Over the Line
The next morning, Lucas woke up with
a start. Lucas: "Hey! Where am I?" Niki came running over to him. Niki:
"Calm down!" He looked at her in surprise, expecting someone older. Lucas:
"Look kid, I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, but...."
Niki: "My mommy found you on the ground bleeding. She brought you back
here." Lucas tried to sit up, but the pain was to great. Just then, Cerina
came walking in. Cerina: "Lay down. You could have died out there." Lucas:
"What's going on?" Cerina sat on the table next to the bed. Cerina: "Found
you with a stab wound. You're lucky they didn't hit your heart." Lucas:
"I start looking for somebody and all of a sudden, some blonde lady and
her goons jump me." Cerina nodded. Cerina: "That's Kitana. She's the queen's
second in command." Lucas again tried to get up. Cerina held out her hand
to stop him. Cerina: "What is it with you?" Lucas: "I'm on a mission. I
don't have time to lay here." Cerina: "You wanna end up dead? If not, I
suggest you lay there and shut up." Lucas: "Is that a threat?" Cerina:
"No! If you open that thing again, we may not get it to stop!" She got
up. Cerina: "Tell me if he needs something..... or tries to make a run
for it." Niki: "Ok."
Kitana came walking back in twirling
the blood stained knife around in her hand. Vulca: "So who was he?" Kitana:
"Doesn't matter now. He's dead." Vulca: "We need to know how he got here."
Kitana leaned down and strapped the knife back to her leg. Kitana: "I didn't
interrogate him. Just stabbed him." Vulca: "So do you know anything?" Kitana:
"He had a badge that said Time Force. And he was wearing a white uniform."
Vulca: "Ok. As long as he can't cause any more trouble." Kitana laughed.
Kitana: "Trouble? He*l, he's lunch for the birds by now!" Vulca: "Good
work." Kitana: "Never thought I'd hear that from you."
Nadira came walking sadly up to her
father. Ransik: "Wha'ts wrong, my dear?" Nadira pointed at the door on
the side of the room. Nadira: "Cerina's got Niki watching after that guy
and now I've got nobody to play with!" Ransik: "Why if she brought in someone,
she should watch him herself." Nadira: "I know!" Cerina came walking into
the room. Cerina: "So, bi*ching as usual, Nadira?" Nadira: "I'm bored!
And its your fault!" Kari from the living: "Ding! Round 1!" Cerina ignored
the comment. Cerina: "My daughter was not born for your entertainment.
She has to do work." Cerina put her hand up to her mouth and her eyes grew
wide. Cerina: "Oh I'm sorry! I forgot you don't know anything about work!"
Ransik walked up in front of Nadira. Cerina sighed. Cerina: "And here's
daddy, coming to the rescue again." Ransik: "Why is it that you must insult
my parenting every chance you get?" Cerina: "Because you give me a reason.
Look at her! She is pi*sed because she has no one to play with. A 20 year
old woman!" Ransik looked at Nadira. Then pointed to the door. She walked
out without a word. Ransik: "Now do you have a problem we can fix? Or is
this just going to happen every day from now on?" Cerina: "Yeah, we can
fix it. When she stopps whinning." Ransik got up in her face. Ransik: "It
is impossible to have a civilized conversation with you! Always the same
thing! No matter what anyone else says!" Kari came to the door at that
moment. Cerina: "I am sick and tired of hearing her cry! And I am also
sick of her turning Niki into a thief! You think Nadira's a perfect angel!
Far from it! She's a spoiled brat!" Kari began to get nervous. This was
the loudest they had ever been during a fight. Ransik: "You think you've
done a better job! She could have had me killed the other day! It would
serve her right if I went over there and fed her to Vulca myself!" Cerina
lost it at the thought of Niki returning to Vulca. Kari's mouth dropped
open as Cerina busted Ransik in the mouth. He stumbled back and held his
jaw. Rick came running in between them. He took Ransik and left the room.
Lucas heard the voice and couldn't
believe it. Lucas: "Who is that? With the accent?" Niki sat on the chair
with her head in her hand. Niki: "That's Ransik. The Red Ranger." Lucas:
"Ransik is here!" Ransik: "Yeah. But I wish he wasn't. He really mean."
Lucas: "How did he become a ranger?" Niki: "We asked him to be. We needed
help against the queen and he's all we could find. Well, him and Kelly."
Lucas: "Kelly's here too? Interesting." Niki stood and began to walk around
the room restlessly. Niki: "Who cares? She's no better than Ransik." Lucas:
"I have to go. I'm not just going to lay here." He began to get up for
the third time. Niki saw Kari walk past the door. Niki: "Kari!" She ran
back and into the room. Niki: "He's getting up again." Kari went to his
side and layed him back down. Kari: "You can't go anywhere like this. We've
told you. Just stay put." Lucas: "But I..." Kari: "You don't have the strength."
