To xXSilent DreamerXx: Once again, thanks for the catch. I'll be sure to watch for those spelling problems. Also, I'm glad you like the babies! It seems to me that Kirby wants to have siblings of his own (just watch "Kirby's Pet Peeve" and "Hatch Me if You Can" for proof) but he's never allowed to have any. I thought this would be a cute way of fulfilling that wish.
Just like you know, I own nothing but the Collector. Everyone and everything else belongs to Nintendo, Hal Laboratories, 4Kids, and Warpstar Inc.
Episode Three: Glimpse of the Past, Part three
The sun was starting to set as the group of friends reached Kabu Canyon. The flames of the torches that were always around the wise tiki casted shadows all around. "This place always makes me nervous," Poppy whispered to Lololo. "It's so big and echo-y. It's almost like someone's watching you as you get close."
"That's because there is someone," Lololo laughed, "but it's only Kabu. We don't have to worry about anything with him."
"Do you really think he'll know where Kirby and Meta Knight were taken," Lalala asked. Her mind had already started to think of all the terrible fates that might have already befallen the duo. "I mean, no one's seen this before, and everyone we have asked say they can't remember anyone named Zaroffina. What if she was lying, and she's taken them someplace far away, and is doing horrible things to them?"
"We can't afford to panic right now," Tiff scolded. "We don't know what's going on, but letting our imaginations run away with us is helping no one. We just need to do what we can to find them first, and then see what else can be done to help them."
They drew closer to where the ancient tiki stood. As they approached, the wise creature called out a greeting. "Welcome, young ones. Have you come to consult me on some matter?"
Tiff stepped forwards to act as the children's mouthpiece. "Yes, sir," she called up. "I'm afraid we have some serious news. Kirby and Meta Knight were kidnapped."
"I am aware of this," Kabu said calmly. "There has been much tension among the people of Dreamland because of this. I am certain, though, that you would not have come all the way out here at this hour merely to tell me this."
"That's right," Tiff responded. She turned to Ado, who handed over the mysterious canister. "We found this in the area where our friends were taken. It has some mark on it, but we can't say we recognize it. We were wondering if you could tell us what it means." She held up the canister so that the mark could be clearly seen.
Kabu was quiet for a moment, as if in thought, before he began speaking. "I have seen this symbol before, but I did not expect it to appear on Pop Star."
"What is it?" Tuff blurted out in excitement. He backed down again, however, when his sister shot him an angered look.
First you draw a circle,
( )
Then you dot the eyes,
(0 0)
Add a great big smile,
(0u0)
And Presto! It's Kirby!
"It is the mark of a creature known as the Collector," Kabu continued. "She has used so many aliases that her true name is unknown, but she always has this clear calling card on everything she possesses. However, it is strange that she would come here to add to her collection, especially for creatures that are found in much more abundance elsewhere."
"What do you mean?" Adeleine asked.
"The Collector's past behaviors," the wise tiki explained, "have been a history of stealing rare creature from various worlds, and locking them up in terrariums meant to mimic their home worlds as close as possible. However, she is highly selective on what she takes. Only creatures that are or are near to being the last of their kind are valuable enough for her collections. However, Kirby and Meta Knight's race, though rare here on Pop Star, were once a large people. If she has resorted to taking the two who are here, I fear for their planet."
There was a pause as the small group took in this information. It was Rick who broke the uncomfortable silence. "So what you are saying is this Collector person takes valuable species to keep a hold of so that she is the only one with access to these now unusual creature. That's good news for us!"
"Why on Pop Star would you say that?" Chuchu cried in disgust. "It means that wherever they are, they're being treated like animals!"
"Yes," the hamster explained, "and that in and of itself is terrible, but it also raises their chances of survival. From the sounds of things, the kidnapper views these rare creatures as more valuable alive. If she's going to the trouble to collect near extinct races, she's not going to just kill them. That increases our chances of finding them alive."
"Rick's right!" Ado agreed. Then she thought for a moment. "Uh, Kabu, you wouldn't have an idea where she might be holding them, would you?"
"The collector holds her catches in a variety of ships. They are cloaked so that they are hard to find, but their massive size means they move slowly. It is unlikely that she has gone too far away from Pop Star, but her use of the cloaks means that the ship will be difficult to locate."
