-Chapter 77-
Magic Touch
Newtrogic High Zone
The Tornado 2 touched down on the beach of the island, allowing Knuckles and Kat to hop off.
"Thanks for the ride, Tails," Knuckles told him.
"Anytime," Tails replied. "Good luck, you guys."
He gave them a two-finger salute before flying off. As the pair looked around, Kat spotted something down the beach.
"Hey Knux, check it," she said.
Knuckles looked, and the two headed down the beach to get a closer look. They found a tugboat moored to an old pier, the crew nowhere in sight.
"Looks like we're not the only ones here," Kat mused.
"The plot thickens," Knuckles noted. "C'mon, let's head in."
They headed into the forest. Before long, in the treetops, the black-coated figure from before spotted them and followed. As the pair walked, they gave each other silent glances.
"Hear that?" Knuckles whispered under his breath.
"Seven o'clock, in the trees," Kat replied.
Kat then whirled on the tree she spoke of, giving it a sharp kick. The trunk exploded into splinters and went crashing down. The figure inside gave a loud yelp as she hit the ground. Knuckles pounced, grabbing the figure and lifting them up by the front of their coat.
"Nice try, punk," he told her, "but it'll be a cold day in hell when you get the drop on us."
"Oh really?" the figure asked.
She took her gun off her belt, aiming it at Kat and firing. A canister of purple gas exploded and she began coughing. On instinct, Knuckles dropped the figure, rushing to Kat and instantly feeling the effects of the gas. After a few minutes of coughing, they collapsed, out cold. The figure adjusted her coat, smirking.
"Pathetic Angel Islander," she spat.
Botanic Base
Sometime later, Knuckles and Kat had been taken to a prison complex that had been set up near a giant greenhouse. As they both shook off the effects of the gas, they found themselves in a barren room with a single table and three chairs, two of which they currently occupied. They were also attached to one another, strange glimmering rings sealed on Knuckles' left wrist and Kat's right respectively, light tethering the rings.
"What the…" Knuckles let out. "What are these, Power Rings?"
"I haven't the foggiest," Kat replied.
She tried to pull her arm away and the light just extended to match. It then snapped her back into place like a rubber band. Knuckles tried grabbing it to rip the light, to little avail.
"Maybe if we tried twisting it…" he theorized.
"Knux, it's clearly magic," Kat shot down. "Besides, what would we even twist?"
The door opened to reveal the figure who gassed them.
"You'll find the Link Rings quite... tricky to remove," she informed them.
"You…" Knuckles spat.
He stood up, trying to launch himself at the figure, but the Link Ring immediately yanked him back. He crashed hard into his chair and the figure snorted in amusement before sitting down in the open chair.
"Now…" she dropped her hood, revealing the face of a female Echidna around Knuckles' age with pink fur, violet eyes, purple-tipped bangs, and a cybernetic left frontmost dreadlock, "I have a few questions to ask you."
She and Knuckles locked eyes for a few seconds before she shook her head. Knuckles blinked as well, but just picked himself up, sitting himself down.
"What makes you think either of us will cooperate?" he asked.
"Do you think you have a choice?" the Legionnaire questioned.
"Lady, you don't scare us," Kat retorted. "And we ain't telling you jack shit."
"I know you're a Guardian from Angel Island," the Legionnaire said to Knuckles, ignoring Kat. "Is the Brotherhood adopting humans now?"
"What's it to you?" Knuckles asked defensively.
"So what if I'm human?" Kat demanded. "Aurora, you sound like Locke."
"I'm just curious, to be honest," the Legionnaire confessed. "Now, on to the more important question: who told you we were here?"
"Aurora descended from the heavens and gave us a postcard," Knuckles said flippantly.
"Quite the comedian, huh?" the Legionnaire deadpanned.
"You should see his slapstick," Kat told her. "It's a real gutbuster. Or better yet, how about mine?"
Her free fist slammed into the Legionnaire's gut, knocking the female echidna out of her chair before the Link Ring yanked Kat back.
"Nice one," Knuckles told her, giving her a high five.
The Legionnaire pulled herself up, wincing before drawing her gun.
"Alright, fine," she spat. "That's the way you want to play it?"
Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Threatening us with your gas gun again?"
A laser blast shot right above his head, hitting the wall behind him.
"Oh, the knockout gas is just one feature," the Legionnaire told him. "Now, follow me to your cell."
