Streaks of Purple Saga Volume Four - Heather Ray (little red riding hood ebook txt) 📗

"Hey, Tommy!"

The White Ranger turned from his locker, a smile forming on his face. "Hi, Kim. What's up?"

She absorbed his wan smile and dull eyes in a heartbeat. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just worried," he confessed, his voice low, "I mean, what is Zedd up to? Why would he target some harmless teenagers?"

Kim leaned closer, keeping their conversation private. "Did you see the news report this morning?"

He nodded, his face grim. "A total of sixty-two cases. All teens out for the night. Most confirmed to be equipped for Devil's Night. All still comatose."

Kim reached for his hand. "Zedd is never

subtle. Soon he'll send out his new monster, we'll kick its butt, and it'll all be over."

The White Ranger did his best to smile bravely for her, but she could tell something was still bothering him... something other than the emperor's latest scheme. "Tommy," she coaxed, "what else is on your mind?"

"You must be some kind of mind-reader," he quipped, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. He could never

hide anything from her. "I've been thinking about that Peace Conference."

He turned to her, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "You

haven't been thinking about the Peace Conference... have you?"

She hastily shook her head. "Not considering

the conference; no. There's too much I love here in Angel Grove to leave."

She caught his faint sigh of relief, and smiled up at him. "You?"

"Not a chance. Don't get me wrong; it's a terrific idea. It's just not for me. It's been years since I really felt at home... like I really belonged somewhere. I'm not giving that up now."

"Then what are you thinking about?"

Tommy chewed his lip, his grip on her hand tightening. "Jason, Zack, and Trini have all decided to apply."

Surprise widened Kim's doe eyes. "What

? Why didn't anyone say anything?"

"Jason called me this morning. With everything that's been going on the past twenty-four hours, we never discussed the conference as a team. But Jason thought that, since I'm the leader of the team, I should know what's going on. Trini and Zack really want to be involved. Jason... he's not quite sure about it, but he's willing to apply and see what happens."

He sighed again, dropping Kim's hand and closing his locker. "What if they're chosen, Kim? What will we do?"

For once, Kimberly had no reassuring words to offer him.

"Hey, Kim!"

For a moment, Kimberly was struck speechless. She blinked several times, as if doing so would induce a measure of sanity to the bizarre sight before her.

She stared into the opaque visor of the Yellow Ranger, immediately wondering why Trini was Morphed, why she would approach in public instead of using the communicator, and when the heck

did she get so short??

She heard a definitely un-Trini laugh issue from the plastic helmet. She watched wide-eyed as the helmet opened, revealing a jubilant smile on a new acquaintance's face.

"Aisha?" she breathed, shaking off her stupor.

"Admit it," the 'Yellow Ranger' demanded, winking playfully, "I totally

had you there."

"Wow..." Tommy murmured, staring openly at the transfer student, "where'd you get that costume?"

"Special order, care of Masquerade in the Plaza," she advertised, tucking her helmet in the crook of her arm. "Me and the guys decided to wear our costumes to school. You know... some last minute promotion of my mom's store."

Aisha then turned, waving into the crowded hall. Groups of students seemed to part, staring blankly and making way for two other anomalies: a cowboy and a knight.

Kim smothered a grin. "Adam... is that you?"

He grinned bashfully, tipping his ten-gallon hat.

"And this is our friend Rocky," Aisha introduced, "He was late yesterday, so you didn't get a chance to meet him."

Kim extended her hand. "Nice to meet you," she greeted, "I'm Kimberly, and this is Tommy."

"The pleasure's mine," he answered sunnily, shaking both their hands. "Rocky DeSantos: card-carrying class clown and certified babe magnet, at your service."

Kim and Tommy traded amused, and puzzled, glances.

Adam shook his head. "Don't mind him... he had two Jolts with his Frosted Flakes this morning."

Rocky defended himself with a shrug. "Hey, it's the perfect fuel for Halloween!"

"Speaking of which," Aisha interjected, pulling out a paper flyer, "These were posted all over the Youth Center. If you have room for more volunteers, we'd love to take some kids Trick or Treating."

A smile lit up Kimberly's face. "Terrific! There's always room for more!"

"You'll also get a chance to meet a lot of local teenagers and kids," Tommy added.

Kim linked her arm through Aisha's, her excitement almost palpable. "I can't wait for tonight! This'll be so much fun!"

