Volume VI – Outlaws

Chapter 48—Fall From Grace, Part II: Snow White Queen

Grace

I could hear the voices around me yelling harshly at one another. I could hear the scurrying of feet and smell the stench of anxiety filling the room. My nails scraped at the dirt, but as much as I tried to see past the blindfold on me, I saw nothing but darkness. It was like being forced to hear my death before I could see it.

I heard doors open and smelled the metallic tinge of a prison wagon before me. I felt hands on my shoulders as two soldiers snatched me up and unceremoniously tossed me into the back of their vehicle. They were speaking quickly and frantically, but I was so jacked up on adrenaline and in so much pain at the laser bolt wounds in my leg, back, and arm that I could hardly make out what they were saying. Then I heard Matt's name.

"Messiah won't be pleased that we failed to capture Matthew Jamison," a woman said tersely.

"Mes wants them all, but we have one of the most important ones," another officer responded, his gruff Brooklyn accent adding edge to his voice. "The others'll come."

Their voices became distant as the double doors of the van slammed closed.

Immediately, I tried to focus my frantic mind. I couldn't grab hold of my concentration no matter how hard I tried, and when I reached for that core of power that was always right inside the center of my body, I felt nothing. No power. Nothing.

If I thought I was panicking before, I was wrong. What had they done to me? How did they take my powers from me? How were they able to neutralize my shadow powers without killing me?

I tried to twist my wrists, but the iso-cuffs around them kept them locked in place in front of me. I reached for the blindfold on my face, but it wouldn't budge. It wasn't a blindfold. It was a visual inhibitor—it had literally shut down the visual receptors of my brain. Now that I knew what was around my head, I could feel the light frame of the metallic fixture constricting around my skull. I knew I had to get out.

But how?

My energy all but spent and my wounds burning like pieces of searing hot coals grafted to my body, I let myself fall limp exhaustedly against the walls of my temporary prison.

As I began to accept my fate, I let my mind wander for the moment, and I found myself wondering if Matt had been able to get back to The Basement in time to tell my dad what happened. Oh, God, my dad. I knew he would absolutely die if anything happened to me. I was the one thing in his life that he had left. The one trace of any sort of a family he had.

When my mother, Katherine Hillard, had finally told my dad about my existence, I was hurt. I was shocked, angry, and bitter. I wanted nothing to do with either of them. Until Doctor Thomas Oliver finally sat me down a few nights later and told me what happened.

He told me all about his first love, Kimberly Ann Hart—the first pink ranger—and how she had left both the rangers and him to compete in the Pan Global Games. He told me that my mother had originally been under the control of Rita Repulsa, the first intergalactic villain my father had ever battled, and how my own mom had stolen Kimberly's power coin. He later learned it was out of spite for Kimberly. Spite that had been born of jealousy for the relationship she had with my dad. I had to admit, it was weird to know my parents were once teenagers like me and my teammates. That they had normal drama just like we did.

But the drama subsided when Kimberly passed on her ranger legacy to my mom, and Katherine Hillard became the second Pink Ninja Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. When their power coins were destroyed, Zordon used the Zeo Crystal to re-energize the rangers and turn them into a new force—the Zeo Rangers. Sometime in the war against King Mondo, who had taken up the mantle of Earth's newest adversary, my mother and father began dating. Well, not until Kimberly broke my dad's heart. Through a letter. The girl had style, that was for sure. Back then, letter breakups were almost as bad as text message breakups.

As the Zeo Rangers grew to become the Turbo Rangers in light of a new proponent of Earth's destruction, my parents graduated high school and moved on to college. Unlike my team, though, the rangers sacrificed their ranger duties to pursue normal lives. My father went to college at MIT, though I'm not sure why he went there for paleontology (something tells me his PhD in digging up dinosaur bones was a front), but mom refused to stay stateside and ventured off to Paris to study dance. It was there that she first met Terrance.

