Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter forty-four of "Ride the Wind II: Justice Unbound." I am glad it took just six days to get out. This chapter has some Andros/Ashley and Zhane/Karone. This crossover has three chapters to go before it reaches its end. Stay tuned for chapter forty-five.
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Chapter 44: Through the Forest
Brenda continued driving through the forest nearly an hour later. Elvis had his head propped up by his elbow on the door. Andros and Ashley held hands. They tightened their grip on each other. He leaned toward her and whispered inaudible words into her ear. She blushed and smacked him on the arm. He pulled back, a big smirk forming on his face.
Zhane and Karone sat next to each other. He had his arm around her shoulder. He rubbed her arm at a slow yet steady pace. They watched Jesse pet Isabella, who opened her mouth and wiggled her tongue. He reached in and rubbed it very gently. She squeaked in much pleasure. He took his hand away, allowing her to close her mouth. He stroked her head with the back of his hand.
"She can't get enough of tongue rubs, can she?" Karone asked.
"Nope," Jesse agreed and kissed the orca on her eyepatch. "We are very lucky we haven't encountered hills, except for two small ones."
"Yeah," Zhane commented and planted a kiss to his girlfriend's temple. "It's unfortunate this trip is taking a while, but at least we haven't had any problems."
"Who knows where Dial and his goons are right now?" Karone mumbled, fear showing in her voice.
Jesse bit his lip. "Mom, Dad, Randolph, Rae, and I were surprised they got to Dawson's Marina before we did. I honestly believe they passed us just as we were going into the carwash."
"If Dial had been keeping a better eye out, he would've seen all of you going there," Zhane said.
"Exactly," Jesse said with a nervous chuckle. "I can't help but wonder if he asked anyone if they had seen a vehicle pulling a whale around."
"If he did, I wouldn't be surprised if they looked at him like he was nuts," Karone said and spoke gibberish.
Zhane hugged her. "Me neither. Some people have flown from one end of the galaxy to the other and have seen a lot of strange stuff."
"Han said that in Star Wars. He said he had never seen anything to make him believe an all-powerful Force controlled everything," Karone added.
"Han didn't want to think such a thing existed, but he did say 'May the Force be with you' to Luke just before he took off for the Battle of Yavin," Jesse pointed out matter-of-factly. "Bespin was the first gas giant to appear in the Star Wars saga. What sets it apart from other gas giants is its oxygen-rich Life Zone. It had an abundance of unusual life forms."
"Polyphemus was a gas giant in Avatar. Pandora and thirteen other moons orbited it," Karone commented while rubbing her eyes. She let out a long yawn. "Damn. I am really tired."
"Who isn't?" Zhane asked. "I hope this forest road comes to an end soon. I can't help but wonder how much water is still in that tank."
"There is enough for one more brief hosing. After that, it will be empty," Jesse mumbled dejectedly.
Karone tensed up a little bit. "Then let's pray we find a car wash, so we can wet Isabella down completely."
Zhane and Karone began talking amongst themselves. Andros and Ashley looked over their shoulders at them. They shifted their attention back to each other.
"I hope they aren't planning to play pranks on us after all this is set and done," Andros said and blew two raspberries.
"I hope they aren't either," Ashley answered, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "I want to see this road come to an end soon."
"It will, Ashley," Brenda assured gently. "I promise."
"How many times have you traveled this road, Brenda?" Elvis wondered, turning to her.
"Several times," Brenda admitted and pushed her bangs out of her eyes. She returned her hand to the steering wheel. "I enjoy the rural area a bit more than the city."
"Most people do," Andros added.
"I am sure the cows Brenda and I saw while you two were asleep were confused when they saw Isabella on the trailer," Elvis said, a chuckle leaving his mouth.
"Why wouldn't they be?" Brenda commented and made a funny noise. "They had never seen a whale before. Whales were land mammals in prehistoric times. Then they made the transition from land to water. Many prehistoric whale species weren't gentle giants. They were vicious predators. They may have even tangled with Megalodon."
