Erlon flew the Stinger IV over the forest, tracking the fleeing group.
"Ha, we've got you now!" Erlon hissed, watching the glowing screen. He flexed his claws and glanced back at Alura. "What's the plan?"
"We catch the humans and torture the Irken, then turn the little robot thing into scrap metal," she replied, eyes shining maliciously.
"Lasers prepared," the Stinger computer announced in a monotone. "Power level?"
"Yes, default power at level one," replied Alura, typing at the backseat keyboard. Laser coding appeared on the screen in front of her.
LASER/Target='1': Human/type2.power1
LASER/Target='2': Human/type1.power1
LASER/Target='3': Robot/type4.power5
WATERCANNON/Target='4': Irken/type1.power2
Alura grinned and pressed "Set Controls".
"Power at 5 for a robot?" Erlon asked, wondering why they should waste power on a stupid robot.
"Yes, it survived my strike by simply deactivating itself," she replied, "We want a one-hit kill."
"Got it," Erlon hissed, aiming the lasers.
Dib ran though the forest, dodging rocks and stumps.
"Come on, I think I see shelter!" he yelled. Zim nodded and GIR laughed, thinking it was all a game.
"Oh, GREAT!" Gaz yelled as it began to rain. "Why did I even bother to come with you?" Zim whimpered and hid under a tree, hoping none of the raindrops would hit him. GIR flew over and smiled, opening his head.
"I brought glue!" he chirped.
"Good job, GIR!" Zim congratulated him and applied the shielding substance.
"Hey! Is that a cave? Hey guys, I see a cave!" Dib yelled. Zim smiled and stood up, oblivious to the rain now that he was shielded.
"Is that a kind of natural shelter?"
"Yeah, let's move it!" Gaz answered, glaring at the dark sky. "I'm getting soaked!"
Erlon watched as the lasers aimed automatically at the target Alura selected. He checked the power level and smiled as the screen flashed LASER READY. He squeezed the trigger button. A green ray of light lanced through the air at the purple haired girl.
"Gaz! Look out!" Dib yelled, but it was too late. The beam struck and knocked her out. Dib ran to her side, ignoring the warning cries from Zim.
Erlon clicked the trigger button once again as the lasers swung towards the human called Dib. Alura watched, silently laughing at the pitiful humans.
Dib turned and saw the beam speeding towards him, but he didn't have time to run before it struck. Now only Zim and GIR remained. Zim growled and drew his Irken laser, preparing to fire at the engines. GIR watched in the background, smiling at his master.
The beam fired again. Zim braced himself for a hit, but the shot passed over his head and zapped GIR behind him. The little robot fell, his rockets turning off as he deactivated again.
Zim aimed and fired repeatedly at the engines, but the big laser cannon blocked the shots. Suddenly, the cannon retracted into the belly of the ship. Zim smiled as he got a clear shot.
"Hurry, get the water cannon out!" Alura snickered. "He might dent our ship!" Erlon laughed and activated the water cannon, preparing it for a blast shot. The ship's hull opened and the water cannon slid out. Alura laughed maniacally as it aimed and the power levels rose, her plan working perfectly. The cannon shot, gallons of water projected at Zim.
Zim dived out of the way, wincing as some of the acidic liquid hit him. He rolled and stood again, glaring at the cockpit. He aimed and fired his Irken laser.
Erlon growled as the blast shattered the shield. He turned to Alura.
"Should we kill him? He's getting irritating…"
"No. Capture him, that's the plan." Erlon sighed and clicked the trigger.
Zim dived out of the cannon's blast again, firing as he ran. Erlon cried out as a shot hit his arm.
"That Irken! Such a troublemaker! Does he want to die?" Erlon roared. He was about to click the laser trigger when Alura touched his arm.
"It's not the plan, nor a good idea to kill the Irken," she said softly. "We need to capture him."
"Fine. But if that Irken starts more trouble…" Erlon trailed off ominously and turned back to the screen. He typed in some coding.
