Power Rangers Dino Super Charge- Betrayed

Chapter 6- Hearts Entwined

Without thinking, Ivan and James darted down the street, joining Chase in the pursuit of the unmorphed Graphite Ranger. He flew down the road, dodging cars and trees, but keeping his grip tight on his captive. Kendall screamed in outrage as she was harshly taken into the night, but was powerless to escape him.

"Stop him!" Ivan shouted.

"Guys, morph!" Chase yelled, throwing the Gold and Aqua Energems at them and taking the black one for himself. "Energize!"

With the new burst of speed, the three Rangers caught up to Prince Phillip just as he ran across the bridge stretching along the ocean. Unfortunately, the Prince also morphed and put on his own speed boost. However, the Rangers still began catching up to him again. Finally, Ivan sped up again and jumped in front of Phillip, blocking his way. But he dodged around the Gold Ranger and kept running. Soon, Tyler joined the chase.

"I hid Shelby at Chase's house," he called to his father. "I won't say where, but I'm free to help now!"

"Good job, Sir Tyler!" Ivan congratulated him. The Black Ranger threw his Energem at him, enabling him to morph.

As the pursuit continued on, it became clear that Prince Phillip was getting tired, but he didn't relinquish his position. After a long run on the bridge though, the Prince stopped. Ivan, Tyler, James, and Chase slowed down and began to surround him. He glanced left and right, but never demorphed.

"Let her go!" Ivan commanded, pointing his Dino Charge Blaster at him.

"Fine!" the Graphite Ranger roared. Desperately, right before Tyler was able to complete the circle of Rangers, Phillip angrily tossed Kendall over the side of the bridge and sped out of the circle, demorphing as he took off again.

"No!" Chase gasped as the former Purple Ranger landed in the water with a splash and sank underneath the surface. "Guys, we need to help her! She can't swim!"

"What?" Without thinking, Tyler quickly demorphed and threw himself over the side of the bridge into the cold, deep water. The second he hit the ocean and resurfaced, he swam over to where Kendall had disappeared. She was floundering helplessly in the tide, frantically attempting to reach the surface and the air again. He looked around for something that might hold them both up, but found nothing.

"Hold on, Miss Morgan. I'm coming," he murmured. She was sinking even deeper though, her frustrated attempts to breathe in oxygen again making her fall deeper still more. Quietly, he held his breath and dived. He could barely see in the water, but at last, he bumped into her. Determined to save her even if it killed him, he reached under her and cupped her body in his arms. Then he kicked downwards, bringing him and Kendall up a few feet. She seemed to have given up, letting herself breathe in more water, and this made Tyler even more enraged. Couldn't she see that they were trying to save her? She hadn't been put through all of this just to give up. Anxiously, he kept kicking, which eventually brought him and Kendall up to the fresh air. Immediately, he swam for dry land, gripping the rocks with one hand as he reached them.

"Miss Morgan, get ready," Tyler whispered to her. Then he rose up out of the water and threw her over the rocks onto the smooth, white beach. He shivered as he pulled himself out as well. The other Rangers had managed to make their way down to the beach, all demorphing as they reached Kendall's body.

"Kendall!" Chase cried, falling to his knees beside her. Remembering what he had been taught about drowning CPR, he did his best to administer it to Kendall. After ten minutes though, none of it seemed to be working.

"She's not dead." The Black Ranger placed one hand on his chest. "I'd have felt it if she had died." He then placed that same hand on her chest. "Kendall, wake up." I love you too much to let you go.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, Kendall's eyes opened and she coughed a few times, spewing up salty ocean water. Chase sighed in relief as she spit water and blood onto the light sand.

"Kendall, I'm so sorry," he whispered gently, grasping her hand. "I could have prevented this from happening."

"You did what you could." Tyler placed his hand on Chase's shoulder as Kendall spoke in a voice that was almost completely inaudible. "I couldn't have asked for more. He was too strong."

"Why did he take you though?"

"The same reason as always. Koda, Riley, and the Prince don't want a slow death by Energem destruction. They want it quick, not for mercy, but to get me out of the way."

"I can't believe I let you down!" Chase let go of Kendall's hand. "I don't want to believe it."

"But you didn't," Kendall protested. "I was the stupid one. I was the one who let you all down by failing to realize the truth from the beginning." Her voice cracked. "I put you all in danger when you try to protect me."

"No, you don't!" James tried to reason with her. "We protect you for a reason."

"But I'm not worth the trouble," Kendall cried, blinking seawater out of her eyes. "You've seen how relentless Riley and the other two are. You're putting so much at risk."

"We care for you, though." Chase put a hand under her neck and slowly lifted her head up, earning a gasp of surprise from the previous Purple Ranger. "That's all that matters when we risk anything."

"It doesn't matter though," she sobbed, leaning against Chase. "Until I met you and the team, no one ever cared about me. I mean no one."

"But I do," Chase breathed softly. "And I always will. I love you, Kendall, and I promise that will last for eternity."

"Are you sure?" Kendall's gaze held a trace of fear in it.

"Yes. I'd never lie to you. I guarantee it."

Her gaze rapidly changed from fearful to affectionate as Chase sat down on the sand and gently pulled Kendall up beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him, closing her eyes again as the Black Ranger put her chocolate-brown hair back into a side ponytail. Feeling relieved, Chase returned the gesture. Tyler, Ivan, and James stood across from them, staring happily at the scene.

"She's okay," Chase reported contentedly, letting Kendall lay across his lap.

And that's when he noticed the bullet.