10. Team Darkmatter to the Rescue

The crawling time... darkness, nothing but darkness was around Buzz Lightyear, or strictly said Zenith. Like some mindless zombie, he plodded along the violet corridors of Zurg Tower at the heels of his new teacher. There was nothing left to him, any more, in his previous life... Star Command seemed to be like some pale mirage behind him. His team... that was not his team. How long he had waited for, they had not come. The game was over. He was now walking along the path of the dark side, towards the drearier abysses of evilness...

 Even now, he blindly followed Zurg, who was presenting him the quarters of his palace. The two lords slowly promenading onwards was indeed quite a majestic view. Although Zurg's silver-horned helmet was over a feet upon Buzz' crown, it did not fade the image of might. With ghastly cheerfulness, the Emperor gave side-glances at the beaten space ranger behind him. Buzz walked his head bowed, dressed to almost similar robes to Zurg. However, the chains around his wrists were gone, which narrated quite a lot about the mind-chance. There was the imperial successor, bent to serve the wrongness in circa three weeks. So weak was his mind, after all... although Zurg knew that it was mostly the merits of the medication he had given to the Captain. Even now, without those liquids, Zenith might turn his back against the éclat of Z Empire and return to his past... but that Zurg would not allow. He would keep it firm that his apprentice would stay in the position he was now.

"And... this is the official hall for planning naughty plots!" Zurg gloated and pointed at a large room with his finger where brain-pods worked. Buzz gave a fatigued frown towards the minions and nodded.

"Oh, and I saved the best -or worst- for the last! I know my ultra-malicious throne room may be familiar to you, already, but it is never too superfluous to give you a tournée", Zurg creaked his fingers together, continuing to speak to the grub that was beside him with a palm book, "Oo, that word tournée sounds very evil, put it to the list of my ultimately sinister sayings! With French spelling, throat-r..."

 In the throne room, the Emperor snapped his usual communication and spy device, the large holo-screen on. A flickering picture of Capital Planet appeared in front of him and Buzz.

"This is my best baby... I can screen almost all with this! And it shall be one of your work tools, too!" he cackled.

"Mhh..." was Buzz' narcotic answer.

"See that planet? Your home it used to be. Now, this is your home. Planet Z, the core of the dark side. But... gradually, as you have begun to agree with me, it is time to accomplish my favourite, superior dream... to take over the Galaxy. Finally."

"What are you going to do, Master?" Buzz asked laconic.

"Jim-kraken-dandy... use your help! That's what loyal apprentices are for!" was the answer.

"What shall I do, Master?"

"You know basically everything about Star Command, its weaknesses, its strongest points. The only thing we need is to destroy Star Command HQ, take the control over the Universe Protection Unit... and snap, the Galactic Alliance is mine. Then my modest reverie is fulfilled! In addition... you know it well that I shall share the effulgence with you!"

A small gleam ignited in Buzz' eyes. The first fire of greed had bewitched him.

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Meanwhile, outside Zurg Tower, Team Lightyear with their added members were searching for an entrance to the medulla of all. What had happened to them during all this time? Well... of course Warp had kowtowed himself to heavens with his 'knowledge of Planet Z'. But it had turned out, that the Emperor had built vastly new factories and blocks since Darkmatter's last visit. Therefore, the local plan was not what the rescue party had expected. In addition, there were hornets squatting in every corner, somewhere always came a grub or two to harass the team's headway... it was nothing but constant hiding and lurking somewhere in the grimy lanes.

 So, a week had lightly tripped along the highway of time. Fortunately the troop had found water to keep them alive during their unsuccessful journey. Food rations they had enough in their backpacks, even for such a glutton as Booster (although it is necessarily to mention that he lost quite many kilos during the trip). The hiding of their ship was the only solved puzzle. It was put to huddle on the roof of one grub penthouse, under its protective shield. As efficient as the landanah energy supplies were, there was no fear that the batteries would run out. The nights had been spent who knew where, in cellars, refuge chutes... the most comfortable place had this far been a grub pre-school room, where Warp had gotten in by picking the lock. Always one of the heroes stood in guard, for to warn about unexpected perils. That role usually fell to XR who did not need much robo-REM.

"Now... we have located the main place... we might try to slink in through one fox burrow, namely the servant side door", Warp fingered his chin and turned over an outdated holo-map.

"There's better be a good way to get in, since I'm not sleeping any more on this planet!" Mira cursed under her breath, "Previous night was the last drop! How did you ever come up that we'd stay in a giant compost?"

"Well missy princessy bluebirdie, did ya have any better ideas? It was raining and your suggestion was to sit in a giant sewer pipe!" Warp snorted back.

"For your information, you're blue-skinned, too!" Nova defended herself somehow.

