Power Rangers belongs to Saban and Co. I'm only borrowing them for my own amusement. I promise to return them at the end of the week in satisfactory condition.
* * *
This story was first conceived from my frustration that the majority of the stories and character development seemed to center around Carter and Ryan. If I had my druthers', I would have liked to see a little more happen with Dana. But, since that never happened, this is attempt to do justice to what could have, should have been. Please read the author's notes at the bottom.
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Rhapsody In Pink
Chapter I
"The moving finger writes, and, having writ,
Moves on; nor all your piety nor wit,
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your tears wash out a Word of it."
-Omar Khaydiam
Dana Mitchell walked into the control room of the Lightspeed Aqua Base. Normally, she would have been interested in what was happening, in what the monitors and sensors showed. Today, though, she barely acknowledged the eager greetings of the technicians, scientists, and others that were part of the Lightspeed Rescue Team. Those who knew her well knew better than to be offended; some of the newer recruits whispered among themselves about how spoiled and privileged she was; they were quickly discouraged by the 'veterans' in the group.
Dana was in too much of a hurry to notice the impact she had as she walked briskly through the room, not quite running but as close to it as she dared. Running through the small and often crowded halls and corridors was one of her father's pet peeves. In fact, if memory served her right, Joel was serving waste extractor duty for just such an infraction.
She smiled briefly in remembrance. Joel's stubborn refusal to follow the rules and regulations that were (necessarily) imposed on them all often got him into heaps of trouble. Not that it seemed to matter to him; after a day of punishment he set out to find new rules and break them, too. Dana suspected it had something to do with his initial reluctance to become a power ranger. He never missed a chance to remind them that he had put his career as a stunt pilot on hold in order to discharge his duties as the green ranger. Still, despite his complaining and often arrogant attitude, she often thought he was enjoying himself more than he let on, and not just because of his determination to win the affections of Miss Fairweather. And next to Kelsey, he was often the most outgoing member of the five rangers.
Nothing at all like Carter. In many ways, he was what she'd thought her father was like at her age. Headstrong, self-driven, and a natural born leader. He had great potential, but hadn't learned to funnel and that blind energy and drive into a sense of purpose. He set high standards for the other rangers, and even higher standards for himself. And despite his leadership potential, he had a hard time trusting his decisions and judgment as well as the other rangers'. Out of all the rangers, besides her, he took his job the most seriously. He had a hard time opening up to them, becoming a part of their team. And it didn't help that he spent all of his down time alone, out jogging or in the training simulator. Even when he went with them to the beach or the arcade, he remained distant and aloof. It was as if he were determined to do everything by himself. She shook her head. His distance made working together as a team more awkward than perhaps it should be. She shrugged. That was something her father would have to deal with; it was his responsibility to oversee the team. And at least the two worked out together now.
Kind of like Chad and Kelsey. Although the two had met the day that Miramon attacked Mariner Bay, they had already struck up a deep camaraderie. It was usually Kelsey who managed to coax him out of his shell when they were together. Chad also had been slow in joining the group. It was Kelsey who had overcome his reticence and encouraged him to laugh and joke and voice his opinions. Dana noticed that however shy Chad was it paid to listen to him because when he did contribute, he had insights and options that no one else had thought of. His ideas always worked flawlessly. He was a superb athlete; when he went through his katas, they seemed as if he had been born with them. His martial arts background also gave him incredible discipline and control. On top of that, he was comfortable to be around. Unlike with Carter, Dana never felt she had to fill the silence around Chad with meaningless chatter.
And then there was Kelsey. Of all the rangers, she was considered the most "normal," if such a thing existed. She was perpetually cheerful and was always the first to offer encouragement and support when times were tough. Secretly, Dana admired how effortlessly Kelsey seemed to interact with others. She often wondered if she would have been more like her if she had had a normal childhood, with normal parents. Kelsey also was an excellent athlete, with an incredible strength and flexibility that came from years of rock-climbing. And as they only other girl on a team full of guys, Kelsey was her natural ally. They even shared quarters.
Dana shook her head to dispel her reverie. There would be plenty of time to wax philosophical later; now she was late for the morning briefing. She wasn't prone to tardiness, like Joel, but she had overslept and not woken up when her alarm clock went off. It probably had something to do with staying up until three in the morning cramming the latest medical journal into her head, trying to keep current with the latest in breakthrough techniques and technology. She wanted to go into medical school at least somewhat prepared, and she never knew what she would face as a ranger. Like Carter, even more so, she took her responsibility very seriously. She was often the first paramedic on the scene, and she had to be prepared when others entrusted their lives to her.
