TW: Mentions of guns, drug use, and the usage of a racial slur (not by a main character). If you are uncomfortable with any of these, please skip this chapter.
Dune was interesting… to say the very least. Ally had read the book in a flash, much to the guys' judgment, but the movie was… incomparable. And not in a good way- "Hey," Dana greeted mischievously, and Ally all but leapt to her feet, the VHS tape forgotten. "What do you say we go on a little adventure?"
"You know I'm down. I mean, I love film and everything, but this movie is…" Her roommate took one look at the screen, shivered, and looked away. "Yeah. So," Ally questioned as she tied her newly jet black hair up into a ponytail. (She'd dyed it during midterms. Of course she knew college would be stressful, but on top of balancing her life as a Ranger… her impulsive hair decisions made sense.) "What're we up to today?" Dana grinned and led the way to the weapons lab, where she gestured to a bulky looking machine.
"I figured that since you have some experience with volcanoes, I should ask you to tag along." Ally smiled as kindly as possible, and reached forward to pat Dana's shoulder. "What?"
"I'm from Oahu. The volcanoes are on the Big Island." Appropriately, pink tinged the Pink Ranger's cheeks, and Ally giggled. "Wanna get even more confused? The actual name of the Big Island is Hawaii." Dana shook her head.
"I'm not even gonna ask." She raised her morpher up, "Come in, Carter."
"Hey Dana, what's up?"
"When are you guys coming back to the Aqua Base? I need the Rescue Rover to go to the volcano." Ally frowned.
"What's so bad about my driving?" Dana shrugged.
"It's not that. The Rover's tires would probably take the terrain much better than your-"
"After a hot dog," Joel interrupted, "I'm starving!" Ally rolled her eyes even as she smiled.
"Alright. See ya."
"We won't miss you guys!" Ally added right before they hung up.
Ally stepped onto the bus right after Dana, nodding to the bus driver as paid the $2.50 adult fee. According to her friends from high school, UH Manoa students got free bus rides. No such luck for her, but she wasn't about to complain within earshot of the seemingly pleasant driver. They chose a seat near the middle of the bus, and Ally pulled out her MP3 player, about to place her headphones over her ears, when Dana all but poked her in the side. "What was that for?"
She watched as her friend nodded towards the man in all black seated at the front of the bus, and Ally's eyes widened as she spotted a flash of bills inside his bag. No way was this guy's luck so bad that he was a burglar on the same bus as two Power Rangers- He glanced towards them, and Ally nodded, averting her eyes as No Scrubs started blasting into her headphones.
The next thing she knew, Ally was being jolted awake as the bus swerved wildly. The ground shook underneath their tires, and all the drowsiness was swept away in the face of instincts taking over. "The volcano is starting to shake. It's too dangerous. We have to go back," the bus driver announced, and Ally glanced around, double checking to make sure the other passengers were okay-
"We're not stopping." Every muscle in her body tensed as the man in black stood, clutched the bus driver's shirt collar.
"You felt the earthquake!" The older woman at the front of the bus with her husband protested, getting up out of her seat. Ally stood, ready to defend her if necessary. "We have to turn around!" She saw his arms extend, and her legs moved before her mind could even process what was happening, catching the woman before he could hit the ground.
"Who do you think you are?" Dana spat, and Ally glanced up at her friend, grateful for her support.
"I'm the guy in charge." Ally's heart nearly stopped as he pulled out a handgun. "That's who."
She knew her parents had a gun in the safe in their room, and her dad had a bat under his desk in his office. Other than that, she'd never actually seen one in person. Well, she had, on set for one of her filmmaker friend's projects, but that one was filled with blanks. Her good sense told her that this man's gun had real bullets.
So, she'd helped the old woman back into her seat, and pushed Dana by the shoulders gently, urging her to sit back down. There was nothing to be done but wait for the moment to apprehend the man. As important as that was, though, Ally knew that it was risky. A gun going off in an enclosed space like this, especially with gasoline running just below their feet… it wouldn't be good. So, they had to wait.
