When I'd asked Damon if he could teach me a bit about mechanics, I had no idea he'd throw me right into the fire.
"I cut this one?" I ask, gesturing towards a red wire with the pliers he'd given me.
"No, the other one." Ugh. How does he do this for a living?
"The other one that looks exactly like the one I just pointed at?" Damon throws his head back as he laughs, and I cross my arms. Of course he'd enjoy my confusion.
"Maybe you should leave this stuff to me, Kar."
"Oh, gladly." I nod to the commander as he passes by with his little entourage, but as they pass by, some papers flutter to the ground.
"Excuse me, ma'am!" Damon beats me to the punch, grabbing up the dropped information and passing it to the High Counselor. I'd expected him to be polite, but what I didn't expect is the reaction from her guard.
"Freeze!" One of them shouts, and I back up a step, placing a hand on Damon's shoulder protectively.
"Whoa," I mutter.
"Chill out guys, I'm just trying to give her back these papers," Damon explains, but they don't budge an inch until High Counselor Renier herself steps forward.
"Guards. It's not against the law to be polite," she remarks- a joke? It's a joke if I've ever heard of one- and takes her papers. "Hm. A little grease, too." An embarrassed blush tinges my cheeks as she nods to Damon, and he cringes.
"Sorry about that, ma'am!"
"Damon, you're a genius." His face lights up, and I frown. "And that's the only time I'll say that to you, so don't take it lightly. I just don't get how you've memorized all those little details, it's crazy."
"Uh, no." No? I've never not heard him accept a compliment. "The mad scientist is Kendrix's thing." I giggle at this, but when we glance at each other, my giggles burst into laughter.
"That was good." What's not good though is the sight that greets out when we walk out of command. Stingwingers surround the High Counselors, and try as they might, their guards just can't take them down. Maybe it'd be a nice gig for the Power Rangers to take up. We can switch off shifts with each other so no one's suspicious of us being the Rangers. Damon and I duck behind a pillar and I raise my morpher.
"Ready?"
"Ready!" The Green Ranger replies. "Go, Galactic!" Leo flips into action, knocking the Stingers away from the High Counselors. "You'll be safe over there," he reassures, and I take up defensive positions in front of them as they rush to safety. Unfortunately, that means that when the monster unleashes its laser beams at us, I take the brunt of the attack.
"I don't think so. You're coming with me!" Its arm's shaped like a cannon, and I can't help but raise an eyebrow. Did he really just shoot a cannonball at us? Not sure, but I also don't have time to ponder about this, since the Stingwingers latch back onto the High Counselors. While Damon works to get them off, I prepare to summon a telekinetic shield, and when the cannonball monster charges, I unleash my energy. The creature slams into it, and I'm forced to take a step back as the forcefield shakes.
"How much longer can you hold it?" Damon shouts over to me, and my arms tremble as the shield's hit once more.
"Eh, you might not have wanted to ask that-" With one final smash, the shield disintegrates into a shower of aqua sparks, and I hit the ground, dazed. Damon follows soon after, a rip in the front of his suit, and soon, Stingwingers have got his arms held behind his back.
The memory of this exact thing happening to Leo is too fresh. This is all way too soon.
"Let him go, bugbrain!" It doesn't expect the telekinetic blast I release, and Damon's captors fly back into the hedge. "Let's get 'em, Damon!"
"Right!" Oof. Overconfidence isn't good, especially not in the middle of combat. Punching the monster feels like slamming my fist repeatedly against a brick wall. Our opponent cackles, unleashing another cannon blast, and I grit my teeth against the pain that blooms where it hits my midsection. A Stingwinger yanks me up, keeping my hands pinned, and the first thing I see makes my heart drop. High Counselor Renier's trapped amongst a horde of Stingwingers, and Damon and I are far too short-handed to do much of anything.
"Cannonbrawl's the name, and cannon brawl's the game!" The monster introduces itself, but despite its chatter, I don't miss the way it raises its arm.
"Damon, the High Counselor!"
"I know, I know!"
"On three?" Thank the heavens that we went through this protocol during training. Damon nods, and I go limp. "One." I feel energy building up within the pit of my stomach, and I focus on it, control it. "Two." The Stinger feels my power now, and for a moment, its grip loosens. "Three!" All at once, I let go of the telekinesis I've been building up, and the resulting shockwave knocks our captors away from us.
To my utter dismay, though, the wave isn't strong enough to deflect the cannonball that Cannonbrawl releases. And when I try to scramble up, exhaustion seeps into my bones and I stumble. "Damon!"
"Got it!" He takes a running start, leaps into the air, and for the briefest moment, I think he's going to deflect the projectile. No such luck for us. The cannonball contacts the High Counselor, and with a shriek, she disappears. Okay, what. I rush to help my teammate up, and we pivot to face Cannonbrawl.
"Where is she?" Damon demands.
"You'll find out soon enough!" Our enemy gives a cryptic reply, and with a final cackle, he's gone.