As she came to the door, she stopped briefly to straighten her clothes and compose herself. She tugged her shirt down, trying to smooth out some of the wrinkles. She was too used to wearing a uniform, to looking crisp and ordered, that even with civilians clothes old habits died hard. Sometimes she wished she could go back to her uniform, because then at least she always knew what to wear and how to act. But when she had become a ranger, she had been reclassified as a civilian, because, according to her father, she could not divide her loyalties between the service and the power rangers. Besides, beings a civilian gave her more options and opportunities. Still, there were days when she wished she was back under commission.
Once her breathing slowed and her hair was neatly smoothed, she stepped through the doorway into the briefing room. The other rangers, Miss Fairweather and her father were seating at the long table, studying the monitor on the wall. She snuck into her seat, hoping no one would notice, but knowing her father was not so easily fooled. As she opened her briefing folder, Captain Mitchell cleared his throat.
"I'm glad you decided to join us, Dana. Unfortunately, we had to start- on time- without you."
She lowered her head, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "I apologize for my tardiness. I assure you it will not happen again." Captain Mitchell nodded.
"See that it doesn't. Now try to catch up with the briefing." He turned way, then back. "Oh, and Dana?" He added as an afterthought. "Please remain behind when I dismiss you all." Only her sense of pride kept her from slumping into her chair. Out of the corner of her eye, Joel grinned sympathetically. She was in for it, all right. Captain Mitchell continued with his briefing. "Now, our mission here is twofold. Obviously, we need to prevent, at all costs, Queen Banshira from regaining control of the Bay. We also need to find a way to nullify her and her demons once and for all. More immediately, we need to figure out what Dilabolico and Vypra are up to. It's been far too quiet this last week. Only one monster attack, and an easy win at that. There's definitely something up. We need to know what." He gestured, and the monitor showed an aerial map of the city. A click of his fingers, and the map was divided into five sections. "You each have been assigned an area that you will patrol today, looking for signs of trouble. Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. Anything out of the ordinary. Call in at the first sign of trouble. We'll be monitoring you from here. There's no telling what Diabolico is up to." He straightened up. "You're dismissed." They rose to their feet and filed out of the room. Dana stood, waiting patiently. As he passed her, Joel squeezed her arm.
"Stay strong." He mock-whispered. At a glance from Captain Mitchell, he hurried out. Dana grinned in spite of herself. Her father rounded the table and stopped in front of her.
"You were late. Why?" He didn't wait for her to reply. "I expected better from you, out of all of you. You should know better. You have to set an example for them; they're not used to the kind of discipline you are." He paused, annoyed. "Well?"
"I'm sorry. I overslept. I know that's not an excuse, and even if it were, I'm not making one. I take full responsibility for my mistakes. I'll try to set a better example in the future." She kept her expression carefully neutral and firm. Her father wasn't satisfied.
"Sometimes I think you're not taking your responsibilities as Pink Ranger seriously enough. You, of all people here should realize how much is at stake." He had begun to raise his voice, and now made an effort to lower it. "I glanced over your incident reports and duty logs. Most of them are woefully incomplete. Do you think your position as a ranger excuses you from your other responsibilities around here?"
"No." She adamantly denied that. "I know that I've been falling behind lately; it's just that I haven't had time between one monster attack and another. But I've been working on the logs all this week, and I'm almost caught up."
"What about your paramedic re-certification? You missed five questions on it. That wouldn't have happened if you had studied the material." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Everyone had been under a lot of pressure lately. I wouldn't give you so much responsibility if I didn't think you were capable of handling it. I expect to see some improvement." He backed away. "Dismissed." Dana remained where she was. When he noticed that she hadn't left, he frowned. "Was there something else?"
She swallowed. She desperately wanted him to understand, to smile and tell her how proud he was of her. Another part of her was angry; wanted to scream that she was only human and allowed to make mistakes. But she pushed those feelings back and asked instead, "Have you heard anything from Ryan?" He shook his head.
"Not since he went off to find a way to defeat Banshira. I only know that his signal originates somewhere in the desert." He smiled reassuringly. "I wouldn't worry about him. Ryan is more than capable of taking care of himself. He is, after all, a ranger."
