GeneX - Soleanna Struggle
Chapter 16 - Gemini's Burden
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.
"In the night-light, do you see what you dream?
All your triumph, and all you'll ever be.
Look around you, then you may realize,
Happiness lies trapped in misery." - Dreams of an Absolution, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006
After escaping the crashing Shadow Arcangel, Gemini was very worried about Copter and Heather. She could think of nothing else but finding out if they were OK. To assuage her fears, Guard used his internal sensors to see if he could find Copter. It didn't take long until he succeeded. "Grrrr... Copter is safe. He's in Soleanna, somewhere, but he appears to be moving fast. Grrr... He might be in a car." he said to Gemini. She looked thankfully at Guard. "That's good. I'm very glad to hear that. Thank you, Guard!" she said as they began walking through Soleanna. "Grrrr... So... What will you do now?" Guard asked. Gemini looked rather unsure of herself. "I really have no idea. I may just collapse... It's been a tough day... Or couple of days... I don't even know anymore." she said grimly. Suddenly, Illusi appeared in front of them in his usual puff of smoke! Guard quickly struck a defensive pose. "Grrr!? What the...? Who are you!?" he growled. Despite the fact that they were both on Shadow Arcangel when it first took off, Guard had never actually seen him. Gemini calmed him down. "It's OK! That's Illusi, a friend of mine. What brings you here, Illusi?" she asked. Illusi appeared frustrated. "I lost track of the Dark One, um... Punchy, a moment ago. Have you seen him?" he asked. Gemini looked worried again. "He wasn't on Shadow Arc, was he?" she asked. Illusi shook his head. "Of course not. Why? Has something happened?" he asked. Guard pointed in the direction the ship had crashed. "Grrrr... The ship plummeted into the ocean moments ago. Grrrr... Don't tell my master, but I was partially responsible..." he explained. Gemini smiled slightly. "There were a lot of Lost Ones, including Losipher up there! I bet they're finished now!" she said. Illusi frowned. "Wow, what a mess. First, let me tell you that any celebration is quite premature, those Lost Ones will all have survived. They're probably hiding out in sewers or something... With Shadow Arc gone, they'll simply roam around, which in my opinion is far more dangerous!" he said. Gemini's heart sank upon hearing this news. "Just great... I set out to change the future for the better, and I end up just making things worse..." she sighed. Illusi looked at Gemini and Guard's weary faces and got an idea. "Hey, now, chin up! Sure, Lost Ones are on the loose and Dark One is missing. I at least heard that Shadow has taken up the task of battling Mephiles! Come, you two need to relax. We'll visit those hedgehog bartenders. Drinks are on me!" he said cheerfully. Gemini and Guard didn't seem to be in the mood, but they followed Illusi anyway. After all, drinks were on him!
Bill and Bob were quite glad to have customers. It had been a rough time for them. Due to Eggman's attacks and threats, everyone in the city was too busy preparing for the worst, and their business had dried up. "It's awful. I tell ya, that Eggman character sure ruins everything for everybody!" Bill had said. Bob gave Gemini a can of soda, and then set to work pouring tea for Illusi. Guard didn't order anything; as an android, he had no need for food or drink. "So, didja ever find those folks you was lookin' fer?" Bob asked Guard. The gargoyle nodded. "Grrrr... Both the phoenix and the assassin." he said. Gemini and Illusi were both eager to hear the full story behind Guard's presence there, so he took a moment to explain. He told them everything: How Gunner had asked him to spy on Shadow, the death of Rick the Gargoyle, his mission to capture Heather, all of it. "That's quite a story." Bill said at the end. Illusi was a bit miffed. "It's an outrage, what they let Sergeant Gunner get away with! And stranger still is this Deathbringer..." he said. Bill looked thoughtful at the mention of the Deathbringer. "Y'know, I think that character came here before chasing you to that shadowy angel ship. The hooded, black winged character." he said. Bob nodded in agreement. "Ordered a black coffee. I bet there's a real purty gal under that there hood of hers..." he said dreamily. Bill slapped him in the head. "What're you, stupid!? The Deathbringer's all man! Didn't you hear his deep voice?" he said. Gemini had her own thoughts on this. "The Deathbringer's voice keeps changing. I think he uses a machine to disguise his voice." she said. Illusi sipped his tea. "It's probably best not to dwell on it. After all, this 'Deathbringer' may have died on that ship." he said. Bill nodded in agreement. "You're right, but I think I may be able to offer some insight on this shady character's motivations. See, when he came here, I got to talkin' with him. He told me about that phoenix. See, he'd found this bird, all alone and scared, and it knew better'n she did that folks were after her. He told her to hide out here in Soleanna, and meet him here on the day of the Sun Festival. She did, and he told her that some thugs were coming to town to look for her, but that one among them might be trustworthy. I think he proved helpful to her." he told them. This story gave them all something to think about, even as they finished their drinks and left. One thing was certain: the Deathbringer was truly a mystery.
