Welcome to the official website for the Sonic AU by ChaosControl VA.Here you can read the AU's many chapters, learn more about its characters, and look into what goes on behind the scenes.

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Based on the Original Characters by SEGA

Art by ChaosControl VA and FrizeRose.

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! WARNING !

This Sonic AU contains several elements that may not be suitable for children, such as Adult Themes, Violence, and Sexual References.Viewer Discretion is advised.Also, in terms of glitches, understand that Carrd can only handle so much; if parts of this website aren't loading in soon enough or are loaded in wrong, feel free to scroll and/or refresh.

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ABOUT

The Creators
The Story

The Creators of the Rookie Chronicles

From the AU's creators to outside contributors, meet the creative forces behind the Rookie Chronicles, who all come from many different corners of the Sonic fandom.

Creator

ChaosControl VA

Writers

ChaosControl VA
HoppersHedgie (Editor)
DanCatX05
AlexaLynnSTH (Sonic Ascension)
Omorfia-Moria (Sonic Solara)
RocketPOW! (Universe 99)
Chubz Artz (Universe 99)
Kannatherage (Sonic Zenith)

Voice Actors

ChaosControl VA (Spectrum, Spring-Heeled Jack)
BellaSwella (Berri)
Stargazer Studios (Tumult)
Immanuel Baskaran (Romulus)
HoppersHedgie (Lamia)
SugiLeafVA (Shinobi)
FastHub.net (Agony)

Musicians

Moikey (EDM Composer)

Video Editors

ChaosControl VA

Official Artists

ChaosControl VA (Logo Designer)
RushklySolen
Omorfia-Moria
FrizeRose
Kira The Hedgehog
AlexaLynnSTH
HoppersHedgie
Starryyberries
RocketPOW! (Concept Artist)
AniDoodlez
alchemycamila
AlanZX

Original Character Designers

ChaosControl VA
FrizeRose
Kira The Hedgehog
uyenmiumilk
Oertemy
CHAOSC0NTR0L
Omorfia-Moria
AndiTheFennec
AniDoodlez
ChaoBucks
Senshoka

The Story of the Rookie Chronicles

Creation and Purpose

What initially started out as a fun hobby for ChaosControl VA (collecting and writing backstories for his own Sonic OCs) has since turned into a passion project, full of rich lore and compelling storytelling that has gone far beyond most people's expectations.With this AU and its overarching storyline, ChaosControl VA hopes to achieve many different goals besides having fun with it, namely:

Creating new and original worldbuilding elements that better connect the official Sonic The Hedgehog universe together cohesively and consistently.
Going beyond demeaning labels, such as "fanfictions," and crafting stories that help raise the bar for online fan content.
Addressing and critiquing current real-life issues through engaging tales and important moral messaging.

The Au Itself

"After the war between the Resistance and the Eggman Empire, the rookie veteran Spectrum The Hedgehog, and his ever-growing band of friends and allies, set out for new adventures. As this new generation of heroes rises up to defend their world though, a new generation of villains rises up too, and "Team Spectrum" soon enters into a deadly rivalry with a daring cult that might decide the fate of the known cosmos itself."The Rookie Chronicles is largely about overcoming trauma and trying to find (or even re-find) one’s self. More often than not though, the characters search for what could make them whole in the wrong places (or some of them might not even be looking at all), and it’s all never enough for them. It will only be at the very end that the Rookie Chronicles' cast discovers what they’ve truly been missing: a connection to the divine.

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Art by ChaosControl VA, FrizeRose, Kimmi-su, Maramootoo, Omorfia-Moria, AlexaLynnSTH, RocketPOW!, Chubz Artz, Kannatherage, BellaSwella, Stargazer Studios, Stryke, SugiLeafVA, Moikey, RushklySolen, Kira The Hedgehog, starryyberries, xXLovelyRose95Xx, uyenmiumilk, Oertemy, CHAOSC0NTR0L, AndiTheFennec, KaozHedgehog, and Senshoka.

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CHARACTER PROFILES

With such an overarching story, this AU has tons of characters to get acquainted to, even spanning across different timelines.

Explore Our Original Characters

Spectrum The Hedgehog
Vi
Serena The Hedgehog
Berri The Rabbit
Tumult
Priscilla The Orchid Mantis
Kama The Akita
Rowdi The Siamese Cat
Audrey The Hedgehog
Ginger The Polar Bear
Deja The Hedgehog
Carey The Chausie Cat
Marina Rose
Apollo The Lion
Rey The Red Deer
Sera The Finch
Drake The Rabbit
Basx The Persian Cat
Rebel The Hedgehog
Cozbi The Red Wolf
Spring-Heeled Jack (Evil/Anti Spectrum)
Calypso The Octopus
Romulus The Venus Flytrap
Lamia The Constrictor
Shinobi The Honshū Wolf
Agony
Syn
Chūi The Red Panda
Grýla The Red Squirrel

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Team Spectrum
The Strays
The Chaos Emerald Guardian Spirits
The Hedgehog Syndicate
The Kamakiri Clan
The Order of Genesis
The Teizokuna Clan
International Boxing League
Mobian News Network
International Rock Climbing League
The Strangers

View by Universe

Earth F1718-1 (The Rookie Chronicles)
Earth F1718-2 (Ruined)
Earth F1718-3 (Dreadful West)
Earth F1718-4 (Metalverse)
World of Camelot
Realm Origo

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The Teizokuna Clan

Shinobi The Honshū Wolf
Chūi The Red Panda

The Order of Genesis

Calypso The Octopus
Romulus The Venus Flytrap
Lamia The Constrictor
Shinobi The Honshū Wolf
Chūi The Red Panda

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Earth F1718-2"The Ruined Universe"

Spring-Heeled Jack (Evil/Anti Spectrum)

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Mobian News Network

Cozbi The Red Wolf

Sonic Fanon Wiki

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Berri The Rabbit
Rebel The Hedgehog
Rey The Red Deer
Grýla The Red Squirrel

Sonic Fanon Wiki

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International Rock Climbing League

Rebel The Hedgehog

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Sonic Fanon Wiki

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International Boxing League

Berri The Rabbit
Apollo The Lion
Drake The Rabbit

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The Chaos Emerald Guardian Spirits

Tumult

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Sonic Fanon Wiki

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Spectrum The Hedgehog
Vi
Serena The Hedgehog
Berri The Rabbit
Tumult
Priscilla The Orchid Mantis
Kama The Akita
Rowdi The Siamese Cat
Audrey The Hedgehog
Ginger The Polar Bear
Marina Rose

Videos

The Kamakiri Clan

Priscilla The Orchid Mantis
Shinobi The Honshū Wolf

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STORIES

The "New Generation" Saga
The "Other Worlds" Saga
"The Beginning's War" Saga

To keep the overall plotline organized and easy to follow, the Rookie Chronicles has been split into 3 total Sagas, each with their own list of Arcs to read and view through.If you need a recap/explanation of our lore and the official Sonic canon before reading, feel free to look over our official Timeline!

The Official Timeline

The "New Generation" Saga

The "Other Worlds" Saga

"The Beginning's War" Saga

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Timeline

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The Rookie Chronicles Wiki

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DISCOVER

News
Fan Art
Videos
Music

News

The first part of the "Directive: Eclipse" arc is now out! Go give it a read!(Toyhou.se and Wiki Versions coming soon!)
(12/20/24)

Fan Art

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Videos

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Playlist

Music

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FEEDBACK

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FAQs

Contact Us

We'd love to see your feedback on our AU and this website, as well as any possible questions you may have for either.

Frequently-Asked Questions

Before you send us any of your questions, feel free to look over this list of basic questions that we've already answered!

Q: "How is this AU separate from the official Sonic canon?"
A: Mainly, this AU's story takes place in universes/timelines that are separate and different from the main Sonic (game) universe; aside from that though (at least in terms of this AU's main universe), the IDW comics and their in-universe events are not canon here, though certain elements from said comics remain (i.e. Whisper The Wolf, the Warp Topaz, etc.).Q: "How many timelines does this AU have?"
A: Not enough!Q: "Does this AU have its own versions of the canon Sonic characters?"
A: Not really, aside from their future variants and Dreadful West (alternate timeline) counterparts.Q: "Is there any special form of magic/witchcraft in this AU?"
A: Aside from the "High Ancient Magic" on the Sonic and the Black Knight side of things, Lamia does have her own magic "system," and Amy's tarot cards do sort of work. However, don't expect any details to be shared on any of them (including the aforementioned High Ancient Magic), and understand that any and all forms of magic in this AU are rooted in evil origins...Q: "What do the original characters in this AU do in their spare time (in-between arcs)?"
A: Nothing of significant substance. Mainly in regards to the protagonists, they tend to mostly (among other things) play games, rest, and go out to have some fun at various establishments.Q: "Do ya like jazz?"
A: It depends on who you ask in our team (in real life), but Lamia The Constrictor certainly likes jazz in-universe (for whatever reason)!

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"My story and pain have been repeated infinitely throughout this blasted multiverse, but that doesn't mean I don't get to write my own legacy!"
- Spectrum The Hedgehog

Introduction

Spectrum wasn't always such a commanding and inspiring presence. Initially, his cowardice and lack of confidence was palpable, even as the Eggman Empire began its worldwide conquest... During such a time of terror, Spectrum would become mentally scarred by a new Eggman enforcer known as Infinite, leaving him with a deep anxiety and dread that, even now, has yet to be fully relieved...Thankfully though, the war against the Eggman Empire also gave Spectrum the opportunity of meeting the world-famous Sonic The Hedgehog, who would become his partner and inspire him to "not let his fear own him," a mentality that gave him an edge in defeating Infinite and ending the war. Since then, Spectrum has been progressively growing into a great leader, surprising his loved ones and even inspiring them to rise above their own faults, much like how Sonic did the same for him before.While he's not necessarily as powerful or as popular as Sonic, Spectrum has become his own kind of hero, constantly gaining new skills and weaponry that turn the tides of battle in his favor, as well as coming to understand the need for freedom and why it should be protected.

ABILITIES AND SKILLS
Super Speed, Technology, Acrobatics

AFILLIATIONS
The Resistance (formerly), Team Spectrum, Sonic and Friends, the Hedgehog Syndicate

BASE OF OPERATIONS
Spectrum's Battleship

FIRST APPEARANCE
Sonic Forces

Videos

Overview

"Sonic and his friends have disappeared, having been last seen on the Starfall Islands; Team Spectrum is joining the search, but once they enter Cyber Space, they'll soon encounter a deadly new foe..."

Arc Characters

Spectrum The Hedgehog
Vi
Berri The Rabbit
Tumult
Audrey The Hedgehog
Ginger The Polar Bear
Marina Rose
Agony

Part 1

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Chapter 1: "Nightmare"

Spectrum and some of his friends hide behind cover in Sunset City, being under heavy fire as the city crumbles and burns around them. As his friends fire upon an unseen force from behind their debris covers, Spectrum starts to lose his grip and shake uncontrollably as he curls up into a ball and hides behind his cover. Audrey rushes over to him, demanding to know what’s going on, but Spectrum is too afraid to utter a word. Suddenly, a large laser blast sweeps across and strikes all of Spectrum’s friends (including Audrey, who is still right in front of Spectrum) in one fell swoop, sending them flying back and hitting the ground as they are all now unconscious (seemingly dead to Spectrum’s eyes). As one of their Wispons lands in front of him, Spectrum winces in horror as his eyes open to see his fallen friends lying on the ground a few feet in front of him, as he assumes the worst for his companions in terms of their fate, before his attention is grabbed by the Wispon now lying at his feet.Spectrum quickly stands up and attempts to grab the weapon before he finally hears his attacker speak, calling Spectrum a child as he says he can taste his “delicious” fear and anxiety, causing Spectrum to look behind and see a menacing dark figure hovering above the ground in the distance. Keeping his eyes on the figure, Spectrum stumbles around in an attempt to grab the Wispon before finally grabbing and taking aim at the figure, unable to keep himself steady as the figure fires a bolt from his hand that knocks Spectrum back on his behind. The attacker then tells Spectrum to give into his fear and run away so that he may be spared, and after staring at the figure, Spectrum eventually does just that. Before Spectrum can gain some distance though, the lifeless bodies of his friends suddenly appear in front of him in a floating cluster of flesh, their mouths and eyes oozing out a black goo. The black goo forms into Infinite, but his face distorts into several horrifying images as he lunges at Spectrum and swiftly grabs him, saying that Spectrum can never really run away as his size expands to the point where he can hold Spectrum in one hand (like an action figure). Infinite’s mask then splits apart to reveal a dark gaping hole before he lifts Spectrum above it and drops him, sending Spectrum into an eternal freefall as his screams echo into the void that is Infinite’s mouth.As Spectrum descends, he is abruptly awoken by his friends (Berri, Tumult, Ginger, and Audrey) onboard his battleship, explaining that he looked like he was having a nightmare and asking if he was alright. Spectrum takes a few deep breaths before (half-heartedly) confirming that he is alright, and his friends express their thankfulness for that before telling him that they’ve arrived; as they say this, Spectrum’s Battleship slowly descends upon the Starfall Islands.

Chapter 2: "Landing on the Starfall Islands"

In the bridge, Team Spectrum (including Spectrum, who is now dressed and prepared for his upcoming mission with the rest of his friends) stares out the window as Marina Rose pilots the ship through the clouds. As she does this, Marina briefs the group on the situation, explaining that Sonic, Tails, Amy Rose, and even Knuckles have gone missing on the islands with no calls for assistance.Everyone dissipates afterwards to prepare for the search once they land, with Spectrum staring out the window by himself as he thinks about his nightmare from earlier. Berri sees this and leaves Ginger to talk with Spectrum about it (causing Ginger to go talk with Marina), asking if he’s thinking about his dream (and what that dream was if he was indeed thinking about it). For an unspecified reason, Spectrum decides to keep his lingering traumas over what happened during the war to himself for the time being, much to Berri’s confusion. Attempting to change the subject, Spectrum notices Tumult and Audrey speaking to each other across the room and mentions it, with Berri even teasing Spectrum about it. On a similar note, Spectrum then asks Berri how she and Rebel are doing, causing Berri to sigh in exhaustion as she explains how Rebel seems to be getting more hostile (verbally) when it comes to Berri’s new “hobby.” Berri expresses how she wishes Rebel could understand what she felt when Cream was Robotomized and how she sees that manipulation in everything they had been doing beforehand, and Spectrum tries his best to be understanding; Spectrum even teases her about hooking up with Ginger if things don’t work out with Rebel, considering how close they’ve gotten recently (as best friends), which only makes Berri annoyed as she nudges him, much to their chuckles.While Spectrum and Berri continue to talk, Tumult and Audrey continue to talk to each other about how they know Spectrum and Berri are talking about them, and they giggle in amusement. Tumult then mentions how the energy on the islands feels familiar to him, reminding him of an age-old past, which Audrey curiously asks about. Tumult doesn’t really want to explain much, bringing up the time when the Beginning trapped him in his own Emerald for an eternity and how that made him feel. Audrey tries to be sympathetic with Tumult, suddenly grabbing his hand and tenderly explaining how she might understand what he’s going through, referencing how Dr. Gerald Robotnik wiped her memory before he died and essentially left her to be trapped on Prison Island for a time before she reactivated. Tumult is slightly shocked by Audrey’s advance and Audrey soon follows suit, both of them widening their eyes and blushing before letting go of each other’s hands and nervously chuckling as they try to keep their eyes off of each other; to move past the awkwardness, Audrey asks how Tumult and Tangle are doing, and Tumult nervously responds by saying that they’re still figuring things out.As both pairs continue talking to each other, Marina yells for them all to get ready as they are about to make landfall. After the Battleship finally rests atop the mountains of Kronos Island, the doors lower to reveal Spectrum and Berri and Tumult ready to roll, with Vi following Spectrum close behind as Marina and Ginger are there to watch them leave. As they walk down the ramp, Audrey suddenly walks after them, ready to join them in their search, which Spectrum immediately protests to; Spectrum argues that Audrey will need to stay behind and protect the Battleship, referencing what happened to it the first time they met Lamia, which Marina does not wish to remember… Audrey reluctantly agrees, walking back into the ship with Ginger as Spectrum is about to join his teammates on the ground. Before he can leave though, Marina remarks on how ironic it is that Amy needs to be rescued now before pleading with Spectrum to find out what happened to her sister no matter what, which Spectrum naturally promises to do. With that, Spectrum finally catches up with his colleagues as they finally and fully venture out into the island’s landscape, saying that they’ll be back at the Battleship by nightfall.

Chapter 3: "Into Cyber Space"

Team Spectrum descends down the mountain range, sliding and bouncing off the rocky surfaces as they go. Once they reach the ground level, Tumult suddenly senses that familiar energy again, noticing an ethereal trail of energy that only he can see. After hearing Tumult explain this, the others think that what he sees might be a clue as to the whereabouts of Sonic and his friends, and they agree to let Tumult take the lead. Tumult leads his teammates into a small ravine, with the energy trail leading him to a massive throne-like structure with a gear inserted near the bottom; The team isn’t sure what to make of this discovery, coming to the conclusion that Sonic and his friends must have done something with this structure. Spectrum (with Vi close behind) instinctively and curiously gets onto its seat-like platform and places his hand on the gear to feel it, unwittingly activating the structure as red lines descend from above and connect to the gear. Spectrum panics as he cannot remove his hand, suddenly fading away in a glitchy red flash, much to Berri and Tumult's shock as they jump in after him and disappear too.Team Spectrum soon reappears in a glitchy pocket dimension, unsure of what just happened and bracing themselves for any possible danger as the terrain forms around them. They soon find themselves in a weird recreation of Sunset City during the war (which they point out), with the buildings crumbling into rumble and fires blazing throughout, but most of it feels uncanny as parts of it are consumed by glitchy masses and the fact that the path ahead is floating above a massive void is quickly noticed. They cautiously decide to walk down the nostalgic pathway to see where it leads, as Tumult still sees the energy trail as it weaves its way through the path. As they walk, they discuss how the dimension they are in looks (seemingly to them) like it’s trying to replicate a place they’ve been in before during a specific time, but Spectrum nervously doesn’t comment on that (due to the pathway reminding him of his nightmare); Tumult mentions how much everything feels like a computer to him, pointing out the random glitch-like masses taking up spaces that buildings should be in, similar masses moving along the path (seemingly with some form of intelligent purpose), and the occasional grid-like lasers that pass by above them. Taking this in, Spectrum surmises that they might be in a pocket dimension that’s meant to act like a database of sorts, but for what purpose is still unclear to him.The team continues walking for a bit until they seemingly see the end of the path, with a floating metal ring that has a light glow enveloping its center. After questioning what it is, with Tumult noticing how the energy trail continues into the ring, the team assumes that it must be an exit portal and they start walking towards it. As they walk towards the portal though, the (seemingly) autonomous glitches they mentioned before start to move past them in droves, causing them to look behind and see the path starting to disappear. Realizing the danger of falling into the void, the team panics and starts to rush to the portal, doing their best to avoid bumping into any of the glitchy masses they pass. Spectrum is almost able to touch the portal when a random glitch slams into him from the side and envelopes him completely, causing Spectrum to scream and contort from within while his teammates react in shock, all before they try to free him as the collapsing path closes in. As Spectrum writhes in pain from within the glitch, memories of his traumatic moments during the war flash rapidly in his mind, not just including his first encounter with Infinite (like in his nightmare), but also everything else. Eventually, Berri is able to safely grab Spectrum’s hand and pull him out of the glitch with the help of Tumult (and Vi), and they jump through the portal with him almost immediately afterwards and disappear with a white flash; the glitch stays in the exact same spot as the path and portal fully and finally disappear, leaving it floating above the void as its mass slowly turns red in color.

Chapter 4: "Kronos Island"

Back on Kronos Island, another throne-like structure with a gear lights up as Team Spectrum flies out from it in a red flash and (roughly) lands on the ground in front of it, with the structure seemingly powering down as they slowly get back up. Berri and Tumult immediately rush to Spectrum’s side and ask if he’s alright, to which he says yes to, as he slowly rises from the ground with the help of his friends. As he rises up, he quickly sees the rest of Kronos Island before him as he gasps in surprise, and his teammates soon join him, with them all realizing that they landed in a different spot on the island than before. They look back at the structure and determine that it is also some form of a portal too, specifically designed to transport people into and out of that pocket dimension, but the reason why is still unknown to them. Tumult sees the trail again and the group decides to continue following it, but Spectrum stays behind for a moment as the rest of the team continues on, resolving to himself to not tell the others what he just saw before quickly catching up with them.

As they walk across the fields of Kronos Island, Team Spectrum looks at the greenery around them and they take note of how the flora seems to be recovering from some kind of event, with Tumult even pointing out massive scorch marks strung about the place that he seems to recognize more yet decides to keep to himself. The team also takes note of how there isn’t any form of native life on the island at all, aside from the occasional seagull or two, which only makes them feel worse when they see what they assume to be the remains of buildings (that have weird architectural designs). Later on, the trail leads them to a weird smaller structure with three large spires facing the sky, with the trail collecting in a mass in the center of it (specifically in a spherical empty space where something could be contained, albeit while floating) before continuing its journey across the island. After seeing this, Tumult starts to have suspicions on whose trail they have actually been following this whole time, but he also keeps this to himself as he can’t be sure of it, much to the rest of the team’s confusion as they trek on. Despite everything the Team sees and what they come to assume, they keep moving, trying their best not to disturb the area too much.As they continue through the landscape, Berri strikes up a conversation with Spectrum, asking about what happened during that glitch’s attack (seemingly to them) as she questions him on what he felt or thought. Spectrum nervously doesn’t tell Berri anything, which only rubs her off the wrong way, now thinking something is indeed wrong with him. Berri tells Spectrum that he can tell his friends anything that he’s going through and that they are there to support him, much like how (as Berri references) he helped them through their own struggles during the war. Before Spectrum can respond, Tumult announces that they found another portal, questioning whether or not they should go back into that pocket dimension through it. The team tries to have a brief discussion on what to do, noting how the trail leads into the portal like before, but also bringing up how the reminiscent path nearly disappeared under their feet. As they weigh their options, the portal suddenly activates on its own, much to the team’s surprise as it suddenly creates a powerful wind vacuum from within that threatens to suck them back into the pocket dimension. Team Spectrum tries to keep their grip steady (or, for Tumult, to fly away), but their efforts are proven in vain as they are pulled into the portal and disappear in another red flash.

Chapter 5: "Agony Appears"

Team Spectrum reappears back in the pocket dimension but the landscape is different this time, with it not resembling any place from any of the team members’ pasts at all but instead being a new and chaotic landscape with floating chunks of land everywhere. As the team braces themselves for any possible dangers, the glitch that seemingly attacked Spectrum before floats in front of them, confusing them as to what is going on further. As they try to understand what’s happening, the glitch suddenly and seemingly becomes partially solid, falling to the ground as a gooey substance.

The team’s confusion then turns to shock and horror as some sort of form rises from the goo, resembling that of a corrupted Spectrum as it comes into being (which Berri and Tumult are quick to notice and point out). Before they can respond further, this new figure suddenly morphs its hand into some sort of blade and lunges at Spectrum with a freighting speed, grabbing and flying him into the floating rocks as it slashes at him with its hand-blade; Berri and Tumult yell for Spectrum as they watch the fight unfold, unable to fully process what is happening before they start trying to catch up with them.As the being continues to drive Spectrum through the floating masses, Spectrum manages to break free and land a few hits on it to send it back a distance, giving him space to pull out his Wispon. The fight continues as the two land blow after blow on each other, running across the landscape at speeds Spectrum never thought he would need to run at before, all while the attacker seemed to manipulate their surroundings to its advantage. Every once in a while when the two could lock blows, the figure would get Spectrum to look into its eyes and he would start to envision traumatic memories from his past, feeling more and more uneasy as the fight continues on. Eventually, Spectrum manages to land a few good hits to seemingly injure the attacker greatly, with Spectrum actually being just as battered, and the two simply stare at each other before the figure disappears and seemingly flees (much to Spectrum’s confusion). Berri and Tumult finally show up and ask what happened, and Spectrum explains to them that he doesn’t know, only recognizing the agonizing feeling the attacker gave him (but neglecting to mention why); after saying that, feeling as though it fits, Spectrum decides to give the attacker a name based off of that feeling: “Agony.” Spectrum also mentions how it was extremely fast and strong, along with how it could seemingly control the pocket dimension’s environment, leading the group to the conclusion that this Agony could be one of their most dangerous foes yet.After talking, they look around and quickly see another exit portal, quickly rushing to it as they don’t want to run into Agony again. Once Spectrum reaches the portal and reaches his hand out to it though, the portal shocks him. Confused, Spectrum tries to push himself through but he can’t, and he is eventually thrown backward with a massive shock. The team quickly realizes that they can’t leave and they attempt to call Marina for help via their communicators, but that fails too as they only receive static on the other end. As the team questions why they can’t leave now, Spectrum realizes something and reiterates to his teammates how Agony could control the pocket dimension, suggesting that he maybe could be preventing their escape too… With that possibility in mind, everyone starts to feel agony rising within them as they wonder if there’s another way out, as well as wonder what Agony really is…

Part 2

Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11

Chapter 6: "Searching for Team Spectrum"

Back in the real world, Spectrum’s Battleship has been flying over the Starfall Islands (now flying over Ares Island) in search of Team Spectrum, with its spotlights scanning the environments for any clues as to their current whereabouts. Inside, Audrey is very frustrated with the fact that they’ve been looking for their friends for days without any trace of them, not understanding how they even lose their tracking signals in the first place. Ginger tries her best to keep Audrey calm, while also expressing how she hopes everyone is okay; Marina, on the other hand, explains that they shouldn’t even still be on the islands anymore, as Sonic and his friends have finally made contact after leaving the islands before Team Spectrum even arrived to search for them in the first place. Ginger and Audrey urge Marina to keep searching for their friends so that they all can finally return home, and Marina does just that as she pilots the Battleship over to the next island.

Chapter 7: "Another Encounter"

Meanwhile, Team Spectrum treks through the landscapes of the dimension they’re in, having been walking for days as Spectrum’s injuries are bruising over. Everyone is very tense as Spectrum’s teammates complain about losing track of time while they continue to walk for seemingly no reason, but Spectrum counters that argument by reminding them about and pointing towards a mountain in the distance that has something glowing with a blinding light at its peak, believing that glow to belong to either another exit portal or something else that can help them escape. As they continue to walk, Tumult remarks how lucky they are to have some sort of landmark to guide them, bringing up how he can no longer see the energy trail anymore. Remaining on that subject, the group starts questioning what that energy trail that Tumult saw really was aloud, and Tumult finally gives his word on the matter as he reveals his self-made conclusion: it was indeed Sonic’s trail, but also the Chaos Emeralds’ trail. Tumult explains that energy from the Chaos Emeralds must have rubbed off on Sonic during his adventures, and he’s finally been able to pick up on it now. When asked why that is, Tumult says he believes that the Chaos Emeralds may have a deeper connection with the Starfall Islands than they initially realized, and the Chaos Energy that the islands have seemingly been absorbing must have heightened his senses for the time being. On that note, Tumult also mentions that he’s picked up on how every structure they had come across on the islands were built with the Emeralds in mind, making him think about a particular race of beings that the Beginning cherished above all others. Spectrum and Berri then ask Tumult who he’s referring to out of curiosity, but he doesn’t elaborate any further and simply continues walking, only saying that he doesn’t wish to speak for the dead, with Spectrum and Berri catching up with him after shrugging it off in confusion.As they continue to walk, Berri strikes up another conversation with Spectrum, asking him if he’s alright again. Spectrum once again refuses to answer her question, but Berri starts to get ticked off at this point, thanks in part to the group’s current situation. Berri expresses how she feels like Spectrum doesn’t trust his best friends with his problems, and she gets more flustered as Spectrum tries to deny this.

Before their argument escalates any further though, the environment around them suddenly becomes tense with a red aura, causing the entire group to brace themselves for another attack. As they predicted, Agony appears a few feet away from them and immediately lunges for Spectrum as he carries him away, separating Spectrum from his teammates once again. As Spectrum’s friends try to catch up, he does his best to shake off Agony, but his grip has become harder to break away from as he continues to project Spectrum’s traumatic memories into his mind. After Agony pummels him through more debris for a while, Spectrum finally gets away from him and pulls his Wispon out as he starts running away at high speeds, but Agony soon catches up with his own speed.The violent chase continues for a while, with them avoiding attacks from each other as they run at high velocities, until Agony finally manages to grab onto Spectrum, forcing the both of them into close-quarters combat, with Agony even trying to send the floating pieces of the environment crashing into Spectrum. Spectrum manages to dodge all of the incoming debris as well as gain some distance at the same time, firing at Agony to maintain that distance. While that’s happening, Berri and Tumult finally catch up and descend onto Agony, but not before he manipulates the dimension to create a makeshift wall to block their attack, ensuring that they cannot help Spectrum; this action allows Spectrum to land a good shot on a now distracted Agony however, sending him flying backward as Spectrum powers up and fires one final blast in an attempt to finish him while he is discombobulated. With Agony being completely enveloped in the massive Wispon blast, he attempts to walk his way through it to reach Spectrum, only able to struggle doing so before he is eventually blown back even further. With that, Agony decides to retreat again as he disappears, finally allowing Spectrum to catch his breath.With Agony gone once again, the barriers he created dissipate and finally allow Berri and Tumult to reach Spectrum. Berri is now livid as she explains how that was his fifth attack so far, and how she and Tumult haven’t been able to land a finger on him as he’s been keeping them away from Spectrum; Tumult agrees with this, pointing out how this glitch is very coordinated in its attacks, seemingly having a grudge against Spectrum for some unknown reason. Upon hearing this, Spectrum remembers how Agony has been showing him his traumatic memories, and so he decides to nervously shrug it off and suggest heading for the mountain again. Berri notices this and decides that enough is enough, angrily asking Spectrum to tell them what’s wrong, saying that it’s not fair for him to not trust his friends with what’s going on with him. Berri continues to press Spectrum until he eventually snaps and yells back, finally telling her (and Tumult) how he has still not gotten over what he went through during the war, and that Agony has been (seemingly telepathically) showing him those moments in battle.Berri and Tumult are initially shocked by this sudden outburst and revelation, but as everyone calms down, Berri and Tumult’s shock turns to sympathy while Spectrum starts to feel sorry over his sudden burst of anger and embarrassed over what he just revealed. Tumult explains how he had no idea this was going on with Spectrum and apologizes for not seeing it until now, but Berri instead asks why he didn’t tell them sooner, again as they are some of his best friends. Spectrum sits down and somberly explains that he thought he would be weak if he got help from those who loved him and didn’t work these issues out on his own, especially now that he’s started to become a more renowned hero like Sonic who has so many responsibilities to juggle and standards to uphold on his own already… Berri and Tumult become even more sympathetic towards Spectrum after hearing this explanation, kneeling down in front of him as they express how he’s not weak for asking for help, referencing how he helped them (as well as his other friends) through their own traumas and thus helped form them into the people they are today; they offer to help Spectrum through his struggles as he did with them, but only if he wants that.

