Disclaimer: I own nothing…Power Rangers is owned by Disney and Johnny Storm by Marvel Comics.
Thanks again to all ye reviewers!
CamFan4Ever: Ah, yes. Hunter's butt is rather nice to imagine. I totally agree.
DustinandMarahForLife: Glad you liked that line. It was definitely fun to come up with. The answer for how Conner can help is actually in this chapter.
And to all the other reviewers, thanks for the imput. Glad you all like this story!
Chapter 3
A Heavy Burden Across Broad Shoulders
A loud wail broke through the silence of Ninja Ops. CyberCam looked up, his robotic face etched with unease.
"Rangers, we have trouble in the city."
Conner jerked from his trance to look in alarm at his mentor, "Dr. O, you wouldn't have another disgruntled partner who mysteriously disappeared and is now a mutant freak, would you?"
The veteran ranger shook his head, "This time, it's not my fault."
Shane frowned, "Needless to say, I think we're all out of retirement." He motioned to Tori who fell in line with Dustin behind Shane.
"NINJA STORM, RANGER FORM!"
"If you ask me, that was a damn short retirement." Conner grumbled, "Ready?"
"Ready." The group affirmed, raising their wrists, morphers displayed.
"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"
Sensei Kanoi looked after the departing teams, "May the power protect you."
xxx
The seven rangers stood in a line, facing off against their new opponent. The tall cyborg before them brandished his sword, menacingly, his dark visor regarding them with contempt, and the long black cape flowing behind him.
"Whoa, dude, are you in the wrong time zone." Conner remarked, mocking the warrior. "Star Wars is so 70s. So do us all a favor and give Vader back his costume."
The cyborg growled, sweeping his sword in anger. "Enjoy your mirth, Rangers, for it will not be for long. I, Ivanox, and my master, Khyuss, will soon rule your pathetic planet and the rest of this pitiful galaxy!"
"Glad to know all you dimwits are coming up with original plans." Shane retorted, "What's next, you wanna take over the whole universe?"
"Yes, keep up your mockery, Ranger. This will make my triumph over you worthless humans more enjoyable." The helmeted head flashed warningly.
"Dryads, ATTACK!" At the cyborg's command, a group of creatures rushed towards the rangers, beaked faces squawking earnestly, feathered horns protruding from roughly hewn heads. The group rumbled toward the rangers, sinister spikes jutting from their shoulder blades, glinting in the sunlight. The rangers split up, taking the minions head-on.
xxx
Ethan backflipped, avoiding a swing from a Dryad. Whirling, he took down one minion with a corkscrew kick.
"Is it just me, or do these things keep getting uglier?" The blue ranger ducked under a punch and swiped his leg under the creature, knocking it off his feet.
Dustin shrugged as he tossed a Dryad over his shoulder. With a quick mule kick, the earth ninja sent the creature hurtling through the air, its progress halted by a tree trunk.
"Definitely. My grandmother couldn't love this face, and she can't see too well." The yellow ninja ranger grunted, as he took a hard kick to the stomach, forcing him down to his back. Knocking the Dryad away from him, Dustin jumped to his feet.
"And they keep getting stronger."
xxx
Conner hit the ground hard, rolling to a knee as he was flung backward by a Dryad. Clutching his chest and breathing heavily, the red Dino ranger staggered to his feet, reaching out just in time to catch Shane, thrown from the fist of a minion.
Shane coughed, trying in vain to rid himself of the burning sensation in his chest, "This isn't going to well." Spinning around, the air ranger knocked a Dryad to the ground with a tornado kick. Ducking under a roundhouse, Shane put the creature away with a hard snap-kick.
Conner side-stepped avoiding a punch. Forcing the Dryad's arm down, the Dino ranger retaliated with a roundhouse kick. Flipping over an oncoming minion, Conner sent it down with a spinning crescent kick.
"Well, we are a bit rusty." Conner observed, using the moment to catch his breath. The jock clapped his counterpart on the arm.
"Time to break out the oil for those joints, right?"
xxx
Dr. Oliver brandished his Brachio staff, engaging Ivanox in combat. The cyborg wielded his own sword, enjoying the challenge the black ranger was giving him. The two weapons clashed and sparked, neither landing a blow. Ivanox laughed, the growl emitted from his throat.
"Not bad for a rookie."