"Difficult doesn't mean impossible," Tiff declared, gripping the canister tightly. "We'll do whatever it takes to bring our friends home!"
"Just one question," Poppy interjected. "If they're in space, how are we going to catch up with them?"
The kids froze for a moment. That was right. They didn't currently have any way of travel. Suddenly, Phan-Phan squealed. "Kirby's ship!" he exclaimed. "Rick and I hid it in a cave in the forest after we first met Kirby! I'll bet we can use that!"
"Great idea," Tiff said approvingly. She turned back to Kabu. "Thanks for your help. Now that we know where we've got to go, now we can work on getting there." With that, the young friends left.
Kabu smiled inwardly to himself. These young ones were maturing fast. Perhaps the hopes that a new generation of Star Warriors would arise were not in vain.
(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)
The next couple of days were quiet inside the enclosure. Meta Knight did not tell Kirby all of what he had found out, though he did let him know that there wouldn't be any danger for the time being. The veteran did not wish to cause any undue worry. If it became important for Kirby to know all the details of their situation, Meta Knight would tell him then.
Until then, however, the blue Puffal would be on the lookout for any chance of escape. Any hint of flaw in the enclosure would serve the purpose. A divot that might lead to a place to dig, a shimmer in the glass that might mean a weak point, the warrior search vigilantly for anything that might give him and his companions a chance at freedom.
However, their prison was apparently as sound as sound could be. The walls, though they could not be seen, were harder than rock. The roof, which was made from some reinforced metal, was also difficult to break. It seemed as if the Puffals would never get their chance. Until one morning, that is.
It had been a rather foggy "morning", and it typically was in the enclosure. It was very early, and due to his late night searches, Meta Knight was still asleep. Kirby, who was getting bored with just staying inside the nest until midday, took this as a chance to go outside and play.
He crept over to the entrance as quietly as he could. Before he got outside, however, a small hand touched him. "Poyo?" a quiet voice asked questioningly.
The young warrior turned to see who had spoken. It was the little purple baby, who had crawled over to him. The others were awake as well, and watched with great interest what the older child was doing.
Kirby saw this as a great chance. Now he could finally teach the babies how to play outside, just as his friends in Dreamland taught him. "G'win out," he proclaimed, pointing out of the nest. "Wanna come, poyo?"
The baby peered nervously out of the opening. "Poyo," he mused quietly for a second. Then he nodded. "Poyo!" the infant eagerly declared, and he rushed out to the branch outside the nest.
One by one, each of the infants crawled out. Once they were all on the branch, Kirby motioned for them to watch him. He then took a deep breath and floated down to the forest floor. Once he had reached the bottom, he let go of the breath and motioned to the other. "Now you!"
Cautiously, the little blue one tried first. She held her breath, and slowly floated down to join Kirby. Emboldened by their sister's success, the others followed close behind. Before long, all eight of the young Puffals were on their way to explore their new surroundings.
Meta Knight woke up with a start. He had been in the throes of another nightmare, and had awoken with the terrible feeling that something was wrong. He closed his eyes momentarily, calming himself. He was being silly. For the most part, all was well. They were still imprisoned, but at least Kirby and the little ones were still alive and in the nest. He looked over to where his apprentice lay to allay his fear.
Kirby was gone. Of course, this caused a sudden panic to emerge in the knight. The babies were gone too. Where had they gone? Had the Collector decided to do something with them? Had she done something to discover Kirby's origin? If she had, then that would be a disaster. Hurriedly, the blue Puffal rushed out of the nest, desperate to find his charges.
It wasn't too long before he found them. They had gathered around an area by the wall, and seemed to be playing some game that involved rock throwing.
Relief and anger mingled as Meta Knight descended. "Kirby!" he snapped, disapproval clear in his voice. "What are you doing out here? You know you are not supposed to leave by yourself."
"Sowwy," Kirby said, glancing down towards his feet.
Meta Knight was about to continue when something caught his eye. It was a small detail, something that would have been overlooked by the untrained eye, but he did not miss it.
To the normal view, it would have just appeared to be a warped leaf, something damaged by the wind and rain. However, the Star Warrior had been trained to notice the unnoticeable. This was an area where a stone had struck the wall and left a mark. Not a large enough one to cause too much concern to the Collector, but enough to give the hope of freedom.
