On the island leading to Murasia, all interested parties convinced on the beach to discuss their next move.
"Looks like Eggman flew right into the crater of the volcano," Tails reported. "We can probably follow in the X-Tornado."
"You think it can withstand that kind of heat?" Keith wondered.
"As long as we don't get too close to the lava, we should be fine."
"Yeah, fine…" Rouge replied, still disheartened.
The tone in her voice caught everyone off guard.
"You ok, Rouge?" Knuckles asked, looking over at her in concern. "You don't sound like yourself."
"I'm fine, I… I just can't believe I let Eggman trick me so easily. I should have seen that Chaos Emerald ploy coming."
"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it. Eggman just got the better of you. It happens. Take it from me."
"I suppose…"
Knuckles just put a hand on her shoulder. "Getting duped now just means you'll be sharper in the future."
Rouge perked up a bit, smiling a little. Off to the side, Topaz and Tanaka took note of the scene between them.
"They can be quite sincere when they're not yelling at each other," she noted.
"Indeed," Tanaka agreed.
"Doctor!" Chessie called out.
Everyone looked up to see Chessie and Shadow approaching from the brush, a box in Shadow's hand.
"We found something," Chessie informed.
Shadow held out the box to Dr. Cadbury. "The metal is unlike anything I've ever seen."
Dr. Cadbury took the box and looked it over. "Amazing. It's made of Urmarasium."
"Urmarasium?" Chuck wondered.
"A special metal said to be stronger than anything known to Mobian kind," Knuckles answered. "Even stronger than Megaltal."
Sonic let out a whistle. "I'd hate to think of the robots Eggman could cook up if he gets a hold of that."
"You and me both, pal."
Dr. Cadbury opened up the box, revealing a silver gemstone inside. The sight of it caused Rouge to go starry eyed.
"Well hello gorgeous," she let out.
"And she's back," Kat remarked.
"According to my research," Dr. Cadbury spoke up. "Murasian cities were filled with precious gemstones. Some even larger than this one."
Rouge's eyes were sparkling with interest. "I never knew archeology could be so… fascinating."
…
Inside the volcano, Robotnik piloted the Eggmobile further down with his robots in tow.
"If you don't mind my saying to, Doctor," Orbot spoke up. "The temperature is increasing exponentially. We will hit the lava soon if we're not careful.
"As a matter of fact, I do mind," Robotnik replied. "As for the lava, stop fretting. I already have a plan."
"Well I feel reassured," Cubot responded.
"Oh yes," Orbot remarked. "The Doctor's track record is infallible."
"Are you dissing Dr. Robotnik?" Bokkun asked. "Doctor! Doctor! They're dissing you!"
"I wish he wouldn't say things like that," Cubot commented. "I like him better when he's nice."
"I like him better when he's quiet," Orbot replied.
"Oh yeah?!" Bokkun responded. "Well I just plain don't like either of you!"
"Can it, you can heads!" Robotnik demanded. "We're nearly there."
The Eggmobile flew down towards a nearby ledge, leading into a tunnel heading deeper into the volcano. As they reached the ledge, Robotnik pressed a button, causing the Eggmobile to sport tank treads as it landed on the ground. It drove forward, only to stop once they were a ways in.
"Now to make sure no one gets the idea to follow us."
Robotnik hit another button, sending a missile flying towards the entrance. It hit, causing the entrance to collapse, blocking them off as the Eggmobile drove further in.
…
Back on the beach, everyone piled in or on the X-Tornado, ready to venture inside.
"Everyone set?" Tails asked.
"Ready," Keith confirmed with a thumbs up.
"Yo," Kat added, giving a two fingered salute.
"Let's do this!" Amy declared.
"You heard her, Tails," Sonic concurred. "Let's move!"
Tails activated the X-Tornado and took off, those riding on the outside holding on tight as they ventured up to the crater. They dove inside, the heat quickly getting to the heroes on the outside.
"Man," Sonic let out, wiping the sweat from his brow. "We're barely in this thing, and I'm already feeling the heat."
"You're telling me," Rouge agreed. "Any longer down here, and it's gonna smudge my makeup."
"Somehow, I think you'll be fine," Shadow remarked.
Inside the X-Tornado, Keith was using his goggles to look around, looking for any sign of Robotnik. As he continued to look, he caught sight of something on the side of the volcano.
"Tails, down there!" Keith called out. "It's a ledge leading into a cave!"
