Lost Memories
The rangers walked up to a cave the next
day. They all looked at Kari, waiting for an explanation. Kari: "A few
years ago, there were an entire army of rebels fighting Vulca. We were
invincible. Or so we thought." Kelly: "What happened to them?" Kari: "Vulca
killed them. Every last one of them." Ransik sighed. Ransik: "That's all
well and good, but why are you telling us?" Kari leaned up against the
outside of the cave. Kari: "Because this is what will help us in battle.
This was their base. And since I'm the last one, we can use it to keep
out of sight." Rick: "She'll find us." Kari smiled. Kari: "Oh, I don't
think so." She walked inside. The others followed behind. She stopped in
front of a metal staircase and turned back to face them. Kari: "The cave
is just a cover. The actual base is underground." Rick shook his head in
approval. Rick: "Not bad." Kari lead them down below.
Vulca looked up from her throne as
Kitana came walking into the room. She stood quicly and shot a blast from
her staff. Kitana jumped to the side, avoiding the blast. Kitana: "Hey!
Just let me explain!" Vulca sat back down as if nothing had happened. Vulca:
"All right. Go." Kitana: "Well I went down to the cave and fought them.
They just..." Vulca: "Yes?" Kitana: "They just escaped." Vulca: "Right.
You let them escape with the morphers. My morphers." Kitana: "So I screwed
up once. What's the problem?" Vulca: "I was saving those as a secret weapon.
But now, my enemies have the power to defeat us. All thanks to you." Kitana:
"Just get another secret weapon." Vulca laughed. Vulca: "Well why didn't
I think of that? Just go out and buy a weapon to end all my problems. He*l,
I think they're on sale this week anyway." Kitana: "Vulca, again with the
attitude." Vulca shot a blue energy ball out of her hand, slamming Kitana
into the wall. Vulca: "After what you cost me yesterday, you're lucky all
you're getting from me is attitude. Now get out."
Kari: "Well, what do you think? Can
we make it a home?" Rick: "Its here for our safety. Not enjoyment. Its
fine." Kari: "You should lighten up." Cerina: "If we do that, Vulca will
win." Kari: "We can't spend every waking moment thinking about her. That's
crazy. We have lives!" Niki: "Yeah. You never used to care so much about
her." Cerina walked over and sat down in a chair in front of a large computer.
Cerina: "I know. But she never wanted me dead before." Kari: "You're just
on edge cause you ran out on her. Relax. She can't find us."
Kitana walked down the hall with an
angry look on her face. She came to the end of the hall and rounded the
corner. A man in a samuri suit looked up at her. Kitana: "Where do I get
a monster?" He pointed to a wall full of old stone tablets. On each one
was a picture of a different monster. Man: "I'm Boron. You must be the
new warrior." Kitana: "I don't care who you are. Can I get a da*n monster
or not?" Boron stepped back towards the wall. Boron: "Ye... yes. Take your
pick." Kitana looked around for a minute and pulled one down she liked.
Kitana: "This one." Boron blasted the tablet and in turned into a cloud
of black smoke. Once it cleared, the monster stood in front of Kitana.
Kitana: "Nice party trick. Come on." She walked out with the monster following
her, without another word to Boron. Boron shook his fist at her after she
had left. Boron: "I used to be somebody around here. When Cyann was in
charge. Now I'm nothing more than a mindless servent." He stared through
a window into the queen's bedroom. Boron: "One day I'll show Vulca what
I really think. And she'll wish she had treated me with the respect I deserve."
An hour later, the rangers were sitting
around talking. Cerina sat in a chair with her legs crossed. She hadn't
said anything in a while. Rick and Kari sat on the couch together. Kari:
"So you really never knew your parents?" Rick: "Oh them. No. I grew up
alone." Kari put her hand on his. Kari: "I'm so sorry." Rick: "Don't be.
I never needed them." Kari: "But what about.. well, love and guidence?"
Rick: "Believe me, you can live without love." Cerina looked up at them,
still saything nothing. Cerina thought: "Oh God Kari, why don't you just
ask him to marry you already? It would be a lot quicker than this." Rick:
"What was your life like before all this psycho sh*t?" Kari: "Well, my
childhood was pretty good. My parents always tried to make the best of
things. Even though the world was he*l, they didn't let it effect me."
