CHAPTER 2

Soinic the hedgehog absently walked down the streets of Station Square. He had just ended another heart stopping adventure and could only think about how haveing a little fun for a changed.

He was a little bummed out though. He hadn't had any trouble from Eggman in awhile. Things were just too quiet. He kinda wished something would happen so he could have a little excitement.

The blue hedgehog noticed Knuckles the echinda walking down the same sidewalk only in the opposite direction. By the look on th echidna's face Sonic could tell something wasn't right.

Hmm I wonder what's bothering him, he thought.

"Hey Knuckles!" the blue hedgehog called rushing up to his friend.

Knuckles saw him coming and tried to change direction. Sonic stood in front of him blocking his path. The echidna glared at him.

"What's got you so grumpy?" Sonic wanted to know, "not that you always aren't."

Knuckles was already in a bad mood. He quickly and angrily told was was bothering him. "If you want to know, Sonic, it goes like this. Last night I was on Angel Island watching the Master Emerald like I always do when the ground started shaking.

"So I, thinking something is wrong, look back toward the Master Emerald. And what do I see? One of Eggman's retarted robots sticking his big ugly claws into it and sucking out all the energy!"

Knuckles pulled out a gray Chaos Emerald. "Look what the bastard did to my Emerald! He went and sucked the whole thing dry!"

"Why didn't you try to stop him?" Sonic asked.

Knuckles looked at him as if he was stupid. "I would have but by the time I tried the Emerald was already sucked dry," Knuckles explained staring at the gray Emerald in distaste, "And if I ever get my hands on whoever did this he's gonna regret being built! What does Eggman have against my Master Emerald anyway? I haven't seen or bothered him in weeks!"
Sonic chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Knuckles demanded.

"You're such a drama king," he said, "I kinda find that story hard to believe. Maybe you were dreaming."

"Why you!" Knuckles said raising his fist, "I am not a drama king! This is the Master Emerald! Have you ever seen a gray Chaos Emerald?"

Sonic had to admit he was right about that there were no gray Chaos Emeralds.

"Well, you are right about that," Sonic admitted, "but still. Not even Eggman would build a robot that can absorb enerygy just by shoving its fingers into it."

"Sonic, I'm telling the trueth," Knuckles protested putting the useless Emerald away, "and if I even get my hands on that no good dirty rotten-"

"Chill, I get the point," Sonic said starting to laugh, "you don't need to get bad mouthed about it."

"I wasn't getting back mouthed!" the red echidna roared.

"Yeah, whatever," Sonic said shrugging, "whatever you say."

Knuckles raised his fist. "I knew I shouldn't have told you," he shouted, "I knew you wouldn't believe me! You only believe something if you see it for yourself!"

"Hey, hold it," the blue hedgehog cut in, "I never said that. I do believe you. Crazy as what you told me sounds I do believe you."

The red echinda lowered his fist. "You do?" he asked surprised.

Sonic put up his thumb and winked. "Absolutely."

"I hate it when you do that," Knuckles growled.

"So," the hedgehog said deciding to change the suject, "what say we go to Angel Island and check this out."

Knuckles had to agree that was a good idea. He nodded. "Okay," he said hesitently.

The two headed to the train station.

The scientist's walk had taken longer then expected and by the time he got back to his lab it was dark.

The first thing he noticed when he stepped toward the entrance was the door standing wide open.

That's strange, he thought walking faster, I'm sure I closed that before I left.

The instant he was inside he knew something was wrong. The computers were lying on the floor in a huge mess. He knelt down and examined one. It had five holes in it, as if someone had shoved spikes through the screen.

What could have happened? he thought, looking around.

His gaze fell on the broken capsule. Oh no! he thought, rushing over to it, Don't tell me!
He knelt down and picked up some broken glass. Green liquid oozed all over the floor staining his black pants and the bottom of his red jacked but he didn't notice. All he could think about was finding the thing.

He quickly searched the lab but didn't find what he was looking for. It had vanished.

Oh no! he thought, that things loose!
He grabbed a chair and sat in it trying to steady his nerves. He couldn't believe it. Someone had broken into his lab and activated one of his most dangerous robots. But who and why? he thought.

