Aquarius: Snake Charming

Snake Charming is the first episode of the Aquarius arc, and the thirty-fourth overall of Power Rangers: Neo Zeo.

Synopsis
Violet's rescue goes as planned, but she's surprisingly unwilling to even be rescued.

Plot
"We're close," Casey whispered, turning back to the others. So far nobody had transformed, so as to conceal their presence from the Zodiac Emperors as much as possible. They'd reached a crater with a staircase cut into its side. Ezra was the first to begin the descent, with Casey following and Sabrina bringing up the rear.

In the darkness, the Rangers' shapes were hard to make out, but they seemed to make a lot of noise in the lunar silence—shuffling footsteps, breathing, the occasional clunk of a kicked rock. Up ahead, a faint golden light shimmered, and Sabrina raised her hand. A second light swirled into being above her palm.

"Stop," she said at last, and they did. She passed her hand over the doorway, and the air glistened blue and gold. "I think we can pass through it here."

"Then let's go," Casey said, pushing forward. Sabrina advanced with her, and all three walked through the barrier.

As they passed through, time seemed to slow down around them, their movements thick and sluggish as if through molasses. Just as it seemed like they'd stopped, everything snapped back. Casey stumbled forward a step, and looked back.

"What was that?"

"A temporal distortion. Time passes more slowly in here," Sabrina replied.

"Look out!" Ezra shouted.

Before Sabrina or Casey could react, a dark blur slammed into the Yellow Ranger from the side. She doubled over, clutching her ribs, and her attacker whirled on Sabrina. The Pink Ranger was able to block the first few blows on her forearms, but a kick to the back of her knee made her falter.

"Violet?" Casey coughed.

Ezra already had his Hex Amulet in hand. "Hexaphase, Activate!"

Kicking one of Sabrina's legs out from under her, Violet slammed an elbow into her chest. Whirling she caught Ezra's punch in both hands and shoved back. Behind her, Sabrina sprang to her feet again. Casey straightened as she did, and the girls glanced at each other. Lunging they caught Violet by the arms, dragging her back. She writhed in their grip like a panicking snake.

"Violet, stop it! We're trying to help—ow!" Casey yelped as her sister slammed a foot down on her instep.

Sabrina managed to get Violet into a half-nelson. "I don't think we'll be able to get her back like this!"

"Let go of me!" Violet yelled, arching her back and trying to slither out of the Pink Ranger's grip.

"Then I guess we don't have a choice," Ezra said, drawing one of his guns.

"Hey!" Casey protested, frightened.

Flipping the weapon around, Ezra struck Violet in the forehead with the butt of the gun. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she slumped back into Sabrina's arms, stunned. Hastily Sabrina set her down on the ground and looked around.

"Casey, morphers and figure out how they brainwashed her. Ezra, find something to tie her up with. We have as much time as we need in here so let's take advantage of it."

Casey hesitated, but at a hard look from Sabrina, headed towards the machinery. "If she has so much as a bruise . . ." she muttered darkly.

oZo

"The other Rangers are still on the Moon," Alpha 5 reported. "We decided on radio silence unless they were already in trouble, and I haven't heard from them yet, nor has there been any obvious activity up there."

David, standing behind him, nodded. They were all in the Power Chamber—as Tayisa had pointed out, Capricorn was now in as much danger as they, so bringing him inside was a risk they'd have to take to shield him. So far, her trust hadn't been broken; Capricorn had looked around, nodded in approval, and gone to sit in a corner, saying he'd join them when he was needed.

"In that case, where should they be according to the plan?" Lidian asked.

"Hopefully they've found Violet by now and are bringing her back. Of course, we don't know how she's being guarded, Alpha 5 replied."

"Well . . ." Tayisa turned towards Capricorn.

He looked up, then rose and joined the group. His expression was sober. The main viewscreen showed the Moon's surface from Ezra's ship.

