Spyridon- Here's the third installment of 'Minutes To Midnight' Series. The first is the prequel to 'The Valley of the Shadow of Death' called 'What I've Done'. Everything that was hinted in those two stories will come to light in this story. Araya's identity will be revealed and the truth will be told. As usual, please leave a review! THEY ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!
Rated for language. Remember this is a dark version of the other original Ninjetti Sentinel story. Also, some recognizable characters have been changed due to events present in the story. Well, enjoy the story!
WAKE
Chapter One- Arrival
In the darkness of space, a hyper-drive window flashed into existence with a burst of white and purple light. A sleek dark silver ship dropped out, immediately cloaking upon arrival. The only reading from the arrival was a short spike on power readings in the Command Center of the Power Rangers located on the outskirts of Angel Grove, California and the Lunar Palace of Rita Repulsa, the evil witch bent on dominating planet Earth. With precision born of familiarity and training, the ship entered into a geosynchronous orbit, keeping pace with the designated city below as the Earth rotated on its axis. On the side of the ship in silver luminescent paint, the words Dead Reckoning gleamed in the light, shining from the blazing Sun. Sensors onboard the ship picked up on a disturbance in Angel Grove, a fight between the Power Rangers and two monsters sent by Rita.
(VvVvVvVvV)
Tommy Oliver, Green Morphin Ranger, ducked and rolled as Crabby Snatch Kid threw dozens of apple bombs at him, the dangerous explosive fruit landing around him but missing completely. "Come on, Ranger nerds. I thought you can do better than that!" The Kid laughed the huge skin bouncing as laughter rolled through him.
"You're going down, if we have anything to say about it." Rocky De Santos, Blue Morphin Ranger yelled, flying through the air and landing a kick to the Kid's head. He yelped as the Kid grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. Rocky groaned, pain flashing up from his back. Trini came with, blaster firing and forcing the Kid to back away as Rocky climbed back to his feet. "Thanks!"
"No problem!" Trini flipped into the air, avoiding the bombs. She landed behind Kimberly Hart, the Pink Morphin Ranger.
"I'm afraid, Rangers. Look at me cowering before you!" Moor-Elf sent a large blast of energy toward the Rangers, scattering them like leaves. "Rita said that you were powerful warriors, not to be underestimated. I believe that she is wrong." Moor-Elf whipped out his staff, waving it out. He brought it down, pointing it at Kim. "Die, Ranger!" Thin beam of black energy soared through the air, heading straight for Pink Ranger. It missed. With a back half twist, the targeted Ranger landed a few feet to the right where the beam landed on a tree, instantly turning it to dust.
"Sorry, scar face. I don't plan on missing my 18th birthday just because you don't like me." Kim summoned her Power Bow, drawing the string back. Aiming quickly, she released the bolt, the pink arrow heading straight back at Moor-Elf. With an evil laugh, Moor-Elf reflected it away.
"Is that all you got, little girl?"
"What about this?" Zackary Taylor summoned his Power Axe, bringing it down. His blow however was deflected as Moor-Elf raised his staff. He grunted in pain as the staff caught him around the middle and chucked him over Kim's head.
"Zack!"
"Worry not, little one. You will soon join him!" Kid pulled out more apple bombs form his decomposing leaf pile around the middle of his emaciated waist. Kim back-flipped away, the bombs following her with high explosive blasts. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough. The last one landed near her head as she entered her final flip. The concussion of the blast picked her up and smashed her against a tree.
"Kim!" Tommy summoned Dragon Dagger. With a shout he entered the fray, his sword coming down hard on Moor-Elf who was closest. Trini summoned her Power Daggers, helping Tommy, her little weapons slashing in and out with efficiency and precision.
Jason summoned his Power Sword, moving up against Kid before he could pull out any more apple bombs. With a wail, Kid pulled out what look like a baby's rattle with large wicked looking spikes. Zack came back, a little wobbly but still going strong. With each monster taking three Rangers, one would have thought it would be over soon.
