Memories of Mironoi
A/N: this story is slightly AU since I've decided not to include Karone, I'm sure many of the details of the ending of LG are slightly off but I only saw it once so please forgive me. Otherwise enjoy!
Maya woke up after a long night's sleep. Deca let them sleep in after staying out late last night after the Terra Venture Ball. Memories of the day before flooded her with warmth as she stretched her muscles. She didn't realize she would be this sore after all that dancing. She rose from her hammock and got ready for the day.
A glance at the calendar reminded her of the date, and her good mood suddenly vanished. October 10th, meaning tomorrow would be her 20th birthday. The day she most wanted to forget forever. She had stopped celebrating her birthday a long time ago. She didn't want her teammates to know, then she would have to explain everything. Sighing she slipped on her usual attire and set off for the day.
If Maya was unusually quiet all day, no one seemed to notice. Leo and Kendrix were too involved in their newly formed relationship to beware of her strange behavior. Kai and Damon had been working all day to catch up on the work that was missed yesterday. Maya has spent most of the day in the jungle dome alone and didn't catch up with the others until dinner.
"Hello!" Damon called out. "Earth to Maya!" He said to the yellow ranger, waving his hand in her face to jolt her out of her daydream.
Maya jumped a bit as she realized her teammates were all looking at her. "What?" she questioned as she tried to shake the images of Mironoi out of her head.
"I asked if you wanted to come with us to the theater hall and see a movie." Leo repeated to the confused girl.
Before Maya could reply, Kai jumped in with another question. "Are you okay Maya?" He asked concerned. "Yeah, I'm fine." Maya quickly lied.
She turned to look at Leo to answer his question. "Thanks for inviting me to the movie, but I think I'm just going to go to bed early. "Maya informed them as she bid them goodnight and headed off to her and Kendrix's quarters.
"She was really quiet during dinner." Kendrix said to break the silence as the four of them thought about what could be bothering their normally outgoing and cheerful friend.
"I thought she had a good time last night." Kai commented curiously.
"I know, it 's not like Maya. Something must be up." Leo decided firmly. Not knowing what it was though, they gave up on figuring it out and left for the movies.
The next morning, October 11th....
Maya woke up at 6am, her roommate Kendrix already in the shower and getting ready for her shift. She sat on the window seat, her favorite place to think. Images of fourteen years ago played through her mind as she recalled the tragic events that transformed her young life.
"Happy Birthday Maya!" Her mom and dad announced simultaneously as the now six year old exited the cottage to where her parents were preparing a special breakfast feast for her that was tradition in their village. The young girl with long, curly brown hair and inquisitive brown eyes watched the preparation with great expectation. Just then her best friend Shondra came by with a present.
"Can I open it Papa?" She pleaded eagerly with her father as she held the package anxiously. He laughed at her amusement and replied, "Of course." Inside the package was a beautiful shell and flower necklace Shondra had made herself. She immediately tied it around her neck.
Thinking back to that day, Maya fingered the necklace that she had not removed in the fourteen years since. "Happy Birthday Maya." She whispered to herself as she set off to begin another day at Terra Venture. She paused to brush her unruly hair as tears came to her eyes as memories of her sixth birthday came flooding back.
"And this is from your papa and me." Maya's mother stated in her smooth and gentle voice that she passed down onto her daughter. Maya ripped open the leaves to find a comb and mirror set. "It's so beautiful mama." The young Maya exclaimed in awe as she fingered the set.
"Just like you." Her papa declared as he pulled his young daughter into his lap for a hug. "Why don't you go use your new comb and by the time you're done, it will be time for breakfast." He decided and watched in merriment as she hurried off.
Little did they know, they would never get to eat breakfast. As Maya emerged once again from their cottage, she quickly noticed the still quietness of her normally bustling village.
"Mama?" She cried out fearfully as she looked everywhere for her parents. A minute later her father appeared, "Papa, why are you crying?" Maya demanded to know as she tugged on his hand.
A loud explosion jolted him into action. The larger man gathered his daughter in his arms and sprinted across the village to where her grandfather Jera lived. "Maya, promise me you'll stay here with Jera. He'll keep you safe." He declared as he settled his only daughter in the older man's arms.
"But Papa, where are you going?" She argued as she held unto her father. "What's happening?" She questioned as another explosion rocked their village. Her father gave her a quick kiss goodbye and with tears in his eyes he set out to protect their village with the other men. Jera forced the girl to take cover under a table, Maya watched with horrified fascination as her village soon was covered with smoke and fire.
Hours later the village was once again quiet. But it was not the peaceful calm they were used to. Crawling out from under the table, Maya ran out of Jera's house to look for her parents. Maybe they couldn't find her with all the smoke, she figured. She noticed a pair of familiar bodies a few feet away. She huddled up next to them and glanced up. In the distance she could see the faint outline of the evil creature that had destroyed her village. Red stripes across its back were imprinted on her young memory. She would never forget that image as long as she lived. Maya looked around her village. Cottages lay in ruins and families were separated as each family had lost loved ones in the attack.
Just then smoke filtered into the girls room as her roommate Kendrix appeared from the bathroom. "IT must be Leo's turn to cook this morning." The pink ranger declared with a giggle as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.
When Maya didn't respond, the blonde girl gazed at her teammate and noticed that Maya's eyes had a haunted look in them as she stared into space. "Hello! Earth to Maya. It's time for breakfast."
At her words, Maya snapped out of her trance to stare at Kendrix. Tears filled her eyes as she responded to the familiar words from fourteen years ago. "I'm not hungry. I'll catch up with you guys later." She decided, as she left the room before Kendrix could ask any more questions. The pink ranger watched in confusion as the yellow ranger tore out of the room.
