Game On- Part 9 ( Dream Come True)

Zoltar was awakened by one of his men knocking on his bedchamber door. "Sire! I bring you good news…"

Zoltar turned over and sat up, quickly putting on his mask. "What do you want?" He said groggily…

"May I enter, Sire?" The goon asked cautiously.

"Yes. Come in, I am most anxious to hear some good news…"

Perun growled as the door opened, ever protective of his master. Zoltar held him by the collar as the goon shuffled into the room and bowed.

"Sir, preparations for the trap for the leader of G- Force and the girl have been made… we are just waiting for them now."

"What? They haven't already been captured?" Zoltar fumed at the thought that they were not already his captives. He also felt extremely confused…Had it all been a dream?

"No, Sire…we just obtained the footage we needed for the trap last night…the little one gave it to us, as he was being tortured…it's sure to bring them in…"

So, we already have the little one in captivity…Zoltar thought for a moment, trying to separate dream from reality. "What has been done with the little one?"

"Sire, he has already been broken and brainwashed, along with the big one. The Condor has been more difficult to break…they are working on him as we speak…" The goon stood with his head down, not daring to look his master in the eyes.

So part of the dream was true, indeed…we have the Swallow, the Condor, and the Owl…the Eagle and Swan will soon join their friends as my new team of ninjas…if they resist, they will have to fight against their own teammates… it is even better than my dream! Zoltar grinned deviously as he made plans for the next step in his operation.

Meanwhile, Mark and Princess woke up in their shelter, still huddled together for warmth. They were miserable and damp, but anxious to rescue their friends.

"I had the most terrible nightmare last night…" Mark began, shivering as he spoke.

"Me, too…" Princess recalled. "I dreamed that Tiny, Keyop and Jason and been turned into Spectra robots…and we had to destroy them…"

"I dreamed that you were captured, and they were going to torture you…and I was chained up and couldn't do anything about it…" Mark's head drooped. "Some fearless leader, huh?"

Princess kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Don't worry, Mark, we'll get through this…we always do. You always think of something brilliant to save the day… and besides…it might be me saving you…ever thought of that?"

Mark chuckled, "Yeah, you've saved me from lots of things…" He kissed her lightly and then stood up. "We'd better go find the others…they'd never forgive us for getting side tracked at a time like this…"

They opted to follow the path Jason had taken, when he disappeared the day before. After several hours, they came across a freshwater stream and took the opportunity to drink.

Leaning down, Princess saw a feather shuriken and picked it up. "We're on the right track…look!" She showed the feather to Mark, grinning. Then, she took off in the direction she thought Jason might have gone, leaving Mark behind.

"Princess, wait for me!" Mark called as he followed after her.

She approached a muddy area and heard a familiar voice calling for help. As she drew closer to the origin of the voice, she saw a figure tied to a tree in the distance. "That's Keyop!" She yelled. Mark could hear her yelling as he closed in behind her.

"Keyop, I'm coming!" She pulled out her yoyo bomb as she approached, wary of Spectra goons. As she reached for Keyop, her hand went right through him, revealing that it was an optical illusion. Chains wrapped around her, rendering her helpless.

Mark saw what was happening in the distance, and charged full steam ahead to save her. He ignored the nagging feeling in his gut that told him it was a trap. He didn't care. He just wanted to free the Swan from captivity. Sure enough, he triggered the second trap, which enveloped him, too, in chains.

Zoltar was enjoying the entertainment the Condor provided as he was being physically and mentally tortured, so that the brainwashing could be completed. Suddenly, another of his men interrupted the "show" to inform him that the Swan and the Eagle had indeed been captured. He cackled with delight as he left to gloat in his victory.