Chapter 18: Left Behind? -or- Separate Missions
KAUAI, HAWAII
628's eyes started to glow as she glared at 626, curving him into a ball with her invisible weight. 626 struggled against it, unable to find the strength to overcome this pressure. Though he had recently turned over a new leaf -somewhat-, it proved to be not enough to break the grasp of 628. The grey experiment held off Lani and the others with her other hand, all while 626 slowly shrunk. A piercing scream escaped him as he found himself loosing consciousness, turning for the first time into a red experiment pod.
"Ah, 626 is finally in his pod form," 628 laughed. "It's red, fitting since he's pure evil."
"And you're the good one?" Nani questioned her motives.
"Compared to them, yes," 628 gestured to Jumba and 626's pod. "Generally speaking..." Her eyes began to glow. "...Not very."
628 sent the remaining aliens and humans in the area to the ground, once again showing her invisible force to them. This time, the gravity really was increasing on Nani. She could feel it doing so, she was only able stay on the ground.
"Where I'm not entirely a 'good' experiment -as you would put it-, I do understand boundaries," 628 told them. "I apologize for the girl who those traitors took, but I cannot let you take 626."
"Don't you wanna get back at them?" Lani tried to free them. "The squid guy, Gantu and 621?"
"Of course I do," 628 answered honestly. "There will be time for that after I turn in 626."
"Lilo doesn't have that time," Nani glared at the talking obstacle they faced.
"'Lilo' is not my concern," 628 shook her head defiantly.
"She's ours," Lani was on Nani's side. "And I won't let you do this to them."
"And just how are you going to stop me?" 628 crossed her arm, still holding the other up to trap them.
A point was made, Lani was pretty powerless now. At least, in the eyes of 628 she was. Though somehow, Lani managed to stand up. It was a struggle, one that forced 628 to crank up her power on the girl. No matter how much weight she put on Lani, she took her steps forward. 628 was a brave experiment, only one thing scared her. In this moment, another was added to the short phobia list. Lani. The girl caused 628 to back up, afraid of how she managed to find the strength to challenge her.
628 wasn't watching her back, so she tripped on the root of a tree. When she fell, so did her hold on the invisible force -even the three experiment pods. The pods rolled along the ground, sadly stopping so close to the puddles of water sprawled on the ground from the flood. 628 sighed in relief, thinking she'd at least be able to take them in. Her hopes were dashed as Lani lifted her sprained wrist, moving the water to hydrate the pods. The pods lifted and glowed in an increasing yellow sphere, before a white light flashed to reveal the three experiments once it died.
Angel, 626 and 627 shook their heads at the feeling of being re-hydrated. They now understood why 628 held such a grudge against them, being dehydrated wasn't the best feeling in the galaxy. It was a feeling they hoped no creature had to experience, it was almost enough to drive them back to evil out of anger that it had happened. Thankfully they were only like that for a few moments, the pain was still so unbearable. That aside, they had business to cover with 628 -who gulped as they stepped closer.
"We forgive yuuga," 626 told her, much to the experiment's surprise.
"W...What?" 628 could barely breathe from shock.
"We soka for trapping yuuga," Angel explained.
"Evil," 627 nodded.
"Once again the light inside you shows," Lani smiled at the three of her friends. "You have it inside you too, 628."
"How do you know?" 628 wondered.
"Because you want to help us right now," Lani told her. "Don't you?"
628 thought about that for a moment, she decided she wouldn't say "yes". There was no way she was going to say it, nothing could make her. Though if they were going to save Lilo, they were going to need her help. Whether or not she would give it to them was up for speculation, Lani seemed to be the only one not concerned by her thinking things over. It was her choice to make, time required her to make it fast. Leave Lilo and turn in the criminals, or save Lilo and not get her revenge? Both tantalizing, however only one made it through the clearest.
She couldn't, she couldn't no matter how hard she tried to. 628 ran away from them, making the ones in the clearing look down. All besides Lani, who stared at the fleeting experiment with hopeful eyes. Hopeful eyes that contrasted Lilo's as she sat high above the ocean. The thought of falling was not the thing that crossed her mind, or even the threat of being thrown into airless space -a threat made by Ramthar after discovering 626's absence. Nothing like that got to her, which frustrated Ramthar greatly.
What bugged him even more was knowing she was only concerned about whether or not 626 cared about her, nothing else. She'd voiced her thoughts to the brothers, continuing past the threats they sent her way. She was basically unplugged from herself, lost in her own thoughts.
