TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY 14
I can't say Dustin-Dustin Marah but how about…well watch and see this might appease everyone because I'm a Dustin Marah fan too...oh and did the Storm sentinels entrance seem cheesy enough for everyone? It's supposed to be comical in a way but I amn't sure if I got it right...nyih
CamFan4ever: So…who's your favourite character?
Chapter 14: Depleted Hate
The Demon stared. The field of spinning energy was surrounding the rangers in a haze of colour. Blue, Purple, Green, White and Black light shielded the rangers. "Call for the power" a voice whispered to each of the ex-rangers. "You passed the tests. Kimberly, you showed unconditional Compassion. Rockford you showed deep Selflessness. Trini you should levelheaded Judgement. Adam you showed patient Temperance. Jason you showed true Courage. We, the joint rangers who walked earth millennia ago…say that you are all ready to take up mantles left dormant for centuries. I believe the phrase you used was…it's morphin' time?"
"Any clue as to how we do that?" Rocky asked.
There was a flash and the tattoos on their bodies glowed.
"They got tattoos? Dude that is, like, so cool" Dustin exclaimed. The amulets appeared around the necks of the ex-rangers each with a different coloured stone in it. The knowledge flooded their minds as a small band circled their wrist.
"I---I know how to do this" Jason said. "Hey never thought I'd say it again It's -"
"No please no" Kim said. "We're not in high school anymore"
"Oh well" sighed Jason. He attached the amulet to the wristband. There was a flash of light as he held out his hand and the energy surrounded him. "Storm Sentinels!"
"Ready to Fight" the others said together as they vanished into a haze of light.
"I thought we got out of that phase" groaned Kim. "Ice Dragon"
"It's fun," Rocky said. "Wind Griffin!"
"Whatever floats your boat" Trini shrugged. "Fire Phoenix"
"Guys, let's keep it professional" Adam sighed. "Sea Turtle"
"We're lucky we have an inexplicable knowledge of how to morph" Jason said. "Earth Minotaur!" The light cleared. Kim was dressed in a purple and black outfit. Trini was in Green and black, Rocky was in Yellow and black, Adam was in white and black and Jason was in blue and black.
"This is but a setback" The Demon said. It was composed of all the worst enemies. It had Zed's visor frame but with red over only the right side. Its left eye belonged to Jindrax. It's mouth was Bansheeras. It had Master Orc's third eye, Toxica's horn, Goldar's helmet, Vypra's wings, Diabolico's jaw and neck, Scorpiona's left shoulder, the left sleeve of Rita's Robes. The Purple ponytail of Divatox. The Left hand of Ivan Ooze. The right hand of Rito Repulso and the right arm of Master Vile. It's chest was made up of multiple faces and its legs were too. It advanced, the faces on the chest shifted aside and revealed a large amber gem in its torso.
"This looks bad" Kim said. She pulled a staff from the air. "For that thing"
"There's something so familiar about that monster" Jason said as he brandished his axe. "You kids ready to show him what for?"
"Well we were planning on just standing here," Cam said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes wasted under his helmet. "Can we just get to it?"
"Rangers ranger everywhere!" The Demon rasped. Its horn glowed and a blast of energy scorched the earth at their feet blowing a sheet of Magma at them. The rangers leapt away.
"Such little pests" hissed Demon as it slashed the air. Rocky leapt at the energy bolt and sliced the air with his elbow blade weapons. The bolt was bounced to Adam who swung his warhammer like a baseball bat. Blake and Hunter leapt high into the air and slammed their staffs down. The bolt hit Demon who sparked and shimmered in pain.
"I think it's getting the picture!" Tori grinned. "So WORK THOSE ABS!" the sonic fin strike bounced Demon away. It rose and gestured at Tori, a bolt of light shot at her. Blake knocked her out of the way and the bolt exploded on a mountain.
"My Hero" Tori smiled.
