Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Heather Ray (8 ebook reader .TXT) 📗

can only mean one thing: the receptors aren't responding to the light hitting them, and therefore, no light is being processed by way of the optic nerve."

"So," said Zack, "in a nutshell, are you saying I'm blind?!"

"I'm... I'm afraid so," said Billy, looking away. Zack closed his eyes, and buried his face in his hands.

"I'm blind?" he said disbelievingly, "Like a bat?"

"That is not the most correct analogy," said Billy, "But essentially, yes."

"Is this temporary?" asked Trini, turning to Zordon, "Will Zack's vision recover?"

"THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL WITHOUT FURTHER TESTS,"

he said solemnly, "BUT HUMAN VISION IS A VERY COMPLEX PROCESS. MOST DAMAGE TO IT IS PERMANENT."

"I'll start running eye exams," said Alpha, hurrying into the storage room, "Oh, aye yi yi yi..."

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Jason.

"NO. IF ZACK'S VISION CAN BE RESTORED, THEN ALPHA FIVE AND I CAN DO IT. THE REST OF YOU SHOULD RETURN TO YOUR HOMES."

"If its all the same to you," said Kimberly, "I'll stay."

"Me too," said Trini, "One can never have enough moral support."

"Perhaps I can help Alpha with the analysis."

"I'm not going anywhere," said Jason, "Not when my bro's in trouble."

"Thanks guys," Zack said with a weak smile, "Thanks a lot."

Kimberly, Jason, and Trini made themselves comfortable, watching anxiously while Alpha and Billy began scanning Zack's eyes and brain. After over an hour of extensive study, Billy took a deep breath, and turned on a computer screen. He glanced at Zack, and noticed he was shaking slightly, with sweat beading on his brow. Billy shook his head, and turned to Alpha.

"When will the computer analysis be complete?" he asked, "I believe we have completed the preliminary imaging."

"It should take about seven hours," said Alpha, "Even though the visual system is small, it is infinitely complicated, with millions of receptors and billions of neurons throughout. The problem could be anywhere in the visual pathway, from the retina to even his brain. There's no way to know what was damaged, so we must study each piece individually."

"Understood," said Billy, turning to his friends. He saw Kimberly leaning against Jason's arm, sound asleep. Jason was nodding off himself, and Trini was silently watching the whole procedure. Billy walked over to her.

"There's nothing more we can do tonight," Billy said, taking off his glasses and wiping the lenses with his shirt, "It'll take hours for the computers to locate the problem with Zack's vision."

"I know," she said, looking up at him, "I heard Alpha. We might as well go back home and turn in. Kim and Jason are already out, and we've all had a rough day. Especially Zack."

"I... I can't go back home," Zack said quietly, his eyes closed tightly, "How'd I explain to my parents what happened to me? I'm blind!"

"You can stay at my house," offered Billy, "If you don't mind staying in the garage. There's a bed there, since I tend to fall asleep while I'm at work. My father seldom enters the lab, so he won't learn of your..."

"Handicap?" snapped Zack, "Is that the word you were looking for?"

"Condition," Billy finished, "You can call your parents from my house, explaining that we're working on a school project. Tomorrow's Saturday, so they most likely will not withold their permission."

"What's happening?" asked Kimberly with a yawn. She sat up, and stretched her arms, "Is Zack okay?"

"We... we don't know yet," said Trini, "We're all going home. It'll take a few hours for the analysis to come up with anything."

"Good night, gang," said Zack, "Thanks for staying with me."

"No problem, Zack," said Kimberly, taking his hand and squeezing it gently, "You'll be fine."

"You're in good hands," said Jason reassuringly.

"I don't doubt it," said Zack, as he heard three of his friends teleport, "But I can't help being... scared."

Chapter Seven

In the Mitchell family's garage, Billy prepares two cots on the floor of his laboratory. While he does so, Zack Taylor, a close friend of Billy's, is sitting on the lab table itself with his eyes tightly shut. His head is bowed down, and a grim expression crossed his face. Billy glanced at his friend and shook his head. He then let out a quiet sigh as he layed the top blanket on his guest's cot.

