SONIC HEROES: THE SERIES
Gemini © DarkspineSilver92
Armand © SupergamerGreg79
Chapter Sixty-Three: Soldier of Darkness
The scene opens up to a far-off plain near the center of Australia. As expected, there were many different species of animals that roamed and grazed off the land; none of them were anthro. As a family of kangaroos drank near a watering hole, they were unaware of a lurking predator gazing from a safe distance. The savage beast crouched low in the high grass, edging closer to its prey. When it was close enough, a ravenous tiger lurched from its place. Just as it neared its prey, it was suddenly tackled to the ground by two blurs; the family of kangaroos fled. The tiger swatted and clawed at its attackers until one of them snapped its neck, effectively killing it.
"Well, that was boring." The first said.
"I thought he would have put up a better challenge." The second said.
The two figures crouched down to the dead tiger, revealing themselves to both be Gemini Rose. No one had seen or heard from the hedgehog since he was rescued from the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. After nearly dying from the experience, Gemini went back to his usual life of gambling. But one day, Gemini felt himself compelled by an unknown force to leave. Being away from civilization for so long, he was unaware of Sonic, Shadow, and Silver's death.
"Why are we here again?" Gemini #1 whined.
"You should know!" Gemini #2 shouted exasperatedly. "You're me after all!"
"Watch your tone!" Gemini #1 said sternly. "I don't need this kind of stress!"
"I don't need to be arguing with...myself?" Gemini #2 said confused.
"Look, we need to pull ourselves together." Gemini #1 said logically.
Both Gemini's nodded and walked into one another, becoming one body again. All of a sudden, Gemini's head began to throb again. The reason he separated in the first place was to relieve the stress in his head. Suddenly, images started flashing around his mind; many of them involving a green serpent, a blue-haired boy, and an army of shadows. The pressure became so strong that it forced the doppelganger hedgehog to his knees.
"...You can't escape you past..."
"Get out of my head." Gemini groaned.
"Stan?" A new voice called. "Stan, did ya find anything?"
The sound of the voice brought Gemini back to his senses. Being in distance territory, it was very unusual to see anyone else roaming the plains. As a precaution, Gemini climbed to the top of a tree and hid in the bushes of leaves. He could see the grass moving below and watch the unknown figure step out into the open. Gemini found it very suspicious for a purple tiger to be wandering the Australian plains. What Gemini didn't realize was that the tiger was Armand Novak the Tiger.
"Hey, Stan, what's with...?" Armand found himself looking down at the body of the tiger Gemini killed. If there was one thing Gemini didn't expect him to do, it's cry. "NO!! Stan, why?! Who could have done this to you?! Stan!!"
"You named that thing?" Gemini unconsciously said.
Gemini slapped his hand over his mouth, but the damage was done. Armand's ear perked up at the sound and attracted his attention. Using his eyes, Armand couldn't find anything, but using his watch, now that was a completely different story. Armand pressed a button on his watch and a rest screen appeared over the face plate. It was a thermal scanner and Armand located Gemini's body heat in no time.
"Gotcha!" Armand exclaimed.
Armand pressed another button and created a blue laser sword. The agitated tiger jumped up and swung the sword around, barely missing Gemini by an inch. As Armand landed, Gemini jumped back to the ground; the tree toppled over.
"And just who are you?" Gemini sighed.
"I am Armand Novak the Tiger." Armand stated. "Son of the great Tobias Novak the Tiger."
"Never heard of him." Gemini said simply.
"Oh, come on!" Armand yelled. "Look, just tell me who you are so I can kill you."
"The name's Gemini." Gemini introduced. "Why do you want to kill me?"
"You killed Stan." Armand said, pointing to the dead tiger.
"How was I supposed to know he was yours?" Gemini shrugged.
"Roar!" Armand yelled.
"Ok, you have to admit that was really pathetic." Gemini sniggered.
"I know." Armand said sadly.
In Armand's moment of distraction, Gemini separated himself into two hedgehogs. To most normal people, this would be unusual, but Armand was not even fazed by the tactic. As both Gemini's charged at the tiger, Armand pressed another button on his watch to release a laser net. This caught both of the duo hedgehogs off-guard, but only one of them was trapped inside the net. As the first Gemini tried to help his twin, Armand released another laser net from his watch. The trapped Gemini say this and warned his twin, allowing him to dodge out of the way.
"You know, there are two things I hate." Gemini #2 said angrily. "Losing and fish."
"Fish?" Armand repeated.
"I get hives, ok?!" Gemini exclaimed.
