Can't Let Go
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers.
Pinkrangerfan: Thanks! Karone is definitely in there. I haven't decided who's gonna get Karone back in the end, but I'm leaning towards Zhane.
JasonLeeScottFan: Thanks again! Well, you know if I put something happy and/or funny in the story, something bad usually happens after. Enjoy the next chapter! Lol!
sweetangel4: Thanks for reading my stories. I love getting reviews from people and I try to address them all. I'll try to keep the stories interesting. Be on the look out for my next story "Out of this world." It should be up in a week or so once I work out a few things.
CJS: Lol! You crack me up! Here's the next chapter.
Chapter 17: Bitter Sweet
Megaship
"You felt her?" Andros asked Zhane.
"Yeah I did." Zhane couldn't help but feel relieved. "Karone's in there but whatever that device is on her face is keeping her buried in Astronema."
Andros was about to respond when DECA's alarms sounded. "The psycho rangers are on Earth."
"Great." Cassie complained. "So much for our day off."
"The morphers are ready." TJ started. "The color changes are temporary but it should last long enough for us to do some damage."
"Ready?" Andros called. "Let's rocket!"
Angel Grove – Abandoned district
"What is this?" Psycho blue shouted.
"Cowards." Psycho red yelled. "Show yourselves."
"How about not." Zhane called back as he and the others, all clad in silver, jumped into action.
Zhane took on psycho red, TJ had psycho yellow, Andros fought psycho pink, while Cassie and Ashley took on psycho blue.
They're plan was working, not only were they beating the psychos, but the creatures seemed weaker than before and tired a lot quicker.
"Does anyone else think this is a little too easy?" TJ asked as he easily blocked an attack from psycho yellow.
"Please tell me you're not complaining." Andros called to TJ. He spun around and kicked psycho pink in the back.
"Just go with the flow Teej." Ashley responded and shoved psycho blue into Cassie who caught the monster with a spinning kick.
"Would you rather it be harder?" Cassie asked.
"Personally, I prefer a challenge." Zhane called as he tripped up psycho red. Just then Ecliptor appeared ready to battle.
"You just had to open your mouth didn't you?" Andros muttered in frustration, when Ecliptor headed towards him. He quickly lost the upper hand he had with psycho pink when the psycho and Ecliptor both attacked him.
Ashley was quick to help her boyfriend. She kicked psycho pink in the side, effectively getting the creatures attention away from Andros.
"Spiral Saber!" Andros called forth his weapon and attacked Ecliptor, but the monster met him blow for blow.
"You won't win this alone, red ranger." Ecliptor taunted.
"Star Slinger!" Ashley fired at Ecliptor's back causing him to falter before she fired at psycho pink.
Andros quickly regained control of the fight. "It's a good thing I'm not alone."
Psycho pink fell to the ground after Ashley blasted it. The creature struggled to get up, but it was too weak. "You will never defeat Astronema." Psycho pink called as Ashley closed in on her.
"Maybe not, but right now I'll settle for you." Ashley held out her weapon and fired again. The explosion caught everyone's attention.
"Back to the ship." Ecliptor yelled. He and the rest of the psychos disappeared.
The rangers regrouped just as the silver coloring began to fade. "Well that couldn't have happened at a better time." Andros commented. "Nice job Ash."
"Thanks." Ashley demorphed and the others followed suit. She frowned when she felt a slight twinge in the back of her mind. She looked at Andros and Zhane and knew they felt it too. She looked around the park and spotted the source. "Karone?" The others quickly turned in the direction Ashley was looking in.
The red haired figure stepped away from behind the tree as the rangers cautiously moved towards her. Part of her wanted to flee, but another part of her wanted to go with them.
Andros stepped forward. "Karone?"
She knew him. Astronema closed her eyes trying to remember. "Brother. You're my brother." She moved closer to him, but was stopped when Darkonda appeared beside her. He grabbed Astronema and pulled her back.
"Looks like we'll have to do modifications on the device." Darkonda hissed. He was too close to the rangers to teleport safely so he ran with Astronema in tow. She struggled in Darkonda's grasp.
Andros and the other rangers ran after Darkonda and Karone. She was back; Andros could feel her and he knew Zhane and Ashley could too.
Karone looked pleadingly at her brother. She knew if Darkonda got away with her, she may never find her way back to the surface. "Andros, help!" She called to him, but she knew he wouldn't get there in time.
Andros watched helplessly as Darkonda disappeared with his sister in his arms. It happened all over again. He couldn't help but flash back to the first time Karone was taken away from him. She'd cried for him to save her then too. And like before, he couldn't.
Megaship – Zhane's room
"Hey." Zhane called when Ashley entered his room.
"Hey." She sat on the bed beside him. "How are you holding up?"
He shrugged. "I'll be better once we get her back."
"I know the feeling."
"I was thinking about the psychos." Zhane started. "They seem to get weaker every time one of them is killed."
Ashley knew that Zhane was trying to change the subject so she let him. "They did seem a lot weaker. What are you thinking?"
"I was thinking if we use the quadroblaster, my silverizer, and Andros's saber simultaneously, then maybe we can defeat all the psychos for good."
Ashley shook her head. "But we need Carlos's lance to complete the quadroblaster. And he's in no shape to fight."
"I know. But we don't need him to fight; we just need him to be there when we form the quadroblaster."
"That could work." She considered. "I don't think Carlos will have a problem with it. Cassie on the other hand…"
"We'll talk to her. We'll make sure it's safe for Carlos before we send for him. Besides being morphed will probably dull a lot of the pain."
She nodded. "Okay. We need to fill in TJ and Andros. Then we'll talk to Cassie and Carlos." Ashley stood along with Zhane, but when she went for the door, she groaned and put a hand to her head.
"What's wrong?" Zhane wrapped a comforting arm around her.
"It's Andros. He was asleep when I left. He's having a nightmare." She could see the flashes of Karone being taken when she was a little girl, and she felt Andros's pain over it.
"Go to him. I'll talk to TJ and the others."
"Okay." She and Zhane left his room and went in separate directions.
Andros's room
He tossed and turned in his sleep as the images of Karone being taken from him filled his dreams.
"Andros, please wake up." Ashley shook him.
Andros nearly knocked her over when he sat up in his bed. "Ash?"
"It was just a dream." She tried to assure him.
"No it wasn't." He leaned into her when she wrapped her arms around him. "It's happened three times now."
"We'll get her back Andros. She 's in there and you know that." She kissed his forehead.
"I don't know what I would do without you." He murmured.
"The feeling's mutual."
He smiled a little.
"Come on." She helped him off of the bed. "Zhane has a plan that could rid us of the psychos for good."
"Yeah?" Andros asked hopefully.
"Yeah. I think everyone's in Carlos's room." She held his hand as they walked out of his room. "I'll fill you in on the way."
Dark Fortress
"The device has been repaired. Astronema sleeps in her chambers." Darkonda addressed Ecliptor. The device was fixed for now, but Astronema's memory could still be triggered.
"Good." Ecliptor started. "We've been in contact with evil forces all over the universe. Our collective powers are growing as we unite. And as the princess of evil, Astronema will be needed to lead the armies."
Darkonda growled when Ecliptor left the room. Astronema wouldn't lead the armies, he would. As soon as he put his plan into action, he would destroy Dark Specter and Ecliptor and kill Astronema himself.
(A/N: Kind of sad huh? But that's okay. Lol! Hope you liked it. Please read and review.)