Episode 5: Echoes of the Past Part 1

On Angel Island, somewhere in Sandopolis Desert, the Dingos are at their Dingo Oasis Camp, doing their best to survive in the hot sandy area. In one of the tents is General Stryker, leader of the Dingos in the area. He looks out with a stern expression as he is waiting for someone.

Suddenly, someone says, "All right, general. I'm here."

General Stryker turns his head to see Knuckles, Julie-Su, and Mighty are in the tent with a Warp Ring open right behind them.

"Now what do you want?" Knuckles questions.

A white bird answers, "Always blunt, that one!"

"The files, please," Stryker says.

"Right-o, boss!" The white bird says.

It flies over to Stryker with the files on its talons. Then gives it to the general.

Stryker turns to Knuckles, "I called you here because you lied to me?"

"Lied?" Knuckles says, confused.

Stryker opens the files and says, "One of my scout teams found the lab of Dr. Finitevus, this is a hard copy of his notes on 'Project Enerjak: Reborn.' It details everything from start to finish."

Knuckles places his hand on his head and turns away because of the sour memories of Enerjack. Mighty is concerned while Julie-Su glares at Stryker for bringing that up.

Stryker adds, "It's been enlightening, and proves that everything wasn't your fault."

"I still attacked blindly," Knuckles says.

"I respect that, Guardian, but we're even in my eyes," Stryker says.

He places the files on the table and says, "Both our people were reduced to rags and exiled from the heart of the island, ashes and dust in equal measure. That said, you were the one he used. So I'm giving you the first dibs on taking him down."

He then points to the spot on the map where Knuckles is suspected to find him.

"I… Thank you, general," Knuckles says.

Stryker turns away, "One of my men will take you there. Good hunting."

Knuckles simply walks away and leaves the tent, Mighty and Julie-Su follow, but the pink echidna makes sure to take the Warp Ring with her before departure.

Once they're gone, Stryker makes a smirk on his face and mutters, "And with any luck, the two of you will finish each other off for me."

Somewhere in Downunda, Walt Wallaby is waiting in front of their Headquarters until a Warp Ring. Coming out are Eve, Fiona, Nic, and Jazz the Chao.

"Hey Eve, long time no see," Walt says.

"Hi Walt. Yeah. It has been a while," Eve says.

Walt notices the others, "I'm guessing these are your teammates. Fiona Fox, Nic the Weasel, and your little Chao friend."

"Chao Chao," Jazz happily says.

"That's Jazz. She's my little friend, and she's been a great help as well," Eve says.

"Chao," Jazz says with pride."

"She sure looks like a tough little nipper," Walt says.

"Chao?" Jazz says, confused.

Eve giggles, "It's a complement, Jazz."

"Chao," Jazz happily says.

Fiona walks to Walt, "So Walt, what is it that you need to talk about? Sally said you can explain it when we arrive."

"Yes. There is much to discuss, and it's rather hard to believe," Walt says.

The group enter the HQ to see Barby Koala, Wombat Stu, Guru Emu, and someone else. A Mobian of a Tasmanian Devil that has a purple fur color, yellow eyes, and a jagged-fur pattern on his chest, similar to a V, along with a beige color muzzle, and a spiky hairstyle and some dreadlocks, and a pair of fangs for teeth. He wears green gloves, each having a black cuff, and shoes with gray, metal squares on the shoes.

"Hi guys," Eve says.

"Hello Eve, long time no see. Haven't seen you in a long while," Barby says.

"Good to see you again, mate," Stu says.

Guru says, "And a pleasure to meet your friends."

"Hello. I'm Fiona and this is Nic," Fiona says.

"Howdy," Nic says, tilting her hat.

"We're glad that you're here. We were hoping you can help us with the trouble in Downunda," Barby says.

"Glad we can help," Fiona says.

Jazz looks at the Tasmanian Devil with a curious expression and flies to him.

"Chao," Jazz replies.

The Tasmanian Devil looks at Jazz and says, "Hello mate."

"Chao Chao," Jazz happily says.

Eve walks over, "Hello. Who are you?"

"Names Thrash. Thrash the Tasmanian Devil," The Mobian says.

