Chapter 2 – Rage Against The Machine (Part 2)
Power Chamber
The five assembled teens looked amongst themselves, still slightly in shock that Zordon and Alpha had survived the explosion at the Command Center. After repelling the forces of Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd and Master Vile, their mentors were asking them to save the world again.
"There one thing I don't understand Zordon", Adam began.
"What's that Adam?"
"Well, everything", he paused, "what is this place, how did you survive and how can we save the world without powers for starters".
Billy stepped forward, "I believe I can answer the first question. This is an area that was marked in the original blueprints for the Command Center, a bomb shelter so to speak".
"You are partially correct", Alpha began, "this was originally a back-up Command Center, just in case something happened to the original. About a year ago I began to upgrade the systems so it could eventually replace the old Command Center".
Zordon picked up the explanation, "With the appearance of Master Vile, I feared that it was only a matter of time until he attacked the Command Center directly. I had Alpha install an emergency protocol that would teleport everyone out of the Command Center and the two of us safely underground".
Jason was about to ask something but Zordon cut in front of him, "I know what you're about to ask Jason. I didn't relieve that myself and Alpha had survived to protect you and the other rangers. Until the new security systems were installed, anyone could have accessed this building. If the forces of evil obtained that information then the world would be doomed.
Billy had broken away from the main group and he was inspecting the new computer systems. "These are amazing", he said with awe.
"The systems in the Power Chamber are far in advance of anything you will have seen before", Alpha replied.
"What about those robot things, what were they?" Trini asked.
"Behold the viewing globe", he instructed to the teens. "The creatures you fought are called Cogs, they are the footsoldiers for the Machine Empire. Led by King Mondo and his wife Queen Machina, they are stronger and more deadly than anything you will have faced before".
The group watched images of the Machine Empire and its troops conquering various different worlds. They saw the ruthless efficiency that only machines could achieve and no matter what they tried to do to oppose them, everyone eventually fell to the Empire.
"What do you want us to do?" Jason asked.
"Spoken like a true leader", Zordon responded. A panel opened up below his energy tube and a table slid out into the center of the room. On top of the table were five coloured squares, red, green, blue, yellow and pink. Sitting onto of each of the square were a pair of devices designed to fit on the wrist.
"We used the power of the Zeo crystal to create new powers and they will be harnessed using these Zeonisers", Zordon said.
"Well there's five of us and five morphers", Rocky stated.
"It's not that simple", Alpha began, "only the Zeo crystal can decide who will use the powers. If you are chosen, you will feel a surge of power from deep inside you".
Adam nodded before pointing at Jason, Billy and Trini, "well three of them match your old colours, why don't you go first".
The three nodded and picked up the Zeonisers that matched their previous ranger colour, however, the expression on their faces told everyone that they didn't feel anything. They then tried to grab one of the other Zeonisers to see if any of them would work for them. While it was funny to see the grimaces on the boys face when they touched the pink one, none of the Zeonisers responded to them.
"I guess it's not meant to be", Billy sighed sadly.
"Looks like you two are up", Jason said to Rocky and Adam.
They nodded and turned to face the table. Almost on instinct Rocky immediately went for the blue Zeoniser and Adam the green one. As soon as they touched the corresponding morpher, it immediately shone brightly. The Zeonisers instantly attached to Rocky and Adam's wrist.
"Woah, this feels incredible", Adam stated.
"I've never felt this kind of power", Rocky added.
"Rocky and Adam you have been chosen as the next blue and green rangers", Zordon stated to the two teens, "use your new powers wisely".
"Well that's two rangers", Jason began, "what about the other three, it could be anyone in the world".
"What if the crystals chose Bulk and Skull as the next rangers", Trini grimaced.
Billy looked thoughtfully at Rocky and Adam, a theory was forming in his head, "Rocky do you remember when you held the Zeo crystal from the Wind Ninja Academy", he nodded, "did shone blue". He then turned to Adam, "and Adam you held the crystal from the Moon palace, that one was green".
"So you think that people who've held the crystal in the past will be chosen as rangers?" Jason asked and Billy nodded in response.
"When Master Vile used the Orb of Doom, only those in the Command Center could remember future events", Adam added.
