POWER RANGERS ZEO
"A GOLDEN OPPERTUNITY"
WRITTEN BY ZARIUS
(Based on "Good As Gold" by Douglas Sloan and "Scorpion Rain" by the members of the PR SRC)
CHAPTER ONE
High above the Earth, on the surface of the moon, members of the prestigious royal house of gadgetry were growing steadily impatient as they waited.
"What's taking them so long?" said a frustrated King Mondo, "I feel like I've been sitting on the nose of the man in the moon for eons"
"Be gentle on your gyros my husband" assured Queen Machina,"I think I spy something on the horizon"
A roving RV steadily approached the family from across the dunes. The TV came to a halt and from it emerged faces familiar to the Empire's leaders. Rivals of old.
Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa, the power couple the Empire had ousted from the moon many months ago, flanked by their obedient servants Goldar, Rito Revolto, Squat, Baboo, and Finster.
"Well Zedd, you'd better have a good reason for this rendezvous" a frustrated Mondo declared "And you'd better have a good reason why I don't have my quadrafighters blow you and your mobile abode out of the stratosphere"
"Upon witnessing your magnificent displays of power, I and Rita have concluded that we are simply not in your league" Zedd replied, "We have decided to return to our prior conquests within our conquered galaxies"
"We just stopped by to give you a little gift, think of it as a peace offering" Rita spoke, handing Prince Sprocket a bright yellow parcel with a red ribbon attached to it.
"Oh goodie, a present" Sprocket exclaimed, slightly ecstatic.
"Oh goodie, a present"
"Well, it's been fun, but we have to go" Goldar said as the nefarious space aliens scrambled back to the RV in awkward haste.
"Yeah, catch you on the lip side" Rito said, blowing a kiss at Machina.
Goldar viciously clobbered him on the head with his sword.
"That's flip side doofus" he snarled.
The royals watched as the R.V slowly drove away from them, the meeting over almost as soon as it begun.
"I guess they weren't a bad sort after all" Mondo replied.
Inside the RV, unbeknownst to Mondo, merriment and mischief was stirring as Zedd cackled wickedly.
"I bet young Sprocket will get quite a bang out of his present" he said.
As Sprocket untied the bow on the box and peered inside its contents, a series of sparks ignited and soon the entire ruling body of the Empire was consumed in a ferocious and blistering fireball.
Watching from afar,Lord Zedd, RIta, Goldar and Rito burst into euphonious laughter, their booby trap successfully sprung.
"We're back" Zedd declared.
Amidst the wreckage of what was once a powerful and foreboding family, King Mondo somehow clung to life. Now a disembodied head, he was still fully conscious of the situation.
"Wait, come back here...what kind of present was that? You haven't heard the last of King Mondo and the Machine Empire!"
In Angel Grove's bustling park, Jason, the Gold Zeo Ranger, was in the midst of a morning jog, rushing past merry young couples and pet walkers. He waved at a couple of friends, who tell him to take care of himself.
A tap on the shoulder made him turn, and he found Emily, his girlfriend, running alongside him.
"Going my way?" she asked.
Jason smiled.
"Well aren't you a sight" he said with joy in his voice.
"Are your eyes sore?" a playful Emily sarcastically teased.
"Nope. I'm seeing pretty clear these days" Jason replied.
"I heard your Aunts recently moved back into town" Emily noted.
"Yeah, I can't wait 'till I have free time to spend with them"
"Well if you any free time now, we can spend some of it together" Emily suggested.
Jason put his around her shoulder
"I thought you'd never ask"
The pair headed towards a less crowded part of the park, away from the prying eyes of the public, eventually reaching a secluded piece of woodland.
Before they could enjoy themselves, there was a sudden shimmer of bright energy that enveloped the couple where they stood, and from the smouldering wisps stepped forth Zedd and Rita.
Jason stood ready, shielding Emily with his back
"Emily, head back to the Youth Centre"
"But Jason, what about you?"
"I'll be fine. You're what's important, now go" Jason instructed. Emily nodded and fled, leaving Jason alone against the Rangers age-old enemies
"You should have let her hang around Gold Ranger, they say love blooms on a battlefield" Zedd said mockingly.
"In my personal experience, it comes to bite you in your sleep" Rita added.
"Cut it out dear" Zedd replied.
"That's all I need right now...you two" Jason responded.
"Personally, I always thought you looked better in red" Rita noted, " What do you think my Tengas?"
