Episode 7: Buried Beneath
Chapter 21: The True Monstrosity
Wyatt was starting to get worried now. He woke up early that morning to do role call and see that they all started early so that they could cover some more ground but not even Drewmore was picking up his cellphone. He began to trace Finley's morpher as he used satellite images to zoom in closer, it occurred to him that her morpher had not moved a single inch.
A morpher securely attached to her wrist.
"What… no breakfast?" Thalia emerged from her tent, stretching her arms but had no time to react as Wyatt speedily – and somewhat clumsily – put his equipment back into his bag.
"They're in trouble." Wyatt suddenly announced.
"Who?" Thalia asked.
"Finley and Drewmore." Wyatt announced before taking his stuff and going on the dune buggy.
"This again?" Thalia noted with an annoyed tone linked to her voice. "They are fine."
"Drewmore hasn't called once to yell at us… once." Wyatt emphasized.
"Maybe because he's too busy yelling at Finley to be bothered." Thalia rebutted only to hear how inaccurate that was being that she was the most silent person on the team to even fuel Drewmore's anger. "Ugh! I hate it when you're right." She said as she joined him in quickly dismantling their camp.
Soon they were off with Wyatt driving about three kilometres over to Finley and Drewmore's assigned search area with Thalia tracking their dune buggy. "Wait, stop, stop." Thalia called out and Wyatt brought the vehicle to a halt. "It says they are fifty meters in front of us. Look." She pointed to the emptiness before them that was just dust and sand – not a single soul in sight.
"But the signal says they should be right there." Wyatt said before something occurred to him. "How much rope do we have?"
"We have rope?" Thalia looked stupefied.
"Did you not listen to Drewmore during his emergency equipment lecture?" Wyatt shot back.
"No, because I was too sleepy to give two shits." Thalia rolled her eyes.
Wyatt pinched the bridge of his nose before turning off the engine and pulling the key out of the ignition. "Since you didn't even know we had rope, you're going in."
"No, I refuse." Thalia said.
"Well I can't leave you to man this equipment." Wyatt said. "God knows how much damage you can cause in a minute."
Thalia's jaw dropped. "Wow, I feel so appreciated!"
"Fine… Rock, paper, scissors." Wyatt said. "But to make it easier on you, I'm going to play rock."
Thalia looked stupefied. "Your reverse psychology won't work on me."
"Who knows?" Wyatt challenged.
Thalia got annoyed before letting out a breath through her nostrils and putting her fist in the palm of her hand. Of course he says that because he expects me to play paper so he can play scissors. Thalia thought as they both readied themselves to shoot. So I am going to play scissors inste– "Wyatt, what the fuck!" Thalia cried out in outrage as she revealed scissors to his rock.
"I told you I would." Wyatt smirked before he reached into his pack
"You put mental strain on me!" Thalia accused him. "That doesn't count!
"Just tie this around your waist." Wyatt ignored her complaints and gave her the end of a rope.
Thalia breathed out rather audibly through her nostrils and shook her head in annoyance at the teen."I still can't believe you didn't tell me there was rope." Thalia fake huffed as she took the rope, tying it around her waist as a fun idea came to mind. "You could've tied me u–"
"St… stop, will ya!" Wyatt got flustered, turning as red as a tomato and Thalia laughed. Making him blush in embarrassment was too easy and wholly entertaining. "Tug on the rope if you find something."
Thalia smirked, proud of the reaction she got before tying the rope around her waist and hopping out of the buggy. "Don't miss me too much!" Wyatt glared at her as she walked forward while he made sure the rope did not exceed its limit.
Wyatt felt a tug a few minutes later before tying the rope to the buggy in a tight knot and running over, finding Thalia to be holding her hands up to something. "What is it?"
"Feel." Thalia took his hand and put it where her hand was in what looked to be mid air. Wyatt felt something solid under his hand.
"A… cloaking wall?" Wyatt questioned as he felt the wall before knocking at it.
"We better get the guys here fast and find a way inside." Thalia said.
The Amysthean race was becoming more and more confusing to Finley as time passed. Dunvall had ordered that Korcitroids tie up their arms before accompanying them to as the two followed the Empress' henchman. What puzzled her was how they were not forceful and condescending with them. "I'm still trying to figure out what you are aiming at." Finley said.
Dunvall looked back at the two. "You'll know soon enough."
"You're seriously going to tell us?" The Silver Ranger looked surprised.
"Why not?" Dunvall said. "There's no way you can stop us anyway."
"That's proud talk." Finley scoffed.
"Why not be proud when we have such an admirable mission?" Dunvall said.