"She's in a time-distorted pocket dimension. There may or may not be guards; the barrier is difficult to pass through safely without Zodiac Emperor permission."

"Sabrina's cracked it before," David said.

"True enough. In that case the issue will be getting her out safely. Breaking in will likely alert the creator of the pocket dimension—Aquarius—to their arrival. The time distortion will probably give the Rangers a little more time to prepare when they come out, but it will not be an easy battle."

"Then how do we help?" Lidian asked. "Cover fire with the Zords?"

"That would help, but the other Emperors are desperate—how are your teleportation systems?"

"We have to have an exact lock on the people we're teleporting," Alpha 5 said. "It's easier if the Rangers are morphed or on the same planet; I haven't risked it yet because the signal might be interrupted."

"I know their frequency and where your Ranger was being kept; show me what you do and I will . . . let's say guard the pathways to make sure there is no interference," Capricorn replied. "The sooner the better."

"Oh, of course! Here, let me just . . ."

Lidian hit his morpher's comm signal. After a moment, Sabrina answered. "Yes? We have Violet and we're on our way back to the surface."

"Slight change of plans. We're teleporting you out of there—don't worry, you guys will be safe. Just letting you know."

"What about Ezra's ship?"

"We can teleport that too," Capricorn called.

"I heard him," Sabrina said before Lidian could relay the message. "All right, we're counting on you."

"Okay." Lidian ended the call, and looked back at Capricorn and Alpha 5.

The next few minutes dragged on for what felt like forever. The pair conferred quietly and reconfigured the screen. David started to pace, and Tayisa watched intently. At last, Alpha 5 nodded, and hit a button.

With a white flash, four figures materialized in the middle of the Power Chamber. Sabrina, Casey, Ezra, and Violet draped across his shoulder in a fireman's hold. Her hands and feet had been tied with what looked like straps, and she was still unconscious.

"You did it! Lidian seized Casey in a hug. She threw Violet's Zeonizers (Sabrina caught them) and hugged him back.

"Thank you, Capricorn," Tayisa said, smiling for once. He returned the expression.

David, meanwhile, helped Ezra set Violet down on the biobed. Alpha 5 joined him and they quietly began a medical scan as the others started talking over what had happened.

oZo

"Well, that's just unfortunate."

Aquarius drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair, looking at the viewscreen. It showed the pocket dimension empty and ransacked in the Rangers' wake. With a sigh, Aquarius looked around at Pisces, and shrugged.

"I'm really sorry, I thought they'd be more obvious about this. Give us a chance to intercept them with a few Jewel Golems or something. Then again, how was I supposed to know Capricorn would defect?"

"I don't care about excuses," Pisces said. "It's your turn, get her back."

"I know, I know. Grouch," Aquarius muttered, switching off the viewscreen. "I'll think of something, just give me a little time."

Pisces let out a bubbly-sounding snort, rose and left the bridge. As he stumped away, Aquarius twirled her hair, gazing around the room. She started flipping channels, switching from the cameras in the pocket dimension to ones around the ship. Empty, empty, empty—they didn't seem to have any monsters left at all. Well, none but Ophiuchus.

Aquarius sat bolt upright. "Ophiuchus! Of course!"

oZo

Violet stirred, and her brow furrowed. Sucking in a sharp breath, she stiffened, and her eyes snapped open. She was still on the biobed in the Power Chamber, and still tied up.

"Vi? You awake?" Casey asked quietly. Violet swung around and saw her sitting beside the biobed.

Violet glared at her. "You won't get away with this."

"Huh?"

"Kidnapping me. I'll escape," Violet said.

"We're not kidnapping you, we're rescuing you."

Violet quirked an eyebrow, and glanced down at her bonds. "Right. That's why I'm tied up."

"Maybe I should have let David do this after all," Casey muttered. She took a minute to gather her thoughts before speaking again. "You saw the place we pulled you out of? All those machines and stuff? Do you remember what they did? Because we're not really sure. If that stuff was messing with your brain, then do you really want to stay with the Zodiac Emperors?"