So am I, she thought. But that isn't good enough for you, is it? She nodded. "Right. I guess I just miss him, that's all. It was hard enough to let him go ten years ago." She hoped that would satisfy her father. "I don't think I could handle that a second time."
"You won't have to. Ryan is coming back. I promise." He cleared his throat. "Now. You should be getting to your duties. I'll see you later. Dismissed." Fighting the urge to salute, she turned sharply and left the room.
She caught up with the others in the launch bay as they were grabbing their gear. As she was putting on her jacket, Kelsey approached her.
"So you survived after all. Was he really mad?" She was genuinely concerned.
"Well, I was late. You know how much he hates that," Dana admitted. Kelsey nodded in agreement.
"Yeah." She glanced mischievously around, then lowered her voice to a whisper. "You must have come in really late last night. I didn't hear you come in. When I woke up, I figured you'd be tired, so I didn't want to wake you up." She grinned. "Were you with Carter? Chad said he came in late, too. You two didn't happen to catch the late movie or anything, did you?"
Dana groaned. Most of the time, she was able to ignore Kelsey's ribbing and not-so-subtle hints, but not today. "Look, I've told you a thousand times, there is nothing going on between me and Carter. Nor is that likely to change in the future. For your information, I spent most of last night catching up on my reading and logs. So just drop it, okay?" That last came out sharper than she meant it to, but she was angry. She was tired of being paired with Carter in everyone's mind. The only thing they had in common was their status as rangers and their mutual respect for her father. And despite her fervent denial, some people still insisted on seeing more than there was.
Kelsey backed off, both physically and verbally. "Okay, okay. I didn't mean to upset you." As they rode to their respective areas in the HumVee, she changed the subject to inane matters and her plans for her grandmother's surprise birthday party. Dana was grateful she'd taken the hints and dropped the whole thing. That was one less thing she had to deal with on what was shaping up to be a really bad day.
* * *
Her section of the city was mainly the industrial area, occupied by huge factories and plants. She slowly walked through the streets, keeping her eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. There weren't many people around, other than those working in the factories. When they came out during the lunch break to take advantage of the sunny day and the catering trucks, her stomach rumbled sympathetically. She hadn't had time for breakfast, and hadn't thought to bring anything to eat with her. She sighed. It was going to be a long day, indeed.
As she walked by yet another plant, something made her stop and look at it again. There was nothing noticeably wrong, and yet she felt something in the back of her mind jolt. Walking up to the gate, the feeling intensified. Stashing her jacket in some nearby bushes, she approached the guard booth, and into the security guard's scrutiny.
"Is there something I can do for you, Miss?" He stepped out of the booth and into her path.
"Well, yes, actually." Dana tried to look both naive and confused. "I'm new around town, and the temp agency sent me down here to take over for one of the secretaries. Something about maternity leave. Anyway, they forgot to tell me the name or exact address of the place, and I'm not familiar with this area. I was hoping this was the place." She smiled alluringly at the guard.
"Well, that's easy enough to find out. I'll just call in and see if they're expecting you. Going into the booth, he picked up the radio and spoke briefly into it. A moment later, a reply came back. Smiling politely, he addressed her. "Sorry. You must have the wrong place. No one here knows anything about you."
"Sorry about that. I could have sworn they mentioned a chemical plant." She turned to leave, then turned back. "Say, you must know this area pretty well. Is there any other chemical plant around here?"
Another polite smile. "Sorry, I couldn't tell you. I'm just a run-of-the-mill gate guard. Good luck, though."
"Thanks," she called as she walked away. Once she was out of sight, she ducked into a hedge and studied the building. She had no reason to suspect something was amiss, but the feeling was still there, bugging her.
As her stomach rumbled again, she noticed that, unlike the other buildings, there were no workers outside for their lunch break, nor were there any catering trucks parked outside. In fact, there were hardly any cars in the parking lot at all. But the plant had to be open, otherwise why bother having a guard at the booth? And there was something about that guard... So he hadn't known about the other three chemical plants in the area. Maybe he was new. But then why hadn't he said so? And there was something odd about his appearance. His uniform was too big for him; the pants rolled up at the bottom and how the sleeves were just a little too long. It was as if it wasn't his uniform at all.
