Legal Disclaimer: Buena Vista is currently distributing the Power Rangers,
I think. While this is basically a standalone, this DOES take place within
the bounds of my "From the Stars" series! Just, oh, about ten months
before it begins. There are hints of future events here, and to further
tie it in, Anna Park in here later makes another appearance in the story
"Hydrohog: H, 2, Uh-oh..." And in my universe, supposedly Prince Gasket
and Princess Archarina appeared earlier than they did in the TV show. Oh,
well.....
Oh, yeah, it's been revamped (duh) so those of you who've read it before are in for a treat, with additional scenes and others somewhat altered. I like what I did with this one. Enjoy.
Metal Hearts
By ZeoViolet
Teaser: When Adam's little sister is kidnapped by Prince Gasket and Archarina, much more happens than is expected.
****
"Put me down, Adam," giggled his six-year-old sister Anna one day while the duo were hiking in the desert. The green Zeo ranger had caught her and was tickling her unmercifully.
"Are you going to behave?" he asked, easing up a little and hugging her tighly.
"Yes," she laughed and hugged him back. "But I have to finish my science project, Adam. I need that lizard."
Adam shook his head. An unusually intelligent little girl who loved to read any book that she could get her hands on, his sister was working on a project for one of her advanced-placement courses. It included a detailed study of desert life.
And yet, while Anna was so smart, she was still a little girl, and it showed. Her daily companion, Her beloved stuffed Raggedy Ann, nicknamed "Anna's twin", was with her, tucked inside the girl's backpack. It did not bother the child to carry it, and it did not faze Adam to see her hauling it around.
Although he was glad she was still young enough for such pleasures.
"Stay close to me, Anna," he warned, releasing her. "We are alone out here, and you know that with me, bad things can happen."
"So you are the green ranger," she shrugged, perfectly aware of his secret. His whole family was. "You taught me a lot about martial arts. I will be fine." She tossed her long black curls down her back while her sharp dark eyes turned to scan the desert floor for any sign of movement by what she seeked.
"Still, any sign of danger, you run," he urged. "I won't have you killed, Anna Park."
She nodded and started away from him, seeing tiny tracks in the sand and following them toward the cliffs nearby.
****
"Well, well, well," said Gasket thoughtfully, watching the child through a magical viewscreen. "Adam's sister, alone with her brother. Maybe if we send down a large group of Cogs, Archarina dear, they can destroy them so fast none of the other rangers will be able to get to them in time."
"But she looks like such a dear little girl." Archarina was for once not so sure about one of her husband's ideas. Murdering children was a distasteful forte she sheid away from. "I don't think I would like her killed. She would make a delightful ransom piece, though, don't you think? We could even get the Zeo Powers for her release."
"True," Gasket mused, studying the small girl hopping across stones as she tracked her prize. "All right, then. Send down some Cogs to capture the girl and bring her to me. In the meantime, she can be....oh, I dunno, a servant or something."
"Yes, dear." Obediently, Archarina went to do as she was told. She always won in arguments like these. Even on the planet they had conquered.....
****
"Adam! Help! It's *them*!"
His sister's cry alerted the boy immediately. She had just disappeared around a bend, and he felt as if his worst fears were coming true as he heard her scream.
Breaking into a run, he yelled into his communicator. "Guys, I need your help now! I am out in the desert with my sister, and we are being attacked by Cogs!"
Before he even heard Billy reply, he yelled, "Anna, run! Get out of their grip and *run*, as fast as you can!"
She came dashing around the corner, her long black hair flying and her eyes wide as she fought to stay calm like he had often instructed her to do. Her backpack bounced on her back as she fled the group of cogs bent on chasing her. "Adam!" she shrieked.
"You cannot teleport her out of here!" said one cog in it's emotionless voice. "Gasket has erected a forcefield around the area."
Anna managed to reach her brother before the cogs got ahold of her, and she ducked behind him. Moments later, the cogs were bearing down on them both.
"I am going to morph, Anna," he said quietly to the child who was huddled behind him. "Do your best to stay out of their hands. If you get a chance, run for it, try to lose them!"
He heard her breathy, whispered, "Yes," as he crossd his wrists. "Zeo Ranger IV, green!" he ordered. There was a green flash, and he was ready for action.
He had no hesistation about plowing his fists into the first cog that came at him, angrily knocking the robot to the ground. The cog broke up and disintegrated.
He heard Anna shriek again, and knew she was doing her level best to use her tiny body to her advantage, belting the cog who had her arm right in the stomach, putting force behind her move so it worked.
"Run, Anna!" he called, crashing two more cogs together. "Get out of here!"
"I can't!" she cried, ducking another cog and crawling between his startled legs. "There are too many of them!"
There were two sudden flashes of red and pink as Adam suddenly found he had help.
"We got here as soon as we could, man," said Tommy, as he and Kat sprang to Adam's defense. "It took Billy forever to get just us through. He can't even get the others through."
"I'm glad at least you are here," he said, knocking another cog away. "You have to help me get Anna away from here. They keep trying to grab her."
"Right." Tommy knocked another cog away from the child, but was unable to prevent her from being grabbed from behind.
"Adam!" she shrieked. "Help me!"
"Hold on, Anna!" he cried, darting toward her. Two cogs pounced on him, pinning him against a cliff wall. He struggled, desperate to get free. "Anna!" he cried.
"Sie-Kayah!" There was a brilliant flash of black and gold as the mysterious Gold Ranger, who only showed himself in times like this, managed to intervene, ripping one cog off Adam so he could knock the other one awry.
"Thanks," grunted Adam, pelting the cog once more.
"Go after your sister!" was the Gold Ranger's stiff answer. "The red and pink rangers are pinned, you are the only one who can get her!"
Adam did not verbally react, but he obeyed without heistation. Something in the Gold Ranger's tone--distinct pain--heightened his sense of urgency further. He ran toward his sister, who was struggling as another cog attempted to grab her by her ankles.
"Let me go, you creep!" she cried, kicking him in the head.
"You will come with us!" snapped the cog emotionlessly, attempting to grab her again.
"Never!" she said fiercely as Adam came up and pummeled the cog. "Leave my sister alone, you under-oiled rust buckets!"
This remark must have enraged them, for he was suddenly pounced upon by three cogs, who knocked him to the ground. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that they had pinned the gold ranger as well, while trying to beat them all mercilessly.
"Anna!" he cried. "Run! Get out of here!"
She had long ago been trained by her brother to obey that tone of voice without hesistation. She turned and fled, followed by cogs.
He did not know how far she had gotten, but he suddenly heard her scream. "Adam! Adam, help me!"
The only sound in his ears was his own pounding heart as suddenly, every cog vanished, leaving the place eerilie silent.
****
"No! Anna! No!" Adam struggled to his feet and ran in the direction his sister had fled to. Her footprints were in the sand, followed by cog prints---to a point. Nearby, they all stopped aburptly.
