The Reluctant Ranger Chapter 27 - Parley

“General Maraline,” Bartran growled.  “This does not concern you.” 

She turned, not quite facing away from the Rangers as she did.  Nicole could see that she had kept her stance ready to respond to any aggression, but the part that surprised her was that Bartran was included in that stance. 

“It concerns me when you seem willing to throw your life away foolhardily,” she said.  “Return to the ship for medical attention, I will finish things here.” 

“You do not have the stomach to kill your pet human,” Bartran said, his hand still on the blade embedded in his side.  Nicole could only imagine the level of surgery that would be needed to remove it and still survive the procedure.  “Leave now, child.  You yet lack the stomach for this work.” 

“Is that why you continue to send our machines to slaughter children?” Nicole demanded.  Each word had to be forced out, but she needed answers, no matter how much it hurt to ask. 

“That was not my decision,” Maraline said.  “Casualties are expected in war, but I have never once deployed our forces with the intention of killing the truly innocent.” 

“Because you lack the will to conquer,” Bartran said.  “You are still a child yourself.  You should have never been allowed to lead at such a young age.” 

Nicole blinked, wondering just what she was witnessing.  Dissension in the ranks wasn’t something she expected, especially so openly displayed.  Was Maraline disagreeing with their tactics?  If Nicole wasn’t twitching and biting back screams, she would poke and prod at the division between them, see if she could drive a wedge. 

“Maybe you should listen to her,” Carlos said, clutching his left shoulder.  “None of us are in any shape to continue fighting, but only you have a fatal injury.  Sure, you might take one of us with you, but do you truly want to risk dying here on this back water rock?” 

“I have my orders,” he said.  “I will follow them to their conclusion.” 

Maraline snapped her fingers, and Bartran vanished in a flash of light.  

“I will pay for that later,” Maraline said, shaking her head.  “Take Nicole to a hospital before she drops her transformation.  She will need immediate emergency care following such foolish actions if she is to survive.” 

“That’s it?” Kayla demanded.  “You bastards kill hundreds, knock us around a bunch, then fuck off?” 

Maraline covered her mouth as she laughed.  “Essentially, you would be correct.” 

Kayla’s left eye twitched.

“I do grieve the senseless loss of life, there is much waste in this conflict that I abhor,” Maraline hung her head at that admission.  “Our methods are needlessly cruel for your planet, and I wish it could be different.” 

“Then be different,” Grace said.  “You claim to want to nurture humanity, then put actions to those words.  Show us that you’re different from them.” 

“I cannot,” Maraline answered, tapping at her neck.  “I am allowed some freedom, but only so long as I act accordingly as a General of the Sylan Empire.” 

“You’re a slave,” Nicole whispered, but her words carried. 

Maraline turned shimmering eyes upon her, the depths of despair reflected back made her chest clench.  “You are…  Not incorrect.  I value life, and even should I perish, they would just replace me.  So, I endure what I must, so that when it comes time for my rule, I will be there to govern humanity with compassion.” 

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” Jeff said.  “You claim to be better, but you’re every bit the monster as Bartran.” 

“Perhaps I am,” Maraline said, softly.  “Were I any other Sylan General, you would all be dead.  That is the proof I offer of my compassion.” 

A flash of blue followed and Maraline was gone.  The Rangers collectively let out a sigh as the tension bled out of them.  Carlos turned to the others and removed his helmet, his face set in grim determination. 

“I am hesitant to trust her word, but Nicole will need a hospital.  I’ve seen one other Ranger attempt that in the past, and they died minutes after their transformation dropped.” 

Nicole swallowed, the act feeling like razor blades were slicing her throat.  Given the way she felt after dropping it the first time, she really wasn’t looking forward to the next.  Grace knelt down beside her, gingerly getting her arms under her and pulled her up into a bridal carry. 

“You’ll be okay,” Grace whispered.  “We’ll get you the help you need.” 

The closeness might have been appreciated if it hadn’t been for the pain.  Calling the agony each breath sent through her entire body, the pounding of each beat of her heart, something as simple as pain was doing it a disservice.  Death would be a mercy, and yet, she did not wish for it. 

That was such a novel concept for Nicole that she couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of her as she was brought to an ambulance.  Carlos talked with the nurses for a moment, information no doubt being shared between them.  Once they were done, they hopped up, glaring at Grace but her girlfriend didn’t back down.  

