DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE PLOT AND MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!
A/N: ALOHA! WELCOME TO CHAPTER 45! AND, WHAT DO YOU KNOW? IT IS THE HOLIDAY SEASON - THE REAL SEASON OF LIGHT ITSELF!
So, to start things off, how about a piece of TRIVIA?
DID YOU KNOW? The character of Wendy Pleakley from Disney's "Lilo & Stitch (2002)" was inspired by Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger. Klinger was one of the characters in one of the most well-known classic shows, "M*A*S*H". Just like Klinger, Pleakley has a tendency to dress up as a woman.
The ironic thing about this is that another "Lilo & Stitch" character was voiced by an actor from "M*A*S*H"; Dr. Jumba Jookiba was voiced by David Ogden Stiers, one of the stars of "M*A*S*H".
So, with that aside, I wanted to tell you I am officially out of school for the long-awaited Winter Break! Of course, I have been finished with my classes since last Tuesday Afternoon, yet it still took time to complete This Chapter and (therefore) post it here for you all to enjoy.
Anyways, that all aside, I don't really have much else to tell you. Rather than bore you to the brink of death with stories about my real-life problems, I would rather let you go ahead and read away. The time to dive back into the Hawaiian Islands has come!
To that end, PLEASE READ TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT! DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW, TOO! PLEASE!
CHAPTER 45
Experiment 6-2-6
The dark-purplish corridors seemed to shake a little with each footstep. Everyone around scattered when they saw him coming. Even as a captain in the Galactic Federation, Gantu was practically a giant and towered above everybody else. His loud footsteps echoed down the corridors as he made his way to the main control room.
The doorway at the end unsealed and slid open. He proceeded into the space. He stopped a few feet short of a tall, thin, humanoid alien with pale blue-green skin, four-fingered hands, a wide head, and a long face. She had three dark-green stripes on her forehead, slanted blue eyes with black sclera, and pointed white teeth in her mouth. Her high-collared uniform was a bluish-black color with gold highlights. A long strip of cloth with red inner lining covered the back of her legs.
"Grand Councilwoman," Gantu said as he entered the room. "I am here, as requested."
"Thank you, Captain Gantu," the Grand Councilwoman replied. She turned to a nearby computer station and hit a few keys. A projection of a tall, green alien with a single eye and antennae appeared. "Uh, Agent Pleakley here," the alien gulped.
The Grand Councilwoman frowned. "I have lost patience with you both," she stated at the projection. "Have you captured 6-2-6 or not?"
Pleakley gulped and his eye seemed to wander. "Um… Uh-uh…. "
"Consider yourselves fired and prison-bound. Your incompetence is nothing short of unspeakable!"
The Grand Councilwoman pressed a key on the computer. The projection vanished like a star blinking out of sight. She sighed and put on hand on her forehead. "It seems I have overestimated Jumber and Blinkley."
Gantu's frown shifted into one of surprise. It was rare to see the Grand Councilwoman make a mistake like that. "Uh, Jumba and Pleakley," he corrected.
The Grand Councilwoman swiped her free hand. "Whatever. The mission is in jeopardy," she took a deep breath and turned to the enormous whale-like alien behind her. "This could be your chance to redeem yourself, Captain Gantu. How soon will you be prepared to leave?"
Gantu gave the look of a man-on-the-job. He had been longing for a chance like this, ever since that stupid Experiment 626 had escaped his custody. If that stowaway, Aqua, had not interfered, he would have remained the commander of the Grand Councilwoman's personal flagship and not been assigned to patrol duty. Then there was that annoying monster that had attacked his ship alongside another intruder who fled with Experiment 626 somewhere deep into space.
What was he thinking? All that trouble had started with that mysterious prisoner setting Jumba and Experiment 626 free. If he was going to blame anyone, that stranger was the one.
"Immediately," he told the Grand Councilwoman. Now was he chance to make up for what that imbecile had done to his career way back when.
The night was long and cool. The gentle wind blowing about made it seem empty and forlorn. The Sun was just starting to rise as Stitch lifted his head. He had slept with his head resting on the open book before him. He moaned as he yawned and stretched.
The sound of rustling leaves caught his attention. A large, indigo alien emerged from the rainforest. He had three strands of hair on his head, two pairs of eyes (making a total of four), a pink face and chest, and four finger on each hand. In his hands, he held a yellow blaster cannon with a red stripe.
"Don't run," he said in a deep, calm voice. "Don't make me shoot you. You were expensive."
Stitch stared at him. His ears drooped. "Yes," the alien gave a nod. "Yes, that's it. Come quietly."
Stitch's eyes became downcast. He looked around, his paws fidgeting. "Mm… waiting."
"For what?" The alien's eyes landed upon the reddish book. The open pages told him everything.
"Family."
"Ah! You don't have one. I made you."
"Oh… maybe I could…."
"You're built to destroy. You can never belong," the alien gestured behind him. "Now come quietly and we will take you apart."
Stitch shook his head. He turned and ran off into the rainforest. He had to get back to Lilo's house. He just had to!
