I know there was a bit of a wait for this chapter, but I hope that you'll like it. It isn't exactly the longest chapter I've ever written, but it does have an appearance by someone new to the story.

As the last few amps flowed out of the small robot, Nos-4-A2's pleasure reached new heights. He pulled his fangs from the cable and closed the service panel. His eternal hunger for energy had quieted to a soft whisper. For the moment, the energy vampire felt truly satisfied. His appetite for power and the terror of his prey was sated.

Nos-4-A2 actually felt mildly surprised and impressed by his self-control. With the Little One fully-charged and the energy vampire fresh from hunting, he'd managed to stretch out his feeding for longer than Nos-4-A2 could have imagined. For almost two hours straight, he'd kept his fangs buried in the cable. Sometimes he paused his consumption to ensure XR's straining motor didn't burn out, but Nos-4-A2 mostly kept his feeding slow and constant. He'd certainly accomplished his self-imposed goal of setting a record.

Furthermore, the lengthy energy draining satisfied Nos-4-A2's predatory programming to a greater extent than any other single experience. Almost two hours of intense agony and pure terror from the Little One stimulated intense waves of excitement, ecstasy, and pure pleasure that filled Nos-4-A2 completely. It was thrilling. And with XR's wide variety of reactions to his pain and fear over that period of time, the energy vampire's exhilarating and blissful experience kept intensifying and strengthening until the end.

Until the Little One lost all energy and went offline for now, he did everything that Nos-4-A2 enjoyed from his prey. He screamed loud and intense enough to rattle his voice box, almost like the first day of captivity again. He fought and pulled desperately against his restraints, slightly tearing at the places where XR's limbs were bolted to the table and yet still unable to break free. He shouted for someone, anyone to save him. He begged for mercy. He begged for unconsciousness. He begged for it to stop. He whimpered. He threatened the energy vampire, promising to lock him away. He painfully gasped and struggled to make any coherent sounds as the pain and fear grew too much to bear. He mumbled reassurances to himself, saying "they'll find me" repeatedly. He called out names as if he could summon his teammates or other Space Rangers to save him. He sobbed out pleas for help, for it to stop, for an end to his suffering.

XR responded to the prolonged energy draining with every possible reaction Nos-4-A2 could imagine; switching, alternating, and repeating the various behaviors multiple times over the course of the two hours. His prey was afraid and in unbearable pain, but it was more than that. The Little One's hope was fading. XR's spirit was breaking down just as certainly as his motor was under the continued strain.

Soon there would be no spark of personality left, the Little One growing resigned to his fate and he would be unable to do anything more than quietly whimper. Nos-4-A2 had seen it before. He'd pushed his victims to that state before. When XR lost the will to live, there would be no reason to drag out his revenge any longer. He wouldn't bring Nos-4-A2 the same predatory pleasure to torment anymore. All good things must come to an end.

But before this aspect of his revenge was complete, Nos-4-A2 would need to arrange that video conference with Star Command. They needed to see how powerless they truly were to stop him. They needed to see how completely they'd failed to save someone who should have been under their protection. They would suffer by seeing, hearing, and even speaking to their lost teammate, but unable to help. Star Command would get one last chance to see the Little One before Nos-4-A2 finally finished off his favorite delicious morsel.

Nos-4-A2 ran his claws along XR's clear helmet, smirking at the still and silent figure. He would miss draining power from the Little One. He would miss XR's fear and pain responses. Perhaps he would find another robot someday with similarly advanced artificial intelligence, a robot with nearly organic emotions. It would be such a shame to never experience such ecstasy and excitement again.


Whenever he got his hands on the energy vampire, Commander Nebula would blast his smug triangular head off his body. He hated Nos-4-A2. Between kidnapping a Space Ranger, torturing the Space Ranger, and then sending a recording of his actions to brag about it, Nos-4A2 was making things very personal with Star Command. And regardless of how much Nebula tried to ignore or deny it, hurting XR made it personal to him.

