- Chapter 55 -

Rise of the Echidnas

Station Square

Standing on the docks of Station Square, a large, purple Mobian creature stood, looking out at the sunken Angel Island. He had purple fur, yellow eyes, and a jagged-fur pattern on his chest similar to a customized-"V" shape. He has a beige colored muzzle, and a hairstyle resembling both Sonic's quills and Knuckles' dreadlocks. He wore green gloves and shoes with gray, metal squares, a pair of black cuffs on each of his gloves, and a pair of razor-sharp fangs. He also wore a tan button down shirt with cargo pants and hiking boots, a fedora on his head and a sneer on his muzzle.

"So, I finally found you..."

He watched as the island suddenly shook, then began rising out of the water. He snorted, clenching his fists.

"Now I see. That's how you stayed hidden all these years. But no more… You'll all suffer for what you've done. Count on that."

Master Emerald Shrine, 7 Years Ago

The entire city of Echidnaopolis was in a panic, entire families running up and down the street. As everyone was going crazy, 10 year old Knuckles was being pulled along by his father, an older echidna with a small white beard and bushy eyebrows wearing a simple brown tunic and loincloth with brown boots. Behind him, a female wearing a yellow robe-like tunic and woven shoes was trying to catch them.

"Locke!" she called out. "Locke, he can't stay here!"

"He must guard the Emerald, Lara-Le!" Locke declared, not releasing his young son's hand. "Our people's treasure must be protected!"

"He'll be all alone!" Lara-Le pleaded, loud noises almost drowning out her voice. "Please Locke! Even you don't want this for him, I know it!"

"What I want means nothing!" Locke declared. "This is how things must be!"

Locke and Knuckles broke through the crowd as they made it to the top of the Master Emerald Shrine. Locke placed Knuckles directly in front of the Emerald, giving him a stern look.

"You are Guardian of the Master Emerald now. You will stay and protect it from all who threaten it."

Knuckles was shaking, his mother's words ringing in his ears.

"I don't want to be alone!"

"You have your duty, Knuckles. See it through, no matter what."

Locke then took off back down the stairs. Knuckles stayed there for a moment, just frozen in place. Then, he let out a cry and ran forward, screaming out for his family. He began gliding toward Echidnaopolis when everything began to glow white. In a sudden burst of energy, Knuckles was thrown back, hitting the stairs of the shrine so hard he passed out, the words "Mother" and "Father" trickling out of his mouth as everything went dark…

Knothole

Knuckles snapped awake, bolting up in bed before looking around.

"Knuckles!" Kat sat up from a chair right next to him. "Hey, hey, calm down. It's okay."

Knuckles took deep breaths to compose himself before looking around.

"Kat, where are we?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Kat admitted. "Sally called it 'Knothole'. Apparently it's the Freedom Fighter's HQ. You've been out for a good two days."

"Two days?" Knuckles repeated.

"From what Sally's weird talking handheld said, your body was adjusting to the Chaos Energy influx, as well as whatever the hell that red wave was. It seems to have caused things to go screwy all over Mobius."

Knuckles took that in, looking down. Kat looked at him in concern.

"Knux, are you okay?" she asked. "You looked like you were having a nightmare."

"I was but… it wasn't so much a nightmare as... a memory," Knuckles admitted, looking at her. "Kat… I remember what happened to my people now."

-X-

In the living room, Knuckles sat, explaining his dream to the Freedom Fighters.

"Wait... you remember now?" Sonic asked.

"I think... whatever that wave was fixed my head, unlocked my memories," Knuckles explained.

"So that's what happened to your people?" Tails questioned.

"Locke… he just abandoned you?" Sally asked, seeming in shock from the thought.

"Yeah…" Knuckles nodded. "Just dumped me on the steps of the shrine and left."

"Wow, your dad's a dick," Sonic said bluntly.

"Sonic!" Sally admonished.

"No, he's right," Knuckles agreed. "I was raised to take over as Guardian from the time I was three."