Chapter 8: "“Therapy Sessions”"

Before Spectrum can respond to this, looking upon his friends as he’s initially unable to take in their loyalty, the ground suddenly opens up beneath them and they all fall into a deep and dark hole, being individually separated from each other as they fall further into the black darkness. All three of them eventually hit some kind of floor, still separated and surrounded by darkness as they painfully pull themselves up off the ground. On his end, Spectrum sees a bright light that’s quite a distance ahead of him, and he cautiously starts walking towards it (not seeing any other exits).While Spectrum is walking towards the light, Berri and Tumult are simultaneously visited by Agony as he telepathically communicates to them with voices they know (with Cream’s voice for Berri, and the Beginning’s voice for Tumult); Agony even appears to them physically, much to their shock, taking the shapes of the people he’s verbally impersonating via Hologram Form (however, Agony’s Beginning form is obscured in the shadows for Tumult). With Berri and Tumult in such a confused state, Agony takes the opportunity to taunt and remind them of their traumas (with Cream’s Robotomization and Rebel’s disregard for Berri’s personal mission, and the Beginning sealing the Emerald Guardians away) as he reads their minds and telepathically projects it into their view. As Berri and Tumult relive those painful memories, they fall to their knees as Agony lowers his hand-blade above their heads (as if he’s about to kill them) and continues to taunt them (saying that the world is against Berri for her mission and that she has no need to go on with it, and that the Beginning is a liar who's new evildoings disavow everything that Tumult has stood for in His name).Despite all of this, Berri and Tumult suddenly and slowly rise up and gain a new determination as they start to remember how Spectrum helped them through their traumas and was always there for them in general (with Berri saying how it doesn’t matter if anyone’s with her or not if she continues to do the right thing, and with Tumult saying that he may not know what is going on with the Beginning but what He taught him is still true), showing how they have truly moved on from their doubts and became better as they reinforce what they told Spectrum earlier. As Berri and Tumult start waking away while exclaiming how they are going to help Spectrum through his troubles just like how he helped them, Agony stops them and says how they can’t help him as he will die alone with his pain, only to disappear as they start to attack him in response. After this, and after Berri and Tumult receive a feeling of euphoria, a bright light suddenly shines in the distance for each of them and they start running to them, hoping to find Spectrum on the other side.

Chapter 9: "Finding the Truth in the Grid"

Meanwhile, Spectrum finally reaches the end of the tunnel, finding himself in an open area with pillars surrounding a small module. Spectrum cautiously places his hands on the module and it suddenly responds by glowing a light blue with his eyes doing the same, as holographic-like screens appear in-between the pillars. The screens reveal to Spectrum (by playing specific memories from others) that this area is called “the Grid,” and that it was one of many outposts made by a race of beings called “the Ancients,” being commissioned and overseen by a leader of theirs called the “Master King,” to access the data from within the dimension that Team Spectrum is currently trapped in, known as “Cyber Space.” Now curious, Spectrum decides to dig a little deeper as he figures out how to access more and more data, all of which plays on the screens as well. The screens reveal how the Ancients were one of the Beginning’s most beloved creations before showing how the Chaos Emeralds arrived on their home planet, with the Ancients using them to fight back against the End once it arrived, before eventually and unfortunately using them to escape the End as it destroyed their world (and after it had wiped out four of their five subraces)...The showcase continues with how the Ancients arrived on Earth and how their greatest pilots sacrificed themselves to seal the End in Cyber Space before the rest of their race left the Starfall Islands and devolved. Seeing this, Spectrum feels sadness and sympathy for the Ancients, but he decides to dig even deeper as he looks for any sign of Sonic’s presence on the Starfall Islands and in Cyber Space. Eventually, the screens display the events that took place on the Starfall Islands and in Cyber Space before Spectrum and his friends arrived, starting from Eggman reactivating Cyber Space and ending with Sonic defeating the End (who had been released from Cyber Space), with everyone leaving the Islands afterwards. After seeing all of that, Spectrum feels relieved that Sonic and his friends are alright, but also annoyed that they’ve been on a wild goose chase this whole time.

Chapter 10: "Final Battle with Agony"

Spectrum now turns his attention to finding a way out of Cyber Space, but before he can use the module for that, it shocks his hand off (with it now glowing red, and with Spectrum’s eyes returning to their normal color) as the screens start playing Spectrum’s traumatic memories on a continuous glitchy loop. Spectrum is initially confused by this, but then starts to put the pieces together as he remembers how Agony would project those same memories into his mind during their fights, realizing that Agony has something to do with those events somehow. Spectrum then turns around to see Agony standing behind him, and he braces himself as Agony starts to (or struggles to) speak with his own voice, remarking on how horrible Spectrum’s past was and how he needs to be put out of his misery before forming his weapons. Initially stunned, Spectrum’s expressions turn to determination as he pulls out his Wispon again, ready for one last fight. After staring each other down, they lunge at each other and the final confrontation begins.Spectrum tries to hold his own throughout the entire fight but Agony still has the upper hand, easily getting a hold of Spectrum to pummel him in close-quarters, leading near fatal blows against Spectrum with his weapons, and even manipulating Cyber Space again to fling obstacles at Spectrum that he narrowly manages to escape. Throughout the fight, Agony doesn’t project Spectrum’s memories back into his mind again like before, instead pointing out the looping screens whenever they take a moment to catch their breath (or whenever Spectrum alone catches his breath). Eventually, Spectrum loses his edge and Agony finally strikes him down, sending him to the ground in a bloody pulp... Agony then walks up to and stands over Spectrum as he lies there while struggling to breathe, saying that there’s hope for him as he prepares to drive his blade through him…Spectrum nervously embraces the end as Agony brings his blade down, but it’s suddenly stopped by Berri and Tumult, having arrived just in the nick of time to grab Agony’s blade and push him away. Berri and Tumult quickly pull Spectrum up, who is confused as to what’s happening. Berri and Tumult remind Spectrum that they’ll be there for him through his traumas no matter what, just like how he helped them through theirs, all of which brings tears to his eyes. After a quick hug, Team Spectrum then braces themselves for their final fight with Agony together, with Agony himself seemingly looking nervous over their unity with Spectrum himself. After staring each other down again, they finally attack each other, and the real final fight begins.

Throughout the fight, Agony desperately tries to separate Spectrum from his friends again (mostly through manipulating Cyber Space again), but they now easily break through his obstacles, doing their best to stay close to Spectrum for support as they fight Agony with him. Together, they easily have a greater advantage over Agony, with the glitchy doppelganger unable to land so many hits on them as they pummel him with ease, even sometimes combining their attacks together to deal massive amounts of damage to him. Eventually, Team Spectrum has completely overwhelmed Agony, and they land one final blow together that sends him flying to the ground, twisted and mangled.Team Spectrum walks over to and stands over Agony as they admire their work, with Agony struggling to say (even more so than before) how he only wanted to bring Spectrum peace. After taking a deep breath, Spectrum argues against this by saying how it’s better to work through one’s pain with those you love rather than succumbing to that pain by yourself, explaining how Agony’s way of “helping” Spectrum was just bringing him more of that pain. With that, Spectrum takes Agony’s severed hand-blade and drives it through his chest, causing the doppelganger to disappear for the final time…

Chapter 11: "Returning Home"

After that, Spectrum thanks Berri and Tumult for being there for him and apologizing for not trusting them with his lingering traumas before, saying that he still has some issues to work on as his friends promise to always be there for him. Suddenly, the module stops glowing red and instead glows a light blue again with a spark, catching Team Spectrum’s attention as it slowly blinks. Spectrum walks over to the module and places his hand on it again, looking back to his friends with a smile as he uses it to allow their escape from Cyber Space, with them all disappearing a red flash once again.Team Spectrum reappears back on the Starfall Islands in another red flash, finding themselves in the middle of a massive crater on another island. Everyone exclaims how relieved they are to finally be out of Cyber Space, with Berri especially happy as she hopes aloud to never come back to this place again.

As they all walk out of the crater, Spectrum spots a little stone creature he recognizes to be a “Koco” as he hides behind the trees, giving him a quick wink and a smile as he acknowledges his history. As they finally leave the crater and make their way out the foliage, they see a tall temple-like structure and multiple black towers in the distance as Spectrum’s Battleship suddenly hovers above them with its spotlight shining down on them, with Ginger and Audrey and Marina exclaiming with joy from within the ship (having finally found their friends).

THE END

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Art by ChaosControl VA, FrizeRose, AlexaLynnSTH, SEGA, Oertemy, Omorfia-Moria, Kira The Hedgehog, and RushklySolen.

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Info
Part 1
Part 2

WRITTEN BY
ChaosControl VA, RocketPOW!, Chubz Artz

ART BY
ChaosControl VA, FrizeRose, RocketPOW!

BASED ON
Universe 99 (by RocketPOW!), Sonic Advance 3, Sonic Battle, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Forces

STATUS
Completed

Overview

"Lamia has stolen the Warp Topaz and run off with it to a new universe, but Berri is on the case and in hot pursuit. In this new world, Berri and Lamia will meet new allies and enemies, both of which will test their understandings of trust."

Arc Characters

Spectrum The Hedgehog
Berri The Rabbit
Shira The Inu
Rudy The Mutt
Commissioner Knox The German Shepherd
Scraps The Caracal
Blues The Rottweiler
Nastasya The Husky
Romulus The Venus Flytrap
Lamia The Constrictor
Fera The Akita
Valerie The Kangal
Noxia The Viper

Part 1

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Chapter 1: "Jailbreak"

Deep within the confines of a G.U.N. super prison, Lamia is suspended by her bindings as she is held in one of the facility’s cells, a dark air surrounding her as she patiently waits. Suddenly, alarms are heard in the distance, catching Lamia’s attention before the wall in front of her explodes, with the Order of Genesis stepping into the room as the dust settles. As the Order approaches Lamia and starts freeing her from her bounds, Lamia expresses how happy she is to see them, while also giving another witty remark on how embarrassing it is for her to be saved by men (seeing as how only male members were present there), but still suggesting that they actually do care enough about her; once Lamia is finally released and allowed to stand on the ground again though, Uploaded Romulus says that her gratitude and sense of appreciation from them is misplaced, explaining that they only freed her now because they need her to break into Spectrum’s Battleship again (having found out that she only got imprisoned here after successfully breaking into that flying fortress before). As Uploaded Romulus starts explaining her new mission, Lamia’s face twists into one of silent anger and resentment…

Chapter 2: "Escape to Route 99"

Later, on Spectrum’s Battleship, Spectrum himself and Berri check in on the Artifact Room, within which the Warp Topaz is being held; they both express how lucky they are that the Order of Genesis hasn’t gotten their hands on the Warp Topaz yet, despite their close calls with them and their own adventures with it. That last part, though, reminds Berri of her (and Ginger’s) previous adventure in the Zenithverse, where she stole the Warp Topaz from under Spectrum’s nose and got lost in another universe as a result, and so she gets slightly yet visibly depressed all of a sudden. Spectrum quickly picks up on this sudden change in demeanor from Berri and asks her about it, getting a response from her about how she still feels guilty over taking the Warp Topaz before… Now fully understanding the situation, Spectrum does his best to reassure Berri, reminding her (again) that he already forgave her for that and telling her that he still trusts her (as his sidekick and best friend); Berri is certainly touched by this gesture and thus regains a little bit of her composure, though she does log that last part away for the time being.Almost immediately afterwards though, Spectrum and Berri are startled by loud noises coming from outside, as if something big or just strong was banging against the side of the ship. Assuming this might be an attack of some kind, Spectrum and Berri brace themselves defensively, and after a brief moment of steady intensity, a hole in the wall of the Artifact Room is suddenly torn open, allowing the air to whip around inside the Battleship. Lamia enters the Battleship through the hole (having torn her way through with her tail), much to Spectrum and Berri’s remaining shock, quickly grabbing the Warp Topaz in their state of hesitancy. Before Lamia can leave with the Warp Topaz though, Spectrum and Berri (who are no longer shocked) address her before starting a fight with her, trying their best to snatch the Topaz back while avoiding Lamia’s tail as it’s being whipped around. Eventually, Spectrum and Berri have Lamia cornered with her back up against the (destroyed) wall, thinking that she wouldn’t dare jump, but to their surprise, she does jump; Lamia suddenly leaps out of the hole that she made, descending through the air before using the Warp Topaz to open a portal to a random world, falling through it as she makes her escape. Berri becomes distressed about Lamia getting away, running towards the hole to chase after her before Spectrum stops her, telling her that it would be too dangerous for her to go after Lamia in a possibly uncharted universe without backup; Berri argues back that she can indeed handle this, reminding Spectrum that he trusts her, causing him to get embarrassed with his own forgetful inconsistency before letting Berri go. Before Berri can actually leave though, Spectrum tosses her a pair of reflective glasses, revealing that he (recently) developed them as a way of counteracting Lamia’s hypnosis, though Berri sarcastically remarks on how she could have gotten them sooner (much to Spectrum’s embarrassed agreement). With that, Berri finally leaps off the Battleship and falls straight into the portal, making it through just before it closes. A few moments after Berri has left, Spectrum looks upon the hole in his Battleship, regrettably remarking on how he has to pay for the repairs…On the other end of the portal, Berri shoots out of it and lands in the middle of a desert, with no sign of Lamia anywhere. Still, Berri understands the dangers of being in a new world, so she tensely starts walking until she finds a road; while walking along that road, Berri eventually finds a sign that reads “Route 99,” a sign of civilization that relieves her a little. That peace is soon broken, however, when she sees a gang of bikers riding down the road in the mirage-consumed distance. Believing this gang to be natural trouble-makers and criminals, Berri walks onto the road and stands in their path, bracing herself for a fight. When the gang finally closes in on Berri, they circle around her, coming to a complete stop before pulling out Wispons and chains, believing her to be a trouble-maker who’s looking to start a fight too. Eventually, one of the bikers pipes up and asks Berri to state her business, much to her confusion, though she does answer and explain how she’s tracking down a villain from her home universe (albeit tensely, still expecting a brawl to break out any minute); after a few moments of tense silence following Berri’s explanation, and after the biker from before takes what was said into account, she tells her men to stand down. The surprised gang members reluctantly put their weapons away, much to Berri’s surprise, as the biker dismounts and approaches Berri, removing her helmet and introducing herself as Shira (the leader of the “Chained Leash” gang).Berri reluctantly introduces herself too, followed by an apology from the both of them for being initially hostile towards each other, having believed the other to be no good. Shira remarks on how it’s not everyday that they get a visitor from another world, but she also sympathizes with Berri because of her current mission; to make up for her previous aggression, Shira offers to let Berri stay with her gang while she completes her mission in this universe. Berri is surprised again by this gesture, asking Shira why she would be willing to trust her so easily, only for Shira to respond by saying how their world is crazy enough already. Feeling more at ease after receiving such a simple answer, Berri accepts the offer, prompting Shira to command her followers to return to base. As the gang prepares to ride again though, Berri notices one of the other bikers staring at her, seemingly in disapproval, but she can’t be entirely sure of that (due to their helmet hiding their face). Eventually, the Chained Leash rides off towards the neighboring city, with Berri holding onto Shira as they ride together; to pass the time on their drive, Shira asks Berri about the criminal she’s chasing, prompting Berri to give a brief descriptor on Lamia. After hearing that, Shira remarks on another snake villainess she knows that somewhat fits the same description, a revelation that surprises and troubles Berri greatly…

Chapter 3: "Noxia"

Meanwhile, having already landed in this universe moments before Berri did, Lamia slithers through the streets of Checker City, drawing the attention of every bystander she passes by (though she could care less). As Lamia admires the metropolis around her (while everyone else is still staring at her), her eye gets caught on the sight of another snake, whose tail is briefly spotted as they quickly retreat from view, much to Lamia’s interest.Shortly thereafter, Lamia is climbing up the side of the “Johnsonian Museum,” where she finds and spies on the other snake from earlier (having tracked her there), who is now setting up some equipment. Lamia continues to watch this snake do her work, only for her to eventually notice Lamia’s presence, slowly getting up before lunging at her with poison-coated claws. Lamia easily dodges this as a fight between them breaks out on the roof, with the defending snake pulling out smoke bombs to cover her retaliating surprise attack, only for Lamia to swing her tail around and slam her into one of the museum’s chimneys. As the snake picks herself back up, she also beats herself up (internally) over getting spotted earlier, thus causing this situation now; after Lamia leaps forward and attempts to slam her tail down on the other snake, only for her to roll out of the way in the nick of time, Lamia notices how distracted her opponent is (due to her still beating herself up over being spotted) and comments on it, flustering her further. The snake then charges at Lamia, only to be caught and constricted by large plants that Lamia summons, allowing her a chance to hypnotize the snake.

As she starts to feel her mind slipping in Lamia’s alluring eyes, the snake uses her tail to grab her glass cutter gadget from underneath her black sash, slicing away the large vines and freeing herself so that she can kick Lamia back, thus preventing her enslavement. In retaliation while Lamia is recovering, the snake throws a bola at her, wrapping around Lamia’s arms tightly and swiftly in the hopes of preventing her from using her magic, though that is quickly disproven when Lamia suddenly summons another large plant that swiftly sends the snake flying backward. Lamia then slips her tail through the bola and breaks it apart with her strength, only to quickly lunge at the other snake and wrap her up in her tail, using this as another opportunity to attempt hypnotizing her; the other snake, however, quickly wraps her own tail around Lamia, pushing them apart and keeping her at a distance as they engage in this new strangling match. After a few moments of them constricting each other, the other snake rolls them both off the roof of the museum, sending them falling into the alleyway below.In the alleyway, two police officers are in the middle of conducting a welfare check when the two snakes crash down, hitting a dumpster before finally landing on the ground. Being startled by this, the two officers approach Lamia and the other snake, ready to arrest them both for disorderly conduct and possible assault (on each other); the other snake gets up and looks at the officers, getting annoyed at their sudden appearance while also realizing how bad this situation has become, thinking that she could possibly be caught for the first time here, only for Lamia to get in front of her and blow the officers back with her magic. Instinctively, the officers draw their weapons and prepare to fire, prompting Lamia to look at the other snake and silently suggest working together to take them out, which she (also silently) agrees to. As the officers then fire upon Lamia and the other snake, they both dodge and weave in order to get close enough to retaliate; the other snake takes on the male officer, evading his gunfire and getting close enough to bite him on the neck and inject him with her venom (paralyzing him), while Lamia summons more plants to constrict the female officer, allowing Lamia to (successfully) hypnotize her after that.Once the dust settles, Lamia takes the opportunity to compliment the other snake’s abilities, noting how they’re so similar to her own, but the other snake tries not to respond much as she starts walking away. After a few steps though, Lamia stops the other snake in her tracks, trying to ask her about what she was doing up on that museum roof, only for her to try walking away again without much of a response; this time, Lamia stops the other snake again by saying that she was obviously gonna rob the place, making her freeze before turning around and asking Lamia to keep it to herself or else. Lamia instead suggests that she can help the other snake, noting how well they worked together just moments before when they were fighting the cops, saying how much greater their opportunities will be once their power doubles. The other snake actually ponders this request, taking both their previous fight and their short team-up into consideration alongside Lamia’s words, eventually deciding to accept the proposal with reasonable caution; with a partnership having been formed, Lamia and the other snake finally introduce themselves to each other, with the latter revealing herself to be known as “Noxia The Viper.” After that, Noxia suggests they return to the museum’s rooftop and break in stealthily (a method that she was actually preparing before Lamia interrupted her), but Lamia proposes a different strategy, saying that they can go all out and make a scene out of it…

Chapter 4: "Interrogation at the Iron Tap"

Meanwhile, at a bar called the Iron Tap, the Chained Leash gang members are dispersed about the building, playing pool and buying drinks and listening to the radio. As all of that is happening, Shira is giving Berri a tour of the place (as this bar is the gang’s headquarters), ending it off by showing Berri the garage (where they maintain their motorcycles); Berri is surprised that this gang is actually a force for good, with Shira clarifying that, after the war between the Resistance and the Eggman Empire (something that Berri is very familiar with (in her world), she decided to turn things around and make a difference with the following she had gathered. After showing Berri the garages (as they reenter the actual bar), Shira allows her to settle in while they wait for any word on Lamia’s whereabouts, leaving her right there. Before Berri can do anything else though, she spots the mysterious disapproving biker from before entering a smaller room within the bar, prompting Berri to follow them and see what their beef is with her.Berri enters the small room, confusingly finding it to be (seemingly) empty; after a few moments of awkward silence though, Berri is suddenly pinned to the wall by the biker, who had been waiting for Berri within the shadows. The biker removes her helmet and reveals herself to be Rudy The Mutt, who aggressively asks Berri to explain her motives, much to the shock and surprise of Berri herself; Rudy explains that she doesn’t trust Berri, not buying her story about tracking an enemy from another universe, and so she’s interrogating Berri now to make sure Shira didn’t let some spy into the gang (or something else along those lines). Rudy starts by asking Berri who she is and what her purpose is in this world, but Berri is confused by such questions as she already explained all of that to the gang beforehand… Rudy then asks about Lamia, with Berri explaining how she’s an evil witch who can hypnotize people and hates children. Finally, Rudy asks Berri why she wants to stand up to Lamia in the first place, and Berri explains that Lamia hates her for her personal crusade to protect the innocence of children; Rudy is confused and slightly shocked by this answer, and so she asks Berri to explain what she means by that (her mission to protect childhood), prompting Berri to divulge her reasoning with a sigh.Berri goes into her backstory for Rudy, explaining that she and her family were captured by Eggman during the war (in her world), with her niece Cream being robotomized by him before she was rescued; this revelation leaves Rudy silently shocked… Berri continues, explaining that, even though Cream was eventually rescued and revived during her time with the Resistance, she could still only see what Eggman did to Cream in what she had allowed to happen to countless other children like her before; Berri concludes by saying that her backstory is the reason why she does what she does (and why Lamia hates her), that being to ensure that other children don’t go through what her niece Cream endured (in whatever form such abuse will take). Berri’s story leaves Rudy completely stunned as she unpins Berri from the wall, quickly apologizing for not trusting her sooner and sympathizing with her past after a brief moment of reflective silence. Berri is just as quick to forgive Rudy for her aggressive interrogation, being able to understand her reasons, though she also takes a mental note of Rudy’s trust issues; Rudy feels better about things upon being forgiven, promising Berri that she’ll do whatever she can to help her take down Lamia, a gesture that Berri appreciates greatly. After that, Berri and Rudy walk back out into the bar together, with Rudy questioning Berri further out of a newfound curiosity, asking her how she was ever a Resistance soldier when she’s so cute-looking (a question that makes Berri flustered in a friendly manner).Before Berri can actually answer Rudy’s question though, they are interrupted by the sight of everyone huddled around the radio, with Shira beckoning Berri and Rudy over to take a listen as well. Once Berri and Rudy join in, they hear a live news broadcast about an (assumed) EMP blast that just went off at the Johnsonian Museum, one so big that it not only took out the museum’s electrical systems, but it also took out those of the surrounding buildings and the cars outside; the news broadcast also mentions reports of gunfire being heard from within the museum, much to the Chained Leash’s (and Berri’s) concern… Rudy is concerned and confused on what would cause such a blast, with Berri almost immediately assuming this to be Lamia’s doing (with the EMP possibly being one of her spells), though Shira doesn’t want to jump to conclusions yet; still, Shira understands that they can’t just ignore or take this lightly, so she gets Rudy and two other Chained Leash members to join her and Berri in checking the scene out. With that taken care of, all five of them head for the garages and ride for the Johnsonian Museum on their motorcycles.

Chapter 5: "Attack at the Museum"

Meanwhile, at the Johnsonian Museum, several security guards have already been laid out across the floor, having either been hypnotized by both Lamia and Noxia or just simply knocked out; the remaining guards are slowly and cautiously sweeping through one of the museum’s halls, forming up into a tight group as their firearms are at the ready, being noticeably fearful at the sight of their fallen brethren. The tense silence, however, is suddenly broken when Noxia throws one of her smoke bombs from around a corner, catching the guards off-guard and enveloping them with said smoke, allowing Lamia and Noxia the chance to take them down and brainwash them too. As the smoke clears, Noxia is quick to comment on how this is going better than she thought it would, with Lamia taking out the security systems with her EMP spell prior (though Noxia is still surprised by how Lamia is a witch), and with the both of them now mesmerizing any resisting parties along the way; Lamia agrees with Noxia’s statement, bragging that her previously-proposed partnership is beneficial to them after all. With that said, Lamia and Noxia raise the hypnotized guards from the floor like zombies, commanding them to keep anyone from getting past the entrance while they continue their work, which they set out to do as they stumble their way to the lobby. Once the guards leave, Lamia and Noxia finally approach their prize: an exhibit housing twin diamonds, with each one being large and transparent; Noxia easily breaks into the exhibit’s glass casings while the security systems are still down, grabbing and holding onto both diamonds at once. Lamia is fine with Noxia taking both diamonds, but before they can start making their escape, Noxia decides to hand one of them over to Lamia. Naturally, Lamia is confused by this gesture, though Noxia explains that she merely feels like they should split the bounty (unadmittedly wanting to show her appreciation for their new and successful partnership), as well as feeling like Lamia should be compensated for their earlier fight; Lamia chuckles at that last part as she gladly accepts the diamond from Noxia, who then playfully winks at Lamia and makes her blush slightly. Before they can do anything else though, the two snakes are suddenly startled by the sounds of a brawl erupting from the lobby.At the museum’s front entrance, the Chained Leash and Berri have finally arrived on the scene and are now engaging with the hypnotized guards; as Berri and the Chained Leash fight the guards, they are quick to notice the latter’s unusual behavior, that being how they seem uncoordinated and almost zombie-like. Berri is the first to mention this out loud, as well as the first to bring up how uncomfortable she is with fighting cops in general; Shira agrees with both of Berri’s points, noting that the Chained Leash already has a strained relationship with the police force to begin with… They all quickly determine that something else is going on (with Berri having a pretty good idea on what that exact something is too), so Shira orders Rudy and the other two gang members to stay behind and take care of the hordes, giving her and Berri the breathing room to go deeper into the museum together and try to find the possible source of this chaos. With all of that being said, the group splits up and gets to work.Further into the museum, Berri and Shira round the corner to find Lamia and Noxia still hanging around the twin diamonds exhibit, being surprised to find the two snakes working together. While Shira admits to Berri that her previous suspicions (about this attack on the museum being of Lamia’s doing) were correct, Berri herself is quick to question Lamia’s taste in partners, wittingly asking if she has had enough of being a “twin flame” yet; Lamia is confident in her response, however, saying that two heads are better than one, especially if the other head is a lot like her own already (that last statement confuses Noxia though). Before any further retorts can be said between the two rivals, Shira gets the attention of both parties, reminding them what they are doing here to begin with; with everyone’s focus regained, both pairs finally engage in a fight. Shira takes on Noxia, pulling out her custom-made Billiard Stick and swinging it around to keep Noxia at a distance, hoping to avoid being bitten and infected with her venom; once Noxia pulls out her bola though, Shira decides to fight fire with fire, putting her billiard stick away and switching to her chains, whipping them around and tangling them up with Noxia’s bola occasionally. Meanwhile, Berri takes on Lamia, instead hoping to get up-close and personal as she fights with her signature hand-to-hand combat, all while Lamia herself whips her tail about and tries to (vainly) coil Berri within it. During the overall scuffle, Shira manages to wrap her chains around Noxia’s sash and rip it off, sending the gadgets that were around her waist tumbling to the ground, thus stripping her of her arsenal; Lamia, however, takes this opportunity to be flirty, being quick to comment on Noxia’s “nice curves,” much to the embarrassment of Noxia herself.Eventually, Lamia and Noxia are alerted to the sounds of police cars rolling up outside with their sirens, prompting them to bring an end to this fight and make their escape before they lose further ground. With that in mind, they each manage to bind their opponents by unexpectedly swapping them at the last moment, with Noxia entrapping Berri with her bola, and with Lamia encasing Shira in some more summoned plants; before they actually leave though, Lamia and Noxia take the time to gloat, with Lamia taunting Berri about what she has in store for this new universe, and with Noxia teasing Shira about how the police will love this… With all of that being said, Lamia and Noxia finally back up and grasp each other, bracing themselves as Lamia teleports them both away with another spell. As Berri and Shira are left alone to struggle against their constraints, Shira starts beating herself up over letting Noxia and Lamia escape, prompting Berri to try and reassure her… This falls on deaf ears though, as Shira feels like she’s no longer worthy of Berri’s trust in this hunt of hers… After Berri silently and briefly reflects on this, and just as she’s about to respond, Rudy and the other two Chained Leash members show up, having finally dealt with the hordes of hypnotized guards as they rush over and try to break Berri and Shira loose, hoping to escape as the cops are closing in.Meanwhile, back in the alleyway next to the Johnsonian Museum, Lamia and Noxia reappear after teleporting, not wanting to waste anymore time as they shift their thoughts to hiding out. Noxia quickly suggests that they head for her penthouse, but before they can actually make a break for it, Lamia stops them to snap her fingers, saying that she wants to make things harder for their pursuers… Back in the museum, as Berri and Shira are finally freed from their bindings, the security systems reactivate, thanks to Lamia undoing her EMP spell just then, and the police suddenly enter the room and surround them… The police commissioner, Knox The German Shepherd, pushes his way to the front, only to become confused by the appearance of Shira at the scene of the crime; the police are ready to either apprehend the Chained Leash or open fire, believing them to be the ones behind this museum attack, but Knox tries to stop them, saying that there must be a more reasonable explanation as to why the gang is at the crime scene… Before things can get ugly, Berri spots one of Noxia’s smoke bombs on the floor (with it being one of many other gadgets that were left behind after Shira ripped them off of Noxia), deciding to quickly grab and activate it to allow an escape. As the smoke quickly fills the room, the police open fire, creating enough chaos for Berri and the Chained Leash to escape unscathed and undetected; as the clouds dissipate, the assumed culprits are nowhere to be seen, leaving Knox confused, but also now concerned…After getting a good distance away from the Johnsonian Museum on their bikes, the group stops to catch their breath, with Shira being more frustrated than ever… When asked about it, Shira vents about how the police now think they attacked the museum instead of Lamia and Noxia, feeling as though all her hard work to repair the reputation of her gang just went down the drain… Rudy tries her best to comfort Shira, saying that she is equally upset about all of this, but that they will still find Lamia and Noxia and make things right, a sentiment that Berri agrees with upon chiming in. Shira appreciates this support, but she mostly keeps it to herself as she tells them all to move out, not wanting to get more emotional than she already is… As they get back on their bikes, Berri (wanting to give Shira some space) rides with Rudy, who thanks Berri for her quick thinking with the smoke bomb; as the Chained Leash rides back to the Iron Tap in defeat, Berri takes Rudy’s compliment into account, recognizing that she has truly and fully won her trust (ever since Rudy’s interrogation earlier), all while Shira still feels like she just lost the trust of many others instead…

Chapter 6: "Behind Closed Doors…"