Meta Knight regained his composure. "We will discuss this later," he said, trying to mask his sudden change in interest as a time of calming down. "Let us return for now."
The younger Puffal's head drooped as he returned. Meta Knight sighed. He didn't like having to scold Kirby, and he understood his anxiety to be out and about, but there were times when circumstances made it a necessity to stifle one's desires in order to remain safe.
However, the knight kept the discovered imperfection in mind. If that was what he thought was, they might not have to waste away in this cage for much longer.
(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)
"What do you mean this is all they found!" Dedede snapped at his unfortunate servant.
Bandana Dee stood, clutching his spear close as he told the temperamental Pengu the bad news. "Well, sire," he said, the hesitation clear in his voice, "you were rather unclear in your orders. Or at least, unclear to the Waddle Dees. They have been searching for anything that would seem to be related to Meta Knight and Kirby's disappearance."
"And what do they bring me!" The king was almost purple with anger. "A couple of balls, a plum, two Bronto Burts, and a traffic cone! I don't even know how they could have made that mistake with the last one!"
"They've been doing their best, sire!" The unfortunate Dee covered his head. "Just try to be more patient! I promise their doing their best!"
Dedede prepared to bop Bandana Dee on the head when he spied Sword Knight and Blade Knight coming down the hallway. That gave Dedede an idea.
He got up and chased after the two knights. "Hey there, buddies," he called out. "We're friends, right?"
The duo froze. Blade mumbled something in confusion. Sword nodded in agreement. "When did you ever like us?"
Dedede did his best to fake injury. "Well, I never! I've always been fond of you two!"
Sword sighed, picking up on what was going on. "We're very busy right now, sire. Just tell us what you want and then please be on your way."
"Alright then," Dedede said, getting down to business. "You two are in real close to Meta Knight. So if you just say that he and Kirby are just off on some sort of training mission, everyone'll believe you. Then things can get back to the way they were."
Both Star Warrior knaves just stared at the king for a while. Then they turned and left, Blade mumbling something about thinking of others for a change.
Dedede, completely aware he was just blown off, turned back to his throne room, where Bandana Dee still stood waiting. "Of all the nerve," the Pengu muttered to himself. That was when he spotted his servant still waiting for him.
"Bandana Dee, you've given me an idea!" he declared after a moment. "I want you to follow those two and keep an eye on them. They know more than they're letting on. Once you find out something important, report back to me."
The orange creature looked sharp and saluted with his spear. "Yes, sir." With that, he hurried out of the room, eager to get away from the volatile king.
Dedede smirked and congratulated himself on his clever scheme. He'd show everyone how silly all this panic over those two Puffals was and then everything would go back to the way he wanted it. Yes sir, sometimes he even impressed himself.
A voice interrupted his self-flattery. "Sire," Waddle Doo called in, "several of the Waddle Dees say they found Kirby!"
Well, Dedede thought to himself, it's about time. "Bring him in!" the king called out. "He'll be able to explain what's been going on."
Two Waddle Dees marched in, carrying a brown sack between them. As they came before the throne, they bowed and emptied the bag of its passenger.
What was dumped out certainly looked like Kirby, as it was indeed a pink ball creature with large red feet. However, the mouth was too small and the eyes were black not blue.
"You morons!" the irate king yelled out. "That's not Kirby! That's a Batamon!"
As he hurried after Sword Knight and Blade Knight, Bandana Dee thanked his lucky stars that he was out on this mission, rather than back there, dealing with an incensed Dedede.
(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)
Rick and Phan-Phan worked furiously to unearth the small vessel from the cave. It had been hidden there years ago, when Kirby had first arrived at Dreamland. Back then, Dedede had been even more hostile to the little pink puff than now, so Kirby's new friends had thought it best to hide everything that had to do with him. This had the added benefit that they knew where it was now.
"Almost got it, mates," Rick called out as he and Phan-Phan started pushing the small ship out. The ship was light, so the kids, with a little struggle, were able to pull it out on their own. "Got it! Just like we remembered," the hamster said once they were done.
It was a tiny vessel, really only practical for carrying a single passenger. It was shaped like a bright yellow five-point star with a small bubble-like cockpit for where the passenger would sit. All in all, it was in good shape for having sat in a cave for several years.
