I was roused from sleep by a gentle nudging at my side. I opened my eyes, cringing as they were assaulted by the morning light. Trying again, I focused my eyes on Nibbles, who was still lying next to me. He was looking at me, almost grinning with amusement.

"What's so funny?" I grumbled, making him chuckle.

"Your face." he replied, baring all of his teeth in his now-full grin.

I snorted, almost shoving my companion off the bed. "Shut up."

"Good morning, Tria!" Penny greeted me as she walked into the room, "Breakfast is ready! How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks." I replied, smiling at the excitable blond as I got dressed. We followed her to the kitchen, where Nate and Roland were already eating.

"Hey, Tria! You're awake!" Roland called to me, waving.

"Looks like that can-chomping vivosaur is with you, too…" Nate muttered through a mouthful of egg. He backed up when Nibbles ran up to him, growling playfully. "Tria! Get your butt-biting vivosaur away from me!"

"Hm…" I hummed, pretending to consider Nate's request, "No, I don't think so." I then grinned, innocently sadistic. "Nibbles spends so much time with me; he needs a new playmate."

Nate stared at me, horrified, before taking off out of the Fossil Center. The rest of us laughed, including Nibbles.

"I don't care what Nate says." Penny said through her giggles, "I still think Nibbles likes us more now."

"Oh, he does." I replied, smiling, "He just likes to tease Nate. He enjoys the reaction."

"As long as he doesn't start chewing on us." Roland mumbled under his breath, shrinking away when the small vivosaur glanced at him.

"Oh, by the way." I said after everyone had calmed down, "Have Captain Stryker and Professor Little come back yet?"

"Hm. I don't know." Penny said after swallowing a bite of her toast.

"Where did they go, anyway?" Roland asked, looking at me. They had learned that, if something was going on, I most likely knew what it was.

I shrugged. "They went to check out a lead on Blackraven." I said. I didn't know how much I was allowed to reveal, but it's not like they didn't already know enough to guess that conclusion. "I should probably go see if they're back."

After bidding good morning to Penny and Roland, Nibbles and I rode the elevator up to the Captain's office. As soon as we stepped out, we were greeted by Captain Stryker himself.

"Good timing, Tria." he said when he saw me, "I was about to send for you."

"Good morning, Tria." Professor Little greeted me from his usual place beside the Captain's desk, "We heard about what happened with Nibbles yesterday. We're glad he's okay."

"Grr." Nibbles growled, embarrassed by the attention he was clearly unused to receiving.

Stryker nodded in agreement before continuing, "We're back from San Freezin, the icy penitentiary where Dr. Blackraven was being held. And when we examined his cell, we found something truly terrifying." Stryker crossed his arms and leaned back, turning to his young green-haired companion. "Professor, if you would?"

Professor Little cleared his throat and stepped forward, clasping his hands behind his back as if to give a classroom presentation.

"Upon superficial examination, it looked like an ordinary prison cell." he explained, "However, I performed an infrared scan of the walls and the floor and discovered something quite shocking." Professor Little clenched his fists, trying to still his trembling body. "Every surface of the cell was covered in mathematical equations of stunning complexity! It seems Dr. Blackraven found a way to write on the surfaces with some kind of invisible ink. And he used his five years of captivity to complete work on some kind of theory."

"What kind of theory?" I asked, a sinking feeling in my gut.

"Well…" Little muttered, still unnerved by what he had seen, "As far as I can tell, he was working on a method of…time travel."

I gulped, and Nibbles shuddered. So that's why Elric was so upset.

Professor Little continued, "He seems to have figured out a way to build a time gate that can link the present with the past. But creating such a gate is not easy. It requires enormous power, as well as an incredibly rare metal found only in the deepest reaches of space…Cosmonium!"

I gritted my teeth, growling low in my throat. Nibbles pressed himself against my legs, whimpering quietly. Our distress seemed to go unnoticed by Captain Stryker, who picked up where the Professor left off.