"Kidnapping the president, putting the whole country's government in chaos and putting several lives at stake is admirable?" Finley questioned incredulously.
"In normal cases, it is not but under the circumstances, it is. And to clarify, we did not kidnap the president… we saved him from judgment." Dunvall said before stopping, causing Finley and Drewmore to be halted as well. "You seem to be forgetting that the government you are dead set on protecting destroyed our planet."
"You must've done something –"
"Wrong again, Silver Ranger." Dunvall said. "If only you knew how rotten the people in power are. Rather I show you what is than talk about it." He turned back around and continued to move forward with the Korcitroids pushing Finley and Drewmore to follow. Dunvall pushed open the double doors, revealing what looks to be a large manufacturing plant for medicine. "This is what the missing currency in your earthly state bill was for."
"What… is this place?" Drewmore questioned.
"The Sandlilies are not only precious gems that are under the control of the royal family but when crushed into dust and mixed with hydrogen peroxide, act as a strong healing elixir for Amystheans that can cure any disease – even ones that were once deadly and incurable." Dunvall said. "It has been used in Amysthean medicine for centuries. And while both of our genus and species are the same, due to selection and adaptation, we have wildly different nutrition. What was a strong medicine on our planet is now a dangerous drug on this one."
"What?" Finley blinked in shock while Drewmore looked lost for words.
"Untie them." Dunvall ordered the Korcitroids and they did so. He picked up what seemed to be a white bottle of medicine. He reached into one, pulled out a capsule and reached for Finley's hand. She looked skeptical over the gesture but quietly relented, holding her hand out palm up. Dunvall pulled the capsule apart, letting small glass like crystals fall onto her hand.
"This is…"
"Sandlily dust." Dunvall affirmed. "When ingested by humans, it makes a strong ecstacy drug. When astronaut scientists discovered Amystheist, they were intrigued by this aspect of our livelihood and because we are somewhat of the same species, they began thinking they found a breakthrough in modern medicine here on earth. The Emperor allowed them to bring ten small Sandlilies to earth to further their research but what they found was that one man's food is another man's poison.
"Vice President Coulson was the biggest funder of the project and oversaw experiments. A human test subject appeared to be in a state of euphoria for a few hours after taking one pill and it had no hazardous side effects on your body. Still, despite the fact that it was the complete opposite of what they intended, Coulson was convinced that he could use this to make money through drug dealing… he even decided to call it Floria Maxim. After the scientists had run out, they returned to Amystheist a second time to ask for more."
"Wait…" Drewmore voiced his confusion. "There were only two NASADA visits to Amystheist."
"That's what they told you." Dunvall said. "For the second visit, the Emperor asked the scientists of what they discovered. They tried lying but because of the fact that one of them had ingested the dust hours prior to the visit, there were traces stuck in his body so the Emperor manipulated that to see if he was being dishonest."
"How?" Finley questioned.
"You remember the earthquake and the fire?" Dunvall recalled to them. "The Royals of Amystheist have an incredible power to control the Sandlilies in any manner they see fit so that's how the current Empress was able to cause Earth tremors and a wild fire with just her thoughts focused on it. No one understands how they acquired them as it has been that way for millenias but the Royals were quite admirable rulers – a little stern and hot headed when crossed but fair and loyal. Which is why the Emperor was angry that the scientists he was looking to create diplomatic relations to the earth through were trying to deceive him hence he banished them.
"Angered by this, Coulson retaliated so he got most of the senate on his side and outvoted your ruler, President McKenzie and had military troops sent into space with the use of your G.I. weaponry. So our planet was destroyed so that the so called respectable rulers you are holding your necks out to support get wealthier while other people's lives are at stake – especially you, Mr. Drewmore." Dunvall finished.
"Whose lives?" Finley questioned.
"Those who have overdosed on Floria Maxim." Dunvall said. "The large amounts all at once cause it to reform in the body and grow once more, causing glass to creep out the mouth and over the face, stopping breathing. If untreated for a few hours, you die from suffocation and brain damage. The scientists you saw when you entered, we also found dead here. What I am trying to figure out, however, how they managed to keep the deaths out of the public eye – it should've been issued as a pandemic by now. And the scientists' deaths also I have failed to decipher. If my suspicions are correct and these scientists committed suicide, it is even more puzzling why they do so when the worst they would face for their crimes is incarceration..." Dunvall stopped his ranting before turning back to the two who looked awfully lost for words. "Now can you tell me once again that our plans are invalid when over half our race is dead and the remaining ones are on an unreliable spaceship? That our current ruler does not even know another way forward to ensure her people's well-being? That your leaders, who you are sworn to protect, have ruined more lives than you imagined?" The room fell silent as the two finally understood just how deep the ties of revenge ran.
