GeneX - The Series
Episode 3 - Mysteries of the ARK
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.
The story thus far:
Fifty years ago, a terrible incident occurred aboard the Space Colony ARK. Full details about the event were never released to the public, though it eventually came to light that it was most likely an operation meant to capture the Ultimate Life Form, Shadow the Hedgehog, shut down all "potentially dangerous" research going on aboard the ARK, and silence all who knew anything about these events.
During the shutdown of the ARK, many died. The military organization GUN had called their deaths the result of a horrible accident. Shadow the Hedgehog knows this to be false, but over time has come to see the modern incarnation of GUN as a separate entity, and begun to find some semblance of peace now that the Black Arms are no more. On this day, exactly 50 years after the shutdown of the ARK when so many died, Shadow finds himself at a memorial erected to honor the memories of those lost souls...
Now, on to the episode!
The Space Colony ARK memorial. Etched on this large, single grave stone were the names of all who died on that fateful day when the military landed on the colony and shut it down... by force. Shadow stood over the stone, glancing over the unfortunately long list. His eyes froze over one name. Maria Robotnik. He heaved a heavy sigh. "....Maria...." he heard himself whisper. His eyes saw a shadow cast over the name, and he knew he wasn't alone. Shadow glanced to his right and saw, of all people, Bucky the rat. His lab coat was buttoned up, which was unusual for him, and he carried a single rose. He set it down in front of the stone silently. "You..." was all Shadow managed to mutter. Bucky stepped back and glanced at the list. "...Gerald's name should be here... A part of him died that day, too." he said, "I wasn't lying when I said I knew him, Shadow. I was there... I was aboard the ARK." Bucky sighed. Shadow stared at him suspiciously. "You don't look like you're over fifty..." he muttered. Bucky chuckled at this. "Neither do you." he said, glancing over the list of names a bit longer. "Well... I must be going. Personally, I'm amazed GUN hasn't swarmed my position yet. I guess old Gunner doesn't get us sentimental types, huh, Shadow?" he said, walking away slowly. Shadow turned towards him thoughtfully. He only had time for one question, it seemed. "Did you know her? ...Gerald's granddaughter?" he asked. Bucky glanced back. "Maria...? ....I saw her around. Sweet girl." he said before leaving. As the rat left, an elderly man walking with a cane approached the grave. He had gray hair and a pair of blacked out spectacles. Shadow glanced at him and nodded. "This one looks over fifty..." he thought. The man looked back to be sure Bucky was gone, and then leaned towards Shadow. "The ARK yet holds secrets... If one has the nerve to dig them up..." he whispered. Shadow crossed his arms. "I'm listening..... Hmmm??" he expected the elderly man to talk more, but he'd turned and started walking away. "Hey, where are you going??" he asked. "Yes! It's tragic! Oh, how I miss my Elizabeth! We had such chemistry!! And she was a brilliant assistant!" the man shouted, almost crazily. Shadow scratched his head curiously. "How strange... But it's not as though I can just fly up to the ARK and look around. Besides, would it really be worth my time?" he muttered.
Shadow was on his way out of the graveyard, when he saw something going on beyond the gate. Flashing police lights were surrounding some commotion. "Hmm... Trouble." Shadow muttered, running out the gate to check it out. At first, it appeared to be a simple car accident. An old red car was run into a tree on the side of the road. Some people were gawking nearby, and police officers were questioning them. "Wait... if this is a simple car accident, what's with all the questioning?" Shadow wondered. He crept over towards the car to examine the scene of the accident, when Officer Razor the porcupine appeared and stopped him. "Hold it, Shadow! This is a crime scene! You can't just barge in like this!" he said. Shadow glanced at him. "Crime scene? And... do I know you?" he muttered. Razor crossed his arms. "No, sir, but everyone knows you, Shadow. I'm Officer Razor of the SSPD. Though I'm getting transferred to Troblusk City in a few weeks... Never mind that. And yes, crime scene. Someone was murdered here. According to eyewitnesses, a winged figure flew in front of the car and zapped the driver with some kinda magic. Old guy didn't have a chance..." he said, turning back to resume his work. Shadow kept his distance and thought about this. "Old guy... Could it be...?" He had to be sure about this. "Officer! Can I see the victim? I might... know something..." he shouted. Razor turned back and took off his police cap awkwardly. "Umm... It's not a pretty picture. There's not much... left of him. However, we've recovered a cane and... this." He produced an evidence bag containing a familiar pair of blacked out spectacles, stained with blood. Shadow gasped. "I knew it... The old man who spoke to me in the graveyard... He's been murdered!" he realized. Razor took out a notebook as if he was about to question Shadow. "You don't say... Can you... describe him? Like I said, there's not much...left." he mumbled.
