NexGen: GeneX Epilogue
Part 2: The Case of the Spaceship
Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA.
NexGen, GeneX and related OCs are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.
It was lights-out time at the recommissioned Prison Island. The inmates were locked away in their cells, and left with little else to do but sleep the night away. Richard Gunner wasn't sleeping, however. He sat up in his uncomfortable prison bed, holding up a book against the dim light of a lamp. These were among the few comforts the villain was allowed, and many would say he deserved less. He couldn't easily focus on his reading, though, as the sound of a night stick tapping along the prison bars was driving him nuts. It was annoying someone a couple cells down, as well; Conan the Raccoon, who grumbled at the passing guard. "Come on, keep it down. We're at least entitled to a good night's...you?!?" The raccoon's alarmed voice drew Gunner's attention, and he set aside his book before creeping to his cell's bars to check things out. However, he couldn't see or hear anything, and after a moment he yawned and started to turn back to his bed. Then, he heard the stick tap against his own cell's bars. "Tsk, tsk, it's lights out time, old man." the guard stated. Gunner growled. "Don't speak to me like that! I'm a grown man, and I'll..." as he turned around, he noted the guard's glowing yellow eyes, "Y-you!! Stay back! Guards!! Help!!" he shouted as the glowing-eyed man unlocked his cell. "I gave 'em the night off. Figured a guy who ran GUN for a bit might know... Got any spaceships hidden away somewhere?" the "guard," Kosmo the Morph, asked. "Who do you think I am, Eggman?" Gunner stammered. Kosmo morphed his hand into a hammer shape. "I think you were worse than Eggman. C'mon, a spaceship that crashed around the time of the Black Arms invasion, not a Black Arms ship. Ring any bells?" he asked, holding his hammer-hand threateningly. Gunner winced and groaned. "That time? I wasn't even Sergeant until a bit after that. You might ask my predecessor..." he said. "Murten's dead, try again!" Kosmo snarled. "N-not Murten! There was another Sergeant in the interim! I got the job when he retired! ...Doyle, that's who you're looking for! He retired and became a private detective. That's all I know!" the old man stammered, a bit panicked. Kosmo locked the cell again on his way out. "Well, if I need you again, I know where to find you..." the morph snickered, vanishing into the night afterward...
ONE MONTH LATER...
It took a bit of detective work just to find Detective Doyle, but Kosmo and Carrie found themselves at the door to his office/apartment at last. "Hopefully when we do find my ship, between it and Ozzie's ship we'll be able to rebuild a functional spacecraft..." Kosmo murmured. It hadn't taken too long to find Ozzie's ship after the Lost One war; It was actually found on a helicopter pad in the city, clearly having landed during the one-day war, and having been damaged since. Copter stepped hesitantly toward the door where Kosmo and Carrie were standing. "I dunno what you need me for..." he grumbled. "Well, ya got more experience dealing with GUN than me..." Carrie stated, "And you're more cuddly and unthreatening than Kosmo. We might need a good cop here." Copter raised an eyebrow. "You're not the good cop?" he asked her. The door opened after a moment, and a gray haired man with sunglasses and a black trench coat peered out. "Not exactly the sort of clientele I normally get... Mobians typically go to the Chaotix. So, what's a group of fuzzballs want with me?" Doyle asked, lighting a cigarette as he stood outside the door. "It's about your time at GUN..." Kosmo said with crossed arms. The detective lowered his shades to get a better look at the morph. "My time with GUN? Hmm... And given your biology... I'd figure this is about that space wreck. Surprised ya took so long to come lookin' for me." he said, blowing smoke that made Copter cough. "Can you put that out?" the fox groaned. "...helps me think." Doyle murmured, "I figure that ship belongs to you, but I can't say as I know where it is now, it's been so long. I'd suggest askin' Gunner or the Commander..." he stated. Carrie frowned. "Let's say we're not on the friendliest terms with GUN... And Gunner sent us to you." she said. Doyle nodded, and reached somewhere behind his door to grab a ratty old hat. "Then come with me. I got an idea where to start... By the way, if you're hirin' me, who's paying?" he asked, prompting Kosmo and Carrie to glance at Copter. "Why you... You don't need a 'good cop,' you need someone who's held a job before!" the fox groaned.
