The Z Factor - Chap 4

[Ranger Parsec]

The Z Factor
by Joy

NOTE: Now, the plot begins to unfold, Ty's most famous characteristic is revealed to everyone. . .and Randall's forced to make a really tough decision. Wow. Alot's going on here. But you'll have to read it to see what happens. ^_^ Lol. Enjoy!

***************************************

Chapter Three - The Making of Project Z

FROOOMM!

Ty's smaller, bullet-shaped ship - Star Cruiser 40 - blasted off from it's launchpad at Star Command, through a circular portal in the ceiling, and into the dark reaches of space. Once they were a distance from the headquarters, Ty flipped a few switches and activated the auxilary thrusters and slowly pushed a lever forward, increasing their mileage by a couple parsecs.

Randall was now strapped into the co-pilot's seat, watching all the stars go by the windshield. "Pretty nice ship ya got here," he remarked, admiring the complexity of the c o c k p i t's design and construction.

"Thanks," Ty replied. "It's one of our newer models. It's designed especially for solo missions, so I got the first prototype. This baby is well known for it's compact size, maneuverability - which is useful on Trade World - and speed."

The lizard-monster nodded, taking in the information. Anything having to do with mechanics and new technology kept him quite interested. "If you humans don't use screams, then what does it run on, anyhow?"

"Crystallic fusion technology," Ty answered. "We use green crystals our allies mine on the undersea planet, Bathyos. It's effective stuff, great for fueling trans-galactic flights and I've found it to be quite reliable. If we could ever learn how to harness screams, though, I think it would be a miraculous scientific breakthrough."

"Hm," Randall muttered thoughfully. "It's a shame I can't show you a thing or two. But I think that would be giving away every secret us monsters have and that probably not a good idea."

"Yeah, you guys must be pretty smart to create the things you've told me," Ty commented. "We sure could use that kind of engenuity at Star Command."

The lizard-monster just shrugged, looking out the beautiful, panoramic view of planets and shooting stars. It reminded him of the times he used to walk down the sidewalks of Monstropolis at night and look at the stars. It was quite an experience now that he could actually fly right amongst the things he saw from so far away. Even though it was from a different world than his own, it had a kind of warm familiarity to it. Space was one of the few things that he thought looked the same in both worlds.

"Which planet are you from?" Randall finally asked, out of curiosity.

"Farsus," Ty replied. "It's way out there, only a few parsecs from Planet Z - Zurg's abode. I'm only half-Farsian, though. That's where I get my odd looks."

Randall raised an eyebrow.

"My huge eyes," Ty specified, clearly surprised he hadn't noticed. "What? You don't think I look wierd?"

The lizard-monster shook his head. "No. In fact, I've seen much stranger things than you. . .believe me," he cracked a smile and soon burst out laughing. "You should meet Wazowski. Then you'd know what oversized eyes really look like!"

Ty smirked. "I guess I should have known you've seen stranger things," he chuckled, suddenly curious. "What does he look like anyways?"

"Like a green bowling ball with skinny arms and legs - and one gigantic, annoying eye right in the middle of his face," Randall explained. "So, ya look pretty normal to me." He shot him a half-grin. "At least, for a human."

The ranger laughed. "You aren't half-bad, yourself - for a monster," he said, returning the joke.

BEEP! BEEP!

Just then, the small navagation screen on the dashboard in front of Ty started bleeping and he turned his attention to it. "Looks like we're almost there," he announced. "Hang on, I'm gonna have to weave through traffic to get onto the planet. Undoubtedly, there's always a backup somewhere on the intergalactic highway."

Randall nodded in understanding, watching as the planet came into view. A long line of ships, incoming and outgoing from the planet were lined up on a stretch of space marked with flashing things that looked similar to water buoys. Ty directed the ship into the flow and weaved through the traffic, until they had finally made it into the city.

