HOME | DD

Description
Renee curled up in the chair and pulled her knees to her chin. She tucked her face in the little pocket it made. She didn’t sob because it wasn’t life-ruining. She didn’t scream because it should have been expected the whole time, even if nobody realized it. She stopped being angry because it was, in truth, quite a bit her fault. She stayed quiet and finally Zurg came back from managing his other projects and just kind of looked her over for a few minutes. She ignored it, wishing again that this was all another crack fever dream.
He smiled when she finally looked up. Her tail was wrapped around her legs like a rope. “Care to make a call with me?” The evil emperor offered. A grub followed him up and dropped a plate with a bacon cheese quiche on it in front of her. She gave it an odd look. Apparently they didn’t know dairy products, pure milk excluded, were forbidden in Zephyr culture. But there was also a small bowl of tomato soup and she picked it up, ignoring Zurg, and drank it.
“To who?” She said emotionlessly after finishing.
“Star Command, Buzz Lightyear and Alan Gade especially.” He bent forward into her face and grinned even more smugly than usual.
Renee realized he was talking about calling her father and showing off exactly what had happened to her. “No.” He couldn’t see her like this- no one could, even if the changes had hardly touched her physical appearance yet.
“No?” He stood back up. “Well, then…” He turned around and hit a button, letting the vidscreen come down from the ceiling and stop directly in front of them. “You don’t have a choice.”
She squabbled behind the throne and hid with her back to Zurg and the camera. “I’m not going to talk to them!” She said finally. He smirked and rolled his eyes.
“Place a call to Star Command.” He ordered the grubs, who nodded obediently and turned the screen on. After a few short rings the static dissipated and none other than Commander Nebula answered.
“What do you want, bucket head?” The man demanded.
Zurg chuckled nastily. He let Renee hide for the moment. “I’d like to show off my latest instrument of evil, but could you call Team Lightyear in there? Ty parsec and XL too if you don’t mind. And, if possible commander, make this a three-way call to the Gade household to?” Renee placed her face in her hands and moaned.
“And why should I do that?!” The commander asked angrily. “How does this concern them?”
“Just do it you hateful old bag, it concerns them all.” Zurg went from friendly to cold and demanding instantly. Nebula sighed and did it. Alan picked up instantly. Ginger was standing behind him. Buzz and the rest of the rangers filed into the commander’s office after a few minutes and looked at the screen in confusion. “Hello all.” Zurg smirked.
“What do you want, Zurg?” XL demanded. He was a lot more energetic lately, more determined to bring her back, after finding out Renee had a crush on him.
“He’s showing off his latest ‘instrument of evil’ again.” Nebula filled them in.
“And how does this concern us?” Ginger leaned against the table, tail flickering back and forth impatiently.
“Or me?” Ty asked. Sure he was a ranger, but he didn’t usually get called in to see Zurg’s new toys when the emperor wanted to show them off.
“It concerns you all, I think.” Zurg waved off their questions. “Remember that Renee Gade girl?” Renee buried her face into her hands deeper, wanting to scream.
“What about my daughter?” Alan stood up and shoved chair back.
“Renee Gade is dead, Zurg, Nos-4-a2 killed her.” Nebula sighed.
“Nu-uh, he didn’t.” Zurg smiled proudly. “Because I have a new energy vampire. Not finished yet but, you know, in progress.” He sighed and waved kind of out- there-ish.
“What?” Ty paled. XR ran behind Buzz and XL followed him.
“That’s right.” He reached behind his chair and took hold of Renee’s collar. She choked and was dragged around the seat to face the vidscreen. She hid her face and tried to struggle out of his grip.
“Renee?” Alan took hold of the screen. “Renee is that you? Are you okay?”
“No of course she isn’t you ninny, I just said she was my new energy vampire!” Zurg held her up and stroked her fur.
Renee tried to scratch him and growled defiantly. “I am not!”
“What did you do to her, Zurg?” Buzz looked at her, taking in the silver stripes.
“Oh I haven’t done anything to Renee.” The man smiled. “Yet. It’s what Nosy did to her that concerns us.”
“Then what did he do to her?” XL asked uncomfortably. It killed her to see him with that kind of fear in his eyes. It was like telling someone everything will be okay when you know it won’t.
“Stop kidding around and tell us what happened to Renee.” Commander Nebula growled.
“Fine, fine, you all are so whiney.” Zurg crossed his arms. He pulled the girl up onto her feet. “Nos-4-a2 has been feeding on her for about the last two weeks, based on the bite marks.” He held onto the back of Renee’s neck and showed off the distinct bite marks. “And now a rather potent cocktail of his nanites runs through her bloodstream. Renee now has an energy signature identical to his- she feeds on energy.”
