[FangRX]

Andrea shook her head as her sister laughed at the cartoon she was watching. The sounds of fighting erupted on the screen, the two characters starting to duke it out. She growled as her sister started talking to the characters on the screen, watching the fights with interest.

“Oh, come on, Connor!” Artemis yelled, shaking her head and throwing popcorn at the screen. “You’re going to let Kaldur win!? Lame! AH!” She watched as one of her favorite characters mind raped Kaldur, watching him hit his knees. “M’gann! What did you do!?”

“Seriously…will you shut the fuck up?” Andrea asked. “Dear lord, didn’t you watch that enough when it was on?”

“Shut up!” Artemis laughed. “You know I like this show. Just because I thought Connor and Kaldur were cute.”

“There is a fine line between acceptable and ridiculous, and…you stepped that line a few days ago, moron,” Andrea said, turning and heading upstairs. Being back in their old house, having the means to buy it back, it gave Andrea a sense of coming full circle. Since having to leave and live with their grandparents, she’d almost forgot what it was like to be in her own house. Running from the Empire, always running, hiding from whatever forces came through town that day, to ending up sailing the stars with three odd men and her sister, the Yellow Ranger was enjoying a few days of peace without fighting. She’d heard about Alec, Thomas, and Richmond all being involved in fights, but she knew they could handle themselves.

A knock on the door brought her out of her reverie, and Andrea sighed as she swung off of her bed, opening the door a crack. “What, Artemis?”

“I’m heading into town for a bit. I want to get a bite to eat. Come with?”

“Nah. Not this time,” Andrea said, smiling a bit. “You go. Enjoy some time by yourself.”

“Alright,” Artemis said, hugging her sister before turning and skipping down the stairs, sliding down the banister near the bottom. She turned and closed the front door of the house behind her, jumping on her skateboard and sailing down the street, a dark gleam in her eye.

Andrea sighed as she flopped back on her bed, staring up at the green galaxy stickers she’d put up when she was three. She remembered begging for the stickers despite her room being pink and blues with ponies and rainbows and dolls lining the walls.

”Mommy, please!!” a three year old Andrea begged. “Mommy, it’s just a few stickers! I wants them! I be extra special! Please, please, please!”

Her mother, Denise, smiled softly, shaking her head. “Andy, you know Daddy’s going to say I shouldn’t,” she said, kneeling beside her daughter who looked ready to cry.

“Don’t care! Not with Daddy!” Andrea said, looking at the sticker package before stuffing it back on the shelf in the store, crossing her arms. “Stupid Daddy and his stupid rules…” She wiped her eyes from the tears that had been forming, and she sighed softly.

Denise bit her lip nervously, putting the package in the cart before picking up Andrea. “We’ll keep it our secret,” she said, kissing her daughters cheek and hearing her giggle. “Ok?”

“Okis!” Andrea giggled, hugging her mother’s neck.

Later that night, Andrea huddled down under the blankets in her room, hearing her father slapping her mother around and yelling at her.

“Dylan! Stop!” Denise yelled, hitting her back on the floor, holding her cheek were red handprints were making themselves known. “She asked me for them! I wasn’t going to tell her no! It’s just some stupid stickers!”

“I don’t care!” Dylan yelled, slapping his wife again before throwing her against the dressers, mirrors and perfume bottles shattering as they hit the floor. “She’s a girl, not a fucking boy! She doesn’t need boy things! I thought I fucking made that clear?!”

“AH!” Denise yelled, hitting her head on the wall. “Alright! I’m sorry….just…please stop…”

Andrea cried herself to sleep, the images of her mother being hurt embedding themselves in her mind. She felt bad since that day, having gotten the stickers despite knowing what her father would do to her mother. She hugged Denise tighter the next morning, kissing the red handprint on her face.

“Damn it,” Andrea growled, getting up before heading into her parents old room, opening the door and stepping onto the dust covered floor that tickled her nose. She sneezed twice, holding her nose and mouth to keep them covered as she remembered the last time her father was alive.

”Dad! Please stop hitting her like this!” Andrea’s voice yelled, trying to fight her mother’s grip on her. She was sick of her father beating her and her twelve year old sister every single day. She‘d hear her mothers screams at night when she‘d get hit, and it made her stomach churn. “STOP IT!”

