Leo thinks he's going insane. (Can you think if you're going insane? Do you know? How do you tell? The way that these questions ramble through his mind is enough to alert him to the fact that, yes, he's probably going insane.) He glances at himself in the bathroom mirror again, brushes his fingers along the scar Kara had left.
He knows she would have killed him. He knows he could have stopped her. But he didn't. Leo wouldn't be standing here if not for them suddenly taking down Decibot.
And what was that whole spiel about how he killed her family? Leo hasn't even met her parents- if they're anything like Kai, he's kind of scared to- so he has no idea what his girlfriend was on about… but he thinks he has an idea.
"Okay, let me get this straight. You almost died, so Kara saved you using some keys she got from a warrior that knew Karone?" Andros asks over the call, and Leo nods. Hearing it repeated back to him only reinforces the thought that he might be losing it, "But the power was so strong that it made her go insane, thus weakening her mind so that Trakeena could control it." Leo nods again, and Andros mutters a curse under his breath. It's not in any language the new Red Ranger has heard before, so it's probably a KO-35 one. "Do you want us to come in? We need to… we need to do something."
"No, that's okay. I just need you to tell me how her parents are." Andros tilts his head curiously, a playful spark in his eyes matching the one Leo's seen from Karone before.
"You guys are at that level, huh-"
"Andros." The blonde holds up his hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright. The Chens are doing great back here on Earth." Leo collapses back into his chair, releasing the breath he'd been holding, "Miss their kids terribly, but that's just natural parent emotions," Andros pauses, "I was gonna ask them if they wanted to hop on one of these video calls, but…"
"Yeah. Not now. Anyway, thanks man. I just…" Leo just what? Needed to make sure he didn't kill his girlfriend's parents? "Needed to confirm something. Thanks, Andros."
At that precise moment, the ship starts to shake.
Kai literally has enough problems. The fact that he checks the gem on his bracelet at least ten times a day is enough to warrant that. So when he comes face to face with a strange man trying to steal the Galaxy Book, he's thisclose to just pulling the trigger on his stun gun. But he doesn't, because then the Commander will probably put him on sick leave, make him see a therapist. Then what'll he say? "Oh yeah, by the way, my sister and I are Power Rangers, but she got kidnapped by Trakeena. You know, the monster that constantly tries to destroy us." As if.
Speaking of Trakeena, Kai's first thought is that this man has been sent by her. She took his little sister, a human, as hostage. He wouldn't put it past the creepy villainess to have grabbed another on her way out. So, he steps over to the man, quickly unlocks his handcuffs. "Put him in," he orders the two guards, and they shove him into the cell unceremoniously.
"I knew you would come." What was that he'd said about having enough problems? "You must help me to recover the book." Ah, yes. One of the best workers in command of Terra Venture stealing one of their most prized possessions. Because that would go over swimmingly.
"'Scuse me?"
"The Galaxy Book. It doesn't belong here. You must help me." 'Must', 'knew you would come'. Who is this dude, some kinda fortune teller?
"Why me?" Kai doesn't know why he keeps asking these questions. Maybe because he hopes this guy is, in fact, a fortune teller. That he'll be able to tell him where his sister is, if she'll ever come back.
"Because, you are the Blue Ranger." Kai closes the door.
"Who are you?"
"I am the Guardian of the Book. It was stolen centuries ago. Recently, it sent forth an energy pulse." Huh.
"How'd you know that?"
"Because someone started to recite the spell. The energy pulse was small. Had the entire spell been spoken… the result would be unimaginable. You see, this book was never meant to be a research experiment. I need to take it back and guard it, and it's your destiny to help me."
"That's ridiculous." Maya doesn't know what's gotten into the older Chen sibling. Usually he'd take the terrible experiences he's had in the past and use it to, she doesn't know, learn. But now…
"But he knows I'm the Blue Ranger!" And look where that's got them.
"That's only something someone working for Trakeena would know."
