Sector 10, Metro City Mega Mall
Metro City, Canada
April 18th, 2015
1:00 PM
"Rachel Parker"
"It's been so long since we've gone shopping." said Chloe.
You remember Chloe, don't you? My best female friend? Riley is my closest and oldest friend. But, Chloe is the one that I do all the girly stuff with. By girly, I mean anything that Riley hates doing.
Chloe was the pretty one out of the two of us. She had shiny, blonde hair and the body of a supermodel. We're both athletic and flexible, but only I'm in gymnastics. She's flexible in a more risqué kind of way. You know, she's um… Oh, screw it; she's a bit of a slut.
Sometimes her ditziness makes me question why I even bother to be friends with her. A few examples of her quirks are: She still dots her i's with hearts or smiley faces. She is obsessed with stuffed animals and talks to them like they can hear her. She's a picky eater because of much worried she about her figure. I know for a fact that she can eat whatever she wants and would never gain a single pound, but she doesn't care. It makes it hard to go out to eat with her. She is a glitter fanatic, so hugging her usually results in you getting some stuck on you. Lastly, I always go home with a sore neck because of how many times she makes crane it to check out some hot guys. I'll admit; she does have good taste, but only on the outside. Every guy she's ever gone out with would make Oz look like Einstein. I'm sure you already know what kind of guy I like.
"It's kind of waiting until you're really hungry before eating," I said, "By then everything tastes so much better."
"Not for me," she said, "I like to shop because I like to shop. Enjoying the thrill is just a… Nice piece of ass…"
"What!?"
"Check him out…" she said, steering my neck.
"We already checked him out," I said, "He's the one that walked past us while we getting our mani-pedis."
"Well he seems even yummier now."
"Then why don't you go bend over next to him or something?" I asked.
"Whoa, Rachel!" she said, "What do you think I am, the city bimbo?"
Not quite, but if she kept going at a steady pace, maybe she'd get there eventually.
"Sorry," I said, "But I thought the whole point of you buying those new short shorts was to show off for the guys."
"It is," she said, "But if I bend over just to do it, he'll get the wrong idea."
She made no sense. That wrong idea is exactly what she wanted. She wanted him to double back and spank her in public, bring her over to his expensive convertible and then drive to Hawaii with him where they would have endless kinky adventures. I might be wrong about Hawaii, but everything else is spot on.
"You know what?" I said, "He's too old for you anyways."
"Rachel, how many times do I have to tell you?" she asked, "There's no such thing as too old, only too young."
"Fine," I said, "Then you're too young for him."
At least when we went shopping together, she paid for her own stuff. I don't know where her parents are, but I think they're the kind of people who are endlessly rich for no particular reason. The sort of people that have their own reality TV shows. As far as I know, she lives with the family butler and her Grandma.
"Yeah, you're probably right," she said, "So, um, now what should we do?"
She was a real firecracker. It was Saturday, but yet, instead of taking it easy and relaxing she wanted to go everywhere in one day. I used to love doing that sort of thing with her until I became a ranger. Now, I was afraid to do much of anything, other than school. I knew from experience that Trojan's viruses could literally come out of anywhere. My biggest fear is that I would have to morph in front of her and blow my secret.
"Why don't we go to beach?" I asked, "After all, we did buy new swimsuits."
"You know me so well," she said, excitedly, "Come on, we can change in bathroom!"
"Why do we have to change?" I asked, as she dragged me.
"It's always best to wear skimpy clothes over swimsuits." She said.
Sometimes it's just easier to go with the flow.
For the most part, I'm not insecure about my body. I know I'm not ugly, but sometimes I feel like I am when I go around with Chloe. It's hard to tell exactly which one of us was getting checked out more. Not that it really mattered to me, but I guess it would just be interesting to know. For example, we were wearing the exact same thing right now, but I just can't shake the feeling that Chloe was wearing it better. Another thing is that she is a masterful flirter. I can't flirt. I know when I'm being flirted with, but usually I don't play along because I'm only interested in one person. She's tried to teach me throughout the years, but I'm just a slow learner. For the most part, I just copy her and say something different.
