Dr. Guarnizo's Report

This is the audio log of Dr. Phillipe Guarnizo, Head of Science and Technology of the Paradias Corporation, dated December 10th. Year 17 of the Fourth Age of the Sun.

I will be recording these throughout the entirety of Operation Black Heart. Things have taken quite the turn here. Order 111 is a complete success. As expected, not only has the plan captured and contained Aster Phoenix in my board, but a great deal many bright and talented youths. Gifted individuals who arrogantly deem themselves as Heroes of Domino City.

The crime lord who goes by the name 'Gremlin' has been a very useful asset in my operation. With the bounty placed on Aster's head, thousands of armed delinquents have flocked to the city. And as I foresaw, they were quick to plunge the city in total anarchy. With their numbers so great, they began to attack the innocent and police forces of Domino. We were soon able to coax King Eldon to hire my friends in DracoTEK in a peacekeeping operation. Fool that he is.

With the ongoing violence in the city escalating, my plan to close the city and contain Aster in a secure area of operation is a total success. The Gremlin was easily quick to go against me, as I predicted. He too has knowledge of the Heart of HEROES and wants the power for himself. Luckily the mercenary soldiers of DracoTEK have the training and equipment to deal with both Gremlin and Aster. And hopefully the other heroes I caught in my net.

I will read more on them later; for right now my interest has been piqued. It seems a new player has entered my little game. I just reviewed new footage from the body cams of DracoTEK's Jade Division. They were...torn apart. Uh...just...just amazing. He was quickly identified as Hassleberry Kenzan. Goes by the ridiculous codename: Tyranno. Most likely due to him being from Feldia, home of the Dinosaur Lords, and that his deck is based on those creatures. He is quite an interesting specimen, this lad is. He is an Eldori with tan skin, a very muscular build, and his blood is teeming with Dinosaur DNA. Perhaps this explains his Eidolon, Ultimate Tyranno, which he summons when Ravenheart's men surround him. Hassleberry and Ultimate Tyranno. The two of them have spent the last few hours massacring Commander Ravenheart's men, and I must say, it's quite entertaining.

That creature. It can only be described as nothing short of a miracle of evolution. I have never seen such a big thing move so quickly. The two of them are more than just Eidolon and Summoner. They are one. They have paired each other with a powerful bond. I researched him a little more thoroughly the night I saw him, and I made a most extraordinary discovery. Some time ago, while on a paleontological expedition in the badlands up north, there was a terrible rockslide that injured both him and his partner, a girl by the name of Nanette 'Nixie' of House Danteya. They were both severely injured with Nixie having shattered the ulna bone. Tyranno's tibia, so I read via the medical reports, was ground to powder. Though they were far away from any medical help, the diggers miraculously had access to advanced medical teams thanks to Kaiba Corp, who sponsored the dig to uncover new dinosaurs to be used in the game of Duel Monsters.

With their highly advanced equipment, the doctors proceeded with a very strange procedure. They replaced the young one's broken bones with the fossils uncovered in the dig. Since dinosaurs have been proven to be related to dragons in more ways than one, it came to no surprise that some magical phenomenon took place after the surgery was complete. Thanks to some close friends at the Domino City Museum of Natural History, I was able to receive the journals of Dr. Jaylen Danteya, Nixie's father, who was keeping a keen eye on his daughter. It was soon discovered that Nixie and Hassleberry had their spirits infused with the souls of the dinosaurs, whose bones saved their limbs and lives.

The dinosaur's spirits give the kids super strength, super speed, and lightning-fast regeneration. Incredible. Capturing them will be a tricky process, but from what we gathered from living dinosaur species today, they can be controlled with simple sounds. Perhaps the same results will be produced when we begin the hunt for the boy. Once I conclude my business here and capture Hassleberry and Aster, I will send a team to recover Nixie, whose soul is infused with a much stronger creature. I must have them at once. I only pray that Commander Raveheart and his mercenaries don't get too trigger happy and spoil my specimens.

