Summary: As the fight continues, the rangers try to keep their lives as normal as possible while learning about their full powers.
Phantom Rogue: Nah, she wasn't, but now she is and loves her brother. Well, not all those fears are so fun. Just read and the other answers will be answered.
Sasja: Congratulations! Glad you like the story.
Star Fata: Yeah, poor rangers.
Arwennicole: Oh, you think this is bad? Just wait till you see what's really going on. Here's more.
The-power-of-love: Here's the update.
Ms. Daydream: You don't really think I'd actually kill anyone but the bad guys… right? Not permanently at least.
As The Battle Rages
Chapter 27
The moment Ray opened his eyes he nearly closed them again as he immediately swerved his head – because, thanks to instinct, he tended to duck punches – particularly if they were aimed at his face. His eyes widened when he saw his sister was the one ruthlessly attacking him, her eyes burning blood red. He only took a moment to spot Chaitlin and without second thoughts, he delivered evil Aurora an uppercut to the jaw and planted his elbow in her stomach.
When having effectively taking out Aurora for a while, and feeling a whole lot better after his basement encounter, he ran over to Chaitlin and crouched down next to her.
"Chaitlin, it's not real. Aurora isn't possessed by evil. Come on, snap out of it." Ray begged.
Something collided with his head and he fell onto his back, stunned. He caught a quick glimpse of the twins, both their eyes glowing a dark crimson too, before he seemed to lose consciousness. Moments later he opened his eyes again and coughed, sitting up.
Chaitlin had kicked him out, or rather her fear had. He couldn't handle this one on his own either and it frustrated him immensely as he scrambled to his feet.
He spotted Dakota not far from where he was standing and quickly ran over, again invading his fears and hoping desperately he would listen to reason.
"Ray, what the…?" Dakota mumbled when his cousin appeared in front of his eyes.
Ray frowned when he saw Dakota chained to a wall. Was this what his cousin was afraid of?
"KAYLA!" Dakota screamed suddenly and Ray whirled around.
A big monster was advancing on Kayla who seemed to have been knocked to the ground. Her eyes were wide in terror and her face had drained of all colour, leaving it a stark white where fear and relent were reflected.
"Ray, do something!" Dakota begged helplessly, again struggling futilely against his chains.
Ray didn't need to be told twice and felt his morphing powers rush through his veins as he ran for the monster. The weight of his disks appeared in his hands and he stopped, using the residual speed from his run to spin and he let the disks fly.
They drove the monster back and he used the little time he had bought to run over to Kayla.
"Are you okay?" Ray asked as he tried to help her up.
"Where's Dakota?" Kayla whispered, gasping for breath. "I… I can't fight without him."
Suddenly it clicked in Ray's mind. The twin… a twin… two bodies, one soul… Kayla relied on her brother in the fights more than any other ranger and vice versa – they were always immediately at the other's side when danger posed a problem. Now she was fighting alone with Dakota helplessly standing by; Kayla feeling betrayed and utterly lonely while Dakota had to watch his twin be tortured at the hands of another. Somehow their fears must have been combined through their close telepathic bond.
Wasting no more time, Ray took out his blaster and shot at the chains wrapped around Dakota's hands and feet. Dakota immediately ran over as soon as he found his footing and drew Kayla into his arms.
"Morph!" Ray yelled at them. "Both of you. We still got this monster."
Dakota tugged Kayla back on her feet and the two of them morphed while Ray held the monster back. Between the three of them the monster was easily beat and the light around them brightened, forcing them to close their eyes.
When Ray opened them again he found he was back at the beginning, surrounded by unconscious rangers. The sound of coughing got his attention and Dakota shot up in front of him, obviously experiencing the same effects from the mist as Ray had. The same sounds behind him made him whirl around and a small smile crept up his face when Kayla appeared from beneath the mist.
"Kayla." Dakota muttered, ignoring everything as he quickly stumbled to his feet and ran over to his sister.
Ray gave them a few moments to get over their experience from the illusion, but knew time was of the essence.
"It's nice to see you two wake too and all, but there are more rangers caught in those fear illusions." Ray caught their attention.
Dakota didn't say a word, but nodded and helped Kayla to her feet before walking over to him.
"How about we wake up Aurora?" Kayla offered softly. "She's our leader, she'll know what to do."
"I tried, her and Chaitlin. Chaitlin's was you two and Aurora being possessed by evil, maybe me too, but I was kicked out before I could see." Ray replied.
"And Aurora?" Dakota inquired.
Ray sighed softly and fought the tears starting to press against his eyes, fighting for a way out. He knew it wasn't real, but it still hurt deeply to see it happen. He suddenly became very interested in the little dirt spots on his sneakers.
"She… She's watching someone die in hospital over and over again." Ray mumbled and felt two pair of arms draw him close.
"We should try to wake Dymphna then." Dakota muttered. "If Aurora was in Chaitlin's fear too, I doubt we'll be enough to break it… and maybe Dymphna can locate people from here… that might help Aurora."
"Maybe it's a chain." Kayla pondered out loud. "We need one to wake another. Maybe someone's before Dymphna."
"We won't find out if we don't try." Dakota replied firmly, pulling back and searching for Dymphna. "There she is. Let's go."
"I know how to invade their fears." Ray spoke up as they walked over to Dymphna. "It would take too long to explain it to you and we might get lost if we don't enter together. I can try to take you in with me."
"Good thinking. Let's do it." Dakota agreed.
He and Kayla took hold of Ray's left hand while Ray used his right to take hold of Dymphna. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for the uncomfortable feeling before closing his eyes and moving in, feeling Dakota and Kayla right beside him.
"Please let this work." He muttered before he blacked out yet again.
A/N: Hope you liked it. Review. Oh and this chapter is dedicated to Sasja for passing her exams.
