Chapter 3 (RIKU): The Power of the Unimind

Chapter 3 (Riku): The Power of the Unimind

        The halls of Star Command are barren and dark.  No one walked the halls and not a single sound could be heard.  Only the small squadron of Buzz, Mira, Riku, XR, and Booster walked the halls, flashing lights in the hopes of seeing a familiar face.  Or, to some extent, anyone at all.  But as they wandered the halls, making their way to Commander Nebula's command deck, all the young group of heroes could do was gulp nervously.

        "XR, report!" Buzz shouted.

        "Sensors indicate spooky" XR pointed out casually.  "In fact, I'm going to have to go with very spooky."

        "The station looks okay" Riku pointed out, as the group pushed the doors to the command deck open.  "I mean, I'm sure it wasn't always in darkness, right?"

        "There doesn't seem to be a sign of a struggle" Mira added, overlooking the many pipes and ventilation systems on the ship.  "What do you think, Buzz?"

        "I don't know" the space ranger answered, his mind and attention focused on his wrist communicator.  "But my scanner is definitely picking up something--"

        "Why, Lightyear!" a piercing electronic voice sounded.  "How good of you to join us.  We've been waiting for you to arrive."

        "Zurg?" Buzz called out, aiming his flashlight around the nervous band.  

        "In a manner of speaking" the robotic voice sneered.  

        "Show yourself!" Buzz ordered.  Within seconds, a burly figure marched his way towards Buzz.  But the figure did not look like a robot.  In fact, the figure wore a Star Command uniform.  The only difference was the piercing red eyes that now overtook the eyes of a free man once.  "Commander Nebula?  What have you done with him, Zurg?"

        Nebula laughed, in the tone of Zurg, causing the others to shake in fear.  Riku and Buzz kept the group calm.  "Why, I'm right here, Buzz.  Where else would I be?"

        "What have you done, Zurg?" Buzz called, as several more space rangers, each bearing more heartless red eyes than the last.  Each aimed a high tech weapon at the rest of the group.  

        "You see" Zurg answered through Nebula's body, "I used the Little Green Men's precious Unimind to link your fellow rangers to my evil.  Face it, Buzz.  Your greatest blunder is now the reason Star Command obeys me!"  

        "Your plan won't work, Zurg." Mira shouted.  "Their minds are still in there."

        "I have no intention of stopping at just, Star Command" Zurg's voice rang out again.  "That's just the beginning.  Soon the entire Galactic Alliance will be under my control!  And there is not a thing you can do to stop me!"

        XR laughed.  "You know, since I'm a robot, I'm not susceptible to mind control, so this really isn't an issue for me."

        Riku groaned.  "It will be your issue when they rip you apart and sell you for scrap."  He raised his Keyblade into a defensive position as Buzz and Mira readied their lasers.  

        "Good point, kid" XR gulped.  "Anyone have any ideas?"

        "Here's one" Zurg's voice rang out.  "Heartless!  Attack!"  Several Shadows and Soldiers appeared and helped surround the group.  

        Buzz blasted the doors open and turned to the bulk of the group.  "Get them to the ship, Mira.  We'll handle things on the bridge.  We'll meet you in orbit!"  

        "But Buzz--" Mira argued.

        "We'll take care of this" Riku called to Mira.  "There's no use in you guys getting killed here."  Riku leapt forward and cut down a few of the nearby shadows.  

        "I would take the boy's advice" Zurg laughed menacingly.  "After all, while you can save yourselves, who is going to save them?  Attack them now, my mind slaves!"  The space rangers all marched forward and aimed their weapons at Riku and Buzz.  

        Riku prepared to fire a pulse of light at them, but Buzz lowered the Keyblade.  "No.  While under the control of the most evil force in the galaxy, their still my fellow rangers.  Strike the rangers to stun, and those Heartless to kill."

        "You don't have to tell me a second time" Riku replied eagerly, charging to face his enemies.  

Defeat All of the Heartless and the Possessed Space Rangers

Get Bonus: 

Buzz: +10 HP 

Riku: Learned Rampage

        As Riku and Buzz felt themselves encircled by both Heartless and possessed space rangers, they looked to each other.  "What now?" Riku asked.  

        "Get that armor of yours ready, Riku" Buzz warned.  "We're launching the rest of this band into orbit!"  Buzz fired his laser at a nearby circuit, blasting it into pieces.  Riku blasted his armor and began to grow his armor again.  The roof of Star Command flew open, flinging countless Heartless and Space Rangers into orbit.  

        Riku clicked his feet together.  In an instant, a hover board appeared beneath him.  Riku hopped aboard and sped off after Buzz, who was flying towards the Alpha-1.  As Riku caught up with him, Buzz gestured towards the Alpha-1, ordering Riku inside.  "We have to take this battle to Zurg" Buzz warned.  "Get into the Alpha-1.  We'll meet you in a minute."  