"Oh…you know…" Blake blushed. Helmets hid what their voices said. Demon moved forwards in a blur to slash Blake. Trini caught the blade inches from Blake's face on her sickles. She whirled and slashed Demon away. Shane and Hunter unleashed blasts from his falcon cannon so Dustin could beat down the monster with his hammer and… Demon leapt up into the air, wings unfurled and glowed as they flapped sending a blast of light down onto the rangers blowing them off the ground.
"I won't lose to the likes of you!" snarled D as it swooped down low, the eyes of the faces that composed its body glowed and a blast of energy blew a rockslide into the quarry, reducing a rock formation to tumbling boulders with minimal effort.
"You will all DIE!"
"Heard that before" Jason said. He aimed and unleashed a blue blast from his axe blades. The blast hit one of the demon's wings and crashed it to the ground. The demon rose angrily.
"This isn't over!" it bellowed. It glanced at Hunter and Cam who were charging towards it. It charged up a black bolt of energy and cackled as it levelled its hand and unleashed the swirling beam.
In his hospital bed "Christian Hunt" tossed and turned. He could see the energy feel the fear…his eyes opened and glowed green.
Hunter's body jolted, Cam put himself in front of Hunter to accept the blast in the hopes of saving Hunter…the aura of green glowed around the blast from the Demon and diverted it into the ground a few meters away.
"What!" the Demon exclaimed. Cam looked around…Hunter was fine; he was fine… the Demon in about 2.5 seconds…would NOT.
"You're going down!" Cam exclaimed he leapt through the air slashing and hacking with his blade. The Demon blocked with the sword it held…and then the Green Samurai Ranger shoved the blade out of the defence to slash the Demon in a fit of rage.
"Take it easy greenie!" hissed the Demon as it was knocked up into the air by a kick.
"Whoa I've never seen Cam that angry before" whispered Tori. "It's like you against that psycho rat with the crossbow…" Blake rolled his eyes.
"That was different" Blake said.
The Ninja Storm Rangers and Storm Sentinel Rangers readied their blasters as Cam back flipped clear of the Demon. The blasts hit The Demon repeatedly in the chest… and knocked it to the ground. It sparked…and burst into flame.
"We rule! Alien's Drool!" Dustin crowed.
"What happened with that energy blast?" asked Shane.
"I don't know…" Hunter said. "I felt dizzy and then it had missed…did I do that?"
"YOU DID THIS" roared a voice. The Demon rose up from the crater it had left behind with a roar, growing bigger and more sinister.
"Oh man, just once could they NOT do this?" groaned Shane.
"Well the first monster we beat didn't do this" Dustin said cheerfully.
"Sentinel Storm Zords!" Kim said. "Appear. Come. Materialize. Apparate… give me a word here" she was trying to summon their zords.
"Try…Sentinels! Arise!" Rocky said. There was a rumble. From the icy depths of a realm where only the cold existed a purple dragon rose up, snaking through the air. From a world of fire a phoenix spread its wings and took flight. In the depths of an endless ocean a Leviathan stirred, its shark like body and tentacles flexed and swam… in a world of rock and crystal and earth a Minotaur roared after years of slumber.
Charging from the gateways the Sentinel Zords were boarded by their new group. The zords of the Ninja Storm rangers joined them. The Demon flipped over the zords and slashed across the back of the Samurai-Thunder zord that had formed. A Turtle Mace strike knocked it away.
The Sentinel zords began to combine. The Minotaur formed torso the phoenix made the wings and head. The Leviathan formed the legs and its tentacles became a shield. The griffin became an arm and the Dragon formed the other as well as a spear weapon.
"It's good to be back in the old zord" sighed Rocky.
"Enough Nostalgia!" roared The Demon. In another agile flip it unleased a blast of light from its eyes that captured the Samurai-Thunder zord in a stasus field of black light. "You die! NOW! And my vengeance will be complete."
C-H gasped and his back arched in the hospital bed. "No" he whimpered. The light glowed in his eyes again.
"I feel dizzy" grumbled Hunter. The Crimson Thunder Zord glowed in its place, energy waves deflected the sword. There was a flash and the crystal shattered. The Sentinel Zord slashed with its lance and buzz saw shield. The Samurai-Thunder zowrd unleashed a hurricane blast. The wind ninja zord blasted a lion head beam…the Demon shrieked and exploded.
