War of the Hidden
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A/N: Please give me some kind of comment so I won't keep posting if no one likes it.
Ch. 9
"Lian!" they yelled as Mike struggled to keep hold of the little girl, who was surprisingly strong for someone her size. She was going berserk. But then again, who wouldn't after seeing their father get bit by a bloodthirsty vampire.
"Lian, calm down!" Karone tried to say with as much authority as possible. Being Astronema, she had a lot, but when she became a Ranger, she drifted more to being a follower. Plus, without the whole Princess of Evil thing, she didn't look that scary.
"No!" Maxi said, throwing Mike off of herself. "They need help."
"Of course they do, and that's why you have to stay calm to give it to them," Mike replied.
"You're right," the little girl murmured. "And I will be the one to give it to them."
"Huh?" Bella asked, looking over at Clare. The sorceress just shook her head.
Maxi pulled a key out of her pocket. Not just any key, a silver key that looked much like a Swiss Army knife, with its blade out. She brought her left arm up diagonally across her chest. With a flick of her wrist, her communicator changed form. Her friends stared at her, mouths hanging open in shock.
"Tommy! Tommy! C'mon bro, hang in there!" Jason knelt beside the fallen Black Dino Thunder Ranger, his best friend's helmeted head cradled in his arms. It was obvious how weak he was and rapidly slipping into unconsciousness.
Without their field leader, the Rangers themselves were falling apart. They were getting thrown off or having things thrown upon them. Sparks flew from their battle suits as they were hit by heavy objects. All in all, it looked like a losing battle. The vampires were overwhelming them. They fought exactly like a snake that lost its head.
"Jason, look out!" Adam shouted as he tried to fend off a vampire's rock-hard arm. The original Red Ranger turned and an expression of pure shock and fear crept over his face behind his helmet as he saw a vampire leap at him.
"Turbo Sword!" cried a new voice and the red weapon intercepted the attack. The sword threw up the vampire's arm and whipped around to slice him across the middle. Even the marble-like vampire had to recoil, if not from pain, then from shock. A Red Turbo Ranger came to stand between him and the first two leaders of Earth's Power Rangers.
"Ha! Another Ranger!" the vampire laughed. "The first one tasted good enough, but your blood, it sings to me."
Jason saw his rescuer's head flicker to the right, so fast that if he hadn't been staring at the helmet, trying to figure out who was behind it (for TJ was fighting not too far away as the Blue Space Ranger), he would've missed it. Of course, the vampire didn't miss it either. He had followed the Red Turbo Ranger's gaze and smirked to see that his enemy had looked over to Edward.
"Ah yes," he said evilly, "the famous Edward Cullen, quite well-known for his ability to resist the blood that calls out to him the most. But you, Red Ranger, you are not as lucky, as you blood sings to Ragdlog, Advisor of Lord Atirddez Asluper!"
The Red Turbo Ranger held their stance between Ragdlog and Jason and Tommy, the Turbo Sword held up, ready to strike. "Well then, why don't I give you a promotion?" the mystery Ranger smirked. "I'll send you down to be the advisor to Satan himself!"
"Ha!" Ragdlog laughed. "I'd like to see you try." Then he turned to Tommy and smirked at Jason's attempt to wake him. "Don't bother, that one will be one of us soon! Then our battles will be even, Ranger versus Ranger."
"Aarg!" the Red Turbo Ranger cried in frustration, pulling the handle back for an extra power boost and slicing out at Ragdlog, missing by a millisecond. The spot where the vampire stood was now empty air. All the vampires had vanished, only Ragdlog's maniacally laughing remained behind. The Red Turbo Ranger turned to face Jason and Tommy, demorphing in defeat.
"Lori!" Jason gasped in shock when it was revealed that his young goddaughter was his savior and the mystery Ranger. The little girl didn't hear him though. Her eyes saw only the unconscious Brachio Ranger in his arms.
"Dad!"
