(I do not own Sonic X, etc)

Flip card 2:

Name: Bark

Species: Polar Bear

Description: A member of the G.U.N freelance division and best friends with Bean and Hare.

In their escape, the trio of Bean, Bark and Hare had not been as lucky as the others. Taking the Icarus from the cargo bay of the Typhoon, the three of them had almost come under instant attack as Metal X attack drones noticed their fleeing vessel. Bark was struggling to keep the ship in the air, after a couple of lucky shots took out their starboard engine. Smoke and fire was bellow out the side of the ship as steadily began a decent towards the ground. Flying as hard and as fast as they could, they had already cleared the forest and had reached the coast of an ocean, it was near Bark slammed the controlled violently to the side and threw the Icarus into a ninety degree turn towards a long ridge of cliffs to the south.

Following close behind them were a swarm of at least twenty Metal X drones, flying robotic planes resembling stealth bombers, all painted bright royal blue. As soon as they had the craft back in their cross heirs, they opened fire again, a thick stream of green laser fire lancing through the air. Several struck the Icarus across the hull, tearing a gaping hole in the underside.

"Can't this rust bucket go any faster?" Bean asked, feeling the craft lurch violently to one side.

"No!" Bark replied, now fighting a loosing battle trying to keep the ship in the air. This ship might have been useful as a scout or civilian ship, but as a front line vessel it lacked the fire power and the defence to be of any usage. They would have taken the X tornado to escape in, but the Thorndykes had already beaten them to it.

Hare was sitting in the back, watching out through the porthole windows as the swarm that was following them began to close the distance. Each of them was trying their very best to knock them out of the sky and so far they were doing very well. Out the windows on the other side, Hare could see the smoke bellow out the back of the engine.

"This ship can get into orbit right?" He asked looked apprehensive.

"Not with an engine on fire it can't." Bark replied, before suddenly freezing, staring in utter disbelief at the control panel. "And it's out of gas!"

"What!" Bean declared, staring at the dial that represented how much fuel was left in the engines, now nearly flat horizontal, Evidentially, Tails had forgotten to top it off before leaving Earth. Stuttering and with nothing left to power it, the only working engine began to decrease in output and the ship slowly slowed down.

"Oh that can not be good." Hare muttered to himself as he watched the drones outside catch up with them.

Bark vigorously began flipping switches and pressing buttons, but nothing he did could help. At the last second, he tapped into a fuel reserve on the bottom of the ship and the engine roared to life as slowly by surely they began to pull away.

"You can stop praying now; we're going to be fine." Bean remarked back towards Hare, who was whispered into cupped hands. Opening one eye, the mobian rabbit locked around to make sure he wasn't dead before sighing with relief and wiping the sweat of his forehead.

"Hold the phone…" Bark added, his eyes going wide with worry as a dark shadow fell over them. Bean looked back to see some colossal vessel pass overhead, but it wasn't large enough to be Metal Sonic's behemoth, but long enough to make theirs seem like an insect. Mechanical bat like wings lanced out either side, along segmented tail flying out behind. Once it had flown overhead, a long neck with a lizard like head curved around to star directly at them from the front. Standing on top of this robotic dragon's head was another of the Metal X generals; basically humanoid with knight like armour and dragon likes wings. It was the Lancelot, leader of the Metal X air force. Slowly, he raised one hand, before dropping it suddenly back to his side.

The dragon opened its mouth and instantly, a ball of light began gathering inside the teeth, lightning dancing up and down its jaws.

"Oh for crying out load!" Hare managed to exclaim before a beam of energy shot through the distance between them, forcing Bark to pull violently back on the controls. The Icarus did an about turn and flew straight into the swarm of attack robots following them.

A drone came up on their left hand side, one large red optic eye studying the craft for a moment before a turret on its underside rotated around and landed several good hits with its laser blasts, taking out the remaining working engine.

At that final point, the Icarus had nothing keeping it in the air. With one sudden lurch, it began plummeting towards the ground. The drones came to a sudden stop as the ship collided with the soft earth below, skidded for a moment before colliding head first into a large outcrop of rocks with an explosion tearing out it's back.