But Rita monsters were getting stronger with each passing week.
Somehow, Moor-Elf slipped his hand into a pouch, pulling out a handful of dark purple powder. He threw it at the Trini, Tommy, and Rocky who were fighting him. Immediately, their limbs felt heavy and their minds sluggish. Seeing their friends in danger, the other three broke off their battle with Kid. Jason swiped his sword at them, a wave of Red energy arcing between them and the monsters.
"I can't move well, Jase." Tommy said, struggling to get up.
Trini made an attempt to climb up to her feet. She only got as far as her knees. "I don't like this one bit." With an incredible effort, she pulled herself up to her feet.
"Had enough Rangers?" Moor Elf laughed. Kid laughed as well, juggling about four apple bombs between his hands.
"I thought your parents taught you never to mess with highly explosive material?" A voice said; the sound carrying over the battlefield. The combatants looked up to see a uniformed individual balancing incredibly on the top of bus pole, standing tall.
The Rangers could tell the difference between the stranger's and theirs; the new arrival's closely resembled the Green Ranger's outfit. The body suit was of the purest Blue and covering his shoulders and chest was a golden shield, not unlike that of the Dragon shield. Gold gauntlets were on the stranger's wrists, gold armbands on his upper arms and a gold belt on his waist where a Dagger hung on each side. The edges of his boots and gloves were trimmed with a pure Black along with the armbands, gauntlets, and shield. An image of snarling misty Blue-Black Wolf adorned his helmet, the eyes flashing a sapphire blue. The white teeth of the Wolf came down on the top of his black reflective visor.
Kim took a step forward, familiarity sweeping through her. It was him; it was Araya. She knew Tommy sensed it was him as well, by his body language.
"Hey, man! Glad to have you back!" Tommy called out. Araya looked at him, nodding in return. The other Rangers then knew who the stranger on the pole was.
"Who are you to interfere in our business?" Moor-Elf asked, his fuchsia eyes flashing in indignant anger.
"Me? Well, I'm Araya, Ninjetti Sentinel of Courage." The new comer said, nodding toward Jason.
"And you come alone." Kid spun an apple bomb into the air. "Either you are incredibly foolish or annoyingly brave."
"If you had been listening, scum, you would have heard that our Commander is the Sentinel of Courage." The entire group of villains and heroes alike turned to the source of the new voice. Another Sentinel stood calmly, leaning against the wall of building on the top floor. Instead of the Blue uniform, a dark Green was the uniform color with a dark Purple trim where the Black was. On his helmet, instead of a Wolf, an image of a misty Green-Purple Snake was there, fangs curving into the visor, dark green eyes peering ahead. "Name's Logan; Sentinel of Friendship at your service."
"Now, guys don't be taking all the fun." A third Sentinel appeared, sitting boringly on the top of abandoned public bus. "Rowan, Sentinel of Sincerity." His uniform color was White with Grey trimmings. On his helmet, the image of a wary White-Grey Osprey adorned it, the bright white eye staring out at the Rangers. "What an uhhhhhh-glyyyy monster you are."
"I will not be so easily insulted!" Moor-Elf roared out, sending a blast of energy at them in a fit of anger. Faramond leapt from the pole, doing a 180 to land behind Kid. His arm rose up and reached behind his back. A moment later, a gleaming sword appeared, apparently drawn from a scabbard. Logan and Rowan moved in, their swords drawn as well. A bright flash of red light signaled the arrival of more super putties, trooping directly into battle. Sensing the new arrivals would be taking on the monsters, the Rangers focused their energy on the putties. The fight was furious and hard, the expendable henchmen being thrown out like yesterday's trash, apple bombs exploding everywhere, and jets of colored light erupting into the ground.
The Rangers finished their fight, turning in time to see Araya launch himself into the air, his Katana arching down. Kid let out a wrenching cry before collapsing onto the ground, exploding in burst of sparks and light.
