(I do not own Sonic X, etc.)

Flip card 2:

Name: The Egg Fleet

Description: Once Doctor Eggman's greatest creation, once destroyed and now reborn to fight for the Eggman Empire.

-

"December 1st, this will be my final entry." Shadow looked up. Gerald was slouched in a chair, looking more glum than Shadow had ever seen anyone look. "My back up plan has been set in motion but I doubt it will amount to anything soon enough. It may take decades, centuries even…" He paused to bring the tip of a whisky bottle to his mouth. Clearly these were the days of the end, when the happy life on ARK had been shattered forever. "My research has shown that Earth, and the alternate dimension called Mobius will merge at some point. That is an unavoidable event and will be both wondrous and disastrous. Continued use of Chaos Control, I discovered will act as a catalysis, accelerating the process. Two planets joining into one…I was right…it is like something out of a comic book.

The evil that controls the Foundation must be stopped, or whatever glorious future either world may have will be gone. For that purpose…I created this…" He reached down and pull up a golden ring, similar to the ones shadow had around his wrists. But instead of a red fabric tab on the side, this one was blue. "If this footage is being seen by the end result of Project Shadow…as I hope it is….then you will need this." He held the ring closer to the camera. "This is my final legacy. This ring will be the key you need to defeating the Foundation and their dark puppet master. You have to unite with the three and this ring can help you do it." He lowered his hand and sighed. "I am asking a lot of you as this isn't what you were created for. I wanted you to be healer, a being to bring relief to a world pull of suffering, to help my granddaughter." The professor smiled grimly. "But I guess things never work out exactly the way you want them to. "My days on ARK are finished. The Foundation has seen through my ploys and already they are creating excuses for G.U.N to invade the space colony and there is nothing I can do to stop them. Remember the name of evil you face Shadow…remember the name Krish Kra Pal." Shadow blinked, remembering that name all too well. "So, this is all the help I can give you. This ring will allow you to merge with chaos energy completely, to not just become a being that controls power, but to be power itself. But even this gift may not be enough…Good luck…Shadow the Hedgehog." With that, the video diary finally cut out and the screen turned back to static.

Shadow was left stunned.

His mind was blank. It had been hit by more astonishing revelations then he was counting on and he had been left catatonic.

"Hey…are you ok?" He shivered slightly as someone put a hand on his shoulder. Looking back, he saw Tikal's concerned face and that brought him back to reality in some measure.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied, still caught in his own thoughts a bit. Prof. Gerald knew that the Earth and Mobius would become one planet one day? What plan had he lain down though? What last line of defence had he created, before the ARK invasion, where his mind deteriorated and he forgot all about it? And where was that… Shadow looked aside towards Jefferson, who was offering him a golden ring with a blue strap on it.

"It came with the files." The human explained as the hedgehog gently picked it up. It was exactly like the rings he wore, but there was something else; something he could not explain. Something that made the fur stand up on the back of his neck.

"Krish Kra Pal?" Shadow repeated. "We already faced the Foundation. We already stopped Krish."

"Stopped…not destroyed." Jefferson began, earning him a fixed glare. "Oh I know all about that. I made it my business to know what happened to the Foundation. After those guys; and the Elite were exposed, I've been on the lookout for puppeteers working from behind the scenes. It's only good business sense." Shadow paused for a moment, before clamping the ring on his right wrist, just above the ring already there. "Look out there Shadow…what do you think is going on?" The human asked, gesturing to the war being waged in the sky outside. "The sky looks as though it's on fire, society is breaking down in the streets and I'm certain all of this has been orchestrated by Krish Kra Pal. I don't know what he is, I don't know where he comes from and I don't know what he hopes to gain; but what I do know is that this is the day referred to as the apocalypse, unless something is done."

"Like what?" Shadow demanded angrily, glare at him.

"Krish's body was destroyed by the god of the sword and the god of the shield more than eight thousand years ago." Tikal explained. "He's a wraith, a being locked in another plane of existence called Nexus, where objects rarely have physical substance. It's like fighting a ghost."

