SEARCH AND RESCUE
"This is bad," Espio said as he looked around. In Sonic's hand was Knuckles' hat, but Knuckles himself was nowhere in sight. "The Legion got him," Grim said. "They could have taken him anywhere! We'll never find him!" Sally said, starting to panic. "Chill," Cap said, "DJ, can you scope out the area?" he asked his companion. "Sure. Visor: thermal," he said as his green visor became purple and a red light slowly moved across it. Through his visor, DJ could see a smoke trail leading up to where they were, and then departing from the area. "I got a smoke trail, Cap. It goes for about twenty yards, then thins out. Must have set the engines for silent running," DJ said to Cap. Cap nodded his head and looked over at the out-of-towners. There was a sense of fear and concern on their faces. "Morph, go with DJ. Follow the trail as far as you can, then come back here and report in. We'll wait here for you," Cap said as he pointed to Morph Man. "Sure thing, boss!" Morph said as he suddenly began to shrink. Everyone watched in amazement as he shrunk until he had taken the form of a bird with Morph Man's head on it. The Ravagers looked at the others' faces and snickered. They were struck stupid with astonishment.
"Did you think 'Morph Man' was just a fancy title?" Morph said as he began to fly up to DJ. "We'll be back soon," DJ said as he fired his jets and the two flew off. "Morph can rearrange his molecular structure into any form or substance of his choosing," Vipes said, trying to break the others out of their stupefied trance, "However, the more complicated the object, the longer it takes him to morph." "I take it you all have...powers," Amy said. "Yeah. Well, for the most part," Swiper said. "Cool! Like what?" Tails asked. Vipes chuckled for a second, then took a deep breath. "Well, you know that F.C. is a mage, and what Morph can do, and Freezie," Vipes began, "DJ has no powers, but he is a brilliant strategist, go figure. Me," he said as he drew a sword, "I possess ninja skills, such as stealth and agility. This sword, which has been passed down through my family for generations, is magic." They looked in awe upon the young ninja's sword. It was a kitana blade, with a golden viper constricting the handle. "Cool hardware, but what's so 'magical' about it?" Vector asked. They could sense Vipes was smiling under his mask as he stepped back and held his sword before him with both hands. "Dual sai," he said as the sword began to glow. When the glowing stopped, he was no longer holding a sword, but a sai in each hand. "Way past cool," Sonic said. "Floor's yours, Grim," Vipes said as he stepped back.
"I have the ability to create and manipulate flames," Grim said as he opened his hand, revealing a fireball, "Wanna touch it?" he asked them. "Are you crazy?" Amy asked as they looked at him with surprise. "I want to," Cap said as he opened his hand. Grim tossed it to his and he caught and held it in his hand. They all stared in shock. "Cool, huh? It could burn me, but Grim doesn't want it to," Cap said with a smile as he tossed it back to Grim. When Grim caught it, he clasped his hand and a burst of flames created a staff out of thin air. At one end of it, there was a flame in the shape of a blade. "What's the Grim Reaper without his sickle?" Grim asked. "Take it, Cap," Grim said.
"Okay. Swiper and I have the same abilities, only mine are a lot stronger. About fifty years ago, there was a mad rush between nations to create the perfect soldier. Our Grandfather was chosen to become Station Square's first subject. The formula they gave him was a performance enhancer. His speed, strength, everything was greatly increased," Cap said as the others listened closely to his story. "Unfortunately, the lead scientist quit the project, and it was dropped when another team was formed. Our grandfather, however, wanted to use these abilities for good. He became the first Captain Independence," Cap said. "He eventually started a family, and for some strange reason, our dad inherited our Grandfather's abilities, only he was stronger. Eventually, our dad took over the family business. He also started a family, and we were born, a year apart from each other. However, I became even stronger than my dad was. Swiper stayed at about our grandfather's level, probably because he was a second offspring or something like that," Cap explained. "So why are you doing this and not your dad? You're still kinda young," Mighty asked. Cap and Swiper lowered their heads as Swiper whispered, "Well, our parents are dead..." Everyone, even their teammates, stared at the two brothers with great sympathy. "Oh...I-I'm sorry. I didn't-""It's alright. You didn't know," Swiper said to Mighty.