Later, at Noxia’s penthouse, Lamia and Noxia herself enter, still feeling energized from their successful heist; Noxia especially feels good about the day’s events, feeling the need to invite Lamia to stay with her if she plans on continuing their partnership, an offer that Lamia accepts (albeit with her usual witty tone). As Noxia goes into her kitchen to prepare some celebratory drinks, Lamia takes a moment to look over some of Noxia’s belongings, trying to get a sense of who Noxia really is before looking back with a smirk, ready to make a move. As Noxia walks over to Lamia with the finished drinks, she looks up and gets startled by Lamia suddenly being right up in her face, while also discarding the drinks with her tail and taking Noxia’s (now free) hands in her own, causing her to blush profusely. After explaining that she’s craving something else, Lamia closes the distance between them and kisses Noxia, an action that she is initially surprised by, but one that she eventually melts into and goes along with… Things only escalate once both parties participate, with both Lamia and (especially) Noxia realizing how much they wanted this as they embrace each other with their tails, grasping onto each other tightly as they stumble into Noxia’s chambers, and letting everything else fade away as they give into each other… Later on, Lamia and Noxia both lie in each other's embrace, reeling from what they had just done… Noxia, in particular, is still coming to grips with what she is now feeling and whether or not it is actually love, having never done anything like this with anyone else before… Before Noxia can say anything, Lamia breaks the silence first, saying how she could get used to this, especially with her; this makes Noxia naively blush and smile, prompting her to lovingly cuddle with Lamia further and say that she made the right decision to trust her. Lamia holds Noxia close in return and smiles devilishly, for while she does have an affection for Noxia, she cares more about getting her into her back pocket…Meanwhile, at the site of an abandoned Gimme Shelter, someone watches a news report on the attack at the Johnsonian Museum, seeing how the media is already blaming the Chained Leash gang for the event (using their appearance on the rebooted security footage as evidence). The person watching the broadcast states how all of that isn’t Shira’s style, revealing that they know her personally, concluding that someone else is behind the attack and that Shira is innocent; with that in mind, the figure stands up and reveals herself to be Fera The Akita, who calls upon a lurking Valerie The Kangal to gather their own gang together, saying how she doesn’t intend on being outdone by some newbie…

Part 2

Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18

Chapter 7: "The Early Bird gets the Worm…or the Snake"

Noxia was already up when the sun started to rise over her penthouse, with it being the following morning after she and Lamia embraced their feelings for one another; while wearing one of her comfy robes, Noxia sits in her living room and looks over some blueprints, her concentration on them being very focused indeed. That would be tested, however, once Lamia exited the bedroom, dawning one of Noxia’s robes too as she soon set her sights on Noxia herself, sneakily hugging her from behind. As she starts peppering Noxia with kisses, Lamia tries to tempt the scheming snake back into bed, but while Noxia does find the attention she’s receiving to be amusing, she ultimately tries to refuse Lamia; Noxia reveals that the blueprints she’s examining belong to an old warehouse, explaining that she plans on stealing some of its collected Badnik parts for a client tomorrow, and that she can’t rest or “have fun” until she has everything for that figured out. None of that information sways Lamia though, and her temptations even get bolder as she continues to plead. All of this attention from Lamia really starts to rile up Noxia, pushing her further and further until she eventually turns around in Lamia’s embrace and gives in, albeit while clarifying that she will need to resume her work once they’re done. Lamia simply acknowledges this with a smug air, and with all of that being said, she and Noxia happily stumble back into bed, leaving the warehouse blueprints behind in the living room…

Chapter 8: "Consequences"

Meanwhile, back at the Iron Tap, the group sent to intercept Lamia and Noxia at the museum have already returned a while ago, but the atmosphere is very somber as everyone is still recovering from the events of the previous night; Shira is still not taking last night’s loss too well either, having locked herself away in her personal quarters (which rests just above the bar itself)... Rudy is waiting right outside said bedroom when Berri walks up to her and asks about Shira’s current wellbeing, with Rudy confirming that she’s still hung up about the whole thing… Berri feels bad about Shira after that answer, but Rudy sympathetically understands, saying that they should worry at least a little bit about what could happen now; one example Rudy mentions is the idea that Lamia and Noxia could find other snakes and make one big snake gang, saying that that would bring just as much trouble as they already have with the ”Broken Chains” gang. Berri is confused and intrigued by such a mention, quickly and naturally asking about these “Broken Chains,” only for Rudy to sigh as she prepares to go into that group’s history. Rudy reveals that the Broken Chains were originally members of the Chained Leash, including their leader “Fera The Akita,” who she points out on a photo that’s hanging on the wall for Berri to see. Rudy then explains that the Broken Chains broke away from the Chained Leash when Shira turned it into the vigilante group it is now, with them not agreeing with such a change in spite of Shira’s inspirations from the war against the Eggman Empire (in this world), and they have been tense rivals to the Chained Leash ever since. After hearing this story from Rudy while looking at the photo, Berri logs it all away, figuring it might be safe to hold onto such information for the time being.Suddenly, a police car then pulls up outside, with the police commissioner from the night before, Knox The German Shepherd, soon exiting it and entering the bar with a tense and serious expression. Berri braces for action upon seeing him, but Rudy stops her and puts her at ease, saying that he’s actually an ally to the gang, though she’s not sure if that has changed since last night or not… Neither Knox nor Rudy and Berri say a word to each other as the former ascends the stairs, with the other Chained Leash members around them not tearing their eyes away from the action, only for Rudy to open Shira’s door for him, not wanting to make a big scene as she understands that he’s simply here to talk. Almost as soon as the door closes behind him, Rudy and Berri hear arguing from within the room.Inside Shira’s quarters, Knox, in an understandably frustrated tone, asks Shira herself why she and her gang were at the museum attack last night. Shira tries to explain that they were only there to stop the real attackers, but that falls on deaf ears as Knox refutes such a claim by bringing up her gang’s solitary appearance on the museum’s security footage (which only turned back on once Lamia and Noxia had already left); on a related note, Knox also mentions that thanks to the damning video evidence, his police force and the city’s officials all now believe that the Chained Leash was indeed responsible for the incident… Despite all of that going against her and her gang though, Shira still persists on the fact that they weren’t actually behind the attack, much to the annoyance of Knox, who is also starting to believe that the evidence is true at this point… Once the room falls into silence after they argue for a bit, Knox reflects on how Shira and her gang helped take down some bad actors within his police force, reminiscing on how he gave them his trust and then explaining how he now feels like they’ve abused it, much to Shira’s silent dismay… With all of that being said, Knox then somberly reveals that he has no choice but to arrest Shira and her gang members if they’re spotted at another crime scene, though he also expresses how sorry he is about that as he finally leaves the room, much to Shira’s boiling frustration…As Knox silently leaves the building, Shira can be heard going ballistic within her quarters, with her feeling as though all her hard work towards making her gang a force for good was just wasted… After a short while, Shira finally exits her room, surprising Rudy and Berri as she’s panting from her outburst; Rudy tries to ask if she’s alright, but Shira simply says that she’s fine and storms off, much to Rudy’s concern… Berri tries to comfort Rudy in the wake of Shira giving her the cold shoulder, but Rudy says that she understands Shira’s frustration, figuring that whatever just happened in her room with Knox probably wasn’t good… As Rudy says all of that though, a small child in a cowboy costume sneaks up behind Berri and jumps out in front of her, pretending to shoot her with a toy revolver. Needless to say, Berri is shocked by this sudden appearance and instinctively jumps, but once she sees that it’s just a child (one that’s playing pretend, no less), she decides to play along and dramatically act out dying from the imaginary blast. The child giggles at Berri’s performance before running over to Rudy, cutely boasting about protecting the bar from bandits (that being Berri in this current scenario) as Rudy picks him up and plays along too, during which she reveals his name to be “Scraps.” Once she’s done playing along though, Rudy sweetly explains that Berri is actually a friend, surprising Scraps before he instinctively runs over and apologizes with a hug, which Berri accepts as she finds the whole exchange to be wholesome. Rudy then tells Scraps to go cheer up Shira, which he’s happy to do as he runs over to her, all while Rudy and Berri watch; as Shira somberly leans against the bar itself, Scraps approaches her and invites her to play with him, which she accepts upon finding out that she can’t really stay mad around him. As Rudy and Berri continue to watch Shira and Scraps play together, Berri asks Rudy why a child is hanging around a gang’s hideout, prompting Rudy to explain how she and Shira just found him on the streets one day, with them ultimately deciding to raise him in their gang; on that note, Rudy also expresses how she and Shira really feel like Scraps’ family now, wanting nothing but the best for him… Berri takes all of that in as she continues to watch Shira and Scraps from a distance, but that same sight starts to remind her of her personal crusade, much to her own confusion…

Chapter 9: "A Snake Date"

Back at Noxia’s penthouse, as the sun starts to set, Noxia herself reenters her living room to find Lamia lounging about. Noxia sits across from Lamia, letting her know that the planning for tomorrow’s heist is finally done, much to Lamia’s approval as she’s interested in some more alone time. Noxia has other plans though, cheekily revealing that she just booked them both a table at a very fancy restaurant called “Dur Bouilli Lourd,” much to Lamia’s curious confusion; upon Lamia asking why, Noxia explains that she simply wanted to celebrate their new partnership properly, albeit while excluding her other motive, that being to determine whether or not Lamia is a worthy interest. Lamia is not interested in going on such a date (as she calls it), instead wanting to go back to bed like before, but Noxia pushes back by saying how she can easily go alone and leave Lamia at the penthouse without dinner, then teasing her about how she might not want to hunt mice in that instance, much to Lamia’s annoyance over that stereotype. Once the flirty back-and-forth comes to a standstill, with Noxia now appealing to Lamia’s emotions as she cutely begs in silence, Lamia grits her teeth as she finally agrees to going on the date. Lamia’s (admittingly strained) response makes Noxia very happy as she rushes back into her bedroom, where she pulls a fancy dress out of her walk-in closet and tosses it over to Lamia (who is once again confused), explaining that she wants Lamia to look decent for this (referencing how she only wears a raggy shirt).Later, at the Dur Bouilli Lourd, other patrons populate the space while Lamia and Noxia are already eating at their table, with the both of them having done their hair to compliment their fancy dresses. While she is enjoying the food, Lamia does find her dress to be irritating with how tight it is, giving Noxia an opportunity to tease, much to Lamia’s own teasing. After they flirt for a short while, Noxia finally decides to put her hidden agenda into action, asking Lamia multiple questions about several different aspects of her life. Among Lamia’s responses, she describes the coup that she successfully enacted over her own country, her membership with the Order of Genesis, her need for the love of and control over others, how she uses her hypnosis to achieve that when not using it for fun, and so on; however, when Noxia asks about Lamia’s end goal in this universe, she doesn’t exactly answer, instead hoping to distract Noxia with a witty joke, but that doesn’t really put Noxia’s silent concern to rest after all…Soon enough though, the restaurant's band starts up its jazzy performance, inviting the other patrons to rise from their tables and make their way over to the dance floor; upon seeing this, Noxia decides to take her mind off of that last question and have some fun, standing up before inviting Lamia to dance with her. Lamia chats Noxia up some more before she finally takes her hand, with them both making their way down to the dance floor before they come together in a slow dance. As they sway from side to side, with their tails even wrapping around each other, the two snakes continue to flirt with each other; Noxia is impressed by Lamia’s moves, with Lamia herself revealing that she’s had centuries of practice. Noxia is amused by that statement and teasingly asks Lamia if she’s had plenty of suitors in that same period of time, to which Lamia confirms while clarifying that she didn’t feel the same way about them as she does about Noxia. Needless to say, Noxia is flattered by that confession, now feeling more at ease with Lamia as all her doubts fade away. Finally, as the band starts to wrap up their first song of the night, Lamia dips Noxia, who confesses next and says that she’s really happy to have met Lamia; with that being said, as the song ends, Lamia and Noxia kiss lovingly while the other patrons around them applaud the band.

Chapter 10: "Nighttime Chats"

Meanwhile, back at the Iron Tap, Shira sits alone outside, being deep in somber reflection; she is feeling slightly better than before as she holds onto Scraps’ cowboy hat, but not by much as she’s still thinking about the museum attack, recognizing that event as the sole cause of her current problems… Soon enough though, Rudy walks outside and sees the sulking Shira, figuring that now might be the right time to try cheering her up herself as she walks over and sits beside her. After confirming that Shira is still a little upset about the museum attack, Rudy tries to comfort her by saying that they will come up with a plan even if it’s without the police’s support, but she also says that everyone needs to keep their heads clear for that. In spite of Rudy’s reassurance though, Shira continues to mope, admitting that she feels like a failure to Rudy and their gang… Rudy feels a little more sympathetic upon hearing those words, prompting her to go a little further with her reassuring; Rudy tells Shira that there is in fact a solution to the consequences of failures, that being to not give into the shame of the past and to instead think about where to go from there. As Shira starts to become intrigued by these words, Rudy continues and says that she’s still a good leader, but that such authority figures also move on from their mistakes and try do better, ending with how Shira needs to emulate that if she wants to continue being the leader her gang knows her to be. Now feeling emboldened, Shira stands up and agrees with Rudy’s words, now sharing the sentiment that she can’t give up until Lamia and Noxia are both stopped. Rudy is happy to see Shira finally regain her confidence, embracing her as she gives a flirtatious compliment, all before the two of them kiss lovingly.Berri watches the now-revealed couple from a short distance away, doing so in silence so as to not ruin their moment. That silence is broken, however, when Scraps jumps out from behind Berri and scares her again, now wearing a more casual outfit that doesn’t currently coincide with his imagination; this time, Scraps isn’t interested in playing cowboys, instead cutely saying hi to Berri as he holds an action figure. After Berri’s nerves calm down, she suddenly remembers the confusion she felt while watching Shira and Scraps play together, and as she whips back around to see Shira and Rudy still flirting with each other while they walk inside, she starts thinking that it might be a good idea to talk with Scraps. Berri has Scraps sit down right next to her, asking him several questions that she knows will receive honest answers; as they talk, Scraps reveals that Shira and Rudy are actually pretty great parents, with the rest of the Chained Leash being just as good, saying that he resultingly loves them all very much, much to Berri’s relief. After Scraps finishes Berri’s questionnaire, she only has one thing left to tell him as his attention is still held, that being to never let other people determine his future, not even his parents, and that he has to forge his own destiny. Scraps thinks he understands and comments as much, relieving Berri even further; with her work done as a reassured smile dawns on her face, Berri walks Scraps back into the bar for the night, during which she asks about his action figure, with it being a subject that Scraps is admittingly far more interested in discussing.The next morning, Shira and Rudy are still asleep within the former’s quarters, lovingly wrapped up in each other’s arms as the blankets on Shira’s bed have been rustled; the tranquil peace surrounding the couple is soon and suddenly broken, however, when Berri bursts into the room, jolting Shira and Rudy awake as they sit up with tired expressions and ruffled hair. After Shira and Rudy groggily ask about what’s going on, Berri explains that she just heard a news report about another attack on the radio, this time with a warehouse suffering from another EMP blast, all of which brings the couple out of their sleepy stupor. Shira and Rudy quickly untangle themselves from each other as they hurriedly get ready for battle, with Rudy soon running off with Berri to help organize the gang. Once the two of them are gone, Shira runs over to one of her room’s walls and pulls out a loose brick, revealing a small box in the resulting hole that she takes; Shira then opens the box, revealing it to be holding several syringes, each containing an orange liquid and brandishing a Noxia silhouette label. As Shira takes one of the syringes, she stares at it while serious thoughts flood her mind, thinking that she must do whatever it takes to win this time…

Chapter 11: "Three-way Fight"

Down at the warehouse, Lamia and Noxia have already incapacitated the building’s staff and patrons, having done so in a similar manner to how they dealt with the guards at the museum prior, all while they casually talk and tease each other throughout. As Lamia and Noxia approach the warehouse’s storage units and start collecting the Badnik parts into bags, all of which they do without resistance (naturally), they jokingly talk about what to do with the profit from this job, with Noxia suggesting that they go on another date at a more lavish location; Lamia, on the other hand, suggests that they buy Noxia a bigger imagination, which makes Noxia herself chuckle amusingly (with her only recognizing that retort as simple teasing). Eventually, the two snakes close their now-full bags before attempting to leave, but not before the front doors suddenly and violently swing open, with the Broken Chains gang quickly entering and demanding everyone’s cooperation in their robbery, only for no one to respond as they soon see the unconscious bodies all over the floor. The Broken Chains, however, soon find someone else to point their E-102 Gamma weapons at, that being Lamia and Noxia at the far end of the space, who are just as confused as the gang before them when it comes to both parties showing up to rob the same place at the same time; Lamia and Noxia even say as much out loud, only for Valerie The Kangal to tell the gang’s leader, Fera The Akita, that she thinks the two snakes may have something to do with the museum attack, noting how the building’s electrical systems are completely nullified and how the Chained Leash doesn’t have the ability nor the equipment to do something like that. After taking all of that into account, Fera agrees, then expressing to Lamia and Noxia how she doesn’t like to share the spotlight with other criminal masterminds, revealing that she fully intends on taking them out right now. After hearing that threat, Lamia and Noxia smirk at each other before they retaliate, commanding the already-hypnotized bodies on the ground to rise to their defense, which they do relatively quickly, much to the surprise of some of the Broken Chains members. Fera, however, is unfazed by this display, calling on her gang to attack regardless, and they loyally do so as the fight finally begins.The Chained Leash arrive on the scene shortly after the fight begins, witnessing the chaos in front of them before Shira finally gives out her orders, telling Rudy to deal with the Broken Chains and the hypnotized hordes while she and Berri go up against Lamia and Noxia again. Rudy and her forces are quick to obey this order, catching the Broken Chains and the hypnotized legion off guard as they descend upon them, with Fera and Valerie not particularly being fond of Rudy’s appearance as she takes the both of them on with a fellow gang member named Blues. Meanwhile, Berri and Shira face down Lamia and Noxia, who quickly make their new relationship known as they engage in more pre-battle banter, prompting Berri to wittingly comment about how Lamia is taking her twin flame obsession to a weirder level (referencing her previous banter during the museum attack). From there, the second battle between these two duos begins, but this time around, Shira and Berri are determined to remain with their respective and more familiar opponents, making sure to not let them slip away and “switch dance partners” again. Back on the other side of this massive battle, Rudy has Fera and Valerie on the ropes when the latter warns the former that the police could be here any minute (what with this commotion and all), prompting Fera to angrily call on her gang to retreat; as the Broken Chains collectively make a break for it, Rudy and the Chained Leash stay on their tail, making sure to re-incapacitate Lamia and Noxia’s hypnotized lackeys as they do. Before Rudy actually leaves with the rest of her gang though, she turns back around towards Shira (as she and Berri are still fighting Lamia and Noxia) and yells out to her, only for Shira to reassure Rudy that she will be fine before she commands her to continue her chase, which Rudy does after some natural hesitation… The two duos continue their brawl in spite of the warehouse now being empty, with it being clear that Shira and Berri’s sheer determination to win this time is giving them an edge, but that edge only extends so far as Lamia and Noxia double their efforts to escape their current matchups. Eventually, the two snakes get their chance to finally switch things up, with Noxia activating another smoke bomb while Lamia uses a powerful wind spell to blow said smoke into Shira and Berri’s faces, nearly blinding the both of them. Lamia and Noxia then seize this new opportunity as the smoke confuses Berri and Shira, combining their many blows against the heroes until they’re eventually incapacitated; once again, Berri and Shira have been defeated, with Lamia and Noxia being very pleased with themselves as the dust settles around them…As Berri and Shira struggle to get up, the two snakes quickly slither on top of them and pin them back down to the floor, with Lamia then hypnotizing Shira as she’s still in a state of confusion, which in turn dulls her resistance greatly; Berri desperately reaches out towards Shira to try and help before Noxia bites down on her neck, causing her to contort and jitter as Noxia’s venom is pumped into her bloodstream, eventually leading to her movements ceasing as she becomes like a vacant shell… Satisfied with their work, Lamia and Noxia slither back to allow their new slaves to stand at attention, revealing how Shira’s pupils now glow orange while she dawns a constant and goofy grin, all while Berri looks fairly lifeless with her now-dimmed pupils hiding behind half-lidded eyelids… The two snakes admire their captives possessively, during which they also compliment each other for their respective work, all before Lamia takes Shira aside and prepares to leave, with her only stopping when Noxia doesn’t join her right away and instead comes up with a devious idea; Noxia then leans in and commands Berri to remain in the warehouse for the police to find her, explaining how they will blame Berri (and the Chained Leash by association) for this event and arrest her, allowing Noxia and Lamia to walk away without any suspicions towards their involvement again… Lamia is quick to voice her approval of this plan, though she does mope about having to lose Berri as a slave, wittingly following that up with how she’s willing to “share custody of Shira” to compensate (referring to how she can use her hypnosis to put Shira under Noxia’s command as well), much to Noxia’s amusement… With all of that said, the two snakes and their now-sole captive finally leave the crime scene, but not before Lamia spots one of the Broken Chains’ discarded E-102 Gamma weapons, quickly grabbing it with her tail and forming an idea of her own before rejoining Noxia… After Lamia and Noxia retreat with Shira and the stolen Badnik parts, Berri continues to vacantly stand in place while the building is flooded with silence, which is eventually broken once the police aggressively enter… Once they find the motionless Berri, Commissioner Knox recognizes her from the Iron Tap and allows his men to take her in, which they do while not noticing that she’s entranced… As the cops drag Berri outside and place her in one of their squad cars, Fera watches it all from the roof of a nearby building (having escaped the Chained Leash’s pursuit while Valerie leads the Broken Chains to safety), silently resolving to keep this in mind before running off to reunite with her gang…

Chapter 12: "Never Trust a Snake…"

A while later, Lamia and Noxia have already returned to the latter’s penthouse, celebrating their new victory by reclining on the couch together while drinking champagne (all while the stolen Badnik parts sit in their bags nearby). Eventually, they pull apart, continuing to chat up and congratulate each other for a job well done, or at least until Noxia’s face betrays her sudden thoughts; Lamia naturally asks about this change in tone, and once they both sit back up, Noxia decides to finally and fully open up to her lover. While turning her head away, Noxia expresses how, for most of her life, she’s felt rather lonely, not really connecting with others… Noxia then clarifies that, while she has gotten used to being a solo act, she has admittingly been wanting someone who could understand her and thus be close with her. Now that Lamia is by her side though, Noxia feels like that wish has been granted, and she’s finally getting comfortable being with someone who’s just like her… Noxia is about to continue her confession when, as she turns back around to face Lamia, she finds her eyes to be flooded with orange and yellow spirals, all while an evil smile dawns on her face. Being caught off guard, Noxia can’t help but feel tired as her gaze remains locked on Lamia’s display, with her own pupils even glowing orange as a result; Noxia does try to stand up and leave, but Lamia pulls her back down, ensuring that the induction continues… Eventually, Noxia is a drowsy mess, prompting Lamia to talk down to her like a sleepy child, telling her that everything will be alright and that this is not personal… Soon enough, Noxia dawns her own (goofy) smile, now fully hypnotized and under the traitorous Lamia’s control…Lamia then gracefully helps Noxia up and leads her limp form over to the center of the room, feeling the need to toy with her new toy as she initiates a dance between them (similar to how they were dancing the night before), during which she comments on how Noxia looks cute in this hypnotized droopy state (at least to her)… From there, while Lamia admits that she truly is attracted to Noxia, along with also admitting that she really did enjoy their heists together, she also says that Noxia doesn’t think big enough (referencing her “buy a bigger imagination” retort during the warehouse heist), and that she has bigger plans for their union than whatever Noxia may have already had in mind… After Lamia finishes explaining herself to and dancing with the enslaved Noxia, they walk over to a closed-off room, opening its doors and entering its dark expanse to find the still-hypnotized Shira; beforehand, Lamia had summoned plants within the room to keep Shira contained, and for a short while now, those same vines have been hanging her upside down while slithering everywhere (as if they were snakes themselves)... Lamia slithers over to Shira and leans down to make proper eye contact, talking down to her too before getting specific and asking her where her gang is hiding…

Chapter 13: "Jailhouse Talk"

Berri finally reawakens from her trance as nighttime descends, revealing how the effects of Noxia’s venom are temporary; after she rubs her still-drowsy head though, Berri quickly finds herself to be trapped within a cell, still being held by the Checker City Police… Almost immediately after taking in her surroundings, Berri doesn’t think twice about trying to pry the bars open, or peer outside through the very small window above, both of which prove fruitless in finding an escape… Upon realizing this futility, Berri finally starts to think rationally, figuring that her trying to escape (albeit vainly) won’t improve the cops’ current perception of her; with that in mind, Berri decides to wait things out as she sits down and reflects silently, patiently anticipating either the police to remove her from her cell naturally or for her friends in the Chained Leash to come and rescue her.Unexpectedly though, Berri is startled out of her meditation by the sound of her cell door creaking open, causing her to turn around and see Commissioner Knox enter with a simple tray of food, with that said food coincidentally being Sirloin Steak and Baked Potatoes and cooked Vegetables (much to Berri’s luck admittingly). Knox quickly introduces himself and expresses how he simply wants to talk, only for Berri to give him the cold shoulder (in spite of his food offering), with her being unsure if she can trust him… Knox says that he understands Berri’s caution as he sits down next to her and places the tray in-between them, then expressing how trusting others isn’t really easy for him either, especially lately. With it seeming like no progress is being made as Berri continues to give him the cold shoulder, Knox decides to change subjects, instead detailing how he met and began collaborating with Shira, with the specifics of which finally peaking Berri’s interest; Knox describes how, when he and his family first moved to Checker City after the war against the Eggman Empire, he found the police force to be completely corrupt, with him even believing the baseless claims of how the Chained Leash haven’t made any course corrections with their behavior… It was only after being saved by the Chained Leash, as well as getting the chance to actually meet Shira, that Knox finally decided to fight back against his department’s corruption, enlisting Shira’s help to find specific dirt on his employers and use that to bring them to justice, all of which eventually led to Knox being promoted as commissioner.Knox ends the detailing of his backstory by saying that, at the end of the day, he simply wants to make this city better, especially for his wife and young daughter whom he loves to death, which Berri sympathizes with greatly (thanks to her love for her own family). From there though, Knox cuts to the chase, explaining how he’s never seen Berri with the Chained Leash before and thus understands her to be an outsider, concluding that she won’t have any bias towards them when it comes to his main question: “is the Chained Leash truly responsible for the recent attacks?” Berri hesitates before eventually denying that claim, much to Knox’s relief as he reclines back against the stone wall, with him expressing as much verbally before saying that he now feels bad over doubting Shira earlier… Berri understands Knox’s confusion and following guilt, so she comfortingly puts her hand on his shoulder before taking one of the vegetables from the tray and eating it, silently expressing that she now trusts him.

Chapter 14: "Hostile Takeover"

Meanwhile, the Broken Chains are partying like crazy in their Gimme Shelter hideout, revealing how they live without inhibitions in spite of their loss at the warehouse today, all while Fera oversees such festivities on a makeshift throne with Valerie by her side. While they both watch their forces pig out, Fera talks to Valerie about how they at least know the identities of their new opposers (those being Lamia and Noxia, of course), along with how they’ll be ready for them next time. That one-sided conversation is interrupted, however, when a cluster of Noxia’s smoke bombs is thrown into the room, with only one Broken Chains member noticing it and shouting for Fera before it explodes, sending everyone into a panic. As the smoke starts to dissipate, allowing the Broken Chains to regain their bearings, they see silhouettes fade in through the lingering clouds, with the full figures they belong to soon coming into clarity; it’s Lamia, along with the still-hypnotized Noxia and Shira, as well as (surprisingly) the rest of the Chained Leash, who are also now under Lamia and Noxia’s control… Just like the rest of the Broken Chains, Fera is shocked by this revelation, but she’s also ticked off at how their hideout has been discovered, so she yells at Lamia for an explanation before said snake tyrant throws out the E-102 Gamma weapon that she snagged earlier, revealing that she used a spell on it to track them here while also wittingly suggesting to Fera that she should take better care of her things. This ticks Fera off even more as she angrily commands her gang to defend their hideout, which they loyally do in spite of their shock, thus commencing a brawl between both parties; however, a hint of unfairness soon becomes apparent as the Chained Leash fights with more proficiency and swiftness, an effect caused by Lamia and Noxia’s spell over them. Soon enough, even as the battle around them continues, Lamia and Noxia begin to hypnotize the Broken Chains members one by one, with the Chained Leash either incapacitating or holding them in place for such a conversion… Valerie quickly catches wind of this, and once she realizes how bad this situation has become, she scoops up Fera and carries her on her shoulder while making a desperate escape, much to Fera’s frustration as she struggles against Valerie’s grip and hopes to return to the fight… Eventually though, as the dust settles, it’s revealed that the entire Broken Chains gang (minus Fera and Valerie, of course) has been dominated, with their wills now being controlled by Lamia as they join ranks with the Chained Leash…The victorious Lamia makes her way to Fera’s haphazardly-constructed throne, claiming it for herself before complimenting the hypnotized Noxia and Shira and Rudy; as Lamia addresses Shira and Rudy in particular, she scratches and caresses their faces, treating them as if they were actual house dogs, with their mindlessly wagging tails even completing the effect… Soon enough though, Lamia addresses her entire army, expressing to them that her ambitions extend far beyond this “backwater dimension,” that she wishes to return home and take over the Order of Genesis with the combined force of her new gang legion, which she admits will happen very soon as she pulls out the Warp Topaz (revealing that it’s almost fully recharged)… After admiring the Warp Topaz for a few seconds though, Lamia thinks aloud about not letting Berri see such plans come to pass, remembering that she’s still alive in prison; Lamia even turns to Noxia for her opinion on such thoughts, and to Lamia’s delight, all Noxia can do is agree… With that being said, Lamia turns to Shira and Rudy again, instructing them to head over to the police station and “ensure that Berri never escapes this dimension…” As Shira and Rudy leave to carry out their orders, Lamia tells them to not fail her, for Scraps’ safety is on the line as she pulls him out and reveals him to be trapped in a cage… Even though he’s contained, Scraps’ bravery shines through as he vainly swings his arms at her, prompting Lamia to remark on how she’ll teach him some manners once she returns home… Much to everyone else’s knowledge though, Fera and Valerie have been watching the whole thing from within the Gimme Shelter’s walls, and while Valerie struggles to fit in the cramped expanse, Fera is left the growing urge to make Lamia wish she was never born; after Fera expresses as much aloud (albeit in a whispered tone), Valerie asks about what they should do, reminding her leader than their followers are now brainwashed alongside their enemies… After considering this dilemma, Fera eventually comes up with a desperate idea…

Chapter 15: "Tense Alliances"

