A/N Dedicated to Safekeeperscosm for getting me to talk for what happened after the end of 'in his crazed attempt'.
Close to forty-five years had passed since Buzz Lightyear had died, and Zurg was defeated, arrested, and starting to spend a very lengthy prison sentence at a prison complex, which wasn't pc-7 unfortunately for Zurg. How was it unfortunate? Pc-7 was a place where dangerous space criminals went and add insult to injury to defeat, he was moved to an average prison a decade ago after being taken into custody. Zurg was content in his prison cell reflecting over his story as a villain, and it was satisfying in his less deadly shell built and designed for his very long prison stay.
It ended on terms that weren't a surprise for him, Planet Z freed, being defeated by Milky Weight and his partner Z-Bats. Star Command was dealing with another dictator in space, an evil queen who's exploits and terror and evil seeped throughout the Gamma Quadrant, and by his determination of things, she were going to be taken in the next few months. A lot sooner than himself. The small television set in his cell, the last connection to the outside world, easily said that much with the large belief that was clung on to by the space civilians the reporters talked to.
His life was a book, his favorite book. He loved every bit, every diagram, every number, cherished it, it hadn't quite yellowed to time, but it became endearing and fonder as time wore on. The last few years in the prison cell, having meals, content, was a far better cry of being bored at his throne room seated there after having exhausted his list of evil schemes to do. There was a unfinished chapter in his life, the future, or was it finished, technically? They had lured him to Morph, got him upset, then taken him into custody and attempted to return him. Did it count as defeat? Through the eyes of a villain and a hero and a anti hero, it could count as one. The thought of it being unfinished was remedied by the main satisfying overall story of a resurrection, of a rebirth, of redemption, of love, of grief, and evil prevailing at its best. That stay there had been part of the story, deeply.
Zurg was quite aware how Team Darkmatter was doing, he had checked the historical logs after or in or will or has or had in the distant future see that Mira chose to adopt and have surrogates carry her children, all seven of them, that Fop Doppler was involved in. After Warp Darkmatter's passing of natural causes, his partner Max Sundistance would go missing after paying a visit to the tower. Booster was becoming the new commander tonight and he was going to lead the new golden age of the Space Corps, great things were going to happen, new discoveries, new villains, new battles, Rangers making names for themselves. And Warp was accepting a promotion to admiral tonight, as well. Finally.
It didn't quite count in the terms of retirement when it mattered in lingering in the side lines. Zurg knew the secret, of why it looked like Warp and Quark were in the end credits of the final episode of Netflix's Buzz Lightyear of Star Command series; it's because the show will digitally replace Buzz with that of Quark in a few years as of some incident. Or it may have happened already but it wasn't reported on the news. Zurg didn't know what incident but it was going to happen, it had happened, and is happening from a non-linear point of view. One day, if he got curious enough, he would look up the file of the clone. The ex-Space Ranger was keeping a low profile, remarkably well, even when most people knew he was Buzz Lightyear. Zurg's finest legacy was in the form of Buzz Lightyear gaslighting the entire Galactic Alliance that he was a random person who won Warp Darkmatter's heart. And XR remained a rookie carrying what he loved most; kicking butt.
But, the future, Zurg, hundreds of years from now, wasn't there, he was in the past, and apparently, he didn't really know what happened to his past self. Or more so, present self, he largely thought the person that he read about was the impostor when it was really him all along. He answered that question by hand waving it as the place being destroyed taking him with it sometime in the future in large part to any unforeseeable war or prison escape by a random criminal. His belongings would be set up in a museum, or has been, or would be, or will be, save for a few collective toys that he got rid of to ensure things happened the way that he had experienced, is experiencing, and will experience in the future before his greatest scheme, reluctantly, painfully.
Instead of wearing a purple themed outfit with a red accent, Zurg was in an orange prison jump suit, he had the horns from the side that remained, even the helmet top, lacking any other reminder of who he had once used to be outside the walls of the prison. He had a different helmet, not purple, gray, with red optics and a orange panel instead of yellow.
The door to his luxurious room with a single bunk slid open shaking him out of his train of thought.
"Breakfast."
He did miss those days, being out there, being a villain, the people that occupied the spaces in the fight, the entertainment, they were still alive, then why did it feel like they were gone? Because he couldn't see them again.
"That's a lie!" Zurg stood up from the couch. "It's lunch!"
"My name is Razenuz Va'loszi," the figure came into the doorway with a plasma blaster. "and you killed my mother!"
Zurg darted underneath the bed falling out of sight as a blast struck the wall behind him and he cowered, shielding himself, then the bed itself was destroyed and he was struck, thrown clear out of the room, his back colliding with the railing of the cat walk, then flipped over on to his chassis as an alarm wailed. All the doors were closed. Razenuz crept on after the convict as he looked around for self-defense, taking her sweet time, step by step, as he looked up spotting the doors were shut and the security bots were unable to enter and dispel the conflict. He looked toward her, recognizing her, as one of the non-robot prison guards, she had appeared roughly five years ago in his life. Oh, Zurg realized then he admired her for this incredible revenge scheme.
"Got anything to say, Zurg?" Razenuz asked.
If only he had his lethal helmet, but in all being defeated by someone who was on a vengeance path was quite appealing. This explains the whole absent Evil Emperor Zurg.
"Evil rules!"
"This is not today, Zurg." was her hiss and a laugh, lifting her weapon, aiming at him.
Instead of that familiar hammy laughter, it was deeper, evil, mechanical and twice the ham then he pointed at Razenuz and laughed, cracking up, his laughter all but mocking his assassin.
