"Stranded" by Fero McPiglet First draft - 3/17/01 Edited by Rygar 3/30/01 SCENE 1 - SPACE, SECTOR SEVEN, THE ASTEROID AREA CAPTAIN BUCKY O'HARE is flying a one-man cruiser through an asteroid belt. He neatly avoids every asteroid in his path. The communicator console comes online. GUNNER DEADEYE DUCK's visage appears on the screen. DEADEYE Hey, Cap'n! BUCKY (smiles as he hits the autopilot) Hey yourself, Deadeye. DEADEYE How's the mission comin'? BUCKY Already finished. The delivery to Kanopis went without a hitch. You should have been the one to take this mission, Deadeye. I was mobbed by women when I arrived in the spaceport. They kept clamoring for you, y'know. In a rare moment of humor, Bucky puts on an adoring face and mimes the movements of the lady Canards. BUCKY (in falsetto) Where's Deadeye? When's he coming over? Will he be here soon? Isn't he cute? Where'd you hide him? DEADEYE (breaks into a grin) Ha hah! Did ye enjoy yerself, Cap'n? BUCKY (snaps back to his normal voice) Not really. They were pretty grabby. More than a few threatened to tar and feather me if I didn't produce your ugly mug. You're quite an idol on your planet, Deadeye. DEADEYE (eyes glaze for a moment) Just like I remember 'em ... (beat) That's why I couldn't do the delivery myself. Those lady Canards woulda kept me busy for days! BUCKY (smiles knowingly) A fear of commitment? Wouldn't want to lose our best gunner to marriage, now would we, Deadeye? DEADEYE (makes a shocked face) Bite your tongue, Cap'n! Don't say the "m" word! BUCKY (grinning) What? *Marriage*? Bucky sees Deadeye involuntarily shiver on the screen. He chuckles. Deadeye takes immediate mock offense at the display of hilarity. DEADEYE Har de har har, Cap'n. (looks to his side) Oh, Jenny wants to speak to ya ... Deadeye's face is replaced by FIRST MATE JENNY's. Bucky visibly brightens. He brushes his ears back and smiles at the Aldebaran. BUCKY Jenny! How are you? JENNY I was going to ask you the same thing, Captain. But we're all fine here. No toad activity on our patrol. Bruiser was getting bored, so Blinky's distracting him with more holochess. Willy's not even here. Deadeye was doing some target practice and just wanted to check up on how the delivery was going. BUCKY And you? What were you doing? JENNY (smiles demurely) Why, waiting for you to come back, of course. BUCKY (grins back at her) Well, I'm on my way! I'll be crossing your flight course in approximately one hour. The cruiser's not as fast as the Righteous, but she's reliable. I'll be there. Bucky is rewarded with Jenny's dazzling smile. She looks like she wants to say something more, but the screen suddenly develops static. Bucky is alarmed. He punches the buttons on the keyboard. BUCKY Jenny? (he attacks the console again) Jenny? What happened? From Jenny's distorted image, it looks like she is having the same problem on her side. Her face finally blinks away and is replaced by a hulking figure in green battle armor. BUCKY (alarmed) Toadborg! TOADBORG's faceplate may not betray any emotion, but his sensors blaze with anger. TOADBORG Bucky O'Hare! What are *you* doing here?! BUCKY (genuinely surprised) Me? TOADBORG (furious) I should have known it was you! Spying mammal! BUCKY But I ... TOADBORG Silence! I don't know how you found me, but you might as well help me test my new project ... BUCKY Hey now! I didn't ... Bucky is cut off once more as Toadborg pulls a switch in his ship. Bucky's space cruiser buckles as it hits an invisible force. He is jerked out of his seat but quickly regains his place. He switches off the autopilot and tries to wrench the controls back into order. The asteroids are beginning to bear toward his cruiser. TOADBORG (gloats on the screen) It won't do you any good, mammal! You're caught like a fly in a web! BUCKY (still struggling with the controls) What are you talking about, Toadborg?! TOADBORG (gestures toward space) See for yourself! Bucky looks outside. He finally notices that the usually free- floating asteroids are all suspended in place. A closer look shows that each hunk of space rock has a huge metal device implanted on its surface. Beyond the false asteroids, centered in the middle, Bucky spies a small space station that all the space rocks seem to circle around. Bucky guesses that the station is where Toadborg is operating. TOADBORG (gestures at the asteroids) Behold my latest project: the Space Web! BUCKY (with bravado) All I see is space junk. And a mobile scrap yard tending it as well. TOADBORG Do not mock what you cannot see! Toadborg pulls a switch. The strange devices on each asteroid sprout an antenna and crackle with electricity. TOADBORG There! The artificial magnetic poles generate lines of energy invisible to the naked eye. When ships ride into them, they are ensnared! Bucky realizes that if Toadborg is telling the truth, then he really can't break free of the magnetic field. He starts to think while Toadborg continues to brag. TOADBORG And once the ship is properly entangled ... Toadborg pulls another switch. Blue energy shoots from one pole to another, crisscrossing back and forth. Bucky shields his eyes as the energy lattice surges and completes itself. He opens his eyes to find that the whole asteroid field now visually resembles a spider's web. Toadborg's space station represents the heart of it all. TOADBORG ... my Space Web drains the captured vehicle of its energies! Bucky sees that one of the blue energy lines is touching his ship. He looks at the ship's power meter. Everything is slowly being drained away. TOADBORG (pausing dramatically) This included the lights ... fuel ... heating ... communications ... and life-support systems! All the cruiser's power is being siphoned, meaning it soon will not function. Bucky thinks fast. He grabs his space gear and carefully puts it on. He feels the cruiser moving and sees that it is being maneuvered to face Toadborg's space station directly. Toadborg laughs both on the computer screen and on the space station's viewport. But Bucky doesn't let it distract him from his plan. TOADBORG Let me get a good look at you, Captain. You won't last long in there. You'll run out of air soon enough! Tell me how you found my secret testing place, and I might spare your miserable life. BUCKY (working on the computer as fast as he can) Would you believe that it was an accident? TOADBORG (sneers dubiously) Impossible! You can't be that lucky! BUCKY (presses his final buttons) How about if I'm lucky enough to bust your precious project? Before Toadborg can even register surprise, Bucky finishes rerouting all remaining power to the cruiser's grappling hook and launches it. The grapple flies forward, intersecting several lines of energy before flying straight toward Toadborg's space station and attaching itself onto the hull. TOADBORG (surprised) What did you do?! Bucky needs not explain himself. The energy drain leeching his ship automatically courses through the grappling cable and into the central station. The drain continues its deadly cycle: from the Space Web, to Bucky's ship, to Toadborg's station, then back again. Toadborg flinches as the computers behind him start to