Chapter 3
The Request
Knuckles stood tall and proud atop the dome of the shrine. The sun slowly sank beneath the horizon, its final rays of light burned the surface of the ocean below. He watched as the light faded; the last strip of orange burned like a flaming sword over the water. The blade slowly thinned until it vanished. In its place came a streak of pale silver that swelled as the clouds shifted and gave way to the shimmering moon.
In former days, when the isolation of his service pressed on his heart, Knuckles would stare up at the moon and imagine that its service was not so much different than his own. Like him, it was destined to run along its charted course, ever present in duty while never fully understanding why or by whom it had been enlisted. As he stood vigil before the emerald, ever its guardian, ever bound to protect, the moon was vigil over the night, the veil against total darkness, a protector of the creatures of light. Though their service came with no gratitude, no relaxation, nor any hint of an end of term neither had ever considered relenting or giving in. Day by day, night by night, they both took their positions, alone, but united by common purpose.
Yet the moon he stared at now was not the same one that had comforted him in the past. A large chunk of the moon had been blasted apart by the Eclipse Cannon turning even a full moon into a half moon. The permanent defacing of the moon was a testament to Dr. Eggman's evil and the scope of his villainy. However, it was also a reminder. A reminder that though Knuckles often felt the pressure of his seclusion threaten to press upon him, he was not truly alone. He had gone with Sonic and the others on that desperate mission to foil Eggman's plans. Though they had all barely escaped with their lives, Knuckle's role in the victory had not been ignored.
"We will try to come and visit you sometime." Tails had promised. His words were genuine, and Knuckles knew that the fox truly meant them, however the sight of an agitated and already ready to run Sonic was more pertinent. He accepted the offer, but in his heart he knew he would not see either of them again, not unless the world was in danger. Sonic was not one to stay still, nor take the time to visit old allies on their stagnant, slow moving island in the sky.
This second seclusion did not bother Knuckles. It was enough to know that there were people out there, beyond the scope of his domain that welcomed his company. Somehow that lessened the strain of his loneliness. Knuckles jumped down from the dome and landed just outside the inner pool of the shrine. Within the Master Emerald spun slowly on its pedestal.
Though Knuckles had guarded the gem since he could even form memories, its splendor and brilliance never became ordinary to him. The light was nothing like the light of the sun or of fire, when he stood near it, he could feel the rays of its sparkle against his skin. It reminded him
of the intense heat and power he had felt when he had used the power of the Chaos Emeralds to transform. Yet these sparks of light were only the faintest hint of the true power that rested within the emerald.
No one understood or respected the gravity of the Master Emerald's power more than Knuckles. Which is why his failures in protecting it weighed so heavily on his conscience. Once he had allowed Eggman to so thoroughly trick him that he spent all his energy battling Sonic and Tails and left the Master Emerald exposed, ripe to be stolen away. Knuckles was rescued from total despair, as his last moment team up with Sonic managed to win the emerald back, but Knuckles never forgot the sting of his failure.
Recent battles against Chaos and the adventure into space had hammered home the true gravity of his position. Eggman and people like him were more than capable and more than willing to use his emerald for diabolical means.
So as night fell and the cold wind howled, Knuckles stiffened and stood resolute and defiant. With his emerald at his back, and no doubts to weigh him down, the echidna needed no sleep. He would stand his vigil until the break of the dawn and continue it until the night came again. Among the denizens of the forests and the cities, there would be none who knew his name or offered him thanks for his employment. He was not the champion, merely the guardian, the constant soldier.
Sonic's name was heralded, his banner waved, and his deeds recalled in every corner of the earth. Sonic did as he pleased. No duty bound him, nor any chain whatsoever. Calamities, enemies, and the prospect of total destruction were merely footpads on his never ending chase of adventure. Though faster than all life on earth, he was fated to chase that which can never be caught. For thrill is a thing that once held, by necessity, escapes.
Such a hero would doom the world, if not balanced with more tempered allies. For him to chase his next thrill, someone had to remain behind to serve as the shield. Knuckles did not begrudge Sonic and his life, just as he knew Sonic did not envy him. Placed within their proper roles in their proper places, they could hold the line against the forces that sought dominion over other peoples.
