Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Once again I don't own Starship or the characters etc etc etc. I don't even own Michael and Stella. I stole them from a tv show because if they can't be canon in the tv show then they can be canon in my story. A big thanks to my beta Gypsie Rosalie for just being splendiferous. I should have the next chapter up soon.

Chapter Six

Up glanced around the room. There were hundreds of robots appearing every second. It was hopeless. Then Up heard a voice in his head. It was Taz yelling at him in Spanish. He wasn't quite sure what she was saying but he knew that he had to get back up and keep fighting. He turned to the right and saw a door that couldn't have more than fifty robots in front of it, a much smaller number than the robots that covered all the other exits. This was their escape route.

"Alright on the count of three we fire and then run," whispered Up. His watched beeped letting him know that there was only a minute until the bomb went off. "Three!" Yelled Up as he began to fire and run towards the door.

Up and his team had just gotten out of the building when the bomb exploded. The force threw the rangers through the air before they dropped to the ground. Up picked himself up off the ground and glanced around at his team. They all seemed to be unharmed. Esme was sitting there complaining about how the explosion had gotten dirt in her hair whilst others nursed minor injuries. Michael was fussing over Stella, checking that she was alright. Up was once again reminded of Taz. He hoped that she was having a better time than he was.

Taz paced around her room. She had been sent there after she had repeatedly harassed the commander saying that they had to find a way to get to Up quicker. Taz stopped pacing and threw her knife at the door in frustration. Somehow it managed to embed itself in the metal of the door. Taz walked over to retrieve it. Throwing her knife didn't achieve much in situations like this but it did make her feel a tiny bit better.

Up walked through the halls of his ship. The communications officer had said that he needed to talk to him immediately. Up hoped that there was a call from Taz waiting for him. Up entered the communications room and saw Kyle the communications officer.

"Commander Up sir," said Kyle, "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Is it Taz?" asked Up with a worried look on his face.

"No, it's not Taz," replied Kyle "It's the ship; there's something wrong with it. I can't contact any other ships. They can send messages to us but we can't send any back." Up sighed with relief.

"So Taz is alright then?" he questioned.

"Well," continued Kyle, "I have received several calls from her ship, but I couldn't answer them."

"How many calls?" questioned Up as the worried look returned to his face.

"62 in the last hour alone," said Kyle. Up swore. Something had happened to Taz. "but it's probably nothing, I've received multiple calls from other ships. There is probably nothing wrong." Up still didn't believe him, he had a feeling that something wasn't right.

"Oh and there is one more thing," Kyle continued, " I received an emergency call from the team that was sent to the other side of this planet. They are requesting immediate assistance. We are the closest unit to them. They need our help." Up weighted up the pros and cons in his head. He should go and help the other team, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Taz needed him. He finally decided that these people needed help right away and he couldn't ignore that. He just hoped that Taz would be alright.

"Alright," Up said "Plug in the coordinates.

Up looked around the battlefield. It wasn't good. There were bodies of rangers lying everywhere. It seemed that there were hundreds of thousands of robots. There were robots with multiple zappers attached around their bodies allowing them to shoot in all directions. There were robots that were covered in blades. Up watched as they walked through he crowd of rangers with their arms outstretched, chopping the rangers to bits as the sharp metal sliced through their tender young skin, blood spattering everywhere. One of these robots began advancing towards Up. He began shooting at it and it fell to the ground less than a metre away from him.

Up began running through the chaos, looking for the face that he was desperate to see yet didn't want anywhere near this bloodbath. He wanted more than anything to see her, to know that she was ok. On the other hand he didn't want Taz here. Sure she was the toughest son of a bitch he had ever met but this was no ordinary battle. He had a feeling that it wouldn't end well.

Up kept searching the battlefield. He could feel that Taz was here, he just hoped he was wrong. He saw several rangers being held by immobilising robots. These robots were specifically designed for immobilising people. Once they had a hold of someone there was no way of escaping, they were just too strong. This left the robots free to inflict whatever painful torture or death they wanted. Up looked at the people who were being held by the robots. Michael and Stella were among them. Up lifted his zapper, took aim and fired at the robots. They fell to the ground one by one. Up rushed over and began to try and free the trapped rangers. Even dead the robot's iron grip was nearly impossible to break but with a bit of muscle power Up was soon able to free the rangers. Up pulled Michael to the side.

"See this," he said pulling out a small USB from his pocket "You need to get this back to base. It has the information that we collected from the robot base. It can end the war. Take one of the drop pods and get it back to base." Michael turned to look at Stella.

"But I can't leave Ste.."He began before being interrupted by Up.

