Space, the Eltarian Solar System

T-minus 24 hours.

The solar system of five planets hung like magnificent jewels in a sea of bright stars. One planet in particular stood out amongst the others, bright blue and green, a glistening gem among a sea of diamonds. Everything was peaceful and still… until it appeared.

At the very edge of the system the space began to ripple like water, a bright blue light pierced through at the centre and quickly expanded to form a tunnel. It hung in space, energy swirling around the vortex. After a few moments the energy began to pulse, faster and faster until a huge craft emerged. It was the size of a small city and was made up of a large saucer section with four large engines set into the hull at regular intervals towards the back. Along the edge of the saucer were a number of inverted tubes that slowly began to glow with a menacing red energy.

The ship moved away from the vortex which quickly folded in on itself and blinked out of existence. The ship remained still for a moment before turning towards the blue green planet. The engines fired with a blue brilliance and it began the final leg of its long journey.

Power Rangers Endgame

1x01 – Primal, Part I

by Andrew Maddox

Seraph's Glade, Eltar

T-Minus 14 hours

The final bell sounded and Zee looked up at the clock, a smile on his thin but handsome face. Finally the day was over. A few friends had organised to watch The Gladers playing Hyperball against the Wardens in a few hours and he was determined not to miss the pre game show.

Jumping out of his seat, he shoved the Pad into his bag before hurrying over to the door of the classroom. He narrowly avoided a collision with a fellow classmate as he reached the door, shouted a word of apology as it slid open and he disappeared through it.

He hurried out of the front entrance of The Seraph Institute of Higher Learning and turned towards the parking lot. As he approached, a high pitched horn caught his attention and he looked over to see a vehicle waiting on the road between the school and the parking lot. Standing next to the open door was a familiar face.

"Ajax," he called as he headed over. "What're you doing here?"

"Just checking in on my favourite brother," he called back cheerfully as Zee approached. They hugged briefly, clapping each other on the back.

"Its a long way to come from the Eltarian Council just to check on your little brother," Zee replied doubtfully. "What's going on?"

Ajax paused briefly before giving Zee a serious look. "You know what tomorrow is don't you."

Zee's smile faltered and a hard look came over him. "I'm not coming."

"You have to," his brother implored him. "The council wants us all there, me you and Ellia. You know what this means to our people."

"I know and I don't care," Zee replied. "Why should I go and act like the dutiful son. That man was crazy AJ and you know it."

"That man was our father Zerec and a national hero, he brought our people together during the uprising and single-handedly united the planet."

"He also thought we were going to be invaded by aliens and wiped out."

Ajax swept a hand through his short brown hair with an exasperated sigh, "That was the illness talking and you know it."

"Look, I loved the man and you know that Ajax but he was insane. After what he did..."

"He didn't mean it you know," Ajax replied quietly placing a hand on Zee's arm. "He deeply regretted what he did."

"I know but it still happened and I cant forgive him… not yet anyway. Maybe one day," Zee said before forcing a smile on his face. "Anyway, gotta run. The game is on soon."

"OK but think about it please, Lunch tomorrow?"

"Ill check my Comm and get back to you," he said brightly as he turned to leave.

"Make sure you do," Ajax called as he watched the white haired youth walk away. A buzzing on his wrist alerted him to a notification on his Comm. He glanced at the screen with a frown before getting back in his car and driving away.

Seraph's Glade, Eltar

T-Minus 10hours

"Pass the chips," Breen shouted giddily as he stared transfixed at the screen. The Gladers had just scored their fourth goal of the evening and the mood in the room was jubilant. "This is the best year the Gladers have had!" he shouted shoving the chips into his mouth. "Did you see that Zee?"

Zee was sat next to him staring at the screen but his mind wasn't on the game. He was still thinking about what his brother had said to him and as much as he wanted to ignore it he just couldn't.

"Hey," Breen said poking him in the side playfully. "Eltar to Zee, where's your head at man?"

"Sorry," Zee replied. "Yeah its great. I'm gonna go get more snacks from the Replomat. You want

anything."

"Yeah, grab me a Xagnut bar will ya."

"Sure," Zee replied absently, immediately forgetting the request as he got up and headed for the kitchen. Walking in, he slumped against the counter and signed.

"You look like the weight of the worlds about to crush you," a voice said, shocking the young man from his thoughts. He spun around to find a girl in the far corner mixing a drink.

"Cera, you nearly gave me a heart attack! What are you skulking around for," he asked slightly more angrily than he intended.

"Woah, tone it down and I could ask the same thing. What's up?"

Abashed, Zee shock his head and smiled at his long time friend. "Sorry, I was a million light years away. I was just getting some food, did you see that last goa..."

"Yeah yeah, now what's really up. I've known you a long time Zerec and I know when your trying to change the subject."

"It's nothing really," Zee replied. "My brother just came to see me this afternoon and it brought a few things back that's all.

