Streaks of Purple Saga Volume Three by Heather Ray (books for students to read txt) 📖

instantly shut up. "Get to the others. Tell them to retreat back to Billy's lab. If we can figure out what happened to Zordon and Alpha, we might have a clue about how to restore our powers."

Alexis winced as she watched Jason struggle to his feet, dragging disobedient legs under his body. "What about you?"

"I'll hold off Nimrod until you're all clear."

Alexis blinked, leaping to her feet. Through the corner of her eye, she could see Nimrod dusting herself off from her crash landing. Other than a few grass stains, she was none the worse for wear.

She bit back the initial "Are you crazy??"

that threatened to fire, selecting a more pragmatic approach. "Jase, why don't I

hold off Nimrod? I think my powers are working fine."

Jason shook his head. "Can't risk that your powers won't start acting up too. And I can't let you fight alone against a monster like this."

Alexis sighed. That initial outburst was starting to sound more applicable. "Jason, we already know your powers are compromised! You're hurt... you need some First Aid or something. I managed to pull off a Pulse... I know I'm good to go."

"The longer your argue, the more time Nimrod has to recuperate."

Alexis leaned forward, hands planted on her hips. But before she could retort, a harsh cackle distracted them both.

They whirled around, just in time to see Nimrod catch a silver sphere that floated purposefully towards her.

Jason immediately grabbed Alexis' wrist, and began running. Moments later, Nimrod slammed the sphere against the ground, creating a fissure in the ground from which magical smoke erupted.

Alexis let Jason guide her, craning her neck to see what was going on. Her eyes widened to new proportions as she watched Nimrod begin to grow dramatically.

The wings on her ankles began beating madly, and she pulled Jason's arm around her shoulder. "Let's get the hell outta here!"

Chapter Nineteen

Trini was so preoccupied with catching her breath (why did that little jog take up so much energy?!), she didn't even notice the fight until Nimrod suddenly stretched heavenward, uplifting the trees nearby as her suddenly deep voice cackled cruelly.

She gasped, taking a step back. "We need the Thunderzords!"

"I nearly twisted my ankle landing from a rudimentary somersault," Billy commented as he continued rubbing his feet to regain feeling, "I doubt I'll be able to even jump into the Megazord cockpit."

Kim stared out at the enormous monster. "She's heading into the city! Thousands of people are at risk!"

Zack scowled, staring at his arm. "Guys, there's no way we can do anything about it."

Kim whirled around to stare at her friend. "What? Since when have you been so pessimistic?"

"Since this," he sighed. He gripped the fingers of his glove with his other hand, and with one quick tug, pulled the material right off his arm.

Kim and Trini were utterly speechless.

"That's impossible," Billy whispered, "The Morph creates an energy grid beneath the armor, protecting us from attacks. The only part of the uniform that is removable is the helmet, and only when the latches are switched, negating the energies within to allow it!"

"It should

be impossible," Zack corrected, "and the fact that this glove comes off like a banana peel means only one thing: we're not really Morphed. We're just wearing colorful spandex."

"But, I still managed to summon my Power Bow," Kim pointed out.

"Our powers must've been fading since we got out here," Trini realized, "The longer we fight, the more likely we'll just un-Morph completely."

"We gotta hit it," Zack grumbled, frustration evident in his tone, "All we'll accomplish out here is getting squashed by Nimrod."

At that moment, a blaze of purple light heralded the arrival of the two remaining Rangers. Alexis gently set Jason on the ground before her wings stopped fluttering, and she dropped at his side.

"Okay, Billy, you're the resident genius, right?"

He shrugged. "So I'm told."

"So, what happened to your powers?"

Trini stepped forward, her hand on her chin. "And why are you

still able to fly, Lex? Your powers seem unaffected."

Billy carefully hoisted himself to his feet. "We have to go back to my lab. Until we figure out how to restore our powers, we're useless out here."

Kimberly chewed her lip, her eyes following the path Nimrod disappeared in.

