The door to Tori and Blake's house flew open and Jason, Kimberly, Mike and Emily burst in. "What happened?" Jason asked, immediately taking control. The rest of the rangers took in the scene. Tori looking distraught while Blake had an arm around her, trying to comfort her.
"Aisha, Rocky and I went to do a recon mission, just to collect evidence. We heard there have been Kelzak sightings in Blue Bay Harbor." Tori explained, tears rolling down her face. "We must have been spotted because all of a sudden things started blowing up. Rocky and I morphed so we could take the Kelzaks out but Aisha didn't get a chance to morph before the area she was in exploded." Tori started to sob uncontrollably.
"I had just come home from work and was about to join them when I thought it was still a recon mission. Before I could leave, they came rushing in." Blake continued. Rocky took Aisha to the bedroom and hasn't left since. He won't eat anything, he hasn't slept. And there has been no change in Aisha."
Mike looked at Emily out of the corner of his eye. He felt Rocky's pain. He didn't know what he'd do if anything ever happened to Emily. As if thinking the same thought, Mike and Emily joined hands.
Kimberly, who was standing behind the young couple spoke. "Jason and I are going to go check on them, to see if there is anything we can do. Mike, Emily, could you stay here with Blake and Tori? See if there is something you can do about the Kelzaks" Kimberly took Jason's hand and led him to the bedroom.
"Hi, I'm Blake Bradley. This is my wife, Tori." Blake held out his free hand and shook Mike's hand.
"I'm Mike, and this Emily. It's nice to meet you." Mike said. He wrapped his arm around his girlfriend.
"I wish the circumstances were different." Emily added.
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Inside Blake and Tori's bedroom, Rocky was as still as a statue, his hand still clenched Aisha's. His eyes were tomato red from crying. "Come on, baby. Please wake up." Rocky pleaded. He heard the bedroom door open and then close again. Thinking it was Blake or Tori trying to get him to eat again he said, "I'm not hungry guys, but thank you."
"Rocky..." Kimberly spoke softly. Rocky turned surprised. "you need to eat something. Aisha wouldn't want you to starve yourself."
"She's right, man." Jason added. "You need to be strong for Aisha. When she wakes up, she's going to need you at your strongest."
Rocky hung his head. "I can't eat. I can't sleep." A fresh stream of tears flowed down his eyes. "What if something happens while I'm asleep? I don't know what I'd do if something happened and I wasn't here."
"We understand that. That's why we came as fast as we could. We'll take shifts in looking after her. If anything changes, we'll notify you immediately." Kimberly promised.
Rocky looked back at his wife. She looked so innocent lying there. Deep down, he knew Jason and Kimberly were right. When Aisha finally woke up, she'd need him. "Okay. I'll go eat something and take a nap in the spare room. Please wake me if anything changes."
"We will." Jason put a hand on his shoulder. Kimberly gave him a slight hug as he left.
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Back in the living room, Blake had Tori called down and they were trying to come up with a game plan.
"There's a cave along the north side of the beach. That's where the Kelzaks were spotted and where we were attacked." Tori informed her audience.
"Then we'll have to start there." Blake announced. He looked down at his wife. "Mike, Emily and I will go this time. Stay here with the others..." He was cut off before he could continue.
"No, You, Mike, and I will go." Jason stated, standing in the living room entry way. "Emily will stay here with Kimberly and Tori. we don't need anymore of the girls getting hurt." He looked at Emily. "Are you okay with that?"
Emily nodded, but it was Mike who spoke. "I think that's a good idea." He didn't want anything to happen to Emily, even though he knew she could take care of herself.
Jason walked further into the room. "Okay, now that that's settled, Tori, is there anything you can tell us that might be useful? Anything that you noticed?"
Tori looked up. "The Kelzaks were stronger. I can't explain it but it's like they've evolved. These aren't the Kelzaks we fought before." She took a sip of her water. "Before, it was just me, Dustin, and Shane and we had no problem. Now...I just don't know."
Jason placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Tori. That is very useful information." He looked at Mike and Blake. "We should go. The sooner we take care of this, the better." The green samuarai ranger and the navy thunder ranger nodded and stood up.
