Knuckles threw a punch, and even though it was sluggish underwater, it still managed to land on Prefect Charyb's face. However, despite the punch landing, it had no impact and Charyb simply laughed it off. He tried another, and it was the same result; Charyb made no attempts to dodge or blocked, and his laughter, muffled by the water surrounding them, taunted Knuckles.

"Is that the best you've got?" Charyb asked, before nimbly spinning in the water to deliver a powerful kick. Knuckles clamped his hands over his mouth to stop himself from releasing what air he had left. Charyb raised his hand, charging energy into it, but stopped when he was hit from behind by a shot from Julie-Su's gun. Turning, Charyb swam over to Julie-Su, slicing through the water with incredible speed. "You're Dark Legion, aren't you? Dimitri always favoured you guys over us…" Charyb took out a blade swung it, narrowly missing Julie-Su as she swiftly swam backwards. "Luckily, he didn't give any orders to bring you in alive."

Julie-Su turned and swam as fast as she could, Charyb chasing her. She reached for her dreadlock and attempted to overclock, before remembering that her cybernetics were disabled. Panicking, she stopped and turned back to face Charyb, surprising him. She dove under the Gizoid to get behind him, and before he could react, she planted a bomb on his back, and then swam as fast as she could towards Knuckles.

The bomb exploded. Knuckles and Julie-Su watched and waited, and soon saw Charyb swimming towards them, completely unharmed. "That won't work on me! As long as I'm underwater, I'm invincible."

Knuckles pushed Julie-Su aside as Charyb attacked. Charyb grabbed Knuckles by the throat and squeezed, forcing Knuckles to let out his air. Julie-Su tried to pry open Charyb's hand, but the Gizoid wouldn't budge. She pointed her gun at Charyb, who simply grabbed it and pulled it out of her hand, before grabbing and choking her, too.

Charyb laughed as the two flailed, trying their hardest to pry his hands open. As Knuckles struggled, a green light illuminated the pool. Curious, Charyb observed the light, watching as it expanded and passed over him. He released his victims and kicked back.

Confused, Knuckles watched Charyb cautiously, wondering why he had backed off until he too saw the light. It was coming from the Master Emerald, still in its capsule, though before Knuckles could figure out what was happening, the capsule exploded. The water around the Emerald shimmered, and something began to form before Charyb's eyes.

"What are you?" Charyb asked as a watery figure appeared before him, two large green eyes staring into his, and an exposed brain through a transparent head. "I do not recognise your kind. No matter; you will die all the same." Charyb attack the creature, slicing through the water and severing its head from its body.

Chaos simply blinked as its body and head re-joined, and then it stretched out its arms like tendrils, wrapping them around Charyb and pulling him closer, constricting him. As Charyb struggled to break free, Chaos squeezed harder.

Charyb stopped struggling and emitted a microwave frequency, causing the water around them to start to boil. After a short while, Chaos' arms severed, and the freed Gizoid delivered a kick that pushed Chaos back towards Knuckles and Julie-Su. As Chaos regenerated his arms, Charyb closed the distance and sliced several times, breaking Chaos' body apart into mere bubbles. Those bubbles attempted to pool together to reform the body, but Charyb continued slashing, refusing them the chance.

'Even Chaos is struggling against this guy,' Knuckles thought, watching helplessly as his vision became blurry. Eventually, the fragments of Chaos' body retreated into the Master Emerald, and Charyb once again turned his attention to the two echidnas. 'If only we could do something about all this water…'

"Now, how should I kill you?" Charyb asked. "You want me to end it quick, or do you want to drown? Hm? Oh, right. I guess you can't speak. I'll choose for you, then." Charyb felt the top of his head breaching the water's surface, and looked up with alarm, finding that the water was draining around him.

Looking down, Charyb saw that the drainage vents at the bottom of the pool were now open. "Why is the water draining?! Who's responsible for this?!" Charyb demanded as he and his prisoners were pulled to the bottom. As the last of the water flowed through the drains, Knuckles grabbed Charyb's arm, and delivered a strong punch that sent him flying.

Julie-Su scrambled to her feet, coughing out the water she had swallowed, and then collected her gun. Footsteps alerted the three to another in the chamber, and they all turned to find an albino echidna walking towards them, adorned in a black cape. "I'm not fond of getting my fur wet, so I took the liberty of draining your pool."

"Are you Nocturnus?" Charyb asked. "I've never heard of a white echidna before. Who are you?"

Knuckles managed to catch his breath, and looked at the white-furred echidna in shock. "Finitevus? Is that you?" Just as Julie-Su had described, as well as the change in Finitevus' fur-colour, there were now black rings across his chest, similar to the white ones that Knuckles had, and his eyes were now yellow, with black sclera. What she hadn't mentioned was the black, diamond-shaped mark on his forehead, with a strange swirling pattern inside.

What was more striking was the new outfit he was wearing. In place of his white lab coat, Finitevus was wearing a black cape, lined with silver bars on the inside, and sporting a large, orange clasp that glowed, bearing an image of a crescent moon. He also wore large, black boots and gauntlets, decorated with golden rings, with the hands and feet wrapped in dull, grey bandages, and around his waist was the Warp Belt he had worn before, now inert.

Despite the changes, Knuckles could tell that it was the same echidna. But where beforehand, Finitevus could hardly be considered a fighter, now there was an air of danger around him. One that made it seem like he could fend for himself against even the toughest of foes, like Zavok or Metal Sonic.

"Finitevus?" Charyb asked. "Ah, I recognise that name. Another traitor? Then Dimitri won't care what I do with you."

