The next morning, Ally told her roommates to head to breakfast before her, saying she'd had some assignments to finish. When they left, Kelsey promising that she'd fix her a plate, she took off her sweatshirt and glanced in the mirror at the tattoo once more.
With this tattoo, that occasionally radiated pain that hurt like a bitch, there was no way Ally could bring Ryan in to her parents, no matter how much she wanted to.
And oh, how she desperately wanted to. Because once she was rid of him, she would be rid of the reminder that her brother was never going to come back.
Her morpher beeped. "Hurry it up, woman!" Dana called over comms, "Your food's getting cold!"
"Alright, alright, mom," Ally teased. "Be right there."
But what about Dana? She mused as she pulled off her sweatshirt in favor of an oversized black and purple vintage t-shirt. What about Captain Mitchell? If she turned Ryan in, no doubt he'd have to stand trial for what he'd done.
And what if he was found guilty? Then what?
Well, Ally thought, her thoughts turning dark, She knew what would happen then.
Ally took a long sip of her coffee, draining the last of the cup's contents. Dana set down her own cup, wiped her mouth, and smiled fondly. A lot of the blonde paramedic's gestures reminded Ally a lot of a mother, which made sense, all things considered. "Guess you needed the caffeine, huh?" What was that supposed to mean? "You were having a nightmare last night. Something about Diabolico?"
"Oh, yeah," Ally replied, "I'd never felt less rested after sleeping," she fibbed. "Thanks for getting me food, Kels." The brunette waved her away.
"The least I can do for our star student." Ally punched her in the arm, just as their morphers went off in unison. "Last one to rescue op's is a rotten egg!" She couldn't help but laugh. The last time anyone had said that to her was in elementary school. But regardless of Kelsey's immaturity, Ally stood, handed her empty tray back to the cook, and dashed after her friends.
"The Rangers!" The tall, blue monster, Falkar, greeted, but Ally didn't spare the creature even a glance. Instead, she went right to work, helping Kelsey and Chad to move some debris off of the person trapped underneath it. Even if she was physically tired, she wasn't sure if she'd ever mentally tire of this. Of helping people alongside her best friends. No matter what the future held, especially with all of the shit her life had taken on, she'd be okay as long as these people were on her side.
"We meet again!" The red demon, Demonite, snarled, and Carter stood.
"I guess you didn't learn the first time. Ready?"
Ally really hoped Diabolico had been bluffing about the cobra tattoo. "Ready. Lightspeed, Rescue!" Her suit folded over her body, and the pain in her back stayed away. So far, so good, she thought. While Dana and Joel challenged Thunderon, and Chad, Kelsey, and Carter took on Falkar, she and Ryan went to work against Demonite. Ally drew her blaster, careful to evade her opponent's attacks as Ryan dealt his own. Each slash he landed gave her an opening, and soon, they'd developed a steady rhythm, up until she stepped a little too close to Demonite. He lashed out with his own sword, and Ally stumbled, hitting the ground as pain lanced through her midsection.
There wouldn't be blood, since her suit would protect her from the worst of the attack, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be any pain.
"Cover me?"
"No shit." He leaped up onto one of the brick arches that surrounded the area, hefted up his ax.
"What you got there, Ranger?" Demonite taunted.
"Oh, nothing much." Ally scrambled to her feet as Ryan fired his blaster, but Demonite easily avoided it. And as the laser zoomed past its target, the fire in Ally's back burned in full force. She gritted her teeth, but as hard as she tried to hold it back, a yelp of pain left her.
"Ally!" Through the haze in her vision, Ally thought she heard Carter call her name. "Ryan!" She hit the ground on one knee, and as the cobra tattoo ached once more, she fell onto her side, grasping at her back. This was unlike any pain she'd experienced before. It was like someone was repeatedly pouring hot lava onto her, over and over until the skin burned away. She knew that if she were to look, her actual physical appearance would be fine, but it didn't feel that way.
Someone, probably Demonite, grabbed her arm, dragging her over to where Ryan lay. "I've got you now!"
It was ironic. She was about to die lying next to the man who'd killed her brother. "Say goodbye, Rangers-" A blaster sounded, and Demonite let out a shout that sounded more frustrated than hurt.
"Ryan, Ally, what happened?" Carter. She couldn't answer his question. Not if she wanted to be in big trouble. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she muttered, the burning fading away. "It's okay, Car."
"Same here-" Nope, Ally realized. It was most definitely not okay. She fought back the darkness crowding the edges of her vision, refusing to give in to the agony. She was stronger than that.
"What in the world is that?" Right. The cobra tattoo would be visible, glowing even through their suits.
"It's nothing," Ally and Ryan retorted in unison, and Carter helped her to her feet as the others regrouped around them.
"You okay?" Joel muttered, and Ally nodded.
"Fine."