Morgan parked their dune buggy next to where Thalia and Wyatt were standing and him and Dante jumped out, rushing over to the Red and Yellow Rangers. "What… are you doing?" The Gold Ranger questioned in utter confusion as he noted how the two were patting mid air.
"Are we missing something?" Dante asked.
"Drewmore and Finley are stuck in there." Wyatt said before something occured to him. "A security wall means that there is a server nearby… especially if it blocks communication signals."
"What?" Now Thalia was lost.
"Dante," Wyatt ignored her. "Hack the nearest security server."
"I'm on it." Dante nodded before taking his recon laptop out of his equipment bag. He sat on the ground and tapped rapidly against his keyboard as he looked for the nearest server. "There's a… I found a hidden server with a high tech firewall for a security system within a government facility." He began to code fast, making sure to get by undetected until he finally hacked into the mainframe. "I'm in."
"Turn off all security measures in the facility." Wyatt said.
"Deactivating." Dante followed and the environment began to change as the wall turned to a solid, metallic color and began to part.
"Well… now we know where the unaccounted for money in the state budget went." Morgan said. The moment was short lived as it revealed Korcitroids standing before them. "Does Amystheist ever run out?"
"I don't think so." Thalia said.
"Codename: Covert, Rangers assemble!" The four morphed before firing their blasters at the foot soldiers then charging forward. They flipped into the air before firing at more from above. The four landed before charging forward. Morgan planted his foot against a Korcitroid's chest before lifting his other foot and rolling in mid air, taking it down. He rolled across the ground and fired at three oncoming Korcitroids.
Thalia blocked an oncoming kick from a Korcitroid with both arms before forcing him back. Thalia ducked under one before planting her hand on the swinging her legs in a circular motion and taking the Korcitroid down. Wyatt kicked a Korcitroid in the chest area, causing it to crouch over before rolling across it's back and using it as a human shield, firing at oncoming foot soldiers before flipping the sacrificial one over. Dante kicked one in a running motion and flipping backwards in mid air. He landed before rushing forward and shooting at Korcitroids as he ran past.
"... You could have contacted us." Drewmore said after a moment of silence. "We could've helped you find a new planet maybe, start anew instead of–"
"You seem not to understand." Dunvall said. "All these uninhabited planets, you think they are uninhabited for no good reason? You think we can leave the peace of the milky way for another galaxy ravaged by war? You think that there are even that many options for life forms that are human? Besides, do you really think that we would work with the people who gave the arsonists the gasoline?"
Finley bit her lip. "But… revenge is not the–"
"Silver Ranger, you know revenge very well." Dunvall said bluntly. "Rontico did research on your team. Apparently you killed someone you loved very much because he mistreated you."
Finley was taken aback. "Yo… you can't just bring that up!"
"Yes, I can." Dunvall retaliated. "You can argue that your mental health needs to be taken into consideration but are you truly the one to be rebuking me or my queen over wanting justice?"
"Okay, I get it!" Finley shouted. "I am a terrible person, I have no right to even be on this team saving people when all I have ever thought of in life is saving myself! You think I feel good about what I've done? I look down at my hands every single morning when I wake up and I see blood. You think I'm proud? I could never understand what this conflict is about and now that I do, I empathize with you. I know what it's like to be the smaller one with so much potential and so many good intentions only to be persecuted by someone bigger and more influential. But that does not mean that I, or any of my teammates, will step back and let you do as you please. There are thousands of lives that are innocent that you are endangering, millions even. Is all that worth revenge?"
Dunvall shook his head. "No, it is not. But you seem to forgot that we have lost millions of lives too because of the greed of one group. Justice must be served." He stopped as if deep in thought. "Your teammates are outside. We are going to burn down this facility. I suggest you leave at this moment."
"Burn this place down?" Finley echoed.
"Our pride has decayed here. This place must cease to exist." Dunvall said. "The Sandlilies will detonate and there is nothing you can do about it so I suggest you leave." He began to leave.
Finley looked on angrily as he was leaving and rushed after him. "You can't just do that." She grabbed his shoulder and turned him around roughly. "There are dead people here. You can't–"
"Cremate them?" Dunvall completed with a questioning tone in his voice. "They obviously didn't care for their lives or the lives of their fellow men. Why should we?" He said as he roughly grabbed her hand. "You have thirty minutes." With that, he put something in it and let it go before teleporting out of the place with the Korcitroids surrounding.
