Poison

Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Power Rangers, Ninja Storm, and I'm not making any money from this fic

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"You ok, David?"

The white light ranger glanced up at his girlfriend from where he had been sitting on the settee in their house staring at a page in his book. "Why do you ask?" he questioned.

"Because you've been reading the same page for a while now," Faye answered, gesturing towards the book in his hands. "I've been watching you for the past few minutes, and you haven't turned the page at all."

David looked down. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Don't apologise." Faye sat next to him, and took his hand. "Got a lot on your mind?" she asked sympathetically.

David started to shake his head. Then, he sighed and nodded. "I can't help thinking how well you and Cally managed without me," he admitted in a low voice. "I guess you don't really need me to protect you."

"Well, maybe we don't need you to protect us," Faye responded after a moment's hesitation. "But we do still need you. With the capture of our families, it's only us three left until we can get them back."

David glanced down at their clasped hands. Then, with a soft sigh, he lightly squeezed Faye's hand. "Where's Cally?" he asked, knowing that his girlfriend would always keep a close watch on the violet light ranger's movements in case she went back into her depression.

"She went to the hospital to see Dustin," Faye answered, biting her lip. "David… Cally's not exactly strong. I don't know what would happen if Dustin died. I don't know what it would do to her."

"She'll be fine," David said, trying to smile at the orange light ranger. "In reality, Cally is much stronger than you give her credit for… After all, she does have the catalyst ability."

Faye nodded. Then, she sighed. "Cally won't use the catalyst ability again," she told David. "She says that it's too dangerous to the people around her. The time she used it, no one was seriously hurt. She thinks that, if there's a next time, we won't be so lucky."

"She could have a point," David conceded. "It's not like the catalyst ability is without its dangers. Someone could easily get hurt. I don't think that she should stop using it," the white light ranger added quickly in response to the frown Faye was giving him. "I just think that she should learn to better use it controlling it better, before using it again in a fight."

"It seemed like it was something that was unlocked while we were meditating," Faye said. "I remember that I was trying to get Cal to relax, and was going through the stages of the meditation with her. Then, I looked down, and realised that she was pulling energy out of me."

"Why do you think she was doing that?" David wanted to know.

"To fight the depression that was trying to eat away at her soul," Faye replied simply. "I saw it then, and I remember being surprised that she hadn't tried to kill herself a second time."

David winced slightly at that, and his hand tightened on Faye's. "I wish I'd been there for her."

"You are now," Faye told him, raising her head so that their lips were centimetres away from each other, almost brushing as she formed the words. "Believe me, that means a lot to Cally."

Instead of answering, David leaned forward, and kissed Faye gently on the lips. His warm hands slid under her blouse, and he gently lay her down on the settee.

Cam woke up with a jump. For a moment, he looked from side to side, unsure of exactly where he was. The last thing he remembered was Lia getting into a panic because someone, or something, was attacking the village.

Oh, I'm back here, the green samurai ranger thought without much enthusiasm. His mouth tasted like cotton wool, and he really needed a drink. He felt his lower lip crack slightly, and, putting a hand up, found that it was bleeding.

Cam got out of the chair at the computer, rubbing at the crick in his neck. He really needed to stop falling asleep while he was working. If nothing else, at least his neck wouldn't hurt from sleeping at a funny angle.

The green samurai ranger got a cold drink out of the fridge, and gulped it down. He felt an immense relief as the water ran down his parched throat.

"Feeling better, son?"

Cam jerked, nearly dropping the glass onto the floor as his father spoke behind him. His heart pounded in his chest as he turned to face the guinea pig. "Dad, you startled me," he said.

"You are not getting enough sleep, Cam," Sensei observed, his tone quietly scolding. "This is not the first time you have fallen asleep while sitting at your computer."

The green samurai ranger heard the concern in his father's voice, and winced slightly. He hadn't wanted to make him worry. "I don't think it's that I'm not getting enough sleep," Cam responded out loud. "I just seem to be really tired lately. I don't know why." But he could probably make a guess. His body, and possibly his spirit, felt safe in Lia's world, where Lothor apparently did not exist. Seeing as he could only enter the world when he was asleep, his body was becoming exhausted quicker to ensure that he would sleep for longer periods and at more frequent intervals.