"One monster down, one to go!" The three Sentinels turned to Moor-Elf. "It's your turn, buddy."
"Well, Sentinel. I believe you are mistaken." The Rangers and Sentinels could see beyond the immediate area, Goldar and Rita standing on the hill above them. "Just because you destroyed one of my monsters doesn't mean you will win today!" She brandished her magic staff. "Magic Wand, make my monster GROW!" The beam of magic hit Moor-Elf in the back. The monster grew to an incredible height, towering over them like a gigantic skyscraper.
"Come and get me now, Rangers!"
"Oh, come on! You think that's going to scare us like frightened little puppies?" Rowan remarked sarcastically.
"I think it's time to show them what we got." Araya said, gazing up at Rita and Goldar. "Ryder Isamu!"
"Ryder Makoto!" Yelled Rowan.
"Ryder Khalil!" Yelled Logan.
The Rangers watched in awe as the air before them seemed to ripple, twisting and churning like live snakes. Three large shapes greater than the size of their MegaZord appeared, seemingly to bleed into existence. The front one resembled a werewolf in armor, dark gleaming teeth peeking out from the helmet that sat on the wolf's head. The one to the left was an Osprey, missile vents peeking out from the wings and head of the bird. The third and last one was a humanoid machine, the head gazing out of a serpent's open mouth, the fangs curving in front like guards. The body of the serpent coiled around the machine's chest, acting like a shield and spiraling down the body, the tail clasped tightly around the waist. Then, they watched in horror as the Sentinels seemed to be consumed by multi-colored flames. They stepped back as three individual tongues shot up into the air; the Blue/Black heading straight for the lupine Ryder, the White/Gray for the bird Ryder and the Green/Purple entering the serpent-like Ryder.
"Dude, that's cool." Zach said, gazing up at the large colossal assault vehicles before them.
"Understatement of the year." Jason muttered. His own Zord looked like a midget before them.
"Well, let's show them what the Rangers have up their sleeves. Dino-Zord Power NOW!" Jason called.
Tommy blew on his Dragon Dagger, the mysterious tune floating on the battlefield, echoing out to sea.
"Pterodactyl!" Kim yelled out.
"Mastodon!" Zack shouted.
"Tyrannosaurus!" Summoned Jason.
"Saber Tooth Tiger!" Trini called out.
"Triceratops!" Yelled Rocky.
From their view, they could see the five Zords speeding toward them. A great swirling eddy appeared out in the ocean, where the Dragon Zord appeared a few seconds later, instantly attacking the monster, missing parked cars and trucks on it's rampage forward.. Six streaks of light entered the Zords. Within seconds, the MegaZord was formed before Moor-Elf.
Moor-Elf gave another laugh as the Zord stood before him. "That does not make me afraid, Rangers!" Twirling his staff, he launched a large ball of magic and dark energy roaring toward the MegaZord. With great resounding crunch, great Zord landed on top of an abandoned building, the old timbers giving away with loud cracks.
Inside, Trini was reporting heavy damage to the structure of the Zord. "Another hit like that, and we're done for!" She shouted over the din of the cockpit, sparks flying everywhere.
Jason opened a link to Tommy. "I think it's time we bring them together!"
Within seconds, the MegaDragonZord was formed, the Saber in one hand. During the entire sequence, the three Ryders hadn't moved. Moor-Elf laughed again, his staff charging with a black energy. "What are you afraid, Sentinels? I think you are not as tough as you tried to make yourselves!"
Inside the MegaDragonZord, Kim called out "We are receiving a communication from the Ryders."
"Patch it through." Tommy grunted as their huge Zord was thrown back from another blast.
"Rangers, disengage. We'll take it from here." Araya said, his visor flashing from the light of the battle.
"I don't see you doing anything!" Rocky said as he was slammed into the console next to him as the MegaDragonZord took another hit.
