The Storybook Dimension

See disclaimer.

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The Weakest Color

Chapter 7: A Walk In The Dark

–

He took the long, winding path around SPD headquarters.

Bridge knew it was against regulations; Sky had reminded him several times.

‘Rule 39,’ His friend would quote. ‘Cadets are not allowed outside after curfew.’ There were two exceptions to this rule; neither of them applied to him. Bridge knew all this, and did it anyways.

He felt better when he was outside. Maybe it was because there were less people there, less minds to fend off. Maybe it was the plants, and the wide open spaces. Maybe he just needed the fresh air. Whatever the reason, Bridge had found himself taking nighttime walks on the grounds with disturbing regularity.

He knew the rules were put in place to protect him. But under the strain of both his duties to SPD and his increasingly unstable powers, Bridge had concluded that peace of mind, and perhaps his very sanity, were more important than regulations – a decision which, he was absolutely certain, his roommate would never have agreed with, much less understood.

He could have asked permission. Cruger might even have given it.

This would have been only the latest in a long string of exceptions, all made to accommodate Bridge’s needs and strange powers. Sky would probably have a heart attack if he knew how many rules had been bent, broken or otherwise ignored to ensure his continuation at SPD. Were it not for Kat’s influence, he might well be doing… well, he didn’t know what.

On the other hand, if he went to Cruger, he would have to explain how, exactly, a series of nightmares had driven him to wander the grounds in the dead of night. And that would, eventually, lead to uncomfortable questions about his powers and on to other things which were far too terrifying to even consider.

‘It doesn’t matter.’ Bridge thought firmly, turning his attention back to the path. ‘They won’t find out.’ Unless there was an emergency, no one would know he was gone. And in that case, he reasoned, they could call him through his morpher. Dismissing a slight twinge of guilt, Bride stifled a yawn and continued walking. He had already completed one circuit when he sensed something strange.

–

Bridge found himself drawn to the farthest areas of the grounds, near the shadowy tree-line marking the boundary of SPD territory. The feeling was stronger there, and he could finally pinpoint what was troubling him. It was an aura, and an evil one at that. Close, too, judging by it’s strength. But the alarm had not yet sounded. ‘Of course not.’ Bridge scoffed. ‘It’s probably just some minor criminal. The alarm only goes off when something really serious is happening.’

Still, he couldn’t just let evil-doers freely wander the streets, especially when it was within his power to stop them. Confident in his ability to handle any minor criminal Newtech City could throw at him, he left the path and began to sneak towards the aura, only to have it abruptly disappear.

Bridge paused in the underbrush, stricken by a disturbing thought.

‘What if I’m imagining it? This could all be another dream. Or my powers could be acting up again.’ The green ranger stared at his hands, gloved even during the nights.

He could just return to SPD, and pretend this never happened. After all, he couldn’t let the others find out that he had spent the night chasing ghosts around the city.

The idea suddenly sounded appealing.

‘But what if you’re not imagining it?’ Whispered a reproachful voice. ‘What if there really is something wrong?’

The wind whistled around him, as if attempting to pull him further away from SPD. Bridge shivered in the cold, and wished, for the thousandth time, that he had just stayed in his room, away from evil auras and the empty streets of Newtech City. ‘But I have a duty to investigate further.’ Bridge eventually decided. ‘And besides,’ he admitted privately, ‘I have to see. I need to know if I’m just imagining this, or if there’s something more going on.’

–

He was close to giving up when he sensed it again.

Nearly an hour of searching had turned out fruitless – the owner of the aura seemed to expertly elude him, and just when he would feel it nearby, it would disappear once again.

But this time was different. The aura was stronger, and closer. And even worse, there was something disturbingly familiar about this aura, a fleeting impression of danger, and something else he couldn’t quite place.

Bridge hesitated. ‘Maybe I should call for backup.’ He considered, turning to look at the looming silhouette of SPD headquarters. It would require a lot of explanation, and probably an appointment cleaning the Delta Runners, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

‘I’m sorry Sky.’ He thought regretfully, removing the green morpher from its holster. ‘It looks like I have to wake you up again.’’

But before he could activate the morpher, the wind returned, and with it came a familiar voice, and a wholly malevolent presence. “So we meet again, green ranger.” It hissed. “I have been waiting for you.”

