Author's Note: I DO NOT own Power Rangers that credit goes to the Gods of Saban but this story is mine, I just borrowed their characters (and the main story line) and added some of my own thoughts to it.
-The Pink Gem
Chapter Sixteen
Hayley drove up to meet up with Conner, Ethan, and Kira. "Are you three alright?" she asked as she was getting out of the car. "If you consider getting our butts whooped okay, then we're fine," said Kira. "You're lucky the White Ranger didn't kill you!" "That guy took our Dino Gems," said Ethan. "Not that guy… it was Trent," finished Conner, "With the Pink Ranger's help." "She's alive? That's good," said Hayley. "What's good about that news?" "Let's just say Tommy might've taken your opinion, Ethan, a little too personally. Let's get back to the base so I can fix you guys up."
Back at the Ranger's base….
Hayley helped Kira and Ethan with their bandages while Conner was working on a computer. "Anything yet?" Ethan asked. "No, not yet…." said Conner. "So, what did happen with your fight with the Pink Ranger?" asked Hayley. "I don't know…." said Conner. "I still can't believe she walked away from that fight…" "She didn't take your Dino Gem, which is good. Were you stronger than her?" "No…" "C'mon Conner, tell us," said Ethan. "Yea, you're never this quiet about a fight," said Kira. "It was a draw…" said Conner, "She didn't want to fight anymore, and I needed to get back to you guys." Ethan and Kira exchanged an uneasy glance. The alarm started blaring, everyone turned to the computer screen, which showed the White Ranger shooting off some Laser Arrows at civilians. "Damn it…" said Conner as he started running out of the hideout. "Conner, where the hell do you think you're going?!" said Hayley, "You can't beat him by yourself!" "I just need to hold him off until Dr.O comes to back me up!" said Conner as he left. "That idiot…." said Hayley. She turned to see Ethan and Kira get up from their seats, "No! Absolutely not!" she said as she pushed Kira and Ethan back into their seats. "We need to help Conner!" said Ethan. "Look, if you just had your butts whooped, I'd send you to back him up, but not only did the two of you lose; you lost your Dino Gems. If you leave, Conner is gonna have to choose whether to protect you or the civilians and knowing him, who do you think he's gonna choose. You've got to stay here and recover so when you do get your Gems back; your back 100%... got it!" Ethan and Kira sat back down, "Do you think Conner gonna be alright?" Kira asked. "The White Ranger is probably after Conner's Dino Gem so Conner just needs to distract him long enough for Tommy to get there." "Okay then…" said Kira. "They'll be fine," said Hayley, "Tommy's the best there is."
Somewhere at some cliffs near Reefside…
Erica was lying down on a patch of grass overlooking the ocean, "Now what do I do?" she asked herself, "How do I go back to school and act like everything's normal….with those two in my class?" Chomper raised her head out of the water, "Elsa's gonna be looking for you." "She won't find me. I left my morpher and cell phone at home." "You really need to think about this?" "There're my classmates and she knew that….and she expects me…" "To do your job! She hasn't asked to kill them, only take their Dino Gems." "And I'm gonna have to fight them. They're gonna come look for their Dino Gems….and I'm going to have fight them…destroy them even…." "You won't be doing that, the Pink Ranger will be." "I am the Pink Ranger…" "Really? I thought you were Erica. I thought you left the Pink Ranger at home with your cell phone." Erica didn't reply but instead closed her eyes and meditated.
Somewhere in Reefside…..
The White Ranger was walking down the block slashing everything in his way, "That's right, you'd better run!" The Red Ranger ran up to him, "Looking for someone?" said the Red Ranger holding his Thundermax Saber. "Just the Ranger I was looking for…." said the White Ranger holding his Drago Sword. "Where's your partner, I thought I'd be double teamed." "She made the mistake of letting you walk away, now I have to clean up her mess." "She refused an order...?" thought the Red Ranger. "Why would she do something like that….right…something happened…a thought got into her head and she just stopped fighting…." "Are you ready?" said the White Ranger, "'Cause I won't back down!" The Red Ranger stood his ground, "Do your worst, you're gonna pay for taking my friends Dino Gems!"
About a mile away from the fighting…..
