Sector 5, Riel Avenue
Metro City, Canada
September 15th, 2018
11:57 AM
"Chloe Baldwin"
I was standing on the front step of Sebastian's, AKA Exclamation Mark's condo. The other rangers had gone to investigate some strange stories we read about in the newspaper.
Specifically, in the last 72 hours, there have been dozens of lottery winners. Another article that caught our attention was of rumours of a ghost haunting the woman's locker rooms and showers of the community center.
Probably my favourite story was of rabid unicorn sightings in Sector 8, but I drew the short straw, so someone else was looking into that one. There was even a story of a bullied child who was wreaking havoc at an elementary school in Sector 14; something about him having superhuman strength.
As for me, I was about to knock on the door of Sebastian's condo in Sector 5 because the last story that seemed suspicious was a wedding announcement for Sebastian Clark and Maggie Locklear, winner of the 2017 Miss Canada pageant.
I knocked three times on the door. A few seconds later, a gorgeous girl pulled it open and looked at me curiously.
"Hello," I said cheerily, "I'm Chloe, a friend of Sebastian's. Is he home?"
"Sebastian is MINE!" she snarled.
"You must be the fiancée," I said, holding out my hand, "It's nice to meet you."
"Maggie?" asked Sebastian's voice from somewhere inside, "Who is it?"
I heard footsteps and Sebastian appeared behind Maggie. He threw his arms around her for a big hug and then his eyes met mine.
"Chloe?" he asked, "What brings you here?"
I saw that Maggie was holding up her left hand. There was a beautiful diamond ring glistening on her finger. She probably thought she was being subtle, but I knew immediately that she felt threatened by me and was displaying it to make sure I knew Sebastian was spoken for.
"That, actually," I said, pointing at the ring, "That's quite a rock."
"Nothing but the best for Maggie," said Sebastian proudly, "She's the girl of my dreams."
"How long have you two been dating?" I asked.
"Only a week," said Maggie, answering before Sebastian could, "But I knew it was true love after our first date."
"You don't think you're maybe rushing into things?" I said to Sebastian.
"Well, maybe," he said, "But with the Crusaders looming overhead, we decided to skip the formalities."
I heard a phone ring from inside.
"Honey, why don't you get that?" suggested Sebastian.
Maggie ducked down out of Sebastian's arms. Before she left, she glared at me with venom in her eyes, as if daring me to try something.
Once she was gone, Sebastian joined me outside on the front step and pulled the door closed behind him.
"Miss Canada?" I said accusingly.
"I've been in love with her since I watched the pageant on TV last year," said Sebastian, "But then I made a wish at a well in some Chinese restaurant and the next morning she showed up at my doorstep!"
"And you didn't think there was something suspicious about that?" I said, "No offense, but she is WAY out of your league. Hell, she's even way out of MY league!"
"What? Good things can't happen to good people?" asked Sebastian.
"That's not the point," I said, "What did you wish for specifically?"
"For her to love me more than anything." said Sebastian.
Maggie appeared behind Sebastian without saying anything and shoved a platter of seemingly gourmet food into his hands.
"I thought you might like a snack." she said.
"Wow… Maggie, this is…" said Sebastian, looking down at the platter, "You didn't have to do this. Especially not after the last "snack" you made me an hour ago."
"I know I didn't have to," said Maggie, "Well, no, I-I had to. Because I love you more than anything."
She kissed him on the temple and walked away. But before she left, she glared at me again.
"Have you read the paper lately?" I asked, "The whole town is going crazy."
"I haven't noticed." said Sebastian stubbornly.
"You're telling me your relationship with Maggie is functional?" I snapped, "That it's what you wished for?"
"I wished she would love me more than anything." he said.
"Yeah, and how's that going?" I asked, "Does her behaviour seem healthy to you?"
"Well, it's a lot better than when she didn't know I was alive." said Sebastian.
"You're still in the honeymoon stage right now, but eventually, your relationship will collapse." I said.
"No, it won't," said Sebastian, "Maggie loves me."
"For now," I said, "Give it time. What might seem like paradise right now will soon change. There's a reason why be careful what you wish for is a common saying."
"I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine!" snapped Sebastian with a tone of finality that made it clear he didn't want to talk anymore.
"If you say so," I said as I turned to leave, "But come find me when you snap out of it."
I walked down the cement path and followed it to the main sidewalk. I heard Sebastian slam the door as he went back inside.
"Chloe?" came Rachel's voice, "Do you have something to report?"
