Disclaimer: I think you get it by now…
Apologies for the wait, all. It's been a hectic past few weeks. But now, before work, I have a few minutes to sit down and write chapter 14. I hope this chapter holds you guys off for a while. I loved writing it, especially the ending. Enjoy!
A side note: If you can't remember what happened in chapter 13, I highly recommend re-reading it before you read this one. You'll find out why at the end.
Rescue from the Rock, part 2
'Why didn't I see it before?'
"He's here," Jen stated and pointed at the screen. "One of the most high security prison facilities of this time, Alcatraz Island. A handful of people tried to escape, but were either captured again or were killed in the process. It's the perfect place for a guy like Kane." She pulled up several pictures of the hallways and the mazes that were found beneath the concrete floors of Alcatraz.
"What makes you think he'll be there, for certain, Lieutenant?" Chip asked curiously as she turned to him.
Jen bit her lip. 'It's a place he knows very well, so it's quite fitting.' Jen thought to herself. "Trust me on this, Chip. I just know it."
A strange expression cast a shadow over Jen's face, something that did not go unnoticed by Wes. It was a look he had only seen once before, when Steelix had escaped and Jen was somewhat hesitate about facing him. Later he found out she was his partner. Was this the same situation? She didn't refer to Kane as a mutant, like any other escapee he had faced. No, she called him a 'guy', indicating in Wes's mind that somehow Jen knew him before.
"We'll assemble a team of eight rangers to go in and extricate Madison," Jen's voice cut through Wes's thoughts. "Myself, Wes, Katie, Lucas and Eric will go in to get her." She turned to the remaining people in the room. "Anyone else interested?"
Taylor stepped forward and nudged Eric. "Someone's got to keep you in line." Eric rolled his eyes.
Nick too moved closer. Madison will need a friendly face. I'll go."
Alex grinned to Trip and Chip. "The three of us will stay behind and run the operation from land." Cole, Xander, Alyssa and Vida volunteered to stay behind as well.
Looking towards Kira who nodded, Tommy grinned and stepped forward. "I can't let you guys have all the fun. Count me in."
"Then it's settled." Alex said. "We'll meet back here in two hours. For now, we part to begin preparation. If everything goes right, we should be able to pull off one of the greatest rescue missions of all time."
She stared at his picture for what seemed like hours at a time, his bright green eyes staring back at her through the glass along with his slowly balding head- the one feature about him she loved to no end. Gingerly she picked up the picture frame and pressed a finger to the glass causing a small, frosty shadow to cover his face. Wiping it clean, she again saw his face smiling back at her. A small tear dropped from her face onto the glass, right below his eye and crept towards the bottom of the picture, distorting his face. But distortion was nothing new for him, or for her. She lived with it, struggled through the abuse it gave, and through the pain it inflicted during her childhood. She knew what was beneath his calm and often misleading pleasant exterior.
Jen felt a lump rise in her throat as she thought back to the type of man he used to be; the type who would stay home and watch movies with her when she was sick. He was the type that would give her a gift for no reason, other than the fact that he loved her. He was the first man to cut her heart into a thousand pieces. Rising her hand to her chest she traced the outline of a worn and faded silver cross- the one he gave her on her ninth birthday…
"Who is that?" Wes's voice called out to her as he sat behind her on her bed. He gently pulled the hair away from behind her neck and gave it a small kiss before resting his chin on her shoulder.
The tear in her eye dried quickly as she thought about him and the more harm he did than good. It twisted her heart into a knot, making her forget that at a point in her life she loved him. "He's nobody," Jen answered dryly, "Nothing more than a distant memory."
Wes glanced at the photograph curiously. "Is this your dad?"
Jen stood stiffly and walked over to her dresser, where her blaster and belt sat. "Was my dad."
He cocked his head, finally understanding where Jen gathered her looks from. Her father was a tall, broad-shouldered man. His face was rigid, but his eyes were a calming green, his smile gently. Wes studied the way he held a much younger Jen, close to him. In a way, her father reminded him of Alex. "What happened to him?"
"I'd rather not talk about it, Wes."