"Hi Thrash. I'm Eve. Eve the Hedgehog, and you already met Jazz. And these are my friends," Eve says.

Then turns to the girls, "Fiona Fox and Nic the Weasel."

"Hello," The girls reply.

Eve turns to Walt, "So Walt, you said that you need to discuss with us about the Dark Egg Legion."

Nic looks around, "Didn't you have someone else here?"

Eve looks around and sees what Nic is talking about.

"You're right. Where's Bill?" Eve asks.

Barby frowns and says, "It's a bit of a story, and that's part of what we need to talk about."

Eve and the others soon have a bad feeling about what Barby says, and can tell something has happened to Bill, other than what they're here for.

Meanwhile, at the Master Emerald Shrine of Angel Island, Vector and Ray are watching over the Master Emerald with Locke and Moritori. Charmy and Saffron have to leave for a short while because of their people at the Golden Hive Colony. Ray flies to the edge of the island and sees the place below.

Amazed, Ray says, "Wow! Look look! It's D-downunda! Th-that's where Angel Island f-first came from, y'know?"

Then points to the Great Crater, "Knuckles' ancestors used the C-Chaos Emeralds and M-Master Emerald to b-bring the whole island into the sky."

"Yeah, and I couldn't leave there fast enough when I was little," Vector says.

Ray lands on the emerald and asks, "Y-You came from D-downunda?"

"Strange, I don't think Knuckles told me about that story," Locke says.

Vector sits up and changes the subject, and turns to Ray, "Er… good work on the history lesson, kid."

"Th-thanks! L-like you said, fact-gathering is an important part of b-being a detective."

"Right you are! You're a promising junior Chaotix," Vector says, patting Ray on the head.

"Th-thanks," Ray says with a smile.

Then asks, "S-so what's this about you and D-Downunda?"

"Don't push it, kid," Vector says, not in the mood to talk about it.

"B-b-but…!" Ray replies.

Annoyed, Vector says, "Drop it, Ray."

"Fact-gathering is an important skill for a junior detective! Y-you said!" Ray says.

Vector grits his teeth and growls as he places his hand over his eyes.

Moritori says, "Come now Ray, it appears that Vector doesn't feel like talking about it. Maybe you should give him some space."

"U-um, okay," Ray says.

But Vector soon says, "There's not much to tell. I was hatched there, but I never knew my folks. I hooked up with a crew of orphans, ran around the outback, had some laughs… and… then things went south. I built a gyrocopter and got out of there. That's it." And if you want any more, you can buzz off!"

Suddenly, something snatches Ray from behind. The three turn around and he's disappeared.

"Ray?" Locke, questions.

Vector sighs, "Aw… come on, Ray! I was only messin'!"

But Ray screams, "V-V-Vector! HELP!"

Vector and the Echidna quickly look up to see Ray is being carried away by some robotic dingo with wings.

Vector chases, "Gang on! I've gotcha!"

Vector jumps up, chomps it on the tail, and throws it to the ground.

The two then land on the ground.

"Th-th-thanks! W-w-what was that?" Ray replies.

"I'm afraid we do not know," Locke says.

"Whatever they are, there appears to be a bunch of them," Moritori adds.

Soon, the four find themselves surrounded by dingo robots and appear to be heading to the Master Emerald.

Back at the Sandopolis Desert, Knuckles, Julie-Su, and Ray are being escorted by one of Stryker's soldiers while riding on a giant centipede-like creature.

Seeing the destination, Knuckles asks, "This is where Finitevus is hiding out?"

The place they are heading to is ancient ruins that appear to have a square like pyramid with steps in the middle of it.

"Seems a little… overt, don't you think? Julie-Su replies.

Once they arrive, Knuckles helps Julie-Su off the centipede.

"You had a full run of the island for years. How come you didn't know about this place?" Julie-Su asks.

"I had problems facing the desert when I was little," Knuckles says.

Soon, Knuckles and Julie-Su are the first to begin walking around the ruins.

"Hmm…" Knuckles replies, and places his hand on the wall.

"Is there a problem?" Julie-Su asks.

