Part Eleven
Chapter Twelve
It was later that evening when Jason and Billy finally returned to the Command Centre to join us. We'd been happy to wait, and after the day we'd had? Nobody was ready to head home. For his part, Brendan was slumped quietly against one of the consoles at the back of the room. Ian hadn't left his side, but I don't think any of us knew what to say to him.
"The Traxians are okay," Jason said. "Their ship was destroyed, but nobody was badly hurt. We helped them gather what they could, and then they were insistent we destroy everything that was left. It seemed the least we could do. But with no way off-world and their cover blown, they asked for directions to the nearest train station. I think they just wanted to move on."
"At least they were okay," I said.
"The Traxians also confirmed a theory," Billy began. "As a people, they possess a limited form of clairvoyance. I don't think it's genuinely supernatural, it seemed more like a type of predictive intuition, some kind of quantum programming. I didn't fully understand it. But a week ago, they caught glimpses of a potential future, and it terrified them so much they made immediate plans to evacuate Earth. We couldn't get much else from them. It was like they were frightened to even speak of it. But we did get a cryptic reference to a dark god with designs on devouring the stars. I'd say we can draw our own conclusions from there."
"And that explains why the Mystic Realm was locked and bolted shut," Sarah added. "Whatever's about to happen, they saw it coming."
"Dustin said the same thing to me earlier," Scott added, glancing around the room. "Every alien network that Cam is connected to has gone quiet. He even said that if felt like the Earth itself was trying to warn him."
"Ayeyiyi Rangers," Alpha began. "You know what this means?"
"Yeah," said Tommy. "We've been looking at this the wrong way."
"All those UFOs and spaceships weren't part of an invasion," said Zac. "They're leaving! They were here already and they're getting the hell out of dodge before the Shadow King shows up."
"Meanwhile, our list of allies gets shorter," said Trini.
"I can't believe the Dilophozord shattered a mountain for me," Brendan said. This morning, he'd seemed shaken and unsure, his face pale. But there was some colour back in his face. The corners of his mouth were just starting to curl back into their normal grin. It was a good sign. "I guess we should send a letter of apology to the Ethiopian government. Or at least their map-makers. In case that was an important mountain."
Ian turned to his best friend. "You're worth shattering mountains for," he said. Then, as the rest of us continued talking to Alpha and Zordon, Ian lowered his voice and continued. "You realise none of that was you, right?" he asked. "That was all She Who Destroys Heroes putting bad stuff in your head."
"Was it, though?" Brendan replied. "Six of us were in France that day, remember? I'm the one who couldn't keep the Shadow King out of his head."
Standing nearby, Tommy and Kimberly couldn't help overhearing Brendan and Ian's conversation.
"C'mon Bren," Kim said. "That's not fair on yourself."
"Look," Brendan began. "I can't take on an army like Jason or Teresa. I can't tell stories like Pete. I'm not as smart as Billy or Trini. I'm not sporty like Sarah. I'm just me."
"Dude, you stared down a god," Ian said. "So what if you messed up back in Normandy? You're human remember? It's part of the deal."
"But we're sorry," Kim said. "Sorry that you were struggling with this and we didn't know. We're your friends. We should've. I know this won't be an easy thing to hear, but Bren, can I tell you something?" Brendan nodded. "We've all messed up. Hell, we've messed up on this case. We've all fallen short, and we've all failed. Everyone in the world has days when they fall short of who they think they're supposed to be. And that's okay. Over time, you learn how to give yourself a break."
"Easier said than done," Brendan said.
"But it does get easier," Tommy said.
"How?" Brendan asked.
Tommy rested a hand on Brendan's shoulder. "Practice," he said. "Anyway," he continued, his voice catching everyone's attention. "Let's focus on what we did right today. We saved the Traxians and stopped a demigod. That's a win in my book."
"And we stopped She Who Destroys Heroes from releasing her father," Teresa began, leaning against a console. "With the Shadow King still trapped, it buys us time to come up with something."
"Forgive me Rangers," Alpha said. "But I don't think that's what she was doing."
"What do you mean?" asked Zac.
"Twelve months ago, we didn't know what to look for," Alpha explained. "But after almost a year of attacks, the sensors are tuned to the magic the Shadow King is using. We were on high alert all afternoon. Whatever She Who Destroys Heroes was doing today, Rangers, we didn't detect a single trace of any extradimensional magic. Dimensional rifts require certain kinds of power, and I'm certain that wasn't her goal."
Everyone looked at each other blankly. "Then what was?" Scott asked. "The kind of power she was throwing around could be seen from the moon. If she wasn't trying to open a portal, was she just trying to send up a…" but his voice trailed off. The colour drained from his face. A second later, the rest of us caught up.
"A beacon," finished Brendan.
"Oh no," said Tommy. "We thought She Who Destroys Heroes was the one who escaped Earth when the Shadow King was banished. But it wasn't her, was it?"
"She was never trying to free her father," Jason realised. "But she was trying to summon something that could."
An alarm sounded. "Alpha, was is that?" I asked.
Alpha began tapping keys. "The scanners just detected a teleport trail in Earth's upper atmosphere," Alpha replied.
"More aliens fleeing Earth while they can?" Sarah asked.
"No! Rangers, you don't understand," Alpha replied. "This one is approaching Earth from deep space!"
Everyone froze. "Alpha," Jason said. "Where is that trail heading?"
It was a rainy night in the city when the teleport streak shot down out of the sky towards a deserted alley. A figure soon materialised in the shadows.
"Hmm," he said softly, glancing around. "How little Earth has changed. Never fear, master. Your loyal Gatekeeper will have you free before you know it."
The figure waved a hand in front of his face, and his features become decidedly more human. Satisfied with the disguise, he stepped out of the alleyway and disappeared into the crowd.
To be continued.