"Blake tried to contact you via your communicator." The expression in Sensei's eyes was unreadable. "You wouldn't wake up, so I spoke to him on your behalf."

Cam's heart sank as he heard the seriousness in his father's tone. He passed a weary hand across his face. "Has another Power Ranger succumbed to the mysterious illness?" he asked, afraid of the answer.

Sensei nodded slowly. "Blake found Tori at the beach," he told his son. "She was in an unconscious state. However, he found bite marks on her body."

The green samurai ranger's eyes widened, and his heart sank. "Vampires?" The last thing they needed was to have to deal with another plague of vampires. The previous one had nearly decimated the Power Rangers, having infected a good number of them along with many of the people of Blue Bay Harbour.

"I do not think so," Sensei answered. "The bite marks were on Tori's wrist. Vampires usually bite their victim's neck."

"I'll go and take a look." Without waiting for his father to respond, Cam streaked off.

"Who are you?" Lothor demanded, staring at the cruel-looking young man who had somehow managed to get onto the space ninja's ship. He looked at Zurgane and his two nieces, scowling. "Did any of you let him in?"

"No, uncle," Kapri and Marah chorused.

"No, sir," Zurgane said.

"Oh, it was quite easy to sneak past your aliens," the stranger responded, studying his fingernails as though the conversation wasn't all that interesting. "I may no longer be in the Forest of Feelings, but I still have some of my powers in this world."

"Who are you?" Lothor repeated, raising his voice slightly.

"I'm a wizard," the man answered with a slight shrug. "Two Power Rangers came into the Forest of Feelings and stopped my attempt to turn everyone in Blue Bay Harbour into evil vampire-like creatures."

"That was you?" Lothor said. "That would have been a great plan… If it hadn't have failed, that is."

"This one won't," the wizard assured the evil space ninja. He gave a slightly mocking bow to Lothor. "You had the right alien in your arsenal, just you hadn't thought of using him… Nightshade."

"Nightshade?" Lothor frowned. "What can he…? Oh!"

The wizard nodded, looking extremely pleased with himself. "Exactly," he said. "I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results."

"Well, well, well," Lothor said thoughtfully, his expression speculative. "We will have to talk about this in great detail. It looks like I may have finally found a way to defeat those Power Rangers!"

Blake stood off to one side as Cam examined Tori's limp form. The navy thunder ranger dashed an angry hand across his face, and bit his lip hard in an attempt to stop the tears flowing. It just wasn't fair. Tori shouldn't have been attacked.

"Well, it looks like Tori was attacked by some kind of monster," Cam announced, straightening up. "I don't know if it was one of Lothor's aliens. I also don't know if it's the same epidemic that has been sweeping over everyone else. I would have to examine other victims to see if they have similar bite marks on any parts of their bodies." The green samurai ranger frowned, and continued, almost to himself, "It looks almost like a snake bite… But snakes don't tend to come onto beaches."

Hunter put a hand on Blake's shoulder. "I'm sorry, bro," he said sincerely, trying to be sympathetic. "I know you didn't want anything to happen to Tori."

Blake had called the crimson thunder ranger as soon as he had tried to contact Cam. Hunter had brought Lila with him, having been with the silver silk ranger when his brother had called.

Shane was also at the beach, but he was talking to Cam. Lila was the only one who was standing on her own, looking and feeling out of place. Aside from Hunter and her brother, the two female light rangers were the only ones the silver silk ranger was able to really talk to. Consequently, she didn't feel right being there with Tori somehow hurt. She hadn't felt as close to the blue wind ranger. Faye was with David, and she didn't know where Cally was.

Blake tried to smile at his brother, but it wasn't a very good attempt. "Thanks, bro," he said, his tone soft. He didn't sound very enthusiastic, though.

Lila sighed, wishing that her brother was there. She wouldn't feel so out of place if she had her brother to talk to. But Peter had decided to try and get some motorcycle training in before he went off to work, and Lila didn't want to bother him while he was concentrating, especially not for her to feel more comfortable.

"I can't believe Tori's gone," Blake whispered.

"Get a grip on yourself, bro," Hunter said, clapping a hand down on the navy thunder ranger's shoulder. "She's not dead. Not yet, at any rate."

