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

screeching with rage. On impact, Dalal was thrown back into the other side of the hall, cradling her side painfully.

"You...you are Ninjetti," she whispered, "You are stronger than I thought."

"Darn straight!" cried Renee, standing up and walking over to stand beside Kimberly, "Kim here is the toughest gal I know!"

"Renee!" cried Kim in surprise. Dalal's eyes widened as she gazed at Renee.

"No human could survive such an attack," said Dalal, standing up, "You are Venusian, but not one of the descendents Syren mentioned."

"Come again?" said Renee in confusion.

"I must tell Syren," muttered Dalal, as she vanished from the hall. As soon as she disappeared, Eric, Trevor, and Coach Schmidt collapsed to the floor, waking up from their trances.

"Kim?" asked Trevor, standing up and running to her, "Are you okay?"

"I...I have to take care of something," she stammered, stepping back from Trevor, "Renee, could you come with me?"

Renee nodded and followed Kim down the hall. The two girls ran as quickly as they could to their apartment, where Kim immediately picked up the phone and dialed a familiar phone number.

"What are you doing?" asked Renee, sitting down on Kim's bed.

"I'm calling Tommy," she explained, "Something is going on here!"

After several rings, the answering machine picked up. Kim left a brief message and tried Adam and then Rocky. Then she tried Katherine, and Jason, and even Tanya. But no one was home.

"They must be on a mission or something!" she moaned angrily, hanging up the phone, "Now what do I do?"

"Well," said Renee, "you can start by telling me what the heck is going on here!"

"Its a long story," sighed Kimberly, "but I guess its okay to tell you, considering the circumstances. Y'see, before I came to Florida to train for the Pan-Globals, I was the Pink Power Ranger."

"You mean the Power Rangers are real?" Renee gasped.

"Yes. Me and my friends were chosen to protect the Earth from invading aliens. Its all true. Well anyway, I retired from the team to pursue my gymnastics career. I gave my Power Coin to another friend of mine. The coin is where the super powers come from. I guess Lord Zedd, the ruler of the invading aliens, wants me as a hostage to trap the other rangers or something. He's used that trick a dozen times before."

"So you knew that blonde woman that attacked us?"

"No, but her armor looks alot like that of an old enemy of mine. We're lucky to have escaped, 'Ne. Zedd's servants are pretty tough."

"Okay, I have one more question. How were you able to pull off those amazing flips? And when you dove at Dalal, you turned into a pink glowing bird. You said you gave your Power Coin to someone else. You're not a Power Ranger anymore, are you?"

"No, I'm not. Actually, that's the first time I exhibited super powers since I gave up my coin. That's why I wanted to contact the other rangers, but they seem to be on a mission. Okay, 'Ne, now I have a question for you. How did you survive that energy blast from Dalal? She was so shocked that you still were alive that she retreated."

"I don't know," said Renee with a shrug, "I've always been an amazingly quick healer. Mom always says I have a very efficient self-healing system, or something like that. My mother's like that too, so I guess it just runs in the family."

Suddenly, there was a flash of white light, and a small snow owl appeared above the bed. Both Kimberly and Renee looked at the small bird curiously as it flew to the ground and transformed into a tall woman in a green armored bikini. Renee raised her eyebrow and looked at the woman, while Kim got up and greeted the strange visitor.

"Dulcea!" she cried, "What're you doing here? I thought you could never leave the plateau on Phaedos!"

"It is true, one of the costs of being keeper of the Ninjetti powers is a loss of my agelessness. When I am not near the power source, I begin to age rapidly. Fortunately, Zordon has created a temporary solution to that problem--a portable time warp."

With that, Dulcea touched the silver headband she wore.

"It slows the aging process significantly, and I hope it will be enough to allow me to stay on Earth until my mission here is complete. Kimberly, I have something extremely important to tell you and your friend. I witnessed the last part of your battle against Dalal through the Viewing Globe in the Power Chamber, and I now know for certain that both of you are of Venusian blood."

"Yeah, that blonde woman said something about that," said Renee, standing up, "Now, you two seem to know each other, but I'm completely in the dark at this moment. Could you please clue me in?"

Kim smiled and turned to her friend. "Renee, Dulcea. Dulcea, Renee Ryan. Renee is my roommate here in Florida, and a fellow gymnastics champion. Dulcea is keeper of the Ninjetti powers. She is the one who gave me the power of the Crane."

Dulcea and Renee shook hands, and Dulcea began her explanation. She told both girls about the history of Venus Island, the escape of the Queen and a few subjects, the murder of the Queen, and the anniversary celebration Syren had spoken of. Both girls wore very confused expressions.