"Look at that" Cam said. In the crater a purple bubble of light was flickering, bubbling waves of magenta swirling over it. The rangers leapt down and approached slowly. The bubble popped. The lances of purple blew them off their feet as a shape strode from the smoke.
The trousers were made out of black bandages of leather and buckled black belts. The boots were high heeled with a glittering black shin guard and dark red behind that protective layer. There was a long tatter black silk dress that hid the left leg and flowed out behind the woman's body. Parts of it were see through lace like spider webs that drifted on the wind in an eerie manner. She wore a black and red bodice with a belt of small silver skulls and a tattered red sash on her delicate hips. The dark red high necked silk top had a diamond shaped patch on the upper chest that was covered with black spider webs and housed a black spider with a ruby skull on its abdomen. The woman's elegant body came towards them.
"I am Diabolique" she said. She raised her right arm, the wide black sleeve with the gold lining and red dragon pattern on it was separate from her top and held in place by a diamond studded belt. The dragon glowed and snarled.
"And you've just unleashed me from the grip of Matriarchus who trapped me without my real form when she found me a few years ago" she raised her left arm that was covered by a black, silver and red metal gauntlet that stopped at her fingers which were in a fingerless glove and jutted out from under the wide metal cuff lined with small silver spikes and skulls.
"And I'm very surprised that you did that" she added. She wore a choker of silver skulls with ruby eyes. Covering her nose and mouth was a strange black mask that had the portion over the mouth shaped like vampire fangs, a not-completely-opaque mesh was between the fangs of the bizarre mouth on her mask. She wore a band of black thorns around a silver skull on her forehead. "Because I never thought you'd have much of a use for me" she looked at her well manicured black nails and then turned a glowing green gaze to them. "Now you know my name…" she reached up and pulled one of the ornate silver pins from her tied up hair as she curled another finger in one of the two braids on the right side of her face. "So you can't take it as the one who destroys you." She pulled back the curtain of black hair over her left eye and blasted a green bolt into the rangers.
(A/N: excuse the excessive describing but I needed to get it out of my system I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOREVER TO GIVE THIS FORM TO HER)
She shook out her hair and swung the braid over her head. It sent sparks of purple light shooting at them. Jason caught them on his axe and flung them back. Lothar caught the orbs and looked at them. "Not bad" he said to Diabolique. "Would you like a job?"
"Does it have good medical?" asked Lothar.
"I can't garuntee it the rangers tend to blow up workers"
"They can try" Diabolique smirked as she tied her hair back up. "I think I'll accept…" she looked at the rangers. "Later…I'll destroy you later" she spun and in a burst of shadows and dark purple smoke she disappeared.
"Hot Dog" Lothar grinned. "I've got a new general…see you around!" he hurled a laser bolt at the ground and in the resulting explosion he disappeared.
"This is most distressing" Sensei said. "Go ahead" he added. Jason brought his axe down on the sword. It exploded into purple dust and little sparkles. "This Diabolique sounds powerful…and allied with Lothar." Everyone was in ninja ops watching the destruction of the weapon that had caused so much trouble.
"We haven't got much to worry about" Cassidy said as she offered the drinks around. "I'm sure the new Storm Sentinel rangers will be back up enough…"
"Well…" Trini said. "We've decided to go back to Angel Grove. Find our paths as rangers. Whatever happens…happens" she shrugged.
"And there's a really great movie festival!" Rocky said. "Plus I have a dojo to run there so…I really can't hang around here."
"It's so weird" Tori said. "I can't believe that you guys got ranger powers…again"
"That's the way it is" shrugged Jason.
"Weird is the life we lead" Adam smiled. "We all need to do what we do… weird or not…if you ever need us we'll be listed"
Hunter paused. "What about Christian-Hunt-whoever? That thing with the megazord…I heard him telling me to trust him…"
"The Astral ninja's can project into bodies" explained Sensei. "No doubt he wanted to do penance by aiding us." He flipped onto the books stacked up nearby. "You should go and see him…find out his story"
"What about the…murders" Blake asked. They'd come to the conclusion Hunt had perpetrated the murders. Apparently they were all linked back to the boarding house owners who'd taken him in and that people who'd hurt them wound up dead.
