A Week to Remember: Chapter Seven – The Transdimensional Archives

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See my first ever story, "'Welcome to the Saga', for the disclaimer.

<h5><center> A Week to Remember Chapter Seven By Peter J. Smith </center></h5>

In hindsight, I should have known that something was seriously wrong, I suppose, the second I began to open my eyes and couldn't hear Matthew snoring. Indeed, the total silence that I was registering was almost deafening. An instant later, I could feel someone's hands on my shoulders shaking me awake. I opened my eyes slowly and saw Scott, leaning over my bunk, his hands on my shoulders, with an obviously upset Ian standing behind him. "Peter, are you awake?" asked Scott, a strange tone in his voice. I nodded. "Barely," I replied slowly, shaking away the haze of sleep. "Good. Something's wrong…" "Yeah, you're out of bed before I am." He shook his head patiently. "No, there's something going on," he explained, in a voice which left me no doubt what he was talking about. I was instantly awake, leaping out of my sleeping bag with ease and glancing around to check the other inhabitants of the cabin, but immediately finding that the cabin was empty. Ian, Scott and I were the only people in sight. "Where is everyone?" I asked, confused. Scott nodded. "That's the problem." I turned from him to Ian, looking for an explanation. "I woke up a little while ago," explained the Grey Ranger, in an apparent state of distress but trying his best to stay calm. "I, uh, I figured we'd slept through the wake-up call, but it was way too early, and the others wouldn't have left without us anyway. I looked outside, but couldn't see anyone out there either." I nodded. "So, you think there's skullduggery afoot?" "Well," began Scott, "if they left for the run, they went in their pyjamas. We checked before – everyone's running clothes and shoes are still here. And the sleeping bags…" "Yeah," I agreed, glancing around the room. The various sleeping bags looked as if their respective inhabitants had left without actually physically getting up and leaving. That was strange in itself – usually, first thing in the mornings this place was a mess. Scott was right. "It's almost like they were teleported away." "So where are they?" asked Ian. "Let's not jump to any conclusions," I began, realising that something was indeed very wrong, but trying to remain optimistic. "Let's get dressed, head outside and take a look around. Maybe it was a prank, and we'll find everyone lying in ambush or something." The guys nodded, seeing the sense in this, and we all turned back to our bags, quickly got dressed, and were tying our shoelaces when there was an urgent, loud knocking on the door. Ian and I looked at each other quickly, but it was Scott who got up and went to the cabin door. Whoever was on the other side would determine whether or not we were looking at a best or worst case scenario. Scott swung the door open and groaned – Brendan, Sarah and Teresa stood framed in the doorway, all with very worried looks on their faces. Ian and I quickly got to our feet and went over. Sarah quickly glanced around the interior of the cabin. "You guys lost your roommates too, huh?" she asked, dispensing with any pleasantries – by now, we were all in full Ranger-mode. Scott nodded. "So this isn't a prank or anything?" Brendan glumly shook his head. "After I woke up, I checked in every cabin. Even had a look in the teachers quarters and dormitories. Nobody," he finished. "I thought I was the only person left on site until I checked the girls' rooms." "Are you okay?" I asked. He nodded. "Fine. I was a little creeped out, but nothing happened to me." "After he woke up Sarah and I," continued Teresa, "we went out to the road, but everything looked fine. People were driving past, shops were opening up, that kind of thing. Then we came over here to check on you three." "Whatever happened," nodded Sarah, "it only affected the camp." "And the camp is now totally deserted," I said, walking out of the cabin and onto the pathway, with Scott and Ian behind me. "So, the million dollar question is why? And why weren't the six of us affected?" Ian glanced up to the sky quickly, unfamiliar with this kind of situation but drawing courage from the rest of us. "Would it be a fair bet to say that you-know-who is up to something?" I nodded. "I think you're right," and I raised my communicator to my mouth and lightly tapped the second button. "Zordon?" I began. "Yes Peter?" the sage quickly replied. Hearing him respond, I let out a sigh of relief. "There's something going on here at Tallebudgera Camp," I explained quickly. "When the six of us woke up this morning, the place was completely deserted. We're the only ones here, and we don't know what happened. Could you maybe