"This is the dreadnought that Zurg went into." Mira acknowledged.
"If Evil Emperor Zurg is in there then so is Warp." Booster was hopeful.
"It's in idle mode nearby this world, so it has to be." XR noted as he stared at the screen. "It's been a month, has to have him by now."
"XR, man the bridge." Mira instructed. "Booster and I will get Warp out."
"Engines operating at operational status." the small red and yellow droid replied with a thumbs up. "Good luck."
The two members of the team nodded then departed the bridge leaving XR behind. The small droid set into the seat then watched his teammates fly off toward the dreadnought with hope and optimism in their hearts. Booster took Mira's hand then ghosted into the ship itself. Booster pressed on a button then the yellow parts of the space suit glowed then Mira followed the same action.
The duo were revealed to a select group of Zurg bots and proceeded to fire their way through them with their wrist lasers. The team pressed on heading on toward the cell level of the ship with Booster keeping Mira's back protected. They arrived with plenty of fanfare behind them into the prison deck of the ship then flicked on a switch bringing the red light up filling the room. Mira flew in and out of the cells searching for the team leader as a figure started to come to over the sound of laser fire. Buzz's eyes opened, spotting Mira, peeking in searching through the room except the top of her uniform looked unlike what it were normally and not as modified for her Tangean form. Yellow chassis with red as the secondary theme, and the emblem had the saturn ring but the Space Ranger chassis wasn't wide with the symbol filling up a portion of the uniform like the other Mira's uniform had been.
"Warp!" Mira called.
"Mira?"
Mira's attention snapped toward Buzz then her eyes widened.
"Craters."
Mira bolted out.
"Mira!"
Buzz got up to his feet.
"I am the good Buzz Lightyear of this universe!"
Mira reappeared with a skeptical look.
"Are you, really, really, good?" Mira asked earning a grin from the Space Ranger. "That beard is really off putting and neither is that bald head."
Buzz grew a broad grin in response with a short lived laugh.
"Only way to find out is by putting a hand in." Buzz replied.
Mira ghosted her hand into his head then closed her eyes. She watched the events transpire just as how Warp had reported, identical, step by step, everything was greatly alike, save for the space suit that was more of a uniform. She watched, painfully, as the events set into motion. The Evil Emperor's laughter echoing, the moon of doom comment, the lab exploding all around them, destroying the hornets, the falling beam, the Space Ranger leaping out of the way, about to leave, calling out for Warp. And instead of himself being underneath a collection of heavy weighted material, it was Warp Darkmatter. A painful visual. Then the visual of them crashing, the revelation, that he had survived, that he had defected, that he had betrayed everything. And the best part that made a tear come down her cheek much to the Space Ranger's alarm; there was no guilt, regret, no remorse; only content and arrogance in his eyes. Their final words as Space Rangers echoed in her mind as she withdrew her hand, clenching it, pained, turning away, shaken.
"Mira-"
"Would you have told Warp?"
"No."
"What would have you said?"
"I would have done my duty as a Space Ranger and did exactly what Warp did here."
"Telling him to go."
"Telling him my truth?" Buzz turned aside, grimacing, briefly closing his eyes. "Would have destroyed him afterwards. He said those words. Didn't he? He made a bad decision over there just as big as Warp's was here."
Mira looked emotionally hurt, heartbroken, sad.
". . . He did." Mira confirmed.
Buzz was quiet as his shoulders loosened with his gaze lowered.
"Mira, get out of here."
"Space Rangers don't leave one of their own behind."
Buzz turned toward the Tangean.
"Do you have a suit that's my size?"
"No."
"Then go back to Star Command. Mira. . . Don't tell me there isn't a Star Command over there. Mira. Mira, tell me otherwise."
"Beta Star Command base on a asteroid, secret, classified for now."
Mira remained fixed where she stood as she folded her arms.
"Princess. Don't make this situation far worse than it has to be."
"It's already worse as it is." Mira challenged.
"No, it isn't." Buzz argued back, glaring. "You know that."
"We can escape." Mira insisted with a glare. "We can fit in together in Booster."
"He'll get someone else, Mira!" Buzz reminded the younger Space Ranger. "He'll make them watch, that's not what is acceptable for Buzz Lightyear, any day, any time soon."
"Nor is it acceptable for Mira Nova." Mira agreed then grew a broad smile. "Sound just like him wording it that way."