Kelly stood at Ransik's side as he
held his jaw. She put her hand on his shoulder. Kelly: "I can't believe
she really did that." Ransik: "Oh yeah. One minute we're fighting as usual,
the next she knocks the he*l out of me." Kelly stepped back and folded
her arms in front of her. Kelly: "What are you gonna do? You're not just
going let her get away with it. Are you?" Ransik: "I'm not sure what
I'll do yet. But I won't allow this kind of disrespect to go any further.
She is a lose cannon. If she went off on me, who's to say she won't do
the same to Nadira. Or you." Kelly looked down at the morpher on her wrist.
Kelly: "I just don't know how we can keep fighting along side her in battle.
And Rick and Kari aren't really any better." Ransik: "I don't know either."
Ransik looked in the mirror of the bathroom and saw blood running down
his chin again. He quickly wiped it away and walked out of the room.
Kari had taken Cerina outside the
cave. Angirly, Cerina paced back a forth. She picked up and rock and threw
it as hard as she could into the distance. Cerina: "God, I hate him!" Kari
looked at her with pitty. Cerina: "What?" Kari: "You crossed the line in
there." Cerina: "Da*nit, I know! But I just couldn't take it anymore!"
Kari glanced over and Vulca's palace. It rose high above any other building,
so it was easy to see. Kari: "You may have blew our chances of defeating
her." Cerina ran her hand through her hair. Cerina: "I just lost my head.
That's happens sometimes." Kari: "We can't afford this. If he quits, and
he'd have every reason to, then we can't stop her. Then what? You take
Niki and go crawling back to her. It will end up just as Ransik said."
Cerina: "If you're trying to get me to appologize, it ain't gonna happen."
Kari: "I'm not saying you have to mean it. I know you don't." She paused.
Kari: "And honestly, I don't blame you. I don't like Nadira's attitude
either, but I can control myself." Cerina: "I've got a short fuse. Always
have." Kari: "Just try to make it up to him! Maybe he won't leave!" Cerina
threw her hands into the air. Cerina: "No way! There is no way I'm going
to try to fix something I'm not sorry for!" Kari: "But..." Cerina: "He
can go to he*l and take that little brat with him!" She turned and stormed
off.
Niki got up from Lucas's bedside and
left the room. After she was gone a few seconds, Lucas pressed a button
on his morpher. An image of Logan appeared. Lucas: "Captain, I found him."
Logan: "Excellant. Can you bring him in?" Lucas: "Um... no. I'm injured."
Logan: "What?" Lucas: "But I'm in the same base as Ransik. And get this.
Kelly and Nadira are here too." Logan's eyes grew wide. Logan: "Kelly.
I thought we'd lost her trail for good." Lucas: "Its her. I'll bring their
entire family back when I come. But it could be a while." Logan: "Fine.
But keep in contact." Lucas smirked. Lucas: "No a problem. They've got
some five year old keeping an eye on me. She's not hard to fool." Logan:
"I don't care how you do it or how long it takes. Just bring them in....
dead or alive."
Vulca looked over at Kitana. Vulca:
"Yesterday when we were talking, we never got around to you. I seemed to
hog most of the conversation." Kitana glanced over the side and saw Cerina.
Kitana: "We can't go into that now. The White Ranger is alone. We have
to attack." Both ladies at once: "Boron!" He came running, but stopped
cold in his tracks. Boron: "You two are together? I didn't hear the sound
of breaking glass, so I thought one of you had left." Vulca pushed him
aside and walked over to her throne. Vulca: "Our fighting is none of you
business. Just get me a monster to send after the traitor." Boron: "Fine."
He called out a woman. She wore green armor made to look like bones. The
rest was bare skin. Kitana gave Boron a disguested look. Kitana: "She's
your monster?" Vulca: "Yeah. We didn't ask to meet your date for tonight."
Boron: "Skullsara is my newest creation. She has the strength of my past
monsters, but because of the lack of armor, she has a greater speed advantage."
Vulca: "Fine, send her. But I still think this is sick."
Cerina walked down the sidewalk. She
pushed past everyone in her way. Her mind was racing. Her hatrid for Nadira
grew stronger with every step. The wind picked up. She stopped at a bar
and opened the door. The entire room grew silent. Everybody looked at her
with terror on their faces. Cerina: "Twelve votca shots." She walked over
and sat down on the stoole. The bartender poored them quickly. Bar Tender:
"You're Vulca's general, aren't you?" Cerina: "I'm not into that any more.