Tails obliged, bringing the X-Tornado down towards the ledge. As they landed, everyone piled out and made their way inside, noting the wall of rock in front of them.
"Nuts," Kat let out. "They sealed the entrance."
"No sweat!" Sonic declared. "I got this!"
Sonic then rolled into a spin dash and plowed right into the rock wall. However, his burrowing was so intense it began shaking the cave and causing rocks to begin raining down.
"Sonic, stop!" Knuckles called out. "You're gonna bring the cave down on top of us!"
That caused Sonic to stop, turning back to the others and chuckling nervously. "Sorry."
Rouge meanwhile looked around, noting an opening in the side of the cave.
"Hey, I think I found another tunnel!" she called out. "It's narrow, but I think we can fit through."
"Alright then," Sonic declared. "Tails, take Keith, Kat, and Amy in the X-Tornado. The rest of us will see where this tunnel leads."
"Can do," Tails reassured, heading back to the plane.
"Be careful, Sonic," Amy cautioned. "There's no telling what's in there."
"Don't sweat it," Sonic reassured. "It's nothing I can't handle."
"As long as it isn't wet," Knuckles remarked as he passed by. "Come on."
Sonic just rolled his eyes as he followed, with Team Dark following close behind as the others piled into the X-Tornado.
…
As the group made their way through the tunnel, their light source began to grow dimmer and dimmer. After a while, the group found themselves walking in complete darkness.
"I can't see a thing…" Sonic muttered.
"Don't suppose anyone thought to bring a flashlight," Rouge remarked.
There was a click and light filled the tunnel. They turned to see Knuckles holding a flashlight.
"This help?"
Just then, a separate light began filling the cave. Everyone looked up to see something lighting up the cave, prompting Knuckles to put the flashlight away.
"What the heck is that?" Shadow wondered.
"It's some kind of fluorescent moss," Knuckles recognized. "Didn't think it grew in volcanic environments like this."
"For someone who's spent his life on an island, you sure know your stuff," Rouge remarked.
"Angel Island may be isolated, but it has its dangers too," Knuckles boasted. "Besides, since coming to this world, I've been all over and seen all kinds of-"
"I hate to interrupt your date," Shadow spoke up. "But we have a job to do."
"Right," Chessie agreed. "Let's move."
The three started to move forward, prompting Knuckles and Rouge to rush to catch up.
…
The group continued moving, having to climb down a narrow shaft. Knuckles went first, slamming his fists into the rock to create hand and foot holds for everyone as they climbed down. As Chessie hooked her foot into one, she slipped for a second before quickly recovering.
"The rocks are very slippery here," she informed. "Everyone watch your step."
Just as she said that however, she failed to hit her next foothold, causing her to fall straight on top of the others, causing them to all crash down on the ground in a large pile.
"Uh… oops," she let out.
Knuckles grumbled as he laid at the bottom of the pile. "I'm always the fall guy."
…
After that, the group pressed forward. Their trek brought them across a narrow bridge over a river of lava. Sonic looked down, accidentally kicking a rock over the edge and causing it to hit the lava and eviscerate upon impact.
"Yikes…"
…
Later, Sonic was petrified, taking a step back at the sight before him.
"Pff," Shadow let out. "You can't seriously tell me this intimidates you?"
"But its… so wet…"
Shadow just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, looking down at the underground river as Knuckles resurfaced.
"It's too deep to wade through," he informed. "We'll have to swim."
"I can't swim…" Chessie admitted. "My molecular density is too great."
"You can hold onto me," Shadow offered.
"Say, why don't you guys go ahead while Chessie and I catch up with Tails and the others," Sonic offered.
Knuckles then shot out and wrapped his arm around his neck. "Not so fast, blue ball. I don't care what these three do, but you're coming with me!"
Knuckles then dragged Sonic under water, much to his chagrin. Chessie turned to Shadow, looking embarrassed.
"I'll just weigh you down. You sure you want to do this?"
"I'll be fine," Shadow reassured, taking her hand.
Chessie took a breath, wrapping herself around Shadow as they made their way under water. Rouge quickly followed close behind, the group swimming down the river.
…
Sometime later, Shadow emerged from the water, holding Chessie close as they surfaced. He was carrying her bridal style, setting her down before they both shook themselves off. Chessie even pulled off her vest to wring it out.
"You good?" Shadow asked.
"Yeah…" Chessie replied. "Thanks."
Knuckles then surfaced with Sonic, dragging the hedgehog by the scruff. He dropped Sonic on the ground, who proceeded to cough up some water.