Another question stirred in his mind in light of her response. "I want you to be honest with me, Jen. Do you and Kane have a past history, like you and Steelix did?" But quickly he answered his own question, and first he needed to confirm it.
"Kalvin Kane is a blood-thirsty monster," Jen answered him quickly, "Anybody who puts a threat on my son's life is immediately put on my shit list, no matter what the relation may be."
"Relation?" Wes asked as Jen turned to him and shut her mouth. "So you have had a prior meeting with Kane, other than when he put you in the hospital and sent Dave back here." Pausing, he spoke again. "Kane killed your dad, didn't he?"
"Keep out of it, Wes," Jen warned as she passed him, glaring at him deeply. "You're digging deeper than you should be into this." Jen grabbed her jacket and headed down the hallway to where Dave sat reading a book quietly on his bed. Wes watched her curiously. The way she walked, the way she talked to him, something about this mission made her jumpy, that he was sure of. Every time she hid something, some secret, she always got defensive.
Wes sighed whispered to himself. "Some people never change, I guess."
He headed down the stairs and back into the room where the others had assembled with eager faces. So this was it, he decided. The fates of a helpless teenager and a deranged mutant rested in the hands of a few old time Power Rangers, some of whom had not even touched a morpher in nine years, himself included. But this had to be done, or Madison would face a most certain death. Wes knew Kane wouldn't spare her on account he would kill Dave if given the chance.
Once he headed downstairs he found everyone dressed in similar outfits- the ones going in to extract her were dressed in black and gray. The others stood in their normal clothing, with ear pieces and electrical equipment surrounding them.
Tension seemed to rise in the room as more weapons clicked together, and a buzzing sound came from them. A ping, and the weapons were set. Wes saw three rifle-looking type guns, and a few smaller handguns. But there was one object in particular that caught his attention.
Curiously, Wes picked up the cased blade and pulled it to see the maker of the blade. It was still sharp. His mind began to spin at the words etched in the metal. Sears Titanium Edition. "A kitchen knife?" he muttered to himself. As he pulled it further out of its case his eyes fell upon a cracked, dried substance that covered the silvery finish in a red coating.
"Are we ready to go?" Jen's voice rocked him as he immediately returned the knife to its case and placed it back on the table. Turning around he saw Phillips, his father and Dave standing in the doorway ready to let them go.
As Wes passed, he felt a lump rise in this throat. He could see the fear in his father's eyes, but Collins easily hid it with a smile. "Stay safe, everyone, please," Mr. Collins said with a nod. The Rangers each smiled to them as they exited the house. "Wes," he said and put his hand on Wes's shoulders. "Be careful, son." His eyes passed to where Jen and Dave stood. "Watch over them."
Wes nodded. "I will."
Slowly, Jen bent down and came eye level with her son. She placed her palm on his cheek and gently ran her thumb over his face. Tears began to well up in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, and pressed his face into her neck.
"Promise you'll come back this time?" he asked. Jen couldn't help but let a tear fall from her eye. She ran her fingers through his thick hair, a common task she came to perform whenever she left him.
"I'll come back, Dave, don't worry." Jen said just as everyone else came to stand on the doorstep. "We all will." As Dave hugged her again they exchanged whispers of love.
Jen stood and released her son from her grasp and walked outside to an orange and pink sky. Dave walked over to where Collins and Phillips stood, never taking his eyes off of Jen. Collins placed his arm on the boy's shoulders as Dave held it tightly. The trio watched as the engines of numerous cars hummed to life and began to drive the two hours to San Francisco.
"They'll be okay, right Mr. Collins?" Dave asked and looked up to the older man.
"I think so, Dave. I think so. For now, why don't we all go inside and make some chocolate milkshakes?"
Dave looked up to him and smiled as he followed him inside as the sun's final rays exited the sky, and covered the world in the dark blue blanket of night.
Eight darkened figures scurried in haste across the beach, their eyes moving rapidly for any sign of an unknown figure. One by one they entered the tunnel entrance from the south side of the island and jumped the seven inches onto the sewer floor which was submerged under a rotten and stagnant river of water. Immediately the smell of rotting sewage and muck hit them like a wall.
