The Power of Wind: Chapter Three
By: Vilepawn Archfiend
Disclaimer: Necrid is the property of Todd McFarlane Productions. Talim/Soul Edge/Soul Calibur are the property of Namco. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo, and Power Rangers in Space are the property of Saban Entertainment and now BVS Entertainment. Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game and affiliates are copyright Kazuki Takahashi and property of Konami Corporation. No profit was made in the production of this fanfiction work.
The Power of Wind: Legacy's Rebirth
"You've got to be kidding me," Pluto snapped, turning her attention away from the scene. "Barox has been defeated. And that red one, didn't he forget to say 'hadouken'?"
"I do not understand, my queen," Necrid replied.
"Oh, forget it. The fact of the matter is, Barox was beaten by a fireball. A tiny little insignificant fireball. Of all the humiliating ways to be overcome…"
"Perhaps it was a supernatural fireball," Necrid suggested. "We have no way of knowing the nature of this projectile attack that the Red Ranger has acquired. A fireball could simply be a camouflage for whatever else could be contained within the space. It may not even be truly—"
"Spare me. In any case, we will need some sort of a plan. Blind attacks won't work, so we'll need some way to surreptitiously weaken them so we can defeat them."
"But how will we distract them so?" Necrid wondered. "The Red Ranger has already bonded with the first sub-crystal. We can't get that away from him unless he is destroyed, and we can't destroy him if we don't have the power of the crystal. Is this not an eternal paradox?"
………
"How…?" Adam left the question hanging. All three teens stood in stunned silence, then rushed as one to attend to T.J. and Talim.
"Are you guys ok?" Tommy asked, kneeling beside them.
"Yeah, I'm fine," T.J. said.
"I'm also alright," Talim replied.
"Okay, well—" Tommy broke off. His head snapped toward Talim, who now also seemed in shock.
"Did anyone else hear that?" Tommy asked.
"Wait a sec," T.J. asked. "How'd you know what she just said? And how'd she know what you said?"
"I don't know," Tommy said. "Maybe it has something to do with the crystal disappearing."
"Maybe it bonded with you," Adam suggested.
"That could be it," Tommy reasoned. "It could explain why I understood her, but why could she understand me?"
The crystal conveyed your message to her soul; not her ears.
"What?" Tommy realized everyone was looking at him strangely.
"What is it?" Tommy asked.
"What was that?" Ashley asked.
"Yeah, are you studying ventriloquism?" Adam asked jokingly.
"What?" Tommy cocked an eyebrow.
"You just said something like, 'maybe the message was conveyed to her soul instead of her ears by way of the sub-crystal,' but you didn't do it with your mouth."
"It wasn't me," Tommy said. "I heard it too, but from a third-person perspective."
"We'll figure that all out later," T.J. said. "Right now, we need to get our powers as well."
"Here's the crystal," Ashley said, holding out the four-sectioned crystal. One of the crystals glowed yellow, so she took it and handed it to T.J.
"I guess I'm looking for blue," T.J. said, and even as the words exited his mouth, one of the remaining three crystals glowed with a brilliant azure color. Taking this, he handed the dual crystal to Adam. As Adam reached for the crystal, it shone green for a second, then changed to a deep blackish-purple color.
"Wait, how did it know…?" Adam began, but decided to leave that question as well. He hesitated before giving Talim the remaining crystal. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Talim cocked her head sideways in a gesture of not understanding, and motioned for Tommy to translate. He did, and Tommy reported her reply: "I say again, it is my honor to use this power that Zordon secured."
Adam handed Talim the last crystal, and he expected it to become pink, but instead it turned a glorious white.
"Okay, I guess you're the White Ranger then," Tommy said. "Welcome to the fold."
"Thank you," Talim said, smiling. "Together we will defeat Necrid and purge the shards of the Dark Blade."
………
The sound of metal against metal grated in Pluto's ears. Though she detested the sound, she knew that all of her blades needed to be their sharpest should she happen to go into combat with the Rangers. Or possibly Barox, for after his previous battle she felt like wringing his neck. She had admitted that his present failure had probably been on account of their underestimation of the inherent powers of the Rangers themselves, but the situation still had been avoidable. Now that they were fighting upwards, it would be more difficult to separate the Rangers from their Zeo crystals. However, Pluto mused, the Rangers had unwittingly shown their hand. If there were to be another instance where they ambushed the Rangers in civilian form, there would be no mistakes like the one that night. They would know this time not to miscalculate their power. So perhaps this defeat's timing was actually a victory in and of itself.
