"Kori you don't want to be a monster like her you're better than that." Jessi said hoping she'd reached the girl.
"No its the only way," Kori said slowly turning the gun towards her chest. "I have to do this to make it stop,"
"No!" Jessi screamed a split second before Kori pulled the trigger and fell to the ground. Ending her pain and her life. Jessi woke as she was flung forward her head barely missing the dash board as Jai slammed onto the breaks making the truck come to a sudden stop.
"Jessi you ok?" Gal said leaning over to place a had on Jessi's shoulder. Only to have the brunette draw away like she'd been burned.
"I'm fine, " Jessi groaned rubbing the spot on her head "Just a bump"
"Yeah but just let me….," Jai started.
"I said I'm fine!," Jessi snapped. She'd been doing it a lot over the past few days. The incident and now left her doubting her abilities as a ranger. "I'm sorry it's just."
"It's ok Jessi really," Jai said pulling the truck back on the road.
"Where are we anyway?," Jessi asked the mild throbbing in her head beginning to cease.
"About fifteen minutes outside of Blue Harbour," Jai said as he continued to push the truck down the highway.
Blue Harbour was a small mountain city about half the size of Angel Grove. It had been the home of the Jungle Fury rangers. The Phi zu academy was there run by Jarrod.
"Can we stop for food when we get there," Jessi asked her voice perking up a bit.
"Sure we need to check in with Dr Manx anyway," Jai said. "So where would you like to go?" He asked.
"Camile's Place ," Jessi said enthusiastically.
"Anything you say doll," Gal said light heartedly. "So you wanna talk about it?" He asked nonchalantly.
"Talk about what?," Jessi said knowing the answer full well.
"I don't know how about that the past few nights you've been waking up screaming like someone's been trying to kill you," Jai said sarcastically.
A short while later the three rangers found themselves in a booth at Camile's place. Selena well into her second stack of strawberry pancakes with maple syrup and bananas. As Jessi polished of another vanilla chocolate shake and chili cheese curly fries. "Hey about back in the truck," Jai said attempting to make an apology.
Jessi let out a sigh and said "You know why I like this place?"
"Hot waitresses," Gal said half jokingly.
"No strawberry pancakes," Jessi said her voice getting bit of sadness to it. "Whenever I eat these it makes me feel better and reminds me of before…."
"Kori?," Jai asked just before the building and shattering the front glass of the restaurant.
The trio looked up and saw a hoard of Trons.
"Well looks like we wont have to wait around this time huh," Jai said somewhat sarcastic.
"Yeah looks like," Jessi said trying to hide her uneasy nerves.
" Lets go," Gal said Making a run for the door, Jai and Jessi hot on his heels.
Within seconds the three rangers were fighting off the foot soldiers as best they could in civilian form. As they fought back against the foot solders. Fending them off somewhat successfully the rangers ears were bombarded by an ear piercing sonic scream disorienting them and bringing them to their knees. Shaking off the effects the trio looked up and saw pale skinned dark haired girl, she looked like a female version of Moltor from overdrive, she standing in the middle of the soldiers.
"Well the mighty power rangers allow me to introduce my name is Mirator and I'm here to kill you," The villaness said be for unleashing another potent scream blasting the rangers backward.
"Ugh ready," Jessi said spitting out a small stream of blood as she drew her morpher and picked herself up.
"Ehh Yeah,," Jai and Gal said picking themselves up as well. "ITS MORPHIN TIME!," Jessi said, " Zenkai Tyranno!, Zenkai Lion!, Zenkaiser" Jai and Gal morphed into their ranger forms, Gal's looking like wildforce megazord with a lion head on his chest, Jessi however was getting no result still remaining her civilian form
"Jessi what's…..," Jai said just as Mirator released yet another sonic scream. This one disorienting Gal and sending an unmorphed Jessi ricocheting brick wall onto the hood of a car.
"Oh what's the matter poor whittle ranger can't morph," Mirator mocked getting a sinister smirk. " Finish them," she said sending the hoard of her troops to attack them.
Jai began to fire and slash at the trop. Doing his best to keep the troops from a downed and unmorphed Jessi. Who was struggling to pick herself up the hood of the car. "Jessi what's wrong why can't you morph!," Gal said arriving by her side.
"I,I,I don't know!," Jessi stammered trying to pick herself up
"Well try it again I'm not sure how much longer I can hold them off," Jai said using his blaster to fend off Mirator's multiplying troops.
"Ugh Zenkaiser!," Jessi tried to morph again this time only managing to morph but only holding her morphed form for only a few moments before reverting back to civilian form and collapsing.
"How pitiful the traitor should be ashamed to have been bested by such excuses for warriors," Mirator said as she prepared unleash another demolishing cry at Gal.
Just as Mirator was about to open her mouth she found herself knocked back with brute force. Shaking off the stunning affect of the blow she looked up to see Jarrod in his black lion form. Jarrod that quickly helping Jai disperse of the troops. While Gal scooped up and carrying Jessi off.
"What the …ahh!" Mirator yelled getting cut off by a blast from Jai.
"Luckily i came along to even the playing field," Jarrod said. "Now lets get this over with I have to check on my friend," Jai said before blasting Mirator. She groaned being knocked back by the blast. Mirator picked herself up scowled at the ranger. "I'll be back ranger," she said before teleporting away
"Power down ," Jai said demorphing himself, "come one lets find your friends" Jarrod said.
