TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY 6
Friends Fall
Disclaimer: Power Rangers aren't mine. If they were things would be different (for instance the WildForce rangers wouldn't exist) but I DON'T OWN THEM AND DO NOT MAKE ANY MONEY OUT OF THIS
Rating: PG-13 (It gets unpleasant later in the story)
Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance
AUTHORS Note: Well, I got barely any reviews for this, one from AREH#1 gave me a boost to write this, still its rushed. I might redo it if I get a few reviews...I include a suggestion list for couples at the end thanks to my General (yaoi romance fanatic) so until I rule the world I'll be struggling to write and all reviews make that easier. TTFN.
'Shane darling, where are you?' his mother cooed, her incredibly big dress barely fitting through hall, it was wide, short and ruffled with frills.
'Just brushing my teeth Mom!' he called. He banged his head off the wall gently once more, his mother wasn't letting him leave...
'Shane?'
He looked at his morpher. 'Yeah Cam?'
'Okay, long story short' Cam said. 'We've been trapped by the latest monster. We're in deep crap and have ex-rangers up to our ears...any chance you can help us befor eht fire vaporizes us?'
'Fire?'
Cam showed him an image of the constricting flame column.
'Holy...Yeah I'm on my way!' Shane exclaimed. He opened the room to his door and nearly ran into his mother. 'MOM! Sheesh! Can you possibly not just stand there and scare me to death?'
'Oh, darling!' she said. 'I was just going to guide you to dinner...'
'I know where the dinner table is!' Shane said firmly. 'And I have to go out...'
'Don't take that tone with me young man!' his mother exclaimed. 'I cook and clean and feed you, if your father were here! He'd be furious you took such a tone with me!'
'Sorry Mom' Shane said calmly. 'But I left my homework at Dustin's house...'
'I see' nodded his mother. 'Well, off you go, have to keep those grades up there!'
Shane gave a small smile and edged past her. Once he was on the street he sprinted off and ran straight into a bronzed, muscular young man. 'Whoa! Sorry!' Shane yelped, his head aching and backside matching it. His morpher had come off. 'No trouble Shane' the guy said. 'How do you know my name?' Shane asked as he reached for the morpher.
'You're mom has pictures of you. I'm Jason her assistant...' Jason paused, a trickle of understanding running into his mind as he spotted the morpher. 'That's a morpher' he said.
Shane froze like a statue. 'Ehh...no...it's my watch'
Jason was faster then Shane, he picked the device up and looked at it. 'Man, I never thought I'd meet another ranger'
'Another?'
Jason extended his hand and helped Shane up. 'I used to be the Red Tyrannosaur Ranger. And you?'
'Red Ranger...wow, you were one of the first rangers on earth!' murmured Shane. Jason shrugged. 'Yeah, but I quit for the "glamour" of the Young UN.'
'I have to go...my friends are in trouble!' Shane exclaimed.
'Mind if I tag along?' Jason asked. 'I still have the ranger strength...'
Shane hesitated for a minute. 'Okay, let's go!'
======
Trini Kwan looked around the hotel over her sunglasses. The porter was moving her bags for her. The waving figure caught her eye. She rushed over with a smile.
'Kim!'
'Trini!' she hugged the ex-Yellow ranger. 'It's great to see you! I was so glad to hear you'd been in town! How have you been?'
'Majoring in Political sciences and languages' Trini shrugged. 'You?'
'Movie work' Kim said with a nod. 'I like it, it's a little more...restful...'
Trini nodded. 'I am famished, want to go out for a bite?'
'Yeah' nodded Kim. 'We have a lot to catch up on!'
Behind them an elderly woman's eyes flared purple. She rose and walked over to the elevators, stepping into an empty one and vanishing as the doors shut.
==
Goldar-D reappeared on the ship. His eyes burning angrily. 'Two more ex- rangers!' he reported angrily.
Matriarchus hissed. 'Have you found the sword? Or at least the book?'
'Not yet' Goldar-D said. 'They've got it cloaked in their academy. I'm going to try and get it back forcefully. We still have that bargaining chip...'
'NOT GOOD ENOUGH!' Lothar roared. 'If the book is in the possession of my blasted brother and his students I cannot waste time. We must get it back!'
'The secrets are many, we cannot allow them to be deciphered' Shimazu said. 'A foolish thing would be to leave it in their possession'
'With such weak things as the Kezlacks I amn't surprised they still have the book' Goldar-D rasped. 'Also...the Black Astral Ranger...'
'He's alive' nodded Lothar. 'I'll not try and recapture him, he's more useful on his own...for now...whatever he does to the Crimson Ranger is excellent...very useful'
Kapri looked at the mirror Matriarchus held, the ornate frame shaped into a mass of snakes. 'The red rangers are making their way to the park' she snapped. 'We'll have to hurry, my students should finish work on the caves, because I want the sword!'
Lothar cast a cold glance to the female monster as she shimmered away. 'I don't like her...' he growled.
'No one does' Goldar-D sneered as he transformed into Scorpiona. 'So get in line'.
In a blast of darkness and purple lightening she was gone and followed soon after by Marah and Kapri. Zurgane spoke up. 'I don't trust Matriarchus...' he reported.
