AH/AY: Well, huh, that depends on your definition of "sweet." I hope you like it!
Mz. Daydream: Yup, you should feel special! I hope you like the C/P-ness, it comes in chapter 8, so you'll have to wait another day to find out.
Phantom Rogue: Wow, you nailed this chapter! I hope you enjoy!
Arwennicole: Yup, it could be bad.
jenny: I'm glad you think it's interesting!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Author's Note: Have fun reading! And remember, some things you may think should have stayed the same may have changed as a result of the wish.
Be Careful What You Wish For…
Chapter 7 - Names
"There is a ship approaching," DECA said.
"Can you identify it?" Karone asked.
"It is the Phantom Ranger's ship."
"He must want something," Zhane said, "Phantom's ship can be ten inches in front of you and you'd never even know unless he wanted you to."
"Phantom Ranger, requesting docking," DECA said.
"Let him on," Karone sighed.
The Red and Silver Rangers hurried down to the docking bay to meet one of the greatest Ranger legends they had ever heard of.
"Hi!" A young boy who looked only a couple years older than Karone came out of the ship. He was wearing the oddest clothes either Ranger had ever seen, and did not look at all serious enough to be the legendary Phantom Ranger.
"You're the Phantom Ranger?" Zhane blurted.
"Oooh no. I'm the Infinity Ranger, Phantom's just giving me a ride while we try to save his girlfriend, and possibly my sister, we're not really sure if she's in trouble or not."
"What?" Karone asked.
Jeff sighed and leaned on the nearest wall. "I'm the Infinity Ranger. Phantom and I were helping the Rangers on Eltaire. He got some sort of telepathic feeling that his Fet-na, the Pink Turbo Ranger from Earth, was in serious trouble. We haven't had any communication with Earth in a while so we think that maybe the other Turbo Rangers are in trouble as well. My little sister is the Yellow Turbo Ranger so I'm coming partially to help my friends and partially to make sure my sister is safe."
"Oookay," Zhane said. "Why do you need us?"
"That was Phantom's idea, I have no idea why we're here."
"We are here to ask you if you had heard anything about our friends," Phantom said.
Karone and Zhane shot each other a look. "We have heard rumors," Karone said slowly, "that Divatox managed to capture a team of Rangers and that Dark Specter gave one of them to each of his most loyal servants."
"Great," Jeff said, "so some weird alien guy has my little sister locked up somewhere. This place just keeps getting better."
"What?" Zhane asked.
"Nothing," Jeff said quickly, looking away.
"If you are not on your way to help anyone else," Phantom said, "we would appreciate your help."
"Really?" Zhane asked, reminding Jeff of a kid who'd just had Santa Clause ask him to help with the delivery that year.
"Wait a minute," Karone said harshly, "we can't just-"
"Help two of the greatest heroes in the universe save five of our fellow Rangers?"
Karone could not fight that logic, so she simply turned to the newcomers. "I'm Karone."
"Karone?" Jeff choked.
"Yes, is there something wrong with that?"
"No, it's just- no."
"I'm the Red Astro Ranger and this is Zhane, the Silver Astro Ranger."
Jeff groaned.
"You cannot ignore me forever," Galactus said.
He and the Yellow Ranger were in his room for the fourth night in a row. Nothing had happened, at all. All she ever did was stand there and ignore him.
He had not expected much at first; after all, they were enemies, but he had expected at least some sort of response. That first night he had talked to her, yelled at her, he even took off all his clothes and danced around like a drunk Triforian, but still she never even looked at him. He could no longer enter her dreams and was beginning to wonder if he should just let Darkonda have her, as the monstrosity was always hinting he should do.
But then, every time he began to think that way he would look at her and be reminded that this was the woman he had spent his entire life looking for, and giving her over to anyone simply because she would not have him was out of the question.
After he realized she wouldn't react to anything he did he decided to simply talk. He told her of his childhood, his worries, the problems of running an evil empire.
"The Red Astro Ranger destroyed my family when I was just a little boy. Someone saved me, I don't know who, somehow they got me to Ecliptor and he raised me."
Galactus had laid back on the bed for comfort and closed his eyes, not wanting to see the woman he loved ignore his pain. It was this fear that made the hand on his knee even more shocking.
"It must have been very hard for you."
"It was," Galactus said softly, barely daring to breathe and not moving a muscle for fear he would scare her away.
"Ecliptor, I can understand," she said after a minute, "but Dark Specter?"
"What do you mean?"
"I can't see Dark Specter as a very-- nurturing father figure."
"He wasn't, but he did choose me to be his heir."
"Why?"
Galactus took a chance and sat up, he was rewarded when she didn't scamper away like a frightened animal. "Can I ask you one question before I answer?"
"That depends on the question," she sighed.
"What's your name?"
He was rewarded yet again when she smiled and looked at him. "I'm Ashley."
"It's nice to meet you, Ashley."
"So," Jeff said at breakfast one morning, trying to be nonchalant, "there are only two Astro Rangers?"
"There are supposed to be more," Zhane said through a bite of pancake, "but we're the only two who were available to take the power when the war broke out."
"What do you mean 'available'?"
"My brother should have been the Red Ranger," Karone said.
"You don't know that," Zhane said softly.
"Yes, I do," Karone said firmly.
"What happened to your brother?" Jeff asked, afraid to hear the answer.
"He- he was kidnapped when we were little."
"By a monster?" Jeff's head was now in his hands, as if he was afraid to look up.
"Yes."
"Who you never saw?"
"Yes."
Jeff made a sound which the other Rangers would have thought came from a wounded animal, if they hadn't heard Jeff make it himself.
"What's wrong?" Zhane asked.
"I'm not sure if I'm right, so I don't want to worry you unnecessarily. But, I suggest we hurry and find the Turbo Rangers, just in case I am right."
"Approaching Aquitar," DECA said.
"The Aquitian Rangers have been having a hard time, since Ivan Ooze is currently turning all their oceans into--whatever that stuff is that he's made out of," Zhane said.
"We'll have to help them later," Phantom said, "Cassie's in trouble."