 "Hmh... yea, that's right..." he glanced at her absent-mindedly and concentrated again on the map study. "It ain't that easy to infiltrate there... we'd need some disguise..."

There and then XR's sensitive sensors perceived some electric activity approaching them. The group was standing in the middle of a long, narrow lane between two high buildings. Something was coming from behind the corner that turned to a wider alley.

"Shht! we betta get our parts quickly out of here!" the robotic ranger whispered. "We may be left under a hornet stampede."

The troop got their feet fast. Rushing there forwards in the dimness, they could hear metallic-echoing steps behind them. But in front, was a mere catch 22-situation. The road namely ended to a brick wall.

"Now what? Where are we gonna hide?" Booster went nervous.

Zarah spotted a messy door beside her. It seemed to be locked, but maybe would be quickly opened with laser ray.

"Let's get in here. It can't be a place worse than this!"

Therefore, Mira tuned her wrist laser to the melting frequencies and quickly handled the task. The door creaked open and the team squashed in. It was their lucky shooting star, since a couple of seconds after that, a hornet scan radar swept even the furthest mouse holes of the lane.

 The space the team had burgled into, seemed to be some kind of a small stock room. Nova lit a torch crystal to get some light into the untidiness. There were boxes lying on the floor, in the right was a pile of cleaning equipment, in the left some cloth bundles with a heap of cloaks, then an assortment of miscellaneous objects jutting in a large shelving at the end wall of the room.

"Hey, this is just what we need!" a wide grin spread on Warp's face.

"What do you mean?" Mira frowned at him, "Don't tell me you wanna put up some circus show?"

He left a cunning laugh, tapping to Zarah and picked her a dusty, black canvas from the messed lump.

"We're gonna have a nice disguise! That's the way we get to knock the front door of Mister Sunny!"

"Yeah, whatever. Let's pretend we're delivering a pizza. With an extra-big happy-meal toy", XR chuckled, pointing at himself.

"No... we're gonna do som'thing else!"

In five minutes Warp's plan was clear to everyone, although it raised quite much opposition in the members of Team Lightyear. The idea was that they would dress up themselves to a group of cleaners that had been recruited to make the Z Tower corridors mirror-shiny. Mira and Zarah would be two diligent cleaning ladies, Warp an assistant robot, Booster a biotic waste grinder and XR another helper droid.

"Now, hold still that I get this paint put onto you!" Warp tried to keep the grumbling mecha on its position, while he sprayed white paint across his helmet, so that it finally was completely opaque from outside. Then the blue alien cut some sticker material out of a bulk, splatted it over the Star Command logo of XR's middle part and wrote a sign 'R2-Z2' over it with a felt tip.

"Yay, ya look like an object from the museum of modern art! Can ya see trough the paint from inside?" Darkmatter chuckled to his artistic masterpiece.
"Yea, as much as a wedding veil would have been put over my eyes."

"It's not waterproof, so was said in this bottle. We're gonna wipe it clean till the gig's gone with the wind..." Warp inspected once more the spray can.

"I think this whole outfit is made to mock me somehow, but I can't connect my associations..." XR concluded.

"Okay, your turn!" Warp blinked to Mira, who pouted back. She was forced to put a cloak over her space ranger uniform and a thin pillow was bound around her waist to let her look a bit more well-eaten. Next, a mop was put on her head to hide her red hair. She was then granted to take a broom and two buckets into her hands. Zarah was dressed quite similarly.

Booster, therefore, had to walk on all fours, which was quite troublesome. A large textile was put on his back, so he mainly resembled an overweighed beast of burden. Lastly, Warp decorated himself with some loose droid parts that lied in one corner.  Then it was just heading to the aim.

 After a labyrinth of roads, corners and stairs, the disguised troop entered some kind of a patio connected to Zurg Tower. A busy grub working there bumped to XR, starting up a bit after giving a rapid observe at the weird-looking wanderers.

Instantly Zarah took a flattering smile, tuning her voice to falsetto and chirped, "Good day, there, Sir Grub, can you point us the doorway of servants?"

The lackey was quite puzzled, but gave a friendly answer because of being called so nobly. "Has the Dark Lord invited you?"

"Why, sure! We are new cleaners, have come way from the borders of his Empire just to serve him! We just love to make the walls glitter in freshness, we whistle evil songs while we work, we..." Warp blabbered metallically from under the loose hornet head that he had put as his mask.

"At your service, sir!" XR gave the last declaration.

The beetle gave a smirk, "Ooh, you must be the attendants of the new apprentice! The Emperor has arranged him room here and they definitely need a good puts-blank!" Next he turned about to point a door that was situated under a small shed, right in the rear of the inner courtyard. "You use that door! Shall I tell His Lowliness that you have arrived?"