Shaking her wrists out, Pluto whipped out all of her blades at once. The strident sound of metal singing against air greeted her ears and a grin crept across her face as she imagined the Power Rangers falling at her hand. Somewhere over the horizon, victory lurked just beyond her grasp, but once they secured even one Zeo sub-crystal, it would be so easy to destroy the teenagers. Obviously the one without the crystal would be the weakest; his or her demise would weaken the rest of the team even more. And time had told that the greatest threats to Power Rangers were evil Rangers themselves. But evil Rangers had failed in the fact that undoing a spell based on an artifact simply required destroying the artifact, and spells based on feelings were as fickle as the humans themselves. Pluto was glad she'd separated herself from that, at least. Though they were agile and intelligent, the weak emotions and body were not advantageous, and sickening at some times.
Now, all of that weakness was but a memory. Nothing but strength and prowess graced Pluto's harpy-like form now. Check me out. A pair of leggings fitted with scales gilded her calves. Her thighs were bare, her skin having been fortified during her transformation. Around her generous hips and buttocks was her viciously deadly war-belt. Corset-like armor made of the same scales as the leggings fit neatly around her torso and bust, and over her arms were twin metallic sheaths that hid rows and rows of daggers waiting to be released. More of these daggers were hidden in the folds of her wings, which she kept folded behind her shoulder blades. Normally she wasn't a vain empress, but there were times when she noticed her flawless features, both aesthetically and from a warrior's standpoint.
And yet, the possibility of more power loomed in Pluto's mind. The cyclical nature of the quest for power was not unknown to her, and yet she was certain that if she obtained the Zeo crystal it would be enough. It was almost cliché to her that power called to more power, and absolute power corrupts one absolutely, but she was corrupt through and through, and there would be no greater power for her to assume afterward, so she had little to worry about. Visions of herself torturing the Power Rangers individually to their wretched ends danced through her mind—
"My queen?" Necrid's voice snapped Pluto out of her reverie.
"What is it?" Pluto inquired.
"As you know, Barox was unsuccessful in his attempt to locate and abscond with the Zeo crystal. However, now we have failed in our attempts to locate Barox. It would seem that he has, in effect, deserted us."
Pluto's eyes narrowed, but the brewing look of fury was quickly replaced by one of confusion. "Why would he betray us, though? We have not given him a reward for his work."
"We are attempting to figure that out, my queen," Necrid rumbled. "He may be doubling his efforts to come up with a plan, or perhaps he is recruiting other soldiers to help."
"You should do the same," Pluto said. "I'd have you continue the search for him, but we don't have time for that anymore. Not after one of the Rangers has already bonded with the Zeo sub-crystal."
"I already have someone searching for him," Necrid replied. "I created him from a portion of my life-force. I blended it with a creature of strength from the earth, the ox, and poured his soul full of rage. He is ready for battle, and can call upon animals to his aid if Barox happens to be double-crossing us."
"An enraged ox-general who is ready for battle," Pluto said. "I should have him fight the Rangers instead of that Barox. Especially since you created him."
"Perhaps, but first he will locate the bounty hunter," Necrid replied.
Pluto had to smile. "I must congratulate you for your foresight in creating this new warrior for my army. Just keep doing your job, and there might be a planet in it for you."
Keep doing your job…
What is your job? Have you forgotten? Is this what you were created to do? Do you really think so?
"Necrid?" Pluto looked at him expectantly.
"My queen, thank you," Necrid replied, forcing himself to ignore what had just happened. The instant of temporary madness was simply for a moment, and thus could be disregarded. Such a small episode would hardly be cause for alarm. It wasn't as if it were a monumental fit; rather, it had been merely a small suggestion from the recesses of his mind that he hadn't quite honed to their peak yet. Meditation and training would fix that rather quickly.
At the instantaneous request of his mind, he was suddenly transported to the Egyptian-styled tomb in which he practiced his art. The giant ethereal blade materialized in his left hand. Regarding what would have been the hilt, he steeled himself into a focus. As quickly as it had appeared, the blade reshaped into two. Holding his arms wide, he waved the blades in a series of complex motions of the kata he had developed, then stabbed the blades into the ground directly on either side of him. Stepping around them delicately, Necrid focused on the creed emblazoned on his mind.
Protect the Queen…
Protect the Queen…
Protect the Queen…
Reaching back and bringing the blades forth from the impaled stone, Necrid turned quickly, the blades merging once more into the long glam sword, and chopped horizontally. Quickly, as he finished the movement, he blended it smoothly into a downward strike, changing the glam into a giant axe. Then, he spun quickly, morphing the axe into a rapier, and stabbed swiftly in a powerful down-strike. Ending the combo, he finished with a whirling motion, spinning around in a crouch and chopping sideways with what was now a katana. As he concluded the spin, the weapon disappeared completely, and he lowered into a seated, Indian-style position to meditate.
