Author's Note: I am glad you all enjoyed the first chapter. Here is a second one to tire you all over until I can get chapter three out. I want to try and get as far as chapter 10 written up before I go ahead and post any more. We'll see how the process goes.
Rating: T for safety.
Dedications: Thank you to: Alex B Goode, Grapejuice101, Starpower21, Timjudd341, Skyfrost14, CamaroDude1989, Thunderyoshi, Redder45, Pinkrangerfan, Jessfairy88, Powerrangerzrock, Seraphis88, Powerrangersfan364 and Toribaskett15.
I don't own Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. But I do own any original characters that are of my own creation.
Title: Raising the Stakes
Summary: After Lord Zedd arrives on the moon to complete the task that Rita has failed to do, the Rangers must take on new Thunderzords in order to battle him. Unfortunately with three Rangers leaving, a new power source is needed in order to keep the team from collapsing.
"Wait, look, he didn't freeze all the Zords" said Nuala, pointing at a parting in the clouds as the Dire Wolf and Tyrannosaurus Zords ploughed through. The Dire Wolf was hunched down, close to the ground, allowing the frozen air to fly over it.
Jason nodded and turned to Nuala. "You ready?" he asked her. Seeing as both their Zords had been unaffected by the monster's spell, it was up to them two to save the day.
"Do I have a choice?" Nuala asked.
"Not really, no," Jason said.
"Then why did you ask?"
Jason rolled his eyes behind his helmet and turned back to the scene at hand. "Right. Come on, Nuala," he said, taking a step forward.
Nuala followed him but was quickly held back by Billy.
"Guys, wait," the blue Ranger said, pointing at the two Zords. They each glowed a faint red and silver, and then turned toe and trampled towards the humans.
"Whoa! Look out!" Jason yelled, diving aside. The others followed him, just as the area around them exploded.
"What's going on?" Nuala asked, looking up at the Dire Wolf. Its eyes were no longer their natural soft blue, but an inky black instead.
The Tyrannosaurus roared as the Dire Wolf snarled.
"They've turned on us," Jason said.
"Now what do we do?" Kim asked.
"Our only hope now is Tommy and his Dragonzord," said Nuala, mournfully.
~*Raising the Stakes*~
Ciaran watched the raging battle via the viewing globe. Behind him, Zordon and Alpha were re-energizing Tommy's power coin.
"I can temporarily strengthen your powers, Tommy," Zordon explained. "But I do not know how long they will last. Unfortunately, I cannot risk giving you much more."
Tommy nodded and looked up at his mentor. "It's alright, Zordon," he said. "I understand. How are the others doing, Ci?"
"Not good," Ciaran replied. "Most of the Zords are frozen, and the Dire Wolf and Tyrannosaurus have been turned against the Rangers. They need you and the Dragonzord."
"Right," said Tommy, putting on his helmet. "I'm out of here."
There was a flicker of green and he disappeared.
"And may the power protect them all," Zordon said.
"Zordon, is there any chance of re-routing the power of the Dire Wolf and Tyrannosaurus?" Ciaran asked.
"I'm afraid not, Ciaran," Zordon said. "The Rangers must save their Zords before we can administrate more powers."
Ciaran paused and glanced back at the giant floating head in a tube. "Wait, are you saying there is another level of power?" he asked.
"Yes," Zordon nodded.
"But the Rangers can't access it without their original Zords?"
Zordon nodded again.
Ciaran frowned. "That... kinda sucks," he murmured, turning back to the viewing globe.
~*Raising the Stakes*~
Arriving downtown, Tommy regrouped with the others.
"What's going on?" he asked, looking from each Ranger to the next.
"Fish face froze our Zords," Zack said, "and then turned the Tyrannosaurus and Dire Wolf against us."
"I'll call out the Dragonzord to protect us," Tommy said, raising his flute and blowing into it. The familiar three-piece tune sounded and the waters bubbled as the Dragonzord emerged from its depths.
Turning its attention away from the Rangers, the Tyrannosaurus roared and charged at the newcomer. The two clashed in the middle of the city with the Tyrannosaurus head-butting the Dragonzord, and the latter rebuffing by swinging its tail around. Suddenly the Dragonzord roared in agony as the Dire Wolf clamped its powerful jaws down on its tail.
Using its opponent's distraction to its advantage, the Tyrannosaurus whirled its tail around and hit the Dragonzord in the snout. Roaring in anger, the Dragonzord shifted its body weight and flung the Dire Wolf off of its tail and into the Tyrannosaurus, knocking them both down.