"At the end today; evil wins, succumbing to your worst impulse, Razenuz Va'loszi!" Zurg's voice was different, more aligned to the counterpart that he played as with Joey in a multiplayer game then closed his fist. "Congratulations, you have played yourself in a way that Buzz Lightyear could never bring the heart to do to himself."
She scowled then lifted the plamsa blaster toward his helmet as a blue glowing muscular set of arms stretched out then grabbed the weapon and tossed it aside.
"Hm!"
Razenuz stepped back with a grimace as the figure lowered then planted two fingers on the would be assassin's head and then the tall figure collapsed.
"Matt-hun Nebula!"
Matt-hun turned toward Zurg.
"Kinda late." was the apology as Matt-hun stepped forward rubbing the back of her neck, her face obscured by the helmet, laughing. "The grubs got the course wrong."
"What are you doing here!" Zurg shouted, shaking his fists at Matt-hun, irritated. "ARE YOU MAD? NOW COMMANDER FAIRFLIGHT WILL ANTICIPATE YOUR BETRAYAL!"
"Rescuing you?. . ." then Matt-hun said. "And I brought a helmet!" she pointed at her helmet. "The commander won't know it's me."
"No, nah uh, out, go back to the future, and enjoy a Zurg-less present!" Zurg pointed out the window beside him as he clenched his servo and the security bots were banging against the door. "It was perfect!" he turned around, his hands clenched, stomping on the ground. "Revenge! Being content! Having lived a very full life!" he opened his palm with his claws frozen in anger turning toward Matt-hun. "I'm out of evil things!"
"Man, being part of history took a lot out of you." Matt-hun noted as Razenuz lifted up to her feet.
Zurg folded his arms as he glared upon the shorter being.
"And now I remember why we started to drift apart." Zurg glared her down as he rubbed beneath his grill. "You're such a disappointment, when things are returned, villains don't get them back, it's meant to happen, it's meant to be, even at our dismay that avenue is exhausted." He unfolded his arms then set them on her shoulders. "I regret opening-no, there are better words for this!" he clenched her shoulder armor. "I regret slowly unshackling that little box of evil right in that chest buried beneath the sand."
"Don't regret it, it's quite thrilling." Zurg looked up over her shoulder as Matt-hun smiled, shaking her hand. "It's the best thing you did! Never been this great!" she stretched her arms out for emphasis, chuckling, happily. "I can't believe the ways that I had fun scratched the itch!"
Thinking quickly to avoid another revenge cycle, Zurg picked her up into his arms, ran, then threw Matt-hun directly at Razenuz knocking down the would be assasisin then tore off pieces of his prison uniform and tied it her up, hogtie, tightly.
"There!" Zurg dusted his claws off as Matt-hun glared him down. "That should do it!"
The machines broke the door open as Matt-hun turned on her wings then flew out, grabbing Zurg, hands beneath his shoulders, then phased out of the building.
"MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTT-HUUUUUUUUUN, YOU DRUNKEN FOOLISH BIRD! PUT ME BACK THIS INSTANT!"
Matt-hun laughed at him as he flew on toward the gray dreadnought waiting in orbit.
"This is what dreams are made of!" Matt-hun replied as she cackled.
Matt-hun phased into the ship, dropping Zurg, then pressed a button.
"You are interfe-"
"GO, GO!"
'Matt-hun, I will return to the present upon the return to the futu-"
"With what?" Matt-hun turned toward him. "You are missing rocket boots, laser eyes, ion blaster, plasma blaster, claws capable of summoning electricity, what do you have that I don't?"
"The will to face evil mistakes and live with them!" Zurg loomed over her then jabbed his long claw against her chassis. "This is your biggest one yet!"
"The first one was not having Ida's back when you entered the picture!" Matt-hun snapped back at him shoving his hand down away from her. "So there, join the line, that won't work on Agent Z."
"You will live to regret this," Zurg warned as he cracked his claws as several hornets approached him.
"Or, will I?" Matt-hun cackled as she stepped back and the ship trembled. "Hornets, put him with Team Heavyturbo!"
"Why you little weasel!" Zurg shot as the hornets grabbed a hold on to him and dragged him away. "I WILL WHIP YOU! ATOMIZE YOU! DESTROY YOU WITH PANACHE! WHEN I SEE ZEB NEBULA AGAIN, I'LL COMPLAIN ALL ABOUT YOU!"
"Blah, blah blah blah blapedy blah blah blah, word salad." Matt-hun mocked with one hand as Zurg was taken down the dark corridor then grew a cocky smile to herself. "Time for Matt-hun Nebula to make a name for herself."
"CURSE YOU, MATT-HUN NEBULA!" Zurg's shriek echoed through the ship.
The twenty-eight Star Cruiser halted as the indestructible Dreadnought flew closer to the black hole then became a sharp white glistening object passing by the perspective of the the two Space Rangers who stared in horror.
"Darkmatter to Weight." Warp appeared on the triangle screen, his hair line starting to recede, his eyes a little more baggy, skin not as bright blue as it used to be, his eyebrows thinning.
"Weight here." Weight replied.
"What's the word?" Warp asked.
"They did that swing move with the black hole." Weight twirled his hand. "The forbidden one."
Warp's eyes widened as he leaned back then whistled and lifted his brows in alarm.
"They've gone into the future." Warp said as the duo exchanged a glance.
"Affirmative." Milky Weight said.
"Theoretically." Z-Bats added. "It's a good idea though."
