Chao Talk Just Got Even MORE Mysterious!

(writer's note: some parts of this episode are not based on secretcity6, but rather my attempt at making my own part of Chao Talk)
A team of chao... lost in a city.... and the only help they have are the rumors of a strange lab called "Daedalus!"

Will they survive? Find out in this installment of...

Dark Chao Adventures! 2008 Edition

Episode 08-Six: Secrets in the Labs

[the story resumes in the courtyard outside the Town Hall]
Chapter 1: Just How Dangerous IS Red Metal?
[the floor tiles are ripped away, pieces of the walls are gone, and the sky is an unnerving gray]
Shade: Wow... this place is so messed up. Looks like--
Dark: Knuckle.
[canned laughter]
[Knuckle punches Dark]
Shade: I was GONNA say "looks like the Red Metal got here first."
[as they walk into the labs, Dark stares nervously at the Turrican statue, which has sparks flying out of it]
[in the rocket turret hall, all is eerily quiet, the head of the turret completely gone]
Dark: ..just keep walking.
[they keep moving and enter the new corridor...]
[they enter a large room with stairs leading up in front of them, some empty work stations are to their sides]
[at the top of the stairs is a door, above the door is a large sign reading "Daedalus Laboratories"]
[an oddly familiar symbal is on the sign]
Shade: We're finally here... Daedalus Labs...
MS: Just three seconds in, and I already wanna go home. And I'm... I'm ME! I never wanna back out!
Dark: Well, let's get moving.
[they go up the stairs, and the door opens, revealing a hallway]
Telepathy: A mysterious lab hidden in the city... maybe you can finally find some answers. That symbol looks familiar...
[they step back, and look once more at the symbol]
[the symbol is an odd, red, upside-down G, with four little 'hinges' at the bottom (normally, the top of the G)]
///////////////////
[cut to a dark hallway, enter Mecha Knuckles]
MK: This place sure is spooky...
[eerie screaming is heard, Mecha turns and sees the Nomble sucking him in]
MK: AHH! IT'S THE NOMBLE!
[he runs, and manages to outrun the suction]
MK: Phew...
[the Nomble begins to slowly move closer to Mecha]
MK: AAH! OH, NO!
[he runs, the Nomble goes faster]
MK: PLEASE, NO!
[when the Nomble is closing in, the Tails Doll breaks in and saves him]
MK: Tails Doll?
TD: Poker players are pals, no matter if they're a robot, nor voodoo doll. Right?
MK: ....right. Thanks. ...pal.
TD: Hey, cut the mushy gay stuff, Mecha; I only said my line to add drama.
MK: Sorry.
[the Doll sets Mecha down in another room]
MK: Say, uh... where are we?
TD: Hell if I know.
[the Tour Guide appears behind a window]
TG: You're in Chao Talk's insane asylum.
[the poker players turn in shock]
TG: By that, I mean... you're in the remains of the Office of Death.
MK: The remains? What happened to the actual place?
TG: The Red Metal got to it.
///////////////////
[cut to the others entering the labs, to their right is a closed door with a puzzle piece window above it]
[as in, the square that was previously used for the puzzle pieces]
PF: Aw, Hero chaos...
[after some exploration, they find a cafeteria, and see a poster for Red Metal]
Poster: Resistant to fire, Consumes organic material (Don't Touch!), Distorts gravity (Reality?), NO KNOWN WAY TO STOP IT
[they also find a journal]
Hero: It appears to be a journal of a scientist who worked here. *reads journal* ...it appears they were working on an unknown red material...
Q: Perhaps it's Red Metal?
K: Duh.
Dark: Yeah, we've pretty much figured that out, Quartz.
He: Where ya been all this time-- Mars?
[Luis notices a large vending machine labeled "Hand Crusher"]
LGS: Hm?
[he uses it, and screams, then pulls out a crushed hand]
LGS: OW!!!
[he then randomly dies]
//////////////////
Chapter 2: The Tour Guide Makes a Comeback
[cut to the ruined remains of the Office of Death, Mecha and the Doll are talking to the Guide]
TG: ...as you can tell, the Red Metal is very dangerous.
MK: Yeah... from what you told us, it MUST be.
TD: Who are you, mysterious stranger?
TG: Just call me... your tour guide to this mysterious city.
[under the cloak, Shade Junior grins an evil grin]
TG: Allow me to lead you away from the Nomble, and out of the Red Metal carnage.
[the Guide leads them out of the Office of Death, and towards the train station]
MK: Where are we going?
TG: I'm taking you two to the train station.
TD: Oh, goody! Time to get outta this horrid place!
[the further they go, the darker their surroundings get, and the more destroyed the city gets]
MK: Uh... this place doesn't seem safer than the other place. ...at all.
