"Gem, are you okay?" Gemma whispered to her brother as they landed on the ground, their suits faded out, and Venjix was nearly out of sight.
"Yeah, but... our... our suits aren't. We can't morph again."
"Ugh!" Gemma slammed her fist against the ground as she got to her knees. "Where are everyone else?"
"There!" Gem pointed at Scott, Flynn, and Summer as they rushed toward them from around the corner. Gemma ducked away before they could see her and took off running toward where Venjix had disappeared. Gem didn't notice until Summer asked, "Where's your sister?"
"What do you mean, she's right-" Gem spun around and gasped when he saw she was gone. "I mean, she was just right here! We need to find her; I can't be separated from her in a time like this."
"Come on, then." Scott pointed ahead. "We need to fight Venjix first. I'll call Ziggy and Dillon." He dashed off and Summer, Flynn, and Gem followed suit.
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
"Venjix!" Gemma roared angrily as she approached him, leaping into the air and aiming to thrust her fist into the robotic monster's back.
"Ranger, you're back!" The unmorphed Silver Ranger didn't know what happened next, but soon enough, she felt her body crash into the pavement. Venjix turned toward her, hatred radiating off of him. "I thought I had destroyed you and your brother."
"You will NEVER destroy Gem and I!" The element of surprise was gone for her and Venjix sensed her next attack. His giant staff slammed into her chest and she fell back, the wind completely knocked out of her. As Gemma crouched for a moment, gasping for breath, her opponent flashed the weapon toward her again and hit her in the head, leaving a large, bleeding gash where it had just landed. A slash to her stomach then sent her down entirely.
What can I do? she thought anxiously. I can't destroy him like this. Unless... She got up, but before she could think again, Venjix lifted her into the air and threw her against one of the crumbling walls of an old building. Gemma crumpled against it, her vision blurring, then shook it off and stood up again on unsteady legs.
"Need a taste of more, Ranger, before you understand I cannot be defeated?"
Gemma opened her mouth to let out an angry retort, but nothing came out; she was too busy trying to stay standing. Venjix took advantage of her unsteadiness and his staff crashed into her legs. She collapsed next to him, battered and bleeding, and he placed his heavy weapon on her chest, pinning her down.
"You've lost, Ranger."
She closed her eyes as pain shot through her and waited for the blow that would take her life...
"Venjix!" Scott's voice sounded from far away, but from her point of view, it was just a hallucination. However, the weight on her then lifted and she heard Venjix's angry roar as he was torn away. Gemma felt herself being pulled into someone's arms and they leaned down gently to examine her.
"Gemma, it's me." Unconsciousness was overwhelming her, but she did recognize her brother's gentle voice. Gem pulled her in closer and ran his hands over her wounds. Blood coated his hands as he tentatively touched her head and she flinched. "Oh God... why...?"
"Gemma!" Flynn broke away from the battle and demorphed, positioning himself beside Gem. "Venjix... did this to her." His eyes darkened with worry. "No..." He took her body from her brother, handling her carefully. She was still barely conscious.
Scott, who was panting heavily, came running over. "We... destroyed him," he managed to say. "But Tenaya is still out there still and she could regenerate him if we don't stop her." He paused for a moment, for he hadn't seen the Silver Ranger's true state yet. Summer hadn't either, but she seemed to be taking it really hard as she fell to her knees beside Gem and Flynn, her Ranger suit disappearing.
"I- is she going to die?"
"I hope not," Gem sniffed. "I really hope not..." Summer leaned in close to him, tears flowing from her eyes.
"We have to get her back to Dr. K," Scott proclaimed.
"But what if we can't make it in time?" Summer wailed, shivering as Gem wrapped his arms around her.
"We will," he soothed. "What kind of brother would I be if I let my sister die?"
Dillon, who has been watching from the sidelines stepped forward uneasily. "I- I can hold her."
Summer blinked confusedly at him. "Really?" She whispered into Gem's ear, "He usually doesn't volunteer for that kind of stuff."
Gem shrugged. "I'll go with anything if it'll save her." Dillon bent down and took Gemma into his arms, letting her head rest gently against his chest as he straightened up again and started to walk away. Gem helped Summer up and she leaned in against him as Flynn popped up on her other side and they plodded after the Black Ranger, soon followed by Scott and Ziggy.
Along the way, Dillon broke into a run and Gemma twitched in his arms, her eyelids flickering as she tried to open her eyes. It was obviously impossible with the wind rushing past them so fast, but her face was twisted in such a look of pain that it almost made him sick.
