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CHAPTER 8
Another One Bites the Dust
Kat, Tanya, Lina, and Billy were stunned. Lina thought for a second about the ultimatum King Mondo had given them, her for Tommy, Rocky, and Adam. She knew it was the most cliché thing of all. Mondo wanted her powers and if he was successful, he wouldn't free the guys anyway, he was evil. But she wasn't the typically powerful ranger bad guys were after. She knew there was something different about her powers, she just couldn't put her finger.
"What are we going to do?" Tanya asked.
"Well, first, we need to get a lock on where they are holding the guys, then we can devise a real plan," Kat said. Lina had slipped out of the room only moments before. Billy finally noticed.
"Lina?" he called, thinking she may be nearby.
"Rangers, Lina's powers grow with every realm she enters and I fear she may be having a hard time adjusting to it. Please lend your support to her, as she may be doubting herself right now," Zordon said. Kat, Tanya, and Billy were silent as they were not sure how to react to the news. Meanwhile, Lina had found herself in one of the workrooms.
'Wonder what this telekinesis is like?' she thought to herself and started to practice. She found herself having an extremely easy time with it. She went through a series of exercises, practicing different techniques and methods of her powers until she exhausted herself and everything she was mentally holding up dropped to the floor with a thud.
"Are you okay?" came a voice suddenly. Lina whipped around in surprise to find Billy in the doorway, looking at her in concern.
"Yea, I feel a little better with some practice..," Lina said, letting her sentence linger in thought. Billy was all too familiar with this.
"But?" he said. Lina smirked.
"But I feel as if I'm getting these powers for a reason but I shouldn't be using them as my only way of fighting," Lina explained.
"That's natural. In a way, that's testing yourself, how far you can go without really needing your powers. Do you think we morphed every time a couple of putties showed up?" Billy asked, smirking as Lina chuckled.
"No, but that didn't mean none of ya'll wanted to," she said, teasing him. The two leaned and began a soft series of kisses until they heard someone clear their throat. They looked to the door and saw Kat and Tanya giving them playful smiles and looks.
"Um, Alpha picked up on something," Tanya explained. The four made their way back to the main room.
"Aiyiyiyiyiyiyi, I found the guys but there are so many cogs, I've lost count," Alpha explained, pointing to the viewing globe.
"Not to mention King Mondo and family," Billy said.
"Not to mention some ugly monsters," Kat pointed out.
"How are we supposed to get the guys out of there?" Tanya asked. Lina studied the viewing globe silently until a thought came to her mind. Something the space rangers did with the psycho rangers. She knew how to do it and smiled at the thought of it.
"Can't make the trade if Mondo doesn't have the right rangers," Lina commented. Billy, Tanya, and Kat all frowned in confusion before Lina proceeded to explain her plan.
A short time later, the guys were starting to get a little worried as more time passed. They sneered when they heard King Mondo chuckle.
"What's the matter rangers? Did your friends forget about you?" King Mondo taunted.
"Hey dad, if they never come, can I keep these three as pets?" Prince Sprocket asked.
"Of course son, these three rangers will make fine pets for you," King Mondo said as he once again turned to taunt the rangers.
"Are you sure you have the right rangers?" asked a voice that sounded a lot like Tommy's, but Mondo himself had seen that Tommy had not opened his mouth.
"Who said that!" King Mondo demanded.
"Good question," Rocky whispered until Adam pointed out a figure stepping out of the shadows.
"I did," said the voice before stepping into the light. The guys mouth's dropped, the person, who ever he was, sounded a lot like Tommy and was wearing his red zeo ranger suit. Little did they know that the figure was actually Billy and Lina was using her special device that Zeek gave her to sound like Tommy.
"Yea, who's the real green ranger here?" asked a voice that sounded like Adam. Out from the shadows came Tanya in the green ranger suit, and Lina switching the voice control so she sounded like the handsome green ranger. With some special working, she made it so Tanya and Katherine weren't showing their female features during the process of trying to trick King Mondo.
"One, two, three, is the blue ranger him or me?" asked Katherine as Lina talked in Rocky's voice. King Mondo began to release steam from his ears, being so mad.
"GET THEM!" he commanded. Katherine, Tanya, and Billy ensued a fight while remaining in the suits they were in. Lina came out from her hiding spot and used her telekinesis. With one sweep of her hand, nearly all of the cogs were knocked out and destroyed, making the room seem nearly empty in seconds. Katherine, Billy, and Tanya fought monsters as Lina approached King Mondo.
"Come to turn yourself in, eh?" he asked. Lina sneered.
"No wonder you lose all the time. You're really stupid!" Lina declared before ensuing a fight with Mondo. She easily gained the upper hand but found that she needed to save her strength to help the others with their fight.
"STORM CALLERS, GO! POWER OF THE INFERNO!" she cried, morphing. As it usually did, the morphing gave her the upper hand and she soon took down King Mondo.
"This fight will never be over," he declared before disappearing.
"The one against good and evil, yeah, but good always wins," she said before melting the bars on the guy's cage.
"Thanks Lina," they said as they stepped out of the cage, stopping with baffled expressions as they watched their doubles fight.
"KAT! TANYA! Go to your own colors!" Lina cried. The girls nodded and managed to get enough space to morph. Tommy, Adam, and Rocky joined in with them.
"IT'S MORPHIN TIME!" they cried, morphing in to their respective colors while Billy remained in his suit, feeling like he was back in action. Lina smirked at the sight. The true challenge being over, the fight soon ended, the rangers of course, being victorious. Lina thought nothing of it as they returned to the Command Center.
"Did it feel good to be back Billy?" Adam asked his friend. Billy couldn't stop smiling.
"Yea it did. It feels great, I don't know what could wipe this smile off my face," he said. But as if on cue, a light appeared in Lina's hand and melted into her next stone. She sighed in some disappointment as her gaze met Billy's. The others were not sure what to say to their friends. They knew Billy's heart was breaking.
"We'll leave you two alone," Tommy said. The rangers left, leaving the couple to themselves.
"I don't know if I can go through this again," Lina said, breaking down into tears. Billy engulfed her in a comforting hug. The two just stood their, holding each other, trying to comfort the other.
"Unfortunately, you don't have a choice. You have to get back to your team soon," Billy said, trying to be encouraging to her while at the same time fighting the urge to have her stay with him.
"Just promise me something," she said.
"Anything," Billy said.
"Be happy…with your life…and everything you decide to do," Lina said. Billy was a little surprised by the request but smiled.
"I will, as long as you promise me the same thing," he said. Lina smiled.
"I promise," she said. The two spent the remaining time Lina had holding each other, talking, and kissing. Before they knew the portal was coming. Lina and the rangers exchanged their goodbyes.
"Good luck with your mission Lina," Adam said.
"Good luck with your fight guys," Lina said sincerely to her fellow rangers. She turned to Billy just as the portal opened up. He handed her a small package which she accepted but gave him a questioning look.
"Open it at your next realm," he said. Lina smiled and gave him a passionate kiss goodbye. She ran into the portal so she wouldn't hesitate and miss it.
"Good bye Lina," Zordon said.
"Good luck Inferno Ranger," Alpha said. Lina used to the traveling by now, came into a sitting position right outside the youth center. She sighed in slight sadness before opening the package Billy gave her. Inside were photos of them from her morphin mission and from the zeo stage as well as a small charm bracelet. So far it had three charms on it, one representing morphin, a triceratops, and one representing zeo. Lina smiled and sighed as she put the bracelet on. She wondered if the next mission held this much emotion in store for her. All she knew, was that she didn't have long to wait.