Next Course - Vengeance

Who: Lester and Lester
Where: The Mollopod ship above Little Cheftonia
When: Technically just before Phil killed himself.
 
<SNIP>
Lester struggled to put the bulky ear-piece, designed for a differently shaped creature, into his lobe, but he managed it in the end. Gingerly holding his gun he opened the door and stepped, naked, into the corridors of the Mollopod ship.</SNIP>
 
"L-lester?"
 
"I'm here," a voice said in his ear, making the skinny technician jump. He had been creeping through the corridors for a while now. Occasionally a flickering light or failed door lock indicated that his more confident self was busily interfering with the power grid.
 
"D-don't leave me."
 
"You've got something that belongs to me," a drinks dispenser on a nearby wall said, "I plan to look after it."
 
"Y-you mean m-my... our ... you body?" The drinks dispenser was silent. "L-look, I-I'm r-really s-sorry you know. I w-wouldn't choose to d-do what they did. D-do you know why the did it?"
 
More silence, then the drinks dispenser spoke in Lester's voice again: "this is a level sixteen security network. The bypass modules were covered in Alien Hacks and Babes Monthly."
 
"Sh-should be p-pretty easy t-to navigate then."
 
"I know. Thing is, how do I know?"
 
"M-maybe you t-took s-some of me with you when you j-joined the network?"
 
"Do you feel like you're missing anything?"
 
"D-dunno."
 
"No, this is something different, feels like... feels like wearing old clothes. Like a comfortable pair of shoes. It's strange and familiar at once." Suddenly the next door hissed open and curls of condensation swirled around Lester's bare feet. Goosebumps covered his flesh and he began to tremble. "Dai's in here."
 
"It's c-cold," Lester complained.
 
"Yes," came a voice from inside the refrigerated chamber, "I'm just knocking out this thermostat now. Hang on. Right, the temperature's going to take a while to get back to normal and I think I just set off a health and safety alarm. Get in there and get him out."
 
"B-but it's s-so cold..."
 
"Well think how he's feeling! Get in there and rescue him you... " the voice inside the refridgerator calmed itself and spoke more gently: "Dai needs you, come on, he saved you a couple of times, return the favour!"
 
Carefully Lester crept into the very blue chamber. Admist the swirls of fog hung carcasses with varying numbers of limbs. Against one wall was stacked several hundred boxes of ice cream and in the far corner, naked, trussed up and gagged was the blue, ice-crusted form of Dai Evans. Lester tried to lift him and failed miserably, his fingers clumsy from the numbing cold. In the end he dragged Dai by the collar to the door and into the warmer hallway. The Thermostat control panel watched them go.
 
"Get a knife from the kitchens, cut his bonds, quickly!"
 
Lester did as he was told, but with much chagrin, trying not to actually look at Dai as he worked, but also trying not to hurt him. Eventually he propped the engineer against a wall.
 
"Slap him."
 
"What?"
 
"We need him awake, give him a slap."
 
"Ok." Lester reached out and gave Dai a light pat.
 
"God sakes. HIT HIM YOU CRETINOUS VERMIN!" The thermostat roared angrily and Lester began to sob. "What are you... ? Are you crying? Oh for smeg's sake.... what is wrong with you?"
 
"Leave the boy alone, won't you?" muttered a tired and cold voice. "Tell me lad, am I naked, half-frozen on some strange spaceship?"
 
"Yes," Lester said through the tears.
 
"Yes, sorry," the thermostat apologised.
 
"Right, fine, thought I was having a flashback to my stag night. Right, help me up, won't you?"
 
Still blubbing uncontrollably, Lester helped Dai to his feet. There was an awkward pause as both men's eyes drifted uncontrollably.
 
"Well..."
 
"Ahem..."
 
"It is cold near this freezer, isn't it? You'd better give me that gun, hadn't you? We should find some clothing now, shouldn't we?"
 
They hunted around. Dai quickly came to terms with the concept that the other Lester was now rummaging around the computer networks, slowly and carefully bringing down the firewalls and other security. He kept an eye out on the security cameras, warning them when to get under cover as guards approached. Eventually they reached a cargo deck and by carefully studying the manifest labels they found a crate of plastic liners used for covering the interrogation tables. Dai ripped a hole in two of them, pushed his head through one and the other over Lester, then fashioned a belt for each of them. Dressed in black PVC ponchos then, they made their way further into the cargo bay.
 
"Aw now that is beautiful," came a voice in Lester's ear.
 
"Wh-what is?"
 
"What's that now?"
 
"Wait until you see guys," the Comm Unit gasped, "just around the next corner."
 
"H-he s-says there's something just up here," Lester told Dai and stepped around a stack of crates. "W-wow."
 
"Not bad, is it?"
 
There, gleaming in the light from several powerful standing lamps was an enormous six-wheeled transport; a massive truck the wheels of which, even tall, lanky Lester was dwarfed by. What's more, it was metallic-black. It was surrounded on all sides by Mollopod technicians who, uncharacteristically, were concerned with keeping it shiny and pristine.
 
"Oh wow, it's got wireless networking to the ship!" Lester winced as his disembodied self yelped in his ear. "OK, I have a new plan."
 
"How did I know he'd say that?"
 
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