run a scan of the campsite?" "Consider it done," Zordon replied. There were a few seconds of silence then, as thousands of kilometres away, Alpha quickly scanned the area for any unusual energy readings, and the six of us worriedly glanced back and forth, wondering what they'd find. The silence of the surrounding camp was becoming increasingly eerie. "Rangers?" came Zordon's voice. "We're here," I responded. "Alpha has indeed detected a very unusual energy signal that seems to be covering the whole campsite. From the readings here, I'd say that the six of you were protected from the effects of this energy because of your power coins." We all took a second to digest this information. Brendan spoke up first. "Zordon? That energy signal wouldn't happen to resemble a mass teleportation effect by any chance, would it?" "Actually Brendan," Zordon responded, "that's very close. To hazard a guess, I'd have to say it does indeed appear that all your friends have been teleported to another location. At any rate, the energy signal is very localised. The source of it should be in your immediate vicinity." "Okay then," I nodded. "We'll take a look around and see if we can find anything." "Be careful Rangers," said Zordon. "Alpha and I will be monitoring the situation. Call us if you need us," and the communicator fell silent. I turned to the others. "Well, you heard the man. Let's split up, we'll cover more ground. Brendan, Scott and Teresa," and I turned to the three Rangers on my right, "you guys head over towards the Main Hall, and check around all the cabins and sheds. Sarah, Ian and I will head round the other way." Everyone nodded. "Sounds like a plan," said Teresa, "but watch out for trouble. Call if you need help." "Same here," nodded Sarah, and the two groups turned and walked away from each other. <center>~*~</center> As Lochlan slowly opened his eyes, he was aware that he had no idea what had just happened. One minute, he was having a very unusual dream involving a giant purple emu and Thomas the Tank Engine, and the next, it was as if his subconscious had switched tracks on him and he was now flying. Only, it wasn't just a dream – he really felt like he was weightless, moving through a void of nothingness at top speed. Then, there was a muffled thud, and he was lying on something cool and hard – thinking that he'd fallen out of his sleeping bag, he opened his eyes and looked around. What he saw was something akin to a nightmare. He was lying on the ground, but not in the cabin, and maybe not even on Earth. Grey mist swirled about his body, and above him, the sky was a blanket of darkness. And it was very, very quiet. Extremely confused and slightly worried, he looked around wearily. The inhabitants of cabin twelve lay on the ground near him, all expressing the same looks of fear and dismay. In the distance, he could see more kids, recognising them from different cabins, and even the large form of Mr Di Certo standing a few feet away, looking around in confusion. Slowly, Lochlan got to his feet. "Petey? Luke?" he asked quietly, bending down and helping his two friends to their feet. "Are you guys okay?" The two boys nodded. "Yeah, I guess so," replied Luke slowly. "But what's going on? Where are we?" Lochlan shrugged, unable to answer Luke's questions. Around them, more and more kids were slowly getting to their feet and gathering around their friends and teachers. "I guess…" he began, but was cut off by a sudden, loud voice. "Good morning to you all," came the voice, gravelly and evil-sounding, and Lochlan involuntarily shivered. All the kids and teachers turned until they saw the speaker, and everyone immediately jumped back in fear, several ducking behind Mr Di Certo or dropping to the ground. Lochlan took a step back, frightened, suddenly realising what was going on. Uh oh… The speaker stood about six feet tall, silhouetted in what little light was shining in that dark place, covered from head to toe in shining metallic armour, mostly black but with twisting golden designs on its chest and shoulders. Rings of pointed spikes encircled its gauntlets and boots. Two large metal plates protected its shoulders, and small blue gems were visible on either plate. Glowing orange eyes looked down over a grey face-plate, and a dark helmet with gold stripes covered the speaker's head. Atop the helmet was a huge crescent-moon design, with one point curving higher than the other. The figure took a step forward, and a long staff with a curved blade formed in its hands. "I'm Nightmare," he announced loudly. "Welcome to my world!" Everyone in Mr Di Certo's immediate vicinity fearfully looked to him for guidance, but all he could do was quietly mutter, "Don't worry kids, let's stick together. The Power Rangers will be here soon…" <center>~*~</center> Sarah, Ian and I walked