Personally, Randall had never seen anything so big and busy. The buildings were crammed in right next to each other, as though trying to fit as many apartments and penthouses into the least amount of space possible. And all the spaces that buildings, walkways, and parking lots weren't taking up, seemed to be designated as highways for spaceships and similar vehicles. Ty wasn't kidding when he said this planet was packed with people.

Cruiser 40 made its way through the nighttime crowd, until they finally found a parking lot where they could land. It was right in front of a run-down old shop with a 'For Rent' sign in the window, so the lot was vacant and - it seemed - wouldn't be used for a very long time. It just so happened that the parking lot was also near some large apartment complexes, making it a prime place to station themselves. Ty eased Cruiser 40 down onto the platform and cut the engine.

The hispanic ranger unbuckled himself and turned to his friend. "Well, looks like this is as good of a place as any," he said. "We're right next to a ton of apartment complexes, so you won't have to walk very far. What do you think?"

"I agree with ya," Randall said, unbuckling himself as well. He was excited about the prospect of finding a way back home, to the Monster World, once again. He was already thinking about all the things he'd do once he returned. "Looks great."

Ty stood. "Well, just in case you do find a way home - and I hope you do - I might as well wish you well," he said, holding out his hand. "Goodbye, Randall."

The lizard-monster gladly shook it. "I guess so," he said. "See ya, Ty. Thanks fer everything. I won't forget ya." He met the human's brown eyes with his green ones and grinned. "Hey, who knows? Maybe, if I find a way, I'll come back and visit ya sometime."

Ty escorted him to the door as he made his way out. "That would be great, you know you're always welcome at my place," he smiled, waving. "Good luck."

[Ranger Parsec]

Once Randall had blended into his surroundings and out of sight, Ty went back inside his ship and closed the door. He went through the bridge on his way back to the c o c k p i t. The ranger sat back down in the pilot's seat and went back to work surveying the speed meter as each spaceship passed by.

So far, none of the speeds were warranting a ticket, so he simply leaned back in his chair and relaxed. The ranger picked up a mug of coffee he had prepared earlier and took a sip as he watched traffic.

As he was doing so, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small, black-and-blue spaceship approaching the same parking lot. This arised his curiosity. A citizen parking on closed commercial property, such as this place, was considered illegal by Trade World's laws. Only Space Rangers and the original owner were permitted to do so, in order to prevent lewd and undesirable activities from occurring.

He disliked the idea of leaving his assigned post, but he decided that this matter needed to be looked into. It was his duty, after all. Besides, maybe this person saw that there was a ranger around and simply decided to drop by to ask for assistance.

Ty set his mug down and got out of his seat. He made a beeline for the door and it hissed open, allowing him to exit the ship. He climbed down the ladder and hopped onto the ground.

His eyes scanned the parking lot for the ship and found it parked on the right side of the old shop. He marched over to it and looked up in the direction of the c o c k p i t, anticipating the pilot to come down. He waited for a few moments, but nothing happened. He placed his fists on his hips.

Well, he could rule out the idea that this was some innocent citizen in need of help, because they sure didn't seem very eager to talk to him.

"Can I help you?"

The voice from behind caused Ty to jump in surprise. He turned around, quickly recomposing himself in the process, to see who it was. He saw a blue-and-black-suited man, who - more or less - towered over him by about a foot.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, yes, actually," Ty replied, taking on a tone of firm authority. "I believe you know that parking on this property is against the law, or am I wrong?"

"Yeah," Shiv replied, unflinching. "Why?"

"Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave immediately, sir," he continued. "There's a perfectly good lot just across from here and I'm sure you'll be just as happy parking there."

"I'm not going anywhere," he declared.

Ty raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You're not?" he asked, amused. "Well, in that case, I'm placing you under arrest."

Shiv moved in closer to Ty, but he didn't back away. Instead, he stood his ground. His 'ranger instinct' was telling him to run, yet he only backed up just far enough so that he could point his wrist laser at him. "If you're attempting to intimidate me, it ain't happening," he declared. "Now, we can do this the easy way or you can make it hard on yourself. Your choice."