Sighing, the nurse slammed the rear door shut and moved to get what equipment they could attach to her.  Grace helped them remove her helmet, and they carefully attached some breathing machine to her.  She felt a little better as it began to work.  Just as they clamped something on a fingertip, the vehicle pulled away.  Every bump along the road jostled her, Nicole tried to keep her teeth grit and endure it, but small whimpers escaped all the same. 

Looking at one another, the nurses grabbed a pair of pills and a bottle of water.  The mask came off and they opened her jaw, setting the pills on her tongue.  The water followed, and Nicole nearly choked.  Grace moved, taking the bottle and helped her drink.  It didn’t really help, and she could just feel the need to retch it all back up rising by the second, but some weird dissolving strip was placed on her tongue and the feeling subsided.

At least time seemed to be skipping here and there, so she could only assume that she was blacking out until the pain spiked and ripped her back into reality.  Through the whole mess Grace sat beside her even as the nurses tried and failed to read her full vitals.

“We need her out of the suit,” one of the nurses said to the other.  “We can’t do anything if she goes into cardiac arrest.” 

The second nurse shook their head.  “That Gold guy was extremely adamant that she needs to be in an emergency ICU ward before that is done.  I’m not risking her life just because we can’t get an accurate blood pressure reading.” 

Nicole didn’t want to think about that, so instead she focused on Grace and her vice grip on her hand.  The contact hurt, but she could manage well enough.  The livewire sensation was still there, but dulled from when she had first transformed again.  That or she was just getting used to it.  The idea that it might be permanent nerve damage was something she didn’t even want to consider. 

Their arrival at the hospital was greeted by a flurry of activity as several people in scrubs helped move her inside.  Nicole was having trouble focusing on that, so she kept her attention on how Grace stayed right beside her the whole way, hand held tight.  She was brought into a room and this time Grace was pulled aside. 

“She’s still right there,” one of those preparing equipment said, pointing to a window where Grace was.  Her red costume looked so out of place compared to all the other doctors.  “We have specialists being brought in, but your vitals are dropping.  We’re going to need to get to work sooner than later.  When we ask you, please drop the transformation.” 

Nicole nodded minutely.  It hurt too much to do anything else. 

She laid there for what felt like hours, reality slipping in places as she waited for their prompting.  Eventually, the flurry of activity slowed, and Nicole knew it was time before they even said it.  The solemn expressions around her were ignored in favor of Grace’s helmet.  Her girlfriend put a hand to the glass and Nicole smiled despite the breathing mask.  She gave a thumbs up and mentally dismissed the transformation. 

Alarms blared immediately throughout the room, but were all drowned out by the primal rending scream that radiated from her, her limbs thrashed despite her arms having been secured, and all Nicole could do was endure, fighting back against oblivion’s sweet call, the embrace of death that she had once craved. 

A spreading cold moved up her arm, and she could see they had gotten an IV into her, and injected something.  Knowing that she was about to black out, she focused on memories of Grace’s smile, determined that if those were to be her final thoughts, she would make them the best she could ever wish for. 

The last thing she saw out the window was Grace dropping her transformation with a hand on the glass, tears streaking down her face as the black of the void claimed her. 

***

A tingling jolt shot up her arm, the limb twitching as it did.  Nothing quite made sense, it was as if she had blinked, one moment being in complete agony, the next she was mostly better.  Nicole’s eyes fluttered open, the dim lighting still way too damn bright for her liking.  The white ceiling and steady beep suggested she was in a hospital. 

She’d expected to wake up in one someday, angry that her eventual attempt had failed.  That wasn’t the case here, because Nicole was very much happy to be alive.  She looked about the room, taking it all in.  She found Grace on a small couch off to the side, sprawled out with a blanket over her, snoring softly. 

Nicole could only smile at the sight, and she sighed.  She was still alive, though she didn’t know the full extent of the damage.  Recalling one of her worst falls that resulted in her blacking out, Nicole ran a quick digit test, making sure all her fingers and toes still worked and she could feel them. 

Thankfully, she could. 

Happy that she wasn’t paralyzed, Nicole settled in, letting herself relax and drift back off. 

*** 

Something prodded at her cheek, drawing her from the pleasant warmth of a dream that was already fading into something unintelligible.  Blinking, she found herself looking up into piercing blue eyes and dark skin. 

