Trevor dribbled down the court, trying to keep his marker at bay in his game.
"Come on Marx, come on, you've got nothing!" Tyrone taunted him. "I'm all over you, you're going nowhere!"
Trevor switched up, turning one way, then another, spinning past him, before throwing the ball up. It struck the backboard, at which Spike ran in, leaping into the air and catching it before driving the ball into the net. Trevor came over to him, grinning brightly.
"We've got nothing huh?" Trevor asked. "Then tell me why as far as my count goes that's the game?"
"Man, beaten by a couple of cops? How am I ever going to live this one down?" Tyrone said, high-fiving Trevor as his friends gathered around. Trevor checked his watch.
"Alright, we've got about fifteen minutes, that should be enough time to wipe the floor with you guys again." Trevor taunted him. "Anyone want to go again?"
"Hey Marx, your radio's going." One of them said. Trevor just laughed.
"Chris, there's no need to make up excuses just because we're beating you fair and square..."
"No seriously, they're calling your name." He clarified, pointing to Trevor's discarded jacket and belt. Trevor started to approach and as he did he could hear they weren't lying. His badge number was being called out, and by the sound of the voice on the other end, it seemed they had been trying to raise him for a while. He picked up the radio and pressed the button.
"This is Marx responding." He stated.
"Where the bloody hell have you been?" The voice demanded. "Marx, you need to get yourself over to the hospital right away."
"The hospital?" He asked. "We're on the South Side, there has to be units closer than..."
"It's your wife Marx; she was in a traffic accident." The other officer interrupted him.
"On my way!" He rushed out, grabbing his stuff and starting to get ready. "Spike, get your ass in gear! Laura's in the hospital!"
"WHAT?" Spike screeched, beginning to hurriedly get his gear back on himself. "What happened?"
"I can get you there faster!" Psycho Green's voice echoed in his mind. Trevor could see a pale green glow starting to envelop his hand. He took a deep breath and suppressed it, but took the car keys and threw them to Spike.
"You're behind the wheel." He told him. Spike nodded and got into the driver's seat, presuming that Trevor just didn't want to risk driving while he was emotional. This wasn't far from the truth. As Spike pulled the cruiser away from the curb, Trevor gripped his wrist and started to breathe deeply, trying to keep Psycho Green reined in.
In Zandar, the people were starting to gather as close as they could to the palace for the wedding. There were several prominent members of society that had prominent seating within the throne room, and others were given out for various other reasons. People who had been honoured for services to the nation, long-term public servants, military veterans...the remaining seats within the palace were filled in a kind of lottery system with members of the Zandarian population being picked at random so that the people of the nation could be represented.
The Rangers, of course, all had prominent positions in the proceedings. The front bench was for friends and family of the bride and groom of course, but the Rangers, those of whom weren't part of the bridal party of course, were within the front couple of rows. Phillipe saw Preston and Calvin arriving, looking a little apologetic as they took their seats. They were running late, but fortunately had managed to get there before the Bridal march. Matt, Phillipe's chosen Best Man, brought his attention back to the front.
"There are a lot of people here." Matt commented. "You know all these people?"
"Does anyone ever really know everyone at these things?" Phillipe asked.
"I heard you had to put a few noses out of joint." Matt stated. "I heard people say you snubbed the President of..."
"This isn't a State Wedding, there were no Heads of State invited." Phillipe told him. "I don't know the man, so why WOULD I invite him to my wedding? Would you invite a perfect stranger to your wedding?"
"I'm pretty sure my wedding won't be like this to be fair." Matt chuckled. "So, are you nervous?"
"About the ceremony, yes. About Margaret...not in the slightest." Phillipe assured him. "I've never been more certain about anything in my life."
"Well, that's good to hear." Prince Henry declared as he took his spot. It was tradition in Zandar that the current ruler perform the ceremony. He looked to his son and smiled.
"Are you ready?" He asked. Phillipe just nodded as the organ music began.
