Chapter 11 – Hang Together
"… luckily, the door took us to a world quite close to Monstropolis. I was able to reach Cid on my Kim-unicator and he picked us up in a couple of hours."
"Where are Sully and the others now?" asked Hercules.
"Radiant Garden," replied Kim, "We dropped them off on the way here. Leon said he would take care of them. It's not safe for them to return to Monstropolis."
The League was seated in an open-fronted café overlooking Traverse Town's First District. The penguin waiters had taken their order and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the League free to exchange their information in private.
Mickey had briefly related what he, Tarzan and Hercules had overheard on the Isla de Engano. He had been very anxious to hear what had happened at Monster's Inc. He listened intently to Kim's story, his large round eyes appearing to drink in every detail. When she described the girl in the pink dress who had captured her, he murmured something under his breath:
"Kairi…"
She paused.
"Kairi? Isn't she one of your friends; one of the people we're looking for?"
"Uh-huh," said Mickey softly, lost in his own thoughts.
"Sorry," he said, shaking his head, "please, go on."
When Kim reached the part where Pete and Maleficent had appeared, Mickey sat bolt upright, ears quivering, but he did not interrupt her.
Now that Kim had finished her story, all eyes were on Mickey.
"We've gotta go," he said, standing up.
"Go? Why? Where?" said Darkwing.
"Listen carefully, 'cause we don't have much time," said Mickey, very deliberately, "Maleficent, the woman who came through that door, is the most powerful dark witch in all the worlds. Nowhereis safe now she is back. Nowhere. That's why we've gotta go: if we stay in one place too long, she'll find us."
The rest of the League stood up but no-one moved from the table. They could all feel it: a strange tension in the air.
"What happened to the waiters?" said Kim softly, glancing round. Apart from them, the café was empty.
"They never came back with our drinks," said Basil.
"Go," said Mickey, summoning his keyblade, "Get to the Excalibur. I'll catch up with you."
Kim had not taken three steps when she heard the crash of breaking wood behind her. She glanced back. There was a gang of pirates coming out of the kitchen, cutlasses drawn. Some of them were carrying white ray guns. Kim recognised them immediately: they were the same weapons that the hunters on Tarzan's world had used.
"Go!" Mickey shouted over his shoulder.
The rest of the League rushed out into the square in front of the café. It was a broad space paved with red stone, surrounded by timber framed buildings. On their right, the town's great wooden gates were shut and barred. Ahead and to their left, more bands of pirates were approaching from the other districts, weapons drawn. Some of them were firing their ray guns into the air as they came, the white beams bright against the night sky.
"Trapped!" growled Darkwing, drawing his gas gun.
They had no choice now: they had to fight. Tarzan launched himself at the pirates, screaming his terrible jungle cry. Hercules was just behind him, sword drawn. His blows were so strong that they sheered clean through the pirates' weapons.
Kim and Darkwing moved to confront the gang straight ahead of them. Darkwing fired his gas gun from the hip, covering the ground at their feet with an oil slick. The pirates in front tumbled, causing those behind to fall in turn. As the charge faltered Kim darted among them, fists and feet flying. She moved quickly, attacking and leaping away before her opponents had even hit the floor.
It was over in a matter of seconds. Stunned by the ferocity of the League's charge the pirates turned tail and ran back the way they came. They did not even stop to recover their fallen comrades.
Kim suddenly remembered Mickey. Bits of broken furniture were scattered across the square in front the café. No sounds came from within.
"Your Majesty!" she shouted.
Mickey emerged, keyblade still in hand. There was no sign of the pirates.
"We'd better go," he said calmly, "They won't stay away for long."
The League turned from the café and headed for the town gates. They were a little over halfway there when the gates exploded inwards in a cloud of fire and smoke. Kim ducked, arm raised to protect her face.
She looked up. A dark figure was emerging from the dust and debris. Two red eyes shone through the smoke.
"Surrender," it boomed, "There is no escape."
As the dust settled, Kim could see that the red eyes were set in a purple helmet, above a snarling mouthpiece.
"Out of the way, Zurg," said Mickey, levelling his keyblade at him.
"Petty king! You think because you have defeated a rabble of pirates that you are strong? Fool! You are nothing compared to the might of Zurg!"