It was not always an easy arrangement but as Knuckles stood on his shrine and surveyed the surrounding island his heart was captured by its peace and tranquility. Angel Island was far removed from the hustle and bustle of the human world, and gloriously preserved against the ever shrinking green world. He took a deep breath and relished the quiet peace of his home.
But then there was a sound. A tingle raced down Knuckles' spine and his quills bristled. He kicked back one leg and raised his fists in readiness. Nothing. More silence and darkness. Knuckles was not fooled. He could sense some disturbance. Whhhrrrr. The sound again. It was a low metallic whirling, like a wheel spinning on a chain.
Knuckles crouched and readied to spring into action. Suddenly a bright light shone in his face! He covered his eyes and jumped backward to defend the emerald. A great engine roared to life and he felt the heat of fire. Knuckles lowered his hand. A floating device shaped like a broken elongated orb came hovering towards him. Though he was encased in shadow, Knuckles immediately recognized the silhouette of the person piloting the craft. His shape and mustache were burned into Knuckles' memory.
He took a step forward to confront Eggman before his ship reached the dais leading up the shrine. However, the doctor stopped first. There was a low hiss as his ship lowered onto the ground. Crrrrrrrk. The side of the ship opened, and Dr. Eggman stepped out. "That was a mistake!" Before his foe could react, Knuckles spin dashed down the steps, leapt up into a glide and pounced onto Eggman.
He fell with a defeated moan and Knuckles smashed his body into the grass. Knuckles raised his fist and that was all it took for all the fight to leave Eggman's body. He wilted like a dead flower and moaned pathetically. "No…no…please! I mean you no harm!" He whined.
Knuckles waited for the trap to spring. No doubt he had played right into the doctor's hands by assaulting him. Knuckles anticipated the movement of the ship. He leapt backwards and crashed down with both fists. The hull of the ship split apart and in one fell moment, Knuckles turned it into scraps.
He rolled forward just as the ship exploded into debris. The light faded and in the darkness, Knuckles took a few steadying breaths. There would be more. There were always more. Minutes passed, but nothing happened. Knuckles heard rustling as Eggman slowly pushed himself back to his feet. Difficult as it was for him to walk, heavy and depleted in body, Eggman made his way over to the echidna. To Knuckles' immense shock, the doctor fell onto one knee and bowed before him.
"This is no trap."
"Then why are you here?" Knuckles snapped. He had been fooled one too many times. The broken moon shining above them was a reminder enough that Knuckles could not trust anything Eggman said.
"I am in need." Eggman continued, his voice faltering.
"That's obvious. But you won't get any help from me." Knuckles turned aside and watched the Master Emerald. Eggman could be trying to distract him while one of his machines took the emerald.
"It is no trick. I have come here alone." Eggman raised his face. Knuckles was so accustomed to seeing the doctor in silhouette or from far away, that seeing him so clearly was unnerving. The eyes, the mustache, the glasses, they had always appeared so otherworldly, so threatening when plastered on the sides of massive weapons of destruction. Yet up close, he was just a man. "Please Knuckles, just hear me out."
Though it went against his every instinct, Knuckles relented. "Say what you came here to say and then leave."
"I am…beaten." The words came out of the doctor as if he were being spoon fed poison. "This contest…this war between myself and Sonic…it is over. I am done. After what happened on the Ark…I cannot start over again."
"Do you really expect me to believe you've had a change of heart? You only helped save the world because you would have died as well."
"You are not wrong." Eggman admitted. "I would have fired the Eclipse Cannon, I would have turned huge swaths of the world into glass. But I did not want the entire earth destroyed, as you say I needed to live, and I needed a place to rule."
Knuckles frowned. "You're a monster. Give me a reason why I shouldn't finish you off for good here and now?"
"You should!" Eggman said eagerly. "That is why I have come here. I want it to end. I am done with this planet, with this feeble rivalry between myself and Sonic." Knuckles recoiled. He had been bluffing. Eggman, on his knees, scooted closer to him. "That is why I have come here. I want to go away, far away from this planet. I have found a way to transport myself out of this world. It is my intention to leave and never come back."
