Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie by Heather Ray (beach read book .TXT) 📕

wrapped around the center of her bow. She twisted them in opposite directions, causing the threadlike chord to disappear, and allowing the weapon to separate. After quickly estimating the appropriate force, she launched the two blades like boomerangs.

The two Piranhatrons had no chance to react as the wicked makeshift swords impaled them simultaneously.

She heard the creatures squeal, and the splash of her weapons falling to the water. She remained silent, her eyes burning as she waited for any surprises.

Then, she waded through the water, and retrieved her weapon.

"So, what do you think, my Lady?" asked a disembodied voice.

She smiled as she snapped the two pieces together. "I believe we have a winner, Merchant."

A door swung open, allowing her to exit the practice chamber. She stepped into the harsh sunlight hanging outside the weapon booth, tossing her damp hair behind her back.

"That was amazing!" Elgar sang, clapping his hands in delight. "I didn't know the bow could shoot fire!"

The merchant, a sly-looking reptilian creature, smiled. "It doesn't. The Phaedosian warriors forged weapons that rely upon the power of the wielder. The bow draws energy from the user, manifesting into physical form." He then turned to the black-clad warrior. "It appears Fire is your signature energy, my Lady."

"Well, duh

,"

she huffed. She then turned her crimson eyes to the weapon, running gloved fingers over the delicate carvings that lined the flat edge of the blades. "This weapon is from Phaedos?"

"Yes, Lady. It is a priceless artifact from the Light Era, when the Ninjetti cult was at the peak of their civilization. The craftsmanship simply cannot be imitated. The ancient weaponsmiths of Phaedos passed on their brilliance for generations, until the war against Erebus annihilated the entire cult, and razed their cities to the ground."

Well, not all of them died.

Dulcea had proven herself a remarkable warrior, and her Whistling Sticks were very unique. They were simple, unobtrusive, and very, very

effective. They also combined into a sturdy pole, that the Ninjetti Priestess used to knock the presumptuous White Ranger flat on his rear, all those months ago.

Kimberly smiled at the memory. If Dulcea's weapon was any indication, Phaedosian arms were truly to be coveted. "I'll take it."

She then glanced at Elgar. The white mutant nodded at the mute command, and fished through a sack of coins gripped tightly in his fist.

Kimberly slid her new weapon behind her back, and draped her heavy velvet cloak over her shoulders. The long garment reached the floor, letting the embroidered hem drag against the dusty earth like a royal train. She began walking away, taking long strides, as Elgar dropped some coins on the counter.

The lizard frowned. Before Elgar could even yelp, a three-clawed hand grasped his wrist. "I do hope you realize this is merely the down payment, little man."

Elgar gulped, staring at the forked tongue that slid between the merchant's sharp teeth. "Uh…um…"

The merchant lifted his eyes when suddenly, a wave of scalding heat poured over his body. Puzzled, he turned to see the cause.

Kimberly stood behind Elgar, staring down her nose at the lizard despite being over a foot shorter and one third his body weight. Her cloak covered most of her body, blanketing her athletic form in black. Her eyes began to smolder, a faint aura of furious red leaking out of eyes, emphasizing the small lines of her impatient frown, coloring her pale skin faintly crimson.

All in all, she looked like some sort of pagan goddess of Death.

Her lips thinned angrily. "Our business is done, Merchant."

Beady eyes watched the heat waft off the girl like smoke climbing to the heavens. Her breath was so shallow, her shoulders didn't even quiver. Her face was completely immobile, letting crimson orbs stare into the skin of the being that would dare raise his voice against her.

Just what kind of being could she be?

True, she was able to destroy a handful of her Piranhatrons with little effort; but that hardly indicated a true threat. Most soldiers on Onyx could swiftly best a few drones, especially when armed with such an exotic weapon.

The lizard rationalized himself out of his initial apprehension. "Hardly," he sneered, "That weapon is extremely rare. What you've given me I could easily quadruple at auction."

Her eyes narrowed. "If you don't release my associate, you will never earn another gold piece again."

The lizard met her gaze easily, leaning forward in an attempt to intimidate her. Only then did he notice that, when he looked closely, he could see the reason why her eyes burned red.

Terror lanced through his body when he saw the furious flames dancing about her pupils. She…she has the Flame of Destruction in her veins!

Over the weeks, rumors had spread throughout the galaxy of Lord Maligore's death on the remote planet Earth. Most beings, fiends included, were relieved by his defeat. For some, it meant continued peace in their region. For others, it meant the annihilation of a potential rival.

But there were other rumors… that Maligore wasn't completely destroyed. Some of his power lived on, promising horrible vengeance against the heroes that cut him down.

Could this mere slip of a girl be Maligore's latest incarnation?

The merchant wasn't particularly inclined to take the chance.