Finitevus chuckled. "I'm sure it goes both ways. Dimitri never liked the Gizoid program; it took resources away from his Dark Legion pet project, after all. And now that he has the powers of Enerjak, I'm sure he won't care if you're destroyed."

"Finitevus, wait!" Knuckles said. "This guy's strong, even out of water!"

"There is no need to fear, Guardian," Finitevus said. He approached Charyb, showing no fear even as the Gizoid started running towards him. He dodged to the side as Charyb attacked, and then delivered a swift kick to the robot's back, causing him to stumble. Before Charyb could recover, Finitevus thrust his hand, enveloped in yellow energy, onto his back. "Chaos Spear."

A yellow Chaos Spear emerged from Finitevus' palm, piercing the Gizoid. Finitevus watched with delight as Charyb began to tremble, and then fall limp. As the Chaos Spear vanished, Charyb fell to the floor, and Finitevus turned to face Knuckles and Julie-Su.

"Doctor Finitevus?" Julie-Su asked as she holstered her gun. "Is it really you?"

Finitevus flashed her a smile. "Indeed. As you can see, I am feeling much better now." Julie-Su gasped, jumping forwards and hugging him. Finitevus simply stood motionless, gritting his teeth, before gently pushing her away. "We must hurry. Your friends are on their way to engage Enerjak, but it will be hopeless without your intervention. What is the plan?"

Knuckles told him, "We have to get to the communications tower and-" He gasped, looking up at the ceiling. "Wait, we've gotta help Rouge and Omega first! Charyb said that his brother is fighting them!"

"There is no cause for alarm," Finitevus said. "Your friends will be fine, and they will reunite with us outside. There is no way up from here, so the only choice is to keep going.

Knuckles mulled it over, and then reluctantly agreed. "Okay. We have to stop Dimitri, and every second we take doing that is vital." Staring at Finitevus, Knuckles pondered, 'Why did he say 'your' friends, and not 'our' friends?'

"I will lead the way. Follow closely, and-" Finitevus gasped, turning just in time to find Charyb running towards him. He had no time to block before the Gizoid threw a punch, knocking Finitevus onto his back and winding him. Knuckles and Julie-Su ran to stand guard over him as he picked himself up, clutching his chest. "Well, I suppose the Prefects were built different…"

"Just let us handle it," Knuckles said. "Thanks to you, we can fight him properly now."

"It doesn't matter how many of you there are; the result will be same," Charyb said, holding a hand over the hole in his chest. Knuckles surprised him by running forwards and throwing a powerful punch, one that he struggled to block with just one hand. "How do you still have this much strength?! You were nearly dead just minutes ago!"

"I don't have time to sit around resting! If I don't make it to that tower, Sonic's never gonna let me hear the end of it!" Knuckles threw punch after punch, driving Charyb back. When Charyb stumbled, Knuckles delivered an uppercut that launched him into the air. "Julie-Su!"

Julie-Su aimed and fired her gun. Charyb crashed to the ground, his eyes flickering, before steadying again. After a few moments of silence, Charyb said, "I can't move."

Knuckles turned to leave. "I guess we're done, then. Let's go."

"We're just going to leave him?" Julie-Su asked.

"Why not? He can't fight anymore."

"He can still self-repair," Finitevus said. "Even if it will take time, I don't see the sense in letting an enemy live." Finitevus approached Charyb, raising his hand, and the Gizoid flinched. Julie-Su's hand over his made him pause.

"No, Knuckles is right," Julie-Su said. "We should just go. There's no point in senseless killing."

Finitevus looked at her quizzically, but before he could say anything, Charyb asked, "What kind of strategy is this? We were fighting to the death moments ago."

"You were, but we're just trying to get to that tower," Knuckles said. "If you were a regular Gizoid, I wouldn't think twice about it. Just a mindless, empty machine that only does what it's told. But you're different. You can think and feel. You remind me of my friends, Emerl and Fixit. They're Gizoids just like you."

"Gizoids… like me? Ah, the prototypes…" Charyb blinked, staring up at the ceiling in silence for a few seconds. "You know I can be rebuilt, right? You guys cannot be, and yet even knowing this, I still tried to kill you."

Knuckles groaned. "Look, I'm letting you live, okay? Why are you arguing?"

Finitevus lowered his hand, adjusting his glasses with a sigh. "We don't have time to discuss it. If it means that much to you, we'll let the Gizoid live." After Julie-Su released his hand, Finitevus moved, leading the two towards a door at the far end of the room.

Knuckles and Julie-Su followed, leaving just Charyb alone in the chamber, initiating his self-repair and simply waiting. "'Letting you live', he said. As if robots like us are 'alive' to begin with."

"And that's how Power Rings are formed. Much is still unknown about them, but as they are great sources of power, the strongest civilisations were built around the spots where they are formed. Any questions, Charyb, Scylla?"

"… Why are you teaching us all of this?" Charyb asked.

"Because it's important knowledge, and Imperator Ix himself has insisted that you know."

"No, I mean, why are you teaching us, when you could just download the data into our minds?"

"Yeah! That'd be way faster than this, and then we'd have more time for training!" Scylla said.

"True," Nestor said, closing the book in his lap, "But the two of you are more than just mere robots. You are alive. Your minds are aware, and you are both capable of being so much more than your programming. Because of that, you can also feel emotions, like joy and sadness."

"Right. That's what makes us special," Charyb said.

"And that is precisely why you need to be treated as living beings. Knowledge isn't just something to be learned, it's something to be understood. Something to be felt."

"I don't get it."

"Well, let me ask you then, how do you feel whenever we have one of our classes?"

"Bored!" Scylla yelled, falling onto his back.

Charyb thought on his answer a little longer. "It's fun. I always wonder what you're going to teach us next, and I like thinking of questions to ask while you're talking."

