February 6, 2010
Chapter 7: The Coded Scroll
Path of a Lonely Warrior, Island off of Japan
The waves lapped at the sand, the sky's stars blossoming into a light purple. They had been hiking for hours, and it showed. Engrossed with the beach, the distraught red ranger tripped over a precariously placed log. Startled by the thud and flash of a blurry figure passing her on her left, Camille deftly moved to stabilize Mack. The scuffle of the two got the attention of Dai Shi and Rose. A venomous glare spotlighted the two, unwavering, nostrils flared; the mensa genius watched Mack leadenly stand, adjusting the mummified Zhao Lee. The decaying carcass was surprising light, like carrying an egg with no yolk. Seeing the former leader of the Overdrive rangers stiffly begin trekking the rocky path made Rose believe it was safe to continue traveling on the narrow cliff pass.
Pai Zhuaq
Casey squint his eyes, adjusting from the black-hole darkness they had dwelled in for hours. Around the tiger were echoes of panting, the rangers trying to make their way back to the Overdrive vehicles. The soft light of the rising sun was so beautiful, masking the horrible treachery about to be committed. The scratching of their feet over the grey cobblestones, slowly being conquered by unmaintained grass, followed them as they broke out of the lonely archway leading to another open courtyard. There, sat the S.H.A.R.C.
Ichigo Temple
Hidden in a semicircle of tall Christmas trees, sheltered in their shade and their strength, sat a small temple. Mack inhaled much needed oxygen, blinking as more droplets of salty sweat collected into the corners of his eyes.
"Ichigo Temple, I thought it had been destroyed." Dai Shi puffed his chest, swelling with greed and thirst for the unbelievable power he knew laid breathing inside like a resting monster.
"Come, we don't have much time to prepare for the ceremony," the pink ranger announced, trotting down the steep hill leading to the temple.
The red ranger followed, his heart drumming in his ears. Camille snuck a quick glance at Mack noting the pale complexion, as if the young man was going to vomit any minute. The chameleon slowed, gripped with a sudden pang of fear. Her eyes immediately locked onto the pink ranger who racing into the cave with her master hot on her heels. Something was wrong, but Camille couldn't place her finger on it.
Command Center
Silence reigned, the humming of the computer processing different pieces of information, the only sound. RJ was reviewing the scroll from pictures Will had taken with his tracker. Scrutinizing the gold plated wall mural – the large scroll, the wolf ranger was growing worried. The tap, tap, tapping of Andrew's fingers dancing across the keyboard, like an angry pianist, stopped suddenly causing RJ to turn around and investigate what had caused the archeologist to halt. Andrew stood watching the JKP owner, both men bestowing worry in their eyes. "Did you find something, Andrew?"
"Uh, no," the older man paused, his eyes tired and red. "I was thinking. If I hadn't excavated that temple, none of this would have happened. My selfishness has put the world at risk again."
"You couldn't have found that temple if I hadn't translated that scroll," RJ compensated. The room fell silent again. The rangers were upstairs, most likely pacing as Andrew and he worked diligently honing in on Ichigo Temple.
"What lies in that temple? Maybe I'm missing something," Andrew inquired, dragging his hand over his face in exhaustion.
"A long time ago, it is said that a maiden sacrificed herself to save her family and village from the forest spirit, swearing to guard it when a villager killed it for food unknowing that the bear was the spirits earth form. Her kind, noble and loving nature endowed her with great power. When she died her spirit rested in the forest. To show gratitude to her, the village built a temple in her honor, where her spirit, her power lay dormant and watchful."
"Hm," Andrew typed in some things, looking for mythological creatures.
Training room
It had taken Lily most of the afternoon to find the black ranger. The house was bigger than it already looked. Given a wing of its own, the training facility was a vast improvement over the loft her, Theo, and Casey used to train. Virtual simulators, sparring arena, rock wall, pool, exercise machines, weights – everything was fitted and custom built for the Overdrive rangers, but Lily assumed that fighting four alien groups for the jewels of the Corona Aurora, scattered all over the world, they would have needed all those things to be well prepared. The cling and clang of the metal chain jumping from Will kicking the bag around helped the cheetah locate the black ranger. "There you are," she announced.
