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-==Corinth City Fitness Center, May 7th, 2000's==
-Garfield pushed the Fitness Center's door open, and walked inside. He moved very slowly, keeping one hand on the wall, but still bumped into a few benches. Each thump made him wince; he'd gotten a colorful collection of bruises from the walk back to the Garage yesterday. Nobody had paid much attention to him, even when he'd gone straight to bed after Doctor K's meeting and slept the rest of the day.
-He followed his nose to the lockers, finding Alicia just closing hers. She still reeked of violets. Garfield had no idea what to do with her. Maybe once he'd gotten over the fever, relearned a few of the basics, he'd try out a few of his weapons when nobody was around.
-"Hi," the girl said, giving her combination lock a spin. "Ready to be knocked down properly this time?"
-"Oh, I'm not so sure that's going to happen," Garfield replied, far more cockily than he felt, and leaned on the locker. "Seeing as I'm the trained Ranger, I may do a bit of knocking down myself." The Scottish accent still sounded weird coming out of his mouth.
-"We'll see. Come on." Alicia took Garfield by the arm and led him through the loose group of people onto a mat.
-Garfield slipped off his shoes as he felt the floor change, and wondered just how badly he was about to get beaten up. He seemed to be able to navigate better around Alicia; would that affect how well he fought? Even before the attack his wingmates described his fighting style as "drunken gorilla."
-He found himself facing Alicia, fists raised and left foot in front. The Akra lunged for him, and Garfield ducked a high kick. Springing back up, he wrapped his arm around her knee and flipped her off balance. Her hands and feet thudded on the mat as she landed. Before Garfield could do anything, Alicia's foot shot out, caught his ankle, and flipped him flat on his back.
-Alicia scrambled on top of him, trying to pin him to the mat. Fortunately, she was rather smaller than Garfield in Flynn's body, and he managed to flip over, trapping her instead, despite her wriggling. They both panted for a minute.
-"Not bad," Garfield said, grinning.
-"Not bad at all. You can get off, now."
-"Oh, I kind of like us where we are." Garfield actually tried to stop the words coming out, but only slurred them a little. He shivered.
-"Wait until the third date at least, tiger," Alicia replied. She was smiling, though; he could hear it in her voice.
-"Then we'd better get started on the first one. Also I'm a lion."
-"Roar." Catching Garfield by the shoulder, Alicia flipped him to the ground, pinning him with one arm. With a choked laugh, Garfield tried to get up, but somehow, the skinny girl held him down. This wasn't going to be easy.
-==Outside Alicia's Apartment, May 29th==
-"Thanks, Flynn," Alicia said, as Garfield closed the hood of her car. He tried to wipe the grease stain off his cheek, but just smeared it.
-"No trouble at all."
-"I knew you had to be good at something useful—because you really stink at fighting," Alicia added, grinning wickedly. Garfield raised his eyebrows.
-"Really?" He made a grab for her, but she ducked, caught him by the wrist and pinned him to the hood of her car.
-"Yes, really!" Alicia's grip was tight enough to hurt.
-"Point made—let me up now?" He asked. Alicia giggled, and somewhere nearby, Summer echoed the noise. Garfield rolled his eyes—there was something wrong with that woman, and it mainly seemed to come out when Alicia was around.
-"What's the magic word?" The Akra's voice was teasing. Garfield growled.
-"Please?"
-Alicia cocked her head to one side. Pins and needles started working through Garfield's fingers.
-"Hmm, how about 'please let me up, I'm just a simple mechanic who will never best you, Alicia'?"
-"You've got to be kidding me!" Alicia gave his arm a wrench, and Garfield nearly bit his tongue stifling his yelp. Why did she keep doing this to him? Did she think mild beatings were flirty?
-"All right, all right! Please let me up, I'm a simple mechanic who will never best you, Alicia!"
-"Just a simple mechanic," Alicia corrected him.