Rocky snapped his fingers, "Guys I know who the chosen rangers are but there's no time to explain". He turned to the new green ranger, "Adam I'll need your help", he nodded in response. They activated their Zeonisers and Rocky called out, "Its morphin time".
"Zeo Ranger III Blue"
"Zeo Ranger IV Green"
The two morphed and the others in the Power Chamber admired the new suits. The main body was all in one colour, expect for a white patch around the chest and shoulders. The boots and gloves were white with gold trim. The helmets were all one colour with a different shaped visor, an upside down triangle on Rocky's and a rectangle on Adam's.
Rocky grabbed the yellow and pink Zeonisers and threw the red one at Adam, "I'll take these two and I'll tell where to go on the way", he said to Adam. With a quick touch of their belt buckles, they both teleported away to their destinations.
Angel Grove Park
In a quiet corner of the park, two teenage girls were in the middle of a work out. Katherine 'Kat' Hillard was demonstrating a couple of new fighting techniques she had developed over the summer. Even though she was completely free of the ninja spirit that had possessed her last year, she had retained most of Sakura's knowledge of martial arts. To help her put a positive spin on her experience, Jason had suggested tailoring some of the moves to fit her personality.
Kat had been a dancer since she was a small child. It had taken a backseat to her diving ambitions as she grew up but she had retained enough knowledge to be an accomplished dancer. Initially everyone had laughed when she said she was going to try and combine ballet with martial arts. They soon stopped though when she demonstrated her pirouette kick, a version of a spin kick where she turned on the spot several times, delivering a blow with each spin.
"I'm not so sure about this", the other girl began.
"Don't be silly Tanya", Kat replied, "you've have great rhythm so you should be able to get this".
"But martial arts and dance?" Tanya questioned. Tanya Sloan and Kat had become great friends over the summer. They had always felt slightly on the outside with the other teens and they had bonded over this. Tanya was a fantastic singer and loved anything to do with music. It was true that she had natural rhythm but her knowledge of martial as was basic at best.
"Just trust me T", Kat encouraged.
Tanya nodded and began to focus, however, her concentration was disrupted by the appearance of several cogs. "What the hell are these things", Tanya shouted.
"No idea but they don't look friendly", Kat replied as she tried to kick one away but it was extremely strong. "Ok they're built stronger than the Doros were", she mumbled.
"Little help over here", Tanya cried as she struggled to shake off several cogs who had a tight grip on her arms. She pushed a couple of them away but the cogs just kept on coming.
Suddenly there was a flash of blue and a figure appeared in front of them. The two girls gasped as a blue power ranger stood in front of them but in a different suit than before.
"Zeo III Power Axes", the ranger called and a pair of hand held axes with a triangular shaped blade appeared in his hands. With ease, the blue ranger sliced through several of the mechanical footsoldiers. He cleared a path towards the forest on the edge of the park.
The blue ranger held out his hand to the two girls, "Come with me if you want to live", he began before laughing to himself, "I've always wanted to say that".
"Rocky?" Kat asked.
"Man I didn't think you'd figure it out so quickly", the blue ranger grumbled, "quickly let's take shelter and I'll explain", he lead them away into the trees, safe from the cogs. When he was sure that the cogs hadn't followed him, he stopped and took off his helmet.
"Man I knew you guys were Power Rangers but it's still freaky to see it" Tanya said as she looked Rocky over.
"There's no time for a full explanation", Rocky began, "Zordon and Alpha survived and rebuilt the Command Center. The things that attacked you are part of an evil force called the Machine Empire".
"Ok so what's that got to do with us?" Tanya asked.
Rocky sighed, "I was getting there. Zordon made new powers from the Zeo crystals and only the one's chosen by the crystals can use its powers". He reached behind his back and produced the pink and yellow zeonisers.
"Oh no, I can't be a Power Ranger", Tanya complained. Kat though slowly reached out and took the pink morpher out of Rocky's hand. She was bathed in a pink light before noticing the zeonsiers were attached to her wrists.
"Rocky's right and it all makes sense", Kat began. "My Nusiachi powers were derived from the pink zeo crystal so it makes sense that it would chose me". She then address Tanya directly, "And your parents found the yellow crystal, who better to use its powers".