Back at the police station, Berri and Knox are in a deep yet casual conversation, with the both of them now feeling more relaxed and comfortable around each other, as if they were old friends; at this point, Knox is telling Berri some funny stories about his infant daughter, leaving Berri in a giggly yet heartfelt mood. This peaceful moment is unfortunately and suddenly interrupted, however, when the cell wall is blown to pieces, shocking Knox and Berri as they peer through the settling dust, only to see Fera and Valerie on the other side. Before Knox and Berri can properly react (albeit while Knox asks the intruders why they didn’t use the front door), Fera addresses the latter in an aggressive tone, referring to her as “the Chained Leash’s new buddy;” Fera explains that she’s never seen Berri or Lamia around this parts before, concluding that they might be from the same place and that Berri might be the key to taking Lamia down. Upon Berri asking why specifically, Valerie elaborates that Lamia just brainwashed their gang and the Chained Leash, much to Berri’s horror (mainly with that last part)… Fera then adds that Lamia even sent Shira and Rudy to kill Berri, using that as an incentive for her aggressive demands to work together, which Knox greatly disapproves as he detests collaborating with such criminals… After considering this offer for a second, Berri tries to calm Knox down, saying that she’ll do her best to keep Fera and Valerie honest; Knox actually takes Berri’s words into account, eventually agreeing to the proposed teamup while also clarifying that it’s just temporary, much to Fera’s tense approval… With that out of the way, Knox says that he’ll gather his fellow officers to provide additional manpower, which Berri appreciates before Fera and Valerie suggest that they head back to the Gimme Shelter (although they don’t call it as such out loud in front of Knox); before either action can play out, with Berri even starting to climb out through the broken wall, Shira and Rudy suddenly descend into the room, their demeanors appearing more aggressive as they gun for Berri.Fera and Valerie are quick to come to Berri’s defense though, blocking their attacks and pushing them away from Berri as they get into their own fight, all while Knox pulls Berri out of the cell to keep her safe. Even though Shira and Rudy are still fairly elusive and efficient with their fighting while under Lamia’s power, Fera and Valerie decide to take them on one-by-one, with Fera taking on Shira while Valerie challenges Rudy; both pairs get close and personal with each other, but it quickly becomes evident that Fera and Valerie (generally) fight with more ferocity, especially when it comes to Fera as she even bites down on Shira’s arm. Eventually though, after some close-quarters hand-to-hand combat, Fera manages to incapacitate Shira by socking her square in the face and knocking her to the floor unconscious, an action that Fera admits out loud to be very satisfying. Valerie also manages to knock Rudy to the ground after some close-quarters fighting, but as Rudy struggles to stand back up, Valerie picks her up and shoves her face into the cell’s toilet, holding her there even while her arms flail about in a panic (signifying that Rudy’s trance was broken sometime in-between)... Upon seeing this, Fera surprisingly yells at Valerie to stop it, saying that as much as she wants to bury Shira and Rudy six feet under, they have bigger things to worry about; Valerie recognizes this logic after a few seconds, resulting in her calming down before finally releasing Rudy from her grip, allowing her to crawl over to Shira while coughing… Shira also wakes up from her trance, having been freed by Fera’s finishing sucker punch, and the still-coughing Rudy is the first one to greet her, though the both of them are left confused as to their current whereabouts (that being a side-effect of Lamia’s hypnosis, of course). As if on cue, Berri and Knox return to the cell, and the both of them are relieved that Shira and Rudy are no longer entranced; after Shira and Rudy ask about what’s going on, Berri kneels down and prepares to fill in the blanks for them.A while later, Berri’s recap (starting from the warehouse attack) has just ended, with Rudy still tending to Shira’s arm wound. Shira is understandably ticked off, and she wants nothing more than to get payback against Lamia for all of this, only to get more upset upon Fera revealing that Scraps has also been captured; Rudy also gets emotional at this news, with it even distracting her from finishing Shira’s bandages… Berri tries to calm Shira and Rudy down by also revealing that Fera and Valerie are willing to help, but that only sets Shira off even more, prompting her to deny it and talk about how they can’t be trusted… Fera quickly refutes this, figuring that she and Valerie deserve some credit for “knocking some sense” into Shira and Rudy a few moments ago, but Shira reminds her of how they took that too far in the past… To that, Fera says that she only played rough to try and get the Chained Leash to “loosen up,” like how they did back in the day (when they weren’t a vigilante group), all of which is said in a tempting tone… Before long, insults are exchanged between Shira and Fera, eventually leading them to get up in each other’s faces before Berri intervenes, with her saying that this bickering isn’t going to help Scraps or either of their gangs; Berri continues her monologue from there, saying that they don’t have to like each other or forget about their tense history, but that they at least have to put their differences aside for the moment and trust one another once again if they want any chance at defeating Lamia. Shira and Fera actually consider Berri’s rousing words of unity, and after Shira tensely presents her hand to Fera, she takes it in a handshake, with it signifying their silent agreement to work together; although, after a few more seconds of handshaking, Shira pipes up again and clarifies that they’ll split once the job is done, which is (obviously) fine by Fera… With all of that being said, Knox sighs in relief at the sight of Shira and Fera coming to an understanding (in general), but just as he’s about to try and get his men together again, a wave of energy suddenly passes through the building, knocking out its power in an instant. The newly-unified group is naturally surprised by this, but while the sounds of the police force’s confusion can be heard throughout the halls, they can still guess at what this (unfortunately) means…

Chapter 16: "Assault on the Police"

Outside, Lamia and her hypnotized gangs have unexpectedly arrived for a surprise attack, with them throwing makeshift bombs at the Police Station’s exterior and resultingly causing some significant damage to it; as the bomb-wielding horde slowly marches towards the Police Station, the still-hypnotized Noxia remains by Lamia’s side, all while the latter continues to drag the still-trapped Scraps along… With Noxia at her beck and call, Lamia continues to taunt one-sidedly, mentioning how she “loves the smell of revolution in the morning,” as well as how the Warp Topaz is closer than ever to being fully recharged now… While all of that is going on, back at the Police Station itself, the unified group runs out and hides behind cover to scope out the situation, all while the other police officers around them open fire on the invaders. After seeing the robotic mass that’s closing in in front of them, as well as (specifically) Lamia with Noxia and Scraps in the center of it all, Berri gets her allies’ attention and lays out a strategy for them: Shira and Fera will take on Lamia together, allowing Rudy and Valerie to rescue Scraps while she’s distracted, all while Berri solos Noxia and Knox holds down the fort with his men. Fera is very eager to knock the daylights out of Lamia, so she rushes into the fight almost immediately after Berri explains her plan, followed by Valerie who wants to make sure that Fera’s alright before starting her part of the plan; from there, everyone else scrambles into position, with Rudy running after Valerie and Knox running off to the side, but not before he wishes Shira and Berri good luck. Right as Shira is about to rush in too though, Berri stops her and presents the reflective glasses that Spectrum gave her a few days ago, figuring that Shira will need them in her fight against Lamia. After taking the glasses from Berri and thanking her, Shira suddenly remembers the syringes that she grabbed before the warehouse fight, prompting her to pull one out from behind her and present it to Berri in return; as Berri takes the syringe and examines it, Shira explains how its contents can negate the effects of Noxia’s venom, though it only works if it’s injected immediately after Noxia sinks her fangs in. Berri is thankful for this “anti-venom,” but she also asks Shira why she didn’t use it during the warehouse attack, to which she explains that she didn’t expect Lamia and Noxia to trick them again (like how they did at the museum attack)… With all of that being said, Berri and Shira wish each other luck before finally storming into battle together, plowing through their hypnotized comrades with the rest of their group.While that’s happening, Knox rushes over to his police force to command them, telling them not to fire (their riot rounds) upon Berri and her group. Once they spot said group in all of the chaos though, Knox’s men ask why, considering that they’re all criminals (especially Berri and Shira and Rudy in regards to recent events), only for Knox himself to say that they really want to help, as well as that the past don’t matter with what’s happening right now; with that being said, Knox quickly begins to divvy up his officers into strategic positions, which they do just as swiftly after Knox’s clarification. With the police on their side now, Shira and Fera come face-to-face with Lamia and Noxia on the battlefield, prompting Lamia to set Scraps down; Lamia comments on Shira’s now-broken trance, explaining that she figured something went wrong when she and Rudy didn’t come back (with that being the reason why Lamia’s attacking right now in the first place), but then she turns to Fera and remarks on how she should’ve hypnotized her too, finishing her monologue by adding that she will rectify such a mistake now… Before any fighting can actually begin though, Berri finally shows up and challenges Noxia, who naturally (though confusingly to Berri) remains silent due to her trance, but Lamia finds this amusing nonetheless, so she allows Noxia to take Berri on alone (as requested by the latter)… With all of that being said, the final battle truly begins, with Shira and Fera fighting Lamia while Berri battles Noxia, just as the allied group originally planned; at the same time, Rudy and Valerie rush in from the side to rescue the unattended Scraps, only to be blocked by several hostile members from both of their gangs, though Rudy and Valerie easily dispatch them with their combined strength, managing to swoop in and save Scraps regardless.Back with Berri and Noxia though, the former is starting to lose ground against the latter once again; eventually, Noxia is able to knock Berri to the ground, giving her the opportunity to pounce and sink her fangs into Berri’s shoulder, intending on enslaving her once more… This time though, Berri is prepared, and as she starts to feel her mind slip into trance, she shakily pulls out the anti-venom syringe and plunges it into her arm, reversing the effects of Noxia’s venom just in time. This naturally confuses the hypnotized Noxia, causing her to mindlessly stagger backward and wonder what to do next (in her own robotic way), giving Berri an opening to discombobulate and punch her lights out, knocking her to the floor in turn. As Noxia picks herself back up though, Berri braces herself for the possibility of the fight continuing, but to her surprise, Noxia instead asks about where she is and what’s happening; Berri picks up on Noxia’s new demeanor (comparing it to how it was moments prior), quickly realizing that Lamia must have hypnotized her too (at some point after the warehouse attack), only to be freed by Berri during their fight just then... After trying to calm Noxia down, Berri reveals her theory, which causes Noxia to do the exact opposite of calming down, prompting her to look around at the madness that’s unfolding and connect the dots for herself, with her panic gradually turning into a fiery rage; though she doesn’t say it out loud, Noxia feels utterly betrayed by Lamia, now realizing that she took advantage of her trust and love… Before Berri can even attempt to comfort Noxia (albeit awkwardly), she suddenly hears the unexpected sounds of Shira and Fera exclaiming in pain, and upon turning around to see what’s happening, Berri finds that they’re now being brutally handled by Lamia… Seeing that Shira and Fera need her help, and recognizing that Noxia is no longer a threat, Berri leaves her there without any further comments, effectively granting Noxia some alone time for her anger to turn into fury…Meanwhile, Fera is swiftly separated from Shira and coiled up by Lamia, who is quick to seize this opportunity as she attempts to hypnotize her (as promised earlier), only for Shira to lunge forward in the hopes of stopping such an action (at least before Fera is enslaved completely); Lamia spots Shira in her peripheral vision though, and with her scary reflexes, she accordingly slams her tail into Shira and sends her flying backward, while simultaneously throwing Fera with her, who has been completely stupefied by Lamia’s trance as she limply falls to the ground beside Shira and the reflective glasses that she dropped upon impact… As Shira struggles to get back up, Lamia quickly coils her too, pulling her closer and taunting her about how she’ll see Scraps soon before attempting to mesmerize her again… Berri arrives just as Shira is starting to succumb to Lamia’s spell, and upon seeing the reflective glasses on the ground, she grabs them and throws them over to Shira, who struggles to put them on her face after catching them but manages to do so regardless, successfully freeing herself from Lamia’s influence in the nick of time. Lamia herself is naturally surprised by this new device and how it’s shielding her victim from her control, and in the throes of such confusion, Shira uses the opportunity to break free from her coils and continue the fight; while that’s happening, Berri tries to free Fera from her own trance by slapping her across the face, which does work, but it also triggers Fera’s reflexes as she punches Berri in the face. Even though Fera doesn’t necessarily apologize for that, she and Berri still rush back into battle together to assist Shira, and the three of them give Lamia a severe beatdown with their combined strength, which does lead to her defeat as she’s struck to the ground.As Berri and Shira and Fera surround Lamia and tell her that she lost, she gets back up and tells them that they’re wrong as she whips out the Warp Topaz, activating several portals around the battlefield simultaneously for her legions to start walking towards… With the allied group looking on in surprise and horror, Lamia starts monologuing about how she’s going to take over the Order of Genesis and the rest of her (and Berri’s) homeworld afterwards, concluding with how their efforts to trust each other and stop her were all in vain… As Lamia starts to stereotypically laugh in triumph though, she’s suddenly tangled up in one of Noxia’s bolas, causing her to fall back over with the addition of dropping the Warp Topaz, which in turn causes its portals to vanish before any of Lamia’s zombies can pass through, naturally leaving them confused. Upon breaking free from the bola, Lamia turns to see that an angrily-approaching Noxia was (indeed) the one who threw it at her, prompting her to try and play on the possibility that Noxia doesn’t remember her betrayal from earlier, but those hopes are quickly dashed as Noxia yells at Lamia about figuring it out on her own. Soon enough, Noxia starts a fight with Lamia, with the former’s enraged ferocity being slightly too much for the latter to handle alongside her injuries from the fight prior; at one point, Noxia manages to pin Lamia to the ground, and as the two former lovers roll around, Noxia yells about how she trusted Lamia, only for Lamia herself to smugly retort that that was Noxia’s own fault (which only ticks Noxia off further)... Interestingly, as the two snakes brawl, everyone else around them, including Lamia’s still-hypnotized army, stops what they’re doing to watch this play out… Eventually though, Lamia starts to get tired, her wounds from the previous fight finally and truly catching up with her, which Noxia takes advantage of as she sends Lamia to the ground once more and defeats her.Noxia doesn’t stop there though, not giving Lamia a chance to breathe as she struggles to sit up (at the very least), instead picking her limp body up before shockingly kissing her. The spectators around them are all surprised by this action, but what they can’t see is that, through her kiss, Noxia is pumping tons upon tons of her venom into Lamia’s system, hoping to paralyze her completely; such hopes do actually come to fruition as Lamia struggles to break away from Noxia, her limbs twitching uncontrollably as the venom’s effects take hold. The kiss is held for a considerable while to ensure that the venom works as intended, but once Lamia finally stops moving, Noxia pulls back before throwing her to the side, her now-stiff body bouncing against the pavement like an actual (metal) statue while her expression shows a frozen panic; as if on cue, everyone that Lamia brainwashed prior is freed from their trance upon her fall. Meanwhile, the original onlookers’ shock begins to fade as they realize that the nightmare is finally over, though Berri can’t help but reflect on how Lamia was defeated back in the Zenithverse, considering this coincidental repeat to be poetic justice. Before anyone else can react further, Noxia walks over to the Warp Topaz (as it’s still nearby) and picks it up, and much to everyone’s surprise again, she throws it over to Berri, with it being her silent and tense way of thanking her. From there, Noxia picks up the frozen Lamia, and without a word, she just starts walking away… As Noxia’s figure fades into the dust, Shira asks Berri if she’s okay with all of this, remembering that Berri’s whole reason for being in this universe was to capture Lamia; this time, Berri does the surprising by confirming that she’s indeed fine with this, for she figures that Noxia will never let Lamia’s betrayal go, and thus concludes that she’ll never let Lamia go either (all of which is to say that Berri doesn’t think taking Lamia from Noxia is worth it)…

Chapter 17: "Cleaning Up"

The next morning, the police and the Chained Leash work together to clean up from last night’s chaos, with Berri and the Broken Chains even joining in (albeit tensely in the latter’s case). During all of that, Knox pulls Shira aside, wanting to apologize for doubting her and her gang when it came to their role in the museum attack; with her anger having subsided since they last spoke, Shira is very understanding as she forgives him, much to Knox’s relief as they rekindle their partnership. Meanwhile, the Broken Chains have finished their part of the clean-up, and Fera is getting anxious to skedaddle as she calls on them all to move out. As her gang members prepare their bikes (which they brought while still under Lamia’s influence), Fera is approached by Valerie, who expresses her happiness at seeing Fera alive, prompting Fera herself to compliment Valerie in return for her valor in battle; in fact, Fera is so impressed with Valerie that she’s even willing to give her a “treat” later that night, much to Valerie’s amusement as she pulls Fera in for a kiss. After holding that kiss for a moment though, they’re interrupted by Shira, who wants to speak with Fera; Fera actually humors this request as she tells Valerie to get ready to leave, which she does with her usual loyalty. While their interaction is a little tense, Shira still thanks Fera for her and Valerie’s help in all of this, followed by Fera interjecting and thanking Shira for the same thing, with Shira then concluding that she wants to part ways on better terms than before as she holds out her hand for Fera to shake. Fera is admittingly put off by this gesture at first, but she quickly realizes that she shares Shira’s sentiment, prompting her to actually go through with shaking Shira’s hand, albeit while promising not to go easy on the Chained Leash after this, which Shira doesn’t mind after everything that’s happened. With all of that being said, Fera reunites with Valerie before commanding the Broken Chains to take off, their motorcycles revving off into the sunrise. A few seconds after the Broken Chains departs, Knox approaches Shira again and asks about why they’re just letting them go, to which Shira clarifies that the Broken Chains at least deserve a headstart; Knox is pleased by that answer, prompting him to gather a few of his officers to go after the Broken Chains, their police cars soon speeding away with their sirens blaring in an unsynced cacophony.After Knox and his men leave, Shira is reunited with Rudy and Scraps, who are just as happy to see her as she is to see them. Together, they walk over to Berri, who has just finished her part of the clean-up as she pulls out the Warp Topaz, finally feeling ready to go home; before Berri can actually activate the Warp Topaz though, Shira and Rudy and Scraps stop her to say goodbye, something that Berri was admittingly hoping for. Shira and Rudy thank Berri together for her helping them see eye-to-eye with Fera and Valerie for a bit, revealing that no one else has come close to reigniting those old bonds before; to truly show their appreciation though, Rudy pulls out a folded-up Chained Leash denim jacket, presenting it to Berri as she and Shira officially make her an honorary member of their gang. Berri is ecstatic over this gift, with her also thanking Shira and Rudy in return for their help with Lamia. Before anything else can be said, Berri is reminded of her conversation with Scraps, prompting her to tell Shira and Rudy to raise him right and let him figure things out on his own, saying that she trusts them there, which they appreciate as they both take turns shaking her hand. With that all being said, Berri gives one last goodbye before activating the Warp Topaz, quickly jumping through the portal it makes before it closes right in front of her new friends.Back in her universe, Berri lands in the middle of another desert road, quickly pulling out a communicator and calling Spectrum to let him know she’s back. Upon Spectrum responding (much to Berri’s relief), Berri tells him that she got the Warp Topaz back and that she needs to be picked-up, followed by Spectrum asking about Lamia, to which she says that “she’s in good hands;” Spectrum doesn’t actually mind that answer, leaving him and Berri to set up a rendezvous point before their call ends. After that, Berri walks over to the side of the road and sits down, now needing to figure out how to actually get to the rendezvous point… After taking a few seconds to think, Berri suddenly spots a motorcycle shop across the street, giving her a great idea as she opens her belt pouch and pulls out some rings for her to use. Hours later, as the sun begins to set, Berri drives down the same road on a new hoverbike that she bought at the shop, all while wearing the Chained Leash jacket that Shira and Rudy gifted her; with a grin on her face, Berri drives on towards the rendezvous point, the orange sky providing the perfect backdrop for this hero’s return.

Chapter 18: "Dark Observers…"

Meanwhile, back at Noxia’s penthouse, Noxia herself has placed the still-paralyzed Lamia in the room that once held Shira (while she was still hypnotized), where the plants that Lamia summoned for such a purpose now wither around her. Feeling smug, Noxia walks up to Lamia and taunts her about how she might be the next Michelangelo (with Lamia being her David), all before digging her venom-coated fingernail into Lamia’s neck to preserve the paralysis (needing to do so periodically). From there, Noxia gets a little personal, thanking Lamia for two things: for giving her many happy moments while they were a couple, and for “reminding” her why such moments (with Lamia or anyone else) can’t happen again… As Noxia leaves the room after that though, without her knowledge (for some mystical/spiritual reason), a dark and featureless figure eyes Lamia through the door opening, causing her pupils to shrink and shake in fear (for she knows who that is)...

THE END

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Art by ChaosControl VA, FrizeRose, RocketPOW!, AlexaLynnSTH, DrStarline, Stryke, Omorfia-Moria, Kira The Hedgehog, and MimkageArts.

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Part 1
Part 2

WRITTEN BY
ChaosControl VA

ART BY
ChaosControl VA, FrizeRose, RocketPOW!, RushklySolen, BlueConn

BASED ON
Sonic and the Black Knight, Sonic Rush/Sonic Rush Adventure, Sonic Forces

STATUS
Completed

Overview

"Amy Rose's sister has been kidnapped, and Team Spectrum (along with Sonic, Whisper, and Amy herself) is on the hunt for her whereabouts! They track her down to the unknown jungles of Naagon, where they will uncover a history that is corrupted by a lust for power that is sure to twist their minds..."

Arc Characters

Spectrum The Hedgehog
Vi
Serena The Hedgehog
Berri The Rabbit
Tumult
Priscilla The Orchid Mantis
Kama The Akita
Rowdi The Siamese Cat
Audrey The Hedgehog
Ginger The Polar Bear
Carey The Chausie Cat
Marina Rose
Calypso The Octopus
Lamia The Constrictor

Part 1

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8

Chapter 1: "A Kidnapping"

During a beautiful sunset, Amy Rose and her twin sister Marina Rose stroll down a shore, not wearing any shoes as they walk through the slowly-rising tides. They talk as they walk, with Amy mentioning how it’s been a while since they both have gotten a chance to actually talk like this, while Marina agrees before mentioning how she would prefer to have done so elsewhere, expressing how she prefers to be alone at the beach. Amy understands this and is sympathetic, remarking how she knows about Marina’s love for the ocean, and Marina herself says that she’ll get used to being with her sister on the beach for just this once, while also remarking on how she’s been so busy with her computer studies to go to the beach on her own as often as before anyway. Now curious, Amy asks about why Marina wants to be an analyst so much, but Marina gets nervous before changing the conversation to the subject of Amy’s love life. Amy now gets slightly nervous as she speaks about how she and Sonic are finally going steady, but then Marina asks about how she and Spectrum have been doing, causing Amy’s face to practically glow red while blushing. Amy tries to say how she and Spectrum are just friends now while trying to hide her (obvious) lingering feelings for him, all of which causes Marina to chuckle before she notices her seashell buzzing in her dress pocket, pulling it out to see how it’s glowing. Realizing what this means, Marina says that she needs a moment and immediately runs off to some massive rocks nearby, leaving Amy slightly confused but also relieved (not wanting to continue their previous conversation).Marina cautiously makes her way around the rocks (the seashell still in her hands), looking around to make sure that Amy (nor anyone else) is watching her, before sitting down and becoming more visibly excited. Suddenly, something swims up to the rock and peaks its head up to view Marina, revealing itself to be Calypso. Marina is happy to see Calypso as she places her elbows on the rocky ground, greeting Marina with the fact that it’s been a while. Marina apologizes and explains that she’s been busy lately, with Calypso saying that she doesn’t mind before asking about Marina’s seashell and expressing how she was lucky to pick up its signal. Marina explains how she’s still kept it on her person in the hopes of seeing her friend again, causing Calypso to feel flattered. Marina then explains how she might have to cut this meetup short as her sister is here, and Calypso gets slightly nervous as she hears this, saying how she would like to show her something before they part again. Marina becomes instantly curious and awaits this surprise, only for Calypso to lift up what looks to be a seed in her hand, beckoning for Marina to look closer. Marina does this and leans in, and the seed suddenly and quickly sprouts into some sort of unknown breed of flower, causing Marina to be left awestruck by the display. Calypso then passes the plant to Marina, explaining how she got it for a very special reason. After Marina asks for elaboration though, the plant suddenly squirts some sort of spore mist into Marina’s face, causing her to cough before becoming drowsy and suddenly falling to the ground, dropping the seashell in her other hand as she is now unconscious. Calypso then expresses how sorry she is for this, explaining how someone is dying to meet her.Meanwhile, Amy is starting to get impatient as she just waits on the other side of the rocks, wondering what Marina is doing. As she stands there, Amy suddenly hears splashing, making her think that Marina must have just jumped into the waters as she rushes around to the other side of the rocks to check in on her. Once Amy arrives, Marina is nowhere to be seen, but she does spot Calypso swimming off into the distance (while obviously not recognizing her), looking as though she is an animal scurrying away in fear. Amy then looks down and sees Marina’s magical-looking seashell just lying on the ground before picking it up and looking back out into the horizon, realizing something that makes her face contort in horror: her sister has just been taken…

Chapter 2: "A Welcome Home Party"

Days later, at the Whole Zone, Spectrum and his friends are partying away as the Strays perform on the tiny stage. Spectrum is soon joined by Priscilla, who is utterly humbled by this welcome back party (which is only happening as a result of Spectrum and Priscilla having spent almost an entire month in Chun-nan), but is still allowing herself to party out with the rest of her friends as well. In (some sort of a) response, Spectrum merely acknowledges Priscilla’s presence and soon returns to being lost in thought. Priscilla becomes confused and intrigued, asking Spectrum what’s on his mind, but he only gives reserved answers in return. After a while though, Spectrum finally relents and explains to Priscilla that her father Asa told him that he needs to figure out what makes him a great leader in the first place, and he’s been struggling to figure that out; even as he’s been watching his friends party away, Spectrum is starting to question his leadership. Priscilla quickly becomes sympathetic (thanks to her recent adventure with him), and she reassures Spectrum that he is still a great leader, no matter what the reason behind that may be. Priscilla then stands back up to rejoin the party, but not before telling Spectrum to give it time. Now on his own again, Spectrum continues to watch his friends celebrate his and Priscilla’s return, still trying to figure out what makes him a good leader…After snapping out of his concentration for a second, Spectrum then suddenly spots Amy Rose at the entrance to the bar, initially being happy to see her (due to Amy not seeking him out as of late) as he walks over to say hi. Spectrum, however, soon becomes concerned as he notices Amy’s similar expression, with her explaining how her twin sister Marina has gone missing a few days ago. As Spectrum is surprised by this revelation (that Amy has a twin sister), Amy starts to beg for him and his friends to help find Marina; naturally, Spectrum agrees.

Chapter 3: "The Reflecting Pool"

With this in mind, Spectrum walks over to Carey and explains the situation to her, asking if she can use her magic to pinpoint the location of Amy's sister Marina. While sympathetic, Carey is initially hesitant, feeling as though she can’t do stuff like that yet, but she then changes her mind when Amy begs for her to help. Carey then takes Spectrum and Amy to a back room within the building, where she pours out some water onto the floor to make a puddle, while simultaneously explaining how her ancestors could peer into reflecting pools but how she hasn’t tried it herself before. With this information in mind, Carey then motions for Amy to give her an item related to Marina for the coming spell, so she gives Carey the mystical-looking seashell that she found at the scene of the crime.With the shell in hand, Carey then starts chanting a spell that causes the puddle to become more perfectly circular as it starts to glow with runes, much to Spectrum and Amy’s surprise. After Carey finishes chanting, she drops the seashell into the reflecting pool, with it sinking into its new depths as the following ripples cause the glowing runes to fade away. The ripples soon dissipate and show the vision of a jungle, causing Carey to squeal in joy, ecstatic that the spell worked. Spectrum tries to rein Carey in as he asks for her to focus, which she apologetically does as she leans in and gazes into the waters. As Carey focuses and gazes into the pool, she claims that the jungle seen in the waters is that of a country called Naagon, which no one there seems to recognize, before the waters shift to show the ruins of what is assumed to be an ancient and long-forgotten city. The vision in the reflecting pool continues to shift, next showing a shadowy hut deep within the foliage that sends chills down Spectrum’s spine, before showing an equally shadowy figure (seemingly from within that same hut) that seems to make the reflecting pool ripple violently, as well as make Carey incredibly nervous.As Carey realizes that she can’t pull away, the figure in the pool’s vision seems to notice her, its eyes suddenly enveloping with orange and yellow spirals that soon consume the vision in the pool. As Carey continues to gaze into the pool, her own pupils start to glow in the same colors as she seemingly becomes entranced, soon starting to slowly lean in closer. Spectrum and Amy soon notice this and quickly grab onto Carey, trying their best to keep her from falling in as her mouth forms a blissful smile. Spectrum and Amy soon start to struggle a little bit more as the pool seemingly starts to pull everything within its reach with an air current, attempting to suck all three of them in as items on the shelves fly into the colorful waters.Eventually, with all their might, Spectrum and Amy finally pull Carey back as they all fall to the floor behind them with a thud. As Carey seems to snap out of the trance, the pool seems to respond by sending the air current in the opposite direction as it shifts its shape, with all the items it swallowed up just a moment ago (including Marina’s shell) being shot back out as the pool returns to being an ordinary puddle. As everyone sits back up and reorients themselves (with Amy grabbing the seashell), Spectrum frantically questions what just happened, with Carey responding with how she knows where Marina is.

Chapter 4: "Journey to Naagon"

A few more days later, Spectrum’s Battleship makes its way over the jungles of Naagon, with the bridge playing host to Spectrum, Vi, Berri, Tumult, Sonic, Amy, Whisper, Priscilla, Carey, Audrey, Serena, and Ginger. As Spectrum pilots the ship further along its course, Carey guides him closer and closer to their destination by pointing out where to go. After a few final instructions, Spectrum puts the shuttle on autopilot and walks over to talk with the other passengers.Spectrum first walks over to Sonic and Whisper, thanking them for joining Team Spectrum on this endeavor. Sonic replies by saying that he’ll do anything for his new girlfriend Amy (which Spectrum mentally notes), and Whisper shares the same sentiment, but instead as a friend to Amy and Spectrum (which Spectrum greatly appreciates). Spectrum then moves on to Serena, teasingly remarking on how it’s unusual for her to tag along on their missions, only for Serena herself to blush (doing her best to conceal her crush for Spectrum) and express her desire to help. Spectrum teasingly says that he’ll let this slide before Serena reveals that she’s also there because Priscilla told her about his leadership worries, and Spectrum’s playful energy almost immediately leaves his face in response. Spectrum tries to shrug it off, telling Serena that it’s no big deal, but she doesn’t take that for an answer; Serena says that Spectrum is still a great leader, regardless of what he may think, and that she will continue to stick around on this mission just to remind him of that, all because she cares about him (which she says in an almost unsubtle fashion). Spectrum is flattered by Serena’s loyal and caring statement, while Serena herself is surprised with how much emotion she just let out without thinking, with the both of them considerably blushing as they initially try to hide their feelings; eventually though, Spectrum verbally thanks Serena, who is happy to hear that she’s actually helping. As the two continue their conversation, Berri watches them from a distance, chuckling to herself as she leans against the wall before walking away to the Battleship’s kitchen.While Spectrum is still talking with Serena, Tumult walks over to Audrey, asking her how she’s feeling about being on her first mission since she revealed she was a robot. Audrey admits that it feels weird, not only because everyone now knows her secret, but also because she’s still getting used to her abilities (even after using them to help stop Hogferatu Spectrum). Tumult tries to be encouraging, saying that he knows she’ll do alright, causing Audrey to blush slightly. Audrey then asks how Tumult is dealing with the aftermath of their conflict with Dark Gaia, and he remarks on how he still hasn’t gotten over the revelation that the Beginning trapped Light Gaia with his darker counterpart in the earth for an eternity, and he’s recently come to the somber conclusion that the Beginning’s actions run deeper than he initially realized… Audrey tries to comfort Tumult after hearing his response, saying that despite the things his Creator has done, his friends will do everything they can to help stop Him and make things right. Tumult is thankful for Audrey’s support, but he also wonders aloud if his friends will really keep to that once it’s the end of all things, only for Audrey to hold his hand supportively…Meanwhile, Ginger is preparing some lunch for the others when Berri walks in and strikes up a conversation with her. Berri initially talks about the food as she teasingly tries to get a taste, only to get playfully swatted away, before Ginger changes the conversation to Berri’s personal crusade. Berri’s demeanor changes slightly as she tells Ginger about how it’s slow going, especially with no signs of support from Rebel. In response, Ginger tries to assure Berri that she has her support, and Berri greatly appreciates it. As Ginger resumes her cooking, she asks if Berri has anything else she wants to talk about, only for Berri to clutch a picture of Vanilla and Cream behind her back as she starts to tell Ginger the reason behind her mission (which she had actually never done before).Suddenly though, as Berri is about to actually start her account (with Ginger’s attention being held), Spectrum’s Battleship starts to shudder and shake violently, with Spectrum himself swiftly returning to the controls to try and regain control. He tells everyone to brace themselves as the ship plummets to the ground and plows through the jungle soil. The Battleship eventually slows down to a halt, and the passengers onboard finally have the chance to recuperate. Some of them ask about what just happened, and so Spectrum looks at the ship’s interfaces, which tell him that something is clogging the right engine. After Spectrum explains this to his friends (and before he can volunteer himself), Priscilla volunteers to check out the engine room.In the engine room, Priscilla cautiously walks through with a flashlight, as the pipes around her hiss and creak. Once she arrives at the right engine, Priscilla suddenly hears the noises of what she assumes to be a small animal coming from it, and so she cautiously looks inside the turbine to investigate. The ray of Priscilla’s flashlight eventually falls upon and reveals a small plant-like creature stuck in-between the turbine blades, which seems to get slightly aggressive on contact with the lights as it growls and snarls at Priscilla. Before Priscilla can fully comprehend what she’s looking at, an unseen attacker swoops in and grabs her by the neck, pinning her to a wall. Before Priscilla can fight back, the attacker’s pupils suddenly light up through the shadows and glow orange and yellow, which soon reflect in Priscilla’s own eyes as she stares into the attacker’s, with her face quickly softening into that of a blissful awe. A few moments later, Priscilla returns to the others (notably without Carey around, which Spectrum brings up right before Priscilla comes back), who are eager to hear what she found in the engine room. To their confusion, Priscilla says that nothing is wrong, and she simply goes about her business like nothing happened.

