SONIC HEROES: THE SERIES

Disclaimer: Tomo belongs to Kiba Sniper.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Star Struck, Part 1

The scene opens to a large desert oasis city, where they are holding their annual bazaar. Crowds from different lands were coming to buy, sell, or trade anything they had. In the center of all this were none other then the Babylon Rogues, who were all wearing Arabian clothing for just theoccasion. The bazaar had stuff for everyone on the team. Jet took great pleasure in buying some valuable jewels. And by buying, I mean stealing.

"This look's nice." Jet said, admiring the sapphire necklace he was holding. "I bet Wave would like this."

"You have very fine taste, my friend." said the shop keeper. "That is one of our more valuable finds. Took me twenty-seven years to get."

"That's nice, but what about - look, what's that!" Jet shouted suddenly, pointing to a random direction.

Sure enough, the shop keeper fell for it, giving Jet a chance to sneak away. Storm, meanwhile, was engorged himself with whatever he could reach.

"Uh...what is this?" Storm asked; pointing at a jellyfish-like creature.

"That is a rare peruvian slug-fish."said the fisherman. "Said to be one of the most poisonous fish in the world."

"I'll take ten." Storm said.

Meanwhile, Surprisingly enough, the bazaar also had special Gear parts on sale, which Wave took full advantage of. Wave was examining an engine Gear when someone placed a certain sapphire necklace around her neck.

"It suits you." Jet whispered into her ear.

"Not really my type, but I'll take it." Wave smiled. She turned around to kiss the emerald hawk for a minute. "I'd say we're done here."

"Where's Storm?" Jet asked.

"Where else? Food." Wave said.

She pointed over her should to point out Storm, who was ready to eat his ninth helping of toasted ferret.

"Yo, Storm!" Jet called. "Drop the rat so we can get out of here!"

"Right, boss!" Storm saluted.

The masculine Albatross dropped his ferret without paying for everything he ate. He jogged to his team, where Jet was called back an old friend.

"Yo, Shahra!" Jet called.

The ring on left finger glowed and Shahra the Ring Genie appeared in a flash of light.

"You bellowed, master." Shahra groaned.

"Ignoring that." Jet muttered. "I wish we were back at the base."

"Your wish is my command, o master." Shahra recited.

And with a flick of her wrist, the Babylon Rogues evaporated in the sky.

Back at the Sonic Heroes base, Jet's book, 'Jet and the Secret Rings', rattled for a moment before spitting out the three rogues from its confines, back in their original clothing. Unfortunately, they were piled up together so that Storm was on top of them.

"Seriously, we have to do something about this." Jet complained.

"First, can we get this two ton load off our back!" Wave screeched.

"What load? Where is it?" Storm asked stupidly; not realizing who they were talking about.

Jet and Wave sweat dropped. Just then, Tails ran in; looking rather eager. He was so eager in fact, that he was literally jumping off the walls.

"Great! You're back! Just in time, too!" Tails exclaimed.

"Whoa, clam down there, runt." Wave told him while trying to keep him to the ground. "Tell us what's going on before you bounce into orbit."

"Ok, you remember the emeralds that were stolen from us?" Tails asked. The Rogues nodded. "I was working on my new emerald tracker when I saw something weird. I found not one, but all three emeralds. They all suddenly appeared in Megalo Station"

"Way to go, runt!" Storm cheered.

"Don't call me that." Tails mumbled irritably.

"All right, gang. Next stop: Megalo Station." Jet proclaimed.

Meanwhile, the heroes weren't the only ones who knew about the emeralds sudden reappearance. In the dreary dimension of the Dark Ruler's castle, Nazo sat calmly upon his throne, gazing longingly at transformed chess board. His gaze mostly fell upon the series of islands. But of course, these Islands were in another dimension, making it rather difficult for Nazo to travel.

"They Sol Emerlds are there. Mephiles assured me of thiswith Blaze's memories." Nazo thought. "But how do I reach them. If I figure out how Blaze came to this dimension, maybe I can get back the same way."

But as Nazo continued to ponder, a cloud of black smoke emerged from the floor and shifted into the form of Erazor.

"You called, my lord." Erazor bowed.

