“You should be much more flammable!” she shouted at it as she ducked under another swing of its arms. “I mean you’re mostly what? Trash covered in oil?”
She flapped her wings and flew higher. Farther out of the range of its tentacles, Amber turned her attention to Sabrina. The massive water elemental had finally begun to move forward, gliding slowly across the beach.
“Yeah! Go, Sabrina!”
No sooner did she shout than Pollution extended one of its massive tentacles straight through the wave like a spear.
“Oh shit!” Amber gasped. I didn’t know it could do that.
The tentacle may have pierced the wave, but the attack did not last. The salt water burned, and severed the appendage down to a stump, which Pollution withdrew as it howled in pain.
“Here’s our chance!” Amber darted down in front of Pollution and marked the center of its chest with two fires. “Right here, Sabrina! Hit it right—”
In her moment of distraction, Pollution swatted Amber out of the sky with its wounded arm.
Dazed, Amber spun and fell fast.
“Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit,” Sabrina mumbled.
Pollution’s tentacle had just missed her—she’d seen it enter the body of the wave with the speed of a runaway train. Her only bit of relief was when she saw the thing fizzle up, broken down quickly by the salt water.
She wanted to run, to eject herself out of the back of the elemental and flee back to the island, but something held her in place. She wasn’t sure if it was fear or courage, but she had every intention to stay in the fight, and right there in front of her were two big fires—Amber had marked her a target.
Double punch, she said inside her mind and she used her control over the wave’s arms to punch straight out.
WHOOSH!
She could feel the impact as if she had struck something herself. She pulled back and did it again and again. But the fires were gone, and everything was black.
Amber? Where are you? Where are you!
Amber fell into the wave.
The water extinguished her flames, but her wings were still out. The impact had dazed her and might have knocked her out had the cold water not snapped her to. She tried to call out but took in a mouthful of water and choked.
Amber thrashed in the water. She may have been the reigning queen of the Water Kingdom, but she did not like to swim, and one of her biggest fears was drowning. The currents in the wave spun her body end over end—she was unsure which way was out, and panic made her heart pound. For the first time in months, she was truly afraid she might die, and it made her mind fill with the images of all the terrible deeds she was responsible for.
I deserve to die, she thought.
After accidentally taking in another mouthful of seawater, Amber was suddenly falling again, free of the wave and dropping fast. She frantically flapped her wings, and she righted herself a hundred or so feet up.
She choked and coughed out a single word. “Fuck.”
From this angle, she could calculate how much larger Pollution was to the water elemental wave. Before, the thing was easily twice its size, but now it was only maybe two hundred feet taller. Pollution was shrinking.
“I think…” Amber said with a wheeze. “I think we’re hurting it. Keep going!” she yelled, though she was unsure if Sabrina could hear her.
Pollution moved away as it swung wildly at Sabrina’s wave. The tips of its tentacles cut into the elemental but were instantly dissolved by the seawater.
Amber wanted back in the fight, so she tried to reignite her wings. She couldn’t though, as the mist in the air had grown thicker. As she flapped her wings and rose up over its head, she realized why. The wave was losing its cohesion.
“Damn it.”
She’d grown complacent in her task, not adding more ambient water. In fact, she had forgotten to keep her hold on the thing since Sabrina had merged with it.
She can’t win this fight alone.
Amber watched the water element swing and jab blindly at the Tainted’s monster as it backpedaled toward the street.
It’s distancing the wave from the ocean. It knows the wave will lose its strength if separated from its source.
Amber’s brush with death had made her realize that her list of tasks were unfinished. Her priorities shifted—if only slightly.
“Maybe I should just let Pollution kill you. After all, I am the Queen of Filth now.”
Water vs. Filth vs. Filth
Sabrina could not see anything, and she was getting tired fast. She made the massive water elemental swing its arms as it shuffled forward, but she made no contact. With no fires to guide her, she wondered if the mountain-sized monster was still there.