"Eh, I guess it's alright," Scylla said, rolling onto his side. "… I kinda like it when it's just us three."

Nestor smiled. "I feel the same. I enjoy passing my knowledge onto two bright young students, and seeing the two of you grow before my eyes fills me with pride. Now, shall we continue with the lesson?"

"Before, you said that we're not just robots. That we're… alive?"

"Yes?"

"… Nothing, never mind."

"… How strange. Why am I thinking about Dad at a time like this?"

Rouge delivered a series of kicks as Scylla danced around, evading her attacks whilst laughing maniacally. He waited until Rouge had to stop to wipe the sweat from her brow before attacking, swinging his fist against her face, which caused her to stumble backwards.

Omega's gunfire forced Scylla to retreat, allowing him to reach Rouge and shield her with his body. "Your energy reserves are low! Leave this to me!"

Rouge wiped the blood from her lip, grunting as she strained herself to stand. The heat of the flames was intense, and it was only worsened by the fact that the room had no windows, and the doors were all closed. Though the flames were far enough away that Rouge didn't have to worry about being burned, it was like she was fighting in a sauna. She was sweating profusely, and it was getting difficult to breathe.

"You can't fight him alone," she said between heavy breaths. "He's too fast…"

"I can withstand these temperatures. You cannot. Stay put." Omega aimed both of his miniguns at Scylla, unloading as the Gizoid danced around the room and bounded from the walls. Whatever bullets he didn't dodge were simply blocked by a wall of flames that protected his body. He laughed the whole time, mocking Omega.

"C'mon, you can do better than that! I know you're equipped with more-powerful weapons!" Scylla taunted. "Forget the squishy thing and just come at me with everythin' ya got!"

"Omega, don't worry about me," Rouge said, her voice low. "Just tear that guy limb-from-limb already."

"Negative. His target is you. He is baiting me into moving, so that he can kill you in one attack."

"I'm not gonna go down that easy…"

"In your current condition, you cannot defend yourself." Omega fired a grenade, which Scylla dodged with more laughter.

Rouge lay down on the floor, her head spinning. "There's no… time…"

"Be quiet. Save your strength." Omega stopped firing with one of his miniguns and exchanged it for a missile launcher. He continued firing with one hand and aimed with the other. "Extreme temperatures are interfering with targeting system. Unable to lock-on." Aiming manually, Omega fired. His first missile missed by a wide margin, and the second was easily dodged.

"Hee hee hee! Are you even trying? C'mon, I'm over here!"

Omega's minigun stopped, clicking to indicate that it was out of ammo. Scylla wasted no time in taking advantage of the opening, charging at Omega with glee and swinging a leech blade at the robot. Omega blocked the attack with his minigun-arm, and then positioned the missile launcher directly at Scylla's face. "You have fallen for my trap! Prepare to be destroyed!"

Scylla laughed, despite his situation, and his body turned red. A pillar of flames surrounded him, and as Omega fired, his missile passed right through, hitting a wall farther ahead. Omega quickly turned, finding Scylla now behind him and moving to attack Rouge. Omega moved quick, intercepting Scylla's attack with his own body. Scylla cackled as his leech blade pierced the robot's tough exterior.

"Guess the fun's over now. Oh well!" Scylla tried to pull his leech blade out, but found that it was stuck. Omega pointed his minigun at Scylla's face, point-blank, and fired. Scylla released his leech blade and leapt back, but even as he retreated, the bulk of Omega's attack still hit him, causing the Gizoid to crash to the floor.

Omega removed the leech blade and snapped it in half, tossing the two pieces behind himself. "It will take more than that to stop me! I am the ultimate E-series robot!"

Scylla jumped to his feet. "Hee hee hee! Great! I thought this'd be boring, but you're fast despite your size, and durable, too!" Scylla took a step forward, noticing that there was something stuck to his foot. It was something in the shape of a heart, and as it began flashing, he grabbed it and threw it up. It exploded above him. "A bomb? When did ya put that on me?"

"He didn't," Rouge said as she appeared behind Scylla, fixing another Heart Bomb onto his back. "I did!"

"Rouge! Retreat!" Omega warned, but it was too late. Scylla turned and grabbed Rouge, holding her tight. Omega aimed his minigun at Scylla.

"Hee hee hee! Go ahead and shoot!" Scylla taunted as he turned to face Omega, using Rogue as a shield. With Rouge as weak as she was, Scylla was able to hold her with only one hand, and he reached the other behind his back. Try as he might, though, he couldn't quite reach the bomb back there. "You! Robot! Take this bomb off! If ya don't, it'll take both of us out!"

Omega hesitated. "Don't you dare, Omega!" Rogue shouted. "He's gonna kill me either way! Might as well take him down with me!" Rouge winked, and Omega nodded.

"I understand."

"Hee hee hee! You guys're lamer than I thought! You realise I can be rebuilt, right? As long as my data's intact, I can be rebuilt over-and-over again! The only one who'll really die here is you!"

"Hate to break it to you, but that wasn't a bomb I planted on your back," Rouge said with a smirk. "It was a homing beacon."

Before Scylla could ask what she meant, Omega fired four missiles, all of which circled around and struck Scylla in the back. As soon as Rouge felt the Gizoid's grip loosening, she rolled away and then ran to Omega, falling to her hands and knees. "That was risky," Omega said as he offered her a hand.

"Well we… had to try something… I figured he's the type to play with his victims instead of killing them outright." Rouge coughed, groaning as she felt her head throbbing. "I'm glad you realised what I was doing."

"There is no way you would sacrifice yourself like that. Not for such a weak foe."