He stood there, dumbfounded, as a sudden feeling of hopelessness hit him, hard. "Oh, gods, Anna..." he whispered. He seemed unaware of pounding feet as Tommy, Kat, and the Gold Ranger suddenly appeared behind him. He did not seem to hear himself as he said tonelessly, "She's gone." His world had narrowed to the pitch-blackness of sudden despair and guilt. *I should have saved her,* was the only thought to penetrate his brain.
"We will get her back, Adam," said Kat softly, touching his shoulder. He did not react, too numb from shock. *Anna...*
"Rangers," Zordon's voice came over their communicators. "Come to the Power Chamber at once."
"Yes, Zordon," he vaguely heard Tommy say.
"I wish to come with you," he heard the Gold Ranger even more distantly. "Perhaps I could be of help."
Adam still did not react, and was really unaware of Tommy reaching for his wrist, hitting his teleporter for him so that he would teleport with the rest.
*Anna....*
****
"....Then she was just...gone," Tommy quickly finished telling the story. "Zordon, is there no way to trace her, to find out where the cogs took her?"
"It will not be easy, Tommy," said Zordon, while Adam, though he listened, hardly reacted. "The cogs in question were of the type designated to Prince Gasket and Princess Archarina, but their hiding place is well- sheilded and impervious to our sensors."
"Is there no way at all?" Adam asked weakly, finally reacting somewhat. "No way to follow their trail?"
"All we can do is try, Adam. Since she is your sister, we may hear from them soon enough, if they desire her as a ransom piece. We must be very careful, lest they get too angry."
"It is my fault!" Adam burst suddenly, losing his impassivity. "I should have kept a closer eye on her! I told her to stay close, but I let her get too far ahead of me!"
"Adam, that is nonsense," said Billy calmly. "You were all overwhelmed, there was no real way of preventing it."
"Oh, and I suppose you know what this is like?" asked Adam bitterly. "Do you have a sister or brother, Billy? Would you not blame yourself if something happened to them?"
Billy looked shocked and slightly stung. "*Adam,* calm down. No, I do not have any siblings, I grew up an only child, but that does not mean I don't care or don't understand. You guys are more or less my family, and whenever one of you is in trouble, I feel basically the same way. But I keep my head."
Adam sighed, tears in his eyes. "I know, Billy. I am sorry, honest. It's just that..." heedless of who was watching, and not really caring, tears started to stream down his face. "She is my sister, and she is in incredible danger in the hands of Archarina and Gasket. You know how they are! Dammit, Billy, I love her, she is my only sibling. If I lost her, I would be lost, and so would my parents. I cannot justify this not being my fault for not keeping a closer eye on her, and I cannot deny this. I must get her back before they kill her!"
"And I swear I will do my best to help you," said the Gold Ranger unexpectedly. "Gasket and Archarina will not get away with this."
Again came that harsh edge to his tone, and Adam, momentarily snapping out of it, stared at him in surprise. The Gold Ranger turned his back and stiffly walked away a few paces, not saying anything more.
*He sounds like he knows what it's like, too.....*
However, he did not dare ask. He knew he would get no answer. The Gold Ranger was far too slient as it was. ****
"I want my brother! Take me back!" Anna demanded indignantly when she was alone with Gasket and Archarina. "I don't belong here."
"Quiet!" snapped Gasket. "You belong here for now, my girl. Don't worry, I won't hurt you...yet." He touched her head lightly, and she squirmed away. He ignored this. "But your brother and his friends have some things I would like, and you will be my key to getting them."
"They won't listen. They will track you down and get me back."
"Sorry, my child, but they will not. They cannot find this place." Archarina studied the little girl, who was very pretty, sort of the female version of Adam, and with the same smallish build. She knew the girl was afraid, but was doing her best not to show it, holding her doll closely and staring stubbornly at them. Archarina rather admired her bravery. "Come, my dear. I will show you where you can rest, and eat, since you need that kind of stuff to stay alive. Then we will see what happens."
"No! Don't touch me!"
"You might as well let me do it, child. How else are you going to keep up your strength? I doubt if you would prefer the prison cells, and being whipped at all hours of the night as prisoners are."
The girl went pale. "I will come with you."
"Good." Archarina reached out a hand, and tenatively, the girl took it. Archarina, for some reason she could not fathom, felt rather bad for the way she had threatened the girl.
"Can I at least keep my doll?" asked Anna in a quivering tone, her other arm clutching her Raggedy Ann all the more tightly.
Archarina looked at the rag doll clutched tightly in Anna's other arm. She was supposed to make the child afraid of her, but somehow, she did not have the heart to do so. She was surprised--she had no idea children had such an effect on her. "If you obey us and do not cause trouble, you may keep the doll," Archarina promised. Behind her, she heard Gasket snort. She ignored him, picking up the child and carrying her away.
****
"....and I want the Zeo Crystal," Gasket's message was saying as the rangers, gathered in the command center later that afternoon, listened in silence. "If you do not cooperate, you will never hear from the girl again. You give me *too* much trouble, she will die."
The omnious threat in his tone was clear to all who listened to it.
That was all. The recording vanished.
Adam sat silently, staring ahead, his eyes full of tears but his face otherwise expressionless. He was sheet-white, and his knuckles were white where he clenched his hands so hard. *I swear, Anna, I will get you back. You will not die!*
"We will keep scanning and searching," said Zordon. "His message said we would not hear from him again for two days, it buys us some time. I suggest everyone get some rest."
"*Rest*?" gasped Adam. "My sister is in danger, and I should *rest*? No way! I don't do anything else until she is safe with me again! This is my fault, and I must make things right!"
"Adam..." groaned Rocky from nearby. "We can only do what is possible. If you are weak and sick from lack of sleep or food, how are you going to help in the search?"
It was enough to make Adam quiet again. Only the Gold Ranger still made few comments, but Adam had the distinct feeling he was the most empathic to the situation. In fact, Adam was fast realizing that the more the Gold Ranger kept appearing, and despite how little he said, the more they seemed to find out about his personality, if not his identity. It was in his rather driven manner. There was something sad about him, as if he'd lost something to him that meant more to him than his own life. Maybe he had. In any case, it made Adam aware that he could sympathize, at least a little, more than the others could.
****
"What is the point of hurting, of conquering?" asked Anna to Archarina. "Don't people respond more to kindess than to hurt?"
Archarina did not know how to still the girl's constant questions of good and evil. She liked the child, and was beginning to feel and affection for her, despite their differences. Still, she did not want to get the girl into a situation where she could be hurt.
"When you have power, you use it," she answered at last. "People always obey if they know that if they refuse, it does no good."
"Cooperation is better, and there are no hard feelings that way. Besides, you could still get what you wanted out of life if you were kind to people."
"I have always had to be brutal to others," said Archarina slowly. "It is how I was raised."
"Then change. You don't have any kids, do you, Archarina? Would you be brutal to a kid of your own?"
"Of course not. I would love a child of my own, and treat it with all the love a mother could give. But...I don't know how. I don't have a child yet."
*Why am I telling her, a little girl who is could not possibly understand, all of this?*
"Do you want a kid someday?"
"...Yes..." she was rather startled by the question. How could a small child know so much?