"Where's Maya?" Leo asked Kendrix as she entered the kitchen where the three male members were already gathered. "She said she's not hungry." Kendrix explained as she placed some crispy pancakes on her plate.
"I don't blame her. She must have known Leo was cooking." Kai cracked as the others laughed at the red ranger's expense.
"Very funny Kai. Not everyone is an expert chef like you." Leo retorted as he continued to scrape burnt pancakes out of the pan. They were saved from trying to eat Leo's pancakes when Alpha came into the kitchen.
"Rangers, there has been an attack on Eltare. You must go at once." Alpha declared urgently.
"I'll go get Maya." Leo declared and soon the five were gathered on the mega ship to respond to Deca's alarm system. Leo nodded and they quickly transformed into the power rangers and teleported directly to Eltare.
"Ready to be defeated rangers?" Black Widow taunted the five rangers as he fired his wand at them, causing them to be tossed about by the powerful energy and landing with five thuds on the ground. One by one the five rangers stood up from the ground and assumed their attack positions. Kai and Kendrix took off running first towards the monster with their weapons raised; only to be deflected away as if nothing more than flies.
"Are you guys ok?" Leo demanded as he, Damon, and Maya stood protectively in front of their two injured teammates.
"Yeah, let's get him." Kai replied with sheer determination. Kendrix nodded in agreement, and they regrouped to make another attack.
Damon managed to land a blow from his quasar saber, which was quickly followed by a blast from Leo. Maya moved in form the side, but the monster was ready for her, tossing her away form her teammates as she landed in a heap. Before the others could reach her, the monster blasted her with his wand, causing sparks to come off her uniform as she writhed in pain. The others gathered around her but the monster blasted them as well.
"Aaahh!" Screamed Kendrix and Damon in unison as they rolled around in intense agony.
"We've never battled a monster this powerful before." Kai groaned as he struggled to get off the ground.
Maya lifted her head from the ground to gaze at the monster. Something stirred in her as she remembered the stripes she saw across it's back. Images raced through her mind but she did not know why. "I've seen this monster before." Maya murmured to herself as she stared at the creature.
"What?" Leo cried out in confusion. "How? Who is he?" The red ranger wanted to know as they struggled to defeat him.
"I don't know!" Maya cried out in frustration. "He just seems so familiar." The yellow ranger replied in shock as she tried to recall this monster before it finished them off.
As the creature prepared to strike the rangers with a final, fatal blow, he was struck with a powerful blast that drove him to the ground. The other rangers looked up in amazement, but were not surprised to see the Magna Defender there with his sword. Before he could be warned, the creature struck the Defender across his back. The few seconds were all the rangers needed to recover and they joined forces to battle the monster, as the Magna Defender fell to the ground.
"You want some more pain rangers?" Black Widow hollered as he advanced on the group.
"Bring it on." Damon yelled cockily as he charged the spider with his quasar saber only to be cut across his chest and shoved aside. Maya screamed, "Damon!" as she rushed to his aid. Kai, Kendrix, and Leo protected the two of them by standing between them and the monster.
"You think you can defeat me?" Black Widow laughed as he fired upon the three standing rangers, driving them to the ground motionless. Maya glanced about at her four fallen friends who were in various stages of demorphing. Shaking off her shock she raced towards the spider only to be knocked backwards by his wand. The other rangers were stirring as they watched her land awkwardly on a pile of rocks. Maya gasped as she struggled to regain her breath, as her yellow suit slowly faded and the bruises and blood appeared on her battered body.
"I've defeated the rangers. Trakeena will be so pleased." Black Widow gloated as he celebrated victory.
"We got to go." Leo yelled to his four injured teammates. Kai, Kendrix, and Damon drew back with their leader, looking to retreat.
"NO!" Maya replied from her position on the rocks. A strange memory from her past came to mind. She remembered Jera telling her a story about this spider. One of the warriors of Mironoi had killed one of them by sticking a sharp object between its eyes. She knew she had to try to kill it. It was a matter of life or death, kill or be killed.
She saw the spider with its back turned to them and saw an opportunity to end this battle once and for all. Filled with a sudden burst of adrenaline, she pulled herself up and crept up on the unsuspecting, gloating villain as he stood over the defenseless Magna Defender. She didn't know why but she had to defend their hero. She wasn't going to just give up, they weren't defeated yet.
"NO Maya!" Leo yelled in horror as he watched his yellow teammate hobble over to where the spider held a death grip on the Magna Defender. Maya limped in intense agony as she grabbed a stick and thrust it between the spider's eyes. The action startled him, and caused him to release Magna Defender. With one of its legs, it plunged its stinger into Maya's leg and she collapsed on top of the Magna Defender. In another five seconds, the other four rangers watched helplessly as the spider exploded, and the ground beneath him, the Magna Defender, and Maya shifted and the three tumbled down into the dry riverbed hundreds of feet below. Leo was the first to recover and forced himself to crawl over to the ledge. All he could see was smoke and flames. It didn't seem possible that anyone could survive that fall, or the explosion.
"I can't believe she's gone. She died to save us." Kai stated in absolute shock as he, Damon, and Kendrix joined Leo at the edge of the canyon.
"No! I will not believe she's dead until I see her." Kendrix cried out for her best friend. "We've got to go see." She implored her three teammates, as she made her way down the rocky hill. Reluctantly following her example, Damon, Kai, and Leo soon pursued the pink ranger to the bottom of the riverbed. The dust began to clear and they first found the body of the spider.
