Inside Rotor’s Lab, a massive tube tank was suspended in the white titled room. insidw the tube was a figure. It had black spines instead of hair with copper stripes on each spine, two ruby eyes were missing in u-shaped eye socket. A metallic spike for a nose and upon its chest was a black hole with wires sticking out like needles. Cords like webs were fastened to the figure, and great flows of energy poured into the being. Standing by was another spine shaped headed figure who at the top of of his bar shaped mouth was a white mustache. His colbalt eyes fixed on a data pad, and then on the figure in the tube. A purple Walrus with a baseball hat entered the lab, he approached the tube. Peering into the glass of the tube, the Walrus sighed. “The power imput doesn’t seem to be working Prof. Chuck.” The Mustache Hedgehog nodded his topaz head, and said “His reserves were totally drained, I have had to use auxiliary power nodes. The damage to his core from magma was extensive.” The Walrus titled his head and rubbed his two ivory tusks. “There is only one energy sources that would work..” The Senior Hedgehog turned to the Walrus, “Rotor, You mean.. a Chaos emerald.” Rotor, “There are only two places left that contain chaos emeralds..” Uncle Chuck placed his datapad down on kiosk of obsidian metal. “And both have guardians..”
Uncle Chuck left Rotor and stepped outside the white cubic bulding. He stood in the square of Knothole. All around where huts of sienna color, blending in landscape of dirt and beneath massive oak trees, some of which contained in their branches suspended hive shaped huts with plateforms. In these trees stood sentries, hawks with binoculars who with their eyes scanned the blue sky. Chuck made haste down a tan rocky dirt road, his red shoes kicking up dust and white pebbles as he came to a hillside. The green blades of grass seemed to dance in the wind, as Uncle Chuck approached a figure sitting on a tree stump. He had red dreadlocks, a red tail and head, his hands were encased in two white mitten gloves with two pronged claws on each. His eyes were closed as he sat with his legs crossed. Chuck hestitated to break his mediation. “Uncle Chuck..” The voice of Echidna broke the silence in a gruff bass tone. “Knuckles, I am sorry to disturb you. I wouldn’t have unless it was of great importance.” The Echidna opened his red lids to reveal a white eye and purple pupils. “I know.. what is on your mind?” Chuck bruahes his mustache and tried to steady his nerves. “The prototype is losing power.. it needs a sustainable energy source.” Chuck wiped the sweat like dew from his brow beneath the bright sun. “There is only one possibility. A chaos emerald.” Knuckles rose to his feet, his yellow and red shoes rustling the dead bark. “So you’ve come to me, Guardian of the Great Emerald.” Chuck lowered his head, “Yes..” The Echidna stroked a dreadlock and then cracked his two knuckles. “As you know, Eggman has harvested most of choas emeralds, and Floating Island has been mined tell now there are few emeralds left save the Master Emerald.” Chuck nodded. Knuckles pressed his two gloves and claws together. “With such scarcity, I am inclined to discourage you from using one of the last free emeralds on this mechanical monstrosity.” Chuck raised his head, his forehead pinching as he said, “he is part of our hope to turn the tide of this war.” The Echidna shook his head, his dreadlocks fanning like vines. “He is the enemy Uncle Chuck, and I will not continence using an emerald to power one of Botnik’s assassins.” Chuck squinted his eyes and retorted, “He saved Sonic and Tails, sacrificing his life.” The Echidna raised one first upward and said, “That maybe, but Botnik is slippery, he maybe still using it as means to gather intell and later betray us.” Chuck made a fist, and said “You were once Dr. Eggman’s servant, and we took a chance on you, will you not afford the same to him?” Knuckles turned his head towards the sun and shook his head, “He is machine, they can never be trusted.” Uncle Chuck sighed and took a step back. “You force me to approach another guardian..” The Echidna turned, his purple eyes ablaze from the light. “He is worse than any machine.”
