The escape from planet Morph was easy, as was hijacking a passenger vessel which required boarding (and nobody reacting to seeing a person of his design among them), moving toward the pilot cabin, threatening, then proceeding to make his way back to Planet Z. The emperor gazed down toward his belongings all condensed into a single packed up luggage with wheels as he felt the top of it feeling unusual bumps. The evil emperor withdrew his claw then unzipped it and took out the foreign objects one at a time setting them on the console then gasped withdrawing his claw.
"How in heaven's land did you get in there!" Zurg glared upon the toys, all sporting their familiar grins and smiles and lone smirk, staring back at him. "Hmm. . ." he rubbed the side of his helm. "The grubs probably put them back in after being directly told not to."
The evil emperor tucked the toys into a pocket, one at a time, stuffing them, then zipped up the section that he had withdrawn them from. He clung to the cowboy with his free claw, staring on toward infinity, patiently waiting, as the mechanical pilot remained silent visibly sweating, terrified of the emperor looming behind her shoulder. Zurg stared on toward the window, eager, starting to scheme, starting to feel the swell of evil back in his chest that spread throughout every fiber of his being.
After two weeks of getting side tracked with a series of missions that sucked out time and energy, the forty-two arrived to the orbit of Planet Z. Warp was unhappy, half of the missions they had been on had featured Zurg in someway, distantly, in the background, beating the hell out of them. It had been one crater after another in terms of succeeding on the verge of near defeat. The evil emperor's game had been upped, that was apparent to the Space Ranger, far devious evil plans, made with far more intent to harm precision.
And it didn't feel remotely like Zurg. Yet, it were. It felt off. The Evil Emperor hadn't shown his helmet in days, it felt odd, unusual. Now, more than ever, Warp believed the emperor had left this time frame for another. "That fiend! Disturbing the peace! Ruining a child's day by taking their beloved pet!" were words that Warp could imagine if he were still here and able to hear his theory. Warp exited the ship with XR, then made the entrance of the atmosphere of the planet, avoiding the defense grid, flying on closer toward the general direction of the tower, they burst inside then rushed to the throne room and the doors burst open.
"Welcome, welcome, Darkmatter, XR." Zurg twirled a skull between his two fingers. "How kind of you to pay old man Zurg a visit like a king visiting another kingdom."
"You haven't shown your face in two weeks."
"That's because there is someone more entertaining of my time."
"More entertaining!" Warp exclaimed, stepping forward, as hornets began to step forward. "MORE ENTERTAINING?"
"Evil Emperor Zurg, according to my calculations, the entertainment that was had with us is shown to be immeasurable in the face of struggling."
"That was before it became old reruns and lost their novelty, destroy them," he turned his attention away, bored, waving his claw. "Throw them out, don't care, just be rid of them."
The Ipsedan was ready to explode. Warp and XR traded laser fire, XR covering Warp's back, and vice versa. The two Space Rangers flew away chased by hornets as the rookie's captain brewed in rage, steam radiated from his figure clouding his helm, following the general coordinates of the opening to the forty-two landing there first and took a few steps forward allowing for XR to enter. The door was closed then the helm was opened as the hornets attacked the forty-two that then fled.
"See?" XR said, chipper. "It was Zurg after all."
"Something doesn't seem right." Warp said as he walked to the bridge.
"He is himself." XR stretched his arms out. "Nothing quite like a skirmish."
"He called me BORING, XR!" Warp exclaimed, cranky, turning toward the small android as Mira shifted toward their direction.
"And?" Mira asked, confused, tilting her head. "He's called me worse."
"Nah uh ah," Warp approached the captain's station then sat down. "I am the wrong on here." He shook his finger, shaking his head, looking toward the rookie then leaned back. "You're right."
"Say it again." Mira said.
"You're right." Warp said.
"Sounds more delicious than imagined." Mira said, proudly.
"Which makes it imperative that we get the actor back." he clenched his hand. "Don't need him spreading evil into the future, we don't know, honestly, what he's done to that poor cyborg since getting his claws on him in that short amount of time."
Mira smirked, amused, by the cold paranoia that her captain was stewing in.
