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.

Author's note:Thanks again for the reviews, guys. So many people read, but don't always take the time to drop a line (myself included), so it's much appreciated.Now, go read.


8: My Hometown

Downtown Angel Grove was in ruins.

Buildings that once held some of the largest and most prosperous companies in Southern California had been reduced to heaps of smoking rubble. Stores, museums, restaurants, banks -- everything that had once been at the heart of one of the state's most beautiful cities -- was gone.

Having started out on foot from her house, Ashley had felt a small sense of reassurance that some of the residential neighborhoods she'd passed through were left virtually untouched. There were no real signs of the invasion, save for the empty streets. But, as she'd traveled closer to the downtown area, the damage grew, and when she finally reached the city limits, the sight had been overwhelming. It was as if a giant wave of destruction had rolled in from the shore, receding only when everything in its path had been completely and utterly laid to waste.

For the better part of a day, Ashley continued to wander aimlessly, trying to comprehend the devastation that had been wrought upon her hometown. She'd even gotten lost several times, despite being a lifelong resident of the city and knowing every square inch of it almost intimately. All around her, the piles of debris, some nearly as tall as the buildings they once represented, made it nearly impossible for her to navigate the terrain. The landscape of the world she'd been returned to now seemed as foreign to her as a distant planet.

Still, no matter how much desolation spread out before her, there was one thing far worse than the wreckage of the city she'd fought so hard to protect…

The silence.

She'd been walking for hours and never once did she see or hear another living thing. How could such a large city, a place that only days ago had been teeming with energy and life, become such a barren, empty husk?

Where did everyone go?

It was a question that she was almost afraid to have the answer to. Sadly, she knew that many had died, but there had been thousands of people here. Could they have fled so quickly? And what about the ones who were injured? How could they have possibly made it out?

Ashley removed her helmet and leaned back to rest against the remains of a wall that had once been part of a movie theater. Ironically, it was the very same one she and Andros had gone to during their last visit home.

Thinking of him caused a painful ache in her heart, and her fingers slipped beneath the collar of her suit, tugging on the chain hanging around her neck. She removed the necklace and stared down at the yellow stone, cradling it in her hand and watching it blur as her tired eyes filled with tears.

"Where are you, Andros?" she whispered, bringing the gem to her lips and kissing it, softly. She'd given up wearing it months ago, having grown fearful of losing it during a mission. Things had become so heated as of late and she never knew when the next battle would erupt. As the only tangible piece of her connection to Andros, she valued it more than anything. Strangely, she couldn't even recall making the conscious decision to wear it on the day of the invasion, but she was infinitely thankful that she had it with her now.

With a heavy sigh, she tucked it away, brushing her fingertips over the tiny lump it formed under her suit, as if to reassure herself it was still there. Taking a final look around, she decided there was nothing to be found here. It was time to move on.

Heading to the park seemed like the next logical step for some reason. Plus, she was grateful to get away from the downtown area. The trip was almost an hour on foot, but Ashley felt a strange sense of purpose as she made her way.

While still a few blocks away from the park entrance, something caught the yellow ranger's eye and she emerged, slowly and cautiously, from behind a house that, just like all the others she'd seen, had been hastily abandoned by its owners.

She was standing directly across the street from Angel Grove High School.

The wave of nostalgia swept through her, leaving a raw, powerful emotion in its wake. This was the place where she'd met them all for the first time. She and her friends had been little more than strangers, until fate, or something far more calculating, chose to intervene, and Ashley's life as she had always known it, was forever changed, redefined by a force she still couldn't even comprehend.

Her boots made soft, clicking sounds on the pavement as she moved closer, drawn to the place that had once seemed like the center of her universe, and later, her only haven from her duties as a ranger. Here she'd enjoyed the more mundane pursuits of teenagerdom: Cheerleading, Chemistry, English, Calculus… Auto Shop. The face beneath the helmet smiled, wistfully.

Ashley was so engrossed in her trip down memory lane that the noise didn't register until it sounded again.

Screaming!

Her head spun around, instinctively, trying to pinpoint the source. The voice was faint, only reaching her ears because of the deafening quiet. She took a few hesitant steps, trying to decide where the person might be located. And then, it hit her.

