Warp Darkmatter made his return to Star Command after settling nefarious plots that he had intended on living without a fix, repaying old debts, plugging in old contacts who would want to continue illegally selling Space Ranger gear or Star Command gear with his cooperation. He left a very clear message that he were off the market. It had been two months worth of ravaging through those old contacts threatening them with certain death or certain prison, all save for Zurg; the powerful, the one with a spine, and all the money in the galaxy. He was saved for last.
In one world, Warp could have lived with that rich android, however, in light of recent events, it wasn't a option. That world was almost possible, plausible, capable of existing, if he hadn't been consumed in playing his role pretending to be a Space Ranger and hadn't paid attention to Buzz. In one world, he could have one upped Zurg as a mercenary, evil laugh and all, making his mark in the quadrants.
"Emperor Zurg would like to talk to you."
That was all the child sized insect said, dressed in a dark cloak, Darkmatter looked down upon the being with a scowl. He was older than Buzz, he had outlived the kid, he had been, a complete forty-four year old in contrast to the sharp forty-two year old, two years, apart, two worlds apart.
He was faced with the mere reminder that ruined his life, that ended a friendship, that ended something more than a friendship, his eyes remained fixated on the creature with a glare.
"Tell him, be ready." Then he added. "He's going to be dead by the time that I leave." he looked aside back toward the bunk room that was left open and shifted his gaze back. "Just need time to get things in order."
The insect departed then he turned away facing Booster.
"What are you planning to do?" Booster asked, curious.
"Personal mission, Booster." Warp replied, his hands linked behind his back. "Very personal."
"It's about Buzz." Booster said, in pity. "Isn't it?"
"Deeply personal." Warp emphasized.
"If you need help-"
"You're a rookie, you need more experience, and you need more time to make your mark."
"Helping you would-"
"That's too soon!"
"I've been a rookie for three months," Booster held out his three fingers. "been on a few missions, wise guy-"
"But, you haven't been to Planet Z." That silenced Booster, his eyes widening, the determination in Warp's eyes, thick with grief, he had seen that look once, before vengeance was sought as Warp held out his finger. "Level 10."
"At least, tell me." Booster conceded. He recalled how difficult it were with the three giant robots around him with a wince being larger but still not as big as they were. He had been lucky to get that far. "So if you're gone and don't come back for a whole day."
"Alright, alright," Warp shook his hands. "if that makes you feel better then I will."
"Promise?" Booster eyed at Warp.
"Pinky swear." Warp held out his index finger with a smirk.
They locked pinkies then Warp withdrew and departed for his bunk leaving Booster behind. Booster wiped a tear, then shook his head, from a distant glimpse, he saw a figure beside Warp roughly his height. There was no figure beside him, it had to have been a Space Ranger passing by him, that was it, seeing something that wasn't there, it was a piece of his imagination, as was the distinctive sight that the individual wore something over their hair like Buzz did.
Zurg laughed, the plan that he had intended, it was going to head his way. He turned away from the comn facing a dark shadowed figure resting on a berth, tapping his fingers together, his shoulders trembling then approached the resting figure.
"Agent Z, it is time that you meet your oncoming friend."
"F-f-f-friend."
"Been your friend for a very long time."
"Who?"
"Warp Darkmatter, he's been your right hand man, your beloved friend, and at time, your cavalry"
"Cavalry."
"The one who rescued you."
"Rescued."
"Stop repeating after me and consume this knowledge!"
"Repeat."
"He tried to rescue you, he failed, you sent him away, and now, I brought you back."
"Does he want Agent Z?"
"How can he not want someone like you to be fighting against on a monthly basis? He's avaliable and you are very attractive, you're humble, your kind, your loyal, and very good." he tapped on Agent Z's chassis. "He lost you for a very short period of time. . ." Zurg laughed, menacingly, loudly, echoing in the chamber. "and in exchange, you will be my spy into Star Command." Zurg rubbed his hands together. "Just like old times."
