Yes, yes, I know, it took me ages. Let's skip this part.
Big thanks go out to Roie, dear friend that he is, who weeded this story free of typos and misspelings, came up with the idea for the Phantom's identity, and listened patiently while I ranted on and on for hours about the story.
Ghosts Through The Prism
Follow up to the Shadow Line Trilogy
Part 2: the Prism of Love
Orbiting Eltar
Cassie sat at the speeder's helm, humming quietly to herself as she made her way through the preflight checklists. She didn't expect anything to be out of order – after all, this was a brand new craft – but procedures were not meant to be ignored. Besides, after two years of risking her neck as a Power Ranger, Cassie enjoyed doing something the safe way, for a change.
Almost four months passed since the Rangers and their allies defeated the forces of Evil. Four months packed with so much activity that at times, Cassie found it hard to believe that the war was over.
First there were excuses to make: Cassie still felt that the methods they used to extinguish their parents' suspicions weren't worthy of celebrated heroes, but there really wasn't any other way, seeing as none of them had time to make proper excuses before that final leap into space. After that, it was orchestrating the rebuilding efforts of the different planets. Some worlds – like Aquitar and Triforia – handed more help than they needed. Others had it about even, but some worlds needed constant help simply to keep their population from starving. Such was the condition of the previously occupied planets, with which Cassie found herself most involved. During the final battle, she had helped free those planets, and now she found their fate – and the fate of the people she helped free – very dear to her heart. So for the last four months, Cassie coordinated humanitarian aid convoys whose tracks spread half across the galaxy, became a field expert in epidemiology, learned five or fifteen new languages and spent her entire weekends darting around in space, as the border area was far even by teleportation standards.
She put a tick in the last checkbox, and was just about to radio her takeoff request to the control station, when she heard a soft noise, very much like an incoming teleportation. She looked left – just to make sure – and was surprised to see Shiera standing by the airlock. She was more surprised – alarmed, even – when she noticed that Shiera's eyes were red, and a large backpack hung from one of her shoulders.
Cassie wasn't sure how long she stared. She'd never seen Shiera cry, and she hated to think what it must have took to make this proud girl hurt so much that her mask was shattered – not to mention the implications of that bag. After what seemed like forever, Cassie gathered her senses. She had no idea who or what Shiera was running from, but this was not the time, nor the place, to question her teammate.
"Stuff that bag somewhere", said Cassie, "And fasten yourself to a chair. Takeoff procedure"
Shiera nodded. Stepping inside the speeder, she tucked the bag into the nearest storage compartment, and set down, clicking the safety harness into place, not saying a word.
It didn't escape Cassie's eye that Shiera picked a passenger's seat, rather than a copilot's. It just made Cassie all the more worried. Normally, Shiera would choose the first pilot's position, as Cassie occupied the captain's. To pick a passenger's seat – that was so totally unlike Shiera, that Cassie had no words to describe it.
Tearing back her thoughts, Cassie fastened her own harness.
"Control, this is the Rosy Outlook", she said into the comm. "Requesting permission to clear dock"
"Hold on, Rosy Outlook" came the operator's voice.
"Copy" answered Cassie automatically, though she wondered what could cause the delay.
A few seconds later, though, she got an answer to her full satisfaction.
"Cassie!" said Ashley's voice happily through the comm. "I told them not to let you go before I talk to you"
Cassie felt a smile stretch across her face. "Abusing your authority, are you?"
"Just wishing you good luck" Ashley's cheerfulness was not abated even one bit. "You go, girl!"
"Thanks, Ash"
"Rosy Outlook, this is control. You are cleared to leave docks. You will follow path 8 out of the system before jumping to hyperdrive"
"Path 8, copied and confirmed. Firing impulse engines… now"
Carefully, Cassie piloted the speeder out of the system. Path 8 was a priority path, and soon enough, she was out of Eltaran space.
"Rosy Outlook, this is control. You are cleared to hyperjump"
"Copy, control"
"Good luck, pink Ranger"
"Thanks", said Cassie and took a deep breath. She shifted to hyperdrive, and the stars streaked around them.
Earth, Angel Grove, late evening
He was driving himself nauseous with pacing. Ethan Karlson simply did not know what to do: his wife was upstairs in their room, trying to comfort Emma into sleep; Emma would not go to her own room, as it was adjacent to Shiera's. Amanda was with Emma for hours, now, but the poor girl was so hysterical that Ethan had begun to wonder if she'd fall asleep at all. He stopped in his tracks, sighed, passed his hand through his hair and, determinedly, walked over to the kitchen to prepare himself a cup of tea. He'd had enough of pacing.
He was just finished when the knock on the door came. Cup in hand, Ethan walked over to the door. Certain it would be a neighbor on the other side, he did not bother to peer through the peephole.
It was a mistake.
"Good evening, Mr. Karlson", said Carlos. "Is Shiera home?"
Ethan nearly dropped his cup. On the list of people he expected to find on his doorstep, Shiera's boyfriend ranked pretty low.
"Sorry for dropping in so late", apologized Carlos. "It's just that I had a hunch… Are you all right, Mr. Karlson? You seem a little pale"
"What? No, no, everything is all right. Come on in, Carlos. Shiera's upstairs in her room"
"Thanks" Carlos walked in, and was at Shiera's door within seconds.
Ethan waited at the bottom on the stairs, heart pounding. He tried knocking on Shiera's door several times, but she did not answer. Green Ranger or not, Ethan was getting worried.
Carlos knocked a third time. "Shiera?" he called. "It's me"
No answer.
Carlos turned around.
"Are you sure she's there?"
"Yes; she went upstairs a while ago, and I didn't see her coming down"
"Maybe she's asleep?"
"She's didn't go to the bathroom"
"Weird". Carefully, Carlos opened Shiera's door – and threw it open with a cry of "You promised!"
Ethan ran upstairs, too terrified to notice the disbelief or the heartbreak in Carlos' voice. He was terrified of what he might find in Shiera's room –
- the room was empty, empty except for the furniture and for Carlos, standing in the middle of the room and staring wildly around.
"But she never came downstairs", said Ethan blankly. He walked over to the window. "It's locked. From the inside"
"What happened?" demanded Carlos.
"I don't understand…" said Ethan.
Carlos grabbed his wrist. Ethan jolted, as if he received an electrical shock.
"I felt something was wrong. Now I know something is wrong. What happened?" The last two words were half-shouted.
Ethan opened his mouth to yell at the insolent boy – but changed his mind when he remembered: I'm the current green Ranger, she said; Carlos is black.
"She told us", he said. "She told us about… Emma asked her why she always wears green, and…" Ethan's voice broke.
Carlos let go of Ethan's wrist.
"Why'd she hide in her room?" asked Carlos. His voice was very quiet, but the expression on his face would have made anyone who knew him shudder.
"She told us… how she received her morpher. And…"
"You rejected her", said Carlos, his voice every bit as disbelieving as it was before. "She told you everything… and you rejected her"
"She fought for that Astronema witch!"
"You don't understand anything!"
"Ethan!"
Both men tore their eyes from one another – they were standing dangerously close – and looked at Amanda, who was standing framed in the doorway, with one of her arms wrapped protectively over Emma.
"What's going on here?" she demanded. "Where is Shiera?"
"Gone, thanks to you" shot Carlos. His voice was expressionless, and both Karlsons failed to notice the disgusted shock on his face.
"How did she disappear?" demanded Ethan. "And where?"