"I've got something to double our fun!" Demonite declared, tossing a reflective card down onto the asphalt in front of them. Then, out of the card came… another Demonite. "You'll have to work twice as hard now!" The real Demonite cackled, and Ally bit back a groan. She was already busting her ass just trying to stay on her feet. Now this? The mirror Demonite unleashed laser blasts from his arms, and she dove to the side, nearly falling as she tried to get back up. This wasn't looking good. "Finish them!" Demonite ordered, "Now!"
"Why," Ally panted as she ducked beneath a swing from Mirror Demonite, "Do I always end up fighting with you?" Ryan held out his arm, blocking a punch from heading straight into her face.
"I could ask you the same, kid."
"Kid?" She spat, leaping over a kick from mirror Demonite and dealing one of her own. It barely made him stumble, and she growled under her breath. These guys were tough, that much was obvious. "Give me a fucking break. You're two years older than me-" Mirror Demonite slashed his sword down towards Ryan, and she drew her baton, parrying the blow and sending sparks into the air. "That's literally it."
"V-Lancers!" Carter called out, and Ally held out her hands as the weapon materialized into them.
"I swear you act like a kid," Ryan huffed, backing out of her Lancers range of motion as she swung at Mirror Demonite again and again.
"And how do I do that-"
"You're distracted, silly Rangers!" Mirror Demonite growled, and just before Ally could swing again, he slashed down with his sword, slicing against her midsection once more. She staggered, but before she could regain her balance, the cobra tattoo burned, and she fell onto her back.
Then, to her utter surprise, Ryan stepped in front of her, just like he'd done in the dream.
Huh, she observed, looks like somebody actually gave two shits about her.
Could she say the same? "Stay down, Ally," he ordered, but she narrowed her eyes up at him. Who was he to boss her around?
Bossing people around. Right. That was kind of her thing. Ally watched as Mirror Demonite lifted his sword, and as he did, she dug deep, concentrated. "Stop." He froze, but she didn't dare let go of the hold she had on him. "Ryan, now-" Her tattoo let out another pulse of agony, and since Mirror Demonite had an opening now, he kicked at them, sending them hurtling down the stairs.
When she hit the ground again, Ally felt her suit lift off her body, and when she glanced over at Ryan, she saw that he'd demorphed, too. Well, she thought, Awesome. Mirror Demonite cackled in glee. "Well, well, well. It looks like you gambled in a game of snake eyes. And you lose!"
She planted her right foot on the ground, but try as she might, she couldn't get up, and she fell back onto her knees, chest heaving. "What the fuck did I say?"
"Stop telling me what to do-" Mirror Demonite kicked at Ally while he tossed Ryan away with the butt of his sword, and they flew over the asphalt once more. Her back slammed against the stairs on the opposite side of the courtyard, and her head filled with stars. She couldn't lose consciousness. If she did, it was over.
Stay awake, she ordered herself, Eyes up, Sakamichi. Stay awake, eyes up. That's all you need to do. "Where are your friends now, Rangers?"
"Probably beating up your friends right about now," She retorted even as she and Ryan scrambled away from Mirror Demonite's advancing form. "They'll be here any second, just you watch!"
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Mirror Demonite snarled, stopped in his tracks, and lifted his sword.
Ally didn't want to die next to Ryan Mitchell, of all people. But it didn't look like there was going to be a way out of this one. "Hey," he muttered, and she kept her mouth shut. "Since it looks like we're about to die-"
"Shut up," she groaned, shutting her eyes tight as Mirror Demonite lifted his sword even higher. "I don't want your voice to be the last thing I hear."
"No, y-you're really gonna want to hear this," Ryan continued, "That night, at the art gallery." She froze. "I-" Sparks exploded from Mirror Demonite's back, and not a second after he stumbled away from them, he exploded into bits.
It was only after the smoke cleared that she realized Ryan had pulled her closer to him, shielded her from the blowback from the blast.
She kicked him in the shin. "Ow!" Ally scrambled up, even as her bones ached in protest, "What was that for?"
"I could've protected myself!"
"Yeah, right-" His voice cut off as he struggled to get up, and when Ally realized he couldn't, she sighed and held her hand out to him.
Ryan stared at Ally's outstretched hand. "What? It's the least I can do. If you're not gonna take it, you can just keep trying to get up, you stubborn-" He took her hand, immensely glad that none of their teammates were there to witness him needing this much help just to stand. As soon as he was steady on his feet, he let go of her hand, and immediately put a foot of distance between them. "Carter," Ally murmured into her morpher. "Kels. D. You guys alright over there?"
There was no response, and fear trickled down Ryan's back. "Guys. Do you copy?" He tried.
"He can't be gone." Ally staggered to the side, grasping at her chest, and Ryan stepped forward. But before he could steady her, she straightened up, stepped away from him.
"Dana. You don't mean Carter, do you?" All the signs of weakness were gone in an instant, Ryan observed.
She was strong.
Maybe even stronger than he was.
He didn't realize he was staring at her again until their gazes met, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Stop that."
"I'm not even doing anything-"
"You're staring at me! Stop staring at me!"
