Chapter 5: Conflict in the Sewer

Beneath the base and the impending struggle that was about to occur, Knuckles was hurrying through the sewers to reach the lower levels of the base.

"I gotta stop being such a pushover" he groaned "Next time Sonic is getting the crap job."

The tunnel was dim and had a small amount of water running through it. It sloshed beneath Knuckles' every step and made him all the more disgusted. A light suddenly appeared at the end of the tunnel, making Knuckles stop in his tracks. His curiosity made him want to go towards it but that wouldn't be necessary. The light came closer at an alarming speed and suddenly shut off in a bright flash when it was a feet from Knuckles. Knuckles was known for his nerves of steel and hardly flinched at the sight of E-107 Zeta; in fact, he couldn't help but smile.

"Another one of Eggman's corny robots" he jeered "This is an excellent chance to get a light sweat going."

Zeta showed no signs of amusement, just a strict desire to follow orders. He lifted the barrel of his machine gun and prepared to fire several volleys as Knuckles was stretching out his arms. In a panic, Knuckles quickly punched the watery surface of the floor and sent a large stone up to protect him. The bullets fired rapidly into the boulder, eating it away from the one side so quickly that Knuckles could feel it thinning. When he had a moment in between rounds, he leaped from behind the boulder and punched a crevice into the wall deep enough for him to hide in.

His skin tingled as he watched how closely the spray of bullets was to nicking his arm. He wasn't expecting a robot built by Eggman to be able to put up such an interesting fight. Using this sewage pipe was a strategic maneuver indeed, making it nearly impossible to dodge a foray from a machine gun. He waited for Zeta's gun to click again from an empty round and he charged the robot with full force. He was able to get in close and threw a punishing right jab that broke the machine gun into pieces!

As Knuckles let out a snide laugh, Zeta retaliated with his free hand and punched Knuckles downward into the floor, sending him reeling with a spray of blood flying from his head. He sat up and looked at his enemy of steel who was morphing his shattered gun into a makeshift blade. Things were getting dangerous, and in this closed setting, there was nary a way to dodge.

"I hate using this, but it looks like its necessary."

He wiped the blood off his forehand and flung it from his hand. His right arm began to glow with a green aura, empowered by a shard of the master emerald! It was a failsafe for the echidna, if he ever found himself in a pinch; this was how he got out of it. It also made for a handy security measure, keeping anyone who stole the emerald from using its full power unless they went through Knuckles himself.

Zeta charged Knuckles with his blade pulled back and Knuckles met his challenge. Knuckles launched first and hit the robot right between the eyes! Various pieces of metal flew from his face as it dented in and Knuckles used his momentum to continue pushing him back. Turning the punch into a charge, he forced Zeta all the way down the extension of the pipe until they collided into a wall. Zeta's head was crushed upon impact as he was forced through the wall with multiple chunks of stone sent sprawling through the air. Knuckles panted as he let the excess energy relax within his body. He looked down at the beheaded machine and took a moment to bow in acknowledgment. Worthy opponents were not common, whether they were a man or a machine.

He noticed he was standing in a beam of light and looked up to see a ladder leading to a valve on the ceiling. He climbed up the shaft and turned the handle on the door to let himself into the above room. The red echidna entered a room that was typical of an Eggman base: multiple computer screens, various beakers graduated cylinders filled with chemicals that could only be fathomed at how deadly they were. As he casually looked around, he spotted a first aid kit attached to the wall and he hurried over to it.

He opened a pack of gauze and bandages and as he was treating himself, noticed a computer screen that looked like an unfinished report. He tied his wraps and walked over to it to take a look.

"Project Evil Emerald is commencing well. I have harnessed a force within them that is equal to two times the negative energy of the chaos emeralds. Thus, with this power as the standard for these emeralds, regardless of whether the wielder of the chaos emeralds uses a positive or a negative force, it cannot exceed the power as caused by this double negative energy. After additional testing, the evil chaos emeralds should be able to defeat Sonic as planned."

The entry ended leaving Knuckles with a grim feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I knew Eggman hated Sonic, but to see how far he is willing to go to defeat him, it's so real it's scary."

The situation was more intense than Knuckles had wanted to believe which was what made him afraid the most. He tried to shake his head of his worry and he pulled himself from the monitor to go and rendezvous with Sonic. He noticed an open doorway but before he could pass through it, a green robot stepped before him.

"Intruder detected. Standard procedure engaged."

Just when Knuckles thought he was free of the E-Series, he had encountered E-120 Kappa. The green menace opened a panel in its chest and sprayed a cloud of purple gas around Knuckles. Before our hero could take action, he felt his limbs tingle and then fall limp as the rest of his body did; Knuckles had fallen unconscious.