It had been six months since Buzz forced Warp out of the lair. Six stolen months from the senior Space Ranger, six long miserable months, Zurg was still at his old ways attempting to conquering planets and killing professors who held great value for the Galactic Alliance in the battle against him. Some days, Warp could have sworn that Zurg sounded like his heart wasn't in it as it used to be. It was as if he were living through the motions of life following the familiar programming that he had bestowed upon himself.

Warp had no sympathy for him. A person who was entirely responsible for certain deadly objects and remembering to take care of them deserved the sympathy, this person was not, he was arrogant, evil, terrible, and a genuinely awful person. Warp couldn't believe he were appealed in his youth by Zurg and that the emperor had helped him, at all. He couldn't wash off the stain that Zurg left in his life, on his hands, and within his mind.

"Have you talked to Nana Lightyear?" Mira asked.

"No."

Mira looked toward him, as Booster and XR handed off a galactic thief off to the justice system, the Ipsedan's arms were folded, staring on with focused eyes on the criminal. The criminal was younger than Warp, fresh on a stint of crime, focused on stealing and making money off it, prison's education system could save that young soul or it could not. A part of him was scared that the kid would figure out crime paid in the end in ways unexpected when among a group and losing them to the high stakes world of thievery.

He could see himself in the young man, a mirage, almost, save for the fact that the younger Ipsedan was bald. Warp's hair had regrown, being kept well trimmed as it had before the drastic mission that marked a change in his life. Warp didn't see Zurg's mole anymore when looking at the mirror, he saw a Space Ranger making amends with baggy eyes becoming apparent by the passing week.

"Warp, you have to visit her."

The older captain shifted toward Mira.

"Don't you think that I've been trying?" Warp asked.

"It's not that hard to knock on a door," Mira said.

"I was the one who flew out." Warp said. "I didn't . . ."

"You didn't what?"

"Have his back." Warp lowered his head, unfolding his arms, looking down.

"He would have died, anyway, with or without you."

Mira set her hand on the side of his shoulder. Warp grimaced, his figure tensing up beneath the uniform, knowing, he would have died a old man at natural causes after fighting the good fight with Zurg and death themselves. Buzz had luck on his side keeping him alive and suddenly, it were gone. How did he lose that good luck?

"You know how Buzz got in the way of falling debris, did unnecessary duck and cover and rolls, cartwheels," Warp had a fond chuckle at the recalling done by Mira. "Running into the fire beyond the end of the line for others, Zurg included."

"It hits different for me." Warp confessed. "Buzz never died on my watch..."

"Before that day." Mira withdrew her hand as she finished.

"What does that say about my future partners?" Warp asked. "After you rookies."

"It says it were but a unexpected blip." Mira said. "Both of you are hurting."

Warp sighed, lowering his head, his shoulders lowering.

"Talk out the hurt." Was her advice. "It may help the pain that you're in."

"You win, Rookie." Warp said.

Mira smiled, optimistic.

Warp arrived to Star Command after the mission was seen through, attending the memorial hall. He saw Buzz, as he was always, behind him, beaming, as Warp posed upon a group of aliens that they had caught. No wonder the younger man let him do poses, basking in the glory, the limelight, the photographs, he was a good man. A good man who believed in others.

He lowered his head, his hands clenching, then lifted his head up with a sigh. His hand relaxed then was linked behind his back. Buzz had became a bit of a God to the Galactic Alliance with his missions now reported as parts of a epic story against evil.

Fitting? Well put? Poetic? All of them, his legend was already being adapted into a very extensive and fairly long biography that needed Warp's input, each person narrated a chapter in Buzz Lightyear's life to childhood to the end. Warp was assigned to narrating the important solo missions as he knew Zurg and Buzz too well.

"Buzz believed in me. . ." Warp said. "Even after knowing the truth."

The words hung there after being spoken into existence in the notably empty hall.

"A good man would have the guts to talk to his partner's family." Warp nodded, full of resolve, raising his hand up. "No matter the personal pain that he is in."

He lifted his gaze up toward the holographic projection of Buzz Lightyear.

"I won't tell her the truth." Warp said, his gaze aimed at his sorrowful smile became the familiar smirk that Buzz was keenly familiar to over the last twenty years. "Like promised."

Warp nodded to himself then walked away. He came to a pause spotting a group of Junior Space Rangers on a tour by Ty. He sneaked into the closet then waited for the sound of their footsteps to trail away. Warp relaxed, becoming at ease. He was spared of having to become part of the tour. He breathed a sigh of relief.

He crept out of the closet, looking from across the path that they had came. No Space Ranger Junior in the way. He proceeded to walk with a whistle until tripping and falling over Ty and two Junior Space Rangers. Warp groaned, cursing inwardly to himself.

"Warp Darkmatter!" The Space Ranger announced.

"Today is your lucky day, kids!" Ty announced with a laugh. "TOUR IS OVER, STORYTIME ON!"

"Damn!" Warp exclaimed, smacking his fist on the floor. "Damn you," he shook his fist at him. "Ty Parsec!"

"Worth the trick, Darkmatter." Ty bore a big grin in response as the children were laughing. "All I got are fifty stories!"

Warp glared, exasperated, by Ty's continuing trickery.

"Alright, who wants to hear how team Darkyear lost a ambassador's daughter during a sports game?"

"TEAM DARKYEAR!"

And he kept Buzz alive with that designation of those two decades together. A word that they had laughed at, toyed at, made jokes about. A word that was being shared too soon.

It was late that night a Space Ranger flew down to the middle of the road where a car was driving and was nearly hit. The car swerved then flew over the field and resumed flying on as if nothing had happened asides to the noted sounds of loud honking and swearing from outside. Warp stood there, unbothered, then made his way toward the front door of the apartment with heavy footsteps, turning off his helmet, the long and tall window fell leaving him exposed to the elements.