Rick: "So why the rebel thing then?" Kari: "Once I moved out on my own,
I finally saw how bad things were. Vulca doesn't give us any rights at
all." Rick: "That's the one good thing about my life. I never listened
to any rules. Not from parents or Vulca. It just never agreed with me."
Kari laughed. Kari: "I wish I could have got away with that." Rick: "It
was simple. Because my parents abandoned me, I never got registered with
the government. The queen can't enforce anything laws on me if she don't
know I exist." Kari: "Cool."
Kelly walked over and tapped Cerina
on the shoulder. Cerina turned slowly and looked up at her. Kelly: "You've
sure been quiet lately." Cerina: "So?" Kelly: "Is something bothering you?"
Cerina: "No. I'm fine." Kelly was walking away from her, when Cerina stood
up from the chair. Cerina: "No wait a minute." Kelly turned back to her.
Cerina: "I'm not going to sit here and hide this." Kelly: "That's good,
cause you weren't doing a very good job." Cerina: "You really wanna know
what's up with me?" She didn't give Kelly time to answer. Cerina: "Its
your daughter." Kelly: "What did Nadira do?" Cerina: "The other night,
when we were in the palace, she took Niki to rob a store." Kelly put her
hand on her hip and was attempting not to laugh. Kelly: "You can't be serious!"
Cerina: "I am dead serious. What gives her the right to do that? Huh?"
Kelly: "It was good harmless fun." Cerina: "A man got shot!" Kelly: "Yeah.
Some man got killed. Niki didn't. Just forget about it." Cerina: "You may
not mind this sort of thing, but I didn't raise my daughter to be a thief
or a killer." Kelly looked over at Niki and Nadira running around in the
training area. Kelly: "If you want, I'll talk to Nadira. But I really don't
see why." Cerina: "Of course you don't see why. You're married to the mob.
But I would appreciate it if you'd talk to her. Yes." Kelly: "All right.
Tonight." She started to walk up the stairs, but stopped. Kelly: "Technically,
I'm not married to the mob. I'm divorced from it." Cerina faked a smile
at her little joke. Cerina thought: "On top of everything else, she gets
smart with me. Of course."
Kitana and the monster were in front
of a small house. It was old and the paint was faded. Kitana turned to
the monster. Kitana: "What a quaint little place. It would be such a shame
if someone were to destroy it." Monster: "Right." The monster wore blue
battle armor. His right arm was a cannon. He lifted the arm and fired at
the house. It went up in flames. Kitana could see a body in fire. Kitana:
"Look. That guy didn't even know what hit him."
Ransik came running into the room
with the others. They knew something was up right away. Ransik: "There
was an explosion outside. It came from just north of here." Cerina: "Vulca!"
Kari: "Yeah. Come on!" They ran out the door. Cerina stayed back a moment.
She stared down at Nadira, who was playing a board game with Niki. After
a minute, Nadira noticed Cerina's stare. Nadira: "What's your problem?"
Cerina: "Can you keep an eye on her long enough for me to go fight?" Nadira:
"No problem." Cerina: "I mean without comitting murder or anything this
time!" Nadira: "I'm not going anywhere. Just chill." Cerina: "Chill!" She
started to argue with her, but remembered the battle. Cerina: "We'll continue
this later." She ran out the door.
The rangers ran up to Kitana. By the
time they got there, the house had completely burned to the ground. Kitana
laughed. Kitana: "You guys are supossed to stop me from killing people.
But it seems you're just a little too late." Cerina: "We won't let you
kill again!" All five morphers began to glow with each ranger's color.
Kari: "Psycho Blast!" Kitana: "Kill them. But make sure those morphers
are not harmed." Monster: "No problem." He charged at them. Kelly ran up
behind him and held his arms behind his back. He broke free and hit her
with the side of his cannon arm. Then he blasted Cerina and Ransik. Rick
jumped up in front of the fallen rangers, only to be kicked down with them.
He jumped back up and threw a punch at the monster. It grabbed his hand
and held him. Rick looked down and noticed that the cannon was right up
against his chest. Kitana: "Fire already!" The monster shot him, sending
him flying through the air. Kari was ready to attack, but stopped when
she saw the mailbox. Then she remembered where she had seen this place
before. She remembered warm sunny days growing up where she would play
in the very front yard they were fighting in. A man and his wife had lived
there. They had been friends of her family. The monster was growing tired
of waiting as Kari stood totally still at the box. She saw an scene in
her mind of the man reading to her at night when she was about Niki's age.
