Sinister Schemes Under The Sea
        fanfic by Daniel Wheeler


Prolog:  The Nightsquid Cometh

        Clambo, one of the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters, had wandered
near an old cove, when he beheld a statue in the shape of a squid with
evil eyes.  The plaque read "NightSquid:  Shadow of Dark Mobius and
Scourge of the Seas."  "SHADOW?!," exclaimed Clambo.  "Tails told me of
some Shadows on the land and how he and his friends fought them off."  He
wanted to make fun of NightSquid's situation by spitting pearls at him. 
But this proved to be a fatal error, for one of his shots hit the crystal
ball that kept him in the statue.

        The dark cephalopod was freed from his bonds and started to chase
the clam.  Bottlenose had known a lot about NightSquid and didn't have to
look twice to know what had happened.  Clambo told him that he was only
trying to make fun of the monster.  Bottlenose snapped "Well, that's what
happens when you get carried away!"


Chapter 1:  Ray Finds a Patch of Shadow Ink

        Ray was swimming around a coral reef in a region north of the
Musical Archipelligo (Melody's home), when he saw this cloud of ink
killing the polyps and reviving them as undead which create deadly
landscapes.  Bottlenose came around and told him how Clambo
"unintentionally" released NightSquid.  Ray, frightened, exclaimed "This
would explain this deadly Ink.  It's Shadow Ink!"  Clambo said "I'm
really sorry, Ray."  Ray mercifully said "Look-- What's done is done. 
Now all we have to do is send this creep back to its own dimension.

        Bottlenose said "Of course, right now, we need to get rid of this
'Shadow Ink'.  IT'S HEADED RIGHT FOR US!"  They swam to the Musical
Archipelligo and asked Melody for assistance.  She said "Of course, I
will help.  Any friend of Sonic and Tails is a friend of mine!"  She got
out her sun necklace (she usually wears it with her 'formal meeting'
gown) and dispersed the ink.  "WOW!," exclaimed a suprised Clambo, "Where
did you get that necklace?"  Melody replied, with tones of sadness, "It
was my mother's.  She gave it to me before Robotnik killed her along with
most of my relatives.  Only my brothers, my cousins, and myself still
remain.  Even though Robotnik is destroyed, thus avenging their death, I
still mourn them."  Ray said sympathetically "Gee, that's too bad.  Well,
right now, we have a Shadow to fight.  Again, thanks for helping."


Chapter 2:  PB Jellyfish Finds a Mutant Barracuda

        PB was swimming near some minnow schools, having some lunch, when
a mutant barracuda attacked him.  It looked like it would be immune to
jellyfish venom.  The Clambo came up and shot the barracuda with some
pearls.  "Thanks for the rescue!," said PB.  Ray caught up and managed to
look at the 'cuda.  It look like it was coated with the Shadow Ink.  They
already knew it would turn coral polyps into undead.  Now they see what
it does to bigger fish!

        "What IS this gunk?!," asked PB.  Ray replied "It's Shadow Ink! 
Given off by NightSquid."  "NIGHTSQUID?!," PB said panickedly.  They then
knew had to hurry and find Fluke before the Shadow Ink gets him too!


Chapter 3:  Fluke is Rescued Just In Time!

        Fluke was near Downunda when he saw a cloud of black, glowing
ink.  Ray came just in time and shouted "Get away from that stuff!  It's
Shadow Ink!"  Fluke replied "Shadow Ink?!  As in that stuff from
NightSquid?!"  "Yeah," cried Bottlenose.  "Now get movin'!"  Fluke didn't
have to be told twice to know that the Ink was bad news.  He made a swim
from the stuff and sent it flying into the sky, where the sunlight
dissapated it.

        "Now," said Fluke, "could someone tell me what's going on here?" 
"Uh... well... I...," Clambo said nervously.  "Look, let's just put that
incident behind us," Ray said to Clambo.  Ray turned to Fluke and said
"Clambo had a 'little accident' in NightSquid's cove.  But we can't worry
about the past now.  What matters now is we need to save the present, or
they'll be no future for any of us!"  "You don't have to tell us twice!,"
replied Bottlenose.  "Let's find Tails and see if he and his friends can
help us out!," suggested PB.