“No I don’t!” She cried. “So I need more electricity than before, I’m not biting anyone!”
His grip on her neck tightened and she writhed in pain for a second. “You will when I’m done with you.” He whispered into her ear. Looking up, he smiled evilly at the rangers. “Sorry to cut this conversation short, but we have work to do around here. Ta-ta.” He hung up before anyone could say anything.
He let Renee go and she hit the floor, rubbing her neck. “Ow! What’re you going to do to me?”
“Sorry to hurt you, but it had to look like you were in real danger.” He nodded absently in agreement with himself. She looked at him in surprise and got up. “Never hurts to put a little fear into the hearts of the victim’s family.”
She followed him down the stairs. “So, you’re not going to hurt me? Or…whatever you’re going to do to me.”
“No, I never said I wasn’t.” He smirked. She shivered. “I am going to make sure you adjust to your infection exactly the way I want you to.”
“Why would you do that?” She demanded, remembering what he had told the rangers.
“You may still be faithful to Nos-4-a2,” Zurg turned and pointed out. “But I have access to his control, which means I can turn it off.” He smiled. “Or take hold of it myself. Wouldn’t you like that, Renee, to no longer be a buffet for him?”
“I…would.” She admitted through the burn. “But I don’t want to work for you either!”
“You WILL work for me.” He flicked back his cape. She looked up, surprised even though she expected the demand.
“Why?” She glared. He was telling her to hate Zurg to, but the offer was somehow irresistible. “I mean, I’m not all that useful.”
“You will be, dear, you will be.” He led her down the halls. Renee couldn’t help but wonder if he actually had feet under that really long robe. She looked back at him again.
“Where are we going?” She asked. The lights were growing brighter, now almost painfully bright, and the air was gaining the medicinal smell of ammonia.
“To get your teeth put in, of course.” He chuckled like it was obvious.
“My… teeth?” She put a paw over her mouth. She had a specific fear of surgery, and surgery in her mouth? That was more torture than anything.
“An energy vampire has to have fangs, doesn’t she?” He asked with a grin. She had no time to react before being surprised by a brain pod with a cloth loaded with chloroform.

Description
Renee curled up in the chair and pulled her knees to her chin. She tucked her face in the little pocket it made. She didn’t sob because it wasn’t life-ruining. She didn’t scream because it should have been expected the whole time, even if nobody realized it. She stopped being angry because it was, in truth, quite a bit her fault. She stayed quiet and finally Zurg came back from managing his other projects and just kind of looked her over for a few minutes. She ignored it, wishing again that this was all another crack fever dream.
He smiled when she finally looked up. Her tail was wrapped around her legs like a rope. “Care to make a call with me?” The evil emperor offered. A grub followed him up and dropped a plate with a bacon cheese quiche on it in front of her. She gave it an odd look. Apparently they didn’t know dairy products, pure milk excluded, were forbidden in Zephyr culture. But there was also a small bowl of tomato soup and she picked it up, ignoring Zurg, and drank it.
“To who?” She said emotionlessly after finishing.
“Star Command, Buzz Lightyear and Alan Gade especially.” He bent forward into her face and grinned even more smugly than usual.
Renee realized he was talking about calling her father and showing off exactly what had happened to her. “No.” He couldn’t see her like this- no one could, even if the changes had hardly touched her physical appearance yet.
“No?” He stood back up. “Well, then…” He turned around and hit a button, letting the vidscreen come down from the ceiling and stop directly in front of them. “You don’t have a choice.”
She squabbled behind the throne and hid with her back to Zurg and the camera. “I’m not going to talk to them!” She said finally. He smirked and rolled his eyes.
“Place a call to Star Command.” He ordered the grubs, who nodded obediently and turned the screen on. After a few short rings the static dissipated and none other than Commander Nebula answered.
“What do you want, bucket head?” The man demanded.
Zurg chuckled nastily. He let Renee hide for the moment. “I’d like to show off my latest instrument of evil, but could you call Team Lightyear in there? Ty parsec and XL too if you don’t mind. And, if possible commander, make this a three-way call to the Gade household to?” Renee placed her face in her hands and moaned.
“And why should I do that?!” The commander asked angrily. “How does this concern them?”
“Just do it you hateful old bag, it concerns them all.” Zurg went from friendly to cold and demanding instantly. Nebula sighed and did it. Alan picked up instantly. Ginger was standing behind him. Buzz and the rest of the rangers filed into the commander’s office after a few minutes and looked at the screen in confusion. “Hello all.” Zurg smirked.
