Chapter 15 Coming together PT. 2
Complications
Light raider:
The bridge was almost dead calm as they waited for a reply from their comrade. But there was only dead air.
"Scan the area for signs of life." Ryan barked but Sarah had it done.
"I do hate to interrupt rangers but I may have what you're looking for." The voice said and Ryan's head snapped up to where the phantom stood on the view screen. They all saw then the red head just beyond the phantom ranger's shoulder. She looked perfectly fine but Ryan wasn't happy. He didn't know what had happened but he knew he didn't like it.
"Dam it Hollie do you have to scare us like that?" The ruby starspeed ranger demanded but no one else on the bridge of the Light Raider spoke. No, his question was enough, for all knew now by his angry and relieved face what he'd been thinking.
"Hey I got that sar off my back." She shot back defensively.
God, Ryan had never felt so ill, not even when he'd been afraid for his little sister. He wanted to make her come back, to kiss her breathless and then throttle her for scaring him like that. It never struck him just how possessive he was acting; he'd just been so scared.
It's nice to see you missed me." She said her eyes still glittering.
"So mind coming back here so you can tell us what happened?" Sarah asked into the silence that suddenly fell.
"Well depends am I going to get grounded?" Hollie asked in a child like tone.
"Just get over here red." Ryan muttered and Hollie rolled her eyes.
"Some things never change." Hollie muttered and Heath had to hide his smile. Oh yes they were definitely a real match.
"We do need to speak." Cassie spoke up bringing their attention back to the pink clad young woman with their teammate.
"You could come aboard." Ryan said and the phantom ranger nodded.
The ship should fit in your docking bay." The phantom ranger nodded in acceptance of Ryan's suggestion.
"Right I'm opening the bay doors now." Heath informed him. Usually that was Devon's job but he was working on the SAR fighter so Heath took the initiative.
***
Headquarters, KO-35:
His temporary quarters were silent as Mike sat on the bunk. He kept trying to figure out what had happened today. Not that things hadn't been nuts enough but he'd what had made him do it?
"Well?" Mike asked Karone as he'd entered the R&D section.
"The first blasters are ready and Kendrix and Damon are installing the lasers on the zords." The one time princess of evil had told him happily.
"Good the Karovian fighters are ready to go when you are." Mike replied.
"That's what my brother said. We're going to take the first load of weapons back to earth in about an hour." Karone informed him as she moved to a station and typed in some information on a data recorder.
"We?" Mike asked and he wondered how she could look so together.
"Andros and the astro rangers." Karone informed him and he felt a pang. This girl who was like a little sister TO HIM. After all she'd been chosen as they had to help Mirinoi and for that she'd lost as much as he had. Hell in the same battle they'd lost their spouses and their dreams for the future.
"In that case have you eaten?" The magna-defender asked.
"No but there really isn't time. I still have to make sure the fragment grenades are safely loaded." The second pink galaxy ranger told him.
"Why don't you let Cassie or Zhane do it?" Mike asked as he scratched the back of his neck. She was too thin, had she been eating?
"Their prepping the ship." She said braking into his thoughts.
"Tell you what I'll help that way you can still have time to grab something." Mike offered glancing around the busy room.
"I…" it was as if she didn't know what to say. He could understand that. Since he'd lost Maya he'd not given himself time to really think about it. The magna-defender knew he couldn't or he'd never be able to move on, to do what had to be done to save the lives still salvageable.
"You have other work to do; you can help with the mounting or with the launching." She pointed out.
"Karone, I know what your doing." He said softly, taking her by the arm to lead her from the room even as he radioed his little brother. "Leo can you sent someone up to secure the grenades?"
"Sure thing is something wrong with Karone?" The red galaxy ranger asked worriedly. That almost made Mike smile; his little brother had come a long way. Still he had a mission.
"She needs food." Mike replied simply.
"Alright, Andros says he'll do it." The younger Corbett said after a minute's silence.
"Thanks bro." Mike called as he moved to end transmission.