"Thirty minutes?" Drewmore questioned. "To get out of here… do we really need ten minutes?" Finley looked down at the medicine bottle then back at Drewmore, trying to understand what happened. "Sprinting, we would reach the exit in less than ten minutes."
"They… want us to find something." Finley said.
"Find something?" Drewmore questioned.
"He couldn't understand why the scientists committed suicide… or why the Floria maxim deaths never reached the public eye." Finley looked around and it clicked. She threw the bottle to Drewmore who caught it she began to run in the different direction.
"Finley!" Drewmore called after her. "Finley, come back here!"
"Go find the others! I'll be fine!" Finley instructed.
"Like hell." Drewmore said and Finley stopped. "Just tell me–"
Finley turned around and for the first time ever, she gave a reassuring smile that was wider than most of the small smiles she would give to be polite. "Please… trust me." Finley pleaded. "I wanted to be here… I'm the one who interfered with this mission. Let me finish what I started."
Drewmore looked conflicted but sighed and nodded. "If you don't make it out then I will make your life a living hell." She laughed small before leaving the manufacturing plant.
As the war raged on with the Korcitroids outside, there were more being teleported down, making them lethargic and weary from the fighting. "How the hell aren't they finishing?" Thalia said as she fired more arrows at the impending army using her bow.
"We need Finley." Morgan huffed. "Where the hell are they?"
"Rangers!" The four looked up to see Drewmore appearing from the nearby hill and running over to them.
"Drewmore!" Dante sighed in relief. "Where have you been?" He asked as their mentor reached them. "Wait… where's Finley?"
"Continue your fight out–"
"Drewmore, where is she?" Wyatt stopped him mid sentence before looking to the others. "Keep the Korcitroids busy." The three nodded before charging forward. Wyatt turned back to him. "Drewmore…"
"She's okay." Drewmore said. "That facility is going to blow up in…" He looked at his watch. "Twenty three minutes and she's looking for evidence."
"What?" Wyatt questioned incredulously. "Why?"
"It's a long story." Drewmore said.
Wyatt almost face palmed himself but realized he was wearing a helmet which made him even more frustrated. "What is she thinking?" He hissed rather angrily. "I have to get her out of there."
"Go. Into the tunnel in the hill, down the right cave." Drewmore permitted. "Something tells me it's a trap."
"What?"
"Dunvall let us free." Drewmore stated.
"Crap!" Wyatt muttered before he sprinted off in the direction Hendrick came from.
"Hey! We're short staffed here and he's making a run for it?" Morgan questioned as he sliced through a Korcitroid with his spear.
Hendrick rolled his eyes as he kicked a Korcitroid rushing towards him in the chest, causing it to fly backwards and topple over the oncoming three. "You were saying?"
"You should really rethink this retirement thing." Hendrick laughed at Dante's statement before joining in in the fight.
Finley rushed through the hallways of the plant, trying to find an office area she could search through. If they were running a drug ring here related to the higher ups, there must've been some kind of tab that they kept since this was obviously an organized business. She finally found a locked office at the end of the hall and kicked at the door until it broke open. She began searching through cabinets, desks and drawers. She was about to give up until she noticed a misalignment in the way the picture was hung in such an immaculate office. "He was here…" Finley muttered as she realized it was all a ploy. Dunvall knew exactly what happened here… more than he let on. And he wanted them to see the evidence for themselves. She walked over and pulled the picture down, revealing a safe.
Putting her ear near the lock, she began to turn it to hear for clicks on where the combination is. Not even looking at the time that was fleeting from her. She got the safe opened and out came papers flooding out. She dropped to her knees to look through them. "Pamela… White?" She read a name off the paper right off the bat as she looked through the papers. Orders… from several higher ups in government.
But it wasn't just for the drugs.
"Black market?" Finley read. "Organ… harvesting?" She started to take the papers and she turned around to see a man by the door. Finley had no time to react as a bullet entered her side in the abdominal area. She let out a yell and sunk to the floor, clutching her side and wincing in pain at it.
"Sorry Coetzee, but now that you saw those, I can't let you leave alive." The man said.
"... You run this place?" Finley questioned. "You're the… only dirty doctor… in a lab coat… here who... doesn't have… a glass covered face."
"How did you get in?" The man asked.
"So… the drug business... was a front for… organ harvesting?" Finley questioned back, breathing heavily.
"Smart girl." The man laughed. "What else have you learned?"
"You killed the scientists?" Finley said, making it sound more like a statement that needed confirmation than an actual accusation.
"The whole state was going to come sniff out this place sooner or later." The man said. "Those others scare easily. Couldn't have them ratting us out."