Gemini, Guard, and Illusi began wandering the streets of Soleanna's New City, and Gemini told Illusi more about her battle with Losipher. "That monster... Losipher... In the future, he killed several of my friends. We only wanted a safe refuge to hide from Iblis, but no place is safe in my time. I came back to stop Losipher. In the end, I literally spent most of the battle fighting myself. It was a Lost One that looked the way I looked when I almost became one of them." she told him. Illusi looked thoughtful. "Guard said earlier that when Losipher tried to absorb you, he couldn't. I think I understand why now." he said. Guard and Gemini stopped walking and looked at Illusi, curious to hear his answer. Illusi cleared his throat and began to explain. "The Lost Ones, as I understand them, are creatures born of souls either lost... or stolen. Lost Ones can extract the souls of others, even corrupt their bodies with their souls still in them if they so desire! You faced that when they took over you before." he said. Gemini nodded. "Yeah... It was only because of Knuckles that I was able to escape from that nightmare." she recalled. Illusi seemed fascinated by her story. "I've never heard of one being saved from the Lost Ones after they'd been taken over. The ramifications of this may be the real reason why Lospecter started attacking you. If you managed to free your soul from their grip, then you may have developed an immunity to their power as a result! It's truly remarkable!" he said. Guard seemed interested in this as well. "Grrrr... Perhaps if she can do that, others could as well. Grrr... That would render those monsters almost harmless." he reasoned. Illusi shook his head. "No, it's too dangerous to test that theory. Not without being fairly certain of the conditions that allowed Gemini to escape. But there's still one important fact in this. If you, Gemini, really are immune to the soul snatching power of the Lost Ones, this can give you an incredible advantage over them. I might go so far as to say that you may be the only one who actually stands a real chance of defeating them!" he said.
"And that is why I must insist that you die!" Lospecter's voice rang out through the area, seeming to come from everywhere! In a moment, his gassy form appeared in front of Gemini, Guard, and Illusi, holding out a hand of cards. "Pick a card... Any card... Like this one!" He flipped over one of the cards, which displayed an image of a Loskel! In an instant, the card vanished and around 20 Loskel appeared, surrounding them! "Lospecter! You didn't come here just for this! Fess up! What are you after!?" Illusi shouted, hoping to finally learn why exactly Lospecter was in Soleanna. The card loving spirit merely laughed at him. "Hee ha... Sorry, you're just a joke. I came here to kill that girl and take her Chaos Emerald. And the Time Stone, while I'm at it, not that either object really interests me. Oh, you wanted to know what it is I REALLY want here in this sickening city of water, eh? I dunno... It's sensitive information, I'm not sure I can trust soon to be dead people with it!" he chuckled. Guard had his scythe ready and waiting to fight. "Grrrr... Don't worry about that, we're not dying any time soon!" he growled. Lospecter grinned at his defiance. "You really are an amusing dog-bat-devil-thing, aren't you? Well, if you think you'll survive, I guess that changes everything! Or nothing... Aw, what the heck! Keeping a secret is dull and boring! I confess, I don't really want ol' Mephy-less to get his power and revive the Flames of Disaster and all that jazz. Really, I plan to double-cross him and play keep away with the Chaos Emerald." Lospecter flew down to Gemini and held out his hand. "So what do ya say? Give it to me?" he offered. Gemini swatted the spirit with her wand, which simply passed right through his gaseous form. "Ha ha ha, you're feisty! I like that! No, wait, I hate that... Well, whatever, while I'm telling you guys everything, I might as well add that I chose the perfect soul for Losipher's thousandth... before I ever even showed up here! It's that phoenix, you know. Her fiery spirit seems like just the thing that sad and miserable Losipher needs!" he said, flying a distance away to get a better view of what was about to happen. "That was all I needed to hear!" Illusi said, pulling out the strange key that he'd been using throughout the day. "Gemini, I recommend you return to your own time. As honorable as your intentions were, it is not right to meddle with the past. Don't worry, I am confident that you can defeat Losipher now!" he said before turning the key and using it to escape!
