Chapter Six
"All right cuz, you mind telling me what was so important that I had to get up so early in the morning," Matt asked as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"Because I need your opinion on something," Leo replied as they sat in the cafe he'd dragged Matt to.
A week had passed since Leo and Karone's confessions to one another. And since then things had been going perfect between the two. Matt and Maya had also told everyone about what Jarod had revealed about Matt's reason for being on Mirinoi, and the destiny he was to face. The others agreed to keep on their guard.
"Okay, I'll bite, what do you need my opinion with," Matt asked.
"I've decided to ask Karone to marry me," Leo revealed.
Matt stared at him in surprise. "Are you serious?"
"Why not," Leo said, "I mean we've both admitted our feelings to each other, besides, as you said, we're perfect for each other."
Matt smiled and said: "Good point, so when are you going to ask her?"
"I was hoping to do it tonight," Leo replied.
"Well then let me be the first to congratulate you cuz," Matt replied with a grin.
"Thanks," Leo said, "Now all I have left to do is get everything ready for tonight."
"Well what are you sitting around here for man," Matt said laughing, "You've got a big assignment ahead of you, get to it."
"All right I'm going," Leo said as he stood up, "I'll catch you later."
"Yeah," Matt replied, "But not until I've gone back to bed and gotten some more sleep."
Later that morning, Matt stood in the forest walking slowly with Jara, listening closely to what it was that he had to say.
"As the time of the accension draws near, you must prepare yourself for anything that may happen," Jara said, "Skokahn knows you are here, so you must be on your guard at all times. I won't lie to you Matt, you and the others will face many hardships up to the appointed time."
"What kind of hardships?" Matt asked.
"That I do not know," Jara replied, "But you must remember that no matter what happens, you can't let yourself give in to your fears. That will be what Skokahn wants you to do, he knows that if you can't fight with a clear head, you will make mistakes, and just one could mean your defeat, as well as our annihilation."
"I'm trying to make sense of all of this Jara," Matt said as the stopped to view Terra Venture's city dome from atop a hill, "You're basically telling me that I'm here to prevent Armageddon. That I alone must face the greatest evil to ever exist in the universe." He sighed for a second then a small appeared on his face as he continued. "You know it's funny, my parents always told me that I was destined to do great things. Somehow though, I don't think saving the universe was one of them."
Jara smiled then said, "Every man controls his destiny, including you, how it plays out though is your decision. But remember this, if you defeat Skokahn, then you will be granted whatever it is that you desire."
Matt turned to look at him and said, "You mean a wish?" He thought about this then asked: "How will I know if what I wish for is the right thing?"
"There are no bad wishes, but when the time arrives, everything will be made clear to you and you will make the right decision," Jara said after a moments thought.
Matt pondered this for a moment then nodded his head in agreement. He knew the old man was right, but at the moment he still felt confused.
Karone sat on a bench watching the children as they played. As she sat their, her mind began to drift towards Leo. Ever since that day on the beach, she had felt herself completely freed of any kind of emptiness or longing. "I have a boyfriend who loves me, and I love him," she thought. It almost seemed as if things couldn't get any better.
She was so lost in thought of Leo, she failed to see Deviot appear behind her, she suddenly felt a cold arm wrap around her neck and a cold hand pressed against her mouth. "If you wish to prevent the children from suffering, you will remain silent traitor," he hissed in her ear. In a flash they vanished.
Leo stepped out of the store with a smile on his face. He patted his pocket to make sure the box was still there. After talking to Matt he had spent most of the morning making plans for that evening. He had first gone and made reservations at a new French restaurant that had just opened, then he'd gone to the jewelry store to find the perfect ring, he knew Karone would like it, it was the perfect reflection of her.
As he entered the park to inform Karone of the dinner plans, he was surprised to see a group of the parents standing with their children with concerned looks on their faces. When one of the mothers spotted Leo she walked up to him and said: "Leo, do you know where Karone is?"
"No why? Wasn't she here watching the children?" he said becoming concerned.
"She was, but when we came to pick up our kids, we found them all here alone. They have no idea where she went. It's like she just vanished."
"I'm sure Karone had a good reason for leaving, she wouldn't leave the children alone unless there was an emergency," Leo said not wanting to worry her.
The mother agreed and thanking him gathered her children and left, as did the other parents after talking with Leo.
Leo was about to turn and head for the girl's quarters when he was struck from behind. He fell to the ground unconscious.
Deviot stood over him and laughed evilly, "This whole plan was easier than I thought.
Leo awoke to find himself in what appeared to be a large cell. His denim shirt was missing leaving him with only his read sleeveless shirt, and his hands were chained together in front of him, but his feet were free. As he tried to look around the room he winced at the pain that shot from the back of his head.
