Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers.
Chapter 14
A loud roaring in his ears signaled his return to consciousness, dimming gradually as he opened his eyes. It was quickly replaced by a pounding throb somewhere inside his skull. Andros groaned, one hand rubbing his forehead gingerly, and glanced around. Slowly, as his mind was reluctant to grasp what had happened, his eyes wandered across the Bridge and he took in the sight of his teammates carefully picking themselves up as well.
Zhane was the first to speak. "You said we needed to land," he reminded them. "We did."
"This wasn't quite what I had in mind," Andros murmured, twitching his limbs and finding them all relatively uninjured. "Deca?"
"Yes, Andros?" her calm voice responded instantly, and he let out a breath of relief.
"What's our status? Can we take off?" he queried, his thoughts racing along now despite the ache in his head.
"I'm afraid that is currently impossible."
"I was afraid of that," he muttered, and sighed. "Everyone all right?" he added belatedly, with a guilty flush. His first concern should have been for his teammates. His friends.
"We're fine." Ashley's smile lacked in its usual brilliance, but he found it rather reassuring nonetheless. "I think," she amended, pressing both hands suddenly to her temples with a grimace. "What now?"
Carlos beat Andros by half a second when he objected, "You're not fine."
"It's just a bump," Ashley insisted. "No concussion."
Andros waved to catch her attention, then held up three fingers. "How many?"
Ashley rolled her eyes at him good-naturedly. "Three. Really, I'm fine."
He looked at her suspiciously, but relented. Mostly because he had no choice. Andros picked himself up and then pulled her to her feet, steadying her as she swayed. Her balance evened out only a few seconds later, and so he let his attention drift from her to the rest of the team.
Cassie was on her feet and TJ was halfway there. Arietis was already morphed, and Andros wondered distantly how many times the Phantom Ranger had been caught in similar situations on his own. Andros knew that he'd had more than his own share of close encounters, and while most of them had turned out far better than his run-in with Darkonda, they were still experiences that he would care to never repeat.
He pulled himself out of his thoughts when he realized that the others were all watching him expectantly. "We'll split up," he decided. "Zhane, Cassie, TJ, and Arietis take the south and west. Carlos, you and Ashley come with me. We'll search the north and east."
"Ah," Carlos began, "are you sure that's such a good idea?"
"It's fine," TJ said tersely.
Andros wondered at the way Carlos rolled his eyes, but he judged it best not to comment. "Let's move out," he ordered. "Nightfall is in three hours, and we've got plenty of land to cover."
"I don't like this," Carlos muttered, tapping impatiently at his handheld scanner. "I swear we're being followed."
"We are," Andros said, much more calmly than he felt. "There's a clearing straight up ahead. As soon as we're on the other side, we call our gliders."
"Can we get that far without being seen?" Ashley wanted to know. "You and I won't blend in so well."
He hesitated. "I really hope so."
They approached the clearing cautiously, tensed at each small noise. Andros frowned at his scanner uneasily, certain that something wasn't right. There hadn't been a thing there a moment before, but now the screen was lit with flickering dots.
"Hey," he spoke up quietly. "Be careful. I think it might be a--"
"Andros, down!" Ashley shouted his name and tackled him. He hit the ground hard and dazedly watched yellow lightning streak by overhead. Blinking, he rolled onto his side and saw Carlos return fire while using the trees for cover.
"Red Ranger," Darkonda's voice growled as Andros picked himself up off of the ground. "I should have known you'd be here."
Andros froze in his place, fear twisting around madly in the pit of his stomach. "I--I..." He gulped, furious to hear himself stutter. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, stalling.
Darkonda chuckled to himself, and Andros took an involuntary step backwards. His brain kicked back into action when Darkonda reached for his sword and was prepared to call for his Spiral Saber, when he heard another voice that made them both pause.
"Find them," Ecliptor's shout drifted from clear across the clearing. "Their ship is here. The Rangers are here."
Andros swore silently, his eyes flickering towards Ecliptor and the Quantrons. Darkonda moved quickly and Andros threw himself sideways, not until he landed realizing that Darkonda was slinking back into the cover of the trees.