“SHUT UP!” Artemis’ father yelled, throwing Artemis to the floor before heading towards her older sister.

“Leave her alone,” Artemis growled, getting up and spitting out some blood that had pooled in her mouth. “Get away from my sister.”

Her father turned around, slapping Artemis again before grabbing Andrea by the hair. Artemis reached over to the table beside the couch and opened a lock box, drawing her fathers pistol. Drawing back the hammer, she stood up shakily.

“I said…leave her alone,” Artemis muttered, coughing as she got up. Her father turned, seeing his handgun pointed directly at his head.

“You don’t have the strength to pull that trigger, Artemis. You’re weak, and that’s all you’ll ever be is weak,” her father said, slapping his oldest again before dropping her as he turned back to his youngest.

“Leave them alone…and I’ll put the gun down. If you hurt my mother or my sister again…I will kill you,” Artemis growled. Her father reached out to slap her again, but she pulled the trigger, falling backwards from the kick before a second body hit the ground, her fathers blood pooling around his head. “I warned you…”

“Arty!” Andrea yelled, running over and taking the gun from her sister, picking her up. “Are you ok?”

“No…I don’t think I’ll ever be ok again, Andy,” Artemis whispered, burying her face against her sister’s neck and crying, her entire body shaking.

Andrea sighed as she walked back out, closing the door behind her before slamming her hands against it, breaking the hardwood at random spots, splinters flying out of the door into her hand and face. “I hate you,” she growled.

She ran downstairs, picking up a photo album and started looking through it, sighing as she found one set in the Pan Central Cemetery. Her eyes widened, seeing the headstone behind her mother. “No…”

On it was written:

ARTEMIS BLAINE
OCTOBER 12, 1995--OCTOBER 13, 1995

“Ok…I’m confused,” Andrea said. “I remember my sister being there doing all that stuff. Running, playing soccer in the backyard, hanging out at the Twisty Freezer. What the hell is going on?”

Making a snap choice, Andrea jumped up and ran for the door. She grabbed her coat and backpack, shoving her Caller into her pocket before putting the Ranger Key in her breast pocket, sighing as she ran out of the house, heading towards the Cemetery. “I need answers,” she mumbled, running through town.

After getting to the Cemetery and asking for help finding the gravestone in question--which held her mother and father on either side--she knelt down and brushed the dust away. She dropped the picture in her hand, her heart snapping in half. “It’s the same thing,” she mumbled. “What the hell is going on here!?”
_____________________________________________

Stepping out of the shadows near downtown, Dricos and Dimas were planning their assault as they went, knowing that a war would bring the Rangers out. “Dimas, be a sport and start slashing down these pitiful humans. They’re eyesores,” Dricos said, lashing his hand out and blowing up a building fairly close, peoples screams filling his ears.

“Yes, my Lord,” Dimas said, bowing and slashing down with his sword, sending several large shockwaves out and killing a plethora of humans that were foolish enough to try and run. Turning around, Dimas sent a few more energy waves, tinted black as his heart, searing through more humans, their bodies separating in gruesome ways before blowing up their cars.

“Dimas!” a voice yelled. As Dricos and Dimas turned around, Thomas, Alec, and Richmond stood together.

“Rangers! You seem to be missing someone, don’t you?” Dricos asked, smirking under his hood.

Andrea ran up, standing behind the two. “We’re only missing one, but it doesn’t matter where my sister is. We’re more then able to take you down,” she growled. “Let’s do this!”

“Unleashed Engage!” the four Rangers yelled, each one changing into their Ranger persona with a burst of colored light from their Callers.

“Are you sure it does not matter where your sister is?” Dricos asked, turning to Andrea behind him and taking a Ranger Key from his sleeve, throwing it at the Yellow Ranger’s feet. “Or does this prove you wrong?”

Picking up the Ranger Key, Andrea opened her hand to reveal the Pink Ranger Key that her sister held. “What did you do?”

“Nothing she didn’t want,” Dricos laughed.