"Man, that thing is ugly!" Damon exclaimed, finally seeing the creature face-to-face, and backing away from the hideous being.
"How did Maya know how to kill it?" Kai wondered aloud in amazement. Leo was lost in thought, but Kai's question brought him back to reality. From his spot a few feet away he answered the blue ranger. "She said it looked familiar, she must have remembered."
"Any signs of her?" Kendrix asked tearfully as the rubble was gravely silent. Kai went over to comfort her. "Not yet, but if she's alive, we'll find her." He reassured her.
"She can't be gone!" Kendrix moaned, as she held on tighter to the blue ranger. He couldn't fathom being a team without the yellow ranger. No other team had lost a ranger before, why them? Kai thought angrily.
Suddenly a pile of rocks shifted, causing the rangers to quickly jump away. A cloud of dust choked the rangers as two shadows appeared from where the pile of rocks had moved.
"She's not gone yet, but she will be if we don't get her some medical attention." The Magna Defender declared with authority.
The familiar voice caused the rangers to look up. But there was no armor there, only the uniform of one Mike Corbett. And in his arms was an unconscious Maya.
"Mike?" Damon whispered in disbelief. "But how? I thought you had died on Mironoi." "Mike! You were the Magna Defender?" Kai asked in awe. "How come you didn't tell us?" the younger Corbett demanded.
"I wasn't really the Magna Defender, when I fell into the pit on Mironoi, he used my spirit to come back to life." Mike confessed.
"You guys can have a family reunion later, we need to get Maya back to the mega ship." Damon reminded them urgently.
"He's right, come on guys." Kendrix agreed solemnly, hoping her best friend would recover. She looked so fragile, lying limply in Mike's arms. She couldn't believe she was alive.
Leo was relieved and stunned all at once. Not only did Maya survive that fall and explosion but also his brother was alive! Noticing the strain on Kendrix's face he put his arm around her and escorted her back to the mega ship.
Mike watched restlessly as Alpha scanned the still girl's body for signs of injury. Leo smiled to himself, knowing the reason behind his brother's anxiety, but the others didn't seem to notice. They were all caught up in their concern for their teammate too.
"There doesn't seem to be any permanent damage." Alpha concluded. "Maya has a few cracked ribs and bruises but she should wake up in a few hours." He reported optimistically.
"What about the spider bite?" Kendrix asked fearfully, remembering the stinger that had punctured Maya's leg.
"I administered an antidote that should ward off any ill effects of the spider's bite." Alpha reported hopefully.
"Alright. Alpha, alert us the moment she wakes up will you?" Leo commanded of the robot as he finished giving his report on Maya's condition.
"You got it Leo." Alpha agreed and all the rangers save Mike, left the medical bay exhausted after their long day. They slept easy knowing Maya would be okay and excited to spend time with Mike in the morning.
In the medical bay, Mike watches Maya while she sleeps, thinking about the first time he laid eyes on the beautiful warrior girl and wondering what it was about her that made it so he couldn't stop thinking about her. Even in the pit, he could not force himself to stop thinking about her, wondering how she was adapting to Terra Venture, and hoping she was not too homesick. Thoughts of her had filled his seemingly endless days.
Flashback to the portal...
He remembered there was a flash of light as a porthole opened in front of them. He was shocked to see a figure come rolling down the hill and land in front of them. She stood up gracefully, her long brown hair flowing behind her, determination etched on her face as she tried to avoid them.
"My name is Maya, I'm from the planet Mironoi. If I don't get back, Scorpius will destroy my people." The strange girl pleaded with them. He didn't know what possessed him to go with her, but he felt compelled to help her and her people.
"Mike." Kendrix exclaimed, startling him out of his thoughts. "You shouldn't be out of bed." She admonished her friend as he kept watch over the yellow ranger. "I know." He confessed, "I can't help it." He said without looking at the pink ranger. "Kendrix, do you think she'll be okay?" he asked, this time looking at her with a hopeful expression.
"I do, Mike. I really do. She didn't survive that explosion just to leave us now." She encouraged her distraught friend. "And I know you didn't survive what you went through just to see her leave either. You guys were meant to be together." Kendrix declared, much to his shock. He didn't know anyone knew of his feelings except Leo.
Kendrix laughed a bit at his reaction. "You'll have time to tell her when she wakes up. But until then you need some rest." She admonished him gently, leaving him alone with his thoughts and the yellow ranger. Mike didn't leave her side though.
"You have to be okay Maya." Mike whispered as he held her hand tightly in his. He laid his head on her bed and fell asleep in the chair next to her.
A few hours later...
"No!" Maya murmured as she started tossing and turning in her sleep, a horrified expression on her face. "Don't leave me Papa!" she whispered in her native Mironian language of Twoila, as she began to cry.
Mike had been startled out of his sleep when Maya had turned away from him, his hand being wrenched out of hers as she covered her face. Maya curled up in a tight ball and was sobbing her heart out.
She was so upset she didn't notice the presence of Mike next to her or the fact that Alpha had alerted the others. After the shock of her injuries had worn off, her memories came rushing back. She must have repressed them for so many years, and now she could recall them so clearly and vividly. It scared her. The explosion was so real in her unconsciousness that she started screaming out loud.
Leo, Kai, and Damon met up with Kendrix in the hallway as soon as they had heard Alpha's alert that something was wrong in the medical bay. Kendrix was worried as she followed silently and quickly behind her teammates. Leo noticed her anxiety and grabbed her hand to reassure her. She managed a brief smile. Then Maya's terrified screams echoed down the hall causing the others to rush to her side.
