Disclaimer: Saban owns the Power Rangers, Greeneyes owns Marie Fox. What do I own? This story I guess. ^_^
Author's Notes: Because I didn't mention it in "Sea of Gold", 'Renard D'Or' is French for 'Golden Fox'. If you can see why that title was chosen, brownie points to you!! Thanks as always, go to Cynthia for beta reading. ^_^
The Search Goes On
by: Catherine Lee
The room was swept in a wash of dark purple, just the way she liked it. Brightness had never seemed to suit her; she had spent most of her life training in the dark. There was no reason to begin changing now. In front of her was a giant viewscreen; at the moment it was as dark as the rest of her surroundings. At a nod from her, a switch was thrown, and the screen came to life, piercing the darkness with its harsh light. Upon the screen came the face of a lava-encrusted entity. Astronema, the Princess of Evil, bowed in deference to her master.
"Astronema," Dark Specter's gravelly voice greeted his servant, "Report on your progress."
She smiled, "Everything is going according to plan Lord Specter. The Dark Fortress in en route to Earth; our E.T.A. is two weeks. All preparations shall be completed by then. And Earth will fall under the hand of evil."
"Good," Dark Specter nodded, "But you must remain on your guard. My spies have alerted me to a new development; the Gold Astro Ranger was seen on Aquitar recently. You know what she has done to us in the past with her little raids. She has recruited a new Silver Ranger from the water planet; we have not yet learned his identity. It is also possible that she has learned of your Red Ranger; it will give her an added incentive to come to Earth, trying to reclaim him. And remember, there are those Rangers that Divatox did not finish destroying on Earth. They are likely to get in your way."
"Two Rangers, and five powerless ones will not hinder my seizing of this planet Dark Specter," she said stiffly, "I will guarantee that." Astronema had the utmost confidence in her abilities. She would not fail.
"Make sure of that Astronema. I do not tolerate failure," he said, the obvious threat to her life hanging in his voice. "I have assigned Divatox to the guarding of Zordon," he went on, oblivious to Astronema's thoughts. The Princess raised an eyebrow, wondering why that idiot was being charged with such an important job. Whether Dark Specter noticed her silent questioning wasn't shown as he continued to speak, "He will be kept in safe locations while I drain him of his powers. Already there are forces well aware of his disappearance and are on the search for him."
Astronema nodded slowly, having expected this. It would have been ridiculous if Eltar wasn't doing something to try and save one of their greatest Morphin' Masters. "Where is Zordon being located now?" She thought it prudent to have all the required information regarding the holding of the Eltarian wizard.
"That is none of your concern," snapped Dark Specter. Astronema was taken aback; why was she not being allowed to know where Zordon was being held? Did Dark Specter not trust her anymore? The lava entity's eyes glowed as he snapped out his next words, "Your job is to make sure that nothing gets in the way of the takeover of Earth." With that, the screen went blank.
Astronema growled, tossing her blue curls in frustration. There was no reason for Dark Specter not to have absolute faith in her. Wasn't she chosen to be the heir to the Alliance of Evil, even above Dark Specter's own granddaughter? She was better than all the rest; that was the reason why she had been chosen for this mission in the first place. Hadn't she proved that with her Red Ranger? Certainly no one else had managed to keep an evil Ranger for as long as she had, not even that stupid Rita Repulsa with her notorious Green Ranger. Well, if she had to prove herself again, she would.
* * *
Ashley bounced lightly on the mattress of her new bed. While it wasn't a featherbed, it was better than she had expected. The room she had been assigned was nice, although a bit small. The bed was lined against the far wall, with a large desk opposite to it. At the foot of the bed resided a small dresser, and beside that, a closet. The closet at first had contained only her shipboard uniforms, but that had changed quickly enough once Ashley had put in her own clothing. The remaining wall had a door that led to the bathroom. At first the room had seemed unbearably spartan, but a few knicknacks picked up from home had brightened the place up considerably.