"If his theory is sound-and it's my opinion that it is-I have no doubt he intends to create just such a time gate. This explains why his henchmen stole both the Mega Electrominite and the trophies." he said, his brow wrinkled as he pondered this puzzle, "What we don't understand is WHY he wants to travel through time. But knowing the doctor, there can't be a good reason for it. He's been seeking world domination his entire life, after all." Stryker slammed his hands on his desk in frustration. "The situation could not be more dire. We must stop his plans no matter what!"

"Yeah…" I whispered. The two males didn't hear me.

"Luckily for us, the time gate won't open in just any old place. It must be activated in an area where there's an existing warble in the space-time continuum." Little said, attempting to sound optimistic, "We've established a list of such locations around the world. Now we just have to investigate them one at a time and see what we find."

Stryker nodded, "I've contacted the leaders of each branch and issued their orders. However," He looked up at me, grim. "It seems the American branch is running dangerously low on personnel. I need you to head to the American branch right away, Tria."

"Yes, sir! I'm on my way." I said, saluting the Captain before turning on my heel and heading toward the elevator.

"Good luck!" I heard Stryker call before the elevator doors closed behind me.

"America again?" Nibbles groaned, sounding frustrated.

"That's where we're needed." I stated simply, looking at my companion, "What's wrong with America?"

"The humans." he growled, "The purple human has an attitude and the leader is loud."

"I won't argue with that." I said with a sigh, heading toward the World Gate, "But they're not bad. That's just who they are. Besides…" I smirked at him. "You have an attitude too, you know."

Nibbles snorted dismissively, following me through the World Gate. As soon as I entered the American Fossil Park, I was greeted by a young boy with rusty-red hair and a symbol on his forehead.

"Tria!" Lucky cried when he saw me, running up and jumping on me as he locked his arms around my torso, "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Hey there, Lucky." I said, smiling down at the young male, "It has been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry I've been too busy to hang out with you lately."

"It's okay!" Lucky waved off the apology, "I know there's something going on. Leon's been really busy, too…" He looked down at the floor, smiling sadly. I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Lucky." I said, kneeling down so that we were at eye-level, "But don't worry. Once this trouble is over, things will be peaceful again. And when that happens, we'll all hang out and go digging together again."

Lucky sniffed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "Promise?"

I smiled reassuringly. "Promise." Then, with one last pat on Lucky's shoulder, I stood back up and walked into the elevator that led up to Sean's office. When I got there, the American leader was waiting for me. Leon was standing by Sean's desk, his arms crossed. I smiled at him, earning me a smile in return before I faced Sean.

"Hey! Thanks for coming!" Sean greeted me, "Dunno if you heard, but America's crammed to the gills with these space-time warbles. It's super trippy. We totally don't have enough folks to search all of 'em. Anyway, I was hoping you and Leon could team up and give us a hand."

I looked at Leon, who turned to face me.

"It's no secret that I prefer working alone. But if it's you, Tria…" He smiled, placing a hand on his hip, "I guess it couldn't hurt to bring backup on this one."

"Sweet!" Sean said happily, glad that Leon wasn't fighting teamwork this time, "So you're gonna help, right, Tria?"

"Of course!" I replied, smiling. Sean beamed, his smile as blinding as ever.

"You are the BEST! Ok! I'm gonna have you check a warble over in the Starry Falls dig site. Oh, and the BR Brigade might be hanging around, so don't do anything crazy! If you spy 'em, just stand down and let everybody know. Cool?"

"Yes sir!" I said.

"You got it, Chief." Leon added.

"Cool…" Sean muttered as he went back to work figuring out where he should go next.

"Come on, Tria." Leon said, leading me out of the office.

"Starry Falls…" I mumbled thoughtfully, "I don't think I've been there yet."

"It can be difficult to navigate sometimes." Leon explained, crossing his arms again, "It's always nighttime there, so it's always dark. The vivosaurs seem to come out of nowhere and the path can be hard to see. But…" He smiled at me, putting an arm around me as he often does. "It's also very pretty and peaceful. I like going there to relax."