slowly down a path running between several equipment sheds and the shower block, on the look-out for anything out of place but wary of danger. After quickly checking the inside of one of the sheds, which contained nothing but gardening equipment, I jogged back to Sarah and Ian, and we continued. "I hope the guys are all okay," mumbled Ian, still quite in shock as to what was happening. "I mean, if something happens to Lochie, or…" "They'll be fine," said Sarah reassuringly, placing her hand on Ian's shoulder. "We'll get to them in time. That's what we do." Ian nodded. "Yeah, I know, I know. It's just that, if something happened…" "It won't," I said firmly. "We've gotta stay focussed here, people are counting on us." Ian nodded, and I continued. "Besides, if Rita started killing hostages, she'd end up with an entire planet crying out for blood, and twelve very angry Power Rangers on her doorstep. She's already seen what happens when one of us is pushed to our limit, and it wasn't pretty. Hostages are only ever taken to get to one of us – and we always win anyway, so it's a moot point." Despite himself, Ian smiled, and Sarah continued. "Well, we're good at what we do, and…" but suddenly, our communicators all chimed. Sarah immediately raised her communicator to her mouth and spoke. "We're here," she said. "Guys," came Teresa's voice, "we've found something. We're near the driveway behind cabin six." Sarah nodded. "Gotcha. We're on our way," and she lowered her wrist and turned to Ian and I. "Let's roll." <center>~*~</center> Brendan, Scott and Teresa had been working their way past all the cabins towards the main hall, and had followed a path around cabin six which led to the grassy area beside the gravel driveway. Scott was the first to spot the stone statue of a black panther, resting on a small marble column about thirty feet away from them and staring at them through two yellow topaz jewels, set in place of eyes. "What do you think it is?" asked Teresa, after she had called the three of us on her communicator. "A panther," replied Scott dryly, as they walked slowly towards it, "although what it means is still up in the air." Beside him, both Teresa and Brendan were carefully edging towards the statue. "Guys, be careful. It could be a trap." "We'll be…" began Teresa, but as she put her foot down, it went right through the ground, sinking down through it as if the grass was hologramatic. Unable to cry a warning, she screamed as she lost her footing and stumbled forward, falling facefirst through the ground. Behind her, Brendan reacted instantly, immediately diving to the ground even as Teresa fell. His head and torso dropped through the grass, but never losing sight of Teresa, his hand shot down and wrapped around her left ankle in midair, halting her fall and digging his feet into the ground behind him. Suddenly yanked out of her downward plunge, Teresa turned and looked up at Brendan, but finally saw the full extent of their situation. Above her, Brendan was dangling out of a blue "'hole' of sorts, and looking closely, she could see the morning sky above the camp, and leaves from nearby overhanging trees. Around the circular portal in the air, though, was a purple sky, and around her on all sides lay jagged blue mountainous peaks. Far, far below, she could glimpse a violet-coloured earth of canyons and crevices. Both Rangers took in all this instantly, and Brendan desperately glanced up when he felt himself slipping forward on the wet grass, slowly sliding into the abyss. "Scott!" The Blue Ranger had immediately put the pieces together – hidden portal to nowhere, it was a trap – and seeing Brendan begin sliding forward, he launched himself towards his friend, wrapping his body around Brendan's legs and, while unable to pull the combined mass of Brendan and Teresa back, he successfully held the Aqua Ranger in place. "Teresa!" Scott cried out, unable to see into the hole and frantically worried. "I'm here!" his sister cried back. He let out a sigh of relief. "Try to teleport out!" Hanging upside down, Teresa nodded, hearing her brother's instructions, and reaching for her right wrist, she tapped the top button – nothing happened. Silently pleading with her communicator, she tried again, but got the same result. "Scott? It's not working! I can't teleport!" "Hey," began Brendan, "let's see if we can get you right-side up." Teresa nodded. "Good idea," she said. "Hold on for a second," and never once doubting Brendan's vice-like grip, she delicately swung forward once, back once, and forward again, reaching up towards him – never letting go of her ankle, Brendan caught Teresa's outstretched hand and gripped it tightly, before letting go of her ankle and catching her other wrist. "I got you," he nodded with a small smile. Teresa grinned a "'thank you' up at her