"Well, I'm a kid. I can show you what a kid likes, so you will be prepared when you have one born....or built, whichever you do. From what Gasket says, I will be here for awhile anyways."
Anna could see no other way to pass the time, really. Otherwise, this was going to be a very boring couple of days ahead. Already she had completely lost her fear of either Archarina or the gruff Gasket. Both fascinated her, actually, despite their darkness. Some things about them...somehow, the little girl sensed that not all of it could be bad. If only they'd see that.
Archarina was permitting her to move around, but never alone. Since her first threats, she had not said one unkind word to the child. She found she was not able to.....and she just did not understand why. Anna was charming, had a sweet smile, and a pure, honest soul. Archarina should despise her--shouldn't she? Shouldn't she loathe someone with so much brightness in her heart?
"Well..." said Archarina slowly. *Why not?* she thought. *At least it will keep the girl quiet, and she will not be so afraid. And she is right, in a way. I don't know a thing about children.*
"All right," she conceded. "I want to involve Gasket in this, too, but show me what it is like to be a kid, Anna. I am not sure I ever knew, even when I was youngster, first constructed."
"Okay," the girl seemed relieved. "Do you know how to play pretend?"
****
The rest of that day, and the next, they heard nothing out of Gasket. Adam did not stop pacing the Power Chamber, his face was white, and by the next day, he had circles under his eyes from exhaustion. His parents were frantic, and had beseiged him with pleas to find their daughter. At least they did not rest the blame on his shoulders.
The Gold Ranger had only said he would be out, searching the contours of space. The driven edge to him made Adam, to his startlement, realize that the Gold Ranger meant what he said--and since then, it seemed he was hell- bent on doing all he could, no matter the risks.
*Oh, yes,* Adam thought at one point. *He has definetly lost someone, or more than one, in the past.*
When he was not pacing, he was working hard to find some trace of his sister. No matter how hard he or anyone else tried, nobody could find the hidden lair of Gasket and Archarina.
****
*Why am I doing this?* wondered Gasket wearily, groping around unable to see because of the blindfold and feeling very foolish. Anna had, apparently, told Archarina of a weird game--Blind Man's Bluff, and knowing Archarina's unusual preoccupation with games at times (especially games from other planets), found himself drawn into it, although not before icily suggesting that if one of them was going around blindfolded, cogs were to be stationed at the edge of the room to make sure Anna made no break for it- -even if she had a place to run to, which she didn't.
However, Anna, not being a fool, did not, and instead had thrown herself into the game with fervor, trying hard to occupy herself so she would not mope. She'd been right. There was a nicer side to these two than they ever let on to anybody else. Archarina even loved games!
"Over here!" she called again from nearby Gasket. "And no peeking! I caught you cheating once, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, but had a hard time fighting away a smile when the child's musical laughter continually reached his ears. She was so brave, and tried so hard to not make life difficult for himself and Archarina. He knew very few who managed to smile through chaos. Anna was one of the rare few.
He groped around, following the general direction of her laughter.
"You're getting closer, dear," Archarina tried to supply helpfully, but was laughingly rebuked by Anna.
"No fair, Archarina! No letting him know where I am! That is against the rules!"
Even if she did not follow rules elsewhere, Archarina always followed game rules, and she made no further attempts to help her husband.
"C'mon, Gasket!" Anna called. "Don't tell me that when your dad constructed you he did not give you sensetive hearing!"
"Oh, *whatever*," he muttered, but again his lips twitched. Damnit, it was true, too. He *did* have unusually good hearing--and he could *still* not find the girl!
"I'm about ready to give up, you know," he grumbled, groping ahead. If he was made of flesh, he was sure he'd be blushing brighter than any human.
"Ever think of checking right under your nose, Gasket?" came the little piping voice, and Gasket realized it was right in front of him--in front, and down.
Impulsively, he reached down, crouching and swooping his arms forward, and they encircled a small body, made of flesh. He scooped her up into his arms and whirled her around twice, certain of his prize.
Anna shrieked with laughter and half from dizziness. "Guess that worked. You caught me!"
Gasket tore off his blindfold, feeling strangely triumphant, and this time, his smile to the child was very real. "So it seems I did, my girl. Never underestimate a prince of the Machine Empire."
"Or his princess," laughed Archarina, coming over and kissing her husband on the cheek.
"I had fun, Gasket," said Anna, stifling a yawn. "Next time, it's my turn with the blindfold."
"All right, dear," said Archarina, rather surprised to see Anna lay her head tiredly on Gasket's shoulder and seeing her warm dark eyes close.
The trusting action caused a strange, a *very* strange, foreign sensation to contract straight through Gasket's chest. *What was this feeling?*
Archarina felt it too, had felt it before since first meeting the little girl and feeling it again now, thumping painfully through not only her chest, but throughout her whole being. She made a move to take the now- sleeping Anna from Gasket's arms, but he stopped her, a strange expression on his face. He slid one arm around her, his other arm still cradling the little girl.
For several seconds, they stood there, not moving, and although cogs around the edges of the room stared at them in bewilderment, they did not notice.
They did not really understand the feeling, but deep down, where there were no words for it, it felt oddly like they were a *family*.
****
It was late on the second night, and Archarina was walking past the door to the bedroom where Anna slept when she stopped and listened. It sounded distinctly like sobbing coming from the child.
Without hesistation, Archarina opened the door and walked inside, turning on the light and going over to the bed, to where the child was huddled under the covers. Unsure of what to do exactly, she gathered up the small frame and let the girl rest against her. "What is wrong, dear?"
"I...want my...Momma, Archarina! And my daddy and Adam! I want to go home!" she hiccuped. "I don't care any longer if you kill me for this, but I want my family again!"
Archarina suddenly found herself moved to tears by the child's plight. *I don't want her unhappy! When she's sad it hurts me too!*
She made a startling realization. She really cared for the child, like any mother would love a child of their own. Somehow, the girl had wormed her way into her mechanical heart with her innocence and sincerity...and her own love. She had done what force or brutality could never do. *I wish Anna were my child,* she realized. *I have always wanted a child of my own, Why not Anna?*
It was a thought so impulsively strong that very suddenly Archarina knew the truth for certain: Yes, indeed, the feelings that had been plaguing her and Gasket, the strange feelings....it was love. Love for another person. And caring. Wanting to make another, besides themselves in their greedy little world, happy.
*Anything* to make her happy.
But she knew the child would be unhappy if forced to stay against her will too much longer. Tomorrow, Gasket would see about collecting his ransom. While Archarina knew that he had developed affection for the girl himself, she did not know if it was enough to stop him from doing what he had origonally set out to do if the rangers did not cooperate.
*I cannot let him hurt this child, no matter what,* she thought.
She wanted to keep Anna so badly, and it was tearing her mechanical heart apart knowing the girl could never be as happy with them as she could with her own family. It felt so fulfilling, being with her, and knowing that this feeling would turn to empty, dark despair if Anna ever came to despise them.
For once, Archarina could not bear to be so selfish. Anna's happiness *had* to come first.