'Neither do I, but we need that book...' he lifted his PAM and in a few seconds there was a new monster standing before him. It was green skinned with artichoke like plates around its head, its eyes were bloody red and its chest was a dark green pad of steel. It wore a kind of kilt with hand patterns on it.
'I am Kiltachoke!' it snarled. 'Name it and it shall be done!'
Lothar yawned. 'Find the Mara-Ishii' he instructed. 'I want it returned to this place, brought to us and given to me directly!'
The monster gave a few more babbles of praise and vanished. Lothar sat down and pressed a button. 'I need to watch something on the screen'.
===
The silver flames were constricting. Tori netted her fingers in Blakes. 'Guess dinner's cancelled!' she squeaked. 'Mom will flip if you don't turn up.'
'Wow, meet the parents stage' admired Dustin. 'That's totally cool dude, didn't know you were, like, that serious'
'Well I guess we know now' smiled Cam. 'AND WE'RE ABOUT TO GET FRENCH TOASTED!'
'Calm down!' Hunter exclaimed. 'If we don't find a way out I'll...I'll'
'Let me guess, kiss the guy in the green?'
The girl ran along the path of the park up to the pillar of silver fire. Cam's eyes widened it was the girl with the book! 'Hey!' he exclaimed.
'I'm not here to make things worse, this is a Do-shun disk, potent Chinese Spell Circle the symbols say that there is another seal to destroy to free you'
She stepped back and looked around. 'There!' she exclaimed, pointing at the glowing shape, a Chinese spell circle like the one the rangers stood on floating with a glowing symbol in the middle. It was up near the very top of the column. 'Damn, I can't hit that!'
'But I can!' exclaimed a voice. Shane's blaster fired, striking the circle, for an instant the shape blazed like a second sun. And then it stopped, fading into nothingness. The flames vanished, inches from the rangers. 'That was too close' Blake gasped.
The girl nodded and looked around. 'Heads up!' she shouted. She reached into her satchel and pulled a handful off shuriken from the front pocket and hurled them at thje shapes.
Matriarchus cackled maniacally and raised her hand, the yellow wall deflected the shuriken back at the girl. She somersaulted over them expertly. A small red book fell from her bag as she twisted in the air.
Jason surged forwards from behind Shane where he'd gone unnoticed. 'And I thought I was retired' he grimaced.
'Jason! Jason Lee!' exclaimed Adam. 'The first ever red ranger...well on Earth for a few hundred years anyway...'
Matriarchus hurled a ball of golden light at him; he dived off to one side and a mass of multicoloured coral rose up where the orb struck. 'Stay still you annoying little pest!' she hissed.
Jason shook his head and performed a flying kick into her ribs. She shrieked and fell backwards. The heavy branch smashed down on her as she rolled back to her feet. Rocky brushed the small smear of blood out of his hair; he was bleeding in the brown of his locks. 'Man, you already missed your friends!' he groaned.
'But I have plenty of Frrrrrrrrrriends!' she purred. 'See?'
The Kelzacks appeared. 'Wow, you keep bad company' Rocky said as he darted past her to join up with Jason and Adam. 'Well that's not all she's got' a voice cackled; Shimazu, Mototron, Zurgane, Kapri and Marah appeared. Kapri had spoken.
'yeah, bad company' Shane said. 'Ready guys?'
'Ready!' the others chorused. Adam, Rocky and Jason lined up, ready for a fight, jaws set in the dusk-darkness of the park. Cam looked around and realized the girl was gone. 'Coward' he grumbled.
'Hello everybody!' cackled a voice. Scorpiona-D strode forwards. 'Kiltachoke! Now! Attack!'
'Ach Aye!' exclaimed the monster, in a crackle of green light and a flurry of lights shaped like his body plates he appeared. 'Here ye go!' he exclaimed. Sharp blades of green launched at the rangers, hissing through the air sharply and accurately.
The clash of sparks launched the rangers around the place. Shane landed on his feet and charged at Matriarchus. She caught his slash on her staff. 'I'm Matriarchus, the new general!' she laughed. 'AND YOUR EXECUTIONER!'
She knocked his blade off and slammed the other end of her staff into his gut before jetting at him, catching him in her arms and slamming him into a bench, shattering the painted wood.
=========
Marah and Dustin circled, still not attacking. 'Surrender ranger' she warned. 'Or I'll have to hurt you a lot...'
'You may think so' Dustin said. 'But I totally don't see it happening...'
Neither moved. 'Don't make me hurt you' she pleaded. 'It would hurt me more...'
Dustin didn't move, but neither did she.
'I have to stop you' he murmured hoarsely. She nodded. 'I don't want to hurt you Marah you're too pretty to hurt...' he froze when he heard those words from his mouth. Marah blushed.
======
Cam and Hunter were back to back, fighting off the Kelzacks. They moved together, working in unison to slice away the opponents. Scorpiona-D was leaning on a tree as the rangers destroying the Kelzacks. Matriarchus had dragged Shane away from his friends, Adam, Rock and Jason...well they were easy targets. Raising her scythe she aimed a blast of purple at them.
