Power Rangers Zeo: Venusian Encounter, Heather Ray [books that read to you .txt] 📗

Shouldn't you be at the Pan-Global Games?"

Kim remained silent for a moment, pondering what to tell her step-father. She smiled at him softly.

"Pierre, Mom's in big trouble, and I am also. I came here, hoping she's okay, but it looks like I'm too late. Now, I really have to go. I'm really sorry, but I don't have time for an explanation. Don't worry about Mom, though, she'll be okay. She's got to be."

Pierre stared at Kimberly for a moment, confusion etched all over his face. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but then promtly shut it and smiled.

"Very well," he said finally, "You're a responsible girl, so I won't question you. Just be careful, Kimberly."

Kim smiled and hugged him again. She then waved her goodbye and hurried out of the building. She looked around at the busy streets of Paris, searching for a safe spot to teleport to her next stop. She turned around quickly when a flash of golden light from a dark alleyway caught her eye. Kim glanced around quickly and then ran down the alley, searching for what looked like a Venusian warrior. As soon as she stopped at the dead end, she was hit in the back and thrown into the wall harshly. She shook off the attack and looked up, straight into the glowing onyx eyes of her attacker.

"Scorpina," she muttered, her voice laced with hatred, "What did you do to my mother?"

"Very good," said Scorpina, walking closer to Kim and placing her foot on Kim's stomach, "I didn't think you'd see me. I must admit, Paris is a really intriguing city. I'd like to see a bit more of it."

Kim scowled and grabbed Scorpina's ankle, twisting her leg and throwing her off with enchanced strength. Scorpina landed gracefully on her feet, but Kim took advantage of Scorpina's surprise and leapt to her feet to assume a fighting stance. Scorpina started to laugh.

"Please Kimberly!" she gasped, still laughing, "Just because you've learned that you are a Venusian doesn't mean you are my equal. I could destroy you with a flick of my wrist!"

"Well, why don't you?" asked Kim.

"Because, Syren wants all the Venusian descendents and Leila alive, so they can all die at a ceremony at sunrise. She's already upset because I killed Leila. She'll really get angry if I kill you as well."

Kimberly stood her ground, her face not revealing the shock and fear she felt when she heard about Leila Ryan's horrible fate. "Why are you telling me all this?" she asked Scorpina, not relaxing her fighting stance in the least, "I'm sure you've heard the phrase 'knowledge is power' before. Why give us so much knowledge?"

"Maybe I don't think it'll do you any good," answered Scorpina, unsheathing her sword, "Or maybe I wanted you to know that at the moment your mother is alive, but I don't need much convincing to end her life. After all, Leila irritated me with her spirit, and I killed her for that. If you don't cooperate, I'll just have to vent my anger on your mother, aunt, and cousins."

"Aunt Jo, Kelly, and my cousin Courtney, I presume," said Kim, "You know I won't surrender, Scorpina. I'm their only hope of surviving tomorrow."

"Then they have no hope!" roared Scorpina, leaping at Kim with her sword held out. Kim dodged Scorpina's attack, but she didn't move enough to keep the sharp sword from piercing her forearm. She clutched her wound gently, measuring how serious it was. The blood almost immediately began to dry, and before Scorpina even collected her bearings for another strike, Kim struck her with a graceful whip kick, followed by a punch to the face and a sweep. Scorpina fell back at Kimberly's lightning quick offense, and grinned mockingly at the short gymnast.

"I see you've picked up some fighting techniques from your ex,"she said, rising to her feet and promptly blocking Kim's tornado kick, "but you still aren't the fighter I am!"

Kim ducked Scorpina's sword swing and backflipped to a safe distance, striking Scorpina under the chin with her feet during the flip. Scorpina fell backwards into the wall as Kim landed on her feet, crouching to absorb the impact and touching her wrist communicator. Her body began to glow pink, and she soon vanished in a streak of pale pink light. Scorpina followed the streak of light with her eyes as it pierced through the pale orange light of dawn in Paris France. Scorpina raised her sword to the air, her eyes glowing with fury.

"How dare

she run away!" cried Scorpina angrily, "She will not get away with this! I will not let her! You'll be back, Kimberly Hart! I refuse to leave Paris until I have your head on a stick!"

With that, Scorpina ran into the streets of Paris, destroying everything in her path.