Then brings out her blaster, "Aside from us being on Finitevus' doorstep, I mean."

Knuckles looks at the ruins carefully and says, "These huts… they're very old."

"Ancient ruins tend to me," Julie-Su replies.

"But they're not echidna-made. Let's keep going. I want to see more," Knuckles says.

Knuckles decides to continue forward.

Julie-Su turns her head and calls out, "You coming, Mighty?"

"Go on ahead! I'll catch up!" Mighty calls out.

Mighty then walks back to the Dingo and says, "They might not recognize you, Harry, but I do. You've hardly said a word during the trip, what's wrong?"

"'What's wrong' he asks…" The dingo, Larry says, and turns his head away.

Then says, "I never like the army. When we were sealed off in that zone, I didn't have much of a choice… I loved my gig as a cabbie. I didn't have anything exciting until I ran into your crew… Then the General's son, Kage, took over. I was forced back into the arm, and if I'd been smart, I wouldn't have played by his rules… Instead, I helped the Guardian's old man, I played spy until you rescued him. But you left me behind, and Kage wasn't happy with me."

Then holds out his arm, "But then Enerjak tossed us out here. The general takes care of us now. Calls me a hero to his cause. So I'm sticking with him."

"Harry… I'm… I'm so sorry. Everything moved so fast that day, we…" Mighty says, feeling remorse.

But Larry firmly says, "Save it kid. I ain't angry. I'm just tired of your messes."

Then grabs the reins and asks, "You've got a Warp Ring with you, right?"

"Y-Yeah…" Mighty answers with a sad expression.

"Then my job is done," Larry says. Then rides the creature away from the scene.

Mighty looks back to see Larry riding away from the scene. Then continues forward to meet with the others. Meanwhile, Knuckles is looking around the ruins that makes him rather confused.

"This isn't adding up," Knuckles says.

"Knux, can we worry about the archaeology later?" Julie-Su asks.

"But I know the history of our people now. These huts are not built in our style," Knuckles says.

"There were other Mobians settled on Downunda back then, you know," Julie-Su comments.

"A few scattered tribes, sure. But there are nothing this advanced," Knuckles says.

Then looks at the pyramid, "I know some really old Albion architecture looked like that pyramid, but…"

"Okay then, it's an old Albion settlement. Happy now?" Julie-Su asks, annoyed.

"No, that doesn't work either," Knuckles asks.

"Oh for the love of… why?!" Julie-Su asks, frustrated.

"There was only one Albion colony, and that turned into Echidnaopolis! These huts are too old, and they aren't echidna-made! The pyramid only make things more confusing!" Knuckles says.

"The Albion civilization was ancient. It's possible they're other colonies or parts of history you just don't know," Julie-Su says.

Knuckles turns to Julie-Su, "B-but…! I spent so long looking for answers, and all I learned from the brotherhood…"

Mighty soon walks past them and says, looking depressed, "Hey guys? Can we get back to the psycho in the pyramid."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Julie-Su says, following Mighty.

Knuckles turns his eyes to the pyramid and points to it, "I'm not through with you."

Then follows the others. Soon enough, the three arrive at the pyramid.

"... so do we knock or what?" Mighty asks.

Julie-Su looks at the door and notices a small computer pad on the side of the door.

"Huh, a retina scanner," Julie-Su replies.

Knuckles asks, "Why bother with a lock? He has Warp Rings."

"Maybe as a back-up?" Julie-Su suggests.

She looks at the lock and says, "I might be able to hack it if I can find a way to interface with it…"

"Or we can try 'knocking,'" Mighty says, cracking knuckles.

Mighty walks in front of them. And with a strong punch with his fist, breaks the door down.

Mighty steps inside saying, "Knock-knock."

Soon, the three begin to walk down the hall of the pyramid. There are some pillars, and color tablets on the wall.

Knuckles looks around as he says, "This is an old Albion stronghold! An original installation, even!"

"Are you sure?" Mighty asks.

"Positive. I've seen other pyramids like this, but I always assumed they were from Echidnaopolis Colony," Knuckles says.

Then begins to wonder, "Why would they have a research-fortress built in the middle of primitive Downunda settlement?