"She teleported, and lord knows where she is now" was Carlos' response. "Some loving family you are"
"How dare you…" began Amanda
"No, how dare you"
All of the sudden, the silence rang like a gong. Carlos had pulled himself to his full height, effectively towering over Ethan and Amanda. Physical menace alone was not what made the room so dark; dejected fury was coming off of Carlos in waves. Even Emma seemed to sense it, and she inched closer to her mother.
Moving was a mistake.
"She loves you so much, little one", said Carlos softly. "You are here now because she loves you; you're awake because she loves you; you could hurt her – you have hurt her – almost more than anyone else could; how will you live with yourself, now?" The softness crumbled as Carlos' face twisted, and he was glaring at Amanda and Ethan.
"I have nothing more you say", he told them, "Except that I hope you're happy with what you did"
Amanda and Emma jumped to the side as Carlos stormed outside the room, and then outside the house. The echoes from the slammed door died out, and still the three of them stood without moving, hardly daring to breath.
"I think", said Amanda, when the air became almost too thick to breathe, "That we should have heard her out"
Orbiting Earth, the Astro Megaship, the bridge
"Just wishing you good luck" said Ashley, grinning from ear to ear; she so hoped that Cassie could hear that! "You go, girl!"
"Thanks, Ash"
"Bye, Cassie" But the line was already rediverted, she could see it on the panel. "Thanks for the favor, Eltar Control"
"You're welcome, yellow Ranger", said the controller sincerely. "Eltar Control out"
Ashley sighed, stopped herself from chewing a perfectly polished fingernail and reached out for the mints instead. Some crazy day, she thought, popping three pellets in her mouth and making a face at the burning. When did Cassie wake me up, anyway?
"You should sleep, Ashley", said DECA.
"I know, DECA. I just need to wind down a little"
"You are awake since 04:30 in the morning"
"Really? Feels more like three"
"It was a long day", agreed DECA.
A black column of light materialized, and Ashley recoiled in surprise. Teleporting directly to the bridge was just not polite. Even Carlos should have more sense than that, she thought, and was about to tell him so - before she caught the expression on his face.
"Carlos?" she was there by his side almost before she finished saying his name; her eyes scanned him quickly – he was not injured or harmed in any way. What…?
"She's gone" Carlos' breathing was heavy; he was close to hyperventilating. "She's gone, Ashley! She told them, and…"
"Who's gone?" asked Ashley, more to quash her suspicion than to prove it.
"She's gone…"
She asked him again, and once more, but still he only repeated what he said before. Bracing herself, Ashley slapped him, hard. Luckily, it worked. He stared at her for a moment, and then: "Shiera told her family about being a Ranger. They didn't react well. She took off; I don't know where to; I don't why she told them, Ash, she was so afraid. But now it's done, and she's gone"
"Scans are negative", announced DECA.
Carlos made a noise halfway between laughter and a sob. "No help, DECA. She's teleported away. You won't find her"
Ashley's heart sank. Shiera's teleportation was independent of the Megaship's systems, which made tracking her teleportation signal virtually impossible. Ashley cringed inwardly at the thought of the troubles an isolated Ranger could get into – especially one who was as tempting a target as Shiera.
There were more immediate worries, though, and Ashley pushed thoughts of Shiera momentarily away. "DECA, please wake up T.J and inform him of the situation"
"Complying"
With that out of the way, Ashley wrapped her arms around Carlos' shoulders, and held him until he cried.
Hyperspace
"How long is it to Matika?" asked Shiera after what seemed like ages of silence.
Cassie glanced at her watch; it'd only been fifteen minutes. "Some four hours, at maximal speed"
Shiera whistled. "That's not a bad speed. The Megaship wouldn't make it faster"
Cassie smiled. "What is it with you and negative terms?"
"Sorry?"
"You said 'not a bad speed' ", explained Cassie. " 'Not bad', rather than 'good' "
"I see", said Shiera. After a couple of seconds, she added: "I'd rather think that I have a tendency for understatement"
"Any idea why?"
"Why should you care?"
"Just making conversation", pointed Cassie. "There's not much weather for us to discuss"
"You're not just making conversation", said Shiera, wincing. "And I should have been smarter than that"
"Oh?"
"You do care; and I shouldn't have questioned". She looked away. "It's something I just can't seem to get used to"
"I don't think so", said Cassie quietly.
Shiera was still not looking at her. "What do you think?"
"That you're still afraid of hope"
"Sounds like a stupid fear to me"
"I said 'still' " said Cassie. "It means I don't think you'll be afraid for ever". Were it any other person in front of her, Cassie would have reached out to offer physical comfort - but this was Shiera.
"They say, new layers of positive experience heal away the scars of bad experience. What if I won't let myself acquire those new layers?"
"You do acquire them, even by sitting here". Cassie has had enough. She held Shiera by the shoulder and made the other girl look at her. Her voice was like her touch – soft and firm: "What's wrong, Shiera?"
Shiera still wouldn't meet her eyes. "Some things don't go away"
Cassie cursed, taking her hand off Shiera's shoulder. "Not that again, Shiera! I thought we cured you of this nonsense!"
Shiera's hands balled into fists, her nails digging into her palms. "You don't understand, Cassie! I'll remain this way for the rest of my life!"
"What's 'this way'?" demanded Cassie, "Redeemed, with a loving boyfriend and as loyal friends as can be?"
"It means", said Shiera, shaking, "Not only able to remember being Evil, and remember feeling okay that way, but also being able to be Evil again – if I only choose to, or if I don't pay attention; and not paying attention is a very easy mistake to make"
Cassie stared at her. "Are you sure?"
"Certain". The shakes lessened, but Shiera's hands were still clenched. "That's what it means to be a Rainbow Walker. I'm both Good and Evil – for as long as I am"
Cassie spotted the loophole in Shiera's logic right away. "If you can't turn purely good, surely you can't turn purely evil?"
"Not for long", said Shiera quietly, her eyes closing as if in pain, "but for too long"
Cassie only watched as Shiera took one deep breath after another, eyes still closed.
"Does Carlos know?" asked Cassie finally.
Shiera nodded. "He does"
"And?"
Shiera shrugged. "He doesn't seem to have a problem with it" Shiera's dubious tone clearly implied that she didn't understand Carlos at all.
"Probably said he loved you as you are, if I know him at all" said Cassie, almost snorting; she could just see Carlos' expression as told Shiera that. "And Karone?"
"She explained it to me. She doesn't seem to think it's a problem, either", added Shiera before Cassie had the chance to ask.
"I'd say that if they're okay with it, you should too, but…" Cassie shook her head. "Sweet Lord, Shiera, I've know idea what it's like to be inside your head"
"Cold", said Shiera immediately. "Cold enough to freeze your bones out. Stars don't give much heat"
"Stars?"
"They stand for hope, don't they? But they can't light away the darkness, and they're too far to touch" With those last words, Shiera finally opened her eyes. "Stars are actually quite sad, when you come to think about it"
"Guess they are", murmured Cassie. "Never thought of them this way". She leaned forward and hugged Shiera. While Shiera didn't stiffen or resist – as Cassie was afraid she'd do – she didn't relax, either.
"I talk too much", she muttered into Cassie's shoulder.
"You don't talk enough, if at all", said Cassie. "You should have told us ages ago"
"You think it's so easy?"
"No", admitted Cassie. "I think you're that strong"
"Thanks", said Shiera. "I guess".
