The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 6 by Heather Ray (best free ereader .txt) 📕

yellow bird as it soared into the atmosphere. Beneath the occluding helmet, a wide, frightful smile appeared.

"Going somewhere?" the monster inquired in a surprisingly powerful voice. He raised his powerful ax into the air, and large black razors, each one about eight feet in length and three in girth, materialized at the sharp tip of the weapon and sailed at the Thunderbird like a rapid-fire machine gun. Kimberly did her best to avoid them, sometimes destroying the razors in mid air with a few well-placed lightning bolts, but she couldn't avoid them all. One collided with the tip of her golden wing, embedding itself in the metallic feathers. The force of the razor's flight edged the Thunderbird into a dizzying spin, but Kim quickly regained control.

"Now he's done it," the Gold Ranger huffed, "Thundernet, activate!"

Streams of crackling lightning fired from the forehead of the Thunderbird, encasing the knight in a cage of electricity. Rito laughed deeply, hefting his ax over his shoulder. In a morbid cloud, he vanished from within the cage, only to materialize a few yards outside of it.

"Is that the best you can do, Kimberly?" he mocked, tossing his helmeted cranium back in laughter.

Kim's eyes narrowed as she redirected the course of her flight. "How does he know my name?" she wondered.

"Adam!" Jason ordered, watching in his monitor as the Thunderbird steadily retreated to safe distance, "You take the high rode, and I'll take the low road!"

"Got it!" the Green Ranger replied, the Hawk streaking at the obsidian warrior. At the same time, the Rhinoceros charged at the sleek villain like a rabid bull, its sharp silver horn gleaming in the sunlight. Rito crouched slightly, and then somersaulted into the air, easily clearing the Rhinoceros while at the same time avoiding the Hawk. He landed behind them with amazing grace, especially considering the obvious weight of his suit of armor. Not wasting a moment, he spun around completely, his arching ax firing several dozen razors at both zords simultaneously. The Rhinoceros sustained minimal damage, but it was forced back into a cliff. The Hawk was forced to land, to prevent crashing.

"My turn!" Katherine declared, the Alligator spinning around. The large tail, lined with sharp "scales", rammed into Rito's legs, tearing through his heavy plated armor and knocking the creature on his back. Rito growled more with anger than pain, and then glared at the Alligator with intense crimson fury.

"Not bad," Rito conceded, rising to his feet. To Kat's horror, the gashes in the monster's sleek armor closed up before her eyes, not even leaving a hint of a dent. Rito bent his knees, and then launched himself into the air. The Alligator barely managed to duck, but as soon as Rito landed, he surprised Kat by throwing a powerful snap kick, his dense heel striking the Alligator in the neck, and piercing the hull of the zord. Then, Rito swung his ax around, and released a flurry of razors, all aimed at the head of the Alligator. Kat screamed as the thorns sliced into the aquamarine body of the zord, some even penetrating through the hull into the cockpit.

"Kat?" Jason shouted in horror from within his slightly battered Rhinoceros, "Kat, answer me!"


Chapter Thirty-Six

Alarms were screaming inside the Central Access Complex as the Red Terran Ranger materialized. However, the distraught Ranger ignored the sounds of the alarms, hurrying to the med-unit in the corner of the underground technological hub. The other teenagers present were all quick to react as Tommy laid the unconscious boy onto the cushioned cot as gently as he could.

"Oh my..." Brittany whispered, her hands flying to her mouth. Regina gasped deeply, swaying as if she would faint. Anthony was quick to support his girlfriend, and hesitantly the three elder Starlight Rangers approached the med-unit.

Tommy was standing woodenly beside the cot, gently brushing the boy's feathery bangs from his flushed face. His other hand was tightly gripping Micah's.

It was truly a touching scene.

"Step back," Tanya ordered sternly, pushing passed the petrified Starlight team. She activated the sensors on the med-unit, and calibrated the internal scanner.

"Broken bones?" Rocky inquired, quickly reaching Tanya's side.

"Looking," she answered, gazing at the small screen. An image of Micah's ribcage appeared, and as she altered the focus of the blue beam, the image shifted.

"He's in pain," Tommy said blankly.

"I'm on it," Aisha announced, filling a small needle with clear fluid. "This'll help him sleep."

The former Green Terran Ranger moved towards the boy, and injected his shoulder with the serum.

"Rocky, his skin --" Tanya started.

"Got it," he interrupted, tapping at the keys, "Dermal regenerator set."

"Is he okay?" Brittany whispered, glancing at Billy. The mentor of the Terran Rangers was still at his terminal, watching with a blank expression as the medical team raced to treat Micah as best they could.

