The Rad Bug Chronicles : Quest to Power Rangers Ninja Force
Enter Scorpina & 6
Deep in the dungeons of Zedd's and Rita's palace, a voice can be heard.
"Please, Lord Zedd! Give me one more chance! Empress Rita! Show mercy!"
"Silence! I have spoken!"
"You failed us for the last time! ha ha ha ha!"
"I hearby banish you to the dungeon!"
"Please don't do this! Goldar, my love! Help me!" then a pause.
"What say you Goldar? Stand by me or by her, and suffer the same fate?"
"Errr...I hve always found her repulsive, my lord!"
"No! How could you!?"
"Enough! You are banished!" This declaration is followed by a brillant series of lightning flashes followed by a loud noise. Less than a second later, we see an empty dungeon, under the palace. In the dark. Now, it's not so empty, as it has a occupant inside. Scorpina. In her human form, on the floor, crying, in the fetal position. She has some bruises and wounds on her. Untreated, even a little blood can be seen, showing she has been through an ordeal.
"How could you?! I loved you! I trusted you!" cries Scorpina, still on the floor.
"It never quite goes the way we see it in our head, doesn't it, my friend?" says a voice.
"Huh?! Who said that?" says Scorpina.
"I did, of course. Now, take a deep breath and relax, my dear."
Scorpina fumbles but gets up and looks outside her cell, and sees faintly a neighborhing cell straight across from hers. A tiny bit of light shines on part of it. She can faintly see someone is inside, but unable make out anything. On the floor near where there light is, is slime and other liquid on the floor. Also, the smell of many disgusting things, foul and too horrifying to think about, fills the dungeon.
"Who are you?"
"Nevermind that just yet, Scorpina. I will tell you, but I need to know one thing. What are you doing here?"
"I failed Lord Zedd and Rita one time too many in trying to defeat the Power Rangers. And I was banished here. Betrayed by the one I loved. Left here alone to rot forever, or until they see fit to destroy me."
"You too, huh? wow, I'm sorry. I always thought Rita liked you more than Goldar. Shows what I know."
"What are you talking about? Who are you? Answer me!"
"Relax, there is no need to shout. I am not one of those who put you here. Not anymore. I am a prisoner, just like you." The faint figure gets up from sitting in the corner, and comes into the light, revealing itself to be a season 1 era Putty Patroller.
"A putty? And you can talk? Who are you?"
"Number 6. You can call me 6. I like that better."
"Number 6? Oh yes! I remember! You were banished...!"
"Yeah, when we attempted to use the Badges of Darkness, to become the Mutant Rangers. I wasn't good enough, and Goldar sent me back to the clay pile. I was sent here and soon enough was about ready to be destroyed. Finster tortured me for a while. I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone. I wished it would all end. The only thing I had a grasp on, besides obeying my masters, was now pain. Even the idea of wondering, what I had done to deserve it, was alien to me. And then Lord Zedd arrived. During the change in power, Finster sent me to this dungeon. The one with this vent, with all the drainage, and sewage, from the palace. Garbage. Spilled magic potions. You name it, it all ended up on me. The pain grew to the point where I was begging to be destroyed."
"I'm sorry."
"Thanks. Then, one day I woke up, a lot smarter. I knew things I didn't before. Concepts that never occured to me before, now became a lot clearer. And I could talk. I dunno how. I can't explain what happened. I have been here ever since. A long time. Just forgotten about, with time, to realize what happened."
"Amazing."
"Yeah, I agree. I never realized what a luxary, companionship could be."
"It's not all that it's cracked up to be, 6."
"Maybe it's just a matter of having the right company."
"I thought it was."
"Why?"
"I...it was just the way it is."
"It doesn't have to be."
"It's all I know. It's all I ever known."
"All you have ever known 10,000 years? What about before?"
A noticible silence and look of pondering mixed with concern goes over Scorpina.
"And, before 10,000 years?"
"I can't...I can't remember."
"What's the oldest thing you remember?"
"Laying on a ritual bench, waking up, with Rita above me, tell me to rise. I asked where I was and who I was, and she told me I was Scorpina and she was my emperess. She said I had great power, and was going to use it to fight the Power Rangers and Zordon. She had taught me all I knew of how to fight. I seemed to pick it up quickly. Then I was given my armor, and a spell was cast to give me the powers of a scorpion. And she introduced me to Goldar. We became inseperable. We were a glorious team, spreading evil, at the command of Rita."