"Oh, gross. What is that smell?" Taylor asked as she flicked her wrist back and forth in front of her nose. "It's horrid."
Eric rolled his eyes. "No one said this was going to be a clean and pleasant smelling mission, Taylor." He retorted. Eric couldn't help but smirk as he bent down and splashed a handful of water towards Taylor, who hollered.
"Eric!" she hollered but was immediately shushed by Lucas.
"Honestly, do you want them to find us and capture us before we find Madison?" Lucas whispered angrily. Both Eric and Taylor uttered their apologies.
"Everything okay down there?" Jen heard Trip's voice through her earpiece.
"Yea, everything's okay. Eric and Taylor decided to bathe each other in the not-so-pleasant bathwater we're walking in," Tommy responded to the Green Ranger. "So tell us, Trip, where's our next move to?"
A computer beep was heard in the background. "Approximately 100 yards there should be a series of tunnels. Take the second one on the right. That'll lead you to the boiler room."
"Received." Jen said as she turned to the group. "Let's move it. Just standing here is making my nerves grind." She turned and took the lead, with Wes and Katie behind her. Lucas and Eric stood side by side as Taylor, Nick and Tommy took up the rear, guns held close.
The group walked in silence, all eyes trained on anything that moved. Rats squeaked in the corners as they passed and continued their movement. As they made their way deeper into the tunnel, it became darker, except for the small streams of moonlight shown through the grates above their heads. Minutes later they arrived at their destination. Rounding the corner the eight Rangers climbed up onto the sewer pipe and continued their journey through the sewers of Alcatraz.
"This place gets creepier and creepier," commented Nick, who held his gun waist high. A cold shiver crept down his spine as water dripped from the top of the pipes. "Is it true that no one has ever escaped this place?"
"Depends on what you actually consider an escape," Wes responded as he walked past a pile rubble. "Fourteen people tried to get out of here. They either made it to land and were arrested again, never made it off the island, or swam. If a body wasn't recovered from the water, they were presumed dead."
Taylor gulped. "And… all these bodies were found, right?"
Jen glanced back. "Not all of them."
The Eagle Ranger rolled her eyes. "That makes me feel loads more comfortable."
"Jen! Jen are you there?" Trip's frantic voice called.
She halted immediately. "Yea Trip, what's up?"
"We have movement above where you are, about ten yards ahead. We think it's Kane!"
"Everybody, get against a wall, now." She whispered and quickly moved against the wall next to Wes. The footsteps echoed loudly above them as a faint, white laser came through the ceiling and followed the trail of water. It gradually became larger, about six inches in diameter as it swept over the bottom of the pipe, searching for any figures.
The small movements of air immediately ceased as everyone held their breath, waiting for the footsteps to pass and the sensor beam to pass. A buzzing sound was heard as it passed by each Ranger fluently and continued to examine the floor. The footsteps above their heads slowly faded as the beam moved closer away and rounded the corner, soon fading from view.
Slowly they all collapsed to the floor and drew in deep breaths of air. "What was that thing?" Nick asked.
"Sensor beams, and highly sensitive ones at that," Katie said and wiped a long strand of sweat beads from her forehead. "When they scan over a heated figure, it sends a reading back as what kind of presence it is, human, animal, etc."
Tommy rolled his neck from side to side, reliving the cramp that had developed in his neck. "Well, now that that's finished, let's continue moving."
In agreement the group rose and began their tour through the underground. Rounding a corner, they came to a ladder leading upward to the boiler room floor. Heartbeats began to echo off the walls as they all inched closer towards it and into the small beams of light that came from the cover that rested about twenty feet above their heads.
"I think this is it, guys," Wes commented as Jen checked in with Trip. "Let's go up one at a time." Taking the lead, he began his ascension slowly and quietly until he came to the cover. Gently pushing up, he slid the cover to the side and poked his head up just about his eyes, scanning the floor. The room was pitch black, except for the faint light coming out from under the door. Wes rose out of the pipe and pressed himself against a wall as the others began to come out behind him. Last out was Jen, who had her hand on her earpiece, communicating with Trip and the others.
