Thank you to DaisyDoodle for your very kind review. It made me smile :D Luckily there are going to be a LOT of interactions between Taz and the Rangers from now on. And another thank you to GottaGetBackUp (I just got your review and I almost started laughing in the middle of my Spanish class). And I must agree, anything Starkid related is AMAZING!...I have an obsession :P Glad you like it!
And now, without further ado, CHAPTER 7! *dances like Krayonder* Don't forget to review; they make me update faster, and enjoy :)
Chapter 7
"Let's GO, Rangers! This is the reason why you were sent to this town! They're already here for Dead-God's sake, and you're in here taking you sweet old time, acting like nothing's happening. Well I'll tell you, something is happening. THE ROBOTS ARE BLOWING UP THE ENTIRE GODDAMNED CITY!"
It was true. The summer Taz was sixteen, and was to go into her third year of high school, was the summer the Robot Army struck again. Despite of the main Starship Base's constant watch on the Robot Armies, the attack was a complete surprise. Up was the first to hear about it, and when he did, he started rounding up the Ensigns and pushing them out the door.
"Now, go out there, and shoot every single goddamned robot you see, alright? And if you don't go out there, and die for something, then I will kill you for nothing. So GO!"
At the mention of this, the Ensigns stopped their walking and practically ran out the Starship Base's doors. Up sighed to himself as he picked up his zapper. "They're too easy to scare," he said to himself. Up was just about to follow the Ensigns when he heard footsteps running towards him. Expecting it to be Ensign Roberts, who was always late, Up turned around, about to shout at the person, but stopped himself when he saw that it was Taz.
"Wait, espera, por favor!" she said as she ran towards Up. She had on her usual clothes that she wore during her fighting lessons, and her long, black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She also wore a red bandana that she found in Up's closet one day while trying to find her boots.
"Taz, you're not coming," Up said simply.
"Perdón?" Taz asked. "Up, this is what I've been training for! I'm ready for this."
"I can't let you go out there. You're not a qualified Ranger, so if something were to happen to you…" Up didn't finish that statement. He didn't want to think of what might happen. "Besides, Taz, if something happened to you…I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. You have a bright future ahead of you as a Ranger. I can't do anything to prevent that from happening."
"Yes, I know," said Taz, "but this will give me real practice on the battle field, Up. Please, Up, por favor!"
"My decision is final," said Up sternly. "The answer is no. Now go back to the Cabin and stay there until we get back."
With that, Lieutenant Up ran out of the Starship Base and into the hot summer day. Taz watched as he slowly became a small speck in the distance and sighed to herself. "Mierda, this isn't fair," she said. Her eyes wandered around the room she was in, and quickly fell upon a zapper, probably left behind by an Ensign. A plan forming in her mind, Taz picked the zapper up and studied it for a bit. Taz smiled, slung the zapper around her shoulder, and took off after Up.
The city was in havoc. Buildings were in flames and smoke covered the entire area. The sound of programmed circuits and monotone laughs could be heard under the screams of the people of the city, who were running around frantically. Everywhere you turned, robots could be seen either destroying buildings, or people. The site of her hometown being demolished troubled Taz greatly. This was where she grew up, and now, it was going to be like all the other towns and cities in Mexico; destruidos.
That's when she saw it. Through the smoke, Taz could see a silhouette of a tall, still being. She recognized it immediately from her nightmares; it had been haunting her the past year now. The stance, the sounds it made, the glare of the sun off of its metal armor, everything was familiar.
"De-stroy the pu-ny hu-man," it said as it progressed towards Taz.
At that moment, everything that Taz learned from Up about defending herself and fighting became clouded by fear. Forgetting about the zapper that still hung on her shoulder, Taz turned on her heel and started to run. She had to get away; it was just too much. The robot didn't stop, however. It started to walk faster and it started to shoot lazars out of its arm in the in Taz's direction. Taz, being very quick and small, was able to dodge them without worry. Estúpido robot, Taz thought.
However, Taz spoke too soon. She was coming near a trashcan when she felt a sudden burning warmth on her upper left arm. The next thing she knew, the trashcan was in flames and her arm was starting to feel worse. Taz looked down and sure enough, there was a thin burn mark on her arm.
"De-stroy! De-stroy! DE-STROY!"
"Kill, kill, kill, kill!"
The sounds of the robot were getting louder, and clearer, and Taz could have sworn that there was more now. Taz shut her eyes in fear and curled up into a ball. They were coming, and nothing was going to stop them. She was going to join her family en el cielo.
