Volume III – The Zeta Arc
Chapter 20—The Storm Front
Jay
I ran forward, throwing my flaming body into a Gigadroid, and searing it to pieces. I couldn't seem to get past the wall of them, though, and all I could do was watch helplessly as Lamedd approached Aaron.
Her bladed whip slid across the ground as she took her sweet time to finish off her prey. It was like she was savoring the moment.
I had to stop her.
I roared as I called on my Upsilon Shield, a burst of yellow flames summoning it to my hand. I slammed it into the ground and extended its blade as fast as I could. It released a beam of fire along the ground, then shot geysers of fire into the crowd of Gigadroids. My path cleared significantly. But my breathing seemed go up, too as my suit's power levels drop threateningly. I had to make it to Aaron before I demorphed like he had.
I could see Gigadroids in my peripheral as they raised their blasters to take me down. I held up my Upsilon Shield and barely yelled out "Pyro Burst!"
Out of the huge diamond on the front of my shield, a burst of fiery energy shaped like the Upsilon shot out from the emblem. It incinerated half of my opponents, but I watched several more take their places. I felt my energy fall even lower, but I tried to ignore the beeping in my helmet.
"Aaron!" I called to him.
I heard him shout out an attack and saw flashes of white illuminate the battlefield. Specks of rain began to attack the battlefield and I felt my ranger abilities kick in as my visor glossed over oddly to block out the extra obstacles in my vision.
I tried to run forward, but felt several metallic hands grab my arms. I looked behind me only to be decked by a golden Gigadroid. I flailed to the ground and dropped my shield as my attacker and several backups approached me. This could not be happening!
"There are too many of them!" Grace screamed as her Psi Lancer was kicked out of her hand. Her pursuing Gigadroids spun and landed a kick to her chest, sending her into a wall of steel.
"Grace!" Matt called over the commotion.
He parried a blow and swung his Kappa Staff, only for it to be grabbed by the golden Gigadroid behind him, who then pried it from his hands and slashed him with it. Matt spun backward into more attackers, who then threw him off and then punched him flying. He smashed into a car and flipped over it, motionless when he landed.
Beth tried to cover Matt with her Gun-Saber, but a circle of Gigadroids managed to subdue her. They twisted her into an uncomfortable position and built up momentum before slamming her into a stack of metal crates that cracked with the force of the blow. Beth crumpled to the ground with a gasp as her morph failed like the others.
I heard Amy fighting valiantly with her Sigma Whip, using her "Force Crack" attack as she struck the ground with her whip, and then flung her opponents into the air. She meant to spiral around and slash the ones behind her, but she was ambushed from the side by two. They held onto her as another gold one leveled his laser at her and fired several beams until she skidded backward several meters and collapsed. She didn't get up.
"Amy!" I growled.
I ignited my fist as I punched through the gold armored Gigadroid who had just knocked me down. I rolled and leveled my Gauntlet Guard, clearing out several more Gigadroids. I was almost to Aaron, now. Lamedd had her whip wrapped around his neck while he was on all fours. His fingers pried at her whip-like sword, the blades scraping the skin of his neck. Her high-heeled boot was pressed cruelly on his back as she pulled back on his neck with her leash-like weapon. She was treating him like he was some sort of animal. I gritted my teeth as I tried to run forward.
I flew backward as an explosion of green lightning struck the ground three feet in front of me. I crashed into a group of Gigadroids, who stared at the electrical explosion in awe. As the crackles of electricity dimmed, my visor tried in vain to see through it and scan something, but the only thing I could make out was a being inside of the lightning. Silvery winds slashed all around him, as if by command, and thunder boomed in the background like a score to the setting. The rain that had been falling straight down and soaking the battlefield just suddenly stopped in midair, like time stopped. Slowly, the drops of rain magnetized to the figure surrounded in a green haze, and then formed a ring of water. I watched in awe as the ring began to orbit the newcomer, like he was just trying to show off.
And it was working.
And then, in a gust of silver wind, the battlefield cleared of all the rain and electricity, the thunder dulling to a low hum.
