(I do not own Sonic X, etc. Another short chap, sorry)

Flip Card 2:

Name: Krish Kra Pal

Age: Thousands of years

Sex: (Do gods have any?)

Job description: A dark entity, worshipped by the Ancient Echidna's and the cultists of the Foundation.

Sonic had cut the middle man right out. Instead of wasting time, he was going straight for the source. The Foundation's main building was a tall sky scrapper in the middle of the city. Shadow's own suspicions held securely in his mind, the blue hedgehog raced down the empty high street towards the towering building in the distance. All Chuck had to do was point him in the right direction and Sonic went flying.

All his instincts told him Shadow was somewhere in that building and if he was, nothing, not even those ghoulish things were going to stop him from rescuing his friend. So intent, Sonic didn't notice that he was being followed by the repaired X tornado. Tails, Chris and Amy had been closely following him since he left the Thorndyke estate.

"You don't really think these people are holding Shadow against his will are do you?" Chris asked, looking over Tails' shoulder towards the blurred blue line racing down below. Another was flying alongside, Metal Sonic had chosen to fly alongside them rather than compete with Sonic in speed. Metal was still hated and feared by nearly every one who saw him. Flying along the streets, even in the dead of night, was not a smart thing to do.

"I don't know for sure." Tails replied as the X tornado sourced closer to the roof tops. "But Sonic seems to think so, and his words good enough for me."

"The Ancient Echidna's god." Shadow muttered, finally realization coming to his eyes. "Now I get what this all about. I should have recognised that ridiculous fanatical devotion when I first saw it. The Ancient Echidna's were foolish enough to follow that false deity and it cost them their lives. You'll meet the same fate."

"Krish is hardly false." Arthur said without turning his back to look at him. "I know that far better than anyone and so should you, you've already met him after all." Shadow narrowed an eye questioningly. "Don't you remember, when you took that little joy ride into Mobius' ancient past, my master greeted you before one of his shrines? He tried to embrace you then and there, but you rejected him." The memory quickly flashed in Shadow's mind, He remembered that quite clearly, but had never spoken of it to anyone.

"Embrace me Shadow." The presence demanded this time, looming over him, like it was extending a pair of hands around him, preparing to snatch him up in it's grasp. "I am your destiny." Shadow felt sick to his stomach, the words spoken were empty and hollow, doing little to disguise their speakers true nature. Shadow could, see, right through them to this monstrosity. It was what he saw that made him so sick. A mind so full of darkness and emptiness that for a moment he began to doubt his own perceptions of the world. It was trying to force it's way from the outside and directly in to him, and it's presence around him was literally pushing him out. It was trying to replaced his mind with it's.

An image of his old friend, the girl with sea blue eyes and blonde hair flashed before the black hedgehog's eyes and whatever striking hold this thing had over him evaporated.

"I don't care who you are, or what you claim, or what you've done or are going to do." He crossed his arms in front of his chest. The insides beginning to burn with chaos energy. "I am not your property. I make my own destiny!" He closed his eyes and turned inward, tapping into his own power, the residual energy of the chaos emeralds their power had left in him. "CHAOS CONTROL!" He screamed, throwing his arms out and instantly his body was engulfed by a white ball of the purest light, forcing the threatening presence away from him.

"NO!!!!" The voice shrieked, trying desperately to snatch as him, but found itself being pushed further and further away.

"How could you possibly know about…" Before he could finished his sentence, Arthur turned around and took off his sunglasses, staring directly at his captive. His eyes were glowing completely green, emitting a faint white mist. Shadow lay there, mouth hung open in horror.

"I believe I forgot to tell you exactly how my master saved me as an infant. Krish required a host body to inhabit so his presence could remain here. He chose me. I've been serving as his connection to Earth for over two hundred years. His presence has kept me alive, prolonging my existence far beyond that of any normal man." Shadow's mind was stunned into paralysis. "But that arrangement will soon be over, when he you finish your purpose and serve as his new body."

"And…"Shadow began slowly. "What will happen to you after that?" Arthur replaced his glasses and shrugged.

"Whatever he wants of course. But with my centuries of loyal service, I'll be going places in the new order the master will bring to the world." He checked his watch. "Only another ten minutes to go before my master has enough strength to attempt a crossing. I should go change. It wouldn't do attend the greatest moment in our master's history looking any old how." Lowering his head respectfully, he turned and disappeared down the side of the pyramid accompanied by two of his ghouls. Shadow shook his head, gritting his teeth

This was getting way too weird. It was best if he got out of here now. Preferably, before this sick ceremony of their's. He looked around, trying to see what he had to work with. The straps holding his arms and legs to the table were strong enough to withstand any brute force, so that option was out. They were also suppressing his ability to use Chaos Control and Chaos Spear. It seems they'd done their homework when designing this thing. He found that he had some room to move his hands inside their restraints and that was all he had at the moment, so he'd have to make do with that small comfort. Feeling along the inside, he found was he was looking for, a thin line that showed how the restraints opened.

No amount of strength was going to help him push them open, so he found have to do this the smart way. He paused to make sure the two remaining ghouls at his side didn't notice what he was trying to do. Neither of them were looking in his direction. He only had ten minutes before their strange ritual began, so there was little time to get this right. While not able to use Chaos Control, he could manage short bursts of Chaos energy, so short that they passed in a millisecond, but he wagered they might do murder to his restraints. He began, slowly weakening the metal as the ten minutes slipped away. The crowd around the underground pyramid began to grow more excited, their voices mixed in conversation beginning to increase in volume. Shadow quickened his pace and then, the metal snapped with a loud bang that echoed through the underground cavern. The two ghouls finally noticed, but by then it was too late. Shadow flew forward, arms outstretched, finally free. Now outside the metal, he found that his abilities had returned as well.

