Chapter 27 - A Safe Place
Heckyl didn't remember being thrown from the cockpit of the UltraZord when it had ejected. When he came too, he had demorphed and found himself in a bush that had cushioned his fall. Everything hurt, and his head felt fuzzy, but he refused to just lay there.
Untangling himself from the bushes, Heckyl managed to coax his body to stay standing and start to walk. His mind whirled with everything that had gone on with Ryan. He couldn't believe it. Not only was the Dark Energem still causing problems, it had now created a Dark Ranger, who had stolen the Tupux Zord and thoroughly beaten them.
Arcanon was long gone, but they still had a huge fight ahead of them, and all Heckyl wanted to do was go rest. As he limped back towards the museum, he pulled his Dino Com from his pocket.
'Heckyl!' Ari appeared on screen, looking worried. 'Glad to see you're in one piece,' she said, managing a faint smile.
"One piece is debatable at the moment. Any word from the others?" he asked.
'They're all okay. Chase and Philip fell in the river, but Philip got them out. They're all in similar shape to you, so I've told them what I'll tell you. Get some rest, and we'll discuss a game plan tomorrow,' Ari ordered, and his eyebrows rose.
"Surely we should-"
'No,' Ari cut him off firmly, and there was no hint of her usual cheer. That stopped his argument dead. 'Rest up. There's no point in you guys being here exhausted. We can plan our next steps in the morning, so get some rest. If your injuries are bad, let me know,' she instructed, and all he could do was nod.
"Right," Heckyl spoke quietly. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning then," he said. He hated to admit defeat against her, but he also knew that if he tried to go to the museum, Ari would use force to send him home and probably lock him in.
'See you in the morning,' Ari was quiet too, ending the communication. Heckyl sighed, pressing the Dino Com to his forehead.
"Dammit," he muttered, changing direction to start heading home instead. Heckyl had barely made it a few steps when he heard the scream.
"Get off me, you creeps!" the moment he recognised the voice, Heckyl moved as he suddenly seemed to forget the pains throughout his body. He sprinted in the direction of the scream, his powers already crackling to life.
Teddie yanked her arm free from the grasp of the Vivix that had caught her. Of course it had managed to grab her injured arm. The pain had caused tears to burn in her eyes, and she clutched her arm to her chest as she backed away from the monsters, glaring at them. She berated herself for being careless enough to be caught by a small group of them in town.
As they clustered in close, ready to attack in a beat, Teddie called on sun energy to form a ball of light in her hand. Before she could throw it, however, someone moved between her and the monsters and her eyes went wide.
"You-" Heckyl didn't look at her, as instead he let his powers fly from both hands to fry the Vivix before they could even think to defend. The hairs on Teddie's neck stood on end at the power that came from the White Ranger, and it crackled in the air even as his powers faded. For a moment, there was nothing but his heavy breathing, and Heckyl turned to her.
"Are you…" before he could get the question out, the energy in his body vanished and he swayed, unable to stay standing.
"Heckyl!" Teddie gasped as she caught him, sinking to the ground as Heckyl groaned. The pain had returned with a vengeance and everything ached. His head was swimming, and he was struggling to stay conscious.
"Sorry…" he mumbled, slumped into her as Teddie stared down at him. She had no idea what to do or how to help him - or even how he'd ended up in such bad shape. She could see the cuts and bruises on his face and just under his shirt collar. He'd just saved her, and she just wanted to help him.
The same warmth from before rose up under her skin, and Teddie's eyes went wide as instead of gathering in her hand, the warmth caused her skin to light up in a golden glow. For a moment, she stared, unable to believe what she was seeing. There was a prickling sensation in her arm, as the pain started to lessen.
"Are you…glowing?" Heckyl's exhausted question reminded Teddie of why she had been panicking. Instantly the light flickered, and she felt the warmth starting to fade. With a gasp, she put her hand to his face, and watched as his injuries started to heal. Heckyl's eyes opened more fully, and he sat up properly as the glow vanished and Teddie slumped, suddenly exhausted.
Heckyl stared at the young woman who was now breathing heavily beside him, looking worn out. He still felt worn out, and there was still a dull ache, but it was far less than before. "You…you healed me," he realised, and she met his gaze with a scared look.
"I don't know how," she admitted. Now that she was conscious of it, Teddie had no idea how to call the power back to the surface. The more she tried, the more frustrated she got, and the less she could feel that warm power, which only frustrated her more.
"Thank you," she blinked, and felt her face warm at Heckyl's gratitude.
"It wasn't like I did it on purpose," she muttered, looking away. "And besides, you're the one who saved me," Teddie pointed out, her face only growing warmer. Despite everything, Heckyl chuckled and got to his feet, taking her hands to help her up.
"Thank you, all the same," he told her quietly. Heckyl then looked around when she didn't reply. "Clearly it's pretty dangerous to be alone around here. Teddie, would you-"
"I can't go back to them," Teddie shook her head, trying to pull away, but he held onto her hands to stop her. "My family, they…I just can't, okay?" she refused, still trying to get away.