"I see. And then the imprisonment, 10,000 years ago? You were locked away by spell, and then everyone else was in the space dumpster, left on the moon?"
"Yes, from what I was told after I was freed. I was about to be given the powers of the Green Power Coin. Then something went wrong, the power wouldn't work with me. It almost destroyed me. Then very quickly, we were under attack, and then, Rita placed a spell to hide the Green Power Coin, and then also me. The next thing I was being brought back, 10,000 years later, as part of Rita's master plan, to put the power on that human, Tommy."
"It should have been me!"
"I have no doubt, you could have welded the power, under the right circumstances. But those were not them, obviously."
Scorpina turns around angrily, and hits the wall, only to fall in extreme pain, holding her arm, in agony.
"Yeah, there is a spell at play here, that I don't know how to break. I have tried. Are you ok?"
Scorpina cries in pain, and hobbles to the bench inside the cell, sitting down, leaning against the wall, still holding her arm. "So, help me! If I ever get out of here, I will make them all pay for what they did to me! No one does this to Scorpina! Nobody! I will destroy them all, and show them, how powerful I am!"
"Remind me to not get on your bad side, Scorpina."
"Are you kidding? We have a lot in common, it seems. Both disguarded, both unfairly rejected, and capable of so much more. When I get out of here, I will take you with me, and together, we can destroy them all!"
"That's the thing, Scorpina..."
"What?"
"I don't wanna destroy anyone anymore."
"What?! How can you say that?! Look at what they did to you! They tortured you, and humilated you! Don't you want revenge?"
"There was a time, that was all I thought about, as I was getting smarter. It consumed me. I tried escaping, to no avail. I gave up, broken. But then there was one moment, that happened to me. I fell asleep for the first time, and had my first dream. I was here but the spell was gone, and I was able to walk out, past the hall. I turned and saw the red Badge of Darkness on a large rock. I went to grab it, and something else came out of the darkness, and shined a light onto it. Some sort of crystal. I went to grab it, and it floated away, and shot a beam at the badge, and it changed color, and then it shot a beam at me, knocking me back. At that moment I woke up, on the floor, and I realized my desire for revenge was pointless. It was like the crystal zapped away the darkness inside me, and it left something inside. Something I can't explain. It's like a voice. It sometimes speaks to me when I am not expecting it. Saying things like Zeo. I have no idea why, let alone what it means. I do know this now, after that dream. Evil may have created me, and it may have scarred my being, but I won't let it continue to run my destiny. Even if i'm destined to rot here, alone, I can do so, at least seeing the light, and how we were wrong."
Scorpina looks at him, and doesn't respond, and just lays down on the bench.
6 sits down on his bench, and says nothing. A short while later, Scorpina, is asleep.
"Sleep well, my friend..." At that moment, 6 is startled by something, like he heard a voice.
"Is that you?" A small ball of light appears in front of 6, in his cell. It then speaks.
"Zeo..."
"Zeo? What is Zeo? I don't understand. Tell me!" The ball of light floats across the cell, past the barrier, and flies towards Scorpina.
"Wait! Scorpina! Wake up! Look!"
Scorpina wakes up, and then seems frightened by the ball of light. It speaks again.
"Zeo..."
"What is Zeo? Who are you?"
Scorpina struggles to stand up. She does so, and approaches the ball of light. The ball of light flies into Scorpina, and disappears. As it does, Scorpina loses consciousness and falls down.
"No! Scorpina! Please no! What have you done to her!? Please, anybody! Help!"
A moment later, and a groupd of 4 season 2 putties enter the chamber. One looks at 6 and stands in front of his cell, 6 falls back stumbling back and away, and the others go towards Scorpina. They wait a moment, and then are able to enter her cell, as it seems the mystical barrier was lifted for the putties to get access.
6 realizes this and gets up. "Please! Leave her alone! Take me instead!"
The Putty left in front of 6, just stared at him. 6 seemed to be full of fear, but despite that, his gaze never broke, as he stood up and looks at the updated Putty.
He then looks at the other 3 Putties, surrounding Scorpina. As one goes to grab Scorpina's body, it's knocked back from a kick, hitting it in the chest on the Z, causing it to disappear. Before the others could react, she does a double kick up, lifting her body from the floor to land on her feet. She quickly turns to punch one Putty, and does a roundhouse kick on another. Both hits having landed on the Z's, and both Putties being destroyed right after.