"So you were… going to run off... with all the information… the drugs… and probably the organs… of those dead scientists… just the way... you did… with the dead clients." Finley said.
"Presumptuous but true." He laughed.
"Well… all your business partners... are currently under... house arrest." Finley said. "Except for attorney White. I wonder how... that works."
The man's smile fell. "You know too much." He loaded another round and aimed at her.
"Yeah, she's a real pain." The man turned around only to be pushed to the ground. He scrambled on the ground to get back the gun but his hand was stomped on rather roughly. The man yelled out in pain. "You okay?"
"I'll live." Finley winced as she put the rather soiled papers in her backpack in difficulty. "... How?"
"Drewmore figured this was a trap." Wyatt said.
"You stupid, teena–" Wyatt knocked him out cold mid sentence.
"What's... going to... happen to him?" Finley said.
"I think Drewmore and everyone else will agree with me that he should come with us." Wyatt suggested.
"Yeah… the MPD is... directly involved so… they are useless." Finley said. "We should get out of– argh!" The Silver Ranger hissed as she sunk back down after trying to stand up.
"Careful." Wyatt reprimanded her as he knelt down in front of her. "You're not made of steel. Don't go off making decisions on your own."
Finley raised an eyebrow at him. "You really want… to lecture me now?" She said in between heavy breaths.
"May as well." Wyatt took her backpack. "Where's the first aid kit?"
"We have… no time… for that." Finley pointed out.
"We have thirteen minutes till this place blows up. I can teleport us out" Wyatt said.
"Wyatt… I have been… shot before." Finley argued. "I can deal… with–"
"I know you are a military brat but you can't even talk right so stop arguing with me. Now tell me how to stop the bleeding." Finley blinked on in surprise before giggling in amusement which in her condition sounded like wincing breaths. Now it was Wyatt's turn to be confused. "What now?"
"You don't… know how to… perform basic... first aid?" Finley said between gasps. "If… I were… unconscious… what would you… have done?"
She could sense Wyatt glaring at her through his visor. "We...well I...I'm sorry but bullet wounds were something I never learned off."
"Help me… out of… my jacket." The Silver Ranger said and Wyatt immediately helped shrug it off. "Add pressure to… stop the… bleeding." Finley instructed.
"Here?" Wyatt asked as he put both hands slightly above the wound and Finley weakly nodded before wincing as he continuously pressed down on the wound. "Sorry, I'm doing it too hard."
"Would you… prefer I die?"
"Of course not." Wyatt replied incredulously.
"I would." Finley looked past his shoulder to see Henry standing over them with a grin on his face. "Then you and I can finally be together."
"Fuck you." Finley said tiredly.
"What did I do?" Wyatt questioned, surprised at how she just swore at him.
"Not you." Finley deadpanned, not in the mood to deal with this for the second time today.
"Pale skin looks stunning on you." Henry smirked. "You were always a pretty face. If only you would touch up with a little –"
"Are you done yet?" Finley scoffed in annoyance.
"Should I abandon you here or not?" Wyatt retorted in equal annoyance until he realized that her focus was elsewhere now that she wasn't looking at . He looked over his shoulder to see nothing there. "Finley…"
"What do you want?" The Silver Ranger called out.
"You." Henry smirked.
"Cry me a river." Finley spat back. "You never–"
"Oh yes, I did." Henry laughed. "And you loved me back. So suffer for all the bitch moves you made. It's only fair."
"Now listen here, you–"
"Finley!" Wyatt exclaimed as he placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her, leaving traces of blood on the sleeves of her shirt. "Focus on me, okay?" He said. "Do I dress the wound after stopping the bleeding?" Finley dumbly nodded and Wyatt started to rummage through the bag.
"I'd actually prefer it… if you wish… I'd die." Finley panted and Wyatt stopped mid search.
"Finley?"
"I don't… deserve to live." Finley said.
Wyatt sighed. "None of us do." He ultimately said as he found a bandage and large cotton pad. He raised her shirt over her abdominal area, placing the pad over the wound and started wrapping the bandage over it. "Which is why we have to keep living."
"Huh?" Finley questioned.
"To atone for our mistakes, we have to keep living." He clarified.
"We're murderers, Wyatt." Finley stated. "We can never atone for–"
"Exactly, Finley." Wyatt cut her off. "We can never atone for them. But what can we do when we're dead? Not only will we have achieved nothing but we'd also have regretted nothing either. We'd think that all we did is erased once we're dead when in all honesty, we just ran away from all we've done. So I'd rather spend my entire life atoning for a mistake I know can never be erased than die and never try to atone for it to begin with." After he was finished, he helped Finley up and supported her to trudge over to where the shooter was knocked out cold he could before teleporting everyone out.
