Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers. They belong to Saban Brands. I also don't own any song lyrics used.
AN: Here's chapter 35! Enjoy and let me know what you think! Sorry for the delay on this chapter. Real life has been very busy lately. Thanks to all the great reviews too and here's notes to those individuals:
Harry2: Yep, thing may be turning around. Glad you're enjoying the story. :)
Alex B. Goode: Yep, Hunter is back! So glad you're enjoying the story. :)
RHatch89: Thanks, glad you're enjoying the story.
TommyOliverMMPRFan: Yeah, Hunter is back and it's a race against time to get to Tori, plus all the problems in Angel Grove. Glad you're liking the story so much. :)
Pinkrangerfan: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it. :)
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Thanks, glad you're enjoying the story so much. Enjoy this chapter, because it's exciting as well. :)
fallingstar22: Thanks, glad you like all the couple stuff. More of that to come. And Hunter is back, but the question whether he'll get to Tori in time is finally answered in this chapter. Enjoy. :)
Lmv16: Yep, Hunter is free. Time to reunite him and Tori. Glad you like the Cam/Hayley stuff. It is cute. ;)
garnetred: Thanks, glad you're enjoying the story. :)
Chaos-Vittra: Thanks, glad you're enjoying. :)
Crimson Rising
Chapter 35: Neutron Star Collision
I was searching
You were on a mission
Then our hearts combined like
A neutron star collision
I have nothing left to lose
You took your time to choose
Then we told each other
With no trace of fear that...
Our love would be forever
And if we die
We die together
And lie, I said never
'Cause our love would be forever
Song: Neutron Star Collision
Artist: Muse
Gorbin's Military Base
On the outskirts of Turtle Cove, CA
"Gentlemen…please join me," Gorbin called, as Will and Dax arrived back.
"Why did you recall us? Angel Grove is still under attack," Dax asked.
"You will rejoin the fight momentarily. I just brought you back to inform you a significant addition to your arsenal, thanks to Mr. Hanson," Gorbin responded, as they unveiled eight humanoid forms each wearing what could have looked like Ranger armor and helmets, except there was no color to signify the difference between them. Each was simply a sleek silver color with a noticeable blinking device on the chests.
"What are they?" Will asked.
"Cyborgs…they will aide you immensely on the battlefield. They are controlled from this base and they are extremely strong and versatile," Gorbin explained.
"No offense General, but I don't need a bunch of robots in my operation," Will argued.
"And I say you do, Mr. Aston. Part of your compensation requires you to allow me to make the final decisions with battle strategy. Now go…unless you'd like me to find someone else to lead our forces," Gorbin ordered. Will glared at him, but held his tongue.
"Let's go!" he called to the men, as he and Dax led the GAMA guardians and the new cyborg soldiers.
Angel Grove Park
As they arrived in the park to the site of absolute terror, the rangers present rushed the attackers, pulling the poisonous minions off their victims. Truly they had never seen anything like this and many had to swallow the bile in their throats. Not only had the vipers killed the unfortunate people with their bite, the disgusting creatures didn't stop there and had proceeded to prey on the bodies of their victims.
"Oh my God…" Kat uttered, as the victim she pried one viper off was just a little boy. She sunk to her knees, even as the creature she had smacked away squealed in anger, before charging her. It abruptly exploded in a spray of dark blue blood, thanks to a blue blast from Billy's Ninjetti cannon. He gently pulled the violet ranger to her feet and steadied her.
"He's Aiden's age…" she whispered.
"I know Kat, but that's why we can't stop. We have to kill these little bastards before they kill any more people," he reasoned. She took a deep, staggering breath beneath her helmet and nodded.
"Let's make them pay," Billy suggested, as they charged the minions.
Gorbin's Military Base
Tori sighed and ran a hand through her slightly damp hair. A hot shower and clean clothes were only a small consolation, as she stared out the one single window that her room had, almost like it was there to tease her about what she couldn't have. She barely heard the door open and was startled when her father called her name.
"Tori…" he said for a second time, as she jumped.
"Sorry to scare you, but I brought you breakfast. I got this from the officer's mess so it's much more edible than that crap they fed you in the cell," he told her. It smelled really good and as much as she wanted to protest, she felt week from lack of nutrition and found herself giving in. She started to eat hungrily and he was silent until she started to slow. As she finished, he slipped a key card to her.