The feeling began to coalesce into a lump in her stomach. As she started to call the others over her communicator, she hesitated. What would she tell them, anyway? That the booth guard was wearing a uniform too big for him and that the workers weren't outside on their lunch break? Now that she thought about it, she had no valid reason to suspect anything, other than a hunch that even she couldn't explain. And suppose she did call the others and it turned out to be nothing more than a feeling. She would certainly lose credibility, not to mention the lecture she would get from her father for sending then on a wild goose chase when Vypra was out there, somewhere.
No, she would have to be sure, have to have something more than what she did before she could justify reporting in. And the only way to do that was to get a closer look, inside the factory. She crept along the perimeter until she found a loose section of fence she could lift up and crawl under. Once inside, she ran from car to car until she could sprint across the open space and flatten herself against the wall. Having made it this far, she had no idea how to get inside. That was, until she looked up and spotted the ladder of the fire escape. Moving as quietly as possible, she scaled the ladders up the side of the building, testing the windows she came to, seeing if any were open. Unfortunately, none were, and if she had to break in that way, someone was bound to notice.
Eventually, she ran out of ladders to climb and found herself on the roof. As she spotted a large skylight, she grinned. This was much better than any window. Carefully, she crawled to the edge and peered into the plant below. It was one large room, with crates and barrels of various chemicals (she was too far away to read the labels) stacked in what seemed to be a haphazard manner along the walls. Several large vats were in use, breathing fumes and vapors into the room. Then her gaze picked up movement in the center of the room, and her heart thumped loudly in her chest.
She had found them, all right. Both Vypra and Diabolico were busy directing several batwings in the mixing and building of... something. They were concentrating all their efforts on the largest vat, which held some sort of bubbling, steaming liquid. As she watched, an entire barrel of white powder was stirred in, and the mixture began emitting a greenish-yellow fog that spilled slowly down the sides of the tank. Fascinated, she crawled up onto the panes of glass and carefully scrutinized the work below her, trying to determine what the demons were up to.
Vypra was busy ordering a line of batwings to hurry when one of the creatures dropped his end of an open barrel, causing the liquid it contained to spill all over the floor. Cursing the creature for it's clumsiness and overall stupidity, she stepped back in order to avoid the flow of the liquid. As she did so, she noticed the shadow the skylight cast on the floor. Her eyes immediately picked out the shadow that Dana cast. Narrowing her eyes, she ambled over to Diabolico was standing and subtly gestured to the floor.
"Don't look up, but we've got an intruder. On the roof."
He nodded in understanding. "Then deal with it immediately."
With that, she aimed her sword at the ceiling and sent a lightning bolt of energy upwards. Dana was caught completely by surprise as the skylight shattered beneath her and she found herself plummeting down to the cement floor far below. Fighting down panic as the ground rushed up to meet her, she barely had the presence of mind to tap her morpher. As she felt the familiar surge of power that always accompanied morphing, she wondered if even that would be enough to shield her from what was going to be a hard landing. As she hit the ground, she tucked and rolled in order to absorb as much of the impact as she could. Even so, the shock rolled painfully up from her feet. As soon as she could, she was up on her feet, assessing the situation.
Even discounting the batwings closing in menacingly around her, she was hopelessly outnumbered and outmatched. She could deal with Vypra, Diabolico, and the batwings one at a time, but not all together. Then the batwings surged into her, and she could do nothing but try to push them back. They seemed to have learned from their previous battles, and no longer waited to attack her one at a time. They came at her in threes and fours, and it was all she could do to avoid their blows. She didn't even have time between attacks to call for the help she sorely needed. It was a viscous circle: the more blows they landed on her as she began to tire, the less resistance she mustered, and that let even more attacks through.
Finally, due to the sheer number of them and attrition, they overpowered her and brought her, struggling uselessly, before Diabolico and Vypra. "I don't know what you're up to, Vypra, but you'll never get away with it," she declared, wincing at how much that sounded like something Carter would say. Unfortunately, she was bluffing, and they knew it.
"Who's going to stop me? You, pathetic ranger?" Vypra sneered. "You can't even save yourself."
True, thought Dana, but then I'd like to see how well you would fare against such bad odds. But it wouldn't do her any good complaining about the inherent unfairness of her situation. In her experience, the Rangers were rarely on level ground to begin with.
"What, you never learned how to count to five? My friends will make short work of you. In fact, any time now, you'll be running back to Queen Banshira with your pathetic tails between your legs, just like you always do." She tried to put more confidence into her voice than she felt. Diabolico stepped forward threateningly, but Vypra put a restraining hand out.