………
"He's gone," Ashley confirmed, coming up the side of the mountain. "I don't think you destroyed him, but you certainly got him on the run. How did you do that anyway?"
"I guess it has something to do with the crystal," Tommy said. "It never gave us that type of power before though."
"Sign me up," Adam said. "Having this type of power would mean no vulnerability anymore. Or at least decreased vulnerability; even unmorphed, we'd have power."
"Well, first we need to bond with our crystals," T.J. pointed out. "Any ideas, guys?"
"How did you do it?" Ashley asked Tommy.
"I don't know," Tommy responded. "It just, well, happened. You saw it, didn't you?"
"Think about it first," T.J. suggested. "What was going on at the time?"
"You guys were getting stomped by that bounty hunter," Adam said. "Then Tommy's crystal started glowing and bam."
"Do you think it could've responded to the danger?" T.J. proposed. "Maybe it saw that we were in trouble, or sensed that you needed it to protect us, so it bonded with you."
"This could be tough then," Tommy reasoned. "If we need someone to attack us, it could take forever for us to get the powers."
"Don't forget, we still can't morph Zeo," Ashley reminded.
Adam frowned. "Your stunning show of optimism is touching."
"Sarcasm's an even bigger help. In any case, we do need morphers to fight Necrid."
"It was easier when we had people to tell us how to morph," Tommy said. He noticed Talim regarding him. She had been relatively silent during the conversation, mostly because following the spirit of the conversation was easier than having Tommy translate. But she could understand him, and respond to him.
"We're on our own," she said softly. "We don't have help. Zordon has met his demise, has he not?"
Tommy nodded.
"Well, it looks like we'll have to wait," Adam said, shrugging. "Hopefully we can figure something out."
"So what do we do now?" Ashley asked. "Just go home and hope something presents itself? That may be easy for some of you, but Talim has nowhere to stay. Not to mention that T.J. and I can barely go anywhere without someone getting all 'crazed-fan' on us."
As Tommy relayed the pertinent information to Talim, her eyes widened. "Oh, don't worry. I have spent many a night under the stars. I am a Wind priestess; if I get cold, I know how to change that."
Tommy couldn't really argue with her. "Okay, so we'll let each other know if something happens."
"Right," T.J. replied. The others agreed.
"I will stay here for now," Talim said, making her way across the mountain to get her cloak. "Fare thee well, my companions."
"I'll stay with you," Beta said in Filipino. Talim nodded, and the robot followed after her.
As Ashley and Adam left, Tommy regarded T.J. "So, what's new?"
"Not much," T.J. responded. "Just relaxing after this whole past year. It's been hectic, between Divatox and Astronema. And now Necrid's coming after us."
"Have you been able to manage well?" Tommy asked, concerned.
"It's been ok, I guess," T.J. replied. "I mean, we did win and all, even though it took me a while to realize that."
"What do you mean?" Tommy inquired.
"Well, I realized that it was a big fight against evil, not a fight against Divatox and a fight against Astronema. Losing the Megazords was harsh. Losing the battle for the Power Chamber was worse. I mean, I kind of felt like you shouldn't have chosen me for Red Lightning."
"T.J., I knew and know that your leadership would see you through," Tommy replied. "I could venture a guess, but I already know that it was your insight that stopped the Psychos. Am I right?"
"I guess," T.J. answered modestly. "I came up with a few good strategies."
"And the Psychos could have thrashed Divatox without breaking a sweat," Tommy asserted. "So you see, even as blue, you're still a Red Ranger at heart. And yes, you did win."
"Don't get me wrong though, there were a lot of good times," T.J. said. "Even though they were big shoes to fill, I guess I just focused on doing what you'd have done."
"But I'm glad you stayed you, instead of trying to fill anyone's shoes," Tommy said. "You weren't just 'the other Red Lightning.' You were Lightning Fire-Tamer. That was your own legacy; your own accomplishment. Just because during your leadership, the Power Chamber fell, it doesn't mean that someone else could have prevented it. Without the zords, it was a lost cause."
"That was my fault as well, though," T.J. put in.
"I disagree," Tommy said. "You fought Goldgoyle, and he was too powerful. Frankly, he should have destroyed the Earth, but you stopped him with the Turbo RAM. Good thinking on your part, once again. And it held off the immediate destruction of the Earth. The thing is, getting the zords destroyed and defeating Goldgoyle was much better than leaving the zords in the holding bay and waiting for a miracle. Goldgoyle was an immediate threat, and you were ready to sacrifice anything to defeat him. Even your zords."
