Chapter 4 - Catch That Virus!

GeneX - The Series
Episode 4 - Catch That Virus!

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:
Tails is a tinkerer. He builds various gadgets and gizmos, takes care of Sonic's planes and Extreme Gear boards, and works out of several workshops in various locations. One of his promising inventions is a robot dog known as SPOT (Sensor Puppy - Optical Transmitter). This robot rivals Dr. Eggman's badniks, having various helpful abilities including sensors that detect various energy signatures, shields and weapon systems for combat, and even some modes for transportation. The robot has become a sort of assistant to Tails in his workshops, helping in his tinkerings. However, neither of them were prepared when the Deathbringer showed up at Tails's house while he was away, frightening his uncle, Nesbitt Prower, into having a heart attack. Now, Tails copes by doing what he does best, tinkering.
Now, on to the episode!


Tails was busy at his Central City workshop. His hands were deep inside a robotic shell, tightening something with a small wrench that could easily maneuver inside what he was working on. "Well, SPOT... How's the upload going?" he asked, glancing at the nearby robot's monitor. "Upload at 73%." it read. Tails nodded. "Keep it up... Gotta get this done..." he murmured. SPOT beeped a little and displayed a new message. "You could do with some sleep. I suggest resuming after a nap." it suggested. Tails yawned but shook his head. "No... I know what you're thinking, SPOT... I'm fine... I hardly knew Uncle Nesbitt. I... I'll be okay... But I... I want to be able to protect the people important to me next time... Somehow..." he said. SPOT crawled next to Tails and sat down. "I will do my best to aid you no matter what." it's monitor read, "However, I beseech you get some rest." Tails chuckled. "Know-it-all... Fine..." he mumbled.

It wasn't long before he went back to work, however. He was tightening a screw when a knock came at his door. "Uh oh... Um... I'm gonna cover this up. Sonic might think I'm not getting out enough if that's him." he said, tossing a sheet over his project. "SPOT, unlock the door." he commanded. The robot beeped and sent a signal that caused the door to slide open, revealing Guard the gargoyle at the entrance. Tails sighed. "Oh, you again. Come in." he mumbled. Guard stepped in and exchanged growls with SPOT. "Grrr... Routine interrogation. As you know, Sgt. Gunner believes you know where Copter is." he grumbled. Tails sat down and pouted. "And as YOU know, I have no idea where he is. Sorry, Guard... I really can't do this right now... I'm going through a bit of a rough patch." he explained. Guard nodded. "I heard. Grrr.... Gunner was interested in the case. The creature broke into your house. Grrrr... I'm sorry." he said, trying as hard as he could not to sound gruff like he normally does. Tails stood up slowly. "I'll be okay..." he said. Just then, he noticed that Guard had his eyes closed, and his wings were twitching. "Sorry... I have wireless signals bouncing around in here. Are they affecting your robotic brain?" he asked. Guard grumbled softly. "There's always a little wi-fi in the air. Grrrr... Sometimes hot spots give me a headache..." However, SPOT suddenly gave an alarm. "Virus detected!! Virus detected!!" the text on its monitor read. Tails ran over and checked it out, quickly sighing with relief. "Whew... SPOT found a virus and blocked it." he said. However, Guard suddenly started growling loudly. "RRRRrrrrrrRRRRRaaaaaaAAAAAaaaarrrrghh!!!" Tails glanced up at him nervously. "....Guard?" he muttered. His eyes were flashing yellow, and his body was convulsing violently while sparks flew from his horns and fingertips! Tails backed away slightly, unsure of what to do. "SPOT, any idea what's going on?" he asked. "He appears to be malfunctioning. Suggest contacting customer support." SPOT's monitor read. "Very funny!" Tails snapped. Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice came from Guard's mouth. "Meoooowr!! Hey, this isn't any of Tails's junk! Ooooh, cool! I'm in an android! Sweeet!" the voice said. Guard's voice came through next. "Grrrr!? What!? Stop! Release me! Grrr! This is MY body!" he shouted, flailing his scythe angrily. "Heh heh! That won't do any good! Meowr! This is MY body now!" the other voice said, taking control of Guard and making him wave to Tails. "Yo, fox boy! I'm Firepaw, and now I'm a gargoyle instead of a silly computer cat! So long!" he said, controlling Guard's body and making him run out of the workshop through the front door! SPOT beeped and displayed some information. "Guard appears to have been corrupted by the virus." it said. Tails ran for the door hurriedly. "SPOT, come on! We need to catch him and purge that virus! No telling what it plans to do with him!" he said.

