Chapter 16 the circle closes
"It's hard to wait." The astro ranger said nodding to another chair to his left.
"Yeah, knowing what hangs in the balance and that your team is coming apartment at the seems." He murmured.
"I just keep thinking that if I'd just done something different, if I'd asked Dana to five Ryan the tour, that she'd still be alright and that we'd all be alright." Carter sighed glad to have someone who'd understand. The mission the astro team had had one of the hardest missions in the history of the rangers, they'd done it.
"Thinking like that can just get you and the others hurt. Do you know that my sister was kidnapped when we were little, for years I felt it was my fault? Because of that I tried to keep my search for her a secret from the others." Andros's eyes went slightly distant. "Because of that Carlos nearly died. It took that and Ashley to teach me just how a team works." Andros smiled slightly at the name of his wife. "The situations seem different but their not. You have all just been knocked for a loop, you found out just how vulnerable you are, and it scares you. All of you. The thing is you have to get past that, to take the risks, to remember that things do happen for a reason and that you were the one to show Ryan around for a reason."
"I don't know, seeing Dana's frustration and pain over the last few was just makes it hard to believe in fate or anything else."
"Funny you say that. I used to believe only that being alone 1 could do anything."
"And now?"
"I told you, the strength of the team is key."
The dream slowly subsided and Carter lay there in his bedroll, his girlfriend pressed close to his side. It was funny that dream had been so vivid. For a moment he'd really thought he and Andros were sitting back on the bridge of the astro megaship. Hell, he'd even been able to hear the humm and swoosh of the air regenerator.
Now thought, as he lay there Carter just wondered why he'd had that particular dream. After all so much had happened since they'd left the ship, and his team had grown much stronger. Lifting his head slightly Carter looked at the sleep bodies spread around the camp. He could see Kelsey and Ryan, they lay together, Chad and Joel who lay not far from them but far enough to a lot them some privacy. Not that they'd needed it. Ryan seemed to barely even hold on to Kelsey. Carter frowned slightly. He'd known his friend had been shaken by the pit incident but this was odd. For the last night or so he'd held her so tight that Carter had wondered if they'd ever be separated. He hoped they were not having trouble, that Ryan wasn't' pulling away, if he was…
"I told you, the strength of the team is key." Andros' words echoed in his mind and he knew that they had to fix it, they all had to be a team, there could be no hesitation or they might not come out of this after all.
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"Oh, so it was just an impulse?" She heard herself demand once again and he ran that same hand through hid thick blond hair. She had done this before, could remember the feelings and yet not the outcome.
"Yes, I know it was wrong…" He began but she didn't let him finish.
"Ryan, your right, we've all been under a lot of stress and if you're afraid to truly get attached because…" She began hoping she could figure out what was going on.
"Kelse, it's not that, I just don't know what I'm doing, I've never had real friends until lately and what if I screw this up? What if when we get back things don't work out?" He asked and she knew, she was dreaming, but when she tried to throw herself from the dream she couldn't.
"Ryan, that's a cop out. Your not who you were a month ago, none of us really are. You're not the only one scared but the thing is we still have to go on. Shutting our eyes and pretending things aren't there won't change anything." She said stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest and tried with all her might to propel her mind into wakefulness.
"Kel, I know that but…" he began and she closed her eyes hoping this wasn't' what she thought, that she could wake up before it happened.
But it was good and terror gripped her as she felt herself falling, spinning and flipping as she went. She knew it wasn't a normal fall. Normally she'd have kept going on her back but this was more like a free fall, like when she went parachuting. Too was the odd fact that she couldn't hear a thing, their was only silence. Kelsey tried to scream but there was nothing. She wondered absentmindedly if she could stop the fall but reaching out Kelsey found as before there was nothing to grab a hold of. The walls were cool and slick, and perfectly smooth. She then knew, she'd not escaped the pit.
***
Ryan snapped awake and rolled to his feet in a flash of movement as the scream c cut into the darkness.
"What's going on?" Came Joel's sleepy voice and the screaming didn't stop even as Ryan found the source. Kelsey lay there on the ground, body flat on the ground, her eyes wide and yet she seemed to still be dreaming.
Dropping back to the ground he moved to her, trying to shake her but when he tried, he found her body stiff, unyielding.
"Kelsey?" He tried again but the same, something was wrong, really wrong.
"Ryan?" He then found his sister crawling towards him on the ground.
"I can't wake her." He didn't care that he sounded like a frightened child.
"What do you mean?" Carter asked also moving towards them.
"She's stiff, her eyes are open, but it's like she's still…" Ryan began.
"Sleep paralysis." Chad was there too, kneeling beside his screaming friend.
"But she should be awake." Dana frowned joining them finally.
"The demons?" Joel asked frowning.
"No, they can't get inside the pentagram." Ryan said not looking up.
"What pentagram?" Dana asked reaching out to find one of Kelsey's stiff hands.
"She must be in shock." Carter said checking for other signs.
"But…" Ryan didn't understand, why wouldn't they have known before now?
"The pit, the falling." Chad said as if understanding. "It must have set in late."
"Ok, what do we do?" Ryan looked to his sister, the paramedic but she shook her head, she didn't know. Then He didn't think just spoke the first words that came to his mind. "Darkest of night, crow's flight, release this woman now with my might!" Ryan shouted and suddenly the shouting stopped.
"You just…" Dana breathed feeling sick, he'd said he'd not…
"Ryan?" Came Kelsey's tiny voice.
"Yes, I'm here." And he was gathering her close.
"You have done it, boy." Came the voice and Ryan looked up from his weeping girlfriend.
"What?" He asked frowning.
"The trials were for trust, strength, quick thinking and wisdom." The figure said. "The pit was the first, Dana, Ryan and Carter you did hat."
"How? I let them go?"
"To except the things we can not change, to change the things we can, and to have the wisdom to know the difference." Chad said softly.
"I don't…" the elder Mitchell asked frowning in confusion.
"Ryan, you had to learn to trust that your little sister and friend would do what had to be done when you couldn't." The black clad figure said then looking to Carter he said. "You had to have the strength to trust in your girlfriend's abilities."
"But I went after her."
"Think of your reason, you knew she couldn't do it all herself. You also had the speed to react when she came up with the new idea to tie the rope about Kelsey's waist."
"But what about me?"
"Dana…" there was reverence in the young figure's face as he moved to her. 'Dana, you've been through so much and yet you are as strong if not stronger, your true test was both in how you reacted in getting Kelsey from the pit, your thinking time, and tonight your wisdom in admitting you didn't know what to do."
"But that still leaves us." Chad said from where he and Joel now stood.
"Chad, did you not face one of the hardest challenges? You found one who was your soul mate and yet knew that duty came first." The figure said.
"Who are yuou?" Dana asked and he didn't speak, just morphed.
"The phantom ranger." Carter said and the young man was there once more.
"Yes, you are the son of Dulcea." Chad nodded as if to himself.
"And you sir, will one day be my step father."
"I…"
"Wait, how does that include me?"
"You Joel might have crumbled on this whole mission and yet you have stayed fast." The phantom smiled looking over all of them. "Instea you have all done veryy well.'
"So what happens now?"
"Well, if you get dressed I'll take you to the monolith."
In less than five mintues they were dressed and all packed up. tallon was glad, he'd been monitoring the earth teams progress and they didn't have w3hat it took to fight off the demons. This was the time and soon, very soon the lightninjeti's would finishe the war once and for all.
TBC
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I know this chapter was made up of a lot of old footage but this one has ben giving me a great deal of trouble. I'm sorry if it was dumb. Please let me know hat you think though, and if you have any ideas for the final battle.