"Guys, I got a lock on the energy readings," Kendrix announces as our Jet Jammers fly smoothly through space. We'd each been at our respective jobs, when Alpha announced that there was a peculiar energy burst somewhere outside of Terra Venture. So now, here we are, searching for it like kids on a treasure hunt.
"Great, I'll download the coordinates," Maya replies, pressing a few buttons on her console.
"Let's do it," I add, doing the same, and soon, we've landed on the uninhabited portion of the planet. Both the Yellow and Pink Rangers are quite different from their more sassy, straightforward counterparts in Ashley and Cassie, but their kindness and sympathy is always nice to have by my side on a hard day. Not to mention, they still kick just as much ass as the past Rangers. Wherever they are.
"Keep your eyes up. Those readings should be around here somewhere-" Unlike most of the times before, I'm unable to dodge, much less see it, when lasers come flying out of the brush around us. The areas where they contact my suit burn, and I grit my teeth, barely managing to land upright as I stumble.
"Stingwingers!" Kendrix calls out, and the three of us leap into action. Or at least, try to. They've got the element of surprise on their side, and even with my slightly more advanced fighting skills, I'm only able to hold them back for so long. Great. Now I've got bruises alongside my laser burns, and not to mention we've still got to fight whoever sent these Stingers.
I'm not surprised when Furio appears within his signature bolt of red lightning, but the feminine monster who appears next to him is unfamiliar.
"Who's that?" Maya questions, and I shake my head, unsure.
"I am Princess Drakeena," she replies, and I shiver. Her tone alone is quiet, unnerving. I'd really like to see her and Karone in the same room, just to see her get totally ripped apart. Karone may not be evil anymore, but dang, if that girl can't still scare you to death.
"And you Rangers are out of your league," Furio adds, and somehow, in the presence of Drakeena, he's just not as intimidating as he was before. Which is worse, since that means our new opponent is just that much more powerful.
"We're not afraid of you!" Kendrix bites back, and I nod. She hit it right on the nose.
"You should be. You're completely outnumbered-" His next words are cut off by laser beams, and I turn to see the guys pull up on what looks to be brand new motorcycles in the shape of their Zords. Ugh. Why do they get theirs first? As they ride towards us, they shoot out more lasers, taking the Stingwingers down and freeing us.
"Let's go!"
"Right," Kendrix and I reply, and we make our way over to the others, picking our way over the Stingers, "You guys got here just in time!"
"What are these?" Maya asks, and I cross my arms playfully.
"Yeah, and where are ours?"
Leo laughs, pats the design of his Zord's head, "These are our new Astro Cycles."
"They're the bomb, huh?" Damon asks, and I nod.
"I'll say."
"And for my next trick…" Damn. I'd honestly kind of forgotten he was there. I spin around, bracing myself for whatever he's going to unleash from the red box he's got.
"What are you up to, Furio?" Leo demands, and dread begins to trickle down my spine. Whatever it is, it can't be good.
"You like magic, Red Ranger? Because I have something special just for you." For Leo? That can't possibly mean...
"We don't have time for your tricks."
Furio ignores him. "The lovely Drakeena! Alakazam! Open the box."
My suspicions are confirmed when Drakeena pulls open the cover, revealing Mike, Leo's dead brother.
"What- Mike?" I'm not given time to process exactly what the hell is happening, since a Stingwinger's kick flies into my stomach, and I grab at its leg, flipping it into the air. "Let him go, Furio!"
My eyes scan the battle as I duck under another Stingwingers punch, and when I spot Furio and Drakeena loading Mike- Mike's coffin into the back of their truck, boiling anger rushes through me. Unfortunately, anger is one of those emotions that Andros always told me not to let get the best of me, especially in the middle of combat. Thanks to those words, I've learned to hone it, sharpen it into a weapon of sorts.
A cry rips through me as I unsheathe my Quasar Saber and slash down, unleashing a blast of aqua-hued energy. The Stingwingers surrounding me dissolve into dust, and I adjust my grip on the hilt of my sword. If I can just summon enough energy for another blast, I can get rid of their tires. We can put Mike to rest.
