The End... for now
It hasn’t been long since Zhane, the Silver Ranger, has joined the group. When Andros thawed him from the cryogenic tube, he decided to have Jenny meet him as a birthday gift. Little did they know that Jenny had already met him beforehand.
Now Zhane had to get to know the zany Spice Club members. Several of them were sitting at the table. Andros and Zhane walked in together.
“And then I walked right to that black monster and kicked him in the ass,” Jenny was telling her pals.
“I get it,” the Cryptkeeper said. “Zhane snuck off and helped you fight that guy?”
“Well, I don’t know about him sneaking off, but yes he did help me. He killed Birthday Basher. Honestly, I wanted to kill him myself.”
“Yeah, we know.”
“Hey, everybody,” Zhane said as he and Andros sat at the table.
“Hello,” Jenny said. “Andros, that is the first time I recall seeing you smile!”
“Yeah....” the Cryptkeeper agreed.
“It’s just great to have my best friend back,” Andros said.
“Okay, honey, back to the story,” the Cryptkeeper said. “So you’ve met Zhane before we ‘gave’ him to you as a present?”
“Uh....yeah....” Jenny told him. She turned to Zhane. “Right?”
Zhane nodded.
The other Spices laughed.
“You don’t even know if you met him or not,” C.K. mumbled.
“You know......for some odd reason, you looked kind of familiar,” Zhane said out of nowhere. “Yet I don’t recall seeing you.”
“Hmm......perhaps you saw me standing over that ice coffin and just talking and talking,” Jenny explained. “Blah, blah, blah.....”
“Maybe that was it.......but what would you say to me?”
“I dunno.”
“So......what’s been happening?” Zhane asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Jenny muttered.
“Nothing!?” Spinal cried. The other Spices burst out laughing.
“That’s not true at all,” the Cryptkeeper said.
“So.....uh......I forgot your name already,” Zhane said.
“Jenny.”
“Sorry. Guess my brain is still frozen. Anyway, so.....Astronema is your mother, huh?”
“Mm-hmm,” Jenny and Hallie replied in unison.
“Hard to believe, huh?” the Cryptkeeper asked.
“Yeah, it is,” Zhane said. “If she’s evil, how come you’re not?”
“They were raised as regular innocent Earth kids,” Spinal told him.
“Oh, okay.”
The room fell silent for a moment. Jenny stood up and went to her locker. Zhane followed.
“Oh, come on, Jenny; you can tell him what’s happened to us,” the Cryptkeeper pleaded.
Jenny sighed. “Well, all right. Not only did we discover that Astronema was our mom, but there is just too much love going back and forth.”
“You got that right; it’s crazy,” the Cryptkeeper added. “Astronema likes Spinal, but he can’t stand her. Hallie likes Ecliptor, but Ecliptor likes Ruth.”
“Ecliptor is the Candyman.....” Hallie sang.
“What else happened?” Zhane asked.
Jenny opened her locker. “I got married.” She put a maniacal grin on her face.
“Wow, you’re married? Who’s the husband?”
“Uh.......I can’t tell you that now. You’ll find out soon enough.” Jenny pulled out her necklace. “He gave me this necklace as a wedding gift. And he gave me this bracelet for my birthday. Isn’t he sweet? All I’ve given him was a strength potion, which turned out to be poisoned. I hate myself for that.”
“So, you really love your husband?” Zhane asked.
“Oh yeah. I just don’t know what took me so long to realize it.”
The other Rangers came in and sat at the table.
“Hey T.J., I need your help,” Jenny said.
“What is it?” T.J. asked.
“Can you teach me how to use a sword?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Cool.” Jenny left the room.
“It’s going to take some time to get adjusted to the Spices,” Andros said to Zhane. “They are rather awkward.”
“Isn’t Jenny cool?” the Cryptkeeper asked. “She’s got a hell of a charm.”
“I’ll say,” Zhane said.
“No kidding; she attracts guys from every imaginable species.”
The others broke out laughing.
Once the Rangers were through eating, T.J. helped Jenny learn to use a sword while Zhane visited with the other Spices and getting acquainted with them. Once Jenny felt that she was apt with a sword, they continued their quest to find Zordon. They found a soggy rainforest-type planet to search. Jenny, Hallie, the Cryptkeeper, Spinal, Carlos, Ruth, and Earl teleported down to explore on foot. As usual, Astronema had to stop them, so she sent a pack of Quantrons to take them out. Ecliptor went with them.
