Disclaimer: As always, any and all characters related to Power Rangers don't belong to me. The characters of Cyndra and Marie Fox belong to Greeneyes. Do not use either characters without her permission please. For permission, email her at: pikarangerbsb@hotmail.com.
Author's Notes: This is starting approximately a week after the events of 'Connections of Memories'. And as the title suggests, this story is now making its way to an end. I do know where and how this story will end, so do not be afraid that this will drag on forever. I hope you've enjoyed reading this so far. ^_^
The Beginning of the End
By: Jade Daniels
"As I mentioned in my report Lord Specter, everything has gone according to plan. My five Psycho Rangers defeated the Astro Rangers, sending them back to their ship with their tails between their legs. They haven't even so much as shown their faces in the past week." Cyndra, granddaughter of Dark Specter, smiled as she looked at her grandfather through the ship viewer. She knew that she had every right to be smiling, now that her mission was succeeding. The last battle against the Astro Rangers had proved that the Psychos were much more powerful than the pitiful Power Rangers.
"But, your Psychos have not yet destroyed the Astro Rangers," Dark Specter said, a slight growl in his gravelly voice.
Cyndra's smile disappeared. "Yes, that is true. The Rangers teleported away before my team could get their hands on them, but that means nothing Lord Specter. All it shows is the cowardice of the Rangers; them willing to run away from my Psychos."
"You also did not anticipate the return of the Blue one," Dark Specter pointed out.
Cyndra started to frown. This interview was not going as well as she had planned. "Another minor flaw, but one that is of little concern. From what I detected, the spell within him is only suppressed, not entirely gone. There is still the possibility that he will return to a catatonic state at any time, rendering the Rangers once again without a fifth. In fact, I can induce that state anytime I wish."
"Not as long as Astronema remains aboard their ship," replied her grandfather sternly, "You were a fool Cyndra, for letting her escape your grasp. Her knowledge of magic and of our workings will give those Rangers an edge, an edge that might well be your undoing."
"No!" Cyndra protested, her fists slamming against the console. "That will never happen! The day that Astronema and those Rangers defeat me will be the day I die."
There was a long moment of silence and Cyndra, for a moment, wondered if she had spoken too much. Her emotions were running high right now, and she knew better than to let those emotions control her. But when her grandfather had suggested that possibly she would fail, she could not let that comment pass by. She was the High Mage Cyndra, blood of his blood! How could he even possibly think that she would fail in this mission? That she would not fulfil in her duties as one of his kin?
It was not possible.
It would never happen.
She would never fail.
"Do not raise your voice to me young lady," Dark Specter growled, his golden eyes glowing. "You will remember with whom you speak." Cyndra's face paled as she nodded. "Now, as I was saying," he growled, "You must be on the alert for Astronema. I foresee something, strange happening with her. It is one of the reasons why I had her taken from her family in the first place. She has strong powers Cyndra. Do not underestimate her, especially now that she has joined with the Rangers."
"No, I will not make that mistake...again," Cyndra said softly, her eyes now downcast. There were very few people to whom Cyndra would submit to. Dark Specter was one of those very few. He had a power and position that towered over hers. It was something that she longed for, and something she that she herself would have one day soon.
Dark Specter nodded, "Good. The Day of Destruction is drawing near. We have little time for new problems. I have taken almost all the energy I need from Zordon. And soon, the stars within all the galaxies will be in perfect alignment. Good and evil have always been in a perfect balance, did you know that Cyndra?" The mage shook her head and Dark Specter continued, "Few others have. But that is why neither side has ever really won, but must be at constant war with each other to maintain that balance. However, on the Day of Destruction, the balance will be thrown, and there will be the chance for one side to reign supreme. And I mean for our side to be that one."
Cyndra's sapphire eyes sparkled, "It will be a glorious coming."
"I'm glad you think so," Dark Specter said, his voice tinging with sarcasm. "But in order to be prepared for the Coming, we must begin our preparations now."
"What must I do?" Cyndra asked, suddenly realizing with delight that her role on Earth was going to become a lot bigger.