Chapter 4:  Help Is Found

        It was a good thing Tails was nearby.  They found him and some
other friends in the Musical Archipelligo, where they me Melody.  Tails
and Rotor were fishing, Sonic was surfing, Sally was taking a swim, and
Antoine, being his own vain self, was getting a suntan.  Oh, and Bunnie
and Melody were playing volleyball.  Bottlenose lifted Sally from the
water onto his back.  Fluke startled Antoine and Sonic with a big splash
(for a sense of humor, no less).  While Ray greeted Tails and Rotor.

        "Hey, guys!," exclaimed Tails.  "It's the Forty Fathom Freedom
Fighters!"  "I see you have remembered us," said Ray.  Bottlenose says
"Yeah, and we need your help-- bigtime!"  "I already saw the problem they
had," said Melody.  "They were chased by Shadow Ink."  "Shadow Ink?!,"
said Sonic, just recovering from his wipeout (courtesy of Fluke :).  "As
in 'Shadows of Dark Mobius?!"  "Yes!," replied Melody, with a nervous
overtone.  "I read in a book that NightSquid tried to take over all of
the Mobian Seas.  But a hero of this land trapped him in his own cove. 
But now that he is free, he is using his Shadow Ink to create chaos in
the seas again!"


Chapter 5:  The Clean Up

        Antoine panics and starts running, accidentally colliding with
Bunnie.  "Sorry, Bunnie," said Antoine, "I was zo afrightened, I did not
zee you."  "That's okay, Ant," replied Bunnie, "Ya'll look cute shaken
up!"  She giggled when she said that.  Sally contacts Geoffrey via Nicole
to get to the Musical Archipelligo ASAP.  "I'm there, Princess!," replied
Geoffrey.  Tails used his helicoptor to make a waterspout and sent some
Ink into the air, where it was decimated by the sun's light.  Rotor gets
into his bathysphere and shoots torpedoes and scatters the Ink.

        Soon, Geoffrey and his MPs came.  The pilot shot a laser at a
patch of Shadow Ink and caused it to vaporize.  Sonic made a Sonic Boom
that shook up another patch.  Nicole tells Sally that the only way that
the Ink can be stopped is if NightSquid was sent back to its dimension. 
Sally calls out "Ray!  You need to take out NightSquid to stop this
Shadow Ink flow and prevent any more from being made!"


Chapter 6:  Chasing NightSquid

        Ray hears this news and calls out to his friends "You heard the
princess.  Let's get NightSquid!"  "Yeah!," replied Fluke as he and the
other prepared for the battle.  The raced down and followed a trail of
Shadow Ink through the coral reefs.  Along the way, they encountered many
mutant fish, marine mammals, and plant life.  They all wanted to stop
them from succeeding in their mission.  Ray hits a mutated octopus and
the Ink disappeared, releasing the true octopod.  "Guys!," Ray called
out, "Hit the creatures to free them from the Ink!"

        They used this strategy to fight the mutants and free their
watery friends.  Then they continued along the trail of Ink, facing many
more battles in the process.  Soon, the Ink lead right back to the cove
Clambo found him in.  A glowing portal appeared to obviously release the
other Shadows.


Epilog:  NightSquid is High and Dry

        Most of the 40 Fathom Fighters could not get to him, since
NightSquid got onto land (since it was an underground cove), and Fluke
could not enter the cave-cove entrance; he was too big.  "I guess it's
all up to me now!," said Clambo.  He shot a BIG pearl at the black
cephalopod and sent him into the portal.  The portal was sealed and the
others made it out before the cove caved in.

        The finny heroes celebrated with their on-land friends.  "It
looks like Tails isn't the only hero on the high seas," said Ray.  "Yup,"
Clambo said bashfully.


                                        The End
                                        :)