Lospecter snapped his "fingers" as Illusi escaped. "I gotta get that key thing away from that guy!" he said, "Well, we still got you two! Loskel, mash 'em like sweet potatoes!" The Loskel began to approach them, and Gemini thought about what Illusi said. Guard would probably be fine, and going to another time would be an easy way out of this battle, so Gemini held out the red Time Stone that Copter had retrieved for her. Lospecter began to worry as he considered what she was about to do. "Hey, there, little mage! Hold it! You better not be thinking what I think you're thinking!" he shouted. Gemini smiled, certain she was making the right decision. "Sorry, Lospecter, but I think we need some time apart. Say... about 200 years!" With that, she held the Time Stone over her head and used it, vanishing in a brilliant flash of light!
As the light faded, Gemini found herself back in Crisis City, but on a street that was unfamiliar to her. She thought to begin searching for Losipher, but quickly found that she'd accidentally taken some of the Loskel with her! Three of them surrounded her and prepared to strike, while Gemini hurriedly attempted to ready her wand, but in her rush, she dropped it! Just when it looked bleak, she heard a familiar growling, followed by the Loskel getting slashed one by one by a scythe blade! Guard had also joined Gemini on her trip to the future, and easily saw the Loskel defeated. However, their slimy remains started quivering on the floor. "Grrrr!! C'mon, let's get out of here before they pull themselves together!" he suggested. Gemini quickly hopped over the slimy mess and ran over to Guard, hugging him in her relief. "Thanks for that... I thought I'd left you behind..." she said. Guard looked very serious as she released him. "Grrrr... Don't act surprised. I couldn't leave you to deal with this all by yourself. Grrrr... Now, let's hurry. Those puddles are writhing faster." he said, following Gemini as she led the way.
As Gemini led Guard around the fiery city, contemplating what to do next, Guard gazed at the chaos and destruction around him. "Grrr? This... is the future? A giant ruin? Grrr... How did this happen?" he wondered aloud. Gemini shushed him. "Not so loud... Monsters could be anywhere. It's dangerous in this city." she said quietly. Guard spoke more cautiously as he restated his question. "Grr... How did the world come to be destroyed like this?" Gemini did like most people in her time, and pointed to the flames all around. "The flames. They belong to an eternal life form, that appeared sometime in the past. The Flames of Disaster, which we call Iblis. Life's tough because of Iblis. He can't be destroyed, as far as we can see. I wanted to help everyone find a way to live with Iblis, so I became a mage and joined a group of freedom fighters. We searched for a safer place for people to live, and we found the one place untouched by Iblis' flames, Onyx Island. You might know it as Angel Island. But Eggman Nega and the Lost Ones controlled that place. We Freedom Fighters were massacred, especially when Losipher got into the battle. I can't stop Iblis, but maybe I can stop Losipher. I want to do that to help my people find a safer home!" she explained. Guard continued looking around at the destruction as they wandered the city. "So, that's the story, is it? Grrr... Iblis... I'd like to try to fight it, but I suppose that might just be a waste of time. Grrr... So, I will help you battle Losipher before returning to my own time. Grrr... Perhaps in my own time, I can devise a way to stop Iblis before it destroys everything." he decided. Gemini scanned the horizon for any sign of her destination. "I appreciate that, Guard. If I didn't think I'd need the help, though, I'd send you back to your own time right now. Losipher is much stronger in this time, and he was no pushover in the past." she said. Guard started looking in the direction Gemini was looking. "Grrr... Where will we find Losipher? Do we have to go to Onyx Island?" he asked. Gemini seemed hesitant to answer. Bringing Guard to the place of his death seemed a creepy idea, but it was the last place she'd seen the Losipher of her time. "We head for Soleanna Castle. On my last return to this city, Losipher was there." she said, heading off in the direction she believed it was in.
