"You trust me?" (A miniforce ray angst fanfiction)

Chapter eleven

CW: mild cursing, brief mentions of experimentation, breakdown (?)
(A/N. SUMMER VACATIONNNNNNN!!!!1!!!1! Also i know this is also late, but I've been busy w family and stuff, since some relatives came from a different country to visit and I have to spend time w them. And had some writer's block while writing this. Oops 😅 anyways, enjoy! <3)

Ray's POV

     Ray's first order came. He was to help the Miniforce. He wanted to turn down the order, but after everything that he did, that wasn't an option. He was running towards the location he was given, when he stopped in his tracks. Was he ready for this? Was he ready to face the Miniforce after he quite literally almost tried to kill them and succeeded? That feeling. That overwhelming feeling of the world crashing down on him. It was threatening to take over and drown him. 'Deep breaths. Don't screw this up.'

Ray found the team next to the bridge, completely beaten up. 'Volt doesn't look too good...'
He ran to the other side of the bridge as quickly (and stealthily) as he could, then jumped off and "teleported" (ran in lightning speed) behind the alien. He tapped the alien's shoulder to get his attention, then "teleported" away. The alien glanced back, then turned around, and Ray punched him square in the stomach. The alien went flying back. 'Now to get them out of here.' "Guys, wake up!" Ray turned to the team.
     Ray sensed the alien beginning to get up, so he threw a couple of tiny smoke bombs and jumped onto the bridge (he made sure that the team were in front of him and got onto the bridge before him)

     Volt's POV

     Volt sensed something was wrong the moment they began fighting with Jody. There was this... aura surrounding him. It felt draining. And what was stranger was the fact that Jody could replicate whatever he saw. It threw Volt and his team off guard. What was also strange was the way he overpowered them. Something felt forced.

     Volt's armor vanished. One minute he was in his armor, and the next, he was back in his animal form. 'What the-' He tried to transform back,  but it didn't work. He looked around. Sure enough, Sammy, Max, and Lucy were in their animal form. Strangely, though, Ray wasn't affected. "Ray?" Max sounded like he was accusing Ray. Ray shifted slightly before turning around to face him.
     Ray froze. "What happened?" He muttered. "What happened? Clearly you did! We could've beat that alien, but then you showed up, and now we can't transform back! You did this!" Max yelled at Ray, blaming him for it.
     Ray tensed. He drew his hands into fists and slightly swayed back and forth. 'He's trying not to attack... Or is he nervous? Both?' "It wasn't me." Ray said defensively. He was about to say something else, decided against it, and turned around again, his back facing us.

     Max initiated it. "Is that all you have to say?! 'It wasn't me' like hell it wasn't you!" Max was looking for a fight and it was evident in the direction the argument was headed. "You didn't ruin our Miniforce Gems? Like how you didn't ruin Dr. Tao's life? Or how you didn't flip the damn organization upside down trying to reinstate you? You ruined everyone's lives, Ray. You ruined the organization, and you betrayed Dr. Tao. The very person who saw some semblance of good in you," then, he lowered his voice and said in a mutter, "That was the one thing he did wrong. Think there's any good in a freak like you."
      That did it. That pushed Ray's buttons. "What did you just say?" Ray said through gritted teeth. If Max took the hint, he didn't show it. "I said, 'That was the one thing he did wrong. Think there's any good in a freak like you.'"
     Volt scooted over to Sammy. "Should we intervene?" He whispered to Sammy. "Let them sort it out themselves. If they get physical, we stop them." Sammy whispered back. "But you know Max! He won't quit until he calms down, and that's with us! He won't let it go with someone he'd want to rot in hell!" Volt whisper shouted to Sammy. "I get where you're coming from, but they're grown men. I'm pretty sure they can take care of themselves and keep themselves in check." Sammy said, adding emphasis on "in check".
    
     Ray's POV

     Ray was all worked up. How could this jerk say such a thing? "Take that back, please." He said, mustering up all the energy and capability to hide his anger (though it slipped out when he said "please") "And why should I? You know I'm right." Max wasn't going to let it go.

The comment he made after, was what really tipped Ray over the edge.

"Maybe Dr. Tao should've just left you to rot in a cell."

It was weird. It's like he blacked out, but instead of seeing black, he saw memories of his time at the experiment lab, broken pieces of screaming and crying and syringes and scalpels and his cell. His cell. Where he was beaten and tortured and worse if he was "naughty". He felt every touch and hit and stab (even though it's just memories) And then when he came to again, he was on top of Max, and Volt and Sammy were pulling him off of Max. 'What just happened?' "What just happened?" Volt asked to no one in particular, his voice low with shock. "I- I don't know." Ray didn't understand what happened. How did he end up on Max? Why did memories of the experimentation lab resurface? Was. It something Max said?

     Cell. He said "cell".

     "Rot in a cell".

     "I'm sorry." Ray whispered. "Can you reach home from here?" He asked Volt. Volt nodded. "Alright then-" Max punched Ray in the leg. 'Ouch.' Ray looked at Max and then at the rest of the team. "This won't end well." He muttered to himself. "Max, I'm sorry that I hit you. But you overstepped. We're all worked up, so I'll just leave."

And with that, Ray left the team. 'That went well.' Ray thought to himself sarcastically.

(Two hours later)

"Ray." The sound of Commander Chen startled him. "Are you there, Ray?" He said. "Yes, Commander."
"How was it?"
"Could've been better."
"Max? Or Sammy?"
"Max."
"Give him some time, and he'll warm up to you."
"Right, sir."
"Want to help them with finding and delivering a gem that can return their Miniforce Gems to normal?"
That caught Ray's attention. "Yes, sir."

     Ray was given the estimated whereabouts and the physical description of the meteorite, "The Zodiac Night". Its energy counteracted the effects of the alien radiation, which is what Volt and his team needed. "It should be around here somewhere..." Ray canvassed the lake, his Force Bot's headlights illuminated the dark and eeriness that came with the night.
     The screen locked onto a crystalline formation of bioluminescent rocks. "Ah. That's the Zodiac Night."He clicked on a button, and two extendable grappling hooks slithered out and wriggled the meteorite out of the sand. "There." The meteorite entered the Force Bot's mini cabin, and Ray took off.