He drew his blaster and prepared to do the same in the opposite direction when he realized that Ashley hadn't moved. She lay crumpled on the ground, and as he knelt at her side, her morph faded. His heart thumping somewhere in his throat, Andros touched her cheek gently.
Her skin was warm. He didn't care that her skin would be warm whether she was dead or alive, and it took him a good minute to remember to check and see that she was still breathing. All that seemed to matter that her cheek was a welcome warmth against his fingers.
"Ashley," he whispered, one eye on Carlos covering for them. "Ashley, come on. I'll get you out of here if you'll just open your eyes for me."
She didn't stir, and Andros let out a shaky breath. Gently, he gently scooped her into his arms. Her eyelids flickered as he lifted her upper body, and he froze, watching her intently.
"Ashley?" he asked hopefully.
She groaned, her face white with pain as her eyes opened. His stomach twisted when he saw one of her arms bent at an odd angle, and he quickly slid a hand beneath her chin before she thought to glance down herself. Andros doubted that she wouldn't be able to handle herself, but he had seen far too many people panic at the sight of broken bones to chance it.
"You're going to be fine," he told her firmly. "Can you stand?"
"I... can try," she mumbled dizzily, and he nodded.
"That'll have to do," he said grimly, tightening the arm he had about her shoulders. "We're under attack."
"I--I'll be fine," she tried to tell him, her legs flexing as she moved to stand. She sucked in air, gasping quietly when her arm shifted.
"You're not walking." He glanced around in alarm when he heard footsteps, seeing a flash of movement that hadn't come from Carlos. "Come on, we're getting out of here."
Ashley nodded, and he winced as she moaned, as much because of the noise as because he was hurting her. Then he saw the Quantrons across the clearing, and he knew that they had seen him. Keeping quiet wasn't an issue any longer.
"Get back to the ship!" Andros cursed as another laser beam flashed by overhead, cradling Ashley to his chest protectively.
She whimpered quietly as he tried to lift her completely into his arms, pale-faced in pain. Andros ground his teeth together and tried hard not to look at the blood soaking through the left sleeve of her jacket.
"You'll be fine," he tried to tell her, but his voice trembled in rage. How could he have just let this happen to her? He shouldn't have been so distracted! He shouldn't have--
"Carlos," he called quietly, his eyes scanning around the clearing for the Black Ranger. "I need you."
"Right over here." Carlos popped out from behind some brush, his Lunar Lance dissolving as he knelt beside them. Like Andros, he was still morphed, but his concern for the Yellow Ranger shone clear through his voice as he "We've got you, Ash."
"I--" She tried weakly to speak, but Carlos touched her lips lightly.
"Don't talk," he said sternly. "Don't do anything, all right? We'll get you back to the Megaship."
Ashley nodded slowly, and Andros let out his breath in relief as he managed to shift her into Carlos's arms without further injuring her. "Take care of her."
"What?" Carlos turned his head towards him. "Andros, where are you going?"
"To find Darkonda," he growled, and dashed off in the direction he'd seen the bounty hunter vanish. "I'll be back soon."
He didn't stop to think as he tore through the brush, slicing away at anything that got in his way. Without even the presence of mind to call for his glider, Andros ran furiously, his eyes darting around in a frantic search for Darkonda.
He didn't know how long he ran for before his brain caught up with him. With him out here, the other Rangers couldn't take off. He doubted that the Megaship was in any condition to take off, but he'd virtually stranded them on a hostile planet by running off--Deca wouldn't lift off without the entire crew onboard.
Andros leaned against a tree to catch his breath, kicking himself mentally. He shouldn't have been so stupid. But Ashley had been hurt, and all he'd been able to think about was making Darkonda pay for it.
He kicked the tree, and then turned around with a heavy sigh. He should get back to the ship, check on Ashley, and help with repairs. They needed to get off of this planet before someone stumbled across the the Megaship.
Unhappily, he stepped away and raised one arm to call for his glider. A shuffling sound behind him caused him to whirl around, and his heart sank as he saw the Piranhatrons. He knew he didn't have a chance of winning against them all, but what really worried him was the voice he heard yelling at them to get out of her way.