"Not your problem." Warp laughed then looked aside then muttered to himself, 'nor mine, either'. as he laughed. "But it will be a problem that Star Command can handle, again."
"What do you mean?" Z-Bats asked as Warp laughed over the line then shook his head.
"I'll explain at Cosmo's Diner tonight." Warp replied, casually, turning his attention on the screen. "There's better fish to catch. Darkmatter out."
Warp gazed out the window of Star Command sporting a big smile. Warp took out a small phone from his chassis, swiped on the screen multiple times, then tapped on it, and set the device against his ear.
"Hey, Lightyear, how would you feel about having dinner at Cosmo's Diner? Zurg just went to the future, okay-oh? You're bringing Bonnie Lepton and her husband? Okay, wait-why?" he smacked his forehead as he remembered. "Oooooh, I completely forgot about promotion party." Warp rubbed his forehead as he laughed. "See you tonight at the diner before the party." the commander smiled for a sincere short moment listening to what his partner had to say, affectionately. "I love you, too."
XR turned on the device.
"Heeeey, Mira, Booster, this is Ranger XR, a thousand years from now!"
XR tapped his claws together.
"I am going to miss you all, Booster, Mira, Warp Darkmatter, and being XR the young android. I will miss you, have missed you, and had missed you, knowing that I was there with you during the years being part of Warp's team for however short that we had with him, it was nice. What am I going to miss? A grieving Evil Emperor?"
"Maybe, it was fun beating him time and time again, but that's the entertainment talking, winning often, laughing, eating at Cosmo's Diner as a team, even when things changed significantly, we found a way to hang out. A Warp Darkmatter grieving in his own way, suppressing his feelings about losing Buzz, how Warp had it hard with numerous people who knew Buzz best and he pretended not to notice, remember how he epic failed? Yeah, those were good times, and you're still living those times, and I-there are things that I wanna share. But instead, I'll tell you something else."
XR shook his head.
"I . . . Wondered . . many, many, many times."
Xr sighed before elaborating.
"What does 'To infinity and beyond' mean?"
XR stared at the screen.
"Does it mean nothing? Just a catch phrase that meant nothing? Was it something Buzz found that clicked?"
XR pouted before continuing that train of thought.
"Over the years, I've found it means something entirely different, just my little thing, is all, it means something different to Buzz Lightyear.. . . "
The android smiled.
"It's about reaching for that sweet spot that you once were,"
Warp fell out of the flying spacecraft with a scream.
"LIIIIGHHTTTTYEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAR!"
"With the same equipment and all,"
A blue figure flew out of the vehicle.
"thinking all the right moves will get you there, and you fail,"
Buzz reached his hand after the commander.
"after your old equipment was damaged beyond repair unexpectedly,"
The fingers drew closer and closer.
"it's about getting new equipment that is hardy and sturdy,"
Buzz caught the commander by the wrist then wrapped his arm around his waist.
"And doesn't fail you while you fly to the sweet beyond."
Xr smiled, reflecting, fondly.
"It's about being a whole new you being able to do anything,"
Buzz and Warp remained there in the sky then looked down toward the craft that crashed into a factory then smiled and laughed as the gas spread.
"Out of the ashes of an act of love,"
From the crater destroying itself, Buzz smacked the emergency jet pack sending Warp out.
"and out of duty,"
Zurg stared as Andruzz was destroyed by the hornets.
"Out of friendship, too."
Nebula shoved Zurg into the portal.
"It's about having something central to cling on to, to your beliefs, to who you are and being okay with it at the end of the day."
XR chuckled.
"Or maybe . . beyond. . . is the part where you can fly and make a great difference."
Warp caught the falling cowboy with his out stretched hand.
"Having fun!"
Zurg chased after Freeves on a golden carriage with a red accent made of ruby as he laughed through a jungle.
"Helping people."
Warp looked toward the two siblings who he reunited with a smile and one of them held the squeezable Evil Emperor Zurg toy.
"Maybe this is just me waxing philosophically, affirmative, that is the case. . ." XR grew a sad smile. "I.. . I miss you. I really do. And you were the best friends that I ever had and always will be. I love, you, all."
XR set his hand on the screen then smiled.
"Thanks for being my first friend, and wait thirty-three minutes, please, uh, I have to share something with dad."
XR whistled, checked his phone, juggled, sculpted, snored, during the thirty-five minutes.
"Hey dad!" Xr waved a servo. "I just like to say, I think about you a lot. . . I'm doing okay, so is the Space Ranger Corps, just last week we stopped a species from another galaxy from invading ours! Whew, that was a heart stopper!" XR wiped off a bead of sweat then sighed. "We passed it, got through it, Morph's doing okay, and the rookies, they're okay, sometimes they're starship wrecks and sometimes they're dumpsters on fire but that's fine." XR laughed at his own comment. "And I just wanted to say, I love you."
XR wiped off some tears from his optics.
". ., . and I am so glad you gave me that work order, that you authorized me, that I helped Star Command in what ways I could and got to be proven right when the people that I believed in turned out to be the people who I knew they were in the heart. Er, that's just the Lightyear in me talking, ya know, the whole basing me off Warp's dead partner nags me, if it were Warp who died, would they have done the same? . ."
it was quiet in the room.
"Oh yeah, probably." Xr laughed to himself. "Thanks for believing in me, dad." the android had a heartbroken smile. "Never gonna let you down, never going to give Star Command up, did run a few circles around it, but I will never abandon it, ever. And if you're going to ask me how I feel. . . I feel okay, incredible, and good, carrying on, and . ."
XR began to cry.
"I miss you, too."
The screen turned to black.
