Disclaimer: The Power Rangers aren't mine. All hail Haim Saban! Okay, enough sarcasm. This fanfic rated PG-13. Contains scenes which may be too violent for young children and Saban executives.
Note: Anyone who knows me realizes that I have a thing for vampires. I also have a thing for Power Rangers. We all knew this would happen sooner or later.
It was a dark and stormy day, the perfect kind to stay inside. That was where the Power Rangers Turbo were, all over at Adam's house. Tanya and Adam were snuggled together on the couch, Tommy and Kat sat in armchairs next to each other, and Justin lay on the floor, his head propped up in his hands. All of them were looking at the TV, watching the movie that Adam had rented.
"I have to admit it, Adam," Tommy sighed. "This is the cheesiest vampire flick I've laid eyes on in a while."
"Hey, at least it's not one of those 'Bride of Hackensack' pictures," Kat piped up.
"No kidding," Adam shivered. "They give me the weirdest nightmares."
"Weird is right," smiled Tanya, swatting him lightly. "The nerve, casting me as the Bride of Frankenstein."
"What are you guys talking about?" Justin asked curiously, never taking his eyes from the screen.
Tommy looked at his friends. "It's a long story, Justin. We'll tell you after the movie."
Justin shrugged and went back to watching the TV.
* * *
Up on the Moon, a pair of evil eyes watched this development with interest. "Hmm," Lord Zedd mused. "Humans scare themselves with the silliest things. Perhaps I can turn this to my advantage. Finster!" he bellowed. The little gnome came running.
"Yes, your lordship?" Finster quavered.
"I have a plan to destroy the Rangers. I'll need you to make me a specific potion."
"Um, what about Divatox, my lord? Surely she won't like us interfering with her plans for destroying the Rangers."
"So what? All she does is make detonators! I'd like to see her get one up here! Now go make me that potion. Here's what it has to do."
* * *
By the time the Rangers had finished watching the cheesy movie, the sun had emerged from behind the clouds, and it was shaping up to be a beautiful late afternoon. The Rangers were discussing where they wanted to spend the rest of the day when Tommy's communicator toned.
"Yo, Tommy! Some six-foot turkeys and a monkey in gold armor have just appeared in the park! I don't think they're happy."
Tommy sighed. "Looks like Rita and Zedd are back in action. Come on, guys, let's go. Shift into Turbo!" In five flashes of light, the Rangers morphed and teleported to the park.
"Well, well, Goldar. Nice to see you again," Red Ranger drawled. "You know we're going to stop you."
"Take your best shot, Red Ranger," Goldar growled. "Tengas attack!" The giant birds rushed the Rangers, who fought back as skillfully as ever. None of the Rangers noticed Finster, hiding behind a tree and taking aim at them with a strange device.
"Ow!" Blue Ranger slapped at his bicep. "Something just stung me!"
"Probably a Tenga," Green Ranger shot back. None of them could see the small dart sticking out of his arm.
As the fight continued, Finster carefully took aim and fired on each of the Rangers one by one. Red Ranger was his next target. By sheer luck, Finster managed to dart him at the same time as a Tenga knocked him into a tree. Red Ranger never felt a thing.
Yellow Ranger was next, taking a dart in her upper back. She was so involved in the fight with Goldar that she never noticed, either. Pink Ranger felt the dart strike home in her calf, but quickly forgot about it as three Tengas rushed her.
Finally, Finster took aim at Green Ranger. Sighting carefully, he fired. Unfortunately for him, two Tengas chose that exact moment to flip Green Ranger into the air, causing the dart to miss. Finster, now out of darts, cursed softly and teleported back to the stronghold before the Rangers could detect him.
Once Finster was gone, Goldar and the Tengas had no more reason to stay. They teleported out to avoid the pounding they would most certainly receive at the hands of the Rangers. The five, suddenly left alone, looked around themselves in confusion. "Where'd they go?" Blue Ranger asked, summing up all of their thoughts.
Red Ranger shook his head. "I don't know. I think we'd better go back to the Power Chamber."
