Learning to Dance

twisted enough for him. And then there was the knowledge
that he’d been pulled out of the hospital for this mission
because the G.L.E.E. thought him incompetent – Krayonder
unstable, February the bottom of her class, Taz fresh off a
demotion. It all made sense now.
But it didn’t make him any less mad.
“Everybody – February – I’m not who I say I am.”
Up frowned, his attention back on Bug.
“Pincer here, he – he helped me switch bodies so that I
could get to know all of you.”
“What?” said February slowly.
Bug turned to her. “February, I’m not a Starship Ranger.
I’m not even a human. I’m – I’m a bug.”
The science officer let out a sound somewhere between a
gasp and a coo.
“I’m a bug in a human body.”
The scorpion started making its clicking and burbling
noises again, and then suddenly the starship rocked beneath
them. Up was thrown to the deck next to Taz. They
exchanged a quick look before getting to their feet as
Megagirl’s monotone voice came over the communication
system.
“Core set to overload, complete meltdown imminent.
Pray to your dead God, puny humans, your fiery deaths are
inevitable.”
“It’s not over yet, man!” bellowed Krayonder. He sent a
spray of zapper fire at the scorpion and its hench-
mosquitoes. “Run! I’ve got him pinned down like a piece of
Arturian poontang!”
It was instinctual. They ran, the high-pitched sound of
buzzing wings close behind.
Krayonder’s screams echoed down the corridors after
them, and Up stopped. Stupid, reckless, brave boy.
“Krayonder, no!”