Okay, BIG finale now! I'll take a deep breath and write for you…
Kindred Spirit
Chapter 7
Hunter's eyes sprang open, shimmering ghostly silver light. He was staring straight ahead of him.
"Hunter?" Tommy persisted. "Hunter, can you hear me?"
Hunter opened his mouth and began to speak, but not in his usual tone. His voice was deeper and more mature.
"The one you fear makes an alliance with an old enemy and a new one. Their plans will shake the lives of the chosen ones until the spell can be broken. He will remember everything and will not be able to do anything about it. He will be the destruction of the chosen ones, unless she can admit to her destiny…"
Tommy, Hailey, Conner, Ethan, Trent and Kira stood shell-shocked. What was he saying?
"He's having a vision!" exclaimed Hailey.
Hunter's eyes snapped shut and his body fell back onto the table. He groaned groggily and stirred.
"Hey, guys, what's going on?" he moaned. He pushed himself up and stretched his arms.
The others sighed in relief.
"Well, now that's sorted, we've got another problem on our hands," said Tommy, wiping his brow with his hand. "Hunter, you just had a vision of the future."
"What?" Hunter asked incredulously, his sharp blue eyes widening. "I had a vision? What did I say?"
"It's got to be Mesogog and Lothor," put in Ethan suddenly.
"But what about the new enemy?" asked Conner.
"And the chosen ones must be us; rangers, right?" said Kira.
"Right, let's see if the others are having any luck retrieving their powers," suggested Tommy, "because we're going to need them if this vision comes true."
Dustin reluctantly and slowly let himself slip gently down the crevasse in the ground. Every now and then, a burst of energy would put him off course. Once he reached a ledge, he let go of the rope and took a look around. He jumped.
"How did you guys get down here?" he exclaimed angrily. Tori patted him on the back.
"We ninja streaked, Waldo," she said with mock sympathy.
"So you put me through that for nothing?" he whined.
"In a word, yes," chipped in Cam. "Okay, now that we're here we need to keep our voices down and look for the amulet. Let's split up; Blake come with me left, and you three go right. We're bound to find it. Oh, and if you come across Lothor, just, well, scream."
"Yeah, like that'll scare him off," said Shane sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.
"Err, guys, can I scream now?" stammered Tori staring behind the others.
"Why?" asked Blake.
"Ah, he's behind us isn't he?" said Dustin making a scared face. Tori nodded affirmatively. "Right…"
"Rangers!" cackled an all too familiar voice. Lothor stood in his usual sweeping cloak like trench coat and his mask sprouting a long sheet of hair. The same evil grin was on his face; so alike, yet so different to Sensei Watanabe. "Long time, no see!"
"We were actually hoping it was 'long time, never see'," said Shane, falling into a defensive stance as the others did the same. "Cam, you get the amulet, we'll hold him off."
"Right!"
Cam flipped backwards as the others rushed forwards. Lothor sent punches at each of the rangers in turn, and all blocking them. Shane aimed for Lothor's head, but missed as he ducked in the nick of time. Lothor swung his leg round and knocked Blake over, only to have his foot pulled by Tori as he tumbled to the ground. Lothor jumped up and formed a ball of scarlet energy between his hands. He threw it at Dustin, knocking him backwards against a wall. Winded, he struggled up. Tori leapt up into the air, span round and kicked Lothor back, giving Dustin time to catch his breath.
"You've made a match for me, I'll give you that!" spat Lothor, grinning manically.
Suddenly, Cam re-appeared clutching a bright neon green light in his hand.
"Guys, I've got it!" he bellowed, running towards them. Lothor retreated.
"Thanks so much for organising this little reunion, but I'm going to have to split!" he yelled. With a flash of blinding light, Lothor vanished, the light headed upwards towards the opening.
"He's getting away!" shouted Blake.
"It doesn't matter, we've got to go!" replied Shane.
Lothor appeared in Mesogog's lab two seconds later. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned loudly.
"Why, it's good to be free!" he said joyously.
"Lothor…" came a long hiss from behind the space ninja. He turned to see the dinosaur lord Mesogog and his henchwoman Elsa. "Finally escaped, I see?"
"It's good to get out the abyss once in a while!" he replied. "Besides, I needed to work on my tan!"
Mesogog chuckled hollowly.
"Always the joker, aren't we?" he sneered. "And so, to business; I need your help."
"What are you proposing?"
Mesogog edged closer to the ninja.
"I'd like to introduce someone to you; Lothor, meet Tempest."
He stepped aside and a flash of violet light struck the floor. Where it hit the ground, a black cloak twirled upwards, forming what looked like a human body. It took off its hood.
She was rather young, probably in mid thirties. Her skin was white, as white the full moon. Long locks of ebony hair hung from her head. Under her cloak she wore black leather pants and a tight black leather tank top. She looked very similar to Elsa, but older and wiser in some way. She wasn't beautiful, but she was entrancing. Her eyes were black and emotionless.
"Tempest is Elsa's older sister," continued Mesogog, "she's come with a full proof plan to defeat two generations of rangers, and we need as much man power as we can get."
