Galaxy Rangers: "Time Bomb"
Chapter 3
"I guess this means we won't be back in time for lunch..." Doc
quipped.
"What's Ryker Kilbane doin' hanging around with the Black Hole
Gang?" Gooseman growled in response.
The Galaxy Rangers were ducked down behind a stack of barrels,
staring across at the hangar, and the Ranger Interceptor tucked away
inside it. From this distance, it was clear that it was not really a
BETA spacecraft, but simply modified, and painted to look like one. At
a distance, however, or as seen by Earth's sensor net, it would
probably seem to be the real thing.
Two of the Black Hole Gang's thugs were sitting around it, one of
them the large fellow in the red mask, the other the little dog-like
guy. Both were carrying laser rifles. Goose checked the clips on his
blasters.
"We've caught 'em by suprise!" Zozo said excitedly. "Shall I take
the little one?"
"I'd like to get to that ship and see what the 'Doctor' can find
out," Doc added.
"That's fine with me," Goose said. "Leaves more for the rest of
us."
"I've got a better idea." Buzzwang says. "I can get onboard the
ship as well as Doc, and that would leave him free to fight."
Before either of them could move, however, the door in the alley
behind them suddenly swung open, and a tall, lanky alien with green
hair stepped out. "GALAXY RANGERS!" He yelled, drawing his blaster.
"Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoa!" Zozo called out, dancing around as the
blaster fire stuck the concrete in from of his feet. Goose pulled out
his own blasters, driving the alien back towards the door, but the
Black Hole Gang had been alerted. Laser fire began to lance out at them
from the hangar.
"We are caught in a crossfire, my Gooseman," said Doc.
"Yeah... NOW it's startin' to get interestin'..."
There was a blaze of light from Gooseman's badge, the familiar
melodic hum of his implant powering up, and Goose's body began to glow
with light. Not a moment too soon, either, as the alien outlaw drew a
bead on him and opened fire. Goose ran right through the barrage of
laser fire, his glow intensifying, as he charged at his foe.
As the glow died down, Gooseman's body had transformed into
crystal. The laser beams bounced off of him, uselessly, as he reached
the alien and grabbed his gun, throwing it aside. The two then locked
hands, a crystal man and a green haired alien, each struggling to throw
the other down.
Zozo, meanwhile, charged in the other direction, as the dog man
was coming at them from the cover of the hangar. Doc laid down a
pattern of cover fire as Zozo ran out into the street to face their
attacker.
The dog-man swung his rifle, but Zozo leaped over the arc. As the
little Kiwi came back down, he grabbed the rifle, wrenching it out of
the dog man's grasp. It landed on the pavement, and Zozo leaped over to
grab it.
"Ha! NOW I got you!" Zozo glanced down at the rifle. "How does
this thing work..."
The rifle went off, spraying the dog-man with laser fire. He began
to dance around as Zozo had, grunting, "Yah yah yah yah yah!"
"Help!" Zozo yelled, trying to find the control to turn off the
automatic fire. The dog-man was running around in circles, now. "How do
I STOP this thing!" He threw the rifle down on the ground, and began
jumping up and down on it, breaking it into pieces.
"You broke my rifle!" The dog-man yelled, charging at him.
"Yaaaaaahhhhh!"
Zozo took off running back towards the alley, but as he reached
the wall, he suddenly kicked off of it, leaping upward and back over
his opponent's head. At the same moment, Buzzwang shoved a handtruck
into the alien's path. The dog-man tripped over the dolly, and slammed
headfirst into the wall, knocking himself out.
Zozo slapped his hands together, dusting them off. "No problem."
Doc cried out as the man in the red mask opened fire again, and
the laser blast cut into his shoulder. He dropped back behind the
barrel, pulling out his own pistol, as Zozo and Buzz joined him. "No
problem," Doc echoed, wincing as he put a hand to his shoulder.
"This situation does not look good," Buzzwang commented. "The
third gang member was using his radio a few moments ago. We must assume
that reinforcements are on the way."
Two hovercraft roared around the corner up the street. One slid to
a stop in front of them, while the other stopped closer to the hangar,
blocking their path to the Interceptor. The alleyway became filled with
laser blasts.
"Thanks, Buzzwang," Doc snapped.
He glanced back at Goose, still struggling with the green haired
alien. "My Gooseman, we are in SERIOUS trouble here..."
He was interupted as another hovercar roared into view. It
accelerated, heading straight for one of the cars, and struck it
forcefully, shoving it into the wall of another hangar. The Black Hole
Gang members struggled to regain control of the careening vehicle,
several of them flying out and landing prone in the street.
Daisy O'Mega stood up in the seat of her hovercar. "Get in!" She
stared at the dumbstruck Rangers for a moment. "Come on, boys! Don't
just stand there with yer jaws flappin' in the wind!"