"Hm? Do we sound different?" then his mood changed, suddenly. "Mira, go."
"Good-bye, Buzz." Mira bore a smile then held her hand out, bittersweet.
"Good-luck over there." Buzz said as he shook her out stretched hand.
Mira saluted him with free hand then withdrew her hand backing away from him.
"He's not here, Booster!" Mira turned away then flew on with the giant ghosting on through the wall.
And Buzz felt relief.
A circular red and purple craft came to a halt in the orbit of a planet one week after the unexpected encounter. A series of crafts approached it then the door was pried open. Nos-4-A2 remained hidden inside the craft, waiting, watching, as a series of machines entered the large chamber. They licked the edge of their helm looking down upon the machines then crashed on top of one and proceeded to drink from the machine. The machines made high pitch wailing noises then proceeded to fire at them as the vampire avoided the blasts and one machine was able to escape into one of the craft as the others were quickly slain. The energy vampire skillfully turned on the self destruct setting of the craft and flew out toward a satellite. The energy vampire yanked open the casing exposing the heart of the satellite. They punctured the satellite then drank the power, clenching the machine, enjoying the nice sip.
The energy vampire proceeded to attend to the other satellites with some use by the small tiny hornets, relaying the data, validating what the last civilization had said. They licked their lips, pleased, then gazed back down toward the planet. Whatever laid below them, there was bound to be plenty of machines worth making slaves out of or at least humans that needed to be transformed in the right circumstance to energy vampire slaves. He toyed with his imagination with the perfect way, ruthlessly. The perfect plan. Suddenly, the triangle communication began to beep after finishing the last of the satellites. The energy vampire took out the mirror like device from their cloak and held it up.
"Morning," Zurg greeted the energy vampire. "Report."
"The harder shield was easily to dispatch on, the other shields are harder to rid of." Nos-4-A2 said.
"Why does this sound like it's layered?" Zurg filled the screen with a glare.
"It's complicated," Nos-4-A2 waved their claw.
"Simplify it." Zurg requested. "With other words, not relating to the things that make it complicated, easy words."
"The batteries for these are solar." Nos-4-A2 proceeded to explain. The energy vampire grimaced as they paused. A instant no go for a invasion that they could pull on their own. "Instant regeneration after being sucked."
"And can it be destroyed by weapons aboard a dreadnought?" Zurg asked.
"Hmm. . ." Nos-4-A2 turned away turning back toward the field of new generation satellites that were lower and closer to the planet's surface with visible towers that glowed under the clouds. "Can't say without studying."
"We'll be there very shortly." then the Evil Emperor paused before adding, rubbing his claws, pleased, laughing. "Nos-4-A2, that was your finest handy work."
Nos-4-A2 rubbed their claws then looked toward the oncoming repair bots fleeing from the world then let out a loud laugh.
"Finest? Finest is taking over your world, father." Nos-4-A2 reported, chuckling, the thought very appealing to them. "Far more lovely than this dirty little errand."
"Adorable, desire to rule a planet, looking down at small tasks, magnificent." Zurg said, proudly.
"Excuse me, father dearest, they're sending repair bots." Nos-4-A2 looked over. "And yes, as the previous civilization had claimed, they do have your Space Ranger."
"Happy feasting!" Zurg waved at the energy vampire, gleefully. "Stay out of the way!"
"And you, to mine." Nos-4-A2 said, darkly.
"Love you! Ta-ta!"
Zurg's figure vanished off the screen as the Energy Vampire proceeded to hide along the panel, hissing, at the oncoming repair bots.
Zurg was no where to be seen on the bridge, his normally silent and frightening new persona had yet to appear. Gravitina stood at the window of the ship gazing down toward the surface of the planet with a scowl and her arms folded. From afar, Zurg was strolling through the corridor feeling like he were on cloud nine, dancing on it, rolling his arms on a victory lap. A little bit of his old self rising to the surface triumphantly. He paused in his tracks observing a piece of a thread left on the ground from a purple carpet. It was a single touch full of fondness of a time that had came and went.
"A single thread in a tapestry," Zurg began to sing. "Though its color brightly shines," he tore off the thread. "Can never see its purpose," he dropped the torn thread. "In the pattern of the grand design."
Zurg walked on, then was handed a ion blaster by a grub.