She rocked the little girl and stroked her hair, strangely grateful when the girl genuinely seeked comfort from her. "It will be okay," she said softly. "Go to sleep, Anna. Tomorrow, everything will be all right."
As the girl snuggled against her and fell asleep, Archarina ferverently hoped she could keep this promise.
She did not pause to think that once real love enters even the coldest heart, it has real power to melt the ice. Nor had this thought crossed Gasket's mind.
****
The next morning, Anna showed no trace of her tears. She ran down the hall to the throne area, followed by Archarina. Gasket was already there, and while he turned to greet both, he did not understand the strange tuggings of his heart when he realized that today, he must decide the fate of the girl. And the Ranger's reactions would play a pivotal part.
Smiling her sunny smile, Anna ran to him and jumped into his arms. Without a thought, he swung her up and let her put her little arms around him.
Archarina could not meet his eyes, and to his shock, he saw she was fighting tears.
Suddenly he wanted to cry himself, and he did not know why.
His message had told the rangers that if they did not turn over th Zeo Crystal, he would kill Anna. The image came to him, unbidden, of him doing just that--and filled him with such horror he was amazed.
The girl had certainly made him happier than he'd ever known to be. Both him and Archarina. Maybe he would not kill Anna. She could stay on. It would make Archarina so happy....
But would it make Anna happy?
Again came that feeling he kept fighting, that feeling that, if he'd known the words for it, would have meant "Love....and family...."
"Come," he said, his usual voice having taken on a slightly hoarse tone. "Time to make our demands known."
****
They met where this had all started, back in the desert. The Rangers arrived full force, ready to fight for Anna's freedom. Gasket and Archarina arrived with a group of cogs.
"Well," snappped Gasket, holding Anna tightly by the hand. She wisely knew not to struggle. "Have you made your choice? Will you surrender the Zeo Crystals to me, in exchange for the girl here?"
"We have," Said Tommy coldly. "And here is *our* proposal, Gasket. You turn over Anna quietly and without fuss, and we forget this ever happened. Here, we are stronger than you, and you will be defeated."
"Is that your final answer?"
"Yup, Tin Grin."
"I am sorry to hear that," he sighed. "I should destroy the girl, you know, for your little indescretion."
Adam jerked, but Rocky and Tommy forcefully held him back. Gasket went on.
"But the girl is a charming creature, maybe I will just keep her with me and Archarina. You need not worry about he well-being, Adam. She will lack nothing, I will see to that. Our world needs a princess, an heir. But the rest of you must be destroyed."
"No!" said a child's voice. Gasket glanced down. Anna was looking at him with pleading eyes, and Gasket was struck violently to the core by them. This emotion, *love*, he recognized suddenly, would never let him ignore such pleading. "Gasket, please let me go. I don't want anybody killed over me. It is wrong. I want Adam, and my parents. But I don't want you and Archarina hurt, either. You have been so nice to me."
Too stunned to speak for a moment, he was shocked also to feel tears in his eyes. She cared about him? The child of the enemy had enough compassion to care about his well-being and safety?
The next thing he knew, Archarina's hand was on his arm. "Dear, let the girl go," she whispered painfully. "While I would love to keep the girl, she belongs with her family."
"Are you mad, woman?" he asked, gruffly. His throat was still choked.
"No, dear. I love Anna as if she were my own. I wish she *were* my own. But loving her so, I must see to it her happiness is met. And if she is happier with her own family, then so be it."
To Archarina, it was the most painful thing she felt she could ever say. With this love was the driving need to be unselfish, to see the happiness of another being met.....even at the expense of her own.
"I love her too," he whispered. "That is why I wanted to keep her."
"Would you have her miserable, husband? I would rather her leave feeling good about us than us forcibly keeping her against her will, and hating us despite the feelings she showed us we actually had."
Archarina's hand was over her heart as she said this. So she *had* felt it as deeply as he....
She was right, he knew it. He looked at Adam, his posture was miserable. He looked back down at the child, her eyes were pleading, and yet full of understanding and pity, as well as affection, for him. She had shown him he could love, and now he owed her a debt to deep to be repaid....except in one way.
He had already made up his mind before she whispered,"Let me go, please, Gasket. I don't blame you, honest." He gave a painful sigh as he picked her up and walked forward a ways, followed by Archarina. The cogs stayed back.
Adam and the other rangers, too, went forward, meeting closely in the middle of the desert. Shakily, Gasket bent down and released the child, whose black eyes went wide in delight to see her brother again.
"Adam!" she cried, breaking into a run as soon as she was free.
The blur of Gasket's tears would not let him see anything else clearly, but he could hear.
"Anna!" Demorphing, even though he knew it was foolish, he rushed forward to meet her, snatching her up into welcoming arms. He held her tightly, burying his face in her hair and sobbing his heart out. "Thank gods you are all right."
"I am okay," she said, hugging him back. "But I am glad to be back, Adam."
He pulled back, anxiously examining her for signs of injury. "You are not hurt?"
"No, they treated me well," she said, suddenly squirming and still holding her rag doll in her hand. "Put me down, Adam, I want to do something."
"I don't want to let you go," he protested, but she persisted. "Adam, this is something I must do."
With a reluctant sigh, he set her down. His heart almost stopped in shock when she turned and ran back to Gasket and Archarina, who had not moved as they sadly watched the reunion.
"What are you doing back here, child?" asked Archarina as the girl stood panting in front of them. "Go back, you must."
"I want to give you something." She held up her rag doll, her beloved doll, to Archarina. "This is for you."
Startled, Archarina asked, "Why?"
"I want you to have it. Give it to your first little girl when you teach her how to play pretend."
"Oh, Anna..." sighed Archarina, pain in her heart and tears in her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Very sure." Archarina knelt down as Anna handed her her beloved doll. As she accepted it, Archarina was startled when the girl suddenly hugged her.
"Thank you," Anna whispered. "You are a good friend, Archarina."
*Friend?* Archarina thought, tears starting to stream down her face. *Child, you will always be much more than a friend to me.*
She released the girl reluctantly, and Anna turned to Gasket and tugged on his hand. He knelt down, and was shocked when she kissed his cheek. The rush of warmth and pain that shot through him was almost physical.
"Why would you do that?" he whispered. "I had you kidnapped, Anna. You should hate me."
"I don't, and you looked like you needed it. Good-bye." She smiled at them one more time before running back to her stunned brother and his friends. Without another word, Gasket, Archarina, and the cogs vanished.
"Anna," Adam whispered hoarsely while holding her hand tightly. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"
She fixed her large black eyes on him and said nothing.
"She knows," said the Gold Ranger unexpectedly. "She has planted the seeds of change, Adam, with her unselfish love and generous heart. When love enters even the iciest, coldest heart, whether it be of metal or flesh, it almost always blooms into something spectacular. In short, she taught both Gasket and Archarina an important lesson."
Adam looked at his little sister and smiled.
****
Much later, after the Energy Wave that removed all the evil from that sector of space, Adam learned what happened to those two. They had survived the purge, and had a little girl now. They came to Earth at one point, seeking out Adam and Anna to offer a personal apology.