"Well inaction is not an option for you." Jefferson reminded them.

-

"This is Scarlet Garcia, reporting live from News chopper one." The battle had intensified after Eggman threw himself into the fray, his new Egg Fleet blasting Black Arm, G.U.N or Machine Federation ships with intense barrages of missiles and laser fire. The sky was like a thunderstorm had different colour laser blasts shot across the clouds and the burning remains of ships began falling down towards the ground. The three Flagships of the different fleets, The Whale Shark Battleship, the Giant Wing and the Black Arm mother-ship had fallen back into defensive positions to better support the ships they commanded. The fighting was intense and showed absolutely no signs of subsiding. "What I'm seeing here looks like something out of Star Wars. The G.U.N fleet had engaged several enemies at once and at this point, I can't tell who is winning." Garcia spoke into her mike, watching the battle. The fighting was stretched out across the airspace of the entire country and was quickly descending further and further down towards the ground. Within the hour, they would be fighting across the rooftops of the major cities. The G.U.N fleet was trying it's best to drive them back up, but the sheer number of enemies just kept pushing forward.

"I'll tell you who's winning girl!" Eggman sneered, watching the broadcast on a side monitor. The Doctor sat on the metallic throne in the control room of the Whale Shark Flagship, the intense glow from the Master Emerald behind him sending dark shadows over his face highlighting the sadistic grin. "Now, how about this for the headlines tomorrow morning!" He pressed a button nearby.

On the deck of the Flagship a tremendously large pair of metal shutter doors pulled themselves aside as a large, humanoid shape object rose up into the air, the tip glaring brightly in the sunlight. It was one of the Doctor's best robots, a pipe dream he had been toying with. It was twice the height of the G.U.N Mech's and was shaped like a knight in armour. The hands were thick and heavy with intense amounts of weaponry, the face carved in his own image, with thick black panels of glass as spectacles and a large spray of metal as a moustache. It's head jerked to a side, as if becoming alert, before raising both arms and aiming them directly at the G.U.N fortress Giant Wing. There was a loud clanking and two doors on the front of the arms moved aside to reveal a pair of silver barrels; both of which began to glow intensely blue as energy began to accumulate.

"Get me on that Flag Ship." Knuckles demanded; gesturing with a fist to the Whale Shark below them. The Blue Typhoon was buzzing through the battle, shooting down every ship belonging to the Machine Federation or Eggman Empire that got in their way. They avoided Black Arm or G.U.N ships since their own something to the Black Arm who helped them escape. Jalios was onboard the ship with them, watching her people engage in an orchestrated battle that would leave many of her own kind dead before the end of the day. Tails nodded once and sent the ship into a dive, passing through thick streams of bullets, missiles and laser fire to dive directly towards Eggman's ship.

Knuckles quickly made his way outside the Typhoon to the wings, preparing to jump. He was fuming with anger and would tear that entire place apart to get his Emerald back. And if he stopped the doctor from shooting down the G.U.N fleet then he could consider that a bonus. Timing it just right, the Echidna dived off the edge of the ship and let himself get carried by the winds, to took him closer and closer towards the giant vessel below. Glancing to the side, he saw Rouge following him, her wings laid against the side of her body to make herself more streamlined against the howling wind. She smiled, gave him a thumbs up before carrying on.

"Evasive manoeuvres!" The President declared and nearly instantly, Giant Wing began tilting itself to the side and a second later, the robot standing on the bow of Eggman's flag ship opened fire with several intense beams of laser fire. That ripped through the air and struck the side of the flying fortes with tremendous force. The blast would have hit them square on and destroyed them had it not been for the President's order that came not a moment too soon. Several ships moved into a defensive formation in front of the Flying fortress to protect the flagship while several others prepared for an assault of their own.

Using his floating ability to break his fall, Knuckles landing on the front bow of the Whale shark flagship and in the shadow of the Mech that was preparing to do so much damage to the G.U.N. fleet. A second later, Rouge landed by his side her wings spread out wide.

"You ready?" She asked, Knuckles just nodded in reply before racing down with fists drawn back. Rouge grinned inanely, before following after him.

