Power Rangers: Public Enemies
Chapter 20: The best is yet to come
Taylor and Chad helped raise Mack's charred body unto the casket. Taylor fought back her tears, whilst Chad stayed somber. General Miles kept his hand on Ethan's shoulder, who looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown. As Ethan's tears streamed freely down his face, several soldiers kept carrying out the bodies of their fallen comrades in stretchers. Helicopters kept coming in, and leaving, carrying the dead to their homeland. Taylor stops for only a second. A single tear runs down her face, as she observes the somber sunset over the Caribbean Sea. Chad pats her on her back, signifying that they had to keep going. She dries her tear, lest anyone sees it.
"Lieutenant, it's ok to shed tears on this moment." General Miles tells her during the Helicopter ride. He eyes Ethan, who has buried his face with his hands. General Miles sympathizes with the boy.
"PTSD" General Miles breaks the silence. "Ethan, you have PTSD. A very mild version, to be sure. But it is still PTSD."
"What's PTSD?" Ethan asks.
"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's common amongst soldiers. But anyone who's ever been in a very traumatic experience gets it. Some people that have it have been known to become uncontrollable." Taylor explains.
"You think… the Mystic Force Rangers also developed PTSD?" Ethan inquires. "You think…maybe that's why Chip…?"
"No…" Taylor's tears are coming back. "I don't know. Does it make sense? Some guy got PTSD, and for that he killed someone who tried to help him out? Will that ever make sense to you?"
The helicopter flies over the orange waves, leaving behind the hellhole that is Piedra del Diablo…
Ina small town in Tennessee…
A little girl draws a picture of her father. She must be around 5, maybe 6 years old. She draws a stick figure first, using a yellow crayon. Then, she uses her green crayon to draw a shirt over the stick figure. The stick figure is meant to be her father. She gets up, and goes to the kitchen to grab a snack.
"Hi Emily, did you want a snack?" Her mother kneels down, and pats her pretty blonde hair.
"Coo- coo…" Emily has a stuttering problem. "I w-w-want c-coo-cook-kies."
"Ok, sweetie." Emily's mother reaches for the cookie jar, picks up a cookie, and gives it to her daughter. "Wow, wait till daddy sees how much you've improved huh?"
Emily's mother smiles at her daughter. She's been working really hard to improve her stutter. Emily glances over at a photo of her father, who is currently serving in the military…
Andrew Hartford was crying inconsolably over the death of his son. As he sees that father cry over his son's death, Wade Miles takes a second to think of his own child. How would he react to similar news?
Rose Ortiz stayed in a corner, staring quietly at the ring on her finger. She remembers the last time Mack died. It was about two years ago, when the Insidious Six first surfaced…
"Oh my God…no…" Rose falls down on her knees as she observes Mack's soulless body on the ground.
"The same thing's happened before…to Nick and Cameron…" Tori observes the body of the red Overdrive Ranger. "Oh my God…"
"Six of them… they called themselves The Insidious Six." Cassidy and Devin explained what had happened to the rest of the Rangers.
"Is there any way? Any way at all we can fix this? I mean…Mack's not dead, is he?" Rose's tears fall upon Mack's cold, still body.
"Rose?" Andrew Hartford snaps her out of her trance. "I am so sorry…"
Rose does not answer. She just goes back to staring at her ring.
"Rose…tell me there's a way to bring him back." Andrew sits next to her. "Tell me there's a way…some artifact from the past, some wish granting being, some magic spell… ANYTHING."
Rose does not answer, continuing to stare at her engagement ring. She starts thinking of the day she got the ring…
Mack and Rose are just two of the many, many Rangers staring at the burning ruins of Angel Grove. Mack glanced at the older Rangers; The Mighty Morphing, Zeo and Turbo Ranger teams. He couldn't help but feel a large pang of guilt for having failed to have saved the city. He hugs Rose.
"We failed…" Rose whispers unto his chest. They hug.
"We tried so hard. But please, love. Don't say we failed. If we didn't stop Baal here, he would have destroyed the World." Mack himself finds it hard to feel any comfort from those words.
"Look at it, Mack. Angel Grove…" Rose buries her head in his chest. Casey walks up to them.