"And the stone that sits on the very top," he rubbed the ion blaster with care. "Of the mountains mighty face," he looked on. "Does it think it's more important," he admired the finely crafted passageway of the dreadnought. "Than the stones that form the base?"
He carried on as he clenched his claw making the trip to the cell block.
"So how can you see what your life is worth," he arrived, shifting his gaze toward the Space Ranger who was fast asleep then opened the block and ordered the machines. "Or where your value lies?" The Space Ranger was dragged out of the cell. "You can never see through the eyes of man." He turned away from the cell. "You must look at your life." He carried on through the corridor as the Space Ranger started to come to. "Look at your life through heaven's eyes!"
"Lai-le-lai-lai-lee-lai-lai!" The grubs sang in the background.
"Good morning, impostor." Zurg greeted.
"What's going on?" was the question. A different answer instead of the correct, 'It's. . . still night'.
"Today's the day that Evil Emperor Zurg has a glorious successful scheme." Zurg said, cheerfully.
"What evil scheme are you pulling today?" a weary question instead of the very real audible breath of relief.
"Lai-le-lai-lai-lee-lai-lai!"
"You haven't been pay attention." Zurg noted.
"Lai-le-lai-lai-lee-lai-lai!"
"Today's the day!" Zurg announced, feeling quite pumped. "Today's the day, not a tomorrow away, not a week away, it's the now, it's the present, it's mine, and evil wins!"
The impostor was terrified, oh, how delighted the Evil Emperor took that emotion.
"A lake of gold in the desert sand," Zurg resumed, twirling, singing, dropping a bucket of sand over the impostor. "Is less than a cool fresh spring." then he dumped cold water on the impostor, who shook it off staring at the Evil Emperor quite bewildered. "And to one lost sheep, a shepherd boy." Zurg linked his hands behind his back, cackling, his laughter unsettling the Space Ranger. "Is greater than the richest king!"
Buzz's uniform was glued to his skin as shivers traveled down.
"If a man loses everything he owns," Zurg continued to sing. "Has he truly lost his worth?" he stretched his arms out, considering, genuinely the question. "Or is it the beginning." he tapped on his audio synthensizer. "Of a new and brighter birth?" He walked on lowering his claw. "So how do you measure the worth of a man?" The robots marched by the Space Ranger's side, their single red optic glowing, keeping a eye on him. "In wealth or strength or size?" The Evil Emperor carried on down the corridor. "In how much he gained or how much he gave?"
The Evil Emperor linked his hands behind his back.
"The answer will come." Zurg carried on ahead of the Space Ranger. "The answer will come to him who tries." he clenched his claw with his other claw clenching his small wrist. "To look at his life through heaven's eyes."
He turned toward the Space Ranger, quiet, for a solid moment.
"And that's why we share all we have with you," then he carried on his way. "Though there's little to be found."
The Evil Emperor arrived to the bridge ahead of the group then seated down on to the throne.
"When all you've got is nothing.. . ." Zurg looked toward the gap toward where the Space Rangers would normally bust in. "There's a lot to go around," he turned away from the doorway. "No life can escape being blown about," his chair was extended forward. "By the winds of change and chance!" he pointed toward the planet as the doors to the chamber opened a short moment later. "And though you never know all the steps." The Evil Emperor swung the chair forward, right in the direction of the Space Ranger, then gestured toward the planet, as if inviting him to observe the true wrath of a Evil Emperor. "You must learn to join the dance." he turned the chair away as the Space Ranger's teeth grit together. "You must learn to join the dance!"
The bridge burst into song, save for Buzz Lightyear, who remained speechless.
"Lai-le-lai-lai-lee-lai-lai!"
Zurg leaned forward gesturing back toward the planet.
"Fire at them!" Zurg ordered.
"As you wish, Evil One."
Zurg grew a smile.
"So how do you judge what a man is worth," he clenched his claw, laughing, leaning forward. "By what he builds or buys?"
He descended the steps as the dreadnoughts proceeded to fire.
"You can never see with your eyes on earth," His verse continued. "Look through heaven's eyes-"
The many blasts destroyed the shielding layer by layer in a dazzling display of power and strength.
"Look at your life, look at your life," then Zurg stretched his arms, carrying the last lyrics for effect, his shadow casting back into the bridge, the red light illuminating from the impressive display of explosions highlighted the Evil Emperor and Buzz's features, as destruction rampaged on the surface of the planet. "Look at your life through heaven's eyes!"