"You must begin to overwhelm the Ranger forces on Earth," instructed Dark Specter, "Thus far, all you have done is send down the occasional solitary monster, or slightly superior forces. You have to go further than that now. Send down not just one small squadron of foot soldiers, but an entire army! And do not just attack one city, but as many cities as you possibly can! Chaos is what we are striving for Cyndra. Chaos to keep the forces of good out of the way so that the dark work may continue."
Cyndra bowed, "I will do as you ask."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"So, what do you think?" asked Ashley Hammond, the Yellow Psycho Ranger, turning away from the mirror to face her lover, the Red Ranger. It seemed a little stupid to continually call him that, but she knew of no other name for him. She had though, pared down the long title into something more a bit more manageable: Red.
"What?" Red shook his head, as if coming out of a daze to look at her. He was lying on the bed they shared, gazing up at the ceiling. Ashley had noticed that he had been doing that a lot lately.
She sighed in exasperation at his lack of attention and pointed to the outfit that she was wearing. It consisted of a skimpy yellow bikini top, with thin spaghetti straps tied around her neck. From her hips hung an extremely short white leather skirt, with slits coming up on both sides. The outfit was completed with a pair of strappy white sandals that laced up along her calves. The Yellow Psycho posed. "I asked, what do you think?"
He took one look and said, "It's nice."
Ashley blinked, at first not believing the words that had come out of Red's mouth. "Nice?" she screeched, "Nice? That's all that you can say, to this?" She jumped onto the bed, climbed over Red
and straddled him, forcing him to look her in the eye. "Usually you're all over me when I have something like this on. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Get off, I'm not in the mood," he snarled, all but throwing her off of him. He did manage to roll out from under her though. She stared at him, a curiosity about his behavior growing in her mind.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she repeated, continuing to watch him. He was pacing around the bedroom now, reminding her of a caged animal. Again, something that had been occurring a lot lately.
"Red, Ruby, Gold, Silver..." he muttered, so quietly that Ashley barely heard him.
"What are you muttering about now?" she asked, quickly growing tired of this. She wanted his attention on her, not on whatever it was that he was currently thinking about.
He twisted his head savagely, his black eyes glowing as they looked upon her. Ashley was startled at the sight. "I see Silver, I see Red. It is like a net, holding me down, trapping me." His body swayed back and forth. "I cannot be Red. I cannot take the full power. Don't you see? The Silver still pulls!"
This was not something that Ashley wanted to deal with. She scrambled off of the bed, intent on reaching the door. But Red was quicker, suddenly appearing in front of her like he had teleported there. Ashley slammed into him, the impact forcing her to backpedal until she hit the bed. She looked at him impatiently, but also with some concern. This was not the Red Ranger that she knew. Yes, he was occasionally manic, which made him fun, but he had never been like this. The Yellow Psycho Ranger knew that something had to be seriously wrong. Hadn't her Mistress warned her of something like this?
He stalked towards her, his face looking confused. "I'm not Silver. I'm not Red. I am in between."
"Yeah, you're in between me and the door," she snarled in reply. If Red wasn't going to play with her, then there was no point in her staying.
He continued towards her, his black eyes now blank, as if he was no longer seeing her. "Red, Silver.... Silver, I once knew you. Who are you now? Red, you were someone else, no longer mine, damaged. Now Red again, Red again, Red again....."
Ashley expertly ducked out of Red's way, letting him land himself on the bed. By this time she was ready to give him a good swift kick in the head, if only to get him back to the way he had been. "You're no good to me, or the Mistress like this," she muttered darkly, her fear of him now gone. She watched him crawl onto the bed, curling up in a fetal position.
She sniffed disdainfully, wondering now what in the world to do. But she knew she only had one choice. Pressing a button the comm system, she called for her Mistress Cyndra.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Astronema, once formerly carrying the title as the Princess of Evil, looked up with wary eyes as her brother, Andros, the Ruby Ranger came into the training room. Upon seeing the Rangers train in here, Astronema had taken advantage of the Megaship's holograph rooms to do some training on her own. She knew that she would need it, especially if she was ever going to defeat Cyndra in battle.