"Dana. Alyssa." Of all the times that Ally wished her morpher came with a silent option, this was it. The man had told them to shut up, and they'd done so, up until this moment. "There are reports of seismic activity in your area." She shut her eyes, begging for Dana's dad to just be quiet. "You must return." The man's footsteps sounded closer, and she opened her eyes, keeping her head down. "Dana. Alyssa. Report."
"I said no talking." Her head snapped back as the man grabbed her collar, lifting her out of her seat. "Don't make me hurt you." In her peripheral vision, Ally noticed the bus driver turn his eyes off the road and towards them, and she did the same, shaking her head. "Hey!" The man let go of her collar, but Ally remained standing. "Don't do anything you'll regret."
"Touche." She landed four quick punches on the man's arm traveling up to his shoulder, and as her fist made contact with the space between his back and his shoulder blade, he dropped his gun. Dana leaped over the seats, grabbing the weapon, and Ally barely managed to dodge the man's kick. She dealt one of her own, using the seats to give her a boost up, and when he charged at her, she merely clutched the hand rail and swung herself over him. "Dana?"
"Yep!" Ally watched, careful to keep her back towards the passengers behind her as the blonde launched a powerful kick into the man's stomach. He keeled over, but shook off the pain just as the ground started to shake once more. Then, before any of them could do anything at all, they slammed into the railings on the side of the bridge. The doors flew open, and the man who'd been leaning against them tumbled out into the open air.
The two friends exchanged glances, and Ally knew what had to be done. This man might have been a criminal, and also might've hurt an old lady and attempted to beat them up, but still. This was their duty.
So, with matching nods, Dana and Ally swarmed forward. The Pink Ranger bent down, clutching at the man's wrist, and Ally took off her jacket. Thinking quickly, she tied one end to the handrail and the other to her ankle, and then wrapped her arms around Dana's midsection. (If the bus did fall further off the bridge, at least she'd have something still keeping her on it, even if that did mean a broken ankle.)
As the man swung his other arm up onto the bus, Ally couldn't help but picture her brother, Leon. In middle school, she'd heard the rumors about the art school's seniors having a secret club that would exchange "candy" for money. She'd found a bag of the "candy" during one of her many late night movie viewings in Leon's room.
She hadn't snitched, wouldn't even have dreamed of it, but they'd been found out. He'd nearly gone to jail, if not for their lawyer mom getting Leon's best friend to confess to the fact that they'd roped him into this. But Ally still couldn't believe her older brother, her hero, had done such a thing.
Despite all of this, though, she learned something about herself. Something that occurred to her as she held onto Dana with one hand and reached for the man's hand with the other: that everyone deserved a second chance. The bus rattled, breaking her out of her thoughts, and she lost her grip on the man's hand. "Everyone! Get to the back of the bus!" Ally was grateful for the bus driver's quick thinking: with the combined weight of all the passengers, they could try to level out the bus. She gripped Dana's waist tighter as she glanced towards the passengers, and as soon as the last one was at the back of the bus, they leveled out once more.
"Don't let go," the man begged, and Ally shook her head.
"Hold on!" Dana begged.
"Please, don't let go!"
"We won't. Come on, D. Pull!"
"What do you think I'm doing?" Ally was about to retort when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, and she turned, spotting the old woman. Then, the bus driver stepped past her, wrapped a gloved hand around the man's wrist, and Ally felt tears prickling at the backs of her eyes. The bus tilted once more, dangerously further off the ground than the first time, and they stumbled forward.
When she caught a glimpse of the river rushing far below them, the rocks glistening and sharp beneath the spray, Ally had to squeeze her eyes shut. Of course her fear of heights had to strike now. But, with one final pull, the five of them managed to get the man safely back into the bus, and as soon as they did, Ally rushed to the back of the vehicle. Her chest heaved, partly from exertion and partly from utter fear, but when the man nodded to her and Dana, she had the good sense to nod back.