Then an answer came and his anger began to build.

SONIC!

Not far away along some railroad tracks the thing was headed in one perticular direction. It knew where it was going. It knew there was power there. Power beyond what he could imagine.

He was headed to Station Square.

Sonic whistled when he saw the crumbling shrine of the Master Emerald. It had always been a ruin but now it was a huge mess. Pieces of the stairs and crumbling pillers were everywhere.

"Man, it looks like that robot did a number on the ruins as well," he commented.

Knuckles shook his head. "After the thing sucked all the power out of the Master Emerald it went berserk. It started tearing the place apart. I could only see its red eyes and weird figure but-"

"Whoa," Sonic interrupted, kneeling down to examine something at the base where the Master Emerald once stood.

"What?" the red echidna asked, looking over the blue hedgehog's shoulder.

He saw it too. Dried green liquid.

"It looks like that berserk robot sprung a leak," Sonic said, putting his finger in the stuff, "Hmmm......"

"What?" Knuckles wanted to know.

Sonic put the stuff up to his nose. He sniffed it then coughed and wheezed. "Doe, maybe dis isn't doil adter dall," he said his nose all stuffed up.

"Then what is it?" Knuckles asked.

Sonic pulled out a tissue and blew his nose. "I don't know," he said, "but it looks like the same stuff Rouge told me about."

"What stuff?"

"The stuff Shadow had been in when he was trapped in that capsule in Eggman's base," the blue hedgehog replied.

"You don't think Shadow could have done this do you?" the echidna inquired.

Sonic shook his head. "I highly doubt that," he said, "Shadow's the ultimate life form. He doesn't need anymore power."

Knuckles shook his head. "Then I don't know."

"Well we could ask someone," Sonic suggested.

"Yeah, like who?" the red echidna implured.

"Like the brains behind the robot," Sonic answered grabbing Knuckles' arm.

"You don't mean........?" Knuckles began.
"Dr. Eggman," Sonic confermed.

"Do you mean me?" a voice asked startleing the two animals.

"Huh?" Sonic said coming to a sudden stop. (He'd been running) "who said that?"

"I did," said a figure coming up the shrine steps.

Dr. Eggman.

"Hey there, Doc," Sonic said, "long time no see. What have you been up to lately? Constructing a power sucking robot perhaps?"

"Funny you should mention that," Eggman said putting his hands on his hips, "And just what did you do with it?"
"Huh?"

"Don't play innocent with me you spiky rat, "Eggman roared, "I know you took my robot! Where is it? What did you do with it?"
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about," Sonic said, "What robot are you talking about? Emerl?"

'The robot you stole after you trashed my lab!" Eggman exploded grabbing Sonic by the neck and shaking him. "I want that robot back! I want it back now!"
"Uh, Eggman," Knuckles stepped in.

"What?" the evil genous demanded glaring at the echidna.
"Sonic didn't steal your robot," Knuckles replied.

"Then who did?"

"I don't know. I think its roaming around freely," Knuckles showed Eggman the gray Master Emerald, "and sucking power from anything it can get it's hands on."

Eggman gasped and dropped Sonic. He stared at the useless Master Emerald without a word.

Finally he sank down on the stone stairs and said, "Oh my, I should have known..........."

"Known what?" Knuckles asked.

Eggman stared up at him. "That thing is sucking out energy!"
"Huh?"

"The robot that stole the power from the Master Emerald is stealing energy from any source it can get its hands on," Eggman explained, "it's highly unstable. If it sucks out too much power from anything, it could explode taking out more then itself in the process."

"You mean it could wipe out an entire city?" Sonic asked.

Eggman nodded. Then he began to plead. "Please get it back. I would be very greatful if you would."

"Why should we help you?" Sonic asked suspisiously, "you're always so nasty to us. How are we sure this isn't another one of your plans to take over the world?"

Eggman's face fell. He quickly regained his composser and stood. "Fine, if that's how you're going to be then I'll just have to think of a way to get it back myself."

With that he stomped down the shrine stairs, across the bridge, into the cave, and disappered.