Chapter 3

Air-space over White Jungle ( The night before...)

" This is flight Alpha 605-Westopolis to White Haven, requesting permission to land. Over."

"Alpha 605, we have you on radar, you have a green for a final approach. The weather's good, have a safe landing. Watch Tower out."

The Jumbo-jet flew over the grey canopy of White Jungle. The pilot lowered the wheels in preparation for his final approach. As the tires descended,a small figure stood on the supports.

Knuckles tightened the straps of his pack and pulled the brim of his favourite hat firmly onto his head. He waited for the right moment and jumped backwards. Using his powerful arms and skill, he glided down into the mist and vanished from view. Calmly he weaved in and out of the trees, landing perfectly on an out-stretched branch. Once checking the coast was clear, he jumped down to the dirt path below, and nearly had a heart attack when his com-link went off.

" He-Hello...?"

A soft, child- like voice came through, " Finally! Don't you ever check your voice mail? I've left you about five messages in the last hour!"

"Caz? What the heck are you doing here?"

She giggled," I'm here to help, Uncle Knuckles! I'm the up-grade Daddy sent through. My body might still be in bits, but my mind isn't. I'm your personal SAT-NAV."

" O...K... I'll bite. What are we looking for, Caz?"

" Just head North. There's only one structure in the White Jungle--The Moon Temple, where--if I remember correctly--a great treasure is meant to be hidden. And I don't think it's a Chaos Emerald, which makes me uneasy."

He started walking in the suggested direction." You're an Android, Caz. You're not meant to have feelings...I thought you shut yourself down because of your feelings towards Sonic."

A sigh," I did and you're a cruel git, you know that? But not the point, the point..Is that I'm the only one of our group that's been inside the Temple, so I know all its booby-traps and secret passages...And--Whoa!! "

" What's the matter?"

"Lift your arm again, yeah like that..Huh, this is weird..I'm getting a on...I got it! Is there a stone nearby?"

" Yeah, a big arrow shaped one, with lots of little picture-graphs on it. Can you read this?" He held his arm up higher. " Caz?"

" Look, I'm new at this, OK? Give me a sec...Ooh,listen to this! Message reads: Once when the sky was dark and the eye was full, a fire came from the heavens and fell to the ground. An old man, who was wise, braved the fires and found a black stone cooling. He picked up the gemstone and took it back to his village... Hang on, I know this story."

"You...Do ?"

"Yeah. The man in the tale is Ignus...My Master... The High Priest of the Moon Temple, years ago he found the gemstone which he named The Black Leopard and hid it in the bowels of the Temple. Eggman attack us a few years back ,remember? I thought he was after me, but he must have been after the gem! This is bad! "

" Do you remember anything else?"

" A part from the fact that Ignus split the gem into two and ordered his monks to bury the parts at opposite ends of the world, and to find them you have to find scrolls and go on a very long goose chase ? No. Not really."

" I hate you, you know that right? "

If Carla could smile, she would have. " Bet you're glad you're missing the big meeting, huh?"

He grinned, " Oh, yeah! Half the time, I can't understand what's been said. I just go along for the slide-shows."

" A secret between you and me, Knuckles. So did I. "

Knuckles chuckled and continued heading North, letting the first rays of the sun warm his skin.

--

Mystic Ruins-- Tails' Workshop..

The top layer of the house ,that stood on the mountains' top was just for the public eye. Deep under it's surface was a different story...

Sir Charles Hedgehog strolled along one of the many corridors of the lower levels. He past the Lab, the hanger and the Med Center on his way to the living quarters.

He stopped outside a grey door, on it was a small wooden ring painted gold and the words- Sonic's Room,Keep Out ! He shook his head,tapped twice and peeked inside. Chuck braved two steps in when he noticed something wrong, Sonic's bed was made and the curtains were open, he could just make out the vast sea and the sea-gulls through the tiny port-hole.

Closing the door,Chuck walked further down the corridor to another grey one had a little pink heart on it and the words- Amy's Room. Again he knocked twice, then poked his head in.

" I don't like the look of this," He murmured to himself, finding Amy's room just like Sonic's. He hurried back along the passageway until a strange sound reached his ears. It was coming from the R and R room, as Tails had dubbed it, he tipped-toed closer and snuck his head through the open door, and smiled softly. " There you are..."

The TV was on and mutely showing kiddie cartoons, the lights danced and flickered over Sonic's sleeping blue hedgehog was squashed between the arms of the battered couch, lightly snoring ( which was the strange sound Chuck heard.) and a thick blanket draped over him.

Chuck edged closer and perched on the coffee table in the room, where Sonic had left a glass of water. Tilting his head, he was surprised when the blanket moved and a small pink head poked out to nuzzle against the top of Sonic's tanned chest. I'm not having of this under this roof. Grabbing the glass, he held it above his nephew's head and tilted it slightly.

