The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 5 - Heather Ray (young adult books to read TXT) 📗

violet light, Alexis was transformed into the Purple Power Ranger. The golden wings on her ankles began to flap, and soon, the Purple Ranger was airborne. She soared high into the sky, so that no one could see her with the naked eye.

Flying is the best therapy out there!

she thought as she sailed high over Angel Grove, and I really need it!

She soared through the warm air, letting her mind wander on whatever topic it chose. It didn't take long before she began thinking about Jason and Rocky.

I know something's up with Jase. What it is, I don't know...but I know something's wrong. I guess its woman's intuition or something. And I will talk to him about it. But not in front of the others...we need to talk in private, and get all our feelings out into the open. And knowing Jason, it'll be tough to get him to talk openly. But if I'm persistent enough, I know I can get him to open up. Maybe tonight, if he's free, we can take a walk, and just talk. Yeah, that's what I'll do. And once Jason and I are squared away, then I can figure out what I'm feeling for Rocky...

Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a terrified scream below. Alexis stared down below her, and saw the heavy tree cover of the center of Angel Grove Park. The screaming persisted and intensified, drawing the Purple Ranger to the ground. She slowly lowered herself, feet first, to the grass. She looked around in the shaded forest, but she didn't see anyone.

"Hello?" she called. "Is someone here?"

"Help me!!" the person screamed from deeper in the forest. Alexis followed the sound, and soon found a young boy, about the age of nine. He was leaning beside a tree trunk, sobbing and trembling.

"Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling beside him. "What happened?"

The boy looked up, and stared at the Purple Ranger curiously. She smiled under her helmet.

"I'm one of the good guys," she assured him. "What's going on?"

"There...there was a monster..glowing yellow. He...he attacked our field trip group! I...I got lost, and it followed me!"

"It's okay," she said, helping him to his feet, "I don't see any monster. Do you know where he went?"

The boy looked around, surprised. "It was right there!" he said, pointing to the ground about a yard in front of him.

"Well, I'll find him," Alexis said. "But first, I'll make sure you find your classmates."

The young boy nodded, and Alexis held his hand as they walked through the park. But behind them, right where he had pointed only moments ago, a figure passed through the dirt. Alexis heard the rumbling of the ground, and spun around, instinctively pushing the boy protectively behind her as she did. She gasped quietly when the monster took shape. It stood at least eight feet in the air, with a rather large build. But what was most interesting was that each part of its body seemed to be composed of a different material. One arm, from the hand to the shoulder, was made of rock. The other arm was solid ice. Its torso was made of some kind of a crystal emitting white energy, while the head seemed like it was a piece of clear glass on fire. Finally, instead of legs, there was a whirling cyclone around the lower body. And the entire being seemed to glow with yellow electricity.

"That's the monster!" the boy shrieked, shaking with fear yet again. Alexis held the his arm, and watched the monster through narrowed eyes.

"No kidding," she muttered. She then stepped back, bringing the boy with her, as the monster silently approached her. "Listen, Kid, get out of here now!"

The boy wasted no time, and ran as quickly as he could through the park. The monster watched him go, but then turned his attention back to the Purple Ranger. Alexis could've sworn she saw a mocking smile beneath the orange flames surrounding its head.

"I think I'll need some help with this one," she whispered to herself, automatically raising her wrist to her mouth. But to her surprise, the purple and silver watch wasn't on her wrist.

"Oh no!" she muttered, "Billy still has my communicator! Now what do I do?"

She didn't have a chance to think about it, as a powerful lightning bolt streaked towards her. Alexis barely managed to avoid it by throwing herself to the ground. The lightning bolt slammed into the tree behind her, causing the tree to fall on top of her. Alexis rolled out of the way, but she wasn't fast enough. Her leg was caught beneath the tree. She pulled with all her might, but she couldn't free herself from the enormous maple tree. She glanced up as the monster approached her.

"I'm not going down that easily!" she shouted, holding her hands together. She released a powerful sphere of crackling purple energy, which slammed into the tree beside her. The force of the energy explosion threw her and the monster in opposite directions, and reduced the tree to ash. She shakily rose to her feet, and glared at the monster, who was seemingly unphased by the explosion.

Chapter Thirty-One

At the Gym and Juice Bar, Rocky DeSantos and his best friend Adam Park walked over to the table where they always sat. Already present were Jason, Katherine, Tommy, Kimberly, Aisha, Zack, and Billy. Rocky's cheerful smile fell as he glanced around the entire Juice Bar. He then turned to Adam.