"Exactly!" Good to know someone's on her side.
"Yeah, and it's obvious he was trying to steal the book!" Even Leo nods. Poor, tired Leo. Maya's heart hurts for the guy. (Sometimes she still blames him for losing her best friend the first time. But now… this is something entirely out of any of their control.) He nods, silent.
Kai turns away, and for a moment, Maya thinks they've won the argument. No such luck.
"He said it was my destiny to help him. I can't explain it, but something tells me he's right." Of course. The one viewpoint Maya can't argue against, what with her recurring visions and dreams. Destiny is pretty much the exact same thing. Right?
The Mage's bracelet glows orange. She's spent the past ten minutes trying to figure out why. As far as she knows, she's always had it, but the gem hasn't gone so far as to have a hint of color. It's strange.
Something else strange is the frequent headaches she's been getting. Which, by the way, have surprisingly nothing to do with her surroundings. Believe it or not. Mage is sure that the ailment stems from the last time she faced the Rangers, that because she'd let the Red Ranger wield her magic… they'd been able to use it against her. They played dirty.
But so can she. At least, until these damn headaches go away- Mage lets out a groan, grabs at her head as another pulses at her temple. Visions flash behind her eyelids: a long-haired blonde man she's never seen before, a woman in two unfamiliar Aqua colored suits. Two young kids, the girl helping the boy up from where he'd fallen. More possible enemies to defeat?
"I promise."
Her voice. That was her voice.
They'd called her Kara.
But maybe she's just going insane.
Kai was never equally matched with Kara in combat. Her year or so of experience as a Space Ranger guaranteed that. The only times he's managed to best he's in sparring is when he's at the top of his condition. Either that, or when she's too busy being lovesick with the Red Ranger. Kai adds this to his list of reasons to bring his little sister back home: so he can beat up her boyfriend.
He's reminded of just how unevenly matched he is when he slams headfirst into a wall of aqua colored magic. Ouch. Good thing he's wearing a helmet, otherwise the ground would've hurt a lot more. Which it already did.
"Give me that book!" Alongside Kara, or Mage, Kai guesses, is Deviot. Of course. The former is oddly silent, though. Underneath her cloak, her eyes flash with hints of… pain?
"Deviot. This one is mine." Her teeth are gritted, he sees as Kara removes her hood. "You said you were my brother," she reminds as the two begin to circle each other. Kai clutches the book tighter, trying to forget that even before her upgrade, Kara could beat him to a pulp. "You're a goddamn liar." He's barely able to dodge around the first pulse of magic.
"The only one lying to you is Trakeena."
"She rescued me from you!"
"That's only what she's telling you, Kara. And trust me, you shouldn't believe her." Another blast of magic sends him stumbling, and he just manages to leap over her next slash with her magic blade.
"I won't let you tell me what to believe, Blue Ranger-"
"Oh, stop pulling your punches!" Kara's shoved aside by Deviot, and Kai's instincts scream at him to go and help her. Those instincts are stopped when Deviot hurls him into the air. "I wish I could say it's been fun, but it hasn't. Goodbye."
Kara does nothing as her comrade raises his bionic arm. Kai glances over to his sister, silent. If these are his final moments… he won't regret anything.
"Your name is Kara Chen, and you're my little sister. Never forget-" Okay, maybe he's not going to die a painful death. A blue light arcs over the horizon, and when it hits the ground, the Guardian emerges out of it.
"Who is this, Deviot?"
"The Guardian. And I don't believe he's alive-"
"Believe it."
At first glance, Mage thinks that the Guardian's sword is going to strike both her and Deviot. She would move out of the way, if another headache hadn't just started up. So, she braces herself for the attack… but it doesn't come. Instead, the Guardian aims for Deviot, and she steps out of the way of the fight. She's in no shape for combat, and even she's willing to admit this. But, apparently, neither is the Guardian.
