Down for the Count

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing, I'm just borrowing.

Note: Consider this AU. Just an idea I had. I know re-telling the events in 'C2D' has been done to death, but I have this thing about beating dead horses… umm…not literally, of course.

A big thanks to my tworeviewers.


4: Let's Make Evil

"I want them found!"

Astronema slammed her hands down on the table in front of her, causing it to shudder on its legs, along with one or two of her lieutenants who diverted their gazes, fearful of drawing too much attention to themselves.

"We're trying to track them," Ecliptor announced calmly, standing, as always, only several feet away from his charge. "But they're too smart to leave a trail. The best we can do is to wait for a visual by one of our patrols."

"Our patrols have been ineffective. We need to know exactly who we're dealing with!"

"We know who they are."

"For all the good it's doing us."

"It's only a matter of time, my Queen."

Astronema straightened up and began to pace around the room. "They've already destroyed a number of our checkpoints, and they've been rescuing people…" She stopped and turned around, slowly, her voice dropping to a dangerously low tone as she glared at her underlings. "People you were supposed to have disposed of by now."

Ecliptor stepped forward. "NASADA is under our control. No one will be able to get past our defenses again."

"You can be sure our enemies know that, as well," Astronema acknowledged, "…which is why they wouldn't have squandered their only opportunity."

"They're technology is no match for us."

"Even so, we can't afford to underestimate these rebels."

The young woman turned her back on the others and stared out through the viewport, the Earth looming large before her. Despite its relatively demure stature in the vastness of her new empire, taking it had been her greatest victory.

Taking it from them

Those damnable Power Rangers.

All across the universe they'd fallen in battle against the Alliance. Triforia. Aquitar. Danare. Gratha. Worlds that had been guarded by the greatest fighting force ever known, all conquered in the span of one Earth day…

And now, all of it belonged to her.

Astronema.

Karone

"Astronema."

Ecliptor's voice brought the young woman out of her ruminations, and she turned to her mentor, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Do you know how we were able to defeat the Rangers, Ecliptor?" she asked in a more conversational tone.

"With our combined forces, they were simply outnumbered."

"Exactly," Astronema agreed. "Teamwork, the principal tenet they hold above all others. We used it against them once; perhaps we can do so again."

"What did you have in mind?"

The villainess turned away from him, focusing her cold, hard gaze on the blue marble planet before her.

"We'll destroy what's left of those pathetic rangers, once and for all," she vowed. "And this time, we'll use one of their own to do it."

xxxxxxxx

Ashley felt like she would never be warm again. Her body was shivering, uncontrollably as she lay there on the cold steel floor, bone-chilling pain now filling every waking moment. Zhane was doing his best to help, laying there with her, the full length of his body pressed against her own in an effort to generate some body heat. Unfortunately, what little comfort it gave had long since vanished.

She was going to die.

That realization had come to her some time ago. She hadn't said anything to Zhane, though she sensed he already knew it, as well. She didn't want to burden him, to make him feel like he hadn't done enough, when the truth of it was, if he hadn't been here with her, she'd be dead already.

"Zhane?"

The silver ranger lifted his head off the floor and rested it in a propped up hand, taking a moment to study her profile. Her expression was about as serious as he had ever seen it.

"Yeah?"

"Would you do something for me?"

"Name it."

"Tell Andros-"

The cell door swung opened with a loud clang, startling both teenagers. Zhane spotted the first of several Quantrons entering the room and was on his feet in a flash, standing, protectively, in front of Ashley's prone form.

He automatically raised his fists, knowing it was a futile gesture. "Don't you people ever knock?"

Astronema walked into the room and waved a dismissive hand in his direction. "Take him."

Zhane launched himself at the guards, knocking three of them aside before the others managed to grab his arms and wrestle him to the floor. A pair of familiar legs appeared in front of his face, and he looked up just in time to see Ecliptor smash an armored fist into the side of his head.

He was unconscious a second later.

"Zhane…" Ashley tried, desperately, to lift herself up, only to have a hand press down on her shoulder, easily nullifying what little strength she was able to muster. She slumped back down to the floor and looked up to see Astronema kneeling beside her.

The yellow ranger turned away from her, watching helplessly as Zhane was carried out of the room. Ecliptor paused in the doorway and looked back, apparently waiting for a nod of consent before leaving the two women alone.

Astronema gripped Ashley's chin, turning her head back around to face her. After taking a moment to inspect the bruises she'd inflicted during their last encounter, she released her hold and settled back on one bended, leather-clad knee.

"You were lucky I was feeling generous."

Ashley had never felt so weak and vulnerable. But, she was determined to hide her fear. "The only reason I'm still alive… is because you want something from me."

"Smart girl." Astronema held a hand out in front of Ashley's face. With a small flash of light, an item suddenly materialized in her upturned palm. "The question is… how smart?"

A flash of energy pulsed though Ashley's body in reaction to its appearance, leaving behind an ache from somewhere deep inside, a desperate longing that reached down to her very core.

"My… morpher?"

"It's my understanding that your power suits have the ability to heal you," the villainess stated matter-of-factly, placing the morpher on Ashley's chest. "If you don't want to die, I suggest you use it."

The wounded ranger fixed her sharpened gaze on the face of her enemy, brown eyes weary and full of mistrust.

"Why?" she rasped.

Astronema stood erect to her full height and stared down at Ashley, a chilling grin on her face.

"Well, we are practically family, aren't we?"

Without another word, the Karovan walked out of the cell, leaving Ashley alone with the apparent instrument of her salvation. Or her damnation. At the moment, the yellow ranger wasn't quite sure which one.

The minutes continued to tick by as she lay there staring at it, feeling its draw with every beat of her heart. It would heal her, she knew, but at what price?

What was Astronema really after?

"Only one way to find out," she muttered to the cold, empty space around her as she fumbled to strap the morpher to her wrist.

There was a warm rush of power as it touched her bare skin and she gasped, softly, in response, already feeling the promise of relief from her pain. She also knew that, if she played her cards right, she might just live to fight another day, after all.

With a silent prayer, she activated it.


To be continued…