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Description
Renee drifted out of the anesthetic almost instantly when the LGMs removed the flow of medication. Medicine didn’t last long in a Zephyrite’s system without a constant feed, the body got rid of it as fast as possible through their saliva. She shook her head as the cloud of unconsciousness faded away. Sitting up, the girl twisted in pain for a second. She took a deep breath and glanced at her wrists, locating the silver bands in the small bald patches around her wrists. She kicked back the cover and saw the ones around her ankles. Carefully the girl felt around her neck and located the cold metal. Her fur had been shaved off in thin lines where the wires had been placed, stitches running up and down her arms, legs, back, and torso.
She pulled herself off the bed and blinked- half of the world was gone. She felt for her new eye and her fingers slipped into the small pit on the side of her face. All the parts were in, but she carefully wormed her fingers back between the machinery and found an empty slot where the operating chip was supposed to be. Renee’s nerves were suddenly fried. A few LGMs looked at her a little warily. “What’s wrong?” She asked them carefully.
“The Commander requested your presence as soon as we were finished.” One of the little aliens nodded. Oh God no, please not now. She thought, shivering a little. Her clothes were sitting, ready, on the table next to her with a glass of water. She lapped it up hurriedly, throat suddenly dry, and took the clothes to get dressed in the bathroom. Her hospital robe was drafty and uncomfortable, and she felt exposed on top of worried.
She walked down the hall, staring at the ground. She ached all over from the implants. Wishing she had some pain killers, she knocked sparingly on the Commander’s door. His desk was waiting outside to. It wagged its antenna happily when she came up but shrank away when she tried to pet it. “Oh, desky…” She tried to catch it, but it retreated.
“Come in.” The Commander’s gruff voice came from behind the door. She opened it carefully, terrified. “Sit down.” The man was behind a regular wooden desk. He held up the cover of her eye for Renee to see, turning it over his fingers.
“Yes sir.” She took the only unoccupied seat. Unfortunately for her it was right in front of Commander Nebula’s desk. Her father, XL, and all of team Lightyear had been assembled in the room. Everyone but Buzz and Alan wore confused expressions. Alan’s face was a mixture of sadness, fear, betrayal, and anger. Buzz’s was solid disapproval at her mere presence.
“Renee, tell me what this is.” Nebula pointed at the tiny letter on the rim of her eye cover.
“It’s a…” She struggled with the control for a second. The girl chose to focus on his moustache instead of his eyes to speak. “A letter.”
“What letter is that?” His voice was icy. XL looked at her nervously. XR had a mixture of smugness and surprise in his eyes, ready to be proven right about everything.
“An… N, sir.” She shook. ‘Don’t you dare’. The voice behind her regular conscience commanded in a low growl. It wasn’t really the energy vampire speaking, just his will she promised herself.
“And what does the N stand for?” He asked. He turned it in his hand again like some kind of large coin. The gold rim flashed in the light.
“I couldn’t say, sir.” She shrugged and looked at the floor. Everyone except XL understood what was happening now. Booster covered his eyes. Mira put a finger to her lip worriedly.
“Renee… what’s happening?” The photocopier spoke up. He rolled over to touch the girl on the shoulder and XR slapped his brother’s hand away.
“Don’t touch her.” The XR commanded.
“Why not?”
“XR’s right, son.” Commander Nebula stared at Renee. She looked at the floor. “What does the N stand for, Mrs. Gade?” He asked again.
Under Renee’s explicit calm a storm raged. She shook again, fighting a battle she couldn’t win. “I can’t tell you.”
“Spill it.” XR demanded. He shoved a purple finger in her face.
“I think she really can’t.” Commander Nebula pointed out the hurt in her eye. She held her head at the temples, trying to block out the orders. She was both unable and unwilling to tell the story.
“Will somebody tell me what’s going on?!” XL waved his hands in panic.
“I think I can.” The Commander stood up. He was holding her chip now, turning it in his hands the way he had the eye cover. “Renee Gade is under Nos-4-a2’s mind control. She was put under sometime in the last two years.”
The bot gasped a little and looked at her. Renee looked at him sadly. “But how does she know him?” XL looked at his ‘dad’ for wisdom. His hands were pressed together.
“I’ll let XR explain this one.” Nebula motioned at the ranger, who was beaming. The robot’s voice sank to an ominous story-telling style.
“Renee found him in a theatre she was supposed to fix up, broken and in serious need of repairs. He would have died soon without her. She repaired him and helped that monster make a plan to kill me and Ty. It was all totally willing, the plan even of her design. There were never any threats on her or her father’s lives.” XR stopped. “That’s not how he told it to me directly, but he said enough.”