"Do you see Alexis anywhere?" he asked.

"No, I don't. But she's probably on her way," Adam replied, sitting down beside Billy. Rocky pulled up an additional chair, and sat on it backwards between Adam and Zack. "So, did you guys order already?" he asked.

"No," said Jason, "we were waiting for you guys."

"And Alexis," said Kim, glancing at the entrance, "I wonder what's keeping her. She said she'd meet us for lunch."

"Do you think she forgot?" asked Zack. Aisha shook her head.

"No, that's Tommy's department," she said light-heartedly. Tommy frowned, and threw a wadded napkin at the Green Ranger. The others all laughed at their antics, but Rocky remained straight-faced.

"Maybe we should contact Alexis," he said in a low voice. "You know, just to check on her."

Rocky turned on his communicator, and glanced around to make sure no one was looking. "Lex, this is Rocky. Do you read?"

He frowned when nothing but static answered him.

"What happened?" asked Zack.

"I didn't give her back her communicator yet!" Billy recalled. "It's in the CAC."

"So if she's in trouble, there's no way she'd be able to contact us," Rocky said quietly.

"Well, the scanners in the CAC detect alien activity," Kat pointed out, "so we'd know if there was any trouble before it happened."

"But no one's in the CAC," Jason said.

"I carry the remote CAC alarm with me at all times," said Billy. "After all, I can't live in the CAC like Zordon and Alpha lived in the Command Center. My communicator makes a distinct whistling sound when the CAC sensors detect alien energy."

"So relax already, guys," said Zack with a grin, "Lex is on her way."

"Hey gang," said Ernie, peeking over behind Zack. "Are you ready to order yet?"

"Give us a few more minutes," said Tommy. "We're waiting on Alexis."

Ernie nodded, and walked away. The group continued to talk about various topics, but Rocky remained silent. Finally, Rocky glanced up at the wall clock in frustration. "Okay, she's twenty minutes late, and lunch only lasts forty five minutes! Isn't it possible that she's in some kind of trouble that the CAC alarms wouldn't pick up?"

"I suppose anything is possible," said Billy, rising to his feet, "I can run a scan to pick up Alexis' energy signature. Would that make everyone feel better?"

Everyone glanced at Rocky, who blushed slightly. "Yeah. Thanks, Billy."

Billy smiled, and discreetly left the Juice Bar. Jason then turned to Rocky. "Since when have you been so protective of Alexis?" he asked his friend.

"I'm not protective," Rocky argued, "I just have the feeling something's going on, and since we're out of contact with Alexis, there's no other way to make sure. Why? Aren't you the least bit worried?"

"A little," Jason admitted, "Alexis isn't usually late."

After waiting a few minutes, Rocky's communicator sounded. Rocky glanced at his friends, and then turned it on. "Billy?"

^You were right, Rocky,^

Billy's voice said in a serious tone, ^Alexis is morphed, and she's in the park, fighting some kind of monster. The rangers had better get moving.^

"Why didn't the alarms go off?" Tommy asked.

^I'm looking into that as we speak,^

Billy replied. ^You guys had better hurry up. And be careful -- this is no run-of-the-mill monster.^

"Time to go," Jason said, standing up. Kat, Kim, Tommy, Zack, and Aisha followed. "We'll let you two know what's up as soon as possible." he said to Rocky and Adam.

"Heck no," Rocky said, standing up, "I'm going to the CAC to watch the fight. Billy may be able to use my help."

"But you can barely use a calculator!" Aisha joked. She then noticed that Rocky was completely serious. And obviously worried about their missing teammate.

"I'm going," he said finally.

Adam stood up as well. "Me too."

"Then, let's get going," said Tommy, as the entire group of teens hurried from the Juice Bar, over to a quiet corner.

Chapter Thirty-Two

The Purple Ranger crashed helplessly into the lake in Angel Grove Park. She surfaced quickly, and struggled to keep herself over the water while collecting her bearings. She had attempted to attack Elementor from above, but apparently the monster's manipulation of the elements surpassed her expectations. A powerful gust of wind, stronger than the greatest wind Chicago ever faced, sent her hurtling through the air, and into the lake clear across the park. With great effort, Alexis swam to the shore of the lake, and fell on