malfunction. TOADBORG The Space Web! It's eating itself! It's not programmed for this! BUCKY I guess this is why your Space Web is in a testing area. It hasn't been perfected yet. TOADBORG (frantically tries to shut down the console) The power is shorting out! You fool! What have you done? Toadborg's view screen disappears in static. The Space Web's energy lattice starts to flicker and fade fitfully, with the exception of the loop that Bucky created, but Bucky doesn't notice. He's too busy checking his ship's scanner. The power level indicators do not show good news. BUCKY Damn! The cruiser's still not strong enough to break free of the web! I'd better get outta here ... With the cruiser buckling and shaking, Bucky boards the ship's only escape pod, still wearing his space suit. He straps himself in and ejects, the pod bursting from the side of the ship, propelling it away from the doomed craft. He is only a few meters away when he turns around and looks at his cruiser. BUCKY (sighs) There goes another cruiser. The UAC's going to bill me big time for this ... Then, Bucky suddenly hears the sound of metal wrenching, like something huge had collided violently with the pod. Bucky looks around in alarm and hears a metallic screech above him. TOADBORG (screaming, through comm) Bucky O'Hare! Bucky looks outside his cockpit's viewport. Toadborg is there, grasping precariously at the hull. His metal claws render deep gouges on the pod's surface, and his red eyes narrow to angry slits of rage. He pulls back one gigantic hand and savagely smashes it at the glass. Bucky flinches. TOADBORG (pulling his fist back again) You're not getting away from me that easy! Bucky scrambles within the small pod. There are no onboard weapons of any kind. He glances at a computer screen and sees that the Space Web is reaching critical mass. Toadborg brutally pounds on the viewport again. The glass is starting to show spidery cracks. TOADBORG Die, mammal! BUCKY Toadborg! Wait! The Space Web is about to ... The central station explodes. Its outer hull blows outward, releasing its energy. A chain reaction follows. The asteroids with the antennas detonate as well, followed by Bucky's cruiser. The whole area is lit up with the blue energy crackling in waves. The force surge strikes the fragile escape pod. Bucky hits his head on the wall and is knocked unconscious, while Toadborg continues to hang perilously on to the hull outside. The escape pod is hurled violently into unknown space. SCENE 2 - WOODED PLANET The first sensation Bucky feels is the chill of cold, empty space. Then, he feels the heat of searing, all-consuming flame. He thrashes about and wakes up. BUCKY (groggily) What? Bucky is still strapped to his seat in his escape pod. The problem is that the pod is on fire and about to explode. BUCKY (struggles) Have ... to get away! Bucky tries to unbuckle his seat belt, but the mechanism is jammed. He unsteadily but quickly draws out his lightsaber and clumsily slashes at his straps. The slash isn't enough to completely severe the strap, but it's enough for Bucky to break it under his own power. More slashes slice open a hole in the wall, and he crawls outside. Free at last, Bucky takes several steps forward before the pod explodes. He is thrown to the ground as the force tosses fiery debris about. BUCKY Oow! (tries to get up) What ... happened? Bucky looks around. He finds himself in unfamiliar territory: a strange forest. The trees are as big as redwoods. Mazes of branches crisscross from each tree, but there are no leaves, only barren wood. And not just ordinary wood -- the bark is all shiny, reflective silver. The woods seem to be shimmering slightly. Bucky looks up and realizes for the first time that it is night. He sees two hazy moons in the sky. BUCKY I must have crash-landed here when the Space Web blew up. How long have I been out cold? I'd better call Jenny ... Bucky reaches for his pocket communicator and finds it busted. An extended search of his person reveals that he has nothing on him except for his lightsaber. He painstakingly tries to examine the remains of the crashed pod, but nothing useful is salvageable. BUCKY (wipes the sweat from his brow) Great. And I don't even know where the hell I am. I'd better find way to contact the Righteous Indignation. Or Genus. Or anybody! Bucky looks around, trying to peer into the woods. The trees block his view and distort his vision. Bucky shrugs and picks a random direction. BUCKY Well, I have to start somewhere. A cold, harsh wind begins to blow. Bucky pulls his insulated cape around him for extra warmth. He smiles for the first time. BUCKY And Jenny says capes went out of style years ago ... Bucky starts walking away from the wreckage. The wind is so strong that the flames from the wreck are quickly extinguished. The trees start to quiver and shake. They shower Bucky with twigs and small branches. Bucky pulls his cape tighter around himself and moves on. BUCKY (mutters under his breath) Crazy weather. The winds began to howl. The gusts blow with more force behind them. Bucky is buffeted by bursts of air left and right. In one instant, the wind blows into his face, forcing him to cover his eyes. The next moment, a stiff breeze shoves him roughly from behind. BUCKY (whispers) What's happening? Bucky's predicament worsens. The wind shear punches him from all sides. The howling grows stronger until it is screaming in his ears. Bucky feels like he is in a miniature tornado. He keeps losing his footing and struggles continuously to keep his balance. He can barely move forward, and the winds are getting stronger and stronger. Bucky falls to his knees. He's not frightened, only greatly confused. BUCKY (shouts) What is all this?! All of a sudden, the winds stop. The air grows still. Bucky is still on his knees. He realizes that the only thing he can hear is his breath and that he is breathing hard. Bucky regains his composure and realizes for the first time that he hasn't heard any other presence in the woods. He hasn't heard any birds, small animals, or insects ever since he crash-landed. Bucky stands up. BUCKY This is crazy ... From the corner of his eye, Bucky sees movement. He quickly turns his head and catches a glimpse of a FIGURE darting into the shadows. BUCKY Hey! Wait! Bucky rushes after the figure, shouting. Bare shrubs trip him and low branches block his way, but Bucky keeps pace with the retreating figure. It is always just out of his sight. He catches flashes of it from between the trees and distorted reflections are thrown back at him, but he can't get a clear look. BUCKY Come back! I'm not dangerous! I need help! The figure never slows down. It keeps moving, darting in and out of the way, always in front. Bucky can't tell if it heard him, but he follows anyway. He emerges from a dead bush into a small clearing. He can see the figure on the other end, its path blocked by a row of shrubs. It has its back towards Bucky, hunched over. BUCKY (out of breath again) You finally stopped! Didn't you hear me? I ... Bucky takes a step forward and notices that the other person has rabbit ears just like he does. Bucky is not sure of what the other person