And the world came back, the Emeralds faded, and the red creature was still there. Nothing had changed. Had he just… imagined it? Had it all been a dream? He shook his head slightly to clear it… Sonic was still looking at him. "So you've figured him out, then? Well, to answer your question, this is Knuckles the Echidna, the keeper of the Master Emerald."
Omega frowned. "So… is that something like the Chaos Emeralds?" he asked slowly.
"No…" Knuckles said, struggling to his knees, still clutching the Master Emerald, and he glared at Omega. "The Master Emerald neutralizes the power of the Chaos Emeralds…"
Sonic tried to help Knuckles, but he swatted his hand away. "I'm fine!" he snapped. "I just need a bit of rest…"
With that, he flopped onto the couch, his eyes shut tight. "I'm not sure that that's quite how it works…" Omega said.
Knuckles opened his eyes and glared at him. "Oh? And what do you know, Cat? I don't even know who you are! You might be one of Eggman's lackeys…"
"My name is Omega, and that's FORMER lackey, for your information," Omega snapped back. "And I know that the ultimate power of Chaos… is Life. The Master Emerald wouldn't STOP Life, it would simply… re-focus it…"
And with that, Omega turned around and walked out of the room. He knew he was probably being immature, but he didn't care. In human terms, his physical age was somewhere around 15. But he was now aging at a human rate… which meant that although he was more physically mature than Tails, he was pretty much the most naïve teenager to walk the face of the planet.
He found an empty room down the hall, one with nothing in it but a carpet. First, he shut and locked the door, immersing the room in darkness. He took his chain from his side and coiled it on the floor. Then, he turned off his mechanical arm, lay down, and went to sleep.