When the Quantrons attacked Carlos and the Spices, a ferocious battle ensued. As always, the Spices did well, except for the interference that caused a major problem. As the fight raged on, a large, broad snake slithered into the battlefield unnoticed. Spinal saw the snake heading directly towards Jenny.
“Jenny, look out!” he screamed.
Jenny paused and looked around, looking for more Quantrons. Then she saw the snake......but it was too late. Before she could move, the huge snake bit her ankle. Jenny screamed and jumped up in pain. Then she fell to the ground, unconscious.
Hallie also saw what happened. “Sis!!” she screamed as she ran to Jenny. When Hallie noticed the snake, she screamed and jumped back. Spinal grabbed the snake, and it lashed its fangs at him. As Spinal fought the reptile, he noticed a strange physical feature. The snake had a peculiar “S” on its head. The Cryptkeeper ran over and took the snake from him. C.K. twirled the snake over his head and tossed it into the distant rainforest.
Now everyone realized what had happened.
“We have to get back to the ship!” Carlos cried.
“Hurry, pick her up!” Ruth yelled. “Let’s get out of here!”
“Get them now!” Ecliptor ordered.
The Cryptkeeper picked up Jenny, then they all teleported back to the Megaship. Ecliptor sighed, then he and the Quantrons vanished.
When the Spices got to the Megaship, they took Jenny over to the first aid room. The others gathered around.
“Jenny! What happened?” Andros asked.
“Is she okay?” Cassie asked.
“We don’t know. She got bitten by this huge snake,” the Cryptkeeper explained.
“It was enormous!” Spinal added. “It had this ‘S’ on its head.”
“An ‘S’? This sounds familiar,” Andros said. “But I can’t place it exactly. I remember studying about this snake at the KO-35 library. I’ll have to go back there and look again. Deca, set a course for KO-35.”
“Course set for KO-35,” Deca replied.
The Megaship blasted off to Andros and Zhane’s home planet.
Ecliptor stormed into the Dark Fortress angrily. He threw aside two Quantrons as he walked by.
“Well, what happened?” Astronema asked.
“Well......one Spice Club member is down, but it was not our doing,” Ecliptor said.
“What do you mean?”
“A slumber snake interfered with the fight. It bit Tonfa Spice.”
Astronema appeared to be thinking. “A slumber snake.....good! The slumber snakebite causes an eternal coma while cutting off the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. And so far, no one knows of a cure.”
Ecliptor clenched his fist with triumph. “Then Tonfa Spice will sleep for eternity! With her out of the way, the other Spices will fall apart.”
Astronema giggled happily. Ecliptor approached Darkonda.
“Say goodbye to your bride.”
“Even if the Rangers and Spices do come up with a cure, her brain will be too badly damaged for her to keep on fighting,” Astronema said.
Without a word, Darkonda turned and left the room.
“This can’t be! Tonfa Spice was invincible!” he thought. “This potential brain damage could forever change her lovely personality. I cannot allow it! I must find a cure!”
When the Astro Megaship reached KO-35, Andros and Zhane went down to the abandoned library. There were lots of sources about this mysterious snake.
“Oh yeah, that’s what it’s called!” Andros cried. “Jenny was bitten by a slumber snake!”
“Oh man, she’s in trouble,” Zhane said. “The slumber snake is the deadliest creature out there. This book says that the blood and oxygen supply is cut off from the victim’s brain. The victim will eventually die, and there’s no known cure.”
“I think Dimitria knows of a cure,” Andros said. “She’s been hiding on Eltare.”
The boys closed their books and left the library. The Astro Megaship took off for Eltare.
The Spices stood around Jenny’s unconscious body the whole time as Andros and Zhane told their story.
“The slumber snake makes the person sleep forever,” Andros said. “It also cute off the supply of blood and oxygen to the brain, so a normal person eventually dies.”
“Ouch....” the Spices groaned.
“Man......that’s brutal,” Spinal said. “But what if you’re someone like Jenny?”
“Well, a lack of blood and oxygen damages the brain,” the Cryptkeeper explained. “If we don’t wake Jenny up soon, she’ll be both physically and mentally disabled. She won’t be able to fight anymore.”
“Attention: Now approaching Eltare,” Deca announced.
“So, any volunteers to talk to Dimitria?” the Cryptkeeper asked.
“I’ll go!” Spinal yelled without hesitation.
“Really? Alone?”
“Well, okay.” Spinal went to the red jump tube and hopped through.
Ecliptor had previously been ordered to tell Astronema whenever he spotted Spinal alone.