"The cavalry has arrived!" Doc yelled, leaping out into the street
and into the back seat of the hovercraft. Buzzwang quickly joined him,
but Zozo glanced back at Gooseman, still pummeling the green haired
alien.
"Can we trust her?" He asked.
"No..." Daisy answered, her Irish brogue getting thicker in her
exasperation, "An' I don't trust you Rangers, either. But I'd rather
pull yer arses outta this mess than leave ya to Macross. NOW GET
IN!!!!!"
"I believe we should accept Miss O'Mega's offer," Buzzwang said,
in his mechanical voice. "I believe the Black Hole Gang have recovered
from their initial shock."
Daisy dropped down in her seat as the gang opened fire, filling
the street with a blaze of colored light. Doc whipped around in his
seat, returning fire with his own blaster, and Daisy quickly followed
suit. "Get in, boys," she warned, "or I'm leavin' ya here..."
Zozo quickly jumped into the back seat, Goose taking only a few
more moments to slug his opponent across the chin. He then ran out of
the alley, his body flashing with light as returned to his normal form.
"GO!" He yelled, as he scrambled into the passenger seat, next to
Daisy.
"Hang on!" Daisy countered. She gunned the engine, and the
hovercar made a full one eighty degree spin, almost throwing Zozo out
into the street. She slammed into the gang's hovercar again as she
passed it, sending it spinning out of control, as she shot back the way
she came.
Patch, Macross's second, yelled for his men to sit down, as he
gunned the engine of his hovercraft. Before he could move, however,
another hovercraft, piloted by the man in the mask, shot out of the
hangar in front of him. Patch followed, and the last hovercraft brought
up the rear, several of the gang members still trying to climb into it
as it passed.
Daisy looked back at their pursuers. A hail of laser fire began to
shoot past them, and she floored it. "I knew I shouldn't have come back
for you guys..."
"Pardon me, Miss O'Mega," Buzzwang began, "but where exactly are
we going?"
"Well, I thought I'd take the Scenic route through Prairie, then
we'd go out to dinner, then Shane and I will go and dance the New Texas
two-step at the club..."
"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING HERE...! I'm tryin' ta ditch these
low grade morons so we can get back to the Starport and go after
Macross!!!"
"It's good to see you on our side, for once," Goose told her, as
he turned back in his seat, leveling his blasters at the car behind
them.
"I'm on nobody's side but me own, Shane Gooseman," she said, then
cut him a sly glance. "Although I could be persuaded..." She returned
her attention to the road, cutting around a corner and into the traffic
of Prairie's city streets.
Chapter 3
"I guess this means we won't be back in time for lunch..." Doc
quipped.
"What's Ryker Kilbane doin' hanging around with the Black Hole
Gang?" Gooseman growled in response.
The Galaxy Rangers were ducked down behind a stack of barrels,
staring across at the hangar, and the Ranger Interceptor tucked away
inside it. From this distance, it was clear that it was not really a
BETA spacecraft, but simply modified, and painted to look like one. At
a distance, however, or as seen by Earth's sensor net, it would
probably seem to be the real thing.
Two of the Black Hole Gang's thugs were sitting around it, one of
them the large fellow in the red mask, the other the little dog-like
guy. Both were carrying laser rifles. Goose checked the clips on his
blasters.
"We've caught 'em by suprise!" Zozo said excitedly. "Shall I take
the little one?"
"I'd like to get to that ship and see what the 'Doctor' can find
out," Doc added.
"That's fine with me," Goose said. "Leaves more for the rest of
us."
"I've got a better idea." Buzzwang says. "I can get onboard the
ship as well as Doc, and that would leave him free to fight."
Before either of them could move, however, the door in the alley
behind them suddenly swung open, and a tall, lanky alien with green
hair stepped out. "GALAXY RANGERS!" He yelled, drawing his blaster.
"Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoa!" Zozo called out, dancing around as the
blaster fire stuck the concrete in from of his feet. Goose pulled out
his own blasters, driving the alien back towards the door, but the
Black Hole Gang had been alerted. Laser fire began to lance out at them
from the hangar.
"We are caught in a crossfire, my Gooseman," said Doc.
"Yeah... NOW it's startin' to get interestin'..."
There was a blaze of light from Gooseman's badge, the familiar
melodic hum of his implant powering up, and Goose's body began to glow
with light. Not a moment too soon, either, as the alien outlaw drew a
bead on him and opened fire. Goose ran right through the barrage of
laser fire, his glow intensifying, as he charged at his foe.
As the glow died down, Gooseman's body had transformed into
crystal. The laser beams bounced off of him, uselessly, as he reached
the alien and grabbed his gun, throwing it aside. The two then locked
hands, a crystal man and a green haired alien, each struggling to throw
the other down.
Zozo, meanwhile, charged in the other direction, as the dog man
was coming at them from the cover of the hangar. Doc laid down a
pattern of cover fire as Zozo ran out into the street to face their
attacker.
