I rested my head, and before I knew it, I was out cold. I wasn't concerned though, because my head had been the only major piece of me not to get trashed during my little aerial stunt, so I don't know what happened next really, only that when I came too, it was the next day, and about half way through it. Emerging from the little bunk area I shared with Matt, I found the area somewhat deserted. No one was about, which suited me alright, because I was still a bit exhausted, and I would rather be left to my own thoughts for a little bit. Strolling over to the picnic table, I passed by it, and went to the little kitchenette, and grabbed a cola from the fridge. I needed some caffeine at the moment, but I wasn't much into coffee, so the cola would have to do. Sitting down at the table, I relaxed, taking several sips of the can, and enjoying the silence. Opening my mind around me, I couldn't sense anyone else in the building, which meant that even Sean and his family had disappeared for a little bit. For the first time in a long time, minus myself, the Shelter was empty, and everything was peaceful. I lost myself in the moment, not thinking about anything else, not the battles, not the powers, I had even forgotten Mady for the moment, and I just drank in the sound of the world around me, the silence.
Taking another sip, I placed the can back on the table, and stood up, wondering over to the control center. Stepping inside, I sat down at the console, and found the monitor dim. I moved the mouse slowly, and the computer awoke, revealing data from the last battle, placed next to the video feed from one of the team's helmets. Slowly I began to contemplate the choice for the next ranger. For the fifth one, it had to be someone who wanted to be here, who was driven just like the rest of us to be a Ranger. I found out early on that being a good, or great person isn't what is required to be a good Ranger, sometimes, you have to become a Ranger in order to be a good person. Some people, like Matt for instance, needed the extra shove of being a Ranger to become a better person.
In the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (that created the idea of being a ranger in the first place) you had a group of people who already excelled in life, as leaders of their community in a sense, taking on the responsibility of becoming rangers. This trend progressed all the way through to the Lost Galaxy, when we saw for the first time, a group of people chosen to be Rangers, rather than people who deserved to be Rangers. The idea wouldn't resurface again until Wild Force, but continued through until Space Patrol Delta. You only need look at the characters in the beginning of the series, and at the end, to see the true evolution of who they had become to truly understand what being a Ranger can mean to some people.
With my team, it was half and half. Some of us, like Lexa, and Peter were brought in because they represented experience, and they had the talent, they were the ones that deserved to be Rangers in the first place, beings who already excelled, and could only do more as Rangers. Then you had Matt, who was chosen, not some one who had gone through all the motions of becoming, someone who just had the duty thrust upon him. Slowly he was beginning to realize the extent of his abilities as a Ranger, and he would become a better person for it. To balance the scales we needed someone else to fulfill that role. Myself, I was a being of destiny one could say, or as it was rather more adequate to say, it ran in the family. I was both chosen, at birth, and went through the motions of becoming a ranger, almost like Sky Tate.
Sitting in thought though, I began to feel a presence behind me, which disrupted my thoughts, but sensing a human, I didn't bother in turning around, for it was someone who I recognized quickly, and as he stood in the doorframe announced, "You're awake."
"Yeah," I replied solemnly, "I was tired of sleeping."
Chuckling, Sean stated, "Looks like I caught you in deep thought; what are you thinking about?"
"Expanding the number of seats at the table again," I said softly, "we could use an extra hand or too."
"I guess Colleen really struck you then," replied Sean, then jested, "it's because she's a blonde right?"
"Actually I'm thinking about someone else," I told him, "people, who might benefit from it a little bit more, take more from it."
"Isn't that a little risky when the fate of the world is at stake?" he asked. "Shouldn't we grab someone like Peter or Lexa again?"
"Can't save a soul and the world at the same time?" I said, still staring straight ahead at the monitor.
I could tell he was rolling his eyes behind him, and then shook his head negatively, "Well who did you have in mind?"
"Well," I started, "Anna for one." Slowly I alt-tabbed out of the display and brought up a net browser.
"I haven't heard that name in a while," he announced, coming up from behind me.
"She has a little experience in the field," I reminded him.
Chuckling, he shook his head again, "I don't think being mind controlled by Evan, and turned into a Psycho Ranger technically constitutes experience."
"Close enough," I replied in a smug tone, "at least to anything we could find here on Earth." Slowly a facebook window came up on the screen, displaying Anna's college profile.
"You in Matt's account again?" he asked.
"Yeah," I replied, "he finally gave up trying to change passwords."