"I think you're lying. In fact, I don't think your friends even know you're here." She laughed. It was not a pleasant sound. "Poor little ranger, all alone. No one will save you this time, puny ranger." At a gesture from her, the batwings released her and backed away. She sank to the ground, not willing to trust her unsteady legs to hold her up. "And now for your destruction."
In unison, both Vypra and Diabolico released bolts of energy at her. She dodged one, but took the full brunt of the other. The force of it knocked her backward. As she staggered wearily to her feet, another barrage hit her, sending her tumbling into a stack of crates. Knowing that she was dead meat if she stopped moving, she forced herself back onto her feet and out of the way of the next blast. It sailed past her and set the stack of wooden crates on fire. She ran desperately, trying to dodge the attacks. The batwings had formed a wide circle around her, not interfering but also cutting off any chance of her retreat.
The wooden crates quickly spread the flames; the room filled with noxious smoke and the flames licked dangerously at the vats and barrels of chemicals. Already, small explosions were sending toxic vapors into the air. Her eyes and throat began to burn. Through the smoke, Diabolico was directing the batwings to pick up the vat of chemicals. Once it had, they and it disappeared in midair; teleported to safety, no doubt.
Though she only was distracted for a moment, it was long enough for both Vypra and Diabolico to get a bead on her. This time, she had no chance of dodging the blasts. They hit her with the force of a freight train, sending her flying backwards until she slammed into the wall. As she bounced off the wall, her uniform shimmered and then disappeared as she de-morphed. She hit the ground, grimacing in pain. Even the morphing power had its limits, and could only take so many hits before it overloaded and failed.
Coughing, she struggled to get up and failed. Her strength was fading fast. Blinking, trying to see through the thick black smoke, she caught a glimpse of Vypra teleporting away, then was seized with a fit of coughing. The heat from the flames seemed to eat into her, and the concrete felt hot under her. The flames were traveling up the sides of the vats, towards the volatile mix of chemicals in them. Groaning, she tried again to get up and felt her arms and legs collapse under her. Her head felt heavy and distant. She couldn't seem to stop coughing, and her eyes streamed with tears. The chemicals are toxic! Her mind screamed. I'm sitting on a powder keg, and the match is lit!
* * *
Captain William Mitchell had been pacing the length of the control room all morning as the technicians ran scan after scan on the city, trying to find any sign of activity. So far, it was turning out to be an exercise in futility. There was absolutely nothing happening that was even remotely threatening. Neither had the rangers found anything yet. And yet he knew, in ways he couldn't explain, that something was happening. It was frustrating and infuriating knowing that there was something threatening his city and at the same time being helpless to prevent it. A tap on his shoulder made him spin around, ready to spring at any threat. Ms. Fairweather took a step backward.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." She held up a pitcher with steam rising from it placatingly. "I thought you might like something to drink."
He smiled slightly. "Moonlighting as a beverage server, Ms. Fairweather? You seem to be a little overqualified for that." He sniffed appreciatively. "Coffee?"
"Tea, actually. I find that it helps me to relax and focus my mind." She paused. "I believe you could use some. You're making everyone very nervous, especially when you pop up behind one of the junior techs to read the monitors. Plus, if you keep that pacing up, we'll have to replace the carpet." She smiled.
He studied her for a moment. "All right," he relented, "I have been a little tense today." As she poured him a cup, he paused, unsure of how to begin. "I wonder if you could help me with a rather...personal...matter?"
She looked up, startled. "I can try."
He took a deep breath. "It's about Dana. Do you think I'm too hard on her?"
She paused, thoughtfully. "I think you care a great deal about her, and raise your expectations accordingly."
"This morning, when she came in late to the briefing. I came down pretty hard on her, afterward. I wonder if I would have been as strict if it had been, say, Joel who walked in late."
"As I seem to recall, you come down on him a lot for tardiness."
"That's because he's prone to it. Dana, though, knows better. I expect more from her because she's lived with that kind of discipline all her life."
"Are you sure it's not because she's your daughter?"
"Sometimes I'm not sure where I go from being her father to her commanding officer, and vice versa. When it's appropriate. How do I know where to draw the line?"
She patted his arm reassuringly. "I think the very fact that you're even asking the question shows that you know the answer."
"I just want her to be happy and succeed."
"That's all every parent wants. You've done a remarkable job, raising her by yourself. That can't have been easy."
