---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------

CHAPTER FOUR

Chapter Title: The Meaning Of The Transmission

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------

Once Metaknight had returned to his original form, first mate Waddle Dee, who was waiting in the lunchroom, greeted him. The boy had brought him a new cape, gloves, and boots to replace the ones Demoknight ripped apart.

"Waddle Dee, how would you like a promotion?" Metaknight asked the boy. Metaknight knew Waddle Dee was smart enough to be a captain. He could replace Captain Byrd.

"Sure, sir, if you don't mind, that is," Dee replied. He was excited by the prospect of a new position.

"Well, I now present to you the rank of captain of this vessel! You are second only to me as of this moment," Metaknight proclaimed. He smiled under his mask, unknown to everyone else. "Let's get back to the deck," he continued, "so we can finally conquer this world!"

**************************************************************************** **

The door to the deck slid open with a whoosh as Metaknight and Waddle Dee stepped into the room. The crew gazed in their direction as Metaknight raised up his hands, preparing to say a few words to the astonished crew.

"My friends! Captain Byrd, the former Navy captain, has been terminated for his ignorance and abuse of power. I have appointed the position of captain to Waddle Dee." He paused, then continued, "You shall follow all of his commands unless I say otherwise. All right, with all of that said and done, give me a status report."

"Dyna Blade has been shot down, but she seems to be recovering," Blade Knight replied.

"We've also recovered the remains of Heavy Lobster and are currently rebuilding it with new parts," Skullkor added.

"The bad news is, we've received more of those weird transmissions from other land-bound operatives, each one different from the last. So far," Tridint commented, "we've compiled these messages:"

{Help! I'm having trouble fight-}

{Come in Halberde! It's Kir-}

{Guys, I could use some backup here!}

{No, not Kirby, not him! AHHH-}

"KIRBY? He's still alive?" Metaknight gasped.

"Sir Metaknight, two people have infiltrated the rear of the Halberde!" Waddle Dee reported. Metaknight turned quickly to look at the monitor nearest to Waddle Dee. He muttered something about Kirby under his breath.

"Hey, Skullkor! Tell those guys in the hanger to hurry up rebuilding Heavy Lobster!" Metaknight roared. Skullkor signaled a yes towards Metaknight, then issued the orders to the mechanics in the hanger. "Maybe it's Kirby, or maybe it's not, either way, those two intruders are dead meat!" Metaknight cackled.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------

Why was this chapter so short, you wonder? So do I. I never really noticed how short this chapter was until now. Oh, well, prepare for the next chapter, coming soon!