The Dire Wolf shook its head and rolled back to its paws. Unlike the Tyrannosaurus it was able to move around easier with four long legs, rather than struggle with one set of long legs and one set of short arms. So, while the Tyrannosaurus struggled to regain its footing, the Dire Wolf growled and lowered itself to the ground and crawled, stakingly, towards the Dragonzord.
The Dragonzord roared a warning at its friend. Since Tommy and Nuala shared a close bond as Rangers, both their Zords had bonded too.
"Hey, you two, it's not nice to fight each other," said Priahntis Head. The Dragonzord glowed a faint green, it roared and fired at the crouching Dire Wolf, but missed and hit the ground behind the Rangers instead.
The team cried out in alarm as they were thrown through the air due to the blast.
"Oh, no!" Tommy gasped. "They got the Dragonzord too!"
"This can't be happening!" said Jason in disbelief.
"Oh, what fun?" Priahntis Head shouted. "Your own Zords will finish you off."
In the midst of picking themselves up, Nuala paused and glanced up at the Zords. Her eyes widened as he breathing caught in her throat. "Uh, guys, I think we've got more pressing issues right now," she said, pointing at the three Zords.
They had each turned in the Rangers directions and readied their primary assault features. The Dire Wolf opened its jaws, revealing its ice blaster, as the Tyrannosaurus revealed its fire blaster and the Dragonzord armed its missiles. Each one was aimed directly at the Rangers.
"Look out!" Jason yelled. He grabbed Trini and Kim and shoved them towards the building to the left. The side door was already open making it easier for the two Rangers to rush inside. Zack and Billy followed with Jason pausing at the entrance and turning back to Nuala and Tommy, both of whom had yet to move. "Come on, you guys!" he called to his friends.
"Tommy, we gotta get out of here!" Nuala said, as the ground beneath her feet started to shake violently. "If we stay here, we're gonna get trampled."
"We've gotta help them," Tommy said.
"We can't do that if we're crushed!" Nuala said.
"Maybe I can distract them," Tommy suggested. "Just long enough for you and Jason to regain control."
"What if you can't?"
"We can't just give up," Tommy insisted. "We've got to at least try."
Nuala looked hesitant. But agreed nonetheless. "OK, fine," she said. "One try. If it doesn't work the first time, then we get out of here and rethink the plan. OK?"
"Alright," Tommy said, agreeing to the deal. He raised his flute to his lips and started to play again.
The Dragonzord raised its head to the noise. He recognised it through the fog that filled his mind, but at the same time he wanted to ignore it and go on destroying.
While Tommy distracted the Dragonzord, Nuala rushed to tell Jason the plan. The red Ranger nodded and took off with the silver Ranger through the abandoned building, the others, while slightly confused, followed after them at a quick pace.
Crashing through the door leading to the roof, Nuala and Jason looked around for their respective Zords. The Dire Wolf was closest, although it was crouched down, just beneath the rooftop, and looked ready to pounce onto Tommy.
"What are we doing up here?" Zack asked. "What's the plan?"
"Tommy said he'd try and distract the Zords," Nuala explained. "Leaving us to try and re-take control."
"You really think we can do that?" Kim asked.
"If we can get to them," said Jason. "We can try."
"Then let's do it," said Billy.
"Wait!" Trini called, pointing at the Dragonzord. It had broken free of Tommy's manipulations and turned its missiles onto the roof where the others were standing. It opened fire before either of the team had a chance to react.
Nuala screamed as the attack blew her, and the others, off of the building and back onto the floor of the alley. She groaned and shook her head, looking up at her faithful Dire Wolf. "Tommy," she said into her communicator. "It's not going to work."
"Nuala's right, Tommy," Jason added. "We need to regroup."
"Right. I'm on my way," Tommy replied.
"We better get back to the command centre," Jason said, turning to the others.
They nodded in agreement and, as soon as Tommy had joined them, they each disappeared.
~*Raising the Stakes*~
Ciaran looked around as the team returned. They looked battle weary, and he couldn't blame them.
"Zordon, we lost our Zords," Jason said.
"That's it," Zack said. "We're history."
"I can't believe this is how it ends," Trini said, looking downtrodden.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Kim asked, looking up at her mentor.
Zordon shook his head. "I'm afraid there is nothing that could ever give the Zords enough power," he said. "You now need stronger new Zords, equipped with the power of thunder to defeat Lord Zedd."