Cera moved around the room and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You wanna talk?"

"Not really," he said patting her hand absently. "You know how things between me and my dad were towards the end. He kicked me out just because I wouldn't listen to his stupid theories. I don't owe that man anything and yet my brother still tries to guilt me into stuff just because he was a hero like a million years ago."

"Hey, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. If you do wanna go though, I can always come with."

"Nah, its fine but thanks. I think I'm gonna head home. I'm not exactly in the mood to celebrate right now. Will you let the others know?"

"Sure," Cera said watching her friend grab his coat and head for the door. "Hey, I'm here for you Zee, you know that right?"

"Of course," he answered with a smile. "I'm awesome."

"You're a dumbass!" she cheekily replied as she watched him leave.

Seraph's Glade, Eltar

T-Minus 0hours

An annoying buzz infiltrated Zee's dreams, pulling him from the comfort of sleep. Groggily he opened his eyes and swatted at the comm unit on the night stand, trying to silence the relentless noise. Eventually he found the snooze button and stabbed at it, the buzzing instantly ceasing. He glanced at the clock but couldn't make sense of the numbers that were illuminated on screen.

"5:00am?" he whispered to himself. "That can't be right."

He ran a hand through his short white-blonde hair, a look of confusion on his face. That's when he realised it hadn't been his wake up call at all, it was a news alert. He grabbed the comm and slapped it onto his wrist. He pressed a button and a screen sprang into life above, projected into the air above his arm.

"... e repeat," the news anchor said, struggling to hide the look of panic on his face. "The planet is under attack. Keep calm, head for the nearest shelter and please leave your possessions inside your homes."

Zee cancelled the feed with a wave of his hands and frowned. Under attack? It must be a joke. Groups hack the feed all the time spreading stories like this just to cause chaos. That must be what it is. Then he heard the explosions. Hurrying to the window, he hit a button causing the opaque surface to instantly clear, revealing the devastation outside.

Smoke hung all around the devastated area. Holes littered the roads and walkways where explosions had blasted the ground apart. People lay all around, bloodied and broken, some calling for help, others obviously unconscious or dead. Buildings were damaged, some with huge holes in them, others just completely destroyed.

Zee staggered backwards from the window, a look of horror on his face. A deep dread had taken hold within him, this seemed all too familiar. Suddenly his comm burst into life. Shakily he lifted his arm and saw the face of his brother staring back at him. He hit the receive button and his brothers concerned face sprung up as if from nowhere nowhere.

"Thank god you answered," he tinny voice exclaimed as it pumped out from the small speaker on the Comm. "I thought you might have been..."

"What the hell's going on?" Zee shouted. "The streets... and the news said."

"It's happened Zee," his brother stated.

"What's happened? The apocalypse because that's what it looks like."

"You know what I'm talking about. It's what Dad warned us about."

Zee stared at his brother in disbelief. "It cant be, this has to be some sort of mistake."

"I know but look around Zee. He said they were going to come eventually and now they have."

"Who's coming? This cant be happening," Zee said pacing the room.

"Well it is and you know what we have to do."

"What are you talking about?"

"Dad told us, if this were to happen we have to head for the old house."

"But that's miles away. The news says..."

"Just do it," Ajax said. If Dad was right about this then what else was he right about? I've already talked to Ellia and she's going to meet us there. And be caref...

The image distorted suddenly, warping until suddenly it vanished with the words 'call disconnected' flashing. The last thing he had seen before it disconnected had been a large red flash and an explosion in the background. Quickly, he called up Ajax's number and tried to call it back but the call wouldn't connect.

Panic gripped Zee's mind. Quickly he grabbed his clothes from the chair by his bed and threw them on before heading out of the house, intent on finding out what the hell was going on.

The streets were in disarray as Zee ran as quickly as he could towards their family home. It had been a while since he had last been there, not since his fathers death two years ago, and he wasn't eager to return if he was being completely honest but considering the circumstances what choice did he have.

Everywhere people were running, trying to find safety from the energy blasts raining down from the sky. Smouldering bodies lined the streets and every so often another blast from above would rock the ground.

A desperate cry from a nearby alleyway caught Zee's attention and he headed for it. As he passed the entrance he saw a woman lying on the ground. She was pinned under some rubble that had fallen from above and was desperately trying to pull herself out from beneath it. She saw him watching her and hope touched her features.

"Hey, I'm stuck. Please get me out of here."

Zee looked around for something to use to help her and spotted a crowbar lying nearby. He grabbed it and ran to the woman, wedging it between the ground and the girder that was pinning the woman's leg.

"This might hurt," he said as he took the strain and pushed. At first the girder barely shifted. The woman's cries intensified as Zee put all his strength into moving the bar, his arms bulging with the strain. Suddenly the girder shifted and then slip over freeing the woman. She moved quickly and, after cautiously examining her leg she looked up at him gratefully.

