Chapter 29
"They took another twelve Guardians," Eric told them. Alex took a deep breath and looked towards the window. Jen was standing by it, her gaze lost. He immediately knew she wasn't listening to what was being said in the room.
"Any idea of how?" he asked stupidly.
"They stopped the truck, pulled them out and then blew up the vehicle," Eric answered. "I want my men back."
Alex nodded distractedly. "We'll get them, don't worry." He looked at the images of the scene the other Rangers had taken for them. "I wonder what they took the Guardians for."
"They needed punching bags for their training," Jen said, startling them all as she sat down next to them. "Human punching bags."
"What?!" Eric said, standing up as if moved by a spring.
"They needed them for their practice sessions. Remember, The Mistress is using Ransik and Nadira to train her younger mutants, and I guess their method includes hands-on hurting," Jen explained.
"We have to find them!" Eric demanded.
"It would be useless to look for them. If they have them, they are probably hidden behind the invisibility shield," Trip commented.
"Then we better look for them the old fashioned way," Eric said, walking to the door.
"Eric, no," Jen stopped. "It's dangerous."
"It's my men out there!"
"And they are probably dead by now," she said. Eric looked at her, stunned. "I'm sorry, but it's probably true."
Eric sat down. "What are we going to do?"
"Nothing for now. We need to focus on protecting Josephine and her children for now. Eric, send another group of men."
"I only have two hundred men to cover the city, I can't keep sending troops every time your mother kidnaps them," the Quantum Ranger replied bitterly.
"You have to," Alex answered, just as coldly. "Or Jessica and Wesley are going to know about it. I wonder if your new friendship with Jessica is strong enough for her not to fire you when she finds out you refused to protect her sister."
Eric stood up and left, his eyes burning angrily through Alex. "So alike and so different," he muttered as he walked out. Alex looked at Trip puzzled, but Jen just snorted.
"What's with him?" Alex asked, shaking his head.
"I don't think Wes used to threaten him to force him to obey his orders, Alex," Trip said. "He's met his match when it comes to being cold and mean in the battlefield, and I don't think he likes it," the Xybrian said, being very careful to get up from the table and walk away from Alex as he did so.
"Did he just say I'm cold and mean?" Alex asked his wife.
"In the battlefield. He was specific about that," she answered with a smile, also getting up from the table. In her mind she was thinking seriously about what she had read in Eric's mind about Wes, it had surprised her.
Three months had passed since Josephine and her family had gone back to their farm, and the Silver Guardians had been protecting them, as a security guard on their farm. However, over the past few weeks, two groups of Silver Guardians had been kidnapped from the perimeter of the Simmonses' farm. Jessica didn't know any of this, but it meant the danger around her sister was closing in again, and this time bigger than ever. The now nine- months pregnant businesswoman needed peace to rest and relax.
Also, The Mistress' youngsters had been attacking the city randomly for these past months and the Rangers had noticed they stayed and fought longer every time.
Alex followed Jen and caught up with her in a few steps. "Do you think this is finally coming to an end?" he asked.
"I hope so," she answered. "I wonder how much more of this we can take. And I wonder how much more of this they can take."
"I hope this comes to a painless end for all of us," he said, holding her hand. "I hope nobody else gets hurt."
She kissed him. "Me too, Alex, me too."
****************************
The Mistress was pleased with the results she had obtained from Fly-tag. The mutant was stronger than ever, and also angrier than ever. Fly-tag was quickly catching up with Nadira and Ransik in her fighting skills and also in her capacity to cause pain. She was amazed to see Fly-tag and Centauricon beat on those poor men Nadira had captured for them. She looked up when her pink-haired daughter and her father walked into the room.
"You wanted to talk to us, Samantha?" Ransik asked.
"Yes, I did," she said quickly. "I think we are ready to go."
Nadira and Ransik nodded with evil smiles playing on their faces.
Outside, very well hidden, Fly-tag heard what The Mistress had just said. She flew back to the base of the clock tower, where her three friends were waiting for her. "They are ready to go, we don't have much time," she informed them.