“Welcome back to the waking world, Miss Hayes,” he said, stepping back.  It was then that she caught sight of the scar across his eye.  “Don’t worry, your name won’t appear on any official records, and every doctor that was involved in your treatment was given a veritable mountain of NDAs to sign.” 

Something about the situation set her on edge, and a glance to the couch sent her anxiety through the roof.  Grace wasn’t there.  One of the machines started beeping faster, the man turned and looked at the readout, then at the empty couch. 

“Ah, yes, your friend Carlos came by earlier.  He’s currently sitting with her outside while we have this conversation.” 

“And what conversation would that be?” Nicole demanded. 

The man chuckled.  “Oh good, your voice has recovered.  The doctors were concerned about that when you started screaming up blood.  I must say, I was quite impressed that you were able to sustain a double morph like that.  Most who attempt it in the state you were in would have died.” 

She’d heard as much from Maraline following the battle, not that she had been able to do much to Bartran despite her second transformation.  Maraline had stepped in to save that monster she called Master, and made it quite clear that the current attack had been his idea.  That didn’t absolve her of the responsibility, but it did cast her in a different light. 

“I didn’t have much choice,” Nicole said bitterly. 

“No, you did not,” the man said, taking a seat on a rolling chair.  “When Commander Bartran takes the field, he tends to leave dead Rangers in his wake.  That you all survived was a miracle, if you believe in those.” 

“I take it that you don’t?” she asked. 

“Not at all,” he said with a smile.  “You used an esoteric attack to catch him unawares and inflicted grievous harm on him in kind.  I must commend you for that, it’s the first documented injury we have on the enemy commander.” 

She didn’t answer that, electing to instead let him fill in more blanks, like who the hell he was and how he knew so much about the enemy and what happened.  He was thumbing through his phone, and she was content to let him. 

“If you’re curious, you’ve been out for thirty-two hours total, though you did come to for about five minutes seven hours ago.”  He was still looking through his phone as she considered that.  It could have easily been worse, at least she hadn’t lost weeks of her life to her recovery.  “Your regeneration is impressive, we’ve only observed such a substantial recovery rate in two other Rangers before.  New York’s Gold is one, and the White Ranger is the other.”

Nicole’s mind blanked.  She’d heard stories of the White Ranger, everyone had.  He was one of the Rangers that signed on with the US government following the death of his entire team.  He worked with them from the shadows to fight the Sylans.  Almost nothing else was known save for some reports and blurry photos of him in action that she had found on rumor boards.  Video tended to get pulled before she could see it, but she had gotten lucky once, but it hadn’t been a combat video, just him in the aftermath of a brutal battle in Texas. 

“As you might have surmised, there is something unique about the capabilities of these Rangers that have made them a priority target for the Sylan.  Now that you’ve seen the Commander fight, you must realize that he could easily crush any Ranger team he wanted.  Yet he rarely takes the field.  Why do you think that is?” 

“He’s worried about one of us getting lucky?” 

The man laughed.  “God no.  He wasn’t even afraid of you, even with the blade sticking from his side.  If General Maraline hadn’t stepped in, you would have all died.” 

Nicole didn’t want to admit that, but she could see some truth to it.  The blade wasn’t stabbed into him, it was fused.  He wasn’t going to bleed out, and she doubted something important was impeded by the blade in a way that would have killed him in a reasonable timeframe.  So no, Bartran wasn’t afraid of them. 

That meant he had a different reason for attacking them, and she recalled something he mentioned.  “He was after me, specifically.” 

“Indeed he was, though I imagine Gold was also on his list.  You see, he has only ever taken the field when he thinks he might be able to kill a very select few Rangers.  He’s succeeded twice before.  He killed White’s partner, Pink, six months ago, she was also one of these so called anomalous Rangers.  The other was a Silver Ranger in Japan that we don’t have much information on.

That was a lot to consider, but more importantly… 

“How do you know all this?” she demanded.  “Just who the hell are you?” 

“Oh, my apologies,” the man said, his eyes glinting in the dim light.  “I am Dr. Xavier Sinclair, CEO of Sinclair Industries.  Though I am also a researcher for the RDV of the CIA.”  He then pressed something on his wrist and the room was bathed in a blinding light.  “Though you might know me better as the White Ranger.”