Back Up Singers

Posted on Tue Mar 14th, 2023 @ 4:22pm by Valdana 'Dan' Raadax & Malcolm Hendrix & Jamie Bullock

1,239 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: The Invasion
Location: Tour ship of Valdana Raadax
Timeline: 18 Hours November 17th 2050

Dan awoke to the sound of talking in the distance and slowly sat up taking in the room that they had arrived in. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary other than the two men who seemed to be discussing something in hushed tones with melody. She winced looking down at her wrecked and bloodied clothes and frowned.

“What….” She started as she slid off the bed and then to the floor, her legs not able to maintain her as tried to focus on everything that was happening. “Floor…” She muttered to herself as she revealed by the thud and hissed words that she was awake.

"I'd advise against trying to stand up." Malcolm noted dryly "You were injured quite badly and if it wasn't for this strapping lad here, you'd probably be dead. Say thank you."

“Thank you.” Dan said as she gripped the bed she had been lying on and frowned as it all came back to her. She had expected blue or pink to rescue her.

Jamie gave a silent nod of acknowledgement, declining to say anything else.

Dan took the man in and remembered the colour he had been suited in. She leant over and grabbed her personal gun pointing it at Jamie even as she lay on the floor. “Where is Alex?” She demanded.

At first alarmed, Jamie blinked in momentary fear at the weapon being levelled at him. Then he heard the question and his shoulders sank slightly.

"He, uh...he didn't make it," he admitted. "The other Power Ranger killed him. The one in red." His eyes fell, a distant pain behind them as they rested on the morpher at his wrist. "I'm Jamie. Alex's brother."

Dani lowered the gun and bit her lip hard. "How? How did you get the crystal?" The woman tried hard not to cry at the realisation that her partner was gone. "He... he was my bodyguard for my real-life profession to keep up the pretence that I am feeble and not able to defend myself."

"He...he gave it to me," Jamie said, the sadness of his recent loss clear in his voice. "He told me it couldn't fall into the wrong hands. He said it was up to me to keep it safe. I don't know what happened; I didn't think just anyone could be a Power Ranger..." Trailing off, Jamie looked at the others. "Looks like you're not all that feeble, then. Think you can get us somewhere safe?"

"I tried but we were quick enough. This ship will keep us safe." The woman said sadly as she slowly rose from the floor and gripped the bed that she had been resting on tightly. "Neither of you know who I am do you?" She said softly as she turned to the melody bot who was waiting patiently.

Jamie looked and Malcolm, sharing a shrug.

"I'm Valdana Raadx... you know the ..." She indicated the poster that the melody bot was showing that very much showed the orange-haired woman in a different light. It was also obvious that there was a black-garbed man that looked like Jamie in a lot of the backgrounds. "I sing. This is the Kerrang Tour ship. We've been playing on Earth as part of the universe tour."

"Right." Jamie again looked at Malcolm. "I don't really listen to music so much...sorry..." he mumbled.

"It is humbling to know that someone does not know who I am." The woman assured as she sat back on the bed and just took a moment to just think.

"Most people don't know who I am either," Jamie said, a little unimpressed.

"I think our best approach is to find the rangers that got stuck behind." She finally decided to take charge of the situation and think through things more logically. She was the more experienced of the group in regards to being a ranger.

"I agree. We also need to contact the Rangers who retreated." Malcolm said, adding "By my count, there's two of you plus two more left on Earth, making four. Unfortunately, four rangers doesn't beat an army. Seven, on the other hand, might be able to turn the tide, provided you can all work together. Which brings our second problem. The red ranger... The good red ranger, he's not really what you'd want in a leader. He's a bit... I'm trying to think of a better word than childish..."

"I have met him and I concur for now. Maybe he grow up being thrust off Earth." Dan sighed. She had seen it for herself in the red ranger. "Then he cannot be a leader. Just because he is red does not make him the leader." The woman said simply. It was a hard concept for a long of men to understand that just because they thought they had to be the leader meant they were suitable for that role. She glanced to the black ranger wanting his opinion on it all.

"Well I don't know any of you, so forgive me if I don't feel all that happy just taking orders," Jamie grunted.

"You may not get a choice in the matter, lad." Malcolm noted "Sometimes, being part of a team means taking orders."

TAG Jamie (response)

"Mistress there is a problem with the ship that will require us to return to dock." Melody bot explained bringing up the specifications of the ship and the fault with the engineering section. "They are suspending the tour due to the nature of the invasion.

No shit thought Dan but she did not need to say it aloud. It was obvious what was going to happen next. "Thank you, Melody. No one on board other than the people in this room knows me as anything other than Valdana, the big old music sensation. I need to keep that identity intact for my cover but it might allow us to find our missing rangers on Earth." There would be a media black out where rangers were still fighting which this ship could easily detect.

"Well, if there's some sort of invasion going on they're meant to be the ones defending the world against it, right?" Jamie said. "Maybe that's the place to start?"

"So let us get watching the news and find where they are," Dan said holding herself up with a sigh. She needed time to recoup but she had to do something other than moping around.

"Once we make contact, I may have an idea of something that could help with mounting a defence." Malcolm noted "We just need access to archive 47. It has some trinkets that may be of help."

"Explain?" Dan said as she slumped into the chair. She wiggled a little to get comfortable to start looking for the rangers left behind on the planet.

"Archive 47 contains every mothballed GPF and SPD project." Malcolm noted, "Delta blasters, Astro Megaship Mark three, even our prototype interface for the solar crystals is in there."

"Okay so the plan is to find your earth-based rangers, get into the archive and defend earth," Dan said laying out the plan in her head. It was logical and sound even if she did not feel like she wanted to do anything other than sleep. "Sound good to you A ... Jamie?" She questioned looking to the black ranger.

"I guess," Jamie shrugged. He looked at Malcolm. "Beats staying here anyway. Lead the way, chief."

 

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