"New Zords?" Tommy asked.
"The power of thunder?" Billy asked. "What do you mean, Zordon?"
"Follow me, Rangers," Alpha said, turning away from the super computer. He walked the length of the command centre and disappeared through a side door.
The Rangers exchanged looks and followed him. They found Alpha waiting for them outside; he was standing on the edge of the cliff overlooking the vast desert outside of Angel Grove, within which stood huge, never-before-seen Power Zords.
The head of the group was a large red dragon. Its eyes glowed bright in the dim light of the clouds.
"Jason, you will control the red dragon Thunderzords, its power is fierce and true," said Zordon.
A great yellow griffin followed the dragon towards the command centre. It's call earning to its commander.
"Trini, yours shall be the Griffin Thunderzords, swift and accurate."
A black lion pawed at the ground. Its eyes glowed a bright yellow and its roar echoed for miles.
"Zack, the Lion Thunderzords will have courage and strength."
The clouds parted and a blue horse with a horn on its forehead stampeded through.
"Billy, your Unicorn Thunderzords has mythological powers and wisdom."
A shrill cry ripped through the air as a pink bird twirled through the clouds.
"Kimberly, the Firebird Thunderzords shall be yours, strong and agile."
A flicker of silver dust sprinkled over the Rangers as a small fairy-like creature flittered through the sky.
"Nuala, the Sprite Thunderzords shall answer to you, she may be small but she is powerful," Zordon said. "When joined together all shall form the Thunder Megazord."
Nuala laughed lightly as her new Zord fluttered around her, and then rejoined the rest of the Zords in the sky. "These new Zords are amazing," she said, mesmerized.
"Wait, what about Tommy?" Ciaran asked, noticing that the only Ranger without a new Zord was the green one.
"It's not yet known whether or not Tommy's powers will remain," Alpha explained.
"It's alright, guys," Tommy said with a heavy sigh. "We knew this might happen. I just wish there was something I could do about it."
Kim smiled sadly as she put her hand on Tommy's shoulder.
"When do we take control of the new Zords?" Trini asked.
"It is important that we regain control of the old Zords first," Alpha said.
The team sighed. They should've guessed that gaining new powers shouldn't have been as easy as it seemed.
"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, guys," said Jason, unable to tear his gaze away from the new Zords.
"That's an understatement," Nuala murmured.
"Come on," said Jason, leading the way back into the command centre. "We'll think of something."
Nuala heaved a heavy sigh and wrapped an arm around Ciaran as they followed the others. She was fresh out of ideas on how to regain control of her Zord. The Dire Wolf was more than just a hunk of metal to her, it was her friend, it had been there for her when times were tough, and had actually been the reason behind her escape from Tommy when he had been the evil green Ranger.
"Anything yet, Alpha?" Trini asked.
After showing the Rangers the new Zords, Alpha had begun working on a solution to free the old ones from Lord Zedd's grasp. Every time one of the Rangers had come up with an idea, it had fallen through before they had even got to executing it.
"Only a few statistics that I must analyse more thoroughly," Alpha replied.
"Here. Let me help you," Billy said, taking the paper from the robot and reading over the data printed on it.
Zack stood up from the step he'd been sitting on with Kim, and patted Tommy on the arm as he passed the green Ranger. Tommy, on the other hand, was looking anxious, he keep rubbing his hands over one another and was staring into space.
"There's gotta be a way," he said, looking up at Zack.
"Hey, hang on, I think I've got something," Billy said, looking up from the data Alpha had collected.
"What is it?" Trini asked.
"Well, if we build a device that will interfere with Lord Zedd's signal," Billy said. "We should be able to release the Zords."
"Like reprogramming them," Jason said, catching on faster to what Billy was suggesting.
"Exactly," Billy nodded. "I think I have all the available equipment back at my lab."
"Alpha, Billy, good work," Zordon praised. "We have no time to lose. Lord Zedd's monster must be stopped."
"I'll teleport back to the lab with you, maybe I can help," Trini said to Billy.
"Thanks," Billy nodded.
"OK, go," said Jason.
Billy and Trini each disappeared, leaving their friends to sigh and wait for their return.
"I hope this works," Nuala said, resting her head back against the underside of the super computer.
Ciaran sat beside her, his head resting against her arm. "Me too," he said, hopefully.
Not long after Billy and Trini had left, did the alarms start blaring, alerting the Rangers left behind to trouble in the city.
"Zordon, what's happening?" Tommy asked.
