ShadowMan had invited me into his private operations room. Of course, invited means that the invitee had a choice in the matter.

I was bound at the ankles and wrists with beams of crackling silvery-pink energy.

Laughing like I had just told a particularly amusing joke, ShadowMan looked at me. "Well now, my little angel, isn't it sweet of you to drop in on me?" He took my chin in his hand.

Wrenching my chin out of ShadowMan's grasp, I felt my blue eyes flash. "Well, it would be, but dropping in on someone usually indicates that they have a choice. And don't call me an angel. If you haven't noticed, I'm not dead."

Shrugging, ShadowMan pressed a button on the control panel behind him. "All right. But before you get hostile, Starry, I think you must see something."

Don't call me Starry, I thought desperately. Then I looked at the screen. I couldn't help it, my heart leapt with joy when I saw my friends resting in the canyon. And Proto being there helped quite a bit. "Oniichan! Proto!"

Nodding, ShadowMan's eyes sparkled evilly. "That's what I thought. Now these two are going to play the hero. The red one, ProtoMan, is it not, will save you, thus earning your everlasting gratitude while Bass fights with me. When you all escape, you will thank them and kiss your Proto."

"He is not my boyfriend!" I almost yelled, but the little voice in the back of my head was speaking. He isn't my boyfriend, but I sure wish he were.

"Oh, well," ShadowMan shrugged, "Either way, the hero gets a kiss and you all end up happy. But unfortunately, this is not how this story ends. You see, your heroes won't make it."

Then I saw. With horrible realization I knew. I don't know how, but I just did. "NO!" I lurched forward, eyes wide, "Don't! Please, I'll do anything for you, just don't hurt them!"

Don't hurt Proto.

But it was too late. I saw the boulders crash down, I saw Proto get hit, and I saw Bass get crushed beneath tons of boulders. Then I let loose a howl of despair. Proto was gone, Bass was gone, Sam and Chaud were as good as gone, what did I have left?

"You see," ShadowMan, remarked coldly, "You never did have a chance to be rescued. You will give me the ultimate program or die. Don't you get it Starry? You were wrongly chosen for the ultimate program. Only those with the willingness and guts to act are worthy of them." With a snap of his fingers, some Heel Navis appeared beside me, where I had collapsed on the floor, staring at the place where the screen had been, but no longer was. "Take Miss Starry back to her room."

And as I was being dragged away, I felt it. A fire ignited within me and did not burn out. I had only felt this fire a couple times before, and even then, it was fleeting. This, I knew, was for real. Soon, and I can assure you, it would be payback time.