He raised his right hand, aiming a huge three-barrelled gun at Mickey.
"You will all perish!" he continued, "My master has decreed it. You will – "
"Oh, purh-lease! Would you quit monologue-ing?!"
A man stepped up beside Zurg. He had spiky red hair and wore a suit of black and white spandex. On his torso was a large letter 'S'.
"Nice cape," said Kim sarcastically, "What's the 'S' stand for? Sissy boy?"
"My name is Syndrome!" the young man snarled, squaring up to her.
"We don't have time for this," said Mickey, "Tarzan! Hercules!"
The two men charged. Zurg fired a ball of searing yellow plasma at Hercules. He dived aside. The ball of plasma exploded as it struck the ground, sending chips of stone flying into the air.
Syndrome raised his right hand. A beam of blue light shot from his finger. It struck Tarzan, surrounding him with a shimmering force field that seemed to freeze him in place. Syndrome flicked his wrist. Tarzan was hurled across the square. He struck a brick wall, and fell ten feet to the ground. He did not get up.
The rest of the League scattered. Mickey ran right, back towards the café, a stream of magical white arrows flying from the end of his keyblade. Zurg was driven back. He returned fire but Mickey was too fast and too small to hit.
Hercules seized a cast-iron park bench, ripped it from the ground with one hand, and hurled it at Syndrome. Syndrome leapt aside and up into the air, levitating using rockets in the soles of his boots.
Kim ran back, away from Zurg, taking cover around the corner of a nearby shop building. Her eyes scanned the square, looking for some way to approach Zurg or Syndrome without being seen.
Hercules grabbed a lamppost and threw it, javelin-style, towards Syndrome. Syndrome caught the lamppost in another force field. He spun it round, like an athlete doing the hammer throw, and sent it hurtling back towards Hercules. Hercules leapt aside, easily avoiding it.
Darkwing, crouching behind a letterbox, took aim at Zurg. A cluster of smoke bombs landed at his feet. Thick, white smoke blossomed in all directions, covering the square.
Kim kept her head down. She didn't dare move out into the smog. She could not see anything. Yellow, white and blue lights flashed somewhere out in the square. Kim could hear the boom of Zurg's plasma blasts, dulled by the smoke, followed by the sharp clatter of falling debris.
There was a deep, prolonged rumble on Kim's left. A cloud of brown dust rolled across the square, driving back the white smoke. As things became a little clearer, she could see that the wall of one of the houses had collapsed. Syndrome was hovering just above it, watching as Hercules struggled to free himself from the ruins. Kim glanced to her right. Zurg had both Mickey and Darkwing pinned down behind cover. Tarzan was still unconscious.
Taking her new grappling hook from her belt, Kim ran into the square, crouched low. Syndrome had not noticed her. He was trying to raise a timber beam from the rubble to drop on Hercules, who was still struggling to get free. As soon as she judged that she was close enough Kim drew her arm back and threw the hook. It spun around Syndrome's leg. The line went taught, jerking him down a foot. The beam he was trying to lift fell back with a crunch.
He rounded on Kim. She pulled harder at the rope but Syndrome's rockets were too strong and he flew higher. He raised his right hand, finger pointed straight at Kim. She crouched, tense, ready to dodge.
A red laser beam struck Syndrome's forearm, severing his glove in two.
"No!" he cried.
He twisted round, just as a green and white blur hammered into him. Syndrome was hurled out of the air and through the window of a nearby house.
The blur twisted in the air and landed smoothly in the centre of the square. Now that he was still, Kim could see that it was a man in a green and white spacesuit. The face beneath the clear dome was square jawed and handsome. His right arm was raised, with his left hand poised above a button on his forearm.
Zurg whipped round, turning his gun on the spaceman.
"Lightyear!" he cried, ignoring the League.
"Emperor Zurg, by the authority invested in me by the Intergalactic Alliance, I am placing you under arrest," declared the spaceman, "Put down your weapon and surrender peacefully."
Zurg laughed as he fired a volley of plasma blasts at the spaceman. The spaceman dropped, rolled aside, rose and returned fire, all with incredible speed. He fought with a ray gun mounted on his right forearm. Zurg sidestepped the red beam, floating to his right and towards the town gates. The spaceman fired again, this time across Zurg's path.