"What's this?" she asked.
"A key card that belongs to one of the assholes you beat the crap out of last night. It deactivates the force field and will allow you to escape this room. The rest will be up to you and since the card belongs to one of those idiots, your escape won't be traced back to me," Peter explained.
"But…dad, why don't you just come with me?" she asked.
"I can't…there are things here I just can't leave right now," he replied vaguely.
"What things?" she pressed.
"I can't tell you that now, but just know that I do love you and I hope this proves it," he replied, as he kissed her forehead, before leaving quickly. Tori sat there, stunned for several moments, unsure of what to make of it all. But she quickly snapped out of it and used the key card to deactivate the plasma shield, allowing her to escape the room. She knew it wouldn't be long before her escape was discovered and she had find Zedd fast…
Angel Grove Park
As Hunter and the others arrived in the park, he started by pulling a viper off another unfortunate victim, a young teen this time, and he saw red. The roaring in his ears became overwhelming, especially as he heard one of the cobra-headed Generals laughing as his foot soldiers ravaged human flesh. He drew his sword from the scabbard on his back and disappeared into a crimson streak. He sliced his way through the vipers and hit the General head on with a flying kick. Taken aback by the force of the blow, the alien struggled to his feet and faced the fire ranger.
"So…you're the crimson one that my Master is so eager to see disposed of," he hissed in a low, raspy voice.
"And you're like something out of a bad horror movie," Hunter retorted. The creature laughed.
"Cute ranger…I'll have you know that I belong to a race of great warriors that hail from the planet Xalkush. We have conquered worlds far greater than this one and fed on the flesh of beings far stronger than these pitiful humans," he hissed, as he gestured to the sea of victims around him.
"Look at the terror on their faces, crimson ranger! And I shall now invoke that same terror on you!" he screamed, as he charged. Hunter charged as well, saber gleaming, and made several clean swipes, before flipping over the creature's head and landing behind him. The Kush General stood stalk still for a long moment, as horror slowly crossed his features, before he collapsed into four pieces. His arms and lower half of his body had been completely severed from his head and torso. Hunter turned and his visor open.
"Guess you're the one that's terrified now," Hunter responded, as he channeled his element and fired a sphere of fire. The fallen General barely had time to scream, as what remained of him exploded in a fiery end.
"Nice…guess you put him in his place," Tommy complimented.
"Uh hey guys, who do you suppose they are?" Dustin asked, as he pointed to the ranger-like warriors that were fighting Tengus and Ooze men nearby with Will and Dax.
"From the device on their chest, I'd definitely conclude that it's linked to some kind of circuitry," Billy stated. Tommy brought his communicator to his mouth.
"Hey Carter…didn't Lightspeed try to the whole robot ranger thing?" Tommy asked.
"Yeah, I see them and yes they did. It failed miserably too," Carter chimed back.
"I don't know, they look like they're doing a pretty great job," Ethan mentioned.
"For now, until something fries their circuitry or Gorbin turns them on the people that oppose him," Carter added through Tommy's communicator.
"Carter's right, but for at least it looks like we've put them on the run," Jason said, as they saw the minions that had not been defeated pull back.
"But the damage is done…look at this place…" Kim said, as the park was littered with unmoving bodies.
"We should gather the people and then check their IDs so we can deliver the news to their families," Adam suggested.
"That won't be necessary, because GAMA will handle this," Will stated.
"You and GAMA can take a flying leap. This is Angel Grove and it's home to a lot of us. I'll be damned if I let Gorbin's lackeys come in here and take over," Rocky spat, as he got in Will's face.
"It's not your call. My cyborg soldiers have their ion blasters trained on all of you and they're even powerful enough to contain flame boy, so leave or you'll force my hand," Will said smugly. Aisha tugged Rocky's arm, gently pulling him back.
"We can't just let them take over like this," Conner argued.
"Easy Conner, Mr. Collins and Mr. Mercer have an idea on how to do damage control with the people," Hayley called from the communicators.
"Okay Hayley, let's go guys," Tommy ordered.