She could see that her brother was hurt by the wariness he saw in her eyes, but it was something she couldn't help. Even after these past few weeks, she still couldn't completely trust any of the Rangers. Her help had been given only because it would eventually help her defeat Cyndra, not because of any trust she had in them. It didn't even matter if Andros was her brother; any bond they might have had once could not be recreated in the short time that she had been on board the Megaship.
Despite her attitude, Andros still came towards her, looking like he was pulling something out of a waist pouch attached to his belt. A flash of memory came to her as she looked at that pouch and she looked up at him. "You always carried a pouch with you, because you were always collecting things," she blurted out without thought.
His eyes widened in surprise, but then he smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad that you remembered that. And this time I have something important I want to give you." He held out a small silver ring. "Here, this is for you."
Astronema looked at it curiously, wondering why it had a sense of familiarity to her. It was almost as if, she knew that the silver ring was meant for her. She looked up at her brother, "What is it? I can tell that it isn't just an ordinary ring."
Andros smiled, "No, it isn't. See this?" He held up his right hand, which sported a gold band on the index finger, similar to the silver one but with a tiny red crystal at the top. "This is what lets me transform into the Ruby Ranger."
Astronema's eyes widened as his words sunk in. "Wait, you want to give me a morpher?!? Why?" She realized how she sounded, but she couldn't hold in her surprise. After all, the last thing she ever expected was for someone, much less her brother, to hand her a morpher to become a Power Ranger.
"Because it's yours," Andros answered. He paused for a moment, as if contemplating his next words. "When I received my morpher, I also got this one. I knew back then, just like I know now, that this was meant for you. It has always been meant for you." He placed the silver ring in her palm. "Despite the fact that you were once known as Dark Specter's heir, as well as the Princess of Evil, I place this, the Amethyst Morpher, in your care. Wear it well Karone."
She ignored the name, but couldn't ignore the sensation that she felt from the contact of that piece of metal against her skin. She looked at it, to find that it was glowing a brilliant purple. Somehow, she knew that the power that lay inside the ring had accepted her as its owner. Her violet eyes met with Andros'. "Thank you," she whispered, knowing with all of her heart that she meant those words and the ones she would say next. "I promise to be true to the responsibilities of being a Power Ranger." With those words, she put on the ring, finding that it fit neatly on her finger. As if it had been made perfectly for her. Perhaps it had been.
"The Amethyst Ring has accepted you, so let it be known now to one and all, that you are the Amethyst Ranger." Though the words sounded ritualistic, Astronema felt a sense of pleasure at being given that title. "If you remain true to your promise, the Powers will never desert you," Andros continued, a smile now on his face, "Power Rangers fight against evil, but they never engage the battle. Power Rangers must always be ready to defend the innocent, sometimes even at the cost of their own lives. And Power Rangers are always true and honorable in whatever they do."
He looked at the ring, then back at her. "Want to try it out?" he asked. There was a curiosity, and excitement coming from the Ruby Ranger. How Astronema could sense it, she didn't know. She knew that it had nothing to do with her magical abilities, although she could sense that those had been augmented somehow by the Ring. But she didn't want to really think about any of those things now, what she wanted to do was test out these new powers!
Astronema held her hand up. Immediately words came to her mind and she knew exactly what to say. "Amethyst Crystal Energize!"
Violet light swirled around Astronema. There was a flash of brilliant white light and there stood the Amethyst Ranger. Her suit was similar to the Ruby Ranger's, except that there was a purple jewel in the center of her suit.
The newly made Amethyst Ranger held out her hand. Automatically, she knew exactly what her weapon would be. "Staff!" In another sparkle of violet light, her staff appeared in her hands. She was surprised to find that it looked exactly like her old one, except that it was now more purple than silver. "I.... I didn't expect my staff to look like this," she said, looking at Andros.
He smiled, "The Amethyst powers have adapted to what you know, and to your magic. I wouldn't be surprised if you find that your power levels in magic have increased."