The African American renowned spy – now – turned artifact hunter stopped, catching and hampering the kicking bag from moving. He waltzed over to the bench, dabbing his face and neck with a white towel, gulping down a sports drink. He leaned to one side; hand on his hip, the other still holding his drink, waiting for the cheetah to speak. Noticing she hadn't said anything, Lily laughed nervously as the butterflies in her stomach flittered. Lily had to admit, Will was suave, sophisticated, charming, and handsome. Shaking her head, she laughed again. Determined not to be distracted, she took a calming breath.
"I was looking for you."
"Well, you found me," he remarked, ending his response with a grin. The black ranger grabbed his Overdrive jacket, thrusting his arms through so it rest comfortable over his black tank. "Can I help you?" he asked, noticing the yellow ranger starring. Will laughed to himself, shaking his head. Lily was sweet, rambunctious, like a little kid, too young for him to consider any more than friendship. When he looked at her he saw a younger Ronny. That spark and outgoing personality, not yet matured into the blazing, elegant ferocity the yellow Overdrive ranger had developed.
"It's just we're all waiting together, and you're off alone. RJ says that practicing before a big battle can be just as bad as not practicing at all. The whole balance thing, you know? You're avoiding us, why?" Lily babbled. She felt like an idiot. She was supposed to be the well-composed one of her team.
Will's charm vanished like magic, the poignancy of her words, jabbing him. He stopped mid-step and turned to her, realizing he might have been slightly mistaken about her perceptiveness that was often gain with maturity. "I have things on my mind. I needed space to think, where there are no distractions."
The yellow Jungle Fury ranger retreated within herself momentarily, feeling she overstepped her boundary. Even so, she wasn't going to back down. "I feel like you're leaving something out." Her question filled with sincerity.
Will sighed, they were in the elevator, on their way to the main floor of the Hartford residence. "It's nothing important." He tucked the empty sports drink under his arm and zipped his jacket up, leaving the collar open.
The black ranger was proving to be more stubborn than Theo and more elusive that RJ, it intrigued the cheetah. She could sense they were nearing the main floor. With a pensive expression, Lily chewed her bottom lip as she recalled the last twenty-four hours. "It has something to do with Mack, doesn't?" tentative and unsure she asked, looking up at him from the corners of her eyes.
Will breathed through his nose noisily, contemplating how to carefully word his answer. "You know what happened to Rose and Mack. They died in a horrible cave in at that temple in China." Lily bobbed her head slowly, silently requesting he continue. "My job is to retrieve artifacts, and my team and I are precise and fast." The yellow Jungle Fury ranger noted the change in Will's voice. His usually melodious, confident, silky-smooth voice was replaced by a vulnerable, uncertain, hurt one. Lily's face softened, feeling sympathy for Will, who had been putting up a strong front this whole time. Some satisfaction was had as she watched him open up to her – a stranger, for the most part. "He never asked me to help him. It doesn't make sense," he finished, not looking at her, but straight ahead.
"Maybe he didn't want to inconvenience you," she offered.
"No," the black ranger shook his head, continuing, "At first, I didn't offer my services choosing to search for other artifacts my team had detected in Egypt. But, later," Will trailed off, recalling Mack telling him over the phone how dangerous the excavation had become. Booby-traps, crumbling walls, and drawings with writing they had never seen before. "He assured me he was fine, even after I offered to have my team and I help him, reminding him that he didn't have to work alone. "
Lily balanced her weight on the blades of her feet, she didn't want to suggest anything to slight the red ranger, but honest to the bone, she felt her point needed to be heard. "I don't want say something against Mack because I didn't know him, but maybe he didn't want your help, maybe he wanted to do it by himself."
Will shook her head dismissively. "No, that wasn't Mack's style. If that was the case he wouldn't have included his father, Mr. Hartford, or invited Rose. I have a theory, but it doesn't quite add up. We were like brothers, he would have told me. It just doesn't make sense."
The doors slid open before Lily could ask Will what he meant. As she watched the rest of the rangers greet him, she knew that her "Q&A" with him was over. The cheetah skipped out smiling feeling accomplished, reveling in the black ranger's readiness to divulge such private and intimate information with her and no one else. Veronica "Ronny" Robinson watched Lily carefully, taking into account the pink on her cheeks and the extra bounce in her step. Will sat down next to Ronny on the long stretch couch and extended his arms along the back of the couch, nonchalantly. Lily took a seat on the arm the couch Theo was sitting in, opposite Ronny and Will. Lily's attention on Dom, who was sitting hunched over on a large, orange foot stool, complaining about how RJ had thrown him out, again. Ronny stared at the other yellow ranger a few seconds longer, shrugging her shoulders she also listened in to the white ranger's moping.