"Sebastian mentioned a new Chinese restaurant." I said into my communicator.
"Oz will be happy," said Rachel, "He loves Chinese food. Riley and I will tell everyone to meet up at the new restaurant that opened in Chinatown a few months ago."
"I'll meet you there then," I said, "What's it called?"
"Of Rice and Men…" sighed Rachel.
"Sebastian Clark"
"Maggie? Could you come here for a minute?" I called.
She came from the kitchen into the den while wringing her hands nervously.
"Sit down, okay?" I suggested.
"Yes, love." said Maggie.
"Maggie, are you happy?" I asked.
"I love you more than anything." she said.
"I know. I know," I said, "And I love you. Very much. That's why I want you to start doings things that make… Er, that made you happy before."
"Yes, love, I'll try to be happier," said Maggie, standing up, "I'll start right away."
"No, no, no," I said, standing up and putting my hand on her shoulder, "That's not what I mean."
"Oh, please! Please don't be angry with me!" she sobbed, "You know, I'd just die, I'd just die… I'd die!"
"No, no, no, Maggie, I'm not angry." I said, Chloe's words echoing in my mind.
"Then let me make it up to you," said Maggie with a seductive wink, "Let me make it right."
"Chloe Baldwin"
I found the restaurant without much difficulty. After a few minutes, Oz, Sawyer, Riley and Rachel and even Yuna and Priya all arrived and joined me at the booth I was sitting at. 30 minutes later, the food we ordered for lunch had arrived.
"I'm telling you guys, chicken balls are the genuine article of China." said Oz, bringing his fork which had two chicken balls skewered on it close to his eyes.
"Oz, they're just chicken balls." said Sawyer.
"Don't say that until you've tasted them," said Oz, "Each bite is a warm, salty chicken explosion in your mouth; and you didn't even order anything."
"Living with a doctor has opened my eyes to the horrors of MSG," said Sawyer, pulling out a hidden roast beef sandwich in a plastic bag, "The difference between a quadruple bypass and well, not a quadruple bypass is one bite too much of food drenched in MSG."
"MSG?" asked Yuna and Priya together.
"It's short for monosodium glutamate," said Rachel, "Chinese food restaurants are famous for smothering most of their food in it."
"Makes sense," said Oz, "It's probably the secret to eternal life. I read somewhere that there are Chinese monks who can live to be 115 years old. It must be all the chicken balls they eat."
"Yuna, Priya ignore him," chuckled Rachel, "Anytime he's overwhelmed by food, he gets like this."
"If chicken balls are the secret to anything, it's a heart attack," sighed Sawyer, "Mind you, that's not much of a secret."
Upon hearing this, Oz yelped and covered the non-existent ears of the chicken ball he currently had skewered on his fork.
"Sawyer is just grumpy," he cooed, "He wants to keep us apart, don't listen to him."
Everyone laughed at the ridiculousness of the scene.
"I hate to be a buzzkill," said Riley, "But I think we should focus on the strange stories."
"You're not a buzzkill babe, you're doing your job as our leader," said Rachel, "Sawyer, what did you learn about the lottery winners?"
"It's what you'd expect," he said, "They were all down on their luck and heard rumours about a wishing well that actually grants wishes. But with so many people all winning the same draw, the lottery commission refuses to pay out."
"Future girls, did your investigation yield anything useful?" asked Riley to Yuna and Priya.
"We followed the unicorn tracks and they led us to a house with a little girl, but no parents," said Priya, "We asked where her parents were, and she said they went to Hawaii."
"They way she described it," said Yuna, "It sounds like they went to go pick up a Chinese food order and never came back. But the girl mentioned that her folks always wanted to go to Hawaii."
"I guess if you make a wish at a magic wishing well, there's no waiting." said Sawyer.
"Anyways," said Priya, "The girl's name is Sasha and since she was lonely without her parents, she made her way to the restaurant and wished for a unicorn."
"And she got one," said Yuna, "But it wasn't tame, or friendly."
"Oz?" I asked, snapping my fingers in front of his face to get his attention, "What did you learn about the ghost haunting the women's locker rooms?"
"Oh yeah, that," he said, "I found two of the women that claim to have seen it, and they mentioned that it could talk and even bumped into them."
"Then it's not a ghost," said Riley simply, "Ghosts might talk, but they wouldn't be able to touch anything… At least not without a lot of practice; and since this is a pretty recent thing, there's no way a ghost would have had enough time."
