GeneX - Shatterverse
Chapter 9 - The Ringmaster
Copter and Libra found themselves caught in a deadly free-for-all, in a coliseum known simply as "The Ring." They were forced to battle their fellow "castaways," but the handful of allies they'd found in their cage all silently agreed not to fight one another. Instead, they battled those of their cell-mates who were more interested in survival than escape. Copter stayed close to Libra, using his Chaos Whirlwind to blow back people he could swear he recognized from the Covenant of Despair, now wearing the garb of their respective worlds instead of black suits. "Chaos, I missed my Whirlwind!!" Copter shouted, having lost that power in the high school. Libra watched his back, stunning some approaching gladiators with dark lightning. "Don't let the school uniform fool you, boys! I used to be the Deathbringer!" she warned. Sir Galahad was fighting alongside the literal EGG Man, his sword flying about, controlled by psychic energy. "Knaves! You attempt to harm my comrades, and I won't let that stand!" he shouted. The Egg Man was avoiding laser fire from gladiators with futuristic weapons using a jetpack on his back. Vortex had found a gun amidst the weapons left in the arena, and had no issues with shooting alternate versions of his experiment brothers dead. "Drop! You're not the real Zipp! Ugh, die, Spiny! I never liked you!!" he shouted. Sheriff Lucky was nearby with his own magical six-shooter, covering Toon Sonic as he sped about, trying to disarm their opponents. "Ease up on the trigger, 'Tex! They're prisoners like us, we oughta spare 'em!" he shouted. "Watch your own tail!" Vortex snapped. He wasn't wrong, as a stray bullet, which could have come from anybody's weapon, struck Lucky in the chest! He collapsed to the ground, and Toon Sonic rushed to his side, a horrified look in his cartoon eyes. "I'm hit... Urgh... Th-this is it for me, pard... I-if you see my wife... Tell 'er I... l-love..." He went limp in Sonic's arms, and his tearful eyes suddenly burned with rage! He sped off into the swarm of gladiators, bashing them with cartoon hammers, dynamite explosions, and other cartoon logic attacks that knocked them flat! Fortunately, the timer soon reached zero, and aside from Lucky, Copter's allies had survived. As Fera watched from the arena entrance, a Crabmeat scuttled up to her. "Bring the foxes to me... They need motivation to fight properly..." its robotic voice said. "Yes, Ringmaster..." Fera stated, watching the robot scuttle away nervously.
Copter and Libra were led through the facility by Fera and Doyle, robot guards ensuring that they behave themselves along the way to the Ringmaster's office. When they saw who rose from the desk, their eyes widened. "Lady and gentleman, welcome! I am your Ringmaster..." he began. "Cancer!?" Copter said with alarm. There was Cancer the Vulture, standing wearing a red suit and top hat, leaning against a fancy walking stick. "Ahh, so we've met in your world, hm? Never mind the pleasantries, though. You two... You held back in that battle. Deliberately avoided lethality. How did that work for your cowboy friend?" he asked with a smirk. Copter attempted to lunge at him, but Fera held him back. "You bastard!" he growled. Libra was more reserved, but only a bit. "So, what, you found yourself a robot army to control here, and this is how you rule? Brutality for entertainment!?" she shouted. Cancer approached her slowly, and then bashed her across the face with his walking stick! "I arrived here at a world in chaos! Castaways were fighting endless wars, either for control or in desperation to return to a home lost to them! I took control of the mechanical castaways, and I restored order! Now you can have a long, prosperous life here... My top combatants are well taken care of. But you must do your part!" he said, giving Copter a quick whack with his stick, as well. The foxes groaned in pain, but they were in agreement. "Go to hell! We'll shut you down!" Copter snarled. "Like Stone-Fist Knux? I treated him so well, and he tried to raise a rebellion. You should ask him how that worked out sometime..." Cancer murmured, raising his stick over Copter again only to lightly tap his head after he winced. "You'll learn, or you'll die. Until then, you in particular will have a busy fight schedule. Pray I don't pit you against one another. Take them to the intermediate barracks. Smart mouths like these can skip the beginner class..." the vulture sneered, stepping back to his desk as Fera and Doyle led the foxes out.
