Sins of the Father Part Five
Ellie was typing frantically on her computer, trying desperately to reach the rangers. The readings that she had previously shown to her father have shown that the pressure had progressed, showing that the built-up energy from the Ninjas had been fully completed, meaning that it was just a matter of time before the world would be split in two, and Po would take over what was left.
"Ellie, what is going on?" Her father asked, rushing to her side.
"Dad, this is bad!" Ellie exclaimed. "Oh, this is so bad!"
"I see...all that evil energy is building up. It's only a matter of time before a gap bursts open."
The term 'evil energy' caught Ellie's attention for a moment, before an idea popped up in her mind.
"Dad...what if the evil energy was confronted with good energy?"
Uni shook his head, letting out a defeated sigh. "Darling, it would need to take a massive sacrifice of a true hero, and that's only to slow down its progress by just a bit."
"Maybe that would be enough," Ellie countered with determination. "I have pending projects that is going to be completed soon. The Rangers could use that as a boost."
Police and firefighters raced to the site. The entire theatre was turned to rubble, smoke, and dust as a result of Marco's damage.
The four rangers who had escaped stood over to the side of the parking lot.
The police knew they should have arrested them for the devastation they had caused, as well as for supposedly acting as vigilante groups for several months, but owing to the gravity of the threat, they decided to put off attempts to apprehend them. The authorities realized that if the threat was far beyond their grasp, they could rely on the Rangers and their resources for the time being.
The cops had interviewed the rangers. Well, primarily the Blue and Green Rangers. Bonnie was too busy comforting Max. The Red Ranger had his hands on his helmet as he tried as he tried to consume what had just occurred. He was too overwhelmed with panic and remorse after having been pulled out from the theatre and being unable to retrieve Maya before the entire place burned down. All the Red Ranger could do was lean against the lamppost and pray. He was never really that into religion. Though his parents were evangelical Christians, they never shoved their beliefs down Max's throat while he was growing up. But he prayed, in case God was truly there, he prayed that his best friend was okay. Max didn't know how he would be able to eat, sleep, or even breathe if Maya were to fall because of his 'failed leadership'.
Donnie and DJ began pacing around the lamppost, impatiently waiting for anything that would tell them whether Maya was alright. Perhaps she could be okay. After all, she suffered worse, right? A small fire wouldn't be enough to take her out for good...right?
Just then, a familiar figure approached the four heroes. The Red Ranger looked up and grumbled at the man.
"What do you want, Parker," he asked the detective incredulously.
The investigator simply chuckled with a smile. "You know, if it were up to me, I would have you 5," he paused, then laughed quietly. "I'm sorry, I meant you four arrested for posing as vigilantes," he 'corrected' himself, pointing out the obvious: one of the five has been supposedly removed from the equation. He then said, "Especially after the destruction you caused."
Max growled getting up to his feet and lunging forward, but not before another police officer stepped in between the young hero and the elderly detective, catching the young hero.
"Not so fast," Bobby intervened, shooting his son a stern look.
Parker just smirked before walking off.
"Just ignore him, son," Bobby said.
The Red Ranger looked up at his father before his emotions spilled over. He just broke down and clutched onto Bobby. The sheriff held onto the Red Ranger.
"Shh...shh. It's okay, son," Bobby ushered the boy the calm down.
Just then, a voice broke out.
"Hey, we found a body here!" An officer called out from the middle of the rubble.
Max's head shot up at that moment. He pushed his father aside and he rushed over to the scene. The other Rangers, along with Bobby, ran after him.
One of the officers stopped them. "Step back."
Bonnie gulped. "Is the Yellow Ranger okay? We lost her in the fire!" She explained to the officer.
The officer nodded solemnly, stepping aside for them to see. There, amidst the debris, laid the Yellow Ranger's battered and bruised body. Maya's Black Belt mode armor was still engaged, but her suit was scratched up in different places, and so was her helmet. Her visor was smashed out, exposing her closed eyes.
The Red Ranger walked over to his battered friend and fell to his knees. He was almost sure that he would drown from the tears that would soon fill his helmet as he hitched a sob, lifting Maya's head lightly.
"M-M-Maya..." He whimpered, holding Maya tightly against his chest. "I'm so sorry...I'm s-s-so sorry," his voice hitched.
DJ just stared at the scene in shock. Bonnie clutched onto her brother's arm, as a sob escaped her mouth. The Green Ranger hugged her sister and shushed her, while also trying to keep his emotions intact. This was just so wrong. This didn't have to happen to anyone, especially Maya.
