Gampu was in a light rest draining away the exhaustion that plagued him from staying up later then he normally did. It was out of his schedule to stay up so late in the day. His body wasn't used to going against the schedule. Then again, readjusting to the schedule of twenty-four hours instead of the thirty-nine hour time frame was the more difficult shaking off old habits and replacing them with new ones. He heard the door to the chamber slide open then the series of footsteps trail into the chamber. Then the question was slid in forward of him quite harshly, "Where is the child?"

Gampu's eyes lifted open and adjusted to the bright lighting in the room. The Borichan stared down him with eyes full of questioning and suspicion. The exact same kind that he had seen from the Major sixty years ago when a problem plagued the Robinsons. His line of questioning were sometimes unfounded when Smith hadn't the faintest idea why it happened. Back then, he had the Robinsons to protect him. Back then, he was Doctor Smith. However in this new time, they were not around him, and he was quite lacking in allies in the room. And he could only do the only Smith thing there was.

Delay the inevitable, buying time for someone coming for him, as he had done multiple times before.

"Hmm?"

"Where is the child?"

"In the incubator, my dear friend,"

"The child is gone," Nike yanked Gampu up to his feet. "Who took them?"

"I have no idea," Gampu weaseled Nike's grip off his uniform.

"You were wide awake when I left you," Nike said. "You must have some inkling."

"Exhaustion and I agree on rest, Nike," Gampu said. "When staying up late in worry."

"Did the bat come here?" Nike asked.

"Nike, if he came here then I would have heard!"

"The bat isn't a entity and the child didn't just disappear into thin air!"

"Yet, it did," Gampu said.

"On your watch," Nike said.

"Quite unfortunate," Gampu said.

"Children never vanish on your watch," Nike acknowledged.

"I wouldn't say that," Gampu shook his head. "Children have vanished on my watch and never were returned to me."

"Given your record," Nike said. "that is highly unlikely."

"I spent half a lifetime on a planet. Some of it I spent alone. Most of it I had company, a wife, dogs, friends, a community, a family you can say . . ." Gampu said. "Just because it was the most treasured experience I got to have doesn't mean I can make it unlikely that it ever happened again. I lost children that I called my own to my finger tips. In the blink of a eye, they were gone. In a second," he shook his head, regretfully, sorrowfully. "No goodbyes, no glances, just abruptly taken from me. Do you really think that I am a entity enough to prevent it from ever happening again? If I were a entity, I would have gotten out of your ship long ago."

"I didn't say you are a entity, Gampu," Nike said. "The slightest of sounds normally awaken you."

"There is a person or being on Earth that operates the way the bat does. They call themselves Zorro. Legends say if you go to the grounds of California and discuss performing a crime, the masked bandit will ride out into the night and terrorize you and prevent the harmful crime from happening," Gampu said. "They began their existence in the 19th century and continued from there. Last I heard, Zorro recently went to Mexico and has been making waves for the people righting wrongs. Which is quite surprising."

"I can see why," Nike said. "Is it possible that the bat and Zorro are one and the same?"

"Zorro didn't wear a helmet with bat ears or a costume that resembled a bat," Gampu said. "This is a entirely different being."

"But is it?" Nike asked.

"If he were Zorro, he would have called himself that," Gampu reiterated.

"Is Zorro another word for zero?" Nike asked.

"No, Zorro means fox in Spanish," Gampu found himself grinning. "They were sneaky as a fox capable of going to and from. Hid under the night such as the bat does. Knew when to strike." He stretched his arms aside then slid his hands open toward Nike. "That is why people believe Zorro is a entity."

"The bat is not a entity," Nike said. "The bat is a clever, skilled, and highly trained Earthling. I can also say that about Zorro. Earthlings are not highly advanced as we are. The title of Zorro has been worn different people long after their birth." Nike walked toward the open incubator then turned in the direction of Gampu. "The bat won't return for you unlike for the child." Nike waved a hand in mid-air gesturing toward Gampu's way. "Take him to the matter conversion chamber. Instead of the child's heart replacing that delicate piece, it will be yours."

"No," Gampu reacted with a protest. "Please!" He was gripped by two of the assistant on his arms. "Spare me! I have served you well-"

"You didn't serve me well enough today," Nike said. "The bat will have no allies in my ship." He watched as the man was guided out of the resting chamber. "None."

"Spare me! Please!" Gampu plead. "We can find another way! A animal! A animal's heart is just as viable as a human's heart when it comes to replacing!"

"I will have none of this," Nike said.

"Nike! Please! Nike!" Gampu looked over his shoulder, terrified, scared, horrified all at once. "Spare me! I beg of you! I will do anything to repay for the loss!"

