The Terran Rangers/Final Fantasy VII by Heather Ray (summer beach reads txt) 📕

over half an hour of howling loudly, the incessant beeping of the alarm steadied into a prolonged tone. The flashing lights stopped, and the screens went still.

The Power Rangers, Rocky, and Tanya stopped their desperate work, and held their collective breath, silently hoping for a miracle.

It didn't come.

Rocky shuddered, closing his eyes tightly to prevent the tears from flowing. Alexis quietly moved beside him, and clutched his hand soothingly.

Unexpectedly, Rocky broke down that instant, wrapping his arms around Alexis and squeezing her tightly, as if his life depended on it. Tears welled in his eyes, dripping down his face silently. Alexis hugged him back fiercely, trying her best to control her own emotions.

Adam sank to the floor, his lengthening curls casting a shadow over his dark eyes. Tanya fell to her knees beside him, and embraced him with all the strength in her body. Both teens did their best not to fall apart emotionally.

Katherine turned away from the others, allowing herself to cry into her hands freely. Jason was at her side in an instant, his gaze fixed on the still body.

Kimberly took a seat beside Aisha...her best friend...and bit her lip savagely, trying to hold back the cries of rage that threatened. Tommy stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her head against his body.

Jason then returned to the side of the med-unit, tears sliding down his own cheeks. His hand tenderly grasped the sheet that covered Aisha up to her chest.

Slowly, he pulled it over her lifeless face.

The silent mourning scene was interrupted by a blinding green light, pulsing from near the teleportation relay. All the teens turned in mute surprise, as the light took the form of two figures.

"That was prodigious!" Billy exclaimed, running his fingers through his disheveled hair, "Completely instantaneous transportation! Even our teleportation from nearby locals takes some time...even if it be nanoseconds. But, as soon as we dematerialized on Midgar, we rematerialized in the CAC!"

Zack was smiling at Billy's excitement. For him, nanoseconds and instantaneous didn't differ at all. But, he wasn't much of a physicist. For Billy, it was a world of difference...a whole new means of transport requiring further study.

Zack and Billy turned around, their eyes panning the chamber for signs of their friends. They were both giving a rude awakening when they finally registered the somber congregation around the med-unit.

Kat, Kimberly, Jason, Alexis, Rocky, Adam, Tanya, and Tommy stared in stupefaction at the sudden appearance of their friends.

If they had appeared just moments earlier...they might have been happy to see them. But now, the pain only worsened.

Tommy disengaged his arms from his girlfriend, and approached the two young men slowly. His curious gaze leapt from their strange weapons to Zack's emerald eyes. "What...happened to you guys?" he whispered.

"We found the cure," Billy said, his glance turning to Tommy, and then back to the others. Their failure to greet them enthusiastically didn't bode well.

"Yeah," Zack said, a small grin returning, "I've been given the power to cure her."

Tommy's gaze dropped to the floor, his shoulders slumping slightly.

Zack's eyes widened when he noticed all the others mimicking his movements.

"What's wrong...?" Zack whispered.

This time, Jason stepped forward. "I...I'm sorry, Man," he choked, his lip trembling, "If you had been a few minutes earlier..."

He left the rest unsaid.

Zack immediately dashed to the med-unit, while the assembled teens moved out of the way. His panic rising, his breath caught in his throat and tears immediately sprang to his green eyes when he saw the white sheet completely covering a form on the bed.

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Not a word...not even an unintelligible cry.

Nothing.

"When did she crash?" Billy demanded, leaning his Partisan against a console and joining Tanya and Adam near the monitors. Tanya rose to her feet, leaving the Green Ranger on the floor, still trapped in a world of his guilty emotions. While Tanya pulled up the information, Billy's blue gaze remained on Adam... ore specifically, the verdant armor he wore.

"Adam..." he said in disbelief, "why?"

The Green Ranger looked up, tears pouring from his eyes. "Because I had to. And if I had done it sooner, then Aisha..."

He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence, and his unseeing gaze fell again to the green helmet sitting by his knees.

"Time of death... :22 a.m." Tanya said, a deep breath passing through her lips as she wiped tears with the back of her hand. "Less than two minutes ago."

Billy bit his lip, yanking the sheet completely from Aisha. He grabbed her hand gently.

"She's not entirely cold yet," he said, looking up, "Zack, try it!"

Zack swallowed hard. When Billy had pulled away the white sheet, he had turned around. He didn't want to see her...the woman he let down. He couldn't bring himself to look at those sparkling eyes, forever hidden behind her eyelids to never see the world again.

"Zack!" Billy repeated, leaning forward and snapping through his friend's tremulous thoughts. "Hurry up! The longer you wait, the less chance there is she'll survive."

"She's already dead!" Zack cried, a sob escaping him. He clenched his fists tightly, desperate to regain composure.

"Then you certainly can't hurt her by trying," Billy offered.

Zack pursed his trembling lips tightly, his eyes flashing slightly with green energy. He held his breath, and hesitatingly lifted his hands. Slowly, he reached for Aisha's hands.