"I think I know what's really going on," said Oz, "It's some 12 or 13-year-old kid that wished to be invisible."
"That's actually quite impressive!" I said to him, giving Oz the thumbs up, "How did you figure that out all by yourself?"
"Because back when I was that age, I would've wished for the exact same thing," said Oz, transferring a few large dollops of brown rice onto his plate, "Either that, or I'd have wished for X-Ray vision so that I wouldn't have to be invisible."
"That just leaves the bullied kid with super strength." I said to Riley and Rachel.
"The kid's name is Billy, but we couldn't find him," said Riley, "But the bullies that were picking on him told us that Billy lifted a school bus over his head and threw it at them."
"Naturally, they're terrified of Billy now," said Rachel, "If I had to guess, it seems like Billy wished that the bullies would be afraid of him, but now he can't control himself."
"In each case, we know that there's at least one person that made a wish." I said.
"Yeah, and it seems like they all made those wishes using the wishing well in this very restaurant." said Sawyer.
Everyone turned their heads to look over their shoulders. Sure enough, in the back of the restaurant was a wishing well with real flowing water.
"Out of my way! I wanna make a wish!" shouted Oz, jogging over to it.
"Oz! Be careful!" I gasped.
"Why?" he asked, looking back at me.
"Something doesn't seem right." I said.
"How can the Crusaders possibly attack us with a wishing well?" he asked.
"I don't know, ask our time travelers."
We all followed in his wake and joined him at the wishing well. Oz was rummaging through his pockets looking for a coin. While he was distracted, I grabbed a quarter from my wallet and dropped it down the chute. I closed my eyes tight and thought to myself:
"I wish that Yuna will choose me over Priya… I want Yuna to tell me she loves me like I did to her last night."
I opened my eyes and let out a sigh just as Oz found a quarter.
"Hey! Chloe, I called dibs!" he whined,
"No you didn't." said Sawyer.
"Fine, then I get to go next." said Oz, dropping the quarter down the chute.
Oz closed his eyes and giggled. Then he started licking his lips hungrily. He opened his eyes and then stared at his watch. After a few minutes, someone opened the front door to the restaurant and walked inside. It was a delivery guy.
"I got an order for a ghost pepper sub with anchovies and black olives!?" he announced to the restaurant at large.
"Over here!" said Oz excitedly, going over to take the bag of food.
"Oz we just ate lunch and you ordered MORE food?" snorted Riley.
"I didn't order it, I WISHED for it." said Oz.
"Anchovies and black peppers… Seriously, Oz?" muttered Rachel,
"Delicious." he said, taking the bag over to our table and unwrapping the sandwich.
"Call me crazy," I said, "But I think this wishing well might actually work."
Riley and Sawyer scratched their chins curiously before they dug around in their pockets for quarters. After a while, Yuna followed suite, even though she looked a little confused about what was going on.
"Priya?" asked Yuna, "Do you need a quarter?"
"I'm not making a wish." said Priya simply.
"Why not?" asked Yuna.
"Because I already have what I would wish for," said Priya, "A second chance to fight the Crusaders and save the planet."
"I'll pass too," said Rachel, "The only thing I would really want is to bring back everyone I love that died. Like Marcus. Or my Mom. Even your parents, honey."
That last part was directed at Riley. Who put his hand over his heart upon hearing Marcus' name and the mention of his parents.
"I miss them too," he said, "But they're at peace now. All of them."
Riley, Sawyer and Yuna approached the well and looked down it.
"How deep do you reckon it goes?" asked Sawyer.
"If you're curious, I can throw you down there." I chuckled.
"So, I just… Throw the coin down the hole and my wish will come true?" asked Yuna.
"Yes, but you have to make the wish as the coin falls," said Rachel, putting her hand on Yuna's shoulder, "By the way, how's your arm?"
"Still really sore, but I can tell that it's healing." said Yuna.
Using the arm that wasn't in a cast, Yuna threw a quarter in the well and closed her eyes.
"I wish I could stay in 2018 after we defeat the Crusaders." she said.
Everyone chuckled quietly.
"Um, sweetie, you're supposed to make the wish in your head." I said.
"Oh… Will it still come true?" she asked.
"I don't know," I said, putting my arm around her for a hug, "Nothing to do now but wait and see."
"Thanks, Chloe," whispered Yuna in my ear, "I love you."
My heart skipped a beat. She actually said it! So far it seems like my wish came true! I tried my best not to show the excitement on my face as I watched Riley and Sawyer each throw a coin into the wishing well.