"Right," the others agreed. In five sparkles of color, they disappeared.
* * *
"Rangers, why would Goldar appear and then leave again?" Dimitria asked.
Tommy shrugged. "It's been Goldar's style before. He has a habit of chickening out when we get the upper hand."
Adam shook his head. "But Tommy, we didn't have the upper hand. The fight was about even. There's another reason he might have left. Attacks like this are often part of a major plan. Maybe they accomplished whatever they wanted to accomplish."
"What could that be?" inquired Dimitria.
"Well," Adam mused, "did anyone get zapped by anything?" All the Rangers shook their heads, having forgotten about the small stings they had felt. A subsequent scan by Alpha 6 showed nothing. The darts had long since disappeared.
"Well, the only thing we can do is wait," Tommy sighed.
Tanya nodded. "I think we should all go home. I feel wiped."
"Yeah, now that you mention it, I do too," sighed Kat.
"Well, I feel a little tired myself," Tommy agreed. Justin just yawned.
Adam chuckled. "That seems to make it unanimous. Let's all go home and rest." The five of them teleported out.
* * *
Adam was attempting to make himself dinner when a knock at the door distracted him. He opened it to find Tanya standing outside smiling at him. "Hi," she greeted him. "You alone?"
"Hi," he returned. "Yeah, Frank's spending the night at Rocky's, and Mom and Dad are going to be gone until tomorrow. You want to come in?" Her smile broadened as she stepped across the threshold. "So what are you doing here?" he asked, turning back to his spaghetti sauce.
"I was a little hungry, so I thought I'd drop in," she replied, coming up behind him.
"Well, anything in the fridge is yours. I doubt you'd want the kim chee, though. I don't know how my mother eats that stuff."
Tanya smiled, slipping her arms around his neck. "That's all right. I was hoping for more of a snack, anyway." He turned to face her and she kissed him soundly. He enjoyed it for a while, then pulled back.
"I thought you said you were hungry?" he asked, puzzled.
"I am," she smiled, opening her mouth. Adam turned several shades paler. Tanya's canines were almost an inch long and needle-sharp.
"Tanya, you have fangs," he pointed out, feeling slightly idiotic.
"Mmm-hmm. Hold still, Adam, this won't hurt a bit."
"Yeah, that's what my doctor always says," he muttered. Looking about himself for an escape route, he realized that Tanya had him pinned against the kitchen cabinets, using both the weight of her body and her augmented strength. There was no way he could break her grip. Suddenly his eyes lighted on the garlic he'd been planning to put in the spaghetti sauce. Reaching out, he grabbed it, shoving it into her face. Tanya screamed as if she had been burned, and backed away quickly. In the process, she grabbed his communicator and pulled it off his wrist.
"No one's going to be able to help you this time, Adam," she grinned wolfishly, holding the communicator aloft. Then she dropped it to the floor and crushed it under one foot. As she began to advance again, Adam backed off slowly, holding the garlic before him. Picking up a can of tomato paste, Tanya hurled it at him, knocking the garlic from his hand. "Now what will you do?" she whispered.
They continued their course, and Adam soon found himself being backed up the stairs and into the upstairs hall. The lights up there were off, and the scene was lit only by the light of the full moon shining in the windows. Tanya, standing between Adam and the stairs, laughed darkly. "End of the line, Adam. Time to just accept your fate. There's nowhere left to run."
"That's what you think," Adam shot back. Looking behind him, he saw his father's one extravagance when they had bought the house. Trevor Park had reopened and meticulously restored the large plate-glass window that let the sunrise into the hallway. Now, dashing off a quick prayer to any and all powers interested in such things, Adam ran down the hall and threw himself through the window. He crashed through the glass exactly as he'd learned at stunt camp, with his knees bent and his arms over his face. He had just enough time to be glad he was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt before he was falling.
A fall from a second story window can be dangerous, but it doesn't have to be. By virtue of his Ranger powers and stunt training, Adam was able to land safely and get to his feet quickly. Looking back up at the house, he saw Tanya staring down at him in astonishment. Tossing off a quick salute, he ran off into the darkness, before she decided to follow him, one way or another.