"True." T.J. was sobered. "Man, I was on fire."
Tommy smiled. "Even before you became a Ranger, Kat and I noticed something about you and Cassie. And you saved me."
"You noticed us?" T.J. asked.
"In the Piranhatron fight in the desert," Tommy explained. "You two had an intensity that blew us away. It was as if you were made to be Power Rangers."
Made to be Power Rangers. T.J. had to smile at that. "Thanks, Tommy."
"Anytime, my man," Tommy replied.
The two crossed the main entrance to the Angel Grove Zoo, where they would part ways.
"See you tomorrow," Tommy said.
"Yeah, I'll see you," T.J. replied.
"Oh, don't be leaving so quickly," a strange voice growled. T.J. and Tommy both spun around. In front of them was a gigantic minotaur-like creature, clad in dark blood-colored armor. In one giant brown fist he gripped a wickedly curved blade. "I'm looking for a robot by the name of Barox. You wouldn't happen to know where this robot friend of mine is?"
"We saw him earlier and would be glad to send you where he is right now," Tommy retorted, taking a fighting stance.
"Actually, since we're both looking for a Zeo sub-crystal, if you give me one, he'll just find you anyway," the ox replied.
"If it's a fight you want…" T.J. began.
"Oh, I'm not going to fight you," the ox said, holding up a hand to stay the two Rangers.
"What are you going to do then, talk us into giving it to you?" Tommy asked, getting out of stance.
"You didn't hear me correctly," the ox replied. "I said I'm not going to fight you." He stepped to the side, and a couple of wolves bounded out of the zoo. They had a slight resemblance to regular wolves, but it was obvious that this creature had done something to them to change them. Their eyes glowed with a gangrenous green shade, and they slavered through the cracks of the rows of scythe-like daggers in their mouths as if rabid. Their fur was blue with giant rose petals protruding from their backs, and bristled all about their bodies as they looked over their pending meal. Claws sliced out and down from their paws and into the ground, carving streaks in the pavement. The nightmarish creatures took a few steps toward the teens, growling menacingly.
"They are."
T.J. looked concerned. "If those are real wolves, and he just changed them a lot, we still can't just fight them like a normal monster."
"No, but we can fight him," Tommy said, pointing at the ox-warrior.
"Wanna bet?" The ox pointed his hand forward at Tommy and T.J. "Attack, my beasts!"
The wolves leapt up toward Tommy and T.J. Despite the teeth and claws, the main attack of the wolves was to ram Tommy and T.J. to the ground. Even though the two had been in defensive stances, they still felt the brunt of the blow and had the wind knocked out of them. Seeing some newspaper littering the street in front of them, Tommy launched a fireball at the dry papers. The wall of fire targeted the instincts of the wolves, making them back off slightly.
"Well, looks like you'll have to fight your own battle," Tommy challenged from the ground. "You can't change what they are, or what they fear."
"Impudent fool," the ox snorted, leaping over the flames in a single bound and landing heavily. His hooves cracked the ground beneath him, leaving a spider-web pattern. "You die now."
T.J., who had gotten to his feet, as the ox was not bearing down on him, pointed an accusatory finger at the ox. "I don't think so."
"Silence," the ox snapped, not even looking at T.J. "You are not important; this one is the one who has bonded with the Red crystal, and therefore the one who shall suffer my wrath first. You do not—"
He was cut off by a flying side-kick from T.J. Stumbling sideways, he righted himself and slashed down at Tommy. Having landed next to Tommy, T.J. spun into a crouch in front of Tommy and used both hands to form a crossed-arm overhead guard.
Suddenly, water appeared before T.J.'s eyes. He felt like he was at the bottom of the ocean, and he could see fish swimming past his vision. The sea obscured his vision of the ox, but he kept his hands in the crossed guard. Something felt cold in his pocket; he realized it was the sub-crystal.
The ox smiled as he brought the butt of the sword down to slam into the foolish one's head. However, his smile turned quickly to a look of shock as an arch of thick, unbreakable ice formed over T.J., blocking the strike completely. Capitalizing on the missed attempt, T.J. kicked out the ox's legs, causing him to fall face-first onto the arch. The ice did not give way; rather, it delivered a rather striking blow to his face, which was unprotected. He flopped to the ground, stunned.
"All right, T.J.," Tommy said. "You did it, man. You bonded with the crystal."
"Yeah, I did," T.J. said. "And I think I know what triggers it. I'll tell you my theory tomorrow."
………
"Looks like a dud to me," Pluto said, having monitored the battle. "I guess there's no such thing as the perfect warrior."
