Disclaimer: Saban, Power Rangers, yaddy, yaddy, yaddy, y'all know what I'm talking about. And yes, I did rip off a LOT from the Turbo movie. I was remaking it fit to MY series, based on Saban's Power Rangers. Enjoy!
Muiranthias Adventure
by: KrazieKat
When Hunter opened his eyes, it was to realize that he felt a molten heat spreading through his body. The second thing he realized was that Angel was straddling him, and tracing circles with her tongue on his throat where the heat was spreading through Hunter's body. The third and last thing Hunter realized was that he was chained to a bed, his wrists shackled to the headboard above him.
Angel looked up from kissing Hunter where his neck and collarbone met, and smiled. "Ah, good, you're awake," she purred. "This will make what I'm about to do, SO much more fun." Her eyes narrowed, and her nails dug into Hunter's flesh through his shirt. He hissed in pain, and she caught his lips in an almost painful kiss. When Hunter tried to turn his lips away, Angel trapped his head between her hands, and forced her tongue into his mouth.
She finally ended the kiss, and, wiping her lips slowly, laughed cruelly, before saying, "A fighter. I like that in my lovers." She pulled a dagger from thin air, and slowly traced it down Hunt's front. He could feel the blade brush his skin, and then Angel's free hand grasped his collar in one hand, and ripped his pullover shirt open, the tear following the path the blade had taken. Angel licked her lips, and said, "Mmm, nice."
The rest of the shirt was quickly cut away from Hunter, and he laid bare chested before a voluptuous, and deadly, woman. Angel brushed her carrot orange hair back, and then traced the lines of Hunter's chest with her dagger. He winced as a line of red appeared above his right breast, and Angel said, "Oops. I should be more careful. I want my toy to last." She leaned down and cleaned off the blood with her tongue as the cut began to bleed.
That seemed to turn Angel on, and her hands began exploring the contours of Hunter's body as he squirmed in pain from her tongue licking the cut, opening the cut to bleed again. He closed his eyes from the image of Angel's eyes closed in ecstasy, and tried to block out the image of her mouth caressing his skin. "Please," he whimpered, to make her stop, or to have her continue, he didn't know, and Angel lifted her mouth from the cut. She grinned like a cat that got the cream, and plundered his mouth again.
This time, when she left his mouth, she started kissing a trail down his throat and chest, moving further down. Hunter strained against his bonds as he figured out where she was going, and Angel paused to grin up at him fiendishly before continuing. While her mouth kissed a trail down, her hands worked on removing Hunter's jeans. One hand pushed the denim material down, and the other eased his boxers down, neither job hampered with Hunter's wiggling. As she cupped him, her mouth reached it's target and....
Hunter sat up in bed with a scream that quickly cut off as he recognized his surroundings. He was in his room in the Safehouse. Not the Chaos Plains, where he...
Hunter got to his feet shakily, his whole body trembling. He hadn't had nightmares of that particular incident in the eighteen years since it had happened. In fact, it had only started after Kat had kissed him on the Guardian Ship.
As he wiped his face clear of the cold sweat, the door opened. Hunter turned, expecting to see Brynne, and was surprised to see Kat standing there instead.
"What happened, Hunter?"
"What are you doing here?" he asked, avoiding her question.
Kat shrugged. "I came to check on you, and I heard you scream. Are you okay?"
Hunter nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He ran a hand through his dark hair.
"You're shaking," Kat commented. She got closer to Hunter until their bodies were almost touching. "Did you have a nightmare or something?" She laid a hand on his cheek and was surprised when he suddenly flinched.
"I'm fine," Hunter insisted, stepping away from her. The trembling didn't stop, though. Then something occurred to him. "Have you seen Brynne?"
Kat shook her head, confused. "No."
Hunter, followed by Kat, walked out into the main chamber. "Brynne?" he asked, checking her room, but the bed apparently hadn't been touched since Brynne had made it the day before. Hunter walked back into the main room, and then he noticed the mug. He walked over and picked it up.
"Hmm. Cool," he said, partially to Kat, and partially to himself, and sniffed it. It was definitely Brynne's usual chocolate mocha for late nights, but she would never have left it out.
"Could something have called her away?" Kat asked, and Hunter said, "Maybe." With that, they shifted to the only other place Hunter could think of Brynne going to without leaving a note.
Alpha was startled when the White and Pink Rangers appeared in the Power Chamber. "Yikes, Hunter, Kat! You scared the diodes out of me! What are you doing here?" the little robot asked.
"I'm not sure. Something's not right, and I thought that maybe Brynne would be here."
"Well, she's not here now. Maybe she went to the park to relax some," Alpha suggested. "Or maybe went to visit one of the rangers or guardians?"
Hunter shrugged. "She could have, but she didn't leave a note. And why would she leave in the middle of the night?"
Before Alpha could answer, Zordon appeared in his tube and said, "Alpha, contact the other rangers. I sense that Divatox has appeared on Earth."
Hunter blanched, and Alpha said, "Right away, Zordon. Ai-yi-yi!"
***
Jason and Kim balanced on the edge of their boat, and Jason asked, "Ready?" Kim nodded, and they pulled down their masks, slipping into the water. They had agreed the day before that they needed something to relax, and had made plans to go scuba diving. As they let the bubbles from their entrance into the ocean disperse, they reoriented themselves, and after a few minutes, headed down. Unknown by the two Guardians, they were being watched.
Chortling in her subcraft, Divatox spun her periscope around, and then asked, "What's this? Two humans, ripe for the picking, and they're headed our way!" She laughed, and ordered her warriors to capture the two scuba divers.
The Piranahtrons swam up behind the Guardians unnoticed, and two grabbed Jason, pulling his mouth piece out of his mouth. Kim head Jason's struggle, and turned as two more Piranahtrons swam up on her.
A blow to her head, and the Pink Guardian knew no more.
When the two teens were dropped onto the deck of the subcraft, Divatox said, "Two more perfect specimens to feed my fiancé. Put them in the bilge where they'll stay fresh for the wedding!" The floor under the unconscious swimmers opened up and they dropped into the bilge.
Brynne heard two splashes in the next room, and climbed up on the ledge that allowed her to look into the window to the next chamber. The two newcomers were coming around, and started coughing up water, and removed their hoods. "Kim? Jase?" Brynne asked, and the two Guardians whirled to face the Silver Ranger.
"Brynne? What are you doing here?" Kim demanded.
"Hold on." Brynne hopped down from the ledge, and opened the door connecting the two chambers. She entered the Guardians' room, and said, "We're not the only ones. Tommy back there, but he was knocked out."
"What's going on?" Jason demanded.
"Uh, remember how I said that back where I came from, Power Rangers was just a kids' show?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, that show created two movies. The first didn't tie into the series at all, but the second one did. That's when Zeo went Turbo.
