Disclaimer: Not mine, but I'd buy them if I had the money.
Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: I haven't had much work yet, so I had some time to write after all. :D Besides, I'd better get through the next few chapters before I come up with a way to make the story happy. :P
Funky in Fishnet: I'll (hopefully) never be gone for more than a few days at a time... stupid guilt. :P I should give Andros nice parents more often, I love them.
Frog1: Actually, I didn't even think of making Kale the Phantom Ranger. I should have. It would make the story a lot happier. (I never saw any episodes with the Phantom Ranger, so I usually don't write him.)
Jenny: Did you ever actually think you were wrong about Kadri and Zeah:P
C.C.C: Your English is fine, don't worry. You're half right, but I'm not telling which half. :P
hmmart: Real life is always a pain. :P Here's more.
TrueRomantic: Andros will stop denying he cares for her as a friend right about now, and he'll stop denying that he cares for her as more than a friend sometime soon, probably when BB shows up next. :D
Chapter 11
"You didn't do that bad," Zhane said, a French fry hovering just a few millimeters above the surface of one of the Surf Spot's tables. "Really," he insisted at her skeptical look. "Okay, so you didn't do so great, either, but it wasn't bad."
"I guess not," Ashley agreed, her eyes landing on the floating fry. "Zhane, you can't do that here!"
"And why not?" he demanded, jerking his fingers just enough to send the fry zooming into his open mouth. "No one saw."
"This time."
Zhane merely grinned at her and waved a hand over his plate, the food lifting just enough to cause the casual observer to double take. Ashley wrinkled her nose at him, glancing around to make sure no one had caught a glimpse of Zhane's... extraordinary talents.
"What?"
Ashley couldn't help laughing at his perfected look of innocence. "How long until I can do that?"
"Do what?" Zhane smirked, his blue eyes perfectly round. "I didn't do anything."
Ashley stuck her tongue out at him. "Seriously."
"It depends on how much you want it," he said after a moment. "And Ash... you don't really want to, do you?"
Ashley blinked at the oddly perceptive question. "I do," she insisted. "But, well, I..."
"You just would rather learn it from someone else?" he finished with a smirk.
Ashley groaned and rested her chin on her palms. "Is it that obvious?"
"Not to him." Zhane sighed, sobering. "Ash, how much do you care for him?"
She hesitated, fully aware of how much Andros meant to Zhane and Karone. "I'd be his friend if he'd let me," she said finally. "But I don't think he ever will."
"Ash, you have to understand..." It was Zhane's turn to hesitate. "Andros doesn't really let people in. He never has. Even Karone and I don't know him nearly as well as he knows us. And then after... after KO-35 was evacuated, that didn't make it any better."
"For a day or two, I thought he was opening up," Ashley admitted. "He talked to me, anyway."
"About what?" Zhane leaned forward slightly, his interest piqued.
Ashley shrugged. Andros had never asked her not to repeat anything he'd chosen to tell her, but she had a strong hunch he wouldn't appreciate it if she recited their conversations only to satisfy Zhane's curiosity.
"He didn't really talk," she said thoughtfully, and somewhat honestly. "It was more like... he'd let me ask him questions, and then he'd answer in a few words."
"Now that sounds more like Andros." Zhane grinned. "But it's a near-miracle he let you even ask him something without taking your head off."
"He doesn't seem that bad," she protested automatically, though she wasn't sure why.
Zhane raised a skeptical eyebrow. "He was ready to throw the four of you right back into space!"
"Yeah, but he didn't," Ashley said with a small shrug. "I think he's gotten used to us, anyway."
"Ash, Karone and I have been meaning to ask you..." Zhane lowered his voice as a precaution against being overheard. "How'd you talk him into giving you your morpher?"
"What?" Ashley's head came up in surprise. "I didn't. He gave it to me."
Zhane's eyebrows lifted. "But... he said... Karone and I were ready to let the four of you onto the team. Andros said fine because he didn't have a choice, but he took the yellow morpher with him and said not that one. Then a half hour later, you're wearing the morpher and he's not talking."
"I didn't know that," she said slowly. "I was in the engine room when he came in and told me that it was his ship and I shouldn't be there. I don't remember what I said next, but he threw the morpher at me and was gone by the time I looked up."
Zhane exhaled slowly, his breathing even and measured. "Maybe he'll let you in, after all," he said with a dubious sigh. "That doesn't sound like the Andros I know."
"I wish he would," she said, her tone growing wistful. "It almost hurts, to see him hurting."
Once again, Zhane hesitated. "Ash... are you sure that you only care for him as a friend?"
"Zhane, I can't like him any other way," she said with a shake of her head. "Not when I've already got a boyfriend I love."
Zhane's mouth was half opened to say something Ashley was certain she didn't want to hear when the soft beep of their communicators sounded. As nonchalantly as they could manage, the two slipped out of their seats, making for the door.