The passenger vessel came to a pause on the orbit of the planet that radiated little to no evil, everything was quite odd, the sky a little too blue, and the clouds were white, and the entire environment was different from how he remembered it only a few hours ago. No matter, he could turn the planet evil again, simple. It had taken a good hand and it would take a evil hand to undo what had been done. Zurg dismissed the craft then gazed upon the tall tower labeled as 'THE MUSEUM OF EVIL EMPEROR ZURG!' above the familiar big 'z', there were crowds that entered the building, little grubs, old grubs, young grubs, their articles of clothing were quite unusual as the only thing different was the lack of red and purple, it were white and blue like the sky.
The differences were harsh to a individual coming directly from the future, but easily washed away with evil, determination, and defiance against disliked changes. Zurg traversed into the tower, it hadn't changed much since he last strolled through these very hours only a few hours ago. There were deactivated hornet standing at each side of the doorway to each quarters. He strolled in to the individual rooms, untouched, coated in dust, his gaze fixating on the rather museumfied rooms, items held in containers, familiar items used in evil plans, the evil plan board had different plans, with pictures of Team Darkmatter drawn on the paper posted on the paper, slightly faded, aged, flying off to face the evil plan and or suffering the consequence of the evil plan.
They arrived to the floor dedicated to the tunnel system. The beams, the structures, the symbols, the length of the tunnel system, there was hardly remains that there once had been a android Buzz Lightyear years ago. Zurg stopped in his tracks, setting his luggage inside alongside a disused hornet, admiring the familiar room. Not a piece of it had changed, admiring it, proudly. It was a very good thing that the impostor had left it there or used it to their evil plans, the chaos, the evil, the disasters, Zurg could only imagine how menacing it were in the past. Immeasurable glee flowed through his very being. In front of the tunnel was a long red rope connected to a series of small items, easily movable, withdrawn, tossed aside, used for other evil purposes. He set Woody on the table as he joined the crowd.
The brainpod that was still around was giving a speech about Zurg's evil, "He was the most evil being in the entire world, and when he was defeated, it was the finest defeat in the history of villainy." that was incredibly touching. Instead of sorrow, there was only pride in the selection of the impostor. The selected impostor had done well as had been intended. No one took notice of him, he could live with that for a short while, he was going to be the best surprise that Planet Z ever had. Among the grubs were visitors from other worlds, including a small green child with big oval eyes admiring the tower.
"And here we have the dungeons where the evil emperor Zurg would hold Space Rangers, diplomats, civilians, rich brats trying to be evil, the occasional odd alien creature, and machines that were greatly valued were often times held in a mobile electronic sizzling capture system that kept them trapped and unable to move,"
Zurg admired the cells that were well maintained.
"It was reportedly spine chilling, hot, and left burns on those it were used upon according to the records left by grubs that had tested the devices that came from Chloria and backwards engineered to be a product on Planet Z, the power source is infinite for the trapping system."
"Often times the legends Buzz Lightyear and Warp Darkmatter would find themselves in here, most notably Buzz Lightyear after a round of torture to extract access codes in his later years after being caught."
Zurg chuckled, fondly. Good times.
"Often times if you stay here at night, you can see a moment in time, repeating over and over and over, it's a strong moment, it echoes, like a record player, it's emotionally strong, it lacks sentience, it's not a poltergeist, it's a moment. Has played over and over for the last thousand years and hasn't stopped playing."
"What's the moment?" came the question. "If you don't mind this old Ipsedan lady asking."
"Buzz Lightyear, weak, body aching, coated in electric burns, in the arms of Warp Darkmatter."
Zurg fondly laughed at the recollection.
"The commander, then a rookie, is very scared, young, fresh out of the academy." The brainpod gestured toward the cell. "Darkmatter is trembling, this hadn't happened before, he can feel Lightyear wavering in his arms, between life and death."
The brainpod gestured back toward their chest.
"Fortunately, Lightyear chose life that day-"
Zurg whispered into a child's ear, quickly.
"That's implying he chose to die at the moon of doom!" the child exclaimed. "He didn't."
The brainpod set their claws on the side of the scooter.
"He made that choice to die alone, child." The brainpod shot back. "He decided to die there."
And Zurg got angry at the brainpod with a sharp mean glare trembling with rage.