Normally, they would have assumed that all the occupants had been killed; by their sensors had detected three escape pods escaping from the vehicle before it went down. As the drones were members of the air force, under General Lancelot's command, they had no jurisdiction on the ground and their general gave them no orders to pursue. Instead, on his personal craft, he turned back and flew on.

In this situation, all they could do was provide reconnaissance and let the nearest General and his own troops deal with the problem.

The nearest general was one who was sure not to let them get away, Equinox himself.

It had been a very good thing Tails had decided to include escape vehicles onboard the new Icarus. They had saved their lives. The pods were oval shaped containers that floated gently to the ground using parachutes. Inside, there was barley enough room to move; which in the end didn't really matter as when each pod hit the ground the doors leading itself sprang open and they were bundled out into the dirt.

They had landed on the desolate coast of an ocean, the ground rising up suddenly a short distance away and a little further beyond the thick rows of trees began. The sand was a pale white and strangely, the water which they expected to be royal blue appeared faintly purple. None of them had long to admire the scenery however, before any of them could react; another of the Metal X machines marched out from the trees, a colossal mechanical spider clad in blue armour and with several rows of blood red optics staring down at them. Standing on the top of its back, in between the joints of all eight legs was about robot. It had a centaur appearance, yet instead of a horse underside it had eight legs and an abdomen. Instead of wearing royal blue armour, the plating covering its arms and all eight legs was a pale orange. This was Equinox, leader of the Machine Federation's ground forces.

With a loud clicking sound, two turrets on the underside of the larger spider's mouth shot around and locked onto them. All three of them froze in their tracks, sweat running down the sides of their faces.

There was a stunned silence, before Hare tried to make a break for it. He came to a halt when he found another two giant spiders standing on either side, blocking their only ways of escape. They only way left unguarded now lead directly into the sea. With one sudden thrust, the smaller general leap off the top of his clan robot and came down directly in front of Bark. Even through Equinox was by far not as big as his clan members; he dwarfed all three of them.

"Alright." Bark began, slowly putting his hands up. "I know when to quit." Bean growled and drop the explosion he had ready to throw, putting his hands up as wlel. Hare looked around desperately for a way out of this situation, anything that might give them the opportunity to escape. He found now. Scowling with clenched teeth, he put his hands up as well.

Rouge watched from the safety of the trees as Equinox, the Metal X general took all three of them into custody; locking their arms and legs in restraints and loading them into a storage compartment on the back of one of his clan robots. There was nothing she could do for them now. She was outnumbered and outgunned. She would be able to do more for them by organising a rescue mission once she rejoined the others, providing that they also hadn't be captured that it. The bat had also been inside the Icarus, but had bailed out long before it went down; when the drones had started shooting at them. Now she was trapped between the rock and a hard place.

She was alone on a plant she knew nothing about, separated from her allies in enemy territory and hunted for by robots with the intent to cause her grievous bodily harm.

Someone, she had to find a way back to the Typhoon's landing sight and soon. It was probably the safest place on this entire planet.

Opening her wings, she darted back through the trees, just avoiding detection by a passing Machine Federation drone.

-

Shadow paused for a moment to survey the lay of the land from his vantage point. Most of the ground was rocky on the cliff side he had arrived on. A little further away down the slopes the tall trees began, their forest covering the expanses of a swamp. From here, he could see the swarms of air bond robots sweeping the area systematically for the others. Having bee the first to leave the Typhoon he had had the opportunity to watch it go down and knew exactly where it was. Tails had brought it down to a controlled landing a little further along the ridge.

Still, he would not proceed there directly. He could not bring his pursuerright to it.

From the moment he arrived he instantly knew that he was being followed and he knew who by to.

Tikal, as always was by his side. Staring out at the never ending expanse of wilderness, she looked like she was trying to find the others by just looking out for them. Not that she was having much more luck than Shadow himself was having. He would have much preferred it now if she had not come with him. She was just putting herself in harms way. She knew they were being followed as well and while she did not know how useful she could be, she would not abandon Shadow to an ambush. In silence, the two of them travelled down towards the forest. The odds of loosing their pursuer in there were slim at best, but it was their best shot.

