Grumbling under her breath, Rachel grabbed a cloth from her kitchen drawer and placed it underneath the refrigerator ice dispenser. Allowing several cubes to fall into the cloth, she tied a knot in the fabric and placed it on to her shoulder, "That's the spot," she breathed as the ice began to soothe her muscle, "I swear the Gougers are getting tougher." Checking her phone, she spotted several messages and missed calls, "Crap, now I'm late," she groaned.
With the ice pack trapped between her shoulder and cheek, the white ranger stomped upstairs to her home studio. She switched on her computer and waited for an application to load, "Rachel, you're fifteen minutes late," Martin, her manager sighed before noticing the ice pack, "what happened to you?" he asked.
"Just overdid it during a gym session," the white ranger lied. As she shifted in her chair, the ice pack slipped to reveal a large purple bruise. She noticed a raised eyebrow from Martin, "It looks worse than it is," she added with a meek smile.
"I see," Martin replied, "will you need a difference dress ordered for tomorrow night's premiere to hide that," he indicated towards the bruise.
"I'm a fast healer," Rachel dismissed his concerns, "can we make this quick, I'm due back at the gym in an hour."
The grey haired man let out a loud sigh, "I take it you haven't had a chance to look at the report I emailed two days ago?"
"I skimmed it," Rachel shrugged as best as she could, "nothing I wasn't expecting to be honest."
"I find that hard to believe," Martin snorted, "your subscriber numbers are down by seven percent and you haven't receive a sponsor offer for weeks. That's never happened in all the time I've been managing you."
"Sounds like your more concerned for your reputation than mine," Rachel responded sharply. Even through the low resolution video call, she could tell Martin was biting his tongue, "I knew from the beginning that Zee TV's change of direction wouldn't sit right with some of my audience and I accepted the numbers wouldn't look good in the short term. I'm building a new base and that's going to take time."
"Time that you may not have," Martin countered, "other vloggers have been quick to manoeuvre themselves into your old spot."
The white ranger snorted, "Yeah and they sounded so happy about my career suicide," she added air quotes to the last two words. "The internet is fickle, one of them will find themselves cancelled by the end of the week mark my words."
"You're lucky it wasn't you, several outlets weren't kind after the stalker incident," Rachel clenched her fist tightly at the mention of her obsessed fan Daniel, "I read yesterday that he was being moved into long term care."
"Yeah I read that too," Rachel nodded tightly, omitted the fact that she was anonymously covering his medical bills, "I made a very clear statement about that incident, I can't help it that people are using it for content."
Martin leant back in his chair, "But it has damaged your brand, you can't deny that." The white ranger remained silent, having no counter argument for her manager, "That why I've set up a collaboration with the hottest trending star, Madame Lazarus."
Rachel recoiled slightly in her chair, "That fortune-telling hack," she scoffed, "what possible link is there between her and my followers?"
"Don't be so dismissive," Martin began, "her predictions over the last few months have been spot on and she's garnering mainstream attention." Rachel shook her head and gaze away from the camera, "Look, this will be good for both of you. It'll give her the rub of a major online influencer and will show everyone that you can stay relevant."
"I can't really say no can I?" Rachel sighed, "fine, send me the details but I really wished you'd discussed this with me before making arrangements," she added with a huff.
"Now that's the spirit," Martin chuckled, "see what I did there?" Rachel glared at the man, "spirit, cause she's a medium," the white ranger shook her head, "I thought that was funny."
"Don't give up your day job Martin," Rachel grumbled, "now if there's nothing else, I'm late for work." She ignored whatever Martin was trying to say and closed down the call. Rubbing her temples she made her way to the shower, hoping it would relieve her growing headache.
Later that evening Rachel made her way to Duality, making her way down the stair she was surprised to see Harley and Mark playing pool together, "Hey you two," she greeted, "I'm not interrupting your date night am I?" she teased.
"Funny," Harley sneered, "I was playing a few friendly frames with some tourists when Captain America here scared them away."
Mark smirked as he took his shot, sinking a ball easily, "All I did was offer play in their place." He potted another ball with the white ball rolling into perfect position for his next shot, "Maybe if you weren't trying to hustle them it wouldn't have been a problem."