"That's because you are in the way." Came the calm reply.
"Jase, what do you think we should do?" Trini called out, diverting energy to the shields.
"Let them have a go."
"Okay." The Zord backed off, letting the three Ryders take over.
"You have finally decided to enter the fray, then?" Moor-Elf said. He swung his staff. He was startled when the Isamu Ryder moved faster than what the Zords were capable of and caught it neatly. Moor-Elf screamed in fury as Isamu brought down his fist, snapping the staff in two. Before the monster could do anything, Isamu then backhanded Moor-Elf.
"You will pay with your lives, Sentinels!" Moor-Elf growled out as he climbed back to his feet, knocking over some power cables.
Makoto flew up into the sky, the light catching on the white and gray head of the metallic bird. With a loud shriek, it dived, the wings folding forward. Missiles flew from underneath the metal feathers heading straight for Moor-Elf. Without his staff, the monster could not defend himself. He howled as the missiles landed firmly, exploding with incredible force. Khalil brought his hand down to his waist, pulling out what resembled a neon green lasso with a barbed tip.
It swung back and lashed out, the whip curling around Moor-Elf as it curled through the air.
"I will not be so easily defeated!" Moor-Elf roared. It screamed in pain as Green and Purple energy flew down the whip, arcing around Moor-Elf. He stared in horror as Isamu reached for his waist as well but instead of a lasso, it pulled out a laser sword that glowed blue. A second later, Moor-Elf fell down; the lasso uncurling as he exploded in a cloud of sparks.
"Wow!" Zack murmured, the Ryders putting their weapons away.
"Guys, disengage the Zord." Tommy's order came.
The six teens teleported down to the battlefield just in time to see Rita and Goldar teleport away in a red light.
"So, what did you guys think of our tricks?" Logan asked, the three Sentinels appearing in flames once more. Behind them, they could see the air rippling once more, the edges of the air curling around the forms of the Ryders as they were returned back to their hanger dimension. The Rangers laughed.
"So man, are you going to show us all who you really are?" Zack asked.
Araya shook his head. "No, not yet, Zack." They could hear the smile in his voice.
"Hey, I do you know my name?!"
"We have ears around Angle Grove." Rowan announced. "We'll see you at the next battle."
"Or maybe around Angel Grove." The two Sentinels accompanying Araya saluted the Rangers before turning back into flames and disappearing.
Araya looked them over, the visor on his helmet flashing. "Remember what I told you, young Falcon. Keep your eerie safe. We will be watching over you." Giving them one last nod, Araya turned around and disappeared.
"Let's head back to the Command Center. Maybe Zordon can tell us what's going on." Tommy and the others placed their hands on their waists and teleported to their headquarters.
(VvVvVvVvV)
The light from the teleport beam faded away, the six Rangers standing in the middle of the Command Center. "I am pleased that you are safe, Rangers." Zordon said.
"Us, too. Their monsters are starting to get harder to defeat. If Araya and the Sentinels hadn't arrived, the battle would have taken longer along with more damages and increase the risk of casualties." Tommy said worry etching lines into his features.
"Zordon, do you know who these Sentinels are?" Trini moved to a console, wanting to look over the records of the battle.
"Personally, no, I do not Rangers. Sensors could not identify Araya or the other two Sentinels even though they were there. But from the archives, I gathered the Ninjetti Sentinels are the elite guard of the planet Phaedos. It has been centuries since the last documented service of the Guard."
"I could understand why they were elite. They were doing some serious damage to Rita's monsters, especially with the Ryders." Zack crowed. "Those Ryders were completely awesome!"
"The Ryders looked almost identical to the Zords except they had greater mobility, strength, power, and speed. Have you ever seen these machines?" Trini asked her mentor.
