Operation Overdrive: Obscured Fate!

Chapter 13: Anxiety's clutch.

A/N:Thank you MR.G (Guest reviewer), for the music suggestions! :D

To answer your question:
I had no idea what year the Power Rangers Operation Overdrive was in, so I just picked some songs that sounded good or fitting to me. xD

I really appreciate them too, they fit Iseldur so well! XD

Bury the Light will make an excellent battle song for later too, hehehe :D!

He friggin ambushed me! This molten, rocked-headed, over-sized, lava piece of sh-Before Isledur could swear in her mind, Lava Lizards surrounded her and blocked off the entrance to prevent her from escaping.

"Now that I got you right where I want you!-" Moltor began with his sword pointed at her and took some steps back. "I want some answers." With that his arm lazily returned to his side before he sat in his chair, sighing irritably with a shake of his head. Yes, he unfortunately and unintentionally spouted half of the reference from the fish guy in Spongebob during the chocolate episode.

He... Ambushed me, kidnapped me, brought me to a lava cave, surrounded me with a bunch of lizards, and is keeping me here... For some answers?For a moment, she pondered, albeit angrily, and growled beneath her breath.Wait...From observing children's shows during one of my contract hunts when I was younger, I used to sit by on occasion and watch Spongebob. Did he... Almost pull that fish guy's line? Or did I hear wrong?An eye twitched behind her helmet. The only sound breaking the silence in the lava room now was the rumble of her engine as she remained stationed on her bike with its stand kicked out. It was a surprise that her motorcycle didn't blow up from the immense heat exposure.

"You're her, aren't you?" As she sat there watching him lean his sword against the side of his seat and slouch until he was able to prop his head on his knuckles, the goth's fingers tightened on the handles.

"Remember? You leg-swept me in the forest! You even used me as a prop to launch yourself over me!" From a short distance, he yelled and sat up straighter with aggression. "I've been watching you, and so has my brother." He made a slight tilt of his head before he stood to continue. "He told me everything. And I was right about the strange things attaching to your blade! What are those and what are you?! Who's side are you on, and what's your goal?" He paused a moment after letting out a breath of anger and stepping closer. "There are too many questions and little to no answers. Now speak!" With his arms folding and keeping a firm stance to show resolve, the lava lizards began to huddle closer.

"Woof-woof..." There wasn't an ounce of care being expressed when she gave that snarky comeback, save for the subtle cock of her head. She had to turn her motorcycle off to keep it from getting too hot, which was still a surprise that it lasted this long in the heat.

A few snickers from some lizards behind her made the air between them awkward. Moltor nervously shifted his attention from his minions to her, which she saw as a sign of his ego going flat for a moment. However, the uneasy body language was soon replaced with anger when he raised his voice, "Enough! Or I will destroy all of you!"

"Right..." Agitation was evident when Iseldur answered. Moving her leg over to get off of her bike, she groaned with clenched fists. The mere thought of him and his brother watching her, let alone witnessing the display earlier, started to raise her anxiety. It was nearly as bad as when Andrew and the Rangers had found out about her identity, and it was proving difficult to keep her emotions in check.I just came across my old master after several years of trying to hunt her down. I am NOT doing well, and this hotheaded jerk wants to ask me questions?! Is he stupid?!Panic made her tight fists tremble, but she did her best to keep it hidden.

Luckily, the sliding visor over her helmet was in place otherwise, he would've seen her heterochromia eyes.Stupid or not, I can't risk anything!Slowly, one of her icy Nerve Slics slipped out from beneath her trench coat and shirt. When the Slic touched her palm and formed a Stalactite as long as a dagger and about as sharp, she gripped it tight.

"Well?!" The moment Moltor spoke up, he was quick to whirl around and grab one of his swords to block a dangerously sharp Stalactite that sizzled from the heat. The icy spike in her grasp was attached to her Slic, making it impossible to melt in the atmosphere. "Hah – I expected you'd attack!"