"Since taking control of your Zords, Lord Zedd is confident that he has defeated you," Zordon explained. "He has ordered his monster to attack."
"But Billy and Trini haven't had enough time to finish the device yet," said Ciaran, jumping up.
"We can't wait for them," Jason said. "We've gotta morph."
"I'm with you," Zack agreed. "There's no telling what that fish is up to next."
"Rangers, I understand your concern," Zordon said. "But without your Zords you will not be able to defeat this monster, and might be seriously hurt."
"If we don't do something, then someone else is going to be seriously hurt!" Nuala argued.
"Angel Grove and the world cannot afford to lose its only protectors," Zordon responded.
"Nuala's right, Zordon, we can't just sit around and wait," said Jason, placing a hand on Nuala's shoulder to try and calm her.
"There's nothing we can do?" Zack asked.
"Patience, Power Rangers, Billy and Trini will not let you down," Zordon said.
Ciaran shook his head and turned away from Zordon. His gaze caught sight of the viewing globe and a gasp escaped his lips. "Nuala!" he cried.
"What?" Nuala asked, turning to her brother.
"Look, the monster is heading for the rally," Ciaran said, pointing at the globe.
Nuala turned her gaze onto the looking glass. "Guys, we can't just sit here and do nothing," she said, looking to her friends. "If he can take control of our Zords, then he can take control of anything mechanical."
"Zordon, we've got to do something!" Zack said. He was starting to feel restless and useless by just standing around and not doing anything. He and his friends were supposed to be Power Rangers, they had sworn to protect the city and the world, not watch as it was destroyed.
"Alpha, contact Billy and Trini," Zordon ordered.
"Right away, Zordon," Alpha said, opening a connection between the blue and yellow Rangers.
"Billy, Trini, have you finished the device yet?" Zordon asked.
"Negative. We're still working on it," Billy replied.
"Yeah, hopefully we'll get it done soon," Trini added.
Nuala shook her head and wheeled around to face her friends. "We can't afford to wait," she said.
"This monster could do a lot of damage in the time it takes for them to finish that device," Tommy agreed.
"Zordon, we've got to morph," Jason said, taking the lead. "Maybe we can at least slow the monster's progress."
"Alright, Rangers," Zordon said, realising that he couldn't stop them. "But only because the situation is urgent."
"Please be careful," Alpha urged.
"Tell Billy and Trini to meet us there," Kim said, as she fell into step beside Nuala.
"Back to action!" Jason commanded, as he and the others disappeared.
~*Raising the Stakes*~
The team arrived in the middle of the rally point. Around them they could hear the distant roars of several engines, but were unsure whether or not the engines were getting closer or further away.
"All right. Stay alert, everyone," Jason said, reminding his friends of the dangers that surrounded them.
"I don't see the monster anywhere," Zack said, looking around.
"Or the Zords," Tommy added.
"The monster's here somewhere," said Kim. "I can almost smell it."
"Let's look around," said Jason. "But be careful, and stick together."
The others nodded and followed him off down the trail. Unbeknownst to them they were being watched from the moon by Zedd as his telescopic vision.
Trudging down into an open area just off the beaten track, the Rangers stopped and glanced at one another. They were standing in the exact same location that they had seen on the viewing globe, but the monster was nowhere to be found.
"Alright, I'll bite," said Nuala. "What the hell is going on? I mean, we're in the right place."
"Yeah, so where is this guy?" Tommy asked.
"He's got to be around here somewhere," Kim said.
Loud laughter caught their attention, causing them to look up. The monster was standing on the ridge behind them. "Looking for something, Rangers?" he asked.
"There he is!" Tommy said, pointing him out.
"In the flesh," Zack said. "Or should I say scales?"
"Let's go!" Jason said, running forward. The others followed him, but the monster had other ideas and quickly disappeared.
"Where'd he go?" Nuala asked, sliding to a stop at the base of the ridge.
"Hold on, Nuala," Kim said, grabbing her friends arm and holding her back. "Look!" she pointed at the small patrol of putties that appeared seconds after the monster had taken off.
"Aw man!" Zack complained. "It's a trap."
"Remember, guys, aim for the 'Z'," Jason said, pulling back his fist and racing forward. He punched an oncoming foot soldier in the chest causing it to explode instantly.
Kim jumped as a putty tried to sweep her legs out from under her, when she landed she kicked behind her, hitting another putty in the chest and causing him to explode.