They closed their eyes to make their wishes. It's times like this where I wish I could still read people's minds. Except for the whole brain swelling and irregular heartbeat part. That part I could do without.
"Uh oh…" moaned Oz, covering his mouth with his hand.
"What's the matter?" asked Priya.
"MAKE WAY!" he screamed, standing up and sprinting to the bathroom.
We stared at the bathroom door that Oz just slammed behind him momentarily before Riley's cell phone ringing caught our attention.
"Hello?" he said upon answering it, "Speaking."
"Are you serious?" he exclaimed quietly, "Yes, absolutely we'll take it! This is fantastic news, thank you so much!"
He hung up the phone and a huge grin broke out on his face. Rachel looked at him expectantly.
"Who was that?"
"Smithton Art Gallery," said Riley, "They had a cancellation, so we're in!"
"OH MY GOD!" shrieked Rachel delightedly, tackling him to the ground for a big hug.
"Babe, there are people watching…" said Riley.
"I don't care." she said, cutting him off with a kiss.
Riley rolled over so that he was on top of Rachel and then pulled her to her feet.
"This is amazing!" she squeaked, "My parents got married there and now so are we!"
"I know," said Riley, "Because I wished for it."
The bathroom door opened, and Oz clambered out. His face was a sickly green and he was sweating profusely.
"The wishes go bad," he whimpered, "The wishes go VERY bad."
"You don't think… The Crusaders?" suggested Priya.
Out of nowhere, Yuna's eyes narrowed into a glare and she fixed her gaze on Priya.
"Priya, this needs to stop!" she announced, "I'm with Chloe now! You need to accept that and move on!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Priya, "You should know that I would never try and steal you from another girl."
"Stop lying!" roared Yuna, "I love Chloe now!"
Yuna grabbed Priya's hair and pulled on it hard. Priya shrieked and tried to break free, but she couldn't. Yuna's grip was too tight. Riley and Sawyer stepped forward to try and break up the fight, but Oz held out his arms in front of them.
"What do you think you're doing?" he said to them, "One of the biggest rules of the guy code is to NEVER, EVER break up a cat fight!"
"Shut up, Oz!" said Riley, "We should be fighting the Crusaders, not each other!"
Yuna kicked Priya in the chest to make some distance between them.
"GREEN RANGER! CYBER POWER!" shouted Yuna.
"Have you lost your mind, Yuna!?" snapped Priya.
"Download weapon." said Yuna, holding out her hand as her spear materialized in her awaiting hand.
"I'm not morphing," muttered Priya, "We're on the same side!"
This was probably my fault. I did wish that Yuna would choose me over Priya, but I never would've thought she would be compelled to hurt Priya as a sign of love. Oz's wish backfired, and now it looks like mine has too.
I left the others to deal with Yuna and Priya. I had an idea; if I throw in another coin, maybe I can make another wish to undo what my last one did? As I weaved in and out of the various tables in the restaurant, I bumped into something.
"Sorry," it said, "I want to undo it. I want to undo it! I can't control it!"
If I didn't know any better, I think the boy that wished to be invisible was here.
"Wait!" I called to him.
"Just leave me alone!" he sobbed.
"Come back!" I called again, "I want to help you!"
I heard footsteps as he walked back over to me.
"How can you help me?" he asked.
"Um…" I said.
The metaphorical light bulb appeared above my head. I unzipped a pocket of my purse and pulled out some lipstick.
"Here," I said, holding it out, "Use this."
"Lipstick?" said the boy.
"Trust me," I said, "Draw on yourself so that people will be able to see you."
"What about reversing my wish?" asked the boy.
"I'm working on it," I said, "You're not the only one whose wish backfired."
I watched with a satisfied smirk as he proceeded to draw all over himself. Now that I had a general idea of where was standing, I held out my hand and he gave me the lipstick back. Then I used it on his lips to give him a smile the Joker.
"Hey!" whined the boy.
"That's what you get for perving on women." I said, putting the lid on the lipstick and returning back into my purse.
"How do I look?" he asked.
"That lipstick is not your colour, but it's better than it was before." I snickered.
"FIGHT BACK!" roared Yuna, still in her ranger costume.
"Wait here." I said to the boy, jogging over to the other side of the restaurant.
Yuna swung at Priya again, but I placed myself in between them and held out my arms like in a T-pose.
"KNOCK IT OFF!" I snapped, turning to look at her, "This isn't what I wanted!"
