In the skies above New Mobotropolis, the Tornado is seen being piloted by Tails as Sonic stands on the wings.
"Step on it, Tails!" Sonic orders his little brother. "We need to get to Angel Island and find Knuckles--"
"--before Enerjak does!" Tails finishes Sonic's statement.
Meanwhile, in the New Mobotropolis Freedom Fighter Command Center, Sally is seen at the computers with Y/n nearby. Nicole and Julie-Su was with them as well, along with Dimitri.
"Sonic? Tails? This is Nicole in New Mobotropolis," the Holo-Lynx tells the two heroes via communicator. "I'll be monitoring you two from here. Good luck."
At the computers, Sally was trying to make contact with another faction of the Freedom Fighters.
"Downunda Freedom Fighters, do you copy?" she asks, but nothing comes through.
"Something must be scrambling the communicators," Y/n says as Sally tries to make contact again.
"Monkey Khan, do you copy?"
Nothing.
Dimitri floats over to Nicole angrily.
"It has to be Enerjak! Did you not notice that Angel Island is floating right towards us?" he asks. "If you'd only acted sooner as I--"
"We will be well prepared for him, Dimitri," Nicole tells the floating head. "The probe I sent to Angel Island has arrived."
Everyone turns to the computer screens as the image of a civilization is shown.
"Julie-Su, can you tell us what we're seeing?"
"That's Cavem Canus, the dingo city," the pink echidna responds. "They're doomed."
"What do you mean by that?" Y/n asks, only to turn back to the computer when he hears a voice.
"Your crimes against the echidnas have been many," the voice, belonging to an echidna in golden armor, says.
"And Enerjak finds you GUILTY!"
The being known as Enerjak sends a wave of Chaos Energy over the dingos, freezing them in place as they all look in in fear.
"I've taken your weapons, your possessions, and now your pride," Enerjak says as he cane glows brightly. "Learn humility as you wander the desert with your former leader."
With a wave of his cane, Enerjak sends the dingos flying away and into the sky. The probe loses them in the distance, making Y/n drop his jaw in shock.
"Such control over Chaos Energy..."
On Angel Island, a giant dingo with cybernetics steps up to Enerjak.
"You think you scare me, echidna? So what if you tossed my father? I rallied them once. I'll rally them again!" the dingo declares. "I've crushed more echidnas under my boot than I can remember! You'll be no different! So, come on, then! Face me!"
"No, General Kage Von Stryker. You are beneath me," Enerjak waves his hand at Kage. "Your fate is to vanish with your wretched city."
And with that wave, Kage and all of Cavem Canus disintegrates and vanishes like it never existed.
Meanwhile, the Tornado lands on Angel Isnald.
"Yo, Nicole! We just put down at the launch base," the Blue Blur tells the AI. "How are we doin'?"
"Poorly," Nicole replies as Sonic and Tails get off the Tornado and run into the forest.
"Poorly"? Poorly doesn't even describe what we just saw!" Y/n's voice says through Sonic and Tails' earpieces. "The dude just vaporized an entire city with a wave! He'll be going after the other civilizations next!"
"Wow. Guy doesn't mess around," Sonic says in shock. "Look, we're heading for the Chaos Chamber. I figure if Knuckles is mounting a resistance, he'll be there with the Master Emerald."
"Understood," Nicole says. "Please hurry."
"C'mon, Nicole. This is me we're talking about," Sonic states as he leaps over a waterfall, immediately being caught by Tails. "When do I not "hurry"?"
"Maybe we should joke less, hurry more," Tails suggests as he carries Sonic through the air.
"Erm... yeah. Let's do that."
Nearby, Enerjak is seen floating in the air with a force field around him as tanks fire at him. However, they don't even scratch the shield.
"Keep him at bay, Frost Legion!" a cyborg echidna orders his men. "Show him the penalty for stealing my birthright!"
Suddenly, Enerjak teleports down in front of the echidna and lifts him up telekinetically.
"My dear friend, you never wanted power. You were proud of who you once were. It's a crime that you have been reduced to this," Enerjak, seemingly saddened, tells his fellow echidna. "Be whole once more, Remington!"