Second chances, Ally observed, had kept this man alive.
The problem now, though, was getting out of this situation alive. She hoped and prayed, even, that the others were on their way, that Captain Mitchell had realized something was wrong. Because without the others, she knew there was no way they'd get out of this one. The bottom of the bus scraped against the bridge as they lurched forward, and Ally sucked in a breath, shutting her eyes again. What was that thing they said in Dune? Fear is the mind killer? She recited it over and over to herself, but it didn't seem to be working.
"Come on, guys. Come through for us, come through, please-" Apparently, her summons worked, since the telltale roar of Joel's Aero Rescue thrummed above them, and her eyes flew open. "Thank fuck." Dana rushed to the window, but Ally stayed seated, gripping the chair in front of her until her knuckles whitened.
"Joel!"
"Magnets away."
"Dude," Ally murmured weakly into her morpher, "I will never, ever make fun of you ever again-"
"The Sky Cowboy thanks you, Alyssa." Despite her heart still racing at a breakneck speed, she frowned.
"Never mind." Relief flooded through her as the Aero Rescue's magnets attached to the sides of the bus with a clunk, and Ally let go of the back of the chair.
"Got you. Now to get you back on the road… steady…" The second their wheels touched down, Ally let herself relax and breathe. The rest lasted about thirty seconds before the others rushed on board the bus.
"Dana, Ally," Carter acknowledged, "Is everyone okay?"
"They are now," Dana replied, "Thanks to you guys." The ground rumbled again, and Ally steadied herself against the handrail. A metronomic beeping sounded from Dana's machine, and she unzipped the bag that held it, only to find the meter all the way at the red.
"Volcanic activity readings are extremely high," she reported, "It's going to erupt, and we need to stop it."
"Yeah, but first we gotta get this bus outta here," Chad argued. "Right away!" Ally cringed. She wasn't sure how likely that was, seeing as how the bus driver had all but broken his arm when he slammed into the pole.
"I can't drive," he confirmed, "my shoulder."
"Better come take a look at this, Dana." Ally watched carefully for her response, and when she shook her head, she sighed.
"Well, we gotta do something. Does anybody here know how to drive a bus?" The odds of that, Ally surmised, were extremely, extremely low. It would take a miracle, a one in a thousand chance-
"I used to be a bus driver." She spun around, eyes widening as she realized the man they'd rescued was the one speaking.
"You're not driving my bus!" The bus driver shouted back, pointing an accusing finger. "You belong in jail!"
"He had a gun!" The old woman added, and Joel stepped forward.
"What? You've gotta be kidding me!"
"Of course we're not kidding you," the man who'd been sitting by himself at the back of the bus sneered. "He's a Jap!" Silence fell over the vehicle, and Ally found herself standing next to Chad, who was so tense that she noticed he was shaking. All the times when he'd tried to teach her tai chi were out the window now. "So are you, but at least you're a Power Ranger. That makes up for it." Ally marched forward as the man spoke, stopping an inch away from his face. He was tall, so she had to look up to meet his gaze, but she still did it.
"Shut. Up. Now." His mouth slammed shut, and Ally turned away. She didn't realize tears were streaming down her face until the old woman's husband offered her a handkerchief to wipe them away. But as she took it with a mumbled "Thank you", she caught sight of his widened eyes as he gazed at the man. It was no longer a look of utter disdain and maybe even hate. It was panic. Ally spun, watching as the man struggled to speak. It was as if somebody had stolen his voice. "Sir?" Guilt flooded through her, even though she knew it was misplaced, "Sir, are you-"
"... my voice! Give me back…" Upon hearing his words spoken aloud once more, the passenger collapsed into his chair, and Ally felt the burn of everyone's eyes on her.
"Al. What did you just do?"
"Nothing," she replied to Carter's question. "I just… I just asked him to shut up. And he did, I thought he actually listened, I thought-" The Red Ranger shook his head.