friend, before glancing down briefly and letting out a loud sigh. "Don't worry guys," came Scott's excited voice all of a sudden. "The cavalry's here!" Sarah, Ian and I had heard Teresa scream and rounded the cabin at top speed. Seeing Scott lying on the ground with half of Brendan, we immediately figured out what had happened and raced over. "Teresa in there?" I asked briefly. Scott nodded. "Yeah, you better hurry," he replied. "Gotcha," I nodded, and having the longest reach, I immediately dropped to the ground and began crawling to the edge of the "'hole'. "Sarah, Ian!" I called, "hold me! When I kick my with left foot, start dragging me out!" And with that, both Rangers grabbed steady hold of my legs. Inching forward, I soon dropped down into the portal, and could see the purple and blue world around me. As Sarah and Ian steadily lowered me, I turned my head and came face-to-face with Brendan. "Hey there," I said with a grin. "How ya doin'?" "Been better," he grunted, a twinkle in his eye. "Peter!" said Teresa, looking up at me with a wide smile. "Am I glad to see you." I smiled, and extended my arms. With one hand, Teresa reached over and tightly clasped my wrist, before letting go of Brendan's and taking hold of my other hand. I kicked back with my left foot, and immediately felt myself being physically dragged out of the portal, steadily hauling Teresa out of danger. Finally, Sarah and Ian had both pulled me back onto the ground, and coming forward, Ian lifted Teresa out of the portal and lightly set her down beside me. Finally, as Teresa and I sat recovering our breath, Sarah and Ian helped Scott drag Brendan back to safety, and he collapsed on the grass beside us. "Well," began Brendan, "that was fun. You okay Teresa?" She nodded and smiled. "Yeah, thanks to you." "I do what I can." Suddenly, our communicators all beeped. "Rangers!" came Zordon's urgent voice. "Rangers, are you okay? Alpha and I were watching on the viewing screen…" "We're fine," replied Scott. "We're all okay. But what the heck is up with that panther?" "The statue is a totem for the demon monster Panthor," Zordon explained, "which explains your present situation. Panthor has the powerful ability to warp reality around itself." "So it could easily create portals to nowhere," began Sarah. "And magically teleport hundreds of people to another location," I finished. "Exactly," answered Zordon. "Our scan shows that the rift before you is being powered through the crystal on the panther's collar. Destroy the crystal, and the portal will shut." At that, we all turned and saw that there was indeed a shining blue crystal under the panther's stone chin. "There is always a crystal," I muttered, shaking my head. "You'd think that they'd learn…" Beside me, Ian bent over and picked up a large stone from the driveway. Taking careful aim, he threw the rock with all his might. His aim was flawless – the stone smashed into the crystal, instantly shattering it and releasing a sudden pulse of blue light. A second later, the pulse dissipated, and Scott picked up another stone and heaved it forward – it landed harmlessly on the grass. "All right," he said with a thumbs-up. "Portal's gone. One problem down, one to go…" "That's what you think," came a sinister voice from behind us. Acting on instinct, everyone automatically leapt to their feet and spun around. A tall, dark creature had suddenly emerged from behind one of the cabins. It was powerfully-built and covered from head to toe in black fur, with deep blue boots, body armour and gauntlets, either gauntlet carrying a large blue sapphire. Its head was catlike and fierce, with menacing eyes and a mouth of jagged teeth, and behind the beast, a long slender tail twitched in the sunlight. "Let me guess," I began. "You're Panthor?" The creature before us growled angrily. "You better believe it," he replied. Scott took a step forward. "Then you'd better release our friends right now." The monster laughed, his mouth twisting into a cruel smile. "You're making demands? I'll have you and your friends for lunch!" Ian instantly visibly paled and took a step back, but without looking, I reached across and placed a strong hand on his wrist, steadying him and reminding him of what Sarah and I had said to him earlier. The monster continued. "You're going to pay for smashing my totem," he said, and holding out his arm, a long black sword materialised in his hand. Raising his weapon, he advanced towards us. "Now we get to the monster fight," grinned Scott. I nodded, smiled and reached for my back pocket. "Okay guys, it's morphin' time!" "Iguanodon!" cried Ian. "Dilophosaurus!" shouted Brendan. "Rhamphorynchus!" continued Sarah. "Brontosaurus!" followed Scott. "Velociraptor!" shouted Teresa. "Stegosaurus!" I cried, completing the call, and in a flash of light, the