        The hatch to the Alpha-1 opened almost immediately, allowing Riku to land in the one chair.  Within seconds, Mira, Buzz, Booster and XR all crammed themselves inside.  With little to no room to maneuver, Riku pressed the big red button, allowing the ship to escape into hyperspace.  

        "Why are we in this crammed pod again?" Riku asked, trying his hardest not to lose his breath in such a tightly crammed space.  

        "The Heartless had overrun Buzz's ship" Mira explained.  "They think we're dead."

        "And that gives us an advantage" Buzz added, with a wry smile.  "As long as Zurg thinks we're dead, he won't come looking for us.  Let's go full throttle to Planet Z!"

        "We're going through with my plan?" Mira asked, beaming with pride.

        "Let's get into the planet before we hand out medals for who did what." Buzz ordered as Riku piloted the small ship into the deepness of space.

        On a dark, smog filled planet, two figures looked into the sky with contempt and bitter joy.  One was a heavily caped robot with horns atop his head and a piercing red eyes for visual receptors.  To his side, sat an enormous plasma cannon with three barrels.  The second, was a cyborg with a robotic limb that could transform into any kind of weapon imaginable.  He wore a helmet to conceal his identity from the police at Star Command.  

        "I never thought it would be so easy" the cyborg answered, almost disappointed.

        "I told you the defeat of Star Command was doable" Zurg laughed wickedly.  "You have to learn to trust my judgement, Agent Z."

        "Not that" Z answered.  "Lightyear."

        Zurg sighed.  "Ah yes.  Our dearly departed foe.  Somehow, evil won't be quite as much fun without Buzz Lightyear to kick around."

        "Lightyear isn't dead" a shrill voice appeared out of thin air.  From a portal of darkness, Maleficent appeared, a look of hate and purely cruel intentions on her mind.  "If I know the Keybearers, they will have indeed survived the Heartless attack.  You'll get your chance at revenge, Zurg."

        "What of that key the young man carried?" Zurg asked coldly.  "When are you going to tell me about that?"

        "When Riku has been disposed of, you can have the Keyblade, Zurg.  I have no use for the weapon.  It only gets in my way.  But keep your attention to filling as many of these other planets with Heartless.  Use that Unimind to capture more minds and more hearts.  Soon, all of the worlds will belong to us!"

        

        In a dark alley somewhere on Planet Z, the Alpha-1 was docked.  Riku and Buzz quickly hopped out of the ship and surveyed their scenery.  Riku was particularly perturbed by his surroundings.  This reminds me too much of Xemnas's world.  Let's just find this Zurg guy and get this over with.  

        Buzz turned to the rest of his crew.  "Take the ship out and start immediate evacuations of the free planets."  

        "What about Zurg?" Mira asked.

        "He's my problem.  It's time I settled the score with Zurg once and for all!"

        "Buzz" Booster called out, "it's against the rules!  In the Star Command Mission Manual, it clearly states that no ranger should go into a situation without backup."

        "I want the four of you off this planet now, and that's an order!"

        Mira and the others reluctantly turned back towards the ship.  Riku stayed in his place.  "What about the Heartless?  You can't take them on by yourself."

        "When I take down, Zurg, those Heartless will disappear.  Now go!"  With that, Buzz took off into the shadows.  

        Riku was about to do as he was told, when Mira stopped him.  "Riku, you should go after him.  He knows he can't control this situation, but he's too stubborn to accept help.  Go and help him take out Zurg."

        Riku nodded.  "Alright."  Riku took off after Buzz, but was sure to keep his distance.  

        As Riku neared the top of Zurg's massive tower in the heart of Planet Z, he was stopped by a familiar face.  A face he was certain he didn't want to see again.  "Maleficent!" Riku shouted, drawing his Keyblade.

       "You and that Sora are always pestering my plans, Riku" Maleficent hissed.  "Why can't you just leave me and my Heartless be?"

        "You keep messing with our worlds, we'll keep coming at you" Riku sternly replied.  "Besides, I can call this thanks for plunging my heart into the darkness.  You put this burden on me, and I'll see to it that you and all other beings of the dark face the light before my journey ends."

        "You call a gift to one I cared for a burden?" Maleficent answered, feigning shock and sorrow.  But her expression simply returned to normal.  "Fine, you can have it your way.  You weren't fit enough to wield the darkness anyway.  Just like that boy Terra.  Too self aware to become a true warrior of the dark."  Maleficent smacked her staff onto the ground, causing several Heartless to appear.  

        "You are far too late, you know" she added cruelly.  "Any moment now, Zurg will transform Buzz into a Heartless.  You've lost this world, Riku.  We are unstoppable."  

        "I'll stop you, Maleficent!" Riku shouted, lunging for the witch.  Maleficent simply vanished into the darkness, laughing maniacally.  "I have to help Buzz!"  Riku hurried up to the top of Zurg's tower.