We all stared, speechless.
The figure inside the lightning storm was covered in a green Elesferi battle suit, with silver armor sprawled across his chest in a streamlined, angular way. Two wing-like shoulder plates or something extended back like wings or fins, and a black patch of GeoElesferi stretched down his neck and covered his upper chest and upper arms. The rest of his suit matched our own, but his GeoElesferi was all black, like Aaron's, and I noticed black stripes run down each of his legs, too. His sagging belts met in the middle in the same shape as ours—two indented, overlapping arrowheads. A huge "Z" was inscribed on the front of his belt buckle, and two green armor panels outlined by silver adorned his thighs. He wore two brutal, silver kneepads that had 4 black spikes jutting out of them. And on his arms were panels of armor around his biceps and super advanced gauntlets around his forearms. His helmet was just as advanced as ours, with a silver horn that stretched out from the middle of his visor and up off his head, and two smaller black horns. His visor was a bright orange that seemed to glare off the glow emitted from the lightning, and it was jagged and angular. And even though he looked so much like us...he didn't look like us.
"Who is that?" I muttered, half to myself..
Lamedd whipped her head around to stare at the new intruder.
"Another Ranger? But how?"
He held out an arm, his hand limp. When he suddenly flexed it forward, a burst of his slashing winds attacked her, sending her reeling through the air. Her whip fell lifelessly around Aaron's body, who coughed and spluttered as he sucked in a few deep breaths.
We watched as the few sparks around the new Ranger dulled.
"Whoa…" I heard the others mumbling.
Even the Gigadroids seemed to have stopped.
"Thanks," Aaron muttered, sitting up. "Why…why do you have the Zeta Battleizer? W-who are you?"
"No questions," the Green Ranger snapped, his voice like ice.
"Whoa, relax, dude. We're like you. We're rangers," I said as I stepped forward.
I saw his helmet tilt my way. "Like me?"
"Yeah, we're Power Rangers, too. I'm guessing Doc Ol sent you," I assumed.
"No one sent me anywhere. I go where I want to go."
I paused and looked toward Aaron.
"Wait…so how did you get the Zeta—"
"I said NO QUESTIONS!" he roared, spinning around toward Aaron fully. "Do you suddenly not understand English, Eyr Aryn?"
"What?" I wondered, confused.
Aaron's eyes narrowed as he slid his sleeves up, his morphers glinting. "Well, I'm assuming that with that attitude, you aren't here to save us."
The Green Ranger shook as he let out a cold, steely laugh. "How right you are—you six couldn't save this world from a common cold, let alone from Mesomorph. So why don't you leave that to me?"
"Not a chance," Aaron said shortly. "You're more than welcome to join us, but you're going to have to answer a few questions first and drop the hostility."
The Green Ranger was silent for a moment, as if he was thinking. "And if I don't want to?"
"What's your problem?" I yelled, finally irritated by the attitude.
He whipped his head at me and a pulse of green electricity shot toward me from the large horn on the front of his helmet. It struck my chest and sent me backward into the crowd of awestricken Gigadroids. Yet again.
"Jay!" Aaron balled his fists and jumped toward the Green Ranger. I heard him call out "Cyber Digitize—Energize!" and saw the brilliant white light illuminate the area from his morph.
His fist connected with the new ranger's open hand as Aaron hung in midair from the force of the punch.
As impressively quick Aaron had morphed (without using the motions) and seeing how much power he'd thrown into his fist…it wasn't enough.
"You'll have to do a lot better than that."
Aaron, still in the air, spun into a kick faster than anything I'd ever seen before, but the Green Ranger was ready. He grabbed Aaron's leg, too.
"That was a slight improvement."
"How's this?" Aaron moved the holster on his hip to fire his Magna Edge's laser at the Green Ranger's chest.
That made him to let go.
"That actually tickled."
By now, the others had headed over as well, careful to avoid the Gigadroids. Lamedd was recovering and returning to the battlefield as well.
"Look, why don't you work with us? We can beat all these guys if we just do it together." Amy pleaded.
