Note: This story is complete. I'm going to upload all of the chapters,
and then change them all to HTML from the last to this one. So for
now the first chapter is probably the only one in HTML format.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Galaxy Rangers: "Time Bomb"
Chapter 2
The trip to Prairie was uneventful, and the Rangers and their Kiwi
ally were soon walking along the paved walks and manicured lawns of the
campus of the College of Prairie. Several students could be seen on the
grounds, walking between classes, or sitting out in the grass studying.
The native sentients of the planet, wolf-like creatures called
Lycans, could also be seen around the campus. Many of them walked
alongside the students as they went from class to class, or sat outside
of a classroom, waiting. While Lycans were intelligent creatures, far
more intelligent than a domesticated dog, their innate loyalty and
devotion to the humans that befriended them made them excellent
guardians.
The doors swung open on a nearby building, and a crowd of students
stepped out into the sunlight, heading off in all directions. One of
them, a young girl in a green outfit, with her hair up in spikes,
stopped to pet the Lycan waiting for her on the steps. It gave her a
bark of welcome, and then she and some of her friends turned to head off
across the campus. Then, suddenly, she spotted the Galaxy Rangers.
"GOOSE!" The girl yelled, a girlish tone to her voice. She ran
across the lawn towards Gooseman, while her friend, who had the same
spiky hair, but in blue, pulled aside another girl. The third girl also
seemed to recognize the Ranger, as her friend pointed him out, and they
joined the first girl in running across the lawn.
"It's so good to see you again!" The girl said, her eyes sparkling
as she looked up at the blonde Ranger. Gooseman glanced at Doc, clearly
confused, and more than a little embarrassed. The second girl quickly
took his other arm, and Shane looked down at her, completely flustered.
"Who... What..." he stuttered.
"What are you doing back so soon?" "Where's Eve?" "You look
hungry... you wanna get something to eat?" "Who's your cute friend?"
The third girl had latched onto Doc's arm. "Don't look at me, my
Gooseman..." Doc commented. "You're the one with the reputation..."
He glanced down at the girl. "Aren't you a little young for a guy
like me?" He asked with a grin.
The girl tittered. "You're so funny..." She cooed, and held the
Ranger's arm tighter. Doc sighed.
The Lycan, approaching the group, seemed no less excited to see
Goose. But as he neared, he suddenly stopped dead. His ears went back as
he lowered his head, growling. In a single, rapid bound, he shoved
himself between Gooseman and the girl in green, shoving her away from
him.
"Max! Stop that!" The girl in green admonished the wolf. She
started to reach out to Gooseman, but the Lycan shoved her back again,
eyeing the blonde Ranger suspiciously. "Max! This is Goose! Remember
Goose? What is WRONG with you!"
Shane began to back away, holding both hands up in front of him.
"It's all right, Max. I won't hurt your friend."
"That's right," Buzzwang added. He took a step forward. "Perhaps I
will be less threatening, Ranger Gooseman," he said, then extended a
hand to the Lycan.
The wolf stared at the android. Its eyes narrowed, and it began
to back away from him, its ears back on its head. Buzzwang wisely
withdrew his hand, but Zozo stepped forward. "Lycans always like me,"
he said, and knelt in front of the animal, extending both arms. "See!
We're friends!"
Max barked at him, loudly, causing the little Kiwi to jump back.
The wolf then ran around behind the girl. It grabbed her by the arm,
trying to drag her away, and she cried out. "MAX! STOP! You're hurting
me!"
The Lycan let go immediately. He ran back around in front of the
girl, putting himself between her and the Galaxy Rangers. He looked at
Goose, Zozo, and Buzzwang, finally staring at the android's badge for
a long moment.
Max began barking at Buzzwang, warningly. He kept looking back at
his friend, as if frustrated that she could not understand what he was
saying. The way he was barking at Buzz, it was almost as if he was
telling him, as firmly as possible, to do something.
Doc smiled. It suddenly occurred to him that the dog sounded just
like Walsh did when he was barking orders. He decided not to voice that
unflattering comparison, though. "These Lycan's are a lot smarter than
most people realize," he said. "He clearly knows something, but he just
can't tell us what it is."
