┌─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┐
"It's time to face your fear
'Cause when your time has come and gone
I'll be the one to carry on (carry on)
And you can throw me to the wolves (throw me to the wolves)
'Cause I am undefeatable
I'm hanging on to the other side
I won't give up 'til the end of me
I'm what you get when the stars collide
Now face it, you're just an enemy"
☆: *.☽ .* :☆
"Those look like very nasty pests." Kimberly comments.
"We're never going to get to Ivan with Scorpitron and Hornitor at his side." I think about it.
It's a wonder that they haven't tried to attack us yet. They stood dormant, like they were waiting for the right time to cause further damage. Ivan stared at me deeply from the distance, his gaze locked on me like I was his only target.
"We can take care of those," Tommy said. "Our new zords will do the trick!"
I don't know what zords are, but the enthusiasm behind his voice tells me he seems confident that whatever they are will be of help to them. There's no time for me to ask them as I spot Ivan rushing forward.
The two creatures depart, each heading in a separate direction, lasers and sparks emitting from their mouths as they shoot for the remaining buildings. The group didn't see Ivan heading straight for them, but right as Ivan was about to grab Aisha, I swing Dulcea's staff and swat Ivan's hand away. She jumped to the side, startled by the sudden motion. Had she been standing one foot closer, I would have hit her.
He yanked his hand away like I had actually hit him hard. I barely swatted him. The others flanked behind me as I pointed the staff level with Ivan's face. His smile grew on his face, like this was enjoyable for him. I didn't enjoy any of this.
"You're not the only one with a weapon." Ivan says, his sword fastly appearing in his hand.
He raises his sword, mimicking my stance and pointing it in my direction. I'm no fool to a battle with him, but I have to say... his choice of weaponry will cause far more harm than mine. However, if I can get my hands on it... I can run it straight through his chest.
"Just remember, you could have been on the other side of this." Ivan spits through his gritted teeth.
I smiled at him, "I've always liked to play with fire..."
I drew my staff back as far as I could and then swung forward with every ounce of force I had inside of me. In the same motion, Ivan drew his sword up and protected the collision that was about to occur with his face. The entire ground rumbled on the impact, nearly knocking the group behind me to the ground.
"Go," I shout, "I'll take care of him while you take care of his nasty creatures."
"We'll rejoin you as soon as we can..." Tommy said.
Their voices faded in the chaos behind me, but the last thing I recalled hearing from them was the calling of animals. A bear, an ape, a wolf, a crane, a falcon, and a frog.
Ivan rotated his wrist, using the side of his sword to knock the staff from my hand. I kept my grip tight and swung in rotation with him so he couldn't do what he wanted. I kicked my foot up and tried to catch him in the side, but he caught my foot with his free hand and shoved it back.
In the same motion, Ivan swung his sword toward my head. He missed me by an inch when I snapped my head to the side, trying to dodge his blow. All I had to do was hold him off long enough for the others to take down Scorpitron and Hornitor. Then they could return from their zords and assist me down here. God knows I need it.
He swung his sword again, this time catching me in my right arm. The blade sliced against my skin, cutting it open deep enough to cause blood to trickle down my arm. It felt warm and thin as it slid down my arm towards my hand.
I gritted my teeth as I ignored the wound and charged right back at Ivan. With the staff placed in my left hand, I swung as hard as I could at his stomach. The staff collided with his chest instead, and all he did was laugh in my face. I twisted the staff in my head and caught him in the jaw this time.
He didn't like that movement too much. If I had used more strength, I could have hit him harder, but I had to be cautious of the blade at his side. The ground underneath us rumbled again, and I knew this time it was not from us. Scorpitron came sliding in our direction, and it didn't look like it was going to stop.
Ivan must have already seen it coming because when I turned to look at him, he was already rolling out of the way. I planted my feet on the ground, unsure of where to take cover. He was so large that I wasn't sure if I was going to get away from it. I wasn't even sure Ivan was going to.
Scorpitron is emitting a very loud frequency from him as his metal features scrape against the ground. I decide at that moment that if I'm going to get crushed by this metal piece of junk, then I'm taking Ivan with me.
I dive towards him, not caring if he uses this opportunity to impale me with the sword. At least I know we'd still be dying together. He's trying to get to a higher ground like it's going to stop his beast from plowing over us like an avalanche.