"I am." He replied. All the assembled guests turned to the door, seeing Margaret turning the corner and entering the main hall. There was a collective intake of breath as she entered in a beautiful white dress. Her smile lit up the room as she looked to Phillipe, who was standing wordlessly. Margaret looked thoroughly composed, and her walk down the aisle, without a single stumble or misstep. All her hours of practice and training, her dogged determination to walk down the aisle herself despite her prosthetic paying off in a graceful entrance that would have appeared completely natural to anyone who didn't know about the amputation.
As she got to the front, Kendall took her position at her side, while the rest of the bridal party all made their way to the benches. The music finally came to an end and Henry took up his place at the pulpit.
"People of Zandar, I stand before you today as the proud ruler of this wonderful nation, and as an even prouder father given the honour of seeing his son marry a woman who has clearly captured his heart." He began the ceremony as Phillipe looked to Margaret. They linked hands as Henry started to read the ceremony. Matt couldn't help looking to Kendall, who was looking back and thinking that soon it would be his turn.
Back in Summer Cove, Trevor and Spike ran into the hospital, having abandoned the car out the front.
"I'm here to see Laura Marx." Trevor rushed out at the desk.
"I'm sorry Officer but we're..."
"Please, I'm her husband!" He continued. The duty nurse just nodded in understanding, pointing down the hall.
"Fourth room on the right." She told him. Trevor ran down the hall, seeing a couple of officers already standing outside. Spike was going to go with him but a security guard grabbed him.
"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" He asked.
"My friend..."
"You can't leave your car there!" He stated, pointing to the door. Spike could see the cruiser they had abandoned at the door. "I don't care if it is a cruiser; we need that area clear for ambulances."
"Oh...right, sorry." Spike answered. While he was concerned about Trevor and Laura, he did also respect the fact that the hospital needed to prioritise patients and emergency cases. He headed out the door, getting into the car and starting it up to begin the search for a parking space.
Trevor got to Laura's room, where a couple of officers, presumably the ones that responded to the accident, were waiting. He thanked them for waiting and headed inside where Laura was being checked out by a doctor.
"Laura, thank God!" He declared as he saw her, taking her hand. He looked to the doctor. "How is she?"
"It's a bump on the head..."
"You lost consciousness; it was a little more serious than that." The doctor reminded her. "I haven't seen any signs of major injuries, it looks like the car did its job, but I'd like to keep her in overnight for observation."
"Hey, I'm the patient, me, over here!" Laura snapped, clicking her fingers and drawing the doctor's attention to her. "You speak to me, not my husband!"
"I'd say she's fine." Trevor laughed. "But could you please listen to the doctors, for my sake?"
"Trevor, it's fine, I'll be..."
"It's a head injury Laura; you read that e-mail Hayley sent about that wrestler guy that her friend knew." Trevor reminded her. "Do you think my life would be worth living if I told her you checked yourself out without a proper examination?"
"Low blow Trevor." She grumbled, before letting out a sigh. "But...I suppose you're right. Hayley would insist I get the full works."
"I'll leave you to it." The doctor told them. He was about to address Trevor, but saw the glare from Laura. He turned back to her. "I'll let you speak to your husband for a little while, but I'll be back shortly once we've scheduled some more tests."
"You'll LET me speak to my husband?" She asked. The doctor just saw when he was defeated and slid out of the room without any further comment. Trevor just laughed.
"You know he's only doing his job right?" He asked.
"Well he can do it while realising I'M the patient and I'm an adult!" She put down bad-temperedly. Trevor squeezed her hand gently.
"That's the woman I love." He answered. "So, do you know what happened?"
"Trevor..."
"Now I'm just doing MY job!" He told her. She just sighed.
"Trevor, I have a splitting headache...quite literally...and this really isn't helping." She told him. "I already told the other guys what I know."
"Which is?" He asked.
"Which is not much." She answered. "I was on the road, then some big black thing side-swiped me. I don't know, maybe he was merging without looking or something, but the next thing I know I'm waking up with some fireman cutting me out of the car!"