Tommy seethed, "Rookie! Who the hell are you calling 'rookie'? I think I'm way past that stage."
Khyuss's general chuckled, "Ah, a veteran ranger. Well, you've seen one, you've seen them all."
Dr. O spun away from a downward slash, "Well, then, don't we all know the outcome of this story?" The black ranger connected with an upward swipe.
"The good guys always win." As a group of Dryads rushed over to engage the black ranger, Ivanox tilted his head to Tommy.
"We will see, black ranger. We will see."
xxx
Tori and Kira fought back to back, fending off furious advances. The yellow ranger kneed a Dryad in its nether regions, and a groan of pain was emitted as it bent over. A sharp elbow to the back knocked the creature to the ground. Tori shifted to the right, skillfully avoiding a kick. A snap kick doubled the creature over and a roundhouse sent it down for the count. Kira growled in frustration.
"This is getting ridiculous." Drawing her ThunderMax sabre, the Dino ranger whipped the blade up, slashing the Dryad in a shower of sparks. Lashing out, Kira caught the minion square on the beak. The two rangers watched in horrid fascination as the creature exploded in a massive poof of feathers. Tori grinned under the helmet as she whipped a mule kick to the beak of another Dryad, eliciting the same result. Kira whirled to the group, excitedly.
"Guys! Aim for the beak!" At the yellow Dino ranger's exclamation, the tide of battle shifted drastically in the direction of the rangers. Energized with the new wind of information, the air was soon thick with flying feathers from destroyed Dryads. As Ivanox witnessed the annihilation of his minions, he snarled and advanced toward the ranger who triggered this shift.
Kira whirled just in time to roll away as Ivanox's sword came crashing down to the spot where she stood seconds before.
"Foolish ranger. You may have discovered my Dryads' weakness but that won't change your fate." The warrior struck again, just missing the yellow ranger. Calling for her Ptera Grips, Kira blocked the steady barrage of blows that rained down from Khyuss's general. With a vicious kick, Ivanox sent Kira sprawling, her weapons skidding off beyond her reach. Standing over the fallen Dino ranger, Ivanox swung his sword, ready to deliver the final blow.
Tori's panicked cry of "Kira!" floated over the din of battle to Conner's ears. Whirling, the red ranger found the giant cyborg hovering over Kira, sword raised. Horrified anger rushed through Conner's body, igniting panic through the red ranger. Before the Dino ranger could blink, a ball of pure, unadulterated fire erupted in the air and hurtled toward Ivanox. The scorching inferno struck the cyborg squarely in the chest, sending the general plunging backwards. Weakened and dizzied from the force of the ball of flame, the cyborg staggered up, clutching his smoldering torso, fighting to stay on his feet.
"This is far from over, Rangers." Ivanox wheezed. Thrusting his sword into the ground, the general and the remaining minions vanished in a blinding flash of purple light. Conner ran over to Kira and hauled her to her feet.
"Are you okay?" Much to his surprise, Kira wrenched her arms from his grasp.
"I'm fine," Kira spat out, "For your information, I had everything under control." In the confines of his visor, Conner's eyes flashed annoyance.
"'Everything under control'?" he echoed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Kira, 'everything under control' does not entail you lying on your back, unarmed, with Ivanox standing over you ready to shish-kabob your ass!" If his head wasn't encased in his helmet, Conner would have run his hands though his hair. Instead, he settled for rubbing the helmet.
"Conner, I can take care of myself! Just because I'm knocked down doesn't mean you have to roast him!" Kira yelled in exasperation, her voice resonating through the tension between them.
"Dammit, Kira, I know that!" Conner shot back, frustration tearing at his heart. He wanted so desperately to tell her the truth.
"Then why do you feel the need to protect me?" Kira retorted.
"BECAUSE ITS MY JOB!" The words exploded from the red ranger's mouth, echoing through the musician's stunned silence. Breathing heavily, Conner calmed, his voice resorting to its normal volume.
"I am the leader." Conner stated. "When we are out there, your lives are my responsibility. It's my job to make sure everyone comes back more or less alive. It's my obligation to protect all of you." The red ranger sighed, "As for what happened, you know I can't control it." The jock stared down at his teammate.
"If anything, you should be thanking me."
"Typical Conner!" Kira spat, the remark breaking through her astonishment at the mature words spoken by the red ranger, her own words more out of habit than real annoyance.