Andrea’s hand tightened around her Sabre, anger surging through her veins. “I’ll kill you,” she growled. “You’ve taken someone close to me. Why should I leave you alive?!”

Dricos laughed, rushing forward and kicking out at Andrea, the Yellow Ranger dodging and slamming her fist into Dricos’ chest, throwing him backwards. She leapt forward into Dricos, hitting him hard in the stomach, anger and rage driving her.

Down the street, the other three Rangers were busy with Dimas. Alec swung low, catching Dimas in the chest before launching him backwards into Richmond, the Green Ranger stabbing Dimas in the back before slashing against him as he pulled his sword out, knocking him to the ground.

“Thomas!” the Green Ranger called out, watching Thomas rush forward before slotting a Key into his Sabre.

“UNLEASHED BREAK!” he yelled, driving his sword into Dimas’ shoulder. “That’s for manipulating my friends.”

“Ha….you think you’re right,” Dimas growled, launching himself up and knocking the Rangers off of him. “You think that I’m the one that manipulated your friends? You couldn’t be more wrong, son.” He slashed Thomas backwards, kicking him in the chest and sending him spiraling into Alec. Richmond fired several shots, Dimas blocking each of them before slashing Richmond, knocking him down. “If you know what’s best, Rangers, do not get up again.”

Andrea, having been distracted watching the fight between her friends and Dimas, got a knee to the face courtesy of Dricos, shattering her helmet’s visor. Landing on her back, Andrea thought fast and fired several rounds from her blaster, each one tearing at the hood on Dricos’ face. He landed on his stomach, growling as he held the strips of what used to be his hood down, not wanting his face to be seen.

“Bitch!” he growled, jumping back up and driving a kick to Andrea’s stomach, sending her sprawling out onto the ground. “Dimas! Retreat for now!” Snapping his fingers, he and Dimas both vanished, Andrea losing her morph before getting up and screaming to air.

“BASTARD! I’LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!” she yelled, slamming her hand into a car window and shattering the glass, hitting her knees as tears fell from her eyes.

“Andrea,” Richmond’s voice whispered, the Yellow Ranger feeling his arms around her. “Come on, Andy. Let’s go back up to the Galleon. I’ll make you a hot drink.”

“I don’t want a hot drink, Richmond! I want my sister back!” she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks and staining his shirt. “But…can I bend some ears?”

“Uh…sure,” Richmond said. “Thomas, Galleon?”

“Coming’ up!” Thomas said, hitting a few numbers on his Caller that summoned the ship to them, teleporting them up into the main galley. After everyone sat down, Andrea sighed as she put the Pink Ranger Key on the table in front of her, biting her lip. “Andrea?”

“That’s my sisters,” Andrea said, looking at the Key. “She’s dead.”

“Um…” Richmond started, having been standing at the main console for two minutes tapping away as he waited for things to come to light. “I don’t think so.”

“What are you talking about?” Andrea asked, getting up and going to her friend in Green. “What do you mean she isn’t dead?”

“Her signal isn’t on Earth, but…it’s in Space,” Richmond said.
_____________________________________________

“Those accursed Rangers!” Dricos yelled, slamming his hand into a Timbak and shattering its spine before it fell to the ground. “Again! They screwed us over again!”

“My lord Dricos. Please calm yourself,” Dimas said, putting his hand on his Masters’ arm. “We will destroy these Rangers once and for all.”

“And how do you suppose we do this, Dimas?” Dricos asked, shedding the cloak. The Bridge crew turned away, none of them allowed at the time to see their Masters true form before a second cloak was drawn around him. “Waltz up to their ship and blow them out of the sky?”

“That is exactly what we do,” Dimas said. “The Galleon is a weapon in and of itself, my lord. We destroy their home, they are powerless.”

“The Key,” Dricos smirked, a dark chuckle tearing itself from his throat.

“The Key,” Dimas confirmed. “We must acquire its parts from the Outlying, but we might have a chance of bringing everything together soon for the Deletion.”

“Excellent,” Dricos said, a sadistic grin on his face. “Let the operations commence. I have some things to attend on the surface. I will alert when the time is right for the Forces.”