After a minute, she refocused on the
battle. The monster stood in front of the burning lumbor that was one of
her favorite childhood memories. She clenched her hand into a tight fist
and stared the monster down. Kari: "You don't know what you've done." Monster:
"Don't think I care either." She ran up to him. He tried to throw a punch,
but she caught his fist. She was going to break his arm, but Kitana wouldn't
let her. She ran up and shot the Blue Ranger in the back. Kari let go of
the monster, but only for a second. Ignoring the pain, she pushed the monster
back. He fired a blast at her, but she jumped over it. As she was coming
back towards the ground, she wrapped her leg around Kitana's neck and brought
her down too. Kitana elbowed Kari in the head and stood back up. She looked
at the monster, furiously. Kitana: "Get her!" As he bent over to pick her
up, she kicked him in the nose. He held his face in pain. Kari: "You're
go'n down." She ran and pushed him to the ground. Then climbed on top of
him and began punching wildly. Cerina: "Kari, we can help you!" Kari looked
up at her, but didn't stop her attack. Kari: "No! Stay out of this!" She
hit him one last time and stood up. She held her hands out to her side.
A huge titlewave rose up out of nowhere. Kari: "Wave of Death!" The wave
washed over the monster. Once the water cleared, the monster was gone.
Kitana lay on the ground. She got up and flipped her wet her back behind
her. Kitana: "I'll be back Rangers." She teleported away in a flash of
purple light. The other rangers ran to Kari's side just as she passed out.
Rick kneeled down and picked her up.
A few hours after the battle, Kari
woke up. She was pleased to see Rick standing beside her bed. Kari: "Hey.
How long was I out?" Rick: "Bout three hours." He looked down at her and
smiled. It was the first time she had ever seen him do that. Rick: "You
impressed me out there today. I didn't think you had what it takes to beat
somebody that bad." Kari: "Thanks." Rick: "But why'd you pick this monster
though? What was it about him you didn't like?" Kari's expression turned
to anger. Kari: "He killed my friends." Rick: "What?" Kari: "I knew the
couple who lived in that house he destroyed. I played at the house when
I was little." She rested her head back on the pillow. Kari: "When I realized
what he had done, I just lost it." Rick: "I understand. He deserved that."
Rick headed for the door. Rick: "Guess I'd better let you rest. That fight
must have really drained you." Kari: "Yeah. I'll see ya later." He went
outside and closed the door. Cerina was standing to the side of the door.
Rick: "What's wrong with you?" Cerina: "She thinks she killed it, doesn't
she." Rick: "Well probably." Cerina: "She didn't. Vulca's monsters can't
die. They just return to the tablets they came from." Rick: "So its not
really over." Cerina thought for a moment. Cerina: "For now it is. She
never uses the same monster so soon. But someday she may have to face him
again." Rick: "I don't think we should tell her." Cerina: "I know. She
needs to believe he's dead. She'll have a since of victory that way." Cerina
walked past him and continued down the hall.
Kitana walked in to the throne room
and didn't give Vulca time to speak. Kitana: "Don't even say it. I know.
I failed, you're pi*sed, can we call it a night?" Vulca: "Its that attitude,
failures like that one, and your total hatrid of me that make me wonder
why the he*l you're still here." Kitana walked closer to the throne. Kitana:
"Don't talk to me as if I'm some inexperienced dumb a*s you drug in off
the street! I've been in battles for over 500 years!" Vulca: "So in all
that time, did you ever actually win a battle? Or would that be hoping
for to much?" At that moment, Kitana lost it. She charged at Vulca with
her sword drawn. Vulca sat calmly watching her advance. When she got as
close as she could get without being in arm's reach of her, Vulca shot
her back across the room. She held her against the wall with the blue energy
that came out of her hand. Kitana looked over at her, surprised. She didn't
even blink when she was charging her. Vulca: "Attacking me will get you
nothing but a free ticket to hell. Do you understand?" Kitana could see
she wasn't going to let her go until she agreed. Kitana: "Ok. I get it."
Vulca lowered her arm and the energy disappeared. Vulca: "I'm going to
let that slide. This time. But if you ever try something like that again...
well, we've been over that already, haven't we?" Kitana turned and walked
out of the room, shaking her head angirly.