They must be properly studied, for this is a scientific breakthrough of incredible proportion. A fusion of souls. How extraordinary. Perhaps my goal with the Heart of HEROES is not as impossible as I thought.

End of log.

"What are you doing?" Aster asked, leaning against an iron railing. He watched as Francesca was stretching in front of him, limbering herself up for the battle ahead. Jon, Crow, and Michael were talking to Hassleberry by a fountain, which was turned off due to the cold weather. He didn't know what they were saying since they were far, but from the laughter, it must have been funny. Francesca, meanwhile, did not reply to Aster's question quickly. Instead, she just smiled at him and bent forward to touch her toes.

"Exercising," she said, standing back up. "What's it look like?"

"Do you have to do it so close to me?"

"It's only for a short while," she said. "Getting kinda tense, huh?"

"No."

Francesca laughed. A puff of purple smoke burst on her head and her top hat appeared out of thin air."Hey, Aster, I was just thinking."

Uh oh.

"When this is all over and we find Plasma. Well...do you think we can maybe...go out?"

"You're joking."

"I am not. You owe me for saving you. Don't you think you should repay the favor by having dinner with me?"

Aster scoffed. "I can pay you if you want. But a date? Nuh-uh."

Francesca still kept that irritating smirk on her face. She was tenacious and horribly stubborn. She took a brave step forward and got in Aster's face. "You sure are a heartbreaker Aster. I'll give you that. But I know you feel something for me."

"Yeah, nausea."

"No, that's not what I'm picking up. You've been looking at my rear end since we first met."

He shrugged. "Not like you give anyone much of a choice. Your leotard and tailcoat don't exactly cover it up, you know. So that's kinda unfair."

Francesca straightened up. "Well, I guess there's no changing your mind."

"Why me, exactly?"

"I like you. I always have. You're brave -stupid- but brave. And you're a famous, top-ranked, Duelist. Speaking of which, the Kaiba Corp Classic is due to start in a few weeks. At least let me accompany you for the duration of the games. Who knows. Maybe you'll grow to like me."

"Well, if you wanna go as arm candy, I guess I can't stop you. But I wouldn't get your hopes up."

"How much you wanna bet you'll be begging me to be your girlfriend when the tournament is done?"

Aster chuckled. "I dunno. What do you have in mind."

"Well, how about this? If by the end of the games you feeling nothing, I'll leave you alone forever. You'll never hear from me again. But, if time passes and you find me worthy of your heart, I want a kiss. A big one for the whole world to see as you win the trophy and revel to the sound of the hearts of all your screaming fangirls breaking."

Aster burst out laughing. "Quite the theatrical one, aren't you?"

"I'm in show business. It's how I am."

"All right then," said Aster. "But I'm only doing it because of the opportunity to finally get you out of my life."

Francesca smiled. "I don't see that happening."

"I don't see that kiss happening, so it's a win-win. Come on. Let's go. Michael's calling us to follow him."

After hours of battling on the streets against gangs and divisions from DracoTEK, the team approached the ruins of a temple, which was once dedicated to the Seven Mothers, the most important Goddesses in the Termnnian Pantheon. Aster was not very religious, but it pained him to see such a structure in complete disarray. There was graffiti marring the snowy, white limestone, many of them tags from the various Duel Gangs that prowled the city streets. The beautiful mosaic windows were smashed by vandals, the gold scepters, swords, shields, and wings of the beautiful guardian ladies were stripped away by thieves. Weeds and smelly, dry, brushes replaced the colorful flowers that once added a dash of color to the temple. The great bells of silver and myrrh were long gone by now.

Francesca looked at the temple in great sadness, hands pressed against her breaking heart. It was here that her mother and father were married and had her baptized in Mana's name when she was born. After the Yeyunists came and demanded that the city succumb to their way of life, many temples, such as this one, were forced to close under the pain of being called a racist or whatever 'phobe' the cultists enjoyed tagging those who did not agree with their points of view. And it often worked. Funding was cut, names were slandered, lives were ruined. They had no choice but to submit to their wishes and make way. In a few months, this beautiful temple was going to be demolished to make way for a Church of Yeyu.