"So when did you all meet?" Rotor asked. "Well, we actually got into a big street fight. Then we realized we were all on the same side, and the rest is history," Cap said, in a happier mood. "A street fight?" Bunnie asked. "Yeah. We mistook each other for enemies and duked it out in four one-on-one fights. Vipes and F.C. were working together back then, just like DJ, Cap and I were," Swiper said. "How did you know each other?" Sally asked curiously. "DJ's dad knew and worked with our dad. He wasn't a Mecha DJ or anything, but basically the same idea. Vipes and F.C. met during some...meditation thing, was it?" Cap sad as he looked over at F.C. "Think of it like meeting someone online," F.C. said to make things simple.
Vipes turned his head as Morph and DJ were coming back. Cap walked towards them and asked, "How'd it go?" "We followed it to an old abandoned warehouse downtown. That one by the docks. No one watching it outside, probably cause it's condemned and no one would ever go there," Morph said. "DJ, you have any suggestions?" Cap asked. "Well, I did run an x-ray schematic of the building, and I have one of my crazy ideas that I know'll work great!" DJ exclaimed. They all turned and looked behind them at the sound of a jet slowly coming towards them. "You have a jet?" Sonic asked. "Who doesn't?" Freezie asked. "Hop on in and let's go get your buddy!" DJ said as he motioned for them to come inside.
Knuckles groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He felt really dizzy, and there were bright lights in his face, so he couldn't really see where he was. He felt leather straps securing him to a table by his arms, legs and waist. He tried to break them, but he couldn't find the strength to. His body felt completely drained. He struggled to break free until he slumped back, exhausted. "Good. You're awake," Dimitri's voice said. Knuckles' head shot up at the sound of his voice as he clenched his teeth in anger. Someone, who was apparently Dimitri, stood in front of the lights, leaving a silhouette of himself in front of Knuckles. "It's good to see you again. It has been a while since we've spoken...in person at least," Dimitri said. Knuckles tried to lunge himself at Dimitri, but his restraints held him back. "Don't bother. We've injected a drug into your system that uses up your chaos energy. It's quite interesting what ground up power rings can do. They drain your chaos energy from your body. We've also injected a second drug, cutting down your body's production of glucose. Don't struggle too much. You have only enough energy to breathe, let alone try and escape," Dimitri said with a slight chuckle.
"Wh-what d-do you want w-with m-me now?" Knuckles stuttered angrily, finding that even speaking wore him out. "The whole Eclipse episode has proven your worth to me. Unfortunately, the device I have been using to control you has been destroyed by your body's chaos-induced immune system. This was of course, to be expected. I didn't expect to be able to control you that way forever. Your body has so much energy...so much raw potential...and you know not of how to use it," Dimitri said as he began to pace back and forth. "I have grow tired of this weak, metal exterior. I want the power that I once had. You have just that and more. You have a young body, full of power. More than you yourself even realize. I intend to take my mind...and put it in your body," Dimitri said. Knuckles' eyes widened with shock and horror. "Doctor, you may begin the procedure," Dimitri said as another figure came over and put an oxygen mask on Knuckles' muzzle. Knuckles struggled against it, but he slowly lost consciousness. Dimitri smiled with satisfaction. "Your power will be mine," he said. Suddenly, there was an explosion outside the room, shaking the whole warehouse. Dimitri got back up to his feet and looked to a legionnaire running into the room. "What was that?" he demanded. "Lord Dimitri! We are under attack!"
Ten seconds earlier...