"Just hold on," he murmured, running a hand through her long black hair where it wasn't messed up with blood. "We're almost there; just hang on." If Gemma dies, Flynn and Gem will never forgive me.
When they arrived at the garage, Dillon threw himself into it and raced straight to Dr. K's lab, skidding to a stop as the doors slowly slid open. Blood dripping down his hands, he ran inside.
"Whoa, slow down!" Dr. K snapped from her desk, staring at her computer. "Now what do you need from me?" Behind him, Scott entered the lab and stood next to him.
"How about you look up instead of being so careless about something important to you?" he retorted. Startled, she gazed up at him. A crazed gasp echoed from her throat as she stood up, knocking her chair over.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" she shouted.
"Nothing!" Dillon stepped back in surprise. "She- she tried to fight Venjix on her own, but he had disabled her morph beforehand and he was too strong..."
"Oh..." Dr. K pressed a hand against her mouth for a moment. "Come with me."
He and Scott followed, his heart pounding in his chest as she led them over to a place that almost everyone had been inside before and opened the door, revealing a dark room with medical equipment placed all around, wires crossing over the bed in the middle. Without a word, Dillon ducked inside and placed her down on it. Flynn suddenly came in too and nudged Dillon away.
"We have to stop the bleeding!" Dr. K exclaimed wildly as she grabbed a roll of gauze from a nearby counter and pressed a few sheets against her head. Flynn did his best to do the same on her stomach, his hands moving quickly to soak up the red liquid. Scott took a roll of gauze as well and attempted to help as well.
"I never wanted this to happen!" she cried.
"This isn't working!" Scott yelled desperately. "We're losing her!"
"Gemma!" Flynn was by far the most frantic out of all of them. "You- you can't leave. I- I love you."
This confession stirred up something inside him. Whether he loved her or not, he couldn't let her die. Fiercer than ever, he hooked up a heart monitor to her and did his best to bandage the other wounds, stripping her outer garments from her body and hurriedly wiping the blood from her body as fast as he could. An hour later, he nearly collapsed against the wall, exhausted from the hard work as Scott and Dr. K left him to redress and watch the injured Ranger. He glanced toward the monitor, relieved to see that the line had not yet gone straight. But it was so close... Gemma was so pale... she had lost so much blood...
"F- Flynn?"
His heart leaped. Gemma had weakly propped herself up on the bed with her elbows, wincing slightly as she turned her head toward him. She looked so tired, with her expression so full of suffering. He edged over to her, slowly grasping her left hand.
"Gemma, are you feeling okay?"
"Well, I've just almost been beaten to death by a crazed monster and can't move much at this moment, so you probably shouldn't be asking that right now."
"Oops, sorry." Flynn wrapped an arm around her neck as he detached the monitor and picked her up, ready to move her to the examining seat in the main part of the lab. She closed her eyes as he carried her out of the room and he grimaced when he noticed that she was barely breathing now. Talking must have diminished all her energy.
"Hang on a moment," he sighed. "You'll be good as new in no time." He halted when he saw Scott and Summer standing in front of him, both supporting the unconscious form of Vasquez on their shoulders.
"We defeated Tenaya and Dr. K did her best to fix her," Scott explained. "But she took a shot before she fell and it missed us, but hit Vasquez instead. We hadn't known she was watching the battle and now we don't know if she'll make it or not. We were out there for a while before we could get her back here, but she hasn't woken up yet. No visible wounds, but I don't know what might be wrong."
"Lad, I'm so sorry, but I can't help right now. I definitely know Gemma's life is in danger and she's lost so much blood that I'm incredibly glad she's not dead yet."
Summer winced and Scott led her and Vasquez around Flynn as he whispered in his ear, "Summer and Dillon took hits as well, but they're fine."
Flynn nodded, but had really only been half-listening. He moved the injured Ranger he was holding over to where Dr. K was and she directed him to put Gemma in the chair. "Tenaya's resting in one of the extra bedrooms. I worked more on the antidote and managed to administer it to her. She's 100% organic now, except for the implants I put inside her to help her see."
He let out a relieved sigh at knowing that Dillon's sister was safe, but a pained moan from Gemma made it fly away instantly. She had opened her eyes and tried to reach toward him, but Dr. K motioned her not to.
"You've been badly injured, Gemma," she murmured sadly. "I need to check over you for a moment, so try not to move."
"Is Venjix gone?"
"Yes. Now, just let us take care of you."
"Wh- where's Gem?"
"He's in the garage. Flynn, can you go get him?"
"Sure." He spun around and ran off. Dr. K turned back to the girl she had always thought of as family.
"Gemma... I'm so sorry..."
