Power Rangers In Space, Heather Ray [books under 200 pages TXT] 📗

same laughter years ago, in a moment of heart-wrenching emotional pain.

"It was you!!" Andros suddenly shrieked, his grip tightening on his saber, "You kidnapped my sister!! Didn't you?!"

Darkonda grinned. "Well, I don't want to incriminate myself..."

"Where is she?" Andros demanded in an impassioned voice, "If you don't tell me--"

"Andros!" Cassie suddenly shouted, "Look out!!"

Andros whirled around in surprise, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid the streak of purple lightning that struck him on the side, throwing him through the doorway into the bridge. Cassie gasped as Astronema walked off the lift, her scepter sparking with energy.

"Nice timing," Darkonda commented, "I'd bow, but I'm unable to control my muscles, at the moment."

Astronema's icy gaze turned to Cassie, who was still holding the Satellite Stunner to encase Darkonda in an inhibiting field of pink energy. She was forced to drop the shield as she threw herself into the bridge, narrowly missing the lavender lightning that struck the ground she was standing on before.

Scrambling to her feet, Cassie raced to the door itself, and smashed her fist into the emergency lock button. The door sealed closed, keeping Astronema and Darkonda outside.

Cassie then pulled herself to her feet, and turned to the door. She knew it wouldn't be able to keep Astronema and Darkonda out of the bridge for long, but everything counted on keeping the Megaship out of Astronema's control.

"DECA," Cassie heard from behind the door, "open the door, please."

Cassie gasped in horror when she heard her own voice disregard her former order. Somehow, Astronema mimicked her voice perfectly.

"Gotta keep them out," she decided, pulling her Astro-Blaster from her holster. She held her weapon poised, ready to fire the instant the door cracked open. To her surprise, it never did.

^DECA is currently offline. Please wait for system realignment.^

Cassie sighed in relief. For the moment, she and Andros were safe. However, not having DECA could pose problems later on.

She barely holstered the weapon before a resounding shockwave shook the entire bridge, accompanied by a resonating clang.

"They're breaking in," she gasped, pulling her helmet off. She raced back into the bridge, and checked on Andros, who was finally orienting himself after his flight through the room.

"Astronema and Darkonda are in the antechamber," she explained, pulling the Red Ranger to his feet, "They're trying to break in."

"All this time," Andros whispered, "Darkonda had kidnapped Karone..."

Cassie's eyes flared with impatience. "Andros, we don't have time to reflect on that now! We need to figure out how to get out of here alive! And we need to regroup."

Andros nodded, and pulled his helmet off. He rubbed his sore forehead, his eyes narrowed in thought. "What systems aren't operational?"

Cassie raced to her console. "Engines are fried, no internal or external teleportation or communication, no internal sensors, and DECA's program is compromised."

Cassie blinked in surprise. "According to the energy readouts, the only systems functioning within normal parameters are life support, environment, the shields, and... the Simudeck."

"The Simudeck?" Andros repeated, "Can you shut it off?"

"Not from here," Cassie said in frustration, typing commands furiously, "The remote system's malfunctioning."

"DECA?!" Andros called, raising his head to the small projector that served as the DECA interface on the bridge.

^DECA is currently offline. Please wait for system realignment.^

"Damn," Cassie swore, "Who knows how long it'll take DECA to realign? We have to do everything manually."

Andros stared at the sealed door as the pounding continued. "You and I can evacuate the ship via the Galaxy Glider jump tubes, but the others would still be trapped, and that leaves the Megaship in Astronema's hands."

"Then we need to get everyone off the ship," Cassie said, "but how?"

"The shuttle bay," Andros said, "It's on the lowest deck. Hopefully TJ, Carlos, and Ashley can reach it."

"But what about Astronema and her forces?"

Andros frowned, his fists clenched tightly. "I just don't know."

Chapter Twenty-Seven

His blood boiling, the Black Ranger continued firing his Astro-Blaster/Lunar Lance combination at the gate to the Simudeck. He held the weapon on prolonged fire for nearly a minute, until the red overheat warning light flashed. Infuriated, Carlos deactivated the laser.

He heard growling within. It was something like a wolf's howl, mixed with a lion's predatory roar. It was strange and blood-curdling, and the young Ranger couldn't place what kind of beast could make that sound. But whatever it was, Carlos was convinced it wasn't friendly.

