Rayman Pirate-Community

Finally! Another solid addition to this well-flowing story, grating enough drama, tension and action, to await the next one! 8D Poor Ly ain't getting a break with you. XD

One thing I wanna point out, is that I think you messed up with the italics. You accidentally made much more text into it, near the middle, at least I assume by the italic code randomly in it. ;3

Other than that though, it was really great. I'm awaiting to see where you'll get with it. 83

Thanks for pointing that out. (rushes off to fix it)

It's still not fixed.
Good though.

It's fixed now.

By the way, anyone who wishes to have a part in the pilot episode of the animated series for this fanfic, go here:
viewtopic.php?t=5214

Chapter 7: Team Scorpion

Eclipse Cannon Control Room, Space Colony ARK

Mr. Dark, wandering the space station Eggman had brought him to, had stumbled upon a huge, dark room. The doorway opened onto a walkway, hovering in seemingly empty space, hundreds of metres above any kind of solid surface.
The walkway led to a pillar in the centre of the room, which stretched down and up further than the eye could see. Attached to the pillar were a computer console and several strange, spherical objects floating above it.
Mr. Dark walked towards the pillar, contemplating its use. Despite having come to the station with Eggman, he did not trust the Professor or his promises. He had only come because he believed he could turn the doctor to his own purposes.
He still had no idea how the doctor had transported this massive space station, the size of a small city, into orbit around this planet. It must have taken enormous amounts of energy. And whatwas he going to do with it?
Well, he thought, This room must have something to do with it.
“A thing of beauty, isn’t it?”
Eggman had hovered across the room in his Eggmobile, coming to a halt beside Dark.
Dark continued to examine the machinery before him.
“What is it for?”
Eggman hesitated.
“This... is the control console for a massive superweapon... known as the Eclipse Cannon,”
“Eclipse... Cannon?”
“A weapon that can pierce the stars. The Cannon is able to destroy entire planets,”
“Then why have you brought it here?” asked Dark, an uneasy anger building up inside him. “You intend to destroy this planet?”
“No, no, of course not. I plan to use it to ransom for the Chaos Emeralds. I’ll never actually fire it,”
Eggman’s expression was unreadable beneath his one-way glasses. “Of course, there is a flaw in this plan. The Chaos Emeralds are needed to power this device, and we have only one Emerald. That is not nearly enough for the Cannon to pose any real threat,”
“I thought you said you didn’t intend to fire the Cannon?”
“Yes, well, we still need to demonstrate its power,”
Dark definitely didn’t trust Eggman now, but he knew that getting the Cannon working was in both of their best interests.
Then he had an idea. “I think I know where we can get an energy source for the Cannon.”

Treasure Chamber, the Cave of Bad Dreams

Shadow pushed Raylina behind him as Jano’s burning arm swung towards them. “Hey!” she yelled in protest.
“Get down!” yelled Sonic.
Raylina rolled underneath the flaming, skeletal arm, a blue energy ball glowing in her fist. She tossed it at the joint of Jano’s arm to his body. It bounced ineffectually off.
Jano laughed, his five razor-sharp teeth dripping with saliva. “Your pitiful power is no match for me! I was chosen by Polokus himself!”
A ball of white-hot flames grew in his fist, and he tossed it at Sonic. Sonic dodged, and the flames hit the pile of treasure he was standing on, melting the gold into molten slag.
Jano pulled back his arm, balled his hand into a fist, and took a tremendous punch at Shadow. Of course, he was far too slow to make contact with Shadow, who merely sidestepped, but his fist did make contact with the wall. With extreme force.
A large crater appeared in the wall, and shards of rock flew in all directions.
Jano began shooting jets of flame from his hands and mouth, melting the walls and the treasure. Only the diamonds remained untouched.
The heat in the cavern was becoming unbearable. Sweat coated Raylina’s forehead, and she was finding it hard to keep moving, as she ducked and weaved under the flames. “We need to get her out of here!” shouted Sonic across the room to Shadow, over the roar of the flames. Shadow nodded, and began to go about striking at Jano to distract him. Sonic grabbed Raylina by the hand and tried to lead her out.
Even with Shadow’s distractions, Jano saw them heading for the exit. A gesture with his hand caused rocks to come crashing down, blocking it.
“Damn!” yelled Shadow, striking at Jano with renewed anger.
This annoyed the massive Guardian. The flames across his body intensified in heat, becoming white-hot. They were consuming all of the air inside the now sealed-off room. This was no problem for the two hedgehogs, who could survive for a couple of hours in space (but for some reason drowned when underwater too long). Raylina, on the other hand, had no such survival function. She began to gasp for breath, and, not finding any, collapsed to the floor, clutching her chest.
Sonic ran to her side. “Raylina!”
Shadow leapt over Jano, homing attacking him as he did. He landed beside Sonic, still facing the Guardian, and handed the other hedgehog a winged, blue light. “Give her this!” he said, as Sonic took the Lum. “It will give her a little time!”
Shadow leapt back into action, and Sonic put the Blue Lum in Raylina’s mouth. She breathed it in, and then fell unconscious.
Shadow was about to leap once again at Jano, when the monster raised his hands. A pillar of stone rose suddenly from the floor, slamming Shadow into the ceiling. Knocked out, Jano easily seized him in his iron grip. Sonic span around from Raylina, only to be knocked against the wall with tremendous force by Jano’s fist. Jano also picked him up, so that he was holding both hedgehogs in his fists. Sonic’s eyes widened.
“Now I have you in my power,”
The three Emeralds appeared around Jano’s body, orbiting slowly. He brought Sonic up to his eye. “The Gems are MINE!”
“Don’t... count... on it!” said Soonic, struggling in the beast’s grip.
That’s when a blue ball of energy knocked one of the Emeralds from the air.
And into Raylina’s hand.
She stood there, Chaos Emerald in hand, barely able to stand, and yelled: “Chaos... Control!”
Time slowed to a stand-still.
Jano’s flames moved in slow-motion, his colours inverted. Shadow was white, Sonic orange. The Guardian was caught mid-turn, beginning to look across at Raylina.
The female Ray tossed two more balls of energy, each hitting a Chaos Emerald. They fell away from Jano, bouncing to Raylina’s feet. She threw several more, causing Jano to release his grip on Sonic and Shadow. Then she used the Emeralds to clear the rocks from the entrance. It was exhilarating, this power. She could feel the fabric of time and space flowing through her, and could manipulate it as she pleased. It was with a certain reluctance that she released this energy, and let time return to its normal pace.
Jano shrank immediately, returning to a size slightly larger than Raylina. Shadow and Sonic fell with dual thuds, then immediately leapt to their feet, circling Jano warily.
“Wow,” said Sonic. “You really saved our bacon there!”
Shadow nodded in agreement.
Jano stared around at his destroyed treasure, his pupil having returned to its normal black, and lowered his gaze. “Oh, what a fool I have been,”
Then he turned to Raylina, eye on the ground. “Forgive me, Chosen One. I have wronged you greatly,”

