Chapter 7:
On the other side of town, Kat and Tanya walked side by side down a dark, misty alleyway. "Keep your eyes open Tanya, he could be anywhere." Kat said, the tentative tone of her voice not lost on her friend.
"You got it Kat." Tanya replied. She had her Zeo blaster withdrawn while Kat had her Zeo blade in her hand.
Lying on the ground was a homeless man, scrunched up in a corner. There were very few homeless in Angel Grove; in that regard, Angel Grove was luckier than other cities but to Kat and Tanya, one was more than enough to make them feel sad. On their off times from their respective jobs, they went to the homeless shelter to do what they could but that did nothing to stem the feeling of helplessness that they felt.
"You should get off of the street, there's a dangerous villain around." Kat said to the homeless man. "It's not safe out here right now." The homeless man nodded incoherently which made her heart sink. She hoped that he wasn't drunk nor had mental problems but experience had told her that it was an affliction common enough among the homeless that she had to at least consider the possibility.
She sighed and nodded to Tanya. Even though their helmets masked their features, they could sense what the other was thinking. They began to move on when they both heard something clatter to the hard ground. Kat turned to her left to see an oblong, cylindrical object not more than two feet away from her.
"Sorry ladies." They both heard a voice from behind them say. They whirled around to see the homeless man suddenly morph into the Soldier of Future known as Scout right before their eyes. He dived behind a dumpster while their minds were still trying to process what was going on.
A split second later, the bomb exploded sending Kat and Tanya through the nearby brick wall screaming. Scout peeked his head from behind the dumpster cautiously with his blaster drawn. "I'd better be careful, I'm pretty sure they don't go down hard" Scout thought to himself as he approached the hole cautiously. For all of his life, he'd fought the machines; he never, ever dreamed he'd be forced to use his guerilla training against humans and it sickened him. Still, besides the Bio-Dreads, these "Power Rangers" were the toughest foe he'd ever faced; he couldn't afford to go easy on them even if what he downed were a couple of women, not if him and his team could prevent the hell that he fought against daily in his time.
The tip of Scout's blaster was the first thing in the hole before he peered in. His heart beat in triple time as his helmet's scanners, surveyed the dark interior of the building. He saw beautiful young, blonde girl laying in the rubble unconscious. "Where's the other one?" Scout said with slight panic in his voice. His training kicked in and used the fear as an adrenaline boost. His senses became sharper as the line between life and death literally became blurred.
"Slow down, I have to confirm the kill" he said to himself, remembering his training as he lifted himself into the hole. Using the word "kill" bothered him, especially when it came to fellow humans. He was glad that she was unconscious; he doubted that he could live with the death of a human on his conscious. Even if he could, he knew that he wouldn't want to.
Movement from behind him caused him to whirl around, firing his blaster in all directions. A blast hit him full in the chest causing him to stagger back. He looked up in surprise to find, Tanya the Yellow Zeo Ranger dropping to the ground in front of him. "You're going to pay for that you creep!" She said. It was only luck that she was far enough from the blast and that Kat shielded her from the explosive.
"Looks like I'm not the only one that fights sneaky." Scout smirked with some admiration in his voice.
She charged at him yelling, firing her Zeo blaster. He answered in kind, mimicking her movement, firing his blaster. They both hit each other repeatedly, sparks spraying everywhere, intermittently lighting up the dark interior of the building. Both warriors hit each other with a final shot from each other's weapons. Both of them flew back against to the ground, their chests smoldering. Their powered uniforms faded as they both lay still. Scout was the only one with the fortitude to sit up albeit painfully. I'm…sorry kid." He managed to grunt before he fell back to the ground. This can't be right, these are good people but if it saves the future….saves Jennifer…His thoughts suddenly became scattershot, then blank before blessed, black unconsciousness claimed both warriors.