Things began to get dangerous as they got closer to the castle. An increasingly large amount of monsters attacked them at every turn, but Guard and Gemini easily took out anything in their path. Still, the way the monsters were appearing troubled Gemini. "This is strange. So many monsters are coming after us. It's almost like they're actually looking for us!" she said at one point. Guard nodded. "Grrrr... They're movements are not that of a group of patrolling guards. Grrrr... It's more like an army on the march..." he noted. Still, they proceeded easily enough for a while, but Gemini felt it necessary to try another path to the castle, hoping to throw the monsters off. As they wandered through an old city street that seemed in particularly bad shape, though, they found themselves surrounded! Monsters seemed to leap out of every nook and cranny of the area, including some of the larger varieties. Additionally, these monsters were purple, rather than red. As Gemini and Guard moved around, clutching their weapons, a sinister laugh rang out through the area. "I know that voice..." Gemini muttered, turning in the direction it was coming from. Sure enough, the crystalline shape of Mephiles showed itself before them. "Surely, you didn't think I forgot about you! I still want that Chaos Emerald of yours!" he sneered. Gemini backed away from him, while Guard stood to defend her. "There's no way I'm ever giving it to you!" she shouted defiantly. Mephiles didn't seem to care about what she said. "You know, it's useless to try and stop me. I already know how this all turns out. I know I will get that Chaos Emerald in the end, and when I do, my plan will be complete!" he said confidently. Guard glared at him with hatred. "Grrrr!! You're the same one that attacked us at the GUN compound! Grrr!! So, you can travel through time? I don't care. Your plans will never succeed, no matter what you think!" he yelled. Mephiles seemed to smile at that statement. "It's amusing how you mortal creatures cling to your false hopes, even in the face of the unstoppable. I can see it's useless talking to you. So, I'll leave you with my friends here!" At Mephiles' command, the monsters began to approach them, but Gemini wasn't about to fight a useless battle with them. She grabbed Guard by the arm and waved her wand. "Abra-ka-warpra!!" she shouted, warping them both away in a flash of light! Mephiles seemed not to care about this event, though. "Run all you like. I'm through playing your games..."
Gemini's plan to throw off the monsters worked, she'd changed direction to make them think she was going somewhere other than the castle. As a result, her warping dropped them off at a safe path that soon led them to the castle where they'd fought the Lost Ones before. This time, however, the guard monsters were missing. A possible reason for that was standing around in front of the castle. Gemini's surviving friends, Fred, Adam, and Evelyn were there! Gemini ran over to them in a moment of extreme relief and joy, and was greeted by Evelyn, who gave her a big hug. "I was certain this time that you all were dead!" she said, sobbing uncontrollably. Evelyn released her and she rushed to hug Adam next. "Wah!! Get off!! OK, OK, I'm happy to see you, too, but don't cry all over me!" he shouted, struggling against the embrace. They were so preoccupied with Gemini that they didn't see Guard at first. "Hey, isn't he dead? I could've sworn..." Adam started to say until Evelyn elbowed him in the chest. "Oof!! What'd I say?" he grumbled. Evelyn simply grinned and waved at both of them. "It's good to see you. Welcome back, Gemini." she said. Gemini was overwhelmed by the moment, but had to know how it happened. "Did you guys beat Losipher? How'd you escape?" she asked. Adam and Evelyn were too fixated on Guard to answer, so Fred took over explanations. "After you and Punchy disappeared, Losipher... well... he called the running cowardice, and claimed to be so sickened by it that he'd lost his appetite for our souls. Then he told us that he was planning to go after Iblis and try to consume him or combine himself with him. With their combined power, I don't think anyone will stand a chance of survival. After replenishing our ammunition, we were going to chase him and try to stop him." he said. Gemini frowned. "No, you can't! He'll just kill the rest of you! I don't want to see any of you die! That's why I'm going to stop Losipher myself!" she insisted. Guard felt her argument needed support. "Grrrr... I will look after her, as well." he said. Adam couldn't contain himself after hearing that. "You can't do that, Guard! You're dead! I saw you die, just moments ago! If a more experienced you couldn't handle Losipher, what chance do you think YOU have!?" he shouted, haunted by the recollection of Guard's death. Evelyn grabbed Adam by the shoulders and started shaking him. "Are... you... NUTS!?" she shouted. Guard thought about what he'd just heard. "Gr... Losipher killed me? Here? In this place and time?" he said, seeming unsure how to take it at first. Gemini was ashamed that she didn't tell him sooner. "Guard, I..." she started to say, but Guard silenced her. "It doesn't matter. Grrrr... I'm just... astonished I lived for so long. 200 years, you said? Grrr... Given that sort of time, it must have been a full life. Grrr... And I helped you all out in some way, didn't I? Grrrr... That's comforting to know. I have no regrets." he said calmly. Fred tapped Gemini on the shoulder after Guard was finished. "May I speak to you, alone, please?" he said, leading her away.