Despite the lack of precipitation in the forecast, the morning felt somewhat solemn to Sora. He shoes squished against the damp soil as he trudged through the underbrush. He looked up. The Sun was starting to bypass the canopy. He sighed. "He's not here, either."
"Keep looking," Amemi spoke up. She scanned her eyes across the various species of the tropical foliage around them. "Stitch has to be here somewhere…. "
"I know, Amy, but there's still no sign of him."
"We'll keep looking, even if it takes all day."
That was the last thing Sora wanted to hear. The memory of what had happened back at the house that first night in this world replayed in his mind. If left alone in that living room all day, who knew what condition it would be in should Goofy and Launchpad remain in there? What about the kitchen? Those two were not the best chefs. They had ruined an oven back at the Beast's Castle.
Hopefully Donald could keep his eyes on them. Then again, maybe not.
He shrugged and cupped his hands over his mouth. "Stitch! Where are you?"
No response was received. A series of footsteps came rushing over. The two whirled their focus into its direction. There was Indigo, scurrying their way. The angel was moving quickly, yet still carefully so as to not let her wings get snared on any branches or leaves.
"What's going on?" Amemi inquired.
"I found this lying around," Indigo revealed. She showed them the large, reddish book. It was open to the pages showing the climax of the story.
Amemi wanted to gasp. "Stitch had this when he left," she realized.
"Yeah," Sora nodded. "But… where is he?"
Indigo gave a shrug. "I did not see any tracks. Looks like he covered them up so we could not follow him."
Sora gave a deep sigh. Either they had underestimated Stitch, or he had done this to ensure they could not find him. Maybe he did wish to be alone. Whatever the case, there was only one thing left to do. "Let's go back to the house. Donald has a tracking spell we can use."
Amemi tilted her head. "He does?"
Sora gave a nod. "Yeah! He once showed me a list of spells he learned."
"When did he show this to you?"
"A long, long, long, long time ago."
The sandy-haired girl had to shake her head. Her brother may not be good at his classes, yet he sure was good at recalling things that were unimportant. Things along the lines of a list of spells Donald had shown him, the trampoline he and Riku had broken at Kairi's house, the mailbox incident, and even the strange card he had found washed up on the beach — the one depicting some sort of golden castle with sea-green towers.
It was clear she could never put anything past the typically-cheerful, seventeen-year-old Keyblade wielder.
Indigo's antennae started to vibrate a tad. "We should get moving," she said. "I sense something dark heading this way."
Sora nodded. He charged back down the path towards the house. Amemi and Indigo were not far behind him.
The front door creaked open as Sora turned the knob. He shoved it all the way. His eyes took an immediate sweep of the area. The floor was neat and tidy, except for a few scattered feather Nani had missed the other night. Goofy and Launchpad were seated on the couch, a bowl of popcorn on the table in the middle of the room.
Donald was off to one side. A deck of cards was laid out before him, arranged into the style of Solitaire. The duck mage flipped over a card, became so flustered at losing again, and grabbed the deck's joker from the box. He grabbed it with both hands and bent it so far it splintered perfectly in half.
"Hey, Sora!" Goofy called as the young man entered with his sister and Indigo. "Didja find him?"
"No," Sora shook his head. "All we found was some book."
Indigo glanced over the cover. "This is the story of 'The Ugly Duckling'. He wanted me to read it to him the other night."
All eyes turned to the angel. "He showed me this book. I did not think anything of it."
"Aw gee! We miss all the action while we sleep," Launchpad grumbled.
"What are you watching?" Amemi asked, pointing to the television. The credits for a show that had been filmed in black-and-white were flashing across the screen.
"A-Hyuck!" Goofy chuckled. "It's 'The Andy Griffith Show'!"
Sora's ears perked up at the name. He knew that title. His Mom and Dad had that show's entire series on DVD. Every time they went on vacation, they would take one of the seasons with them and watch it wherever they went. Of course, they had limited options on where to travel. The islands only had a few resorts scattered across the many smaller islets….
"Hey!" Goofy pointed at the screen. All eyes turned to it. The credits had ended. In their place was a picture of one of the show's cast members. To the right of the portrait was some large text that read,
~JIM NABORS~
1930 — 2017
Amemi covered her mouth. Donald turned away. Indigo looked down. Sora could only stare in complete shock. There it was, an announcement regarding someone all of them must have known about.
Jim Nabors, the actor Sora's parents had known best as the one and only Gomer Pyle. A fun, lovable, considerate, and gentle character. Sora brushed his arm against his eyes. A few tears had started to trickle down and blur his vision.
'How could this happen?' he thought to himself. He started wondering how his parents were taking this news back at home. His Mom had always loved seeing Gomer do this, that, and the other thing. One of the episodes he had loved watching way-back-when was the time Gomer had been made a deputy and had kept dropping his gun off the roof of the Sheriff's Office until it had broken in two. In one scene, he had been listening to Andy and Barney talking and had absent-mindedly put his gun's barrel into his lips. In turn, Andy had said, "…And take that gun outta your mouth".