"Alright," Tiff said as she opened up the cockpit of the ship. "Let's see if we can't get this thing airborne." She slipped into the ship and took a look at the controls. She gasped in shock. There were more buttons and levers in this thing then she had ever seen before. How the heck had Kirby flown this thing? Well, she thought to herself, at least we know now why he crashed.
"This is gonna be a little tougher than we thought," she called out. The other kids gathered as close as they could to see if there was anything they could do, were just as surprised as Tiff was.
"Well," Adeleine said, trying to be helpful, "green means go, so maybe it's one of the green buttons."
Tiff nodded, and pressed several of the green buttons. Most of them didn't respond, and those that did activated the horn, wipers, and flashed the cockpit lights.
"Try the red ones next," Chuchu recommended. "Red typically means important."
Those too yielded little results. Once again, most did not respond, no matter how hard they were pushed. The one button that did respond turned out to be the landing gear, which caused the ship to collapse under the weight of its passengers.
Once they had thoroughly recovered and set the ship back on its wheels, they set to examining the controls again. It was Tuff who noticed a compartment marked in an unknown language. "What's this?" he asked. Without waiting to be answered, he reached inside and opened the compartment. Inside lay a single button, which the young boy eagerly pushed.
There was a shaking sound followed by a small explosion that shook the whole ship. Smoke started pouring from the front of the ship. Poppy rushed forwards and lifted the panel where the smoke was coming from and waved the offending plumes away. However, what lay inside was not any more hopeful.
"Good news and bad new," he called over to his waiting friends. "I think Tuff did find the ignition. However, it was too much for the engine, which exploded."
The children rushed in a frenzy to the front of the little ship. Sure enough, the small block of glass and metal that used to be the engine lay in a twisted heap, still giving off little plumes of smoke.
"Oh, no!" Ribbon cried in distress. "This was our only way into space, and none of us know how to fix it! What are we going to do now?"
Ado looked closely into the engine block when a little symbol caught her eye. "Hey," she said suddenly, "we might not know how to fix this, but Sword and Blade might." When the others looked at her questioningly, she pointed at the little symbol of a five point star. "This is Star Warrior technology," she explained. "Sword and Blade are Star Warriors, so maybe they'll know how to fix this wreck."
"Good idea," Lalala agreed. "Let's get this to Gus' shop, and we'll find Sword and Blade from there." The others nodded and started moving the busted star ship out of the forest. They were getting closer and closer to finding Kirby and Meta Knight, and they weren't going to give up until they found a way to help their friends.
(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)
Meta Knight worked quietly and quickly. Upon further investigation of the imperfection, he found his previous conclusion to be correct. For some reason, and imperfection in the mixture that made up the wall had made this area softer than the rest. After feeling around, he also found this area to be rather sizable. It would be a bit of a squeeze, but with time and patience, he would be able to make a hole big enough to get through.
He started work that night. As soon as he was sure that Kirby and the babies were asleep, he crept out, keeping in mind to be back long before dawn, so there wouldn't be a repeat of this morning misadventure.
Once he got to the area, he selected a patch of dry grass and twigs, which he bound to a long stick. He then took several rocks which he hoped were flint and started working to make sparks. After a few minutes of work, he had a small torch, which he held against the weak point. After a few moments, the wall was soft with a few areas that had out and out melted. This part he dug out with a small con-caved rock. Once the area had cooled, he applied the torch again and repeated the process.
It was slow going, but it was the best option that they had. After a few hours of work, Meta Knight covered over the small dug out patch with some of the thick foliage that covered everything and headed back to the nest. Much to his relief, none of the little Puffals had awoken yet.
Now relieved that his charges were safe and he had a plan of escape, the knight settled down to sleep. It was the first time since the capture that he had rested well. Dreams of the past still rushed to his mind, but for once they were pleasant dreams, where his long gone friends were present again.
The next few days continued this pattern. The days would be spent in training Kirby and keep a close watch over the babies. Meta Knight was careful not to let any of the younger Puffals know about his escape plan, so they would be spared if the Collector caught wind of what he was doing. However, this was getting more and more difficult to do, as Kirby began to notice his odd sleep habits. This made the pink squire suspicious.
"Medikni 'kay?" he had asked once when he noticed that the elder warrior was beginning to doze off.