DEL: Strength/Chargedel.now
ADD: Accuracy/Speedadd.now
"There," Erlon sighed. "That should help." He watched the cannon aim again. As the aiming sight centered on Zim, he clicked the trigger.
Zim screamed in pain as the blast of water hit him. It had fired faster than before and he hadn't had time to dodge it. Erlon cackled evilly and fired again, relishing his enemy's pain.
As Zim writhed on the ground, Erlon quickly switched to the laser cannon and shot a level 4 blast. Zim was knocked unconscious. Alura smiled cruelly and instructed the ship to land.
On the Niarzan Ship VentureAkai sat on the bridge of the Venture, looking out of the viewport. He sighed, thinking of his parents on their mission. His sister Okai came up behind him.
"Are they back yet?" she asked, her voice soft and melodious.
"No Okai, they have not returned," Akai replied. Okai sat down next to him and slid her arm around his shoulder. Brother and sister sat together, wishing for their parent's return.
Dib groaned and opened his eyes. He sat up and rubbed his head, it hurt badly. He glanced around the darkened area he was in and spotted Gaz leaning against the wall, playing her Gameslave2.
"You're ok!" he shouted happily. Gaz winced and put a hand to her forehead.
"Keep it down Dib, my head hurts." Dib was amazed; normally she'd threaten him.
"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked, softer now.
"Yes, no thanks to you!" she growled before going back to her game. Dib sighed. Now he knew she was fine. He looked around and noticed Zim still unconscious against the opposite wall. "He's been out since I woke up," Gaz said, eyes still on her game. Dib sighed again and slumped against his wall. He knew it'd be a long ride before they got to wherever they were going.
During the ride to wherever, Dib busied himself with trying to repair GIR. He didn't know why he bothered, plus GIR was only a nuisance, but still…. He'd probably go insane with nothing to do anyways. As he examined the little robot's circuits, he noticed that the laser shot had jarred some wires loose… possibly making GIR better. Dib inspected these loose wires closely to see if they had any connection to GIR's personality. He fixed everything messed up (which wasn't much, the little guy had amazing resilience) and left out the wires in question, then tried to turn him on. GIR didn't activate, so Dib added one wire. GIR turned on and looked up at Dib.
"Hibifeviefby ivbcfivi wertif baciviyew?" The robot babbled. Dib smacked him upside the head to turn him off and added a few more wires, except for a suspicious torn one. Instantly GIR activated and looked at Dib, eyes glowing red instead of their usual cyan blue.
"GIR reporting for duty!" he said, saluting Dib. Dib stared dumbfounded at the robot and stuttered, "Uh… go wake Zim up, ok?"
"Yes sir!" GIR strode over to Zim and poked him, giggling. Zim stirred and opened his eyes. He looked at GIR and blinked.
"What are you doing GIR?" he questioned.
"Waaaake uuuuup!" he giggled before his eyes turned back to red. Zim looked quizzically at Dib.
"What did you do to GIR?"
"Er… fixed him?"
"Why?" Zim asked, amazed at his working robot. GIR saluted Zim and stood at attention. "How?"
"I took out a torn wire, and now he works I guess," Dib said. "Sometimes he's still insane though, I wonder why." Zim nodded and looked back at GIR.
"Awaiting instructions, master!" GIR said.
"Check to see if there's a way out of here."
"Yes master, I obey!" GIR saluted again and set to work, scanning the walls, ceiling and floor for any possible exits. "No escape routes can be found, master!" GIR reported.
"Oh, that makes me feel like we'll get out real soon now," Gaz interjected from the corner. Dib rolled his eyes and looked for himself. He didn't see any exits either, so he sat down and thought.
"Get up human, we must escape from this ship!" Zim called. He was already up, looking to see exactly where in the ship they were, running on his spider legs. Dib jumped up and ran after Zim, and Gaz followed. As they ran though the ship, a strange noise made Dib stop.
"What was that?"
"I don't know, see for yourself stinkbeast," Zim snapped, running ahead. Dib ran towards the sound, calling back to Gaz.
