The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 6 by Heather Ray (free ebook reader TXT) 📖

You certainly don't get it from my side of the family."

The statuesque Red Ranger turned around, and glanced at the petite Gold Ranger standing beside him. She had her arms folded over her chest, mocking his dramatic pose perfectly. And although he couldn't see it, he was certain she wore a pensive frown as well.

Despite everything that weighed on him, he still felt light enough to crack a small smile.

He knew it must have been hard for Kimberly to come to grips with the reality of his existence. Even though he was from an alternate reality, surely the experience of meeting one's adult son was jarring for the bright-eyed girl...especially considering the fact that his father wasn't a man for whom she had any romantic feelings.

Still, she was amazingly good at getting past any discomfort she felt in his presence. As always, she made it her mission to reach out to her teammates, whoever they might be.

"Maybe it's not genetic," Anthony responded after a long silence. "Maybe it's the curse of the Red Ranger."

Kimberly sighed, shaking her head. "Well, I suppose it won't do me any good to assure you that this isn't your fault, right?"

"Right."

She shrugged. "Not surprising. I don't think I was able of convincing anyone

of that. So, let's try another approach."

She grabbed his arm, leaning his head to her. "I'll tell you a little secret. One that took both Jason and Tommy a while to grasp."

Anthony perked up with interest. "What?"

"You may be the leader, Tony, but you're not the Lone Ranger. Don't think that you have to alienate yourself from the others, or that you make all the decisions, and therefore must face all the consequences. The other Starlight Rangers may be subordinate in the chain of command, but that doesn't make you responsible for them. The Power Rangers are more of a democracy than a dictatorship. You don't

make all the decisions."

"But --"

"Let me finish," she argued, letting him stand aright. "Think about it, Tony. Do you come up with all

the ideas? Do you ever force your teammates to take a course of action that they don't condone? Would

you do such a thing?"

Anthony was silent for a moment. "No, I wouldn't," he decided.

"Then what makes you entirely responsible?"

"It was my idea..."

"..and Micah agreed to it," Kim pointed out, "and none of the others objected, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Therefore, it was a sound plan. True, it didn't go too well, but you realize that Micah, as well as the others, were prepared for this circumstance. If he didn't want to go off alone, he would've said something."

"Still --"

"Let...me...finish

," she groaned. "It's true that there's a chain of command in the Power Rangers' organization. It's the only way to really establish order. But just because Tommy's the leader, doesn't mean he always takes the lead. And just because Billy is our adviser, doesn't mean he always does all the advising. We're a team here, not an army troop. There aren't any real orders. There are suggestions."

Kim stepped back, smiling beneath her golden helmet. "We all have roles to play, but they aren't absolute. True, you are a figure of respect for the others...but don't let that become too burdensome. Then, how useful to the others will you be, if you let the burden of leadership create a wall between you and your friends?"

Anthony remained silent, marveling at Kimberly for a moment. She was surprisingly wise in the ways of leadership. It only made sense, because her pivotal role amongst the Power Rangers was as a confidant and emotional pillar. She was most likely used to dealing with Tommy's emotional problems, as well as Jason's before him.

She had a convincing argument. Perhaps leadership shouldn't weigh quite so heavily. Of course, it's certainly a position that can't be taken lightly...but he shouldn't run the risk of elevating his station so far beyond that of the others, that they feel like soldiers under his command rather than friends and teammates.

Anthony blinked in surprise when he noticed a sudden movement in the corner of his eye. He turned around, trying his best to get another look at whatever being hid behind a lone tree on the mountainside.

"What is it?" Kimberly inquired, following Anthony's gaze.

His eyes narrowed. "Uninvited company," he whispered, slowly reaching for his powerful sword. He then held it with both hands, and it began glowing with fiery energy. "Draco, do your thing!"

"Leave it to me, Red Ranger," the dragon's head replied.

Kimberly watched in naked amazement as the talking sword sailed through the air, launching itself at the hidden enemy.

"He's so much like Saba," Kim whispered. The sword released bright, flaming energy behind a boulder, forcing several Putties to disclose their presence.

"Terrific," she groaned, "Viper Putties."

"There're more of them," Anthony commented, looking another way. A total of six deadly creatures stepped forward, closing in on the pair of Rangers in two clusters.

"Draco!" Anthony commanded, holding up his hand. The sword stopped firing at the lithe Putty and returned to his partner's grasp.

"Three each?" Kimberly inquired, balling her fists.

"Right," Anthony said, "I'll take these three."

"Good luck!" Kimberly called, as she watched the Red Ranger from the corner of her eye. Gripping his sword tightly, he charged at the oncoming trio. "He's a bit pumped," she commented to herself. She then turned her attention to the three Putties that faced her.