"If he's not Christian and he's not Hunt then…the police can't charge him"
"I'll go, the doctor wants to see me no doubt" Hunter said.
"I'll go too!" Cam said jumping at the chance (but sadly not on Hunter). Cassidy gave him a meaningful look and he stifled the blush.
"We'll follow you up" Blake said as he and Tori conferred in a corner. By conferred it is meant: kissed in a sweet and romantic manner not a hormone driven grope party. Hunter and Cam climbed the stairs and left the others.
"You know…I should thank you" Hunter said. Cam stopped and looked at him. "You put yourself in front of an energy bolt twice for me…"
"Well its what friends do for each other" Cam said distantly.
"Yeah…well you're more then a friend" Hunter whispered. Cam looked up and their lips met as Hunter went in for a gentle kiss. He pulled back and flushed as crimson as his morpher. "I just…"
Cam pecked him on the lips. Hunter's eyes widened and then he smiled.
"What do we do now?" Cam murmured.
"Kiss him again!" Cassidy shouted from the portal hallway as they stood on the bank. Cam smiled.
"I like the way she thinks" Hunter said and slowly came in close again. The kiss was slower but more emotional and Hunter tasted distinctly sweet. Cam gave a small moan and a tiny sigh…better then in his wildest fantasies. He was pretty sure his leg just popped up…and another part of his anatomy. The gateway's preliminary glow pulled them apart as the doorway opened and Tori and Blake walked towards them.
There was a funny smile on Cam's face…he seemed like he was floating and not walking suddenly…Blake thought something was up…
"Hunter" Dr Stevens said as he spotted them coming into the hospital. "I need talk to you right away." Hunters throat closed…did those blood tests find something? Was C-H dead? Had the blood been a bad batch or something?
"What is it?"
"Well you need to see Mr Hunt first" Dr Stevens said. "In the name of patient confidentiality I can't let your friends in…sorry" he added sheepishly. "Please it's important".
Cam watched Hunter enter the room…suddenly he felt very cold.
Shane looked sheepishly at his mother who was sitting at the dinner table with a bowl of soup. "Sit down Shane" she said. He slowly walked over and sat in at the chair. "Let me make this clear…It. Was. Not. Your. Fault"
"Yes it was" Shane said. "I should have done something sooner…"
"Oh honestly" Greta rolled her eyes. "You're my precious baby and a power ranger I know that you have limits. What would you have done? Burst into the cave all cannons blasting? You tried even when plans got changed and people got in the way you did what you could to get that sword to free me. And another thing…I couldn't be more proud of you" she hugged him.
"Thanks Mom" he sighed.
Nurse Helga/Olga whatever was standing by the awake Christian-Hunt's bed. "Are you okay dear?" she smiled down at him. "Vud you like anozer pillow?"
"No thank you Nurse Brinham" the boy said. "I'm fine. Thank you." The Nurse shot a nasty look at Hunter and muttered something. "She's really nice actually…he Doc"
"Well at least you're finally awake" Dr Stevens said.
"Yeah, damn unconsciousness" shrugged Christian-Hunt. "Hi Hunter"
"Hey" Hunter said as Dr Stevens shut the door. "What's going on?"
"I haven't a clue, they just said they had something important to tell me" shrugged Christian-Hunt. "Wonder what."
"As you know Mr Hunt -"
"It's not Hunt" C-H said. "It's…just…not" he trailed off and looked out the window.
"Well…your blood anomaly is rare. The Anabranch Blood Anomaly is also hereditary you see so…well we ran tests…and Hunter has it too" Hunter flinched a little unsure of what to say. "Well before you ask why that's so big…I – eh – pulled a few favours and…well…" he swallowed. "We got a DNA test…it turns out you two are…well…twins"
Hunter nearly collapsed and C-H seemed to be trying to form words. "That-That's not possible. We don't look identical" Hunter said.