"Instead of surrendering, Lightyear chose to use his weakened state to convince the Evil Emperor to order the cell opened." The crowd laughed, as did Zurg, fondly, nostalgically, at what that could only lead to, when the brainpod opted to steer the subject back toward the years prior to the death. "Darkmatter lead a attack, keeping Lightyear up in his other arm using a laser blaster that still to this day is remotely unknown how he got his hands on it."
The brainpod moved away from the cells.
"The Evil Emperor Zurg had been electrocuting the rookie for information pertaining to a slight matter."
"How slight of a matter?" asked a young woman.
"A dog that was set to help recover a species and repair relations with another species that had been the root of the near extinction of it's breed."
Zurg rolled his optics then whispered into the child's ear.
"Sir, that's wrong." the child asked.
The brainpod stared upon the child.
"You're a child. You shouldn't know that."
Zurg whispered into the child's ear, behind the crowd of taller visitors.
"That pet was actually a run away gift for a brainpod and happened to be mistaken for another breed, unfortunately, that breed runs rampant and that dog breed that Star Command were focused on is extinct because they didn't check on the official Galactic Dog Breed Records located on Morph."
"There wasn't a record." the brainpod noted.
"Yes, there was." was the argument. "He selected it out of that book."
"If there was, it is out of circulation and been discontinued." the brainpod folded their arms, glaring back at the child, condescendingly.
Zurg didn't have to whisper into the child's ear, the child was radiating rage, confusion, and distraught, unprompted.
"You can't discontinue evil!" the child took the words out of the emperor's audio synthesizer, shaking fists, animated, and all. "It's part of nature!"
"We don't approve of that nature on this world," was the brainpod's casual response. "it brings up bad memories, bad things, bad stuff, appalling." the brainpod shook their claw briefly closing their eyes. "Those days are the fondest of my existence."
Zurg whispered into the child's ear about the incident in question.
"And it was quite a evil breed in comparison to THE breed that was innocent." the child continued on. "He gave the pet to brainpod 42 to make a point how brains in jars don't need pets. And why are you still in that old Zurg thing?"
Zurg tapped his claws together admiring the remarkably still working piece of fine equipement, curious.
"You don't need to stay in it," was the child's comment. "just get a android shell, plop yourself in, and you're good to go."
The brainpod briefly closed their eyes with a sigh.
"Unfortunately, it's become too expensive." was the brainpod's reply. "We don't speak ill of those could be among the dead here."
Zurg whispered into the child's ear, relishing in being the unknown source, enjoying the evil opportunity.
"Then why did you slander Buzz Lightyear immediately after his death with your co-workers?"
"Child, how do you know that?" was the question, gently, except the brainpod was in front of the child.
The child looked toward Zurg who stared back at them.
"This android told me." The child said.
The small child pointed up and those in the general area stepped back leaving a large circle featuring the child alongside the evil emperor. Gazes shifted toward him then shock, horror, fright, confusion, at a piece of history that had came back. The brainpod's eyes widened at the figure that had long been lost standing before them.
"Evil Emperor Zurg." Zurg folded his arms, glaring down at the tour guide, then looked toward the cage. "Hello, Brainpod 18."
"Evil Emperor Zurg!" Zurg glared. "Evil Emperor Zurg the tourist!"
"And you were there." Zurg reminded to the brainpod. "You're slandering history like it were a incorrect test!"
"Everyone, calmly exit the museum in a orderly-"
"Warning, warning, tunnel system has activated." came the announcement, loudly, over the comn.
"Lightyear." Zurg intoned.
There was screaming, running, fleeing, as the emperor calmly walked down the corridor making his great entrance to the room, extracting a new plasma blaster from one of the cases, a newer model. He weaved his way through the crowd, speed walking, silently, this time ready to kill the one who had made a exact copy of the tunnel system. He was stubborn, very stubborn, and great minds thought alike. It was quite a curse that they both had brainpods which made the vital ingredients of evil plots and grubs that performed aid for the dreadnoughts, for their schedule, for handling prisoners.
"I AM NOT SCARED OF YOU, BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!" was the announcement made as the doors opened before him.
The room was dark, the lights dimmed, the bright blue portal bearing the qualities of a pool. The gate was open, awaiting for something, the emperor summoned a ball of electricity between his claws in his free claw, staring off toward the center approaching the fallen cowboy on the ground missing his hat. Across from it was his Toy Buzz Lightyear fallen in front of the portal. Zurg picked Woody up then shifted his gaze up toward the portal, clenching the toy against his chassis, his electric ball became but a few sparks as he looked around then looked toward his luggage, a empty gap where the other toys had once been, then looked toward the portal.
