February 20, 2010
Chapter 8: The Race to Ichigo Temple
They were slicing through the clouds, closing in on their destination. "We're going to get those diamonds back," Lily affirmed. This was about more than saving the world. The Overdrive rangers needed to satisfy their revenge, even if it was against Fate. Something they couldn't really get revenge on.
RJ glanced back at his team and the Overdrive rangers. Casey's mind was in the clouds, the red ranger had been acting weird since the wolf ranger had rejoined them. Dom's nostrils flared a look of extreme concentration, ready to battle whatever came his way. Dax's leg was shaking to the point RJ was sure the actor might jump through the roof of the ship. The jaguar was tapping his fingers on his lap, exhaling loudly, trying to rid himself of any nervous energy. RJ watched Lily twist and turn like a restless child, when their eyes met; she awkwardly smiled, sitting properly back into her seat. Ronny's eyebrows were set in fatal determination; the mercury ranger mirroring her expression. Will was preoccupied with navigating their flight, but he too, looked to be in his own world. This is bad. None of them are focusing on the importance of the mission. An evil more feared than Dai Shi may be released and their minds are focused, for the most part, but on personal fulfillment, RJ reckoned to himself, knowing very well they were going blind into a fight, a dangerous disadvantage.
They landed with ease and grace. The jets settled to a low hum. The beach was snow flake white. The sun was rising, glowering down on them. Unusually red, the sun continued to follow its course around the planet. To the Pai Zhuq master, it was a timer, a large, angry timer. "Let's go, we don't have much time."
"Yeah, and we have like a ten mile radius to cover," Theo exasperated. It was hot; sweat was already collecting in his hairline.
"We should split up. It will be faster," Will suggested.
"I agree. Dom, Tyzonn, and I will head east. Casey, Will, and Lily will head west. Theo, Ronny, and Dax will explore to the north." The looks of protest were evident on the rangers' faces, each team wanting to work with their friends, but RJ had his reasons. If they didn't become familiar and trust each other completely than this mission would be a failure.
Three miles west of the beach
"Damn it," Will cursed, a large canopy leaf smacking him in the face. Will huffed, pulling out his tracker. Lily and Casey stopped and waited with baited breath for the analysis. Will shook his head. "Let's keep going." The three continued to trek through the misty forest.
Two miles north of the beach
Ronny wished that she had taken her short sleeved jacket. While it didn't provide the protection of the long-sleeved jacket, at least she wouldn't be overheating. She let out an exaggerated groan, stopping. "I'm not one to drag things out. I can zip around here and see if the temple is on this side," she suggested earnestly and eagerly.
"Yeah, and what happens when you find them and they attack?" Theo retorted.
"I won't let them see me," Ronny shot back defensively. Dax had been leading the pack, his ever-abundant energy pushing him to focus his hyper self on finding the temple. The blue Overdrive ranger didn't notice the bickering going on between the rangers until Ronny's voice had raised several notches. "Listen, we're running out of time. You heard RJ. Dax and I can scourer this place and get the work done in half the time using our powers."
"Did you ever hear the saying 'patience is a virtue'? We need to stick together and formulate a plan," Theo persisted. Both rangers were growing flustered. Ronny impatiently looked back to where Dax was trotting to them. She wasn't focusing on Dax but the never-ending trees that were illuminated by the rising sun behind them. "Why are you doing this? Why are you really here?" Theo asked, his words breaking her thoughts.
Ronny swallowed hard, a lump lodged in her throat. Rose – my sister, and Mack – my best friend. She looked at the young, and still rather green, naïve jaguar. "Why are you?"
Theo's eyes widened, taken back by the response. Dax stepped between the two. "Stop it," he huffed, the air thick like drinking a milkshake out of a coffee stirrer. "We're all here to save the world, save humanity; we're rangers, after all. But, we're also here for our own reasons," turning to his yellow counterpart, "Rose and Mack . . ." Dax lick his chapped bottom lip and looked away for a second. "They were my family, too. When I think about it – I . . ." he couldn't finish. He looked at the both of them, "Whatever your reason . . . Once a ranger always a ranger," Dax recalled, looking toward Ronny again, "All for one and one for all." Dax threw his hand out, waiting for his make shift team to do the same. Ronny was second, a bright smile, matching the cheery tone that Dax was displaying. The Dax she knew and came to regard as a goofy brother, was shining through right then.
"Come on, little bro," Ronny smirked. Theo gave the racecar driver a hard look, but not for long, as his lips twisted into a smile, chuckling at the mere absurdity of it all. Theo landed his hand on top.
"Let's do this!" Dax instigated, the trio throwing their hands up with revived spirits.
Six miles east of the beach
RJ slowed to a stop, taking in the otherwise marvelous view. Flowing in and lapping about was a small gulf of water surrounded and defended by tall foliage and trees. A strong wind passed the wolf ranger. The pebbly-sand terrain clouted and grew dark as water splashed down from Dom jumping into the gulf of water. RJ drew his forearm across his forehead, clearing the sweat away. The humidity was suffocating; the Pai Zhuq master could only imagine how the trio who were heading north felt. At least he, Dom, and Tyzonn had a nice sea breeze that navigated through the tall tree to brush past them occasionally. Thinking about his team, RJ looked for the quiet Mercurian.
"Guys!" called the mercury ranger. Dom trudged out of the small gulf of water, meeting RJ's unpleased glare. The two Jungle Fury rangers ran to where Tyzonn's voice came. The rhino and wolf rangers halted upon seeing what the Overdrive ranger spotted, dumbfounded.
