Power Rangers Fan Fiction ❯ Too Great A Leap ❯ Perhaps God Listens ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

"Come on! Come on! Come on!"

The Rangers raced, with long, desperate lunges, toward the door to the Astro Megaship.

"Karone!" Andros shot a series of blasts at the Piranhatrons behind Astronema and Ecliptor, who were trailing at least fifty feet behind the Rangers. "We have to hurry!"

"Princess, you must go on. Leave me," Ecliptor said.

"No. Stop saying that," Astronema snapped.

"Princess..."

"Be quiet! We're going to make it."

Andros held out his hand.

"Let me help."

Ecliptor weakly pushed Andros' hand away.

"I don't need any help from you."

Andros and Astronema looked at each other.

"Karone, you go ahead," Andros said quietly. "We'll be right along. I'm stronger than you are, it'll go faster."

Astronema stopped, and looked at the two men apprehensively. Ecliptor was unable to argue with the Red Ranger, he had the princess' safety in mind. He nodded to Astronema.

"Go."

She looked at the Megaship, and then back at her brother and Ecliptor.

"Hurry," she said. "Hurry."

She then looked backward at the armies in pursuit; once her faithful allies. Once a group of mindless drones who would have done anything she commanded.

In a final act of defiance, she raised her staff and fired a large blast of energy at the Piranhatrons. A powerful explosion destroyed several on contact, and stunned the majority of the rest.

She nodded to her brother and Ecliptor and ran into the ship.

As they slowly staggered the short distance together, Ecliptor looked over at the Red Ranger and snarled with disdain.

"You're a fool."

"Let's not get into all this right now, okay?" Andros said hurriedly.

"You are a fool. Your arrogance is going to get her killed."

Andros whirled his head around to meet the red eyes of the cyborg.

"What are you talking about?"

"You believe you can kidnap the Princess of Darkness out from under Dark Specter's nose and get away with it. He will stop at nothing to destroy her. She will not be safe with your team," he practically spat. "Dark Specter will tear you apart piece by piece to get to her. And when he does-"

Andros shook his head.

"I'd sooner die than let anything happen to her."

"You WILL die!"

"...And," Andros finished, "I know you would, too. We'd both give our lives for her, right?"

Ecliptor looked away and said nothing.

"Right," Andros answered himself. "Nothing is going to happen to my sister. Nothing."

"Your lips to God's ears," Ecliptor said suddenly.

"What?"

"An old human expression."

They arrived at the Megaship, and Andros pushed Ecliptor up the ramp and fired another series of shots at the Piranhatrons. TJ was manning the controls, and Andros signaled to him to close the hatch.

“DECA, get us out of here!” TJ ordered as he keyed in the command to close the hatch.

The seven of them arrived on the bridge, where Ashley had already taken her position at the helm.

"Course?" she asked Andros.

"Set a course..." Andros glanced at Astronema and Ecliptor and knew Earth was out of the question. "Away from here."

Ashley picked up on the urgency in his voice and set a course for the nearest uninhabited planet.

“They're not pursuing us,” Carlos reported, taking off his helmet and laying it on the floor beside his station.

“Somehow, that's not much comfort,” Andros sighed. He took off his own helmet and took a moment to compose himself before he turned to look at his sister and her guardian. Ecliptor was leaning against the wall, and Astronema had her hand on his shoulder.

“Karone, are you okay?” Andros asked her.

“I'm fine.”

“What about… you?” Andros asked Ecliptor.

He didn't answer, and Astronema sighed.

“If we were…” she looked at Andros sheepishly, and lowered her eyes, “On the Dark Fortress, the Quantrons would repair him. But, here…”

Alpha chose that moment to approach them cautiously.

“If I may make a suggestion…” he said, clearly afraid.

Andros frowned at the robot.

“What is it, Alpha?”

Alpha made a synthetic sound that closely resembled a human clearing his throat.

“Well, being that I'm a robot myself, I know quite a bit about how we're made and how we work. Perhaps I could be of some assistance.”

Astronema's eyes widened and she nodded to Ecliptor hopefully.

He eyed the smaller robot warily, and then looked at Astronema.

“I do not require assistance from that… thing. I can repair myself. Red Ranger, where is your engine room?”

Andros hesitated, and looked back at the other Rangers.

It was Cassie who came forward with a smile with very little apprehension in it.

“I'll show you.”

Astronema looked at Cassie quizzically, and the Pink Ranger took a deep breath and nodded.

“I think we'd all feel better if Alpha and I went with you. Me and Astronema can talk about girl stuff while you guys do the repairs.”

Astronema whispered something to Ecliptor, and he sighed and deferred to Cassie.

Andros caught her arm as she passed him.

"Cassie, let me go."

"No, she knows you trust her. I just want to show her that we trust her, too.”

She smiled brightly at Alpha, Astronema and Ecliptor, and stepped inside the Megalift.

“Engine Room, DECA.”