"Fine, keep them, never needed them!"
Zurg shook his fist.
"You won't get me to stoop down to your level!" He remained there, waiting, for the evil Buzz Lightyear to exit. "Come out, come out, come out Evil Buzz Lightyear."
He stood there for a long while until the portal closed with a click then turned behind him.
"I am Space Ranger Ida Heavyturbo assigned to this tower courtesy of Tangea. They've been expecting you."
Ida stepped forward, out of the doorway, pressing on the bright blue on the blue garment that made a strange gentle beep. In mere moments, their Space Ranger uniform was summoned on in bright blue light. Their articles of clothing changed before his optics, shape shifting into armor, their dark braided hair was hidden beneath the hood that automatically appeared moving over it like trail bits of data covering their frame. Unlike the holophotograph, the wings were back to the familiar blue, they had a wide chest like Warp, a tall stature that belonged, and visibly muscular arms covered by the armor.
"By the authorization by Star Command, you're here by arrested for disobeying temporal regulations."
And Zurg started firing after the Space Ranger. He carried the cowboy with him all the way to the base of the tower, Ida firing back occasionally along the way, missing the chance to land a shot as he avoided the laser blasts. The Space Ranger challenged him as he darted from side to side then set the cowboy into his other hand and flung out a ball of electricity in the general direction of the Space Ranger knocking them down to the ground. For good measure, looming over, he slammed a ball of electricity, knocking out the Space Ranger cold.
He looked up then proceeded to make the journey, a short one, to the center of the world, taking a series of steps down a small cave that he had once journeyed down centuries ago. It was dark, hard to see, his electric ball was summoned providing a large flashlight carrying on to the main brain. The brain waited there, hovering in light, surrounded by green light fixtures on corners of the room and the entire room blanketed by white paint highlighted by the artificial lights. He turned on his rocket boots then flew up toward the brain as the electricity retreated into his claw that was then applied to the surface.
The brain screamed in pain, his hand reeking evil, the familiar red and purple, decorating it, pleased.
It felt so good to be evil.
"We're there."
Warp stood up from the chair gazing out toward the window. Mira got up from her seat then started to walk toward the doorway but was caught by Warp yanking her back by the shoulder knocking her back to her chair. Mira charged back at him knocking him down with a simple hand gesture into the heart.
"I'll do it, it's not that urgent."
Warp lifted his head up then glared back at her.
"Yeah, no."
He turned on his helmet, stubborn.
"Losing battle, sir."
"Physically?"
"Uh huh."
Warp looked toward XR then back toward Mira, smirking.
"XR has a boyfriend," then he added on. "a girlfriend, and he is dating a couple twins at the same time, oh and the forty-two."
"He even had his first kiss a few days ago!" Booster added.
"No, that was three years ago." XR interjected.
"And it was amazing, wouldn't shut up about it," Booster recalled, fondly, looking upon the small android with pride. "being kissed by two people at the same time."
"It was lovely." XR sighed, happily.
Mira froze, stunned.
"Booster, hold on to her, tight!" Booster grabbed hold of Mira then Warp added with a smile. "And don't ever let go of her."
"Good-luck, Warp." Booster said.
"You, too." Warp said.
"Why am I always the scapegoat?" XR asked, bitterly.
Warp went out as Mira stared toward the small android. Booster navigated the ship away as the shuttle flew on closer to the black hole, making the necessary course, skating along the ring of blue material along the edge of the black hole. Mira finally came to, exiting her shock, then turned on the comn as a log was being registered aboard the ship.
"-what was it that he always used to say?" they heard him laugh over the line, nice, happy, sounding younger. "To infinity . . . and beyond!"
The shuttle containing Warp Darkmatter made the move and then it were gone before their eyes in a single white visible dot.
"WARP!" Mira cried out.
And he was gone to the future.
"We live to serve Evil Emperor Zurg."
