The ZBC's Whaleking landed, as troops ran to the Liger. The Liger roared angrily before turning and running to the west. However, it didn't get far before crashing to dust. The troops quickly threw electric nets over the Liger, as it struggled weakly before laying its head to the sand. Jamie quickly set up a communications channel to the ZBC. "What on Zi do you think you're doing!" he shrieked in the com-link. The Chairman smiled smugly. "We are confiscating the Liger Zero for testing. You will get it back, if you're lucky."

Bit was still, rage flowing through him. Liger Zero had saved the people of Zi's freakin' asses twice! And now they were going to take him for testing? The once gleaming white Liger was scratched and dented, with the armor literally falling apart before his eyes. A weak message penetrated into his mind. [Bit! Don't fight; they'll destroy you. I promise, I won't let them kill me. An Ultimate X never breaks his promise. ]

The mighty Liger's head drooped and fell to the earth, as the gleam of fire in his eyes flickered and went out. Bit was silent, frozen in grief, as were all the people of Zi, except for the ZBC. The Liger was dragged into the Whaleking, and taken to their laboratory.

The Liger Zero finished sending his message and watched Raven and Shadow. They were both knocked out, curled up with expressions of pain on their faces. Liger was sympathetic, they were all in agony and exhausted. It was the exhaustion where you couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't do anything except lay there and listen to the wild pounding of your heart.

The Chairman relaxed in his seat and smiled. They had the Liger Zero in their grasp, a zoid that was more powerful than the Ultrasaurus. He watched lazily as technicians swarmed over the Liger. The door slid open and an intern walked in. "Sir, the Liger Zero seems to have shielded itself against our probes." He cursed and ordered, "Put it in a holding cell. We'll wait."

I opened my eyes a crack, and immediately shut them. Bright light was flooding my vision, so I contacted Liger. {Liger?} Silence, and then a weak answer. [Yeah?] {Where are we?} [The ZBC took us. We're in a holding cell. Shadow's still out. I used up my last energy sending a message to Bit.] I lay back, and waited.

"How is he?" Jamie asked. "Not good." Doc said. "Losing Liger Zero hit him hard." Bit heard them talking and smiled bitterly. They thought they could make him feel better? He had lost his best friend, his partner, his buddy. He recognized now that Liger Zero wasn't, and never had been, his zoid. He was Liger's human. Bit lay back on his bed, and looked at his favorite picture. It was one of him sitting on Liger's back as Liger roared happily. It was the one taken after they had beaten the Zaber Fangs in their first battle together. Liger, for the first time, had shown his true power, only to be snatched away.

The door opened and Doc walked in. "Bit, you need to eat." "Not hungry." He mumbled. Doc looked at him with a worried frown before turning and leaving. Brad, Jamie, and Leena met him and chorused, "No food?" The doorbell rang loudly.

Leena opened it and gasped, "Vega Obscura?!" The thirteen-year old smiled before greeting them, "I heard about the Liger Zero. I know something about the Liger. I'll tell you all, but first I want to talk to Bit." They looked at each other and shrugged. Maybe talking to another Ultimate X pilot would make him feel better. "Down the hall, second right." "Thanks."

Bit sat up and looked at Vega. "Hi." Vega said quietly. "I heard about Liger Zero. I'm very sorry. One question. I believe Liger promised he would come back?" Bit jerked upright. "Yeah," he said cautiously. "He did." Vega smiled. "Good. Then he will. Fury promised one day before he was found he'd take me to the bottom of the sea. It took three years, and he nearly killed himself in the process, but he kept his promise. Even if Liger dies in the process, he'll come back and see you before he dies." Bit nodded. "Okay. How do you know all this?" Vega said, "Come to the meeting room and I'll tell you."

Bit and Vega walked into the room. Bit didn't seem totally happy, but not sad either. Vega was silent, and sat down. He wasn't wearing his weird suit anymore, just jeans and a t-shirt. Leena shoved a glass of water in front of him and demanded, "Talk."

I felt Shadow's stirrings and finally he heaved himself up. *Raven?* I smiled. {Shadow, we're at the ZBC lab.} He snorted. *We are, are we? We'll have to change that, won't we?* {Yeah.} [Affirmative.] We roared loudly, deafening the scientists in front of us.

A intern ran into the Chairman's room. "Sir, the Liger Zero's woken up, and it's not happy!" A person flew through the air outside the window, screaming as he splattered against the far wall. The Chairman winced.

I rampaged through the base, smashing walls and equipment left and right. I heard a screech, and looked up. The Chairman was up there! I smashed my head through the glass, grabbed the guy, and shook his like a cat might shake a mouse. *Whee, this is fun!* Shadow exclaimed. *Odd though, the Chairman doesn't seem to be enjoying it very much.* [Well DUH!] Liger said sarcastically. [This is his base we're destroying!] *His? Okay, I just got .001 percent angrier. Let's destroy it! Wahoo! I am Godzilla, fear me!* (A/N: Sorry, couldn't resist. :P)

Smoke rose from a lone base, where Godzilla, ahem, LIGER ZERO was raging.