"My queen, it is not his own personal power that is an asset, but rather the abilities he has," Necrid pointed out, entering the room. "See how he transformed those earthly creatures into weapons of mass destruction? And from what information I have gathered, those wolves are not as mighty as other earthly animals, so think of what he could do with more powerful beasts."
"Perhaps, but he'll need to redeem himself after that failure," Pluto replied. "It seems as though the Blue Ranger has also bonded with his crystal. No surprise there; he and the other are our greatest threats."
"What about the priestess, my queen?" Necrid asked. "She has created great setbacks in the mission, and the fact that she has allied herself with your enemies may spell disaster for us all."
"Have some Tengu warriors attack them," Pluto said. "They are out in the open."
"The Tengu are useless," declared a familiar voice. Necrid and Pluto turned to see Barox walk in.
Pluto chuckled. "Apparently, they have company in that boat. Good job on your mission, Sparky."
"Never mind that, Empress Pluto," Barox replied. "My Dread Riders are superior to the Tengu in every way. They are ready to strike whenever necessary."
"Send them now," Pluto commanded immediately.
"You didn't let me finish," Barox cut in. "As soon as they have finished charging, they will easily be able to overwhelm the remaining Rangers who have not yet bonded with their crystals."
"But for now, we have to wait," Pluto grumbled, annoyed. "All right, we seem to have no choice, so we'll wait. Barox, find that ox and wait for my next instructions. Necrid, ready the war-chariot. Once those Dread Riders have finished charging, we cannot waste any more time. We need to be ready for attack. Get two quantrons and come with me."
Necrid followed after Pluto, entering the war-room and crossing the catwalk to the bridge. Scattered about the room were various warriors of all different types. Most of them were salvaged after the galaxy-wide invasion and Zordon's shock wave. During the time that Zordon's energy wave had washed the forces of evil attacking the planets making up the Galactic Alliance from existence, Pluto's sorcerers had opened several portals across the galaxy, saving different foot soldiers and monsters from each planet. As a result, Necrid could see and identify from the bridge putty patrollers, cogs, super putties, piranhatrons, quantrons, Tengu warriors, rock soldiers, archfiends, bounty hunters and the like lining almost every inch of the crowded war-room. Most were training, and some were lounging around. Necrid sought out two quantrons, the finest of the fleet, and brought them with him and Pluto.
"What do you intend to do, my queen?" Necrid inquired.
"My sources tell me that the Rangers are largely out in the open," Pluto said. "So far, our attacks have been largely useless due to the fact that they have almost helped the Rangers in terms of bonding with their Zeo crystals. However, if we attacked when a Ranger was not in the immediate vicinity of their crystal, we could probably be victorious. The Ranger might not even know the crystal was gone."
"Another option is to somehow persuade the Ranger that what he or she is doing is not the right thing," Necrid said. "If we could make a Ranger willingly give us the crystal, then that would serve our purposes even better."
"So while we wait for the Dread Riders to charge, you will seek out the Black and Yellow Rangers," Pluto instructed. "Use whatever methods you need, but only use fighting as a last resort."
………
Adam walked up the path leading to the apartment. He was used to coming home this late after a long night in the lab, but he'd never thought that he'd be spending his summer getting that rush back, that awesome feeling of being a Ranger again. And the timing couldn't have been better. It would have been impossible to keep up with the Ranger stuff during college, even while living off campus with Tommy as a roommate, which was the main reason why he'd left in the first place. He'd considered returning back when he saw Carlos during sophomore year, but he knew it wouldn't be right to leave Carlos with what the young man had considered a failure. So he'd trained Carlos back into top form, and they'd beaten the Lizwizard monster together, even with his own waning powers.
That had been part of what spurred on this project with Tommy. After they'd received an anonymous tip about Soul Edge through an unknown frequency on their old communicators, and Beta had come to help them, they'd done some research on the side and discovered the truth about the Dinozords. And when they found out they could morph again, it became even more imperative to continue the project.
"Well, time to get back into the swing of things," Adam muttered to himself, looking for his key.
"Not necessarily," a deep voice behind him growled. Adam whirled around to see…
"Necrid! You're that time-traveler who Talim's after!" Adam said, then regretted it. But Necrid had to know Talim was following him, so he couldn't have done too much damage.
"Yes, it is I, Necrid," Necrid rumbled. As Adam entered a fighting stance, Necrid laughed and put up both hands. "I'm not here to fight you. I come to offer you something."
"I don't have time for your type, Necrid," Adam shot back.
"My type? And what type is that?" Necrid asked. "The type that fights for what he believes in? The type that will sacrifice for a cause? Tell me. Is that not what you do on a daily basis? Are we not the same?"
"We're not the same," Adam replied. "You're willing to hurt innocents."