It was dark until the red light and orange light entered the room along with sounds of vaguely threatening words. Zurg crashed into the triangle cell then the door slid close behind him. Zurg turned around then lunged forward and attempted to open the door. He tugged and tugged with all his strength then fell back to the floor with a growl. Zurg slid up his sleeves then resumed trying again to pry the door open with his bare servos. He set his feet on the door full of bars then tugged and tugged and tugged with all his might. He landed back down to the ground landing on to his side. He heard laughter, loud laughter, followed by applause then he whipped around toward the source of it.
"Being defeated by your own rat. Fancy."
Zurg stretched his arm out then looked down, remembering just then, it couldn't transform.
"what are you talking about?" Zurg stepped forward. "That rat abducted me!"
"Hard to believe these days given the two of you worked together so well." Ida stepped forward, her hands linked behind her back, glaring back at him.
"That relationship has fallen apart." Zurg pinched between his optics, emberressed, ashamed. "Got some idea of how it would have naturally ended between Agent Z and I."
"What's your evil scheme?"
"I. . . am . . FRESH OUT OF EVIL SCHEMES!"
"You! Out?"
"YES!"
"Unbelievable!"
"Believe it!"
"Then why go back in time for you!"
Zurg shoved Ida back to the ground and she was caught by two tall Ipsedan rookies.
"I. Don't. Know." Zurg confessed as he turned away, folding his arms.
"There must be a reason why you're here with us instead of with her."
"I want to go back to my time and straight into prison." he turned toward the twin rookies. "Ben and Henry Brightstar." he rubbed beneath his grill. "Ugly as always."
"It's . . ." Zurg stepped aside. "Benjamin!"
"And it's Peterivus!"
"That's NOT EVEN A NAME!" Zurg shot back.
The duo shoved Zurg against the door.
"I want to work with you." Ida said.
"No, no, no, and no." Zurg shook his helmet.
"Chicken?" Ida lifted a brow.
"Just don't have any evil schemes." Zurg said.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ida furrowed her brows.
"I. . . have. . . what you would call . . . Evil . . SCHEME BLOCK!" Zurg relented. "The greatest nemesis of all time!" he stretched his hands out toward the ceiling. "Artist's block! Writer's block!"
"I still want to work with you." Ida said.
"Not with this evil schemer in this state of being, think not."
"You can walk around it." Ida said.
"There's something very wrong with that question, tell me, does your comrades feel the same?"
"Affirmative!" Ben and Peter said at once.
"Let me tell you something about my ex-nemesis Buzz Lightyear, he changed the Space Ranger Corps from the inside out. He fought to make things better from inside, he left after becoming disasstified with it, then caught this gas baron, and he changed, and he changed everything he touched for the better and then, he stopped touching, he stopped living, and touching life, it undid everyone, notably me, we had to remake ourselves in a better image than what we found ourselves in, and this path is not what you want to embark on, it'll lead to near possible death, certain heartache, certain regrets, certain shame, certain embarrassment, certain. . . a lot of things, loss of a friend namely."
Ida stepped forward, somberly.
"I don't care." Ida told the Evil Emperor as they halted in their tracks. "We don't have time to do that."
"Time is always in the cards." Zurg argued back.
"Fairflight is taking the Space Corps down a bad path!" They clenched their hand. "Things are changing, things you're not paying attention to, the Galactic Alliance, it's becoming a empire, they don't realize it, but they are, there is going to be a vote dissolving the galactic alliance and the federation president to-"
"Ooooh, that's the most evilest thing that I ever heard and the rudest thing, does Fairflight know that the Space Corps are . . . or could be. . . have to leave Morph? Along with Star Command, XR would never let his home become decorated in the signs of a dictatorship."
"XR has and she doesn't believe it'll happen." Ida said.
"Ah, you're asking me, to take out the new federation president who's talked everyone into giving them supreme power."
". . . We are." Ida said.
"And then what?" Zurg asked, glaring back at her. "Someone else will take over."
"That's what we have the vice president for and the vice president DISAGREES with what he is doing to the Galactic Alliance!" Ben shouted.
Zurg mulled it over. He could make an evil scheme around that, getting from here would require innovative thinking that the Space Rangers could do.
"On one condition." Zurg held up a lone index claw.
Zurg held his servo out.
"Name it." Ida said.
"Transport me back to the past, back into my cell, after this entire mess is over." Zurg said then he twirled his claw before adding, shifting his gaze to the side, then toward the captain. "And get your ex-partner out of the picture."
The rookies looked toward Zurg then back toward Ida who stared at him for a long moment then stretched their hand out.
"Deal." Ida took his hand and shook on it.
"And there were more adventures to be had, the end."
The doctor finished the tale, seated beside a young boy with blonde stylized hair, large pointy ears similar to Ferengi, despite not being one, and ridges along his neck.
"What about Quark Lightyear, Doctor Meety? What about Chari? Gamma? Alpha? Hoichi? Oort? Praw Patelblast?"
"Quark and Patelblast's story is another thing entirely, Charlie." was the reply. "This was about Warp Darkmatter, Buzz Lightyear, and Evil Emperor Zurg."
"But, those two-did they-are they?"
"They broke up later in life, but they remained very good friends," the doctor slowly began to smile. "in Patelblast's words, 'I am the brain, he's the brawn'." the older man continued to speak. "They don't try to reach for infinity and fail, it's about clones accepting they are clones, forgiving Zurg, it's about forgiving . . you know what Darkmatter said several Fridays ago in the prior installments."
"But Gamma figured out that he did it to keep her from going into the Space Corps."
