Last Man Standing. Part V

 

Chapter 13.

 

Kragok tapped his wrist communicator violently; eventually he stopped trying out of frustration. Suddenly beginning to feel helpless he turned to the rest of the assembled warriors and Dimittri. “Sir, my equipment doesn’t work and my power is running dangerously low”

 

A mumble of voices agreed with Kragok as they too discovered the problem.

 

“Be calm friends” Enerjak whispered soothingly as he sat rigid on his golden throne. “The enemy who you are soon to meet will require everything you’ve learnt over the past years…your equipment would be useless anyway”

 

Kragok exchanged worried glances with the assembled house guard, they had never seen Knuckles before and now he was on his way to meet them face-to-face…weapons handy.

 

“I only need you to stall him friends, for a few minutes until I have enough energy to take him out”

 

“Understood” Kragok replied.

 

Knuckles weaved his way through the passages without so much as a hindrance, all of the Legionnaires he came across where unconscious and in the same way as the ones who had been in the middle of the explosion. Out of nowhere suddenly appeared a large door bedecked with robes of exquisite taste and make, on them Knuckles was repulsed to find elegant stitches of scenes from past battles he could make out Edmund on the fabric as well…his body being mutilated by some unknown Legionnaire.

 

Priming a charge big enough to bring down a building Knuckles dropped his equipment and loaded penetrating rounds into his pistols, things where just about to hotten up.

 

A loud explosion ripped through the throne room and Josef, one of the house guards got skewered through the stomach by a huge piece of supersonic wood blasted into pieces by the detonation. Kragok was about to help his friend when a black figured leapt through the door, he ducked just in time to avoid being hit square in the chest by a high velocity bullet.

 

“Get him!” screamed Enerjak as he pointed towards Knuckles who was now on his feet and taking shots at everything.

 

Knuckles had not expected so many armour-clad giants defending Enerjak; in hindsight it made perfect sense. Ducking swiftly he dodged a wild blow from a warrior in black leather armour, kicking the idiot in the leg he holstered his left pistol and struck his square across the chin as he was taken off guard, if it hadn’t been for the armour that he was wearing Knuckles would have taken his head clean off.

 

He wheeled away as the cyborg fell clutching his mangled face.

 

Shooting an approaching machine in the leg he brought the troopers head down onto his knee hearing the bones splinter and crack under the blow. Dropping the empty pistol he placed a grenade in the legionnaires hand and kicked him away into the others.

 

Kragok was amazed how easily the Guardian was dealing with them all, glancing back at Enerjak he could see the echidna was still completely immobile on his throne…that was a good sign meaning he was near full power. With a curse Kragok leapt.

 

Knuckles blocked the large power claw aimed at his head and elbowed the Legionnaire in the face three times, once he hand knelt down in front of him Knuckles pulled out the cords from behind the pincer, rendering them useless. He kicked the immobile echidna away as the grenade detonated a few metres away knocking out two other guards and blowing the clutcher to seventh heaven.

 

Kragok lay on the floor his head in a whir, he couldn’t focus on anything save the screaming of the wounded as the Guardian continued to fight his way through them. Warriors of a hundred campaigns where being destroyed before they could even strike back. Checking his systems he realised that he was immobile, the cursed implants for his weak organic parts where denied there precious energy to run…for the first time Kragok felt helpless.

 

Enerjak watched as the Guardian flipped the last guard Christoff over his shoulder and stamped on his neck. With a sickening crack Enerjak realised Christoff was beyond medical treatment.

 

“Well done grandson, I see you have accomplished what you came here to do…now do you feel better?”

 

Knuckles stopped; breathing heavily he was bleeding from the mouth where a lucky strike had managed to make contact. It was healing over as he spoke.

 

“Go to hell Dimittri”

 

“The name is Enerjak, and I don’t think you quite understand what you’ve bit off”

 

Knuckles replaced his pistol and turned around, the dark shadows casting eerie glows over them both.

 

“Tell me Guardian, have you quite finished removing even more of your humanity?”

 

Knuckles snorted and took out a haywire grenade, priming it he threw it to the floor and watched as it went off silently making sure the guards who where lying on the floor where indeed either too far gone or unconscious.

 

Enerjak rose to his feet with out so much as a flinch.

 

Knuckles stepped out of the ring of removed guards and shook himself free of dust in a well-practised movement.

 

Enerjak stepped down the marble steps his heavy boots echoing through the now silent hall. “I hope you are ready sibling, because if not…Edmund cant even save you”

 

Knuckles smiled in anticipation, the day he had waited for was here.

 

Chapter 14.

 

Arms aching, forearms beginning to feel like they where going to snap and he could feel a broken rib probing his organs, other than that Knuckles was doing o.k. It must have been a good fifteen minutes that he had been fighting just this one opponent. Enerjak stood in front of him, his guard perfect like Knuckles hoped it would be. His armour dented and torn from where Knuckles had made contact with his spined fists that where his namesakes. But Enerjak however old didn’t look like he was tiring easily.

 

Another strike and Knuckles narrowly dodged it, the pulsating power from his Grandfathers armoured gauntlet making the pressure rise and buzz in his head. A low kick sent the guardian to the floor unexpectedly, anticipating the punch Knuckles managed to roll back to his feet in time to block a kick that would have broken his jaw.

 

Delivering a counter attack at his ancestor’s armoured kneecap he felt his fist recoil from the plating as Enerjak fell to one knee. Not wasting any time he powered up a fireball, which engulfed his hand, and let off the right hook at Enerjak’s reinforced head.

 

Enerjak screamed in agony from behind the armour. And clutching his face he fell to the floor writhing in agony.

