The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 3 - Heather Ray (chapter books to read to 5 year olds .txt) 📗

insecure laugh.

^I wish I were. But, I'm dead serious. Something strange is going on up on the Moon, and the whole gang's meeting at Jason's house to come up with a plan of action.^

"Plan of action? What can we do? The Endeavor's already history! We can't save Billy!"

^There's something fishy going on in Zedd's castle. If he's come back, its our responsibility to do something about it. Get to Jason's ASAP. See ya there.^

"You got it, Kim. And thanks for the update."

Zack hung up his cellular phone and rose to his feet. He grabbed his gym bag and ran towards the street. Reed followed him as quickly as he could, but by the time he caught up, Zack had already flagged down a cab.

"Zack!" he called. "Where're ya going, boy?"

"California," he said. "It's an emergency. I'll see ya later, Reed."

Zack sat in the back seat of the taxi, and closed the door.

"To the airport," he said sternly, crossing his arms. "And step on it."

Chapter Thirteen

In Los Angeles, California, Adam Park, the famous martial artist/actor, was busy practicing the stunt routine for the climax of his newest film, "The Avenger Lives."

This film was the third in the "Avenger"

series, the superhero-action movies that catapulted young Adam into the spotlight six years ago. Adam was practicing with the stunt coordinator for the film, his friend Rocky DeSantos, inside Adam's huge Beverly Hills mansion.

"Okay, Adam," said Rocky. "Now, pretend I'm Diablo, the arch-villain. I'll perform all his moves, while you just act out your Avenger role. Ya ready, bud?"

"Always," said Adam, tying back his curly black hair in a ponytail. He then took a fighting stance.

"Remember, Adam, when we film this, you'll be wearing your Avenger uniform, which is about twenty pounds of forest green and grey rubber. So, account for that by leaping higher than you usually would."

"I got it," said Adam. "And... action!"

Adam and Rocky circled around the mat for a few moments, with Rocky twirling a wooden staff like a baton. Rocky then pointed the staff at Adam, as if he was firing an energy beam. Adam dodged and rolled along the mat, and then used his hands to spring up onto his feet, kicking Rocky lightly on the chin. Rocky threw himself back onto the mat, as if he was just dealt a devastating kick. Before Rocky could rise to his feet, there was a light knock on the open door.

"What's up, Martin?" asked Adam, helping Rocky to his feet. The man in the suit entered the room with a cordless phone.

"Telephone call for you, Sir," said Martin. "The caller is Jason Lee, and he says its an emergency."

Adam and Rocky traded worried glances, and they both jogged over to Martin. Adam took the phone, and dismissed the middle aged butler.

"Jason?" he asked into the receiver. Rocky stood beside him, watching his face.

^Adam! Sheesh, what took so long? I called five minutes ago!^

"Martin usually takes my calls, Jay. Especially when I'm training for a film."

^Well, this is an emergency. Have you heard about the Endeavor?^

"You mean the spaceship? The last thing I heard was that its supposed to arrive home today. Why? What happened?"

^The Endeavor was destroyed, Adam. Its all over the news.^

"You're not serious!" yelled Adam.

Rocky stared at him worriedly. "What?" he asked anxiously, "What's happening?"

"Will's...dead," Adam said quietly.

Rocky's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"The ship's been destroyed. There's no way Will could still be alive."

^Adam!^

called Jason, ^Adam listen. No one knows what destroyed the ship, but Kat's found something strange on the Moon! The Moon Palace is back in business.^

"No way!" said Adam. "It's been a decade..."

^I know. Listen, jump in your car, and get to my house now. The whole gang's meeting here.^

"I'm on my way," said Adam, turning off the phone. Rocky watched as Adam grabbed a towel and walked out of the gym.

"What's happening, Man?" he asked.

"I'm going to Jason's house," said Adam, turning to face his friend. "The Terran Power Rangers are regrouping."

