Chapter 15: The Final Pieces

Later, on Angel Island…

Knuckles stopped at the foot of the Master Emerald shrine. Now that he was standing before it, he could see the ghostly image of the complete alter from the remains of the broken and vine-covered pillars, the cracked and moss-covered stones, and the overgrown pathway.

He could also see Tikal being led up the steps by the chao to the Master Emerald.

After his short pause, Knuckles refocused and hurried up the stairs. He had to get the Master Emerald repaired. Not just for the sake of duty and honor anymore. Even as he journeyed back to Angel Island, the vision he had in the temple played over and over in his mind. Knuckles never prided himself on having the sharpest of memories, but he could still remember that vision like it happened just seconds ago.

One thing was clear to him, whatever – or whoever – was causing these visions to occur, they were connected to the Master Emerald, and his clan. Knuckles was sure of that much.

Finally, he reached the summit. The base of the Master Emerald was right where he had left it. Taking a deep breath, Knuckles held out his hands, and focused on the Energy of the shards around him. One by one, they appeared between his palms. With a gentle push, he raised them up, and they gracefully flew back towards their source. As they came together, their light began to shine even brighter until it was almost blinding.

A moment later, the glow dimmed.

Knuckles almost grinned until the light disappeared entirely. Most of the Master Emerald was restored, not even leaving traces of cracks behind, but there was still a big, jagged chuck missing from its side.

Knuckles clenched and released his fists, letting out an exhale.

"Still incomplete," he said. "I'll just have to keep searching. If only I knew where to look next."

When those words left Knuckles' mouth, something began to form on the Master Emerald. No, it wasn't on the Emerald. It was in the Emerald. Knuckles stepped closer to get a better look. Through the green crystal surface, he could see the form take clear shape.

It was an airship. But not just any airship.

"That's the Egg Carrier," he said aloud. "But why would the Master Emerald show me this? Unless…Yes, the final shards must be on the ship. I'm sure of it. Now, I just need to find it."

Meanwhile…

Tails' workshop came into view as Sonic raced across the ocean. With one last sprint, he was up along the cliff, over the edge, and stopped directly in front of the door to the shop.

"Tails!" he called, opening the door. "You here, little buddy?"

No answer came.

Sonic quickly searched the place. The main room, the hanger, even around the plateau. Tails wasn't here.

"Dang it!" he said, kicking a pebble. "Where could he be?"

Suddenly, Sonic remembered his earpiece, and facepalmed himself. Why didn't he think of that sooner? He pressed the button, immediately hearing strong winds rushing by, making him flinch.

Then, he heard Tails' laughing.

"Haha! How do you like me now, Eggman? I knew I could outfly you! And I did it without a plane!"

Sonic made a face. In all the years he had known Tails, he had never heard him gloat before. It caught him off guard so much he almost forgot the reason he contacted him.

"Uh, Tails?" Sonic said, unsure.

There was a short squeak from Tails, and a moment of silence.

"Tails?"

"Sonic!" Tails said suddenly. "Hey, uh, where are you?"

"I'm at your workshop," Sonic replied. "What's this about outflying Eggman?"

Tails voice caught in his throat with embarrassment. "Oh, you heard that?"

"Yeah, sorry," Sonic said. "But anyway, what's going on?"

"Oh, I found another Chaos Emerald," Tails said. "You'll never believe it. It was in a chao colony."

"No kidding."

"Yeah, then the Egg Carrier showed up, and I lured it away. Gave it quite the roundabout, too. I managed to lose it."

"Well, good job, little bro!" Sonic congratulated.

Then, the memory of Alex being abducted flashed in his mind, and he became serious again.

"Tails, how far are you from the workshop?"

"Not far. I should be there in a bit."

"How long will it take you to get the plane up and running?"

"Sonic, what's going on? You sound concerned."

"Listen, Tails, we got a rescue mission on our hands now."

"What?"

"One of Eggman's robots has captured Alex, and I'm sure it's taking her back to the Egg Carrier."