"Ha!" she cried, flipping in their direction. They waited for her eagerly, but succumbed to the flurry of kicks and punches she assailed them with. After she had successfully stunned the three enemies for a moment, a smug grin crossed her lips when she surveyed a rather large boulder, just barely holding onto the cliff above.

"This is too easy," she whispered under her breath, focusing her attention on the boulder. Suddenly, the boulder was pushed by the force of her telekinesis, and began rolling in the direction of the Putties. They didn't manage to move before the boulder crushed them into piles of ash.

"Strike!" Kim shouted. She then glanced at Anthony, who was still fending off all three Putties. She gasped in alarm as she saw a Putty splash Anthony's arm with the corrosive venom. He shrieked in pain, dropping Draco and watching in horror as the steaming liquid began slowly eating through his uniform.

Before he could recover his bearings, one Putty reached out and grabbed his other arm. Suddenly, a thick black fog began to form around the Putty, and slowly crept onto the Red Ranger's arm.

"Tony!" she called, holding up her arm, "THUNDERBOW!!"

A flash of bright lightning heralded the appearance of her mighty bow. She leaped closer to the scene, knocking away the two other Putties to buy her some time.

She held her breath as she aimed her weapon. She pulled back the drawstring, creating a focus of electrical energy. She realized full well that there were only centimeters between the Red Ranger and the opposing Putty.

Without giving another thought to the consequences of her missing her target, she released the drawstring. The lightning bolt crackled as it sailed through the air, and struck the attacking Putty directly in the upper arm. His arm severed from the rest of his body, and the separated appendage collapsed into dust, releasing the Red Starlight Ranger from its grip. Anthony stumbled back, obviously shaken by the attack. He watched in amazement as the Putty's arm began to regenerate.

"Oh, no you don't," Kim whispered menacingly, aiming once again. This time, the bolt struck the creature directly in the face, exploding upon impact. Unable to heal from that mortal wound, the Putty shriveled and decomposed.

Anthony's entire body trembled as he reached for his fallen sword. While he mustered all his strength to his goal, Kimberly leapt to face the remaining two Putties.

Anthony felt something build in the core of his being as he clutched Draco tightly. For an instant, the pain in his arm had subsided and the weakness in his body evaporated, allowing him to steadily rise to his feet.

Unbeknownst to him, his entire body was glowing with a faint ruby haze.

"Kimberly," he huffed. "Stand...back!"

Kimberly swirled to face the Red Ranger, and was alarmed to see the power building around him. Still, she took heed to his warning, and flipped out of harm's way.

Once she was out of the line of fire, Anthony gripped his weapon with both hands. The silver edge of the sword was now pulsating with red energy.

"STARBURST!"

he summoned, holding his sword above his head.

The sound of the flaming attack assailed Kim's ears like a rocket launch. Vibrant red and white energy poured from sword, creating a sphere of pulsating power. Anthony then swung his sword in the direction of the Putties, and the energy obeyed his command. It bolted through the air in their direction, exploding as it made contact.

For several moments after the devastating onslaught, both Kimberly and Anthony stared in amazement at the smoking hole where the Putties were standing.

"Th..that was amazing

!" Kimberly gasped, hurrying to the side of the Red Ranger. He gasped for breath, sheathing Draco slowly. "What was that?"

"I don't know," he confessed laboredly. His legs then went numb beneath him, and the pain in his arm returned in full flaming force.

Kimberly was quick to catch the dazed Red Ranger, who had lost the strength in his legs. She slung his uninjured arm over her shoulders, gazing at him worriedly. "We're going to the CAC," she decided, "I'd better take a look at that venom burn."

Chapter Twenty-Eight

About a half a mile east, X-Ranger One hovered off the ground, a magnetic field surrounding his body. The silver glow around his body looked like the energy of the full moon, casting gentle, ethereal light about the area.

Below him, the Blue Starlight Ranger gazed in amazement at the power the Silver Ranger seemed to command. It was so characteristically different from any energy signature she had witnessed in her own world.

It amazed her how far the two time streams diverged, even only a few months after the separation of the two realities.

"I'm not seeing anything," Zack sighed, descending from his vantage point. He landed beside the Blue Ranger, and marveled at the fact that she was three inches taller than himself. Although she couldn't see his eyes, Regina could feel he was staring at her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Not really," he answered quickly, stepping away from her and continuing his search on foot. "Um...how tall are you, anyway?"

"Almost six feet," Regina answered, following his lead.

"Wow," Zack said, "you certainly must not get