He glanced around in a panic, but there was no way to blend in bright red against the green and brown of his surroundings. Silently cursing his stupidity, he was still standing there when Divatox forced her way to the front of the ranks.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, kicking one out of her way. "You're supposed to--You," she gaped at him. Her shock vanished quickly. "Well, well, what do we have here?"
Andros gulped and raised his saber. "Get out of my way."
"Why in the world would I want to do that?" She looked him up and down, her lips curled into a sneer. "I wonder what Darkonda will give me for you."
"I doubt it will be what you're hoping for," he said calmly. "I told him he shouldn't have trusted you."
"Did you really?" She smirked at him. "I don't remember you being this defiant the last time I saw you."
Andros ground his teeth together as the memory assaulted him. "Get out of my way," he repeated. "Now."
Divatox rolled her eyes at him. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she yelled at the Piranhatrons. "Get him already!"
Andros dodged them and shouted for his glider while throwing one forward over his shoulder. Divatox called something after him as he jumped up and sped off, but he didn't look back to hear it. He needed to get out of here.
He relaxed slightly as he wove his way in and out of the trees, trying to lose the Piranhatrons in the cover of the forest. He'd been stupid enough already. He wasn't about to lead them straight back to the Megaship.
Andros let out a deep breath and slowed to a half to reorient himself. He didn't see any sign of Divatox and the Piranhatrons, and took a few moment to figure out just where the hell he was. The other Rangers weren't going to be too happy with him when he returned.
He squinted in the direction of the sun, and frowned. This planet's sun rose in the south, and the Megaship had crash-landed in the northern hemisphere, so that meant he should be heading to his left... No. To his right. Or straight ahead? Andros growled in frustration. Concentrate.
"Red Ranger!"
Andros froze at the voice behind him, ice water suddenly coursing through him. This had been a really bad idea. He closed his eyes and turned stiffly to face Darkonda. He'd forgotten about this paralyzing fear. He'd forgotten about everything but his fury at being unable to keep his friend safe.
"You hurt Ashley," Andros hissed, and summoned his saber again. "You're going to pay for that."
Darkonda sneered at him. "I have no mercy for you this time."
"I don't want any," Andros spat. His heart thudded furiously in his throat, and he wasn't entirely sure that was true, but he was in no mood to get down on his knees and beg. "I don't need any."
Darkonda drew his sword. Andros took a step to the right, circling around him slowly. The twigs crunched quietly beneath his feet, and he was so shaky he nearly tripped over a pebble. His hands clenched over his saber and he knew that if he wasn't morphed, his hands would be too sweaty to grip the handle.
Darkonda charged at him, and Andros wasn't quite ready. He couldn't block quickly enough, and Darkonda's blade sliced cleanly through his suit. Andros hissed as white-hot pain tore through his forearm, crying out as the pain hit him full force an instant later.
He bit down hard on his lip, pain becoming pure agony as the Power began to fade. Andros blinked tears out of his eyes and clutched his saber in his still-good right hand. Struggling to stay morphed, he turned dizzily to face Darkonda.
"You..." The world spun, and he stumbled. Andros dropped his Spiral Saber and grabbed at a tree to keep himself upright. He clenched his hands and clamped his mouth shut in an effort to stave off the nausea that hit him without warning.
"You took Karone away," he panted, resisting the urge to look down at his arm. "I won't let you win this."
"It was Ecliptor that took your sister," Darkonda reminded him, poised to attack again. "Pity I didn't kill you when I had the chance."
"You should have," Andros retorted, as he took a staggering step forward.
Somehow he managed to dodge the next blow, and block the one after that. The world was spinning all around him, and he suddenly wondered whether Darkonda's blade wasn't poisoned. This was more than just blood loss.
Andros felt his saber vanish from his hands and groaned. His morph faded and with it most of the Power's healing. He cried out as his arm throbbed, seeing stars. The ground whirled beneath his feet as he stumbled towards Darkonda.
Andros hit the ground hard, his body falling limply with a soft thump. He groaned weakly and tried to push himself back up, but his injured arm buckled beneath him. Stars clouded his line of vision as he collapsed, slowly darkening.
