As always, Power Rangers and everything it entails belongs to Saban and Co. They alone make money (lots and lots of it) for their work.
This is the second part of "Rhapsody in Pink". It is strongly suggested that you read the first part if you haven't already.
Please read the Author's Notes at the bottom of the page.
Power Rangers: Rhapsody in Pink
Chapter II
"Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not it's goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem!"
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
* * *
Dana awoke to pain. Pain that seemed to radiate throughout her body, sending wave after wave over every nerve and fiber of her being. In a strange way, though, she was grateful for its presence. She felt pain, therefore; she was alive. And she much preferred being alive over the alternative. As she concentrated, she was able to drive the pain back a ways. As it receded, her awareness began to take over and expand outward. She lay still, letting her senses tell her of her surroundings. She smelled nothing. A faint dripping sound seemed to echo around her. She heard her own breathing and heartbeat, magnified in the silence. She was lying on a cold, hard, and slightly damp surface. She listened carefully, but heard nothing to indicate there was anyone with her.
Slowly, carefully, she opened her eyes a slit. Seeing nothing, she gradually opened them all the way. Nothing. She was in darkness so complete that even shadows failed to penetrate it. She fought down the urge to panic. As a child, she had often had nightmares very similar to this. Alone, in a cold, dark place, not knowing what would happen to her...
She forced herself to take several long, deep breaths. Letting some silly childhood fear overtake her was not going to help. I need something to do, some purpose. She decided to learn as much about her surroundings as possible. Maybe find some clue as to how she came here. Wherever here was. Moving slowly, she used her arms to sit up. A rush of blood to her head made her dizzy. As she recovered, she became aware of the pain throbbing through her battered body. Her muscles were sore and bruised. The skin on her arms and knees was scraped raw, the cold air making it sting. But her biggest concern was her chest. Each breath she drew in sent fire searing through her. Her analytical mind automatically began to categorize and diagnose her injuries.
The bruises and scrapes are from fighting Vypra. The soreness, too. And my lungs...I must have inhaled something toxic. That explains the shortness of breath and pain. And why my head hurts. Experimentally, she cleared her throat and was rewarded with another throb of pain. Must have damaged the lining of my throat and vocal chords, too. Nothing life-threatening, although I wish I knew what I inhaled.
Feeling around her carefully, she stood up slowly walked until she bumped into a wall. Keeping one hand on the wall, she followed it around until she bumped into a set of cold bars. She felt her stomach drop. Well, that answered one question. Wherever she was, it wasn't among friends. She continued to follow the wall until she was sure she had come full circle. Reaching up, her hand barely brushed the ceiling. As far as she could tell, she was in some sort of cell, with stone walls on three sides and metal bars on the fourth. Five paces took her from one wall to the other. Try as she might, she couldn't hear anything except the sounds of her movement. The dripping water seemed to be coming from a good distance away.
She shivered in the cold air. Either she was underground, or someone had the air conditioning turned up way too high. Already her hands were beginning to go numb. She forced herself to walk the length of her cell, flexing her arms and legs as she went. After a good deal of wincing, she discovered the exercise was lessening much of the soreness and stiffness. She continued to worry about the damage to her lungs. If she wasn't careful to breath in short, shallow breaths, her lungs would catch and trigger another painful coughing fit. She only hoped this was a sign they were healing, instead of getting worse. She seemed to be in enough trouble as it was.
I wish I knew what happened. Or if the others are okay. All she could remember was losing consciousness. Instead of being dead, I ended up here. Wherever here is. I suppose I should be grateful to be anywhere. A pang of homesickness hit her. I wish I were home now. I don't care if Dad would lecture me. He'd be right, I made a very stupid mistake. I just hope it wasn't my last. She was interrupted by footsteps approaching. Thinking quickly, she dropped where she was and feigned unconsciousness. There was no telling who was coming, and since she was hardly in a position to fight, she would make sure they underestimated her. It would make it easier to escape later. She didn't let herself doubt for a moment that she would escape.
With a clang, the door to her cell swung open. Then she heard a voice that made her blood run cold and her insides freeze.
"Bring her." It was filled with a mocking triumph. "Queen Banshira will be very pleased to see her." Olympus's declaration filled her with dread. As she was roughly hoisted and flung on someone's shoulders like a sack of potatoes, she wondered if she wouldn't have been better off back in the burning plant.
* * *
It was a somber group that gathered in the briefing room the next morning. All of them had not slept at all during the night, as was evidenced by the dark circles under their eyes. Carter had no doubt that the weary expressions the others wore was mirrored on him. When they had returned the night before, Captain Mitchell had not. After hours spent futiley searching for any sign of the demons, they had allowed Miss Fairweather to banish them from the lab to rest. Carter had returned to the quarters he shared with Chad and Joel, and all three had sat staring at the ceiling. They had been jolted out of their trances by a knock at the door. It was Kelsey, her eyes red from crying. She looked miserably back at them.