After telling Razor what he knew, Shadow tapped his foot impatiently. "Now, can you tell ME anything useful?" he asked. Razor put his hat back on and closed his notebook. "Sounds like the guy... Might've been killed because he said too much. Or it could just be a coincidence. This isn't the first case involving this winged character to come across our books." Razor admitted. Shadow crossed his arms. "Is it a serial killer?" he asked. Razor shook his head. "Not unless this is a special kinda wacko. We're having trouble finding any link between the victims so far. It's possible this might be some sort of murder-for-hire deal, but we can't find any real evidence to back up that theory, either. The victims don't have mob connections or anything like that. I don't understand it..." he sighed, "Well, I'm just a beat cop, I'm no detective. The detective cases fascinate me, though. That's why I know so much about it." he chuckled. Shadow nodded. "Winged killed... Do you know anything else about the killer?" he wondered. Razor shrugged. "Witnesses say he always wears a hood. No one knows what he looks like." he explained. Just then, an alarm went off in Shadow's mind. A hooded, winged mystery being... he'd seen it before! He thought back to Darkegg Fortress, when he was in battle with Sgt. Gunner's ultimate weapon, the Diablotron. A mysterious being suddenly appeared and finished the Diablotron off, allowing Shadow to move on and catch up with Sonic deeper in the fortress shortly after. "That... that's the Deathbringer!" he gasped. Razor pulled out his notebook again. "Wha-wha-whaaat? Could you repeat that, Shadow?? Do you know something?" he asked. Shadow shook his head. "Not really... Just a... fake name. The Deathbringer. Can't be his real name." he said. Razor wrote it down. "No, but it's something to go on... Thanks! Hey, need a lift anywhere?" he asked. Shadow shook his head. "I need time to think about all this..." he said, running off to mull over all this information he'd just soaked up.
Wandering through Central City, Shadow soon found himself at the Night Babylon district, a place of flashing neon lights and various clubs and casinos. Shadow spotted Club Rouge at the back, arguably the flashiest place in the district. He crossed his arms and looked thoughtful. "I need more information, but the police don't like working with 'civilians...' I suppose I'm in the right place..." he muttered, heading for Club Rouge. A man at the door stopped him at first. "Hold it, buddy. You on the list... Oh, Shadow! I-I didn't recognize you at first, sir! ...please don't hurt me..." the rather large and brutish looking bouncer whimpered. A familiar voice called out angrily. "What's going on!? Why are you cowering like a big baby!?" Rouge the bat emerged from inside, and smirked when she saw Shadow. "Oh, of course. Well, I guess you did do a number on him the last time he tried to bounce you out of here. Come on in, Shadow." Rouge winked, leading the black hedgehog through the busy casino to her office in the back, a room decorated with dozens of precious gems and priceless knickknacks, also studded with jewels. She sat down on top of her desk and crossed her legs, picking up a large sapphire and admiring it. "So, Shadow, what brings you here?" she asked. He crossed his arms. "I'm trying to catch a murderer... Can you help me?" he asked. Rouge promptly put down the sapphire and stared at Shadow. "Murderer? Now that's messy... Personally, I'd rather not get involved in such a thing... Unfortunately, Gunner's got me tracking down a psycho right now, too. I'll get right on it once I get past my disgust that that guy's giving ME orders. I work for the president! Not him!" she grumbled. Shadow nodded. "Seems Gunner has some clout with the President, huh? But why would he be concerned with a murder case...?" he wondered. Rouge shrugged. "I don't know... Something about it being a 'winged freak' bumping off humans. Ouch. Say winged freak to me while you're asking me to do something. I hate that guy. I love this sapphire he gave me, though..." she muttered, conflicted. Shadow stared at her with wide eyes. "Wings? He put you on the same case! Rouge, can you tell me anything about the victims? Do they have anything in common?" he asked. Rouge stood up and glanced at him curiously. "Hold up... Why are you so interested in this case?" she asked. Shadow sighed. "The last victim tried to tell me something... I think he was killed because he said too much." he explained. Rouge frowned. "Oh, boy... I guess we're in this thing, huh? Well, come on, then... We'll need my BATT-computer..." Shadow raised an eyebrow, and she chuckled, "Basement Assistant to Thieves... for some reason it came with that name." she said.
