You're not ready for this...
Recuitment
Jack Landors slowly and painfully opens his eyes. He finds himself in a dark room, with the only light source above him, circling him in light. His hands are handcuffed behind him, and he feels a tight restricting band around his neck. As he attempts to will the fog out of his mind, he struggles to gather his thoughts.
"How did… where… where am I," he mutters as he squints his eyes, looking into the darkness surrounding him outside the pillar of light encasing him. He tests his bounds and realises that he cannot use his genetic enhancement to phase through the handcuffs.
"I don't…" Jack shakes his head; his dreads spills around his head from the motion. "I don't remember… what happened?"
Suddenly he hears footsteps walking toward him. Not just one pair, but several. They sound like hard boots, however he can hear the lighter click of a pair of heels. One of his captors is female. He straightens himself in his chair, frowning. However he was captured, and who was behind it, won't find themselves a willing prisoner.
"You are awake," a female voice remarks as she draws closer. Jack's eyes widen as he takes in the familiar shape of Ally Samuels as she steps into the beam of light. "Good."
Ally is wearing a solid black uniform. There are several blacked out patches on her uniforms arms as well as breast pocket, as if hiding her uniforms allegiance stamp. In the shadows behind her, Jack can see the shape of five figures, keeping themselves at a distance to be completely seen.
"Just what the hell is this," Jack snarls. "Ally, what is going on?"
"I'm sorry Jack, but I was merely doing my job," the blond tells him. Her expression is neutral and betrays the face that Jack had become accustomed to over the past month.
The surge of anger forces Jack to remember his last thoughts before he feel unconscious. He remembers Piggy, Ally and himself in their warehouse outside of Newtech City, overlooking their inventory when they were attacked by a platoon of black clad wearing individuals. Piggy got shot in the neck with a dart and passed out, as Jack had jumped in front of Ally to protect her. He had done a quick check of how many opponents that had appeared and he quickly leaped into the fray.
After taking out nine of the fifteen intruders, Jack had not expected Ally to walk up behind him and shoot him in the neck with a dart gun as well. As he fell to the floor, he remembers struggling to look up to see if she was safe, only to see her walking toward him, with a sad look on her face.
"Why," he had asked then, and it is why he asks now. "Why are you doing this?"
"It was her orders," a voice behind her remarks. It is male and rough. "I needed you brought here."
"A simply invitation would have sufficed," Jack growls. "What have you done to me? What do you want?"
"What I want will be revealed momentary," the male voice remarks. "But first… a test."
"A test," Jack repeats. Before him, Ally sinks back into the shadows, following the voice. "Wait! Come back here! A test? What are you talking about?"
Suddenly, the lights throughout the room are ignited. The handcuffs that were holding Jack's wrists and ankles together open and fall off, releasing him. Jack is quick to his feet, as he struggles to make his eyes adjust to the sudden brightening of the room. As he gathers his bearings, he takes in the area around him.
Circling him are the five A-Squad Rangers. They are fully morphed and are in aggressive and offensive postures, preparing to attack. Far away, on the second level of the room, Jack spots Ally as well as a hooded figure, watching down upon them.
"That bracelet around your neck will prevent you from accessing your genetic abilities," the hooded figure remarks. "I want to see your full fighting capabilities without your advantage."
"My what," Jack asks, frowning up at the two. His answer is given as the five A-Squad Rangers quickly move in on him, attacking.
Now, Jack Landors knows how to brawl. His parents died when he was four. He never knew the exact reasons behind their death, but after he was placed into an orphanage he had learned early to fend for himself. The bullying and the teasing because of his powers made him tougher. He got into many fights as a child. And when he ran away from the orphanage at age eight, he took to the streets. He was fast learning and quick. He learned to properly fight from watching street performers and using his powers to phase through the walls of mixed martial arts facilities and watch. He learned. He practiced. And the rough streets gave him plenty of practice.
Around age twelve, he met an elderly aged, homeless alien, one that he often traded food with. One day that alien, an almost humanoid looking individual; dark ebony skin like Jack's his but with gold eyes and what appeared like tribal tattoos across his arms and legs was attacked by other homeless individuals looking to take his rations and goods. The alien stood back and watched Jack defend himself before jumping into the fray to assist Jack. The two fought off Jack's attackers and a mutual respect between the two was formed. He took Jack under his wing and taught Jack the fighting style that he was adapt in; an aggressive and defensive combat style that was much similar to the fighting style on Earth called capoeira.