Chloe has the girliest car ever: a Buggy. I shouldn't really talk though, because all I have is a bike. Her car is this ugly shade of yellow. She claims its gold, but to me, it looks more like mustard. I wonder what people in cars that pass it must say. Weird, mustard-yellow punch buggy, maybe?
Sector 10 was the shopping district. There was a bit of residential areas in it as well, but it primarily contained many malls, stores and shops.
The best beach was in Sector 20. There was even a beach boardwalk and carnival. It was a long drive to the beach, but it would be worth it for a little bit of fun in the sun.
"You should wear that shirt all the time," said Chloe, "It makes you look chestier."
No, I looked chestier than her because I am chestier than her. Chloe used to stuff her bra until she filled out a bit more. I remember it quite well, considering that it's one of my fondest memories. I keep it in reserve in case we fight. To most people, it wouldn't be a good comeback, but it is to Chloe. Every time I say, "Well, I've got bigger boobs than you!" she gets all teary and surrenders. Then, she'll want to do that stupid air-hug thing.
"Even in winter?" I asked.
"Especially in winter," she said, "That's when your nipples stay perky."
"What if I catch a cold?" I asked.
"Then you can snuggle up to any guys that were attracted to you."
"I never thought of it that way," I said, "Does it also work if you sweat enough to make your tank top see-through?"
"Yeah, but, then you'd want to go skinny dipping afterwards to cool off," she said, "You should join my petition to lift the ban on tank tops at school."
"Sure." I said.
Hanging out with Chloe was interesting because I didn't have to worry about anything. I could unwind and just have some genuine fun. I can't remember the first last time Riley and I did something stupid just to have a good laugh. They both provide two very different types of companionship. If I didn't have one, I would miss the other.
"Are you ever going to tell me why you've been so busy lately?" she asked.
"Well, you know, I'm um, hoping to go to Queen's University to earn my medical degree," I said, "So, I've been arranging meetings and tours. Then I started taking two biology courses to make my applications more appealing."
"Fine," said Chloe, "If you don't want to tell me, I'll figure it out for myself."
That's one of her more serious quirks. She hates when people keep secrets from her. The only way to counter it is by being careful. As long as she doesn't suspect anything, she's fine.
What she said haunted me a little. She can be pretty devious sometimes. Come Christmas time, I have to hide her presents at Riley's house. She never finds them because it doesn't occur to her to look anywhere other than my house. Maybe I should just tell her. Keeping it a secret from her is what she'd be angry about. But once she knew, maybe it would make her see me in a new way and our friendship would change for the better.
Or, maybe her jealousy and anger would build up to a dangerous level and result in an emotional meltdown. Either way, she'd manage to make it seem like my fault. So, either I lose a friend or I live in guilt. Why does there never seem to be a middle ground?
While we were on the overpass, something rocketed past us. I wove in and out of the traffic with ease, but the drivers all swerved instinctively. If they hadn't, nothing would've happened, but there was no way for them to know that. Almost like a domino chain, the cars began to crash into each other and pile up.
"Holy shit!" shrieked Chloe.
Whatever had caused the accident was rocketing back in the opposite direction. By the looks of things, we were its next target. Thinking fast, I grabbed the anti-theft club from the backseat and swung it as hard as I could. The passenger side window shattered, leaving a hole large enough for us to fit through.
"Give me your hand!" I shouted.
She didn't move.
"Chloe, come on!"
She was in shock. Any second now, that thing was going to crash into the car. Not if I had any say in the matter. I rolled out of the window, taking my purse with me. Not wasting any time, I sprinted forward, pulled my Digitizer out, strapped it on my wrist and proceeded to morph without ever slowing down.
"CYBER POWER, ACTIVATE!" I shouted.
I have no idea how many people saw me, nor did I care. That thing, whatever it was, had just used a vehicle in the wreckage as a ramp. I jumped high into the air and summoned my weapons. As we approached each other in midair, time seemed to slow down. It was enough for me to get a decent look at it. It was a motorcycle, or, at least, it something that could assume the basic shape of one.
I swung my sais, aiming at the tires, but much to my surprise, a hand reached out from the motorcycle and grabbed me. During the descent, it transformed into a more or less humanoid shape and kicked me away.
