Well, I know I've left you waiting for a bit with this story, but I have the next chapter ready. Let's see if our Space Rangers can rescue XR and stop Nos-4-A2. They're sure going to try their best.

The room looked exactly like a combination of a mad scientist lab and a torture chamber. With her vast experience as a Space Ranger, Mira was familiar with both. Zurg alone provided numerous examples over countless missions. This wasn't even the most impressive one she'd ever seen. It was too small and mostly empty to truly be considered intimidating. That didn't change the fact that Mira could feel the frightened and oppressive atmosphere in the tiny space.

She could see the computer screen on the far wall, a work table covered in tools and a box of random objects, and very little light. The main point of focus in the underground room was the inclined table in the center and the robotic parts scattered across the floor, torn out and tossed aside. She and Buzz moved around to the far side. That's when she saw her teammate, still bound in place exactly like the transmission.

XR seemed to be completely offline, dark and silent. His front compartment lay exposed and revealed how thoroughly the energy vampire eviscerated him. Wires, cables, and small components had been gutted out of the robot while everything still in place now bore gashes and claw marks. Mira silently thanked whoever built the secret room for making the doorway too small for Booster. She could barely stand the heart-breaking and horrifying sight of their teammate dangling there like scrap parts; it would shatter the kind and gentle Jo-Adian to see his best friend in this condition.

"See if you can repair enough to get him back online as quickly as possible," said Buzz, the tension in his voice impossible to hide. "I'll try to find something to free him from those cuffs and the bolts. We're working against the clock."

He was right. Mira remembered Nos-4-A2's first video message when he started talking about the artificial intelligence chip. "The information will begin to corrupt and become erased if he goes without power for too long and he doesn't undergo a proper shutdown sequence." There was a limit to how long XR could last without power to his systems and even if they tried adding energy to the robot, there wasn't enough of him left intact to work at the moment. XR needed his main systems repaired and power restored before his memory and programming failed. Unfortunately, Mira didn't know how long they had and didn't exactly have the materials to work with. But if she couldn't do it or couldn't do it fast enough, they would lose him.

No pressure then.

Considering how often XR was blown up on missions, the entire team gained some experience when it came to repairing robotics. It only made sense for them to pick up a few things over time just like it made sense for part of Space Ranger training to include some basic first aid skills for the more common species in the Galactic Alliance.

Booster tended to be the one doing on-site repairs, somehow managing even more precise work with his larger hands. But they all learned the basics on how to fix the most common damage to him such as lost limbs and such. Mira knew how to handle smaller problems.

But this… This level of damage was something best left to the LGMs. But they didn't have time to get him back to Star Command. XR needed expert help, but she would have to simply try her best.

Grabbing the most intact pieces from the floor, Mira reached inside and started reconnecting the motor as quickly as possible.

When he imagined commanding his own team, Ty didn't exactly picture a mix-and-match robot with a criminal record and a little girl with a vicious streak. The pair didn't exactly represent Star Command's finest. But so far, Ty actually approved of them. They didn't spend all their time praising Lightyear to a level he couldn't tolerate, they were competent, and Savy used almost as much sarcasm as he did.

At the moment, Ty guarded the front door of the store while the girl poked around behind the counter. Hopefully she would be smart enough to avoid stealing the Fixer's Uni-bucks in front of witnesses. Ty would hate to arrest her. XL, meanwhile, seemed rather focused on keeping the Fixer pinned against the wall. The robot was taking the "helping the evil energy vampire" thing quite personally and Ty didn't blame him.

"Uh, how long to you plan to keep me here? It isn't exactly comfortable," said the Fixer.

"I don't know. How long do you think it'll take to rescue my little brother and blast Nos-4-A2 into a million smoldering pieces?" XL asked with a slightly maniacal grin. "Of course, if you prefer that I crush you into a greasy smear for helping that monster instead, we can try that."

"Just sit tight a little longer," said Ty, fulfilling his role as the nicer and more reasonable member of the group. "No one plans to hurt you."

"Unless they don't save XR," XL said.

"Or you try to escape and warn the energy vampire," added Savy, a few heavy thumps coming from behind the counter as she messed with something. "Then we'd definitely have to hurt you."