"I have not, Trini. Again, the sensors did not even identify anyone or object within the vicinity of the battle." Zordon stated. "From what I have seen in the viewing globe, the Ryders are much more advanced than the Zords and the Aquitarian Borgs. It is my belief that whoever built these assault vehicles has a greater understanding of the structure and mechanics of the Zords. The archives state that the Sentinels of the Ninjetti are not equipped with any colossal assault vehicles, which they were built by hand."
"They were very well trained. Moor-Elf was highly difficult to fight yet they were able to defeat him without much difficulty. A couple of blows and Moor-Elf was down, at least compared with the attacks given by us." Jason said, thinking back over the fight.
"From what I can tell, they might also have training in gymnastics. Araya was balancing on that pole pretty well and the move he used to jump off was one I saw in training on the rings. I have a couple of friends who use it in their routine on the rings for national and state championships." Kim added, analyzing the battle.
Trini nodded. "So we can narrow it down to people who know martial arts and gymnastics."
"Don't forget blade skills. Araya, Logan, and Rowan all had katanas. I noticed that all three were equipped with looked like two katanas slung on their back in a cross and two daggers hung underneath their belts. Not many people know how to handle long blades." Tommy said to the others.
"Zordon, do you know anything else about the Sentinels?"
"I only know what is given in the archives and what I have heard through my life, Jason."
"I have a feeling this is going to take a while." Rocky commented, sitting himself on an unimportant console.
"You all know of the ancient Ninjetti Empire and their fall." The old mage received nods. "The success of the last battle on Rainier was due to the fact of the eleven Sentinels of the time and their sacrifice. In the beginnings of the line of Ninjetti Warriors, the Master Warriors created the elite Guard, later known as the Ninjetti Sentinels. For each of the Sentinels, they were assigned a Crest, a virtue that was strived for by all beings of this galaxy."
"Courage, Sincerity, and Friendship." Trini rattled off.
"Yes, along with Fortitude, Justice, Love, Hope, Faith, Loyalty, Honor, and Wisdom. The trials for each possible candidate are aligned with that person's strengths and weaknesses. After the deaths of the Sentinels on Rainier, the Crests became inactive, the Empire of the Ninjetti weakening until it collapsed completely over two hundred years later."
"Ninjor, who is the Ninja Master, a rank below Master Warrior, is the brother of Dulcea. For the first Sentinels, he created what later became known as the Blades, out of an indestructible metal stronger than titanium and lighter than aluminum. Each Sentinel would get two full length Katanas and two Tantōs both similar to the katanas and tantōs of the Samurai of the Japanese culture respectively. The Animal Spirit would become the hilt feature of each single Blade. Unlike the Ranger who followed there after, the Sentinels draw directly from the Great Power and they communicate telepathically. And once they receive the Power, it can never be taken from them, only in death." That drew exclamations from the Rangers. "They can pass on the Crest but they are still able to morph into their uniforms except they won't have their Blades, which many consider their sign for active service."
"They are trained in how to funnel the Power into projectiles, shields, weapons, or into their bodies for close combat. Their training includes the use of poisons, their antidotes, stealth tactics, infiltration, realm-shifting, time-shifting, healing, hand-to-hand combat, and shape-shifting."
"You mean like that guy from Terminator?" Rocky asked. "Because, if that's true, that'd be kind of creepy."
"No, it would not be like the character from Terminator. They have the ability to shift into their Animal forms."
"Be warned, Rangers. Each time the Sentinels have been activated, there was a great deal of unrest brewing that later sparked into great galactic wars."
"If he's physically here, and with the rest of his crew, you know there's trouble brewing near Earth." Jason muttered, not liking what he was feeling.
"I have also come to that conclusion. Rangers, you must be on alert at all times, especially your families. I only hope for the cause for concern is for naught." Zordon gravely said. "The sensors of the Command Center will be on active and running checks on a schedule. I believe it is time for you to go home for I believe your parents will be worried about you."
"Okay, Zordon. Call us if anything comes up." Jason said. The Rangers waved goodbye at Zordon and Alpha before teleporting out.