"Is she the only one?" he asked, returning to the topic.
"No," I replied, "but she might be the top candidate."
"Who else is there?" he continued.
"Alyssa," I said, changing the profiles on the screen.
"Who is she?" he asked me, as I slowly thought back to her, the first person to learn I was Ranger, only to have her memory erased to protect her from Evan.
"Someone from the past," I said softly, "but probably not a likely candidate."
"It sounds like you're only including women," he pointed out.
"I like a well balanced team," I replied.
"What about Colleen?" he asked. "Why not choose someone like her who is already involved in the conflict?"
"There's just something about her that sets me off," I replied. "I don't think I want her working close with me. Where is she by the way?"
"Lexa and Matt took her back in the Starwing," he replied.
"You let her go?" I asked him, turning around to look at him seriously. "Was that wise?"
"It was her choice," he replied. "We couldn't hold her against her will." Sighing, I faced back towards the computer monitor, thinking about this turn of events. "Peter took my family into town; they needed to stretch their legs." Slowly I nodded, thinking about it the situation still. Summing me up, he finally concluded by asking, "You wanted to make Mady the fifth Ranger, didn't you?"
"No," I lied.
"Really?" he asked, continuing to pick at the question.
"Well, I had thought about it," I told him, "but I would have to restore her memory, and the possibility might exist that she would revert back to her power hungry ways, and then we'd have two problems, more if she tried to awaken Evan."
"But it's the possibility that she wouldn't that you've thought about the most," he said, softly. "You want her to be a part of the team. Because then she wouldn't just be part of the team, she'd be part of your life again."
"She wouldn't make a good Ranger," I replied softly.
Turning away, Sean, walked back to the doorframe, and turned around. "Well I managed to get the broken down Landcruiser running again."
"Oh," I said, turning towards him, "is that what Peter took?"
"Yeah," he replied, "it's putting along, but not very quickly. I wanted to go with them, but I knew my face would be recognized easier than his." Slowly his eyes dropped to the ground. I knew that not being able to go out with his family was bothering him that much was clear.
Looking up at him, there was only one thing I could really say though, and that was, "One day, this will be over, and we won't have to worry about that any more." Silence passed over the room for several moments, and slowly my thoughts drifted back to the vehicle Sean had mentioned. Smiling, I remembered my own vehicle nested away safely. "Some day, I'll have to take you for a ride my Audi."
"You never told me you got an Audi," he replied. "Let me guess, a bright red TT."
"No," I said smiling, "an S4, one of their sport sedans. Part of me misses driving that thing; it was one of the few things I could do to relax when stress was getting to me."
"It sounds like a nice time," said Sean, his eyes slowly looking far away, remembering a drive in the country or something. Slowly his eyes came back into focus, and he looked backed at me. "Soon."
"Soon, indeed," I replied. Standing up slowly, I turned towards him again. "Anything from Blake yet?"
"No," he replied softly. "No word."
"Then I suppose I should head out there and do my own investigation," I told him. "I have to know one way or the other."
"I know," he replied softly. "Be careful."
Track Insert – Hidden Logic Presents Luminary "Wasting"
A short portal trip later, brought me back to the scene of the crime, literally. Standing in the doorway I could see the police tape lining the scene, and the destruction caused inside. Lifting up the weak barrier, I ducked below the Caution Tape, and found myself in the room again, where I had been the night before. Looking around, I almost saw phantoms of the battle the night before. I looked over towards the raised area where the window was, and could see slash mark from Polaris's weapon. Slowly walking over to it, I touched the gash slowly, connecting to the part of me that had narrowly avoided it only a day earlier. Turning back around and observing all the clutter lying about, I tried to scan the room for a date book, or anything that might alert me to Mady's whereabouts, anything I could use to find her. Going through several of the fallen objects, I realized how little I knew about the way she lived, or who she was now, the habits she possessed, the feelings. I tried to think like her, how would she do something, but sadly I found myself unable to put myself in her place. I realized then that though I cared a great deal for her, I didn't really know her that well.
"Who are you?" I asked aloud to no one, but was quite stunned to have an answer.
"I'm with the Chicago PD, who are you?" asked a voice behind me, followed by the sound of a gun hammer snapping into place. Standing up, and putting my arms into the air, I turned around slowly hoping that if I took my time, I wouldn't get shot.
"I'm a friend of the two that live here," I told him, "I came by to see if they were alright."