"I wasn't hustling," the black ranger protested, "they wanted to make a wager, I never forced them."
Mark potted the 8-Ball and placed his cue on the table, much to Harley's annoyance, "Come on hand it over," the red ranger smiled. Harley grumbled and slapped a wad of money into his hand, "And you all say I don't know how to have fun," he added with a chuckle, counting the bills in an exaggerated manner.
"Show off," Harley muttered under his breath before turning to Rachel, "what brings you here, going on another bender?"
"No", Rachel scoffed and perched herself on a stool, "do you guys believe in divination?"
"As in seeing the future," Mark asked, "not really, never thought about it before to be honest."
"It pains me to give you a compliment but you ain't a mark," Harley stated, "that psychic stuff is nothin' but a load of crap. The best con in the book if you ask me," he added whilst swigging on a beer, "you've never struck me as a mark either Rachel, why the sudden interest?"
The white ranger pulled out her phone, "My manager's arranged a collaboration with Madame Lazarus," she showed her fellow rangers a few pictures of the woman, "the fortune-teller who's never wrong, supposedly."
Harley took one look at the picture and snorted, "Yeah she's workin' an angle."
"How can you be so sure?" Mark asked, taking another look at the pictures.
"Takes one to know one," the black ranger shrugged, "everything about that picture looks staged or edited, it's like she's going out her way to be ordinary." He paused to finish his drink, "She's not selling herself or her supposed gifts in these pictures, that way she doesn't appear threatening." He could see his fellow Rangers weren't convinced, "Trust me, she's a fraud."
"The con artist telling me to trust him, what a weird time we live in," the white ranger chuckled, swiping the fresh beer out of Harley's hand, "question is, what to do about it? I can't cancel my appearance-"
"Why not?" Harley asked, "not under a contract are ya?" He waived towards Horace the bartender who reluctantly slid another bottle of beer down the bar.
"Well yes and no," Rachel sighed, "if I back out, my competition has a free shot against me which is something my brand can't afford, according to my manager."
Mark shook his head, "And I thought flying fighter jets was hard work," he paused for a moment before adding, "why don't we come with you? Make sure this Madame Lazarus doesn't take any liberties."
Rachel nodded and offered a small smile, "Thanks for the offer, maybe it would be best if just Harley came though. He's more likely to know the games she likes to play."
"Hold on, I don't remember volunteering for this," Harley protested.
"Please," Rachel offer the black ranger her best pleading gaze, "for me?"
Mark shot a warning look towards Harley which the black ranger chose to ignore, "Fine but you owe me big time for this," Harley exclaimed. Mark chuckled to himself, choosing to focus on his drink than the black and white rangers.
The following day, Rachel's convertible pulled up outside a warehouse in Aaronsdale's industrial district. The road was deserted with no cars parked anywhere on the street, "You sure this is the place?" Harley asked, pointing at the bland concrete building in front of them, "Doesn't strike me as the base of an internet psychic."
"Definitely the address Martin gave me," Rachel double checked the address, "everyone has to start somewhere, rent must be dirt cheap in this area."
"Can't all live in a gated community mansion," Harley teased, earning a sharp look from the white ranger, "it was a compliment," he added with a shrug, Rachel said nothing response.
Opening her car door, the white ranger couldn't help but shudder, "This area always gives me the creeps," the tall, bland buildings blocked almost all sunlight, clouding the area in almost darkness, "let's get this over with," she sighed and grabbed her bag from the back seat.
As the pair approached the door, it suddenly opened by itself, "Not creepy at all," Harley muttered. Moments later an Asian woman poked her head outside. She matched the images of Madame Lazarus, an ordinary looking woman in her mid-thirties dressed simply in a sweater and jeans. If you walked past her in the street, you wouldn't have guessed she was a supposed psychic.
The woman gave Rachel a warm smile, "Welcome, you must be Rachel," her smile disappeared when she spotted Harley, "I didn't know you were bringing a guest."