"Alright, you guys are going to go down the hall towards the cell blocks. According to my scanners, Madison should be on the main floor, by a staircase."
Jen looked to her team. "This is it, guys. Let's go. Any sign of movement get to a covered area pronto. Kane won't hesitate with putting a bullet through someone's head."
Taking a deep breath, they opened the door quietly and began to make their way down to the main section of the prison, where Madison may be held. They walked stealthy down the hallway and came top the opening where the jail cells were. Glancing around the room, they fanned out in a line and began to make their way into the chamber. Every cell they passed was empty and looked like it had not been touched in years. An eerie silence surrounded them as they came closer to a single beam of light that spread across the floor.
Jen stopped just before entering it and held her breath. Silence echoed around her as her own heartbeat began to pound her eardrums. Everyone looked at her curiously and waited for the next command, but Jen gave no sign, only continued to listen around her. The only sounds she heard were the dripping of water from pipes, and a single hollow click…
"Get down, now!" she commanded. Seconds later the Rangers found themselves surrounded in a shower of bullets and lasers, ricocheting from every direction as they darted for the walls. "Damn it, Trip! We're taking fire, here! Where the hell did these guys come from?"
"I-I have no idea, Jen! They came out of no where!" Trip's frantic voice came over her earpiece.
Lucas groaned as a bullet whizzed by his ear. "We're getting our asses kicked here, Jen!"
Jen turned towards the opening and raised her blaster high. "You're right. Open fire!" she commanded. Rolling away from the wall, Jen, Wes, Tommy, Lucas and Eric began firing round after round towards one of the higher platforms. "Taylor, Nick, Katie, get Madison out of here!"
Doing as they were told, Taylor, Nick and Katie began making their way towards the cell at the end of the block. Taking the lead, Nick ran out in front of them towards the end of the block and rounded the corner to find a staircase, and an open cell door. His heart raced to see her alive, to see that she was alright.
His journey ended rapidly as he fell backwards hard and rolled. Red hot blood dripped from his nose as Taylor and Katie came to his side. All three looked to see his attacker. In front of them Samira stood with a happy grin on her face.
"Nice to see you replayed our message, Rangers. But in order to get to your precious Pink Ranger, you'll have to go through me first!"
Nick stood, wiped the blood from his face and threw his gun down. He glanced towards both Yellow Rangers, who also had the same look on their faces. Nick looked towards Samira again and grinned. "Not a problem." With a flick of his wrist, he fired his gun towards her and jolted forward, confronting the Bounty Huntress in hand to hand combat.
XXX
Tommy landed hard against the pavement as he fired his weapon again; trying to get out of the path of several bullets that now flew towards him. Next to him, Eric bent to one knee and aimed high, releasing a round of blasts that took out two gunmen on the third floor landing. Across the room, Wes and Lucas crawled painfully back to the wall, as a few bullets grazed their arms and legs. Four floors above them, three figures were seen falling over the side as the blasts from Wes and Lucas' gun hit them hard in the chest. Step by step, Jen fired her weapon mercilessly and aimed for the top, knowing who stood there. As she reached the top, she stopped dead in tracks to see a small block of C4 resting on the floor, its flashing red light went solid.
She immediately dove down the stairs as the block exploded; sending cement fragments falling like raindrops around them. Eric and Tommy ducked while Lucas and Wes ran towards her tumbling figure.
"Jen!" Lucas hollered as she rolled helplessly down the last flight of stairs trying to protect her face. Once she hit the floor she stopped suddenly and gasped in pain. Grabbing her by the shoulders, Wes and Lucas pulled her to the cover of the floor ahead.
"I'm fine," she insisted as she spit on the floor. Saliva and blood became one as she wiped her mouth to a cleaner extent and cracked her shoulder back into place. Again, they grabbed their heads as another round of bullets came flying at them
"Where did these guys come from?" Eric hollered but received no response.
Suddenly the barrage of bullets stopped, and silence echoed around them again. Footsteps came down the stairway slowly as Kane emerged from the darkness, his sword glowing brightly in a blue flame, and a slick smile crossed his face. He took his time coming down the stairway, with a light glowing behind him, giving him a god-like presence.