He cringed when he realized how flaccid they were, but his grip only tightened in reaction. He felt the eyes of all his friends on him, lending them whatever support they could. He glanced at Billy, who nodded to edge him on.

Finally, Zack fixed his verdant gaze on Aisha's closed eyes. Eyes that would forever remain closed... unless he did something about it.

His determination mounting, Zack exhaled strongly, and closed his eyes.

"So, what happens now?" Kimberly whispered, unconsciously leaning closer to her boyfriend. In response, Tommy's strong arm wrapped around her shoulders comfortingly.

"We wait," Billy answered, stepping back.

Katherine, Jason, Tommy, Kimberly, Adam, Tanya, Rocky, and Alexis all gasped in shock as a mist of whitish-green energy began to seep out of Zack's body. The energies entwined into twisting strands of power, and channeled down Zack's body, along his arm, and from there around Aisha's arm.

Slowly, the Mako energy encased Aisha in a brilliant web of power, floating around her body several inches above her skin in a hypnotizing dance of power.

Zack opened his mouth suddenly, a choked breath escaping him. Jason, who was standing closest, moved forward in case Zack should lose his balance. His eyes then widened when he saw a white sphere of energy build at Zack's heart, and pulse with energy.

"What's that?" he whispered, glancing at Billy.

Billy was too occupied by the events to even hear the Black Terran Ranger's question.

The sphere then jutted from Zack's chest, causing him to gasp and shudder. His knees shook, and he slowly lowered to the ground.

Jason immediately grabbed the young man's waist, holding him up.

He was amazed that, despite Zack's obvious loss of strength, his grip on Aisha's hands were as strong as before.

The sphere hovered over Aisha for a few moments, flashing with intense white energy. The green web of energy bathing her body began to seep into the sphere, causing the sphere to glow all the brighter.

Finally, after all the mist was absorbed, the sphere flashed once, and leaped into Aisha's chest.

Aisha's body began shaking, and he limbs began to jerk uncontrollably. Rocky and Adam were at her side in an instant, holding down her arms and legs to prevent her from falling off the med-unit.

Amazingly, Zack's grip remained on her hands.

Then, Aisha grew still. Zack's strength faded completely, and he leaned entirely on Jason, his hands falling to his sides. Jason blinked, looking around at his friends.

"I'll get him a chair," Katherine volunteered, rushing to grab a chair from against the wall. She set it beside the med-unit, and Jason sat Zack down.

Adam gazed from Zack to Aisha, a bewildered expression on his weary face. "Did it work?" he asked.

Rocky remained still, his dark eyes fixed entirely on Aisha. "I...I can't tell."

Tanya stepped away from the cohesive group, and glanced at the monitors. The flat line that measured Aisha's vital signs remained unchanged. Slowly, her hand rose to her face.

"She's...not coming back," Tanya whispered, wrapping her arms around her body.

Just then, Zack groaned weakly, pulling his eyes open despite their resistance. He blinked, as if the light of the CAC irritated him.

His dark brown eyes bounced around the scene quickly, from his friends, to the computer screens across from him, to Aisha.

Aisha...

His eyes narrowing, Zack grabbed the edge of the med-unit, and pulled himself to his feet. His legs trembling under his own weight, he watched her eyes cautiously, holding his breath.

Slowly, his hand reached out to hers, enclosing it gently.

"It had to work," Alexis whispered, squeezing her burning eyes closed. "It just had to..."

Silence reigned. No one moved. No one spoke. No one breathed.

Suddenly, a slow, weak beeping noise sliced through the morbid void of sound. Tanya whirled around, her eyes tearing all over again and a wide smile perking her lips. Excitedly, she turned to the others, unable to utter a sound.

Her expression of hope was enough. All the teens gathered around, their eyes fixed on Aisha's face.

And then...her eyes opened.

She blinked weakly, a confused frown on her face. Her frown melted when she saw Zack standing over her, a wide smile curling his lips.

"Hey, Taylor," she whispered, surprised at the weakness of her voice.

"Hey yourself," he said, tightening his grip on her hand. He slowly helped her sit up on the med-unit. One glance around the room alarmed her. All her friends were in a semi-circle around the cot, with tears shining in their eyes, and excited and relieved smiles on their face.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"Welcome back!" Kimberly shrieked, unable to harness her feelings. She rushed forward, tying her friend in a tight hug. Aisha hugged her back, though confusion still marred her expression.

"Group hug!" Rocky announced excitedly, wrapping his strong arms around both girls. Then, with laughs of euphoria, all twelve teenagers coiled together, almost like a rope with many strands. And Aisha found herself in the center of this pool of filial affection.

"What the heck is going on here?!" she demanded, as the group disentangled themselves. Aisha huffed with slightly frustration, hopping off the med-unit.

She looked up, and saw Adam standing just inches before her, with bloodshot eyes and an all-too-familiar green and gold uniform. She was stunned.

"Have a seat," he beckoned, "it's a long story."