is wearing, but he can see he has white fur speckled with numerous patches of green hair. BUCKY You're a hare! What are you doing here? ... The hare straightens up. Bucky stops at the sudden movement. He only stares as the hare slowly turns around and looks him dead in the eyes. Blood drains from Bucky's face. BUCKY Brian? The shadowy figure of Bucky's brother takes a step back and is swallowed by the shrubs. BUCKY (runs and shouts) Brian! Wait! Come back! It's me! It's your brother, Bucky! *Bucky*! Bucky's name echoes through the woods. It repeats over and over until the last echoes no longer sound like it is Bucky's voice calling out his own name. It sounds like the distorted howl of the wind. But Bucky doesn't hear that. He doesn't notice anything. The only thing on his mind is breaking through the bushes and finding his brother. He pushes forward, but the branches stop him. He gets scratches and small cuts, but it doesn't deter him. He pushes on desperately. BUCKY Brian! Where are you?! Bucky finally unsheathes his lightsaber and slashes at the bushes. Dead shrubs fall away at every stroke. He tries clearing a makeshift path, but it is always covered up by more twigs and brambles. BUCKY Damn it! Get away from me! Bucky makes a sweep with his lightsaber and steps forward without waiting for the plants to part. He is surprised to find that his feet have no purchase. He falls. BUCKY Argh! Bucky falls down a sharply inclined cliff that the bushes had hidden from view. Bucky slips and slides down the jagged rocks. His cuts from the plants are added to gashes from the cliff's sharp edges. He falls for what he feels like a long time before he thinks to jam his saber, which he never let go of, into the cliff side. He stops with a jerk, clutching at his lifeline. The whole experience only takes several seconds. BUCKY Whoa! Bucky hangs on to his saber. The enormity of the last few seconds hits him, and he gasps. BUCKY He ... he tried to kill me. Bucky realizes that if he keeps hanging on to his saber, he will soon tire and fall. His feet find purchase. His other paw finds a crack on the wall. He makes a precocious climb upward. Bucky shoves his thoughts about the apparition to the back of his mind. He needs to concentrate on getting out of his predicament. He catches a break as he finds a small ledge halfway up the cliff. He gratefully collapses on the small space, thankful for the rest. As soon as he stops breathing hard, Bucky turns his thoughts inward. BUCKY Who was that hare? It looked just like Brian. But I buried him ... (he shakes his head) Was I seeing things? Did I imagine it? Bucky glances at the expanse of the silver forest around him and sees a column of smoke rising steadily up the dark sky. It is nearly invisible, save for the fact that silver trees reflect the glow of a fire below it. BUCKY Well, I know *that*'s real. I'd better check it out. Considering the crazy winds in this place, it might be put out at any moment. Bucky looks down at the cliff side. Deadly jagged rocks litter the bottom. BUCKY (laughs nervously) Uh, I'd better find another way ... SCENE 3 - THE CLIFF Bucky makes it down the cliff by navigating on its side until he finds a proper channel where he can use his jumping skills to make short work of the descent. He makes careful note of where the smoke originated from. He knows that once he reaches the woods again, the tall trees will block the view of the sky and the pillar of smoke. He is right. BUCKY (swearing) Damn silver trees! They're unnatural. It's like a maze! Bucky continues walking. He's positive his sense of direction will get him to the general area of the burn site. He tries not to think of how uneasy he feels. The cold continues to bite at him, and the wind continues to howl softly. BUCKY Damn wind. The soft howl growls at him, then fades away. Bucky thinks the wind has died down, but it is replaced by a low gentle whisper of a breeze. It caresses his ears. WIND *Buuuucky.* BUCKY (stops) Huh? For a few seconds, Bucky thinks the wind whispered his name. WIND *Buuuuucky.* BUCKY (quickly glances around) What?! Above him, something snaps and falls, making a sound a few feet away from him. BUCKY (jumps and turns to the noise) Cripes! Bucky nearly unsheathes his saber but notices at once that the source of the sound was a fallen branch. He stands shocked and still for a moment, then gives a sigh of relief. BUCKY It was only a branch. (relaxes) For a moment there, I thought it was ... The words die in his mouth. Bucky turns back to the path he was walking and sees another silhouette between the silver and the shadows created by the woods. The FIGURE is another hare, colored white with only minimal streaks of green fur. He is looking sideways toward the almost paralyzed Bucky. BUCKY (slowly) Connor? The pale hare quivers, like he hears Bucky's words. He laboriously turns his head and looks at Bucky as one would stare at a corpse. BUCKY (whispers) Connor? But you're dead. The figure of Bucky's older brother slowly raises one paw toward Bucky. In doing so, he turns his whole gaunt body. Bucky's eyes widen as he sees a bloody gash caused by the large blade sticking out of Connor's chest. The handle of the knife is buried in Connor's back. BUCKY (shuts his eyes and screams) *Connor*! You're not there! You're *dead*! *Dead*! Bucky opens his eyes to look for his brother again. All he catches is a fleeting glance of the image of Connor falling backward into the darkness. The darkness conceals all of his brother except silver flashes glimmering in succession, like blades hacking at a defenseless hare. BUCKY *No*! No, no, no, no! You're not there! You're *not there*! Bucky runs blindly. He doesn't know where he is or where he's going. He just wants to get away from the apparition of his brother and the memory it brings. He keeps running, eyes nearly closed shut, barely open enough to see what's in front of him, and nearly blinded by the tears streaming down his face. WIND *Buuuucky.* The wind caresses his ears again, calling out seductively as one beckons to a lover. BUCKY (screams hoarsely) STOP IT! Stop calling me! There's nobody there! WIND *Buuuuucky.