"Personal curiosity," the black ranger replied, "my Dad passed a few years ago and I wanted to see if it were possible to contact him, on the other side you know." Rachel glanced at Harley, his face completely blank. She remembered Harley's history with his abusive father.
Madame Lazarus offered Harley a tight smile, "I'm sorry, I have a private reading with Miss Zane."
"It could be good for your channel," the white ranger suggested, hoping she was picking up on Harley's plan correctly, "reaction videos are still hit magnets."
"I can pay you," Harley pulled a large wad of cash from his jacket pocket, the amount of which almost made Rachel do a double take, "it's only a small amount, I can get more if needed."
To Rachel's surprise, Madame Lazarus didn't seem interested, "Maybe after I've finished with Miss Zane, I would prefer this session to be just the two of us."
Harley paused and offered Rachel a tiny, if resigned, nod, "Whatever you say," Harley shrugged. He returned the money to his pocket and retrieved a packet of cigarettes, "I'll wait until you've finished," he added whilst lighting up.
Rachel wasn't sure but it felt like Madame Lazarus was unhappy about this development. She didn't say anything in protest though, "Very well," the psychic said blankly, "if you would like to follow me Miss Zane."
"Rachel is fine," the white ranger smiled politely, following Madame Lazarus into the building. She was barely through the door when her phone buzzed, there was a message from Harley, "She didn't want the cash, definitely not on the level. Don't hesitate to call me if you need an out," it read. She wanted to reply but now they were properly inside the building, she didn't have phone signal. This was getting more suspicious by the second but despite everything telling her to walk away, she continued to follow the psychic.
The building was a dark maze of narrow corridors but they eventually opened up into a candlelit space with a small table in the middle. The walls were covered with artefacts that Rachel didn't recognise. As she reached out to touch one, the sharp voice of Madame Lazarus stopped her, "Don't touch that," she snapped. Rachel's withdrew her hand carefully, "Forgive me but I don't have many mementos of my home."
"Quite alright," Rachel frowned slightly, "so how did you want to do this, shall I set up my camera or do you have something set up already?"
"Why don't we start with a private reading," the psychic beckoned the white ranger to sit down, "I can sense a non-believer a mile away, maybe if I should convince you that I am the real thing first."
Rachel shrugged and placed her bag down in the corner. She pulled out a chair at the table and slowly sat down, "OK, lets see what you can do," she said with a smile.
Outside the warehouse, Harley paced impatiently. He had already finished his first cigarette and was well into his second since Rachel went inside. He checked his phone but there were no messages from the white ranger. She had read his most recent message but hadn't responded which only added to his grumpy mood.
Dropping his finished cigarette to the ground and crushing it underneath his boot, he was debating lighting up another when there was a sound from a nearby alley. Slowly and cautiously, he made his way over to the noise. Peeking around the corner, he noticed a familiar figure skulking in the shadows, "Prince Reise, what does that little twerp want?" he muttered.
He was about to charge in and confront the Vyglass Prince but stopped himself. The Prince might be small but he wasn't stupid and he probably wasn't here alone. Backing away, he activated his communicator, "Mark it's Harley," he began, "Reise is here with this supposed psychic, I think Rachel might be in trouble."
Inside the warehouse, Rachel was sat at the table with Madame Lazarus opposite. Spread across the small table were some Tarot cards, some face up with the rest face down in a pile. The white ranger listened intently to the supposed psychic, she had to admit that the woman was convincing. Most of her comments were vague, a tactic that Harley explained was a fishing attempt to get a mark to reveal more personal details.
Madame Lazarus flipped a card over, "The wheel of fortune," she said with an airy smile.
"Like the game show," Rachel joked only to be met with stony silence in response, "sorry," she mumbled.
"The wheel can symbolise many things," Madame Lazarus continued, "it is ever turning, bringing much change." She paused and Rachel felt the psychic's cold, piercing eyes fixed on her, "One cycle is coming to an end, maybe a shift in your career or perhaps a new love interest."
Rachel shifted slightly on the hard, wooden chair, "Yeah, maybe, definitely not seeking a man any time soon."
