Chapter 9: Production Factory
Outside of a large building tag with Robotnik's symbol stood Knuckles, Espio, and Shadow. Shadow had a big grin on his face as his crimson red eyes gave off an evil glare.
"What are you so happy about?" Espio asked.
"This…" Shadow said while opening his bag revealing what looked like tons of C4.
"Ha! This will be fun!" Knuckles grinned.
"I'll go around and place all the C4 at the reactor; you guys place these charges in the room where the Egg-spies are." Shadow ordered.
"Will do." Espio agreed.
"Right on! Time to hit Robotnik hard!" Knuckles commented.
Knuckles and Espio stood at the top of the metallic ramp looking out over the large factory; Knuckles gave off a small grin as he around at the lively assembly lines operated on various things. Knuckles nodded at Espio and charged down the ramp with Espio not very far behind, the red guardian was a red blur as he raced down the flat metal ramp and across the floor running on the side of the wall and up the spiral formation, Espio continued to go straight and leapt high onto a large red machine which shot him straight up into the air, with a single air dash he shot forward landing on one of the conveyor belts, he continued to go forward leaping over small chunks of metal still being wielded and added on to.
Knuckles leapt off the edge of the spiral formation and grabbed a hold of the cold metal bars high on the ceiling, putting one hand before the other he quickly began to go across the various assembly lines without having to navigate through them. He grinned as he looked down and saw Espio dodging metal arms and jumping over metal chunks. With another grin Knuckles let go of the bars and thru his arms out in front of him, his dreads flapped around behind him as he glide through the air across the large factory, he stopped and landed on one of Robotnik's infamous springs which shot him back up high into the air, he then revived his glide and continued to make his way through the factory with ease.
Espio leapt off the conveyor belt and slide down the cold steel vent until he popped out in a room full of large red crates each one with Robotnik's face slapped on it. Espio gave a grunt of disgust and activated his charge…
"Guys I've found the Egg-spies and the charge is set." Espio whispered into his com-watch.
Knuckles looked down at his radio and picked it up upon hearing Espio's report.
"Good at least one of us found them. I'm on the route to what looks like the Robotnik's Weapons facility. I'll drop my charge there." Knuckles said into his com-watch as he dashed down the long hall.
"C4 is in place. Knuckles the power reactor is near you, I'll meet you in the weapons room. Espio I suggest you get out of here." Shadow demanded.
"Bah, fine." Espio pouted, "Don't get killed."
Knuckles darted down the hall until he came to a strange room with lots of small electric generators shooting bolts of high voltage to one another with what looked like lots of very large mechwalkers charging up.
"What is this place?" Knuckles wondered, "Shadow…I've found something…looks like a mechwalker fleet."
"What! Hmm…set your charge there and quietly get out." Shadow commanded.
"Heh, Robotnik will be feeling this one!" Knuckles chuckled.
Knuckles quickly scattered to the large electric reactor in the center of the room and placed the small charge on it and go it ready to go. He then quickly ran out of the room into a big room full of walkways going in various directions, as he exited the archway a mind numbing boom was heard the archway behind him exploded in a mess of fire and metal sending Knuckles flying across the room. Knuckles looked behind him and gave an angry scowl as he looked at the now sealed off passageway.
"What the hell?" Knuckles whispered.
"Well what have we here? A rat in the system…or…perhaps an Echidna? All are rodents anyways…yes you might say that you are a marsupial but to me…that's just a big rat." Said a loud unknown voice.
"Is that so? Now…how about you show you face! Or…does a "rat" scare you." Knuckles shouted.
As Knuckles said that a large muscular figure came out of the dark corner of the very walkway he was standing on, the strange man had red hair, red eyes, and a VERY muscular build, with red and black armor over his shoulders and guarding his chest, the armor then stopped revealing his unimaginably toned 8-pack, with more armor beginning at his waist and running down his legs where some crimson red boots covered the rest. Knuckles glared down at the boots that looked like they could cross ANY terrain and then back up to his exposed arms, his skin just like his abs was an odd dark red and didn't look like flesh.
"My name is Tyronos." The large figure said.
"WHAT! YOU are supposed to be dead!" Knuckles shouted with a small lump in his throat.
"Ha! Not Tyronus! Tyronos you fool! I was named in honor of that great being that you and your foolish friends killed many years ago!" Tyronos announced.
"So what the hell are you? You sure don't look human." Knuckles commented.