And so began a busy battling schedule for Copter and Libra. Since they refused to use lethal force, they absolutely HAD to win each match in order to keep their heads. As long as the crowd cheered them on, Cancer was willing to play things their way for a while. Battle after battle they fought for their lives, sometimes joined by a tag-team ally, such as when Copter and Toon Sonic took on a Black Bull ridden by a bandit from the cowboy world, whose face was hidden by a bandana, but Copter was convinced this was Howler. While Toon Sonic zipped around distracting the fire-spitting alien, Copter flew up and struggled with the bandit for control of his gun. This led to the bandit accidentally shooting Black Bull in the head, leading to a tidy victory for Team Copter. At around the same time, Libra had been battling another gunman whom she'd had to disarm and knock out. She returned to her cell in confusion. "Fang the Jerboa??! What the hell? He was Nack the Weasel! Wasn't there a weasel just like him in Despair, Daisy?" she asked the skunk, who shared the intermediate fighter cell with her. Daisy nodded. "Guess weasels go by a different species name in his world...maybe? Never heard of any jerboa, either. Maybe Mitch can clear this up when I get home..." she murmured, "...Fang's almost as lame a name as Copter, too, but don't tell him I said that." There wasn't time to rest, as Copter was soon faced with the Roboticized Fred he'd encountered in the Backward Fates world. Of course, a robot was ordinarily little trouble for him, but he wanted to ask questions. "Fred! Can you understand me?? What happened to Gemini in your world!! I wanna know!" he shouted as he struggled against his metal arm cannon, trying to point it away. Fred wasn't talking, however, and Copter was forced to smash his arm cannon with his tails. "Your world is basically mine, except I didn't survive... What happens to Gemini without me!?" he shouted, shaking the robot until the guards came in to drag them away. Meanwhile, Libra and Sir Galahad faced off against a key-toting version of Zeke the Dragon and a fiendish Dark Rainbow as well. Galahad's sword clashed with Zeke's key while Libra and Rainbow exchanged dark magic blasts. "The matches are getting tougher... Cancer's serious about controlling or killing us..." Libra huffed, gasping as Galahad's blade flew by and beheaded Dark Rainbow! "I-I'm sorry... In my desire to defend you, I... I forgot myself...." the knight stammered. Libra zapped Zeke with a bolt of darkness, knocking out the already worn down dragon. "We can't forget ourselves!" she snapped, "What's the point of escaping if we lose our souls?" she asked him. "...Nay, I don't believe I shall be escaping with you..." Galahad sighed as guards came to escort them away...
Within the hidden base of the "Band of Mobian Blasters," or BOMB, Dr. Eggman stood observing a colorful crystal in a containment tube. There were monitors all around the room, showing footage of countless other worlds. The Backwards World, the School, and many others were displayed. Eggman tapped some buttons attached to the Ring's monitor, and Sage appeared onscreen. "Status report!" he stated. "Copter, Libra and Daisy are confined to the Ring. The other prisoners are secured in other worlds for now. If I may, I wish to express my concerns about the stability of the Shatterverse. Copter's defiance has gone beyond my calculations, and he is determined to get home at any cost. If he secures the right ally, he may succeed, and though the chance is slim, he could potentially shatter the Paradox Prism from within. This could have catastrophic effects on the world you have taken up residence in." she explained. Eggman scoffed. "A lower-intellect version of Tails couldn't possibly throw off my plans like that! Just keep him occupied. I'm close to a breakthrough, I know it! Soon I'll be able to do more than transport data-based projections into the Paradox Prism... I'll be able to alter the reality within! And once I can do that... Hehe... Hehehehe!! What do your simulations say about that?!" he cackled. Sage nodded. "Our goal will be achieved with minimal struggle. I will continue to monitor the prisoners..." she stated, the screen cutting back to the cell where Copter, Libra and Daisy were resting between matches. Eggman crept away from the monitors, following a set of cables away from the containment tube and over to a set of attached pods, peering into one where Copter was contained, laying soulless within. "Look at you. Pathetic. I'm mystified that this world's Eggman ever thought you could be useful to him! Keep sleeping... if you don't perish, then once you awaken... I will be your master!"
To be continued...
Egg Memo X9
My fledgling empire is called BOMB; Band of Mobian Blasters. Apparently Sonic and his friends are identified as "Mobians," but the term actually originated from an alternate dimension where the world itself was named Mobius. I'll have to conquer that world later. But that brings me to a realization; This isn't the Prime dimension. Rather, it's something of a master dimension, where components from the rest of the multiverse have drifted to and combined. A Prime dimension would be the origin point, like the dimension that spawned a Shatterverse. This is a destination, where much of the concepts introduced by the other dimensions come together and form something far more...complete. And if this is a destination...there is likely a Paradox Prism here...
Well, this is all still theories and hypothesis, anyway. BOMB will keep Sonic occupied while I seek the truth...
