Chapter 3: A Darker World

"3 years later…"

"3 years have past since Robotnik captured Knuckles and the Master Emerald. We've been forced to flee Angel Island and take solace in the very city Robotnik built thanks to those monsters that Robotnik released from the depths of the Earth. To add to things those monsters have multiplied faster than anyone could expect…their sheer power is unbelievable, they seem the hate all of the dominant species of this planet and are waging war with every city/establishments they find. The only safe place on this entire planet…is the city Robotnik built, the city that is surrounded by a massive shield-wall. Grabbing the remaining Emeralds we fled and took solace in the underground catacombs Shade and Larez found under the city. However we have not heard from Knuckles…or heard about him, I find myself growing worried…Robotnik had the guts to release those horrid beasts all over the world…he nuked Station Square, and from what I hear has managed to capture Sonic and Tails. Robotnik has changed…he was never this ruthless. Now I fear Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are dead…I wonder how long it'll be before he finally finds out about our base hidden right under his city? I find myself writing too much now…maybe it's because I am afraid? Or because I have no one to really talk to now."

-Shadow

The moon was full and gave off an eerie glow as the hovering vehicles hovered over the populated streets of the dark yet clean city. The streets gave off a metallic sparkle as the robot and humans guards patrolled the city, separated into different sections, ranging from Slums, to Noble, people wandered about, in the center of the large city stands a large tower with hundreds of floors every one with lighted windows and decks stretching out, out of the 4 sides of the building large pipes came out and lead to towers at 4 ends of the city, each pipe carrying energy for the homes of the people.

Walking down the streets in a black trench coat with a black top hat on its head, an odd lizard with a cigarette in his mouth walked towards the Capital Tower. Looking up with his dark yellow eyes the lizard finished most of the cigarette and tossed it into the streets, as he looked at the large tower stretching up into the heavens.

Inside of a cold room with various types of monitors on one end, and cells on the other, Robotnik and Ramirez stood over a table with some unfortunate creature strapped to it. The various tools hovering by their heads slowly descended upon the creature and began to buzz, pop, crackle, and inject…

Computer: Emerald energy infusion cycle beginning…

The tools latched on to the red fur of the being and began to surge with power and scrap against the poor creature, the energy ripped through it's body, the creature screamed with anguish as the energy surge felt like blades and saws moving throughout the inside of his body. Robotnik and Ramirez looked on with smiles as the red guardian screamed and shook violently with the energy continuing to pump through him, the bolts hugged his bones, and singed his veins and felt like they were trying to pull out and rip out his organs.

Computer: Infusion cycle complete…blood flow…normal…heart beat…normal…muscle readings…unchanged. Subject unaffected.

"Still nothing! For 3 years I have submitted him to these experiments and yet he hasn't been affected at all! All the other subjects at least had the respect to DIE!" Dr. Robotnik growled in frustration.

"Can we even afford to keep submitting him to these tests? Some of the other officials are beginning to catch on. The people might revolt if they found out that those who have "supposedly wandered out of city and were slain by the Quaro" were actually killed here in this tower." Ramirez said his voice filled with concern.

"These people won't revolt. They have no power, I have all the power, and I keep them safe. They cannot afford to revolt, for they know they would be wiped out if they tried, I can merely shut off the power to the wall and the Quaro will crash through and make short work of them. I have enough DNA to clone another cities worth of people." Dr. Robotnik stated.

"I see. What shall we do with Knuckles?" Ramirez asked.

"The only reason he still lives is because his body can feed on Emerald energy. This is why he has yet to die, however now I feel its time we submit him to more deadly tests." Dr. Robotnik said.

"What about the hedgehog?" Ramirez asked.

"Yes…the hedgehog…I have yet to decide what to do with him." Dr. Robotnik replied.

"Should we…place him under these tests?" Ramirez wondered.

"No. For now…we crush his pride, and destroy his dignity. Then we shall SLOWLY shred him to bits in front of the whole city, to set an example for WHY you do not dare to oppose me. While his will is strong, even the strongest can be broken…like Knuckles here. I have a meeting to attend, farewell." Dr. Robotnik said as he began to head towards the door.

Ramirez bowed as Robotnik left the room, Ramirez slowly circled the table with Knuckles chained to it. Ramirez ran his cold fingers across Knuckles' body as he circled. Knuckles panted heavily as his body continued to flow with intense pain, Ramirez began to walk away when he suddenly slammed his fist in Knuckles' stomach and grabbed him by the throat.

The trench coat wearing lizard slowly walked up the stairs until he came up to a large room with a long crescent shaped desk with 3 Guards sitting at it chatting about random things. The lizard stopped and slowly looked at them all as they immediately jumped up and pointed their guns at him.

"Hey now…I come in peace." The Lizard said holding his hands up.

"This is a restricted area." The Guard shouted.

"I am quite aware of that, I've come merely to give my regards to Dr. Robotnik and deliver him the item he ordered from my…store." The Lizard said calmly.

"Who are you?" The Guard asked.

"My name is Espio." Espio answered.

"Espio hmm? Take off that trench coat and the hat…" The Guard ordered.

Espio slowly put his arms to his sides and let the trench coat slide off his shoulders and drop to the ground, he slowly removed his hat and dropped it on the floor, the guard glared at the purple Chameleon with yellow eyes, a yellow horn where one would normally have a nose, dark crimson purple shoes with black stud cuffs, and at the purple arms with black stud bracelets with strange gauntlets attached to them.

"Where is this gift?" The Guard asked his voice growing impatient.

"Right in the coat." Espio said as he slowly bent over and slowly pulled out a metallic case and held it up into the air.

"Open it…now!" The Guard demanded.