Armand broke out in fits of laughter, which pissed Gemini off. Leaving his twin behind, Gemini jumped at the tiger and swung his leg around. Armand pressed a button on his watch and created a laser shield around his arm. Armand may have been able to block the first kick, but he was unprepared when Gemini dropped and tripped at his feet. Armand fell on his back, but rolled out of the way as Gemini kicked at the ground. Gemini's twin finally broke free from the net and intended to join the fight until something caught his eyes. Armand dropped something when he tripped and Gemini picked it up. It was the silver medal given to him last time he met Team Virtex; Gemini clearly remembered the markings.
"This is..." Gemini #1 muttered. He stared back at the purple tiger, who was still fighting Gemini's twin, and called out. "Hey, where did you get this from?!"
"Huh?" Armand questioned, pushing back Gemini #2. He looked to the other Gemini and saw him holding the silver medal. "Hey, give that back! That was given to me by a friend of mine!"
"This is Rector's sign, isn't it?" Gemini #1 asked lowly, handing the medal back.
"Yeah, it is." Armand said cautiously, taking the medal. "How did you know?"
"Because he's our cousin." Gemini #1 stated.
"Cousin?!" Armand exclaimed.
"Maybe we should talk some other place." Gemini #2 said scarcely.
"How come?" Gemini #1 asked.
The trio took another look at their surroundings and found that they were surrounded by a pack of leopards.
"Oh, that's why." Armand nodded.
The leopords attacked, but you already know the outome. Looks like Gemini will get some nice trophies for his wall. Later that night, Armand and Gemini were gathered around a fire that Armand made. Gemini, who, for some reason, brought frying pan, was cooking the leftover meat from the leopards. Armand was crying over the grave of Stan the Tiger; Gemini sweat-dropped.
"You done yet?" Gemini asked as Armand walked back.
"Yeah, I'm good." Armand said cheerfully. "So, any idea when food will be done?"
"I don't know." Gemini shrugged. "I usually have my chefs cook all my meals."
"Sound's like your loaded." Armand smirked.
"I am." Gemini grinned. "I legally own over half the casinos in Casinopolis."
"Nice." Armand laughed.
"I know; I'm awesome." Gemini boasted. "Say, I noticed that watch of yours during the fight. Where'd you get it from?"
"My dad gave it to me." Armand said pleasingly, staring at his watch. "It was his greatest invention. He taught me all the designs and schematics so that I could one day use it. This watch can do everything from scanners to weapons. The only thing it can't do is tell time."
"It can't tell time?" Gemini asked.
"There was no more room for the clock." Armand explained.
"I've visited Megalo City once, but none of their technology is as advanced as that." Gemini stated. "Where did your dad get the parts to make something like that?"
"I...really don't know." Armand said insecurely. "My dad never told me anything other than how to work this watch. Sure, he was there when I needed him, but a lot of the time I usually kept his distance. He never told me anything about my mother, where we come from, or why I have to carry this watch. I think he once tried to tell me, but he died."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Gemini said sorrowfully. "It must be nice not knowing your own past."
"Hey, I was just wondering." Armand spoke up. "If your Rector's cousin, why hasn't he ever mentioned you."
"He probably still hasn't forgiven me." Gemini said. "Rector and I haven't talked to each other in seven years."
"How come." Armand asked curiously.
"It was my fault that Aunt Tilla, Rector's mother, died." Gemini sneered.
"What happened?" Armand asked.
"Back then, I was just a young boy." Gemini explained. "I was abandoned by my parents and dropped off to an orphanage. Everyday, I would stand at the gate, hoping to see my mom and dad again, but they never came. I began to lose hope until Naga showed up."
"Naga..." Armand said thoughtfully. "I know I heard that name from somewhere." Armand starts tinkering with his watch and pulls up a screen with the familiar venomous snake wearing a white lab coat. "Here he is. Naga the Snake was once a scientist that once worked for the king of South Island. Years later, he was sentenced to execution for crimes against the new queen and her newborn son." Armand turns off his watch. "It says he escaped, but nothing else is known."
"I wouldn't expect anyone to know." Gemini said. "Naga hasn't been around long enough for anyone to know."
"What do you mean?" Armand asked.
"Well, he..."
"We wouldn't want you to spoil everything would we?"
The sound of the voice sent trembles down Gemini's spine. Armand jumped to his feet at the sound, only to find himself thrown back down by a green fist. Gemini sat there and watched as the fist retreated to the shadows and the master behind the assault emerged. Naga the Snake hissed in malevolence at Gemini's cowardice and walked behind him, kneeling to his level.
"I see you haven't forgotten." Naga hissed.
"What do you want from me?" Gemini growled. "What more could you possibly take?"
"You can't escape your past." Naga hissed. "You cannot tell me you do not miss that lust you once held."
"I'm not like that anymore." Gemini glared.
"Then prove it." Naga challenged.