"He's not gone," came Joel's voice from their morphers, and Ryan let out a sigh of relief. "Just looks like a burnt marshmallow." Ally laughed, and Ryan wondered if that was the first time he'd ever heard her do so.
"What I wouldn't give to see that right now."
It was weird, watching the Megazords in action instead of being in any of the said Megazords. But still, Ally observed, her best friends absolutely kicked ass. "You guys are the coolest," she admitted as she and Ryan finally stumbled towards the others. "As much as it pains me to say."
"Hey, look!" Kelsey's voice boomed from the Megazord, and Ally grabbed at her ears. The Yellow Ranger didn't need a megaphone, considering how loud she spoke naturally- "They haven't killed each other!"
Ally's smile dropped away, and she lifted a middle finger towards the Megazord. "I might just kill you, Winslow-" As if it was reminding her that it was still there, the cobra tattoo burned one final time, and she hit the ground, grasping at her back. If this doesn't kill me first.
She'd torn up both her, Kelsey, and Dana's quarters as well as the guys' quarters in search of her water bottle. It was her lucky one, as shameful as that was to say aloud. Every time she'd brought it to school on exam day, she would always pass those exams. When she didn't, she'd get a C, which was pretty much failing in her eyes.
With a jolt of panic, Ally realized that she'd left it in Ryan's room the previous night, and so once she made sure there was no one else in the hallway, she opened the door.
And immediately turned around. "Can you please zip up your damn shirt?" The sound of the zipper, and Ally shook her head. "I'm seriously going to get another nightmare now."
"Did you come here just to annoy me?"
"I wouldn't voluntarily hang out with you if my life depended on it," She retorted. "I came here because I left my-" The door slid open, and Carter was there suddenly. His gaze swept between them, his mouth opening and closing as if searching for words, and Ally suddenly realized what he thought was happening. "Oh, get your mind out of the freaking gutter, Grayson. I might be crazy, but I'm not crazy enough to hook up with…" A murderer, she wanted to say.
But this time, she couldn't. As much as she believed it was true, she couldn't. Not after he'd put himself in harm's way against Mirror Demonite for her. Not for the team, but for her. Not after he'd shielded her from the explosion.
"Um. Anyway," Carter began, "I just came by to see how you were doing, Ryan."
"Me? I'm fine." It took all the self-control she had not to roll her eyes. She made a mental note not to trust Ryan Mitchell with her secrets. "Why?"
"I feel like I'm intruding on something," she interrupted, raising her hand like she was in class. "Did you see my water bottle anywhere?"
Carter shook his head. "I mean, you already tore up our room looking for it."
"Not like I made it any messier than it already was," she shot back, and he made a face at her.
"Just keep telling yourself that-"
"Heads up," Ryan interrupted, and Ally barely looked over in time to catch her water bottle as he threw it at her. "Now can you please-" Carter sighed.
"Guys, I have to level with you. Ryan, I saw the tattoo on your back. And Ally, I saw the same pattern earlier in the fight." Well, she thought, that was a surprise.
"Oh. That." Ryan laughed, and she tried her best to shrug. "It was just a going away present from Diabolico."
"That doesn't explain why Ally has the same one," Carter retorted. "And it also doesn't explain why today during the fight, it was like it was alive."
She glanced over at Ryan. Just the other night, they'd promised each other to not tell anyone about this. But Carter was Ally's best friend, so of course he was privy to this knowledge. "Carter, you're my best friend," she started, "The bestest friend in the whole wide world." He raised an eyebrow at her. "So please, for the love of our friendship, don't tell anyone what we're gonna tell you."
"We?" Ryan spat. "Since when did we agree on this?"
"Uh. Since now."
He muttered something like, "Fucking annoying", then raised his voice. "Even my dad." Carter shrugged.
"Okay, I promise." Ally exchanged a wary glance with Ryan, and for the first time, didn't feel utterly revolted as she did so. Like it or not, they were in this shit together. It would solve nothing to work separately.
And after this was over, she'd never have to deal with him again.
"Well. It looks like it's alive because it is," Ryan admitted. "Everytime I- we morph- it's gonna move up until it reaches our necks, and destroys us."
"When Diabolico gave it to us, he'd said it was because our lives were too intertwined to not fool around with them both." Ally continued, uncapping her water bottle to take a sip, only to find it empty, dried out. He'd washed it for her.
Carter was silent, and Ally knew what he was thinking: that this was only the case because Diabolico had known Ryan had killed her brother, therefore leaving their lives inexplicably connected. But she knew he wouldn't say it, couldn't say it. Honestly, neither could she. "Ally, Ryan, this is crazy," is what he said instead. "You have to tell your dad, Captain Mitchell."
"No," Ryan and Ally retorted in unison. "This is the first chance I've had to do something good with my life. If my dad finds out, he won't let me be a Ranger."
"If Captain Mitchell doesn't stop you two, those cobras will." The door slid open, and Ally cringed. There could only be one person who stood there-
"He's right."