"Do you know what kind of vehicle it was?" He asked her.
"Trevor, honestly I only know about a minute before impact and waking up, I don't know anything else." She said impatiently. "The other cops said they don't have the driver, he must have fled the scene. Please, could you try and not make this all about the accident..."
"Accident?" Psycho Green whispered. Trevor shook his head, trying to keep his mind clear. "Why run if it was an accident?"
"Laura, you could have been killed!" He reminded her.
"Yes, but I wasn't!" She snapped. "The car's probably toast but that's why we bought it and not a cheaper model! They build those things with crumple zones for a reason!"
"You could have lost her! Someone tried to take her from you!" Psycho Green continued. "You know what you have to do!"
"It's just a car." Laura told him. "I'm pissed for sure, but the important thing is no one died. Please, just...be the man I married?"
"Of course." He answered. Another doctor came in, looking in on them.
"I've been asked to prep you for an MRI." He told her. "We have an open slot and we'd like to get you in as soon as possible."
"I'll be fine." She said reassuringly to Trevor. She then looked to the doctor. "Alright, what do you need to know?"
Trevor stepped out of the room, but he could still feel Psycho Green swirling in his mind, his voice echoing in him, questioning the accident. He found one of the other cops.
"Hey, um...you didn't catch the other driver is that right?" Trevor asked.
"He fled the scene." The officer told him. "We know we're looking for something big and black, but that's about it."
"Where's the car?" Trevor asked them.
"It's back at the impound." The officer told him. Trevor just nodded.
"Right." He replied. "I'm just...going to go wash my face."
With that, he headed into the mens' room. Spike was only just returning from parking the car.
"Hey, that parking lot is a nightmare!" He declared. "Where's Trevor?"
"He just went into the mens' room." The officer told him. Spike headed in after him, but when he got there, the mens' room was empty. Spike looked around, checking all the stalls, before scratching his head.
"Where'd he go?" Spike asked.
Back in Zandar, the ceremony progressed, and Henry was reading through the litany of the bloodline that had come before them.
Phillipe only had eyes for Margaret though. He stood, looking to her, thinking how lucky he had been that the world had brought her to him. He looked up as his father raised his attention.
"The Bride and Groom will now exchange vows." He asked. Phillipe looked deeply into Margaret's eyes.
"Margaret, I have had a lot of good fortune in my life, but without a doubt my greatest was finding you." He announced. "You have been by my side for as long as I can remember. You have always been kind; wise...you've certainly never shied away from telling me when I was being less than brilliant. And I would have it no other way. I certainly hope it always will be."
He slid the ring onto her finger, and it was now her turn.
"Phillipe, I've loved you...probably longer than I even knew what love was." She told him. "I've always known the kind of man you would become, and I don't mean the Prince of this realm. I mean a man that people would be proud to follow. A man who would stand for anyone under his care, and a man that I would stand beside for the rest of my life."
She slipped the ring onto his finger, at which they leant in, kissing each other. There was a massive applause from the assembled audience.
"I now pronounce you man and wife! I'd invite you to kiss the bride but that seems somewhat redundant now." Henry declared, turning them to the audience. "Now, in accordance with our nation's traditions, I now present to you the opportunity to bestow your blessings on the happy couple! Who would be the first to bestow their blessings on this union?"
Just then, the castle started to shake. The audience started to panic as it shook to its very foundations. The air started to go dark.
"Think this is just part of the show?" Tyler asked Calvin, who just shook his head. "Yeah, I thought that was pretty optimistic too."
The doors flew open and lightning arced into the room, sparking all around the room, causing explosions in multiple areas, before rebounding around and coming back to the door. In a flash of blinding light, a figure appeared. He reached up to his helmet, lifting it off, revealing a dark veined face.
"I would like to bestow my blessings!" He declared. "And...my commiserations."
"Let me guess...that's..."
"Drakkon!" Preston gulped as the Ninja Steel and Dino Charge Rangers all assembled at the front of the hall. Security were starting to get as many people out through side exits as they could safely.