The Evil Emperor laughed, menacingly, pleased, clenching his claws, victoriously.
"Classified message from a back door regarding the coordinates where Ranger Darkmatter is located."
"OOooohh, a mole betraying their people," Zurg applauded as he turned away. "My favorite trope!" then he grinned, waving his hand, sounding happy as a lark. "Send it to the lift!"
"What if it's not a mole? What if it's just a official being smart and trying to save what they can? What if it's a good guy? What if it's like your ex-nemesis that you intentionally killed."
Zurg went toward the doorway then paused in his tracks, facing the direction of the impostor, his arm turning into a long sword and approached the impostor.
"It . . ." pure rage. "was. . ." his optics heated as Buzz was actually looking up toward him confused. He had said nothing. "A accident."
He had seen enough, the sweet glory of defeat, of surrender, of the horror, of relentless attack, of determination, of sheer will, of sheer faith. He had to make sure the last order of business learned that pretending to be someone they were not had consequences and they mattered, dearly, deeply, that it was simply mercy compared to how it would be normally dealt. The dead Space Ranger never liked someone who made a petty error like that being killed over it. Zurg sliced off the impostor's arm then slid out the surgical gloves and extracted the other eye and destroyed it with a single blast over the painful shrieks leaving only his hearing behind then the Evil Emperor laughed.
"Who knew reaching for infinity and beyond was this great?" Zurg asked out loud, pleased. "Reaching it, for that matter, successfully!" He turned away then proceeded to move on. "By the way, chop off his legs, give him the painful prosthetic, the utterly painful ones, agonizing, tearful ones, yes, the cruel ones." He proceeded to walk away giving him a list of orders. "Give him a new arm, a suit, then throw him out into space."
Zurg walked away heading for the hangar bay as the impostor was towed over to the medical bay, groaning in pain, head hung, blinded.
"No. . ." Buzz groaned.
"Bring the ship to the karman line." Zurg ordered.
"Evil Emperor Zurg, that leaves us vulnerable." The grub replied.
"And so are they." Zurg paused in his tracks looking aside. "Give a demonstration, pick a small town, they'll get the message not to take advantage of a close by target.."
"Brilliant, Evil Emperor." The grub replied. This same grub had said nothing that lead to the comment earlier.
"The most evil thing today!" Zurg clapped his hands then resumed.
Gravitina grimaced, then turned away from the sight, paying no heed to the misery that he were in. The Evil Emperor continued on his way as the adjustments were made upon the severely restrained Space Ranger watching in horror as the grubs, mean looking in contrast to their anxious counterparts, looking like their hearts were truly in the act. Afterwards, the new arm was set in with care, put into a suit, then chucked out through the air lock with the helmet automatically activating. From afar, a purple and red warship in the distance flew after the form with one half of the ship opening up. The Evil Emperor disembarked the ship with his Zurg bots trailing behind him as he flew toward the direction of the general area where Warp was being held. The resolve that everything was going to be made was the subject in question keeping his mind held together nice bubble gum acting as the finer parts of a web and keeping it in place with its sticky qualities.
The Zurg bots had the Evil Emperor's back once he entered the air space. To him, he couldn't see the epic battle raging around him. It was a nice and fine dark night with the stars above him, the strange twisted buildings with some of them having disks around their frames that had small windows and ledges. There were bridges connecting to different buildings and wires dangling between devices. Small crafts avoided the firefight with ease, although some weren't as lucky, as the traffic proceeded to change to a different direction taking on a detour. The Evil Emperor descended from the lift then checked his arm console, the report being validated by the coordinates that were sent over to his processor during the flight. He squeezed the trigger to the ion blaster that opened left a big gaping hole. With ease, he walked in as the battle raged on behind him. He approached the wall that was made of glass then knelt down and proceeded to apply his claws cutting into the glass then stood up to his feet as the large and gaping doorway was created. He walked in proceeding to fire striking down security machines that were headed his way.
The Evil Emperor proceeded to continue his way forward. He walked in, quietly, without making a sound, walking over the corpses, the scattered mechanical parts, making his way to the coordinates in question that held the Space Ranger. He arrived to the door in question, silence hung in the air, only smoke, only the Evil Emperor covered in mechanical fluid and green slime with his right hand in a fist. He chucked off the ion blaster then his left arm became another blaster then aimed at the door and fired at it. A loud boom echoed in the building. The door fell bearing a big complete circular hole in the center to the ground. Zurg took a step forward, his figure standing in the smoke, merely a dark shadow, his optics glowing against the darkness brightly.