Leaving her room, the Yellow Astro Ranger reviewed the events that had happened over the past few days since the Rangers had arrived on Earth. Already, so many things had happened. Marie and Billy had given the new Rangers a tour of the Megaship, where they had learned all the intricacies of running the starship. It had all been fairly straightforward, much like the Power Chamber had been, and they had picked up the basics in no time at all. The only thing that bugged Ashley was the Synthetron, a machine that was supposed to produce the food, like something straight out of Star Trek. She wasn't entirely certain if she liked that idea.
TJ had been made leader of the team, which hadn't surprised anyone except him. Ashley knew that he still had some guilt leftover from the destruction of the Power Chamber and the loss of the Turbo powers, but didn't know how to talk to the Blue Ranger about that. But it had been evident that TJ hadn't felt worthy of becoming a leader again. He had at the time tried to convince them that either Marie or Billy would be better for the job. Both the Gold and Silver Rangers had declined: Marie because she lacked experience, and hadn't dealt with being part of a team in a long time; Billy because he just lacked the interest to do so. It had been with some reluctance that TJ had finally accepted the job.
They had a new mission objective now besides saving the Earth: finding Zordon. Although they had never met him personally, the new Astro Rangers had been shocked to learn of the capture of their predecessors' mentor. They knew how much he had meant to the old team, and how important he was to the side of Good as a whole. All of them knew it would take all of their resources to locate him.
Her walk had taken her to the Megaship's bridge, where she spotted the Silver Ranger, Billy Cranston staring out at a picture of Earth on the viewscreen. He had been quiet since the Rangers had returned to Earth; Ashley hadn't wondered about it until now. It did seem strange; whereas the rest of the Earth humans had practically rejoiced at coming home, Billy hadn't seemed all that happy about the fact. At least, he hadn't been outwardly expressing any joy the way the others had. Before she entered the bridge though, Marie came in from another entrance. Deciding that the Gold Ranger might be able to talk to Billy better than she could, Ashley continued on her way.
* * *
Home. Billy hadn't realized how much he had missed Earth until now. It was probably because this time, he was back here to stay. Over the past few years he had periodically came back only to visit his parents. They still didn't know about his Ranger activities; he had explained that he had been studying somewhere far away - not that what he said had been far from the truth. Now, he was truly home, and although excited by that fact, there was still some underlying nervousness.
It meant meeting with the others: his old teammates and friends. Billy wasn't sure how he felt about seeing them again. There had been three reasons why he head left Earth in the first place: the first had been Cestria; the second had been his desire to explore the stars. But the third and main reason had been because he had felt not needed by the team anymore. No, it had been more like not wanted. It was something that he hadn't ever discussed with anyone, at least, not until he had met Marie. To his amazement, when they had first met, he just told her everything about his fears. Perhaps it had been because she was a stranger, and he was sure that he wouldn't have ever seen her again.
Billy looked up as he saw Marie enter the bridge. The Gold Ranger was for once, not in her ship uniform. Instead, she was dressed casually, in a yellow short-sleeved shirt with a simplistic flower print. Blue jeans and brown penny loafers completed the look. Her red hair had been let loose from its usual tight ponytail, falling in gentle waves around her shoulders. Apparently the lessons that Ashley and Cassie had been giving Marie in Earth fashions had paid off.
"You look great," he said, standing up. He tugged at his silvery-white shirt that the girls had bought for him the day before. He still wasn't entirely comfortable in this colour, but like when he was the Blue Ranger, he couldn't help but wear his Ranger colour.
"And you don't look ready," she replied, looking at him with concern, "You sure you want to take me down to Earth now? I mean, if you want to do this some other time....."
Billy shook his head, "No, now is fine. I was just..... thinking before you came in." He followed her to the jump tube bay, just off of the eating area. As one, they entered inside their respective tubes, teleporting themselves to Angel Grove park.
Angel Grove that day was sunny with clear blue skies; the perfect weather for taking a walk in the park. Billy couldn't help but smile as he looked on his surroundings. Nothing much had changed since he had last been here. As usual, regardless of the danger the park represented, there were plenty of Angel Grove citizens wandering around the area. Children were playing, teenagers were just hanging out, and others were walking like the two Rangers were.
"This is nice," Marie commented, "It reminds me a lot of home."
"Do you ever miss it......being home I mean." asked Billy.