He'd watched the rest of the recording afterwards when he turned it over to the LGMs to study for clues on finding Nos-4-A2. The small, cheerful, annoyingly-enthusiastic at times, and loyal robot ranger didn't deserve what happened. Trapped for days with the energy vampire, in pain and afraid of Nos-4-A2 and unable to escape or fight back. Nebula saw the bolts driven through his limbs. XR wouldn't be able to get free alone, no matter how resourceful Rangers might be. Nebula watched the rest of that recording, seeing the fear and despair in the robot's expression and hearing the screams of pain.

No one, no matter how much they may dislike or distrust robots, would be able to deny that they have feelings after watching that recording.

Zurg might prefer large-scale threats to the Galactic Alliance, but Nos-4-A2 was certainly one of his more cruel and vicious creations. For most of the galaxy, he was merely dangerous and smart. For anyone not organic, he was a deadly monster who could harm and control them in ways no one else could. And yet time and time again, XR faced what must be a robot's worst nightmare because it was his duty as a Space Ranger and to keep the galaxy safe. He was more vulnerable to Nos-4-A2 than any other Ranger and he still faced the energy vampire every single time.

And because he possessed the courage that any Ranger would be proud of, XR became a target and threat to Nos-4-A2. He gained the energy vampire's attention enough for Nos-4-A2 to seek him out for revenge. Nebula might not know machines as well as some people did, but he knew what the twisted, evil, and cruel criminal would do now that he had his claws on the person who stood in his way one too many times.

They were running out of time. They needed to find Nos-4-A2's hiding place. The longer the energy vampire was free, the longer he could torture XR. And eventually Nos-4-A2 would either push things too far or he would grow bored. When that moment came, XR would be gone forever.

No more headaches from someone trying to restart a secret poker game in Star Command.

No more messing with the budget to ensure the LGMs always had enough funds for replacement parts.

No more surprising victories against evil because of the Ranger who would have never been built if he didn't sign everything without reading it.

No more obnoxious little robot desperately looking for approval.

…

No more saying "I'm not your father" even while secretly proud and starting to get used to the title.

Nos-4-A2 would not get away with this. He would not get the chance to kill one of their Rangers. XR was stronger and tougher than he looked. The little guy would survive long enough to be rescued. They knew that they were looking for the energy vampire now. They had a lead. They were making progress. Any and all information about other missing robots that Nos-4-A2 might be "hunting" was being gathered so they could try narrowing down the search.

And in the meantime, Nebula needed to check on the progress with the LGMs. He needed to find out if they learned anything useful and if they were almost done with their "special project" they'd mentioned when they learned what was happening.

If Nos-4-A2 wanted to make things personal by going after one of his Rangers, Commander Nebula would be happy to take more extreme measures against the energy vampire.

Stepping into the Science Bay, Nebula demanded, "It's been two days since we got the recording. Tell me you've got something for me."

"No useful information on the recording, Commander," announced one of the closest LGMs.

"No way to locate him," another added regretfully.

"Craters," muttered Nebula. "I should have known that would be too easy. And what about something to take out that blasted energy vampire? Nos-4-A2 can fly, drains our spacesuits in almost every encounter, can control machines, and is far too skilled at escaping. We need every advantage possible. We cannot risk him getting away once we find him. We have to be able to capture him quickly."

Another LGM walked over with a box in his arms. A quick glance inside showed it was filled with flat disks. About the size of Nebula's hand, the disks were a silver-white color with a green button in the center. Nebula counted at least a dozen of them, all identical with the Star Command emblem engraved on the button.

"We designed these a looong time ago," the LGM explained. "Short-range EMP disks. Very experimental, but perfectly functional. Press the button and attach or throw the device at the target. Fifteen seconds later and it activates."

Picking one up to inspect more closely, Nebula asked, "And this will stop Nos-4-A2?"

