Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers.
Author's Notes: So, um, short version. My life teh crazy right now. My writing time is shrinking, but I've finally gotten to the last important story arc, and that makes me really want to write this story, so, who knows. Much love and many thanks to AH/AY for pretty much handing me this idea waaaay back sometime in 2006, though it's undergone a few changes since then, and will probably undergo a few more as I actually write it down.
Also, the "We Need A Hero" PR fanfic awards that Challon86 and I are running are still open for nominations. The deadline is February 15 (this coming Friday). A link is in my profile page.
Thanks for your patience, and I hope you enjoy. :)
Chapter 33
"Still no sign of her."
Andros lifted his head just long enough to see the worry he felt mirrored on Cassie's face. He nodded once before he glanced down at the console in front of him, restraining himself from slamming both fists into it as hard as he could. "Then keep looking."
Almost five hours later, they were no closer to finding Ashley. The terrible feeling in his stomach grew minute by minute until Andros could hardly think. In the moments before his Ranger training had gripped him, he had found himself dangerously close to panic.
He was beyond that now, but until they knew where Ashley was being held, there was nothing that they could do. Andros had ordered Deca to scan as far out as her sensors would allow her while he and the others scanned the Earth, and so far none of them had found any results.
"The Dark Fortress." Carlos spoke up suddenly, and Andros closed his eyes at the suggestion.
"The Psycho Rangers work for Astronema," TJ agreed from somewhere behind him. "It's worth a shot."
Andros let out a deep breath, willing his voice steady. "Deca, can you locate the Dark Fortress?"
"Negative," she replied a moment later.
Andros let out a deep breath. "Keep trying," he ordered. Heartsick at the thought of fighting Astronema face to face, he hoped with all his heart that he wouldn't find Ashley on the Dark Fortress. There was nothing that he wouldn't do to find her, but how could he choose between her and Karone?
He only hoped that he wouldn't have to find out.
"Deca," he said again, frowning as another thought occurred to him. "Is there any trail from when Psycho Yellow grabbed her?"
It would have been a long shot even when she had first been captured, he knew. If the Psycho Rangers used standard teleportation channels at all, they would almost surely use encrypted ones, and Andros had his doubts about how standard the Psycho Rangers did anything. Still, he had to try.
Knowing didn't lessen the disappointment he felt when Deca replied that there was no trail. He lowered his head, sighing. He was running out of ideas, and they didn't have forever to find out where Ashley had been taken. Sooner or later, Astronema would...
Andros swallowed as he tried not to think of it. If he lost Ashley, he would lose Karone with her. He didn't think that he could forgive her that much, Dark Spectre or no Dark Spectre.
"Andros?" Cassie came to stand beside him. She laid a hand on his arm, the gesture so absolute something that Ashley would do that Andros turned to stare at her in surprise. "What are you thinking?"
"Nothing," he muttered. Even the question sounded like Ashley. "Just keep looking."
"Of course we will." She squeezed his arm, looking as though she were trying very hard to smile. She failed. "You're not the only one to love her."
Andros let out a deep breath as he nodded. Her words reassured him as much as they worried him, but he only shook his head and turned back to searching. He'd lost enough people in his life. He wasn't losing Ashley, too.
One hand reaching for his teleportation device, Arietis froze. It had only been a shadow, but he found himself reaching for the blaster he carried hidden beneath his tunic. This was Onyx, after all.
Slowly, he turned. He saw no one, but wasn't so easily convinced. "Who's there?" he demanded coldly. "Show yourself."
There was no answer. Still wary, he turned in a circle. The hair on the back of his neck prickled in the way that it did only when he was watched, and he had been watched enough times in his life to know.
"I know that you are there." He spoke slowly, crisply. "I know that you are there, and if you don't show yourself now, you will not like the consequences."
He tried not to sigh when his words were meant with silence, but he was unsurprised. Logic dictated that he teleport himself back to his ship. If whoever was there didn't want to see him face to face, then Arietis probably didn't want to see them face to face, either.
But he was curious to see who had followed him, and he wanted even more to know for how long they had been following him. So he waited, turning slowly, one hand gripping his blaster.
He saw no movement, but he heard it. Whirling out of the way, he morphed without a word. Still holding his blaster in one hand, he had his laser in the other as he saw the glint of light on metal.
He ducked, firing both weapons as he straightened up again. "Darkonda!" he groaned, his eyes finally landing on his attacker. "What are you doing here?"
He needn't have asked, Arietis realized a moment later. This was Onyx, after all, and probably no one spent more time here than Darkonda. Arietis had lost track of how many times he'd spotted Darkonda here, though he'd always been fortunate enough not to run into him directly. His luck hadn't held up today, though that wasn't what nagged at him as he prepared to fire once again.
Darkonda charged at him and Arietis fired both weapons at the same time, wishing that for once Darkonda would drop his sword and fight him hand to hand. He leapt into the air, kicking Darkonda's sword away from him.
He flipped himself backwards the instant his feet touched the ground, firing again as he straightened up. Darkonda dodged his shots easily, darting quickly to the side--directly into another laser blast.