"Can this thing go any faster?!" said Trent to Dr. Oliver. "I would love to push it but what excuse am I going to give to the officer when he pulls me over?" "We need to get to our friend so we can help him." "I think he's going to want a better excuse than that, Trent." "Your right Dr.O, let's tell the officer that we need to help our friend who thinks he's being attacked by me!" "Conner can hold out until we get there." "I hope your right…"
The Red Ranger was tossed against the wall de-morphing him outta Super Dino Mode. "Any last words?" said the White Ranger as he was walking towards the Red Ranger. "Yeah….take this!" said a voice as an explosion engulfed the White Ranger. The White Ranger held up his Drago Sword against the White Ranger. The Black Ranger ran towards the Red Ranger, "Are you alright?" he said. "Yeah Dr. O I'm fine…." said the Red Ranger, "But, can you tell me which one is the real White Ranger 'cause I'm seeing double..." "Conner, Trent didn't betray us." "He didn't?" "Yeah…the other guys a doppelganger." "I can't believe I fell for a sham..." Trent raised his weapon, "You're gonna pay for framing me, faker!" The White Ranger raised his weapon, "By the time I'm finished with you, no one will remember who you were!" Just then the two White Rangers disappeared. "Great…" said Conner, "He disappears before I can give an apology." "Where'd they go?" said Dr.O, "I don't know if Trent can handle fighting another White Ranger…" "Come on, what the worst that can happen?"
Elsa was watching the fight from their lair, "Zeltrax!" she screamed. "What?" asked Zeltrax as he was entering the lab. "We need to do down there and take the Black and Red Rangers' Dino Gems." "Where's the Pink Ranger?" "Not answering her communicator or her phone, so she's AWOL. We need to go now before they leave," she said as she left the lab. "What happened to the White Ranger?" asked Zeltrax following her out.
Trent and the White Ranger reappeared on a beach, miles away from the fight, "Are you done running, Trent Mercer?" said the White Ranger. "Don't worry, I'm not running," "I just needed to get as far away from them as possible…" said the White Ranger as he pulled out his weapon, "Laser Arrows!" The White Ranger dodged the attack, pulled out his Drago Sword, and charged at Trent. But before the White Ranger could strike him, the two of them were hit by a paralyzing force and both of them hit the ground.
At Anton Mercer's House
"How bad was this incident my mom was in?" "Steven…you really should ask your mom about this…." "You think she'd tell the truth?" "Maybe, if you're showing to be suspicious. She might tell the whole story to you." "And you won't?" "I can't. I wasn't there Steven, that's the first thing. The second thing is that the military allowed only an x number of files to be released publically…many, many files are still under lock and key." "Okay, I get it. I'll only get some of the story from you and if I want the rest I'll interrogate my parents, happy? I just need to know what they would've done in my shoes." Dr. Mercer got up from his chair and went over to the bookshelf and pulled out an old notepad. As he flipped through his pages he kept muttering to himself. He sat back down, "Okay so she studied Biochemical Engineering…she met your father at military training base…He studied Aviation Engineering.." "I know this Mercer," said Steven sighing heavily. "Okay…okay….it looks like Dr. Roberts wrote a paper about a disease, "Weapon. Its' an advanced nerve gas….cure is heavy dose of (for the sake of simplicity) lots of drug cocktails…and its contagious. Her tested this gas on lab rats, she hypothesized that any country that gets hit with this disease could suffer from drug shortages in a matter of weeks."
"An hypothesis nonthe-" "If this disease was successfully absorbed by human DNA and if this disease was sold 'properly', Dr. Roberts would have been….very well off for the rest of her life…" "Where would you find 'volunteers' for this experiment?" "Well, when you have a boyfriend who can get his hands on a plane. The real problem is just finding the perfect third world country no-one gives a damn about." "No….they wouldn't-they couldn't…" "The bomb was dropped over the Amazon…" "So it contaminated a river, no big-" "The bomb hit a tribal village….300 people plus a dozen or so drug dealers smuggling in the area were hit with the illness. Some missionary from the U.K. was traveling through the area found them. Surprising the dead bodies found was just badly decayed, the disease was in their system but it wasn't contagious anymore." "Okay….so how did my parents get caught if this disease wasn't "real" yet? No one knew this disease existed yet…it was only real on paper, right?" The plane your parents used refueled at Guatemala…people took pictures…and someone reported that this U.S. plane was in the country….if five U.S. planes are allowed to be in that country at that time..." "What was that 'plane' that wasn't supposed to be there doing there?" asked Steven. "Exactly…" said Anton, "The plane number was on the one of the pictures…and it got traced back to your parents' base." "And everyone on the base is probably talking about a 'new disease' that your mom wrote about that being created…" "The pieces were being put