Rouge pulled a slot machine lever on her wall, and a hidden door opened leading to her basement. Shadow glanced at her. "What if someone wants to try that slot machine?" he asks. "The machine takes 20s." Rouge explained. They headed down to the BATT-computer, a device with several screens with a frame around it shaped like a bat. Rouge sat down and started typing at the keyboard. "The police have the information... Luckily, my computer should have no problem hacking into their files... Just don't tell Gunner, he doesn't like when I mess with protocol, it's only OK when HE does it." she grumbled. In no time, she had a list of the known victims, but like Razor had said, there didn't appear to be much connection between them, if any. Shadow scratched his head. "Maybe we're thinking about this wrong. The old guy who talked to me said something about the ARK. Are any of the other victims from the ARK?" he asked. Rouge did some typing and nodded. "Seems two of the victims were old guys that worked on the ARK... Warren Techa and Gregory Frederickson... There they are on the screens." she said, displaying the victims. Shadow recognized one of them as the man he'd seen at the graveyard. "There... Gregory. He said something about the ARK having secrets..." he said. Rouge nodded. "Gregory was... One of Professor Gerald's assistants on the ARK... when it was operational 50 years ago!" she gasped. Shadow stared at the image. "What...? But... I don't know him..." he muttered. Rouge glanced at Shadow. "And how many of Gerald's assistants DID you know...?" she asked. Shadow was silent. He tried to remember, but his memories of the ARK were all but gone. Only Gerald and Maria remained in his mind. Rouge checked the other file. "Warren was one of Gerald's assistants, too... They worked on the prototype of the Ultimate Life Form. The Biolizard. They were imprisoned for years, until you escaped. When you helped stop the Biolizard, you essentially cleared their names and they were freed. They were thought to be Gerald's 'accomplices...'" she said. Shadow shook his head. "Something doesn't add up... Did any other of the Professor's assistants escape the ARK fifty years ago?" he wondered. Rouge started typing. "I'll look into it.... There are mostly lists about who died, but... If I cross-reference that with a list of those who were on board... Here we go. Give me a minute." It took Rouge a bit, but she managed to work out the survivors of the ARK. "OK, Shadow... You owe me a Chaos Emerald for this. There were six members of Professor Gerald's team who survived, not counting the professor himself." she said. Shadow sat down on a nearby chair, completely astounded. "That many?! They made it sound like most everyone died... And... Exactly how many people were on the professor's team, anyway?" he muttered. Rouge shrugged. "That was a big lizard. Must've took a lot of people. Anyway, along with Warren and Greg, there was Nevin Crimm, who disappeared some years after escaping the ARK... According to this, the government was hunting for him, too, but never found him." she said. Shadow rolled his eyes. "They may have covered their tracks..." he muttered. Rouge sighed. "Next one died of natural causes, no good to us... Next is Bartholomew Wheeler and... Nesbitt Prower??" she mumbled, displaying the next two assistants onscreen. Nesbitt Prower was an elderly fox, with a bit of a resemblance to a certain two-tailed friend of Sonic's. Shadow nodded. "Are they alive?" he asked. Rouge glanced at him. "Alive and retired. We'd better get to them before a certain hooded angel of death does!" she warned.
