Chapter 10 - The Sergeant Strikes

GeneX - The Series
Episode 10 - The Sergeant Strikes

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:
Kosmo had found a home at Hollow Manor. Copter had found a new home in Darkegg Fortress. Yet, even as they were settling in, dark forces started to move. A mysterious being known as the Deathbringer made its presence known to the people of Central City. Even more unsettling, a group known as the Covenant of Despair declared its intentions to take control of the planet away from humankind. All of this following hot on the heels of the Kosmogon incident and the appearance of Solenix in Soleanna, GUN certainly cannot ignore these developments...
Now, on to the episode!


Sergeant Gunner slammed his coffee mug down on his desk in frustration. "Furry FREAKS! They're everywhere, Spy!" he snarled, startling his spy into paying attention. "Uh, yes sir!" he babbled. "Our good friend Dr. Nammad saw his share recently. We're lucky no harm came to him." Gunner grumbled. Spy nodded. "I heard that Deathbringer is even a match for Shadow!" he said. Gunner rolled his eyes. "Get Guard and that bat in here!" he growled. "You mean Rouge?" Spy asked. "How many bats do we have flitting around here??" Gunner groaned as Spy scurried out of his office. The old sergeant sipped his coffee and sighed. "The Covenant of Despair... Can't wait to tell all the sniveling idiots around here 'I told you so.'" he muttered. Soon, Spy escorted Guard and Rouge into the room, and Gunner gave them an unenthusiastic salute. "Agents... Listen well. With this so-called covenant on the loose, war is right around the corner." he began. "You always do have a way with pessimism, sarge." Rouge remarked. "Did I say you could speak!?" Gunner snapped, "As I was saying... Since war is brewing, I don't want those blasted experiments in my hair during those battles! Can you imagine those freaks teamed with a whole army of their kind!? ...Well, Spy?" he asked. Spy shuddered. "We couldn't even handle Experiment 1 and 2 teamed with Eggman." he whimpered. Gunner glared at him. "Very funny! But you see my basic point. We must put an end to those freaks here! Fortunately, we know a couple were in Station Square during my last visit. It is likely that at least one of them stuck around. That morph has plenty of gall. I want you two to go ahead. I'll assemble a team and meet you with backup. Spy, place a call to Corporal Drol!" he ordered. Rouge shrugged. "For a handful of jewels, I'll try just about anything. C'mon, grumpy." she said. "Grrr... It's Guard..." her grumpy companion corrected as he followed her out. Spy looked at Gunner awkwardly. "Doesn't Drol have his own sergeant that he's very busy working for?" he muttered. Gunner grinned widely. "I think he'll be glad to make the trip to work for me..." he said.


It was a cloudy, dreary day in Station Square. Punchy and Rainbow the echidnas were riding the train back from the Mystic Ruins, dejected over another failure to nab the Master Emerald. "Chin up, One. At least the big gem's in good hands, right?" Rainbow said as they got off the train. "When do we get to the part where you make me feel better, Rainbow?" Punchy groaned as they headed outside. Suddenly, they found lights flashed in their eyes! "Experiment 1! Stay where you are! You are under arrest, by order of GUN, and duly enforced by the Station Square police!" It was Razor's voice, that much Punchy knew. With his eyes quickly adjusting to the lights, he saw swarms of GUN Beetles, Hunters, police cars, and also Guard the gargoyle and Rouge the bat! Rainbow threw up her arms and started to inch away from Punchy. "I'm not with One! I'm an innocent handstander!" she yelped. "Give it up, colorblind, Gunner's seen your face, too!" Rouge shouted. Punchy glanced at Rainbow. "Start running... This is gonna be chaotic..." he warned. Rainbow nodded and tore off as Punchy shouted "Chaos Avalanche!!" He ripped the front of the train station apart with his chaos power, hurling chunks of it straight ahead at the law enforcement blocking his escape! "All units! Take him! Don't make the mistakes we made with Experiment 2!!" Razor shouted, taking cover behind his car as the robots started to swarm Punchy's position, only to find that he'd used the chaos as a chance to run for it! All the while, news vans arrived on the scene, with Katie the coyote one of the first to start reporting. "Great to be back on TV... Way to start with a bang." she muttered before the camera was on her, "This is Katie Coyote for SSTV News! A dramatic spectacle is unfolding here in front of the very station that gives our city its name! Police and military forces are hot on the trail of one of the GeneX Experiments from the dragon incident that rocked our city almost a year ago!" Suddenly, Rainbow appeared and took the microphone out of Katie's hand! "If you're watching, hi, sis! Miss you!" she giggled before handing back the mic and running off!