"Come on!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" They dashed to the back of the room. "Where now, Dib?" Gaz asked, coming up behind him. Dib looked around wildly, listening for the sound.
"RAAAAAAAARRRRR!"
"I think it's this way!" he yelled, running left. As he rounded another corner, he came to a cage. Inside was a yellow and black monster, thrashing around and trying to get out of the heavy chains that suspended it above the cage floor. It had a long thick tail, black stripes on its back, pale yellow blades on its back, legs, and tail, and a strange symbol on its left cheek.
"What is it?" Gaz asked.
"I have no idea," answered Dib, staring at it. The beast stopped thrashing and dropped its arms to its sides, panting with exhaustion. Its tail drooped to the floor and it relaxed its claws, no longer looking fierce, but now looking tired and defeated. It looked at them.
"Who are you?" it asked.
"We are humans, I am Dib and this is Gaz, my sister," Dib replied in wonder.
"I am Sayellan. I have heard of humans," he said.
"Nice meeting you. How'd you get in there?" Dib asked. Sayellan sighed and looked at his cage wall.
"I was created in a Niarzan laboratory. They were planning to create a soldier, a hybrid of themselves and a beast on their planet called a Ka-Chenn. Many disagreed, but most thought the idea was a good one. When I was created, they tested me on a battlefield against four Ka-Chenns. I destroyed them easily, but I refused to be used as only a weapon, a toy for their wars. They thought I was too strong, too smart. They put me in a cage… or tried to. I resisted, I fought them, but they knocked me out with their lasers and shoved me into a cage. I broke out that night and escaped their compound but they caught me again. That time they put chains on my legs and tail, but I was able to snap them and escape again. They hired bounty hunters and one brought me in a few days later, unconscious. Now I am suspended above the cage and my limbs are chained, so I am unable to escape or attack." Sayellan turned back to Dib and Gaz. "That's how I got here."
Suddenly there was a click and the cage door swung open. Gaz smiled, holding a key in one hand and a strange looking laser in the other.
"Too bad Erlon and Alura left this lying around," she laughed, cutting the chains with the laser's beam. Dib grinned at the look on Sayellan's face.
"Thank you!" he exclaimed as he dropped to his feet. "You've freed me!"
"Yeah, yeah, come on. We have to find Zim and get out of this ship," Gaz replied, pocketing the laser. "I think I'll keep this…"
"Good idea. I lost Zim's laser..." Dib sighed. He looked at Sayellan. "Any others like you on this ship?"
"No, but I do think there are others on the Venture. Many experiments are done there and I'm sure other hybrids have been created," he replied.
"Venture? What's that?"
"The Venture is the main Niarzan exploratory ship. It has the most advanced equipment for creating hybrids like me."
Suddenly the ship shook and they were thrown off their feet.
"What was that?"
"The ship has landed," Sayellan replied gravely. Dib stood and looked around.
"What're we going to do when Erlon and Alura come?"
"I have an idea. We could take them by surprise, they won't expect me to be out of my cage. Gaz, please go over there and be ready with that laser. Dib, you said there was someone else?"
"Yeah, Zim." Dib turned towards the dark interior and shouted "ZIM! We've landed, come on!" GIR flew over, eyes narrowed.
"Master says do not disturb him!"
"Tell master to get over here!" Dib said angrily. He ran to Sayellan. "Do you know of Irkens?"
"Yes. The Niarzan scientists spoke of them often."
"What do you want of me, Dib?" Zim spat, running over.
"We've landed on the Niarzan ship Venture."
"They're coming!" growled Sayellan. Zim slowly turned to him and stared.
"What is that?"
"That's Sayellan, a hybrid of Niarzans and... what were they again?"
"Ka-Chenns," he replied without turning.
"Yeah, those." Zim blinked and drew his laser. A door in the wall opened and Erlon stepped into the dark ship's hull. Zim immediately fired his laser and Sayellan leapt forwards, eyes glowing angrily.