Tommy returned to Rootcore in the arms of Jason, Zack, and TJ. Immediately, Udonna and Clare began to tend to him with the help of Carlisle and Dana. Rocky was holding Maxi, who buried her face into his shoulder, her tears finally getting the better of her and spilling out, soaking the man's blue shirt. Rocky held her tightly while she cried. Tommy was bitten, Carlisle explained to everyone, by Ragdlog, Atirddez's second-in-command. The venom of the vampire and the power within Tommy are battling inside him.
It was four hours later before they allowed Maxi to see Tommy. He lay in his bed, anything but peacefully. She could tell by the expressions on his face and the way his body thrashed that he was in much pain. Fresh tears rose to her already-puffy eyes when she saw him like this. Never had Maxi seen Tommy looked so vulnerable, not even when he was stuck in that coma during his time as the Black Dino Thunder Ranger in 2004. Tommy had always been Maxi's visual of strength. Seeing her father in pain like this made her wonder how it was going to be possible to win this war.
Sniffing and fighting to hold back tears, Maxi knelt beside her father's bed and slipped her tiny hand into his large one. She squeezed it for comfort.
"Come on Dad, we need you. Please wake up."
After her visit with Tommy, Maxi returned to the base and was immediately bombarded with questions from her friends. They surrounded her and forced her into a seat at the table.
"How did you get those powers?" Jason demanded.
"I thought the Turbo powers were destroyed," Ethan added.
"When did this happen?" Trini asked.
So Maxi sighed and told them her story.
"Yes, the Turbo powers were destroyed. But just like how Storm Blaster had recharged Justin's Blue Turbo Morpher, Lightning Cruiser recharged the Red Turbo Morpher. That was how TJ was able to morph into the Red Turbo Ranger back in 2002 during the Forever Red Mission. It was after that mission, when they returned to Earth, that TJ decided that he was content with just being the Blue Space Ranger."
"I didn't need two Ranger powers, especially two functioning ones," TJ picked up. "So I decided to pass the Turbo power to Lori, just like Tommy had passed them on to me. Now it's back in the family. What more perfect power can she have than one that once belonged to her father?
"I gave her the Turbo Key after seeing that she already had Tommy's old communicator. I told her to keep it a secret, because you know how those evil villains are always watching you from wherever they base, on the moon, in the lake, in space, whatever. I didn't want someone to find out about it and try to use her and the power to get at the Rangers."
"He told me to never reveal that I'm the new Red Turbo Ranger," Maxi finished. "Even during our time in Reefside, I kept it a secret. It was to be used as a last resort. I forced myself to forget I even had the power when the Dino Thunder Rangers were fighting Mesogog, because I was afraid that I would rush into battle whenever I saw one of them in danger. But today, I just couldn't hide it anymore…" Maxi sighed and hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry TJ."
The big black man put a hand on her shoulder. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Lori. You made the right decision."
"Yeah," Jason said. "If it weren't for you, Tommy and I would be dead. You saved both our lives today, Lor."
"As the Red Ranger, you are the leader of your team," Andros told her. "You have to be strong and believe in the decisions that you make, so your team would believe in them too. And for now, during this new mission, we're all part of your team."
No longer did Maxi doubt she was the one to lead the Rangers in this battle against Atirddez, not after what Andros said. As much as she had cared about it before, now, with Tommy in his current condition, it had gotten personal. Maxi was not going to rest until Atirddez and his army was brought down, that much, she swore to herself. And Ragdlog, you better watch yourself, 'cause you're mine!
It was her third night she had gone without sleeping. She stood in the bathroom, splashing water on her face to wake herself. Her friends, trying to get her to sleep, had made sure she could not have any coffee (not that she was even old enough to drink it in the first place) or any other sources of caffeine. Maxi looked up, gasping, and saw her reflection in the mirror. She looked at herself, water dripping from her face, circles under her eyes that displayed her lack of sleep. All of a sudden, Zordon's words floated into her brain.
