Power Rangers In Space/Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, Heather Ray [best novels ever TXT] 📗

dissolve into a million tiny pixels, too stunned to do anything other than stare, and breathe.

A moment later, I feel moisture track down my cheek.

It's an odd sensation. It's not that I haven't cried before; in fact, since my "resurrection"

I've shed quite a few tears. Tears of remorse, tears of anguish, and sometimes tears resulting from physical pain. But this...this

is fundamentally different. It feels like there's a hole

inside of me.

I knew that Zhane wasn't going to take the news well. I've dreaded this conversation for over a week, as I realized with dawning sadness how much I sacrificed for this Saber. For this mission. For Kendrix, as well as for myself.

I almost wish he'd exploded at me. At least if he'd been outraged or unreasonable, I could bring myself to be angry with him. Instead...all I feel is gnawing guilt for putting him through this. I feel like I've betrayed him. And the anguished look in his eyes made it clear that's how he feels.

But I made the right decision by coming here, and nothing he can say will make me abandon Terra Venture. Not after all the progress I've made here. I'm part of this team now, and I will fulfill my promise to Kendrix.

So far, I've made the choices. I left Earth without telling him. I accepted the Quasar Saber. I became a Power Ranger.

Now, Zhane has a choice to make: whether he can accept my decision...or not.

Part Ten: The Discovery

Chapter Forty

-Leo-

For the past three days, I've been on Cloud Nine.

Thanks to some new algorithm or something the Science team has designed to crack the magical code, an additional eight percent of the Galaxy Book's contents are now translatable. And also, as it happens, part of this newly discovered text reveals information about a Lost Galaxy, which of course has piqued Commander Stanton's interest. He's an explorer, after all, and information specifically about a whole new galaxy is just too good to pass up. No one ever expected Terra Venture to find out anything about another galaxy

…our own galaxy is big enough to keep us busy exploring for generations. Still, a discovery like this would be a feather in anyone's cap, so the Commander has made the Galaxy Book the Science Division's top priority.

The Lost Galaxy itself doesn't interest me. My concern is the Nexus, and the past few days of my personal research have been fueled by the hope that possibly, the additional eight percent of the Galaxy Book that is now available for translation also contains some mention of the pocket dimension that holds Kendrix hostage.

Of course, the Science team's renewed interest in the Galaxy Book has made getting actual time with the Book that much more difficult. Shifts are going around the clock in the Science Division now, meaning I haven't actually seen the Book since before the fight with Magnetox. But that hasn't hindered my own side project with the Book too badly.

I only have Karone to thank for that.

She's the one that figured out how to access the Science Division's shared files with Kendrix's computer. And she's the one who's been helping me read through every documented translation of the Galaxy Book we can find, comparing the English with the scanned images of the Book, studying the illustrations scattered throughout the pages, searching for any clue, any hint of a pocket dimension.

At this rate, we'll find Kendrix in no time. I can feel it in my bones…

"Leo!"

I peer up into the branches of the oak tree a few yards in front of me, catching the flash of yellow and toss of long brown hair. "Hey, Maya! What's up? Besides you, obviously…"

I then take a startled step back as she drops to the ground, sticking her landing like a pro gymnast.

I grin at our resident acrobat as she drags a few stray leaves from her hair. "What were you doing up there?"

She gestures to the pasture in the far corner of the Forest Dome that very few people venture through. "I was speaking to the Wildcat. I needed to confirm something before I discussed the matter with you."

Wide-eyed, I stare into the distance for some trace of the pink-and-white Galactabeast. "Does this have something to do with Kendrix?"

Maya shakes her head solemnly. "No, Leo. This is about Karone."

Her grave tone puts me on alert. "What happened to Karone?"

"She's not in any danger; at least, I don't think she is. But I know something's troubling her." Her large brown eyes are openly worried. "She's not sleeping, Leo."

I frown, puzzled. "Do you mean she's not sleeping well?"

Maya sighs, taking a seat on the grass beneath the large tree. I sink down beside her. "Hardly at all, it seems. Not since she recovered from her fight with the ghost from her past. Several times at night I've woken to discover her bed empty. She sits at Kendrix's computer station for hours. Sometimes all night long."

I knew she'd been working independently on the Galaxy Book translation, but I had no idea… "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive, Leo. Last night, she didn't even bother to change into her pajamas. She spent the entire night on the computer."

I grimace, rolling my eyes to the projected blue sky above us. "What did the Wildcat have to say?"

"She's worried about Karone as well," Maya reveals quietly. "Yesterday, when we fought the Decibat, Karone was particularly tense and anxious. The Wildcat was surprised to feel the Pink Ranger so…strained

."

My thoughts drift back to our battle with Trakeena's sonic creature. "I didn't notice anything off with Karone," I admit, "She was effective in the fight, and she spent a lot of time encouraging Damon to apply for the head engineer position."

"I wouldn't have suspected anything either, if it weren't for her refusal to sleep." Maya leans against her knees. "But the more I think about it, it seems like she's trying to keep herself busy, whether it's with Damon, or with you, or on the computer...doing whatever it is she's doing..."

Her inquisitive eyes slide my way. "Do you know what she's doing, Leo?"

For some reason, I don't want to tell Maya...or any of the others...about my search for Kendrix. The time for commiseration is long over, and the last thing I need right now is more pity. Until I find something conclusive, I'm keeping this project under wraps. No sense getting them involved until I have some good news to share.

"Research," I answer, though I don't offer any details.

Maya frowns at my vague response. "I hope she finds what she's looking for soon, then," she comments, rising to her feet. "But this is more than diligence, Leo; otherwise, she wouldn't have made time for Damon yesterday. I'm sure she's bothered by something, but she won't tell me. She might be more willing to speak to you."

I nod, getting the message loud and clear. "I'll talk to her, Maya."

Chapter Forty-One

-Leo-

Fifteen minutes later I find myself standing in a quiet corridor, a cup of marshmallow-sweetened coffee in my hand as an ice-breaker as I hover outside a familiar door.

I'm really grateful for all Karone's help; really I am. Without it, I know I'd be back at square one, kicking my foot against a wall in frustration. But when I asked her to help me find Kendrix, I never imagined that my… obsession could become hers.

What could've happened? She's been helping me ever since she arrived on Terra Venture, and I never got the impression that she was putting this

much work into our project. Did something happen when she got the Keys? Is there some new reason for this urgency?

Is there something I should know?

The door slides open for me, and I stroll in, my eyes drawn toward Kendrix's desk. And that's where our current Pink Ranger sits, chewing her bottom lip and staring at the flickering screen.

"Karone?"

She flinches and blinks, as if suddenly released from a spell. The smile she directs at me is flimsy at best. "Leo. You're early."

"I'm not the only one who got an early start," I comment, sitting the coffee cup beside the keyboard.

Her eyes slide back to the screen, seemingly riveted. "There's a lot of ground to cover," she comments casually. "Every time I log on there's more translated text. The Science Team is working miracles!"

I resist the temptation to settle down beside her and comb the new material. I'm not going to encourage this single-mindedness...I'm not

.

"Still, it doesn't mean you have to sit here all day and night," I comment, perching on the desk beside the monitor. "Why are you sitting here day and night, anyway?"