But before I can lift my Saber above my head, one of the guys' motorcycles revs up, and I turn to see Leo on his bike.
"Leo, no!" Kai shouts, but it's too late: the Red Ranger's already begun to chase after them.
I have never before been so glad to hear the words, "We need a plan" come from a fellow Ranger. Probably because we'd said it before each mission, and not only when we'd had the element of surprise on our side.
Guess Damon isn't the only green Ranger, if you know what I mean.
"I have an idea," Maya whispers, and the determination filling her gaze reassures me that it'll be a good one, "Damon, you be the decoy."
"Me, be the decoy?" Oh, god. Never mind. "It's your plan, you be the decoy." I reach out a hand at the same time as Maya, and we shove him towards the clearing. As we circle back the other way, I can hear his faint taunts, and I shake my head.
"Maybe we should've had someone else go out there."
"The Green Ranger," Furio snarls, "Get him!"
As he leads Drakeena and Furio right into our trap, I brace myself for the oncoming fight. We need to stall. Not win or lose, just stall. That shouldn't be too hard, right?
"Your foolish little games are no threat to me." In response to Furio's insult, Damon steps forward, gaze darkening. He's upset, as we all are, and it spurs him on. In the face of all we've lost, he's fearless.
"We'll see about that." He glances over at us, and when he meets my eyes, I think I see a flicker of uncertainty still there. I've honestly never been the best at giving encouragement like this, but I try for a smile and a nod. It seems to work, because he straightens his posture, "Ready?"
"Go, Galactic!"
As the Stingwingers swarm towards us, I unsheath my Quasar Saber and charge, slashing and hacking as fast and as hard as I can. All around me, the others are fighting just as hard, all compelled by their need to save Mike.
"Leaving so soon?" Furio's demand echoes out, and I turn to see him raise his sword at Leo and Mike, who apparently isn't dead. I'm beyond relieved, but we're not out of the woods yet. Kai cuts down a Stingwinger that's in his path, nods a signal to me, and in unison, we latch onto Furio's arms.
"Leo, get him out of here!" Being in Furio's presence is enough to feel the immense amount of power he exudes, but actually touching him is a different story. Energy pulses through the air, and he hurls us back, right into the path of the rampaging Stingwingers, so I roll out of the way to keep from getting trampled. Even as the Stingers approach again, I can only hope that the brothers can get to safety.
"Furio!" That's Mike's voice. What is he doing here? After sending another Stingwinger down with a high-kick, I turn to Leo's brother, only to see him bearing an unfamiliar silver box. And more importantly, Leo's not with him, "The Lights of Orion are ours!" Ours? The dread I'd felt earlier returns in full force, and the shock of it all nearly knocks me back.
He survived the fall into the crevice, only to come back like… like this.
"Mike!" Kendrix cries out, reaching for him, and my heart wrenches in my chest. Kendrix, Damon, Kai, and Leo knew him. Trusted him.
"Excellent. Our plan is a success! What do you think of your friend now, Rangers?" Well, I almost want to retort, he wasn't my friend, since I'm from the past, but that won't help much. What matters is that the others can't let Furio get into their heads like this, because once he does, there's only so much I can do to help them.
"Damon, am I seeing things?" Kai questions, grabbing at his head.
"I can't believe it," Maya breathes, and Kendrix steadies herself. Not a reaction she would give, unless-
"Kendrix-" I begin.
"Well, I don't believe it!" With that, she leaps into the air, lands right in front of Mike, and goes straight up to him, "Mike, you would never betray us like this."
"That's right. I wouldn't." Of course. "But I would!" Like somebody'd just flipped a switch, "Mike's" voice changes into a snarl as he shoves Kendrix's arm off and kicks her back towards us. When we rush to help her, the thing that'd taken Mike's form reveals its true nature: an odd-looking monster with an urchin looking thing for a head.
"What have you done with Leo?" Kendrix demands.
