The Wrong Hands.
Chapter 3: Capture the flag.
The robot army of yellow, insect, androids lurched forward to meet the Space Rangers in a battle for the Light of Orion. Their lasers drawn and blasters ready. The whole planet was in utter chaos. Workers were running in all directions yelling and screaming with fright. Some weren't lucky enough to live, let alone make it back to the tents. The sand, from all the warring parties, was flying everywhere making it almost impossible to see let alone breath. The sound of laser shots could be heard in the air and that was really your only warning on weather or not a bolt was coming in your direction. It was like being blind in the middle of a war with only your ears to guide you.
"Helmets up!" Buzz called out through the blinding sand. He didn't know where his team mates were, or weather or not they heard him, but it was worth a shot. It seemed that everyone was just blasting off into random directions not knowing where the shot was going or what it would hit, friend of foe? No matter what the outcome it was going to be a win loose situation for either side.
Buzz kept blasting in random directions praying his shots were good ones. He could only see about two feet in front of his visor helmet. This lack of vision was very frustrating to the Space Ranger and there were a few close calls as he had to make a split second reaction to doge fire. A few lasers kissed his uniform leaving a smoldering scratch in the armor, but luckily he was relatively uninjured.
While the Hornets kept the Rangers busy Warp's ship roared overhead with it's monstrous engines ready to snatch up the Light of Orion into its hull. On his robotic arm Warp pressed a purple button releasing capture cables from the ship above. A hatch in the ships underbelly opened and long tentacles slithered out, witch attached themselves automatically to the huge, ancient, rock. "Alright! Beam me up!" Warp shouted upwards to his ship and the cables retracted hauling the huge thing on its way to the craft. The cables strained with the weight but it still was powerful enough to reel the stone in.
Was Lex just about to let her most important discovery just be swept up by some agent of evil? No, not now, and not ever. In a course of action and adrenaline, the brave woman leapt onto the pyramid catching onto the cables that held it captive. She held on tight as she pulled a knife out of one of her cargo pockets and began slicing at the cables. She was determined to save her find. Lex sawed through one cable and the thing jolted as it leaned in the direction of the missing cable. Lex lost balance and slid down its face just catching herself on one of the other cables still holding it in place. Placing the knife between her teeth she started climbing towards the next cable to be cut.
Warp caught a glimpse of her trying to free Zurg's prize, his prize was trying to get Zurg's prize. This was very amusing to him. "Hahaha," Warp chuckled. "Well I guess I should go stop her." The thief shrugged and he switched on his jet pack and flew up to the ascending scientist. "I don't know about you doll face but I don't think that's such a good idea." He smiled evilly at her and as Lex squinted at him through the sand she recognized that smile. That crude and evil grimace.
"You're..you're that digger!" she pointed out in shock stopping her cutting of the cable as she faced a newer problem.
"Very good! Wow, you really should be a cop," Warp remarked in sarcasm. "You'd make a better detective then an archaeologist I think."
"I know there was something I didn't like about that digger. He smelled like a wamp rat!" Lex spat at Warp in despise.
"You may not like me," he reached out and grabbed her by her arm, his tight grasp making her open her fist and drop her knife to the sandy floor below. Warp pulled her off the rock as it was sucked up into the cargo hold of his ship and the doors slammed shut behind it sealing it inside safely, "But I do indeed like you. Hmm very much so." he sneered in her face just inches away from her nose.
Lex cringed as she thought about what dirty things were going through his mind. She was disgusted by the thought. If her arms were free she would have given him a black eye, but all she could do was struggle and kick with no avail.
"You're coming with me!" he commanded of her and took her into his great ship. The Turanian threw her in the back where he had capture cells, they were intended to capture Team Lightyear by Zurg but like that was ever going to happen, so he found a better use for them instead.
"You let me go you jerk!" Lex screamed obscenities at him. This just made Warp smile with satisfaction. He got a kick out of making people mad at him.
"Feisty, I like that." Warp said to himself with a grin as he got into the cockpit of his ship, "Flattery will get you nowhere!" he screamed back at the girl who was in the holding cell on his ship., "I'm sorry did I say that? I meant flattery will get you everywhere!" he shouted over his shoulder once more, "And I do mean everywhere, HAHAHAHAHA!!"