Just then, two paramedics stepped in with a gurney. "Alright, let's bring her in."
Max looked up and shook his head. "No! We can't!" He exclaimed.
"We have to, Red Ranger. If you Power Rangers are actually real people, then perhaps your friend could be treated at the hospital."
Max looked down at Maya and then over at the paramedics. "Okay, but-"
A cough then caught everyone off-guard. The cough was faint, almost lost amidst the chaos of the scene, but it was there—a sign of life from beneath the Yellow Ranger's helmet. Max's heart leaped in his chest, and he gently turned Maya's head towards him. Her eyelids fluttered, a struggle evident in her features, but then they opened, revealing eyes filled with confusion but unmistakably alive.
"Maya?" Max's voice was a whisper, a mix of hope and disbelief.
The paramedics moved in swiftly, checking her vitals, their professional calm a stark contrast to the raw emotions of the Rangers. "She's breathing, and her pulse is strong," one of them announced, and the tension that had gripped everyone's hearts eased just a little.
Maya tried to speak, her voice a hoarse whisper. "Max…?"
"I'm here, Maya. You're going to be okay," Max assured her, his voice firm with a conviction he didn't feel until now.
The other Rangers rushed over to the two. DJ ushered the paramedic to step back. "Let's get her up."
"Can you stand up?" Max asked.
The Yellow Ranger only nodded, feeling a slight migraine, mainly due to the smoke inhalation. She was lucky her helmet was still intact. She probably would have suffocated if she had not been morphed.
"Wait, there is another live one here!" Another paramedic called out. Max and the other Rangers took notice of the paramedic aiding a boy whose body sat in an open area in the middle of the debris.
DJ squinted his eyes, taking a good look at the boy before it struck him.
"Get away from him! He's dangerous!" He urgently informed them.
The paramedic looked up at the Blue Ranger and shook his head. "He's harmless. He needs assistance." He was just about to aid the boy, when Marco suddenly jolted his leg upward, kicking the paramedic away. The medic was launched several feet before skidding on the ground.
The boy elevated himself to his feet with ease, like a string was lifting him off the ground. The Ranger, the officers, and the paramedics all backed up a few feet as yellow liquid started to extract from Marco's mouth, trickling down his chin.
The Rangers quickly huddled together. Max looked over at his father and the other emergency response members. "All of you, OUT!"
Bobby gave a frightening look at his son. "But-"
"JUST GO!" The Red Ranger screamed. The entire group managed to escape just as Marco began to grow into an unsurmountable size. His head split and formed into two large, scaly antlers, and his arms divided into six giant mandibles that dripped a gooey substance, perhaps extract that was produced from the transformation. Marco's bottom two mandibles worked at legs, as the other 4 worked as the primary arms. His midsections were brown, and his eyes turned red, dividing into six that scattered all over his upper chest and midsection.
"Oh my god!" Bonnie shrieked in horror and disgust.
"Gross! This is MUCH uglier than Dejahnay and Maxine COMBINED!" DJ stated.
Marco looked down and shrieked, his voice now having been modulated due to the malformation on his throat, leaving it sounding more horrid and menacing. "Time to pay tribute to Father, what do you say?"
"Ellie, we need the Zords," Maya urgently rang.
"They are on their way!" Ellie replied.
"Wait!" Max stopped. "What about the energy? If Marco's first defeat wasn't the clincher, perhaps this one may be."
"I have a plan," Ellie said. "Just form the Megazord."
The Rangers hopped into their Zords as all the machines were summoned, heading toward the city.
The Eagle, Shark, Cheetah, Bat, and Bear Zords all combined into the Great Martial Megazord. Maya was glad her armor wasn't as bulky as Max's or DJ's when they were in Black Belt Mode in their respective battles, though the rear-wings on her boots did make handling the accelerator and the brake difficult to get used to.
"Okay," The Red Ranger announced. "Let's give this a warm-up shot."
The coleopteran monster hissed as the towering Megazord approached.
"Here it comes!" Max exclaimed in anticipation. "DJ, Bonnie! Heads up!"
The two Rangers that were at the helm of the Megazord's arms responded swiftly, managing their controls to raise the Megazord's arms against the creature's lethal limbs.
Marco grunted, pushing further against the Megazord. "You think you've won yet! This isn't the end! Even if I lose this battle, it's only a matter of time before your world falls under the reign of Po!"