Carlos disconnected the Astro-Blaster from the Lunar Lance, and holstered the pistol in his belt. Gripping the pole arm with both hands, he hacked at the door as if his weapon were a hammer, mustering all his strength for each blow. He didn't let it hinder him when he noticed all his efforts barely made a dent in the reinforced steel of the door.

"Ah!" he heard from within the Simudeck. A cold chill engulfed him as he wondered what that meant.

"Ashe?!" he called, stopping his brutal attack on the door for a moment, "Can you hear me?"

"Carlos?" she responded, her voice just loud enough for Carlos to perceive through the thick door, "Get me outta here!!"

"I'm working on it," he said with determination, "Just... hold on."

Finally deciding to stop hammering the door, he stepped back and reflected upon his options. Several times he asked DECA to open the door or to end the program, but for some reason DECA wasn't operating properly. He also tried to open the door using the panel on the outside of the Simudeck, but there was some kind of system lockout preventing him from altering the program.

Maybe I can somehow cut the power?

he asked himself, grabbing the panel and pulling it off. Sparks flew as the wires and circuit boards behind the panel were exposed. It was then that the Black Ranger realized how complicated the electrical circuitry was aboard the Megaship.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted, tossing down the panel in frustration. An idea then struck him, and he began bounding down the hallway towards the brig.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Carlos?" Ashley cried, flipping to the side just in time to avoid receiving another deep wound, "Carlos?! Hurry up!!"

Panic began to settle in once again, as she began to wonder if her friend had abandoned her. He wouldn't give up, would he?

No,

she decided, Carlos would never leave me behind.

Somewhat heartened by that conclusion, she dodged the Wolverine's claw, grabbed its wrist as it passed her helmet, and while holding it steady, she delivered two powerful front kicks to its ribcage. The Wolverine cried out in pain, and she then tossed it into the two Wolverines that approached her.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Ashley backed away as the three creatures regained their bearings. After battling these deadly monsters for what seemed like hours, she was slowly learning how they fought and moved. Still, for every mistake she made, she received a painful blow.

The problem was, every time a Wolverine was destroyed, another took its place. That's how the Simudeck's practice programs function: a certain number of opponents at a time, without an end until the program is shut off. She was fortunate that the Simudeck was programmed for three opponents, rather than a higher number.

Still, three Vermillion Wolverines at a time was still more than Ashley thought she could handle for long.

A burning pain ran throughout her body, each time a single muscle moved. But that didn't stop Ashley from moving, for idleness would surely mark her death.

Her entire uniform was blotched red with her blood, flowing from many wounds. Most of them were superficial, but a few were very deep. It was a wonder that Ashley was able to move. Only the Power could protect her in that way, coupled with the sustenance of determination.

The Wolverines decided then to attack her from all angles at once. They'd tried that tactic earlier, and while Ashley managed to ward off two, the third sunk its claws into her shoulders, and tossed her through the artificial jungle, crashing her head into a tree upon landing. If she hadn't been quick to pick up a tree branch that fell from the tree as she impacted, she wouldn't have been able to hold the creature off as it tried to take advantage of her disorientation.

This time, however, Ashley wasn't going to let them trick her. She waited, her knees bent to maintain perfect balance, and her left hand tightly holding her Star Slinger. The instant the beasts pounced, Ashley shifted her weight to her left leg, pushing off and spinning on her right foot like an ice skater. As she spun, she fired her weapon in all directions, the roars of pain from her victims bringing a smile of success to her sweaty face. She stopped spinning, and looked around. The three Wolverines were slowly vanishing into nothing, meaning the next batch would be arriving soon. Also, the artificial forest that served as the background was on fire.

"Uh oh," she muttered, realizing she had trapped herself in a holographic forest fire, "this program is a little too realistic for my tastes!"

In addition, three new Wolverines leapt from the burning trees, landing in a row in front of Ashley. She was so startled by their sudden appearance that she was totally defenseless, leaving herself open for a savage swing that dug into her stomach and swept across her entire midsection. Ashley choked in surprise and pain, and collapsed to the ground. She tried to keep her eyes open, but as she saw the monsters close in for the kill, her determination faded, and she awaited the inevitable.

It never came.

"Ashley!" Carlos voice rang, bringing Ashley to force her eyes open. To her astonishment, the burning forest was gone, and the Wolverines had vanished as well. All she saw was the black and green grid of the Simudeck's walls, until the Black Ranger rushed into her field of vision, tearing off his helmet and gazing at