(I do not own Sonic X: etc)

Flip card 2:

Name: Rei

Age; 15

Species: Flying Squirrel

Abilities: Gliding, impressive deductive powers

Description: Chaotix' latest member, born with powers of deduction that titter on the verge of precognition.

Vector scratched the back of his head, staring out across the wasteland that the stolen Dead Shot walker that managed to traverse, eluding the base security and escaping into the thick forest in the distance. He withdrew a small compass out of his glove and checked it. The walker had been heading south west, mean that he could only be heading for Capital City. It was the only large city in that general direction.

"So this Captain Okida." Espio began to the base technician who'd agreed to show them around the base and help their investigations. "Has he been with G.U.N long?" Te human technician shrugged.

"Ever since he arrived from Mobius." He replied, wiping his forehead with his white hankie. The hot mid day sun above them baking the moisture out of their bodies slowly. "From what they say he mastered every combat form of Mech, so I pity the people who have to go up against that guy."

"Any idea what those files were he was suppose to have stolen?" Rei asked. The technician paused, rolling his eyes as if he was trying to remember.

"Don't think they told me." He began slowly. "How about I take you inside the base to examine the…" He was cut short when a jeep driven out from the base screeched to a halt nearby, a man in a General's uniform clambering out, a fuming angry look on his face.

"Just what are you people doing here?" He demanded towering over them. "This is a restricted area, Government property." It was then he spotted the technician who'd been talking to them. "Roger, don't tell me you let these people on sight."

"They're investigators General Saddler." He began, but the General, head of G.U.N military operations was hearing none of it.

"I don't care if they're federal agents!" He snapped, almost shaking with rage. "Get these mobians off this bases perimeters." The General gave them all a wide glare. "You're all severely lucky I'm not having you arrested, now get out my sight!"

"Friendly fella isn't he?" Espio remarked sarcastically as they drove away from Area 99 in their own rented jeep out towards the forest on the horizon.

"The General was sweating." Rei remarked, sitting in the back with Chamree, who was staring out at all the blaring objects go past.

"I'm not surprised. It is ninety degrees in the shade this far south." Vector remarked as he drove through a large stone arch before the jeep dipped down between two sand dunes. The flying squirrel shook his head as he narrowed his eyes.

"No." He add simply. "A person only sweats that much when they have something to hide." The jeep quickly snapped the desert stretch and arrived at the edge of the thick forest, the shadows from the trees casting from relative cool over them. Vector removed his shades and withdrew an atlas from the glove compartment. Charmee flew out of the truck to stretch his wings for a little while, buzzing around them with intense curiosity. They could see this the way the renegade Walker had gone, several trees had been knocked down and the grass crammed between the foliage had bee crushed by the footsteps of something very heavy.

"According to that Technician." The crocodile began as he flipped through the pages of the book. "Okida's Mech had a heating problem, meaning it wouldn't be able to travel very fast before it had a blow out. The first thing the Captain will be looking for are replacement parts." Finally he found the page he was looking for and ran his finger down a road from their relative position right down to capital city on the coastline. "He'll have to go here. It's the only place around for miles and if he knows where to look he could get the replacement parts while he's there." Espio checked his digital watch, setting it to calendar mode for a moment.

"He's had a good thirty two hours head start on us. He may not even be there anymore." Rei shook his head.

"In this heat, his Mech'll even slower. With that inadequate system, he should be arriving there by now." Vector rubbed his hands together in glee, a sinister look coming over his face.

"Then that's our next stop. I know an auto parts dealer there, he also buys and sells parts of damaged Walkers. Let's see if he knows anything." With that he placed the map back in the glove compartment and floored the accelerator, shooting off across the forest line, Charmee hanging on the back.

It would have taken exceptionally quick eyes to spot the three blurs hurtling down Main Street heading northward, but not even the quickest eyes would have been able to thousands of punches and picks being thrown around when the three collided. Sonic slid to a halt around the crib, before somersaulting into the air narrowly avoiding a kick from Metal Sonic, but failed to see a spin attack that came at him from behind, Shadow dealing the blow.