The Youth Center.

She was a blur of yellow, running as fast as her legs would take her, boots slamming hard against the ground while her lungs labored to keep her muscles working at their full capacity. The effects of the last few days were still there, but she ignored her body's protestations. Apparently, there was at least one survivor still standing, and Ashley had every intention of making sure they stayed that way.

Without a thought for stealth, the ranger shot straight through the main doors like a bullet, the screaming now loud and clear, filling her ears as she ran. When she finally entered the main room, what she saw was both shocking and familiar…

Piranhatrons.

There were at least twenty of them, tearing through the room, tossing aside tables and chairs, trying to remove every obstacle in their path as they endeavored to reach their goal. Four teenagers were across the room, standing back to back in the center of a pool table, wielding cue sticks in their hands like weapons. A few of the gruesome foot soldiers were already sprawled on the floor below them, evaporating in audible pops of watery puddles.

Ashley assessed the situation in the blink of an eye before launching herself into the fray, arms reaching out to grab the two Piranhatrons closest to her. She flung them back and pressed on -- carving a path of her own as the monsters bodies flew through the air behind her. The creatures took precious seconds to notice her presence, more than enough time for the yellow ranger to push her way closer to the people at the center of the maelstrom.

"Get out of here! Now!"

The teens seemed frozen in place, obviously shocked by her sudden appearance. The young man closest to her, a tall, lanky redhead, stared at her in awe, but Ashley barely spared him a glance as she suddenly found herself in the midst of an all out brawl. The teen finally snapped out of his temporary daze when he felt something grab hold of his ankle. He began motioning frantically to the others while trying to free himself.

"Get to the hole!" he shouted, jumping off the table and spearing the lone monster whose attention was not entirely focused on the new threat in the room. The other three people scrambled out a nearby window, never once stopping to look back. The redhead started after them then halted in his tracks, his gaze shifting to the ranger who was now in a fight for her life. His knuckles whitened as he clutched the pool cue, tightly, in his hands. He was no fighter, but he certainly wasn't about to leave her on her own.

Ashley was now in full battle mode, arms and legs delivering rapid strikes as she found herself surrounded by Piranhatrons. She had seen the survivors running away and felt a sense of satisfaction at having been able to help them. Unfortunately, she knew she couldn't count on receiving any in return. To her surprise, however, she spotted one of the teens had remained and was now swinging his pool stick like it was a Louisville Slugger.

"I said get out of here!" Ashley yelled. "I can handle this!" No sooner were the words out of her mouth when, to her horror, the young man caught a hard blow to the back of his head, causing him to fall flat on his face. His attacker was on him in an instant.

Ashley fought, desperately, to get to him, driving her fists like twin pistons, watching helplessly as the Piranhatron dropped onto the young man's back and raised its arms, preparing to deliver a double-fisted, skull-crushing blow. It would kill the teen for sure.

Lifting her right leg as she charged forward, the yellow ranger was poised to strike when a Piranhatron suddenly launched itself at her from a nearby perch and wrapped around her upper body. The creature's momentum sent them both tumbling to the floor, but not before Ashley caught only the briefest flash of bright color streaking by her…

Cass!

Ashley's heart leapt even as darkness closed over her visor. She landed hard on her back, the wind knocked out of her as the weight of what now felt like several bodies piled on top of her. Phantom arms and legs held her down while the creature still clinging to her began delivering sharp blows to her ribs and stomach.

She began to feel light-headed and fought to catch her breath, but with all of her limbs pinned down, she couldn't protect her body from the terrible beating. Spots began to dance behind her eyes, her strength ebbing away with the lack of oxygen. Her lungs were burning, desperate for air. She couldn't free herself. Growing steadily weaker, the yellow ranger threw out a silent prayer, hoping that her best friend had arrived in time to help the young man who'd risked his life to save her.

As consciousness began to slip away, a sudden rush of air filled Ashley's lungs as the weight of at least two of her attackers disappeared, followed by another, and yet another. She could hear a voice grunting with the effort it was taking to dig through the pile of bodies, and as the last Piranhatron, the one blocking her view, was pulled off of her, she was finally able to see exactly who it was that had come to her rescue.