The Fixer gave Ty a look as if begging him to talk some sense into the pair. Ty didn't say a word. The unpleasant fellow should have tried asking someone without a personal history with Nos-4-A2 ruining their life.

Besides, no matter what they were saying, he didn't think XL or Savy would cause any trouble. They didn't have the discipline that most Space Rangers would and they certainly hated the guy for his involvement in this mess. But most of their hate was reserved for the energy vampire and he somehow knew they would listen to him if told them to pull back a little. They would scare and threaten the Fixer for his involvement, but he wasn't their main concern. So Ty left them alone. Maybe this would teach the Fixer to be more careful he did business with in the future.

A sound from the back of the store made everyone freeze. The back door. Of course there was a back door. Ty bit back a curse as he moved behind a shelf for cover. There was no way this would be resolved without a fight.

"Fixer, I require your assistance," shouted Nos-4-A2 as he flew in. "I need a ship headed—"

He broke off, wings halting in mid-flap as the energy vampire caught sight of the group he'd landed in the middle of. For a brief moment, everyone stared in silence. Then a predatory and frustrated expression overtook his face and his eyes glowed brighter.

"The mangy mutt, the street urchin, and the tasty treat with father issues," Nos-4-A2 practically purred. "And here I was expecting Lightyear and his remaining lackeys."

"He's busy with something more important," said Ty, aiming his wrist laser at the robot while trying to keep a lid on his hatred. "Nos-4-A2, there are numerous warrants out for your arrest and that includes being responsible for the kidnapping of a Space Ranger. By the authority of Star Command and the Galactic Alliance, you're under arrest. And if you choose to resist, we'll have to use force. Happily."

Dropping his grip on the Fixer and letting him scramble away, XL directed his own weapons at the energy vampire. But while there was clearly rage and hatred on his face, the larger robot looked frightened of Nos-4-A2. Even with his greater size and array of built-in weaponry, XL couldn't completely hide his fear. But he kept his weapons raised and seemed to focus on how much he hated the energy vampire. Ty could relate to that.

Where did Savy vanish? Did she duck completely below the counter?

"I'd rather not, my pet," Nos-4-A2 said before dropping low enough for the shelves of the room to block Ty's shot. Then he turned his glowing gaze towards XL. "But I am in need of a new toy since I seemed to have broken my last one. A bite would be best, but I can't get closer without too many annoyances. Now, my Little One was always resistant to my influence. Let's see if you know your Master's voice. Listen and obey your Master's commands. Fight for your Master. Fight my enemies."

Something in his coaxing and smooth voice had changed, sending a shiver up Ty's spine. He'd heard that tone and saw those red glowing eyes before. And it seemed to have an effect on XL, the bulkier robot wobbling slightly on his feet and shaking his head as if to clear it. Ty took it as a sign to move slightly to the left in an effort to get a clear shot at Nos-4-A2.

"Your Master calls to you. Heed my word. Attack the Space Ranger. Obey your Master."

"Knock it off," shouted Savy, jumping over the counter and opening fire.

Shrieking, Nos-4-A2 dove out of the way of the blast while XL managed to snap out of the hypnotic-like state. The larger robot shook his head, grimaced, and then shot a splash of acid that barely missed the energy vampire. Savy kept chasing after the monster with a blaster that was nearly as large as the girl and almost certainly illegal. And the instant he had an opening, Ty fired and managed to clip Nos-4-A2's cape.

"That brat stole my emergency weapon!" shouted the Fixer, cringing from the spot he chose for cover. "Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

"I'll check to see if you actually have a permit for that weapon later," Ty snapped sharply. "Right now we're kind of busy with an energy vampire."

The fight was turning out to be rather destructive. Weapon fire and acid left their marks all over the establishment. Nos-4-A2 flew and twisted around them, dodging blasts and ducking behind shelves as he tried to get close enough to a target to harm them without being hurt in the process. Hopefully the Fixer invested in some insurance because while Star Command would cover some of the costs of repairs, Savy wasn't exactly a member.

Switching to a more traditional weapon on his other hand, XL shouted, "Hold still so I can blast you into scrap metal. No one hurts my little brother except me. And I don't do that anymore."