He shrugged. "Dana's always been a trooper. She never once complained when we had to move every few months, or when I went away for days on business. She was always there with a smile on her face, no matter what. Just like she never complains now." He paused. "She's worried about Ryan, though. Not that I blame her. His coming back really threw us both through a loop. She was too young to really know her mother, and my job had us moving so frequently that she never really made any friends. She and Ryan were inseparable. When she lost him, she wouldn't talk for close to three months. It took her a long time to get over that."
"And then he suddenly reappears 10 years later, betraying you to Diabolico. It must have been rough for her."
He sighed. "I wish I knew. She refuses to talk to me about him, other than to ask if I've heard from him." He frowned. "Come to think of it, we've drifted a little apart through all of this."
"Psychologically, it makes sense. In order for her to bond with the other rangers, she had to distance herself from you."
"I guess so. I miss how she used to come to me with her problems, expecting me to make everything all better with a wave of my hand."
Ms. Fairweather laughed. "That I can't help you with. It's called growing up."
Whatever else she was going to day was forgotten as alarms went off at every station. He rushed over to the viewing screen. "What is it?"
Ms. Fairweather was pouring over the latest data. "A four alarm fire at the MetroChem plant. Emergency personal are in route now."
His expression was grim. "All those chemicals in one place makes for a very dangerous situation." He flicked on his headset. "Attention, rangers. There's a fire at the MetroChem plant. ERTs are on their way, but this might be more than they're prepared for. Get there ASAP and get everyone away safely. That building is a powder keg waiting to happen."
Carter's voice cut through the static. "Understood. We're on our way."
"I'll meet you there." At Ms. Fairweather's questioning look, he stated, "I have experience fighting chemical fires that the firefighters here don't. Stay here and monitor the situation. Keep in contact." She nodded dazedly as he ran out the door.
* * *
As Carter arrived at the scene, he wasn't prepared for what awaited him. He had seen some large fires before, but nothing compared to this. A minute later, the others arrived later, sans Dana. A cold feeling began to spread from the pit of his stomach. Pushing it aside momentarily, he quickly dispatched instructions to the others. They were the first to arrive on the scene, but he could hear sirens in the distance.
"We have to get everyone out of the area as quickly as possible. That includes evacuating the surrounding buildings. Don't let anyone go anywhere near the plant."
As usual, Joel had something to say. "How are you supposed to get it under control from back here? How are you gonna put it out?"
"We're not." This came from behind them as Captain Mitchell joined them. "It's to dangerous to send anyone in; we have no idea what's in there." His glance swept over them. His eyes narrowed. "Where's Dana? This is her area; she should have been the first one here."
Carter keyed his communicator. "Dana, come in." Only static answered. "Dana, this is Carter. Where are you?" The cold feeling spread outward. "Dana, respond!" He turned to Captain Mitchell. "Have you heard from her?" The older man shook his head.
"Hey! Over here!" It was Kelsey. She had spotted something in the bushes and was in the process of retrieving it. "Does this answer your question?" She held it up. It was Dana's jacket. As one, they turned to the burning building. Kelsey gulped. "You don't think..."
Captain Mitchell adjusted his headset. "Ms. Fairweather, come in."
"Go ahead." Her voice sounded harried.
"I need you to pinpoint Dana's location. Track her down through her morpher."
There was a pause that seemed an eternity. "I can't find her. I can't get a lock on her morpher." Another long pause. "As best as I can tell, her last location was somewhere in the immediate area."
"How immediate?" His tone was grim.
"Within a square kilometer, give or take a few meters" Miss Fairweather paused as she put the pieces together. She gasped. "If she's inside that plant..." Her voice trailed off as if she were afraid to go on and voice the hideous possibility. Squaring his shoulders, Captain Mitchell made a decision.
"Everyone except Carter, spread out and evacuate the perimeter, including the surrounding buildings. Hurry, there's no telling when the plant will explode." They all hesitated.
"What about Dana?" Chad asked
"That's Carter's job. Now get going." They nodded and hurried off, shouting directions. He turned to Carter. "You'll have to morph. Go in and get her out, but don't do anything stupid. If you can't find her, get out of there. You won't stand a chance if those chemicals ignite while you're in there, even morphed." Carter nodded.
"What about you, sir?"
"I'll wait for the rest of the cavalry to get here. Once they arrive, I'll suit up and join you. Now, go!"