By then, their newly-constructed little girl was held tightly in Archarina's arms, and in her little metal hand was clutched Anna's doll.
The little girl's name?
Anna.
Oh, yeah, it's been revamped (duh) so those of you who've read it before are in for a treat, with additional scenes and others somewhat altered. I like what I did with this one. Enjoy.
Metal Hearts
By ZeoViolet
Teaser: When Adam's little sister is kidnapped by Prince Gasket and Archarina, much more happens than is expected.
****
"Put me down, Adam," giggled his six-year-old sister Anna one day while the duo were hiking in the desert. The green Zeo ranger had caught her and was tickling her unmercifully.
"Are you going to behave?" he asked, easing up a little and hugging her tighly.
"Yes," she laughed and hugged him back. "But I have to finish my science project, Adam. I need that lizard."
Adam shook his head. An unusually intelligent little girl who loved to read any book that she could get her hands on, his sister was working on a project for one of her advanced-placement courses. It included a detailed study of desert life.
And yet, while Anna was so smart, she was still a little girl, and it showed. Her daily companion, Her beloved stuffed Raggedy Ann, nicknamed "Anna's twin", was with her, tucked inside the girl's backpack. It did not bother the child to carry it, and it did not faze Adam to see her hauling it around.
Although he was glad she was still young enough for such pleasures.
"Stay close to me, Anna," he warned, releasing her. "We are alone out here, and you know that with me, bad things can happen."
"So you are the green ranger," she shrugged, perfectly aware of his secret. His whole family was. "You taught me a lot about martial arts. I will be fine." She tossed her long black curls down her back while her sharp dark eyes turned to scan the desert floor for any sign of movement by what she seeked.
"Still, any sign of danger, you run," he urged. "I won't have you killed, Anna Park."
She nodded and started away from him, seeing tiny tracks in the sand and following them toward the cliffs nearby.
****
"Well, well, well," said Gasket thoughtfully, watching the child through a magical viewscreen. "Adam's sister, alone with her brother. Maybe if we send down a large group of Cogs, Archarina dear, they can destroy them so fast none of the other rangers will be able to get to them in time."
"But she looks like such a dear little girl." Archarina was for once not so sure about one of her husband's ideas. Murdering children was a distasteful forte she sheid away from. "I don't think I would like her killed. She would make a delightful ransom piece, though, don't you think? We could even get the Zeo Powers for her release."
"True," Gasket mused, studying the small girl hopping across stones as she tracked her prize. "All right, then. Send down some Cogs to capture the girl and bring her to me. In the meantime, she can be....oh, I dunno, a servant or something."
"Yes, dear." Obediently, Archarina went to do as she was told. She always won in arguments like these. Even on the planet they had conquered.....
****
"Adam! Help! It's *them*!"
His sister's cry alerted the boy immediately. She had just disappeared around a bend, and he felt as if his worst fears were coming true as he heard her scream.
Breaking into a run, he yelled into his communicator. "Guys, I need your help now! I am out in the desert with my sister, and we are being attacked by Cogs!"
Before he even heard Billy reply, he yelled, "Anna, run! Get out of their grip and *run*, as fast as you can!"
She came dashing around the corner, her long black hair flying and her eyes wide as she fought to stay calm like he had often instructed her to do. Her backpack bounced on her back as she fled the group of cogs bent on chasing her. "Adam!" she shrieked.
"You cannot teleport her out of here!" said one cog in it's emotionless voice. "Gasket has erected a forcefield around the area."
Anna managed to reach her brother before the cogs got ahold of her, and she ducked behind him. Moments later, the cogs were bearing down on them both.
"I am going to morph, Anna," he said quietly to the child who was huddled behind him. "Do your best to stay out of their hands. If you get a chance, run for it, try to lose them!"
He heard her breathy, whispered, "Yes," as he crossd his wrists. "Zeo Ranger IV, green!" he ordered. There was a green flash, and he was ready for action.
He had no hesistation about plowing his fists into the first cog that came at him, angrily knocking the robot to the ground. The cog broke up and disintegrated.
He heard Anna shriek again, and knew she was doing her level best to use her tiny body to her advantage, belting the cog who had her arm right in the stomach, putting force behind her move so it worked.
"Run, Anna!" he called, crashing two more cogs together. "Get out of here!"
"I can't!" she cried, ducking another cog and crawling between his startled legs. "There are too many of them!"
There were two sudden flashes of red and pink as Adam suddenly found he had help.
"We got here as soon as we could, man," said Tommy, as he and Kat sprang to Adam's defense. "It took Billy forever to get just us through. He can't even get the others through."
"I'm glad at least you are here," he said, knocking another cog away. "You have to help me get Anna away from here. They keep trying to grab her."
"Right." Tommy knocked another cog away from the child, but was unable to prevent her from being grabbed from behind.
"Adam!" she shrieked. "Help me!"
"Hold on, Anna!" he cried, darting toward her. Two cogs pounced on him, pinning him against a cliff wall. He struggled, desperate to get free. "Anna!" he cried.
"Sie-Kayah!" There was a brilliant flash of black and gold as the mysterious Gold Ranger, who only showed himself in times like this, managed to intervene, ripping one cog off Adam so he could knock the other one awry.
"Thanks," grunted Adam, pelting the cog once more.
"Go after your sister!" was the Gold Ranger's stiff answer. "The red and pink rangers are pinned, you are the only one who can get her!"
Adam did not verbally react, but he obeyed without heistation. Something in the Gold Ranger's tone--distinct pain--heightened his sense of urgency further. He ran toward his sister, who was struggling as another cog attempted to grab her by her ankles.
"Let me go, you creep!" she cried, kicking him in the head.
"You will come with us!" snapped the cog emotionlessly, attempting to grab her again.
"Never!" she said fiercely as Adam came up and pummeled the cog. "Leave my sister alone, you under-oiled rust buckets!"
This remark must have enraged them, for he was suddenly pounced upon by three cogs, who knocked him to the ground. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that they had pinned the gold ranger as well, while trying to beat them all mercilessly.
"Anna!" he cried. "Run! Get out of here!"
She had long ago been trained by her brother to obey that tone of voice without hesistation. She turned and fled, followed by cogs.
He did not know how far she had gotten, but he suddenly heard her scream. "Adam! Adam, help me!"
The only sound in his ears was his own pounding heart as suddenly, every cog vanished, leaving the place eerilie silent.
****
"No! Anna! No!" Adam struggled to his feet and ran in the direction his sister had fled to. Her footprints were in the sand, followed by cog prints---to a point. Nearby, they all stopped aburptly.
He stood there, dumbfounded, as a sudden feeling of hopelessness hit him, hard. "Oh, gods, Anna..." he whispered. He seemed unaware of pounding feet as Tommy, Kat, and the Gold Ranger suddenly appeared behind him. He did not seem to hear himself as he said tonelessly, "She's gone." His world had narrowed to the pitch-blackness of sudden despair and guilt. *I should have saved her,* was the only thought to penetrate his brain.