"If you tell... One... Single person who I am..." She trailed dangerously low. All of her Nerve Slics slipped out and wrapped around his arms, legs, and neck as she kept a strong hold on the Stalactite. "I will rip every limb from your body and toss them out into Antarctica to freeze over and degrade back into the planet! Do you hear me?!" The ice spike began to sizzle away from the heat now that all six of her Slics latched onto him to keep him down.

However, the subtle stir to her side caught her attention. It didn't surprise her in the least since all she did was tilt her head a mere fraction and chuck the ice spike, scoring a head-shot on one of the lizards that tried to sneak up on her. The faint thud she heard was an indication that she had killed it, but it wasn't enough to make her look to be sure.

"If you think you can intimidate me with something as stupid as this, then you have a lot to learn." She added and inched dangerously close to his face, without her grip on him faltering. "I'm sick and tired of you and the other villainous crackheads out there getting in my way! So either leave me alone or I'll send you to the grave early!" An ice Slic let go of one of his limbs to touch her hand and form another spike, which she used to threaten the safety of his windpipe.

Moltor was completely silent. Despite his hotheaded temper, he wasn't stupid enough to argue back when he knew his life was on the line.

The goth watched his arms struggle, which moved by a centimeter before he gave up. "So." He began and ignored the next song that played on her motorcycle,Devil Trigger by Devil May Cry.

"You're after that woman? The one I saw on my lava screen, with the metal wires?" Moltor shoved any attempt to fight back or scream angrily at her to the back of his mind. A gut feeling told him that if he did, then he wouldn't be alive afterward.

"I said – stay out of my way! Which means stay out of my bus-" Before Iseldur was about to punch him in the face and fume more, he overran her with a scream of his own.

"You want her dead! That's why you hunt down those armored humans!" Once he managed to shut her up long enough, he took that as his cue to continue. Iseldur was scared and pissed to a point of wanting to kill him on the spot, but what she heard next irritated her. "Let's make a deal. You want her dead, and I want the Corona Aurora."

"No! Cause if we do make a deal, then she will kill you! So, piss off!" With that, she let go and turned around. She was about to head toward her bike when she halted and felt a grip on one of her fiery Slics that tried to retract back to her spine.

"These. What are these?" She heard it. The sound of pure curiosity was in his voice. The tight grasp told her that he was trying to be careful, probably due to not wanting to get killed by the slightest mistake on his part. The Slic he held soon coiled around his wrist and squeezed to a point where he started to grunt in pain and try to pry it off of him in a sad attempt.

He is ticking me off more and more! So – he and his brother both know who I am? That means they could tell everyone! My secret identity being revealed could have the Government on me in minutes! An alien that they could kidnap and dissect like I'm a damn frog in science class!Fear and anger constricted inside of her like several strings around a ball. Her hands shook from it until the very emotions barely reflected in her tone, "You don't need to know! Just know that I'll strangle you if you don't let go..." It was important to her, and a bit embarrassing to feel him touch it. It left an uncomfortable feeling that almost made her spine shiver.

He doesn't know. He doesn't know. He doesn't know!The moment she chanted to try and ease her mind, she felt him let go, so she did the same and let it completely retract.He doesn't know that when someone touches a Nerve Slic, that it's a sign of interest...she reminded herself and took a deep breath.My people are gone now. No one knows what a Temprit is, so there's no sense in telling anyone.Shaking her head to snap herself out of it, the goth continued to her bike and turned her music off.

I can't risk telling anyone.The moment she lifted a leg and moved it around to sit on her motorcycle, she looked at the hotheaded villain again. The memory of seeing Mechs rip out Nerve Slics from spines around her and collecting her people like they were a daily harvest had clouded her mind. The bloodcurdling screams and cries of mercy continued to plague her thoughts, even more so when gore painted the streets and surroundings.

