Post by Ranger Parsec on Mar 8, 2005 13:33:48 GMT -5
The Z Factor
by Joy
NOTE: Things should start making sense and coming together as the plot is revealed. For now, enjoy!
[Another little disclaimer note: the planet of "Farsus" and everything relating to it (residents, appearance, etc) is copyright of me.]
*********
Chapter Three - The Hunted
Randall stirred in his sleep. For some reason, just now, he was feeling uneasy. However, getting up was a non-negotiable. Just five more minutes and he'd get up, he promised himself. He rolled over in his cot and pulled the warm sheets over his head, as though trying to muffle the unrest in his mind.
Something was telling him to get up.
He didn't know why, but it must have been some nervous instinct of his. That's what he thought, anyways. With a few muffled grumbings, he yawned and slowly opened his eyes to see nothing but the wall. He pushed the sheets halfway off his long body and glanced around the darkness of the room - something he was quite comfortable with, being a Scarer. Despite his worries, everything seemed completely quiet and calm, with the exception of Ty's soft snoring.
He gave Ty a quick glance. The human seemed unphased, sleeping soundly on his back, one arm hanging limply out of the bed. Perhaps, he couldn't sense the slight nervousness in the atmosphere like Randall could. Humans usually weren't that perceptive, he knew.
Randall yawned once more and wiped the sleep out of his eyes. It appeared that he'd have to find out the source of this feeling that had awoken him. But he didn't need to look far. As soon as he finished rubbing his eyes, Randall peered out the window that overlooked the end of his bed. There, he spotted movement.
Fully awake now, the lizard-monster quietly slipped out of bed and soundlessly slithered over to the window. He quickly peered through the glass and saw something small and round hovering outside their window. It appeared to be a black-and-purple machine with one large lens, like a big black eye, pointed at them.
Randall's fronds perked up and he stared at it for a moment, his green eyes wide. Could it be. . .watching them?
He quickly glanced from the spybot to Ty and then slithered over to the side of his bed. Something told him he had to alert the ranger of this threat. Randall shook his shoulder.
"Pssst!" he hissed, eyeing the robot every so often to make sure it hadn't moved. "Ty! Wake up!"
Groggily, Ty opened his eyes and it took him a moment or two to focus in on Randall's face. He yawned. "What?"
"Look, out the window," Randall whispered.
Ty stared at him for a moment, as though trying to figure out whether he was playing a joke on him or not. Finally, he groaned and propped himself up on his elbows. Strands of his unruly chestnut hair hung into his face as he directed his attention to the window. There, he spotted the robot, still staring at them with its eerie black 'eye'.
His eyes widened immediately. "A Zurg spybot?!?" he exclaimed, throwing the covers off of himself and getting out of bed.
"I thought it looked like some sort of spy!" Randall said, stepping aside to give him room to work. "What's it for, exactly? I'm still new t' this stuff, y'know."
The ranger pressed a button on the wall and a shield came out of the sill to cover the windows. "They're sent by Zurg to gather information about someone," he explained, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes. "They can scan the whole room, DNA of its inhabitants, and who-knows-what-else. As long as they have a way of seeing inside, they can find out almost everything about you."
Randall arched an eyebrow. "They can do all that?" he asked, intrigued yet more wary than ever.
"Unfortunately, yeah," the ranger replied, plopping down on the edge of his bed. "I don't know exactly what your technology is like in Monstropolis, but we've got some really futuristic things in our world."
The lizard-monster rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But why would this Zurg guy want to send one to your cabin?"
"I don't know," Ty replied. "That's what puzzles me. I mean, sure, I'm a Space Ranger, but I would think he'd be spying on Buzz. He's always trying to annihilate him. I can't imagine why he'd have a sudden interest in me. . ."
Randall glanced at the covered window, feeling a sense of nervousness again. Did this possibly have anything to do with him? He had nearly forgotten, since meeting Ty, that most humans were not very understanding towards monsters. Ty had informed him earlier that humans - in general - would classify him as some 'animal' and treat him as such. Randall knew it was vice-versa in the Monster World. So, was it possible that Zurg had heard about him and gotten interested? If he was the resident 'Evil Emperor' of the universe, as Ty had put it, then an interest in Randall couldn't possibly bring about anything good.
Then again, he didn't want to really express his worries to Ty. He figured it was best just to keep them to himself.
Randall stretched his long, snake-like body and plopped down on his comfortable cot. Ty had placed several blankets on it to provide some softness as well as some sheets to cover himself, so despite being an old worn-out thing, it had been turned into something cozy and warm. The lizard-monster liked it. It beat sleeping on the floor or at the end of Ty's bed, anyways.