These were words that echoed through the Galactic Alliance as spoken by grubs. Their minds entrenched in evil, their purpose in life serving good changed in the instant, Ida grew terrified at the words coming from the grubs that were around them. Chills went down their skin. They looked out the window observing the familiar blue sky turn to red and tourist shuttles fill the sky. A dawning realization that everything had changed perhaps for the worst filled the entire mood lifting themselves up only to be caught by two hornets that grasped on to their arms and proceeded to take them away.
It was impossible to revert the chain of events that had begun. Ida's partner, Matt-hun Nebula, a human/Tangean hybrid, was resting against the rental Star Command Shuttle playing a game as the sounds of shouting, screaming, and yelling, as wheels echoed in the air. Matt-hun stopped what she were doing then looked over in the general direction of chaos that was leading away from the tower. Matt-hun pressed on their wings then fled the planet aboard the rental fleeing. The report was made regarding the unexpected happening on the planet.
"Recommendation; DO NOTHING." was the order from Commander Fairflight.
The announcement came as a shock at Star Command.
"But, sir-"
"This is Zurg." Fairflight commented at ease, arrogant, confident. "He doesn't have a army that is up to par with our technology."
"We can't let him keep one of our own," Matt-hun countered. "he'll become a worthy enemy with access to our weapons."
"The point is to have him easily defeated." Fairflight argued against that. "We can take down the hornets, easy, as pie."
"Sir, request that we reactivate XR?" Matt-hun requested.
"Denied." It came out sharply.
"He knows him better than we do right now, Commander Fairflight!"
"We are not marines, army officials, military officials," Fairflight shifted toward the rookie with a condescending glare. "he's not a threat."
"Screams kinda risky to me, sir." Matt-hun commented.
"Ranger Nebula, you're dismissed." Fairflight ordered.
"What if he becomes a real threat?" Matt-hun pressed forward, setting her hand on the holographic table glaring back at the older woman. "What if this sheer arrogance makes us lose the peace that we got?"
The older woman laughed, then smirked, shaking her head.
"He won't." was the simple reply.
It was final, and the rookie departed the chamber, hands in fist. Fine, I'll just do it myself without back up. The door closed behind her as the commander looked toward the chamber decorated in images of commanders ranging from the last thousand years. Commander Zeb Nebula's photo was the largest of all, proud, pleased, his features decorated in laughter lines. The current commander shifted her gaze toward the second command of Star Command who's photo was smaller in size but as prominent belonging to Warp Darkmatter.
"We'll beat him again like you said," The commander set her hand on the large photograph, proudly. "Commander Darkmatter."
Above the two photographs was a silver plague that read in bold text: Ad infinitum et al.
The production of drones had been restarted with some difficulty and trouble, repairing machines, determining if certain mines were ripe for mechanical work, for safe work by grubs that carted the ore out of the chamber. Most of the mining were performed by machines save for sections that required smaller workers that were far more durable than machines were and could make the escape. Zurg was pleased, observing the first fleet of hornets, watching them soar then land. He applauded, happily, their programming easily replicated, easily maintained after all those years.
It was night when a unexpected visitor started ravaging through the hornets going up the tower. Zurg stood in the way, as the lights flickered off and on, the attacker was avoiding security cameras, avoiding grubs, moving with stealth, with certain evil, with precision. He rubbed his claws together then slipped his cowboy into his other grip, his plasma blaster in the other hand waiting to be fired. Abruptly, the evil emperor fired it then hit a switch and the corridor came to life. Matt-tun was planted against the wall with terrified eyes as she became surrounded by hornets.
"Wonderful, first Space Ranger trying to help their friend out."
"She/her."
"First Space Ranger trying to help her friend out of a Zurg tower in centuries, nothing has remotely changed."
"Star Command didn't send me." Was the comment that surprised him as the hornets stood by her side. "Kill me, torture me, wound me, brain wash me, it won't make a dent, they'll take you seriously."
Zurg loomed over the Space Ranger, a glint in his optics, then held his claw out.
"Join me," Zurg offered. "the dark side is fun."
"No." Matt-hun replied. "Too much time being consumed."
"The things you can accomplish being a villain." Zurg clenched his claws together as he started to sing turning away. "in the short span of time upon being thwarted -" he shifted back toward her. "-by a Space Ranger."
"Evil isn't in my line of work," Matt-hun scowled with her head lowered
"Incorrect, the evil is reeking off your being." he tapped on her forehead. "It's right in there." he curled his claws against his palm. "Tucked away." he withdrew his claws as he walked around the short being around Buzz Lightyear's height. "Concealed." He stroked the shoulder armor with care. "Shackled."
