Miniforce: The Return of the Dark Energy (Fanfiction)

Chapter 7 - Departing for help

The two rescuers escorted the injured, limping agents through the grasps of dense canopies of leaves. Soon enough, the trickling of rushing water could be heard faintly in the distance. The staggering group emerged from the embrace of the greenery and into a small clearing, with a silver ribbon of water running through its midst.

Ray and Hawk seated Volt, Sammy, Max, and Lucy along the grassy banks of the fast-flowing stream, one by one tending to their wounds and washing the bacteria from the injuries with the cool fluid.

Ray cupped water from the river and splashed them over Volt's cuts. "Not too severe," he muttered, "they'll be healed within a week." He turned to Max and began examining his sprained wrist, pushing his arm underwater to reduce the swell with the icy temperature.

Hawk crouched down to Lucy's seating level, taking her wrist and checking her pulse. "They might have temporarily damaged your airways, you'll be able to breath normally soon enough." He murmured. "And exhaustion shows, must have been a huge shield you put up back there."

Sammy batted Hawk's hand away as his rival friend reached towards his injured leg. "Explain yourself." He snapped.

Everyone turned towards the green ranger, who went quiet, hesitating about where to start.

"Look, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about this." Hawk's tone was pleading and sincere. "I was only alerted about a possible sighting of Pascal by animals living nearby. There's absolutely no proof, so I wasn't about to cause panic unless I'm absolutely certain of the situation." He scratched his head in an apologetic manner. "I know you guys were exhausted from your battles with the guy, I didn't want to burden you when you've finally got a break for the first time in forever. I was about to tell you soon, but I guess they begin their revenge before I could."

He put his head in his hands. "It's my fault you guys almost lost your lives."

"It's not your fault." Lucy placed her hand over his shoulder. The others nodded along, their resolves softening.

"How did you and Ray team up?" Asked Max, kindly diverting the burdensome topic.

Hawk casted him a grateful look before hastily explaining. "Well, the residents anxiously informed me of a fight taking place nearby and that you guys seem to be losing, so I took off as fast as I can to help. Met this fellow on the way." He gestured to Ray. "Turns out Commander Chen realized Pascal has backup and sent Ray to rescue your hides, so I figured I could tag along." He paused. "I didn't really give him a choice."

Ray sighed quietly while the others stifled their laughs.

"This guy's definitely colder than I expected." Hawk stood and fetched two long sticks from the ground, untying his signature bolas where it had been wrapped around his arm. He knelt by Sammy, who didn't refuse the aid this time.

"You'd think," Volt mumbled, "turns out even Sammy is no match for him."

"I figured." Hawk secured the sticks at both sides of Sammy's fractured leg, tightly fastening them with his bolas and forming a make-shift splint.

Ray successfully ignored the exchange and fished a palm-sized black gadget from the hidden pocket at his waist. The device was rhombus-shaped, embellished with fluorescent crimson adornments. In the early dawn, the team recognized it to be a Force Gem similar to their own.

The black ranger clicked a covert button at the side of the Force Gem, and a miniature screen appeared at the center of the gem. Ray dialed a series of numbers into it and held the device to his ear as he strolled a small distance from the team, enough so that none of them are able to hear the call.

"Why can't ours gems do that?" Volt complained. "This is so unfair."

"Perks of being a special agent." Sammy guessed.