Children of the Sea
By Crypt
By Crypt
It was another typical morning aboard the Astro Megaship. Jenny woke up in her bed after a restful night's sleep.
"Good morning, Jenny," Deca said. "Did you sleep well?"
"You bet I did," Jenny replied. "I actually woke up, too."
She stood up only to feel a throbbing pain in her ankle. "Ow! What was that?" She limped all the way into the dining room and sat next to Zhane.
"You okay?" Zhane asked. "What's wrong?"
"My ankle is sore," Jenny said. "I think it's from the slumber snakebite. But I think I'll be okay in the long run."
"Okay….."
"Oh, Jenny, we told Zhane about your marriage," the Cryptkeeper said. "Hope you're not mad at us."
"It all depends on how Zhane reacted," Jenny told him, looking at Zhane out of the corner of her eye.
"Why did you marry him anyway?" Zhane asked.
"He forced me into it. The necklace was cursed; it had me under a spell. The curse is also how my dad came back as a zombie."
The Rangers and Spices finished their breakfast.
"Well, I'd better check on my ankle," Jenny said, standing up slowly. "Ow!" She hopped out of the room on one foot.
The Cryptkeeper rushed after her. "Here, let me help you." He put her arm around his shoulder and walked with her into the first aid room. When they got there, Jenny touched her wound. It felt wet.
"Uh-oh, something's wrong," she said. She lifted her leg onto the table, took off her shoe and sock, and rolled up her pants leg to reveal the bite. There were two large teethmarks in her ankle with black fluids and green puss oozing out. The surrounding area was red and very swollen.
"Ouch," the Cryptkeeper mumbled. "That is disgusting."
"And it hurts," Jenny said.
"Any idea what you're going to do about it?"
"Not really. I do remember my grandmother telling me that soaking open wounds in salt water is helpful."
"Your grandmother? On whose side?" the Cryptkeeper asked.
"My dad's side, of course," Jenny told him. "So I'm just going to go down to the beach and see what happens."
"Okay. See you when you get back."
Thus, Jenny left the Megaship and headed for the beach. When she arrived, she soaked her ankles in the ocean. The other people saw and recognized her, but they kept their distance. The Spices were still feared by many, but people knew that they're peaceful if left alone.
As the salt water made contact with Jenny's ankle, it caused a sharp sting. Jenny clenched her fists and grabbed her head, breathing heavily to hold in her screams of pain.
After a few minutes, Jenny heard the other people screaming. She looked around and saw the people scrambling out of the ocean covered with black spots. She also noticed a red sea creature on the shore.
"Hey everybody!" he called. "Glad to see you're enjoying yourselves."
Ignoring the pain in her ankle, Jenny stormed up to the creature.
"Go get him, Tonfa Spice!" a man called.
"What did you do to those people!?" Jenny demanded.
"The same thing I'm going to do to you," the monster replied.
"No, no, seriously, what did you do?"
"Oh, all right, I sprayed toxin in the ocean. Sheesh…..happy now?"
Jenny looked down at her ankle. "Perfect," she growled. "My puss-filled slumber snakebite is now filled with toxin! It's not making me happy." She paused and thought for a moment. "Tonight, my friends and I will be hungry. Guess who's on the plate. Although I'm not a big fan of seafood, I'm sure my friends will dig right in."
The sea creature fired an energy blast from his mouth. Jenny ducked just in time to avoid it. Then she stood up and punched the creature in the abdomen. Both quickly recovered, they they blocked each other's attacks repeatedly. When Jenny threw a high kick, the monster grabbed her ankle, then flipped her over onto her stomach. He leaped upward and stomped on her spine. Jenny cried out in pain as the monster leaped again. This time, Jenny rolled aside to avoid being stomped on again. She caught the monster with a leg sweep as she stood up. The monster stood up as well.
"Your skills disappoint me, woman," he said.
"Oh well!" Jenny yelled. "Your goose is cooked anyway."