"Those bastards," Francesca whispered. "Pox on them all. All the treasures in this place, gone, stolen. I'd hate to think what they've done to them. I hope Prince Yuri sees the evil in these people and bans their way of life."

"Michael says he will try to convince him so," said Hassleberry.

"We all will," said Jon. "Long have these people waged war against my kind. They wish to 'civilize' us."

"What?" Francesca said in shock. "The Covenant has a reach that far north?"

"They're everywhere," said Michael. "Thanks to Jon's Wolves, they've been able to be kept outside their border. Not to mention that giant spirit that now guards the country. The Soul of Silvermountain, correct."

"What a powerful beast," Jon said proudly. "We don't need the protection of the Divine Beasts with that creature's ancient power protecting us, nevertheless we joined the Alliance anyway. Is this where we'll find your Gremlin?"

"It's marked on the map," said Crow. "Perhaps Celeste got the info wrong. Why would a criminal gang want to have a hideout here?"

"Celeste is never wrong," Michael replied with certainty. "I've always counted on her for information. She's our eyes and ears. I tell you, she has birds everywhere who tell her what's what in this city. I can tell you the story of the janitor working on the eightieth floor of that building right now, that's how sure I am of her information."

Aster thought to ask Kara to see if the location was correct. "What do you think?" he asked, typing on the holographic keyboard.

Kara had to finish her sandwich before answering him. "Hold on," she said. She took a long drink, after which, she burped. "Excuse me," she said. "I took a look at those blueprints your friend sent to you earlier. You are not going to believe this. There's an entire network of tunnels honeycombing underneath the city. And they're ancient. They don't go deeper than the Underground, but they go down for miles. There are buildings down there. They must be Elven ruins."

"Of course," said Michael. "After the Vollanti made landfall here, they aided Men in defeating their Golden Elf slavers. Ha! I imagine having hordes of Blue-Eyes White Dragons would have made that conquest very easy. After they received their blueprints from Tenna (Goddess of Knowledge) they built the city over the old Elven structures as a symbol of their dominance over the Elves. I had no idea they were still structurally sound after all these ages."

"They're sound enough for the Gremlin to have a base of operations down there," said Kara. "Okay, there is a secret passage in the tombs underneath the temple. I'll direct you from there once you find the entrance. Be careful. I'm...pick...up...wha...hey..."

"Kara!" cried Aster. "Kara come in!"

"I'm afraid you won't be hearing from her," said a deep, familiar voice coming from the static on Asters' computer. Her pretty face was replaced by one belonging to an old man, bald, with scruffy, gray muttonchops and a thick, long beard. A monocle sat over his right eye.

"Sam Hill!" Hassleberry cried out. The man's face was menacing and almost frightened him.

"You!" Aster snarled.

"My how you have grown, my boy. You were but a sprout when I last saw you. Now you're a man. You know why I am here. Why you are hunted?"

"You want my heart."

"I can give you a new one," Dr. Guarnizo promised. "You can trust me. I know how much you suffer. I know you want your pain to end." He stepped away from the camera lens. Two soldiers in white coats wheeled in a cart with a white sheet. Dr. Guarnizo pulled it off to reveal a white, synthetic heart with glowing blue patterns. "You can reclaim what has been taken from you, Aster. You can finally live a normal life. I just want the Heart of HEROES, Aster. That's all. I promised your father I would take care of you, and care for you I shall. Just trust in me. It does not have to end in violence."

"Just what in the hell do you need the Heart for?" Aster asked. "Why do you need it so bad."

"The hows and whys are my business, boy! If you do not take my offer, I will have no choice but to authorize lethal force on you and your friends. Is that what you want?"

"We can take ya!" Hassleberry boasted. "We're not afraid of you old man."

"Take that thing you made and shove it up your ass," said Aster. "My Destiny HEROES stay with me."

"Then I assure you, Aster, we have nothing more to discuss. I will hunt you down and gut you like a fish. And your friends will serve as valuable specimens for my research. I shall enjoy tearing apart your corpses."