"If he is in range, it will knock some or all of his systems offline. Would need more information on his schematics to be more precise on the result."

"If you designed these a while back, why haven't we tried using these before?" asked Nebula. "We've always had trouble with him. Shouldn't these things have become standard issued equipment for the energy vampire by now?"

"Too dangerous," one of the LGMs stated.

Another LGM said, "An electromagnetic pulse can't aim for only one target. Anything electronic in range will be disabled or destroyed."

"Like spacesuits or the control and life support systems of a spaceship," described a third LGM. "If the short-range EMP disk is too close in the wrong circumstances…"

"A Ranger could suffocate in space or end up nearly defenseless in a fight," Nebula finished, his imagination filling in the blank. And as an unpleasant idea occurred, he asked, "How bad would it be if one of these things activated near XR? It would be too much to hope that we apprehend Nos-4-A2 away from whatever dark hole he's lurking in and keeping our Ranger."

The closest LGMs looked rather uncomfortable and worried about the question. They shuffled uneasily and stared at the floor. Nebula knew before they spoke that they didn't have anything resembling good news.

"We designed XR to endure most destructive forces or be easily repaired, regardless of whatever he might encounter. Normally the short-ranged EMP disks would just knock him offline with minimal damage or risk," explained the LGM holding the box.

"But from what the recording showed, the energy vampire was putting a lot of strain on his systems and has likely continued to cause damage since then," another LGM continued. "It is difficult to know for certain without more information about his current state, but the stress and damage to his systems might leave him more vulnerable to serious harm to vital components."

Remembering Nos-4-A2's unnerving "lesson" from the recording about the one part that was irreplacable, Nebula asked, "Like his AI chip?"

The LGMs nodded unhappily in unison, prompting Nebula to rub the back of his neck tiredly. No wonder they never mentioned the short-ranged EMP disks before that point. Regardless of how much trouble Nos-4-A2 caused the Rangers in the past, it was too dangerous to casually use the things. The dangers of it knocking out spacesuits was bad enough, but it was more than that. The energy vampire always faced Lightyear's team and they were also the only team with a member as vulnerable to the inventions as Nos-4-A2.

If they armed the Rangers with the disks to take on the energy vampire, there would be significant risks. In close quarters, they could disable their own weapons or even kill the robot they were trying to rescue. And in open spaces, Nos-4-A2 could simply escape before he could be affected. Honestly, Nebula didn't like the risks. But he also hated the energy vampire and he knew they needed every advantage possible in order to save XR before it was too late.

The group of LGMs abruptly looked distracted. For a moment, Nebula wondered what caught their attention since he didn't see or hear anything. Then he realized what was going on. The Uni-Mind thing. What one knew, they all did.

"Commander," one of the LGMs said urgently. "Someone is trying to contact you. The signal is being scrambled, but the message said they will speak to you in exactly five minutes."

"And requests that Lightyear's team be present," another LGM added.

It didn't take a genius to guess what was happening. Either Zurg decided to perform one of his semi-regular evil monologue sessions or Nos-4-A2 wanted to gloat again. And if it was the energy vampire and he did intend to actually contact them rather than sending another recording, maybe he would mess up and reveal something they could use to track him down. A single mistake could be the key to figuring out where XR was being held.

And whether or not he was still intact.

Banishing that negative thought from his mind, Nebula ordered, "Contact Buzz and the others. Tell them to meet me in the conference room. Last time I checked, their ship was refueling, so they have to be around here somewhere. And contact Ty Parsec if he's on site. He's already been involved from the start." Hesitating briefly, he added, "But don't tell XL yet. He might do something impulsive. Or start panicking. And while you're at it, keep trying to unscramble the signal enough for us to track it. We need a location."

As the LGMs scurried to fulfill his orders, Nebula tossed the disk back in the box and marched his way back out. Not for the first time, he wished he was a few decades younger and with both of his original legs. He wanted nothing more than to personally hunt down that energy vampire and blast a laser through his servo pump. Nos-4-A2 would pay for messing with his Rangers.