Shadow and Rouge decided to split up so they'd reach the two old assistants quickly. Shadow took the address of Bartholomew Wheeler from Rouge and hurried to Station Square as fast as his feet would carry him. However, when he reached the city, the blaring of police sirens told him all was definitely not well. He sped past the sirens to the hotel by Emerald Coast. "Chaos Control!!" he shouted, warping up to a second story window and smashing his way inside with a quick Chaos Spear! A woman inside screamed as he jumped in, and Shadow hurried to the door, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Sorry... wrong room..." he grumbled, hurrying out the door. Looking at the room numbers, he quickly found Wheeler's room and banged on the door. "I'll only open for the police!" An elderly voice shouted from inside. "Wheeler... You're still alive?" Shadow said. The door slowly opened a crack. "Is that... Shadow...?" the old man mumbled. Shadow crossed his arms. "Are you gonna let me in?" he asked. Wheeler closed the door. "How do I know you didn't kill Techa and Frederickson?" he stammered. Shadow tapped his foot. "You know I could just break down the door if I wanted..." he pointed out. Wheeler thought about this for a moment. "...Good point. Get in." he said, opening the door hurriedly. Shadow walked in and sat down just as Officer Razor was coming to the door. "Police! What's the emergency?" he asked. Wheeler glanced out. "You guys are so slow... I could've been killed by the time you got here!" he said. Shadow cleared his throat. "Um... Bart... Do you know why anyone would want to kill you?" he asked. Wheeler glanced at him. "...No... Well, maybe... I don't know so much about the others, but... I know too much..." he stammered. Razor scratched his head under his hat. "Really? Could you give us some details?" he asked. Wheeler sighed heavily and sat down on the hotel bed beside the window. "After the accident at the ARK... No respected science team would have us. Do you know what it's like to be treated like criminals when you've done nothing?" he said. Shadow crossed his arms. "Was everyone on the ARK blamed for the 'accident?'" he asked. "The scientists were... So, some of us found other work... Some of us got on GUN's radar... Me... I found the rat." Wheeler said. Razor's eyes went wide. "The rat... Bucky??" he mumbled. Wheeler nodded. "That's right. Nevin Crimm and I, and some others... We all went with Bucky on his little venture... He had a plan, you see... And he'd discovered the perfect place to set up his lab. Crimm and I went to check it out, but... Something terrible happened... Those creatures... The... the slime..." Wheeler became lost in a horrific memory, stammering and whimpering as it all came flooding back to his mind. "No... don't go in there, Nevin!! NEVIN!! He... he's gone..." he stammered, making Shadow and Razor start to approach him. "Bart...? Wheeler, are you all right!?" Shadow gasped. "The slime... Devouring him... It took his face! Now... his slimy face says... 'I am... Lucifer....!!' Aaaaaahhh!! Nooo!! I can't go back there, Stein! I quit!! There are demons in that place! Your mad science will be the death of us all!!" Wheeler shrieked. Razor backed away and pulled out his police radio. "We may need a straightjacket up here..." he said. Just then, a powerful energy blast crashed through the window, smashing into Wheeler and leaving a hole in his chest! He was killed instantly! "What!? No!!" Shadow gasped, running to the window. Flying outside, he could see the winged, hooded being known as the Deathbringer! This was his chance to catch him!
Razor talked into his radio again. "Never mind the jacket, get a body bag..." he sighed. Shadow nodded. "I'll catch the Deathbringer!" he shouted, leaping from the window! "Chaos Control!" he warped towards the Deathbringer as it flew away, and as he emerged, he tried to land on top of the murderer. However, the Deathbringer spun around and kicked him back! "Dare not interfere with me!" the hooded being warned, its voice a distorted jumble, likely concealed by a machine. Shadow fired Chaos Spears at the Deathbringer, only to have them blocked by a shield of dark energy! Shadow landed on the ground below and shouted up to the Deathbringer. "What's your game?! Why would you help me before, only to start killing senselessly later?" he asked. The Deathbringer stared down at him. "Help you? Ah, you mean destroying that machine... It had nothing to do with helping you. I just sent you on your way afterward so you would leave me alone... Does that explain enough for you? Farewell..." Before Shadow could do any more, the Deathbringer flew off at rapid speed. He rubbed his chin curiously. "If not to help me... Then why?" he wondered. Just then, Razor caught up to him. "Shadow! How'd you know to show up here?" he asked. Shadow turned to Razor. "Um... Lucky guess?" he muttered. Razor crossed his arms. "I'm not dumb, Shadow. You know something. Based on all this, I'm guessing the murders now have a connection to Space Colony ARK somehow..." he said. Shadow nodded. "OK, not bad..." he said. Razor smirked. "I've been reviewing the victims' cases. Turns out a bunch of them have some connection to the ARK." he said. Shadow raised an eyebrow. "A bunch...? Not just Gerald's assistants?" he said. He then shook his head, "Never mind. We have to get to Nesbitt Prower over at Emerald Town. He might be the Deathbringer's next target." he warned. Razor nodded. "Come on. I can fill you in on what I dug up on the way." he said. "No time." Shadow insisted, running off as fast as he could. Razor sighed. "Speedy hedgehogs are so impatient..." he muttered.