The feed cut. Something strange then happened. A black radio tower rose out from the top of the temple. It was covered with subwoofers. It then released a terrible screeching sound. The companions groaned in agony and covered their ears.

"What...is….that!" shouted Crow.

"I don't know!" Jon shouted. "Hey, what's wrong with you Hassleberry?"

Aster looked at his old schoolmate. Something was most definitely wrong with him. He was snarling like an animal. Drool oozed through his teeth and his fingers curved to resemble talons.

"No!" shouted Aster. "Come on, Hassleberry! Fight it!"

"But he can't," Dr. Guarnizo's voice boomed from the loudspeakers inside the temple. "It's in his nature to lose control when assaulted with frequencies such as this. Have fun destroying your friend, Aster."

"Kenzan!" Francesca shouted.

He was gone. Tyranno Kenzan's eyes slit, giving them a reptilian-like appearance. Then, a smoky, red and black aura enveloped him as he growled. He let out a beastly roar and the smoke took the form of Ultimate Tyranno's upper half. Out of nowhere, metallic spikes rained down from the sky, forming a rin around Aster and Hassleberry. The spikes formed a protective barrier, keeping them locked in. But they were not alone.

"What is this?" Aster heard Dr. Guarnizo say on the pad. Clearly even he was not expecting this.

Someone walked through the barrier like it was nothing. Someone armored in a midnight blue suit with red patterns. He carried two katanas on his back and what appeared to be a long polearm. His helmet revealed only one eye, shielded by a protective HUD that displayed data. He had very thick pouches on both legs and on the utility belt around his waist. He reached into one of them and threw a metal collar around Hassleberry's neck.

The doors to the temple burst open. A very small and very hideous Half-Elf walked out, surrounded by two armed guards. He was no more than four feet tall and horribly stout, so much so that he seemed ball-like in appearance. His face was horribly creased and his ears were long and pointy, depicting his Elven heritage. One eye was terribly large and yellow and his nose was pointed. His skin was powdery white and his hair looked like spiderwebs over his face.

"Aster Phoenix," he said, puffing on a cigar. "Got your hand caught in the cookie jar, didn't you?"

"Thelonious!" snarled Dr. Guarnizo. "You are going against our deal?"

"Afraid so old chap," wheezed the hideous man they called Gremlin. "There's a lot of money in front of me, far more than anything you and those jarheads can offer. Two Princes of Termnnia, a boy possessed with the soul of a Dinosaur, the Heart of HEROES, and a lovely mage whose ass is going to look good mounted over MY FIREPLACE!"

"Hello, Mr. Chesterfield," Francesca said, forming purple arcane circles over her hands. She summoned her All-Seeing White Tiger. "It's good to see you again, too."

"It's not going to be like last time, love," said the Gremlin. "I've got the best swordsman in Eastern Termnnia under my payroll and it looks like he's got some toys that has put this Kenzan fellow under my control. How does this work Sai'boru?"

"Just think of it as a video game," the assassin in black armor said, spinning his polearm. "Do me a favor and make sure the one with the dinosaur DNA doesn't get in my way. I've waited a long time for this moment."

"I don't have time for this," Aster growled, drawing two of his red blades. "Sai'boro. I should have finished you off a long time ago."

"Your tactics and magical abilities are impressive, Aster Phoenix. But I have surpassed you and today I'll prove it." He summoned a monster. A warrior named Six Samurai Shien. Hassleberry snarled and the spiritual form of Ultimate Tyranno roared.

Sai'boro - meaning Backstabber in Go-Aki - lunged forward and his polearm met with Aster's blades. But as quick as Aster was, nothing could prepare him for the assault from the left by Shien. He rolled out of the way to avoid being beheaded by the Six Samurai's blade, but then he landed in front of Hassleberry, who raised his foot, the Ultimate Tyranno did the same and smashed the foot on the ground, creating a large crater. Aster was safe; for he summoned another form of HERO to save him. Elemental HERO Phoenix Enforcer.