Where are you Pollution? Where are you Skipper?
When she punched out low, she hit something. Her mind exploded with excitement, but before she could celebrate, something struck back. Two of Pollution’s undamaged tentacles plunged into the top of the wave and tore it open.
Ocean water sprayed out in every direction as the wave began to spill apart. Suddenly, she was outside, the elemental having drained enough that she was exposed to the air again.
She drew a deep breath, brushed the wet hair out of her eyes and looked about. All she saw was trash, oil, rock, ooze, and slime. She was staring directly at Pollution’s chest; he was only twenty feet in front of her.
She tried to control the water spirit, lift its arms, but the entire thing had begun to bubble and foam. As she watched Pollution position one of its wiggling tentacles over her head, the entire elemental broke, and she began to fall.
“Just kill me already!” she shouted.
Pollution’s answer was not what she expected—it cried out in pain.
Sabrina strained and strained, but her wings would not pop. She was just too tired, too weak from the fight, but she was still falling. She was heading not for the ground though; there was only water, lots and lots of water. Her wave may have lost its shape, but it had not vanished. It filled the beach and was cresting over the street now.
Sabrina laughed as she plummeted toward the water. It was just a blur, but she saw it—she was not the only one falling. Pollution was too. Her defeat may not have been for nothing as, the second before she hit the water, Pollution beat her to it.
It’s not over…
Sparks of static electricity shot from her back and she shouted. “Form up!”
She closed her eyes and painted a picture in her head of her wings fully formed and ready for use. As she did, a gust of air pushed her up and forward.
FZZAP!
The moment she felt their warmth, she began flying again and opened her eyes. The massive heap of filth had doubled over—hunched with its four tentacle arms down to the seawater-covered beach. It screamed in pain—the gasses from its mouth enough to kill, she guessed, if the winds had not been strong enough to filter them.
“What made you think you could beat me here at the ocean? You’re on my turf. I’ve got the homefield advantage!” she shouted as she hovered just above the water. “All I have to do is—”
But Pollution was far from finished. As it looked up at Sabrina, it fashioned a new tentacle from the center of its back and lashed out at her, like a whip.
She was ready though. She had formed a small wave underneath herself and pushed it up in front of her like a wall as the tentacle approached. As she hoped, it shielded her from Pollution’s attack and destroyed its new arm instantly.
“Stupid. So stupid!”
The earthquakes had lightened. The beach, apart from the churning waters, was still. The water beneath Pollution had begun to bubble more rapidly and the monster was swiftly shrinking.
It’s dying. It’s finally dying.
“Say you’re sorry!” she shouted at it. “Say you’re sorry for the hell you caused. For destroying my penthouse. For destroying Moselle’s home. For making me do all this!”
“No.”
“I-I…I cut my hai
r, damn you!” Sabrina shouted when she could not bring herself to say what she really wanted to. “And I killed him…I killed him…”
Pollution dissolved faster and faster, and with it, the sadness in Sabrina’s heart grew and grew.
“They’re all dead!” she screamed. “All dead!”
“Sabrina?” Amber waved from the street above her.
“You’re alive?”
“Yeah but having trouble with my wings.”
Sabrina flew to Amber, landed where she stood and gave her a quick hug. “I thought I lost you too.”
“No, I’m still here.”
“I was trying to fight it best I could. Controlling that thing was hard. Makes much more sense why there are five Power Rangers and not one.”
“Two.”
“Hmm?”
“There are two us.” Amber smirked.
Sabrina wrapped her arms around Amber again. “That’s why I think we should stay together.”
“Stay together?”
“Rule together.” Sabrina pulled back from the hug and looked her double in the eyes. “And stay together. See what happens.”
Amber titled her head. “Do you mean as a couple?”
Sabrina hoped she was not making a mistake. “Isn’t that how we’re strongest?”
A rumble stole away their attention.