On the long flight to Planet Z Lex continued to shout swears and slam her fists on the metal walls, but all the commotion was useless. Nobody heard her back there, only Warp and her defiance only pleasured him. Finally after five hours of fighting she gave up her struggle and sat in the corner on the cold steel floor, mumbling to herself about how stupid of a situation this was.
"I don't hear any struggling!!" Warp shouted back at her. He felt that another remark from him would provoke her rage. But he was wrong. He would get no such fancy.
"Good," Lex grunted with anger to herself and for the rest of the way she was silent. She knew the silent treatment was worse to him then any word she could ever say to him. And she needed to think, think of what kind of trouble she was in, what he was going to do to her, and what would Zurg do with the Light of Orion. It had fallen into the wrong hands.
After about an hour or so the sand finally settled and visual contact was possible. The floor was littered with broken hornets and broken bodies of carbon based life forms. Only a handful of workers and the Rangers survived, and barely. But there was no sign of Warp's ship, let alone the Light of Orion. Moans and groans where heard all over. As people walked the crunching of metal Hornets were heard under their feet. There was hardly a man who walked away without a scratch or worse.
"What a mess," Mira remarked as she walked around through the battle field to regroup with her team. She looked about with disgust at the sight. But mostly she hugged her arm witch had been scratched by a laser. It wasn't bad and she would live from it but it did need dressing before sand got in and caused infection for the Tangean.
"Ohh this is terrible!" Booster yelled as he bit his fingernails in frustration, "I can't look!" the Jo Adian covered his eyes in terror as he shakily made his way towards his Captain. Booster luckily was in one piece thanks to his thick hide, although he would need a new uniform from the cargo hold of Forty-Two when they got back on the ship.
"Will somebody please put me back together before I rust?!" XR shouted above the rest from where his head was lying in the sand. During the battle the robot had gotten blasted by a random laser shot, who knew if it had been a lucky hornet or one of his own partners error. None the less he was the worst case out of the band of Rangers. Providential for him he could be rebuilt in a jiffy.
"XR! Show a little compassion!" Mira scolded the robot who lay in pieces. She didn't think now was the time to be worrying about one's self, but instead keep focused on the situation on hand. There were many other people there that were in worse shape then he was at the moment, and Zurg could be laughing his way to Armageddon by now.
"Every time I do ladies reject me!" the selfish droid replied with sarcasm. By this time Booster had scrounged up XR's parts and sat down in the sand to start putting his friend back in once piece. Rebuilding the his robot friend would take his mind off the disaster for a while as he concentrated.
"XR!!!" Mira still reprimanded the robot further. But Buzz had tuned them out. After they had said 'compassion' and 'lady', Buzz's mind went to Lex. Where was she? He didn't see her anywhere in his field of vision. He looked through the litter on the floor thinking the worst had happened. He just had to find her to settle his mind.
"No, no!" He yelled as he searched. "You gotta be here. You just have to!" Buzz just screamed to himself as he searched through hornet parts and shifting sand. He sifted through mess inspecting vehemently.
His team watched him confused. Who or what was he looking for? They all rasped their heads as they watched their leader go from one pile of scrap to the next ranting and raving in panic. Although ranting and raving was a common thing for their Captain to do this time it looked urgent.
"Um sir?" Mira spoke up for the whole of them, "What, or who exactly, are you searching for?" she asked in curiosity. Maybe they could help his look, if that's what he needed.
"Lex! She doesn't seem to be around!" Buzz talked to his team over his shoulder as he continued his quest.
"Maybe she's already in one of the tents," Booster suggested to his comrade, trying to give a bit of hope to them, all though he didn't sound too convincing, not even to himself.
Buzz stood up in panic, hopefully the big guy was right, "Yeah maybe." there was no hesitation in his stride back to the base camp. "Send a call back to Star Command for additional support!" Buzz commanded as he ran off. "Send medical supplies and an urgent message, Zurg has the Light or Orion." the Rangers watched him race off in the direction of the camp through the humid desert. Each member glanced at the other with a frown before Mira got on the wrist communicator with Commander Nebula.
When Buzz reached the camp nobody was in the kitchen or community tent, they were crammed into the medical center seeking medical attention for scraps, bruises, and laser burns. Those who were well, or not near the battle, had already left the planet not wanting to stay around for another attack. He searched through them all, but none were the blue haired, yellowed eyed, girl. After his search through the medical tent was over he walked out side into the blazing sun. Buzz was too deep in his depression thinking she was dead that he didn't notice one of the diggers, who was fleeing the site, and ran into her.