"High Counselor Renier…" I don't need to have an emotional link with him to know that Damon's upset. He feels like he failed, something I know a lot about. "I'm so sorry…"
"D, it's not your fault. They had the element of surprise." Later that day, Maya, Leo, and I race after the mechanic. For all we know, he's about to go off and do something dangerous, which really would not be helpful.
"Kara's right," Maya agrees, "And the GSA is searching for her, just please wait until they find out-"
"I can't!" Outbursts from the Green Ranger are few and far between, so when he lets out a shout, I can't help but flinch back. Leo steadies me with a hand on my back, and I nearly jump back the other way. "Don't you see? I had the chance to stop him, but I messed up. I've gotta find her, no matter what."
"Damon-" The brunette can't say another word, because our best friend marches off before she can. "Leo, you need to talk to him." I shake my head.
"Once he's got his mind set on something…"
"Not even I can stop him," Leo adds, gazing after Damon, "and honestly, I'd probably do the same thing."
"Leo, Kara, they're prepping the heliship. You guys ready?"
"Ready, Mike." I'm not sure of a few things. One of them is that I probably shouldn't be excited about this, but I kinda am. I mean, I did miss the whole rescue mission that the rest of the team went on while I had the flu. And second of all, I don't know if it's a good idea to send our particular duo as backup. Oh well. The tension can take a fucking backseat to how sick this is.
"I've never been on the heliship before," I gush as we suit up, "this is making me feel official." Leo rolls his eyes, and I retort by shoving his helmet.
"Stay focused, will you?" His serious tone doesn't hold as we get situated in the heliship's cockpit, and a grin passes over his face. (Ugh. That fucking smile. I swear to God, I could look at-) "Hello? Terra Venture to Kara?"
"Um. Yeah. Focused. Let's do this thing." We liftoff from the helicarrier, and soon we're zooming through space, following after the Scorpion Stinger. It doesn't take too long before the spindly ship comes into view, and I can't help but shiver. Not only does the thing look evil, but bad energy radiates out from it like a toxin. Yuck. Footsteps sound from the hallway behind us, and Damon comes into view. If there was ever a time to not want to start laughing, it's now, but unfortunately, the urge hits strong.
"We're coming up on the Scorpion Stinger," Mike announces, and when I see Leo remove his helmet, I do the same. The moment that Damon does a double take, I start laughing and take off my own helmet, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Leo? Kara? What are you guys doing here?"
"Hey," Mike retorts, "a little backup never hurt."
"Once a stowaway, always a stowaway," Damon jokes, and I snort out a laugh.
"Sorry L, but you're never living that one down. Like, ever." The Red Ranger squishes his face up at me, and I stick my tongue out at him. Ah, our friendship (if it can be called that).
"There was no way we were gonna let you have all the fun," he explains, and I nod, looping an arm around Damon's shoulders.
"Besides, I missed out on the whole, y'know, rescue mission thing. This makes up for it."
This really, really does not make up for it. Each corner we turn, I'm afraid that another Stingwinger will leap out at me. I've never been afraid of bugs, but there's just something about this place that just…
"Don't tell me you've developed a fear of bugs now," Leo hisses as we duck behind a stack of crates, waiting for a patrol of Stingers to pass.
"It's not the Stingers, L. It's the suspense. We're on their turf now, anything could happen." He glances at me, an eyebrow raised, and I narrow my eyes at him, daring him to challenge me.
"Whatever you say, Kar. Whatever you say." Once the coast is clear, we start creeping along again until we come across the holding cells. Perfect. Now we just need to- Footsteps sound behind us, and Leo steps behind a pillar, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards him before we can be spotted. Through the holes in the wall (why are their walls made out of stuff with holes in it? Whatever happened to structural integrity?), I spot High Counselor Renier, and I guess Leo does at the same time.
"Gotcha," he whispers, and before I can start to devise a plan, he grabs onto some chains hanging from the ceiling and starts to climb.
"Leo, what the hell-" Of course, his foot just has to slip off of the pillar, and I flinch as the Stingers turn towards us. I roll my eyes, but my partner just shrugs at me and swings out into the open, laughing that stupid laugh of his. "You're an idiot, you know that?" I mutter as we leap into action, cutting down the Stingwingers as they leap towards us.
"You love it, though."
"Eh." I bring a fist down onto a Stingwinger, forcing it to its knees. Leo leaps over it, knocking another creature into a bunch of barrels. "Debatable." The Red Ranger spins, grabbing at the last insect, and as he throws it into the air, I jump up, kicking it back down.
"Don't worry, you're gonna be alright," Leo murmurs as we race towards the High Counselor's cell.
"Who are you?" She asks, and I'm about to reply when Leo smirks.
"A stowaway."
Not only are you an idiot, but you're also tacky as hell.
If I'm not gonna live it down, I've gotta own it.
"Damon, we need your help. Open the cell door," Leo radios over comms, and Damon's answer comes in a whisper.