The villian simply chuckled. "Try me, Ranger."

Then, without a second thought, he set his laser at 'stun' and shot Shiv Kitall. It did nothing but dissipate as it hit his suit. It must have been made well. Instead, Ty quickly crouched on one foot and kicked Shiv's legs right out from underneath him, rolling out of the way. The big guy fell hard on the concrete, right where he had been.

Now that he was on his stomach, the ranger took out the energy bands they used as handcuffs and started to position the villian's arms so that he could secure him. However, Shiv managed to roll back over to face him and grabbed him by both arms. He slowly lifted him off his feet, his grip painfully tight.

The villian leaned into the ranger's face. "No, I believe you're coming with me."

Ty's eyes widened in realization. . .

**********************************

Randall silently climbed up the side of the large apartment building and glanced into the first window he came across. Inside, everything was quiet and the lights had been turned out. That was a good indication, Randall knew, that the residents had gone to bed for the night. If he was lucky, maybe they even had a kid.

If not, the remedy was simple: he'd just find an apartment that did.

Using his keen senses of night vision, he scanned the room for any signs of a pet. If there was anything he hated as much as Sullivan and Wazowski, it was a dog or cat. Seeing nothing, he took hold of the window and began to pull on it, hoping he'd be able to force it open.

However, it didn't budge.

"Darn!" he whispered to himself. "Locked!"

He slithered further up the front of the building and stopped just long enough to survey his surroundings. His emerald eyes were immediately drawn to an open window. It was only open a crack, but that was more than enough for him. He quickly crawled up to it and peered inside. That room was also dark and silent.

Upon further inspection, he noted that they had no dogs or cats either - just a goldfish or two.

Satisfied with his findings, Randall firmly gripped the window and forced it open just enough for his slim body to fit inside. He slithered into the room and onto the padded carpeting without a sound. If anything, he was a master of stealth and silence. This he had aquired from extensive scarer training and, over time, he found it quite useful for more than just that.

The soft glow from the aquarium lights and the city outside the window was more than enough for Randall to see by. He easily made it past the goldfish and peeked around the corner. There, he saw a very short hallway with two doors situated across from each other and a window at the very end.

Randall entered the hall and directed his ear towards the door on the left. Inside, he could hear small breathing noises that were very similar to that of a human child. However, he wanted to be sure, so he pushed the door open even more and peered inside. There lay a little boy, sleeping soundly in bed. He ducked back out into the hallway, his heart jumping with excitement. He could almost see the shocked looks on Sullivan and Wazowski's sorry faces already! He was so close!

Now, all he had to do was wait for the right moment. Patience was something Randall could manage, so he just parked himself on the carpet beside the door and listened intently.

The lizard-monster didn't need wait much longer, because only minutes later, there was the slight sound of a closet door opening. Over years of scaring, Randall had learned to pick up on slight things like this. So, he stayed invisible and peeked inside once more. There, he spotted a monster sneaking over to the kid's bedside. It looked alot like. . .

Fungus!?, his mind exclaimed.

He watched as Fungus pulled a chair over to the bedside and actually tapped on the kid's shoulder! What was he doing?? The kid woke up and, upon seeing Fungus, his eyes widened in fear. The three-eyed monster put up his hands.

"Don't worry! I'm not gonna scare you," he said with a grin.

Not gonna scare him?? What in Monstropolis name was he thinking?? He watched, trying to resist the urge to shake some sense into his former assistant.

Fungus just grinned and threw a cream pie in his face. The kid stared at him for a moment. . .then burst out laughing like a hyena! The sight thoroughly puzzled Randall. Had the company gone completely and utterly mad?

Nonetheless, he knew his answers lay just beyond that closet door. Fungus packed up his things, said good-bye to the kid, and started to head back into the closet door. Randall was going to wait until the last moment, dash inside, and have a talk with his old assistant. A long talk.

He readied himself and began to enter the door when suddenly, something stopped him. . .

"Help!!"