Chapter 5: "Assessing the Damage"

Outside the Battleship, Spectrum and the others are busy assessing the outward damage when Carey finally reappears. Spectrum is quick to ask where she was, but Carey seems to ignore him, much to his confusion. Spectrum’s friends then walk up to him and break the news to him that it will take a few days, or even a whole week, to fix up the Battleship. Spectrum is initially bummed about this, but he then reasons that they can search for Marina in that time. With this in mind, Spectrum then goes back inside the Battleship to deliver Amy the news.Inside the Battleship, Spectrum finds Amy frantically rummaging through the piles of stuff that were thrown about during the crash. Eventually though, Amy becomes relieved when she finds some sort of flame-shaped pendant in the debris, only to be startled by Spectrum as he asks what it is. Amy explains that it is a gift from a princess called Blaze, a magical pendant that can allow her to open a portal to the Sol Dimension whenever she wants to visit. Spectrum remarks on how precious such a gift is, while Amy agrees and remarks on how friends like Blaze don’t come around often. Now getting curious (while also remembering how Sonic mentioned that he was Amy’s boyfriend now), Spectrum sits down next to Amy and asks her what she thinks of their friendship now, and she replies with how she wants their friendship to work, but it’s just so awkward now that they’ve broken up and she’s with Sonic again; Spectrum says that explains things, especially with how this is the first time Amy has really interacted with him in a while after their breakup during the war… After a moment of awkward silence, Spectrum suddenly pipes up and suggests that they should hang out again sometime, just to get used to being just friends again, and Amy says that she would like that in response. With that having been said, both of them nervously and almost instinctively inch their hands closer to each other before Sonic walks in and tells Spectrum that Carey found something (seemingly not noticing their subtle advances towards each other).

Chapter 6: "Searching for Marina"

Back outside, Carey points at the jungle in front of her, claiming that she recognizes a path through the foliage from when she conjured her reflecting pool. Amy is now more desperate to find Marina, especially now that they have a new heading, and so she convinces Spectrum to have his friends ready themselves for venturing out into the greenery. As everyone starts to leave for their jungle trek, Ginger and Serena attempt to join them before Spectrum and Berri move to stop them. Ginger wants to be sure that Berri remains safe, being visibly concerned over this, but Berri herself confidently reassures her that she will be back to tell her the rest of her story. Serena, on the other hand, simply just wants to help instead, but Spectrum says that it’ll be too dangerous for her; eventually, Serena relents, but before going back to the ship with Ginger, she encourages Spectrum on his leadership qualities again.Serena and Ginger watch from the bridge as the group disappears into the jungle, with Ginger especially praying for them to be safe. After looking off into the distance, Serena tries to make the most of them being essentially benched, and so she enthusiastically tries to get Ginger to help clean up the ship for their friends when they get back. Before Serena and Ginger can do anything though, they suddenly hear the sounds of something moving along the outside of the Battleship. They are visibly shaken, with Serena remarking how they might not be safe after all…Meanwhile, Serena and Ginger’s friends trek through the jungle, being guided by Carey. As they walk, Spectrum starts thinking about his leadership dilemma again, and so he starts to walk beside Sonic, asking him what he thinks makes a good leader. Somewhat caught off-guard, Sonic thinks about this for a second, explaining that he never really did so before, as he has never really considered himself his friends’ leader; regardless, Sonic decides to guess for his answer, saying that he believes a good leader does what it takes to ensure his friends’ safety no matter what. Spectrum is confused by what this could entail, but he goes with it, thanking Sonic for his response. Now feeling a little awkward, Spectrum asks Sonic how things have been going for him after the war, and Sonic remarks on how his life has been getting back to normal since then in response, while also mentioning that things have also been even better with Amy now as his girlfriend (who is now not as obsessive over him as she was before). Hearing this, Spectrum feels a little more awkward, and Sonic picks up on this, remembering aloud that Spectrum used to be with Amy before he was rescued from the Death Egg; Sonic tells Spectrum that he understands if he still has feelings for Amy, that it’s just natural, but he also hopes that Spectrum won’t let those feelings lead him to do things that might jeopardize their friendship. Understanding this, Spectrum nods in agreement.

Chapter 7: "The Hut"

Immediately after that conversation, Carey stops the group, as they have found the hut from the reflecting pool’s vision. Spectrum congratulates Carey on her work, recognizing how she’s been leading them through the new landscapes with ease, but Carey doesn’t seem to respond like how Spectrum thought she would, much to his confusion… Despite this, the group opens the door and enters the building, quickly realizing that it’s bigger on the inside. The group sneaks through the hut and eventually make their way to a larger room, where they hide behind a corner and watch a snake-like figure yell at Marina to reveal how to get into the Sol Dimension. The figure is only met with silence from Marina, and so she becomes more urgent and loud as she starts to violently shake Marina. While holding Amy back (as she wishes to rush to her twin sister’s aid more than anything else at the moment), the rest of the group is quick to note how Marina seems to be in some sort of trance, with her persistent blissful smile accompanied by glowing orange and yellow pupils while she’s coiled up in the figure’s tail.As the group continues to watch, Carey and Priscilla suddenly stand up straight and mechanically step back, their faces becoming obscured in the shadows, all while the others are too focused on watching the scene in front of them to notice. Spectrum then says that they will descend upon Marina’s captor on the count of three, but immediately after Spectrum says one, Priscilla and Carey suddenly push the rest of the group into the room, causing them to yelp as they crash to the ground. This alerts the figure’s attention, who quickly turns around to face the intruders from the shadows, as well as to quickly wrap up Amy with her coils (having her squished up against Marina) before her friends can react. The figure slithers out of the shadows and reveals her unobscured form, remarking on how Amy looks so much like Marina. After comparing the two, the figure concludes aloud that her “little helper” captured the wrong person (with this new figure having gotten the two confused based on appearance alone), and she thanks someone unknown for bringing her exactly what she needed. As the group stands back up and reorients themselves into defensive stances, they ask who they apparently delivered Amy to. The figure obliges the intruders’ curiosity, revealing herself to be known as “Lamia,” while also correcting them by revealing that she wasn’t actually talking to them; instead, Lamia refers to people who are apparently behind the group, and they instinctively look behind to see Priscilla and Carey mechanically step out from the shadows, their faces hosting wide blissful smiles while their pupils glow orange and yellow (their friends quickly note how similar they look to Marina at that moment).Spectrum suddenly remembers Carey almost being sucked into the reflecting pool days earlier, quickly realizing that Lamia must have brainwashed her, and he naturally questions her about this with a fury. Lamia slyly and sadistically confirms to Spectrum that she indeed hypnotized Carey, calling it “a gift bestowed onto her” that she now “bestows onto others” before she congratulates Carey on inducting Priscilla and luring her friends into Lamia’s home. Spectrum gets more silently furious over Lamia toying with his friends as he preparedly grips his Wispon’s handle, and he asks what the point of all this is for her. Lamia teasingly doesn’t want to tell Spectrum anything about her plans, and she also notes (as if to clarify) that she especially doesn’t want to explain anything to “a scummy man,” which sends Spectrum over the edge.Spectrum suddenly strikes Lamia across the face, and his friends spring into action in response to their leader’s sudden attack; Berri and Tumult come to Spectrum’s aid as they assist him in fighting Lamia, all while Sonic tries to free Amy and Marina, and all while Whisper and Audrey try to fend off and even wake up Priscilla and Carey. While Lamia is busy fending off Team Spectrum, she uses magic to summon plants to help defend herself, all while swinging her tail around to try to throw Sonic off and to keep Audrey and Whisper from breaking Priscilla and Carey’s trances (all with a scary level of focus). Despite Lamia’s attempts to shake him, Sonic manages to slip Amy and Marina out of her coils, but she is unable to get them back as Team Spectrum continues to overwhelm her, forcing her to whip her tail at them with a scary amount of strength. While all of this is happening, Amy manages to wake Marina up from her trance, being initially groggy before she realizes what’s happening, being confused about how she got there while still being happy to see Amy there with her; as she and Amy embrace, Marina looks around and notices how Amy brought her friends to help rescue her, and she comes to realize (with a surprised and grateful awe) the lengths that they all would go to for her.Amy then shouts at Spectrum that they have secured Marina, which prompts Spectrum to call for a retreat, and the entire group responds by making a break for it. Before they can all make it to the entrance though, Lamia’s tail quickly wraps around Marina and pulls her back, much to her screams and Amy’s horror. As Amy tries to get back to Marina though, Priscilla and Carey block her attempts, and her friends are unfortunately forced to restrain her and continue their escape… After they’ve managed to escape the hut, everything calms down as Lamia has Priscilla and Carey come closer. Lamia then remarks on how it doesn’t matter that their intruders have escaped just now, as she still has the means to bring them back (saying this as she caresses a terrified Marina in her coils). Despite this advantage, Lamia notes how it doesn’t hurt to have a little insurance, and she chuckles evilly as Priscilla and Carey lean in on both sides of Marina…

Chapter 8: "“Nowhere is safe…”"

Spectrum and the others continue their escape through the jungle, with Amy practically being carried along as she fights against them to get back to her sister. The rest of the group argues with Amy about how they can’t go back, as they’ve picked up on how this Lamia now wants her for some reason; they will still attempt to rescue Marina, along with everyone else they’ve lost, but they need to keep Amy away from Lamia in the meantime.The group finally returns to the Battleship, only to find it covered in some kind of gooey fungus, much to everyone’s surprise and slight horror. They rush inside to see the place trashed, the fungus covering everything. Spectrum and Berri quickly run to the living quarters, with Spectrum not finding Serena in the guest room, and with Berri not finding Ginger in her room. As the others catch up, they find Spectrum and Berri full of seething rage, knowing exactly who took Serena and Ginger: Lamia…

Part 2

Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19

Chapter 9: "Investigating the Engine Room"

Later, Spectrum and the others enter the engine room, slowly moving their way towards the right engine; Spectrum, still ticked about everything that had just happened, now believes that something of Lamia’s making must have happened when Priscilla came in there earlier that day, and so he climbs into the turbine to see what really happened to the engine. Spectrum shines another flashlight down the tube, eventually illuminating the snarling plant-like creature that is still stuck in-between the rotors, much to Spectrum’s shock and surprise. The creature swiftly launches itself from the rotors and latches onto Spectrum’s face, causing him to frantically exit the turbine and grab at his head in an attempt to shake it off. In Spectrum’s panic, Berri manages to grab the creature and rip it off of Spectrum’s face before slamming it down onto the ground and stomping on it repeatedly and forcefully with her boot, brutally killing it. Afterward, Berri takes a few deep breaths and remarks on how that felt good, while Spectrum catches his own breath before coming to the conclusion that Lamia had been playing them this whole time (fully understanding that she hypnotized Carey into enacting this whole plan (crashing the Battleship, hypnotizing Priscilla, and bringing them to the Hut) with her own reflecting pool, while also remembering how she was able to manipulate plants during their fight moments before).Back outside the ship, the group huddles up and discusses their next possible moves, with some (such as Berri, who is still seething over Ginger being taken, especially after she was so worried about Berri not coming back) suggesting that they should go after Lamia and try to rescue their friends, with others suggesting that they should stay with Amy around the Battleship until they can make the necessary repairs, and with the rest suggesting that they should find shelter elsewhere (on account of the ship not being safe from Lamia now). They can’t seem to come to a decision, and so they turn to Spectrum, who is still pondering their options; while Spectrum thinks, he reminisces on everyone who reminded him how great of a leader he really is, wanting to prove them right, along with Lamia’s actions during their first encounter moments ago… With this in mind, Spectrum decides that they should find another place to regroup; despite Spectrum’s unsureness about this new path forward and this whole situation in general, his friends loyally agree with his decision.

Chapter 10: "The Ruined City"

Later on, the group is once again cutting through the foliage as they search for a good place to rest for the night. As they walk, Spectrum notices Amy looking gloomy, so he walks beside her and asks her if she’s alright. Amy wipes away a tear as she remarks on how they were so close to saving her sister but they failed, thinking about how horrified she must be right now… Spectrum tries his best to comfort Amy by putting his arm around her in a side hug (which Amy greatly appreciates as she returns it), as he reassures her that they will get her sister back. Amy nods in appreciation as she now clutches her Sol Dimension Pendant, remarking on how she heard Lamia asking Marina if she knew a way to get into the Sol Dimension; Amy comes to the conclusion that Lamia was really after her, and not her sister Marina, for her dimension-hopping pendant, and Spectrum seems to agree after reminiscing on it himself (remembering what he and his friends heard Lamia yell at Marina while concealed, as well as when Lamia was commenting on how similar Amy and Marina look). In spite of this revelation, one question still lingers on Spectrum and Amy’s minds: “why does Lamia want to get to the Sol Dimension…?”Before Spectrum and Amy can guess at the very least, the rest of the group halts in front of them, catching their attention. Spectrum runs up to the front and asks what’s going on before he looks out in front of them, gasping in utter surprise and awe: lying before them is a massive ruined city, looking as ancient as the greenery around them. As they all look upon these ruins in complete wonder, Spectrum remembers seeing these ruins in Carey’s reflecting pool, which he exclaims out loud. With that said, the group then walks through the decaying stone buildings, hoping to make camp within their walls for the night (like they had originally decided to do), only to be captivated by the tragic yet mysterious story the ruins seem to convey; as the group continues to walk down the abandoned streets, they remark on how neglected everything seems, and on how it doesn’t seem like this city was attacked but that it was instead seemingly left to rot… Needless to say, the group is confused and somber over what they’re witnessing, with some of them even questioning what could have happened here out loud… Eventually though, after the group has ventured deeper into the ruined city, Tumult notices some hieroglyphs on some of the walls, with symbols that say things he seems to recognize. He hovers over to them, and the others catch up to him as he tries to decipher what they say.Meanwhile, Marina and Lamia are now looking out over the city from above its former palace, with the still-hypnotized Priscilla and Carey keeping Marina in place (even though she’s still in Lamia’s coils). After Lamia remarks on how such a powerful kingdom can be left to collect dust so easily, Marina asks for an explanation on what happened to the city, even suggesting that Lamia might’ve had something to do with it. Lamia merely smirks, deciding to humor her captive, slithering over to circle around Marina as she talks.Lamia and Tumult explain the history of the city to their audiences at the same time, with Lamia giving her personal account to Marina, and with Tumult reading out the hieroglyphs: in ancient times, the city that everyone is currently in right now was once known as the Kingdom of Naagon, a city of snakes. They were ruled by a powerful royal family, which Lamia was a part of, as a princess. Lamia became jealous of her older siblings being next in line for the throne, desiring more power than she was allowed, and so she secretly sought to become knowledgeable in the arcane arts. Up until her very early 20s, she became obsessed with finding a way to have power over others through dark magic, and she soon seemingly found it when she accidentally summoned the Beginning (which Tumult reveals to his friends with a silent sense of dread and shock)... The Beginning offered the power Lamia needed to bring her own kingdom to its knees, but only in exchange for her future servitude in His plans. Lamia didn’t care about the costs, and so the Beginning fulfilled her wish, granting her the power to control the minds of others through a form of hypnosis. With this, Lamia usurped the royal family, even executing them later on, stealing the throne for herself as she crowned herself the kingdom’s queen… Over the millennia that followed, Lamia would put the Kingdom of Naagon through utter despair, brainwashing most of its citizens and only making the males its slaves… All the while, the remaining free citizens would notice that Lamia wouldn’t age throughout the generations, giving them little to no hope of ever being free… From there, the hieroglyphs end abruptly, leaving Tumult and his friends in utter shock from what they had just read…Meanwhile, Lamia finishes her story by claiming that her own citizens grew weak, and that they all died out over the last few generations, eventually leaving Lamia all alone with only the results of her work remaining… Lamia then coldly expresses how the citizens didn’t share her vision, and that they deserved to wither out in the end… Despite this, Lamia expresses how she is not done yet, hoping that her current plan will give her the power over others that she so desperately craves to have once again… Marina, on the other hand, is horrified by the story she just heard, shedding a tear while expressing how Lamia is a monster. Lamia argues back by claiming that everyone has their own truths, explaining that her truth is that she’s a rightful queen who only needs a good enough kingdom to properly rule over (unlike the “weak” Naagon, as she puts it). Marina then calls Lamia out for being so selfish in response, saying that if Lamia actually believed in people having their own truths, then she wouldn’t have to force hers onto others, just like she did with the Kingdom of Naagon (as Lamia just described) and just like she’s doing now with the very people who came to rescue Marina (who then takes a moment to take that fact in after finishing her rebuke, that there actually are people willing to rescue her). Lamia smirks as she ponders this, admitting that Marina may be right but that she doesn’t care, all before she moves to hypnotize her again, quickly putting Marina back under her spell again (much to her amusement). Before Lamia can do anything to Marina in this state, however, they are interrupted by the now hypnotized Serena, reporting to Lamia that Spectrum and his friends are now in the city. Upon hearing this, Lamia decides that it’s time for her army to get another workout in after all these years…

Chapter 11: "The Stone Soldiers of Naagon"

Meanwhile, back on the ground-level, Spectrum and his friends are all spread out inside the crumbling remains of a building as they plan to stay there for the night, all while they silently recover from listening to Tumult recount those atrocities of the past earlier… Audrey walks over to Tumult, who is sitting on a fallen pillar while also mentally recovering from what he just read; noticing this, Audrey sits right beside Tumult on the pillar, asking him what is specifically wrong. Tumult explains his thought process regarding the hieroglyphs to Audrey in response, expressing his disbelief at how the Beginning not only allowed Lamia to do those evil things, but also at how He directly gave her the means to do so; after having read all of that from the hieroglyphs, Tumult is now left questioning why the Beginning would even do all of this in the first place… Audrey initially doesn’t know how to answer Tumult, but she eventually says that maybe the Beginning does things for a reason, that maybe He uses things for a greater outcome. Tumult doesn’t know what to think about Audrey’s suggestion, but after pondering on it for a second, he says that he hopes she’s right before holding her hand, much to her silent surprise while blushing.While that’s taking place, Spectrum and Berri walk over to Amy as she’s being comforted by Sonic and Whisper, asking if she’s doing okay. Sonic tells them that she seems to be just as mortified as everyone else is right now, after having heard Tumult read the hieroglyphs earlier, but that still hasn’t helped Amy figure out why Lamia is doing all of this now… While Spectrum and the others don’t have the answer to that question either, they still resolve to ensure Amy’s safety, as well as that of her Sol Dimension Pendant, even more so than before (now recognizing the true dangers Lamia presents)...Suddenly, the group is startled by sounds of movement outside the building, instantly putting everyone on edge as they instinctively and slowly grab their weapons and brace themselves for possible combat. Spectrum silently motions for everyone to stay close to him as they all slowly move out of the building to check out the noises. Outside the building, the group checks both sides of the outstretching street for any possible intruders, but they find no one, and they all collectively sigh in relief; as they turn around to head back inside, however, the group suddenly comes face-to-face with an army of stone soldiers (each one resembling a snake warrior in armor that is carrying a weapon and a shield), who all managed to stealthily get inside the crumbling buildings and position themselves behind their targets (despite the fact that they are all statues, which Audrey quickly points out). After being startled by this ambush (and after Audrey’s remark), the stone soldiers point their weapons at the group, preparing to kill them all right then and there, before Spectrum suddenly swats them back and leads his friends in counter-attacking them; Spectrum and his friends do their best to fight back with all their skill and perseverance, but the stone soldiers are just too strong for them, nearly overpowering them at times. As this tough fight continues, Berri’s attention is suddenly caught by Ginger, who calls out to her from nearby shadows before running away; still wanting to get her friend back from Lamia, Berri quickly dispatches the stone soldiers she’s currently fighting, and she rushes after Ginger, much to Spectrum’s surprise. Before Spectrum can do anything about this, his attention is drawn back to the fight, as he and his friends are losing more ground against the stone soldiers.

Chapter 12: "An Arch-Rivalry is Born"

While the fight against the stone soldiers continues in the streets, Berri has finally arrived at some more old ruins on the outskirts of the city, and she proceeds to sneak her way through them, not wanting Lamia to get the jump on her like before. Once she's gone deep enough into the crumbling and aging stonework, Berri is soon alerted by the sound of Ginger's voice again, causing her to whip around defensively in the direction of the sound. Berri spots the silhouette of Ginger obscured in the darkness once again, who calls out for Berri to join and rescue her, saying that they can go home and continue their mission to help protect kids like her niece Cream. Berri eagerly and blindly reaches out to take Ginger’s hand in response, but she then starts to actually think about this, resulting in her pulling her hand back as she remarks on how she hasn’t told Ginger about her family yet... With this sudden realization, Lamia slithers out of the darkness from behind Ginger with a sudden low chuckle, bringing Ginger out with her to reveal that she too has been hypnotized…Lamia remarks on how Berri appears to be smarter than she previously anticipated, revealing that she had actually been watching her for a while now (having initially found Berri while preparing to kidnap Amy (originally). To Berri's growing concern, Lamia explains how she pretty much knows everything about her now, having especially and particularly taken an interest in her personal crusade to protect the innocence of children (which she has now roped Ginger into); or more rather, Lamia is interested in the "hypocrisy" of Berri's mission (as she puts it), as she thinks that it doesn't make sense for people like them... Lamia even brings up how Rebel seems to practically agree with her on this, citing her recent fights with Berri over the subject, along with the rest of society; in fact, Lamia is delighted in the very idea that most of the modern world practically agrees with her, and she didn't even need to use her powers for that to happen (and she expresses as much to Berri)… When Berri asks why Lamia cares so much about this, Lamia gets violent and grabs hold of her with her coils and impervious strength, psychotically expressing how she utterly despises the fact that children have what people like her and Berri do not: innocence… Lamia explains that those without innocence need to imprint themselves onto others, feeling a desire to gain a sense of control over the new generations that they didn't have in their own abusive pasts, and since Berri is going against that purpose, Lamia considers her to be a traitor to people like them…

In retaliation, Berri tells Lamia that the ruined childhoods of “their kind” are, while tragic, no excuse for them to impose themselves onto children (while they are especially still underdeveloped, which Berri points out to not be a coincidence) and ruin their lives past childhood (with them only regretting such things when it is too late to turn back)… Berri then retells how she realized all of that when she saw Cream being Robotomized, explaining that the experience caused her to recognize how her niece's manipulation and abuse is repeated in almost everything “their kind” has done to other such children; Berri then boldly uses that story of hers as the reason behind why she can never align herself with “their kind” again, no matter what Lamia or anyone else says or does to her as a result. In response, Lamia simply expresses how she expected Berri to retell her “sob story” before proceeding to hypnotize her too, explaining how she can just force people to shut up when they don't agree with her... Despite attempting to resist, Berri finds herself gradually falling under Lamia’s spell, seeing visions of Lamia herself within the orange and yellow spirals, who express how she’ll go after Cream next once she’s done with her plan and once she’s done with Berri and Ginger; after seeing that, Berri’s resistance completely shatters under the weight of Lamia’s imposed power, and she is soon standing right beside Ginger in a shared blissful trance… With both Berri and Ginger under her control now, Lamia takes the opportunity to toy with them, demeaning them for their shared goal that she despises so much…Back in the city, Spectrum and his friends are still losing the battle against the stone soldiers, and their confidence is waning considerably; Amy is fighting the stone soldiers alongside her friends, but everyone else is making sure that she remains protected during this, making a defensive circle around her. Understanding that they might not win this if they stay, Audrey volunteers to distract the soldiers while the others make their escape with Amy, but she doesn’t wait for approval as she immediately bursts through the stone hordes after that (leaving Spectrum and the others to protest this in shock instead). Seeing this and not wanting Audrey to possibly die, Whisper rushes into the hordes after her, much to Spectrum’s (now more urgent) protests as he’s now being held back by Sonic and Tumult, who urge him to retreat… They start pushing Spectrum away until he finally collects himself and starts running away himself, grabbing Amy and carrying her away as they all retreat (jumping over the army and climbing up to the rooftops of the crumbling buildings). As the remaining heroes recede from the battle and the city, Lamia, with the still-mesmerized yet (now) loyally affectionate Berri and Ginger by her sides, watches them from other rooftops, noting how pathetic they are…

Chapter 13: "Dealing with the Losses"

Now back in the jungle (yet still close to the ruined city), Spectrum, Sonic, Tumult, and Amy finally come to halt, believing themselves to be out of the stone soldiers’ reach for the moment; as they all catch their breath, Spectrum sets Amy down, and they all stand in shocked silence over what just happened… Amy speaks first and brings up how Berri, Audrey, and Whisper are now (most likely) gone, wondering what they all should do next… Sonic and Tumult also turn to Spectrum for an answer on what should be done next, but all they are met with is silence, as he is shell-shocked over the loss of his other friends (including his own sister)... As they come to understand the torment on Spectrum’s mind at the moment, Sonic and Tumult turn back to Amy and suggest that they should rest where they stand for the time being, wanting to come up with a rescue plan in the morning; Amy, after looking to Spectrum and only getting silence from him again, reluctantly agrees, and so Sonic and Tumult get to work getting a fire started and making beds out of leaves.As the two of them work, Amy walks up to Spectrum as he is now looking out towards the city, hoping to comfort him as she asks if he is alright. After a while more of silence, Spectrum finally pipes up and remarks on how he thinks Audrey made a stupid decision (sacrificing herself the way she did), thinking that she (and the rest of their friends that they lost just then) would still be with them if he had done something better; Amy gets more confrontational as she gets in front of Spectrum, saying that Audrey made the right choice (explaining that she gave herself up to save everyone else), but then asking Spectrum what he thinks “he should have done” that would have made things so different. Spectrum struggles to answer, starting to break down a little bit as he admits he hasn’t figured that out yet, noting that it has now cost him and the remaining survivors… Seeing how hurt he is, Amy hugs Spectrum and allows him to let his tears out, trying to comfort him by saying how they will get their friends back and how she is sure that he will find the meaning of what it is to be a true leader when they do; when Spectrum asks how, Amy remarks on how he never gives up until a good outcome is achieved (just like with Sonic), before shyly stating that that was one of the reasons why she liked him before… With that, both of them blush before leaning into a kiss, one filled with passion after not being together for such a considerable amount of time. After they break away, Amy’s tone shifts to that of sadness, expressing how they shouldn’t do this on account of her being with Sonic now, and that this could get in the way of their current mission (which Spectrum, sadly, agrees with)... On that note, Spectrum leaves Amy’s side so that things don’t remain awkward, but Amy stops him shortly afterwards to tell him that, in spite of the circumstances, their kiss just then felt good. Spectrum merely smirks before resuming his walk away from her.As Spectrum continues to walk away to be alone again, Sonic watches him and Amy from a distance while still working on the makeshift camp with Tumult, and he is happy to see that they made the right decision to not go further with their lingering affections (even in spite of their brief moment of weakness with their sudden kiss, which he did see). He turns back over to Tumult, and they start talking about what they found in the city some more while they work; Sonic finds it crazy how one person could be insane enough to destroy an entire kingdom like Lamia did with Naagon, but Tumult explains in response how it’s actually not that surprising, as “absolute power corrupts absolutely…” Moving on, Sonic brings up another question he has had on his mind: he has assumed that the citizens of Naagon all died (hence the hieroglyphs they all were reading before abruptly stopping), so that only leaves the question of “how; how exactly did they all die…?”