"The three chaos emeralds that have been missing have suddenly reappeared." Nazo informed him, not taking his eyes off the board. "I wish for you to go and investigate. Kill anyone that gets in your way."

"As you wish, my lord." Erazor smirked; vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Megalo Station; easily considered the most advanced city in the world, even without Meteor Tech. Jet could remember how it was this city where the search for the Arks of the Cosmos began. It was also the first place they came to when returning to Earth. Currently, the Rogues were cruising down the air roads in the car they borrowed from Shadow. And by borrowed, I mean took without permission.

"Shadow's got a sweet ride." Jet marveled from the backseat. "How come we don't have a ride like this?"

"We did until someone..." Wave emphasized; turning her head to Storm. "...Decided to wreck it."

"How was I supposed to knowthere was a cliff there?" Storm asked.

"There's a reason they have guardrails on the side of the roads." Wave stated.

"So where are we going, anyway?" Jet asked.

"Megalo Tower." Wave explained. She turned down a road that led to the massive tower in the center of the city. "The runt figures if we sure the towers super computer, it could pinpoint the emeralds exact locations."

"That's an excellent idea."

"Thanks, Jet." Wave said prideful.

"I didn't say anything." Jet said.

"Storm?" Wave asked.

"Nope." Storm answered.

Just then, a blade of fire cut across the air road, burning the cars and the road in the process. But as luck would have it, Jet, Wave, and Storm pulled out there Extreme Gear and jumped out before being hit. The trio landed safely on the ground below and looked up to the former remains for the road. The smoldering remains of Shadow's car landed in front of them.

"Aw, Shadow's going to kill us." Wave muttered.

Suddenly, a ball of fire erupted from above and aimed at the flock. Jet and Wave zoomed to the side while Storm, having no idea what was happening, got hit full blast. Storm stood there stupidly; his feathers burnt to a crisp.

"Ouch." Storm moaned.

"Where did that come from?" Jet questioned as he looked back at Storm. A sudden light pair of footfalls could be heard from behind. "He's right behind me, isn't he?"

Jet shot whirled around to come face-to-face with his arch-enemy, Erazor Djinn.

"Good day, Jet the Hawk." Erazor said menacingly.

"Why am I not surprised to see you here?" Jet growled lightly.

"Jet, who is that?" Wave asked; she and Storm never actually have met Erazor Djinn before.

"His name's Erazor." Jet informed them, never taking his eyes off the evil genie.

"The evil genie dude?" Storm asked.

"I prefer evil djinn." Erazor stated. "I do not wish to be compared to weaklings like Shahra."

"What are you doing here anyway?" Jet questioned; trying to distract him long enough to reach his fans.

"That is none of your concern!" Erazor exclaimed. "Now, hand over the chaos emerald!"

"But we don't have them." Storm stated.

Wave slapped her face. Storm can be a real idiot when he needs to be.

"Then I will have to carve you to pieces until I have them." Erazor grinned deeply.

Erazor whipped out his razor blade and swung it to Jet's neck. Luckily, Jet flipped back and grabbed his Gear to block when Erazor swung a second time. Jet tried to reach for his fans, but Erazor wouldn't let up. Erazor swung left and right without taking a second to stop, forcing Jet to use his Gear as a shield. Finally, Erazor raised his blade and swung down with enough force to slice the Gear in half. Fortunately, he didn't, as Jet slid between Erazor's legs and kicked him from behind.

"That one never gets old." Jet sniggered.

Erazor propped himself up to his knees; a maddening glare visible in his eyes. A shadow loomed overhead and he looked up to find Wave; her humongous wrench propped on her shoulder.

"I spent two sleepless weeks on that Gear!" Wave shrieked shrilly. "And you scratched it! I'll kill you!"

"Is she always like this?" Erazor nervously asked Jet.

"She's very sensitive about her Gear." Jet answered.

Wave swung her wrench off her shoulder and slammed it hard to the side of Erazor's face. Erazor was sent soaring and caught in a strong vice grip by Storm. Erazor struggled for a while before he realized he could just turn to smoke. Erazor evaporated into a cloud of black smoke and reformed behind Storm. He placed his hand on the Albatross' back and produced a sudden gale of wind that toppled Storm on top of Wave.