Marie looked thoughtful, "Sometimes. I've never really thought about it actually." She turned her head towards the sun, closing her eyes as she reveled in the warmth on her face, "You know how my life has been the past few years. I haven't given myself the chance to think about it."
The two Rangers continued to walk along in silence, content enough to just enjoy each other's company. As they rounded a group of trees, they came into a small clearing to find a small group of children practicing martial arts exercises. They were being led by a young man wearing a blue tank top and black pants. Billy immediately recognized him: Rocky DeSantos.
"He's good," Marie murmured approvingly as she watched Rocky teaching the children. He slowly went through the kata, kindly helping out the kids who hadn't gotten their forms quite right. There was no yelling, no pressure on the students to be absolutely perfect. She was forcibly reminded of the trainers she used to have while studying to be a Power Ranger.
"Yeah, one of the best," he replied absently, already moving away, "Come on, let's go."
Marie looked at him strangely, "Why?" At Billy's look, she took another glance at the young master, "Do you know him?" Billy nodded silently. "Then why don't you want to go see him?"
"Because I'm not ready," the Silver Ranger answered quietly, shoving his hands into his jean pockets. He hoped that Marie wouldn't ask anymore questions.
She looked at him for a long time before finally nodding, "Alright, let's go." With that, she allowed herself to be led onward. They continued on again in silence, only to have that peace suddenly disrupted by a small animal darting in front of their path. The two Rangers watched as the small red bundle of fur settled itself under a park bench.
"It's a mar-ree!" exclaimed Marie as she got a closer look at the animal.
Billy looked at her in puzzlement, bending down beside the Gold Ranger, "A mar-ree? Looks like a fox to me."
She blinked at him, "On Ker...KO-35, there were animals such as these. They were called mar-ree. Actually, that's where my name came from."
"Mar-ree. Marie." Billy nodded as he made the connection. Suddenly, he smiled as an idea came upon him, "You know what Marie, you might be needing a last name if you're going to be in Angel Grove for a while."
"Last name?" she asked, now the one looking puzzled.
"Uh, sort of a family name," he explained, "It's just something that we use to identify different families, since so many of us have the same sort of names. I was wondering, how would you like to be called Marie Fox?"
"Marie Fox," she murmured slowly. A smile crept upon her face, "I like it. Thank you Billy."
"You're welcome Marie," he replied, throwing an arm around her shoulder. Together they continued their walk through the park.
* * *
Her heels clicked smartly on the metal floor as she entered the room. With a wave of her hand, the ceiling lights flickered to life, shining upon the object of Astronema's attention. The cold light reflected off of his red helmet as he stood in the centre of the room. He was her creation, the Red Ranger. Allowing herself a smug smile, she began circling him, taking in his features.
If he had a name, she had made sure that he had forgotten it long ago with the rest of his memories. Without them, he had become the perfect blank slate for her objectives. At first, he had tried to resist her training, but that hadn't lasted long. Eventually, he had submitted, becoming her slave. The months afterward had been so satisfying as she had reshaped his mind like a piece of clay. He only knew what she had told him now.
Unlike the other villainess within the Alliance, the Red Ranger had not been made her personal slave. She had never intended for him to be. It wasn't that she had no dealings of the physical nature; she just preferred her control through the mind, not through sex. Frankly, it disgusted her sometimes to see captives being used that way. It was almost as if the captors themselves had no control over their own bodies. Besides, it left too much of an imprint; an emotional tie that could be easily exploited. She had known far too many villainess falling in love with those who had been their prisoners. Most of them were now long dead. Astronema had no intention of following in their footsteps.
"Take off your helmet," she commanded. The Red Ranger immediately complied, holding it in his hands. Right now, he was only a puppet, doing as she ordered. Today, she would grant him some independence. There were only a few more days before they arrived on Earth; she would need to have her Red Ranger able to think for himself if he was going into battle.
She smiled as she looked into his expressionless blue eyes. Not much of his appearance had changed from the day she had captured him. His hair had been shaded to an unrelieved black, and grown out to past his shoulders, tied back neatly. Practically everything else had remained the same. Astronema reached into the small cloth pouch she had brought with her. Holding out her hand, she blew a sparkling white powder into his face. The Red Ranger didn't even flinch. She dipped her index finger in the powder, reaching out to his forehead, she then traced a symbol there: a half-circle, the open side facing towards the right; a hook facing towards the left with a circle above the end; and two small lines at the left of the hook.