* * *
As Adam ran through the summer night, one thought kept echoing through his head. _Got to get to Tommy,_ he thought breathlessly. _Tommy will know what to do. He always does._ As Tommy's house came into view, Adam slowed down. It wouldn't do to come to the door out of breath at ten o'clock at night. His appearance would raise questions anyway, and he didn't want to alarm anyone. Once his breath had gone back to normal, he rang the doorbell.
Luckily enough, Tommy answered. Or perhaps it wasn't lucky, because when he came to the door, Adam could see that Tommy's eyes were as dead as Tanya's had been, and his movements possessed the same odd, fluid quality. Despite himself, Adam took a step back and Tommy's lips parted in a chilling smile. His fangs gleamed white in the moonlight.
"I see you've found out our little secret, Adam. Don't fight us; it'll just go harder on you if you do. I can make your crossing over easy. You don't have a chance of winning. You have no one left to go to."
Adam swallowed. "No. Everyone? They're all- like you? Oh God, someone tell me that this is just another nightmare." Deep inside, though, he knew that it wasn't. Tommy had never been this menacing in his nightmares. Everything was all too real.
"That's right, Adam. Tanya, Kat, and Justin are all like me. You will be too, soon." Tommy licked his lips, advancing on Adam. His front door closed behind him with a chilling thump.
"You'll have to catch me first," Adam shot back, turning on his heels and taking off down the road.
Tommy grinned to himself. "I love fast food," he remarked, taking off after Adam.
Adam ran flat out, pouring every bit of power and strength he had into his legs. He ran as if the devil himself were behind him, which wasn't too far from the case. Down the quiet suburban streets he ran, veering into the park as Tommy came right behind him. The other boy was gaining on him, and Adam knew that if he didn't end this chase soon, he'd be in big trouble.
Suddenly a wrought-iron fence loomed before him, and Adam realized that he'd run straight through the park and was now at the edge of Angel's Rest cemetery, the largest and oldest one in the city. A smile spread across his face as he came up with a plan.
Reaching the fence, he didn't pause, but instead vaulted over it and landed on the other side. Tommy, right behind him, approached the fence and stopped dead.
"Holy ground," Adam panted. "All the land around Angel's Rest cemetery was consecrated in the 1700's, back when the colony was established. You can't come in, can you, Tommy?"
Tommy snarled. "This isn't over yet, Adam. You don't have anywhere to go or anyone to go to. We'll get you. It's only a matter of time." With these words, Tommy vanished back into the darkness.
Adam sighed, leaning against a nearby tombstone. He supposed he could stay in the cemetery until dawn, but being discovered there would lead to some nasty questions. Besides, if he didn't stop his friends before sunrise, they would most undoubtedly attack someone else, and he couldn't afford that. Still, he needed someplace he could think without having to worry about them attacking. Suddenly he smiled. He knew the perfect place.
* * *
"Just remember to lock up when you're through here, okay, Adam?" Lt. Stone asked, walking out the door of the juice bar. It usually closed at ten-thirty, but he hadn't had the heart to deny Adam his request. The poor kid had shown up just as he was closing, scared to death about something. When he had asked to stay and close up, Lt. Stone had melted.
_Ten years in charge of the Junior Police, and I've suddenly become a marshmallow,_ he sighed to himself, heading for the car. Still, Adam Park was a good kid. He wouldn't be involved in anything shady. Loading himself and the two chimps into the car, he drove off.
The second Lt. Stone was out of sight, Adam locked all the doors to the juice bar and turned out all the lights. While the Rangers, having a standing invitation, could probably enter anyway, he hoped that the darkness would discourage them from looking for him there. If they did, he could probably avoid them in the dark. Sitting down on one of the steps, he began to think.
Whatever had affected his friends had been due to Zedd's attack earlier that day, of that he was certain. Therefore, his first order of business was to get to the Power Chamber. The only question was, how? Absently he rubbed the wrist where his communicator usually rested. Teleportation was out, and walking was ludicrous. He'd be a sitting duck. His car couldn't get over the almost non-existent road which led out into the desert. Even if he morphed, he couldn't teleport in without a communicator signature. That had been one of Billy's security modifications, made after the first Green Ranger's attack.