together and your parents were arrested and charged with murder and unauthorized use of chemical warfare and a million of other charges." "Jesus…." "This trail was behind closed doors…honestly, your parents could've gotten off if they apologized and agreed to reproduce the drug for the U.S. gov't. Your dad apologized….you mom…didn't." "Did she give a reason why?" "She pleaded no contest….but before she was found guilty of anything…the court came upon a revelation." "Humph…what kind of revelation?" "Dr. Roberts' medical files were shown to the court; apparently, she was a few months pregnant…." "Oh great, get me involved in this case why don't you?" "If the military did go all out on your mom, punishment wise, it would've led to massive backlash from women's right groups. In the end, the courts decided she was 'mentally incompetent' and it'd be a violation of the 8th Amendment if she was given any type of punishment." "My mom is one of the most brilliant scientists of the world…." "The military lies about everything…this was put on her public record though. If Dr. Roberts ever wanted to get a job outside of the military…." "They wouldn't hire her because she's 'insane'." Steven got up and started pacing heavily around the room. "Steven…" said Anton. "My mom has two different records under her name….publically she's insane….military says she's a GENIUS! Heh, so what'd they give my dad, did they send him to an asylum in Japan?!" "No, he apologized publically…said he fell in love….men do stupid things when they're in love. The courts said he needs to be away from your mother, so they don't come up with any other 'crazy experiments' ever again." "And he chose Japan over the U.S. Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico because…." "Japan was the farthest U.S. ally, there would be…less problems…" "Less problems?" "Would you be able to visit your dad more often in the Puerto Rico or Japan?" "Considering that I don't need a passport for the P.R.…" "Exactly…" Steven sat down again, "How true is this document?" "All the documents I looked at pertaining to this case…the military wrote; so, I'd take it with a grain of salt. Steven, it's all about image; they need to show the world that they take crimes seriously, especially when one of their own does the deed." "My mom kept her mouth shut….why?" "I honestly believe she was a scientist that wanted to test out a hypothesis…millions of scientist do these 'experiments' that does or does not violate the Geneva Convention, does anyone stop them, no." "And my parents get caught and are being punished for the millions of scientist that aren't brought to trial…" "If they were a bit more cautious…they would never have been caught…" "Your thought is that my mom is just playing 'scientist' and what…she goes off and kills people. Claim it as an experiment gone wrong!" "Steven…" "So Mercer….how come you followed up on this case….you're a Dino guy not a….Biochemical Engineering guy." "First off, I was a Dino Guy, now I'm a plant guy. Second, the government gave a grant to study Dino DNA; part of the requirement is that I keep with military 'news' and your parents' court case was as big as Hiroshima at the time." "So that notepad…." "My own personal notes at the time…closed trial means closed to civilians. If you think you need these notes…." "I do, unless you know how to access the military files." "My contact with the military is…over, so I have no access." Mercer handed over the notepad to Steven, "What got you so interested in looking over your mother's file? Don't you think she has a right to privacy?" "She kept her mouth shut when her life was on the line because she didn't want to reveal her secret. I'm wondering if I know anyone who is just as dedicated as she is. And how far would this 'dedication road' take her?" Steven got up and left the room. Anton waited until he heard the front door close, "I wonder if he's talking about Erica…." He closed his eyes and thought of Erica, "He comparing Erica to his mother…how dedicated is Erica? To Mesogogs' cause no doubt but….Steven saw Erica demorph when she was in front of the Yellow and Blue Rangers demorphed. Will Erica still work with Mesogog despite the fact that she's facing off against her classmates….For her sake she'd better."
Back at the cliffs…
Erica shot up and brushed the sweat from her forehead. "Problem?" asked Chomper. "I felt Mesogogs presence…" "No surprise there, we're telepathically connected to him ever since he got his claws on a piece of your Dino Gem." "That's fine, but when I feel Mesogog I see Him in my head….Not this case though I saw…someone different." "Who'd ya see then?" "My dad….Anton…."
Trent woke up and picked himself up. He started walking away from the White Ranger who was still unconscious. "I really want to get you back…but I need to help my friends first." Trent easily found an Invisi-portal and went through it. Before Trent entered the lab he activated his Dino Gem and rendered himself invisible. He slowly walked into the lab, "I must be walking into a trap….where is everyone?" Trent saw the Blue and Yellow Gems on a table, "This is WAY too easy…." Trent grabbed the Gems and started walking out of the lab, "I wouldn't be surprised if these were fake-but then-where are Elsa and Zeltrax?"