As she began speaking slowly, Astronema placed her first three fingers in a triangle on his forehead. A purple light began swirling around the Red Ranger, creeping from his feet until finally surrounding his head. Astronema removed her fingers. As the light entered his eyes, they began shining with intelligence. Slowly, as if he was awakening from a dream, he blinked. He looked around curiously before focusing his eyes upon her face. There was a spark of recognition, and for a moment, Astronema thought she saw something else in those eyes. It was gone though before she could make anything of it.
He bowed low. "Princess Astronema," he said, his voice rough with long disuse.
"Red Ranger," she greeted with a nod of acknowledgment. Now, it was time to make sure that the spell had gone as planned. "Who do you serve?"
"You, of course Princess," he answered, looking at her curiously.
"Perfect," she smiled, turning around, "Follow me."
She led him down the long corridors of the Dark Fortress before finally stopping in front of a large pair of metal doors. A simple sweep of her hand at the keypad permitted her entrance. They were greeted with the sight of an expansive training area. It consisted of a large training ring, flooded with white lights. At the center of the training ring stood the crystalline warrior Ecliptor, Astronema's main general. For as long as she could remember, he had been by her side, training her into the warrior that she was today. Now, she would allow those skills to be taught to the Red Ranger.
"Red Ranger, today you are to begin training with Ecliptor," Astronema said, before turning to her general. "I want him in absolute perfect condition before going into battle. If he's going to be facing any Power Rangers, I want my Ranger to win."
"Yes Princess," answered Ecliptor as the Red Ranger stepped forward to meet him.
Astronema smiled, satisfied that Ecliptor would carry out her command. Turning on her heel, she headed out of the training room, the sounds of swords clashing behind her.
* * *
With most of Angel Grove asleep that night, only a few remained on an ever vigilant watch. Cassie Chan was one of those few, having taken the late night shift on the bridge of the Astro Megaship. The numbers and letters that passed on the screen told Cassie nothing. As they kept running by her eyes, she absently made note of the more important ones. Each of the Rangers were required to take on a shift of searching. It wasn't really necessary, DECA could easily do it by herself, or even Alpha. TJ just felt that a pair of human eyes would be helpful on the search as well. Tonight though, Cassie's heart just wasn't in doing the job. It wasn't that she didn't care about finding Zordon, but there was someone else more important to her that she had to find.
The Phantom Ranger.
Months of inactive communication had finally drove the Pink Astro Ranger to action. She just couldn't sit around anymore, not being able to do anything. With all this equipment before her, Cassie had made the decision to take matters into her own hands. If the Phantom Ranger wasn't going to come to her, she would go to him. She had been keeping her search a secret, mostly because she didn't want to be thought of as wasting resources. And, because she didn't want to be thought of a fool.
The back of her mind reminded her of dozens of reasons why the Phantom Ranger wasn't around. None of them were pleasant. But if he was dead, wouldn't I know it? Somehow, Cassie was sure that she would.
"Where are you Phantom?"
* * *
From the shadowed corner around the bridge, a pair of dark eyes watched the Pink Ranger work at her station. A barely audible sigh escaped his lips as her whisper fell upon TJ's ears. Well, that explains why she's been so depressed lately. He couldn't blame Cassie for trying to find the Phantom Ranger; the Megaship had the equipment, there was no reason why she shouldn't use it to her advantage.
And when she finds him, he and I are going to talk. It made TJ angry to see Cassie like this. The Blue Ranger couldn't understand why the Phantom Ranger continued to stay away when it was so obvious that Cassie cared about him. Even if he didn't want to be with her, some sort of explanation was warranted, even if it meant breaking Cassie's heart. At least then she would get some answers.
"I hope you find him soon Cassie," he said softly before walking on his way.
