Sonic GeneX - The Series: Zodiac in Time
Mini Episode - Conan Vs. Knuckles

Note: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are (c) SEGA and 
Sonic Team. You knew that, right?
GeneX and related fanchars are (c) 2BIT (TheGreatGator), the author.


Conan the raccoon was sleeping in a dirty sleeping bag in the woods. His rest was anything but restful. His dreams were haunted by images he just couldn't shake. People he'd killed, either intentionally or unintentionally, littering a field before him. The Chaos Sword in his hand, an instrument of death rather than the bringer of life he needed. "What have I done... This wasn't what I was supposed to be doing..." he murmured as he stared out at the bodies before him. "Conan!" a voice called out. Ahead in the distance, the spirit of his lost love, Emily the squirrel, called to him. He could barely hear her voice. He tried to move closer, but as he walked, she seemed to slip further away. "......save me!" he heard her say. Something he couldn't hear preceeded it, but he assumed it was simply her calling his name again. "Emily! I'm coming! I will save you! Just tell me how! Can you tell me how?!" he called, chasing after her in vain. "......save me!" she repeated. Conan reached his hand out towards her. And then he woke up. He sat up from his sleeping bag, panting and sweating. "...Damn me... Why am I taking so long to save her? I know where the relics are now... It's just a matter of taking them. So, let's begin with the easiest to track down..." he murmured, looking up into the sky to see Angel Island floating a distance away.

Knuckles sighed, trying carefully to turn the page of a magazine in spite of the Chaos Claws being stuck on his hands. When he inevitably shredded the whole book, he tossed it aside with a grunt. "Why didn't anyone talk me outta using these? Do I gotta live like this forever?" he complained. He stood up as he heard footsteps, glaring as he saw Conan approach. "Get off my island!" he warned. Conan chuckled. "If it's the Master Emerald you're worried about, don't. I only want the Chaos Claws you won in the tournament!" he declared, holding his sword readily. Knuckles held up his hands to show off the claws. "They're kinda stuck. And if you tried to use 'em, they'd get stuck on you, too! Not real great." he warned. Conan scoffed. "If you don't want them, let me help you remove them... Of course, I know you won't, so I'll remove them the easy way. Now, die!" he smirked, his golden Chaos Wing cape turning into actual wings to carry him quickly towards Knuckles as he fired Chaos Spears from the sword! Knuckles slashed away the spears with the claws before blocking his sword with them, parrying each strike Conan made with the sword using his claws! "These things can make ya crazy, too! In your hands that'd be WAY too dangerous!" Knuckles shouted, "When I go nuts, I'm just here..." he added quietly. Conan flew above him and fired a few Chaos Spears down, which Knuckles avoided by gliding down the steps of the altar. "Maybe a true master of chaos would control the claws instead of the claws controlling him!" Conan argued, "Wait, why am I justifying myself to a dead man?" he said, soaring towards Knuckles with his blade raised, looking to slice him in half! Knuckles clashed the claws together in front of him to stop Conan's blade, but Conan kept pushing. The clashing Chaos Relics glowed, and a small explosion threw them both in different directions! Knuckles fell over the ledge, and began to glide to a safe place where Conan wouldn't find him for a while. Conan turned to the Master Emerald shrine. "He'll have to come back for... that?" Someone had moved the Master Emerald while they were fighting! "...Aaaargh!!" Conan wailed, starting to fly away.

There was a hole under where the Master Emerald had sat. A distance down the cliff, still technically on the island, Knuckles had pulled a switch. "Bet he doesn't know where the Hidden Palace is..." he smirked. As Conan was flying around the island, debating whether to look for Knuckles or look elsewhere, a small yellowish spirit orb hovered over the highest peak, seemingly watching him. "Conan..." Emily's voice quietly came from it, "...Don't save me. For your own good... You have to let me go, my love..." the spirit said before flying off into the distance. Conan landed in the jungle below Angel Island after a while. "...Perhaps the claws aren't what I'm looking for... They seem a trecherous treasure anyway." he sighed, pulling his picture of Emily out from inside his hat. "...I promise, my darling... I will find the way to bring you back to me... And I don't care how many I have to kill to do it..." he said, gritting his teeth.

End.