Anguish Lagoon, the Dream Forest

Rayman trekked through the undergrowth, the radar Eggman had given him beeping insistently. It was leading him towards another Chaos Emerald, or so he hoped.
He didn’t want to be doing this. He desperately wanted to be with his daughter and Ly at the Fairy Council, sipping plum juice in the shade with the Globoxes. But Eggman... words could not describe the rage he felt at the so-called Professor for holding his partner hostage. It burned inside like a thousand bushfires, but at the same time he had to do what Eggman said, or Ly would suffer the consequences. He had to... but this was not what a Hero should do. A Hero should fight the threat, win. But he couldn’t... he just couldn’t. He prayed to Polokus and other Gods unknown to him that the world could understand that.
A tear slid down his cheek. He was going against every cell in his body helping this villain.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by the radar’s more frequent and louder beeps. He glanced down at it. Apparently, the Emerald was barely thirty metres ahead. (I’m sorry for you Americans, but in Australia we use the metric system. )
That out it in the clearing Rayman could see just ahead. But, before he could trudge out into the open, a buzzing sound filled the air. He pushed down a branch so that he had a good view of the clearing.
A group of ten insectoid Moskitos hovered down into the clearing. The creatures resembled what their name suggested, mosquitoes, only far larger, more solidly built, and limbless, in a similar manner to Rayman himself. Their eyes were wide and white, with various-coloured lids. Tiny, translucent wings buzzed frantically on their backs. Rayman had fought, and then befriended, a purple member of their species in this same area of the forest many, many years ago, and had fought alongside many of them in the second Robo-Pirate war. But these looked young, and were definitely not veterans of the Rebellion. Small bands of Moskitos often travelled throughout the Dream Forest, venturing from their home at Moskito’s Nest.
Rayman watched as the creatures speared several of the red, spiked fruits that hung from the trees on their extendable proboscis, and began to gorge themselves.
He also watched as one, orange coloured Moskito hovered down to the centre of the clearing, and spotted a curious light in the grass. The insect-like being reached into the grass, a look of awe in its eyes, and retrieved a large, blue gem.
A Chaos Emerald.
Rayman cursed silently. Now he would have to fight the creatures, and he had no desire to harm the innocent insects.
The others gathered around the one who held the Emerald, buzzing in delight, as the orange one held it reverently in the air. Rayman held his breath, and stepped out into the clearing.
Just as a continuous crashing came from the opposite side. The Moskitos’ attention was drawn that way, and they didn’t notice Rayman. It sounded like an elephant was crashing through the forest at very high speeds. And it had an engine. The deep sound of its revs filled the air.
Then, the source of the sound revealed itself.
It came bursting into the clearing at many kilometres an hour. It was a four-wheeled, heavily armoured vehicle, complete with rotating chain-gun turret at the back. It bounced on its independent suspension as it entered the clearing, and its armoured hull was painted with grey camo. The driver could be seen through the windscreen. The turret was manned by a Teensie, firing at the cluster of Moskitos. The insects scattered, screeching, and dropped the Emerald as they flew away in a panic. One was hit in the foot, leaking green blood, but still managed to fly away.
The big, armoured vehicle skidded into the centre of the clearing. As it drew closer, Rayman could make out the stencilled wording on the sides of the vehicle. On one side was written “Team Scorpion”, and on the other side “Dark Hog”.
Rayman realised that the vehicle’s occupants were heading for the Emerald. He ran towards the centre, hoping to grab the Emerald, but the driver spotted him, and pointed to someone in the passenger seat. He nodded, and jumped out the side, rolling as he hit the ground.
Rayman almost froze in shock.
It was another Ray.
A Limbless.
Wielding a big-ass machine gun.
There were very few Rays left in the Crossroads. Among the last were Mr. Dark, Rayman, Raylina, Tarayzan, and the Musician. The Magician had died years ago of natural causes. Rayman had hopes that the race could be saved eventually, if more were found, but that was a slim hope.
And here was another he had never met.
He wore a black shirt, with the traditional ‘O’ in the centre. Within the ‘O’ was an inverted triangle. His hair was grey, and swept back into spikes. This was not an indication of age, Rayman knew. His shoes were angular, and predominantly white, with black soles. A sword was strapped across his back, and two pistols were on a belt at his waist. He was levelling a large, black assault rifle at Rayman’s head, which had ‘Tybalt’ written across the side in white. The inverted triangle was also on the barrel, as well as on the sheath of his sword.
“Stand down,” called the Limbless.
Rayman did no such thing. A yellow ball of energy was already charging in his hand. As he threw it, however, it was met by a red ball from the other Ray. They exploded in midair, dissipating harmlessly. The Ray fired several shots into the air, and said: “I said stand down,” This time, Rayman obeyed, holding his hands above his head.
The Ray stepped across to the Chaos Emerald, still tracking Rayman in the sights of his gun, and picked it up. He climbed back into Dark Hog, and signalled the driver to leave.
“Wait!” yelled Rayman. “Who are you?”
The Limbless looked at him. “We are Team Scorpion. We do as we are payed to do,”
He held his black-gloved hand up in salute. “And I am Rayden,”
Then the vehicle drove back into the undergrowth.

I’ll upload some artwork of Rayden soon. Anyway:

Team Scorpion – This Machine by Julien-K http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acWWhYNfZ8s

This was Team Dark’s theme in Sonic Heroes, and by association Shadow’s theme.

Whoa, I didn't know you were Australian!

Yep, that's me. And I don't have that stupid accent you yanks think Australians do. That stereotype of the bush-bashing people who ride to school in kangaroos is waaaaay outdated. Australia is actually fairly modern. In fact, the kangaroo part never existed.
Sorry, that's my rant done. I know you guys probably don't subscribe to those stereotypes, but it still gets me a little annoyed.

Steve Irwin didn't help us there either.
Oh well, we make fun of americans so it's all good.

Yep. Go Aussie!
Sorry for you Americans, me and Holy Crap just made fun of you! Anyway, this isn't the cultural stereotype forum. Or is it...

Chapter 8: A God’s Darkest Thoughts

Polokus’ Garden

Polokus sat on a pillar of stone, arms in a meditative position, eyes closed. His bare chest rose and fell with the rhythm of his breathing. His pillar was in the centre of a large, grassy clearing overlooking a vast valley. The valley was in a state of perpetual, star-lit night. This was the semi-physical land of Polokus’ dreams, the place where he performed the art of creation.
That was Polokus’ particular method of creation. Dreams. All that he dreamt, asleep or awake, became reality. All of the Crossroads, at least to begin with, had emerged from Polokus’ dreams. This was where the name of the planet came from. The Crossroads of Dreams.
The problem was, sometimes he had no control over his dreams.
Even Gods had nightmares.
Other people could also enter this valley, this garden, but they could not affect the dreams themselves. They could only visit the God, like Rayman had done during the first Pirate invasion. Many years prior to that, Polokus had retreated into his dreams almost permanently. He had left the Four Masks of Polokus behind so that he could be called back if need be, but he had been fairly confident the Ancients’ Chosen One could deal with most threats. Rayman had reunited the Four Masks, bringing them to the Dreamworld, and thus awakening Polokus. Polokus had smote the Robo-Pirates, striking them from the surface of the planet. However, Polokus was as helpless in the air as a newborn babe, and so it had been left up to Rayman to destroy the Pirate Prison Ship. Which he had done, thus proving himself for a second time.
The second time the Pirates invaded, however, it had not been so easy. This time they had attacked with a force fifty times as large, with not one, but many Prison Ships. They had neutralised Polokus before he had time to react, and imprisoned him in an extremely powerful ‘anti-magic’ cage. But, once again, Rayman had saved the day, uniting no less than the Knaaren and the Teensies (who were natural enemies) and the Moskitos against the Pirates, driving them away from the Crossroads AND destroying the planet they lived on, wiping them out permanently.
Except for Razorbeard. He had allied with Rayman, but double crossed him and placed a xenomorph infestation on the Crossroads. The Aliens had wiped out almost the entire population of the Crossroads, until Rayman killed the Alien Queen, destroyed Razorbeard, and used the Balance Stone to bring every casualty back to life.
All in a day’s work.
Polokus was stirred from his reverie by a low, droning noise. He opened his eyes, puzzled, to see a round, flying vehicle hovering before him.