"Kill the puny hu-man!"
"Destroy, destroy!"
"For dead-god's sake, Taz, use your damn zapper!"
Taz snapped her eyes open; extremely confused. She looked over in the direction of the robots and saw another figure approaching her as well. However, this figure moved faster, and more freely, and Taz could definitely say that the "figure" was a man.
"Up?" she asked.
Sure enough, Lieutenant Up was the figure running towards her, and shouting at Taz to use her zapper. Taz looked down at her side and finally realized the zapper. She quickly aimed it towards the approaching robots and set it to "pew" with shaking fingers. She focused the shot, and, without really thinking, shot the zapper. Though it felt like longer, the robot fell to the ground immediately, destroyed.
"I did it," Taz whispered to herself, amazed at what she had done.
"That's great, Ranger," shouted Up, now only a few feet away from the robots. "Now shoot the rest!"
Taz didn't have to be told twice. She focused her zapper once again on a different robot and shot it. It was strange, but when Taz watched as the robot started to malfunction and slowly shut down permanently, she couldn't help but feel like a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Smiling to herself, Taz aimed again, but missed the robot and nearly hit Up in the face. Luckily, Up dodged the lazar in time; it only skimmed the tips of his hair.
"Lo siento, Up," Taz shouted, cringing a bit.
Up didn't reply. Instead, he rose to full height and took out his zapper. In the blink of an eye, the robot fell to the ground and Lieutenant Up crushed its head with his big, black combat boot. He looked down at Taz, who was still crouched down to the ground and holding her zapper, which was almost as big as her body.
"Up, Lieutenant Up, come in Lieutenant."
"This is Up, what's the problem?" asked Up into his earpiece communication device.
"Up, we've found the Robot's Ship; they didn't use a drop pod."
"Thanks, Timbale. We'll be right there," Up said back.
At the mention of "we" Taz smiled and instantly sprang up from the ground, the zapper strap falling off her shoulder. Up gave her a small smiled and tentatively clasped her hand in his.
"We, sir?" asked Timbale.
"Yes, Ranger," said Up sternly, "we." With that, Up channeled off and turned towards Taz. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"
"Sí, I am ready," she responded confidently.
"Alright then, Ranger; let's go kick some robot-ass."
"Donde esta the Robot Ship?" asked Taz as they maneuvered through a section of trees.
"That's a good question," said Up, as he came to a halt. "Timbale didn't say anything about where it was. Is there any place in this town that you think could hold a Ship? What's the biggest site here?"
"Oh, que es facil. The Pyramid of the Magician is closest, and it's the biggest site in Uxmal. It's just through these trees, actually."
"Well, I say that we check there first. If we can't find it, then I'll try calling Timbale back."
The Pyramid of the Magician was, by far, the biggest landmark in all of Uxmal. Up figured its highest point was at least 120 feet. The two approached the base of the Pyramid and gazed upon the steps that lay in front of them. Up was beaming, but Taz gulped.
"Esoesun montónde pasos. That's a lot of steps, Up," said Taz nervously.
"Nonsense," Up scoffed. "Trust me, this'll be nothing."
Up then started climbing the numerous stairs. With a sigh, Taz followed, knowing her legs would be sore the next morning. Sure enough, by the time Up and Taz reached the top of the pyramid Taz collapsed to the ground. Her legs felt like led. She was sweating hard and completely out of breath. Up, however, didn't look as shaken. A bit of sweat trickled down his forehead, but that was it.
"Didn't that feel great Taz?" Up asked, patting her on the shoulder.
"No," said Taz, not getting up from the ground. "I feel like mierda."
"Come on, Ranger," said Up and he hoisted Taz to her feet. "The Ship can't be too far."
Soon, Taz and Up entered a small room inside the pyramid. The inside of the pyramid was stuffy and looked like it was about to fall apart. Everything was made of now crumbling stone that was engraved, and the floor was made of dirt. There were four walls that made up the room, and there was no sign of any door.
"Qué pasa?" asked Taz. "Where do we go now?"
"I don't know Taz," said Up as he fingered the inscribed walls. "Maybe there's a trap door."
"Up, I live here, and there has never been any record of there being a "trampa dela puerta" in this pyramid." As Taz stepped towards Up, she felt her foot sink into the ground slightly. Confused, Taz looked down to see that the stone square she stepped on was indeed sinking beneath her. "¿Quédemonios?"
