Author's Note: Wow, that is the last time I neglect a story for four months. It took some work to get back into the mindset for this story. At any rate, here is the new chapter. I sincerely hope it was worth the wait! Cheers.
Chapter Nine: The Heaven's Gate Massacre
After leaving his dirt bike and helmet in a nearby alleyway, Ryan now stood at what felt like the mouth of hell itself. The once grand and elaborate stairway into the underground Heaven's Gate terminal was now sealed off by large, steel, shutters at the bottom of the stairway. Though most of the city was terrified of this location, many of Angel Grove's burnouts crawled here. That much was evident by the graffiti upon the walls of the stairway and the used needles on the ground. It was sealed off from the city since that day. It was never repaired and there would be no talk of its restoration. This place, as far as anyone was concerned, was haunted. As the youth paused for a moment, staring down into the ominous abyss, he slowly withdrew his morpher from his pocket and began his gradual descent into the darkness.
Ryan didn't give a flying damn about whether or not he was to avoid using his powers for personal gain. He would transform and blow that sealed-fucking-door to bits! Knowing what he knew now, he had to be in there. He had to see the place where his life as an orphan began! His mother, his father, everyone, they lost their lives here, all but him. As the sole survivor, he would enter the Heaven's Gate terminal and give his final send off to the dead. From there, maybe, just maybe, he would finally begin to find his closure.
"Dragon," he growled, feeling the familiar, fierce, power move through his body. In mid stride, vibrant ribbons of green light enveloped his frame, consuming him. When the light broke from his frame, like the glass from a shattered mirror, he sprinted towards the shutters, poised to withdraw his Blade-blaster and lay assault upon them. The youth froze, dead in his tracks, when the air shimmered and pulsed around the shutters. What was going on? Unbeknownst to Ryan, his act of morphing had awakened the Dead Zone. What the hell? Ryan asked himself, backing away from the strange sight before him. There was no escape. A demonic hand, violet in color, had formed from the strange mist gathering and reached out towards the Green Ranger. It took hold of him, the large hand, and he was caught between its fingers.
"Urgh," he growled, struggling in vain. It had him and it wasn't letting go. Behind the visor, Ryan's eyes rolled back into his head and everything went dark.
Drip, drip, drip, dri-
He jolted awake, disoriented and unaware of how much, or how little, time had passed. Still in his Ranger garb, Ryan rose to his feet and his eyes traced his surroundings. How did he get inside the sealed subway terminal? He didn't blast the door open, so was that giant hand real? He put his hand against his temple, how his head hurt. The Heaven's Gate terminal was dark, foreboding, and the elements had crept into here as the scent of mold and mildew permeated through his nostrils. Rats had made their home here and the broken pipes made themselves known with their unending drip. Time had passed, yet the derailed train cars still rested on their sides and served as a testament to that day.
"At least they washed the blood away before they sealed it all off," said Ryan, his voice shaky, emotions still raw and at the surface. He had been too young to retain the trauma, yet, in this very moment, the pain was too real for him. "I suppose, I should say my goodbyes and find my way out of here."
As he took his steps, a blinding light formed at the center of the rundown terminal and violently pierced the darkness. Ryan shielded his eyes from the sudden illumination, watching with awe as the station began to magically restore itself before him. The train on its side had vanished and the sullied tiles were once again stark white and pristine, devoid of any cracks. The sound of running water startled him, he turned around and saw the fountain intact-working! The station! It was miraculously restored and more beautiful than the pictures had portrayed in any of the books or newspaper clippings. For a moment, he had believed that none of it had ever happened.
The murmur of the crowd then shook him back to reality. People were hustling and bustling, fragments of their conversation filling his ears. Yet, strangely, none of them noticed the Green Ranger standing among them. He heard some say the train was due to arrive any minute now. His expression behind the visor was puzzled.
"Are you people stupid?" he asked, growling and raising his voice. "The tunnels are WALLED off!"
Nobody heard him, not a single head turned. They all continued laughing, chattering, and discussing their plans for the day in their own little groups, though some were alone and silent. It was like he was invisible, and inaudible, to any of them.
When he saw the next apparition, his heart had nearly stopped in his chest. Ryan felt a flurry of mixed emotions take hold of him, nothing could have prepared him for this. His parents walked past, swinging a small child between them. It-it was him? Ryan quickened his steps, weaving around people so as not to lose sight of the people that passed him.
"Mom!" he cried out, waving his arms. "Dad!"
Even though he caught up and called to them, neither turned or even acknowledged that he was even heard. What was this? What? Why couldn't he? Ryan jumped in front of Mr. and Mrs. Felding, spanning his arms out in an attempt to block their way. They had already stopped, with no intention to go forward. They were waiting there and his presence was not known to any of them.