Violet said nothing, only glared at Casey.

"I'm going to say something that's probably really dumb now. If you just come with us right now, and stick around for a little while and just watch how we act and how the Zodiac Emperors act, maybe you can figure this stuff out yourself. I mean, they just seem like really terrible bosses a lot of the time."

"And what if I chose to stay with them?" Violet retorted.

Casey shrugged. "I guess we'd let you go back. But I really don't want to do that, because then we'd have to keep fighting you, and I don't want to have to choose between saving the planet and helping you."

Violet narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why would you care about me?"

"You really don't remember? Not even a little bit?"

"All I remember is that you've been particularly reluctant to fight me in all of our battles."

"Yeah. It's because I'm your sister." Casey paused. "That sounds really weird to have to say."

". . . You expect me to just believe you?"

"I'm trying to jog your memory. Nothing coming back?" Casey sounded as if she was trying to be lighthearted, but her eyes were starting to betray her. "Not . . . not any of the stupid stuff we used to do? Or—"

"No, I don't remember! I can't remember anything before the last few years! Besides, what kind of person would treat her 'sister' like this?" Violet raised her still-bound wrists.

Casey flinched at the words. She started to say something, stopped, and fell silent again. Violet watched her intently for her response. Finally, Casey grabbed Violet's wrists and began untying her. Whatever the Blue Ranger had been expecting, apparently it wasn't that.

"You're right. If we have to keep you tied up to keep you here then why would you want to stay?"

Violet pulled free and sprang off the biobed, looking around the Power Chamber. Casey watched her, but didn't get up herself.

"You won't get me to trust you that easily," Violet said.

"Yeah, I know. But I figured it's a start—"

The alarm interrupted Casey, making her jump. She ran for the console, and quickly brought up an image on the viewscreen. Violet followed her to the console, and her eyes widened. There on the screen, a monster was limping through the woods. From the constant, furtive glances and quick dashes from tree to tree, he was trying not to be seen.

"Ophiuchus?"

"Looks like it," Casey said. She raised her communicator. "Guys, we've got a monster in the woods."

"He's not just a monster!" Violet snapped, seizing her by the wrist.

"He's not?" Casey asked, surprised.

"Does he even look like he's attacking anything?" Violet demanded, gesturing to the screen.

Casey looked from it to Violet and back. "Uh, okay . . . you got another reason for him to be here?"

"Let me talk to him."

"What if it's a trap to get you back?"

"Ophiuchus wouldn't do that."

Casey studied her sister's face. On the screen, Ophiuchus sat down heavily against the trunk of a tree, and rested his head in one hand. Finally Casey shrugged.

"I guess it's worth a shot. Mind if I watch?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Can I watch from here? I won't interrupt you guys unless a fight starts," Casey said hopefully.

"I suppose I couldn't stop you if I wished to," Violet muttered.

"You could ask me, though. Of course I'm bad at not spying on people . . ."

"Then I will ask you not to watch our conversation."

"Okay! I'll try, anyway."

oZo

Ophiuchus felt the flash against his closed eyelids, and opened them. Just as Aquarius had predicted, here she was. Both the Rangers and Violet were apparently just that predictable. Violet ran up, dropping down beside him. She touched the gash on his forehead, and he flinched.

"What happened to you?"

"The other Emperors . . . weren't happy about what happened to Capricorn, or that I didn't mention he was acting strange."

"But you did tell them," Violet protested. "I remember, you told me how Leo yelled at you to show more respect to your superiors!"

Ophiuchus chuckled bitterly. "Apparently, they don't." He hissed in pain and flinched away from her. "I see the Rangers have befriended you."

Violet snorted. "Hardly. They kidnapped me and now they think that just treating me decently will turn me against the Zodiac Emperors."

Ophiuchus met her gaze. He knew he was supposed to talk her back over to the Zodiac Emperors' side, but he'd expected to have to actually. . . convince her to rejoin. The way she sounded now, she was still perfectly loyal. Somehow. Or at least, she was trying to act loyal.

