Things got a hectic for a little while, followed by a week visiting family, and then I started binging Bones, so writing has kind of taken a backseat.
Aiming to get back to it now, especially since Camp Nano starts in two weeks!
Hope you like it!
Chapter 14 - The Dark Energem
Jeremy's prison was poorly lit and cold. Those were his first thoughts when he finally woke up. His wrists were in chains hanging from the ceiling, which was so high that his feet didn't even reach the floor.
"What…happened…?" he wondered aloud, finding his memory a haze when he tried to remember just where he was and how he'd gotten there. His head pounded, particularly to the side, and his vision was blurry as he looked around the cell he was chained in. He swayed as he began to struggle, but his strength hadn't returned, so all he could do was weakly rattle the chains holding him to the ceiling.
"I was beginning to think that you would never regain consciousness," the voice startled Jeremy, who had been unaware that anyone else was around. Emerging from the shadows, he found himself staring down at an alien who seemed oddly familiar. "Having some trouble there, little hero?" he taunted as Jeremy didn't speak. The more he spoke, the more Jeremy found him familiar. "Urgh, just looking at you gives me a headache," he complained, and those words finally caused the memories to come flooding back.
"You're that creep…the one who fought the Rangers," Jeremy's voice came out as a weak croak, which just made Singe snort. "Fought me," Jeremy realised as it finally came back to him.
He was a Power Ranger.
And this alien had captured him.
Singe started to laugh as the weak attempts to break free of the chains holding him aloft started up again, with Jeremy fighting as hard as he could to break free.
"Why the Silver Energem chose someone as tragic as you is beyond me," Singe taunted as Jeremy stopped his struggles and glared down at him. His headache, caused by the blow to the head, only grew worse the more he fought. "But that seems to be a recurring thing with all of the Energems. Not one of them is capable of wielding the full power of an Energem. It's tragic," he sighed, shrugging as he spoke.
"What do you want from me?" Jeremy growled down at him. Singe turned back to him slowly; his yellow eyes glowing in the dim light of the cell.
"What do I want?" he repeated, almost incredulous. Jeremy's screams then echoed through the cell and farther as Singe pressed a hand to his stomach, burning him through his shirt. The heat was intense, and Jeremy flailed as he couldn't stop himself from screaming in pain. "What I want…" Singe started as he pulled his hand back and watched Jeremy sag, breathless as tears of pain streamed down his face. "Is to destroy all of you so-called heroes who think that you're so incredible," he answered honestly.
Jeremy couldn't muster the words to respond to Singe's declaration. The blinding pain had lessened after Singe pulled his hand back, but he could feel the imprint on his stomach, painful enough to make Jeremy want to throw up. All he could do was try to control his breathing, which was loud and laboured.
Singe studied him for a moment, amused by the young man's suffering. "You heroes, renowned throughout the universe for fighting off beings that should have been far stronger than anything your tragic little planet has to offer. The Machine Empire, Trakeena, Lothor, Grumm. None of them amounted to much, but they still should have been enough to crush your tragic planet. Yet thanks to those brightly coloured suits, you manage time and time again to defend yourselves. And you think yourselves so mighty for it," Singe thrust his hand forwards again, this time grabbing hold of Jeremy's side.
The pain was excruciating, and Jeremy once again screamed as he jerked and flailed. He kicked out at Singe, but the alien didn't even flinch, barely even feeling it as he burned Jeremy with his powers.
"Enough," the bored comment was barely audible over the screaming, but it was enough to stop Singe from what he was doing. He released Jeremy, laughing to himself as he stepped back from the Silver Ranger, whose laboured breathing was now mixed with his whimpers of pain. "So…this is the Silver Ranger. How…underwhelming," Jeremy looked up through watery eyes at the large alien who stepped into view.
He was tall, and his silver armour made him seem twice the size he was. His skin was a dark green colour, looking as thick as hide and standing out against the red robes he wore, but even if he hadn't been as large as he was, something about his presence still filled the room and caused fear to claw at Jeremy's heart.
"Who…are you?" he croaked out, only to give a cry when the back of Singe's hand smashed across his face in a vicious backhand.
"Now now, Singe," the alien raised a hand, and Singe bowed respectfully to him, moving away from Jeremy. "We can't have you killing him. Not when we can use his power instead," he said, and Singe had to fight his huff of frustration. "You may address me as Lord Arcanon," he told Jeremy, who glared back at him.