He remembered when his Mom had shown him the episode where Gomer had become a member of the U.S. Marines. The sergeant from that episode had become one of the two stars of a spin-off show. Just as he was thinking about how Gomer had sang the Marines' anthem with a bucket on his head (per request of the sergeant), the next show's theme started.
And it had the Marine's anthem playing.
Sora stared at the television. Unlike the last one, this show was in color. The title came across the screen as the announcer read, "'Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Starring Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle. Also starring—'"
Sora had seen enough. He marched up to the television and switched it off. There was no way he would be able to enjoy that show without thinking of that actor's death.
"HEY!" Goofy, Donald, and Launchpad declared in unison. As Sora stepped away from the television, the three rushed over and attempted to turn it back on.
"That wasn't nice," Amemi frowned. Sora noted how her arms were crossed. That was the same pose their Mom had always given him every single time she scolded him for one thing or another. "They were watching that show."
"Amy, you wouldn't understand," Sora stated in reply. He stepped into the kitchen, his eyes downcast and staring at the floor. He took a seat at the small table and leaned his hands against his cheeks. His elbows remained perfectly balanced on the table.
"I didn't hear you get up."
The sound of the voice caused Sora to look up. Across the table was Nani. Her eyes were focused on the doorway behind him. Strolling very solemnly into the room was Lilo.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Nani inquired.
Lilo did not bother to look up. "Stitch left."
"Really?"
"It's good he's gone. He didn't want to be here, anyway. We don't need him."
Sora gave a deep sigh and looked down. It was clear he had been unable to help Nani and Lilo find a way to stay together. Nani had been unsuccessful in finding a new job. Lilo had not succeeded in making Stitch into a model citizen. As for the brown-haired young man, he had not been able to help either of them. He had failed.
Failed. The word stuck into his mind tighter than peanut butter on the roof of a mouth. He leaned against the wall and continued to look down at the floor. His mind jumped back to all those other times he had encountered failure on this venture.
In Ancient Empire, he had watched the King of Atlantis die while Rourke got away with the Crystal and an imprisoned, spellbound Kida. In Jamestowne, he had watched John Smith get captured, ending the best chance of stopping a war. In La Ville de Sonner Les Cloches, he had nearly been burned at the stake alongside Esmeralda at the hands of both Frollo and Pete. In Middleton, he had watched Kim Possible almost give up while trying to bring down Drakken, Pete, Don Karnage. At the Beast's Castle, he had been on the verge of leaving per the Beast's demands, thereby leaving the castle without any Christmas or Hope.
Well, okay. Maybe it wasn't as bad as all that! He had helped Milo rescue the Crystal from Rourke, along with Kida. He had assisted Pocahontas in convincing her father to stop the war before it started. He had watched Quasimodo (and Launchpad) swing down from the rooftop of Notré Dame to save him and Esmeralda. He had (somehow) managed to convince Kim Possible to keep fighting back. And he had succeeded in helping Belle and the others still have a Christmas.
That, and he had also helped save Pete and Elliott from Dr. Terminus and those dreadful Gogans back in Coastal Town. Maybe there was still a way he could help Nani and Lilo after all. The only question was… how could he? Thinking over such stuff certainly wasn't his strongest point.
Nani sighed. "Lilo, sometimes you try your hardest but things don't work out the way you want them to. Sometimes things have to change and maybe sometimes they're for the better… even if…. "
A loud knocking at the front door seized everyone's attention. "What's all that racket?!" Donald shouted from the bathroom down the hall. The magician came rushing out the door with his body draped in a towel and a shower cap on his head.
Lilo stared. Sora turned away and closed his eyes, his arms in front of his face. Nani scowled. "Is that my shower cap?" she interrogated.
Donald gave a shy grin and rushed back into the bathroom. The knocking at the door continued. Nani marched over and answered it. "David!" she said, a bit surprised.
The excited young man on the other side seemed a little out-of-breath. "Nani! I think I found you a job."
"You what?!"
"Old man Kukhkini's store, but we got to hurry."
"Oh, um, okay," Nani headed back inside and knelt down to face her little sister. "Lilo? Baby, this is really important. I need you to stay here with Sora and his friends for a few minutes."
Lilo gave a nod. "Okay."
The young woman then turned to Sora. "I'm going to be right back. Lock the door and don't answer it for anyone, okay?"
Sora felt a slight sensation of astonishment. Having never been left in charge of anything before (besides his Keyblade, and the Radiant Garden's Reconstruction Committee), he was not really sure how to respond. "Uh… sure."
Nani hurried to the front door and raced outside. As the door closed, the last thing Sora heard her say was, "Things are finally turning around."
Sora had to give a grin. Alright, so it was not his typically enormous grin. Yet, it was still a grin. If things were starting to look up in this world, maybe his quest had not hit a dead end after all. And here he had been considering giving up….