 

Knuckles stood up weakly, looking down at the incapacitated leader of the Dark Legion. Through pain and hatred he managed to speak weakly.

 

“I am the Guardian of the Floating Island and the only true authority here, I order you to disband your illegal army and give yourself over to the authorities within two weeks…failure to comply will result in further action”

 

Enerjak stopped wriggling slowly and moved his hands away.

 

Knuckles was horrified at the mutilated face of his opponent, Dimittri was old beyond comprehension and his entire aura spat hatred at him.

 

“You must be disillusioned Guardian, for it is you who are the perpetrator and not us…we only act in self defence”

 

Knuckles gritted his teeth in pain and turned his back towards the immobile Enerjak.

 

“Don’t turn your back on me Guardian, I am your only true family…I didn’t abandon you”

 

Knuckles let his head drop slightly as he remembered the day his father left him in the forest. He turned his head menacingly so that Enerjak could only see his left eye, it was glowing madly.

 

 “Fire!”

 

Knuckles noticed that a few of the legionnaires where back up and running, still immobile he took out a grenade and dropped it to the floor letting it roll along the marble slabs in Enerjak’s direction.

 

Fire piercing the air and laser beams scorching the walls with black marks, Dimittri watched on terrified at the grenade rolling its way towards him.

 

Knuckles was already getting out of there, and with a leap of faith he threw himself through the glass windows of the throne room and into the cool air beyond citadel. Cuts from the glass where still fresh and as he glided through the air a large explosion ripped its way from the castle sending razor sharp projectiles hurtling through the air.

 

A series of detonations soon occurred which must have been the power grids from the throne shorting out under the circumstances, hitting the ground with a thud he managed to roll to his feet and carry on running.

 

“I need immediate evacuation,” he screamed down the intercom.

 

“Its on its way Knuckles, well done grandson”

 

Knuckles was glad to here the soothing voice of his grandfather.

 

A barrage of fire soon began to find its mark on the ground around the sprinting Guardian, Zachs warning signals where coming in thick and fast…Knuckles head was begging to get overloaded.

 

Suddenly out of nowhere a flight of transport gunships screamed down from the sky above him, letting off salvos of missiles at the gun ports and stray legionnaires who still had the stomach to fight. The entire place was starting to turn into a war zone, with a particular Guardian in the centre of it.

 

“Keep running Knuckles, make it to the jungle we cant extract until you get there”

 

Sally was banging on the control panel of the lead gunship as the pilot dodged laser fire and rockets, she ordered the pilot to dive down dangerously low to the ground to give Knuckles as much cover as they could…in the back Julie-su and Rotor where manning the laser cannons letting off shots at random Sally noticed that they both seemed to be enjoying it.

 

Kragok pulled himself to his feet and snatched a rifle from the closest marksman; ignoring the bodies of the fallen he sprinted to the window and steadied the pulse weapon at the sprinting Guardian.

 

Squeezing the trigger slightly he made sure it was a hit.

 

This one was for the legion.

 

Zach screamed with paranormal pain as he registered the hit on his hosts body, Knuckles was now on his knees staggering forward trying to keep up the momentum of the run, the wind had been taken out of him and he could feel the warm flood of his blood searing through his clothes and armour…begging to go light headed he dragged himself forward by sheer force of will.

 

“He’s been hit, Knuckles has been hit…get the hell down there for extraction” Sally screamed at the pilot.

 

The gunship lurched as the pilot obeyed the order.

 

Sonic who was strapped into the seats unclipped his harness and opened the side entrance hatch, he stood there in the opening his spines being blown about wildly by the air speed.

 

“Sal, im going to go and get him…”

 

“Sonic sit back down, you can’t do anything not at the moment anyway”

 

Sonic hurled himself from the transport and landed graciously to the floor, his leg was hurting like hell but the immediate danger was from his own head…that overrid the pain. Bursting into a speed of blue he screamed over to where Knuckles was still moving, albeit a walk.

“Knuckles hold in there” screamed Zack subconsciously. “Im using all of my powers to keep you upright and moving don’t give up on me now”

 

Knuckles stumbled and fell to his knee.

 

Sonic screeched to a halt and grabbed his old friend under the armpits, he weighed a tonne and Sonic was only used to moving smaller frames around the place. Suddenly he looked down at his gloves they had turned a familiar shade to his friends skin and where warm.

 

“Sal, get down here quick…I don’t think he can hold on much longer”

 

Julie-su carried on firing at the citadel, she knew she wasn’t hitting anything, but the effort was there.

 

Sonic hoisted his friend onto his legs and began dragging him towards the laded transport, the noise of engines, guns and screaming was deafening. Sally jumped out of the transport with Rotor to help get him on board.

 

As soon as they had him the pilot lifted off the ground and set it into to afterburner…the transport began shaking from the amount of pressure. But that wasn’t the concern…

 

Sally dropped to her knees as Rotor grabbed the first aid kit from the compartment. She began to cut off his armour and clothing until she could see what had happened.

 

He was in a mess, blood oozing and mixing with the metallic floor; he was pale and shaking slightly…a mild form of shock from the gunshot wound. Sally placed her hand on the exit wound until Rotor could bandage it up tight to try and control the bleeding.

 

Julie-su turned away from the scene her face contorted with pain.

 

Rotor checked the pulse and breathing. They both had stopped.

 

Sally tilted Knuckles head pack and began to carry out resuscitation on him while Rotor pumped his chest twice every so often.

 

Sonic got up and cradled Julie-su in his arms tightly keeping her away from what was going on.

 

Sally looked at him wounded in her heart…desperation settling in her mind.