'OH NO YOU DON'T!' shouted to voices. The girls attacked and knocked Scorpiona-D into the tree, her scythe scittered along the path. She groaned and leapt to her feet. Trini landed a kick on the woman's gut, Kim slammed a fist into her face, the pair actually stood a chance until Scorpiona-D grabbed the women's fists and tossed them onto the other ex- Rangers. 'That!' she spat. 'Was IRRITATING!'
She aimed her scythe and fired at the ex-Rangers. The purple lightening hit Kim and Rocky first. Jason caught her while Rocky landed cradled in Adam's arms. Trini fell next being caught at the last second by Jasons other arm before her and Adam were struck down by the blast.
====
Tori dodged past Kiltachoke's slash and slammed her sword down his ribs as Blake plunged his staff up into the monster's gut and tossed him over. The Monster fired off a blast of green "leaves" and slashed the pair as they were caught in the green hurricane.
'Yer dead rangers!' he crooned.
'Here's one you didn't count on!' the white astral Ranger appeared. 'Scarab Scythe!' the white and black scythe slashed through the air with a hiss as the White Astral Ranger advanced from nowhere.
'You're alive!' gasped Tori.
The White Astral Ranger shrugged. 'I guess so' he shrugged. 'Takes more then a falling building and the Black Astral Ranger to kill me...'
Tori and Blake leapt to there feet. 'At least we know there's one good Astral Ranger!' Blake said. Kiltachoke attacked the White Ranger. A green light deflected the strike and gave Blake and Tori an opening to slash away. Kiltachoke squirmed and fell backwards.
'Leave him to me! Go help the ex-rangers! They're injured!' the White Astral ninja exclaimed. With a nod the Thunder and Wind Ninja pupils hurried off as the White Astral swept his body into a fighting stance. 'End of the line you stereotyped piece of rejected broccoli!'
The scythe glowed with dark colours and in a blur of white the ninja was behind the monster kneeling. For a second Kiltachoke laughed. Before the line of white across his torso glowed in shifting shades of the spectrum. With a crackle he exploded in a ball of flame...Scorpiona-D gave a hiss of rage as she strode forwards. She shoved Tori away into a tree and kicked Blake across a hill.
'You are so annoying!' she shrieked. 'Well, the Black is dead! Now lets see if I can't end the WHITE!'
The scythes met with a flare of light. 'Don't count on it, I'm not who I was!'
The green light shoved Scorpiona-D off balance. She somersaulted away from the scythe slash and launched herself at the white astral ranger. ====
'You're sloppy Shane' the voice said, haunting tones flowing from the darkness around Shane. He'd chased Matriarchus and was now left on his own in a small dark clearing.
His mother stepped forwards. 'Help me Shane!' she said.
'Matriarchus...Matriarch...let me guess a mission to trap mothers' he growled. 'Or imitate them...you've been in my house for the past few days, posing as my mother!'
'Perceptive!' she hissed as she transformed back. She caught his blade in a golden hand. 'But I have your mother in my...care...bring me the Mara-Ishii and the Sword of Tao-Zung and she goes free.'
Shane pulled back and aimed his blaster at her face. 'I don't believe you!'
'She came here with Jason...I captured her at the train station. KAPRI! Bring the proof!'
Kapri held out her hand. It was a small gold locket. Shane knew it was his mothers, without a doubt it was hers and the chilling taught trapped the oxygen in his lungs where it was.
'Now, you have 24 hours to return the book and find the sword...or...else!' she held up a golden orb that displayed Shane's mother suspended over a pit of magma. 'You've been warned!'
In a flash she was gone. And instead Zurgane stood in her place. He slashed down at Shane, the pure power filling Shane's world with a dark agony. He landed in a heap demorphing, his body clothed in sweat and tattered clothes. Kapri's eyes widened and she looked at Zurgane as he advanced.
'WAIT!' she exclaimed. 'I'll finish him off you go back to the fight!'
Zurgane looked at her before vanishing without a word. She walked over to the groaning shape of Shane, his body scratched and grazed with soot and dirt from his suit. She aimed her staff at his neck.
======
Motodrone went flying as Hunter swung Cam at him in an impressive tag-team move that sent the monster into shock. 'This is bad!' Motodrone shrieked. 'I amn't staying!' he vanished.
'Coward' Cam said with a snort. Shimazu had just teleported out after Tori had given the monster what for on a huge scale. And thanks to Blake Zurgane was limping. Marah and Dustin were locked in a kind of staff-on- sword push-of-war.
'The White Astral Ninja' breathed Hunter, looking at the ranger and shapeshifter locked in lethal combat. 'He's alive...'
Cam nodded. 'And we know the Black Astral Ranger's still out there...'
A slash came down across the White Astral Ranger's chest and Hunter flinched almost like he'd felt it himself. 'I can still sense his mind!' he breathed. 'I can feel his thoughts...the connection he made!'
'Guys! The ex-rangers are hurt!' Tori shouted. 'BAD!'
'Where's Shane?' Blake shouted.
Kapri appeared with Shane and threw him off her shoulders. 'Call it good luck this time!' she shrilled. 'I'll see you all around!' she vanished.
Marah cast a look at her sister's teleportation cloud then at D. 'D! Let's go!' she shouted as she teleported out.