Once they were outside, Wyatt had convinced – or rather forced – Finley on the dune buggy she came on in with Drewmore before getting the scientist on there. "Drewmore." Wyatt called to Drewmore as they finished off the Korcitroids. "Get Finley back to the plane. She needs medical attention."
"What the hell happened?" Drewmore questioned as soon as him and the other Rangers came over.
"And who the hell is this?" Thalia questioned.
"I'll explain lat–" Wyatt was interrupted by a loud explosion as the hill behind them blew up and four giant Korcitroids emerged, the same size as their Megazord. "I'll explain a lot later."
"Damn kids." Drewmore hissed as he jumped into the buggy. "If I get arrested for kidnap, you kids are coming down with me." He turned to Finley. "Call your zord. Alarik will put it on autopilot and the others will create the Megazord."
"Even you're pulling me out of the fight?" Finley said, somewhat annoyed.
"You have a hole in your stomach!" Drewmore yelled at her. "I have half the mind to smack you silly right now! So before I put you on probation for a month for being reckless and make you clean the entire HQ from top to bottom, I suggest you do as I say without back talk."
Finley only stared back expressionless before relenting and summoning her Silver Condor that came flying over. "... Take your time." She said to the others. "D.C. is the least of our problems."
"Fin… what are you talking about?" Morgan questioned.
"The higher ups… are little shits." Finley sighed. "If anything… in their eyes… we're the real monsters." She turned to Drewmore. "Let's go." Drewmore nodded before driving back towards the aircraft.
"What is she talking about?" Thalia asked Wyatt who shook his head.
"Let's talk about this later." Wyatt said before pressing on his button pad. "Zords assemble." The others hesitated slightly but ended up calling their Zords before teleporting themselves into the cockpit. Wyatt put his morpher in a grove and had it scan until he was granted access. "Morphin systems, Zords combine." The flock flew near one another before disassembling itself then reassembling itself into the Game Megazord. "Game Megazord, systems are a go. Dante, you're controlling both arms today."
"Because Fin just had to get herself shot." Morgan hissed. "What are you not telling us?"
"Charge." Wyatt ignored him and Morgan and Thalia controlled the zord to move forward.
"Well?" Morgan questioned.
"Now isn't the time." Wyatt said as he fired at the first Korcitroid.
"I agree with Morgan." Thalia said. "What in hell's name is going on?"
"Dante, grab the next one." Wyatt ordered and Dante did so, take the second Korcitroid and hitting it to the ground.
"Wyatt, stop fucking ignoring us and talk!" Morgan was starting to get frustrated.
"We will–"
"Like hell, we will!" Morgan hissed as he raised his foot to kick the third one down. "We deserve to know."
"I agree, Wyatt." Dante who had been quiet the entire time spoke.
Wyatt sighed. "The higher ups were running a drug syndicate using the Sandlilies they raided from Amystheist by making turning it into a drug." He then moved control to the wings. "Get ready to fly."
"Wait… what?" Thalia questioned in shock but kept her focus as the zord flew into the sky.
"That isn't the worst of things." Wyatt sighed weakly as he locked target on the four foot soldiers "... It was a front for organ harvesting. In the hopes that their drug clients would overdose, they took their organs and sold them on the black market. Finley… will debrief us in full a… as soon as we get back to the command center. Thunder mode, final strike." He claimed as the wings revealed canons and rained down attacks on the Korcitroids.
The Korcitroids fell to their death but the Rangers felt nothing like the ecstasy or excitement they normally have after destroying monsters. They felt terribly empty and extremely lost with only questions ringing through their minds.
Who is man… and who is monster.
"Good work, Dunvall." Harton said to Dunvall after he returned. "You have performed excellently."
"Thank you, my queen." Dunvall said. "The Rangers understood."
"They are the least of my concerns as of now." Harton said as she stared out into space. "Those pitiful rulers will get their just desserts. Such dreadful people are given life. Their existence alone disgusts me."
Dunvall shrugged. "Such evil exists. Earthlings long to talk of ideals and morals but only three things make them no different to animals: money, vanity and pleasure."
"And yet we suffer." Harton sighed. "You are free to do as you like. Thank you for your service to me."
"My queen." Dunvall spoke. "The Rangers… they are only children."
"Do you pity them?" Harton gave him a sideways glance.
"They are… tortured." Dunvall said. "They torture themselves for all the wrongs they have done when there are far more despicable beings than them. Maybe it is the humanity in me talking but… I do feel that they deserve better."