"Relax…I'd like that." I sighed, leaning against the taller male and closing my eyes, "I haven't had time to do that recently."

"None of us have." Leon said, sighing as well. Nibbles snorted and rolled his eyes, catching Leon's attention. "What's his problem?"

"He's annoyed at how easily humans get tired." I replied, shrugging dismissively. Leon glared at Nibbles, who glared back unflinchingly. I sighed again, smacking both of them, Leon's side and Nibbles' nose, as the doors opened. We headed toward the Garage, but we were stopped when a familiar redhead jumped on Leon.

"Leon!" Lucky cried happily, "I didn't know Tria was coming to see you! You should have told me!"

"Lucky! Get off!" Leon yelled, a deep blush on his face as he tried to pry the boy off of him, "Tria was sent here by the Captain to help me investigate a dig site!"

"Oooh!" Lucky hummed in realization, "Which one? Can I come? I can help!"

"No way!" Leon barked, shutting down the excited boy's request outright.

"Why not?" Lucky cried, tears appearing in his eyes.

"Because it could be dangerous!" Leon argued, turning to me for help, "Tell him, Tria!"

But I wasn't paying attention. I had noticed someone standing in the parking lot, waiting to speak with me. I nodded to him, looking at the two males.

"Actually, a little extra backup might not be such a bad idea." I said, locking eyes with Lucky, "But Leon's right. It might be dangerous. Are you willing to face danger and put yourself at risk, Lucky?"

"Of course!" he answered immediately while Leon gaped at me, "You guys are always too busy to hang out with me, so the least I can do is help you do your jobs! Besides, it'll give me experience so I can become a Warden when I get older!"

"Excellent!" I accepted his answer, pushing them both towards the Garage before Leon could form a coherent protest, "Then you're riding with Leon. I'll meet you both there shortly!"

"Wait a minute! What are you- Tria?!" Lean called as he was dragged into his Bone Buggy by his excited companion. I simply waved at him as I ran to the parking lot to meet the silver-haired male who was waiting for me.

"You certainly have a battle ahead of you." Elric said as I approached him. He looked grim.

"I'm sorry, Elric." I muttered, looking down, "I failed to keep Blackraven from getting the tools he needed to create the time gate. Please forgive me."

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to meet the golden eyes of my childhood friend.

"It's all right, Tria." he said, smiling kindly, "You did everything you could in your situation. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yeah, but-!" I tried to argue, but Elric held up a finger, silently interrupting me.

"Right now, you should be focusing on stopping Blackraven from opening the time gate."

I looked into Elric's eyes, placing my hand over the one he had on my shoulder. "So he is there, huh." When Elric nodded, I gripped his hand. "I know you're not supposed to interfere, but…"

"Say no more." Elric picked up, understanding what I was saying, "I had already planned to follow you in. I will remain hidden, but I'll be there."'

"Thanks, Elric." I said, giving him a quick hug before running back towards the Garage. I looked back just in time to see him secretly enter the Garage. I smiled, getting into my own blue Digger's Rig and driving through the portal to Starry Falls. As soon as I arrived, I was met with Leon's scowling face on my screen.

"Took you long enough, Tria! You stop for donuts or something?" he snarled at me. I laughed, catching the underlying question of "And why'd you stick me with the kid?"

"Sorry, Leon! I had to have a word with someone." I replied, "How are you doing, Lucky?"

"Good!" he answered as his face appeared on the screen, "Leon's in a bad mood, though."

"I wonder why." Leon growled sarcastically, glaring at me. I just smiled.

"He'll get over it. Come on, let's get going!" I called, driving forward, with Leon following lazily behind. After a few minutes of navigating the dark dig site, Lucky piped up again.

"By the way, what are we looking for exactly?" he asked.

Leon didn't respond, simply looking at me. He made it clear that I would have to handle this one myself.

"You'll know it when we find it." I said simply, smirking at the irritated look the psychic boy gave me. Leon arched his eyebrow, looking at me curiously. I just kept driving, leading my companions deeper into the darkened dig site.