"For the last time, 626 said it himself," Ramthar steamed a breath. "You were only convenient to him!"
"But he came back for me," Lilo would resume arguing her case. "Why would he do that if he wasn't my friend?"
"626 doesn't have 'friends'!" Ramthar lost his temper once more.
"His name is Stitch," Lilo reminded him calmly.
"Stitch was never your friend!" Ramthar shouted at his loudest.
"Yelling at a child Ramthar?" Captain Gantu shook his head. "Even I wouldn't go that far."
"Give it time," Ramthar huffed. "You'll change your view eventually."
As the two discussed how they would dispose of her, Lilo wiped away a tear she didn't know she formed. Somehow, she felt better. There was something inside her that told her things would be alright soon. She hoped it to be more than anything, it was all she could do. Back on the ground, Jumba, Pleakley, Nani and 626 rode on a motorcycle -courtesy of 628. She carried herself and Lani along with Angel and 627 by using her power, staying close to the vehicle. It was how she made them all go faster, since time was still an important factor.
"I was hoping to add theft, endangerment and insanity to my list of things I did today!" Pleakley called from the back of the motorcycle
"You too?" Jumba joked.
"I didn't steal it, I borrowed it!" 628 glared him. "I fully intend on returning it after."
"This is breaking several rules and regulations of Earth conduct!" Pleakley complained mostly to himself. "Even more in the Galactic Code!"
"Good thing planet is not being part of UGF!" Jumba laughed.
"You know, you're right and wrong about this," Lani told Pleakley. "Where your right about this misusing Galactic Resources, it would also be a violation of Intergalactic Directives if Lilo is hurt –so you'd be in the wrong if you stood back and did nothing. And if 626 can help get her back, it would show he has some goodness to offer the United Galactic Federation. So maybe the Grand Councilwomen would let him off with an easier sentence than exile on a deserted asteroid. And past that –since Lilo is a part of the mosquito food chain-, you'd endanger an already endangered species by taking away its primary food source."
Proving her bazaar personality again, everyone looked at her with wide eyes. Again, nobody could pinpoint the extent of her knowledge. To her it was easy, all you had to do was pay attention and the answers seemed clear.
"What I want to know is why it's taking them so long to leave Earth," Nani shook off Lani's comment and looked to the spaceship in the sky.
"It take jaba ramid," 626 told her while sticking out his tongue to the wind. "Taaksi slow in atmosphere. But we need to maka maka!"
Driving up to the Lihue Airport, Jumba drove through the gates and followed the plane that was about to take off. Lani and the experiments could tell it wasn't an ordinary ship, it was Jumba and Pleakley's cloaked star cruiser. 626 jumped off the motorcycle and ran with the plane tires, trying to stay balanced. He jumped into the plane and caused a forceful stop, as 626 had momentarily stopped their take off. The pilot and copilot were confused, until they heard noise from the top part of the plane.
"Aloha!" 626 popped out from the glove compartment above them.
The pilots screamed as they ran out to the passengers, who started to panic as the doors opened. As anyone can imagine, they were all terrified once the larger two of the aliens stepped in.
"Hello," Pleakley showed them his badge. "I'm Agent Pleakley of the UGF. We're hereby commandeering this plane for..."
No one waited for any further explanation before they left, not that they really paid attention to the introduction anyway. They left the plane through the inflatable slide, Lani and Nani helping everyone off.
"Alright Jumba, that's everyone!" Lani called to him.
"Good," Jumba turned the systems back on. "Everyone please be seating. This is going to be a bumpy ride. Sneaky Girl, I am hoping you have plan."
"So am I," Lani whispered that part. "I mean, yeah. No problem."
The inside of the ship dropped the hologram, so everyone was able to see the truth of the ship. This was it, they were going to save Lilo. The moment had finally arrived, although their was no general idea of what they would be facing. Things were changing rapidly, so it was a good thing Lani was adaptive. Now, she needed to show her friends as much about the power of light that she could. It was time to show them what happens when you try to put of a flame that never dies, -as for once- things were finally looking up.
A/N: Now things are going to get a little more interesting next chapter. I wonder if any of you noticed something I left out, because it's going to be important for the next chapter. Eighteen chapters done and we're starting to reach some sort of an ending in chapter twenty.
Important: Now's about as good a time as any to say that next I'll be morphing Stitch The Movie. I will get to Stitch Has A Glitch, but only after I write about seventeen episodes of the show -or season one in my timeline. How long each "episode" is, is something I'm still figuring out.
Next Time: Determined to get Lilo back, 626 takes on his enemies on all terrains.