"We will get her back, Adam," said Kat softly, touching his shoulder. He did not react, too numb from shock. *Anna...*
"Rangers," Zordon's voice came over their communicators. "Come to the Power Chamber at once."
"Yes, Zordon," he vaguely heard Tommy say.
"I wish to come with you," he heard the Gold Ranger even more distantly. "Perhaps I could be of help."
Adam still did not react, and was really unaware of Tommy reaching for his wrist, hitting his teleporter for him so that he would teleport with the rest.
*Anna....*
****
"....Then she was just...gone," Tommy quickly finished telling the story. "Zordon, is there no way to trace her, to find out where the cogs took her?"
"It will not be easy, Tommy," said Zordon, while Adam, though he listened, hardly reacted. "The cogs in question were of the type designated to Prince Gasket and Princess Archarina, but their hiding place is well- sheilded and impervious to our sensors."
"Is there no way at all?" Adam asked weakly, finally reacting somewhat. "No way to follow their trail?"
"All we can do is try, Adam. Since she is your sister, we may hear from them soon enough, if they desire her as a ransom piece. We must be very careful, lest they get too angry."
"It is my fault!" Adam burst suddenly, losing his impassivity. "I should have kept a closer eye on her! I told her to stay close, but I let her get too far ahead of me!"
"Adam, that is nonsense," said Billy calmly. "You were all overwhelmed, there was no real way of preventing it."
"Oh, and I suppose you know what this is like?" asked Adam bitterly. "Do you have a sister or brother, Billy? Would you not blame yourself if something happened to them?"
Billy looked shocked and slightly stung. "*Adam,* calm down. No, I do not have any siblings, I grew up an only child, but that does not mean I don't care or don't understand. You guys are more or less my family, and whenever one of you is in trouble, I feel basically the same way. But I keep my head."
Adam sighed, tears in his eyes. "I know, Billy. I am sorry, honest. It's just that..." heedless of who was watching, and not really caring, tears started to stream down his face. "She is my sister, and she is in incredible danger in the hands of Archarina and Gasket. You know how they are! Dammit, Billy, I love her, she is my only sibling. If I lost her, I would be lost, and so would my parents. I cannot justify this not being my fault for not keeping a closer eye on her, and I cannot deny this. I must get her back before they kill her!"
"And I swear I will do my best to help you," said the Gold Ranger unexpectedly. "Gasket and Archarina will not get away with this."
Again came that harsh edge to his tone, and Adam, momentarily snapping out of it, stared at him in surprise. The Gold Ranger turned his back and stiffly walked away a few paces, not saying anything more.
*He sounds like he knows what it's like, too.....*
However, he did not dare ask. He knew he would get no answer. The Gold Ranger was far too slient as it was. ****
"I want my brother! Take me back!" Anna demanded indignantly when she was alone with Gasket and Archarina. "I don't belong here."
"Quiet!" snapped Gasket. "You belong here for now, my girl. Don't worry, I won't hurt you...yet." He touched her head lightly, and she squirmed away. He ignored this. "But your brother and his friends have some things I would like, and you will be my key to getting them."
"They won't listen. They will track you down and get me back."
"Sorry, my child, but they will not. They cannot find this place." Archarina studied the little girl, who was very pretty, sort of the female version of Adam, and with the same smallish build. She knew the girl was afraid, but was doing her best not to show it, holding her doll closely and staring stubbornly at them. Archarina rather admired her bravery. "Come, my dear. I will show you where you can rest, and eat, since you need that kind of stuff to stay alive. Then we will see what happens."
"No! Don't touch me!"
"You might as well let me do it, child. How else are you going to keep up your strength? I doubt if you would prefer the prison cells, and being whipped at all hours of the night as prisoners are."
The girl went pale. "I will come with you."
"Good." Archarina reached out a hand, and tenatively, the girl took it. Archarina, for some reason she could not fathom, felt rather bad for the way she had threatened the girl.
"Can I at least keep my doll?" asked Anna in a quivering tone, her other arm clutching her Raggedy Ann all the more tightly.
Archarina looked at the rag doll clutched tightly in Anna's other arm. She was supposed to make the child afraid of her, but somehow, she did not have the heart to do so. She was surprised--she had no idea children had such an effect on her. "If you obey us and do not cause trouble, you may keep the doll," Archarina promised. Behind her, she heard Gasket snort. She ignored him, picking up the child and carrying her away.
****
"....and I want the Zeo Crystal," Gasket's message was saying as the rangers, gathered in the command center later that afternoon, listened in silence. "If you do not cooperate, you will never hear from the girl again. You give me *too* much trouble, she will die."
The omnious threat in his tone was clear to all who listened to it.
That was all. The recording vanished.
Adam sat silently, staring ahead, his eyes full of tears but his face otherwise expressionless. He was sheet-white, and his knuckles were white where he clenched his hands so hard. *I swear, Anna, I will get you back. You will not die!*
"We will keep scanning and searching," said Zordon. "His message said we would not hear from him again for two days, it buys us some time. I suggest everyone get some rest."
"*Rest*?" gasped Adam. "My sister is in danger, and I should *rest*? No way! I don't do anything else until she is safe with me again! This is my fault, and I must make things right!"
"Adam..." groaned Rocky from nearby. "We can only do what is possible. If you are weak and sick from lack of sleep or food, how are you going to help in the search?"
It was enough to make Adam quiet again. Only the Gold Ranger still made few comments, but Adam had the distinct feeling he was the most empathic to the situation. In fact, Adam was fast realizing that the more the Gold Ranger kept appearing, and despite how little he said, the more they seemed to find out about his personality, if not his identity. It was in his rather driven manner. There was something sad about him, as if he'd lost something to him that meant more to him than his own life. Maybe he had. In any case, it made Adam aware that he could sympathize, at least a little, more than the others could.
****
"What is the point of hurting, of conquering?" asked Anna to Archarina. "Don't people respond more to kindess than to hurt?"
Archarina did not know how to still the girl's constant questions of good and evil. She liked the child, and was beginning to feel and affection for her, despite their differences. Still, she did not want to get the girl into a situation where she could be hurt.
"When you have power, you use it," she answered at last. "People always obey if they know that if they refuse, it does no good."
"Cooperation is better, and there are no hard feelings that way. Besides, you could still get what you wanted out of life if you were kind to people."
"I have always had to be brutal to others," said Archarina slowly. "It is how I was raised."
"Then change. You don't have any kids, do you, Archarina? Would you be brutal to a kid of your own?"
"Of course not. I would love a child of my own, and treat it with all the love a mother could give. But...I don't know how. I don't have a child yet."
*Why am I telling her, a little girl who is could not possibly understand, all of this?*
"Do you want a kid someday?"
"...Yes..." she was rather startled by the question. How could a small child know so much?
"Well, I'm a kid. I can show you what a kid likes, so you will be prepared when you have one born....or built, whichever you do. From what Gasket says, I will be here for awhile anyways."
