Power Rangers: Heroes Forever
Chapter 0: A New Generation
Space Patrol Delta: Earth Division, saving our planet since the year 2015. Since its foundation, SPD has produced some of the finest Power Rangers to have ever donned the spandex. Saviors of the galaxy, all of them (barring of course the disgraced A Squad), most Space Patrol Delta Rangers tend to lead long, productive lives. Although there have been some losses, Space Patrol Delta is considered a fantastic employer, a gateway to success, and a means to create connections with very influential people in many, many fields of science. Since the year 2040, SPD has instilled a Youth Program, that allowed young people ages 14 to 18 to sign up and become Rookie Rangers: Cadets that are given access to basic Ranger powers, but who mostly serve as escorts and bodyguards for low threat level missions. It is now the year 2060, and one of these Rookie Rangers is named Lee Jones, a tall boy, about six foot one, around sixteen years of age, with green eyes and jet black hair. He is the grandson of Jason Lee Scott...
"Oh man..." Lee runs along the shuttle port of SPD. He is surrounded by thousands of humans and aliens from other worlds. The shuttle port is so crowded, that all Lee can do to move along is to simply squeeze himself between everyone in his way, maybe shoving someone lightly asside, always saying 'excuse me'. He holds in his pocket something his grandfather had given him this very morning: the Tyranosaurus Power Coin. Suddenly, he feels something move in his left pant pocket. Quick as lightning, he grabs what he feels: the hand of a pick pocket. "Hey!"
The pick pocket is a Yardran, a race of alien with purple skin and ant like heads. The Yardran punches Lee in the stomach, grabs the Tyranosaurus Power Coin, and runs. Lee, after a half second delay caused by reeling in from the pain, gives chase. He runs, bumping into several people as he does, chasing the pick pocket. He keeps his sight focused on the Yardran, not noticing his surroundings at all. Suddenly, he trips, he falls to the floor, and is almost walked over by three people. He gets up, but does not see the Yardran anywhere.
He panics. He scans his surroundings, but can not find the Yardran. His heart races, his palm begins to sweat. It is 12:50 PM, and his mission starts in forty minutes.
"Hey, watch it!" Someone screams. Lee turns his head towards the scream's direction. Terminal 912, and right now he's in terminal 910. He dashes towards that terminal. He sees a crowd gathering around a girl.
"What's going on?" He asks one of the bystanders, a man about fifty years of age.
"That girl just threw that Yardran to the ground!" The man angrily replies. "Someone call security!"
"Yes! Call security, because this guy's a pick pocket!" The girl grabs a coin out of the Yardran's hand. She is about five foot four, athletic build, long, brown hair that reaches to her butt with some red streaks on it, pointed chin, tanned skin with brown eyes. She has skull earings on her ears.
"Hey! That girl's telling the truth! That guy picked my pocket too!" Lee walks up to the Yardran. "He has my coin!"
A security guard walks up to the crowd, gathers the needed testimonials, then grabs the Yardran. As the guard drags the pick pocket away, the girl taps Lee on his shoulder. "You said he stole your coin?"
"Uh...yeah..." Lee blushes as he looks her in the eye. He avoids eye contact from there on out.
"Is this it?" She takes out a coin from her pocket. It is the Pterodactyl Power Coin.
"No...mine has a Tyranosaurus on the front." Lee looks at the coin a bit closer. "That coin..."
"Mine." She takes out another coin out of her pocket. "This one must be yours."
She gives him the Tyranosaurus Power Coin. Lee smiles. "Hey thanks!"
"You dunce! The hell you doing letting morons like that take that coin!" She slaps him across the face. "Don't you know what that is? It belonged to the Mighty Morphing Red Ranger! It's priceless!"
"I know...I'm sorry." Lee touches his cheek. Suddenly, realization. "You have the Pink Ranger' Coin! How'd you get it?"
"My grandmother gave it to me." The girl's eyes widen. "How did you get yours?"
"Grandpa gave it to me, just before I came here!" He smiles widely at her. "I'm Lee Jones. What's your name?"
"Florecita Skullovitch, but you can call me Zita." She shakes his hand. "Call me Flor and you die."
"Zita...Hey! You're on Youth Team 37, aren't you?" Lee jumps up with excitement. "We're on the same team!"
"Huh..." Zita sighs. "Well...let's get going, anyway. We're heading towards Terminal 950."
Zita and Lee make their way past the very, very crowded shuttle port. Every Terminal leads to a teleporter, which then leads to a specific shuttle. Terminal 950 is an official terminal for use of SPD's Galaxy Branch only. The terminal itself is a large, round room with the teleporter found in the middle, with no chairs for anyone to sit on. The teleporter itself allows for one person to be transported at a time, so it is highly inconvenient to use this terminal for group missions. In front of the terminal there is a girl with bleached blonde hair in a bob cut. On her arms there are strange devices, seemingly like giant, oval watches that cover half her forearms. On her forehead there is a strange headband with a jewel in the center, and long cables on the sides of her head that reach to the very floor. She is five foot one, milky white skin, and she has black eyes. As soon as she sees Zita and Lee, she does three front flips, lands in front of them with a split, looks up and gives them a peace sign.
"Wassup rezzers? This here's a pad for SPD's only, so if you laggers be making trails to my dance floor, you must chilling and willing to be loling on my premade, am I right?" She winks at the two.
"Uh...what?" Lee exchanges a confused look with Zita. "Uh...translation, please?"
