The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 2, Heather Ray [booksvooks .TXT] 📗

comes close! He not only sets the new record for fastest mile in Crystal County, but he also wins the Crystal Trophy!"

Zack smiled and raised his arms in triumph as the Angel Grove spectators went wild. Tommy and Adam caught up to Zack, who was still basking in all the glory.

"Way to go, Zack," said Tommy, slapping Zack on the back. "You just won the trophy!"

"Nah," said Zack, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "We all won the trophy!"

"Terrific team effort," said Adam with a smile. "Now, all we have to do is go to the formal ball tomorrow."

The three young athletes began to walk to the rest of the track team when two student spectators ran onto the field. Tommy looked up in surprise.

"Hey, isn't that Tanya and Rocky?" he asked.

"Guys," panted Rocky once he was close enough. "Something weird's going on."

"Yeah," gasped Tanya, pointing to the bleachers. "Look! There's about a dozen Viper Putties in the bleachers! I don't know what their plan is, but they can seriously hurt the spectators."

Tommy, Zack, and Adam turned their heads and saw masses of people running frantically from a group of green and black forms. Zack clenched his fist angrily.

"Man," he growled, "right in the middle of the track meet! Zedd and Rita sure have a bad sense of timing."

"C'mon, guys," said Adam. "Let's move it!"

Adam, Tommy, and Zack ran into the empty locker room, and Tommy fished for his communicator in his gym bag. Adam and Zack searched the room to make sure no one was there.

"Billy," said Tommy into his communicator. "This is Tommy. Do you read?"

^I'm here^,

answered Billy. ^Did you discover the Viper Putties at the field?^

"Yeah, Adam, Zack, and I are on it. Contact the others and tell them to get over here ASAP. Whenever Zedd sends down Putties, you can be sure a monster isn't far behind."

^I'll relay the message, but I have come across a certain emergency here regarding Katherine. I'll keep you posted. Good luck.^

"Thanks man," said Tommy, letting go of his wrist and holding his fists out. Zack and Adam mimicked his movements. "Okay guys, It's Morphin Time! TERRA FIRE POWER!!"

"TERRA WIND POWER!!" cried Adam.

"TERRA LIGHT POWER!!" yelled Zack.

As each young man called upon his power, his hands began to glow in his signature color. In a flash of fiery red light, Tommy became the Red Terran Power Ranger, wearing form-fitting red armor, a golden shield attached to a golden belt, a gold and red helmet, and white boots and gloves with gold trim. A green energy cyclone formed at Adam's feet, and soon enveloped his whole body with emerald green light. When the light faded Adam was wearing his Green Terran Power Ranger uniform. A white pulse of light formed at Zack's fists and bathed his whole body in blinding white light. Afterwards, he was wearing the uniform of the White Terran Power Ranger. The three mighty heroes stood side by side, and simultaneously touched their belt buckles.

"To the bleachers!" cried the Red Ranger, and all three rangers vanished in streaks of light.

Chapter Six

At the Marriot Hotel in downtown Angel Grove, Kimberly Hart lead. a group of volunteers as they decorated the ballroom for the Crystal Ball the following evening. She stood on a ladder, attaching one end of a silver and black banner across the ceiling over the length of the stage. Jason Lee held the ladder as she climbed down and surveyed her work.

"Well," she said, folding her arms, "I guess that's it. All the decorations are up."

"Yep," said Jason with a nod. "And it really looks great, Kim. The color scheme of silver and navy blue really works! This ball is gonna be awesome!"

"Yeah, we're gonna have a blast! Throwing the ball here instead of at the gym really makes the occasion more formal."

"Well, now that we're done, maybe we can catch up with the guys. The track meet may still be going on."

"Nah, we still have to clean up. You can go ahead if you want to. Thanks so much for all your help, by the way."

Just then, Jason's communicator sounds. The two exchanged worried glances, and snuck behind the curtain of the stage.

"This is Jason," he whispered into his wrist. "What's going on?"

^Jason,^

said Billy's voice. ^We've got an emergency. Please teleport to the Central Access Complex immediately.^

"We're on our way," whispered Kimberly, and the two Terran Rangers simultaneously activated their teleporters and vanished in streaks of yellow and black light. When they arrived at the CAC, Billy was watching a battle that was escalating between the other Terran Rangers and a horde of Viper Putties in the Viewing Globe. He turned around when he saw the flash of light that heralded their arrival.

