Power Rangers Lost Galaxy by Heather Ray (books to read for 12 year olds TXT) 📕

to the structure of the Megazord. All the turbines and axles were in perfect order, meaning the machine should be able to reshape into its battle mode.

Something

wasn't working. He just needed to figure out what it was.

Of course, the fact that the only topic that could hold his attention was the afternoon he spent with Maya certainly hindered his analytic processing. Every time his eyes drifted closed, he saw Maya lying next to him on the blanket, smiling with attentive interest at every word that fell from his lips.

Casually talking to her was like talking to a therapist; only far more relaxing. She had a way to reach the heart of a being, whether human or animal, and make a connection.

And of course, the fact that she was gorgeous didn't hurt…

"Damon?"

The weary Green Ranger awakened instantly, sitting up in his seat before swiveling to meet the source of the gentle voice. A warm smile appeared as he laid eyes on Maya, standing awkwardly behind him.

"Hi," he said, after a brief pause, "what're you doing here?"

"I thought I'd bring you dinner," she answered, handing him the packed meal. "I heard you've been in here all evening."

Damon grinned guiltily. "Thanks, Maya. Have a seat?"

The Yellow Ranger grinned at the invitation, and pulled a chair from another station on the bridge towards him. As Damon laid out his dinner on the console, Maya peeked at the data board with the wire frame image of a Megazord.

"So, this is what you've been trying to fix?"

Damon nodded, swallowing a mouthful of the sandwich. "Yeah. I've been examining every inch of the Megazord, and matched the specifications to a T. But for some reason, I can't initiate the Megazord sequence."

He smiled to himself as he watched a puzzled expression furrow Maya's brow. He realized that she probably had no idea what he was talking about.

"You see, this Megazord isn't like our Galactabeasts," he explained, pushing his seat closer to her. He pressed a few buttons on the computer, replacing the wire frame image with a computer rendition of the Megaship transforming. "When we want to form our Megazord, all we need to do is ask the Galactabeasts to Zord transform. They're intelligent, and alive. But we can't communicate with the Megaship in the same way. Instead, we communicate through electronic code, which we create through this keyboard, and other interface panels."

Maya nodded thoughtfully. "So, you speak to the machine through the keyboard. That makes sense."

"Good. So my problem is, for some reason the Megaship is not responding to the command I gave it."

Maya then rose from her seat, and began pensively pacing along the deck. Damon watched her curiously while he continued eating.

"It... sounds like you are assuming the Megaship is just like all other machines," she ventured, gazing at him questioningly.

Damon took a quick sip of water. "Yeah...?"

"Could that be part of the problem? Is

the Megaship merely a machine?"

Slowly, an idea dawned on the Green Ranger. His eyes widened, and he laid down his meal on the console, rising to his feet.

"Maya, you're a genius!" he exclaimed, excitement lighting up his features.

Maya stared at him in confusion. "What?"

In response, he reached out and clasped her hand in his. "I'll show you."

Chapter Seven

"This is incredible!"

Maya's eyes were wide with wonder, and she turned around full circle to take her expansive surroundings. They crossed a raised bridge, hanging several yards above the actual ground. Surrounding them were large geometric shapes, each with panels flashing with different colored lights. Every piece seemed to breathe with a life of its own, churning and pulsing as it fulfilled its purpose.

This was the heart of the Megaship, making all its systems operate.

Maya had never seen a machine from the inside, and she never would've imagined how beautiful it was in its efficiency and symmetry.

"Maya?"

The spellbound Yellow Ranger turned at the sound of her name. She slowly continued her trek along the raised bridge, and met Damon at a ladder reaching down to the floor.

"You're not scared of heights, right?" Damon asked, puzzled by her hesitation.

His concern was met with a wry smile as Maya stepped passed him, and leapt off the bridge like a diver. Damon was struck silent as he watched her descend, only to land perfectly on her feet some five yards below.

She turned towards him, and smiled at his befuddled expression.

"Okay... never mind," Damon muttered to himself as he climbed down far less spectacularly. Once he reached the grated floor, he met her confident smile with a challenging one.

"You're gonna have to teach me that," he stated.

"Sure, once you teach me what all these machines do."

Damon blinked in surprise. He was floored to see her take an interest in his

world, the world of the artificial and lifeless.

"I... didn't think were interested in engineering," he observed.