Meta Knight caught himself and forced his eyes back open. "I'm fine, Kirby. Don't worry about me. Why don't you practice your range of inhale? See that stone? Try to pull it off the overhang without swallowing it."
"Poyo-kay," the younger Puffal answered. By now, this sort of distraction didn't work quite as well as it used to. Kirby was aware that his mentor was hiding something, and he would find out what, but he also knew that Meta Knight would take it to his grave if he had to. The young Star Warrior would have to be patient and vigilant if he wanted to figure out what was going on.
Things went like this for several days. Meta Knight would work on their escape rout in the night, and Kirby would try to figure out what was going on during the day. Thankfully, the little ones, who were developing rapidly every day. Their exploration did, however, make for an easy distraction if Kirby started discussing his absences too much.
The small group soon fell into such a routine, which was carried out day after day. Finally, Meta Knight was almost finished with the hole. He had broken through the night before, and with a little more work, they'd be able to slip out an escape. He would explain everything to his charges in the morning. After that, they would begin their journey back to Dreamland.
(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)
Sword examined the inside of the small vessel as he explained the situation. "No, I'm afraid this thing's busted. It must have took a lot of damage in the initial crash that brought Kirby here, and then being started without warming up after years of disuse was the last straw. This won't fly again."
The small group had gathered together at Gus' garage, and having explained the situation to the two knaves, were now looking in dismay at the remains of the little ship's engine.
"Is there really nothing we can do?" Adeleine asked in dismay. It seemed as if the final hope of rescuing their friends was vanishing.
"Maybe there is," a voice from the shadows said.
Everyone turned to look where the voice had come from. Much to their surprise, Bandana Dee came out.
"Hey, you work for King Dedede!" Lololo exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
The Waddle Dee raised his arms. "I'm not here for Dedede! I mean, I am, but I didn't reveal myself for him."
"Explain yourself," Tiff said calmly, "but no funny business."
The Waddle Dee walked over to the ruined ship. "The engine is wrecked, but everything else seems to be in working order. This is good, because we need this." He lifted the radio from its cradle. "With this, we can contact the Rising Arrow."
Sword snapped his fingers. "That's genius! Why hadn't we thought of that?"
"Uh, excuse me," Chuchu put in. "What rising arrow, and how will this help us find our friends?"
"You see," Sword explained, "Blade, Kirby, and I are not Sir Meta Knight's only students. The rest of our group patrol around Pop Star, making certain that Nightmare isn't causing trouble elsewhere. That group travels in one of the last starship of the Galactic Star Army, the GSA Rising Arrow."
"If I can patch this in right," Bandana Dee said as he leaned into the busted up space ship, "we'll have their help in rescuing Meta Knight and Kirby."
"I just have one question about this," Poppy said. "How do you know about them? You work for Dedede, not Meta Knight."
"Oh, that's really simple." The Waddle Dee adjusted his bandana so it wasn't in his eyes. "My brother is a member. There!" He picked up the small radio speaker. "Bandana Dee to Rising Arrow. Come in, Rising Arrow."
The monitor flickered a little before coming to life. On screen, a Waddle Dee nearly identical to Bandana Dee appeared. The only difference between the two was the fact that the newcomer was wearing a white sailor's cap. "Sailor Dee here. Hey, bro, long time no see!"
"Hi, Sailor," Bandana Dee greeted. "It's nice seeing you too, but I'm afraid we have grim business."
"Oh, my. This sounds serious." The orange creature took off his cap. "What's wrong?"
"I'm afraid that Lord Meta Knight and Kirby have been abducted," Sword explained. He and Tiff explained everything that they had found out about and why they needed help.
"Oh dear, that is grim news." Sailor Dee put his cap back on. "I'll alert the others and we'll meet up with you soon. You know where to meet us, right?"
"In the landing field," Sword answered. "Hurry, time is of the essence."
"Got it," the Waddle Dee responded. "Rising Arrow out." With that the screen flickered and then turned off.
"Alright, we'll take it from here." Sword and Blade retrieved their weapons and prepared to leave. "You kids head on home."
No way!" Tuff cried. "We're coming too!"
"Yeah," Ribbon said, backing the young boy up. "They're our friends too! We're coming along!" There was a clamor of agreement among the kids.