"You and I are not that different." Moltor started as he stepped closer and snapped her out of her bloody recollection. "My brother broke my sled, and I want to make him pay! You want to destroy that woman for a similar reason – revenge! Vengeance is written all over you!" With arms outstretched to his sides, he halted a few feet away from her and watched her carefully.

"You're kidding me... Right? A sled? The f-" Comically, Iseldur's swear word was censored by a loud sneeze next to her from one of the Lava lizards, and it caused her to look at it questionably.

"Hey! It was the only present I've ever gotten from my mother!" The hothead yelled and clenched his fists. "Besides – Flurious was jealous and wanted to play with it. So I let him, and he broke it!" he finished with a scream, yet it still didn't faze her.

Is he serious? How many years ago was that? How old is he?An eye twitched at the thought when she groaned and shook her head. "Whatever. Just send me back!" As much as she'd love to sit there and listen to his little spout of anger over something incredibly stupid, she'd love it more if she could be on her way. It almost felt like she was talking to a little brother; it was odd.

"Fine – fine! But next time, I want answers!" The moment he stepped closer, he reached out and teleported her away with his flames.

Now that she was back on the long road, rain pelted her once more. The goth sat there for a good bit, mulling over what he said and sighed. A sled to her seemed childish to fight over. With a shake of her head and a faint groan of annoyance, she turned the head of her bike around.

However, there was no attempt drive. Thoughts of Andrew and the worried looks of his and the Rangers' faces returned. Fear was mixed with their concern over her, it was uncomfortable.Why are they so worried about me? For all I know, it could all be an act to try and get under my skin! To lower my guard so they could strike! Just like...her thoughts soon died into a murmur as she recalled the times she sparred with her brothers and sisters.

Back when she was still a kid, she trained under her old master's wing. Copying her elegant movements and standing beside her, ignoring the nasty glares from the other kids who sparred with one another. But when she was asked to spar with the Elite that she was soon to replace, they had used Charisma to lower her guard.

There were many times that she was deceived by her so-called family. Some would coax her into doing something that wasn't allowed, and some offered to cover her if she'd ever got in trouble with her master - just for them to backstab her in the end.Everyone lies...

Everyone lies, even if it's a tiny bit. They lie to save their own hide. They lie to get the upper hand over other people. And they lie to achieve or to protect. I can't trust anyone. And now that everyone seems to know who I am...Gulping and lowering her head, she felt the effects from earlier return.
She didn't know what to think. Images of when she trained privately with her old master had emerged. Dressed in black robes, around the age of ten, trying to copy her master's movements and nearly succeeding. There came a time when they were almost synchronized, and she can still hear the woman's praise for doing so well. The kind and loving smile a mother would give, the sweet and tender kiss to her forehead. But the memories were quickly replaced with the fateful day when she was stabbed near the heart and left to bleed to death.

That cold and uncaring look in her eyes was the same as it was when she ran into her earlier today.I lost my planet and my people. She gave me a life and nurtured me, raising me and teaching me how to survive. She gave me a home and sustenance. Taught me the basics of Earth life and its language. Where I had fallen, she had lifted me and in the end let me fall... But for what? Why? Because I was turning into a monster in her eyes?Pained thoughts crossed her mind as the tight grips on her handles trembled. Her breaths quivered when tears began to dampen the inside of her helmet.

However, with a shake of her head and an annoyed groan, she forced herself to stop crying so she could focus.Crying is for the weak, and I am not weak!

I'm not... Weak.Once she started to rev her engine and drove down the road as fast as her bike could, more images of Andrew returned.They'll hurt me... Just like everyone else!

~~Flurious~~
"Oh, come on, King Flurious! Please! Oh – Oh! Pretty please, with blubber on top!" Norg's voice filled the throne room as the ice man wandered inside and was about to approach his seat.

His tolerance for excessive talking finally drove him to his limit when he turned around and screamed at the poor Yeti. "No! For the last time!"