After a few more minutes of driving, we came upon a group of three familiar black Bone Buggies. I narrowed my eyes.

"Tria, look!" Leon called, also noticing the group, "Those Bone Buggies look suspicious to you?"

"They sure do!" I replied.

"I'll bet my next pension that's the BR Brigade!" Leon said as we stopped out of sight.

"The BR Brigade?!" Lucky cried, "That's who we're looking for?!"

"Crud…" Leon muttered, glaring at me. I was unfazed.

"That's right." I replied simply, "At least, that's part of it. Better call it in, Leon."

"Yeah…" Leon muttered, calling the American Fossil Park. He had a look of concentration on his face, but that soon gave way to a look of frustration, which was immediately followed by an angry, "Son of a bitch!"

"Leon!" I scolded him.

"It's okay, Tria!" Lucky called back to me, "Leon swears around me all the time!"

I sighed in frustration, turning my focus back to the mission. "What's wrong, Leon?" I asked him, my irritation replaced by concern when he didn't respond to either of us.

"These SOBs are jammin' my radio!" he finally responded, slamming the communicator back into its slot with more force than necessary, "No choice now, Tria. We gotta go in and take these deadbeats down!"

"W-Wait! We're going in?!" Lucky exclaimed, suddenly unsure about joining us.

"We don't have a choice!" Leon repeated, "You're the one who wanted to join us on this mission! Now let's show 'em how we do things downtown!"

"Yeah! Downtown!" I added, fueling Leon's fighting spirit and inspiring Lucky.

Together, we drove forward, surprising the BR Brigade. It was clear that these guys were mere lackeys, pretty low in the organization's hierarchy.

"Hold it right there, dirtbags!" Leon yelled.

"Yeah! Hold it!" Lucky mimicked, repeating his idol's words. I smiled.

"Oh crap! It's the fuzz!" one of the BR lackeys cried, backing up.

"This is bad!" another one yelled.

"Don't let them near Dr. Blackraven!" the third one ordered, driving forward to meet us, leading the other two to do the same.

"Dr. Blackraven's here?!" Lucky squeaked.

"Sounds like it." I replied easily, "Let's take them down!"

"Let's see you try!" one of them yelled in challenge as they sent out their team: the Water-type venomer Angato, the large Air-type sauropod Ampelo, and the massive Fire-type carnivorous Giganto.

Lucky screamed, the huge, hate-filled vivosaurs like nothing he'd ever faced. Leon and I were unfazed, releasing our vivosaurs: Ptera and Gorgo. The two vivosaurs roared at their opponents, ready to fight.

"Come on, Lucky!" Leon yelled to the younger boy, "If you're gonna be here, help us fight! Release Ajka!"

Lucky squeaked again fearfully, tears forming in his eyes. But with one more look into Leon's determined eyes, than at the reassuring smile on my face, he threw his Dino Gear out the window, releasing the small Water-type ceratopsian. Ajka roared, matching the ferocity of the other two vivosaurs and making up for his fighter's nervousness.

The three vivosaurs faced off against the BR Brigade's team: Ptera vs. Angato, Gorgo vs. Ampelo, Ajka vs. Giganto.

"Ptera! Middle Spear!" Leon ordered quickly, his impatient attitude reflected in his vivosaur's speedy attack. Ptera dove at the Water-type carnivore, shrieking.

"Oh no you don't!" Angato's fighter growled, "Angato! Halitosis!"

The vivosaur roared, releasing a dark purple mist from its long, crocodilian mouth. The mist engulfed Ptera, who coughed and wavered. But Ptera, much like his fighter, was stubborn, and would not be grounded so easily. He screamed, determination entering his voice as he vowed to take his opponent down with him. He flapped his wings, increasing the power behind his dive. As Ptera's beak connected with Angato's chest, the carnivore screeched in pain, disappearing in a burst of light. With his job done, Ptera landed on Leon's Bone Buggy, disappearing as he succumbed to Angato's poison.