"Mom! Dad! It's me, Ryan!"
"Mommy," whined the small, tawny, child, tugging at his mother's flowered blouse. "I'm hungry!"
"Soon enough, Ryan," chuckled Martin Felding, tousling his little boy's hair gently. "Soon enough."
"What a healthy appetite," beamed his mother, Lia Felding, alive and standing before him-yet addressing his younger incarnation. She was as beautiful as ever, hazel eyes and straw colored ringlets, just as he remembered. For the real Ryan, being unable to interact with his mother was almost unbearable.
Screams shattered the atmosphere as two monsters had descended the stairway and began attacking people. One of them appeared to be a demonic ape with wings, in golden armor, that brandished a sword. He was laughing raucously as he began cutting people down, spurts of blood flying out and painting the white tiles red. The other monster was what appeared to be a skeleton holding a sword, with his left half colored like camouflage. Ryan couldn't really find a way to describe it, other than him being a skeleton with shoulder pads and a torso that looked like a large skull as well. It clicked when he recognized them. The winged ape was Goldar and the skeleton was Rito. Together, they were laying waste to the crowd, scattering the despair filled people like confused livestock.
"The train," Martin said, moving between the monsters across the terminal and his own family as the train could be heard approaching, "we can get on the train and escape."
Ryan's fists were clenched and vibrating as he watched the monsters kill more innocent people. Yet, he didn't want to move from where he was situated, he had to protect his parents. The other Rangers weren't here to save anyone, but, he was a Power Ranger and standing right here! His father had a plan to get them to safety, he wouldn't let the monsters come close!
"Bastards!" he cried out, running towards Goldar and Rito with his Blade-blaster drawn. Each shot fired unleashed a blast of green energy. Unfortunately, it passed right through the monsters as he could not touch them, nor could they touch him.
"Rito!" Goldar snarled, pointing to the approaching train. "Master said no survivors! Take care of the train!"
"Right," replied Rito, materializing a grenade into his free hand and lobbing it at the approaching train. Ryan turned back to his parents and watched in horror while Rito and Goldar were laughing. The sounds of glass shattering and steel creaking were heard as the explosive detonated at the front of the train, immediately killing the occupants of the car it struck. Flames licked eagerly at the train and the force of the explosion had caused it to derail and roar across the platform on its side.
"Run!" Martin cried, grabbing onto Lia's arm as she scooped their screaming child into her arms. Not only did they have an explosion and shrapnel to escape, but the derailed train as it leapt off of the tracks and screeched across the ceramic tiles, concrete, and people that had crowded in that vicinity. Even though the nightmare could not touch or affect Ryan, it was real enough to make the Green Ranger run alongside his parents in a bid to escape the derailed train. Sparks, blood, and severed limbs, an image Ryan would never forget-then and now-as the nightmare unfurled. The Feldings had barely escaped the danger there. Yet, with no escape possible for them, Martin and Lia began to feel a sense of hopelessness. The young incarnation of Ryan screamed, with no chance of consolation.
"Goldar," Rito laughed, cruelly, pointing at the Felding family. "I hate noisy brats! Shut that kid up!"
Ryan, the real Ryan, gasped in horror as he watched the monsters turn their attention to his family. They were advancing on his parents. They were going to kill his parents! Ryan unfolded his gun and converted it into knife mode, he couldn't let them hurt his father! Ryan ran, howling like a crazed warrior, intent on taking Goldar down.
Goldar chuckled menacingly, advancing slowly towards the last surviving group of people in the station. Martin pushed Lia and his young son behind him, stepping out, desperate to keep the monster away. He swallowed hard, beads of sweat upon his brow. As a man, and a father, he knew then and there that he was about to make a desperate, heroic, sacrifice in the hopes that they would survive. Ryan pounced, blade gleaming, he was throwing all of his force into this attack-foolishly. The youth passed right through the apparition, landing hard upon the ground. When he looked up, he heard Lia scream and watched the sword glide across his father's stomach in what looked like slow motion. Martin Felding collapsed to the hard ground below, dead and disemboweled.
"NO!" screamed Lia, watching her husband die and crumble before her while shielding her son's eyes from it. Little did she know that her son was witness to the whole ordeal fifteen feet away, catatonic from the horror he had just witnessed. She shook with maddening sobs, holding her child tight. The end, it was coming for the both of them. "Martin! We're coming soon," choked Lia, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her sobs were suddenly stifled when Goldar's blade plunged into her abdomen, impaling her and piercing a lung. He withdrew the blade, not knowing he had missed the toddler in her arms. Blood poured from her mouth as she choked and gurgled, pink froth bubbling due to the pierced lung. Lia Felding, Thomas Oliver's sister, collapsed to the ground, on top of her child. The mother had died and the child had been knocked unconscious. However, it was this tragic circumstance that saved young Ryan's life. The monsters had assumed him dead and prepared to leave the Heaven's Gate terminal, believing that they left no survivors.