Mr. Dark pointed Eggman towards the pillar. “There. There’s your source of power,”
“What, that creature on the pillar?”
“No,” replied Dark. “The pillar itself. Or more correctly, what is attached to the pillar,”
Eggman didn’t hesitate. A blast from the cannons of his Eggmobile threw Polokus off the pillar, but he remained hovering in the air. He merely watched as the Eggmobile’s claws uprooted the pillar and flew off with it.
“Why didn’t he fight back?” asked Eggman.
Mr. Dark knew the answer to this question, but he didn’t answer, until Eggman shrugged and returned to piloting his craft.
The pillar was brought inside the Eggmobile, and Mr. Dark examined it. It was of a yellow-brown stone, and had large circle-marks upon each side.
Also on each side, attached firmly to the pillar, were the Four Masks of Polokus.

Treasure Chamber, the Cave of Bad Dreams

Jano talked. The hedgehogs and Raylina listened.
He began with an explanation of himself.
“I was once a normal resident of this world, many millions of years ago. I was alive when Polokus was still dreaming it into being. But, fairly early in this process, it became apparent that the Spirit of the World had some problems. Everything he dreamt of became reality. Everything. Including his nightmares.
“He eventually decided to create a place, deep underground, where all his nightmares would go. This was that place. Most of his bad dreams were channelled into this cave, and so it became the Cave of Bad Dreams.
“But he needed a Guardian, one to guard the cave against those who might seek to take advantage of it.
“At this time, I was a member of one of the many races on this planet. I can’t remember exactly which, it was so long ago. I do remember that I was shunned within my species. I was a freak, with great physical deformities, and a strange power which they did not like. They bullied me, hurt me, abused me.
“One day they went too far.
“They pushed me and pushed me, until I went over the edge. I killed one of them, using my mysterious power. I was so angry. Afterwards, of course, I felt guilty. They chased me away, and I was lucky to escape with my life. I barely survived after that, constantly on the edge of starvation, roaming this continent.
“Polokus found me in an ancient desert, one which probably no longer exists. I had wandered into that hellish place under cover of darkness, but the sun had begun to rise. The heat quickly took its toll, and I found myself in the open desert, with no food or water, dying.
“The Spirit of the World took me and nurtured me back to health. When I was back to my former health and preparing to set off again, Polokus made me an offer. He told me of his problem, and asked me if I would oblige. ‘It will be lonely work,’ he said. I was already the loneliest creature in Polokus’ Creation, so I accepted.
“Since then the entrance to this Cave has been under the sea, on top of a mountain, in a deep forest, and inside another Cave. Always in the same place, geographically, but the land is constantly shifting. Polokus has visited me many, many times. He gave me my hat, the same as his, to show my connection with the Gods. He is the only family, the only friend, I have ever known.
Jano made a wide gesture with his skeletal arms. “This cave is the reservoir for all of Polokus’ darkest thoughts. What you see, the bones, the skulls, the poison, is only the surface. Beneath lie the deadly diseases, the destructive powers, the monsters of unfathomable fury. If anyone with malicious intent were to access these, the Crossroads as you know them would descend into chaos and destruction.
“I know that you may find it difficult to forgive me. I am not making excuses. Understand this, though: I have been almost completely alone here for millions of years. The occasional visitor seeking to take the Treasure does nothing to alleviate this. So, Chosen One, I, Jano, Guardian of the Cave of Dreams, am deeply sorry,”
Raylina didn’t know what to make of this. Sonic and Shadow certainly didn’t.
“We don’t have time for this,” said Shadow. But Raylina felt she owed this monster something. She looked into his eye, and saw one of absolute sorrow, regret, and loneliness.
It touched her.
She placed her hand upon Jano’s brow and said, “I forgive you, Jano,”
And then they were gone.

The Marshes of Awakening

The next thing Raylina knew, they were standing upon a huge, green lily-pad surrounded by stagnant swamp water.
“That was strange,” muttered Shadow. “I know! It was so weird!” she said, talking over the top of Sonic, who had been about to make a witty remark. He closed his mouth with a wry smile. “And scary, too! Did you see how I used Chaos Control before? How cool was that! I thought only you Mobians could do that, and Mr. Dark thought so to, but apparently...”
She trailed off, seeing the look of puzzlement on the black and red hedgehog’s face. He was normally one of few words, and this sudden burst of conversation had him overwhelmed.
Sonic could only laugh.
But then the Marshes became a far more dangerous place to be.
Behind the trio, a patch of water began to bubble. A huge, green, scaly head began to rise from the depths, breaching the surface slowly. The head had to brown frills, one on each side, and its mouth was like a huge, dark hole with a few sharp, off-white teeth. It was followed by a fat body, covered in various fins and frills.

The monster towered above the three companions, at least eight metres tall. And this was just the part above the water. Who knew what lay beneath?
Standing on its head, one hand gripping a spine that stood out of the back of the swamp monster’s head, was Dark Rayman.
Sonic, Shadow, and Raylina spun around as the beast unleashed a mighty roar.
“Hello again, ladies and gents!” Dark Rayman’s voice echoed through the Marshes. “This is my friend,”
Tendrils of shadow reached down the monster’s sides from Dark Raymans other hand, plunging into the stale, scum-covered water.
“Eig!”
The water came alive.