"We'll talk later. But since this man had a gun, was willing to use it, there's no way we're going to let him drive-"
"Wait," Dana interjected, standing up, and even though she hadn't spoken, Ally knew she would agree. "Like it or not, we have to trust him."
Ally nodded. "We don't have a choice." The burglar met her gaze, and she saw utter gratitude in them. Because as much as she hated to admit it, the passenger's words had connected them. He removed his beanie.
"You can trust me."
Ally didn't dare to speak the entire time they rushed to the base of the volcano. She was afraid that if she did, whatever she'd caused on the bus would happen again, and they really didn't need that. Especially since their foe looked to be a creepier version of Cerberus. (Secretly, she'd always imagined the legendary dog to have three separate heads, but all of them were cute. Like, one of them was a golden retriever, the other was a border collie, and the other one was a King Charles spaniel, but no such luck.)
"Rescue Blasters!" She fired along with the others, but the monster merely dodged their attack and leaped forward, clawing at Carter's chest. He flew back, out of the mouth of the cave, and Ally rushed to shield him.
"You're too late," the creature snarled, "Say goodbye to your precious city!" Dana stepped forward.
"Obviously you have no idea who you're dealing with. Pink Ranger, rescue ready!"
"You heard the girl," Ally added, joining her, "Purple Ranger, rescue ready!"
Their foe hit the ground, but even with the attack from the Rescue Bird, she knew it wasn't over yet. Carter summoned the Megazords, and they went to work, pummeling a fist into one of the creature's faces. As it clutched onto them, Ally smirked. "Bad idea, Tri-Fire!" She pushed extra power into the jet burning on their palm and directed their arm forward, launching a punch into its other face.
"Nice moves, Al!" Carter cheered. "Lightspeed ladder arms!" Ally gripped onto the sides of her seat as she always did whenever they executed the spinning kick move, but their foe still had its fiery breath prepared in retaliation. She shielded her eyes from the sparks that the flame kicked up, hoping that nothing important had melted. "Chad, we need to douse that fire."
"You got it. Water cannons, extinguish!" Fire extinguisher spray erupted from their cannons, and Ally held her breath as Tri-Fire stumbled back.
"Lightspeed Megazord saber," Carter began, "Ignite!"
Utter relief replaced the ache in her bones as Ally rushed over to the bus passengers. She gripped onto the old woman's hands gently, checking her over for injuries until she laughed. "I'm alright. I may not be as spry as I was in my youth, but I've still got some spunk left!" Ally laughed.
"We're all indebted to you," the bus driver began, "You saved all of Mariner Bay."
"Thank you, sir," Carter replied, and Dana and Ally exchanged a knowing glance.
"And you," the Pink Ranger added, "You're a hero, too."
"Me?" Ally nodded, a smile on her face. "I just did what was right."
"Doing the right thing is half the battle," the bus driver explained.
"And if you keep doing what's right, you're home free." The man shook his head, a look of disbelief on his face.
"Thank you. All of you." Police sirens sounded, and Ally sighed. At the end of the day, this man was a criminal, and thus, had to pay for his crimes.
"Steve Harrison?" Ally caught sight of the racist passenger as his eyes narrowed. She nearly scoffed. What had he been expecting this guy's name to be? (Actually, she didn't want to know the answer to that.)
"Yeah, I'm Steve Harrison."
"You're under arrest."
"Officer," Ally wondered what had gotten into her, speaking before she'd even thought of what to say, "I understand he did something wrong. But you should know that he saved these people." They each nodded, even the one that'd called them a slur, and the old woman handed the police officer the bag of money. He rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you for letting me know." Ally nodded, watched as they led Mr. Harrison away. She was right. Her statement hadn't changed much of anything-
"Wait a second." The cops stopped, allowing him to turn around. "Don't worry. I'm not afraid to pay for what I did wrong. 'Cause from now on, my life's gonna be a lot different."
