"Have you tracked them all down?" Gasket asked Narzag.
"Yes, but they were in different places at the time of the Z-Wave. Divatox was on Aquitar, Elgar was on Earth and Havoc was with your parents."
"We certainly don't want to bring them back," Gasket rubbed his chin. "Is there any way to lock on to General Havoc alone and bring him to the present?"
"Of course there is," Narzag leaned back and cracked his knuckles. "I will just lock on to the cybernetic life form standing near your parents. It's the same technique I used to avoid bringing Trey of Triforia along with Rita and Zedd. I locked on to monster DNA."
"Then bring Havoc here first," Gasket pointed with his sword.
"Yes, sire," Narzag bowed and went to work on the controls.
The chamber became filled once more with smoke and electricity. When it cleared, General Havoc stood at attention. He looked at Gasket and Narzag trying to piece together who they were and what he was doing here. He had seen a holographic photo of Gasket one time when he was discussing strategy with Mondo, so it was not difficult for Havoc to put things together.
"Prince Gasket, I presume."
Gasket felt a surge of annoyance but put up an affable front. "It's King Gasket these days. You're in the year 2026."
"Our armies?" Havoc inquired already turning his mind to picking up where Dark Specter left off.
"I have most of the Machine Imperial Remnant at my command. Sadly, I can't teleport any of the artificial life forms that fought at your last battle for risk of bringing my parents and brother into this timeline. Rita, Zedd, Master Vile and their forces are here."
"I see," Havoc said, and he did see what Gasket's point meant for all of them. Your obsession with being king will only hurt our long term war against good.
"Since I control this time machine, I have assumed Dark Specter's mantle. As a command decision, I'm putting you in charge of Divatox's forces."
That's one strategy I can agree with. Havoc thought of his sister as moody, vain, and too emotional to truly succeed as a Queen of Evil. Divatox's great victory over the Turbo Rangers was due only to the fact the she was able to get Goldgoyle in her employment long enough to destroy the Rangers' Zords. Dark Specter had seen Divatox's fluke for what it was when he charged Astronema with the task of destroying the Space Rangers. Havoc had always resented his sister, but only a woman could be Pirate Queen. Despite Havoc's age as Mamma D's firstborn, his intellectual prowess, and iron will, it was his little sister who got to be queen.
"Before I bring the Divatox we know into the present timeline I think I should show you what she has been doing since the great defeat," Gasket lead Havoc upstairs to his throne room.
Once there Archerina embraced Gasket. "Beloved, I've put Rita in charge of her armies because I was tired of listening to Zedd and Vile bicker over every command decision."
"Well done, Archerina! Not being in command should work to Zedd and Vile's mutual misery."
Rita…now if she had been his sister, Havoc could have accepted her rulership.
Gasket fired white energy from his sword to turn on a Machine view screen.
"Observe, my dear general, the planet Inquirias. Notice the similarities between the two white-robbed women."
Havoc watched two women seated on marble benches in an open air sanctuary, giving advice to warriors for good. He then remembered.
"Inquirias is Dimitria's homeworld!" One woman, whom he recognized as Dimitria, wore a veil. The other woman was harder to recognize without her mask, but Havoc had seen his sister unmasked enough to recognize her as the other woman.
"What is Divatox doing with Dimitria?"
Havoc continued looking at the screen while Gasket spoke, "Rita, Zedd, Divatox, and Astronema were purified rather than destroyed. I had to do considerable damage to the timeline to bring Rita and Zedd back to their full evil potential. The reason your sister is with Dimitria is that she is Dimitria's biological sister."
Havoc spun around to lock his eyes on Gasket.
"I have a file in your quarters that tells you about the leads I followed to come to this conclusion. Your real little sister died shortly after her birth. You remember her getting sick?"
Havoc nodded. He was not going to believe anything that Gasket said until he could back it up himself.
"Your mother then arranged the kidnapping of a little girl from the planet Inquirias. Dimitria's birth records reveal that she had a twin. This twin was raised as the Divatox you know. Your mother's present contact information is also in the file."
"I am not a fool, Gasket! I will read the file, speak to my mother, and get someone I trust to perform DNA tests on Divatox and myself."
"You would indeed be a fool if you didn't verify these statements for yourself in a way that I could tamper with. And I warn you that I will have no fool for my second-in-command, Havoc!"
At that moment a Cog entered the throne room. Gasket pointed to it and said, "This Cog will show you to your quarters."
Once inside his quarters, Havoc read through the file that Gasket had prepared. He spent an entire hour siting on his grey sofa reading the file. Then he approached the television-like communications device. With a series of touch screen commands, Havoc's mother appeared on the screen.
"Havoc!" she shouted joyfully. "Gasket did it! You're back!"
"It's nice to see you too, mommy, however I have learned troubling things that I need your help to understand." The strict disciplinarian melted into childlike forms of speech when talking to Mama D. He had earned her love and was entitled to address her as "mommy".
"How can I help my favorite offspring?"
"It's about my sister. Why is she on Inquirias?" Havoc picked up the file. "Are the things written here true?"
Mama D stopped smiling; her face became solid as stone.
"Havoc, I did what I had to to make sure that there would be a pirate queen when I die," she said without any hint of emotion in her voice.