"When you were three?" Kat repeated. "No wonder you have no social skills…"

Knuckles nodded. "Mom and Dad argued all the time about how I should be raised.

But as it turns out, Guardian tradition dictates that the mother of a future Guardian has pretty much no say in the matter. They divorced, and Mom lost custody of me to Dad, who was a teacher first and a father second."

"Knuckles, I had no idea," Sally confessed. "Locke never seemed so… cold when Daddy and I met him."

"Public relations, Sally girl," Bunnie pointed out. "He was playin' a part."

"That, and King Max was one of the few non-Echidna who actually earned his respect." Knuckles added.

"Now I'm kinda glad I never met your dad," Kat mused. "I get the feeling he and I would not get along."

"He followed Guardian tradition to a T," Knuckles explained. "As far as he was concerned, our duties as Guardians of Angel Island come first. Before family, or even our own happiness. His dad raised him the exact same way. Mom was just the first Guardian wife in a long time who actually objected to the child-rearing part of the tradition."

"Your mom sounds awesome," Sonic remarked.

"She was…" Knuckles confirmed.

"So, you forgot what happened to them because that energy surge blasted you back into the shrine?" Rotor questioned.

"Yeah," Knuckles replied. "I hit my head pretty hard. After that, my memories were hit and miss. I remembered my name, my title, and flashes of better times. But the rest was just… blank."

Sonic scoffed. "If I ever see your jerk dad's face, I'm gonna do you a big favor and kick him in the crotch. He deserves worse for being such a lousy parent."

"Hey!" Kat objected. "I get first dibs. You can have him when I'm done."

Knuckles sighed, standing up. "Speaking of all that, I need to get back to the island. The Master Emerald's been left unattended for days."

"Right," Kat nodded. "With the ruby gone, maybe the island's flying again."

"After everything you remember about that, everything you've told us, why would you want to go back to protecting that rock?" Johnny asked.

"Because it's the only thing I have left," Knuckles said bluntly.

Kat took his hand. "Not everything."

Knuckles smiled in response.

"Right," Sonic handed them a pouch of Warp Rings, which Knuckles took.

"Once Relic finishes those robots, expect to see more of us," he told them.

"Oh, and tell the boys I'll drop by for that Chaos testing they want to do next week," Kat added.

Sally went over, hugging Knuckles. He returned the embrace, the two eventually parting.

"It was good to see you again, Knuckles," Sally said. "Hopefully, we'll meet again under more peaceful circumstances."

"I hope so," Knuckles agreed.

He threw the Warp Ring, the two disappearing. Sally turned to see Sonic with his arms crossed, tapping his foot with a look of jealousy on his face.

"Simmer down, Sonic," Sally said calmly. "Knuckles and I are just old friends, nothing more."

"I know, I know…" Sonic replied.

Angel Island

Knuckles and Kat stepped out onto the Master Emerald Shrine. The second they did, they found themselves completely surrounded. Spears were aimed at their chests by a large group of angry Echidna.

"What the?!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock.

"What's going on here-?" Kat began, only to be jabbed by a spear.

"Silence, human!" one of the Echidna shouted.

Knuckles recovered from his shock, punching the wall in a rage. The Echidna recoiled at that.

"All of you, back off!" he shouted. "I am the Guardian of this island and the Master Emerald, and she's my guest!"

The Echidna whispered among themselves before backing off, putting their spears away. Kat rubbed where she was jabbed, but luckily, it did not pierce skin. With that, Knuckles and Kat turned to one another to discuss what was going on.

"The island was abandoned just a few days ago," Knuckles muttered. "My people... they're back. But how?"

"The red wave," Kat realized. "Could it have... brought them back somehow?"

Knuckles shrugged. "I'm gonna get to the bottom of this."

-X-

Echidnaopolis

The two headed for Echidnaopolis, seeing several Echidna roaming around. Before long, Knuckles' eyes fell on one in particular, an older woman, and stopped in his tracks. After a few minutes of trying to get the words out, he managed what was on his mind.