As he lost consciousness, Andros thought he saw Astronema hovering near him and he tried to call out to her. He had to try one last time to convince her who she was, but his voice refused to obey him, and she merely stared at him, unfeeling. Defeated, he slipped into darkness, his last thoughts of the little sister whom he had lost so long ago.
"Are you sure you're all right?"
"I'm fine," Ashley lied with a smile. "Whatever Deca did, I can't even feel my arm."
"That's not what I meant and you know it," Carlos said gently. He reached out to brush stray hairs back from her face, and kissed her forehead tenderly. "Talk to me, Ash."
"I'm worried about him," she mumbled, hugging her good arm to her chest. "He hasn't fought Darkonda since before all of this. I don't know... He's so strong, but I don't think he has enough faith in himself."
"Andros is going to be fine," Carlos assured her firmly. "He survived Darkonda for all those months, didn't he? And you saw him on Onyx--he took a hell of a beating and was fine the next day."
"Yeah." Ashley stared down at her hands. "You're right. I know you're right."
"Hey." Carlos slid an arm around her shoulders, careful of her broken arm as he pulled her close for a hug. "I'll go out and find him for you if you want."
"No." Ashley shook her head, on the verge of tears and having no idea why. "The fewer of us out there, the better our chances are. The Megaship isn't ready to take off yet."
"Ash?" Carlos looked at her in concern when she burst into tears. "What's wrong?"
"I--I don't know," she sobbed, angrily scrubbing at her eyes. "I'll be okay," she insisted more calmly. "Don't worry about me."
"It's too late for that," Carlos retorted. He hugged her close with a sigh. "I know you're worried about Andros, Ash, but he's going to be okay. Maybe not so okay when I kill him, but he'll get back here just fine."
Ashley let out a watery giggle, already calming again. "You can't kill my boyfriend."
"Watch me," he muttered, and then paused. "Whoa--boyfriend?"
"Semi-boyfriend?" She shrugged with one shoulder, and sighed. "He asked me out on a date when we got back to Earth."
"But?" Carlos prompted, and she rubbed away the last of her tears.
"He's never been in a relationship before," she explained hesitantly. The last thing she wanted to do was to betray Andros's trust and tell Carlos too much. "And he's not entirely sure that he's ready for one."
She saw the look on his face, and hurried to add, "He's not leading me on, Carlos. Really, he's not. He told me he wasn't sure if he could do this, and I agreed anyway."
"Ash..."
"Don't give me that look." She shot him a mock glare and shook her head. "We're at least going on a few dates. I know what I'm doing."
He nodded, maybe a little reluctantly. "Just be careful, Ash," he warned her. "I don't want to see you get hurt."
"I know." She smiled at him gratefully. "But I think I'm more likely to hurt him than the other way around. I've been there before, and anyway, there's something really... sweet about him. He wouldn't hurt me deliberately."
"That doesn't mean he won't hurt you," he pointed out.
"I know," she agreed, a little sadly. "You didn't mean to hurt me, and I know I didn't mean to hurt you."
"Yeah..." Carlos shifted uncomfortably. "Ash, I..."
"Yeah." Ashley curled herself closer to him, her cheek pillowed on his shoulder. "They say you never forget your first love."
He chuckled a little at that, and kissed the top of her head. "I think you're unforgettable, Ashley Hammond."
"You're pretty memorable yourself." She tilted her head back and smiled. "Carlos?"
He looked at her, and she strained up to kiss his cheek. "I'm really glad you're my friend."
He smiled ruefully and hugged her a little closer. Ashley closed her eyes and relaxed against him. She didn't know how long the two of them just sat there, but she was on the verge of dozing when Carlos's communicator chimed.
"Hey guys." TJ's voice came through grimly. "We have a problem."
She should have just left him. Astronema tried to shift the Red Ranger's body so that his weight bore down on her a little more comfortably, but her shoulders didn't notice much of a difference.
Yes, she should have just left him there. It was no concern of hers whether he lived or died. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She would be better off if he died. Without their Red Ranger, the Astro Rangers would crumble; their fall would pave the way for Dark Spectre's ultimate victory.