"No fair!" jeered the Gremlin. "Well, take some of this!" he moved the joystick of the controller around like a little boy playing video games. He forced Hassleberry to strike Aster with his claws. Whatever move he made, Ultimate Tyranno mimicked. The spiritual dinosaur's claws slashed through the air, barely missing Aster. Shien came out of nowhere and kicked him. Then Sai'boro attacked with his polearm. Aster dodged it as well, thanks to Phoenix Enforcer's aid.

Francesca felt so helpless watching him in there alone. Jon materialized his ax and tried to smash the barrier, but it was useless.

"We're going to have to stop him," Crow said, summoning Dewloren, King of the Ice Barrier.

"Ooo, she's got eyes on me!" laughed Gremlin.

"Boss, they're gonna kick our asses," said one of the guards.

"Not today they're not." Gremlin whistled. "All right, boys and girls! Move on and do your stuff!"

A Hi-Speedroid Kite Drake flew out from between two buildings. There was a boy riding it. He laughed as his mechanical serpent unleashed a rain of lasers from its wings, assaulting Francesca and the others.

"Tomba!" Aster shouted. "That means!"

He heard laughing from the rooftops. It was just as he feared. Luros and his gang had returned. And they had new monsters to summon and do battle with. Luros was standing proudly beside Folgo, Justice Fur Hire. He looked down at Aster and grinned, seeing him trapped like a rat inside that protective barrier. They were truly gifted kids being able to tap into the monster world and find whatever monster they wanted to do battle. Such a pity they were working as mercenaries for scumbags like the Gremlin. The ground behind Jon suddenly imploded, and from beneath the streets emerged a Samurai Destroyer. It raised its massive fist in the air and attempted to crush Jon like an ant, but Jon was quick, summoning his companion, Gearfried the Iron Knight. The knight's great strength was able to hold back the giant's attack like it was nothing.

The largest member of the gang, Longlast burst out of the whole his Samurai Destroyer made and tackled Jon with the force of a freight train. The force he used to knock Jon back sent them flying towards a nearby street lamp, causing it to bend like a paperclip and collapse.

Michael attempted to run for him. "JON!" he cried out. But a Lunalight Sabre Dancer got in his way. His Archfiend General appeared from a purple mist and intercepted both her blades. Roja, the female member of Luros's gang laughed and clapped from underneath a tree. "Hello, my handsome prince," she said. "I'm a huge fan."

Jon pushed the huge Summoner off. Longlast, pressed his feet against the ground to brake to a stop and then lunged forward to attack Jon again, fighting him in hand-to-hand combat while their monsters battled on the streets. Though Gearfried the Iron Knight was smaller, it outmatched Samurai Destroyer in terms of speed and strength; for each blow from his bladed arm was like being struck in the face with a cannon.

"Just you and me big boy!" Longlast shouted, putting up his fists.

Jon balled his fists and they sparked with lightning. "Prefove vet juundar meyot a heeya heeya!" he cursed in his native language. He shot streams of lightning from his palms.

"Uh oh!" Longlast said, jumping out of the way.

"He's a Prince of Termnnia, Longlast," Luros said from above. "Do not underestimate him."

Just great, Aster thought. Just bloody great. His friends were surrounded by foes and he was trapped in a forcefield against arguably one of the finest swordsman in Termnnia. And Tyranno Kenzan had lost all control of himself and turned feral. The spirit of the dinosaur now took full control of Hassleberry. And to make matters worse, Gremlin was in full control of both the dinosaur and Hassleberry. He laughed, pressing buttons on his remote control as though he were controlling the avatar in a video game.

He was getting tired and there was no way of holding them back. They were just too strong. Even if he dodged one attack, two more would be waiting for him. Shien and the dinosaur were working well together. And then Sai'boro would come out from Aster's blind spot and attack. Aster stopped to get a moment to breathe. He noticed something that frightened him. Michael, Crow, and Jon were being led away from him and Francesca. Their battles were taking them farther and farther down the streets until they were barely seen.