"Ugh… what a nightmare…" he let out.
"Mobius' greatest hero, huh?" Shadow questioned.
"He's… having an off day," Knuckles replied as Rouge surfaced, her ears suddenly perking up.
"Hold on," she told them. "You hear that? It sounds like…"
"A waterfall," Knuckles recognized.
"Meaning it could be a way out," Sonic caught on, getting to his feet and taking off.
The others ran to catch up with Sonic, seeming him stop at the edge of the waterfall, overlooking a seemingly bottomless drop. Chessie leaned over, pulling a small device from her wristband. It was beeping lightly and had a flashing red light. She dropped it, seeing where it led. It soon disappeared from sight.
"...Yeah I lost the signal. No way that's our way out."
Rouge started looking around, noting something above them.
"Maybe not down," she replied before taking off. "But how about up."
Chessie looked up, seeing Rouge flying towards a ledge above them. She fired a cable at the base of the ledge, she zipped herself up, firing a second cable back for the others.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Sonic declared as he, Knuckles, and Shadow grabbed the cable and rode it upwards.
Chessie whipped her arm to sling them onto the ledge, allowing them to land on the ledge as she pulled herself up. They all approached Rouge as she went up to the wall of the cave.
"Looks like our exit is blocked off," she noted.
"Not for long," Knuckles reassured, pulling out his shovel claws.
Immediately, he got to work digging his way through the wall of the cave. After a few seconds of clawing away, Knuckles finally managed to punch through, allowing, of all things, sunlight to shine through.
"Is that… daylight?" Knuckles wondered.
Sonic quickly rushed forward, rolling into a spin dash and plowing through the wall and coming out the other side. He landed on the ground, looking up to see the remnants of an ancient civilization on the surface below and the equivalent of a sky above them.
"Murasia…" Sonic let out as the others joined him.
"It's real," Knuckles responded.
Just then, an explosion rang out above them, prompting them to look up and see the X-Tornado flying out of the cave. The four of them looked down at the long lost city before them in awe and wonder.
"Whoa…" Amy let out. "It's amazing."
"Incredible…" Keith added in astonishment. "I've never seen anything like it."
"I never thought I'd ever see this place," Tails responded, pressing a button and activating a camera on the X-Tornado. "Are you getting this, Dr. Cadbury?"
…
"Loud and clear, Tails," Dr. Cadbury responded as he and the others watched on. "It appears that after the initial incident that wiped out their original civilization, the remaining Murasians journeyed underground."
"But what is that light?" Chuck wondered. "It can't be the sun."
"From the scans I'm getting, it looks like some kind of variation of the power crystals I used to make the energy shield for the Master Emerald on Angel Island. Except a lot more powerful."
"Further evidence for our theory," Dr. Cadbury replied.
"If this place was established after Chaos Control, then there might be a written record about what happened."
"Alright, but be careful. From the stories Knuckles has told me, powerful monsters are said to dwell in those caves. There's no telling what you might find down there."
"Not to mention that volcano looks like it's ready to blow any second," Chuck added.
"We'll be careful."
…
Later, Sonic's group climbed onto the X-Tornado and began flying over the ancient city.
"So where do we start looking?" Amy asked.
"If the Murasian civilization is as advanced as the legends claim," Tails replied. "Then they must have some kind of archive building for their history."
"So once we find that, we find the answers we've been looking for," Knuckles concluded.
"Assuming we don't run into trouble from the locals," Sonic added.
"So, do you think those monster legends are true?" Rouge wondered.
"Hey, we've faced a God-like water monster that leveled Station Square," Kat reminded, resting her hands behind her head. "At this point, I'd believe anything."
"Same," Keith agreed, looking down at the ground. "I'd just hate to run into any of them."
"I wouldn't," Knuckles remarked, pounding his fists. "I could challenge them to a fight and take them all down! I'd love to see them try to take me on!"
"You know, you're pretty cute when you talk about how tough you are," Rouge remarked.
""Uh…" Knuckles let out nervously. "Well, I-"
"What's the matter, Knux?" Sonic wondered. "Girlfriend getting you tongue tied?"
"She's not my girlfriend!" Knuckles declared. "In fact, I can barely stand her!"
"My, you change your tone quick," Rouge remarked, sounding a little offended. "I guess it's true what they say. There's a thin line between hate and love."
"Yeah?! Well… you make it thicker!"