Chapter 14: "The Lamia Effect"

Before Sonic and Tumult can start thinking of possible theories, the both of them and Amy suddenly hear rustling in the foliage around them, and so everyone there braces defensively for a possible ambush. After a brief moment of intensity, a couple of odd-looking seeds are thrown into the open, confusing the group at first, but quickly sprouting into plants before spraying a high quantity of smoky clouds that start making the heroes cough. As the group is distracted, obscured figures blitz through the fog with abnormal speed, quickly incapacitating the three of them. As the three heroes struggle to get off the ground, and as the smog dissipates, it is revealed that their attackers are Berri and Whisper; it is clear to the reeling group that the both of them have been hypnotized by Lamia, as they can not only tell from the state of both Berri and Whisper’s eyes, but also from the different outfits and matching demeanors they both now adorn, along with the army of stone soldiers that are backing them up from behind as they come out of hiding. Berri and Whisper kneel down to look at their new prisoners of war, cheekily commenting how it is a shame (for them personally) that Sonic and Tumult could have easily overpowered them (simply because of the fact that they are men) and that they were forced to get clever with this assault because of that, remarking how (to them) men seemingly have it so easy, which seems to set off the weak Sonic and Tumult a little bit before they are silenced; after that (and as they motion for the stone warriors to come over and take care of Tumult, who they specifically trap inside a magical jewel, and Sonic), they then walk over to Amy, kneeling down to look at her too and tell her that “the queen” has invited her to the palace, and that “attendance is mandatory.”Meanwhile, Spectrum is still by himself when he hears the screams of Amy being snuffled out from a distance. Spectrum is startled at first, but he soon realizes that something is wrong, and so he draws his Wispon and rushes towards the sound with reckless abandon, determined to not let anything else happen to those who remain. Back with the others, the stone soldiers are carrying Sonic and Tumult away towards the palace, while a bound and gagged Amy is being carried over Berri’s shoulder. When all hope seems lost to Amy, Spectrum suddenly leaps out of the fray and lunges at Berri and Whisper, only to be countered by them and pushed back. While Amy struggles about in joy, Berri and Whisper order the stone soldiers to continue taking Sonic and Tumult back to the palace, as they will deal with Spectrum themselves; the stone warriors do as they are told, walking away with Sonic and Tumult in hand, although Sonic does manage to yell at Spectrum to give them hell. After a tense staredown, Spectrum attacks first, but Berri and Whisper manage to dodge most of his attacks initially (juggling Amy around as they do to taunt him); this keeps up until they finally decide to fight back, with both parties managing to deal significant blows to each other. As Spectrum and Berri even lock arms at one point, he asks what Lamia has done to her (desperate to save his friends), but she says that Lamia only “liberated her and the rest of his friends from the likes of slimy men like him.” This sets Spectrum off, but his newfound aggression doesn’t seem to dissuade Berri and Whisper; under Lamia’s spell, Berri and Whisper seem to be more coordinated and thus more deadly. Eventually, Berri and Whisper manage to bring Spectrum down to his knees with their combined attacks and their taunting of him (to cloud his judgment), quickly throwing out more seeds that swiftly sprout into magical vines and wrap around him, holding him in place; as Spectrum is immobilized, Berri and Whisper kick and punch him while he is down, defeating and leaving him bruised and broken while Amy can only scream in distress and protest through her gag. Before they leave, as they pick up Amy and rest her on their shoulders again, they take the opportunity to taunt Spectrum again, saying how pathetic he is to have lost to them and that he is a sorry excuse for a leader; with that, they swiftly leap through the brush and into the night towards the palace, all while Amy’s muffled screams continue yet fade into distant echoes…After they leave, the vines that bound Spectrum dissipate and free him, allowing him to stand up again. Despite being able to go after them, however, Spectrum doesn’t, and instead just continues standing there; now all alone, Spectrum finally begins to break down completely, with the emotions that Lamia has been building up inside him finally surfacing… He bursts into tears and falls to his knees, expressing (aloud) how he messed up; Spectrum cries over how he believes Berri and Whisper to be right, that he failed his friends as a leader and thinking (again) that they would still be with him if he had done better, though he still doesn’t know what he should have done to begin with… As Spectrum continues to cry, hanging his head low and dreading how alone he is, a featureless hand is suddenly and sympathetically placed on his shoulder from behind, causing him to jolt and turn around to see the Blank Figure he met when he fought Dark Gaia behind him. Realizing Who it is, Spectrum quickly hugs Him at His knees, much to the Blank Figure’s sudden surprise. As Spectrum sobs on the Figure’s legs, he starts to explain what happened before the Figure cuts him off, reminding him that He can hear everything. The Figure then walks around and comfortingly kneels in front of Spectrum, allowing him to express how he thinks he failed as a leader, being no better than Lamia was when she was a queen… The Blank Figure pauses (as if to think about His answer) before expressing to Spectrum that he will never be a leader like Lamia and that it’s useless to compare himself to her. Spectrum is naturally confused by this and he naturally asks what the Blank Figure means by this; so the Blank Figure explains that, unlike Lamia, Spectrum is willing to sacrifice everything to protect those under his care, and that (according to the Blank Figure) is what makes a true leader. Somewhat starting to understand what the Blank Figure is saying, Spectrum then asks how He knows all of this stuff to begin with, and He responds by explaining that He knows a lot about sacrificing everything for those He loves, or rather, He will come to know that; before Spectrum can question that last part, the Figure says that he’ll come to understand what He means later on.Brushing that off, Spectrum rises from the ground, wiping the tears from his eyes and asking the Blank Figure what he needs to do now. Not saying anything at first, the Blank Figure merely pulls back some of the brush and points towards the Naagon palace in the distance, with lights from within shining like sparks against the darkness of the night. As Spectrum looks upon it, the Blank Figure asks Spectrum if he’s ready to sacrifice everything, walking away as He says this (without expecting to get an answer); Spectrum then turns back around and attempts to ask who the Blank Figure is again, but He’s already gone. With what the Blank Figure told him in mind, Spectrum’s face tenses up as he becomes more serious, understanding what he must do.

Chapter 15: "The Hall of the “Queen”"

Meanwhile, Berri and Whisper are forcing Amy through the rotting palace doors and into the decaying great hall, where she witnesses a shocking sight: while the stone soldiers line the walls, Amy’s comrades are strewn about in several spots around the room, each of them dawning new outfits and demeanors that reflect their new entranced servitude to Lamia (much like with Berri and Whisper). Above the throne, Sonic, Tumult, and Whisper’s Wisps are being hung by chains from the ceiling, with the blood really getting to Sonic’s head as he is upside down, with Tumult still stuck inside the jewel, and with the Wisps being trapped in an old Wisp Capsule. Finally, Lamia resides on the throne itself, with Marina loyally sitting on her knees beside her (having been given the same treatment as the others occupying the rest of the room). Amy is very visibly disgusted with such torture (in Sonic and Tumult and the Wisps’ case specifically) and manipulation (in everyone else’s case), yelling at Lamia and calling her a (metaphorical) snake once Berri and Whisper finally remove the gag from her mouth, only for Lamia to smugly just brush it off as stating the obvious. Still in a rage, Amy asks Lamia why she’s doing all of this, and Lamia replies by repeating what her “minions” have already been saying (that “she is liberating them from the grasp of men”), only for Amy to call out her bluff. Amused, Lamia rises from her throne and approaches Amy as she gives a different answer: according to Lamia, in this world, power is the only way to ensure prosperity, but more importantly, to ensure you are loved… Amy is somewhat confused, and Lamia elaborates further by mentioning her friend Blaze, in how she is loved only because she is a princess. Upon hearing Blaze’s name, Amy starts to put the pieces together, coming to the conclusion that Lamia wants what Blaze has, and that’s what she needs to go to the Sol Dimension for: to take Blaze’s throne and rule again… Lamia, smirking at and remarking on how Amy figured out her master plan, explains one last time that “power is everything” before finally hypnotizing Amy (much to the hanging Sonic’s horror and attempted protests); while Amy does try to resist, that doesn’t last long, and so she eventually becomes a drowsy and mindless wreck that falls into Lamia’s arms upon being released from her bindings… Lamia talks down to the now woozy Amy like a child, saying that she’ll make her feel better before kissing her; now fully hypnotized, Amy doesn’t even fight back, instead returning Lamia’s kiss while everyone around them merely watches (with the woozy Sonic feeling disgusted by the display)…After that showcase of dominance, Lamia breaks away from the kiss and the now loyal Amy (who now smiles widely as a sign of her brainwashing being complete), asking her the same question that she asked her sister Marina before, that being how she can get into the Sol Dimension. In response, the entranced Amy merely reaches for her pendant and takes it off from around her neck, handing it to Lamia… Upon holding the pendant, it radiates with magical energy in Lamia’s hand, and so she immediately realizes that this is the (literal) gateway to the Sol Dimension (and she remarks upon it)… Now knowing that she has what she needs to finish her plan, Lamia starts manically laughing in victory, her laugh echoing throughout the hall for everyone there to hear; as Lamia continues to laugh over her triumph though, Spectrum suddenly interrupts her as he enters the throne room, with a determined look on his face.All who were enslaved by Lamia, including Amy now, quickly get up and defensively stare Spectrum down, determined to protect their master; Spectrum doesn’t lift a finger or flinch towards this display of hypnotically-induced loyalty, and instead continues walking until he is a considerable distance away from Lamia, all while a still-woozy Sonic struggles to call out to him. Amused, Lamia teases him on what he’s going to do now that he’s all alone, with his friends now against him, but Spectrum gives an answer that she doesn’t expect: “nothing.” With Lamia confused, Spectrum elaborates, saying that he won’t fight her or his friends, instead requesting that his life would be traded for those in her enslavement. Now even more amused, Lamia is unsure as to whether or not to consider this to be noble or stupid (using the latter as a springboard to insult the intelligence of men), but after thinking on it for a second, Lamia agrees. Before she fulfills Spectrum’s request, however, Lamia first has his friends pummel him as a means of “humbling him;” Spectrum, having gotten what he wanted, just lets this happen, all to Lamia’s twisted enjoyment.After Spectrum’s friends are done beating him to a bloody pulp, they lift him up by his arms and they present him to Lamia, all as he hangs limply in their grip. Lamia slithers towards Spectrum with Amy and Marina by her sides, summoning bowls of ritual paint into their hands as she has Marina go around towards Spectrum’s back, and as she has Amy continue her path towards Spectrum’s front. As Marina kneels down and traces markings along Spectrum’s ankles with the paint while Amy does the same with his wrists, Lamia bends down in front of him and looks him in the eyes, telling him how he is a fool for thinking she would honor any deal from any man; before Spectrum can react, Lamia touches his forehead with a single finger as Amy and Marina finish their work, with light radiating from that said finger as Spectrum’s eyes glow with the same light, reciting incantations as she initiates a ritual spell. Ultimately, the spell causes Spectrum’s body to dissolve into a spiritual dust, leaving nothing but his Wispon behind as he is sent into one of the dormant statues off to the side (with it looking like one of the stone soldiers), causing it to come alive and break free from its foundation as it walks over to Lamia; with Spectrum now having joined her ranks as one of her stone soldiers, Lamia remarks on how his determination will most certainly make him a valuable asset to her (at the very least, as she puts it) before having him join the other stone soldiers off to the side (much to the hanging Sonic’s silent despair)...With that, Lamia finally resumes what she was doing before Spectrum interrupted her, and she finally activates the Sol Dimension Pendant, which opens a swirling portal in front of everyone there. Lamia laughs evilly in triumph again before having her new “followers” enter the portal, ready to initiate a conquest with them as she says how the Sol Dimension doesn’t stand a chance; after the corrupted heroes pass through the portal into the Sol Dimension, Lamia is about to enter when the stone soldiers start to walk towards it from behind her (hoping to enter the dimension and aid Lamia in her invasion as well), only to be stopped by her and commanded to prevent Sonic and the others from escaping, remarking how they wouldn’t want to see another kingdom’s citizens get enslaved like they did anyway… Before she actually enters the portal though, Lamia tosses the pendant away, not feeling the need to take it with her and thinking that Sonic won’t be able to follow her anyway; so with another evil laugh, Lamia finally and fully enters the portal, with it immediately closing after she disappears into it… With the room now vacant (save for Sonic, Tumult, Whisper’s Wisps, and the now dormant stone soldiers), Vi pops out of Spectrum’s Wispon and looks around before grieving over the apparent loss of his friend… Sonic, realizing the gravity of the situation, tries to break free, but fails as the blood is still rushing to his head…

Chapter 16: "The Sheol of Naagon"

Meanwhile, Spectrum suddenly wakes up to find himself in a luminescent space, surrounded by what appear to be the spirits of the dead. After initially freaking out at the sight of these specters, Spectrum is calmed down and reassured by one of them that he’s not going to be harmed, explaining that he was the King of Naagon. He also introduces some of the other spirits to be the rest of the royal family, along with the remaining ghosts having been random citizens of the once lively city. Spectrum takes a moment to process this before asking how they all became spirits, and the King explains that Lamia (after Naagon fell to ruin) used her black magic to enslave the souls of the dead to form her own indestructible army, cursing the citizens of the kingdom with the inability to escape as their actions in the physical world became bound to her will…Upon hearing this revelation, Spectrum feels his stomach drop, coming to grips with how evil Lamia really is (as she has ensured that her subjects would suffer her wrath even after death); everyone there agrees with Spectrum’s sentiment, stating that Lamia does not know what it truly means to lead others… The royal family then explains to Spectrum that he, in fact, can leave this purgatory and not share their fate, as the spiritual rifts are now thin for him; since Spectrum never was (nor is now) a citizen of Naagon in any way, the curse doesn’t apply to him. Just as Spectrum starts to leave though, everyone begs him to free them all once he’s back out there, to which Spectrum sympathetically agrees. With this in mind, he flies towards the wavy walls of the pocket dimension and passes through, with them hardening as soon as he’s gone…Back in the Naagon palace, Spectrum’s statue starts to jitter and shake, cracking with a bright white light glowing from within, eventually exploding apart to make way for Spectrum’s spirit as it reforms his body. Spectrum then reorients himself from such a trip, only to be tackled by a surprised Vi, who is happy to see him alive as Spectrum is happy to see him too; after that, once he picks up and puts away his Wispon, Spectrum then redetermines himself as he looks up and remembers his friends in their perilous hanging. Spectrum quickly runs over to the chains that bind them, undoing and carefully lowering them so that the captives would descend safely. Once on the ground, Spectrum quickly smashes the jewel trapping Tumult and releases him, with Tumult himself happy to not be experiencing that kind of confinement again, before helping Whisper’s Wisps break free as Spectrum releases Sonic. As Sonic reorients himself and catches his breath, he looks up to Spectrum and expresses his amazement at his attempted sacrifice a few moments ago, much to Spectrum’s nervously humble dismissal; still insistently reassuring as always, Sonic stands up (with a struggle, as he is still recovering from the blood rushing to his head) and places a hand on Spectrum’s shoulder, telling him how proud he is of the leader he has become.As Spectrum is blushingly thankful, Whisper’s Wisps are finally freed, and they quickly fly over to hug Sonic and Spectrum, happy to be out of there and with people they trust besides Whisper herself. As the Wisps embrace the two heroes though, Tumult suddenly interrupts that wholesome moment to alert his friends about the stone soldiers, who are now slowly closing in all around them. Bracing themselves, the three of them frantically think about how to escape this, but Sonic suddenly remembers Lamia throwing the Sol Dimension Pendant to the side, and so he points to it lying on the ground for Spectrum and Tumult to see. Spectrum quickly dashes over and rolls as he grabs the pendant, standing up before shaking it frantically to figure out how to make it work; eventually, after Spectrum bangs it against his hand for a bit, another portal is summoned by it in front of everyone, and they take the chance to escape through it and free their friends. Sonic and Tumult quickly rush through the portal, but Spectrum stops right in front of it, hesitating before looking behind to see the still slowly-approaching stone soldiers; now understanding their horrifying story, Spectrum reassures his promise to the souls inside the stone soldiers to free them before finally stepping through the portal (bringing the pendant with him), just in time for it to close behind him as the stone soldiers come to a halt (having lost sight of all their enemies).

Chapter 17: "The Battle for the Sol Dimension"

Spectrum reappears on the other end of the portal (now in the Sol Dimension), just as it closes behind him. As Spectrum stands up, he soon sees Sonic and Tumult in front of him, horrified as they take in what’s in front of them: the Sol Empire is in utter chaos, with its now hypnotized royal soldiers and guards burning houses, beating up random citizens, and taking prisoners (both of whom are not also hypnotized at the moment). Spectrum walks up besides Sonic and Tumult, feeling as though they were too late (with Lamia having already taken over the Sol Dimension), but Tumult explains that time works differently during interdimensional travel. Sonic, still not one to give up, tries to reassure and encourage his comrades not to give up either, suggesting that Lamia and their friends might most likely be at the palace; Sonic says that they can still end this, and both Spectrum and Tumult agree out of determination. Suddenly, the royal soldiers and guards take notice of the three of them, dropping what they were previously doing to attack them, saying that they were supposed to look out for them as fugitives (Spectrum jokes about this, suggesting that Lamia actually did plan ahead). With all three of them fully committed to their united front, Spectrum, Sonic, and Tumult fight through the hypnotized military together and make their way to the palace through the streets and palace courtyards.Once inside the Sol Imperial palace, the three heroes burst through the throne room’s doors, bracing themselves for a fight, but they soon collectively drop their guard in shock as they are instead greeting by an unexpected sight: up at the throne, Lamia reclines upon it with their entranced friends all around her (with Amy now adorning the same kind of uniform and demeanor as the others), now with the addition of an entranced Blaze sitting on Lamia’s lap, who is caressing her head like one would do with a real (household) cat… Lamia also now wears a crown on her head, that originally being Blaze’s, which has now been defaced with the scribbled-on words “MOTHER OF ABOMINATIONS…” Lamia casually and smugly greets the three heroes into her “new kingdom” (noting that it’s “under new management”), being admittingly surprised that they all managed to escape their bonds and her soldiers, but they are too disgusted by the display before them to respond in an equally “polite” manner, even expressing those exact feelings to her aloud... Lamia, however, shrugs this off, saying that men are just as guilty of being just as revolting, saying that such evils are necessary when leading (as she says all of that, the hypnotized Blaze cutely meows, having been mentally domesticated into being Lamia’s “pet cat”)... Spectrum, getting fed up with Lamia’s appropriation of leadership and her misandry, calls her out, saying that she’ll never be a true leader as long as she’s unwilling to sacrifice everything for those she rules over; Spectrum even mentions, as an example, how he now knows that she even imprisoned the souls of her family to serve her for an eternity… Lamia, now very fed up with being called out for her hypocrisies, merely engages menacingly in a staredown with Spectrum before admitting that she doesn’t have a comeback and doesn’t care to have one, calling upon her mesmerized goons to take the three heroes down.A fierce battle starts between both parties, with Sonic and Tumult taking on their hypnotized friends (with the addition of Amy yet minus Blaze, who merely watches the fight while grooming herself from the seat of her “former” throne) while Spectrum takes on Lamia personally; not having initially expected their arrival, Lamia and her minions have no tricks prepared, so they are reduced to having to fight the heroes head on (something they have been hoping for). Sonic and Tumult are able to combine their moves and easily overpower their friends, but the hypnotized defenders remain determined to win the fight for their queen, so the said fight continues regardless. Meanwhile, Spectrum is still engaged with Lamia, who is constantly taunting him (about how pathetic she thinks he is, especially as a man, and how he is going to fail his friends again) to get under his skin while she summons plants to try and strike him down like before; Spectrum is able to dodge all of those attacks nearly effortlessly now though, and he still manages to land good hits on Lamia too as he snaps back and brushes off every single taunt she sends his way, not allowing it to get under his skin like before (which annoys Lamia more and more over the course of the fight). Eventually, Sonic and Tumult finish dealing with their corrupted friends, leaving them incapacitated on the floor as they start running over to help Spectrum, but they are soon distracted by Blaze as Lamia commands her to buy her more time and fight them off.Lamia, now feeling desperate as she’s starting to lose ground, sees her unconscious minions on the floor and decides to get out of this situation by using a shield; Lamia quickly grabs Amy with her tail and drags her over at a blazing speed, lifting her limp form up to her side and threatening to kill her if Spectrum makes a wrong move… Spectrum naturally freezes and lowers his arms to protect Amy, much to Lamia’s amusement as she remarks on how she believes the compassion of men to be a sign of weakness; as Lamia victoriously starts monologuing though, Spectrum bids his time and allows Lamia to “get lost in her own sauce” while he prepares his Wire Attack, eventually firing it at her tail and pulling it back to release Amy when he is sure that Lamia is distracted enough, though this does cause her to jolt in surprise. After wittingly remarking on how Lamia talks too much, Spectrum then pulls on his wire and launches himself at her, striking her in the face. From then on, Lamia loses considerably more ground as Spectrum lands devastating blow after devastating blow, eventually managing to wrap her up in his Wire Attack and strike her down to the ground, ending the fight for the moment; meanwhile, Sonic and Tumult finish incapacitating Blaze too, just in time to see Spectrum’s takedown. Once Lamia is defeated, all of Spectrum’s friends (as well as Blaze and the Sol Empire forces outside) that were under her control are released from their trances, waking up and reorienting themselves as they try to figure out what’s going on.Spectrum cautiously approaches the constricted Lamia, telling her that it is over before she suddenly whips around and tries to hypnotize him with her eyes; Spectrum (with his guard down) is quickly ensnared by her gaze as his pupils glow, but unlike his friends before him, he struggles against the spell greatly. Lamia strains as she rises menacingly, actually struggling to enslave Spectrum’s mind as she becomes more enraged, yelling about how she will use him to kill very last one of his friends while making sure he’s the last face they’ll ever see before Berri suddenly leaps into the air and kicks her in the face, sending her back down to the ground as she’s now unconscious; Berri, now on top of the incapacitated snake, catches her breath as she states how that was payback for Lamia threatening her family. After that, she gets up and runs over to the mentally-reorienting Spectrum, hugging him before the others run over to join in. After breaking away, they reveal that they saw everything while under Lamia’s control, and they notably saw how Spectrum tried to sacrifice himself for their freedom, so they now express their gratitude to him for that and express how that was what a true leader would do (all of which makes Spectrum humbly blush). After that though, Marina shyly makes her presence known to the heroes and expresses her thanks to them for doing all of this to save her, only for her sister Amy to run over and lovingly hug her. Suddenly though, the guards of the palace finally enter the throne room, quickly running over to Blaze to help her up; once Blaze reorients herself, Amy runs over and hugs her, happy to see that her friend is safe too. After that, Blaze approaches Spectrum and his team, expressing her gratitude for them saving her kingdom. Feeling honored, Spectrum shakes Blaze’s hand, and the guards around them cheer it on.After they shake hands though, Spectrum remembers something important. Spectrum walks away from the crowds and over to Lamia’s unconscious body, reaching behind her and pulling out a totem shaped in the form of a small skull that glows with dark smoke; thinking that this might be what is binding Lamia’s former citizens to the stone soldiers, Spectrum grips it with his hand and smashes it to pieces. Meanwhile, at the exact moment that the totem is destroyed, the stone soldiers in the Naagon palace crumble to dust, releasing the souls of Lamia’s victims from them and allowing them to fly off into the afterlife (similar to how Spectrum was freed beforehand); as they all fly off into the morning sky, the former King of Naagon thanks Spectrum (to himself) for setting his people free, while the rest of them celebrate with cheering.

Chapter 18: "Team Spectrum departs for Home"

Back in the jungles of Naagon, Team Spectrum is hard at work repairing the Battleship, now with the help of Blaze’s personal technicians. Blaze herself is also there to oversee the work, and she’s talking with Spectrum himself about how it’s the least they can do for what Spectrum did for them. Changing the subject, Spectrum asks Blaze if she is sure that Lamia will be secure in her prisons back in the Sol Dimension, and Blaze responds by saying that she’s confident she will “stick around,” as she intends to punish her for the crimes she has committed (to the Sol Empire and her own kingdom beforehand). On that note, Spectrum then asks what Blaze thinks will happen with the ruined city of Naagon now that Lamia is gone, and she says that she’s considering restoring it for her empire, not wanting to leave it in such a sorry state after learning about its story from Spectrum; Blaze also mentions that she might let Omega take charge of such a project if that goes forward, which confuses Spectrum before Blaze elaborates and reveals that she and Omega are now dating, which Spectrum cheekily finds to be humorous.Down at the Battleship, Tumult is busy helping the Sol Empire workers with repairs when Audrey waves him over to talk; Tumult flies over and Audrey asks him if she was right (about the Beginning using bad things for better outcomes), and he responds by saying he thinks so now after seeing this whole situation push Spectrum down the right path to discovering what being a leader means, all of which makes Audrey happy that she was able to help (with Tumult’s prior depression) after all. After some acknowledgement from Tumult, they both suddenly realize that they are holding hands and so they quickly pull away, nervously looking away from each other while blushing. Meanwhile, Berri is helping some of the Sol Empire workers lift some heavy parts when Ginger approaches her. Upon seeing her, Berri excuses herself to talk with Ginger, who reveals that she heard the story that Berri gave to Lamia while she was in a trance earlier (about her family and Robotomized Cream being the reason why she is on her current crusade), saying how she never knew about that before. Berri then nervously explains how she was planning to tell Ginger about it before, and Ginger expresses how sorry she feels for Berri about that whole situation but then says that it doesn’t really matter what reason Berri has for her mission; to Ginger, Berri’s cause is still just (even on its own), and she will continue to support her best friend no matter what, something that Berri is thankful for as she expresses it with a hug. Alongside all of that, after Spectrum is done talking with Blaze, Sonic walks up to him and again expresses how proud he is of his buddy, all of which Spectrum is humble about. On a separate note though, Sonic brings up how he saw Spectrum and Amy kiss the night before (which Spectrum is surprised by) and he expresses how he is actually willing to step back if he and Amy want to get back together now, but Spectrum surprisingly (to Sonic) refuses, expressing how Sonic is a better match for Amy than he ever was and that he needs to learn to accept that to preserve his friendship with Sonic. In response, Sonic merely smirks and says that he was only making sure, patting Spectrum on the back and walking away as Spectrum sighs in relief.After a while, the Battleship is restored and finally ready to depart, and so the Sol Empire workers retreat from the flying fortress as the heroes load up. As Spectrum walks up to the ship, Serena and Amy suddenly walk up beside him, expressing how they knew he would figure things out (about the meaning of being a true leader) and that they’re proud of him. After a grateful three-way hug from Spectrum, Serena and Amy walk ahead to the ship while he stops to look behind and take in the jungle and city view; as he looks on, Spectrum is suddenly approached from behind by Marina, who again expresses her gratitude for him coming out to rescue her. Shyly, Marina then makes a request to join Team Spectrum, hoping to repay their services by being their informant, saying how she has learned the trade from the best. Unsure of how to respond, Spectrum looks behind Marina to the Battleship to see Amy looking on from inside, nodding as if to show her approval for Marina joining his group; with that confirmation, Spectrum agrees, making Marina all giddy as she thanks Spectrum again and awkwardly runs off towards the ship. Spectrum chuckles over this as he looks back on the jungle, taking it all in with a deep breath before expressing, to himself, his thanks to the Blank Figure for showing him the way forward, only to continue heading over to the Battleship on that final note. Amy and Marina wait for Spectrum at the door, and as he enters the ship, Amy gives Marina back her shell; as Amy heads deeper into the ship, Marina starts thinking about Calypso again as she looks at the shell, getting worried about her (after not remembering what happened during their last encounter) before entering further into the ship as well (as the doors close and the ship powers on). Inside the bridge, Spectrum lets Marina take the wheel and allows her to fly them home, though her driving is a bit rocky at first before Spectrum helps her out a bit. As the Battleship takes off, Blaze and her attendants wave their farewells before the ship finally blasts off into the horizon towards home.

Chapter 19: "Lamia is Summoned"

Back at Lamia’s hut, Lamia herself is busy rummaging through her magical belongings (having managed to escape the Sol Imperial dungeons already) with Calypso standing nearby; Lamia bitterly complains to Calypso about her loss to Team Spectrum (specifically and especially about how they took the Sol Dimension and her stone army from her), all of which Calypso tries to comfort her over as her friend. Lamia, determined to get back at Team Spectrum somehow, suggests that Calypso should see Marina more often again, hoping that she can get some information for her from their former “guest;” Calypso is unsure about that though (for reasons that she doesn’t reveal to Lamia), so Lamia tells her not to worry because she knows Marina’s type, and so she knows that Marina will be naive enough to always come back and trust Calypso no matter what happens, but that only makes Calypso feel (silently) guilty in response… Suddenly though, the two of them are interrupted by a Teizokuna Clan member who had stealthily entered the hut moments before and now requests Lamia’s presence on the behalf of something he calls “the Order,” saying that “it is almost time” for something that makes Lamia react with a knowing evil grin.

THE END

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Art by ChaosControl VA, FrizeRose, RocketPOW!, AlexaLynnSTH, SEGA, uyenmiumilk, Oertemy, Kira The Hedgehog, CHAOSC0NTR0L, Omorfia-Moria, and BlueConn.

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Info
Part 1
Part 2

WRITTEN BY
ChaosControl VA, Kannatherage

ART BY
ChaosControl VA, FrizeRose

BASED ON
Sonic Zenith (by Kannatherage), Sonic Unleashed

STATUS
Completed

Overview

"Berri and Ginger are accidentally sent to another universe, but so is one of their foes... So while they wait to return home, the two will meet new friends, fight new enemies, and even come to realize their own feelings for each other."

Arc Characters

Berri The Rabbit
Ginger The Polar Bear
Millicent "Double Trouble" Prower
Charlotte The Mouse
Lamia The Constrictor
NULL
Katherine Cheshire
Butterscotch The Rabbit
Atlas

Part 1

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Chapter 1: "Entering the Zenithverse"

Spectrum’s Battleship floats through the air as it travels to an unknown destination, with Berri and Ginger busy cooking in the battleship’s kitchen. Berri teasingly compliments Ginger on her cooking like usual, much to Ginger’s sweet appreciation, mentioning how it’s become easier to focus on her cooking now that she’s been slowly trying to get over her fears of losing her friends as of late. Berri agrees, but then comments about how things don’t seem to be getting easier for her, as Team Spectrum’s efforts to stop the Order of Genesis have become increasingly taxing. Ginger then half-jokingly suggests that the both of them should go on vacation sometime together, before the two of them accidentally brush hands. They look up at each other and stare for a bit, blushing as they nervously think of what to do.In the heat of the moment, Berri decides that she and Ginger should indeed go on a vacation, which excites Ginger out of her nervousness. Berri doesn’t stop there, however, as she suggests they go on vacation off-world, which then confuses Ginger. They then make their way to the room on the battleship that’s holding the Warp Topaz, where Berri grabs it off of its pedestal and attempts to use it to open a portal to another dimension. Ginger quickly and nervously protests this, saying that it's wrong to just use it behind Spectrum’s back, but Berri brushes her worries off by saying that they’ll be back before he even discovers anything, which only agitates Ginger further. Ginger’s worrying eventually starts to distract Berri, which annoys her to the point where she yells for Ginger to be quiet as she tries to concentrate, which accidentally causes the Warp Topaz to open a portal to a random world. Berri and Ginger both get sucked in, and Lamia, who had snuck onto the ship to find and torment the two again in the first place, quickly follows after them.Meanwhile in the Zenithverse (in Millicent Prower’s workshop), Millicent Prower is in the middle of working on a hoverboard while Charlotte is in the middle of reading a romance novel while drinking tea. They soon get into a conversation about being visited by people from another dimension, as well as getting flirty with each other, when they hear thunder outside. They rush outside and see the other end of Berri and Ginger’s portal open up in the sky, as the two emerge from it and start to fall to the ground below. Berri grabs Ginger and attempts to fly them both to safety, but an airplane flies by and knocks Berri out as she covers Ginger from the impact of the vehicle. Ginger tries to wake Berri up as they continue falling when Millicent and Charlotte, on Millicent’s new hoverboard, fly up to rescue them.They carry them safely down to the streets of Untitled City, where Ginger tries to wake Berri up again. Char joins in and Berri soon wakes up, confused as to where they are. She asks who their rescuers are, and they reply by introducing themselves and explaining that they’re currently in Untitled City. Berri and Ginger then quickly realize that Berri screwed up (though she won’t admit it yet) and that they’re in a new world that they’ve never visited before and didn’t intend on going to, and so they explain as much to Millie and Char there (along with explaining how they used the Warp Topaz to get to their dimension). Millie and Char are skeptical at first, so Berri and Ginger show them the aforementioned Warp Topaz, which definitely changes their minds. Millie and Char ask if the two are able to make it back home, and Berri and Ginger explain that it’ll take a few days until the Warp Topaz recharges before they can leave, after having been used to cross over into their dimension already. Millie then offers for them to stay at her workshop for the time being, but Berri is hesitant at first. Ginger, however, convinces her otherwise, saying that they can maybe salvage this vacation of theirs in the meantime, and so they accept the offer. After they leave for the workshop, Lamia drops out of the portal above before it closes and uses her magic to safely land, following Berri and Ginger with Millie and Char closely behind as she remains unseen by anyone.