"I didn't know it was anything

like this! It's so... amazing! This ship really feels alive! You can even hear her heart beat!"

Damon frowned. "Maya, what are you..."

She silenced him by placing her finger at his lips. Damon remained quiet, and listened to the sound of the Megaship with new awareness.

There was a cacophony of sounds in the air, but for the first time there was method to the madness. In its own way, the constant hum of the life support systems brought union to the grinding of the generators. That grinding was exactly twice as fast as the flashing light from the Hyper Rush engines, adding a visual experience to the music.

And finally, he could make out a methodic, gentle thumping, which he discerned to be the generators releasing electricity throughout the ship. The generators were the heart, pumping blood into the veins of the Megaship, bringing it to life.

It was incredible.

Maya felt Damon's lips stretch against her touch, and glanced at his expression. He smiled in wonder at the revelation she had given him... just by forcing him to sit back and listen for a change.

"Wow..." was all that Damon could muster. He gazed back at Maya, an awed expression on his face. "You're amazing..."

Maya's cheeks flushed at the compliment, making her look away shyly. "So, what are we looking for?" she asked.

Damon snapped back to reality. "The Core."

Maya walked close behind the mechanic as he strode along the thin walkway between large integral systems. After a trek, they paused at a large steel object, somewhat reminiscent of a top, sitting motionless in the ground.

"This is the Core?" she questioned, her hands touching the metal cautiously.

"Yep. According to the design specs, this is the part that should respond to the Megazord sequence, kicking the entire ship into gear and causing the transformation. But it's not responding."

Maya nodded pensively, her eyes shuttering closed. She then leaned closer, pressing her ear against the steel.

Damon watched silently as Maya examined her patient. After several minutes, her hand reached out to his, and pulled him close.

"What?" he inquired, letting her guide his hand to the Core's cool surface.

"Can you feel it?" she asked in a whisper.

Damon rested his hand on the Core, and closed his eyes. For a long while, all he could see was darkness, and all he could feel was the coldness of metal. But in a sudden rush, like a breaking wave at the shore, warmth built at his hands, and energy flashed into his consciousness.

That energy was Green.

Startled, Damon pulled away, stumbling over piping and wire on his way to the floor.

Maya was quick to help him up, her warm smile urging one on his own face.

"What... what...?"

"You reached the true Core of the Megazord," Maya said proudly, her arm still entwined in his, "The soul."

Coming from anyone else, the idea of a machine having a soul would be ludicrous... but Maya was different.

"A soul," he repeated thoughtfully.

Maya nodded excitedly. "There is a Power that flows through the universe; a power grid of life and light. All Power Rangers tap into that Power through a unique connection. We use the Quasar Sabers as our link."

"How do you know so much?" Damon asked absently.

Maya smiled timidly. "My guardian Jera was the Keeper... in charge of protecting the Quasar Sabers. He knew everything about the legend of the Power, and he taught it to me."

Damon grinned. "All Power Rangers tap into the same source. And that source also powers the Megazords?"

"Exactly! That energy brings a Megazord to life. But this Core has lost its connection, because it has been separated from the Power Rangers it was designed for."

"So, is there anything we can do about it?" Damon inquired.

Maya bit her lip as she pondered the question. "Maybe, if all of us were here, we can try and recreate that connection. But it would definitely require an entire team of Power Rangers."

Damon fell into reverential silence as he stared at the core with new insight.

Maya gazed at him in confused concern, unsure whether she should say something to break the silence that had fallen. Had she said something... wrong?

"I don't believe it," he muttered under his breath, "After all this work... the answer is so simple..."

He turned to Maya, a wide grin suddenly forming on his lips. "We did

it!"

Maya gasped in surprise as Damon stepped beside her, and lifted her into the air in a rush of triumph. Soon, she giggled with mutual joy, her gaze locked with his.

Damon was breathing heavily with overwhelming excitement as he lowered Maya onto her own feet. His hands remained on her waist.

"Thanks for all your help, Maya," he said sincerely, once he had calmed slightly, "You're really one of a kind."

She smiled softly, her hands resting at his elbows. "So are you."

There was an electricity in the air, but it wasn't caused by the nearby power generator. They both recognized it for what it was; and this time, neither Maya nor Damon chose to look away, or otherwise break the moment. Instead, as if communicating without words, two bodies leaned slightly closer together. Two necks craned forward, and just before two pairs of lips met... two soulful gazes drifted closed.