The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 3 by Heather Ray (first ebook reader TXT) 📖

main computer, and activated the Viewing Globe. Her eyes widened in alarm when she witnessed her friends fighting five Viper Putties apiece.

"Zedd and Rita must've sent reinforcements!" she gasped, running to the teleporter, "Adam and Jason need help now!"

Katherine pressed a few buttons, and in two flashes of light, Adam and Jason appeared in the center of the CAC, gasping for breath.

"Great timing, Kat," said Jason walking over to her. "We couldn't hold out much longer."

"Wow," said Adam, looking around. "The Central Access Complex is even more impressive than I remembered. Maybe I can figure out how to retrieve the Zeo Crystal from storage."

"Fine," said Jason, turning to the computer. "Meanwhile, Kat and I'll search for Kim, Tom, Rocky, and Zack. Once we find them on the Viewing Globe, we can teleport them here."
Chapter Twenty

Kimberly's plummet didn't last long. Only after a few seconds of terrified screams, her body was immersed in freezing water. She struggled to the surface, gasping for air.

"Kimberly?" cried a concerned voice, "KIM?!"

"Kim," said another voice, a little less frantic, "are you okay?"

"Tommy?" she responded, "Rocky? I'm...I'm fine."

"Are you hurt?" asked another voice. Kim stared up to the hole through which she fell only moments ago. It was high up, but she still managed to make out three silhouettes looking over the edge.

"I...I don't think so, Zack," she said finally. She then heard a bone-chilling roar from behind her. She froze in the water, and slowly turned around, her eyes wide with fear. Only yards away was dry land, and even though the lighting was very dim, Kimberly could make out a dark, frightening form on the land, with yellow eyes staring right at her. Kim gasped as she stared at the eyes, and then they suddenly disappeared. But, she heard water splashing, and the sound was getting closer.

"Um, guys," she managed to choke out. "There's something in here! And it's coming closer!!"

"We'll get you out, Kim," said Tommy reassuringly. He then looked across the hole at his long time friend, the White Ranger, Zack Taylor.

"Zack," he said, his voice nearly shaking, "you have some kind of anti-gravity unit, right?"

"Yeah," said Zack, looking at the buttons on his belt. "But I don't think I know how --"

"Just DO IT

!" Tom snapped fiercely. Zack nodded, stood up, and took a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing," he whispered, pressing the button. A beam of soft white light slowly stretched through the hole. Kimberly was bathed in the white light, and slowly was lifted up to the hole. However, the monster reached her, and leaped into the air, bearing its horrific fangs and razor sharp claws at her. The monster's leap was short, however, and missed Kimberly's flesh by mere inches. Kimberly only got a glance of the monster before she was safely pulled to the surface. She shivered uncontrollably, her short golden-brown hair dripping with the ice water.

"Kim," said Tom soothingly, kneeling beside her, "are you okay? Did it touch you?"

Kim looked up into Tom's warm hazel eyes, her own red with tears. She instinctively buried herself in Tom's chest, regardless of the mud, and he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her arms to keep her warm from the freezing water.

"It...it's been so long since...I've been so close to a monster before," she whispered, her voice still quaking. "Nothing I ever faced before...was that scary..."

"You're safe, Kim," Tom whispered, still hugging her warmly. "It's over."

"No it's not!" cried Rocky, stepping away from the hole. "Look out!!"

Tom grabbed Kim and pulled her back from the hole. Zack also leaped out of the way, just in time to see a huge, green, scaly creature crash through the hole, making it three times bigger. Its sharp foot claws dug into the rock, and it cocked its head and let out a devastating roar. It then scanned its new surroundings, and focused his attention on the four color-coded humans. Tom rose to his feet, bringing Kimberly with him, and stared at the monster in shock. Kim's eyes widened with fear, and Rocky and Zack just stared at it, with their mouths hanging open.

"Its...Godzilla?!" said Zack incredulously, "I don't believe it."

"This guy is ten times scarier than those old films ever were," said Rocky. "What do we do, Tom?"

"There's no way we can fight that thing," said Tom, still holding Kim's quaking body. "We need to retreat!"

The four backed up until they were literally with their backs to the wall. Meanwhile, the monster slowly approached them.

"Its hunting us," whispered Zack. "And with the way it jumps, there's no way we can outrun it!"

"I have an idea," said Rocky, pulling out his own laser pistol. "Go guys! Through that tunnel!!"