[Ranger Parsec]

He normally wouldn't have paused because of such a thing, but that pleading voice was unmistakably familiar. It sounded just like. . .no, it couldn't be. . .could it? Randall briefly glanced out the window that overlooked the deserted parking lot. Below, Ty was struggling in the grip of some armored guy, who was dragging him towards his ship. The ranger was fighting with all he had, but with his armor, the kidnapper didn't seem to feel a thing.

"You'll never get away with this, you maniac!" Ty yelled in outrage, as the villian began to tie a rope around him in an attempt to keep him under control.

Randall shifted his gaze from the closet door to Ty and back again. For the first time, he felt torn between a good friend and his own desires to get back to his world. He so desperately missed his home, his job, and the familiarity of it all. Nonetheless, he felt he couldn't just leave his only real friend at the mercy of this kidnapper - not after everything he had done for him.

After a slight hesitation, Randall set his jaw and slid the window open. "Hang on, pal," he said, barely above a whisper. "I'm comin'."

He swiftly slithered down the side of the building and snuck up behind Shiv, who was now carrying Ty over his shoulder. The ranger was still struggling as much as he could, but soon found that his efforts weren't doing anything but wearing him out. So, he gave up trying and allowed the bounty hunter to carry him inside the ship. What other choice did he have?

Just before he reached the door of his ship, Shiv fell over - as though hit by some invisible force. Ty fell hard on the ground close to a nearby dumpster. His hands and feet were still bound, rendering him virtually helpless. He flinched slightly from the impact, but fortunately, his ranger suit protected him from harm.

As Shiv shook his head and got up, Randall slowly came into view. The lizard-monster smirked. "I wouldn't mess with him, if I were you, pal," he challenged, folding both pairs of arms.

Ty's eyes widened in surprise and he grinned. "Randall!"

"Y'know I couldn't just leave ya here," he grinned, winking.

Shiv smirked as well. "I knew you'd come eventually," he said, approaching the monster. "In fact, I've been looking for you."

Randall seemed unphased by this. "Well, yer gonna have to catch me first!" he shot back, disappearing from sight.

The villian looked around, trying to get some sort of clue as to where the monster was located, but Randall's stealthy silence covered him nicely. Then he started getting pummeled from all sides by the invisible monster. It didn't seem to hurt Shiv, but it sure knocked him around considerably.

Meanwhile, Ty was nearby, attempting to maneuver himself towards the corner of the stone building as Randall distracted the kidnapper. With some effort, he pushed himself backward and felt the jagged, old corner of the shop's stone foundation. He rubbed the ropes against the corner, slowly working away at the material. He kept an eye on Randall and Shiv as he did so, trying to get it done before anyone noticed.

Shiv growled. He seemed to be losing his patience with Randall as he got knocked one last time, falling flat on his back with a heavy clang.

Randall lept onto his stomach and grabbed his helmet, trying to pull it off his head. Shiv hung onto it and the two wrestled for the helmet. The lizard-monster growled and jerked on it, trying to somehow loosen Shiv's grip. Then, he got punched in the side, and skidded several feet from the villian.

Shiv stood, clearly fed up with this little 'game', and took out something that looked like a grenade. Before he could throw it, he was tackled from behind by Ty, who was now free of the restraints. Angry, Shiv also knocked the ranger off his back, causing him to skid to a stop right next to Randall.

Then he threw the grenade down at their feet. Ty shielded himself, expecting a large blast, but instead felt a humid, blue mist hitting his face. Randall, too, looked surprised and stared in bewilderment at the mist hissing out of the grenade. Suddenly, the lizard-monster felt light-headed. He needed to lie down. . .to sleep. . .

The ranger noticed this - and his own growing fatigue - and tightly covered his mouth and nose with a hand. He suddenly realized that this was sleeping gas! He backed up, trying to avoid the blue cloud, but soon he found himself overcome with an undeniable urge to sleep. His eyelids grew heavy and he finally gave in, dropping to the pavement with a soft thud.