"Well, at least it can't spy in on us anymore," Randall said, pushing the concerns to the back of his mind.
Ty nodded. "Yeah," he replied, glancing at the digital clock on his nightstand. It read eight o'clock AM. "Anyhow, since I'm already up, I might as well get dressed and see if I can pick up some breakfast for the both of us. You're probably hungry."
At the mention, Randall nodded. "Yeah, some breakfast would be good," he replied. "Ya have any eyeballs and burnt toast?"
The ranger made a face. Eyeballs? Burnt toast? He almost wanted to puke, but tried not to give the lizard-monster any indication that he felt this way. He pushed the disgusting visualization out of his mind.
"Uh, well. . .we'll see what I can find," he said, his voice cautious. He grabbed his trusty ranger suit and black-and-purple thermal outfit, then disappeared into the bathroom.
Randall simply ran a hand through his fronds to style them and waited a few moments for his new friend to finish. It didn't take long for Ty to return, fully-uniformed and cleaned up. "Okay, Randall, I want you to stay here while I find us something to eat," he said, heading for the door. "I'll try to get back as soon as possible, so do what you like in here. Just don't trash the place or let yourself be seen."
The lizard-monster reclined on his cot and shrugged. "No problem," he replied.
However, the thought of spending all his time cooped up in the cabin didn't exactly appeal to him. Ty disappeared out into the hallway and Randall sighed, bored. After some medical attention and sleep, his injuries weren't bothering him much anymore. Resiliant and sturdy as he was, he could now get up and do whatever he liked with little to no discomfort. It seemed a little boresome to have to stay inside Ty's cabin all day and do nothing but wait.
He glanced around the room. There was a desk, Ty's bed, door to the bathroom, dresser, and various other things scattered around. He noted that there were a couple of books on the desk that sat against the same wall as his cot. He got up to take a look. The first one was titled Ranger Manual and the other seemed to be a training booklet for experienced rangers. Nothing particularily interesting.
Randall glanced at the door thoughtfully. Perhaps, it wouldn't hurt if he followed Ty into the cafeteria and see what was going on. He figured, as long as he stayed invisible, it'd be just fine. So, that decided, he vanished and snuck out into the hallway to track down his ranger friend.
*************
by Joy
NOTE: Things should start making sense and coming together as the plot is revealed. For now, enjoy!
[Another little disclaimer note: the planet of "Farsus" and everything relating to it (residents, appearance, etc) is copyright of me.]
*********
Chapter Three - The Hunted
Randall stirred in his sleep. For some reason, just now, he was feeling uneasy. However, getting up was a non-negotiable. Just five more minutes and he'd get up, he promised himself. He rolled over in his cot and pulled the warm sheets over his head, as though trying to muffle the unrest in his mind.
Something was telling him to get up.
He didn't know why, but it must have been some nervous instinct of his. That's what he thought, anyways. With a few muffled grumbings, he yawned and slowly opened his eyes to see nothing but the wall. He pushed the sheets halfway off his long body and glanced around the darkness of the room - something he was quite comfortable with, being a Scarer. Despite his worries, everything seemed completely quiet and calm, with the exception of Ty's soft snoring.
He gave Ty a quick glance. The human seemed unphased, sleeping soundly on his back, one arm hanging limply out of the bed. Perhaps, he couldn't sense the slight nervousness in the atmosphere like Randall could. Humans usually weren't that perceptive, he knew.
Randall yawned once more and wiped the sleep out of his eyes. It appeared that he'd have to find out the source of this feeling that had awoken him. But he didn't need to look far. As soon as he finished rubbing his eyes, Randall peered out the window that overlooked the end of his bed. There, he spotted movement.
Fully awake now, the lizard-monster quietly slipped out of bed and soundlessly slithered over to the window. He quickly peered through the glass and saw something small and round hovering outside their window. It appeared to be a black-and-purple machine with one large lens, like a big black eye, pointed at them.
Randall's fronds perked up and he stared at it for a moment, his green eyes wide. Could it be. . .watching them?
He quickly glanced from the spybot to Ty and then slithered over to the side of his bed. Something told him he had to alert the ranger of this threat. Randall shook his shoulder.
"Pssst!" he hissed, eyeing the robot every so often to make sure it hadn't moved. "Ty! Wake up!"
Groggily, Ty opened his eyes and it took him a moment or two to focus in on Randall's face. He yawned. "What?"
"Look, out the window," Randall whispered.