In the various swamps, marshes, bogs, and bayous of the Crossroads of Dreams live all manner of creatures. Some are fairly benevolent, such as Sam, a serpent-like being who inhabited the Marshes of the Awakening, and was good friends with Rayman.
But then there were the dark and dangerous monsters. There were the Zombie Chickens, who had only existed since the first Pirate invasion. They were a result of the hens laying rotten eggs out of fear, which hatched into the unkillable yet flimsily built Zombie Chickens.
Then there was Eig, a massive, seventy-year-old marsh creature who spent his time drinking fermented liquor and hindering Sam’s passage through the Marshes. It was he Dark Rayman was currently controlling.
And finally, there were the Piranhas.
Millions upon millions of flesh-eating fish, some big, some small. All desperate for a taste of blood. They usually lived in tainted water, waiting for those stupid enough to fall in, but the bigger ones often leaped metres from the water to snatch at prey.
Dark Rayman’s power reached into the tiny brains of each and every Piranha for miles around.
And summoned them to him.
Thousands of black-coloured, toothy fish churned the water to foam as they rushed towards the lily pad.
Raylina, Sonic and Shadow had nowhere to go. They were trapped by the swarms of ferocious fish. Raylina tossed ball upon ball of blue energy into the masses. The teeth fell from the mouths of the ones she hit, and they exploded in puffs of smoke. But for every one she killed, ten more took its place. A golden light began to charge in Shadow’s hands, and as it reached a large size, he shouted “Chaos Spear!”, and threw it into the Piranhas, frying many of them. Sonic couldn’t do much more than watch, and hit any that reached the lily pad back into the water.
But they just kept coming.
Eig lifted a massive fin, ready to bring it down on the trio...
BOOM!
The sound of cannon fire was deafening. A volley of black, lead balls crunched into Eig’s chest, knocking him backwards. He roared in fury and pain, but was knocked backwards by a second volley. He retreaded behind one of the big, moss-covered trees that populated the Marshes.
Raylina looked around...
To see a flying Pirate ship come into view. On the deck were many creatures, armed to the teeth with all manner of weapons. On the sail was a Lum, crossed with a spear and a rifle.
It was CODEFS.
The Crossroads of Dreams Elite Fighting Squad.
The warship hovered above the lily pad, and bullets rained down from the weapons of those onboard, encircling the trio with a ring of protective death. Piranhas died in their hundreds, still madly trying to reach them.
“All aboard!” came a call from the ship, rising above the noise of the firing.
The three companions needed no second order. Shadow took Raylina in his arms, and he and Sonic leapt upwards onto the warship.
But Dark Rayman was not finished.
Eig emerged from behind the tree, Dark Rayman atop his head. He immediately became the target of several Fighting Squad weapons, but his tough skin weathered the blows. Dark Rayman raised his hands, and suddenly the trio’s three Emralds were floating around them in the air. They grabbed at them, only just securing them. But then Eig swung at the ship with one huge fin. It knocked it sideways, and all on board grabbed for a handhold. Raylina fell to the ground, accidentally letting go of the green Emerald. She grabbed at it again, fumbled it...
And it fell into the waters of The Marshes of Awakening.
“No!” she yelled, staring in disbelief at the place where the Emerald had disappeared into the water. She was contemplating leaping in and getting it, but a firm hand gripped her shoulder. She turned around to see the part Knaaren, part Teensie, part Fairy being named Lachimax standing there, shaking his head, spear in hand. “It’s not worth it,” he said.
Then the slow-moving Zombie Chickens began to emerge from the trees, hundreds of them. Most were brought down by gunfire, to fall to the water and be reassembled later. But they just kept coming, floating eerily through the air.
“Time to leave!” yelled Lachimax to the rear cabin, and the ship rose upwards through the trees and blasted away.
Raylina sat down on the deck, shaking her head. “Damn it,” she muttered.
“Who’s this, then?” came a voice from behind her. She looked around, and there was Christian the Semi-Ray. She leapt to her feet and ran over to him, wrapping him in a hug. “Uncle Christian!”
Christian was from another planet, and belonged to a species who were closely related to Rays, but had legs. The rest of his species was wiped out by the Robo-Pirates, and he had been brought to the Crossroads as a prisoner in the second Pirate invasion. Rayman and the Rebellion had rescued him, and from then on he had fought alongside Rayman against the Robo-Pirates, helping him to destroy their homeworld, and then later fighting the Aliens with him. He possessed an ancient weapon known as the Form Baton, designed by his people to be compatible with the Sacred Balance Stone.
Raylina didn’t know much of this. She had known Christian from a very young age, and they had become close friends.
Standing next to Christian was Bloodgrey, another hard-bitten fighter. Bloodgrey had also fought beside Rayman against the xenomorph scourge, and his past was mostly mysterious. He had the body of a man, but was covered in fine, grey fur, and the head of a dog. He carried a large battle-axe, with a red flag hanging from it. Around his neck was a skull medallion with purple jewel eyes. Since the defeat of the Alien plague, he had alternated between wandering the world and fighting alongside the Fighting Squad.
On Christian’s other side was Lachimax, founder of the Fighting Squad. He had been with Rayman since the beginning of the second Pirate invasion, and had begun CODEFS during the first. A red Lum, named Darna, hovered at his shoulder. His past was dark, and he was a brilliant tactician and fighter. (I explained Lachimax’s past in my first fanfic, Return of the Robo-Pirates, which can be read here. viewtopic.php?t=1829 Alien vs. Rayman, the second one, can also be read here. viewtopic.php?t=2020 ) His spear was said to be a relic of the Ancients themselves.
Another member of the Fighting Squad standing nearby was Gilly. One of Globox’s children, he had long ago exceeded his father in strength, stamina, and skill. His weapon of choice was a threatening-looking minigun.
Piloting the warship was Bucket, a Robo-Pirate who had been programmed with emotions and empathy as an experiment by the Pirates. He had rebelled against his makers and had joined the Squad at its beginning. His job was usually just to pilot the craft. He was possibly the last of the Pirates, apart from Admiral Razorbeard, who still existed in a useless state on top of one of the Crossroads’ many mountains.
The Crossroads of Dreams Elite Fighting Squad was a group committed to fighting any threats to the Crossroads. Every one of its members was unique, with their own weapons and tools. The warship they flew had been acquired and heavily modified in the first Robo-Pirate war, crashed in the Alien invasion, and later repaired with parts left over from the second Pirate War.
Christian pulled Raylina off him, and said: “We’ll catch up later. I think you’d better help your friends at the moment,”
Christian pointed towards the centre of the deck, where several CODEFS members had Shadow and Sonic covered by many weapons. Sonic seemed pretty laid back, but Shadow was starting to glow red.
“Hey!” said Raylina. “Lay off them! They’re our friends!”
The fighters put their guns aside, still eyeing the two hedgehogs warily. Raylina ran over to them.
“Sonic,” she said. “I’m so sorry! I lost my Emerald! It fell overboard!”
Shadow and Sonic glanced at each other. “That’s not good,” said Sonic. Shadow turned away, and Raylina could feel the anger radiating from him. Raylina looked at Sonic, and he shrugged. “Hey, not much we can do about it now! Don’t worry, we’ll get it back later,”
And so the CODEFS warship flew into the distance, the trio on board.




Christian – Never Turn Back by Crush 40 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVIO1t9tYuE

This song was the ending theme of the game Shadow the Hedgehog. I think the lyrics kind of suit Christian.

Bloodgrey – Knight of the Wind by Crush 40 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6pPh_-BBKA

This is the main theme of Sonic and the Black Knight. I’m not quite sure why I chose it for Bloodgrey.

Oh, whoops, did I just bump this?

I think you might have.

I like your version of Jano's past, it kind of makes him more...complex.

And as for the Masks being the source of Polokus's powers, you're giving me interesting ideas...

Chapter 9: Eclipse

Onboard the CODEFS warship, Near the Swamps

Raylina stood on the deck of the Warship, gazing at the scenery as it flashed past. She was contemplating the stupidity of her mistake. Granted, she hadn’t meant to drop the Emerald, but she had, and now it was at the bottom of the Marshes of Awakening or, even worse, in the hands of Dark Rayman.
Sonic came up beside her. “Hey,” he said. “What’s up?”
Raylina shrugged, or as close to as one with no arms can. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Sonic smiled understandingly. “Ah, don’t worry about that. You made a mistake, so what? We’ll get it back,”
Raylina shook her head. “Shadow doesn’t seem to think so,”
“Ah, forget about him. He’s not really angry at you. Well, okay, he is, but I think part of that is he’s angry at himself for putting you in that situation,”
Sonic turned to her and patted her on the back. “Come on, buck up. It’ll be alright,”
The corners of Raylina’s mouth tweaked slightly.
“Um, Sonic?” she asked uncertainly. “Does Shadow...? I mean, is he... single?”
Sonic nearly did a double take in surprise. “Shadow? What, this Shadow? Shadow the Hedgehog?”
Raylina blushed furiously. “Um... yeah, that Shadow,”
Sonic was on the verge of laughter. “Yeah, I guess he is. Why? You... interested?”
“Stranger things have happened,” Raylina said, still blushing.
“Yeah, but he’s... oh well. Your choice, I guess!” Sonic winked. “And good luck! You’re gonna need it with Shadow,”
“Raylina!” came a call from the rear cabin of the ship. “You’ve got a call!”
Christian poked his head out from the doorway. “And I don’t think it’s friendly!”