"Oh, no, no!" Mira startled but then changed her accent, "We want this all to be an awesome surprise!"

With those words, the simple-minded minion left the comical group.

"Did I just hear that insect saying that Zurg has a new apprentice?" Mira scratched her hair.

"That's not so crucial, now. Well of course that Z worshipper has got someone to fill my empty post, maybe for a long time ago." Warp noted. "Let's just get in."

 At the door, there was a drawback waiting for them.

"Triple craters! Of course the door is locked!" Mira cursed.

Zarah rubbed her forehead, looking contemplating, "We can't laser it open like we did to that stock room thingie... hmm..."

"Well, Mister Know-It-All, what's the Plan C, now?" Nova snarled to Warp.

His head atilt, he watched the wall for a few seconds, then an evident idea lamp was switched on in his brains. "Of course. It's so obvious."

"What is obvious?"

Darkmatter bowed down, lifted up the welcome-signed doormat and picked up a key from under it.

"Remember, the key is always under the rug!" he chortled to Mira.

The key fit perfectly into its hole, clicking the heavy purple door open. In front of them broadened a dimly lit corridor, leading to who knows where, to the dark nucleus of Z Palace.

 After getting to the third floor of Zurg Tower, another lackey threw questioning regards towards the peculiar performance. Heaping coals of fire on the troop's heads, the brain jar rolled with his wheels to see the oddity more closely.

"Uh... and where are you going?"

Zarah put up her high-pitched false tone, again. "Sir Brain, we are new cleaners. The Mighty, Superior, Powerful, Honoured Emperor has ordered us to clean the room space of... what was the name of that guest...?" She had precisely no idea what was she going to jabber, but put up a fake story rapidly. The only goal was the attempt to find out where the missing ranger was. Of course no one of the rescuers had a clue that in reality the situation was like that. They all grasped that Buzz was a gaolbird.

'R2-Z2' continued her incomplete sentence, "Surrr... whirr... database reads the name of the guest... Lightyear. Kronks..."

"Y-Yes, that is him. Could you guide us to him?" she sang nervously.

The lackey shrinked somewhat back. "Beware! No one may use that name. It's a disgrace for the lord. But obviously you did not know that, yet. This way." he waved his hand appendage.

Behind him, during the leading, the stunned Team Darkmatter discussed with a low tone.

"What's going on over here? I thought we were going to the dungeons." Booster noticed.

"Me too. Something's mighty fishy."

"Smells a mile distance."

"Something odd has been done to Buzz. This doesn't sound like that he would be Zurg's hated captive..."

"Here is your work ground, studious cleaners. The chambers have just been wallpapered and newly painted. You tidy up the dust, repairs trash and bring in the furniture that is stored up to room 5h4-Z-n4y", the brain cart gave an announce when he had directed them in.

Everyone of the actors gasped in anguish. So, they were really made to practise their 'profession'. There were four large halls, all in a terrible condition.

"He moves in when the night falls. Your work is expected to be ready, then", the henchman concluded and left the mentally moaning labourers.

"Now all we need is the attitude of Snow White and Cinderella..." XR sighed.

"You and your great ideas!", Mira groaned and picked up a half-eaten sandwich from the floor, left by the repairers.

"I didn't say it would be easy", Warp commented, "But at least we're on the spot to meet the guy we're searching for. If he really appears here. We have then time to figure out how we're going to get him out of here." 

 Towards evening, in the palace, Zurg and his apprentice were in the middle of a conversation. The Emperor furthermore monitored Star Command HQ that was delineated in the big screen. Chortling nastily he turned to Zenith.

"Now, my young apprentice, tell your Master the weaknesses of Star Command. We want to get the luxuries of this Galaxy to our clutches, is that not right?"

Monotonically Buzz answered, "It's the refuge hatch. Under the belly of the base..." He was in the point that he was fully dutiful to his former foe.

Zurg patted his shoulder. "Jim-kraken-dandy that is excellent obedience. And... how to get there?"

"You need to know the protection shield frequencies..."

"...And what are they, may I ask?"

A lonely croak in Buzz' brains still warned him for not to tell. But the voices of the dark side smothered the tiny remains of his conscience, boosted by his narcosis. Slowly he began to count with his fingers. "The first is... from the seven layers... 800GHz, then is the ionized shield of 768GHz... the sixth is... what was it, 499Ghz..." Gradually all the secrets and mysteries concerning the protection were revealed. Soon Zurg was chuckling with very sinister satisfaction to the suppressed mind of the former ranger. "Yes, yes, go ahead! Anything else your Master should know?"

"No..."