Then the both of them simultaneously lost consciousness, fading into a sea of black. . .

*****************************

"Ugghhh. . ." Randall groaned as he slowly came-to.

He slowly opened his eyes, only to be met by bright lights shining into his face and unfamiliar surroundings. He seemed to be in a large lab, themed in colors of red, purple and black, with a high ceiling and plenty of chemistry supplies scattered around. His eyes widened. Where was he? What happened? He could barely remember.

Then he noticed something else: he was strapped to a metal table of some sort and couldn't so much as budge. He struggled, but could barely move underneath all the straps.

Little bug-like critters milled around the room, as well as robot lackeys that appeared to have visible human brains inside, controlling them. He heard them being called "Brain Pods" and that they were "scientists". This whole thing was really wierd and Randall didn't like the looks of things - not one bit.

He looked around some more and found Ty being strapped into some sort of large, circular device - it looked sorta like a gigantic, upright bicycle wheel, with restraints instead of wheel spokes. They seemed to have removed Ty's ranger suit, leaving him in nothing but his full-body thermal uniform. Randall watched as the bug-like critters secured strong restraints to his wrists and ankles, suspending him in the middle of the wheel-shaped device.

They then went over to a consule and turned it on. Lights alternated inside the device, moving in a circle around Ty, similar to a flying saucer. Randall identified the lights to be some sort of laser scanners. Ty seemed to be mumbling some curses under his breath, but from this distance, Randall couldn't hear exactly what was being said.

"We're getting a bunch of live status scans from the Ranger," one of the Grubs announced proudly, giving his buddies the thumbs-up. "It works! Better tell the Evil Emperor that we're ready."

His pals nodded and scrambled out the door.

As he watched them go, Randall began to worry what it was they were ready for. If this "Evil Emperor" really was this Zurg guy everyone was talking about, he had a suspicion it was nothing good. But what would Zurg want with them anyways? Randall was unsure about this, but also nervous - very nervous. He always hated the idea of being in the middle of a human laboratory. It was like a nightmare come true.

Once everyone had gone, Ty seemed to notice Randall too. He looked over his shoulder. "Randall? You okay?" he asked.

He didn't want to admit that he was sick to his stomach, so he just nodded. "Yeah, just peachy," he replied, with a touch of sarcasm. "Have any clue about what are they gonna do with us?"

"Not a clue," he replied disappointedly. "And nobody's willing to tell me a thing. All I can figure out is that Zurg wants us for some sort of research. I must admit though, the looks of this thing doesn't make me feel any better." He motioned with his head towards the circular device around him as he spoke.

Randall sighed. "Well, I guess we have to just go with the flow and hope one of us can find a way out in the process," he said. "It's the only plan I can figure out right now."

"Sounds good to me," Ty agreed.

Just then, the door burst open and in sauntered the one and only Evil Emperor Zurg. He had a delighted smile on his bucketed head as he approached Ty and Randall. "Now I'm sure you're both wondering what my evil plans for you are, am I correct?" he asked, clasping his hands together.

Neither Randall nor Ty spoke, they simply fixed him with a couple unamused glares.

Zurg frowned, irritated that they didn't want to play his game. He made a wave of his hand. "Fine, be that way!" he exclaimed, waiting as his lackeys took their positions. "But, you might want to know this: you will be quite helpful in my dreams of universal conquest! Doesn't that just burn your toast?" He laughed in amusement and made it over to Ty's contraption.

[Ranger Parsec]

Randall watched Zurg as he talked with his lackeys. He was hoping to pick up on some clue that might help them in their escape, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. Frustrated, Randall let out a long breath through clenched teeth and glanced warily at the "Brain Pods" coming to his side. They were preparing needles and some other medical instruments on a tray next to him. Randall felt sick again, so he looked away. Instead, he focused on what Zurg was currently doing.

Zurg was talking with Ty and smirking alot. This seemed to annoy his human friend considerably.

"Just get on with it, Zurg," he demanded, glaring defiantly at the Evil Emperor.

