Retribution Part Four
Back at the hospital, DJ's father, Monroe, had arrived to check on his son and see if Max had pulled through. Monroe was completely unaware of the chaos unfolding in his home city, nor was he aware of the sudden mutation of one of DJ's closest friends. After checking in at the front desk, he walked to the lobby where he was told to wait. Monroe brought a plate of lemon macaroons, which he knew from DJ were Max's favorite dessert. He hoped this would cheer up his red-haired neighbor.
As Monroe entered the hospital, he was surprised to see Mary in the lobby, but then grew concerned when he noticed the grave look on her face.
"Mary," he questioned.
"Monroe!" Mary almost screamed. "I just went in here to visit my son, but his room, he-"
"Woah, woah, woah! Calm down, Mary!" The larger man asked. "What happened"
Monroe found Max's mother, Mary, sitting in the lobby, nervously playing with her thumbs, possibly hoping to see her son. Mary bit her lip and shook her head. "When I heard Max had woken up, I got here as soon as I could. But when I walked into his room, he went missing." Mary's face paled as the realization struck her. "DJ was with him!"
Monroe groaned. "Oh, no, no, no!" He shook his head. "Just wait until I get my hands on that boy."
Just then, Doctor Westview entered the lobby, looking through her chart. "Okay, Mrs. Cruz. We have—" She looked up and was stunned to the blonde woman looking rather hysterical. "What on earth?"
"Have you seen my son?" Mary asked frantically.
"Your son?" the doctor questioned before rushing down the hall into Max's room, with Monroe following behind her. She gasped, realizing her recent patient had gone missing. "Not again."
"Again?" Monroe crossed his arms. "You're saying this happened before?!"
Doctor Westview sighed in defeat before pulling out her radio and dispatching the emergency staff. "Code Amber! Teenage patient has gone missing! I repeat, CODE AMBER!"
As the doctor rushed out of the lobby, Bobby rushed in. "Hey, what's going on?" He immediately went over to his wife. "Are you okay?" Mary shook her head, tears dripping from her cheeks. "Where is Max? Where is my boy?"
"I shall ask the same question about MY boy," Monroe snarled, turning Bobby around and grabbing the officer roughly by his collar. "One thing I've noticed is that whenever my son gets in trouble, it somehow relates to yours. And it also seems as if Maya and her brother's sudden disappearance just so happens to occur when your son was injured. Now he is gone, along with my son, and Adana's daughter."
"Speaking of which," a voice spoke from behind Monroe. He turned and saw Maya's mother, Adana, standing there. She looked absolutely sleep-deprived, with bloodshot eyes and bags underneath. Her hair was in a messy bun, and the only thing that looked decent on her was her blue blazer, which was still a bit crooked. Monroe stepped aside.
"Adana—" Bobby tried to console her, but she cut him off.
"Silence! I do not want to hear a word from you. I get a call from the police saying that my son, who is currently being held in another medical facility after having been found having a mental breakdown in the woods near the abandoned theatre, with injuries all over him, only to find out that my daughter was caught in the fire caused by those so-called Power Rangers that YOU keep associated with, according to a detective, and I have no way of finding out if my baby is okay."
Bobby was silent. Adana didn't even care that the receptionist was watching them with awe. "For so many years, I treated your son and his son," she gestured over to Monroe, who just scooted away, feeling just as uncomfortable as Mary, who had her hand over her mouth in shame for herself and her husband. "I have treated those boys as if they were my own, and all I ask from you, Bobby, and your crew is to simply to help find my daughter, and here you are aiding your own son, who you can't even keep an eye on since he is GONE!" Adana's eyes were growing wet, but she continued, pointing her shaking finger at Bobby.
"He's probably searching for her," Bobby said. "He was panicking when he woke up and-"
Just then, something from the TV that was hanging up in the corner or the room caught Monroe. "Look!"
All of the adults shifted their attention to the news that was broadcasting, the headline caused all of them to gasped.
"Local teenager Maya Garcia has mutated into a monster!"
"How pathetic," Tigress Maya sneered, advancing slowly toward Max. The Red Ranger headed eastward, crawling down a railway into an abandoned underground parking lot of the now-destroyed convention center, littered with dust and rubble.
Max grunted as he looked back at Maya, who was now towering over him like a hyena about to claim its latest catch.
Maya snickered psychotically. "For so many years, I was stupid to cast myself as a fair and just ally of you and those pathetic incels. Looking into your eyes makes me ill. Thank you so much for the memories, Maxwell Cruz, but for now, I take it upon myself to eradicate anything that reminds of current life as a measly human, before embracing my newborn self."
Despite it seeming to be completely hopeless, Max's confidence that Maya was still inside the monster hovering over him overshadowed his fear that his best friend was truly gone for good.
"You don't have to do this," he beckoned, turning his body so he was now his behind.
Maya bent down; a pompous smile gleamed over her face. "I don't have to do this," she repeated. "You may be right, but I'd like to do this. I'd LOVE to do this!"
She cackled. Her wicked laughter echoed throughout the entire lot.
Max eyes widened in horror as Maya extended her claws to a blade's length, before raising it above her head, preparing to strike.
"NO!" A voice screamed. Maya turned and groaned in annoyance as DJ rushed down the railway and into the scene.