The detective drove them to the warehouse district of town, stopping at an old, dilapidated-looking building. A seemingly abandoned warehouse. Doyle actually had a key to let them in. "Aw, and I was ready to turn into a key myself..." Kosmo joked. "Or I coulda ripped the door off its hinges with my powers." Carrie chuckled. "I prefer not getting in trouble with the law..." Copter sighed. There were several file cabinets stored in the warehouse, and Doyle opened one, starting to rifle through the files. "Ought to be able to find records if the ship's been moved around. Help me search, wouldja?" he said. "Paperwork?? ...Yeah, can I just leave now, Kosmo?" Copter groaned. Kosmo shrugged. "No one's forcin' ya to stay." he stated. While the detective and his clients rifled through papers, Copter decided to simply take a look around. "So, this is a GUN warehouse? More of a dump than I even imagined..." Copter muttered, "But I guess that's why nobody'd break in here, hm?" he mused. Doyle held up a file, examining it. "This is the last file for the ship, I recognize the serial number here..." he murmured, "...but the transfer site was redacted. Hmm..." Copter ignored him, examining some robots resting on the shelves. "Huh... These beetle designs are a bit different..." he murmured. The headlights on the beetles turned on, and Copter shielded his eyes. "Gah, shoot! Er, DON'T shoot!" he shouted, backing up. The red-colored beetles began firing flamethrowers all around, setting the warehouse on fire! "What did you DO, Copter!?" Kosmo yelled. "Not my fault! I think these bots were waiting around for intruders!" Copter shouted, running from the flames. Doyle's eyes narrowed as he looked at the robots. "Those aren't GUN models..." he stated, clutching the redacted file as he joined the others in rushing for the exit! There was nothing they could do to stop the blaze as the warehouse went up in flames...
Back at Doyle's office, the group considered what they knew. "GUN wanted to keep the ship hush-hush. Guess they had plans for it, hm? Gunner probably lied through his teeth to me when he said he didn't know anything!" Kosmo growled. "GUN's a big organization. It's possible even when he took it over, he missed some things... I'm more curious about those robots..." Doyle said as he sat at his desk, looking contemplative. Copter stood in the corner, sighing in annoyance that he actually had information for them after all. "I think they were BOMB robots..." he stated. Carrie looked a bit confused. "Uhhh, no, they used flamethrowers, not explosives..." she babbled. "Band of Mobian Blaster, or whatever. They're what's left of Gunner's minions. Stole GUN's designs and all, and I bet they'd love a spaceship to blast us with..." Copter explained. While he was talking, Doyle picked up the phone on his desk. "There's one contact that might be able to fill in the gaps for us... Hello, this Guard?" the detective said, having dialed and already gotten an answer. "Grr... Speaking..." Doyle had set the phone to speaker, so the others could hear him. "Hey again, Guard. Ever hear of BOMB?" Copter asked. "Or, let me ask another question..." Doyle suggested, "Got any leads on shady dealings GUN may have had under Gunner's command?" he questioned. Guard grunted over the phone. "BOMB is a major headache for us right now. Rrrr... I'll give you any help with them that I can. However... Heather and I are enjoying a bit of time off right now..." Kosmo made a face. "Yeah, don't give us any details about that..." he murmured. "We'll try not to take up much of your time..." Carrie sighed. "...Grr... I'll tell you where to meet us..." Guard grunted, "Seems the day off's over, anyway..."