"I couldn't stand staying there any longer. It reminds me too much of her." They all knew who she was referring to. "Is it okay if I crash here tonight? I can sleep on the floor." She had ended up on the couch, muffling her sobs in a pillow. They spent the remainder of the night pretending to sleep, knowing the others were doing the same. Now, as they slumped in their chairs, numb and miserable, Carter wondered how they would function in the days to come. Right now, they were driven by the need to justify Dana's death, and making the demons pay seemed to be the best way.
A soft hiss, and the door slid open to admit Miss Fairweather and Captain Mitchell. Carter could tell they hadn't slept, either. As they took their places at the table, he studied Captain Mitchell out of the corner of his eye. His face showed no hint of emotion, but their was a rigid stiffness to his stance that hadn't been there before. As he reached to the controls that activated the monitors, his hands shook slightly. At his nod, Miss Fairweather began her briefing.
"Although Dana's morpher was...badly damaged..." Her voice shook slightly, and she paused to compose herself. "We managed to recover some data from it, enough to reconstruct some of the events that occurred yesterday with a great deal of accuracy." Captain Mitchell leaned forward slightly as she turned to the monitors. "We weren't able to recover any of the audio data, but we were able to get a good deal from the video sensors. What you're about to see is from Dana's point of view. " The screen flared to life, and a picture appeared, wobbling and shaky. "The image is so shaky because the inertia compensators were fried." They video showed Dana's progress through the district. When the plant came into view, she spoke again. "This is her first inspection of the plant. Clearly, she saw something that made her suspicious." They watched as she talked to the gate guard. "At this point, she decided to investigate further." She was silent through the climb up the building. The others gasped as they saw the same view through the skylight. Although the image was wobbly, they could still make out the group below. While they were still looking, there was a burst of static, then a drop that made their stomachs flip. "At this point, the data indicates that she morphed." They watched as she was overwhelmed and brought before Diabolico. "I tried to extrapolate what he said, but the data was too badly corrupted."
They watched numbly as the rest of the story unfolded. Carter felt helpless as he saw the hits that Dana took. He could almost feel them. "At this point, the morphing grid overloaded and went off-line." He winced in sympathy. Miss Fairweather was silent throughout the rest of the time. No one spoke as the building caught fire. The monitor showed a wall of fire, then flared into static. Solemnly, she turned it off.
"That's all there is. The rest of the data is beyond recovery. We do know that the demons needed the chemicals for something, but unfortunately what that is unknown. I can tell you that there were any number chemicals in that plant that are dangerous." She fell silent. There was a long moment of silence that was broken by Carter.
"Up until her morpher went off-line, it was fully operational?" She nodded. He paused, lost in thought. "I don't understand why she didn't call in at the first sign of trouble. It's not like Dana." She shrugged.
"That I don't know." They lapsed into silence.
"I know this is difficult for everyone, but we don't have time for what-ifs right now. We know that Diabolico has those chemicals and we need to know what he's going to do with them." Captain Mitchell's voice was calm and detached. "What's the status of the pink ranger powers?" He directed his question at Miss Fairweather.
"The powers are sound, it's just a matter of repairing the morpher. It'll need a new shell and a few new components, but that shouldn't be too difficult."
"Good. Make that your top priority. We're going to need all of the rangers if we're going to stop Banshira. Meanwhile, you four are going to train night and day so that when we do find Banshira, you'll be ready this time for whatever she throws at you." He stood. "We'll begin the search immediately."
Carter looked up. "What search?"
"We have to find a suitable candidate to assume the pink ranger powers." As they gazed at each other in shock, he continued. "We can't afford to have any weaknesses now. Without the rangers at full strength, we have no hope of defeating them. Carter, I want your input on this. We've already got a preliminary list of suitable candidates. I need you to help me narrow them down."
His mind spinning, he could only stare blankly. "Sir, don't you think you're being a little...hasty?"
Captain Mitchell became impatient. "No, I do not." Angrily, he turned to them all. "Now is not the time for grief or any of that. Banshira is still out there, and she doesn't care whether there are five, four, or one ranger. As long as the population of Mariner Bay are at risk, I will do everything in my power to ensure their protection. And if it means replacing the pink ranger, then so be it." He looked searchingly at each of them. "Any more objections?"
Kelsey had been sitting silent the entire time. She had barely spoken since yesterday, and her mind was still reeling from ...everything. But as Captain Mitchell discussed the future, something began to gather in her chest. Now it exploded from her mouth.