Chapter 2: "Having some Fun"

As night descends upon the workshop, Millie just finishes giving Berri and Ginger a tour, which includes introducing the two to Millie’s Gembots, all while Charlotte is drinking tea in the kitchen again. After Millie asks Berri some questions about their universe, Berri asks her and Char about their obvious relationship, which Ginger scolds her for, as it’s too personal of a question. Millie and Char tell them not to worry as they understand why she would ask that, and they acknowledge how they’re both dating. The two of them then ask if Berri and Ginger are dating too, as they look very close, to which they deflect nervously. Afterwards, to lighten the mood and to pass the time, Millie and Char challenge Berri and Ginger to a game of basketball, to which they confidently accept. Eventually, after playing for some time, the game is tied up and Berri and Ginger are about to make the winning goal when they trip on each other, with the two nearly kissing; Millie and Char use this to win the game while Berri and Ginger nervously get off each other.

Chapter 3: "Lamia’s First Attack"

Later on, as everyone’s asleep, Berri tries to talk to a (seemingly) half-asleep Ginger. She tries to explain how she’s feeling about what Millie and Char said (about them being a couple), but she also says that she’s unsure if she should feel guilty about using the Warp Topaz behind Spectrum’s back. However, she quickly finds out that Ginger has been hypnotized by Lamia while they were asleep, and Lamia uses her to hold Berri in place as she confronts her. As they talk, Millie and Char wake up from the commotion, seeing Lamia. Millie panics while Char draws her sword, knocking Lamia back for Berri to shake Ginger off of her. Berri quickly takes over fighting Lamia from Char, while Millie tries to wake Ginger up, eventually pouring water over her and apologizing for it later. While this is happening, Berri continues to fight Lamia off until she retreats into the darkness outside the workshop.Berri then comes back over to check on the others, with Millie trying to calm the Gembots down and with Char comforting Ginger while also asking about what just happened. Berri and Ginger guess that Lamia must have followed them when they opened the portal, and Berri gets super guilty about it and walks off to be by herself. Ginger then takes an opportunity to explain Lamia to Millie and Char after they ask about it (specifically explaining her powers and their tense rivalship with her), and the two of them react to all of it with fear and disgust (specifically at how Lamia uses her power to lord over others, and so cruelly at that). Ginger then decides to talk with Berri, as she’s worried about her (so everyone dissipates for the time being). Before she goes over to Berri though, Millie asks Ginger if she was able to defend herself, to which Ginger says no. Millie tells her that she’ll have to fight for herself eventually before she goes over to Char, allowing Ginger to finally go after Berri.After asking if Char’s alright, Millie suggests that they both go back to bed. Before they do so though, the scent of pizza lures the two outside (with Millie even levitating off the ground towards the source of the smell). While this is happening, Ginger walks over to Berri, asking about what she said to her while she was under Lamia’s spell (again), having only heard dream-like murmurs. Berri hesitates at first, but eventually relents, saying that she feels guilty about using the Warp Topaz behind Spectrum’s back, especially now that she knows Lamia followed them into this new world with plenty more children for her to destroy the lives of. Ginger tries to put Berri at ease, saying that her feeling guilty over doing something wrong is good, and that it is a sign of self-responsibility. Berri, after acknowledging and accepting that, is then about to tell her something else (what she feels about Millie and Char suggesting they were a couple) when she notices that Millie and Char are gone.Millie and Char wake up from their hungry daze in the middle of the woods surrounding the workshop, quickly becoming confused as to where they are. Having successfully lured Millicent and Charlotte out into the open with a magic scent, Lamia reveals herself, and the two of them are (obviously) put on edge as they remember what Ginger told them about her. Lamia, however, starts to tell them that Berri and Ginger have malicious intentions and that they’ll hurt them, so they should trust in her instead. All of this confuses the two of them further, especially since they still don’t know much about Berri and Ginger. Eventually, Lamia convinces them to drop their guard, and she then quickly subdues Millicent and Charlotte in her coils. She tells them not to worry, as she’ll make their heads no longer hurt from their confusion and childish gullibility, so she then proceeds to (successfully) hypnotize them into a submissive, blissful, and obedient state.Berri and Ginger soon catch up to them, and Berri calls Lamia out directly while Ginger hides from view, telling her to stay away from them and that she has to take responsibility for accidentally bringing her to this dimension. Lamia argues that Millie and Char are in a much better place now as they're under her thumb, allowing her to mold their minds into whatever form she wants them to be in. Aside from that though, Lamia also tries to put doubt into Berri’s mind, saying that it doesn’t matter what she does to try and fix her mistakes, that her past will always haunt her; Lamia even brings up Rebel as an example, which definitely throws Berri off-guard. Lamia then orders Millie and Char to attack Berri, and together, they quickly subdue Berri for Lamia to start to hypnotize her too. Ginger silently questions whether or not she can help, remembering what Millie told her, and she eventually chooses to come out of hiding and smack Lamia away. Berri then breaks free from Millie and Char and swiftly defeats Lamia, knocking her out. Berri and Ginger then knock Millie and Char out and return them to the workshop while they're unconscious.Millie and Char wake up in the workshop, confused as to what happened. Berri and Ginger explain what had happened to them, while also stating how Ginger helped fight back against Lamia and how they locked her up in a containment cell hanging from the ceiling in Millie’s (14th) basement. Millie and Char thank Berri and Ginger for saving them, realizing they were indeed tricked by Lamia, and Millie congratulates Ginger for how she helped and even suggests teaching her a few things on self-defense later. Millie and Char then embrace as Berri commends Ginger for her helping too, causing Ginger to blush. As they’re very close to each other at the moment, Ginger nervously asks if there was anything else Berri wanted to tell her from before, to which Berri nervously lies and says otherwise. Char sees all this unfold, immediately realizing that the two indeed have feelings for each other, but she decides to keep it to herself until the morning.

Part 2

Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15

Chapter 4: "Admitting the Truth"

The next morning, Berri and Ginger walk through the workshop and meet up with Millie and Char, who are still a little freaked out by the events of the other night. They ask Berri and Ginger how long it will be until the Warp Topaz is fully charged, to which they say it will only be a couple more days; they also assure Millie and Char that they’ll be taking Lamia back with them when they leave, much to their relief. Millie then invites Ginger over to the other side of the room to teach her self-defense; before Ginger walks over to Millie though, Berri tries to tell Ginger how she feels about Millie and Char saying that they looked like a couple yesterday again, but she also chickens out again, much to Ginger’s confusion. Char sees this and smiles slyly as a dreamy-eyed Berri now watches Ginger learn self-defense with Millie.Char leans over and slyly questions Berri about her possible feelings for Ginger, which Berri denies even having initially. Eventually though, with an almost-shameful blush, she admits to Char that she indeed has feelings for Ginger. Char then squeals excitedly in response, but then quickly gets a headache, as she is currently sleep deprived from the night before. Berri then explains how she and Ginger have been friends for so long and that she has only recently started to get feelings for her, and Millie and Char’s couple comment from the other day only made her think more about her feelings. Char then gets excited and starts suggesting that Berri should take her out to dinner and dancing before Berri cuts her off, saying that she can’t. When Char asks why, Berri explains that she’s scared of what Ginger might think of her feelings when she finds out about them, and that she’s worried that it could ruin their friendship. Char then reminisces on when she and Millie got together, which leads to her encouraging Berri, saying that you’ll never know some things for certain, and that you’ll just have to have courage and take a leap of faith (a leap of faith that leads to something bigger and different from friendship, as Char clarifies, which Berri picks up on and ponders). Berri then looks at Ginger, who is now teaching Millie how to dance (which is going poorly, as Millie trips and starts bleeding from her nose), and silently resolves to take the risk.

Chapter 5: "The Date"

Later in the day, Berri and Ginger walk down the streets of Untitled City, wearing fancy clothes they borrowed from Char. Ginger asks Berri what they’re doing as they walk, to which Berri says that they should have some fun before they leave this dimension as they walk up to the Starspace Restaurant. Ginger is amazed by the sight of the place, but then wonders if it's going to be expensive, to which Berri says that she shouldn’t worry about that (having also been given Charlotte's card too). They sit down at a table, and Ginger notices that a bouquet of her favorite flowers (Ice Queens) is in the table’s vase. Berri knowingly smirks as Ginger explains that they’re known to be the only flowers in Holoska that can survive its weather conditions, popping out of the snow every spring. Ginger then questions why they’re at their table, to which Berri smugly states that she may have made arrangements. Ginger then hugs Berri out of excitement, saying that she’s a good friend, which causes Berri to blush; Berri quickly grows worried again though, as she starts thinking about her friendship with Ginger that will be on the line when she finally confesses…

Chapter 6: "Infiltration"

At the same time, Millie and Char are still at the workshop, watching a soap opera on the couch together, which Millie is personally not enjoying... After stating those feelings aloud, Millie asks Char where Berri and Ginger are, to which Char explains that Berri is going to try and confess her feelings to Ginger. Millie approves of this, stating that she knew those two would get together eventually. Char then teases Millie on how clueless she really is, to which Millie starts teasing her too in response. Eventually, the two start kissing right there on the couch when they’re suddenly (and unknowingly) hit by one of Katherine Cheshire’s potions, temporarily petrifying them in that position. Katherine then drops down into the room, having snuck into the workshop beforehand, as she starts to mess with the petrified lovers. As she does this, her wrist communicator goes off, and she answers it to hear NULL on the other end, requesting an update on her mission. She states, in an annoyed manner, that she just infiltrated the workshop and that she’ll start looking now, to which NULL impatiently requests for her to do faster. He also states how urgent it is for them to terminate the “dimensional interlopers,” to which Katherine groans in annoyance, having been briefed on this multiple times before. She then ends communication with NULL and tells Millie and Char, as they’re still petrified, that she’ll be back for them later, all before descending into the basements.Katherine eventually reaches the (14th) basement and discovers Lamia in her cage as it hangs from the ceiling. She quickly notifies NULL that she’s found one of the targets, to which he gives her the confirmation to terminate her. Katherine then proceeds to lower Lamia in her cage to the ground, where she is about to petrify her permanently when Lamia suddenly reacts. She starts to manipulate Katherine, saying that she’s dreaming and that she’ll need to wake up, before hypnotizing her. The mind-controlled Katherine then lets Lamia out of her cage and locks herself in as she starts to roll around in her continued trance. Lamia notes how she’s just a poor wannabe of herself and escapes the workshop, not noticing the petrified Millie and Char on her way out. As she leaves, Millie and Char finally unpetrify, but they continue their make out session, completely oblivious as to everything that just happened; or that is until they start to hear “weird” noises coming from within the 14th basement. With Millie and Char becoming confused by and curious about the noises (and also a little annoyed, due to their snuggling time being so rudely interrupted), they enter the 14th basement and discover Katherine in Lamia’s cage, still hypnotized and rolling around, but with the addition of her making those “unusual” noises. Now in confusion and shock, Millie and Char lock down the workshop and try to get into contact with Berri and Ginger to let them know that Lamia has escaped.

Chapter 7: "Dancing under the Glass Ceiling (The AET Attacks)"

Meanwhile, Berri and Ginger are still at the Starspace Restaurant, having finished and enjoyed dinner, now dancing together on the dance floor with all the other patrons. Ginger says that she’s enjoying herself, and Berri says the same, but Ginger notices Berri is nervous about something and questions her. With a deep breath, Berri asks Ginger if she remembers Millie and Char’s couple comment from the day before, which she does. Berri then explains that she’s been thinking about what they said, and she’s come to realize that she does have feelings for Ginger. Ginger’s eyes widen as Berri continues, saying how much she admires her cooking and sweetness and loyalty, but also saying that she understands if Ginger doesn’t feel the same way. Ginger doesn’t know what to say, struggling to get her words together as the gap between them starts closing. Before they kiss though, NULL, Atlas, and Butterscotch crash through the glass ceiling and descend to the dance floor, much to everyone’s shock. After this happens, they start terrorizing and killing anyone in their sights, causing everyone else to flee in terror. In the chaos, Berri takes Ginger and hides her in a closet for her safety, despite Ginger’s protests as she wants to fight too (having been taught a little bit by Millie already). Berri says that these guys seem to be very different from Lamia and that she can’t risk losing her before finally locking her in. After this, Berri rips off her dress, revealing her normal clothes underneath as she states how the dress was too heavy for her anyway.She then leaps out into the fray and makes her presence known to the AET, who brace themselves for a fight, knowing she’s a capable fighter after having studied her for their assassination mission. Berri fights all three of them at once, eventually sending NULL and Atlas into a retreat. Butterscotch, however, continues to fight Berri, and she nearly defeats her when Berri finally gets the upper hand and sends her flying to the floor, inadvertently causing a locket to fall away from Butterscotch’s person. Not noticing this, Butterscotch finally retreats, leaving Berri to find the locket and open it to discover a picture of Butterscotch with Vanilla and Cream; seeing this, Berri realizes that Butterscotch might be related to her sister and niece in this universe. After making this realization, Berri finally frees Ginger from the closet, who gasps in shock upon seeing Berri all bloody from the fight. On that note, Ginger says that maybe she shouldn’t have joined her (not yet, anyway), and she hopes she’s alright, which Berri says she is. Ginger then says she needs to tell Berri something, with Berri herself getting a little bit nervous about what she might say, but they’re interrupted by Millie and Char who have finally gotten a hold of them on their phones, explaining the situation back at the workshop. Berri, relieved that she won’t be able to hear Ginger’s possible answer to her confession from before, takes the opportunity to leave with her and head back to the workshop.

Chapter 8: "Interrogation"

Upon their arrival and descent into the workshop’s 14th basement, Berri and Ginger find Millie and Char in a panicked state, with Katherine still rolling around in Lamia’s cage. Berri takes Katherine out of the cell and snaps her out of her trance with a powerful slap. With Katherine shocked and disoriented, Berri takes the opportunity to interrogate her, asking her who she is. Katherine, worried for her safety, tells Berri that she works for a group called the AET, and that they exterminate those who they believe to be anomalies that threaten the existence of the Zenithverse. When Berri then asks about what happened to Lamia, Katherine says she doesn’t remember, saying that she was only sent to kill Lamia while the rest of her team was going to kill her and Ginger. Realizing that the attack at the restaurant was that assassination mission, Berri then asks where the team is hiding, to which Katherine says that they’re using the abandoned mall outside of the city as a base for the time being.With Berri getting everything she needed, Millie uses the opportunity to fire her Wind-Powered Machine Gun at Katherine when they’re outside the workshop, causing her to fly off into the distance. Millie and Char then say that they’ll prepare to go after the AET and “persuade” them into leaving Berri and Ginger alone, while Berri says that she’ll go hunt down Lamia, and that she’ll also investigate something else along the way (referring to Butterscotch’s locket). As Berri prepares to leave, Ginger tries to talk with her again, which makes Berri very nervous. Berri says that Ginger should stay at the workshop where it’s safe and she leaves shortly afterwards. Flustered, Ginger sits down near the workshop and mopes, all of which Char sees. Still sleep deprived from the night before, Char takes a break from preparing to siege the AET’s new base to go talk with Ginger, asking her what happened. Ginger tells Char that Berri told her she likes her, but she won’t seem to let her respond. Char suggests that maybe Berri has a lot on her mind, and that Ginger not being safe might bring extra stress. Ginger disagrees, as she has noticed how nervous Berri has been getting whenever she has tried to talk with her after the confession. Ginger then suggests that maybe Berri is afraid of her saying something that might break her heart as Char falls asleep from her sleep deprivation. Seeing this, Ginger lays her down on the ground and leaves to go find Berri.

Chapter 9: "Confronting Butterscotch and her Family"

Meanwhile, Berri has found the Zenithverse’s Vanilla and Cream in Untitled City, and she has tracked them to their house while they were taking a stroll. Berri knocks on the door and Vanilla answers, initially being friendly with her. Berri then shows her the locket and says that she might have dropped it. Vanilla is initially confused but she quickly becomes silently shocked when she sees the picture inside, leading to Berri asking her about Butterscotch.Vanilla and Berri continue their conversation inside the house, with Vanilla explaining how Butterscotch was bullied for most of her early life, with her eventually snapping and killing her entire class. She also explains how NULL found and manipulated her into thinking that she and Cream didn’t love her anymore so that she could join his terrorist group. Berri is obviously shocked by this, and Vanilla continues to explain that while her killings are wrong, she and Cream still love her, and it breaks their hearts with her continuing her dark deeds and not returning home. Berri then makes a promise to try and break through to her, which Vanilla is confused by. Suddenly, Cream enters the room, saying that she saw Butterscotch on the neighbors’ rooftops outside. Surprised, Vanilla attempts to go outside to talk to her, but Berri urges her not to, believing that she could kill them. Berri then suggests that she should go outside to try and reason with Butterscotch instead, which Vanilla hesitantly agrees to.Taking the locket back, Berri exits the house and has a standoff with Butterscotch, who is very angry at Berri for taking her locket. Berri explains that she understands Butterscotch’s story now, and that she really wants to help her. Butterscotch gets even more upset, saying that she’s too far gone for Berri to even help her. In response, Berri reveals that she’s technically her aunt in her dimension, which causes Butterscotch to initially laugh in disbelief. After thinking about that revelation for a few seconds once she’s done laughing, however, Butterscotch realizes that Berri is telling the truth, and this shocks her. In her confusion, Butterscotch attacks Berri, and a fight finally breaks out between them. As they continue to fight and destroy the houses around them in the process, Berri continues to try and break through to Butterscotch, saying that her family still loves her, that she understands what it’s like to feel alone, and that NULL is manipulating her; Butterscotch, however, responds to all of this with further outbursts of emotion. Eventually though, the fight ends with Butterscotch breaking down and crying in Berri’s arms, who comforts her with compassion.Moments later, Berri and Butterscotch sit down in the rubble and start talking vulnerably with each other, with Butterscotch explaining that she had a feeling that NULL was manipulating her, with a friend of hers already saying so, but she couldn't be sure. Berri tells her that while her killing is still wrong, she's sorry about what has happened to her, and she explains that she always has a place with her family. Butterscotch is hesitant though, as she's nervous that her family may not forgive her for her horrible actions, but Berri (remembering her own guilt over accidentally bringing Lamia into this dimension earlier) reassures her that they definitely will if she takes responsibility for those actions and makes an effort to change, which Butterscotch appreciates. Almost as if they were on cue, Vanilla and Cream show up and beckon Butterscotch into an embrace. Butterscotch thanks Berri for what she's done, with Berri finally giving her back the locket, and she goes off to be with her family, who also thank Berri for keeping her promise (and in record time too).Berri then gets up and looks behind her to see Ginger staring at her, having seen the whole thing. Ginger embraces Berri as she asks her what had happened, and Berri does explain in response. Ginger smiles and says that Berri always sees the good in people and that she is always willing to help them overcome themselves before finally kissing her, much to Berri's shock, then saying that that's one of the reasons why she loves her after breaking off the kiss. Berri, relieved and happy about this response, kisses Ginger back, and they hold it for some time. After breaking away again, Ginger asks Berri why she was pushing her away after her confession, to which she responds by saying that she was afraid that her confession might have ruined their friendship, admitting that it felt weird to be in love with a friend. Ginger, now understanding why Berri was acting the way she did, says that romance is so much bigger and different than friendship (harkening back to what Char told Berri earlier), and that their love especially is.As they embrace, Berri starts to sense that something is off, with Ginger becoming confused and nervous as to what is going on. Berri then calls out their apparent watcher, and Lamia's coils suddenly burst from the shadows and wrap both of them up with an unparalleled speed in response, holding them in place as Lamia herself comes out of hiding to admire her prizes. After Lamia mocks their new union, saying that it means nothing if they don't hold her beliefs, Berri explains that she knew that Lamia couldn't stay away from them for long, having used that to her advantage to draw her out into the open. Lamia becomes confused by this, and Berri explains that the AET plans to kill all three of them and that it would be better if they helped each other and teamed up against these people. Ginger is obviously not okay with this idea, but Berri nudges her and explains that it just might be enough for the AET to get the message. Lamia thinks about this and eventually says that she will indeed work with them, but only under one condition…Meanwhile, Butterscotch is embracing her family when she sees Lamia carrying Berri and Ginger towards the AET's current base, laughing maniacally all the way. Butterscotch says that she has to go help them, which her family wholeheartedly agrees with. Before Butterscotch leaves though, she gives her family her locket, saying that it will help remind them that they will be together again soon. After one final embrace, Butterscotch climbs the rooftops and follows after Lamia in hot pursuit.

Chapter 10: "Commitment"

Back at the workshop, Millie wakes up Char, as she was still asleep on the ground. Char jolts awake to Millie calming her down, saying that they’re ready to go. As Char gets up, she has a perplexing thought, and she asks Millie if she was scared to date her. Millie blushes confusedly while asking why Char would think that, to which Char says that she’s been thinking about Berri and Ginger, as they seem to be scared to commit to each other too. Millie takes Char’s hand and says that she tried to remain confident throughout their entire relationship, trying to always be there for Char. Hearing this, Char blushes, admitting that she was in fact scared at first, but got over it with Millie always helping her through it. Still holding hands, they share a kiss before walking back inside the workshop. As they do, Char asks where Ginger is, to which Millie merely shrugs.

Chapter 11: "Siege on the AET"

Inside, Millie and Char suit up in battle armor that Millie made, with Char sheathing her sword and Millie strapping her air-powered machine gun to her back. After this, they approach the Gembots, who are eager to help them, and the robots carry and fly them to the outskirts of the city, where Katherine said the AET’s new base was. They drop Millie and Char off at the doorsteps of the abandoned mall before flying back to the workshop, and the two cautiously walk inside.As they traverse the empty mall, they soon come across NULL scolding Atlas and Katherine (as she’s drying up after having been blasted into a river with Millie’s machine gun) for not being able to terminate the multiversal travelers Berri and Ginger and Lamia, while also contemplating how they could have arrived in their world in the first place and where Butterscotch is, all without the knowledge of Millie and Char watching them. Millie and Char try to sneak by them in order to set up a better vantage point on higher ground, but Char accidentally drops one of her romance novels and it hits the ground with a loud thud, alerting the AET to their presence. When Millie gets upset and asks why she brought that along, Char says that she assumed they would try to stake the AET out, and she figured that she would need some entertainment for that event; plus, the romantic tension between Berri and Ginger has been on her mind a lot as of late, and she wanted to delve further into her novels with that feeling in mind. The AET immediately lunges at Millie and Char, who attempt to defend themselves but are quickly overpowered.

Chapter 12: "Lamia’s Second Attack"

Millie and Char later wake up to find themselves tied down to some chairs together, with the AET questioning them as to why they’re in their new hideout, in which Millie and Char just mock them in response. NULL gets angrier and angrier, eventually telling Katherine to redeem herself as she’s about to pour a petrifying potion on them, saying that what they’re about to do is going to be so much fun. Before Katherine follows through though, someone off to the side throws an object at the potion in her hand, and it shatters the glass vial on impact with an unparalleled speed, getting the potion all over Katherine and petrifying her right on the spot as she screams in shock and agony; as she’s flailing about during her petrification, she accidentally flicks droplets from the potion onto NULL and Atlas who are next to her, petrifying them as well. Millie and Char scream in panic at the sight of what just occurred, until a clunking sound from above gets their attention as their rescuers descend from the steel grinders above: Berri and Ginger.They remain a distance away from the still-constricted Millie and Char, their faces obscured by the shadows. Millie and Char are happy to see them as they try to break away from the chairs, even beckoning them over to help them out of their containment, but Berri and Ginger don’t say a word as they remain in the shadows. Millie and Char become silent, confused by Berri and Ginger’s own silence. After staring at Millie and Char for a bit, Berri and Ginger start walking towards them, their faces still obscured. Millie and Char start to get very scared as Berri and Ginger continue their abnormal behavior, a feeling that only gets worse as Berri and Ginger knock the petrified AET members over. Finally, Berri and Ginger stop and stand right in front of Millie and Char, their faces still hidden in the shadows, for what feels like forever to them. Millie and Char nervously chuckle and ask Berri and Ginger what’s going on, but neither of them respond as they continue to stand over them. Eventually, Berri and Ginger suddenly grab Millie and Char, holding them in place as they start freaking out. As this happens, Berri and Ginger lean their heads in towards Millie and Char from the shadows, revealing that they have been hypnotized by Lamia, much to Millie and Char’s horror.Millie and Char become incredibly confused as they desperately try to ask Berri and Ginger what happened to them, again getting no response. Lamia then speaks up as she remains hidden, sarcastically taking pity on Millie and Char for their confusion before descending to the floor and slithering up to the four of them. Millie and Char start to panic again at the sight of Lamia, who asks if they think this dumbfounded look suits their friends or not, which they obviously disagree with. Lamia then reveals how she made a deal with Berri and Ginger to help fight the AET, but only in exchange for their free will, which devastates Millie and Char. Lamia continues on about how it’s better for Berri and Ginger to be this way, as they are now forced to agree with her, with control being Lamia’s entire thesis on how to change the world. Millie and Char then become incredibly depressed and disappointed, thinking that they’ll never see Berri and Ginger return to normal… Lamia then decides to take advantage of Millie and Char’s situation, and she begins to hypnotize them too, with the two of them quickly succumbing to her control thanks to their depression over Berri and Ginger’s condition and their resistance having been reduced significantly since their last encounter. Berri and Ginger quickly release the newly entranced Millie and Char from their chairs and they all stand together as they blissfully gaze up at Lamia, who towers over them and revels in her now having an army of puppets.As she’s distracted by her success, Butterscotch (having followed her with Berri and Ginger this whole time) quickly descends from above and strikes Lamia in the head. Lamia becomes very irritated by her interference, while Butterscotch just responds by urging her to “let those random individuals go that she has no relations to.” Lamia chuckles and instead says that Butterscotch will soon be joining her legion too instead, having her hypnotized minions attack her all at once. Butterscotch manages to avoid all of their attacks until she eventually lands a hit on Berri, sending her flying back into a wall where she hits her head, the impact shocking her out of her trance. Berri becomes confused as she tries to figure out where she is before seeing Butterscotch fighting her friends and Lamia in front of her. She also catches a glimpse of the petrified AET members on the floor, saying that her deal with Lamia is now off (now that the AET has been dealt with) as she gets up off the floor and slowly hobbles over to join the fight.She quickly helps Butterscotch defend herself from the remaining hypnotized forces, with Lamia even joining the mix, and they eventually strike down Charlotte and send her flying backward into another wall. Char slowly wakes up and realizes what is happening, becoming scared as she remembers what happened the last time she faced Lamia. Berri sees this and leaves Butterscotch to go comfort Char, saying that it’s natural to be afraid, but she has to fight for what she loves or she can lose it forever, saying that she learned that from her. Char takes Berri’s words in, gaining a new confidence as she grabs her sword and charges into battle with a yell, quickly grabbing hold of Millie. She pins her to the ground and starts to punch her in the face over and over again as she screams, but she fails to see Millie awaken from her trance and keeps punching her. Millie eventually gets a hold of Char and gets her to calm down, and Char starts crying in Millie’s arms instead, saying how she was so scared and that Millie can’t ever let this happen to her again, which she agrees to as long as Char won’t punch her in the face again.Realizing that she only has Ginger left at her disposal, Lamia starts to get angry and desperate; she grabs a hold of Ginger and blasts more of the spirals from her eyes into Ginger’s, programming her with specific results in mind. She lets go of Ginger afterwards, who quickly and easily begins to dispatch everyone with ease, now seemingly knowing martial arts. Millie reacts to this by saying that’s unfair, with Lamia mocking her and noting how the hypnotized Ginger now has been imprinted with the fighting knowledge that Lamia has observed from Shinobi The Honshū Wolf. Berri’s face becomes flushed as her eyes widen in fear, realizing that they can’t easily defeat Ginger now, and that she could lose her to Lamia forever. Millie sees this and quickly gets beside Berri, telling her not to lose hope and that she has to fight for Ginger. Berri, realizing that everything has come full circle, gets up and slowly approaches Ginger, who merely stares at her with a blissful smile as she waits to make the first move. Berri says that Ginger is too important to her and that she won’t fight her, getting down on her knees as she allows herself to be beaten up by her.Ginger just stares at this as her face begins to struggle, showing signs of resistance that eventually give way to her breaking the trance for a little bit. Lamia sees this and quickly spins Ginger around to hypnotize her again, saying that she can't let her feelings get in the way and make her look like she’s still helpless as always (playing on the fact that Ginger was an easy target for Lamia before, on account of her lack of defense). Ginger, once again under Lamia’s control, quickly begins to land blow after blow against Berri, who is still not fighting back. The others quickly come to her aid, attempting to grab a hold of Ginger, but they’re easily thrown aside by her as Lamia watches from the sidelines with a sadistic pleasure. Ginger continues to pummel Berri, but she soon starts to hesitate as she starts to crack through the hypnosis again. Lamia sees this and becomes very angry, swiftly wrapping her tail around her neck and lifting her up to face her, causing her to choke with her face eventually turning blue. As Lamia hypnotizes Ginger again, she says that she will never be free and that is for the best, arguing that even though she now has martial arts, Ginger is still weak and doesn't have the courage to fight back anyway. After this, Lamia drops Ginger to the floor, who coughs and catches her breath before slowly rising up and preparing to finish off Berri. As Ginger lifts her fist, Berri weakly says that she loves her, which sends a shock through Ginger’s body as she starts to tremble. She then closes her eyes and stiffens her face before reopening her eyes again, having fully broken free from the trance, before she spins around and catches Lamia off-guard with a powerful punch that sends her flying backwards. Everyone else (except for the weakened Berri) decides to seize this opportunity, quickly getting up to collectively land blow after blow against the discombobulated Lamia, with Ginger delivering a final blow that knocks her out. With Lamia lying motionless on the ground, Millie quickly grabs one of Katherine’s petrification bottles from her petrified person, and quickly pours it onto Lamia, petrifying her on the spot as everyone sighs in relief.Berri picks herself up in her battered state as Butterscotch awkwardly walks over to her, trying to thank Berri for helping her with her family. Berri merely smiles before suddenly hugging Butterscotch, much to Butterscotch’s surprise, as she thanks her for saving them and doing the right thing; Butterscotch slowly eases into the hug, coming to enjoy it. After they stop hugging, Butterscotch grabs the other petrified members of the AET and carries them over her shoulders, preparing to leave with them. Before she leaves, Butterscotch turns back to Berri and promises that she will do whatever she can to get out of the AET, much to Berri’s relief and joy; now with a smile, Butterscotch walks out of the building.After this, Berri turns around to see Ginger looking at her, a tear streaming down her cheek. Without warning, Ginger swiftly hugs Berri, crying in her arms about how she’s so sorry for hurting her. Berri does her best to comfort Ginger, saying that it wasn’t her fault. Ginger then lifts her head, just in time for Berri to close the gap between them and share a heartfelt kiss of reassurance. Seeing this, Char starts to squeal with happiness and cheer Berri and Ginger on, while Millie merely stands next to her as she just smirks. Berri and Ginger quickly notice this and turn to them, silently thanking them for their support. Millie then turns to Char and half-jokingly suggests that maybe they should share a kiss too, but Char giggles and says that it might take away from Berri and Ginger’s moment. They merely hug each other as they laugh, all while Berri and Ginger rest their foreheads against each other as they also hug.