-Garfield sighed in exasperation, and enunciated each word. "Please let me up, I'm just a simple mechanic who will never best you, Alicia."
-"Thank you!" She sang out, releasing him.
-"You're welcome," Garfield muttered, rubbing his wrist and flexing his bloodless fingers. Summer and Scott laughed again, and Garfield glared in their direction. Unfortunately, that drew them towards him. "Could you be more careful with that super strength of yours? I think you cut off my circulation."
-"Aw, does poor widdle Fwynn's hand huwt?"
-"That was meant as a compliment, actually," Garfield said, though he would have preferred "is there a name for what's wrong with you?" Grabbing a handkerchief, Alicia wiped the grease stain off his face.
-"Well, thank you, then. Same time tomorrow?"
-"Same time." Garfield walked away. Hearing footsteps, he sped up, but wasn't able to outrun his "teammates."
-Scott's arm slammed down across his shoulders, and he staggered a little. The Red Ranger just laughed and tried to pull him in for a noogie, but Garfield ducked out of the closing headlock.
-"You and Alicia are so cute together!" Summer squealed.
-"Girls," Scott said, and chuckled. "By the way, if you guys need baby names—"
-"Both of you just shut up," Garfield snapped, and both adults made very un-adult noises.
-Summer's hand slipped onto his elbow. "What's the matter, Captain Grumpypants?"
-"Seriously, dude, you have no reason to be in a bad mood right now. Venjix hasn't shown his head for weeks, Doc K's giving us tons of free time, you've got a gorgeous girlfriend—"
-"Were we ruining the moment with Alicia?"
-Garfield had to get rid of them. Shaking off their hands, he turned to face them, trying to look contrite.
-"Yeah, you're right, I'm sorry. I've just got to get something done—myself, see. I'll see you guys later. Okay?"
-"Okay," Scott said, sounding a little confused. "Bye, Flynn."
-"See you back at the Garage," Summer added, and skipped away.
-Garfield didn't wait for them to leave to start walking. Once he'd gotten good and far away from Alicia or the RPM Rangers, he ducked into an alley. Backing against the wall, he pulled his Gyro Morpher out from under his jacket.
-"Reveal!"
-Garfield transformed back into himself: as before, he very nearly saw the blue flash. The first time he'd done this, he'd reverted to his old uniform and open wounds, but he'd prepared for it. New clothes, medical supplies and eventually sunglasses, and he was just another wounded veteran in Corinth City.
-With a few directions from bystanders, Garfield made his way to Corinth's library. It seemed like one of those fancy old buildings, a lot of steps and Corinthian pillars—oh, hey! He chuckled as he found a quiet computer alcove. On one of his earlier trips during the last three weeks, he'd been shown the voice command setting, and now Garfield typed in the command code.
-Garfield scooted his chair in a little closer. The place smelled like sea-scented air freshener, and a few other people passed him quietly. He cleared his throat.
-"Computer, check latest census for Elizabeth Brooks, point of origin London, England, approximately forty-seven years old." The computer hummed to work, and feeling a little nervous, Garfield slid his wheelie chair closer. It was a sunny but mild midafternoon, and a weekend, but even the few people in the archives made him jumpy. He didn't know how, but he was worried someone connected to the Akra might recognize him, which was why he usually stayed disguised.
-"No such person located," the computer said. Garfield bit his lip.
-"Search other lists," Garfield replied. The computer went back to work. Garfield almost wished Alicia were here—the Akra influence made newly difficult tasks like walking or getting the right change easier.
-"Elizabeth 'Liz' Brooks," the computer began, startling Garfield back into the real world, "Reported aboard the evacuation ship Constantine before its sinking, presumed drowned."
-Garfield let his head drop forward until it thunked against the computer desk. He didn't say anything, didn't do anything, for a long time. He'd suspected it, but hey, a guy could hope, couldn't he? He let out a long sigh.
-"Computer, locate Makoto Hsien," he said at last. He sat back in the chair, and ran a hand over his face. His wounds had closed up; they were sensitive, but just ridges now.