"Go ahead." Zhane spoke tersely, his eyes scanning the horizon for some sign of a battle.
"Angel Grove is under attack."
"Thank you, Deca." Zhane rolled his eyes up at the sky. "Ready, Ash?"
She nodded, adrenaline coursing through her veins. "Let's rocket!"
---
"Don't you people know when to quit?" Carlos grumbled, dodging Lyra's slashing sword.
"There is no reason to quit when we are winning," she retorted calmly, a well-aimed tornado kick sending the black ranger staggering.
"Carlos!" Cassie shouted, intercepting the blow meant to take off his head. Planting her foot firmly into Lyra's stomach, she forced the villainess back as Carlos recovered.
"I'm fine," he gasped out, struggling to catch his breath. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it," she said airily, shifting slightly to her right as TJ joined them.
"You guys all right?"
"We're fine," she assured him, resuming her defensive stance as Lyra charged them again.
"Look out!" Ashley yelled at them, ducking a Quantron's blade as Cosmos attacked her friends from behind. TJ dodged, Carlos ducked, and Cassie kicked hard, forcing herself into a somersault to avoid the returning attack. It wasn't enough, and Cosmos caught her hard in the chest, completely knocking the wind out of her.
"Cassie!" TJ shouted, lunging forward to block the blow meant to finish the pink ranger. He tackled her from the side and they both went down, rolling clear of emminent danger.
"Carlos, look out!" Karone screamed, her staff swinging furiously at the masses of Quantrons as she struggled to aid her friend. It did little good; she and Zhane were completely surrounded, and forced up against each other.
Following Karone's gaze, Ashley elbowed her way to the black ranger's side, her Star Slinger firing continuously. Carlos staggered back into her, gasping for air as he clutched his side.
"I'm all right," he insisted, shaking off her supportive arm.
"You sure?"
"Yeah," he assured her, falling into position beside her. "Thanks."
"No prob."
Ashley yelped in surprise as Cosmos kicked her feet out from under her, pinning her to the ground before she had opportunity to recover. Trapped beneath him, she was left unable to defend herself as he drew back his sword, the sharp tip of the blade pressing against the clean white neck of her suit.
"Surrender, yellow ranger," he hissed.
"Never."
Ashley bucked her body upwards, knocking him just enough off-balance to force him to loosen the hold he had on her. Her muscles protested against the sudden strain, but did as they were told, and somehow, Ashley managed to roll out from under him, her hands flailing about blindly for her Star Slinger.
The instant her fingers closed around the weapon's handle, she fired, landing several hits as she scrambled to her feet. Cosmos was driven back several paces, but even as Ashley smiled to herself in triumph, Lyra darted in to attack. Ashley's mind had just enough time to catch a whirling blur coming her way before she was sent flying through the air.
She groaned quietly as she landed, feeling her energy beginning to fade. Lyra was approaching too quickly, her sword a shiny gleam of metal. Throwing herself completely down onto her back, Ashley planted both her feet firmly into Lyra's stomach, using the momentum to pull herself back up.
Lyra recovered more quickly, and before she knew it, Ashley was down again, groaning in pain and gasping for breath. Her strength was beginning to fade, and it was all she could do to push herself up onto her side, glaring weakly at Lyra through her visor.
Lyra smirked, tossing her flaming hair as she approached, weilding her sword purposefully. Over the rush of blood in her ears, Ashley could dimly hear her friends shouting her name, but they were too far away, and would never be able to reach her in time.
Closing her eyes, Ashley braced herself as best she could for Lyra to strike, fully aware that the next blow could very well be the last she ever felt. Swallowing hard, she clenched her fingers around the handle of her Star Slinger, determined not to go so easily.
"Ashley!"
"You!" Lyra's head snapped up in surprise, quickly replaced by a sneer. "So the red ranger finally decided to come play?"
Andros didn't answer, only positioning himself between Ashley and Lyra, falling into a defensive stance as though it came to him as naturally as breathing. Too stunned to move, Ashley could only stare blankly as he motioned behind his back for her to move.
She snapped out of her daze as Lyra leapt at Andros, and forced herself to her feet, firing without pause as Andros blocked every hit, yet never throwing a punch of his own.
"We'll finish this later," Lyra snarled suddenly, vanishing without another word. Cosmos and the Quantrons were gone an instant later, leaving the rangers standing silently in the complete stillness of the abandoned block.
"Andros." Zhane was the first to break the quiet, demorphing in a shimmer of silver. "What - "
"We should get back to the Megaship," he interrupted. He'd had the presence of mind to don a cloak, and it concealed his face well, but Ashley wondered if she hadn't heard a slight tremor to his voice.
"Yeah," she agreed. Slowly, cautiously, she extended one arm, the gloved fingers of her right hand brushing against his elbow. He didn't stiffen as she'd expected him to, and slowly turned to face her.
"What?"
"Power down," she muttered, smiling to herself. "Andros? Thanks."