"You guys go back…I have something else to do," Hunter said.
"Dude…we're sorry, but we don't even know where she is," Shane apologized.
"But I do. I managed to trick Flurious into telling me," Hunter replied, as he raised his communicator to his mouth.
"Carly, do you think you can send my bike?" Hunter asked
"Sure thing," she responded.
"Thanks, I'll catch you guys later," Hunter said, as his bike appeared. He hopped on and sped off at top speed.
Gorbin's Military Base
The officer chuckled, as he glanced at his partner.
"Man Brice…your nose is a nasty shade of blue," he poked fun. The other man glared at him, as he gingerly touched the bandage on his broken nose.
"Shut up Gary, she caught me by surprise. I'm going to teach that little bitch a lesson," he spat.
"Gorbin said to bring her unharmed," Gary warned.
"Well, it won't be my fault if the poor thing accidentally gets slammed into a couple walls along the way," he said with a smug smirk, as he opened the door to her room. They walked in and looked around, finding it empty.
"All right, come out now," Gary called. There was silence and no one to be seen.
"Come on bitch, get out here and let's have a rematch," Brice snapped. There was still nothing and the two officers began searching all the rooms in the small quarters. They rejoined each other in near the door.
"She's gone," Gary said, as his phone chimed.
"Yes General," he answered.
"Where are you? You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago with her," Gorbin snapped.
"Yes Sir…unfortunately we can't find her," Gary stammered.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND HER?" Gorbin roared, causing the officer to pull his phone away from his ear.
"She's gone Sir," he stated.
"THEN FIND HER MORON!" Gorbin screamed, as he hung up. A few seconds later, the entire base was put on alert.
Hunter sped past the Turtle Cove exit sign and toward the Military base in the near distance. He put the brakes on and screeched to a stop, before hopping off. He cancelled his morph and his armor shattered, leaving him in ninja form. He streaked toward the gates and neither of guards knew what hit them, as he knocked the two guards out and slipped unknowing into a supply crate, which was then lugged inside the loading dock. Once the coast was clear, he climbed out of the crate and made his way into the corridors, dodging into hiding when necessary.
Ranger Ops
As the others arrived back at Ranger Ops, they demorphed and met with Mr. Collins and Anton Mercer.
"So, you said you had an idea?" Tommy asked.
"Yes, we thought that we could have a few of you record a message for the people to see simply saying that you didn't abandon them in Angel Grove," Anton stated.
"You can at least get it out there that Gorbin's forces threatened you with bodily harm if you tried to interfere and you could relay a message of good will," Aaron Collins added.
"But how are we going to get a message on the air? The networks will be ordered to shut it down before we can even get two words out," Trent said.
"Not if I hack in, play our message in its entirety, and block them from taking control back until our message is out there," Billy said.
"And we can put it on the internet. It will get taken down, but not before plenty of people see it," Cam added.
"And we could run a script that works like a virus. Once the video is removed, it jumps to another random news site and so on," Carly chimed in.
"Whoa…it's like being in a room with a bunch of evil geniuses," Conner joked.
"Sounds like it could work, but who should record the message?" Adam asked.
"Well, Blake is fairly well known, thanks to his former career and so are you, beautiful," Tommy suggested.
"Me?" Kim asked.
"I agree, you're perfect. A LOT of people still remember you from the Olympics," Aisha added.
"Jock boy had quite a following too in college," Kira added.
"Everyone knows Tanya and probably most own her and Kira's albums," Adam suggested.
"That should do it," Anton said, as he motioned to Cam, who turned his camera on.
"Okay…ranger star power, take one," he said, as he focused on the five that were going to deliver their message.
Gorbin's Military Base
The compound's red alert lights blinked throughout the corridors and Tori peeked slowly around the corner. She quickly ducked back, seeing that officers were combing the hallways, looking for her no doubt. She tiptoed back the way she came, hoping to find another way and scrunched herself against the wall, as several walked by the mouth of the corridor. She closed her eyes and hoped they continued on and didn't come this way. She sighed in relief as they continued on, but didn't notice the door to a room slide open behind her. Her eyes widened in terror, as a hand went over her mouth and pulled her inside.