"There's no reason why we can't find the antidote," Cam commented, walking over to Hunter and Blake, Shane staying behind with Tori's limp form. "Though, of course, first we have to find whatever's been infecting everyone."

"Got any ideas?" Hunter asked.

"Well, the bite mark looks a lot like a snake bite," Cam responded. "But I can't think of what species of snake would be at the beach… Unless it took a while for the effects of the bite to sink in."

"Could Lothor have had something to do with it?" Lila asked.

"It's possible," Cam replied. "I'll have to see what I can find out."

Dustin found the new victim at the beach. There were half-and-halves there as well, but the yellow wind ranger wasn't interested in them.

She was standing over the body she had used to wear. Dustin paused as he laid eyes on her, seeing how incredibly beautiful she looked in this state. He felt a sudden rush of desire for her, but pushed it aside. She had only just gone through the transition, so she was bound to be feeling rather confused and disorientated.

"Tor?"

The blue wind ranger turned round, her eyes suddenly wide. "You can see me?" she asked wonderingly.

"Yeah, I can," Dustin responded with a gentle smile. "Don't fight it, Tor. You're bound to be scared at first, but you'll see that it's really much better this way."

"What do you mean?" Tori frowned. "I feel… different. Like there's some part of me trying to detach itself away."

"It's only the bad part," Dustin responded. "Let it happen. You'll feel much better if you just let it happen. I promise."

Tori looked searchingly into his eyes for a moment, and then closed her own eyes. After a moment, she opened them again, her eyes much lighter. A smile raised the corners of her mouth. "You're right, Dustin," she said. "It really is much better this way." She looked towards the half-and-halves, and made a slight face. "Ugh… They're so… different."

"Yeah, trust me, I know," Dustin replied. "We are… complete. They are not. Come. There is no point in staying around here." He held out a hand to Tori.

The blue wind ranger allowed Dustin to lead her away from the beach, without looking back.

Cally came out of the hospital feeling tired and dispirited. Her time with Dustin hadn't helped to raise her spirits at all. She had thought that it might make her feel better to see him, but it actually had the opposite effect.

I've lost Dustin, my parents, and my Power Ranger abilities, the violet light ranger thought. She couldn't let herself hope that Dustin would be all right, because what if he wasn't?

It had been hard for Cally to listen to Dustin's mother. She had tried to be sympathetic, but, really, empathy wasn't one of her strong points. Sure, she knew how Dustin's mother was feeling, but she felt rather hopeless, and couldn't think of anything to say that might make the older woman feel better.

As soon as Cally turned her phone on, it started to ring. Frowning, Cally pressed the call answer button before she crossed the road, and put it to her ear. "Hello, Cally speaking."

"Hey, Cal," Faye's voice responded. "Tori's succumbed to the weird illness. Cam says that it looks like a snake bite, but venom just kills outright. Did you see a bite mark on Dustin at all?"

"No, I couldn't see all of him," Cally answered, earning herself a strange look from a passer-by. She smiled sweetly at the person, and then asked Faye, "Does Cam think that it's a snake, then?" She spoke in a low voice, trying not to attract any more attention to herself.

"Either that, or an alien from Lothor's army," Faye responded.

"Hm? Oh, that makes sense," Cally said. "I suppose it's a possibility."

"Have you just left the hospital?" Faye wanted to know.

"Yeah," the violet light ranger answered. "There's quite a lot of people."

"Oh, so you can't really talk," Faye replied. "I understand. You can't shout at me, then."

Cally froze. "Faye, what do you mean?" she demanded, a sinking feeling in her chest.

"You need to rein in your catalyst abilities," Faye said after a long moment's hesitation. "I know you don't want to… But you need to train them."

Cam felt shattered.

He'd been working most of the night, and, given the amount of sleep he had been getting lately, he shouldn't be tired at all. But he was, and he had no idea why.

Oh, yes, he did. The reason was a neko called Lia, and a seductive human, both of whom now had a pull on his soul.

It was strange, and quite possibly dangerous. The two girls might be from a different world, but it still wasn't healthy for him to sleep so much. Then, of course, there was always the possibility that he was going crazy.

The pull of sleep and the calling of the world were still too strong, though.

Unable to stop himself, Cam's eyes started to close. The green samurai ranger didn't bother to fight anymore. His body seemed to have its own ideas.

Cam slipped into sleep once more.

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