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.
Big thanks to Dragoon-Yue, Ghostwriter, juzblue, Phantom Rogue (I love your stuff!), and especially Funky In Fishnet for taking the time to review my little (okay, maybe not so little anymore) story. If I screw up on some of the details, particularly going back to the 'old days', forgive me. It's been quite a while since I've seen some of the earlier seasons. I'm not a purist, by any means, but I do try to keep at least some of my facts straight.
9: Back in the Saddle
"Hold on tight!"
Ashley didn't bother to respond to Katherine's instructions, nor did she even need to be told. Her arms were wrapped around the blonde's narrow waist, fingers locked together so firmly it felt like she'd cut off the circulation. The side of her face was pressed against a soft, pink sweater, the sensation of it caressing her cheek strangely comforting… considering she was scared out of her mind.
When the two young women had emerged from the back door of the youth center, Ashley had not been prepared for what she saw. Katherine's idea of a 'ride' had been a bit too literal for her liking. Now that she was hurtling through the air at an insane speed, and without any kind of protection for her already battered body, she decided that maybe she should have argued the whole demorphing issue, after all.
"I never liked horses very much!" Ashley lifted her head and shouted in order to be heard over the thundering hooves beating a swift path beneath them.
Katherine allowed herself a small grin and leaned forward, slightly, her heels gently but firmly pushing the animal faster as the grin was suddenly replaced with a frown. "We've got company!"
A high-pitched whine could be heard in the distance, even over the sound of their hasty retreat. Ashley looked up, still clinging to Katherine as tightly as she could without interfering with her teammates breathing, and tried to catch a glimpse of what was coming. Whatever it was, it was coming in fast.
The field behind the youth center was about the length of two football fields which, given their rate of speed, wasn't a very long distance to travel. To Katherine, however, it suddenly felt like a hundred miles. She could already see the small clearing in the trees that bordered the far edge. Just beyond that was the southwestern corner of Angel Grove Forest. It would provide them with much needed cover from the air patrols, assuming they could reach it in time. But, if they were still out in the open when the Alliance arrived, they were sitting ducks with nowhere to run.
"Come on…" Katherine whispered in a desperate plea, willing the animal to go faster. She'd made a promise to make it back in one piece. Now was not the time to go back on her word.
"I see it!" Ashley craned her neck back, catching sight of an aircraft as it made a strafing run toward the youth center. A series of bright flashes shot through the air, heading directly for the building they'd fled only moments ago. The explosions that followed rocked the ground beneath them, and Ashley could only stare in shock as the center was demolished right before her very eyes.
Katherine could feel Ashley's grip slacken, and she risked placing her forearm across the young woman's hands, trying to offer her a reassuring squeeze. "Just a few more seconds!" she shouted back. "We're almost there!"
"It's… gone." Ashley spoke the words so softly they barely carried over the rushing wind. "Katherine… the youth center is gone." Considering the staggering amounts of destruction she'd already witnessed, Ashley knew it was ridiculous for her to mourn its passing – especially since it was fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But, she couldn't help it. The center had been like a second home. And now, like everything else in her life, it had been taken away, brutally and swiftly.
Like her friend, Katherine, too, felt a pang of regret. The youth center had been an integral part of her life in Angel Grove at one time, both as a ranger and as a teenager coming of age in a new and unfamiliar place. It was also where she'd met Tommy for the first time. That reason alone had always made it special to her.
Still, right now, her only concern was getting the two of them to safety, and if the destruction of the youth center was affording them those few precious seconds they needed in order to escape, then she was grateful for it.
When they finally reached the copse of trees, Katherine shot a quick look over her right shoulder. Thankfully, it appeared as though the ship hadn't spotted them. The blonde released a small sigh of relief.
"Well, that's one for the good guys," she said, slowing the horse down to a safer and more reasonable gallop. As they rode on through the rapidly thickening woods, she could feel the weight of Ashley's body growing somewhat heavier against her back. "Ashley, are you alright?"
There was no response.
Katherine turned her head, slightly, and was greeted to a view of the top of Ashley's head as it lay slumped against her shoulder. Once again, she reached up and gripped the arms still clasped around her waist, now realizing that they had gone limp.
She wanted to stop to check on her, but quickly decided against it. Ashley obviously needed medical attention, and there was nothing Katherine could do for her out in the middle of the forest. The best thing to do was to get her back to the others as quickly as possible.
The pink ranger tightened her hold on her companion's bruised and bloodied arms, and with a look of fierce determination, she pressed on through the thick foliage ahead of them.
"Hang on, Ashley. I know just the person who can help you."
----------
"Well, with any luck, that's two more rangers out of the way."
"GOOD WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED, KARONE. SOMEWHERE, DEEP DOWN, YOU KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE."