Nesbitt Prower was old, and was living at a relative's home, unable to care for himself anymore. Shadow hurried to the building shaped like a large fox's head, Tails's house. He found Rouge outside the door, tapping her foot impatiently. "Hey, Shadow. The old guy won't let me in. Apparently, Tails told him ALL about me..." she grumbled, rolling her eyes. Shadow smirked. "He thinks you're here to burglarize the place? Doesn't Tails know you're a jewel thief?" he asked. "If he ever comes home I'll ask him... Any news on the other guy?" Rouge asked. Shadow stared at the ground. "...Dead..." he grumbled. Rouge glanced at the door. "We gotta get in there..." she said. Shadow tried banging on the door himself. "Open up! Wheeler, Techa and Frederickson are all dead!" he shouted. The metal door quickly slid open, and an elderly, brown furred fox with a yellow tufted tail stepped to the doorway. "...Shadow... You're too late, I'm afraid..." he murmured. "Nesbitt... What do you mean, too late?" Shadow wondered. "Hey, where's Tails, anyway?" Rouge asked. Nesbitt motioned for them to come in, and as they hurried inside, he looked like he was trying to gather his thoughts. "Tails... Tails... Miles? That's my great nephew. He's more brilliant than I was, I think... He has so many labs and workshops... Oh... I sent him away, that's right. He will be safe..." the old fox mumbled. Shadow and Rouge glanced at each other briefly, then Shadow continued to question Nesbitt. "You said it was too late. What did you mean?" he asked. Nesbitt sat down in a rocking chair in the corner, pulling a blanket around himself. "Right, right... Those horrible murders... First, the engineer. Then Techa... This person, whoever it is, was killing us off one by one. I had to take precautions. If... if IT were to fall into the wrong hands..." he mumbled. "It?" Rouge asked. Nesbitt glanced at Shadow nervously. "...I'm sorry, Shadow... I may have made a mistake... I thought I could trust him, but... Maybe he was the wrong man to tell..." he stuttered. Shadow walked over and tugged at Nesbitt's blanket. "Focus, old man! What did you say, and who did you say it to?" he demanded. Nesbitt groaned. "He... was part of our team... We were going to change the world. I should have known he was changed. Now he's with GUN... But... his grandpa was murdered, too... Why would he turn on us?" the old fox mumbled. "Nesbitt!!" Shadow shouted. "Where is he, Nesbitt?" came a voice behind Shadow and Rouge! Turning around, they saw the Deathbringer at the door! "You! Stay back!" Shadow warned. Nesbitt looked at the Deathbringer and gasped loudly. "H-he's come for me...! Th-the angel of... death!!" he yelped, wheezing loudly as terror swept over him. The shock was too much for the old man to take, and he stumbled out of his chair, apparently succumbing to a heart attack! "Whoa! Nesbitt! Hang in there, old guy!" Rouge gasped, hurrying over to him. Shadow rushed towards the Deathbringer, but it simply jumped out the door and flew off. "He's no good to me dead! Farewell!" the Deathbringer yelled.
Razor arrived with the Central City police moments later. While the local police dealt with Nesbitt and began seeking out Tails to notify him of what had happened, Razor talked things over with Shadow and Rouge. "So... Got a spy on your side, eh, Shadow? That's how you did it." he chuckled. Rouge winked. "That's right, I'm the brains of this outfit." she said. Shadow sighed. "I think I'd better hear what you know now, officer. Nesbitt said something about an engineer... and someone who works for GUN who may be the Deathbringer's next target." he explained. Razor nodded. "Okay... Does this mean we're gonna work together, then?" he asked. Rouge chuckled. "Get serious. Shadow works alone." she said. Razor crossed his arms. "If we were all on the same page, these people might stop dying." he pointed out. Shadow looked thoughtful for a moment. "The Deathbringer may be after something. But so is the guy we're looking for. We have to track him down, quickly." he said. Razor smiled. "Now that wasn't so hard... Well, the engineer was the first victim. He worked on the engines used to get Space Colony ARK off the ground... Marvin Spizzweld, I think his name was." he said. Rouge raised an eyebrow. "Spizzweld? That's... um... Well, I'm not supposed to say, but that's Spy's last name. I didn't know he had a relative that worked on the ARK..." she muttered. Shadow shook his head. "Spy's not smart enough to tie his own shoes. He can't be our culprit. Anyone else who works for GUN have a relative murdered by this guy?" Shadow asked. Razor looked unsure. "I don't have the files with me..." he sighed. Rouge grinned. "I have a wireless version of my BATT-computer... The B stands for Blackberry in this version." she said, pulling out a small handheld computer. In a few moments, she pulled up the files again and looked through the list of victims, this time cross-referencing it with people currently on GUN's payroll. Along with Spy, another name came up. "Aha... Look here! Seems Gerald's old assistants aren't the only ones being killed. An old assistant of one Professor Buck Stein was killed, too. Igor Nammad. His grandson currently works for GUN as a scientist... Ivan Nammad." she said. "That must be our guy!" Razor realized. Shadow looked at the image of Ivan Nammad on Rouge's screen. He was a man with messy black hair, a pair of small glasses, and wearing a white lab coat over a blue shirt. "All right, Nammad... Let's find out what you're after..." he muttered. "Where to?" Razor asked. Shadow thought about it. "...The ARK yet holds secrets... If one has the nerve to dig them up..." he muttered. "Huh?" Rouge asked. "Gregory Frederickson said this to me... Maybe he was saying more than I thought. But... I think he meant a place connected to the ARK... The graveyard!" Shadow gasped.