"You should have stayed dead," added Savy, firing rapidly and destroying a lot of shelves of merchandise in the process.

Nos-4-A2 dodged and whirled around the room, expertly dodging every shot fired. None of them let the energy vampire get close to them. There was a limit to what he could do at a distance. And as long as they kept Nos-4-A2 from trying to hypnotize XL again, they could handle him. Eventually one of them would manage a lucky shot and knock the energy vampire out of the fight.

Hissing, the energy vampire landed briefly on the counter that Savy had long since abandoned. Currently at a bad angle for any of them to land a shot, Nos-4-A2 took the opportunity to stay still a moment, eyes flaring briefly as he bared his fangs at them.

"Why are you here and not Lightyear?" asked Nos-4-A2. Tilting his head, a look of comprehension appeared and he launched himself back into the air. "They went after the Little One. They're still trying to save him. Well, that's simply not going to happen."

With an animalistic shriek, the energy vampire dove towards Ty. The Space Ranger rolled across the floor to dodge before firing after him. Nos-4-A2 kept going, crashing right out the window.

All three of them stampeded towards the front door. But even as he moved as quickly as possible, Ty knew he would be gone by the time they made it out. He stopped right in front of the broken window, the traffic moving past obliviously. There were so many people and robots moving in all directions on the street and through the air alike. The energy vampire had vanished into the crowds of Tradeworld without a trace.

Savy spat out some language that shouldn't be coming out of a little girl. Of course, this was the same girl who stole and fired illegal weapons with expert skill. She would either be an excellent Space Ranger when she grew up or an unstoppable criminal. But for now, she was in the same state as the rest of them: frustrated and with no way to stop the monster now.

"What are we going to do? We can't let him get away with what he's done," said XL. "We can't…"

"We warn Lightyear," Ty said. "And we get out of here before the Fixer complains about the mess. Or one of us shoots the guy."

"Craters! Why don't any of these tools unscrew these bolts?" asked Buzz as he tossed aside another failure into the box they'd moved to the floor at one point. "And what did he do to these cuffs?"

Mira didn't answer, her hands moving as fast as possible. Twisting wires together and bending pieces of warped metal back to something close to normal, she tried to get XR's basic systems connected again. This was so frustrating and stressful. She was working against the clock and she didn't even know how much time was available in the first place. She knew she could already be too late. But she couldn't think about it and she couldn't pause.

"Buzz, get the charger unit," she said distractedly. "Let's hope this works."

As she finished the most immediate repairs to the best of her abilities, Buzz pulled the charge unit closer to the silent figure. Mira yanked her hands out of the way. It wouldn't do them any good if she ended up electrocuted.

"Stay clear," warned Buzz just in case.

Then he activated the charger until.

Pain struck hard, energy ripping through his battered and shredded systems. It yanked him back to awareness even before his memory could reassert itself. Fear returned before the memory of why. Most of his systems sent back error messages or nothing at all. Then, jumbled together, his memory of who he was and where he was re-established itself.

No. Panic replaced the previous pain of the forcible recharge. No, not again. He could barely see or hear anything with almost all his systems damaged or offlined, but he knew he must be there. Nos-4-A2.

He'd hoped the energy vampire would let him die when everything broke down, that Nos-4-A2 wouldn't bother repairing him. It was the only hope he'd had left. But not even that was enough to escape the nightmare. And he couldn't take anymore. He'd used up his mental and emotional strength. He had nothing left to hold on with.

It didn't matter that he knew he was still bound in place and he couldn't escape anymore than he could the first day. It didn't matter that his coordination and restrained movements were almost as bad as his senses at the moment, too many systems barely operational. And it didn't matter that his motor instantly raced in a rough, ragged, and agonizing fashion. Terror and panic overrode all logic.

Mostly blind and deaf, XR struggled desperately. He couldn't take it. He couldn't do it. Not another draining. Please, no. Why couldn't he just let him go? How long did Nos-4-A2 plan to make him suffer?

Something touched his shoulders, trying to hold him still while muffled sounds barely made it into his processor. Nos-4-A2. The energy vampire's hands were on him again. The fangs would soon follow. The desperate and painful jolting of his racing motor drastically increased. His useless struggles only grew worse.