Anna could see no other way to pass the time, really. Otherwise, this was going to be a very boring couple of days ahead. Already she had completely lost her fear of either Archarina or the gruff Gasket. Both fascinated her, actually, despite their darkness. Some things about them...somehow, the little girl sensed that not all of it could be bad. If only they'd see that.
Archarina was permitting her to move around, but never alone. Since her first threats, she had not said one unkind word to the child. She found she was not able to.....and she just did not understand why. Anna was charming, had a sweet smile, and a pure, honest soul. Archarina should despise her--shouldn't she? Shouldn't she loathe someone with so much brightness in her heart?
"Well..." said Archarina slowly. *Why not?* she thought. *At least it will keep the girl quiet, and she will not be so afraid. And she is right, in a way. I don't know a thing about children.*
"All right," she conceded. "I want to involve Gasket in this, too, but show me what it is like to be a kid, Anna. I am not sure I ever knew, even when I was youngster, first constructed."
"Okay," the girl seemed relieved. "Do you know how to play pretend?"
****
The rest of that day, and the next, they heard nothing out of Gasket. Adam did not stop pacing the Power Chamber, his face was white, and by the next day, he had circles under his eyes from exhaustion. His parents were frantic, and had beseiged him with pleas to find their daughter. At least they did not rest the blame on his shoulders.
The Gold Ranger had only said he would be out, searching the contours of space. The driven edge to him made Adam, to his startlement, realize that the Gold Ranger meant what he said--and since then, it seemed he was hell- bent on doing all he could, no matter the risks.
*Oh, yes,* Adam thought at one point. *He has definetly lost someone, or more than one, in the past.*
When he was not pacing, he was working hard to find some trace of his sister. No matter how hard he or anyone else tried, nobody could find the hidden lair of Gasket and Archarina.
****
*Why am I doing this?* wondered Gasket wearily, groping around unable to see because of the blindfold and feeling very foolish. Anna had, apparently, told Archarina of a weird game--Blind Man's Bluff, and knowing Archarina's unusual preoccupation with games at times (especially games from other planets), found himself drawn into it, although not before icily suggesting that if one of them was going around blindfolded, cogs were to be stationed at the edge of the room to make sure Anna made no break for it- -even if she had a place to run to, which she didn't.
However, Anna, not being a fool, did not, and instead had thrown herself into the game with fervor, trying hard to occupy herself so she would not mope. She'd been right. There was a nicer side to these two than they ever let on to anybody else. Archarina even loved games!
"Over here!" she called again from nearby Gasket. "And no peeking! I caught you cheating once, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, but had a hard time fighting away a smile when the child's musical laughter continually reached his ears. She was so brave, and tried so hard to not make life difficult for himself and Archarina. He knew very few who managed to smile through chaos. Anna was one of the rare few.
He groped around, following the general direction of her laughter.
"You're getting closer, dear," Archarina tried to supply helpfully, but was laughingly rebuked by Anna.
"No fair, Archarina! No letting him know where I am! That is against the rules!"
Even if she did not follow rules elsewhere, Archarina always followed game rules, and she made no further attempts to help her husband.
"C'mon, Gasket!" Anna called. "Don't tell me that when your dad constructed you he did not give you sensetive hearing!"
"Oh, *whatever*," he muttered, but again his lips twitched. Damnit, it was true, too. He *did* have unusually good hearing--and he could *still* not find the girl!
"I'm about ready to give up, you know," he grumbled, groping ahead. If he was made of flesh, he was sure he'd be blushing brighter than any human.
"Ever think of checking right under your nose, Gasket?" came the little piping voice, and Gasket realized it was right in front of him--in front, and down.
Impulsively, he reached down, crouching and swooping his arms forward, and they encircled a small body, made of flesh. He scooped her up into his arms and whirled her around twice, certain of his prize.
Anna shrieked with laughter and half from dizziness. "Guess that worked. You caught me!"
Gasket tore off his blindfold, feeling strangely triumphant, and this time, his smile to the child was very real. "So it seems I did, my girl. Never underestimate a prince of the Machine Empire."
"Or his princess," laughed Archarina, coming over and kissing her husband on the cheek.
"I had fun, Gasket," said Anna, stifling a yawn. "Next time, it's my turn with the blindfold."
"All right, dear," said Archarina, rather surprised to see Anna lay her head tiredly on Gasket's shoulder and seeing her warm dark eyes close.
The trusting action caused a strange, a *very* strange, foreign sensation to contract straight through Gasket's chest. *What was this feeling?*
Archarina felt it too, had felt it before since first meeting the little girl and feeling it again now, thumping painfully through not only her chest, but throughout her whole being. She made a move to take the now- sleeping Anna from Gasket's arms, but he stopped her, a strange expression on his face. He slid one arm around her, his other arm still cradling the little girl.
For several seconds, they stood there, not moving, and although cogs around the edges of the room stared at them in bewilderment, they did not notice.
They did not really understand the feeling, but deep down, where there were no words for it, it felt oddly like they were a *family*.
****
It was late on the second night, and Archarina was walking past the door to the bedroom where Anna slept when she stopped and listened. It sounded distinctly like sobbing coming from the child.
Without hesistation, Archarina opened the door and walked inside, turning on the light and going over to the bed, to where the child was huddled under the covers. Unsure of what to do exactly, she gathered up the small frame and let the girl rest against her. "What is wrong, dear?"
"I...want my...Momma, Archarina! And my daddy and Adam! I want to go home!" she hiccuped. "I don't care any longer if you kill me for this, but I want my family again!"
Archarina suddenly found herself moved to tears by the child's plight. *I don't want her unhappy! When she's sad it hurts me too!*
She made a startling realization. She really cared for the child, like any mother would love a child of their own. Somehow, the girl had wormed her way into her mechanical heart with her innocence and sincerity...and her own love. She had done what force or brutality could never do. *I wish Anna were my child,* she realized. *I have always wanted a child of my own, Why not Anna?*
It was a thought so impulsively strong that very suddenly Archarina knew the truth for certain: Yes, indeed, the feelings that had been plaguing her and Gasket, the strange feelings....it was love. Love for another person. And caring. Wanting to make another, besides themselves in their greedy little world, happy.
*Anything* to make her happy.
But she knew the child would be unhappy if forced to stay against her will too much longer. Tomorrow, Gasket would see about collecting his ransom. While Archarina knew that he had developed affection for the girl himself, she did not know if it was enough to stop him from doing what he had origonally set out to do if the rangers did not cooperate.
*I cannot let him hurt this child, no matter what,* she thought.
She wanted to keep Anna so badly, and it was tearing her mechanical heart apart knowing the girl could never be as happy with them as she could with her own family. It felt so fulfilling, being with her, and knowing that this feeling would turn to empty, dark despair if Anna ever came to despise them.
For once, Archarina could not bear to be so selfish. Anna's happiness *had* to come first.
She rocked the little girl and stroked her hair, strangely grateful when the girl genuinely seeked comfort from her. "It will be okay," she said softly. "Go to sleep, Anna. Tomorrow, everything will be all right."