"I'm one of Robotnik's Guardians. We are the cream of the crop, the top soldiers. We are the ones you really should fear." Tyronos said.
"Bah! You're just another cocky asshole with some cool armor. That's nothing to be afraid of." Knuckles laughed.
"Well…I'm done chatting. Ready to die?" Tyronos stated coldly.
"If that's how you want to play it…but…I don't see me dieing anytime soon…you on the other hand…" Knuckles said confidently.
"Hmm? Perhaps this will change your mind…" Tyronos said slowly while raising up his arm.
Tyronos held up his right arm and red glow of energy pulsed from it quickly forming into a MASSIVE cannon that hugged his arm, it had a black finish with red patterns going all over it. Its barrel was a round steel colored circle with vents all over it; the air around it was distorted by the very energy building up in it. Tyronos smashed the wall with the weapon causing the wall to cave in; he pulled it back and aimed at Knuckles. Knuckles' eyes opened wide as the cannon didn't even have a scratch; the very end of the cannon slowly locked into place on Tyronos' shoulder just as a red beam made a home between Knuckles' eyes. Knuckles quickly checked on the timer on his waist.
"…I don't have time to fight him…Well Mr. "Guardian" I hate to disappoint you but…I really must be going." Knuckles noted.
"You're going nowhere but to hell!" Tyronos roared.
Tyronos began to squeeze the trigger and his boots clamped down on the ground, the vents in the barrel expelled MASSIVE beams of flames as a single extremely powerful and fast shot of crimson red energy charged out of the cannon and tore the air apart as it made a beeline for Knuckles. Knuckles dove out of the way but was thrown into a pile of debris by just the energy around the blast, Tyronos' arm snapped back and slide across the ground from the very shot. Knuckles dove out of the debris and looked at the carnage behind him. The very wall and rooms that were behind the walls were obliterated; nothing even looked remotely close to what it was.
"Shit…" Knuckles whispered as he stared at the warped walls.
"Time to die Emerald Guardian!" Tyronos shouted.
Knuckles leapt up to one of the platforms and darted down the pathway as Tyronos leapt around at a speed that rivaled Sonic's firing dozens of shots at Knuckles, Knuckles ran as fast as he could, then dove off the platform as 5 powerful shots bombarded the platform creating a large blast of fire and chaos behind him, Knuckles landed hard and rolled across the floor and sprung up to a dangling cable where he swung back and forth dodging the powerful blasts, Tyronos ran across the floor firing more shots at the red echidna, Knuckles swung forward and jumped off and somersaulted through the air, landing hard on the metal floor he took in a single breath and darted for the closest door, but Tyronos' shot beat him to it. Knuckles scowled and twirled his right arm around…"Mach-Punch!" Knuckles drove his fist into the wall causing it to cave in giving him a place to run. Knuckles dove through the hole and hide behind one of the large weapons crates. Tyronos ran into the room and laughed as he charged up his cannon.
"What's wrong Knuckles! My cannon scare you?" Tyronos shouted.
"…he wants me to talk…" Knuckles thought to himself.
"Fine then…I'll find you to EASY way!" Tyronos laughed.
"…shit…" Knuckles whispered.
