The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 6 - Heather Ray (read novels website TXT) 📗

it from Aisha. She's kinda short herself."

"Well, although my mother is short, she has tall family members. Also, my dad is over six feet. I guess they grow 'em big in Kenya."

"I'll say," Zack said, and the pair continued to walk along the rocky wasteland. "So," he continued, "do you still live in Africa then?"

"My family does," Regina answered, "but I'm going to school in the States."

Zack nodded with interest. He then paused in his walking, and turned to the Blue Ranger. "How did your parents meet?"

"They both were in the same biology class in college," Regina said, pausing beside the Silver Ranger. She could tell his questions were building to something.

"In college, eh?" Zack repeated thoughtfully. "So then, it's probable that our Aisha, from this time period, has never met this guy before, right?"

"That would make sense," said Regina, a smile of amusement hidden by her sapphire helmet.

"And therefore, if she doesn't move back to Africa to go to school, she probably never will

meet him, right?"

Regina's smile widened, as she recalled how Zack and Aisha had reacted to the revelation of her parentage. She slowly approached the Silver Ranger, and gently laid her hand on his shoulder. "Don't give it another thought, Zack. Frankly, I very much doubt this world's Aisha will even meet Edward Drew. In my reality, she didn't return to America to finish up high school. You have nothing to worry about."

"Hey," said Zack nonchalantly, "who's worried? I'm just making conversation."

"Sure," muttered Regina sarcastically.

Before Zack could make a reply, the bumbling warble of Putty Talk suddenly came into earshot. He whirled his head around frantically, trying to find the source of the sound.

His eyes widened as a squad of Viper Putties suddenly climbed into view, surrounding them. The two Rangers immediately fell into fighting stances, standing back to back.

"How about we drop this discussion?" Regina recommended, yanking her twin axes from her belt. "Right now, we have other things to take care of."

"Piece of cake," said Zack, holding his palms together and building a magnetic field. He then pointed both palms towards the closest Putty, and the wave of magnetic energy crashed into the creature, sending it hurtling into a wall of rock.

"Nice trick," Regina commented. "The Zack Taylor I know can't do that."

"That's because the Zack Taylor you know isn't an X-Ranger," Zack said, creating a bubble of magnetic force around both him and the Blue Ranger. The Putties scratched and smashed into the bubble, but they could not penetrate it.

"So now what do we do?" asked Regina.

"There's no need to put ourselves in danger," Zack replied, as the bubble slowly began to rise into the sky. "Do you have a long-range weapon?"

Regina frowned beneath her helmet, glancing at her Gemini Axes curiously. "Well, I'm not sure..."

"Of course you do!" said the unicorn head atop the left ax, the voice startling the Silver and Blue Rangers both, "Artemis and I can launch energy beams from our mouths."

"You really should ask us what we are capable of doing before

we go into battle," Artemis commented wryly.

Regina arched her eyebrow, pointing her axes downwards. "I'll never get used to this," she sighed.

"They actually remind me of my Power Ax," Zack commented absently. "Well, except for that whole talking thing."

He shrugged, holding out his hand. At his mute command, the Lance of Light appeared in his grasp, the twin prisms at both ends sparking with energy. "When I say 'now'

, let loose with your axes. Hopefully, these guys can't take too much of an energy barrage."

The Silver Ranger glanced down through the silvery surface of the magnetic sphere. By this time, the bubble had risen a few yards over the heads of the Putties, who slunk about patiently for the Rangers to return to battle.

"Now!" Zack said as the force field vanished. He still managed to magnetically hold them off the ground, and they released their energy and arrow attacks on the hapless creatures. Two of the Putties managed to dodge the shower, and both released steaming streams of acid into the air. Zack immediately responded by releasing his magnetic hold, and the two Rangers fell gracefully to the ground. The Putties were quick to pounce at them.

"Hey!" Regina cried, warding off a Putty by slamming its head with Ares. "How about a little warning

next time you plan on dropping me like a bad habit!"

"I'll keep that in mind," huffed Zack, thrusting his lance into the stomach of the other Putty. Soon, the last Viper Putty crumbled to dust, leaving the two Rangers alone on the rocky terrain. Whereas Regina wasn't even winded from the exertion, Zack was leaning on his lance to remain standing.

"Hey," Regina said with concern, "are you okay?"

"Yeah," he huffed, "I guess holding magnetic fields is more draining than I planned. I've never actually tried that before..."