"M… Mom?"

The woman stopped, slowly turning. She locked eyes on Knuckles, tears welling in her red eyes.

"Knuckles?" she asked. "Is... Is that really you?"

"Yeah…" Knuckles nodded. "It's me."

She rushed forward, throwing her arms around Knuckles.

"My son…" she let out. "My precious boy."

They stood there for a few moments, enjoying each other's company after so long, while Kat looked on, a happy smile on her face and tears in her eyes. It was at that moment that Lara-Le looked up, seeing Kat there.

"And who's this?" she asked. "A friend of yours?"

"I'm Kat, ma'am," Kat replied. "I... uh... kinda live on the island."

"She's my best friend," Knuckles added.

Lara turned to her, smiling and bowing. "Pleased to meet you, Kat. I'm Knuckles' mother Lara-Le. You can call me Lara."

"Thank you," Kat nodded in greeting.

"Mom, what happened?" Knuckles asked. "Three days ago, this island was devoid of life. Now…"

He gestured to the busy square, where several Echidna were staring at the trio.

"We're not sure ourselves, son," Lara replied. "One minute, we're standing around in the pocket Zone Sir Hawking sent us to after the nukes went off, the next, everyone's dissolving into red and black pixels. Next thing we knew, we were back on Angel Island."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Kat cut in. "Nukes? Angel Island got nuked? How is it not a radioactive wasteland?"

"The Dingo Regime stole the nuclear weapons the Brotherhood of Guardians had stashed in the Grand Conservatory," Lara explained. "Knuckles' grandfather, the former Guardian Hawking, used a laser defensive system to detonate them in midair before they could hit, but didn't account for the fallout contaminating the island. His solution was to transport the entire population of the island to pocket dimensions while he and the other Guardians ran cleanup."

Knuckles thought it over. "That matches up with what Relic found out."

"Relic?" Lara repeated. "You mean that blue pika and her robot helper?"

"You've seen her?" Kat asked. "Given the treatment I got, I imagine she wasn't greeted nicely."

"They were definitely suspicious, but I stepped in," Lara replied, winking. "I may be the ex-wife of a Guardian, but that still gives me some authority."

"Thanks, Mom," Knuckles said gratefully. "She's a friend, and she's doing me a favor."

"Yes, Locke told me everything," Lara informed them.

That got Knuckles' attention. "Wait. You mean... he didn't leave for the pocket Zone with you?"

"No," Lara shook her head. "He helped the other Guardians with the clean-up. I... I thought you knew."

"When you left, I was trying to get back to you at Echidnaopolis," Knuckles explained. "The power surge knocked me out. I bumped my head and forgot what even happened to you all until now."

"Oh…" Lara looked away in shame. "Oh, Knuckles… You must have been so lost."

"What I want to know is how you went on for seven years not knowing there were other Echidna on the island," Kat asked.

"Because we kept hidden. Watching over him from afar." a new voice explained.

They turned toward the source of the voice, and Knuckles' gaze hardened at the sight of a figure he never expected to see again.

"Dad." he greeted icily.

Locke approached the trio, his gaze hard and his voice cold. The Echidna who had been watching quickly dispersed.

"Three days," he remarked. "You were off the island for three days."

"Hey, it was the Phantom Ruby," Knuckles defended. "I wasn't expecting to get swept up in Sonic's misadventures."

Locke seemed unimpressed.

"You had one job: Protect the Master Emerald," he said coldly. "It was bad enough when you allowed that Robotnik character to take it, but then you left it unattended for days on end. I thought I taught you better than that."

Knuckles seemed torn, before clenching his fists in anger.

"Yeah, you did... right before you abandoned me on the steps of the shrine for seven years," he spat.

"It is customary for a Guardian to be left alone once they pass the final tests," Locke said simply. "Perhaps I was simply mistaken when I believed you were ready for the responsibility."

