DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE (AS MUCH I'D LIKE IT TO BE) SO DON'T SUE ME
alexis: yeah, I fixed it. I think I clicked the wrong thing when I was trying to fix it before, but it works now.
Funky In Fishnet: Thanks, I was thinking about having Andros beat Zhane, but then I realized that I kinda need him for the rest of the story.
Princess Emmie: Glad you like it, especially since I've been following the storyline of the show pretty closely. (Mostly because I can't think far enough ahead to add my own twists.)
Ghostwriter: Thanks. I started reading one of your stories. Only about a hundred and eleven left to go.
Vanillastar: This soon enough? Glad you like it.
Chapter 13: Losing
Ashley woke the next morning with Andros' arms wrapped around her. She smiled. She rolled over to see if he was awake and saw his hazel eyes boring into hers. He kissed her gently.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too," she said. Andros kissed her again.
"You're so beautiful," he said softly.
Ashley blushed. "I'm only wearing pajamas."
"You'd look beautiful in anything," Andros said. He kissed her and grinned. "Or in nothing."
Ashley's blush deepened. "Andros . . ."
He tightened his grip on her. "We can wait to find out."
The lights flickered on. "It is time to get up," Deca announced.
"Deca!" they complained.
"You were already awake." Deca sounded reproving, as if the only way they were allowed to wake up was by her signal.
"That's not the point," Ashley said. She glanced at Andros. "Should we get up?"
"Can I just stay here with you?" Andros asked hopefully.
Ashley laughed. "It's tempting. But we should tell the others that I'm not dead."
"It's not funny," Andros said softly. "You almost were."
"But I'm not, and I'm fine," Ashley said. "Come on. I'm starving!"
Andros stood up, and helped Ashley to her feet. Her legs managed to support her but she was still unsteady. Andros wrapped his arm around her waist, and Ashley leaned against him gratefully. Together, they made their way to breakfast, where the others looked up anxiously as Ashley came in.
"Are you okay?" Karone asked anxiously. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."
Ashley looked from Andros to Karone. "You sound like your brother."
"So you're not mad at me?"
"No," Ashley said. "But if you keep blaming yourselves I will be."
"What do you want to eat?" Andros asked, letting go of her as she slid onto a stool.
"Waffles," Ashley said decisively. "With blueberries. And some orange juice. And some scrambled eggs."
As soon as Andros set her plate down in front of her, Ashley attacked her food. She had two huge Belgian waffles smothered in blueberries and whipped cream, a tall glass of of cold, sweet orange juice, and a small mountain of scrambled eggs. (A/N: I was hungry when I wrote this. Sorry.)
"Slow down," Karone warned. "Your stomach's been empty for three days. You'll get sick."
"If I eat slow, will you all stop worrying about me?" Ashley asked.
"No," they all chorused.
"But we'll keep it to ourselves," T.J. promised.
Andros ate as hungrily as Ashley did.
"Rangers, I detect a disturbance," Deca announced.
"What is it, Deca?" Cassie asked.
"There is an asteroid on a collision course with Earth," Deca said. "It materialized in the center of the system. It is not a natural asteroid."
"Let's go," Carlos said.
Andros looked at Ashley. "Is there any way I can convince you to stay here?"
She shook her head.
"Let's rocket!" they all cried together.
"Deca, form the Astro Megazord," Andros ordered.
It was no use. The asteroid held up under their heaviest fire and was too heavy to be moved manually. The help of the Delta Megazord and the Mega Voyager did no good. Even Zhane's zord, the Mega Winger, made no difference.
"We can't stop it," Andros said, discouraged, once the Megazord had become the Megaship again.
"Don't say that," Ashley said. "We'll find a way."
"How?"
"It is programmed for Earth," Deca informed them. "Should the coordinates be changed, it would miss Earth completely."
"So we reprogram it?" Andros asked. "What happens when whoever sent it just turns it around."
"Ever heard of self-destruct?" They all turned to look at Karone. "Everything Dark Specter builds comes with that particular feature."
"How do we know Dark Specter sent it?" Andros asked, not liking where this was going.
Karone gave him a look. "Asteroids don't materialize out of nowhere."
"No,' Andros said. "I'm not letting you do this."
"You have no choice," Karone said. "If you stop me, I will die anyway, along with countless innocents down on Earth."
Andros closed his eyes. His head was telling him to let her go, but his heart wouldn't let him. "Go," he choked out. "But be careful."
