The Terran Rangers/The Spectrum Force/Sailor Moon - The Preliminaries Volume 5 by Heather Ray (warren buffett book recommendations TXT) 📕

A tall young man with a rather long blonde mushroom cut awoke to find himself in the most powerful blizzard he'd ever seen. Of course, Keith Maloy hadn't seen much snow in his life, since he was born and raised in Texas. Despite the powerful winds and stinging cold, Keith didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable. That was because he was dressed in a form-fitting, insulated red uniform, with black legs, white boots and gloves, black sleeves, a white V on his chest, and a blue visor. Even though he didn't feel the wind's cruel bite, he instinctively rubbed his arms as he forced his way through the blinding storm.

What the #&@% happened to me?!

he thought as he made way through the storm, I was in LA with the guys, like always, and suddenly, I'm in Alaska! I guess that portal we fell in was teleportational in nature. But, where's Rachel?

*Rachel?*

His telepathic call went unheard, and Keith tripped and fell into a bank of snow.

"This really sucks!" he cried, wiping the snow off his face. His mouth area was uncovered, and therefore unprotected from the bitter cold.

"Forget this. I don't care about keeping a low profile anymore! My lips are so chapped, I think they're gonna fall off, and I can't make any headway on foot."

A translucent red sphere appeared around Keith's body, both protecting him from the harsh weather, as well as levitating him off the snow-covered ground. He flew over the countryside, searching for something. He finally saw something -- a black object mostly covered with snow.

What could that be? It almost looks like... a person? But, it could be a trap. I'd better check this out.

Keith floated to the ground, and unsheathed his twin Flame Daggers. He held them over the body, and they immediately melted the ice obscuring his features. Keith did a double take when he realized he recognized the uniform.

"The Black Ranger?!" he said, kneeling over and turning the unconscious Power Ranger onto his back. Oh, what was his name?! Uh... Zack! That's it!

"Zack, wake up!"

The Black Ranger moaned, and looked up at Keith. He panicked when he saw the unfamiliar figure.

"Who are you?" he asked, sitting up and pushing back. "What's going on here?"

Keith stared at the Black Ranger skeptically, and then rose to his feet, holding his daggers defensively.

"The question is...who are you?" he said coldly. "And how did you get Zack's body armor?"

"I'm not Zack," said Adam, also standing up, "I'm his replacement. And if you were a friend of the Power Rangers, you'd know that."

"I get it," said Keith. "You stole Zack's Power Coin! What did you do with Rachel? Did you take her power source too?"

"Stop trying to confuse me, pal," said Adam, creating his trusty Power Axe. "It won't work. Now, bring me back to Angel Grove!"

"Not on your life!" yelled Keith, diving at the Black Ranger. Adam held up his axe, and blocked all of Keith's strokes effectively. However, each of the Red Enforcer's swings was increasingly fast, and Adam was unable to keep up with his opponent's speed. Adam suddenly leapt back, and pulled back on the head of the axe.

"Cosmic Cannon!" he yelled, pointing the handle at Keith. A stream of colorful energy flew from the cannon, plowing into Keith's hastily constructed Spectrum Shield. Adam continued to fire, moving closer to Keith.

Now's my chance!

thought Keith, pushing harder against the energy beam. The shield continued to move closer to Adam, forcing Adam to step away. Keith then converted into a streak of light, and flew behind Adam at light speed. Before the Black Ranger could turn around, Keith had disarmed him, and swung at his face. But Adam managed to block the first swing, and caught Keith's hand when he tried again. Keith winced as Adam's vice-like grip squeezed his wrist painfully.

"Morphing increases our physical strength," said Adam, squeezing harder. "But if you really knew the Power Rangers, you'd know that."

"I know Zack could never pull a move like that," said Keith between clenched teeth, "morphed or otherwise. You're good, Black Ranger, but I'm better."

With that, Keith head-butted Adam. Even though Adam's helmet protected his head from injury, he was forced to loosen his grip, allowing Keith to pull free. Keith held his wrist gingerly with his other hand, and then glared at Adam. Even though his visor blocked the rage in his ocean blue eyes, Adam saw his lips curl into a furious frown. But rather than feel intimidated by his opponent's angry countenance, Adam matched it, although his helmet hid it. Adam actually felt a raging hot anger burning inside himself-- a feeling he wasn't used to, to say the least. But even though he was surprised by this sudden rage, he didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable by it.

Keith suddenly pounced on Adam like a cat. Then the two seasoned martial artists began a no-holes-barred unarmed duel. The powerful snow didn't slow down these two warriors in the least. Rather, both young men were equal in terms of skill, although Keith's attacks were faster, and Adam's were stronger. The two young men fought in silence, each one feeding off the overpowering anger in his heart. Soon, all inhibition was gone, and Adam Park and Keith Maloy were out for blood. The duel ended with Keith being thrown face first into a bank of pure white snow. When he lifted himself to his feet, the white snow was stained with his red blood.