That's... what's going on now," Brynne said hesitantly.
"What happened in the movie that we aren't going to like?" Kim asked shrewdly, after eyeing the Silver Ranger.
"Uh... you guys get turned evil by a monster with an appetite for pure human souls?" Brynne asked. Kim and Jason sighed.
"And where do you and Tommy come in on this?" Jason asked.
"Hey, don't look at me. I'm not exactly sure," Brynne said, putting her hands up defensively. "I've been winging this ever since Tommy and I were kidnapped last night. But... I think that the more pure souls she feeds to Maligore, the more powerful he is." She shuddered, and then a moment of dizziness overcame her. She pushed it off as sleepiness. She hadn't gotten any sleep the night before.
***
As everyone collected in the Power Chamber, Hunter nodded to himself as he noticed the two absences. "I thought so," he muttered to himself.
Everyone else was clamoring for answers.
"Where's Brynne and Tommy?" Adam asked.
"Not to mention Jason and Kim," Jen added, looking around.
"What's going on?" Shaira wanted to know
Questions were thrown all at once and pandemonium reigned until a piercing whistle brought everyone to a standstill. Only the sirens' continuous wailing was heard as the rangers stared at Hunter as he lowered his fingers from her mouth.
"Give him a chance to answer," he said. "Now, Alpha, turn off the sirens, please." Alpha complied, and Hunter said, "Thank you. Now, I probably have a good idea of what's happening, but the other's don't.
What's happened?" he asked calmly.
"The scanners have just picked up the presence of a subcraft belonging to the pirate queen Divatox. She has kidnapped Tommy, Jason, Kimberly and Brynne," Zordon said.
Hunter nodded, not surprised, and said, "I would have thought that she would have come later, but...," he shrugged. "So Divatox is here. We have to get our friends before they get to Muiranthias." He saw the stares of the others and asked, "What?"
"How did you know that?" Angela asked.
"Uhhh..." Hunter ran his hands through his hair, and wondered how much to tell the others. "You all remember how, back in my and Brynne's home reality, there's a show about the Power Rangers?"
"Yeah, so?" Adam asked.
"Well, the show had two movies come out, The first was real cool, great CGI, but the second, it's... kinda happening right now, except with a few changes," he said in a rush.
"Like what?" Shaira asked.
"Like Brynne and Tommy. I expected Jason and Kim to be grabbed, if Divatox showed up," Hunter said. "We weren't sure if she'd be coming here, so we just decided to keep quiet and keep an eye out in case she did."
"Just when were you planning on telling us?" Jen asked, wondering.
"Uhhh... we weren't sure if this would happen so we-."
"When?" Trey interrupted.
"Hopefully never. We were planning on telling you if it happened, but we didn't have any warning. I'm sorry, but we thought that it would be for the best!" Hunter said.
The rangers stared in anger, no one speaking until Jen asked, "How far ahead is your reality?"
"If you mean us, we're one of those rare oddities where the time is different from most. But if you're talking the show...., a couple of seasons, from when we started Gating to when we landed here. You had already passed on your powers to the next generation when we left, so I'd say about a year or two from now."
As the rangers and guardians made various noises of shock and surprise, Trey asked, "How far ahead are you, in time?"
"Twenty years. I'm actually 37 years old, and Brynne's 35. We've only aged about two years physically." The rangers stared in shock. "We discovered that time doesn't pass in the Nexus, and since we spend a lot of time in the Safehouse, which is in the Multiversal Nexus, we haven't aged."
Shaira said, "That's why you live in the Safehouse."
Hunter shrugged, and said, "This isn't the main point of why we're here.
Guys, if we can't save the others in time to prevent them from being turned to evil, we can't let them fall with their powers. Maligore will be tough enough, but imagine them being evil with their ranger powers intact." Everyone paused or blanched at that thought, depending on their past experiences.
"Rangers, Divatox is headed for the Nemesis Triangle right now. We need to stop her before she frees Maligore and unites with him."
"But how are we going to follow?" Jen wanted to know.
"The Ghost Galleon. It's a ghost ship keyed to allow you into the Triangle, but once you enter, there will be no communication with the Power Chamber. Good luck," he said. The rangers nodded, and Zordon watched them teleport out.
***
Tommy and Jason examined the walls of the bilge as Brynne and Kim sat on a platform, their backs to a hatch. "Oh, yuck," Brynne said, looking at the water. "That looks like something I used to slosh through with some cousins of mine from Florida during the summer." She brushed aside a bit of dizziness.
Kim laughed lightly, and said, "Well, it could be worse. We could have not have such a good view," she teased, watching the boys. Brynne eyed her dubiously, and then laughed.
"That's true." She eyed the hatch they were sitting against, and said, "Too bad there isn't a way we could have a monkey wrench. Then we could get this thing off and swim out of here."
"Uhm.. wouldn't that mean all the water would come in?" Kim asked.
Brynne shrugged. "It was just an idea." She saw that the boys had heard, and were coming over.
"That's not such a bad idea," Jason said. "But we'd have to wait until we get closer to the surface. We're bound to start rising for the surface as we get nearer to Muriantheis." He glanced at his dive meter, and said, "We reach one hundred feet, pop this off, and head for the surface."
"In one breath?" Kim asked skeptically.
"It's the best shot we've got," Tommy said. He watched as Brynne shook her head dizzily, and sat beside the Silver Ranger. "Something wrong?" he asked, worried.
"It's nothing." She stood up and moved away as the others started searching for something to use to remove the bolts on the hatch.
Tommy stood up to begin his own search, when suddenly he stumbled back.
His vision flashed white and for a few seconds, he saw Alex looking right at him... but with black hair. The flash faded seconds later, and Tommy looked around in bewilderment.
"Tommy?" Brynne asked. "You okay?" She had seen him stumble back.
"Yeah, I'm..." Tommy was cut off when there was another flash and he saw Alex again, again with the black hair. As he watched, she grinned evilly at him, showing sharp fangs.
Tommy gasped and fell to the ground as another flash obliterated his vision, one of Alex entwined with another man, someone whose face he couldn't see, but who felt familiar. Tommy's stomach lurched as he realized the two were making love.
Brynne hurried over, and asked, "Are you all right?" Tommy nodded.
"It was another precog."
Brynne opened her mind to his, and they met easily. She saw the flashes of precognition that Tommy had just had, and she paled. "By the Goddess," she breathed, wobbling. Her eyes closed and she dropped down as her knees gave out, and looked at Tommy. "This is all my fault," Brynne said. "If I had-"
Tommy said fiercely, "It's NOT your fault, Brynne. Don't go there."
"But, Tommy, if she hadn't been knocked into the rift, then she wouldn't have... wouldn't have..." Brynne couldn't continue and shuddered, and Tommy suggested softly, "Have had that happen to her?"