_If only Billy were here,_ Adam thought to himself with a sigh. _He'd know what to do._ In a way, Justin reminded him of Billy. Both were geniuses who barely knew their own strength. _Must be something about the color blue,_ he chuckled. Then he sat up straight. Of course! The one person who could help him and would believe his story! Jumping to his feet, Adam left the youth center, remembering to lock the door behind him.
* * *
Maria De Santos opened her door, wondering who could be knocking at eleven o'clock. Standing on her front stoop, she saw Adam Park looking at her sheepishly. "Adam, is something wrong?" she asked curiously. "I thought Franklin was supposed to stay here the whole night."
Adam smiled reassuringly. "He is, ma'am. I'm just here to talk to Rocky."
"Oh. He's up in his room. Go on up."
Adam climbed the stairs and knocked on the door to his best friend's bedroom. "What is it?" Rocky called.
"It's Adam. I need to talk to you." Almost instantly, the door swung open, and Rocky was looking his friend over with concern.
"Man, you look awful! Come on in, sit down." Adam did as he was told, sitting on the bed while Rocky closed the door. "What happened? Divatox trouble?"
Adam shook his head. "Zedd, I'm afraid. Rocky, this is going to sound crazy, but you have to believe me. Zedd has somehow turned the other Rangers into vampires. Fangs, garlic allergy, the works."
Rocky whistled. "I believe you, buddy. You're sure it was Zedd?"
"Yeah." Quickly, Adam outlined the days event. "I need to get to the Power Chamber, and for that, I'm going to need your Explorer," he finished.
"Well, my mom went back to bed, so let's go. And don't even think of telling me not to come. If there's trouble, I'm not going to sit by and let it go. I'm in this with you."
Adam smiled. "Okay, but I'm driving." Rocky handed over the keys to the Explorer without a word.
* * *
They had only been driving for a few moments when something in the rearview mirror caught Adam's eye. He cursed. "Rocky? We've grown a tail."
"Who?" Rocky asked, checking the mirror himself.
"Tommy. Of all the rotten luck." The Explorer sped down the road and out into the desert.
"What do we do?"
"I'm gonna try to lose him." Stepping on the gas, Adam began to slowly increase the distance between himself and Tommy. Rocky gulped.
"Um, Adam, that sign just said 'Turns ahead.'"
Adam grinned. "I know."
Ever since he was five years old, Adam Park had wanted to be a stuntman. He had read every book on the subject he could, and when he grew older, he spent his summers at stunt camp. After receiving his driver's license, he had bought himself lessons in stunt driving. As a result, there were few drivers in the southwestern US who could handle a car as well as Adam Park.
As the Explorer entered the series of winding turns, Adam easily kept control of the large, bulky vehicle. Tommy's smaller car was whipped around by its own inertia, barely staying on the road. Chewing his lip in concentration, Adam pressed harder on the accelerator, giving the car even more speed. He noticed Rocky crossing himself out of the corner of one eye and chuckled. A sharp curve appeared before them, rounding the edge of a cliff. On the other side of the road, a gravel pit lay, waiting to mire an unsuspecting car. Reaching the curve, Adam swung the wheel sharply to the left. The edge of his tires kissed the gravel, but then he was through. Tommy wasn't so lucky. The smaller car was rocketed off the road, into the gravel pit. As Adam drove away, he thought he could almost hear Tommy cursing.
"That was incredible!" Rocky gasped. "I didn't know this car could do that!"
"All in the driver, my friend," Adam chuckled. "It's a talent."
* * *
Their drive had no further incidents, and they pulled up to the Power Chamber at a little past midnight. After passing the palm and retina scans that Billy had set up, they were admitted to the building. Rushing into the main chamber, they found Dimitria and Alpha 6, the same as always.
"Dimitria, Zedd's turned the Rangers into vampires. They're looking for me right now, but if they don't find me, they're going to go on a rampage," Adam informed her.