Francesca wanted to help Michael and the others, but she was stuck in combat with the girl, Roja. Her Lunalight monster was keeping both her and her All-Seeing White Tiger pinned down around the front of the temple. This was bad. Luros and his gang must have been hired to herd them away from each other! Damn it! And they fell for it. Michael and the others were being called away. Beams of lime-green lasers rained down on the forcefield. Cyber Dragon Nachster was flying around in circles, desperately trying to break it open. But he could not. Sai'Boro's technology was surprisingly superior to Zane's. But how could that be?

There was no time to ponder that. Aster realized there was only one thing left to do. He had to send Nachster away. He would be of no help here. Even though the summoners were kids, they had conjured some very powerful creatures. Nachster would get captured and probably be lost to the Gremlin or worse. The Royal Eredian Military.

"Thanks for your help," he said. "But I think we have to part ways for now. Go back to Zane and tell him I failed."

Nachster would not listen. It tried to shatter the barrier again. Nothing. Aster smiled and said: "Leave to Zane to bring so much life into these creatures. You're making me feel bad. Go on! There's nothing left for you to do. Go before you get caught!"

Cyber Dragon Nachster stared sadly at Aster. It nodded its head and zoomed away never to be seen again. Aster turned in time to see Lunalight Sabre Dancer kick Francesca in the stomach. Roja was laughing, still standing underneath the tree and clapping. Aster gasped when he saw the blood staining Francesca's outfit. She was hurt and she was hurt bad.

"GO!" Aster shouted. "Forget about me! Just run away! Get out of here!"

Francesca shook her head and smiled. Using the last of her magical power, she formed a ball of light and commanded Aster to tell Elemental HERO Phoenix Enforcer to stand in front of it. The HERO did. Francesca, with all her might, launched the ball of fire at the ground. It shot underneath the barrier and popped out of the ground from the other side. Phoenix Enforcer touched the ball of light, which gave him the power to transform into a new monster.

"You're in for it now!" shouted Aster. "Rise! Elemental HERO Shining Phoenix Enforcer!"

The monster was very true to his name. It shined so brightly that it made the light of Helios look dull and gray. Francesca then lay on the ground, weakened. But her All-Seeing White Tiger did not back down. It fought back the Lunalight Sabre Dancer. It was still defending its master. Shining Phoenix Enforcer then flew towards Hassleberry and assaulted him with a flurry of punches. Hassleberry, despite the beating he was receiving, was growling and snapping his teeth.

"Come on! Come on!" whined Gremlin. "Get up! Oh, this is so unfair! You must be cheating!"

Six Samurai Shien tried to get the shining enforcer from behind, but it missed; for the enforcer vanished in a beam of light and appeared behind Shien instead. Shien, too, was too quick for that move. They both dodged each other's attacks and landed safely on the ground. They then circled one another and attacked again.

While that was going on, Sai'Boro returned to continue his assault against Aster. He struck him in the gut. Aster wheezed in agony and flew across the battleground and smacked against the forcefield. Sai'Boror held his arms out and walked in a circle arrogantly. He felt as though he had won the match. The sun was covered up by a thick layer of clouds and freezing rain began to pour down on the earth. Aster looked around for Jon and Michael. They were gone. Out of sight. Who knew where they were now. Poor Francesca was on her back, moaning in agony. She had been sliced across the belly by Lunalight Dancer's blades. All-Seeing White Tiger was still fighting it back valiantly.

"Good! Good!" cheered the Gremlin. "Now, Sai'Boro, if you would kindly extract his heart so we can be done with this."

Sai'Boro removed a dagger sheathed over his thigh. "With pleasure," he said. "I have defeated you Aster Phoenix. Your silly legends die today. All that training with the monks and knights of the western kingdoms have proven nothing against my techniques. Now, you die."

"No," Aster groaned. "If I am going to kick the bucket today, it won't be with you cutting me up like a frog in science class. I'm going to end things the right way." His hand slowly rose up and was enveloped in purple fog. His eyes were glowing dark red and his skin was growing paler with each second. "If I go down...I'm taking you with me."

"ASTER NO!" Francesca shouted.