"But of course…" Espio answered swiftly.

Espio slowly began to unlatch it when he suddenly grabbed his gauntlet and spun around throwing 3 razor sharp shurikens across the room, the shurikens sliced into the tender flesh of the guards causing blood to spew out like the fourth of July. Espio smiled as each guard stumbled back into the wall and slowly slid down lifeless. Espio walked over the corpse of the guard that talked to him and pulled out a small card from his pocket.

"I'll take this card as a thank you for delaying me. I have some business to take care of…just sit still…" Espio said coldly.

Espio slowly slid the card over the door and got the elevator and headed for the lower region of the tower…

Rushing out of the elevator the purple chameleon leapt up and sprung off a pipe going high into the air, he landed softly and dashed down the slope as dirty dank pipes flew by in a blur, Espio curled up and hurled himself into the sentry slowly creeping up the hall, Espio cut through him leaving a massive hole in the man's torso, the sentry hit the floor with a thud and didn't even give out a scream as Espio leapt up to the wall and clung to it for a second, he quickly sprung off of it to the other wall where he sprung off again doing a slow flip, landing the a pipe he grinded up with unbelievable speed, jumping off the pipe and diving into a thin metal plate Espio slid up a small vent where he popped out in a small room full of guards looking at monitors, Espio landed on the dashboard of the table and with a single swipe he slit their throats before they could even looked up at him, Espio back flipped into the monitor and into the vent over them as the guards spun around as they fell with blood spewing out of their necks soaking the room. Espio quickly climbed up the vent and popped out in a quite hallway, he spun around and vanished from site as he ran up the side of the wall down the hall. The hall blurred by as he raced down it and charged through a door, he leapt and hit a spring and shot up from spring to spring through the circular tower like room. After springing off the last spring he soared up through another vent where he easily slid through it as if he were a ball inside a tube, he shot out into a small room with 8 guards loading up the Cell platform, they turned around at the sound of the noise but saw nothing but the tip of a blade flying towards their face. Espio landed on the tip of a small pole and watched as the guards fell down in agony as they grabbed the handle of the blades that were sticking right into their forehead and through their brains. Espio grinned and flipped off the pole onto the platform and hit a switch causing it to slowly ascend, Espio spun around real quick and put his hands together as if he had a blade between his hands…

Ramirez slowly walked around Knuckles slamming his fist into various sections of Knuckles with every pass…finally he bent over and grabbed Knuckles by the chin and pulled Knuckles' head as far up as the restraints would allow so they were face to face.

"You know what Knuckles? I personally wanted to kill you that night on the Egg Fortress! But Robotnik wished to study you…I fail to see why he needs to study scum like you when he has men like ME at his side." Ramirez complained.

Knuckles spat a dark wad of blood in Ramirez's face; Ramirez scowled and backhanded Knuckles viciously causing the restraints to give a loud clang over the force of the blow.

"When Robotnik tires of you…I'll kill you myself and eat your worthless flesh for dinner. I'll be back later…" Ramirez growled as he walked towards the exit.

Ramirez stormed out of the room licking the blood off his face with his long lizard tongue, Knuckles breathed lightly as he tried to suck up the pain, as Knuckles closed his eyes one of the platforms leading down to the lower levels rose up with no one on it. Knuckles ignored it completely as the sound of footsteps approached him.

Appearing out of thin air was a purple Chameleon with yellow eyes and a spike where his nose should be. The chameleon walked up to Knuckles and placed his hand on Knuckles' face.

"Knuckles! …I knew you were alive!" Espio said in relief.

Knuckles simply looked at Espio and went back to trying to catch his breath.

"Well it's good to see you to! I've been wandering this joint for 4 months mapping every floor trying to find you! Espio said while slamming his fist on Knuckles' crotch by pure accident, "I have been looking for you for 3 years!"

Espio let a single tear stream down his eye as Knuckles ceased to move, even after the shot to the balls.

"Knuckles…please say something…Knuckles…" Espio pleaded as he looked at the seemingly lifeless Knuckles.

"Shut the hell up…and release me NOW!" Knuckles shouted as he began to struggle in the restraints.

"Whoa there guardian! Not so loud…if the guards hear you and come here you can kiss our asses bye-bye. Now hold still while I find away to get these bindings off of you." Espio said while covering Knuckles' mouth.

Knuckles began to breath and growl viciously as Espio tried to toy with the bindings, Knuckles gave out a loud roar and busted out of the bindings and snarled, Knuckles hair was jagged and the white of his eyes turned midnight black, and his eyes turned crimson red giving off a look of pure hate and anger, with 2 deadly sharp fangs hanging down. Knuckles smashed his fist into the table shattering it as he approached Espio. Espio walked back until he stumbled on the ledge of the platform and looked down at the long drop.

"Knuckles…Knuckles…it's me…Espio…your old pal…you know…Knuckles…please listen to me…" Espio said his voice trembling.

"Espio?" Knuckles said quickly.

Knuckles' fist stopped right in front of Espio's face and turned back into his old self, Knuckles stumbled back and shook his head and looked at Espio.

"What the fuck was that! Never mind! Lets get out of here first. Quick follow me." Espio said.

Knuckles nodded as he felt his wrists and stumbled behind Espio for a bit.

"Be careful ok? We don't need to alert the whole place. Oh yeah…here." Espio said while pulling out a small case.

He opened it and took out 2 white gloves with black cuffs and threw Knuckles a small black belt full of slots for various things. Knuckles put them on and gave Espio a blank look.

"This way they will think you are any other citizen and the belt will become useful later on. We only have so long before they notice that I was nice enough to put some guards to…sleep." Espio said with a grin.

"Just shut up and lead the way!" Knuckles demanded.