"That's it for Ptera…" Leon muttered in frustration, "You guys better have my back!"

"You know we do!" I called back, right as Gorgo brought down Ampelo with a well-placed bite to the neck, "Excellent work, Gorgo!"

"ROAWR!" Gorgo replied, accepting my praise. He then turned his slitted eyes to the battle between Ajka and Giganto, which didn't seem to be going well.

"Come on, Ajka! Hang in there!" Lucky cried, "Dome Dash!"

Ajka roared, charging forward and ramming his armored head into Giganto's chest. However, the massive carnivore's size gave it an advantage over its smaller opponent, and it simply rebuffed the attack, charging toward Ajka with its jaws agape, as if to swallow him whole.

"Oh no!" Lucky cried, "Ajka, watch out!"

The small vivosaur stared at his opponent fearfully, his unbalanced stance not allowing him to evade the strike.

"Gorgo! Shoulder Tackle!" I ordered quickly. Gorgo bellowed in confirmation, charging and intercepting the larger Fire-type, knocking it off balance. "Lucky! Now's your chance!"

"Thanks, Tria!" Lucky called back, before focusing on the battle, "Ajka! Rocket Smash!"

Ajka roared angrily, jumping into the air and diving toward his opponent, somewhat mimicking Ptera's dive. He slammed Giganto into the ground, howling victoriously as the carnivore disappeared, following its teammates back to its fighter.

"We did it!" Lucky cheered.

"The BR Brigade is nothin' when we team up!" Leon added happily, ruffling Lucky's dark red hair and causing the younger boy to beam with joy and pride, "Let's keep movin'!"

"Not quite yet." I interjected, "There are more."

"What?" Lucky asked, looking at me in confusion.

"Crud. Looks like we've got more trash to take out." Leon grumbled, "We'll never get to Dr. Blackraven at this rate."

Suddenly, a white-and-lavender Speed Demon drove from the shadows, slamming into the three Bone Buggies that had replaced the first ones and knocking them all out of commission.

"Allow me to take care of this, Tria! You should keep going!" a familiar voice came in through my radio. My eyes widened.

"Elric!" I exclaimed, "But why-?"

"No time to explain! Keep moving!" Elric interrupted, his tone urgent.

"I dunno who that guy is, but I think I owe him a soda." Leon said, "Let's go, Tria!"

I gulped, looking at Elric's Bone Buggy uncertainly, before nodding and following Leon and Lucky further into the dig site. If Elric was willing to reveal his presence to allow us to keep moving, that meant something big was about to happen.

"Hey, Tria." Leon said after a few minutes, "Who was that guy?"

"Huh?" I asked, snapping out of the daze I had fallen into.

"What do you mean, Leon?" Lucky asked, confused, "If you don't know the guy, why would Tria?"

"Didn't you hear, Lucky?" Leon asked, glancing at me on his screen, "She called him by name. Elric, wasn't it? And he knew her name, too."

I looked at Leon, then glanced a Nibbles, who looked at me curiously, before sighing.

"Yeah…Elric Bellamy. He's an old friend of mine." I replied, focusing my gaze back on the road. Leon wasn't satisfied.

"An old friend? What's he doing here? And why have you never mentioned him?"

"He's worried about the trouble in the Fossil Parks, and you never asked about my other friends, so there was no reason to tell you." I responded, trying desperately to remain calm. I've always hated being interrogated.

Leon seemed taken aback by my response. I hadn't meant for it to sound so harsh, but right now, I had too much on my mind. I had to stop Blackraven before he could destabilize the space-time continuum.

After driving through the river and numerous streams (and narrowly avoiding a rampaging Penta), we neared the heart of the dig site. We both stopped, immediately sensing the sudden change in the atmosphere.

"That warble should be just ahead." Leon said seriously, "We took out the small fry, so I bet the big cheese is around here somewhere." Leon looked at Lucky, eyes calculating. "Lucky, I want you to stay out of this fight. The BR Brigade's big guns are up ahead. You'd just be in the way."