"Awe good your finally awake," Deviot said as he stepped from the shadows. He stood over Leo and laughed evilly. "About time. I was growing board from the wait."
"What do you want Deviot," Leo said glaring at him.
Struggling to his feet and tried to lung at him but was quickly grabbed and held in place by a pair of Stingwingers.
"Temper, temper Red Ranger," Deviot said chuckling, "I wouldn't recommend doing anything foolish, especially if you want to see your girlfriend again."
"What have you done with her!" Leo demanded.
"She's being shown what they do to traitors," Deviot said evilly. "She'll be rejoining us shortly."
"If you've harmed her in any way Deviot,"Leo began glaring at him.
"You are in no position to make threats Red Ranger," Deviot replied, "Now, while we wait for your girlfriends return, you're going to tell me everything you know about 'The One', or should I say, your cousin Matt."
Meanwhile, Mike and Kendrix were walking through the park looking for Matt to invite him to lunch. When they found him they stared at him in amazement. He was in the Chinese splits with his feet propped up on two rocks. He was balanced that way about a foot or two off the ground. He was trying to reflectively meditate on the days events. At Mike and Kendrix's approach, he spoke up without turning his head. "Hey guys, what can I do for you."
Mike grinned before looking at him and saying, "Man, Maya told us about you doing that to her, I still can't believe it."
"It takes a lot of years of mental discipline," Matt said as he lifted himself up and pulled his legs off the rocks. As he stood up he turned to Mike and Kendrix and grinned. "So what brings you guys by this afternoon?"
"We wanted to know if you wanted to join Mike and I for a late lunch," Kendrix replied.
"Sounds good to me," Matt said, "Where are we going to lunch this time, I for one would like something a little healthier than burgers and fries again."
Before Mike could reply, Kendrix's communicator beeped.
"Go ahead," she said speaking into it.
"Kendrix, who's with you?" came Damon's voice.
"Matt and Mike," she replied, "Why?"
"Standby," Damon said.
Before anyone could say another word, they disappeared in flashes of pink, black, and white light. The next thing they knew, they were standing in the old hangar bay.
"I wanted you guys to see my surprise," Damon said as he walked towards them.
The trio looked behind him and their eyes widened and jaws dropped.
The Megaship stood in front of them, completely rebuilt, she looked like she'd never had a scratch on her.
"I can't believe it," Mike said in awe.
"Neither could I," Kai said grinning as he stepped out of the main cargo entrance.
"She's fully operational and space ready," Damon replied with a grin, "Alpha and I were testing the teleportation controls as the final touch. They're great now. You guys arrived right where we transported you."
"That felt kind of fun," Matt said, "Like my molecules were being slightly scrambled."
"It takes a little getting used to," Kai admitted, "But after a while you'll adjust."
He stepped forward and handed Matt a small wrist device.
"What's this?" Matt asked.
"It's a wrist communicator," Damon replied, "We thought it wise to give you one in case you ran into trouble. Especially with Deviot around. You'll be able to contact us at anytime and teleport from just about any place."
"Wow," Matt said taking the device from Kai and putting it on. "Thanks, this is cool."
"Aye yi yi yi yi," Alpha said as he came hobbling from the Megaship.
"What is it Alpha?" Kendrix asked.
"I've lost Leo and Karone's signals," Alpha replied, "Karone's disappeared first, and then about twenty minutes later, Leo's did too."
"Well maybe they deactivated their communicators so they could be alone," Damon replied with a weak grin.
"I don't think so," Mike disagreed, "Leo wouldn't deactivate his communicator no matter what the case, especially with Deviot around again."
"Mike's right," Matt agreed, "I have a bad feel that Leo and Karone might be in trouble."
"Well if they are, we need to figure out where they are," Kai said.
"Maybe we can use the ship's scanners to try and locate them by some other means," Kendrix said.
"It's worth a try," Mike agreed, "Let's get to work you guys."
With that they headed for the Megalift.
Leo looked up as the door to his cell opened. A pair of Stingwingers carried Karone in and tossed her to the floor.
"Karone!" Leo cried struggling over to her.
"Leo?" Karone said as she painfully tried to lift herself up but quickly collapsed to the floor.
Leo was at her side and his eyes widened in horror as he saw the extent of her injuries. Left eye was slightly swollen, she had bruises on her face, and a split lip. Looking down, Leo saw bruises on her arms as well. Her top and pants were torn in several places and Leo could see small cuts and abrasions. Leo said as he carefully helped her to a dry corner of the room and gently cradled her in his arms. "How did you get here?"