Teleporting through Chaos control to the forests edge, Shadow paused long enough for Tikal to catch up to him and long enough to catch a glimpse of who was following them.

Standing on the cliff face where he had been a few minutes ago was Dark Oak, the first of the Metal X generals and the strongest of Metal Sonic's servants. Tikal noticed Shadow staring past her and looked back herself, seeing the tall robotic solider stand there with his arms crossed, staring down at them with his one large green eye.

Shadow took her by the hand and quickly lead her into the forest, vanishing in the darkness its gigantic canopy created. Dark Oak stared after them for a moment, before tensing his legs and leaping into the air; hovering on an output of Chaos energy, flying through the air after them.

Sliding through the immense tree trunks, Shadow let Tikal hang onto his shoulders and he started staking, staying above the thick lay of scum water below. Casting glances over his shoulder, he found he couldn't see the following General; but knew full well he was nearby.

Looking forward again, he slammed his foot forward just in time to see Dark Oak hovering in front of him; floating there with his arms crossed. Growling, Shadow cut to the side through two trees, disappearing through the undergrowth. Again Dark Oak remained silent, before flying after them with surprising speed.

No matter which way they turned, the general followed them. Whenever they stopped he was there waiting for them. It was as if he knew where they were going to go before they did, like he knew their path down to the last detail.

Eventually Shadow decided that running would never work in this situation. Slamming on the brakes, he and Tikal came to a stop in a small raised clearing just beyond the swamp; a thin shaft of light coming down through a gape in the canopy. The hissing of snakes was loud in the air. At the base of the hillock that rose of the swamp were two large crocodiles, Earth kind, tending to a small nest.

Putting the female Echidna down, he turned back the way he'd come expecting to find Dark Oak waiting. All that he found instead was utter silence, only the thick trees, undergrowth and swamp life was there to greet up. Hearing a sharp intake of air from behind him, Shadow ducked under a swing as Dark Oak's sword cut through the air.

Tikal was shoved violently to the side by the Metal X general and he charged at the black hedgehog. Shadow dodged around the swings of his sword, before somersaulting backwards and slamming a kick into his opponents chin, almost sending him toppling backwards.

"Little bit of warning." Shadow began, jabbing a finger towards Dark Oak. "I'm not in a good mood today, so back off." The general of Metal X remained silent, raising his curved scimitar like blade. "Last chance pal."

"No, it's your last chance." Was the reply. "You're last chance to surrender before I beat you and your companion to bloody lumps of flesh and bone." Dark Oak swung again, the tip of his blade striking Shadow down the left hand side of his face. Flinching backwards, Shadow held a glove up to the injury; the blood staining the fabric. It wasn't a deep wound and he could heal it no problem, but it still stung. "My orders are to take you alive. In how many pieces can only be determined by you." The general added; his feet off the ground as he hovered there.

Shadow remained still for a moment, faking an injury; before swinging both arms forward and firing a Chaos Spear at point blank range directly into Dark Oak's chest plate. Thrown through the air, the Metal X general rebounded off the side of a tree before rapidly descending to the ground; his cloak burned right off his shoulders.

"Just another robot." Shadow remarked callously, assuming a fighting stance. Dark Oak began chuckled as he kneeled there. The black and red hedgehog paused as the general righted him, with no apart damage down to his frame despite the attack.

"Just another robot?" He repeated sounding amused, grasping his blade in both hands, raising the sword high in the air. "Is that what you honestly think I am?" Shadow narrowed his eyes. He was up to something. "Why do you think I'm called Dark Oak?" Without a moments hesitation, the first general of Metal X forced his power down the length of the blade, the serrated metal gleaming bright green for an instant, bolts of golden lightening lancing down into the ground. Shadow looked down just in time to see the root of some giant planet could tearing up through the soil underneath him, entangled vines seizing his limbs. He struggled against them, but found his own strength far too limited to break the bounds. Tikal tried to rush into help him, but nearly instantly more rots shot out of the ground slamming themselves into her, sending her flying through the air and into the side of a rock; knocking her unconscious.