"GOOD AND EVIL ARE FOREVER INTERWINED. WHERE THERE IS ONE, THERE HAS TO BE THE OTHER. THEY KEEP EACH OTHER IN BALANCE, LIKE YIN AND YANG; MIRRORED OPPOSITES."
And then her jaw dropped as it finally hit her. When she recovered herself, she ran back to the base of Rootcore shouting, "Guys! I've got it! I've got it!"
"Whoa there Lor," Jason said, catching her. "What did you get?"
"I've got what Zordon's trying to tell me!"
"What?" everyone asked. They've all been trying to figure that out for days. The four geniuses especially, sat down at the table by Maxi eager to hear how the little girl had figured out the mystery that they themselves were still stumped over.
"Two words: mirrored opposites," Maxi replied and launched into her explanation of how she came to her theory. She hadn't felt so excited in at least a week and her heart pumped faster and faster as she went further. It was like the excitement had kick started a backup battery in her system.
"Of course!" Justin said when she was finished. "I thought that face looked familiar. You and Atirddez do look exactly alike…if you take off all the vampire-characteristics."
"And then everything else that Zordon said would fit!" Maxi exclaimed. "'Blood is thicker water'. He's telling me that Atirddez and I are related, blood relatives, I think. And the whole thing about being small doesn't matter; he must mean that I have to be the one to stop him (Atirddez), because I'm so small!"
"That does make sense," Andros agreed, nodding slowly.
"But what about what he said last?" Ryan asked. "'If you can't beat them, join them'?"
Maxi sighed. "That's the one I'm not too sure about. But I think he's saying that I should enter into his ranks, that way, I can get close enough to finish him off."
"But you can't!" Bella nearly shouted. "First of all, they'll recognize you immediately. You can't spy on vampires. And second, even if you did manage to get close enough, how are you going to finish off Atirddez?"
"That's the only thing that's keeping me here right now," Maxi answered truthfully. Her previous good mood was entirely gone by now.
For the rest of the week, things were pretty quiet, which Maxi and the Rangers didn't like one bit. When Esme asked why, Shane answered, "It's only the calm before the storm."
And he couldn't have been more right. The following Monday, Atirddez launched his biggest attack yet. Eight squads targeted different parts of the city. A grand total of 48 vampires roamed the streets of Briarwood, attacking various spots of the now-abandoned city. The citizens were now hidden deep in the Mystic Forest, protected by trolls and giants and other mystical creatures (and of course, magic). Maxi sent the Rangers into battle. There were six full teams: Space, Galaxy, Lightspeed, Wild Force, Ninja Storm, and Mystic Force. Justin joined the Zeo Rangers to make a seventh team, and Jason, Trini, and Zack teamed up with Wes and Eric as the eight. The seven Cullens, broke up and each joined up with a team. Carlisle in Space, Esme in Galaxy, Rosalie in Lightspeed, Emmett in Wild Force, Alice in Ninja Storm, Jasper in Zeo, and Edward with the Mighty Morphin/Time Force. This left Mystic Force without a vampire ally, but seeing that they had at least two more Rangers than everybody else, Maxi and the other non-fighters could only pray they would be okay. With Tommy still out, the Dino Thunder teens were forced to hang back and watch as their friends and fellow Rangers fought tooth and nail (figuratively) against the enemy. They were the backup team, and soon, were each sent out to help. The Galaxy, Wild Force, Zeo , and MM/TF teams had only five Rangers and Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent were reinforcing them, respectively.
The battle was long and hard, the odd didn't look good for the side of Good. Maxi couldn't stand not being out there with her friends (Jason had ordered that she was not allowed to go into battle unless one of the Rangers had fallen) and she knew that Mike and Karone felt the same way, if not more so since they used to be able to fight along side them when Maxi never could.
"This isn't good," Bella whimpered as she watched the MM/TF team, worried about Edward, who was a great fighter and faired pretty well against his opponent. The others tried to get her away from the fighting, but they couldn't get her to budge.