XL looked at her again. “Say it aint so.”
“Oh, it’s so. She just can’t say it. He won’t let her.” XR spat. “She can’t because she met with him sometime after we left and he did this to her with that stupid monocle!” He waved at her blank, hurt face. She nodded absently, painfully.
“Renee, why?” Alan looked at her sadly.
“I... He didn’t do anything to me. I never saw him after that night.” She found the memory, but it wouldn’t let her tell. She didn’t want to anyway.
Commander looked at her with little sympathy. “The mind control is still having its effects, even without the operating chip in her eye. Look.” He slid the chip into a reader that was plugged into a TV. The operating codes began to run across the screen, but in a few seconds it went blurry with counter- codes. XR covered his eyes. Buzz slipped the chip out and sat it back on the table.
“If it’s still affecting her without the chip, how do we get rid of it?” Buzz wasn’t all too concerned with actually helping the girl, he just wanted to be rid of her because she had sold out his friend and partner for nothing at all to a villain. She would have to tell the real story, even if XR had it totally covered right here. The confession would be recorded and she’d be locked away for it. Even if she was the daughter of his oldest friend Buzz wouldn’t bat an eye.
“We’ll need to figure out how to unscramble the codes and see if they can be wiped out with an antivirus.” The Commander nodded. “The problem is no one ever bothered to check out that stupid robot’s construction when we had him in custody. But the LGMs should be able to break this code.”
“I told you he didn’t do anything to me.” Renee hissed.
“Yes, he did. Renee, you’ve got to fight this.” Alan went to put a paw on her shoulder, but she smacked it off with a feral hiss.
“Don’t touch me. Dark Master didn’t do anything to me.” She snapped. Her eye got wide and she slapped a paw over her mouth. There it was, haunting her again. Before anyone could react to the outburst she jumped up and grabbed the cover and operating chip off the table. She ran through the door, booking it. Buzz broke his stupor and followed her. Everyone else gave chase, slipping and stumbling down the hall. Mira got to her feet and nearly caught Renee by the back of her shirt but the girl smacked the woman with her tail. She Passed the chip and eye cover into her mouth and she dropped to all fours, doubling her speed. She may have been humanoid in build, but the Zephyrite native made her dash away the way they used to- animal to the last little bit.

Description
Renee drifted out of the anesthetic almost instantly when the LGMs removed the flow of medication. Medicine didn’t last long in a Zephyrite’s system without a constant feed, the body got rid of it as fast as possible through their saliva. She shook her head as the cloud of unconsciousness faded away. Sitting up, the girl twisted in pain for a second. She took a deep breath and glanced at her wrists, locating the silver bands in the small bald patches around her wrists. She kicked back the cover and saw the ones around her ankles. Carefully the girl felt around her neck and located the cold metal. Her fur had been shaved off in thin lines where the wires had been placed, stitches running up and down her arms, legs, back, and torso.
She pulled herself off the bed and blinked- half of the world was gone. She felt for her new eye and her fingers slipped into the small pit on the side of her face. All the parts were in, but she carefully wormed her fingers back between the machinery and found an empty slot where the operating chip was supposed to be. Renee’s nerves were suddenly fried. A few LGMs looked at her a little warily. “What’s wrong?” She asked them carefully.
“The Commander requested your presence as soon as we were finished.” One of the little aliens nodded. Oh God no, please not now. She thought, shivering a little. Her clothes were sitting, ready, on the table next to her with a glass of water. She lapped it up hurriedly, throat suddenly dry, and took the clothes to get dressed in the bathroom. Her hospital robe was drafty and uncomfortable, and she felt exposed on top of worried.
She walked down the hall, staring at the ground. She ached all over from the implants. Wishing she had some pain killers, she knocked sparingly on the Commander’s door. His desk was waiting outside to. It wagged its antenna happily when she came up but shrank away when she tried to pet it. “Oh, desky…” She tried to catch it, but it retreated.
“Come in.” The Commander’s gruff voice came from behind the door. She opened it carefully, terrified. “Sit down.” The man was behind a regular wooden desk. He held up the cover of her eye for Renee to see, turning it over his fingers.
“Yes sir.” She took the only unoccupied seat. Unfortunately for her it was right in front of Commander Nebula’s desk. Her father, XL, and all of team Lightyear had been assembled in the room. Everyone but Buzz and Alan wore confused expressions. Alan’s face was a mixture of sadness, fear, betrayal, and anger. Buzz’s was solid disapproval at her mere presence.
“Renee, tell me what this is.” Nebula pointed at the tiny letter on the rim of her eye cover.