Tom stared at Rocky as the latter charged towards the approaching monster. Rocky immediately began firing the laser at the dinosaur, even though they had little to no effect on its tough, scaly skin. Kim shrieked as the monster swatted Rocky away like a pesky gnat, throwing the blue-clad hero into another wall, on the opposite side of the chamber.

"Zack," said Kim, "can your anti-gravity beam bring Rocky here?"

"It'll have to," said Zack. "He doesn't have a prayer if it doesn't."

"Do it," said Kim sternly, "and hurry!"

Zack's beam of white light gently surrounded Rocky, and the latter was slowly pulled away from the bloodthirsty creature, towards the three other rangers, who were at the entrance to another tunnel. The monster immediately began roaring, and chased Rocky's floating form, gaining rapidly.

"I've got to slow it down," said Tom, firing his own pistol. However, instead of just firing randomly, Tom aimed for the usual weak spots, such as the eyes of the creature. Finally, Tom got a clean shot to the monster's right eye, and the monster stopped in its tracks, and roared in pain and anger. Rocky floated through the tunnel, and Zack lowered the force field.

"We need to run!" he said. "And this anti-grav thing is too slow to outrun that thing!"

"I'll carry him," said Tom, lifting Rocky over his shoulder. The trio began to run down the tunnel, with the creature gaining.

"Tom," said Zack, who was bringing up the rear. "Rocky's slowing you down! You'll never make it!"

"I'm not leaving him behind," Tom snapped.

"Keep going," said Kim, who was in front, "I think this tunnel may lead somewhere. I'll stop the creature."

"Are you sure, Kim?" asked Tom.

"I don't know if it'll work, but its the one thing we haven't tried."

Tom hesitated for a moment, but then passed Kim into the tunnel. Zack smiled at the short Yellow Ranger as he passed, and gave her a thumbs up. Kim took a deep breath, and then walked a bit in the other direction, towards the oncoming monster. In her right hand, she clutched a small silver sphere. When the monster came within view, Kim pressed the sole button on the sphere, and waited a few more seconds. Verdus slowed down when he saw the yellow-clad woman standing her ground, and sniffed at her curiously. Then, he roared tremendously, only yards from her face. Kim then seized the opportunity, and tossed the sphere into its mouth. The confused monster swallowed the sphere, and stood up straight.

"Three..." whispered Kim, running as quickly as she could from the monster. "Two... One."

Suddenly, the monster's eyes widened, and the sphere exploded from inside it. The creature didn't blow apart, but it collapsed to the stone floor limply, its eyes devoid of life. Its mouth opened a crack on impact, and gray smoke floated out from its parted jaws. Kimberly, who was thrown back by the force of the explosion, rose to her knees and gazed at the creature, a strange nausea building in her stomach. Zack walked back into the tunnel, and offered Kimberly his hand. Kim accepted his help gratefully, and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"Way ta go, Girl!" Zack cheered, clapping Kim on the back. She smiled wanly as they both made their way back to the other end of the tunnel, where Tommy was busily checking Rocky's arms and legs for breaks. Rocky's eyes were still shut, and there were a few minor cuts and bruises on his face.

"Well?" asked Kim quietly. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"I don't believe it," Tom admitted, looking up at Kim, who was standing behind him. "There's nothing broken! The suit absorbed almost all of the force that impacted on his body, throwing him into the wall. He's fine, just a little shaken up."

As if on cue, Rocky opened his dark brown eyes, and looked blankly up at Tom, who was leaning over him.

"What...what happened?" asked Rocky, trying to sit up. He winced and rubbed the back of his neck.

"You went toe to toe against Godzilla, and survived!" announced Zack. "You should get a T-shirt printed up!"

"Seriously, are you okay?" asked Kim, her eyes shining with concern. Rocky rolled his eyes, disregarding the question, and standing up.

"Ain't nothing gonna hold me down!" Rocky declared, raising his arms in victory. Kim giggled at him.

"Will you ever grow up?" she asked, still giggling.

"Not in this lifetime!"

Just as the group was about to start their search for the Central Access Complex again, they vanished from the scene in flashes of white light.

Chapter Twenty-One

"Man," said Zack, sitting on the black tiles of the Central Access Complex and panting. "You guys sure have a sense of timing!"

"What happened to you guys?" asked Kat, bewildered. "You look like you've been through Hell!"

"Well, we did fight off this bloodthirsty green Godzilla knock-off!" said Rocky, rubbing a bruise on his left cheek. "Not to mention half a dozen putties."

"You guys fought a monster?" asked Jason, his eyes widening. "You're kidding!"

"Do we look like we're kidding?" asked Rocky with a sigh. "So, what happened to you guys?"

"Just about two dozen