It was hours later, and Cassie was in her room. She'd been going through her research files again, and now the data pad lay on her knees as she set on the window perch, staring into space.
He first appeared about half a year after she, TJ and the others became Rangers. Rygog and Elgar had tried to rob a bank. He chased them away before the Turbo Rangers even arrived at the spot. It was Cassie was spotted his semi-transparent form walking away. Later that day, He again won a fight before they could even get there. The team split, looking for Him. Cassie caught His reflection in a truck's mirror, but when she walked around she could not see Him. Then He became semi-transparent for a minute, only long enough to let her touch Him and tell her he was a friend, before turning invisible and walking off.
It was when she stood there, shouting at his disappearing back, that she realized her life changed, perhaps as dramatically as it did when she became a Ranger.
Cassie Chan fell in love.
She couldn't quite explain it to anyone, but something in her moved when she first saw Him, and that something yielded completely when she first touched Him. It was as if a great door opened within her soul, pouring forth a wealth of emotion pragmatic Cassie never knew she was capable of. Even stranger than that, she never doubted, even for a second, that He felt the same way for her, too.
Her team's further contact with Him only seemed to strengthen her certainty. He always seemed a little more protective over her, more likely to appear when she was in danger than any of the others. And, when Havoc needed a bait to capture Him, it was Cassie whom the villain had kidnapped.
Cassie shivered, and tightened the quilt around her as she remembered that time, when she thought that He was dying – worse, that He was dying because of her. She remembered the panic she felt as she and TJ searched for Him, and the even worse dread when she saw Him slumped, unconscious, next to the wall. She remembered how she fought to keep her hands stable as she put his ruby back in place, and those nerve-wrenching seconds until the ruby glowed, and the tidal of relief when the ruby finally glowed and she knew He'd live.
He told them – her – then that he went wherever he was needed, for as long as he was needed, but Cassie's research showed that this wasn't exactly true. While He helped many planets, He rarely returned to the same planet more than one or twice – and yet, He helped Cassie's team repeatedly. If she had any doubts that He cared for her, they were wiped away by the message He left for her on Hercuron: "I'll be all right, Cassie. Please... don't forget me".
"How could I ever forget you?" she whispered.
Hercuron was the last she'd seen Him until the great battle, when she and He fought side-by-side to free the occupied planets. They spoke very little, as the battle was intense, but every word exchanged carried so much intention that at times she found it hard to concentrate on the fighting.
And still He disappeared when the war was over: that's when Cassie's quest began.
She researched logs and chronicles, questioned people and traveled across the known universe, collecting every piece of information that existed on the one known as the Phantom.
He first appeared in the border area, shortly after it had been conquered. For a while, He tried to free the border worlds on His own, but after a while He moved inward to a still-free territory, and began helping planetary defense forces against the rising Evil. He never seemed to visit a certain world more than once or twice before moving on, usually to a totally different sector. To Cassie, it seemed that He did not want to get attached. Her fingers fidgeted as she wondered why was that.
In the months that followed His first visit to Earth, though, He never seemed far from Cassie's home planet, and there were plenty of sighting to testify for that: many more sightings, in fact, than in any other period of His "career". It was, Cassie thought, as if He had more energy, more motivation, than He had at other times.
She wondered if it was because He was in love.
Then came Zordon's kidnapping and, for Cassie, the shift from Turbo to Astro power, with her team composition changing as well. It was shortly after that that the fateful day at Hercuron happened – the last Cassie would see Him for almost a year, and His one and only open admittance of feeling for Her, that one message: "Please... don't forget me"
In the many and long months that followed, Cassie has seen neither hide nor hair of Him. Strangely, though, she was not worried. She felt certain that, should anything happen to Him, she would feel it. There were times, of course, that a feeling of panic, of being encaged, rose within her; but mostly, she – and following her logic, He too – was well.
It was a hunch that made her continue with the Bookallan fleet, rather than join her team. After all, she didn't know at the time about His affinity with the conquered planets. How great was her joy, then, when she found Him there, too! They were allowed only a short time together, but the few sentences they exchanged were enough for Cassie:
"Phantom!"
"Cassie. I… remembered"
"I missed you, too"
"Will you be careful?"
"Only if you promise to be careful, too"
He wanted them to split, claiming that they'd cover more ground this way, but she wanted them to fight together, saying they'd be stronger together; that this was the Rangers' way; and that she wanted them to. It was hard to tell which of her arguments did the trick, but He yielded to her wish, and they fought together all throughout the long battle.
Or rather, almost all throughout: she lost sight of Him so very close to the end. The swarm of putties and cogs became too intense, and they were separated. She could not even scream for Him or shout the name He used, because she was out of breath. Seconds later, the many drones faded into dust or fell to the ground. For a split second Cassie was stunned, and then, realizing that the others must have won, she started calling for Him, running around and searching, looking. But He was nowhere, and neither was his body. The Phantom had disappeared again.
He hasn't been sighted since. All of Cassie's research seemed futile: she knew all there was to know about His past, but of his present – nothing. She searched the data again and again, looking for any hints she might have missed: still, nothing.
Until less then a day ago, when a large meteor penetrated Matika's atmosphere. Matika's space defense array was virtually nonexistence, and the planet was simply too far out for help to reach it on time. The meteor was only a few kilometers above ground when the Phantom's ship materialized next to it, taking it out with a few well-aimed shots.
Luckily, it was already summer vacation. Cassie packed her bag and told her parents she was going camping with some friends. TJ picked her up from her house for story's sake, but as soon as they turned around the corner Cassie teleported to the ship, where she got on her glider and headed to Eltar. Going through the wormhole on the glider was something she never wished to do again, but it was fastest. Once in Eltaran space, she did not even lend, but was directed straight to the speeder waiting for her in orbit: the Eltarans, curious about the Phantom more than anyone save Cassie, agreed beforehand to land her the craft should she need it.
It was 1 a.m., California time, when Cassie received the news of the sighting; 9 a.m. before she was finally to get away from the house; 1 p.m. when she finally arrived on Eltar; and after 6 p.m. when she finally fired the engines and streaked into hyperspace. Cassie had had lots of hard-packed action in the last two years, but those fifteen hours, coupled with her anxiety, had been enough for her. Even as she wondered which of the streaking stars she was looking at was his home, her head fell on her shoulder, and she slept.
Earth, Angel Grove, night
It was getting late. The TV was on, but Ethan and Amanda Karlson weren't watching.
The phone rang, and Amanda picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Mrs. Karlson?"
"Yes, speaking"
"Mrs. Karlson, it's T.J Johnson. I'm a… teammate of Shiera's"
Amanda straightened so fast she nearly displaced Ethan on the couch. "T.J… yes, I remember you. You say you're a Ranger too? Do you know where she is?"
At the mention of the word 'Ranger', Ethan straightened up too, suddenly staring at his wife.
"Please, Mrs. Karlson, slow down. If you don't mind, I would like to come over to your house and see if I can explain things. It seems that there were several misunderstanding"
Amanda's heart was racing. "Hold on a second". Covering the phone's speaker with her palm, she quietly told Ethan: "He wants to come over; talk about things"
"Well, let him come, then!" said Ethan. "It's about time they contacted us!"
Biting her lip, Amanda removed her hand from the speaker and told T.J: "You can come"
"Thank you. I will be there in a few minutes"
Amanda put down the phone.
"Well?"