"She got the wrong idea of why he did it, my dear boy." was the older man's reply. "Back then, Freeves was never on his mind when making the holographic video, imagine you've alienated your children to spare them from being targeted-"
"I am never going to have children." Charlie said.
"That's fine." was the reply. "After the war, however, you see one of them at the academy, and you promptly give them the hardest exam, they pass it with flying colors, they tell you that they've seen the holo, you have no idea what they're talking about and they don't go any further than that because you don't chase it because there's better things to do, all in the mean time, Zurg takes a liking to two captains, Milky Weight and Raptor Chill, after they successfully pull off a mission rescuing someone and taking down a mad scientist and a dictator at the same time, and oh, your partner wants to get married, you're having one hell of a day!"
"It's just. . . did it really happen? All of it?" Charlie asked. "It's something so great and epic and fantasy. . ."
"It mattered."
"And it's impressive, making a story like that, it's so emotional."
"It happened. That's why it's a roller coaster. Regrettable that it had."
"But how would you know. . ."
"There is a perk to being a brain pod, being a psychologist, being a neurologist, a artist, a poet, a sculptor, my, I could continue the list of occupations that gets the patient to talk."
"But, it's impossible. That happened in space. A world where people could fly off into space."
"Well, that was thousands of years ago," the doctor twirled his finger. "The whole Ida, Matt-hun, Peter, Ben, and saving the Galactic Alliance, and being prevented from going to a black hole and trying to tear down the Galactic Alliance for years afterwards. Very. . . very. . . very far away by now." his blue aged eyes looked aside, fondly. "Distant galaxy somewhere being evil or cooking or put himself in a self imposed prison to fill out the sentence that Matt-hun interrupted him in."
"Prove it." Charlie said.
The older man smiled then in a red light, he were replaced by a machine with a jar that had a brain with two familiar blue eyes, a purple machine with a red accent.
"Brain Pod 65, at your service." Brain Pod 65 said.
The boy's eyes flashed open then the Brain Pod pressed a button and the holographic figure returned. The doctor smiled from ear to ear as he held out a hand then shook Charlie's hand then the boy took it and felt a cold metal surface instead then withdrew it as his brows lifted. The older man clasped his hands together as he got up from the chair. Charlie shook his head, it had to be a trick. He was wearing something. His imagination running amok! He was a young boy. The rational explanation.
"Poor Charlie Comptun, a nobody. . ." he folded his arms, gazing out the window, observing the rain pouring down the window. "having no attachments to meet Evil Emperor Zurg in the flesh and live to talk about it."
Charlie eyed at the taller man in the dark.
"Would you miss a character like Zurg?" Charlie asked, still as skeptical.
The older man looked aside with his shadow that of a Brain Pod stretching behind him in the pool of the gray lighting.
"He's a very memorable character, Charlie. Leaves behind horror, is entertaining, makes you witness battles, wonderful things, lets you see the good side of science fiction . . ."
"Who was Brain Pod 65 before crossing paths with Zurg, Doctor?" Charlie asked as his eyes fell heavy.
"A young brilliant genius, a spy, by the name Doctor Zachary Smith, the man who I've introduced you to a series of stories every two weeks on Wednesday nights. . ." his voice became softer. "and yes, they did get home and so did I with the price of immortality. Like Warp Darkmatter, we both made a mistake, we paid for it, outliving those we loved, and like Zurg, immortality, it's not really fun the first hundred years dealing with the losses of those you knew." he rubbed his chin as the boy fell asleep. "Oh, the pain. . . the pain."
The boy fell asleep, peacefully. Reflecting over the long tale that had been spun by his friend while recovering from a lengthy illness in the hospital that he had survived and his parents did not. The tale which had been spun wheeled through his mind from start to finish like a movie but animated bouncing from year to year that was important to the main crux of the story and the singing that the doctor had acted out when the boy couldn't sleep for effect. Absorbing the boy into the tale like he were sucked in at a movie theater or a play, forgetting that he existed in the process. Was it emotionally taxing retelling the story to the boy? Telling pieces of the story every Friday easily said so. Charlie dreamed of flying in the sky, leaving a trail behind and laughing, chasing after a bad guy who drove a space motorcycle after abducting a princess, helping out Booster and XR catch a criminal who had lost them under some nefarious means. It was a shame that they never existed.
Charlie woke up early in the morning to a collection of new civilian clothing supplied by the hospital. Charlie saw the active wheelchair set by his bed then slipped into it and took the bundle right as he wheeled into the bathroom. He removed his old hospital gown and traded in for a nice and warm article of clothing. He set the old gown on the toilet seat, not knowing where to best leave it, moving out of the bathroom then opening the door peering out. He looked from side to side; the service wasn't here to pick him up, yet. He closed the door then sighed.
Was his bedroom back at home still waiting for him, including his old toys? What about the pictures? He had fought one year and eight weeks against this illness. He really wanted to take them with him to where the service was going to take him while waiting to get him a new family. He couldn't move his legs as a result of the illness. The old man had found that peculiar. But home was a far more appealing place, full of fond memories, warmth, and comfort, even when it held the lack of familiar faces, it was enough to have a place home that mattered. The hospital wasn't quite his home. Never was. Just a very long rest stop.
The door creaked open behind him as he turned in the direction spotting the doctor who beckoned the boy over. Charlie wheeled on after him gazing around the area then resumed his path on weaving through the half full corridors of doctors, nurses, and patients. The doctor and him went out the front door, then toward a red van with a platform extended for the wheelchair.
