Chapter 3: Treasure Hunt

In Station Square…

The red Mobian Echidna walked down the street, feeling a powerful energy grow stronger. It was an energy he was all too familiar with. He had guarded it day after day. Though not as strong as before, it was still unmistakable.

He turned the corner and found police cars in front of a huge building with many neon lights decorating the front. It was just a common casino, with one distinguishing feature.

A huge, jagged hole in the center of the wall above the awning.

The Echidna stared intently. That power he was following was from the building. He had to get inside somehow.

He approached the nearest officer, a Mobian Dog in a deputy uniform.

"Excuse me, officer," he said. "What's going on here?"

"Hello, citizen," said the deputy. "We are investigating this site. I'm going to have to ask you to move along."

"Can you tell me what happened?" Knuckles asked, undeterred. "What smashed into that building?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot disclose any information at this moment," replied the deputy. "Now please, move along."

"Listen, officer," Knuckles persisted, keeping his voice even. "I don't want to cause any inconvenience, but I really need to look inside."

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that without authorization."

"Then can I speak to whoever's in charge? Please, it's important."

The officer furrowed his eyebrows and glared at Knuckles, suspicious. The Echidna maintained eye-contact, resisting the urge to return the glare. If he was going to get inside that building without using force, he had to maintain his composure.

Finally, the officer let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, but I can't let anyone pass without proper authorization. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Knuckles closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing his anger back down. Regardless of his frustration, he had to obey orders. This wasn't Angel Island. The rules here were different.

Besides, this officer was just trying to do his job. Something that Knuckles had nothing but the utmost respect for, even if it was conflicting with his duty.

"Very well," he grumbled. "Thank you for your time, officer."

With that, Knuckles continued down the street. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing the officer turn away. Then, he swiftly ducked back into an alleyway and looked around for any witnesses. Seeing none, he ran to a nearby sewer cover.

Getting into the building by force was out of the question. However, sneaking in wasn't. Provided he didn't get caught.

Although, going in by the way of the sewer was less than a preferred option.

"Desperate times, desperate measures," Knuckles grunted.

Taking a deep breath, the Echidna jumped down into the sewer, the lid falling back into place with a light "clang". With the sense of energy guiding him, Knuckles ran through the sewer tunnels, ignoring the repulsive pong. While he wasn't on the same level as Sonic, his speed was still incredible. Within seconds, he reached a point where the energy was the strongest. Looking up, he saw a drain hole. He jumped up and punched into the cement. Then, like a spider running up a wall, he hastily climbed to the top.

He reached the end and pushed open the cover. He then hoisted himself out and let out his breath, only to immediately cough from the overwhelming stench of chlorine and rusty water. The room was pitch black, but that smell was more than enough to tell him where he was.

"Great, I ended up in the broom closet," he grumbled, covering his mouth and nose. "Well, better than the bathroom, I guess. Now, where's the door?"

Knuckles stretched his free hand out and began to feel his way through the darkness. From what he could gather, the room was small. On one side was a shelf that he could only guess contained dust cleaners, soap, mop heads and the like. He stepped out of the shallow bath and almost bumped into a mop in a bucket with wheels. Moving carefully, he found the door and felt for the handle.

At last, he found it. However, when he tried to turn it, it refused to budge.

"Of course, it would be locked," he growled, frustrated. "Got no other choice. Sorry about this."

Clenching his fists, Knuckles gave a solid punch, and the door burst open. He stepped out into a carpeted hallway.

"What was that?!" he heard a voice exclaim.

"It came from inside!" said another. "Team A, come with me!"

There was a clatter of heavy footsteps. Knuckles looked around for a place to hide. To his luck, there was a large ventilation duct at the end of the hall. Acting quick, he ran down the hall, jumped up, grabbed the duct, pulled the grate open, and slipped in. Seconds after he closed it, eight officers appeared from around the corner. Knuckles laid still, peering through the slits.

"Chief, the door!" said one officer in alarm when he saw the damage.

"Looks like someone was trying to break out," said another. "Look at the debris."

"Yes," said the officer addressed as the chief. "Which means they must still be inside the building."

"But where?" asked another. "We came seconds after we heard the noise."

"Search everywhere," ordered the chief. "Whoever this guy is, he can't be far. And be on guard."

On that command, the police split up in teams of two. Knuckles quietly slipped back into the darkness of the shaft. It was only a matter of time before they found his hiding place. He was so close; he couldn't get caught now. That energy was just above him. If he could get up to the second floor unnoticed, he would have a chance.

Swiftly and silently, Knuckles crawled through the vent. He soon came to an intersection that split to the right, left, and up. Climbing was one of Knuckles' great skills, but to use his spikes would alert the police to his presence. He would have to be stealthier.