Mike was there trying to restrain her and calm her down but to no avail. She was obviously upset and traumatized. She looked so sad and painsticken, he wondered if she was remembering events of earlier in the day. He gently stroked her back and her hair trying to calm her down. He could not recognize any of the words she was saying as she alternating between heartbreaking screams and gentle pleas.
"What's going on?" Leo demanded as the other four rangers burst onto the scene.
"What's wrong with her?" Kendrix inquired worried. Neither Alpha nor Mike could calm the distressed yellow ranger down, so Alpha injected her with a sedative to help her relax.
"I don't know. She woke up in the middle of the night just screaming and sobbing." Mike informed his new teammates.
"Did she say anything?" Kai wanted to know. "Nothing I could interpret. She must have been speaking in some sort of language from Mironoi." Mike surmised thoughtfully. They all stayed in the medical bay until they were sure she was finally resting. Maybe they could get some answers in the morning.
Mike was still sitting in the chair when Maya awoke a few hours later. She looked well rested except for her eyes, which gave away the terror she must still be feeling from last night. "How are you?" He asked in concern. Tears began trickling down her cheeks as she recalled the horrible events of the day before not to mention the nightmares that brought back so many terrible memories.
Maya didn't have time to respond before the others came into the medical bay. Leo was the first one to her side. "Thank God you're alright." He murmured as he carefully wrapped her in his embrace. Mike moved away from the bed to give his brother more room. 'I must have been crazy to think she would wait for me.' He thought to himself. Finally he had to leave the room before he went crazy. He couldn't just stay there and watch Leo fawn all over the woman he cared for.
"Mike?" Maya called out quietly as he left the room but he just keep going. She looked at Leo in concern but he didn't seem to know what was going on either. Alpha came in and told her she could leave the medical bay. The group went to the holding bay for lunch but when they arrived Mike got up and left. Maya tried to talk to him but he ignored her.
"Why won't he talk to me?" Maya asked Leo in confusion. "I don't know." The red ranger replied honestly. "Why don't you go look for him?" Leo suggested. Maya nodded and went in search for the older Corbett.
Maya saw the ex-Magna Defender sitting by the edge of the lake. Cautiously she approached him. "What's wrong Mike?" Maya questioned the quiet man. He shrugged, he didn't know if he had the courage to tell her how he felt. He feared that he had already lost her to Leo.
"Did I do something to make you upset?" Maya asked fearfully. Her question made Mike look up at her. He saw the sadness in her eyes and knew he could not let her believe she did something wrong. She didn't know how he felt, and he couldn't blame her if she cared for Leo. He just didn't know what to say.
Mike's silence confirmed her suspicions. She decided to tell him the truth. "I don't have feelings for Leo." Maya reassured mike. "In fact him and Kendrix started seeing each other a few days ago." She said with a laugh. Her statement made Mike look up at her in disbelief. "Leo and Kendrix?" Maya just nodded. The two sat there for a few minutes in silence.
Suddenly there was an intense shaking as the two almost toppled over. "What was that?" Maya asked in bewilderment, looking around for an answer.
"Mike! Maya! We need you, Terra Venture has been compromised and we have to perform a crash landing." Kai's voice carried over the intercom, and the two rangers hurried back to the mega ship to join their teammates.
"What happened?" Mike demanded, slipping into his old mode of a high- ranking official. "We've just destroyed Trakeena but Terra Venture has been fatally wounded." Commander Stanton replied. "We're evacuating everyone into the city dome." He commanded. Mike wasted no time in obeying the command, quickly dragging Maya to the city dome. "Stay here." He commanded her.
"But I want to help." She protested furiously. Mike gave her a look that seemed to calm her down. "Please stay here Maya. The people need you to keep them calm." His gentle voice and the way he looked at her eased her anger. She reluctantly agreed and wished him well. "Good Luck." She whispered. She felt her heart twinge at watching him walk away. She didn't think she could bear to lose him twice. She hurried off to attend to some of the civilians, keeping her mind effectively off of Mike.
Mike was relieved that Maya had listened to him. He didn't want her to risk her life unnecessarily too. He only wished they could have finished their conversation earlier. Duty called as he managed to push Maya out of his mind to focus on the emergency at hand.
In a matter of minutes the entire colony of Terra Venture was safely inside the city dome and landed safely, albeit roughly on the surface of an unknown planet.
"Where are we?" Leo asked as the six walked around the planet they now inhibited. Kai just shook his head clueless as well.
Maya walked around, her eyes wide open. She had a strange feeling. 'It seems so familiar.' She spotted bushes straight ahead, and not knowing why she started pulling the branches away to reveal what was underneath. Maya stood there in shock as she suddenly realized where they were. The others watched her from afar curious as to what she found.
"Maya?" Leo called gently. Maya turned back with tears glistening in her eyes. "We're on Mironoi." Her statement shocked the others. She traced the words written on the stone that she had uncovered. It was a place she had stopped many times to rest when she was younger. Solemnly she realized how desolate her planet was. Her people were still frozen in stone and the planet had become overgrown in the two years she had been gone.
Determined and knowing of no other way to save her people, she strode through the forest to back where their adventures had first begun. She quickly found what she was looking for and uncovered the stone that had once held their quasar sabers. Taking hers from her side, she slid it back into it's opening, feeling the power leave her as she did so. Slowly the others followed suit. As all five sabers were returned their powers connected and flew over the planet, renewing the life of planet and most importantly unfreezing her people.