Begrudgingly, the two cooperated.
-X-
The pair were led to a particularly large cell, which closed behind them as Knuckles whirled on their Legionnaire captor.
"This isn't over, you hear me?!" He shouted.
She just walked away and he scowled, punching the door.
"Bitch!" he screamed.
"Hey, Mack," a voice called out.
The pair jumped, turning around to see Team Chaotix in there behind them. Vector was sitting in the middle of the trio, Link-Ringed to Espio on his left and Charmy on his right. Mighty and Ray were linked as well, Ray on the right and Mighty on the left. The croc looked at them, speaking up again.
"So... what are you in for?"
"Depends," Kat replied. "What are you in for?"
"Came here on a case, got jumped," Charmy replied. "Next thing we know, we're in here."
"Basically the same thing," Knuckles told him. "I'm Knuckles, this is Kat."
Kat waved as Mighty took note of her scars.
"What happened to you?" the armadillo asked. "Piss off a pack of Devil Dogs?"
"Once, but…" Kat shrugged. "Y'know what? Let's just go with that."
"If you say so," Vector said. "Anyway, the name's Vector. These are my associates, Espio, Charmy, Ray, and Mighty. We're the Chaotix Detective Agency."
"Chaotix…" Knuckles perked. "Sonic has your business card. I've seen it in his room once or twice."
"You're with Sonic?!" Ray exclaimed.
"Yeah, we're Freedom Fighters," Kat answered.
"How do you know Sonic?" Knuckles questioned.
"Ray and I were prisoners in the Egg Dungeon when he staged the riot and breakout," Mighty told them.
"As for the three of us, we met him while we were working a case during the South Island incident," Espio included. "He... ended up in a bar fight with every thug and crook in the Star Light Zone."
"And won!" Charmy chimed in.
"Any chance of him coming to the rescue?" Vector asked.
"Not really," Knuckles answered. "He doesn't know we're here."
Kat checked her pouch and groaned. "And Pinky back there took my communicator."
"Then we're on our own," Ray realized.
"Doesn't matter," Knuckles insisted. "This place is nothing like our last prison. We'll figure a way out. Any ideas on your end?"
"Don't fret, guys!" Charmy piped up. "I can get us outta this!"
"You?" Knuckles asked. "How?"
"Your basic Charmy comes in two sizes," Charmy explained, sounding like an infomercial announcer. "What you see here is my normal size, my walk mode. But I can also shrink down to flight mode, and slip outta these rings! Observe!"
As they watched, Charmy did indeed shrink until he was the size of a Mobini bee. Unfortunately, the Link Ring around his wrist shrank to fit as well.
"Well…" he said, his voice much higher and squeakier to fit his reduced size, "didn't see that coming."
He expanded back to normal size at that.
"Guess we do this the old-fashioned way," Knuckles decided. "Mighty, mind giving me and Kat a hand bending these bars?"
"Room for one more?" Vector asked.
"Can you help with your double trapped hands?" Knuckles asked.
Vector grinned. "My hands may be tied, but my teeth still work!"
Knuckles, Kat, and Mighty each grabbed a bar with their hands, Vector clamping his jaws around another one.
"On three," Knuckles said, getting nods. "One… Two… THREE!"
With a massive sound of tearing metal, the quartet ripped the door off its hinges and threw it aside.
"There's no way the Dark Legion didn't hear that," Espio said. "We better move."
"Agreed," Vector declared as he spat out pieces of metal.
Charmy immediately tried to fly out, only for the Link Ring to snap him back.
"Oh, right," he let out sheepishly.
"We need to stick together," Ray insisted. "We don't really have much of a choice."
Kat peeked out, looking left and right for any sign of guards.
"Clear," she informed them.
The group crept out of the cell, Knuckles and Kat in the lead.
"Why are we following those two?" Vector whispered, albeit, not very well.
"Because unlike us, they were conscious when they were brought in," Espio replied, much quieter than his oversized companion.
"Gotcha there, Vector," Charmy said with a giggle, not even trying to keep quiet.
Kat rolled her eyes.
"You'd think members of a detective agency would know better than to talk so loudly when planning an escape," she muttered in Chun-ese.
"I'm a ninja, Kat," Espio piped up, also in Chun-ese. "I know how to be quiet."