The trio was standing on a small bulge, which prevented the larger gulf of water to seep over. While scenery was beautiful, RJ found what Tyzonn had; the aircraft that was bobbing in the water. The rangers were in deeper trouble than RJ had predicted. This was no longer a mission to prevent Dai Shi from making it to the temple, but interrupting him from resurrecting a mummy.
As they started to move on, something written on the side of the plane caught the JKP owner's eyes.
HARTFORD 2034.
Six miles north of the beach
Ronny groaned, her body aching. Having just slipped and tumbled down a hill, full of mud and vegetation and insects, the yellow ranger was having a hard time convincing herself to get up. She refused to cry. 'Mack wouldn't give up and neither would Rose.' The yellow ranger looked up to see Dax and Theo's stretching out a hand to help her up, hoisting her up. In futility Ronny wiped her muddy palms on her slick, dirty uniform. Theo's calling of her name forced Ronny to quit trying to clean herself up. The loud squish of soft earth trying to swallow up the earth, a sound the three rangers were used to hearing, became a dry, crackly, crunch sound. They looked back astonished at their findings. It was surreal.
"It's like someone drew a line, the forest just stops. Everything for the next kilometer or so is dead. Like someone dropped acid or some vile chemical killing this area," the jaguar noted aloud. Dax hadn't been entirely listening, focusing on the unusual hole in the middle of the circle of dead forest life. The actor cautiously tip-toed toward the hole in the dehydrated ground and slowly peered into it.
"Watch it," Theo warned, catching Dax before he fell in. Dax nodded his thank you, Theo joining him in starring at the hole.
"It's a grave." Up close it was just a hole, so focused Theo and Dax weren't able to see what Ronny had noticed. "Someone or something was buried here. Is that why everything is dead?" Looking around, the grave was the focal point of the particular circle that was dried earth.
"Whatever must have been buried must've been massive. This grave must be at least fifteen, maybe twenty feet deep," Dax surmised, taking out a coin and flipping it so it spun, falling helplessly into the dark hole. Theo missed catching the coin, afraid something might be down there still. A soft ping rang up from the dark depth. "Damn, that's deep."
Ronny was a few feet away talking on her tracker. Theo turned to Dax, both men still hunched over the grave, "Maybe what was buried wasn't big, I mean – look, the width is only seven feet. Maybe the reason the hole was so big was because whatever it was, wasn't supposed to be found." Theo's words gave Dax the chills causing him to walk over to Ronny. Theo followed Dax, the two meeting with Ronny just at the moment the yellow ranger was ready to throw her tracker.
"What's up?" Dax asked, noting the threatening look on Ronny's face.
"I can't get a hold of Tyzonn or Will. Let me see yours." Dax was about to protest about it being his tracker, but knew it wasn't worth it. Reluctantly he handed over his tracker to her, only for Ronny to snatch it out of his hands, impatiently. After a few times of smashing the tracker's keys, she shoved it at Dax. "Nothing, I'm only getting static. I wonder if the others are having the same problem."
"We won't know unless we keep going," Theo advised.
Seven miles west of the beach
Will breathed deeply, having reached the top of another cliff. Will looked about; even with his genetic powers he didn't see either one of them. "Maybe splitting up was a bad idea."
"Is that the 'Great Will' admitting he was wrong?" Lily mocked. Her hair was pressed to her forehead, stray hairs popping out here and there from her ponytail. Her leggings were torn by the knee and ripped up and down in other places.
Will smirked. "I never said I was wrong." He dragged his hand down the side of his face, nonchalantly. "I said it was a bad idea. Seems you've made it, so where's your boyfriend?"
Lily was weaving through the tall, thin, straggly trees, circling the black ranger. She laughed, shaking her head. "He's not my boyfriend. He's . . . like a brother." But as Lily said it, she was still thinking on the thought. "Will, when we were in the elevator you were just going to tell me about your theory and –"
"Damn!" Will blurted out. "My tracker is going haywire. I can't get a hold of Ronny." Lily was about to try again, only to be interrupted. "Come on!" Will hit his tracker, but no matter what the artifact hunter did, it wasn't going to work. Frustrated, Will turned to Lily. "Isn't there anyway you can't – I don't know – sense him?" He didn't mean to snap at her, but as time dwindled down, his stress level was rising. Will checked his pocket watch, seeing they had only forty-five minutes left. "Where the hell is Casey, man?"
"Here," the tiger answered. Winded and sore, the red ranger walked up to the yellow and black rangers. "Sorry, but I grabbed a loose rock and slide a good two hundred feet down a cliff," Casey explained, moving his bad arm in circles. Lily stepped beside the Pai Zhuq cub to exam his injuries more closely. Casey assured Lily he was fine several times, the two newest rangers joining the veteran at the edge of the cliff they were on. "We should continue and keep searching," Casey breathed.
"We don't need to, I just found it," Will disclosed. "I can see it. Well, a piece of it." The black ranger pointed ahead of him. Lily and Casey strained their eyes, but without Will's genetic ability, all they could see were tall trees.
"We should contact the others," Casey said.
"We can't. Trackers are on the fritz."
"What do we do then?" Casey asked, taking another big breath. Will had begun running farther up the mountain, pushing his every muscle 'til they cried in pain.
Lily also began to run up the mountain's edge after Will, stopping briefly to address her fellow ranger. "Hope they see it, too." She turned and continued to follow the black ranger. Casey shook his head in disbelief of what was happening around them. Taking a quick glance around, he raced after his team.
~ End Chapter 8