“My queen, we have spotted Spinal alone on Eltare,” he announced.
“Eltare? What is he doing there?” Astronema asked.
“He’s apparently looking for Dimitria.”
“Dimitria!? Only she knows the cure for the slumber snakebite! Spinal must be stopped! Take the Quantrons and bring him to me! And if I find one broken bone on his body, it’ll be one on your hide!”
Ecliptor bowed. “Yes, Astronema.”
Spinal looked around on the abandoned Eltare.
“Dimitria?” he called. “Are you here?”
The only response he got was the appearance of Ecliptor and the Quantrons.
“No, but Astronema is always waiting,” Ecliptor said flatly.
Spinal gasped. “No way. You’re not taking me without a fight!”
“Quantrons, attack him!” Ecliptor ordered.
Spinal held his arms close to his body in a defensive stance. One Quantron grabbed his shoulders from behind, but Spinal threw it off. He blocked all other attacks and countered.
“Yikes!” he called on occasion when he felt overwhelmed.
Eventually, the Quantrons gave up and vanished.
“We’ll get you later,” Ecliptor growled as he disappeared.
Spinal wiped his forehead with a sigh of relief. “Phew!” He stood around, wondering how in the world he was ever going to find Dimitria. His question was answered when a glowing blue ball of light appeared and floated around him.
“Come, Spinal,” a soft female voice called. “Follow the glow.”
“Me? Why?” Spinal asked. “What are you?”
“Follow the glow.....”
“Well.....okay.....”
Spinal reluctantly followed the blue glow. It led him down the empty streets, then stopped suddenly. It slowly lowered to the ground, creating a portal on the road, then went through.
“You want me to go in there?” Spinal asked.
“Follow the glow,” the voice repeated.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Spinal hopped through the portal. He found himself in a room that looked exactly like the Power Chamber.
“Welcome, Spinal,” the female voice said.
Spinal turned around. “Dimitria!”
“You wished to see me?” Dimitria asked. “Are you relishing your battles in space?”
“Uh.....not really, but we’re doing okay,” Spinal said. “But we have a problem now, and there’s not anyone else we can turn to.”
“What’s the problem?”
“Jenny was bitten by a slumber snake. Andros says that you know of a cure. Is it true?”
“Yes. The cure is simple,” Dimitria said. “All it takes is a kiss from a particular man. Although this man does not have to be human, he must possess an immortal love for Jenny. He must be willing to give his life for her.”
“Any idea who this man is?” Spinal asked.
“Spinal.......don’t you know?”
“Well, I only know of a few possibilities.....”
“I trust that you understand the cure?”
“Yeah. Find the guy who loves Jenny more than anything and have him kiss her.”
“Not just any kiss,” Dimitria said. “It must be the kiss of true love.”
“Got it,” Spinal said. “Thanks, Dimitria.”
“You are welcome, Spinal. Visit anytime, and I hope Jenny is cured in time.”
Spinal teleported back to the Megaship.
Spinal walked briskly through the halls to the first aid room.
“Man, I should’ve known that Astronema would come after me again!” he cried.
“Did you find out anything?” Carlos asked.
“Yes. Dimitria said that Jenny has to be kissed by the man who loves her so much, he’d give his life for her,” Spinal said. “And this man doesn’t necessarily have to be human.”
“That’s simple enough,” the Cryptkeeper said. He stood over Jenny and kissed her passionately. Everyone waited impatiently for Jenny to wake up. However, the Spice leader remained asleep.
“Nothing happened!” T.J. cried. “C.K., I thought you loved her!”
“I do. I don’t understand why it’s not working.”
“I think I do,” Spinal said. “C.K., remember that you’re dead. You have no real life to give for her.”
“Hmm.....good point,” the Cryptkeeper said. “Well.....whoever the ‘prince’ is, none of us is qualified. Hey, this whole scenario reminds me of ‘Sleeping Beauty!’ The princess was knocked out by this spindle thing and the prince had to kiss her in order to wake her up.”
“I thought that was Snow White,” Spinal said.
“No, Snow White was knocked out by the poisoned apple,” Hallie said. “I love those stories.”
“Well, we’d better find our Prince Charming and fast,” the Cryptkeeper said. “But we’ll have to take Jenny with us.”
He lifted Jenny from the weird-looking table. The Rangers, Spinal, Hallie, C.K., and Ruth went to the jump tubes. C.K. had a rough time figuring out how to get Jenny through. He decided to position her in front of him, and they went through together.