TG: Oh, that's just to scare you. It's actually quite safe.
[the Guide stops, and sees the Nomble around a corner]
TG: !!! Um... you two wait here, I'm going to... uh........ well, just stay here.
[he goes and talks to the Nomble]
//////////////////
[the chao make it to the top floor, where it seems to be a living quarters/office]
[they split up]
[the Darks explore one section...]
DH: *sigh* Are we there yet?
Dark: ...that was not actually... usable in the given situation.
Shade: Lemme answer this. No, we're NOT there yet.
DH: Aww...
[they find three doors, one leads to a computer, the second is closed, and the third leads nowhere]
[the closed door has a window revealing a puzzle piece!]
Shade: NOOOOOO!!! WHY!? WHY!? WHY MUST WE BE TAUNTED WITH THIS CLOSED DOOR!?
Dark: ...Shade, are you somehow... losing IQ?
Shade: ....I don't hope so.
Dark: *facepalm* ...apparently so. Why don't we check out the other two doors for secrets?
[they're about to when suddenly, a dark, cloaked figure appears in the corner of Dark's eye]
Dark: Shade Junior?
[the figure is standing on top of a platform below the catwalks the Darks are on]
Dark: Hey, son, no need to wear that cloak; I know it's you.
[the figure hops along the platforms]
Dark: Junior, where ya going?
[Dark hops down and follows, the others follow him]
SShade: Hey Dark, where are we going?
Dark: Shade Junior's leading us somewhere.
[the figure points to a small crawlspace in the wall, and hops in; the Darks follow]
//////////////////
[at the same time, the Tour Guide returns from his talk with the Nomble]
TG: Uh... it turns out I lead you the wrong way. I just came back from... the map of the town. Yeah. You need to go the other way.
[Mecha and the Doll head back; the Guide stays]
MK: Hey, ain't you comin'?
TG: No, I am needed elsewhere.
[the Guide slowly walks around a corner]
//////////////////
[they reach a large room]
[the room: the Darks entered from a vent on the top little 'walkway,' another vent is visible further down the walkway]
[however, the figure is standing below the walkway, in front of a lone door]
TG?: *very slightly distorted* Come down. There is a secret lab in here, with all the answers you seek.
[Dark nervously hops down to the ground, and looks around at the blood splattered everywhere]
Dark: What... happened here?
TG: Oh, there was a security system in here. Very deadly. Various Chao died.
Dark: Was?
Chapter 3: Head toooo theeee Hills... Run forrrr Yourrrr Liyiyiiife!
TG: Ah, well, the... *twitch* ...uh... Red Metal destroyed it. It's gone now, though.
Dark: ...you okay?
TG: Why, yes. I am fine. Just...
[camera zoom-in on Dark's face]
TG: ..the Red Metal is quite frightful, you see.
[Dark becomes slightly curious, anxious, and very scared. He looks like he really wants to head for the hills]
[he discards it as "primitive instincts"]
[back to normal camera angles]
Dark: ...I see. *gulp* And, the... answers you spoke of. What answers?
TG: How Red Metal got here. How to stop it.
Dark: But... but this board we found said there was no known way to stop it!
TG: ..the Red Metal is quite frightful, you see.
Dark: Right, I suppose that makes sense-- huh? What?
[eerie silence]
TG: Well. *cough* *hack* ...I presume you would like to just see the answers for yourself, correct?
Dark: (thinking) Something's wrong here...
TG: So? Won't you open the door? It's your average "step near it to open" door.
Dark: You... you mean "automatic."
TG: It matters not.
Dark: Right. Um... if you say so, Junior.
[Dark slowly steps towards the door, step by step]
[he looks around: the Darks are cautiously and horrifyingly watching his steps; the Guide is standing completely still, watching nothing but the door]
[Dark is extremely scared by now, although he does not see a logical reason to be]
[he is slowly approaching the door]
[step]
[by]
[step (note: these aren't fillers. Trust me. They're so you can actually FEEL how Dark feels, y'know?)]
[suddenly, this happens just as the door opens--]
?: DARK, NO!!!
[Dark instantly turns around, and for him, time stops]
[he sees Shade Junior with the Darks, all of them with terrorized expressions staring at the door]
[he turns and sees the other Guide slowly turning towards Dark before just disappearing]
[time slowly reverts to normal as Dark turns to face the door, and screams]
////////////////
[cut to Mecha Knuckles and the Tails Doll, walking onwards through the ruined city]
MK: So--
TD: Shut up.
MK: I was only trying to--
TD: Be quiet.
MK: Why?
TD: I think I hear something.
[Mecha quiets down and listens]
[silence]