"Deviot snuck up on me and threatened to harm the children if I didn't remain silent," Karone said slowly, "The next thing I knew we were here, and they were asking me several questions about Matt. When they weren't satisfied that I had told them everything, they tortured me, until they were satisfied that I had told them everything. Deviot said I was being tortured because I was a traitor."
Suddenly Karone burst into tears. As she sobbed, she cried out in pain as her wounds flared up. Leo leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips and she stopped crying. As she looked at him, he said: "I'll make sure that Deviot pays for this, the life you once had as Astronema was over long ago. I won't let them get away with what they've done to you."
"You don't look like you're in any better shape," Karone said with a weak smile, as she noticed for the first time the fact that his face and body showed about the same injuries as hers if not more. "I guess Deviot interrogated you too."
"I'll be all right," Leo said trying to ignore the pain he was in, "All we have to do is hold on and the others will rescue us."
"They better do it soon," Karone said softly, "I overheard Deviot mention that Skokahn had ordered that we be executed tomorrow."
Leo looked at her and smiled weakly, "You know the guys, they always make at the last minute." Deep down, he hoped he was right.
"This is hopeless," Mike said slamming his fist down on the console in front of him.
"Hey easy cuz," Matt said placing a hand on the older Corbett brother's shoulder. "We'll find them we just need to stay calm until then." He turned his attention to Kendrix who was at the scanner controls, "Anything?"
Kendrix shook her head sadly. "I can't locate them anywhere Matt, it's as if they've complete vanished."
"They've got to be somewhere," Kaid said, suddenly an idea came to him, "Damon you said the crews brought all that remained of the Megaship back here to the hanger bay right?"
"Yeah," Damon said, "Why?"
"Did they ever go near the Scorpion Stinger?" Kai asked.
"No," Damon replied, then his eyes widened with the realization, "You think maybe Skokahn and Deviot might be holding them their?"
"It's worth a look," Mike said in agreement. "Kai, you, Kendrix, Maya, and Damon check out the ship, Matt and I will stay here with Alpha to monitor things."
"Roger," Kai said as he and the others head for the Jammer Bay.
"I sure wish I still had my Magna Defender powers," Mike said after a moments thought, "I feel useless sitting here doing nothing."
"Hey cuz," Matt said patting him on the back, "I'm sure everyone wishes the exact same thing. But right now we can't dwell on the past, we need to focus on the present, and right now, we need to help the others by staying alert in case they need us after all."
Mike nodded his head in agreement and they quickly went to help Alpha in adjusting the teleportation controls.
Leo looked down at Karone and watched as she slowly started to drift into unconsciousness. "Karone, stay with me, please."
"Leo," she said weakly, "I'm scared."
"As much I hate to admit, so am I," Leo said.
"I hope the others find us soon."
Leo looked down at her face, despite the swell in on eye, he could see that her green eyes still managed to hold that beautiful sparkle. As he carefully started to shift his body to make her feel more comfortable, he suddenly remembered the box. Reaching down into his pocket, he was relieved to find that it was still there. He pulled it out and decided that now was as good a time as any to ask her.
"Karone, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Leo said. "I had made dinner plans for us at that new French restaurant. I was going to wait until tonight, but now seems like as good a time as any."
"What is it Leo," Karone said staring right at him.
"I always new that I would meet the girl of my dreams one day, and I have, it's you," Leo said, "I knew since that day Magnetron attacked. But I was too afraid to reveal my feelings because of fear. Then that day on the beach when we kissed, I knew for sure I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you." Opened the box and showed her the ring, despite the dim light it still sparkled beautifully. It held a large diamond surrounded by green emeralds. "Karone, will you marry me?"
Karone stared at the ring in awe, then she began to cry tears of joy. She looked at Leo and whispered: "Yes Leo, yes I'll marry you."
Leo slipped the ring on her finger and was happy to see that it fit perfectly. He then leaned down and the pain they were feeling, they held onto each other and shared a long passionate kiss.
Meanwhile, the four remaining Rangers had arrived on the moon in their Jammers. Carefully they made their way to Scorpion Stingers location. As the climbed over the next rise, the sight before them made them stare in shock. The Scorpion stinger had been completely transformed, it no longer looked like a giant bug, instead it looked more like a fortress. There were guard towers in all for directions, and two Stingwingers stood on guard in each one.
"Looks like someone has been doing some remodeling," Damon said.
"Yeah, and from the looks of it, it maybe harder to get in their than we thought," Kai said. He lift his arm and spoke into his communicator. "Matt, Mike, do you read me?"
"Loud and clear Kai," came Matt's voice, "We've been able to locate Leo and Karone's signals, they're coming from the Scorpion Stinger."
"Can you get them out?"
"Negative," Mike replied, "The fortress is protected by an energy field. Matt has and idea though, and wants you guys to get back here on the double."
