chapter 16
The hovercraft wasn't nearly as fast as it was before. Originally meant for two, the hovercraft was now twice the size and four times the weight. Battered by winds, it made slow progress across the jungle canopy. Inside, Trilby and Sparky sat at the back of the craft, antenna wrapped around metallic ports in the ship's hull, the dull hum of electricity was clearly audible in the silence that enveloped the ship. They sat uncomfortably on metal, as it slowly headed toward Kauai. Lilo sat beside Stitch, in the front, was occupied tapping the screen of Jumba's computer. Stitch, in the driving seat, was fidgeting clearly uncomfortable at the slow speed they maintained.
Lilo was considering Trilby's loyalty. He seemed nice enough around her. But when he wasn't round her, he was fighting experiments, delivering computer's to Hamsterviel. Not friendly things. There was always the chance he was lying about ever being their friend. Despite this she still let him power the ship. Could be a terrible idea, but she digressed. She needed to shut down Hamsterviel's ship, slowly as they made their way to Kauai, a large ship could be seen on the horizon. Large rays of light shone from the ship's hull dazzling any onlookers on the ground. To them the light could be the sun shine, clever disguise for hiding from human sight. From the ship they could see clearly. Lilo tried to guess the make of ship by flicking through schematics on Jumba's computer. One ship seemed a close match the 'Graghadah frigate class'. Built for storing and guarding cargo- like experiments.
"Be careful Stitch, apparently this ship has, 'heavy artillery, and a large arsenal of plasma cannons, and a powerful concentrated laser'.
"Ih," Stitch was already on over watch, waiting for the telltale plasma trails. The loud engaging sound of the plasma cannon.
"Are we close yet," called Trilby from the back, unable to see past the front seats.
"We are close so be careful for plasma blasts."
"Great melted into atoms, that would make my day…" Lilo ignored the sarcasm, looking toward the ground she gasped as the remains of Kauai came into view. Experiments bounced amongst the ruins of houses, giggling. Filled with the untold glee of destruction. From the shadows, soldiers- of some sort- in camouflage suits leaped out of bushes snatching exhausted experiments from where they lay panting. Clearly Hamsterviel had hired some more people to do the collecting than just Gantu. Shuttles, filled with experiments floated from the surface to the ship. Stitch saw his cousins captured, angered he revved the, already struggling, engine. Apparently, the move alerted the 'mother ship' as a huge number of cannons appeared from the ship. In response, Stitch fired up his own cannon. Plasma flashed past their craft in a flurry of colour and lights. Stitch tried to manoeuvre the craft but, the sixe and weight made it difficult. Plasma splashed over the metal plating singeing the metal exterior the craft held. Weathering the storm of plasma, the ship made of junk. Stitch's cannon fired a flurry in retaliation, destroying cannons, and relieving some of the pressure. A stray ball of plasma connected with the cannon's connection shaft, the cannon dropped off Stitch's vessel. Soon, after the ship had been battered by innumerable balls of plasma the metal connections fried, plates started falling from the ship's hull. The weight loss, granting the craft a small boost of speed as Stitch aimed the craft at one of the port holes he pushed as hard as he could on the accelerator, a port hole one of the shuttles was using to ferry experiments. The ship began falling apart quickly the engines failing and the plasma carved its way into the inside of the ship, like cracking a boiled egg.
"Huddle now!" Lilo shouted ducking down, instantly they stopped powering the ship. Diving into the arms of Lilo. As the walls gave way around them.
"Detonate the core Stitch."
"IH!" and he pressed the button.
The back of the ship exploded catapulting the four into the port hole, as the ship was shredded. The blast-proof experiments cushioned Lilo from the blast as they were sent, careering into the ship.
Stunned for a moment, the four lay on the cargo bay floor, recovering from the blast. They had landed in a wide room. Littered with boxes, cages, capsules. Clearly for the experiments that were being transported. Debris from the hovercraft had dented and smashed much of these items, however. One large door dominated the wall between the sky and the ship's interior.
Stitch was the first to recover and in the his adrenaline rush, dived at the nearest moving target. Luckily it was a guard who had come to investigate. The guard was kitted out in the latest blast resistant body suit. Unfortunately, Stitch would prove more of a blast than the suit could handle. He tried to grab Stitch, who had attached himself to his helmet. Stitch, who had all his arms, had twisted the helmet so the visor was the wrong way round, blinded the guard stumbled, tripped. Stitch let the alien man fall before taking his plasma blaster and tying him up in his own breathing suit. Sparky and Trilby recovered in time for the next wave of investigating soldiers. A group of ten soldiers filed through the door. The soldiers drew their weapons, they began firing at the three experiments. Sparky made a quick attempt to shock the soldiers- there suits were not conductive, but there weapons were. He flew up high to draw their fire, he allowed bolts of lightning to lance to the rifles barrel. The weapons overheated and exploded with the pressure, sending the guards back. Stitch laid down covering fire, shooting the rifle with deadly accuracy. Trilby, rolled through the guards legs, realising how advanced these suits were he sought to use that against them, using his electricity he set the magnetism control on their boots to the maximum setting. The boots locked to the ship floor with incredible force. This rendered the guards immobile. They were now without weapons, they couldn't move and Stitch had a plasma blaster trained at the guards heads.
"Don't shoot them Stitch!" Cried Lilo, she had recovered from the force of the explosion, but a large purple bruise was appearing on her head.
"Is Lilo ok?" Replied Stitch,
"I'm fine Stitch, but I'm still not indestructible like you,
"Nice idea, little brother," Sparky landed next to Trilby,
"Thanks, couldn't have done it if they had weapons though, so it's all on you," Trilby hugged Sparky.
The guards looked at each other with confusion as the praising happened around them.
"Stitch take off the helmet of that guard," she said pointing to the closest.
"Ih, Lilo," he jumped up to the man, taking off the helmet. The alien flinched as Stitch lifted the blaster at the man.
"Ok, you're going to tell me where I can find the experiments, NOW, or maybe I'll get my dog to chew one of your legs for a bit." Stitch growl menacingly, making sure he saw his row of spark white teeth.
"Remind me to never get on her bad side," Whispered Trilby to Sparky, who laughed,
The guards on the other hand, particularly the lizard-like alien who had the gun aimed at him.
"It… It's… down the hall on the 28th right there is a large room filled with all the experiments."
"Good, now tell me all the traps on the way to this room."
"There is an invisible tripwire in sector 23b you can walk past it through sector 23a…" The list carried on for a two minutes.
"You have this place pretty well guarded I'll give you that,"
"Anyway have a nice day," They left through the open door, On the other side Trilby accessed the panel locking the cargo bay door and smashing the panel.
"How are you going to remember that whole list," asked Trilby,
She opened Jumba's computer showing the record button, and the recorded message.
"Nicely done,"
They ran down a long white corridor. Lights lined the corridor all the way down the length of the ship. Lilo played the recording back over and over, making sure she missed all the tripwires. and traps they would find. After a while. The made it to the room the man had spoken about. The room was huge and circular rows and rows of cell-like rooms. Under each one was a number. The number of the experiment. Some had an experiment present some didn't. Lilo realised almost every present experiment was exhausted, sleeping in their cells. It would be difficult to get them out. The room was mostly empty except for a massive wall sized screen that showed the grinning face of Dr Jaque von Hamsterviel.
"Velcome to my experiment exhibition!"