(I do not own Sonic X, etc.)

Flip Card 2

Name: Rouge

Age: 18

Sex: Female

Species: Fruit bat

Job description: Professional spy for the Government funded military Organisation, G.U.N.

Knuckles was the first to take the lead as they began their race across the bridge, competing furiously with his Metal double for the position. Swift coming in second with Tails Doll and the human from Team Silver behind them, Egg Robo bringing up the rear. The two Echidna's one organic and the other robotic were neck and neck as the bridge ended as they started off on the cliff path. From here, the helicopter could see the six racers fly along the narrow path that curved down towards the course itself, a large collection of ruins on the coast not to far away.

Metal Knuckles shoved the Red Echidna aside with one of his bracers, taking first place, slowing the Echidna down by a few seconds. Collecting himself, Knuckles poured on more speed, catching up with the robotic Echidna as the course curved down towards the ruins.

Tails Doll suddenly revealed its true nature, showing near impossible speed as it overtook the Lizard Swift. Swift however wasn't a complete push over. His long bipedal legs did more than frame his hips. With long strides he managed to catch up by the nano-powered toy.

"And they've cleared the cliff face and are now heading down into the track interior." Stuart announced as Knuckles and his double, still fighting for first place flew through an ancient stone gate that marked the entrance of the course. Spectators had gathered there to cheer them on as well, nearly five hundred people had squatted themselves into stands which could barley contain them.

"You're not going to win!" Metal Knuckles told the Red Echidna as the two of them were running side by side, hostility in their eyes. Knuckles simply smirked and tore on ahead, rounding a corner quickly and up towards an ancient stone ramp leading into the interior of a large crumbling courtyard covered in ivy. Metal Knuckles snarled and shot after him, fully intending to rip him apart with his claws as soon as the race was over.

Swift and Tails Doll were the next to shoot past the gate, each desperately trying to outdo the other. Team Silver was overall a lot faster than they had anticipated. Egg Robo could see that, and was already working on sufficient strategies to outdo them. His large round head turned when his sensors picked up an opening just ahead, it was a division through the course. According to the rules, there were numerous different courses through the entire track and any could be used during any lap. If his sensors were right, then this was a short cut. His small metal foot slammed into the ground and he spun an entire ninety degrees to face his left, tearing through the opening.

"Come on Knuckles, you aren't going to let some robotic clone freak beat you are you?!" Sonic cried up at the screen.

"Excuse me?" The blue hedgehog looked down to see Metal Sonic standing on the ground next to the stands.

The interweaving track stretched between towering ruins, ancient pillars covered in moss and vines and large expanses of water which had sunken beneath the water. Most of them, due to the recent cold weather had completely frozen over. His provided shortcuts for the races across huge expanses of water that otherwise would have impeded progress. The track had been gritted, but the heavy falling snow that began to drift down when the racers approached the end of their first lap made traversing the track more difficult.

By now, Metal Knuckles had taken first place again and Knuckles had fallen back to fight Tails Doll for second. Egg Robo, thanks to his advanced strategic thinking had managed to put himself in fourth place, leaving the two remaining members of Team Silver in fifth and sixth. The end of the course around the ruins lead out across another road and back towards the bridge and Stadium. The crowds looked dismayed when Metal Knuckles emerged from the ruins first, shooting down the road heading for the finish line to begin his second lap, Knuckles himself following almost an instant after. Tails Doll's surprising speed was serving it well as it dogged Knuckles' heals.

The racers shot across the bridge and into the stadium, the crowds cheers in their ears before the second lap began and they did a U turn right back towards the track. Even Eggman didn't know that Tails Doll had limitations. He had been racing so hard during this and every other race he'd been in that the experimental nano technology that the Doctor had used to create him, at that point when he reached the finishing line, overheated. All the microscopic robots simultaneously shut down and Tails Doll twitched violently before it collapsed to the ground, smoking rising from his smouldering corpse. The red jewel that powered the nano bots lost its glow and fell loosely from the toy's now immobile body.