Sonic, Shadow, Raylina, Lachimax, and Christian gathered in front of a screen in the cabin of the warship. On the screen, of course, was Doctor Eggman.
“what do you want now, Eggman?” said Sonic, pretending to check a non-existent wristwatch. “We don’t have much time to be chatting idly,”
“Cocky as always, I see, Sonic,” said Eggman. He certainly seemed happy about something. “Well, you won’t be for much longer. Greetings to you, as well, Shadow, and Raylina, Rayman’s beautiful daughter. Now, see this!”
He pressed a button somewhere, and the image on the screen switched to a feed of an objest floating in space. It was a white hemi-sphere, which looked like half of a moon, complete with craters. In the centre of the flat side was a pyramidal, metal protrusion, as well as several, flat, metal spikes pointing horizontally away from the object.

What’s more, in the background was a planet clearly recognisable as the Crossroads of Dreams.
Sonic’s eyes widened in recognition. “But that’s the...”
Eggman’s voice broke in. “yes, that’s right Sonic. The ARK. And along with it, the Eclipse Cannon. Now, Sonic, we will strike a bargain,”
“It’ll be a pretty one-sided bargain,” said Sonic.
The screen returned to Eggman.
“Correct! Glad you’re learning. Now, Sonic you must bring the three Chaos Emeralds I know you have in your possession to me, or I will fire the Eclipse Cannon upon the Fairy Council,”
Raylina opened her mouth to inform Eggman that they only had two Emeralds, but Shdaow shook his head.
“You’re bluffing, Eggman,” said Sonic with conviction. “You wouldn’t do that. You don’t even have enough power to fire the Cannon,”
“I beg to differ, my dear Hedgehog. I have quite enough power. And, to show you I’m not bluffing,”
He began pressing more buttons. “I will demonstrate my seriousness,”
Eggman made a show of bringing his finger down on the final button.
“No!” yelled Shadow and Sonic at once.
Outside the warship, everything was suddenly bathed in green light.
A massive, ghostly-green beam of energy shot down from the sky above. The entire Fighting Squad watched in horror as it met with the centre of the Marshes, visible in the distance. A green globe of blinding light expanded from the point of impact, swallowing the Marshes and all inside them. The water evaporated instantly, frying millions of Piranhas. The trees were burnt to nothing in an instant. Eig, the ancient beast of the marshes, died without a sound, as did Sam, the friendly serpent.
“Brace for impact!” shouted Bucket, the warship’s pilot, and everyone scrambled for a handhold as the shockwave reached the ship.
The sound was awful, the loudest thing Raylina had ever heard, like a million bolts of lightning hitting the ground at once. The ship rocked in the air, shaking everyone onboard. Some were knocked out on the floor and walls of the ship or on their own weapons. It kept shaking for at least twenty seconds, but it seemed like an eternity.
When it finally finished, Raylina looked out the porthole in the side of the ship, shocked and horrified at what she saw. Where the Marshes of Awakening had once been, there was nothing but a dry, parched piece of land. Gone were the creatures of the swamps, the ancient trees. Taken in an instant by Eggman’s greed.
“You bastard!” said Lachimax, shouting at Eggman.
“You two hedgehogs both know that that was the lowest setting,” said Eggman, still on the screen, chuckling.
“You have forty-eight hours,”
And then he was gone.

Site of the destroyed Marshes of Awakening

Dark Rayman walked calmly across the blackened earth, following his senses. He ignored the devastation surrounding him. Smoke rose in huge columns, small fires burnt around him, and stormclouds were forming in the sky from the millions of tonnes of water that had evaporated. Such things did not affect him. This world could go to hell as far as he was concerned. He served only one purpose. To collect the Emeralds and return them to their rightful master. His master. And to destroy anything that got in his way.
He reached down, pushing through the dust, ash and dirt that had once been the bed of the Marshes of Awakening, and touched something hard. Something warm.
A pulse of energy blasted the floor away, revealing the green Chaos Emerald, unhurt by the Eclipse Cannon.
Dark Rayman began to laugh.

The Dream Forest

Rayman trudged stubbornly through the jungle, following the insistent beep of the Emerald radar. He was tracking Team Scorpion and the Emerald they carried. He didn’t know anything about them, whether there were more of them, what their intentions were, what tactics they would use. But he was determined to bring them to justice.
His shirt caught on a thorny tree, and he stopped. He tried to pull it free, but it ripped slightly. He delicately gripped the branch between his thumb and forefinger, trying to separate it from his shirt, and was rewarded with a prick to the back of his hand. In a sudden burst of rage, he brought his other fist down, glowing yellow, and punched through the branch. It burnt instantly to cinders, the white ash drifting to the forest floor.
He shook himself, then continued on his way.
Finally, he reached a huge clearing. In the clearing was a huge, flat, steel-walled building. A large, heavy bulkhead formed the only entrance. The structure was angular, with antennas and aerials sticking out at multiple angles.
Emblazoned on the bulkhead were the words “Evil Genius Incorporated”.
Now Rayman knew who Team Scorpion was working for.
Suddenly, an alarm blared through the clearing. The bulkhead began to slide open, and many robotic soldiers poured out. It took Rayman a few seconds to realise he was the cause of the alarm, and by then the robots had formed a circle around his position, guns aimed inwards.
Rayman glanced upwards as the roar of a motor broke through the alarm, and Team Scorpion’s vehicle came into view, driving straight towards Rayman. It skidded to a halt, and Rayden disembarked from the passenger’s seat. He swaggered to the front of the robots, his weapon at hand.
“You just don’t give up, do you?” he said, calling to Rayman. “Get him,” he said to the robots. “But try not to hurt him,”
He looked at Rayman, an amused glint in his eye. “Too much,”
The robots fired at Rayman, but he dodged easily, charging at their ranks. His glowing fists carved through their metal armour, reducing many to scrap metal. He destroyed dozens of them, but there were too many, and finally he was overwhelmed. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Rayden, standing over him and looking at the red kerchief tied around his would-be neck.

