March 20, 2010
Chapter 10: Blind Truths Will Break Through the Lies
RJ pressed his lips together in determination. Hartford 2034. The wolf ranger was correct in his assumption. The airplane he had spotted earlier was no coincidence; the two "deceased" rangers were alive after all. Indifferent and not the least bothered by the interruption, Rose turned and ascended the few steps up to the temple head gate. Mortified, a look of shame spotlighted on the red ranger's face as he watched his friends' pained faces. Frozen, Mack's eyes pulsated, becoming unfocused momentarily to cause dizziness. "Hartford, let's go!" his pink counterpart bellowed. Mack slowly turned, following the insidious pink ranger.
Zhao Lee's body was between the rangers and their enemies. His mummified, dusty, paper-machete like corpse lay gentle; face up on a complex ritual spell drawing. Its symbol foreign and so ancient, it is nearly indecipherable.
"Move!" RJ commanded, seeing how much the situation had elevated. This was a code red. The rangers snapped out of their daze and made haste to stop their former friends from resurrecting Zhao Lee.
"Don't let them pass!"Dai Shi ordered his subservient, throwing aside his fur cloak and calling his animal spirit. Camille nodded, her skin tingling. As much as she wanted to help her master, more and more the chameleon want to hide somewhere safe until it was all over and the danger was gone.
Outside Ichigo Temple
"Ugh, this is stupid." Casey said, sitting on the grass with his legs spread out, plucking blades of green and flicking them into the air. "I don't see why we have to sit out here, it's like he's punishing us for getting hurt."
Lily was sitting next to the tiger with her legs tucked under her. "I don't think he's punishing us, Casey. I just think he's doing what he believes is the best."
"Yeah, well, just this once I agree with the cub. I mean, we're the ones that need this training not them," Theo huffed. "It doesn't matter, our – my orders were to ensure nothing happened to you guys."He picked up a pebble and chucked it as far as he could. The sun's glare blinded the blue ranger from seeing its tumultuous landing near the temple entrance.
"Theo, I'd relax. Nothing is going to happen to us. Everything is going on in that temple somewhere," the red Jungle fury ranger urged his comrade. Theo exhaled noisily, nodding in agreement at Casey's comment.
"I wouldn't say that," a deep, gravelly voice laughed from behind the trio. All three rangers twisted to look who had spoken.
"What was that Casey about nothing happening to us?" Lily asked, slowly standing. Rinsoar guffawed again, even more so as he watched Lily and Casey grimace from the painful injuries they incurred.
"This should be easy." Rinsoar kicked up some dirt before charging, horn first. Before they could brace themselves, each ranger was knocked over like bowling pins. Theo scrambled to his feet in hot pursuit of Rinsoar. The jaguar skidded to a halt as Rinsoar turned about face. Slowly, purple tainted black energy collected within the monster. He's going to super charge, Theo thought, recalling their last battle with the rinshi beast. Leary of what was going to happen; Theo's eyes bulged at Rinsoar's next words.
"Rhino stampede rush!" In a blink of an eye and a stomp of Rinosoar's foot, a purple, vibrate wave rippled through the air in all directions. Theo whipped his head in the direction of the two rangers behind him. Lily and Casey were still lying helpless, having not recovered from Rinosaur's first offensive strike. Theo could evade the wave and defeat Rinsaur, eliminating an additional threat to those inside, or retrace his steps to save his friends. An important decision needed to be made. What was more important his friends or saving the world?
His chest tightened in reflex, like a knife taken to warm butter, Theo felt the wave cut through him, unable to hold back a scream of agony. The blue ranger clawed Lily's and Casey's uniforms as he held them closer to him, ensuring they were shielded. Blacking out momentarily, Theo woke up to Lily's gentle shaking and Casey calling his name. Muttering, his hands shaking in small, quaking spasms, he tried to communicate, the blue ranger incoherently mumbled. A tear trickled down her face, Lily's voice unsteady as she spoke, "You're okay. You had us really worried."
"Yeah man, taking the whole blast, you saved us," Casey's voice cracked, wisps of nervous laughter breaching his voice.
"Is . . . is . . ." the blue ranger's voice trailed off, his eyes lazily rolling.
Lily's eyes quivered, as she maneuvered Theo's head into her lap. The cheetah silently queried Casey's help. Sighing, Casey closed his eyes. "He got away, Theo. By now he's probably met up with the others." So soft was his response, Casey and Lily barely heard Theo groan in defeat.
Ichigo Temple, Chamber Room
Ronny swung high and missed, Camille blending into her environment, she was virtually invisible to her blue and yellow opponents. Kicking Ronny in the back so the yellow ranger smacked into the cavern wall, the rinshi general moved on to Dax. The blue ranger crouched down to sweep Camille, but noticing no one there, he yelped when two hands grasped his shoulders. Rolling on her back, Camille threw Dax into Ronny.
Dai Shi blocked RJ's first punch, redirecting his second so the wolf ranger came crashing to the floor. Dai Shi evaded Dom's downward strike with his rhino blade, its metallic blade reflecting the black visor of Dai Shi's armor. Kicking Dom away, he turned his attention back to RJ. Dai Shi alternated between the wolf and rhino rangers in a rhythmic pattern.
Will swerved and dodged the two groups to make a clean break for his friend. Mack was hypnotized from the glow of the temple gate's eyes: one blue the other red. Rose had inserted the Devil's eye into the red eye socket of the temple head; she peered out of the corner of her eye to see if Mack had done the same. Mack watched; jaw slack from amazement, watching his friends fight so fiercely to stop something horrible from happening – something that he was helping to bring upon the earth. Rose stiffened with horror as she watched Will close the distance. "Hartford!"