Outside, Tails saw that Guard was flying away, but his flight was a bit sloppy. He seemed to be struggling against the virus! "Grrrrr!! You can't get away... with this! Grrrr... How is this even... possible!?" he snarled. Firepaw chuckled as Guard's eyes flashed yellow again. "Silly dog-bat. Your robotic parts are easy for me to control. I just need an access point. Those goofy horns get wi-fi, and a hot spot like Tails's Workshop was where you were most vulnerable. Your pitiful antivirus software is no match for the Eggman Empire!" he taunted. Guard growled and forced them to flip in the air. "Grrrr!! I'll never serve Eggman!!" he yelled. Firepaw steered them toward a building. "I'm flying! I'll crash us! It'll hurt you worse than it'll hurt me... Meowr... in theory." he warned. "Stop, Firepaw!!" shouted Tails, who was riding on SPOT's back while the thrusters in its paws kept them airborne! Guard nodded, and flapped his wings hard, smacking him and Firepaw into a flag pole to slow them down! "MEOWR!! Wise guy! I'll have to burn you down! Take this!" Suddenly, Guard's body started to become cloaked in flames, forcing Tails and SPOT to back away while the gargoyle fell off the flagpole, setting the flag on fire! "SPOT! Put that flag out!" Tails shouted. SPOT flew them over and opened a nozzle on its tail, spraying water at the flag from it! Meanwhile, the fire around Guard faded, but a small flame still covered the tip of his tail, while his eyes now glowed red! "Guard's on a little vacation now, fox boy! Meowr... Now Firepaw's in charge! I think I'll celebrate by setting some fires around town before heading back to Eggman's base! Meowr ho ho howr!!" he laughed, flying off and swinging Guard's now flaming scythe at a few cars as he went, causing some small explosions! Tails watched in shock. "All right, SPOT... Can you track him?" he asked. SPOT beeped in acknowledgement. "Then let's split up and try to corner him!" he suggested, flying off SPOT's back and heading for the street in the direction Firepaw was going. SPOT's monitor displayed a message. "Be careful, Tails." it said before flying off in another direction.

It was a nice day out, and Agent Spizzweld, better known by his unimaginative codename, "Spy," was out on a coffee run for Sgt. Gunner. Because it was such a nice day, he was taking his sweet time, humming to himself. Gunner was going to yell at him for something when he got back anyway, so why hurry? However, as he was crossing the street at an intersection, he noticed the explosions as Firepaw approached, still controlling Guard! "Holy macaroni! Guard's gone bonkers!" he yelped, dropping the coffee and diving behind a car hastily. He fumbled under his coat and wrestled a gun out of its holster. "Geez, I don't think I've ever had to use this before!" he mumbled as Firepaw and Tails went right past him. "Huh!? Hey! Wait!! GUN Agent!! Freeze! Stop! In the name of Sgt. Gunner! Or Col. Thade? Whatever... the Commander's name is...? Awww... I'll catch up with you..." Spy yelled as he tried to run after them but started to get tired. However, Firepaw stopped in midair and turned around. "Hey, meowr... Did he just tell me to 'freeze?'" he smirked. Tails glanced back and thought about it. "Ummm... No, that was me." he muttered. Guard's eyes flashed red again as he wore a crooked smile. "You're a bad liar, meowrrr... I'll show him freeze!" Firepaw snickered, flying towards Spy with Guard's flaming scythe extended! Spy shrieked and started shooting randomly, too scared to look! "Hey! Watch what you're doing!" Tails yelled, running to do something. Spy turned to run, so Firepaw swung the scythe and fired a fiery energy blast at him, forcing him to dive out of the way! Before he could do it again, Tails jumped up and smacked him with his tails! "Cut it out, Firepaw! Get out of Guard's head!" he shouted. Firepaw turned and growled at Tails, Guard's eyes flashing bright yellow. "Meowr!! Make me!" he hissed, spinning and whipping Guard's flaming tail at Tails! Before it could hit him, however, SPOT flew by and fired a laser at Guard, knocking him away from Tails! "SPOT! Good timing!" Tails smiled. "That's what I need, a laser!" Spy mumbled as he dashed for cover. Firepaw flew up and glared at Tails and SPOT with glowing red eyes. "All right, I'm gonna make a point to fry both of you before I go! Meowr!!" he yelled.