six of us were fully morphed and standing side-by-side facing Panthor, watching as the monster approached. "Let's take this freak!" called Teresa, and we all raced forward to meet our opponent. Leaping towards us, the monster violently slashed with his sword as we approached. Ian ducked and I quickly stepped back out of harm's way, and the other Rangers went on the offensive. Teresa leapt into the air and knocked the beast back with a high roundhouse kick. Panthor regained his senses quickly and raised his blade to retaliate, but Brendan quickly knocked the beast's hand away with a judo chop, before landing several rapid punches to Panthor's torso. The beast swung at him with his weapon, but the Aqua Ranger quickly somersaulted out of danger. Working in unison, Scott and Sarah charged forward and landed two high kicks on each of the beast's chest plates, and as Panthor angrily turned around to face them, Teresa leapt back into the fray, sending the monster stumbling with a lightning-fast high kick. Panthor staggered back, disorientated, but turned and found the Blue Ranger within striking range. Raising his sword, he slashed the blade towards his opponent, but Scott stood his ground and wordlessly summoned his Power Staff, blocking the sword midswing in a shower of sparks. Quickly batting the blade away, he used the end of the staff to strike his opponent, sending the creature stumbling. Panthor quickly spun back around, but by now, I'd leapt back towards him, landing numerous punches to the monster's gut. He knocked my fists away and swiped at me with his right paw, but I dodged the attack, and grabbing his arm, threw him away from me to where Ian stood waiting. Leaping up and over a low swipe, the Grey Ranger batted away a kick before sending the monster to the ground with a powerful right hook. "Good job guys," I said, as we regrouped. Just then, our communicators chimed, and I raised my wrist to my helmet and spoke. "We're here." "Rangers," came Zordon's voice. "Alpha and I have been analysing your opponent, and the energy field around the campsite is being powered by the jewel on Panthor's right gauntlet." I nodded. "Thanks Zordon, that's all we need to hear," and I turned to Ian. "Can you make the shot?" In reply, the Grey Ranger wordlessly held his arms across his chest, and his two Power Blasters formed, one in either hand. Across from us, Panthor had by now recovered, and with an angry growl, charged towards us. Unfazed, Ian calmly levelled the two blasters at the monster, and fired. His aim was nothing short of perfect, the laser blast smashing into the sapphire on the beast's gauntlet and shattering it instantly, the resulting explosion of sparks and smoke throwing Panthor to the ground. Like before, a sudden pulse of bright light lit up the area, and a shimmering blue portal began to open about thirty feet away from us. "Nice shot," nodded Sarah. "Ian," I began, "head into the portal, and get everyone back. We'll stay here and finish off Panthor." Ian didn't share my confidence. "But what if…?" "You can handle it," I said, in a firm voice that was encouraging yet at the same time left no room for disagreement. "Now go!" "Right," he nodded, and as the five of us once again charged Panthor, Ian turned away, gripped his blasters tightly and ran over to the portal. Not sure what to expect, he gritted his teeth and leapt through it, instantly entering into the nightmare realm. From the point of view of the kids, teachers and camp staff trapped within, the sudden appearance of the Grey Power Ranger, emerging from a shining portal and holding his weapons high, was the most beautiful thing they'd ever seen. Someone in the crowd before him shouted excitedly, "It's the Grey Ranger!" and within seconds, everyone had turned towards him. Beneath his helmet, Ian smiled with relief. Everyone's okay… "All right everyone!" he called out, walking towards the crowd and motioning back towards the portal. "Anyone who's not having the time of their life, head through there to go back to camp!" As the crowd eagerly surged towards him, he wisely moved to one side to avoid being trampled. "Head for the main hall, you'll be safe there!" he yelled. The huge group of kids didn't need to be told twice, and were soon fleeing through the portal en masse. Suddenly, Ian heard a roar from behind him. Spinning around on the spot, he instinctively raised his arms defensively. In front of him stood Nightmare, angrily raising his staff and slowly approaching the ever-diminishing crowd of fleeing students, glaring at the hostages fleeing capture. He turned back to Ian and gave the Grey Ranger an enraged stare, his eyes glowing with orange fire. "Those are my hostages!" the demon cried. "Who do you think you are?" Ian stepped forward, making sure he kept the monster's attention long