Brynne nodded helplessly, and Tommy said, "Bry, if something happened to Alex when she landed in a different reality, don't blame yourself. She's an attractive young lady, and with all the power she has, of course someone would be bound to take an interest in her."
Brynne grinned lopsidedly at Tommy, and said, "I know, but tell my heart that. But, hey, isn't that what makes a ranger, that overgrown sense of right and wrong?" She crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue, and Tommy laughed.
"Why don't you tell us what else happened in the movie," Jason said, wanting to distract Brynne. "Start from the beginning, and take it from there."
"From the beginning, huh?" Brynne asked. She sighed, and said, "Well, it opened on Liaria. Divatox was after the wizard, Larigot, who was the keeper of a Key. A very special Key."
***
As the Rangers and Guardians hesitantly walked onto the Ghost Galleon, Jen had a jolt of familiarity. She ran her hand along the cobweb covered rail of the ship as she walked along the edge of the deck, and a dreamlike daze came over her. She partially closed her mind as she saw... The image in her mind looked like herself, but Jen saw herself dressed as a female pirate, and she was behind the wheel. The ship was at sea, and pirate Jen shook her head, letting the wind play with her hair. The real Jen shook her head vaguely in mimic of the motion, practically feeling the wind herself.
Jen felt a pull towards what she guessed to be the captain's cabin, and she entered when the door swung in quietly. A dull gleaming on a table caught her eye, and when she reached for it, she picked up an ancient gold hoop earring. A shock ran up her arm from the hand holding the earring, and Jen stiffened in surprise.
As the other walked towards the back of the ship, Adam noticed that someone was missing. He walked back, and saw that the door to the captain's cabin was open. "Jen?" Adam asked, looking in, but the Green Guardian didn't answer. He walked over and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Jen?"
A green spark jumped from Adam to Jen, and suddenly Jen's jeans and green t-shirt became a patched emerald-green dress with a skirt that reached down to the calf-high brown leather boots now on her feet instead of the white sneakers she had been wearing before. There was a wicked looking cutlass strapped to her side by a wide leather belt, and her now wildly-curly hair was partially tamed by an emerald handkerchief that matched her dress. There was a ruby red vest over the top of the dress, and the vest was covered with large multi-colored patches and pockets.
Adam's touch seemed to bring the girl from her daze and she turned to him. Although her ears had never been pierced, she was now wearing a pair of large gold hoop earrings that almost brushed her shoulders.
That startled Adam, because how could she have gotten them pierced in so short a time? "Yes, Mr. Adams?" she asked. There was an accent now in her voice that Adam couldn't place, and the Green Ranger was startled to see a faint glow of green around Jen's eyes, and she said, "Is it already time to sail?"
Jen pulled out a silver pocket watch from one of the vest pockets as she seemed to respond to someone else, and said, "You're right. Thank you, Mr. Adam, we almost missed the tide."
She lead the way out onto the deck, and, making her way to the wheel, bellowed, "Look lively there, mates! Sound off the count!" The rangers spun and stared at Jen, but then the bell rang, and everyone whirled to glare at Rocky, who was standing beside the still vibrating bell. He was just as startled as the others, and said, "I didn't do it!"
Just then, Jen reached the wheel, and said, "Hoist anchors and raise the sails. Our fortunes are with the tide, mates, and we don't need to miss this one!" There was a thud, and Kat turned to see that the rope that had tied the ship to the dock was now coiled on the deck.
There was a faint shudder as the ship pulled back from the dock. "Set course for Muiranthias," Jen said. The ship instantly came alive with activity done by unseen hands, and the rangers stepped back to allow the invisible sailors do their jobs. Jen ordered the unseen presenses with practiced ease, and the ship was soon sailing.
***
On the bridge of the subcraft, alarms were going off. "The sensors detect humans, but no ship!" Elgar said, hitting the console.
"What? What are they, swimming? We're in the middle of the ocean!" Divatox shouted as she headed over. She turned Elgar to face her and picked him up by his coat. "Why didn't radar pick them up?" she demanded angrily, and then the console behind the space mutant exploded.
"I guess it needs fixing," Elgar said. Divatox released him and he fell to the ground.
"Never mind," she said sweetly. She picked up her mirror and eyelash curler. "I'll just leave those Power Pukes a little something to remember me by," she said, curling her eyelashes while looking in the mirror. She pushed a button, and six muffled shocks told her that the pods had been released.
***
On various hidden spots on the ship, six Putripods pulsed and quivered as they grew. As the sun set, they quickly grew, and as full night came over the ship, the pods reached their full growth. They stretched and began looking for Power Rangers.
Shaira and Trey were sitting out, enjoying the night, when they heard a muffled thump. They stood up to investigate, and they jumped back when they spied the monster that had knocked over the barrel. "Okay, it's big and hairy and slimy, I'd say it was my last boyfriend," Shaira said, and it charged.
Adam came on deck as the thing charged, and called over his shoulder, "Guys!" Turning to look ahead, he said, "It's time to rumble," climbing to his feet. All of the teens appeared on deck to face four more.
Without even thinking about it, the teens split up into pairs or trios, and fought off the Putri-pods.
Adam and Rocky finished off their pod, and Adam noticed that his hands were covered with slime. "Ugh!" he said, waving his hands around the try to fling the slime off. "Eww!" Rocky laughed and they headed to help Zack, Trini and Billy.
Tanya and Angela knocked their Putri-pod overboard, and they headed to help Kat and Hunter. As the two groups of Shaira and Trey, and Jen, Kris, and Dale knocked their Putri-pods over, a sixth appeared on the deck, just standing there. Almost encircled by rangers, it started shaking and backing up, and when Angela made a short lunge for it, saying, "Boo!" it jumped over board.
Tanya looked around and said, "This sure ain't the Love Boat."
Hunter couldn't resist. "What's the 'Love Boat'?" he quipped. Tanya looked at Hunter strangely, since she knew that Hunter and Kat both LOVED the show, and he shrugged sheepishly. "Long story," the White Ranger said. Kat laughed and shook her head. The trio headed back below deck.
Hunter looked around just as he was about to walk down the stairs, and muttered to himself, "This is too weird. Just.... too weird."
***
Jason watched as the numbers on his dive meter steadily lessened, and he said, "We're going up. Let's get started." Tommy nodded, and with pieces of loose piping that they had finished freeing up, the boys started loosening the bolts from the hatch.
As Jason and Tommy removed the first bolt from the hatch water started coming in. Kim gave a small shriek, and Brynne held back a small smile.
The dizziness that had been plaguing her all day hit again, and Brynne shook it off. "Not now," she said to herself. "When we get Alex back, I promise."
