"What is the anniversary?"
"The anniversary is. . ." Warp could feel like he were ready to say it.
"Is?" the evil emperor being giddy, desperate, for the chance of hearing what the difference was. And Warp was tired out. Zurg could do this for years, Space Rangers could only do a feat like this for so long.
"Uh, well. . ." Warp grimaced, looking aside, ashamed. "it's a very simple thing-"
"Just say it!" Zurg demanded, his fists closed, anger radiating from his helm.
Warp scowled then smirked, his mind changed, taking sincere joy.
"What's under your helmet." Warp replied.
"Hornets, get the evil iron maiden out!" Zurg replied.
"You're running out of ways to torture me, aren't you?"
"No, Warp Darkmatter, this is a far more sophisticated version of the iron maiden that you are aware of."
Zurg swung his arm toward the doorway as the large iron maiden was being towed out by a couple of hornets then turned toward the Space Ranger who grimaced.
"It is programmed to perform a action quite simply doing it automated; It slowly sinks in the thorns into you, the pain starts like a pinch then increases in pressure as time wears on until it can't be stood anymore, words must be said, " He clenched his left claw as he held out his right claw out then clenched it toward the Space Ranger. "And the pain must end."
The Space Ranger looked toward the iron maiden then back with a fairly amused smile.
"Admit it; you can't break me." Warp said.
"YES, I CAN!" The evil emperor stretched his arms out.
"What, it's been. . ." Warp looked up, counting, counting on his fingers that were cuffed behind his back, then lowered his gaze toward the emperor. "almost a year?"
The evil emperor was trembling with rage, very close to the Space Ranger who smirked, seething in a ominous mood as the iron maiden was opened. A hornet unhooked the binds restraining the Space Ranger then the evil emperor grasped a handful of the tunic then held him up up above the ground and brought him closer to his helmet, his optics shining a bright red, his laser heat vision ready to beam on.
"I will break you." Zurg promised. "Mark my words, Warp Darkmatter."
Warp smirked, snorting, at the sincere words.
"A iron maiden won't break this Space Ranger any time soon." Warp said.
Zurg tossed the Space Ranger into the iron maiden.
"Time for a evil plot against Star Command, what shall I try today?" Zurg said as he rubbed his claws together in glee. "The devil puppies project," His shoulders raised as he tapped his claws together. "I haven't checked on that in months!"
Warp listened to the evil emperor's footsteps trail away from his cell. He rolled his eyes then proceeded to shake the iron maiden, the thorns embedding themselves into his skin, painfully in a attempt to escape. The back up strength to bust out of the likes of this torture device was depleted. He withdrew his figure out of the thorns only to smack back first into the thorns behind him with a cry. He realized the iron maiden had trapped his arms into slots filled to the brim with thorns during the unruly attempt to escape. His legs, as well, were inside slots, a mechanical torture device that morphed to his figure.
And it wasn't funny anymore as he collapsed down to his knees, facing severe pain, then landed on to his back. It hurt and it hurt and it hurt. His agony rippling through his being as the thorns were digging into his very being without a sign of mercy. He lost track of time laying there on the floor basking in his pain, arms and legs spread out, miserable. I've had enough. If I had to go it all over again, not mentioning the anniversary. . . The Space Ranger stared in the darkness, his eyes stinging, pained. But getting tortured for the access codes, I would do it with the exact same responses, over and over, and over. It was as much as entertaining as this experience had been.
The sound of laser blasts abruptly echoed in the air drawing his attention before passing out momentarily. The hornets in the room turned in the source of the laser fire that was coming their way. Within moments, they were destroyed by a short figure dressed in black from head to toe, their helmet a shade of pitch black, a Jessie cowgirl doll made them stand out like a sore thumb, firing at the remaining hornets that decorated the room by spinning like a ballerina then rested in the middle of the burning carnage. The figure approached the fallen Space Ranger then took out a larger piece of equipment from behind their back and aimed at the suit.
In a hot searing mess, the suit was pried open for the general frame of the Ipsedan. They took him by the hand then lifted him up to his feet, sliding his arm along their shoulder, with a hand grasping a blaster in the other as the figure being supported groaned. The figure in black moved through the corridors as Warp came to, observing red laser shots flying in the air back and forth, this time coming from his source in a rapid round of shots like it were laser machine gun. It was, at best, a weapon normally used in a time of war by the Galactic Alliance and typically authorized for such a event, which made this a very illegal weapon. The Space Ranger was hunched over, his feet moving along with his rescuer's, his shoulders raising becoming quite stiff with as much pain in his joints.
"Got a spare blaster?"
"Here." the reply was a distorted voice.
"Thanks." then took aim at the hornets with a grin. "Hello, hornets."
The duo continued their departure through the tower, the rescuer blasting a hole through the walls, then leaping out.
"You crazy son of a blaster!"
"YEEEEEEHAAAAW!"
Immediately a shuttle appeared beneath them with the back end opened and a forcefield stopped them from suffering serious injuries. The rescuer pressed a button then fell in through the front seat.
"Wait a minute!" Warp ordered with a hand held out then looked back toward the entrance.
One minute elapsed as he looked up the window, a familiar figure trembling, silent, as the Space Ranger grinned.
"CURSE YOU WARP DARKMATTER!"
He looked toward his rescuer.
"We can go now." Warp smirked then the back end closed.
He fell to the ground as the ship shifted sideways.
"Eat my crystalic fusion trail!, EVIl EMPEROR ZURG!"