Guard met them at a facility resting at the end of a long road, far removed from the city. It looked like a GUN base, at any rate. "Grr... This base was decommissioned, but we have reason to believe this BOMB group have taken it over..." Guard stated, swiping a key card at the steel entry doors in order to open them, "Those amateurs haven't been able to upgrade the security." he noted. "Better stay prepared for anything. You call 'em amateurs, but I saw their robots at the warehouse. Someone had to know what they were doing..." Doyle said with his cigarette clenched in his teeth. Copter shoved past Guard and headed inside first. "Look, sooner we deal with this, the sooner I can get back to vacationing with Gemini..." he grumbled impatiently. As he entered, however, bright lights were shone in his face, forcing him to cover his eyes. "Oh, crap." he growled. "Well, well, Copter the fox! We were hoping to get a chance to take you out again!" came the voice of Agent 32, Doug Stone, over a speaker. Kosmo ran in next to Copter, looking around as his eyes adjusted to the spotlights pointed at them. "Where are ya, you slimy rodent? I just gotta ask some questions!" the morph shouted. Some robots that looked a bit more like modern drones than the typical beetle were surrounding the group even as Carrie and Guard joined Copter and Kosmo. "I've sent someone to meet you. Ask him your questions..." Stone snickered. Kosmo was impatient, however. "You guys keep 'em busy. I'll find the man in charge here..." he said, his body turning to steel as he ran ahead, bullets bouncing off him as he went! Carrie held back the shots fired at the others with her psychokinesis, but she dropped to the ground after a moment. "Aaaah! Spiders! They're all over me!!" she shouted, trying to swat off invisible spiders. "Huh?" Copter muttered, confused. "Grrr, Basker!" Guard pointed. Approaching from the front hallway was a collared Basker the Hound, clearly being controlled by the collar. "Hello, Arthur Prower... Hello, Doyle..." Basker waved. Doyle cursed under his breath. "Sherlock Basker... One of Sergeant Murten's old experiments. Guess you've been reclaimed by BOMB." he grumbled.
Not that Copter much cared about Basker's backstory, but now he more or less knew. Before he kidnapped wolves, Sergeant Murten's scientists experimented on dogs. They created a soldier capable of manipulating the fears of his opponents, but GUN higher-ups found out about these experiments and stopped them, imprisoning Basker. The Covenant of Despair released and recruited him, and from there Copter only wondered how Basker escaped Prison Island after the Lost One war, but he could guess. It likely involved BOMB agents infiltrating GUN. It all mattered little, as Copter had to face the apparition of Aries projected through Basker's powers, while also managing to battle the hound himself. Fortunately, Guard was immune to Basker's fear-powers, apparently, and took his scythe to the air to challenge the drones while Doyle tried slapping Carrie out of her fearful state. Copter charged the projection of his dark self, whacking it with his tails! "I ain't afraid of you personally, just what you'd do to my friends! Fortunately, I ain't all that chummy with Guard or Carrie..." he said, stopping short as he saw Basker holding a handcuffed Gemini in his arms, holding a knife against her throat. "Stand down..." the hound warned. Copter took a step back, but then grit his teeth and held his head. "No, it's a trick! Gaah, you might not even be the real Basker, dammit!" he said, more to himself than anyone. It was then that Copter was grabbed from behind by the real Basker! "You're quite hardened against your fears... But all I need is a little opening..." he sneered. "Meh. Chaos Blast." Copter said, knocking Basker away with a blast of Chaos energy, which also fried the control collar around his neck. Basker stood up straight, and removed his fear illusions. "I owe you for managing to free me... So I'll leave now without a fuss." the hound stated, heading for the exit. Copter looked around and saw more drones and beetles flying towards them. "Hurry up now, Kosmo..." he grumbled.
