Author's Notes: I finished my main plot! :D yay! Now I know exactly where this story is going, so… well… that's good. Happy 2012 everyone!
It was cold, and dark, and damp in the hidden chamber underneath the saloon.
The only light was from the candles held by blurred people. The blonde woman beckoned to Buzz and Bo, who followed down the stairs behind the counter.
"Close up the top, would you?" the woman asked Buzz. He pulled the latched door down, making a soft click that echoed through the room.
"Lights out," the woman said again, and suddenly the room became completely dark, before Bo or Buzz could see who else was there.
Above them, on the ground floor, several scuffing noises were heard, and a bit of a muffled conversation. It seemed like ages until the noise was gone, and the woman declared it safe to light the candles again.
Bo took the opportunity to look the woman closer, who couldn't have been much over twenty years old. She gave a warm smile, hiding an exasperated weary face.
"I'm Trixie. Welcome to, well, the remnants of our town," she said, sighing and moving aside her bangs.
"My name's Bo, and that's Buzz Lightyear," Bo replied, gesturing towards the distracted space ranger, who disappeared from her unadjusted eyes. "What was that all about?"
"Oh, the patrol? They've been more suspicious lately, especially today because they saw two rangers we found near dead. That was too close a call…"
"Looks like we gained two more Trixie, they must've seen these two as well," rang a rather distinguished voice from the back. "Heaven knows how soon we'll be caught!"
"It's ok Mr. Pricklepants, if they haven't found us yet, hopefully they won't find us anytime soon," Trixie called back to the voice, where Bo could slightly see a man wearing, lederhosen…
"Well," the blonde woman said clapping her hands together. "I s'pose I should introduce the rest of us. That's Mr. Pricklepants, over there's Totoro, back there's Buttercup, the pea children are over there, and Chuckles of course, and Dolly…"
Totoro was a very big man with a pondering look on his face, not paying attention. Buttercup was another somewhat hefty man in bartending uniform, and near to him were what Bo could only assume triplet children, sitting together with a ratty old blanket around them. Chuckles was spotted near the corner, wearing a hat and waistcoat, with an unusually large and red nose, and a deep frown.
And Dolly was nowhere to be seen.
Buzz was over in another corner, where two figures were on the floor wearing star command suits.
"How long have you been down here?" Bo asked, her heart sinking to see the poor conditions of everyone.
"About a month," Trixie said quietly. "It hasn't been too long, but for us it seems like years."
"But what about everyone else in the saloon? This can't be it," Bo said searching the face of the weary blonde woman.
"I'm afraid it is. We're all we've got now. The only ones alive from this town that aren't here are the caretakers of this place, the Andersons. They were away on business when The Black Cactus invaded."
Andy.
Bo suddenly received unclear revelation to that simple word. Had she been so selfish to forget the Davis family? Andy himself was significant somehow, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"Buzz!" Bo exclaimed.
The space ranger looked up from his position on the ground with an especially grim face. She ran over to him to examine the fallen rangers.
One of them was especially big, and red, definitely not human, with odd textured skin. The other had a blue tint in her skin. Unlike the other, her helmet was down, letting her red rest on her shielded shoulders.
"Do you know them?" Bo asked.
Buzz's eyes lowered. "They were part of my old crew. Mira and Booster."
"But what are they doing out here?"
"I don't know, but at least they're still alive. How long ago did you find them?" Buzz asked Trixie.
"About an hour or two. They were both dehydrated and starving, when they were awake. We cared for them until they were just too tired and fell asleep," the woman replied. "By the way, what happened with… Dolly? What did you say to her?"
Buzz cleared his throat. "Nevermind that, right now we need you to tell us when the man wearing this hat came into your saloon."
"I s'pose… Buttercup, can you remember that guy?" Trixie asked the man in the back.
"The sheriff? Yeah, it was around the time Chance came by for the last time when we were attacked… Weren't you with Chance?" Buttercup asked Bo.
"That's impossible… how could he have been here? He must've seen us, after all those people recognized you," Bo said softly to Buzz. "Wouldn't he have wanted to…?"
Suddenly a series of beeps came from Buzz's suit. He clicked open his communicator.
"Star Command to Buzz Lightyear, we're awaiting your report on the two rangers," said the fuzzy voice from the communicator.
"Yes… they're here. Rangers from my old crew, Mira and Booster. They were found by the remnants of our last hidden space port, which has been, destroyed…" Buzz replied, looking anxiously at the others in the room.
"Buzz is that you?" came a new voice from Star Command.
"Jessie! How are you feeling?" the space ranger asked with a bit of relief.
"I'm fine. The medics here think I need a little longer, but I'm determined to get to Earth in just a few minutes."
"It's not very safe here Jess. We gotta get a few hidden people evacuated from this place before they're found. They told us the patrols Stoneheart has got going here are already suspicious…"
"I'll find a way," the cowgirl said.
"There's… something else you should know. We found Woody's hat. Stoneheart left a note for Bo, about it…"
There was a silence from the communicator for several seconds.
"Keep her safe Buzz. And… be careful. Remember your promise… I love you," Jessie said softly.
"I love you too…" Buzz replied, and then he closed it.
Bo kept her knelt position over the fallen rangers, mostly to hide her expression of fear that was burning in the pit of her stomach.