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Two weeks later everyone had pretty much gone back to their normal lives, in exception of Renee and Agatha. The girl that always despised Renee certainly wasn't any closer to liking the alien. In fact she hated the outerworlders even more now, thanks to wirewolf. She could never walk on the foot he had bitten again because he had simultaneously broken the growth plate and Achilles tendon.
Renee was still recovering from the wounds that had nearly taken her life. The joke was that at least she looked better. Truthfully she'd never look the same again. Her left eye was being replaced by a bionic one that was due to be in today. All the machinery was in- all she needed was the cover. Alan came running into the hospital room and nearly tripped over his own feet.
"Oh, It's here! It's here it's here it's here!" He jumped up and down. Careful not to break the glass, he opened the box and frowned. "Red? What the…" He hissed in frustration. "Sorry Renee, but there goes five days of waiting down the drain. It came in red instead of green." He held out the custom made slab of glass with a golden frame. As much as the color would contrast with her green eye, Renee smiled.
"It's fine dad." She said with a reminiscent grin.
"But-" He pouted.
"I mean sure, why not? I've always liked the color red." She laid back and shut her eye. Alan sighed but gently pushed it into place, snapping everything that needed to be put together just so.
"Okay, look." She blinked, focusing on her father's friendly face. After a few clicks of the ocular lenses adjusting, the world went from fuzzy to clear. There was a reddish glow around that side of the world, but it came in pretty much normal.
"Oh, it's great! Dad, can I go outside?" She gasped excitedly.
He looked a little nervous. His daughter had been commanded to tell him the entire story, every detail. Lucky her Renee wasn't dumb enough to tell the truth and had spun out something similar, though depicting herself as the hopelessly charmed damsel under threat from a villainous energy vampire. After a second he smiled tenderly. "Go right ahead, Kitten." She lept out of bed and tore off the hospital gown, having worn regular clothes under it for the last couple of days. She ran outside ecstatically and did a lap around the building. With a jump she landed on the walk again.
"Renee? Renee Gade?" Someone was walking towards her from a star cruiser.
"Mr. Lightyear?" She asked as sweetly as possible. Buzz and XR stood in a sort of disapproving presence over her. They were alone.
"So, you're out of the hospital." Buzz bit his lip. "We are placing you under official Star Command arrest for questioning about the events at the play two weeks ago, since we could not locate the energy vampire for arrest, you'll be telling us the whole story." His arms were crossed, spinning a pair of handcuffs on his finger.
"I TOLD you! I told you she planned everything, we don't even need to question her!" XR pointed a terrifyingly accusing finger at her.
` "For your information, I had no part in the damage done. But I'm willing to come in and tell you what happened with Kindle." She lied. "But could I go home for a little while, please?" Her face drooped, like she missed home too much to bear.
The ranger cocked an eyebrow. Either she was acting or was telling the truth. How to decide? But it couldn't possibly hurt to have the teen here for one more day, could it? "But… but… he told me!" XR argued.
"I was attacked." Renee pointed out again. "See the eye?"
"XR, don't get so worked up. Did you even have your recorder on?" Buzz broke in, seeing that the little bot was ready to plant a fist in the Zephyrite's slightly smug face.
"Ah...no." The bot frowned, hitting his head on the helmet's inside. "But he did!"
"I'm going to say one thing in the villain's defense." The girl leaned up against a brick wall. "He saved me."
"What?" Buzz gave her an odd look, like she was delusional.
"He caught me when I fell off the roof."
"I doubt that…" Buzz rubbed his head. It was possible, if you didn't look at the million-to-one odds.
"Listen, ranger, the full thing will wait until I'm in the interrogation room, but I repaired him on accident. Out of curiosity of what the poor- looking thing did, you know, something to tinker with. After that it was all threats on me and my family's lives." She lied again. They would be fed the same story that she had given her father, word-for-word. "Maybe he was happy with my service."
"Really?" Buzz looked her over suspiciously. Maybe that last sentence shouldn't have been put in there. She glowered at him, as if to say 'dare you disagree with me?' "Okay, okay, that's all we need for now." He backed up. "But keep in mind; we'll be back tomorrow for the official questioning."
"Good with me." She saluted with false respect. "See you rangers tomorrow." They nodded, XR still protesting, and left.
"Hey!" Someone whispered around the corner when they took off. "You're okay, right?" She moved around the back off the building and looked up at Nos. So he had stuck around. He was perched on a garbage can. Smirking, he licked his lips at the sight of her bionic eye.
"Maybe." She giggled and pushed the can over playfully with her foot.
"I see the resemblance?" He caught himself before falling to the ground.