"Thought you were rid of me when you put me in that cage, eh Erlon?" he snarled. Sayellan attacked him and knocked him to the floor, slashing and growling. Alura ran in and tried to pull Sayellan off Erlon, but Gaz fired the powerful laser and Alura was thrown into the wall. She stood slowly, claws over her chest where the beam had hit.
"Smart little human, yes. Grabbed the Cutter from where I left it, eh? Very smart, but I must take that from you." Alura revealed a small laser gun and aimed it, smiling maniacally.
"GAZ! Get away from there!" Sayellan yelled. "Run!" Gaz took his advice and dashed from her spot near the wall as Alura whispered...
"Fire!" Three blue and white beams twined together and shot from the laser. An explosion of blue light flashed were Gaz had stood a split-second ago. Sayellan grabbed a laser from Erlon's hand and fired at Alura, hoping to knock the gun out of her hand.
"Run, you three!" Dib grabbed Gaz's arm and pulled her out the door, ignoring her threats and protests. Zim followed and GIR flew after his master. As they got out of the ship, Sayellan jumped out after them and closed the door. "Seal the door!" he yelled. They melted the metal with the combined power of the lasers and the door was sealed shut.
"That was a Veral Bethan Ray. It's very painful and perhaps deadly to a human," Sayellan explained.
"Okay... what now?" Dib asked. He looked at his surroundings. They were in a dark room filled with Stinger models, some less advanced than the Stinger IV. Most were new Stinger V prototypes. Luckily there were no guards of any sort.
"Shall we rescue the other hybrids? I remember this place well. They are spread out a bit, but the nearest is in the Genetics Experiments 41 lab, over that way." Sayellan pointed in a western direction.
"Fine, we'll save your hybrids, but I must get back to Earth so I can conquer it," Zim growled. GIR's eyes turned back to blue and he poked Zim.
"I wanna help!" he whined.
"Good. Follow me and be careful," Sayellan said. He walked carefully through the door.
Chapter Four—StargazerErlon flew the Stinger IV over the forest, tracking the fleeing group.
"Ha, we've got you now!" Erlon hissed, watching the glowing screen. He flexed his claws and glanced back at Alura. "What's the plan?"
"We catch the humans and torture the Irken, then turn the little robot thing into scrap metal," she replied, eyes shining maliciously.
"Lasers prepared," the Stinger computer announced in a monotone. "Power level?"
"Yes, default power at level one," replied Alura, typing at the backseat keyboard. Laser coding appeared on the screen in front of her.
LASER/Target='1': Human/type2.power1
LASER/Target='2': Human/type1.power1
LASER/Target='3': Robot/type4.power5
WATERCANNON/Target='4': Irken/type1.power2
Alura grinned and pressed "Set Controls".
"Power at 5 for a robot?" Erlon asked, wondering why they should waste power on a stupid robot.
"Yes, it survived my strike by simply deactivating itself," she replied, "We want a one-hit kill."
"Got it," Erlon hissed, aiming the lasers.
Dib ran though the forest, dodging rocks and stumps.
"Come on, I think I see shelter!" he yelled. Zim nodded and GIR laughed, thinking it was all a game.
"Oh, GREAT!" Gaz yelled as it began to rain. "Why did I even bother to come with you?" Zim whimpered and hid under a tree, hoping none of the raindrops would hit him. GIR flew over and smiled, opening his head.
"I brought glue!" he chirped.
"Good job, GIR!" Zim congratulated him and applied the shielding substance.
"Hey! Is that a cave? Hey guys, I see a cave!" Dib yelled. Zim smiled and stood up, oblivious to the rain now that he was shielded.
"Is that a kind of natural shelter?"
"Yeah, let's move it!" Gaz answered, glaring at the dark sky. "I'm getting soaked!"
Erlon watched as the lasers aimed automatically at the target Alura selected. He checked the power level and smiled as the screen flashed LASER READY. He squeezed the trigger button. A green ray of light lanced through the air at the purple haired girl.