"Max..." The girl was really starting to get flustered. "You're
embarrassing me."
The wolf gave her an apologetic look. It glanced back at Gooseman,
and then up at the young girl. It then barked, slowly and carefully,
still trying to make itself understood.
"Try gestures, Max..." Buzzwang said. "We know that you sense that
something is wrong. We just don't understand what it is..."
The Lycan stared at him for a moment. He looked at the android's
chest, obviously at his badge. He then looked at Goose, and then at his
badge. Quite pointedly, it sniffed the air. It shook its head, then
looked at the android again.
Buzzwang looked at Gooseman, then back at the wolf. "I believe I
have it, Ranger Gooseman. When we arrived, these girls greeted us. But
you do not know them, do you?"
Goose looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Well... no..."
"WHAT!" The girl said, clearly angry. "HOW CAN YOU..."
Buzzwang put up his hand. "Young lady, how long ago did you last
see Ranger Gooseman?"
"Not three days ago," she snapped, "So you can forget whatever
kinda..."
"Please, miss..." Buzzwang interrupted. "For the past week, Ranger
Gooseman, Ranger Hartford and myself have been on Earth, several light
years from here. There is no way you could have met with him within that
time."
The girl's mouth fell open. "But..." she looked up at Goose, and
the look of confusion on his face finally registered with her. She put a
hand to her mouth. "You really don't know me, do you?"
The Lycan, meanwhile, was looking the Goose over, as well. Buzzwang
glanced down at the wolf, then back at his fellow Ranger. "Max was able
to sense that you were not the Ranger Gooseman he met before," Buzzwang
continued. "He must have concluded that you were an impostor. But since
you have been with us all this time, I consider it more likely that the
Ranger Gooseman that the girls met is the impostor. Since his appearance
coincided with the disappearance of Eve Wheiner, we must conclude that
he took on your form to kidnap her."
"EVE!" The girl's eyes got huge, as she stared at the android,
holding both hands up to her mouth. "Oh, my God..."
"Well, that explains that," Doc said. "Don't worry, miss. We're
here to get Eve back. I assume you know her..."
She nodded. "I'm Eve's roommate... My name's Deborah. And this is
Annie and Julie." She indicated the two girls. "And Max you already
know..."
The dog sat down in front of Gooseman. He looked up at him,
uttering a short "wuf", clearly satisfied. Goose scowled at the dog,
then turned to Buzzwang.
"Check with the spaceport, see if there have been any mysterious
takeoffs or landings within the last three days. And see if Eve Wheiner
is listed as a passenger on any ship leaving this sector."
"Right away!" Buzzwang's communicator unfolded from his wrist, and
he began to chatter with a spaceport official on the other side of the
line.
Shane looked back at Debbie. "How long ago did Eve leave with this
impostor?"
"Right after he arrived," she answered. "He said something about
her father wanting her to come home. Which I thought was fishy... I
mean, he SENT her out here, didn't he?"
"It was obviously a trap for her," Doc said. "Eve was supposed to
have stolen an important disk from her father's safe. The disk was
stolen yesterday."
"There must be some mistake!" Debbie protested. "Eve would NEVER
steal anything!" Her friends both nodded, agreeing.
"I have the information you wanted, Ranger Gooseman," Buzzwang cut
in. "There is a flight plan registered for an Eve Wheiner from Prairie
to Earth, three days ago. No passengers were reported, only Eve herself.
According to the records, she returned to Prairie two hours ago, landing
at Runway Alpha."
"If this guy could impersonate you," the girl named Julie said,
"maybe he could impersonate Eve, too..."
"Is the ship still there?"
"Yes." Buzzwang paused. "But it's not registered to Eve OR her
father. The ship is registered to YOU... Shane Gooseman."
Debbie whistled. "This guy has a lot of gall."
Shane nodded. "This impostor... he looked just like me?"
"Yeah..." The young girl wrapped her arms around herself. "Eve
recognized him... well, you... right away. And he even... well, he even
had Series 5 implant powers." She looked up at Goose. "Your powers."
"There's only one person in the Galaxy who has the same powers as
you, my Gooseman," Doc said.