Scorpiona-D hissed angrily, transformed into King Mondo and vanished. The White Astral Ranger hacked at the teleportation haze. 'Damn!' he cursed. 'Next time!'
Tori rose and ran to him. 'You're alive!' she said. 'We owe you a thank you for saving us from...ehh...yourself?'
'The Black Astral Ranger' the ninja said calmly. 'He'll be back, I'll stop him and I can be free'.
'Do you need medical attention? You can come back to the Academy...'
'That's not a good Idea' the ninja said. 'Thank you'. He bowed sharply and in a blure of white he'd jetted out of the park. Tori looked at the others.
'Weird' Hunter said.
===========
'MOM!' Shane shouted, sitting up in the bed of the infirmary, staring around room with wild eyes. 'Oh God! She's in trouble!'
Senseii hopped up on the desk. 'What is the matter Shane?'
'Yeah, you don't look so hot dude' Dustin said. The Rangers were seated around the bed of the infirmary. Each was worried.
'Mom...my mom...Matriarchus has her, I saw her, and if I don't turn over the book and some sword god Matriarchus WILL kill her!'
'This is a dilemma' Kanoi said. 'Cameron, have you deciphered the symbols?'
'Working on them right now' yawned Cam holding up a notepad and cup of coffee. 'They're ancient Ninja Koji...they were used on scriptures and in drawings to create magical effects. I'll crack them...just not right away...'
Tori pressed on Shane's chest gently and laid him down. 'Sleep, we'll try and figure out how to get her back...'
'What about the ex-rangers?'
'Unconscious' Kanoi said. 'But thanks to the durability from their past morphs they are surviving and healing. They will awaken soon. I suggest you all go home and rest, you've endured quite a lot...though I don't understand why the attack was suspended like that, why did they vanish once you were trapped?'
======
'Weren't we supposed to have dinner at your house tonight?'
Tori shook her head and rubbed her shoulders. 'I tweaked Mom to move it to Friday so you have time to get ready...which you'll need to do...trust me. Mom makes the Spanish Inquisition look like fun at a Table Quiz.'
Blake looked out the window of the van. 'I'll see you at Storm Chargers tomorrow... okay?'
'Yeah' nodded Tori as she pulled up and let him out at his house. 'Bye'
He waved and she drove off. Down the road she saw a guy bashing something off a car with smoke coming out of the engine. Carefully she pulled up. 'Are you okay?'
'Yeah' the guy said. He had spiky black-brown hair and eyes so dark and blue that they were like the bottom of the ocean. 'Just my cell's out and my friend's car's gone poof...damn!'
He wore a leather jacket and white T-shirt with baggy black jeans. He didn't look dangerous...even with the weird dark eyes. 'I can give you a lift to the gas station' Tori suggested. The guy nodded.
'If you could...Actually I'm not far from a friends house. Can you drop me there...?'
Tori nodded. 'Okay'
The guy climbed in and Tori drove in the direction she'd been heading. 'So...you knew to the city?'
'Blue Bay Harbour? No I've been here for a few years now' he said. 'You can drop me off here...I have a score to settle with my friend. He's shut off the electricity to my landladies house.'
'Oh, what a jerk' Tori said. 'Not much of a friend'
'I'll have to talk some sense to him' the guy shrugged. 'Thanks for the lift...see you around.'
He climbed out and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket running in the direction of one of the most impressive housing estates around. A place you needed a minimum of three mortgages just to buy the rights to look at the place.
Tori pulled off. She was exhausted! And Blake was coming over for dinner tomorrow night!'
TBC: Next chapter: Who are the Astral Rangers? Interestingly enough four new guys are in town, all are suspects. And: THE SWORD, THE SWORD!
COUPLES: NS: Cam-Hunter=====Cam-Dustin=======Cam-D=========Cam-Astral Ranger
Hunter-Tori==========Hunter-Kapri=========Hunter-Cam=====Hunter- Dustin===========Hunter-D============Hunter-Astral Ranger
Tori-Blake========Tori-Shane======Tori-Cam======Tori-Astral Ranger====Tori- D========Tori-Guy-she-gave-a-lift-to
Shane-Kapri=========Shane-Cam===========Shane-Tori======Shane- Dustin======Shane-Blake========Shane-D
Marah-Dustin=============Marah-Shane========Marah-Blake====Marah-D
Kapri-Hunter========Kapri-Shane=======Kapri-Mysterious stranger===Kapri-D
Dustin-D===Dustin-Marah=====Dustin-Shane=====Dustin-Cam===Dustin-Hunter ====Dustin-Tori
Blake-Tori=======Blake-Marah======Blake-Shane======Blake-Hunter====Blake- Cam=================Blake-D======Blake-Mystery Guy
MM: Jason-Kim======Jason-Trini=======Jason-Adam=======Jason-Rocky===
Kim-Rocky======Kim-Trini======Kim-Adam=====Kim-Jason===
Trini-Adam======Trini-Jason=====Trini-Kim
Adam-Rocky=====Adam-Kim Rocky-Adam====Rocky-Trini=====Rocky-Kim=====
There we go! Those were the "only" pairings I was aloud put up...I think that's pretty much every possible one but my General is a pain in the ass.
NOTE: I am gathering information in this story for the next one that will be major romance with some action. Okay? Okay!