"We cannot fight the wheel of fortune or the winds of change," Madame Lazarus steepled her fingers together, "you're a non-believer, aren't you?"
The white ranger leaned back in her chair, "You haven't really told me anything new," she began, "it's no secret that I'm at a career crossroads with my channel and you saw me arrive with Harley who, for the record, isn't my boyfriend or secret love interest."
"I never said you had feelings for him," Madame Lazarus said cryptically. Her hand paused over the deck before slowly turning it over. Rachel froze at the sight of the card, "The death card," Madame Lazarus smiled, "let's see how strong your beliefs are, white ranger," she snarled. Before Rachel could react, Madame Lazarus grabbed her right arm where her morpher sat and jammed the death card into the device.
Sparks shot out of Rachel's morpher and a jolt of electricity shot up her arm. She jumped up from her chair and scrambled away as Madame Lazarus transformed into her true form. Her boxy body was covered in occult style symbols with two candelabras sitting near the shoulders. Her head was merely a blue skull sitting inside a glass dome with an elaborate ruffled collar, "I knew there was something funny about you," Rachel shook her wrist and was about to activate her morpher.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you white ranger," Madame Lazarus chuckled, "I have placed a powerful curse on your connection to the Morphing Grid. The new time you transform, you will die," the beast added with a high pitched cackle.
"My last?" Rachel's hand moved away from her morpher, "that's not possible."
"Isn't it?" Madame Lazarus stated, "care to test it out?" Rachel hesitated, her eyes fixed on her morpher, "That's what I thought," the monster laughed. Suddenly the door burst open and the red and black ranger's leapt into the room, their blasters at the ready, "Not even your friends can help you white ranger," the monster flicked her card into the air and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Are you alright?" Harley asked the white ranger, "I knew there was something funny 'bout her but I wouldn't have guessed she was a Vyglass."
When Rachel didn't respond, Mark powered down and tried to catch the white ranger's gaze, "Did she do or say something to you?" the red ranger asked.
Rachel nodded slowly and stiffly, "I think I'm in big trouble," she said quietly.
At the Air Base an hour later, Jazz was carefully examining Rachel's morpher as the other Rangers watched on. Rachel chewed her finger nails as the Scot ran a series of tests on the device, "Anything?" Mark asked, mainly to break the uncomfortable silence in the room.
"Far as I can tell it's in perfect working order," Jazz replied, "I'd caveat that by saying I still haven't fully decrypted Doctor Neuer's notes."
"So you're guessing?" Harley snorted, "really reassuring."
"Sorry it's the best I can do, I'm working from a dead and very security conscious man's notes," Jazz bit back sarcastically, "maybe if the psychic had been real, we could've done a seance and asked him."
"Alright that'll do," Taylor interrupted the brewing argument, "sniping at each other isn't going to solve anything."
"What are we going to do though?" Ricky asked, "we're effectively one Ranger down."
"I'm still here," Rachel objected, "for now at least."
"Hey don't talk like that," Harley said, "we'll figure somethin' out."
Mark turned his focus to Taylor, "With your Ranger experience, have you ever heard of anything like this Major?"
"It wouldn't be the first time someone's tried to disconnect a Ranger from the Morphing Grid," Taylor begin, "I never heard of a curse being placed on a morpher though."
"Doesn't mean it's impossible though, right?" Rachel asked quietly, "Have any Rangers died before?"
Taylor let out a small sigh, "Yes," she said simply, "I won't lie to any of you, just by being a Power Ranger means that you all have a death sentence hanging over you. Any time you answer the call, it could be last."
"But if you knew the next time could be your last, would you still have gone?" Rachel asked Taylor.
Before the former Ranger could answer, an alarm went off in the base, "Madame Lazarus is back downtown with an army of Gougers," Jazz said, "time to suit up."
Everyone looked towards Rachel who was looking nervously at her morpher, "We've got this," Mark said to the white ranger, "come on team, let's go." Stevie and Ricky gave the white ranger a small smile. Harley didn't move for several seconds, his gaze firmly on Rachel but before long, he followed the rest out the door.