"You're a fool, Zordon," Astronema scoffed, standing beside his energy tube as the two of them watched the viewscreen from the bridge of the Dark Fortress. All that remained of the youth center now was a pile of smoking rubble, and, Astronema hoped, two bodies buried underneath it. Having arrived just in time to witness the entire spectacle as it unfolded, she was only too happy to have the opportunity to gloat in front of him.
Upon learning of the presence of two of his Rangers at that location, she'd quickly dispatched a ship to investigate, then made her way to the bridge, wanting to make sure that the Eltarian had a front row seat as she murdered his precious 'children' one by one. Unfortunately, in their haste to follow orders, the patrol ship hadn't bothered to check and see if the rangers were still inside before annihilating it thoroughly.
But, it didn't really matter to the Queen of Evil. One way or the other, she would destroy every last one of them.
No…
"YOU, ABOVE ALL OTHERS, KNOW THAT THERE ARE MUCH MORE POWERFUL FORCES AT WORK HERE."
For a brief moment, Astronema's face twisted in pain. Then, she pushed it back and spun around to face Zordon, glaring at him with cold hatred in her eyes.
"I also know that magic exists in many forms, and it's largely indifferent to the moral compass of those who wield it." She stepped away from him, and with a wave of her hand, the viewscreen went dark.
"Even the Morphin Grid has known its share of corruption," she added smugly.
"BUT, YOUR POWER HAS NOT BEEN CORRUPTED," Zordon reminded her. "ONLY THE MIND THAT CONTROLS IT."
"My mind has been freed, old man," she hissed. "You may have managed to convince the others to die for your cause, but I'm not stupid enough to pledge such unerring loyalty to anyone."
The room was silent for a moment.
"YOU ARE STILL A PUPPET, KARONE," Zordon said, a tone of profound sadness in his voice. "ONLY NOW, YOU BEND YOUR KNEE IN ALLEGIANCE TO ASTRONEMA."
"I am Astronema!" she shouted, raising a clenched fist to her forehead. The pain of the implant was becoming unbearable.
"ASTRONEMA IS A CREATION OF DARK SPECTER."
"No, I am-"
"KARONE," Zordon immediately countered. "YOU ARE KARONE."
The young woman's eyes were now squeezed shut, as if trying to rid herself of the sight of some horrible apparition. "No…" she whispered, then more forcefully, "No! There is no Karone."
"YOU ARE WRONG. SHE IS THERE, WAITING TO TAKE BACK HER LIFE, AND A DESTINY THAT WAS STOLEN FROM HER."
"This is her -- my destiny." Astronema stammered over the words, angered at her inability to control herself in front of the old mage. He seemed the only one able to get under her skin, and it was more than a little unsettling.
When she felt better able to speak again, she continued on, but whether it was for his benefit or her own, she couldn't exactly say.
"I am now Queen of the Universe, Zordon, and my word is supreme." Astronema stepped up to the tube that contained what little remained of his powerful life force, and pressed her black-gloved hands to the glass, reveling in her dominance over him. "Your Rangers are no match for me. They have been driven back, chased into the coldest, darkest recesses of space." A chilling grin twisted her lips. "And as I promised you, before I bleed every last drop of your essence, I will make certain that you have the privilege of watching them die."
"THOSE WHOSE LIVES ARE SACRIFICED WILL BE DONE SO FOR THE GREATER GOOD," came Zordon's enigmatic reply.
The Karovan smirked. "You sound as though you're already resigned to their fate."
"IT IS NOT THEIR FATE WHICH WILL DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF THIS CONFLICT."
"Whose fate, then?" she asked with mock curiosity. "Yours? Mine, perhaps?"
"YOUR FATE, LIKE MY OWN, HAS ALREADY BEEN DECIDED."
Something in his slightly warbled baritone set Astronema's nerves on edge. She spun away from him and began stalking around the bridge, everyone in the room casting weary glances in her direction, sensing her mood darkening like a tempest.
"The only one who decides your fate is me," she growled.
"YOU AND I ARE MERELY PAWNS AND SHALL BE-"
"SHUT UP!"
Astronema raised her arms, blue eyes burning red-hot with rage as pure, raw energy suddenly ignited from her hands, searing through everything and everyone around her. The bridge's control consoles started to overload from the onslaught, showering the room with sparks, and the ship's alarms blasted an urgent warning in response.
Crew members were cut down, dropping to the floor as purple streaks of lightning continued to rip into the ship's circuitry. The Dark Fortress suddenly lurched, ominously, as if preparing to careen out of control, but the young woman at the center of the chaos seemed completely unaware, still fighting some inner battle that no one else could see…
Save for one.
Zordon could feel Karone's presence. She was still there, struggling to win her freedom, and perhaps driving her jailer mad in the process. But, there was no doubt in his mind as he watched the two souls waging their secret war.
If Karone wanted to live, Astronema would have to die.
And, sadly, he knew she wasn't the only one.
To be continued…
A/N: I've read quite a few stories where people used capitalized sentences to try and capture Zordon's speech pattern and, for some reason, I kind of like it. So, there you go.