Friends Fall
Disclaimer: Power Rangers aren't mine. If they were things would be different (for instance the WildForce rangers wouldn't exist) but I DON'T OWN THEM AND DO NOT MAKE ANY MONEY OUT OF THIS
Rating: PG-13 (It gets unpleasant later in the story)
Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance
AUTHORS Note: Well, I got barely any reviews for this, one from AREH#1 gave me a boost to write this, still its rushed. I might redo it if I get a few reviews...I include a suggestion list for couples at the end thanks to my General (yaoi romance fanatic) so until I rule the world I'll be struggling to write and all reviews make that easier. TTFN.
'Shane darling, where are you?' his mother cooed, her incredibly big dress barely fitting through hall, it was wide, short and ruffled with frills.
'Just brushing my teeth Mom!' he called. He banged his head off the wall gently once more, his mother wasn't letting him leave...
'Shane?'
He looked at his morpher. 'Yeah Cam?'
'Okay, long story short' Cam said. 'We've been trapped by the latest monster. We're in deep crap and have ex-rangers up to our ears...any chance you can help us befor eht fire vaporizes us?'
'Fire?'
Cam showed him an image of the constricting flame column.
'Holy...Yeah I'm on my way!' Shane exclaimed. He opened the room to his door and nearly ran into his mother. 'MOM! Sheesh! Can you possibly not just stand there and scare me to death?'
'Oh, darling!' she said. 'I was just going to guide you to dinner...'
'I know where the dinner table is!' Shane said firmly. 'And I have to go out...'
'Don't take that tone with me young man!' his mother exclaimed. 'I cook and clean and feed you, if your father were here! He'd be furious you took such a tone with me!'
'Sorry Mom' Shane said calmly. 'But I left my homework at Dustin's house...'
'I see' nodded his mother. 'Well, off you go, have to keep those grades up there!'
Shane gave a small smile and edged past her. Once he was on the street he sprinted off and ran straight into a bronzed, muscular young man. 'Whoa! Sorry!' Shane yelped, his head aching and backside matching it. His morpher had come off. 'No trouble Shane' the guy said. 'How do you know my name?' Shane asked as he reached for the morpher.
'You're mom has pictures of you. I'm Jason her assistant...' Jason paused, a trickle of understanding running into his mind as he spotted the morpher. 'That's a morpher' he said.
Shane froze like a statue. 'Ehh...no...it's my watch'
Jason was faster then Shane, he picked the device up and looked at it. 'Man, I never thought I'd meet another ranger'
'Another?'
Jason extended his hand and helped Shane up. 'I used to be the Red Tyrannosaur Ranger. And you?'
'Red Ranger...wow, you were one of the first rangers on earth!' murmured Shane. Jason shrugged. 'Yeah, but I quit for the "glamour" of the Young UN.'
'I have to go...my friends are in trouble!' Shane exclaimed.
'Mind if I tag along?' Jason asked. 'I still have the ranger strength...'
Shane hesitated for a minute. 'Okay, let's go!'
======
Trini Kwan looked around the hotel over her sunglasses. The porter was moving her bags for her. The waving figure caught her eye. She rushed over with a smile.
'Kim!'
'Trini!' she hugged the ex-Yellow ranger. 'It's great to see you! I was so glad to hear you'd been in town! How have you been?'
'Majoring in Political sciences and languages' Trini shrugged. 'You?'
'Movie work' Kim said with a nod. 'I like it, it's a little more...restful...'
Trini nodded. 'I am famished, want to go out for a bite?'
'Yeah' nodded Kim. 'We have a lot to catch up on!'
Behind them an elderly woman's eyes flared purple. She rose and walked over to the elevators, stepping into an empty one and vanishing as the doors shut.
==
Goldar-D reappeared on the ship. His eyes burning angrily. 'Two more ex- rangers!' he reported angrily.
Matriarchus hissed. 'Have you found the sword? Or at least the book?'
'Not yet' Goldar-D said. 'They've got it cloaked in their academy. I'm going to try and get it back forcefully. We still have that bargaining chip...'
'NOT GOOD ENOUGH!' Lothar roared. 'If the book is in the possession of my blasted brother and his students I cannot waste time. We must get it back!'
'The secrets are many, we cannot allow them to be deciphered' Shimazu said. 'A foolish thing would be to leave it in their possession'
'With such weak things as the Kezlacks I amn't surprised they still have the book' Goldar-D rasped. 'Also...the Black Astral Ranger...'
'He's alive' nodded Lothar. 'I'll not try and recapture him, he's more useful on his own...for now...whatever he does to the Crimson Ranger is excellent...very useful'
Kapri looked at the mirror Matriarchus held, the ornate frame shaped into a mass of snakes. 'The red rangers are making their way to the park' she snapped. 'We'll have to hurry, my students should finish work on the caves, because I want the sword!'
Lothar cast a cold glance to the female monster as she shimmered away. 'I don't like her...' he growled.
'No one does' Goldar-D sneered as he transformed into Scorpiona. 'So get in line'.
In a blast of darkness and purple lightening she was gone and followed soon after by Marah and Kapri. Zurgane spoke up. 'I don't trust Matriarchus...' he reported.