***
Below decks, in a storage room on the Ghost Galleon, Kat and Hunter were kissing. Kat pressed herself against the White Ranger, and ran her hands through his dark hair. Hunter smiled around their kiss, and closed his eyes as his hands explored the dimensions of Kat's body.
As soon as his eyes were fully shut, a vision of a green-eyed woman, with a possessive gleam in her eye flashed before him, and Hunter gasped, staggering back. His eyes snapped opened, but the image of Angel stayed before his eyes. "No!" he wimpered, curling up. "Leave me alone!"
Kat kneeled beside her boyfriend, and asked, "Hunter? What's wrong?" He was curled into a tight ball, and was staring at nothing, his body shaking with what Kat guessed to be terror. "Hunter, it's Kat. It's okay, there's nothing wrong."
As the terror abated, Kat's words sunk into Hunter, and he uncurled partially. "Kat?" he asked, and he saw the concern in the Pink Ranger's eyes. Nausea and guilt rose in Hunter, and he scrambled out of the room.
Kat followed after him, to find him leaning over the deck rail, having just missed seeing the White Ranger empty his stomach over the rail.
The still possessed Jen, the only other person up, flinched in sympathy from the wheel, and then turned her attention back to piloting the ship when she saw the Pink Ranger walk out from below deck.
"Hunt? What's wrong?" Kat asked softly. The White Ranger gripped the rail tightly, and stared out over the sea.
"We'll talk about this tomorrow, Kat. I promise," Hunter exhaled.
"NO, damn it, we'll talk about it now! Why are you so scared of me? Is it something I did?"
Hunter shook his head and said, "It's not you, Kat. It's... I... I can't tell you..."
"Do you love me?"
Hunter was taking off-guard by the question. He thought hard for a few moments, then answered truthfully.
"Yes."
"Do you trust me?"
Hunter nodded.
"Then tell me what's going on."
Hunter sighed. He was shaking again. He kept seeing Angel in his mind's eye, but KAT was there now. Angel was gone. She couldn't hurt him anymore. The Pink Ranger's patience was rewarded when Hunter said, "It's- Remember how you first met us? Kris and Dale had been taken to the Chaos Plains, and I was scared to go there?"
"Yeah," Kat said, letting Hunter go at his own pace.
"I... once, about eighteen years ago, I was kidnapped. By a woman who called herself Angel. She... she held me captive on the Chaos Plains, and..." Hunter's voice broke and he looked down for a minute, then looked straight at Kat.
"She raped me, Kat."
The color drained away from the Pink Ranger's face as he continued. He had already said it. There was no turning back. "And she didn't just tie me up. First she broke me. She did things to me... I had never been with anyone before. And I... I..." The tears came before he even realized he was crying.
Kat leaned forward and wrapped him in a soft embrace.
Hunter forced himself to continue. "She- when she had me, she... Oh, Goddess, Kat," he met her eyes, and Kat saw a tiny portion of the terror in his eyes. "What she did to me, it..., it was so horrible, and yet, felt so good. She...," Hunter closed his eyes, and choked back a sob.
"I could never get... intimate with another girl after she... after what she did.
And not all my scars are mental." Kat was startled as Hunter pushed her back and took off his shirt, revealing dozens of tiny white scars crisscrossing his chest. "She gave me these... mementos," he said bitterly.
She took in a hissing breath, and she said, "Oh, Hunt." One trembling hand reached out, and paused just before touching the old wounds. "May I?" she asked. Hunter, meeting her eyes, nodded slowly. Kat's fingers traced the lines that the moonlight illuminated, and then she asked, "Did Angel do all this?"
Hunter nodded. "She seemed to enjoy cutting me while she..., 'enjoyed my body,'" he said. He was startled when Kat growled.
"If only I could get my hands on her." Kat's eyes narrowed, and he was reminded of a cat preparing to pounce. And just as sudden as the anger had appeared, it disappeared, and Kat said, "Hunter, you told me, she was pushed onto the Chaos Plains from her Order Pocket, right? And you saw something attack her?" she asked. Hunter paled at the memory, and said, "Yeah." His hands shook as he remembered the sounds of her screams.
Kat took Hunter's face in both of her hands, and said, "It's all right, Hunt. She's gone. She's dead, and she can't hurt you any more." Lifting his face to meet her eyes, she said, "Let me help you get over what she did to you, Hunt."
Hunter searched her eyes, and finding only sincerity, hugged the Pink Ranger tightly. Kat smiled, and hugged her boyfriend back, just as tightly. As he was starting to let go, Kat leaned in, and finished the kiss that had been broken off before. Hunter was startled at first, but then leaned into it.
Jen smiled as she watched Hunter and Kat kiss. She couldn't hear much of their conversation, the wind only occasionally whipping the words in her direction, but she did hear Kat ask if Hunter loved her, and she guessed that the Pink Ranger got her answer. "I'm never wrong about people and their feelings," she said to herself, smiling.
"Come on," Kat whispered, glancing over in Jen's direction. "Let's go someplace where we won't be watched." She stepped back, holding onto Hunter's hand, and pulled him back to the storage room. As soon as she closed the door, Kat turned to smile at the hesitant White Ranger.
"Come here," she said, and reached for him. She kissed him gently but passionately, and reached down to open his jeans. Hunter began tugging Kat's shirt free as they sank down to the floor together
***
Jason looked at his dive meter, and said, "One hundred. Time to get this thing off." Tommy and Jason began the process of removing the hatch, and more water began to pour into the bilge. Brynne and Kim were already up to their waists in water.
In a fit of joking, Brynne said, "I hope everyone can swim." Kim let out a nervous giggle, and the girls watched as the two boys wrestled the hatch off of its bolts. Then something hit Brynne. "Kim and Jason should go first," Brynne said. "If something happens, and all of us can't get out because of some reason, Tommy and I have the better chances of getting Maligore's spell broken."
The Pink Guardian asked, "But what about you and Tommy?"
Brynne took a deep breath, and then said, "I'm a Priestess of Cha'lem, Kim. She'll help me, and Tommy's a SpellBreaker. Do either you or Jason have anything like that to help you break the spell?"
Jason shook his head, saying, "She's right." and then asked, "When did you become a Priestess of.. Whoever?"
"Cha'lem, and I'll tell you after we get back, all right?" Brynne asked, feeling exhausted. She handed Kim the Silver Power Staff, and said, "Please, Kim. Tommy and I have a better chance of having the spell broken if we don't escape. That's why you and Jason should go first."
"All right. I don't like it, but... all right."
***
An alarm went off and Divatox said, "Okay, don't panic, we're sinking." She took a deep breath then screamed, "We're sinking!" She hurried to her periscope. "We're sinking!"
"Uh-oh, gotta go, we're sinking," Elgar said, and hung up the phone.
"We're taking on water," Rygog said.
"Water! Water!" Divatox cried unhappily.