"I won't use my powers to help you," he vowed quietly. Seeming to have expected this answer, Lord Arcanon laughed.
"Of course you won't. That's why the Energem chose you. That nobility, that courage that allows you to defy evil, even in the face of certain death," silver light suddenly shone in the room, illuminating it more clearly, and Jeremy's eyes widened as Arcanon lifted the Silver Energem from his pocket and held it up. "It is too bad that it won't assist you when it's not in your possession," he taunted.
"If you know that's why the Energem chose me, then you know that I won't do what you want. Ever," Jeremy told him, his body heaving from exertion and pain.
"Such bravado, I like it!" Lord Arcanon only laughed more at his words. "It truly is something that all wielders possess. Not to worry, boy," he turned and started walking towards the door. "You will give in soon enough," he warned, vanishing with Singe and leaving Jeremy alone in the darkness.
After Singe escaped the planet, vanishing out into space with no trace, Teddie destroyed the ship's communication systems. Despite still being held back with Teddie refusing to fight the Rangers, Mab agreed with the decision to cut off contact with Arcanon and Singe.
It seemed that both of them were sick of being puppets to the warlord.
Fury kept his distance from Teddie afterwards, simply doing what she ordered when it came to sending out monsters to disrupt the Rangers and take their Energems. The strange power that she had used when Singe mocked her was still fresh in his mind, along with Chase's words.
"Surely by now you've noticed the resemblance," the Black Ranger's words had almost been mocking, but Fury found it too much of a coincidence that he shared a similar accent to the girl who called herself Thana.
"I'm going to tell you this once, Fury. Never mention that name again," the danger in Teddie's words when he'd dared to ask her what the Rangers were talking about had warned him away, and Fury hadn't broached the subject again. But he knew that there was far more to her. Especially with that golden light she'd summoned. He kept his thoughts to himself, not trusting the cowardly Wrench not to go running to Teddie the moment he opened his mouth, and Poisandra and Curio were too dumb to even consider sharing his thoughts with.
Fear kept him from stepping out against Teddie, especially after seeing how she'd dominated Singe in battle. The alien might have been injured, but Teddie had chased him off without issue. Instead, he waited, and watched Teddie from a distance, waiting to see just what would happen now that she had cut ties with Singe and Arcanon.
He might have spent millenia on Earth, stranded after Keeper blew up Sledge's ship initially, but Fury still knew of the dangerous warlord who had initially been the one to send Sledge after the Energems in Keeper's possession, while he searched the rumours of the Dark Energem. Arcanon was dangerous, and Fury doubted that he would stay away, especially after Teddie and Singe had clashed.
He had waited centuries for Sledge to return. He would wait a little longer to see who was worth following.
Too focused on her own confusion, Teddie remained completely oblivious of Fury's suspicions. Instead, she just had one question on her mind.
'Who am I?' it was a question that hadn't really bothered her before. All she could remember was working for Lord Arcanon and coming to Earth to get the Energems for him. Initially she was supposed to work with Sledge to do so, but before she could approach him with such orders, his ship had crashed and she'd dismissed him as too weak to consider.
But now, her mind was conflicted. Even more than it already had been after the strangers she'd seen at the museum broke what they'd called a 'glamour spell' and called her by a name that still scared the hell out of her. She had no idea how Fury had heard the name, but all she could do was convince herself that it was just another tactic to confuse her. That Singe was up to mischief just to mess with her.
"Even if she still lacks her memories, she is weak," his dismissive words to Arcanon in his attempt to get approval to kill her had stirred something inside of Teddie. Her lack of memory before working for Arcanon had never been something that she'd put much consideration into. "Killing her would serve as an excellent method to crush the spirits of both the Black and White Rangers," this had gotten under Teddie's skin too. Why would her death upset the Black Ranger? He'd been suspicious of her from the moment he'd laid eyes on her, and something about him had bothered Teddie too, but she just couldn't figure out what Singe had meant.
Then came the nightmares. Teddie refused to sleep for the most part; the dreams always caused her more confusion and pain. She dreamt of Heckyl, she dreamt of the two strangers who scared the hell out of her, and she dreamt of the Black Ranger. Now, on top of those dreams, she now dreamt of darkness; of Arcanon's ship, of fighting for dominance over Mab.