"Excuse me?!" Kat cut in. "He was ten! You don't leave a ten year old to fend for himself! I don't care how strong or smart he is, you just don't!"

"Knuckles, control your pet," Locke ordered.

A dead silence followed at that.

"What did you just call her?" Knuckles asked.

"Your pet," Locke repeated. "The stray human you took in. Quite a feisty one, and certainly not tamed."

Kat was frozen in anger, embarrassment, and shock. Knuckles was much the same before he let out an enraged growl.

"I took Kat in because Robotnik slaughtered her family and hometown!" he shouted. "She had nowhere else to go! She's not a pet, or an animal you can just tame! She's my friend!"

Locke sighed. "I refuse to deal with you while you're overreacting. We'll discuss this later. Now go return to your duties."

The two stared silently at each other for a minute.

"Was I not clear?" Locke said sternly. "I said-"

"No," Knuckles cut him off.

Kat snapped out of her daze, and Lara gasped. Locke clenched his fists.

"What did you say, boy?" he demanded.

"I said no, Dad," Knuckles replied, saying "Dad" with a sarcastic bite. "I just got back after helping my friends on Mobius save the world. I come back to find my people are back after seven years, and you've been here this whole time. And you expect me to just do whatever you said, like nothing ever happened?"

"I expect you to do your duty," Locke replied. "You are Guardian of the Master Emerald. Now act like it, and report to your post, or else…"

"Or else what?" Knuckles snapped. "Newsflash, I'm not the only Guardian. There's an entire Brotherhood here, including you. And what did you do when the Phantom Ruby stirred up trouble? When the Death Egg crashed into the island and Robotnik was wreaking havoc? Nothing."

Instead of answering, Locke grabbed Kat's arm and began dragging her off.

"Hey!" Kat shouted. "What's going on?!"

Knuckles ran ahead, blocking his path. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"You refuse to do as you're told, there are consequences," Locke replied. "I am getting rid of your pet. Clearly, she has been distracting you from your duties."

"Dad, get your hands off of Kat right now." Knuckles ordered.

"Are you going to fight me for her, son?" Locke questioned.

"Yes!" Knuckles snapped. "You're damn right I am!"

"She's just a human," Locke said flippantly. "There's millions of them. They'll send her back among her own kind."

"Locke!" Lara ran up to them. "We can't just abandon her! How can you be so cold?!"

Unbeknownst to any of them, something is lurking in the bushes, watching this entire exchange.

"Stay out of this, Lara," Locke ordered. "This is between me and my son."

"Don't I get a say in this?!" Kat demanded.

"No!" Locke snapped.

"Yes, she does!" Knuckles shot back.

"Yeah, now let me go!" Kat demanded.

She jammed her thumb into a pressure point on Locke's wrist. Locke hissed in pain, releasing her, and she ran over to Knuckles. Locke glared at him.

"She's a human!" he shouted. "She doesn't belong on Angel Island! She belongs with her own kind on the surface!"

"Kat is staying on the island, with me," Knuckles snapped. "End of story."

"Yeah!" Kat agreed. "Angel Island is my home!"

"You are a distraction, and I will-" Locke began.

"If you kick Kat off the island, I'm going too." Knuckles cut him off.

"Absolutely not. You belong here, and she belongs down below."

"And who are you to say where I belong?!" Kat snapped, stepping forward again. "You never even showed yourself to your own son! You left him alone and an amnesiac for YEARS! You have no right to-!"

There was a loud smack, and suddenly, Kat was on the ground. Locke stood over her, his hand raised as if coming out of a slap. Knuckles looked between her and his father, his rage building. He charged, ramming his fist into Locke's gut and knocking the wind out of him. The older Echidna collapsed to his knees, winded. Before the fight could continue, there was a massive roar. Something came charging out of the bushes. All eyes turned to see the figure that had watched Angel Island emerge from the water, revealing it to be a massive Mobian Tasmanian devil.

"What the…" Locke wheezed.