Jack became a master; although there is no official documentation or earned belts in the degree, the alien who had thought him, Rah, was a master of the art. Years later, after meeting and befriending Elizabeth Delgado, Jack had taught her the basics to protect herself. Because of her love of music and dance, Elizabeth, known to many as Z, was a natural.
But living on the streets were tough. Jack never backed down from a fight, especially if it was for a just cause. He fought for food. He fought for shelter. Jack had fought to survive.
And even now, a year resigning from his post as B-Squad Red Ranger from Space Patrol Delta, Jack finds himself, fighting again.
He slams his heel into the chest of his closest opponent; the A-Squad Blue Ranger. The blow sends the Ranger back, sliding across the floor.
"I don't know how you goons got out of prison," Jack snarls. "But I'm putting you all back where you belong!"
Not giving them the change to go on the offensive, Jack tackles the situation head on and charges toward the next one.
From their spot, high on the second level of the vast and open warehouse, Ally and the hooded figure watch the battle below. Those morphed in the A-Squad Ranger suits, while not the original A-Squad, they are just as deadly and powerful as the original five. They, in their own right, are dangerous alone. Together, they are unbeatable.
"Jack Landors is an excellent fighter," the hooded figure remarks. "I have been watching him for a while now."
"Indeed," Ally Samuels nods, taking in Jack's technique. The five Rangers are indeed, having difficulty, gaining the upper hand. "Even with your dampener around his neck, preventing him from activating his genetic power, he is keeping your men on their toes."
The figure smirks, humming to himself. Ally, glances up at him, taking her eyes off of the man whom she had played for the latter of the past yearh. She had tricked and deceived Jack as per her orders from her unit. She had played the part quite well, convincing Jack that his heart and desire to help people, the homeless and needy, did not lay within SPD.
It was necessary to get Jack away from Cruger and his friends. And the timing of Gruumm's final act against Earth… was perfect. Jack was always the wild card of the five B-Squad Rangers. While loyal to his friends, he was never truly loyal to the finality that Space Patrol Delta would be as a career choice or a path of his life.
"Why the secrecy sir," Ally turns to the man. "Why couldn't you have merely come to him while he was a Ranger? He would have… perhaps, joined our cause willing."
"There are traitors all around us," the hooded figure states. "That was a risk that I couldn't attempt."
"He won't trust me anymore," Ally remarks sadly. She had grown to be fond of the man that she was placed to spy on. "He's a good man, but he's had a rough life. His trust does not come easy. If he does join our cause… he'll never trust me again."
"An acceptable loss," the figure states simply, not taking his eyes off the battle below them. Jack delivers a spin kick to the side of A-Pink, while A-Green dives in, only to dive into nothing, as Jack used leverage from the spin to deliver a sweep beneath Green's feet.
As the Green Ranger falls flat on his back, Jack darts forward and rapidly throws several punches at A-Yellow. The Ranger raised its arms to deflect the blows, but falls backwards over A-Pink.
"Grab him," A-Red bellows.
A-Blue leaps onto Jack's back, only for Jack to allow gravity to let the two fall forward. Rolling with the impact, Jack sits on Blue's chest, delivering a quick punch to his neck. As Blue grabs its neck, gasping for air, Jack rolls forward and uppercuts A-Red under the chin.
A-Yellow charges toward Jack, throwing a powerful punch aimed for his head. Jack sidesteps him and buries his elbow into Yellows spin, sending the Ranger to the ground.
"Stay down," Jack hisses.
"Amazing…" the hooded figure smiles. "And he isn't even powered by a Morpher."
"Should we stop it," Ally asks.
"No. A little bit longer," he raises his left hand, revealing a fuzzy animal looking hand. He returns his paws back onto the cane before him that he is leaning onto as the two overlook the battle below on the lower level.
Jack begins to fall into his capoeira stance and begins to quickly move his legs. Falling into a pattern, he begins to twirl and flip, using his legs to knock down the Rangers as they had begun moving in close. His movements are too fast, and the strikes are too strong for them to even hope to land a blow.
"Fantastic," Ally is in awe. She knew Jack could fight, but from the videos that were lifted off of the Delta Bases servers do him no justice. He is fighting as if his life depended on it. The figure beside her laughs as one final roundhouse sends all five of the A-Squad Rangers sprawling out on the floor around him.
"Excellent, excellent," he calls out. "That is enough, my Rangers."