I grab him by his calf as he's trying to climb up the rubble of one of the fallen buildings. He stumbled when I yanked him back, but could easily break my grip and continue climbing. He's not smarter than I am, because I immediately see that the pile he is climbing on is being held up by a rod at the bottom. If I can remove the wedged rod, then he will come tumbling back down.
It takes more than a second or two to break the rod free, but I do it and the outcome isn't exactly what I thought it would be. Scorpitron landed just a few feet in front of us, getting back up and heading right back towards whoever was fighting him.
Ivan slumped down alright. Right on top of me, with some of the rubble falling heavily beside us. In the movement, Ivan dropped his sword. It was still close enough for him to grab in an instant, but he didn't bother, as he used this advantage.
His hands tightened around my throat. I knew the more I struggled, the more his hands would feel tighter around my neck. If I tried to break his grip, then I would only fight against myself. His hands remained in their position as he concentrated on something else. Since most of his body was to my side now and not holding any weight on me, I swung my feet up and could easily wrap them around his shoulders.
I used the weight of the rest of my body to reverse the stance we were in, hoping to pin him against the ground. As I tried to flip him underneath me, his fist collided with the side of my head—and it did not feel pleasant.
He easily shoved me off him, drawing his sword and marching back towards me. I quickly scrambled to my feet, cupping a hand of dirt and throwing it in his face when he got close enough. Dirt in his eyes will give me a few seconds to create distance between us and retrieve the staff that was behind him.
"Stupid, stupid girl..." Ivan chanted.
"Stupid, stupid boy..." I taunt.
Ivan cracks his neck. With the staff back in my hands, I feel much better. Something behind me sends another rumble through the ground, and I can feel the heat of something rising behind us. A piercing electronic screech burst through the air, and I hope it was the sound of one of them being defeated.
"I guess it's time to take it up a notch," Ivan says. "Hornitor, join me!"
It's unlikely that the thing will join him—hopefully it's preoccupied by the others trying to destroy it. That's not the case, though. The ground trembled, and I fought to hold myself upright as it approached us.
"I've got one last trick up my sleeve..."
I wished I could express my surprise at his constant ability to be one step ahead of me, but this was something I could have never predicted. Hornitor halted behind him and Ivan's twisted smile vanished as he allowed himself to be consumed into a purple blob of goo. That goo slithered up Hornitor, merging with him and taking over most of its metal features with Ivan's features.
He doesn't waste any time as he raises his foot, about to stomp it down right on top of me. I don't know how he's done this—to merge with that monstrosity, but he did it. Maybe he is going to win this one.
Just as he's about to bring his foot back down on me, something slams against him hard. The Ape and the Bear simultaneously collide with Ivan and Hornitor, throwing him off their balance long enough for me to get out of the way.
"We've got this from here..." I don't know how I could hear Tommy, but his voice was clear as day as he swooped past me in his Falcon.
"I need to help you guys!" I shouted back.
What can I do to help them though? I don't have one of these zords and even if I did, I wouldn't know the right thing to do with it.
"Trust us," Adam said as he appeared next to me, outside of his zord. "Billy knows exactly how to destroy him. We're going to take care of it. Alpha has asked me to teleport you back to the Command Center before I rejoin the others."
"I have to help you guys!" I plead.
"Being with Zordon and Alpha while we do this is helping us." Adam said.
He didn't give me the opportunity to say anything back as he took the emblem from the center of his chest and placed it on mine, murmuring something before he teleported me back to their Command Center.
☆: *.☽ .* :☆
I had no time to protest being sent back to the Command Center. I desperately needed to stay and assist them in the downfall of Ivan. They will never understand the rage surging through my bones towards that monster. My entire life he's tried to make me just like him. All these years tormented by the very thing I didn't want to become, only to have to confront him continuously like it was a never-ending story.
I paced circles around the crystal bed Zordon rested in. We might have been too late to save him. He looks incredibly weak and his breaths are so shallow I have to keep stopping to make sure he's breathing. I fear he has little time left and he might not make it to see his group one last time.
If he passes while they are away, I don't think I could ever forgive myself. Alpha rested at Zordon's side, watching him closely as we anxiously waited. I balled my fists at my sides, digging my nails further into the palm of my hands with each minute passing.