The heroes regrouped at the same planet where the slumber snake was found. The only thing they could do was wait. As they waited, a group of Quantrons appeared.
“Oh come on, not again!” Spinal cried.
As the Rangers and Spices battled, the Cryptkeeper moved aside with Jenny and placed her on the ground. He stood guard over her, fighting any Quantrons that came near. Darkonda appeared behind him and jump-kicked him as he landed. The Cryptkeeper stood up slowly, staring at Darkonda. He put two fingers to his mouth and made a shrill whistling sound. All fighting ceased. The Rangers and Spices gathered around the Cryptkeeper. Darkonda lifted Jenny into his arms.
“C.K., what’s going on?” Ruth asked.
“I think we found our Prince Charming,” the Cryptkeeper announced.
“Oh, don’t be alarmed, Spices,” Darkonda said. “I’ll take good care of her. I will find a cure.”
“Hey, wait!” the Spices tried to protest.
Darkonda vanished with Jenny. The Spices sighed.
“Oh man,” Hallie mumbled. “We didn’t get to tell him....”
“What gave you the idea that that guy loves her?” Zhane asked.
“Oh, he loves her, and he has shown it,” the Cryptkeeper said. “I hope she doesn’t mind my telling you, but he is the husband she told you about.”
Zhane’s eyes widened. “That guy is her husband?? What made her want to marry him?”
“Better let her tell you that story,” Spinal said.
“We’d better get back to the ship,” T.J. said.
“Yeah, let’s go,” Andros called.
The Rangers and Spices teleported back to the Megaship.
Meanwhile, Darkonda appeared in his lab with Jenny. He placed her on a table just like the one on the Megaship.
“My dear Tonfa Spice,” he sighed. “My heart runs dry as does your brain. I swear, I will find your cure, even if it means my life.”
He went to his research as Jenny continued her fatal sleep.
“Deca, pinpoint Jenny’s ring,” Andros ordered. “We have to find her before it’s too late.”
“Wait a minute,” Zhane said. “You mean to tell me that that ugly Darkonda is the only one who can wake Jenny up?”
“Yup, that’s it,” the Cryptkeeper replied. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?”
“This is gonna be so romantic!” Hallie cried. “I hope I actually get to see it.”
“As far as I know, the brain can’t survive very long without oxygen at all,” Spinal said. “It may already be too late.”
“Man, the suspense is killing me!” C.C. cried. “She’ll be all right......won’t she, Andros?”
Andros sighed. “I don’t know......”
“Jenny’s location pinpointed,” Deca announced after a moment. “Incoming visual.”
A visual appeared on the screen. Darkonda was mixing chemicals together. The finished product was white. Darkonda took some white gauze and dipped it into the chemical. Then he wrapped the gauze around Jenny’s wounded ankle.
“There, that should stop the bleeding,” he said. “Hopefully, this will slow down the blood deficiency in her brain.”
“Let’s go!” the Cryptkeeper cried. “Every second kills another brain cell!”
The group rushed to the jump tubes. The Rangers morphed and met the Spices at the entrance to Darkonda’s lab. Silently, they went inside. They unwittingly stepped through a security light, setting off an alarm. Only Darkonda heard the alarm. He looked into a monitor to see the Rangers and Spices walking along silently.
“Ugh, the nerve of those brats!” he exclaimed. “Don’t they realize that I’m only trying to help their leader? Well, they’re not going to distract me. I’ll just set a trap.....”
After a few more minutes of walking, the Rangers and Spices arrived in the chemical room where Jenny was in her deathlike sleep. Darkonda wasn’t currently in the room. Before the heroes could make a move, however, two nets came up from under their feet. One net ensnared the Rangers, and the other the Spices.
“Hey, what’s going on!?” Andros cried. “Let us out of here.”
“Darkonda has to be in here,” the Cryptkeeper said. “Hey, Darkonda!”
“Don’t you think we should get out of here first?” Ashley asked.
“We don’t have time,” C.K. told her. “The sooner we get Darkonda to play Prince Charming, the better Jenny will be. Darkonda!!”
No answer.
“Maybe he can’t hear you,” Hallie suggested.
“An excellent suggestion, Hallie,” the Cryptkeeper said. “Everybody together on three. One, two, three.....”
“DARKONDA!!!!” all the Spices screamed at once.
It worked. Darkonda stormed into the room.
“Can’t you understand that I’m trying to help your leader!?” he cried. “Now you’re all ruining it!”
“We know the cure,” the Cryptkeeper told him. “Only you can awaken her.”
