Lord Freeves was bored again, so he opted to use the Tunnel Extraction System with a date set for merely a week after the demise of Buzz Lightyear in a far different world. The gate remained open in the well lit symbol of Z. Freeves saw the Evil Emperor approaching a shadow, a tall one, with a familiar hair cut. A single blast, the Space Ranger was thrown aside, pressed a button on his wrist, aiming for the debris, destroying it in a matter of a moment.
"Give it up, Darkmatter. I have won, and you, have lost, with very little manner or reason to undo this loss."
"Last week taught one thing to heart, Zurg, and it's that evil never really wins."
"So be it!"
The Space Ranger leaped behind the Evil Emperor who twirled firing at random and destroyed the lighting in the chamber, leaving the portal glowing faintly behind him. Zurg stared into the dark, tense, frightened.
"I didn't know Evil Emperors were frightened of the dark, no wonder, Buzz was so entertained by fighting you in the dark."
Zurg lifted the plasma blaster then it was shot off by a single laser blast from Mira
"Not today, Zurg." Mira said.
Mira was peeking out of the wall with her hand on her wrist laser ready to fire. Booster picked up the fallen equipment then crushed it. Warp stepped forward, his aim tight, Booster stared down the Evil Emperor, Mira landed down to her feet and approached him.
"Evil Emperor Zurg by the authority of Star Command-"
"Section five sub-section zeta - that's the one about the Evil Emperor." Booster wiggled his finger toward the smaller being with a smirk.
"You're under arrest!"
"Like I said, short hand, Evil. NEVER. WINS."
"This is embarrassing,"
"The proudest day of our lives!" XR chimed.
"No, no, not that."
"It's the whole losing bit." Booster said, grinning then laughed.
"Being taken down, by the Space Ranger who lived, paling in comparison to Buzz Lightyear, who should have become the Space Ranger that died." Zurg pointed toward him. "You should have died with him, too!"
Warp clenched his hand then lunged, stopped by Booster, as the Evil Emperor laughed.
"LET ME AT HIM! HE DESERVES TO DIE! LET GO OF ME, BOOSTER!"
Zurg was laughing over the anger, the heartbreak, the pain, the grief, ah, so that's why he liked him as a nemesis. Darkmatter was entertaining in the days after Buzz Lightyear died. Almost made Freeves regret the way things had turned out. Almost. If he had arrived sooner, he would have had his fun, taunting him, mocking him. Instead, he was the one being taunted, being mocked, laughed at by the same individual. Freeves had done his fair share of killing several Warp Darkmatter as a mercenary to cool off his rage to tide off the impatience before getting his just deserved deserts.
A ray of red light poured past the group causing their attention to shift, Zurg to jump into a exit as he laughed. The Evil Emperor reappeared on his flying throne.
"You failed, Darkmatter! With that final blast, I have enslaved every free world in the Galactic Alliance! Wherever you go in the universe, you will hear my voice MOCKING you! Evil rules!"
Zurg belted out a laugh then was chased away by Mira, Warp, and XR's blasts.
"You shoulda let me kill him, Booster." Warp turned toward the giant with a glare.
"And it would have happened anyway," Mira countered, drawing his attention. "enslaving," Warp glared in the direction that the Evil Emperor had gone. "the whole shabang, and we still would have lost!"
"If only we could make everything right." Warp rubbed his forehead. "Make the uni-mind good again." he looked down with a sigh. "And, it's pointless, taking that clone into custody, when there's no justice system."
"Hmm. . . I seem to know just the way." Freeves said, drawing their attention, smirking, approaching them, walking out of the dark. "I am from a future, parallel universe over, the one that's ugly, touched more sincerely by grief, that one," he winked, finger gunning back at Mira, chuckling. "Yes, hmm hhmm, you got it."
"A future?" Xr asked, wearily, as Warp looked hopeful.
"The one that we could have." Booster said as he looked back and forth toward where the Evil Emperor had gone then toward Freeves.
"And the one that I really don't like." Freeves admitted as he folded his arms.
"Then we've got something to work with!" Mira said.
"How do we fix it?" Warp approached him.
"Only the touch of a good person can do that, Darkmatter." Freeves explained. "Not sure the machine can do it, power overload, being ghosted in." then he slyly smiled. "If they are a good person."
"How about not me?" XR offered, folding his arms, scowling back in response. "I don't wanna die!"
"A simple touch can do the trick . . ." Warp repeated as he looked toward the sky then toward Freeves. "Are you a good person?"