Zedd and Alan Cranston, both with hands in cuffs, were marched into the ship bay where Gorbin waited.
"Mind telling us what's going on?" Zedd demanded to know.
"You and Doctor Cranston are being flown to the base in Washington D.C.," Gorbin responded.
"And Tori?" he asked and smirked when Gorbin remained silent.
"I thought those alert lights might be for her," Zedd replied smugly.
"She will be found," he snapped.
"As I was saying, the President has requested you be moved so he may have an audience with you," Gorbin continued.
"Oh goody, I can't wait to see dear old dad-in-law again," Zedd replied sarcastically.
"Still believing that ludicrous theory that Master Vile has body snatched our President?" Gorbin asked in amusement.
"Still believing you're really in control?" Zedd countered, as he watched two officers put his staff in a metal case, before locking it up and taking it out to load on the plane. With Master Vile in his demon form, access to his staff would allow him to channel his sorcery in an even more direct manner. It was then that he noticed the metallic humanoid soldiers that stood stalk still and glanced at Alan.
"Robot rangers?" Zedd asked in confusion.
"Gorbin's version of the cyborg rangers that Lightspeed tried to commission years ago. He bought the basic design from the same little weasel that built the first generation and turned the design over to Peter," Alan explained.
"While Peter's are far superior, the cyborg rangers were a complete disaster and I doubt these will be any different. I've tried to convince Peter that there is a reason that people don those ranger suits, exceptional people, but people nonetheless," Alan continued.
"Because people won't make mechanical decisions out on the battlefield. A cyborg will destroy the enemy, regardless if innocent people get in the way. A real ranger puts the innocents first, even putting themselves between the enemy and the people they protect. You really think cyborg rangers are the answer?" Zedd questioned, knowing Gorbin was overhearing their conversation.
"Like Doctor Cranston said, these are far superior to the first generation of failures and their first performance proved their necessity. They destroyed minions with minor difficulty, allowing people to escape to safety. Their weapons are also equipped to take on the less superior Generals as well," Gorbin responded.
"And if their circuitry goes haywire or they simply disregard innocent people that may get in the way?" Zedd questioned.
"Mr. Hanson has assured me that the circuitry on these cyborgs is superior and as for innocent people, I'm sure the human rangers will see they are protected. Destroying the enemies is what is important," Gorbin argued. Zedd snorted derisively.
"You mean your definition of enemies, like the other rangers too. If I know Vile I'm sure that's part of his ultimate plan," Zedd retorted.
"Subjectively, our enemies are anyone that chooses not to operate with us, for contrary to what you believe, we do have the best interest of the people in mind," Gorbin argued.
"Spoken like a true dictator. Believe, I would know," Zedd spat in return, as Gorbin turned away and they were slowly marched toward the tarmac where a private jet awaited.
"Come on Hunter…any time now," Zedd thought to himself, having sensed his nephew nearby.
Tori's instincts took over and she elbowed her attacker in the gut several times and tried to wrench herself away from him. However, she found him to be insanely strong and his vice-like grip did not loosen at all.
"Owe…Tori it's me…" the voice said in a loud whisper. She froze immediately and whipped around, as he loosened his hold. A tear slipped down her cheek, as she recognized the tall silhouette of the man she loved.
"Hunter…" she uttered in the barest whisper.
"Damn babe…good thing I'm like super strong now or you would have just kicked my ass," he joked, as she threw her arms around him. He hugged her tightly and then pulled back so he could kiss her.
"I've missed you so much, I was so worried about you," Tori whispered, as she buried her face in the nape of his neck.
"Do you know where they're holding my Uncle?" he asked. She shook her head.
"No, but our best bet is probably the landing bay. Gorbin was ordered to transfer us all to his base in D.C., by orders of the President himself. That's how I got free," she explained.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"My dad…he made sure I got free without it being traced back to him. I don't think he has any interest in losing his coveted job over me, but I guess freeing me says something," she said sadly. He hugged her tightly and dropped a kiss on her head.
"I'm sorry," he replied. She shook her head.
"You're my family, you and the others. Let's go get your Uncle so we can go home," she said. He nodded and they slowly crept into the corridor. Just as they stepped through a doorway, they heard a voice shout out to them.