"It's okay. You don't have to go with them," Heckyl soothed quickly, seeing the panic starting to rise up in Teddie. She scowled at him, and he swallowed before speaking again. "Come with me. Even if it's just for now. You'll be safe," he suggested. Teddie stared at him, seeming to have not expected the offer.
Part of her mind told Teddie to tell him no. To pull out of his grasp and tell him that she'd be fine on her own. The frustration was still simmering as she just couldn't understand why she'd been able to glow when she'd never done so before, and why it now wouldn't work. She couldn't quite remember exactly what she'd felt in that moment.
But instead, she took a shaky breath and nodded. She knew it wasn't safe to stay out by herself anymore. She'd gotten by so far, but the longer she stayed in the shadows, especially after interfering with Badusa, the more Mab would be after her. If she wasn't careful, the next one she'd find would be Mab.
"Okay," she agreed.
The events of the day ran through Heckyl's mind as he finally had a chance to sit down and think about it.
A Dark Ranger, harnessing the power of the Dark Energem, which contained enough power to rival the power of all twelve Energems combined. Their powerful new Tupux Zord stolen and under his control, while their own Zords were now undergoing their self-repairs after a vicious, one sided battle that had left all of the Rangers in bad shape.
If his own injuries were anything to go by, it was definitely the worst they'd fared in battle. He just hoped they were all doing better than he had been.
That thought made Heckyl lift a hand to touch his face. The bruises he knew had been there were gone, and the pain that had come from being ejected from the UltraZord had faded to a dull ache that he figured would be gone with a good night's rest.
'Assuming I can sleep,' Heckyl thought to himself, letting out a heavy sigh as he leaned back on the sofa. He just hoped Chase wouldn't outright kill him for not bringing Teddie straight to him. Hell, it had been a challenge getting her to follow him. Every few steps back to his place, Teddie had stopped, still debating on if she could trust him, or if he was leading her straight to Chase and their mother.
"I swear you look more stressed every time I see you," he jumped at Teddie's voice. So caught up in his thoughts, he'd remained completely oblivious to her return. Heckyl looked up as she leaned on the doorframe and folded her arms, watching him with a bored expression. Her black hair was still damp from the shower, and she wore the only clothes he'd been able to find that would fit her smaller frame while her own were cleaned.
"Do you really blame me?" he asked, and Teddie snorted.
"Not at all," she replied honestly, walking in and sitting down beside him. His shirt dwarfed her; being a captive and later a fugitive had meant she'd had very few opportunities to eat right. With the sleeves rolled up, the burn on Teddie's arm was visible, but looked far better than it did when he'd seen it last.
"Seems that glowing of yours benefitted us both," Heckyl said as he took her arm to study it carefully. Teddie let him, but there was a wary expression on her face the entire time.
"I guess," she said eventually, and pulled her arm free. "Don't…don't tell anyone, would you?" Teddie said roughly, glaring at nothing in particular as she refused to look at him. Heckyl's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"Why?" he asked, not understanding what was going on in her head.
"I don't know how I did it. I still can't get it to work again," Teddie shook her head. She'd kept trying while in the shower, but she had been almost scared that she would get the power to activate again. Heckyl hummed thoughtfully, and Teddie looked up quickly. "What?" she asked suspiciously as she saw the thoughtful look on his face.
Heckyl blinked, having lapsed into thought without meaning to. Meeting her gaze, he found that he couldn't quite get the words out, finding it far too embarrassing to voice out loud. He quickly shook his head and looked away.
"Chase can glow too," he finally managed to say as he kept his gaze locked on the wall at the far side of the room. He didn't see the surprise flicker across her face. "It's probably the Dark Energem that's stopping you from doing it at will," Heckyl mused. Despite not looking at her, he felt Teddie tense beside him at the mention of the Dark Energem.
"How?" Teddie wondered before she realised it. She cursed under her breath, trying to tell herself that she didn't care. However, when Heckyl didn't answer, his ears turning red, Teddie frowned. Now she was curious. "Heckyl, how did he unlock the power?" she pressed, shuffling close enough to press into his side. It only made him blush harder.
"Olivia got hurt," he muttered. Teddie frowned, not understanding at first.
"Olivia's…oh," it dawned on her as she spoke, and her own face lit up in a fierce blush as Heckyl finally turned his head to look at her. His embarrassed look mirrored her own, and the moment he looked at her, Teddie's own gaze locked on and she didn't move, even as she became very aware of how close she was to him.
A silence fell over the pair, and Teddie scrambled to come up with a reply. The panic in her was trying to deny it, and say it was a coincidence. To get up and leave; she'd rather risk Mab finding her.
Instead, she made herself stay still as Heckyl took that as a sign, and leaned in as she lifted her head enough so he could kiss her. When he did, Teddie felt her stomach squirm as something stirred in her, responding just as she had done when he'd kissed her before. She reached out, grasping his shirt as he pulled her as close as he could.
The two stayed that way for a while, and when they finally ended the kiss and pulled apart, they didn't move away as Heckyl leaned his forehead to hers, not opening his eyes.