Warp slid up to his feet staring at the driver seat, his hand on the back rest, shocked, as the helmet folded down.
"Nana!" Warp repeated, surprised. "Are you mad? Coming here without back up!"
"Get on the med bed, child." Nana started to laugh, as Warp moved over to the available bed, nearly falling halfway, a cold chill went down his back as he regained his footing in mid step including his balance. "It'll treat you well!"
Warp laid down on to the bed then was strapped in automatically as the system hummed to life as the shuttle flew on abandoning the rebuilt tower. He screamed as the shuttle flung from side to side, the force fields absorbing in the damage then flinging it back at the hornets, the laser blast setting being used at the oncoming fleet of hornets. Nana checked the screen displaying a list of injuries that the scanner picked up on both internally and externally displaying a full score of wounds then swiped right, as Warp's present injuries were being dealt by the medical equipment stitching up his wounds, tending to his bleeding yellow eyes.
The shuttle went past the recommended lightspeed limit exiting the Zeta Quadrant entering the Delta Quadrant then through the Gamma Quadrant with one aim for the hole. She grasped on to the old fashioned console, bearing a devious grin, the shuttle running on full steam going at full brim ahead. The forty-two disembarked out of it's plotted course chasing after the shuttle.
"By the authority invested in me, I am ordering you to slow down and put your shuttle in idle for a ticket!"
Buzz Lightyear's face appeared on the screen, scowling, alongside Darkmatter who was in the middle of singing a old classic.
"Wait-NANA?"
Darkmatter stopped what he were doing staring at the screen then smiled and waved as she smiled back at the screen. His voice was different here, a fact that broke her heart, a contrast to the person that she knew before who was gone forever, the way that he spoke was similar. Even though he were gone to her, he wasn't gone to the Nana Lightyear of this world. He was going to outlive her as had been long anticipated. And he sounded just like Kronk.
"Hi, Nana Lightyear." Darkmatter said.
Darkmatter's voice was the same.
"Hello, my boys." Nana waved back at them, happily.
"WHY ARE YOU BREAKING THE LAW?"
"Running a errand!"
"NANA!"
"A chore."
"What kind of chore has your rocket on fir-"
"Toodles!"
Nana chuckled, amused, as she could imagine her grandson cursing at her for ending the call quite abruptly. It's what she found most endearing about Buzz, swearing, unlike his father who didn't. Nana piloted the ship closer toward the portal that was being knitted together neatly by a series of machines that were busy at work. Warp lifted himself up, groaning, his eyes a bright yellow once being regenerated, then his eyes grew big.
"Nana! You're crazy!" Warp announced with saucer sized eyes. "We're going to crash!"
"Let me kindly remind you, child, who is piloting this shuttle." Nana leaned her arm against the back rest, facing him, smirking. "The woman who never crashed a rocket ship and destroyed it in her career as a explorer."
"You charted stars!" Warp reminded.
"Think it were easy charting them?" Nana lifted a brow. "I lived in the days where it were the wild west, put building blocks for you to follow, to use as directions, had my fair share of attacks-" The ship shook then the attack deflected back at the forty-two. "Like this one for example."
"Thank the great bird of the galaxy that we became allied with the Chlorm!" Nana said as another attack was deflected after the other.
"Nana, look out!" Warp shrieked pointing at the gap.
Warp screamed, covering his eyes, as nana calmly faced the hole that had shrunk in size. She pressed a button, the outside of the ship was decorated in blue electricity that passed over the ship.
"Remain still, this ship's shrinking by a couple inches for a emergency narrow." Nana said.
"A emergency narrow?" Warp repeated. "This doesn't sound too good."
"This is from before the Chlorm." Nana said with a smirk.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE." the Space Ranger announced.
Nana laughed as the shuttle spun then passed through the very narrow hole in the nick of time before the last stitches were applied to the hole itself and the damaged forty-two flew on where the hole had once been. The old woman cheered as Warp sighed, relieved, his back hitting the table, tired. Finally, he were able to relax. The tension in his entire being faded as the shuttle flew past a Star Cruiser.
"Star Cruiser to shuttle craft Mercy," Mira's face appeared on the screen.
"Mercy here." Nana replied.
"By the authority invested in me by Star Command, I am issuing you a speeding ticket."
"Issue away, Ranger Nova." Nana said with a big beaming grin.
"Nana, your grandchildren want answers!" XR appeared on the screen beside Mira flailing his arms. "You were on the NEWS. THE NEWS."
"I'll be sending cookies over." Nana said.
"Nana," XR squinted back at her.
"Coookies!" Booster added as did the chorus of children.
"Mercy out."
Warp lifted himself up then looked over the seat.
"Ah ha, and there's the speeding ticket." Then she looked over toward the Space Ranger then she turned her attention toward the speeding ticket. "Worth getting a light speed ticket for."
"Oh, and, can you take me to Chloria?" Warp asked, drawing the older woman's attention, his eyes heavy. "Heard they got mean medicine for aching joints."
"After paying the bill, Ranger." Nana said as she looked toward the monitor with a smile displaying a thorough list of injuries that the bed couldn't fix. It was very traumatic wounds that required in depth repair. It could fix his eyes, his broken nose, and the small wounds that required fixing, not the more worrisome ones like damaged ears. "Sleep."
"Does this make cookie blizzards?" Warp asked, tiredly, seated on the edge of the medical bed. "As a start, I haven't eaten solid food in Phoenix knows how long."
"It does." And then she looked over spotting him on the cot, fast asleep. And everything was well.