After a lengthy silence, he recovered his voice. "I believe our deal is complete." His fingers slipped off Elgar, letting the groveling mutant hurry to the woman's side.

Kimberly kept her unwavering gaze on the merchant as he bowed politely. "Good day, Lady."

Slowly, a smirk replaced her baleful frown. "Smart lizard."

She turned on her heel, her cloak sweeping behind her, and made her way out of the market. She ignored Elgar's babbling gratitude, as well as the dozens of witnesses, following the girl with eyes filled with shock, confusion, and often enough, trepidation.

Only one set of eyes watched her in appreciation…crimson eyes set in a face of expressionless clay.

Chapter Fifty-Four

"Ooo, what did you get me, what did you get me, what did you get me??"

Kimberly watched with a mixture of amusement and annoyance as the notorious Pirate Queen clapped her hands in excitement. It was incredible how… girlish Divatox acted, when she didn't have the weight of leadership on her shoulders, or the fear of usurpers wrinkling her forehead. When she could simply be herself, which was only in private, or with trusted friends.

Hmph. Friends…

It felt strange how their relationship developed over the course of three weeks. For some reason, the Pirate Queen enjoyed the former Pink Ranger's presence. The first few days, Divatox tended to her newest recruit like a hostess, trumpeting orders throughout the ship to get the human girl every amenity available.

Why she was so amiable, Kimberly could never understand.

In her experience, friendship was inevitably disappointing at best, devastating at worst. All in all, it wasn't worth the emotional investment. Of course, with the Flame of Destruction muting her ability to genuinely care for anyone, developing such a relationship was out of the question.

She preferred to consider the Pirate Queen an ally who shared similar goals. Though she was loathe to admit it, Kimberly simply wasn't properly prepared to go into the universe alone. True, she had more than enough power to protect herself, and the floating rumors of Maligore's child did bring many creatures nearly to their knees in her presence, but she'd never explored outer space. With the exception of the occasional kidnapping to the moon, and the trip to Phaedos, she'd never been out of the Earth's atmosphere.

She knew nothing about being a villain. She had the hatred and the zeal, but she didn't know where the best spaceports were, how to appropriate a vessel and crew, or other such critical details. The Flame of Destruction granted power without experience… and never again would she let her own naïveté leave her open to manipulation. A hard lesson learned, but learned nonetheless.

Divatox seemed eager to take the teenaged girl under her wing. While her irrationality and childish tantrums ranged from amusing to utterly irritating, the experienced Pirate did offer the opportunity to learn such things during their twenty-day voyage to restock supplies and develop a plan to exact the revenge they both so desperately sought. And finally, once the Power Rangers were humbled, and Katherine and Tommy paid for their sins against her trust… the allegiance would end.

Kimberly never let herself consider what would happen afterward.

"Kimberly, you're doing it again."

The spawn of evil met the chiding gaze of Divatox. "Doing what?"

"Thinking about those worthless humans."

Her brow quirked. "What makes you say that?"

Divatox clicked her tongue, wagging her finger like a kindergarten teacher. "Your eyes are glowing, Hon. You only do that when you're worked up, and only one thing gets you that worked up."

Note to self: stop wearing your feelings on you goddamned sleeve!

Kimberly managed to school her face into a malicious grin. "Just imagining the edge of my new weapon running right through their armor."

She swept off her heavy cloak, and produced her obsidian bow from her back with a flourish.

Divatox grinned in approval, watching her protégé split the weapon into two dangerous blades. "Stylish, practical, and

deadly. Diva likes!" She then looked around pointedly. "But…what did you get me

?"

Kim sighed. All too often the Pirate Queen acted suspiciously like a spoiled four year-old.

She turned away from Divatox, letting her gaze linger on the desert planet Onyx. It swam in an ocean of black space, growing ever smaller in the porthole. "How long until we reach Earth?"

Divatox pouted; clearly, she wouldn't be getting a present. "Three days tops. Plenty of time for you to master that new gizmo of yours, and for Rygog to rig that bomb we picked up." She rubbed her hands in wicked anticipation. "Just in time for their graduation day! Ha! They ruined the most important ceremony in my life…it's only fitting we return the favor!"

Kimberly smirked. Though the plan lacked creativity or subtlety, it more than made up for it with its simplicity and downright cruelty. Once the ship arrived on Earth, Kimberly would plant a high-potency bomb in the Angel Grove Power Plant. While small and discreet, the bomb was powerful enough to set off a chain reaction that would level at least twelve miles of surrounding territory. Thousands of lives would be lost as residences, stores, offices, and schools were swallowed in the blast.

The graduation ceremony would be across town, sparing all the Rangers from the first assault. However, they'd be too distracted by all the festivities to save the innocent people caught in the explosion. Then, the insipid Rangers would finally realize she would do anything… kill anyone

…to make them suffer.