"She's been captured?" Tails exclaimed.

"Yeah," Sonic said, clenching his fist. "And we gotta save her before it's too late. I don't know what he's got planned for her, but I bet it's for the same reason he captured her master and friend."

"Then I'll have to see if I can get something from that escape pod I used before," Tails replied. "I'm sure it's got a part I can use."

"You can't just make it?"

"It'll take too long," explained Tails. "Better to use one that's already made if possible. Hang tight, Sonic. I'm on my way. Tails out."

The call disconnected and Sonic hurried back to the workshop. Not much he could do now but wait. But just as he was about to open the door, he heard racing footsteps getting closer.

"Sonic!"

Sonic turned and saw Amy was running across the hill towards him.

"Amy, you made it!" he called to her.

Amy reached him and took a moment to catch her breath. She then straightened and wiped her dress.

"Brine gave me a ride over," she explained. "Where's Alex?"

Sonic scowled, and Amy stepped back, a worried look coming over her face.

"That robot got her," he growled. "I was too late. I'm sorry."

Amy's worried expression became sympathetic. She stepped forward and placed a hand on Sonic's shoulder. He tensed under her touch and looked at her.

"It wasn't your fault," she said. "And it's not too late. We'll get her back. Where's Tails?"

"He's on his way," Sonic said. "He found a Chaos Emerald, and had to give Eggman the runaround, but he managed to lose him. He's salvaging a part from the escape pod he used to get off the Carrier."

"Good to hear." Amy then pulled out her tarot card box. "In the meantime, I can finally tell you what my cards told me."

She opened the door to the workshop and Sonic followed her in. She went to the table and opened the box. She drew the first eight cards and laid them face-up in two rows on the table.

In the first row, from left to right, were images of a compass, an Emerald, a thundercloud, and a broken statue. Out of the four, only the compass was upside down.

In the second row were images of a dragon under a star, a phoenix with its wings wrapped around the sun, a griffin standing on the earth, and a unicorn under a full moon. Unlike the first row, however, all the images were upside down.

"The other day," Amy said, "I had a strange feeling, like something foreboding was about to happen. At the same time, my deck box alerted me. I did a reading, and these cards were drawn. I did it several more times, even shuffling the cards by hand, and it was the same each time. And after what Alex said about the deck being entuned with my Energy, I'm sure the cards are trying to tell me something."

"But what?" asked Sonic.

Amy pointed to the top row. "The compass means time. When upside down, it means the past. The single Emerald means power, and I believe it might be referring to the Master Emerald, too. The thundercloud means a disaster. And the broken statue means ruin. This means that something from the past is coming to bring about disaster and ruin."

"Then there's the Emerald," Sonic said thoughtfully. "Knuckles told us that Chaos came out of the Master Emerald after it was broken."

"That explains it," Amy said, her concern becoming more noticeable. "This disaster was in the Master Emerald. And now that it's out, disaster and ruin will follow."

"What about the other cards?" Sonic asked.

"They have many meanings," Amy explained. "But from what I could glean from this reading, the dragon means courage, the phoenix, belief, the griffin, strength, and the unicorn, hope. However, when upside down, they mean fear, doubt, weakness, and despair. These were the four emotions I was talking about."

"So, you're saying is that Chaos is afraid or something?" said Sonic, confused.

"I don't know for sure," Amy replied, looking at him. "What I can say is that Chaos didn't just come into existence when the Master Emerald was shattered. I think something happened in the past that created Chaos. But I don't know what it was. I've tried doing other readings, but it's like I'm being blocked by something."

Amy then frowned and leaned braced herself against the table.

"I'm sorry I can't be of any more help," she said quietly, her voice almost breaking.

Seeing Amy's sadness, Sonic placed a hand on her shoulder, making her glance at him.

"Don't be," he said cheerfully, "you've been a great help. Besides, maybe the reason you can't see anymore is because we're getting close to the answer on our own. You just gave us the clue that we needed to get there."

Amy stared at Sonic with wide eyes before giving a soft smile.