Sometime later, my mother and father reunited and apparently shared a night of intimacy. A few weeks later, I began to become noticeable in my mother's body. And she made the choice to end her relationship with my father, blaming it on distance. About 6 months later, I was born in a hospital in London, England. Just after I was born, my mom moved us to Reefside, a small subdivision of Los Angeles just north of Orange County and not far from Angel Grove. Dad never got wind of us, but Terrance sure enough did. When I was three, they married. We moved to England when I was four and didn't return to the states until I was 13.

I snapped from my thoughts as the van jarred angrily at a sharp turn. I winced at the pain in my wrists from the iso-cuffs shackled around my bruised wrists and bit down on my lip to keep from crying out at the agony of my wounds being agitated. I wouldn't give those SPD sons-of-bitches the satisfaction.

Just like Terrance.

I hadn't spoken to my mom and Terrance since I started living with my real dad. Mom had called the house a few times to talk to me, and had sent letters to SPD trying to contact me—especially when I became famous. I knew it wasn't the fame that brought her around, only that she wanted to congratulate me. But I didn't want her kudos. I didn't want anything from her. I had buried that part of my life in a grave so deep it threatened to breach the inner crusts of the earth. It was just too difficult for me to acknowledge. And Matt, better than anyone, knew why.

Matt.

He was probably tearing himself to shreds for leaving me behind. I knew him better than I knew myself, I felt, and I knew he would stop at nothing to break me out. The problem was that he'd be falling right into a trap. Messiah knew my friends would come for me. He wanted them to.

I flew forward as the van came to an abrupt halt, my head smashing into the steel bench bolted into the inner-most wall of the van's trailer. I was sure a scream slipped from my lips, but I didn't hear it. Everything was eerily silent now, and I knew I must have banged my head pretty good. I felt the sticky, syrupy texture of blood slip down the side of my face, felt it matting my hair, and smelled it stinging my nostrils like a truckload of nickels and pennies. My breathing was shallow at best, every nerve-ending in body was on fire, but overall, I felt cold.

I could remember feeling like it was all over. The end of Grace Eden—world phenomenon, intergalactic pop star, superhero extraordinaire, and now captive of the organization I had worked so hard to help.

—48—

I giggled casually with Matt, curling up even more into his warm, safe arms. His crisp, clean scent filled my nostrils pleasantly and I made a comment about the more-than-ridiculous movie we were currently watching. His voice filled my ears and vibrated my body through his chest, making him sound more and more like some otherworldly man. In a few ways, I considered him to be. While Patrick literally did have an otherworldly man, Matt represented the best of Earth's men. He was perfect—my best friend, my confidant, my lover, and my other half. I had never felt this way about anyone.

He intertwined his fingers with my own and gently laid kisses in the crook of my neck as he finished his commentary on the movie, and then he laid his head just above my own with his chin resting lightly on head. Moments like these were the ones I loved to remember—where everything just seemed to stop and I was able to appreciate the time I had on Earth. It helped me forget that I was holed up in my father's house, forbidden from going outside for fear of SPD.

So Matt and I spent my time in my room, watching movies on the movie program my dad had invested in. Or rather, I had forced him to.

"This movie's so predictable," I griped. "You totally know the idiotic guy is gonna go back for her."

"Well yeah, but that's why he's a boss. You mess with the people he loves and he makes you pay," Matt answered.

"So being stupid makes you a boss?"

"Why do you think he's stupid?" Matt wondered.

"Um, because his mission isn't to rescue the girl; he's supposed to be going back to his base to warn them of the attack on their planet. One girl isn't worth the lives of millions," I answered practically. "It's just unrealistic."

"I dunno, dude; I'd go back for you," he said simply enough. "I mean, the guy obviously loves the girl more than the cause he's fighting for, so that's really all that's important to him."

I forced a laugh, sitting up to stare at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," he said, somewhat defensively. "You wouldn't go back for me?"

"Well, I mean, of course I would. But…I dunno. If we had a mission, it's the top priority. I'd have to trust you could take care of yourself."

He grinned slightly, but there was no real humor in it. Apparently, I had offended his inner hopeless romantic.

"You're not seriously comparing our lives to theirs?" I continued, somewhat incredulously.