“You feel that?” Amber looked around.
“Yeah… What is that? An aftershock?”
The ground beneath them broke open, and gallons of ooze and oil gushed out.
“Oh, that smell.”
“It’s not dead,” Amber shouted. “Sabrina, look out!”
Amber shoved Sabrina so hard she fell back over the guardrail toward the rising water. The moment she stumbled, her wings went to work and she lifted ten feet off the ground.
The explosion of rock pushed her back, but it threw Amber far across the road, into the parking lot of an autobody shop. Before she could go to help her, she saw the unthinkable. Out from the cement and asphalt grew two large tentacles—Pollution was back.
“What does it take to kill you?”
Water vs. Filth vs. Fire
Amber’s ears rang. Sounds were muffled, her vision blurry. She looked down the length of her naked, dirty body. There were cuts all over her stomach and legs and it appeared her ankle was injured by its present twist.
Instinctively, she tried to heal herself, but her wings had retracted into her body.
“What happened?”
“What happened?” a man asked from behind her. “I’ll tell you want happened. You set off my damn alarm, you stupid junkie!”
When she turned, she saw an older man with a long white beard and a baseball hat standing just inside the door of the autobody shop with a shotgun. Or at least, she thought it was a shotgun—her vision was still hazy.
“Who are you?”
“I’m the owner of this fucking establishment, sweetie. Who are you? And where are your damn clothes? And most importantly, what the hell are those things?”
He pointed his gun over her shoulder, and she followed his aim with her eyes. Now she remembered—she had been talking to Sabrina.
I was going to kill her… Then Pollution… He needs to be destroyed. If I ever want to rule unopposed they both need to be destroyed.
“Huh? I asked you a question, girl. What is that damn thing flying around over there and what the hell is that mess growing out of the street? Is this some sorta secret government chemical weapons test? Am I seeing what I think I am seeing?”
“You’re seeing things,” Amber said as she watched Sabrina buzz about, directing a spray of water onto Pollution. “You better hide.”
“Hide? Sweetie, I’m a damn veteran. I don’t hide from shit!”
“Your choice.”
Amber summoned her wings. They popped back into existence, startling the old man.
“What the fuck!” He aimed his shotgun at her.
“Seriously, I’m the least of your concerns,” she said. “You got family in there?”
“You stay the hell away from my damn family,” he said.
“I will, but there might be other things coming. Hold the line. Guard your door. Don’t let anything in.”
“I don’t take orders from you or anyone.”
Amber turned her back to the man and ignited her wings.
“Maybe you should reconsider, because I rule,” she said and then launched herself up into the sky. As she flew across the street, Pollution took further shape. He was easily four hundred feet tall and growing.
“Amber! You okay?” Sabrina called out.
“I’m fine.”
“He must have burrowed underground, but I think we hurt him.”
“Hurt him?” Amber said as she circled and sized up her opponent. “How?”
“He’s smaller. Can’t you tell?”
Sabrina was right. The ocean water had reduced him in size. but for how long?
“I have an idea. Can you keep him busy, Sabrina?”
“I’m not—”
“Can you?”
“Yes, okay.”
Amber flew back to the autobody shop. She sensed something there where several damaged cars were parked.
“Come out.”
“No.”
It was Joe, Amber knew it. “Come out, Joe.”
“Yo, shit, man. Why? Why you gotta do me like this?”
“I’m your queen now. You must listen to me.”
“Republicans. Democrats. Tainted—I ain’t affiliated to none of them anymore.”
“Now.”
Joe sauntered out in his rat form. He sniffed at Amber and then cringed. “You smell like shit.”
Amber frowned. “How do I defeat that thing?”
“Pollution?” Joe squeaked. “Well, you need to reduce your imprint—recycle more, plant some trees.”
Amber snatched Joe from the ground and squeezed him. “How do I defeat him?”
“You ain’t gonna do it all at once. He’s massive.”