"Get...off." Wave's muffled voiced sounded.

Erazor was laughing his heart out until...

"TIME SHOOTER!"

Erazor, not willing to be fooled twice, whipped his blade backwards to block a rocketing Jet and his fans. The two weapons clashed, locking the two kings in a stalemate.

"You have done well so far, Jet the Hawk." Erazor stated.

"I always wonder." Jet said. "Why do you always call me by my full name?"

"That's a dumb question." Wave sweat dropped.

"Listen well, Jet the Hawk." Erazor stated. "Either you surrender the chaos emeralds or I shall kill you and your friends."

"For the last time, we don't have them." Jet strained. They pushed back and landed a few feet from each other. Wave and Storm joined by Jet's side. "If we did have them, would we be looking for them ourselves?"

Erazor seemed to get Jet's point. He lowered his razor and said. "But if you don't have them and I don't...who does?"

At that moment, the walls surrounding them exploded wide open, sending rubble shooting over their heads. When the dust cleared, the clouds revealed something the Rogues thought they would never see again.

"What are those things?" Erazor asked; raising his blade in defense.

"Meteor Tech robots!" Wave exclaimed in surprise. "But I thought they were shut down permanently!"

Indeed, the surprise attackers were no other then the Meteor Tech robots created by Dr. Eggman months ago. Jet could remember all to well of their last encounter. How the robot ravaged Earth, searched for the Arks, and rebelled against their creator, all under the command of their leader: ABIS. But after a failed attempt to conjoin the Arks, the robots were shut down.

"But how are they here?" Storm asked.

"I think it would be best to leave the questions for later." Erazor suggested.

"I never thought I'd say this, but he's right." Jet said; holding his fans. "Let's show them what we've got!"

The four fighters charged forward with the weapons held high. But unfortunately, the robots clamped their claws together and exerted a wave of electricity from their bodies. The poor fools stood no chance. One by one, they all fell into a state of unconsciousness. Before he blacked out, Jet could see a faint blur of red.

"Do you think he's all right?"

"How should I know?"

"Maybe we could roast him."

"NO!"

These faint voices were starting to become clearer to Jet, especially the loud one. Finally, his eyes opened. He was nearly blinded by the sudden array of light. When his eyes became used to the light, he could understand why it was so bright. Evidently, the four had been move from Megalo Station to a new, familiar location. The walls, the floors, everything was made from shining crystal. The room they were in was filled with endless rows of technological devices. Wave and Storm were standing over him while Erazor was leaning against a computer.

"He's alive!" Storm cheered; hugging the remaining breath out of him.

"Storm, calm down. He needs to breathe." Wave stated.

"Thanks." Jet mumbled as Storm let go. "Where are we anyway?"

"You don't remember?" Wave asked. Jet shook his head.

"Babylon Garden." Erazor suddenly said. "It's hard to forget a place such as this. Isn't it, Shahra?"

All of a sudden, Jet's golden ring started to glow. For a moment, in a flash of light, Shahra had appeared before them. It was very unusual for Shahra to be outside the book. But interestingly enough, she too remembered the place.

"Babylon Garden." Shahra muttered. "It's just as I remembered it."

"You've been here before?" Storm asked.

"Of course." Wave said in an annoyed manner. "If you had paid attention last time we were here, you would have known that Erazor and Shahra were once rulers of Arabia, three-thousand years ago." Wave boasted over her intelligence. "It was Jet's royal ancestor, Aeriala, who sealed them in the book."

"So, the genies dude's a king?" Storm summed up.

"Yes...just like Jet is the new king of Babylon." Wave explained.

"You're a king, boss!" Storm exclaimed.

"Wave told us this ages ago, Storm." Jet sighed.

"That was a great use of our time." Erazor said sarcastically. "Thanks for the history lesson, filthy pigion."

"What was that!" Wave screeched; raising her wretch threateningly.

"C-calm down, Wave!" Storm requested nervously while trying to hold her back.

"There's one thing I don't get." Jet said; catching everyone's attention. "Last time we saw Babylon Garden, it should have been returning to our home planet. So why is it still here?"