Seeing the black and red hedgehog wide open, Metal Sonic spun his entire body around and shot into the air, taking hold of Shadow's foot with his vice like talons. The hedgehog blinked before Metal tore him from the air and tossed him back towards the ground. Sonic rebounded off the side of a building before shooting right back up, a head butt smashing into Metal Sonic's stomach, knocking him back down towards the ground.

Taking the fight to the snow covered roof tops; Shadow swung his arm back gathering energy before unleashing a multitude of Chaos Spear's right at them. Sonic spun his entire body around clockwise, bending his back just enough avoid them, while Metal Sonic didn't detect their approach and one caught the robotic hedgehog straight across the face, knocking him sideways. Sonic skidded to a halt on a ledge, before rocketing forward, tackling Shadow down into an alleyway. Metal Sonic shook his head realigning some of his key systems before leaping after them.

Some family on their way home paused when they heard commotion coming from the alleyway they were passing. There was a violent crash as someone knocked some trash cans over, a flash of green light before Sonic was hurtling out into the light, sent flying by the brunt of an attack from Shadow. The black and red hedgehog went to leap after him but as he jumped; Metal Sonic grabbed hold of his foot again and tossed him straight back into the alley.

Sonic rubbed the back of his after, having collided with the side of a car, before rocketing back in with a fist drawn. Metal Sonic was about to deal another kick, when something held his leg back from behind. Turning, he had just enough time to see the edge of a Piko Piko hammer before he was sent flying into the air. Sonic paused and side stepped, narrowly avoiding the hurtling Metal Sonic was the robot spiralled into the air. Shadow grimaced as he heard the robotic hedgehog's body crash into the side of a building across the street. Amy while not gifted with super speed had strength that most people wouldn't expect by just looking at her. Lately, Amy had taken a whole new look for herself. Skate, jeans and a pair knee pads on her legs and a loosely fitting white shirt. She'd kept the golden bracelets around her wrists and white gloves. Shadow swung to the side to avoid a swing from her hammer but was not so fortunate on the rebound, the edge catching him across the chin. Staggering back to let Sonic take the offensive coming in fast swinging a kick forward. Amy blocked it with the pole of her hammer, Sonic kicked again and Amy blocked it, when again and again.

Sonic let his guard down at one point and when Amy deflected his kick she swung around, catching him straight into the stomach. Sonic gagged, twitching as she retracted her blunt weapon. It had felt like someone had smashed a bus straight into his side. Amy was about to swing her hammer again when Metal Sonic came down behind her and using his large talons tore her weapon away from her, throwing it straight up into the air. Before the pink hedgehog could react, he robot swung his leg around and dealt her the kick Sonic had been trying to knocking her out into the street.

Shadow shot forward with a punch, catching Metal Sonic across the face, causing the robotic hedgehog to stagger backwards. Sonic dived forward to with a kick on the rebound, knocking the robot to the ground. Hoping to catch the blue hedgehog of guard, Shadow swung his leg around with a kick of his own. Sonic simply rolled under it and hammered a quick succession of punches straight into his chest. Catching her hammer as it fell back to the ground, Amy charged back into the fray. Chuck shoo his head, rolling his eyes. He'd been watching their little sparing session on the video feed from his latest feat of engineering, a spy robot. G.U.N the Eggman Empire had similar constructs, so he decided to build one of his own. It was a little bigger than a G.U.N beetle robot two small side wings on the side, it's little an oval shape and completely silver and it was having trouble keeping steady in the cold wind above the roof tops, but given enough time Chuck was sure he would be able to fix it. After all, made managed to repair Metal Sonic, which in itself was a nightmare and a half.

