Chapter 18: KO-35's Last Stand
A couple of months had past and everything seemed to be getting back to normal. However, the Andros everyone knew was gone like they feared. Divatox and Darkonda ripped his spirit to shreds. He wasn't as fun as he used to be. He was now a shell, a hard shell that no one could break. It broke Karone's heart because all she wanted was to have her brother back. She got him back physically, but mentally, he was gone. That broke her heart.
One day, Andros was working in the Command Center when Karone came in. "Morning, Andros," she greeted. Andros looked up with a small smile.
"Morning, Karone," he answered.
Karone kissed his cheek with a smile. "Sleep well?" She asked before getting to work. Andros shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah," he replied.
She looked over at him. "You've been making progress," she commented. Andros looked over at her with a quizzical look.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Your dreams, they've calmed down," she replied.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, you haven't been screaming in your sleep lately. I take it you haven't had any nightmares of what happened for a few nights now."
Andros nodded his head. "Those aren't so bad now. However, I keep dreaming about that girl," he answered. Karone smiled before picking up a data pad. "I sound ridiculous," he mumbled. Karone shrugged her shoulders.
"Just a tiny bit," she teased.
Andros pushed her lightly with a laugh. "Very funny," he answered. Karone smiled before sitting down at one of the chairs. "It's just that…she's too beautiful…to perfect to be a dream," he insisted. She shrugged her shoulders.
"Like I told you when you first came home. Dreams have a way of playing mean tricks on us," she answered.
"Then why do I keep dreaming about this girl?" He asked.
She shrugged her shoulders again. "I don't know. I guess that's just your comfort place," she replied. Andros was about to answer when the alarms went off.
"Computer, what's going on?" Andros asked.
"An army of ships have arrived," the computer replied.
Zhane came into the Command Center. "Main viewing screen," Zhane instructed. They looked over at the main viewing screen to see a huge army coming their way.
"Oh no!" Karone gasped.
Andros looked at his best friend and sister. "We have to go," he informed. They nodded and stood up.
"LET'S ROCKET!" They shouted.
They morphed and ran out of the Command Center. "We have to split up. We have to get these people to safety," Andros informed.
"Right," Zhane and Karone agreed.
Andros ran towards a group a people that were trapped. "SPIRAL SABER BOOSTER MODE! FIRE!" Andros shouted. He shot the quantrons and monsters away. He ran over to the people. "You okay?" He asked. They nodded. "Your ships are ready, you have to get out," he informed.
"Thank you," someone told him.
Andros watched as they ran towards the ships.
Zhane was fighting off his group of quantrons. "SUPER SILVERIZER FULL POWER! FIRE!" Zhane shouted. A huge explosion occurred behind the enemy and shielded himself from the flames. He looked over at the people he was protecting. "It safe now, go," he told them. They hurried off and Zhane went to go find Andros.
Karone was having a harder time trying to free a group. "STAR SLINGER! FIRE!" She shouted. She fired, hitting quite a few of them. She did a front flip in the air while shooting at them and was able to free everyone at last. "Hurry, get out of here," she instructed. She watched them run off before hurrying off to find Andros and Zhane.
Andros and Zhane were now fighting back to back when they saw one of the most hideous monsters that were sent to KO-35. "I'll take care of him," Andros informed. Zhane watched as Andros ran at the monster.
"ANDROS WAIT!" Zhane shouted.
He was fighting off the quantrons while trying to get to Andros. Karone was close and she saw what was going on. "NO!" She shouted. They saw Andros hit the ground hard.
"Now I will return you to Divatox and Darkonda," the monster laughed.
Andros held his Spiral Saber up. "Not this time," he snapped. Karone gasped in horror.
"ANDROS!" She screamed.
She was trying so hard to get to them. There was no way she was going to lose her brother again. Quantrons and monsters had her surrounded, but she looked up to see Zhane taking a hit for Andros before pushing the monster to the ground. "ANDROS! RUN!" Zhane shouted.
"ZHANE NO!" Andros shouted.
Karone gasped in horror when Zhane was caught up in the explosion. "ZHANE!" She wailed. She was able to kick a quantron away to get through. Andros was already trying to pull debris off Zhane when she came in. "Zhane, speak to me," Karone begged. She held Zhane's head in her lap and looked over at her brother. Andros checked for a pulse and nodded.
"There's a pulse…but only just," he
informed.
"What do we do?" She asked.
Andros picked Zhane up and put him over his shoulders. "I have an idea," he replied. Karone followed Andros onto the Megaship.
They went into a back room and Andros set Zhane down into a cryogenic tube. "This should heal him," he informed. He watched as the tube froze over and he turned on the machine at the end. Karone touched the ice with tears falling down her face. Andros placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll leave you be," he told her. He de-morphed as he walked away. Karone de-morphed after a minute and the tears were coursing down her face.
"Zhane…why did you have to go do something so stupid? You didn't have to throw yourself into the blast," she whispered.
Andros came to the bridge. "DECA, set a course for Eltar," he instructed.
"Acknowledged," DECA answered.
Andros paused for a minute, thinking about his sister sitting in the back room with Zhane's frozen body. He felt a lump rise in his throat and he looked up. He pushed the control sticks forward and they went to Eltar.
Preview to the Next Story
Andros shook his head. "You don't know me," he objected. Ashley stood up and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I see you," she told him.
"No you don't. You have no idea what's happened to me."
Ashley stared at him. "Do you think what happened in your past really matters to me?" She asked.
"It should," he replied.
"But it doesn't."
"I'm holding you back."
"You're not."
Andros looked at her and nodded his head slowly. "I can't keep holding you back like this anymore, Ash," he told her. Ashley placed her hands on his face with a sad sigh.
"Andros…you can't just give up on life," she insisted.
"Why not? Life's given up on me."
Title: Learning to Live
Genre: Romance, Drama, Action/Adventure
Rating: M
This story comes out: Saturday October 7, 2006
