Sonic and Company are copyright to sega, I think.

Slasher and Serena are copyright to Netraptor.

Any new characters are copyright to me, Destro. Use them at will as long as the don't die or stray far from their original use. (IE making one go berserk and kill all their friends)

Darkness Rising



Prologue

The storm had finally arrived. Most of the personnel and robots were on either off-line or asleep deep inside the base. The satellites and transmitters, which where usually above ground and active, where now safely tucked away underground.

At the heart of the base was the control center. Had the base been a military base, it would have been called a command center. However, this was a research base. The only protection it had was the small garrison of defense robots and a few simple turrets.

In the control center sat a group of three human engineers. The trio sat casually staring at readouts and displays. They expected no surprises and were getting tired. The next shift was due in less than twenty minutes.

One engineer, the youngest of the three, leaned back in his chair and yawned loudly." I hope the next shift arrives soon. I'm afraid I might fall asleep on the floor."

"Don't worry," the second engineer said," We'll be sure to peel you off the floor before the cleaning bots arrive. Unless you actually WANT to take a bath today."

All three chuckled at the joke. The last engineer was about to say something when the lights suddenly fizzled out.

"Damn. Probably the storm." The second engineer said staring into the blackness. "Backups should come online any moment."

Four seconds later they felt the vibrations from the backup generators start up. Another two and the lights came back on. Noticeably dimmer however.

The third engineer wheeled closer to his console and keyed a few commands on the keyboard in front of him. "I don't think that little power outage affected anything too bad." He stopped typing and stared at the display in front of him for a second before he resumed typing.

"Ok. All systems green. Minor fluctuation in the containment field of holding cell 3-B." He drummed his fingers for a moment before turning to his colleagues." I don't think its anything to worry about. It's well within limits."

With that the three resumed the previous activity and waited for their shift to end. They had no idea the damage those few seconds would lead to.

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Even deeper inside the base lie the holding cells. The cells were no ordinary cells however. Each one was basically a large tank, filled with chemicals, wires, and a creature. The casing was made of a strong glasslike plastic. The casings were charged with a containment field to strengthen the cell and keep bad things outside of the cell. Or in some cases, bad things inside. Most creatures the cells held were small, underdeveloped, and used for anything from simple tests to advanced medical treatment.

However, two of the creatures differed from the rest. The first, in cell 3-B, was large and bulky, taking up nearly the entire tank. Hundreds of creatures had been killed, mutated, or worse before the scientists and engineers finally succeeded with this one.

The second creature, across the room in cell 3-A was much smaller, much younger, but just as powerful. Or so the scientists thought. Its potential was nearly unlimited many of them had stated in their reports. Only one thick cable connected to the creature. Robotic arms, both small and large, fluttered over the figure. Its furry arms were across its chest, its body and legs stretched out by the machinery.

Above the cell, a large green light suddenly flicked on. Instantly, as if frozen in time, the arms stopped. After a few seconds, the withdrew slowly to their respective places on the edge of the cell. With that the room was still once more. Or so it seemed.

In cell 3-B however, the large black creature suddenly stirred. One large red eye opened and looked out. It glanced outside at the other cells and then inside over the perimeter of its own cell. A single thought took over from there.

Without warning, the creature struck. One second he was inside -- the next second the containment field breached, followed instantly by the cell. Sparks flew and cables snapped as the creature broke through the large hole it had created. Chemicals poured out onto the floor from the broken tank. The large puddle quickly ignited from the sparks flying about.

The creature pushed itself halfway through the hole, right above the flames. A horrifying screamed pierced the base as the blue flames licked its hide. The dark shape pushed itself through the hole and onto the floor. Right into the burning liquid. It screamed and thrashed out, hitting the tank next to it in its struggle to get out of the burning puddle. With a crash, the tank shattered, spilling its contents onto the floor.

The new liquid immediately caught fire and spread. The puddle reached a new tank, immediately beginning to heat it up with its blazing inferno.

Meanwhile, the creature had escaped the flames, only to realize it was covered with burning liquid. It screamed again and bolted straight through door and into the base.

The creature on the other side of the room had a much different experience. As the cells across the room began to heat under the temperature, one suddenly exploded, sending glass, metal, and other debris flying throughout the room. The creatures cell was hit with one of the larger pieces of the debris. The outside of the cell shattered under the impact. The entire portion facing the rest of the room fell to the ground in small chunks. Inside, the debris had nearly hit the creature. Its path took it within three inches of the creatures head.

The figure inside the cell fell suddenly as the chemicals drained quickly from the cripple tank. Fragile cables and wires snapped as it fell, severing it from the rest of the base computer system. As the creature hit the ground it yelled out. The yell was barely audible above the roaring inferno of the room.

It looked quickly around and saw only blurry lights and dark spots. Not knowing what else to do, it reached out towards the bright spot in the front of its vision. It yelped and pulled its hand back reflexively as the fur was turned to burning ash. Suddenly very afraid and injured, the small form staggered to its feet and turned to the door, as it was the darkest spot in its vision. Remembering that the brightness had hurt it, it fled towards the darkness before it and into the rest of the base. Behind in the room, the fire had reached the largest cell of them all. This tank contained a highly volatile mixture that ignited at a rather low temperature. Five seconds later the cell, its room, and everything around the room was reduced to nothing.

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Deep in the heart of the Floating Island lie the master emerald. Barely ten minutes after both creatures had escaped, a young Knuckles had appeared in Hidden Palace through the teleporter. With tears in the ten year old echidnas eyes and a pain in his side from running, Knuckles rushed to the master emerald. He stood in horror as it dimmed and lost most of its color.

The young Echidna immediately pulled out his miniature master emerald and concentrated. He felt the island shutter and had the sensation of falling. Concentrating harder, Knuckles muttered something in an ancient language, known to almost no one else in the world. He kneeled to the ground and placed the miniature on the marble floor. Knuckles muttered another phrase and slammed his hand down beside the gem. Underneath him the island shuttered once more, slowed its decent, and gently settled on the ocean a few minutes later.

Knuckles breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the master emerald. Its soft green glow had returned and he could feel the power it emitted return to normal. Those few minutes he spent in Hidden Palace would remain in the back of his mind for many years to come.

The red echidna slowly walked back to the teleporter and returned outside to check on his island.

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END PROLOGUE