Shadow hurried to the graveyard, the place where this whole mystery started, with Razor and Rouge following in Razor's police car. Shadow had to get to the Space Colony ARK memorial quickly. While he was heading there, a man approached the grave stone, only to find a rat already waiting for him. "Even a fugitive like me watches the news. The old team being murdered one by one. It could only be by someone who didn't know where it was buried... And who would have ambition to equal my own... Dr. Nammad." Bucky said, turning around and growling at the wild-haired scientist in front of him. "Bucky... I, uh... I didn't, uh... Think you'd come." Nammad stammered. "You killed my old friends and associates and you think I'd just ignore it?!" Bucky snarled, sparks flying from his fingers. "Wait! Wait one, uh, minute! You've got it all, uh, wrong! I didn't kill, uh... anybody. I only came for, uh... the..." before he could finish, Bucky fired a bolt of lightning into the air! "What do you take me for!? Did Gunner put you up to this, Ivan!? You were still loyal enough when I was captured! You even helped me stow data into Guard's mind as I recall! What prompted this complete change of character?" he shouted. Nammad produced a fancy looking ray gun from his pocket. "You, uh... never change, Bucky. You glory hogging, uh... hypocrite! And, uh, just why are you the only scientist fit to hold, uh, the secrets of life?" he growled. Bucky chuckled. "You think you can kill me as easily as you killed those old men?! You forget... I don't age!" he shouted, firing bolts of electricity towards Dr. Nammad, only to hear someone call out "Chaos Control!" Shadow emerged in the path of Bucky's bolts, saving Nammad from being fried to a crisp! "Arrrgh! Bucky, STOP!!" he shouted. Bucky ceased his attack and stared in surprise. "You defend this murderer?!" he gasped. "...He's not the murderer..." Shadow muttered. Bucky raised an eyebrow. "Then who??" he asked. As Nammad looked around nervously, he suddenly heard another voice yell "Get down!" just before Rouge flew in and tackled him to the ground! She was just in time, as an energy blast seared through the spot where Nammad was standing a moment ago! The Deathbringer flew down and growled. "I will not let him acquire what he seeks! He is a dangerous man, and I will stop him now!" it shouted. Bucky immediately fired bolts of electricity at the Deathbringer, which it flew up to avoid! "So! You killed my old partners! You wretched demon! Why!? What business is it of yours!? They were my friends! They took me in when the government wanted my head! They gave me a family when mine cast me out!" he shouted with tears in his eyes. "How could you take that away from me!?" he roared, taking to the sky and firing a huge burst of lightning and electricity towards the Deathbringer! The hooded being brought up a shield of darkness, trying to defend itself from his rage-fuelled attacks. Razor arrived at this point and, seeing this, fired a warning shot into the air. "Stop!! No more murder!! Shadow, we gotta do something! Bucky and the killer should be arrested!" he said. Shadow nodded. He had to keep Bucky from killing the Deathbringer, that much was sure. It would only make things worse for him. "Chaos Control!" He warped up towards Bucky, looking for an opening in all the bolts of electricity to hit him through. Finding none, Shadow tried the next best option. "Chaos...BLAST!!" Creating a chaotic explosion, he managed to knock Bucky away and force him to cease his attack until he got his bearings. The Deathbringer took this opportunity to look for Nammad, but he'd bolted in the confusion. "Blast..." it muttered, then glancing at Bucky. He'd dropped to the ground, and was sobbing. "...." The Deathbringer hung in the air for a second, looking contemplative, and then flew off, a couple of its ruffled feathers fluttering to the ground as it escaped. Shadow, Razor and Rouge approached Bucky at first, but then Razor realized something. "Shoot! Nammad flew the coop! I'd better find him before the Deathbringer does!" he gulped, rushing off to protect his fleeing eyewitness. "Don't let Bucky get away!" he shouted back. Rouge crossed her arms. "I'm not getting barbequed if he puts up a fight..." she muttered. Shadow frowned. "The Deathbringer got away... It was all for nothing..." he sighed, "But... maybe not. Was he really... After Nammad all this time? I wonder... I wonder if Nammad built the Diablotron... This may explain everything... But then why kill the others?" he muttered. Rouge looked puzzled. "Well... Nammad works with GUN. Maybe it was to lure him away from GUN's forces. Maybe he knew Nammad would leave to go after whatever was hidden here..." she said, turning to leave. "Unless it's jewels, I'm not interested. See ya, Shadow."