Goldar watched through weary eyes as Finster continued the laborious effort of grinding the rock. Slowly the alchemist dragged the gold-flecked chunk of stone against a rough board, letting the dust particles slide into the tray beneath it. Once the fist-sized stone was reduced to powder, Finster scuttled back to the rest of the rock, still over a foot in width and breadth. Chisel in hand, he carefully broke the remainder in half, and began grinding anew.

The Titan warrior couldn't suppress a loud yawn.

Finster frowned at the interruption. "I have no further need of you. You're dismissed."

Goldar scowled at the condescending tone. "Lord Zedd has bidden me to keep my eye on you," he snarled, "That's what I will do."

Finster shrugged his indifference, and returned to his grinding.

Goldar adjusted his position, pushing off the wall to shake off his fatigue. "Why don't I just blast this cursed rock into dust? This is taking forever!"

"Any energy exerted into the dust will contaminate my clay," Finster responded. "I refuse to take a shortcut that will diminish the quality of my creations."

The Titan scoffed. "What difference does it make?" he hissed. "You're wasting this oh-so-precious mud on a pack of Putties

! The Rangers will obliterate them in minutes."

Finster's eyes narrowed. "This mold isn't a mere Putty. These will be Misfits... an entirely new breed of clay warrior. They are far more durable, and creative, than the drone model."

The massive blue brow quirked with poorly-hidden interest. "'Creative'?"

"This stone has been imbued with the malice of scores of humans," Finster pointed out, "The cruelty is reflected in the individual's malicious intent. When I absorbed the malice, I absorbed a part of their consciousness. Only the darker part. That is why the humans have not yet woken. So long as a part of them is trapped within my Misfits, they cannot regain full consciousness."

He lifted the tray, sifting through the fine powder. "Misfits can think, improvise, devise, and deceive. And now, bathed in the dark spirit of Halloween, they will wreak havoc on Angel Grove and its heroes."

He then replaced the tray, and continued grinding. "I am quite eager to see how this experiment turns out."

Kimberly rushed around the Youth Center, her excitement lending her the energy to keep track of all the volunteers that had arrived, the children that had signed up, the candies that had been set up for an appetizer, and even the clock. As she moved, the bells hanging from her jester costume jingled, letting everyone know where the main organizer of the event was at all times.

She was reading over a list of children, making notes in the margin, when a hand tapped her shoulder. "Don't laugh."

Kim turned, and her absent smile perked. "Lex, you look great!"

Alexis pursed her lips, hiding her grin at the encouragement her friend offered. The soft lavender dress swept to about mid-thigh... any shorter and the Purple Ranger wouldn't have even considered it... and left her arms bare. Her legs were warmed by faintly shimmering sheer stockings, and white wings adorned her back.

Kim's attention trailed to the hem of the dress, a sudden gleam in her eye. "Are you trying to make Jason's eyes fall out of their sockets?"

The comment earned a sputtering, red-faced denial that triggered a giggle from the Pink Ranger. "Lex, I'm only teasing."

Alexis' composure slowly recovered, though she continued to eye her friend warily. "Kim, I don't know what Tommy said to you-"

Kimberly interrupted with a wave of her hand. "Tommy didn't say a word. Hasn't anyone told you yet? No one can hide anything

from me!"

Alexis stared at her petite friend, who hummed as she refilled the bowl of candy corn. Eager to steer the conversation away from any sensitive subjects, she asked "So, where's everyone else?"

"Billy and Jason are in the Command Center," Kim reported, her voice soft, "Billy wanted to see if there's been any change with last night's victims, and Jason needed to discuss something with Zordon." She then struggled to open a jar of Twizzlers. "Zack's playing games with some of the kids, and Trini... she's got an interview with Dr. Kuiperi."

The newest Ranger blinked in surprise. "The Peace Conference thing?"

"She, Zack, and Jason applied." Kim bit her lower lip in agitation. "I don't know, Lex... it feels so weird thinking they might get picked, you know? Billy, Jason and Trini have been my friends since second grade, and when Zack moved from D.C. in fourth, he joined our little group easily. We grew up together."

She released a soft sigh. "I'm not looking forward to that announcement. I just might lose three of the best friends I could ever hope for."

Alexis stared at Kimberly, her own mind running through the ramifications like quicksilver. What would it mean for the Rangers? For the entire Earth? Would they take their