All was quiet in the old abandoned warehouse. A group of legionnaires sat down, playing cards on top of an old crate. One legionnaire stood by the window, looking out at the stars. One particular star caught his eye. It started out small, but quickly grew larger. He swore at the top of his lungs and jumped off to the side as a large jet crashed into the side of the warehouse. The legionnaires moaned as they got up, and watched a door open on the side of the ship. Freezie stepped out, looked at the front of the jet, and yelled, "Damn it, DJ! I just waxed the nose this morning!" "Sorry!" DJ yelled from inside. Before the legionnaires could regroup, the Ravagers, the Freedom Fighters, and the Chaotix poured out of the jet and attacked. Mighty looked up onto a balcony and saw Dimitri looking down at the chaos beneath him. "Freezie! Knux must be up there!" he yelled. "Hang on!" Freezie yelled as he grabbed Mighty and ran up onto the balcony in a matter of seconds. Dimitri looked at them and ran down the catwalk. Mighty and Freezie went to go after him, but noticed a surgeon standing over Knuckles with a spinning circular blade, moving towards his forehead! "Drop the funky pizza roller, now!" Freezie yelled as the two ran into the room. The surgeon looked at them and thrust the blade at Freezie, who easily avoided it. "Can't catch me! Can't catch me!" he taunted. "Shut up!" the surgeon yelled. "Nah! Nah!" Freezie yelled as he ran around the surgeon, making him dizzy and causing him to collapse.
Mighty ran over to Knuckles' side and gasped when he saw him. There were three holes in his shirt, although wounds from the shots had healed. He was sweating a lot, and he looked redder than usual. Mighty touched his forehead to feel his temperature, and discovered that he was running a very high fever. He ripped the straps off and lifted him up into his arms. "Hand on, buddy. You're gonna be okay," he said to Knuckles as he and Freezie exited the room. "Hurry up! Reinforcements are comin'!" Vipes warned as Dark Legion Hovercrafts began to appear outside the windows, dropping off troops. Vipes, Swiper, and Grim used their weapons to deflect laser shots as Mighty carried Knuckles into the jet. His friends gasped when they saw the condition Knuckles was in. "Oh my God! Is he-"Sally began, until DJ cut her off with, "Strap him in! We gotta ride, man!" Mighty sat Knuckles up in a seat next to Sally and strapped him in. Sally looked at him nervously and whispered, "Please be okay."
Since DJ, who drove them over, was preoccupied with assisting the others get inside, Tails thought it would be wise if he started the jet. He jumped into the pilot's seat, and was shocked to find that there were no controls. None at all. There was a CD player, a radio, and an ac, but that was it. DJ ran over and said, "Scoot! You aren't used to this kinda jet," he said as he sat down in the pilot's seat. "Computer, controls," DJ commanded as a compartment opened and a small controller popped out. Tails looked in awe and confusion and asked, "What is that?" "PS2 controller. Comes standard," DJ said. "How can you fly like that?" Tails asked. "Simple! Triangle for reverse," he said as he pushed the button, sending the jet in full reverse out of the warehouse, "R2 for missiles," he said as he fire two missiles at the warehouse, blowing it up, "And X for accelerate!" DJ concluded as they began to move.
"Guess what? Blowing up that warehouse brought us up to fourteen thousand, nine hundred and seventy two dollars and fifty seven cents in property damages!" DJ said. They were all shocked when the Ravagers all cheered, as if it were some great feat. "I'm starting to think Knux was right when he said you were morons," Sonic said. The Ravagers chuckled and laughed for a brief second, until the jet was hit by a laser shot. "Do you like roller coasters?" DJ asked. "I get sick on 'em," Mighty said nervously. DJ tossed back a paper bag as he said, "Then this'll come in handy. Barrel roll!" "No! No barrel roll! Noooo!" Mighty yelled as the jet barrel rolled, avoiding several shots. "Flip it! Flip it!" Morph yelled in excitement. "NO! Don't-"Mighty started, until he yelled in fright as the jet flipped, leveling out behind their pursuers. "Directional pad to choose weapons...L1 to lock on...and R1 to FIRE!" DJ yelled as he pushed several buttons and fired missiles at the hovercrafts in front of them. "Now sit back and enjoy the ride," Cap said.