"Talk about a battle for the ocean," Andros whispered in amazement.
"You said it," Ashley agreed. "Earth isn't the only world with prehistoric species. Many other inhabitable planets have them too. How many they have is the question."
"It would take centuries to discover every prehistoric species on every inhabitable planet. We haven't even scratched the surface of Earth's prehistory," Elvis commented truthfully.
Brenda formed a smile on her face while moving her hands to the sides of the steering wheel. She tapped them against it while breathing deeply.
"It's nice the sun rises early in the morning and sets late in the day during the spring and summer," Brenda said warmly.
"The downside is it gives more time for the air to get very hot," Elvis mumbled while wincing loudly.
"The humidity is the worst part of the heat," Andros commented, crossing his arms. "When the humidity is high, your t-shirt clings to your body very quickly. Sweat evaporates a lot more slowly. It is difficult to cool off unless you are in the shade."
Ashley clasped her hands together. "Dry heat allows your sweat to evaporate and cool you off quickly. It is still dangerous, though."
"It is amazing how California can be balmy while the rest of the country bakes or freezes," Andros pointed out.
"For sure!" Ashley yelled happily. "There is no place I would rather live than in California."
Andros flicked her nose. "Parts of the state are expensive to live in. Angel Grove isn't one of them."
"That's right," Ashley said with a delighted squeak.
Elvis smiled. "That city will be forever famous for the first appearance of the Power Rangers."
"Yep," Brenda agreed. "Some people think the Rangers had an easy time being superheroes. They didn't. It was hard work."
"They had to follow rules if they wanted to keep their powers. One of them was keeping their identities secret. Of course, Astronema rendered that moot when she threatened to destroy Earth if they didn't reveal themselves," Elvis explained.
Brenda let out a long exhale. "They did the right thing revealing themselves. It saved Earth."
Brenda spotted a bump in the road. She went over it, causing everyone to bounce somewhat. She picked up speed a tiny bit.
00000
Brenda reached another part of the forest eight minutes later. She and Elvis were talking about her working with the Angel Grove Aquarium orcas. Andros and Ashley listened closely. She took his hand into hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. He responded by squeezing it just as gently. He placed his other one over it. He patted it very lightly.
"Those orcas will enjoy having you as one of their trainers," Elvis said.
"I hope so," Brenda whispered in a little uncertainty. "I will be new to the team. The orcas won't trust me right away."
"It can take a while to gain an animal's trust, especially if it was abused," Elvis pointed out sadly.
"Isabella was never abused by anyone, but she was taken from the wild illegally. No amount of good treatment she received justifies that," Brenda said bluntly.
Elvis smirked. "I think Dial and Harry should be forced to wear orange shirts that say, 'We took an orca from the wild illegally. We wanted to make some money. We didn't care about her pain of being ripped from her family.' I bet inmates would beat them up."
"That would be so satisfying to see," Brenda said, wiggling her eyebrows.
"They need to suffer in prison," Elvis growled fiercely.
Brenda nodded sharply. "Oh, yes."
Brenda spotted something sitting in the middle the road not far from the truck. She tightened her grip on the wheel. Elvis noticed it and became very concerned.
"You okay, Brenda?" Elvis asked.
"Something is in the middle of the road, but I am not sure what it is," Brenda said as she narrowed her eyes. She brought the truck to a stop in which the lights shined on a log. "How did that log get there?"
Andros and Ashley unbuckled their seatbelts and leaned forward. They narrowed their eyes at the log. They punched the backs of the front seats frustratingly. They gritted their teeth.
"Damn it. I can't believe our path is blocked," Andros yelled angrily.
"Do we have to turn around and go back?" Ashley wondered.
Brenda felt her body shake a bit. "I have no idea."