Agent Z's green visor glint.
"Old times." Agent Z repeated, trying to find meaning in that, struggling to, with little clue on what meant. "Elaborate."
"Fighting side by side with your friend, not the spy part." Zurg clarified then set his hands briefly on his hips glaring upon Agent Z then the glare softened upon Agent Z. "it'll come to you. . ." Zurg patted on Agent Z's shoulder. "just give it a little time."
Within the next eight hours, Warp was back in functioning mood and ready to kick off the events that he had toiled at for weeks since the funeral. He stretched, showered, changed into uniform, then had a hearty breakfast. He had a quick errand to run, a easy to do Space Ranger mission, a cat lost in space by a Morphan couple, easily accomplished, within two hours.
He got a voice mail from Nebula to meet him in the training deck. The man moved through the tunnel system of Star Command remaining stationary as the air duct system propelled him forward, changed his position for mandatory stop, all until his boots met the ground. The training deck hub hadn't changed much since the first time that he had been there with the retro style remarkably unchanged. This place was full of fond memories, competing against one another after the academy in the training deck and pinning Buzz against the wall by not complete accident shielding him from the goo.
"Commander Nebula."
Nebula turned away from the view screen of the training deck.
"Ah, Darkmatter." A rookie was slapped on the glass screen then slid down. "I got something I want you want to see."
"A promising cadet that you like me to evaluate?"
"Yes, and no."
"Rescue a cadet from a planet they're forbidden to?"
"No."
"Cadet abducted by aliens?"
"No."
"Cadet abducted by Zurg?"
"No." He turned away from the captain then pressed a button. "We're going to level nine, people!"
"Level nine?" Warp repeated, shocked. "Commander, that's the level that a experienced Space Ranger participates in!" he stepped forward, closer, toward the commander, genuinely concerned. "They're only rookies."
"I know." Nebula said, dryly.
"Hell, that level destroys confidence and egos." Warp said.
The rookies flew up into the air out of the rolling balls that ejected out of numerous tubes. The rookies were surprised by a red glowing net that trapped numerous members. From below, the floor gave out beneath the rookies sending many of them down except for a few that flew up and escaped, only one was able to successfully exit. Many of the rookies were trapped in balls then extracted out in the wall entrance from above.
A wall erupted from the ground knocking out a handful of rookies. One of the robot's caught a sole rookie who fired her laser at it letting go of her with a single fall and she landed on her feet safely with her laser ready to fire at another robot. Warp nodded in approval, fondly. She would make a fine ranger. A part of him had the strong gut feeling that Buzz would have had the same approval for her skills, her quick thinking, turning a negative into a positive. Nebula turned his attention away from Warp toward the comn.
"Level: 10."
"Level 10!"
Giant robots came up.
"The thorough test."
They surrounded the rookie.
"Did you put Booster through that?"
The chest panels lowered.
"He passed that without a problem yesterday."
The drones fired upon the young woman repeatedly, knocking her down, until she was covered in turquoise material.
"Well. . . wouldn't expect a rookie to-"
"Ah ah. It ain't over."
Her figure lifted out into the cieling, then, in the next proceeding moments, he spotted her behind one of the backs of the giant robots shifting in and out of the figure. Within moments, one of the giant robots lacked a head and the other two were down.
"How?" Warp asked, stunned, in awe.
"She is from Tangea." Nebula replied.
"Tangean ghosting powers." Warp acknowledged, proudly. "It'll serve her well as a Space Ranger."
"Let's see one of Zurg's drones walk through a wall!" Nebula said.
"Ranger Mira Nova reporting for duty, sirs!" She saluted them from afar within the hub.
"Mira Nova?" he leaned off the panel beside him looking toward the smaller ranger. "As in, heir to the Tangean throne?"
"That very same." Mira approached them, closer, bearing a smile. "Your partner saved my world once."