"What are we going to do? Are we telling the officers or are we rescuing them ourselves?" Bunnistein asked.
"Neither," Centauricon said. "We have to let her make her move and we have to do our thing right, we can't risk her knowing."
"True," they all agreed.
"This is finally coming to an end, and I'm sure the cherub and his friends are getting ready for this last battle," Fly-tag muttered.
"As ready as we are," Boulderac added.
"You four!" they heard Nadira calling. They turned to look at her and her father. "Move. We have a family to kidnap and torture," she ordered. The four mutants nodded and followed her.
"I'm thinking of a family I want to kidnap and torture," Fly-tag whispered bitterly as she stared after Nadira and her parents.
*******************************
"The boys are taking a nap," Josephine commented as she sat next to her husband on the couch, snuggling against his chest.
"So we have some time to ourselves, that's great," he commented, holding her tightly. "Aw, my Jossie. What would I be without you?"
"A cranky college teacher," she joked.
He laughed softly. "Probably."
"Kev, I've been thinking," she paused nervously. He hugged her tighter for a second to encourage her to go on. "I want a baby girl," she said quickly.
"A daughter?" he asked.
"Yes, I want us to have a daughter now, the twins are five already, I think this is a good moment," she argued.
"Well, I guess we can try," he agreed. She looked up at his face and he smiled at her.
"Really? You want to try?"
He kissed her excited smile. "Yes, of course."
She hugged him tightly, again hiding her face in his neck. He kissed her hair and commented playfully. "What was I thinking when I decided to marry you? Now I have to agree with having children, at my age!"
"Ain't that a bitch?" she asked in the same tone, and then began nibbling and sucking on his earlobe.
"Josephine!" he chided. "Behave yourself!" her teasing mouth moved lower, kissing the side of his neck and moving to his shoulder, and then coming back to the base of his throat and lower, as she kissed the skin that was exposed by every button she undid.
Outside of the house, The Silver Guardians were fighting a silent war. They were too far from the house for the Simmonses to hear them, and what worried them most was that they were losing, and The Mistress' mutants were closing in on their unknowing victims.
To be continued.
"They took another twelve Guardians," Eric told them. Alex took a deep breath and looked towards the window. Jen was standing by it, her gaze lost. He immediately knew she wasn't listening to what was being said in the room.
"Any idea of how?" he asked stupidly.
"They stopped the truck, pulled them out and then blew up the vehicle," Eric answered. "I want my men back."
Alex nodded distractedly. "We'll get them, don't worry." He looked at the images of the scene the other Rangers had taken for them. "I wonder what they took the Guardians for."
"They needed punching bags for their training," Jen said, startling them all as she sat down next to them. "Human punching bags."
"What?!" Eric said, standing up as if moved by a spring.
"They needed them for their practice sessions. Remember, The Mistress is using Ransik and Nadira to train her younger mutants, and I guess their method includes hands-on hurting," Jen explained.
"We have to find them!" Eric demanded.
"It would be useless to look for them. If they have them, they are probably hidden behind the invisibility shield," Trip commented.
"Then we better look for them the old fashioned way," Eric said, walking to the door.
"Eric, no," Jen stopped. "It's dangerous."
"It's my men out there!"
"And they are probably dead by now," she said. Eric looked at her, stunned. "I'm sorry, but it's probably true."
Eric sat down. "What are we going to do?"
"Nothing for now. We need to focus on protecting Josephine and her children for now. Eric, send another group of men."
"I only have two hundred men to cover the city, I can't keep sending troops every time your mother kidnaps them," the Quantum Ranger replied bitterly.
"You have to," Alex answered, just as coldly. "Or Jessica and Wesley are going to know about it. I wonder if your new friendship with Jessica is strong enough for her not to fire you when she finds out you refused to protect her sister."
Eric stood up and left, his eyes burning angrily through Alex. "So alike and so different," he muttered as he walked out. Alex looked at Trip puzzled, but Jen just snorted.
"What's with him?" Alex asked, shaking his head.
"I don't think Wes used to threaten him to force him to obey his orders, Alex," Trip said. "He's met his match when it comes to being cold and mean in the battlefield, and I don't think he likes it," the Xybrian said, being very careful to get up from the table and walk away from Alex as he did so.