"Call in the Alien Rangers," Maxi commanded and Mike started typing away at the computer immediately. Maxi closed her eyes, her hands gripping the edge of the table tightly, as she tried to remember all the allies the Power Rangers had. Slowly, she counted them off to the former Magna Defender (II): Trey of Triforia, Ninjor, the Phantom Ranger, and the Blue Senturion.
"There are more, Maximilian, think harder," an unfamiliar echoing voice said.
"Huh?" Maxi gasped, looking around.
"What is it?" Karone asked.
"Did you guys just say something?" Maxi asked her friends.
"No," Clare answered.
"Really? I could've sworn…"
"I think you're overworked, Lian," Karone said. "Maybe you should get some rest."
"I can't rest now! Not when the Rangers need me most!"
"You're no help to anyone if you're too tired to think coherently," Bella said. Maxi looked at her, then to Clare, Karone, and even Mike who raised his head for a brief second to glare at her. The little girl sighed in defeat.
"Fine," she huffed and left for the dormitories higher up the trunk. She entered her room and slammed the door. She was angry that she had been sent to her room like a misbehaving child. "How can they shut me up when the Rangers are fighting a losing battle?" she asked out loud to no one in particular. "They need all the help they can get."
"Think Maximilian, there are others who can help," said that same echoing voice. Maxi literally jumped in surprise. This was Rootcore, no one can enter undetected. They had to be granted access by Udonna or Clare, the mistresses of the base.
"Who's there?" Maxi called out, looking around but seeing no one there. She only saw herself in the reflection of the mirror hanging on the bark wall. That was when she noticed something different about herself. Besides from the bags under her eyes due to lack of sleep, Maxi noticed her irises were a different color. Instead of their usual shade of dull gray, they were now flashing a champagne color.
"I am not out there, but in here, inside your head," the voice told her.
"Who are you and what are you doing inside my head?" Maxi demanded furiously. She always joked around with Edward about reading her mind, digging inside her head, but now, she was truly angry with whoever was in there uninvited. Maxi was a private, introverted person who didn't like people sticking their noses in business that didn't concern them. Whatever was going on in her head should not be of any concern to this stranger.
"I am Lexian of Edenoi," the voice answered. "And I am here, because you called me."
Maxi's eyes grew wide in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Maxi asked shakily after Lexian's first attempt to explain it to her.
"Maximilian, you are the Sage, Contactor of the Spirits, Ambassador of the Past. You have the ability to call on help from the past and borrow the Power of others to use as your own. To you, the word 'gone' has a whole new meaning," Lexian said more patiently this time.
"Me? A Contactor? An Ambassador? I think you're making the same mistake as Alpha; you have the wrong person."
"No," Lexian said. "Alpha 7 does not make mistakes, not one like that. No Maximilian, you were chosen to do this. To lead the Power Rangers of the past and present to overcome this new obstacle."
"I think Atirddez and his vampires are a little more than an obstacle."
"No, they're not. The answer is simple, if you look back far enough."
Maxi sighed. Great, she thought, another wise old man from a distant planet telling her the answer in riddles. A light chuckled caught her attention.
"I am in your head, remember?" Lexian said. "Your thoughts come to be with more ease than your voice."
"But-but-but surely I'm not a sage."
"No," Lexian agreed. Maxi sighed in relief. "You're the Sage." Maxi groaned in annoyance.
"No offense, King Lexian," she said, "but how can my being 'the Sage' help the Rangers defeat Atiddez?"
"Ah, in true Power Ranger fashion, that is for me to know, and you to find out."
Maxi's jaw dropped in disbelief. And here she thought this guy was here to help her. Again, Lexian had sensed what she was thinking.
"I'll give you one hint: look to the roots."
And then, just like Maxi's encounter with Zordon, Lexian was gone. She couldn't really explain it, but it was as if she felt something leave her, the moment her connection with Lexian was severed. Maxi also realized that her eyes had dimmed back to gray after Lexian's presence disappeared.
"First blood, now roots, what is it with these mentor-people?" she muttered darkly as she left her room to tell the others what she just found out, not knowing the Rangers had news of their own to tell her.
PS
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