'Neither do I, but we need that book...' he lifted his PAM and in a few seconds there was a new monster standing before him. It was green skinned with artichoke like plates around its head, its eyes were bloody red and its chest was a dark green pad of steel. It wore a kind of kilt with hand patterns on it.
'I am Kiltachoke!' it snarled. 'Name it and it shall be done!'
Lothar yawned. 'Find the Mara-Ishii' he instructed. 'I want it returned to this place, brought to us and given to me directly!'
The monster gave a few more babbles of praise and vanished. Lothar sat down and pressed a button. 'I need to watch something on the screen'.
===
The silver flames were constricting. Tori netted her fingers in Blakes. 'Guess dinner's cancelled!' she squeaked. 'Mom will flip if you don't turn up.'
'Wow, meet the parents stage' admired Dustin. 'That's totally cool dude, didn't know you were, like, that serious'
'Well I guess we know now' smiled Cam. 'AND WE'RE ABOUT TO GET FRENCH TOASTED!'
'Calm down!' Hunter exclaimed. 'If we don't find a way out I'll...I'll'
'Let me guess, kiss the guy in the green?'
The girl ran along the path of the park up to the pillar of silver fire. Cam's eyes widened it was the girl with the book! 'Hey!' he exclaimed.
'I'm not here to make things worse, this is a Do-shun disk, potent Chinese Spell Circle the symbols say that there is another seal to destroy to free you'
She stepped back and looked around. 'There!' she exclaimed, pointing at the glowing shape, a Chinese spell circle like the one the rangers stood on floating with a glowing symbol in the middle. It was up near the very top of the column. 'Damn, I can't hit that!'
'But I can!' exclaimed a voice. Shane's blaster fired, striking the circle, for an instant the shape blazed like a second sun. And then it stopped, fading into nothingness. The flames vanished, inches from the rangers. 'That was too close' Blake gasped.
The girl nodded and looked around. 'Heads up!' she shouted. She reached into her satchel and pulled a handful off shuriken from the front pocket and hurled them at thje shapes.
Matriarchus cackled maniacally and raised her hand, the yellow wall deflected the shuriken back at the girl. She somersaulted over them expertly. A small red book fell from her bag as she twisted in the air.
Jason surged forwards from behind Shane where he'd gone unnoticed. 'And I thought I was retired' he grimaced.
'Jason! Jason Lee!' exclaimed Adam. 'The first ever red ranger...well on Earth for a few hundred years anyway...'
Matriarchus hurled a ball of golden light at him; he dived off to one side and a mass of multicoloured coral rose up where the orb struck. 'Stay still you annoying little pest!' she hissed.
Jason shook his head and performed a flying kick into her ribs. She shrieked and fell backwards. The heavy branch smashed down on her as she rolled back to her feet. Rocky brushed the small smear of blood out of his hair; he was bleeding in the brown of his locks. 'Man, you already missed your friends!' he groaned.
'But I have plenty of Frrrrrrrrrriends!' she purred. 'See?'
The Kelzacks appeared. 'Wow, you keep bad company' Rocky said as he darted past her to join up with Jason and Adam. 'Well that's not all she's got' a voice cackled; Shimazu, Mototron, Zurgane, Kapri and Marah appeared. Kapri had spoken.
'yeah, bad company' Shane said. 'Ready guys?'
'Ready!' the others chorused. Adam, Rocky and Jason lined up, ready for a fight, jaws set in the dusk-darkness of the park. Cam looked around and realized the girl was gone. 'Coward' he grumbled.
'Hello everybody!' cackled a voice. Scorpiona-D strode forwards. 'Kiltachoke! Now! Attack!'
'Ach Aye!' exclaimed the monster, in a crackle of green light and a flurry of lights shaped like his body plates he appeared. 'Here ye go!' he exclaimed. Sharp blades of green launched at the rangers, hissing through the air sharply and accurately.
The clash of sparks launched the rangers around the place. Shane landed on his feet and charged at Matriarchus. She caught his slash on her staff. 'I'm Matriarchus, the new general!' she laughed. 'AND YOUR EXECUTIONER!'
She knocked his blade off and slammed the other end of her staff into his gut before jetting at him, catching him in her arms and slamming him into a bench, shattering the painted wood.
=========
Marah and Dustin circled, still not attacking. 'Surrender ranger' she warned. 'Or I'll have to hurt you a lot...'
'You may think so' Dustin said. 'But I totally don't see it happening...'
Neither moved. 'Don't make me hurt you' she pleaded. 'It would hurt me more...'
Dustin didn't move, but neither did she.
'I have to stop you' he murmured hoarsely. She nodded. 'I don't want to hurt you Marah you're too pretty to hurt...' he froze when he heard those words from his mouth. Marah blushed.
======
Cam and Hunter were back to back, fighting off the Kelzacks. They moved together, working in unison to slice away the opponents. Scorpiona-D was leaning on a tree as the rangers destroying the Kelzacks. Matriarchus had dragged Shane away from his friends, Adam, Rock and Jason...well they were easy targets. Raising her scythe she aimed a blast of purple at them.