"But-" Lucky tried to argue, insulted, but he was interrupted, this time by me.

"Leon's right, Lucky." I said, looking at both of them on my screen, "I've faced both of the lieutenants, and I only managed to defeat one." I looked at Lucky sympathetically. "I know you want to help, but these guys are far out of your league, so please, leave them to me and Leon."

Lucky looked hurt, shifting his gaze between me and Leon, before sighing, defeated, and slouching in his chair, pouting. "Fine…"

Leon turned back to me, a small grateful smile on his face. "Time to go in there and start bustin' heads. You ready?"

"Ready!" I replied in affirmation. Leon's smile widened.

"Come on, partner!" he yelled, flooring his Turf Shredder's accelerator.

"Right behind you!" I yelled back, smiling at the nickname 'partner'. As we drove forward, we heard a deep, crazed voice laughing. It was coming from the largest Bone Buggy in the clearing.

"Heh heh heh…My plan is working! The time gate is beginning to form! Soon it will stabilize, and then nothing will be able to stop me!" the man driving the largest Bone Buggy laughed maniacally, "My five years of rotting away in that cell are about to pay off! Bwaaa ha ha!"

I cringed, feeling slightly ill. The man was truly disgusting. He had spikey white hair that was mostly hidden under a strange golden helmet that had red button on the front and wires leading to golden plates on his shoulders. He had a long nose with a metal-cased wart, and one of his eyes was covered by a red lens that was likely used for night vision. I growled dangerously. Blackraven.

"So this is Dr. Blackraven…" Leon snarled. Lucky squeaked, suddenly thankful that we hadn't let him fight. Leon then spoke into the microphone, addressing the BR Brigade leader, "You! With the funny helmet! Hold it right there!"

"Freeze, Blackraven!" I roared threateningly. Nibbles growled, adding his own voice to mine.

"Hm? What's this?" Blackraven wondered, turning to face us, "Who is this rabble?"

"They're Wardens, Doctor." the voice of lieutenant Kowloon answered as he drove closer to us.

"They are like cockroach, yes? Always appearing after being stepped upon." Olga added in annoyance, driving between us and Blackraven alongside Kowloon.

"Wardens?!" Blackraven exclaimed, suddenly furious, "That's the organization that miserable Stryker is in charge of!" He then laughed confidently, "Still, it matters not. There's no stopping us now! Stoganoff! Kowloon! Crush these insects under your boots!"

"Consider it done." Kowloon snarled, grinning sadistically.

"With greatest of pleasures!" Olga smiled, looking innocently pleased.

"Heh. Bring it on, chumps!" Leon called back, releasing Ptera. Olga and Kowloon released their dark vivosaurs, and I looked at Nibbles.

"You ready for this, buddy?" I asked my little companion.

"Of course!" Nibbles growled as he jumped out of my Digger's Rig, shifting into his new form. Leon and Lucky gasped.

"Woah…" Leon muttered, looking at Nibbles, "That's new…"

Lucky stood up in his seat, eyes sparkling in awe as his terror was temporarily forgotten. "Wow! Is that your transforming vivosaur? He looks totally different now!"

The two dark vivosaurs roared, unfazed by Nibbles' battle form. Their fighters drove forward, also unfazed.

"I'm glad it was you who found us, Tria." Kowloon said, smirking.

"Most indeed! We are having score to settle, no?" Olga added, "This time I will be master chef and you will be borscht! Ha ha ha!"

"We'll see about that!" I barked back, accepting their challenge.

"Bring it on!" Leon yelled, offended that the two lieutenants were ignoring him.

"GRRAWR!" Nibbles roared.

"Zinodious! Claw Down on Ptera!" Kowloon commanded. The dark therazinosaur roared gleefully as it jumped over Ptera, bringing him to the ground with his claws.

"Crud! Ptera's weak in that stance!" Leon cursed, "Get up, Ptera!"

"Too late for that!" Kowloon laughed, "Toxic Rush, Zinodious!"