Just poor the stuff." As she knocked back shot after shot, her past began
to come back to her. All of the evil things she had done with Vulca. Then
she began to picture herself doing that sort of thing again. But this time
to Nadira. A woman in a biker jacket sat down beside her. Woman: "Look
like you wanna kill somebody." Cerina slowly turned her head. Cerina: "Oh
yeah." Woman: "How come you left the queen?" At first Cerina didn't answer,
but finally decided to talk to the woman. Cerina: "Its my little girl.
I realized she wasn't safe in the palace, so I left." Woman: "I respect
that. Giving up your job for your kid like that." Cerina rolled her eyes.
Cerina: "Oh I can just die a happy woman now that I have the respect of
some hopless drunk in a bar." The woman pointed to the growing group of
shot glasses in front of Cerina. Woman: "Don't look like you're no better."
Kari walked back inside and up to
Rick. Rick: "Where's she at?" Kari: "I don't know. She ran off." Rick put
his arm around her. Kari rest her head against his chest. Kari: "I hate
this so much. All this fighting just makes me sick inside." Rick: "We're
rangers. Its our job to fight." Kari: "Not that. Fighting with each other.
When we formed the team, I hoped we could all get along." Rick didn't say
anything. He wasn't sure what he could say. Kari: "And now we're just totally
torn apart." Rick: "I don't think we've lost Cerina forever. She probably
just needed time to cool off." Kari: "But when she comes back, its just
going to start all over again." Rick: "You said you thought you could convince
them to get along." Kari: "Are you nuts? I can never do that!" Rick: "You're
an amazing woman. You can do anything you put your mind to. Even healing
this ungodly mess of a team." Kari stepped away a little. Kari: "You think
I can? Really?" Rick: "You have to try. I can't take much more of this."
Kari was about to walk away when she saw Niki standing in the door. Her
breath caught in her throat. Rick spoke for her. Rick: "How long have you
been there?" Niki ignored his question. Niki: "Where's my mommy?" Rick
and Kari exchanged worried glances, unsure of what to say.
Cerina: "I'm sorry. I just having
a bad day." The lady twisted the top off a beer. Woman: "That's ok. Care
to talk about it?" Cerina: "I am just getting fed up with this girl. She's
20 years old and acts like a kid. And her dad deffends this behavior."
Woman: "He just can't let go of his little girl." Cerina: "I just can't
put up with her anymore. I got in a fight with her dad earlier. I punched
him in the mouth and stormed out." Woman: "Da*n!" Cerina reached for a
bottle of beer for a change of paice. Cerina: "Sometimes I just want stab
her to death and get it over with." Woman: "But what kind of example would
that set for your daughter?" Cerina: "You're right. But I just don't know
what else to do. Working for Vulca all these years, I solved all my problems
through murder." The woman didn't respond. Cerina: "I was never proud of
what I did. Every night when I came home and could barely even look at
Niki. I couldn't face her. I mean, I raise her to be a kind person. But
when its all said and done, mommy's a cold blooded killer." Woman: "Life
is full on confussion. Difficult choices. You just have to hope you make
the right ones." Cerina rest her head on the counter. She didn't speak
for about ten minutes. She sat up and looked at the woman. Cerina: "What
should I do? Kill Nadira and get all my troubles out of the way, or try
to prove to Niki I'm a better person than I used to be?" Woman: "Use your
head. You'll think of something." She stood up. Woman: "I have to heading
back home. Good luck." Cerina waved to her as she walked towards the door.
Cerina: "Thanks."
Kari looked down at Niki and tried
to find the words. Niki: "Well?" Kari: "Cerina isn't here right now. She
left for a while, but she'll be back real soon." Niki: "She left because
she hates Nadira, right." Kari: "Oh... uh..." Rick: "Yeah." He turned to
Kari. Rick: "There's no reason to lie to the kid." Niki: "She's been like
this before. Whenever she lost a battle she always went out for hours.
And when she came back she didn't say a word the rest of the night." Kari
looked at her sympetheticly. Niki: "She doesn't think I know what was bothering
her, but I do." Kari: "She and Ransik just got into a fight. She needed
time to clear her head. Its nothing serious." Niki turned a walked down
the hall to her and Cerina's room. Kari: "I feel so bad for her. I can't
imagine how scary this must be for her." Rick: "It sure ain't healthy for
a kid to be around this kinda stuff. But what can ya do?" Kari: "We have
to get Cerina and Ransik to stop this. I can just think how upset I'd be
if my mom yelled so much." Rick: "So that's all the more reason you have
to try this. Niki deserves a childhood memory other than her mother beating
the crap out of some guy."