Arietis froze, standing in stunned surprise as more shots came. It hit him then, and he gripped his weapons more tightly. Darkonda hadn't been the man at the bar.
He came out of his shock as he took full advantage of this opportunity. Darkonda was bellowing in outrage, waving his sword madly. Arietis took aim and fired again.
This time, both of his shots found their target. Darkonda screamed something at him in the instant before he vanished, but Arietis didn't hear him and didn't care. He was more concerned with finding out who else had followed him, and why.
"Who are you?" he demanded. He neither demorphed nor lowered either weapon.
"We're friends," a voice called from his right.
Arietis turned slowly, recognizing the speaker as the man who had interrupted his conversation with the bartender earlier. At his side was another man who held a blaster in his hand. It was lowered so that it pointed at the ground, but Arietis watched it warily.
"Who are you?" he repeated. "I do not recognize you."
"You wouldn't," the man with the blaster said. His bitter tone matched his expression. "It's been almost six years since we've been to Eltare."
"A lot can happen in six years," Arietis said cautiously, though he was curious now. "Why are you here now?"
"We came across Darkonda on our way to--on our way home," said the other, older man. "We've had... dealings with him before, and followed him."
"What sort of dealings?" Arietis hadn't missed the quickly edited sentence. Suspicion overshadowed curiosity now, and his voice grew sharper. "I will not trust you blindly."
"Tan of Eltare," the older man said. "He will know us."
If there was anyone that Arietis wished not to speak to at the moment, it was Tan of Eltare. All that he'd wanted was to go to Earth and fight with Cassie and the other Rangers.
He sighed. "If Tan will know you, then I will know you. Give me your names."
"Dad?" The younger one hesitated, and Arietis took a closer look at them both.
He could see the similarity in their brown eyes and both were tall, but the true resemblance between them was their not quite haggard appearance. Whoever they were, they had not had an easy journey.
"I am--" The father stopped, sighing. "I'll tell you everything, just not here. Somewhere safer."
Arietis considered that for a few moments. "You do have a shuttle, am I correct?"
"Yes." He nodded.
"Good." There were few safe locations anymore, but he could still think of a few. "I'll not take you to Tan until I know who you are. Can you make it to Aquitar?"
Another nod, and Arietis let out a deep breath. "It will take you three hours from here to there. I'll meet you there in four. You'll be met by a security escort. Do you object?"
"No," said the older man. "Thank you."
He and his son both smiled, and Arietis suddenly saw the semblance between them--and not just to each other. Chills rippled down his spine. He was suddenly more grateful than ever that he hadn't demorphed; he would have been unable to hide the shock.
"Four hours," he said curtly. Arietis teleported himself out to his ship without a farewell, activating his ship's comm unit without sitting down. "Cia," he said urgently, when he found himself speaking to the Pink Ranger. "I need to speak with Tan. Now."
Her head hurt.
A lot.
Ashley slowly opened her eyes. Throbbing pain exploded inside of her brain when she shifted and she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut tight as her body curled involuntarily.
Carefully, she let out her breath, and tried to think. She remembered Psycho Yellow grabbing her, and then nothing after that. Until now, waking up in a dingy cell with her wrists cuffed together in front of her.
She wasn't morphed. She doubted that she would be able to stand, much less put up a fight against all five of them, but a lump swelled in her throat at the realization nonetheless. Ashley tried to quash the panic that welled up in her stomach, but without her morph she was utterly defenseless against them.
Think, Ash. Don't panic.
She swallowed hard, and even that made her head throb. Ashley cradled her head in her arms, moaning, silently counting the breaths that she took.
She had to get out of here.
That only left her the problem of how. She couldn't just wait and do nothing, hoping that her friends would find her. But when something as simple as blinking caused her head to explode in agony and nausea to bubble up inside of her, she could do nothing but lie there and hold as still as she could.
The ground reverberated beneath her. Ashley moaned as she felt it, whimpering when there was a loud bang somewhere close. White stars shone in front of her eyes, an odd ringing in her ears.
"Yellow Ranger."
It was Astronema's voice. Ashley recognized it through the haze of pain, her throat tightening in fear as she tried not to think about what would happen to her now.
"No," she whispered. She tried to whisper; if her lips had even formed the word, that was enough. "Astronema..."
A shadow passed over her face. Ashley thought that Astronema was kneeling over her, but she didn't open her eyes to find out. When Astronema laid a hand on her cheek, Ashley stiffened, only to blink her eyes open in shock when the throbbing in her head vanished.
"What--" she started weakly. She lifted her head slowly, never more grateful for anything when it didn't hurt. "Astronema? Why?"
"How do you feel, Yellow Ranger?" Astronema studied her with that same cool expression, but Ashley caught her breath at the words.
"Karone?" she blurted out. She couldn't help herself--the way that Andros had described her, Astronema hadn't shown even that much emotion.
"What did you call me?" she scowled.
"Nothing," Ashley said quickly. She tried not to sigh. For just one minute, she'd thought that just maybe...
She'd been wrong.
"I want you able to answer when you're questioned," Astronema informed her coldly. Her lips twisted into a cruel smile. "You seem able now."