She lowered her stance. Her eyes gave a yellow flash, then she turned into a flaming panther. She charged right through the creature, causing it to explode, then she returned to her human form and stood up.
"Ow! My ankle!" she groaned.
The people noticed that the black spots were gone.
"Tonfa Spice did it! She saved the day!" a man called.
"Thank you, Tonfa Spice!" The people waved at her. Jenny smiled and waved back.
Suddenly, a garbled image of Darkonda appeared in the sky.
"Tonfa Spice, my dear….." he called.
The people screamed and ran from the beach. Jenny looked up at her husband and gasped.
"Darkonda, not in front of all these people!" she cried.
"I apologize," Darkonda said. "But you'll be busy forever destroying my army of Crocotoxes. There are thousands more where that one came from."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really. However, I do have a request of you. Meet me in my lab in one hour."
"Your lab? Where's that?" Jenny asked.
"It's where you woke up after the slumber snakebite," Darkonda told her.
Jenny pondered briefly. "Oh yeah, that place! Okay…."
"Remember, my love, one hour," Darkonda said. "I'll be waiting."
His evil laughter filled the air as he vanished.
"Oh boy….." Jenny sighed nervously. "I wonder what he's up to now? I guess the only way to find out is my meeting him……"
She pressed on her ring and teleported back to the Megaship.
"Hey, you're back!" the Cryptkeeper declared. "Feeling better?"
"No, it didn't help," Jenny said. "So I've made an appointment for 11:00."
"11:00?" Andros asked. "That's an hour from now."
"Uh-huh." Jenny nodded. She didn't tell them WHO the appointment was with. "Deca, don't let me forget."
"Acknowledged," Deca said.
Jenny left the room to kill the hour.
"Is she always like this?" Zhane asked.
The others nodded.
"Yeah, she spends most of her time alone," the Cryptkeeper told her. "She never did have any friends in her past life."
"Why not?" Zhane asked.
"I dunno. Well, I'm going to spend some time with Jenny." C.K. got up and left to follow Jenny. The Spice leader was writing another diary entry.
Dear Diary,
My ankle is still sore from the slumber snakebite. While soaking in the salt water, I found out that it was contaminated by this sea creature called a Crocotox. Now Darkonda wants me to meet him at his lab in less than an hour….
"Close the diary; I'm coming in!" the Cryptkeeper called.
Jenny closed her diary with a chuckle.
"So what really happened at the beach?" C.K. asked.
"Well, there was this sea creature that was spraying toxin into the ocean," Jenny explained. "That didn't help my ankle at all.."
"I hear that. Made it worse, huh?"
"Luckily, I don't think my ankle could've gotten any worse. Anyway, when I killed that thing, all the people swimming around were cured. But I was warned that there were thousands more, so do you think that you guys can get rid of them while I'm at this appointment?"
"Sure, no problem," the Cryptkeeper said.
"Oh man, am I bored," Jenny said. "And I'm so nervous. I can't just sit and wait."
"Wanna go kick some ass on the Simudeck?" the Cryptkeeper asked. Jenny chuckled. "I'd like to, but my ankle will kill me if I do."
"Then you wanna do something else on the Simudeck?"
"Like what?"
"Uh…..table tennis? Cards? Pool?"
"Pool! I've always liked that game, yet I never had the chance to play," Jenny said.
"Then let's play!"
The pair went to the Simudeck and played their game of pool. Since they were both lousy players, the single game took much longer than anticipated. In fact, the hour was gone before the game ended.
Jenny was about to make a shot when she glanced at her watch.
"Son of a….." she gasped. "Stop simulation!"
"Hey!" the Cryptkeeper cried.
"It's time," Jenny said. "I gotta go, or I'll be late!"
She limped to the jump tube as fast as she could. She slid through the yellow tube. The Rangers heard her yelling.
"Whooooaaaah!!"
"She's oddly excited about this appointment," Ashley commented.
"Yeah, I thought everybody hated appointments," T.J. added.