"What does that have to do with me?" asked Kimberly, "I'm not a Ninjetti anymore."

"But you are. When I gave you the power of the Crane I sensed that the animal guide bonded with you in a manner that none of the other rangers experienced. Now that the rangers are Zeo, they no longer can summon the Ninjetti powers. But you, on the other hand, are part Venusian, and the animal powers shall always be a part of you. You are still a Ninja Ranger, Kimberly, and you can still morph."

"You're saying I'm not human?!" shrieked Kimberly, "Are you sure about this?"

"Indeed. Your inner powers are much like my sister Naya's and so I am pretty sure you are one of her descendents. You are mostly human, since Naya was your great-grandmother, but since you were exposed to the Ninjetti Power at such an early age, your potential powers are equal to those of a full-blooded Venusian. That is probably why Syren saw you as an immediate threat."

"What do I have to do with any of this?" asked Renee, "I've never been a Power Ranger."

"True, but the fact that you survived Dalal's sphere of power means that you are at least part Venusian. Tell me, do you know the name of your great-grandmother on your mother's side?"

"No. My mother's an orphan, and she doesn't have any family at all. Could my father be the grandson of Venusians?"

"Impossible. Venusians are all women, and they can only bear female offspring," said Dulcea, rubbing her chin in thought, "Tell me more about your mother. Where is she from?"

"My mother is Lebanese. She lived in foster homes there until she graduated high school, and then she came to the States. She's Leila Saba, before she married my pop."

"Renee, Kimberly," said Dulcea, raising her staff to the air, "Stand beside me. We have a great deal of work to do, and we don't have a great deal of time."

Kimberly and Renee stood on either side of Dulcea, and in a flash of white light, the three women vanished.
Chapter Eight

Dalal appeared at the gates of Ambrosia on Venus Island, still clutching her side painfully. To her complete surprise, the descendant of Naya had greatly injured her, breaking numerous ribs upon impact. Dalal steadied herself on her thone and painfully walked through the gate towards the palace. With each step, the ache she felt in her body ebbed slightly, and by the time she reached the palace's ivory gates, she no longer needed to lean upon her sword. It took a long time to heal from that last attack,

she thought grimly, This child of Naya is mighty indeed! She is as strong as any Venusian, since she has the power of Ninjetti added to her natural skills. And who was the dark child who stood beside her? She is also Venusian, but not one of the Venusian hybrids on Syren's list. They have all been captured! I must alert the queen immediately.

Dalal hobbled into the throne room, bowing when she saw the Queen. Syren was still wearing her golden armor, and her red tresses hung around her face in disarray. She wore a bitter scowl on her face as she stood in the corner of the throne room, surrounded by hundreds of different weapons. She glanced at Dalal, her eyebrow rising slightly as she noticed Dalal's wounded and exhausted condition. She turned to face her warrior, holding erect a shimmering katana blade decorated with blood red rubies.

"I see you haven't captured Kimberly Hart," said Syren coldly, pointing the blade at Dalal's neck. The blade began to glow crimson. "You realize of course that this is a Hyperion Blade. I should kill you on the spot for failing in your mission! KNEEL!

"

Dalal obeyed the queen, dropping to one knee. She bowed her head, and Syren raised the blade high. She dropped the blade at phenomenal speed, but stopped short, with the flaming blade chillingly close to Dalal's neck. "I shall give you one chance to explain your failure. I know the Power Rangers didn't interfere, since I have already delt with them. Also, Leila and Dulcea couldn't have stopped you from obtaining your prize. Tell me, how did you fail to capture the girl, a mere hybrid, untrained in the arts of combat?"

"She may be more human than Venusian, my Queen, but she is indeed a warrior trained," whispered Dalal, not looking up, "She possesses the might of the Crane, given to her by the Great Power."

Syren withdrew the blade from Dalal's neck, and retreated to her throne. She sat down, stroking the blade with her delicate fingers. "So, not only is Kimberly Hart a former Power Ranger, she is also a Ninjetti warrior. Intriguing. Ninjetti warriors have always been the mightiest among the Venusians. Nevertheless, you should have been able to defeat the girl. You have eons of experience, and you are one of my greatest warriors. The girl has only lived for eighteen years, and she has only been a warrior for a small portion of that. Why did you retreat? Your wounds weren't inflicted by flames, so they would've healed in a short time. You could have finished the girl permanently, if you couldn't capture her as planned."

"Your Majesty, she wasn't alone. Another girl of similar age was present, and she too was of our