Firepaw cloaked Guard in flames and charged at Tails, forcing him to fly out of the way! "SPOT, we gotta get him to stay still and then force him outta Guard's head!" Tails shouted. SPOT nodded and tried spraying some water from its tail at "Fire-Guard," but he just spun around swinging his scythe and kicking up more flames! "Meowr ho ho howr!! I'm a scorching fireball! You can't just put me out!" he laughed. Tails flew down to a fire hydrant and looked at it thoughtfully. "Hm, I can't get it open myself..." he muttered. SPOT was busy firing lasers at Fire-Guard, but he was blocking them with the burning blade of his scythe. "Hisss! Stupid robo-mutt! I can't believe I almost took over you!" Firepaw said. "You could never get past my firewalls." the text on SPOT's monitor replied. Firepaw paused to read it and got even madder. "Why you...! I AM fire! A pitiful firewall can't stop me! I just... uh... went looking for better hardware! Meowr!!" he shouted, swinging the scythe to send numerous beams of fire at SPOT! "Lure him over here, SPOT!" Tails shouted, pulling out a golden ring he'd been carrying with him. "Not sure this is a good idea... The city sure won't like the hydrant being busted..." he thought. SPOT beeped loudly and opened a hatch on its side, shooting off a flare at Firepaw to get his attention! "Meowr!? Did you just try to hit me with fire!? Dumb dog, get over here and I'll show you a flare!" he shouted, chasing after SPOT. They were soon over the hydrant, so Tails slipped the gold tailband on one of his tails. "This better work..." he said, tail whipping the fire hydrant and smashing it with the power of his Tailband of Chaos! A powerful jet of water gushed up towards Fire-Guard and SPOT, but Firepaw simply chuckled. "Nice try! Here, doggy!" he said, slipping the scythe around SPOT quickly and dragging the robo-puppy into the path of the water! "Ahh! SPOT!!" Tails gasped. The powerful jet of water struck SPOT hard, knocking it into a spin and sending it crashing to the ground! "Ha ha ha! You seriously didn't think I could tell what you were doing?! I thought you were smart!" Firepaw laughed, firing a jet of flames at SPOT from his free hand to damage the robot further! "Stop it!" Tails shouted, running over in a hurry. A gunshot from Spy made Firepaw stop his attack. "Um... I didn't do it?" Spy said awkwardly as Fire-Guard slowly flew towards him. Tails checked SPOT's monitor as he reached it. "Damage catastrophic... I am sorry..." it read. Tails wiped tears from his eyes and nodded. "It's okay, SPOT... Progress?" he asked. "Upload completed." its monitor displayed. Tails patted the robot's head and pulled a remote from a hatch on SPOT's side. "All right. I hope it's ready. Thanks, buddy..." he said, pressing a button on the remote.

At Tails's Workshop, the object covered by the sheet began to stir. Some beeping could be heard, and then a voice. "Power on... Good morning!" It was a simple digital voice. In a moment, something went flying out the open door, leaving the sheet falling to the ground! Whatever it was, it was on its way...

Fire-Guard growled as he approached Spy. "Umm... You look thirsty, pal. Want some coffee? I could go get some..." he stammered. Just then, Guard's voice came through again. "Grrrrr!! Spy, get out of here!! I... can't control...!!" he growled. Firepaw slapped him with his own hand and meowed angrily. "Cut it out! Slapping hurts us both right now! Do I have to suppress you again!?" he threatened. While Spy watched this, Tails crept up behind them intending to try to take them by surprise. However, Guard's tail snapped into him like a whip and knocked him over! "Excuse me, human. Fox boy doesn't know when to quit!" Firepaw said, turning to swing the burning scythe at Tails again. However, he rolled out of the way and got up quickly, tossing some dummy rings at Firepaw while he was busy swinging his scythe in the wrong direction! "Yeow!! What the!?" Firepaw yelped as he flew away from the exploding rings. "Rats... I only had a couple of those with me..." Tails grumbled, flying after him. Firepaw started shooting a jet of flames at Tails from his free hand, not wanting to let him get close again. "You might be strong enough to break that hydrant, but I'll never let you strike me! Meowr!" he said. Tails tried to work his way around, but Firepaw shot a blast from the scythe as well, catching him from two directions and knocking him out of the sky! As Tails tumbled to the ground, Firepaw pointed his scythe down and smirked. "I think this body's a keeper. Heh heh heh..." he sneered. However, at that moment, something came flying their way fast. It resembled an Extreme Gear board. Firepaw glanced at it, but shrugged and raised his scythe to attack Tails. As the board approached, it started to transform, sprouting four legs, a tail, and a familiar canine head with a monitor! The mechanical canine flew between Tails and Fire-Guard and opened a hatch on its back, with a pair of cannons emerging from it! Firepaw stopped short, but soon found his face sprayed with fire extinguisher foam! "MEOWR!! Not funny!! How'd you come back, you dumb mutt!?" he shouted, dropping down to shake the gunk off. Tails got up to greet the robot. "Ha ha! I see the Tails Tracker is functioning perfectly! I'm glad you're here, SPOT Mark 2!" he smiled. SPOT's robotic voice spoke up. "Alert!! Alert!!" it said, glancing at Fire-Guard. His body became cloaked in flames again, and his eyes were glowing just as red. Tails glanced at SPOT. "OK... Convert to hover-scooter mode! Let's get him!" he said.