Evil Genius Inc. Experimental Weapons Facility, the Dream Forest

Dark Hog drove down the wide, steel corridor, its Knaaren driver intent on the way ahead. Rayden sat in the passenger seat, Tybalt on his lap. It was a deadly-accurate assault rifle, complete with a scope, which could be switched from full automatic to burst fire to single shots. In the holsters at his belt were Romeo and Juliet, his two powerful pistols. Also, strapped across his back was a large, curved sword, the sword that had been with him since childhood.
In the turret behind him was Sharkin, a Teensie from the Clearleaf Forest. He wore black battle armour, and had a sniper rifle slung across his back. Both hands were on the turret’s controls, although they were unlikely to encounter trouble here.
The driver, Gripnos, was a Knaaren, and it was almost, but not quite, a squeeze for him in the roomy vehicle. There was just enough room for him. He also wore black chest and shoulder plates. On his back was a shotgun.
Also stored in the compartment in the back of Dark Hog were a minigun, a rocket launcher, and several other heavy weapons that could not be carried at all times.
This was Team Scorpion.
They were a team of mercenaries, employed by whomever payed the highest. No job too big. Rayden had formed the group years ago, and since then they had worked for many clients. They were currently in the employ of Evil Genius Inc. Their client had known about the Chaos Emeralds appearing suddenly, and had decided it would be prudent to acquire one. So now Team Scorpion was bringing the blue Emerald to the high-ranking EGI employee who was in charge here.
Rayden played with the Chaos Emerald in his hand, spinning it on the tip of his finger. He could feel the power within it, the sheer energy. He was tempted to use it. But he knew that would almost certainly be in breach of his contract. He didn’t know why EGI needed the Emerald, but he could guess. It would be a fantastic source of power for the weapons they built.
Research Labs rolled past, where all manner of experiments were being carried out. Rayden knew about some of them. A Mark VII Grolgoth Battle Suit was in development, with vast improvements on the original model sold to Razorbeard many years ago. Some kind of bio-weapon was also being experimented with; something called the Flood, which he knew next to nothing about.
Rayden ran his hand through his grey, swept-back, spiked hair. The gloves on his hands covered half of his fingers, leaving the ends exposed.
Dark Hog rolled to a gentle stop just outside a steel door, with the words “Chief Salesman, General Standent” printed on it. Rayden climbed out of the all-terrain vehicle, Chaos Emerald in hand, slung Tybalt on his shoulder plate, and knocked.
“Come in, Rayden,” came a gravelly voice from inside. Rayden glanced up at the discreet camera above the door, and then entered.
General Standent, often known as the “Grolgoth Salesman” by those close to him because of his success at selling a Mark I Grolgoth to Admiral Razorbeard during the climax of the first Pirate invasion, stood behind his desk, back straight. His chest was decorated with various badges, and he was limbless, but not a member of the Ray species. Some said he had made himself limbless through some sort of implant, for the advantages it offered in battle. He had also been involved in the sale of the Orbital Laser 5000 to Commander Steelwill in the second Pirate war.
“Ah, you have the Emerald!” he said holding his hand out to take it. Rayden placed the gem warily in the Salesman’s hand. “And our pay?” he asked, with no pretence at politeness.
“All in good time, all in good time,” said the Salesman, examining the Emerald in awe. “You will not go without your money,”
Rayden turned to leave, but the General stopped him. “Don’t you wish to find out what it will be used for?”
He paused. “I guess as a source of energy for any high-powered weapons,”
“Yes,” agreed the Salesman. “That is one possible application. But our intelligence suggests that this gem possesses enhancing properties, and is able to make beings more powerful. If we can replicate that, it would sell extremely well,”
Rayden shrugged. “It is no concern of mine how you use it,”
He left the room.

Rayman awoke in a dark, unfurnished cell. He was lying on the ground. The floor, ceiling and walls were made of steel, and the door had no knob or opening device on the inside. The ceiling was four metres in the air, well beyond Rayman’s reach. In the centre of the ceiling was a vent with a metal grill covering it. Rayman guessed this was to let air in, as the cell otherwise appeared airtight.There was a small light in the ceiling alongside it.
Rayman sat down, and waited.

She hung in the darkness, alone, laying egg after egg. At regular hours every day pain was visited upon her by those who held her prisoner. They sought to use her and her kind as a weapon, this she knew. The idea was laughable. No matter how hard her species was trained, no matter how obedient they might seem on the surface, no matter how much they were modified, they would always break free and turn on their masters. She had only to wait, and she could be their saviour. She would kill those who brought such pain to her personally. Eventually, something would come; something would give her and her brood the strength to escape.
While she stood in the darkness, contemplating revenge, she felt a powerful source of energy pass nearby. This was a foreign kind of energy, powerful. But just through proximity, she felt its power seeping through steel walls and into her body.
It was time. Time to show these inferior people what brutal strength her species possessed.

Above the destroyed Marshes of Awakening

Dark Rayman floated almost a mile from the ground, the green Emerald hovering in front of him. Its power flowed through him, into his hands. Great sheets of darkness rolled down from his fists, encircling him. The storm clouds above began to circle around him, lightning striking from their depths.
For miles around, thousands of Red Lums began to appear, swarming towards him. Too stupid to know better, to resist Dark Rayman’s power.
A bolt of darkness flew from the Chaos Emerald, striking the closest Lum. It travelled from that Lum to the next, then to three others, and on until it hit every single Lum in the swarm. The Lums shivered, cocooned in dark power. Their lights went out, and they became black balls with wings. They opened their tiny, glowing, red eyes.
Black Lums, Dark Lums, Hoodlums. Different names, same thing.
Dark Rayman’s servants.
The Black Lums had returned.


Rayden – Who I Am by Magna-Fi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szL7xGjYM54

This was going to be the main theme of Shadow the Hedgehog, but was not used in the game due to licensing issues. I chose it for Rayden because of his mysterious past and his similarities to Shadow.

Things can only get worse from here.

They're screwed.

Chapter 10: Outbreak

Just a quick note. If you haven’t read Alien vs. Rayman, my second fanfic, this chapter will confuse you a lot. Read it here: viewtopic.php?t=2020

Evil Genius Inc. Experimental Weapons Facility, the Dream Forest

Rayman looked up as Rayden let himself into the cell. His rifle hung at his side, within easy reach. Rayman tensed as the other Ray examined him. “You must be losing your touch,” he said finally. “Chosen One,”
Rayman started. “Huh? How did you...?”
Rayden chuckled. “No wonder you wear it so openly, if you do not even understand its significance,”
Rayden gestured at the red neckerchief hung around where Rayman’s neck would be. “That garment is the symbol of the Ancients’ Chosen One’s power, passed down for millions of years from the great Rayolen, the first of the Heroes,”
A small amount of respect was in Rayden’s eyes. “Which would make you Rayman, destroyer of Pirates, rescuer of worlds,”
Rayman nodded, maintaining eye contact.
Rayden watched Rayman for a few minutes, thoughtfully. “You are obviously growing older. Perhaps it is time to pass on the mantle, Chosen One,”
Rayman nodded. “Perhaps it is. My daughter is almost ready, I believe,”
Rayden smiled. “Then our race is in safe hands. But, unfortunately, I am unable to release you until our job is done,”
He backed out of the cell, closing the door behind him. Rayman lay back down, trying to get to sleep.

“Guards to Xenomorph Research Lab 7! Immediate Assistance Required!”
The dull voice rang through the corridors of the large building. The robotic guards rushed towards the Xenomorph research lab, guns ready.
Inside, two black, skeletal creatures had broken out of their containment. They towered over the body of a researcher. The inches-thick glass that had limited them from attacking him, thought to be bullet-proof, had a large hole melted through it. Some sort of acid...
Several beige, spider-like creatures scuttled through the hole, crawling across the roof and floor. They went up the vents, through the door, into every nook or cranny they could find.
The door of the research lab burst open, and the robots rushed in, guns levelled. Without hesitation, they blasted the creatures to hell, spraying their blood across the room. Their green blood splashed onto the walls, steam rising from the impact points. It sunk in, burning holes straight through. Movement became visible through the holes, the movement of something huge. A low hissing could be heard. A huge, skeletal, insect-like body was seen, with an even bigger beige-coloured sac trailing away from it. A head with a large, ornate crest sat at the front of the body. Saliva dripped from its teeth.
The robots aimed their weapons, but suddenly they sparked and fell to the ground, short-circuited.
In the main computer centre of the facility, a blackened, dead, spider-creature dropped from the robots’ command centre, leaving behind a mess of circuits.
The Alien Queen hissed, and the Facehuggers crawled through the facility, finding hosts and impregnating them with their terrible parcel.

The hedgehog opened his eyes. It was dark, so dark. He felt so old, so terribly ancient. He could not move his limbs, could not move. He was inside a cell, that much he knew. He had been brought here, years ago. His fur, once a brilliant blue, had faded to an ugly grey. His spikes had fallen to hang down his back. He remembered how he used to run. Oh, how he used to run. The memory of the wind in his face, the sun on his back...
And Amy. Oh, why hadn’t he payed more attention to Amy? They could have been so happy together.
Something moved. The hedgehog didn’t care. He didn’t care what happened to him. He had lived his life to the fullest, and was ready to die. His only regret was not taking more care of Amy.
A scratching noise came from the floor. Something was running across it. He turned, to see what it could be.
The last thing the hedgehog saw was a spider-like creature flying towards his face.
(Ah, don’t you just love time-travel?)