Tanya still looked uncertain and just stared at the yellow zeoniser in Rocky's gloved hand. "But I don't know the first thing about being a Power Ranger", Tanya cried, "I don't have the fighting skills you guys have".
"I didn't know what I was doing the first time", Rocky confessed. "Zordon summoned me, Aisha and Adam to replace rangers that had been injured in a battle. It was only meant to be temporary and look at me now", he ran his arms through the air to show off his new suit.
"I'm still learning as well", Kat added, "I didn't know a single martial arts move until a year ago, now I'm teaching them to other people".
Tanya still didn't look convinced and turned away from the other teens. Kat and Rocky placed a hand on her shoulders to try and reassure her, "The Zeo crystal wouldn't have chosen you if it didn't think you could do it", Rocky stated.
Kat nodded in agreement, "All you need to do is believe".
Tanya nodded and reached out for the Zeoniser but before she could grab it, the cogs discovered their location. The metal warriors surrounded the teens, leaving them no option but to fight their way out.
"Looks like it's now or never", Rocky called out as he thrust the Zeoniser into Tanya's hand. She was bathed in a similar light as Kat was earlier, except in yellow.
Rocky replaced his helmet and summoned his Power Axes again. He charged straight into the swarming cogs and started slicing away.
Kat activated her Zeonisers and looked at Tanya, "Don't worry you'll be fine".
Tanya's face hardened into a masked of resolve and she too flicked her wrists to start the morphing process. Kat smiled, "I've been dying to say this, it's morphin time".
"Zeo Ranger I Pink"
"Zeo Ranger II Yellow"
The girls paused to inspect their new outfits, "Wow", Tanya gasped as he put her gloved hands to her helmet, "this is awesome".
"You can admire yourself later Tanya", Kat called out as she ran off to join Rocky. The new pink ranger used all of her grace and poise to dodge several cogs. She then grabbed the two nearest to her and smashed their metal heads together, disabling them.
Another cog opened it's head and fired off a round of laser fire. Kat dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding the blast, "Don't fancy getting hit by that", she muttered, "Zeo I Power Disk". She summoned her special weapon to her hands and used it to block another burst of laser fire. Kat then threw the disk like a frisbee into the cogs. Several of them her decapitated by the projectile, rendering them useless.
Tanya wasn't faring quite as well as the others and her limited martial arts knowledge was showing. A cog caught her by surprise and knocked her into a tree. As she rubbed her ribs, Tanya noticed that three cogs were closing in on her.
"Tanya use your special weapon", Rocky called out.
"How?"
"Just think it", Rocky replied as he disabled another cog, "and it'll appear in your hand".
"Ok, I'll give it a try". Under her helmet she closed her eyes and concentrated on her weapons. Almost automatically she called out, "Zeo II Power Clubs", and a pair of yellow nunchucks appeared in her hands. "I can't believe that worked", she said to herself before turning back to the cogs, "Alright metal brains, you're history".
Tanya had never used nunchucks in her life but to her surprise she was now an expert. The first cog fell to her initial swing, before she knocked off the head of a second. She spun both of her Power Clubs in her hands before approaching the final cog. In a blur of yellow the cog was practically shredded by the impact, collapsing in a pile at the feet of the yellow ranger.
"See you're a natural", Rocky said as he approached Tanya, "although remind me not to get on your bad side".
"That's the last of them", Kat stated as she approached the others, "these powers are amazing".
Rocky's communicator chimed and he raised is arm to his mouth, "Rocky here".
"Rocky", Adam's voice called out, "I could use some help over here".
"Right I'll bring the other two rangers with me", he replied before turning to Kat, "do you still have your communicator?" he asked.
"Never leave home without it", she replied and she held up her left arm.
"Awesome we need to meet Adam at the race track", Rocky began, "sounds like him and the new red ranger are in trouble". Rocky then hit the teleport button and disappeared in a flash of blue light.
Kat took hold of Tanya's arm, "Hold on, your first time will be the worse", she too then teleported away, taking Tanya with her.
TO BE CONTINUED
A/N – Here's part two, explaining how Zordon and Alpha survived and introduced two further rangers. Other than that not much else to say about it. Thank you for the positive response to chapter 1, please keep your comments coming.