"You can watch the battle from here," Taylor said to Rachel, "to answer your question, yes I still would've have fought, even if it meant I would die."
Rachel lowered her head, "You must think I'm a coward."
"No," Taylor said quietly, "it makes you human," the white ranger smiled slightly, "I won't order you to go, that decision must be yours and yours alone." The white ranger flopped into a nearby chair with her heads in her hands. Her blonde hair covered her eyes, preventing her from looking at any screens in the control room.
In the city, the remaining Jet Force Rangers were battling against the tide of fleeing civilians. Ricky managed to drag a young girl out the path of a pair of Gougers which allowed Harley to flatten them with his outstretched arms, "That felt good," the black ranger said whilst rolling his shoulders.
"Follow that road," Ricky said to the girl, "less crowded over there," the girl didn't hesitate to follow the yellow ranger's advice and took off at a sprint.
Eventually the street cleared enough for the Rangers to start taking on the footsoldiers. Stevie ducked a punch from a Gouger and planned her foot firmly in its back. She punched another in gut before grabbed the heads of her opponents and rammed them together, "Meeting of minds," the blue ranger taunted as the grunts fell to the ground.
Harley was in a huff and wasn't in the mood for playing nice with the Gougers. One tried to grab him from behind but the black ranger responded with a mule kick right between its legs, "Ouch," Ricky winced as the Gouger bounced away.
"I ain't playin' nice today," the black ranger grumbled, nearly decapitating a Gouger with a haymaker punch. He grabbed the Gouger Ricky was battling and tossed it head first through a shop window.
"Careful with the collateral damage," Mark warned, "our taxes still have to cover the repair bill." Just as he said that, a Gouger leapt in his direct but the red ranger used its momentum to propel it onto the hood of a parked car.
"Yeah, bein' real careful," Harley snorted, he had picked up a fallen street sign and was using it as a weapon to smash the Gougers to pieces, "I really hate these things."
Madame Lazarus in her monster form strolled onto the street, stepping over the bodies of the fallen Gougers, "You do like to make a mess," she tutted, "let me see, one, two, three, four," she paused and tapped a card against her face, "you're missing one."
"What did you do to Rachel?" Mark demanded.
"It isn't my fault she turned over the death card," Madame Lazarus shrugged, "we all know what that means."
"It doesn't necessarily mean death," Harley countered, "a quick Google search will tell you that."
"You're smarter than you look black ranger," Madame Lazarus grumbled, "but lets test your theory." Quick as a flash she threw her card towards the four rangers. They had just enough time to see the card had a pyramid symbols before it landed between them. With a golden flash, a pyramid of light encircled the group, "Now the white ranger has a simple choice, come and break you out which will lead to her certain death or leave you and allow the Vyglass to take over Earth."
The four rangers nervously touched the pyramid but their hands were stopped by a golden barrier of light. Stevie tried to shoulder charge the barrier but was firmly repelled by the structure. Harley called on his Jet Blaster but was stopped by Mark, "Don't even think about it," the red ranger warned, "if the bolt reflects back it could take us all out." The black ranger reluctantly lowered his weapon, much to the amusement of Madame Lazarus.
At the Air Force base, Jazz was frantically typing commands into her keyboard, "Come on," the Scot grumbled, "there must be something I can do."
"It's giving off some serious energy readings," Taylor added whilst monitoring the screens, "clearly it can't be broken from the inside so could we overload it from the outside?"
"In theory," Jazz replied and tapped one of the screens, "it's based on electrical energy so an external electrical burst should short it out." She opened the specifications for their weapons, "There we go, a charge from the Jet Gauntlet should be powerful enough," she glanced over at the Major, "but we can't ask Rachel to risk morphing, can we?"
The pair turned around to find the chair Rachel was occupying suddenly empty, they looked just in time to notice the door closing, "Doesn't look like we have to ask," Taylor commented.
Jazz slowly turned back to her computer, "That little speech you gave her was pretty manipulative," the Scotswoman commented without looking at the Major.
"I know, and I already hate myself for it," Taylor sighed, "but sometimes you have to do things you hate for the greater good."