"Ugh, just like a Pink Ranger," the Green Ranger spat, "preaching about teamwork and togetherness. Go write a fairytale, princess."
"Let's just shut this poser up, already," Beth barked.
"Yes," he laughed, "hurry up and 'morph.' Cuz it'll totally do you some good."
"He's not going to listen to logic," Aaron said, rubbing his fist slightly as he stared across the battlefield at us.
"Let's take him out, then," Matt growled.
The Green Ranger seemed to tense even more when Matt spoke, but I had no interest in that. I was worried about Aaron. My sensors were telling me his power levels were extremely low, and a fight with this guy without knowing him could be dangerous.
I knew Aaron liked to think he could take care of himself, but I had always had his back to make sure that was always true. Patrick might have been Aaron's "boyfriend" or whatever, but he couldn't protect him on the battlefield. Only I could play that position, and only I knew Aaron like the back of my hand. One day Aaron would see that, because he and Patrick couldn't last forever. And when they broke up, I would be there for him. Like always.
"Ready guys!" Beth called out, shaking me from my thoughts.
"Ready!"
"Cyber Digitize—Energize!"
In bursts of Black, Pink, Blue, and Red, my friends joined the battle as rangers once more. They were at my side in seconds.
"First, let me take care of them," our new opponent said calmly, cocking his head toward the Gigadroids.
He walked past us and toward the Gigadroids, who quivered their heads curiously.
The Zeta ranger cracked his neck and stretched his arms. Then he cupped his hands and seemed to gather energy before he screamed, "Thunder Typhoon!"
His hands glowed as his signature green electricity danced around his fingertips, creating a cloud of green energy. It crackled like fireworks and then shot out at the Gigadroids, followed by two or three more clouds just like it. When they stopped, the Gigadroids were nothing but pieces.
The Green Ranger stood up straight, admiring his work and noticing the rest of the Gigadroids. He seemed to think of how to dispose of them, and then snapped his fingers in eureka. Holding out his hand, he summoned "Zeta Spiral Edge!"
Immediately, in a green haze of energy, a spiral bladed sword appeared in his hand. Its Silvery hilt shone in the overcast lighting as he twirled it testily and then thrust the silver-and-green blade forward.
"Spiral Tsunami!" his voice boomed.
Energy the color of emeralds swirled out of the spinning blade as it shredded the remaining Gigadroids easily. He swung his weapon once to the left and cleared half of the field, then he swung it right and it cleared the other half.
He chuckled slightly as he admired his work and his blade, before dropping his guard and snapping his fingers again. In a spark of green electricity, the weapon vanished.
He folded his arms and fixed his orange-visored gaze on us. "Ready?"
"Psi Black - Shadow Cyber Ranger!" Grace responded angrily, black shadow energy rippling off her body as she slid into a fighting pose.
Amy followed her lead, waves of her psychokinetic power forming an aura around her. "Sigma Pink - Force Cyber Ranger!"
"Kappa Blue - Hurricane Cyber Ranger!" shouted Matt as he levitated into the air, harsh gusts swirling up around his body.
"Upsilon Yellow - Pyro Cyber Ranger!" In a flash, my super speed led me to my teammates' sides in a less than a second, golden blazes trailing behind me and adding to the field of flames around my body.
Beth, taking a page from our books, struck the earth angrily and brought up chunks of earth as she cried out, "Alpha Red - Stone Cyber Ranger!"
Aaron flipped over Zeta Ranger and landed next to Beth, calling out "Delta White - Light Cyber Ranger!" When he slammed his fists together, something like a supernova lit up around him and concentrated itself into a barrier of light energy.
It seemed like it took us forever, but in reality, it was no more than 10 seconds. All of our energies combined before erupting in a colossal explosion. Doc once explained that the explosion was a result of our Ranger Suits re-energizing and thriving off each other. And though the Zeta Ranger seemed like he was going to be a challenge, I found myself doubting he could take all six of us on.
Until he unfolded his arms and focused his energy.