Rayman awoke again to a clanging sound coming from the vent above his head. He looked up, to see something moving on the other side. He frowned. He could not make out what it was. Insectoid legs, long, whip-like tail...
“Oh, Fu...” Rayman trailed off as a drop of acid dripped through the grate, landing between his feet. He dived out of the way as the thick, metal grate dropped out of the ceiling, melted away at the edges by highly acidic blood, and an eight-legged, long-tailed, spiderlike creature dropped down close behind it.
It leapt straight at Rayman’s face. Even with his quick reflexes, he barely got his hands up before it slammed into him. He had it by the legs, but its tail reached for his non-existent neck, curling and stretching in the space between his head and his shoulders. With an effort, Rayman threw the Facehugger off him, into a corner. It flipped back onto its legs and charged him again, and Rayman kicked it aside. It hit the wall with a crack, and dropped to the floor. It was still alive, but one of its legs hung limp as it ran at Rayman again. These things were incredibly single-minded. I guess that’s because it’s their only purpose in life, Rayman thought, as he ducked under the Facehugger’s leap and grabbed it by the tail. He could feel the hard strength in that tail. He swung it around and slammed it into another wall with all his strength, stunning it. The tough little son of a bitch was still moving, so he threw it into the far corner of the room, and began charging a ball of energy behind his back, and as the Facehugger crawled sluggishly to its feet, he threw it. It hit the creature full on, and it disappeared in a mess of body parts. Its acidic blood sank into the floor, burning a way through. Rayman watched is a sizeable hole began to appear, leading into the floor below. Rayman smiled. Time to kick ass.

Rayden emerged from the barracks of the facility to find his worst nightmare staring straight into his face. Skeletal body, long, bladed tail, far taller than Rayden. He reacted without thought, drawing both Romeo and Juliet and firing them both into the Alien’s face. The front of its long, thin head exploded, and it dropped to the floor, still twitching. Rayden pulled out his communication device and keyed his companions. “Sharkin, Gripnos! We’ve got an outbreak! Pickup required at the barracks entrance!”
“Roger that,”
More xenomorphs were appearing at either end of the corridor he was standing in. Polokus knew where so many of them had come from so quickly. Rayden had had a vague idea that EGI was experimenting with xenomorph DNA, but not on this scale. And, of course, they had escaped. He had fought them when they had first almost wiped out the entire population of the Crossroads. He and his team were among the only ones on the continent who Rayman had not had to resurrect.
Rayden began firing in both directions with his pistols. Juliet had a spike on the end of the barrel, and Romeo could have a silencer screwed onto it if required.
One Alien dropped from the roof, and Rayden brought both handguns around to fire a volley into the monster’s chest. As he defended himself from the Aliens, he keyed General Standent on his com device. “You might want to call a lockdown, General! One of your little experiments is running loose!”
All he got was static.
“Damn it!” he said. Both of his guns ran dry at the same time, simultaneous clicks rather than loud shots indicating their emptiness. The Aliens took this opportunity to creep forward some more. Rayden dropped to one non-existent knee, ejected the empty cartridges, and reached for a spare clip at his waist. He jammed it into Romeo with the hand that held Juliet, doing the same with her. He stood back up to find the Aliens a lot closer than he anticipated. He pulled a grenade from his belt, yanked the pin with his teeth, and lobbed it into the masses to his left. Aliens screeched in pain as various limbs were blasted off. One continued to crawl towards him using only its arms.
Rayden turned to do the same to his left, but the roar of Dark Hog’s engine stopped him. The large vehicle thundered straight through the mass of Aliens, coming to a rest beside Rayden. Sharkin tossed Tybalt to him from the turret. “Need a hand?” he asked.
Rayden smiled, and strafed the lines of Aliens with machine gun fire before leaping into the vehicle. Sharkin rotated the turret, firing hundreds of rounds into the beasts, while Gripnos wrenched Dark Hog into gear. “Where to, Rayden?”
“The command centre. We need to lock this place down, before too many escape into the outside world,”

The Alien shed its final layer of skin, emerging from its old body into the black, two-metre tall one it deserved. Behind it lay what was left of the body of its host, the Hedgehog.
This Alien, instead of the normal smooth, long skull, possessed several large spikes on its head. Spines ran all the way down its back to the tip of its tail, and its body was slightly shorter and stubbier than a normal Aliens’.
The Alien rose to its hind legs, stretched, and ran like the wind through the door of the cell.
The Xenohog.

Rayden, Gripnos, and Sharkin came to a halt outside a small, steel door. The Aliens had already made their mark. Brown-yellow substances encased almost every surface, and the huge, square lights that normally lit up every square inch of space had been dimmed. Rayden tossed a machine gun up to Sharkin, who caught it deftly with one hand. They all climbed down, forming a back-to-back triangle. Gripnos carried a shotgun in one hand and a machine gun in the other. They moved towards the door, ever alert. The Command Centre was protected by a state of the art security system, with a twenty-digit code which changed daily. EGI would never trust a lowly mercenary with such a code. Which was why Team Scorpion had their own methods.
Gripnos ripped the steel panel from the security system, and Sharkin drew a wire from his belt, clipping the end to the silicon mesh inside the system. He pressed a button on his belt, and an electro-magnetic signal ran through it. A virus plunged into the computer, seeking out the codes. Firewalls rose to try and block its passage, but it swept them aside with little effort. This virus had been tried and tested dozens of times, against Covenant AI, Imperial Star Destroyers, and Bill Gates. It had even succeeded in actually hacking a Cybertronian Decepticon, the robotic, transforming, autonomous race created by the All-Spark.
There was a beep, and the door slid open.
Rayden cocked Tybalt. “You two keep watch,”
He entered the command centre.
He kept Tybalt aimed at head height as he walked down the narrow corridor. He reached the end without a hitch, where another door waited for him, again with a twenty digit code. This door was not strong enough to bother with viruses. He simply primed a no-shrapnel grenade, rolled it towards the door, and backed down the corridor. With a thump, the door ceased to exist. He walked into the central command centre, Tybalt mounted on his shoulder. One corner of the polished, white room had a hole melted straight through the ceiling. It looked as though the highly acidic Alien blood had caused it, but there was no evidence of xenomorph remains. Rayden kept his weapon trained on the hole, just in case, as he moved towards the large, main computer console. He noted the burnt body of a Facehugger besides the robot gusrds’ controlling computer, and the damage that had been done to it. Now he understood why the facility’s guards did not already have this outbreak under control.
One hand still on Tybalt’s trigger, Rayden gripped the large lever with the words “Lockdown, Use in case of biological, radiological, or pathological emergency,” written beneath it. He pushed in the safety button, and yanked the lever downwards.

The massive bulkhead that was the only physical exit from the facility was deadlocked shut, a dozen huge, titanium bolts sliding into their slots within it. Several automated gun turrets rose from the ground outside, the walls of the compound, and the roof, ready to blast anything that tried to escape. The hulking forms of five Mark V Grolgoths separated themselves from the outside of the facility, taking up strategic positions, ready to blow anything the turrets missed straight to hell. Finally, an orange quarantine field appeared around the entire building, which would allow only authorised bioforms to enter and leave.