Lothor looked thoughtful. He rubbed his chin.
"Hmm, I'm intrigued," he soothed, "okay, let's hear it."
Tempest stepped forwards.
"All we need is a body, one which won't be of any loss to us, as the spell I'll perform will have some nasty side effects on the candidate. Then we will have ultimate power and control over the power rangers!"
"And how do I know I can trust you?" questioned Lothor, raising a suspicious eyebrow.
Tempest came further forwards and looked Lothor in the eye.
"Let's just say you're outnumbered three to one; join us or die," she said simply, put with pure malice.
"Okay, I'm in!"
The Dino rangers and the ninja rangers met up again at Dino HQ. The Dino rangers were relieved to see Hunter awake again. The only thing left to remind him of what happened was a small mark on the back of his hand in the shape of what looked like a double ended sword.
"So, Mesogog has allied with Lothor…what now?" asked Blake, narrowing his dark eyes.
"We fight, I suppose," suggested Ethan, shrugging.
"But Lothor, Mesogog AND this new enemy?" exclaimed Tori. "How can we possibly fight them all without more help?"
"I don't know guys," sighed Tommy, "but we'll find a way…somehow. For now, Hailey, Cam and I will watch for disturbances. The rest of you can do whatever you like. We'll contact you if we need you."
The rangers all nodded in unison and turned to leave. Kira found Hunter.
"Hey," she said gently.
"Hey, he replied, "you okay?"
"Me? I'm fine! More importantly, how are you?"
"I can't remember a thing since I passed out at the movie theatre," he said, shrugging. "Tommy said I had a vision. Is that true?"
"Yeah, that's the second time today you've freaked me out!"
Hunter stuck his hands in his pockets as he watched the others leave. "Sorry. Maybe we could try it again sometime?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that…"
"Rangers! Come back!" bellowed Tommy.
Everyone traipsed back in only moments after closing the door behind them. They all gathered round the main computer where Tommy sat.
"It's Mesogog, Elsa and Lothor, and seems they're waiting for us," he said gravely.
"Come on guys! Let's do it!" exclaimed Shane suddenly.
"Yeah, let's kick ass!" chipped in Conner.
"Take no prisoners!" growled Hunter.
"Ninja Storm, ranger form!" shouted Shane, Tori and Dustin.
"Thunder Storm, ranger form!" bellowed Hunter and Blake.
"Samurai Storm, ranger form!" yelled Cam.
"HA!" they finished in unison.
"Dino Thunder, power up!" hollered Conner, Ethan, Tommy and Kira.
"White Ranger, Dino power!" said Trent.
"Come out, puny rangers!" mocked Lothor. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
"Don't tease them, Lothor," warned Mesogog, "they tend to get angry…"
"We already are angry!" came a voice from behind.
Mesogog, Lothor and Elsa spun around to find eleven rangers in defensive stances ready to fight.
"Dino Thunder!" yelled the Dino rangers.
"Ninja Storm!" bellowed the Ninja rangers.
"POWER RANGERS; UNITE!"
"Tyrannodrones!" shouted Elsa. "Attack!" She drew her sword and ran forwards with around twenty of Mesogog's warriors.
"Kelzaks!" exclaimed Lothor. He waved his hand and a dozen creatures appeared. "Attack!"
Within seconds, a fierce battle was commencing. Everywhere rangers and warriors were falling to the ground, kicking, punching, flipping and jumping.
Shane worked with Conner and began to take on Mesogog. Conner ran head on towards the dinosaur lord and slashed at him with his weapon. Mesogog caught the blade between his hands and hurled Conner backwards into Shane, knocking them both off their feet.
Tommy and cam were tackling Lothor together, but unsuccessfully. Tommy aimed a blast at him, only to find that it was re-directed towards Cam, which pushed him into a nearby wall.
"Cam, are you alright?" asked Tommy as he ran over to see to his fallen comrade.
"I'll live," he muttered, clearly winded.
"I'll bet against that!" shouted Lothor, grinning maliciously.
Meanwhile, Tori and Kira were attempting to fight off Elsa.
"Your boyfriend recovered then?" she teased to Kira as she sent Tori flying into the air.
"Why, you interested?" Kira shot back. Just in time, she caught Tori before she hit the ground .
Trent, Ethan, Dustin and Blake and Hunter were trying to defeat the endless Tyrannodrones and Kelzaks. Before they knew it, they were surrounded.
"Any ideas?" Ethan muttered as the warriors cam closer and closer in.
"No good ones," said Blake.
"Here's one!" exclaimed Dustin.
Blake looked shocked.
"Dustin with a good idea?" he said incredulously. "My prayers have been answered!"
After following Dustin's advice, Blake and Hunter held out their hands and heaved Dustin and Ethan over the Tyranndrone and Kelzak wall. As the yellow ninja ranger and the blue dino ranger attacked, the navy, crimson and white rangers leapt high into the air. The warriors fell and exploded.
"All right!" they shouted, high fiving each other.
Mesogog, Lothor and Elsa all struggled to re-group. As they predicted, the rangers en-circled them, weapons held high.