"I'm going to retrieve the legendary Ki-Amuk cannon myself! I wouldn't let you pilot my robot, even if you were the last Yeti on Earth!" With a harsh grip on Norg's chest fur, he yanked the poor guy close to him threateningly.

"But Iamthe last Yeti on Earth! If you don't count my cousin Sasquatch. We don't really talk anymore, it's a long story." As he made his way up the steps and was about to sit, the Yeti was overrun by the ice man's scream.

"Quiet, hairball!" Oh, how much he wanted to strangle him, with his endless chatter and innocence. If he had a choice to live with the powerful Assassin and Norg, he'd take his chances with her.

Even though he knew she could kill him within a blink of an eye due to her electricity device, he'd at least appreciate how quiet she was and how lacking she was in conversation. "I need... To think." His screaming could cause all of the icicles in the cave to crumble and possibly damage everything, so he was quick to shove his anger down to try and talk more calmly.

Now then.Flurious thought.What if I confronted that Assassin and made a deal with her? Her assistance in obtaining the Ki-Amuk cannon and in return, I could help her with something she needs. Perhaps she could be the one to pilot my robot.As he mulled over the idea with a finger to his chin, a sound occurred near the entrance. "Kamdor!" Lo and behold, the blue ninja appeared. Yes, he and Kamdor have met behind the scenes, weirdly. Which the author finds strange since that part has never truly been explained in the storyline.

"Back off, you frozen fools!" Shouted the Ninja with a dual swipe of his swords. The two Chillers who stood guard and got in his way were turned into flakes instantaneously.

Snow fell between the three, but that didn't stop the Ice Man. He stepped through the sprinkled frost and was pleased to see such a display of anger. "Quite an entrance. Your anger reminds me of that Assassin.~" There was an underlying fluster when he thought about the gothic woman and her rage. Especially the performance she made when he saw her fight off six soldiers without her gear. "You're taking a big risk in coming here."

"I heard you found the Ki-Amuk cannon. Would you like us to take the Mercury Ranger out of commission while you retrieve it?" Questioned the Ninja. The Cannon seemed to be sought after by many, it seemed.

"But Miratrix said that she worked alone." It was confusing to hear the words 'We' from Kamdor, when the Kunoichi girl had made it pretty clear that she didn't work for anyone. Yet again, something the author purely wished the series would have elaborated more on.

"She will do as she's told! You get the Ki-Amuk! Then we'll talk about a possible Alliance." Once the Ninja looked away to ponder, Flurious did the same and copied the gesture by placing a hand to his chin.

"Ah. Then perhaps... We should involve the Assassin, then? She could help us if we use enough Charisma.~" Stated the Snowman after he lifted a finger and looked at Kamdor. The idea of having her help would be incredibly beneficial to their plans, but convincing her would be a whole new ball game altogether.

"No!" The Ninja waved his arm away to show absolute denial. "That woman is far more dangerous than you realize!" After a short pause, he grumbled and looked away, which piqued the ice man's curiosity.

"Truly? Do you know what she is then? Besides a dangerous Assassin, of course." The slight tilt of his head proved his genuine interest. Remembering the thin layer of frost on her fingers and seeing the strange colorful cords come out of her back a few times had left him with a grand mystery he hoped to uncover.

"I do. She's a Temprition. People used to call her kind, Temprits. Her species can control temperatures to a certain extent with the Slics in their backs!" As Kamdor looked down once more and hummed quietly, there was a stir of emotion that barely became visible in his movements.

"So they're called Slics? And they can control cold and heat? How do you know this?" Grinning from cheek to cheek, Flurious asked and chuckled. Hearing more about the mysterious Assassin brought a sense of delight. The more of her that he uncovered, the more he wanted to know. It was an odd habit he found himself falling to, which wasn't something that happened to him every day that much was certain.

"Let's just say... I witnessed her planet going up in flames when I was in my spaceship." His words made the Snowman's big smile fall.