Rouge laughed. "Damn right. I'd only risk my life for something worth it, like jewels, or the Master Emerald." Rouge wiped the sweat from her brow. "Hey, think you could do something about this fire already? We should remember to pack some Flame Shields in the future."

Omega looked up and aimed at the nozzles that were still spraying fire. Before he could take them down, though, he heard movement. Scylla's laugh chilled Rouge to her bones as he stepped towards them, slouching but otherwise seeming unharmed. "Hee hee hee! Good effort, but it'll take a lot more than that to kill me!"

Omega fired missiles as Scylla ran towards them. As Scylla dodged the missiles, they continued sailing past him, hitting the wall instead. "Homing beacon removed! Unable to lock-on!"

Scylla reached Omega, delivering a kick that was blocked, but then following it with another that knocked Omega onto his back. He stood over the downed robot, raising a fist that was engulfed in flames. "HEE HEE HEE! This is the end!"

The flames around them suddenly stopped. The nozzles that had been spraying them retreated into the walls, and Scylla looked around, confused, which gave Omega an opening to fire on the Gizoid with his minigun. Scylla leapt back, staring at Omega as he climbed to his feet. "What did you do?!"

Omega stared back at Scylla. "Nothing."

"Nothing?! You saying the trap just turned itself off?! You did something, now tell me!"

"Calm down," a voice behind Scylla said. When Scylla turned to look, he saw something coming his way, and before he knew it, a lasso was wrapped around his body. He struggled to try to break it, but it was too tough. "No need to scream. I get you're a 'hot-head' an' all, but-"

"Remington!" Rouge called, happy to see him, despite her confusion.

"Hey there, little lady! Rouge, right? Sorry it took a while to turn off those traps. Here, catch!" Remington threw a flask of water over to Rouge, who caught it and practically ripped off the cap. "Sit tight. I'll have this guy down in no time."

"Don't insult me! This is N'rrgal thread, right? It's strong, but it still burns easy!" Flames enveloped Scylla's body, burning the rope that was holding him. Laughing, Scylla turned and advanced on Remington, swinging his leech blade. "Hee hee hee! I get to kill one of the traitors after all! Lucky me!"

As Rouge finishing chugging the water, she threw the bottle aside and ran to save Remington. Omega moved as well, but neither were fast enough to catch Scylla before he reached the echidna. Scylla swung his leech blade one final time, aiming for Remington's throat. In one swift motion, Remington ducked under the leech blade, and thrust his palm into Scylla, pushing the Gizoid back.

"GAH! The hell? How'd you move so fast?!"

"If I were you, I'd worry more about that mine I just fixed onto your chest." Scylla looked down to his body, and just as Remington had said, there was now a small device there, blinking with an ominous blue light. Remington aimed his gun and fired at the mine, causing it to discharge electricity throughout Scylla's body.

"GWAAAAAAAAAAH!" Scylla's eyes flickered and his body spasmed as the electricity ran through his systems. When it was over, he fell backwards onto the floor, smoke rising from his chest.

"Did you get him?" Rouge asked, approaching the Gizoid cautiously.

"He's down, but not out," Remington said, putting away his gun. "And that's good enough. We can leave him here and get moving."

"You… won't kill me?" Scylla asked, startling the three. "You'll… regret that…"

Remington shook his head. "Well I'll be. You're still conscious? But you clearly can't move, and if you're not able to fight anymore, we've got no reason to kill you."

Scylla laughed, though it came out weak. "I don't… get you… I'm just a robot. I can be rebuilt. Why're you acting like I'm a real person?"

"… You might be a robot, but the fear in your voice is the same as any echidna's," he said. "You're scared of dyin'. If that's not proof you're alive, what is?"

Scylla didn't respond. The lights in his eyes dimmed, but they didn't go out completely.

"Looks like he's in sleep mode," Remington said, and then he turned to Rouge and Omega. "We should go."

"Hold on, Knuckles and Julie-Su fell down below," Rouge said, looking down at the floor.

"I know, but there's no way for us to reach 'em. Don't worry; Doctor Finitevus is helpin' them. We'll meet-up outside."

"Finitevus?" Rouge asked. "The scientist that went crazy and jumped off the ship?"

"I don't know about that, but he definitely seemed different when I met him in here. Still, it's thanks to him I was able to help Sonic and Shade reach Dimitri, and make it here fast enough to save you guys."

"But how are you able to do all that?" Rouge asked. "From what I heard, your body was so messed-up that you had to retire."

Remington tipped his hat, his smile falling. "Desperate times call for desperate measures…"

"Cybernetics?" Knuckles asked as he followed Finitevus down a long hallway. "You fitted Remington with…"

"Yes. Remington's body was too far-gone to be repaired, but it could be reinforced. I installed in him the same cybernetics used by members of the Dark Legion."

Julie-Su clutched her dreadlock. "You mean he's like us now? Like the Dark Legion? Wait, that means he's in danger! Dimitri was able to take completely control over me before, that's why I had to shut my cybernetics off!"

"There is nothing to fear there," Finitevus assured her. "I made my own alterations. Nobody will be able to control him, at least not without capturing him first."

"How'd you do that?" Knuckles asked.

"I worked for a time on the Dark Legion project, so I understood the procedure well enough. As luck would have it, Dimitri's lab has been left ill-guarded as they fight off the invaders from the other colonies, and so I helped myself to his equipment."

"And Remington's okay now, right? He's not still in danger of pushing his body too far?"

"Indeed. Much of his spine has been replaced entirely with prosthetics, and then reinforced. If anything, it's even sturdier than it was before his injuries."

Knuckles nodded, staring at Finitevus as they continued walking in silence for a few seconds. "What about you?" he asked. "Are you gonna… y'know, stay like that?"

