Providence, Somewhere

Dueling Dragons

"Just to confirm," Zelda said as Gus placed sticky wires all around her head and hands. "You want to see me transform?"

The trio were nestled at the base of the southwest tower, sunlight quickly fading. Spotlights were pointed downwards, giving them more light to work with. Zelda sat, reclined, on a lawn chair, while Gus and Tara had a table set up nearby, laptops and spare machines set up.

"Yup," he replied, placing one of the sticky receptors on the back of her neck.

"Then what are all these wires for?"

"It's to make sure we're getting readings from brainwaves and stuff," Tara replied, typing away at a laptop. "We just wanna make sure nothing too weird's going on."

Zelda nodded. "I don't think I've been familiarized with either of you. From what I've heard, you patrol the forest?"

"Me?" Tara looked up. "Yeah, I guess I do. But, I don't have powers or anything. I'm just normal; I kinda like the forest. That's all."

"Tara's a bit of a lone wolf," Gus added, finally finished. "As for me, I'm one of Dexter's researchers."

"He's uptight," Tara interjected.

Zelda glanced up at the stars, saying nothing, knowing that there was some sort of truth to the ranger's words. Then she blinked, forcing herself to look at the forests ahead.

"I'm getting some water," Gus said, going for the stairs. "Anyone want some?"

"Bring some for all of us," Tara replied.

"I've been meaning to ask," Zelda said shortly after Gus left. "What happened to Finn?"

Tara shrugged. "I asked the other Rangers, they all told me what's left of his home was set ablaze. We don't know what happened to him."

"With or without him?"She looked back at the laptop screens, noticing the software used to track Zelda's vitals seem to be showing unusual activity. "I don't know, I think he's out somewhere. I doubt he's gonna stay in a fire like that."

"Oh, that poor dear. I've been so busy with working on how I'll set up that school system that I completely forgot to check up on him."

"Oh, you're talking about Finn?" Gus asked, handing Zelda a cold bottle of water. "I wish I knew, too. The day Dexter was working on his lab results, he left in a hurry, and didn't come back until much later. I couldn't ask why; he wasn't in the mood."

He went up to Tara, who grabbed the bottle and took a swig. "Is he ever in a mood to talk to anyone?"

"He was in the clinic, yes?" Zelda also drank from the bottle. The cold water seemed to do little for the burning feeling in her chest, almost as if she had just run a marathon.

"Yeah, but Sunset said she found him at home again," Tara replied, privy to the readings on the laptop. "And then, somehow, the fire happened. That's all she'll tell us."

Zelda suddenly stood up. "I can't keep sitting down. Something's wrong. The-these wires, I need to take them off."

"Wait, no!" Gus stood in front of her, grabbing the hand that was trying to pry off the wire on her head. They locked eyes, and he seemed to notice something off about her eyes, or rather, her face, as if he were glancing at something that just wasn't becoming real.

"August," Tara warned. "Back away, now!"

It could've been a trick of the light, or something, but the spotlight up above flickered as Zelda suddenly darted forward, Gus barely having enough time to clear from her trajectory. He tripped and fell amidst the final slow flash of light while Zelda leaped from the hillside, and everything went mostly dark, the only source of light being the long, large dragon ahead, circling the hilltop and scattering fallen foliage and wire bits everywhere.