"Welcome, Rangers. How do you like my new Headquarters," his deep voice bellowed. "and, my assistants? They have all graciously donated their services to me." Out of the shadows several tall, muscular figures came crawling out of the shadows, each carrying an armed weapon in their hands, and a black mask over their faces. "Samira," he called, "Bring our other guests in here as well."
Seconds later, Nick, Taylor and Katie came tumbling out, with Samira's grinning face behind them; Blood dripped from Nick's eyebrow and his left eye slowed immediate bruising. Taylor's right arm had a fresh gasp in it that made the outside of her sleeve cling painfully to her skin. Katie too, had her own share in injuries that Samira had inflicted.
"Enough playing around, Kane! Where is she?" Nick asked angrily as he stood. Glancing towards Samira again, she nodded and walked into a cell block opposite of the hallway.
"Nick, watch what you say, mate. Kane thinks that Maddy is Vida, remember?" Xander's voice floated into his mind, reminding Nick of the situation Madison was in.
Samira came trotting out angrily as she pushed Madison forward and towards the light. "Here is your precious Pink Ranger," she spat as Madison collapsed to her knees. Blood, dirt and god only knows what covered her clothes and her skin, distorting her features. She looked towards the Rangers and picking out Nick's face, smiled lightly, showing the amount of pain she was in.
Tears glistened in Nick's eyes as he looked at her, and looked upon the mess she was in. Sorrow overtook him as he dipped his head low, and closed his eyes. But as soon as Kane began talking about how he was going to kill them off one by one, Nick felt all the sadness inside him turn a complete 180. He clenched his fists tight and slowly rose his chin. He glanced to his left and saw the same look upon Jen's face. He saw a curious anger in her, and what sparked it was a mystery.
Much like Nick, Jen looked upon Madison, but saw a different site. She saw a young girl, auburn hair, hazel eyes, and blood dripping from every point in her body. She heard a mechanical laughter as a maniac mercilessly slaughtered a little girl, robbing her of every drop of crimson blood she had. This girl was someone Jen knew long ago, a friend whom she loved to death. Kane took her from Jen with no second thought.
All the while, Kane laughed as he removed a small pink object from his pocket. "And now, Rangers, do you know how I am going to kill you? It's quite simple, let me show you." He threw the morpher to Samira, who grabbed Madison by the scruff of her dirty t-shirt.
"Activate it, Pink Ranger," Samira snickered. All eyes turned to Madison who looked to Samira.
"I can't," she said weakly and bowed her head. "I… won't!" With a sudden jolt of energy Madison jumped to her feet and round-housed Samira across the face sending the huntress flat on her back, completely stunned by the event. Half limping, half running, Madison dodged Kane's flabbergasted command to shoot and ran towards the Rangers, and straight into Nick's arms, who also had a look of confusion on his face.
"But… how? Those restraints were made specifically for you, Pink Ranger!" Kane hollered angrily and searched the room for answers, but none came.
Madison turned around and grinned as she removed the restraints from around her wrist; they fell easily as if they were never tired in the first place. "That would be if I was the Pink Ranger, Kane." She glanced at Samira, who was rubbing the side of her cheek affectionately while giving Madison a dirty look. "I guess Vida knew what she was doing when she called me to go home."
Nick looked at her. "Wait… Vida told us you were home anyway…" Madison was about to speak, but was cut off.
"We came for what we needed; now it's time to clean up." Jen's eyes turned back to where Kane stood, angrier than ever. "It's over, Kane, you've lost."
At first, he had no reply to her. Maybe it was true, he had lost. . "The battle may have been lost, Lieutenant," he whispered, and slowly rose his chin to meet her hard stare. He rose his hands slowly and closed his eyes, concentrating hard. "But the war is long from being over."
Small beeps were heard from all around them as they glanced down at the floor as the lights came on above their heads. "The floor's covered in bombs!" Taylor hollered as the group began to dive for an open spot. Halfway through, the beeps went solid and the floor rocket up around them. Slamming hard into the walls, they looked at each other in awe.