She nodded, "You're right. They have. I feel like I can do anything right now." Her words trailed off. Suddenly, there was another flash of purple light, and she demorphed, becoming herself once again. "But I can't do anything, not right now. I.... I have to wait for her to find me first."
"Cyndra," Andros said. Astronema looked at him, surprised, but not completely that he had figured out who she had meant. He shrugged. "It's obvious that was who you were talking about. I don't think anyone else could produce those particular feelings in you. But I'm glad that you understand that the rules of being a Ranger."
She nodded, "I could sense that even though I wanted to do it, my Powers wouldn't let me." She tilted her head and looked at him, "You're an empath then?"
Andros nodded. He paused again, giving her a wary-cautious look that told her that she might not like what he was about to say. "There's also something else that you should know. Ever since we were little, we've had this.... telepathic connection," he said, his words coming out slowly, as if he wasn't sure what to say. "When you first came on board, I found that we didn't seem to have that connection anymore. You were closed off to me. But now that you've taken the morpher....I can sense you again."
She blinked, knowing that explained why she could suddenly sense his emotions. There was worry in him, worry that she would reject him because of this reestablished connection. There was also worry that she would think that he had tricked her somehow into wearing the ring so that the connection could be remade. But, there was also love, and a need for that love to be returned, from her.
It didn't take her long to decide on a reply. "It's alright. It's something I can live with. Just as long as you don't go intruding in on me at weird hours...." He vehemently denied ever even thinking of doing such a thing. She chuckled softly at his reaction. "Then we'll be okay. After all, we're sibs, right?" She held out her hand, knowing that was the first time that she had ever allowed such physical contact.
His hand shook slightly as he took hers. It was warm, gentle, and she could feel a power flowing through it that was akin to hers. With that physical contact, she could also more clearly see him mentally. His mental touch was strong, yet she knew that it would open at the slightest touch from the right person. She smiled, knowing that he was accessing those same things about her.
He smiled softly. "Yes," he replied to her almost forgotten statement, "We truly are now brother and sister."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Billy's condition were getting worse. Not only did headaches plague him now, but he was constantly in a state of fever, along with the fact that he sometimes went into convulsions. He know knew how Jason had felt during his stint as the Gold Triforian Ranger.
Now that the true state of his health had been discovered, the rest of the Rangers had confined Billy to the Med Bay, where he had access to any medications that he needed. But Billy knew that the only way to completely cure him was to sever the Silver power from himself. Although it was the last thing that he wanted, he knew that was the only thing that could be done.
Unfortunately, no one on board knew anything about the process, including Andros, who had undergone the same thing himself. The people of Ithta couldn't be called upon, not with the current state of emergencies regarding Zordon, and Dark Specter. No one was to be spared from their duties at the time. So all that could be done now was to keep Billy as comfortable as possible until an alternate solution could be found.
Marie was constantly at Billy's side. Whenever she had any free time, she spent it with him. Even if he was asleep, she would sit beside his bed, holding his hand. It was comforting to him, waking up and knowing that someone, especially her, would always be there.
It was the same again today. Billy had awakened from another nightmare, something that had constantly plagued him these past few days. This one had been about Divatox and her treatment of him. It had been no secret that his time on her ship had been horrible, but it was something that he would rather have forgotten, not remembered in ghastly nightmares. But when he had awakened, he had found himself looking up at Marie's beautiful, yet worried face. Her emerald eyes showed such concern for him, that he knew that he had to immediately put her worries to rest.
"Hey Marie," he greeted, slowly sitting himself up.
She smiled, smoothing her hair behind her ear. It was a nervous gesture that he had begun to notice in her. "Hey Billy, how you feeling?"
Billy shrugged, "Same as always." He put a hand to his forehead, "Headache."
She squeezed his hand, "You should've told us about this earlier! Why didn't you?"
"You needed me," he replied, his blue eyes looking into her green ones. "The team needed me. I couldn't let a minor handicap leave the rest of you without a fifth. Not with first Ashley gone, then TJ out of it.... I couldn't do it."
