Disclaimer: See Part One
Author's Notes: I apologize for the long wait! Life likes to weave it's way into my plans and take control. Thank you to those still waiting around to read the story and also to those who gave their gentle "pushes" to finish the story. I'm working on it now! As always, please review--and for more Andros/Cassie goodness, please visit my website!
Second Chance
Part two: Confusing Questions
By: stargazer1017
"There!" Ashley grinned, tucking behind her ear a loose strand of dark blonde hair that made its way to her face. She turned to Zhane, who was walking behind her slugglishly, holding a few bags. "I think I'm done for the day."
Zhane rolled his eyes and caught up to Ashley. "Finally done. After about what, half a year you finally decide to call it quits? Might as well keep going," he said sarcastically. He cracked a smile when Ashley playfully slapped him on the arm.
"Well, it's that time of the year when everyone seems to be having birthdays and other occasions that require a gift or two in celebration," Ashley explained. "I'm not doing it for me." She and Zhane turned into a deserted alleyway. Pressing a few buttons on their communicator, they were teleported from Earth to the Megaship.
Zhane shook his head as they walked towards their respected quarters. "Strange custom, Earthers have," he said thoughtfully. When Ashley raised her eyebrows in question, Zhane pointed out, "Kerovians don't really celebrate anything--at least not only a day. We like to think that everyday is a celebration. We celebrate everyday."
"Well, we do that too," Ashley pointed out. "There's something special on the day of your actual birth, or the actual day that you get married. I guess that's why we do it."
Zhane opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when Carlos suddenly walked up quickly behind them. "Carlos--" Ashley started just as Carlos tried to pass them, but Carlos stopped her before she could get another word out.
"It's Cassie. She was hurt on Earth," Carlos quickly explained. "She's in the Med Bay--come on!" Ashley and Zhane nodded and ran off behind Carlos towards the Med Bay.
Ashley breathed a sigh of relief as she heard Cassie grumble, "I'm fine, really. They just got a hit on me, that's it." As Ashley, Carlos, and Zhane walked in, they saw Cassie sitting up on the bed, with Andros and T.J. watching her in concern. Alpha was walking around busily, checking the stats on the monitors.
"What happened?" Zhane asked.
Cassie and Andros exchanged glances, and then Andros turned back to Zhane and the others. "Cassie was attacked--by two Astronemas."
"Two?" Carlos asked in disbelief. "How?"
"I don't know," Cassie shook her head. "It was weird. They just. . .came at me. And it was all happening so fast, I guess that's what took me by surprise."
Andros sighed. "The other Astronema felt familiar, somehow. . ." When the others look at Andros in question, he explained, "Like I had met her before somewhere, but I can't place it. She seemed a bit more. . .crazy." Andros shook his head.
What is going on? he thought as he looked back at Cassie and reached for her hand.
Cassie suddenly gasped. "My mom--I think they were after my mom!"
"God, I hate them!" Astronema fumed. She opened her hand and an energy ball appeared in her hand. She clenched her hand and the energy ball disappeared. She ran her hands through her hair and tried to calm her breathing.
"Nice hair," a voice spoke behind her. "Red is very fitting on us."
Astronema watched as her counterpart smiled a sinister smile and ran her hands through her own purple hair. Then she turned to a small mirror to her left. Her hair was red--short red. She felt her short hair on her shoulders as she turned back to her twin. "Just who the hell are you anyway? You never answered my question."
The woman with the purple hair smiled again. "I'm you--exactly like you, except I've got more guts and control than you have."
"Control?" Astronema snorted. "You look lot loonier than I do, bitch." She opened her hand on her staff appeared. "Now, I'm asking you again--who the hell are you?"
The woman kept the smile on her face. Suddenly it turned into a snarl as she got up and knocked the staff from Astronema's hands and held it in her own. In one swift move she knocked Astronema off her feet and then put the edge of the staff against Astronema's throat. "If I were you, I'd believe what I say and I'd concentrate on debilitating that Pink Ranger. You're just wasting time fighting with yourself."