"Well you're not genetic twins" the doctor said. "You're fraternal." Hunter turned and looked at the boy. He had some similar features…but he was different at the same time. His hair was blonder…and smoother. He had a different shape to his face… but there eyes were identical.
"I'll give you a few moments," Dr Stevens said as he left the room.
"We're brothers" murmured Hunter. "Chris---Hun---" he smiled. "Which is it?"
"Neither" the boy replied as he slowly gazed over Hunter's face. There eyes were the same. Colour, shape, everything. "They were two sides of my personality."
"So…you were…split?"
"Yes. Family life bites. Hunt was basically named after you. Dedicated to completion of all ambitions as in finding you, but by any malicious means necessary and to find the brother I –KNEW- I had was the drive that I suppose I saw as being justifying towards any deadly means I used. Christian was named after the angelic side of my personalities. My nice side."
"So who are you?" Hunter asked.
"Well my full name is Edwin-Theodore" he said. "Theo is what I'm called mostly. I'll give you a crash course in my life at a later date…" Hunter stared at him. "I know"
"What?" Hunter asked.
"You feel the weird connection. It was why I could use your mind as a conduit for my mental powers…we have one of those psychic bonds twins stereotypically have." He had a British accent! Theo/Christian/Hunt had a BRITISH accent! It had been a lilt until now. But there was a definite accent when he pressed it forwards. When he got passionate or emotional.
"Why the accent?"
"Because I come from England" smiled Theo. "The academy was on the astral plane students were from all over the place". Hunter felt something in Theo's words and over the supposed bond. "I wound up here a while ago with my foster family. Unlike you I didn't get emancipated minor status so I could live alone at 17. I've been in the academy since I was 8. Foster families bounced me around…there's a lot to say but I won't bore you".
There was a knock on the door and Cam peeked his head around. Hunter smiled…he felt something like smugness at the other end of the link to Theo. "Hey guys…I think you should come in" Hunter said. He turned to look at Theo. "I haven't even told Blake -"
"Relax its in the gene pool" winked Theo. "Hey" he said as the others enetered the hospital room nervously. "Before you ask…the schizophrenia is gone. And I know who I am."
"Christian or Hunt?" asked Tori with a faint smile.
"Edwin-Theodore" he said. "Call me Theo."
"Guys" Hunter said slowly. "There's something I think you should know. We only just found out and the shock is still setting in believe me…my legs aren't actually working at the moment because someone's turned them into jelly. But -"
"How are the newly found brothers?" Dr Stevens grinned as he marched in. Everyone looked at the boys sitting on the bed. "Should I leave?" a glow rippled through his eyes and he turned and walked away. Theo shook his head.
"You're…what?" Blake murmured.
"Some sort of…weirdness" said Theo. "Biologically I'm his twin"
"O-Oh" Blake said slowly.
"Bro?" Hunter ventured.
"I need -" Blake turned and left the room. Tori followed. Cam moved closer.
"Go ahead and kiss him" Theo said. "We've got a psychic thing going. Plus I can really see what he sees in you" Cam looked shocked. "Oh kiss the bugger" the British accent was there in force. Cam smiled and slowly kissed Hunter.
"Don't worry" Cam said. "Blake needs time. Just like you and Theo do."
"Oh we definitely do" nodded Hunter.
"No time like the present" Cam said. "We should take him back to ninja Ops"
"What about…the murders?" Hunter whispered. Theo flinched.
"Well Dad doesn't know what we can do about that…he says that Christian and Hunt were separate entities for a while and Theo is a cross between them so he's neither and both. In a roundabout way he nearly burnt out my morpher with his metaphors when I asked him about this. He says that these belong to you" he handed the morphers to Theo.
Theo accepted them and smiled. "No" he said. "Sensei Takoi gave these to me to kill me so I couldn't stop him. He let Lothar into the Academy. Lothar evaporated him…"
"My father told me Takoi was a - deviant," Cam said. "Is he…the one who…"
"Yes. Him and two of his "favourite" students" Theo said. "It gave me the schizophrenia in a way, which in turn acted with the morphers to make my body morph when one personality took over. He pretended to be helping me but I activated both morphers with the fake pass code and…well here I am" he sighed.