Mira didn't know what she expected or hoped would happen, but it wasn't this. When they zapped their teammate and pulled away the charger unit, the robot jerked momentarily before growing still. She'd held her breath until she saw XR's eyes light up. But they were dim. So dim that she might have missed it in a brighter room. And she heard his motor rattling and churning roughly when she normally didn't hear anything.

Then, as if someone flipped a switch, XR freaked out. Even with his limbs still bound and with bolts through them, he abruptly started fighting against them. His head jerked, his body thrashed, and the most heart-breaking whimpering sound of panic came out of him. He seemed completely terrified.

"XR, calm down," said Mira.

"You're safe now. We're here to rescue you, Ranger," Buzz added, placing his hands on the robot's shoulders. "Just hold still so we can get you loose."

XR only reacted worse, fighting against the restrains and the contact. The rough and ragged sounds of his motor only grew faster, louder, and more uneven. And then another sound joined in. It took Mira a moment to even recognize it.

"No… n-no more… n-n-no…"

It was XR's voice, but stammering, fragile, and filled with static. Whatever courage that sustained him when he risked everything to provide a clue had reached its limit. He was scared to death and didn't even acknowledge to their reassurances.

Realization struck Mira hard. He couldn't hear them. Or, judging by how dim his eyes looked, see them. His systems were barely working at all, so it shouldn't surprise her that a few important things were still offline.

"Buzz, I-I don't think he can hear us," she said. "And if he can't hear or see us properly, how would he know it's us with him?"

Letting go of the frantic robot, he muttered, "He's been trapped here with the energy vampire the whole time. He probably thinks we're Nos-4-A2 right now." He took a step back from the inclined table in case it would make things better. "Craters. How are we going to let him know it's us without scaring him worse?"

XR's struggles had eased slightly when Buzz let go, the perceived threat moving away. But he still fought against the bindings and Mira worried he would destroy her makeshift repairs with his desperate movements. They needed to figure out a way to calm him down and let him know he was safe. Preferably before he hurt himself.

Well, being trapped while he couldn't see or hear his surroundings was probably making his panic worse. She knew she would be afraid if she ended up blind, deaf, and unable to move at all. The sheer helplessness would be unbearable. Maybe Mira could at least solve one of those problems. If they couldn't unlock the cuffs or remove the bolts holding his limbs in place, they would simply have to bypass the problem.

Knowing it would undoubtedly make him panic worse at least temporarily, Mira wrapped both arms around the struggling robot. And as her teammate flinched and whimpered at the contact, she called on her heritage and turned the two of them intangible. Supporting his weight, Mira pulled him right through the bindings and bolts. His arms dropped back to his sides instantly when they started ghosting, no longer held in place while stretched out from his body. As quickly and gently as she could, Mira hurried to set him on the floor and pulled away.

Then she realized something about the robot now curled on the ground. XR had stopped moving and the ragged grinding of his struggling motor had slowed.

Nos-4-A2 had let go for a moment. XR's struggles faded slightly, pain and exhaustion too much for him to maintain that amount of fight. But he didn't completely stop. He knew the monster was still there. He tried to work past the error messages, the offlined systems, and the damage. He tried to get some of his sensors back. He tried to get even a slight glimpse of what was happening, to at least see the next attack coming.

Not know when it would happen was worse than seeing the monster.

But even as he struggled to strengthen the weak and fragmented signals he was receiving for sight and sound, XR physically struggled as much as he still could. It hurt. Everything hurt. Every circuit, every system, and especially his failing motor hurt. But fear and pain overwhelmed his scrambled processor. It hurt to move and fight uselessly within the limits of his bindings, but he couldn't help it.

Something touched him again, making XR flinch. It wrapped around his body, trapping him further and making it hard to struggle. Nos-4-A2. Please, no more. He was about to drain his power again. That had to be it.

Then XR froze in shock. He felt something, a stimuli that always messed with his systems a little and made his sensors react strangely. The LGMs were good, but the technology to properly process the sensation of intangibility didn't exist yet. But even with the mess that his systems were at the moment, he recognized the weird feedback of moving through something that should be solid or when he was no longer solid instead. His arms dropped back to his sides for the first time since Nos-4-A2 captured him. There was only one explanation for why he was being affected by Tangean ghosting powers.