"Go ahead."
"But I cannot!" Eggman wailed. "My transporter cannot find me a home suitable for me to live in. The vast recesses of the universe are too deep for my computer to search through. I need power. I need a source strong enough to power my computer while it finds me a home."
Knuckles shrank back and growled. "Of course. You just want my emerald."
Eggman reached for him feebly. "I don't want it. I just need to use it once."
Knuckles turned aside. "I won't be tricked by you ever again."
"It's not a trick. I will not take the emerald from here." Eggman persisted. "Please, I only ask that you allow me to bring my computer and my teleporter. I will sync my computer to the emerald, fire up the calculations and then be on my way."
Knuckles paused with one foot on the dais steps. He turned back. "Are you really this desperate? If you don't want to fight Sonic anymore, just stop. Nothing is forcing you to attack him."
Eggman paused. In an instant, his weak facade broke and his usual air of superiority and menace returned. "Could I? Could I set aside who I am? Do you think it is in a person's nature to turn away from their destiny?" Knuckles hesitated. His pause caused Eggman to smile. "You could leave this island. You could abandon your emerald and leave this thankless chore to another. I'm sure you've thought about it. No one is keeping you here. Yet I think I know why you stay. In your heart, you know that if you left you would always want to return. You belong here."
Knuckles loathed the knowing glint in Eggman's eyes. Was he really so easy to read? Knuckles shielded his vulnerability with anger. "Get out of here! Before I change my mind about letting you leave at all."
Eggman laughed. "You know I am right. You know that I cannot stop my crusade. Maybe for a moon's turn I could stay dormant. Perhaps I could try and reform my attitude, but we both know it would not last. Eventually, our war will start again. This is why I have turned to such desperate measures. The only way I could stop myself for good, the only way I could leave Sonic and our battle is to actually leave. I must remove myself from the temptation of war, and go. For too long I have dedicated my mind to the science of evil and destruction. I have forgotten that once upon a time I had a curious mind. I wanted to know, to understand. I want to be that way again. Sent across time and space, I would find myself in a new world. There I could dedicate myself to a life of understanding and the true benign peace of research and knowledge."
The doctor reached into his coat and drew out a small metal block. He handed it over to Knuckles. "You can contact me with this if you change your mind." With his exaggeratedly long arms he swept them forward and bowed to Knuckles. "My fate is in your hands. Note that I come to you and not Sonic."
"You are too ashamed to admit to him you've lost." Knuckles rebutted. He meant to toss the block away as soon as Eggman handed it over, but somehow he resisted the urge.
Eggman smiled. "That is not it. We both know the real reason. Sonic would not accept my surrender."
"What do you mean?"
Knuckles' confusion amused Eggman. "Everything that hedgehog thinks he is, he owes to me. Without me he lives a placid, boring existence. Mark my words, if you agree to send me away it will not be long before Sonic grows restless. Is a hero still a hero with no villain to combat?" Eggman laughed boisterously. "It consoles me to know that even if I flee with my tail between my legs, my absence will hurt Sonic more than my machines ever could. That is why I have come to you. You are not amused or tickled by the constant warfare. Of all of Sonic's friends you are the only one who possesses any semblance of reason. I think you understand this. You are the only one capable of making this choice. Sending me away spells the end of your adventures, but you were never the adventuring type. In exchange for peace you would take quiet. Do you honestly think Sonic would ever take such a deal?"
Knuckles could not say, but Eggman took his silence for confirmation. He turned aside and walked back towards his now destroyed hovercraft. Knuckles wondered how the doctor would leave but his answer came swiftly. A harsh green light broke down from above and encased Eggman and his ship. Knuckles shied away from the light and looked up. Hovering in the sky, completely dominating over the island was Eggman's massive aircraft the Eggcarrier. The beam of light transported Eggman away.
Moments later, the Eggcarrier vanished into the dark clouds. Knuckles watched it disappear with a mixed feeling of fear and trepidation in his heart. He clutched the communication device Eggman had given him and wondered.