“Invisor!” Bridge exclaimed, spinning to face the criminal. “What are you doing here?” What did the monster want with him? First, Invisor had spared him at the factory – and now, the monster had cornered him, away from both the safety of SPD and the support of his friends.

Internally, he cursed himself for being so easily led, for falling straight into the monster’s trap. He was alone in a vast metropolis, in the middle of the night. Unless he could somehow reach the others, there would be no rescue.

The green ranger took a few steps backwards, always facing Invisor. “Why did Gruumm send you?” He asked, voicing the question that was foremost in his mind. If he could just stall long enough to come up with a plan…

As if sensing Bridge’s intent, Invisor ignored the question, and began to advance towards the green ranger. “Surrender now, and I won’t have to hurt you.” The monster intoned, a hint of mockery in his voice.

“Never.” Bridge replied seriously. “I won’t give in to evil.”

“Are you so sure of that?” Invisor insinuated, giving his adversary a knowing look. And Bridge shivered, remembering the dreams and the sinister voice, and the green light of his nightmares.

“I don’t pretend to know what will happen in the future.” He said, as much to himself as the monster. “But I’m a Power Ranger, and defeating evil is what we do.” He looked up at the Invisor. “So I don’t know why you’re here, or what you want, or how you plan to get it, but the point is, I’m here to stop you.”

“SPD…”

He never had a chance to finish, as Invisor attacked.

–

Morphed, he was no match for Invisor. Unmorphed, he didn’t stand a chance.

The fight had only just begun, and he was already breathing heavily, his right arm hanging limply at his side.

Bridge grimaced. He had no illusions of victory against such a powerful monster, but he was devoted to standing on principle, and would fight to the best of his abilities.

Abilities which, he was forced to concede, might not be enough. Not only was he losing the fight, but he had already lost his morpher, and with it any chance of backup. If he managed to morph, he might be able to hold out until the others came. Presumably, and Bridge had never tested the theory, SPD would be alerted to his peril through the morphing grid.

But that was if, and only if, he could recover his morpher. Bridge bent his arm experimentally, the numbness already beginning to dispel.

‘He could have killed me in that attack.’ Bridge reflected with a frown. ‘He’s toying with me.’ The monster in question had positioned himself between the ranger and his morpher, but seemed to be waiting, content to let Bridge make the next move. ‘Maybe I can use that against him.’

And so, with his life hanging in the balance, Bridge came up with a desperate plan.

–

“I will give you one more chance.” Said the monster, wholly confident of victory, regardless of the ranger’s response. “Come with me without a fight and I will not hurt you… much.”

And for a second, the ranger seemed to consider it. The human hung his head, and his grip on his weapon loosened imperceptibly. All signs, Invisor had been told, consistent with the human reaction to defeat. “I can’t beat you.” The psychic said softly, confirming Invisor’s suspicions.

‘A logical conclusion.’ Invisor thought. The rangers were stubborn, he concluded, but not as unreasonable as he had been led to believe. The monster quashed a brief, but wholly inappropriate, feeling of disappointment.

“Humans are weak.” He said aloud, “And you are no different.” Approaching his defeated enemy, he reached towards a button on his gauntlet, preparing to teleport them to Gruumm’s ship.

The ranger made no move to resist. Which was why, for a moment, he let his guard down.

And in that single instant, Bridge saw his opportunity.

–

Twisting away from his captor in the last possible moment, Bridge sprinted for his morpher. Invisor was surprisingly slow to react, and in the valuable second it took the monster to recover, Bridge had already covered most of the ground between himself and the morpher.

Invisor growled, and began to pursue his enemy. Furious at such treachery, he grasped for the ranger, intending to end the human’s resistance once and for all. But then, something happened which had never happened before, and would never again. He missed.

His. claws raked the human’s back, tearing through cloth and skin. It was, nevertheless, a glancing blow, and the ranger, taking advantage of his momentary good fortune, made a dive for the morpher.

Ignoring the searing pain that radiated from his back, Bridge reached out, his fingers brushing the morpher. But before he could grab the device, he felt a heavy hand encircle his leg, pulling him backwards.

He tried to pull away, but it was too late.

The last thing Bridge saw was an armored hand, headed straight for his head.
—

To Be Continued

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