Elvis snorted. "We should—"
Loud knocking sounded on the window. Brenda, Elvis, Andros, and Ashley looked over their shoulders, seeing Zhane and Karone wave at them. Andros went over and opened it.
"Why have we stopped?" Zhane asked.
"A log is in the way," Andros answered with a heavy sigh.
"Oh, shit!" Karone yelled and hit the window in frustration. She winced in some pain while shaking her hand rapidly. She clenched her teeth. "I shouldn't have done that."
"No one blames you for that," Zhane said sympathetically.
"Can the log be moved?" Jesse shouted hopefully.
"Elvis and I are going to check it out," Brenda replied and grabbed a flashlight along with Elvis. "We'll be back in a second."
"Just spray Isabella down, okay?" Elvis asked and yawned widely.
"Sure, bro," Jesse said while petting Isabella on her melon. He looked her in the eye when she clicked uncertainly. "Don't worry, girl. We will be on the move in no time."
Brenda and Elvis unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the truck. They stretched their arms and legs. Andros and Ashley exited it. They headed over to Jesse, who stood up. Zhane and Karone climbed out of the back. All five of them did stretches of their arms and legs. Jesse grabbed the tank and picked it up. He set it on the trailer before turning on the hose. He began spraying Isabella with water. Brenda and Elvis made their way toward the log.
"It's funny how history continues to repeat itself, isn't it, Jess?" Zhane asked.
"It sure is, Zhane," Jesse agreed while moving the hose to Isabella's side. He focused on that area. "Unlike last time, we aren't on a hill."
"Nor is the forest road as narrow," Karone added.
"Hmm," Andros whispered.
"We are so fortunate it isn't winter right now. We'd all be freezing," Ashley said, her body shaking a bit. "I have never liked the cold air with the exception of seeing snow."
Zhane and Karone moved closer to Isabella, as did Andros and Ashley. Isabella whistled softly before opening her mouth a tiny bit. Her friends petted her on her nose.
"It will be okay, Isabella," Zhane whispered soothingly.
"We'll get you out of this forest really soon," Karone commented, her voice quieting to a whisper on the last three words. "
"We promise," Ashley added, tears filling her eyes.
"Dial will never get his hands on you again," Andros growled in fierce determination. "He will be rotting in jail along with Harry and the rest of his goons."
Footsteps caught the entire group's attention. They turned to see Brenda and Elvis rushing toward them. The duo came to a stop, smiles showing on their faces.
"The log is hollow," Brenda said excitedly.
"We can roll it very easily," Elvis said while pointing his flashlight at the ground. He eyed her doing the same with hers. "Zhane, Karone, why don't you two come help us move it?"
Zhane nodded eagerly. "Sure."
Karone pumped a fist. "Let's do it."
Brenda and Elvis turned off their flashlights to slip them into their back pockets. They, Zhane, and Karone ran to the log as Jesse moved the hose to Isabella's back and turned up the pressure. They pushed it, loud grunts leaving their mouths. They stopped once it was level with the side. They walked while pushing it. They let it go after they got it off the road. They rose to their full heights. They listened to the sound of it hitting the undergrowth and observed it disappearing. They went to the others.
"The path is clear now," Brenda said, happiness radiating from her face.
"I'm glad," Jesse commented, frowning at the hose's sputtering. He glanced at her. "The tank is nearly empty. We need to find a car wash to wet Isabella down completely. The sun will be coming up in a little while."
"All right," Brenda said with a nod. She rubbed her hands together. "I know a car wash we can go to. It's just a few minutes from the end of this road."
"Come on, everyone," Elvis said, clapping three times. "Let's get going."
Jesse turned off the hose and picked up the tank. He placed it back in the holder before laying the hose next to it. He sat next to Isabella. Zhane and Karone climbed into the back of the truck, sitting down. Brenda, Elvis, Andros, and Ashley went to the front. They got in their respective seats and buckled up. Brenda breathed deeply as she resumed driving.