Robotnik jr's Arc

Chapter 2 of 3

The burned shirt still smoked on the floor. Robotnik jr picked it up and held the collar close. The battery had melted through the copper. He knew the problem now. The battery was too weak and too hot. He needed a stronger power source, one that would not cook him on the judges' stage. He sat on his bed and pressed his fingers to his round bald head. His father had built machines. His father must have known where to find real power. He dug through the box of tools again. Under the wire cutters he found a folded paper. It was a map, drawn in his father's hand. One spot was circled in red. Beside it his father had written three words: "Red gem. Power." Robotnik jr stared at the circle. His father had left him more than tools. He had left him an answer. Robotnik jr stood and pulled on his black shoes. But the circled spot sat far across the district. He owned no craft to reach it. He walked to the wide window and looked out. Then he remembered the panel beside his bed. His father had installed it years ago. Robotnik jr pressed the switch. The wall of his apartment slid open. Cold air rushed in. A small flying craft rested on a hidden ledge, its metal skin scratched but whole. His father had kept it here all along. Robotnik jr climbed in and gripped the controls. His hands shook. He had never flown. He pushed the lever forward, and the craft lurched off the ledge and into the open sky. He steered between the tall towers. One skyscraper glowed with rows of bright windows, and he nearly clipped its side. He pulled the craft up hard. Below him a robotic pig on thin spider legs trotted across a rooftop garden. It passed a tree strung with glowing apples. Robotnik jr held the map on his knee and followed the red circle. The craft dropped toward a gleaming dome of polished metal. Its curved panels shone in the light. This was the lab. His father's lab. Robotnik jr landed the craft on the flat ground beside it and stepped out. The door stood open. Inside, on a stand in the center of the room, sat the gem from the map. It was huge, taller than his arm, and it glowed deep red from every facet. Real power. Enough for a hundred shirts. He reached for it. Then the floor clicked under his shoes. Around the stand, sleek metal caterpillars uncurled. Their yellow eyes blinked awake. Their hooked mouths snapped open. They rose on rows of legs and turned toward him, guarding the gem. Robotnik jr froze with his hand in the air. He had found the power. Now he had to get past its guards.