Away from the battle, Sonic the Hedgehog was racing along the ground, following the ship that had fled away from the fighting. It hadn't taken the hedgehog long to figure out exactly why Metal Sonic was running away from the fighting and to take up pursuit. Metal Sonic had six Chaos Emeralds with one more to go, his plan was clearly to pick up the final one while all this enemies were busy fighting each other. Well, not on Sonic's watch, he thought to himself; his legs going into an overdrive. His entire form became a sudden blur as he poured on more speed. Dodging through trees, landmarks, across bridges and down streets at a speed that boggled even his mind. The robotic hedgehog's new ship was a fast one and was capable of keeping its distance. Still, that did not seem enough for Metal Sonic. He would not risk Sonic's inference when he was so close to success.

Looking back over his shoulder, his cape fluttering out behind him; the leader of the Machine Federation gestured briefly to the two robots standing behind him, who saluted by crossing their right arm over their chests before taking their leave.

Sonic looked up as he saw two small objects break away from the back of the ship, hover in the air for a moment, before coming down after him. As they got closer, the hedgehog was able to tell they were robots. Clearly they were sent to slow him down or to stop him altogether. Right now he didn't have time to waste fighting them, so he sped on, trying to outdistance them both.

The robots however had other ideas and shot after him, pulling alongside Sonic. Glancing out to both sides, he could see exactly what robots they were. One of them was Metal Knuckles, a robot Eggman created to be one of his elite while the other; more surprisingly; was E1004: Theta.

"Didn't you go boom?" The hedgehog asked, before the android raised its arms and fired a shot of searing heat from the flamethrowers attached to its limbs. Sonic slowed down and managed to avoid the attack, before speeding up again as Metal Knuckles came sharply at his side trying to cut him down. "Love to tangle with you guys, but I'm late for a dentist appointment." The Hedgehog remarked, before speeding on; leaving the two robots behind.

Metal Sonic stood on the bow of his second flagship with his arms crossed, the six emeralds he had encircling his entire body like moons in orbit. His sensors had picked up the location of the final emeralds and now he was on his way to retrieve it. Once he had it, all he had to do then was activate the ancient machines and nothing would be able to stop him. He and his forces would be invincible. The robotic hedgehog was so close to winning now he could sense it.

Metal Knuckles and Theta would not take no for an answer. They kept coming, jets packs on their backs working full force to keep up with the blue hedgehog was he carried on, shooting like a cannonball between two large rocks to enter a valley, the Metal X ship falcon shaped ship just above the high ridges. Sonic glanced back towards the two robots who still hadn't given up their chase. "Well, if you want's to rumble that badly why didn't you just say so?" He yelled back into the air, before doing an about face and charging straight at them. Before either robot could do anything, he a laid a single hand on their shoulders. "Chaos Control!"

Metal Sonic glanced back a single point of green light erupted into the air as three figures seemed to emerge out of nothingness. Two of them were his own robots and the third…the robotic hedgehog's eyes blared blood red.

"Destroy him!" Metal Sonic ordered, and Metal Knuckles and Theta seemed more than happy to oblige.

"Can't we settle this like mature people?" Sonic asked, raising his hands in question, before using his wrist to parry of a swing from Metal Knuckles. "Guess not." He replied with a short grin, before kicking the robotic echidna aside. Cupping his hands, the blue hedgehog paused for a moment, before firing a Sonic Wind attack straight forward. Metal Knuckles sank his into the metal skin of the flying ship, anchoring himself down against the vortex of energy that smashed into him, peeling away a layer of paint on his head.

Theta raised both flamethrowers towards Sonic again.

"Now you'll get the true meaning of the words 'open fire'." He remarked, before letting Sonic have it with both barrels.

"Man, I am really sick of those jokes!" The hedgehog replied, somersaulting backwards over the blast, spiralling in mid air before coming down hard towards the android with a sharp kick.