She'd been right. It was a pink ranger.

But it wasn't her pink ranger.

"Ashley? Is that you?"

The soft-spoken voice and lilting accent were unmistakable.

"Katherine?"

No sooner was the word out of Ashley's mouth when her rescuer turned and drove a white-gloved fist into – no, through the face of another Piranhatron. It reeled back and dropped to the floor in a splash.

"God, I always hated those things…" The pink ranger turned back and held a hand out to her fallen comrade. "I can't believe you're here. Are you alright?"

Ashley took the offered arm and allowed Katherine to pull her to her feet. "Yeah…" she said shakily. "I just-" Her words were cut as Katherine's hands suddenly clamped down on her shoulders.

"Down!"

Without a second thought, the yellow ranger obeyed, bending over at the waist as Katherine spun around and delivered a powerful tornado kick to another one of their attackers. Ashley quickly maneuvered around her and straightened up, only to be forced back by a powerful fist slamming into her chest. She fell back against the edge of a pool table and immediately tucked her knees up, rolling her body across the felt surface in a backward somersault. When she planted her feet back on the floor, she had to duck to avoid a swing that was meant to literally separate her head from her shoulders.

The two rangers fought on for several minutes, slowly but surely cleaning up the remaining Piranhatrons. When the last one splattered to the floor, Ashley sagged against an overturned table, gasping for breath and struggling to stay upright.

"Danny!"

Katherine raced over to the young man still lying prone on the floor. He moaned softly as she helped him to a sitting position.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her hands doing a cursory check of his head and upper body. She sighed in relief when he appeared uninjured.

"Uhh… Kat?" He looked at her for a moment, apparently trying to clear his jumbled senses. "I think I… I saw…" He moved his head from side to side, then looked up and saw the yellow ranger standing a few feet away. His eyes grew wide with excitement. "You! You're Ashley Hammond!"

Ashley nodded and took a few experimental steps in their direction. "Thanks for the save."

"I can't believe this," Danny continued on, allowing the pink ranger to help him to his feet. "I thought…" He flashed Katherine a look. "Well, we all thought-"

"Danny, you have to go," Katherine interrupted. "Now." For a moment, she thought he was about to object, but then his shoulders slumped in resignation.

"Right," he acknowledged, suddenly calm and rational again. "I'll hook up with the others." He suddenly flashed a look of concern toward the two young women. "What about the two of you?"

Katherine shrugged. "We'll manage. But, you need to get out of here right away."

"Okay." He took a step toward Ashley, who had just removed her helmet to catch a breath of air, and held his hand out to her. "Thanks again. If you hadn't shown up-"

"No problem," Ashley said quickly.

"Danny, go," Katherine said more sternly than before. He gave her a quick nod, then made his way over and climbed out the same window his companions had escaped through only moments ago.

"Power down."

Right then, a flash of pink filled Ashley's vision, and when it cleared, she found herself looking at the familiar face of Katherine Hillard.

"Katherine," Ashley said softly, finding it almost comforting to see the blonde in her civilian form. "What are you doing here? How did you get a morpher? Is anyone else-"

Katherine held a hand up. "Hold on, there. I have a million questions, too, but first things first. You need to demorph."

"I…" Ashley hesitated. "Why?"

"Because the Alliance has patrol ships that can read our power signatures. I'm certain they're already on their way here, which means we need to go quickly."

It was obvious Katherine knew what she was talking about, so Ashley wasn't about to argue with her. But, as she lifted a hand to her morpher, she couldn't help but wonder if her fellow ranger would have the strength to carry her out of there.

"Power down."

Katherine released a soft gasp as the yellow light faded from view and Ashley stumbled forward, a hand reaching out for something to keep her from falling.

"Oh my God…"

Immediately, Katherine was beside Ashley, catching her with an arm around her waist and wrapping Ashley's other arm across her shoulders to support her.

"Thanks," Ashley said weakly.

"How long have you been morphed?"

"I don't know… maybe a day."

"Come on, I've got a ride for us just out back."

Ashley glanced at her, curiously. "Don't their sensors pick up motors, too?"

"Who said anything about motors?"


To be continued…