Chapter 13: "Discussing the Future"

The next morning, Berri and Ginger wake up and look out at the morning sun from the workshop. After telling each other how much they enjoy being together like this, Berri remarks on how different their new romance feels compared to their previous friendship (now fully understanding the difference between the two), which causes Ginger to teasingly question if that's a good or bad thing, with Berri confirming the former as they laugh. Ginger then shifts the conversation by saying that they would definitely have to keep their relationship a secret from any child they come across now (including Cream especially), but Berri reassures Ginger that they will still be there for each other throughout any challenge that their crusade now leads to. After a comforted smile from Ginger, Berri then follows that up with a remark about how they will also want to downplay their relationship when they tell their friends (as to not seem selfish), which causes Ginger to giggle in agreement. Speaking of which, Berri then mentions how the Warp Topaz should be fully charged by now and that they can probably leave for home now, but Ginger says that home can wait a few more minutes, causing the two of them to giggle and to happily share another kiss as the sun beams down on them.

Chapter 14: "Goodbye"

Later in the day, Millie and Char stand and face Berri and Ginger (along with Lamia’s still-petrified form as she’s being carried over Berri’s shoulder) outside the workshop, preparing to say goodbye to each other as Berri and Ginger prepare to return home. Millie and Char express how they’re gonna miss Berri and Ginger and that they are happy they met, with Berri and Ginger themselves responding by sharing the same sentiment and thanking Millie and Char for their help, which includes Millie’s few teachings of self-defense for Ginger (inspiring her to finally stand up for herself) and inspiring them to finally get together after so long. Millie then half-jokingly asks Berri and Ginger to be sure that no snake ladies follow them to their dimension next time, which sends them all into a fit of laughter as Berri and Ginger promise to try and remember that. After everyone hugs each other with a few handshakes, with Ginger even promising Char to get her a romance book from their world for the next time they visit, they give their final goodbyes and Berri and Ginger take a few steps away from Millie and Char as they use the Warp Topaz, opening a portal back home. Berri immediately throws the petrified Lamia through it, then chivalrously allows Ginger to walk through next. As Berri is about to enter the portal last, she spots Butterscotch watching the scene from the rooftop of the workshop, who waves goodbye to Berri once she’s spotted by her. Berri merely smiles and waves back before finally jumping through the portal, with it closing a few seconds later.Millie and Char continue to stand there for a bit as Char begins sobbing, already greatly saddened by their friends’ departure. Millie merely smirks and calls Char out on it, with Char immediately yelling at Millie to let her mourn. Millie then laughs, with Char eventually following suit, unable to remain sad with Millie’s infectious laughter. They share a quick kiss and walk hand-in-hand back to the workshop.

Chapter 15: "Epilogue on the Beach"

Some time afterwards, Berri and Ginger now lie on towels as they bask in the sun on a sandy beach. As they lie there, Ginger remarks on how they finally told Spectrum about them stealing the Warp Topaz for a bit, but Spectrum let them off the hook, with his reaction not being as harsh as Berri thought it would be. She also brings up how Lamia has been taken by G.U.N. to a maximum security prison that was recently constructed by them to hold the Order of Genesis members once captured, though she can’t help but feel like the Order will just break her out eventually. She also starts talking about finding a romance novel for Char should they ever return, but she stops as she sees Berri lost in thought. Ginger leans closer to Berri as she asks what’s on her mind, and Berri responds by explaining how she’s been thinking about Millie and Char, specifically with how they reminded her of her relationship with Rebel. Berri explains that she doesn’t want them to make the same mistakes that she made when she was with Rebel, and Ginger tries to comfort her and put her mind at ease over this in response, saying that they'll figure it out because they're just as responsible with themselves as Berri is with herself. With Berri’s mind at ease from this conclusion, they both express how they’re glad to be facing the world together now as they start to kiss right there on the sand, all while the sun begins to set.

THE END

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Art by ChaosControl VA, FrizeRose, Kannatherage, Kira The Hedgehog, and Stryke.

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Info
Part 1
Part 2

WRITTEN BY
ChaosControl VA

ART BY
ChaosControl VA, FrizeRose, Omorfia-Moria

BASED ON
Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow The Hedgehog (2005), Shadow Generations, Sonic Battle

STATUS
In Progress

Overview

"A dark program that's tied to Audrey's past has taken hold of her, and with her seized power, the entire world will soon pay for their transgressions against Gerald and Maria Robotnik..."

Arc Characters

Spectrum The Hedgehog
Vi
Serena The Hedgehog
Berri The Rabbit
Tumult
Kama The Akita
Rowdi The Siamese Cat
Audrey The Hedgehog
Ginger The Polar Bear
Carey The Chausie Cat
Marina Rose
Syn

Part 1

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Chapter 1: "Prison Island Prologue"

Professor Gerald Robotnik expresses to a young Audrey The Hedgehog that there’s not much time left, with today being his execution day as he hides some of his belongings behind the loose bricks of his cell wall… Gerald explains that he fully intends on hiding Audrey away, using the hole under his bed that he dug to hide Audrey in during inspections, but also adding that she will wake up at a specific time and escape the island. Audrey, however, being the wonderfully innocent and loyal little girl she is, is sad to see Gerald go, hugging him tightly at the legs and crying about how she was so close to making him feel better… Even though Gerald knows that that isn’t actually the case, with his trauma over the loss of his granddaughter Maria still cutting too deep, he kneels down and comforts Audrey as he wipes her tears away, telling her to not be sad while she’s physically a second chance, even if it’s not for him… With that said, Gerald puts his (ring) finger behind Audrey’s (right) ear, with there being a fingerprint scanner in that very spot, as well as then pressing her nose in like a button, both of which triggers a side panel on the (left) side of Audrey’s head to slide out, revealing it to be full of slots and knobs that correspond with Audrey’s power and mental capacities. After giving each other their tearful goodbyes, Gerald flips a switch on the panel and shuts Audrey down, her expression fading and her eyes closing as she drops her head, albeit while still standing up straight… From there, Gerald acts quickly, turning a knob that sets a timer for when she will wake up and flipping a switch that will stop her aging until the timer’s duration runs out, as well as pressing a button that resets her memory, albeit after some initial hesitation… Just as he’s about to close the panel though, Gerald remembers something, turning around to see a small computer card with a green label on his desk; Gerald takes it, and debates internally whether or not he should install it into Audrey, and there’s also hesitation here, for he knows the dire consequences of such an action… The echoing footsteps of Gerald’s G.U.N. escorts, however, forces one of the choices upon him, and so he quickly presses the card into a slot on the panel… Knowing that the card will do its work on its own, Gerald finally closes the panel and carries Audrey (who is very stiff in his grip) over to the bed, flipping it over and laying her down in the hole underneath, treating it like a grave as he places the coffin-bed lid back on top; Audrey’s destiny can now survive, even if Gerald won’t be there to witness it…Nearly 50 years later, Audrey finally wakes up, her expression calm and curious as she looks at her surroundings, soon noticing the light that’s coming through the cracks. This prompts Audrey to push the bed away and crawl out, only to find that the cell she (once) called home is dilapidated and empty… After looking at the depressing environment, Audrey looks down at her own hands and begins questioning, specifically about what this place is and who she is… Very quickly though, Audrey’s identity crisis is interrupted by the sounds of a rat squeaking as it tries to squeeze past one of the wall’s loose bricks, with the sound admittingly spooking her. Audrey pulls the brick away and finds a very old G.U.N.-issued blaster pistol, along with a note from Gerald (although she doesn't know this) saying “only use this as a last resort;” Audrey may be a child at this point in her designed development, much less one who doesn’t remember anything, but she still seems to understand what this implies, and she feels her stomach drop in fear as a result… Regardless, Audrey takes the pistol as instructed and looks to the door, thinking she can blast away the lock, which she does successfully. After cautiously walking through the (still maintained) cellblock for a bit, with her clutching the pistol timidly throughout, Audrey is spotted by some G.U.N. drones who think she’s an escaping prisoner, prompting them to fire upon her. Audrey weaves through the blaster fire and instinctively fires her pistol back at the drones, shooting them down fairly quickly. Audrey is very apologetic about destroying the drones, but alarms soon ring and prompt her to start running for her life, during which she begins sobbing, feeling terrible about having to harm something (even if it’s just a couple of robots with no semblance of personality)... Somehow, Audrey manages to survive up to the point where she blasts another door open, this one leading outside into the jungles surrounding the prison. While still sobbing uncontrollably, Audrey runs through and eventually finds an edge, realizing that she’s on an island as the ocean waves crash against the jagged rocks below… Audrey doesn’t have time to think about this though as she hears the G.U.N. soldiers closing in, forcing her to jump, albeit while barely avoiding a blast from one of the soldiers at the same time… With her screaming as she descends, Audrey somehow misses the rocks and plummets into the waters below, with her limp body then floating up to the surface after the impact sent her into unconsciousness, (unintentionally) giving the soldiers the facade of a confirmed kill; from there, Audrey aimlessly floats away, having escaped captivity, but with her future now uncertain… Days later, Audrey wakes up (without her pistol) on a shore far away from Prison Island, having survived her journey by (stereotypically) holding onto some driftwood, quickly seeing a massive city past the beach that prompts her to simply say “hello” to anyone who could possibly hear her, as well as to anyone who could also take pity on her…

Chapter 2: "In Memory of…"

Back in the present day, Spectrum’s Battleship rests in the middle of a canyon, allowing Spectrum himself and some of his friends to repair the hole that Lamia tore open (in the Artifact Room) in relative peace. As Spectrum is welding some slabs of metal into place, his attention is suddenly grabbed by a returning Berri, with her riding her new hoverbike and still dawning her new Chained Leash jacket (much to Spectrum’s surprise and curiosity). The two best friends approach each other, with Spectrum asking about the bike and the jacket before Berri says it’s a long story, after which she hands the reclaimed Warp Topaz back to Spectrum; this prompts Spectrum to ask about how Berri’s handling of Lamia went again, to which she repeats that “it’s a long story,” followed by Spectrum offering to listen to it while they fix the Battleship. Berri agrees and starts walking over to the Battleship to begin such work, and Spectrum is about to join her when he then suddenly spots a departing person a short distance away, prompting him to check that out first.Spectrum runs over and catches up with the figure, who is quickly revealed to be Audrey, now (obviously) grown up and aware of her past as a creation of Professor Gerald Robotnik; Spectrum asks Audrey where she is going, and she reminds him that she’s going to Prison Island to pay her respects to Gerald (with today being the day he was executed), having been doing so annually a couple times already, which Spectrum eventually remembers. After a brief moment of following awkward silence, before Spectrum can say anything else, Audrey cuts him off and asks if he remembers when he and his family adopted her, which he does while also being slightly put off by the question (as Audrey has never really talked about this before, or at least regularly). The now-concerned Spectrum then asks if anything is bothering Audrey (with him even mentioning her existentialism over being a robot), and she nervously starts to respond (first by clarifying that she has been able to manage her said existentialism as of late), talking about how she truly does love Spectrum’s family and their growing friend group; however, Audrey also says that, now that she has become fully aware of her past, she can’t help but think about Gerald and his (destroyed) family whenever she looks at her said friends, only to then stop herself before she can come to her resulting conclusion… Audrey then asks Spectrum to simply forget about what she just said, and he respects such a request, albeit while silently remaining concerned for his adopted sister, and after a rather awkward farewell, the two of them finally separate.Back at the Battleship though, as Spectrum is returning to it and as Audrey is resuming her departure, Tumult finally notices the scene before him, thinking that now would be a good time to talk to Audrey about something that has been bothering him, thus prompting him to abandon his work on the Battleship for the moment and fly over to her. After Tumult lands and after Audrey notices him, she tries to be friendly (while also still trying to hide her crush on him) before Tumult cuts to the chase, with him bashfully and finally confessing his feelings for her, much to Audrey’s surprise; Tumult explains that he has been in love with Audrey all this time, and while they both have been trying to deny it (particularly by dating other people up until this point), he cannot do so himself any longer, now particularly believing that what they felt during their first meeting was a sign that they’re supposed to be together… While Audrey does (still secretly) feel the same way, she doesn’t accept this confession as she instead sympathetically holds Tumult’s hands, saying that she isn’t in the right head-space currently and that she doesn’t feel like she’s ready for a relationship with him just yet, admitting that she doesn’t feel like he deserves her; while Tumult is saddened by this reply, with him even refuting her feeling of unworthiness by saying that he still wants her regardless, Audrey still says that she at least needs time to think it over, and after she gives him a reassuring goodbye, Audrey finally steps away from Tumult and flies off with her rocket boosters… From there, the now-depressed Tumult returns to the Battleship, where Spectrum, who had seen the whole thing, reassures him and says that Audrey will eventually come around, which Tumult appreciates as the two resume their repair work (with them thus rejoining the rest of their friends).Later, Audrey finally arrives at Prison Island once more, walking down the overgrown pathways and through the abandoned cellblock that used to hold Gerald and her (among other such prisoners). Upon arriving at Gerald’s still-dilapidated cell, Audrey sets up a candle and lights it before placing a picture of Gerald (with Maria) next to it, then sitting down on her knees in front of the display as she finally begins to pay her respects; Audrey begins talking to Gerald aloud, acting as if he is there listening to her, telling him about how Abraham Tower is still keeping G.U.N. in check now that he’s President (something she figures Gerald would have appreciated), as well as how she is still not on good terms with Shadow yet. After that though, Audrey sighs and begins to talk about what she’s currently dealing with, saying that, while she appreciates and loves the group of friends that have come to surround her, she can’t help but remember Gerald and think about what they could have had together (with her even including Shadow and Maria in such fantasies), and now she’s not really sure who her true family is anymore… Eventually though, the now-depressed Audrey recognizes how she’s just talking to herself, then putting out the candle as she finishes observing her makeshift memorial…

Chapter 3: "The Directive"

A brief while after Audrey’s moment of doubt, she takes the time to look through her system’s files (via projecting a holographic screen that she can interact with), figuring that doing so would provide her with some more heartfelt nostalgia before she departs for home. She first looks at a bar that shows her progress in the restoration of her wiped memories (from before Professor Gerald was executed), with it being nearly complete, before pulling up and watching the recordings that have been restored already, successfully receiving that aforementioned feeling of “heartfelt nostalgia.” Audrey’s attention, however, is then pulled to a file named “Code-Soul.exe,” and after looking at its directory, she opens her head’s side panel in front of the cell’s (cracked and dirty) mirror, finding a small white disc in it (as the directory said) with a black screen that displays three glowing and connected blue dots; before Audrey can investigate this further though, she suddenly spots the green-labeled computer card as it is still in her panel as well, peaking her curiosity again (as she’s never seen it before, of course) and prompting her to return to her system’s files, where she quickly finds the card’s corresponding (and appropriately green-colored) program, with it being labeled as “Directive_Eclipse.exe.” Audrey feels a sense of dread overtake her as she stares at the program and debates whether or not to open it, eventually concluding that this could help her learn more about Gerald, while also reminding herself in regards to her worried conscience that he would never do anything malicious to or with her (especially through a program like this one), and so she finally does open it. Almost immediately after doing so, the program activates and Audrey’s body suddenly contorts in several directions as she appears to be glitching out, with her reacting accordingly through distressed groans and grunts of pain, eventually stopping in a stationary pose (with her standing at attention) as her body shuts down, with her head lowering and her eyes fading to black as her fate becomes uncertain…Inside her digital consciousness, Audrey finds herself to be still aware of her surroundings at the moment, with those said surroundings currently being in complete darkness. That is until a glowing digital green cube descends, hovering above the ground while Audrey looks on in a worried confusion, all before it suddenly hijacks Audrey’s internet connection and scours the web for articles on the events of the Space Colony ARK nearly crashing into the earth before Sonic and Shadow stopped it (much to Audrey’s further confusion). Upon confirming that the ARK and its weapons are still intact, as well as the earth itself, the cube approaches Audrey and suddenly binds her with digital chains, much to her surprise and horror as it then pulls up her system’s settings, turning off several functions that include her emotions. The bound Audrey pleads with whatever this cube is to stop, only for it to approach her again (after it finishes altering Audrey’s settings) and stick a tube from itself into the back of her neck, causing her to contort some more while her eyes flicker between their normal color and a glowing green; between her resumed groans of pain, Audrey also cries out in horror, seemingly not approving (to say the least) of something that she is seeing and is being compelled to carry out (a result of the tube connecting with her neck), though her said cries are unsuccessful in stopping the cube’s (apparent) reprogramming of her before they are eventually silenced… Back in the physical world, Audrey’s body finally reactivates, but her eyes are now noticeably green rather than blue, serving as an indication of Directive Eclipse’s new hold on her, with her new programming now waiting to be carried out…

Chapter 4: "Finding Audrey"

Four weeks later, Spectrum’s (repaired) Battleship is flying over Central City, with its occupants inside being fairly concerned; Audrey has not yet returned from her trip to Prison Island, and everyone onboard is on edge as they worriedly search for their friend (currently by scanning the streets below for her)... While everyone else is occupied with that, Spectrum converses with President Abraham Tower via video call (with it being projected onto the windshield), having only recently asked for his and G.U.N.’s help in locating Audrey; Spectrum is hoping for any kind of update on G.U.N.’s search, but Abe unfortunately has nothing to report yet, much to Spectrum’s frustration, with him then deciding that he’ll have to let the rest of his friends (who are not aware of Audrey’s disappearance and are thus not currently searching for her onboard the Battleship as well) know about the situation soon… From there though, Abe admits to not fully understanding why Spectrum would ask for G.U.N.’s help in first place, figuring that this situation is not serious enough (at least not yet) for the government to get involved, and he asks Spectrum for his reasoning; Spectrum says that he figured G.U.N. would be more proficient in tracking Audrey thanks to their history with Professor Gerald Robotnik and his technology, but Abe doesn’t believe that’s the only reason, much to Spectrum’s slight embarrassment (for Abe is correct). Embarrassment turns to somberness, however, as Spectrum admits his second reason for calling upon Abe, that being that he figured Abe could help Audrey with her current family issue (having pieced that together after his talk with her four weeks ago), particularly because of Abe’s own past with Gerald and Maria, thus making him (to Spectrum at least) one of the last living members of Audrey’s original family aside from Shadow. While Abe is flattered by such an idea, he quickly turns Spectrum down, admitting that he probably wouldn’t do a good job as he still hasn’t gotten over the deaths of Maria and his own family (at the hands of the previous administration) yet…Before things can get depressing and awkward though, Abe suddenly gets an alert from G.U.N. in his Oval Office, and after taking a look at it (leaving Spectrum in a brief moment of concern), a now-horrified Abe relays to Spectrum that the Space Colony ARK has just been taken over by an unknown invader, with the station’s systems and occupying G.U.N. drones having been reprogrammed; what Abe is specifically horrified by, however, is that the said corrupted G.U.N. drones have mercilessly killed all of the (human) G.U.N. soldiers on the ARK that didn’t retreat via escape pods, much to Spectrum and his (overhearing) friends’ ensuing horror as well… As if things weren’t bad enough though, as Spectrum’s friends gather around him to view the projected call together, Abe gets another alert, with this one reporting that a G.U.N. base in Central City is currently being attacked by more corrupted G.U.N. drones. As an alarmed Team Spectrum wonders if both events have been coordinated together, Abe also receives a visual of the attack’s possible leader, quickly showing it to Team Spectrum on the call and revealing that it appears to be Audrey (with her being seen entering the G.U.N. base alongside the drones), much to everyone’s silent shock… The group now assumes that Audrey has something to do with the ARK invasion, but they are also obviously confused about why Audrey is doing all of this in the first place; Abe suggests sending in (G.U.N.) reinforcements, but Spectrum instead proposes letting his team go in alone, reasoning that they shouldn’t add to the corrupted drones’ numbers, but also that Audrey needs her friends (rather than mere soldiers) to help her out of whatever trouble she’s gotten herself into. Abe eventually agrees with this after some silent deliberation, and with that being said, Spectrum directs Marina Rose to fly the Battleship towards the overrun G.U.N. base, and she does just that while Team Spectrum readies themselves.Meanwhile, the (Audrey-less) Strays are finishing packing up their equipment after a long practice session when a news report suddenly airs on their backstage’s TV, drawing their attention as it reports on the Central City G.U.N. base raid, with them quickly recognizing Audrey as she leads said raid, much to their (expected) shock… The Strays become incredibly worried about Audrey, especially her best friend Kama, and with a silent nod, they all leave to intervene, grabbing their Medallions as they go. At the same time, in a dark room elsewhere, a figure shrouded by the shadows is listening to G.U.N.’s radio communications as they relay information on the sudden takeover of the ARK, followed by him then looking at the same news report of the current G.U.N. base raid on his own TV. Upon recognizing Audrey in the report as well, the figure suddenly storms off, grabbing a cloak and several weapons that are just lying around the space as he does, seemingly hoping to also join the fray…

Chapter 5: "Cold and Calculating…"

At the invaded G.U.N. base, the affiliated soldiers are forced to retreat further in as they defend against the hordes of turned drones, all while Audrey walks among said drones without fighting herself; speaking of Audrey though, her appearance has changed significantly since her visit to Prison Island, with her having replaced her normal attire with some sort of blue bodysuit, and with her also appearing to be emotionless and unconcerned with the consequences of her current actions, all of which serve as signs of Directive Eclipse’s control over her… Despite the soldiers’ efforts and tactical retreats, the drones quickly overwhelm them, not hesitating to violently finish them off as they do… Audrey even gets in on this as she approaches one fallen G.U.N. soldier, hearing him beg for his life before she mercilessly and excessively blasts him with her arm cannon anyway, showing no sympathy or remorse for the lives she is ending in her current endeavor… Once the base’s human population has been “subdued,” Audrey and her drone army march further in, eventually finding and breaking into a vault that holds several different artifacts, with their specific prize being a massive boulder of Celestium ore. As soon as Audrey’s drones extract the ore though, they are interrupted by the sudden arrival of Team Spectrum, with them just now entering the vault as they call out to Audrey in disbelief at what they’re seeing. The G.U.N. drones ready themselves for another inevitable brawl as Team Spectrum tries to reason with Audrey, with them admitting their confusion over what she’s doing, but Audrey responds with a blunt and technical tone, merely telling them that she’s doing what needs to be done (with her not explaining her exact reasonings)... Spectrum himself then tries to reach Audrey on his own, telling her how he knows she’s been struggling lately and that he only wants to help her (as do the rest of their friends), but Audrey denies needing help as she claims that nothing can change what happened (with her still not elaborating on what specifically), all before she finally commands the drones to attack…Team Spectrum is quick to engage with the drones, with each member being able to hold their own against them. Meanwhile, Spectrum, Berri, and Tumult all take on Audrey themselves, with each of them still attempting to break through to her as they fight; Berri is the first to do so as she tries reminding Audrey of how they have been friends since childhood (alongside Spectrum), followed by Tumult as he says he especially wants to help her because he still loves her… Despite Berri and Tumult’s attempts, Audrey rejects each of them (respectively), confirming to Berri that she still has access to her memories but simply doesn’t care about her (past) connections anymore, then coldly telling Tumult that she won’t let his feelings for her and vice versa get in the way of her mission… Throughout the battle, Audrey takes all three of her friends on at once with fighting techniques that they have never seen her use before (another effect of Directive Eclipse), eventually managing to push them all back so that she can use her arm cannon, only for its blast to suddenly be deflected by the Strays and their transformed Medallions, with them finally arriving to offer aid. Serena and Rowdi quickly join the rest of Team Spectrum in their fight against the drones, leaving Kama to join the fight against Audrey herself; Kama also tries to reason with Audrey as she fights her with her Keytar Medallion, saying that she doesn’t want to hurt her best friend, but Audrey responds with an admittance of her own indifference towards hurting Kama inversely… Eventually, Audrey manages to incapacitate Kama and Berri and Tumult, with Spectrum being the last one standing as he continues the fight, but that doesn’t last long as Audrey overwhelms him with her new moves, eventually knocking him down as well… Audrey then stops Spectrum from getting back up as she activates her arm cannon (once more), preparing to shoot him point blank as he pleads with her again, revealing his awareness of her family problem as he argues that he and their friends are her family, but Audrey denies this and instead says that she has no family, expressing how the people of Earth took them away from her (referring to Maria’s murder and Professor Gerald’s execution)... As Spectrum is in sorrowful disbelief over Audrey’s persistent dismissals (while also now understanding Audrey’s possible motivation behind her current actions), she charges her arm cannon to finally put him down, only for her and everyone else’s attention to be suddenly grabbed by the arrival of another challenger…

This new figure hides under a cloak, with the ends of several weapons peeking out from under it, but such an appearance doesn’t faze Audrey as she commands her drones to get rid of him. The figure, however, isn’t one to be fazed either as he suddenly summons a Chaos Spear and begins using it (for starters) to dispatch the charging drones with ease, eventually driving said Chaos Spear through the top of one drone’s head before it dissipates, during which his hood falls off his own head and reveals him to be none other than Shadow The Hedgehog. From there, Shadow takes on the remaining drones with his weapons, switching between mowing them down with his guns (that he doesn’t reload) and lodging his hand-held weapons into their chassises, all while also using more of his Chaos powers throughout; after watching in awe for a short moment, Team Spectrum eventually joins Shadow in the fight, with his arrival having inspired them as they destroy the drones more easily than before. With the (now losing) drones being occupied with Team Spectrum once again, Shadow turns his attention to Audrey and engages her, being able to keep up with her new fighting moves as they both seem evenly matched. As they fight, Shadow interrogates Audrey (with him obviously not being sympathetic like her friends beforehand) about this situation, with him assuming that she had a hand (at the very least) in the ARK takeover and that Gerald is somehow involved, only for Audrey to call him a traitor for not ending humanity (when he was first reawakened after 50 years)… Despite this concerning retort from Audrey, Shadow still manages to defeat her as he sends her flying into a wall, all while Team Spectrum finishes fighting and destroying the rogue drones.After picking herself back up, Audrey limps towards the Celestium ore (with it having been dropped by the now-destroyed drone that was carrying it), but Team Spectrum and Shadow step in front of her, blocking the way and ensuring that she doesn’t try taking it (even in her battered condition). Seeing that she lost this fight, Audrey promises Team Spectrum that this isn’t over and that she will come back for the Celestium, all before she activates her rocket boosters and flies off, crashing through the base’s ceilings and soaring into the sky as she retreats to the Space Colony ARK; as she enters the atmosphere though (with her obviously being out of view by this point), Audrey seems to break free from Directive Eclipse’s control (with her eyes accordingly returning to their blue color), evidenced by her suddenly crying over what just happened, only to give herself back over to the program (with her eyes turning green again) once she composes herself, with it appearing as if the Directive convinced her to go along with its plan willingly… Back inside the G.U.N. base’s vault, Team Spectrum takes a moment to process what just took place, all before Spectrum himself starts talking about how Audrey definitely doesn’t seem to be behind the wheel (as indicated by her displayed behavior and attitudes towards her friends), with Shadow then adding that he’s now confident in Gerald having a hand in all of this (thanks to Audrey’s traitor retort), much to the speculating Spectrum’s agreement. Curiosity overtakes Spectrum though as he then asks the Ultimate Lifeform why he came here, to which Shadow explains that he’s been keeping tabs on Audrey, figuring that, in spite of her annoyingly (to Shadow) peppy nature, she is still one of the last pieces of Gerald and Maria that he has left… Spectrum quickly teases Shadow for his sympathy towards Audrey (knowing that Audrey has previously had a difficult time connecting with Shadow) before turning back to the rest of his friends, who all suggest protecting the Celestium ore themselves and speaking with President Abraham Tower, believing that he can probably help them figure out what’s wrong with Audrey if Gerald really is involved; Spectrum approves this plan before inviting Shadow to come along with them, confusing Shadow initially before arguing that Audrey needs his help too, with him also being her family after all (as Shadow himself implied just moments before). After a brief moment of consideration, Shadow stoically agrees to join Team Spectrum in their endeavor, and so they all vow right then and there to save their friend Audrey no matter what.

Chapter 6: "A Modern Prometheus"

Onboard the Space Colony ARK, with Team Spectrum now in possession of and protecting the Celestium, (a repaired) Audrey, while being surrounded by the (currently occupied) G.U.N. drones that are now under her control, contemplates how to best handle the situation; Audrey admittingly forgot to account for her (former) friends’ large numbers, and she comes to realize that, if she intends on seeing Directive Eclipse through to the end, she will need more assistance, especially from someone who is more powerful and intelligent than a bunch of reprogrammed war machines. With that in mind, hoping to find some helpful information, Audrey begins combing through Professor Gerald’s old logs, eventually finding one that peaks her interest, with it having been made a short while after his encounter with the Black Arms (the encounter where Black Doom contributed his blood to Project Shadow). In the video, Gerald himself details how his meeting and collaboration with the Black Arms has inspired him to conceptualize a different lifeform he could possibly (but obviously never did) create, one that could serve as a backup for the possibility of Project Shadow’s failure; with that being said, Gerald presents a digital representation of this proposed creature, with it being a hybrid between the Black Arms and the Biolizard, thus giving it the possibility of being just as if not more powerful than Shadow (with this assumption being based on his predicted readings for Shadow’s power levels at the time of this log’s recording).Needless to say, Audrey is easily impressed, and she now believes that this proposed lifeform could be the answer to her current predicament, so she begins the process of actually creating it right away, first by locating (separate) preserved samples of previously collected Black Arms and Biolizard DNA around the ARK; from there, Audrey prepares a growth tank (the very same tank that once grew Shadow over 50 years ago) and inserts the DNA samples into it, then programming specific sequences into the nearby computer systems so that the samples are merged, allowing the tank to grow this new being from this new unified base, with it eventually producing a fetus within the following hour. After finishing her part of the whole process, by beginning the transference of adult-level knowledge and intelligence into the creature’s brain, Audrey leaves the lab room to wait for the fetus to grow into its adult form; for the next several hours, Audrey patiently wanders around the ARK. Eventually though, Audrey stumbles upon seemingly unimportant locations that she somehow finds to be (eerily) familiar, with these said locations suddenly helping her visualize memories that she doesn’t remember, with them all being of her (somehow) interacting with Shadow (during his time on the ARK 50 years ago); Audrey first recalls a memory where she and Shadow were looking down at the earth (from a large window), with Audrey speaking of the said planet very fondly while Shadow was being just as moody as ever… With her true self seemingly breaking free from Directive Eclipse again for the moment, Audrey feeds her curiosity and continues looking for more places that would unlock similar memories, quickly discovering scenes of her and Shadow in a classroom and of them looking at the stars, before eventually finding a continuous memory of the two of them running from something unseen; Audrey follows the memory into the research center, with her being drawn to a control panel that interacts with the room’s escape pods, all before the memory ends with someone shouting at her, followed by a loud concussive noise that appears to make Audrey very afraid…Immediately after the memory ends, with Audrey being incredibly spooked now because of it, an alert sounds throughout the ARK, announcing that the creature is now fully grown and that its preprogrammed data has been successfully integrated; with that said, Audrey recomposes herself, allowing Directive Eclipse to fully control her once again as she returns to the lab… In the lab’s growth tank, Audrey finds the new creature to indeed be fully grown, with its skin having deepened into a dark crimson as thick spikes adorn its head, with it brandishing three-fingered hands and two-toed feet (both of which have claws), all while also dawning a pair of gnarly-looking wings and a thick reptilian tail; being outwardly unfazed by the lifeform’s appearance, while admittingly being a little unnerved internally, Audrey initiates the waking process, being ready to turn the tide of her current conflict with Team Spectrum with the aid of this creature, who reveals its striking yellow-slitted eyes (with surrounding black sclera) as it finally awakens…

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