"Oh, no!" She put a hand on the eye, laughing. "Factory mistake."
"It looks nice anyway." He looked down a little miserably.
"Don't worry, though, you're still the most awesome bad-guy-vampire-robot I've ever met."
"And how many do you know?" He poked her on top of the head with a chuckle.
"Never mind. You're kick-butt and I'm not afraid to tell it." She crossed her arms, lip quivering a little. "You saved my life and managed to get pretty close to taking out XR. Even if most of it went horribly wrong." She touched the eye gently.
"I'm going to do a little something for you before I go." He held out a hand and motioned for her to take off the cover of her eye.
She took it off willingly enough and passed the piece of glass to him. "What?"
He didn't answer, too busy scratching at the edge. After maybe a minute or so of digging his claws carefully into the side, he handed it back. "Make you mine."
She looked at the cover and found a tiny and carefully carved N in the metal siding. She put it back on, smiling and blushing a little under her fur. "Okay, you happy?"
"Not finished yet." He wrapped his cape around himself more tightly.
"Wha-"
"Sit still." His monocle glowed, and Renee struggled mentally for a second and then gave in. The part of her brain that had been fixed to react naturally with the bionic eye was getting some weird readings that she couldn't fight against. Totally mesmerized, she stared up at him. "I am your dark master." He stared deeper into her robotic eye, pulling the same thing he had with XR and Ty. "Nos-4-a2 calls to you, Little One. You are mine." He smiled, pleased enough, and stopped the feed to her eye. She shook her head and snapped out of the trance, eye going from molten- metal red back to the normal calm shade of vermillion.
"What was that for?!" She rubbed her eyes. Something felt different inside, but only a little. She would be okay.
"So you don't ever forget me. More importantly to remind you not to tell anyone the truth."
"Didn't plan to…master." She palmed herself in the head. "That's going to be annoying. Don't expect me to call you that all the time."
"I don't. If you can help yourself."
"I think I can. Remember, most of me is still organic." Her right eye watered a little again. "Well, you better go."
"Yes, don't want to risk being caught out here. I would tell you to stay out of trouble, but being who I am, I'll say don't get caught." He laughed gently.
"Right." She smiled again and nodded. "And thanks for saving me."
"I owed you, like you said. No more favors." He crossed his arms and pretended to be resentful.
"A life for a life." She muttered. "Now, go out into the universe, kill bots, don't get yourself killed." She put her hand on his shoulder. "Nos-4-a2, go do your evil thing. I may not be physically capable of forgetting you, but you better not forget me either."
"Don't worry, I won't." He smirked at her remark. "And to the other thing- I will. It's just my nature. Alright," He looked over at the evening sun that was beginning to set. "I'm wasting valuable time. Final here-" He patted her on the shoulder. "Goodbye."
"'Bye." She waved absently. He spread his wings and sailed off into the woods. Renee stared after him until there was only a silhouette against the sky when he broke through the trees.
****
Epilogue
Renee did exactly as she had promised the rangers and came in for questioning. Also, as she had promised the energy vampire, she told them exactly what she had told her father- that she had repaired him secretly out of curiosity and was forced against her will to finish him and help with the theatre plot. They never got enough information to prove her story fake despite what XR said and was set free. A file was, however, made with Renee Gade's name and record on it.
Mrs. Andromeda learned of her son's brain tumor during the cleanup of his remains and went into hysterics. She blamed everything on Renee for killing him. It was ruled as self-defense instead of manslaughter or murder, infuriating the woman further. Mrs. Andromeda harassed Renee about it constantly after that.
The problems were solved for the most part when the war between Zephyr and Cryos ended about a year later. Alan and his daughter were reunited with Ginger, Renee's mother, when they moved back to Zephyr. All were happy to be with the rest of their family again, but Ginger practically broke down and cried when she learned about Renee's 'disability'. The girl assured her mom that there was nothing to worry about and that she was okay.
All finally got settled in enough for Alan to resume work for Star Command. He was reinstated as a researcher, just like before, because he didn't have a sense of smell. Because of his work and training Renee had to spend her summer on Star Command. At first she felt rather unwanted but apologized time and time again to Ty and finally made amends. She befriended and developed a small crush on XL. The girl also developed a healthy relationship with XR; I'll-put-up-with-you-if-you-put-up-with-me. (Though she did have a lasting tendency to call him 'Snack Chips'.)
Renee's next adventure took place at age seventeen, on Star Command. She had moved back to Zephyr and was with her father for his summer training. But I'm not going to tell you about all that coolness now. Why not save it for another tale of deception, woe, and Star Command? Please look forward to the sequel- 'Under His Control'.