"Billy, don't you realize that if you're not healthy, you're already no good to the rest of us?" asked Marie, "If you suddenly go down in a battle, then what would we do? That would place you, and the rest of us, in even more danger than if you were just right here in the Med Bay, where you belong!" Marie was almost in tears as she practically shouted those last words.
"Well, now that TJ is back with us," Billy said with a small smile that was meant to reassure the Gold Ranger, "I can stay here as much as needed, okay? You don't have to worry about the team anymore."
"You idiot," she replied, her voice taking on a very exasperated tone, "I'm not worried about the team, I'm worried about you!!" Her face turned as red as her hair when she realized what she had said. She let go of his hand like it had burned her. She looked away. "I..... I....."
"It's okay Marie," he said softly, immediately stopping her flow of incoherent words. "That means a lot to me, especially from you." He reached out to take her hand, "You don't have to let go. I like this." He pulled her closer so that she was now sitting right beside him on the bed.
"I'll never let go," she whispered, looking into his eyes, "Not as long as you don't want me to."
"I... I don't think I'll ever want you to let go," he replied, knowing in his heart how true that was.
Neither Silver or Gold Ranger moved or spoke, unwilling to break the beautiful silence that had surrounded them. All either could see or feel at that moment, was each other. And for the moment, that was all they needed.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Thanks for taking over for me Carlos," TJ said as he sat down in a chair on the bridge. He turned to face the Black Ranger "Cassie mentioned that you've been pretty much the leader since I've been, out."
"All in all, I'm just as glad for you to be taking over again," Carlos replied with a wry grin. Although he had already a long experience of being a leader, and had been able to take over for his friend, he really was glad to have TJ as the leader of the team again. He gave the Blue Ranger a curious look. "Wait, you said that you talked to Cassie? I didn't think.... I mean...."
TJ smiled, "It's alright. We discussed a few things. Actually, a lot of things. It ended up that she knows how I feel, and I know how she feels. Cassie loves Andros, and always will. In fact, they've also had a talk, and have made up, again. As for myself, I've had a better understanding of my true feelings compared to those created by the spell. It's disappointing to know that she's with another man, but I know that it's something I'll never interfere with. I'll be able to get over it, one of these days." He ended his words with a shrug.
"That's good to know," Carlos said, not surprised by the remark. He'd known that the Blue Ranger's sentiments would be along those lines without the Passion Fever persuading him. "So, you're on duty now?"
The Blue Ranger nodded. "Yup. Figured I'd get myself back into the game as quickly as possible. Don't want to strike out because I've gone cold with all that bed rest."
Carlos grinned at TJ's baseball metaphors. "Yeah, I can understand that. You going to be okay then? I mean, if you need the company...."
"Nah, I'll be alright," TJ replied with a shake of his head, "If I need help, there's DECA to call on the rest of you. And if I get bored.... I'll play Solitare or something. Don't worry, I'll be fine. You look beat, you probably ought to get some rest."
"Yeah," Carlos rolled his head, loosening the muscles in his neck. "Maybe I should. I'm getting old....." He trailed off with a small smile. "If you're fine, then I'll leave you alone. See ya later Teej." With that, the Black Ranger left the bridge, leaving TJ alone with his thoughts.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Cyndra glared at the Red Ranger, who now stood still, his eyes blank and his face expressionless. She still didn't know what the hell was wrong with him as his rambling had given her no clues. Instead, she had placed back under complete control, which unfortunately made him now much less useful. He was now no better than one of the drones she had used for the extra Psycho Rangers.
But she had no time to care about his condition, not with the Day of Destruction drawing near. She had to do as Dark Specter had instructed; any problems that arose she would have to deal with herself. But how would she accomplish it? It was going to take some time and effort before she would have the number of troops necessary to accomplish the task. And meanwhile, she couldn't let the Rangers know what she was doing. Those stupid scans from their ship would easily be able to detect a sudden increase in activity on board the Dark Fortress.
That meant that she would have to provide some sort of distraction while she set up her troops. The easiest would be to send down the Psychos again and have them wreak their usual brand of havoc. Cyndra nodded to herself as she considered the plan. It would work. While the Rangers were busy with the Psychos, she could have everything set up in the other cities around the world.