"How does this keep happening?" Teddie whispered, her heart racing as she didn't open her eyes either. The thought kept whispering in her mind; she had been touched by the Dark Energem. There was no goodness in her. Yet something in her stirred at his touch every time, and it almost seemed like that darkness would fade.
Heckyl didn't reply to her question, trying to steady his own breathing as the same question echoed in his head. Teddie's hold on his shirt tightened, and she moved back just slightly to lower her head and hide her face. "I don't understand. Why…why do you…" Teddie's words shook as he watched her. "You've only known me since…" Teddie couldn't get the words out as tears stung at her eyes. Frustration grew in her chest as she found herself unable to form coherent thoughts any time she was around the White Ranger.
"There's this legend, on my planet," Heckyl spoke quietly as Teddie sniffed, trying not to cry. He gently took her hand and untangled it from his shirt. "It's more of a story than a legend. Of how two souls can sometimes be inexplicably drawn together no matter what paths they take," he then put his other hand on her chin to guide her back up. Her dark eyes were filled with tears as she looked up at him. "The closer they are, the stronger the pull, even if they can't quite explain it," he told her.
Teddie tilted her head as she processed his words, mulling them over. Like she said, she couldn't explain it. She had no idea why he cared for her, when he'd only known her as Thana.
"That sounds kinda dumb," she muttered without thinking. Teddie then winced as she realised how rude that sounded, but before she could apologise, he laughed.
"Yeah, I thought so too," Heckyl agreed. Her confusion must have been obvious on his face, because he offered a faint smile. "It wasn't all an act, right?" he asked, and Teddie's eyes went wide as she remembered her own words, thrown at him as she tried to steal the Energems.
"No. It wasn't," she said quietly. With that confirmation, Heckyl leaned in and kissed her again. It was far less gentle and shy than the previous one, making her head swim. It grew heated; his hands tangled into Teddie's damp hair as she moved her arms around his neck to pull him closer to her.
When their senses returned, Heckyl went bright red as he realised their position. Teddie was pinned under him on the sofa, her eyes heavy-lidded as she stared up at him breathlessly. Her own face was just as red as she became just as self-conscious.
"S-sorry," he mumbled, pulling back quickly so that she could sit up. As Heckyl took a deep breath, willing his heart to calm, Teddie reached out and took his hand.
"I don't know who I am anymore. I'm not the person I was before I touched the Dark Energem, and I'm not Thana anymore," she admitted quietly. "I still don't have an answer for you, about why I helped you. But I can't keep hiding," Teddie shook her head, and he realised she was shaking.
"You told me that there's more to Sledge's plan than we knew," Heckyl said carefully, thinking back to her warning. It seemed like an age had passed since then, when in reality it had only been a few days. Teddie nodded. "I have to go back to the base tomorrow. Will you come with me?" he asked her, hope in his voice despite himself. Teddie hesitated.
"I can't help you. Not like how they want me to," she said, and Heckyl shook his head.
"They just want you home. They don't want you to fight," he told her, but Teddie didn't look convinced.
"My family are Rangers. All of them. Even my grandparents are legendary. And instead, I…" tears returned to her eyes, and began to spill down her face. "The Dark Energem turned me into a monster. I hurt my family. I hurt innocent people. I hurt you," Teddie whispered.
"That wasn't you," Heckyl told her as he pulled her close. Teddie let him, her head tucked under his chin. "You might not believe it, but it's the Dark Energem," he pulled the White Energem free to show her. Teddie watched it as it glowed brightly. "It carries the negative energy of all twelve Energems of Light. All that darkness inside, it takes a hold and makes you forget anything good," he explained.
"Literally, in my case," Teddie mumbled, and yawned suddenly. "Sorry," she apologised.
"You should get some sleep. Who knows when you last slept properly," Heckyl considered, letting her go so they could get to their feet. Teddie nodded, not having realised just how tired she was. "You can take the bed, I'll be in here," he told her as Teddie didn't speak, seeming to be deep in thought as he showed her where to go.
"Wait," as he left her to go back and pass out on the sofa, Teddie turned and caught his sleeve. "Don't leave," Teddie whispered as he glanced back at her. Seeing the look on her face, Heckyl nodded.
"Sure," he agreed.
The bed wasn't small, but Teddie was curled up against him as she remained conflicted about everything. What Heckyl told her made her wonder if she was truly evil, or if it was just the lingering darkness of the Dark Energem, and it scared her. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer to that question.
Instead, she tried to focus on the man beside her with his arm over her. It was a reassuring touch, making her feel better despite the unanswered question. Teddie then looked up at him, and when Heckyl met her gaze, she felt compelled to shift up and kiss him. It was soft and brief, but the look on his face when she pulled away made her stomach flutter again.
"Would you tell me about your planet?" the shy, hesitant question took Heckyl by surprise. As he started to tell her about Sentai-6, both started to drift off, falling into a deep sleep even as the threat of the Dark Ranger loomed over them.
Decided to update again a little earlier because I've officially only one chapter left to write! Camp NaNo made it very easy to get a lot written!
I wrote this chapter while I was extremely sleep-deprived...I hope you liked it!
Please review!