"Yo, Adam, I think you've been watchin' one too many of those movies," Alpha broke in.
"Then why did Tommy try to run us off the road?" Rocky asked.
"Rocky, can they come here?" Adam asked seriously. The other boy shook his head.
"No. When they became vampires, their allegiance changed to evil. That means their standing invitation to the Power Chamber was revoked. There's no way they can teleport in."
"Adam, do you believe that the Rangers have truly become these creatures of your mythology?" inquired Dimitria.
Adam thought for a moment. "Not completely. Whatever Zedd gave them, it makes them close enough that the classification fits, but they aren't supernatural in origin. Their transformation has to be scientific."
"If that is the case, then could that not also lead to the solution?"
Cocking his head to one side, Adam considered that. "Of course! Knowing Zedd, it's probably a potion, a chemical contaminant. If I could get a blood sample from one of the Rangers, I could probably formulate an antidote."
Rocky nodded. "Great! I'll go get one for you."
"No, Rocky," Adam shook his head, "you're not going." Before Rocky could protest, he hurried on. "You have no powers, and your back is still fragile. We can't risk you being attacked by Tommy or the others. I'm going." As he talked, Adam strapped on the spare communicator he had left at the Power Chamber.
"Hello? I'm not the genius here! If anything happens to you, we'll never get that antidote made!"
"But without that blood sample, I can't do anything anyway. You're staying here, and that's final." Adam teleported out, effectively ending the discussion.
He reappeared in the garage. "Good a place as any to start," he muttered to himself. A sound behind him made him whirl. Walking out of the shadows was Justin. Adam suddenly felt his blood freeze. Justin's face was so innocent, yet the expression in his dead eyes and the sly smile on his lips was anything but. _If I can't make that antidote, he'll be like this forever,_ Adam realized. It was an image that did not bear thinking about.
"I thought you'd come," Justin grinned, advancing. "I'm glad you're here. I'm all alone, and I'm so hungry."
Even though he knew it was fruitless, Adam tried reason one last time. "Justin, I can help you. You just have to let me do it."
Justin's grin widened. "Help me? I like this! I'm strong, even stronger than when I morph! I can go wherever I want, do whatever I want, without the shelter people telling me 'Do this,' and 'Don't do that.' This is great!"
"What about your dad?" Adam asked desperately.
Justin's face grew sullen. "Who cares about him? He dropped me at the shelter and forgot about me! I don't need him, and I don't care if I ever see him again!"
Adam shook his head. "I know you don't mean that."
"You don't know anything!" Justin hissed, baring his fangs at Adam. "You've always had such a perfect life! You live in a perfect house, perfect family, everything! What do you know about any of this?"
"I know I have a father who's sometimes so wrapped up in his work, he forgets he has a family. I know I have a father who hates the Power Rangers and thinks they're a menace. I know more about pain than you think."
Justin blinked, then shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm hungry. Won't you help me, Adam?"
Adam's mind was racing. He had to get close to Justin to get the blood sample, and to do that, he had to trick Justin into thinking that he wasn't a threat any longer. Letting his shoulders sag, Adam made his face blank, as if he was staring deep into Justin's hypnotic eyes.
"Sure, Justin. Whatever you want," he replied in a monotone. Justin's grin of triumph was positively bone-chilling. Crossing over to Adam, he pulled the other down until their heads were level. This meant that Adam was kneeling on the floor. Tilting Adam's head to one side, Justin opened his mouth widely and moved to sink his fangs into Adam's neck.
That was when Adam made his move. Pulling the syringe he had brought with him from the Power Chamber, he jammed into Justin's arm, hitting a vein. Justin's back arched in pain, pulling his fangs away from Adam's throat. His hands, resting on Adam's shoulders, tightened their grip. With a mighty shove, Justin knocked Adam over backwards, slamming the older boy against the concrete floor of the garage. Dropping the now-full syringe, Adam had to use both his hands to keep Justin's mouth away from his neck. Suddenly he reached out, grabbing a wrench and slamming it into the side of Justin's head. Despite the power of the blow, the boy was merely stunned. Adam threw Justin off him, running for the syringe. Picking it up, he teleported out.