"There she is! Freeze!" one officer called. Hunter pressed the door panel and a metal door slid closed. With his crimson thunder, he fried the panel.
"That won't hold them for long," he said. She nodded, as they disappeared into a crimson and aqua blur, until they arrived in on the tarmac outside the ship bay.
"There they are…stop them!" Gorbin called, as the two ninjas easily fought their way through multiple officers.
"Stop them now!" Gorbin yelled at Will and Dax, who charged.
Dax grabbed Tori's arm, but she easily wrenched away, throwing a roundhouse kick, which he evaded.
"Come on Tori, I don't want to hurt you," Dax said, he dodged all her blows…except the torrent of water she unleashed upon him, throwing him and drenching him.
"Was that necessary?" Dax complained, as he stood sopping wet.
"Consider yourself lucky. The last guy that underestimated me got a broken nose out of it," Tori retorted.
Two cyborg rangers fired their blasters at Hunter and he dodged all but a few, which hit, slowing him down slightly, but healing quickly as well. He blocked the first one's punch with a rising block and kicked it away, before facing the other. He exchanged blows with the incredibly strong cyborg. Hunter saw an opening and yanked the device from the cyborg's chest. It stopped abruptly and collapsed, as he continued to fight his way to his Uncle.
Zedd noticed his captor's distraction and stomped on the officer's foot, before running toward the case that contained his staff. He started trying to jimmy the case open when he heard a gun cock behind him.
"Put your hands up," Gorbin ordered. Slowly Zedd obeyed, but Hunter's blade cut the gun in half, as he stepped between Gorbin and his Uncle. He swiped his blade through the lock and Zedd retrieved his staff, the dragon dagger, and Tori's morpher.
"Tor, catch!" Hunter called, as he tossed her morpher into the air. She flipped away from her attackers and caught it, quickly strapping it to her wrist.
"Move no further, I have snipers trained on your positions with ion blasters right now," Gorbin threatened.
"Do your worst," Hunter spat, as he nodded to her.
"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!"
"Phoenix Storm, Ranger Form!"
An ion blast was heading straight for Tori, but a stream of silver lightning intercepted the purple blast, nullifying it. Zedd then zapped the cuffs on his wrists and Alan's, freeing them.
"Hey Cam, you got a lock on us?" Hunter asked, into his communicator.
"Hang on…there's a lot of interference," came Cam's reply.
"It's always interference with you," Hunter teased.
"Well excuse me, we're not all the great and mighty Phoenix," Cam replied with his usual snarky tone. Hunter gathered with Tori, Zedd, and Alan Cranston. Using his saber, he created a barrier of fire to keep Gorbin's army back. In four streaks of light, the four of them were finally swept away.
Angel Grove
There was chaos in the newsroom at Channel 4, a local news station in Angel Grove. The city had been devastated and as abruptly as they were there to fight the monsters, the rangers were gone, leaving them behind. There were reporters on the scene in the park and downtown and they were very busy shooting segments they would later plaster all over their live broadcast. Suddenly, one by one, all the screens in the newsroom went black and white letters appeared.
A Message from the Power Rangers
"Hey…where is that coming from?" the newsroom chief exclaimed.
"We're not sure, Sir," an intern chimed back.
"It's broadcasting live!" a reporter exclaimed.
"Shut it off!" the chief ordered.
"We're trying Sir, but someone has hacked us and has overridden our entire system," another reporter said in disbelief. The entire newsroom, as well as Angel Grove, and the country could only watch, as five rangers appeared on the screen. The news stations would later identify them as former motocross champion, Blake Bradley, Olympic Silver Medalist and Gymnastics trainer, Kimberly Hart, Grammy winning artist and record producer, Tanya Sloan, Rock music's latest sensation, Kira Ford, and former Soccer superstar, Conner McKnight.
"This message is for the people, specifically those that have been devastated in Angel Grove," Kimberly began.
"We recently drove Ivan Ooze's forces back and had every intention of remaining in the city to assist with clean up, triage, and to help families with the deceased," Conner added.
"But GAMA forced us to leave or we risked being captured ourselves," Blake continued.
"And with us in prison, there would be no one to stop Ivan Ooze's invading forces," Kira added.