"Hey, you've got us to help you" Hunter smiled. The boy tried to hand over the morphers again. Hunter pushed them back. "You can't give up that easy"
Theo looked into his brother's eyes. "Okay" he muttered. "I'll go to ninja ops with you…but that's not to say that it's morphin' time!"
"He has a blood brother," Blake said. He was walking with Tori down the street. It was the first time they'd spoken since they'd left the hospital for a walk. "So…how can I compare?" Tori shook her head.
"Hunter called you bro, but you never notice that he calls you Bro in a different way to anyone else. You are his brother, he would never replace you and you know that!" Tori exclaimed. "He lives with you, he fights alongside you and he grew up with you". She hugged him. "You know he wants to find a way to have Theo – and it's weird to call him that – as a brother too but they haven't grown up together."
"I just feel…tossed upside down…" Blake said. "How---how is this happening?"
"I have a feeling that…I don't know…this is…just a beginning of something."
They kissed and for a little while the problems faded for a few perfect moments.
"So you destroyed Matriarchus" Lothar said. Kapri and Marah waved pompoms in the air. Then stopped as their uncle glared at them. "And took on your own…form" he looked her up and down. "Can I trust you?"
"Of course not" Diabolique said. "But I know everything that brainless twit knew and more. She taught me everything and I learned on my own. I will do things 100 times better then she did…all you need to do is let me work" she smirked.
"What about them?" Lothar asked. Two figures entered the room. They were dressed in black, jagged, thorny versions of the ninja's ranger forms. One was yellow and the other crimson.
"Oh" Diabolique said. "Them…they'll do what I tell them"
"Guess again" snapped the Crimson Psycho jabbing the air before her. She grabbed his arm and twisted him to his hands and knees, capturing his arm between her legs with a laugh. The yellow dashed forward. She swung a leg around and kicked him backwards. He landed at Marah's feet. He looked up her legs slowly and their eyes connected…
"You'll do what I say honey" she snarled. "Or I'll send you back into the mass of bubbling gold dust of a possibility you came from. Power down. Now or I'll bring those nauseating folk-singers here from your dimension." Dustin2 and Hunter2 shuddered as they morphed out. Dustin2 looked at Marah goofily and she blushed.
"So they're clones" murmured Lothar.
"No they're evil versions of our darling Crimson and Yellow rangers" Diabolique said. "They have the same skills, abilities and personalities as the versions from this dimension however using remnants of the opposite dimension the Blue Ranger was trapped in I mixed that with their potential for evil. They will be perfect and efficient psychological weapons against these rangers. Given time I might be able to mix up the rest…but for now they'll be good little boys."
Hunter2 sneered at her, gritting his teeth and glaring. She ignored him and walked over to the viewing screen. "The rangers…don't know what's waiting for them…"
THE END...For now...
To be continued in the Sequel coming soon to !
Well my first fic is finished! It's my second completed fic actually but this was the first I posted. In the next fic the couplings will be:
Tori/Blake (natch): Tori and Blake are going out, her mother approves...this is all good... until they have their first fight...about the power rangers.
Dustin/Theo: This is weird, Dustin can't ever trust Marah again even after all she'd done for him...but Theo's still traumatised inside and they get close...
Dustin2/Marah (her uncle approves a little more): Marah begins to make Dustin2 into his own person but he's still fundamentally an evil version of Dustin...he still likes puppies though...well, anyway, that's her relationship with Dustin because he has the part of Dustin's consciousness that liked Marah in him
Kapri/Shane: Shane is fighting his attraction tooth and nail as is Kapri but there's one there... oh damn
Hunter2/?????: Sorry not telling. Guess
Cam/ Hunter: Cam and Hunter are trying to figure out who they are where they are and what they are insofar as their new found relationship goes. It's only a matter of time before things get shakey.
Love Triangles, vengeful demon generals, Sensei's good advice, Kelly's big revelation and the reappearance of a person who is really nasty...