#was i instead listening to angel of death on loop? yup

[afraid-of-detriment]

little angel of death doodle from my notes in class the other day

[filmfanatic82]

AO3 Link (HERE)

Prologue

Krispy Kreme.

Why the hell couldn’t they choose to end the world at the Krispy Kreme? Like every other, self-respecting apocalyptic demon that has a beef with Angel Grove.

At least, then it wouldn’t require scaling up the side of a cliff face in 100 mph winds and pouring rain.

“AHHH!”

The scream rips through Trini’s subconscious, snapping her out of her thoughts and back into the moment. She automatically quickens her pace, pushing her limbs to double time it up the slick rock surface. Trini’s hand finds the next crevasse, then her foot, then her other hand. Even in the best of conditions, this isn’t the easiest of cliffs to climb.

And then there’s the whole height factor.

“Fuck!” The rock crumbles between Trini’s hand, causing her to instantly lose her grip. She slips. Only a few millimeters. But it’s enough to cause Trini’s heart rate to skyrocket.

C���mon, Gomez. You’ve got this. Just don’t look down.

Trini takes a deep, sobering breath and then wills her fingers to find another crack in the rock face to hold onto. She falls back into her methodical rhythm of hand then foot, then hand again, thankful that at least she has her suit to shield her from the relentless onslaught of the elements.

15 feet… 10 feet… 5 feet…

A second scream breaks through the roar of the storm. Louder and laced with a distinct desperation that Trini is all too familiar with. The desperation that only comes when one’s faced with their own unwilling impending doom.

Without another moment’s hesitation, Trini scrambles up the remainder of the cliff, momentarily forgetting about her internal sunumi of anxieties and fears. It doesn’t matter. Not now.

All that matters is who exactly that voice belongs to.

And by proxy… Her.

Trini flings her body up and over the edge of the cliff face and unceremoniously tumbles a few feet through the mud and gravel as she tries to regain her footing.

“TRINI!”   

Trini skids to a stop at the sound of her name. She whips around and pops her visor up, eyes scanning the dense, yellow fog that all but encompasses her.

C’mon… C’mon… C’mon…

Bingo.

Trini spots a tiny, brown haired boy, barely just visible amongst the downpour of rain and fog. He flails against a semi-invisible force, as it slowly drags him backwards into the abyss of fog. Tears pour down his cheeks, having long given to the terrifying reality of the situation.

“Max!” Trini yells. She frantically lunges toward the boy, but just before her fingertips can touch his--

BAM.

A unforeseen gust of rain laced wind, crashes into Trini, sending her flying backward. She crashes into the ground with a bone-crushing thud.

“Fuck.” Trini rolls over to her side, shaking her head as she tries to regain clarity.

Max’s screams deepen with intensity. Raw and almost primal in nature. Like a trapped animal whose seconds away from gnawing off their own limb.

Trini’s eyes lock with Max’s chocolate brown orbs. They slice through her leaving semi-permanent gashes upon her soul.

God, those eyes… He has her eyes.

“Help me. Please,” The words come out as a whimper. one final please before giving in to the inevitable.

And with these words, Trini’s heart shatters as one singular fault replays on loop in the confines of her head.

This is all your fault.

“Take me instead!” Trini doesn’t fully register the gravity of what she’s saying. Or even all that those three simple words entail. She doesn’t have to. If it means that Max will be safe, then it’s worth it.

“As you wish.”

In an instance, the invisible force releases their death grip on Max, causing the trembling boy to fall forward onto his hands and knees.

Trini swoops in, pulling Max into her arm. She cradles him close to her chest in an attempt to shield him a bit from the relentless barrage of wind and rain.

“Trini…” Max lets out with a hiccup, trying to catch his breath from the tears.

“Hey kiddo. It’s all gonna be okay. Promise.” Trini ever so gently wipes the rain away from Max’s face and forces herself to give him a reassuring smile.

“But--”

“Max, I need you to listen to me.” Trini locks eyes with Max once again. “Think you can do that?”

Max sniffles and with all of the confidence he can muster, gives Trini a nod in response.

“Good.” Trini pops open a hidden compartment on the chest piece of her armor and produces a small, glowing device. “See this? It’s called a teleporter. All you need to do is push that blue button and it’ll get you outta here.”

“To my Mommy?”

“Yup.” Trini replies as a lump of conflicted emotions start to bubble up in her throat. She forces them back down with a hard swallow and then carefully places the device into Max’s tiny hands, curling his fingers around it. “Right to your mom.”

“But…” Max’s brow furrow with confusion as the sudden realization sets in. “But what about…”

“It’s okay.” Trini cuts him off before he can finish his thoughts. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a superhero, remember?”

Max’s face lights up with and ear to ear grin. “You’re a Power Ranger!”

“That’s right, kiddo.” Trini matches Max’s smile but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “I’m a Power Ranger.”

Trini helps Max up onto his feet and gives him a hug that lingers just enough to signify that it might be the last one. “Can you do one more more favor?”

Max nods again, this time with more conviction than before.

���Tell her I’m sorry. Okay?”

Before Max has a chance to answer, Trini goes ahead and pushes the button, causing him to de-materialize into thin air. It’s easier this way. No prolonged goodbyes or unnecessary tears.

Trini exhales a heavy breath of air and then turns back towards the omnibus abyss of thick, yellow fog with a sudden and fierce resolute.

“You ready?” The voice calls out from just beyond the fog.

“As I’ll ever be.” Trini puts up her visor once again and cockily cracks her neck. “Let’s get this show on the road.”