"Not really a good person." Freeves grew a broad grin as he shook his hands. "Call me one of those charming and bad guys."
"Booster, how much of a good person are you?"
"Uhhhh. . . no."
"Why not?"
"I am too much of a sweet heart and kind, that's a no go, different from good."
"We don't need an excess of that." Mira noted as she giggled.
"Mira." Warp turned toward her.
"Why not you?"
"Mira, try it for Buzz Lightyear. Booster, XR, get Agent Z into custo-"
"What are you going to do?" Booster asked, tapping his fingers together, concerned. "Do nothing?"
"Better. . . have faith in you." Warp said then smiled. "All of you."
The crew split up leaving the Space Ranger behind watching them go.
"What's the real reason why?"
"Because I'm not that much of a good person that Buzz Lightyear idealized." Warp lowered his head as his shoulders lowered with shame. "We all make mistakes, and, I . . . I am living mine."
"And you think Buzz Lightyear made a mistake saving your life." Freeves commented.
"It is a mistake." Warp insisted as turned toward him. "We've met, over there," he pointed at the shorter lizard as he squinted as he tilted his head and squinted at him. "something tells me that."
"You're my nemesis." Freeves said as he clenched his hand. "I don't know what he was thinking about saving your life, but. . ." He had a sigh. "you're part of his legacy now." he set a hand on the side of Warp's shoulder. "It's up to you to maintain it." he tapped on the chassis. "And where I'm from; you're a good person."
Freeves walked away as Warp stood there stunned.
"Is it going to be okay? All the pain? All the misery? All the heartache?"
Freeves halted then turned toward him.
"From what I saw, it's worth it all to you after that loss."
"Am I really a good person over there? The person that I want to be? The person that I am trying to be?"
So much skepticism. So much doubt. Uncertainty of being successful.
"Yesterday, there was an attack on a Alliance Colony, you were there, enjoying shore leave, you used yourself as a shield for a small child, five years old, stunning, you survived, turns out you were wearing this under garment, anti plasma onesie, the boy had a wimpy knight from Ipseadan-"
"Sir Metal Brave." Warp corrected him then grew a smile. "I adopt a kid!" his over joyed demeanor faded then he squinted back at the lizard. "Blast, why would I do something as stupid as that?" he held his hand up, sideways, then shook then shook it. "Adopting a kid immediately after losing Lightyear is a horrible idea."
Freeves scowled, tapping his claws along his shoulders, his head lowered, pouting.
"Are you done?" Freeves asked.
Warp looked around the lizard then nodded.
"Affirmative."
Freeves briefly closed his eyes with a sigh then lifted his gaze up.
"That child was not your child! Made it perfectly clear, painfully, bitterly, thoroughly transparent."
"Ooooh, affirmative, random kid, he's just a random kid." Warp cheered then pumped in the air. "YEEEEEAAAH!"
"You chased me for the boy's toy, the armor glinting in the sun so I tried using it to my advantage but no, it couldn't blind you with those sunglasses on, tackled me, shoved me down to the ground, and ripped the toy out of my hands, beat me up with your feet and your bare hands, swearing at me- to be fair most of the wounds were from when you crashed my ride." Freeves continued to explain as Warp laughed at him. He was visibly brighter, younger, and utterly promising, the way that he seemed to be believing in the story that was being told. "Something about looking cool? It's annoying. Care to tell me why it's cool? You've been wearing it a lot lately."
Warp was wearing the same grin that Freeves was very familiar to.
"It's shady and in style for a Space Ranger." Warp fingered gunned back at him with a wink. "But, you'll never get it." he jabbed his finger against the chassis. "It's not in your dictionary, not someone who appreciates the aesthetic, of being a villain, a good guy, or a guy in the shady section of life."
Warp grabbed Freeves by the neck, bringing him close, face to face, terrifying the lizard. His yellow eyes glaring back at Lord Freeves like he saw right through him. A big reminder that he was a strong foe, he was at his mercy, choking the lizard that struggled to breath. A unhinged Warp Darkmatter who would rather solve the problems of his present by turning him in, throwing away the keys, and forget about him.
"And you're not the kind of villain that is found in the Gamma Quadrant."
"Ack!" Freeves squeaked.
Mira came back behind the Space Ranger who tossed him back.
"It didn't work!" Mira revealed.
Warp turned toward Mira as his brows lowered and his jaw fell.
"Craters." Warp said as his shoulders slackened.