"He will be here soon"
"Which one of them is TJ? The guy with the stripes in his hair? No, his name is Andros. TJ's the African-American one"
"Yes", said Amanda. "Try to talk more slowly, please, Ethan?"
"Sorry"
The doorbell rang. They got up together.
"Thank you. Sorry for the late hour" said TJ, stepping inside without an invitation. "I would've teleported directly, but teleportation can be attention-catching at night. I also thought it may be a little of a shock to you…"
The Karlsons were staring at him.
TJ sighed. "Can we sit down, please?" he asked. "It's going to be a long one"
"Do you know where she is?" asked Amanda as soon as they sat – she and Ethan on the couch, TJ on the chair facing them.
"No", said TJ. "Tracking her is impossible. Saying this is probably useless, but – you don't have to worry about her. She's more than tough, and she's got a reputation: anything stupid enough to mess with her is not a threat"
"Then why are you here?" asked Ethan.
"To explain things", said TJ. "I don't think you've heard the whole story"
"At least you're behaving", said Amanda, almost without thinking. "When Carlos was here before…"
"Carlos is every bit as worried about Shiera as you are", said TJ. "And he already came close to losing her in the past"
"He's only known her for a couple of months" said Amanda contemptuously.
Something flashed across TJ's face that made Ethan put a protective arm around his wife.
"Will you hear the full story before you make an opinion?" asked TJ.
"We already know the full story", said Ethan.
"No, you don't" said TJ evenly.
"Yes, we do. Shiera told us. She admitted that she fought for Astronema"
"Shiera was kidnapped by Astronema and enspelled to serve her". TJ looked at the Karlson's stunned expressions and continued without a pause, his face hard and set: "Astronema, like any other villain who ever fought against a team of Rangers, realized that the best way to conquer the Rangers would be to break them – or one of them. Astronema aimed for Carlos. She found Shiera because Shiera was close to Carlos. Having realized that Shiera is one hell of a fighter, she decided to make Shiera a weapon against us. She kidnapped Shiera and put her under a complex array of spells to ensure Shiera's loyalty. Carlos managed to break through the spells. Shiera changed sides, and has been fighting with us ever since. So there; now you know"
Amanda began to sob.
Netherie, the Golden Guard's main camp, about noon
Hurán stepped outside the tent, glaring at the tainted sky. It was autumn at this part of the planet, yet it was midday, and the sky should've been brighter than that – except for the pollution: the pollution that made Netherie uninhabitable for most.
The purple flash came after mere seconds. Hurán stepped forward to greet Karone, frowning and smiling just the same: it was always good to see her – it didn't happen nearly enough, what with the girl's darting through space – but he was worried about her; not for the first time, Hurán dearly wished to teach Andros of Kerova some manners – preferably by the means of a sharp blade.
"How are you handling?" he asked, as soon as the purple glow faded from around her.
"Trying to not worry too much", said Karone. "It's a long trip to Phaedos, and Dulcea is not always easy to find. It's perfectly understandable that he hasn't made contact yet"
Either that, or he's dead, thought Hurán. Aloud, he said: "He's been a Ranger for years; from what you told me, I doubt this Dulcea person would even agree to test him"
"Maybe" shrugged Karone, "That's not what you called me here for, isn't it?"
"No. Come on inside, I'll show you"
"As you probably know, Andros and Zhane captured Divatox last night", he said, pulling over the tent's flapping.
"So I heard. Was she troublesome as usual?"
"Not more than I remembered" said Hurán dryly. "As standard procedure, I ran her through a minimal medical scan, to ensure that she is not injured. The results of her blood screen". He offered Karone a data pad.
Karone frowned. "There's no way she can be Fumara, with these plasma components", she said.
"My thoughts exactly. Apparently, Divatox is Inquirian"
"That raises two question. One is how Mamma Tox came to raise an Inquirian child – I don't see her adopting, as she's hardly the maternal type. The other question is the identity of Divatox's biological family". Karone raised her eyes from the pad. "I don't recall the Inquirians having a planetary gene bank"
"That's because they don't have one"
"So both questions are unanswerable"
"No necessarily" said Hurán darkly. "May I?"
Karone returned him the pad. With a few strokes, he brought up a picture and returned the pad to Karone. "Divatox's photo, sans mask and make up"
Karone's pupils widened. "Seems that we have a diplomatic crisis"
"That, princess, is the understatement of a lifetime"
Orbiting Earth, geostationary orbit above Angel Grove, night
Karone's expression, as she entered the bridge, was anything but inviting.
"You said you have more bad news?" she asked.
"Shiera" said Ashley shortly.
"I might as well have known" Karone crashed into a chair and buried her face in her hands. "What has she done this time?"
"Disappeared"
Karone's head snapped up.
"She told her parents and it got messed up. TJ is down there right now, trying to straighten things up"
"Carlos?"
"Not channeling her"
Karone scowled. "Thank the Light for small miracles", muttered Karone darkly. "Zhane told you?"
"No". Ashley's face tightened with sudden worry. "He didn't have to; Andros sent me a recording". She blinked, but it didn't make the tears go away. "Stupid jerk. How can he think he's not good enough?"
"I can understand him", said Karone softly. "If not for this - " Karone's hand traveled to her crystal " – I would have felt the same. He doesn't have the same reassurance"
"Aren't you worried about him?"
"If he comes back alive, I'm killing him. If he dies, I'm going to resurrect and then kill him. How's that for an answer?"
Ashley shook her head. "Can you locate Shiera?"
"Only if she wants to be found". She paused. "No, I can't sense her at all". She pushed herself up from the chair. "DECA, where's Carlos?"
"Carlos is in the park"
"I'll get him", said Ashley, getting up as well. "You know what he's like. You go down there and he'll take it all out on you"
"As if it'll be any different with you"
Ashley shrugged. "We've known each other longer", she said simply. "And I'm more patient than you are"
"I'm patient!"
"Not with emotional people, and not when you're worried through the roof", said Ashley shortly.
"When did you get to know me so well?"
"I know Andros, and you're just the same when you're stressed"
Karone smiled tiredly. "Thanks"
Ashley shook her head. "We're family, Karone; stop thanking me all the time"
"Th…" Karone stopped, and instead said: "I'll see if I can locate Shiera. You go get him"
Ashley nodded and raised her morpher hand. "She you in a few", she said, and was gone in a shower of yellow sparks.
Hyperspace
"Morning" said Shiera distractedly as Cassie wondered into the bridge. "Coffee?"
"Thanks" answered Cassie, dropping into a chair and reaching for the offered mug.
"You're welcome"
Cassie took a sip from her coffee. "Slept well?"
"I didn't sleep"
"What?" Cassie's head jerked up. "Shiera, you must be awake…"
"…Only sixteen hours" completed Shiera. "I got up at a relatively normal hour – not barely after midnight"
"Right"
"You need more coffee"
"Probably", growled Cassie. "I hate time differences"
"What time is it, where we're heading?"
"Should be about eleven, when we get there; in the morning, I mean"
"Twelve hours from home?"
"Just about"
Without warning, the engines' sound changed, and the streaks turned into stars.
"We're there", said Cassie abruptly.
Matika, Tsanit subcontinent, late morning
"Sorry, come again?" asked Cassie; Shiera has asked something, but Cassie was too focused on landing the craft.
"I said, what's this guy's name"
"Than ranch is owned by Kenshin Az Atare"
"And we're going to address him as…"
"Kenshin, probably. Mainstream Matikan culture considers using one's surname derogatory. Kinda unusual, but that's how the system here works"
"Does he know you're coming?"