Chapter Fourteen

William Mitchell was lying on his back on a rather hard, lumpy cot in the corner of a stone prison cell. His body was completely still, but he was by no means asleep. After all, no matter how many dilemmas he had survived as a Power Ranger, none even come close to his present predicament. He was trapped in the Moon Palace's dungeon, thousands of miles away from Earth, without the power to protect him, or even some means of communicating. And what's worse was that there really wasn't anyone to find him.

Zordon and Alpha weren't in the Central Access Complex, scanning tirelessly for him. Rather, they were far off in another solar system, and his friends, the former Terran Rangers, were powerless. And, they didn't even know he was alive. With these amazingly bad odds of survival, most men would have given up trying to be heroic, and obeyed whatever order their jailers gave them, in a feeble attempt to save their own skin. But, Will wasn't like that. He knew what was at stake, and he was ready to sacrifice himself for his planet. But, he was not quite ready to roll over and die yet...

Okay, Will,

he thought, staring at the stone ceiling, it's time for that amazing brain to save the day again. Zedd threatened to turn me into a monster, and have me attack my planet, and I certainly won't allow that. I can't betray my friends. I've got to get out of here...I have too much to live for.

Usually, Will was never selfish in the least, but when his thoughts turned to one particular woman, self-preservation was beginning to become a necessity.

I was so STUPID

! I mean, Trini came back into my life two years ago, when she moved to Bay City. Now, I live and work in Houston, so we both live in the same area of Texas. I don't know why I couldn't just be honest with her, and tell her I've loved her since I first laid eyes on her, fourteen years ago. But no, I couldn't tell her. I couldn't even put her first in my life. I mean, I devoted my life to NASA, and spent weeks at a time working on my light-speed system, without even giving Trini a call, or even a quick e-mail! I just can't die, not without telling her what I've been afraid to tell her half my life.

At first, Will was blankly staring at the ceiling, but now, he began to study its structure.

These stones...are stuck together with mortar! Now, Zedd and Rita have been gone for over a decade, and since the Moon is a rather harsh environment, the usual upkeep of the palace has been unattended to, and the mortar may be a little weak...

Will sprang up from his cot, surprising both his cellmates, Natasha Slovensky and James Montgomery. They watched Will in confusion as he walked slowly around the cell, examining his surroundings with extreme caution.

"What're ya up to, Will?" asked James. Will just ignored him, his gaze focused on something right next to the barred wall of the chamber. An excited smile crossed his face, and he hurried over to the object, and picked it up gingerly.

"Will?" asked Natasha. "Are you alright? That water bowl is empty. I guess our captors aren't interested in keeping us alive by providing food and water."

Suddenly, Will raised the large brown water bowl high over his head, and threw it down with all his strength. The bowl shattered upon impact, and Will immediately began picking through the pieces of jagged glass. He found a rather large, sharp piece, and began examining the walls very carefully.

"Will, please tell us what you're up to!" cried Natasha desperately. Will looked at his two companions.

"This palace is withstanding the harsh environment of the Moon, which means it most likely requires upkeep. Without proper cleaning and restoration, the powerful sun rays mixed with the cold nights weaken the palace, aging it beyond its years. Even though this palace has only been here for a short time, its wear and tear is equal to Earth palaces hundreds of years old."

"So?" asked James, watching as Will once again began examining the wall.

"So, I'm guessing the mortar around these stones is rather weak. Constant temperature fluctuations are very damaging to mortar, and the Moon has no atmosphere to regulate the temperature. All we need to do is find a stone who's barely held into place, and then we can pry it out --"

"Making an exit for us!" finished James, picking up a large shard of glass for himself.

"But, then what do we do?" asked Natasha. "We're on the Moon! We can't just walk home, you know, and I doubt we can hitch a ride! We can't even leave the palace!"

"I know," said Will, "but its all we can do. We've got to get free, and search this palace inside out. There may be some sort of teleportational device, or communicator, or something to let the world know we're alive!"

"Hey!" called James, moving his cot from against the wall, "I think I've found our loose stone!"

Chapter Fifteen