At Darkegg Fortress, Copter had just gotten his new TV hooked up, and was watching with the Chao when Katie's breaking news report came on. "You always ruin TV for me, Katie..." he whimpered, not at all liking what he was seeing. Immediately, he ran for the garage, where E-505 Hoover was pulling an iron bar to munch on from his swiss army tail while wiping the Hurricane with a damp rag with the other hand. "Time to shut down the car wash, Hoover! Punchy's in trouble!" Copter shouted. "What? What in tarnation's a panchie?? You can't take the Hurricane now! I just waxed 'er wings!" Hoover protested. Copter hopped into the plane and started it up anyway. "Open the doors or you REALLY won't appreciate what happens to the paint!" he warned. Hoover emitted a high pitched beep, which signaled the doors to open, but he continued grumbling in aggravation as Copter took off!

Once the plane was over Station Square, Copter could feel the controls yanking him away! "What the!?" he grunted. Hoover's voice came over the radio. "Right, yer over land now! Gimmie back mah poor ol' girl! She needs a bit more TLC!" he insisted. Copter growled in frustration. "If I find this plane painted white and you painted with a tuxedo, I'm taking you to a psychiatrist." he grumbled, hopping out of the plane and spinning his tails to land safely at the boat dock below. The plane then turned around and headed back toward Darkegg Fortress on its own. "Now how do I find Punchy? He's not here. Katie's not here. How late am I?" he muttered. Just then, a familiar yellow taxi cab pulled up next to him. "Thought you'd turn up, skunky." Mia the cat smirked at him from the driver's seat. "Must you call me that?" Copter sighed. She nodded. "Considering you aren't likely to be able to pay the fare, I'll call you what I want. Gonna hop in?" she asked. Copter opened the front seat and jumped in. "Hey, I usually only let dates ride up front!" she chuckled. Copter glared at her. "I need to find Punchy. Are ya helpin' me or not?" he asked. Mia grinned at him. "You're lucky you're cute. I love how your tails get even spikier when you're annoyed." she joked, revving up the cab. "Punchy had better appreciate this..." Copter grumbled, looking out the window as they drove off.

Punchy and Rainbow had stolen some kids' bikes, and were trying to get to the entrance to the Hidden Ruins, but the intense pursuit by GUN and the police was making it impossible unless they wanted their hideaway discovered. Some police cars started speeding towards them from up ahead, having cut them off, while robots were swarming from behind! "These scuzzbags!! They never came at Copter like this before!" Punchy growled furiously. "Yeah, what'd you do, One?" Rainbow asked. "NOTHING! ...new..." he snapped. As robots began to fire at them, they ditched their bikes and started looking for a way out. Razor leaned out of his car with a megaphone. "Give it up! We came ready for Experiment 3! You haven't got a chance!" he warned. Punchy rolled his eyes. "You think this'd be enough to stop Kosmo? Did you SEE Kosmo?" he remarked. Rainbow stepped forward angrily. "You all back off! We never did anything to anyone! Sergeant Gramps is just a senile old jerk!" Suddenly, a Hunter robot, seeing her as hostile, fired its laser at Rainbow! She shrieked and collapsed to the floor as Punchy watched in disbelief. "R-rainbow!! No!!!" He hurried to her side. She wasn't moving, and he started panting, filling with rage! "Stand down!! No one gave the order to start shooting!!" Razor yelled. However, Guard flew over with a cold expression. "Grrrr... Sergeant Gunner said dead or alive. They made their choice." he growled. Then, something snapped in Punchy. Before lasers could begin firing at him, darkness erupted through his body, changing him! His fur changed black, except for his arms and rings around his eyes that remained green. His eyes turned red, and the crescent mark on his chest turned cyan. He had transformed into Dark Punchy! Immediately, he leapt at the robots as they started to fire at him, a shield of darkness protecting his body as he smashed the robots one at a time! "I think this city owes me a debt... And I say now it's payback time!!" Dark Punchy roared, leaping to one of the police cars in his way, smashing it as the driver fled in terror, and then proceeding into the city to commence his rampage! As the remaining GUN forces and the police scrambled to chase him, Rainbow started to stir. "Owie... What happened, One? ...One?" she murmured, gasping in horror as it dawned on her exactly what WAS happening.