With a flash of light, all of Remington's cybernetics vanish and get replaced by his original organic limbs and parts. Now on the ground, the fully restored Remington feels around his body as he feels all of his forgotten memories return to him.
"M-my m-m-memory..." he stutters. "M-m-my b-body..."
"Restored to their natural state. And just as I've liberated you from your unnatural cybernetic parts," Enerjak tells Remington softly, "so will I liberate the rest of the Flame and Frost Legions!"
Suddenly, with a wave of his hand once more, the entirety of the Frost Legion is returned to their fully organic states. They all look at themselves in awe, some with glee while other in confusion and others with anger.
"You monster! Those parts enhanced us!" Remington declares. "It's not unnatural to better yourself!"
"If that is how you and your idiot followers feel, then you can stay stranded here," Enerjak growls. "Those thankful for my blessing shall be returned home to Albion."
New Mobotropolis...
In New Mobotropolis, Sally, Y/n, Nicole, and Dimitri look on as they watch Enerjak's work
"Do something!" Dimitri orders. "He's brutalizing my people!"
"Send me there!" Y/n tells Sally. "I can handle him!"
"N-no way! I'm not sending you against him!" Sally retorts. "I--We need you here in case something happens."
Sally then taps away at her keyboard.
"There's still one channel I haven't tried yet!"
Dimitri turns to Nicole.
"You're the AI that controls this city, aren't you?" he asks. "Construct a weapon to strike now while we have time!"
"I will not devote the nanites or this city to weapons of any kind," Nicole glares at the floating head. "Sonic and Tails are on Angel Island right now, and--"
"Nicole..." Nicole turns to look at Julie-Su. "Have they found Knuckles yet?"
"They... had some trouble getting into the Chaos Chamber," Nicole responds. "I should have an update from them soon. I'm sure he--"
"The last time Knuckles faced Enerjak, he was vaporized! This time there aren't any Ancient Walkers to rescue him!" the pink echidna cries. "So would you please tell those two to pick up the pace?!"
Dimitri growls as he watches the scene before him. Then he turns to Y/n.
"You! Human!" Y/n turns to him in confusion. "You're the one with the connection to the Master Emerald, so use that connection to do something!"
"I would love to, Dimitri, but..." Y/n takes a quick glance at a worried-looking Sally. "I can't just go and leave. I'm needed here in case the worst gets here."
With a growl, Dimitri turns away and floats somewhere else.
"I should've known better than to come to these "heroes"," he says. "It looks like I'll have to cast my lot with the more powerful side."
With Sally, she was still trying to make contact with who she was making a transmission to earlier.
"GUN Headquarters, this is Princess Sally Acorn!" Sally says. "Please respond!"
On one of the smaller computers, the face of Rouge The Bat appears.
"Speak up, sweetheart! I can barely understand you."
"Rouge?!" both Sally and Y/n questions quite loudly as Nicole walks up to them.
"Keep talking, Sally," she says as she closes her eyes. "I'll try to strengthen the signal."
Sally nods as she leans forward.
"We are being threatened by something far worse than Eggman," Sally informs the bat. "We're cutoff from all other allies, and we need any support you can send us!"
"Hold the fort, princess," Rouge tells Sally. "Our newest and best agent is in the area. I'll send him yo--"
Suddenly the screen was covered in static and the image of Rouge vanishes.
"Blast!" Y/n cries out in frustration.
"We've lost contact..." Sally says as she runs her hand through her hair. "That was our last option."
"At least we got through to somebody," Nicole comforts the princess. "If our luck holds out, the boys will find--"
"Yo, Nicole! Sonic here!"
"I copy," Nicole answers the blue hedgehog. "Did you find Knuckles?"
On Angel Island, Sonic and Tails are seen right in front of the Master Emerald. However, it was only them there.
"No, the dork isn't here!" Sonic tells the AI. "We're going to head for Echidnaopolis. See if any of the villagers know anything."
Tails flies up through a hole that leads up to Angel Island's surface, with Sonic following close behind.
"Understood. We're almost out of time."