Which he was more than happy to show the several dozen ghouls that came flying at him. Chaos Spear attacks flew through the air and the very chamber seemed to vibrate. People started screaming, running for the exists as quickly as they could as Shadow dropped down to the ground. Fang who was in the crowd, saw Shadow trying to make a break for it as rushed after him, a gun at his side.

"Oh no you don't!" He snarled, firing a shot. Shadow doubled back, avoiding the bullet by a inch. His eyes hot around, locking onto the weasel, before his body disappeared in a green haze. Fang blinked in surprise. "What, where'd he go?" Fang soon got his answer as the black and red hedgehog reappeared behind him, flooring the weasel with a sharp kick.

Evidentially he was still in danger as long as he lingered. He paused, waiting until he had enough power for a Chaos Control straight back to Tails' workshop. Before he could however, someone seized his arms from behind and spun him around to face them. It was Arthur, now in a robe Shadow had seen the priests of the Echidna cathedral wear. A pair of bronze bracers strapped to his wrists. His eyes blazing bright green, beyond them the black hedgehog stared into a horrific world full of terror and destruction, a world of burning hatred and intense frustration.

"No more games!" He snarled, but his voice was different. Echoing several times as it spoke. "You got away from me once, it shall not happen again. Submit!" Shadow tried to struggle, but surprisingly the humans strength surpassed his own. He could do nothing but watched the glow from his eyes intensified, before leaping across the gap between them and sinking into his head. He screamed.

There was a bright flare of light and Arthur was thrown backwards, slamming into the side of a wall. Shadow stayed stationary, gently swaying. Flames, glowing emerald green suddenly began encircling the black hedgehog, the hat driving those who stayed to watch away. Shadow's eyes snapped open, glowing bright green. A cruel smile crossed his face. Fang rubbed the back of his head and looked up, the green glow suddenly gone from his eyes, restored to their natural colour.

"What?" he began, looking around the now unfamiliar surroundings. "Where am I?" The last thing the weasel remembered was fighting with those Chaotix idiots, before…He shook his head, he couldn't remember anything after that, it was all a blur.

"Master?" Arthur asked, slowly picking himself up, staring at the hedgehog, wrapped in green fire. The humans eyes had gone back to normal, showing their natural colour was a raven black. Slowly Shadow turned to face him, both eyes eclipsed by emerald fire. His smile widened, sadistic hate plain on his face as he spread out his arms and the fire exploded, bathing everything around them in the purest light. Arthur screamed, holding his arms out in front of himself as the fire collided with his body and he disappeared in a white haze.

"Oh crap!" Fang cursed, picking himself up in and instant. Turning, he ran as fast as he could, keeping just out of range of the deadly fire as it scorched everything in it's path.

Sonic slid to a halt directly outside the entrance to the sky scrappers parking lot. He was certain he'd heard Shadow scream a minute ago. It was after hours and the entire building was black, with the exception of a few windows at the very top. The security guard at the entrance was asleep. Without warning the ground beneath his feet started shaking. The windows on the buildings around him shattered, showering the streets in a rain of glass. Cars jumped into the air before smashing into the ground as their tyres burst, their alarms blaring. In the buildings around them, lights began turning on as people awoke, disturbed by the noise

"What the hell?" Sonic asked, dodging the glass as it shattered against the road. A beam of green light rocketed up from underneath the ground, lancing into the sky directly up through the building, tearing huge slabs of brick and metal along with it. The noise woke the security guard up. Sonic raced in, gabbed him and flew down the street as the entire skyscraper began to collapse, a thick cloud of dust forming like a thick mist around the streets. The X Tornado wasn't able to even et close, visibility inside the cloud was near impossible, Tails had to pull away at the last minute and circle around in the air.

The beam dissipated and everything grew silent as the crumbling building settled into thick pile of ruins. Sonic looked out from behind a truck as a figure shot out from the ground, engulfed in green flames. "Shadow?" The blue breathed as the black and red hedgehog, glowing bright green, landing on the roof of the truck. His face set in sadistic sneer, both eyes eclipse by a green glow. It was like the ultimate life form was alight with phosphorous flames.

"Eight thousand years has been far too long." He laughed, before his head rolled back and a roar of laughter filled the night sky. Sonic leapt up onto the roof of the truck, confronting Shadow. He could tell instantly that whoever this impostor was, it was not his friend.

"Ok pal. Who are you, and what have you done to Shadow?" The possessed black hedgehog laughed again, two orbs of white light beginning to burn between his fingers. Sonic yelped and somersaulted backwards as a beam of white hot energy jumped from his hand, colliding with road, carving a jagged line down the middle of street, water from the sewers lancing upwards in three thick geysers. Sonic looked back at the destruction. Whoever was controlling Shadow's body had given him near unrivalled power.

"For eons I have been held back, But now the vessel is mine." The black hedgehog clenched a fist and a second later the truck he was standing on detonated, a fire storm exploding into the air. Sonic was thrown by the force across the street, colliding into a street lamp. "I have no more need for worshippers or deception anymore. Watch, as I make this entire planet BURN!"

To be continued…

(In Chris' voice.)

Things have gone from bad to worse. Shadow's not in control anymore, some dark god bent on world domination is! How is Sonic supposed to bet him, without hurting Shadow in the process? Find out next time on Sonic X, The desperate plan. Don't miss it!