"I just hope we're not having to search for a new white ranger after this," Jazz sniped with annoyance, "because I have no idea what happens to the Avian power if a Ranger is lost. Its not like we can create another one."
"I know that," Taylor snapped, to which Jazz stared back defiantly, "I have faith," she added quietly, "I have to have faith," she repeated, trying to reassure herself more than Jazz. The Scot chewed her lip before silently turning back to monitor the battle.
In the city, Madame Lazarus was pacing around the trapped Rangers, "I don't need to be a psychic to know what you're thinking," she taunted the Rangers, "especially you black ranger." Harley glared hatefully at the monster, "There could be a death card in your future, the fates haven't decided yet." The sound of a engine brought her attention back to the present, "Ah humans," she cackled, "so predictable."
The Swan Zord hovered overhead as an unmorphed Rachel dropped to the ground with a graceful crouch. She flicked her hair back and glared at the monster, "White ranger," Madame Lazarus greeted, "I'm surprised to see you."
"You didn't give me a choice," Rachel replied, "if it comes down to me or everyone on Earth, I'd pick the Earth anytime."
"Interesting," Madame Lazarus inched towards the white ranger, "you would truly sacrifice yourself for the people of this planet? I've read some of the comments on your videos, something tells me they wouldn't do the same for you."
Rachel stood up a little straighter, "That's what makes me the better person," she summoned her morpher but found herself hesitating once again to activate the device.
Madame Lazarus let out a low chuckle, "Just what I thought, you talk a good game but when it matters, you're just a fraud."
The white ranger clenched her fist and took a look at the worried faces of her team mates. That gave her the resolve she needed, "Jet Force, Take Flight," she called and with a flash of light, morphed into the white ranger.
A few agonising seconds passed but nothing unusual happened. From inside the pyramid of light, Harley let out a loud chuckle, "Looks like you're the only fraud around here," he called to the monster.
Madame Lazarus roared with frustration, "I never said you would die if you morphed, just that this would be your final morph," she summoned a card into her hand, "and I intend to make my prediction come true." She tossed the card at the white ranger but Rachel was able to roll out the way just as it exploded against a lamp post behind her. The white ranger summoned her Jet Gauntlet whilst pulled out her Jet Blaster in her other hand, "Its still one on one white ranger, I don't like your odds."
Rachel said nothing and blasted the monster with a blitz of laser fire. The monster responded with a barrage of explosive cards. Rachel spent more time dodging falling debris than card, ducking an rolling on instinct. She opened her wings and flew at the monster, getting in a couple of good blows with her Jet Gauntlet before Madame Lazarus batted her away. Another card struck Rachel in the chest, sending her flying through the air
As she slid across the asphalt, Jazz's voice echoed in her helmet, "You can't take too many of those hits."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Rachel grumbled back whilst struggling to her feet, "I need to free the others, is there anything you can do to buy me time?"
There was a few seconds of silence before Jazz responded, "Get her near to those LED billboards and be prepared to fly when I say the word and I mean literally fly."
Rachel frowned but tried to do what their expert said, "Hey over here," the white ranger waived and jumped into the air in front of the billboard, "come get me."
Madame Lazarus chuckled, "How stupid do you think I am?" she tossed another card at the white ranger which she managed to avoid, this one impacted against a traffic signal that exploded into tiny shards of metal.
"OK, fly towards the monster now," Jazz shouted over the radio.
Rachel did as instructed just as the billboard lit up in a dazzle flash of white light that flickered on and off rapidly, "Gah," Madame Lazarus shouted, "I can't see."
The white ranger chuckled and deliberately bounced off the monster head before charging up the taser function on her jet Gauntlet. She drove it into the golden pyramid which exploded in another dazzling flash of light. When she landed, she noticed that all the Rangers had morphed the second the barrier had broken, "Nice of you to join in," she teased the others.
"You were handling things pretty well by yourself," Mark replied, he spotted a blinded Madame Lazarus still stumbling around, "in fact, why don't you take point on this one."