"You two ok?" He pats Rose on the shoulder. "You guys hurt?"
"No." Mack smiles half heartedly. "Thank God. We are ok."
Suddenly, Mack sees the bright side of everything.
"We are ok. Rose…we are ok." Mack suddenly smiles, and hugs Rose. "We are ok! Guys…we are still ok!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Casey looks at him like he's gone crazy. Actually, everyone is.
"Guys, look! Baal…he destroyed most our Zords, completely leveled Angel Grove…but WE are still standing! We survived our greatest ordeal ever! We all stood strong, and defeated the greatest evil the Rangers have ever faced! And we won! We saved the world!" Mack excitedly walks towards every Ranger.
"Are you saying the worst is over?" Jason looks at him skeptically.
"No…I know the worst might not be over." Mack's smile fades slightly, then returns. "But…guys. The best, it's yet to come."
"Mack…you sure are optimistic." Rose half smiles.
"Why not? It's a whole new year, guys. Happy 2010." Mack hugs Rose. And then he starts hugging every Ranger. A few Rangers, who were starting to catch his optimism, hug him back. "The best is yet to come, guys! Just you wait, 2010 will be a fantastic year! Especially for me…"
Mack walks over to Rose. He kneels down, and brings out a small box. "I meant to do this earlier, honey. But…hey, what better time, eh? Let's get married, what do you say?"
Rose's tears fall onto her sweater. Dax walks up to her. He, too, is crying. Rose gets up, the first time she's moved in over five hours.
"Rose?" Dax is perplexed at her behavior. "Where are you going?"
Rose walks towards the box where she kept her Morpher. She takes it out. Suddenly, she starts squeezing it. She starts bearing her teeth, as her tears become bitter.
"Rose…" Dax is very scared now. "What are you thinking?"
"Mystic…Force…" The venom in her voice is evident.
"Now…hold on, Rose…wait, Rose… no! Rose, come back!" Andrew Hartford sees Dax trying to stop Rose from leaving. He walks over to the old Blue Ranger, and punches him in the gut, effectively allowing Rose to continue.
"What was that for?" Dax is on the ground writhing in pain. "Do you have any idea what she might do?"
"Yes, I know exactly what she's going to do." Andrew's face is contorted with fury. "And did it ever occur to you that that is precisely something I'd want, too?"
Dax's eyes widen at the idea. Suddenly, a very dark feeling in his stomach…
Meanwhile…
Emily wakes up. She groggily walks towards the living room, hearing a very faint sound. As she walks down the hallway, she hears her mother very clearly. She is crying. Emily gets scared now. She starts to walk slowly towards the living room, and takes a little peek. Her mother is sitting down, in the arms of some woman she's seen once or twice, sobbing into a folded up American Flag.
"No! NOOOOO!" Emily's mother cries desperately. She falls unto the floor, and collapses. The soldier that had brought the flag tries to pick up Emily's mother, attempting to comfort her. Emily can see some tears falling down the soldier's cheek. Emily, however, in a moment of innocence, walks towards her mother…
The next day, Emily is sitting alone in the living room, wearing her best dress. She looks at the picture she drew the day before. There's her father, in his Army uniform, smiling proudly, the best drawing she ever made. It might be a bit crude, but it is a sweet drawing. Suddenly, she puts it down. She gets up, and walks towards her mother. Her mother, who's dressed completely in black, takes Emily to see her father, one last time. Thanks to the Power Rangers, he won't be coming back home, ever again…
Over in Zamunda, a republic in Africa…
The small village of Dakra is now in ruins. This village, which was mostly a Banbul village, has been destroyed by rebel Huti forces. The Banbul and Huti have been in an ethnic war for all of 2010 and 2011. A small group of the Huti forces arrive to pay the people that have helped them in their time of need.
"Thank you so much, strangers. We know now why we pay you top dollar." The Huti leader hands over the cash to a Red Ranger. Flanked by a few mercenaries, as well as a Blue and Yellow Ranger, the Red Ranger gladly accepts the money. On the chest of the Rangers there is a logo. It belongs to Laughing Raven, a Paramilitary Company (PMC) based in America…