* * *
The next morning was brought on much too early for Carlos' tastes. He had no idea why DECA had called the Rangers to the bridge, awakening them from their much needed rest. The summons hadn't sounded very urgent, like it would have been had the Dark Fortress been spotted, even if they weren't expecting Astronema for another few days. This held more of an edge of anticipation, something on the edge of good news. The Black Ranger stepped onto the bridge to find that the others had already arrived. They all looked about as awake as he felt.
"Alright DECA," yawned TJ, "What did you call us in for?"
"Rangers," the computerized voice began, "Zordon's current location has been found." Everyone was startled alert.
Billy immediately leapt into action, looking over the readouts on the screen, "Where?"
"The signal indicates him to be on the planet Rysha," answered DECA, "It is a small planet in the Mycorsa system."
"Rangers, the Mycorsa system is within the Alliance of Evil territory," informed Alpha, coming towards the group.
"Well, it would figure that they'd keep Zordon inside their space," said Carlos, "But then again, they could just be trying to throw people off the track."
"Someone will have to be sent," said TJ, looking grim, "But we don't have the people to spare. Astronema is due here any day now; we all can't just up and leave. We'd be leaving Earth defenseless."
One voice spoke out, "How about if I just go?"
* * *
While he had been listening to them, memories of his old mentor had begun drifting into his mind. Billy knew that he owed it to Zordon to make the effort to the planet Rysha. It was obvious that the whole team couldn't be sent, as TJ had said, Astronema was due to arrive on Earth any day now. But if even one Ranger could at least scout out the area, and even possibly get Zordon out on their own....... That would be the greatest accomplishment that he could think of.
"How about if I just go?" he said quietly, interrupting all conversation. The other Rangers just looked at him.
"You?" asked Marie.
"Yes," Billy answered in a matter of fact tone, "Frankly, I'm the best candidate. I've got the experience, and I'm the one who's known Zordon the longest. I don't see any reason why I shouldn't go."
"He's right, there is no other person better suited for the job," said Cassie. Carlos and Ashley nodded in agreement. All eyes turned towards TJ.
The Blue Ranger nodded, "Alright Billy, just you."
Billy smiled, "Thanks Teej. But before I go, I need to show you guys something I've been working on." He held up a large black box, neatly connecting it to a control panel. The panel's lights brightened for an instant, before fading back to normal.
"What's that?" asked Ashley peering curiously at the box.
"Zordon's legacy," answered Billy. When the rest of the Rangers looked confused, he explained. "This was something that Zordon had given Alpha 5 a while ago; he passed it onto Alpha 6. It's compatible with about any kind of Eltarian technology. What it did with the Megaship is give it a Zord transformation mode. The NASADA shuttle has been made a part of it; it fits as the head."
"Cool," said Carlos, "Now we're really a match against Astronema and her goons."
Billy spent the next couple of hours explaining how the Zord configuration worked. Unlike the Turbo Zords, there weren't any smaller vehicles that would form the Astro Megazord; the ship would be able to transform itself. The controls were fairly simple, with joystick-like configurations, and the Rangers quickly mastered their workings.
Once all the explanations were through, the Silver Ranger was on his way to Rysha on his Galaxy Glider. Everyone hoped that he would be back with good news.
* * *
"What's this?" murmured Astronema as a signal flared up on her screen. As she checked closer, she realized what the signal meant, and smiled. "So, there are still Rangers on Earth. But, one of them has left; an interesting development." Pressing her hand down on the comm button, she immediately summoned Ecliptor. Within seconds, the crystalline warrior was at her door.
"You summoned me Princess?" he asked.
Astronema nodded, "I have just discovered a Ranger bio-signature leaving Earth's orbit. This means that there will be one less to deal with, which makes this the perfect time to strike out at Earth. I need a strong monster to send down to Angel Grove to begin the gathering of slaves for Dark Specter."
Ecliptor bowed, "I have just such a warrior ready for you Princess. I call forth Hisster!" There was a flash of light, indicating a teleporation, and a snake-based monster suddenly appeared in the room. Without legs, it slithered across the floor towards Astronema, bowing as much as it could. It's crystal red eyes on it's cobra-like head seemed to peer everywhere, glinting with the reflection of the overhead lights. It wore very little in the way of armor: gold bands hung around the head and wrists; a dark brown vest with gold piping was worn around the already protected chest area; and a large gold belt decorated with rubies hung around the waist.