Ichigo Temple
"Put some muscle into, Hartford," she urged, as Mack and Dai Shi, grunting and groaning, pushed two heavy doors open. The doors grumbled as they were forced to move after being closed for centuries. The group had descended worn, aged steps and eased over flimsy rope bridges. The dripping of water and scuttle of bats had everyone on their toes. With two beams of light guiding them, each step was full of risk. Rose stopped, alerting the others. Tired and oblivious, Mack halted by the force from Camille forming a blockade with her arm. "Careful," she whispered. Mack listened to the sound of loose rock ping off the side of the chasm they had reached.
"Thanks," he replied, his voice worn. Camille wanted to so badly put a hand on his shoulder, but restrained herself. Something made the chameleon empathize with Mack, deserving of attention and care. However, it would be wrong and unlike a rinshi general to care about a human in such a manner. Although, the feeling of caring for someone seemed to rumble and threaten to surface more and more in Camille. What she first perceived as Flit buzzing about in her stomach was soon realized to be an ugly emotion she knew she had to suppress and rid herself.
While Camille withdrew into herself, Rose and Dai Shi were scanning the chasm with their flashlights. The light streaming from the flashlights, washed over the chasm, revealing a pattern of meticulously placed plateaus of rock, each no larger than to fit one person at a time. The pink ranger and the lion focused on the two inferiors who were huddled closely together. Snarling, Dai Shi commanded Camille to find a path using the pillars that would lead them towards the temple. Reluctantly, Camille approached the two. "Let's go! We need to perform the ceremony at the sun's full strength," the mensa genius barked.
Camille hopped to the first pillar, glancing behind her shoulder to meet the expectant looks of Dai Shi and Rose, silently commanding she continue. The chameleon hopped to the next three, hesitating each time, praying she would make it. On her fifth jump, merely three jumps away she heard cracking from deep below. It was a trap. The creators of the temple had laid false pillars meant to collapse if stepped upon. Too slow in reacting Camille stiffened awaiting her inevitable plummet into the darkness. Opening one eye then the other, Camille was relieved and baffled at how she ended up on the other side safe and sound. It was then she felt a strong arm release its grip from around her waist. Like Tarzan, Mack swung over the spotted gape to save her, using his zip-line like a tree vine.
"Thank you," Camille breathed; a warmth swelling up inside her. His boyish smile and enthusiasm washed away at the squawking of the pink ranger.
"What the hell, Hartford?! How dare you drop Zhao Lee's body! Her life is not worth losing his! Think Hartford, he dies and the deal is off!"
So close in proximity, Camille could feel Mack's chest tighten, constrict under the mention of his mysterious deal with her. That horrible feeling of danger she had been resisting was rearing its ugly head, but his time Camille felt it for her savior. Camille watched Mack cross over and retrieve the body, hop-scotching over the pillars to the where, now, she, Rose, and Dai Shi stand waiting. Scowling at the pink ranger, Camille silently cursed at the selfish Philippine girl. "We're close to the chamber," Rose informed, proceeding into the tunnel that lay before them.
Command Center
"Okay, so eliminating all mythological forest creature with the exception of bears and using the location of the temple in which the Devil's Eye was found, I can assume with ninety-eight percent accuracy that the Ichigo Temple is located somewhere around Japan," Andrew informed RJ.
"Awesome," RJ said in his lofty voice, feeling positive about the steps made. "It says according to the scroll that General Zhao Lee's craving for power led him to try and obtain the maiden's spirit. The Ichigo Temple guardians stopped Zhao Lee at the sun's glare, which titled its head in disapproval. Had the temple warriors not stopped Zhao Lee he would have enslaved humanity, ensuring the death of his people first."
"The sun's tilted glare of disapproval . . ." Andrew mused, keying in some calculations. "What if the tilt was an angle? I could use the coordinates of tilt to eliminate possible locations. What else?" Andrew's excitement was found with an empty response, lost in the scroll, RJ tuned out the archeologist. Curious to see what the wolf ranger was so wound up in, Andrew sauntered over to him.