"Long before my time with someone else." Warp acknowledged, fondly, then looked toward the commander. "Wasn't it Ty?"
"Could have been, Darkmatter." Nebula replied then looked toward Mira and back. "This is your new partner."
"What your partner did for my world, it, uh, inspired me to join."
Warp looked toward her then back toward Nebula and back. He remembered meeting Buzz for the first time as a cadet. Warp recalled Buzz without a cap, a rare thing to do, holding his hand out with a smile, his blue messy hair long, but those blue welcoming eyes stood out. He can see that young man, again, standing before him, before betraying him fatally.
She was in the exact same type of uniform, lacking space ranger gloves, space ranger chassis, space ranger boots, only the specialized uniform that went underneath the uniform. It was a mirage that faded before his eyes leaving behind the pain that he were currently still in two months and two weeks after the devastating loss.
"No!"
"No?"
"'No' what!"
"No partner." Warp said, darkly, bitterly.
Nebula sighed, placing a hand on his eyes, then lowered his hand down his face.
"Listen, son," he approached the Space Ranger. "I know you're still torn up about Buzz. . . but next time you're out there-"
"And let Zurg play games with me?" he pointed back at himself, glaring, back at the commander. "What's to stop the princess from ending up like Buzz?" he gestured toward the young woman. "Something that her Ghosting abilities can't prevent."
"Maybe it's the princess who has to make YOU don't end up like Buzz!"
"Okay," Mira started, her hands on her hips, glaring at Warp, joining the duo. "the princess has a NAME!"
"Yeah, sorry," came apologetically. "about that princ-ah," Warp winced before amending. "Mira. I work alone!"
"You're gonna stop Zurg all by yourself?" Mira asked, incredulously.
"General plan." Was Warp's smug reply.
"But regulations clearly state-" Mira started to protest.
"I know about these regulations!" He approached her, furious. "Buzz talked about them ALL THE TIME!" He pointed back at himself with his thumb. "Zurg doesn't expect one Space Ranger to go after him and this is a fact that must be taken advantage of!"
"Noted." Nebula set his hand on Warp's shoulder. "But, Warp, there is one thing you should know."
"Yes, sir?" Warp inquired.
"YOU ARE NOT GOING OUT THERE WITHOUT BACK UP!" Nebula yelled from the top of his lungs.
"For just a short while, Commander." He came to the center where the secondary entrance was. "I fly solo." then he shed a small smile. "It won't be that long."
He was taken out through the tube with a wave.
"It's gonna be long." Nebula said, exasperated. "He is like Buzz, stubborn."
"What is Darkmatter's mission roster?" Mira asked. "I can board the Star Cruiser 42 before he leaves."
"He doesn't have a mission right now." Nebula replied as he shifted toward her. "You'll be the first to know."
"It's the least I can do," Mira said. "He has the lessons that a legend had and pass it on."
"He'll come around to you." Nebula patted on her shoulder. "Give him some time."
He arrived to a area inside Star Command then headed toward Star Cruiser bay to make the get away. It was time, no more delays, no more waiting, it had to be done when nobody expected him to do anything, only serving Star Command. He walked down the platform with his gaze on the Star Cruiser 42 waiting ahead of him glinting. He paused when a sudden noise caught his attention then looked down spotting the familiar innocents thrown into the tragedy that he constructed by hand.
"We've solved your partner problem!"
"Little Green Men, too." he shook his head with a tsk then folded his arms against his chest. "I don't have a partner problem because maybe I don't want one!"
Warp proceeded to march off.
"But Xr is perfect for you." The LGM said, sadly.
Warp paused in his tracks then turned toward the LGM.
"XR?"
"Yes!"
The lights focused on a makeshift stage where were two LGM standing and the rest of the Star Cruiser bay was covered in darkness.
"Not who, not what, witness the future of space justice!"
"XR!"
"The experimental Ranger!"
