Mommy Dearest: Chapter 8

[solarbaby614]

Summary: Casey remembers when the Change began and he gets worried about

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 8

The only time Casey could ever remember his mother failing at anything was for Lord Zedd and Aunt Rita. His mother, who he had seen take down creatures of unspeakable power, was thwarted by six teenagers in multi-colored spandex. He could remember sitting in the throne room of the moon palace with his sisters, talking turning watching a battle unfold through the Ritascope.

The only time she had ever failed at anything and it was to humans.

 

It was instinctual. He had no idea how far or long he had run. All he knew he had to do was keep moving. So by the time he collapsed against a tree, Casey was hopelessly lost. It was the way he wanted it. One hand was clutched to his stomach and he could feel the blood seep through his fingers from the broken stitches.

Wheezing, his body began to shake as cold began to set in. That didn’t make since to the tiger, either. It was midday and that usually meant it was scorching outside. But the icy feeling was beginning to ooze into his bones, his teeth were chattering and he didn’t think he could move if he wanted too.

Realization struck him as he began to fade in and out from consciousness.

He was dying.

Casey struggled to keep his eyes open, but spots were starting to dance in his vision.

“Casey!”

The hallucinations were setting in. That had to be it, because that voice sounded awfully familiar. It almost seemed like… A warm hand touched his forehead and the voice let out a curse.

“Come on, Casey.”

The voice was pleading but it seemed to be coming from far away. He forced his mouth open and tried to form a word.

“You’re going to be okay.” An arm made its way around his waist and lifted him off the ground, only to nearly drop him the next second. “Geez, what have you been eating?”

Casey struggled to keep conscious. He mustered up all the energy he could and forced in into one single action. “Da…Dallina…”

“Shh… You’re going to be just fine, little brother.”

He managed coughing scoff before he fell back into unconsciousness.

oOoOoOoOoOo

An explosion rocketed Casey from his normally dead sleep. Letting out a muffled yell, he went crashing from the bed and barely managed to keep his head from hitting the floor. So much for getting some of that much needed sleep that he had managed to avoid for the past three days. Going on that trip with his mother a month ago as a sort of vacation had seemed like a fun idea at the time, but he had forgotten that he and his mother had a different view of fun.

Dragging himself up, he dressed quickly exited his room. The thought of food entered his mind and he turned to the mess hall.

But when he realized just how quiet the Dark Fortress was, Casey got worried. Usually this place was bustling with activity. He heard the sound of fighting from one of the spare chambers of the ship. Whatever had been kept in there was obvious of some importance since it had round the clock guards since he had arrived.

The door was suspiciously bare at the moment.

He had peaked in, curiosity and concern getting the better of him. The scene that lay out before him sent chills down his spine. Ecliptor was currently fighting with the red ranger and Astronema… Her limp body lay on the floor.

“No!” Casey rushed to her side. His voice had startled the two fighting, but Ecliptor seemed to get over his sudden appearance quickly and ran at the ranger again. The red ranger was more disoriented by him.

Gone were Astronema’s outrageous hairstyles and in its place was a simple red bob cut. There was some sort of mechanical wiring connected to her head. He brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and bit his lip. She couldn’t be dead.

She just couldn’t.

His head shot up as he heard Ecliptor’s scream. The ranger had turned his weapon on the tube that had standing behind them. For one startling moment, Casey realized that there was a face looking back at him. But it was gone a not a moment later as the ranger slammed his weapon into the tube, effectively shattering it.

What happened next was something Casey would never forget.

A wave shot from the tube and he felt it wash through him. He was overcome by the feeling of warmth and happiness. He brought forth memories of times spent with his sisters and his mother. The love that he felt for them warmed his blood. It even brought memories from before they woke up. Memories of happy times spent with his father before the betrayal. The memories and feelings faded into obscurity but there was still an echo of it vibrating through him.

A shift in the air currents before him caused him to snap back to reality and he pulled his eyes from the woman beside him. The power ranger was kneeling before the two of them.

“Who are you?” The ranger asked him, his voice soft.

He didn’t say anything, thoughts of what his mother had taught him lingering in the front of his mind.

The red ranger shifted and sighed. “I’m Andros.”

Casey froze at the familiar name. Astronema had mentioned him many times before he had left with his mother. He saw the man reach for a machine on his wrist and push a button. The red suit was gone and in its place was a man with long hair. Any doubt he may have had was gone when he noticed the strips in his hair. They matched the ones on the picture in that locket Astronema had worn around her neck. He chewed on his lip for a moment before answering. “You’re Astronema’s brother.”

Andros nodded. “Her name is Karone.”

“I’m Casey.” His voice came out as a whisper, unsure if the decision to give his name was a wise one. Astronema’s brother didn’t seem to recognize it and he relaxed a fraction. “Can you help her?”

His memories got vague from there, but he did remembering following the red ranger from the ship when they had landed on earth. He couldn’t do anything more than stand there with his eyes closed and shake as Andros held his sister’s still form, crying over her. So it came as a shock when a familiar voice called his name, incredulously.

“Casey?”

Casey’s eyes shot open. There was a woman standing before him and he realized, with a jolt, that it was Astronema… Karone. A moment later, she had wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a tight hug. He froze, realizing that he wasn’t as uncomfortable as he would have normally had been.

She pulled back and pushed his scraggily hair from his face. He realized she was checking him over for injuries. Casey pulled back from her grip. “Are you okay?” He asked her.

Karone smiled at him. “I’m fine.”

“Good.”

He turned and bolted, ignoring her as she called his name.

oOoOoOoOoOo

“What is that?” Sorani reached down and lifted up her unconscious brother’s wrist, examining it closely.

Dallina shot her an annoyed look as the newly fixed stitches where pulled at. “What, Sor?”

“On his wrist. It’s so pretty. It sparkles with power.” She pushed back the gray sleeve and held it up for the others to see.

“You mean the bracelet?” The oldest sister rolled her eyes. Expect her sister to get all crazy about some piece of jewelry. Then again, Casey was never one to wear any. She took a closer look at the seemingly innocent red band and let out a curse. “Damn. Is that what I think it is?”

Sorani nodded. “Casey’s insane.”

“Sorani…” Dallina’s voice was curt. She shook her head as realization struck her. “Well, now we know why Casey was barely able to hold his own in a fight with that parasit-- Dai Shi.”

“Hmm…” The youngest gently placed the arm back on the bed and traced a finger over the bracelet. “His fighting was taught using instincts. Bind the instincts, losing the fighting ability. Had to start from the beginning.”

“We have to get that damn bracelet off him for the antidote to do any good.” A stern voice announced and the two looked at the woman who was standing on the other side of the bed.

Dallina shook her head. “Mom, that’s a binding bracelet. I wouldn’t even know how to begin to get it off.”

Scorpina sent her a dark look. “It’s fabric, Dallina. I’ll just cut it off.”

“A fabric that’s lined with who know how many spells and chemicals. Removing it could very well kill him.” Dallina replied.

“I’ll find away.” With that Scorpina sent her son one last concerned look and strolled out of the room. Her two daughters watched her leave before Dallina turned to her baby sister.

“Casey, what the hell have you done?”