It almost looked like he wanted to nail the villian right there and Randall didn't blame him. If he weren't strapped so tightly to this table, he would have loved to do so himself.

Zurg seemed equally annoyed by Ty's interruption and turned, with a flourish of his black cape, to face his lackeys at the consule. "Start up the machine," he ordered, facing Ty once more with an evil smirk. This time, Randall heard exactly what was said. "Enjoy the experience, Ranger Parsec. I simply need information on how you do it, for my new 'Project Z' - which I think you will like very much once your friend contributes to it." He gave Randall a momentary sideways glance. "That is, if you like something that looks like him."

Ty blinked, as though his words registered some sort of realization in his mind. "You're gonna do WHAT?!?" he exclaimed.

Zurg simply smirked and stepped over to the consule to watch the proceedings. "Then after we're finished with you, we'll get what we need from your lizard friend and my plans will be complete!" he chuckled evilly. "Now, just relax, Ranger Parsec; you won't feel a thing."

Randall was puzzled by this talk, though. . .somehow. . .Ty seemed to understand all of it. The only part that did register as sensible to him was the part concerning his purpose. It seemed that Zurg was going to use the both of them to make this 'Project Z' of his and it was going to look somewhat like Randall. He didn't like that as it was, but of what evil use was a human like Ty? The capture of him still wasn't making much sense to the lizard-monster.

Although, to keep his mind off the scary medical preparations around him, he watched in curiosity - just to see what would happen.

The lights around the circular device holding Ty turned into a neon green, casting a soft glow upon him.

'OoOoh, green lights. How scary,' Randall thought to himself, chuckling.

However, his amusement dropped once he saw Ty's reaction. As soon as the green light touched his skin, his body stiffened, as though gripped by some unseen force, and he gasped for breath. The beeping of the monitors that were tracking his vital signs went haywire and information flashed across the screens. Randall's eyes widened. What were they doing to him??

Ty cried out in pain and, suddenly, a long blue tail shot out the back of his pants and a couple of back spikes tore through his shirt. He continued to moan as the transformation came to a peak. Even his voice began to change, taking on a more sinister, metallic tone. After a few more seconds, he had changed completely from a normal human into some sort of robotic monster. He now looked like a large, almost prehistoric, sci-fi robotic wolf.

Randall stared in astonishment. His friend had certainly neglected to tell him about this, that was for sure. All along, he did sense that there was something different about this particular human. It was instinct; something he could just sense. Nevertheless, he was never anticipating to see something like this!

"We have all the information on the transformation process in our databases, Your Evilness," said one Grub.

Zurg chuckled. "Perfect. Keep the Wirewolf restrained, until the effects wear off," he said, making his way over to Randall. "Now, for your end of the bargan. . ."

The "Wirewolf", as he had been called, growled and tried to lunge for Zurg as he passed by. However, the strong restraints held him back. All he could do was growl ferociously and bare his razor-sharp teeth, watching every move with glowing red eyes.

Zurg walked over to Randall and smiled. "Enjoying the show?" he asked, almost tauntingly.

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me," he grumbled.

"Glad to hear it," Zurg went on, as though he hadn't said a word. He turned to his lackeys. "Take the samples."

The brain pods swarmed around Randall's table and began poking a prodding him with all sorts of tools. It was extremely uncomfortable. One took a blood sample from his arm, while others pulled out a scale or two from his tail. He growled and bared his teeth, making sure they knew exactly how displeasing the experience was.

They seemed to ignore him, though, and just kept on taking information and samples. Randall squirmed under their scrutinization and wished. . .hoped. . .it would end soon.

He winced. "Ouch! Hey! Cut it out, already!" he demanded grumpily, purposely making a real fuss about the whole thing.

Then, suddenly, it seemed his wish came true. . .

CRASH!!! BOOM!!

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention towards the noise, as though dreading what they would see. The robotic Wirewolf had broken out of the restraints and knocked over the entire contraption he had previously been in. It was bent out of shape and still bore some distinct, glowing green claw marks. The Wirewolf directed his attention towards the group crowded around Randall.