"You can never repay for the amount of jewels that we could have gotten," Nike followed him into the matter conversion chamber. "All those lost wages."

Gampu was shoved into the booth then got up to his feet and turned around then faced Nike placing his hands on the glass window.

"Any last words, Isaac?" Nike asked.

Gampu stared back at Nike.

"We have done our fair share of good," Gampu said. "But this matter over the child isn't."

Nike looked toward a member of the staff then nodded and a button was pressed. Gampu became still in the both losing the animated appearance. As if he were a mannequin rather than a living being with a heart. His eyes stared in the direction of the group. Nike began to lower his hands when the lights went out in the chamber. He looked up to the diminished light fixtures about the room with difficulty spotting them.

A soft woosh came from the door behind them. Everyone turned in the direction of the sound. A hand flung in the dark punching down one of the assistants to the ground. The second assistant swung a first forward striking the third then was knocked down by the third assistant to the floor. Assistants were being sucker punched as the door to the stasis booth slid up then Gampu fell forward only to be caught by a pair of long arms then scooted around the scene of combat and was followed by a figure as the assistants were fighting each other.

Nike made it out of the chamber and ran down the corridor chasing after the shadow of a figure rushing on past the edge of the corridor.

"You!" Nike shouted, sprinting after the bat, then came to a halt at the hallway. "I challenge you by combat!"

Bat paused in their tracks then turned in the direction of Nike.

"By hand or by weapon?"

"By hand!"

"State the terms,"

"If I win, you hand over my employee,"

"If you don't cheat,"

"I never cheat!"

The Bat was in a strange suit that was dark purple with a light blue secondary theme and a hat that had pointy bat ears. What also stood out was the fact that he had yellow bat wings that started from underneath his arms and spread over to his side in a unique bright yellow film complimenting the utility belt. He stepped forward which made it easier to see that the man wore a black strip of cloth with holes and the mere edge of the cloth was on the tip of the nose. And it became apparent that he wore something that covered his mouth that even covered his neck and exposed hands in the illustrious white.

"Well now," Bat said. "Do you still wish to fight?"

"You may have the muscles," Nike said. "But what you do not have is the strength!"

Bat raised his arms up stopping the blow from landing then sent his fist forward sending the man staggering back.

"Bat-"

"I will be right there, bat friend!" Bat replied.

"Affirmative,"

"And your trusted friend will be next, too, once I win!" He sent a fist forward and Bat ducked then jabbed against the man's lower chest taking the air out of him. "Ack!"

"Choose your opponents wisely, Nike," Bat loomed over the fallen Nike. "My ship has plasma cannons."

Bat ran away from Nike then Nike flipped on to his back and regained his breath. His enemy has escaped but not for long. It couldn't be for long. That much Nike was sure when his assistants returned. He was lifted up to his feet and all that Nike saw through his vision was red. Complete utter red was all that he could see.

"Prepare for launch," Nike said. "We have a bat to chase!"

"But sir!" One of the assistants protested.

"We will get the necessary part with their surrender!" Nike roared. "Get ready!"

"Yes, sir!"

Nike began to make his way for the bridge.

"I am going to kill the legend once and for all!" Nike announced with emphasis. "And someone, make the announcement to the others that we have the bat in our sights!"

Nike arrived to the bridge then waited for the assistants to make themselves ready for the launch. The doors to the large craft closed then it flew out of the area following after the starship that pierced through the sky. The wings of the craft had slid into the side quite smoothly. It was smooth until the side panels up front moved aside from the left hand side of the craft's nose cone and several machines poked out of the craft. Nike was joined by the other members of the crew.

Below the starship, a packed lunar lander fled, departing the scene. The plasma cannons fired on the approaching starships and the starships returned fire. It was back and forth as bruises formed on the hull as did burns ripping away at the paint revealing the steel standing out against the vastness of space. The firing lowered from the craft as it adjusted itself to the firing coming from ahead. The plasma canons were struck back notably being dented and bent but they kept working against it. The bottom half of the starship was struck then the explosion traveled from underneath going through deck to deck making it split apart sending pieces of scrap metal flying.

From the window of the lunar module, Orion slumped, lowering himself down into the chair and turned in the direction of the man frozen in a trance. He took out a small item then waved it in front of the older man's face then set down into the chair and waited for him to awaken. A reassuring snore began to come to from the elder with his back against the chair. Orion slid out a head rest then placed it beneath the man's head. Orion patted on the back rest of he chair then relaxed where he sat.

"Peepo," Orion said. "How long until we get to Gampu's Planet?"

"Thirty-one months," Peepo twirled toward Orion with a childish voice that echoed back.

"On the bright side," Orion started to say with a smile. "We got a old friend to share it with."