"Take it easy, you guys," Tails insisted. "We've got enough turbulence up here!"
On the opposite wing, Shadow was looking down at the buildings, trying to find anything that resembled an archive. As he continued to scan the area, he caught sight of a massive building with a large dome on top of it.
"Down there!" he called out, pointing in the direction of the building. "I think this might be it!"
Tails nodded before veering down to the building Shadow had called out.
…
Meanwhile, Robotnik and his robots finished setting up camp, with Robotnik pulling on a new pair of gloves.
"Perfect fit," he noted.
"What's with the new gloves, sir?" Orbot inquired.
"They're remote controls for my latest creations."
Robotnik then used his fingers to press buttons on the gloves. As he did so, panels on the sides of the Eggmobile opened up, revealing several white egg shaped drones with red eyes in the center. They all flew upwards, spreading out into the abandoned city.
"My new seeker drones will scour the city, scanning for any vital information about Mobius and Chaos Control, then destroy it before Sonic and his nosy friends get hold of it. Which reminds me. Bokkun!"
"Yes Doctor?" Bokkun asked, rocketing up to him.
"I have an important task for you," Robotnik instructed, reaching into the Eggmobile and pulling out a device with a display on it. "Take this bomb and planted at the coordinates displayed on the screen. These are the coordinates to the volcano vein that runs just along this city. I'm going to blow it so the volcano will erupt prematurely and bury Sonic and his cohorts here, so the only one leaving with the secrets of Murasia will be me!"
"Yes, sir!" Bokkun declared before flying off.
"Hey, what about us?" Cubot asked. "Don't we get to make things explode too?"
"If I put you two dumbbots on demo duty, you'd be more likely to blow yourselves up."
"Well surely there is something we can do to aid in your scheme," Orbot offered.
"There is… you two can round me up some lunch."
"Oh that's a relief," Cubot let out. "For a minute I thought we were gonna do something pointless."
"Um… not to question your infinite wisdom," Orbot spoke up. "But aren't you worried that some wild creature might try to make us a meal?"
"Not at all," Robotnik reassured. "You two are indigestible.
Robotnik then shooed them away, prompting Orbot and Cubot to float away with their heads hanging low.
…
Meanwhile, the heroes landed the X-Tornado outside the building. Everyone quickly piled out and made it to the ground, with Tails holding some kind of device.
"Hey, what's that you got there, Tails?" Sonic wondered.
"It's a seismic sensor," Tails elaborated as he set it down on the ground. "It will read the seismic pressure building up in the volcano, letting us know how much time we have before it blows."
"Good call. You and Keith can finish setting that up. The rest of us will check out inside."
"Be there soon," Keith reassured.
While Keith and Tails got to setting up the device, the others made their way up the steps towards the front entrance.
"Guess we can forget about knocking," Sonic remarked.
"No sweat," Amy reassured, pulling out her hammer.
She gave it a hardy swing, knocking the doors off their hinges and onto the ground.
"Nice," Knuckles remarked. "It's not like this place is thousands of years old or anything."
"Right…" Amy replied, rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry."
"Seriously, we're trying to learn about our past, and we can't do that if you bring the place down on top of us."
"Relax, Knux," Sonic reassured. "The place is still standing, isn't it?"
Just then, one of the walls to the building was blasted open, causing everyone to look up and see several of Robotnik's drones flying inside.
"Eggman!" Rouge recognized.
The drones then began flying around the room, taking scans of several walls of text. Once they had collected their data, they blasted the wall, destroying it.
"They're gonna wreck the place before we can learn anything!" Kat realized.
She activated a spike ball and batted it at one of the drones, nailing it in the eye piece and causing it to crash to the ground.
"We need to get these things away from here!"
"Agreed!" Chessie confirmed.
She ran forward before leaping up and whipping her cables at two of them, slashing them to pieces instantly. Shadow skated along the walls of the room before leaping off, homing attacking from one drone to another and taking them out instantly. Amy ran towards one of the drones as it was scanning a wall, smashing it to pieces with her hammer. She saw another one flying in close and smashed that one up as well. Sonic leapt onto one drone, kicking into another and smashing both of them up as they crashed to the ground. Rouge meanwhile took off into the air, kicking through any drone she caught sight of before they could destroy anything. On the ground, Knuckles was doing the same, smashing through one drone after the other in rapid succession. Seeing the battle wasn't going their way, the drones began diving down to the ground, exploding upon impact.
"They're going kamikaze!" Sonic recognized.