"And you're claiming that your zord battles don't hurt anyone?" Necrid cocked his head. "Really now. Tell the truth. How many times could you have ground out a monster early on, but hesitated to use your greatest weapons for the sake of the antiquated notion of honor? By the time you use them, the monster is already destroying the city, and when you do battle, your main function is to destroy the monster. Do you ever evacuate a city first? Tell me!"
Adam's mouth tightened. Why was he always targeted for the mind games? Did he seem weak-minded? "You intentionally hurt civilians. Any human casualties that arise as a result of our mistakes are inadvertent."
"And that makes it all better," Necrid scoffed. "Tell me, if you didn't exist, if you surrendered, what do you think would happen? For the masses, I mean; of course, people with power such as you would need to be captured and required to give up this power or suffer the consequences. But would day-to-day life change for anyone else? Of course not. Their allegiances would change, but despite the fact that they were being ruled by our empire, they would have the same lives."
Necrid waved a hand to the streets and stores, many of which had been damaged during the recent invasions. "Now look at it this way. How many people have been made homeless as a result of you tossing Bo's Hardware Store to a monster and vice versa? It's not just us that you hurt, or you that we attack; think of the people as well. We drop Bo's on them."
"We wouldn't have to do that if you didn't attack first," Adam retorted.
"Foolishness," Necrid replied. "This is the same argument that fighting children give. Who hit whom first? That is not an issue here. The issue is that the fight exists, not who started it."
Adam's face tensed, but other than this, he showed no emotion. "So what would change if I took your so-called 'offer'?"
Necrid smiled. "If you were to relinquish your Zeo crystal—it would only need to be one of you—we would bypass all this mess and hassle of fighting again and again. No one would need to be destroyed. Think of the peace that would come as a result."
Adam paused, apparently contemplating this. Necrid leaned forward, expectantly.
"It's tempting. But here's my counter offer." Adam took out his Zeo crystal. "I hold this out, say, 'You're never getting this, Necrid, not in a million years,' and tell you to shove it."
Necrid's eyes narrowed. "You would sell out humanity for your own gain, then."
"No." Adam held out a hand. "I would allow for the possibility of sacrifices being made. I would allow for the possibility of tragedy. And I would refuse to allow evil to triumph over the goodness of Earth. Rest assured, Necrid, we will not fail. My decision is final; I will not speak twice."
Roaring with rage, Necrid lunged forward, energy blades flashing. Suddenly, time seemed to slow down. Adam could see Necrid leaping for him, but he could also see the otherwise contradictory dark glow of his Zeo crystal. It felt different now, as if it were made of rock. All of this ran through Adam's mind as Necrid lunged, but now Necrid was obscured by boulders of stone blocking his vision. The omnipresent press of stone surrounded him, and everything went black.
Momentarily.
Back in the real world, Adam saw everything go back into regular speed. Holding his ground, he waited for the inevitable tackle while kicking out in a roundhouse.
And then, the unthinkable happened. Twin stone obelisks shot out of the ground, holding Necrid like a pair of chopsticks. At the same time, Adam's spin kick connected, smashing Necrid's face with unbelievable force. He slumped over and disappeared in a ball of flame.
Adam gaped slightly, then shook his head and went inside as the obelisks disappeared, failing to notice that his crystal, like the others, was no longer in his hand.
………
Ashley sighed as she entered her apartment. It'd been so long since she came in here, but it was good to be back, just like she was glad to be back on Earth. It was hard, knowing that not only was she getting back into the crazy lifestyle of a Power Ranger, she had run off without saying anything to Andros, and left only a short note, saying that she had seen a new development in what could be another danger, and she would contact him as soon as possible. Knowing that he had been through so much in searching for his sister his entire life, it seemed cruel to do this to him now. However, if the danger was as real as it seemed, then she needed to be here. Her anxiety about the whole situation could be put to rest after a nice warm bath and some rest. Hopefully after tonight's defeat, whoever or whatever was attacking them would need time to regroup, which would give her time to sleep.
Entering the bathroom, she looked in the mirror. She wasn't that tired-looking, especially since she had not been involved in any of the fighting. Initially, Tommy and T.J. had fought, and then T.J. and Talim had fought. She and Adam had mostly been spectators while guarding Beta and the Zeo crystal. Smiling, she set her crystal beside the sink and turned her attention to the shower. Setting the showerhead toward the wall, she turned the handle to her desired water temperature. Since the water heater always took forever, it would be some time until the water reached the correct heat. But she had to undress first anyway.
………
"Report."