"Gal!," Jai said as he and Jarrod entered the Karma pizza shop.
"Jarrod over here," Came the voice of RJ as he ran up to Jai and Jarrod.
"Where is she," Jai asked.
"Through here ," RJ said. A few minutes later Jai and Jarrod followed RJ into the secret dojo behind the pizza shop.
"How is she," Jai asked.
"Healing not resting but Healing," Gal said.
"What do you mean," Jai asked puzzled as it seemed Jessi was sleeping
"Her sprit is in great pain," RJ said. "This one carries great pain a great and heavy pain."
"She's had a hard life and about a week or so ago there was a girl who was being bullied and well she ended up killing herself and Jessi had become attached to her and well," Jai began to explain.
"I couldn't save her," Jessi said coming around "I failed her," she continued tears streaming down her face.
"Jessi it wasn't your fault," Jai said.
"Yes it was… I was her friend….I should've done more," Jessi said breaking down into tears.
"But we can't save everyone," Gal said in the most comforting tone possible. "Think of all the battles and all the rangers over the years even they couldn't save everyone."
"Then why do we fight why do we even try?" Jessi asked her state of consciousness fading quickly.
"To keep the world safe for those we do," Jai said as Jessi drifted off to sleep. Jai quickly opened the secret web connection to video chat with their advisor Kat or Kruger. And Jai hoped the seemingly genius cat lady could offer help with Jessi's loss of morphing ability.
"You rang?," asked Kat as she appeared on the computer screen dressed in one of what seemed to be a seemingly endless collection of anime and indy wrestling tee shirts and jeans. "Hey have there been any problems with the morphing grid?," Jai asked.
"No none that I've found why?," Kat asked curiously
"Because during our fight Jessi couldn't morph and took the brunt of the attack," Gal explained.
"Oh your the new ranger?"
" Yep"
"Anyway it could be a mental thing," Kat said.
"Mental?" Jai asked.
"Yeah see morphers be they magic or tech based run off the universal morphing grid. Most morphers run practically off the main grid and a second grid that makes Jessi's morpher more psychically connected to her. Meaning that if she's under some kind of great stress or simply lost her will to be a ranger she may not be able to morph," Kat explained using her knowledge of the universal morphing grid.
"Then that's it then after what happened in Turtle Cove," Jai said.
"That may…," Kat asked getting cut off by a loud screech shattering the window the dojo. "Wh…wh..what was that?," she asked the signal breaking up
"Bad company," Jai said, as he and Gal ran out of the dojo, " Jarrod watch over Jessi" Jai called, the two rangers were fully morpher by the time they hit the front seeing Mirator and Trons.
"Well the dino and the lion," Mirator said her arrogance perfuming every word she said. "Lets get this done shall we," the villainous vixen said as she drew her sickle like weapon.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Jai said as he and Gal charged into the fray
Meanwhile inside Jessi tossed and turned as she once again as she entered her own tortured mind. As she found herself in yet another hellish nightmare.
Jessi found herself naked tied spread eagle on a bed of jagged glass, she screamed in agony as back was torn open over and over by the glass. But what hurt more were the sadistic smiles that her mirror image of herself and Kori had on their faces as they looked on.
"Do you think she's had enough Kori ,"
" No she never will," Kori said smiling smugly.
"AGHHHHH STOPP!," Jessi screamed in pure agony. She could feel the blood dripping down her back. But in the midst of all the torment calling to her from the shadows of her mind.
"You can end this you can stop it," the familiar voice said. "You have the anger you have the power to end your suffering. Embrace your rage embrace your darkness and use it!"
With those words Jessi's eye began to glow. And with all her new found strength she broke the bonds and screamed enough! Releasing a wave of black energy flooding the room vaporizing the table.
"Do it kill me you dumb bitch!," Kori said the venom oozing from her voice. "You can kill me all you want I and the rest of your demons will still be here to remind you of just what a failure you truly are."
"She's right you know," the familiar voice said.
Curious to see the owner Jessi looked up and was understandably shocked, she began to smiles as a wolf's howl could be heard.
Jai and Gal fell to the ground in pain as Mirator unleashed yet another close range sonic blast. They could hardly stand as they struggled to get to their feet to once again stand against Mirator. "Is….is that all you got," Gal said.
"You really think your bravado impresses me lion," Mirator chided just before unleashing a sonic shreek but she was cut off before she could as a blast knocked her back, the rangers and Mirator looked over to see Zenkaiser
"You …. You think you can beat me weakling," Mirator said picking herself up and drawing her sickle.
"We're gonna kill you ugly ," Jessi explained. "Lets end this!," she said changing her weapon into its gun mode, Jai and Gal stood beside her doing the same. "FINAL WAVE!," she yelled as they pulled the trigger firing a plasma blast that took on the form of three connected spinning giant gears before hitting Mirator and rendering her nothing more than dust and ash as a blue car shaped humanoid robot was in the dust and ash. "Power down!," Jessi said demorphing, Jai and Gal helped the blue robot to its feet.
"OVERDRIVE ACCELERATE!" came voices from behind them, they four rangers turned to see the Overdrive rangers in their signature poses.
" Got a name blue boy?" Gal asked
" Uh Beau?" The blue robot replied
" Beau huh?" Jai said
" I like it " Jessi said, she smiled as a Gertalinger appeared in Beau's hands.