During the flight back, Julie-Su glanced over at Knuckles, who was strapped in across the aisle from her. She was still mad at him for what he did, but she was still worried about him. 'It doesn't mean anything. I mean, we're still friends, so I can still be worried, right?' she thought to herself. Sonic looked out the window and was surprised to see that they were over an empty field. The jet slowed to a stop and started to descend, as the ground opened up, revealing a secret room. 'How do they afford all this?' Sonic thought to himself. When they had landed, DJ looked back and said, "How're we doin'?" "Well, Mighty has lost his lunch, and I think besides being overly drugged, Knuckles now might have a mild concussion from your driving," Sally said with her hands on her hips. "Nice. A good day," DJ said as he opened and stepped out the door.
"Set him down here," Grim said as Mighty laid Knuckles down on a hospital bed in a small room. "Take his shirt off," Vipes said. Mighty nodded as he and Espio slowly and carefully removed Knuckles' shirt. "What are you gonna do?" Amy asked. "Yes. I see no equipment in here," Antoine said, inspecting the empty room. They all were kind of shocked when Vipes drew his sword. "As I have said, this is a magic sword. All I need to do is slightly pierce the skin, and it will remove any ailment from his body," Vipes said. "No way! I'm not letting you play operation with our friend!" Sonic declared. "Vipes is right. My scans are showing that the drugs are really overdosed. They're flowing freely in his bloodstream and being pumped back and forth through his heart. It would take forever to get a successful transfusion," DJ said as he finished scanning Knuckles' body with his visor. They all stood in silence, not sure of what to do. "It will be painful, but F.C. knows a spell that will calm him. You must trust in us," Vipes said. The out-of-towners glared at them, still unmoved and uncertain of this method. Suddenly, Cap stood in front of them, with a pleasant, friendly look on his face. "Listen. We just want to help you. We've helped you get him back...so please...trust us one more time," Cap said. There was something about him, perhaps his smile, or the pleasant sound of his voice, that told them that everything was going to be okay. After a brief pause, they nodded their heads in agreement.
F.C. stood behind Knuckles' head and placed his fingertips on each side of Knuckles' head. Vipes took his sword and carefully inserted the tip of it into Knuckles' skin, just above his heart. Knuckles' body tensed up as he began to growl in pain, clenching his teeth. Sally flinched when she heard him, but Sonic put his arm around her to comfort her. "Relax, Knuckles. Forgive me, but I need to go into your mind. Think about your happiest moment. Remember, Knuckles," F.C. whispered as he closed his eyes.
F.C. opened his eyes and he was in a dimly lit room, with the exception of brightly colored flashing lights. He looked around to see the Chaotix, talking and having fun. He glanced over at Julie-Su, who was talking to a brown male echidna wearing a brown hat and a green jacket. She was wearing a black dress and a black jacket. He turned to see Knuckles hugging two echidnas. A male with a white coat and goatee and a female with a yellow dress and large braids. Obviously his parents. He watched as Knuckles walked over and said something to the echidna talking to Julie-Su. He smiled when Julie-Su began to dance with Knuckles, and was a bit startled when he leaned her backwards and kissed her.
The others watched as F.C. smiled pleasantly. "A happy thought indeed," he said. They glanced over at the sword, noticing that a black color began to creep up the blade. "What the heck???" Rotor said. "The sword is sapping the impurity out of his body. When the black reaches the handle of the sword, the process is complete," Vipes explained. "Think of it like downloading something off the Internet using a dial-up connection. Slow and aggravating," DJ said. They watched for a few more minutes until Vipes removed the tip of the sword from Knuckles' chest. Vipes took the sword, flipped it so the tip was facing the floor, and stabbed the ground. When he did so, the black that covered the blade evaporated and faded away. F.C. opened his eyes and stood up. "So, what was his memory?" Sonic asked. "It is not my place to say. It is one of his private thoughts. I only saw it because I had to, so I am obliged to keep it to just us two," F.C. said. "What now?" Rouge asked as she stood besides Knuckles. "We let him sleep. He will need time to recover. Let's leave him be," Grim said as he showed them to the door. They all followed the Ravagers, but not before glancing back at their friend. Their friend who had suffered so much. "Get well," Sonic said as they closed the door behind them.