Sonic stirred in his sleep, without cracking an eye open, he said, " You do and I'm gonna crown ya." Peeking up, he blinked." Huh? Oh, Uncle Chuck. Hey."

Chuck placed the glass back onto the table. " I see you didn't make it to your beds last night, hm?"

Sonic yawned and rubbed sleep from his eyes,"Nah. Stayed up to watch--Hang on, your beds? I don't...Ugh, why can't I move?" He looked down and a gentle smile graced his lips."Aw, she's so cute when she's asleep." Amy murmured in her sleep and huddled closer to him, causing him to blush alarming fast and Chuck to raise his grey brows. "Um..A moment?"

"OK. But I want the two of you washed and dressed in 20 minutes, Sonny. Our guest will be here soon and they don't like being kept waiting." He left the room, closing the door behind him with a giggle,"Ah..Kids.."

--

When Sonic and Amy were finally washed and dressed, they hurried to the top floor of the workshop, and quickly noticed the tense atmosphere. Chuck and Tails were over at the computers, bent over some blue-prints of some kind. Sonic joined his Uncle and Tails,Amy took a seat next to one of the two that were already there and dusted down the front of her shirt. She looked over a black shoulder, met ruby orbs and grinned, and got a shy one in return. There came a knocking on the wooden surface and Shadow turned his attention back to Rouge.

The white bat, dressed in a revealing black crop-top, matching hot-pants and boots, nibbled on her bottom lip before saying, " I need a nine." She pulled up the ends of her elbow-length gloves and smirked." You got any?"

Shadow lifted his eyes from his own cards and replied, " Go fish." Rouge sighed and tossed another paperclip into the kitty. He rubbed his muzzle, letting his eyes wonder down her torso, her bare stomach. " I need a two. Nice six-pack by the way."

She stuck her tongue out at him," Thank-you, pervert. Oh, and by the way," she grinned," Go fish." Shadow groaned and added his paperclip. " Got any fives?"

Uncle Chuck hammered on the table,making them all jump. " Take your seats, , we're here for one purpose only--To stop Eggman and whatever hare-brain plan he's come up with this time."

" I hear that!" Said Sonic, around a mouthful of chilli-dog. Amy shot him a look, he swallowed. " Sorry."

" According to the files that Sonic and Amy stole last night,Eggman is building a large tower in the named--The Doomsday Machine." Chuck clicked the top of a pen-like device, behind him a screen flickered to life, the blue-print of said tower came into view. Sonic gagged and spat out his dog, Tails and Amy blinked at the sheer size of it and paled. Rouge worried her bottom lip and Shadow just folded his arms.

" I don't understand how he could," Rouge tapped her chin," He was in the nick for ages. How could he come up with this in such a small amount of time?"

Chuck clicked the top of a pen-like device again, this time the screen showed a picture of a rat-faced man. "Eggman has friends everywhere, as long as they expect a piece of the action. Now, this man here is Matt Phillips, A.K.A..."

" Mephiles..." Shadow frowned at the screen." A treasure hunter with a taste for mystical gemstones, like the Chaos Emeralds. He's also into cleaning the environment, and I doubt what was in those tankers last night was Earth friendly."

"You're right there, the stuff in those tankers is highly toxic, capable of destroying everything in sight. Now, I've sent Knuckles on a recon mission to The White Jungle, where Phillips is rumoured to be digging around for Eggman. I just don't know where." The computer bleeped, " Speak of the devil. Knuckles? You there?"

Static, then Carla spoke," This is Caz on a scrambler line. We made our way North and found the remains of the dig-site, Chuck, but Phillips had already scarpered with what he was sent to find .Using what clues he hadn't destroyed... We found the secret room where the second scroll was housed and a lot of picture-graphs. Now from my memory banks, the second scroll mentions something about a Festival of the Sun and a Flame of Hope.Where ever this place is, it's home to the first half of The Black Leopard. We have to get it before Eggman does."

"OK, Carla. You did your best, I'm proud of both of you. Tell Knuckles to stand by, I'm sending Shadow over with some fake Chaos Emeralds," He lifted his turquoise eyes, Shadow was sitting up and listening." Use the gems and teleport to the City of Soleanna. We'll meet up there." The black hedgehog nodded and descended down to the lower levels at once.

" Right-o. Carla out."

Chuck rubbed the back of his neck and sat down. "What's happening is mirroring what happen on my home world. Long story short...Sonic isn't the only one to have a brain scan done by the Doctor...This Black Leopard Diamond is this world's Deep Power Stones, that can be used as a source of limitless energy, or great destruction. If Eggman gets both halves, he'll have the power for his Doomsday Machine, and then..." He drew a line under his throat.

"We have to stop him!" Cried Amy. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Oh, we will, Amy." Chuck gave them all a confident grin." Because...As a friend of mine would say... I have a plan."

What's the plan? Find out soon!

Thanks Sara for your review, I really appreciate it.