"Guys! Finitevus! Focus!" Julie-Su says, annoyed and rubbing her head.

Confused, Mighty says, "Gee Knux, I thought that after you hooked up with all your ancestors you got all your answers about Echidna History!"

That ends up getting a vicious glare from Knuckles.

The echidna walks away and angrily says, "Apparently someone's still keeping secrets from me."

Seeing Knuckles walking away, Mighty twiddle with his fingers in remorse, "Wow, I'm not doing too well today.

"Remember, he's a hot-head. Let's keep going," Julie-Su says.

Back in Downunda Freedom Fighter HQ, Walt and the others explain to Eve and her team what is going on, and it's quite a shock to them about what they have to say.

"Wait, you're telling me that Dr. Eggman not only created a Dark Egg Legion here in Downunda, but Bill is also their Grandmaster of the legion here? Willingly?" Eve asks, shocked.

"And Dr. Finitevus was also here with the Dark Egg Legion," Fiona adds.

"I'm afraid so. A lot has happened since the last time we saw you guys," Stu says.

"Yeah. We also saw this Dr. Finitevus here for a few days now. We're not entirely sure what he and the Dark Legion are up to, but we saw them at the Great Crater," Walt says.

"Why would they be there?" Fiona wonders.

"I'm not sure. But still, that place is somewhere where Finitevus would be at," Eve says.

"Why's that?" Nic asks.

"Because the Great Crater was actually where Angel Island used to be before it became the floating island we all know. Question is, what could he and the Dark Egg Legion be up to there?" Eve says.

"I think it's about time we find out," Fiona says.

Then throw air punches, "And to get that creep back after the stunt he pulled for his Enerjak Fiasco."

"Enerak?" Thrash asks, interested.

Eve sighs, "It's a really long story. And one I still feel a bit uneasy to talk about."

Then says, "We'll tell them the details later. Let's get over to the Great Crater and see what's going on."

"Sounds good to me," Barby says.

"Yeah. The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can get back to me old quest," Thrash says.

Eve becomes a bit confused about what Thrash means by it. With that, the two groups of Freedom Fighters head off to the Great Crater to see what Dr. Finitevus and the Dark Egg Legion are planning.

Back at the Shrine of Angel Island, Vector, Ray, Locke, and Moritiroi are doing their best to keep the Dingo-bots away from the Master Emerald.

Ray, "Th-th-there's t-t-too m-m-m-many…!"

"Keep it together, kid!" Vectro says, and ounces the robot.

Locke then punches another as he says, "We can't let them get to the emerald."

One of the Dingo-bots hit Ray and knocked him to the ground. Then it does the same with Vector and the Echidnas. Moritori quickly uses his special eye mask to fire beams at the enemy.

Vector grits his teeth as he says, "Charmy… Saffron… now would be a great time for you guys to show up…"

Ray is holding on to the jaws of the dingo, preventing it from biting him.

A he struggles, Ray says, "I w-w-w-wish Esp-p-p-pio w-w-w-was…"

Vector swats the robot away and angrily says, "We don't need that traitor!"

"W-w-w-w-we n-need s-s-s-somebody!" Ray panics.

Then notices the Dingos surrounding them while others are getting to the emerald.

Then points forward, "Th-th-th-th…!"

"I see 'em! They're going for the Master Emerald," Vector says.

Locke then punches the Dingo-bot, "We must not let them reach it. If they succeed, the island will fall out of the sky.

In the Mysterious pyramid in Sandopolis, Knuckles is walking down and is determined to get some answers. Julie-Su and Mighty chase after him.

Julie-Su calls out, "Not so fast!"

"Do you want me to hurry up or slow down? Make up your mind!" Knuckles asks, irritated.

"Hurry, yes, but do it cautiousl… EEEP!" Julie-Su says, and suddenly screams.

A trap door appears under the three's feet and they fall through it. When they reach the bottom, lasers appear on the top and cover the way they fall in. Then spikes appear on the wall. And last, the wall begins to close in.

"We're trapped!" Mighty panics.

"The walls are closing in!" Julie-Su says.

"Not for long, I want answers!" Knuckles says, determined.