"It's coming from the bilge," Elgar said.
"Well, close the emergency hatch!" Divatox said. As soon as it read closed, Divatox opened the drain, and said, "I hope the drain's not clogged." She hurried over to the trap door and said, "Come on, come on! Open up. I have to see if those teens are still down there!" She looked down and saw that the Power Guardians were missing. "I guess Maligore will have to do with just you two," she complained.
Brynne was collapsed on the ground, coughing and spitting up water.
Tommy was knelt beside her, and was supporting her as she cleared her lungs of the water. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Brynne nodded and said, "Yeah. I just had the breath knocked out of me when I hit the emergency hatch, and I got a good lung full of water.
I'll be fine."
"What happened?" Tommy asked.
"The dizziness hit again," Brynne said. "I'm fine now, Tommy."
Tommy helped Brynne up and sat beside her on the platform. Before Brynne could say anything, he said, "Don't. These things happen, Brynne."
She looked at him, puzzled. "How did you know what I was about to say?" she asked. Tommy grinned lopsidedly.
"I was able to read what was on your mind. I can't do it often, but occasionally, I do have flashes, especially since Alex was knocked into the Nexus."
Brynne shook her head. "You've had a lot happen to you since Alex was knocked into the Nexus," she commented. She looked down, and said, "I hope she's all right."
"Better off than we are," Tommy said, looking around. Brynne had to laugh at that.
:At least we got our Morphers out of here: Brynne thought to herself.
She felt relief at the idea that if they were fed to Maligore, their powers would be safe.
***
"There it is. The lost island of Muiranthias," Adam said.
"Yep. It looks pretty lost to me," Tanya said.
Jen, now free from whatever had possessed her, looked around, and said, "I don't like this. Why don't we go ahead and swim for shore." Something in her told her to get off that boat.
Hunter walked up to hear the comment, and said, "Divatox probably is going to play target practice on the ship. She did in the movie, and it seems that she's been following most of it."
The others confessed to feeling the same as Jen, and they jumped overboard. Just as Shaira reached the others, being the last one off, two objects in the water shot past her for the ship. Moments later, the Ghost Galleon exploded into millions of pieces.
***
Divatox laughed as the ship exploded, spinning around her periscope.
"No more Power Pukes ship," she crowed. She turned to Tommy and Brynne.
"And as soon as Maligore gets through with you, no more goody-two-shoes Earth rangers." She chuckled evilly and turned back.
***
"Prepare the humans," Divatox commanded in the temple. The Zeo Rangers were outside the temple, and Divatox's voice carried clearly to them.
"Man, her voice is almost as bad as Rita's," Zack joked. The others laughed, and Adam said, "It's time to morph." He looked at the Power Guardians. "You know what to do?"
"Not a problem," Zack said.
They were startled as they heard someone approach and then Jason said, "I hope you weren't planning this party without us." He and Kim walked up.
"How did you get lose?" Adam asked.
"It's a long story, but right now, we have to help Tommy and Brynne.
I think they knew they weren't going to make it out, because they left us with their morphers."
"That's one less worry for us," Adam said. "So let's just focus on rescuing our friends. It's morphin' time!"
***
Brynne had closed her eyes, and looked totally slack, but that was if you didn't notice her hands. They were busy twisting and fiddling with her cuffs with something in her hands. Tommy felt her movements behind him, and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Picking my cuffs," Brynne mumbled, not opening her eyes. "I learned it back home. A good lockpick is never without her picks and I'm the best there is, was and ever will be," she bragged with a slight grin.
"Ah-ha!" she exclaimed softly, and Tommy felt the cuff pop open.
"Where did you hide them?" Tommy asked, then hastily added, "Never mind, I don't want to know. Trey might kill me." Brynne made a noncommittal chuckled and continued with her self-appointed chore.
"Don't you wish she's shut up?" Brynne mumbled as Divatox droned on.
Tommy chuckled and said, "But if she did, we'd be dropping into the pit."
"Good point, but still. There's only so much one can say before becoming redundant," Brynne shot back. She was about to say more when she felt Tommy jerk.
A now familiar flash of light blinded Tommy, and as his eyes cleared, he saw Alex with the other man again. They were completely naked, from what Tommy could see from the sheets twisted around the couple, and Alex's legs were wrapped around her partner's waist. She gasped and clutched her partner's back, leaving long red claw marks. They rolled over so that Alex was on top, and she nuzzled and nipped at her partner's neck.
:No!: Tommy protested in his own mind and his stomach twisted as he realized that her partner's face was revealed to be Rocky's. :Alex wouldn't betray me!: he protested. As Alex's gasps of pleasure became shrieks, Tommy's vision returned to reality. "Another precog?" Brynne asked from behind him, quietly, still working on her lock.
"Yeah," Tommy whispered, still shocked by what he saw. In his head, he was telling himself, :Remember, Bry said that not all precogs come true.
It's just a POSSIBLE future.: Closing his eyes, he could see the image of his fiancé and his friend together. :I hope.: he added, and he shook his head as if to clear the images from his mind.
"Lower them into the pit!" Divatox ordered.
"Are we too late to miss the party?" Adam asked as the Zeo Rangers entered the temple.
"Who invited you?" Divatox asked.
"We did," Brynne said, opening her eyes. "Power Rangers, meet Divatox.
Divatox..., meet your worst nightmare."
"Ha," she scoffed at Brynne. "Lower them in!"
"I'll get the wheel," Rocky said. He fought off the guards, and started raising the two rangers up.
"Elgar, stop them!" Divatox ordered. Elgar headed for Rocky, and that's when more colorful teens entered the party.
"Hey, Tommy. Nice to see you're still hanging around," Jason said.
"Jase! I'd like to help, but I'm a bit tied up right now," Tommy said with a smile.
"And I can take care of that," Divatox snarled. Upset that her nephew hadn't regained control of the wheel, she shot eyebeams at the rope over her two prisoners, burning it most of the way through. Brynne gasped, and as the rope snapped, the two rangers dropped into the pit, their rope bindings coming apart.
"NO!"
"I love it when a plan comes together," Elgar said.
"Too late, rangers. Even now, they're becoming his spawns of evil." Divatox laughed at the rangers' despair.
A flare from the pit caused everyone to step back, and Tommy and Brynne appeared over the Pit of Eternal Flame. "Whoa, that's a neat trick," Elgar said. Brynne and Tommy turned around, eyes glowing, twisted smiles on their faces.
"Children of Maligore, destroy those who threaten the flames of unity!" Divatox ordered, and laughed. Brynne looked scornfully at her cuffs, and the one that she hadn't been able to unlock, she snapped off with ease.
Tommy merely twisted his cuffs off, like the metal bands were made from Play-Dough instead of steel. The rangers started backing up from their former friends, and Brynne laughed scornfully.
