Welcome to the comic novella for Sonic Regen.

Sonic ReGen is a fan comic collaboration, this is a side story.

I am Chief Editor and Co-Lead for this project alongside Titus Dunn. TiDunnOnTheRunn on Twitter.

If you like what you read and you'd like to contribute on Sonic ReGen, please see our twitter page SonicReGen and apply on our discord server. We're currently looking for active artists to help us.

Please enjoy!

The Shadow Conspiracy - Act 1

Credits

Scenario: Titus Dunn

Writer: OnyxCrimsonBlur

Revisions: Titus Dunn, OnyxCrimsonBlur

A gray-haired man walked down the long, sterile hall, lab coat softly billowing behind him. The lab was quiet tonight, more so than usual. His hands were holding boxes of research handed down to him by top officials. He joined this organization to do good for the world, complete research from his long-dead idol. Apparently, before his death, he'd picked him out of a number of applicants. He was grateful for the opportunity, to be sure, but he wondered why him of all people. With a sigh, he scanned his retina in the panel beside the door it opened with a mechanical hiss. This was to be his home for the foreseeable future.

Sleek metal walls greeted him as the door clanged behind, sealing him inside. With a sigh, Chuck Thorndyke sat the boxes on top of a nearby work table and pulled out one of the many journals sitting inside. Each journal was dated and contained notes he'd need to start the project he was tasked with. Ditching his white lab coat, he grabbed a cup of coffee from the machine beside the workstation and sat down. Pulling over his own notebook, he decided taking notes on Gerald's research would be a good place to start.

Working for GUN was not going to be an easy endeavor, but he was quite eager to complete the life's work of his idol. Gerald Robotnik was a man quite shrouded in mystery in his old age. He had been secluded to the GUN headquarters and not heard from for years. Chuck remembered reading a lot of his scientific publications, some of the research GUN let out to the public. The man was quite accomplished. Though, he only read bits and pieces about the research he was about to undertake. A lot of the articles focused more on the scientific advancements the man had made, plus back issues on his archeological finds.

Opening the first journal, the pages were worn and stained by age, there were notes in the margins and little scribbled drawings. There was a folder behind the journal that Chuck assumed were whatever schematics that went with this particular entry. Sipping his coffee, he tucked in to read them. It was going to be a long night.

XXXxxx

The sun beat down on the hot desert sand, the temperature sweltering, as the dig finally came to a halt. An entryway to a tomb was finally unearthed and the leader of the team sighed with sudden relief as he wiped his brow with a handkerchief. Said kneeling man, took off his hat to reveal a balding head, a set of graying eyebrows, and a set of eyeglasses perched upon his nose. He stood up from his kneeling position, replacing his hat atop his head before turning to the worker on his left. They nodded to each other in affirmation.

"By Chaos, we've done it, Gerald. All those years and it's finally paid off," the young man said, smiling. His blue eyes twinkled with mirth.

Of course, Gerald couldn't remember his name, so he just patted him on the shoulder in reply. They had been looking for this location for months now. All of the stone tablets predicted it'd be in this location: The key to life. A key to cures for common diseases, and a chance to help others. However, this discovery was not without its price. He'd had to sell his soul to the proverbial devil for the funding. GUN was more than happy to take the reins and provide him everything he needed for the discovery, but whatever he found was under their purview.

He couldn't discuss his findings without them present, couldn't write papers without them being sanitized. Some days he wondered if it was really worth it; he wondered if it was worth the risk. He wanted to do good in this world, and this discovery was going to make it happen. He would realize this, this dream. With a sigh, he followed the workers into the tomb, GUN officials were pulling up the rear as they lit glow sticks and started to explore the markings on the entrance walls.

He could make out some of the symbols, but without his notebooks, the translations were only partial. Gerald admitted to being a bit amiss in studying this language more thoroughly. Though, he did recognize the symbols that would lead him to the answers he sought. A few paces further in and there on the back wall was a huge mural depicting something he never thought possible. It looked as though it was a prediction of future events.

The mural was quite old, crumbling, and dusty. He pulled out a small tool kit from his breast pocket and eased out the brush. A small, loose bristled angled brush perfect for delicate work. With a practiced hand and steady, even movements he removed centuries of cobwebs, grime, and sand until an image began to form. Taking several breaks in between, he was finally able to clear away a significant portion of the mural and as he stepped off the ladder, a gasp left his dry throat.