"Whooo!! Go, Tails!" Spy cheered from behind a car. "Shut up!! I'm gonna kick his nerdy butt!" Firepaw snapped. SPOT started to turn back into an Extreme Gear mode, only this time its tail bent upward and the tip of it opened into handlebars, making it a hover scooter. "This should be safer in a tough spot like this..." Tails said, hopping on and grabbing the handlebars. As they flew into the air, Fire-Guard followed with his scythe at the ready. Tails glanced at SPOT. "Try to interface with Guard's wi-fi while I distract him. See if you can weaken Firepaw's hold on him!" he suggested. "Acknowledged!" SPOT replied with his new voice. Fire-Guard flew at them and swung his scythe wildly, trying to hit Tails, but he swung around the handlebars and kicked him away! "You'll have to do better than that!" he taunted. "Meowr! Hold still!" Firepaw yelled, tossing fireballs at them from his free hand. Tails skillfully dodged them while flying around Guard, sticking close so SPOT could try to get a connection. Fire-Guard tried to duck under them to attack the robot Tails was riding on, but SPOT's head glanced down and displayed a message. "I see you. This is for wrecking my old body!" it read. A laser fired from SPOT's mouth, forcing Firepaw to fly higher and aim for Tails again. "That lousy, stinking... H-hey... What's goin' on... Meowrrrrrzzzz!?" While Firepaw clumsily fired a flaming beam from the scythe at Tails, Guard's eyes started flickering between red and yellow and their normal, non-glowing state! Guard's own voice started to come out of his mouth again. "GrrrrrrRRRR!! Land us, or I'll crash us myself!" he threatened. "Impossible!! How did you...?! Gah! I won't lose like this!" Firepaw yelled, flinging flames in several directions that forced Tails to back away and that struck the car Spy was hiding behind, forcing him to flee! "Grrrr!! I will NOT submit to you! Never!" Guard growled. Tails smiled at SPOT. "It's working!" he said. This caught Firepaw's attention. "What!? YOU!!" he snarled, directing his furious, uncontrolled attacks towards Tails even though Guard was making him stumble and tumble in the air! In his haste to dodge, Tails flipped the board and fell, causing him and SPOT to have to fly away in different directions! They landed in separate areas nearby, and SPOT reverted to its normal form. "Rats... Now Firepaw won't let us get close..." Tails groaned. Firepaw laughed as he regained control of Guard. "Dumb fox. Okay, I'll cut my losses and head for Eggman's base now." he said. Tails knew he was out of time, so he had to think fast. "Ummm... SPOT! Try a static pulse!" he shouted. "Attack! Attack!" SPOT said, racing after Fire-Guard while the hatch on its back opened again, this time revealing a sparking weapon that looked to be charging. SPOT shifted into Extreme Gear mode to give chase as Fire-Guard started to fly away, and soon fired an electric burst that, upon striking Guard, knocked him out of the sky and seemed to render him unable to move! Spy peeked out from behind a dumpster and stared. "No... THAT'S what I need... A super-taser." he stammered.