Carter took off for the building, activating his morpher as he ran. As he felt the familiar jolt of power wash over him, he hoped it would be enough to accomplish what he had to do. If Dana was in there, then she needed his help. He wasn't about to let her down.
* * * * *
Dana lay on the floor, gasping for breath. The fumes were getting heavier by the minute, already she felt light-headed and slow. Her muscles felt like lead. It was all she could do just to hold her head up. Meter by agonizing meter, she dragged herself towards the nearest door. When she was halfway there, a yellow canister exploded in front of her, sending a fine mist spraying all over her. Immediately, a searing fire began to spread from her eyes and throat down to her lungs. Coughing and retching, she tried to stop the agony as it gripped her body, sending her into spasms that left her twitching on the floor. As she began to lose consciousness, she was dimly aware that the vats of chemicals were exploding around her, and a wall of fire rushed towards her. Before she could force a scream from her damaged throat, she fell in to a bottomless pit, welcoming the darkness that rushed up to embrace her.
* * * * *
As he approached the building, Carter could feel the intense heat, even through his suit. It roared at him with the ferocity of a wounded lion. Although he had fought many fires, he had never gotten used to the sound of a fire. It still affected him. Around the door frame, the steel siding had warped in the intense heat, writhing and twisting like a snake with its head cut off. He kicked open the door. A wall of fire rushed towards him, eager to devour him. With a panicked shout, he turned and ran, waving his arms desperately.
"Get back!" He screamed at the onlookers. "Get back! It's going to blow." Even as the words left his mouth, the air around him was sucked in towards the fire, and a massive boom rattled the air around him. The building exploded in a shower of glass and steel; chunks of concrete and steel girders flew outward, deadly shrapnel. He was lifted off his feet and tossed like a rag doll through the air fifty feet away. As he landed he hugged the ground, hands over his head, hoping he wouldn't get impaled by any flying debris. A wave of heat rushed by him, moving too fast to burn him. Over the eerie silence, he could hear the sirens of the firetrucks as the turned the corner and screeched to a halt nearby. As he sat up, someone shouted his name.
The others rushed toward him. Dazed, shaking off the ringing in his ears, he was only dimly aware of them as he turned to stare at the smoking, debris-laden crater that was all that remained of the plant. His mind went numb as he thought of Dana, caught in the middle of the horrific explosion. A part of his mind wondered if there was anything left of her; she had most likely been vaporized in the heat. No, another part screamed, don't even think it. She had to make it out, she had to! He repeated that over and over again, trying to make himself believe it.
He turned to see his own torment, magnified exponentially, reflected in the eyes of Captain Mitchell. The older man stood frozen, unable to tear his eyes away from the smoking crater. Although his face was emotionless, his hands had curled into fists and were shaking. Feeling helpless, Carter walked over and stood next to the older man, both caught up in their communal grief and shock.
Though the was really nothing anything of them could do, the Rangers and Captain Mitchell remained at the scene as the fire crews cleaned up after the blaze. Soon, investigators were combing through the wreckage, looking for clues as to how the fire had started.
Somehow, Joel didn't think they would believe it was demons from another dimension. He was still reeling from Dana's loss. He couldn't believe she was gone. Of all the rangers, she kept to herself, but had recently begun to open up to the rest of them. She had always seemed so perfect, so...invulnerable. She was the most level-headed of any of them, always thinking her actions through. Now she was gone. His thoughts were interrupted when one of the firefighters approached the group.
"Captain Mitchell?" Her tone conveyed her respect and sympathy. "We found this in the middle of the crater, sir. I knew you would want to see it." She held up what was barely recognizable as Dana's morpher. It was charred and blackened, and the casing had begun to melt. "I'm so sorry, sir. Everyone is." She cleared her throat. "They asked me to tell you." She handed the morpher to him.
He stood there for a long moment, staring at all that was left of his daughter. Then he closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were only a little moist. "Thank you. And thank them." With that, he turned and walked away. The rangers stared after him, unsure of whether or not to follow him. Carter shook his head.
"He needs some time alone right now. Come on, lets get back to the base. Whatever Dana found was worth dying over. I want to make sure its not worth killing over." Somberly, they climbed into the HumVee and drove back.
To be continued
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ã 2000 by Tessaflo. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced in any way or form, digitally or otherwise, without the express written permission of the author. (Ask, and ye shall receive 99% of the time.)