Zurg was in a panic. "It got out!! Who let it out??" he exclaimed, hiding behind Randall's table.

The Grubs scattered around the room, screaming and starting utter chaos amongst themselves. One of the brain pods near Zurg spoke up. "I don't believe they made the restraints strong enough. . ."

"NOT STRONG ENOUGH?!? What do you mean, they weren't 'strong enough'???!!" Zurg retorted. "We made them out of terrillium carbonic alloy!"

"Well, it IS a robot, Your Evilness," one pointed out. "It's hard to anticipate that sort of thing."

Zurg growled, yet when the Wirewolf looked directly at him, he immediately cowered behind Randall. This distraction and mass chaos gave the lizard-monster time to try and bite his way through the top strap. He chewed at it, hoping Ty wouldn't suddenly turn around and try to eat HIM.

The Wirewolf got down on all fours and intently made his way towards Zurg, an evil gleam in his eye. Zurg was getting increasingly more nervous. So, he got out from behind the table and began running as fast as he could out the door. Many of his lackeys followed.

Randall quickly chewed through the top strap and began using his top two arms to jerk on the second one. It wasn't budging. The Wirewolf had also turned his attention to him now and Randall simply hoped he wasn't hungry. Then again, it was a robot - why would it eat him? Robots didn't eat living things. Nonetheless, the Wirewolf placed its front paws onto the side of his table and opened his mouth to chomp down - not on the straps, but Randall!

The lizard-monster almost panicked and held up his hands to shield his face. "Gah!" he exclaimed, thinking quickly to get a plan. If this thing was Ty, he had to be in there somewhere, didn't he? "Ty! Don't eat me! Remember? I'm Randall! You saved me, right??"

The Wirewolf paused, his vicious glare turning into a human-like expression of remorse. He slowly backed off. Randall breathed a sigh of relief and continued his efforts to free himself. It wasn't getting him anywhere.

"Help me here, will ya?" he urged.

Wirewolf headed over to the consule nearby and sunk his claws deeply into the keyboard, invoking some electric sparks from it in the process. Power speedily drained out of the entire system and the straps released Randall from the cold, metal table. Randall shivered, shaking off the chill, and hopped down to the ground once again.

"Thanks," Randall said, patting the Wirewolf on the back. "Y'know, I think ya should have told me about this little 'problem' of yers."

The robotic wolf looked over at him and appeared to shrug.

"Anyways, let's find a way outta here," he said, taking charge of the situation, since his friend was now rendered speechless. "Before that Zurg guy comes back."

The Wirewolf nodded and pointed his metallic snout at a door at the other end of the room, indicating the best way to go.

Randall smirked. "Okay then. . .we're outta here!" he declared, leading the way.

[RandallBoggs]

First off. Wow.....my clone thing really does seem like a possibility!

And WHOA!

I thought Wirewolf was a planet or a machine by Zurg but.....oh my go.....what in the.....

Whoa.......

[Ranger Parsec]

RandallBoggs said:

First off. Wow.....my clone thing really does seem like a possibility!

And WHOA!

I thought Wirewolf was a planet or a machine by Zurg but.....oh my go.....what in the.....

Whoa.......

LOL. Yeah, Ty's most well-known fact (for those familiar with the series) is that he can turn into a Wirewolf when radioactivity hits him. It's some freak accident involving his patrol duty on Canis Lunis (mentioned earlier in the story).

NOS-4-A2 (a robotic, "energy vampire"), was going after XR to have as a snack. Being a robot vampire, he eats electrical energy from other robots. So, Ty intervened and took on NOS by himself, before he could eat XR. He was on the verge of annihilating the villian when - our of desperation - he bit through Ty's space suit and into his arm. He was the only living thing ever to be bitten by NOS, so he wasn't expecting it, but the effects later gave him his characteristic "Wirewolf curse".