"Thanks, Sonic."

Then, the door opened, and the two turned.

"Sonic, Amy!" Tails said happily as he ran in. "Glad to you're here!"

"Same to you, Tails," Amy replied. "I heard about what happened with you and the Egg Carrier. I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks," Tails replied. "But enough about that. I gotta get the plane up and running. Luckily, I found another Chaos Emerald, and that pod did have the part I needed."

Beaming, Tails displayed the red Emerald in his hand. In his other hand was a gray, cylinder object with a red metal strip in the middle.

"Great job, buddy," Sonic said, giving a thumbs-up. "Now we can take on the Egg Carrier and rescue Alex."

Tails nodded. "Right, just wait right here. It'll only take me a few minutes."

The Fox immediately headed for the hanger below. When he was out of the room, Amy let out a huff.

"What's wrong?" Sonic asked.

Amy put a hand on the bag around her waist. "I came here to give Tails a Chaos Emerald, but he already found one."

"But that's a good thing," Sonic pointed out. "Means that Eggman doesn't have it, and we have two in case we need them."

Sonic then blinked. Now that they were talking about the Chaos Emeralds, something occurred to him. He brought his hand to his chin and thought hard.

"What's wrong, Sonic?" Amy asked, noticing his change in mood.

"Alex had two Emeralds, and she gave them to us," he muttered, holding out his fingers to count. "Tails has one now. That makes three." He shut his eyes, trying to remember what happened. "Eggman stole one from Tails when we first encountered Chaos. He then stole one from me back in Station Square. And then he stole two more from us, which means he has four."

"Seven!" Amy exclaimed. "Sonic, all seven Emeralds have been found!"

"You're right, Amy. And that means Eggman will come looking for the three that we have."

"What should we do? If we try to hide them, Eggman might find them."

"You're right. But it's risky to take them with us. Might as well hand them to Eggman on a silver platter."

"I would say that's our best option right now though," said Amy. "If we hide them, Eggman has a greater chance of finding them, and we won't be able to stop him. At least we can keep an eye on them if we take them with us. And between your speed and Tails' brains, Eggman will have a hard time getting his hands on them."

Sonic made a face at that statement. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ames. But Eggman has managed to get the Emeralds from us even with my speed and Tails' brains."

"Only because he caught you off guard," Amy insisted. "This time, you'll know what to expect. And I'll be there to help. I know I'm not much of a fighter, but Alex isn't the only captive on Eggman's ship. There are also those girls his other robots kidnapped."

Sonic expression hardened and he clenched his fist. He was so focused on rescuing Alex that he had almost forgotten about those other girls.

"You and Tails can deal with Eggman," Amy said. "And once we free Alex, I'm sure she'll want to help you. I'll get the others to safety."

Sonic fidgeted. Amy just admitted that she wasn't much of a fighter, and the idea of bringing her into danger made him very uneasy. He didn't even like putting Tails in danger, even though he knew his little buddy could hold his own. Still, he could see that determination in Amy's eyes. If there was one thing he knew about her besides her cheerfulness, it was her stubbornness once she made up her mind. Especially if it meant helping someone else.

"I promise I won't be in the way," she continued. "I just want to help. Please, Sonic, let me help you."

Sonic took a deep breath before grinning. "Okay. After all, their safety is our number one priority now, and we could use your help with that. You're much better at convincing people to trust us. We can deal with Eggman after we make sure they're safe."

Amy's face lit up and she nodded in agreement. "Thanks, Sonic! I won't let you down!"

Sonic winked and gave Amy a thumbs-up. At that moment, the sound of a large door opening came from underneath the workshop. At the same time, Sonic earpiece beeped.

"Sonic," said Tails through the device, "the plane's ready for take-off. Head to the second hanger below the first one."

"Got it, we're on our way."

Sonic disconnected the call and turned to Amy. "Time to head out."

Amy followed Sonic down to the second hanger. The two came to a stop when they saw Tails' plane. Sonic was expecting to see an aircraft like the Tornado, but maybe just a bit larger and with a few more features.

