually tell which one she was pointing at, and she didn't much care. "Help? Like your kind 'helped' us back on the Arcangel? Excuse me for being skeptical, but when people try to kill me... I repay them in kind!!" the wolf shouted, once again sending dark lightning at the divine! Raven erected a shield of light, straining to keep it intact! "I never tried to kill you... And I'm not like other Darks... Because a Divine can't be a being of pure darkness!" she shouted, only to cry out in pain as Fera broke through her barrier! She fell to the ground, and Fera stared at her, tilting her head. "That...apparently did hurt more that it should hurt a Dark..." she observed.
Meanwhile, Tails was busy taking on Conan. Much like Raven, Conan maintained the high ground, in his case using the Chaos Wing. He drew from the deck of Chaos Cards, ready to strike. "Sorry it's come to this, but I owe Emily her life back!" he shouted, tossing several cards towards Tails, which exploded around him! The fox leapt out of the smoke and took to the air, prepared to chase after Conan, while below Emily ran up to the two of them. "Please, Conan! I don't want this! Come down from there right now!" she cried. "Stay back! I don't want you hurt in the crossfire!" Conan shouted, holding up one of the cards to summon a whirlwind that made it difficult for Tails to stay airborne! Skye stepped up to Emily. "Don't worry. My dad won't hurt him...he'll bring him to his senses!" he told her. Easier said than done, Tails thought. He was pretty low on tricks after all they'd been through, but he did still have his arm cannon, which materialized around his hand as he pointed it at Conan. "She has her life back! What about the world??" he shouted, firing a blast as Conan tossed another explosive card, their projectiles colliding! The resulting shockwave forced them both to land, and Tails tried to keep the pressure on him with his laser. Conan dodged the shots, flicking the deck of cards from one hand to the other before producing several cards in the first hand. "I don't share your altruism. Now, fall!!" he shouted, holding up three cards, which each sent a different elemental energy bolting towards Tails! Flames, lightning and ice crashed around the fox, cutting off his escape! There was only one move to make. As Conan watched the elements surround the fox, he smirked, thinking he'd won. However, a light flashed, and a tail whip broke through the elemental barrier! He'd equipped a Chaos Tailband, and was looking pretty serious. "I won't lose to you!" he warned.
While the battles unfolded, another being was flying overhead. Heavy wings flapped, a shadow looming over Emily and Skye. The squirrel glanced up, and could see a dragon swooping toward Skye! "L-look out!" she cried, pushing him aside only to get snatched up by the dragon instead! As she shrieked, Conan instantly dropped what he was doing. "Emily!! Gah, it's you!!" he stammered, recognizing the draconic form of Darkosmo! The morph scoffed. "I meant to grab the foxy scientist, but I guess you'll do for a hostage, girly! Let's go somewhere more comfortable!" he cackled, carrying Emily away as she cried out for help! Tails and Conan immediately gave chase, with Skye and Alpha quickly following. "Aw, is the movie over?" Alpha sighed. "We'll have to set this aside for now. I have to save Emily!" Conan said. Tails nodded. "That, we can agree on!" Fera was the last to follow after them, having decided to ditch the injured Raven. "I guess we're taking a detour. But let's not forget we've still got things to settle!" she grunted. As they left, Raven staggered to her feet. "Wolf doesn't mess around... And now the morph's here. Fantastic. Maybe I should just cut my losses..." she groaned, considering her options. She flapped her wings a bit, and started to rise into the air. "Might as well see this through. It's better than sitting back and waiting for those slime balls to eat me. Not like there's anywhere to run to, anyway..." she grumbled, starting after the others, albeit a bit slowly.
Atop the Chemical Plant's buildings were smoke stacks, but they weren't spewing smoke. More ghostly spirits rose out of the smoke stacks, a very unsettling sight. And yet, atop one of these smoke stacks sat Infinite. He watched Tails and his group attempting to give chase below, a slightly amused smirk on his lips. "So distractible. This is what emotional attachments get you. It might be TOO easy for me to accomplish my vengeance." he mused. "Aww, you're gonna get bored?" asked Lospecter as he poked his head out of the smoke stack, "If it was really so easy, why hasn't anyone done it yet? I mean I could if I weren't so swamped. After I check on you I gotta scoop up this minion and that minion...always gettin' things ready for the boss' big bad plan!" Infinite glanced toward him without turning his head. "I detect an odd sort of exhaustion in your tone. I didn't think the dead could get tired." he grunted. Lospecter "sat" on the edge of the smoke stack next to him, yawning. "I'm not dead, exactly, I'm Lost. It's like...an oddball sorta purgatory. Some of us are gifted with more sentience than others, some pretend to be sentient when really they're zombies using memory of life to trick the living. No matter what though... we can't feel like we used to." he sighed, almost sounding regretful. Infinite stood up, arms folded, a look of utter dispassion on his face. "I don't need to feel. I will gladly join your efforts to purge this world of weakness and emotion, in pursuit of true power!" he declared, starting to rise into the sky, almost like he was a spirit himself, but it was of course the Phantom Ruby's power lifting him. "I will prove my might by ending the lives of those sentimental fools! So sit tight, and watch the show!" he snarled as Lospecter watched him, letting out a weary sigh.
To be continued...