“Yes, sire,” Dimas said, bowing his head and walking away to leave Dricos to his plans.
_______________________________

“So you’re saying that your sister’s dead, but someone’s impersonating her?” Thomas asked, having taken a cup of hot tea from Richmond. “How is that possible?”

“I don’t know,” Andrea said, sighing as she looked into her own cup. “I don’t fucking know, Thomas. All I know is I want some damn answers.”

Richmond nodded, thinking before he pulled up a few files. “I found some of the Empire’s files on their soldiers that impersonate,” he said, throwing them onto the big screen. “Tranias, Lokie, Tsunika. All of them impersonators, but none of them have the power to manipulate memories.”

“What about Her?” Alec asked. He pulled a file of his own up, showing a feminine figure with purple skin and serpents for hair.

“Serpen,” Thomas said, his mind buzzing. “It’s possible. One of her Snakes Bites does induce memory manipulation. It’s possible that she’s behind a lot of this and she’s been playing us from the start.”

No sooner did the words leave the Red Rangers mouth then an alert tone rang out. “That’s my phone,” Andrea said, taking a cord from Richmond that allowed her to plug into the ship directly. “Who are you?”

”Yellow Ranger, I’m the one that holds your sister alive. For now. Come alone to the West side warehousing. I’ve got something special in mind. Speaking of your sister, scream out, little Pinky,” the voice on the other end laughed, Artemis’ screams tearing through the phone and speakers of the ship. ”One hour little girl. Otherwise she loses another body part!” Another demonic laugh and a click later, Andrea heard the sounds of a dead line, fear in her eyes.

“What do I do?” Andrea asked.

“Fight,” Alec said. “All you can do, Andrea.” He sighed, putting his hand on her shoulder. “It’s all any of us can do at any given time. Though I’ll have a fight on my hand if I’m not careful tonight.”

“Had to blow off your date with Dem, did you?” Richmond asked.

“Yep,” Alec said, shaking his head. “She understands, but it still hurts her when I do.”

“Ok, relationships aside, I need a plan if things go south,” Andrea said. “Thomas, bring me that chest. I have an idea that just might work. It’s fucking nuts, but it might work.”

“Oh, boy,” Richmond snickered, watching Andrea start pulling out sixteen Keys. “What are you thinking?”

“Follow my lead today, and you’ll find out,” Andrea said. “I need my bike. I’m going.”
_____________________________

One hour later, Andrea was standing in front of the warehouse, thinking about how, “It’s always warehouses. Why not a pizza joint?” She opened the door lightly, sticking her head in. “Hello?” she asked, looking around, her Ranger Blaster in hand.

“Come in, come in,” Dricos laughed, flooding the room in searchlights, illuminating it with thousands of LED’s to brighten the warehouse. “Are you going to fight me?”

“Only if you don’t give back my sister,” Andrea growled.

“She’s already dead. That scream was prerecorded,” Dricos laughed, smirking under his hood. “SO…what are you going to do now, little girly?”

“This,” Andrea said, her hand tightening around her Caller. "UNLEASHED ENGAGE!" She morphed in a burst of yellow light, throwing her Blaster out of the window, catching a Sabre on return. “You didn’t think I’d really come alone?”

“Dirty fighter,” Dricos snickered, rushing Andrea as the sounds of battle came from outside, Timbaks and Golbaks taking the fight to the other three Rangers.

Dodging a punch, Andrea leapt up, cutting the sleeve of Dricos’ cloak, the fabric tearing as she pulled back, using her grappling hooks on the ends of the sabers to hook more of the cloak. “Time to get into the light, bitch!” she growled, yanking hard and flipping Dricos over her head, sending him flying through the air. He crashed through the window, knocking some of his own forces down as he landed. Andrea ran out, standing beside her teammates. “Let’s make a change.”

Taking a Key from their belts, the Rangers flipped up the legs and inserted them into the Callers. “Unleashed Engage!” they cried out. Jungle Beast! Spirit Unleashed! The sounds of roaring and a howl ripped through the street, a violet disk of energy from Richmond severing several Timbaks.

“Wahoo! Love a Wolf Disk!” the Green turned Violet Ranger laughed, driving a knee into one more.