Chapter Fourteen

Renee Ryan looked at her unusual surroundings. She stood atop a large plateau decorated with Grecian style pillars, lush green vines, and a sort of altar in the center. She sat on a boulder on the edge of the plateau and gazed in awe at the magnificent jungle below, stretching as far as the eye can see. Flocks of birds sailed on the wind, and the cries of wolves could be heard from all directions. The only thing that broke the sea of green that was Phaedos was a large mountain miles away from the plateau. This mountain caught Renee's attention. She turned around to Dulcea, who was busy starting a fire on the altar.

"Dulcea," she said, "What's that mountain over there?"

"It is the Great Monolith, where the Power Rangers charged their Power Coins after their powers were destroyed."

"Are you all alone on this planet?"

"No. Behind the Monolith is Ninjor's Temple. Ninjor is the forger of the Power Coins, and I am the keeper of the Ninja Power. Together we created the second batch of Power Coins, infused with the Ninja Power."

"Will I have to go to the Monolith to get my powers?"

"No. I would like to send you on a quest to prove your worth, but time is of the essence, and you are not going to receive a Power Coin, so you do not need to go visit Ninjor. You shall become a Ninjetti Warrior. Not like the Power Rangers were, but like all others of Venusian blood are. Are you ready to search for your animal guide, Renee?"

"Am I ever!" said Renee, hopping off the rock and standing beside Dulcea. Dulcea pointed to the fire, which flickered all the colors of the rainbow and beyond.

"Look into the fire, Little Sister, and gaze deeply for meaning. Focus on the fire and nothing but the fire, and shut your mind to any noises you may hear, or thoughts that may float in your mind. Concentrate, and close your eyes when you feel you have found the heart of the fire."

Renee looked at Dulcea questioningly, then shrugged and turned her attention to the fire. She stared at the fire, obeying Dulcea's instructions, and forced herself to calm down from the excitement and fear she's been feeling since she and Kim were attacked in Florida by Dalal. Renee searched deeply through the fire, looking for its heart. She found it--a crystal clear gem about the size of an apple, suspended in the center of the fire. She looked at it for a second, and then closed her eyes. When she did, the sparks of the flames turned from a mix of all the colors in existence to just one. The flame became completely orange, but Renee didn't notice, for she was completely oblivious to the world. Dulcea smiled and then stood across from Renee, and blew a handful of silvery powder onto the fire. The flames intensified, and the orange smoke created from the fire wrapped around Renee's body, draping her with impenetrable orange silk. Renee opened her eyes, and examined her new clothing in surprise. She was wearing an orange bikini top, orange leggings, and a black sheer cloth that fell from the black silk belt to about mid thigh, with two long slits on each side. She had on black and gold bands on her arms that nearly reached her shoulders, and short black boots with a golden stripe going down the middle. On her forehead she had an orange band with a golden circle in the middle, and on the center of her bikini top was golden coin with the design of a roaring cat etched in its face. Renee's long dark hair was pulled into a high ponytail, clasped with a gold band.

"Wow," Renee whispered, "I don't look anything like a Power Ranger."

"You aren't a Power Ranger," said Dulcea, stepping towards Renee and smiling, "You are a Venusian Warrior. You are not a Ninjetti Priestess, as I am, so you cannot communicate with your animal guide, nor can you become your animal guide. However, you gain strength, wisdom, and knowledge from your animal guide, and this will be vital in the coming battle."

"Cool," Renee said with a smile, looking intently at the badge on her chest.

"Renee Ryan, you are the Tiger, fierce and agile. Now, you should be strong enough to break Syren's spell and free the male Power Rangers. Let us hurry, it takes a while to transport to Earth from here even at the speed of light."

"Then let's hit the road," said Renee, and they vanished in streaks of white and orange light.

Chapter Fifteen

In the Power Chamber, Jason, Tanya, and Katherine tell Zordon and Alpha about their trips across the country and beyond, and report their findings regarding the missing people.

"Kim was right," said Jason, "Those other teleports were Venusian warriors collecting the descendants of the rebels. Two women from Angel Grove are missing, Josephine and Kelly Trent. In Montreal, Courtney Davis disappeared from her office building, and Elisa Manning was abducted in Seattle. That's a total of four women gone without a trace."

"In Oxford, the report is that Andrea Turner was abducted from her dorm room," said Katherine, reading off a pink pad of paper, "and