“It’s a…” She struggled with the control for a second. The girl chose to focus on his moustache instead of his eyes to speak. “A letter.”
“What letter is that?” His voice was icy. XL looked at her nervously. XR had a mixture of smugness and surprise in his eyes, ready to be proven right about everything.
“An… N, sir.” She shook. ‘Don’t you dare’. The voice behind her regular conscience commanded in a low growl. It wasn’t really the energy vampire speaking, just his will she promised herself.
“And what does the N stand for?” He asked. He turned it in his hand again like some kind of large coin. The gold rim flashed in the light.
“I couldn’t say, sir.” She shrugged and looked at the floor. Everyone except XL understood what was happening now. Booster covered his eyes. Mira put a finger to her lip worriedly.
“Renee… what’s happening?” The photocopier spoke up. He rolled over to touch the girl on the shoulder and XR slapped his brother’s hand away.
“Don’t touch her.” The XR commanded.
“Why not?”
“XR’s right, son.” Commander Nebula stared at Renee. She looked at the floor. “What does the N stand for, Mrs. Gade?” He asked again.
Under Renee’s explicit calm a storm raged. She shook again, fighting a battle she couldn’t win. “I can’t tell you.”
“Spill it.” XR demanded. He shoved a purple finger in her face.
“I think she really can’t.” Commander Nebula pointed out the hurt in her eye. She held her head at the temples, trying to block out the orders. She was both unable and unwilling to tell the story.
“Will somebody tell me what’s going on?!” XL waved his hands in panic.
“I think I can.” The Commander stood up. He was holding her chip now, turning it in his hands the way he had the eye cover. “Renee Gade is under Nos-4-a2’s mind control. She was put under sometime in the last two years.”
The bot gasped a little and looked at her. Renee looked at him sadly. “But how does she know him?” XL looked at his ‘dad’ for wisdom. His hands were pressed together.
“I’ll let XR explain this one.” Nebula motioned at the ranger, who was beaming. The robot’s voice sank to an ominous story-telling style.
“Renee found him in a theatre she was supposed to fix up, broken and in serious need of repairs. He would have died soon without her. She repaired him and helped that monster make a plan to kill me and Ty. It was all totally willing, the plan even of her design. There were never any threats on her or her father’s lives.” XR stopped. “That’s not how he told it to me directly, but he said enough.”
XL looked at her again. “Say it aint so.”
“Oh, it’s so. She just can’t say it. He won’t let her.” XR spat. “She can’t because she met with him sometime after we left and he did this to her with that stupid monocle!” He waved at her blank, hurt face. She nodded absently, painfully.
“Renee, why?” Alan looked at her sadly.
“I... He didn’t do anything to me. I never saw him after that night.” She found the memory, but it wouldn’t let her tell. She didn’t want to anyway.
Commander looked at her with little sympathy. “The mind control is still having its effects, even without the operating chip in her eye. Look.” He slid the chip into a reader that was plugged into a TV. The operating codes began to run across the screen, but in a few seconds it went blurry with counter- codes. XR covered his eyes. Buzz slipped the chip out and sat it back on the table.
“If it’s still affecting her without the chip, how do we get rid of it?” Buzz wasn’t all too concerned with actually helping the girl, he just wanted to be rid of her because she had sold out his friend and partner for nothing at all to a villain. She would have to tell the real story, even if XR had it totally covered right here. The confession would be recorded and she’d be locked away for it. Even if she was the daughter of his oldest friend Buzz wouldn’t bat an eye.
“We’ll need to figure out how to unscramble the codes and see if they can be wiped out with an antivirus.” The Commander nodded. “The problem is no one ever bothered to check out that stupid robot’s construction when we had him in custody. But the LGMs should be able to break this code.”
“I told you he didn’t do anything to me.” Renee hissed.
“Yes, he did. Renee, you’ve got to fight this.” Alan went to put a paw on her shoulder, but she smacked it off with a feral hiss.
“Don’t touch me. Dark Master didn’t do anything to me.” She snapped. Her eye got wide and she slapped a paw over her mouth. There it was, haunting her again. Before anyone could react to the outburst she jumped up and grabbed the cover and operating chip off the table. She ran through the door, booking it. Buzz broke his stupor and followed her. Everyone else gave chase, slipping and stumbling down the hall. Mira got to her feet and nearly caught Renee by the back of her shirt but the girl smacked the woman with her tail. She Passed the chip and eye cover into her mouth and she dropped to all fours, doubling her speed. She may have been humanoid in build, but the Zephyrite native made her dash away the way they used to- animal to the last little bit.