As Taz moved her foot from the square, the floor started to shake violently. The force threw Taz off her feet, and she crashed onto the ground hard. Up was only thrown slightly before he held tightly onto the wall for support. He could feel his feet buzzing through his boots, and his legs started to wobble. He looked over to the floor and saw a few of the stone squares parting from each other, leaving a large hole in the ground. Soon, though, the vibrating stopped as well as the moving squares. Up abandoned the wall and ran over to help Taz from the ground.
"You okay?" he asked, checking her over to make sure she wasn't injured while falling.
"Ay, Up, I'm fine!" Taz exclaimed, pushing Up away.
The two Rangers walked over to the hole and looked down it. They saw a staircase started at the top of the hole. They also picked up that the pit was extremely dark for they could see about ten steps before the staircase disappeared into darkness.
"There's no record of this on the internet," said Taz, observing the hole with interest.
"That's because it's not Mayan," replied Up. At the sight of Taz's confused look, Up stepped down onto one of the steps, which caused an echo to sound throughout the room. "The steps are metal. The Mayans didn't have access to metal when this was constructed."
"Los robots," said Taz. "They are here!"
"Come on," said Up, taking Taz's hand in him. Taz, shocked by this, quickly pulled her hand out of Up's grip.
"I can walk on my own," she snapped.
With that, Taz took the lead and headed down the dark stairs first, her footsteps echoing at every step she took. Up, realizing what he just did shook himself mentally. "What's gotten into you, Ranger?" he scolded to himself.
They traveled down the steps for what seemed like an eternity. It was taking almost as long to go down these steps as it did to go up the ones outside. The worst part was, they were going down the stairs in the dark, and had to be extra careful of where they put their feet. For if you were like Taz, and thought that flying down the stairs recklessly would make the trip go faster, you would end up missing a step or two. Because of this, Taz's foot slipped about halfway down which caused her to lose her footing. She braced herself for the fall, but felt a strong pair of arms against her back instead.
"Steady there, Ranger," said Up and he propped Taz back onto her feet.
"Thanks," said Taz, who was thankful she and Up were in the dark. If he saw her blushing like she was now, she would never live it down.
After a few more minutes of climbing down stairs, the two Rangers finally reached solid, dirt ground. Taz was literally hugging the ground in relief. "I never want to see another escalerade metal again. "Sonpeligrosos!"
Up laughed a bit at Taz as he studied the area. He noticed a burning torch hanging the wall next to him and carefully took it. He waved the light source around, trying to get an idea of where they were. Ahead of the Rangers laid a long corridor that stretched into darkness. Figuring it was the only path they could take, Taz and Up headed down the corridor.
Soon, they reached the end of the long hallway and approached a large, stone door. Taz tried to pull it open, but it wouldn't budge. So, she tried again, but the door still didn't move. "Mierda. Up, I think it's stuck," she said, pounding her fists on the door, only to cry out in pain. Stone was hard!
"Try pushing it, Ranger," said Up.
Taz pushed the door lightly, and it slowly swung open. She laughed, a bit embarrassed.
"Gracias," she said.
The room was huge and lit with lights that hung all over the walls. Up estimated that the room covered the entire base of the pyramid; maybe even more. There wasn't much in the room, probably because a huge robot ship took up most of the space. It was large, a dull grey color, and on the side, the words "The Terminator" were printed large and in red. Looking at the ship, Up knew it could carry an entire fleet of robot that could whip out the entire human race on Earth.
"They never left a year ago," Up realized as he looked at the robots. "They've been here the entire time; just waiting for the right moment to strike."
Up circled the Terminator but made sure he stayed in the shadows. Robots were crawling all over the area, and Up didn't have a plan. Soon, Up was in a position where he was able to see the platform that led to the inside of the Terminator. "Okay," he whispered to Taz, "we're going to have to move fast. I don't want to cause a diversion because that would put the robots on high alert. Now, when there's an opening to run straight to the platform, run, and don't look back. Do you understand?"
"Sí, entiendo."
"Good, because I think we're gonna have to move…now!"
The opportunity came, and Up and Taz were out of their hiding spot and sneaking over to the Terminator as fast as they could, without making a sound. However, Taz accidentally kicked a small rock with her foot, which made a small sound as it skidded across the room. The robots all turned towards her, but before they could see her, she had hidden behind one of the legs that were holding the Terminator off the ground. She waited, standing as still as she could, heart pounding, and breathing deeply. She could hear the robots approaching her hiding place, and she shut her eyes, praying for it all to be over. Thankfully, a loud speaker came on and programmed, monotone voice announced that all robots outside the Terminator had to go and help attack the town. Taz sighed in relief and watched, out of the corner of her eye, as each and every robot in the area left the room.