Shane's eyes narrowed to mere slits as he growled the name. "Ryker
Kilbane..."
and then change them all to HTML from the last to this one. So for
now the first chapter is probably the only one in HTML format.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Galaxy Rangers: "Time Bomb"
Chapter 2
The trip to Prairie was uneventful, and the Rangers and their Kiwi
ally were soon walking along the paved walks and manicured lawns of the
campus of the College of Prairie. Several students could be seen on the
grounds, walking between classes, or sitting out in the grass studying.
The native sentients of the planet, wolf-like creatures called
Lycans, could also be seen around the campus. Many of them walked
alongside the students as they went from class to class, or sat outside
of a classroom, waiting. While Lycans were intelligent creatures, far
more intelligent than a domesticated dog, their innate loyalty and
devotion to the humans that befriended them made them excellent
guardians.
The doors swung open on a nearby building, and a crowd of students
stepped out into the sunlight, heading off in all directions. One of
them, a young girl in a green outfit, with her hair up in spikes,
stopped to pet the Lycan waiting for her on the steps. It gave her a
bark of welcome, and then she and some of her friends turned to head off
across the campus. Then, suddenly, she spotted the Galaxy Rangers.
"GOOSE!" The girl yelled, a girlish tone to her voice. She ran
across the lawn towards Gooseman, while her friend, who had the same
spiky hair, but in blue, pulled aside another girl. The third girl also
seemed to recognize the Ranger, as her friend pointed him out, and they
joined the first girl in running across the lawn.
"It's so good to see you again!" The girl said, her eyes sparkling
as she looked up at the blonde Ranger. Gooseman glanced at Doc, clearly
confused, and more than a little embarrassed. The second girl quickly
took his other arm, and Shane looked down at her, completely flustered.
"Who... What..." he stuttered.
"What are you doing back so soon?" "Where's Eve?" "You look
hungry... you wanna get something to eat?" "Who's your cute friend?"
The third girl had latched onto Doc's arm. "Don't look at me, my
Gooseman..." Doc commented. "You're the one with the reputation..."
He glanced down at the girl. "Aren't you a little young for a guy
like me?" He asked with a grin.
The girl tittered. "You're so funny..." She cooed, and held the
Ranger's arm tighter. Doc sighed.
The Lycan, approaching the group, seemed no less excited to see
Goose. But as he neared, he suddenly stopped dead. His ears went back as
he lowered his head, growling. In a single, rapid bound, he shoved
himself between Gooseman and the girl in green, shoving her away from
him.
"Max! Stop that!" The girl in green admonished the wolf. She
started to reach out to Gooseman, but the Lycan shoved her back again,
eyeing the blonde Ranger suspiciously. "Max! This is Goose! Remember
Goose? What is WRONG with you!"
Shane began to back away, holding both hands up in front of him.
"It's all right, Max. I won't hurt your friend."
"That's right," Buzzwang added. He took a step forward. "Perhaps I
will be less threatening, Ranger Gooseman," he said, then extended a
hand to the Lycan.
The wolf stared at the android. Its eyes narrowed, and it began
to back away from him, its ears back on its head. Buzzwang wisely
withdrew his hand, but Zozo stepped forward. "Lycans always like me,"
he said, and knelt in front of the animal, extending both arms. "See!
We're friends!"
Max barked at him, loudly, causing the little Kiwi to jump back.
The wolf then ran around behind the girl. It grabbed her by the arm,
trying to drag her away, and she cried out. "MAX! STOP! You're hurting
me!"
The Lycan let go immediately. He ran back around in front of the
girl, putting himself between her and the Galaxy Rangers. He looked at
Goose, Zozo, and Buzzwang, finally staring at the android's badge for
a long moment.
Max began barking at Buzzwang, warningly. He kept looking back at
his friend, as if frustrated that she could not understand what he was
saying. The way he was barking at Buzz, it was almost as if he was
telling him, as firmly as possible, to do something.
Doc smiled. It suddenly occurred to him that the dog sounded just
like Walsh did when he was barking orders. He decided not to voice that
unflattering comparison, though. "These Lycan's are a lot smarter than
most people realize," he said. "He clearly knows something, but he just
can't tell us what it is."
"Max..." The girl was really starting to get flustered. "You're
embarrassing me."