"No," Ryan muttered, repeating endlessly. This vision, this horror, he could not fathom what had transpired. In an instant, the happy and carefree people were scattering in terror as monsters cut them down. The people who weren't cut down were- "crushed beneath the cars," he whispered, mirroring his Uncle Tom's words spoken a mere hour ago. This terrible tale he so desperately ran away from, not wanting to hear, it forced its way upon him. Now, no matter how hard he might try to forget, Ryan had seen it all. This attack was sudden, instantaneous. There's no way Uncle could have saved us in time, he thought to himself. This trauma, with no one left to blame, now weighed heavily upon his soul. Tears pooled in his eyes and streamed along his cheeks silently as he began to hyperventilate, clutching his tightening chest. This pain, where would it go? And then, something inside of him broke. All he could feel now was the icy rage that now numbed his insides.
"You worthless motherfuckers," he snarled, standing up and pointing at the monsters.
What took Ryan by surprise was that they turned toward the sound of his voice. Now, of all times, they could see him, hear him. The area began to distort and shimmer around him, the light suddenly going out once the distortion ceased. The bodies, the blood, his parents-all of it was gone. It looked like he was back in the present, it was 2011 again. He gasped as the monsters began to change in color. Goldar's armor turned black, as did the bones of Rito. A dark aura exuded from both creatures, the visage of purple flames.
"What a foul mouth, so unbecoming for a Power Ranger," growled Goldar, laughing derisively, his voice now guttural and demonic. With the same inflection and change in voice, Rito added, "Let's rip him apart. No survivors."
"Insects," Ryan spat, his voice an octave lower than his usual way of speaking and iced over with hatred, "I'm going to enjoy maiming you both."
They ran towards the Green Ranger, both swords drawn, as Ryan ran to them, howling with every bit of rage and animosity pouring from him. He leapt high into the air, soaring towards Rito, as he switched his Blade-blaster back into gun mode. Ryan had poised himself for a flying kick and then began to fire shots from his blaster into Goldar. The green blasts made impact, causing the demonic ape to stagger backwards as sparks flew out of him. The impact of his feet upon Rito's torso caused him to redirect his aim and fire into the skeleton monster he just kicked. While firing in midair, he regained his footing during his descent back to the ground. Rito was knocked back and then toppled over, landing on his backside. Behind the visor, Ryan glared at the ape he had failed to knock over.
Naomi panted, recovering from the shots fired at her. They didn't knock her down, but she was sure Milo was in a lot of pain from that flying kick she took to the chest, followed up by shots from Ryan's blaster. Ceres used her brother's car to drop her and Milo off. Virgil didn't want to be involved and Ceres offered to drive him home, requesting a phone call or text message if the need for her arose. Naomi praised herself for the idea to morph beforehand. Not only did they have to break the shutters, but now they had to defend themselves from a crazed Green Ranger.
When they came in, they found Ryan writhing upon the floor. Milo had asked him if he was okay, only for him to stand up and curse them both. At first, it seemed like typical Ryan behavior, until he expressed the joy he would have in maiming them both right before he broke into a run towards them, executing that last attack. Now, recovering from the initial assault, Naomi was unsure of what to do. That was until she noticed the violet stains upon the Ryan's ranger suit, slowly overtaking the green. He was clearly corrupted by this Dead Zone Tom had mentioned earlier. She gasped as Ryan charged towards her.
Milo stood up, slowly, winded from taking a kick to the chest and being shot repeatedly. What had gotten into Ryan? Why was he attacking them like this? Sure, he never liked them from the beginning, but, why the malice? He was trying to kill them. As much as she didn't want to hurt him back, she wasn't going to stand idly and take a beating from him either. Without speaking, she willed the Power Sword to materialize in her right hand.
"Milo!" cried Naomi, fending off the onslaught of kicks and punches Ryan was directing towards her with blocks and evasive maneuvers. "Ryan," she ducked, avoiding a left hook, "isn't", she leapt back, materializing her personal weapons, the Power Daggers into her hands, "in his," she pivoted on the balls of her feet, narrowly avoiding a front kick from the youth, "right frame of mind!"