Rouge quickly dodged and weaved between the drones as they began crashing down at the base of the walls. The walls began cracking up, much to the horror of the heroes. The cracks began traveling up the walls, causing them to crumble around them.
"This whole place is coming down!" Knuckles called out.
A chunk of wall crashed down in front of him, prompting him to leap back. Amy pulled out her hammer and smashed a few pieces before narrowly dodging another.
"Let's get out of here!" Sonic declared, scooping up Amy and running out.
Shadow quickly took off after them, with Chessie slinging a cable so she could swing away. Rouge took off herself, with Knuckles and Kat running close behind. They all quickly got out just as the building began to collapse, getting the attention of Tails and Keith. Everyone else made it to the X-Tornado, turning around just in time to see the building completely collapse to the ground.
"What the heck happened in there?!" Keith let out.
"Those guys," Sonic responded, gesturing to the surviving drones as they flew off.
Keith activated his gauntlets and threw some energy balls, nailing two of them as the others flew off.
"We gotta stop these things before they wreck the entire ruins!" Knuckles declared.
"Then we should split up," Tails decided. "We'll cover more ground that way!"
"You guys have fun with that," Rouge replied before taking off.
"Hey, where are you going?!" Knuckles called out.
"We came to find answers, right? Somebody's gotta stay on mission while you guys are wrecking robots. Just keep em off my back long enough to find something."
"Alright. And Rouge," Rouge turned back to Knuckles, causing him to smile. "Good luck."
She smirked in response. "Catch ya later, handsome."
She then flew off, Knuckles still grinning as he turned, noting Sonic leaning against the X-Tornado smirking.
"What?!" Knuckles let out.
"I didn't say anything," Sonic insisted, holding his hands up.
"Let's just go, ok!"
"I didn't say anything!"
…
Meanwhile, Orbot and Cubot were rummaging through the brush, trying to find anything edible for Robotnik.
"Years of loyal service, and this is our reward," Orbot lamented.
"Well look on the bright side," Cubot reassured.
There was a pause for a moment.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"What's the bright side?"
"Oh, I don't know. I was telling you to look on the bright side."
Orbot just facepalmed as Cubot looked around, spotting something.
"Ooh! Ooh! Orbot, look!"
Orbot looked up and saw what appeared to be a large cherry hanging in front of them.
"What in the world?" Orbot let out. "What is a giant cherry doing in this place?"
"Who cares. Doc's gotta love us for bringing him this!"
Cubot floated up and tried yanking the cherry free, but felt it stuck. He continued pulling and pulling, but was unable to dislodge it. As he did so, he was unaware of a large menacing face lowering itself down to Cubot's level.
"Hey," Cubot called out, turning to Orbot. "Think you could give me a hand with this?"
Orbot was silent, his jaw hinge dropping as far as it could as his optics went wide.
"What?" Cubot asked.
Slowly, Orbot raised a hand, pointing behind him. Cubot turned to see a large monstrous moth with two antennae, the of which, Cubot was holding the end of.
"Oh…"
…
Orbot and Cubot immediately took off, screaming as loud as they could with the giant moth following close behind.
…
Meanwhile, Keith and Kat were making their way through the thick jungle amidst the ruins.
"It's days like these that make me wish I carried a machete," Kat lamented. "Or a sword."
"You're already dangerous with a blunt weapon, I don't think you need a sharp one," Keith retorted.
As they came out into a clearing, Orbot and Cubot ran past them, much to their confusion.
"Was that Orbot and Cubot?" Keith asked.
"I think so," Kat replied. "But what were they running from?"
The two looked back, going wide eyed at the sight of a giant moth.
"I'm guessing that," Keith answered, grabbing Kat and pulling her to the ground as it flew past them.
The two quickly picked themselves up, taking off after the two robots as they continued running for their lives.
"Did we lose it?!" Cubot asked.
"What do you think?!" Orbot replied.
"You said that was bad for my head think box!"
"Hang on!" Keith called out as he and Kat ran up.
Keith grabbed Orbot as Kat grabbed Cubot, heading towards a deep patch of grass and ducked down so they could hide. The moth flew overhead, creating a large gust of wind with its wings as it passed them.
"You… saved us?" Orbot questioned.
"What, we couldn't let that thing chomp you into scrap metal," Keith responded as they got back up.
"Do moths even eat metal?" Kat questioned. "Or did it just think they were smaller insects?"
"Either way, we don't wanna be around to find out," Keith replied. "Let's get out of here."