"Gaz! Look out!" Dib yelled, but it was too late. The beam struck and knocked her out. Dib ran to her side, ignoring the warning cries from Zim.
Erlon clicked the trigger button once again as the lasers swung towards the human called Dib. Alura watched, silently laughing at the pitiful humans.
Dib turned and saw the beam speeding towards him, but he didn't have time to run before it struck. Now only Zim and GIR remained. Zim growled and drew his Irken laser, preparing to fire at the engines. GIR watched in the background, smiling at his master.
The beam fired again. Zim braced himself for a hit, but the shot passed over his head and zapped GIR behind him. The little robot fell, his rockets turning off as he deactivated again.
Zim aimed and fired repeatedly at the engines, but the big laser cannon blocked the shots. Suddenly, the cannon retracted into the belly of the ship. Zim smiled as he got a clear shot.
"Hurry, get the water cannon out!" Alura snickered. "He might dent our ship!" Erlon laughed and activated the water cannon, preparing it for a blast shot. The ship's hull opened and the water cannon slid out. Alura laughed maniacally as it aimed and the power levels rose, her plan working perfectly. The cannon shot, gallons of water projected at Zim.
Zim dived out of the way, wincing as some of the acidic liquid hit him. He rolled and stood again, glaring at the cockpit. He aimed and fired his Irken laser.
Erlon growled as the blast shattered the shield. He turned to Alura.
"Should we kill him? He's getting irritating…"
"No. Capture him, that's the plan." Erlon sighed and clicked the trigger.
Zim dived out of the cannon's blast again, firing as he ran. Erlon cried out as a shot hit his arm.
"That Irken! Such a troublemaker! Does he want to die?" Erlon roared. He was about to click the laser trigger when Alura touched his arm.
"It's not the plan, nor a good idea to kill the Irken," she said softly. "We need to capture him."
"Fine. But if that Irken starts more trouble…" Erlon trailed off ominously and turned back to the screen. He typed in some coding.
DEL: Strength/Chargedel.now
ADD: Accuracy/Speedadd.now
"There," Erlon sighed. "That should help." He watched the cannon aim again. As the aiming sight centered on Zim, he clicked the trigger.
Zim screamed in pain as the blast of water hit him. It had fired faster than before and he hadn't had time to dodge it. Erlon cackled evilly and fired again, relishing his enemy's pain.
As Zim writhed on the ground, Erlon quickly switched to the laser cannon and shot a level 4 blast. Zim was knocked unconscious. Alura smiled cruelly and instructed the ship to land.
On the Niarzan Ship VentureAkai sat on the bridge of the Venture, looking out of the viewport. He sighed, thinking of his parents on their mission. His sister Okai came up behind him.
"Are they back yet?" she asked, her voice soft and melodious.
"No Okai, they have not returned," Akai replied. Okai sat down next to him and slid her arm around his shoulder. Brother and sister sat together, wishing for their parent's return.
Dib groaned and opened his eyes. He sat up and rubbed his head, it hurt badly. He glanced around the darkened area he was in and spotted Gaz leaning against the wall, playing her Gameslave2.
"You're ok!" he shouted happily. Gaz winced and put a hand to her forehead.
"Keep it down Dib, my head hurts." Dib was amazed; normally she'd threaten him.
"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked, softer now.
"Yes, no thanks to you!" she growled before going back to her game. Dib sighed. Now he knew she was fine. He looked around and noticed Zim still unconscious against the opposite wall. "He's been out since I woke up," Gaz said, eyes still on her game. Dib sighed again and slumped against his wall. He knew it'd be a long ride before they got to wherever they were going.
During the ride to wherever, Dib busied himself with trying to repair GIR. He didn't know why he bothered, plus GIR was only a nuisance, but still…. He'd probably go insane with nothing to do anyways. As he examined the little robot's circuits, he noticed that the laser shot had jarred some wires loose… possibly making GIR better. Dib inspected these loose wires closely to see if they had any connection to GIR's personality. He fixed everything messed up (which wasn't much, the little guy had amazing resilience) and left out the wires in question, then tried to turn him on. GIR didn't activate, so Dib added one wire. GIR turned on and looked up at Dib.