Eggman was left staring open mouthed as one of his prized robots collapsed under exhaustion. Tails Doll had been one of his best robots and now he was ruined, he had to retrieve and repair him at once. A tractor beam lanced out from the Egg Carrier 3 and latched onto Tails' Doll's remains, pulling them back through the air towards his battleship that hovered in the distance.

"Oh what a shame." Scarlet remarked sarcastically. "One of Dr. Eggman's robots had packed itself in. Does this spell disaster for Team Mecha? What do you think Stuart?"

"Not necessarily Scarlet." Stuart Replied. "All Teams advancing to the Semi finals need is one racer to compete, so if Team Mecha win, they go through anyway, although it does add a significant advantage to Team Silver."

The remaining five racers had cleared the stadium again and were now half way across the bridge for the second lap. Metal Knuckles had been enraged by his team mates failing and was viciously trying to shake Knuckles off but the Red Echidna was having none of it, pushing forward relentless, beads of perspirations running off his face.

Entering the ruins, Swift and his human companion began challenging Egg Robo for his position. Direct attacks on the competition were not allowed, efforts to slow them down however were not against the rules. Egg Robo tore out his laser pistol, and fired at a column of ancient stone he had just flown past. There was loud crash as it collapsed, forming a blockage across the track, leaving Swift and his friend no alternative but to take the long route.

"That's set those guys back by half a lap." Amy commented, watching everything unfold on the large screen at the top of the stadium. "It looks like it's up to Knuckles to win it now." Metal Knuckles turned, rounding a corner and as he did so, he held his claws out, slicing a stone pillar as he ran, shattering its foundations. Knuckles saw the falling masonry and smirked, folding a fist ready. As the pillar fell towards him, the Echidna smashed one of his world famous punches straight into it, sending pieces of rubble flying into the air.

Metal Knuckles looked even angrier to see that it had failed to stop his pursuer. Eggman had ordered him not to loose any races, and this was not about to be his first. Trying to put as much distance between himself and Knuckles as possible, the robotic Echidna began toppling as many structures as he could. Knuckles was able to either dodge to smash his way through all of them and all it did was slow Egg Robo down, who had to climb over and around collapsed piles of rubble just to get anywhere. Now Metal Knuckles and Knuckles himself were way in front of the others as they neared the final edge of the ruins and the road that would lead them back towards the Stadium. By the time they reached the road, Knuckles had tied himself with Metal Knuckles and the two of them were running side by side, fighting each other trying to outdo the other. Knuckles was handed a piece of luck when Metal Knuckles' internal engine hiccupped and the robot slowed down a little, leaving the Echidna to rocket forward, putting some significant distance between them.

"Go Knuckles; come on, only one more lap!" Tails shouted as Knuckles tore through the stadium towards the U-turn, the third and final lap waiting for him. Metal Knuckles decided that apparently he was going to have to give it his all to compete from here on in. his rocket engine accelerated to one hundred percent and the robotic echidna was given a tremendous boost of speed, clearing the U-turn and catching up with his organic counterpart. Knuckles had seen him come and was ready for him, placing his body just in front of the robots path, impeding his progress. Metal Knuckles could not maintain that speed for long, his engines overheated too quickly and it took another five minutes for them to cool down again.

The others had only just reached the stadium by now, so it became clear that the race was now being fought over between the two in front. They were almost neck and neck as they crossed the bridge and shot along the cliff side path. The early pillars that Metal Knuckles had knocked over forced the two of them to take the longer way through the ruins. The crowds were on the edge of their seats as the two rocketed under collapsing pillars, across frozen waterways and up steep ramps to the roads above.

"Come on…" Sonic muttered biting the edge of his lip as the two racers disappeared as they raced through a narrow path between two large pillars. The choppers were trying to fly in closer, but the sheer cliff face on one side and the bad weather picking up around them prevented the cameras from getting a better shot. They just had to wait. There was a moment of silence, before the crowds cheered as Knuckles came flying out onto the road first, Metal Knuckles right on his tail.