"Not really," he said back, "but I see where the guy's coming from. I wouldn't be able to complete some stupid mission and turn my back on you."

"You're ridiculous," I said, rolling my eyes. Then I smiled, "But the Romantic Superhero Role really does fit you."

He grabbed me around my waist and pulled me into him, then locked eyes with me as he laid over me. "You really think I'm a superhero?"

"I mean, I guess," I joked, teasing his ego. "But you're just the Blue Ranger."

His eyes widened as his eyebrows arched in false surprise. "Oh-o-oh! Just the Blue Ranger?" His strong arms lifted me slightly as he reached for my sides, tickling them mercilessly.

I immediately began some weird half-shriek-half-laugh that made me sound like some retarded Hyena-Dolphin hybrid.

Matt, for some reason, thoroughly enjoyed this sound. And he had since we were kids.

"S-stop it!" I whined, the only time in my life where I sounded like some helpless little blond girl. "Ma-att!"

He laughed proudly to himself as he ceased his tickle torture and leaned in over me again. "I think I can think of a few reasons why Blue Ranger might just be your favorite ranger."

"I think I could too," I whispered back to him as he moved in closer for a kiss.

I met him halfway. His fingers made their way through my hair as his other hand roamed up my side. My own hands quickly found their separate ways— to the back of his neck, just under his hairline; and faintly lying on his soft, solid biceps. I took note of all the different sensations I was feeling, but the jumble of nervousness I always felt when close to him was clouding my judgment, too. I wondered if it was normal. Patrick said he never felt nervous kissing Aaron. Amy never mentioned nervousness between her and Jay, but they were weird; they acted like a married couple. But why was my stomach all garbled and warm?

And then I realized he still gave me butterflies.

"Grace, I—"

Matt was off me in seconds as we both looked bewilderedly to my bedroom door where the voice had come from.

"Dad!"

"Oh, God!" he exclaimed, stumbling to close the door again.

"Sorry!" Matt yelled through the door.

—48—

"Ah, you're awake."

I snapped to immediately. The visual inhibitor was gone, the iso-cuffs were gone, and I was in a medical gown.

But I found myself wishing the visual inhibitor was still blinding me.

I was in an all-white room, lights reflecting off every perfectly white surface harshly. Messiah was in front of me.

I knew it was customary to speak, but survival sort of overrode that for me. I lunged toward him and found myself face-to-force field in a matter of seconds. More specifically, a containment field.

"Oh, now see," he sighed, shaking his head, "we could have done this without you busting your face on a containment field. I'll bet that stung. And I just got done healing your wounds. Which, by the way, a simple 'thank you' would make a wonderful conversation starter."

"Fuck you."

"I think you misheard me."

"I wouldn't have had those wounds in the first place if it weren't for you!"

"Ah, details," he said dismissively, waving his hand carelessly and crossing his legs. "Anyway, we have more important things to discuss."

"I'm not discussing anything with you," I growled at him. "Let me out before this whole place is leveled."

"Your delusions of grandeur seeded in your team staging a rescue will fail, I assure you that," Messiah said uninterestingly. "Even your father wouldn't risk sending the Cyber Rangers to attack SPD. Not without you."

"It's not my dad you should be worried about," I laughed bitterly, "it's Matt."

"Ah, yes," he droned, "Matt. He's probably devastated at losing you. Why, he'd probably even come alone if he had to, wouldn't he?"

"Don't underestimate him."

"Don't underestimate me."

A tense silence filled the room before he smiled and stood from his chair, pacing the room. "Now, about that discussion, Miss Eden. See, we don't need to fight. I've read your file, and you are not a fan of Xeno. Not really, at least. I mean, yes, you had that crush on Aaron. But that doesn't count."

I looked at him, surprised. How the hell did he know that?'

"Aside from staring at Aaron in your 11th grade English class, you've had quite the disdain for aliens. But now you're fighting Earth to save some planet you know nothing about?"

"You're trying to start a war," I answered.

"Ah! She speaks!"

He clapped sarcastically.