* BUCKY Stop calling my name! You're not there! VOICE Bucky. A more forceful voice grates out Bucky's name. Bucky, exhausted physically and emotionally, stops and falls to his knees. His paws are over his eyes, and he sobs. The gruff voice calls out again. VOICE Bucky. BUCKY (screams) You're ... not ... *there*! VOICE But I am here, Captain Bucky O'Hare. Bucky finally opens his eyes. A few meters away, amid a massive twisted wreckage of charred metal and sparking circuitry, is a familiar angry face. Bucky has reached the burn site by chance. He feels an immediate relief that he can hold onto something tangible. BUCKY Toadborg! Is that really you? TOADBORG Yes, it's me, you wretched mammal! Get over here! I can't broadcast at this range forever ... Bucky, in his nearly shattered state of mind, responds promptly to the order and goes over to Toadborg. He gives his enemy a once-over and is appalled. BUCKY By the great hare, Toadborg! What happened? Despite the pauses in his speech, Toadborg communicates his Indignation. TOADBORG What do you think happened? You blew up my Space Web! I went offline for a few clicks and only booted back up in time to crash into this forsaken planet. Look at me! It is a sad sight to see. Toadborg's once gleaming superstructure is charred nigh black from the fiery entry into the atmosphere. His left arm is a mass of twisted metal shards, useless and nonfunctioning. His legs are simply crushed, probably from debris from the explosion and the impromptu crash landing. His right arm is missing; there is just a jagged socket to show its absence. BUCKY You're worse for wear, Toadborg. TOADBORG (noting Bucky's less than stellar appearance) As are you, Captain. BUCKY Still so insulting, even in incapacitation, Toadborg? TOADBORG No. Merely making an observation. Bucky kneels closely and looks Toadborg over. He sees that a particularly large and nasty piece of shrapnel has pierced Toadborg in his midsection. Having studied Toadborg's schematics for signs of weak spots, Bucky immediately realizes the importance of the critical hit. BUCKY Your main power cell has been damaged. You're losing energy. TOADBORG Don't you think I know that? I ran a diagnostic when I came to. Everything with an energy output has been rerouted into keeping myself online. Once I shut down, I'm done for. Bucky stands up and walks a short distance away from Toadborg. BUCKY Looks like you're in dire straits, Toadborg. How does it feel to be helpless? Toadborg's eyes narrow dangerously. He uselessly tries to prop himself up on his worthless limbs and fails. He glares at the Captain. TOADBORG Are you gloating, Captain? It seems quite unlike your character. Taunting a disabled foe who is unable to even to lift himself up? Even I am surprised at you, Captain. Bucky turns away, refusing to look at the pathetic sight that is Toadborg. Toadborg presses on his barrage. TOADBORG Will you watch as my life energies dwindle away into nothing? Are you scoffing at me and my predicament? Will you laugh as I die? What are you going to do, Captain Bucky O'Hare? BUCKY (keeping a very neutral tone) It's been a long day, Toadborg. I'm very tired. Conserve your energies to stay alive. A moment of stillness passes by. Toadborg reacts first. TOADBORG You were wrong before, Captain. It is we *both* who are in dire straits. It is we who are both stranded on this desolate planet with no means of communication or rescue. BUCKY You're the one who's stranded. I'm not the one in need of assistance. TOADBORG But you do need assistance. My assistance. BUCKY How do you figure that? TOADBORG You are unfamiliar with this planet. Have you seen any signs of sentient life? Of a living soul? There are no other living beings on this planet but us. BUCKY (answers back) Of course there are. We're just not in a populated area. There'll be a city somewhere close by, and I'll be able to contact my crew for a lift outta here. TOADBORG Believe me Bucky. I know. This planet has been deserted for decades. Any signs of life you see ... will not be what they seem. BUCKY What? Bucky flashes back to his grisly encounter with his two brothers -- brothers who have been dead for years. BUCKY What do you mean by that? Toadborg instantly notes the doubt in Bucky's voice. TOADBORG You saw something ... didn't you? BUCKY I ... TOADBORG Apparitions? Beings ... who are not there? Shadows of your past? Bucky's eyes grow wide, and Toadborg continues. TOADBORG Ghosts? Bucky leans close to Toadborg's face. BUCKY What do you know about this? Toadborg's eyes narrow shrewdly, and there is a sneering tone in his voice. TOADBORG There. You see, Captain? You do need my assistance after all. SCENE 4 - CRASH SITE Half an hour has passed. Bucky had spent most of his time shredding his cape and braiding it into a makeshift harness. He set that aside after he was done and is concentrating on the instructions given to him as he uses his saber to cut away Toadborg's useless, broken limbs. The heavy battle armor, Toadborg's outer covering, had to be stripped away as well. He is also making small but crucial repairs to Toadborg's circuitry in order to keep him functioning. The cold winds offer no succor to ease Bucky's exertions. BUCKY (wiping the sweat from his brow) Tell me the name of this planet again. TOADBORG I told you before; it doesn't have one. BUCKY Are you absolutely certain that it's deserted? TOADBORG We of the toad armada scanned this planet before. We've even set up outposts. There's no life on this planet. This whole space sector, even. BUCKY How do you know this? TOADBORG KOMPLEX needed an area in which to test out the weapons we've been developing. This sector was as good as any. We've been testing weapons and other hardware here for years. (beat, eyes blinking) I still can't compute how you found me. It couldn't have been a coincidence. BUCKY (unscrews Toadborg's side casing) Believe me. It was. Why can't you process that? These things happen. TOADBORG Like the spirits you've been seeing? BUCKY (doubt showing on his face) Yes. TOADBORG We've reversed roles. You're the one who's being skeptical even in the face of evidence. BUCKY How did you ... why did I ... TOADBORG Like I said, we visited this planet once. We were supposed to set up a base to help facilitate our experiments. A contingent of toads was sent to secure the area and construct a fueling station. None of the toads came back. Toadborg pauses as Bucky removes what is his equivalent of a toad mouth. TOADBORG I wasn't there to see it myself, but I read the reports. News started pouring in how, at the beginning of the construction, the toads started hearing unnatural voices. It wasn't long before they started reporting sightings of ethereal beings floating on the premises. It happened simultaneously, but always to one toad at a time. And it was always a vision of someone they recognized. There is nothing left of Toadborg except his central torso. Bucky has cut away the mangled arms and legs. Even the waist area wasn't spared. Only Toadborg's central processing unit, his upper torso, remains. Bucky lifts him up. The cyborg may have been stripped to his bare essentials, but he still weighs a considerable bit. Toadborg continues. TOADBORG Of course, at first, the stormtoads kept it to themselves. We only read their individual logs later. But they all went mad, keeping their visions to themselves. Their experiences here shattered their minds. KOMPLEX had them sedated and shipped out for medical examination. Not one of them lived for very long after that. All of them ... what are you *doing*?! Bucky stops what he is doing. He has his paws on what would be Toadborg's face armor. BUCKY I'm going to check your central mainframe. You might have loosened more than a few wires from the crash. TOADBORG (furiously) Stay away from there! I will *not* have your dirty mammal paws on my vital circuits! BUCKY (rebuffs him) In case you hadn't noticed, Toadborg, your life is in my paws, and I'm trying to save it. TOADBORG (quiets down) Just ... just stay away from there. It is enough that you've handled my other components. Leave me my ... dignity. Bucky quietly goes back to closing the