"What is the anniversary about?"

Warp spat a clump of blood back at the evil emperor.

"Who you were before Evil Emperor Zurg." then smirked in response.

The Evil Emperor was trembling with rage upon the Space Ranger.

"Curse you, Warp Darkmatter!" He grasped his cape then turned away. "Hornets, throw him back in."

Warp had the strength to laugh being lifted up to his feet by the two hornets. His chest felt light; his team working smoothly without him, kids safe, Star Command safe, it tasted nice and sweet. Even as he were turned away from the direction that the emperor had gone and went in the direction of a sour, bitter, unkind environment.


Compared to most torture methods, stretched forward with his arms and his legs tied together like crabs, tied at the ankle and the elbow. It was also the most boring and it burned. He screamed in pain, several hours in, tipped over, crying. His figure loosened on the floor as the evil emperor loomed over him in the blurry red environment.

"What's the anniversary?"

Warp found the inner strength to say something else as he bore a tearful grin.

"Blowing leaves on planet Z."

"Curse you, Warp Darkmatter! I was in the middle of making a evil scheme! Ruined it! Lost my trail of thought!"

Warp smiled.

"Good."

Zurg turned away.

"Toss him into the desert for seven days, hornets, with limited water."

Warp needed the sun tan, anyway.


It was a week later, it could have been several weeks later, it could have been months, it could have been longer. Between the torture seasons, time had became quite irrelevant to the ex-Space Ranger. Warp's hands were behind his back, tied, held up, just as much as his elbows were. Between his ankles were a long thick steel bar, if he lost his balance then there came the risk of dislocating both arms, and that would hurt more than the soreness in his arms remaining fixed in this position. He had been bound by the hornets who had their weapons aimed at his head as they made the adjustments.

If he dared to attempt a fight, who's to say that Evil Emperor Zurg wouldn't try again and get some poor Warp Darkmatter, still grieving, from another world, to get the answer, or he could grab another him three months after Agent Z had died saving his life. He would be too cranky to answer, defiant, over time becoming more amused, answer sarcastically. And his team would have found out the hard way that he was the reason why the legend had died, their lens soured, stepping back, forcing him to leave, wrist lasers aimed at him, before they got to know him.

Being turned in by his own team. Nasty.

He had to hang on for the other Warp Darkmatters.


"What is the anniversary, Warp Darkmatter?"

The Evil Emperor's arms were folded as Warp, this time around, was suspended above sharpened bamboo, suspended above it, his wrists and ankles were all connected to a chain, lingering above him. Warp looked down toward the bamboo, fondly, looking back at the first birthday that he got to be part of courtesy of Nana, or, it could have been a late birthday, he didn't know. Their birthdates were still bewildering to him as they each had a different answer to when they were born.

"Quark Lightyear's birthday." Warp replied.

Zurg was trembling with rage, once again, getting ready to burst.

"That is not the answer!" Zurg shot back.

"Then Quark and his siblings adoption day," Warp said, plainly.

"Not the anniversary!" Zurg could tell. How?

"It was really a big day for them. . ." Warp looked back at the memory, going to court with the filed paperwork, Mira, XR, XL, Booster in the photograph with the children. "adopting them paid big and it paid every day." Warp snickered, fondly. "They were the best kids." Zurg approached the aging ex-Space Ranger. "Chari, Oort, Gamma, Quark, and Hoichi. Best things to enter my life."

"Ozma and Buzz Lightyear's children in your world."

"No. Just Buzz Lightyear."

"Does the anniversary have to do with them?"

Warp grew a broad grin in response to the evil emperor then it became a smirk.

"No." Warp replied.

Zurg stared at the ex-Space Ranger.

"You adopted them." Zurg said.

"Buzz Lightyear insisted." Warp said, proudly.

"Why?" Zurg drew closer to the ex-Space Ranger.

"He wanted me to be part of their life." he was smug as he smoothly added, lifting his head up, smirking. "And you're not about to torture a group of four year olds."

"Not." Zurg said, looming below him then looked down toward the bamboo and back. "A man in his forties. Different answer."

Zurg walked away then paused before exiting.

"Curse you Warp Darkmatter, being irritating!"

Warp smiled, relishing in it, then watched the door close.


"Answer my question, Warp Darkmatter."

Warp was covered in bee stings surrounded by dead bumblebees.

"Your hive mind is the anniversary." Warp replied, then snickered.

"Space Ranger Warp Darkmatter thinks he can do this forever?" Zurg glared upon the ex-Space Ranger.

"Totally." Warp said.

"Wrong." Zurg said, looming over him. "Your body will give out and die."

"What's wrong about dying while giving a evil emperor a really hard time?" Warp asked, relaxed, content, whole with a shrug.

"A lot is wrong with that." Zurg acknowledged pointing at the ex-Space Ranger's chest.

"The anniversary is the day that I saved a bus full of grubs from space pirates." Warp replied, cheerfully. "It is hilarious."

"CURSE YOU WARP DARKMATTER!" Zurg cried out in frustration, stretching his arms out, the Space Ranger smirked. "Put him on a planet full of meat eating ants!" He pointed toward the exit. "We will meet again, and then, the anniversary will be revealed."

"Bet not." Warp said as he were being guided away. "Faced worse. Haven't rode a meat eating ant in two years."

Zurg halted in his tracks shifting toward him.

"Put him on the planet with hurricanes!"

Warp whistled, innocently, he was going to enjoy getting a nice decent shower there.