"Why?" Maya asked.
"We're headed for your location in the Megaship," Matt replied, "I'm pretty sure that if can blast through the energy field with the ships blasters."
"Okay, we're on our way back now. Kai out," Kai replied. Turning to the others, he said, "Okay you guys, lets move."
As they headed for their Jammers they were suddenly surrounded by an entire legion of Stingwingers. Before the Rangers could pull out their sabers, they were hit by a barrage of energy blasts from the insects. They soon collapsed to the ground in pain. Before Kai was knocked unconscious he managed to activate his communicator and say: "We're under attack."
Back on the Megaship, Matt and Mike had just finished hearing Kai's last message. At hearing it, Mike slammed his fist onto the console in front of him.
"I shouldn't have let them go," Mike yelled.
"Take it easy cuz," Matt said calmly, "There's no way we could have known they'd be captured too."
Mike calmed down. And nodded in agreement.
"Alpha have the Med Bay ready incase anyone's been hurt," Matt said.
"You got it Matt," the robot replied as he hobbled out of the room.
"I hope the idea you had works," Mike said as he took Alpha's place at the teleportation controls.
"So do I Mike," Matt said as he took the ships helm, "DECA, I need full thrusters if this is going to work."
"Thrusters are a full capacity," came the voice of the ships computer.
"Skokahn and Deviot are going to be in for quite a surprise then," Matt said as he push the steering controls forward increasing the ship's speed.
Leo and Karone looked up as the door to their cell opened. Four Stingwingers came in and grabbed them and carried them off to the thrown room. When they arrived, their teammates looked at them and their eyes widened.
"You guys okay?" Kai asked when he saw the condition they were in.
"We'll survive," Leo said as they were left standing their with the others. He held onto Karone as started fall.
As they stood there with their wrists chained, Deviot and Skokahn entered the room. Skokahn sat on his throne while Deviot stood as his side.
"So you are the weak and pathetic group who call yourselves the Power Rangers," Skokahn said laughing evilly. "What a sorry sight you are. Look at yourselves, your leader and the traitor have survived my General's wrath. But I can assure you that you will not survive mine."
"You going to stretch this whole discussion out or are you going to get to the point," Leo growled.
"Very well then, if that's the way you want it," Skokahn said calmly. "Stingerwingers."
Instantly the six of them were surrounded. The insects raised their arms and prepared to fire.
Suddenly before anyone could say a word, there was a loud explosion and the room shook violently.
"What in the universe was that?" Skokahn shouted.
"We are under attack sire!" Deviot shouted back.
Before Skokahn could reply, the six prisoners disappeared in multicolored flashes of light.
"Noooooo!!!!!!!!" Skokahn shouted angrily.
"Did we get them?" Matt asked from the helm.
"We got them," Mike replied from the teleportation controls. "Let's get out of here."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Matt replied as he applied full power to the thrusters.
The Megaship turned away from it's attack on the Scorpion Stinger and headed back for Mirinoi.
Kai, Damon, Maya, and Kendrix stepped onto the bridge.
"Leo and Karone all right?" Mike asked stepping away from the console at which he stood.
"They're a pretty banged up, but Alpha says they should recover," Kendrix said.
"That was a good save you two pulled off," Kai said.
"It was Matt's idea," Mike replied, "Although I was a little skeptical that it would work."
Matt rolled his eyes and set the ship on autopilot. Before turning around and said: "Can't you ever have a little faith in my plans cuz?"
"After this one, always," Mike said grinning.
"On that note how's about we head down to the Med Bay," Matt suggested.
The others agreed and they quickly left the room.
When they got their, they found Alpha finishing up bandaging up the young couple. They sat on the medical bed, with Leo holding Karone in his arms in a warm embrace.
"Good to see that being held captive and tortured hasn't dampened your feelings for each other," Kai said grinning as he and the others walked up to them.
"Well, we got a chance to have a serious heart to heart," Karone managed weakly.
"Yep," Leo replied, "Including getting engaged."
"What!!!" Everyone but Matt said in awe. He simply grinned.
Karone held up her hand to reveal the ring. Everyone walked up to them and congratulated them.
"I can't believe this!" Skokahn shouted as he raised his hand and blasted a couple of Stingwingers with a blast of green energy causing them to disappear. "I'm completely surrounded by incompetent fools!"
"It's not over sire," Deviot said trying to calm him, "I will make sure they suffer for this."
Skokahn sat back in his throne and calmed down. "All is not lost, the Rangers have received a taste of what is in store for them, it's only a matter of time now. We shall let them recover, and then the second they try to relax we'll strike them again, only this time they will suffer an even greater loss."
"A most evil idea Master," Deviot agreed.