exposed circuitry all over Toadborg's frame. It is a while before the two talk again. BUCKY What happened next? TOADBORG While KOMPLEX didn't believe the stories and the evidence, he decreed that it would be counterproductive to try and continue maintaining a base on this planet if we were to lose men due to inexplicable circumstances. Construction was abandoned, and we left to make new stations elsewhere. BUCKY So what are we going to do? TOADBORG Our salvation lies in the outpost closest to our position. If we can reach it before I go offline, I can access the computers and contact our respective parties. So you will have to keep me functioning until that time. I'm the only one who knows the location of the outpost and can access the computers. If I die, you will be left alone to fend for yourself. BUCKY All right. C'mon. Bucky loads up Toadborg in his makeshift harness. He carries him like a backpack. Heavy as it is, Bucky manages the best he can. Toadborg shows no indications of discomfort or any other reaction. BUCKY Are you ready? TOADBORG Yes. We don't have all night, and I don't have much time. BUCKY Lead the way, then. SCENE 5 - THE WOODS The pair have been journeying for more than an hour. Progress was exceedingly slow due to the terrain. Bushes and brambles blocked their path. Even the lightsaber couldn't cut away all the obstacles in their way. Bucky often had to stray away from Toadborg's straight-line directions to find a better path. Bucky is sweating hard from all the exertion. Toadborg is a heavy load. But he remains cold. The wind bites viciously into his flesh. It doesn't help that the metal touches his skin and that he had sacrificed his shirt to further secure the crippled machine behind his back. He hoped the way wouldn't be long. Their trek is a quiet journey. Bucky knows Toadborg is conserving his energy. Bucky glances at his side. He sees what he thinks is a shadowy FIGURE stumbling into the bushes. BUCKY There. Someone's there. TOADBORG My sensors read nothing. Ignore it. BUCKY No, I have to see. TOADBORG Ignore it! Listen to me, Bucky. There's nothing there ... But Bucky follows the trail of the shadow. Beyond the bushes, he is greeted with a gruesome sight. From a short distance away, a figure with one leg is crawling laboriously away from him, dripping fluids to the ground. It is a moment before Bucky recognizes the fluids to be ruby red blood. TOADBORG Walk away, O'Hare. Walk away. But Bucky is rooted to the spot, oblivious to Toadborg's seemingly distant warnings. The twin moons penetrate the canopy, and Bucky glimpses the visage of the obviously injured figure. It is a hare in what used to be entirely white fur that is now stained with red. Bleeding from a gaping shot through the chest, the hare breathes raggedly through bloody lips. He groans piteously and stretches out his arm, beckoning, as if asking for help. Bucky pales at the morbid sight with equal parts revulsion and pity. WIND *Buuuuucky.* BUCKY Justin. Bucky can't move. His limbs feel deadened, like his blood stopped flowing. The hare that was Justin lurches closer and closer ever so slowly. The crippled corpse holds out its paws imploringly to Bucky. WIND *Buuuuucky.* BUCKY Oh no ... Despite being incapacitated, Justin has almost reached Bucky. He is close enough to almost touch Bucky's face and caress his cheek. Bucky would reel back in horror if he could. But he still can't move. TOADBORG (roars) Bucky! Snap out of it! Bucky immediately feels an electric shock running through his body. It courses from his back and runs through his limbs, giving them life. Bucky screams and falls to his knees, shutting his eyes and holding his sides from the incredible pain. When he looks up, there is no trace of Justin, not even a trail of blood. He tries turning to his back to speak to his companion. BUCKY (weakly) Toadborg. TOADBORG I had to discharge a small amount of electricity to shock you. I can't register what is happening to you and what you were seeing, but you were petrified. Almost out of your mind. Bucky slowly picks himself up. He doesn't thank Toadborg. TOADBORG It took a fair amount of power to shock you. We have to move even faster now. (indicating a direction with his eyes) Go this way. Bucky starts to run. He keeps blinking and wiping his eyes. BUCKY What's happening? Why is this happening to me? TOADBORG As a cyborg, I cannot say that I am affected by this ... condition that is plaguing you. It must only affect those who are fully organic. To block the morbidity of what just happened, Bucky distracts himself by thinking over what Toadborg has just said. He turns the statement over and over in his head. BUCKY "Fully organic"? Toadborg, does that mean that you still have ... that there's a piece of you that is still ... TOADBORG Do not dwell on it, Captain. Would you have me question the phantom visions that you claim to see? Bucky thoughts turn back to his dead family. He thinks about how they were brutally murdered on the planet Noctur II. His brothers were hunted down in the middle of the night and slain one by one in their own household. Bucky himself was spared and brought to a cell as each of his four brothers was brought to him, dead or mutilated. Only the eldest, Justin, was barely alive. They were able to talk for a few precious seconds before the toad soldiers came. One of them heartlessly shot Justin in the chest before the young Bucky's very eyes. Even with tears blurring his vision, Bucky could never forget the face of his brother's cold-blooded killer, the one who called himself Cyrus the Wart. Toadborg sees Bucky's visage darken considerably. He uses it to their advantage. TOADBORG Good, Bucky. Channel your anger. But do not give in to that emotion. Concentrate. Focus. Don't let the apparitions get to you. If you succumb, we are both lost. It's not long now. Just hurry. Bucky runs on. It's about half an hour later that he meets the fourth apparition. The FIGURE greets him as he rounds a ridge of rock. Bucky feels its presence as he feels the chill on his back as he hears a voice above him, repeating the dead rumbling. WIND *Buuuucky.* Bucky can't help it. He looks up. Another hare is standing on top of the stones, swaying gently and unsteadily against the harsh wind. His face is covered in a dark coat that ships about, but Bucky knows who it is. WIND *Buuucky.* BUCKY Michael. I never saw you die. TOADBORG Bucky. Don't. Toadborg shocks Bucky again, but the charge is weak. It isn't enough to shake Bucky out of his trance. Toadborg's reserves are draining fast. The coat falls away, and Bucky sees his last brother from the inside out. Michael glances down at Bucky, his paws trying to stop his internal organs from spilling out. The predominantly green hare is eyeless, but his contorted face displays a great sadness toward Bucky. WIND *Buuucky.