Freeves looked toward Warp. All that potential standing before him. It was amusing. Full of angst. Heartbroken. Personal doubts.
"Why don't you touch it?" Freeves offered as he dusted himself off and smirked. "Just a quick thing."
"Just because things are the way they are there, doesn't mean it's the same here!" Warp snapped as he turned back toward Freeves.
"Let the Uni-mind prove that you are a good person here, Captain." Van Selling appeared behind Freeves as he joined his side. "An all powerful mind is a very good determinator after all."
Warp was quite unsure about that, visibly, in such a way that it was concerning for Van Selling then turned toward Mira.
"If I fail, it has to work with Booster, Mira." Warp said. "Help me to the uni-mind!"
Mira grew a smile, flew behind him, grabbed Warp by the arms, then flew out of the blown up window.
"I heard how repressed the Commander was from Admiral Nebula. . ." Van Selling confessed. "But never in a million years did I imagine that he was that hurt."
"The past is but a specter of emotions that seem superficial and inconsequential when reading them from history books or retold for that matter verbally." Freeves said, then turned away and began to walk on. "It is time to return to the portal."
"Negative." Van Selling remained there and then Freeves turned toward him. "We have to see how it turns out."
"Interested, Van Selling?" Freeves lifted an eyebrow ridge as he chuckled.
Van Selling flew out of the hole so Freeves followed. The duo hovered out of the way watching as Booster and XR hopped off the building with a parachute as the roof was exploding. Freeves watched as Warp placed his hand on the surface of the purple glowing ball. then it began to change color. The Space Ranger's mood notably changed as he began to grin then they were thrown back from the purple cackling brain as the duo yelped.
Warp rubbed the side of his shoulder, then clenched his hands, looking back furious, his teeth clenched, irritated, and very angry making a comment that Zurg did something to the core. Mira gasped then smiled and she flew him directly to the brain.
"What is she doing?" Van Selling asked.
Freeves watched as the duo became outlined in blue and the older Space Ranger was protesting against the very dangerous move.
"She's going to ghost him into the brain." Freeves said.
"She can just try and do it on her own." Van Selling shrugged it off.
Freeves turned his attention toward Van Selling with a glare.
"It hurt her here." Freeves said.
Van Selling puckered his lips.
"Oh." Van Selling said.
Warp was shoved into the brain then she was thrown back, electrocuted by the brain, screaming, then the pain ended, she looked on.
"Warp!" Mira shouted.
Van Selling gasped, surprised, even a little bit shocked.
"Oh, was she supposed to go in with him and get out?" Van Selling asked.
Freeves smacked him upside the head.
"Of course she was, dumb dumb." Freeves replied as Van Selling rubbed the back of his head as his purple antennas were turned toward his companion.
"There's nothing happening." Van Selling pointed out.
"That's off. . ." Freeves was slightly concerned as he rubbed his chin cupping his elbow with his other hand. "Maybe he was wrong about him in this 'verse."
"What a pity." Van Selling shook his head, disappointed, then laughed. "Alls bad ends bad."
"Buzz Lightyear would die for anyone, frankly." Freeves told his younger companion. "I tried killing some people in the multiverse and he died for them. So, so, so many of them, even for the energy bat. Should have seen the shock, the confusion, the anger, how they trembled, that was nasty, think I lost them in the last universe that I dumped them."
"Maybe not." Van Selling said as he motioned toward the brain.
"What do you see that I don't?" Freeves asked.
"Nothing." Freeves squinted back at Van Selling. "Just some faith is all."
"You should leave now before we see her try to go through it and take out his electrocuted form." Freeves said, in pity, turning away, flying off quite a ways.
"I think he's having his entire life flash before his eyes, Lord Freeves." Van Selling countered as he kept his gaze fixated on the ball as Freeves had his back to him. "Give him a little more time."
In a brilliant blue flash, the large uni-mind returned to its general theme with a green band surrounding the peach themed planetary form covered in circular light green shapes. The group around the brain shielded themselves from the bright intensity of the light as the waves echoed on through the very universe itself rinsing out Zurg's evil with that of good. The brightness faded as did the waves and everyone looked on in anticipation.
"I'm out." Freeves said.
"Aren't you interested how he comes out of it?" Van Selling asked.
"This Warp Darkmatter is not my nemesis." Freeves said.
"Enjoy the pudding then." Van Selling looked away as he shrugged.