"The two were closing towards the bridge now, and by the looks of it, it may be a photo finish!" Metal Knuckles gained more ground, closing in on the real Echidna as the two neared the entrance to the stadium. The race could have gone either way, that is until Metal Knuckles gained equal ground with Knuckles and as he did so his eyes flashed open and a flare of bright light shot out from them, blinding the Echidna. Knuckles stopped holding his gloves over his face, his eyes stinging in pain. He stumbled backwards, eyesight blurred. The ground gasped in horror and surprise. Metal Knuckles stopped to give him one last contempt glare, before shooting over the finish line.

The race was over. Knuckles had lost.

"I don't believe it!" Sonic exclaimed, clenching a fist. "That cheating son of a…" he was about to launch himself over the edge of the stands at Metal knuckles when Metal Sonic put out an arm, stopping him.

"Sonic, Metal knuckles didn't directly attack Knuckles, so that wasn't against the rules." Sonic's eyes widened.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Dr. Eggman blew a sigh of relief. That was close. Too close. He had an experimental robot in the shop and his team had gotten into the Semi-Finals by the skin of their teeth. All in all, they could have gone far better. Tails Doll was in need of drastic repairs and upgrades, which would take days, meaning that he was out of the Tournament. Everything depended on Metal Knuckles and Egg Robo now.

The crowds began booing as Metal Knuckles officially claimed victory in the race from the judges, who found that despite his trick he hadn't broken any rules. The robot turned back to find Knuckles standing behind him.

"I win." The robotic hedgehog stated, sadistic satisfaction highlighted in his green eyes. Knuckles only replied with a smug grin.

"That proves nothing." He replied. "Only that you know how to use a dirty trick." The Echidna folded his arms. "I'm satisfied now. You're nothing compared to me if you had to resort to something like that to win." The two exchanged one last glare, before Knuckles turned and walked away.

"We'll meet again." Metal Knuckles added. The red echidna let one hand trail up into the air.

"I'm not worried." The Echidna paused as he crossed near Sonic. The blue hedgehog looked down at him, the two exchanged a grin, before Knuckles carried on disappearing into the side door of the stadium.

The strong had been separated from the weak and Void could see plainly see those who he could use most effectively. This tournament had served it's usage but supplying him with a select few of the fastest being on the mortal plain. The crystal in front of him showed him the four finalist teams. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

"So, the fastest beings in the world, gathered in one place." Void whispered to himself, his blue eyes highlighted evilly by the light radiated from the crystal. "The time is nearly here." A cloven hand waved over the crystal and the image disappeared again. Radiant Emerald was a pocket dimension, created specifically for the soul purpose of keeping him bound.

"Your vendetta will solve nothing Void." The memory of her last statement vibrated in his head again. Those last few words had not been filled with venom and hatred as he had expected, but rather a strange sadness and longing. It had nearly broken him then and there. He narrowed his eyes; she should be the last thing on his mind at a time like this. Radiant Emerald, the prison that had held him for over fifty years was about to crack open.

"Your heart its filled with nothing by rage Void." That was not his memory. The small being turned to face the presence in the crystallised sky above him. It was not her in person, but one of her visages. A snow white angel with golden wings, the soft music from a harp drifting in the air like a strong perfume. It was not enough for her for him to simply endure his prison. She had to gloat as well. "You will bring much suffering to others if you maintain your path." An angry snarl made it's way onto Void's face.

"Maybe it will." He snapped back ."But at least it's my path. If you had your way, we'd all be following the one destiny. My life is my own."

"Or perhaps you have such a distaste for me because I have the heart and servitude of the one you seek the most. Have your life, but live it in isolation." The angel replied, before it shimmered like the surface of water and disappeared. Void was left hovering in the air angry than he'd ever been. His shoulder slumped and he sighed.

"Lumina…" He began, remembering the last time he'd seen her face before being shut in here. He clenched a fist before staring up at the sky of Radiant Emerald, an endless sea of stars, the visage of planets that didn't really exist floating like clouds high above.. "I'll never forgive you Illumina, I swear that when I get out of here, I'll bring Maginary World to it's knees!"

(In Chris' voice)

It's the start of the Semi Finals with Uncle Sam Vs Sonic and Vector Vs Metal Knuckles. Who will prevail to face each other in the Finals? And what is the mysterious Void up to? Find out next time on Sonic X, The Reactive Factory. Don't miss it!!

(R&R)