The end

Description
Two weeks later everyone had pretty much gone back to their normal lives, in exception of Renee and Agatha. The girl that always despised Renee certainly wasn't any closer to liking the alien. In fact she hated the outerworlders even more now, thanks to wirewolf. She could never walk on the foot he had bitten again because he had simultaneously broken the growth plate and Achilles tendon.
Renee was still recovering from the wounds that had nearly taken her life. The joke was that at least she looked better. Truthfully she'd never look the same again. Her left eye was being replaced by a bionic one that was due to be in today. All the machinery was in- all she needed was the cover. Alan came running into the hospital room and nearly tripped over his own feet.
"Oh, It's here! It's here it's here it's here!" He jumped up and down. Careful not to break the glass, he opened the box and frowned. "Red? What the…" He hissed in frustration. "Sorry Renee, but there goes five days of waiting down the drain. It came in red instead of green." He held out the custom made slab of glass with a golden frame. As much as the color would contrast with her green eye, Renee smiled.
"It's fine dad." She said with a reminiscent grin.
"But-" He pouted.
"I mean sure, why not? I've always liked the color red." She laid back and shut her eye. Alan sighed but gently pushed it into place, snapping everything that needed to be put together just so.
"Okay, look." She blinked, focusing on her father's friendly face. After a few clicks of the ocular lenses adjusting, the world went from fuzzy to clear. There was a reddish glow around that side of the world, but it came in pretty much normal.
"Oh, it's great! Dad, can I go outside?" She gasped excitedly.
He looked a little nervous. His daughter had been commanded to tell him the entire story, every detail. Lucky her Renee wasn't dumb enough to tell the truth and had spun out something similar, though depicting herself as the hopelessly charmed damsel under threat from a villainous energy vampire. After a second he smiled tenderly. "Go right ahead, Kitten." She lept out of bed and tore off the hospital gown, having worn regular clothes under it for the last couple of days. She ran outside ecstatically and did a lap around the building. With a jump she landed on the walk again.
"Renee? Renee Gade?" Someone was walking towards her from a star cruiser.
"Mr. Lightyear?" She asked as sweetly as possible. Buzz and XR stood in a sort of disapproving presence over her. They were alone.
"So, you're out of the hospital." Buzz bit his lip. "We are placing you under official Star Command arrest for questioning about the events at the play two weeks ago, since we could not locate the energy vampire for arrest, you'll be telling us the whole story." His arms were crossed, spinning a pair of handcuffs on his finger.
"I TOLD you! I told you she planned everything, we don't even need to question her!" XR pointed a terrifyingly accusing finger at her.
` "For your information, I had no part in the damage done. But I'm willing to come in and tell you what happened with Kindle." She lied. "But could I go home for a little while, please?" Her face drooped, like she missed home too much to bear.
The ranger cocked an eyebrow. Either she was acting or was telling the truth. How to decide? But it couldn't possibly hurt to have the teen here for one more day, could it? "But… but… he told me!" XR argued.
"I was attacked." Renee pointed out again. "See the eye?"
"XR, don't get so worked up. Did you even have your recorder on?" Buzz broke in, seeing that the little bot was ready to plant a fist in the Zephyrite's slightly smug face.
"Ah...no." The bot frowned, hitting his head on the helmet's inside. "But he did!"
"I'm going to say one thing in the villain's defense." The girl leaned up against a brick wall. "He saved me."
"What?" Buzz gave her an odd look, like she was delusional.
"He caught me when I fell off the roof."
"I doubt that…" Buzz rubbed his head. It was possible, if you didn't look at the million-to-one odds.
"Listen, ranger, the full thing will wait until I'm in the interrogation room, but I repaired him on accident. Out of curiosity of what the poor- looking thing did, you know, something to tinker with. After that it was all threats on me and my family's lives." She lied again. They would be fed the same story that she had given her father, word-for-word. "Maybe he was happy with my service."
"Really?" Buzz looked her over suspiciously. Maybe that last sentence shouldn't have been put in there. She glowered at him, as if to say 'dare you disagree with me?' "Okay, okay, that's all we need for now." He backed up. "But keep in mind; we'll be back tomorrow for the official questioning."
"Good with me." She saluted with false respect. "See you rangers tomorrow." They nodded, XR still protesting, and left.
"Hey!" Someone whispered around the corner when they took off. "You're okay, right?" She moved around the back off the building and looked up at Nos. So he had stuck around. He was perched on a garbage can. Smirking, he licked his lips at the sight of her bionic eye.
"Maybe." She giggled and pushed the can over playfully with her foot.
"I see the resemblance?" He caught himself before falling to the ground.