"Shall we elect a parade in your honor? Inflate that over-sized ego of yours to bigger proportions?"
Conner threw his hands in the air, "You are impossible!"
"Uh, guys?" Both rangers whirled to find Shane staring at them, his dark face peeking through the open visor of his helmet.
"WHAT!" Shane shied back slightly from the two.
"As much as we all are enjoying this show. And, believe me, we all are." The air ninja gestured behind him, indicating their teammates watching on with fascination. "We really have to get back."
Conner turned to Kira, "Okay, then. We'll finish this later." He muttered, staring down his companion.
"Fine." Kira bit out, defiance radiating from her small stature.
"Fine." Conner snapped, jaw set in infuriation at the musician's blatant stubborn disposition.
The two rangers spun in unison and stormed away, leaving the group to follow after in amusement. Although their movements matched the same pace, the two rangers thought very different things inside their heads.
In the confines of her head, Kira's mind reeled. Her heart was torn between fright and surprise at Conner's mature response. She had never thought that he had taken his role as a leader so seriously. Kira knew the red ranger had changed and improved as their leader, but his response to her showed so much maturity that she found herself endeared to the red ranger. Her internal ramblings halted abruptly. Could she really have feelings for Conner?
Mentally, Conner ran himself over with a Mac truck and reversed for good measure. Why couldn't he just tell Kira? How hard was it to say, "I love you"? As soon as he thought the sentence, Conner reconsidered. Okay, so it was pretty difficult considering whom he was saying those words to. The red ranger feared the rejection from the beautiful musician and figured she would probably throw him off the nearest building for even thinking those thoughts. Conner groaned inwardly. Unrequited love sucked.
The wind rangers watched the pair with fascination. Together, they sidled up to Tommy and Ethan.
"Dudes, are they always like that?" Dustin inquired.
Ethan chuckled. He had seen too many Conner-Kira squabbles to be entranced by the dynamic of the two.
"Always." The blue ranger affirmed.
"There is no way those two will ever get bored." Tori remarked.
"You know, they're either going to end up falling madly in love or killing each other." Dr. O commented and the group nodded in agreement.
"Totally," Dustin asserted. "Just look at Hunter and Tori." At the mention of the fallen thunder ranger, the rangers fell despondent with worry over the status of their thunder teammate.
xxx
At Ninja Ops, the rangers powered down, and approached Conner.
"Dude, what was that!" Dustin stared astonished at the red ranger, "I mean, I've heard about people 'blowing up," but that's only an expression."
Conner shrugged, "I don't know. I can't explain it. One day, I'm suddenly spouting fireballs out of my fingertips. I keep thinking there's gotta be some logical explanation to this, but this case kinda exceeds the boundaries of logic."
"You are correct, Conner." Sensei Kanoi's voice knifed through the collective confusion, "The explanation you seek is not one that would be categorized as logical." The aged mentor gestured to the cushions situated in the center of the Ninja Ops.
"Please, take a seat. I believe what I am about to tell you will explain everything." The academy sensei took a deep breath as the group looked on with fascination.
"Fifteen thousand years ago, an evil sorcerer named Khyuss ruled the universe with absolute power. Evil raged throughout the galaxies and terror reigned. Two warriors wielding powers of the elements led a group of young soldiers, much like yourselves, in uprising against the supremacy of Khyuss. Using ancient powers, the group defeated Khyuss and banished him to the Dark Dimension. Before he was banished, Khyuss cast a spell over the galaxy saying in fifteen thousand years' time, when peace reigned, he would return to rule the universe again. As a precaution, the two warriors harnessed their powers so that two others chosen by the power would rise up and defeat Khyuss once again."
Sensei Kanoi folded his hands in his lap, regarding the group of rangers before him.
"Five thousand years ago, a prophecy was made saying that two rangers would receive the powers strong enough to overcome Khyuss, and possibly destroy him forever."
"And what does this prophecy say?" Dr. O questioned. Sensei withdrew the scroll from the depths of his robe.
"This is a modern translation of the prophecy. Please, read for yourselves."
In a time when peace encompasses all
Ancient evil will rear its head to sound its call.
Arising from the depths of dark
The journey of destiny will soon embark.
Hope resides in the numbers of two and one
Chosen to wield powers of spirits gone.
Two teams must forge bonds of body and mind
To work as one, their strength to find.
Against ancient powers will ancient evil fall.