"I can't believe you!" She shouted at him, furious. "She was your daughter. And now you're saying we're all just supposed to return to business as usual? Ignore the fact that Dana died a horrible, useless death and let you replace her like she was your old shoes?" Her voice broke as she fought down sobs. When she spoke again, it was hoarse and low. "How can you be so cold and callous? Did you ever love her? Or was she just your pet ranger? Someone to replace Ryan and train like a little machine? Well, I'm not you. I can't not care!" With that, she ran out of the room, tears running down her face.
Captain Mitchell stood where he was, frozen as he stared after her. Carter was struck at how he suddenly seemed old, old and tired. He was torn between going after Kelsey and staying where he was to keep an eye on Captain Mitchell. Chad beat him to it.
"I'll talk to her." With that, he walked briskly from the room. Picking up on the tension in the room, Miss Fairweather cleared her throat.
"I'll need some help recalibrating the morphing grid, Joel." She stared pointedly at the green ranger until he understood.
"Right. I'll, uh, see you later, Carter." The two practically fled the room. As the door slid shut behind them, Carter was left with a hint of uncertainty. Deciding to play it safe, he remained silent, waiting for the other man to start. Captain Mitchell paced the length of the briefing room, clenching and unclenching his fists. When he finally spoke, his voice was so low that Carter had to strain to hear him.
"I'm sorry if I seem insensitive. Believe me, I know how hard this is. I just don't want Dana to have died in vain."
"She didn't, sir. She died while fulfilling her responsibilities as a ranger. You can't ask for a more honorable sacrifice." The older man spun around.
"You asked earlier why she didn't call for backup?" Carter nodded, confused at the sudden change of topic. "Yesterday, before... I lectured her on taking her responsibilities more seriously. I knew that she had been working herself to exhaustion, still I demanded more. She went into that building with her ears still ringing, determined to prove herself to me." Carter was speechless. They were all aware of the kind of discipline and standards the older man expected. He had often wondered what it would have been like to have grown up with that.
"Sir, Dana knew better than any of us the risks involved with being a ranger. When she chose to become a ranger, she knew there was a very real possibility she would be hurt or worse. She went into that building knowing full well she was putting herself in danger. She did it because of her sense of duty, of responsibility, a sense you instilled in her. If she hadn't, we wouldn't even know what we do about the demon's plans." He paused, and taking a deep breath, plunged forward. "To think anything else is to diminish her memory, her sacrifice. We all feel responsibility for her death. But blaming ourselves is not going to bring her back, or make Banshira pay. The best way to honor her memory is to continue to fight for what she stood for, what she believed in." He waited. As he hoped, the older man sighed and nodded.
"You're right, of course. Thank you for reminding me of that." Although he still looked sad and weary, some of the stiffness seemed to evaporate out of his shoulders. "Now, lets make Banshira pay dearly." Carter nodded as the two headed for the control room. They had just walked in the door when the monitors and control panels went wild. Miss Fairweather rushed through the door, followed close at her heels by the other rangers, sans Kelsey.
"What is it?" Carter asked breathlessly. She studied the panel, chewing lightly on her lower lip.
"Incoming long-range transmission. Unknown frequency." Her face was a mask of puzzlement.
"What do you mean, long range?" Joel asked.
"As in, from the edge of the solar system."
"Well, let's see who's calling." Captain Mitchell declared. The viewscreen flared to life, and resolved into a human form. Carter and the others gasped
"Hi, everyone. Seeing as we were feeling homesick, and how we thought you might need a hand, we thought we'd drop by for a visit. See you soon!" With that, static replaced the grinning face of Leo, better known to the galaxy as the Red Galaxy Ranger.
To be continued...
* * *
Well, that was rather boring, but necessary. I know that this was a little slow on action, but I needed this part. The next chapter will be much moe exciting. (As soon as I figure out what to do.) Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! You have no idea how great it is, not to mention encouraging, to get such wonderfull feedback. Please, please keep it coming! (Any suggestions would be very helpful ;)
On another note, I may not post for a couple of weeks due to the fact that I have finals nonstop. (Which I should be studying for right now.) Fear not, I will continue this story as soon as I have recovered what's left of my sanity. (I might even get to sleep!)
For those of you who asked what the title refers to, I won't make it that easy for you. If you need a hint, look up Gershwin in an encyclopedia. You won't be disappointed. (This is my feeble attempt to make you broaden your horizons;)
© 2000 by the author. No part of this may be reproduced in any form, or by any means w/o the premission of the author (hey, that's me!). Most of the time, all you have to do is ask.