"No, I don't think so. What?" demanded Cassie as Shiera's lips quirked.
"Guy's in for a shock. A Ranger landing in his back yard?"
"The Phantom Ranger was spotted over his ranch. He must except some attention"
"Point taken"
The last sentences were exchanged even as the speeder touched ground. Now, the two Rangers set in the immobile craft.
"After you", said Shiera finally.
"Isn't it a little… dusty, for a farm?" asked Shiera as they stepped outside. "I thought there'd be more green stuff"
"I suppose the fields are farther away", said Cassie. "Besides, this area has almost continental climate. Near desert conditions", explained Cassie, seeing the blank look on Shiera's face. "It means low, shrubby kind of plant life"
"You could just say prairie"
It was a ten-minute walk before the farmhouse came into view. As they came closer, a girl sitting at a workbench by the front door raised her head and looked at them. She ran down to the gate, looked at the two approaching Rangers, then ran up to the house and disappeared inside.
Cassie and Shiera exchanged glances, but said nothing.
She came outside after a moment, accompanied by a man. The man nodded, and pushed her gently back to her table. She sat down, and he walked down the path. He was of medium height, and heavily built, like a men who had much use for his muscles. His skin was dark, perhaps tanned, with black pudding-bowl hair. The clothes he wore were unmistakingley work clothes by their cut, the pants a muddy shade of brown and the sleeveless shirt a pale beige.
"He's Ukkari", said Cassie abruptly. "One of the peoples of Ashtar"
"Population exchange?"
Cassie shrugged. "They were all refugees together. Some friendships must have stuck"
The man reached the gate at about the same time as they did.
"Greetings" he said, inclining his head without breaking eye contact. "I am Anarad Ranoor". He had an almost musical accent, with throaty, rolling R's and long A's.
"Greetings" answered Cassie, inclining her head slightly lower. "I am Cassie Chan"
"Greetings", said Shiera, following Cassie's example. "I am Shiera Karlson"
"Your name is familiar to me", said Anarad, addressing Cassie. "Are you not Ranger Cassie, who helped free this world, as well as others?"
"I am", said Cassie.
"Than your presence here is even a greater honor than I first assumed", said Anarad, opening the gate and curtseying them inside. "What brings you to this modest house?"
"I'm looking for the Phantom Ranger", said Cassie simply, as she and Shiera entered the yard. "I've heard that his ship has been sighted over your land only yesterday"
"Ah, you shall have to wait for Kenshin than. He was the one who was there. He will return in time for lunch. You are welcome to stay"
"We will be honored", said Cassie.
They've reached the front door. The girl raised her eyes from the instrument she was tinkering with. She was a fragile looking thing, thin-bodied, pale-skinned, and with large – almost too large – amber eyes. Her clothes were styled like Anarad's, save that her tonic was v-necked and lovingly embroidered with colorful patterns. Her fingers, like her arms, were extremely long and delicate, and each finger had three knuckles instead of the standard humanoid two. The girl looked at them, and said nothing.
"This is Aaji", said Anarad.
"Is she mute?" asked Shiera bluntly, causing Cassie to flinch uncomfortably.
"In a matter of speaking", said Anarad evenly.
The look Cassie gave Shiera was sharp enough to cut steel, but Shiera didn't even flinch.
Anarad smiled. "Don't apologize for you companion's directness" he told Cassie. "I prefer honesty to manners. Please, Come inside" he added, gesturing towards the open door. "Make yourself comfortable. Kenshin is out in town, and will not return before noon"
The inside was flooded with light; light flowed in from the open front door, from the great French doors facing it, and from the large kitchen window. The kitchen was to the left, separated from the main space by a suspended glass counter. All the furniture were made of light-colored wood, and the rugs were the same color as the prairie soil outside.
"It's beautiful", whispered Cassie.
"You must have seen greater wonders", said Anarad with a shrug; then he laughed and shook his head. "All this Matikan formality is finally getting to me, it seems", he said. "Kenshin would make fun of me – if he had any sense of humor"
"Matikans do seem to be lacking in that aspect, don't they?" said Cassie, amused.
"What's burning?" asked Shiera sharply.
Anarad ran over to the kitchen area. "The soup!"
Cassie laughed as Anarad scolded the large pot in rapid Ukkarijhit, as if it was a child.
Shiera's eyes darted between Cassie and the door; sighing, Cassie nodded, and Shiera slipped outside.
"You're not going to force it back to the pot by scolding it" she told Anarad in Ukkarijhit as she stepped into the kitchen.
Surprised, Anarad dropped the spoon into the pot, splashing soup around.
Giggling, Cassie offered him a rag.
"Thank you", said Anarad, cleaning the mess. "When did you learn my mother tongue?"
"I've been spending a lot of time in this area of space lately; languages came in handy. Sorry I surprised you"
"It's okay. Actually, it's quite nice to have someone to speak the language to"
"And I could certainly use some practice" said Cassie.
"You're not that bad", said Anarad. He tossed the rag in the sink, landing a perfect shot. "I always forget I have something on the stove"
"And Rahji soup is a tricky dish" said Cassie. "Don't you have a soup timer?"
"There used to be one lying around, but I don't seem to find it"
Cassie looked around at the bare surroundings; it seemed too orderly for anything to be misplaced.
"Aaji must have confiscated it for parts" continued Anarad, perhaps following Cassie's train of thought. "She always does that"
Cassie hesitated, then said: "She's Lehroin"
Anarad only shrugged.
"Is she…?"
Anarad nodded curtly.
"Sorry; didn't mean to pry" said Cassie.
"It's alright", said Anarad, though the lingering stiffness in his shoulders said otherwise. "Surely you understand why the subject is… sensitive"
"I've been to Lehroi", she told him. "Yes, I understand" She smiled suddenly, mind set on changing the subject. "How do you manage to find the ingredients for the soup? I didn't know you could get some of this stuff on Matika!"
Anarad smiled back, apparently accepting her diversion, and began to lecture: "Well, you see…"
Outside, Shiera was half mindedly watching Aaji at her work. The foreign girl was fixing what seemed to be a generator, her long fingers managing the small parts with ease and precision.
Kind of like the prairie, thought Shiera. Both are so tranquil. Even as she thought that, though, Shiera knew that it wasn't true: the land still bore signs of occupation – Shiera had seen enough on the short walk from the landing pad – and Aaji's body language was short and clipped, and she kept glancing around like a stressed rabbit.
Both scarred, thought Shiera, and in a corner of her mind she hardly admitted, she added: the three of us, really. Without meaning to, she picked and handed Aaji the tool the girl seemed to need. Aaji reached for it– and looked up in surprised. For a moment, she and Shiera only looked at each other. Then Shiera put the welder in Aaji's palm, and Aaji nodded before returning to her work.
Hesitantly, Shiera smiled.
Earth, Angel Grove park, night
There were footsteps approaching behind him. "Go away, Zhane"
"I'm not Zhane"
"Ashley?" Carlos turned his head in surprise. Sure enough, it was Ashley standing behind him, head cocked to the side and smiling tiredly.
"You sound surprised" She plopped down on the grass beside him without waiting for invitation. "Disappointed?"
"I'd rather be left alone, thanks"
"Fat chance" said Ashley, forcing cheerfulness into her voice that she didn't feel.
"Go away, Ashley"
She didn't move.