"Did she ever say what kind of appointment it was?" Spinal asked.
"Well, she said that the salt water didn't help her ankle, so it must be a doctor's appointment," Carlos said.
They all shrugged their shoulders and went back to their business.
Meanwhile, Jenny went on to Darkonda's lab on her galaxy glider. The lab was located inside what looked like a warehouse. Jenny didn't notice the Crocotox that was standing at the entrance.
"Hey, an intruder!" he called.
Jenny flew right over the creature's head and into the warehouse. Another Crocotox was waiting inside. He fired some sort of green energy to use as a trap. When Jenny saw the energy wall, she gasped and leaned back to stop the galaxy glider. She wasn't slowing down fast enough, so she hopped off her glider. She landed on her feet, but the pain in her ankle caused her to fall down upon landing. She held her ankle, groaning in pain.
"Hee hee, we got her!" the Crocotox exclaimed.
Jenny stood up slowly and walked peacefully.
"Hey, where's she going?" the creature wondered.
Jenny approached the door to Darkonda's lab. There was a sign that read, "Do not enter; knock first." Jenny raised her knuckle to the door, but she couldn't bring herself to knock. She took a deep breath, then knocked on the door with the "Shave and a Haircut" rythym. She waited anxiously for an answer.
Darkonda answered the door seconds later. "Ah, Tonfa Spice, how nice of you to arrive on schedule. Please come in."
Jenny reluctantly stepped inside. "All right, Darkonda, what's this about?"
"I've asked you here because I found the perfect solution!"
"Solution to what?"
"I've found a way for us to have children without you having to give birth," Darkonda told her.
Jenny was stunned. She did not want to have children. "You're kidding, right?"
"I kid you not," Darkonda replied. "Step this way, my dear, and I'll show you."
He led Jenny to a glass box where there were strange objects soaking in some kind of liquid. Jenny looked at them in confusion.
"Ugh…..what are they?" she asked.
"They're Crocotox eggs. Crocotoxes, like the one you destroyed at the beach, that will capture the Earth. Then I'll be the next ruler of the universe. My request of you is, will you be their mother?"
"You want ME to be the mother of these……eggs???"
"Precisely. Also, when I become ruler of the universe, I will no doubt be lonely. So, I would like you to rule with me."
"The whole universe? Just the two of us?"
"Yeah. It'll be great!" Darkonda said.
Jenny broke out laughing. "Yeah right! We can't possibly rule the entire universe! Do you have any idea how vast it is? It'll take us at least a millenium just to reach the other end of this galaxy!"
"We don't have to go anywhere. We'll send the Crocotoxes all over the universe to help us rule."
"No…..I can't….."
"Why not?" Darkonda asked.
"Well……can I be frank?" Jenny asked.
Darkonda grinned. "By all means," he said sweetly.
"I just don't see the point."
"Well…..how about the Crocotoxes? Will you be the mother they need?"
"Oh no. I'm not going to sit on those things like a chicken," Jenny told him.
Darkonda laughed. "Amusing, my sweet, but you don't have to sit on them. They are maturing as we speak."
"I'm also not going to end up like my own mother, who raised a bunch of spoiled children," Jenny added.
"Oh look, I think one is about to hatch." Darkonda picked up the hatching egg and handed it to Jenny. She held the egg reluctantly in her hands. Soon, the baby Crocotox emerged from its shell, cooing.
"Aww…..how cute," Jenny commented, tickling the newborn monster's head. Then she looked back at the grown-up Crocotoxes. "That is…..until they grow up."
She continued to play with the little gator for a moment. Suddenly, it bit her finger. She screamed in pain, flapping her hands. Amazingly, the newborn Crocotox maintained its hold. Finally, Jenny grabbed the critter and ripped it off. Darkonda grasped her hand and looked closely at the teethmarks.
"Darkonda……what's going to happen to me this time?" Jenny asked.
"Have no fear, my princess," her husband assured her. "Its toxins have not yet been developed, so it should be harmless……for now."