"Ah, johnie. I said this here's an SPD terminal, so you guys must be SPD, right?" The girl sighs. "Aren't you guys with the scene?"
"Hahaha, she's using lolspeak, it's a type of slang that's very popular with the fight arcades. Hi, I'm Bridge Carson, your team captain." Bridge has grown a bit older now. Though modern medicine has allowed people to live longer, and preserve their youthful appearances well into their fifties, Bridge Carson looks decidely tired and middle aged. His eyes are tired, his hair is graying, and he has some wrinkles near his eyes. "This is your team mate, Eul Pak Yuki."
"But at the arcades, I'm Momohime." Yuki pats Lee on the back. "What's your alt, handsome?"
"My alt?" Lee gives Yuki a quizical look.
"Alt means name in arcade speak." Bridge chuckles.
"Oh, my name is Lee Jones. Please to meet you." Lee shakes her hand. He points to Zita. "That's our Red Ranger, Zita Skullovitch."
"Charmed." Zita shakes her hand as well.
"OK, if you would all please step up to the teleporter, we will begin our trip to the planet Ventis." Bridge smiles as he watches the three young teens step into the teleporter. Bridge himself then steps into the teleporter, a bright light engulfing him, and in a fraction of a second, he finds himself inside a space shuttle on the Moon's orbit. The shuttle is very basic in design, there are six seats, a small refrigerator, and trio of doors, two on one end next to each other, and another at the opposite end.
"OK, time for a rundown of the mission." Bridge now looks stern. "As you know, the planet Ventis, located on the Theta quadrant of the Milky Way, is home to a few ruins which predate all other known civilizations across the galaxies. As such, the Harov Academy of Triforia has sent many an expedition to investigate these ruins. However, a new problem has recently arrised. The Machine Remnant has created a few bases on this planet."
"Machine Remnant?" Yuki raises her hand. "Who are those?"
"They are...WERE the vestigial remnant of the old Machine Empire." Bridge says. "The Machine Empire suffered many defeats by the hand of the Zeo Rangers, were completely decimated by the Z Wave, and had what little force they had left crushed by a team up of nine Red Rangers plus Earth, plus the Red Aquitar Ranger. Everyone thought them gone for good. But it turns out, they had one last station left."
Bridge presses a button on the console to his left. A hologram of a robot appears. It looks like a typical Machine Empire Cog, but with some shoulder pads, some knee pads, and a chest plate. "This is King Cogmaw, current leader of the Remnant. He used to be a manager for a Cog factory, but when the Five Machine Generals were destroyed during Operation Forever Red, and when all the other known Cog factories were destroyed, he was the only authority figure left. Rather than let his nation die, he's decided to help bring it back to anything resembling its past glory."
Bridge smirks. "Too bad for him, SPD was already founded by then. We struck a deal with him, mostly because we felt that he and his machines were sentient enough to be given the right to live. He was allowed to occupy any uninhabited planet outside our jurisdiction, so long as he stayed away from the inhabited ones, AND if he showed zero aggresion. Ten years later, we discovered the planet Ventis...right in his jurisdiction."
Bridge presses the button again. The hologram dissapears. "Triforia has struck a deal with the Remnant, obtaining permission to investigate the ruins of Ventis. However, some Cogs have begun to pick fights with the Triforians. King Cogmaw claims these Cogs are deffective, and do not represent the Remnant's intentions. However, we suspect that he has plans for Ventis, and is using these Cogs to drive the Triforians away. In any case, your mission is to serve as bodyguards for the Tenth Triforian Archaeological Crew. Priority is the safety of the crew, your own safety, and the preservation of the ruins, in that order."
Bridge presses another button on his console. A compartment opens, showing three morphers. They are the new SPD Youth Team morphers: rounder, smaller, and lacking the Judgement Scanners that the original SPD morphers possessed. "Zita, you are Red. Yuki's Blue, and Lee will be Yellow. These morphers are standard issue, and do not possess any weapons other than a basic blaster and a melee weapon for self defense. Remember, engage only when it looks like you can not avoid a fight. Ensure that the crew is in a safe place BEFORE engaging, and never start a fight. Legaly, the Remnant is NOT our enemy, and starting a needless fight with a Cog can be considered grounds for war. Failure to follow these rules can result in you guys being court martialed, and of course, getting kicked out of the Academy and the Youth Program. Any questions?"
"What if we encounter something much stronger than a Cog?" Lee asks.
"Then hold him off until the Crew is safe, and then escape if you can. Though I doubt such a thing will happen, as the presence of machine monsters would confirm that Cogmaw is purposely endangering Triforians." Bridge sighs.
At that moment, the shuttle enters hyperspeed, leaving the solar system in a matter of seconds.
Meanwhile...
On the planet Ex-13, the grand capital of the Remnant, King Cogmaw paces about impatiently. His 'throne room' is little more than an old office with a chair, a desk, and some file cabinets. There is a small bust of King Mondo in the corner, and a flag of the Empire hangs on the south wall opposite the door. A robot enters the room. "King Cogmaw, sir, the Triforians have not yet left Ventis."
"Damn...I need them out of that planet!" Cogmaw slams his fist onto his desk. "But I need to do it in a way that won't get me at war with SPD..."
"Why?" The robot dares to ask. King Cogmaw glares at the robot.
"Don't ask stupid questions." Cogmaw dismisses the robot. He sits down on his chair. "If I can find the Gate, the Power Lord will keep his end of the bargain..."