"What's the problem, Billy?" asked Kimberly.

"We have an extremely dangerous situation on our hands. The Crystal County Track Meet has been attacked by a squadron of Viper Putties."

"More than Tommy, Adam, and Zack can handle?" asked Jason.

"Not yet. But my long range sensors are picking up heavy magical activity on the Moon. I can't figure out exactly what's in store, but I do know that Rita and Zedd are up to something."

"Now that's a problem," observed Jason.

"Billy," asked Kimberly, "were any spectators hurt?"

"Nothing too serious, but the problem is that there are numerous Putties and the crowds of students attending the track meet are panicking. Three rangers cannot manage crowd control while at the same time confronting the Viper Putties. They need assistance to insure minimal injuries sustained by bystanders."

"We'd better get moving," said Jason, clenching his fist. "Say, where's Katherine anyway?"

"Well, our emergency is two-pronged, Jason," said Billy with a sigh. "One of you will have to stay here while the other helps out Tommy and the others at the track meet."

"Okay," said Kim, "I'll go to the track meet, and you stay here with Billy, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan," said Jason. "Be careful, and Kat and I will join you guys soon."

With that, Billy and Jason stood back and gave Kim some space. She thrust her fists forward, and they started to glow with crackling yellow electricity. "It's Morphin Time!" she cried, "TERRA LIGHTING POWER!!"

The electricity that formed at her fists soon spread throughout her body, and increased in intensity. Soon, she was completely covered by a web of yellow lightning, and when the light ebbed, she stood as the Yellow Terran Ranger, wearing a lemon yellow form-fitting armor, golden shield, white gloves and thigh-high boots trimmed with gold, a yellow and gold helmet, and a short yellow skirt with white hem. She turned to her friends with a slight wave.

"Catch ya on the flip side!" she called, as she vanished in a wave of yellow light. Once she was gone, Jason turned to Billy, who had started to walk towards the infirmary section of the CAC.

"So," he said, "what happened to Katherine?"

"See for yourself," he said, turning on the light in the darkened infirmary. Lying on the med unit was Katherine, tossing and turning in a fitful sleep.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Jason.

"According to the med-unit scans, she has a magical venom coursing through her blood stream, forcing her into a feverish sleep. She has no physical injuries, with the exception of a small scratch on her shoulder, which I conclude it the point of entry for the venom. The med-unit is also detecting powerful REM brain activity. In a sense, she's experiencing a powerful nightmare."

"Is her condition serious?"

"Yes, because her life signs have been steadily weakening since I brought her here. She's fighting a battle, Jason, and she's losing."

"What can I do?" asked Jason, crossing his arms in thought.

"I have an idea, but its a long shot. Also, it'll take me a while to set up. I could use your help."

Chapter Seven

Kat's blue eyes open, and she looked around in confusion. She was surrounded by a misty darkness, and the ground beneath her was damp and cold. She rose to her feet and felt around in the darkness. Her hands made contact with a metallic pole, and she realized that she was surrounded by metal poles. She was in a prison cell.

"Hey!" she cried angrily, grabbing the bars. "What's going on here? Let me out or else! Hello?"

Kat looked around, but she didn't see her captor. She started to think hard, concentrating on the events that led to her present predicament.

I was walking alone in the park on my way home after school, and I was jumped by Viper Putties. I couldn't morph, so I decided to make a break for it. When that didn't work, I fought them, but they grabbed me. Then, one with a red glove scratched me on the shoulder...

Katherine looked down at her blue blouse sleeve, and noticed that the silk wasn't torn. She rolled up the sleeve and examined her shoulder carefully.

There's no scar!

she marveled. Where am I?

Suddenly, the bars that Kat was leaning on disappeared, and she fell to the cold ground. She pulled herself to her feet, and saw the darkness illuminated by an eerie violet light.

"Now what?" she asked frustratedly, waving away the smoke. "Is anyone here?"

"I am here, child," said a sinister female voice from within the smoke. The cloud parted in the middle, revealing a pale woman with long violet hair wearing a body-hugging black gown. The woman floated to Katherine, and smiled coldly at the young ranger.

"Who are you?" asked Katherine, instinctively stepping back and raising her arms in defense.

"I am the Nightmare Queen, and you a prisoner of my illusions."

"Excuse me?" asked Kat.

"Your low self-esteem is an open door to my telepathic manipulations. The nightmares you have experienced show very clearly that your worst fear is rejection. You