Astronema felt a chill go down her spine at how cold the other woman sounded. She narrowed her eyes. "So what did you have in mind," she asked.
Again, the purple-haired woman smiled. "We go after Cassie's mom." Astronema felt her stomach go queasy for a second as she blinked and then was suddenly back outside the Pink Ranger's home.
The other woman moved the staff away from her throat and Astronema got up. "We already tried this, remember? We didn't count on the Red Ranger to be there."
Astronema frowned thoughfully. "So. . .now that no one's here, we can attack?" She smiled. "Excellent." She grabbed her staff back from the other Astronema with the purple hair and looked towards the doorway. She held her staff up and was about to fire when pain shot through her back. She growled as she turned to see who had struck her from behind. "Bitch," she growled at the colorful array of colors behind her.
"I should say the same about you," Cassie growled. "Must be the hair that's getting into your brain--the saying about trying something again and again until it works doesn't apply to low-lives like you too. I don't know what you're up to, Astronema--"
"Save the talk, Pink Ranger," the Astronema with the purple hair broke in. "I'm tired of listening to you." She held up her hand and an energy bolt appeared. The rangers dodged out the way as she threw the ball at them.
"Whoa, when could Astronema do that?" T.J. called out.
"I'm sick of this," Astronema said, grabbing her staff and running towards the rangers. "This is the last time you'll meddle in my business. This is the last straw. The red hair swiftly moved from her face as she ran and wildly started attacking the rangers. She had gotten them off guard for only a second, but the rangers recovered quickly and started hitting her back.
The other Astronema smiled and twirled her purple hair around her fingers. "Perfect opportunity," she crooned. She started to turn around and head towards the stairs when a flash of black caught her eyes. Her eyes widened as her gaze focused on the person standing in front of the door. Her lips curved upward in a sinister smile. "So. . .my hunches were right."
It was another Andros.
Cassie grunted as she rolled out of the way of the wildly swinging staff. She took a deep breath as she watched her friends engage in the fight with the red-haired villan. The fight had taken them onto the street, a few feet away from the house. She was ready to call out to the others when Andros suddenly called out, "Cassie, go!" Cassie had to grin behind her helmet. She nodded and ran off towards the house--then suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Andros, unmorphed, was fighting with the other Astronema right in front of her eyes. "Wha--" Cassie gasped. She turned to look back on the street and saw Andros, morphed, fighting with the short-haired Astronema.
I'm not seeing things! There are two of them!
Andros had also stopped in his tracks when Cassie had appeared. "Cassie. . ." he said, turning pale. This was the distraction that Astronema needed, and she knocked the man down to the ground. Astronema turned towards Cassie.
"I guess you're next," she snarled. As she was about to attack, a scream rang out in the air. Cassie turned quickly to look and saw the short-haired Astronema on the ground. Cassie could barely hear what the other woman yelled out, but she disappeared in a flash of purple. Cassie turned back around to the other Astronema. The other woman's eyes were narrowed. "This isn't the end, Pink Ranger. I'll get you back for what you did to me." With that, she disappeared in a flash of purple lightning.
"Cassie. . ." the unmorphed Andros called out to her, struggling to get up. Cassie backed away--into another person. Cassie quickly pulled away and turned around to see who she had bumped into.
Now he's morphed!
"What is going on?" Cassie cried outloud.
The morphed Andros reached towards her again, but Cassie held her hands up. "I want to know what's going on," Cassie argued. "Why the hell are there two of you?"
The unmorphed Andros got up slowly and held his hands up. "I'm not here to hurt you. . .either of you. I'm Andros. . .if we can go back to the Megaship, I can explain."
"How do we know we can trust you," the morphed Andros shot back. "After all, Astronema had her double here. How do we know you're not someone here to deceive us?"
"You have no choice," the other man replied. "All I ask is that you trust me." The other rangers were still obviously hesitating with the choices. "Please."
To be continued. . .