As soon as the coast was clear, Up and Taz ran for the platform and scampered up into the Terminator. Once inside, Taz laughed and rested against a wall.
"Que era un cerrar un," she said.
The inside of the Terminator was almost blinding. Everything was made of a gleaming white metal that shinned brightly under the florescent lights. The walls, the ceiling, even the tables and cabinets were made of this metal. Taz had a hard time keeping her eyes open for long.
"You go this way," said Up, pointing to a hallway to his left. He then handed Taz a heavy, leather bag. "These are explosive devices that I want you to hide throughout the Terminator. I have the control that will cause them to explode when I want them too. It'll destroy the entire Robot Ship, but we can't do it until we've evacuated the building and made sure no other Rangers are on this ship. So, the quicker we do this, the better."
"Bien," replied Taz, slinging the bag over her shoulder and starting confidently down the hallway.
Up watched her walk away until she was a small speck in the distance. He then slung his own bag of explosives over his shoulder and headed in the opposite direction. Hopefully, neither of them would run into any robots and they would get out of the ship in no time. Hopefully.
Taz had no idea where she was going. She just basically followed the hallway and hid explosives in random places as she did. She tried to make sure the explosives were not in obvious places; she didn't want the robots finding out about the plan. It was a while before she turned a corner, and when she did, she was facing the back of three robots. Taz's instinct was to scream, but she stopped herself from doing so just in time. She threw herself back around the corner and crouched down into the shadows. Hopefully the robots didn't notice her.
She couldn't help but notice that the robots were talking amongst themselves. Now, Taz knew it wasn't polite to eavesdrop, it's what her mother always told her, but since when was Taz "polite"; especially to the bastardos that killed her familia. Taz strained her ears, trying her hardest to pick up on what the metal devils were talking about.
"You heard about the Rangers onboard?" one asked.
"Affirmative," another said.
At first, Taz thought the robots were talking about herself and Up. However, she forced herself to stay still and listen to the whole story.
"The hu-man mind is so easy to manipulate," said the first one. "Did you hear what the Commander did to the Orange Ranger?" (Taz guessed they were talking about Grog, since he had such olive skin).
"Yes, do we know if it worked yet?"
"No appearance has been confirmed."
"Where are the captured ones now?"
"In the holding cell, down this way."
"What is their punishment?"
"Life sentence in the cell…or until we decide to kill them."
The three robots chorused in a dull, un-human laugh before walking down the hallway and disappearing out of sound. Taz was shocked. There were more Rangers here? Without thinking things through, Taz emerged from her hiding place and ran swiftly down the corridor. She was going to find those Rangers, and hopefully set them free.
Up decided to go into every room he could and plant at least one explosive. Luckily, all of the rooms were empty, that is, until Up passed by an office. The door was wide open, and Up could hear a few robots talking inside.
"Are our intruders being cared for properly?"
"Yes, they are in the holding cell, as you commanded."
Up guessed that he was outside the Commander-Robot's office. The way it said cared for made Up sick to his stomach. The robots were most definitely not treating their "visitors" well, and it didn't seem to care in the slightest.
Suddenly, red lights started to flash and a loud, blaring alarm sounded throughout the entire ship. Up knew what this was; he had heard it almost every time he entered a Robot Ship. Deciding what to do on the spot, Up took out a brass key and silently locked the door of the Commander Office. He then attached an explosive on the inside of the door and slammed the door shut. He looked inside and met the metal eyes of the Robots. Up grinned, gave them a wink, and walked away. His next mission: try to find Taz and get out of the hellhole.
It was taking Up forever to find her, however. He searched through every room, hallway, and closet he could fine, while still avoiding the robots, but there still was no sign of her. She couldn't have gotten too far; he'd only left her for a few minutes. She couldn't have gone any farther than the end of the holding cell wing, which just so happened to be on the opposite side of the Terminator from where Up was.
When he got there, though, the sight was not pretty. Taz lay sprawled out on the floor, and amidst about five other robots. "Did she take those down on her own?" Up wondered. Her thick, black waves were coming out of her pony tail and were covering her face. There were cuts on her face and arms and blood was seeping into her cloths.
"Up," she choked out dryly. "The Rangers get them out."