Following the path of mayhem and destruction, Mia's cab started to close in on Dark Punchy, but first caught up with the swarms of GUN beetles. "Hold on... I don't think those bots will be happy to see you!" Mia said. Copter held on tight as Mia's cab started swerving erratically in an effort to dodge the shots of the attacking robots, but soon he couldn't take it any more. "My stop!! My stop!! I'll call you the next time I wanna vomit!" he yelled, opening his door and leaping out of the cab while it was still moving! "Oh, real nice!" Mia yelled as the open door's window got blasted to pieces seconds later, "Your tab just tripled!!" As Copter stumbled out of the cab, he dizzily looked up to see someone blue standing nearby. "Oh, goodie... Sonic's here..." he mumbled. "Spiny... SPIIIINY!!! Gah, just for that, I'm not helping you guys!" the agitated porcupine grumbled, stomping away. Copter shrugged it off and started running ahead, to where he could see shockwaves of dark energy knocking robots and cars into the air! "Cripes... What's all this now?" he mumbled. "One's gone all dark! We gotta talk him down!" said Rainbow from behind him, making Copter jump. "Where'd you come from?? What do you mean dark??" he asked. Just then, both of them were forced to scramble out of the way as Mia's cab came flying at them, landing upside down, its wheels popping off and rolling down the street! "COPTER!! Pull me out so I can kill you and your friend!!" Mia shrieked. Copter glanced inside the cab nonchalantly. "Whooo... Those are some mighty fine seat belts. The air bags, on the other hand... Where are they?" he wondered. Just then, the air bag popped into Mia's face, muffling what was certainly not a nice word from her mouth. Luckily, Katie had arrived and pulled open the door from the driver's side. "Holy smokes, Mia... Your cab..." she gasped. Things were about to get even worse, though. As they were helping Mia out of the cab, Copter dropped her and pointed up at the sky. "This can't be good!" he exclaimed. "I'll say... I fell on my keys!" Mia growled. However, what Copter was referring to was the GUN Warship that had just emerged in the sky! "Experiment freaks!! Prepare to meet your end at the hands of GUN!" came the unmistakable voice of Sergeant Gunner over a loudspeaker!

The GUN Warship fired several shots down at Dark Punchy, getting his attention! "Graaaaah!! You want me, you old sack of bones!? YOU ASKED FOR IT!!!" he roared, leaping to a building and beginning to climb like a raging ape! Copter, Katie, Mia and Rainbow watched in shocked awe as Dark Punchy rapidly caught up to the GUN Warship. "No, One... Don't do it..." Rainbow whimpered. "We gotta stop him!" Copter said. Suddenly, Guard swooped down and tackled him to the ground while he was distracted! "Got ya, Copter!!" he snarled. "Ow!! Get off me, Guard!! Haven't you seen what Punchy's doing!?" Copter yelled. Rouge flew up beside them and nodded. "I'd listen to him, fido." she said. "Grrr... Fido? Why can't you just call me Guard...." he grumbled, glancing up at the sky just in time to see the dark energy shockwaves reaching the GUN Warship! "Grrr!? What in the...??" he gasped, standing and letting Copter up. "You boys have fun. I'm not getting tossed around by Dark Green again." Rouge frowned, flying off. "As much as I hate Gunner, we can't let that ship crash on top of Station Square. Can you take me up there, Guard? My plane's... unavailable..." Copter grumbled. Guard grunted in annoyance, but leaned down to let Copter climb onto his back. "Grrrr... I better not regret this..." he growled, taking off. As they left, Rainbow ran up hurriedly. "Waaaait! ...One needs me..." she whined, though it was too late. Katie nodded. "I wanna go, too. It's a heck of a story." Looking around, they spotted Sonic and Tails arriving on the scene. "Oooh, speaking of stories..." Katie grinned. However, before she could run over to them, the Tornado swooped down, and they hopped aboard! "Let's go, Sonic! We can't let that ship crash into Station Square!" Tails shouted as they flew off! "For cryin' out loud!!" Katie shouted. They then heard another plane engine nearby, and as they turned around, they saw the Hurricane! "Huh? Two's plane???" Rainbow gasped. "Good! He owes me a cab, and this'll do for compensation!" Mia grumbled. "Hold yer horsies!! Ya can't touch Dr. Eggman's plane! Now where's that two-tailed menace?" shouted Hoover, hopping over the edge of the cockpit in order to lean on the door! Katie, Mia and Rainbow stared awkwardly at him, not sure how to react at first. "Um, can we all get a ride?" Katie asked. "How many seats you think dis 'ere contraption's got? Ehm... Hey, who's the owner of the no-wheeled pile-a junk ov'r there?" Hoover chuckled. Mia raised an eyebrow. "What of it, flat-face?" she said. "Eh? That don't make no sense..." he said. "C'mere and it will." Mia threatened. Hoover started to look nervous, and popped several tools out of his tail, grabbing a screwdriver defensively. "Watchit! I'm armed to the tail!" he said. Mia looked at him and grinned. "No kidding..." she said.