"Alright, then that's what I'll do," she said. "Psycho Rangers, present yourselves!" The other four Psycho Rangers, Yellow, Black, Pink and Blue, appeared, standing alongside the Red one. "I have a mission for you. A new battle is needed, one that will force all of the Rangers into Angel Grove. You five will keep them distracted and focused on the battle for as long as I need. If you can defeat them, so much the better. Do you understand?"
"Yes Lady Cyndra," they answered in unison. With those words, they teleported away in five beams of colored light.
"You, follow." She pointed a finger at a lone figure standing in the shadows. At her command, the figure stepped forward. Cyndra smiled, her sapphire eyes gleaming at the thought of the destruction she would cast upon Earth. "At last, I may have use for you, Ecliptor."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"The Psychos again?" Cassie moaned as she entered the bridge. Everyone else had already arrived, minus Billy, who was still stuck in the Med Bay.
TJ nodded as he showed everyone the viewscreen, "All five of 'em. Seems like Cyndra isn't wasting any time in using them again."
"Well, we have another weapon that they won't expect," Andros smiled, looking at his sister. "The Amethyst Ranger."
The others looked at Astronema as she held up her hand, which now sported a silver ring with a purple gemstone in the center. "That's me."
"Well what are we waiting for then?" demanded Marie, "Let's go kick some Psycho butt!"
"Good luck Rangers!" Alpha called after them as they headed to the jump tubes.
Six Power Rangers arrived in Angel Grove, in time to watch as the Psycho Rangers blasted down another building. At the sight of the Power Rangers though, the Pyschos stopped and turned towards their foes.
Ashley stepped forward. "Well, what's this? Another one? Six of you, against our little ol' five? What, you've got to cheat to beat us, oh honorable Rangers?"
"This is just to even the odds," TJ replied calmly, brandishing his Astro Axe. "Now, are you going to surrender, or do we have to force you to?"
Ashley laughed. "Come and get it!"
The battle seemed to drag on forever, or so it seemed to the Rangers. Considering how easily they had been defeated in their previous battle against the Psychos, it was surprising this time how well they were holding up. Maybe it was the addition of the Amethyst Ranger, but none of them really thought so. The addition of one Ranger, no matter what her powers, was not enough to turn the tide for them this much. But before the Rangers could figure out what was going on, the Psychos suddenly vanished away. The Rangers looked at each other, all confused as to what in the world had just happened.
"Someone want to explain what that was all about?" asked Cassie, standing beside Andros.
"I have no clue," replied Marie, putting away her Solar Sais.
"I always figured that Cyndra was insane," Astronema said with a shake of her head, "But certainly not like this. There's got to be a reason for her doing this."
"We can figure it out when we get back to the Megaship," TJ said. The others nodded in agreement. With that, the six Power Rangers teleported away in streams of rainbow light.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Thanks for your help today Astronema," Carlos said as he made his way to the bridge. Now that the battle was over, everyone had gone off to do their own thing, and it was his turn on bridge duty. Maybe he could figure out why Cyndra had suddenly pulled away her troops. The Black Ranger looked at Astronema beside him, and made a mental note to add her to the duty shift roster. Now that she was really a part of the team, she could be trusted to take on other responsibilities.
The blonde girl shrugged, following along behind him. "You're welcome. There is no point in me having these powers if I don't use them to help you guys. Besides, it just makes things all that much harder for her."
"You'll use whatever you can to get at Cyndra, won't you?" asked Carlos with a raised eyebrow.
"Every and any way I can," Astronema clarified, her violet eyes hardening. "She took away everything I had, my friend, my home..... my very identity. And while I may have regained much of that with you guys, she is still my enemy Carlos, and she'll remain that way until she is dead. And I will make sure that her death will be by my hand."
Carlos stopped, looking at the tenseness of her body, the clenched fists, the fury in her eyes. "You hate her," he said simply.
"Of course I hate her," she replied, stopping as well. "After all that she has done to me, how could I not? What, are you telling me that I shouldn't hate her?"