He heard someone coming up from behind. He relaxed, seeing it was his sister, Amemi. The sandy-haired girl smiled. "I guess things are working out now," she commented.
Sora had to give a nod. "Yeah."
The instrumental theme song of a show started in the next room. "Hey!" Goofy chuckled. "It's Mayberry R.F.D.! I ain't seen this since I was in college!"
Sora and Amemi strode into the living room. There were Goofy and Launchpad, lounging on the couch, watching the television. Donald had emerged from the bathroom, a towel around his waist, the same purple shower cap on his head, and a light-blue body brush in his hands. "Aw phooey," he grumbled.
Sora turned away from the sight. Amemi clasped her hands over her mouth to keep from giggling. Across the room and near the front window, Indigo was seated in a small chair, facing the television. When the duck mage came into the open for the second time, she threw her arms over her eyes. Her antennae drooped down faster than a snake falling from a high tree branch.
"Donald!" Sora, Amemi, and Indigo all scolded at once.
In one hasty movement, the duck raced back into the bathroom, again. Lilo just strolled out of the kitchen and came into the living room. Just as she did, the flap on the door flapped open and a blur of something blue rushed in and nearly knocked Lilo down. All eyes turned to the small, furry creature.
"Stitch?" Sora exclaimed, amazed by his friend's unexpected return. Where had he been all this time?
Stitch seemed completely out of breath and in a state of panic. His ears were pointing straight up and he was gasping for air. "Stitch? What is it?" Lilo inquired.
Stitch put a claw to his face. "Shh!"
"What is going on?!" Donald emerged from the bathroom once more. This time, he was all dressed in his magician's uniform.
The front door banged open. In stepped a large, indigo alien. He had three strands of hair on his head, two pairs of eyes (making a total of four), a pink face and chest, and four finger on each hand. In his hands, he held a yellow blaster cannon with a red stripe.
Sora stared, instantly recognizing this as the same one who had been dressed as a guest at that restaurant he and his friends had visited upon arriving in this world. "You!" he declared.
Indigo leaped out of the chair. "You were at the restaurant," she realized.
Goofy and Launchpad rose from the couch. Donald held out his wand, scowling at the alien. Stitch raced behind Lilo.
The alien laughed. "Oh, hiding behind your little won't work anymore," he said in a deep voice. "Didn't I tell you? We got fired this morning. New rules."
Sora summoned his Keyblade and stepped between the alien and Lilo. "If you want Stitch, you'll have to go through us!"
"Yeah!" Donald approved, stepping beside Sora.
Goofy held out his shield and hurried over. "Stitch is our friend!"
Launchpad sped over, nearly slipping on a rug in the middle of the floor. He caught himself and took out his gas-gun. He stood between Goofy and Donald, much to the latter's dismay.
Amemi and Indigo quickly joined the group.
"Ha!" the alien laughed. He fired a shot from his blaster. The plasma attack was easily deflected by Sora. It bounced across the room and Goofy's shield before striking a record player. The player started up.
"You ain't nothin' but a hound dog… Cryin' all the time…. "
"A-Hyuck!" Goofy spoke up. "Brings back memories…. "
"Ooh!" The alien chuckled. "I love this song!"
Noticing how the enemy was distracted, Sora swung his weapon. The impact sent the alien falling backwards and into the kitchen. There was a crunching sound as the alien landed onto the table, crushing it beneath his weight.
Stitch raced into the kitchen and starting shouting illegible words. Sora hurried in there with his teammates directly behind. Launchpad fired his gas-gun several times. The bullets landed onto the floor. A strange, dark-purple cloud filled the air.
"Look what you've done, ya big palooka!" Donald snarled. "You've blinded us!"
"Heh," Launchpad shrugged. "No wonder it's hard to see in here…. "
Sora shoved that whole thing aside and tried to keep his focus on the task at hand. At this precise moment, he was deflecting blaster attacks from the alien. Amemi was firing shots from her slingshot, although many of them were missing, no thanks to the limited view. Indigo took to the air, only to have the alien grab a shelf of dishes from the wall and start throwing them like Frisbees.
"Fira! Fira! Thundara!" Donald started shooting off spells quicker than machine gun fire. Several of the dishes shattered when struck. One bounced off Sora's Keyblade as he parried the attack and crashed into the alien's shoulder.
As the cloud cleared the air, everyone could see Stitch was now on the ceiling. "Come on! What is big deal?" the alien questioned.
Stitch shouted at him in some language Sora could not identify. "I'll put you back together again," the alien continued, now throwing several china plates at Stitch. "I'll make you taller and not so fluffy!"
"I like fluffy!" Stitch shouted, followed by another unknown series of words.
"Oh, leave my mother out of this!" the alien snapped. He continued to throw plates at the bluish creature.
Sora rushed forward and jumped. "That's enough!"
The brown-haired young man slammed his Keyblade hard onto the alien. The last few plates went flying through the air and sliced through the ceiling. All at once, an entire section of the roof came crashing into the kitchen, burying the damaged table, all the chairs, and Stitch in a pile of debris.