"Hibifeviefby ivbcfivi wertif baciviyew?" The robot babbled. Dib smacked him upside the head to turn him off and added a few more wires, except for a suspicious torn one. Instantly GIR activated and looked at Dib, eyes glowing red instead of their usual cyan blue.
"GIR reporting for duty!" he said, saluting Dib. Dib stared dumbfounded at the robot and stuttered, "Uh… go wake Zim up, ok?"
"Yes sir!" GIR strode over to Zim and poked him, giggling. Zim stirred and opened his eyes. He looked at GIR and blinked.
"What are you doing GIR?" he questioned.
"Waaaake uuuuup!" he giggled before his eyes turned back to red. Zim looked quizzically at Dib.
"What did you do to GIR?"
"Er… fixed him?"
"Why?" Zim asked, amazed at his working robot. GIR saluted Zim and stood at attention. "How?"
"I took out a torn wire, and now he works I guess," Dib said. "Sometimes he's still insane though, I wonder why." Zim nodded and looked back at GIR.
"Awaiting instructions, master!" GIR said.
"Check to see if there's a way out of here."
"Yes master, I obey!" GIR saluted again and set to work, scanning the walls, ceiling and floor for any possible exits. "No escape routes can be found, master!" GIR reported.
"Oh, that makes me feel like we'll get out real soon now," Gaz interjected from the corner. Dib rolled his eyes and looked for himself. He didn't see any exits either, so he sat down and thought.
"Get up human, we must escape from this ship!" Zim called. He was already up, looking to see exactly where in the ship they were, running on his spider legs. Dib jumped up and ran after Zim, and Gaz followed. As they ran though the ship, a strange noise made Dib stop.
"What was that?"
"I don't know, see for yourself stinkbeast," Zim snapped, running ahead. Dib ran towards the sound, calling back to Gaz.
"Come on!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" They dashed to the back of the room. "Where now, Dib?" Gaz asked, coming up behind him. Dib looked around wildly, listening for the sound.
"RAAAAAAAARRRRR!"
"I think it's this way!" he yelled, running left. As he rounded another corner, he came to a cage. Inside was a yellow and black monster, thrashing around and trying to get out of the heavy chains that suspended it above the cage floor. It had a long thick tail, black stripes on its back, pale yellow blades on its back, legs, and tail, and a strange symbol on its left cheek.
"What is it?" Gaz asked.
"I have no idea," answered Dib, staring at it. The beast stopped thrashing and dropped its arms to its sides, panting with exhaustion. Its tail drooped to the floor and it relaxed its claws, no longer looking fierce, but now looking tired and defeated. It looked at them.
"Who are you?" it asked.
"We are humans, I am Dib and this is Gaz, my sister," Dib replied in wonder.
"I am Sayellan. I have heard of humans," he said.
"Nice meeting you. How'd you get in there?" Dib asked. Sayellan sighed and looked at his cage wall.
"I was created in a Niarzan laboratory. They were planning to create a soldier, a hybrid of themselves and a beast on their planet called a Ka-Chenn. Many disagreed, but most thought the idea was a good one. When I was created, they tested me on a battlefield against four Ka-Chenns. I destroyed them easily, but I refused to be used as only a weapon, a toy for their wars. They thought I was too strong, too smart. They put me in a cage… or tried to. I resisted, I fought them, but they knocked me out with their lasers and shoved me into a cage. I broke out that night and escaped their compound but they caught me again. That time they put chains on my legs and tail, but I was able to snap them and escape again. They hired bounty hunters and one brought me in a few days later, unconscious. Now I am suspended above the cage and my limbs are chained, so I am unable to escape or attack." Sayellan turned back to Dib and Gaz. "That's how I got here."