"Oh sorry," Buzz said with no feeling.
The worker had her bags backed and was ready to go back to her home planet and back to school. The dig was a bust and there was nothing left so why wait? "That's OK." the young girl said. "I'm depressed too. This dig was a bummer." she gabbed with Buzz. "First Warp Darkmatter steals our find then he takes our leader. What a creep!" the girl complained about their attacker with anger, "Well I'm off to go back home. See ya!" she threw her hand up good-bye and started to walk off into the desert to go uncover her ship from the sand..
Buzz picked up his ears from under his hood when she said Warp stole their leader. Their leader was Lex! "Wait repeat the last thing you said!" Buzz stopped her from walking off to her ship.
"See ya?" the girl asked confused. Why was he asking that? Wasn't it clear she said good bye? Maybe he needed a hearing aid.
"No no no! Not that! What you said about Warp stealing your leader," Buzz further cleared his request. If she was right then Lex might still be alive, but in what condition was Warp holding her captive? Whatever the motivation he knew his intentions weren't good ones.
"Yeah, Darkmatter took her aboard his ship. Didn't you hear her yelling? I mean come on there were some words in there I've only heard once in detention," the girl cleared it up for the confused Ranger. Buzz's face twisted as he filled with hatred for Warp. The girl took this as her sign to get out of his way quickly as she ran off for her ship. "Man what a strange dude," she muttered to herself as she looked over her shoulder at the angered Space Ranger. He looked like a ticking bomb ready to explode with fever.
"Darkmatter," Buzz said quietly before the full storm struck like lightning, "DARKMATTER!!!!!" he raised his fists to the sky as he yelled the nefarious name.
Warp arrived on Planet Z with the Light of Orion as promised. He stood outside his ship on the metal man-made planet and oversaw the Hornets who were taking the huge spectrum from his ships cargo hold.
"You bucket of bolts better not drop that! Or else I'll blast you myself! Remember that the Emperor is far less forgiving then I am," the blue alien smiled wickedly at the band of robots who were marching the Prism out of the ship. But a Hornet had no feeling anyways so who was to say that someone else blasting them was worse? All they knew was they didn't want to get blasted in the first place, and they must obey their master.
"No don't bring it to me! Take it to Zurg you idiots!" Warp screamed. The Hornets had started to bring the Light of Orion to him instead of directly taking it into Zurg's palace. The insect robots twisted their heads around to look at each other as if they were to say 'oh!' Warp moaned at the stupidity of the help he had these days, he wished he could have a partner that was sensible. That was the ONLY thing he missed about Star Command was that his partner could at least execute simple tasks, even if that partner was Buzz Lightyear. As he watched them off he heard yells coming from his ship now and he turned his head to see what on Planet Z was going on.
"Get your greasy claws off of me you tin cans!" Lex cursed at the two Hornets that had her by the arms and were mostly dragging her against her will down the walk. She put up a good fight but the robots were latched onto her arms like hand cuffs and marched on with the woman. Her heels were planted firmly in the ground but the robot's mechanical strength allowed them to drag the light weight woman on. It was like trying to rope a Bronco with this girl.
"What are you doing!?"Warp asked the robots who brought Lex to stand before him. "Did I give you orders to bring her out here!?" he scolded in irritation from the lack of brains. The two robots looked at each other then at Warp. "No I don't think I did! I only told you to bring the Light of Orion, not the girl! Take her back!" he pointed a finger back in the direction the Hornets had gotten her from.
"You're going home with me," he hissed softly to her. He raised his flesh hand to touch her cheek but Lex quickly spun her head like an animal and snapped at his hand with her teeth trying to bite him. Darkmatter's fast reflexes permitted him to evade the attack, just barley missing the tip of his finger getting bite. "Well, you're a mean one aren't you?" he smiled with a grin. "That's good." the Hornets had almost reached the ship when Warp changed his mind about what he wanted to them to do with her. "Hornets! New orders!" the robots stopped in their tracks and only moved their heads around backwards so they could see him. "Take her on a cargo ship back to Moon Darkmatter and hand her over to the girls, they'll know what to do. And make sure you keep her locked up!" he demanded that they not loose her on him. "Because if you let her escape you're both scrap metal!!!" Darkmatter delivered his new plans and the Hornets obeyed him as ordered. While dragging her out Lex looked at Warp with detest and fire in her eyes, she sneered flaunting her teeth as a sign of hate. "I'll see you when I get home honey!" Warp mocked her just for spite. They dragged her off into the shadows of one of the many tall buildings that covered the Planet and out of sight.
