Disclaimer: This Episode contains references and characters from Disney's Lilo & Stitch and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. I do not own any of these IPs.
Episode 1: Great Escape
The cruiser dropped out of hyperspace with its thrusters at full power, throwing it several hundred yards further across the starless void than its original course had intended. The small one-man spacecraft, originally designed for high-speed flights across short distances, zoomed clumsily through the darkness, its fuel levels dangerously low. One of the jets, damaged by laser fire, was spitting and sputtering badly, leaving a contrail of thick black smoke.
The strange creature on board the cruiser paid no heed to the red warning lights and blaring sirens. Instead, it lay back on the pilot seat, steering the controls with its feet and twirling a plasma gun around its stubby, clawed finger. A long, pink tongue flicked out of the creature's wide mouth and into its nose, retrieving a booger before making a hasty retreat.
By the cruiser's control bay, a holographic monitor displayed news of a recent breakout from the Galactic Federation's prison stronghold, Asteroid K-37, in the Xenon Sector. This was the second breakout since the prison's inception, and nobody was taking any chances. Asteroid K-37 was now on full lock-down. The entire Galactic Armada, along with a small army of space rangers, was activated to hunt down the escapee, whose picture was plastered all across the galaxy.
The red-furred creature looked at the screen and blanched at the sight of its own face on the monitor. It had spent nearly a decade in a small cell, surrounded by no one but hundreds of other creatures which shared its appearance. Clones, so much like itself in so many ways. But it knew better—it was special. It was the first, the original, not just a cheap copy.
Its name was Leroy. And it was a 'he'. Yes, he. Leroy.
A new set of blinking lights drew the diminutive alien's attention to the ship's radar display. Several red blips had appeared at the bottom of the screen, signalling that a small fleet of star-cruisers had just emerged from hyperspace, their weapons trained on the cruiser's tail.
As the ships closed in, a woman's voice buzzed over the cruiser's intercom: "Illegal genetic experiment 629, this is space ranger Mira Nova of Star Command. You are hereby ordered to stand down and surrender. Otherwise, we will shoot you down."
Leroy clapped his four hands expectantly, sincerely relishing the challenge. He had been denied the chaos that had been programmed into his very being for so long. This might just provide the adrenaline rush he so sorely craved.
"C'mon, little guy," said Mira. "Your intelligence level's off the charts. Do the smart thing."
Leroy didn't like the term 'little guy'. The guards back on Asteroid K-37 used to call him that as they hid behind their massive blasters, secure in the knowledge that the inmates' power dampeners would prevent them from retaliating. He had since escaped his bonds, and his full strength was quickly returning. Now he would make them think twice before calling him 'little guy'.
Grabbing hold of the controls with his hands, Leroy threw his cruiser into a barrel roll, drawing a curse from the space ranger. The rangers gave chase, but their larger ships lacked the mobility and speed of the cruiser, even with the damage it had sustained. Bucking and jerking, the cruiser sped forward at an angle, as laser fire flashed past.
"Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work!" shouted Mira, though she never got to finish her sentence; her voice droned into silence as Leroy shut off the communications channel.
The radar began beeping again. This time, it wasn't the space-ranger fleet that had triggered the warning signals, but something far larger and much more dangerous—an asteroid belt. Giant chunks of space rock and debris, pushed into motion by some unknown gravitational force, soared at speeds unimaginable for objects of their size. Leroy plunged the cruiser right into the chaos.
The alien experiment laughed maniacally. The cruiser, far smaller than a fully-equipped Star Command shuttle, had little problem navigating the belt. Behind it, however, star-cruisers went up in flames as eager rookies took a nose dive into the belt, ramming themselves right into incoming asteroids.
The barrage of laser fire thinned out, most of the shots hitting rock. Missiles were fired, but they met similar fates, kicking up more dust and dirt. Leroy was almost home free. All he had to do was keep the cruiser intact till the right opportunity presented itself…
Then he saw it, a significant gap in the line of drifting asteroid. It was large enough for the stolen cruiser to fit, but a tad too tight for anything bigger. Leroy jammed down hard on the controls, pulling the cruiser into a vertical position in mid-flight. The maneuver bordered on insane, but Leroy had no concept of sanity.
Thrusters at full, the cruiser pulled out of the belt, its engines groaning. Every warning label on the damaged vessel blinked, every alarm roared. Leroy ignored them all, focusing only on the radar. To his delight, a solitary star-cruiser had managed to follow him out of the asteroid belt—Mira Nova's ship. She made for a worthy adversary, but her mission ended here.
He glanced to the fuel gauge which, like everything else, glared a hot red. There would be enough for one last stunt, he decided. Setting coordinates with his free hands, Leroy reopened the communications channel.
"You lose!"
Gripping the hyperdrive module, he launched the cruiser into hyperspace, expending all remaining fuel and completely depleting the hyperdrive core. It didn't bother Leroy, much. He had put himself close enough to his destination that the planet's gravitational pull would ensure him a rocky descent into its atmosphere.
He was going to find the one who had trapped him on Asteroid K-37, the being responsible for ruining his life. He had been made to destroy, to wreak havoc on everything around him. His destructive programming burned inside him, fettered for so many years. That little display with the space rangers was nothing—finally, he was free to exact his revenge, and do exactly what he was created to do.
Leroy flexed his claws in anticipation. He couldn't wait to return to Earth.
A/N: To the fans and readers of The Disney Experiment, I thank you for your support and apologise for my really long hiatus. I guess I've been suffering from the worst kind of Writer's Block: fear of failing in the face of unexpected success. I started The Disney Experiment not really expecting anyone to read it, and was pleasantly surprised to receive so many good reviews and comments. I put off writing a sequel for fear of disappointing you dear readers. But I've decided to put my writing to the test and craft another massive crossover for you guys. I sincerely hope you'll enjoy reading The Disney Initiatve!