Yet the moment she had watched him fall in battle to Darkonda, something inside her had stirred in protest. Astronema couldn't remember why she hated the bounty hunter. All she knew was that Ecliptor despised him and that was reason enough to continue hating him herself.
The Red Ranger was her sworn enemy, and always had been. She had her reasons for hating him. He'd killed her family, Ecliptor had told her, destroyed them to get to her. It wasn't that Astronema had lost her faith in Ecliptor but... the Red Ranger was no older than she was. How could a child have committed such crimes?
The dense vegetation of this humid planet cleared without warning, and Astronema stumbled into the mess of flattened trees and debris that the Astro Megaship had left in her wake during the Rangers' crash landing. It wasn't hard to spot the bright blue of the ship some yards away, and she glanced around for the best spot to leave him.
As she picked her way across the clearing, Astronema's thoughts drifted to the Silver Ranger. The Red Ranger--Andros, she corrected herself--was Zhane's best friend. She'd only needed to hear a few of his stories to know that Andros was someone that Zhane loved deeply. The person that he'd told her about was no cold-blooded killer. But affection was blinding, she had reasoned then. There must have been much more to the Red Ranger that Zhane simply didn't wish to see.
Now she wasn't so sure. It had been accidental that she had stumbled across the fight between Andros and Darkonda. The Red Ranger had lost a sister, someone that Darkonda insisted Ecliptor had taken. She knew better than to trust Darkonda, but as he'd collapsed, Andros's eyes had landed on her. She'd heard him call out to her, and it was the telepathy more than anything else that had made her zap Darkonda herself and heal Andros's wounded arm.
Her brother, and now Zhane were the only ones that she could hear in her head. Astronema wanted to know just why it was that she could hear the Red Ranger as well.
Carefully, she lowered him to the ground on a soft patch of grass. She wasn't sure if he was still unconscious or if her sleeping spell had worked, but either way she needed to leave before the other Rangers stumbled across her. Her questions would have to wait for another day.
With one last look at him, Astronema straightened and turned to go. Her eyes widened slightly as she found herself facing four Astro Rangers and their Phantom Ranger ally, their weapons all trained on her. Pushing away her shock and annoyance, she gave them all a haughty stare.
"I could have let Darkonda have him," she informed them calmly. "Lower your weapons."
"Relax, guys," Zhane said quickly, and Astronema hid a smirk. "Just for a second, all right?"
"All she needs is a second," the Blue Ranger muttered, but he dropped his blaster slightly. "What do you want, Astronema?"
Rolling her eyes at them, she gestured towards their fallen teammate. "Would you rather I had left him in the middle of the jungle?"
"He's alive," Zhane confirmed for them a moment later, kneeling at Andros's side. "He's just unconscious."
She didn't bother to correct him. Astronema hesitated as she eyed the other Rangers, knowing that she should leave them. She should just shimmer away back to the Dark Fortress and be done with them. What had happened to her brother could wait.
"Don't move," the Pink Ranger snapped at her suddenly, and Astronema found nearly a half dozen blasters aimed at her again. "You're not going anywhere."
"Cassie," the Phantom Ranger cut in quietly. The Pink Ranger tilted her helmet towards him. "Are you sure that this is wise?"
"We're not ready to take off yet," she retorted. "All we need is her showing up with Ecliptor and Darkonda and an army."
"I never fight with Darkonda," Astronema hissed through narrowed eyes. "And I don't need an army."
"You're still not going anywhere." The Blue Ranger's voice was harsh.
Zhane cleared his throat quietly. "Please?" he muttered telepathically. "You can trust me."
She didn't trust him. She was amused by him a great deal of the time, and she doubted that he would kill her deliberately. It wasn't the same as trusting him, but then, Astronema didn't trust anyone but herself. They didn't know the depths of her magic, and she knew that there was no cell on their ship that could keep her.
"Very well," she agreed, her lips twitching into a faint sneer. "You'll regret this later, Rangers, but for now, I surrender."
Author's Note: Well, there you have it. I hope it was worth the wait. The next chapter should be up sooner than this one, and the chapter after that Andros and Ashley finally get their date. (Did I mention that this story is never going to end?) Review and tell me what you think. :)