"GAMA will have you believe that they can protect you all from Ivan Ooze, but without the power of true rangers, they will fall short. We ask that you, the people, take the power back into your hands by telling GAMA that you won't be controlled anymore," Tanya said boldly.
"They will threaten you and tell you lies about us, but you all know that the rangers have always protected the earth and will continue regardless of how many times they try to stop us," Kimberly said.
"The rangers will be there when you need us," Blake continued.
"We have not abandoned you, no matter what GAMA tells you," Kira assured.
"And we will fight Ivan Ooze and his entire army until every last one of them is defeated and the earth is safe," Conner assured passionately.
"The Power Rangers will always defend what is right and true, even in dark times where there seems to be no hope. But we will fight for this planet to the last breath if we have to," Tanya concluded, as the screen went dark again. The newsroom was silent for several moments, as most were unsure what to do. One thing was certain though: the President would not be pleased.
Ranger Ops
For the first time in days, there were cheers in Ranger Ops, as they arrived back safely. Tori and Hunter were nearly knocked down by Shane, Dustin, Blake, Kapri, and Marah, while Sensei looked on with a pleased and relieved expression. They exchanged hugs with their closest friends and Tori hugged all the female rangers that were lining up to greet her return.
"Uncle Alan!" Carly called, as she dove into his arms. Alan hugged her tightly and his eyes misted, as he looked at her and his grown son, whom he hugged next.
"It's so good to see you William…I'm so sorry about Cestria," Alan told him. Billy nodded.
"Thanks…but you have a granddaughter to meet and if you think Carls here had you wrapped around her pinky, then you're in real trouble when it comes to Trina," Billy teased, as he gave his cousin a half hug.
"I can't wait. I've been deprived of a grandchild to spoil for too long," Alan replied.
"I think we could all use a break," Blake agreed.
"Yeah, I'm starved…you have no idea what they tried to feed me on that ship," Hunter complained, holding his stomach.
"I'm sure if it was anything like the gruel they tried to feed us, then it was inedible for sure," Zedd replied. Cole smiled.
"Well, you'll be happy to know that Alyssa and some of the others, including Alpha knew everyone would be hungry so they've been cooking away for a while now," he announced.
"Music to my ears…and stomach," Rocky said excitedly, as they all started making their way upstairs for a much needed meal and rest.
Gorbin's Military Base
"They escaped!" President Miller exclaimed. Gorbin was positively boiling mad inside as well.
"Yes Sir, somehow the crimson ranger escaped Ivan Ooze's clutches," Gorbin said regrettably.
"Then I have no choice since you can't seem to lock up a bunch of kids like I asked you to. Prepare for my arrival at your base tomorrow," the President responded.
"Yes Mr. President," Gorbin responded, as the screen went dark. He turned to his officers, including Will and Dax.
"Your performance thus far, gentlemen, has been disappointing and unfortunately for you, the President will not be as forgiving as I am," Gorbin said.
"What the hell do you expect? For every weapon we get, the crimson ranger whips out some new power or one of their tech experts creates something that blows what we have out of the water," Will spat angrily.
"Mr. Hanson, what explanation do you have?" Gorbin asked.
"I have created weapons from the best technology known to man…but I don't have access to the morphing grid. It is something that we don't understand, nor have access to anything like it," Peter replied.
"It sounds like a lot of excuses, Mr. Hanson," Gorbin retorted.
"Sir, I can build you weapons to equal the powers of the ones they have, but the Phoenix ranger is an exception. I simply can't replicate his remarkable power, because it's genetic," Peter explained.
"Perhaps…or maybe you've double crossed me and will continue to sabotage our operation," Gorbin accused.
"Sir, I am completely loyal to GAMA, you know that," Peter stressed.
"Yet your daughter somehow escaped and yet you expect me to believe you had nothing to do with it?" Gorbin questioned. Peter shrugged.
"I have ten people on my team that can vouch for my whereabouts around the time she escaped. My last visit to her was the night before and the shield was completely secure," Peter lied.
"So it seems, but I suggest you work harder. The President will expect more from us and we must deliver or we will be replaced…all of us," Gorbin spat, looking in particular at Will and Dax.