A/N: this story is slightly AU since I've decided not to include Karone, I'm sure many of the details of the ending of LG are slightly off but I only saw it once so please forgive me. Otherwise enjoy!
Maya woke up after a long night's sleep. Deca let them sleep in after staying out late last night after the Terra Venture Ball. Memories of the day before flooded her with warmth as she stretched her muscles. She didn't realize she would be this sore after all that dancing. She rose from her hammock and got ready for the day.
A glance at the calendar reminded her of the date, and her good mood suddenly vanished. October 10th, meaning tomorrow would be her 20th birthday. The day she most wanted to forget forever. She had stopped celebrating her birthday a long time ago. She didn't want her teammates to know, then she would have to explain everything. Sighing she slipped on her usual attire and set off for the day.
If Maya was unusually quiet all day, no one seemed to notice. Leo and Kendrix were too involved in their newly formed relationship to beware of her strange behavior. Kai and Damon had been working all day to catch up on the work that was missed yesterday. Maya has spent most of the day in the jungle dome alone and didn't catch up with the others until dinner.
"Hello!" Damon called out. "Earth to Maya!" He said to the yellow ranger, waving his hand in her face to jolt her out of her daydream.
Maya jumped a bit as she realized her teammates were all looking at her. "What?" she questioned as she tried to shake the images of Mironoi out of her head.
"I asked if you wanted to come with us to the theater hall and see a movie." Leo repeated to the confused girl.
Before Maya could reply, Kai jumped in with another question. "Are you okay Maya?" He asked concerned. "Yeah, I'm fine." Maya quickly lied.
She turned to look at Leo to answer his question. "Thanks for inviting me to the movie, but I think I'm just going to go to bed early. "Maya informed them as she bid them goodnight and headed off to her and Kendrix's quarters.
"She was really quiet during dinner." Kendrix said to break the silence as the four of them thought about what could be bothering their normally outgoing and cheerful friend.
"I thought she had a good time last night." Kai commented curiously.
"I know, it 's not like Maya. Something must be up." Leo decided firmly. Not knowing what it was though, they gave up on figuring it out and left for the movies.
The next morning, October 11th....
Maya woke up at 6am, her roommate Kendrix already in the shower and getting ready for her shift. She sat on the window seat, her favorite place to think. Images of fourteen years ago played through her mind as she recalled the tragic events that transformed her young life.
"Happy Birthday Maya!" Her mom and dad announced simultaneously as the now six year old exited the cottage to where her parents were preparing a special breakfast feast for her that was tradition in their village. The young girl with long, curly brown hair and inquisitive brown eyes watched the preparation with great expectation. Just then her best friend Shondra came by with a present.
"Can I open it Papa?" She pleaded eagerly with her father as she held the package anxiously. He laughed at her amusement and replied, "Of course." Inside the package was a beautiful shell and flower necklace Shondra had made herself. She immediately tied it around her neck.
Thinking back to that day, Maya fingered the necklace that she had not removed in the fourteen years since. "Happy Birthday Maya." She whispered to herself as she set off to begin another day at Terra Venture. She paused to brush her unruly hair as tears came to her eyes as memories of her sixth birthday came flooding back.
"And this is from your papa and me." Maya's mother stated in her smooth and gentle voice that she passed down onto her daughter. Maya ripped open the leaves to find a comb and mirror set. "It's so beautiful mama." The young Maya exclaimed in awe as she fingered the set.
"Just like you." Her papa declared as he pulled his young daughter into his lap for a hug. "Why don't you go use your new comb and by the time you're done, it will be time for breakfast." He decided and watched in merriment as she hurried off.
Little did they know, they would never get to eat breakfast. As Maya emerged once again from their cottage, she quickly noticed the still quietness of her normally bustling village.
"Mama?" She cried out fearfully as she looked everywhere for her parents. A minute later her father appeared, "Papa, why are you crying?" Maya demanded to know as she tugged on his hand.
A loud explosion jolted him into action. The larger man gathered his daughter in his arms and sprinted across the village to where her grandfather Jera lived. "Maya, promise me you'll stay here with Jera. He'll keep you safe." He declared as he settled his only daughter in the older man's arms.
"But Papa, where are you going?" She argued as she held unto her father. "What's happening?" She questioned as another explosion rocked their village. Her father gave her a quick kiss goodbye and with tears in his eyes he set out to protect their village with the other men. Jera forced the girl to take cover under a table, Maya watched with horrified fascination as her village soon was covered with smoke and fire.
Hours later the village was once again quiet. But it was not the peaceful calm they were used to. Crawling out from under the table, Maya ran out of Jera's house to look for her parents. Maybe they couldn't find her with all the smoke, she figured. She noticed a pair of familiar bodies a few feet away. She huddled up next to them and glanced up. In the distance she could see the faint outline of the evil creature that had destroyed her village. Red stripes across its back were imprinted on her young memory. She would never forget that image as long as she lived. Maya looked around her village. Cottages lay in ruins and families were separated as each family had lost loved ones in the attack.
Just then smoke filtered into the girls room as her roommate Kendrix appeared from the bathroom. "IT must be Leo's turn to cook this morning." The pink ranger declared with a giggle as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.
When Maya didn't respond, the blonde girl gazed at her teammate and noticed that Maya's eyes had a haunted look in them as she stared into space. "Hello! Earth to Maya. It's time for breakfast."
At her words, Maya snapped out of her trance to stare at Kendrix. Tears filled her eyes as she responded to the familiar words from fourteen years ago. "I'm not hungry. I'll catch up with you guys later." She decided, as she left the room before Kendrix could ask any more questions. The pink ranger watched in confusion as the yellow ranger tore out of the room.