"See how the lettering is written," RJ pointed out. "Certain letters are more raised than others." Using an electronic sketch pen, RJ circled the twelve Chinese characters.
"I can, using the computer, analyze the characters and – this is interesting . . ." Waiting for RJ to reach him, Andrew pointed, to the monitor at a three dimensional scale of the lettering. "While you're correct about the letters being raised, this one at the top is the most raised and the largest."
"Andrew, go back to the areal shot of the letters." Examining the picture, RJ scratched his chin. "Eliminate the rest of the letters, except the raised ones." Struck with and epiphany, Andrew and RJ turned to each other, thinking the same thing.
"It's a clock!" they shouted in unison. With dread, Andrew dragged a hand down his faced, squeegee-ing off the accumulated sweat.
"But what does it mean?" Andrew inquired aloud, leaning closer to the monitor as if it would help.
Stumbling back, hit with insight, RJ ran a hand through his hair, exhaling loudly. "The top character is a time. The ceremony had to be commenced at noon. It's raised in that part of the description of the ceremony. It has to be referencing that. Wait, what time is it?"
"Eight-thirty," Andrew answered. "We need to hurry." Returning to the pictures of the scroll, RJ searched for the next clue.
Command Center Main Floor
They were all sitting in the living room, waiting. "This is driving me nuts!" Dom declared. "What the hell is taking them so long?"
"I assure you they are trying their best," Spencer affirmed, rolling in a trolley of food.
"Where's Vella?" Tyzonn asked.
"Bringing food to Mr. Hartford and Master RJ," Spencer answered in his droll, British accent. Alone again, the rangers nibbled on the plates left for them, just to keep busy and stop from thinking about the impending battle they were to encounter. Although, the rangers were left clueless given the direct orders to return to the living room, they knew that the battle brewing was going to be difficult and important to the outcome of the world.
"It must be hard for you," Casey thought aloud, referring to the late rangers from the Overdrive team.
"Yeah, they were the last people I thought would die. Not that I thought anyone of us would be killed, but, uh, you know," Dax rambled.
"We get it, Dax," Ronny comforted.
"Einstein and Indiana Jones, they were really something," Will snickered. The yellow ranger nudged the black ranger playfully.
"I'm not allowing anyone else to get hurt by this gem," Tyzonn swore. Lily watched Will shake his head, lowly. Something was on the black ranger's mind, and it was bugging Lily to no end. Desperately she wanted to know, a small tangle in her stomach started to knot with her own theory.
Casey swallowed hard. Being a ranger doesn't make us invincible. It could have been anyone of us. We're all vulnerable, thought the tiger. Mid-chew, Casey felt frightened for himself, for his team, and for the others. How was he as the red ranger going to ensure all their safety? The battle for the Devil's Eye and against Dai Shi became suddenly real for the leader of the Jungle Fury team, as if he had been dreaming this whole time.
Command Center
While the rangers talked, RJ moved from the characters to the drawings, themselves. Pointing out that the battle had taken place on a beach; a thick forest depicted in the background, Andrew had further advanced his search. The two men worked at incomprehensible speed. The clock reaching nine-thirty, Andrew cried out in exaltation, "I got it! Vella are the trackers done?"
The young Mercurian woman looked up. "Almost, a few more minutes, please." Andrew had been more than grateful that Vella had knowledge of technology such as used on Earth. Some bumps and obstacles were encountered, but the former Mercuria rescuer hurdled over each in efforts to help her husband and his friends find the diamond. Going over to the speaker, Andrew called the rangers to go to the zord bay. "Here, Mr. Hartford, the tracker's jewel signature is heightened. It should lead them to wherever that diamond is," she informed in her delicate and polite voice.
"Thank you, Vella," Andrew said hastily; he pulled RJ over to the monitor. "Using all the information we gathered, I have narrowed down the possible location of the temple. Drawing a circle around the base of an island off of Japan, Andrew directed RJ, "Ichigo Temple has to be in this circumference. Here are the trackers; my team can lead you to the temple." RJ nodded his head. Before leaving, Andrew stopped him. "Bring my team back."
"Aye, aye." Jovial in the way he said it, Andrew knew RJ meant it.
~ End Chapter 7