"Can you walk?"

"Sure," he answered, "just give me a sec."

Chapter Twenty-Nine

With a deep exhalation, the Green Terran Ranger glanced up at the rough surface of dense rock that stretched high into the sky. At the top of the plateau, only one of the many rock formations on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, was the destroyed remains of the Command Center. Buried within this very plateau, where evil will never find it, was the Central Access Complex.

And somewhere in this hazardous terrain were two hostages, being held captive by the mysterious forces of evil.

"Okay," said Adam, shoving his ivory boot into the crevice formed in the ancient rock surface, "do you see anything, Brittany?"

"No," she answered, a frown forming underneath her yellow helmet. She hesitantly reached upwards, grasping a protrusion in the rock face. She bit her lower lip with exertion, and pulled her body up with her trembling arm.

Brittany was a rather talented athlete, but she had never, ever gone rock climbing. Even with the advanced protection of her Starlight Powers, she couldn't get the thought of the distant ground out of her mind.

Her teeth dug further into her lip in a desperate attempt to bite back her discomfort, as well as her worry for her missing teammate and his uncle. Thinking about them was only distracting her, and she wouldn't be able to do Micah or David any good if she were dead.

A surprised yelp escaped her lips when a cloud of pebbles and dust descended from above. She narrowed her eyes, gazing up the cliff wall to a large protrusion only a few yards ahead of her.

"Someone's up there," she whispered, pausing her ascent. Adam halted beneath her.

"Are you sure?" he answered. Just then, a wave of larger rocks began plummeting in their direction.

"Adam?" she shrieked in panic, pushing herself flat against the rock surface in an attempt to dodge the falling debris. One rather large rock pounded her on the shoulder, loosening her grip.

"Hang on!" he ordered, releasing the rocks he clung to. Almost as soon as he began falling, a gust of powerful wind held him steady. He then streaked up along the rock face, grabbing the immobile Yellow Starlight Ranger along the way, and carrying her to the precipice from which the debris had originated.

"Putties," Brittany growled under her breath, as she and Adam made contact with the ground.

"Again?" Adam sighed, folding his arms, "I don't know; these confrontations always seem...anti-climactic

."

He held out his right hand, and his Wind Shield materialized in a flash of verdant energy. Brittany reached to her belt and pulled out a foot-long pole. She held it at arm's length, and magically it extended into a full-length javelin, complete with a golden griffin head at the top.

In silent unison, the two Power Rangers moved in to confront the half a dozen Viper Putties, each Ranger moving into the center of the precipice and moving outward.

They fought back to back, insuring that no Ranger was caught unawares.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Brittany huffed, plowing the sharp end of her javelin through the midsection of a Putty. "Are you gluttons for punishment?"

"There must be a reason for this," Adam hypothesized, blocking a stream of the corrosive venom with his shield. "Putties are usually sent as a distraction."

"That's exactly what they're doing," Brittany responded, smacking a Putty beneath the chin with her javelin. "And they're getting to be a pain in the --"

Suddenly, one Putty slipped passed the whirling fury of the griffin javelin, and grabbed the Yellow Starlight Ranger's arm. She was about to yank herself free, when suddenly a flowing, diffuse gray energy flooded around her body. She froze in place as the cloud enveloped her, flashing with sparks of yellow from time to time.

"Brittany!" Adam shouted, holding out his shield at arm's length. The thick black spiral design on the green and silver surface began to spin, creating a cyclone of powerful wind to spill forth directly at his opponents. All three Putties he faced tumbled off the narrow cliff, shattering as they continually collided with the grim mountain wall.

Adam quickly spun around, and delivered a forceful whip kick to the Putty holding Brittany hostage. The Putty stumbled to the ground before it quickly vanished from the plateau. The two remaining Putties vanished as well, leaving Adam and Brittany on the dusty protrusion.

No sooner did the Putty Patrol vanish that Brittany collapsed into the dust, panting heavily.

"Are you okay?" Adam inquired, kneeling beside the fallen Yellow Ranger. She nodded, gripping Adam's hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"I'm...just so dizzy

..." she breathed.

"We'd better get back to the CAC," Adam advised, "and figure out just what that thing did to you."

Brittany made no argument, and the pair vanished in columns of yellow and green energy.

Chapter Thirty

A smirk crossed Umbriel's thin lips as he stepped away from his lifelike globe, the heavy skirts of his pitch robes sweeping along the cold