Warp came back to on the cold hard table, his body aching, most notably his head. He was on the table, the hornets are scattered about the room. The hornets are waiting, in the dark red room, standing quite still. He noticed tables with surgical equipment beside him then looked toward the hornets observing that they had surgical masks covering the section where their helm would be. It was very apparent that the evil emperor had came to the option of surgical torture after hours of electrocuting him leaving behind varying kinds of burns.
They were even dressed down to the familiar blue operating uniform tied around their figure. Warp was tired, drugged, and he couldn't attempt another escape. They were machines, yet, the emperor was showing courtesy by having them dressed in protective clothing and the room completely sterile. Despite all that treatment by the Space Rangers, destroying the hornets, the grubs brought personalities into the creatures sometimes delivering personalities that were quite evident in their actions and Zurg treated them as people.
He looked over, the emperor approaching him, his hands linked behind his back, all lined in blue.
"What is the anniversary about?" Zurg asked.
"Your dreams of utter domination." Warp said.
"You will watch your organs be removed then put back in," He loomed further over his figure. "Again, and again, and again, until you say UNCLE!"
"By then, it won't be torture, it'll be reruns." Warp replied, dryly, even a little scared of seeing that happen. He wanted to plea for his life, tremble, scream for mercy as he kept a brave face up. "Admit it, you can't break me."
"Can I break Warp Darkmatter?" The evil emperor proceeded to reply. "Yes, I can!" He stretched his arms out, his claws clenching against his palms, standing beside the operation table. "Evil Emperor Zurg, the breaker." He shifted toward the collection of drones. "Can we do it?"
"YES, WE CAN!" the drones cheered.
"Proceed." Zurg said.
And Warp watched, inwardly terrified, unbroken, looking amused.
Darkmatter exchanged blasts with Team Lightyear, fleeing, carrying something vitally important in his arm. The object in question made squeaking noises, a noise that he didn't pay much mind, only that the evil emperor needed it for a very important evil plan pertaining to the counterpart. Darkmatter shot down the android then made it to his escape shuttle only to find Buzz Lightyear.
"Halt, you're stealing pet mice!" Buzz held a hand out.
"Uh huh," Darkmatter nodded then smiled, aiming his blaster, right at the Space Ranger. "and you're in the way."
"What evil plan does Zurg have for pet mice?" Buzz asked. "Dominating Star Command."
"Something far more sinister and small that's not interesting to you, Lightyear." Darkmatter replied as he proceeded to fire.
The Space Ranger dodged the attacks by the mercenary, rolling, then firing his wrist laser until observing that Darkmatter was inside and the door had closed. The Space Ranger flew on after the shuttle, opening his comn, reporting to the others regarding his location.
"I got the product, Zurg!" Darkmatter announced.
"Yessss!" The evil emperor did a fist pump. "Evil wins today!" He leaned back, absorbing in the glee, in evil. "Yessss!"
"Might I ask. . ." Darkmatter leaned further toward the comn. "what exactly are the mice for?"
"Display! Diisssplaaay, Warp Darkmatter!" The evil emperor rubbed his claws together with a laugh. "Can't touch them, can't stroke them, can't hold them!"
The mercenary only grew a fond smile then scowled, rolling his eyes, at the comment.
"Ah, the mean old look trick." Darkmatter pressed a button then Buzz was flung away with a scream.
"He will give me what I want, in due time." Zurg said, determined.
"On the way." Darkmatter announced then flickered off the screen.
Zurg turned toward the patiently waiting Space Ranger back on the berth where the torture had begun. Compared to Darkmatter, he looked older, he looked more bold, he looked more irritated, wearing a scowl. The same one that would be worn when facing Buzz Lightyear and his rookies. The Space Ranger didn't look quite young as he had before, there were gray stress hair decorating his once dark hair, his laughter lines more evident, as if he had been aged up by a age ray.
"The mice will be very hungry when they start biting into your flesh and consuming it, Warp Darkmatter." Zurg said with a evil laugh as Warp stared at him, annoyed.
"It's been three weeks, Zurg." But Zurg continued to speak before he could add to that thought.
"I will GET THE ANSWER!" Zurg said then glared upon him with his long dark gray claw aimed at him. "And it has been FOUR WEEKS!"
"Will you stop and," Warp was dead exasperated. "just ask me about the access codes?"
"The access codes." Zurg folded his arms.
"The codes to Star Command," Warp said. "The one you strive for every month from Buzz Lightyear, yeah, that."
"What are they?" Zurg approached the Space Ranger, eager, his hopes soaring.
"Up your ass!" Warp replied.
Warp cackled, amused, as rage built up within the evil emperor.
"CURSE YOU, WARP DARKMATTER!"