Theta took the blow of the back and staggered forward, loosing his balance for a second. Sonic tried to take advance of the moment, but Metal Knuckles came charring in with a kick of his own, sending Sonic spiralling backwards over the deck towards the edge. If the hedgehog hand grabbed the tip of the wing in time he would have fallen off.

Theta marched up and trod on Sonic's fingers, forcing the hedgehog to let go with one hand. He was left their swaying like a rag doll in the wind, trying to pull himself back up. With clear glee in his optics, Theta brought his foot down again, squashing the other hand and in that instant, Sonic disappeared.

"Enemy destroyed my lord." Theta announced, turning to salute Metal Sonic.

"Oh really?" The robotic hedgehog asked. "Then what's that there?" Theta turned around to see what he was taking about, but not in time to block a kick as Sonic came hurtling out of a Chaos Control teleport. His own weight used against him. Theta was knocked over the edge of the wing himself with nothing to break his fall crashed down into the ground. "I don't think I'll bother rebuilding him this time." Metal Sonic remarked, watching the androids burst into flames as he hit the ground. Sonic simply dusted his hands off with a wide smirk on his face, before descending into a fighting stance towards Metal Knuckles.

The robotic echidna didn't hesitate and charged, claws held ready to swipe. Sonic blocked the attack and then brought his leg up sharply to try for a kick. Metal knuckles dodged around it, before catching Sonic on the side of his face with the twos of his claws. The hedgehog yelped and darted backwards, blood running from two short cuts on the left cheek.

The two opponents exchanged blows so fast it would have been impossible for the naked eye to see, the air between the two of them a dizzy blur of kicks and punches. To the untrained observer the only indications of conflict were the momentary flashes of red colliding with blue.

Sonic grabbed Metal Knuckles by the thick bracer on its left arm; swung the robot over his head before smashing him into the ground. At that point, he let go, somersaulted into the air before firing another Sonic Wind attack down at him. Metal Knuckles spun back up to its feet and crossed it's bracers in front of itself in an 'X' shape. A shield formed around the robot and the moment the attack collided with that shield, the rippling vortex of energy was sent right back to its castor.

Sonic was knocked back down to the deck of the ship by his own attack and sent spiralling across it until he nearly fell off the edge again.

"Ok, let's try that again." The hedgehog remarked, picking himself and shaking himself to dislodge fragments of metal from his quills. Racing down, Sonic drew a fist back and smashed it straight forward through Metal Knuckles' defences before finally the attack hit home against the side of the robots head. Metal Knuckles staggered backwards several paces, before retaliating by slashing away at the hedgehog with its claws. Sonic ducked under both swings, before bringing a fist up sharply on its arm. There was a loud cracking noise and its left arm was severed from its body, landing with a loud thump on the deck of the falcon shaped ship.

Without the balancing act the weight of both arms supplied, Metal Knuckles was left uncoordinated, dragging its arm around like an intense burden. Sonic backed off to a distance, before spinning on one spot, curving his body into a ball. Once enough momentum had been built up, Sonic rocketed forward, smashing spin attack directly into the robots body.

Metal Sonic sighed as he watched another of his robots go hurtling over the side and into the abyss."It'simpossible to find good help." He muttered, unfolding his arms and turning to face Sonic, who was standing there facing him with that annoying grin on his face. "You can't defeat me, you do know that?" Sonic just shrugged in reply.

"I can try." He retorted; bring on arm forward and twitching his fingers in the Matrix style 'bring it on'. Metal Sonic simply laughed and let his arms trail out wide either side. The emerald encircling his body suddenly began glowing their respective colours and bolts leapt form each one to Metal Sonic himself. Sonic looked stunned. "You can use Chaos Emeralds?" He began; eyes wide in awe and horror.

"Of course I can. You shouldn't have to ask." Metal Sonic replied, sounding slightly offended, before clenching his fists. Suddenly, his eyes blared blood red and light erupted from his entire body, an intense shockwave spreading out wards at tremendous speed, hitting Sonic and sending him flying up into the air like an old newspaper.