"I mean it"
"Nope"
"Ash… I don't want to fight with you"
"So don't"
Finally, he looked at her. "If I get up and leave you'll just follow me, won't you?"
"That's right"
He scowled.
"I'm not leaving you alone, Carlos", said Ashley firmly. "Staying alone is the worst thing for you right now, even if you're loath to admit it"
He sighed. "Being alone is easier"
"Since when does 'easy' equate 'right'?" Ashley made a face. "Ugh, I've so had an overdose of politics"
"No, you've just been around Andros too much"
"Show me a red Ranger who is not a borne politician"
"Uh…" Carlos hesitated a few moments, then shook his head. "Can't think of any"
"I brought some photos, if you want to see" She held out the bag.
"What photos?"
"Copies I made for Shiera, from Prom night". Carlos' expression closed up when she said Shiera's name, but his eyes betrayed everything. Ashley, who was close to tears for hours now, had to blink rapidly. "I think she wanted to arrange them in an album or something, but tonight is kind of a special occasion"
"Didn't she yell at you for taking some of these?"
"She did", agreed Ashley. Shiera had nearly murdered her for some of these.
Carlos picked the bag from her hand and took out the photos.
"Want the story behind the photos?" asked Ashley quietly, seeing as Carlos frowned at the first photo; it was one from the set taken at Cassie's house.
Shiera, standing in front of a full-length mirror, surveying herself dubiously.
"Do you think I'm too skinny?"
"Some girls would kill for that figure", said Cassie. She was sitting on the bed, filing her nails distractedly.
"You're thinner than the girls Carlos dated in the past" offered Ashley, "But then again, you're nothing like any girl Carlos ever dated, so that's hardly a base for comparison. Why're you asking?"
"Because I gained some weight, recently". Shiera pinched her waist thoughtfully. "And I'm not eating more than I used to"
"So?"
"You know Carlos and I are symbiotic, don't you? We affect each other. So I thought, maybe if Carlos thinks I'm too thin…"
Cassie rolled her eyes. "How insecure can you be, girl?"
"She did not say that"
"She did. Do you think she's too skinny?"
"Does it matter?"
A pair of "before and after" close-up shots.
"I'm not wearing make-up, Cassie"
"Why not?"
"Because I never did"
"You also never went to a school dance before", pointed Ashley from behind.
"Don't remind me" shot Shiera. "I think I'm going to be sick"
"It's just a dance, Shiera"
"Which means crowd and noise, and I hate both"
"Feel like backing off?"
"Hell yeah, but I can't". Shiera made a face. "Mascara only", she warned Cassie. "Wearing this skimpy thing", she pulled at her dress, "is weird enough for me"
"Sure", promised Cassie. Ashley giggled as she saw that Cassie had her fingers crossed behind her back.
"How did Cassie talk her into that?"
"She didn't. All she had to do was smile"
A shot from behind of Shiera, fully dressed, peering outside the door of Cassie's room; then a medium-shot of Shiera pointing a knife at someone, the laughter in her eyes ruining the otherwise murderous expression.
"Will they get here already?" muttered Shiera. "Ashley, will you stop that?"
"But it's a really great shot!"
Shiera turned around, and suddenly she had her dagger in her hand. Cassie nearly fell of her chair. "Stop shooting photos or I'll shoot you for real", warned Shiera.
"How'd you do that?" demanded Cassie.
Shiera smiled suddenly. "It's a gift"
Flash.
"Ashley!"
"That was actually scary. None of us can pull out our weapons when not morphed"
"Shiera's a case to herself"
"What's new?"
A shot from behind: Carlos pushing the doors open, glancing behind, as Shiera is hurrying outside, fastening a shawl around her shoulders against the evening chill.
"What'd you take that for?"
"You're looking so romantic together"
Carlos shook his head. "Twenty minutes and she had to get out. Maybe I shouldn't have forced her to come"
"You didn't force her, Carlos. No one can force that girl to do anything"
"She still hated every minute of it"
"Not every minute. Turn to the next photo"
Carlos looked at Ashley suspiciously, then did as she asked. "Oh, I remember that. Man, Ashley, that was annoying. Couldn't we have at least a little privacy?"
"At a school dance? Well, maybe I did cross the line a bit, but it's a great photo"
"Yes, it is", he admitted. "It looks like something out of a movie"
"Only better, because you really love each other"
Carlos looked away. "She promised", he said quietly. "The day she came back, the first time around, she promised she wouldn't leave like that ever again"
"Carlos…"
"I'm not angry with her, if that's what you think. It's just – it hurts to know that when she really needed someone, she ran off instead of coming to me"
"Give her time, Carlos. She doesn't know how to rely on people. It's a skill that takes time to learn". Ashley smiled sadly. "Believe me, I know"
"What did Andros do this time?"
"Ran off on a quest, to prove that he's worthy of being a Ranger. At least I got a recording. Zhane and Karone only got a letter"
"Ouch"
"You can say that again"
"Ouch"
"Yeah"
Minutes passed in silence.
"Thanks, Ash. For everything"
"That's what friends are for, Carlos. I'm not letting you down again"
"That's water under the bridge, now, and it wasn't completely your fault anyway. Besides, that's how I met Shiera"
"Wouldn't you rather think that you were meant to be?"
"I'll get back to you on that"
"Speaking of getting back, how about we go back to the ship?"
"I don't know"
"Maybe Karone has some answers", said Ashley pointedly.
"You won't leave me until I agree, will you?"
"I'm not leaving you anyway"
"So we might as well stay here"
"Carlos!"
"Kidding, Ash"
"Jerk"
Matika, Atare's ranch, around midday
"You did not!" said Cassie, amused. "It must have burnt the poor guy's throat!"
"But of course, that was the purpose" said Anarad. "Surely you didn't expect me to let such an insult pass unanswered"
"Men", said Cassie, shaking her head. "You and your honour"
"Refreshing", remarked Anarad, "To hear this remark directed to my gender, rather than my culture"
"I've seen worse", said Cassie shortly. "Let me tell you about that Nanazeean lawyer…"
The soup having been rescued, Cassie and Anarad retired to the back porch with two tall glasses of juice and large bowl of salad. Anarad was a great conversationalist, and seemed to have traveled a lot during the war, and he and Cassie had a great time exchanging stories and observations of the cultures and places they've seen; for such a nice guy, Cassie noticed, Anarad had a wicked sense of humor.
"No more than can be expected of a lawyer of any kind, if you ask me", he said as Cassie finished her tale. "But the Nanazeeans do have a gift for hard-headedness that surpasses that of any other species, don't you think?"
"Oh yeah" agreed Cassie fervently. "But having to deal with them improved the Blue Centurions' programming immensely"
"Depends on what you call improving" said Anarad wryly.
"Ah well"
Thud.
Anarad and Cassie didn't even have time to exchange glanced when someone screamed; the scream lasted only a split second, but Cassie knew it was real because Anarad leaped from his chair just as she did.
"Aaji", he breathed sharply.
They ran into the house and to the front porch. Shiera was lying on the floor, unconscious and shaking violently, as Aaji tried to hold her down.
Cassie's heart beat fit to explode.
"We have a medical unit downstairs", said Anarad as he picked Shiera up. "Does she suffer any illnesses?"
"No, she's completely healthy", said Cassie, following him hurriedly; Aaji ran before them. "She's a Ranger"
"She's what?" asked Anarad. "But…"
"She's not Astro", said Cassie shortly.