Sonic looked back as he shot along the road side, a black and red blur close behind him, a pink blur just behind that one, which left one blur unaccounted for. Looking up, he saw Metal Sonic just in time to slip to the side to avoid a slash from steal talons. As the robotic hedgehog came down, Sonic swung back with a kick, sending his body spiralling back towards Shadow, who disappeared into a green flash before repapering on the other side of the road.

That caused him to leave his side unprotected a mistake Amy took full advantage of him, skating just fast enough to swing her hammer straight across, knocking Shadow to the ground.

Sonic was just about to leap into the fray again when a loud bleeping sound started blaring from his wrist watch. Throwing one foot horizontally in front of the other, he came to a sudden stop. Shadow was also wearing a similar watch and it started making a nose at exactly the same time and so did Amy's. Metal Sonic heard the bleeping from up the air and descended down to the ground.

"Boy, an hour sure flies by when your having fun." Sonic remarked, dusting himself off. Instantly Chuck's surveillance robot flew down in front of them, a small hatch on it's top sliding to one side as a video screen rotated upwards, Chuck's face already on it.

"Well I hope you've worn yourselves out by now, when I said you could benefit from a little sparing, I did not mean a ruthless battle royal." He stated with a strong hint of irritation in his voiceShadow shrugged his shoulders.

"For us, this is a little sparring." Chuck ran his fingers through his head, remembering that he was talking to people who had saved the entire world from supremely powerful bad guys on more than one occasion.

"You should get back here, I have something we need you to…" There was a sudden green flash and Chuck blinked and when he opened his eyes again the four of them had disappeared from his robot's view screen. Then a moment later, the same flash merged right behind them and out of that flare, Sonic and the others emerged. Chuck just drew a blank face, before sighing and turning back to the computer screen, ordering his robot to return to base. Even with the majority of G.U.N forces in Station Square gone, Chuck was still setting up shop in Tails' workshop, fearing it safer for the moment then his own garage. Mr. Tanaka was watching the property for him. Tails had already begun putting up Christmas decorations with a brightly lit tree near the window. "As you know…" He began, bringing up some files that he had obtained up on screen. "I've been monitoring Government intelligence and it seems some of their satellites have picked up a dozen large objects descending away from the Egg Moon towards the atmosphere." The program on screen showed a diagram of Earth and it's moon, along with several objects slowly moving downwards toward the surface.

"An invasion?" Amy asked, looking closer as Sonic reached for a cloth to wipe a good deal of sweat off his forehead. Chuck leaned back in his chair.

"Looks like it, but the funny thing is that a couple of minutes ago they simply stopped just beyond the atmosphere." The objects on screen did exactly that, remaining above the planet, and Shadow noticed, above the range of air to surface missiles. "I'm no military strategist so I don't know exactly Eggman could be up to, whatever it is, it can't be good."

"When is it ever?" Sonic asked, folding his arms.

"Another thing." Chuck began. "I trust you all remember the Foundation Organisation?" Shadow narrowed his eyes, they were something he would be hard pressed to forget. On the surface, they were simply a multi million dollar corporation, but in truth that was all a façade. In truth they were a secret cult of men and women who worshipped the dark God, Krish-Kra-Pal. A god that had tried to take over Shadow's body and use it to exact destruction all over the entire world. "Well, after their building collapsed, the Government had their organisation disbanded. That left a void in the new technologies industries for another company to fill, that company…" He paused to bring up something else on screen, a green hexagon logo surrounded by a circle. "Is the Hexagon Corporation, fairly new in the business but somehow they managed to win the Government's contract on adaptation of that salvaged technology they stole from the downed Egg Fleet."

"Are they still ripping materials from that graveyard?"

"No, most of the stuff they could salvage they've been storing in other places, military bases mostly for their technicians to study. Never the less, it seems Eggman poured his heart and soul into that fleet. From what I can gather, they haven't even begun adaptation seriously yet."

"Look." Sonic started. "Not to sound rude or anything, but what's this got to do with us?" Chuck gave him a sour look over his shoulder.

