Vermin is a villainous Cybernik warrior created by Dr. Robotnik and a rival of Shortfuse the Cybernik and the Freedom Fighters during the final months of RBR. He made his first appearance in Sonic the Comic Issue 90 in the first part of the Sonic's World story, Secret Weapon.
History[]
Vermin was originally an ordinary rat living on the streets of the Metropolis Zone, until he gained Robotnik's favour by selling the Freedom Fighters information regarding the movement of a secret weapon through the Gum Tree Zone. As it turned out, the secret weapon was a new Cybernik, which the rat had willingly donned himself. When Shortfuse and the Freedom Fighters arrived to intercept the Troopers' transport, Vermin smashed his way out of his storage crate and attacked the heroes. His strength was equal - if not superior - to Shortfuse's and his Megatal armour easily withstood all of the team's attacks. He even managed to infect Shortfuse's armour with a virus that shut the suit down, leaving the squirrel vulnerable. However, Amy Rose remembered that the Gum Tree Berries contained an acidic gum that erroded metal, including Megatal. She fired her crossbow at a tree that Vermin was standing beneath and corrosive gum dripped all over him, prompting him into retreat.
Vermin would appear again in the Issue 97 story Boiling Point as one of the Chemical Plant Zone slave drivers. He and his Troopers had put the slaves to work on deadly Toxo Cubes when the Freedom Fighters arrived to free the enslaved Mobians. Shortfuse attacked Vermin and ignored Johnny Lightfoot's call for help when he was about to fall into a chemical vat. Johnny was narrowly rescued by Tails and Vermin and his crew escaped via a teleporter beam before Shortfuse could settle the score. Two issues later in the No Exit story, Vermin appeared again to quell the uprising in the Metropolis Zone. He and a group of Newtron Badniks had cornered Johnny and Amy in an alley when the Black Asteroid appeared in the sky and exploded, releasing an electromagnetic pulse that shut down all electronic machinery on Mobius. Vermin was disabled as well and attempted to make an escape, but was later captured shortly before the destruction of Citadel Robotnik. With his Cybernik armour powered down, Vermin was no longer a threat and was imprisoned.
Vermin would return in Issue 120 in the story Breakout. When a New Year's Eve party is interrupted by the incompetent criminal Party Pooper and his magnetic ray weapon, the magnetic waves released during the incident kick-started Vermin's armour again, allowing him to escape custody. He went on a rampage across Metropolis until running into Shortfuse, Amy and Tekno the Canary, and he used his tail to absorb energy from a nearby generator to gain even more power. Shortfuse - having recently acquired an alien program that could unlock his armour - sacrificed himself to stop Vermin. Vermin attempted to absorb Shortfuse's energy, but he absorbed the armour release program and his suit opened up. Shortfuse then aimed his laser blaster at Vermin's open suit and fired. The armour was not so indestructible on the inside and was blasted into scrap metal. Amy and Tekno then took Vermin back to prison.
Sonic the Comic Online[]
The cybernik suit re-appeared as a cameo in Sonic the Comic Online story The Syndicate. Since the original suit created by Robotnik was destroyed, this appearance shows a new construction. Popular theories in the Message Zone are that Vermin, obsessed with his armour, created a new suit and went insane, or that the remnants of the suit are being kept in the asylum to prevent it from being reactivated.
Abilities[]
Vermin's Cybernik armour is made of Megatal like Shortfuse's, so it is nigh-invulnerable. The claws on the hands and feet allow for a lethal edge in melee combat and can probably allow Vermin to climb walls. His optics are fitted with lasers and he can use his tail as a whip. The tip of the tail is fitted with a transjector spike that can either absorb energy from a local electrical source or inject a virus into other computerized systems.