Bearers of red must stand above them all
Of crimson and scarlet, thunder and fire
With the inferno destined to hold the key for victory to transpire.
Destruction of evil comes at a mortal cost,
One will be the number of lives lost.
The heavenly reward at a devastating price
Relying on one to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Conner looked up, "Umm, this prophecy wouldn't have anything to do with me suddenly becoming Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, would it?"
Sensei's intellectual eyes expressed confusion, "I do not believe I understand what you are asking, Conner."
Amused, Cam leaned in towards his father, "Johnny Storm is a comic book character that can change his body into fire at will."
Sensei nodded, "Ah, yes, I see. As a matter of fact, Conner, it does." Locking eyes with the Dino ranger, Sensei inclined his head at the boy.
"You are the scarlet warrior depicted in the prophecy chosen to wield the powers of fire. You are, what ancient writings so eloquently named, the Chosen Ranger."
The sound of stunned silence hung sharp in the air as the gathered rangers absorbed the news. All eyes swung to where the Chosen Ranger stood in disbelief, looking hardly the defender of the universe and more like the confused teenager. Conner opened his mouth and, after many futile attempts, was finally able to formulate words… almost.
"But-but, how?" Conner stammered. "I mean, why me?"
The wind Sensei folded his hands in his lap and gazed upon the jock, "It is your destiny, young ranger. You hold the powers of the ancient Tyrannosaurus, and the power of fire has selected you as its bearer."
"But what about Jason, the original red ranger?" Tommy interjected, "He holds the powers of the Tyrannosaurus as well. Why isn't he the Chosen Ranger?"
"An excellent question, Dr. Oliver." Kanoi agreed, inclining his head to the teacher.
"As I understand, the original team was chosen by Zordon to hold the power. However, it was the Dino Gems that chose your rangers. In different circumstances, Jason, Trini, Zack, Kimberly, Billy, and even yourself may not have been rangers. Your rangers were destined to receive their powers. Therefore, they are the rangers of the prophecy."
Conner, rendered mute at this latest development, stared open-mouthed at Sensei Wantanabe. The weight of the mentor's admission fell heavily across his back. Swallowing hard, the red ranger spoke, his words hushed and voice hoarse.
"So this thing says that I am the key to defeating this Khyuss character otherwise all hell breaks loose?" Conner shook his head incredulous.
"How can this be? I mean, Hunter's a little below fighting form, and I'm randomly setting things on fire. How am I the Chosen Ranger when I can control the power?"
"You need to be taught in how to harness the power, Conner. I will instruct you." Sensei assured the harried jock, "When you are ready, you will embark on a journey to retrieve the Inferno morpher, which holds your ranger powers. Your mission is also to obtain the Orb of Lightning, which will heal Hunter. Your team will remain here to aid us until you return."
Conner's eyes stayed fixated on the ground, deeply conflicted thoughts swirling through his brain. As the indecision wracked his conscience, his mind tugged his heart in two separate directions. He could refuse, but the thought of letting down so many people was too much to bear. He could accept, but the mission was dangerous, and there was the risk that he could lose his life. His death or the death of so many others…
"Conner…" The red ranger's troubled eyes rose to Sensei Kanoi.
"The prophecy states that you are the Chosen Ranger. You hold the power of fire. But it is your decision whether or not you choose to accept this assignment. Your destiny has been mapped out for you, but destiny can be changed. The choice is yours."
An extensive pause encompassed the atmosphere around the Rangers. Conner drew in a deep breath.
"As a Ranger, I'm supposed to do what's right. Not for myself but for the good of everyone." Conner shrugged, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
"I'll have to make arrangements for all of us to stay in Blue Bay Harbor, but I guess the question is, when do we start?"
The wind rangers sighed in relief, gathering around the boy who was to preserve peace. Conner accepted their praise with a weak smile, torn between relief over the explanation of his gift and trepidation over the burden with which his destiny weighed. Sensei Kanoi gazed at the Chosen Ranger, and locked eyes with the boy. Conner's haunted eyes stared back, radiating with the fear of unknown fate.
Coming Up:
Blake's return
Conner and Kira get closer
The mission of the wind rangers and Tori's personal mission
So there's the third chapter! To be honest, so far, it's been my favorite to write. The prophecy was so hard to get so it didn't sound hokey. Well, as usual, read, and tell me what you think!
Roxie