Fortunately, the vent was big enough to allow him to move around with ease, and small enough for him to climb without using his spiky knuckles.

Pressing his hands and feet flat against the sides of the shaft, Knuckles carefully made his way up. The higher he went, the stronger the energy source became.

Soon, he came to another tunnel and saw an opening at the end. The energy source was coming from just beyond it. He crawled to the end and looked through the slots of the grate. From what he could see, the police hadn't made it to the second floor yet.

"I'm gonna have to act fast," he whispered.

With controlled strength, Knuckles gave the grate a good push. It popped open, and he grabbed it just before it hit the floor. He quietly slipped out and set the covering underneath the opening. He turned around and paused, surprised by what he saw.

A line of gambling machines looked like they had been shot through with a giant laser, and piles of rings littered the floor.

On the far side of the room, among the gold, silver, and bronze mounds, Knuckles' eye caught a green glow.

He was so close. All that was between him, and the glow, was a sea of rings. Rings that would clink together the moment they were disturbed.

Knuckles glanced around, looking for another way. While many of the gambling machines were damaged and toppled over, there were still a few that remained standing. If he got on top of one of them, he could glide over the rings.

As silent as an owl's wingbeat, Knuckles jumped on top of the gambling machines. The height was good. He could make it.

Without hesitation, Knuckles leapt, reaching his arms out like a superhero, and glided towards the green light. He landed in front of it, mildly disturbing the rings beneath him, and carefully brushed some away.

There was no doubt about it!

It was a shard of the Master Emerald!

Knuckles grinned and held out his hand. The gem piece trembled for a second, then levitated out of the rings and gently into his palm.

He had found a shard!

Then, the shard started to glow brighter, and Knuckles' grin disappeared. Before he knew what was happening, he was surrounded in a blinding light. He shut his eyes and felt a sudden change. A breeze ruffled his spines, the ground beneath him became even, and the light immediately faded.

He opened his eyes. What he saw made him draw in a sharp breath.

He was no longer in the casino. He was at the foot of an enormous pyramid.

He looked around, disoriented. He was in the middle of what appeared to be a city square. He saw other pyramids and temples, gardens on elevated stone platforms, lamps with fires blazing inside them, and a stone wall encircling everything. The sky above was filled with dazzlingly bright stars and a crescent moon.

"Where am I?"

"Father, please listen to me!"

Knuckles flinched at the distressed voice and turned quickly to his right. Two other Mobian Echidnas were approaching. He quickly jumped into some nearby bushes and ducked down. The Echidnas stopped in front of him.

One was a male with maroon fur and spines. He had spikes on his gloves, exactly like Knuckles. He was dressed in a red waist cloth with ornate orange patterns, and blue and black feathers on the hem. Around his neck was a gold necklace with identical feathers. In his right hand, he carried a staff with an iron spearhead.

The second was a female with no spikes on her gloves. Instead, she wore blue bracelets. Her top was a clean white sleeveless, and her waist cloth was green with cream and red patterns. Around her neck was a golden necklace with a teal gem in the middle. A matching headpiece could be seen through her pale orange spines. Her periwinkle eyes reflected desperation and fear.

The male Echidna turned towards her.

"Tikal," he said firmly, "you know the Seven Emeralds are essential to the survival of our tribe. With them, we will be stronger."

"But this isn't the right way!" argued the female Echidna. "It'll bring nothing but pain and sorrow, not only to our tribe, but to others as well! We can't help our own kind by bringing harm to another! It will only cause needless suffering!"

Before Knuckles could see anymore, the white light engulfed him again. He opened his eyes, finding himself back in the casino.

"What was that?" he thought, confused. "And…why do I feel like I should know that place?"

Knuckles' bewilderment was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. He shook his head, remembering his situation. With time running out, and no other way to get back to the vents, Knuckles dashed across the room, causing rings to fly up in the air and fall to the floor below.

"He's up here!" shouted an officer.

Before the two policemen reached the second floor, Knuckles leapt back into the vents and hastily made his way back down through the passages. He had to get to the broom closet before they did.

"He's in the air ducts!" yelled another officer. "Hurry!"

Knuckles got to the first floor and threw open the grate. He vaulted out of the vent and landed right in front of the broom closet. Taking a deep breath, he opened the cover and jumped in, just barely escaping the officers.

"He got away!" he heard an officer shout.

"Alert everyone outside!" the chief ordered. "He's in the sewers!"

Before Knuckles fell into the sewer water, he punched into the cement, suspending himself in the tunnel. With great skill, he swung himself onto the walkway.

"That was close," he said, covering his mouth and nose. "Now, to get out of here. They'll probably be at the manhole I used to get in here. I'll have to exit a different way."

Knuckles ran down the sewer pipe, wanting to get as far as he could.

All the while, his mind kept drifting back to that strange vision.

Just what was it?