"Are you taking me home?" Charlie asked.
The old man slammed the door beside him.
"Well, your house was relatively untouched since your illness. . ." the old man commented then lifted a silver brow. "like to go there after this road trip?"
"I got some things to collect." Charlie said then the old man grinned.
"Wheel in, my dear boy!" the doctor exclaimed.
His hopes soared as he wheeled in then the door closed beside him.
"Where are we going?" The boy asked as he looked over then watched the ground start to shrink. "Uh, Doctor Meety, I am pretty sure that vans aren't air planes."
Brain Pod 65 laughed at the boy then looked over toward him.
"This is a fine instrument of advanced technology, if I can't convince you that it happened, then this will!"
Charlie stared at the brain pod.
"Wow, my imagination is really powerful at the thought of going somewhere unfamiliar!"
Charlie watched as the hospital sunk, then the vehicle went through clouds.
"Not your imagination."
Charlie laughed at the Brain Pod.
"Oh! WOW! That looks like the thing on the news everyone is so interested in."
"Ah, that, that's the resting place of Nos-4-A2, the one that Zurg made, he can't trust them outside unlike the other Nos-4-A2."
"Woah! The rings of el valrodia!"
"That's the rings of several dreadnoughts that Zurg threw in there and a number of damaged Star Cruisers that lost their use."
"My imagination is all powerful."
"It is not. Hold on, we're breaking the Lightspeed limit!"
"That's not even real! Can't break that!"
"In the Galactic Alliance, that gets you a speeding ticket!"
"Cool! A space astronaut corpse drifting off in space! It looks so real!"
"Don't mind that, it's haunted, Zurg did that, space explorer gave him the wrong directions and he decided to return the favor."
"Wiiiiiiicked, it had a skull in it!"
"Your mind is not that dark."
"Yes, it is!"
"Why do I bother arguing with a skeptic, oh right- because you're a bubble headed booby!"
The boy was pressed against his seat as the active wheelchair locked into place as the van flew through space. The boy saw colorful lines passing by the vehicle as the brain pod was unbothered by the display and quite patient. Eventually, the light display ended.
"Oooh, what's that?"
"What once used to be part of the Z quadrant. If you won't believe me then you will believe seeing his tower with your eyes."
The van tore through the atmosphere then flew above the city limits as the boy pressed his face against the glass window.
"Was it your personal touch that the toys are alive?" Charlie asked.
"Creative liberty to make sense of why Nos-4-A2 went insane." Brain Pod 65 said.
The vehicle halted on the roof top of the tower then the two parties exited the vehicle. Brain Pod 65 opened the door to the tower then rolled down the corridor as the boy wheeled behind him. They went past several corridors that were blocked off by long red rope and items set on exhibits that had tourists staring them down with curiosity in their eyes. The boy wheeled back then rolled right observing the crowd that varied with Jo-Adians, Ipsedans, Morphans, Tangeans, Grounders, and a select few Chlorm among the rather enormous assortment of numerous members of the Galactic Alliance. There were two old purple Jo-Adians staring down a number of abandoned exhibits.
"Brain Pod 19, what's supposed to be in there?" a elderly Jo-Adian asked.
"A cowboy, but we lost him centuries ago." Brain Pod 19 said. "He was one of the Evil Emperor's most treasured belongings, sentimental value, and then, we lost the Space Ranger, but not this one." Brain Pod 19 withdrew Alisha Hawhtorne from the glass panel. "She is the only toy of the Evil Emperor that we haven't lost."
"Why keep it?" the elderly Jo-Adian asked. "Why not hand the toy over to some kid?"
"The old lady is right!" a red headed Tangean male said with his arms folded then lifted a brow. "Sentimental value for you?"
"One day he will return." Brain Pod said as the boy surveyed the room observing the troll doll collection in individual containers, the station where Zurg normally slept was gloomy, moody, with a pool of light revealing the shadows of the cables left dangling. "So in the mean time we have to be prepared for it. It's a day that could happen at any moment like how it happened fifty-three thousand four hundred twenty-three years ago. Right this way."
"Charlie!" Brain Pod 65 called.
The tourists stared at Charlie with varying looks of surprise, concern, confusion, and shock.
"Coming, Doctor Meety!" Charlie wheeled after the Brain Pod with a laugh. "My imagination is sure weird."
"At your age, your imagination is in the realm of dragons knights, magic, sorcery, and science fiction, and robots." Brain Pod 65 said.
"Everyone speaking in this random as shit language, can't understand a peek of it, quite unusual."
"You are from another galaxy, my dear boy." Brain Pod 65 said, amused, laughing. "You're just as alien to them as they are to you."
"That's too simplistic, I reject your reality and replace it with mine." Charlie said.
"Charles . . ." Brain Pod 65 said, almost at his limit as Charlie laughed. "Honestly, Zurg being here would be far more satisfying on a level that would shake you out of that damn denial!"
After awhile, they made it to the tunnel extraction system chamber and walked in as they stared on. Brain Pod 65 could only look in nostalgia in his general surroundings remembering the pieces of the tale that had transpired, being there, witnessing it happen, unable to intervene. It did hurt to be someone determined on preserving their own life when the lives of strangers were meddled with before his eyes and given grisly ends as he wished he were someone else, bold, good, and willing to risk his life. He wasn't that person, that's why he admired the Space Ranger Corps.
"Nice Stargate!" Charlie said.
"It's not a Stargate." Brain Pod 65 said.
"It looks like once." Charlie gaped at the gate once halting in front of the barrier in front of the circular gate. "Traveling from planet to planet between galaxies from the ground, it's innovative, eliminates the need to have ships, why is it in a museum?"