"Oh, the poor little Power twirps don't want to play?" she asked, pouting. Her voice was lowered and rough, like she had been screaming.
"Too bad," she sneered, and they jumped down. Brynne and Tommy glanced at each other, and nodded. Grinning evilly, Brynne moved towards Kat and Hunter, while Tommy went after Rocky.
"You....," Tommy growled as he started stalking the Blue Ranger. His voice was changed as much as Brynne's had. With one blow, he knocked Rocky to the ground, and straddling the Blue Ranger, began raining blows on Rocky. "She's MINE! No one touches her but me!" Tommy growled as he continued pounding the snot out of Rocky, even through the helmet. The bespelled teen began choking Rocky, and just barely dodged Jason's foot when the Red Guardian kicked, and Tommy rolled off of Rocky. The Red Ranger managed to grab Rocky as the Blue Ranger jumped to his feet, and then Tommy kicked Jason back into the other Power Guardians when he tried to stop the Red Zeo Ranger. "Back off!" Tommy snapped. Tommy easily dragged Rocky with him towards the Pit of Eternal Flames.
"I trusted you with her, and you betrayed my trust. Well, if you think that you can sleep with Alex without paying for it, you're sadly mistaken," Tommy growled. "Alex is MINE, and no one can have her but me!"
Brynne, in the meantime, had grabbed Kat by the arm and dragged the Pink Ranger towards the pit. Hunter tried to stop her, and Brynne flung him into the wall, where he collapsed like a rag doll.
Rocky tried to struggle free, and he winced as Tommy's grip tightened considerably, and he knew that right now Tommy could do more than leave bruises. He eyed the pit as Tommy held him at the edge of the pit, and swallowed. The lava was moving as if was breathing, and he didn't want to get a closer view.
Brynne was holding Kat actually OVER the pit, and said, "Look at the little fishy wriggle. I wonder why?" She laughed, and was about to let Kat go when a voice made her jerk back.
"Brynne, don't do it." Brynne's eyes narrowed, and she turned to face Trey. "Why? Would you trade yourself for her?" she asked her soulbond.
She didn't notice that Jen and Hunter had worked their way behind the two bespelled teens.
Jen lunged, and tackled Kat out of Brynne's hand. The two girls rolled to a stop to see Hunter take Rocky's from Tommy's hand. "Are you all right?" Jen asked Kat.
"Yeah. Just remind me to never anger Brynne, all right?" Kat asked, rubbing her upper arms, which were starting to bruise even though the Pink Ranger had been morphed.
Jen laughed. "Sure. If we survive this."
Kat laughed, and looked up as something warned her. "Look out!" she shouted, and both girls rolled out of the way as Brynne tried attacking them from above. Brynne snarled and headed for the Pink Ranger.
As Brynne was about to launch an attack on Kat, Kim interfered, and Brynne twisted the Pink Guardian towards her, and held her neck at a dangerous angle. "Back off, Rangers!" Brynne ordered, "Or I'll twist her neck! Do it!"
Hunter was standing beside Jason and said, "Her Power Staff, do you have it?"
"Yeah, why?" Jason asked.
"Give it here," Hunter said. "I have an idea." Jason, mystified, handed over the Silver Power Staff, and Hunter said, "Hey, Brynne, I know what you really want." He stepped away from the rangers, and held out the Power Staff.
"Hunt, no!" Kat shouted, and Jason grabbed the Pink Ranger. "Hold on.
I think I know what he has planned."
Brynne was watching the White Ranger, and more importantly, the Power Staff, greedily, and she snarled, "Hand it over!"
"Let her go," Hunter said, "and you can have it." Brynne's lip curled as she thought, and then shoved the Pink Guardian at the rangers.
"Hand it over!" she demanded, holding her hand out. Hunter slowly walked over to the bespelled Silver Ranger, the Power Staff held out before him, and Brynne grabbed the staff in both hands. The Silver Power flared, and Brynne gasped and threw her head back as the silver-white energy flowed into the girl. Then a surge of greyish-silver energy surged through the girl, and Brynne crumpled to the ground. Hunter turned to face Tommy, and the Power Staff glowed in Hunter's hands.
The White Ranger pointed the glowing staff at his friend, and the Silver Power Staff shot all of the collected energy at the Red Ranger. Tommy flinched back, and the energy swirled around the bespelled boy. It began to gain a red tinge, and Hunter knew that Tommy's SpellBreaker ability was kicking in to help the Silver Powers break Maligore's power over him.
"Autie Dee, the humans are turning pure again!" Elgar said.
"What!?"
Hunter watched as the energy circled Tommy, and he closed his eyes and then focused all his power at the Red Ranger. Hunter staggered as he powered down, but the three different powers combined seamlessly, and entered Tommy, overpowering Maligore's spell. The bespelled teen gave one shriek and collapsed.
Hunter collapsed into Jason's arms, and asked, "Brynne, is she..?"
"They're both fine," Jason assured Hunter.
Ignoring this, Elgar said, "Now we don't have a sacrifice!"
"Oh, but we do, dear nephew." With that, Divatox pushed Elgar, already perilously close to the edge of the Pit of Eternal Flame, and the pale skinned space mutant fell into the volcano.
There was a billowing of flame, and Divatox laughed. "He's coming Rangers. Maligore's coming for his children, and for you!"
Just then, Brynne and Tommy started coming to, and Hunter struggled to his feet. "Ooph! What hit me?" Brynne asked.
Tommy winced and asked, "Anyone got the number of that truck?" Kim and Jason help Tommy to his feet, and Jason said, "Think you can morph? We got big trouble coming." He held out the Red Zeonizers.
Tommy nodded and took his Zeonizers from Jason. "It's morphin' time!
Zeo V- Red!"
"Zeo IIX- White!"
"Silver Ranger Power!"
As the three rangers morphed, Maligore pulled himself from the pit, all seven feet of him. With a body of granite and veins of lava running all over his body, the long three-fingered claws, burning red eyes, and sharp teeth completed the look. He turned to Divatox, and said, "Divatox, where is my granddaughter? I thought you told me that you would have her with you." His voice was gravelly, much like you'd expect from a volcanic being, and Divatox shook nervously.
"Maligore, she was accidentally knocked into the Nexus. The Red Ranger is her soulbond, and the Silver Ranger is the only one that knows how to find Alexandria."
"WHAT!" Maligore roared this, and he spoke again, saying, "Divatox, you will PAY for failing me, but before I take care of you, I have other things to take care of." He turned to the rangers, and rumbled, "So, the power is in the hands of children, eh? Let's see if you're any more effective than the last batch of Rangers sent against me."
As the rangers fought against Maligore, Shaira narrowed her eyes, and then accessed the computer files on Maligore. She blanched at what she saw there, and motioned the other Guardians around. "Maligore's a son of a Shadow Lord. He's a half-breed."