"I can answer that."

The five turned their heads to the direction of the voice. A blockade of Meteor Tech robots stood before them. But before the warriors could draw their weapons, they suddenly parted. The apparent leader walked slowly down the row to reveal himself to the group. At first, they thought it was Metal, but that idea left when they could fully see the evil leaders face.

"Omega?" Jet questioned.

The leader was in fact the missing E-123 Omega. Floating above his head were the white, green, and purple emeralds.

"Hey, Omega, where have been?" Storm asked happily. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"I've been busy." Omega stated.

"Are those the chaos emeralds?" Erazor questioned; his eyes darting back and forth between emeralds.

"Maybe." Omega stated simply.

"Omega, what are you doing here?" Wave asked out of concern. "We thought you were lost. You could have been damaged or worse. Why didn't you tell us that you were ok?"

"Like I said, I've been busy." Omega repeated.

"So uh...who're your friends?" Jet asked suspiciously; gazing at the robots behind him.

"These..." Omega's arms stretched outwards. "...are my children. My followers. They have assisted me greatly with a little project I have been planning to revive. You too have proved to be a great asset."

"Project?" Shahra asked.

"What do you mean?" Wave asked.

"It was I who stole the chaos emeralds from the storage." Omega explained. "I replaced them with the fake emeralds. I used their power to recall the Wings of the Heavens back to Earth. I restored the robot army to their proper order."

"But why?" Storm asked.

"For one reason: revenge." Omega stated.

"Revenge?" Jet repeated.

"After you defeated me the first time, Jet the Hawk, I was rebuilt by Eggman." Omega explained carefully. "The doctor knew the wisdom I received from the Arks of the Cosmos would benefit him greatly. But when he rebuilt me, all my memories were wiped clean. It was only when Metal Sonic used his technique to attack my core that my memories were restored."

"Ok...now I more confused the usual." Storm said, scratching his head.

"Boy, there's a surprise." Erazor said sarcastically.

"Wait, you said you gained wisdom from the Ark of the Cosmos." Wave said in realization. "Does that mean..."

"That's right, Wave." Omega cut her off. "You don't miss a beat."

"What is it, Wave?" Jet asked.

"It's him, Jet!" Wave said in a panic. "The same robot you and Sonic defeated last time we were here! It's ABIS!"

A wave of cold air withered down Jet's spine, causing him to shake rigidly. ABIS, the legendary monster of the stars, the creator of black holes,was actually Omega. ABIS was already powerful in his previous body, but now he inhabitant Omega's, which was bad in itself.

"But there's one thing I would like to know." Erazor said suddenly. "Why did you steal the emeralds in the first place?"

"With their powers, I was able to use the remaining fragments to create...these."

Omega lifted his arms to the arm. Following his movements, five circular objects rose above his head. Each of them was made of stone and had a different pattern and color: red, blue, green, purple, and yellow. Everyone, even Shahra, who knew the least of what was going on, instantly recognized them.

"The Arks of the Cosmos." Jet whispered.

The Arks, which were thought to have been destroyed, were floating in a circle above Omega and the emeralds. Jet still had nightmares about the Arks and how they used his rage to transform him into Shadow Jet.

"B-b-but boss destroyed them." Storm stuttered.

"Not entirely." Omega stated. "The fragments were small, but they were enough for the emerald to restore." The Arks lowered around Omega's body and began to circle him rapidly. "Witness once more, the most powerful force in the universe!"

The Ark glew in their own correspondent color and plunged themselves into Omega's thick armor. They forced themselves down to his core and slowly started to morph. Omega grew three time his normal height, his arms were shrunken, but his leg became larger and thicker. He grew a jaw with dagger teeth, a lashing red tail, and one of his eyes disappeared to give it a cyclops appearance. In other words, he looked like a red, metal T-rex with one glaring, red eye.

"That is definitely not good." Jet stated.

"More power is restored!" Omega roared in a booming voice. "Once more...I have truly become...ABIS!"

Robots and Genies and Arks, oh my. With ABIS' power restored, can Jet pull another aceup his sleeve? Or has ABIS finally succeeded this time? Find out on the next Sonic Heroes.

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