Chapter Twenty

^...on an unbidden path to Stone Canyon. This marks the first time one of these mysterious creatures attacked a city other than Angel Grove, and while Stone Canyon had prepared for the possibility, the greatest fear is the density of the population of the city. Stone Canyon's police and firefighters, assisted by forces from Angel Grove, have been mobilized to do their best to minimize casualties as we anxiously wait for the Power Rangers to make-^

Kimberly switched off the volume, staring at the screen numbly. Fortunately, as a lithe creature to begin with, Nimrod didn't create the random destruction some other creatures threatened. Yet, it seemed to be searching for something.

Perhaps... for them

.

She winced as Nimrod looked down upon the wide highway he marched across. With a deep chuckle, he lifted his foot, and crushed a small blue coup parked along the highway.

There was no way to tell whether the vehicle had been abandoned, or if someone had been inside.

Then, the television flickered off. "Kim, that's not doing you any good."

Kim turned around to frown at Zack. She noted his worried expression, and released a long, shaky sigh. "I... know."

Zack bent beside her, lifting her to her feet and meeting her troubled gaze. He offered her an earnest smile. "I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of standing around. Maybe we can be useful."

She nodded.

"Then you go help Alexis bandage up our fearless leader, and I'll see if hanging over Billy and Trini's shoulders will make them analyze any faster."

Kim allowed a strained smile, shaking her head to relieve her mind of her worries for at least a time. Then, she moved across the lab to where Jason struggled against Alexis' ministrations. In fact, now he had been reduced to hiding from her, holding a pillow as a wall between them as he backpedaled from her.

"Please,

Jason," she sighed, "It's just alcohol! After all that Tough-Guy crap you pulled at the park, this is nothing!"

"Lex, you just don't know Jason!" Kim responded, her hands on her hips, "He may be Bruce Lee when he's on the battlefield or the championship arena, but he's a big baby when it comes to medicine..."

"Kim!"

he hissed in warning.

The Pink Ranger completely disregarded him. "You should've seen him when we went to get flu shots! He took one look at the needle, and went white as a sheet!"

Alexis snickered as she tried to picture the scene. She then turned to Jason, whose face had flushed in embarrassment.

"Well, if you think alcohol is bad, I should run home and get the iodine my mother used when I scraped my knees roller-skating."

Jason gulped. "Iodine?"

"Absolutely," she said, waving the bottle of alcohol, "This is nothing! My mother wanted to teach me to use kneepads, so instead of using painless stuff, she poured on the iodine! It felt like laying my knee flat on an electric stove!"

Jason grimaced. "You wouldn't dare..."

Alexis met his frown with a cool smirk. "Did you just say 'dare'?"

Jason's face fell at the mischievous glimmer in the new Purple Ranger's eyes.

"Guys, we've got something."

Both Rangers looked up at Zack, who waved them to the computer where the others were hovering. Jason breathed a sigh of relief as the iodine subject was dropped in favor of less intense matters... like saving the world.

"I think we've figured out how to open that door of light I mentioned," Billy reported, "If I were a betting man, I'd wager that mysterious computer Trini found is in fact the control mechanism. The only concern is... we don't know where the door leads."

"But it's our only lead to Zordon and Alpha," Jason realized, "We'll have to go in."

"We actually thought of something," Trini picked up, "It would be best if one of us checked it out. We don't know how the door will respond once opened; it could turn into a vacuum, sucking in everyone in the Command Center. If only one of us goes, the others are still here in case something goes... wrong."

"Okay, what do I do?" Jason asked, folding his arms.

Billy rose to his feet. "No offense, Jason, but I feel I should go. I have the best chance of figuring out the controls."

"Or, you could guide me through it via communicator," Jason pointed out.

"But again, we don't know how the door will respond. It is very possible the doorway will need to be reopened from the other side when you ready to return, and we'd have no way to contact you. I have the best chances of figuring out a way home."

"But what if something happens to you?" Kim wondered.

"Then I'll take a shot at the controls," Trini said, "We'll give him fifteen minutes, and if we don't hear from him, then someone can follow through the doorway."

All the Rangers looked to Jason questioningly.

Finally, he nodded. "We'll do it your way, Billy. But be careful. And in exactly fifteen minutes, we're coming in after you."