'OH NO YOU DON'T!' shouted to voices. The girls attacked and knocked Scorpiona-D into the tree, her scythe scittered along the path. She groaned and leapt to her feet. Trini landed a kick on the woman's gut, Kim slammed a fist into her face, the pair actually stood a chance until Scorpiona-D grabbed the women's fists and tossed them onto the other ex- Rangers. 'That!' she spat. 'Was IRRITATING!'
She aimed her scythe and fired at the ex-Rangers. The purple lightening hit Kim and Rocky first. Jason caught her while Rocky landed cradled in Adam's arms. Trini fell next being caught at the last second by Jasons other arm before her and Adam were struck down by the blast.
====
Tori dodged past Kiltachoke's slash and slammed her sword down his ribs as Blake plunged his staff up into the monster's gut and tossed him over. The Monster fired off a blast of green "leaves" and slashed the pair as they were caught in the green hurricane.
'Yer dead rangers!' he crooned.
'Here's one you didn't count on!' the white astral Ranger appeared. 'Scarab Scythe!' the white and black scythe slashed through the air with a hiss as the White Astral Ranger advanced from nowhere.
'You're alive!' gasped Tori.
The White Astral Ranger shrugged. 'I guess so' he shrugged. 'Takes more then a falling building and the Black Astral Ranger to kill me...'
Tori and Blake leapt to there feet. 'At least we know there's one good Astral Ranger!' Blake said. Kiltachoke attacked the White Ranger. A green light deflected the strike and gave Blake and Tori an opening to slash away. Kiltachoke squirmed and fell backwards.
'Leave him to me! Go help the ex-rangers! They're injured!' the White Astral ninja exclaimed. With a nod the Thunder and Wind Ninja pupils hurried off as the White Astral swept his body into a fighting stance. 'End of the line you stereotyped piece of rejected broccoli!'
The scythe glowed with dark colours and in a blur of white the ninja was behind the monster kneeling. For a second Kiltachoke laughed. Before the line of white across his torso glowed in shifting shades of the spectrum. With a crackle he exploded in a ball of flame...Scorpiona-D gave a hiss of rage as she strode forwards. She shoved Tori away into a tree and kicked Blake across a hill.
'You are so annoying!' she shrieked. 'Well, the Black is dead! Now lets see if I can't end the WHITE!'
The scythes met with a flare of light. 'Don't count on it, I'm not who I was!'
The green light shoved Scorpiona-D off balance. She somersaulted away from the scythe slash and launched herself at the white astral ranger. ====
'You're sloppy Shane' the voice said, haunting tones flowing from the darkness around Shane. He'd chased Matriarchus and was now left on his own in a small dark clearing.
His mother stepped forwards. 'Help me Shane!' she said.
'Matriarchus...Matriarch...let me guess a mission to trap mothers' he growled. 'Or imitate them...you've been in my house for the past few days, posing as my mother!'
'Perceptive!' she hissed as she transformed back. She caught his blade in a golden hand. 'But I have your mother in my...care...bring me the Mara-Ishii and the Sword of Tao-Zung and she goes free.'
Shane pulled back and aimed his blaster at her face. 'I don't believe you!'
'She came here with Jason...I captured her at the train station. KAPRI! Bring the proof!'
Kapri held out her hand. It was a small gold locket. Shane knew it was his mothers, without a doubt it was hers and the chilling taught trapped the oxygen in his lungs where it was.
'Now, you have 24 hours to return the book and find the sword...or...else!' she held up a golden orb that displayed Shane's mother suspended over a pit of magma. 'You've been warned!'
In a flash she was gone. And instead Zurgane stood in her place. He slashed down at Shane, the pure power filling Shane's world with a dark agony. He landed in a heap demorphing, his body clothed in sweat and tattered clothes. Kapri's eyes widened and she looked at Zurgane as he advanced.
'WAIT!' she exclaimed. 'I'll finish him off you go back to the fight!'
Zurgane looked at her before vanishing without a word. She walked over to the groaning shape of Shane, his body scratched and grazed with soot and dirt from his suit. She aimed her staff at his neck.
======
Motodrone went flying as Hunter swung Cam at him in an impressive tag-team move that sent the monster into shock. 'This is bad!' Motodrone shrieked. 'I amn't staying!' he vanished.
'Coward' Cam said with a snort. Shimazu had just teleported out after Tori had given the monster what for on a huge scale. And thanks to Blake Zurgane was limping. Marah and Dustin were locked in a kind of staff-on- sword push-of-war.
'The White Astral Ninja' breathed Hunter, looking at the ranger and shapeshifter locked in lethal combat. 'He's alive...'
Cam nodded. 'And we know the Black Astral Ranger's still out there...'
A slash came down across the White Astral Ranger's chest and Hunter flinched almost like he'd felt it himself. 'I can still sense his mind!' he breathed. 'I can feel his thoughts...the connection he made!'
'Guys! The ex-rangers are hurt!' Tori shouted. 'BAD!'
'Where's Shane?' Blake shouted.
Kapri appeared with Shane and threw him off her shoulders. 'Call it good luck this time!' she shrilled. 'I'll see you all around!' she vanished.
Marah cast a look at her sister's teleportation cloud then at D. 'D! Let's go!' she shouted as she teleported out.