Savy SL2 struggled to keep silent as she listened from the ventilation shaft above the Science Bay. The dark-haired girl knew something was wrong when XR didn't show up when the Junior Space Rangers arrived for the regular visit to the space station, the robot normally trying to sell merchandise and at least greet her. Unless his team was on a mission somewhere, he always made an appearance. And since she'd always gotten along better with robots than organics even before her adoption, Savy always kept an eye out for the only robot Space Ranger.

She'd known that no one would tell her anything useful if she just asked where XR was. She was "just a kid" and most of the Rangers just didn't seem to understand that growing up on Tradeworld meant growing up fast. They would have made excuses or told her it was nothing to worry her little head about. Ranger Lightyear would have probably been honest, but she'd decided to take a more direct approach. Slipping away from the other Junior Space Rangers was easy. The group might teach skills like planning, team coordination, and resisting the urge to act impulsively, but she'd learned stealth a long time ago. She used her small size and snuck through the ventilation system of the space station, something she'd explored extensively during the various trips. And from there, a little eavesdropping gave her all the answers she needed.

Nos-4-A2 was back. That evil energy vampire was alive. She remembered XR talking about the creepy robot being destroyed on Planet Z, the Ranger shuddering slightly at the memory of the monster. But now the energy vampire that stalked her homeworld and nearly stole away her family forever was back. He was back, he had XR, and Star Command didn't know where Nos-4-A2 was hiding.

Savy watched as Commander Nebula marched out, heading towards the conference room. And thanks to her knowledge of the ventilation system for the entire space station, she knew how to get there herself. Not caring how filthy her uniform would get or what Mom would say when she saw the smudges, the girl started crawling as fast as she could.

She wouldn't let Nos-4-A2 get away with this. She hated the monster. He attacked poor, innocent robots. He attacked her parents. And he hated XR. She'd seen that the very first time she met the Ranger. Nos-4-A2 hated XR on a personal level and attacking him was more to make XR suffer than it was to merely drain his power. Well, if the energy vampire wanted a fight, she would be happy to give it to him.

She crept and crawled through the ventilation shafts, moving as quickly and quietly as possible. She knew she had five minutes to get there. That was when he would be contacting them. And once she figured out where that monster was hiding, Savy would use her new planning skills to hunt him down and slay him permanently this time. It might take a little work in order to get to whatever planet or asteroid he might be lurking on, but there were ways of getting around that.

Mom and Dad would worry. That thought nagged at the back of Savy's mind. They were happy she was trying to fit in with other children by joining the Junior Space Rangers. And it could be fun at times and she did like seeing XR on the space station, so she didn't mind too much. She didn't want to upset her parents or worry them. She was just too relieved and happy to have them back.

But this was Nos-4-A2. This was personal. She refused to just stand aside and let that monster fly around free. And she couldn't just leave XR in his clutches. She'd heard enough that night to know what kind of revenge the energy vampire would try on the smaller robot. Savy couldn't let that happen when there was even the slightest chance that she could help. Mom and Dad would have to understand.

Even with the patience, planning, and restraint that Junior Space Rangers tried to instill in its members, some things just couldn't be denied. She was a girl of action. When monsters came flying back out of the darkness or a friend was in danger, Savy couldn't just let someone handle things. She needed to help.

Finally, she spotted the grate that would overlook the conference room. The girl crept into position. Whatever happened next, she would have a front seat to the action.

I know it is a little short, but this was the logical stopping point. Hopefully you liked the chapter, regardless of the length.

Once again, go and buy my book. There's a link on my profile. You can buy it for the Kindle or download the Kindle app thing for your smartphone. You can probably even download it on your iPad or other computer things. Just go out and support my original piece of fiction, please. Reviews are nice (and I always appreciate them), but fanfiction doesn't pay the bills.