Whipping around Zack grabbed a putty by the arm and flipped it over his shoulder, and knocking another one down. He then jumped up and over another that stood behind him, before kicking it in the butt. With most of his putties down, Zack grabbed the arm of a fourth putty, kicking him and hitting it in the chest. It exploded.
Tommy flipped over numerous times before landing amongst the putty patrollers. He kicked two in the chest and sent them stumbling back into two more; as the first two exploded their flailing arms hit the two others and destroyed them like dominoes.
"Nuala, look out!" Jason called. He grabbed the silver Ranger's hand and pulled her forward. Nuala clutched tightly onto Jason's grasp and propelled herself forward, kicking at a Putty that had tried to creep up on her friend; she hit it in the 'Z' and destroyed it, while Jason doubled kicked two more putties that had tried to take Nuala out.
"Thanks, Jase," Nuala said, turning to the red Ranger.
Jason nodded and looked around at his friends. Kim and Tommy had regrouped and Zack was doing a victory dance.
"Hey, you two all right?" Tommy asked, jogging over to Jason and Nuala. The pair nodded.
"Yeah, but the monster's gone," Nuala said, looking around and realising they were alone again.
"We'll get him next time," Tommy said. "Right now we need to figure out what Lord Zedd's next move is going to be."
"What about the Zords?" Kim asked.
"Billy and Trini should be finished by now, right?" Nuala asked, she raised her communicator, but before she could contact either of her missing friends, Zack pointed at something over her shoulder.
"Aw no, look who is back," said the black Ranger.
Nuala turned to see Priahntis Head stalking towards them.
"It's show time, Rangers!" he said, putting his fin to his jaws. He blasted the ground, a few feet away from the team of five, and called forth the Tyrannosaurus, Dragonzord and the Dire Wolf, all of which had been frozen until they were needed.
Jason pointed to a small hill nearby. "Take cover!" he said, pushing Kim and Nuala forward first. The two girls reached the hill before the others and tucked down out of sight, but leaving just enough space to peer out over the top. They saw Jason, Zack and Tommy laying on the ground, withering in agony.
"Guys!" Kim yelled.
"No, stay there!" Jason shouted. He and the guys had already been caught in the Zords path of destruction; he didn't want them to be hurt too. Although he didn't want anything remotely serious to happen to himself, Zack or Tommy, if, in the event that it did, it would be up to Kim and Nuala to keep fighting until Billy and Trini were ready.
Nuala hesitated as she watched the Tyrannosaurus, the Dire Wolf and the Dragonzord tower over her fallen friends. "We gotta do something," she said, looking back at Kim.
"Yeah, but what?" Kim asked with a small shrug.
"I don't know," Nuala said, shaking her head. "There's gotta be a way to get through to the Zords. Maybe if I can get close enough, I can... I don't know... talk to the Dire Wolf, or something. He and I share a bond; it can't be that hard to break, can it?"
Kim shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know, Nuala," she said. "Whatever hold Zedd has over our Zords, it seems pretty strong to me. Besides, if you go out there, and it doesn't work, you'll be a sitting duck."
"We're sitting ducks now," Nuala protested. "We need... we need..." she gasped and lifted her communicator, opening a link to the power chamber. "Zordon, we need the new Zords!"
"The new Zords are on standby, Nuala," Zordon replied. "However they cannot be activated until the device allowing you to control your old Zords is completed."
"TOMMY!" Kim yelled as the area surrounding Tommy, Jason and Zack exploded again and the three guys were thrown through the air.
Nuala caught Kim's hand as she tried to rush out from behind the hill, above them the three Zords roared and snarled, as their attention shifted from the three guys' and onto the two girls'. Lowering itself to the ground, the Dire Wolf crept away from the Dragonzord and the Tyrannosaurus, and stalked towards Nuala and Kim.
"Winter, don't!" Nuala yelled desperately. But her Zord paid no attention to the desperation in her voice.
"I don't think he's listening, Nuala," Kim said, taking a hesitant step backwards.
Nuala felt her heart skip a beat. The Dire Wolf was less than a few yards from her and Kim, running was out of the question, the Wolf could've easily frozen them in their tracks before they got a good distance away, plus the two refused to run away and leave their friends.
"What are we going to do?" Kim asked, gripping Nuala's arm tightly.
"I don't know," Nuala said, shaking her head. "But Billy and Trini need to hurry... because I don't think we can last much longer."
Copyrighted ©
Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx
Chapter updated Tuesday, January 20, 2015 at 12:57am