Kat blinked, turning back to Espio in shock. She was then dragged along by Knuckles before she could say anything else. As they went further along, Knuckles stopped, hearing footsteps approaching. He held up a hand to stop the others, Charmy getting yanked back into Vector's chest when he didn't stop in time.
"What is it?" Mighty whispered.
"Someone's coming," Knuckles replied.
Everyone got ready. That was when the pink Legionnaire came around the corner, no doubt coming to investigate the noise from the break out. The second she stepped into view, Knuckles grabbed her, slapping a hand over her mouth and slamming her against the wall. Kat quickly relieved her of her gun.
"Hello again," Knuckles greeted.
The two locked eyes again, and were left speechless as they gazed at one another.
"Um... are you gonna do something?" Charmy asked. "Punch her out? Steal her keys?"
Instead, Knuckles just dropped the Legionnaire, stepping back in shock. She seemed just as shocked, both of them left utterly speechless.
"Knux…" Kat piped up. "What's going on?"
"What is this?" Knuckles said aloud. "Could it be…?"
"No…" the Legionnaire shook her head. "No, no, no, no. This can't be happening. An Angel Islander? And one that consorts with outsiders?!"
"How do you think I feel?" Knuckles snapped. "You're a Dark Legionnaire! A techno-obsessed cultist!"
"At least I'm not some techno-phobic sellout!" the Legionnaire shot back.
Mighty and Ray quickly got between the two.
"Okay, what the heck is going on?" Ray demanded.
"Kat, do you know what-?" Mighty began.
"I'm just as confused as the rest of you," Kat replied.
Knuckles sighed. "If I'm not mistaken, me and this Legionnaire have just experienced the Soultouch."
"The what now?" Vector asked.
"Something that only happens with the Echidna race," Knuckles explained. "In Dad's words, since we Echidnas tend to focus on our intellectual side, it's nature's way of balancing the scales."
"Wait... like imprinting?" Charmy questioned. "Or soulmates?"
"No!" the Legionnaire shrieked. "How can this… this sellout be Soultouched with me?!"
"For all we know, this isn't even the Soultouch!" Knuckles snapped. "My mom and dad underwent it, and it didn't stop them from splitting up!"
By this point, Kat was fighting back laughter. She had her hands over her mouth as she struggled to remain upright.
"Oh, it is the Soultouch," the Legionnaire insisted. "I am certain your parents still care for one another. But don't think for a second this changes anything, Islander! And for the love of Aurora, control your pet!"
Knuckles scowled. "Oh, you've done it now!"
Kat's laughter died instantly, and the pair got into fighting stances, mirroring one another. A fight commenced, Team Chaotix attacking the Legionnaire first. Looking at the tether between the Link Rings, Kat got an idea. She rushed forward, leapfrogging over their assailant and then dug her hand into the ground, planting herself firmly. When the rubber band effect kicked in, Knuckles was sent flying right at the Legionnaire. She looked in time to see him coming, but not in time to sidestep, and was knocked flat on her back by the unwitting kamikaze Guardian. The two ended up getting entangled with one another, Knuckles ending up right on top of her.
"Oh, great…" Knuckles let out.
"Get off me!" the Legionnaire shrieked, kicking him in the gut and knocking him back.
Kat just yanked her arm forward and rubber banded him right back at the vile echidna. This time, the minute Knuckles knocked her down, he jumped off immediately, standing beside Kat.
"These things aren't so bad," she mused.
"O-okay, that's it!" the Legionnaire stammered, jumping to her feet as her face turned a beet-red. "This is just too embarrassing! Get outta here! I'm giving you a ten-second head start!"
"You got it, sweet-cheeks!" Vector declared.
He grabbed Charmy in one hand and scooped up Espio under his other arm, bolting away from the scene. Mighty and Ray just ran as well, and Knuckles and Kat prepared to follow. However, Knuckles stopped for a brief moment, facing the Legionnaire and contemplating something. After a second, he sighed.
"Knuckles."
The Legionnaire looked confused.
"My name. It's Knuckles."
There was a brief pause before the Legionnaire spoke again.
"Julie… Julie-Su."
Knuckles nodded, and with that, he and Kat took off.
-X-
The group ran down multiple halls for a while, everything looking the same, before eventually running into one another from opposite hallways and landing in a heap (1).
"Okay, it's official," Mighty sighed. "We're hopelessly lost."