Havoc knew her well enough to tell that she was fuming. She had also just confirmed for him that Divatox was not his biological sister, and therefore not his rightful queen.
"I see, mother. Very shortly we shall be bringing Divatox back from the time period before she was purified. I'd very much appreciate if you could come see us shortly." Havoc returned to a more formal tone. Asking his questions had made her put up her defenses.
"Why do you need me? Can't you handle things?" she asked.
"I'm plotting to seize control of Gasket's throne for Divatox and I need someone to persuade her to follow my lead until the Machine King is eliminated."
Mama D wasn't buying it so Havoc tried again, this time with a choking voice.
"I am trying to overthrow Gasket, but I'm still loyal to you mother, and to my sister. It's just that learning she might not be of our blood confused me. Please mother, I need you."
Mama D smiled at the thought of helping her favorite child come to grips with the decision she had made so long ago.
"Alright Dear. I'll come." She ended the communication. Havoc smiled beneath his mask.
He would have to call her again after the evil Divatox was restored to this timeline. Mama D's memories would change from knowing Divatox was purified to thinking she was dead. The most important thing now was that Havoc knew Divatox was not his sister and he would most assuredly NOT be loyal to her.
The chamber crackled and fumed with electricity and smoke, and a disoriented Elgar appeared with a chamberfull of Piranhatrons and Quantrons.
"There are even more in the chamber below," Gasket told Havoc.
Elgar looked around in confusion until he spotted Havoc.
"Uncle Havoc!" Elgar shouted.
"Elgar, did you see a golden wave approaching you before saw this room?" Havoc asked.
"Yuh-huh," Elgar said.
"If it had not been for this time machine it would have turned you to dust. Please get out of the chamber while we prepare to transport Divatox to this timeline."
Narzag pressed a button and the chamber's glass wall slid into the floor. Elgar and the soldiers disembarked. Gasket watched as the glass rose once again and the process was completed on the floor below.
"Now!" Gasket ordered Narzag.
The being from Horath locked on to Divatox's army on Aquitar just as the Z-Wave became visible in Aquitar's atmosphere. Divatox, Rygog, and Porto appeared in the chamber with a host of monsters and Piranhatrons. As before, the chamber in the sub-sub-basement was also filled. Gasket had the wall lowered.
"Are we dead?" Rygog asked.
"Let me see." Divatox said and conked him on the head.
"Ow!"
"Thought not." Divatox looked around and saw Havoc and Gasket. "Havoc, who is your robot friend?"
"Sister, might I introduce to His Highness, King Gasket, ruler of the Machine Empire and Grand Monarch of all that is evil."
Divatox rolled her eyes. "I thought Mondo was the Machine King and Astronema"—Divatox stopped speaking and thought about what was happening. "Is Astronema dead?"
"Much worse. She turned good," Just like you.
Divatox gave a wild high pitched yelp and scampered down from teleportation pad.
"So when are we?"
"We are twenty-eight earth years into the future. Rita, Zedd, and Master Vile are already here," Havoc said.
Divatox looked Gasket over. Why was someone she only vaguely thought she knew of in charge?
"Are we all that's left?"
"No," Gasket said for Havoc was truly unable to answer that one. "Most of the villains worth making alliances with have for one reason or another been defeated by Ranger teams. This time machine, which only I know how to operate, is our means of recruitment."
When Gasket said that a crazed look entered Divatox's eyes.
"Havoc, we are going to use this time machine to finally win my custody battle with Scorpius."
Havoc simply looked to Gasket as if to invite a response. Havoc had last seen this girl who was not really his niece nearly three thousand years ago. Her father, Scorpius, entered the cocoon that his parents had prepared for him and emerged as a half-scorpion half-octopus looking creature. Divatox promptly left him. She fought a millennia long custody battle with Scorpius over their daughter, but Dark Specter kept rulling in Scorpius's favor. Scorpius was away on assignment in a different region of space at the time of the Z-Wave, so he may have been out of its range and alive today.
"I'm afraid I can't let you use this device to let you recapture your daughter's lost childhood. I have other plans for Trakeena." Gasket said.
Gasket looked at the rage boiling behind Divatox's eyes. "Do not worry; you will get to see her. Trakeena has become quite a formidable villain in her own right and, as heir to both you and Scorpius, she will have a host of male monsters lined up to seek her hand, which I, as Grand Monarch, will bestow upon the monster of my choice."
"And why should I let you control my daughter's future?" Divatox asked.
"Because with my time machine, I control all our futures. You needn't worry that I'd marry her off to someone like your nephew. I have more princely candidates in mind." Gasket was thinking to do all he could to encourage competition and distrust between Thrax and Olympius. Divatox was having none of it.
"What gives you the right to—" Divatox started to scream at Gasket.
"If you don't like the way I do things, I will be more than happy to send you back to the past, where the Z-Wave purifies you!" Gasket shouted back.
Havoc now knew that Gasket was his enemy. Even if he had command over Divatox's forces right now that would mean nothing if Trakeena was still legally recognized as Mama D's granddaughter. Havoc had to disinherit the whole family line even if it meant making an enemy of Scorpius. First though, he had to deal with Gasket. Even though he would betray them later, Divatox, Scorpius, and Trakeena might be useful allies now. And he could always make common cause with Rita and Zedd. They bore the Machine Empire little love. But he would let Gasket finish assembling his army first.