The four instantly took off in the opposite direction of the moth, hoping to put some distance between them and it. As they kept running though, a pair of cables shot out at Keith and Kat's legs, tripping them up and causing them to fall to the ground.
"What the-" Kat began to let out.
"Well, if it isn't Sonic's little teen brigade," Robotnik taunted as he hovered down in his Eggmobile. "Snooping as usual, I see?"
"Snu Pingas?" Kat repeated. "Is that even English?"
"What?! No, I-" Robotnik caught himself. "Forget it. The point is, you two are mine now."
"Sir…" Orbot spoke up. "Maybe we should go easy on them. After all, they came to our aid in a dire strait."
"Yeah, and they saved us too," Cubot added.
"Silence!" Robotnik snapped. "So what if they helped you two nincombots? We're evil! We don't have to do things like thank them or go easy on them! Besides, it's not like it was me they helped."
"I doubt it would've mattered if it was," Keith commented.
"You're damn right, kid."
"Yeah, there's no way we'd ever risk our lives to save Eggman," Kat muttered, sticking out her tongue and gagging. "At least Orbot and Cubot are grateful."
Just then, the ground began shaking, causing everyone to tense up.
"What was that?" Kat asked.
"A tremor from the volcano," Keith recognized. "If I'm not mistake, and I rarely am, it's gonna erupt soon…"
"Sooner than you think," Robotnik informed. "Even as we speak, Bokkun is setting a bomb that is gonna set off the volcano and bury you and your friends with the rest of Murasia!"
The mad doctor let out a loud cackle as the two teens exchanged worried looks.
…
Meanwhile, Sonic and Knuckles were steadying themselves after the tremor.
"That volcano's ready to blow any second," Knuckles reasoned.
"Yeah," Sonic begrudgingly agreed. "We should get back to the surface ASAP." He activated his comm watch. "Tails, tell everyone to meet up. We need to go!"
"Love to, but there's a small problem," Tails informed. "I lost communication with Keith and Kat."
"What?!" the two let out.
"I've been trying to get a hold of them, but so far, nothing."
"Focus on getting the others," Sonic told him. "Knuckles and I will find them."
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Knuckles asked. "Let's get moving!"
…
Elsewhere, Rouge kept flying around, searching for anything that could help their ever growing situation. As she looked around, she caught sight of something shining on the ground below. Curious, she dove down, landing at the entrance of a large cave. As she walked inside, she was greeted by the sight of a large pile of numerous multi-colored jewels, causing her to go wide eyed.
"Oh my…." she let out walking over.
As she knelt over to grab one though, she happened to look up, seeing what looked like several ancient pictures with ancient writing beneath them.
"Now this is interesting," she noted, pulling a mini camera out from her boot and snapping some pictures.
…
Meanwhile, Bokkun went to the designated point Robotnik specified and planted the bomb. He then proceeded to arm it, setting the timer for fifteen minutes.
"Looks like Sonic and his buddies are in for a blast!" Bokkun declared.
Just then, a low rumbling sound rang out, causing Bokkun to perk up. The rumbling continued, sounding less like a tremor and more like large footsteps.
"What's that…?" Bokkun asked nervously, just as a giant shadow began looming over him.
Slowly, Bokkun turned around, having to look up to see a large silver and gold robot with a cone nose, sharp pointed arms, a tail, and three large red eyes. Instantly, Bokkun let out a scream of horror and ran away as fast as he could.
…
Bokkun ran all the way towards Robotnik, who turned towards him in confusion.
"Doctor! Doctor!" Bokkun cried out. "Monster! Large! Scary! This way! Hungry! Let's get out of here!"
"What are you blabbering about?!" Robotnik demanded.
Just then, the thunderous sound of footsteps echoed across the landscape. From where they were kneeling, the two teens exchanged worried looks.
"That…" Kat let out, "wasn't the volcano, was it…"
"No… no it was not…" Keith dreaded.
A large shadow suddenly engulfed the group, prompting everyone to look up and see the metal monster looming over them. They all let out a yell of panic before the monster brought its massive foot down towards them. Keith quickly used his gloves to form an energy saw so he could cut himself and Kat free. They quickly moved out of the way as the foot came down, barely getting crushed.
"Let's get out of here!" Bokkun pleaded.
"Good idea," Robotnik agreed as he grabbed hold of Bokkun. "We have what we need."
Robotnik began taking off, leaving Orbot and Cubot in the dust.
