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When none of the tests Dana ran revealed any promising answers, our father agreed that I could go about my day as normal as long as I come to him immediately if the Cobra were to not bother me again. I decided against telling him about it bothering me again, knowing that he would just keep me in the infirmary. I didn't like being in there - I don't think anyone did.
Instead of going about my day though, Nova and Miss Fairweather had asked me to meet them in the testing lab. I wasn't quite sure what I was needed for, but after some explanation Nova had told me about a new Morpher that they thought I should be the one to possess. I thought they were crazy - after all, Nova agreed that I could hardly deal with the itsy bitsy spider, let alone a demon. Somehow though, they thought the new Titanium Morpher would be better off in my hands. I thought they were stupid for trusting me with something so important, but my father must have agreed with them since he was present during the Morphing Sequence test.
I was placed in a separate room, leads hooked up to in many of the same places they were while I was in the infirmary. My stomach turned with the audience inside the other room. Miss Fairweather, my father, Nova, and the rangers. Out of all the faces, the one I locked eyes with... was oddly Carter. He stood out from the rest - maybe it was because he was wearing my favorite color or maybe it was because his face was perfectly constructed in a way I found handsome. Whatever the reason was, we locked eyes and that's where my gaze stayed as I was asked to conduct the Morphing Sequence.
"Here we go." Miss Fairweather spoke through the intercom.
I sucked in a deep breath, looking at the morpher attached to my wrist and then pressed the button, "Titanium Power!"
The surge of power that flowed through me was nothing like I had ever felt before. It was very different from the pain that crept up, stinging the skin of my lower back as it had already done twice before. I fell down to one knee, trying to bear the pain at power simultaneously. I heard yelling from the other side of the room and then bodies rushing into the room as the test was immediately shut down. The pain subsided seconds later, leaving me sitting on the ground trying to catch my breath.
Carter was the first person at my side, his hand on my shoulder and the other reaching for my hand to help me up.
"Are you okay?" Carter asked.
"We've got you," Nova's hand was on my other shoulder, "Maybe this test wasn't a good idea."
"Yeah, I'm okay..." I muttered, letting them help me to my feet.
I brushed the dirt off my pants as I let my hands fall to my side. Nova started unhooking all the leads, asking a million questions in the process. I half answered all of them as she fired them at me.
"I'm fine." I assured everyone when they were all staring at me. Nova placed her hand on my arm, pulling the back of my collar down and gently rubbing her fingertips across my shoulder. I watched her for a second before she pulled away and then yanked the morpher off my wrist and placed it back into a sealed case.
Miss Fairweather and my father went to speak in his office, while the other rangers started to disperse amongst the Aquabase. Carter stayed around, making sure I was surely okay before Nova convinced me to come with her. She led me to the kitchen, where she quickly changed my thoughts from the test seemingly going wrong, to thinking about my twin as we collectively made a birthday cake for him. Well, she made the cake... I couldn't bake to save my life. I burn a pan of brownies one time and she never lets me bake again...
When we finished baking the cake, Dana joined us and we headed to my fathers office. Every year on my birthday, my father and I would blow out candles on a cake in honor of myself, and Ryan. Even though it served as a painful memory, it helped. It helped us remember that Ryan is still here with us mentally - standing somewhere in the shadows of our lives and blowing out the candle with us.
Standing outside his office, Dana knocked lightly on the door before the three of us entered the room. We never had to have permission to enter our fathers office, Nova included. She was and always will be like family to us.
"Come in!" my father announced.
"It's us." Dana smiled as the three of us walked in with the cake. Our father acted surprised like he always does.
"Girls, it's almost midnight... I can't believe you remembered." our father smiled.
"Well, I was too young to remember much about Ryan, but I do know that he would have been twenty today too." Dana said.
"So we'll celebrate like we always do. Come on, we have to make a wish." I smiled, "Plus, it's my birthday too!"
We all softly chuckled. My father and I leaned into the cake, carefully blowing out the twenty candles that Nova had circled around the cake perfectly. When we straightened our posture, my father looked at me.
"What did you wish for?" he asked me.
"I bet that we wished for the same thing," I swallowed hard, "That the car crash had never happened and that Ryan was still here."
"We can't change the past, can we?" he stepped closer to me, "I have another wish. I wish that whatever happens, that you girls, yes Nova included, know that I love you."
"Come on, don't get all sappy on us old man." Nova teased.
After eating a slice of cake, we retreated to our room and tried to sleep. We didn't know that hours later, a demon would unleash an attack on the city. One of the most violent attacks yet - and nothing the rangers were doing were proving effective.
Nova, Miss Fairweather, my Father, and myself all stood in the communications room watching the fight unfold as my father gave orders through a headset. A demon known as Vypra, started the fight but we still weren't prepared for what followed.
"It's only a matter of time before Mariner Bay falls to Diabolico." Vypra laughed as she continued blasting at the rangers.
"Oh, I know when that will be!" Joel yelled, "Never!"
"Attack!" Vypra screamed.
The rangers wasted no time fighting against the batlings. They were the easiest to defeat.