The medical unit downstairs was impressive – not a big surprise, considering what Cassie guessed of Aaji's condition.
Aaji pressed the blood scanner to Shiera's arm almost before Anarad put her down on the medical bed. The results flashed on the screen within seconds.
"When did she last eat?"
Hypoglycemia was a classic Ranger symptom, and Shiera was definitely irresponsible enough to forget to eat, especially considering how stressed she was, but… "Her blood sugar isn't that low"
Aaji finished fastening the last sensors into place; two more screens lit up. Cassie stared at the data – Shiera's vitals had gone completely haywire, and Cassie had no idea what to make of it.
Anarad cursed. "I thought you said she doesn't have any conditions!"
"She doesn't!"
"That's neural hypercharge, Cassie! No healthy person gets that!" Anarad pushed himself angrily from the panel and changed a workstation. "I'll see if I can adapt some of Aaji's medications for her – I hope human and lehroin biochemistry is similar enough – but you'd better tell me what you know. No healthy person gets neural hypercharge out of the blue, especially not Rangers"
Something about the way he said that bothered Cassie, but now was not the time to think about it. "But she is completely healthy", she insisted. "Between Alpha and Andros, the whole lot of us gets scanned every week, so I know"
"Well, something's wrong with her" shot Anarad. He was working through molecular tables almost too fast for Cassie to follow. "If she dropped like that with no warning!"
Hypercharge. Suddenly, things clicked in Cassie's head. "Damnit, she really does have hypercharge"
"That's what…"
"No, I mean systematic hypercharge. She's accessing more power than her body can take"
"But that's not supposed to happen. The morphers…"
"…are proofed against it, but Shiera's a Willer"
"What's that?"
"It means she doesn't depend on her morpher for power", said Cassie shortly. She was trying hard to think – she didn't know much about Shiera's abilities and how they worked, but she did know that Shiera nearly died from hypercharge at least once.
Anarad set up an IV. "I think I can stabilize her", he said, "But that's all. Is there someone who'll know what to do with her?"
Cassie nodded blankly. "Karone should – I'll have to walk back to the yacht and call her - "
Anarad nodded, and was about to say something, when they heard a door open and close upstairs.
"Anarad?" called a man's voice. "You're burning lunch again!"
Anarad swallowed. "Downstairs, Kenshin!" he called. "We have guests!"
Orbiting Earth, Astro Megaship, late night
"What are you saying, Karone?" asked Carlos quietly. He and Karone were sitting in the medical bay. Ashley and TJ were on the bridge, still scanning for Shiera – though Karone had to bodily throw Ashley outside, after Carlos collapsed.
"You've got to choose, Carlos". She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Things can't go on like that. If you and Shiera stay together, you're obviously going to be linked; it looks like it can't be helped"
"It's not a bad thing"
"This time was worse than the previous, Carlos. And the next time will be worse than this one"
"There won't be a next one"
"How do you know?" The guy was a hopeless romantic and it was going to get him killed. "She may never learn to control it, for all we know. Neither Melissa nor I can teach her how to control it"
"Maybe, with more time…"
"You don't have that time, Carlos". Karone checked again – no, Carlos' mind was still clear. Shiera may have lost control, but she managed to keep herself out of Carlos' head this time. Karone hoped it would stay that way – sometimes, the two of them got so tangled up in one another's emotions that they took hours to separate. The last time had left Karone with a migraine that lasted eight hours. "There's nothing I can do to help Shiera, more than I've already done. She just has too much power, and it can't be helped"
"She's your friend too, Karone. How can you be so cold about it?"
"I'm not. Not remotely. I'm anxious to the roof and would very much like to blast a couple of asteroids just to calm my nerves"
"You don't look like it"
"I've got responsibility. I can't lose control"
Carlos shook his head. "You're so Andros' sister"
"Carlos, will you please listen?" They've been going around in circles for ten minutes, now, and her patience was wearing thin. "You don't have time. You've got to choose"
"Choose what?"
"Whether to stay with Shiera or not. No, hear me out first!" She was pretty certain her eyes glowed purple – it happened sometimes when she was frazzled. "This link you and Shiera have, it's not a standard link like I've got with Zhane or Andros. You and Shiera are goddamn symbiotic, and you're getting more and more codependent with every day that passes". She paused, thinking how to best phrase what she had to say. "Marriage is a big step, isn't it?"
"Wh…"
"Just answer me", she said tiredly.
"It is", he agreed reluctantly.
"Where Shiera and you are heading, it's a more bonding thing than marriage. If you split now, you'll suffer terribly but you may get over it. If you split in three months time, though, it may kill you". Poor kid looked stunned – good, at least he's taking her seriously. "So you see, you have to choose now", she told him softly. "Because very soon, it's going to be too late"
"What will happen to Shiera, if…"
"I don't know", she admitted. "If you do it now, I think she'll survive: she's already lived longer than any other Willer in history"
"And in three months' time?"
"She'll survive, her sanity not so: she's already leaning on you very heavily"
They sat in silence for a long time.
"I can't, Karone", said Carlos. "I can't make this choice. I understand what you're saying, but I can't"
She said nothing; what more could she say?
"Isn't there someone else who can help?" asked Carlos suddenly. "You said you and Melissa can't teach her, but maybe there's someone else who can?"
"Don't you think I've been searching?" she asked back. "Willers aren't common, to say the least. The last true Willer lived two th…" Her eyes suddenly widened, and she stopped mid-word.
"Karone?" asked Carlos carefully, after a few seconds: her look of complete shock was unnerving.
"Maybe", she breathed, "Maybe my idiot of a brother did something right for a change". She shook her head. "See if you can't get some sleep. DECA can probably give you something to help with that". She pushed herself up and headed to the door. "I've got some calls to make"
"Aren't you going to tell me?" he called after her.
"When I'm sure!"
Matika, Atare's ranch, around midday
"Anarad?" called a man's voice. "You're burning lunch again!"
Cassie's heart beat like a hammer, and she barely heard what Anarad called back. That voice, Kenshin's voice – she knew it, she heard it before.
Heavy footsteps – what was he doing, jumping down the stairs three at a time? "Is Aaji…?"
"She's alright, Kenshin", called Anarad back.
"Since when do we have guests?" came Kenshin's irate voice, and then the man himself entered the basement. Powerful was the first word that came to mind: tall, broad-shouldered and moving with an uncanny grace. His was skin lightly tanned, the bronze complexion a perfect match for his short-cropped hair; he wore the same kind of clothes as Anarad and Aaji, but his eyes were hidden behind dark-tinted glasses.
"Well?" he demanded.
"We have two guests about yesterday's events", said Anarad. Were Cassie's ears deceiving her, or did his voice tremble? "One of them fell ill, and we brought her downstairs. The other is Ranger Cassie Chan"
For some reason, this made Kenshin pale. "Here? Where?", he asked, his voice dripping with anxiousness.
He's blind, Cassie realized. Aloud, she said: "Greetings, Kenshin"
"Gree.." He began, but then his voice broke, and he ran.
Cassie made a move as if to follow him, but suddenly Aaji was there, blocking the stairs and shaking her head vehemently.
"Andros never told you, did he" said Anarad sadly.
Cassie turned. "Anarad?" she asked, carefully. "What's going on? What did Andros not tell us? And how would you know?"