Blake kissed Tori on his way out. "Everything is going to be okay. I'll see you soon. I love you."
Emily pulled Mike close. "You come back to me, you understand? You mean the world to me."
"I will, I promise." Mike replied. He leaned down and kissed her. "I love you."
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It took a while for Rocky to fall asleep. He had just laid there looking at the ceiling as time passed. He didn't know how much time passed. It could have been minutes, hours even. All that he was aware of was the fact that his wife was lying in the next room, unconscious. Please wake up, Aisha. I love you. I need you. He knew that he wouldn't be any good to Aisha in his condition, but the harder he tried to fall asleep, the longer it took. The longer it took, the more time his brain had to concoct several different scenarios, not all of them so pleasant.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Rocky's eyes felt heavy and they started to close.
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Tori and Emily were still in the living room, trying to find a way to help Aisha. Kimberly had informed them that Aisha had a strong pulse and that her breathing was good.
"Couldn't we take her to the hospital?" Emily suggested.
Both Tori and Kimberly shook their heads. "What would we say? That she's a power ranger and was injured fighting monsters?" Kimberly hung her head. "We have to keep our identities a secret from the rest of the world."
"The hospital would ask too many questions." Tori added. "Questions, I'm not sure we could answer."
"There's got to be something we could do." Emily was getting frustrated and running out of ideas.
Kimberly stood. "Keep thinking, I'm going to go check on Aisha."
As Kimberly left the room, Emily did something that very rarely ever happened. She lost her temper and through the Power Ranger Encyclopedia to the floor. As if by magic, the book opened to a certain page. Curious, Emily picked it up and started reading. Suddenly excited, she jumped to her feet and showed Tori the page. "I think I've found the answer."
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In the spare room, Rocky started thrashing around. arms flailing, head whipping back and forth. Of all the dreams he could have had, this was not one he wanted. He was standing in a long, dark hallway. Where am I? He asked himself. Suddenly, at the end of the hallway, a light flickered. Rocky took a step towards the light and heard a click. He turned around quickly but it seemed that every time he took a step, a click soon followed. He started to get chills and went to run his arms but instead of exposed skin, he felt soft, smooth fabric. He looked down. What am I wearing? He let his hands explore his body, trying to identify the fabring that he was dressed in. It wasn't until he felt around his neck that he realized he was wearing a suit.
Experimenting, he took a step. Sure enough, the moment his foot hit the ground, he heard the click sound again. He knew the sound was familair. he heard the clicking sound every time Aisha wore high heels. Aisha! The thought suddenly came back to him. He had to get to her. Suddenly, Rocky heard voices in the direction of where the light was origininating from.
Rocky started towards the light again. Slow at first but then his pace quicken the closer he got to the light. Finally he reached a door. Taking a deep breath, he opened it. What he then saw, he was not expecting. Inside there were dozens of people. all cramed around each other. Some were crying, others were talking softly.
Rocky walked into the room and the crowd got quiet and looked at him. Jason walked up to him. "I'm so sorry man. We're here for you though." As Rocky looked around, he realized that everyone in the room were Power Rangers, former and current.
"What are you sorry for?" Rocky asked, confused. before anyone could answer, he saw it. Behind the crowd was a coffin. Nervous, he started towards it. the crowd moved, trying to get out of his way. The coffin was closed. As Rocky placed his hand on it, ready to open to see who was inside, he saw a plaque that read. Aisha De Santos. Loving Wife, Protector of the Innocent.
No! It couldn't be. Rocky threw opened the coffin lid and started screaming.
"NO!" Rocky yelled, sitting up in bed. it took him a minute to take in his surroundings. It wasn't real. He told himself. It was just a dream. A really, horrible dream. Getting out of bed, Rocky made his way over to the bathroom that was in the bedroom, turned on the cold water in the sink and splashed it all over his face, trying to wash the sleep from his eyes.
After drying his face, he headed back to Blake and Tori's room. Kimberly was still sitting there. She looked up as he walked in. "Hey." She said. "How did you sleep?"