"Great," Knuckles sighed. "I don't recognize any of this place."
"Nice going, Vector," Charmy admonished.
"This is why we were letting Knuckles lead the way," Espio added.
"Okay, so I made a mistake!" Vector snapped. "Anyone else wanna gang up on me?"
"Alright, that's enough," Ray cut in.
"We're not gonna get anywhere arguing like this," Mighty included.
"Well, I'm open to suggestions," Knuckles said.
"How about this guy?" Kat pointed to a heavily bolted door that read "Lab." "Clearly there's something in here that's important, and that means guards. Meaning, people we can 'ask' for directions."
"We've already raised enough of a ruckus," said Ray. "Anyone here know how to pick locks?"
"Leave that to me," Espio told him. "Provided Vector puts me down."
Vector did so, and Espio drew a small lockpick from the inside of his glove, going over and sticking it in the keyhole.
"How'd you keep that hidden from the guards?" Charmy asked.
"Ninja have their ways," Espio replied simply.
Kat smiled. "You have got to show me that trick."
"Maybe when we get out of here," Espio told her.
As he worked, Ray turned to Knuckles and Kat.
"So... why did you guys come here without telling Sonic?" he asked. "Y'know, just in case you needed his help?"
"This was more of a personal matter for me and Kat to attend to," Knuckles answered. "That, and Sonic's got his own problems to deal with."
"Come on, you can tell us," Ray insisted. "Is something big going down? Don't tell me Eggman's-"
"Drop it, squirrel," Kat snapped.
She was clutching her arm like she usually did when she was upset, but her hands were resting on the scratches rather than the burns. Mighty pulled Ray over.
"Ray, they're called personal issues for a reason," he told him, not unkindly. "If they don't want to tell us, we don't need to know."
"I was just curious," Ray pointed out. "I mean, Sonic could have cased this entire joint in the blink of an eye. Don't tell me you're not the least bit curious yourself."
"He's been running himself ragged heroing and needs a little time to himself to get himself together and relax," Knuckles said. "That's all you need to know."
"I'm in," Espio cut in.
He opened the door, and they entered to see a scientist at work. He slowly turned, revealing himself to be an older Mobian lynx with gold eyes and dark tan fur, with black ears and matching markings on his face that were fading to gray. His wardrobe consisted of a black coat lined with purple, white gloves, and brown shoes, complete with a pair of goggles on his forehead. Kat looked him up and down, finding something familiar about him.
"Well, he's certainly not with the Legion," Knuckles noted. "He's a lynx, and fully Mobian."
"I…" Kat began, "I think that's Dr. Ellidy."
"I see my reputation precedes me," Ellidy mused.
"Yes and no," Kat clarified. "You… look a lot like a friend of ours."
Knuckles squinted at him for a while, before it clicked. "He looks just like Nicole."
"Ah, yes," Ellidy said. "The handheld A.I. I gifted to Princess Sally years ago."
"That's the one," Kat confirmed.
"I don't care if he's the President of Northamer!" Vector snapped impatiently. "Can you help us get out of here or not?"
"Settle down, my friend," Ellidy told him calmly. "I'm a prisoner here myself. And you wouldn't want the entire Legion on our tails, would you?"
"Ignore him," Espio said politely. "He's very excitable."
"Hey!" Charmy held up his shackled wrist. "Think you could get these things off us?"
"The Link Rings…" Ellidy stroked his chin before shaking his head. "The Legion forced me to create them... but I sadly lack the means to unlock them."
Charmy's antennae drooped at that.
"Anyway, what are you doing here, Doctor?" Knuckles asked.
"If you must know, I took up residence on this island shortly after I retired," Ellidy explained. "I've spent my days studying the local Lake of Rings, and was doing exactly that two weeks ago when they appeared."
"The Dark Legion," Knuckles growled. "Why exactly are they here? Tails said that the Lake of Rings here was dried up."
"Actually, he said that 'for all we know,' it dried up," Kat clarified. "Maybe he was wrong."
"Oh, your friend was wrong all right," Ellidy confirmed. "The Lake of Rings is very much active... and has been producing a new type of Power Ring never seen before."
He led them to a capsule in his lab, containing the Red Star Ring that was produced two weeks ago.
"I call them Red Star Rings!" Ellidy declared dramatically. "For, uh… fairly obvious reasons."