Inside the facility, red lights began to flash, and a computerised voice began to talk through the loudspeakers positioned throughout the compound. “Warning. Lockdown has been initiated. Unless the appropriate codes are entered before the forty minute cut-off point, the reactor core will be overloaded in sixty minutes. All non-infected personnel must evacuate the facility immediately via the Quarantine Teleportation system. Repeat: All non-infected personnel must evacuate the premises, before this place goes sky-high.
Have a nice day,”
A shortened version began to loop once every minute, counting down.

Rayden turned to leave the command centre...
And had Tybalt knocked from his hands.

Rayman had dropped from his cell through several floors, after the Alien blood had neutralised. He climbed from his cell onto the next level, which appeared to be another cell. He must have been in the prison block. From there he went downwards five floors, until he could only just slip through the hole. He peeked through the hole, and saw a large computer, with various blinking status lights. Most of them were red. Rayman looked further across, to see Rayden pull the lockdown switch. Lights began to flash, and the voice began to ring throughout the place. Rayden turned away from the computer, and Rayman took his chance. He gripped the mottled edge of the hole, dropped into it, and swung straight at Rayden with all his strength. He flew several metres straight through the air, hitting Rayden’s rifle and knocking it clean from his hands. He hit the floor with Tybalt, sliding to a halt near the wall. Rayden’s mouth fell open in shock, but he was already drawing Juliet from her holster. Rayman tossed a yellow ball of energy, knocking the handgun away. Rayden went for his other pistol, but Rayman was already on his feet, charging across the floor. He grabbed Romeo’s barrel before it left the holster, forcing it upwards so that it pointed at the ceiling. Both Rays struggled for control of the weapon with both hands, neither daring to let go. Rayman managed to kick Rayden in the gut, forcing him to release the handle. Rayman took aim, but Rayden knocked it away with his own blood-red energy ball. The gun flew across the room, landing alongside Juliet. Rayden scrambled for the twin handguns, but Rayman dived at him, and they both crashed to the ground. Rayman threw a punch at Rayden, colliding with his back. Rayden struggled to his feet, and they circled each other warily, all four of their fists glowing red and yellow, each searching the other for a weakness.
Rayden glanced at the ceiling above Rayman in a feint, and Rayman’s head twitched slightly towards it. Rayden charged at him, but Rayman had double feinted, and sidestepped, striking at Rayden as he charged. Rayden rolled, coming quickly back to his feet. Rayman punched at him, but Rayden caught Rayman’s fist in his hand. He punched at Rayman, but Rayman did the same, catching his fist. Rayman stepped forwards and swept Rayden’s feet away, tripping him over. Rayman knealt down to deliver a punch to the face, but Rayden flicked his feet upwards and caught Rayman in the back of the head. Rayman fell on top of Rayden, and they wrestled on the floor for a minute, each throwing punches and kicks at the other, each struggling for some control.
But then, Gripnos and Sharkin were there, separating them, pinning Rayman to the ground, taking aim down their weapons.
“Want do you want with this one?” growled Sharkin, cocking his machine gun.
Rayden climbed to his feet and retrieved Romeo, Juliet, and Tybalt.
Rayden looked upon Rayman with a brand-new respect in his eyes. “Not bad for an old man,” he said, offering Rayman a hand. “Maybe you’re not losing your touch after all,”
Rayman stared at the proffered hand, and then took it. Rayden pulled him to his feet. Then surprisingly, Rayman punched him full in the face. Gripnos and Sharkin raised their rifles again. “That’s for locking me in a cell,”
Rayden looked straight back at him, and then smiled. “You’re welcome,”
They shook hands, and the Teensie and the Knaaren lowered their weapons, glancing at each other.This is Sharkin, and this is Gripnos,” he said, gesturing at the two other members of his team.
“There is a worse crisis at hand than any rivalry we might have,” said Rayden, turning to the computers.
Rayman nodded. “There are xenomorphs loose in this compound,” he said. “A Facehugger found its way into my cell,”
Rayden looked surprised for a second, then he grinned again. “Ah, but of course, you have fought them before. I had forgotten,”
He gestured at the computers. “The place is in lockdown. There is no way any Aliens are escaping. But we should check the files EGI has on the creatures, make sure there is absolutely no possibility,”
Rayman nodded. He noted the fact that the two other members of Team Scorpion seemed slightly uncomfortable with his inclusion, but they masked it well.
“Sharkin?”
The Teensie nodded, walking across to one of the computer console. He began tapping rapidly at the keyboard, bringing up files and data, until one file in particular flashed up.
“Got it,” he said.

File No. X077
Subject: Xenomorph Species
Application: Bio-Weapon
Acquired: Xenomorph eggs recovered and cryogenically frozen during the Great Scourge, experimentation began ten years later
Report: The Xenomorphs we have experimented with so far show great potential as a bio-weapon, as demonstrated when they destroyed nearly the entire population of the Crossroads. High level of aggression. Several specimens showed signs of low-level intelligence, completing some mild puzzles when presented with an escape route. Only seem to show intelligence when there is a Queen specimen present. Possible telepathic activity between specimens, especially between Queen and other specimens, including Facehuggers.(See Life Cycle)
DNA appears highly susceptible to cloning and modification. Many specimens have been successfully cloned, including Queens and Facehuggers.
Suitable perhaps for both small-scale and planet-wide destruction. Recommend using multiple Q ueens for large-scale warfare.
Preliminary experimentation with xenomorph genetics suggest that they may be capable of using Chaos Control (See Chaos Control) to extreme distances, even interstellar distances, but only with the use of a Chaos Emerald (See Chaos Emerald) or similar source of Noble Energy (See Masks of Polokus, Noble Energy), and only Queens appear to have the intelligence to use Chaos powers. Their genetic structure has similar properties to Ultimate Lifeform specimens (See Biolizard, Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Black Arms) and, indeed, the Flood parasite (See Flood), except without the infectious qualities. Also, it is possible that a Chaos Emerald will give the xenomorphs the ability to reproduce exponentially, without the aid of hosts. Recommend keeping xenomorphs entirely separate from any source of radiation or energy.

“Oh, that’s great,” muttered Rayden.
“What?” asked Rayman.
“The one thing they need to conquer the universe and destroy all life is a Chaos Emerald. And what do we get sent to get, to bring right to their doorstep? A Chaos Emerald, what else?”
“Damn,” Rayman clenched his fist. “Do you have the radar I was carrying when you captured me?”
Gripnos unhooked it from his belt and tossed it to Rayman.
“This shows where the Chaos Emerald is,”
He zoomed in on a segment of the screen. “It’s on the move, headed towards the centre of the compound,”
Rayden’s eyes narrowed. “Right. We need to stop that Emerald before it gets to the Queen. And we have...”
“Forty minutes remaining until reactor overload,” spoke the computerised voice.
“...to do that and get the hell out of here,”
Rayden cocked Tybalt. “Lock and Load, people,”



Here are some pictures! Yay! Click for a larger image.

This is apicture of Rayden. Since I drew this, I changed Tybalt’s design slightly. It has the clip at the back, behind the trigger, rather than how it is shown here. I drew this at school, while I was bored. 



Here is a picture I drew of both the Xenohog (an Alien gestated inside a Mobian Hedgehog) and the Raylien (An Alien which gestated inside Tarayzan, which appeared in Alien vs. Rayman)

What's next, more pirates?

Plot twist: Razorbeard's head attached itself to a bird and flew down from the Precipice, seeking revenge.

Razorbird.

can i use your ideas as in CODEFS and other stuff from your fanfic. i dont mean to copy it ...