"Where's Maya?" Leo asked Kendrix as she entered the kitchen where the three male members were already gathered. "She said she's not hungry." Kendrix explained as she placed some crispy pancakes on her plate.
"I don't blame her. She must have known Leo was cooking." Kai cracked as the others laughed at the red ranger's expense.
"Very funny Kai. Not everyone is an expert chef like you." Leo retorted as he continued to scrape burnt pancakes out of the pan. They were saved from trying to eat Leo's pancakes when Alpha came into the kitchen.
"Rangers, there has been an attack on Eltare. You must go at once." Alpha declared urgently.
"I'll go get Maya." Leo declared and soon the five were gathered on the mega ship to respond to Deca's alarm system. Leo nodded and they quickly transformed into the power rangers and teleported directly to Eltare.
"Ready to be defeated rangers?" Black Widow taunted the five rangers as he fired his wand at them, causing them to be tossed about by the powerful energy and landing with five thuds on the ground. One by one the five rangers stood up from the ground and assumed their attack positions. Kai and Kendrix took off running first towards the monster with their weapons raised; only to be deflected away as if nothing more than flies.
"Are you guys ok?" Leo demanded as he, Damon, and Maya stood protectively in front of their two injured teammates.
"Yeah, let's get him." Kai replied with sheer determination. Kendrix nodded in agreement, and they regrouped to make another attack.
Damon managed to land a blow from his quasar saber, which was quickly followed by a blast from Leo. Maya moved in form the side, but the monster was ready for her, tossing her away form her teammates as she landed in a heap. Before the others could reach her, the monster blasted her with his wand, causing sparks to come off her uniform as she writhed in pain. The others gathered around her but the monster blasted them as well.
"Aaahh!" Screamed Kendrix and Damon in unison as they rolled around in intense agony.
"We've never battled a monster this powerful before." Kai groaned as he struggled to get off the ground.
Maya lifted her head from the ground to gaze at the monster. Something stirred in her as she remembered the stripes she saw across it's back. Images raced through her mind but she did not know why. "I've seen this monster before." Maya murmured to herself as she stared at the creature.
"What?" Leo cried out in confusion. "How? Who is he?" The red ranger wanted to know as they struggled to defeat him.
"I don't know!" Maya cried out in frustration. "He just seems so familiar." The yellow ranger replied in shock as she tried to recall this monster before it finished them off.
As the creature prepared to strike the rangers with a final, fatal blow, he was struck with a powerful blast that drove him to the ground. The other rangers looked up in amazement, but were not surprised to see the Magna Defender there with his sword. Before he could be warned, the creature struck the Defender across his back. The few seconds were all the rangers needed to recover and they joined forces to battle the monster, as the Magna Defender fell to the ground.
"You want some more pain rangers?" Black Widow hollered as he advanced on the group.
"Bring it on." Damon yelled cockily as he charged the spider with his quasar saber only to be cut across his chest and shoved aside. Maya screamed, "Damon!" as she rushed to his aid. Kai, Kendrix, and Leo protected the two of them by standing between them and the monster.
"You think you can defeat me?" Black Widow laughed as he fired upon the three standing rangers, driving them to the ground motionless. Maya glanced about at her four fallen friends who were in various stages of demorphing. Shaking off her shock she raced towards the spider only to be knocked backwards by his wand. The other rangers were stirring as they watched her land awkwardly on a pile of rocks. Maya gasped as she struggled to regain her breath, as her yellow suit slowly faded and the bruises and blood appeared on her battered body.
"I've defeated the rangers. Trakeena will be so pleased." Black Widow gloated as he celebrated victory.
"We got to go." Leo yelled to his four injured teammates. Kai, Kendrix, and Damon drew back with their leader, looking to retreat.
"NO!" Maya replied from her position on the rocks. A strange memory from her past came to mind. She remembered Jera telling her a story about this spider. One of the warriors of Mironoi had killed one of them by sticking a sharp object between its eyes. She knew she had to try to kill it. It was a matter of life or death, kill or be killed.
She saw the spider with its back turned to them and saw an opportunity to end this battle once and for all. Filled with a sudden burst of adrenaline, she pulled herself up and crept up on the unsuspecting, gloating villain as he stood over the defenseless Magna Defender. She didn't know why but she had to defend their hero. She wasn't going to just give up, they weren't defeated yet.
"NO Maya!" Leo yelled in horror as he watched his yellow teammate hobble over to where the spider held a death grip on the Magna Defender. Maya limped in intense agony as she grabbed a stick and thrust it between the spider's eyes. The action startled him, and caused him to release Magna Defender. With one of its legs, it plunged its stinger into Maya's leg and she collapsed on top of the Magna Defender. In another five seconds, the other four rangers watched helplessly as the spider exploded, and the ground beneath him, the Magna Defender, and Maya shifted and the three tumbled down into the dry riverbed hundreds of feet below. Leo was the first to recover and forced himself to crawl over to the ledge. All he could see was smoke and flames. It didn't seem possible that anyone could survive that fall, or the explosion.
"I can't believe she's gone. She died to save us." Kai stated in absolute shock as he, Damon, and Kendrix joined Leo at the edge of the canyon.
"No! I will not believe she's dead until I see her." Kendrix cried out for her best friend. "We've got to go see." She implored her three teammates, as she made her way down the rocky hill. Reluctantly following her example, Damon, Kai, and Leo soon pursued the pink ranger to the bottom of the riverbed. The dust began to clear and they first found the body of the spider.