But what he saw was even better.

The plane was three times larger than the Tornado, and shaped like a torpedo. It was made of a silver metal, with a yellow cone at the tip. Its four wings were in the shape of an X, and two large red engines on the back. Instead of having just one cockpit, it had two, one near the front, and one in the middle. Each had two seats in them, and a sturdy hatch that looked like it was made of glass.

Seeing Sonic and Amy, Tails flew down from the tip of the plane and proudly spread his arms out.

"Ta-da! Say hello to the X-Tornado! What do you guys think?"

"Tails, it's amazing!" said Amy excitedly, clasping her hands together.

Sonic smirked at Tails. "So, "Tornado 2" was a cover name this whole time. And here I thought you just wanted to make a few upgrades."

Tails rubbed the back of his head. "Well, that was the original plan, but once I got started, I realized just how much more I could do. Sorry for not telling you guys. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"I'd say it was worth it," Sonic replied. "So, ready to give it a test run?"

"Ready when you are, Sonic."

"I'm coming, too," said Amy.

"But Amy –" Tails began.

"We have to keep the Emeralds Alex gave us safe from Eggman," Amy interjected. "I know we can do that best if we take them with us. And Eggman's robots have captured some other girls. I'll help rescue them while you guys deal with Eggman."

Tails looked at Sonic, and the Hedgehog winked with confidence.

"Okay," said Tails. "Then let's get going."

With that, Sonic and Amy climbed into the passenger seats. Sonic in the back, and Amy in the front with Tails. The Fox closed the hatches and started up the plane. Sonic braced himself as the plane shot down the runway and out the opening in the side of the cliff. He could already feel the difference as they flew over the ocean and up towards the sky. The X-Tornado was a much smoother ride than the Tornado.

"I'm picking of the Egg Carrier's signal," Tails said over the plane's intercom. "It's not too far from here. Hang on tight, guys."

Sonic looked out the window to see just how fast they were going, and something caught his eye.

"Tails, wait!"

"What is it, Sonic?"

"Look up there. On the cliff."

Tails looked over his shoulder. Sonic pointed the top of a ledge that towered over the sea. Standing on the top of it was a red figure.

"Hey, it's Knuckles," said Amy.

"He must still be looking for the Master Emerald shards," replied Tails.

"Well, what do you say we give him a ride?" Sonic said.

"On it!"

Adjusting the direction, Tails flew towards the cliffside. Sonic saw Knuckles perk up and turn towards them as they drew closer. As the plane slowed, Sonic undid the hatch and pushed it open.

"Hey, Knuckles!" he called out. "Going our way?"

Knuckles simply replied with a grin. He then backed up a few paces before sprinting at them. He jumped just as they passed by and grabbed Sonic outstretched hand. Straining against the wind currents, Sonic hoisted Knuckles up into the seat behind him and closed the hatch.

"Perfect timing," said the Echidna. "Thanks for the lift."

"We're on our way to the Egg Carrier," said Tails.

"Then I am going your way. I'm sure the last of the Master Emerald shards on that ship."

"Good," said Sonic. "We're also on a rescue mission."

"What?"

"We'll fill you in on the way," said Tails. "Hang on tight. It's time to speed up."

Once they were safely away from the land, the X-Tornado took off at incredible speed.

As Amy filled Knuckles in on the situation, Sonic sat in silence. He tried not to think about it, but with nothing else to do except listen and wait, his guilt about Alex was coming back, and with a vengeance. She got captured, and he wasn't fast enough to save her. He was right there, and he couldn't stop that robot from taking her. Now, he didn't even know if she was alright or not. Eggman obviously wanted her for her powers. What if he already did something to her to get them?

No, he couldn't think like that! That wouldn't help anything!

Sonic took a deep breath and refocused. The best he and the others could do now was get to the Egg Carrier as fast as this plane could carry them.

They were going to save her.

"Hang on, Alex," he thought to himself. "We're on our way."