"I've had enough of this," he declared, once again forming his two Flame Daggers. "This time, it's for keeps. I'm gonna fillet you, Poser Ranger!"

"I'm shaking in my snowboots," quipped Adam, gripping his dagger/blaster. He scanned the snow-covered ground, and sighed. He'd dropped his Power Axe ten minutes ago, and now the torrent of snow had buried it completely, leaving him without his primary weapon.

Adam and Keith circled each other, and this time, Adam made the first offensive move, swinging his dagger towards Keith's neck. But Keith blocked the attack with his own dagger, and managed to nick Adam's armor with his other dagger, just above his belt. Adam then swept Keith off his feet, causing the latter to drop one of his daggers. Adam then stood on Keith's other hand, forcing him to drop his dagger.

"Nice try," said Adam darkly, "but not good enough. Now, you're gonna d--"

Suddenly, Adam began to gasp for air, and he clutched his neck with his hands desperately. Keith watched contentedly as Adam struggled to breathe, falling to his knees. Adam ripped off his helmet, revealing his terrified expression, as well as bluish facial hue. Keith began to laugh, standing up over Adam.

"In case you're wondering, I've cut off your oxygen," said Keith cruelly. "There's a small force field in your body, completely clogging your sinuses. You won't be able to catch your breath. Let's see how long you can hold it, eh? I guess...oh, about a minute. Then, you'll pass out. A couple more minutes, and there'll be permanent brain damage. Let's see it you can handle...fifteen minutes. I think you deserve to suffer a little bit."

Not too far away, hidden in the powerful gusts of snowy wind, Solar watched proudly as Adam's life ebbed away.

Now, this is what I was looking for! Not only is Keith ready and willing to murder Adam, he's also enjoying torturing him! Fantastic! Keith's dark side is hidden well, but its there. And its mighty indeed. It's too bad about Adam, though. It took him a while, but he was getting fired up. His helmet may have hidden his face, but his thoughts were an open book to me, and there was only one thought...Kill.

Meanwhile, Adam slipped into unconsciousness, while Keith was nonchalantly searching the snow for his Flame Daggers. He finally found them both, and glanced coolly at Adam, a chill grin on his face.

"He's just about finished," said Keith, approaching his victim. "Wow, that was really a clever, and ruthless move. The gang would be proud..."

Then, Keith began to picture his friends. His best friend, Craig Gillis. Matt O'Conner, a little brother to him. Jocelyn Armand, whose wit and intelligence never ceased to amaze him. Rachel Castaneda, a close and respected friend. And finally, Tamara Fox, his warm, loving girlfriend.

"Tammy would be...terrified of me. Terrified of what I've done...of what I've become. What's going on? I may be many things, but I'm no murderer! My God..."

Keith released Adam from his invisible grip, and hurriedly touched the unconscious young man's neck.

"His heart's still going," he said. "But... he's not breathing! No, what have I done?!"

Keith began to perform the Heimlich Maneuver, intermixed with CPR. When Adam began to breathe, Keith sighed in relief, and constructed a red shield around the Black Ranger, protecting him from the harsh storm.

"Why did you do it?" asked a voice from behind.

"What?" asked Keith, turning around to see the person. He saw a tall, blonde man with red, blue, and white armor.

"Why did you save his life? He is your enemy. Enemies must be crushed."

"But he's not..."

"Yes he is! You destroy monsters daily, with the rest of the Spectrum Force. What's different now?"

"Now, I was the monster. Not him. He didn't do anything to me. I don't believe I attacked him! He's a Power Ranger, for goodness sake!"

"Are you sure? This could be a trap."

"True, but I'm not sure that he's not a Power Ranger, and therefore, I won't kill him. I won't do any damage that can't be undone. Who are you, anyway?"

"I am Solar," said the blonde man, stepping closer, "and I'm afraid to say that you were a disappointment, Keith Maloy. I had such high hopes for you, as well as the others."

"Others? What do you--"

Before Keith could finish his sentence, Solar reached out and touched his forehead, instantly freezing him in place. Then, Solar walked over to Adam, who was still coughing madly. Adam blinked, and then was also frozen by Solar's power.

"I couldn't bend any of them to my will," Solar sighed, transporting back to his palace. He sat on his throne, and stared at the six frozen bodies of his puppets -- Rachel Castaneda, Raye Hino, Tommy Oliver, Makoto Kino, Adam Park, and finally Keith Maloy. Each of them were being controlled by evil, but each of them managed to fight off the mental manipulation, and refrained from murder. Solar failed to make any of the young heroes pass that line. They were still pure, and they were useless to the diabolical creature.

"Now what do I do with them?" he asked himself, staring out at the colorful expanse of the Multiverse, "I guess I'll just have to dispose of them myself. It's such a shame, though. So much power and skill, wasted on the pure of heart. But still, all isn't lost. I'll try to recruit