Warp snorted in response. He looked forward to being bitten by mice then being given the opportunity to hear the emperor once more cursing at him for not answering his question.
The next escape attempt was done, Warp did it differently. Instead of bolting straight for the shuttle bay, he opted to search for his suit. His suit was the key to his problems, having a weapon, armor. The very same armor that was penetrated and got him captured in the first place. It provided a shield from the laser blasts, comfort for him, even as advanced technology penetrated through it. The armor had it's weaknesses, and then again, it had the box that Buzz Lightyear left for him. It was a piece of Buzz Lightyear that Warp had nearly forgotten about until being alone reflecting how he go there that it hit him.
All those escape attempts, he nearly made it without Buzz Lightyear. That rage, too, helped him get out of the restraints that the emperor's hornets put him in. In fact, that rage is also the number one thing that has helped him manage to break all the previous shackles with some difficulty gathering the strength each time breaking free of it. He didn't have fingers on his right arm, removed as part of the torture, the emperor had assured he would have the fingers put back on then removed before his eyes, asking the question for the hundredth time.
He got to the room with the suit, then gazed around, the box had to be moved, safely, stored, somewhere in the tower that he could reach on his next escape attempt. A idea seeded in his mind with determination that otherwise had helped him make a far excellent career as a Space Ranger and a mole. He extracted the box from the panel, cradling it against his chest with his left arm clutching to it. He fled the suit as soon as a hornet started firing at him giving a chase. The Space Ranger saw a air vent, a very familiar one, slid the box in, covered the air vent, then fled.
Which is how Ranger Darkmatter encountered Mercenary Darkmatter returning from a mission and was promptly electrocuted.
"What . . . was. . . the anniversary about?"
Warp's hands were tied behind his back, his ankles tied together with a weight below, he were on a off world planet in the Zeta Quadrant, rich with oxygen. It was a pulley system that he were shoved into, dubbed the Strappado Torture Device, the same device that was used back in the medieval times on Earth. It was a very painful experience, physically, but not as painful as losing Buzz Lightyear. A cold chill poured down his chest, close, although a certain warmth of renewal in his chest to carry on.
"Your . . ."
Zurg leaned forward.
"Yes, yes, yes?"
Warp looked down upon the emperor.
"Momma."
The emperor's figure trembled with rage, his claws clenched, resisting the urge to curse at him.
"Hornets!" Zurg called, stretching his arms out. "Add another weight!"
Warp smirked, looking down upon the emperor, pleased.
"Yeah, and you won't get the answer with two more weights!" Warp called back down.
"OoOOooh, I will make you pay dearly, Warp Darkmatter." The ire was familiar, a tone of voice that had been said when it came to his dearly departed friend, as the emperor leaned forward, one fist clasped, demonstrating his promise. "I will kill you, bring you back, then do this again!"
Darkmatter was strolling out of the chamber dropping off a stolen pet that was required for a evil plot hatched by Zurg when he came across Zurg, who welded a long spear, dripping in blue blood, rage was radiating from him. It had been mere days since the emperor had gone to a random planet in the Zeta Quadrant with a dreadnought and simply stated that day was a vacation day for the mercenary.
The only times that he had seen the emperor be that way was when it came to being foiled by Team Lightyear. It felt incredibly dangerous to the mercenary being in the same space as the furious emperor. His entire figure was radiating evil annoyance with a tremble.
"Are you. . ." Darkmatter proceeded to say.
"CURSE YOU, WARP DARKMATTER!" The evil emperor swore.
"Uh. . ." Darkmatter took a step back. "I thought you got rid of him three months ago."
"GET. OUT!" The evil emperor pointed the way that the mercenary had entered the tower.
"Okay, I'm going!" Darkmatter proceeded to jog away and the emperor chased after him with the bloody spear.
"CURSE YOU A THOUSAND TIMES TO THE SUN, YOU SACRIFICIAL LAMB!"
A few moments later, Warp exited, bleeding, his foot horribly mangled, his shoulder dislocated, with a dozen cuts, and stubborn as ever with a grin. He looked like a mad hatter, the product of torture, however, he were not the product of torture. Warp was the product of mere fun and defiance and inner strength that gave him to flee into a very unused cabin. He slid down against the wall, then knocked his dislocated arm into place, grabbed a piece of cloth, made a sling, then waited to hear the grumbling from the emperor come by before making his next escape attempt.
Warp was enjoying torturing the emperor a little too much. He acknowledged that, waiting, hearing the hornets marched by, the emperor strode on by the chamber, grumbling, until there was the sound of a grub. He heard the emperor turn toward the grub. He couldn't see it happen outside what was going on and with no means to know how it were unfolding, Warp had a fairly certain idea how the evil emperor was reacting. With one simple series of words that made him smirk.
"CURSE YOU, WARP DARKMATTER!"