A creature, a hedgehog fighting a mechanical suit. A huge stone in the hand of robotic creation as they fought in what appeared to be space. Below it was an inscription he couldn't quite make out. He took out some papers from his back pocket and a graphite pencil to make several etchings. The camera crew wouldn't be out until tomorrow, but in the meantime, he could take this etching to his tent and study it alongside his notebooks. Without the books, Gerald recognized the words "chaos", "creation", and "fruition".

XXXxxx

Days passed with relative ease. Gerald was no closer to an answer than he was before. He's traded his explorer's garb for the familiarity of his lab coat. Archeology has been a very fruitful pastime, but now he must provide results in order to keep the funding he procured. He twists his mustache in thought as he looks at the pictures of the mural, the markings on the wall, and he picks up his notebooks in order to start his translations.

A cup of coffee sits neglected as he works, the pages of a journal filling up with his ideas on what the symbols form. Hours pass as words on the page take shape and he takes off his glasses to rub at his tired eyes. The words to a prophecy linger, something he can prevent. He translates other inscriptions as well, believing these the answers to his dilemma.

XXXxxx

Chuck empties his cup before grabbing the next journal in sequence. Gerald had certainly put a lot of energy into this project. He wondered what possessed him to do so, what grabbed his attention. So far, all he'd learned from the first journal and subsequent pictures was that this whole endeavor was based on an ancient mural. Chuck looked over the mural and the translations. Looked at what would happen if the right tools were used in combination with each other.

However, it seemed like Gerald had only a small inkling of the right idea and not the complete package. Chuck ran a hand through his graying hair and opened the next book.

XXXxxx

"No, that's not quite right," Gerald tossed another crinkled up paper to the floor beside the overflowing garbage can as he stood up from his worktable. It had been months since the excursion in the desert and he was no closer to an answer than before. He was close to nearing his first attempt, but something was missing. Something important. Either way, it was time he took a break. His granddaughter was coming for a visit and he didn't want to be drowning in work.

Her doctor had explained to him the distressing news. Maria was ill, her disease would slowly kill her and the medical professionals were all very far away from finding a cure. Maria was an innocent; his very special girl, and he hoped that with his research he could cure her along with everyone else who had a disease life had struck them with. With a sigh, he closed up his notebook for the afternoon and rode the elevator up to the main floor.

Gerald thought that his banishment to the basement of the facility was fitting. He'd failed to produce anything of value in a while, focusing all of his time and effort on cracking the code. The answer still illuded him and he couldn't fathom the reason why. A break would do him good.

"Good afternoon, Gerald," the receptionist smiled, "you have a little visitor."

He smiled as a little blond girl in a pink dress skipped to him, her blue eyes wide and curious. Yes, he would do this for her and every other parent in need. He would press on.

XXXxxx

A test tube smashed against the wall, the green contents sliding down to the floor. Another bioagent failure. How could he build this lifeform if he couldn't figure out the signature? With a sigh, he fell back into the chair with a thump and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Cloning and bioengineering were not his strong suits, so this would take time.

Gerald placed a fresh, clean schematic sheet on the table and began to sketch out his newest idea. In order to harness the energy, something would have to be built in order to take the overflow. It would be a stretch, but it would be doable. Time was of the essence. Maria's condition seemed to get worse as time continued to pass.

XXXxxx

Chuck rubbed his tired eyes as he picked up the folder that was noted in the journal margins. Folder B, schematic 16. The Biolizard. The page had been wrinkled and worn, several edits had been made to the design. It was certainly bulky and in no way viable if what he had been reading was any indication. A huge lizard with a life support system to hold excess chaos energy. Notes at the bottom continuously state how something wasn't quite right, and he needed to consult the murals again.

The murals? As in more than one? Chuck was barely through the third journal and there were more murals than just the initial one. He took his own note to find out more about the Biolizard and picked up the next journal to continue with the puzzle.

XXXxxx

"I'm not certain about these symbols," Gerald sighed as he looked over the next set of images. The next mural, depicting a very large creature, puzzled him. Chaos was the only word to describe it. A creature of pure energy, guardian of the chao. Chaos was not only a being but an energy source. But how to tap into it and use it. The stone tablets were unclear in this instance. The language something he hadn't seen before and very few symbols matched his notes.

"There are two sides to Chaos, positive and negative. So, like a battery then?" He looked down at his schematic and pulled over another set of papers. "Maybe if I create them to harness the energy, I can transfer it?"