* BUCKY Oh Michael, no ... Michael topples downward, right to where Bucky is standing. Bucky opens his arms to catch the body, tears streaming down his face. He doesn't care anymore. TOADBORG Bucky! *No*! Toadborg thinks fast. He broadcasts white noise, a high-pitched frequency, at Bucky's ears. At their proximity, the signals go directly into the hare's skull. Bucky screams again. He holds his paws over his ears and nearly blacks out. But he continues to stare in front of him. The image of Michael fades just before it touches him. TOADBORG (asking slowly) How ... how do you feel, Bucky? Bucky clutches his head painfully. He feels a wetness on his face, and he wipes at his nose. His paw comes away with blood on it. But he feels strangely better. He turns to Toadborg. BUCKY It ... really hurts. But my head feels clearer. What did you do this time? TOADBORG (talks brokenly) A lucky mistake. The frequency ... I should have guessed. The apparitions are affecting your brain. Something to do with ... the vibrations, caused by the wind, I think. I sent out a high-frequency pitch to ... disrupt the flow of vibrations to your head ... good thing ... it was successful ... BUCKY This is all a scientific thing? TOADBORG There is ... there is always an explanation ... for everything ... everything ... everything ... BUCKY (suddenly concerned) Toadborg? What's happening? TOADBORG I ... I ... BUCKY Toadborg! TOADBORG (flares up a bit) My power ... it's draining like a torrent. I'll broadcast the frequency ... as long as I can ... hurry ... hurry ... BUCKY Which way? TOADOBORG Forward ... go! SCENE 6 - THE EDGE Bucky's been running straight for minutes now. His muscles, which had been burning before, are nearly strained to their limit. He keeps checking behind him to see if Toadborg's lights are still functioning. The buzzing in his head is giving him a migraine, but he endures it. He knows he is far worse off without it. Toadborg has stopped giving directions verbally and only points with his eyes. He still broadcasts a steady signal. BUCKY (panting) How much further, Toadborg? TOADBORG (faintly) Here ... we're here ... Bucky sees nothing but more trees and shadows. He nearly despairs. BUCKY There's nothing there! TOADBORG Above ... you ... Bucky looks up. Amid the overgrown canopy and dark silver branches, he finally sees their destination: the lone toad outpost. It's barely a room. The one-story structure with wide windows is supported securely by branches from several trees. TOADBORG We have to ... get up ... BUCKY (tightens the harness and Toadborg tighter around himself) Hang on. This'll be rough. Bucky braces himself and makes a tremendous leap to the lowest branch. He grabs hold of the trunk and steadies himself. He leaps to another branch, his powerful leg muscles pumping. Toadborg's weight pulls him down, but he manages, barely. He continuously jumps from one ledge to another before his legs give out their strength. Toadborg's power levels fall so low that he ceases broadcasting the signal. Bucky feels his head clear slightly. BUCKY (breathing hard) Almost there ... Bucky finally reaches the doorway. What greets him standing on the door is the person he wants to see the least. BUCKY Father. The FIGURE of Donald O'Hare stares Bucky in the eyes. He's shot in several places. His lower body is almost shredded. His limbs are barely attached. The smell of scorched flesh almost hangs like perfume in the air. Disembodied, he floats at eye level to Bucky. WIND *Buuuucky.* As the spirit speaks gravely, blood pours from his lips. Bucky grits his teeth and stares back at his father. Toadborg is almost offline. Only a few more steps separate them from the safety of the toad outpost. Bucky stares at his father in the eyes. TOADBORG (weakly) Bu ... Buck ... y ... BUCKY Yes, I know. Bucky closes his eyes and strides into his father's image. It tries to groan, to call out to him one final time, but the ethereal being breaks into pieces, each dissipating in the cold air. Bucky feels his paw touch the lock on the door. He opens it and steps inside. The door closes behind him, cutting off all of the howling wind. Bucky slumps to the ground. Toadborg topples to the ground beside him, still functional, but his lights are low. TOADBORG You ... did it ... Bucky ... you made it ... BUCKY No. We did it, Toadborg. We made it. Bucky stands and picks Toadborg up again. BUCKY We're safe here. The wind can't go here. Let's find you a power outlet. Bucky sees that Toadborg's lights have gone dim. BUCKY Toadborg? There is no response. BUCKY No! Not now! Bucky spies a table and carries Toadborg toward it. He lays him down carefully and sees a socket on the wall. He reaches over Toadborg's unresponsive body and brings out two auxiliary cables from the main power cell. He jams it into the socket. No response. Bucky checks the nearby console and sees that there is power coursing through the cables, but nothing's happening. BUCKY Toadborg! C'mon! Bucky steps over the robotic torso. He grasps Toadborg's face armor. He only hesitates for an instant, recalling what Toadborg said before, and then he opens the armor. BUCKY Toadborg? What he sees inside is not what he expects. Instead of integrated circuit boards and arrays of mainframes, Bucky beholds the desiccated remains of a toad soldier. The small, frail body is shriveled up, almost cocooned by the cables hardwired into his body. His skin is dry and brittle, almost like a husk. His face is hidden by a sensory mask. Lights flicker and display readings all over the vital circuits. But the most amazing thing that Bucky notices from the sight is that the Toad soldier is actually breathing. BUCKY I didn't know. Bucky involuntarily reaches out to the toad soldier, to check the rise and fall of his chest, to see if the poor soul can breathe through the heavy sensory mask. It is to his surprise that he finds something grip his arm. It is the Toad soldier's gnarled and decomposing hand. The grip is weak, barely even encircling Bucky's arm. But there is a determination behind the frail fist. Lights above the sensory mask blaze open. TOADBORG (a raspy, weaker version of Toadborg's voice) I ... told you ... to get your dirty ... mammal ... paws ... off me ... O'Hare! BUCKY (relieved) Man or machine, Toadborg. You're still alive! SCENE 7 - THE OUTPOST A few minutes are spent as Bucky rewires Toadborg's vital circuits. Toadborg immediately demands that Bucky close up his face armor, but not before Bucky can do the necessary adjustments. Nothing more is said about what Bucky glimpsed inside Toadborg's metal facade. Bucky is not finished carrying Toadborg yet. He still has to drag him to the communications room. Another power outlet is located and utilized with Toadborg's auxiliary cable. BUCKY Is this the one? TOADBORG Yes. Do it. Bucky plugs the cable in the socket. Toadborg's lights flare up just a little bit. BUCKY How is it? TOADBORG Weak. But serviceable. Just like the other one. This outpost only has so much reserve power left. BUCKY Then start contacting out friends. TOADBORG All right. Toadborg calls out instructions, and Bucky sets about connecting cables and such. Soon, a long-distance communications array is cobbled up. Toadborg activates it automatically through his link to the console. TOADBORG There. I'm broadcasting a general distress signal. Both our parties have the range and frequency to pick them up, so it's guaranteed that the signal will be received. BUCKY It just depends on