"Boss, wait!" Orbot called out.
"Don't leave us!" Cubot pleaded.
Robotnik said nothing as he flew away, leaving the two robots behind.
"He… he left us…" Orbot realized.
"We're doomed!" Cubot dreaded.
"Hey dumbbots!" Kat shouted, grabbing Orbot by his back hinge. "Don't just stand there like bumps on a log, let's move!"
Keith grabbed Cubot before chucking an energy ball at the metal monster, stunning it as the four quickly made their escape.
"That isn't gonna hold him for long," Keith informed. "We need to find a way to stop that thing for good."
"Unfortunate- wait," Orbot realized. "I know how we can stop that monstrosity. The bomb Robotnik intended for the volcano!"
"Now that's an idea! Know where it is?"
"Our scanners should be able to pick up the bombs energy signature."
"Then maybe I can knock it into that giant robot before it blows," Kat added. "Lead the way, Orbot!"
…
Meanwhile, Sonic and Knuckles continued making their way through the jungle, hoping to find any sign of Keith and Kat.
"Still no sign of them," Knuckles lamented. "They better not be hurt…"
"I'm sure they're fine," Sonic reassured.
"I'd believe you if you were talking louder than a low mumble."
"...I'm gonna head up to the tree line and get a better view."
Sonic zipped up from branch to branch, finally getting to the top of the tree so he could look around. Just as he got there though, his eyes went wide at the sight of the metal monster stomping its way through the city.
"Uh… Knuckles!" Sonic called out, his voice at top volume. "I think I found them!"
…
Meanwhile, Keith and Kat finally reached the bomb site.
"There's the bomb!" Orbot pointed out.
"Quick, blow out the candles and make a wish!" Cubot told them.
"No candles to blow out, but this is also way bigger than a baseball," Kat lamented. "No way I can hit this with enough force to take down that robot."
"Then we're just going to have to figure out something else," Keith decided.
Just as they were talking, the monster finally caught up with them, readying one of its pointed arms to strike. Before it could make contact though, Knuckles came sailing in and punched the creature in the face, causing it to stumble backwards.
"Knuckles!" Kat shouted.
Knuckles landed on the ground, smiling once he knew she was alright. Just then, a mouth panel opened up on the monster, spewing fire out of it towards them and causing them to scatter. As it did that, Sonic came rushing in, running in a circle fast enough to create a funnel. that quickly dissipated the fire so he could spin dash it in the third eye, disorienting it as he landed near the group.
"We can't leave you two alone for one minute," he remarked.
"You know us," Keith remarked. "Always finding trouble."
"Or it finds us." Kat held out the bomb. "Think either of you can punt this thing at the robot?"
"No problem," Sonic reassured, taking the bomb. "Knuckles, think you can get its attention?"
"Just watch," Knuckles remarked, grabbing a large rock and chucking it at the monster.
The rock went sailing, completely shattering on the drill-like nose of the robot. It looked down towards Knuckles, stomping right towards him.
"Okay, your turn Sonic!"
"Just get him to open wide!" Sonic called out as he ran forward.
Knuckles nodded before running at the robot and leaping onto it. He continued leaping higher and higher, punching at it with every step. Eventually, the robot tried to spew fire at him, forcing him to leap off as Sonic ran up the back. Once he reached the top of the head, he leapt off and kicked the bomb right into the mouth hole.
"Eat up, big guy!"
Once the bomb was knocked inside, the residual heat caused it to explode, destroying the robot and sending the two Mobians flying back. As they tumbled through the air, the X-Tornado flew in close, catching Sonic on one of its wings but missing Knuckles. The Echidna tumbled through the air for a bit before getting snagged by Rouge.
"I always knew you were a heck of a catch," she remarked.
Knuckles' muzzle turned as red as his spines. Just then, the ground began shaking again, signaling that the volcano was close to going off.
"That's our cue to get out of here!" Sonic declared. "Tails, get a hold of Shadow and Chessie and let's get out of here!"
Before Keith and Kat could make a run for it, Orbot and Cubot grabbed them both by the wrist that held them by their back hinges.
"Both of you keep a tight hold of us!" Orbot commanded.
"Yeah! And don't let go!" Cubot added.
"Are you guys even powerful enough to carry us?" Keith questioned. "I mean, we're not light weights."
"Maybe not, but you're also lighter than the doctor, and time's running out!" Orbot declared. "Cubot! Thrusters to max power! Now!"
