Hey there, I'm back once again! Well, it certainly looks like Rhodry and the Shadowfox are done for, aren't they? The steep cliffs block all transmissions, so she can't contact Raven, Van, and Vista. Her only hope was to get out of the canyon and then go for help. But Shifter's going all out... how will she get out of here with just her one ZOID?

BTW, the IBATU can't work in the canyon because of the same reason Rhodry can't call for help.

------------------------------
Last time on "ZOIDs: Futile Ambition"

"Landslide!" The Shadowfox cried out.

"No..." Rhodry leaned back in her seat and took her hands off of the controls in total surrender.

"Don't give up, Rhodry! I can climb it!" The Shadowfox urged his pilot, "Please, let me try! We can't give up now, not when we're this close!"

"You don't understand, Fox." Rhodry said, looking up to the top of the viewscreen. "That's no landslide................. it's a Deathsaurer."

-------------------------------

Chapter X - Destiny Beckons

The Shadowfox stopped in its tracks, looking at the menacing Deathsaurer blocking their path. Behind them, the Deathstinger sprang up from the ground. Ambient... or rather Shifter... appeared from the Core of the deadly ZOID. Rhodry's Shadowfox turned to face the Deathstinger.

"Yess... a Shadowfox will always outrun a Deathstinger on land... but I like to compensate for my disadvantages, however rare they may be." Shifter sounded smug, as he rightfully should be.

Rhodry closed her eyes to block out the view of her imminent demise. Shifter's laughter echoed through the canyon in the form of Ambient's harsh and raspy roar.

"And now, you defiant little human... now you will perish as your ancient kind perished." Shifter gloated, looking up at the Deathsaurer.

"Shadowfox, that's it!" Rhodry said, opening her eyes and looking up, "Open the cockpit."

"Are you insane? You'll be a perfect target for Shifter!" The Shadowfox didn't speak openly, but rather relayed his message through the main console.

"That's what I'm planning on. Open the cockpit." As the Shadowfox did so, Rhodry unstrapped herself from the seat and stood up.

"Shifter. I know as well as you do that the Deathsaurer is uncontrollable, even by you. Uncontrollable... unless an ancient Zoidian is fused with its core. You may have eliminated that flaw with the Deathstinger, but you never fixed it with the Deathsaurer. Right now that hulking ZOID is nothing more than an intimidating roadblock. You're afraid to activate its core, because you know you can't control it. You're afraid it'll destroy your precious Deathstinger." Rhodry smiled, "You can't prevent me from running away."

Had Shifter been able to make facial expressions, he no doubt would've looked surprised that a mortal had figured out the single weakness of the Deathsaurer's core design. Rhodry retreated back into the cockpit, turning her ZOID around to face the Deathsaurer.

"Shadowfox... we're going to run towards the Deathsaurer, then turn around and run past the Deathstinger. It should catch Shifter offguard. If he brings another Deathsaurer to the other exit, then we'll see if we can run up that wall. We might have to create a landslide and use that as a staircase." Rhodry narrowed her eyes, "Get ready to run on my command."

The Shadowfox, being an intelligent ZOID that had plenty of combat experience, did nothing to show that it had heard Rhodry or was preparing to flee.

"Yes." Shifter tilted his head, "That is the one flaw in the Deathsaurer... but it is also the reason I've kept you alive for so long."

"What?" Rhodry was confused, "Shadowfox, forget this moron and just go! NOW!"

The Shadowfox dashed towards the Deathsaurer, just as planned. But before he could turn around and execute his plan, a red light filled her vision and the Shadowfox came to a screeching halt.

"Rhodry... I can't control it!" Her Shadowfox whimpered in panic, "Ambient... Shifter... he's fused with my Core! He's... controlling me!"

"So smart..." Shifter purred.

The Shadowfox's eyes turned red as the ZOID began to walk slowly towards the Deathsaurer. Climbing up the treacherous rock, the Shadowfox stood in front of the entryway to the Deathsaurer's Core. With a hiss, the cockpit opened and Rhodry was ejected into the Core.

Shifter laughed maniacally, "You were my greatest opposition, Rhodry Ricardi! But now you are doomed to be a servant to the Deathsaurer forever! You will bow to my wishes and tear this world apart with your own hands!"

Rhodry resisted as the Core of the evil ZOID greeted her with cords stretching hungrily towards her, eager for the power of the ancient Zoidian race. The sinewy cables wrapped around her form, pulling her into the Core and surrounding her with its dark, warm presence.

"This is your destiny, Bio-Organoid." Shifter's voice whispered in Rhodry's ear.

Too sluggish to search for the source of Shifter's voice, Rhodry wearily struggled to open her eyes and managed to do so halfway. She felt as though her spine were being stretched and twisted and something was trying to claw its way out of her upper back.

"Bio... Organoid?" Rhodry asked sleepily.

"Yess." Shifter's voice was like a fond caress, "I enslaved some Zoidians and they kidnapped you from your family. You were taken to a lab where I used my human slaves to create Organoids. They fused your DNA with an Organoid's to create the ultimate weapon, an Organoid that had the intelligence of a human. I intended for you to become my Deathsaurer's Core, but your past self was annihilated before I could do that. Now that you have been reincarnated, my beloved creation, you can fulfill your destiny."

"Destiny..." Rhodry murmured, "I am... Deathsaurer."

The Deathsaurer's eyes flashed red as it roared menacingly at the Shadowfox, the puny ZOID that dared to stand before it.

The Shadowfox looked up at the Deathsaurer, knowing it was futile to call out to Rhodry. Already he could sense that his pilot was almost fully integrated into the Core. The only hope was to find Vista and hope that he could reach her before the Deathsaurer completely consumed her soul. With a parting yip, the Shadowfox darted past the Deathsaurer, dodging its idly sweeping tail and heading in the direction of the base.

"Not so fast, my little kitsune." Shifter-Ambient waved his tail in amusement from his perch on the Deathsaurer's shoulder, "Deathsaurer, stop that Shadowfox."

In Rhodry's deep sleep, she heard the words 'Deathsaurer' and 'Shadowfox'. The Deathsaurer's objective right now was to drug and subdue the 'power source', erasing all memories. It even started erasing her personality, her free spirit, thus turning her into a mindless battery. Through her drug-induced sleep, Rhodry could see through the Deathsaurer's eyes and dimly recognized her Shadowfox. Something in her mind told her to turn around and fire at the the fox. A smaller part of her, subdued by the drugs and power drainage, explained that the Shadowfox was a friend, a partner, and shouldn't be attacked.

"Friend." Rhodry whispered, "Destiny."

"Friends are illusions." Shifter snapped, "Your destiny is to destroy all life on this planet and join me in conquering other worlds. Now, stop that Shadowfox!"

In a monotone, Rhodry replied simply, "After gauging the maximum speed of subject Shadowfox and comparing it to myself, I have concluded that the Shadowfox is too far away for me to stop it with anything less than a Charged Particle Gun. A Charged Particle Gun would give away our position to any other ZOIDs in the vicinity."

Shifter had conflicting emotions. It seemed that Rhodry's personality had been completely wiped clean, and he was glad for that. But he was angry that his quarry had gotten away.

"It all works out in the long run..." Shifter replied, "He'll return, Rhodry... he wouldn't leave you."

The Deathsaurer's eyes flashed in confusion as it turned its head to the side to gaze at Shifter, "Who's Rhodry?"

-------------------------

Yet another short chapter, but the next one will be longer, I promise! Now, with Rhodry fused with the Deathsaurer, is all hope for Zi lost? Find out next time (hint: I'll get the chapters up quicker if I get reviews).