"Hexagon are using a vicious piece of technology they took from the Flagship to construct a defensive cannon on a mountainside to the north. If it works, it'll be able to shoot a concentrated laser beam from ground level into orbit." The explanation was completely wasted on Sonic, who simply stood there with a dumfounded look on his face. Chuck sighed and brought up a set of blueprints for a large Gun that towered upwards, the size reference scale on the side showed that the whole thing was well over eight stories high. The gun had two large barrels lancing out of a gear ridden stadium that looked like was able to rotate around an entire 360 degrees.

"The Ultimate planetary defence." Metal Sonic commented. Chuck nodded in agreement.

"If it's test run is successful, the Government will have these cannons installed down the entire length of the country and it won't be long before other nations follow suite." The brief image of a long line of these hideous weapons towering over the entire country briefly filtered into Amy's minds eye.

"The militaries certainly made…advancement in the last few months." Sonic stated. "I mean, when we first got here, all they had was ordinary guns. Then they could build their own robots, then pilot-able Mechs, and now...these things."

"Which is another problem." Chuck sighed, pushing himself away from the computer. "At this rate, within another year the military will reach a technological level sufficient enough to move forces into space." He turned to give them a sour eye. "And I think we all know what'll happen then." That part was obvious, if G.U.N gained the ability to move their robotic forces into space then they'd attack the Egg Moon, the current headquarters of the Eggman Empire. This would plunge the entire planet into an all out war, one that eventually with this superior robotics' technology, Eggman would win.

"Well can we do anything?" Amy asked. Chuck sighed again and shrugged.

"Little we can do to stop it I'm sorry to say. It looks like we're about to go head first into the biggest war this world has ever seen. It'll make World War two look like a trade dispute." Sonic crossed his arms behind his head with a wide goofy grin on his face.

"You people worry to much." He said, flopping out on the sofa. "Eggman's no big deal, we've beaten him before and we can do it again. Come on people it's only a few more days until Christmas. Where's your festive cheer?" Shadow crossed his arms

"Bah humbug."

For the third time today, his Mech overheated and Okida was forced to wait until the systems cooled down and unfroze. He swore, the city was not too far from here, in fact he would be able to see it once he got to the top of this sand dune, all he had to do was get there and he leave this crippled piece of junk in the shade for a while. He could barely do a thing with this Walker in it's present condition. Once the controls relinquished, the Dead Shot walker began to slowly make its up towards the top of the dune.

The captain found himself nearly roasting inside this machine. Of all the Mechs on the base he had had to steal this one. His ears twitched when he heard a familiar whistling part the air that began to increase in pitch and volume as time wore on. The whistling he was only too aware of, the sound of missiles hurtling at him. In reaction he slammed his fist down on the jet button, the overrated thrusters throwing him violently across the sands, narrowly avoiding the barrage of fire. Looking around, he could see several HotShot Walkers being dropped in from a Carrier plane that soured overhead. He'd feared that they might have been able to track him when he left the forest, the Mech had left some big foot prints in the sand.

"Captain Okida, you are under arrest for the theft of a Military class Walker and top secret files with intent to sell to the enemy." The sharp voice over his com link stated, one of the faster machines with proper heat protection fired a series of warning shots at the sand around him, keeping his Mech pinned to one place. Not that he could move anyway, the controls had seized up again. "Surrender at once or we will recognise your Mech as a hostile unit." A set up! He knew they'd try to spread something to discredit him, but he hadn't expected something like this. They were laying the blame on him. This was going to make his mission ever so much harder. He gritted his teeth, silently ordering the machine to move with his frustration. Tying to talk his way out of this was not going to work, the soldiers piloting those machines are trained not to listen to the pleadings of the enemy. Which meant he was going to have to do this the hard way.