"She wants me back! She's trying to break us up!"
"No, she isn't, you're under some sort of spell because of the wish I made!" I said firmly, putting my hand on her shoulder, "Now power down so I can see your face."
After a pause, Yuna nodded.
"Power down." she said,
I looked at Priya.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"I'm fine." she said, nodding.
"Chloe?" asked Yuna, "What exactly did you wish for?"
"I wished that… That you'd uh…" I said, feeling heat in my cheeks as I started blushing, "I wished that you'd tell me you love me and not get back with Priya." I said that last part all in one breath in barely a whisper.
Yuna pulled me in for a hug. But then I noticed that the sunlight for the windows above was being blocked by something, throwing the whole restaurant into shadow until… CRASH!
The wall nearest to us and the largest window shattered and crumbled, sending shards of glass flying several feet towards us. From outside we could see the silhouette of a small boy who was standing there with a frown on his face.
"Billy?" gasped Rachel.
He stomped forward, stepping over the destroyed wall and window.
"He's drunk with power!" gasped Riley, "He can't control himself!"
"Billy, calm down honey, let us help you." cooed Rachel.
As if we didn't already have enough problems, Sebastian came running into the restaurant using the door, which survived Billy's attack. It was the wall next to it that was severely damaged. By this point, all of the diners inside the restaurant were gone, leaving us to deal with the chaos.
"CHLOE! GET DOWN!" hollered Sebastian, tackling me to the ground.
I heard a gunshot and saw another set of legs stomp over to me.
"Sebastian?" I asked, wincing from pain in my shoulder, which still hadn't healed.
"You were right," he said, "Maggie went insane when I mentioned that you and I have known each for a few years. She pulled a gun out of thin air and hijacked my motorcycle."
"She's trying to kill me!?" I gasped, "What did I ever do to her!?"
"Nothing," said Sebastian, "She's completely lost her mind."
"Yeah, that's what love does to people," I said, "Especially when you wish for them to love you more than anything."
As I got to my feet, I saw that Priya and Yuna had worked together to disarm Maggie. Oz and Sawyer were holding her arms behind her back to stop her from attacking me.
"I want to undo my wish," said Sebastian, "Have you figured out how to stop it?"
"I was about to try taking back the coin I used when Billy over there destroyed the restaurant." I said.
"Let's both try." said Sebastian, nodding at me.
Rachel and Riley were trying to calm Billy down, but it wasn't working. He roared and kicked a table across the restaurant. The invisible perv came to join us by the well.
"Is it time?" asked the floating lipstick.
"It's time," I said, "But I have no idea if this will work."
I tried to reach down into the water for the shiny coins, but I couldn't reach, especially not with my shoulder in a sling and sore from Sebastian tackling me to save me from Maggie.
"I can't reach!" I moaned, wincing again from the pain.
"Let me try." said the lipstick smear, "Hold my legs and lower me down. I drew down there, so you should be able see them."
I did see what he was talking about, but because I only had one good arm, I gestured to Sebastian to grab one of the boy's legs while I grabbed the other. We started lowering him down the well together.
"What's your name, kid?" I called to him.
"Noah!" he called back to me.
"I hope you understand how wrong it is to spy on women."
"I'm curious, not stupid," said Noah, "That's why I need this to wear off, if my mom finds out what I've been up to she'll kill me."
We were making decent progress, when suddenly a beam of energy erupted from the well that launched Noah several feet in the air. The force of the blast made us lose our grip on his ankles.
"WHO DARES INTERFERE!?" boomed a comical sounding voice.
There was an explosion of confetti that came out of nowhere. When it blew, it made the sound of a kazoo, instead of what you would expect it to sound like. Standing in front of the well was a weaselly man with a big nose and slightly bucked teeth.
"Who is that?" asked Sebastian, pointing at him.
"I have no idea." I said.
Sebastian grabbed Maggie from the others and carried her out of the restaurant, presumably to safety. The lipstick marked Noah followed after him.
"I am Loki!" announced the man.
"Loki?" asked Sawyer.
"As in the Norse God?" snickered Riley incredulously.
"I am no god," squealed Loki mockingly, "I am an agent of the Crusaders!"
"And here I was thinking this had nothing to do with you freaks." I said.
"I placed a delightful curse on this well that forces me to grant any wish anyone makes when they a coin in… But they come true in the worst way imaginable," laughed Loki hysterically, "I was reveling in the chaos until you vermin tried to spoil my fun."