"For now?"
"Your finger will be all right."
"Okay." Jenny looked at the baby Crocotox, then placed it in the transparent container with the other eggs. The little creature began to swim around.
"So, what do you say, my love?" Darkonda asked.
"Say……about what?" Jenny asked.
"You see, we both have many enemies," Darkonda explained. "We both have Ecliptor, then I have the Power Rangers, and you have your mother and Dark Specter. They have all tried to destroy us; they have all failed. Only we have survived, so we should be the next rulers of the universe. With the help of our children, the Crocotoxes, the possibilities are endless!"
"Hmm……so is the universe, Darkonda. I can't rule the entire universe!"
"Don't worry; I'll help you."
"No…..it's impossible! As I've said before, it's quite pointless," Jenny told him. "Instead of taking over the universe, why don't you try living in it? It's something I never got the chance to do. Not even Dark Specter can rule the ENTIRE universe. Even he can't be in two places at once."
Neither of them noticed a Crocotox sneaking up on them. It crawled up to Jenny and looked at her ankles.
"Oooh, nice socks," he said.
Jenny looked down, confused.
"What's this black stuff?" the monster asked, touching Jenny's wounded ankle. In response, Jenny cried out and stumbled away from him and into Darkonda.
"Don't touch it! It hurts!"
"What's wrong?" Darkonda asked.
"My ankle is still sore from the slumber snakebite," Jenny told him. "Well, I need to get going."
"Are you sure you wouldn't like to be a mother?"
"Yes, I'm positive. But……if you really want to raise those things, just go ahead and do it. Don't let me stop you. Also, don't get too upset if I end up destroying those things."
Jenny started to walk out of the laboratory.
"Catch you next time, my love," Darkonda called.
Jenny giggled as she left.
"Hey, Andros, is there anything besides this giant stingray on the Simudeck?" Earl asked.
"There are Craterites," Andros replied.
"No, no….we need a monster that can move. We need a challenge."
"There are no other monster programmed into the Simudeck," Deca explained.
"Well……I'll work on something," Andros said.
"Okay……in the meantime, who wants to be my sparring partner?"
"I'll do it!" the Cryptkeeper called. "Let's go, boy!"
"Your move."
Jenny walked into the room at that moment.
"Hey, what happened?" Carlos asked.
"Real helpful," Jenny said sarcastically. "I should've known. What do they know about alien snakebites?"
"Did they say anything?"
"They just said not to use my ankle, but that's impossible! We have monsters to defeat."
"We have trouble at the beach," T.J. called suddenly.
The Rangers and Spices headed for the jump tubes.
"Probably another Crocotox," Jenny thought.
They teleported to the beach. It was indeed another Crocotox attack. Again, the people scrambled to escape as the heroes ran forward to face the sea creatures.
"All right, ugly, you're going down!" Andros shouted.
"Hmph; this should be a piece of cake," Jenny mumbled.
The Crocotox fired an energy blast, knocking everyone back.
"Follow me if you want more," the monster said.
Andros, Zhane, and Jenny ran after it. Andros grabbed the monster's shoulders. The creature turned and fought the two Rangers. They both kicked the monster simultaneously. Jenny moved in with a punch, but the Crocotox grabbed her wrist and punched her in the stomach. Still holding her wrist, the monster embraced her suddenly. Everyone else gasped in shock.
"Mama…." the Crocotox said softly. He kissed Jenny squarely on the lips. She staggered back and fell. The Rangers checked on her. Jenny scrambled to her feet and spit out a mouthful of black toxin.
"Yuck!" she cried.
The others now attacked the monster. When T.J. threw a kick, the monster grabbed his ankle and threw him down.
"Let's double-team him," Ashley suggested. She and Jenny both threw a punch, then Zhane moved in with a side kick.
"What a gentleman," Ashley sighed.
"Thank you," Zhane said with a smile. He went on to battle the monster. He did a tremendous leap, landing on the side of a boulder.