Nick held Madison close as he examined her injuries. From what he could see, she had a lot of cuts and bruises, and possibly a broken wrist. Madison saw the concern in her eyes and smiled her pain away. "It's nothing, Nick, really."
He turned back to where Kane stood his arms still outward. "No, this is everything. He's hurt you, Madison. I'm not going to let him get away with it." Nick rose and began walking towards Kane; anger flowed through his veins as he quickened his pace and gripped his gun tightly.
The mutant saw him coming and shook his head. "Stupid, arrogant Ranger. Kill him!" he commanded. Bullets surged around Nick as he continued to run towards the man who gave them so much trouble, towards the one who hurt Madison. Nick heard the commands for him to regroup but he ignored them, his focus on Kane, who was fifty feet or less from him. On the rafters above, one of the gunmen lit a large block of C4 and let it drop.
"Watch out!" Madison called, but it was too late. Ten feet from Kane, the block landed at Nick's feet, exploded and encased him in a fiery prison. As the fire column rose higher and higher, the smile on Kane's face spread, knowing now that one Ranger was down for the count.
In a flash of brilliant red, Kane found himself on the floor with a painful burning sensation. Out of the fire Nick jumped with his saber in hand, and morphed into his Ranger attire. "Now you're fighting fire with fire." He said and ran backwards as Kane gave the command to open fire.
Under the protection of the floor above their heads, Taylor and Katie stood up, ready to fight. Tommy, Lucas, Eric and Jen followed and ran besides Nick, who was now engaging in a hand to hand fistfight with a few of Kane's henchmen. Kicking the remaining group away, Jen took a few steps directly toward Kane and spoke.
"You're finished, Kane. We're taking you back, here and now, alive or not."
He stood and grabbed his sword which glowed a brilliant black. "If it's death you ask for, it is death you shall receive!" He ran towards them as Samira broke. Running forward, Jen, Wes, Lucas and Katie rose their wrists.
"Time for, Time Force!"
"Quantum Power!"
"Wild Access!"
"Dino Thunder, power up!"
Metal clashed with metal as Lucas swung his saber low and hard, aiming for Samira's legs. She blocked it easily as Wes and Taylor came up high and attempted to hit her broadside, but like before, preventing the hit was easy. That was until Katie came from underneath the duo and struck her hard in the chest, causing Samira to fall back and clutch her armor. Angered, she released a powerful purple and black beam that hit the five of them in the chest, sending them back hard. Desperately, Eric reached for his blaster and sent a number of rounds directly into her blast, which set off a loud bang that sent Samira flying backward.
Nick threw his entire body into his attacks as he aimed for every spot that Kane opened up to him. His legs, his neck, his arms, whatever Nick could aim for he went to strike. As he tried to aim for open spots, Tommy came up behind Kane and tried to strike as well, but found no open areas.
"Together, Nick, we'll hit him together! You take the left, I the right." Tommy said and they broke, running in a zigzag pattern to confuse Kane. He fired randomly, but missed the Red and Black Rangers each time. With a leap of faith, Tommy and Nick flew in the air, crossed paths and struck Kane, stunning the mutant.
Kane panted heavily as his hands glowed with a black aurora. His face twisted as he stared at them in awe. How could they have struck him? Kane was about to speak, when he was silenced as Jen emerged over Tommy and Nick's shoulders, her sabers high, and a determined look beneath her helmet.
"Time strike!" she called. The room glowed pink as she struck him hard, sending Kane flying against the wall. Landing on his feet, he stumbled forward again and grabbed his saber. Jen, Nick and Tommy all had weapons drawn as they began three-on-one combat.
"This is for Madison," Nick spoke and struck hard, leaving a glowing red mark on Kane's chest.
Tommy drew his staff and spun it, striking Kane. "This is for Billy, who you murdered, you bastard." Alongside Nick's mark, Tommy left his.
A rainbow of colors struck Kane as Lucas, Eric, Wes, Katie and Taylor attacked, each leaving their own mark on the mutant's breast plate. Finally, Jen stood over him, her saber danced on the skin of his neck.