The Red Ranger took a few steps forward, "Where'd they go?" "Far away from here…Conner you're in no condition to fight him. We need to take the opportunity Trent's given us and get back to base and regroup, okay?" "Yeah, okay." The Red and Black Ranger turned around to see Elsa and Zeltrax with a squad of Tyrannodrones behind them. "Let's see," said Elsa, "Me and my friends versus the two of you…how long do you think you two can last?" "Long enough to take care of you!" said the Black Ranger. He turned to the Red Ranger, "You ready?" The Red Ranger took a fighting stance, "I'm right behind you!"
The alarm went off at the Ranger's hideout. "Hayley, you can't expect us to sit back and watch them get they killed!" said Ethan. "I don't like it any more than you do, but the least I can do is keep the body count down." Kira, Ethan, and Hayley heard a noise and turned around to see Trent at the bottom of the stairs breathing heavily. "Trent?" said Kira. Trent held up a finger, "Promise me you won't ask any questions?" "Ummm…okay?" said Ethan, "What do you want to tell us?" Trent ran towards Kira and Ethan and put something in their hands. Kira and Ethan held up their hands to see their Dino Gems. "Don't ask! Just get the hell out and back them up!" said Trent. "You don't have to tell me twice!" said Ethan as he ran out. Kira stood there staring at her Dino Gem, "What are you waiting for? Get-" "I knew you didn't betray us…." said Kira as she kissed him. Trent stood frozen as Kira followed Ethan out. "Whoa…." said Trent. "Earth to Trent," said Hayley, "How did you get their Dino Gems back?" Trent smiled, "Sorry but I did tell you not to ask any questions," "Fair enough," said Hayley, "Now…are you going to back up your friends or not?" "I'm going, I'm going…." said Trent leaving, "they're not gonna need my help, this fight is personal and I'm gonna left them have it!"
The Black Ranger took on Zeltrax and half of the Tyrannodrones while the Red Ranger took on Elsa and the other half. "I will see you destroyed, Dr. Tommy Oliver!" screamed Zeltrax as he tried to attack the Black Ranger, but the Black Ranger blocked it "For the millionth time, I have no idea what you're on about!" "You really don't remember me, huh?" Zeltrax took a few steps back, "I'm the man you took everything from!" Zeltrax launched a series of strikes against the Black Ranger, "Remember we were head to head fighting for the job Anton Mercer offered us!" The Black Ranger dodged, "And Mercer…picked…you!" The Black Ranger took the attack full on and took several steps back, "It can't be…Smitty? That accident…." "Zeltrax launched another attack and the Black Ranger dodged the attack, "I would never have been in that accident if it wasn't for you!" Zeltrax charged up his sword, "I will finally have my revenge!" "I don't think so!" The Yellow Ranger jumped off a building and shot down on Zeltrax, which he took the full hit. As Zeltrax staggered back, the Yellow Ranger held up her Thundermax Saber. "That's impossible!" said Zeltrax, "We have your Gems!" "Not anymore you don't!" Zeltrax retreated and saw Elsa, "What happened?" she asked. "The Yellow Ranger came-" "The Blue Ranger came to my fight…." She said. "Who could've?" "Who else knows the locations of the Invisi-portals besides us?" "Trent Mercer…." Said Zeltrax, "The White Ranger failed…" "We need to figure to either figure out our next strategy or explain to Mesogog why we left the lair undefended! Let's go!" Elsa and Zeltrax retreated into an Invisi-Portal.
As the Rangers regrouped, "How did you guys get your Dino Gems back?" asked the Red Ranger. "Trent got them back for us," said the Yellow Ranger. "Why would he do such a stupid thing like that?" asked the Black Ranger shaking his head. "Dr.O, we all saw the White Ranger and assumed it was Trent without batting an eye. He needed to show us he was on our side," said the Blue Ranger. "Yeah but doing something so reckless…He could've gotten captured…or worse…" "Speaking of Trent…" started the Red Ranger, "Where is he?"
The White Ranger woke up and sat up to see the White Ranger sitting across from him with his Drago Sword out. "How long have I been out?" "Long enough to let me sneak into your base to take back the Dino Gems…" The White Ranger took a fighting pose, "You'll pay for that!" "Don't bother coming after me, the last time we charged at each other we were knocked out cold…." "Have you figured it out yet, Trent Mercer? Do you know who I am?" "I'm gonna guess, you're one of Zeltraxs' pet projects…a duplicate of the invincible White Ranger, heh, you're just a clone….an empty shell with my Dino Gem power…." "What are you're doing here? You're not here to fight..." "No, I'm not at full strength anymore since you woke up…I just needed to know how much power you are taking outta my Dino Gem," said the White Ranger as he started to leave. "I'm not done with you!" "Yes you are…because I'm not the one who needs to explain to Mesogog how you let me take those Dino Gems out of the lab." The White Ranger continued on his way while the White Ranger Clone went into the Invisi-Portal.