"Wow!" Ashley cried.
"Wow….." Jenny muttered sarcastically.
Zhane leaped off the rock and kicked the monster.
"Am I awesome or what!?" he called.
"Pretty good, Zhane," Jenny said.
"Here, let me show you something else…." The Silver Ranger charged at the Crocotox, but it punched his stomach, then elbowed his back. Zhane got up and ran to his friends.
"Zhane, you have to be patient when fighting," Jenny told him. "Watch."
She approached the monster slowly. She stopped several feet away and waved in greeting. "Hi."
The Crocotox just stared. Without warning, Jenny punched it brutally in the chest. Zhane just snickered.
"Well, wait "'til you see this," he said. "Super Silverizer!" He ran up to the sea creature and sliced it with his weapon.
"What is this, some sort of contest?" Spinal asked.
"Oh yeah? Well, check this out!" Jenny charged at the monster with an uppercut, swung her flaming sticks three times, then leaped and extended her knee, sending the monster up. As it came down, Jenny threw a chain of three yellow fireballs the size of baseballs. The fireballs slammed into the Crocotox, knocking him back even farther.
"Good one, Sis!" Hallie cried.
"I'll bet you can't beat this trick, Jenny," Zhane called. He got down on one knee and aimed his weapon. Suddenly, his Ranger costume vanished. Zhane looked down at his body, confused.
Jenny laughed. "You're right, Zhane. That's one trick I can't beat."
Zhane looked up at her. "Very funny….."
The Rangers pulled out their Astro Blasters and fired. Seconds later, the Crocotox was destroyed.
"Zhane, what happened?" Andros asked.
"I don't know," Zhane said. "I just……demorphed."
"We'd better get back to the Megaship," Ashley said. "Anyway, you do have some great moves."
*Show-off,* Jenny thought.
The warriors returned to the Megaship.
The Rangers spent about an hour trying to locate Darkonda's lab. They searched a certain part of the galaxy. The results……
"Multiple life forms detected," Deca announced.
Jenny came onto the bridge. "Hello, everybody."
"Jenny, we think we know where Darkonda's lab is," Cassie said.
"You think?" Jenny asked. "You shouldn't have had to search; we've been there before. Remember?"
"Jenny and Zhane better go themselves," T.J. said. "They don't seem to be getting along too well."
Jenny turned to Zhane and smiled, then left the bridge. Zhane followed.
Both Tonfa Spice and the Silver Ranger took their gliders and headed to Darkonda's lab. They encountered the same trap that Jenny had encountered before, with the green light barrier. Zhane simply lowered his glider and turned it into his Silver Cycle while Jenny once again hopped off her glider. This time, she landed on the Cycle behind Zhane. Zhane was startled. He drove on, zapped a hole in the wall, and crashed through. They stopped, climbed off, and headed towards the container of Crocotox eggs.
"Well, I'll let you have the honors," Zhane said, pulling out his Astro Blaster and handing it to Jenny.
Jenny aimed the Blaster at the eggs. She couldn't bring herself to fire. These creatures may end up being evil, but they're still babies. Jenny couldn't help thinking about how the newborn Crocotox swam in the liquid before; it was just so cute.
"I can't do it," she muttered.
"Gimme that!" Zhane cried, snatching the Blaster from her. Jenny stepped back and covered her eyes.
"I'm not watching."
Zhane fired the weapon, destroying the eggs. Then he put an arm around Jenny and led her away. "Okay, it's done. We're leaving now."
Jenny sighed. "That was cruel."
"Hey, it's just business. It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it."
"They could've been my own kids….."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Ahh, forget it."
The two teleported back. Who says that they weren't getting along? Was Jenny actually reconsidering being a mother? Most of us would doubt it. But she did feel bad for the youngsters. Zhane, on the other hand, felt proud for saving the universe from the evil race. Also, Jenny's ankle eventually recovered from the slumber snakebite completely.
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