"Man, that thing is ugly!" Damon exclaimed, finally seeing the creature face-to-face, and backing away from the hideous being.
"How did Maya know how to kill it?" Kai wondered aloud in amazement. Leo was lost in thought, but Kai's question brought him back to reality. From his spot a few feet away he answered the blue ranger. "She said it looked familiar, she must have remembered."
"Any signs of her?" Kendrix asked tearfully as the rubble was gravely silent. Kai went over to comfort her. "Not yet, but if she's alive, we'll find her." He reassured her.
"She can't be gone!" Kendrix moaned, as she held on tighter to the blue ranger. He couldn't fathom being a team without the yellow ranger. No other team had lost a ranger before, why them? Kai thought angrily.
Suddenly a pile of rocks shifted, causing the rangers to quickly jump away. A cloud of dust choked the rangers as two shadows appeared from where the pile of rocks had moved.
"She's not gone yet, but she will be if we don't get her some medical attention." The Magna Defender declared with authority.
The familiar voice caused the rangers to look up. But there was no armor there, only the uniform of one Mike Corbett. And in his arms was an unconscious Maya.
"Mike?" Damon whispered in disbelief. "But how? I thought you had died on Mironoi." "Mike! You were the Magna Defender?" Kai asked in awe. "How come you didn't tell us?" the younger Corbett demanded.
"I wasn't really the Magna Defender, when I fell into the pit on Mironoi, he used my spirit to come back to life." Mike confessed.
"You guys can have a family reunion later, we need to get Maya back to the mega ship." Damon reminded them urgently.
"He's right, come on guys." Kendrix agreed solemnly, hoping her best friend would recover. She looked so fragile, lying limply in Mike's arms. She couldn't believe she was alive.
Leo was relieved and stunned all at once. Not only did Maya survive that fall and explosion but also his brother was alive! Noticing the strain on Kendrix's face he put his arm around her and escorted her back to the mega ship.
Mike watched restlessly as Alpha scanned the still girl's body for signs of injury. Leo smiled to himself, knowing the reason behind his brother's anxiety, but the others didn't seem to notice. They were all caught up in their concern for their teammate too.
"There doesn't seem to be any permanent damage." Alpha concluded. "Maya has a few cracked ribs and bruises but she should wake up in a few hours." He reported optimistically.
"What about the spider bite?" Kendrix asked fearfully, remembering the stinger that had punctured Maya's leg.
"I administered an antidote that should ward off any ill effects of the spider's bite." Alpha reported hopefully.
"Alright. Alpha, alert us the moment she wakes up will you?" Leo commanded of the robot as he finished giving his report on Maya's condition.
"You got it Leo." Alpha agreed and all the rangers save Mike, left the medical bay exhausted after their long day. They slept easy knowing Maya would be okay and excited to spend time with Mike in the morning.
In the medical bay, Mike watches Maya while she sleeps, thinking about the first time he laid eyes on the beautiful warrior girl and wondering what it was about her that made it so he couldn't stop thinking about her. Even in the pit, he could not force himself to stop thinking about her, wondering how she was adapting to Terra Venture, and hoping she was not too homesick. Thoughts of her had filled his seemingly endless days.
Flashback to the portal...
He remembered there was a flash of light as a porthole opened in front of them. He was shocked to see a figure come rolling down the hill and land in front of them. She stood up gracefully, her long brown hair flowing behind her, determination etched on her face as she tried to avoid them.
"My name is Maya, I'm from the planet Mironoi. If I don't get back, Scorpius will destroy my people." The strange girl pleaded with them. He didn't know what possessed him to go with her, but he felt compelled to help her and her people.
"Mike." Kendrix exclaimed, startling him out of his thoughts. "You shouldn't be out of bed." She admonished her friend as he kept watch over the yellow ranger. "I know." He confessed, "I can't help it." He said without looking at the pink ranger. "Kendrix, do you think she'll be okay?" he asked, this time looking at her with a hopeful expression.
"I do, Mike. I really do. She didn't survive that explosion just to leave us now." She encouraged her distraught friend. "And I know you didn't survive what you went through just to see her leave either. You guys were meant to be together." Kendrix declared, much to his shock. He didn't know anyone knew of his feelings except Leo.
Kendrix laughed a bit at his reaction. "You'll have time to tell her when she wakes up. But until then you need some rest." She admonished him gently, leaving him alone with his thoughts and the yellow ranger. Mike didn't leave her side though.
"You have to be okay Maya." Mike whispered as he held her hand tightly in his. He laid his head on her bed and fell asleep in the chair next to her.
A few hours later...
"No!" Maya murmured as she started tossing and turning in her sleep, a horrified expression on her face. "Don't leave me Papa!" she whispered in her native Mironian language of Twoila, as she began to cry.
Mike had been startled out of his sleep when Maya had turned away from him, his hand being wrenched out of hers as she covered her face. Maya curled up in a tight ball and was sobbing her heart out.
She was so upset she didn't notice the presence of Mike next to her or the fact that Alpha had alerted the others. After the shock of her injuries had worn off, her memories came rushing back. She must have repressed them for so many years, and now she could recall them so clearly and vividly. It scared her. The explosion was so real in her unconsciousness that she started screaming out loud.
Leo, Kai, and Damon met up with Kendrix in the hallway as soon as they had heard Alpha's alert that something was wrong in the medical bay. Kendrix was worried as she followed silently and quickly behind her teammates. Leo noticed her anxiety and grabbed her hand to reassure her. She managed a brief smile. Then Maya's terrified screams echoed down the hall causing the others to rush to her side.