On the reaction, Gemini twisted his body around and took a wild kick to the center. Unfortunately, Naga used his stretching abilities to move his chest out of the way. Unexpectedly, Gemini threw off his left glove and grasped Naga by his wrist. The venomous snake felt a sudden sting from the place where Gemini and spat a strong venom from his fangs. Luckily, Gemini ducked down to avoid the venom and back-flipped away from the viper. For a moment, it seemed the sting did nothing, but that was until Naga noticed a change in Gemini. The hedgehog turned from brown to green and his fur became smooth as scales.
"That's interesting." Naga hissed intriguingly.
"I thought you might like it." Gemini smirked. "I learned it after you took my powers away."
"So in exchange from losing your powers, you can mimic others." Naga stated. "I'll have to do some research on that."
"MEGA LASER!!"
Naga's eyes widened at the sound and shot around in time to see massive red laser headed in his direction. On the reaction, Naga bowed his head and lowed himself into the ground below, effortlessly avoiding the attack. Unfortunately, Gemini was also in its range of fire. Using the powers he copied from Naga, Gemini twisted his body in an unusual angle to avoid the laser. Unfortunately, when he snapped back to shape, his limit with those powers had depleted. Naga's head burst from the ground and gazed in the direction the attack originated. He found Armand and looked surprisingly pleased.
"It can't be him." Naga hissed, pulling himself from the ground. "Is that you, Tobias?"
"You know my dad?" Armand asked, smiling. "Finally, someone knows!"
"No, you're not Tobias." Naga hissed. "You just merely his son possessing the Novak."
"The Novak?" Armand repeated.
"That watch you wear around your wrist." Naga answered. "Tobias named it after himself."
"You sure know a lot about the watch." Armand said cautiously.
"Of course I know about it." Naga said. "I'm the one who designed it."
"You what?!" Armand exclaimed.
"That's right." Naga cackled. "I created the plans for the Novak, but it was your father that provided the technology. The kind of tech I required could not be found in this world, so Tobias had to travel back to his own."
"What do you mean?" Armand asked desperately.
"It's amazing how little your father told you." Naga shook. "You see, neither you or your father come from this world. In fact, at this current time, neither of you exist."
The new information dealt a hard blow to Armand's heart. Was what Naga said the truth? If his father had worked with the cruel serpent, how come he had never mentioned it before? Armand was so confused; he dropped to his knees and clutched his head, sobbing. Taking pride in his work, Naga thrust his foot forward and kicked Armand in the chest ten feet away. As Naga retracted his leg, he held both his arms high to block both kicks from the two Gemini's. The Gemini's landed and rebounded off the ground, throwing their feet forward. Naga saw this and, against all logic, forced his body to be as thin as paper. Once both Gemini's passed by, both amazed by the feat, Naga restored his depth and grasped them both by their heads.
"You dare to challenge me?" Naga said angrily. "Have you forgotten who it was that taught you to fight? You should be down on your bended knee, thanking me for saving you from an empty life."
"I would prefer a life empty than a life filled with evil." Gemini #1 growled.
"You were never a father to me." Gemini #2 sneered. "You took everything away from me."
"That was your own fault." Naga hissed. "If you had killed Thorn like a said, your aunt would not have died."
"I've had enough of this!" Gemini #1 "What have you done with my darkness?!"
"Is that what this is about?" Naga questioned. "Well, after you failed, I decided to take back what was mine. I treated you as my own out of the kindness of my heart, yet you still turned against me. You could have done well, my soldier of the darkness."
"You don't know anything about me." Gemini #2 muttered.
"I know well enough." Naga whispered close to his ear. "Orion is waiting."
Before either Gemini could ask who Gemini was, Naga suddenly tightened his grip around their heads; his claws digging into their skulls. Just when victory seemed so close, Naga was suddenly forced to release them. Armand had picked himself up and tackled Naga in the chest. The Gemini's landed on either side of the tiger as Naga held his chest.
"You filthy feline!" Naga yelled.
"I don't know what happened between you and my dad." Armand said seriously. "But I won't let you escape."
"Do you intend to defeat me with that Mega Laser of yours?" Naga laughed. "At the speed it moves, I will be long gone by then."
"Then this should raise the stakes."
Before Naga even had a chance to react, both Gemini's came up behind him and forced his hands behind his back. They made good time, too. The Mega Laser required time to recharge after every launch and their conversation gave them enough time to perform another shot. As Armand set up the preparations, Naga continued to struggle from the twin's grips; they did not release.
"You are truly idiotic." Naga hissed. "Are you really willing to give your own life for a single chance."
"Hey, I love gambling." Gemini #2 smirked.
"MEGA LASER!!" Armand shouted.
And with a single switch, Armand once again released the massive red beam from his watch. Nag, now panicking, increased his struggle to break free from the grip. He managed to take back one of his arms, but by the time he could use it, the beam had already shot through his chest. The Gemini who released his grip was safe from the beam, but the one who held on lost his left arm. Naga's dead body fell backwards and slammed into the ground; his eyes rolled back to his head.