"Guys," said Oz, "You know what this means, right?"
"Yup," said Yuna eagerly, "If we break this nutjob, we break his curse too."
"Chloe, why don't you and Yuna babysit Billy while we fight Loki?" suggested Rachel.
"No way! I want in on this!" I protested.
"Out of the question," said Riley, "Your shoulder still hasn't fully healed yet."
"I can still fight!"
"Well I can't," admitted Yuna, "I think I made my arm worse while fighting Priya."
"Fine," I sighed, "We'll babysit."
Billy snarled and swung his arms wildly. Oz had performed some sort of Vulcan nerve pinch on him after he destroyed the wall, but now he was trying to start rampaging again. Just when I thought we had enough to deal with, the unicorn that I never got to see came running into the store, lowered its head and ran towards Billy.
"Horsey!" he squealed delightedly, grabbing it by the horn.
He proceeded to smash the unicorn against the floor exactly like Bam Bam from The Flintstones. Only except of the floor, every time Billy slammed the unicorn behind me, he would smash it directly on Loki.
"Well that solves one problem," I chuckled, "Billy is preoccupied! Now's your chance!"
"Ready?" asked Riley to Oz, Rachel, Sawyer and Priya.
"Ready!" they replied, positioning themselves into the 5-person formation.
"RED RANGER! CYBER POWER!" shouted Riley.
"BLUE RANGER! CYBER POWER!" shouted Rachel.
"YELLOW RANGER! CYBER POWER!" shouted Oz.
"PURPLE RANGER! CYBER POWER!" shouted Sawyer.
"PINK RANGER! CYBER POWER!" shouted Priya.
This was one of the first times I got to see so many morphing spectacles. It was mesmerizing and extremely satisfying. After a few seconds, the five of them touched down on the floor of the restaurant, now fully clad in their ranger outfits.
"Commander Astrid warned me of your so-called strength," said Loki, "But I must say, I can't fathom how you managed to survive for so long."
"Then why don't we show you?" sneered Red.
"Alright, but I get to go first…" said Loki, snapping his bony fingers.
To my left, I watched curiously as Noah's body reappeared. He looked exactly how I pictured he would. He had curly red hair, freckles and big inquisitive eyes. Upon noticing that he was visible again, Noah wiped all the lipstick off while hugging himself.
The unicorn that Billy was playing with vanished, but the magic that had created the unicorn and that made Noah invisible lingered in the air. Loki pointed at the lingering magic and it was drawn to him as if he was sucking it up with a vacuum.
The magic was gone, and Loki chuckled. I watched as his lanky limbs and digits beefed up slightly. He grinned menacingly at us and then he made two daggers materialize in thin air. He grabbed them and bounded towards the others.
"Download weapon!" they called in unison, holding out their hands.
Pink's boomerang, Blue's ring blade, Yellow's shield, Red's katana and Purple's scythe materialized in their outstretched hands.
"Oh dear," said Loki, sounding somewhat amused, "I seem to be outnumbered."
Even though he was holding a dagger in each hand, he somehow managed to snap his fingers again. Moments later, one Loki became five, and each one went after a different ranger. At first, I thought that each clone would be weaker than full size Loki, but after watching the battle for only a few minutes, it seems like I was wrong.
"He's so strong…" I muttered.
"And we can't help them." said Yuna.
"Even if we did, he would just make new clones for us." I said.
"There must be something we can do." said Yuna.
"Wait," I said, turning my head to look at the wishing well, "I have an idea."
Yuna looked at me curiously.
"How do you feel about breaking into the cash register back there?" I asked, pointing to the unguarded register behind the counter.
When all the commotion started, all the waiters and other staff inside the restaurant made a break for it, which meant they can't stop us from borrowing a few handfuls of coins.
"Priya Underwood"
The clone I was fighting kept laughing maniacally, even though there was nothing funny happening.
"What's so funny!?" I snapped, getting annoyed.
"I'm just shocked how weak you are," said the clone, "I knew I would defeat you and earn Astrid's praise, but I had no idea how easy it would be!"
"Shut up!" I snapped again, you haven't won anything!"
"No, not yet." jeered the clone.
"Yet?" I snarled, "I think you mean never!"
"Priya?" came Silver's voice, "Can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear," I said, locking weapons with the clone again, "What's up?"
"I've been doing some work on your codec and I think I know why it's different than the others." he said.
"I'm a little preoccupied right now." I grunted, straining against the clone.