"Maybe so… but that has nothing to do with me or our race." Harton said before turning back to the window. Dunvall was tempted to speak again but he kept silent when he noticed Aklestal slithering over to him and hissing at him. Dunvall simply glared at the snake before leaving.
"I don't trust that damn serpent." He muttered to himself during his exit.
After getting patched up, Finley headed back to her room. She headed for her little dustbin and looked inside, seeing the torn pieces from the photo she ripped apart. Sighing, she took the torn picture pieces out of the dustbin and looked at all the pieces. It was about time she stopped reliving the past. She had made her choice and she had to live with it regardless. She took it with her to the REC room and threw it into the garbage disposal where it would be incinerated. She was ready to move on now and nothing would stop her.
She turned around, realizing that in her stride, she failed to notice that Wyatt and Morgan were seated in front of the TV playing video games. She sighed before gaining the courage to go up there. "Wyatt…" She spoke but their eyes didn't move from the screen. "Boys…"
"Come back later, will ya?" Morgan suggested, fixated on the screen with rapid movements on the buttons and Wyatt agreed with a nod.
What do I even like about this moron? And why is the other my good friend? Finley questioned herself before shutting off the TV monitor, ending their virtual reality basketball match, much to the boys' annoyance. "What the hell?" Morgan exclaimed. "I was smoking this ass."
"And I was a three pointer away from smoking his." Wyatt glared back at the Gold Ranger.
"If you two really want to beat your chests and save your almost nonexistent manliness, there's a basketball court of the sixteenth deck." Finley said before turning to Wyatt. "And about what I said the day before, I am sorry. I shouldn't have questioned you or your decisions."
Wyatt looked at Finley with a pointed look. "W… was something wrong yesterday?"
"Huh?" Finley was caught off guard.
"Yo… you are our best strategist and the pairs you came up with yesterday were… not up to what you can normally come up with. And the whole thing yesterday in the off–" Wyatt stopped himself mid sentence. "A… are you okay?"
Finley nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine now."
"What was wrong?" He asked. Finley looked at Morgan who simply shrugged and picked up a magazine from the table. The Silver Ranger then turned back to Wyatt.
"I… promise to tell you in the future." Finley said.
Wyatt nodded. "Okay. Can you please turn the screen back on… I'm not done making Morgan cry for his mommy."
"Bring it on, nerd pants." Morgan said. Rolling her eyes at the two, she turned the monitor back on and left them to their devices. She was on route to her room but stopped at her door, realizing that she was most likely going to coop herself in there all day. Straying her eyes to the door next to hers, she relented and walked over to it before walking in as the door was opened.
"Hey, Thalia?" The youngest Ranger looked up from her manga to see the Silver Ranger standing at her door.
"Hey," Thalia put the comic down before sitting up on her bed. "What's up?"
"I was… just checking in." Finley awkwardly said. Thalia slowly nodded in response as the strange silence continued. It was only then that both girls realized just how distant they were with one another. The boys had it easier because one video game could bond them for life but girls weren't as simple. "I was half expecting Dante to be here."
"He's helping the big guy code bots." Thalia said.
"Big guy?"
"Stanton."
"Ah…" Silence fell over them again.
"Aren't you supposed to be with Morgan?" Thalia spoke up.
"Him and Wyatt are having a bonding moment over an NBA basketball game." Finley said. "The atmosphere is… sickening. "
"I know right?" Thalia laughed. "That bromance between the three of them is disturbing… especially the way Morgan gets so sentimental yet he brushes it off like some tough guy."
"He is the cheese master." Finley giggled in agreement. "I literally drown in mozzarella when I'm around him."
"And don't even get me started on Wyatt and how he brain farts whenever someone does something nice to him and he gets emotional." Thalia joked.
"I know right?" Finley mused in agreement. "Makes me wonder what either of us see in him."
Thalia looked taken aback but after recovering from the shock, she wore a grin on her face. "The love rival has finally staked her claim. This should be interesting." Finley rolled her eyes at how extra Thalia was being but smiled small nonetheless. "But I agree, what do we see in him?"
"Potential." Finley shrugged.
Thalia was both amused and intrigued. "Touchè. Even though he is an unappealing, unattractive, stammering potato."
Finley giggled. "Is this what girls normally talk about when they're together?"
"From what I've seen in movies, probably." The Yellow Ranger said. "But I've watched enough clichés to know what's real and what's fake even though I never had friends of my own."
"Hmm… I've… never actually watched a movie before." This confession made Thalia's jaw drop.