The emperor continued to sing.
"You can be good for so many years before it gets stale."
Matt-hun bore a defiant look back at the emperor.
"Not going to stop being good." Matt-hun replied. "Having my freedom, my life, my reputation, and my friends?" Matt-hun held her hand out then clenched it, demonstrating their worth with a grin. "Outweighs being on the wrong side of the law."
Zurg rubbed his claws together as he continued singing as the hornets followed him carrying the captured Space Ranger who's shoulders were lowered.
"Skilled, best at what you do, chasing the thrill, the excitement, the action, and get bored of that fighting against evil." then Zurg withdrew a curtain shielding the chamber of armor in the tower. "Evil is a curtain away." Zurg picked up the helmet that had once been intended for Warp Darkmatter twirling it in one claw. "A fake of a death away, a helmet concealing the secret identity for a time away."
Zurg's singing continued as he set the helmet on to the table turning toward the Space Ranger then stopped singing all together and spoke and the hornets had withdrawn from the Space Ranger.
"Space Rangers," Zurg rubbed his claws together, fondly, nostalgically. "they make excellent targets to target in the sky." He gestured toward the red sky. "And they leave mean stings once they get the upper hand."
Then he clicked his claws together close to the Space Ranger's head in a puppet fashion as he started to sing once more.
"You are bored!"
He drew closer looming over the Space Ranger synthesizing the sound of sucking in a breath.
"And miserable." Zurg sang on, his words getting under her skin visibly with sweat coming down her skin. "Wishing to make people pay for wronging you in the most evil way possible." his claws trailed down her shoulder. "It's a very attractive existence being powerful and feared."
"I am happy!" Matt-hun sung walking away from the evil emperor as the hornets were still aiming at the Space Ranger. "Fulfillment, happiness, content!" She stretched her arms out in display with a very fake grin. "What is there to be bored of in this utopia?"
"I smell it sincerely from your vibe!" The Space Ranger's mean gaze fixated on the evil emperor who accused her. "Regarding this little evil activity throughout the galaxy."
"It's not a full time thing fighting against evil." was the reply as she folded her arms. "Being a Space Ranger is a volunteer service."
"Evil is a strong odor!" he set his hands on the Space Ranger's shoulders, his voice gleeful, shifting the Space Ranger toward him. "Join me, the dark side is fun!"
The Space Ranger turned her attention away from the Evil Emperor.
"I don't smell that way." Matt-hun said.
"It's easy to be evil," The evil emperor sang as a chorus sang.
"EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL!"
"You stole the Pentatonix Revival band!"
"EVIL EVIL EVIL!"
"What of it, Space Ranger?" Zurg asked, singing along added, aside. "I paid them highly for this song and they said NO."
"That's illegal!"
He darted away from her.
"Can you. . feel. . . the evil. . . inside?"
"Yes?"
"How it wishes to be freed?"
"Every single cratered day."
"How it pleas to be freed, how your deviousness is a string attached to evil, how it itches you?"
"It's a pain that must be fought against day after day!" Matt-hun broke out into song, turning away, pained, hurt, the key to unlocking the mess around the evil smell that he could still detect as a vibe. "This evil inside. . ." She set her hand on the side of her shoulder. "it sickens me, disgusts me, appalls me," She clenched her hand against her chassis then looked up toward the bright red moon. "What am I in the river of unholy?"
She clenched her shoulder.
"Does it make me any less of what I am? Who I love? What I love?"
"Evil makes what one is more than what they are now."
"A villain who has done destruction to worlds says this? Give me a break."
"You don't know what's worse than that."
"What?"
"Non-consensual sex, that makes one less of a monster, below evil, below a individual, it labels one for the death penalty in the eyes of evil." The evil emperor shook his finger. "Evil hates those kind of people because they don't practice consent."
"What about killing people?" Matt-hun sang back.
"Perfectly evil and acceptable!" Zurg sang.
"No, it's not!" Was the counter argument.
"And yet, you can feel the evil inside." Zurg tapped on her chassis.
"My kind of evil is far different from yours." Matt-hun glared back. "Innocent evil!"