"You'll want to hear this, trust me."
"Alright."
"I wasn't there when any of the codecs were summoned," said Silver, "But I think that summoned might not be the best term. I'm starting to think that "created" is more appropriate."
"No, no," said Jenna, to Silver and possibly me as well, I couldn't tell who specifically she was talking too, but I definitely heard her voice, "They are summoned, but they still have to be transferred from Cyberspace into our world."
"Right," said Silver, "And it looks like during the transfer of your codec, because you were aboard the Dauntless, which is capable of interdimensional travel, some of that residual energy accidentally got added to your codec."
"Which means?" I asked.
"Picture this," said Jenna, "There's a jar that you want to fill with spaghetti sauce, but while you fill the jar, you accidentally spill a bit of… Let's say mustard and a some of the mustard gets into the jar."
"So, my codec contains a small piece of Crusader technology?" I asked.
"Yes, precisely!" said Silver, who sounded relieved that I understood Jenna's analogy.
"Normally, you would have access to a synthetic element, like the other rangers," said Jenna, "But it looks like that feature is missing from your codec. However, you might be able to use some of the mustard to give your weapons an added kick."
"Got it, thanks," I said, "Let's give it a try."
I kneed the clone in the stomach and he recoiled, still with that stupid smirk on his face. I was now seeing a series of instructions displayed on my visor that told me exactly how to do what Silver and Jenna suggested.
"Element: Shadow!" I announced.
I felt my boomerang vibrate subtly in my hand. I looked down at it and saw that it had started glowing a was surrounded with an aura of black energy.
"Cool." I said, slicing at the clone with the shadowy boomerang.
I could feel a difference already. The impact of my attack sent the clone flying back a few feet. Now that there was distance between us, I tossed my boomerang at the clone and gasped when it pierced right through him before returning to me.
"Sweet!" I said, grinning even though no one could tell, "Guys! I think I killed mine!"
"Nice!" called Yellow, "We're not having much luck."
"Try using your elements," I suggested, "I was losing too until I used mine."
"Chloe Baldwin"
My plan was simple. Since Loki's curse was still in effect, if I threw in coin after coin making a new wish each time, maybe it will break his concentration. He'll have to deal with maintaining his clones, fighting the rangers AND granting my wishes. And since destroying Loki will break the curse, I don't have to worry about the wishes sticking around after.
"Alright Yuna, keep the quarters coming." I said, walking over to the wishing well.
Yuna handed me a quarter and I tossed it into the well. When I heard the coin hit the bottom, I closed my eyes and thought to myself:
"I wish for an ice cream sundae."
Seconds later, Loki snapped his fingers and a sundae floated down from out of nowhere. I grabbed it and put it down on the nearest table, but I didn't have time to eat… I didn't think about that when I made the wish.
I went back to the well, Yuna readied herself near my hand to deliver the quarters more quickly. I took one and dropped it down the well.
"I wish that Loki's clones are weak and frail." I thought to myself.
Again, Loki snapped his fingers, but it wasn't until after he did it that he realized what he had just done.
"No!" he spat.
Yuna handed me another coin. I threw it down the well and thought to myself:
"I wish my shoulder was healed." I grinned excitedly upon opening my eyes.
Loki snapped his fingers again and I felt a soothing warmth in my shoulder. Cautiously, I unhooked the sling that had been annoying me since I sparred with that android.
"See if it can heal my arm." said Yuna, handing me another coin.
"Sure," I said, "But remember, these wishes will wear off once they defeat Loki."
I threw the coin down the well and closed my eyes again.
"I wish Yuna's arm was healed." I thought.
"ENOUGH!" snarled Loki.
Loki was furious. All the clones disappeared, and he started building up energy in a large orb that was now hovering about him.
"That can't be good." muttered Purple.
"Yuna, coin me." I said to her.
Yuna handed me another coin. I threw it down the well and closed my eyes for hopefully the last time:
"I wish Loki was powerless," I thought.
The energy that Loki had been gathering dissipated. Loki snapped his fingers to grant the wish because he had no choice. His limbs reverted to their original lanky versions. Loki collapsed to his knees and whimpered like a pathetic worm.
"Curse you! I was defeated by the curse I created to destroy you!" he whined.
"Great work you two." said Red to Yuna and me.
Seizing his chance, Red cut off Loki's head with one swift motion. Everyone that was left in the restaurant, except Billy, who had fallen asleep whooped and cheered. Loki's body melted and the puddle that was left moved along the floor.