“What do you want, Zurg?” XL demanded. He was a lot more energetic lately, more determined to bring her back, after finding out Renee had a crush on him.
“He’s showing off his latest ‘instrument of evil’ again.” Nebula filled them in.
“And how does this concern us?” Ginger leaned against the table, tail flickering back and forth impatiently.
“Or me?” Ty asked. Sure he was a ranger, but he didn’t usually get called in to see Zurg’s new toys when the emperor wanted to show them off.
“It concerns you all, I think.” Zurg waved off their questions. “Remember that Renee Gade girl?” Renee buried her face into her hands deeper, wanting to scream.
“What about my daughter?” Alan stood up and shoved chair back.
“Renee Gade is dead, Zurg, Nos-4-a2 killed her.” Nebula sighed.
“Nu-uh, he didn’t.” Zurg smiled proudly. “Because I have a new energy vampire. Not finished yet but, you know, in progress.” He sighed and waved kind of out- there-ish.
“What?” Ty paled. XR ran behind Buzz and XL followed him.
“That’s right.” He reached behind his chair and took hold of Renee’s collar. She choked and was dragged around the seat to face the vidscreen. She hid her face and tried to struggle out of his grip.
“Renee?” Alan took hold of the screen. “Renee is that you? Are you okay?”
“No of course she isn’t you ninny, I just said she was my new energy vampire!” Zurg held her up and stroked her fur.
Renee tried to scratch him and growled defiantly. “I am not!”
“What did you do to her, Zurg?” Buzz looked at her, taking in the silver stripes.
“Oh I haven’t done anything to Renee.” The man smiled. “Yet. It’s what Nosy did to her that concerns us.”
“Then what did he do to her?” XL asked uncomfortably. It killed her to see him with that kind of fear in his eyes. It was like telling someone everything will be okay when you know it won’t.
“Stop kidding around and tell us what happened to Renee.” Commander Nebula growled.
“Fine, fine, you all are so whiney.” Zurg crossed his arms. He pulled the girl up onto her feet. “Nos-4-a2 has been feeding on her for about the last two weeks, based on the bite marks.” He held onto the back of Renee’s neck and showed off the distinct bite marks. “And now a rather potent cocktail of his nanites runs through her bloodstream. Renee now has an energy signature identical to his- she feeds on energy.”
“No I don’t!” She cried. “So I need more electricity than before, I’m not biting anyone!”
His grip on her neck tightened and she writhed in pain for a second. “You will when I’m done with you.” He whispered into her ear. Looking up, he smiled evilly at the rangers. “Sorry to cut this conversation short, but we have work to do around here. Ta-ta.” He hung up before anyone could say anything.
He let Renee go and she hit the floor, rubbing her neck. “Ow! What’re you going to do to me?”
“Sorry to hurt you, but it had to look like you were in real danger.” He nodded absently in agreement with himself. She looked at him in surprise and got up. “Never hurts to put a little fear into the hearts of the victim’s family.”
She followed him down the stairs. “So, you’re not going to hurt me? Or…whatever you’re going to do to me.”
“No, I never said I wasn’t.” He smirked. She shivered. “I am going to make sure you adjust to your infection exactly the way I want you to.”
“Why would you do that?” She demanded, remembering what he had told the rangers.
“You may still be faithful to Nos-4-a2,” Zurg turned and pointed out. “But I have access to his control, which means I can turn it off.” He smiled. “Or take hold of it myself. Wouldn’t you like that, Renee, to no longer be a buffet for him?”
“I…would.” She admitted through the burn. “But I don’t want to work for you either!”
“You WILL work for me.” He flicked back his cape. She looked up, surprised even though she expected the demand.
“Why?” She glared. He was telling her to hate Zurg to, but the offer was somehow irresistible. “I mean, I’m not all that useful.”
“You will be, dear, you will be.” He led her down the halls. Renee couldn’t help but wonder if he actually had feet under that really long robe. She looked back at him again.
“Where are we going?” She asked. The lights were growing brighter, now almost painfully bright, and the air was gaining the medicinal smell of ammonia.
“To get your teeth put in, of course.” He chuckled like it was obvious.
“My… teeth?” She put a paw over her mouth. She had a specific fear of surgery, and surgery in her mouth? That was more torture than anything.
“An energy vampire has to have fangs, doesn’t she?” He asked with a grin. She had no time to react before being surprised by a brain pod with a cloth loaded with chloroform.