"Because it allows travel between universes." Brain Pod 65 said then sighed, giving up, shaking his head. "You're never going to believe the story, aren't you?"
"It's too good to be true." Charlie noted then the brain pod chuckled in response. "The main contents? It's better left as a story, nothing can taint it, or ruin."
"Except for the epilogue if it's not executed right." Brain Pod 65 pointed out. "Which we are in the middle of living."
"In my opinion, the epilogue's point of it all is that the tale is timeless." Charlie replied to the Brain Pod. "Anyone can do that, it can happen for real in my galaxy and wouldn't know it because Gaeva is not at warp level."
"Aaaah." Brain Pod 65 tapped on his helmet. "Hm, makes all the more sense for the skepticism, fear, and uncertainty, that it could happen if it had happened with someone from the Gamma Quadrant. A ugly mess of chaos." he turned away as light poured in the gap between the Tunnel Extraction System. "Let's return you to Gaeva."
"What's that?" Charlie asked.
Brain Pod 65's eyes widened as he looked toward the gate.
"Razenuz!" Brain Pod 65 said in alarm. "Roll to the roof, boy!" he yanked the boy back as light erupted from the center. "Roll!"
The gate opened as the boy stared on then shielded himself as the portal completely opened and the wind gusted him away. He regained grip against the wind, his ride hitting the side of the wall, gazing on, facing the direction of a tall figure dressed in black, feminine, lacking a helmet, with long dark curls, filled in rage.
"Where is Evil Emperor Zurg."
The boy stared at Razenuz for a long moment then shook his hands, pointing at his chest, then his ears, then back at her.
"Oh. . . you don't understand me."
Charlie stared at her, unable to comprehend Razenuz's unusual language.
"Of course, of course, of course, language barrier stopping her, how innovative." Brain Pod 65 wheeled out of the room, leaving the boy behind. "I am a genius after all!"
Razenuz pinched her forehead then sighed, she took out a device with a photograph then pointed at it.
"Seen this man?"
Oh, he looked strange compared to how Brain Pod 65 described him, his neck collar had spider leg spikes, had to be a fairly old picture. Charlie lifted his gaze up then shrugged.
"You don't know where he is?"
Charlie shook his head then nodded.
"How long has been gone?"
Charlie tapped on his lips. If he were to believe it; no, it had to be someone who was a fan of the story and decided to run around dressed as him.
"ANSWER ME or you'll lose your legs!" Razenuz lifted the boy up by the neck and squeezed it with a hiss as he choked.
"Drop. That. Child, Razenuz." Came a voice from across belonging to one of two Space Rangers, namely from Ranger Sto.
"Star Command has been waiting for you." Ranger Sto's partner, De'bos, added with a smirk.
"For ages." Sto emphasis then grinned. "I started to think you were an urban legend."
"Welcome to the new era where you'll be incarcerated." De'Bos said.
Razenuz fired after the two Space Rangers who parted then made their move. Razenuz fired at random, Charlie bit her hand, drawing attention off the Space Ranger, her attention square on him, until she were tackled down then Charlie was released from her grip then crawled toward the active wheelchair as Sto knocked the plasma blaster aside. De'Bos flipped over Razenuz then withdrew cuffs from his chassis and cuffed the displaced woman behind her back. Charlie crawled up into his seat then relaxed as the two Space Rangers lifted up Razenuz up to her feet. Charlie looked toward the gate, the blue swirling center vanishing replaced by the orange wall behind it.
"Charles, perhaps that denial had its use after all." Brain Pod 65 said, approaching the boy. "Do you believe me now?"
"She came from another galaxy!" Charlie exclaimed, flailing his arms. "It is a Stargate!"
"Alright, alright, no arguments from here!" Brain Pod 65 said, amused, as the Space Rangers escorted Razenuz down the corridor. "It is best to believe that." then he beckoned the boy. "Come along, you're going back to your galaxy."
The boy stared at a large portrait dangling from the side of the wall.
"If he existed, he would be long gone by now. This is a really good portrait, he looks the way you describe him, with the gate behind him, but. . . Something about him, it's sad, remorseful, even though he looks really scary and frightening. . . "
"We commissioned it after he left this galaxy. The way that he appears is completely intentional. Just so we never forget about why this gate was made in the first place, it was a tool for his grief to be expressed, and it was used well until it were abused."
"What's that figure in the dark?"
"What figure?"
"The one over there."
"Oh. That one!" Brain Pod caught sight of the shorter figure who was across from Zurg then looked toward Charlie. "Who do you believe the figure is, Charles?"
"Buzz Lightyear." Charlie answered after a moment. "It's the thing that has haunted him at every turn in the story."
"Correct, let's get you home." Brain Pod 65 patted on the boy's shoulder. "The child placement service is going to be arriving sometime soon."
"I. . . Don't. they. . . freeze kids until they find them a family?" Charlie asked.
"They're in suspended animation." Brain Pod 65 reminded the child. "It's not terrible. It's quite better nowadays. Prevents tragedies of the old days where they didn't have room for them and . . . It's changed since then."
"Will I get a frost bite?" Charlie asked.
"You don't get a frost bite by resting in fetal position for what feels like a minute. Seen it myself. Had some help with my ex-colleagues doing it, we liked that world, disguised as holograms, it's nice to use our skill sets for the use of good. Charles," Brain Pod 65 set his claw on the boy's shoulder drawing his attention. "Never fear, Smith is here."
The boy hugged the brain pod then withdrew.