So many thoughts are running through my head, but the loudest of them all is Ivan's taunting voice in my head. Were they strong enough to defeat him? Not even I could defeat him the first time around—Dulcea and I took the simple approach and look where that got us...
Ivan very well might kill every one of them, and I pray that if he does, they do not suffer painful deaths. My bones cracked underneath my weight as I circled around the crystal bed. My legs were threatening to give out any second, but I had to keep moving.
I wished there were some way for me to know what was going on, but after Ivan destroyed everything in this room, all of their communication systems ceased to exist. Ivan destroyed what was left of the viewing globe in his rage. It rested on a platform with spiderweb cracks spiraling up each side, meeting at the very top.
The last thing I saw before Adam sent me back here was the Ape and the Bear diving head first into Ivan and the Hornitor merging. Maybe they could stop them from merging, but I don't know. They sent me away.
They sent me away from a battle that was supposed to be mine.
I halted to a stop and let my eyes shut tightly. I sucked in a deep breath, holding it in for as long as I could before huffing the air out.
I don't know what feeling was worse. Not knowing if they will rid the world of Ivan's evil plague. Or not knowing if Ivan will rid the world of all its goodness.
Tommy. Kimberly. Rocky. Billy. Aisha. Adam.
Whether I know them for their great sacrifice in defeating my father or for dying in the attempt, I would forever etch their names in my memory.
I couldn't bring myself to look at Zordon, who was nearing his death. Though it was at the hands of my father, I couldn't help but feel responsible for this. This man, the one that this formidable forced seemed to admire with great love and respect, will most likely not make it to see their return. Instead, they very well might just end up together in whatever afterlife they will end up in.
I continue to pace in the same circle I had been for however long I've been back here. It's the only thing I could do to keep from letting the exhaustion take control. I rolled my neck back and forth, using my right hand to massage my left shoulder. I could already feel a large knot forming.
Every inch of my body felt like it was being pricked repeatedly by pins and needles. Blood stained parts of my skin and I'm certain I might have broken a bone or two in my hands. I hadn't felt it before when I was battling, but now that the adrenaline was wearing off, I was feeling every bit of pain that was creeping up on me.
Hair on the back of my neck rises and a pit forms in my stomach. I feel like someone is approaching, and I can't determine their identity. However, I won't allow anyone to enter here again and continue the damage that has already been done.
I have to protect Zordon and Alpha. They are in no condition to do it for themself. Around the end of the crystal bed that Zordon is resting in, there is a small ledge that Alpha is sitting on. I climb onto the ledge, facing the doors that are still covered in ooze. I grip the staff in my hand and watch the door closely. There is only one way in and out of here, and I've got my entire attention focused on it.
They are oblivious to what I'm watching, but if I was the one dying or watching someone I love dying... I wouldn't pay much attention to anything else, either.
Near the door, it looks like something is beginning to glitch before it. Soft sparks erupt in the air, and I'm unsure of how to react to it. Slowly, they glow brighter as they turn into long streaks of color.
Red. Yellow. Blue. White. Black. Pink.
The streaks form into people—the very people I had hoped would be victorious.
I remain still with my chest puffed out, waiting to see if it were truly them or some twisted vision that Ivan is toying with. I stared intently, seeing each of them reach up and unclip their helmets. One by one, they pulled them off their heads, revealing the faces of those who help save this planet and most of the galaxy.
There is still a possibility that this could be a deceitful act by Ivan, and I know of only one way to test them.
"May the power always protect you..." I rattled off.
"But never rely on the power to make what is wrong right again." Kimberly finishes.
I let my shoulders fall as part of me relaxes.
If they are standing here before me, then they must have been successful.
"Is it true?" I step down from the ledge. "Is he really dead?"
"He collided with the Orion commit and got blasted into pieces." Billy confirmed.
I thought I would feel incredibly relieved with this news, yet there was a burning feeling surging through my chest and I couldn't explain it. It feels like someone lit a match inside of my ribs and the fire is spreading up into my heart.
"Oh, no!" Kimberly shrieks, "Zordon! We're too late, aren't we?"
I step to the side as the group comes rushing down the runway, rushing to Zordon. They huddle around him, reaching in and touching his arms. I can no longer see his chest rising and I know there is no coming back from this.
We both lost someone tonight.
One person who someone loved. One person who someone hated.
└─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───┘