"What!"
"We know how to take care of Shades, but how do we take care of someone that's half Shadow Lord?" Kim demanded to know.
"Easy. Listen close. I'll distract him, and then you.." The guardians nodded as Shaira detailed out her plan, and as Shaira finished, she said, "Good luck." The others nodded, and they broke apart.
"Hey, Maligore!" Shaira shouted. She began insulting him in her language, and Maligore turned to her, roaring. "Photean, when I get done with you, there won't be enough to fill a bucket!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, and your momma's ugly, too!" Shaira shouted, leading the shape changer outside, going backwards to keep her eye on Maligore. She glanced back to make sure the way was still clear, and noticed that she had a bit of help. Adam and Rocky, sensing her plan, kept Divatox's minions busy as the Purple Guardian lead Maligore outside.
As soon as Shaira was outside, she turned and ran full steam for the jungle, Maligore right after her. As soon as she reached a tree with low enough branches, she grabbed the branch and flipped herself up into the tree. Shaira caught her breath as Maligore reached the clearing.
"Photean, you're mine!" he roared, spying the Purple Guardian. He was stopped in the middle of the clearing by someone new speaking.
"Not quite," Jason said from behind, and Maligore whirled to face the Guardians with their Power Weapons out already. "Bring 'em together!" Jason ordered. Each of the original Power Rangers brought their Power Weapons together for the Guardian Blaster, and they fired.
The Guardians were startled when he shrugged off the blast and laughed.
"Do you think your puny toys are going to hurt me?" Maligore demanded.
"Nah," Shaira said, and then jumped over the half-breed. "Just the half that's a Shadow Lord. The other half has to worry about them!" and she pointed at the Zeo rangers, on the other side of the clearing. The Zeos had already summoned the Zeo Cannon, and the Rangers fired. They were startled when Maligore simple raised a hand, and the blast was deflected away.
Brynne narrowed her eyes, and then clutched her Power staff tightly as Maligore raised his hands, gathering black energy to him. She knew she had to hit him before he could release it at her friends. :I can't let him do that,: she told herself. A gray haze seemed to surround her, and she felt her mind settle into a beserker rage that in her reality was well known to occur in some priestess of Cha'lem. Brynne knew that the Goddess was about to lend a hand.
Maligore had his back to her, and Brynne hit the volcanic being with the Silver Power Staff before the evil being could strike. But something unusual happened, and the Staff glowed with the same greyish-silver energy that had helped free Brynne from Maligore's spell, and as the Staff struck Maligore, he shrieked. Brynne pushed down on Maligore, forcing him down on one knee, and when he flung her back, she flipped and landed in a crouch. She growled, rushed in, and began striking Maligore with her Power Staff repeatedly, forcing the lava creature to back up step-by-step as something took control of her body. As they reached a cliff edge, Brynne paused to collect power, and slammed the Silver Power Staff down on Maligore. He tumbled over the edge of the cliff just as he exploded, as if the rangers had just finished off a monster with the Megazord. Everyone was thrown to the ground, Brynne's head hitting a tree, and then dosed with the warmed water thrown into the air by Maligore's destruction. The only thing that prevented her from being knocked completely senseless was her helmet, and even then unconsciousness threatened. Brynne's world darkened, and she heard Cha'lem chuckle in her mind. :Remember your promise.: Brynne silently thanked the Goddess for aiding her in defeating Maligore.
Brynne eased herself up into a sitting position to lean against the tree, and shook her head, powering down. "Brynne?" Hunter had walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder. She saw that the others were starting get up as well.
"I'm fine," Brynne said.
Shaira, the closest to the half breed Shadow Lord, had felt something pass over her with the shockwave of Maligore's destrucion, forcing the Purple Guardian to close her eyes as she flew through the air. It was followed by a tingling, and as she opened her eyes and pushed herself to her knees, the first thing she noticed was that she was powered down.
"WHAT!?" she asked and looked around, only to see the other Guardians were in a similar state. She then tried to summon her coin, and then connected with the Guardian Ship when that failed. Using the ship's sensors, she scanned the Coin Room, and paled. "Guys, the coins..., they're gone!"
"What!"
Jason studied Shaira's shocked face, and then tried to summon his powers. "Red Eagle Guardian Power!" Nothing. He looked around, and saw that Billy and Kris had tried with the same effects. Then his eyes fell on the Green Guardian. "Jen, are you all right?" he asked. She was sitting on the ground with her legs folded under her, and had her eyes closed, her forehead creased in pain as she massaged her temple.
The LA native cracked one eye open, and then managed, "No. What ever happened, losing my powers HURT!" She eased herself to lay flat on her back on the ground, and winced as her abdomen muscles screamed in pain.
"What the HELL just happened?" she demanded. She waved Tommy off as he knelt beside her.
"Maybe I can be of some help, rangers!"
The teens that could whirled to face... "Ninjor!" The blue being wave a hand, and the rangers disappeared from the face of Muiranthias.
***
As the teens regathered themselves, they realized that instead of being on Muiranthias, they were back in the Power Chamber. "Ninjor, Zordon, what's going on?" Tommy demanded, standing up from kneeling beside Jen.
"What happened to the Guardians' coins?"
Zordon sighed. "Their coins were destroyed by the backlash caused by Maligore's destrucion. I feared this would happen, and so, contacted Ninjor shortly after you left. With his help, the Guardians will be able to restore their powers."
"You won't have your old powers back. Instead, you'll become full rangers," Ninjor said. "But we must go back to my temple."
The Guardians exchanged looks, and Shaira said, "We're ready." She bent down, and helped Jen to her feet. The Green Guardian winced as her muscles protested the abuse. "Thanks," she grunted as she struggled against the pain.
While all that had been happening, Brynne had made her way over to the scanners, and she stared at the console, then whooped, startling everyone, including herself. "The scanners have picked up Alex's quantum signature. They've predicted where and when she's land!"
"WHAT!?" Brynne's statement brought the others over, and Tommy asked excitedly, "Where is she going to land?"
"Dimension 19903741, according to the Multiversal Count. She's supposed to land there in about nine months. It'll be easy to reprogram the Gate to allow me to land a few days to a week after she gets there, and then come back here to this point in time." Brynne paused, and then commanded, "Computer, open and print file on Dimension 19903741." A sheet of paper slowly slid out of a slot near the computer banks, and Brynne picked it up, reading some of it out loud.
"Hmm... that's strange. The computers say Dimension 19903741 is blocked from Gating. But why would it be blo..." Brynne stopped in mid-sentence, eyes wide, skin pale and hands shaking. "By the Goddess...," she whispered in sheer horror.
"What is it?" Hunter asked, easing over to Brynne's side.
"Ma'erok!" Brynne whispered.