MK: I don't hear any--
TD: SHH!!!
[silence-- except for a very silent warping sound which quickly stops]
TD: ...it stopped?
MK: What WAS that?
[suddenly, the Guide walks in]
TG: *slightly distorted* I know the way out.
////////////////
[back with Dark, the door WASN'T open, it was something much worse...]
Dark: OH HERO CHAOS OH HERO CHAOSOHHEROCHAOSOHHEROCHAOS *getting higher and higher* OHHEROCHAOSOHHEROCHAOSOHHEROCHAOSOHHEROCHAOS!!!
[somehow, he manages to say all that in one second as the Nomble engulfs the entire floor (the others on the walkway are fine) and crushes Dark]
Shade: ....bye-bye, Dark.
[a mourning and solemn pause]
SJR: ......(whispering) master, what did you do to him?
[Junior hears telepathy from the Nomble]
SJR: ...but... why? *getting louder in anger* He wasn't a bad chao!
[the others look at him oddly]
Chapter 4: The Guide to the Afterlife
SJR: He was just a moron who YOU helped by making him smarter! WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?
SShade: Who are you talking to?
SJR: Stay out of this. Yes, master, I KNOW he knew too much, but couldn't you have spared him?
Shade: Wait, are you talking to the Nomble?
SJR: Yeah, yeah, yeah, now please, stay out of this! NOMBLE! I KNOW YOU'RE HIDING SOMETHING! WHY DID YOU KILL MY DAD!?
[pause]
SJR: .........oh. You could've said that before.
DH: Dude, what's going on? What'd he say?
SJR: Not now, I have some Poker Gang members to lead!
[pause]
SJR: ...they're what? ...but... but I'm HERE, there's no way I could already be--..... oh, ****!
Shade: What?
SJR: Guys, I gotta go. Tour guide stuff; hope you understand.
Shade: But--
[Shade Junior disappears]
Shade: Junior, what's happened to you? *sigh*
///////////////
[cut to Mecha and the Doll being lead by *supposedly* Shade Junior]
TD: Say, uh... where are we going?
TG: I told you. Out.
TD: Yeah, I understand that; out where, though?
TG: Just... out.
MK: Seriously, can't you tell us?
[the Guide stops and turns to face them]
TG: All right. I understand this city fills you with misery, correct?
MK: Uh... yeah, I guess so.
TG: Well, it's time to leave this misery! I shall lead you on the path to the light!
MK: Of the outside world?
TG: ...anyway, follow.
[the Guide continues leading them; they reach the Bus Station]
TG: Just a little longer. Keep following.
[the Guide leads them down into a dark corridor]
///////////////
[cut to Shade Junior, hurrying to the Bus Station, hoping he's not too late]
SJR: *sigh* I've made a big mistake... and now I'm only making it worse... but, this has to be done.
///////////////
TD: Uh... I dunno, I mean, it looks kinda dark in there.
TG: Relax. The exit is through here.
TD: Oh, why didn't you say so?
MK: STARDUST SPEEDYWAY ACT 2, AWAY!
[they go into the corridor, and the Guide is about to enter a seperate room when Junior whacks him with a baseball bat]
TG: UGH! Oof.......
[the Guide falls to the floor, and rolls down the hall until he hits a wall]
TG: You... I thought you were guiding the chao...
SJR: Well, they can guide themselves.
[cut to the Darks at a large bottomless pit]
DH: How will we do this?
Shade: Don't worry, this pit is OBVIOUSLY fake!
[Shade is about to step off the edge when the camera returns to the Guides]
SJR: Besides, I'm the Nomble's assistant. What the Dark Garden are YOU? His secretary?
TG: *gets up* Me? Just call me... your tour guide to the afterlife...
SJR: What's THAT supposed to mean?
TG: Simple... I shall take you straight to it, and you can 'guide' yourself afterwards...
SJR: Shut up and let's settle this.
[they charge at each other, but the After-Guide stops, Junior stops in curiosity]
TG: ....where'd you get the bat?
[cut to Onett, Ness is about to smack a vicious snake with a baseball bat when Shade Junior steals it]
SJR: I need to borrow this. Knew you'd understand! *runs off*
[Ness stands in shock, the snake lunges at him]
[cut to the Guides, they fight]
[in the end, Junior wins (thanks to Ness' trusty bat which he doesn't have anymore)]
SJR: I'd love to stay and chat, but I gotta split.
[he runs down the hall, and hurries through the dimension-changing surroundings]
SJR: Man, I hope I'm not too late...
[camera zoom-in on the unconscious "guide" on the ground, he slowly lifts the head of his cloak]
[the camera switches to the chao before the identity is revealed]
///////////////
[Shade continuously steps off the edge, before Dark-Hawk grabs him]
DH: Shade, that's not working. Why not try... jumping across?
Shade: What? That's CRAZY talk!
[Dark-Hawk jumps across, and gets a puzzle piece]
Shade: Oh.
TO BE CONTINUED...