Mack turned, taken out of his reverie to see the petite ranger beside him, grabbing the Angel's Heart from his hand. Pointing at Will, she commanded, "Stop him!" The red ranger was about to protest, when she continued, saying the magic words that had sealed the deal to every deed he committed for her. "Or the deal is off," she smirked.
Mack's look of disgust was nothing but identical had he witnessed the most vile act against humanity. Leaping off the steps, Mack blocked Will from running through the magical seal that was necessary for Zhao Lee's resurrection.
Will and Mack locked arms into a hold. Glaring into each other's eyes, Will grunted, "Why Mack? Why do all this?" It was like a dance, the two men shuffling in a small circle. Mack felt a surge of strength course through him as he knew everything would soon be over. The red Overdrive ranger slammed the artifact hunter to the ground with all his might. Will yelled in pain as his ribs tightened in lurching pain. Having sliced his lip open as his top teeth crashed down on his lower lip, the black ranger spat blood, their friendship diminished.
"Stay down, Will, stay down," Mack said cool and slow, huffing and puffing. Despite all the pain, Will was back up and locking arms again in a tighter, more hatred-filled hold.
"Never," he sneered. Mack gulped, never having seen Will fight so intensely. With all the rangers busy, the pink ranger put the Angel's Heart in the glowing blue eye socket.
Grinding his teeth, the younger Hartford uttered in short breaths, "I'm . . . sorry, but . . . this has . . . to happen!" With his last strength he pushed Will back, following it up with a punch. The black ranger hit the ground with a thud. Will winced as the pain reverberated from his jaw to his ribs like a rubber ball, a numbness shot through his legs making him immobile. Before anything else could be done, the chamber shook as an opening developed at the top of the room to let in the sun's rays. The chamber crisscrossed with red light until it filled the room, turning into an unbearable white light.
The Path to the Chamber room
Lily roughly jerked Theo back, preventing him from falling head first into the gap that separate the worn and injured Jungle Fury rangers from their teammates. The room spinning, his eyes throbbing, his brain bouncing around his head was nothing compared to the feeling of breathing through a coffee stirrer as his lungs had not yet re-inflated nearly enough to operate. Theo was sure to have a scorned back, but he didn't care. He had a job to do. The shock and damage done from Rinsoar was extensive, and the blue ranger had not yet recovered, none of them had.
"Theo, let's go back. You can't –"
"We have to," Theo cut off, gasping for air as he continued to lean on the yellow ranger.
They carefully made it across the pillars appearing at the door to have their hearts dissolve in despair. The light that swallowed the room faded, revealing Zhao Lee – alive! Time slowed despite everyone's wishes. In mid-battle, arms drawn back to strike, enemies locked in their attack and counter attacks stances. Everyone watched in terror. Zhao Lee smirked as he turned to enter the white room of the temple head gates, the room that housed the spirit's power.
All of a sudden time resumed its normal pace and Mack realized that Rose was following him. "Wait, our deal," he yelled. Wrenching Will's grip off his tattered jacket, having been wrestling with his friend on the ground, he sprung to his feet.
"Did you really think I was going to leave?" she laughed. Mack was about to move, but was cut off by Dai Shi who refused to allow Zhao Lee to take the power that lay behind the temple gate. It was too late, Zhao Lee and the pink ranger had both entered the blinding, white light. Dai Shi pounced like a ravenous lion into the gates as they slowly closed.
"Wait for me!" Rinsoar cried, batting away anyone in his path, including Camille and Mack. The doors closed the room filling with darkness.
"No, no, no!" Mack strained. He pounded his fists on the ground before doubling back through the cave almost taking out the three young Jungle Fury rangers who were standing in the entrance.
Outside in the bright light, Mack looked at the peak of the temple, praying his hunch was correct. Seconds later the quartet appeared. "A deal is a deal you snake!"
"Thank you. About time someone notices," she cooed. Zhao Lee was a broad shouldered, muscled Asian man; his hair the color of his soul – black. His eyes, all eight, were red and glowing. He wore a traditional samurai's uniform, his slender arm hooked possessively around the pink ranger. "I really wish you weren't so . . . nauseatingly . . . human," she mused half-heartedly to herself. "But since you are, the only solution to ensure you don't interfere is to make the lie a truth. You'll have to die and this time for real." The pink ranger turned to Zhao Lee, "Show them what you can do, our great leader." Passionately kissing Zhao, Rose turned back to the crushed ranger, smiling cheekily at Mack.
"I guess it's time to reveal to this pitiful world the powerful of their future ruler," Zhao Lee smirked. Taking interest in the ranger down below, he outstretched his arm and took aim.
Mack watched, nothing but an ant to the group standing at the top of the temple, and gulped as he watched Zhao Lee smile. "Tarantula stretch strike!" A stream of energy like a comet headed Mack's way. Wisps of dying energy painted a faint tarantula shaped leg. Mack stood still, opting to focus on the pink ranger, abandoning any will to continue the fight, so dejected.
The others spilled out of the mouth of the temple to see the once revered red ranger struck by Zhao's attack. So powerful the force, Mack's body slammed to the ground, tumbling backward several feet. The four standing at the top of the temple laughed. "Ling, Kai, and Ban, let's go!" Zhao ordered. Rose, Dai Shi, and Rinsoar nodded, following their leader a few steps until shimmering out of sight.
Ronny watched Rose leave, completely baffled. She rushed to the charred Overdrive leader, screaming his name over and over, hoping to jar him from the darkness he was drifting in. The roars of the S.H.A.R.C.'s jets were whispered echoes as it enclosed on the rangers' location. With each step the rangers took to reach the Hartford heir a little piece of hope was chiseled away that Mack was still alive. So motionless the young man lay, the rangers could only assume the worst.
Mack Hartford was dead.
~ End Chapter 10