"It's porridge! Get it straight! You are a disappointment for your forefathers and foremothers!" Freeves flew back down then added with. "Terrible!"
Van Selling turned away back in the direction of the scene as Mira flew back out with Warp as they laughed then the duo landed below the tower, Warp flipped open his comn, reporting to Star Command as Mira and Booster shared a high five. He couldn't help but feel pity how things would turn out in the future for the lot of them, Warp Darkmatter without his later acquired children, Mira a queen, Booster and XR training a new rookie who was cocky beyond her wildest dreams and a living irritation to the expendable irritation that Booster took in stride, and the very dead Agent Z not existing. Warp approached Van Selling with a grin.
"Do we meet in the future?" Warp asked.
"Not sure that we do meet in this future ahead," Van Selling admitted, shrugging, apologetically. "and you're not going to like it after we meet should we do meet."
"You saved the Galactic Alliance, whatever you do, it'll pass over." Warp replied with a laugh then set his hands on his hips. "Forgive you in the end after it all clears up and you do something good."
It was quite painful hearing his ex-Captain tell him that. A version of the ex-captain who believed the good in him. Who didn't lose a arm because of him. Who didn't lose an admiral, a friend of his, because of Van Selling.
"I know someone you will like, though." Van Selling changed the subject, knowing, remembering, the glare from the commander whenever they crossed paths.
"Who?" Warp's brows lifted up.
"Nelani Fisher." Van Selling's arms were linked behind his back as his antennas moved toward his surroundings. "She likes fishing, hence, the last name Fisher, she claims she changed her last name to that; she likes fish, baseball, soccer, and you go fishing with her on the weekends."
"Fishing! Peee yeh!" Warp pinched the bridge of her nose. "That stinks of being really patient and a straight up lie."
"Not a lie." Van Selling shook his head. "You two are close friends." Van Selling laughed it over. "I ask you why you fish with her and not with me."
"And what's the answer?" Warp asked.
"Fishing is more fun with her."
"Ha ha ha, stonewalling! Wonderful." Warp applauded. "now stop it."
"Afraid that's in general what you were doing with me."
"Oooh, ooooh, so it's that way, keeping information back per the prime directive! Oooh, you must have a lot of secrets!"
"Tons, and tons, and tons, and tons." was a big white lie as he bore a big grin then Warp grabbed him and rubbed his head causing the grin to run away. "Stop it! Hey! I mean it, stop it, stop rubbing between my antennas, what's wrong with you? Stop it! SStttoooooop!"
"I can't wait to meet you, Rookie!" Warp laughed.
"No! I'm not going to meet you as a Rookie!" Van Selling protested.
"With talk like that, definitely are!" Warp replied then Van Selling backed out then flipped him over. "Oooh, that's a total 'done this a lot' move!" He flipped on to his feet as he grinned. "You're a double spy . . . just like," his grin faded then he smirked as he poked at his chassis. "There's some good in you, son." he withdrew his hand then set his hands on his hips. "Can't be a ranger without that in the heart."
"Nah uh, negative, nadah, that's how my life is lived." Van Selling exclaimed, shaking his head. "Or will be lived."
"Keep blabbing your mouth, can't hear a word," Warp held his hand up in a hand puppet shape and made fun of him talking and laughing. "only can only hear the sweet satisfaction of being right."
"Star Cruiser 32 is here!" Mira announced as she beamed turning away from the landing Star Cruiser.
"That's my cue to leave." Van Selling turned away then began to walk on just far enough to make his departure flight.
"Do you enter my life before or after Fisher, son?" Warp asked.
"After." Van Selling smiled, fondly, it was a memorable first encounter.
"Ooooh, you're going to be so fun to mess with!" Warp stretched his arms out then laughed, like a maniac, but smoothly, features twitching. "What's your name?"
"VHS Tape Casette!" A big ass lie. Van Selling turned around then flew on but stopped in mid air. "No, no, no," he turned away toward them. "it's VSS!"
"What did he say?" Mira asked as she waved back.
"Sounded like Vasquez." Warp replied as he waved back.
"No, it was VeezeeHofferSetter!" XR insisted, waving at Van Selling.
"I heard Vish!" Booster said, cheerfully.
"He said VHS Cape Tasette." Agent Z said, scowling. "So easy not to miss."
"Bingo time when we meet." Warp said as he watched the figure fly toward the tower then turned toward the core crew with a grin that faded after a few moments after remembering one critical matter. "Craters! We didn't ask that lizard his name!"