"That fool practically served these to me on a silver platter!" The monster announces, and my fear slowly melts once more into anger. They'd given Leo false hope, showing him his brother once more, only for it to be a monster with a freaking pincushion for a head.
"Give me the Lights of Orion."
"With pleasure, Furio." Even though I'm not entirely sure what these lights are supposed to be, something tells me that once they go into Furio's hands, we're all screwed. So when Leo appears, tackling the monster to the ground, I almost collapse in relief.
"You're the fool if you think you can keep something that's not yours!" As the monster shoves Leo off of him, the box also goes flying out of his hands, into the grass nearby.
When Furio turns towards it, Maya bends her knees, ready to spring into action. "I don't think so!" The Yellow Ranger leaps into the air, grabs the box and she hits the ground, and rolls out of Furio's way.
"Give them to me!"
"I'd love to, but can't. Guys?" Once, Andros'd told me that my anger was, once honed into something that wouldn't distract me during battle, as useful as my actual weapons. So, with my anger as sharp as my Saber, I charge. He trips Kendrix with the flat side of his blade, and Kai barely manages to dodge another one of his swings. Gotta be careful of that sword. Damon goes down next with nothing but a punch, and I note that Furio's left his blade dug into the ground. Using that knowledge, I duck beneath a punch delivered by his now free hand and manage to get in a kick to his back, sending him stumbling forward.
A blast of purplish energy from where Leo is draws my attention, and then the Red Ranger comes flying into the dirt.
"Enough games. Let's finish them!"
"Agreed," Furio replies, and before I can even open my mouth to warn the others to duck, they both unleash their energy blasts onto us. The explosion's stronger with both of their powers combined, and I'm blown into the air, something in my back aching as I hit the ground hard.
"I lost the box." I'm honestly not surprised that Maya couldn't keep it in her grasp. The blast was far too strong for us to do much more of anything than keep from going unconscious.
"Oh, look what I found, the Lights of Orion. They're mine now, you pathetic Rangers!" That's one word I absolutely despise: pathetic.
"I wouldn't get too attached," Kai mutters.
"Transdaggers, solar formation!" Leo orders, and I place my weapon in its usual spot opposite his. "Ready, fire!"
The blast of iridescent light it lets out is enough to take down Mutantrum, but definitely not enough for Furio. However, the attack was enough to shock him, and I decide to take that as a good sign.
"Stop right there, Furio!" Leo orders, but of course, the monster doesn't obey, instead dashing off into the forest.
"We'll be okay," I reassure him, "Go get those lights, Red."
"Right." While a part of me is a bit worried about sending off one of our best fighters, I trust that he'll finish this well enough all on his own. The crazy dude.
"It's looking more like I will be taking care of you, Rangers!" Mutantrum growls, and as he lifts a vial of familiar green liquid, I brace myself for what's about to happen.
"Oh no," Kai mutters, "Galactazords, begin transformation, now!" For a moment, it's like I'm standing by TJ's side as we face down one of Dark Spectors' monsters. My older brother has grown so much, even in this short amount of time. And although I'm the younger one, a flash of pride still warms my chest as the Zords run towards us, linking into their Megazord formation.
For a good amount of time, we parry Mutantrum's strikes and deal some of our own, but when he lowers his weapon, its tip beginning to glow, I frown. "We need to deflect this one, guys. Don't think there's any dodging it." So, I command the Megazord to lower its sword, and when the glowing orb of energy flies towards us, I bring it forward again, smashing the orb back where it came from.
"Sweet move, Kara," Maya cheers, "Condor Galactazord!" She calls, and the Zord disconnects from the formation, floating into our hands just like how Damon's Transdagger weapon looks. When I stop to think about it, actually, I don't think this has happened before, where we can control each other's Zords. Handy in a pinch, and right now, it's a super powerful tactic. "Missile mode, fire!"
The projectile strikes true, and I grin, throwing a fist into the air as Mutantrum falls.