Shadow turned to Bucky. "What's here, old man?" he asked. Bucky chuckled. "A memorial. Nothing more." he said, standing up to leave. "If... you were to find anything... Keep it out of the wrong hands." he added, walking away. Shadow turned and watched him. "You're just going to walk out of here?" he asked. Bucky nodded. "I've done nothing worse than I've ever done before. GUN can take a hike." he said. As Bucky left, Shadow looked at the memorial, his eyes resting on Maria's name for a bit. "...No bodies... The bodies were left on the ARK. So... what's buried here?" he muttered, noticing that the ground looked like it had once been dug up.
As Dr. Nammad made his way to his car, he chuckled to himself. "Winged murderer... How, uh, convenient..." he muttered, "Even if this, uh, character was out to get me, too... Now that we're on to him, I'll, uh, be well protected. And no one will ever, uh, suspect..." he stopped short, looking around in case someone was listening to him talking to himself. "Old Spizzweld wouldn't, uh, talk... I had to send the others a, uh, message... Hehehe... Unfortunate that I leave with, uh, nothing... But at least everyone suspects, uh... the winged one as the only, uh... culprit." he smirked. As he opened his car door, he heard Razor's voice behind him. "Dr. Nammad!" he shouted. "Eeep... Why do I always talk to, uh, myself...?" he whispered, slowly turning around. Razor had a look of concern. "Come on, we gotta get you some police protection. The Deathbringer could still be after you." he said. Dr. Nammad sighed with relief. Razor hadn't heard his mutterings. He smiled to himself. One day, he'd get the recognition he sought after. No matter what it took.
Meanwhile, Shadow had been busy digging for whatever was hidden beneath the memorial. He had to work fast, so he used his hands and some occasional Chaos Spears to loosen the dirt. Eventually, he found a box. It was a metal box, actually an odd sort of container. "What is this... It feels cold..." he muttered. Whatever it was, it had a refrigeration unit of some sort, apparently running on powerful batteries considering it was buried. He found a latch, and pulled it open. Inside there were several test tubes containing samples of something. Pulling one out, Shadow could see what it was. "Blood samples... Why kill over this... Unless..." He looked for a label on the test tubes. One of them did have a label, which read: "Ultimate Life." Shadow placed it back in the cooling container and stood up, backing away a few steps. "Samples... of my blood, or the Biolizard? Either way... Doesn't matter... Bucky's team stole them from the ARK. What were they doing with them? What happened to Nevin Crimm? Are these events related? Is the Deathbringer covering this stuff up, or Nammad?" he stammered, confused. Then, he remembered what Bucky said. "...Keep it out of the wrong hands. He's right. This could be used to find the answers to these riddles, but... In the wrong hands, it could be used to create an army of Ultimate Life copies, possibly. In the wrong hands, such an army could be disastrous, and yet... Hmmm..." Shadow thought for a moment and closed the refrigeration unit. "To simply destroy these samples would be to destroy what's left of Professor Gerald's work. I need to leave it somewhere safe..."
The refrigeration unit containing the DNA samples of the Ultimate Life form was last seen resting in a safe beside the BATT-computer. First the safe was closed, and then, as Shadow and Rouge exited the basement of Club Rouge, the hidden slot machine passageway slid shut as well. No one but he and Rouge know where the DNA samples are hidden, and Shadow aims to keep it that way, for now.
Episode End!