"Very well, then. I shall order my humbles to prepare an imperial hornet army ready, for to finally conquer the Alliance. It may take a few days... but what is that compared to the fact that I shall finally rule it all! All! I am such a naughty boy! Oh... it makes the tears of happiness into my eyes even to think about this might of malignance! Anyone have a tissue?" Zurg wiped a tear away from his helmet cheek.

A grub beside him passed him the object he needed. "Here, your evilness! It's the one with lace decorations!"

After the touched Emperor had dried his eyes, he enjoined the lackey to take Buzz to his new quarters. Indifferently slouching Lightyear followed the beetle. He cared a piece of neutron about the praises of the grub, what the little helper told about the marvellous halls.

"There was a group of skilled stewardesses washing the floor, windows and walls, today. There's this biiig four-poster for you and a biiig wardrobe filled with violet robes and this biiig biiig Zee on the wall..."

 Next, the minion wished Zenith good night, leaving him alone in front of the door. Buzz twisted the knob of it, tired and unresponsive. "So... tomorrow... who knows... my Master rules the galaxy... building his dark empire..." In his meditations he did not expect to bump straight to the 'cleaners' that had lied him an ambush, there. In addition, Warp's group were completely unaware of Buzz' situation. As the doorway closed and Lightyear stepped into his bedroom, the whole reception committee jumped from the corners to greet the long-lost ranger.

"Captain Lightyear! Are you all right?" Mira shouted a bit too enthusiastically, being then scolded by XR who ordered her to quiet it down.

Booster took a long leap for to hug Buzz, but the incomer reacted quite in an opposite way. He did not recognise the team members, not even when Mira took the mop wig away from her head. Zenith tapped backwards and with an ill grin, raised his voice, "What? Infiltrators! Trespassers! Illicit people! Guards!"

Warp jumped horrified behind the yelling Captain, hindering him not to rush out of the door. "Ssshuhs! It's us! Don't shriek!" was the calming-down attempt.

But the hollers only increased.

"Make him stop that nonsense! He ain't himself!" Zarah exclaimed to Warp in the middle of the chaos. "Now, before someone hears this row!"

"Help! Guar..." Buzz' squawk stopped like in front of a concrete wall. Warp had bunched him to his occiput with quite a jolt.

"Sorry, pal, but ya didn't gimme a choice!" the blue alien regretted when his prey fell limb onto the floor.

 Only now the juncture began to gather some aurora. All the 'visitors' stared at the clothes and new appearance of their old buddy, then making the conclusion that something very severe had happened to Lightyear.

"He's in a narcosis of some kind! That's not our captain!" Mira whispered while structinizing the pupils of the floor-lying man.

"Well dratted masters of asteroids! Zurg has turned him to the dark side! This is the apprentice the bug was jabberin' about!" Warp grimaced.

"No! It can't be! Buzz could never be evil!" Booster whined.

"Never underestimate that violet hazard. He's capable of almost anything. We dunno what he has been playin' with Buzz' mentality, but that wasn't any innocent volleyball. And Supernova is right, he's been pumped full of some nasty doubing stuff."

"If he is, and it is obvious that he is, under the influence of some kind of medicines, they have this certain cycle to affect. If we... and we gotta, can prevent him getting his regular dose of that whatever-icky stuff, he might wake up from his strange dormancy." Zarah pointed out.

"Maybe we have a change to get him out now... the night is falling, the Zurg Tower seems to quiet down..." Mira fingered her chin.

"Lis'n, Miss Queen of Hearts, we cannot drag him along if that's what's yar suggestion", Warp pursed to her. "If we're gonna get this hunk outta here, he must walk voluntarily with us. Remember that our ship ain't very near!"

"What? You mean we're gonna hide here, till he after some months wakes up from his mental coma?" Mira snarled.

"Break up the quarrel, now! Darkie, Miss Nova, we need rationality, here." Zarah came between them, hands on hips. "As we have debated, already, Captain Lightyear is in some kind of inebriation. That is, either we prevent him getting more the rot they have filled him with, or we find an antidote to it."

Suddenly Warp grapped her, lifted her up into his embrace and smacked a big, wet kiss on her lips.

"My sweet tiny li'l babe toots I love ya!" he almost shrieked in sudden enthusiasm, "That's it! We're gonna get an antidote! Why didn't I get that instantly, Zurgie's lab is in a picosec distance!"

The dizzy Zarah was almost thrown back onto the floor as her mate dashed towards the door.

"Hey, hey, not so fast! Someone needs to come with you!" Booster reasoned.

"Aye... forgot." Warp swallowed. "You, Artoo... I mean Exaar, come with me. I know where The Secret Lab is. You remains, keep an eye on my toots, don't let anythin' happen to her."

The half-robot and the full-robot left Mira and Booster roll their eyes in all peace and guard the 'toots' and the indolent man.

....to be continued........