"Never?" The younger girl looked utterly stupefied.
"Umm… yeah." Finley said. "Unless the Passion of Christ counts as a movie."
"My goodness!" Thalia exclaimed. "That is a massive crime against humanity; über, stupendous! Were you raised in a church?"
"... Yes, literally speaking." Finley shrugged. "Was never allowed to watch movies or listen to modern music or even wear a skirt shorter than my ankles."
"Jehovah's Witness?"
"Accurate but incorrect." Finley laughed. "Catholic… strict father who exceeded religious nut – not the good kind."
"There are good kinds?" Thalia was surprised.
"Yes," Finley affirmed. "There's nothing wrong with religion, it has beautiful aspects to it too but if you are raised by my dad… it is life sucking."
"Is that why you read so much?" Finley nodded. "I see…" Thalia mused to herself before it looked like a lightbulb would flicker on over her head if she were a cartoon. "Wanna watch your first movie?"
Finley looked hesitant. "I… dunno…"
"It'll be fun!" Thalia said as she hopped to her feet and grabbed Finley's hand. "Besides, the boys always use the T.V. to bond, I say we hijack. What d'you say?"
Finley knew she about to step far out of her comfort zone: watching movies she was forbidden from watching, talking to a girl her dad would probably rebuke demons from because of her revealing attire and her extremely liberal form of speech. It was about time she started living. "What the heck? Let's do it."
The two moved into the REC room, discussing what to do and once they were there, they put their plan in action. Finley bravely stalked in and turned off the T.V. monitor while Thalia searched a nearby rack for a DVD. "Excuse my language but what the actual fuck!" Morgan began.
"We were playing!" Wyatt followed.
"Yeah well, play time is over." Finley said with a sardonic smirk on her face.
"What did we do to deserve this?" Wyatt huffed out in annoyance.
"Ooh! I found A Walk to Remember!" Thalia voiced out her victory.
"Oh my God…" Morgan whispered as he looked on wide eyed in shock.
"You wouldn't…" Wyatt followed in similar melodrama.
Thalia pulled the plug on their gaming console and switched to the DVD player. "We would. You guys own the T.V. 24/7… it's our turn."
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Dante yelled as he came rushing in with a sprint.
"At least someone disagrees with this hostile takeover." Morgan said. "Now put back the damn console."
"Not now…" Dante panted as he put the cable back on and changed to the news channel where Lisa Pertain was reporting.
"... Authorities believe that the students that went missing during the alien attack are somehow linked with the Power Rangers." She said as the screen changed to show five different picture profiles from Kennedy Heights and everyone's was utterly shocked at the revelation. "After video analysis was done of the Ranger fights, the heights were said to have matched each individual. A search is now in place to find these five who went missing after –"
"Holy shit." Thalia exclaimed as they all watched on in terror.
"... This is what head of Police, Dr. Pamela White had to say." The screen changed to the head of police herself.
"It burdens me to think that NASADA would go as far as to manipulate five mentally and emotionally unstable teenagers to do their bidding. I am appalled if not by this. Should I be wrong however in this assumption, make no mistake that forcing a juvenile facility for the mentally unstable to keep quiet after being invaded by aliens is also a very disgusting move on the Commander's end. Therefore let it be known, we will search for these five young individuals in the hopes that they are still alive and well. We–" Finley turned off the T.V, reaching the conclusion that they have heard enough.
"She knows that we know…"
"What?" Morgan questioned Finley.
"About the investors in D.C., the Floria Maxim business, the organ harvesting…" Finley said. "That guy we took with us? Peter Manson is her partner."
"But how does she know?" Thalia scratched her head. "Is she that smart?"
"So… what do we do?" Dante asked, bringing in a deafening silence on what their next move was. The more they unravelled the depth of alien involvement on earth, the more they questioned the humanity of their own people.
A/N: Hi guys. Thanks to everyone who has read this and dropped their thoughts on this so far. Now that the surface conflict is done, we can delve deeper into it. We are entering the halfway mark of Covert Operations (at least the first season). With that being said, I will start to slowly post my new story on my account, Blade Crusaders as it is of utmost significance to this story. Being that it will be a 20-25 episode installment, it will be the shortest one in the series.
As a result of these developments, I am putting Hunters of Divinity on official hiatus. It is also at its halfway point where we establish the relationship between the demons and the Morphin Grid but the way I wrote prior chapters is rather confusing. I am going to be revamping it chapter by chapter but until then, only Covert Operations and Blade Crusaders will be updated on my account (and probably Behind the Masks but only time will tell.)
Thanks so far and happy reading!