Back at the cliffs…..
"Hey…Chomper." "Yeah?" "What did you mean, about me not being the Pink Ranger when I am?" "Erica, would you disobey Mesogog?" "No, he saved my life." "Would the Pink Ranger betray him?" "No, he…gave her life…gave me this power…." "Okay, so if Mesogog wanted you to kill Kira and Ethan, would you?" "No." "You just said he saved your life." "I can't go that far, my life isn't worth theirs." "Okay, but when he asked you to take the Pink and Blue Ranger Gems you'd had no problem." "I see a big difference between those two examples." "Erica, what would happen if your Dino Gem were taken, would the Pink Ranger still exist?" "Yeah" "How, a Ranger cannot materialize unless its bond with human DNA, if you didn't have the Pink Gem…how could the Pink Ranger come to life? The Pink Ranger wouldn't come to life without you. " "….So, your point?" "You were willing to kill the Blue and Yellow Rangers but you're not willing to kill Kira and Ethan." "I wasn't killing the Blue and Yellow Rangers…." "No, you weren't. The Pink Ranger was. The Pink Ranger was willing to kill someone….something you won't do." "They were still alive!" "Kira and Ethan were still alive! Not the Blue and Yellow Rangers! Do you understand anything I'm telling you?" Erica was silent for about a minute trying to organize her thoughts, "So, the Blue and Yellow Rangers wouldn't exist without Ethan and Kira. They are connected…." "Yes and No. Ethan can survive without the Gem but the Ranger can't survive without Ethan." "So there…two different people? Ethan and the Blue Ranger…. Kira and the Yellow Ranger and…" "You and the Pink Ranger are two different people. The Pink Ranger is willing to take a life for Mesogog, you're not. The Pink Ranger is one of Mesogog pawns, not you. The Pink Ranger needs you, but you don't need the Pink Ranger." "Chomper, this theory of yours is flawed." "How so?" "Who is getting punished for not responding to Elsa's calls, me or her?" "That is a minor exception to the overall picture." "A minor exception?! I'd be dead if Mesogog didn't give me the Pink Ranger! I am her and she is me…" "Erica, when you are the Pink Ranger you have to obey Mesogog. But as Erica, do you have to?" Erica let out a heavy sigh, "I don't know…."
At the Eide household….
The ringing was so loud everyone in the house could hear it. By the third ring it aggravated Dr. Roberts enough to get her out of the study. "Steven, get the damn phone!" She received no response. "He must be out," she murmured as she walked over and answered the phone. "Hello?" "Hello, ." "Hello, Dr. I-Blew-Up-An-Island, how are you today." "Are you in high spirits todays, or did I pull you away from your work?" asked Anton. "What do you think? Make whatever you say fast, I want to get back to my research." "Fair enough, Steven came over asking about your reputation." "Like?" "Well, why are you and your husband separated?" "A divorce, why?" "Really? Then why were the two of you put on trial? So why does your 'ex' husband need permission from the U.S., the U.K. and Japan before he can come over here." "What the hell did you tell Steven?" "I just gave him some notes I wrote about the trial, with all the important details written in short hand so he won't be able the figure out certain details." "Like?" "Like the fact high amounts of ammonium nitrate in a liquid form was found in the bodies. Steven thinks you actually went and dropped a nerve bomb on those poor people." "And you didn't tell him the truth…why?" "I told him that I got all my notes from the military, and you know how they like to tell the truth, I told him if he wanted the whole story to ask you." "I'm flattered, I'll remember this Anton when Erica comes asking about you, Goodbye." She had half a mind to slam the phone down but Dr. Robert slowly put the receiver down. She went back into her study and pulled out her netbook from under some books. She logged online and sent a message out:
To: JuDoMaStEr1
Subject: Steven
Message: He wants to know the truth, what should we tell him?
She clicked 'Send'. She knew she'd expect an answer within 48 hours and he would probably answer, "We should tell him together and let him decide whether he would forgive us or hate us for it. We should've fought harder and we didn't. It was David and Goliath and we couldn't take down the giant…."
Dr. Roberts shut down the computer and went to bed early that night.
End of Chapter 16
Sorry this chapter took so long, I keep getting hit with writers block, and school started for me, which is a real bummer. I update in the coming weeks (hopefully) Thanks to all my faithful followers, I love each and every one of you.