Chapter 7: Boot Up
"Sonic! Sonic, wake up!"
"C'mon! Pull yourself together!"
Sonic moaned as the far-off voices rattled his senses. His head swam and his limbs felt numb. A strong hand shook his shoulder, making the numbness fade. He grimaced, struggling to open his eyes.
"He's waking up!"
With some effort, Sonic managed to open his eyes. His vision was a blur of whites and teals, with only two large spots of red and yellow on each side of him standing out against the lights. He blinked several times to regain focus.
Finally, he regained a clear image.
"Tails? Knuckles? What…What happened?"
"That's what we want to know," Knuckles said.
The Echidna took Sonic's hand and helped him to his feet. Sonic swayed as his world became distorted from the sudden rush of blood to the head. Knuckles held on with a firm grip to keep his friend from toppling. Sonic looked around, somewhat dazed, and gripped his head.
"You okay?" Knuckles asked.
"Ugh, don't worry," Sonic said, the dizziness subsiding. "I'll be fine once I get moving. But back to my question, what are you guys doing here?"
"I tried to contact you after I found a Chaos Emerald, but you didn't answer," Tails replied. "I came to find you and ran into Knuckles."
"That's right!" Sonic exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "Now I remember! I found a Chaos Emerald, but Eggman took it!"
"What? But how?"
Sonic narrowed his eyes. "I…don't quite remember that. I just remember smelling something awful."
"Probably knock out gas," Tails deduced. "Wouldn't put it past Eggman to do that."
"Tails," Knuckles interjected, "we've got bigger things to worry about."
Tails jumped at the Echidna's reminder. "Oh, that's right! Sonic, Knuckles knows where Chaos came from!"
"What?"
"I'll explain on the way," Knuckles said. "C'mon, Tails left his plane at Emerald Coast. Let's get back to Mystic Ruin."
"Right!"
Sonic set out running with Tails and Knuckles beside him. While his speed was incredibly fast, it was rather slow for him. His limbs still felt unsteady, making him cautious. But with each step, he felt better. By the time they got to the beach, his senses were clear.
"So, Knux, what's this about knowing where Chaos came from?"
"I can't say for certain," Knuckles said, "but I think it came from the Master Emerald. The other night, I was resting on at the summit of the alter when a bolt of lightning woke me up."
Knuckles woke up, startled by the thunderclap. He looked to the sky, expecting to see dark clouds. Instead, there was a clear sky with glittering stars and a bright moon. But the comforting sight was tainted by an ominous sense of danger.
Suddenly, there was a loud shattering noise, and streams of emerald lights shot across the sky in all directions, each one producing a sharp, high-pitched hissing sound like fireworks before an explosion!
Knuckles whipped around…
And was met with a horrible sight.
The Master Emerald was destroyed! All that was left on the alter was the base!
Then, out of the base, a watery, three-clawed hand emerged.
"What the—?"
The hand grasped the alter. A second one emerged and did the same. The two gripped the edge, and then, like a zombie rising from the grave, a monster with green, pupilless eyes emerged.
Knuckles stepped back. The water monster stepped out of the alter and stared at him. Its eyes glistened with a wrath that made a shiver run up Knuckles' spine. He clenched his fists and stood his ground, ready for a fight.
"Who are you?" he yelled. "What have you done to the Master Emerald?"
The monster raised its arms and let out an eerie growl. Angered, Knuckles leapt from his spot towards the monster and punched it through the chest. To his shock, the monster remained standing. Then, in one swift motion, it struck Knuckles across the face, sending him backwards. Knuckles quickly regained his senses just before hitting the ground. He flipped back and landed on his feet, raising his fist again.
But just as he was about to charge again, the monster's form melted into a puddle and began to seep through the cracks.
"Wait!
By the time Knuckles reach the spot, the puddle was gone, not leaving a single droplet behind.
"Darn it! Where did that thing go?"
As soon as those words left Knuckles' mouth, the ground beneath him trembled. For any other landmass, this would've caused great concern. But for Knuckles, this caused extreme concern.
"Angel Island! It's falling!"
Angel Island hit the ocean below, rattling the earth and causing an enormous wave that headed for the open sea. Knuckles was slammed to the ground, the force nearly knocking the wind out of him. The remains of pillars at the shrine collapsed and fell, and pieces of the building dislodged from their place.
Then, the tremors slowly subsided, and all was quiet.
Knuckles got up and stared, shocked and horrified. The Master Emerald was destroyed, Angel Island had fallen, and he let the one responsible get away.
Knuckles gritted his teeth before roaring in furious rage and punched the ground beneath him. What was he supposed to do now?
As his ire dimmed, Knuckles suddenly remembered something. Those bright lights. The ones that appeared just as the Master Emerald shattered.
"Were those…Yes, I'm sure of it. The shards of the Master Emerald. If I can get them back, I can restore it. At least, I hope so."
"Ever since then I've been tracking down the shards. So far, I've managed to find quite a few. At this pace, I should be able to find the rest in no time."
"So, you're saying you got walloped by a giant puddle?" Sonic said dryly.
Knuckles shot Sonic a scowl and tightened his fists. Sonic knew what that meant and quickly moved away.
"Sonic," Tails criticized.
"Sorry, Knux," Sonic said the Echidna. "Couldn't help it."
Knuckles grunted at the apology, but his relaxed grip showed he accepted it.
"And don't worry," Sonic added. "If there's anyone who can find the shards, it's you."