"See you around, sweet cheeks!" it growled.
I hit the pavement hard and bounced several times, finally coming to a stop by Chloe's car. As I came to, I could hear Silver's voice coming from out of my Digitizer and he didn't sound too happy.
"Blue where have you been!?"
"I was shopping, Silver," I moaned, "I was trying to have a day-off with a friend."
"I've been trying to contact you for hours," he said, "The others have their hands full with an army of Replicators."
"Well, I found a virus," I said, "It caused a huge accident on the overpass."
"That doesn't excuse the fact that you shirked your ranger duties." he said.
"Scold me later," I pleaded, "I need reinforcements!"
"I'm sorry Blue," said Silver, "But until the Replicators have been dealt with, you're on your own."
"All this time…" said a voice from behind me.
I whipped around and saw Chloe standing there with her arms crossed.
"You've been a Power Ranger all this time!?" she said.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, "You know I can keep a secret."
She tricked me. She hadn't been in shock at all; she just pretended to be to see what I'd do. I actually risked my neck to save her, jumping in to fight the Virus, because I thought she was a victim. This was the last straw. She had gone too far. Her obsessive need to control her friend's lives made her do some pretty awful things before, but now it was time to take a stand.
"I know it might be hard to believe," I said, "But the world does not revolve around you!" I snarled.
"I tell you everything," she retorted, "I respect you enough not to keep any secrets from you, because I don't think friends should have secrets!"
"You have no idea how ridiculous you sound right now," I snapped, "For example, secretly, I think you're a bit of a slut!"
"How could you say that!?" sobbed Chloe.
"Exactly," I snapped, "Until now, I kept my opinion a SECRET, because I knew it would hurt your feelings!"
"Rachel…" she began.
"No, I'm not done," I continued, "You act like a spoiled diva that has a right to know absolutely everything about everyone as if you're entitled to it and it drives me crazy!"
"Rachel!" she repeated.
"And for the record," I went on, "I could make a ten page list full of many secrets you've kept from me!"
"BEHIND YOU!" she screamed.
By the time I turned around, it was too late. The Virus had come back for more and kicked me in the head. Chloe had been trying to warn me. I was sent flying again; over Chloe and about three cars. I landed on the roof of the third one, denting it from the impact.
"Go kick it's ass, Blue Ranger!" cheered the Driver.
I leapt up to my feet and gasped as some sort of rubber ball came hurtling at me. I caught it like a medicine ball and examined it.
"It's a bomb…" I muttered.
The Motorcycle Virus had thrown a bomb about the size of a basketball at me. The whole thing was made out of rubber and looked like he melted tires together to create it. Somehow, the tires kept their treads through the melting process though.
"Chloe, get over here, I need your help!"
Apparently, she was still in argument mode, because instead of actually answering me, she just stuck her tongue out at me like a toddler.
"This thing is a BOMB!" I called, "We need to evacuate the bridge!"
Her eyes went wide. She reached into her bag of clothes and threw on something less revealing. One of her overlooked talents was changing. She can switch outfits about as fast as morphing looks to the casual observer.
Chloe hurried over, vaulting over cars, debris and wreckage adeptly. She a cheerleader and gold medal track and field competitor, but you wouldn't know it based on her personality.
"Please tell me you still have your rape whistle." I said.
"Are you kidding me?" she asked, "Grandma never lets me leave home without it."
She pulled it out from her cleavage and gave three sharp blasts on it. I had to stop myself from getting distracted. I almost starting wondering about what else she kept it in there.
"Okay people!" she announced, "It's time to move it or lose it!"
"Everyone, please follow her in a single file line!" I announced as well.
"What are you going to do?" asked Chloe, as she passed me.
"Kick this thing's ass." I said.
The civilians all followed Chloe obediently. Now I understood why she changed clothes first. She didn't want to look like a skank while doing the most heroic thing in her life. Plus, her daisy dukes would've been very distracting to any guys in the line.
"Silver," I said, "What can you tell me about the virus?"
"The Motorcycle Virus is #3M7T1R9C8L and it can reach speeds of up to 250 kph in vehicle form," said Silver, "When accelerating, it can see in slow motion. If it gains enough speed and momentum, it becomes an unstoppable force."