"Not so good, but at least I slept. Thanks for watching over her. I'll take over. give you a chance to stretch."
Kimberly put a gentle hand on his shoulder before she walked out the door. "She's going to be all right. You'll see."
As she left, Rocky's thoughts drifted back to his dream, wishing with everything he had that Kimberly was right.
No more than five minutes later though, Kimberly came back in. "Rocky, we need to see you in the living room. we have some news."
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As they walked into the living room, Emily and Tori stood up. "Kimberly said you have some news. What's going on?" Rocky asked.
"Well it was more of an idea than it was news." Tori corrected. "But we think the idea is pretty solid. And you should thank Emily because it was her idea."
Emily blushed. "He doesn't need to thank me. I was just trying to help." She paused, cleared her throat and then continued. "I don't know for certain if this will work or not, I've never met her. But what about calling Udonna for help? It says in the encyclopedia that she's a very powerful Sorceress. I'm sure she could perform some healing spells to help Aisha."
Rocky's head snapped up. He didn't think of that at all. The Mystic Force Rangers all had magical abilitied, being powerful each in their own right. Suddenly, he pulled out his cell phone and started dialing a number.
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"Are you okay?" Jason asked, crawling behind a boulder next to Mike. Mike had seen better days. His clothes were burned, he had blood running down his face, the result of a gash on his forehead and he thought a few fingers were broken. He tried to move them. Yep, definitely broken.
"My pride is a little bruised but other than that, i'm peachy keen." Ever the Jokster, Mike wouldn't ever let on that an enemy had an upper hand.
Suddenly, Blake joined him, looking a little scuffed up but nowhere as bad as Mike. "There's only one left. I think if we all come at him from different sides, we can take him. Tori was right. These aren't ordinary Kelzaks."
Jason looked at the youngest ranger. "What do you think? Are you up for that?"
Mike looked at the veteran rangers. He wasn't about to left a few broken fingers standing in his way. "Let's do this!"
All three Rangers morphed. "Alright, i'm going to go out first, try to get him a way from here." Jason stated. "Blake, you come at him from the side, Mike, from behind."
"Got it." Mike and Blake responded.
Jason jumped out from behind the boulder. "Yo, Ugly!" He called. The Kelzak didn't like that. He fired his laser gun at Jason but Jason wasn't there anymore, having backflipped out of the way. "Missed." Jason hollered. The Kelzak fired again but Jason was already on the move, drawing the Kelzak away from Blake and Mike as planned.
Once the Kelzak was far enough away, Blake jumped out to join the battle, coming in at the side. "Did you forget about me already?" Blake yelled, drawing the Kelzaks attention from Jason to himself. "You said you'd never forget about me, I'm hurt. Truly, I'm hurt."
From behind the boulder, Mike smiled under his helmet. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who jokes in the face of danger. Sarcasm, apparently, was an inherited ablity in all rangers. Taking his cue, he snuck up behind the Kelzak and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Handsome, come here often?" He ducked as the Kelzak turned, swinging his sword.
"Alright guys, All at once." Jason hollered to the others. "Power Sword!" Jason called his weapon.
"Thunder Staff." Blake followed suit, bringing out the heavy artillery.
"Forest Spear!" Mike called. When he felt his weapon in his hand, he thrusted it at the Kelzak, spearing him in the shoulder. "I got him." Mike called.
"Together?" Blake asked.
"Together." Jason confirmed. Blake swung his staff as Jason was bringing his sword down. Both weapons found their target and the same time. The Kelzak exploded into dust, blowing all three rangers backwards. Blake and Jason landed on the beach but Mike landed against the boulder they were hiding behind.
Mike let out a cry. Jason and Blake rushed over. "We have to get him back." Jason said.
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They arrived back at the house, both supporting Mike. Coming around to the front, they noticed a motorcycle that wasn't there before. "Were you expecting anyone?" Jason asked.
Blake shook his head. "Not as far as I know."
Blake opened the door and before anyone could step inside. they heard glass break and someone yell. "Oh My God, What happened?" Emily stepped around the broken glass that she had accidentally dropped when she saw the condition Mike was in.