There is a lot more to her than I thought.He contemplated after shifting his gaze to the floor.

~~Andrew~~
"Dad, you saw it, right?" Andrew's head lifted to peek over his laptop, and his brown eyes behind glasses noticed Mack and Tray both in the archway while the other Rangers stood behind them. Everyone was soaking wet after the downpour, but that was the least of their concerns right now.

"Hard not to..." Sighing and looking down at his keyboard, he took a moment to close his eyes. Earlier, he had watched the whole thing on his screen in the Ranger base. "The situation's a lot direr than I thought. Whoever that woman was that killed one of her own and cut off Miss Hyne's visor must have been someone very important." He couldn't get her scream of anguish out of his head. It tugged on his heartstrings from the way she threw a fit and how her face turned red from crying so hard.

Recalling it made him gulp some saliva and clench his fists enough to pop. "Sir..." Tray stepped closer and bore their browns into a similar pair when Andrew looked up again to see. "She's hurting. She's in a lot of pain, but she doesn't let anyone get close. It's like she's afraid to..." They began and heard faint murmurs of the other Rangers from behind the kid.

"You know him?" Mack lifted a brow and asked the kid with a finger directed to his Dad, which Tray nodded to.

"Yeah. But right now isn't a good time to explain. I know Iseldur will visit us... Call it a gut feeling." The look Andrew gave the kid after he heard that was a mixture of pure concern, sympathy, and unease.

"I've been wanting to talk to her too." Hartford nodded. However, once his gaze drifted back to his laptop's screen, he began to think about what he had overheard from the strange masked woman atop the building.She's bad news. And Miss Hyne is aware of it. Maybe... They're related? Or rivals? Is it much deeper than that?His brows knitted and felt the stress over the whole mystery begin to build up. In hopes of easing some of it, he rubbed his face and rested his forehead in his palm.

"Mr. Hartford. Think about it... She's like a wounded stray dog on the streets. Anyone who gets too close, she'll snap, and they will run away, afraid to get hurt. I just don't think she's able to trust anyone good enough and... If somehow you were able to earn it, then maybe we'd be able to help her. But to do that, she'd have to come to us on her own." Tray explained, and Andrew looked up just to see several heads nod in agreement.

"Like any stray – feed them enough and take care of them, they will stick around." In came Spencer with a knowing smile and professionalism with each step. "Sir – I agree. Shall I prepare some tea and snacks for her arrival?"

"You know what? Yeah. Please do it and make sure there's plenty for everyone when she does come. I don't know if it'll be today, though - or tomorrow, but I know for sure that she will." He wasn't afraid to admit that the kid's explanation made sense. If he is to get close and somehow emotionally aid her, without a doubt, he'd be able to push past the wall of stone around her heart.I just hope she doesn't kill us.

"Come on, let's dry off. The last thing we need is to get sick from being wet." Ronny sighed and made her way past everyone before they agreed and followed after her.

It wasn't but ten minutes or so later when Tyzonn approached his desk. Albeit still damp, at least he wasn't dripping all over the clean floor now. "I'd love to know what my Zord is going to be like, please?" he pleaded and stood in the archway.

"No." As simple as could be, Hartford denied and kept his eyes glued to his laptop. The clack of the keys was the only other thing breaking the quiet air.

"Come on, Mr. Hartford. Just a hint." The blond was desperate, eager to find out. He had tried to ask him earlier before the whole situation with Iseldur, but still received no answer.

"Sorry, Ty. This project is top secret until it's finished." Andrew's fingers raced across the keys on his laptop as he answered Tyzonn. He wasn't just doing some documentation and programming of the Zords but also trying to find information on the masked woman.So far... Nothing seems to come up. Who is she?A frown curled his lips when he couldn't find anything.

He didn't get to see Tyzonn wave his hand slightly. "You know, those other Drive Mech Zords are incredible. Why can't you just tell me what one you're building for me?"