"I know, I know!" Sonic says impatiently. "We'd be gone already if Mr. Paranoid hadn't hid this place so well."
Up on the surface, Tails flies next to a running Sonic as they talk.
"What if Knuckles' family hasn't seen him yet?" Tails asks. "Won't they be upset."
"Knuckles came back days ago," Sonic tells Tails. "I know he would've stopped in at least once. They must have seen him recently."
Echidnaopolis...
In Echidnaopolis, all of the village's inhabitants look on in fear and shock at the armored echidna in front of them.
"Do not fear the return of Enerjak. I've come to end the years of pain and strife," Enerjak tells his fellow echidnas. "The technology you once clung to has been taken from you. You have been the prey to the Dingo Regime. But NO MORE!"
He raises his hands as all of the echidnas are covered in green light.
"Do not struggle my people. I will set everything right," the echidna tells his people, "once I return you all to Albion!"
As Enerjak lifts up his people, Sonic and Tails arrive just in time to witness this.
"No!" Sonic cries out as he races towards Enerjak.
"Now, with Angle Island stabilized, it's time I took care of matters abroad," he lifts a glowing hand as he makes Nicole's probe float over to him. "Namely those who think it is wise to spy on me. I'm very disappointed in you. You should have known better."
He clenches his hand, making the probe crumple into a metal ball and cutting the video feed off from the Freedom Fighters' base. Nicole cries out in pain as she holds her head in agony.
"Nicole?!"
Sally and Y/n run up to the AI in worry as she says two things.
"He's coming!"
An alarm suddenly blares and Y/n turns to the computers. On one of the screens, its shows the camera feed of the outside of the the city barrier. The human widens his eyes when he sees Enerjak floating outside of the barrier.
"Sonic!" Y/n cries out into his communicator. "You need to get here now! Enerjak is right outside the city!'
"On our way, Y/n!"
Sonic ended the transmission and Y/n turned to Sally.
"So... what're we gonna do?" he asks her.
"We do what we can," is all Sally says.
Timeskip...
Outside of the command center, Sally was giving put orders to the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix as all citizens made their way to protective shelters. Y/n saw Julie-Su crying and stepped up to her.
"Julie-Su? You okay?"
"No, Y/n. I'm not," the pink echidna says honestly. "Sonic and Tails never found Knuckles. Enerjak is finished with Angel Island. You know what that means. Knuckles is gone."
"We don't know that to be true," Y/n says. "Knuckles is strong. He could still be alive."
"I wish I had your optimism," Julie-Su admits.
"Everyone, stay calm," Nicole tells everyone. "The city's forcefully held off the full power of the Egg Fleet. I think it can--"
Nicole was cutoff when Enerjak lifted his hand towards the force field, making it completely vanish from his sheer power alone.
"You were saying, Nicole?" Y/n asks the AI.
Nicole gives a small glare at the human who ignores it. He then gains green electrical sparks around his body as his eyes glow green while Enerjak floats down in front of them.
"I come with no intent to harm any of you. I've come to make things right," Enerjak states as he lands on the ground.
"Like we believe you!" Y/n shouts.
"We've seen all the "good" you brought to Angel Island," Sally tells Enerjak. "If you don't want this to turn violent, then leave now!"
"It's too late for that!" Julie-Su declares and aims her gun at Enejak. "I'll never forgive you for what you did to Knuckles! I don't care what you do to me, but I'll make you pay for destroying him!"
"Destroy? Do to you?" Enerjak questions, seemingly amused as he telekinetically takes Julie-Su's gun. "I would never hurt you, my love..."
Enerjak places his hands on his helmet and lifts it off of his head, revealing who he really was.
"... and I very well can't destroy myself!"
_________________________________________
WHAT?! KNUCKLES IS ENERJAK?! HOW CAN THIS BE?!
As our heroes finally find out who Enerjak really is, a powerful battle awaits them. But a mighty foe waits in the shadows for his time to come. Wanna find out what happens next? Next time, on Only Human!
Okay, so, this chapter felt a bit off to me. I don't know why. It's definitely not my best one by far in this story. Hopefully you all enjoyed it either way. Stay tuned for part two, readers!