Fred had a look of utter and complete seriousness in his eyes, and Gemini knew what was coming. "You don't seriously expect me to allow you to go through with this. Taking on Losipher with only a young version of Guard with you? Have you not stopped to think about this for a second?" he asked her sternly. Gemini looked down at her feet. "I know, it sounds like suicide. And if it is, I don't really care anymore. I can't sit around and watch any more of my friends die. It's too much! I won't let it happen!" she said. Fred could see the pain in her eyes, so he gave her a hug to comfort her. "It'll be OK... You must be strong. Running off and getting yourself killed won't do anyone the least bit of good!" he said. He then released her and brushed some tears from her eyes. "I know you, Gemini. There's surely something you haven't told me." he noted. Gemini nodded. "Too well. You know me too well. Something happened to me in the past, you see. The Losipher then tried to absorb my soul, but he couldn't. I... I think I might have developed an immunity to the Lost Ones' powers!" she explained. Fred's expression did not change, he remained quite serious. "That does not mean they cannot harm you. You are not immune to death!" he insisted. "I know that! But it does give me an advantage that the rest of you don't have! I have to try this... no matter what happens. Please, don't try to stop me... Don't..." Gemini pleaded. Fred was silent for a moment, lost in thought. He appeared to be looking for something in her eyes, perhaps trying to see her thoughts. In a moment, he apparently found what he was looking for, and let out a tired sigh. "I don't like this. In fact, I hate this. But I sense that the decision is out of my hands. If you feel you must go, then I suppose I cannot stand in your way..." he said. Gemini smiled slightly at his words. "But, you will not be alone! Hold out your wand, Gemini." he added, taking her wand and touching the gem on her wand to the gem on his wand. A surge of energy emanated from the wands, and it appeared to be draining some of Fred's strength, as he started breathing heavily as he did this! In a moment, he broke the connection between the wands and handed Gemini her wand back. As she took it, Fred stumbled slightly, nearly falling. "I have transferred some of my power to your wand... I wish you the best of luck... And ask that if your mission seems impossible, do try to flee, and return yourself to us. For we could not bear to lose you either." he said. Gemini hugged him once more. "Thank you... Thank you so much, Teacher..." she said, and then helped him walk back to where the others were waiting.
As Gemini and Fred returned, Fred already seemed to be regaining his energy, and was able to walk by himself once they got there. Unfortunately, there was no time to chat. Another swarm of monsters suddenly jumped out of nowhere, surrounding the group and attacking without hesitation! Guard began fighting at once, while Adam and Evelyn pulled out their weapons and joined the fray quickly. Fred avoided the monsters as much as possible, for his strength had not fully returned yet. There were many monsters, and Gemini was certain that Mephiles was behind this, so she felt she had to help, but Fred shouted for her to go. "Gemini, you must leave now! Quickly, we'll hold off the monsters!" he shouted. Gemini refused. "No! You don't have all your energy! I won't leave you all like this!" she said, panicked. Fred quickly dodged an attacking monster. "You must! If you don't leave now, you may not get another chance!" he shouted. Guard heard the argument between student and teacher, and ran over to Gemini, grabbing her in his arms. "Grrrr! He's right! Don't worry about them! Grrrr! They've survived this long, they're not about to die now!" he said, flying past the monsters with Gemini. "N-no!! I can't leave them! Let me go!!" she shouted, struggling. Fred, Adam, and Evelyn were fighting heroically, but took a moment to call to Gemini. "Good luck, Gemini!" Evelyn shouted. "You KNOW I'll be fine!" Adam yelled. "It will all be OK, Gemini! Never forget, no matter what happens, we'll always be with you!" Fred added, as Guard carried Gemini off towards Flame Core, where he'd been told earlier Losipher had gone. Gemini realized now that there was no turning back, and waved to her friends even as monsters obscured her view of them. "Good-bye everyone... I... I'll never forget you! No matter what!" she said, feeling in her heart that this would probably be the final time she would ever see them alive...
To be continued...