Zinodious charged forward, long claws darkening with poison. However, before it could reach the vulnerable flying vivosaur, it was stopped in its tracks.

"Nibbles! Dizzying Bite on Zinodious!" I ordered. Nibbles roared, lunging forward and closing his jaws around the dark vivosaur's neck, shaking it violently before letting it go. As Zinodious staggered back, dizzy, Gorgostroika charged.

"Gorgostroika! Shoulder Tackle!" Olga commanded, not really caring who her vivosaur actually targeted. Gorgostroika bellowed in challenge, aiming its charge at Nibbles, who seemed easier to hit. However, Leon wasn't having any of it.

"Ptera! Middle Spear!" Ptera, who was just gotten airborne again, screeched, looping through the air and slamming into the charging therapod. Gorgostroika staggered backward, its stance weak to the attack.

"Enough of this!" Kowloon yelled angrily, "Zinodious! Claw Strike on that weird transforming vivosaur!"

"I don't think so!" Leon snarled, "Ptera! Wing Blaster!"

Ptera flapped his large wings, temporarily freezing Zinodious with its claws raised. I smirked.

"Let's finish this, Nibbles! Saurus Tackle!"

Nibbles roared, slamming his horn into the defenseless vivosaur. As Zinodious disappeared in a flash of light, Gorgostroika bellowed loudly.

"This will not be tolerating!" Olga yelled, "Gorgostroika! Corpse Breath!"

The corrupted Gorgo growled dangerously, silver teeth flashing as it released a sickening yellowish mist with a stench that was reminiscent of rotting flesh.

"Urp! I think I'm gonna be sick!" Lucky exclaimed, his face turning green.

"Not in here, you're not!" Leon snapped, although he was also covering his mouth and nose.

"Leon!" I called to him, "Have Ptera blow this stuff away!"

"Oh, right!" Leon exclaimed, "Ptera…Wing Blaster…urp!"

Ptera, without opening his mouth, rose into the air, flapping his wings and dissipating the putrid mist. I seized my chance.

"Quickly, Nibbles! Saurus Tackle once more!"

Nibbles' eyes narrowed as he charged forward, using his horn to send his last opponent back to its fighter. As Gorgostroika transformed back into a Dino Gear, the two lieutenants backed up.

"No! Not again!" Kowloon snarled, cringing.

"I am not understanding!" Olga cried in confused despair.

"Time's up, Doc!" Leon yelled confidently.

"You're going back to prison!" I added, narrowing my eyes at the smirk the BR Brigade leader was wearing. As I expected, he laughed.

"Bwa ha ha ha! Is that really what you think?" he called to us. Suddenly, an electrified wave shot from the growing time gate. It hit our Bone Buggies directly, causing them to short out, smoke rising from their hoods. Out transmission screens went black, although the audio remained functional for some reason. I felt something else fail too, but I was too focused on the current situation to investigate.

"Ugh! What the hell's going on?! My Bone Buggy won't budge!" Leon exclaimed, frustrated.

"Mine's stuck, too…" I growled, silently cursing the doctor as I heard Lucky whimper fearfully.

Blackraven laughed. "I'll take the liberty of assuming you pathetic fools are unfamiliar with the concept of electromagnetic interference. And I'll also assume your feeble minds are incapable of understanding it." he explained patronizingly, "All you need to know is this…Your Bone Buggies are no longer operational. Ours, however, are just fine."

Leon growled, cursing the doctor more openly than I did. I clenched my steering wheel, a wave of guilt washing over me when I heard Lucky sobbing. I was the one who insisted on letting him come along. I would never forgive Blackraven for this.

"Now, my lieutenants! Attack! Make these roaches pay!" the doctor commanded, and his lieutenants drove forward once more.

"I usually like my fights to be a bit more sporting…" Kowloon said, sounding somewhat-disappointed, "But in this case, I'll make an exception. Dr. Blackraven isn't the kind of man you want to make angry, after all. Heh heh heh…."