"Tikal!" Shadow called over, now desperately trying to free himself. He looked back as Dark Oak hovered over him with his arms crossed, his sword still in one hand.

"With the use of Chaos Energy, I can control lesser forms of organic life; such as plants." He explained; his single eye glowing blood red. "I find them clumsy tools at best, lacking the elegant touch of metal but they get the job done." Growling, Shadow clenched his fists and sparks of chaos energy began dancing along each arm. Finally with one sudden burst of power, the black and red hedgehog broke his bonds and the sheer force sent Dark Oak crashing into the ground.

Now free, Shadow rocketed toward landing a punch against the startled General, before smashing a wild succession of kicks against his stomach. Forced backwards, his heals dragging in the dirt; Dark Oak directed his hands towards the ground and more vines and roots lanced out of the ground towards the charging hedgehog. Dodging around most of them, Shadow burned those that got too close with a Chaos spear before spinning towards the General himself.

"You're finished!" He declared, drawing a fist back ready to strike. Dark Oak laughed and caught the punch in his free land, before using the other to draw his sword. Somersaulting up in mid air, Shadow narrowly avoided getting slashed across the stomach.

"You really think you can defeat me here?" Dark Oak asked and suddenly the trees around them began to shiver as some force took control of their forms. "This entire forest is a weapon, under my complete control!" Vines, roots and even branches were in the air instantly in their hundreds, sweeping Shadow off his feet before he had a chance to put up a decent fight. With one sudden thrust, they flung him against the side of a tree; vines pinning his arms and legs to the bark; holding him in place. Thick branches bending over his body, keeping him in that one place no matter now hard he struggled.

In that same instant, the plants picked up the unconscious Tikal and left her at the same level as Shadow on another tree.

"Damn it." The black and red hedgehog cursed, focusing all his strength on freeing his right arm. The more he fought back, the more the vines attempts to confine him increased. They were matching his strength almost perfectly, no matter how much he tried to exert himself.

"Ready to surrender?" Dark Oak asked from below, sheathing his blade. "Your abilities using Chaos Control can quickly be copied once the Master has had an opportunity to study you. So to that end, he'd like for me to take you alive." The glow in his one eyes increased. "Personally, I'd much prefer to gut you right here and now."

"Not a chance in hell." Shadow replied, spitting at him. Dark Oak clenched a fist and the restraints around the black hedgehog's body began to constrict, forcing all the air out of his lungs, squeezing him to death like an anaconda. Grunting in pain, Shadow tried to blot it out. Involuntary tears forming at the edge of his eyes.

"Sure you won't like to revise that reply?" Dark Oak asked, tightening his fist and in unison the vines and branches constricted even more.

"No, I think its good enough." Was the defiant answer as Shadow struggled for air. Dark Oak remained silent for a moment.

"Ultimate life-form." The general stated quietly. "You think that title impress us? You're still an organic form of life, weak, defective, imperfect and useless." Dark Oak turned his back on him. "It's a miracle your kind survived long enough to give birth to artificial intelligence."

The general stated quietly. Dark Oak turned his back on him.

"Oh you're Metal Sonic's creation alright. You even sound like him." Dark Oak whirled around, the glow from his eye blinding Shadow.

"You dare insult the Master?" With a sickening twist, Shadow's constraints cut off his air supply, a vine wrapping itself around his neck. Gagging, he tried to free his arms to rip it off. His strength fading, the black hedgehog could do little to help himself as is vision blurred and he blacked out.

-

(In Chris' voice)

Divided and being conquered! Shadow lost against Dark Oak! Okida and Topaz lost in the wilderness and the Thorndykes are still out there! Can Sonic defeat Equinox, the leader of the Metal X ground forces? Find out next time on Sonic X, Wrath of the Spider. Don't miss it!