-"Makoto Hsien. Current residence: 16, Skye Apartments, resides with infant daughter Marcia."
-Garfield shook his head, smiling sadly.
-"It's a girl, Rory. You owe me five pounds." His voice shook a little. "Why couldn't you have been the one to get out instead of me?"
-"Not enough information to respond. Please rephrase the question," the computer replied.
-"Bloody computers." Garfield coughed, and spoke normally. "Locate Jodie Harper."
-==Alleyway, June 4th==
-Zanna stood in the shadows of an alley, scanning the area for any Rangers. Her Gyro Morpher had automatically transformed her into someone named Tenaya 7 on her arrival. For the last month, she had done nothing but strut around Venjix's palace and mock the other generals—which she secretly admitted was rather fun. She even secretly helped some of the human prisoners, even though she knew Time Force would undo it all anyway when they removed the Akra.
-Here she was, in Corinth City, about to attack at last—and from what Venjix had said, the target had to be their Akra. That probably meant she would be fighting as an Hourglass Ranger soon. Unconsciously, Zanna clenched her fist on the Gyro Morpher. The Akra would probably find out about her pretty soon, and then they'd be after her, trying to recapture or even kill her.
-Zanna's train of thought was interrupted by loud laughter. One quick peek around the corner confirmed her suspicions: Flynn, Blue Ranger, strolled down the road. A pretty auburn in an orange silk dress hung on his arm. Zanna didn't recognize her, but the familiar wave of Akra influence emanating from her removed all doubt. Zanna smirked, and backed up, gesturing for the Grinders to fan out and hide in ambush.
-"Seriously, Alicia, I still don't understand how you can be so strong," Flynn was saying.
-The auburn shrugged. Her hair straggled out of its bun, but only in an attractive way. Akra power worked in strange ways sometimes. "It's just a gift—I've always had it."
-"Your 'gift' is driving Doctor K crazy. She's been begging me to let her run some tests on you to find out what's causing it."
-"Poor thing." Alicia didn't sound sympathetic at all.
-This drew another laugh from Flynn, but Zanna detected a strained look in his eyes. Was he holding out?
-"Apparently there are women in the world who think men in spandex tights are hot," Zanna said, stepping out into the street behind the pair. "Aaaand there goes my faith in humanity."
-The two whirled around as Grinders leaped out of their hiding places, surrounding them. Flynn quickly shoved Alicia behind him, but she pushed his arm aside, glaring at Zanna.
-"You're interrupting my date. Big, big mistake, robo-girl."
-Drawing herself up, Alicia blew a gust of gale-force wind at the Grinders, blasting them in every direction. Zanna's eyes widened, and Flynn stared in disbelief.
-"What?" Zanna cried.
-"Don't just stand there, morph!" The Akra host exclaimed, jabbing Flynn in the side.
-Well, it was a good moment. Zanna drew in a deep breath, and raised the Gyro Morpher beside her head with her left hand.
-"Sands of Time," Zanna began, flicking the hourglass with her thumb and setting it into a spin, "Rise Up!" She raised it over her head.
-''Zanna poses inside a clock tower, surrounded by bronzed cogs and wheels. The hourglass in her right hand shines green, and the sand bursts out. It covers her, forming her suit, and the image of the hourglass forms her helmet.''
-"Harlequin Hourglass Ranger!"
-"Monkey see, monkey do," Flynn said, taking another Gyro Morpher out from under his jacket. As both girls stared at him, he paused, and shrugged. "Or hear, whatever. Sands of Time, Rise Up!"
-''Garfield stands before a huge, dripping water clock. The hourglass in his hand glows blue, and the sand explodes around him in a blue storm. Swirling wildly, it forms his Ranger suit. A blue, squarish hourglass forms his visor.''
-"Cerulean Hourglass Ranger!"
-Zanna grinned ear-to-ear: another Hourglass Ranger. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.