On top of the GUN Warship, Copter and Guard had begun trying to stop Dark Punchy from doing too much damage, but already they were getting tossed around by his dark powers as though they were mere playthings. Fortunately, a diversion had emerged to draw Punchy away from them. "Knave! Surrender or be slain!" Corporal Drol had led a team of shield carrying Hunters up to the top of the ship. Hordes of different varieties of Beetle robots were also swarming out from various places on the ship, and the Tornado was arriving with Sonic and Tails! However, Dark Punchy was unfazed. He spun around, aiming his hands around and firing balls of dark energy at everything, blasting many of the robots effortlessly! Sonic hopped down from the Tornado and landed beside Copter. "All right, what'd ya do this time?" he asked. "Huh? Why do you assume this is MY fault!?" Copter snapped. "...I was talking to the gargoyle." Sonic replied in annoyance. Guard shrugged. "Grrr... Don't look at me. I had a cat in my brain last month. Just got over it." he grumbled, running ahead scythe first, screaming. "Uh...huh... He looks like he's over it." Copter muttered. "Well, we'd better keep that crazy echidna away from this ship's engines, or its game over!" Sonic said. "Thanks for pointing out the obvious." Copter retorted as Guard came flying back, once again smacked by Dark Punchy. "Grrrrr!! Coward!! Fight me without your magic, I dare you!!" he snarled. Sonic and Copter ran over next. Dark Punchy was tearing through GUN's forces, and Drol was forced to retreat. "I must evacuate the sergeant... This brute will be made to pay in the future." he vowed. Sonic started to circle around Dark Punchy while Copter ran straight for him. "Hey, Punch!! You through throwing a hissy yet!?" he yelled. Dark Punchy turned around and zapped him with a lightning of darkness, making him dizzily reply "I guess not..." During the diversion, Sonic came at him, but as he struck Dark Punchy, he was immediately repelled by a shockwave of dark energy!! "Yow!! Ooof!! No fair! And I'm not sure I even made a dent!" Sonic grunted. Tails tried shooting Dark Punchy with the Tornado, only to get zapped with the same lightning as Copter! "Whaaaa!! I'm losing control!! Nooo!!" he wailed, spinning out for a few moments. However, he soon regained control and started circling the ship again. "Whew... Close one..." he sighed.

With Dark Punchy getting closer and closer to the back of the warship, it seemed they needed a miracle. After having stalled him for a bit longer, what they got was definitely a surprise. An engine roared as a vehicle flew up to join them in the air, hurrying to catch Dark Punchy before it was too late! It wasn't the Hurricane, though. A glimmer of yellow, with black checks along the sides, made Copter, Guard and Sonic stare in confusion for a moment. It was Mia's taxi cab, and yet it wasn't. It now had wings, and a high powered engine, enabling it to fly! Mia was at the driver's seat, with Rainbow frantically searching out Punchy in the passenger side, and Katie and Hoover were sitting in the back, Hoover still trying to smooth out a few dents in the ceiling, with great difficulty. The cab soared over the warship, then dove down, having a bit of a rough landing, but its newly reattached wheels enabled it to start driving like a normal car once it was on stable ground. The cab stopped next to Copter, who stared in disbelief. "Anyone need a cab?" Mia smirked. "Hoover, really, you need a new hobby." Copter muttered. Rainbow jumped out of the cab and ran towards Punchy straight away! "Hey, wait! It... It's dangerous!!" Sonic yelled, ready to chase after her. "Leave her go. She knows what she's doing." said Rouge, who had also just returned. "Grrr? What are you doing back??" Guard mumbled. "Saw Sonic was here. Decided the entertainment value was worth it." she grinned. As Rainbow neared Dark Punchy, she called out to him. "One!! One, I'm over here!!" she shouted. He looked over at her and stared in shock. "Y-you... you're dead!!" he yelled. Rainbow shook her head. "No, I'm not. Aw, One... You poor thing..." she sniffled. However, Dark Punchy wore a look of rage. "No, I said you're DEAD!!!" he roared, hurling dark lightning at her! She shrieked in pain, and Sonic was about to move in, but before he could, Rainbow forced her way forward and threw her arms around Punchy as she lost her balance! "You can't push me away, One... I'm here for you..." she cried. Suddenly, as Punchy blinked, his eyes returned to their normal, cyan color. "R-rainbow...?? N-no!! What have I done!!??" His body quickly began to return to normal, and Rainbow smiled. "It wasn't you, One... It was Dark One..." she said sleepily.