"My transformation appears to be permanent. Not that I mind, considering the powers it has given me. I can tap far-deeper into the Chaos Force than even the Imperators could, even without a Chaos Emerald."

"But how did it even happen?" Julie-Su asked. "That much Chaos Energy should've killed you. How did you survive?"

"Under normal circumstances, my body would have burned. Somehow, the ordeal forced my body to change. To adapt, and become something new." Finitevus stopped, turning to Julie-Su. "When the Chaos Energy flooded into me, I heard a voice. It was your sister's voice, echoing in my mind."

"My sister's voice? What did it say?"

"Rather than saying anything intelligible, it was more like a mad rambling. A mixture of pride, envy, wrath, fear, and despair. All the emotions she was feeling during her mortal struggle with you and the others. Her will not to lose was so powerful, it enabled her to use those feelings as a sort of armour, protecting her from the damaging effects of the Chaos Energy inside her body. For a time, at least. Those negative emotions blended with the Chaos Energy itself, corrupting it."

Julie-Su was silent for a moment, and Finitevus continued walking. "That's all that I know for sure. I can only speculate on the rest, but perhaps my own will to survive was strong enough to embrace this new type of Chaos Energy, or perhaps it was simply seeking a host to accept it. This transformation is unprecedented, and without reproducing the events in a controlled environment, we may never find the full answer."

Julie-Su wrestled with what she should say next, and then settled on simply saying, "Sorry."

Finitevus adjusted his glasses. "It all worked out in the end."

"… Is that why you were so out of it, when you woke up on the Blue Typhoon?" Julie-Su clutched her dreadlock. "Why you… attacked me?"

"My mind was a haze then, so I do not recall the specifics, but I would speculate that Lien-Da's rage towards you prompted me to attack. Her fear turned me paranoid, and her voice clashing with mine confused my mind. When I returned to Colony Beta, I was discovered by a small group of Voxai, who used their powers to calm the storm in my mind. With their help, I was able to put the pieces of my mind back together. I remembered myself, and gained true clarity."

"'Gained true clarity'?" Knuckles asked. Finitevus simply laughed, not elaborating further. "So you don't hear the voice anymore, is that it?"

"Precisely. As soon as I recovered, I assessed the situation. When I saw that Dimitri had returned with Enerjak's powers, I knew that I had to act quickly."

"Why didn't you let everyone know you were okay?"

"For the same reason Remington agreed to leave with me in secret. He knew that Nestor would have stopped us. But we could not sit idly and wait."

Knuckles nodded. "I get that. But don't you think it would've been better to organise a strategy, instead of rushing off blindly?"

"I assure you, I did not 'rush off'. All of my steps were calculated; Remington and I have avoided battles until recently, when we saw your craft land in the Nocturne. That was when we knew it was time to act. I sent Remington off to ensure Shade's group could reach Enerjak, and when I saw the Prefects moving your way, I followed them, and in doing so, I saved your lives."

Knuckles found it difficult to argue against that. They were caught completely by surprise by Charyb's trap, and if it hadn't been for Finitevus, he wasn't sure if there was anything they could have done.

As the three exited the facility, they found Rouge, Omega and Remington waiting for them. "Took you long enough!" Rouge shouted, grinning. "What, did you crawl here?"

Knuckles sighed, shaking his head. "Guess I don't need to ask if you're okay…"

"Aww, you were worried about me?"

"Hardly. If there's one thing you're good at, it's getting out when the getting's good."

"Hmmm, I don't think I like what you're implying." Rouge turned away with an indignant huff.

Knuckles turned to Remington. "I heard you're all better now. You still up for more fighting?"

Remington laughed, tipping his hat. "Ain't no way I'm gonna back-out now."

"Let us make haste," Finitevus said. "There will be time for pleasantries later. In a way, it was fortunate that we fought the Prefects here. With Dimitri engaged, and no Procurator present, command of the Gizoids falls to the Prefects. Since they're now out of commission, the Gizoids will stick to their prior orders. Which means they will be busy fighting the invaders, rather than pursuing us."

"The Nocturnus still know that we're here, though," Remington said. "They'll be on us soon, so we'd better hurry."

As Finitevus led the way, Rouge and Omega following him. Knuckles pulled Remington aside and whispered, "You sure Finitevus is okay? He's kinda… different, somehow."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Remington said. "Maybe it's because of the accident, or maybe it's just the situation. But as long as he's okay, that's all that matters."

Knuckles only nodded, and Remington ran on ahead to catch-up with the others. "Yeah, I guess so," Knuckles finally said after a short while. He realised that Julie-Su was in deep thought as she stared off into the distance, to where Finitevus was marching. "We've got bigger things to worry about right now," he said, a little louder so that it snapped Julie-Su from her thoughts.

"Right," she agreed, and the two followed after everyone else.

Sonic and Shadow exchanged blows against Dimitri, who dodged and parried their attacks with ease. He hadn't moved from the spot he was in for the entire duration of their assault, and laughed as Shadow tried to break through his defences with Chaos Boost. The second the Chaos Boost had run out, Dimitri sent Shadow flying with a swing of his staff. Tails caught Shadow and quickly flew him to safety.

Sonic used his speed to create afterimages, whipped-up the wind to obscure Dimitri's vision, and attacked from Dimitri's blind spot, but it all amounted to nothing as Dimitri could sense Sonic's location and react faster than the hedgehog could move. As Sonic's attacks failed to land, he was left vulnerable, but Dimitri never took the chance to counter, instead toying with him as he turned his attention to Shade.