The dog-man swung his rifle, but Zozo leaped over the arc. As the
little Kiwi came back down, he grabbed the rifle, wrenching it out of
the dog man's grasp. It landed on the pavement, and Zozo leaped over to
grab it.
"Ha! NOW I got you!" Zozo glanced down at the rifle. "How does
this thing work..."
The rifle went off, spraying the dog-man with laser fire. He began
to dance around as Zozo had, grunting, "Yah yah yah yah yah!"
"Help!" Zozo yelled, trying to find the control to turn off the
automatic fire. The dog-man was running around in circles, now. "How do
I STOP this thing!" He threw the rifle down on the ground, and began
jumping up and down on it, breaking it into pieces.
"You broke my rifle!" The dog-man yelled, charging at him.
"Yaaaaaahhhhh!"
Zozo took off running back towards the alley, but as he reached
the wall, he suddenly kicked off of it, leaping upward and back over
his opponent's head. At the same moment, Buzzwang shoved a handtruck
into the alien's path. The dog-man tripped over the dolly, and slammed
headfirst into the wall, knocking himself out.
Zozo slapped his hands together, dusting them off. "No problem."
Doc cried out as the man in the red mask opened fire again, and
the laser blast cut into his shoulder. He dropped back behind the
barrel, pulling out his own pistol, as Zozo and Buzz joined him. "No
problem," Doc echoed, wincing as he put a hand to his shoulder.
"This situation does not look good," Buzzwang commented. "The
third gang member was using his radio a few moments ago. We must assume
that reinforcements are on the way."
Two hovercraft roared around the corner up the street. One slid to
a stop in front of them, while the other stopped closer to the hangar,
blocking their path to the Interceptor. The alleyway became filled with
laser blasts.
"Thanks, Buzzwang," Doc snapped.
He glanced back at Goose, still struggling with the green haired
alien. "My Gooseman, we are in SERIOUS trouble here..."
He was interupted as another hovercar roared into view. It
accelerated, heading straight for one of the cars, and struck it
forcefully, shoving it into the wall of another hangar. The Black Hole
Gang members struggled to regain control of the careening vehicle,
several of them flying out and landing prone in the street.
Daisy O'Mega stood up in the seat of her hovercar. "Get in!" She
stared at the dumbstruck Rangers for a moment. "Come on, boys! Don't
just stand there with yer jaws flappin' in the wind!"
"The cavalry has arrived!" Doc yelled, leaping out into the street
and into the back seat of the hovercraft. Buzzwang quickly joined him,
but Zozo glanced back at Gooseman, still pummeling the green haired
alien.
"Can we trust her?" He asked.
"No..." Daisy answered, her Irish brogue getting thicker in her
exasperation, "An' I don't trust you Rangers, either. But I'd rather
pull yer arses outta this mess than leave ya to Macross. NOW GET
IN!!!!!"
"I believe we should accept Miss O'Mega's offer," Buzzwang said,
in his mechanical voice. "I believe the Black Hole Gang have recovered
from their initial shock."
Daisy dropped down in her seat as the gang opened fire, filling
the street with a blaze of colored light. Doc whipped around in his
seat, returning fire with his own blaster, and Daisy quickly followed
suit. "Get in, boys," she warned, "or I'm leavin' ya here..."
Zozo quickly jumped into the back seat, Goose taking only a few
more moments to slug his opponent across the chin. He then ran out of
the alley, his body flashing with light as returned to his normal form.
"GO!" He yelled, as he scrambled into the passenger seat, next to
Daisy.
"Hang on!" Daisy countered. She gunned the engine, and the
hovercar made a full one eighty degree spin, almost throwing Zozo out
into the street. She slammed into the gang's hovercar again as she
passed it, sending it spinning out of control, as she shot back the way
she came.
Patch, Macross's second, yelled for his men to sit down, as he
gunned the engine of his hovercraft. Before he could move, however,
another hovercraft, piloted by the man in the mask, shot out of the
hangar in front of him. Patch followed, and the last hovercraft brought
up the rear, several of the gang members still trying to climb into it
as it passed.
Daisy looked back at their pursuers. A hail of laser fire began to
shoot past them, and she floored it. "I knew I shouldn't have come back
for you guys..."
"Pardon me, Miss O'Mega," Buzzwang began, "but where exactly are
we going?"
"Well, I thought I'd take the Scenic route through Prairie, then
we'd go out to dinner, then Shane and I will go and dance the New Texas
two-step at the club..."
"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING HERE...! I'm tryin' ta ditch these
low grade morons so we can get back to the Starport and go after
Macross!!!"
"It's good to see you on our side, for once," Goose told her, as
he turned back in his seat, leveling his blasters at the car behind
them.
"I'm on nobody's side but me own, Shane Gooseman," she said, then
cut him a sly glance. "Although I could be persuaded..." She returned
her attention to the road, cutting around a corner and into the traffic
of Prairie's city streets.