The five A-Squad Rangers back away, picking themselves up off the floor, putting distance between themselves and Jack. Clapping, the hooded figure makes his way down the staircase. For the first time since the battle began, Jack takes in his appearance. He is walking with a long metal black cane, as the figure has a limp in his walk. Behind him, step for step is Ally, walking down the metal staircase.
"Impressive. Very impressive indeed," the hooded figure states. "Watching you in live combat was much more informative than watching videos of your past battles. One can always get a better respect for gauging ones abilities by watching them perform live."
"You have exactly sixty seconds to tell me why I don't kick your ass as well," Jack thrusts a finger out at the hooded individual.
Once the figure and Ally get closer, the hooded individual removes his hood. Golden eyes look back at Jack, accompanying a fuzzy, alien cat looking individual. Jack immediately recognizes his species as being the male counterpart of Katherine Manx's race, the Felicurions. While the individual looks like the Delta Bases resident Doctor, Malcom Felix, this individual has a long mane. It takes Jack a moment for recognition to set in.
"I… I know you," Jack remarks.
"Yes, you should," Felicurion nods. "I was present in Newtech City the day of the final battle against Gruumm. My name is Colonel Leo Sphinx."
"I don't recall you having a cane during that battle," Jack retorts. During the final battle, Sargent Silverback led the charge against many more of the Troobian invaders on the Delta Base grounds as they all arrived to battle the last numbers of Gruumm's ground forces as the Rangers dealt with the giant monstrous form of Omni in their SWAT Megazord.
"An old injury, enflamed from that battle, I assure you," Leo remarks.
"So… I take it that this wasn't some social call," Jack crosses his arms.
The five A-Squad Rangers make their way behind Leo and Ally and their Suits disappear off their forms. Sure enough, as Jack predicted from fighting them, they are in fact, not the traitorous A-Squad that he and his team battled during the final battle for Earth. Of the five, three are human and two are alien. They are wearing the same black uniform that Ally is wearing, only their emblems are not blacked out. Their SPD badges are bright Gold, instead of the familiar Silver that Jack was accustomed to.
"No… it is not," Leo simply states.
"So… what is this," Jack asks. "I thought that I was through with SPD."
"Once a Ranger, always a Ranger. Jack, You can never be done with SPD," Leo remarks as he walks toward Jack. He begins circling the Black male slowly; his injury causing the slow pace. "Especially, not with what I have planned."
"And what do you have planned," Jack retorts.
"I need people I can trust," Leo continues.
"I'm kinda short on the trust supply," Jack counters, looking at Ally sideways. The blond bites her bottom lip lightly and looks away in shame. Despite her orders, she had actually enjoyed Jack's company. "So… Ally. You are SPD."
"Yes," she remarks.
"Don't be cross with Miss Samuels," Leo remarks. "She was merely following my orders."
"And what orders were that," Jack asks. He is still tense and ready to act if needed. "Play with my emotions? What?"
"To lure you in to this… test, if you will," Leo shrugs. "Consider this a recuitment drive. I have need of your abilities and your… connections."
"What do you mean?"
"There is a criminal," Leo stops before Jack. He holds up a circular looking metallic device. On it, the project image of a robotic looking criminal appears before Jack on the hologram.
The robotic individual is colored silver, gray and black. He has red narrow eyes and there is six horns on top of his head, with two smaller spikes emitting out where his ears should be. It has long sharp clawed fingers. As the hologram rotates, its left arm and shoulder is revealed to be colored purple. Its silver armor offers protection, much like Ranger armor.
"Who... is that," Jack asks, slightly interested.
"His name is Vulgore. He is in the top ten SPD most wanted," Ally begins to explain.
"I've seen that list," Jack remarks. "And I don't remember his face. Has it been updated recently?"
"The list you are referring to is the public list," Leo explains. "There is another list. The black list. These are SPD criminals that we do not capture and… contain. He is one of those."
"You kill them," Jack realizes, his voice lowers from that realization.
"They are the worst of the worst," Leo continues. "And Vulgore... is the worst."
"Who is he," Jack asks. "What has he done?"
"His list of crimes is long," Leo presses a button on the device. The hologram changes slightly, listing his crimes. "But one crime in particular, you would take interest in."
"And what's that," Jack frowns.
"He is directly responsible for the death of Miranda Delgado, Kim and Harold Becker and Ronald and Sheila Landors," Leo intentioned waited to mention Jack's parents last.
"WHAT," Jack screams as he moves close to the digital list of the perps' crimes.