My HUD lit up like a Christmas tree as his power skyrocketed. He flexed as he growled out, "Zeta Green - Storm Cyber Ranger!" An explosion erupted from behind him, lightning forking through the skies with thunder echoing his power. He moved into fighter's stance and seemed to be beckoning us with his stillness.
The silence hung in the air for a few seconds, all the power seeming thick and dense. My scanners were keeping an eye on Lamedd, who so far hadn't tried to get back in the battle or even move to get her whip. She was staring at us, waiting to see what happened. And she was examining her destroyed Gigadroids, too.
Finally, Aaron let out a battle cry and jumped forward. We all immediately followed suit, charging toward the Green Ranger.
We were confident in our abilities.
We were so wrong.
Amy and Grace, who had attacked first, were parried easily. He grabbed their throats brutally, jumped, and then choke-slammed them into the pavement. He made craters with their already battered bodies and then dug his feet into them and flipped off their chests, taking to the skies to have an aerial battle with Matt. It lasted about 20 seconds before Zeta Ranger landed a strong side kick to Matt's ribs. The green tyrant spun around and landed another kick with his right leg to Matt's head, and then elbowed him in his stomach. I watched helplessly as the Blue Ranger plummeted to the ground right in front of me.
Beth and I attacked next, more cautious than the others. It didn't matter. Even with her Gun-Saber drawn, Zeta just blocked with his bladed gauntlets. He twisted his arm, grabbed her by her forearm, and then drove his elbow into her throat. I heard her choke out a gasp, but he kneed her in her gut and cut off her air supply. He literally ran up her body, then used his feet to push off from her helmet. She rolled back into a heap of loose two-by-fours that were more than happy to tumbled on top of her.
When Zeta landed, he quickly clothes-lined me before I could reach Beth. Before I could fall, he stomped on my chest and pushed me into the concrete. I felt pain override my body as Zeta pushed off me and into the air, then he came crashing down on my chest again. I could feel the incredibly durable Elesferi in my suit whine under the pressure of his attacks, and even worse, I could feel my bones creaking under all the strain. I managed to roll over and away from the third strike, but once he landed, he kicked my body into a wall like I was his personal soccer ball.
From my place on the ground, I saw Aaron charge forward with his Tiger Fang Cyber Weapon drawn, but Zeta quickly called his Spiral Edge again and blocked Aaron blow-for-blow. Easily. He spun, blocked, and then slashed upward on Aaron's exposed side. When the White Ranger stumbled, Zeta held out his palm and let out a couple orbs of devastating energy that tossed Aaron through the air like a ragdoll.
Each of us laid motionless, our powers flickering like static on a TV.
"You are all so pathetic," Zeta commented, observing the battlefield.
He vanished his Edge, turned on his heel with a chuckle, and disappeared in a bolt of lightning.
I noticed Lamedd in the background, observing, but even she left in a puff of smoke.
—20—
"Who WAS that guy?" I shouted as Amy applied a bandage to my upper shoulder.
"And how was he able to take out all the Gigadroids so easily?" she asked Doc Ol.
"I have no idea," Doc said. "I just watched the battle footage and…I can attest he is easily just as powerful as the Battleizer was intended to be."
"What do you mean?" Aaron asked, just as angry as me. "I was supposed to be like, 200 times stronger than everyone else? Wouldn't that kind of power kill someone?"
"Not 200 times stronger, but just as strong as all six of you. Normally, though, that power would kill someone. But because you're Eltarian, you should have been fine. Whoever is using these powers obviously has some sort of upper-hand here."
Grace re-entered the room carrying food, Patrick right behind her.
"Thanks, guys," Matt muttered as he gratefully partook in the meal before us.
"You guys should eat up; let me and Doc Ol figure out what's up with this guy," Patrick said.
After he'd set the food down, he naturally went to Aaron, helping him bandage his slashed side. I looked away, the jealousy burning in me almost like my elemental power.
"You okay?" the pink-clad Amy asked me lowly, her blue eyes searching my face.
I didn't meet her eyes as I fiddled with the loose material on my jeans.