"It ends here, Mesogog!" yelled Tommy triumphantly.
Elsa shook her head. "Oh no, Tommy, it's just begun! NOW!"
With the conformation from Elsa, a figure clothed in black leather sprung from no-where high above the ranger' heads. She held a double edged blade in her hands. Swinging it above her head, she muttered some kind of incantation, which sent a wave of violent violet energy towards the rangers. It knocked them to the ground, causing them to de-morph.
She sank slowly to earth, and her feet touched lightly on the floor. She strode silently up to where the rangers lay nursing cuts and bruises. Her eyes glanced over them, searching for the mark on one ranger's hand. Her emotionless pools of black found who she was looking for. She raised her hand in front of her, and gently lifted it up.
Hunter began rising off the ground. His face was contorted with fear and shock. Blake and Kira raised their hands to try to pull him back down, but their wounds kept them from going far. Once Hunter was around six feet from the ground, the woman in black spun her blade between her hands and threw it at him.
The double-ended blade struck Hunter in the chest and came out the other side. He fell back to earth in a crumpled heap. Blood seeped from the gratuitous wound. He became dizzy and unfocussed. The rangers watched in horror. Blake and Kira struggled towards his body and took hold of either hand.
"Blake…Kira…" he murmured faintly.
"Shh, bro," Blake whispered tearfully, "we'll get out of this, somehow."
"Nah, it's time for me to go." Hunter was breathing heavily. "Bye guys, bye Kira…"
"No, please Hunter! Don't go!" Kira wept, tears falling silently.
It was too late. Hunter's eyes closed and his breathing subsided.
Manic laughter erupted from Lothor.
"We've finally managed to KILL a ranger!" he boomed joyously. "This is one for the history books, Mesogog!"
"Yess," he hissed triumphantly, "but I think we've outstayed our welcome. Toodles, rangers…"
Mesogog, Lothor, Elsa and Tempest disappeared with a puff of smoke, leaving the rangers behind. The others walked slowly over to where Hunter's fallen body lay.
"He's gone…" muttered Conner.
"Nah, he can't be!" exclaimed Dustin. "Come on, dude; wake up!" His eyes filled with tears as he fell to his knees, his head in his hands.
Blake clutched Hunter's hand in his and screwed up his hands.
"Goodbye, bro…" his voice broke off. His head snapped towards the heavens. "HUNTER!" he hollered, his throat tight.
Kira leant forwards and cupped her hand against Hunter's cheek. She laid a kiss on his forehead.
Hunter's body began to de-materialise. The last to go was his face. The particles of his body rose slowly upwards and vanished in a flash of crimson light.
The next day, the rangers sat in the Cyber Café. Kira had promised a performance in Hunter's memory. Sure enough, she appeared on stage, and the full café fell silent. She was dressed in black pants and a white shirt.
"Hey guys," she said into the microphone, "this is a song for someone very special to me, to his brother and to his friends. He's not here to hear it, but I know he's listening."
Kira struck some gentle chords on her acoustic guitar which sat on her knee and began to sing.
"It feels like my heart has shattered to pieces
No-one can put it back together
I'm alone, no-one's here
I can't be with you forever.
Goodbye my love
Goodbye our friend
Goodbye our brother
To us your spirit will remain."
Kira's voice started to break as she reached the chorus. She played the chords harder and longer.
"I'm gonna rip my heart and throw it away!
I'm an empty soul, that's the way it'll stay!
I'm bleeding inside, pain subsides
Nothing can cure me, no matter what they say!
But my kindred spirit is gone…
You fought like a knight
Saved me and the day
We struggled to victory
We made the bad guys pay.
Goodbye my love
Goodbye our friend
Goodbye our brother
To us your spirit will remain."
I'm gonna rip my heart and throw it away!
I'm an empty soul, that's the way it'll stay!
I'm bleeding inside, pain subsides
Nothing can cure me, no matter what they say!
But my kindred spirit is gone…"
Tears began to seep through her eyes, and they clouded her vision. Still, she played on into the instrumental.
"I'm screaming inside! Can't take it any more!
I'm gonna rip my heart and throw it away!
I'm an empty soul, that's the way it'll stay!
I'm bleeding inside, pain subsides
Nothing can cure me, no matter what they say!
But my kindred spirit is gone…
I'm gonna rip my heart and throw it away!
I'm an empty soul, that's the way it'll stay!
I'm bleeding inside, pain subsides
Nothing can cure me, no matter what they say!
But my kindred spirit is gone…"
She played the last few chords and the café burst into loud applause. The rangers were in tears, but they all managed to smile.
She'd never forget him, never…
OMG! I can't believe I've just done that! Fear not, there will be a sequel to this tragic ending I've given you. He's dead, oh well, look to the future, perhaps Hunter will return…I'll leave you with that thought…
Thanks for all the supportive reviews. You urged me to continue, and I'm so glad I did. Stay tuned for the sequel, currently in progress!
Oh, and I wrote this song, so fan fiction dot net can't take it off! Ha, ha!
Toodles for now!
Jnr Cpl Scarlett xx