"Indeed he is," Leo lowers the device, shutting it off. "As you know, your parents were missionaries. They weren't directly employed with SPD, but they worked alongside SPD. During the evacuation of a transport colony of refugees from another system, fleeing Gruumm's forces, one of our own shuttles was destroyed. Your parents, along with Miranda Delgado, the mother of your friend and B-Squad Yellow Ranger, Elizabeth Delgado, was aboard the ship."
"Elizabeth's mother was with them on their mission," Ally adds. "They were helping with the refugees. Miranda Delgado was their escort. The Beckers were there to make sure that none of the alien refugees where carrying any diseases that may proved a threat to Earth's population during their relocation."
"This… this… is too much," Jack takes a step back. He had known that his parents had died in an off world shuttle, but not even Cruger divulged the information on what they were part of. "My parents… and Z's mom? Who… who were the other two names?"
"Kim and Harold Becker," Ally steps forward. "They were the parents of the boy you know simply as Sam. They both worked underneath Doctor Katherine Manx."
"This… this guy…" Jack frowns. "Why didn't Cruger tell me?"
"Probably because he knew that you would probably leave your duties behind as B-Squad Red Ranger," Leo remarks. "But I am in the position to help you get revenge."
"Revenge, huh? I'm not about revenge, but I am definatly about justice. However... nothing comes for free," Jack remarks. "Nothing. So... what do you want from me?"
"Straight to the point, I like that," Leo chuckles. "I want you back on the SPD B-Squad."
"What for," Jack asks.
"Vulgore is connected to SPD," Leo continues. "He was once a Ranger. His human body was destroyed in a blotched mission. He faked his death and went on the run. As a Ranger he abused his power and fed information to the Troobians, costing many people their lives, your parents as one. Vulgore is very evasive and hard to track until after his crimes are done."
"If you knew he was dirty, why didn't SPD arrest him," Jack asks; his anger starting to grow again.
"We were not aware of his dirty dealings until after he faked his death," Leo remarks. "After his supposed death, we learnt of his dealings with the Troobians. However afterwards, his Troobian partner left him for dead. On the planet Onyx, his human body was turned into a cyborg as his injuries were potentially fatal. We didn't discover that Vulgore and the SPD traitor was one and the same until recently."
"How recent," Jack asks.
"When he partner was recaptured and refiled for imprisonment little over a year ago," Leo lifts his device and again presses the single button on it. This time, the image of Mirloc appears.
"Mirloc," Jack takes a step back. Mirloc was the criminal that was responsible for the death of Sky's father, a former A-Squad Red Ranger many years earlier. "Mirloc was his partner?"
"Yes. You would be surprised what information Mirloc was forthcoming with after his resentencing in his attempts at making a deal."
"So… so Mirloc was working with a Ranger that was a traitor. Working with the Troobians. A deal went bad, and he left his partner… the traitor… left for dead," Jack begins putting the information together. "But… but I've read the file. The only Ranger to have died by Mirloc's hand was…"
"Yes," Leo presses the button again, changing the image back to Vulgore. This time, the face of a human Caucasian male with blond hair wearing a Red SPD uniform is beside the image of the criminal Vulgore. "The traitor is none other than Geoff Tate."
Jack shakes lightly in his place. "Sky's… dad? But… but that… that's impossible! I read the file! Sky's dad…"
"Was last seen with Mirloc. No body to be found," Ally steps forward. "Now… do you see why we need you Jack?"
"This is crazy," Jack ignores Ally, as he turns around away from the seven. "My parents… Z's mom… Sam's parents were killed by Sky's dad?"
"He didn't pull the trigger, but his actions led to their deaths," Leo continues. "I believe Sky may be aware of his father's dealings."
"Sky? No," Jack turns back to the two. "Sky is loyal to SPD! He loves SPD and their values! He would not…"
"We don't know," Leo interrupts Jack. "That's why we need you to go back. Rejoin the B-Squad and be our mole. If Sky Tate is aware of his father still being alive, and being the criminal Vulgore, he could be a dangerous enemy in the position that he is in now."
"Sky… Sky was very aggressive in his desire to be Red Ranger," Jack ponders. "And Red Ranger is privy to information that the other Rangers aren't allowed to see…"
"He is no longer the Red Ranger," Ally states, drawing Jacks' attention. "At least, not for to much longer."
"Anubis Cruger was recently promoted to Supreme Commander of SPD. He is leaving Earth. It is his intent to promote Sky Tate to Commander of Earth's Delta Base," Leo continues.