"I hope you are ready with the saying of many prayers!" Olga laughed gleefully, smiling in her usual vacant way.

"Don't worry, Lucky. We'll make it out of here." I heard Leon whisper to Lucky, his tone more gentle than I'd ever heard from him. I could picture him cradling the smaller boy against his chest. The boy's cries were muffled, but they were enough to make my heart clench.

Suddenly, I heard massive footsteps speeding toward us. I looked up to see a large white carnivore leap over our Bone Buggies, landing between us and the lieutenants.

"No…it's not possible…" Blackraven stuttered, trembling, although it was unclear whether it was with fear or rage.

"Hey, wait…is that?!" Leon cried, startled.

"It is." I muttered, lowering my head in shame as a familiar red Digger's Rig drove up behind us.

"STRYKER?!" Blackraven screamed, eyes filling with a hatred similar to that of the corrupted vivosaurs.

"Better late to the party than not at all." Captain Stryker said, sounding perfectly calm as he drove between us and the BR Brigade alongside his Spino ST, "As soon as we noticed communications were down, I headed out here. Looks like my instincts were right." His calm demeanor then melted away as his natural authority took over. "It's over, Doctor! We know all about your plans! But you'll never get the time gate open, and you'll never go back in time five years to reverse the moment you were captured!"

At this accusation, I sighed as Blackraven began laughing maniacally.

"Five years?! FIVE years?! BWAA HA HA HA! Oh, my dear Stryker! You always were a man of little vision!" The mad doctor shook his head. "We're going back in time, all right…To a time where real dinosaurs ruled the planet!" As everyone (except me) gasped in shock, Blackraven laughed even louder. "Oh, this is so delicious! Allow me to enlighten you! You see, I intend to use a brainwashing device upon the ancient world! Each and every dinosaur will bend to my will, and mine alone! True loyalty! Right down to their bones!"

"Hang on!" Leon exclaimed, "This nutcase is gonna bring live dinosaurs back to our time?!"

"No." I muttered, answering before Blackraven could, "What he plans is far more terrifying…If every dinosaur from the past is under Blackraven's control, think how they'll respond once they're revived. They'll become vivosaurs that serve only him! That's what he means by making them loyal 'right down to their bones'."

Blackraven laughed as more shocked gasps echoed from the others. "I'll give you this, Stryker-you certainly know how to pick clever subordinates. Soon, I will be unstoppable! The more fossils you revive, the more servants I will have at my beck and call. All the Fossil Fighters in the world will beg to serve me! And the Wardens will be little more than dust in the wind!"

"I won't let you get away with this!" Stryker yelled, driving forward.

"Oh, I'll be getting away, all right." Blackraven taunted as his and his lieutenants' Bone Buggies began to rise into the air, "In fact, it seems my time gate has finally stabilized. I would love to stay and listen to more idle threats, but I'm a very busy man. Enjoy the last few moments you have before the world is enclosed in my fist! Bwa ha! Bwaaa ha ha ha!"

"No! You can't!" Stryker cried out, attempting to chase after the madman as he disappeared through the time gate, his minions close behind.

"No!" I cried, but it was futile. The time gate closed behind them, leaving a painful silence in its wake.

"Blast!" Stryker exclaimed.

"Damn it!" Leon yelled, slamming his fist on his steering wheel.

"What are we gonna do now?" Lucky cried, likely clinging to Leon again.

"We failed…" I whispered, looking down at my busted controls. It was then that I saw my reflection in the black transmission screen.

"AHHHH!"

I couldn't contain the scream that escaped my throat. Nibbles looked at me with wide eyes.

"Tria?" Stryker asked, attempting to turn his Digger's Rig toward mine.

"What's wrong, Tria?!" Leon exclaimed, startled by the sound I had just made.

"Tria?!" Lucky cried, suddenly even more terrified than before.

But by the time they'd reached my Bone Buggy, I was already gone, Nibbles only just managing to grab onto my tail as I disappeared into the darkness of the nocturnal dig site.