The Hornets brought the huge stone into Z Tower and placed it down in front of the Emperor's throne with the loud thud that echoed off the steel walls. They then retreated into the dark corners and hallways of the Throne Room.
"Finally! At last! The Light of Orion is mine!!!" Zurg bellowed jumping off his throne and gliding down across the floor to take a closer look at his newest weapon of destruction. He examined it closely taking in every detail. He placed a claw to the chin of his helmet as he inspected it. "Umm excuse me but where in heck is the 'ON' switch?" The Evil Emperor asked as he looked around for some sort of button. "I imagine it would be a big shinny red one," the Emperor spoke further as he looked the crystal up and down, but all he saw were carvings of ancient Egoian writings. "Perhaps there is a lever maybe?"
The Brain Pods helped their master understand how to operate ancient technology, "I'm sorry your evilness, but with these old weapons they had no buttons, levers, switches, or batteries." Brain Pod 84 concluded to his master.
"What!? What sort of primitive people had no modern conveniences?!" Zurg was shocked to learn there was no easy way to work this latest weapon and that he might actually have to use brain power for once in a long time. "How uncouth." The Emperor cringed back at he thought of using the caveman weapon.
"My Evil Emperor," Brain Pod 14 spoke up to add in his two cents, "I suggest if we decode these wordings we shall know the operation of it."
Zurg thought this plan over and decided it was a good one, "Good job 14! What a brilliant plan! I'm so glad I thought of it! I'm such a genius!" he twirled around in joviality letting his black cape flow around him in evil glory and gloat. He gave no credit to the Brain Pods but kept the glory all to himself, and who was going to argue with the Evil Emperor Zurg? "Well don't just stand there, GET WORKING TO LACKWITS!" every Grub, Brain Pod, and Hornet scattered for cover at the Emperor's yell. They at once began looking up ancient texts in Zurg's data base.
On Moon Darkmatter the Hornets forced a yelling and fighting Lex into the giant mansion that belonged to Warp Darkmatter. The place was huge and sparkled with gold trimmings. There was an elaborate grand staircase in the main hall with two entrances, only they had signs that said one was for going up and one was for coming down. The girl rolled her eyes at it, "Moron," she muttered under her breath. The palace was haunting though. You couldn't turn your head without seeing Warp's grinning mug somewhere around, and in some shape or form. He had statues carved of himself, paintings done of himself, it was erie and disturbing how he was so absorbed in his own image. 'Who does he think he is? King Laramarth?' she compared him to the ancient king of the planet Xyrt, whom also had his people build the entire city in his image. But the place was bright white, not that evil purple and maroon color like Planet Z and his ship, the white was almost, comforting. Yet still this didn't make her give up her fight that easily.
The hornets soon arrived at giant doors that opened to some sort of spa area. Inside where all the maid servants Warp owned. They were chatting with each other just lounging around in the comfort of the palace. They wore the skimpiest outfits Lex had ever seen. 'These must be his Harem girls' She thought to herself as she looked around them. But yet they seemed nice as they talked with one another not noticing the Hornets or her presence yet. The room was silent for a bit and the Hornets stood still at attention waiting to be approached by one of the women in the room. Lex took this chance of submission to try once again to gain freedom. "Let me go!" she shouted at the robots who still quietly hung tight to her arms. The sudden outburst caught the attention of the girls who quickly turned around to see her. The most beautiful girl out of the bunch, and most likely Warp's head female approached her with a warm smile. She had long pink hair and bat like ears, her skin was green, but she was a humanoid alien.
"Ah, you must be Lex. Our Master vid-phoned us about your arrival," the girl sounded pleasant and Lex stopped her fighting to listen, although she still scowled at the alien girl. "I am Luna, now if you will come with me we will get you prepared for his return home." she beckoned for the Hornets to bring Lex along. They weren't going to let go of her for they knew she would escape. Warp forewarned them before her arrival that she was tricky and was not to be left to escape.
"Prepared? What do you think I am? Some sort of dinner that you 'prepare'?I am not going anywhere you cracks!" Lex yelled at them. She was being treated like an object and she hated that with a passion. She was a sentient being!