"And with that rank, he'll be privy to more information," Jack swallows. "Does Cruger know about Sky's father?"
"No," Leo notes. "However, as he is now Supreme Commander, I will be briefing him in on the situation once we have more evidence."
"You're afriad that if Vulgore hasn't already contacted Sky, he eventually will. And if he has already contacted Sky, he may have already turned Sky against SPD."
"Exactly," Leo reaches back into his cloaks pocket and replaces the device with another one. "Which is where you come in. Here."
Jack opens his hand and Leo places a wrist Morpher into it. Jack raises his hand and looks down at the device; quite familiar with its design.
"The Omega Morpher?"
"Built and redesigned based on the technology that the futurist Omega Ranger allowed Miss Katherine Manx to reverse engineer to design the Battlizer and SWAT gear for SPD," Ally explains. "We took the files and added more to the tech..." She takes a step forward, to place a hand on Jack's arm, but he steps back, putting distance between the two of them again. She steps backwards, hurt.
"So... for a whole year you've had me under surveilllance," Jack frowns at her. "Why?"
"You yourself, were a former criminal," Leo chuckles. "Robin Hood or not, do you think that we would not monitor your activities?"
"But you began your monitoring before I even left SPD," Jack counters. "In fact," Jack looks at Ally with accusing eyes. "You helped influenced my desicion to leave."
"I..." Ally begins.
"Yes, yes she did," Leo cuts in. "All according to my orders. We've had plans to find a way to get our own mole within the Delta Base for a while now. We manipulated the situation in our favor. You were not happy, so we acted upon that."
Jack sighs, looking away. He had left SPD because he felt that he couldn't make the difference in the world that he wanted to as a Ranger. Being a Ranger felt so impersonal to what he wanted to do. He wanted to be on the ground, seeing and helping the people he needed to, face to face. "So… before I agree to anything… I just got to ask… was it all just a front? All the hard work that Piggy… Ally and I did for the homeless?"
"No," Ally shakes her head. "No! Not… not really," she looks to Leo. "There is no Samuels Missionary organization, but all the work that we put into the project… it was real. It is real."
"Everything except our relationship, huh," Jack counters. Ally's face burns with shame.
"All the funds were diverted from our black budget," Leo acknowledges, ignoring the two. "The work is real. The people you've helped. All real. However, a front is to be maintained. The Samuels Missionary organization will continue with Ally and Piggy acting the part."
"Where is Piggy," Jack asks. "Was he in on this too?"
"That... worm is still unconscious," Leo remarks. "He'll be debriefed and sworn to silence upon awakening. With the right pay, he'll keep his mouth shut."
"I really don't have a choice in the matter, do I," Jack growls, looking down at the Morpher.
"There is always a choice," Leo walks up to Jack and places a paw on his shoulder. "I just hope you make the one right for you. Help me. Prove that Sky Tate is not aware of his father and is not a traitor to SPD as well. Our Intel the past month has shown that Vulgore is planning something major, to replace the void of power left in Gruumm's defeat over the past year. We cannot allow our operations in stopping him be compromised. Especially if what we believe he is trying to attempt to do."
"Which is?"
"The ressurrection of Omni," Leo states gravely. "We have intercepted transmissions between Vulgore and some worshippers of the fallen god. The possibility of it is as real as I stand before you."
"Dammit," Jack curses. Ally is now standing behind him with a key. She places it into the collar around his neck, removing it power dampner from him. As she takes a step back, Jack looks back up at Leo. He hates being cornered. His first instinct is to fight. And his instincts are telling him that this conflict is something that he cannot run from. "I'll do it. But not for you. I'm doing this for my parents… for Z's mom. For Sam's parents… I'm doing this for closure."
"Whatever your reasons," Leo raises a paw and offers it to Jack. "I thank you. Welcome to SPD, Black Ops."
POWER RANGERS SPD: Black Ops
Holy ish! Did you all read that right?! My first SPD fic in close to ten years! This is a prologue to a whole new SPD story that I am planning; one of two that I am writing. The other one is going to be a mini-series, finally giving closure to the fanfic, SPD: The Return. Yep. You read that correctly, after close to ten years, SPD: Second Coming will finally be written.
The main villian for this story; as introduced above is Vulgore. If any of you have seen the movie, Dekaranger Full Blast Action, the main villian from that movie, is Algolian Volka. I have renamed him Vulgore for this story.
Anywhooo… I wanted to get this teaser chapter out of my system. The real story is coming soon!
BLANKS