"Because - then it wouldn't be a secret." His answer was self-explanatory, yet despite Tyzonn's stubbornness, he knew he'd give up eventually. However, the moment he heard footsteps nearby, the blonde spoke.

"Spencer. I bet you know! What kind of Zord am I going to get?" From a subtle lift of his head, he peeked above his laptop and saw him approach his butler.

The second Spencer looked at him, Andrew gave him a knowing expression to silently tell him not to say anything.I wonder how long this is going to go on for.Andrew's brows knitted curiously for a moment before he looked down to continue typing.

"My lips are sealed.~" Replied the butler, which caused Tyzonn to sigh. "Who said you were getting just one?" His words alerted the Dad, making his head perk worriedly and yell a quick 'Spencer!'. "Sealed!~" With his fingers, he watched the said man make a zip gesture. "Now, would you mind leaving Mr. Hartford alone? He has a guest... A lady guest.~" A short bow and a smirk on the old man's lips caught his attention.

~~Iseldur~~

Why am I here again?Her motorcycle was turned off in front of the closed double gate. She sat there staring at the fancy design and shook her head, finding it irritating for having to come here in the first place.Right. Making sure that Puppy-faced Indiana Jones rip-off doesn't give out my identity.Yes, she was still shaken up about thought of it getting leaked to the government and possibly having villains or other people attacking her when she's at her penthouse is the last thing she'd want.

"I swear if this As-" Before she could mutter a swear beneath her breath, the com next to her came to life by Spencer's voice.

"Ah, Miss Hyne. Here for that tea perhaps?" His question caused the goth to stiffen at the offer. Luckily, it stopped raining, or otherwise she'd have to walk inside in drenched clothes.

Something was drawing her toward Andrew regardless of her thoughts. Deep down, she just wanted someone to connect to, but fear kept her from letting anyone get close. Tray, however, was just there at the wrong time when a Spy came around.I don't know what I would've done if that kid got hurt...she pondered for a moment before irritably answering. "I'm here to kick someone's crack if they spilled anything..."

"Very well. But please, no violence while you're here. Mr. Hartford has a guest right now so it you could wait outside until she leaves, we'd both appreciate it." Kind, peaceful, the old man was. He didn't seem to care if she talked that way. It was almost as if he was able to see right through her.

With that, the gates opened to a lengthy driveway that led to the mansion. Once the com clicked off, she revved her engine and drove through, the rumble of her motorcycle echoing across the air.Who is that Spencer guy, anyway? He acts like he's experienced a lot of crap. If that's the case, shouldn't he be more quiet and serious?A brow lifted for a millisecond as she came to a slow stop a few feet away from the front door's steps.

The goth sat there for a good bit after being told to wait. It was a long enough wait to make her lay her head down on the bike, on top of her folded arms. Thankfully, the motorcycle's kickstand was propping it up, or she would've toppled sideways in her lying position.

There was no interest in examining the vehicle next to her, knowing full-well it came from Hartford's guest. However, when she saw the front door open and watched a woman leave the house, a curious hum escaped.

"Oh – hi. You must be the other guest Spencer mentioned. Sorry for the inconvenience. Excuse me.~" With how happy she looked, Iseldur could only assume it was because of a nice chat or something.

It took the guest a moment to get into her car, but when she waved goodbye, the goth awkwardly lifted an index finger to show acknowledgment.A friend of his, maybe? Why did she wave at me?

"Miss Hyne! Thank you for waiting. Please, come in." Immediately looking toward the front door, she saw Andrew with the biggest and friendliest smile she'd seen on any adult. If she didn't count that woman, of course.

I'm going to regret this, aren't I?She mulled and started to not like the idea of coming back. Now that her fear had subsided a tiny bit, she was able to think more clearly, but there was no guarantee that it wouldn't spike again.

A/N: Oh no. What kind of conversation awaits her in that house? Will she threaten him again? Will the visitation go a bit more smoothly? Let me know in the comments what you think! :D