Shade ran in, throwing a flurry of punches that Dimitri evaded with ease. She knew that her leech blades would be useless against Enerjak, but she was no stranger to unarmed combat. Still, conventional means would accomplish nothing, and she knew that. She tried sweeping Dimitri's legs, throwing dirt to blind him, distracting Dimitri so Sonic and Shadow could attack from behind. Shade employed every trick in the book, but no matter what she tried, Dimitri evaded it effortlessly.

After ten minutes of fighting, not one of the four heroes had landed a single blow. Not one that Dimitri hadn't allowed, at least. Every time Dimitri countered, they were able to make it to a safe distance, Tails ready to catch anyone who fell. However, Sonic, Shadow and Shade were getting tired, and Dimitri took notice.

"I suppose I should end this now," he said, his staff sparking with green Chaos Energy. "I've given you more than enough time, and I have a busy schedule." He fired his attack at Sonic, who stepped quickly to the side to evade it. Dimitri fired again, and again. Though Sonic was able to dodge, it was by the skin of his teeth every time. Dimitri delighted in watching the hedgehog on the run, all the fight in him suddenly gone as all he could do now was try to survive.

Dimitri fired one more shot, but something intercepted it. It was Tails, enveloped in a green shield that ate the attack before popping. Before Dimitri could react, Tails grabbed Sonic's arms and lifted him into the air. Dimitri fired at the two, but while Sonic may have been tired, Tails still had plenty of energy left, allowing him to outmanoeuvre the attacks with ease.

Shadow rushed Dimitri while he was focused on the duo in the air, delivering a kick to his face that caused Dimitri to stumble backwards. Shadow grinned. Even if it was just one blow, it felt satisfying. That satisfied feeling didn't last long, as Dimitri turned to him with a glare that could freeze Red Mountain itself. Shadow took the hint and ran, feeling Dimitri's attacks on his heels, just barely missing him.

Shade jumped in next, but rather than attacking Dimitri directly, she reached for his staff, grabbing it with both hands and pointing it away from Shadow. As she wrestled with Dimitri for his staff, she planted a boot into his chest, pushing strong in the hopes of prying the staff free.

Dimitri raised his free hand, gathering Chaos Energy, and brought it down on Shade. Seeing the attack, Tails fired Sonic, allowing him to reach and carry Shade to safety mere moments before the attack would have landed.

Slamming his staff into the ground, Dimitri looked around at the four. They were breathing heavily, and keeping their distances, watching cautiously. They were now on the defensive, Dimitri noted. "At what point during this futile resistance does your teamwork surpass my godly powers?" he asked in a condescending tone.

"We can't keep this up," Shade said. "We've got to retreat."

"Not yet," Sonic responded. "Just a little more." Despite his words, Sonic didn't feel so sure. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. 'C'mon, Knuckles! What's taking so long?'

"There's the tower!" Rouge called as the group crested a hill. Behind them was an army of Nocturnus soldiers that had been chasing them for the past few minutes, their numbers growing as more joined to pursue the intruders. "It looks unguarded!"

"There'll be people inside!" Remington told her. "You and Knuckles should go in first to clear it out! The rest of us'll keep this lot at bay!" Remington glanced over his shoulder, his eyes widening. "There must half the Nocturne back there. What gives?"

"They must have detected the Master Emerald when Knuckles took it out of its capsule," Julie-Su said.

"You did what?!" Rouge yelled.

"It wasn't me! Chaos came out on his own to help us!" Knuckles defended, but Rouge simply rolled her eyes.

"You just had to make things harder for us, didn't you?"

"Well, like the Doc said, there are no Gizoids among them," Remington noted. "But with that many, I doubt we can take 'em all."

"Is that a challenge?" Omega asked.

"No," Rouge said flatly. "Even if you had all the ammo in the world, there are still too many."

"Just keep running," Finitevus said. "Remington and I will defend the tower, with the robot's help. The three of you can handle the inside. Act fast, and then we can retreat using one of these." Finitevus took out a small, golden ring.

"A Power Ring?" Knuckles asked, but as he studied it, he realised that wasn't it. "No, that's a Warp Ring! How'd you get a hold of one of those?!"

"I made it," Finitevus answered. "By infusing Chaos Energy into a Power Ring. It is one of the abilities this new form has granted me. I only had enough time to create the one, but it will be enough to allow us all to escape back to the Voxai colony."

"Alright, let's do this quick, then!" Knuckles ran on ahead, punching his fists together, and then as he reached the tower, he slammed his fists into the doors, blowing them open.

Knuckles rushed inside with Rouge and Julie-Su, the three of them knocking out the engineers inside as Remington, Omega and Finitevus stopped to engage the pursuing soldiers outside.

The tower itself was larger than Knuckles was expecting, and the inside felt more like a fortress. He looked around the huge room, at all of the complex machinery. "I have no idea how any of this stuff even works."

"That's what we've got this for." Julie-Su took out the Miles Electric and switched it on. Nestor's image appeared on the screen. "We're at the tower!"

"Good work. Now, here's what you must do."

Nestor guided them, telling them exactly what machines to move, what wires to rewire, how to operate the equipment, and what coordinates to enter. Knuckles handled the heavy-lifting while Rouge connected everything up the way Nestor directed, and Julie-Su entered the required data.

Outside of the tower, Remington and Finitevus fought the Nocturnus soldiers directly as Omega provided support from a distance. Remington's cybernetics allowed him to dodge attacks with ease, and to sense movements that he could not see, and they also helped with his aiming, allowing him to strike an opponent's weak spot with great precision.