"What's wrong?"

"I . . . recall that treating you decently was a bar the Zodiac Emperors didn't always reach themselves," Ophiuchus said.

Violet seemed taken aback. "Well—I failed the mission. If they hadn't punished me their power might have been called into question."

Ophiuchus snorted. "They've used that excuse to take out their anger on me far too often."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the Zodiac Emperors have a few very, very bad habits—using people like us as scapegoats and punching bags when their plans go wrong, or even just if they become too paranoid because we're actually succeeding in our missions. Comparatively speaking, the Rangers have always treated you much better."

". . . Always?"

Ophiuchus realized his slip too late. The one thing the Zodiac Emperors had been so eager to eradicate from Violet's memory. Now they'd put her through even more brainwashing—maybe even cut into her skull again and rearrange her brain to get rid of the memories more thoroughly. All because he'd let his mouth get the better of him.

She didn't seem to have gone down that track, though the look on her face would still have been appropriate.

At that point, Ophiuchus made what was probably the stupidest, most self-detrimental decision of his life. He stood up, pulling Violet to her feet.

"Yes. Always. Everything they're telling you is the truth. Not only were you one of their Rangers, you were one of the best. That's why I kidnapped you—they were going to try to blow up the Rangers in their sleep and I didn't think it was a fair end for an opponent who'd earned my respect. The Zodiac Emperors only saw you as a tool to use against the other Rangers—that's all you'll ever be to them. The stronger you become, the more paranoid and abusive they'll get. Believe me, I've experienced it."

"You're saying—"

"Stay here. I know you don't remember it, but you had a life here, and I don't think you have a chance at one anywhere else," Ophiuchus said.

Violet studied his face. A small, painful smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Thanks for saving me. Again. Seems like you're the only person who's just looking out for me."

"The Rangers are trying."

She nodded once, curtly. "If you say so I'll believe it."

"You should get back to the Power Chamber," Ophiuchus said. "Aquarius wanted me to lure you back."

Violet's expression changed to alarm. "You can't just go back empty-handed again! They'll—"

"I know, I know. I'm used to it by now," Ophiuchus interrupted.

"You don't have to go back," Violet protested. "We can have the Rangers capture you—you could hide here—Capricorn's defected, why not you?"

Before Ophiuchus could reply, teleportation flashes lit up the trees around them. Jewel Golems, pale blue-violet and unusually smooth-looking, materialized, and began to close in on them. Ophiuchus shoved Violet away.

"Rangers! If you're watching, teleport her out!" He shouted, drawing his kusarigamas.

"Don't you dare!" Violet retorted. She leaped and kicked one of the incoming creatures in the head. Its body became liquid, letting her foot pass through and trapping it halfway. She fell backwards, but quickly swung herself up and wrapped her other leg around the Jewel Golem's head. Raising an arm, she drove an elbow into the joint of the foot soldier's shoulder. It cracked.

Ophiuchus took down the Jewel Golem between him and Violet, and rushed to help her. Another foot soldier's hand slammed down on his shoulder, and liquefied as he tried to stab it. Arms wrapping around him, it solidified into a kind of crystal cocoon. He struggled, but couldn't free himself.

With a scream of effort and pain, Violet smashed her clenched, raw hands down on the Jewel Golem's weak point. It shattered, and she landed in a crouch amid the fragments. Before she could stand, she was enveloped in blue light. Ophiuchus could just hear her shout as she vanished. He laughed in sheer relief as teleportation energy enveloped him and the remaining foot soldiers.

When Ophiuchus materialized, he didn't even need to look up to know he was aboard the Equinox. Although all of the remaining Emperors were in the room, none spoke. The Jewel Golem released him, dropping him to the floor with a thud. It planted a foot on his back, preventing him from rising.

"Well," Aquarius said, "That was disappointing."