"Will I see you again?" Charlie asked.
"I work with children and family matters, your matter is resolved." Brain Pod 65 said. "you'll meet me again, in your memory, retelling a memorable story to your own child one day, hopefully."
The duo wheeled out of the room as suddenly a crowd of press appeared behind them, alarming the boy, shoving their microphones in front of him asking for a one liner. Brain Pod 65 instructed the boy to keep his attention off as they made their headway on up the tower as a collection of Brain Pods came out of the corridor, acting as a barrier, preventing the crowd from following them. Brain Pod 19 approached the duo then handed Alisha Hawthorne to the boy.
"He's never coming back." Brain Pod 19 admitted. "No matter how we think he might. It's time we make that admission ourselves."
"Who's that?" Charlie asked as he pointed toward the toy looking up toward Brain Pod 65.
"Alisha Hawthorne, my dear friend." Brain Pod 65 said. "She was the woman, well, Buzz was friends with her when he was a rookie," Brain Pod 65 recalled, fondly, looking aside. "After he found his way as a Space Ranger."
"She was an excellent admiral." Brain Pod 19 said.
"You can unplug the gate now," Brain Pod 65 said as he put a claw on his ex-colleague's shoulder armor. "Razenuz has finally exited and taken into custody. It's time for it to become a decorative piece and the Space Ranger Corps long term assignment here will end."
"It's not going to be the same giving tours and retelling the tale." Brain Pod 19 confessed looking toward the corridor where it all began.
"That's the best part of all . . ." Brain Pod 65 noted, affectionately. "knowing it's over." he turned toward the boy. "Charlie, go to the roof and get into the car. I have to talk my friend into making a program where grubs tell tales as they bring the crowd up starting from the basement to the throne room."
"Okay, Doctor Meety!" The boy set the Space Ranger along his side then sped on.
Brain Pod 65 looked on fondly toward the wheeling boy then toward his companion and began to talk. Charlie wheeled throughout the tower with a laugh and swung the door open then wheeled into the platform, was lifted up into the van, then waited. He saw a dark figure ahead of him, identical to the photograph that Razenuz had shown then approached him.
"You did a very big thing today, the child, who made a Brain Pod return." It was as hammy as Brain Pod 65 had emphasized when speaking in the voice of the Evil Emperor.
Charlie gaped upon the Evil Emperor.
"It's impressive, foiling an evil scheme, by being there. If I didn't know better, I would say that you have potential in there to be some kind of good guy on Gaeva that can't be stopped and avoids being killed."
The boy looked aside then shook his head.
"What can a paralyzed man do? Can't run in and stop fires or save people."
"Being there, there's programs on your world, exoskeleton hooked into the back, they need a child to test a prototype exoskeleton. There are plenty of children who've had the illness, Charles De Ve Vastgroove."
"Really?"
"Good people are also people who allow themselves to be the source of studies, of test, of things relating to trying out technology as it grows that benefits other people."
"Do you miss them?"
"Who?"
"Darkmatter's team."
"This villain, King Sochas, his army, his generals, came up one day, introducing himself to a planet that I were on in a distant galaxy, seven years ago, and destroyed a hotel that I worked very hard on. Had to come back out of retirement to take down a empire, finding the right mole can be such a tedious process when not having the right connections," his yellow pupils lifted up as he stretched his arms as he complained. "But it is very easy to do when the promise of being on the right side of history. And also, establishing light speed, always makes for an excellent soup in taking down an empire and having a resistance."
He stroked his emblem with fondness then glared down upon the smiling boy.
"Will you stop smiling, this is not a laughing matter!" he glared down upon the boy. "I'm being the cook for the resistance and being a stand in for the resistance leader when King Sochas tries to get him at bases. He honestly thinks I am the resistance leader, not true! I am the only guy who got the mole for the resistance and discovered the small forming resistance at his new soup kitchen."
Zurg put his servo on his helmet with a hammy laugh and shook his helmet.
"I had to ask 'is everyone here going out to fight?', should have seen how silent it were, how they gawked, stunned, how everyone realized their co-workers were part of the resistance when they thought they weren't," he leaned forward with a giggle utterly finding it amusing. "and the answer was a resounding yes."
"Did someone that you like die?" Charlie asked.
"Hated everyone but my heart was in the hotel, it was my baby, went through a lot to get the business started." then Zurg changed the subject. "So, what do you think? Being there? Being the good person to try out exoskeletons for kids like you?"
"You became a villain again because he destroyed a hotel."
"Try starting a soup kitchen in the distant future and see how that goes."
Zurg loomed over him with his hands linked behind his back.
"I made this ideal utopia exist," he admired the city around him with pride then turned toward the boy. "A lot of people had to die for that to happen." he walked toward his transport with his back toward him. "But in your future, it's going to be just as significant; if you decide to help others. . . And yes, I do miss them." Zurg's gaze lowered toward the ground."Every so often, someone will say something that they would say and I think about them." then he added. "Fondly, Charles De Ve Vastgroove."
The boy looked toward the toy beside him then wheeled forward slightly closer toward the door and pressed a button that rolled down the window.
"Hey," he took Alisha out. "You need a friend."
"You're a very kind child. . . " Zurg shook his servo. "but being the cook for the resistance comes with packing necessities and packing light. Could never take her with me." then he shrugged as he laughed, his digits twitching, shaking with laughter. "Well, kids do need toys after all." he boarded his craft with a final wave. "Ta-ta."
Charlie waved back at the Evil Emperor with a smile. He probably is the reason why Buzz and Woody became lost toys.