Aster snapped his fingers. His mouth and his eyes let out bright, fluorescent-blue light as though they were torches. He was screaming a high-pitched call like a banshee as he offered his life force to summon Destiny HEROES Dystopia, Dreadmaster, and Dogma. But they did not move. Instead, they allowed themselves to be swallowed by a cyclone of darkness. What took their place was a gigantic warrior in black armor and a shadowy cape. The Destiny HERO symbol was emblazoned in red on his chest and he carried a large sword in his right hand.

Francesca sobbed. "It's him. One of the strongest of the Destiny HEROES. Dominance!"

Aster fell on the ground, gasping for air. He committed suicide summoning that creature. Dominance. It sure lived up to its name. He lay there on the gravel and watched as his creation slowly decimated the forcefield Sai'Boro created. Knowing he was out of his league. Sai'Boro sheathed his weapons and called back Shien. He looked at Aster's corpse and nodded as if he vowed that they would meet again one day. That just left Hassleberry and the berserk dinosaur spirit that took control of him. Dominance did what he did best and completely decimated Hassleberry and his spirit in a matter of minutes. When the battle was over, Dominance let out an eerie cry of victory and returned to the Dark City where it came from.

At once, Aster felt dead, but he could still see everything that was going on around him. The next few moments felt like a film where he would doze off every now and then. He saw images of the Gremlin walking up to him. Then, the warlord stopped and backed away.

Aster looked up and saw Commander Ravenheart looking down at him, pointing a gun at his forehead.

"Stand down, Commander!" Fontaine shouted. She had two soldiers in heavy, black, gear by her side and they were aiming their rifles at him. "Do as I say! DracoNET isn't going to care what happens to you now that we've got Aster."

Ravenheart bared his teeth, still pointing the gun at Aster's head. "Fine," he said. "Let's get going."

He saw Hassleberry stalking towards him, still feral from the soundwaves. Fontaine removed a rifle from a holster in her back and shot him three times with darts. Hassleberry coughed and moaned before he collapsed, falling to the ground hard on his back.

"Looks like the doctor's got that new weapon he's always wanted," said Ravenheart. "Prep him for extract!"

Two soldiers in tactical hazmat suits got to work at once, putting Hassleberry in a metal coffin which was then attached to a helicopter that was going to transport him away.

Gremlin waddled towards him. "Hey! I need him! He could come in very handy in a tight spot that lad."

Ravenheart pointed the gun at him to shut him up. "You've caused enough trouble as it is."

"And my reward?" Gremlin asked. "Those boys I called over on that hunt have boosted my army tenfold. But it's going to be expensive maintaining them."

"You'll get your money then," said Fontaine.

"And what about her?" Gremlin said greedily.

Her? Aster wondered. Her who?

He heard a girl grunting in fear as she was brought forward by two DracoTEK soldiers who had her handcuffed in strange bondings. They pushed her forward so she could land at the Gremlin's feet. Francesca.

"Don't try casting any magic, sweetheart," said Ravenheart. "Those are Vallantium Cuffs. They cut off all strings to the arcane world."

"Vallantium, eh?" said Gremlin.

"Yeah," Ravenheart replied. "Metal from that green asteroid that struck the Axis Ocean hundreds of years ago. Those freaks from the cult of Yeyu think it's a weapon from their god to help them combat the mages. I sure found my uses for it. This bitch won't give you any trouble so long as you contain her with the metal. Consider her a gift from the Doctor for your cooperation." He kicked her in the gut. "Freak!" he said, spitting on her face. "She killed my men all through the night. Killed them in cold blood. Make sure she suffers, Gremlin."

Gremlin cackled as he loomed over his prize. "Oh, she will know suffering beyond her wildest dreams, Commander." He started to pet her hair. Francesca started crying, fearing for her life. She could not bear to think of the hell she was about to go through.

His men picked her up. "Let's go!" he said. "Send her to my quarters when we get back to the estate and have her cleaned up. I'm going to host a party tonight and I want her looking her best."