As the girl snuggled against her and fell asleep, Archarina ferverently hoped she could keep this promise.
She did not pause to think that once real love enters even the coldest heart, it has real power to melt the ice. Nor had this thought crossed Gasket's mind.
****
The next morning, Anna showed no trace of her tears. She ran down the hall to the throne area, followed by Archarina. Gasket was already there, and while he turned to greet both, he did not understand the strange tuggings of his heart when he realized that today, he must decide the fate of the girl. And the Ranger's reactions would play a pivotal part.
Smiling her sunny smile, Anna ran to him and jumped into his arms. Without a thought, he swung her up and let her put her little arms around him.
Archarina could not meet his eyes, and to his shock, he saw she was fighting tears.
Suddenly he wanted to cry himself, and he did not know why.
His message had told the rangers that if they did not turn over th Zeo Crystal, he would kill Anna. The image came to him, unbidden, of him doing just that--and filled him with such horror he was amazed.
The girl had certainly made him happier than he'd ever known to be. Both him and Archarina. Maybe he would not kill Anna. She could stay on. It would make Archarina so happy....
But would it make Anna happy?
Again came that feeling he kept fighting, that feeling that, if he'd known the words for it, would have meant "Love....and family...."
"Come," he said, his usual voice having taken on a slightly hoarse tone. "Time to make our demands known."
****
They met where this had all started, back in the desert. The Rangers arrived full force, ready to fight for Anna's freedom. Gasket and Archarina arrived with a group of cogs.
"Well," snappped Gasket, holding Anna tightly by the hand. She wisely knew not to struggle. "Have you made your choice? Will you surrender the Zeo Crystals to me, in exchange for the girl here?"
"We have," Said Tommy coldly. "And here is *our* proposal, Gasket. You turn over Anna quietly and without fuss, and we forget this ever happened. Here, we are stronger than you, and you will be defeated."
"Is that your final answer?"
"Yup, Tin Grin."
"I am sorry to hear that," he sighed. "I should destroy the girl, you know, for your little indescretion."
Adam jerked, but Rocky and Tommy forcefully held him back. Gasket went on.
"But the girl is a charming creature, maybe I will just keep her with me and Archarina. You need not worry about he well-being, Adam. She will lack nothing, I will see to that. Our world needs a princess, an heir. But the rest of you must be destroyed."
"No!" said a child's voice. Gasket glanced down. Anna was looking at him with pleading eyes, and Gasket was struck violently to the core by them. This emotion, *love*, he recognized suddenly, would never let him ignore such pleading. "Gasket, please let me go. I don't want anybody killed over me. It is wrong. I want Adam, and my parents. But I don't want you and Archarina hurt, either. You have been so nice to me."
Too stunned to speak for a moment, he was shocked also to feel tears in his eyes. She cared about him? The child of the enemy had enough compassion to care about his well-being and safety?
The next thing he knew, Archarina's hand was on his arm. "Dear, let the girl go," she whispered painfully. "While I would love to keep the girl, she belongs with her family."
"Are you mad, woman?" he asked, gruffly. His throat was still choked.
"No, dear. I love Anna as if she were my own. I wish she *were* my own. But loving her so, I must see to it her happiness is met. And if she is happier with her own family, then so be it."
To Archarina, it was the most painful thing she felt she could ever say. With this love was the driving need to be unselfish, to see the happiness of another being met.....even at the expense of her own.
"I love her too," he whispered. "That is why I wanted to keep her."
"Would you have her miserable, husband? I would rather her leave feeling good about us than us forcibly keeping her against her will, and hating us despite the feelings she showed us we actually had."
Archarina's hand was over her heart as she said this. So she *had* felt it as deeply as he....
She was right, he knew it. He looked at Adam, his posture was miserable. He looked back down at the child, her eyes were pleading, and yet full of understanding and pity, as well as affection, for him. She had shown him he could love, and now he owed her a debt to deep to be repaid....except in one way.
He had already made up his mind before she whispered,"Let me go, please, Gasket. I don't blame you, honest." He gave a painful sigh as he picked her up and walked forward a ways, followed by Archarina. The cogs stayed back.
Adam and the other rangers, too, went forward, meeting closely in the middle of the desert. Shakily, Gasket bent down and released the child, whose black eyes went wide in delight to see her brother again.
"Adam!" she cried, breaking into a run as soon as she was free.
The blur of Gasket's tears would not let him see anything else clearly, but he could hear.
"Anna!" Demorphing, even though he knew it was foolish, he rushed forward to meet her, snatching her up into welcoming arms. He held her tightly, burying his face in her hair and sobbing his heart out. "Thank gods you are all right."
"I am okay," she said, hugging him back. "But I am glad to be back, Adam."
He pulled back, anxiously examining her for signs of injury. "You are not hurt?"
"No, they treated me well," she said, suddenly squirming and still holding her rag doll in her hand. "Put me down, Adam, I want to do something."
"I don't want to let you go," he protested, but she persisted. "Adam, this is something I must do."
With a reluctant sigh, he set her down. His heart almost stopped in shock when she turned and ran back to Gasket and Archarina, who had not moved as they sadly watched the reunion.
"What are you doing back here, child?" asked Archarina as the girl stood panting in front of them. "Go back, you must."
"I want to give you something." She held up her rag doll, her beloved doll, to Archarina. "This is for you."
Startled, Archarina asked, "Why?"
"I want you to have it. Give it to your first little girl when you teach her how to play pretend."
"Oh, Anna..." sighed Archarina, pain in her heart and tears in her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Very sure." Archarina knelt down as Anna handed her her beloved doll. As she accepted it, Archarina was startled when the girl suddenly hugged her.
"Thank you," Anna whispered. "You are a good friend, Archarina."
*Friend?* Archarina thought, tears starting to stream down her face. *Child, you will always be much more than a friend to me.*
She released the girl reluctantly, and Anna turned to Gasket and tugged on his hand. He knelt down, and was shocked when she kissed his cheek. The rush of warmth and pain that shot through him was almost physical.
"Why would you do that?" he whispered. "I had you kidnapped, Anna. You should hate me."
"I don't, and you looked like you needed it. Good-bye." She smiled at them one more time before running back to her stunned brother and his friends. Without another word, Gasket, Archarina, and the cogs vanished.
"Anna," Adam whispered hoarsely while holding her hand tightly. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"
She fixed her large black eyes on him and said nothing.
"She knows," said the Gold Ranger unexpectedly. "She has planted the seeds of change, Adam, with her unselfish love and generous heart. When love enters even the iciest, coldest heart, whether it be of metal or flesh, it almost always blooms into something spectacular. In short, she taught both Gasket and Archarina an important lesson."
Adam looked at his little sister and smiled.
****
Much later, after the Energy Wave that removed all the evil from that sector of space, Adam learned what happened to those two. They had survived the purge, and had a little girl now. They came to Earth at one point, seeking out Adam and Anna to offer a personal apology.
By then, their newly-constructed little girl was held tightly in Archarina's arms, and in her little metal hand was clutched Anna's doll.
The little girl's name?
Anna.