He'd made sure that she'd eaten before leaving for earth but now he couldn't understand why he cared so much. Why did he worry about her more than the others? Was it really because she was in a place as dark as his or because he needed to be there for someone?
As he lay down Mike didn't know but he felt a little better just caring about Karone, not dwelling on his own heartache.
***
NASADA headquarters, Angel Grove,
Kelsey looked to her husband who was again checking his watch. She'd never seen Chad so anxious. No, the first blue lightspeed ranger was worse than a child at his birthday party.
"Chad will you stop worrying? They'll be here soon.' the brunette said and even as he looked to her they heard the blaster fire. Both moved to a view screen and found the six aircrafts were blasting at something they couldn't see from where they waited.
"Think it's them?"
"Yep, bet the sar sent a welcome party." Kelsey muttered sarcastically and hit a few buttons on the simple communicator the ex-yellow lightspeed ranger wore.
"Carter its Kelsey."
***
Neo Aquabase.:
The ringing of his communicator had Carter groaning but sitting up never the less.
"Grayson here.'
"Carter it's…" He felt a strange feeling even as Dana stirred beside him.
"Carter?" She asked groggily and he mouthed that it was Kelsey.
"Kelsey what's going on?" He asked rubbing a weary hand through his sleep tousled hair.
"The astro team's here but I think they might be a little detained as they've been met with a little welcome party." Came his friend's voice and Carter sighed. It was finally coming together. He swore after the war ended he was leaving the defense business. He loved saving the world as much as any ranger but he was ready to be done.
"Right, think they need help?" He asked addressing the current situation.
"No, Andros is talking with Chad; I think they're teleporting to the base." The yellow lightspeed ranger replied after a moment's silence.
"Right thanks Kelsey." He said and closed his eyes as the transmission ended.
"So it's time for it to begin?" Dana asked sitting up beside him and Carter turned to face his wife. He needed to look at her pretty face, to remember why he was still doing this. Yes he might have taken the job but in the last few hours when not only his life and those of the rangers were at risk. He realized now he was tired of putting Dana and himself in danger, too there were the children.
Maybe he'd see about leaving on the next space colony. Wasn't there one due to leave in a few months?
***
Light raider:
Thirty minutes after the transmission from the phantom ranger's ship the starspeed team sat in the galley with the two new comers.
"So mind telling us what you did down there?" Heath asked Hollie and she sighed, not looking at Ryan. They hadn't spoke since she'd arrived and now she was not about to meet those angry silver eyes.
"Before I left I saw the map and so I had an idea. When the SAR was chasing me I did a quick scan of the area and found the cliffs. Since I couldn't destroy him I knew I could still lose him."
"That's the last thing on the video feed." Sarah nodded in understanding.
"But how did you get him to go over?" Devon asked and Hollie sighed. This was the part Ryan really wouldn't like.
"Remember how Mrs. R. adapted the Jet speeders to fit in the back of our belts?"
"You never learned to use them." Heath said slowly and then as he caught sight of the ominous look on his leaders face he sighed. That had so not been the right thing to say.
No but after you guys tested with them Marie explained how to operate them."
"So you decided," Ryan's voice was low and warning tinged every word. "To try it out for the first time in a life and death situation?"
"The way it looked to us was she had no other choice." Cassie interjected on the gold rangers behalf.
"Either way it's done." Eldon AKA the phantom ranger broke in before the gold and ruby rangers could start spitting at one another. This was not the time for them to flirt; they had a war to win. "We came to help you and to bring you the needed new artillery." Eldon informed them and from the folder before him he pulled out two forms, one he gave to Ryan and the other went to Devon. "These are exactly what you have and how to install them, Kendrix and Andros came up with the methods of adapting them so they'll just work like always."
"But the metal?"
"The small cells you'll add to the lasers contain trace elements of it and so when you fire Trini will be discharged."
"It will be enough to kill them?"
"Yes the sar and their Somet counter parts are allergic to this metal so nay contact with it is deadly.