A swarm of Tenga Warriors, at Rita's calling, flew down to meet the Gold Ranger head on.
"It won't be long before the Gold Ranger powers will be ours for the taking" Zedd replied.
"Not if I have anything to say about it" Jason remarked, positioning himself to morph.
"Gold Ranger Power" he said, summoning forth his powers and transforming into the Gold Zeo Ranger.
"Tengas, attack" Rita commanded.
The Tengas swarmed over Jason, but the Gold Ranger put up a valiant struggle. He kicked one down and grabbed another to the right of him by the arm, turning around and catapulting it into two others to his left , before turning around and roundhouse kicking two who attempted to attack him from the back.
Other Tengas began to encircle him, pecking away at his body and attempting to restrain him. Jason powers out of their efforts and struggles to make it to a clearing. Zedd and Rita soon took notice that his powers were starting to fail him.
"Aw man, there's just too many" Jason replied.
The Tengas continued to scratch and claw away at him, taking stabs at him with their beaks. Jason did what he could to block these attempts and pushed his way through the swarm as his costume frequently materialized and dematerialized around him.
"Well Gold Ranger, this does not appear to be the best time to be going through an identity crisis" Zedd replied with great amusement at the lethal dilemma Jason found himself in.
Jason finally demorphed altogether. It seemed there was no escape.
Suddenly, the familiar mechanical sound of Cogs alerted everyone, and they soon came into view.
"Cogs? What are those confounded contraptions doing here?" Zedd asked
"Mondo must have despatched them to ambush the Gold Ranger before he went kablooey" Rita theorized.
"We cannot let them get their hands on the Gold Ranger powers, that privilege is mine" Zedd insisted.
"You mean ours right?" Rita replied.
"Of course that's what I mean my little lunar dumpling" Zedd said, ticking Rita's chin with his steel-tipped fingertips.
"Tear those cogs apart my fowl-feathered friends" Rita instructed to her Tengas.
As they did battle with the Cogs, Jason seized an opportunity to slip away.
The Cogs proved to be a handful, managing to take down several of the bird like creatures, and even stooped to trying to tear off their feathers. The Tengas responded in kind by taking out a few cogs with swift kicks and drill pecks, and managed to rip several wires from the Cog's bodies, which gave the Tengas committing the act a searing electrical shock.
At the Angel Grove Youth Centre, Tommy and Adam were working out with a punching bag when they were joined by Katherine and Tanya
"Hi guys, have you seen Jason?" said Katherine.
"We've been waiting hours for him, he hasn't showed" Adam replied
"Do you think it may have something to do with the Gold Ranger powers?" Tanya asked
"I really hope not" Tommy said with pained concern in his voice.
Emily arrived at the Youth centre, looking visibly shaken and distressed.
"Hey Emily, what's the matter?" Tommy said, taking note of her emotional state.
"It's Jason, I think he's in trouble" Emily said.
"Where is he? Do you know?" Adam asked.
"He's at the park" Emily revealed.
"Ok, you wait here, we'll be back as soon as we can, come on guys" Tommy said, Emily watched as the four friends filed out of the centre to begin their search.
"Be careful" she said.
High above the Earth, in the depths of space, Lord Zedd's powerful Zord Serpenterra cruised through the stars en route to the Machine Skybase.
Lord Zedd and Goldar were the helm of the ship. Zedd tapped a button on his throne room that let him speak to Rita
"Are you quite comfortable where you are my sweet?" he asked
"Comfortable? I think the passenger compartment you've set me and Rito up in brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'cramp your style'" Rita complained
"Ah, so you like it then, that's good to know" Zedd replied.
"We are within range of the Machine Skybase my king" Goldar revealed.
"Excellent. If we are to blaze a clear pathway to the Gold Ranger powers, we must ensure that metal plated moron Mondo and the rest of his short fused family never have the opportunity to recover. Prepare to land."
Serpenterra approached the Skybase, it began to charge it's weapons. It swiftly landed atop the Skybase and towered over the vast Machine fleet.
Lord Zedd pressed a series of buttons on a console opposite his throne. The cockpit of Seprenterra lit up as the fully charged Zord unleashed it's power. Zedd laughed.
"Excuse me while I kiss the Skybase goodbye Mondo"
Raw, powerful electrical energy shot forth from Serpenterra's mouth, enveloping the entire Machine Skybase and reducing it to a smouldering cinder
"At last, victory is within my grasp. Once more, the universe will tremble before Lord Zedd!"