"On the contrary, Ice Queen; I am trying to prevent a war."

"You're trying to prevent a war with a war?"

"If we don't strike Eltar first, they will strike us, make no mistake."

"You idiot! Eltar doesn't want anything to do with Earth! All they've ever done is help us."

"Help us?" he repeated disbelievingly. "Really? Did you know that over 4.3 billion people disagree? Earth has been subjected to alien battle after alien battle, leading to countless cover-ups, scandals, and mass destruction. Millions of lives have been shattered in an intergalactic war that we wanted no part of. We were forced to play the battlefield while two forces attempted to annihilate each other. And we still are. It is time for us to fight back. And you are a Ranger of Earth. You were born here. Look what Eltar did to your family."

His final words hit me hard.

Eltar really had been the cause of my family's constant struggle. On the other hand, my parents would never have met if it hadn't been for Zordon. It was so confusing. I saw Messiah's point. Eltar hadn't shown us any respect—although Hunter had. But Hunter grew up on Earth. So did his sisters. They were more Earthling than they were Eltarian. The actual Eltarians looked down upon us. They did not deem humans worthy of wielding the Cyber Morphers. When we had addressed the council, they shrugged us off like we were infants. They'd been flippant. Careless. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Eltar didn't want anything to do with humanity, but they'd obviously shown a great interest in Earth.

"You don't get it," I finally said. "You ruined our lives. You dragged us into this the day you let Mira and Rheas attack us!"

"I let them attack Aaron," Messiah corrected me. "Mira and Rheas were sent to Reefside High School to find your father, but he'd already left for the day. Mira simply wanted to ask them a few questions until they offended her. So she attacked them."

"What?" I half-shrieked. "You are not serious, are you? You really think that's okay?"

"The Cyber Morphers are not Thomas's property. It wasn't his call to keep them. But I couldn't use SPD to take them from you because then it would have been obvious that I was Mesomorph. I wanted that detail kept secret."

"And I wonder why that is," I said sarcastically.

"There is so much you don't understand. But that's okay," he patronizingly said, "I'm going to tell you what my plan is. I don't want to fight the Cyber Squad. I want you on my side. Help me defeat Eltar—save Earth."

"You're the one putting Earth in danger," I answered coldly. "You unleashed Gabriel's Angel form, you sent your Mecha Rangers to destroy us, and you are starting this war with Eltar. Eltar has done nothing to us."

His face had fallen from its previously hopeful visage into a deep, serious frown. His yellow-hazel eyes narrowed as the irises began to irradiate themselves in a crimson hue.

"You don't have a choice," he finally spat. "You are my soldier and you will do what I say!"

With that, he disappeared from the room through a beam of light on the ceiling. A teleporter.

An escape.

—48—

"Get up," a guard snarled at me.

I opened my eyes groggily to see the clean-cut cadet leaning toward the containment field, his eyes looking for a sign of resistance on my part.

"What's all this about?" I asked sleepily, standing.

"Messiah wants you for something," he said back coldly. "I don't want to keep him waiting."

The small platoon of cadets he'd brought with him had their guns pointed directly at my face, and I didn't want to find out if they were set to stun or not. So I complied when the cadet from before destabilized the containment field.

I knew why Messiah had put me in an all-white room. He was smart. He knew that if there were no shadows, I had no powers. Well, none that would help me in any way. I had no choice but to follow the guards until I was out of the room. Even then, though, it would be risky for me to try to run. I hadn't eaten, I had hardly slept, and my energy was way too low to attempt an escape. I would just have to wait.

"I wish you no harm, Doctor Oliver; I only want back what is rightfully mine," Messiah was saying as I entered the Command Center of the SPD Headquarters.

Dad?

"Where is she?"

I quickly broke away from the guards and ran over to the view screen. My dad and was visible, standing in what appeared to be the Basement. I could tell he had taken precautions to hide his location by standing in an area of the Basement that didn't reveal anything Messiah could use to his advantage.

"Dad!"

"Grace, thank God," my dad sighed, a visible tension disappearing from his shoulders.