Beneath her helmet Rachel smiled, "Thought you'd never ask, Nitro Blaster," she called. The weapon appeared in front of the Rangers with the white ranger standing at the controls. The other Rangers braced themselves to against the weapon, "Fire," she called and a giant energy blast impacted Madame Lazarus, turning her to a smouldering pile of ash and debris, "Bet you didn't see that coming," she quipped.
"And no giant monster," Ricky added when it became apparent the psychic monster wasn't growing.
"That was super bad ass," Stevie slapped Rachel on the shoulder as the group powered down, "but how did you know that monster was lying?"
"I didn't," the white ranger shrugged, "but when I saw the four of you trapped, I just couldn't sit by and do nothing."
"Well you have my thanks," Mark said to Rachel and the others nodded in agreement.
"After that near death experience I think we all deserve a treat," Rachel began, "how would you all like a night at the cinema?"
Later that evening the Rangers gathered at Rachel's house. Mark, Harley, Ricky and Stevie were all dressed in formal trousers, shirts and jacket. The male Rangers wore colour matching bow ties with Stevie sporting her light blue tie loose from her collar, "When she said a night at the cinema, this wasn't what I had in mind," Harley grumbled as he adjusted his tie.
"I don't know, its nice to dress up every now and then," Mark went to help Harley with his tie but the black ranger swatted him away, "this is more comfortable then an Air Force dress uniform."
"Couldn't agree more," Taylor announced, entering from the kitchen. She was dressing in a yellow skirt that went just passed her knees with a fitted blazer jacket over the top.
"Looking good Major," Stevie beamed, "good to see you do leave the Base once in a while," she teased.
"I wasn't hatched," the former Power Ranger shot back, "I've never been to a film premiere before so I wasn't turning down some VIP treatment."
Just then Rachel started making her way down the stairs with Jazz close behind. The tech genius was wearing tartan trousers with a matching jacket, the white ranger though had gone all out with a very pale, almost white dress that scraped the ground. It was so long that Jazz had to hold the back to stop her tripping down the stairs, "Well, what do you think?" the white ranger asked.
The red and black rangers were opened mouthed at Rachel's outfit for the evening, earning an eye roll from Stevie, "I'll say it, you look amazing Rachel," Ricky finally said.
"Thank you," the white ranger smiled, "took me ages to get into this dress, might need some help out of it later."
Harley bit back a cough, "Mind out the gutter," Mark whispered quietly to the black ranger.
Ignorant to everything, Rachel announced, "The limo is just pulling up, we'd better be going." Everyone began to file out with Taylor giving the black ranger a warning glance on the way passed. Eventually he was the last one left with Rachel, "You scrub up nice," Rachel smiled and adjust his bow tie.
"Not bad for a cheap rental," Harley shrugged, "you look amazing too."
Rachel blushed slightly, "I wanted to thank you for having my back today, you're making a habit of that."
"Anytime," he gave her a small grin, "I knew that Lazarus was a fraud."
"Does beg the question, was she ever real?" Rachel began, "Her channel existed for nearly a year but the Vyglass only arrived a few weeks ago."
"Maybe the real Madame Lazarus is tied up in a basement somewhere," Harley paused, "or worse," he added grimly.
"Major Earhardt's looking into it but there's nothing so far, we don't even have her real name," Rachel sighed.
"If she wasn't real then that means the Vyglass has been around longer than we thought," Harley replied, allowing that thought to sink in.
"Lets not worry about that tonight," Rachel tried to lighten the mood. She offered her arm to Harley, "Would you escort me to the theatre good Sir," she said with a bad British accent.
"M'Lady it would be my honour," Harley smiled back and the paid walked outside arm in arm.
On the Vyglass ship Count Trivium was cursing another defeat at the hands of the Rangers. Suddenly there was a massive electrical surge that shook the ship and force the Count to his knees. He grabbed his head in pain, only managing to hiss out, "Empress," as the vibrations continued throughout the ship. Trivium collapsed into the misty floor as a dark shadow drew nearer to the ship
A/N - Since Fanfiction stats have been broken since Mid September I have no idea if anyone is reading or even getting notifications of updates but I'm going to keep going for now. Hopefully its fixed soon, if not I may crosspost to AO3