* * *
"Did you get it?" Rocky asked as Adam materialized in the Power Chamber.
"Very nearly," Adam responded, rubbing his neck. "If you mean the blood sample, yeah. It's right here."
"Great!" Alpha 6 cried. "Feed it into the analyzer. That'll give us a picture of its chemical makeup."
"Man, I hope this works," Rocky sighed. "I really don't want to think about them staying vampires forever."
"What time is it?" Adam suddenly asked, turning to his friend.
"Um, one-thirty. Why?"
"What time does the sun rise?"
"I don't know, about five. Why?"
"Rocky, if we don't end this by sunrise, we're going to have a lot of tough questions to answer. Not to mention that when the morning comes, we'll have an advantage. Now, don't you think Tommy will know that? He's going to try to force our hand."
Rocky swallowed hard. He could imagine the carnage that Tommy could cause with four vampires and a well-made plan. "We'd better hurry, then," Rocky sighed. The two of them quickly got to work.
* * *
"Here's the list of ingredients," Alpha told them, handing each boy a printout. "The stuff with the stars by it is the stuff I don't have. I'm gonna need you to get it for me."
Scanning the printout, Adam frowned. "Most of this stuff is in Billy's lab. Rocky, you get that. I'll deal with the other stuff that requires some running around."
Rocky nodded. "Right. And if I run into one of the Rangers, teleport back here immediately, I know." In a white flash of light, he disappeared.
Once in Billy's lab, Rocky quickly began loading the things he needed into a bag. Suddenly a noise behind him made him whirl. Kat was leaning against the door, a smile on her face.
"I knew somebody'd show up here sooner or later," she chuckled. "I didn't expect to see you, though." Slowly she advanced, licking her lips as she came. Rocky swallowed. He could feel his mind beginning to cloud, and not just from the power of her hypnotic gaze. He had been attracted to Kat from the first day he met her. Although nothing had come of it, the attraction was still there. It was coming out in full force, now.
"Tilt your head, Rocky," she ordered softly. He did as he was told, lost in a warm pink fog. Her fangs extended as she licked her lips. Sliding one arm around his back, she tilted his head back and lowered her mouth to his neck. Right before her fangs would have sunk home, Rocky and his bag of equipment disappeared, leaving Kat with nothing but a mouthful of air.
* * *
Tommy looked at his friends and sighed. "So nobody got them?"
Tanya shook her head. "He dove out the upstairs window, for Pete's sake. I lost him."
"I was this close to making a meal out of Rocky," Kat interjected, "but he was teleported out at the last minute."
Justin just rubbed the side of his head. "Adam cold-cocked me with a wrench. What did you want me to do?"
Tommy chewed his lip, carefully, due to his fangs. "Sunrise is in a few hours. We need to end this tonight. Adam will have the advantage once the sun rises. We need to draw him out. Any ideas?"
Tanya smiled evilly. "I have one. Live bait."
* * *
A knock at her door roused Maria De Santos from sleep for the second time that evening. Shuffling downstairs, she opened her door to find Tommy Oliver standing outside.
"Tommy? What's the matter?" she asked blearily, trying to clear the sleep from her mind.
"Nothing's wrong, ma'am, it's just that Adam sent me to get Franklin. He's needed at home."
"Has there been an accident?"
"No, nothing like that. Adam just needs Franklin to come home." As he repeated this, Tommy looked directly into Mrs. De Santos' eyes. Suddenly, she felt like she was floating.
"I'll get him for you," she replied, dazed.
Franklin was awakened from his sound sleep and brought downstairs. Leading the thirteen year-old out to the car, Tommy grinned to himself. This would be easier than he had thought.
"Tommy, what's going on?" Franklin asked. "Why did I have to come home?"
"Adam's hurt, not badly, but he needs you," Tommy lied, staring at the road as he drove.
"Why are all the lights out?" inquired Franklin, puzzled, as the car pulled up in front of the Park residence.
