Power Rangers Chronic Storm 3: The Reign of Madness

Chapter 39: Discord

Jason and Kendrix rushed through the north end of Terra Venture while GSA troops led hordes of people through evacuation proceedings and into a safety bunker built underneath the colony. Kendrix assisted lost civilians and stragglers along the way. Jason kept his focus locked on the energy signature they inched ever closer to.

"This way," Jason stated as the pair turned a street corner.

"But there's nothing on this street except..." Kendrix gasped. "The school!"

Jason used his Morpher to overlay the energy signature onto a projected map of Terra Venture. There could be no doubt. Just a block away laid the light blue outer walls of Terra Venture's most popular Elementary School. "The school has their own emergency procedures and a direct line to the bunker. But then why come here? What are you up to, Doctor?"

Just then, Kendrix noticed a lanky, tan-skinned woman trying to force her way past GSA troops. "PLEASE! MY SON IS STILL IN THERE!!!"

The GSA soldier struggled to hold her back. "Ma'am, please calm down. All local educational institutions flow into the same—"

"NO! HE'S NOT THERE! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!"

"What...?" Jason bore witness to her tear-drenched face and distorted complexion from several meters away. "I see, so the kids are still inside. That's his play. We can't do a thing until we get them clear."

Kendrix nodded. "Then that's exactly what we'll do."

Jason and Kendrix raced up the school steps and towards the front door. Jason performed a quick scan before shouldering the door open. Dim, flickering lights paved the hallways of an otherwise brightly painted school, but no sign of any children yet.

Jason stepped slowly and cautiously through the halls, following the lead of his Morpher towards the energy signature they scanned. He heard an odd, melodic sound coming from further down the hall, growing louder as he moved closer. "How did Madman have time to set all of this up? Our Temporal Alert somehow missed him, but Time Force followed right away, just as he desired, evidently. So he's barely been here."

"I've been thinking about that too," Kendrix added. "And not every energy signature can be him or the Time Flyers, so who exactly are we tracking?"

The pair heard the tapping of feet upon the floor from around the corner. They held their backs against the wall and readied their blasters. From out of that corner appeared a young girl with short, curly hair, motioning for the Rangers to follow her. "You're late for class! As the Hall Monitor, I have to write you up to Ms. Michelle."

"Miss who?" Jason asked. "Kid, I know things seem weird right now, but you and whoever else is still here needs to evacuate immediately."

"We'll make sure you get to see your mommy and daddy again. I promise," added Kendrix.

The curly haired child crossed her arms and shook her head. "Ms. Michelle is gonna be maaad." She turned back and disappeared around the corner.

"We have to follow her!" exclaimed Kendrix.

"Hold on," Jason held her shoulders, trying to calm her down. "We're still in his world right now. We have to play this safe, just like we planned."

"You're right. Sorry."

The pair made their way around the corner with patient, soundless steps. That melodic singing from before danced through the hallways from a room near the middle of the hall. The door was just barely agape and the light given off from inside shone much brighter than the hallway. The closer the pair crept, the louder the song became. Kendrix felt a sudden shiver down her spine the second she recognized the rhythm and the words. Jason's eyes widened inside his helmet once the revelation hit him.