Before Gunner could muster a counterattack, they all hurried aboard the cab and the Tornado and fled the GUN Warship. Upon landing in Station Square, far from the warship, Mia pulled a lever that caused the cab to transform back into a normal taxi. "Well, skunky, in light of the upgrade your little robot friend did for me, I'll just overlook the trouble you put me through today." Mia said to Copter. He nodded. "I'll say the same to him, I guess." he muttered. Punchy was looking a bit depressed as he exited the cab. "I can't believe all of this... I gotta work on controlling my rage..." he sighed. Rainbow patted his back. "Aw, One, it's okay... It's not your fault. I could be a bit more careful, too." she said. Katie also looked miserable. "My camera guy bailed when you went all crazed, so I got nothing. Great day for my career..." she groaned. "Yeah, me, too..." said a bruised-up Razor as he walked by, rubbing his back, "I'm off duty right now. As you were, guys." he sighed. Copter shrugged. "Well, look on the bright side. Imagine how this fiasco's affecting Gunner right now..." he mused.

That night at Gunner's office, the GUN Commander himself burst through the door. "GUNNER!! Exactly who ordered a military strike on Station Square today!?" he snarled. Gunner sat at his desk and gently set down his coffee. "That... would be me, sir." he answered. The Commander was clearly a bit flustered. "I have had it with you, sarge! Station Square is not your personal warzone! I realize you have a personal grievance with those experiments... Perhaps TOO personal. I know what that's like. It clouds your judgment." he said. Gunner stood up. "Now, sir, you go too far! My judgment is NOT clouded!" he snapped. Spy snickered from outside the door, getting Gunner even angrier, but he was forced to suppress it. "...Be that as it may, I'm ordering you to drop it. Leave the experiments to the police." the Commander said. Gunner had protest in his eyes, and the Commander could see it. "Maybe this will help. I'm transferring you to work under Colonel Thade. He'll find you something to occupy your time other than blowing up cities." he said, which Spy found hilarious. As the Commander exited the office, Gunner beckoned Spy into the room. "Laugh it up, you're coming with me!" he growled, making Spy's face turn white. "He thinks he can stop me from stopping those freaks? Ha, we'll see. Spy, start cleaning up my office. I need to prepare to meet Colonel Thade." he said, storming out. Spy whimpered slightly. "Why is it, even when he gets punished, somehow it only seems to mean bad news for me and not him!?" he sighed.

Episode End!    ...    ...    ...    BZZ BVZZZ ZZZT!!!


A dark shadow began to creep over the coastline. The people of the city of water all gradually gazed in the same direction, looks of shock and panic washing over them, the likes of which hadn't occurred since the Solenix incident. A massive object was hovering off the coast of Soleanna. It was, amazingly, an island! An ominous looking island, shrouded in a dark atmosphere, anyone near the coast was so filled with dread by it that they fled away from it! Deep in a dark corridor somewhere on the island, a hooded figure sat upon a throne. His hood had three red stripes going along the sides and top, the collar of his cloak also red. He wore dark red gloves, red and grey shoes, and he had a grey tail with a red furred tip. His glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness. A blue hyena in a black uniform entered the room and kneeled before him. "Eeee hee hee... The aquatic unit has retrieved the objective. They will be back on the island soon." he reported. The hooded figure's eyes narrowed. "Bring me to her..." his voice boomed.
Outside, the people of Soleanna watched as the mysterious floating island soared off into the distance, leaving them puzzled and nervous, but they soon went back to they usual business, any danger seeming to have simply passed them by. At least for now...

REAL Episode End!

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