The quantron grinned, if such a thing was possible. "We believe that the Ranger has entered her shower unit, sir. Our sources tell us that this means she will be taking a long time, during which we can easily steal the crystal. I believe she brought it in with her, but no matter. Human females are more squeamish about being seen while not wearing clothing than any other specimen of any species, and she will be unwilling to be seen in such a state for long enough for us to grab the crystal and hightail it out of there."
Necrid folded his arms. "Go then. Do not fail me."
………
Laying the last of her undergarments aside, Ashley waited. Too many things were going through her mind for her to fully unwind, though. Still slightly restless, she leaned over to the nearby shower and reached over to test the water. She could estimate that it probably still wasn't time to get in yet—
What?
Ashley's head snapped around like a hawk spotting its prey. It sounded as if someone was inside the apartment with her! In a best case scenario, she was hearing things. In a slightly okay scenario, she was being robbed.
In a more fitting-for-a-Ranger, really bad scenario, whatever had attacked before was back for more. And was just a couple yards outside the door.
Gee, I'm a poet, Ashley thought sarcastically, and then frowned. And a really big dork.
The steps were getting closer, and Ashley was past believing that she was imagining the sound. The strange thing was that even though there was clearly someone in the apartment who was making too much noise to be a burglar, and she was occupied, she managed to keep a rather disturbing level of tranquility. And this was accompanied by a healthy level of sarcasm. As she hastily slipped into her underwear, a heavy knock alerted her to the fact that her time was up.
Absolutely nothing is sacred anymore, she thought. Oh well, here we go…
Getting into the best fighting stance she could under the circumstances, Ashley readied herself as the door blasted open. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the crystal.
Two quantron warriors burst in, ready for action and stopped abruptly when they saw the situation.
"What's the matter, quantrons? Looking for this?" Ashley asked, holding out the crystal.
"Actually, yes," one of the robotic soldiers managed to stammer out in the eerie computerized ringing that Astronema had apparently mistaken for a voice.
"Well," Ashley continued calmly, managing an impressive level of sang-froid considering the situation, "you can't have it. So could I please have some privacy now?"
"Okay, get the crystal," the left quantron said to the right one.
"What? Necrid ordered you to get the crystal, and me to assist you."
"The way to assist me is to get that crystal."
"You're the one in charge here, you get it."
"Exactly, I'm in charge, which is why you—"
"Serenity now," Ashley muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Um, we have to…get that…from you," the quantron said, turning and raising his blade, but Ashley wasn't listening. She was more concerned about the sudden grainy feel of the crystal. It reminded her of when she was young and went to the beach, and built sandcastles with her friends. It felt so real, as if she were there again…
…wait, she was! Well, not entirely…the place looked more like a desert oasis, but one thing was sure, she was surrounded by sand. The sand filled her vision, blocking out everything else…
…then it was gone. Completely replaced by two-thirds of the Stooge gang, and Ashley was half-expecting them to bump into each other in trying to get in to the crystal. However, this wouldn't happen, as the ground beneath their feet had become…
"Quicksand!" the quantrons yelled in unison, struggling to get free. Quickly, the pair teleported away before they could be sucked down. As soon as the quantrons left, the quicksand disappeared.
"I am so good." Ashley looked in her empty hands, realizing what Tommy had been talking about while he was bonding. Apparently, he'd had his own domain that came with his power, and his was fire, which made sense. And she was, it seemed, queen of the sands. And what a queen. The quantrons would have a nice image to think about when she was jamming their heads into the ground. In any case, that didn't matter, but what did matter was the fact that she now had the Zeo power. Hopefully she'd be able to catch Adam and Tommy before they turned in for the night and report the news.
No luck, she realized as she hung up the phone a few minutes later. Oh well, she'd see them tomorrow, and then they'd be able to bounce ideas off of each other. For now, a certain bubble bath was calling her…
………
From her childhood days, Talim could remember nights of watching the moon when she couldn't sleep. When everyone else was fast asleep, she would tiptoe past the rooms to the main entrance, where there was a window directly across from the door. Luckily, her parents would go to sleep early enough for her to see it, and she was never bored watching its pale white glow pierce the night. Tonight was a reminder of that, and with that came the memories of the home she might not even go back to…that she was almost half a world and almost half a millennium away…
Talim sighed. Her reminiscing had brought on a whole wave of regret that she did not have time to deal with at that present juncture. Zordon's children had called her to a specific purpose, and it was this that she had to focus on, not her own childish nostalgia. Besides, what would be better to prove to her parents that she was ready to fulfill her destiny than to chase and apprehend the dark one, while purging the Dark Blade? It was all too perfect.
And yet, her heart was heavy.