"As you see, Doctor Oliver, she is perfectly fine," Messiah continued, stepping forward somewhat. "Return Gabriel to me and I will return your daughter."

"We don't negotiate with terrorists!" I spat.

"Grace," my dad said sharply.

I looked at him.

He couldn't be serious.

"Dad, you can't give Gabriel back!"

"What other choice do I have?" he snapped.

My dad was clearly shaken. I never noticed his age until now. This kind of stress on a person couldn't have been easy to handle.

"Dad, please," I begged.

"It's your choice, Oliver," Messiah added snidely. "I'm sure you'll let your rangers take a vote, but I can guarantee none of them would prefer Gabriel's company over Grace's."

"Why do you need him?" my dad finally asked. "How does he factor into your plan at all?"

"Gabriel is heir to Cronus. With that kind of power, Earth will finally take its place in the universe. No one will dare use Earth for a battlefield again."

"Gabriel will destroy the Earth if you continue to force the Angel virus into him!"

Messiah's eyes narrowed. "So I see you discovered the origin of this 'prophecy.'"

"Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out? You've had time to study him—now I have my chance. You might get Gabriel back, but you won't get the Angel."

Messiah hissed.

"Well, you might get your daughter back, but you won't get the Black Ranger!"

The view screen fizzled out to black just as my father's eyes widened in surprise. I hardly had any time to react before Messiah had one of his hands digging into my arm, pulling me out of the Command Center with his troops.

"Stop! What are you doing?" I screamed, pulling away from Messiah.

A cadet grabbed me and locked his forearm around my throat. His hand quickly grabbed my right arm before I could fend him off, and his jarred it up against my back.

I tried not to let out a gasp of pain.

"Don't make this any more difficult than it already is, Grace," Messiah gloated, running his finger along my chin.

"What are you gonna do to me?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Let's just say…soon…you'll be seeing things my way."

I opened my mouth to scream at him, but I felt the cadet flex his forearm and cut off my air supply. As my vision grew dim and I felt myself being hoisted over the cadet's shoulder, I tried not to think of the horrors that would await me.

—48—

"Sir, the adjustments are complete."

"Excellent."

"The last thing we need to set in place is the cognitive suppressant."

"No…No, let her stay completely aware of what she is doing."

I heard the voices fuzzily through my ringing ears, but I could hardly focus on any of the words they were saying. I couldn't remember what I was doing laying down, or why there were strange people around me whispering, but I needed to find a way out.

But as soon as the thought came to mind, a monitor began to beep.

"She's awake," said the fairly gentle, young voice.

Then another voice overpowered his. A raspy, suspicious whisper with underlying hints of authority.

"Hello, Grace."

As if his words were magic, my eyesight returned to me.

"W-what did you do to me?" I asked, becoming suddenly aware of my environment.

The monitor from before was going crazy.

"I opened your eyes," Messiah purred. "And not just literally, but figuratively as well. Actually, never mind," he paused, "they're both literal."

"What. Did you. Do to me?" I roared, pulling at the cuffs that bound my arms to the bed I was lying on.

"I forced you to fulfill your duty," he said forcefully. "You took a vow to serve me, and you will obey!"

"I'm not your lapdog, Messiah. You must have me confused with Gabriel."

"Oh, no," he replied sinisterly, "Gabriel fought at first, too. But you'll soon come to realize that, well…not to sound cliché, but: resistance is futile."

It was the last thing I remembered him saying without feeling insane.

Before I knew it, my body wasn't listening to me. My brain, my soul—they were still there. But…my body was not my own anymore.

My fists relaxed no matter how hard I tried to clench them, and my facial muscles relaxed into a calm, obedient visage.

Then, like he was in my head, Messiah told me what to do. And my body listened.

He told me to relax while the cuffs were removed. He told me to dress myself in the bathroom. Told me to return to the command center. Told me to prepare for the Cyber Rangers' predictable assault. Told me to morph. Told me to beat the rangers within a millimeter of their lives if necessary. Told me to strip them of their powers.

He told me to kill them.

And my body listened.