Chapter 10 Answers and disasters

7:15 A.M.

 Sitting there in the lab aboard the ship Dana tried to study the missive before her. She was on Mirinoi and on a murder investigation with six dead.  Then with the wedding growing ever closer more attempts could be made. 

Sighing the doctor managed finally to clear her mind. Justin had run some tests on it but there had been nothing unusual about it.  Well nothing but for how they'd gotten it almost an hour ago. 

When she'd returned to the hospital's waiting room it was to find Ryan just moving through the door.  Dana noticed that her brother looked both relieved and worried.  Had their been news?  When she asked him he nodded. 

"She's been moved into her own room, there seems to be no serious damage.  He just knocked her out." 

"But why?" 

"The note said…"  Ryan felt ill, that monster had used her, let her live so she'd be a lesson to them.  "He said that next time he'd not settle for injuring one of us." 

"And?"  Carter asked and Ryan met his friend's eyes. 

"And each one of us will die for what we have done."  Ryan muttered grimly. 

"I want to see the note."  Carter said and Ryan glared at him. 

"Man I don't know what your part is in all of this, I just know there's more to it than you're telling us."  Ryan growled glancing from him to Dana and back. 

"Ryan do you know where Kelsey is?"  Dana asked him softly and he frowned and then nodded. 

"I was just headed there." 

"Can I come?  I want to see her, I need to."  The blonde admitted and after another look at Carter Ryan nodded. 

"Come on."  And they were off. 

Carter had gone to retrieve the communiqué while Dana and Ryan had been looking in on their still unconscious friend. 

Now the doctor could still remember how she'd felt when she'd seen the usually vibrant daredevil laying pale and still in the hospital bed.  Her stomach had been churning and… god she just couldn't take this all in. 

"No luck?"  Came a voice and she glanced up to find Kimberly Scott standing a few feet away with two mugs of coffee in hand. 

"Nope, there wasn't even a hair follicle."  She confessed wanly. 

"That's what Justin said."  The brunette   handed Dana a cup.  "I was still kind of hoping, you know we'd find something."  Kimberly admitted a little sheepishly.

"Me too but maybe the handwriting tests will pick up on something."  Dana said running a weary hand over her face, trying to wipe away some of her fatigue.  It had after all been over 24 hours since they'd found that body in the forest.

"Maybe."  The ex-gymnast nodded bringing Dana back to the present.  The first pink ranger pulled up a stool to the lab counter beside Dana.  "You and Carter have known each other for a long time haven't you?" the brunette asked and Dana looked over at her, wondering why Kimberly would care at a time like this. Still she saw no real prying just a concern. 

"Yes, for a while now." 

"I thought so, Carter used to talk about you, and he would check up on you, you know after the wreck especially."  The brunette was careful not to call it an accident as they both now knew it was not.  Dana was not sure if that was a curse or a blessing but it was in fact a reality.  But then too she wondered at the information the other woman had just handed her. 

"He was worried?"  She asked mildly sipping her coffee. 

"Yes, he had gone to the hospital when it happened, Wright after but you were so…"  Kimberly couldn't think of the right words.  

"Despondent and icy."  Dana nodded remembering how she'd acted towards everyone. 

"I don't know about that but we'd been called to an emergency case in Silver Hills so he'd had to leave soon after you awoke." 

"Oh," The other woman didn't know what to say so she asked.  "What happened?" 

"The Quantum ranger, Eric Myers was in an accident and it was caused by one of the last mutants." 

"So you caught it then?"  Dana asked and Kimberly nodded. 

"Yeah, but our lustrous leader got a broken leg out of that little ordeal." 

"Carter…"  Dana felt a little ill.  In the last days she'd realized she loved him and that terrified her to begin with let alone knowing what he'd been through. 

"Well don't worry he made it.  I just wanted you to know he'd have stayed with you if he could have."  Kimberly murmured gently, knowing how love could hurt.  She'd loved her Jason for four years before they'd ended up together. 

"Oh," Dana mumbled wondering with the decreasing of her defenses if she'd lost her composure completely.  She just couldn't seem to make her mind work right.  "Thank you."  Dana managed at last and Kimberly smiled at her. 

"Anytime.  We might not have originally been rangers together but we will be." 

"Yeah we will."  Dana didn't know why but just that simple tone and Kimberly's understanding smile gave her something she'd lacked for a long time, hope. 

"Hey guys the info's in."  Justin called as the now seventeen year old ranger entered the room. 

"Well?"  Both women were on their feet. 

"We've…" 

"Wait there's a problem."  A voice called and al three turned to find Jen standing in the doorway, she looked pale and a little ill. 

"What's going on?"  All three were moving forward in unison. 

"There's been an accident and Dana Carter…"  Jason probably said more but she didn't here it as Dana felt her knees give out and she was sitting in a heap on the floor, the room receding around her.

"I love you." Carter had told her fervently.  "I want you to remember what I just said tonight, always."  He'd murmured that only last night. Now he was gone.

"Dana!"  She vaguely heard Justin's voice calling to her from somewhere far away.

"Dana can you" She cut off his worried voice.

"What happened?"  The doctor asked abruptly, needing to know.

"The roads are slick during the early morning hours and he didn't know…  Carter went off the street and hit a tree."  Jen said and her face was red and puffy from weeping.

"Are you sure?"  Dana asked feeling ill, after all that had already happened, he was dead.  God, he was dead… 

"Dana…"  Jen began but it was Kimberly who sat down beside her. 

"Where is he?"  Dana asked getting to her feet with the help of the others.

"The police are down there now."  The one time pink Time Force ranger spoke softly adding.  "But He's been taken to the morgue

"I have to go" Dana said but Justin's voice stopped her cold.

"It's probably better if you don't."  And that was all the teenager had to say before Dana began to pull herself back into doctor mode.

"I think he's right."  Kimberly gently put a hand on their new teammate's shoulder.  Dana nodded numbly, he was dead?  She seemed to recover and said.

"Did anyone call Ryan?"  The pink lightspeed ranger inquired forcing her mind to work along the right lines.

"I did."  Jason told her and she nodded. 

"Who's the second within the unit?"  The newest member asked. 

"I am."  The first red ranger replied and Dana nodded. It made sense since the red rangers were usually team leaders.

"Well, in that case you should know that Justin had news."  Dana informed him. 

"Justin?"  Jason asked. 

"I've got a match on the killer."  The blue turbo ranger said and all eyes shifted to him. 

TBC

*** 

Lady Lightspeed:  Hmm wonder who the killer is? 

Dana Grayson:  you dolt you know who it is. 

Lady Lightspeed: I do? 

Dana Grayson: Lothor was so right about working with family. 

Lady Lightspeed: I heard that! 

Dana Grayson: Anyway what did you think of this new chapter?  We worked hard on it and hope it wasn't' too bad. 

Lady Lightspeed: Listen I hate to ask however we'd like at least three reviews so we know people are still reading this.