"Does it have any weaknesses?"
"Not according to my database," he said, "But if you attack its tires, you might be able to cripple it."
"That's easier said than done." I sighed.
The timer on the bomb had five minutes left. I could see that Chloe was making progress. I think the police had showed up, because there were siren lights flashing in the distance.
I was hit from behind again as the virus. Before I could even stand up it tackled me again. This went on for quite a while. Every time I tried to react, it would beat me to it. It was too fast for me and that's saying something, considering that I'm the fastest member of the team.
I heard the Motorcycle Virus' engine rev again as it used another wrecked car as a ramp. I looked up, expecting to see it above me. That's when I realized that the noise was coming from Chloe. She was riding a motorcycle too and leapt in from behind.
"Where did you get that?" I asked.
"I flashed my bra at the cops," she said, "They really should have more gay officers."
"See?" I said, "This is why I used to think you were a little slutty."
"So, you don't anymore?"
"No," I said, "You're more of a free spirit than anything."
"Apology accepted," said Chloe, "Now climb aboard."
"I hate copycats!" grunted the Virus, skidding to halt in front of us.
It began to circle us. As if we had just become a motocross track. Smoke from the exhaust and the fumes from the burning of rubber had started to fill the air. We were completely trapped. Even if Chloe tried to drive out, it would only result in a crash.
"That thing is really starting to piss me off!" snarled Chloe, "He ruined our day at the beach, caused an accident, hurt all those people, including us and ruined my heroic rescue of you!"
"And since your plan failed, you flashed the cops for no reason." I said.
"You're not helping!" she snapped.
Just then, something started beeping. It got louder and louder. Our five minutes were up and the bomb would explode at any second. I scooped up Chloe and tossed over the circling virus to safety.
"No, don't!" she pleaded.
I placed myself on top of the bomb. My only choice was to try and muffle it. If I'm lucky, my suit will protect me from most of the explosion.
With one final beep, the bomb detonated. I was relieved that it hurt, because that meant I was alive to feel it. The explosion was loud enough to make my earwax vibrate through my helmet. Once everything subsided, I found myself hanging on to a rebar which became exposed when the bomb blew a giant, gaping hole in the overpass.
Luckily, my adrenaline was surging, so the fact that I would fall roughly 15-stories if I lost my grip was thankfully not lingering in my mind at the moment.
"How's it going, Blue Ranger?" taunted the Motorcycle Virus from across the chasm, "Are you hanging in there?"
Not surprisingly, I had demorphed. I could tell right away that my leg was broken. Cyber Gene or not, it would still take quite a while for it to heal. Even if I managed to get back up on the overpass, I wouldn't be able to fight the virus.
As the ringing in my ears started to go away, I could Chloe calling my name frantically.
"Rachel!" she sobbed from above.
"I'm right here!" I croaked back.
Her head appeared when she peeked down into the chasm.
"You're alive…" she muttered while reaching down for me absent-mindedly.
Unfortunately, Chloe didn't know that I had broken my leg. When it accidentally got caught on the rebar I had been holding on to, I wailed in agony. This startled Chloe, who almost lost her grip on my hand. Once we were both back on solid ground, I tried to limp to my feet.
"I'm so sorry," sobbed Chloe, "This is all my fault!"
"No it's not," I said, gritting my teeth through the pain, "I called you selfish earlier, but… I probably would've done exactly the same thing as you were I in your position."
"But if I hadn't been so jealous and attention seeking none of this would've happened!"
"Don't worry about it," I said, "You've already righted those wrongs by helping me."
"I just wish I could do more…"
One last teardrop trickled down from her face and splattered on the ground. I could've sworn that it had glowed, but, then again, I might've just been hallucinating because of the pain.
From the very spot that Chloe's tear had landed, a small pillar of binary had appeared, almost like how a geyser erupts.
"Chloe… Look!" I said.
"What is it?" she asked, wiping her eyes.
I was witnessing the birth of a new codec. Even though I had never seen that before, somehow I just knew what I was seeing. Like, if you see grown men in jerseys on ice, you immediately know you're watching a hockey game.