Because even as he charges at Deviot, he's easily defeated by the robot. Mage watches as the Blue Ranger rushes over, as the Guardian dissolves into nothing but sparkles.
As the other Rangers rush over.
As Deviot begins to recite the spell.
"A thousand nightmares will soon come true, space will twist, never it be true. Reality ends, time is tossed, as galaxies found, becomes galaxies lost!"
Mage wishes she could stay conscious to see justice finally being exacted onto the Rangers. Unfortunately, her wish isn't granted, because her headache lets out one final pulse of agony, and darkness consumes her vision.
Leo doesn't think. He rushes forward, diving underneath the surge of energy that the Galaxy Book emits. All he cares about, the only important thing right now, is making sure Kara's okay. She collapses into his arms, and when he picks her up, Leo nearly bursts into tears. He missed her. So much.
At first, he thinks he's in the clear. No such luck, though, since when he turns back around to face Deviot… it's not Deviot. Or, it is. Just… freakier. Definitely freakier. "Your destiny is now destruction!" He, Kai, and Karone take the brunt of the first attack, Maya and Damon hitting the ground next. But Leo doesn't even need to utter a command, since his team's first instinct is to form up around the Aqua Ranger. His Aqua Ranger.
"Lights of Orion, activate!" Leo's about ready to rid himself of this upgraded Deviot, ready to go home and take care of Kara. Although she'll probably say that she doesn't need to be babied. Which will only make him worry more. Their attacks do nothing, glancing off of their opponent harmlessly, and Leo swears under his breath. "He's gotten too strong."
"You have no idea. The power I now hold is limitless!"
"We'll see about that. Power-Up Mode!" Whiplash. Never fun to be knocked out of being pure energy.
"He's too powerful," Kai groans.
"There has to be a way to beat him," Maya argues, but to no avail: Deviot's next attack sends them to the ground easily. Out of the corner of his eye, Leo spots Karone lift her head.
"We need to get the book back, and protect Kara!"
"But how?" For the scariest of moments, Leo is fresh out of ideas. Until Kai speaks.
"Wait, I almost forgot!" The Blue Ranger holds out a cluster of glimmering diamonds, and Leo grins.
"Well, we've got nothing to lose. Let's try them." They each take one, and Kai pockets the extra one. For Kara.
"No one can help you now!" As if.
"Crystals, power up!" Just like a video game, Leo muses as large blasters float gently into their hands. And just what they needed, too. "You have one chance to give up, Deviot."
"Give up? Never." Well.
"Galaxy Quasar Launchers, fire!"
Leo's determined. And so his determination leads them to take down Deviot as fast as humanly possible. Once the ugly thing goes down, he rushes out of the Megazord, and the others follow suit. Thankfully, Kara's still where he left her, curled up gently next to a bush, but the thing that catches his eye is the Galaxy Book. Ash left over from the energy it'd created coats the ground, and he frowns as Kai picks it up, flips through some of the pages.
And that's when the sky grows dark. "Come on." He picks Kara up once more, and rushes back into the tunnel out of the dome- only to spot… he's not sure what he sees, honestly.
The sky is unlike anything he's seen before: splashes of color and strange new stars float by the glass. Leo's so stunned, he almost doesn't feel his girlfriend shift in his arms.
"This is unbelievable," Damon murmurs.
"Where are we?"
"Reality ends, time is tossed-"
"Galaxies found, become galaxies lost," Kara continues.
Mage is warm. Safe.
And simultaneously disgusted. The Red Ranger- Leo, she remembers through the fog in her mind- jolts up in shock, giving her the opening she needs to scramble out of his arms.
"That spell transported us to the Lost Galaxy. And now I'm stuck here with the people who killed my family."
"We didn't kill your family-"
"I don't want to hear a word from you, Corbett." Mage stumbles away from the group, ignoring the tears in some of their eyes. "If any of you try to follow me, I'll make you regret it." And with that, she staggers away, wondering how in the world she's going to survive this.