Then, we wait. A minute passes. Then two.
Where is he? Leo asks, and I shake my head.
He'll come through. He always does. Right on cue, the door swings open, and I help High Counselor Renier out of the cell.
"Come on, this way."
"You too?" Honestly, it's kind of heartwarming that the High Counselor remembers Damon. "I thought I told you not to come." Oh, right. There was that.
"Sorry, ma'am," Damon apologizes for the second time that day, and I can't help but cringe. Imagine irritating a High Counselor twice in less than 24 hours. Couldn't be me. The signature Stingwinger buzzing sounds from down the hall, and I gesture to the others to follow. As we round the next corner, though, we run right into-
"Cannonbrawl!" He lifts his arm, and I duck, pulling Damon down with me. Before I can pull my arm away, though, he tenses, and I frown.
"Damon, whatever it is you're gonna do-"
"I'm gonna do it." Of fucking course. With that, he dashes towards the monster, kicking at its hardened shell. Once he's on the other side of it, Damon pushes forward, somehow managing to slam it against the wall.
"We can't leave him!" High Counselor Renier cries, and I nod.
"He'll be okay."
"She's right, ma'am, we have to go," Leo adds, especially since the heliship's open door sits only a few feet away. We rush down the hallway, and as soon as my foot hits the ship, I spin.
"Damon!" The High Counselor shouts, and I frown, keeping an arm in front of her defensively as I use the other to move the next cannonball away from us.
"You'll never escape!" He hefts his arm up once more, and I prepare to use my telekinesis again, but Damon, stupid, reckless, Damon, clutches onto it. This only leads to him being thrown against the wall, and I grit my teeth. Stupid and reckless, but also making me nervous. We hadn't overestimated him, I tell myself. Right?
"Take this!" What- I duck out of the way as the High Counselor tosses a heavy box towards Cannonbrawl, but for a moment, it looks like he'll stop it with his foot. That is, until he slips, hitting the floor hard. Then, before it can get back up, Damon leaps off of his shoulder, grabs onto a pipe, and turns a gear with his foot. Gas billows out from the pipe, knocking Cannonbrawl back, and the Green Ranger leaps onto the heliship.
Now this? This is going to make up for the rescue mission. "Let's finish this brawl!" Damon shouts, and I nod, Galaxy Gauntlet at the ready, and he leads us into the fray. Leo and I rush over to the others, checking up on them, and I spare a glance over at Damon, only to spot him doing perfectly fine.
He unsheaths his Quasar Saber next, but I frown. That won't be enough to cut through Cannonbrawl's armor.
Leo knows this, too. "Damon, heads up!" The Green Ranger catches his Saber as well, and goes to work, slashing a deep cut into Cannonbrawl's chest.
"Nice moves, Greenie," I tease as we join him, and even though I can't see his expression, he's probably rolling his eyes at me. Gotta love him.
"Shut up. Lights of Orion, activate! Power-Up Mode!"
Even with the Galaxy Megazord in Power-Up Mode, though, I'm afraid that with a giant Cannonbrawl, we'll need more firepower.
"Stratoforce Megazord!" I order, and I watch in awe as the majestic Zord forms before our eyes. No matter how many times I see it, I'm pretty sure it'll be just as cool as the first time it happened.
"Galaxy Megazord Saber, full power!" At Damon's command, Cannonbrawl falls, and I grin. Comeuppance.
"I thought I agreed to leave the mechanics shit to you, D," I mutter as I lean against the wall next to him and Leo.
"That may be true," he replies, a sneaky smile growing on his face, "but that doesn't mean I can't drag you along with me to jobs."
"Ugh, I hate you-"
"Damon Henderson, Leo Corbett, Kara Chen?" I've never shut up faster in my life.
"Yeah?" The two men, who I recognize to be the High Counselor's guards, gesture towards the very woman who stands waiting for us. Damon takes a deep breath as we cross the street towards her, "I know what you're going to say. That we shouldn't have tried to save you. But-" She holds up a hand.
"When a life is in jeopardy, sometimes we lose sight of what could happen when we dive in to save it."
"Yes ma'am."
"And sometimes, we don't heed caution, or commands, for that matter." Yikes. I knew we'd made her upset.
"Yes, ma'am."
"It takes someone with great courage to help someone without expecting anything in return." Oh? "And I hope you do the same thing, should something like this happen again."
"You do? I mean, you're not angry?" The other High Counselor opens up a small box, in which is- holy shit.
"I'd like to give you a token of my appreciation. For your bravery." Each of us gets one, and I brush my fingers along the precious medallion, just to make sure this is real, that I'm not having some weird fever dream. The audience that's grown there applauds, and I grin, giving Damon a quick side hug. "Raise your hand."
"Excuse me?" A pledge? Whoa, now we've really gotten official- A giggle escapes me when I'm proven wrong, though, and the High Counselor jumps up, giving Damon a high-five. Okay, yeah. Maybe a fever dream.