The binary was bright orange, like a roaring fire. It wasn't that hard to believe. After all, Silver did say that people with the Cyber Gene tend to stick together instinctively.
"It's called a codec," I said, "It's what we use to become Power Rangers."
I think she must've felt a sense of belonging or ownership towards the codec, because as soon as I told her what it was, Chloe reached out and touched the binary geyser.
"It's warm," she said, "The same temperature that I make my showers."
With her hand inside the stream, the binary flowed up and reconfigured itself into a physical form. Chloe pulled her hand away and curiously examined the orange gem that was now glowing brightly in her palm.
Wordlessly, I unscrewed the case that held my codec into place on my Digitizer and took it out.
"Here," I said, handing my Digitizer to Chloe, "Once you put it in the socket, you'll instantly know how to use it."
Looking uncharacteristically determined, she nodded and took the Digitizer from me. I watched her intently as she carefully placed her codec into place and screwed the case back on.
She shuddered when the codec exploded with light. The brightness stayed contained in the case just like how ours did.
Now I nodded at her and gave her the thumbs up again.
"CYBER POWER, ACTIVATE!" shouted Chloe.
The Digitizer sent out a familiar swirling tornado of binary. It kept swirling faster and faster becoming more and more, narrow as it did so until it collided with Chloe in a small explosion. Now she was wearing the exact same suit as me, only hers was a fiery, vibrant orange. After leaping high into the air, she landed on the ground with an orange helmet on her head.
I cheered and whooped as she examined herself. Giving her my Digitizer was a long shot and I didn't know if it would even work. Obviously, it did.
"Wow!" she said, "I feel like I could win a triathlon!"
She swooped down and picked me up, making sure to be gentle so as not to hurt my leg again.
"Rachel," said Orange, "I have a very serious question for you."
"What?"
"Does this suit make me look fat?"
"Nope," I grinned, "Just orange."
"I can live with that." she said.
I scoured the other side of the chasm, but couldn't see the Motorcycle Virus.
"It's not gone," I said, "I'll bet it went to gain speed."
"Whatever that thing is doesn't know when to quit." said Orange.
"Do you know how to summon your weapon?" I asked.
"I think so." said Orange.
She thrust her hand out and said the usual callout. I was inappropriately excited to see what her weapon would be.
The orange binary materialized into what looked like a spiked bowling ball on a stick. Great, I don't even know what it is. I had been expecting a cannon shaped like a hairdryer or something, but not whatever that thing is.
Orange squeezed the handle and with a thud, the spiked ball fell to the ground, revealing that it was attached to a chain. Now I knew what it was; a flail.
There was the roar of an engine again as the Motorcycle Virus reemerged on the other side of the chasm.
"Attack it, now!" I hollered.
Orange swung her flail above her head like a lasso before raising it high over her head. The spiked ball was now touching the pavement. Emulating the action of a strength test at a carnival, she slammed the flail down just as the Motorcycle Virus came into reach. The impact sent it plummeting down the chasm that it created with a bomb. We watched it hurtle down 15-stories and explode when it landed with a metallic crunch on the street below.
There was a pause while we contemplated what we had just witnessed.
"It's dead, right?" asked Orange.
"Oh yeah…" I said.
Just then, three streaks of binary code descended upon us. The others must've dealt with the Replicator invasion. I didn't care that they were late for the party. I was just glad that they actually showed up.
"Sorry it took so long!" panted Riley, "There was hundreds of the damn things."
"I had the most kills." said Oz.
"Yeah, because you kept stealing them from me!" snapped Marcus.
"Are you okay, Rachel?" asked Riley.
"For the most part," I said, "My leg might be broken though."
"So, where's the virus?" asked Marcus.
"You just missed it," said Orange, "I nailed it in the head with my flail and it fell down that hole!"
"Wait a second," said Riley, "Rachel, if you're there, then who's that?"
"Power down." said Orange.
The others gaped at her. Of all the people in the world to become a ranger, Chloe, my "slutty" friend was probably the one the most unlikely candidate. This was evidenced by the looks on their faces.
"Hi." she said, shrugging her shoulders innocently.