Kosmo located Stone deep in the base, in a sort of control room. There were other BOMB agents working there as well, but Kosmo was quick to disarm them, buzzing through the room in bee form and giving each agent a quick sting as they tried to aim their guns at him. While they were holding their wounds, Kosmo turned into a large gorilla and carried Stone off, finding a window to dangle him from. "No, nooo!! Put me down!!" Stone cried. "Are you gonna behave?" Kosmo snorted. "Wh-whatever you say, please!!" Stone shouted. Kosmo hoisted him back in, and returned to his normal form, holding the agent pinned against the wall at the same time. "Seems you idiots stole something that belongs to me... A ship." he stated. Stone adjusted his green shades. "P-pirate ship?" he stammered. Kosmo clutched his collar and glared back at him with his glowing eyes. "Don't be dumb. What do you know about a space ship?" he grunted. Stone was sweating, there was no backup coming, it seemed. He gulped, feeling he had little choice but to answer. "It's not here. We got a... a lab somewhere. We got some guys tinkering with it, trying to figure out how it works!" he stammered. "Oh, just what we all need, you guys flying through space trying to wipe out all who are different from you. Where's the lab?" Kosmo growled. Stone seemed hesitant, so Kosmo turned his arm into a blade and stabbed it into the wall next to him. Doug Stone was certainly not made of stone. "I'll tell you, okay! Urgh... I hope you're goin' back where you came from..." he groaned.
When they left that base, Copter and Carrie were worn out. Guard wanted to salvage his day off, and detective Doyle had decided to help the authorities track down the escaped Basker. This left Kosmo on his own to break into the lab. He had to hurry, because BOMB was likely to catch wind that he was coming, and might move the ship again. Fortunately with his shape-shifting powers, it was fairly easy to sneak through the lab disguised as a scientist. Within the lab, he found a purple vehicle with a rounded shape to it, curved wings on either side. He snuck his way into the cockpit, and reverted to his true form, examining the controls. "Best way to handle this would be to fly it right out... Wonder if it has gas? Wait, I crashed it, is it even capable of flying?" he wondered, resting his hands on a smooth surface of the control panel. The ship then pulled his hands into itself, seemingly merging with him! "H-hey, leggo!" he stammered. "DNA verified... Welcome back, Master Komet." came a voice through a speaker. "Th-the name's Kosmo..." the morph babbled. Either way, the ship started to react to his thoughts, and the BOMB scientists in the lab started to panic as the ship took off! It blasted through the roof of the lab, and they were off on their way, but they hadn't gone far before the ship sounded an alarm. "Engine failure! Immediate landing advised!" Kosmo groaned at that, and made the ship turn. "Let's try to get where we need to go before we crash again..." he sighed.
Ultimately, the ship crashed once again, this time into the outskirts of NexGen Village. Kosmo was battered a bit, but he survived the crash, at any rate, and while he was resting in the village, Carrie soon caught up with him. "Could you be any more reckless?" she asked him. "Well..." Kosmo stated, stepping out of the hut he was staying in, "I couldn't let Gunner's little cult spread out into space, now, could I?" he stated as Carrie followed him. The pair headed to Hoover's garage, where the ship had been moved while he was recovering from the crash. Tails was there, and he and Hoover were both looking over the ship with awe. "This is some crazy technology!" Tails stated, tapping the side of the vessal with his fist. "What's it even made out of?" he questioned. "My theory? I'd say it might be designed fer transformin' just like them morphs do..." Hoover said, sitting on top of the ship with a wrench in his hand. Kosmo and Carrie found them geeking out over the ship and chuckled softly. "Alright, nerds. Think there's any way you can get it flying? ...We happen to have another junk heap kinda like this." Kosmo said, referring to Ozzie's ship. "I guess I can give it a try..." Tails said uncertainly. "Hah! I'll git it patched up way faster than you would!" Hoover boasted. "Why don't you just work together?" Carrie sighed. Tails seemed happy to do so, but Hoover groaned. "Fine, fine, but if'n ya mess me up, yer out!" he grumbled. "As if an Eggman robot could out-tinker me..." Tails murmured. "Those repairs could take a while..." said Copter, who was just joining them, "How we gonna get ahold of you when its done?" he asked. Kosmo looked around and shrugged. "Guess we might as well stay here... Ya think, Carr?" he asked. Carrie chuckled, "Sure, Komet..." she teased. "I told you about that in confidence..." Kosmo groaned. At any rate, the matter was all settled for now... Kosmo's next adventure would be a voyage home.
To be continued...