"Why not?" Another asked frowning, "He is so handsome!"
"Not to mention rich!" another girl pipped in.
These girls had to be crack pots or brainwashed not to say what a ruthless crude individual he was. He had taken her captive and now they wanted her to join them. They had to be brainwashed into joining this cult. She wasn't going to conform to them, or to him.
"Anyways, we have our orders and now if you will sit down we will begin," Luna called to her in a pleasant voice. Lex withstood as much as she could growling and snarling, kicking and screaming but the Hornets forced her to sit in the big chair as the girls surrounded her and started to give her a make over. Lex's screams could be heard echoing through the halls of Warps Mansion. They put gobs of make up on her face she almost thought she was a clown. They re did her blue hair into some sort of half pony tail motif with braids wrapped around the tie and her long, blue, silky hair draped down on her shoulders. This was not Lex's idea of merrymaking. The girls giggled and had a good time making her 'one of them' but Lex felt like gagging. They dressed her in one of their tight fitting little outfits. Some silver leotard with the back cut out of it and long bellbottom sleeves and the shoulders cut off the top, a mini skirt was around her waist with some sort of knee high space boots, everything with a bright blue trim to it. They showed her to the mirror and Lex cringed in distaste. "Oh this is humiliating," she muttered to them as she held her head in her hand. "I look like a Mahombus Six showgirl!" she would never allow herself to be caught dead in that outfit.
"Hornets," Luna talked to Lex's captures with a smile, "You can now take her to Mr. Darkmatter's chambers." the Hornets didn't hesitate their orders and took her to his room to wait for his return home. They tossed her inside and locked the big heavy doors behind them to stand guard incase she got any ideas.
Inside there were no windows to climb out of so Lex tried the doors. They were solid metal and locked tight as a drum. There was no escape there. She looked around the room. It wasn't white like the rest of the palace but rather again that maroon color. The lights never gave full light but were always dim giving it an erie feel to it. To her the room felt like being in hell. There was a slight chill in the air, but it wasn't because it was cold but because chills were running up and down Lex's spine out of fear. A king size bed was against the wall and neatly made. There was a fire place in the wall opposite the bed. Lex thought maybe she could burn the place down out of spite and they would be forced to open the doors and let her out to put out the smolder. So she walked over and looked for some matches or a fire starter of some kind. But none were left out for her to find. She sat on the edge of the bed and took the space boots off, the slim fit of them were uncomfortable on her feet being so used to hiking boots these narrow shoes squished her toes. She stepped back onto the floor which the deep violet carpet felt soft on her feet like a soft moss. She continued her look around the room and came to a dresser. She searched through thinking maybe he kept some kind of weapon in there. If she couldn't use it to blast her way out she wanted to be able to take her life instead of becoming another addition to Warp's collection. No weapons.
"A mad man bent on destroying anything and everything and he doesn't even keep a simple plasma blaster in his room?" she asked out loud to nobody. It didn't even dawn on her that his whole right arm was a weapon so who needed a gun? She looked through the rest of the drawers of the dresser and found a pair of normal pants. They may have been a little long but the pair of red jeans was a better choice then the sorry excuse for clothes she was wearing at the moment. She quickly exchanged her skirt for the pair of pants. She felt a little better. She wandered to his big head-to-toe mirror and looked in it, her face looked like Bozo the clown with all that make up. Lex stuck out her tongue at the image in the mirror. This wasn't her at all. She lifted a big sleeve and wiped off all the gook from her face. This didn't settle the beast within though. She quickly turned to rage and temper. If she had no way out then things were going to get smashed. She quickly turned her temper on Warps possessions and started to break everything she could get her hands on. She ripped the paintings of himself he had hanging up in there, she threw everything out of his dresser drawer. In no time the place was a mess, you could have sworn a tornado went threw that room. Exhausted and frustrated Lex crawled into a dark corner of the room behind the bed and drew her knees to her chest. She felt her days of freedom were over and that she would never see Buzz again. Surely he wouldn't come to save her, he would think she was dead in the battle. "If only I would have told him I loved him," she sobbed into her knees. "At least he would have known, now he will never know. I'm dead to him now, and if I have to spend the rest of my days here then I might as well be."
She waited the hours sitting in her corner, waiting for her capture to come back.
To be continued....