"What's wrong, Billy?" asked Zack suddenly. Billy turned around in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Billy asked.

"I heard you sigh. It doesn't sound like you think I'll pull through this."

"Zack," said Billy, "Alpha 5 and Zordon have technology at their disposal that is infinitely more advanced than anything this world has ever seen. Much of its intricacies yet escape me. If anyone can determine the acute damage to your visual system and develop a means to restore it, they can."

"Billy," said Zack grimly, hopping off the lab table and turning toward Billy's voice, "We've been friends for a few years now. I can tell when you're not sure about something. I can't see your facial expressions, but I can make out the tone of your voice. Now, I want you to be totally honest with me. You know I can handle whatever the verdict is. Am I gonna be blind forever? And don't sugar-coat it!"

"To be perfectly honest, there is no way to know until Zordon and Alpha finish running scans of your neural network. The visual system is by far the most advanced perceptive system in your brain. The network of billions of ganglion cells, receptors, and dozens of visual pathways are extremely delicate, and the damage can be anywhere from the lens of your eye to the occipital lobe of your brain. It is uncanny that the Command Center has the kind of equipment necessary to scan this entire system one piece at a time, but it could take awhile before the damage is found. My expertise isn't really in the perceptual system, so I can't say exactly how difficult repairing such damage is, but usually, brain damage is permanent. If you end up with a lesion in your occipital lobe, you will most likely never see again. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," said Zack, holding out his arms and feeling around. Once he found a cot, he sat down on it, and lay down on his back. He folded his hands over his chest, and lay perfectly still. Billy couldn't tell if Zack had fallen asleep or not, so he finally lay down on his own cot and turned out the lamp.

"You guys are gonna need a new Black Ranger," said Zack finally.

"Not just yet," said Billy, "Your vision may still recover. It may even recover on its own!"

"True, but it could take days... even weeks until Zordon can do anything to help me, and you know Rita won't wait to attack again. What if you guys need the Megazord or something? I can't pilot the Mastodon without seeing!"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," said Billy, "Now, try and get some rest. Its been an exhausting evening."

"That's one way to put it," muttered Zack in response, "G'night, Billy."

"Goodnight, Zack."

But both young men did have difficulty sleeping, and throughout the night, Billy could hear soft sobbing coming from the other cot.

Chapter Eight

"Ah," said the shrill voice of the Empress of Evil, "It couldn't have worked out better if I had planned it!"

"What happened, Your Royalness?" asked Squatt, the dim-witted, short blue alien.

"The Black Ranger has been incapacitated," she said with a smile, "He's blind!"

"But Billy said that it may be fixed!" said the taller, black alien named Baboo.

"It doesn't matter," said Rita, stepping down off her balcony, "It can take days before his retinas heal, if they do heal! If we attack now, we can annihalate the four other rangers, and be done with it! We'll snatch their Power Coins, and then destroy them! Then, I'll use the five coins to create my own team of evil Power Rangers! They'll wreak havoc throughout the universe! Goldar, get in here!"

"Yes, my Queen?" said the golden armored warrior.

"Take a few squads of Putty Patrolers to Earth, and fight the four remaining Power Rangers! You should be able to defeat only four of them!"

"It shall be like falling off a log," said Goldar confidently, "But, how shall I draw them out? Its four o'clock in the morning, and they most likely are asleep in their homes."

"Then go and wake one of them up!" screeched Rita, "Why don't you go attack the Red Ranger? Then, you can get rid of the most powerful ranger before he has a chance to morph, making their capture all the easier! Oh, and use that sleeping spell I taught you. It will make sure the Power Rangers stay still while you steal their coins!"

"Brilliant scheme, Majesty!" said Goldar, bowing as he left, "It shall be done!"

Chapter Nine

It's late night in Angel Grove, and inside one split-level ranch style home in the residential area of the city, a young man tosses and turns in his sleep. He mutters softly as he relives the scene that cost his best friend dearly the previous day.

"No," he whispered, "Zack!"

Jason Lee sprung into a sitting position, panting