"Oh, there seems to be some sort of power outage. Come on. Let's go inside." The two boys headed into the house. As Franklin's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw Tanya, Justin, and Kat sitting in the living room.
"What's going on here?" Franklin asked warily. "Where's Adam?"
"He'll be here any time now," Tanya grinned. Her fangs gleamed whitely in the bit of moonlight streaming through the front windows. Franklin swallowed. He was Angel Grove's biggest authority on things that went "bump" in the night, and it didn't take him long to figure out what was going on.
"Oh my God," he gulped, looking for an escape route. Smiling, Justin rose off the couch and headed towards Franklin.
"What's the matter, Franklin? Didn't anyone ever tell you it was polite to offer your guests a drink?"
* * *
In the Power Chamber, Adam and Rocky had just finished the serum when the alarm began to blare. Looking up at the viewing globe, Adam cursed. "Rocky! They're after Frank!" The globe showed Justin chasing Franklin around the Park family kitchen table while the other three vampires watched, laughing.
"Darts are ready," Rocky replied, slamming the last one into his dart pistol. He tossed the other one to Adam, who quickly checked it and nodded.
"All right, let's hope this works." The two boys teleported out.
Meanwhile, back in the Park house, Justin had finally managed to catch up with Franklin and knock him to the ground. He was just about to sink his fangs into Franklin's neck when the front windowpanes exploded inward, drawing everyone's attention. Adam and Rocky stood in the middle of the living room, back to back, pistols ready.
"Explain to me again," Rocky drawled, "why we didn't just teleport in?"
"Because this way, we get their attention," Adam shot back. Justin, furious at having his meal interrupted, threw himself at Adam and was promptly felled by a dart. That was when things got ugly.
The older three vampires, being less impetuous than Justin, were not nearly so easy a target. With the lights out, Adam and Rocky could not keep their attention on three moving targets at the same time. While two of the shadows hassled Adam, the third approached Rocky.
"You wouldn't hurt me, would you Rocky?" Kat asked, advancing towards him. Rocky's face went slack again, as his muscles relaxed. "I knew you wouldn't. You'll enjoy this, Rocky," she told him softly, tilting his head to one side. "It feels sooo good." Opening her mouth, she leaned into him to sink her fangs into his neck. Unfortunately for her, that put her body very close to his. Faster than thought, Rocky's pistol came up. He fired a single shot into her stomach. Catching her as she collapsed, he noticed the extremely surprised look on her face.
"Sorry, Kat," he smiled. "That only works once." Suddenly, a fist came out of the darkness, catching Rocky under the chin. The blow lifted him off his feet, knocking him into a wall. He slid to the ground, unconscious.
"Rocky!" Adam screamed. He tried to run to his friend's aid, but was stopped as Tanya leapt out of the gloom, tackling him. Pinning his wrists to the floor, she lowered her mouth to his neck. Just as she was about to sink her fangs into him, she collapsed, out cold. Adam looked up to see Franklin standing over him, holding Rocky's dart gun.
"Rocky dropped this," Franklin remarked, extending a hand to help his older brother up. "Unfortunately, I'm out of ammo."
"I owe you one, Frank," Adam panted. He had lost his own gun in the struggle with Tanya. Looking around, he frowned. "Where's Tommy?"
"Right here," the other boy snarled. Adam turned to face him, but not in time. A casual cuff knocked Franklin to the floor, dazed. Tommy's second blow caught Adam across the face, sending him across the room. Faster than thought, Tommy followed, pouncing on his opponent like a jungle cat.
"I was going to make you one of us," Tommy hissed, "but I think that's too good for you now. I'm going to rip your throat right out."
Adam said nothing, simply struggled to keep Tommy's fangs away from his throat. Across the room, Franklin sat up, dazed. Looking around himself, he realized that he had landed by Adam's dart pistol, which still had one dart in it. Squinting at the two fighting in the middle of the floor, Franklin realized that it was too dark and he was too dizzy to get off a good shot. Suddenly, he had an idea.