She sniffed. "It's okay. I- I just want my brother and Dillon with me now. I- I'm scared that I might leave them..."
"No. You will not die, do you hear me? You may be in pain, but don't start thinking about things that WON'T HAPPEN!"
"Whoa, Doc, are you okay?" Flynn asked as he walked to her side with Gem at his back.
"Y- yes, I'm fine..."
"Are you okay?" Gem looked at his sister anxiously.
"I don't know..."
All of a sudden, one of the nearby beakers on a counter, glowing with bright blue liquid inside it, tipped off the edge and smashed to the ground. Dr. K gasped as a lightning bolt suddenly shot out from the puddle straight towards the Rangers. Gemma scrambled off the chair and tried to run, but she was almost to her brother before it struck her in the back. Gem's eyes widened and he caught her before she fell. Dr. K was nearly hysterical as she tried to clean up the liquid and Gemma was sobbing as excruciating agony burned every inch of her body. Another bolt nearly shot Dr. K in the eye, but she managed to put the liquid in another container and clap a lid on it.
"Dr. K, what was that?" Flynn inquired.
"It was a substance that Tenaya left from her blaster when it was destroyed. I was analyzing it, but it didn't know..." She swallowed. "...that it would do that..."
"Please... it hurts!" she wailed as Gem wrapped his arms around her. "Gem... make it stop!"
"Gemma, I'm here for you. Don't focus on the pain." He tilted her chin upwards. "Focus on me. Focus on Flynn. It will go away soon enough."
"How?" she replied with a huge effort.
"Doctor K, does that lightning do anything bad to you?"
"Um... I don't know exactly. It went right through her and if it had hit her heart, she'd be dead already."
"So... she'll be okay?"
"I honestly don't know."
Gemma's sobs had soon quieted, but tears were still streaming down her pale face as her brother took her back to the garage and lay her down on the couch. When he sat down next to her on the left, she leaned into him. Flynn came over and sat on her other side. The Gold Ranger wrapped his arms around her completely and pulled his sister closer to him.
"Venjix is gone..." She shuddered. "I would have liked to destroy him, but he- he nearly killed me." She rested a hand on her stomach, wincing as she traced her hand along the cloth of her white shirt, feeling the painful, bandaged gash underneath.
"It's okay," Gem soothed. "You're fine now."
Gemma glared at him. "No, I'm not."
"Why?"
"It- it hurts to breathe."
"Wait, what?"
"You heard me."
"Why?"
"How about you stop asking questions and just let me rest? I just got hit with lightning and I'm extremely tired." And I'm probably going to die tonight.
"You're not going to die, Gemma," Flynn said quietly. Oh no, did I just say that out loud? "Think back to when you were the most energetic person around here. You and Gem loved to make things explode, you were always on the front lines of battles, and you've almost sacrificed your life hundreds of times to help us. You've always been so brave and confident; don't give up now."
She closed her eyes and Gem curled his body around her, hoping as he closed his as well that she would end up waking up once more.
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Gem woke in complete darkness, a frostbite cold surrounding him. He began to walk forward, an uneasy feeling growing inside him.
"Gem!"
Wait, what was going on? Wasn't Gemma with him?
"Gem, I'm over here!" No mistake, his sister was in danger. He started to run as the landscape burst into gray and orange. Everything around him was on fire and yet he could still hear Gemma's voice ringing through the air. The sound led him over to a collapsing burning building.
"Sis, where did you go?"
"Please... save me!"
Then he saw her. Laying twisted and broken under a massive chunk of concrete was the Silver Ranger.
"Gemma... oh no..."
She looked up at him, her dark eyes dull. "You... you were too late..."
"No, please!" He managed to lift the concrete off of her and took her into his arms, but all of a sudden, her almost unscathed body became entirely covered in blood. It streamed down her face, ran down her legs, poured out of her chest. Gemma's head snapped back, her eyes staring straight at her brother before they glazed over.
"GEMMA, NO!"
Then, she suddenly struggled away from him and stood up, the blood still pooling off of her. Her glassy eyes now seemed to flash as he straightened up too.
"WAKE UP!" she roared, which seemed to send out a shock wave to push him back. "Gem, I am dying for real! This is who I could become if you don't wake up right now."
"What-"
"WAKE UP, GEM!"
Gem jolted awake, his heart beating extremely fast. Flynn had left, but he could now see that Gemma had fallen off the couch. He bent down to pick her up again, but as soon as he did, she convulsed in his arms, letting out a high-pitched cry. Remembering the nightmare message, he immediately rushed her over to Dr. K's lab. Surprisingly, she and Vasquez were in there. Dr. K was tapping furiously at computer keys while the biosphere controller lay fearfully on the examination chair.