Finitevus' new powers gave him keen instincts and reflexes, allowing him to fight the skilled soldiers on equal footing. Those that attempted to use their Chaos Energy against the pair would soon learn what a mistake that would be, as Finitevus used his powers to draw the energy towards himself, absorbing it into the golden rings lining his boots and gauntlets. He then released that energy back at the soldiers, barraging them with miniature Chaos Spears.

In the distance, soldiers began setting up cannons, pointing them up and towards the tower. Seeing that Remington and Finitevus were already engaged, Omega engaged his thrusters and moved towards the cannons, weaving through the soldiers in his path and dropping smokescreens to obscure their visions.

Finitevus noticed a squad of black-robed soldiers approaching, their faces covered by red masks. 'The Dark Legion, hm? How I would love to take this chance to terminate them…' Using Chaos Control to warp closer, Finitevus took the Dark Legion soldiers by surprise and attacked swiftly, knocking out a few with his fists before the rest could gather themselves and surround him. 'I must restrain myself for now. I still need to keep up appearances.'

Omega reached the cannons and fired on the Nocturnus setting them up. A few of them stopped to defend their comrades, keeping Omega busy as the first volley was fired. Remington fired on the projectiles flying overhead, managing to explode a few of them, but most hit the tower's wall.

Back inside, the trembling of the tower startled the three following Nestor's commands. They all picked up the pace, as did Rouge and Julie-Su, hearing the sounds of fighting outside drawing closer.

"There!" Rouge said, flying over to Knuckles to help him move the last console into position.

"The coordinates are set!" Julie-Su reported, grabbing her gun and staring at the entrance.

"That's the last one!" Knuckles said. "Is that everything?"

"Yes. All that's left is to place the Master Emerald in the centre of the room… and pray that this works."

Knuckles took out the Master Emerald, placing it in the centre of the room. As it grew back to its normal size, the wall at the front of the tower exploded, creating a large hole that allowed them to see the fight outside. Remington and Omega retreated into the tower, taking cover behind the walls and laying suppressive fire on the forces outside.

"Where's Finitevus?!" Julie-Su asked.

"He's out there, holding 'em off best he can!" Remington told her. "We can't reach him from here, and we can't keep 'em out much longer! Hurry!"

"Knuckles, everything's ready!" Julie-Su said. "Let's do this quick!"

"We will hold them off," Omega said, revving his miniguns. He and Remington fired at the Nocturnus army rushing the tower, causing them to scatter.

Rouge and Julie-Su stood between Knuckles and the entrance, watching the battle. "We'll watch your back while you do the chant!" Rouge told him.

Knuckles approached the Master Emerald and, taking a breath, he placed his hands upon the gem. "The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power, power is enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos." The Master Emerald glowed a brilliant green. "Only you can do this. Stop the Chaos Emeralds!"

The light from the Emerald shot upwards in a beam, reaching the top of the tower.

Dimitri hovered over Sonic and Tails with delight as he watched them struggle to stand. As he summoned Chaos Energy into his hand, Sonic placed himself in front of Tails, shielding him. "Goodbye, Sonic the Hedge-" Dimitri's eyes shrunk to pinpricks, and he clutched his chest as he felt a wave passing through him. Dropping to the ground, Dimitri gritted his teeth, glaring at the blue hedgehog before him. "What… What did you do?!"

"Well, it's about time," Sonic said, letting out a laugh that was mixed with a sigh of relief.

Dimitri felt the wave again, and saw that the Chaos Emeralds were trembling. "This is… the Master Emerald! But how?!" The wave passed again, and the lights in each Chaos Emerald flickered. "N-No! I am your master now! You will obey me!" Dimitri slammed his staff into the ground, a wave of light erupting from his body.

Knuckles was pushed back violently from the Master Emerald, crashing onto the floor. Julie-Su hurried to his side. "What happened?!"

"I don't know! How can Dimitri be resisting the Master Emerald's power?! Is that how strong he is now? Or is that the strength of his own will?!"

"Knuckles, we don't have all day!" Rouge shouted. "We're gonna be overrun at this rate!"

"Here they come!" Remington cried, and then a flash of light in the room startled everyone as Finitevus warped in, falling to his knee and taking deep breaths. "Doc!"

"I've done all I can," he told them. "I'm now at my limit."

Remington groaned, putting away his gun and taking out two leech blades. "Guess there's nothing else left." Turning to Omega, he said, "Cover me!"

"No, you cover me," Omega replied, replacing his miniguns with claws.

"Don't be stupid, you two!" Rouge shouted. "There are too many for just the two of you!" She turned to Knuckles. "Well, what are you waiting for?! Are you just gonna give up?!"

"Of course not, but what can I do?! I can't do anything against that kind of power…" Knuckles slammed his fist into the ground. "If even the Master Emerald can't stop him, then what can I-"

"Have you thought about asking for help?"

Knuckles gasped, looking up at the Master Emerald. There, he saw Tikal's spirit, smiling with hands clasped in prayer. "Tikal?"

"Sorry I'm late," she said, closing her eyes. Small, red orbs of light emerged from the Master Emerald, flying through the tower and past the heroes. "Recalling the departed is a difficult feat. It took a while."

The Nocturnus stopped their advance as those red lights swarmed them, before morphing into see-through echidna warriors, dressed in the tribal clothes of the ancient Knuckles Clan. The warriors shouted, charging towards the Nocturnus and engaging them in combat. Rouge, Remington and Omega watched in stunned silence as the two forces clashed.

Knuckles, too, could not believe what he was seeing. "Are those…"

"Our people, yes," Tikal said. "Technically, they are just the memories of those who I knew in life. With the Master Emerald's power, I was able to summon them here, but only for a short while. Please make it count."