Mike was there trying to restrain her and calm her down but to no avail. She was obviously upset and traumatized. She looked so sad and painsticken, he wondered if she was remembering events of earlier in the day. He gently stroked her back and her hair trying to calm her down. He could not recognize any of the words she was saying as she alternating between heartbreaking screams and gentle pleas.
"What's going on?" Leo demanded as the other four rangers burst onto the scene.
"What's wrong with her?" Kendrix inquired worried. Neither Alpha nor Mike could calm the distressed yellow ranger down, so Alpha injected her with a sedative to help her relax.
"I don't know. She woke up in the middle of the night just screaming and sobbing." Mike informed his new teammates.
"Did she say anything?" Kai wanted to know. "Nothing I could interpret. She must have been speaking in some sort of language from Mironoi." Mike surmised thoughtfully. They all stayed in the medical bay until they were sure she was finally resting. Maybe they could get some answers in the morning.
Mike was still sitting in the chair when Maya awoke a few hours later. She looked well rested except for her eyes, which gave away the terror she must still be feeling from last night. "How are you?" He asked in concern. Tears began trickling down her cheeks as she recalled the horrible events of the day before not to mention the nightmares that brought back so many terrible memories.
Maya didn't have time to respond before the others came into the medical bay. Leo was the first one to her side. "Thank God you're alright." He murmured as he carefully wrapped her in his embrace. Mike moved away from the bed to give his brother more room. 'I must have been crazy to think she would wait for me.' He thought to himself. Finally he had to leave the room before he went crazy. He couldn't just stay there and watch Leo fawn all over the woman he cared for.
"Mike?" Maya called out quietly as he left the room but he just keep going. She looked at Leo in concern but he didn't seem to know what was going on either. Alpha came in and told her she could leave the medical bay. The group went to the holding bay for lunch but when they arrived Mike got up and left. Maya tried to talk to him but he ignored her.
"Why won't he talk to me?" Maya asked Leo in confusion. "I don't know." The red ranger replied honestly. "Why don't you go look for him?" Leo suggested. Maya nodded and went in search for the older Corbett.
Maya saw the ex-Magna Defender sitting by the edge of the lake. Cautiously she approached him. "What's wrong Mike?" Maya questioned the quiet man. He shrugged, he didn't know if he had the courage to tell her how he felt. He feared that he had already lost her to Leo.
"Did I do something to make you upset?" Maya asked fearfully. Her question made Mike look up at her. He saw the sadness in her eyes and knew he could not let her believe she did something wrong. She didn't know how he felt, and he couldn't blame her if she cared for Leo. He just didn't know what to say.
Mike's silence confirmed her suspicions. She decided to tell him the truth. "I don't have feelings for Leo." Maya reassured mike. "In fact him and Kendrix started seeing each other a few days ago." She said with a laugh. Her statement made Mike look up at her in disbelief. "Leo and Kendrix?" Maya just nodded. The two sat there for a few minutes in silence.
Suddenly there was an intense shaking as the two almost toppled over. "What was that?" Maya asked in bewilderment, looking around for an answer.
"Mike! Maya! We need you, Terra Venture has been compromised and we have to perform a crash landing." Kai's voice carried over the intercom, and the two rangers hurried back to the mega ship to join their teammates.
"What happened?" Mike demanded, slipping into his old mode of a high- ranking official. "We've just destroyed Trakeena but Terra Venture has been fatally wounded." Commander Stanton replied. "We're evacuating everyone into the city dome." He commanded. Mike wasted no time in obeying the command, quickly dragging Maya to the city dome. "Stay here." He commanded her.
"But I want to help." She protested furiously. Mike gave her a look that seemed to calm her down. "Please stay here Maya. The people need you to keep them calm." His gentle voice and the way he looked at her eased her anger. She reluctantly agreed and wished him well. "Good Luck." She whispered. She felt her heart twinge at watching him walk away. She didn't think she could bear to lose him twice. She hurried off to attend to some of the civilians, keeping her mind effectively off of Mike.
Mike was relieved that Maya had listened to him. He didn't want her to risk her life unnecessarily too. He only wished they could have finished their conversation earlier. Duty called as he managed to push Maya out of his mind to focus on the emergency at hand.
In a matter of minutes the entire colony of Terra Venture was safely inside the city dome and landed safely, albeit roughly on the surface of an unknown planet.
"Where are we?" Leo asked as the six walked around the planet they now inhibited. Kai just shook his head clueless as well.
Maya walked around, her eyes wide open. She had a strange feeling. 'It seems so familiar.' She spotted bushes straight ahead, and not knowing why she started pulling the branches away to reveal what was underneath. Maya stood there in shock as she suddenly realized where they were. The others watched her from afar curious as to what she found.
"Maya?" Leo called gently. Maya turned back with tears glistening in her eyes. "We're on Mironoi." Her statement shocked the others. She traced the words written on the stone that she had uncovered. It was a place she had stopped many times to rest when she was younger. Solemnly she realized how desolate her planet was. Her people were still frozen in stone and the planet had become overgrown in the two years she had been gone.
Determined and knowing of no other way to save her people, she strode through the forest to back where their adventures had first begun. She quickly found what she was looking for and uncovered the stone that had once held their quasar sabers. Taking hers from her side, she slid it back into it's opening, feeling the power leave her as she did so. Slowly the others followed suit. As all five sabers were returned their powers connected and flew over the planet, renewing the life of planet and most importantly unfreezing her people.