The wolf gave her an apologetic look. It glanced back at Gooseman,
and then up at the young girl. It then barked, slowly and carefully,
still trying to make itself understood.
"Try gestures, Max..." Buzzwang said. "We know that you sense that
something is wrong. We just don't understand what it is..."
The Lycan stared at him for a moment. He looked at the android's
chest, obviously at his badge. He then looked at Goose, and then at his
badge. Quite pointedly, it sniffed the air. It shook its head, then
looked at the android again.
Buzzwang looked at Gooseman, then back at the wolf. "I believe I
have it, Ranger Gooseman. When we arrived, these girls greeted us. But
you do not know them, do you?"
Goose looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Well... no..."
"WHAT!" The girl said, clearly angry. "HOW CAN YOU..."
Buzzwang put up his hand. "Young lady, how long ago did you last
see Ranger Gooseman?"
"Not three days ago," she snapped, "So you can forget whatever
kinda..."
"Please, miss..." Buzzwang interrupted. "For the past week, Ranger
Gooseman, Ranger Hartford and myself have been on Earth, several light
years from here. There is no way you could have met with him within that
time."
The girl's mouth fell open. "But..." she looked up at Goose, and
the look of confusion on his face finally registered with her. She put a
hand to her mouth. "You really don't know me, do you?"
The Lycan, meanwhile, was looking the Goose over, as well. Buzzwang
glanced down at the wolf, then back at his fellow Ranger. "Max was able
to sense that you were not the Ranger Gooseman he met before," Buzzwang
continued. "He must have concluded that you were an impostor. But since
you have been with us all this time, I consider it more likely that the
Ranger Gooseman that the girls met is the impostor. Since his appearance
coincided with the disappearance of Eve Wheiner, we must conclude that
he took on your form to kidnap her."
"EVE!" The girl's eyes got huge, as she stared at the android,
holding both hands up to her mouth. "Oh, my God..."
"Well, that explains that," Doc said. "Don't worry, miss. We're
here to get Eve back. I assume you know her..."
She nodded. "I'm Eve's roommate... My name's Deborah. And this is
Annie and Julie." She indicated the two girls. "And Max you already
know..."
The dog sat down in front of Gooseman. He looked up at him,
uttering a short "wuf", clearly satisfied. Goose scowled at the dog,
then turned to Buzzwang.
"Check with the spaceport, see if there have been any mysterious
takeoffs or landings within the last three days. And see if Eve Wheiner
is listed as a passenger on any ship leaving this sector."
"Right away!" Buzzwang's communicator unfolded from his wrist, and
he began to chatter with a spaceport official on the other side of the
line.
Shane looked back at Debbie. "How long ago did Eve leave with this
impostor?"
"Right after he arrived," she answered. "He said something about
her father wanting her to come home. Which I thought was fishy... I
mean, he SENT her out here, didn't he?"
"It was obviously a trap for her," Doc said. "Eve was supposed to
have stolen an important disk from her father's safe. The disk was
stolen yesterday."
"There must be some mistake!" Debbie protested. "Eve would NEVER
steal anything!" Her friends both nodded, agreeing.
"I have the information you wanted, Ranger Gooseman," Buzzwang cut
in. "There is a flight plan registered for an Eve Wheiner from Prairie
to Earth, three days ago. No passengers were reported, only Eve herself.
According to the records, she returned to Prairie two hours ago, landing
at Runway Alpha."
"If this guy could impersonate you," the girl named Julie said,
"maybe he could impersonate Eve, too..."
"Is the ship still there?"
"Yes." Buzzwang paused. "But it's not registered to Eve OR her
father. The ship is registered to YOU... Shane Gooseman."
Debbie whistled. "This guy has a lot of gall."
Shane nodded. "This impostor... he looked just like me?"
"Yeah..." The young girl wrapped her arms around herself. "Eve
recognized him... well, you... right away. And he even... well, he even
had Series 5 implant powers." She looked up at Goose. "Your powers."
"There's only one person in the Galaxy who has the same powers as
you, my Gooseman," Doc said.
Shane's eyes narrowed to mere slits as he growled the name. "Ryker
Kilbane..."