enough for everyone to get to safety. "I'm your worst nightmare." "No," began the monster, "that would be me!" And with his orange eyes shining, Nightmare unleashed a barrage of laser blasts towards his opponent. The whole area exploded in sparks and fire, but Ian was too fast, diving forward under the blasts before rolling to his feet and leaping over his opponent all in one smooth motion, landing and sending Nightmare stumbling back with a kick to the helmet. "Yeah, right," he smiled smugly. Enraged, Nightmare spun back around, swinging his staff low. Ian jumped up and over the blade, before knocking Nightmare back with a heel to the chest. The monster retaliated with a powerful right roundhouse punch, but Ian skillfully ducked under the monster's first, blocked a follow-up attack from the demon's staff, before smashing his two blasters against the side of Nightmare's helmet, hard. Pausing for a second to shake the ringing from his ears, Nightmare struck out with a high kick, but Ian saw the move coming and easily side-stepped it. Nightmare countered quickly, spinning around and viciously slashing his bladed staff at Ian's torso. The blade missed the Grey Ranger by millimetres, but when Nightmare tried the move again, Ian quickly crossed his blasters and thrust them forward, halting the blade's downward stroke. Nightmare roared angrily, and realising what was coming, Ian leapt into the air as another barrage of laser blasts exploded from the demon's eyes. Landing behind his opponent, he spun around, and seeing that all the students and teachers had now fled to safety, he raised his blasters and held them steady as Nightmare turned to face him. "You want to play nasty? That's fine by me," he said, and began firing. At point blank range, Ian could not have missed, the blasts lifting the monster off his feet and sending him crashing to the ground several metres away. Encouraged by his own success, the Grey Ranger charged forward to continue the battle. <center>~*~</center> The huge mass of students, teachers, camp staff and a milk delivery man who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time thundered out of the portal, heading right towards where the five of us stood facing Panthor. I glanced quickly from the approaching line of kids to our opponent and back again – this could present a problem. "Teresa, Scott," I began, speaking quickly, "crowd control, now!" "You got it," nodded Teresa, and the two of them immediately raced away from the battleground to redirect the crowd. "Giving up so soon?" growled Panthor, watching Scott and Teresa depart. "Not hardly," replied Sarah, and with that, the three of us leapt back towards him. The Purple Ranger reached the monster first, and ducking under a swipe from his blade, she caught him with a powerful left backhand before delivering a quick heel to the chin which sent him stumbling. He recovered quickly and sent her crashing with a roundhouse punch, but Brendan and I leapt forward, Brendan stopping the creature in his tracks with a forearm to the jaw followed by a left hook. The beast dodged the punch and retaliated, but I quickly blocked his attacks and knocked him back with a high kick. Panthor roared and charged toward us, but Sarah was there, leaping past the two of us and landing a powerful kick to Panthor's stomach. Regaining his footing, he swung at us with his sword, but I ducked under the blade, grabbed his outstretched arm and spun him off his feet. He fell to the ground and moved no further. Having successfully turned the stampede of people towards the main hall, Scott and Teresa returned, and we all regrouped. All of a sudden, there came sounds of a tremendous explosion from through the portal, and as we turned and watched, a large figure came shooting out of the portal, flying through the air and crashing heavily to the ground beside Panthor. Behind the figure, Ian emerged from the portal, walking over to us triumphantly. The nightmare realm no longer in use, the portal automatically sealed shut and disappeared. "Whoa," began Sarah, eyeing the fallen monster. "Yeah," nodded Scott. "Good job." Ian smiled. "Thanks guys." "Told you that you could do it," I grinned. He laughed. "That you did," he said, "that you did. So, did we win?" Teresa looked around. "Captives are free, monsters are defeated. I'd say we did pretty damn well," she smiled. <center>~*~</center> Far, far above us, Rita stood watching the battle, growing increasingly angry with every blow the Rangers landed, with the escape of the students and teachers, and with the ease at which the Grey Ranger had single-handedly defeated Nightmare. And now, as per usual, it was time to raise the stakes. "You fight fine on the ground," the witch muttered, angrily raising her staff, "but let's see how you fight on my terms. Grow monsters, grow!"