The scene we arrive back to is confusing, to say the least. Thankfully, Leo is somewhat okay, but Drakeena and Furio bicker between each other, the latter throwing around the Lights of Orion. Or rather, I realize, the box they were supposed to be in. I don't even think a monster would want to handle powerful weapons that carelessly.
"Red Ranger, you will regret this!" Furio snarls, and I ready myself for another fight, only relaxing when he and his companion disappear in a flash of green lightning.
"They got away-" My hands fly to Leo's back as he stumbles, and I hold him steady as Maya and Kendrix help him up. He was already injured by the time we got here, so I'd been keeping an eye out for when he'd eventually weaken entirely.
"That doesn't matter right now," I reply, shaking my head as he glances up at me, "What matters is that you're still safe." The others nod, and judging by the way Kendrix's hand shakes as she supports Leo, I'd think she's crying, "Let's get back home."
In a few hours, our home smells like chocolate. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Damon reaching for a ball of cookie dough that Kai's preparing, and I chuckle as my brother slaps his hand away. We may be young adults, but put a plate of eggy goodness in front of us, and we turn right back into kids.
"The Lights of Orion weren't in the cave," Maya muses, and I have to look away to keep from laughing and snitching on Damon's cookie snatching. But when I glance up from the table, I see Leo, fidgeting with his hands as he gazes out of the window. I know far too well what he's thinking.
So, I excuse myself from the table. "Mind if I join you?" Leo doesn't meet my eyes, but replies with a soft "Not at all", and I plop myself down next to him. For a moment, we merely sit in silence, two souls left adrift without our anchors to hold us down. Each day that passes without Cassie's impromptu guitar performances, Ashley's attempts to teach me how to knit, and all the others' simple relationships… I'm afraid I'll forget them.
And although I'll never admit this, I'm afraid they'll forget me.
"They won't." His words are so quiet, so downhearted that I almost don't think he said them at all.
"What? Did you say something?" The look Leo's face takes on would be funnier in any other circumstance. But not now. Definitely not now.
Because I think I know why Zayne's link with me hasn't been working.
"Thinking about Mike?" Kendrix's voice snaps me out of my swiftly downward spiraling thoughts, and I force myself to smile, to replace the horrified expression I know Leo saw. I even go so far as to wiggle my eyebrows at Kendrix behind Leo's back, to which she narrows her eyes playfully.
He'd understand why I'd be so… scared, though, right? That link was possibly the only thing I had left of my old team, and if he's hijacked it… He needs to understand.
"Yeah," he murmurs, "I miss him so much." But the pain that laces his tone digs at me, even though I know I didn't cause it. At least, I don't think I did… Fuck.
"I know," Kendrix murmurs, "Me too." No matter what, I don't feel right intruding on their conversation, not just because Kendrix is absolutely head-over-heels. Out of this whole team, besides Maya, I've never had a direct relationship to Mike. So this whole topic is taboo for me. I go to stand, to move away from the two, but a faint whisper echoes in my head: Stay.
"You know, he'd be so proud to see the way you fought for him today. I know I am."
The jealousy that tears through me has nothing to do with Leo or Kendrix. Rather, it has everything to do with what they have. Something I might never have again.
"Thanks. And you know what? I think I'm a little bit hungry after all." They get up, but I remain for a split second, watching as they rejoin the team. Angry tears prick at the backs of my eyes, my throat choking up as, for a moment, I see us back on the Megaship, each enjoying our favorite foods together. Telling stories from our childhoods. Creating new inside jokes.
I wipe away the tear that falls before trying my best to muster up a smile, not wanting to kill the happy mood in our apartment.
"Kara, come on, you need to eat something too!" Kendrix urges, and I stand, tilting my head at her even as I walk back up to the table.
"Cookies for dinner? My mom would kill me, but since she's not here…" I reach for a ball of dough, influenced by Damon, but Maya stops me.
"You have to wait 'till it's cooked." The sheer concern in her tone makes me giggle, and the others laugh as well, the camaraderie a brief distraction from the reality of what I've just discovered.