A flash of pink and she demorphed with her grip around her weapon still tight. She panted heavily and held her side, where a fresh trail of blood began to run. She felt her hand shake as she stared into his eyes, and felt tears come to her own. After all these years, she had him; she had the chance to repay him for what he did all those years ago to that little girl...
In an instant, he grabbed her by her throat and pinned her against a pole, knocking her saber out of her hands. He clutched her throat tightly and stared into her eyes. He chuckled lowly as she gasped for air as she saw Wes running towards them over Kane's shoulder, a panicked look on his face as he called her name.
"Oh, doesn't this bring back memories. Yes, I killed a girl exactly like this thirteen years ago." Kane spoke and tightened his grip around her throat, causing Jen to cry out in pain. "The screams she let out when my knife pierced through her skin were music to my ears; the feel of her warm blood running over my fingers was intoxicating. So I'll ask you the same question I asked her… any last words, my dear?"
Jen stared into his eyes as she felt a sudden haze come to her. "It's amazing how much you haven't changed in thirteen years. Your values are still the same." Kane continued to stare into her eyes, until he saw something… something he had not seen in a while, and made him gasp.
"Impossible."
Feeling his grip loosen on her throat, Jen kicked him hard in the gut as she fell from his release, coughing hard to take back the air that she had been deprived of. Standing on her knees, she made her way back to where Kane now lay on his back. She took the cased knife from her back and held it to his throat once again.
He huffed and laughed. "You think you can regain anything from defending a young girl's death, Lieutenant? She was a coward."
Jen pushed the cased blade deeper into his throat. "Being a coward can teach you a lot, believe me," she gritted her teeth.
Kane chuckled. "And much like that little girl-"
"She was sixteen fucking years old and you murdered her!" All emotions took over Jen's body as she removed the knife's casing and pushed it deeper into his throat. All around her the knife reflected silver, and dried blood covered its sharp blade. Everyone called out to her to try and to stop her, but nothing got through to her.
Kane was silenced by her aggression, more stunned at it. He felt the knife's blade rub harshly against his skin as Jen's hand shook even more, and tears flowed down her angered face.
"Why don't you simply kill me now and get it over with, Lieutenant?" his raspy voice asked as he swallowed hard.
"I'm not prepared to take your life."
"Then you should be as dead as that little girl," he retorted. His statement hit Jen's final nerve as she hollered loudly and rose the knife high above his head. With all her might she brought it down directly over his head, and aimed towards the right. A loud crack was heard as the knife split into different pieces. Flecks of blood and paint flew over his face, leaving Kane in a state of shock. Jen looked at him as she reached into her shirt and ripped the silver cross she wore from her neck and threw it down at him.
"Maybe I already am."
Without another word Jen stood and walked towards the group, not uttering a single word. They all stared at her in confusion and awe at the sight they just witnessed. Was Jen really going to run Kane in with an old, bloodied up knife? Why wouldn't she arrest him and end this whole ordeal now? The Rangers all stared at each other and one by one, followed the silent Pink Ranger out of the doorways and back to the vehicles they came on, leaving Kane and an unconscious Samira alone in the prison.
Kane sat up and was shaking all over the place. The events from only moments before began to play over and over again in his mind… how his attempted strangulation of the Time Force Lieutenant took a bad turn down memory lane. How was it she knew the facts of his first murder so well? How did she have the knife he used, still covered in his victim's blood?
He reached over to his side and picked up the silver cross, running his fingers over it's tattered and worn surface. For the first time, in a long time, he felt his heart ache. How did she have the cross he gave his daughter when she turned nine? Slowly he stood and quietly made his way back to the room he used as an office.
Once again, he reached for the picture frame and held it close, alongside the cross. Closing his eyes he began to sob for the death of his daughter, a death he caused. Her face suddenly came back to him once again. Her dark brown hair, her deep hazel eyes, the freckles on her face all merged into one solemn image of a young girl whom he thought to be dead, when in fact, he could have never been so wrong.
The only comfort he found was in her picture he held so close to his heart, and the solitary sounds of a music box…
If you don't normally review, I ask that you could. I haven't gotten a lot of comments lately, and I just want to make sure everyone's still interested..