The Megazord repelled the beetle with a mighty shove. Marco revolted by launching green venom from his mouth. The venom coated the Megazord's upper body, blocking the Rangers' vision.
"Damn it!" Max cursed.
"The venom is toxic!" Donnie exclaimed, struggling to move his wheel. "I can barely move my zord!"
"I can't move mine either!" Bonnie chimed in.
"My are still functional. It may have been saved from the venom!" Maya pointed out.
"Guys! Guys!" Ellie's voice hollered through the speakers in the Megazord.
Max, still weary, responded. "Yes, Ellie?"
"Listen, I do not know how I can explain this to you, but here it goes! We need a sacrifice!"
"What?!" All the Rangers screeched in unison.
"What I am saying is that the pressure between Earth and Kartae is near its peak. It won't be long before the entire Earth cracks and Po and his minions will seep through and destroy everything in their path. However, if the evil energy were to be balanced with just a bit of good energy, then perhaps that would buy us more time."
"You're telling us to sacrifice our lives," Donnie questioned, bewildered by the revelation that one of the teens would not make it home alive.
Ellie paused for a moment, trying to keep herself composed. On the other end, she was in her seat at Karate Operations, looking at the Rangers through her computer screen that was linked to a camera in the Megazord's main cockpit. She was devasted by the fact that the Rangers would have to make a devastating sacrifice for their planet. She always remembered all of them coming to her and thanking her for her work. She felt like she belonged. As if she was a part of the team.
Now they had to make a choice.
Maya was trying to grasp the situation she was in. She had just figured out her father was an unfaithful man who fraternized with other women while married with two kids, but she had come to terms long ago with the duties that had fallen on her as the Earth's protector. She knew she engaged in this position because she wanted to make something of herself. She wanted to leave an impact on this world. Above all else, she wanted to help people. She had always wanted to be someone's hero. Now she could.
Her fear about the situation quickly dissolved into sad acceptance and determination.
In a flash, her armor disintegrated. She was back to her original ranger form. She handed the Sacred Box over to Max. The Red Ranger was confused as he slowly took the box. "What are you doing?" He wondered, scared of what Maya may be thinking.
The Yellow Ranger did not respond. She just hopped from her seat. "Cheetah Zord, disengaged!"
"What?" DJ's voice echoed, laced with confusion and desperation.
"Maya, don't!" Max pleaded, trying to grab her, but in a flash, she was out of the Megazord.
Donnie stood up from his seat as the Rangers watched as the Cheetah Zord separated itself from the Megazord's feet. "Maya!" He cried out, pressing againt the glass window of the cockpit. His sister did the same.
"Maya, no!" Bonnie screamed.
Maya drove her Zord at the beetle. The monster hissed as the Cheetah Zord hurdled itself into the monster, pouncing at it until it got aggravated.
"Here kitty, kitty!" Marco said playfully but then was bombarded as the Cheetah lunged it to the ground.
Marco was trying to pry the Zord off of him, screeching wildly.
Maya realized that her time had come. She spoke directly to Ellie through her communicator. "Ellie...I'm ready."
"Are you sure?" Ellie said, her voice cracking up.
"I'm sure. I just wanted to say that you were a great friend and a brilliant person. You are going to change the world one day. I count on it."
She could hear Ellie sniffing from the other end, her voice becoming hoarse as she spoke. "Okay..."
"Also, girl...I know damn well you and DJ would make a wonderful couple."
"No!" Ellie revolted. "Shut up!"
"I'm not trying to tease you," Maya reassured. "I can tell by the way you were looking at him...I just want to let you know that DJ can make any girl feel special. Trust me, I know..."
"Okay," Ellie spoke.
"Ellie," Maya took a deep breath. "Just activate the self-destruct."
Ellie turned around and looked up at her father, who gave her an approving nod. Ellie sighed before putting in the code for the self-destruct sequence for the Cheetah Zord.
A mechanized feminine voice echoed from the Cheetah Zord. "Commencing self-destruct sequence. T-minus 10 seconds. 10..."
"NO!" Max tried to reach Maya. "MAYA! DON'T DO THIS!"
"We have to stop her!" The Blue Ranger said, hopping onto his seat.
"9..."
"We can't move without the Megazord's legs," Bonnie interjected.
"Let's separate and stop her together," Max requested panicky. He couldn't allow Maya to move forward with this.
"8...
The Zords separated, and Max flew his Eagle Zord toward where the Cheetah pounced on top of Marco. The self-destruct countdown continued. "7..."