"Adam!" he yelled. "Catch!" With all of his strength, he slid the dart gun across the polished hardwood floor to his brother. Adam's reflexes were faster than any other Ranger's, including Tommy's. His hand shot out, and he grabbed the dart gun seconds before Tommy could.
"Tommy, you talk too much," he hissed. Pulling the trigger, he shot his last dart directly into Tommy's chest. The other boy collapsed, so much dead weight. "Ooof. Twice in one night," Adam groaned, pushing his tall friend off him.
"Adam?" Franklin called worriedly.
"Yeah, Frank, I'm all right," replied Adam. Limping across the room, he enfolded his little brother in his arms.
"Are they gonna be all right? Did a monster attack them?" Franklin asked. His voice was somewhat muffled by the fact that he had not removed his face from his brother's ribcage.
"Something like that," Adam sighed. "It's too early to tell if they'll be all right. The Power Rangers gave us the stuff in the darts, but they weren't positive it would work. We'll know soon enough."
Crossing the room, they went to check on Rocky, who was beginning to wake up. "Ohh, somebody please shoot me now," he groaned. "Adam, how can I have a hangover when I don't even drink?"
Adam chuckled. "Come on, Rocky, get up."
"No. If I do, my head will explode," Rocky shot back, allowing Adam to help him to his feet. "What hit me?"
"Tommy," Adam replied grimly.
"Oh yeah. I remember. Ouch."
A bit of movement from across the room drew the attention of the three boys. Justin was slowly rising to his feet. "Adam? My head hurts really bad. And I have this awful taste in my mouth. What was I chewing on?"
"Me, nearly," Franklin replied, examining his friend. Justin looked completely normal again. All traces of the vampire condition seemed to have left him.
"Oh. Sorry, Franklin. I remember now. Are the others all right?"
"They should be," Adam assured him. "Hey, look. Kat's waking up."
"Oh my God," Kat blushed. "Um, Rocky, about what I did earlier-"
He grinned at her. "It's forgotten."
"Thanks," she smiled.
Tanya slowly began to stir as well. "Uhhh, what a nightmare. I can't believe I did that."
"It's over now," Adam told her, folding her in his arms. "We're safe."
"Mmm. Hey, did you notice it's getting lighter in here? I think the sun's coming up."
Indeed, the horizon was beginning to glow with the first rays of dawn. Anxiously, everyone looked at Tommy, wondering how the sunlight would affect him. As the sun came up over the mountains, a small ray crept across the sill of the ruined front windows, along the floor, and up Tommy's face. Blinking, the tall boy sat up.
"Oh, man, what a headache. Oh, Adam, what a mess. Did I do that?" he winced, looking at the damage that the Parks' living room had incurred.
Adam chuckled. "No, I think we all did that. I don't know exactly what got damaged when."
"Adam?" Franklin asked, looking around himself in wonder. "What are we going to tell Dad?"
The older Park brother winced. "That depends, Frank."
"On what?"
"On whether we can get the windows replaced before they get home. Anybody know a good glazier who works fast, no questions asked?"
* * *
On the Moon, Zedd was fuming. The Rangers had been healed of their vampire conditions, and the Park boys had managed to replace both windows before their parents made it home. Angel Grove Glass Company was not averse to taking cash if necessary.
"I can't believe it! I can't destroy them, I can't injure them, I can't even get them into trouble! Finster! Get out here!"
The little gnome ran into Zedd's throne room, smoking slightly and looking very scorched. Zedd regarded the crafter with as much puzzlement as was possible for him to show on his features. "What happened to you?" the evil alien asked.
With remarkable calm, Finster brushed a soot spot off his apron and replied. "Do you remember saying that you'd like to see Divatox get a detonator up here?"
"Yes. So what?"
"Well, she did. Right into the middle of my lab!" Finster wailed. Quickly, he got a hold of himself. "Ahem. She also sent a note which read 'Mess with my Rangers and my plans, and I'm sure you'll have a blast. Oh, and don't think this is the only one.'"
Zedd gulped, looking around himself. "Oh, dear."
The Power Chamber was detecting explosions on the lunar surface long into the night.
End