The LGM parted from the lit up stage then the wall proceeded to lift letting out smoke. A small robot powered to life then rolled forward, emotionlessly, lifelessly, in a very robotic nature.
"XR reporting for duty."
"He is small." Warp noted, tapping on the helm, the machine tapping back on his helm.
"Is he?" The LGM asked.
"If someone, let's say," He looked back toward the cruiser, Booster was going to find out quickly and as was Mira that he was about to head out if they kept him preoccupied. "put him in harms way," he shifted his attention toward them bearing a smirk. "Zurg would have him destroyed."
"Waaatch."
They proceeded to fire, squeeze, burn, cover it in wood, sticks, mud, get it wet, clean it up, dry it, then the LGM proceeded to put the machine back together in one piece. Warp stepped forward, admiring the piece, XR could come back, any time, with the right determined hands that belonged to the LGM, with the right people collecting the damaged parts.
"Explode XR and we can put them back together!"
"Them?" Warp asked. "You gave a robot no gender?"
"XR is a Ranger, gender does not matter, only enforcement." The LGM replied.
"To a ranger, their identity is connected to who they are." he looked back toward the entrance to Star Command, it represented good, was he good? Not that good, he was in shades of gray. Good had gone beyond him. "Not just Star Command." he shifted back toward the LGM. "That's a secondary thing in contrast to Buzz."
"They'll figure it out." The LGM shrugged.
"A animated robot is far better than a monotone one." Warp set his hands on his hips. "I'll take them with glitches, makes them a interesting person to me, never know, could just come in handy." he looked down toward the LGM. "The Commander did authorize it?"
The LGM lowered their heads, tapping their fingers, sheepishly.
"He doesn't exactly know."
"He does now!" Nebula announced behind Darkmatter.
"Oh, hello commander!" They stood in front of XR.
"So, you got yourself a expendable ranger!" Nebula came to a halt in front of the LGM.
"Experimental." The LGM said.
"UNAUTHORIZED SPACE RANGER!" Nebula roared.
"Technically," the clipboard was raised up, then he took it, as Warp stepped back from the crowd then started to walk away. "It was authorized by you."
He rushed away heading toward the star cruiser, went into the back end, then pressed the side button of his helmet turning it on. He typed into his arm comn then set the message over to Booster as requested. The Comn message was sent with a beep. The forty-two tore through the open gate fleeing Star Command.
"Warp Darkmatter personal log-"
"Warp Darkmatter personal log-"
Warp froze then looked over his shoulder spotting XR behind him then scowled.
"HOW did you follow me?"
"HOW did you follow me?"
"Stop repeating after me."
"Stop repeating after me."
"Are you learning from me to talk?"
"Are you learning from me to talk?"
"This is the Terminator impression that Buzz told me about."
"This is the Terminator impression that Buzz told me about."
Warp sighed, exasperated, then set the ship into autopilot, and gazed toward the exit of the bridge.
"If you're not the only stowaway then somebody is going to be abandoned on a asteroid and left there with a few rations-AND DON'T YOU DARE REPEAT AFTER ME!"
Warp pointed at XR, daring the Experimental Ranger to speak, accusingly.
"Polly wants a cracker." It was repeated by XR in a bird like tone.
"I didn't know Star Command had a parrot." Warp said.
Warp proceeded to check on the exit of the ship, surveying it, before determining that it was only XR and himself aboard the 42. No one else would die against Zurg, just one person, and the machine would relay his final mission after being put together again. He sat back down in the pilot seat, then relaxed, his attention shifting toward him and Buzz, taking one last selfie, before arriving at the uncharted moon.
"Yesterday's choices are a down payment for today's problems. . . You were right, Buzz."
Warp brushed his hand along the photograph, affectionately.
"And crime pays big, terribly big."
XR's head tilted.
A/N oops i did my math wrong, Tim Allen was forty-two when toy story 1 was released not thirty-nine. Fixed.