It was amazing to Billy how quickly they all caught on to the use of the enhanced equipment in the CAC.

"I...I don't know," he confessed, "Tanya?"

"No broken bones," she breathed with relief. "No internal injuries. His neck has been injured though, and his shoulders are practically dislocated. The ties on his ankles and wrists dug deep, and cut the flow of blood to his hands and feet. But there's nothing here that we can't fix easily enough."

Brittany closed her eyes, and sighed. Regina smiled weakly and clenched Anthony's hand.

But Tommy was still motionless.

"Tommy?" Aisha whispered, grasping the Red Ranger's shoulder. "Can you hear me?"

Tommy responded by raising his arms, and slowly pulling off his helmet. He let his chocolate hair spill around his shoulders, and lifted his chin.

His haunted, bloodshot eyes startled all present.

Tommy's lips parted, but no words came out. He couldn't put into words what he was feeling. The shock, horror, and anger was so overwhelming, he couldn't even think clearly. So, he remained at Micah's side, letting tears fall from his eyes.

Just then, two columns of energy heralded the arrival of Rebecca and David.

"What took you guys so long?" Brittany inquired, giving her friend a tight hug.

"I just had to fill David in on what's going on," she responded. "He knows everything now."

Rebecca then glanced passed the Yellow Ranger. Her smile fell when she saw the huddle surrounding the med-unit. "Micah?"

"He's going to be okay," Brittany assured her. "There's no permanent damage."

Rebecca then released the breath she was holding.

David then stepped out from behind Rebecca, and moved towards the crowd of people. His eyes narrowed with curiosity as he caught sight of Micah's slumbering form. Although his wounds were numerous, he put faith in the Yellow Starlight Ranger's assurance that they would heal.

He then set his discerning gaze to the Red Terran Ranger, who remained at the side of the med-unit. His dark eyes widened as he absorbed the features of the hero that earlier were hidden by his crimson helmet.

True, Rebecca had informed him about Tommy Oliver, their blood connection, and even their mutual destiny regarding the arrowhead. Still, gazing at Tommy's face wasn't too different from looking into a mirror.

David quickly recovered from the surprise, and moved closer to the Red Ranger. He hesitated a moment, realizing that the Ranger was already in a disturbed frame of mind.

Still, he had waited so long to discover his destiny. He couldn't wait any longer.

"Tommy?" he said quietly, laying his sturdy hand on the young man's shoulder. Tommy frowned slightly at the unfamiliar voice, and turned around to see its origin.

Slowly, his reddened eyes widened.

"David?" Tommy whispered, his shock causing him to drop Micah's hand.

"You guessed it," he finished, smiling warmly and extending his hand, "and I can't tell you how glad I am to finally meet you."

Tommy recalled the image of David Trueheart he had seen on the screen earlier, but he couldn't prevent the shock from plowing through his system.

He never knew he had a brother. As True of Heart had promised, the arrowhead segment did lead him to the greatest discovery of his life.

Tommy shook David's hand, his lips curling into a smile. He then pulled his brother closer, and wrapped him in a tight, heartfelt embrace.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Tears rolling down his cheeks, Tommy pulled away from his brother. His wide gaze absorbed his appearance hungrily, and he rested his hands upon his shoulders.

"I...I can't believe it," Tommy said quietly, "I mean...you're standing right in front of me...and I can't believe you're real!"

David pursed his lips, nodding emphatically. "I know what you mean! I've lived my whole life just wondering if I was alone in the world. I have friends and family, but no blood relation. All I had were bits and pieces of faded memories, and a feeling that I had a destiny to fulfill. And when I got the arrowhead..."

David's eyes then widened, as his hand traced his bare neck. "I...I lost it on the cliffs..."

Tommy's smile widened, as his hand crept beneath his collar. He unveiled two leather chords, each holding one of two matching arrowhead halves. "I've got you covered, Brother."

Watching on from a distance, Rocky kept his hands clasped behind his back. He had made room for the Starlights to cluster around their injured teammate, since he could provide no further care. He visibly cringed as the Alligator fell victim to a spray of razors from the obscure sentinel. He could hear the loud crunch of metal on metal, and a deep frown formed on his face.

"Tommy," he said sternly, crisply approaching the brothers, "I hate to be the bringer of bad news here, but the rest of the team could use your help. The Terras don't stand a chance without the Megazord!"

Tommy's euphoric expression sobered almost instantly, as he turned away from his brother to face the grim situation before him. He picked up his discarded crimson helmet, and clenched his jaw as he pulled it over his countenance.