"Scorpina! Look out!"
The lone Putty turns around and goes to attack Scorpina. She exists the cell and starts hitting the Putty. The Putty manages to block the shots, as the clouds of clanking metal are heard from Scorpina's punches and kicks. Then she grabs the arm of the Putty, and does an arm drag, flinging it's body over and onto the floor. Then a swift punch in the Z, causes it to be destroyed.
"Wow, that was amazing! But how?"
"I don't know. It was like that Zeo light healed me, and in that moment, told me, my path is just beginning. Our path, is just beginning!"
"Our path?"
"Yes, I'm gonna get you out of here, and we are gonna be free."
"How?"
"I don't know. Lemme see if I can find Finster or someone I can attack, and make them open your cell."
"Ok."
She heads down the corridor, and then sees some Putties exiting a room. She hides along the wall to evade detection. As the Putties exit the room, and walk in the opposite direction, she heads inside, to see a few random swords on the floor, and a rock pedestal with a light shining on it. She sees her sword, and grabs it. Then as she gets up, she heads to the rock pedestal, and sees the red Badge of Darkness. The light gets momentarily brighter and the ball of light is seen hovering over. A voice is heard again.
"Zeo..."
"Zeo? Listen, thank you for your help! But I don't understand."
"You will." The ball of light shoots a beam at the Badge, and it changes color. "Grab the Badge of Light. And escape this way." At that moment, the light is replaced with a portal. "Escape."
She grabs it, and is about to go into the portal, but stops.
"No. I have to help 6." Scorpina runs out of the room and heads back to the cell, only to find it with a dozen Putties inside, a couple which are inside 6's cell, punching and kicking him. 6 is trying to defend himself, without much success.
"6! You let him go, or you will face the power of Scorpina!" Unfazed, the Putties proceed to attack. Scorpina pulls out her sword, and starts fighting the Putties.
6 then manages to block one of the punches from one of the Putties, and steps aside to avoid the other, as it goes to make contact with his fellow Putty in the Z, destroying him. 6 them kicks the other Putty in the face, and is able to escape his cell. He stumbles out, and is back to back with Scorpina, as the remaining Putties surround them.
"Seems like our time is up now."
"No, it's not, 6! Here!" Scorpina says as she hands him the former Badge of Darkness, now the Badge of Light.
"I hope this works. It's Mutant Time!" says 6, as he flings the badge, in the same style as the original Mighty Morphin Power Morpher, holding it, to complete his transformation, into the Red Mutant Ranger.
"Wow! I never thought..."
"I'm sure its a life changing moment, but we are surrounded. Reflections later, after we win?"
"Oh yeah, right sorry!" And both warriors proceed to attack the Putties. Mutant Red fights just as any Red Ranger would have, in the same situation. Punching and kicking the Putties, with a renewed power. Just like a real Power Ranger. Getting a satisfaction of redemption and payback, with each punch and kick, and each destruction of one of the enemy Putties.
Scorpina uses her sword to hit a couple, causing them to emit sparks, and they flew down. She then charges her sword to do her Boomerang Sting, flinging it, to attack each remaining Putty, knocking them back, as they also hit the Z's on each one, causing them to disappear.
"Woah.." says 6.
"Come on, we have to get out of here!" They both head out, and into the room where the Badge was and the portal is now, only now blocked by Goldar.
"Goldar!"
"What? Number 6?! This is the last thing I expected to see!"
"I am not Number 6 anymore! I am the Red Mutant Ranger!"
"You are a failure! And I will destroy you both!"
"You can try..."says 6, as Scorpina immediately uses her Boomerand Sting to knock Goldar back. She and 6 run towards the portal, catching the sword as it was flying back to her, and they both jump in, and disappear.
"No!" yells Goldar, as he gets up and tries to jump in after them. At that moment, the portal closes and disappears, and Goldar knocks his head into the wall, injuring himself.
"You gold monkey! Where did they go?!" yells Rita, as she mystically teleports in the room.
Goldar is moaning, and barely moving.
"Come on Goldar. We'll fix you up, and then we will find them both, and destroy them for good." She then uses her wand to zap Goldar, teleporting him away, likely for medical attention. Rita disappears right after.
So what will happen next? What is in store for Scorpina and the new Red Mutant Ranger 6? Stay tuned for another installment of The Rad Bug Chronicles : Quest to Power Rangers Ninja Force