Leaping up, Andrea, now clad in a different yellow, slammed her Jungle Bo into Dricos’ chest, throwing him around into another wall, cracking the wall several feet up. She retracted her Bo from Dricos’ chest, slamming it into a Golbak that had taken aim at her head, his blast backfiring and blowing him up instead.

“Do you think you can win, little girl?” Dricos asked, growling as he slid down the wall, holding his chest. “I’ll kill you like I did your sister.”

“Like hell you will,” Andrea growled. “Boys! You doing good?”

“Just fine!“ Alec was taking the Jungle Tonfa, slamming them around in circles and beating in heads of more Timbaks’, Thomas beside him with the Jungle Chucks. “Not a lot of sharp weaponry, is it?” Alec asked.

“Kung-Fu Fighters that used their fists more. Weapons were an afterthought,” Richmond said. “How about another one?”

“Unleashed Engage!” Dino Thunder Power Up!

Sailing through the air on paper thin wings, Andrea grabbed Dricos up and slammed her Thunder Blaster into his chest, firing at point blank range before dropping him into his soldiers below. Richmond took the Dino Staff in hand before twisting the dial around.

“Fire Inferno!” the Green Ranger cried out, engulfing several of the Timbaks in flame.

“Tricera Shield!” Alec called, slamming his tri-horned weapon into the Golbaks, kicking one back before throwing the shield and watching it spear several more.

“Tyranno Staff!” Thomas summoned, slamming the staff down on some of the footwork, spearing his staff through them.

“Dricos,” Andrea growled, picking up the villain and pointing her Thunder Blaster at his head. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t blow your head off.”

A burst of fire broke Andrea’s concentration, Furyblaze appearing beside Dricos. “My Lord,” he said.

“You!” Thomas growled.

“Hello, Thomas,” Furyblaze. “Dricos. You must hurry. The Outlying are beginning to mobilize as you requested of Lord Dimas.”

“Thank you, Furyblaze,” Dricos said, holding his hand out and forming a ball of silver energy. "Etrigan Solar Storm!" Throwing the ball of energy, the force of a thousand suns knocked into the Rangers, sending them back into their original Ranger suits. Andrea rolled to a stop in front of Richmond, her visor broken and revealing a pair of angry brown eyes. “Oh, look. One of them shows an emotion. Pitiful humans.”

“You’ll think pitiful humans,” Andrea growled. She stood again, taking a Key from her belt. “I’ve got something to tell you.”

“Pray tell, dear. What is that?” Dricos asked, smirking as he pulled at the tatters of his cloak. “And I’ll have you know that these cloaks aren’t cheap.”

“Who cares? Being someone that used to love expensive clothes…they don’t mean shit when you don’t have a friend to wear them with or to share. That’s what you took away from me….you took away my sister, my best friend, and the only family I had left. Assholes like you always take people that don’t deserve to die, and…I’m going to make sure that you don’t hurt anyone else. Unleashed Engage!” Andrea snapped, slotting a final Key. "Go Galactic!" it rang out. “Quasar Saber!” She lunged forward again, slashing and hacking at the cloak, tearing it off of Dricos before kicking him back. She let go of the Lost Galaxy suit, complete with a skirt thanks to the Keys properties, landing on her feet beside Richmond.

Dricos growled, realizing his cloak was gone. “You bitch!” he snapped, turning and standing up as he did. When he stood, instead of a man like everyone thought--or some galactic equivalent of one--they were met face to face with a mess of tangled red hair, blue eyes shining brightly despite the anger on her face.

“Do you know what you’ve done!?” Artemis yelled, holding her stomach where silver blood was pooling on her fingers. “Do you know what the hell you’ve done?!”

Andrea’s Sabre and Blaster fell from her hands, her suit dematerializing as she hit her knees, looking at the woman she thought was her younger sister. “Who the hell are you!? WHO ARE YOU!? ANSWER ME!”

An eerie silence crept over the street, the Rangers dropping their morphs beside Andrea, Richmond kneeling beside Andrea. Thomas had his hand clenched, anger surging through him. Alec didn’t know what to do or say, so he stood behind everyone, his hand on his Caller just in case.

“My name is….”