With Guard's robotic parts temporarily overloaded, Tails was able to hook him up to SPOT to have Firepaw purged from his system. What Tails found interesting was that Guard's tail doubled as a plug, and he was able to insert it into an outlet in SPOT's side to do the job quickly, without fear of disconnecting. When the job was done, Tails unplugged Guard and closed the hatch to SPOT's outlet before having SPOT run a diagnostic on himself to make sure Firepaw hadn't hitched a ride. Guard seemed a bit embarrassed by the whole thing. "Grr... Um... Thank you..." he muttered, hardly looking at Tails. Spy was still nearby when he realized something. "Oh, shoot! I should've brought Gunner's coffee over an hour ago! C-can I borrow your scythe, Guard? ...Or your dog, Tails?" he whimpered, "Just to feel secure, y'know?" Guard glanced at Tails and sighed. "Grrr... I would want to repay you for your help, but I fear instead that this incident will only make my boss more suspicious of you..." he said. Tails nodded. "I know. Smashing that hydrant didn't help my case... Could always say you did it. Still... Best I pack up and get outta here. It's too close to Gunner, and if I'm not careful, he'll find an excuse to arrest me, just like Copter." he reasoned. Guard sighed. "Grrr... I'm sorry..." he said. Tails shrugged. "It's all right. At least I know SPOT Mark 2 is working okay. I'm just glad I got him fully uploaded into the new body before..." he murmured, glancing at the remains of the old SPOT. He then walked over to it and picked it up before he and Mark 2 started on the way back to his workshop. "You'll understand if I don't say where I'm moving." he added. Guard nodded. "Understood. Grrr... I can't keep a secret, after all..." he said. Tails smiled at SPOT as they walked along. With an upgraded ally on his side, he'd be better prepared the next time a crisis came his way. "SPOT, you remember where the other Workshop is, right?" he asked. The robo-puppy wagged its tail and barked playfully. "Home. The Mystic Ruins." its monitor read. Tails nodded. "Good to know you're in there, old pal." he said.

Dr. Eggman awoke from a nap suddenly as one of the screens at his control room flickered on. A certain red furred, saber-toothed cat with razor sharp claws and a spike-lined tail appeared onscreen. "Firepaw... Can't you see I'm busy! Why are you back without the robo-dog?! At least tell me you got into Tails's computer or SOMETHING!?" he growled groggily. Firepaw had escaped SPOT by heading through a wi-fi access point in a nearby house and going through the internet. Their firewalls were no match for him. Now, with Eggman glaring at him, he twiddled his claws and chuckled awkwardly. "Well, you see, sir, meowr... I had managed to get into this cool android, but Tails followed me and... well, meowr... I uh... s-siiiir...?" he rambled, seeing Eggman start to grind his teeth as his frustration built up more and more. "YOU'RE USELESS!!! I thought maybe I could sabotage Sonic so he'd be less of a pain the next time I ran into him! Well, I guess THAT won't be happening! Why don't you cool off for a while in the Recycling Bin and think about how you fouled this up!!" he snarled, clicking his mouse and sending Firepaw screeching off-screen. "MEEEEOOOOOWWWWWRRRRR!!! I WANT MY MOMMYYYYY!!!" he cried. "Shut up you big baby. I'll let you back out... just before I need to delete something." Eggman grumbled, "Ohh... I hate that fox boy!" he groaned.

After Spy reported on the situation, and Guard shared his own report on what had happened, it became painfully clear that steps had to be taken to ensure that such a thing never happened again. So, Guard found himself strapped to a medical table, despite his protests. "Grrrr!! Wait! Don't I get any say in this!? Isn't this dangerous!?" he growled, struggling against the straps in vain. The physician, Dr. Ivan Nammad, slowly approached him with a syringe. "Now, now... It will neither, uh, be dangerous nor hurt once you're, uh, sedated. Just bite your lip and think of, uh... kittens." he said, making Guard glare at him. "Do you know why I'm here?" he growled. Dr. Nammad injected him with the syringe and set it down, picking up a scalpel. "Yes... You need a, uh, antiviral update. So I need to install a, uh, firewall in your, uh, brain. And a 'waterwall,' just to catch that Eggman off, uh, guard." he chuckled, "Never thought I'd say that." Guard started to struggle again, but the sedative was starting to take effect, and he was getting drowsy. "Take it, uh, easy, fella. It's only some harmless, uh, brain surgery and, uh, computer programming... Relax and it'll be over, uh... soon...." Guard heard him say as he drifted off to dreamland...

Episode End!

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