"What can you do?" asked Astronema as she looked over the monster.
"I have poissssonoussss and exploding barbssss that come from my tail, and energy draining ssssnakessss that come from my fingersssss. My neck flapssss emit a hypnotic wave that putsss people under my sssspell," answered the monster.
Astronema smiled as she looked upon the monster. "Yes, you shall do then. Take a legion of Quantrons and begin collecting humans. Your hypnotic wave ought to put them completely under your power." She then turned towards Ecliptor, "You shall go down as well to supervise, and bring the Red Ranger along with you. If the Gold Ranger shows up, have him battle with her."
"Yes Astronema," he answered, leaving the room, with Hisster following behind.
* * *
Three flashes of light appeared in the middle of the downtown area of Angel Grove. Enough experience by the city's citizens quickly had the people running away from the two monsters, and the Ranger who stood by them. Immediately, Hisster opened it's neck flaps, sending out it's hypnotic waves. Slowly people stopped screaming and running away, instead turning towards their new masters. With the help of the Quantrons, Ecliptor and the Red Ranger began herding the hypnotized mass towards a large portal.
"Stop!" a voice suddenly cried out. The three head villains turned to see five Power Rangers standing in formation, weapons in hand. Ecliptor noticed that there were more Rangers than had been expected; Astronema would not be happy with this new development.
"Come with me," the crystalline warrior ordered the Red Ranger and they both vanished to a nearby rooftop.
"Are we not going to fight them Ecliptor?" asked the Red Ranger.
"Not yet," he answered, "Watch, and learn."
The Red Ranger obeyed and observed, watching as Hisster first sent forth the Quantrons against the Power Rangers. The Rangers in turn, plowed through the foot soldiers, splitting up into two teams. One immediately went against Hisster, the other trying to steer away the hypnotized humans. At first, it seemed to the Red Ranger that Astronema's monster would win, but events soon proved otherwise. Through their teamwork, the Rangers managed to defeat Hisster, saving the humans in the process.
Suddenly, large beams of green energy shot down from the sky, hitting the snake-monster. The Red Ranger immediately knew what those were: the Satellasers. As the energy was absorbed by Hisster, it grew, until it's head was at eye-level with the Red Ranger upon the rooftop.
The Red Ranger saw that the Power Rangers were for a moment, shocked still. But, the Blue Ranger suddenly shot out his hand, shouting out, "Astro MegaZord, Online!"
* * *
The planet Rysha was made of mostly of rock, with very little of anything else. Billy made his way carefully through one of the few forests where Zordon's signal had been located. The forests were made up of massive trees, the size of which were rarely ever seen on Earth. Their branches made a ceiling that practically blocked out all the sunlight, leaving little illumination for Billy to use. The underbrush was incredibly thick and dense for a place where there was very little water on the surface. Billy had continuously used his Super Silverizer to cut through it all.
He managed to clear a way to an artificially made clearing, as he soon discovered as he saw Divatox's Piranatrons swiping away trees with their weapons. In the middle of the clearing, he saw the object of his search: Zordon. Billy's saw that his old mentor was trapped inside a transwarp tube, reminding the Silver Ranger of his old days as the Blue Triceratops Ranger.
The place was teeming with monsters, with Divatox at the helm. Billy knew there was no way that he would be able to fight his way through, and manage to free Zordon. That would take the whole team to accomplish that. Before he could leave to report on his progress though, he suddenly heard Divatox's voice.
"Hurry up and finish the packing," the Pirate Queen bellowed, "We've got to get moving to the next planet!! Dark Specter isn't going to like it if we're late!"
The color drained from Billy's face as he realized what Divatox's words meant: this would be his only chance to get Zordon. But dare he risk the loss of the Eltarian wizard if he failed?
* * *
"This works like a dream!" laughed TJ as he settled himself in the center seat of the Astro MegaZord.
"Then let's give Hisster a nightmare," said Marie as they charged the MegaZord forward.
