The Capture

Van's Stealth Viper slithered underneath the sand. He checked his position and slowly started a whirlpool. Raven's limp body fell into the cockpit. The Liger Zero roared in anger and slashed at the Viper. He carved off the head armor, but Van was already racing back to base.

"Van's back!" The GF ran outside, with Dr. D following. The Viper surfaced and Van climbed out. "I've got him." They put Raven on a gurney and rolled him to the infirmary. "Dr. D, what should we do with Raven?" The Doc looked down.

"I'm not really sure. For now, I suppose we'd better put him under and keep him unconscious. If we let him wake up, he'll just call the dragon and destroy us." They looked at Raven's still form. At the moment, he didn't seem capable of even moving. They strung an IV with sedatives and hooked him up to a heart rate monitor. Dr. D sat down in a chair outside the room to wait.

{The Guardian Force has taken Raven!} Liger bounded into camp with his eyes blazing fire. Shadowrage was on his feet. * Where to?* Shadow answered. :Our bond with Raven helps, but until he experiences something other than a blank, we don't know. And the Guardian Force could be anywhere.:The Fury, in a rare show of emotion, roared. We have to find him! The others nodded. They settled down, to wait for a signal.

The fire on the horizon flares once, beckoning me. Something moves, an inky black form against the surrounding darkness. A dragon!

The dragon settles down and cocks his head. It's the same one that I summoned. He spreads his wings and yawns, displaying massive ten-inch fangs.

You are here? "Yes." I am your guardian, sworn to protect you at all costs. Even at the risk of my life. "My guardian?" Yes. Each of the Wild has one. Obviously, I am yours. " What is your name?"

Apollyon. It means, The Destroyer. I have 1 minute left to tell you, before the agony comes. You are at the Guardian Force base. After you collapsed, Van found you and took you. Liger and Shadow wait for you. You are in the infirmary at the base. They have given you sedatives. The Agony happens after you summon your guardian. It will happen every time until Astarael is resurrected. I must go. Apollyon leaps into the air, and soars away with powerful wing beats.

Sudden pain flows through me. Total agony courses through my veins. It hurts even more than Prozen's torture, but nothing will ever compare to the pain of losing Astarael. I scream, the agony a dagger of fire slashing through my bones.

"Uargghh!" Dr. D snapped out of sleep. He ran into the room where Raven lay, hooked to machines. The others followed into at a sprint. Dr. D glanced at the monitor. "His heart rate's skyrocketing! If it goes any higher, he'll die!" Raven suddenly started shaking, an electro-shock snapping of the spine, followed by convulsions. His back was arched in pain, bent like a straining bow. He was in horrific agony, and they couldn't do a thing.

Suddenly, Raven stopped shaking, stopped screaming. His heart rate slowed, and went back to normal. Van glanced at the others. "What was that all about?" They shook their heads, wondering if they could survive such agony as Raven seemingly had just gone through.

Liger was curled on the sand, for all the world like an overgrown housecat. Shadow stood on his paw, only their tails twitching as a sign of life. Suddenly, they stood up and stared toward the north. :He's at the Gojulas base.: They ran full tilt toward the destination.

The pain ebbs and fades away. I pant in relief of being free of the agony. :Raven!: Shadow? :Raven, we're coming to get you. Are you okay?: I think for a second. [Aside from horrible agony, yes. I'm sedated and unconscious. You'll have to somehow get me away and wake me up.] :Sedated? By the twin moons, I'll make Van pay!:

*Listen, I'll stay back on this ridge and snipe to draw their attention to me. Shadow, Liger, you go down and rescue Raven. Fury will back me up.* Shadowrage was outlining the plan to rescue Raven. The others nodded. * Let's begin.*

An explosion rocked the base. Van looked wildly about. "We're being attacked!" Irvine, although he was sprawled on the floor, hadn't lost his sarcasm. "Oh really? When did you notice that?" Van raced out at full speed.

Shadow and Liger slinked through the halls, searching for Raven. :He's in there.: They turned a corner and stopped. Raven was spread eagled on the gurney, his breath shallow. {They are so dead. Get him out of there.} Liger turned and bounded down the hall.

Irvine fired in a borrowed command wolf, knowing that even so, he was dead. A black blur sped by him, on the way to the Death Wolf. He turned in time to see Raven's limp body cradled in the black organoid's arms. Suddenly, he was down. The Liger Zero had ripped the zoids body to pieces.

The Liger rejoined his companions. They roared once before turning and vanishing over the ridge. He looked around. The base was utterly destroyed. He let out his breath, thankful they hadn't killed him.

*How long until he wakes up? * :It'll be soon.: Shadowrage led the way, leading them somewhere. The others followed, but Liger and Shadow's attention was on their unconscious master.

I open my eyes a slit. Black metal fills my vision. "Shadow?" My voice comes out as a strangled croak.

:You're awake! Raven's awake!: Shadow pulls me upright, propping me against Liger's leg. Shadowrage and Fury lie down, so they can keep an eye on me. Liger looks down.

{I'm glad you're back.} "Me too. But, where are we going?" *We are going to a Wild temple. We may be able to resurrect Astarael. * I smile before falling back asleep.