Carlos shook his head, "No, I'm not saying that. It's something that I can understand actually. But, I just want to warn you though, that hatred is a very powerful thing. Especially when it lies in the hearts of Rangers. It's not something that you want there for too long."
The Amethyst Ranger looked at him, "But it's not something that I can give up. It's what gives me power, and keeps me going. And, it's something I've always had. Whether it was hatred against Rangers, against Cyndra..... it's always been something I had. It's a part of me, and I don't know if I can ever let it go."
"But you don't hate Rangers anymore, do you?" asked Carlos now resuming his walk.
She shook her head and followed him again, "No."
"Then one day, you won't hate Cyndra anymore, and maybe then, you'll be able to stop hating," Carlos suggested, thinking in his heart that could be very true. He really didn't think it was in Astronema's nature to hate. She was only like this because of Dark Specter's training upon her. Once she could shake off that training, who she had really been would begin to shine through.
"A lot of things seem to come 'maybe one day'," Astronema said with a small smile.
"What do you mean?" Carlos asked, an eyebrow raised, this time in curiosity.
"It was something that Marie was talking to me about awhile ago," replied Astronema, her eyebrows coming together in a thoughtful frown, "Something about trusting love. I had told her that maybe one day I would believe in love." She looked up at Carlos. "I'm thinking that'll be the same day that I stop hating."
Carlos smiled and nodded, "I think you're right. Love is a powerful thing. It can do a lot of things."
"You ever been in love?" asked Astronema, her violet eyes giving him a piercing stare.
The Black Ranger nodded, "Yes. I still am. But... I haven't been able to see her for a long time now."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Astronema had finally brought the conversation to where she had wanted it. Now was the time to ask her question. By this time, they had entered the bridge. As he sat down in a chair, she walked up beside him. "You mean that you haven't seen her since you came to Earth?"
Carlos turned around in his chair and looked at her in astonishment. "How...."
"Did I know?" Astronema smiled and shrugged. "It was your life-aura. Anyone who has trained in this type of magic can see it. And I saw yours. It's different from any of the other Rangers, which tells me that you were not born on Earth or Kerova." She tilted her head, "I haven't told anyone else that I know. And am I right in assuming that you haven't either?"
He shook his head, "No, I haven't. And I can't either. It's not something that I can talk about, not even with the other Rangers." He looked at Astronema before turning back to his console, "But since you've found me out, I guess I can talk to you."
She shrugged, "If you want to." She decided to begin things first, "So, what species are you? All I can sense is that you're very long lived."
Carlos nodded. "I am Antarsi. My life span is about a hundred times that of a regular human. I'm about 1700 years old, give or take a few decades. My species is an old one, from a planet that is in the same system as Eltar's actually, which is probably why we're so long-lived."
"Why come here?" she asked, for some reason finding this very interesting.
"At the beginning, it was for research," Carlos answered, "I am a scientist, and was asked to do research on Humans, to study their behavior and the reason their Rangers were able to defeat two of history's most notorious villains. I took on the identity of a young, slightly egotistical Human male since that was what I resembled."
He smiled as he continued his story, "I found that I really liked soccer. I became friends with a few other Humans. It was all very interesting to me." He paused for a moment, his brown eyes clouding, "I never thought I was going to become a Power Ranger. When Adam, the previous Green Turbo Ranger chose me, it was the last thing I expected. I accepted, because I was asked to. And so, my duties have kept me here on Earth."
"Even at the expense of seeing your family?" asked Astronema, looking at him curiously.
"That's a surprising question, coming from you," Carlos remarked looking back at Astronema.
Astronema shrugged and bit her lip before answering. "I'm starting to learn a bit more about the necessity and advantages of having a family."
"Alright, then to answer your question," Carlos said deciding not to press the issue, "Yes, I have been here at the expense of seeing my family. But I know my duties as a Power Ranger, and if it means sacrificing my time with my wife and children, it is something that must be done. I do keep in contact with them as often as I can though, but it obviously is not the same thing."