Knuckles turned back to Tikal, and found another standing beside her. It was a taller, more-imposing echidna. Knuckles recognised him from the visions Tikal had once shown him. He was her father, Pachacamac.

"Guardian, assume your role," he said. "This is not a question of can or cannot. If you do not act, then everything for which you have fought will be taken from you!"

Julie-Su took Knuckles' hand, giving him an encouraging nod. "If you can't do this alone, then I'll help."

"Enerjak's power is great, but it is nothing compared to the power of unity," Tikal said. "When the first Enerjak was defeated, it wasn't through the Master Emerald's power alone. It was the combined will of those who joined hands to stop him. That was the power that overcame his, and it can do so again. When people stop fighting and join hands, they can accomplish anything!"

"I'll leave this to you, then," Pachacamac told his daughter. He regarded Knuckles and Julie-Su, staring into the eyes of the latter for a few seconds, and then he ran into battle, leaping over his comrades to strike the Nocturnus from above. As he landed, the Nocturnus tried to take him down, but he acted with such speed that they could not even touch him, and attacked with such ferocity that he shattered their armour with a single blow.

Knuckles and Julie-Su, still hand-in-hand, place their free hands on the Master Emerald. A third, watery hand joined them, and Knuckles regarded Chaos with an appreciative smile. Julie-Su closed her eyes as Knuckles and Tikal recited the chant together.

"The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power, power is enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos." The Master Emerald glowed, this time shining brighter than before. "Only you can do this. Stop the Chaos Emeralds!"

Dimitri clutched his chest, falling to his knee. "No! This… This cannot be!" The Chaos Emeralds flickered and shook, before suddenly turning dim and falling to the ground. Dimitri gasped, his breathing growing heavy, and he struggled to climb back up to his feet.

"This is it, everyone!" Shade called, drawing her leech blades and striking Dimitri from behind. "He's weakened! Let's finish this once-and-for-all!"

Tails released two drones that hovered above the field, emitting auras that revitalised him and his friends, and then he threw a Power Ring over to Sonic. Sonic grabbed the Ring and used it to charge a powerful spindash, striking Dimitri from the front.

Dimitri unleashed a Chaos Blast, but it was so slow that Sonic was able to grab Shade and Tails and run to a safe distance with time to spare. Shadow used a Chaos Drive to activate his Chaos Boost and rushed Dimitri, delivering a series of blows that knocked him onto his back.

As Dimitri climbed to his feet, Tails launched drones that encircled and trapped him with a ring of electricity. Dimitri swung his staff, launching Chaos Spears that destroyed the drones one-by-one. "This will not contain me! I will not fall to the likes of you!"

"Keep at it!" Shade shouted as she swung her leech blades. Dimitri parried her initial blows, but she was able to overpower him, knocking his staff to the ground. "He can't control Enerjak's power without the Chaos Emeralds!"

Dimitri caught Shade's next attack and then pushed her away with a powerful shockwave. As he did, he felt a sharp migraine. Fighting through the pain, Dimitri next set his sights on Tails. He conjured a Chaos Lance and threw it at the fox. Shadow intercepted the attack, catching and hurling it back at Dimitri. "Your powers have lost their punch!"

As the Chaos Lance struck Dimitri, Sonic leapt into the air and kicked-up a mini-tornado. "Sonic Wind!" He kicked the tornado repeatedly, sending blades of wind that pinned Dimitri to the ground.

Dimitri slammed his hand onto the ground, creating a tremor that sent rocks hurtling towards Sonic in the air. Shade jumped to deflect the rocks as Sonic ended his attack, and Dimitri quickly climbed to his feet, running to collect his staff. An orange shot from Shadow's rifle knocked the staff further away, and Shadow aimed his weapon at Dimitri. "Just give it up," he warned.

Energy began to crackle from Dimitri's body, and as he raised his hand to conjure more Chaos Spears, he felt a sharp pain through his entire arm, which fell limp moments later. The fur on that arm turned white, and his breathes grew more-ragged.

"You're at the end of your rope," Shade said. "Enerjak's powers are too much for any normal person to control. If you don't take off that armour, it'll consume you."

Dimitri clenched the one fist he could still control. "Silence! I am no normal echidna! I am the one chosen to possess Enerjak's power, and finish what Ix could not! If Enerjak will not obey me, then I will force him to!" Holding his hand out, Dimitri fired a beam of Chaos Energy at Shade. Sonic pulled her aside, and Shadow fired, his shot striking Dimitri's good arm.

Dimitri let out a cry as his arm turned pale, and as he dropped to his knees, electricity began to leak out of his eyes. Dimitri gasped as his entire body began glowing with an intense, white light. "No! The power is mine! You will listen to me!" Steam arose from Dimitri's body, and the light grew so intense that the heroes were forced to look away. "This is not happening! Not now! I have come this far, I cannot be brought down by these… these… mortals!"

"Dimitri, remove the suit!" Shade pleaded, but it was too late. The light erupted from Dimitri's body entirely, and his screams drowned-out any further words she said.

Before their eyes, Dimitri's body began to dissolve, turning into mere particles that evaporated in the air. First his arms and legs, and then his torso and neck. "Shade, you traitor! We could have made the Nocturnus more powerful than any race in the universe! We could have brought peace and stability to a world always at war!"

The upper half of Dimitri's head was all that remained as his cries finally ceased, and his tormented eyes fixated on Sonic and Shade, showing nothing but rage before they, too, evaporated. Enerjak's armour fell to the floor, the clangs echoing in the chilling silence.

"It's over…" Shade said after a while. She hung her head, letting out a long sigh. "He couldn't let go, even if it killed him."

Tails fell to the floor, looking up at the sky as he and the rest of the group rested in silence, their long battle having finally come to an end.