"Take Stella," said Up "The whole G.L.E.E is counting on you."

"Thank you sir," said Michael saluting "I won't let you down." Up returned the salute. Michael grabbed Stella's hand and ran back to the drop pods. Up was reminded of Taz again. He had to find her.

As Up kept searching he saw a ranger lying on the ground, bleeding from several wounds to his chest. Up counted them. There were 37. The blood poured out and formed a large puddle surrounding the ranger. Upon closer inspection Up saw that this was the Commander from Taz's team. So Taz was here somewhere. Up looked back at the injured Commander, he was dying a slow and painful death.

"Help...me" gasped the commander "stop... the pain. Shoot ...me." Up looked at the commander. There was no way to save him. He lifted the zapper, placed it on the commander's head and pulled the trigger. He reached over and closed the commander's eyelids before getting up and continuing his search, desperate to find Taz now that he knew she was here.

From the moment the drop pod landed Taz had one mission: to find Up. She took off running, shooting every robot in her way. It seemed as though every time she shot a robot ten more would turn up in its place. It was like there was a never ending supply of robots.

After about half an hour of searching Taz finally spotted Up. Taz began to sprint towards him as he ran to her. As Taz ran she noticed a huge robot coming up behind Up. Taz screamed to warm him about this gargantuan robot. It was the legendary Optimus Prime. All of the rangers had heard stories about him, no one had ever survived an encounter with him. The sound of Taz's scream was drowned out as Up shouted her name. Taz felt a metallic grip around her wrists. A quick glance to either side told her that she was being held by two of the immobilising robots. She began shouting at the robots.

"Jou are not permitted to touch!" She screamed as she struggled to free herself.

As Taz looked back at Up she saw the huge robot pick him up and hold him spread eagled in the air. Taz struggled to break free from the iron grip of the robots but to no avail. She watched in horror as the chest of Optimus Prime opened up. Taz continued to struggle against the robots that held her and she saw a circular buzz saw come out of the robot's chest. She had never felt so powerless in her life, not even when the robots attacked at her Quinceañera.

The buzz saw began to inch closer and closer to Up. Taz continued to struggle. She could almost feel it when the saw first began to slice through Up. She struggled harder as the saw sliced through Up, hot dog style not hamburger. It seemed to take an eternity. She saw the way Up's face contorted in pain. She wanted to look away. She knew she would be haunted with these images for the rest of her life. She was losing Up, her Up, her best friend, the only person who meant anything to her, all because of this monster.

Taz struggled frantically, trying to find some way to break away and get to up. Her hand gripped the wrist of one of the robots that held her, trying to break free. She brushed her fingers against something that didn't feel like the rest of the metallic robot. It was a wire pocking through a gap in the robot's armour. She gripped the wire and pulled as hard as she could. The wire broke and the robot dropped to the ground, releasing her from its grip as it fell. Taz took this opportunity to grab her knife from her pocket and attack the other robot that held her. Seconds later that robot joined the other on the ground.

Taz started sprinting towards Up, the rest of the battle forgotten. It was just her, Up and the enormous robot that held him. Just as Taz reached the robot it finished cutting through Up. It dropped the two halves of Up as if they were garbage. The left side landed a few metres to the side of Taz, still twitching. The right side landed in front of her and lay still as the blood poured out. Taz gulped, this is what the hijo de puta had done to her Up.

Filled with rage and adrenaline Taz charged at the robot, jumping at it as she ran. She latched onto its leg and began to climb up it. She reached the shoulder somehow escaping its huge hand with were trying to grab her. She began stabbing everywhere that she could reach. Her fingers gripped one of the metal sheets that covered the robot's body. With a strength she never knew she had she ripped it off, the wires lay exposed. Taz began ripping and cutting every wire she could reach, her fingers covered in blood.

As she attacked the robot her brain was assaulted with images of her Quinceañera. How the robots had attacked and killed her family. The way they killed every living thing in sight. The way the strung her up like a piñata. She had fought back as long as she could, ripping at their wires but it was no use. A fifteen year old girl was no match for a pack of soulless cold robots. It was Up that had saved her. He strode in and shot the robots down before rescuing her from the tree where she was tied up. But he wasn't here to rescue her again. He would never be able to save her again she though as she pulled at the wires. She ripped a bunch of wires and the robot shuddered before it fell to the ground, never to kill again. As it fell Taz fell off and dropped to the ground. As she hit the ground she felt pain shoot through her body. She rolled her head to the side and saw the left side of Up's body lying next to her. She reached out and grabbed his hand before blacking out. The last thing she saw before the darkness took over was the piercing stare of Up's blue left eye.