Cubot obliged as the two rocketed upwards, hoping to escape Murasia in time.
…
After collecting everyone, they all immediately made their way to the exit. They flew through the underground caverns, feeling more and more shaking as the volcano prepared to erupt. From the beach, everyone that had not gone down into the caves were already scrambling to get onto the ship. They watched with trepidation as they waited for the others to arrive.
"Come on… come on…" Chuck muttered.
Finally, the X-Tornado blasted out of the volcano, jetting right towards the yacht with Orbot and Cubot following close behind.
"We… we made it…" Orbot replied, sounding low energy.
"Orbot?" Keith questioned.
"Don't worry, Mr Tinker…. I always have room for more honey tarts…" Cubot slurred.
"Uh-oh," Kat let out. "I think their batteries are about to die."
"We can… still make it…" Orbot reassured. "We can do something right for once…"
The two started flying lower and lower as their batteries began to run low. Then, just as the last of their power died out, they managed to reach the ship, landing in a heap on the deck.
"Orbot! Cubot!" Keith let out, getting up and running over to them.
Just as he had though, the last of their power had been drained, causing the light to fade from their eyes.
"Think we can repair them?"
"I'm sure I can find some power cells for them," Chuck suggested as the X-Tornado landed.
Everyone got out just as the volcano began to erupt, taking Murasia and its secrets with it.
"And now, Murasia is more mysterious than ever," Dr. Cadbury lamented.
"I just wish we were able to learn something before we had to leave," Tails admitted.
"No one's saying we can't," Rouge remarked, pulling out the camera with a smirk on her face. "Told ya I'd find something. Found some glyphs and snagged a few pictures before we got out."
She tossed the camera to Dr. Cadbury, who smiled widely. "Written records from the lost continent of Murasia! Thank you, Rouge. Your contribution to this expedition will be most invaluable."
"Happy to help."
"Nice work, Rouge," Knuckles commented. "Surprised you're not disappointed you weren't able to snag any gems."
"Ever heard of multitasking?" she held up a red gem in response.
"A power gem!" Chessie exclaimed happily, snatching the gem from Rouge. "This is just what I need to finally finish my repairs on Omega!"
"Seems your kleptomaniac skills came in use today," Shadow teased the shellshocked bat, who stared at her stolen treasure mournfully.
"Yeah… seems like…" Rouge let out, still dumbstruck.
"Now, about those two…" Chessie noted, turning to Orbot and Cubot.
…
Sometime later, Orbot and Cubot began to power back on. They instantly got up to their hovering positions, looking around at their surroundings.
"Where do you suppose we are?" Orbot wondered.
"Wherever it is, it doesn't smell like the Doctor's lab. Someone's actually cleaned in here.
"I did the best I could," Tails' voice reassured.
The two looked up to see Tails and Chuck standing near a work table, with the other heroes watching over them.
"You… repaired us?" Orbot realized.
"You saved our lives," Keith replied. "It's the least we could do."
"Wow, not even Robotnik does the least for us," Cubot remarked. "He only thinks the least of us."
"He's always so mean to you," Amy noted. "Why do you two put up with him?"
"He is our creator," Orbot explained.
"He's my creator too," Chessie pointed out, "and I got out. Who's to say you can't do the same?"
"You really think we can?"
"And I can fulfill my lifelong dream of being a personal injury lawyer?" Cubot dreamed.
"Since when have you wanted to do that?"
"I have a life outside of you, you know."
"Well, I don't know about that last part," Chuck responded. "But we know you can start a life outside of Eggman. We can certainly use a couple of resourceful robots like you on our team."
"To be thought of as equals and work alongside those who respect us?" Orbot marveled. "It's a dream come true."
"Where do we sign up?!" Cubot asked.
…
Inside his secret base, Robotnik was going over the scans his drones recovered from the field. As he did, Bokkun took notice that they were down two members.
"Hey, where are Orbot and Cubot?" he asked.
"Who cares where those rust buckets are. Aurora knows they're too stupid to go offline, so most likely they'll come crawling back when their batteries need charging. In the meantime…"
He pressed a few buttons, causing ancient texts to appear on the screen. After a few seconds the text began translating into english, which Robotnik began to read. As he read, one word stood out to Robotnik, something that caused him to go wide eyed.
"It… can't be…" Robotnik leaned back in his chair. "After all these years… I had forgotten, but now… so much coming back… with one word."
"What word?" Bokkun asked.
Robotnik smirked maliciously in response. "... Solaris."