Up turned to his right to see three of his Ensigns, faces pressed against the metal bars of the holding cell. With his brass key in hand, Up walked over to the lock of the cell but before he could release the Rangers, something hard and metal punched him in the face. Up fell back a bit and shook his head, trying to clear his vision. Once he could see again, he noticed that there were two more Robots in the area, standing over Taz. She looked like she was trying to get up, but no matter how hard she tried, she always ended up falling back down.
"To get to the hu-man shank, you must pass us first," said the robot on the left. It then stepped on Taz's back hard, which caused her to cry out in pain.
Instantly, Up reached for his zapper, only to find that it wasn't by his side any more. "I must have dropped it," he thought to himself. "Dead-god damn it!" Up looked around, trying to find something to attack with, when someone started to whistle. Confused, Up turned his head towards the sound to see Grog, trying to get the robots attention. Up looked at Grog, and Grog pointed down towards Taz. Up looked at the fallen warrior once again, and saw that she was holding her zapper underneath her arm.
Once Up was sure the robot's attention was drawn elsewhere, he lunged for Taz, and snatched the zapper out of her grip. Without standing, Up shot the zapper twice, and the two robots fell, completely destroyed. A small laugh came from beside Up. He looked over to see Taz smiling.
"You did it Up," she whispered, clearly in pain.
"No, I just finished them off. You were the one who destroyed the majority of them."
With that, Taz smiled once again before slipping into unconsciousness. Up rose to his feet, the brass key still in hand, and easily released his Rangers. The three scampered out of the cell as fast as they could, thanking Up for the help.
"You should have seen it Up," said Timbale. "She was so quick, and took out all five of the robots! I never knew she could fight like that!"
Up couldn't help but swell in pride. His lessons really did stick. He then bent down towards Taz's unconscious form and lifted her off the ground. Deciding there was no way she was going to walk, Up kept her in his arms, and carried her.
As the Rangers approached the Terminator's exit, they thought they were home free. However, they were very, very wrong. Before they could even step out of the Terminator, there path was blocked by none other, than the Robot-Commander himself.
"Well, well, Lieutenant Up," he said, looking over the Rangers in front of him; one Lieutenant, three Ensigns, and a teenager. "It's been a while."
"It hasn't been long enough," Up replied, hate spilling out of his words.
"It's good to see you too," said the Commander-Robot. "Now, what shall I do with you? It's not like this hasn't happened before, why, I think I'm just out of ideas."
But before anything else could happen, the Commander-Robot fell to the ground. It wasn't destroyed, but it wasn't moving. Behind the fallen robot stood the third of the Ensigns that had been captured by the robots. He was a young age of twenty-two, and Up figured he just graduated from the academy. He was tall, lanky build, and had brown hair that stuck up in random directions. Up didn't really know Swintly. He was quiet, and liked to keep to himself. However, he was very good when it came to one-on-one combat, though. The Ranger smiled at Up
"It was taking you too long, sir," he said. "I figured I'd knock him unconscious so we could make our escape."
Up gave Swintly a nod and he and the Rangers fled from the Robot Army sight as fast as they could. By the time they had gone up the stairs, through the room, and back down the stairs on the outside of the pyramid (which putting explosives on the wall every now and again), it was evening, and the stars were just starting to sparkle in the sky. The Rangers decided to stop when they were a good distance away from the Pyramid of the Magician. Up set Taz onto the ground, and fished the explosive control out of his pocket.
"Farewell to a Great Monument that has been around for years," he said. The Ensigns all snapped into a solute stance and without hesitation, Up pushed the button. Within seconds, a low rumble could be heard and the Pyramid of the Magician burst into flames.
"Mierda," said a voice from the ground. Up looked down to see that Taz had wakened, and was gazing at the burning monument in surprise. "You didn't have to burn the whole structure down! That's been around for ages!"
"It was necessary, Taz," said Up. "If we didn't they could have attacked the city again."
"I know," said Taz with a small smile, shifting slightly so that she was now sitting upright. "I was just messing with you."
After watching the pyramid burn for a few more minutes, Up announced that it was time to turn in for the night. He bent down to pick Taz up again, but Taz refused, and stood up on her own.
"Parada! I can walk on my own, gracias." However, she was still a bit dizzy from the loss of blood, and ended up falling over again. As usual, Up was there to catch her, and he scoped her in his arms as well.
"Don't give me that bullshit," said Up. "I don't want you falling down a well or something because you couldn't see properly."
"Hey, that wasn't bad for my first mission, was it?"
"No, it wasn't at all," replied Up, actually quite proud at how well Taz did on her first mission. She wasn't even in the Academy yet, and she could already take down five robots. "You did…great."