"Yikes!" Indigo yelped. She descended and started to pick away at the debris. Launchpad hastily started to help her. That was when Stitch emerged from the wreckage. The large alien turned to face him. "You could do with makeover," the alien said, aiming his blaster. "I tried to give you my good looks but let's face it. Something went wrong."
"No!" Stitch snarled.
It was then Amemi fired her slingshot at a stack of dirty dishes in the sink. The tower of dishes toppled over, crashing down onto the alien. He hastily shook them off and continued into the next room. It was in there where Launchpad, Goofy, (and Donald) were waiting with a trap.
The alien tripped over a small wire and fell flat onto the floor. Launchpad stomped over and smashed a pillow onto his face. Feathers flew all over the living room. Next, Goofy appeared from behind the couch with a jar of rotten tomatoes. He reared back and hurled them at the enemy. Instead of the alien, the tomatoes splattered all over Indigo's wings as she stepped into the room behind the enemy.
"Look out where you are throwing things!" the angel scolded, her wings covered in sticky tomato juice.
"Gawrsh," Goofy remarked. "Sorry, ma'am."
"Blizzara!" Donald shouted. The ice spell rapidly placed a thick sheet of ice over the floor. At the same time, The front door barged open. There was Stitch, laughing and holding a yellow chainsaw. The floor was so slippery, everyone stumbled. It was impossible to maintain balance, so everyone simply stood as their feet slid around.
"Ouch," Indigo winced as she slammed into Sora. Amemi rammed into the angel's side. "Be careful!"
In the midst of the commotion, the alien also slipped and fell onto his back. His blaster went sliding away. Stitch grabbed it and pointed it at the alien. The latter somehow managed to regain his balance and shoved a carrot into the weapon. "Ha! You shouldn't play with guns," the alien pinpointed.
The blast started to beep. Sora stared at it in alarm. Recalling at least something he had learned from his time in school, that beeping could only mean the weapon's power was overloading. It was only a matter of time before it exploded. "Look out!" he yelled.
"We gotta get outta here!" Goofy added in turn, running outside.
Donald darted for the gaping hole at the front of the house. "Help!"
Amemi grabbed Lilo and raced after the others. "This won't end well," she said to no one in particular.
Launchpad and Indigo came crashing out the front window, the pilot in the lead. Indigo grabbed him and swooped down to the ground. Her wings gave way as she neared the street, so she let the duck-pilot landed on his feet — more or less. She landed a few feet away, her wings still somewhat sticky and dripping red, tomato juice.
Sora was the last one out of the house. He looked back long enough to see Stitch and the alien tossing the weapon back and forth as though playing a game.
"Merry Christmas," Stitch said as he tossed the weapon to the large alien.
"It's not Christmas," the alien countered, tossing the weapon back to Stitch.
"Happy Hanukkah!"
"It's not Hanukkah."
"One potato."
"Two potato."
"Three potato."
"Four."
"Five potato."
"Six potato."
"Seven potato, more."
The blaster's beeping increased and became louder and louder. Sora turned to the open doorway. He knew the house was about to explode. Yet, he knew he could not just leave Stitch behind. He decided to race for the exit, hoping his friend would be alright.
"My," Stitch started as two continued to toss the weapon back and forth.
"Mother," the alien added.
"Told,"
"Me,"
"You,"
"Are,"
"It,"
The alien laughed, having the blaster in hand. "Oh, I win!"
The blaster went off, resulting in an enormous explosion. Sora leapt through the door — just as the explosion filled the air. He landed onto the staircase outside and tumbled down the steps before hitting a landing. He scrambled back to his feet and hopped the railing as debris began raining all over.
THUD! Sora landed hard upon the rainforest floor. He shook his head and hands and looked around. Debris was flying through the air. An old coffee maker crashed into the nearby underbrush. Torn pillows, feathers, and pieces of broken china littered the roadway up to the house. The television, where Goofy and Launchpad had been watching shows not an hour before, shattered into dozens of glass shards and other pieces when it hit the ground.
'So much for Mayberry R.F.D.,' Sora thought to himself.
He rose to his feet. Without wasting a second, he hurried down the road away from the house. Silverware soon started flying from the scene. By then, Sora was already well away.
It was not long before the seventeen-year-old Keyblader came across the others. He felt a sigh of relief. None of them had been inside the house. Donald was using an ice spell to douse his tail. Goofy and Launchpad were struggling to catch their breath.
Lilo was kneeling on the ground, staring at the remains of her house in total shock. Amemi clasped her hands over her mouth. Indigo shook her head as her antennae and wings drooped. "This is tragic," she stated.
Sora whirled his eyes back to the house. The driveway and nearby rainforest was littered with all sorts of stuff. Pieces of furniture, dishes, silverware, this, that, and the other thing. The building itself was badly damaged. In fact, the only thing left was the burned remains of the roof's framework.
Everything else had been destroyed in the explosion. What was left was up in flames. It almost looked like something straight out of a horror or science-fiction movie. Through the corner of his eye, Sora thought he saw Amemi taking out her cellular phone and dialing the number for "9-1-1".