When Mab forced her will to overpower Teddie's, it wasn't a pleasant feeling. The sensation of having her own mind being forced aside by something stronger was one that she never quite got used to, and when she fought against it, it hurt even more. Usually Teddie would be able to stand up to Mab's pressure, staying in command like a knight riding a horse. But when she was too tired to put up a fight, Mab was always right there to throw her off and take control for herself.
The transformation itself hurt like hell, even if Teddie willingly swapped with Mab. Her skin would prickle and change to a tougher green armour, and caused Teddie to fight against the transformation even then, feeling as if she suddenly couldn't breathe.
It was the same for Mab, who desperately clung to the control once she'd achieved it. Even if Teddie willingly allowed her to swap on occasion, she was still the more repressed of their two selves, and she hated it. So she would fight the pain and the pressure of being pushed back down into the darkness with everything she had, taking that pain out on whoever was foolish enough to get close to her.
This time it was Singe, who only caused her more pain as he burned her with every touch. Mab would shriek, but fight even as the winged symbol just below her collarbone glowed vibrantly.
"Stay down there, you idiot! This is my fight!" Mab would yell aloud. Singe always found it entertaining to watch the two fight for dominance in one body. Mab was powerful, but in the end she always bowed to Teddie's power, and in a flash of light, Teddie stood where the green-skinned creature had once stood.
"Idiot," she muttered as the pain hummed under her skin, before a fist slammed into her stomach. Teddie choked as her breath was forced from her lungs, and the force lifted her just off her feet. Singe drew his fist back, and she dropped to the ground to cough violently.
"You should have let her stay out," Singe taunted as Teddie curled up, tears in her eyes. "Useless brat," he said, turning to walk away.
"That was a cheap shot," he stopped at Teddie's shaking words. Glancing over his shoulder, he found her glaring back; a look he'd hated on her from the moment he'd laid eyes on her. "Of course, that's how you always fight. It's the only way you'll win," she goaded, and for a moment Singe turned back to her, a hand lifting as it glowed red with his power over fire. But then he stopped himself, remembering his orders.
"You're under the protection of Arcanon, brat. But don't push your luck," with that, Singe strode off, leaving Teddie to recover from the pain.
The dream then changed, and Teddie was in another, better lit part of Arcanon's ship.
"Not bad at all, dear Thana," Arcanon was watching as Teddie destroyed the cluster of footsoldiers that he'd set on her. She hadn't even broken a sweat; wiping them out with a wave of dark magic that came naturally to her, turning the monsters to dust.
"Thank you, Master," Teddie bowed to him. His praise meant nothing to her, but she knew better than to dismiss it. She'd seen what he'd done to plenty of others, demonstrating but a fraction of his power.
"Yes, fantastic, she sure showed those mindless fools," Singe, on the other hand, did nothing but mock her openly. Teddie scowled as she straightened up, her dark eyes on Arcanon's second in command. He too was powerful, proving time and time again why he was the only person that Arcanon ever told his plans to. Teddie hated him.
"Perhaps you would like to try next?" she knew better than to challenge him, but the words always came out before she could stop them. Teddie was determined to beat him one day, and shut him up for good.
"Will you give a decent fight, this time?" Singe asked in response.
"Enough," both stopped instantly at Arcanon's order. Even with one word, he was able to convey his power. "Thana, I believe you're ready for your assignment. Prepare yourself to go to Earth," Lord Arcanon's words had her eyes go wide.
"Yes sir," she nodded, quickly hurrying away.
"Master, is it truly wise to send her back there? If they find her-"
"It will not matter. Thana is under my command," Arcanon cut Singe off, and Teddie, hearing them, kept walking as she simply put it down to Singe underestimating her as always. It made her close her hands into tight fists.
She wouldn't fail. She would prove Singe wrong and get the Energems.
Waking with a jolt from the dream of the past, Teddie almost fell out of the chair she had been sleeping in. Instantly she gave a heavy sigh, pushing her hair from her face to rub her eyes.
"Were you sleeping?" Teddie looked up as Poisandra strode in, with Curio not far behind her. "You should lie down if you're going to sleep; it'll do wonders for your pretty face," Poisandra chirped.
"Shut it," Teddie snapped at her. The pink monstrosity huffed, offended by her cold attitude. She turned back to Curio, complaining loudly about the rudeness of some people when she was just trying to be friendly, but Teddie just ignored her, thinking about her dream. "'Back there'? What did Singe mean?" Teddie wondered, sinking back in the seat. "Who am I…?" she wondered quietly.