Ty stared at him for a moment, as though trying to figure out whether he was playing a joke on him or not. Finally, he groaned and propped himself up on his elbows. Strands of his unruly chestnut hair hung into his face as he directed his attention to the window. There, he spotted the robot, still staring at them with its eerie black 'eye'.
His eyes widened immediately. "A Zurg spybot?!?" he exclaimed, throwing the covers off of himself and getting out of bed.
"I thought it looked like some sort of spy!" Randall said, stepping aside to give him room to work. "What's it for, exactly? I'm still new t' this stuff, y'know."
The ranger pressed a button on the wall and a shield came out of the sill to cover the windows. "They're sent by Zurg to gather information about someone," he explained, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes. "They can scan the whole room, DNA of its inhabitants, and who-knows-what-else. As long as they have a way of seeing inside, they can find out almost everything about you."
Randall arched an eyebrow. "They can do all that?" he asked, intrigued yet more wary than ever.
"Unfortunately, yeah," the ranger replied, plopping down on the edge of his bed. "I don't know exactly what your technology is like in Monstropolis, but we've got some really futuristic things in our world."
The lizard-monster rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But why would this Zurg guy want to send one to your cabin?"
"I don't know," Ty replied. "That's what puzzles me. I mean, sure, I'm a Space Ranger, but I would think he'd be spying on Buzz. He's always trying to annihilate him. I can't imagine why he'd have a sudden interest in me. . ."
Randall glanced at the covered window, feeling a sense of nervousness again. Did this possibly have anything to do with him? He had nearly forgotten, since meeting Ty, that most humans were not very understanding towards monsters. Ty had informed him earlier that humans - in general - would classify him as some 'animal' and treat him as such. Randall knew it was vice-versa in the Monster World. So, was it possible that Zurg had heard about him and gotten interested? If he was the resident 'Evil Emperor' of the universe, as Ty had put it, then an interest in Randall couldn't possibly bring about anything good.
Then again, he didn't want to really express his worries to Ty. He figured it was best just to keep them to himself.
Randall stretched his long, snake-like body and plopped down on his comfortable cot. Ty had placed several blankets on it to provide some softness as well as some sheets to cover himself, so despite being an old worn-out thing, it had been turned into something cozy and warm. The lizard-monster liked it. It beat sleeping on the floor or at the end of Ty's bed, anyways.
"Well, at least it can't spy in on us anymore," Randall said, pushing the concerns to the back of his mind.
Ty nodded. "Yeah," he replied, glancing at the digital clock on his nightstand. It read eight o'clock AM. "Anyhow, since I'm already up, I might as well get dressed and see if I can pick up some breakfast for the both of us. You're probably hungry."
At the mention, Randall nodded. "Yeah, some breakfast would be good," he replied. "Ya have any eyeballs and burnt toast?"
The ranger made a face. Eyeballs? Burnt toast? He almost wanted to puke, but tried not to give the lizard-monster any indication that he felt this way. He pushed the disgusting visualization out of his mind.
"Uh, well. . .we'll see what I can find," he said, his voice cautious. He grabbed his trusty ranger suit and black-and-purple thermal outfit, then disappeared into the bathroom.
Randall simply ran a hand through his fronds to style them and waited a few moments for his new friend to finish. It didn't take long for Ty to return, fully-uniformed and cleaned up. "Okay, Randall, I want you to stay here while I find us something to eat," he said, heading for the door. "I'll try to get back as soon as possible, so do what you like in here. Just don't trash the place or let yourself be seen."
The lizard-monster reclined on his cot and shrugged. "No problem," he replied.
However, the thought of spending all his time cooped up in the cabin didn't exactly appeal to him. Ty disappeared out into the hallway and Randall sighed, bored. After some medical attention and sleep, his injuries weren't bothering him much anymore. Resiliant and sturdy as he was, he could now get up and do whatever he liked with little to no discomfort. It seemed a little boresome to have to stay inside Ty's cabin all day and do nothing but wait.
He glanced around the room. There was a desk, Ty's bed, door to the bathroom, dresser, and various other things scattered around. He noted that there were a couple of books on the desk that sat against the same wall as his cot. He got up to take a look. The first one was titled Ranger Manual and the other seemed to be a training booklet for experienced rangers. Nothing particularily interesting.
Randall glanced at the door thoughtfully. Perhaps, it wouldn't hurt if he followed Ty into the cafeteria and see what was going on. He figured, as long as he stayed invisible, it'd be just fine. So, that decided, he vanished and snuck out into the hallway to track down his ranger friend.
*************