"Thanks."
Sonic gave Knuckles a quick wink before turning to Tails.
"So, Tails, what's our next move?"
"First, let's get back to my workshop and track down another Emerald," Tails replied. "Eggman's got two Emeralds, and we've got two. That means we have three left to find."
"I'll join you guys until we get to the workshop," said Knuckles. "I still need to find the shards, and I sensed some back near Mystic Ruin. Tails' plane is the fastest way to get there."
Sonic gave a thumbs up. "Right. C'mon, let's go!"
Meanwhile…
The blackness slowly turned into thin, green static lines. The picture cleared to reveal a tall, round, egg-shaped scientist in a red and black suit. A pleased smile could be seen underneath his large, bushy mustache.
"Excellent!" he said, clapping his hands. "All systems are up and running smoothly!"
The screen turned in sharp movements, looking at the surrounding area. It was a large laboratory lit by green lights; a large one on the ceiling, and several smaller ones along the walls. On opposite sides of the room were two large capsules, each containing a lime-colored substance.
"It would seem you're functioning perfectly," said the scientist. "Of course, I, Dr. Robotnik, have never created a bad robot in my life. And now, with my E-series robots, I will be unstoppable. That's right, I'm your creator, robot. You are the second of my E-series: E-102. Codename: Gamma."
The robot looked at the Doctor and stood up on its metal legs. Its head turned towards Eggman, its green eyes staring blankly.
"Gamma," it said in a monotone voice.
Dr. Robotnik approached Gamma with confidence. The robot was twice as large as him and stood three feet taller. Its body was red with a wide white stripe running down the center. On its lower right side were the numbers 1-0-2. It's left arm had a three-fingered grip, and its right was replaced with a gatling laser gun. A pair of wheels were on the back of its feet, and a hover contraption was attached to its back.
"That's right," said Robotnik. "And you will obey me and only me. Now, to test your power. Your brother, E-101 Beta, should be a nice challenge. Beta!"
A door on the other side of the room opened, and a robot walked in. It was the same size as Gamma and looked almost exactly alike. The biggest differences were that it was black with a white stripe, had two laser guns on both arms, and the numbers on its right side were 1-0-1.
"Gamma, meet Beta," Robotnik introduced. "Your older brother, if you will. He's been active for a while now, and I think a fight with him would prove to be a worthy test."
Dr. Robotnik walked a safe distance away. Gamma stared at Beta, processing the data it was picking up from the robot. Beta raised its guns, and Gamma responded in kind.
"Ready? Brawl!"
On that command, Beta fired the first shot. Gamma jumped to avoid the bright yellow lasers before turning back to fire at its opponent. Unlike Beta, Gamma's lasers were pure white. Beta dodged the incoming attacks, but Gamma did not stop. It fired several shots in a row, not giving room for Beta to properly counter. The obsidian robot fired back, but each laser missed.
After a minute, Gamma's laser landed a hit to Beta's leg.
As Beta collapsed, it fired one more shot at Gamma, striking it in the shoulder. Gamma stumbled back from the impact and turned to look at the damage. Two jagged holes on the front and back showed the laser had pierced straight through. Then, a strange aura emanated from the holes. Little by little, they started to close like a flesh wound after a cut, only much faster. In a matter of seconds, Gamma's shoulder was restored. Gamma looked at Beta, who was still collapsed on the floor.
No aura was coming from its damaged leg.
"Ho, ho, ho!" Robotnik laughed and applauded. "Brilliant performance, Gamma! I thought ZERO was a success, but this turned out better than I expected! On top of powerful energy laser, you also have can regenerate on your own! This new power source is everything I could've hoped for and more! And with you and ZERO, we can get more of it!"
Gamma turned to Robotnik as he approached. A large smile streaked across his face, making his mustache even bushier.
"It's settled then," he said. "You will join my Egg Carrier fleet. Now come along. We have much to do."
As the Doctor was turning to leave, Beta suddenly stood up. It struggled to stand on only one good leg, but it showed clear determination. Eggman looked at Beta with a curious frown.
"What's this?" he asked. "You want to come along, too, Beta?"
Beta limped from its spot to stand beside Gamma. The Doctor stroked his mustache, looking rather blasé.
Finally, he shrugged.
"Very well. We could always use the spare parts. Now, let us be off."
Later…
In a vast clearing near the jungle, he peaceful silence of the morning was broken by the sound of massive rocket engines.
An enormous crimson airship with a white logo of its creator on each side was taking off, its rockets pushing down the trees like blades of grass underneath a foot. Animals below fled, and birds above soared as far as they could. The airship rose high into the sky, its wings spreading wide like a dragon. The rockets pushing it upwards stopped, and the rockets behind took control to propel it forward. It flew on like a shark swimming through the water, searching for its prey.
Inside the helm of the ship, Dr. Robotnik stood with his arms crossed, and a pleasantly evil grin on his face. Behind him was another robot. A tall, dark green robot with red stripes, two large three-fingered hands, and purple eyes. It hovered in place, its white light in the center of its large head was flashing.
Robotnik glanced back at the robot, eyeing the flashing light. With each passing second, it flashed faster and faster. Robotnik looked ahead. The ship was heading straight for the Mystic Ruins.
"So, that's where our next Emerald is," he said. "Come, ZERO, let's go and retrieve those Chaos Emeralds. Chaos is sure to be getting hungry by now."