Knocked senseless, all Sonic could do now was fall, off the edge of the ship and down towards the ground. Hadn't it been for the splattering of rain that smacked him in the face as he spiralled towards the ground, he wouldn't had regained his wits in him to prevent becoming a pancake, diapering in a Chaos Control warp and using a set of bushes to break his fall.

Crawling out from underneath a badly chosen holly bush, the hedgehog watched the ship he had been on moments before rocket away, heading off towards the horizon. Grunting in annoyance and pain, Sonic dusted the barbs of his fur, before racing after it. Metal Sonic was doing everything he could to delay him. Clearly they were close to the position of the final emerald now. There was too much as stake to fail now.

-

Shadow remained alone with his thoughts, unconcerned by the time they were readily running out of. No action would be taken by him until he got things sorted in his head. He glanced down briefly at the second ring he had around his wrist, the ring that Prof. Gerald's recording claimed would help him defeat the evil that needed confronting, or more specifically; the dark God Krish Kra Pal. How exactly the professor had known about that…thing's…existence did not bother him to much. What really set his nerves on fire was the fact that he was still around. He felt for sure they had seen the last of him when Sonic helped Shadow evict the demon creature from his mind.

If Gerald and Jefferson were right, and everything, the rise of Metal X, the war before them now and the chase for the Chaos Emeralds had all been orchestrated by Krish, then for what reason? When they last met, the demon god had wanted to use Shadow's body as a vessel. If that was not the intention this time around, what could he possibly want? And just what did this ring have to do with any of it?

He sighed, opening his eyes and glared out across the city. The fighting in the skies above was getting nearly on top of the buildings themselves. Any minute now it would be here, and people were still looting down there. Clearly they thought they wanted to die in the presence of things they wanted all their lives. There was a warped logic behind that.

"One with Chaos." He muttered himself, looking down at the ring again. The recording told him this ring would help him do that. To not only control Chaos energy but to be Chaos energy itself to use a power beyond Chaos Control. Shadow didn't know if that was even possible.

The way in which he and Sonic were distantly related actually made sense and did not shock him as much as he supposed it should. Shadow was created on Earth, yet was clearly based on mobian genetic patterns. There was only one way Gerald could have gotten that genetic material and that was if he's had away to go back and forth between the worlds. That tape had explained a lot of things. His own origins and even those of Doctor Eggman himself. What it failed to point out for him was the one thing he needed to know the most. What was he supposed to be?

Was he weapon, a body for a dark god, a healer, a saviour, a destroy or…or what? What was he supposed to be? What was he here for?

"Well?" Jefferson asked. Shadow was suddenly aware of all eyes on him. All of them Tikal included, were waiting for his answer. "What's it going to be?" A decision, a direction had to be taken now. Only one came to mind.

"I'm going to get the Chaos Emeralds." He replied, unfolding his arms. "If I've read these events right, then Krish needs them to carry out his plan." Slowly, he closed his eyes and let his senses lance outwards, probing the air itself for tell tale trace of Chaos energy. "Uh oh." He added suddenly, looking up. The six Chaos Emeralds that Metal Sonic took from the Blue Typhoon stood out like a lighthouse beacon, and they were moving. All six of them were travelling directly towards the seventh, which lay only a few miles away directly in the heart of the ruins of Station Square.

"Something has to be pretty wrong to make Shadow say… 'Uh Oh'." Bark whispered to Bean.

"We've got even less time then I thought." Shadow replied. "Sorry, but I've got to handle this one on my own." Without another word and before any of them could argue; the black and Red hedgehog disappeared in a short flash of green light.

"Hey, he ditched us!" Hare declared, looking a little agitated. Tikal shook her head.

"We'd just get in the way." She told them. "Shadow knows what he's doing." The female Echidna looked out towards the chaos gripping the world, a sudden worried expression on her face. "I hope."

-

(In Chris' voice)

Prof. Gerald knew about the merging worlds, and that wrist band he gave Shadow will really help them beat Metal Sonic and Krish? Hope it does, cause their going to need all the help they can get. Chaotix have front rows seats to the fight of the century, next time on Sonic X; the Clash of Titans! Don't miss it!