"Oh, no!" She put a hand on the eye, laughing. "Factory mistake."
"It looks nice anyway." He looked down a little miserably.
"Don't worry, though, you're still the most awesome bad-guy-vampire-robot I've ever met."
"And how many do you know?" He poked her on top of the head with a chuckle.
"Never mind. You're kick-butt and I'm not afraid to tell it." She crossed her arms, lip quivering a little. "You saved my life and managed to get pretty close to taking out XR. Even if most of it went horribly wrong." She touched the eye gently.
"I'm going to do a little something for you before I go." He held out a hand and motioned for her to take off the cover of her eye.
She took it off willingly enough and passed the piece of glass to him. "What?"
He didn't answer, too busy scratching at the edge. After maybe a minute or so of digging his claws carefully into the side, he handed it back. "Make you mine."
She looked at the cover and found a tiny and carefully carved N in the metal siding. She put it back on, smiling and blushing a little under her fur. "Okay, you happy?"
"Not finished yet." He wrapped his cape around himself more tightly.
"Wha-"
"Sit still." His monocle glowed, and Renee struggled mentally for a second and then gave in. The part of her brain that had been fixed to react naturally with the bionic eye was getting some weird readings that she couldn't fight against. Totally mesmerized, she stared up at him. "I am your dark master." He stared deeper into her robotic eye, pulling the same thing he had with XR and Ty. "Nos-4-a2 calls to you, Little One. You are mine." He smiled, pleased enough, and stopped the feed to her eye. She shook her head and snapped out of the trance, eye going from molten- metal red back to the normal calm shade of vermillion.
"What was that for?!" She rubbed her eyes. Something felt different inside, but only a little. She would be okay.
"So you don't ever forget me. More importantly to remind you not to tell anyone the truth."
"Didn't plan to…master." She palmed herself in the head. "That's going to be annoying. Don't expect me to call you that all the time."
"I don't. If you can help yourself."
"I think I can. Remember, most of me is still organic." Her right eye watered a little again. "Well, you better go."
"Yes, don't want to risk being caught out here. I would tell you to stay out of trouble, but being who I am, I'll say don't get caught." He laughed gently.
"Right." She smiled again and nodded. "And thanks for saving me."
"I owed you, like you said. No more favors." He crossed his arms and pretended to be resentful.
"A life for a life." She muttered. "Now, go out into the universe, kill bots, don't get yourself killed." She put her hand on his shoulder. "Nos-4-a2, go do your evil thing. I may not be physically capable of forgetting you, but you better not forget me either."
"Don't worry, I won't." He smirked at her remark. "And to the other thing- I will. It's just my nature. Alright," He looked over at the evening sun that was beginning to set. "I'm wasting valuable time. Final here-" He patted her on the shoulder. "Goodbye."
"'Bye." She waved absently. He spread his wings and sailed off into the woods. Renee stared after him until there was only a silhouette against the sky when he broke through the trees.
****
Epilogue
Renee did exactly as she had promised the rangers and came in for questioning. Also, as she had promised the energy vampire, she told them exactly what she had told her father- that she had repaired him secretly out of curiosity and was forced against her will to finish him and help with the theatre plot. They never got enough information to prove her story fake despite what XR said and was set free. A file was, however, made with Renee Gade's name and record on it.
Mrs. Andromeda learned of her son's brain tumor during the cleanup of his remains and went into hysterics. She blamed everything on Renee for killing him. It was ruled as self-defense instead of manslaughter or murder, infuriating the woman further. Mrs. Andromeda harassed Renee about it constantly after that.
The problems were solved for the most part when the war between Zephyr and Cryos ended about a year later. Alan and his daughter were reunited with Ginger, Renee's mother, when they moved back to Zephyr. All were happy to be with the rest of their family again, but Ginger practically broke down and cried when she learned about Renee's 'disability'. The girl assured her mom that there was nothing to worry about and that she was okay.
All finally got settled in enough for Alan to resume work for Star Command. He was reinstated as a researcher, just like before, because he didn't have a sense of smell. Because of his work and training Renee had to spend her summer on Star Command. At first she felt rather unwanted but apologized time and time again to Ty and finally made amends. She befriended and developed a small crush on XL. The girl also developed a healthy relationship with XR; I'll-put-up-with-you-if-you-put-up-with-me. (Though she did have a lasting tendency to call him 'Snack Chips'.)
Renee's next adventure took place at age seventeen, on Star Command. She had moved back to Zephyr and was with her father for his summer training. But I'm not going to tell you about all that coolness now. Why not save it for another tale of deception, woe, and Star Command? Please look forward to the sequel- 'Under His Control'.
The end