Zordon had once told her that life was made of things we understand and things that were total paradoxes, and the key was to accept the paradoxes, learn from the knowledge, and use both to further the goal of protecting life. Initially, that had only been his goal, but the sage-ninja had been as passionate about the cause as to show Talim that this was why she was there. The training as a wind priestess could be seen as either an invitation to stay in the Village of the Winds for her entire life or to use her skills with the winds to aid the forces of good.
But now he was gone. How could he return? From what they had told her, he had sacrificed his life in an effort to destroy the forces attacking Earth. And she could sense that some were less ready to accept that; it seemed that Tommy and the one he called Adam were more affected by Zordon's death, as she was. She would have to ask why tomorrow, but discreetly.
"Are you still awake?" The robotic voice of Beta roused her from her reminiscence. "You need your rest, young priestess. Tomorrow will bring our enemies. Obviously they now know some of our abilities."
"I will sleep presently," Talim replied evenly. "I was having a moment of inner consciousness."
"Nostalgia is a bittersweet entity," Beta said. "Take care that you do not bog yourself down."
"You speak wisely," Talim noted. "But you are not human."
"I have been in the presence of wisdom," Beta replied. "I was Zordon's companion at one point. I was not called Beta Psi at the time, because that was an earlier version of me, but I still have him in my memory banks."
Talim smiled. "As do I."
"I will leave you to go to sleep, then," Beta said, going over the hill. "Goodnight, Talim."
At that moment, an apparition rippled in the air. Talim did not move or flinch, but simply waited for the vision to take shape. After some time, the specter was clearly a woman in a white gown and cloak, dressed like a full ranked Priestess of the Wind. But this was no ordinary priestess. No, this priestess, like Talim, had slightly darkened skin. This priestess, like Talim, had large chocolate eyes. This priestess, like Talim, had a long braid going down the center of the back of her head. This priestess, like Talim, had a small star-shaped scar on her neck, which Talim had had since she was born.
There was no denying the obvious.
"You're…" Talim squinted and tilted her head. "…me?"
"Exactly, Talim Viento," the ghostly figure said. "I am you in your future. And, on the track that you are running now, your future is exactly this: one of a spirit doomed to never return to her family."
"I am doing the right thing," Talim protested. "Zordon said—"
"Zordon is dead," Ghost-Talim interrupted. "And you will follow him to the grave, if you do not heed my words."
"Death is sometimes a price that must be paid for mankind's struggle against evil," Talim put in.
"Really?" Ghost-Talim asked. "What if your compatriots are evil? Two of them are compatriots of the one who killed Zordon."
"He sacrificed himself for everyone," Talim corrected.
"'Sacrificed' is a strange term when you consider it was on the edge of a Ranger blade," Ghost-Talim retorted. "The Red Space Ranger destroyed him."
"I'm sure that it was at Zordon's command," Talim replied.
Ghost-Talim scoffed. "That does not ameliorate the act. Careful, or your friends may side with the enemy eventually."
"I know they would not do that," Talim said, indignant now.
"You know nothing," Ghost-Talim rebuked. "You are a little girl who knows nothing. How could you know them? If you are truly this naïve, there is no hope."
"There is hope," Talim said. "Hope fuels me, and the wind guides me. Be gone, black and midnight hag, speak to me no longer."
The midnight slammed back on Talim with a jolt. Awaking from her slumber, Talim realized she had dozed off. Shaking her head to clear and straighten it, the priestess spied her crystal. It was no longer simply a stalactite, but now glowed with the brightness of a snow-white full moon.
Grasping it, Talim felt herself being lifted into the air. Clouds of dust obscured her sight, as her entire body, although she did not know it, glowed the same whitewashed chrome color as her crystal. Once the glowing died down, the wind set her back on the mountain. In the midst of the howl of the wind, however, she could hear a single word being spoken, almost inaudible, but definitely there, and familiar, though she couldn't place where she had heard it.
………
In her room, Ashley was about to go to bed. As she pulled aside the covers, she noticed her body glowing with a yellow aura. After a few seconds, it disappeared, as a word was whispered into her ears.
………
Waking suddenly, Adam wasn't sure what roused him, until he saw himself glowing with what could only be described as true black light. It then vanished, putting him into his slumber once again, his last thought being of a quiet voice.
………
Locking the door, T.J. walked down the hall. He then saw something large and glowing blue in the hall as well. His initial shock was replaced by realization that it was a mirror, and he was glowing. And, inexplicably, he could hear what sounded like a name being murmured near-silently.
………
Tommy stood by the window. The red flash hadn't really startled him as much as the word after it. The word had power, of that he was sure. He regarded his bed. He could think of it now, or could go to bed and puzzle it over in the morning.
Exodia…
In the morning, he decided.