Artificial Chaos - The schematic read. Gerald drew an apparatus to harness the energy and create something to make the transfer complete. An odd form started to take shape, a metal housing to hold chaos energy and feed it into the biochemical substrate. The energy would be harnessed as a battery and the fluid could form a sack like the creature depicted. It would be extremely rough, but this side step could help understand how the energy flowed freely into creatures of normal origins.

XXXxxx

Chuck ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Artificial creatures now. Pictures of the stone tablets were strewn about. Notes upon notes written upon the backs of each photo. Rough translations to the texts and hard to read shorthand. Looking down at the schematic, he remembered seeing a few of these creatures on his way down to the lab. He didn't ask questions, he had a feeling that GUN wouldn't answer them. Sitting back in the chair with a groan, Chuck wondered why Gerald took this deal in the first place.

He wondered if it was they shared a common goal. Looking at the artificial chaos designs, Chuck immediately dismissed them. For what he was trying to accomplish, this power source wouldn't do. Looking at the clock, he realized Chris would be due at any moment. He was glad his grandson took an interest in the work he was about to undertake. It wasn't easy to get him in, but he convinced GUN that having a fresh set of eyes of someone he trusted would be a good thing for this project.

Chuck pulled out another journal to read while he waited, maybe something else would prove useful.

XXXxxx

Each trial was more disappointing than the last. He only had one emerald, and the energy it displaced didn't seem to tolerate the vessel he built. Sure, the containment area held it but the chaos drive 1.0 was a waste. In order to assimilate the proper housing, he'd need to scale down the containment area and turn it into a portable drive. Running off his battery theory with a positive and negative pole, he started sketching chaos drive 1.5 on a separate page.

"The chamber should be glass, not polycarbonate," he mumbled under his breath. "Maybe, using copper as the pole and putting in a …"

Gerald trailed off and continued running the diagram in his head. Several scratches and scribbles filled the margins. Equations took shape and a rough drawing of his finished product finally appeared on the page. Looking over at the artificial chaos vessel, the biofluid was ready to be inserted into the backport of the apparatus. Now, the chaos drive just needed to be completed for the first official test run.

The artificial chaos floated in a containment field beside the large life support system he'd built. He'd need so many of these chaos drives to fill the module. Over to the side was a tank filled with pale green fluid, a tiny organism growing within its glowing depths. A small lizard, only a few inches long taking shape. Gerald was happy for the success of the creature. Finally getting the formula right after so many failed attempts was a great accomplishment.

But it cost him a lot. It cost him a vacation, it cost him visits with his granddaughter. The weight started to bear down on his shoulders. Would this all be worth it in the end? Gerald's aged hands picked up the picture, always set on his desk. The last picture was taken at least three years ago. Maria was no longer that spunky little child, she was growing fast and he was running out of time.

With a sigh, he placed the picture down and picked up his latest trial. Inserting the canister into the back of the artificial creature, he filled it with the biofluid and closed the port. A few moments later the drive started to hum and a green glow lit the surrounding area. He'd done it. It was now time to put the pieces together and wait.

XXXxxx

Chuck picked up the last journal and set of papers. This last one was quite worn like it had been used again and again. He wondered what was in the folder first, however. Flipping a few pages forward, he saw faded photos of the Biolizard. It appeared to be inert, a failed experiment. The creature was lying in a pool of some liquid, closed eyes, and the heavy machinery on its back seemed to be weighing it down. The file after it, well it was a highly sanitized version of events but the last page seemed beneficial.

It was a list of needed agents, energy sources, and bioagents to start the process. Reading through, Chuck decided to take two things from the list that he was certain were needed. The bioagent that held the chaos energy, and the chaos drives. With that, he opened the last journal and began to read.

XXXxxx

"It was all wrong, we had it wrong…"

Gerald sighed as he slumped into his chair. His tired body sagged into the plush surface. He was doomed to die here in this place. Such was the fate of GUN scientists who owed them. The last failed attempt and he finally realized what the key might be. GUN had already tasked him with finding a replacement, gave him a handful of dossiers to choose from. He'd read them all within a week and there was only one who seemed worthy enough to take it on.

But, he needed to leave a message. One that he was sure his replacement would follow. Two things were the key, two vitally important things. Gerald slumped over the notebook and wrote down one last key note: Look to the mural. It was all wrong before, but the answer is right there…

XXXxxx

Chuck blinked before rubbing his tired eyes. He pulled out the mural photos, the ones from the first journal, and saw the scene taking place. The answer that was in front of Gerald all along. The answer he had overlooked focused on solving the puzzle. Creating something that could harness the energy, the dream.

A hedgehog …