"You must really miss them a lot," she said softly.
"Yeah, I really do," he replied. But before he could say anything else, the alarms on the watch board suddenly went off wildy.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The alarms blared all over the ship as DECA's voice called for all the Rangers to report to the bridge. Everyone came rushing in, including Billy, who was looking no better than the last time any of the Rangers had seen him.
"What? What's going on this time?" asked Cassie, as she came running in, her hair wet and a towel thrown over her shoulders.
"Take a look at this," Carlos pointed to the viewscreen. Tiny red dots that indicated monsters were scattered across a map of the world.
"Oh hell, you're kidding me!" TJ said, seeing just how the monsters were scattered across the different continents. "Tokyo, London, Orlando, Vancouver....." There were more places being hit than he could name.
"What in the world is Cyndra doing?" muttered Marie, looking no better than the rest of the Rangers. She had sat Billy down in one of the chairs and was now standing beside him.
"Ai, yi, yi!" exclaimed Alpha as he went up to the station, "It looks like Cyndra has begun an all out attack on a global scale!!"
"That previous battle must've only been a distraction." Andros said with a groan. "This must have been her real goal. But why now? She could have done this long ago. What does this mean?"
"Oh no....." a whisper came from Astronema's direction.
Andros looked at his sister sharply, "What, what do you know Astronema?"
"I had completely forgotten...." Astronema whispered, her face going pale. She looked up at everyone. "It's the beginning, the beginning of the end. The Day of Destruction."
"The Day of Destruction?" asked Billy, "What's that?"
"It's a day that was predicted long ago by Dark Specter," Astronema said with a shaky voice. By now she had sat down in the nearest chair. "He said that when all the stars are in the correct alignment, the balance between good and evil will be thrown into chaos for 24 Earth hours. During that time, either side can force the balance towards their side. Dark Specter means for evil to reign."
Silence followed her words. None of the Rangers knew what to do or say. A few eyes went back to the map, watching as the number of monsters and Quantrons appearing grew larger with each passing second. This was more than any of them had dealt with before. They had neither the number or the forces to deal with something like this. But, they all knew in their hearts that they could not abandon their duties.
"We have to fight," Cassie's whisper broke the silence. She knew that she had to fight, not only for the planet that was her home, but because of her love for Andros. It would demand no less, because his own planet had been destroyed, she would not let him go through seeing the destruction of another planet.
"Yes," TJ said, knowing that if he didn't fight, his family would die at the hands of the evil he had vowed to destroy. He would not let that happen. There were too many people, not just family, but friends that were counting on him.
"There's no other choice," Billy said softly, his voice barely audible. He knew that his condition was worsening with each passing day, but there was no help for it. But no matter what his condition was, he would not allow anyone to destroy his home. He would fight, to his very death if he had to.
"Yes," Andros echoed, knowing that he would follow Cassie to the ends of the universe. If she would fight, then so would he. He also knew that he couldn't let another planet die at the hands of Dark Specter, not after what had happened to his own.
Marie nodded, knowing in her heart that she could not do otherwise. Not only was this planet the home of the man she, yes she would admit it, loved, but the battle was an eerie echo of what had happened to her own home. With all her strength, she would protect it, no matter what.
Astronema was just as silent as Marie. She had never expected herself to be fighting with the Rangers on the Day of Destruction. For almost fourteen years, she had imagined herself standing beside Dark Specter, reveling in the glory at the chaos and destruction that would have reigned through the universe. Now she had a different dream, one in which she would stand alongside, not only her brother, but the rest of the Rangers as they helped to defend the forces of good on the planet Earth.
"It's something that we have to do," Carlos said, his brown eyes somber. This was going to be a difficult battle, one in which he might not survive. He sent a silent prayer up to whichever god might be listening, asking that his wife and children be taken care of, just in case. It was the last thing he wanted to do, leave Kahva a widow, but he knew that he could not let Dark Specter just take over.
They were Power Rangers. No matter where they had come from, what their past was, or how long they had lived, their duty was clear. They would protect the Earth, because that was what they had to do, no matter what the cost.