As for a Randall clone. . .well, I'm not giving away anything for the sake of keeping the mystique I have with the story's plot. ^_^

[RandallBoggs]

Oh boy......
Reminds me of my transformation.....oops....

OHHH A curse......what a heavy burden......and something that can be to his disadvantage.

Ok ^_^
But don't be peeking into my files ^_^

[Ranger Parsec]

RandallBoggs said:

Oh boy......
Reminds me of my transformation.....oops....

Hm? You had a transformation idea too? Very intriguing. ^_^

OHHH A curse......what a heavy burden......and something that can be to his disadvantage.

Yes, very much so.

Ok ^_^
But don't be peeking into my files ^_^

Lol. I wouldn't dream of it.

[RandallBoggs]

Transformation IDEA?
Oh yeah....lets...lets go with that heh heh.....yeah Idea yeah....

Yes. Transformations are a burden (like werewolves......ok I guess I shouldn't have used that as an exmple) or sometimes gifts ^_^

Uh huh sure ^_^

[lizardgirl]

Wow. I was wondering when you were gonna bring up Ty's little gift. Brilliant. I REALLY enjoyed that chapter. ;D

[Light Rises]

Whew! What a trip! (Which isn't over yet, which makes it even better!)

I'm very impressed with how you've handled the premise thus far, Joy, and I'm always appreciative of great characterizations. The interactions between Ty and Randall are especially well-done; all the similarities you've pointed out between those two are almost mind-boggling. I, too, am glad that you brought in Ty's "little secret" into this latest chapter. I wasn't sure at first if you were going to incorporate that into the story somehow, but it only makes the fic better that you did. ;D

So, my overall impression? Highly enjoyable, nice action -- needless to say, I'm really digging this so far! I'm eager to see how Randall and Ty/the Wirewolf escape from Planet Z, and I hope that Team Lightyear will soon get in on the action, too.

~Light Rises

[Ranger Parsec]

Lizard-Girl said:

Wow. I was wondering when you were gonna bring up Ty's little gift. Brilliant. I REALLY enjoyed that chapter. ;D

Thank you for all the reviews as well as this one! I like knowing how people like it thus far.

. . ."Little gift" - I really like that. ;D When you think about it, his Wirewolf thing can either be a curse or an advantage, depending on the situation. ^_^

[Ranger Parsec]

Light said:

Whew! What a trip! (Which isn't over yet, which makes it even better!)

I'm very impressed with how you've handled the premise thus far, Joy, and I'm always appreciative of great characterizations. The interactions between Ty and Randall are especially well-done; all the similarities you've pointed out between those two are almost mind-boggling. I, too, am glad that you brought in Ty's "little secret" into this latest chapter. I wasn't sure at first if you were going to incorporate that into the story somehow, but it only makes the fic better that you did. ;D

Thank you, LR! I tried to make the revealing of his "little secret" low-key, sort of a surprise. Glad I was able to mix in some mystique there!

And I appreciate your input about the quality of the character interaction. It's very helpful in letting me know I'm on the right track.

I was shocked, myself, when I started to look into the similarities between Ty and Randall. I think that's why I found myself getting attached to Ty immediately, lol. He reminded me so much of Randall in various ways.

Light said:

So, my overall impression? Highly enjoyable, nice action -- needless to say, I'm really digging this so far! I'm eager to see how Randall and Ty/the Wirewolf escape from Planet Z, and I hope that Team Lightyear will soon get in on the action, too.

~Light Rises

Thank you again! Yup, that should soon be forthcoming - can't include BLoSC in a crossover without some decent Team Lightyear action.

[RandallBoggs]

You know.....
Another reason I read this (besides it's from a friend, and it is REALLY GOOD!) is I have to see my plot isn't the same as yours ^_^
Remember. We always had our minds locked Joy ^_^ Great minds think alike.

[Ranger Parsec]

RandallBoggs said:

Great minds think alike.

Lol. Yes, that is quite true. *is currently about halfway through writing fifth chapter. . .*