"Steal a Popsicle, innocent evil," The evil emperor tapped on her chassis. "the very same kind of evil that lingers on forever."
Zurg snatched a Popsicle from a young child on a street then whisked by Matt-hun.
"Mhhm, still wrong!" Matt-hun shot back.
"Steal a antique Star Cruiser,"
The next moment, the Space Ranger watched the Emperor from a view screen stealing a antique Star Cruiser from the relic of Star Command.
"Steal a hyper bomb,"
Next, the emperor was standing next to a collection of hyper bombs.
"Steal a dog, a lizard, a rabbit," the next moment the emperor was surrounded by pets, seated down, in his throne. "and have them all to yourself!"
The emperor reappeared behind the Space Ranger as he resumed talking instead of singing.
"Throw the hyper bomb into a planet destroying itself in the middle of a evacuation," Zurg's dreadnought appeared in the middle of a planetary evacuation. "There's not many puny people left on the world," he twirled his claw, as the screen behind him demonstrated the chaos unfolding. "Steal the ones left behind by the last evacuation ship and enslave them!"
The Space Ranger glared toward the emperor.
"I am NOT going to be your goon!" Matt-hun protested, donning a red and purple version of her off duty casual wear lacking the Star Command symbol replaced by the Z. Matt-hun looked three years older than before. "And stop forcing me to wear these outfits," She gestured toward the uniform that she wore. "they're a drag on my style!" she held a hand out. "And let my partner go!"
"Be petty, be evil, make it up along the way when you have none!"
The evil emperor threw balls of lighting at grubs.
"And torture for FUN!"
The Space Ranger had her arms folded, glaring at the emperor, then back rubbing her chin. Meanwhile, Ida made their escape, the power in the cell deactivated with all the power devoted to the disco ball that was sparkling light, light fixtures reading 'evil' around the room powering up as the emperor was performing. The hornets were performing dance moves paying no attention to the departing rookie.
"Willing minions who get on your nerves, anger you, disgust you, appall you! And you can always kill them if they get on your last thread."
The Evil Emperor lined up a series of grubs that had been getting on the Space Ranger's nerves to a series of electric mobile trapping system.
"Willing to be test subjects of foul projects!"
Zurg flipped a switch then the grubs were fried in a single defining blast, although, they mostly survived yet in dire pain on the edge of death.
"It feels good to be EVIL!"
"EVIL EVIL EVIL!"
"Being in the shadows of the dark side is FUN!"
The Space Ranger grew a expression that she were appealed by the prospect taking a step forward.
"People chase you for vengeance and you get to combat them!"
Zurg destroyed a hornet with a single punch in a demonstration of his strength.
"The battle is more entertaining with someone who has free will."
The evil emperor approached Matt-hun.
"Don't you want to express the heart?" Zurg gestured toward his chest then withdrew his fists. "The feelings?" He held his claws out, near the Space Ranger, heavily considering. "The bad stuff?"
And he stopped singing, briefly, standing in front of a mine that was on fire, people were screaming, stretching his arms out, underneath the dark. The Space Ranger was enjoying the view under the stars. From the distance, in the shuttle that had been taken here, Ida made their escape with a small android with a long mustache carrying what looked like a large bird cage covered in a blue blanket with glow in the light stars patched on to it behind them. The emperor was distracted, as was his companion bearing a helmet, the identity concealed.
"Evil has a bureaucratic system, everything must be noted, organized, and scheduled," he turned toward the ex-Space Ranger then resumed singing. "it's good for the evil soul to have a schedule for the sake of heinous crimes!"
He swung his hips from side to side.
"Evil goes with a flair," He stood behind a silver screen, a spotlight on it, his menacing shadow standing out, twirling now, in circles. "a style," he reappeared from behind the silver screen as the projector broke. "that makes one intimidating against disaster, against a curtain, against the back drop of a army from behind!" He shook his long sharp index finger, happy, having a great old time singing then stopped swinging his hips and swung his arms out. "Style makes you look awesome!"
He grasped his cape.
"This, cape, will, never, go out of style." Zurg said, instead of singing and twirled. "Some argue that cloaks are far more menacing," he let go of the cape then rubbed his claws, fondly. "Lightyear had some criticisms when we first met."
Matt-hun raised her head up as the emperor discussed the legendary Space Ranger.