Both Knuckles and Kat could feel the immense power from the ring, their hair and fur standing on end.
"What's so special about this thing?" Vector asked.
"As I'm sure you know, normal Power Rings are natural byproducts of the Chaos Emeralds," Ellidy explained. "Through my research, I've ascertained that Red Star Rings are what happens when the Lakes of Rings produce them under the direct influence of one of the Emeralds."
"So just how powerful are these things, Doc?" Mighty questioned.
"Not quite as powerful as the Emeralds themselves, but pretty close," Ellidy replied. "While they possess roughly the same qualities as a regular Power Ring, they have the potential for much greater energy output."
"I imagine this Dark Legion can think of more than one use for these rings," Espio mused.
"All the more reason to kick their collective asses and get off this island," Knuckles said.
"I'd love to help you with that, so I can get back to my research in peace," Ellidy told them.
"We should try and figure out exactly what these mooks are planning with these rings," Vector insisted. "Any ideas, doc?"
"I've heard mention of it," Ellidy answered. "They're building up an army of machines they call Mechanauts to invade some place they call Angel Island."
Knuckles stiffened. "Mechanauts?!"
"Mind filling the rest of us in?" Mighty questioned.
"My people used to use them as labor robots once upon a time," Knuckles explained. "In fact, part of the reason the Echidnas banned excess technology is because they ended up being reprogrammed into war machines." He sighed. "Seems the Legion is still using them."
"And they plan on deploying them against our home…" Kat clenched her fists. "We have to stop them!"
"Right!" Vector declared. "Where are these bots being kept? We need to dismantle 'em before they get launched!"
"Their main base in the center of the island," Ellidy replied. "They call it the Techno Tower."
"Then lead the way, Doctor," Espio told him.
"I can take you as far as the exit, but that's it," Ellidy said. "I'm a thinker, not a fighter. Besides, I'm too old for such tomfoolery."
"Relax," Knuckles assured. "Leave the fighting to us."
He punched his fist into his palm, then the rubber band effect sent his fist flying back into Kat's stomach. She gasped as all the breath left her body and she hunched over, Knuckles wincing.
"...Whoops." he let out.
Vector started laughing, pointing at the pair. Espio growled and flipped behind the croc, causing him to sling his own hand into his snout.
"Hey!" Vector objected. "Is that any way to treat your boss?!"
Mighty and Ray both facepalmed and Ellidy looked mildly concerned.
Robotropolis
Meanwhile, in his lab, Robotnik was measuring the strange energy readings he'd been picking up over the past two weeks.
"Isolated Island…" he mused. "What could possibly be there?"
He stroked his mustache in thought before shrugging. "This bears investigating."
He pressed his glove controller, calling Metal.
"You called, Doctor?" Metal greeted.
"Your punishment is over, and I have a new assignment for you," Robotnik informed him. "There's a strange power signature emanating from Isolated Island. You're to escort Agatha there to find the source of the signature and retrieve it. It may be just what we need to finally destroy Sonic and take over the world."
"An escort mission?" Metal asked.
"Of course," Robotnik replied. "I need someone I can trust to handle whatever this source is. And given that you lost the Fregosi Sapphire, Grimer is still dealing with Metamorphia's mindwipe, and Snively's on latrine duty, Agatha is the only logical choice. You're escorting her because she's twelve and I don't want her going alone."
Metal seethed quietly before nodding. "As you command, Doctor."
"Good," Robotnik nodded. "Now get moving."
Metal made his way to Eggatha's room. As he did, he grumbled to himself.
"To think I've been demoted to escort duty and a personal assistant," he muttered. "Me, Metal Sonic! Well, I'll show the doctor my true worth when I bring back this power source... and use it to drop Sonic's dead body at his feet."
Author's Note:
(1): For visuals, think the Scooby-Doo door gag. Yeah, doesn't really work in a printed medium, but whatever.
Are those thoughts of rebellion going through Metal's head?
Next chapter, Knuckles and the Chaotix go to the Techno Tower to thwart the Dark Legion, while also dealing with Metal Sonic's interference. Can they rise to the challenge?
Dr. Ellidy and the depiction of the Red Star Rings are from Archie, as is the Soultouch Knuckles and Julie-Su mentioned and Charmy's shrinking power.
Voice cast for this chapter:
* Ellidy - Patrick Stewart
Please R&R. Until next time!