Hunter seemed to be physically struck by that one word, and he reached for a console. He leaned on it heavily, and gulped in deep breaths. "Oh, no!" he whispered. Brynne just paled and collapsed to the floor in a faint.
***
"Who's Ma'erok?" Kim asked, a few minutes later, after Brynne woke up.
Brynne accepted an icepack for her head from Alpha, and holding the icepack to her head, she replied with, "Trouble. He used to be just some average villain in an alternate universe, but he went crazy when his wife crossed into another universe about 40 millennia ago and disappeared. He started destroying any planet that he came across, and about five thousand years later, he destroyed the Photeus and Shadius of that universe. He was banished somewhere around 30 thousand years ago by the Morphin' Masters, but he returned, and it looks like he's set his sight on Earth." She shuddered and said, "He's a sick, sadistic s.o.b. that shouldn't have ever been given the chance to live." She glanced at the printout in her hand and said, "Hunt, he has the Infinity Gem."
Hunter stared at Brynne, then snatched the printout away. "My God," he whispered, staring at the printout.
"What's that?" Billy asked.
Brynne sighed and said, "The Infinity Gem is a giant emerald that holds power beyond imagining in it. The good news is even if he has it, he can't use all of it right away, so that's a plus for the Rangers there, but on the other hand, the more he uses it, the more he can draw from it."
Hunter read the printout, and said, "Well, this complicates our choice on who we send." Looking over at the gathered Rangers and Guardians," he said, "Something of Ma'erok's doing must have happened, because the scanners picked up the bio-signature of everyone that is a ranger, including Aisha, is back in Angel Grove. So," he said, looking at the others, "who do we send? We don't want to confuse things by sending someone that's already in Angel Grove, and we should only send one person."
Shaira shook her head. "Not me. If I see Ma'erok, just because he destroyed Photeus, I might do something foolish and I'm not a full Ranger, or a FOOL one. Besides, we Guardians already have something to do," she said, glancing meaningfully over at Ninjor.
Brynne said, "I'll go." She looked pointedly at others and said, "What do you know of building Gating devices? Or calibrating sensors to locate this reality again?" Hunter opened his mouth to protest that he could do it, but shut his mouth.
"Fine," he said, "I could go, but we need someone there who knows about locating realities, and you're better at it. We have a few days until you go, because we need to lift the block until you get back. You go plan and pack what you need, all right?" Brynne nodded and stood up.
She shifted out, and Hunter said, "I just hope she knows what she's doing."
"What do you mean?" Kim asked.
"It's just that Brynne wants to make amends for what happened to Alex, so she wants to go," Hunter explained. "She still feels that she's at fault."
"Have you been to that reality before?" Kat asked.
"No. I just know that comparing the Shadow Lords to Ma'erok is like comparing a firecracker to a nuclear bomb. We're talking two totally different scales to judge by. One run-in with him would make you glad we only have to contend with what we do." Hunter shivered.
"Is he that bad?" Kat asked. Hunter didn't even reply. He just stared off into space. His forehead was creased with worry for Alex and Brynne.
***
Brynne finished packing her bag, and turned around, feeling as if she had forgotten something. "What am I forgetting?" she asked herself. She looked around the room, and her eyes landed on her goodie bag. She grinned and stuffed it into her duffel bag.
The Guardians had left with Ninjor the day before. It was now a week after Tommy and Brynne had been kidnapped, and three days after the Guardians had lost their coins, and the Guardians were already on their quest of new powers. Brynne was happy for them, and after saying her good-byes to them, she spent her time packing for the trip. She didn't want to take any chances, so she made sure that she had packed everything she needed. She still felt as if she was missing something, and continued to look around.
"Let's see, a change of clothes for myself and for Alex, a medikit, portable scanner, goodie bag, JUST in case, spare motherboards from Billy's lab, scanner specs and Gate plans. What else?"
"Don't forget this." Trey's voice made her whirl, and Brynne saw her soulbond holding out the Silver Power Staff. "If Ma'erok's half as bad as you made him seem, then you'll need it," Trey said. Brynne's hands closed around the smooth handle of the Power Staff, and felt the now familiar flare of power from the staff into her. Her mouth stretched into a smile, and she said, "I will need it, thank you." She was surprised when Trey pulled her in for a kiss. He hadn't let go of the Power Staff, and had pulled her in with it. Brynne's eyes flew open in startlement, and then she melted into the kiss.
"You be careful," he said softly, as they slowly broke away. "I want you back here in one piece so you can marry me." Brynne backed away from the Triforian, and stared in shock. "Will you?" he asked.
"I- I- I-," Brynne stuttered. "I have to- I thought- oh, hell, I don't know," Brynne said, distressed.
"Please, think about it," Trey said, then left. Brynne stared at where he had stood, and closed her eyes. Through the intercom, Hunter's voice broke through her shock when he said, "Brynne, five minutes. Are you ready?"
"I'll be ready," Brynne promised, and then headed to her closet. Digging deep, she pulled out a special, light gray jumpsuit with a matching belt. After pulling the jumpsuit on, she attached the Silver Power Staff to the belt, and then pulled out the safe box. She opened it, and pulled out the betrothal bracelet. She took a deep breath, and then shouldered her duffel bag.
Reaching the main room of the Safehouse, she saw that Trey and Hunter were waiting for her, and she pulled her hair back into a ponytail nervously. "Is everything ready?" she asked.
Hunter looked up, and said, "Yeah. Whenever you're ready." Brynne nodded, and turned to Trey, "Trey, where I come from, it's generally the girl who proposes, so..." she pulled out the bracelet from her pocket, and asked, "Will YOU marry ME?" she asked.
Hunter grinned as Trey stared at the bracelet in bewilderment. "Say yes, man!" he urged the Gold Ranger on.
"I- uh.., Yes," Trey finally managed. Brynne sighed with relief and relaxed as she slipped the bracelet onto Trey's wrist. She kissed him on the lips softly, and said, "We can talk more after I get back with Alex." She winked, and then turned to Hunter. "I'm ready to go."
"I'm re-aligning the Gate now," Hunter said, and typed in the last coordinate. The Gate opened, and Brynne turned to face it. She swallowed nervously, and walked over to the Gate. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Hunter and Trey, smiled at them, and then entered the Gate. It closed behind her, and the boys were alone in the Safehouse. "Let's get back to the Power Chamber," Trey suggested, and Hunter nodded. Just before they shifted out, Hunter said, "Of course, you know that this means that you're family now, don't you?"
Trey grinned. "Good Gods. I'm in trouble now."
Hunter grinned back. "Bet on it, bro-in-law. If you think *I'M* weird, wait till you meet the rest of our family!"
Trey laughed and Hunter hit a button on his shifter. The Safehouse rippled as they shifted back to the Power Chamber.
The End