"Maya don't do this!" Max begged, reaching Maya through his radio on his Zord.
"Max...I have to. There is no other way."
"6...
"There's always another way!" Max countered, his eyes growing wet with tears.
"Max, this is the only way, and don't worry. I'm going to be okay."
"5..."
"Maya, you do not have to do this! We can just fight off every karadrac and monster in Po's army if they were to break through and take over our world" Max half-joked, grasping at straws, but he was completely desperate. "We can camp out under decimated buildings, eat bugs and live like peasants until we find a way to defeat him."
"Max...I don't think that's a good idea."
"It is if it means I don't have to lose you!" Max exclaimed, tears filling up his helmet.
"4...
"I love you, Max! I am so happy you were my best friend. You and the others were the greatest team imaginable! It was an honor to fight alongside you guys. I couldn't have asked for a better team."
"MAYA, DON'T FUCKING DO THIS!" Max's words were then betrayed by the countdown. He was flying his Zord toward the carnage that was taken place.
"3..."
"No, you fool!" Marco hollered. "You will destroy us all."
Maya shut her eyes, accepting her inevitable demise. She suddenly felt a warm feeling in her heart for the Yellow Ninja, despite everything he had done to her and her family. "Marco...I never thought I'd say this, but even after all the carnage you caused...I still have this warmth for you. A small, tiny part of me is happy to have known that I had a brother. I just wish you would feel some compassion, even if you are truly evil."
Marco snarled. "YOU BITCH! GET OFF OF ME!"
"We can confront Father soon, just rest for now...it's going to be okay."
"2..."
The Eagle Zord's engine roared as Max pushed its throttles to its limit, the landscape blurring as he was in a race against time, until it was too late.
"1..."
In a flash, a blinding light engulfed the Cheetah Zord and Marco. The monster screeched as he had been caught up in the explosion. Max was hurled away in his Zord by the explosion, yelping out as the light blinded his vision. His Zord crash landed onto the asphalt of an intersection.
"MAYA!" Donnie's voice was broken due to the shock and grief.
The White Ranger broke down in her Zord. "NOOOOO!" Bonnie sobs echoed through her cockpit.
DJ lunged from his seat and pressed his hands against that glass. "MAAAYAAAA!" His anguished cry reverberated, lost in the chaos. The city crumbling, flames kindling from the explosion. He then cried, bowing his head down as his tears blurred his vision. "M-M-Mayaa..."
Ellie and her father watched through the scene the entire destruction, unable to fathom what they had experienced.
"She did it..." she muttered. cracking up a smile, before the sudden realization that Maya was indeed gone finally caught up to her. She didn't know what came over her, but just the feeling of grief and sadness shadowed her heart.
Ellie's tears started to drip from her face. Uni hugged his daughter and shushed her as she sobbed, trying to hold back his own emotions. He was devastated by the unfathomable loss. He even felt a few tears fall from his eyes. He just didn't know how to deliver the news to Maya's family, or how the Rangers would go on with the loss of one of their own.
"No!" Po roared, turning to his sister. "What happened?"
Sky shook her head in dismay. "It seemed the Yellow Ranger's sacrifice prevented our world from overflowing and breaking through the barrier between it and Earth."
"So on one hand, our plan to take over the Earth has been spoiled for now. But on the other, that's one less Power Ranger to deal with, right?" Chasm pointed out, trying to stay optimistic.
Po grumbled as he collapsed on his throne. After a few minutes of heavy thinking, he sneered. "No matter...I had a feeling this plan was too good to become true. Just a few more attacks on Earth, and we will achieve supremacy."
"And the best part is, we still have the monsters to do so, and the Rangers are down a member." Sky pointed out.
Po chuckled. "And the Rangers would have to make sacrifice after sacrifice if they want any more chances to trample us over until there is none of them left, then there would be no one to stop me once I take over. I will be UNSTOPPABLE!"
Po and his siblings laughed together, not realizing that the war had just reached a new level, and the fate of both good and evil are unpredictable...at that very moment.
Max moaned as he crawled out of the cockpit of his Zord. He unwillingly demorphed as he landed onto the unforgiving asphalt. The rough surface scraped his skin, intensifying the pain. He weakened gaze shifted upward at the flaming damage that Maya's sacrifice caused. He let out a feeble cry.
"Maya..." His injuries was too much for him and he passed out, muttering his friend's name.
So yeah, just killed off one of the character. Please do not throw digital tomatoes or boo me. I bruise easily...lol.