which one will reach us first. How do I know you're broadcasting to the mammals? TOADBORG I trusted you to get me here. Now you can trust me. BUCKY All right. Thinking that it will take a considerable amount of time before they are rescued, Bucky starts checking the controls. BUCKY Are you sure you have enough power on the station to keep functioning? TOADBORG I've rerouted everything to the distress signal. It takes a lot of power to keep it running. I only have minimal energy to myself now. Seeing as we are protected from the winds by the thick walls, I am not utilizing my frequency broadcaster. BUCKY (stands up) Let me check the other computer for any alternate energy sources ... TOADBORG (sounding slightly alarmed) Don't bother, Bucky. Just stay here. BUCKY No, I can do this. It can't hurt if I find another outlet. Despite Toadborg's protests, Bucky goes to the other side of the room and operates the computer. The screen boots up, showing a computer log. BUCKY (calls out the Toadborg on the table) Hey, Toadborg? What's this? TOADBORG It's nothing. Get back here. But Bucky opens the computer journal. Several video screens open wide, displaying a world filled with lush green trees. COMPUTER VOICE Planet Gauntlus, homeworld of the Owlerians, a spiritual but hermit- like race of nocturnal avians. They posses trace magical abilities relating to manipulation of wind currents. It's nighttime on the planet, but Bucky sees what looks to be a quiet race of owls flying and frolicking about in the healthy trees. COMPUTER VOICE Toad invasion of Gauntlus: started 3218. Earlier strike forces repelled by unclassified means. The screen now features toads attacking the Owlerians. The Owlerians display their mystical abilities by flapping their wings and causing powerful tornadoes to slam double bubbles into each other. More unnatural drafts sweep land bound Stormtoads away. The Owlerians look like they can hold their own against the toad encroachment. COMPUTER VOICE Second campaign successful. Planet-wide smelting project succeeded in stamping out all further traces of resistance. Bucky looks on in horror as he sees a satellite focusing a wide beam over the planet and creating a wave of hot, molten steel to engulf the forests. The liquid metal covers everything. The Owlerians valiantly use their command of the air to blow the deadly liquid away, but they are too few and the deadly wave is too powerful. They are entombed alive. Men, women, and children are encased in their homes. Some are in mid-flight. The metal solidifies quickly, not leaving any time for even flesh to sear. The Owlerians become gruesome once-living statues, their expressions forever locked on with a look of terror. The whole planet is bombarded with the liquid metal. The trees and terrain are not spared as they too are encased in steel, creating the silver trees Bucky saw when he first landed up to the present. Bucky is horrified. COMPUTER VOICE Global smelting project was designed, developed, and deployed by General Toadborg. BUCKY Toadborg! Bucky turns around furiously to face Toadborg. The cyborg lies quiet on the table. BUCKY You did this? You killed this planet? TOADBORG Yes, I did. BUCKY (shouting) You *slaughtered* an entire race! TOADBORG What's done is done, O'Hare. It's in the past. Let it go. We must survive now. BUCKY But this lies on your head! Behind him, Bucky doesn't realize that the computer is still on. The video screens now feature the toads constructing the outposts and other facilities on the planet surface. COMPUTER VOICE Terraforming and encroaching proceeded ... BUCKY (trying to contain his wrath) Why, Toadborg? Why did you do this? TOADBORG It was a military campaign. You know this, Bucky. The computer now shows toads going mad. They start to scream and tear at themselves. Several toads drop what they're doing and reach for the closest weapon at hand and use them against the nearest living being. The winds blowing in the background are broadcasted through the speakers. COMPUTER VOICE Unexpected anomaly interfering with project. Toad personnel affected by unknown conditions. Unknown, unclassified beings supposedly detected ... unknown ... unknown ... BUCKY (tearing at himself) They were innocent lives, Toadborg. Innocent lives! You monster! I can't believe I helped save you! TOADBORG We helped each other. You couldn't have survived without me. BUCKY My life would be a trifling price to pay to rid the aniverse of an abomination such as yourself. The computer shows more images of carnage and horror as toads rip each other apart with their bare hands. Blood splatters on the several video screens before all of them are reduced to static. The howling wind blows even stronger. It is as if the wind itself is flowing from the speakers and buffeting into the room. COMPUTER Error error error errorrorrrerrorerrorerror ... The computer erupts in a shower of sparks. The video screens follow suit, each shattering into shards of glass, the horrific images breaking up. All the power in the outpost goes off. The lights, the speakers, the computers, the distress signal, everything. Even Toadborg's lifeline. TOADBORG (alarmed) What's happening? What drained the power? BUCKY (shaking his head gravely) It doesn't matter anymore. The outpost is shrouded in darkness. The only lights are coming from Toadborg's sensors. He sees Bucky slowly turning his back. Bucky's voice changes to an unearthly guttural and hollow voice. BUCKY (in a different voice) You will pay for your crimes, Toadborg. TOADBORG (now thoroughly distressed) Bucky? What's wrong, Bucky? The speakers explode into life. The howling, wailing wind from the outside pours into the room, drowning the air with its screams. Toadborg is shaken involuntarily on the table. He continues to look at Bucky -- the only thing that seems real in the room. Before Toadborg's sensors, he now views multiple images surrounding the hare. At least five ethereal beings resembling other hares have formed a circle over the Captain. TOADBORG Oh no. BUCKY You will pay. Bucky turns around. He is brandishing his lightsaber, glowing red-hot. He takes a step toward the helpless Toadborg. Toadborg can only watch and see as the five spirits behind Bucky O'Hare egg the hare on. They are possessing him. Controlling him. Filling him with wrath and rage. Toadborg can see everything. He tries to broadcast his disrupting frequency, but even at full power, as much as he can give it, it has no effect on Bucky. The spirits remain encouraging their puppet. TOADBORG (shouting) Bucky O'Hare! *Stop*! You're being possessed! *Bucky*! Bucky takes another step. The hares behind him shimmer and fade but reform into ghostly owls wearing dark robes. All of them stare at Toadborg with eyes of deep hatred. Their wings flap as the wind intensifies its howling. As Bucky takes his final steps toward Toadborg, the voice of thousands pour out from Bucky's mouth. BUCKY (hollow voices) For atrocities committed against the Owlerians, Toadborg, you do not deserve the mockery of life you have ... Bucky stands over the helpless Toadborg. He holds his lightsaber up high and reverses it so the point is directed