"Hey, you all right?" Armand asked, noticing Gemini's wound. "Sorry about that."
"Hey, it's no problem." Gemini #1 smirked. The twin with his arm blown off returned to the main body; no signs that he was injured. "That arm will grow back; I just need to stay away from the duplication for a while."
"At least we took care of him." Armand said, referring to Naga. "Although, I did have some questions for him about my dad."
"Then you should ask him next time." Gemini grimaced.
Armand turned his head in confusion; Gemini rolled his eyes and moved closer to Naga's dead body. He reached for the vipers face and rips off the skin. Armand looked ready to hurl until he noticed something wrong. Instead of internal organs, there was a teenage boy wear the snake's skin.
"Ok, what's up?" Armand questioned. "Why aren't we looking at dead boy instead of a dead snake?"
"Naga never took the chances to show his real face." Gemini explained. "He would always send someone disguised as him to fool others. He has sent so many minions that some people don't even believe he exists."
"So, now what?" Armand asked.
"I don't know about you, but I'm going after that filthy serpent." Gemini said, clutching his fist. "Naga is too dangerous to be left alive."
"Well, I'm going to go look for my friends." Armand smiled. "But if you ever need a hand, I'll find my way to you."
"I appreciate it." Gemini nodded.
The two stare at one another for a moment before slamming their fists together as a sign of friendship. And so, the two heroes went their separate ways. But before Gemini had even taken his tenth step, he could here crying coming from behind. He turned around and saw Armand sobbing over Stan's grave.
"Stan! Why?!" Armand cried.
Gemini sweat-dropped.
The scene alters to a bright and sunny land, where a small village was hidden in a row of mountains. The people of the village were cheerful and not plagued by the distress of the outside world. But their time of joy did not last long. While everyone was out on their morning duties, one worker was suddenly lifted off the ground and into the sky. The other people on the street watched as the man was dragged of by a winged monster; their time of fear had come.
"Run! They're here!" One man yelled.
"They've finally come!" A woman shouted
"It's the Bat Colony!" Another screamed.
Suddenly, over thirty winged figures dropped from the sky and began to tear the land apart. The winged figures were actually bat from the same species as Rouge, only they were more savage and came in a variety of colors. They all wore the same silver armor with a black bat symbol on the shoulders. Everywhere they went, the bats would rip apart homes and mercilessly slaughter the innocent villagers. In one of the alleys, a black bat had caught a shaking women and her two infant children at a dead end.
"Why are you doing this?" The woman sobbed.
"Do we need a reason?" The bat grinned.
The black bat raised his claw and brought in down on the woman and child. But high in the mountains above, five figures were watching as the calamity unfolds. Three of them were bat soldiers: red, blue, and green; all of them wearing crimson armor with black capes. They were kneeling to the two figures in front, one of which happened to be Kai, Naga's most loyal servant. The other figure was a white bat wearing a long red coat, grey boots with purple lines down the sides, and a black locket hanging from his neck.
"Why do you attack this village?" Kai questioned monotone. "What is the point?"
"To relieve our stress." The white bat known replied. "After all these years, we have still not succeeded in our plans." He held the black locket in his hands. "No matter how hard we try, we cannot open the locket."
"Any ideas on a solution." Kai questioned.
"This locket was previously owned by Rynod, our former leader." The white bat stated. "He kept it as a last resort against those who dared to challenge him. But when he was killed by Gale and his crew, we lost our last chance to open it. We believe only those who share his blood can open this accursed locket."
"Then why not ask his daughter to open it." Kai said sarcastically.
"Daughter?" The white bat repeated.
"As you recall, Rynod was married during the time he took over South Island." Kai said. "But when his wife stood in his way, he banished her to a far-off land. He didn't realize it at the time, but she was pregnant with his child."
"And do you know who this person is?" The white bat questioned.
"I believe you know her quite well." Kai said. "Here's a little hint."
Kai reached into his jacket and pulled out a card, which he tossed to the white bat. The bat caught the card and stared for a moment before showing it to his men. They gazed at it for a moment and nodded.
"Find her and bring her back alive." The white bat commanded forcefully.
The trio of bats nodded, stretched their wings and took off into the sky. The white bat tossed the card over his shoulder and flew down to the village to join in the carnage. Kai smirked for the first time and looked down to the card at his feet. It was a black card with a silhouette of a figure in the background. A red heart shined at the chest of the figure with a cursive writing below saying 'Thank you'.
"You're in for a big surprise, Rouge." Kai murmured.
New mysteries and problems begin to arise. What is the secret behind Armand's origin? Will Gemini find his darkness? And what shall become of Rouge and the mysterious Bat Colony. Find out on the next Sonic Heroes!
Please, read and review.