Tyronos began to fire shots in random directions, every shot causing more and more chaos, the weapons crates exploded viciously and various chemicals and ammo shells spilled across the ground, Knuckles dove out from behind one crate and scowled at the insane guardian. Knuckles charged forward, and leapt high into the air as a powerful shot ripped across the ground and into the crate he came out from behind, the blast shook the very room. Knuckles landed and gave Tyronos a massive right hook, Tyronos' head snapped to the side but his body didn't even budge. Tyronos smiled and grabbed Knuckles' arm and effortlessly threw him into a crate of weapons denting the very crate with Knuckles' limp body. Tyronos quickly fired a shot off into the crate; Knuckles dove out just in the nick of time as the powerful blast hit the crate causing it to explode, the flaming debris began to cover the floor, Tyronos laughed insanely as the flames built up around the room, he grinded his teeth as he fired a continuous stream of blasts at the speedy echidna, Knuckles barely dodged to shots, Knuckles stopped for a second and flipped over the energy stream that was ripping through the debris while causing massive explosions to echo throughout the room. Knuckles charged the powerful man jumping over various blasts and quickly making his way towards Tyronos, Knuckles then unleashed a massive uppercut that didn't even make Tyronos spit. Tyronos grabbed his hand and pistol-whipped Knuckles with that insanely powerful cannon; Tyronos then spun around and threw Knuckles into the wall of debris. Tyronos fired furiously at him as Knuckles jumped out of the pile just as 3 shots fired at him hit it causing it to explode into flaming bits, Tyronos fired shot up at the ceiling to stop Knuckles from jumping around the room. Large amounts of debris began to fall down the room, as the flames on the floor picked up and various ammo shells exploded all around, as Knuckles and Tyronos ran around the chaotic room. Knuckles rolled across the floor picking up a small energy grenade, Knuckles pulled the pin and whipped it at Tyronos, a large explosion ensued but Tyronos was completely unfazed, Knuckles scowled and began to throw random objects at Tyronos, Tyronos merely stood his ground and fired more massive shots at Knuckles, Knuckles ducked and jumped over the shots as he threw various ammo shells at Tyronos. Tyronos laughed and spun around firing shots everywhere. The room began to shake and the ceiling began to exploded viciously as debris fell everywhere, and the flames nearly engulfed the floor, Knuckles dove from flame to flame as Tyronos continued to shoot and swing that massive cannon at Knuckles, Knuckles rolled under Tyronos and put his fist together and slammed the combined fist down on Tyronos, Tyronos spun around slamming the cannon into Knuckles' side, Knuckles rolled through the flames, and quickly got back on his feet, he punched the large steel beam that was about to crush him, the beam shattered into a storm of shrapnel. Tyronos laughed as small electric bolts began to flow through the room as the plants itself was beginning to go critical by the massive fight.
"Knuckles where are you?" Shadow shouted.
"I'M TRAPPED IN THE PLANT! I CAN'T GET OUT!" Knuckles desperately screamed.
"I can't hear you! Say that again!" Shadow screamed.
"…damn it!" Knuckles whispered, spitting in disgust.
Tyronos fired another shot, Knuckles scowled and flipped up onto a pile of debris and quickly dug into it as Tyronos charged through the flames and shoulder tackled the pile shattering it, sending Knuckles and the debris all over the flaming, room. Tyronos laughed as the ceiling began to crumble over them. Knuckles stood up and scowled as he looked at the damaged timer on him.
"Fuck!" Knuckles shouted as he shook his damage timer.
"What the hell!" Shadow shouted in surprise.
"Wha…" Tyronos gasped.
Before Tyronos could say more a dark ball crashed into his face, Shadow sped across the flaming floor and stopped next to the battle worn Knuckles.
"Damn! It's Tyronos!" Shadow gasped.
"No shit!" Knuckles grunted.
Tyronos scowled and fired another large shot separating the two. Shadow and Knuckles jumped from pile to pile as the rubble from the ceiling continued to rain down as Tyronos smacked away various amounts of debris and fire random shots at the duo.
Shadow dove down and unleashed the ancient light attack on Tyronos, Shadow bounced off Tyronos' diamond hard abs and laid on the floor dazed, Tyronos quickly held his cannon over his head and slammed the cannon down, Knuckles pulled Shadow away just in time, as Tyronos' cannon ripped through the floor. Shadow pointed to the small hole in the wall as Tyronos pulled the cannon free and fired again. "Chaos Control!" The entire room slowed down till everything seemed to move in slow motion, Knuckles gritted his teeth as he fought to move fast through the slow room, Shadow broke free and pulled Knuckles to the side as Tyronos' blast even while slowed quickly moved by the two. Tyronos charged the two barely affected by the chaos control. Knuckles and Shadow dove down and slide across the floor as the Chaos Control wore off and Tyronos slammed into a flaming pile of debris. Shadow and Knuckles quickly dove out the small hole Shadow made getting in and plummeted out the side of the factory into a hovercraft.
"DRIVE ESPIO DRIVE!" Shadow shouted at the top of his lungs.
Espio slammed his foot on the pedal and the craft sped away as beams of light shot out the building and in mere seconds the entire factory exploded into a mushroom cloud of chaos, debris, and flame.
"…I need a damn Advil…" Shadow grumbled.
"…shut the hell up…" Knuckles grumbled.
The flaming rubble of the building slowly rained down where the building once stood, standing in the center of the crater Tyronos stood slightly burnt, he tightened his fist as he watched the craft turn into the chaotic traffic of the city.
"…Knuckles…you'd better live till the next time we meet…there will be…no escape…next time…next time…" Tyronos said as he lowered his cannon arm.