“I’ve seen.”
“No, silicon breath, you haven’t. What you saw was a portion of him. Lord Raion, he’s been growing this thing for years. Pollution stretches from the top to the bottom of this place.”
Amber sneered. “You mean Los Angeles?”
“No, I mean California.”
“That can’t be.”
“Oh, it can, buddy. What do you think all this rumbling’s been about? Raion’s doomsday plan. He pulled the trigger. He launched the fucking nukes.”
Amber watched Sabrina continue to fight as Pollution grew larger.
“What did he do?”
Joe cocked his head. “He had pollution damage the fault lines. Shift the plates. Everyone’s worst nightmare, ya know. California’s now an island.”
Amber had thought the Tainted had just been boasting. “He told me something like this earlier.”
“He told you, huh?” Joe squeaked. “Bold. Never understood why the bad guys have to reveal their evil plans.”
“I never revealed mine.”
“Oh?”
“Nope.”
“Yeah-well-whatever. His plan’s done now.”
“It is.” Amber gave Joe another squeeze. “I killed him. His kingdom is mine.”
“Yeah, sure. Except now, this is their—our island. We Tainted were given carte blanche here. Welcome to your new home, boss lady. Hope you didn’t have any friends here.”
Amber took a breath. “That’s an act of war, Joe—war against the humans.”
“Yep. Yep.”
Amber looked at Pollution again. “That thing isn’t even the biggest problem now.”
“Nope. It sure ain’t, sugar tits.”
Amber dropped Joe and flapped her wings.
“Yo, there’s one other thing you should know.”
She glanced at him.
“Dunyasha planned this whole thing. From the moment she met with Raion a year ago. She was the soulless, sole archite
ct of this whole damn deal. You. Me. Her.” Joe pointed at Sabrina. “Were all puppets, man. All of us.”
Amber did not want to believe it, but she knew it must have been true. And still, part of her did not care. She had gotten what she wanted. Regardless of how damaged the prize was, it was still her prize.
“How far did Pollution move California? How far did we break off?”
“Can’t be sure. But I’d guess a quarter mile or so and still moving.”
“How far down is he drilled?”
“Baby, I told you, he’s down there, moving plates and shit.”
Amber smiled. “Quarter mile or so, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks. Good luck out there, Joe. Try and stay dry.”
Amber flew up and over the street to Sabrina.
“You ready to help, Amber? I’m getting tired of dodging tentacles. Its like that one reoccurring dream I have. I’m a Japanese school girl wearing one of those ridiculous uniforms and—”
“Sabrina, I need you to keep him busy a little longer.”
“I need help.”
Amber knew what to do. “Okay, you got it.” She snapped her fingers, sparks shooting from them and floating up into the air beside her until they combined into one large flame. In a flash, a large fire elemental was born—one the size of a house.
“Your orders, master?” it growled.
“There’s water all around. You will not last long. But I need you to burn this filth. Set fire to the oil, consume the slime and ooze. Use what you can to accelerate and sustain yourself. Do this for me.”
“No choice,” the thing grumbled.
“Good. Right.” She turned to Sabrina. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
Sabrina’s voice was no more than a squeak. “Okay.”
Amber was ready to go, but she paused. “Don’t turn your back on my elemental. And if it looks at you too long”—Amber looked at the fire spirit as it fell upon Pollution’s head and shoulders—“douse it.”
“Where are you going?”
“To confirm a suspicion.”
Amber turned toward the ocean and flew as fast as she could. There was a strong wind pushing back, but she rose above it, high into the sky.
She could see the waves below. They still swelled. Pollution’s earthquakes had truly unsettled everything—at least that was her hope. As she distanced herself from the beach, Sabrina, Pollution, and the fight, her senses opened. No longer flooded with the signs of danger and the beat of otherworldly presences, the pulse of her heart and soul returned.
Three Burning Red Runaway Brides Page 30