That was when a nice, black car drove up. The door opened. Out stepped the same man in the dark suit and sunglasses they had seen before. It was the social worker, Cobra Bubbles. The instant he stepped out of the vehicle, he looked at the smoldering remains of the house. Then at the group. "What happened?" he demanded.
Sora hesitated. "There was this… guy. He had this weapon, and…. "
"There were two mean aliens," Lilo blurted. "One of them had a giant eye in the middle of his face."
Sora felt shaken. 'Two aliens?! I only saw one!'
Just then, a large, red fire truck rolled into view. As the team of workers set to work extinguishing the flames with their hoses of water, Nani came sprinting over, a frantic look written on her face. Cobra did not waste any time seating Lilo in the backseat of his car. "Please don't do this," Nani pleaded.
Cobra did not smile. "You know I have no choice."
To Sora, Nani seemed both alarmed and desperate mixed into one giant mess. "You're not taking her! I'm the only one who understands her! You take that away, she won't stand a chance!"
"You're making this harder than it needs to be."
"You don't know what you're doing! She needs me!"
Cobra gestured to the burning ruins of the house. "Is this what she needs?! It seems clear to me that you need her a lot more than she needs you."
The social worker was practically shouting, something Sora had not expected. He stepped back, suddenly realizing his teammates had wandered off. He gave a deep sigh. "Why does this keep happening?" he said aloud.
Just as things had been looking up for Nani and Lilo, at least one or two aliens had attacked the house and destroyed it. Now, it seemed Lilo would end up taken away by the social worker. Who knew what would become of her?
He started to look around, wondering where his companions had gone. He took several steps away from the car before he spotted Goofy and Launchpad near the ruined television set. "So much for the show," Goofy eyelids drooped.
"Aw gee," Launchpad crossed his arms. "Now we'll have to buy a whole new set for them. These models ain't cheap, and Mister McDee pays me a penny a mile."
Sora quickly strode up to them. "Hey, guys."
"Sora," Goofy said. "Where've ya been?"
"You guys wandered off… again."
"Sorry."
"It's not that. I mean… I don't know what happened."
"That's easy to say," Launchpad spoke up. "Two aliens attacked the house and blew it up hotter than Mount Vesuvius."
Sora crossed his arms. "So, where's Amy? And Indigo? And Donald? And Stitch?"
"Stitch went into thuh jungle," Goofy pointed towards the dense rainforest foliage.
"Donald's off somewhere yelling at someone," Launchpad chuckled. "But no one can understand a thing he says."
Sora gestured for the two to follow. "Well, c'mon! We've gotta find them! Who knows where the Heartless are right now?"
"'Muh-lef-fee-scent' knows," Goofy and Launchpad declared in unison.
Sora decided not to say anything in response to that mispronunciation. He dashed into the rainforest. Goofy and Launchpad were directly behind him.
Sora was starting to regret marching into the thick vegetation. The underbrush was denser than the bushes that grew back home on the islands. In fact, he could seldom squeeze through the spaces between the trees and bushes. Tiny plants were not easy to avoid, and some had three leaves.
After marching through the foliage for a few minutes, Sora wished he had taken a trail instead. He trudged out of the foliage right then and there, suddenly realizing he had led the way to one such trail. That was not all he, Goofy, and Launchpad saw now.
"Sora!" There she was, running down the path towards them. His sister, Amemi. She stopped when she reached them, her breath nearly gone.
"What is it?" the seventeen-year-old asked.
"Lilo," the sandy-haired youth finally said. "She and Stitch were snatched by some big guy up ahead."
Sora's eyes lit up. Someone big? He figured it had to be a Heartless. "C'mon!" he shouted, rushing down the trail through the forest. Less than three minutes later, he and the others entered a large clearing.
Directly in the middle of the clearing was an enormous spaceship with a black coat of paint and yellow-colored lining. Donald and Indigo were on the edge of the clearing alongside a startled and appalled Nani.
Although he was wondering how Nani and Lilo had gotten here so rapidly, Sora decided to shove that train-of-thought off its rails. He proceeded into the clearing, his Keyblade appearing in his hand. "Wait!" he yelled.
The ship reared back a tad and shot forward. In a matter of seconds, it had ventured to a spot just above the clouds. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo all gathered in the middle of the meadow, eyes staring at the sky.
"I hope this is not a 'War of the Worlds' story," Indigo remarked. "Let alone an 'Independence Day' story."
"Whadda ya mean?" Goofy inquired.
"Those are Science-Fiction stories," Indigo replied. "They involve aliens trying to take over the world."
"Gawrsh…. Sounds really spooky."
"It's supposed to be that way," Donald rolled his eyes.
Sora turned to his friends. "Hey, this no time to give up! Let's get Herbie and go after him!"
Donald looked unsure. "But uh…. "
"That would be muddling," Goofy mentioned.
"'Meddling'!"
