Disclaimer: Not mine

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: I don't know if Carlos still has a crush on Ashley. Should he? I just make him a jerk a lot because I didn't like him that much. If you tell anyone what color eyes Angel has, I'll send the Megazords after you. :P

Juzblue: Thanks. Here's more.

Mz. Daydream: I think Part 1 hints a tiny bit at Arrow being Angel's father. It wasn't supposed to, but I didn't come up with the plot for Part 2 until much later, so it does a little bit.

C.C.C: Yes, Carlos is jealous. I didn't know I was going to do that, but it seemed to fit.

JDPhoenix: No, Carlos and Alana won't fall in love. I don't like Carlos enough to put that in, especially so close to the end. Andros and Ashley will be fine, and you'll see who Angel's father is in the epilogue.

Jenny: Yeah, Alana's pretty bitter. I really had no idea that chapter was going to happen the way it did, so if it's a little weird, that's why. Oh yeah, why is everyone calling me a traitor?

RisingGundam2004: Sorry, no squashy Arrow. But something else might happen. :P

Melpers: It's all right, I procrastinate all the time. I failed science one year because I put of something worth half my grade until the early morning of the day it was due. :P I think the only person who knows who Angel's father is is Marieke, and she better not be telling. :P

Chapter 19

"I'll go," Alana snapped, glaring at Andros. "But not for you."

"I'm a ranger," Carlos said, getting to his feet as well. "Which is more than I can say for you. I'm not stopping now."

Andros ignored them both, and released Ashley's hand as they reached for their morphers. "Ready?" Andros asked, his voice perfectly steady, only the softness of it hinting at how much their anger cut him.

"Let's rocket!" the Astro Rangers shouted together, as Alana, Blaze, and Karone morphed seperately.

"Deca, teleport nine," Andros ordered. "Remember, you guys. We can't leave until we wear him down."

They were teleported down to the surface before Carlos and Alana had a chance to form any sort of reply. As always, Arrow was surrounded by Killian and several dozen footsoldiers. Alana immediately began venting her anger towards Andros on them, with Blaze only there for backup.

Ashley headed straight for Arrow, but was blocked by Killian, who slowly sent her inching backwards as he advanced. Ashley groaned with frustration as she realized that she was being driven back, and pulled out her Star Slinger, blasting him as she skirted around him.

Killian shouted at her, and sprinted after her, catching her from behind with a blow to the shoulder. The force of it sent Ashley stumbling, and she fell, landing hard on her stomach. She felt the sole of his boot pressing hard into the back of her neck before she even had the chance to move.

"Ashley!" Andros cried, his heart nearly stopping as he saw her. Leaving Zhane to hold his own against Arrow, Andros sprinted towards Killian, firing nonstop with his powered up Spiral Saber. Killian collapsed under the shots, and Ashley scrambled to her feet.

"Thanks," she gasped, leaning against him for support as she regained her sense of balance.

"Are you all right?" Andros asked, curling his fingers around her gloved hand for an instant before he turned back to the battle.

"I'm fine," Ashley assured him, joining him as Andros moved back to where Zhane and Karone were fighting Arrow.

"Yellow Ranger," Arrow taunted her, laughing despite the fact that he was outnumbered four to one. "You still need the red ranger to save you."

"Don't listen to him," Andros told her as he saw he concentration break for a second, the only second Arrow needed to lash out at her.

"But he can't save you," Arrow continued, hitting her with several more blows that Andros couldn't block. "And he doesn't want to save you."

"Enough!" Andros shouted, leaping forward, wishing for the thousandth time that he could tear Arrow in two. Arrow dodged him easily, planting his foot hard in Andros's stomach, knocking the wind out of him as footsoldiers suddenly surrounded them. Zhane and Karone hauled Andros to his feet, realizing their mistake too late.

There was a wall of footsoldiers between them and Arrow, and Ashley was alone on the other side of that wall.

"Ashley!" Andros shouted, trying to break through the line with no success.

"I'm all right," Ashley replied shakily, her telepathy fading in and out with her fear.

"You are weak," Arrow told her, laughing as she faltered, missing several blocks. She cried out in pain, clutching her Star Slinger in shaking hands, but making no move to fire as Arrow moved closer to her.

"Ashley, do something!" Andros shouted as he was knocked down. TJ caught his arm as he fell, pulling him back up as Cassie blocked for them.

Ashley heard Andros shouted at her, out loud and in her mind, but she was frozen in place as Arrow slowly advanced towards her. "The red ranger can't save you now," he taunted her. "He never wanted to. He didn't try when I slashed open your face. He didn't try when you tradred yourself for him. He won't try now, when I kill you."

"Ashley!" Andros screamed, catching glimpses of her standing stock still as Arrow stood directly in front of her. Her Star Slinger had been plucked from her grasp, and now lay discarded on the ground. "Ash, please do something!"

"Do you want to die, Yellow Ranger?"

"No," Ashley whispered, still unmoving. In one swift move, Arrow had the point of his blade at her neck.

"I'll spare your life," Arrow said, "if you surrender to me now, for forever."

Ashley shuddered at his voice, even imagining agreeing to his condition making her sick. He was only inches away from her now, and Ashley suddenly knew that if they were both unmorphed, their eyes would be locked together.

"Ashley!" Andros shoued again, his voice becoming increasingly desperate.

"Answer me," Arrow ordered. "Do you want to live?"

"Never that badly," Ashley spat, driving her elbow into his stomach. She leapt into the air, her foot connecting with the side of his head as she spun away, snatching at her Star Slinger.

Arrow shouted at her in fury as she knocked him down, Star Slinger pointed at his chest. His suit shimmered, and Ashley's shoulders sagged with relief as he shouted again.

"Don't move," she hissed. "I won't spare your life. I'm not as generous as you are."

Arrow twitched slightly, and Ashley jumped, her fingers twitching on the trigger. Her one moment of distraction was enough, and Arrow kicked her feet out from under her, leaping at her as she tumbled to the ground. He pinned her down, straddling her as he leaned over her, his helmeted head only inches from hers.

"Remember this?" he taunted. For a moment, Ashley was flooded with the same fear she had felt back in the other dimension. Then his suit shimmered again, and she saw something akin to fear in his cold gray eyes, and her own fright was replaced with anger.

Ashley kneed him hard between the legs, shoving him off of her as he cried out in pain, his voice several octaves above his normal voice range. One hand grasped at her Star Slinger, and she fired several times. Already weakened, Arrow's suit shimmered once more before vanishing completely.

"Don't you dare scare me like that again."

Ashley was still lying on the ground when she felt Andros's hands underneath her shoulder blades, pushing her up into a sitting position. He pulled her to her feet, completely ignoring the fact that Zhane and Alana were holding Arrow, or the fact that Killian was dead from one of his own shots. He wrapped his arms around Ashley, holding her close for as long as he could without forgetting completely about their ranger duties. There were bodies all around them, and several footsoldiers were still alive.

A moment later, they were standing on the Megaship, nine rangers, five footsoldiers, and Arrow. The footsoldiers were placed in seperate containment cells from Arrow, who was promptly locked away in the highest security cell.

Cassie was the one who voiced the question that was on all of their minds. "What do we do with him now?"