As she exclaimed those words, she slashed his torso and sent him sprawling. Sparks flew off of his suit and it protected him from being cut. Naomi had little choice but to counterattack and gain distance from him. This was bad, she didn't want to harm her comrade, yet, he was leaving her very little choice. Tom and Violet were on their way, she hoped they would arrive soon. Maybe Tom knew what was happening. For now, they'd have to try to incapacitate him before he ended up seriously hurting one of them.
"Yeah," Milo scoffed, aiming her sword, defensively, towards an advancing Ryan as she stepped sideways in an attempt to circle him. "I wasn't sure I caught on to that, you know, when he was threatening to MAIM us."
"Stop laughing at me!" he growled, Rito sidestepping him in an attempt to encircle him. All the while Goldar was laughing raucously from landing a successful hit upon him a moment ago. These bastards, they were going to beg for their deaths by the time he was through with them. Killing his parents and then mocking him as they fought? Unforgivable!
"I will kill you both!" he screamed, converting his Blade-blaster into knife mode as he ran towards Rito. Before he could strike the monster, it retaliated by striking him across the chest with its sword. Pain screamed through him as his chest muscles throbbed. Though he was protected from being sliced open, the force of the attack was still painful enough to cause him to rear back, holding his chest. "Bastard!"
"Agh!" he cried out, Goldar striking him from behind with his fist and then sword. Searing pain roared out through the rest of him as he stumbled forward. He was foolish to leave his back exposed to an enemy. Fighting them in tandem, it was difficult. The strange thing was, it felt like they were trying to knock him out. A moment ago, they were ruthlessly slaughtering his family and other innocent bystanders. What was going on? Were they toying with him? Ryan angrily ground his teeth, infuriated by the monsters.
"Milo!" cried Naomi, feeling ambivalent about striking Ryan's neck. "I can't knock him out, he won't go down!"
Milo was distraught, she didn't know what to do. Ryan was resilient, but, she was terrified that he would die on his feet if they kept attacking him like this. For some reason, he was determined to defeat them at all costs. Just what was going on inside that mind of his? Milo rushed in at Ryan, slashing him repeatedly with her sword while she cried out desperately each time. When he staggered back, she threw the sword aside and started punching him in the gut with every bit of force she had. "Go down, stay down!" she cried out, striking him again and again. She stopped abruptly when she felt the barrel of his Blade-blaster press into her stomach. Behind the visor, the Red Ranger's eyes widened as he pulled the trigger at point blank range. Milo flew back and hit a concrete pillar, the pain white hot and enough to induce the urge to vomit. As everything went dark, she lamented her failure before falling unconscious.
"Milo!" cried Naomi, feeling the onset of terror creep over her. With Ryan berserk and able to take down Milo, what chance did she have? She began to back away from him, terrified.
Ryan laughed cruelly and uttered, "Not so tough without your friend, now I'm going to kill you."
"Ryan! Enough!"
Naomi and Ryan both jerked their heads towards the source of the stern voice. It was Uncle Tom with Violet at his side. His arms were crossed and his countenance was enraged, yet holding a slight hint of concern. Naomi deduced that Tom wasn't aware of the full extent to which the Dead Zone was affecting his nephew. She wasted no time in rushing to Milo's aid and drug the fallen Red Ranger to where Tom and Violet stood.
"Are you trying to kill them?" Tom exclaimed, gesturing to the Red and Yellow Ranger. "Just what the hell is going on?"
Ryan growled, pointing his weapon at Tom as he stepped in a little closer, "How dare you!"
Tom gasped, his heart hammering within his chest. He wasn't expecting Ryan to turn on him with his Ranger system. Something was definitely off here. This Dead Zone was awake, but, he still did not know what was going on. Was Ryan possessed by it? Was it trying to feed off of his nephew's soul? Was-
"It's trying to take back the only survivor," whispered Tom, to himself.
"Sympathizing with the enemy, Tom. You wanted my parents to die."
Tom shook his head, not knowing what Ryan was talking about. He sounded as though he had gone completely insane.
"Calm down, buddy," Tom urged, holding his hands out towards his nephew twenty feet away.
"I will not calm down, you're saving them and letting them escape!" he cried as a burning, violet, aura erupted from him. The entire station began to rumble. "This," he began, snarling as the dark aura burned intensely.
"Naomi, Violet," Tom said, softly, "get Milo out of here. This could get bad really, really fast."
"But, Tom!" Naomi gasped, knowing that he had no powers and could easily be killed.
"Just go!" he yelled, stepping away from them. Naomi and Violet fell silent, reluctantly making their exit up the stairs with an unconscious Milo.
"ALL OF YOUR FAULT!" Ryan screamed, rage erupting and filling every corner of the ruined terminal. It was in that moment that golden shoulder armor materialized upon him. Its master had found the strength to make the call and the Dragon Shield had answered.
End of Chapter Nine