"Did he just say I'm cold and mean?" Alex asked his wife.
"In the battlefield. He was specific about that," she answered with a smile, also getting up from the table. In her mind she was thinking seriously about what she had read in Eric's mind about Wes, it had surprised her.
Three months had passed since Josephine and her family had gone back to their farm, and the Silver Guardians had been protecting them, as a security guard on their farm. However, over the past few weeks, two groups of Silver Guardians had been kidnapped from the perimeter of the Simmonses' farm. Jessica didn't know any of this, but it meant the danger around her sister was closing in again, and this time bigger than ever. The now nine- months pregnant businesswoman needed peace to rest and relax.
Also, The Mistress' youngsters had been attacking the city randomly for these past months and the Rangers had noticed they stayed and fought longer every time.
Alex followed Jen and caught up with her in a few steps. "Do you think this is finally coming to an end?" he asked.
"I hope so," she answered. "I wonder how much more of this we can take. And I wonder how much more of this they can take."
"I hope this comes to a painless end for all of us," he said, holding her hand. "I hope nobody else gets hurt."
She kissed him. "Me too, Alex, me too."
****************************
The Mistress was pleased with the results she had obtained from Fly-tag. The mutant was stronger than ever, and also angrier than ever. Fly-tag was quickly catching up with Nadira and Ransik in her fighting skills and also in her capacity to cause pain. She was amazed to see Fly-tag and Centauricon beat on those poor men Nadira had captured for them. She looked up when her pink-haired daughter and her father walked into the room.
"You wanted to talk to us, Samantha?" Ransik asked.
"Yes, I did," she said quickly. "I think we are ready to go."
Nadira and Ransik nodded with evil smiles playing on their faces.
Outside, very well hidden, Fly-tag heard what The Mistress had just said. She flew back to the base of the clock tower, where her three friends were waiting for her. "They are ready to go, we don't have much time," she informed them.
"What are we going to do? Are we telling the officers or are we rescuing them ourselves?" Bunnistein asked.
"Neither," Centauricon said. "We have to let her make her move and we have to do our thing right, we can't risk her knowing."
"True," they all agreed.
"This is finally coming to an end, and I'm sure the cherub and his friends are getting ready for this last battle," Fly-tag muttered.
"As ready as we are," Boulderac added.
"You four!" they heard Nadira calling. They turned to look at her and her father. "Move. We have a family to kidnap and torture," she ordered. The four mutants nodded and followed her.
"I'm thinking of a family I want to kidnap and torture," Fly-tag whispered bitterly as she stared after Nadira and her parents.
*******************************
"The boys are taking a nap," Josephine commented as she sat next to her husband on the couch, snuggling against his chest.
"So we have some time to ourselves, that's great," he commented, holding her tightly. "Aw, my Jossie. What would I be without you?"
"A cranky college teacher," she joked.
He laughed softly. "Probably."
"Kev, I've been thinking," she paused nervously. He hugged her tighter for a second to encourage her to go on. "I want a baby girl," she said quickly.
"A daughter?" he asked.
"Yes, I want us to have a daughter now, the twins are five already, I think this is a good moment," she argued.
"Well, I guess we can try," he agreed. She looked up at his face and he smiled at her.
"Really? You want to try?"
He kissed her excited smile. "Yes, of course."
She hugged him tightly, again hiding her face in his neck. He kissed her hair and commented playfully. "What was I thinking when I decided to marry you? Now I have to agree with having children, at my age!"
"Ain't that a bitch?" she asked in the same tone, and then began nibbling and sucking on his earlobe.
"Josephine!" he chided. "Behave yourself!" her teasing mouth moved lower, kissing the side of his neck and moving to his shoulder, and then coming back to the base of his throat and lower, as she kissed the skin that was exposed by every button she undid.
Outside of the house, The Silver Guardians were fighting a silent war. They were too far from the house for the Simmonses to hear them, and what worried them most was that they were losing, and The Mistress' mutants were closing in on their unknowing victims.
To be continued.