-"No!" Alicia screamed, recoiling from the two.
-"Yes," the other Ranger said, shrugging widely.
-Alicia dropped into a fighting stance. "What have you done with Flynn?"
-"Just swapped places. You've never actually met him, sorry." His accent had changed to…Zanna guessed it was lower-class British.
-Alicia's expression darkened and she made a grab for the Cerulean Ranger's throat. He swung back to avoid it, and Zanna remembered the weapons Time Force had shown her.
-"Hourglass Revolver!"
-The flintlock appeared in her hand, and she fired. Green gas exploded from the barrel, but Alicia quickly blew it into the Cerulean Ranger's face. His suit shielded him, so he ignored it and lunged for Alicia, wrapping his hands around her throat. She choked, caught him by the wrists and yanked his hands away. With a fierce snarl, she twisted both of his hands back until he cried out in pain. Charging, Zanna seized the Akra in a headlock, but got headbutted in the jaw. Quickly, Alicia spun, kneed Zanna in the gut, and slithered out of her grip.
-"You've ruined everything!" The girl screamed.
-"What are you doing?" The Cerulean Ranger asked, coming up beside Zanna. Fumbling for her shoulder, he pulled her to her feet. "With the shouting, I mean. Kind of new at this."
-"Summoning my weapons—say the name and it appears. Neural Net!"
-Whirling the green net over her head, Zanna threw it. As Alicia sucked in a breath to blow it away, the net wrapped around her, knocking her down, and all of the little electrodes woven into it flashed. Stunned, Alicia crumpled on her side. As she went still, her skin began to change color. Yellow tendrils spiderwebbed across her back and shoulders, clinging to her skin. With the Host out of commission, the Akra had to reveal its true form: a gooey parasite.
-"You okay?" Garfield asked, standing and rolling his wrists.
-Breathless, Zanna ran to the unconscious Alicia. "We have to get the Akra off her back. That way Time Force—"
-"Time what?"
-"Police from the future will be able to detect it, take it into custody and undo the timeline. The Host will be returned to her normal time as well. Containment Jar!"
-As Zanna spoke, the jar came to her hand. It was made of glass, full of a thick, clear liquid anesthetic to keep the Akra docile. Setting it on the ground, she rolled Alicia over onto her stomach. So far, so good. The Cerulean Ranger crouched beside her.
-"I don't understand," he said, putting a hand on Alicia's back. The Akra twitched, and he recoiled. "O-okay, now I think I do. It just comes off?"
-"It leaves a welt, but yeah, once it's unconscious it just peels off." The Cerulean Ranger nodded, and with a little trouble, he began pulling the Neural Net aside. The Akra seemed calm enough, but Zanna remembered hers had been like that for a while, too. She started pulling the tendrils off. They curled around her fingers like pumpkin vines.
-"After all that time and work, I was kind of expecting something bigger," he said. Quickly, he added, "Not that I want it to be harder! It just seems kind of underwhelming after . . . you know, everything else. I've been here for a couple of months."
-Zanna shrugged. "Most likely the Akra don't know we're here yet. They'll find us and begin trying to stop us soon enough."
-The man's shoulders slumped. "Fantastic. Oh well, nobody said this job would be easy." He held out a hand. "Garfield Brooks."
-Letting go of the Akra, Zanna shook hands. "Zanna Mitchell."
-"I still don't know what a Power Ranger is."
-"Us."
-"Ah. That's not helpful at all."
-"Then get comfortable, because this is a long story."
-==To Be Continued==
-{{Succession
-|username = Thantosiet
-|story = Power Rangers: Shattered Hourglass
-|before = Mission 1
-|current = Mission 2
-|after = Mission 3
-}}
 [[Category:Blog posts]]
 [[Category:Power Rangers: Shattered Hourglass]]

Changes: User blog:Thantosiet/Power Rangers: Shattered Hourglass/Mission 2

Latest revision as of 19:09, 13 September 2016