Francesca screamed as she was carried away to a limo. But she would not ride with them. Gremlin opened the trunk and his men tossed her inside. He whacked her in the head with his cane and slammed the trunk shut before walking back into the limo and driving off.

"Get Gray Prince prepped for extract!" Fontaine commanded.

Aster could not believe what had just happened. His friends were all gone. Taken to befall terrible fates right before his eyes. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He rolled on his back and saw Ravenheart looking down at him holding onto a rifle.

"Listen here, Gray Prince. I'm gonna have this jammed up your rear the whole time. Now, you walk over to that chopper nice and slow. Make any sudden moves, and I'm gonna blow your fucking brains out. Now get up!"

Aster tried but he couldn't, so Ravenheart picked him up and brought him back on his two feet. "Don't fuck with me!" Ravenheart shouted. Aster felt wobbly. He couldn't stand, but Ravenheart smashed the butt of his rifle against his face. "Don't fuck with me, Gray Prince. MOVE IT!"

Aster hobbled towards the helicopter and stopped. Ravenheart kicked him forward. "Move!" Aster wasn't getting any closer. He tried to walk. He swayed left and right, trying to obey Ravenheart's commands. But he was too weak. And he was scared. Ravenhear then smashed the rifle butt on the back of his head. Aster grunted and stumbled forward and rolled to a stop in front of the chopper. "MOVE BITCH!"

Two DracoTEK soldiers picked him up and sat him down inside the helicopter. "Got you now, Gray Prince," one of them said arrogantly.

"Get him to headquarters!" Ravenheart commanded. "I'm going to clean up the rest of this city. Move out!"

He rallied up his soldiers, all of them getting into their armored vehicles, which scattered all over the city to hunt down rioters and gangs who were just decoys to get Aster in Dr. Guarnizo's hands. Poor bastards. They expected an exciting hunt, but now they were going to get massacred for the sake of publicity. Surely that was going to make the company look heroic. The helicopter rose over the city. By the time they were over the skyscrapers, Aster lost all hope that Michael and Jon would come to his rescue.

Who was he to believe that? Last-minute rescues were something that happened in movies. There was nothing he could do now but accept his fate. He sniffed and let a few tears roll down his cheeks. All he wanted to do was to help people. He wanted to be a hero like the warriors in his cards. Be a hero and clean the city up of evil so no other child would have to live the agony of losing their parents. This was not how it was supposed to end.

He thought for a moment that blood had gotten in his eyes. The world around him turned blood red.

"What the hell's going on?" asked the pilot. The helicopter shook violently.

"What are you doing dumbass!" shouted one of the soldiers.

"It's not me!" said the pilot. "That was jet wash!"

"But I didn't see any jets!"

"Something flew directly over us!" said the pilot.

"HOLY SHIT WHAT IS THAT!" shouted one of the soldiers.

Aster couldn't see what 'that' was. But he did see a blood-red dragon head reach inside the helicopter. It grabbed one of the soldiers and pulled him out. The dragon growled and grabbed another one, but this time, it devoured him whole.

"Mayday! Mayday!" shouted the pilot. "Commander we are under attack by an unknown aerial enemy! It just killed Ruby 1 and 4. We are going down! I repeat we are going SHIT!"

The dragon ripped the cockpit apart and then snapped the pilot's legs off. The last thing Aster saw before blacking out was a pair of yellow eyes peering at him from the doorway of the helicopter.

Aster opened his eyes and found himself back in front of the temple ruins. He was still inside the wreckage of the helicopter but it was dripping with blood. Wires sparked around him and the radio was buzzing with activity. Aster tried to move, but he was paralyzed with incredible pain. He looked to the left and saw his savior looking down at him. It was him. The monster he was searching for.

Plasma.

It just stared down at him with great disappointment. Someone else was walking towards him. A man with black hair and glasses looked down at Aster and shook his head. He wore a long black trenchcoat and a crimson scarf. Both his hands concealed in black winter gloves.

Kyle Jables knelt down and inspected the boy. "I'm so sorry," he said. "Let's get you home."