"I'm not going to tell you again, get out of Mariner Bay!" Carter warned.
"Forever!" Kelsey added.
"Wild horses couldn't drive me away. This is the moment I've been waiting for. The moment you meet your match." Vypra giggled so viciously that it made us all sick to our stomachs.
I don't know who dropped their jaw to the ground faster when we saw another Ranger appear from the mist, posing and preparing to attack as Vypra's defense. Standing on the screen was the Titanium Ranger. The Ranger I had meant to transform into just yesterday when I was asked to test the morpher.
"Titanium Ranger?" my father gasped.
My eyes darted from the viewing screen to my father and then back. Were we really seeing this right now?
"It can't be! No one had access to the morpher but Skye!" Carter sounded just as shocked as we appeared.
"Who are you?" Dana asked.
"Your worst nightmare!" they announce as they started walking right towards them.
"Stop right there!" Kelsey warned them.
"We don't want trouble with you." Chad said.
"Well, you got it." the Titanium Ranger laughed just as sinister as Vypra.
My eyes darted back to my father as he ran out of the room. Nova and I were right behind him, following him all the way to his office where he unlocked a safe. Shuffling papers around, he seemed disgruntled. Quickly getting the viewing screen in his office going, we began watching the attack again.
"Carter, break off the attack." my father ordered.
"What was that?" Carter asked.
"I said get out of there now." The orders were clear.
"Get him!" Joel yelled.
"Joel, wait, Captain says we have to pull out. But this isn't over." Carter said.
"That much we agree. It won't be over until you're all destroyed." The Titanium Ranger continued laughing.
Nova and I were ordered to return to our duties. I objected, trying to figure out why my father seemed exceptionally bothered about this morpher being in the wrong hands. He wouldn't spill a thing and when the rangers returned, he requested a meeting with them almost immediately.
I could hardly focus on my work as I mentally tried to piece out how the Titanium Moprher had fallen into the wrong hands. It had been locked up in a safe here in the Aquabase. Nobody had access to it aside from my father.
In the time we were sent off to do our work, the rangers had been sent off into the city to look for the Titanium Ranger. We had to get the morpher back as quickly as we could - doing anything we could to retrieve it. Appearing in the town center, the Titanium Ranger intended to wreak more havoc.
I found myself standing back in my fathers office with Nova, watching the fight continue as he gave more orders.
"Who are you?" Carter asked.
"It doesn't matter anymore." he said.
"Man, we don't wanna have to hurt you." Joel said.
"Hurt me?" he laughed, "Your pathetic powers are no match for my titanium powers."
"Let's go guys!" Carter had enough, "Lightspeed Rescue!"
We watched as they tirelessly fought each other, doing everything they could to not have to force a stronger attack on someone they didn't even know. EVen though they were working for Vypra and Dioboloco, there was something about them that made us all feel we needed to save.
Nova and Miss Fairweather ordered the rangers to use a newly developed weapon, the V-Lancers against the Titanium Ranger. However, it barely had an effect on him. He stood right back up and slowly charged towards the rangers, his helmet damaged and face plate missing.
When I looked into his eyes, I started shaking. I'd know those green eyes anywhere because it was like staring in a mirror. But it couldn't be true. The rangers were instructed to fire at a higher level and they would have if my father wouldn't have intervened.
"Don't fire!" he ordered.
"What? Please repeat sir?" Carter asked.
"Hold your fire!" he ordered again.
"What is he talking about?" Chad asked.
"But sir, this is our chance to finish him!" Kelsey said.
"Don't shoot..." I could hear the pain in his voice because I felt it in the pit of my stomach. "Please..."
That's all it took for the rangers to retreat. I gave me one look before I came crashing into her arms.
I hadn't moved from my spot in my fathers office when the rangers came storming in. Visibly and rightfully upset about being pulled away from their mission. I knew exactly why it had to be done and I didn't want to believe it. I glanced at Nova on the other side of the room as I took a few steps back.
"Retreat? Sir! We had him!" Carter was the first to storm into the room furious.
"He would have destroyed us without thinking twice." Joel followed.
"Now he knows we have the V-Lancers." Chad reminded us all.
"That was our chance! Maybe our only chance." Kelsey added.
I continued stepping back, not wanting to hear the words that I knew were about to slip from my fathers tongue. I stopped when I bumped into someone - someone who gently placed their hands on my shoulders and held onto me as I started seeing black little dots floating around the room. It was spinning - and it suddenly felt like a lava pit.
"Why sir? Why did you stop us?" Carter asked. Hearing his voice so close told me that it was him holding onto my shoulders.
"Because he's my son." the works were broken as they came out of his mouth.
I didn't want to hear those words - those words sent me right into a mental spiral of disbelief as the room fluttered around me. The black dots grew larger until they consumed my vision and balance.
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If you would like to see Nova's reaction to the Titanium Ranger being revealed, then head on over to @carnationcreation's page and check out (6) Cake of Final Phase! Don't forget to add this to your reading list to get the latest updates!
May the power always protect you.