"First insult that he called me was a punk!" He set his claws on to his hips, then stretched a hand out, appalled. "A punk!" Zurg folded his arms, turning away, pouting. "A punk has their hair died and wears spikes all over and tattoos!" he laughed, to himself, fondly recalling their first battle. "Then he started calling me fiend after a proper introduction by Warp Darkmatter."
"What's wrong about that?" Matt-hun asked.
"THAT is a punk," Zurg said earning a eye roll.
"It's evil." Matt-hun noted, brows furrowing, staring back.
"That's rebellious, not evil." The evil emperor laughed, fondly. "It was awful in the beginning."
He missed fighting against Buzz Lightyear. He missed watching Team Darkmatter battle his hornets and try to take him in, being away from them by a distance of centuries was different knowing he were sparing them from being killed and believing it were his doing. He didn't need that on their mind or on his processor. Never seeing them in the flesh to fend the universe off against his heinous plots came with a cost. Leaving behind a part of himself, what it were; he weren't sure. He were certain that something were left behind.
The new relationships being foraged were different from the familiar relationships that were once had. These were unfamiliar, he were foraging with new characters and it were the right quite of new. The one that was needed to help him adapt, coming to terms of all those brainpods that he hadn't seen since he left, all those familiar faces, and old evil plots became new. And it were fun being in the future.
"Lovely opening to facing your nemesis." Then he turned back toward her. "But not as stunning as our epic battles!"
"What else does being evil entail?" Matt-hun asked, curious, genuinely interested as her features had relaxed with her head tilted. "Back in your day."
"We have evil channels, evil may not be present on the public mind, but it never goes away, it only hides."
He sent a electric ball toward a fleeing miner then approached the fallen miner with his pressed against his palms.
"They must hide really well." Matt-hun noted with her arms folded.
"It burrows underground," He set his boot on the miner's back. "it is discreet," Zurg slammed the miner's face against the ground knocking the miner out cold then withdrew his claw with a laugh. "it is better at not getting caught these days!"
Zurg turned toward the Space Ranger.
"Being thwarted is the best part." Zurg sang, happily, then clenched his claws. "The escape is always the best part! Always!"
Matt-hun shifted her laser to stun then aimed at a fleeing miner and they collapsed.
"It's all part of the game,"
Matt-hun looked older, at least ten years older, with prosthetic legs instead of very human legs.
"That makes being a villain appealing,"
The scene focused on the dark landscape that became the prison cells of Zurg Tower coated in blue darkness. The cells had bars instead of blue forcefield, triangle holes between each bar, leaving room for moving a limb through. Ida dislocated their arm, smacked the panel, same panel erupted in electricity and buttons fell off. Ida withdrew their arm then the cells opened freeing them and two cadets.
"getting to see Space Rangers use their brain!"
Ida ran in the lead ahead of the two cadets with a electric burn on the side of their face.
"Being innovative!"
The evil emperor strolled down the hallway as he sang.
"Being EVIL is fun!"
Zurg continued singing as he fired his plasma blaster after Ida.
"You get to wrestle with Space Rangers!" He turned toward his companion, who only grinned beneath a helmet, then turned toward the fleeing Space Ranger. "Exchange laser blasts!"
The evil emperor gestured toward the fleeing Space Ranger.
"Sort out the bad from the good leaving only the finest behind; neutralizing the unskilled," he proceeded to dance, his shoulders rolling up and down, his hands in fists, optics appearing to be squinting, lightly glowing while Matt-hun chased the group exchanging laser fire with Ida. "hurting them, leaving them behind, as they're really not worth the time paying attention to!"
Ida flew off leaving behind the tower with cadets behind them then Matt-hun stopped flying at the entrance of the tower.
"And best of all. . ."
Zurg joined Matt-hun then set his arm on her shoulder.
"The dark side is fun!" The duo sang.
And then they laughed, exchanging a look, pleased of this chase.
A/N the zurg wooing a Space Ranger was written to be like a montage in the way like the scene 'through heaven's eyes' was and also I like that song. Listened to 'Can you feel the love tonight?', 'I'll make a man out of you', and 'i can go the distance' during the sequence.
the bit where Zurg is being discussed by brainpod 18 was directly inspired by the Van Gogh Doctor Who episode.
Ad infinitum et all means= to infinity forever and others