"Good well I better get started, Heath think you could give me a hand?"
"Sure." The cobalt clad young man nodded and moved to leave with him.
"Hollie we have to talk.' Ryan began but Cassie shook her head.
"What?" The red clad leader asked a single brow arched in query.
"She needs to go to the med…'
"She's hurt?" He asked a confused look at Hollie who seemed to be trying to hide her arm beneath the table. Catching the move Ryan frowned and reached out and for it.
"It's nothing." Hollie argued but he was already grabbing for it.
"Come on, it's back to the bay for you." Sarah said before Ryan could get a hold of Hollie's arm.
"It's not that bad." the gold starspeed ranger argued even as Cassie moved to help get Hollie out of the room.
"You love her very much." Eldon said when Ryan would have followed the women from the bridge. The phantom ranger had been watching the red ranger's demeanor. He thought he looked rather like Andros when ever he looked at Ashley.
Something else struck Eldon; they were more than what they seemed. True Eldon knew the story of the ruby starspeed ranger, he'd read up on each new team as did most interplanetary rangers. He knew that both he and the red headed gold ranger had not had the best childhoods. He'd been driven by the same thing that had let Hollie become a ranger. Eldon just wondered if the feelings between them would be stronger than her hidden pain and shadows. He could see that it might be hard since Ryan didn't want Hollie to get hurt so it would be interesting to see what would happen between them.
"She's too reckless."
"And that scares you." Eldon murmured and Ryan moved back to sit down.
"She's a ranger under my watch if something happens to her…"
"Lying to yourself." Eldon said solemnly. "I've been where you are, I fought what I felt for Cassie for two years and I could kick myself now." Eldon closed his eyes remembering how close his Cassie had come to death during that battle with psycho pink. He'd heard about if only after the first pink galaxy ranger had been restored to life. After all he'd gone into hermit state after the end of the war.
"I've almost lost Cassie time and time again and it was hard to know she was fighting evil, knowing she could be killed but it's what we do.' The blue haired Eltarian said quietly.
"Damn it I don't even know if I know what that love feels like." The red clad man ran a frustrated hand through his golden hair.
"Tell me this, do you feel your heart leap into your throat whenever she does something you would do? Could you breath when you watched the tape from Hollie's morpher?"
"I don't need this." Ryan muttered and the laugh from the door had them both turning back to face the girl in question.
"You think I need this either?" Hollie demanded her emerald eyes flashing with golden fire as she stood there, hands on her hips. "I'm on a mission; kill them before they do to others what Lord Zed's monsters did to me." She stalked across the room to the table where she'd left her morpher. She didn't think anyone had ever made her feel as bad as Ryan's words did.
God, he didn't need this? Did he think she wanted these feelings? He was an Arrogant, stubborn, Pig who thought he ruled the world. On top of that since she'd realized during those seconds when she'd hung over the cliff that her feelings were not just attraction or friendship but love she'd felt different. She'd figured he'd be mad but he was mad about caring?
"You should be in the medical bay." Ryan said dumbly wondering how much she'd heard. He guessed it had to be most of it, after all she looked pissed.
"Look Mitchell," She got right up in his face pointing at herself. "I am not your concern. I've made sure I wouldn't be anyone's since I lost them." She jabbed her finger into his chest. "I refuse to let anyone be responsible for me."
"Hollie…" She didn't understand, she didn't have a choice and now he saw that neither did he.
"Save it, I'm going to go help Devon and Heath." She snapped turning on her heel. If she didn't get out of there her upset would cut through her anger and she'd be sobbing on the floor. He'd already hurt her he didn't need to know much.
As he watched her go Ryan felt like a heel. It had happened, he'd messed up their… There what? They had barely been friends and yet that had changed and… He knew that Eldon was right but what could he do about that? They were at war and both he and Hollie had so many scars. God, Ryan just didn't know anything anymore.
TBC
***
And there we go another finished chapter. Now comes your part, PLEASE r/r and let me know what you think.