"LORD Drakkon!" He corrected him.
"Well, Lord or not the one thing you're not is very good at calculating odds." Kendall stated. "There are fourteen of us and one of you!"
"No matter what reality you're in, you Rangers never learn!" Lord Drakkon said, at which there was another burst of lightning. The room started to flood with people in armour that looked like it was modelled at least passingly on various Ranger forms.
"You DARE to invade my lands and endanger my people?" Phillipe roared. "You'll pay with your LIFE! Unleash The POWER!"
"Ninja SPIN!" Hayley, Sarah, Calvin and Preston added. The Ranger Sentries were quickly upon them, while Margaret and the rest of the security detail tried to get others out of the hall before there was a massacre!
In Summer Cove Police Station's impound, there was a flash of green lightning and Trevor appeared.
It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. Summer Cove wasn't really an auto crime hotspot. Maybe occasionally someone would leave their car parked a little too long and get towed but it wasn't especially busy. Trevor found what was left of his car and headed over to it.
The front of the car was totalled, and he had no doubt the car was destined for a scrap yard. Modern cars were designed to collapse rather than resist impact in order to take energy out of the impact and away from the people inside. The car had run off the road and ploughed into a barrier, that much he already knew, but that wasn't what he was looking for. He headed to the side, checking the damage there.
The side of the vehicle had black paint on it, which stood out against the red. It was to be expected from an impact, but looking at it, it seemed like there was more damage than he'd expect from a simple side-swipe. Laura had thought that maybe the other driver was just trying to change lane and didn't see her, but she was so shaken up she couldn't really recall much of the accident. However, there was so much damage he was almost sure that the impact had to be bigger, more forceful. Was it possible the other car hit her deliberately?
"You know they did!" Psycho Green told him.
"Get out of my head!" Trevor growled. "I have...I have to be sure..."
"To be sure they're after your family?" Psycho Green asked. "You know how little life means to them."
"Them?" Trevor asked. He looked once again to the damage, noticing how high up on the side it was. Whatever hit Laura had to be big. He suddenly got a flashback of the warning he got from Tracker's security guys. He could see behind them the large black SUV they had been driving.
"You know it's true!" Psycho Green whispered. "You know there's only one way this ends!"
There was a flash of light, and once more he found himself in a new location. This time, he was standing beside a black SUV. He looked to it, seeing scrapes along the side of it, scrapes interspersed with red paint.
His temper flared, and he struggled to keep in control. He could hear a crowd nearby, and saw a banner. He was at a political rally, one that Tracker was holding in the hopes of bolstering his campaign. It was his guys, it was his team that had run Laura off the road, almost killed the woman he loved. He didn't even hear the men arriving behind him.
"Hey asshole! Didn't you see the diplomatic plates?" One of them asked. Trevor turned to see the security team behind him. He growled as he started to approach. He grabbed the man by the jacket, thrusting him against the wall.
"So did you think it was me or did you target my wife to get my attention?" Trevor spat angrily.
"I don't know..."
"Don't LIE to ME!" Trevor called out. The others started to try and pull him away, but they were unable to. None of them noticed the green aura starting to flare up in his eyes as Psycho Green lent him his strength. "I KNOW it was YOU!"
"Let...me...GO!"
Suddenly there was a gunshot, and they all backed off. Trevor staggered back a couple of paces, before falling to the ground. The man he was holding was holding a smoking gun. In his panic the gun had gone off.
"You guys all saw it, that guy was crazy!" He rushed out. "I had no choice..."
"Oh, there's always a choice." They heard an ominous voice say. They all turned in time to see Trevor sitting up. The bullet fell away harmlessly. They now saw green energy crackling all around him as he got back to his feet.
"What the fu..."
The man was blasted away by green lightning as Trevor stood before them. His eyes were now completely glowing green.
"I warned you not to push." Trevor told them. With that, the Psycho Green armour appeared. The men all pulled out their guns, opening fire in a blind panic as Trevor came right for them.