"Tori was right. That batch of Kelzaks were stronger than we thought." Blake grunted. "Let's put him on the couch." Emily went to get bandages and a wet cloth while the boys got Mike situated on the couch comfortably.
Tori and Kimberly walked into the living room. "Thank heavens you're alright." Kimberly said, rushing towards her husband, threw her arms around him and kissed him. "We were worried."
Emily came rushing back in and immediately began to clean Mike's wound.
Blake had put his arm around Tori when she walked up to him. "Hey, who's motorcycle is outside?"
"I thought a motorcyle would be more of an inconspicuous form of transportation than a broom." Standing in the entry way to the living room stood a woman dressed in white, with deep red hair. She had a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes. "For those who don't know me, I'm Udonna."
"I'm Mike. I'd shake your hand but i have a few broken fingers." Mike laughed.
Udonna walked up to Mike, waved what looked like a stick over him and said something in a language that he didn't understand. Suddenly, the gash on his forehead started to close, repairing itself, as well as his fingers.
"Wow, thank you, how did you do that?" Mike asked, astonished. He leaned forward to shake this mysterious woman's hand, now that it wasn't broken.
"Mike, Udonna is a Sorceress. Her son leads the Mystic Force team. She is their mentor." Emily explained.
"Is everything okay?" Jason asked, concerned. The last thing they needed right now was another problem.
"She came because we called her." Tori explained. "It was Emily's idea. Quite brilliant actually."
"We were hoping that she would be able to help Aisha." Emily said, turning red. It may have been her idea but she didn't do it to be recognized. She just genuinely wanted to help.
Mike looked at his girlfriend. "You are amazing, you know that?" He kissed her head. "Can you help her?"
"We'll find out." Udonna replied.
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The rest of the rangers waited in the living room while Udonna went in with Rocky. Before she did anything, she checked Aisha's pulse. It was beating strong. She looked at Rocky. "You're wife is a survivor. She's going to be fine." She pulled out her bag and started placing crystals around Aisha. One on her forehead, one on each wrist, one on each foot and one over her heart.
She pulled out her wand and ran it from Aisha's head, down to her feet and back again. She did this several times and then started chanting. "Omay Healios Donay Agora, Omay Healios Donay Agora,Omay Healios Donay Agora" The more Udonna chanted, Rocky noticed, the crystals seems to start to glow.
Suddenly, without warning, a white light shot out of the crystal on Aisha's forehead, connecting the crystals. It's a star. Rocky realized.
"The postion of the crystals represent the elements. The crystal on her left wrist represents earth, the crystal on her left foot represents air, the crystal on her right foot represents fire, the crystal on her right wrist represents water and the crystal on her forehead represents spirit. The crystal over her heart represents just that. Her heart and soul. Her Essence if you will." And as quickly as Udonna started to explain, she was quiet again, continuing her movements with her wand and her continued chanting.
The crystals grew brighter and brighter until Rocky had to shield his eyes. Then there was darkness. Rocky opened his eyes and turned a light on. Udonna was removing the crystals. "Did it work?" He asked.
"Give it a minute." Udonna instructed. Rocky sat down and stared at Aisha. waiting for some kind of signal that it worked. Suddenly Aisha's eyes started to flicker. Rocky drew in a breath. After a few more seconds of flickering, Aisha opened her eyes completely and sat up.
Rocky started crying again, except this time, they were tears of happiness. "Hey, it's okay. I'm fine now." Aisha said, crawling out of bed. Thanks to Udonna, she felt better. I don't think I've ever felt this good before. She thought to herself. I'll have to thank Udonna later. Right now, I have a husband to comfort. She walked over to him and pulled him up to her. "Everything's going to be okay now. I love you." She pressed her lips against his, softly at first and then more fiercely. Udonna cleared her throat, indicating her continued presence in the room.
Aisha blushed and pulled away. "Thank you, Udonna." She walked up and gave the older woman a hug. She turned back to her husband and linked her fingers in his. "Let's go let everyone know I'm okay now."