Scorpiona-D hissed angrily, transformed into King Mondo and vanished. The White Astral Ranger hacked at the teleportation haze. 'Damn!' he cursed. 'Next time!'
Tori rose and ran to him. 'You're alive!' she said. 'We owe you a thank you for saving us from...ehh...yourself?'
'The Black Astral Ranger' the ninja said calmly. 'He'll be back, I'll stop him and I can be free'.
'Do you need medical attention? You can come back to the Academy...'
'That's not a good Idea' the ninja said. 'Thank you'. He bowed sharply and in a blure of white he'd jetted out of the park. Tori looked at the others.
'Weird' Hunter said.
===========
'MOM!' Shane shouted, sitting up in the bed of the infirmary, staring around room with wild eyes. 'Oh God! She's in trouble!'
Senseii hopped up on the desk. 'What is the matter Shane?'
'Yeah, you don't look so hot dude' Dustin said. The Rangers were seated around the bed of the infirmary. Each was worried.
'Mom...my mom...Matriarchus has her, I saw her, and if I don't turn over the book and some sword god Matriarchus WILL kill her!'
'This is a dilemma' Kanoi said. 'Cameron, have you deciphered the symbols?'
'Working on them right now' yawned Cam holding up a notepad and cup of coffee. 'They're ancient Ninja Koji...they were used on scriptures and in drawings to create magical effects. I'll crack them...just not right away...'
Tori pressed on Shane's chest gently and laid him down. 'Sleep, we'll try and figure out how to get her back...'
'What about the ex-rangers?'
'Unconscious' Kanoi said. 'But thanks to the durability from their past morphs they are surviving and healing. They will awaken soon. I suggest you all go home and rest, you've endured quite a lot...though I don't understand why the attack was suspended like that, why did they vanish once you were trapped?'
======
'Weren't we supposed to have dinner at your house tonight?'
Tori shook her head and rubbed her shoulders. 'I tweaked Mom to move it to Friday so you have time to get ready...which you'll need to do...trust me. Mom makes the Spanish Inquisition look like fun at a Table Quiz.'
Blake looked out the window of the van. 'I'll see you at Storm Chargers tomorrow... okay?'
'Yeah' nodded Tori as she pulled up and let him out at his house. 'Bye'
He waved and she drove off. Down the road she saw a guy bashing something off a car with smoke coming out of the engine. Carefully she pulled up. 'Are you okay?'
'Yeah' the guy said. He had spiky black-brown hair and eyes so dark and blue that they were like the bottom of the ocean. 'Just my cell's out and my friend's car's gone poof...damn!'
He wore a leather jacket and white T-shirt with baggy black jeans. He didn't look dangerous...even with the weird dark eyes. 'I can give you a lift to the gas station' Tori suggested. The guy nodded.
'If you could...Actually I'm not far from a friends house. Can you drop me there...?'
Tori nodded. 'Okay'
The guy climbed in and Tori drove in the direction she'd been heading. 'So...you knew to the city?'
'Blue Bay Harbour? No I've been here for a few years now' he said. 'You can drop me off here...I have a score to settle with my friend. He's shut off the electricity to my landladies house.'
'Oh, what a jerk' Tori said. 'Not much of a friend'
'I'll have to talk some sense to him' the guy shrugged. 'Thanks for the lift...see you around.'
He climbed out and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket running in the direction of one of the most impressive housing estates around. A place you needed a minimum of three mortgages just to buy the rights to look at the place.
Tori pulled off. She was exhausted! And Blake was coming over for dinner tomorrow night!'
TBC: Next chapter: Who are the Astral Rangers? Interestingly enough four new guys are in town, all are suspects. And: THE SWORD, THE SWORD!
COUPLES: NS: Cam-Hunter=====Cam-Dustin=======Cam-D=========Cam-Astral Ranger
Hunter-Tori==========Hunter-Kapri=========Hunter-Cam=====Hunter- Dustin===========Hunter-D============Hunter-Astral Ranger
Tori-Blake========Tori-Shane======Tori-Cam======Tori-Astral Ranger====Tori- D========Tori-Guy-she-gave-a-lift-to
Shane-Kapri=========Shane-Cam===========Shane-Tori======Shane- Dustin======Shane-Blake========Shane-D
Marah-Dustin=============Marah-Shane========Marah-Blake====Marah-D
Kapri-Hunter========Kapri-Shane=======Kapri-Mysterious stranger===Kapri-D
Dustin-D===Dustin-Marah=====Dustin-Shane=====Dustin-Cam===Dustin-Hunter ====Dustin-Tori
Blake-Tori=======Blake-Marah======Blake-Shane======Blake-Hunter====Blake- Cam=================Blake-D======Blake-Mystery Guy
MM: Jason-Kim======Jason-Trini=======Jason-Adam=======Jason-Rocky===
Kim-Rocky======Kim-Trini======Kim-Adam=====Kim-Jason===
Trini-Adam======Trini-Jason=====Trini-Kim
Adam-Rocky=====Adam-Kim Rocky-Adam====Rocky-Trini=====Rocky-Kim=====
There we go! Those were the "only" pairings I was aloud put up...I think that's pretty much every possible one but my General is a pain in the ass.
NOTE: I am gathering information in this story for the next one that will be major romance with some action. Okay? Okay!