"What the hell?" I said.
The puddle stopped right near the well before it jumped down the long hole. The was a loud splashing sound and like a geyser, all the water erupted from the well, sending all the coins that had been down onto the floor of the restaurant.
From outside, Sebastian walked in, carrying Maggie in his arms, she was still unconscious. But then Billy and Maggie both regained consciousness and looked around frantically. Two people wearing Hawaiian shirts with sunburns popped into existence.
"I get it…" I said, "The curse is broken. All the wishes are being undone."
A sharp pain in my shoulder let me know that my shoulder was broken again. Maggie clambered out of Sebastian's arms and looked at him.
"Who are you?" she asked, looking around at her surroundings, "And where am I?"
Billy stood up and yawned. Riley, still in ranger form, walked over to him and knelt down.
"Hello Billy." he said.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Don't worry about it," said Red, "Just relax, we'll take you home."
Noah walked over to me with his hand raised.
"High five?" he asked.
"Sure." I said.
We did.
"Alright, Noah, let be a lesson to you," I said, "Don't be a creep. Girls don't like it."
"Thanks, Chloe." said Noah.
He left, along with the still very confused Maggie. Once the coast was clear, the others stood close together.
"Power down." they said at the same time.
Riley and Rachel took Billy by the hand and walked him out the restaurant, while Sawyer, Oz and Priya ran over to us to celebrate.
"That was awesome you two." said Sawyer.
"I didn't even know if it would work," I said modestly, "I just took a chance."
"Loki was right about one thing though," said Priya, "If you hadn't taken his powers away, his curse might have destroyed us. But because he was forced to grant EVERY wish, turned on him, just like the wishes went bad."
"Karma is not without a hint of irony." said Sawyer.
"Come on, let's go to the Youth Lodge," said Yuna, "Riley and Rachel will probably meet us there once they get Billy home safe."
After a quick pit stop at my place for a shower, Yuna and I met up with Priya, Oz, Sawyer, Riley and Rachel at the Youth Lodge. I also saw that Sebastian was there, with Maggie. Even Noah came for some fun.
Sebastian waved at me when I arrived, so I made a beeline for the table he and Maggie were sitting at.
"Why is Maggie still here?" I whispered in his ear when I got there.
"I can't just leave her, I think she has amnesia," said Sebastian, "I'll take her to the hospital tomorrow, but it's almost like my wish overwrote all her memories to make room for the new devoted personality."
A tear formed in the corner of my eye. I leaned closer and kissed Sebastian on the cheek.
"You're sweet." I said to him, "I hope things work out between you two."
"Are you singing tonight?" asked Sebastian.
"I was just about to," I said, "I think I have the perfect song that encompasses all the craziness that Loki's curse caused."
I waved at both of them before I made my way to the stage.
"Welcome to the Youth Lodge!" called Silver's voice, "Put your hands together for the musical stylings of Ms. Chloe Baldwin!"
My heart skipped a beat. I didn't even know he was here, let alone that he was going to introduce me like that. I took a deep breath as I adjusted the microphone. Once it was ready. I gave the thumbs up and the music for my song started playing. I waited for my cue, and when it came, sang into the microphone:
"Happiness, hit her like a train on a track. Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back. She hid around corners and she hid under beds, she killed it with kisses and from it she fled. With every bubble she sank with a drink. And washed it away down the kitchen sink. The dog days are over. The dog days are done!"
As soon as I reached the chorus, lots of people stood up and applauded. Suddenly a thought found its way into my head. One that almost ruined my performance because it's not a happy thought, or something that I really want to be thinking about.
Yuna wished that she could stay in 2018 after we defeat the Crusaders. Which means that if we do save the world from them and win, we'll lose Yuna… And Priya, but it was Yuna that I would miss most.
We've only been dating for a few months, but it felt like so much longer. Yuna also helped me come to terms with who I am as a person, as well as finally making me feel comfortable with my sexuality.
The Crusaders must be stopped, I know that, but if defeating them means losing Yuna, I'm not sure it's worth it…
I really think I'm on to something with Insect Might. I know I promised to create a poll so that you can vote on which one I start after Cyberspace V2, but I think I already know what I'm doing. Cyberspace V3 might still happen at some point, but I want to focus on finishing V2 and Insect Might before I try starting V3. So, now that Insect Might is no longer an experiment, expect regular updates to both of those stories. I'm still focusing on V2, but sometimes if I hit a roadblock in one story, it helps if I can switch to a different one.