"Well I'm afraid the occupant of this dwelling is unavailable," he announced, "but we'll check you out down at the station, you're trespassing at a crime scene."
"Then she's alright?" I asked him, more out of relief.
"I can't disclose her whereabouts, or location," he responded, "now on your knees."
Relieved that I had learn that she was alright, I slowly dropped to my knees, doing as the officer commanded, only realizing as I did that I was now under arrest, which meant if they took me in, I'd be turned over to Polaris. I didn't want to hurt this guy, but I had feeling that even if I asked him nicely, I was still going for a ride in the paddy-wagon. "I can't go with you."
"I think you might be a little confused as to whether or not you have the choice," responded the officer curtly. Slowly he approached me with his raised weapon, and as he closed in, I released a burst of mental energy in his direction, than rushed forward, slamming him, and his raised arm into the wall. Under reflex he fired off a shot, which flew into the ceiling, knocking some of the plaster loose, falling upon us. My hand had traveled up his torso, and rested on his neck, while my other hand rested on his wrist.
"I'm not going to hurt you," I told him, "but I'm going to have to knock you out, and probably erase your memory."
"Eat shit," he responded, through the crack in his teeth. Raising my knee into his gut, he collapsed forward from the pressure, and as he did, I brought my hands down around his collar bone, effectively rendering him unconscious, which was evident when he dropped to the floor. Placing a hand on his cheek, I quickly went into his mind, and removed any presence of myself in the last five minutes. He'd have quite a mystery when he woke up, but few signs would point to me.
Standing up, I moved over to the window which now only constituted of pieces, and looked out below on the street corner, lit up by the sun rather than the street light the night before, but again, I watched the scene play out below me of her, and her gentleman friend. Sighing I turned back into the apartment, and decided to leave it behind, stepping over the officer, and back under the Caution Tape as I left the scene. Strolling back down the hallway, I began to wonder what had come about of Colleen. Most likely she had returned to her parent's house or something, but I hadn't checked in with Lexa, and Matt, so I had no idea where they had gone. However, I was brought out of my thoughts by the soft twinkling sound of my Lens.
Tapping on the lens, and bringing it closer to my face, I left it on voice mode, and said, "Go for Keith."
"It's me," said Sean, "did you find anything yet?"
"Just a very angry police officer," I replied.
"You alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, but he's catching up on his sleep," I replied, stepping towards the elevator, and activating it.
"Peter and the wife are back, but um, we haven't heard anything from Matt, and Lexa," he reported. "They should have been back by now."
"When was the last time you talked to them?" I asked as I watched the elevator lights in front of me count up as the lift slowly rose.
"After they dropped Colleen off," he replied. "That was a while ago."
"And you couldn't raise them in the Starwing?" I enquired.
"No," he said simply.
"Well," I said, my voice a little tinted with concern, "I'm sure they'll turn up, but if not, I can always search for them later. I hope they do though, I already have my hands full as it is."
"Yeah," said Sean nervously.
"Keep me posted chief," I told him.
"Sure," he said, and the line clicked, and went dead. The doors to the lift open, and slowly I stepped in, pressing the button, and letting it descend. Upon reaching the ground floor, I stepped out into the empty lobby, and slowly walked towards the door, which opened for me, and led me into a bright courtyard. Slowly replacing my glasses with prescription sunglasses, I looked around, until my gaze fell on the light pole which I recognized from above the night before. Walking towards it, I stood where I remembered seeing them the night before, and closed my eyes, trying to sense her lingering presence. Regrettably, I couldn't.
A breeze floated past me, and I turned around behind me, sensing something coming with it, but the scene behind me revealed nothing. I began to wonder if whether Lenoa was stalking me again or not, but as quick as it came, the feeling passed, and then there was nothing. Looking up, I watched the phantom of Colleen, and I falling towards the ground, and into the portal, as Polaris leapt out of the window above us.
Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, and the ghostly sound of someone calling my name, and spun around behind me, trying to knock the hand off as I did, but instead I found only the air. It seemed though as if I was being haunted, though whether it was from a presence or just my own mind, I didn't know.
"What am I missing here?" I asked aloud, talking to myself again.
"An anchor," answered another voice, but it was a familiar one, a maternal one. "Someone to keep you grounded to the mission, to the cause."
"I think Sean fills the role nicely," I replied, as she slowly materialized in front of me. "Besides at least he's forth coming with the details."
"Are you quite certain about that?" she asked me.