He arrived to the doorsteps, raised his first, then gently knocked on the door. Felt like it had been twenty-four years ago, when Buzz first took him to the house for Thanksgiving, insisting, as his grandparents were dealing with some issues that amounted to his world just the usual in fostering children until they could be placed with forever homes. Buzz's hot ride had made the ride far more humiliating as all the ladies asked him if he liked ugly classics and Buzz simply replied, 'Course not, he likes EXPENSIVE vehicles.' He looked over spotting where Buzz first parked the vehicle then got out announcing that he were there.

The man had been loud, upbeat, stubborn, and so emotive in his youth, some days, Warp wondered how that man changed, what happened? He met Zurg. The answer straight in his face and the reason why he were gone. He looked down toward his hands, where Buzz had once been in, regretfully, then the door slid open as a pool of golden light fell upon Warp. He looked up spotting the otherwise old woman.

"Captain Warp."

"Commander of Morph Exploration Squad; Terra Lightyear." he saluted the old woman then smiled.

"I retired that years ago taking on the duties of being a grandmother," Nana smiled, fondly, then stretched her arms out then he bent over and allowed her to hug him. "Child, it's been a long time."

He held on to her form, squeezing it, upset. He ended the hug, emotional, there was guilt in his eyes.

"Come in and sit down, hope you're not busy tonight."

"My team is working on a mission finding a lost child, easiest one, she has a tracker device and a pet sauropod that has quills."

"What a lucky little girl." Nana closed the door behind him then turned toward the younger man who sat down at the couch. "Most little girls don't have that."

"Yeah," Warp said, then took out a photograph from his glove compartment.

He wore that look again, sorrow, guilt, fondness, regret. Nana had seen that look a long time ago, from her son's friend, coming to her doorway, carrying a small infant in his arms, missing a leg. Nebula wore a look that foretold a battle in which he lost his leg over it. His hair hadn't grayed then, his eyes not as old or ancient, only full of immense sorrow. She had seen this look when the end to a greater evil was done with a great cost that both made her happy, proud, and deeply scared of what could happen years later. And now her fears were realized.

"I loved him." Warp confessed as he set the photograph on to the table, his voice cracking. "And he felt the same, apparently." he trembled beside her, quite emotional. "That's the second to last thing he said to me." He looked teary eyed toward her. "How am I going to put that into a biography?"

"You tell the truth first so it isn't a shocker." She sat down alongside the larger man then set her small wrinkly hand on his shoulder. "It's going to take a awhile to get made."

He was quiet then started to laugh.

"Zurg had some stories." Warp said. "Stories that I weren't there for. He's the best person to tell those entries."

She withdrew her hand from his shoulder then her two hands took his large hand as he looked toward her.

"He always loved you." Nana said. "Aside using him to pass the academy exams."

"What can I say?" Warp bore a grin leaning back into the couch. "I'm charismatic."

"He was smitten with you." Nana said, fondly

"Smitten? Buzz Lightyear smitten?" his brows raised at once. "Now, I have heard everything."

"He was quite happy to help someone so lovely and intelligent become a Space Ranger." Warp picked up a cookie then proceeded to eat it. "He was always a vulnerable child. . . ." he took another and ate it, then another, then another, delicious sugar cookies. "And so easy to fall in love first, he called me five minutes after he met you."

Warp had difficulty clearing his throat.

"D-d-d-did he talk about me?" Warp asked, looking toward her.

"Buzz talked about all his friends when he were over during forced holidays and forced suspensions." Warp's features eased, relaxing, of course he would visit his nana. "His house was far too lonely and mundane." Nana replied, easing his heart with her kind and honest words. "He didn't talk about himself."

"Surprising." Warp said. "He always struck me as a guy who talked about his missions at home."

"Didn't like to be put on the soap box." Nana waved her hand. "Already was with Zurg."

"Who did Buzz have to lose to become the person that he did?" Warp asked, curiously.

"Something tells me no one." Nana proceeded with a small fond smile, aside. "He discovered who he had to be with the Gas Baron." then she added beneath her breath. "Like his father before him."

"A self made man." Warp said. "Now, it's strange, not to have a shadow to stand in. . . really shows with Ty."

"Like Mufasa, the legendary king, it was all sorrowful. Like everything had collapsed."

"Who's Mufasa?" Warp stared at Nana.

"You, poor, poor, child."

Warp lifted a brow.

"He was the greatest king of all, not that he was voiced by the greatest person who became what he were out of love and desperation with a vision of what would come to pass." She became silent, looking over toward the photograph, then back toward Warp wearing that look. She could see a lot of features that someone left behind would wear. "And he redeemed himself in the name of love."

"Who was he?"

Nana proceeded to laugh at the simplistic question and yet, so complicated, the way that she had worded her own statement. Warp would get it one day by watching the beloved classics from Earth on his spare time, feel sympathy, maybe, feel some resolve, that being a hero in a epic came with content making the ultimate sacrifice, anti-hero included.

"You can keep the photograph, I donated the master to the Buzz Lightyear Memorial on that now charted moon."

"He didn't tell me about missions that he went on." Nana said then tilted her head wearing a sweet expression on her features. "Can you tell me the person that he were outside of this house?" she gestured toward the window of the apartment then lowered her hand. "No sugar coating, I have seen. . . I have seen Zurg come into being, give me the honest truth."

He remembered Agent Z covering his mouth, a promise, a word of honor and his very soul. The captain looked down toward the photograph, he got a idea, how to tell, without really telling, a certain story, a certain mission, without giving it all up, before his demise. Warp smirked then looked toward her. And some comparison, she would understand, and she would take it to her grave, he got that feeling as she squeezed his hand.

"Our first mission."