"Warp Darkmatter." Zurg greeted.
Zurg stepped into the chamber with a smile.
"May we depart this planet on good terms for once on a truce?" Zurg asked then grew concerned with the silence. "Darkmatter?"
Zurg loomed over the exhausted figure then reached his hand out, clenched his hand, then withdrew it as the full extent of the wounds became apparent. There was silence as the Evil Emperor picked up the Space Ranger's form into his arms then turned away. Zurg flew out of the room with his rocket boots activated and headed back toward the dreadnought. He was silent, carrying the Space Ranger to the medical bay. He was silent as the light exposed the wounds, he was silent as the mind wave equipment proceeded to be used, detecting for a mind, the wounds were extensive inside and outside, his skin covered in burns, his light blue skin stained by dark blue blood.
Zurg watched as the grubs performed their tasks on stools stabilizing the Space Ranger, he was fine, otherwise, only slightly facing the impacts of torture. His mind wave equipment detected that the Space Ranger was in mentally good condition. The scans for his internal organs indicated the heart was in working order. Although the rest of his organs had a different tale that spun a entire month of horror. He was alive. That was all which mattered. His processor was sound and well.
"Hmm. . . now to the matter of dropping him off."
"Evil one, he is lucid."
"Hm? So soon? What a surprise!" Zurg loomed over the Space Ranger. "Good afternoon, Darkmatter!"
"What a nice recovery room." was Warp's hoarse voice. "Shame that's so primitive."
"What are you?"
"The Nask."
"The Nask, please, kindly, let go of him."
"He can be of a benefit to my people."
"Who are you?"
"Their voice. Jaj of The Jorace clan. We like to use him to take down Star Command by the inside."
"Hmmm. . ." Zurg turned away, weighing, considering. "Is it worth the hassle . . ."
"It is to my people." Jaj said.
Zurg turned toward the mind controlled being then aside and back again, resolved.
"Kindly surrender, Jaj, and submit to my will." Zurg approached the medical berth. "on the behalf of your people."
The all too familiar laughter sounded arrogant and over confident.
"No." Jaj said.
Zurg folded his arms.
"Then hand over his mind." Zurg instructed.
"No." Jaj declined. "Too useful."
"Too useful!" Zurg loomed over Warp's figure. "Too useful!" His optics glowed brightly as he stretched his hands, exasperated. "Easily copied!"
"Just as his body is." Jaj continued that train of thought. A smirk, the nature of it, so unlike Warp, it seemed unlike it, like someone else was laying on the table. "Only came to this idea recently."
Zurg was quiet for a long moment as he trembled with rage, his hands clenched, ready to combust. Won't lose him, too.
"Prepare for a far more prepared opponent, Jaj." Zurg instructed. "And more than that." Zurg turned toward a grub then knelt down and whispered. "Do it."
"Yes, Evil One." the grub replied.
"What are you doing?"
"A tiny adjustment for Warp Darkmatter's sake." Zurg cackled as he clenched his claw and a grub set a device along the neck of the Space Ranger. "Evil always wins."
"Not for long." was the reply as the form fell into slumber.
"Send this dreadnought back through the portal when the code 3022 115623373 appears." Zurg instructed as he crafted the program in his processor then connected it to the dreadnoughts. "Should appear when conditions have met."
"Yes, Evil One."
"Ensure that Star Command does not interfere in the mean time."
"Of course."
"Rescue Nos-4-A2 and Gravitina soon as the code comes in. The code will be otherwise automatic."
"When should we expect the code?"
"Hmmm. It will come in, sometime, after. . ." Zurg looked toward the resting Space Ranger then back. "This evil scheme has seen it's course. Now, go."
"Yes, Evil One."
Zurg was left alone by the grub.
"Wish there were better words to have said before the barbecue instead of cursing you." Zurg admitted. "Turns out, there isn't." The Evil Emperor rubbed the side of his shoulder as he proceeded to laugh. "This scheme is going to drive me mad and it will have been worth it all."
Zurg turned away then walked away from the resting Space Ranger.
A/N 3022 115623373 spells Buzz Lightyear