"Forget about that!" Sora's mind was ready to snap. "If the World Order keeps us from saving worlds, then we should get rid of it! It's just been slowing us down anyway!"
All eyes stared at him. Amemi was the only one who spoke. "Sora, are you okay?"
Sora turned to his sister. "What are you saying?"
"You don't seem like yourself."
"Yeah," Donald approved.
"Gawrsh, Sora," Goofy stepped forward. "You was yelling."
Sora grabbed his head and fell face-first onto the ground. He clenched his teeth and shut his eyes. What was going on? Why was this happening? Every time things were looking up, everything just went sour. How could he defend others if he himself was struggling with something he knew nothing about?
Goofy had claimed he might be infested with Darkness — something Xehanort had supposedly infected him with back in the Sleeping Worlds. How that villain had done something like that, the brown-haired young man did not know. What he did know was he was at war with something or other. It was like his Anti-Form was longing to escape, again.
He knew Anti-Form. It was that result of what Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather's magic had done to his clothing at the start of his quest to take down Organization XIII. If he used his powers too much, he could ultimately enter that dark form.
…Maybe Xehanort had done something to it?
A loud THWHACK! filled the air. Sora scrambled to his feet. He and his team turned their focus to the edge of the clearing. There was Nani, holding a branch high in her hands like a baseball player up at bat. "Okay, talk," she stated to something blue lying on the ground. "I know you had something to do with this. Now where is Lilo?"
The bluish creature rose up. Sora stared in complete astonishment. There was Stitch, only now he had four arms, a pair of antennae on his head, and a few spines sticking out his back. "Okay, okay."
Nani struck Stitch again with the branch. Sora, Amemi, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Indigo all rushed over. "Stop that!" Amemi shouted. She grabbed the branch and yanked it out of Nani's hands.
"What're you doing?" Sora interrogated. "Trying to beat him up?"
"Where have you been?!" Nani demanded to know. She scowled at the Keyblade wielder. "What happened at the house?!"
Sora opened to his mouth to speak. Just then, something plasma-like struck Stitch and knocked him onto the trail. That was when the large alien emerged from the rainforest, alongside a second, taller alien.
Sora had to take a double-take. There were two aliens! The first, larger one was definitely the one who had attacked them in the house. The other was a taller, more slender individual with lime-green skin, a single eye and antennae on top of its head, three short legs, a thin black eyebrow, and two fingers on each hand. He was decked out in a bluish uniform with golden buttons and matching soldier epaulets.
"Now all your washing is up!" the larger alien laughed as he grabbed Stitch and locked his arms in something silver.
The taller alien held up a badge. "You're under arrest!" he declared in a somewhat high-pitched voice. "Read him his rights."
"Listen carefully," the large alien started banging Stitch's head against a tree. He accidentally elbowed the other alien in the meantime, causing the latter to drop his badge, turn around, and scowl.
"Hey!" Sora was racing at the aliens before anyone could stop or grab him. He summoned his Keyblade. "Let him go!"
The two aliens stared when they saw Sora approaching. Nani, Amemi, and the others were directly behind. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad were armed with their weapons.
Indigo reached out her hand in turn; a Keyblade suddenly appeared. The angel stopped and stared at the weapon in complete surprise. It sported a single indigo color with a gleaming, diamond-shaped handle. The blade was slightly curved into the form of a letter "J" with a star-shaped extrusion on the end.
"Huh?" the large alien said, startled by Sora's team and Nani.
The taller alien leaned in close to the larger one. "Don't interact with them," he whispered.
The two turned away. That was not good enough for Sora or Nani. "Where's Lilo?" the latter asked.
"Where did you take her?" Sora demanded to know. He readied his Keyblade, just in case.
"Who?" the larger alien said. He turned around. The taller alien did the same. "What?" he asked.
"Lilo," Nani said. "My sister."
The larger alien looked hesitant. "Uh, sorry. We don't know anyone by this, uh…. "
Nani had heard too much. "Lilo!" she snapped. "She's a little girl! She has black hair and brown eyes and she hangs around with that thing!" she pointed directly at Stitch.
The two aliens looked down. "We know her," the larger one sighed.
Goofy stepped closer and picked up the badge from the ground. "A-Hyuck! 'Peak-lee'!" he chuckled.
The taller alien stormed over and snatched the badge from the knight's hands. "It's pronounced 'Pleakley'," he stated in a firm voice.
"Gawrsh," Goofy remarked. "Your name is 'Pleakley'."
"Yeah? And what do you want to do about it?"
"Bring her back," Nani insisted.
"Oh, we can't do that," Pleakley stated. He opened a small, flimsy handbook and turned to a particular page. "Uh-uh. That would be a misuse of Galactic resources."
"A misuse of what?" Donald asked, bewildered by the alien's words. He frowned to the point it seemed he was scowling.
The large alien approached. "See, problem is," he held up Stitch. "We're just here for Experiment 626."
Nani looked shaken. "So she's gone?"
Pleakley gave a nervous chuckle. "Look at the bright side. You won't have to yell at anyone anymore."
