“It’s time, Stone,” he said to his inanimate granite henchman. “If my calculations are correct—and there’s no reason to say ‘if,’ because they always are—this quill is about to power my masterpiece. Now let’s light this candle and see who comes knocking.”

Robotnik hacked a series of commands into his one remaining control pad and . . . nothing. “Why isn’t it working?!” he shouted in rage. “My calculations are never wrong! I! AM! NEV-ER! WRONG!”

Shwoooooom! The beacon exploded to life in a wave of eerie blue light. The air warped with a hot burst of energy, and Robotnik was blown back. It had worked. The pain of his progress had launched a shockwave of the quill’s own unique energy signature into deep space. All Robotnik had to do was wait. In fact, it felt like the right time for a little nap.

-Chapter 2