The two mounted machine guns turrets on the underside of his walker's body pivoted around, firing a barrage of shots straight at the Hot Shots. Okida wasn't trying to hurt them, simply discourage or disable their Mechs. Finally the controls for the Walker's mobility system came back on line and he pushed the machine to it's limited, forcing it up and over the sand dune, nearly overheating it again in the process.

"This is your last warning, surrender of you will be…." The captain switched off the com link as his walker slid down the far side of the dune into a steep dip in the desert. Capital city and the ocean was just on the horizon now. If he could make it there he'd be safe, missile fire was not allowed within civilian areas. There was a sudden loud blurring in the air and several attack choppers flew overhead, about having a little distance away before charging straight at him.

"Ah crap!" Okida exclaimed as his Mech was riddled with bullets as the choppers flew past, making one of his own missile compartments rendered inoperable. Warnings of malfunctions and errors flashed upon the internal screen, luckily however the mobility controls had not been affected. Forcing the walker to it's feet, Okida made the thing run as fast as it could towards the city in the distance. Seeing him flee, the Hot Shots on the top of the sand dune took after him, missiles firing straight forward. The choppers circles around again and came at the Dead Shot walker from behind, hoping to cripple it's legs from behind. His sensors picking up their attack, Okida swung the entire torso of the mechanoid around and fired the only two missiles he had left straight at them they missed but then he hadn't been aiming directly for them, the explosion in the air was simply meant to divert their course.

It was the that something occurred to him, he was leading a battle directly into a civilian area. Any stray friendly fire and people could get hurt. He gritted his teeth, had the heat gotten to him already? How could he have made such a mistake? There was only one thing left to do, he checked the controls just to make sure that this unit had at least that installed. Good, it did have option. The bat paused to take a deep breath, he was going to have to make this look very good.

The pilot commanding the Hot Shot Mech that lead the charge blinked in surprise when the renegade Dead Shot came hurtling around to charge straight at them. What sort of kamikaze move was this? He got his answer when he detected that the self destruct program inside that Walker had been activated.

"BREAK FORMATION!" He cried into the com system. "That crazy fools going to blow himself up!" At once the other walkers came to a halt and bolted off the side, gaining as much distance from the Dead Shot as possible. After a moment thick black smoke started rising from it's back engine as it shook violently like it was gripped in a seizure, before the legs gave way as it collapsed to the sand. As it hit the ground, it's energy servers detonated and the entire Mech was blown apart in a fire storm that people in the city felt the shock wave off. The Hot shots had just made it behind a lump of hand just in time as bits of flaming wreckage began to fly into the air.

The explosion threw a pillar of sand up into the sky, creating a thick blanket of dust that hung around in the air, gently falling back to the ground. The choppers overhead had nearly been thrown out of the sky by the sheer force, some only regaining control of themselves to avoid a belly landing on the desert floor.

"That crazy son of a…

"Check the wreckage, collect those data discs or make sure they're destroyed." The Hot Shot's marched out from behind their barricade to tower the flaming wreckage, the smoke clouding their instruments for a brief moment.

"No one could have survived that. What the hell was he thinking?"

"Guess he didn't want to be taken alive."

"Forget the bastard. Just find those data discs!" While the salvage operation got underway, some distance away a small lump of sand twitched and Captain Okida poked his head out from under it. Blowing up his own Mech had been a last resort, but these guys had given him little other options. The smoke from the explosion and the fire would keep their sensors clouded just long enough for him to escape. He stood up, brushing the and out of his wings fur and clothes. The bat reached into his ash with withdraw the discs he had been safeguarding. Good, in one piece without a single scratch.

Spreading his wings out to their full length, he caught a updraft of hot air and soured into the sky, spiralling in mid air. Turning at just the right angle to fly upside down towards the city in the distance.

(In Chris Voice)

Is Captain Okida really the traitor, or is there something else going on? Will Chaotix unravel the mystery? Find out next time on Sonic X, A chase across the desert. Don't miss it!

(R&R)