"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Vasquez questioned weakly.
"Doctor, stop everything you're doing and hook Gemma up to life support. NOW!"
"What's going on, Gem?"
"Dr. K, Gemma's going to die if you don't do it."
She looked over at Vasquez, who nodded. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." She got up and limped a few steps away. Gem darted forward and gently set her down. Her eyes opened and her expression was full of humiliation.
"Get out of here, both of you," Dr. K snapped. Gem drew back and began to chivy Vasquez out of the room. He wanted his sister to be safe, so he was willing to do anything the doctor told him.
Six days later...
"Gemma, stop!" Flynn called as he raced along the dirty streets inside the biodome. His girlfriend had lived, but she had taken off as soon as she had woken up from a short coma. Neither him, Gem, or Summer, who had first started to chase after her, knew what was going on, but she seemed to be heading toward the place where she had once fought Venjix and lost.
"Come back!" Summer screamed. The Silver Ranger kept running.
"I can't!" she called back. "I have to find it!"
When she had left without warning, she'd insisted there was something she needed to find somewhere that she had lost. Gem had retorted that she could do that when she was no longer in danger, but she didn't listen.
Finally, she skidded to a stop, panting heavily. Summer edged closer to her and whispered, "If it's not here, you have to come back with us. This isn't doing you any good."
But after a while, the air grew cold and smoky, and Gemma was panicking now. Several times, she swayed on her feet, which prompted Summer to stick to her side the whole time she was searching.
"I don't think it's here." Summer pressed her hand against Gemma's forehead. "Are you feeling okay right now?" She stiffened as she felt a blazing warmth under her hand. "Gemma, you're burning up! Okay, that's it. We're going back right now."
Gemma shook her head. "I... can't go back." Then she collapsed on the ground.
"Gemma!" her brother gasped, falling to his knees. He instinctively reached out for her and she seemed extremely lightweight as he gathered her into his arms.
"I- I can't move..." Her eyes were closed and her mouth barely moved as she tried to speak while leaning on his shoulder.
"You can't move?"
"I mean... I can't move... without feeling like... I'm being torn apart." Her voice grew quieter. "Gem, I'm so sorry."
"Sis, just hold on. Please."
"I- I don't know how much longer I can..." Gemma trembled as Gem grasped her hand.
"Please..."
"Gem, it's too late. It was always too late. I was destined to be destroyed on the field of battle."
"But you weren't."
"How can you help me?"
"Gemma, you're my sister. I will protect you until I die."
"But it's not you who will die."
"And it's not you either. Neither of us will."
"Take me back to the lab. I never should have come here. I- I want to die with my friends and brother surrounding me."
"Rangers, what are you doing here?" A chill swept over them as Dr. K pushed her way through Flynn and Summer. "What- how did you end up here?" Dillon, Tenaya, Ziggy, Scott, and Vasquez squeezed in past her.
"You're all here..." Gemma whispered as her brother pressed his other hand to her chest.
"Of course we are," Scott replied as he, Dr. K, and Vasquez knelt next to Gem. "Is she going to..."
"I don't know..."
"No, go on and say it," his sister sniffed. "You definitely know. If not now, later."
"Get down here," Gem growled to Ziggy, Tenaya, and Dillon, who reluctantly obeyed.
Gemma winced. "Oh no..."
"What-"
"It- it hurts... please, someone stop it!" she cried, desperately clawing at the air.
"What hurts? Gemma, what's going on?"
She leaned back into her brother's arms, writhing in pain as he tried to steady her.
"Gem..." she rasped. "I'm so sorry. Flynn..." He leaned toward her at the sound of his name. "I love you and I will never forget you." Another burst of pain tore through her chest. "Summer, Vasquez, you were like other siblings to me." She sucked in a desperate breath as her gaze swept over everyone else. "Dr. K, you've always been my first friend. And the rest of you... you've always stood by my side." Her eyes started to shut.
Tenaya was crying into Dillon's shoulder. She couldn't handle the fact that she had helped bring about what was happening at this moment. Gemma noticed this and barely managed to keep her eyes open long enough to turn her gaze to Dillon's sister.
"Tenaya..." she sighed. "It's not your fault..." Her voice began to trail off even more. "My friends... I don't know what I ever would have done without any of you..." She looked back at Gem. "My heart will always lie with my brother and best companions in the world." And her eyes closed for good.
Gemma never woke up again.
Don't judge me. I love Gemma and I always will. This is just a story.
~Hazel