Sword lifted his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, you can come. But you'll have to listen to rules, and I warn you, the captain has a bit of a temper."
Tiff laughed. "If we can handle old Dedede, I think we'll be fine."
"Come on, then," Sword said. "They'll be here soon, and we'll want to meet them when they land."
(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)
It was the morning that Meta Knight was ready to finally explain the plan to Kirby. He was gathering the small group together when an unwelcome surprise came to them.
The Collector met them inside the enclosure.
Meta Knight glared darkly as he made certain to place himself directly between her and his charges. Kirby peered from behind his mentor with fear, and the babies gathered close in curiosity.
The Collector laughed when she saw their response. "Is this any way to treat your host?" she asked, though the tone in her voice made it clear that she was not surprised in the least.
"What do you want?" Meta Knight said frankly. His voice had lowered to little more than a growl and he spread his wings.
"Well, first of all, you and I are going to have a little chat." She then glared at the children who hung close to their guardian. "Alone."
"They remain with me," the knight responded calmly. "Say what you have to say."
Emboldened by his mentor's composed attitude, Kirby stood up boldly. "Kaabii stay! Not sca'd, poyo!"
Their captor rolled her eyes. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." She pulled out a silver whistle, which she then blew into.
The veteran warrior heard nothing, but waited for some sort of monstrosity to appear. Soon, however, it became clear that the whistle wasn't meant to summon something, but to scare someone away.
The minute she blew the whistle, Kirby clutched his head and the little ones began crying. To them, it was the most horrible sound they had ever heard! In a rush to get away, Kirby ran as fast as he could, grabbing the little brown and white babies and leading the others off.
Meta Knight turned see what was happening, but fell as he felt a dart find its mark in his shoulder. The Collector smirked at him. "High frequency whistle," she explained as he struggled against the drugs which were clouding his senses. "You and I are both too old to hear it, but to them it was one of the most intense experiences they will ever have. Don't worry about them. They'll be fine. Now, on to our business."
She casually walked around and yanked him up by his wing. He winced, but did his best not to cry out. He wouldn't give her that satisfaction.
She clicked her tongue as if she were scolding a naughty child. "You've been a busy boy, haven't you?" She pulled out a syringe filled with a strange liquid. "It was a rather clever scheme at that, too. My sensors almost didn't notice the hole you were making in the wall." She jabbed the syringe into his side and began pulling him away from the nest area.
"You're quite clever. It's almost a shame that I have to do this now." She opened another panel that revealed the door of the enclosure. "But, I did already warn you. Escape attempts are dangerous for your health." With that, she pulled him into the dark corridor as he lost consciousness.
(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)(0u0)
The landing field wasn't too far. It was a large grassy pasture away from most of the living areas of Cappy Town, nearby Whispy Woods.
Just as Sword had said, it didn't take long for the Arrow to arrive, and it was a sight to behold! It was a long, slender ship, with a look to it that made it clear that this was a ship made for speed.
The ship settled down in field and opened up the hatch. Blade mumbled something to group that sounded as if he was telling them to go aboard the ship. Eagerly, the band walked into an examined the interior.
As they were looking around, a young man with spiky blond hair that was tied back with a headband stepped into the room. "Well, kids," Sword said motioning towards the new comer, "let me introduce you to the captain of the Rising Arrow and the leader of this band when Sir Meta Knight is unavailable, Knuckle Joe."
"Right as always, Sword," the young man said, shaking Sword's hand hard. He then turned to the kids. "You guys must be Kirby's friends. Well, a friend of Kirby's is a friend of mine! Welcome aboard."
"Nice to meet you," Tiff said. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances, though."
Knuckle Joe's face darkened at this comment. "Yeah. Sailor Dee filled us in on all the details. This is serious, but don't worry too much." Here a grin spread across the young warrior's face. "We'll find 'em, and we'll make sure that Collector doesn't take anyone else ever again."
Suddenly, the ship began to shake. "Looks like it's time for takeoff." Knuckle Joe motioned towards the room he had just come out of. "You'd better head in there. There are takeoff seats in there, and you'll meet the rest of the crew."
The group complied and headed to their seats. It was both exciting and nerve wracking, but they were finally on their way. They'd soon rescue their friends.
To be continued…