"Why do you play head games with me?" I returned, "Why don't you just come out and say what you're thinking."
"Because honestly that is no fun," she replied with a smirk. "And if you don't figure it out on your own, you'll never grow as a person."
"I'm saving the world," I told her, "I think I've grown pretty far as a person."
"Well a little more never hurt anyone," she said softly.
"Are you going to tell me what I need to win?" I asked her, returning to the subject at hand.
"Maybe I already have," she replied.
"You've only asked questions," I stated.
"And answered one," she countered. "You just haven't been paying attention."
"Can you tell me where Mady is?" I asked her seriously.
"No," she replied, "I can't."
"Is she alive?" I asked her, my voice becoming overpowered with concern.
"She hasn't crossed over," she replied softly, "if that is what you mean."
"Well, good news is better than no news," I said, my gaze falling away from her. "I'm scared I can't do this."
"You're allowed to be scared," she said soothingly. "We have all done things that have unnerved us in the past; all of us have made sacrifices so that the lineage can continue. Many have free will, ours is a path of destiny, one we can't easily stray from. The important thing you need to know is not how to beat them my son, it's that you don't need her to do it."
"She's my anchor," I replied softly.
"She's a siren," she replied, "meant to lead you to your doom."
Looking up, a smirk fell across my face, "You sure your mother in law instincts aren't kicking in."
"I could be playing poker with John Lennon you know," she countered, "instead I'm here trying to console you."
Laughing, I turned away, and returned to see her ghostly form bare an equally wide smile, "I miss you."
"Ditto," she said, and slowly began to fade back into the shimmering day.
Turning back around, I could feel the air and the sun about me, dancing across my skin, and filling me with a sense of calm and relief, though I suspected it was part of the lingering spirit of my mother as well. Something called to me, and as I continued my trek of spirits, I found myself drawn to a narrow alley way between several buildings on the other side of the courtyard. The alley reminded me of the one in Pittsburgh which forced me back onto the path I had lost. Stepping into it, the light disappeared, and I could feel the coolness of the shade swarm about me instead. I felt no presence, nor detected any sign of any being about, but still something drew me even further, until I came to a stairway that had led down, one similar to the one I had ducked under before when I thought someone was following me. Dropping down the stairs, I found myself face to face with a door, a large metal one, with a single glass plate which reported that inside it was quite dark. Pulling the handle down, and feeling out the lock with my mind, I released it, and slowly pulled it open, allowing the darkened light from the alley to spill into the room. The room was in a state of disrepair, almost under renovation, as I slowly stalked into it. Buckets with building material lay in several different places, and shards of glass lay broken about in several places.
The feeling that had been drawing me stopped, but it was replaced again with memories, or rather phantoms of memories that I had. Suddenly I found myself in the surf again, holding onto Mady as we slowly floated back and forth amidst the waves, the sun shining down on us. Peace overcame me once again, but slowly it faded as suddenly I felt a touch on my shoulder. Spinning around, I tried to grab the arm, but it evaded me, and instead, I sensed a weave coming for my face, so I reached up to block, and blocked a bright boot that came very close to my face, specifically my nose. Spooling up my mental energy, I released a burst forward into my assailant, and heard the sound of a feminine cry as they flew backwards. I was on them again, my arm pressed against their chest, as I held them into the wall.
It was only then that I had a chance to see who had attacked me, and almost immediately, I let go, and stood in awe, and shock at what I saw. It was indeed a female, that much was apparent, her form was clad in dark familiar armor, which ended at the boots and gloves, and shoulder line, being replaced by flares of almost a hot pink color. Her helmet resembled all the others that I had created, the only difference being the same pink color that adorned the rest of her armor, for indeed she was the Pink Ranger. But how was it possible?
"What the hell?" I asked aloud. "What's going on here?" As I spoke her gloved hands reached up, and unclasped her helmet, slowly peeling it away from her head. As she did, blonde curls slowly fell about her neck, and shoulders, as she slowly brought down away from her.
"Guess who?" she asked, a large grin playing across her face, as she struck a rather feminine pose. Colleen stood there in Pink Ranger armor, which was quite strange considering, I never gave her a lens.
"What is this?" I asked, annoyance very clearly present in my voice.
"You don't like it?" she asked, feigning a pout as she did, "I think I look good. You definitely made it form fitting that's for sure." She looked down at her body, and she was right, it did cling to her, probably more so than the traditional ranger spandex would.