"Yeah, fine."
"It's Aaron, isn't it?"
I looked at her, confused.
"It's weird for me, too," she smiled. "Those two are my exes. Think of how I feel."
I smirked at her. I'd never thought of it that way.
"You like him, don't you?"
"What?" I demanded, immediately going defensive.
Amy gave a faint smile as she uncrossed her arms and pulled me up. "Let's go take a walk."
She grabbed a few sandwiches and pulled me along as we headed upstairs. Once outside, we made our way toward the woods, following the previously treaded trails.
"You know…after this whole thing started, I was pretty pissed that you and Aaron became Rangers," she said after a few minutes of silence.
"Yeah, I could see why. Everyone else, except Beth, is your friend."
"It's not just that," she said, shaking her head, "it's just that…Patrick was kind of excluded from everything, and we both know how great a Ranger he'd be. Plus…you and Aaron of all people? I Mean, that had to hurt for him."
I fought to not roll my eyes. I did feel bad for Patrick and his mom, but I was so tired of throwing the guy an eternal pity party! He had Aaron. He was taking Aaron from me. Since they'd started "dating" or whatever, I hardly saw my best friend anymore. I couldn't sleep over. I couldn't hang out. I couldn't do anything. Patrick had taken everything I wanted and loved and turned it into his own. If he wanted my fucking Morpher so bad, he could have it. I just wanted Aaron. Was that so much to ask? To have the best friend I'd had for so long look at me the way he looked at Patrick?
Instead of blowing up like I wanted to, I shortly said, "Yeah."
"You know, I can tell you don't really like Patrick. But I feel like there's more to it than what anyone else knows."
"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to fake confusion.
Amy could not know.
"You like Aaron."
The matter-of-fact tone rang clear in her voice and scared me just a little. I couldn't even fight the honesty about to bubble over.
"It's weird, I know," I started, "but…Aaron's my best friend. He's like the only real family I have, aside from my brother. I guess you could say somewhere in the years we've been friends I've just…gotten attached."
"But do you love him, Jay?"
"I care about him way more than anyone else."
"Are you gay?"
"I don't know."
"Well, I mean…have you thought of other guys the way you think of Aaron?"
"No!"
"Well…maybe you just care a lot about Aaron? I mean…can you see him sexually?"
I hesitated as I felt my cheeks burn with heat. "I don't…know."
"Look, Aaron's hot, okay? I mean, we all know that. I know that, Beth knows that, Patrick knows it, and I'm sure you've seen him naked once or twice. There's no need to beat around the bush here," she said bluntly. "Do you want to date him or do you just want to be close with him?"
"I don't know, Amy," I sighed, frustrated. "I really don't. I…I've liked plenty of girls before! I still do!"
She was silent. We had stopped walking a while ago and sat in a circling of trees right next to each other. I absently looked down at her bright pink toenails hidden ever-so-slightly by the strap of her flip flops.
"You do?" she inquired, her voice almost inaudible.
I nodded.
"Jay…you're weird."
I laughed out of shock and I heard her chime in.
"Thanks, Amy. You're not so bad yourself."
I looked over toward her, my smile still fading. Her perfect teeth were slowly being covered by her light pink lips, and her dark blue eyes seemed to lock onto my own. I…couldn't help it. Something called me in. Something I wasn't sure of. Something that made me feel…instinctive and right.
Our lips met shakily as my eyes closed on instinct. I couldn't imagine her lips being any softer as they pressed against my own. Slightly as possible, I parted my own lips just as she did the same. Our tongues met briefly, timidly almost, like they were acquainting themselves with one another. As our kiss deepened, I pulled her body into me, feeling her hand on my chest as it rose faster and faster. My mind didn't actually process that this was Amy. I think it didn't really care, either, because looking back, I'm sure it wouldn't have mattered. At that moment, even Aaron didn't matter. All that mattered was that Amy and I were here, safe and together. It was a new feeling—strange in its ways—but welcome at any rate. What confusion I may have felt seemed to melt away on the lips of the Pink Ranger.