"Dismissed," he ordered.
The Legacy Compound
"And that's pretty much how it happened," Hunter finished telling the story of how he escaped.
"Man, I would have loved to see the look on Flurious' stupid face when you melted him," Mack cheered, in better spirits than they had seen in days. Though he and his dad still had a lot to iron out, they were glad to see him doing something other than moping around and they suspected it had something to do with the woman next to him. The fact that Rose and Mack were holding hands had escaped no one's attention. Still, Tommy and Jason planned to sit down with the newest red and make sure he understood that he was not expendable.
"Yeah, he was definitely not expecting me to be able to escape and it's probably a good thing I did, because I overheard Xinshing saying he was going to take me back to Duronia with him," Hunter mentioned. This immediately perked Zedd's interest.
"Why?" he asked urgently.
"Um…something about throwing me into the fire pits or something. It sounded pretty nasty," Hunter replied, with a shrug.
"The fire pits?" Conner asked.
"The fire pits of Duronia are quite possibly the most hellish place in the known galaxy. It is a place they put their worst criminals or extraordinary people like rangers to contain and kill them. For Ivan Ooze to even suggest such a place means that you're worrying him," Zedd explained.
"So it's like worse than the abyss of evil, huh?" Dustin asked.
"The abyss of evil is a jolly picnic compared to the fire pits on Duronia. Even in my days where I was filled with evil and hate…I would have never considered sending one of my enemies there. There was a time I hated my brother and a time where I was continually defeated by rangers and even then, I would have never sent any of you there," Zedd replied, trying to stress to them the horror of this place.
"So that's bad…cause you hated rainbow ranger here with a passion back in the day," Jason mentioned. Tommy sighed, but didn't ask him not to refer to him as that. Tori shivered at the thought of Hunter being a place like that.
"Okay…I think we get it. Let's change the subject," she replied. He squeezed her hand in reassurance and she leaned against his arm.
"Yeah, good call, let's clean up the dishes," Kimberly added, as they went to work.
Later that evening, after most had retired, Shane convened with a few of the others in the rec room.
"Not going to show off any of those moves tonight, skater boy?" Kapri asked, as she plopped down next to him.
"I'm way too worked for the simulator tonight," Shane replied.
"Yeah I know, the battles keep getting rougher. Marah and I wish we could help more," she said.
"You'd only get hurt and that's the last thing I would want. Not to mention that Dustin would flip shit if Marah was out in that mess," he replied with a chuckle. She giggled.
"Yeah…he really loves my sis," she said, a twinge of wistfulness in her voice.
"Hey…what's wrong?" he asked. She shook her head.
"Nothing…I think I'm going to go for a walk on the beach," she replied.
"Want some company?" he asked. She stopped and looked back at him.
"You want to come?" she asked. He shrugged. He didn't want to be alone. As happy as he was for all his friends, he was tired of spending his nights pining for Skyla. She was gone and she was never coming back.
"If you want to be alone…I understand," he admitted.
"No…I don't want to be alone," she replied. He smiled.
"Then let's go. If I keep it up with this loner stuff, the guys are going to bag on me for being a brooder and that's totally Hunter's thing," Shane joked. Kapri smiled and he instantly noticed how beautiful she was when she smiled.
"I know what you mean. I'd be lying if I said I was jealous of Marah and Tori. Marah was always the one getting all the boys, because she's the bubbly one and I'm the one that always had to look out for her," Kapri admitted.
"You're a good sister and you're just as beautiful," he reminded, earning a blush from her, as they headed outside.
The night sky was blanketed by more stars than could have ever been visible near any city and made an appropriate backdrop for the two reunited lovers. The night air was chilly, but his exceptional body heat was keeping them both warm. Their bodies were pressed tightly together. He kissed her sensually and she shivered in delight, as his strong hands caressed all over.
"I missed you so much," he rasped, as he lost himself in her sweet taste.
"Me too…I was worried about what they were going to do to you. What you must have endured…" she trailed off, as he silenced her with his lips.
"It doesn't matter, we're together again and nothing is going to tear us apart," he promised. She stared up into his blue eyes and melted into his arms, as he captured her lips again and he swept her into his arms, carrying her back inside their room to bed…