The Zord battle went like any other, neither monster nor machine gaining any advantage. Both sides traded equal blows, matching strength for strength. Damage was incurred in the surrounding area, but could easily be rebuilt by the Angel Rebuilding Society. This continued on until finally, Hisster made a fatal mistake, allowing the Rangers to call upon the Astro MegaZord Saber. As the final blow was shot, the snake monster fell to the ground, exploding on impact.
"Yeah! All right!" cried Carlos, pumping his fist in the air. Suddenly, there was a strange beeping on one of the control panels.
"What is it?" asked Cassie.
Marie checked her console. "It's Andros' signal," she whispered, barely heard by the others. Before the others could say anything though, Marie leapt out of the Zord to the ground. She looked around, "Where are you Andros?"
Through the rising smoke, the Red Ranger stepped through, his Spiral Saber in hand. His head turned, and she could feel his eyes bearing down upon her. It was her worse nightmare come true. Here she was, about to face off against someone who had once been her friend, confidant, teammate, but now was her enemy. Andros, once the proud leader of the Astro Rangers; she only knew him as Astronema's Red Ranger now. He stood in front of her, silhouetted against the smoke around him.
She waited for him to make the first move; she didn't dare make it herself. As if that thought had set him off, the Red Ranger surged forward, striking out in a pattern she didn't recognize. His entire fighting signature was different!! Marie countered as best she could with her Solar Sais, but she was no match against him. Too soon, the Gold Ranger fell to the ground, the weight of the Red Ranger's foot on her chest.
He looked down at her, deliberately putting more weight on her body. The tip of the Spiral Saber now lay against her throat. "I could easily kill you now," he said all too softly. The coldness of his voice chilled the blood in her veins. Before he could do anything though, an energy blast shot through the air, narrowly missing the Red Ranger's head. Marie could hear the sounds of footsteps running her way.
The Red Ranger chuckled, withdrawing his Saber, "But I won't, not yet anyway. Know this Gold Ranger, you and I are not through yet." With that, he teleported away in a flash of red light.
Breathing heavily, Marie continued to lay on the ground, oblivious to her surroundings. How can I even hope to bring him back? He's so cold, like there's no feeling left in him at all. A small voice sneered in the back of her mind. Or maybe it's that he has no feeling left for you. You're the one who left hm to die.......
Her thoughts were interrupted as TJ came up beside her, "Are you alright?"
She nodded, staring at the spot where the Red Ranger had vanished, "Yeah, I'll be fine. Let's go home."
* * *
"The only good thing that came out of this fiasco is that we now have the identities of the Rangers," Astronema said angrily as she dropped a hologram cube into his hands. She had not been happy with Hisster's loss. "Study these well Red Ranger, for when you next meet them, I want you to win." With those words, she left him alone in his new quarters.
Determined to redeem himself in the eyes of his princess, the Red Ranger immediately dropped the hologram cube into the data slot at his desk. Five pictures immediately came up, showing the Blue, Black, Pink, Gold and Yellow Rangers. Since the Silver one had not been in the battle, no one had been able to discover his identity yet. But that would change soon enough. His eyes roamed over each of their faces, committing every nuance to memory. He would learn all of their weakness, and exploit them to his advantage.
As he looked upon the Gold Ranger's face, something about her seemed to spark something within him. He looked at her curiously, wondering what was it about this red-headed woman that brought about such a sense of the familiar. It was almost as if he had known her from somewhere before. The Red Ranger suddenly shook his head, dismissing those thoughts as trivial nonsense. The Gold Ranger was his enemy, that was all that he needed to know.
The last hologram caught his attention, and he brought it out in more detail. It was of Ashley Hammond, the Yellow Astro Ranger. The hologram showed in her absolute perfection, from the gentle waves of her hair, down to the feet that ended her long slim legs. He had watched her fight, and knew that she was a formidable fighter. He smiled; yes, she was a prize worthy of a warrior like himself.
And soon, she would be his.
Second Author's Note: Thanks to all those who plodded through this. It took me forever and a day to finally be even borderline happy with 'The Search Goes On'. As it is, I'm still not entirely happy with it. But, while not much on the action, a lot of this is setting up for the next fic in the series. With any luck, it should turn out better than this one./i