downward. Toadborg is screaming as he stares at his doom. BUCKY (hollow voices) We, of the Owlerian Council of Beyond! We, whom you have wronged! We sentence you to oblivion! TOADBORG Nooo! Bucky thrusts his saber down. The searing maser blade drills right into Toadborg's energy cells. Toadborg screams. His body emits sparks. He is in agony. His eyes flare hot for a moment, then grow dim. The image of the saber impaling him like a luminous stake through his metallic heart remains as the electronic lights fade out in his body. Bucky, still in his trance, has shielded his eyes as sparks are being thrown off. He blindly takes steps backward. He reaches the door to the outside, which opens by itself. And he falls and falls. Branches and twigs slow him down his descent, but not enough. He falls to the cold ground, as limp as a doll and seemingly as lifeless. Inside the room, the five owl spirits continue to stand silently, looking at the remains of their greatest enemy. They nod to each other gravely. Minutes pass, and sunlight begins to stream from the windows, flooding the room with the light of a new day. The Owlerian spirits cannot stay. They start to slowly fade away, leaving a final echo in their wake, a howling wind blowing in the room. WIND *Justice is done*. SCENE 8 - COMMUNICATIONS ROOM, OUTPOST The room is lit up by daylight from the wide windows. It's rather bright. The beam from Bucky's saber is still on but barely noticeable. Slowly, other lights start to flicker on. They're Toadborg's eyes. TOADBORG I'm ... alive? Toadborg awakens unexpectedly. He feels a small spark of energy keeping him alive. He checks himself. A one in a million chance has occurred. The power had been drained from the outpost, so there was absolutely nothing for Toadborg to draw upon, but Bucky stabbed the lightsaber straight into his main power cell storage unit. A connection had been made. The unit was able to convert the maser energy into the electricity that it needed, no matter how minimal. The killing stroke, the way it was administered, had, in fact, insured his survival. TOADBORG I have been saved. Toadborg looks around the room. He sees the open door and a scrap of cloth torn from Bucky's suit. He deduces that Bucky had fallen, discarded because the vengeful spirits had no further use for their vessel. Toadborg wonders how the hare must be doing. He has a lot to be angry to the hare for but, for today, he has an equal share to be grateful for as well. Toadborg processes his thoughts quickly. He is not sure how much longer the saber will stay functioning. He is sure it won't last long. He knows he doesn't have enough time. And that it applies to Bucky as well. TOADBORG The distress signal ... Toadborg broadcasts the signal again -- a stronger, more powerful signal. It seems impossible to do, considering his damaged circuits and the smaller amount of power available to be used this time around. But the signal surges anyway. Its wavelength moves fast and quickly through space, as if powered by the sheer will of a desperate being. SCENE 9 - SPACE It is a nightmare that Bucky is reliving. He dreams of warm blood and flowing gore. Of the cold hand of darkness. But mostly of the wind, the howling, screaming winds. He then feels another presence, someone reaching out to him. Someone who wants him. BUCKY (screams) No! Bucky gets up and grabs hold of the person in front of him. His eyes are wild, but it takes him half a second to recognize Jenny's startled face. She's holding a wet rag in her hand and had been dabbing Bucky's face with it. She is shocked. JENNY (concerned) Bucky? Are you all right? Relief floods into Bucky. BUCKY Jenny ... Bucky falls forward into Jenny's arms. He weakly tries to hug her close, but Jenny pulls back and pushes him down to lie on the bed again. She resumes dabbing Bucky's sweating face. Bucky continues to shake. JENNY (soothingly) It's all right, Bucky. It's all right. Everything's OK now ... BUCKY (slightly frantic, slightly out of focus) Jenny, I've been through ... a nightmare! It was ... horrible ... my Brothers ... the darkness ... the cold ... the wind ... Jenny can clearly see how agitated Bucky is and knows it's not doing him any good. She makes a complicated gesture with her left paw and touches the spell gem on her forehead. She then waves her paw over Bucky's eyes, closing them. JENNY (as if reciting a spell) You need rest, my Captain. Sleep well. Sleep deep. A dreamless sleep. Bucky's thrashing slowly subsides, but he continues to mutter. Jenny finishes her spell by laying her finger on his lips, silencing him. JENNY (quietly) Shh. Sleep. Bucky goes still. He finally sleeps a restful sleep. Jenny takes away her basin and cloth and quietly leaves Bucky's quarters. As the door closes, she is met by the anxious faces of Deadeye, ENGINEER WILLY DUWITT, BRUISER and AFC BLINKY. DEADEYE How's the Captain? BRUISER Is he OK? JENNY He needs his rest. He's gone through an ordeal. We have to let him sleep it off. WILLY But what happened? I've only been gone a few hours, and Bucky seems like he's about to die! Jenny frowns at Willy. JENNY (matter-of-factly) He is not about to die. He's just exhausted. Physically and mentally. His mind and body were pushed to their limit in the twelve-hour cycle that he was gone from us. DEADEYE But I could hear him spouting all this mumbo jumbo and stuff ... JENNY Delirium. It will pass. He'll forget what it is that he's raving about. WILLY But what happened? JENNY (troubled) I don't know. I know I shouldn't have, but I did a surface memory reading on him. I felt emotions of fear and terror, but I can't find any memories. It's as if someone wiped his most recent memories and only left emotions as clues. I doubt he'll wake up remembering anything about what happened in the last few hours when we lost contact with him on his way home. DEADEYE (frustrated) Swell! A mysterious signal lets us find Bucky on some abandoned toad outpost on some unknown planet, and we ain't never gonna get the whole story of what happened? BRUISER Uh Jenny, wut do I do with dis? Bruiser gingerly holds up Bucky's lightsaber. It's turned off and cold to the touch. BRUISER Remember how it took us a while to pry it outta his paw? I think the Captain rilly, rilly wants it. Should I give it back? JENNY (shakes her head) No. Let's just keep it here. Bucky might just hurt himself if he wakes up holding it. Let's just head for a medical station. He needs a checkup ... SCENE 10 - TOAD MOTHERSHIP Toadborg stands alone on the brig. He flexes his armored frame. It didn't take long for the technicians to build him a new body. He has several of them kept in storage as spares. He would have liked to have time for rest, but he presently has to report back to KOMPLEX and explain the failure of the Space Web. TOADBORG (thinking) (beat) Toadborg stares out into space. TOADBORG (thinking) (beat) (beat) Toadborg stares again at the dark expanse that is space. TOADBORG (thinking) Toadborg has waited long enough. He opens up his chest and enters a numeric sequence. It represents a precise increment of recent memories in his computer log. Toadborg presses the delete button. THE END