As he was set down on the ground, the bonds that previously held him now gone, XR whispered, "Mira?" The hope that he'd thought was completely extinguished resurfaced and he repeated with slightly more confident, "Mira."

Finally managing a workaround for some of his damaged or completely offlined systems, he rerouted enough power to improve the feedback from his sensors. His hearing improved a little and his vision strengthened enough he could make out a few blurry shapes and colors. White and green of a Space Ranger's uniform, blue and a warm shade of red for Mira. Standing a little further back was another blurry shape of white and green, but only a little larger than the one in front of him. Buzz.

His friends. Not Nos-4-A2. His friends. Relief joined the pain and exhaustion. For the first time in days, XR knew he was safe.

Mira smiled in relief when she heard her name. The voice was weak, filled with static, and quiet, but he said her name. XR recognized her. He was calming down.

His eyes brightened slightly, though certainly not enough to be considered normal. But her teammate finally looked towards her and Buzz directly. Even with the rather makeshift repairs and the countless holes drilled into him, his expression practically shouted his relief.

"Knew you'd c-c-come," he said in a stammering, static-filled, tired voice. "Di-didn't know if I'd st-st-still be here."

"Of course we would come," said Buzz, clearly ignoring the implications that even XR thought they'd be too late. "We're Space Rangers and you're part of our team. And we never leave a man behind."

XR gave a short rueful chuckle that sounded more like a burst of static before saying, "I really m-miss normal m-m-missions where I just b-blow up."

That startled a small laugh out of Mira. Nothing about this situation was funny. But she couldn't contain her relief at finding their teammate alive and apparently still himself.

"Well, give us a little time to stabilize some of these repairs a bit more and we'll get out of here," said Mira, reaching for a few more pieces from the floor. "When we get back to Star Command, the LGMs will fix you up good as new."

Reaching towards the box of tools that Buzz was using earlier, XR seemed intent on helping speed up the process. After all, how many times had he pulled himself back together after a mild explosion or weapon blast? But his coordination seemed to be just as unreliable as his senses. He missed any of the tools by a large margin and his fingers twitched slightly rather than properly closing. XR grimaced for a moment about the lack of proper response from his body before lowering his arm again.

Mira noticed that he felt warmer than normal. The grinding sound of his motor provided a pretty good explanation for why. Whatever damage the warped metal was doing as they moved against each other was making everything gradually overheat. It was yet another sign they needed to get XR back to Star Command soon.

Looking back toward his teammates, he asked, "Nos-4-A2?"

"We don't know where he is at the moment," Mira admitted.

"Booster is guarding the entrance to this room in case Nos-4-A2 returns," continued Buzz. "He won't be sneaking up on us anytime soon. But the energy vampire's capture is not our main mission goal. We're here to rescue you and get you back to Star Command. We can track down Nos-4-A2 again later."

"R-really hate tha-a-at g-g-guy," XR said tiredly, the static and stuttering sounding worse than before.

Working to stabilize his systems enough that they could get the damaged robot back to where they left the ship, Mira said, "We're not that fond of him right now either. Now hold still. This isn't exactly easy."

"I'll let Booster know how it's going," said Buzz, moving back towards the stairs.

Meaning he would tell Booster that XR was alive. Mira thought it was a great idea. Booster would be up there, his imagination and worry conjuring all sorts of scenarios the longer they left him in the dark. An update would reassure and comfort the worried Jo-Adian. He deserved that reassurance.

Mira gave a distracted nod of acknowledgement as she worked on repairs. She barely noticed as Buzz head back up to the main factory floor. She was too busy trying to remember what XR's inner workings looked like before the energy vampire shredded everything.

I had a lovely surprise during my last chapter. A fanfiction writer named BandGeek727 left a review for me. They are one of the co-writers for "Dark of the Night," the fanfiction story that inspired this one. They seemed rather pleased with how this story is going so far, which is pretty nice for me. I'm glad that they and everyone else seems to like this story. So thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed so far. Hopefully you'll enjoy the rest as things continue forward.