"I will," she promised. He hugged his sister, not knowing if he would ever see her again. She paused to kiss Zhane. Andros felt her say something telepathically to Ashley, who nodded, and looked like she was about to cry.
Hours passed with no change. The asteroid was still on a collision course with Earth. Andros sat motionlessly in the bridge with Ashley and Zhane sitting on either side of him. They said nothing, but Andros felt less alone with them there.
The ship shook.
"That would be the self-destruct," Zhane said. "Now all we have to do is wait a little longer."
Andros nodded, not daring to hope. He had lost his sister once already, and he had let her walk right back into danger.
"Incoming transmission," Deca announced. "Do you wish to see it?"
"Yes," Ashley said.
"Rangers." Ecliptor's image was on the screen. His voice was full of triumph. Andros forced himself to keep watching. "I would like you to meet Astronema."
"Karone!" Zhane cried. She was dressed as Astronema again, but this time there were several devices attatched to her face.
"I am Astronema," she proclaimed. "And I will destroy you. Elgar! Fire the Satelasers!"
"Deca, evasive action," Ashley shouted, bracing herself. The Megaship managed to avoid being hit, but it was close.
Astronema laughed and cut the transmission.
Andros stood up. "I'm going after her."
"I'm coming with you," Zhane said.
"So am I," said Ashley.
"No," Andros and Zhane told her together.
"I'm going alone," Andros said.
"Then you're not going," Ashley said firmly. "I'll stay if you let Zhane go."
Andros looked at her and sighed. "Will you promise not to follow this time?"
Ashley nodded. "Please be careful."
"We 'll come back," Zhane promised.
They did, several hours later, with no Karone.
"She's Astronema again," Andros managed to say, before locking himself in his room.
"Zhane?" Ashley said softly. "Will you be okay?"
Zhane nodded sadly. "We'll get her back, I know we will."
"I know," Ashley said. "Does Andros?"
Zhane opened his mouth but Deca cut him off. "Incoming distress call."
Zhane and Ashley looked up in alarm. "From where?"
"Rangers!"
"Kin Won?" Zhane asked. "Is that you?"
"Zhane!" the old man said gratefully. "We need your help. Dark Specter has been scanning the system frequently. It is only a matter of time before he finds us."
"I'll come right away," Zhane said. "It will take me awhile to sneak the Mega Winger past his systems, though."
"As long as you come," Kin Won said.
Zhane looked at Ashley. "Deca, tell Andros I'm leaving," he said.
Ashley hugged him. "Good luck," she said.
"Talk to Andros, okay?" was all Zhane said. Ashley nodded.
"Deca, tell Andros that if doesn't unlock his door by the time I get there, I'll blast it open if I have to."
Andros' door was unlocked. Ashley entered. His room was almost pitch black. All she could see of Andros was the outline of him sitting on his bed.
"Andros?" Ashley asked. "Can I sit down?"
He nodded. She sank down next to him and he fell against her limply, not having the energy to remain sitting. Ashley cradled him in her arms as tears started streaming down his face. He leaned against Ashley, shaking.
"Lie down," she whispered, covering him with a blanket. She lay down next to him and he buried his face in her shoulder and cried. Ashley held him tightly, wishing there was more that she could do for him.
"I let her go," Andros whispered. "I let her go and I lost her again."
"You'll get her back again." Ashley tried to reassure him.
"Her eyes are different," he said. "She didn't even recognize me. Not even as her enemy. She had no idea who we were."
"She'll remember," Ashley said, nearly crying at the pain in his voice.
"Zhane's gone, isn't he?" Andros asked bitterly.
"He's coming back," Ashley said. "He hasn't abandoned us."
"That's two in one day," Andros muttered. "We went from seven to five in one day."
"Andros?"
"We're losing, Ashley, no matter how hard we're trying to avoid it."
"Don't talk," Ashley said, not wanting to hear it. Andros started shaking again.
"There's five of us against an entire universe! Who did we think we were fooling?"
"We won't lose," Ashley said firmly. "You're just not thinking straight right now. Zhane will come back as soon as he helps the rebels, and you will get Karone back."
At the mention of his sister's name, Andros started crying again. Ashley held him until he had cried himself to sleep.
We're not losing, she tried to tell herself.
It was a long time before Ashley slept that night.
A/N: Okay, so I've got about three more chapters until the end. If anyone thinks of a better title, let me know. I don't really like this one. It was relevant when I started writing this, but I've forgotten why. Oh yeah, I put up a bio, if anyone's interested. And I finally fixed it so that I can get anonymous reviews, meaning you don't have to be logged in to review it.