"Take a chair, Cassie", said Anarad, doing so himself. "It's not the shortest of stories and, well, you want to sit down for it"
"Kenshin's the Phantom Ranger, isn't he" asked Cassie as she drew herself a chair. Aaji removed herself from the stairs, and was now tending to Shiera.
"Mostly, yes". Seeing she was about to ask something, he raised his hand. "Please – let me explain"
She gathered up her feet, trying to settle in a more comfortable position. Anarad waited for her to compose herself, and began: "Kenshin, Aaji and I were Power Rangers for our worlds; maybe you guessed this already, maybe you didn't – it doesn't matter. That's how it was. The theory was that a single Ranger would be able to hold the ground until the others could get there, and historically, Evil forces had shown a tendency to attack only one world at a time. Who could gather enough forces to attack for than one world, anyway? The colors were assigned to planets, but finding Rangers took time. It took the Lehroins almost twenty years to find Aaji – she's the first Lehroin Ranger ever; their neural systems don't heal and don't take well to high energy stress, as I think you know"
Cassie gulped; she realized where this was leading, and it wasn't pretty.
"It was during those years of searching that Lehroi was attacked. We arrived in time to drive back the attackers, but we lost Notaru. He was the Kerovan Ranger and, technically, our leader. His morpher was passed on to another person. Aaji was found about a year after that. Everything was well, for a short while".
Anarad sighed and rubbed his temples. "When they attacked again, though, they attacked everywhere at once. It was the first attack of Dark Specter's joint forces; he had gathered them in secret, and we didn't know what to expect. I heard it said that the Kerovan Rangers were faced with the largest monster army ever gathered, and that may well be true as they were defeated; they were lucky, though, compared to the rest of us. Aaji managed to protect the evacuation, and teleported on board the last ship right before it hyperjumped. She collapsed as soon as she demorphed. I don't know why they didn't… put her to sleep, like they usually do with brain-damaged people, but they didn't. They brought her to Eltar. She made it through by sheer stubbornness, I think". He smiled sadly. "Yes, she could still talk at the time. Her injury wasn't all that bad, and the Eltarans will work miracles if it's to help a Ranger"
Silence. Cassie dared look at Aaji – if the woman knew what they were talking of, she didn't show it. Can she understand language at all? Wondered Cassie. It must be hell, living like that.
Anarad was continuing. "Ashtar was attacked by the Machine Empire's forces. Their interceptors followed me into hyperspace. They were outracing me. I dropped back to normal space, demorphed, and teleported my morpher away. The Machines released me when they realized that they couldn't torture the morpher's location out of me. Gasket ordered to leave me for my people to find, as an example of their supposed fate. It wasn't my people who found me, though. It was Aaji. She escaped from the Eltaran hospital. I've no idea how she managed to fly a ship in the condition she was in, but she did it, and she found me on got me on board. I remember asking her where we were going, because the coordination she entered to the computer made no sense. She said 'three', and I didn't understand"
"Kenshin" whispered Cassie.
"We found him drifting in space, clinging to his morph like dear life – the Ranger suit was his only protection from the vacuum. He'd tried to bodily knock a torpedo out of course, the heroic idiot. The Ranger suit saved his life, and the Eltarans managed to repair the burned skin. They couldn't repair his sight, though. His eyes and his optic nerves were burnt beyond any chance of healing"
"How can a blind man be a Ranger?"
"Only a blind man could be the Phantom Ranger. A perfectly cloaked person can see nothing, you understand. Only a trained blind can fight like that, even with the Power of the Morphing Grid. Only a blind man, and one who held a morpher before, but the Grid demanded that he not be alone. Aaji operated the ship – in a like manner to how Rangers usually operate their Zords, only closer, more intimate, in a sense. The same things that made it harder on her to communicate with people allowed her to communicate better with the craft. As for me", Anarad shrugged, "I was the comm, the harbor. I kept data flowing, and I kept them sane. So you see, Kenshin is the one you knew as the Phantom Ranger… but in essence, it's the three of us"
Orbiting Earth, the Astro Megaship
"What is that supposed to mean, 'pulled an Andros'?" demanded Hurán over the comm.
"It means", said TJ patiently, "That she disappeared without a trace and without telling anyone that she's leaving"
"She left Medbay about seven minutes ago, and teleported off the ship seconds after that" added Ashley. "She used her magical teleportation, so only a sorcerer can trace her down"
"No mean sorcerer can track her", growled Hurán. "She's too good for that. Can Carlos say anything useful?"
Ashley shook her head. "He fell asleep pretty much the minute she left him, and I'm not waking him up. He needs sleep"
If looks could kill, Hurán's would have skewered Ashley on the spot. "And I need the princess", he shot. "I have a situation here"
"What kind of a situation?" asked TJ.
"Nothing for a Ranger to handle" said Hurán, rather nastily. "I need a diplomat, and she's the only one we've got"
"God, what a day from hell", said Ashley, letting her head drop into her hands.
"You can say that again", muttered Hurán and TJ at the same time.
"Look, Hurán, we'll let you know if we find anything, but you'd better not count on it", said TJ. "Anything else we can do to help?"
"I'll let you know. Hurán out"
The comm screen darkened. TJ and Ashley exchanged glanced.
"I hope Cassie's having a better time than us", said TJ.
"I sure hope so. We can only pray, though"
"Amen to that"
Matika, Atare's ranch, around midday
"Oh my god…" whispered Cassie. It was incredible – unbelievable – but it had to be.
"We couldn't let the meteor hit the planet, it would have caused too much damage, but we can't morph properly anymore. The strain of the last battle was too much on Aaji, you see; it was the final straw on her brain. She can't take on the power anymore, at least not until she's better… if she'll ever be. Kenshin had to fly the ship alone. It could've killed him – we're only supposed to access the Power as three, not separately – but there wasn't really a choice about it. It was the right thing to do"
"I would have never found you otherwise" said Cassie. "You left no traces, none at all. But – why did Kenshin run, Anarad? I don't understand. And what did you mean, when you said that Andros didn't tell us?"
"Why do you think you're called the Astro Rangers, Cassie?" asked Anarad harshly. "Those morphers were never meant to protect a single planet. Kenshin was black. Aaji was blue. I was yellow. Notaru was the first red. The silver morpher was first used some fifty years ago, and then put away until after Notaru died. Andros knows all that"
"Andros has an annoying tendency to keep secrets", said Cassie. What an understatement. "What about pink? Who was the first pink Astro?"
"You are, Cassie. You're our missing link, in a sense"
Silence; dead silence; the only sounds were Shiera's breathing and the steady beeping of the monitors.
"He has loved you from the beginning", said Anarad gently. "He loved you, and because you were already destined to be an Astro Ranger, and he once was one, you resonated through the Grid". Anarad shook his head and smiled at her; it was a crooked, broken kind of smile, but it was genuine nonetheless. "Gave me and Aaji a headache that lasted days, that did"
Cassie was staring. She knew she was staring, and shaking too, but everything was just too much.
Anarad's eyes drifted to the screen of the console he was working on. Whatever program he started before finished running, and now displayed three molecular structures. "Go talk to him, Cassie. He didn't go far, and the two of you need to talk. Aaji and I will take care of her", he nodded in Shiera's direction. "She seems to be getting better on her own, and we can synthesize some drugs that will help"
Cassie didn't move.
"Go, Cassie". Anarad turned and looked at her, his eyes unreadable. "He needs you. You need him. I can tell. Go"
She had started moving while he was still talking, getting shakily to her feet; by the time his whispered that last word, she was already running out the door.