Dark Vengeance (Part One of Three): Deadly Homecoming
Writer: Ken Penders
Pencils: Manny Galan
Colors: Barry Grossman
It's about time we found out what happened to Enerjak after the Knuckles miniseries, don'tcha think? He's been floating around in space all this time, but now, a mysterious pair of eyes stares out at him from the darkness, noting that it has been searching for him, and uses some kind of mysterious green power to send him back down to the planet's surface, where the Dark Legion has just finished setting up a cool new statue of Dimitri to worship at the feet of. To their dismay, the statue immediately explodes as Enerjak is teleported directly on top of it.
Well, looks like he landed in the right place! Dimitri immediately takes ultimate command of the legion that he helped to inspire the formation of so many centuries ago, determined to get revenge on Knuckles for stranding him in space, as well as reclaim Echidnaopolis for the Dark Legion's purposes.
Meanwhile, on another part of the island, Julie-Su joins Knuckles for some mopey discussion. Knuckles is feeling left out of knowing too much important information, feeling like "a puppet with everyone pulling the strings," while Julie-Su is lonely and upset at feeling so disliked by those around her for her past.
Knuckles, hoping to cheer her up, decides to take her to Archimedes, whom he hopes will have some advice for her. Unfortunately, Archimedes, as well as Deo Volente, are in a bit of a bind right now…
Unaware of the rapidly developing crisis, General Stryker has gone before the echidna council to request they work harder on constructing housing for the homeless dingoes, as they've had to live in tents on the city outskirts ever since their city was destroyed.
Oh, c'mon. I get that Stryker hates the echidnas' guts and all, but he's so one-dimensional about all this. The echidnas, while clearly having a problem with pomposity and whatnot, are legitimately attempting to integrate the dingoes into their city despite their violent past, and Stryker is really prepared to throw that all away for the sake of some ill-defined "revenge" plot? C'mon, man, set aside that hatred and try working together for once!
Knuckles and Julie-Su have reached the Lava Reef Zone, where Archimedes and the other fire ants live, but the local fire ants tell him that Archy has recently gone missing, along with Deo. Julie-Su worries it's the Dark Legion, but Knuckles is concerned it may be something even bigger than that…
Meanwhile, in her apartment, Lara-Le is confiding her worries to Wynmacher about Knuckles and her relationship with him, ultimately recognizing that she wasn't ready to handle the responsibility of being the spouse of a guardian when she married Locke. Wynmacher attempts to comfort her, and she decides she has to speak to her ex-husband about their son.
Knuckles and Julie-Su arrive at the Rainbow Valley in search of Espio, only to find his home trashed and Espio himself missing. Meanwhile, Locke is watching over Hawking along with his own father, whom we see for the first time. It turns out that Hawking has been in a coma ever since he used his powers to save Echidnaopolis, and now he's having a heart attack, because sure. Locke, determined to save him, establishes some kind of mental link with him to try to convince him to fight and stay alive.
As Knuckles and Julie-Su climb a cliff towards Mighty's house, Kragok walks into Enerjak's tent to find him hilariously floating upside down crackling with energy, babbling on about true power and whatnot. Not really sure what his deal is there, but he's ready to go after Knuckles himself. At the same moment, Knuckles enters Mighty's house to find the door open and the place trashed just as before, with Mighty missing.
They head down into the forest below, only for a flash of light to immediately blind them… and a familiar figure to appear in front of them.
With that, an enlarged Enerjak grabs Knuckles in his fist while cackling evilly… and cliffhanger!
