Reefside: The "AAR" Chronicles – Part 12
Crying For A Vision
By Justin Jack
Beth opened her eyes and looked around hoping that her "quest" had kicked in. Beth pounded her pillow when she realized she was still in her room.
"Damn!"
The young Oliver rubbed her temples in frustration. Her father had the same troubles in believing his quest before finding his brother David. In her mind, she wished her Uncle David was here to help in her time of need.
"How did Dad deal with this without going insane?" Beth thought to herself. "I know I can do it!"
Beth gracefully rolled off the bed and headed over to her CD cabinet opening it to reveal a huge music collection stacked to almost overflowing levels. She ran her finger down the list of titles starting of course with "Kira Ford's Greatest No. 1's". That would always be on top in Beth's mind, but she needed a song that would help her relax and hopefully focus her enough to find her parents.
She finally found it. Elizabeth pulled the CD from the cabinet and placed it into her stereo system by her bedside. Plugging in her earphones while resuming her meditation position on the bed, she programmed the song into the player.
"Try Again" by Aaliyah began playing as Elizabeth let out a deep breath and closed her eyes deep in concentration.
A few hours later downstairs in the Cave, Justin is still hard at work at the main terminal typing up a storm. He couldn't understand it, everything he tried to locate his former commander was coming up short. The former blue Turbo Ranger was growing more frustrated by the hour. Justin looked over and caught a glance of Will asleep in the other chair clutching a copy of "Guide to the Shadow Force Universe" to his chest.
"At least you're not awake to complain about my 'five minutes or less' statement," Justin chuckled as he went back to work.
x--------------------------x
Darkness.
That is all Elizabeth sees.
She looks around the void noticing that she is no longer in the safe confines of her bedroom.
"Hello!"
She heard nothing but an echo.
"Where am I?" Beth asked herself.
All of a sudden, a huge fireball came spiraling out of nowhere heading right for her head. The young gymnasts instinct kicked in. She dropped into a split and flattened the top half of her body to the ground as the ball of flame passed just inches over her petite frame.
As soon as the fire had missed its target and disappeared, Beth quickly kicked up and dropped into a hardened fighting stance.
"I think I liked my coma visions better!"
"Sorry...didn't mean to startle you."
"What the...," Beth jumped as the deep voice boomed a few yards away from her.
"Who is that? Where are you?" she asked the mystery voice.
With that, a wall of fire sprang up about a hundred feet from the petite fighter. She put up her arm to block the bright flash and the heat that followed until her eyes adjusted. Beth could just make out a silhouette of a figure back lit by the flames.
"Hello Miss Oliver."
Beth wasn't sure if she should drop her guard or remain battle ready; she chose the latter of the two.
"How do you know who I am?"
"That's not important now. What is...is finding your parents!" the stranger stated.
Beth eased out of her fighting stance and started toward the figure regardless of the heat that accompanied him.
"Are you my spirit guide or something?"
"Well, it ain't Jiminy Cricket," the figure joked.
Beth glared at her "guide" with seriousness in her eyes.
"Okay...tough crowd," he muttered in a low tone.
Beth gave the spirit guide a quick once over and a realization popped into her mind.
"Wait a minute, I saw you in my comatose dream. You saved me from those T-drones."
"Yes, but now is the time to find and set free the ones you love the most. Are you ready?"
"I'm ready."
The guide nods and extends his hand. Beth accepts it as the figure back tracks through the firewall with her in tow.
Once though the wall of flame. We are brought into the familiar holding cell that is housing our captive Rangers. Beth looks around as her guide is nowhere to be seen. She looks toward the corner of the cell and sees her parents huddled together.
"Mom...Dad!" she screamed as she ran toward them. Beth tried to grab Tommy's shoulder but her hand passed right through him. Elizabeth looked at her hand in shock. She couldn't touch them, but maybe she could try to talk to them though her meditation. She stared and concentrated on her parents sitting before her.
Suddenly, both Tommy and Kim looked straight into their daughter's eyes. She had reached them.
"Elizabeth?" the two Rangers asked in unison.
"Yeah, it's me. Are you two alright?"
"Right now we are, but I don't know for how much longer," her father told her.
"How did you find us?" Kim asked her daughter.
"Being half Native American has its advantages," she explained.
Despite their current position, Tommy and Kim share a smile toward their daughter. She was always able to make them see the bright side of any situation...no matter how bad.
"Do you know where you are?" Beth asked her parents as she scoped out the holding cell.
"No, but you have to tell the others that Goldar is apart of what ever is going on," Tommy confided in his young daughter.
"Goldar? Isn't he dead?" she asked in confusion.
Tommy shook his head. "Whoever brought him back is the one in charge, and unless we get out of here...we're dead."
"And without our gems, we can't morph and get out of here," her mother added.
As soon as Beth heard the words escape from Kim's lips, it was like a lightning bolt hit her. Before she could tell them her plan of action, footsteps could be heard from beyond the cell door. Beth turned back to them with a look of determination on her face.
"Listen, I've got a plan. Do you trust me?"
"We always have Princess," Tommy assured the young one.
"It's not even a question," Kim spoke as she backed up her husband's words.
"Okay, I'll be back for you."
Beth backed away towards the other side of the cell.
"I swear it!"
With that pledge, Elizabeth disappeared in a flash of light.
x--------------------------x
She opened her eyes.
She knew what had to be done.
It was time...
End of Part 12
TBC
A/N: Sorry about the long delay. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it and tide you over until I can get to the next one. If I still have any fans left out there and you haven't given up on me yet, I thank you in advance for your support. It's you guys that keep me going and your feedback and ideas are always welcome.
May the Power Protect You!
Justin aka morphmaster