Suddenly there was a click and the cage door swung open. Gaz smiled, holding a key in one hand and a strange looking laser in the other.
"Too bad Erlon and Alura left this lying around," she laughed, cutting the chains with the laser's beam. Dib grinned at the look on Sayellan's face.
"Thank you!" he exclaimed as he dropped to his feet. "You've freed me!"
"Yeah, yeah, come on. We have to find Zim and get out of this ship," Gaz replied, pocketing the laser. "I think I'll keep this…"
"Good idea. I lost Zim's laser..." Dib sighed. He looked at Sayellan. "Any others like you on this ship?"
"No, but I do think there are others on the Venture. Many experiments are done there and I'm sure other hybrids have been created," he replied.
"Venture? What's that?"
"The Venture is the main Niarzan exploratory ship. It has the most advanced equipment for creating hybrids like me."
Suddenly the ship shook and they were thrown off their feet.
"What was that?"
"The ship has landed," Sayellan replied gravely. Dib stood and looked around.
"What're we going to do when Erlon and Alura come?"
"I have an idea. We could take them by surprise, they won't expect me to be out of my cage. Gaz, please go over there and be ready with that laser. Dib, you said there was someone else?"
"Yeah, Zim." Dib turned towards the dark interior and shouted "ZIM! We've landed, come on!" GIR flew over, eyes narrowed.
"Master says do not disturb him!"
"Tell master to get over here!" Dib said angrily. He ran to Sayellan. "Do you know of Irkens?"
"Yes. The Niarzan scientists spoke of them often."
"What do you want of me, Dib?" Zim spat, running over.
"We've landed on the Niarzan ship Venture."
"They're coming!" growled Sayellan. Zim slowly turned to him and stared.
"What is that?"
"That's Sayellan, a hybrid of Niarzans and... what were they again?"
"Ka-Chenns," he replied without turning.
"Yeah, those." Zim blinked and drew his laser. A door in the wall opened and Erlon stepped into the dark ship's hull. Zim immediately fired his laser and Sayellan leapt forwards, eyes glowing angrily.
"Thought you were rid of me when you put me in that cage, eh Erlon?" he snarled. Sayellan attacked him and knocked him to the floor, slashing and growling. Alura ran in and tried to pull Sayellan off Erlon, but Gaz fired the powerful laser and Alura was thrown into the wall. She stood slowly, claws over her chest where the beam had hit.
"Smart little human, yes. Grabbed the Cutter from where I left it, eh? Very smart, but I must take that from you." Alura revealed a small laser gun and aimed it, smiling maniacally.
"GAZ! Get away from there!" Sayellan yelled. "Run!" Gaz took his advice and dashed from her spot near the wall as Alura whispered...
"Fire!" Three blue and white beams twined together and shot from the laser. An explosion of blue light flashed were Gaz had stood a split-second ago. Sayellan grabbed a laser from Erlon's hand and fired at Alura, hoping to knock the gun out of her hand.
"Run, you three!" Dib grabbed Gaz's arm and pulled her out the door, ignoring her threats and protests. Zim followed and GIR flew after his master. As they got out of the ship, Sayellan jumped out after them and closed the door. "Seal the door!" he yelled. They melted the metal with the combined power of the lasers and the door was sealed shut.
"That was a Veral Bethan Ray. It's very painful and perhaps deadly to a human," Sayellan explained.
"Okay... what now?" Dib asked. He looked at his surroundings. They were in a dark room filled with Stinger models, some less advanced than the Stinger IV. Most were new Stinger V prototypes. Luckily there were no guards of any sort.
"Shall we rescue the other hybrids? I remember this place well. They are spread out a bit, but the nearest is in the Genetics Experiments 41 lab, over that way." Sayellan pointed in a western direction.
"Fine, we'll save your hybrids, but I must get back to Earth so I can conquer it," Zim growled. GIR's eyes turned back to blue and he poked Zim.
"I wanna help!" he whined.
"Good. Follow me and be careful," Sayellan said. He walked carefully through the door.