The devil grabbed Locke by the throat, lifting him into the air.

"Filthy Echidna," he snarled. "You never change."

He slammed him hard into the ground.

"Who are you?!" Knuckles demanded.

"Not that it's any of your business, but the name's Thrash," the devil replied. "Thrash the Tasmanian Devil."

"What?!" Knuckles exclaimed. "But the Tasmanian Devils are-"

"Extinct?" Thrash grabbed Knuckles by his face. "Almost, but you missed one."

Keeping Knuckles aloft in one hand, Thrash scooped up Kat in her other, throwing her over his shoulder. "And I won't let you do to her what your people did to me… monster!"

With that, he threw Knuckles aside. He landed hard, Lara running to his side as everything went dark…

Sometime later, Knuckles came to. He was laid out on Kat's cot, Lara gently dabbing a washcloth to his head.

"You're awake," Lara sighed. "Thank Aurora."

Knuckles sat up. "Where's Kat? And Thrash?"

"Gone," Lara replied. "He had a small plane hidden in the woods. The scouts we sent to survey the area were…" she gritted her teeth. "He escaped, taking Kat with him."

"No…" Knuckles let out before sitting up. "I have to save her.

"No, you don't."

Knuckles turned to see Locke sitting next to the Emerald, bandages on his throat.

"You will remain here and do your duty," Locke ordered. "The devil did us a favor getting rid of her."

"Screw you!" Knuckles snapped before getting up, looking at the small camp. He then began gathering everything up, wrapping it in the tarp.

"What do you think you're doing?" Locke demanded.

"I meant what I said, Dad," Knuckles replied. "If Kat goes, I go with her. And if I go, I'm gone. For good."

He tied the sack shut and adjusted it so it was on his back.

"You can't just abandon your duty!" Locke objected.

"Hey, you're a Guardian," Knuckles shot back. "You protect the Emerald and the island, if it's so goddamn important! I'm gonna go save my friend!"

He stormed off at that.

"Knuckles!" Locke shouted. "Get back here! Don't turn your back on me!"

Knuckles pulled back, giving his father a cold glare.

"Y'know," he let out as he pulled a Warp Ring from his pouch, "I liked it better when I was the last of my kind. I wish I could say it was good seeing you again. But that'd be a lie... Locke."

With that, he threw the Warp Ring and departed. Locke growled, then Lara approached him. Before he could say a word, she slapped him.

"Are you proud of yourself?" she demanded. "You just alienated your only son, all because of your bigotry and traditionalism."

"I chose my duty," Locke insisted. "I chose Angel Island. Our lives and future depend on-"

"NO, THEY DON'T!" Lara screamed, stunning Locke speechless. "Knuckles is our future. An echidna who cares for the world, who is willing to go beyond our borders and stand up to his own people to defend what is right."

"Lara-" Locke began.

"No, shut up. You have no defense," Lara snapped. "You and the rest of the Guardians turned your back on the rest of Mobius. Knuckles cares about those around him. All you and your Brotherhood care about are yourselves."

She turned her back directly on Locke and began walking away. "As much as I will miss my son, I am proud he had the strength to leave."

With that, she was gone, leaving Locke looking and feeling unsure.

Author's Note:

Oh, no! What's gonna happen now?

The characters of Thrash and Knuckles' parents are from Archie Comics. How they came back to Mobius is taken from the comics, but with the Phantom Ruby instead of Robotnik's Ultimate Annihilator.

Next chapter, Knuckles goes to the Freedom Fighters to help save Kat from Thrash. Will they succeed?

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Thrash - Bryan Massey (Oolong from Dragon Ball, Ladd Russo from Baccano, Shark Fujishiro from My Bride is a Mermaid)

* Locke - Victor Garber (Martin Stein from the Arrowverse, Sinestro from Green Lantern: First Flight)

* Lara - Wendee Lee (Eva and Trish from Devil May Cry 5, Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop, Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

Please R&R. Until next time!