Shaking my head, and collecting my thoughts, I slowly pieced together the only possible way something like this could have come to pass, "Sean."
"He offered," I said, "I didn't even know you guys were Rangers until he sat down, and we had the 'chat'. I almost thought he was going to tell me you were gay or something. Anyway I thought I'd surprise you."
"Are you crazy?" I asked, "I could of hurt you."
"Relax," she said, "I'm fine. Besides I thought I would come back and see if I could help you out some."
"You thought….?"I started to ask, but then thought the better of it. Trying to change back to the subject at hand, I looked at her critically, "What did you find?"
"She's gone," she replied. "No one has seen her, including her parents."
"Polaris has her," I stated, reaching the only remaining conclusion. "That's why we haven't heard anything from him." Taking another look at her, which she noticed, by smiling with as much teeth as she could muster, I could only stand there and stare. "I'm going to kill him."
"Polaris?" she asked.
"No," I replied, "Sean. Polaris is going to beg for death if he's hurt her at all."
"Oooh," jested Colleen, "big man."
Angrily, I spooled up my mental energies, and then extending my hand opened a portal next to me. "I guess you're coming home with me then."
"Already?" she mocked, "We haven't even had our first date."
Sighing, again, I replied, "Just get in the portal."
"Alright," she replied marching into the portal, "but I'm not that kind of girl." Dropping my shoulders in defeat, I shook my head, and followed after her. Stepping through, I was back in the shelter, with Colleen who was continuing her rant on something or the other, and found Peter sitting there at the table, eating.
"Did you know about this?" I asked, pointing at him, and then her.
"No…." he said looking somewhat clueless, "when did we get another teammate?"
"Apparently this morning," I informed with a good deal of sarcasm in my voice. "Where is Sean?"
"In the control room," he responded, looking even more confused.
Turning to her, and seeing her beam another smile in my direction, I almost wanted to slap her, but instead I told her, "Stay here." Marching over to the control room with quite the angry stride, I didn't have to go far before, I ran into Sean who was emerging from it. Offering my finger in anger, I pointed it at him, ready to wag it at him as I said, "Listen cowboy, you can't go off half-cocked like this when ever you get a crazy idea in your head. That's my depart….." I stopped mid sentence as I looked over at Sean, who wasn't even listening to me. Instead he seemed to be staring off into space, almost like he had just been shot, or impaled or something. "Sean?"
Slowly, Peter, got up, and Colleen sensing something wrong, came over to join the two of us. I could feel some strange coming from within him, almost like concern. "What's wrong?"
Slowly he came back to reality, and stared down at me, finally noticing my presence in the room, though I doubted it really made a difference to him one way or the other. Slowly his mouth began to move, but it took a few moments for sound to come forth from it, "There was a communication, that we just received."
"From Matt and Lexa?" I asked him.
He merely nodded in response, and then continued. "It was pretty weak, and may have been sent some time ago, but it was short, and only two words."
"What did it say?" asked Colleen.
He turned to her, barely regarding her presence, and then back to me, "One week."
"What does that mean?" asked Peter, standing over my shoulder.
My gaze fell to the pavement below, as slowly the world spun before me. If they could only get out one message of great importance before something tragic befell them, then it must mean that the message had to be precise. There was only one thing that we had to worry about regarding time, one thing above all else. "It means…the fleet we've been waiting for, is almost here."
"NORAD tracked two alien vessels locked in combat over the eastern fringe of the mid west several hours ago," continued Sean, barely missing a beat between my announcement, and his message. "Both vessels were reported destroyed by sky observers shortly thereafter." I looked at him critically for several moments as the power of his statement slowly sank in. "I haven't been able to raise them on the comm, and I'm getting no return signal from their lenses."
Placing a hand on his shoulder, he slowly put his own hand on top of it, as I watched as he pushed back the tears in his eyes. According to everything thing he knew, all the evidence suggested that Matt, and Lexa were no more. "If they're alive, we'll find them." As I watched him though, I failed to notice the small tears that came from my own eyes.
"The invasion of earth begins in a week," said Colleen, almost as if she had been lied to, or found out some long ago truth she had never known.
"And Matt and Lexa are gone," echoed Peter from behind me.
"What do we do know?" asked Colleen from behind me.
I looked Sean straight in the eye, and he sniffed in loudly, recomposing himself in front of the others. He knew what I would say in this situation, but I felt it would be better coming from him. "Now, we go to work."
End of Part 2