"Yo, bro."
Nate looked up at Sonic, who was standing over him.
"What's up?"
"Just thinking." Nate pulled his knees in tighter, as Sonic sat down next to him.
"You really miss her, don't you?"
Nate sighed. "Yeah. It's kinda weird not having her around."
"Ha yeah", Sonic smirked as he lay back in the grass and closed his eyes, "Kinda quiet. A little too quiet for me though."
Nate let go of his knees and leaned back, looking up at the sky. "How long do you think it's going to take the Doctor to strike?"
Sonic shugged. "Who knows. Tell you the truth I'm getting kind of impatient. I mean, I'M WAAAIIIITTIINNNGG!"
Nate laughed. Sonic really knew how to make someone feel better with his witty ways and silly expressions. The two sat quietly for a few minutes. Then Nate spoke up again.
"Do you think she'll remember me when we save her?"
Sonic smirked again. "What damsel in distress forgets her knight in shining armor?"
Nate blushed at the comment and turned to conceal his face. Sonic opened one eye and took a peek at him. He reclosed his eye and smiled a bit. "Ha ha, I hit a soft spot."
…at Doctor Argon's lab
"Alex", the Doctor handed her a pair of golden cuffs, "Put these on."
Alex looked down at the golden bracelets and then slid them onto her wrists. They seemed kind of heavy at first but she gradually grew accustom to them.
"Ok, now let's test them out."
The Black Emerald was inserted, the machine was turned on, and she stood at her post, closing her eyes as she waited to be blasted by the energy. It hit her, and the usual pain came with it, but within a few seconds she felt the power surge throughout her body. The Doctor snapped and Chase turned off the machine. Alex stood up straight and opened her empty eyes. She balled up her fists and waited for a command.
"Power down." The Doctor pointed a remote towards Alex. The cuffs seemed to suck all the Dark Energy and once again Alex was in her normal state. She didn't feel as weak as she usually did when the energy was sucked out of her. She looked down at the bracelets in awe.
"Power up." The Doctor pressed the button again and the energy was once again released. Within a few seconds the energy traveled through her arms to her entire body. The doctor nodded with content. "Now I have total control."
After a few more test runs the results were clear. The Doctor no longer had to the shoot Alex with the Dark Energy he stored in the emerald. The energy was now stored in the power rings that Alex wore on her wrists. With the simple push of a button she could transform from Alex to Dark Absolute Alex. The rings also restricted the energy, keeping it from going out of control.
"The time has finally come!" The Doctor laughed madly. "With this, I'm unstoppable!"
Back at his lab, Tails' Chaos Energy sensors rang off the hook. All Freedom Fighters gathered in the lab to watch as Tails displayed the source.
"It's time."
Sally quickly instructed NICOLE to shield off the city. She then got through to Knuckles and Team Chaotix warning them to be ready. After that, with everything in check, the Freedom Fighters took off.
The fight was about to begin.