"Another time, Lightyear!" said Zurg, raising his free hand. There was a flash of purple light, so bright that Kim was forced to cover her eyes. When she could see again, Zurg was nowhere to be found.
Mickey stepped out from the café and approached the spaceman.
"Thank you," he said, extending his hand. The spaceman saluted smartly.
"Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Your Majesty," he barked, like a solider on parade.
"You… know who I am?"
"Yes, sire. Star Command received intelligence that the Emperor Zurg had left Planet Z in pursuit of one King Mickey and his servants – "
"Hey! We're not servants!" said Kim.
" – who were last seen en route to Traverse Town," Buzz continued as if Kim had not spoken, "I was immediately dispatched to engage and apprehend the said Emperor Zurg. I failed. My apologies, sire."
"Gee, don't apologise!" said Mickey hastily.
"Just doing my duty, sire."
Mickey nodded. He seemed a little intimidated by Buzz.
Buzz flipped open a panel on his left forearm to reveal a small bank of instruments and computer displays.
"Sire," he said, examining the instruments, "my scans indicate numerous gummi-ships en route to this location. I would advise an immediate evacuation."
"Good idea," said Mickey, nodding.
The League passed through the remnants of the town gates with Hercules, practically unscathed, supporting the semi-conscious Tarzan with his shoulder. Buzz went with them, walking beside Mickey.
"What is your plan, sire?" Buzz asked.
"To warn others what has happened. Things are even more dangerous than I thought."
"And then?"
Mickey sighed.
"To find my friends; wherever they are. Somethin' tells me they're the key to all this. I've gotta keep looking for them."
"I would like to accompany you, sire," said Buzz, "Although my primary mission is to capture Zurg, it appears that his goal is to capture you. Any enemy of Zurg's is a friend of mine."
"Of course," said Mickey, brightening up, "Times like this, you need all the pals you can get."
The pirates had not tried to board the Excalibur; her cockpit was still locked and there was no sign of any attempt to open it. Buzz announced that he had seen some ships under guard on the far side of town as he flew in; he assumed that they belonged to the pirates.
Buzz and the League boarded. Everyone went into the cabin below, except for Mickey and Basil.
"Your Majesty, something is perplexing me," said Basil thoughtfully, seating himself on the dashboard
"What do you mean?" said Mickey, only half-listening as he prepared for takeoff.
"Just this," said Basil, "you said that this Maleficent is a powerful witch, correct?"
"Yeah."
"And now that she has returned from wherever she has been, would you say that she presents a threat to our enterprise?"
"No question."
"Greater than the Emperor Zurg and his minions?"
"They're not in the same league as her."
"Intriguing…" said Basil.
"What's on your mind?" asked Mickey. The Excalibur's rockets fired. She hopped into the air, hovering a few metres above the ground. Taking hold of the wheel, Mickey tilted her nose up. She began to rise, faster and faster, racing towards the stars.
"Does it not seem strange to Your Majesty that these villains should choose to send such comparative weaklings to apprehend us, when they possess a much greater weapon in their arsenal?" said Basil.
"Yeah… That is kinda strange," said Mickey thoughtfully.
"One would almost presume that it was not their intention to defeat us at all," said Basil slowly, considering each word with great care.
"Then why send them?"
"To mislead us? To threaten us? Maybe to… flush… us… out?"
"Basil? What's wrong?" said Mickey.
Basil did not reply. He was staring, open mouthed, over Mickey's shoulder at something through the cockpit dome. Mickey turned his head.
At first he thought it was a vast, grey storm cloud but there are no storms in interspace. It was solid, vast as a moon, and pockmarked with meteor craters. A red line appeared near its base, wide as a horizon. It grew larger, revealing teeth as tall as elephants. Behind them was a tongue, and behind that a chasm of a throat. It was moving towards them, smooth and effortless despite its bulk. In the tiny cockpit of the Excalibur, Mickey and Basil sat and stared as Monstro bore down on them.
Author's Note: Syndrome is the villain from The Incredibles. Monstro is the whale who swallowed Pinocchio.