Nani collapsed to her knees and buried her face into her hands. She started to sob. Amemi scowled. "You two are something else," she scolded. "How could you let her down like this?!"
"I have no choice," the large alien said. "It's this or prison with Pleakley."
"What do you mean?" Sora inquired. He furrowed his brow.
"I created Experiment 6-2-6 to be unstoppable. He is bulletproof, fireproof, and can think faster than supercomputer."
Goofy cocked his head. "Gee, how do you know all that?"
The larger alien chuckled. "I am Dr. Jumba Jookiba, evil genius, and creator of 6-2-6."
Amemi shook her head. "You call yourself an 'evil genius'? I've seen mad scientists on WordGirl worse than you."
Jumba cocked his head (somewhat). "Who's this 'WordGirl'?"
"Long story and different universe."
Indigo came forward. "Maybe everything you said about Stitch being a monster was before his heart took control. Maybe now he longs for friends," she held her hands close to her face. "We simply need to accept him for who he is."
"Yeah," Sora nodded. "Just like Herbie and Tron."
Jumba burst out laughing. "Are you joking? Impossible! Such concept is totally lost on 626. He has no actual feelings. Only destructive programming I have carefully chosen for him. He is only meant to destroy everything he touches."
Sora frowned all the more; now he was nearly to the point of scowling. "That's not true!" he argued. "He has a heart! Everything has a heart, whether it was created naturally or in some kinda laboratory! You can't just get rid of something every living thing has! It isn't possible! Even Nobodies have hearts!"
"Sora," Donald started to say.
"So stop telling lies! He has a heart, he has feelings."
Jumba and Pleakley exchanged astonished and puzzled looks. Donald and Goofy did the same, along with Launchpad. Stitch cocked his head. "O'hana," he said in a calm voice.
"Huh?" Nani said. She looked up. She turned to Stitch. "What did you say?"
"O'hana means family. Family means…."
"Nobody gets left behind," Nani nodded.
"Or forgotten."
"Yeah."
Nani smiled. Sora felt like smiling in turn. He could tell Stitch's words had (somehow) managed to encourage the young woman to keep going. Stitch then turned to Jumba. "Hey," he muttered the rest in illegible alien chatter.
Jumba seized the bluish alien. "What?! After all you put me through, you expect me to help you just like that?! Just like that?!"
Stitch gave a nod. "Ih."
Jumba shrugged. "Fine."
"'Fine'?" Pleakley was beyond startled. "You're doing what he says?"
"Uh, he's very persuasive."
"Persuasive?!"
Sora pointed his Keyblade at the silver bands around his friend's arms. The weapon unleashed a beam of Light, which instantly unlocked the bands. Stitch grinned as he was set free.
Launchpad looked perplexed. "What are we doing? Fishing for aliens?"
"Rescue," Jumba answered.
"We're going to get Lilo?" Nani questioned.
Stitch nodded again. "Ih."
Sora twirled his Keyblade around in a few circles before positioning it on his shoulder. "And we'll help!" he announced. Deep down, he had the feeling the tide was turning.
Fish jokes and all.
A/N: "FISH JOKES", HUH? Why does that sound ironic?
Oh, yeah! So, I have things to go over with you all.
(1.) Yes, Jim Nabors is gone. And, yes, he was the one who played Gomer Pyle on both "The Andy Griffith Show" and its first spin-off, "Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.". Although I have not seen any confirmation on this, it seems he might have done additional voice-overs for backdrop characters in Disney's "Recess".
I... I have to give a long, long, long, long moment of silence for that actor. He was a favorite among many, including my Mom.
REST. IN. PEACE. JIM NABORS/GOMER PYLE
(2.) That whole "Donald and the shower" incident was inspired by a brief scene in Disney's "FANTASIA 2000 (1999)". You know, the part where Mickey informs Donald he has to go on in 30 seconds, just before the sequence of "POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE" starts.
(3.) When it came to the house exploding, I pictured Sora practically diving through an opening in the wall so dramatically, it would seem like something straight out of "The Matrix (1999)". I am not sure how you pictured it, yet that is just my perception.
(4.) HAPPY SEASON OF LIGHT!
So Then, I'll See You Next Time!
In other words, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!
REMEMBER THIS - A MINIMUM OF 214 IS REQUIRED FOR THE SEQUEL! IF 240 ARE POSTED, I WILL INCLUDE A "SNEAK PEEK" FOR THE SEQUEL ITSELF! HOWEVER, THAT/THOSE GOAL(S) MUST BE MET BY THE TIME THE-SECOND-TO-LAST-CHAPTER IS POSTED! THAT WAY, I WILL HAVE TIME TO ANNOUNCE WHETHER OR NOT EITHER GOAL WAS MET!
This Is SoraLego278 Saying, "See Ya Later, Keybladers!" Plus, "Have A ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH DAY!" In Addition, "I SHALL FLY WITH YOU LATER!"
Also, "HAPPY HOLIDAYS!"