On Arcanon's ship, Jeremy's torture continued. He was barely given anything to eat or drink; just enough to sustain him and keep him awake as Singe used him as his own personal punching bag. The fire being seemed to be working out all of his frustrations on the Silver Ranger, swapping between using his fists and his powers to keep Jeremy guessing.
The young man had no idea how much time had passed since he had first arrived on Arcanon's ship, or if anyone had realised that he was missing yet. The power that he'd felt when he first bonded to the Silver Energem was long gone, and with Arcanon holding onto it, there was no chance of Jeremy escaping.
His ankles had been chained to the ground not long after the torture had begun, after he'd kicked Singe hard enough in the face to draw blood. The alien had laughed, somewhat impressed, before beating Jeremy even harder than usual as a punishment.
Ice cold water pulled Jeremy from dreams of home, soaking through the torn, burned and bloody clothes he still wore. He gasped, eyes snapping open before the sound of a now empty bucket crashed against the ground, and made him flinch.
"Rise and shine, boy," Singe laughed as he stood in front of Jeremy, who glared back feebly. One of his eyes was still swollen, barely able to open, but his other stared daggers at his tormentor. He didn't speak, having learned by now that this only entertained Singe more. "That look…" he muttered, and with one heavy backswing, cuffed Jeremy across the face. The Silver Ranger barely made a sound, fighting it as long as he could. "It gives me a headache just looking at it. That defiance even now. Only you tragic heroes wear it. And it pisses me off," he sunk his fist into Jeremy's stomach, hard enough to force the breath from Jeremy's chest. He wheezed, as even breathing had hurt for a while now.
The brutal treatment resumed once more, with Jeremy exhausted after only a small amount of sleep achieved, having passed out from Singe's last round of attacks. It wasn't long before he wasn't able to hold back his cries of pain, and Singe gave a pleased sigh when he cried out, once again hit across the face.
"You have real spirit, boy. I'll give you that much," Singe allowed as he stepped back to shake out his hand. Jeremy spat out the blood pooling in his mouth, amazed that he somehow hadn't lost any teeth - yet.
"What do you want from me?" he managed to ask, his head lowered as he struggled to muster the strength to lift it. Tears ran down his face as he desperately wished for it to just be over.
"For you to join us," his weak breath caught at the other voice that spoke up. He hadn't seen Lord Arcanon since he'd first woken up on the ship, but he haunted almost as many of his nightmares as Singe did at this point.
"Sorry dude," Jeremy tried to sound indifferent. 'Be like dad. Don't give in,' he told himself as he watched Arcanon through a swollen eye. "Ain't gonna happen," he spat out more blood, and it splashed at the alien's feet. "I'm not evil, and I'm definitely not joining your weirdo army," Jeremy vowed. Even through everything he'd suffered, even when he desperately wanted it to end, that was one thing he'd never give in on.
"You're right, Singe. He does have spirit. Just like the girl," Jeremy's eyes widened at the comment. Singe just gave a shrug as the memories of his capture came back to him. The young woman standing opposite Singe, staring at her hand in complete shock.
"Teddie…" he breathed.
"Ah, so you know my loyal subject," Arcanon smirked. "Well, not so loyal now, I suppose. She's going through a rather rebellious stage at the moment, and you're going to help me with that," Jeremy frowned up at him.
"I would never fight Ted," he snarled.
"You don't have much choice," Lord Arcanon lifted the box he carried under his arm and opened it. Instantly a dark, cold feeling filled the room, making Jeremy's breath catch. His heart began to race as fear clawed at his chest, and an eerie light came from the box. "You can sense this power too, I see. Earth is filled with interesting creatures," Arcanon spoke as he approached Jeremy, who struggled in a desperate instinct to run. Arcanon lifted a gemstone from the box, almost identical to the Silver Energem, only it held a dark colour that terrified him. "Join me, and become my servant," the warlord held it out, touching it to Jeremy's forehead.
Light instantly began to drift from the Dark Energem, brushing Jeremy's battered and bruised skin before travelling down to surround his body. While the light almost looked gentle, everywhere it touched caused more and more pain to fill his body.
It took him longer than it should have to realise that he was screaming.
Jeremy's arc kind of got away from me. By a lot.
Let me know what you think!
Please review!