"Not this time," she declared, before letting out her sonic screech, which stopped the blue ranger in his tracks as it attacked the interiors of his eardrums.
DJ dropped his blade as he grasped the exterior of his helmet. "AAAH!" He shouted in pain, white noise started to become apparent. "MAKE IT STOOOOOOP!"
Max was also enduring the ear-piercing sonic screams from Maya. He and DJ were on the verge of going deaf when a sudden, blunt force appeared in the form of a radiant heat blast, causing Maya to screech as she turned Ellie with a makeshift stun gun in one hand, and a familiar looking gem in another.
"You..." Maya spoke, her voice dripping with spite.
DJ, still clutching his ears from the recent screams, look behind him and noticed Ellie standing before him.
"Ellie! You need to get out of here!" He yelled.
Ellie shook her head, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Not a chance. This is what I have been looking forward to for a long time." She said, standing over DJ, facing Tigress Maya.
Max tilted his head in confusion, but then gasped as Ellie pointing her arm with the gem forward, ready to initiate a sequence that would allow her to fend against Maya.
"Call...into...combat!" She said those three words with pride and determination. DJ and Max were both stunned as Ellie slammed the butt of her gun on the gem.
A blinding light then emerged from Ellie, blinding all those around her and illuminating the entire place.
Once the light dimmed away, a sight took away everyone's breaths. The yellow ranger stood before the monster. No, not Maya as the Yellow Ranger.
Ellie. The same genius who always dreamt of being in combat. The same person who the other rangers saw as someone who wouldn't be caught dead fighting creeps from other dimensions. Yeah, that Ellie.
She was now the yellow ranger.
"Sprinting like a cheetah" Ellie announced, pulling out her trusty blade, "Karate Force Yellow Ranger!"
The tigress growled as she put on her fighting pose and charged at Ellie. "This will be easy..." she sneered, before pouncing at Ellie.
Her heart is engulfed with evil. That makes it a good weak spot. I just have to hit it if I want any chance of saving her. Ellie thought, but then was bombarded by Maya's powerful paw.
The new yellow ranger turned her blade sideways and blocked the attack, before pushing Maya back a bit and taking a mighty jab at her chest.
Maya growled, stumbling backward and clutching where she was struck. "That's it," she said hysterically.
"You haven't seen nothing yet."
Ellie stood her ground, her eyes locked on Tigress Maya. The air was thick with tension as the two combatants circled each other. Maya's eyes glowed with malevolent energy, while Ellie's determination shone through her every move.
Maya then roared, her claws extending to a blades' lengths.
"Take this," she spat out,
Ellie didn't flinch as Maya lunged at her with claws extended to lengths of swords. With a swift and precise movement, Ellie thrust her spear-like blade forward, aiming directly at Maya's outstretched claws. The clash of metal against metal echoed through the underground parking lot as Ellie's blade met Maya's claws, blocking the attack.
Maya managed to push the new yellow ranger back. "EXTENDO-CLAWS!" She summoned her next attack, extending her claws even further to astronomical lengths, aiming at Ellie at different directions like ribbon-blades.
Ellie saw the blades coming and remember from the dozens of times her father taught her how to catch multiple flies with just a pair of chopsticks, and realized all she needed was to take each blade down one at a time, even if it meant she had a short window between each strike.
Using her inner-powers, she powered up her blades and slashed each claws one-by-one, taking a step forward with each strike.
With a powerful twist of her wrist, Ellie deflected Maya's claws to the side and followed up with a quick, cutting motion. Her blade sliced through the air, catching Maya's paws and cutting them down. Maya howled in pain and fury, stumbling back as she clutched her injured hands.
"How pathetic," Ellie retorted, her voice steady and unwavering. She advanced toward Maya, her blade ready for the next strike. "You think you can scare us with your tricks? Think again."
Maya's eyes burned with rage as she recovered from the blow. "You'll pay for that," she snarled, her voice dripping with venom. She lunged at Ellie once more, but this time, Ellie was ready.
With a fluid motion, Ellie sidestepped Maya's attack and delivered a powerful kick to her midsection, sending the tigress sprawling to the ground. Ellie stood over her, blade poised for the final blow.
"Kendo blade!" She charged up her blade yet again.
"Hey, that's my move!" Maya projected, her legs wobbling as she tried to get herself back onto her feet.
"Not anymore," Ellie stated. "Seismic Swing!"
With a mighty swing, Ellie brought her blade down with seismic force, striking Maya squarely in the chest. The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, causing the entire parking lot to tremble. Maya was thrown back, crashing into a pile of rubble, her body convulsing from the powerful blow.
"Max, DJ, now!" Ellie shouted, signaling her teammates. Max and DJ, still recovering from the sonic assault, sprang into action. They rushed to Ellie's side, their weapons drawn and ready.
"Ellie, you look so cool!" Max said, slapping Ellie's shoulder.
"I'll say. I'd never thought you being a ranger would turn into reality!" DJ added.
"I know! I can feel the power!" Ellie said ecstatically.
Together, the three rangers faced Tigress Maya, their determination and unity shining through. Maya struggled to her feet, her eyes filled with a mix of hatred and desperation.
"This isn't over," Maya hissed, but the rangers stood firm, ready to end the battle once and for all.
To be continued...