“What!? You’ve known the whole time? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you departed from the battlefield.”
“Oh, forget it. How do I wake her up?” Darkonda asked.
“All it takes is a kiss,” the Cryptkeeper explained.
“But not just any kiss.....” Spinal added.
“But the kiss of true love,” the Spices said in unison.
“You have to show her that you really love her,” the Cryptkeeper said. “Just kiss her......kiss her as if it were the last time. I’m talking about, you gotta get down on your knees and kiss the woman!”
Darkonda looked down at Jenny. *Okay, here goes.....* he thought. He touched her forehead gently, then stroked the edge of her face. Then he grasped her hand and slowly lowered himself over her. He finally kissed her, more passionately than ever before. Darkonda pulled back slowly, watching her carefully. Nothing seemed to happen. Darkonda looked up at the Spices.
“You lie!”
“Hey, nobody’s perfect,” the Cryptkeeper said.
“Tonfa Spice is our beloved friend; would we lie about something like this?” Spinal asked.
Darkonda pondered for a moment. “Hmm......I suppose you’re right, Spinal.”
“Hey look, it is working!” Hallie cried suddenly.
Darkonda looked back down at Jenny. Her arms were lifted slightly, and her fingers were trembling. Her breathing was also heavy. Darkonda hovered over her and again watched carefully. Finally, Jenny’s watery eyes fluttered open. She looked up at her husband weakly and in confusion. The water in her eyes produced a beautiful sparkle.
“Tonfa Spice......you’re awake!” Darkonda exclaimed.
“D-D-Darkonda?” Jenny stammered in a small voice.
“How do you feel?” Darkonda asked.
Jenny sat up on the table. She groaned and grabbed her head.
“Ow......I’ve got one giant headache! My head feels completely drained!”
Darkonda helped her stand up.
“Strange......she seems to be fine,” the Cryptkeeper said. “She may still be suffering, but overall, she’s fine.”
Jenny was still breathing heavily, and her heart pumped heavily and rapidly. She grabbed her chest.
“Oh.....what’s happening to me!!” she cried.
“It’s okay,” Darkonda assured her. “The slumber snakebite has cut off the blood and oxygen supply to your brain. You’ll feel better momentarily once that supply is restored. Just take a deep breath......”
Jenny continued gasping for air, then fainted. Darkonda caught her before she hit the floor.
“Wow.....” Cassie whispered. “Darkonda really does love her.”
“I do find the whole thing rather disgusting,” Andros said.
“Oh well,” the Cryptkeeper said. “A man is a man, even if he is evil.”
Darkonda spent the next few minutes getting Jenny to wake up. Eventually he was successful. Jenny was now breathing more normally.
“Phew......I feel better now,” she said. She looked up to find the Rangers and Spices trapped in the nets. “Oh my......”
“I figured that they were going to ruin everything,” Darkonda told her.
Jenny looked at him with a smile. “Now why would they do that?” she asked. She pointed her finger at the top of the Spices’ net. She used her telekinesis talent. “Bang!” The Spices dropped to the floor. Jenny repeated and freed the Rangers.
“How did you do that?” Darkonda asked.
“Oh, just practice,” Jenny replied. “Oh Darkonda, my friends and I must recover from this awful crisis. May we leave?”
“Why certainly, my dear,” Darkonda said. “Please fight me again sometime.”
“No problem.” Jenny blew him a kiss, then the heroes left the lab.
“So.....you really do love him, huh?” Zhane asked.
“Oh yeah. I told you he was sweet,” Jenny said, grasping her necklace.
“I still can’t believe he was actually willing to save you.”
“Remember, Zhane, there is good and evil in all of us. You’ll hear me say that all the time. Why do we fight if we’re all the same? I dunno.....”
“But how did your brain survive that lack of blood and oxygen?” the Cryptkeeper asked.
“You know what? I have no idea,” Jenny said. “But I do have one guess. When I was first bitten, my brain was burning up the blood and oxygen, right? Then later, it realized that it wasn’t getting its replenished supply, so it slowed down the burning process. In other words, I guess you could say that my brain went on a diet.”
The Cryptkeeper laughed. “Girl, I love your sense of humor!”
“Yeah.......that’s why I’m still feeling dizzy,” Jenny said. “I think I’ll finish replenishing my blood and oxygen supply.”
“Goodnight, honey....”
Jenny went off to bed. Luckily, her brain was intelligent enough to save her from eternal disability, and Darkonda has proven that he truly loves her. A little love goes a long way.....