"Thanks," she said between sobs. "What's going on. I woke up to screams and explosions and then as I fled I got trapped by the building collapsing."

"I don't know," Zee replied truthfully. "The news says to get to the shelters, do you know where they are?"

The woman nodded. "I think so."

"Good, go."

The woman hurried over to the mouth of the alleyway before looking back at her savoir. "What about you? Aren't you coming? What if something else happens?"

"You'll be fine," Zee replied reassuringly. "I'll be right behind you."

The woman smiled her gratitude and then hurried away to the west towards the shelters. Zee walked over to watch her go before going the opposite direction towards his fathers home.

Angel Grove, Earth

The locker door slammed shut in his face, startling Ryan from the daydream he had been in for the last few minutes. He turned to see the cheeky smile of his best friend Sara.

"What was that for?" he asked her with mock annoyance.

"Just keeping you on your toes," she replied happily. "Too much thinking makes Ryan a dull boy."

"Thanks for that, and we're friends again because...?

"Because you love me and can't live without my guidance and optimism," she replied with a flick of her long blonde hair.

The truth was that they had been friends for a long time and they couldn't be more different. She was tall, outgoing with a happy smile on her face at all times where Ryan was the polar opposite, quiet with a serious nature. He wore his dark hair fairly long, often letting it hang around his face keeping it hidden. And yet despite their differences, somehow they fit together.

"Something like that."

"So, what's got you so deep in thought today?"

Ryan sighed. "The usual."

"Your Dad?"

"Yeah, It's OK. Don't worry about it. It's nothing new anyway."

Sara put a comforting arm around her friend. "Seriously, You know I'm here for you right?"

"I know," he replied with a smile. "Families hey, you cant choose them. It's just he's always off trying to save the world but when I need him he's never around. It's frustrating is all."

Sara turned him around and led him towards the schools exit. "And that is why you have me to take your mind off of it. You fancy a coffee or something?"

"Sure, sounds like a plan. I'm buying though."

"Twist my arm why don't you."

They headed off arm in arm but as they reached the door, Ryan stumbled into someone blocking the exit. Slowly he turned round, a scowl on his face.

"What the hell?" he said menacingly.

Ryan cursed inwardly. Of all the people to bump into it had to be Nathan Davies. The two had never been on the best of terms. Like Ryan and Sara, they were total opposites only with Nathan those differences created friction rather than friendship. It didn't help that Nathan was also a total Jock as opposed to Ryan's quieter, bookish nature.

"Sorry," Ryan mumbled as he attempted to walk by. Nathan stuck out an arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"I said, what the hell," Nathan repeated.

"Just lay off Nathan," Sara said moving to stand in between them.

"Protecting your boyfriend I see, typical Ryan hiding behind a girl."

"I am not hiding," Ryan said, glaring at Sara as his anger began to rise.

"That's not what it looks like to us," Nathan said, sharing a smile with his jock buddies.

Sara moved forward, poking Nathan in the chest with her finger. "It's not Ryan's fault you weren't looking where you were going."

"Sara, I don't need your help to deal with this guy," Ryan said.

"I'm just..."

"No Sara," Ryan exploded causing everyone in the corridor to stop talking and stare in their direction. Ryan looked around, his face growing red. He then turned tail and stormed out of the hall as quickly as he could.

"Ryan," Sara called after him but he carried on walking until he turned a corner and out of sight. "Now look what you did."

"Hey its not my fault your boyfriend's more of a girl than you are."

Sara rounded on the jock, anger flashing in her eyes. "Ryan's more of a man than you will ever be you sexist jerk."

"Whatever, go run to your 'manly' boyfriend then," he said before walking away with his group, sniggering.

Sara watched him leave and then glanced in the direction that Ryan had stormed off in. With a sigh she headed off in the same direction.

Seraph's Glade, Eltar

Eventually Zee found himself on the street he had grown up on only now there was practically nothing left standing. The houses had been levelled, rubble everywhere. Walking up to the house, or more accurately what was left of it, Zee began to panic. There was no sign of his brother or sister and if they had been there before the house had been destroyed then... It didn't even bare thinking about.

A scream filled the air suddenly and he spun around to find a number of people running down the street away from him. He looked toward the other end of the street and saw what they were running from. A group of people were marching down the street but there was something wrong with the way they walked. They seemed to be shuffling, like they couldn't walk properly. Looking closer, he saw that their skin was a sickly green colour and their eyes, something was wrong with their eyes. They were totally black and lifeless. They wore some kind of armoured suits and were carrying what looked like swords.

One of the strange beings noticed him and immediately turned in his direction. Zee began to walk backwards and found himself entering the ruins of the house. More of the creatures began to head in his direction and he backed up further until his foot hit a pile of bricks and he stumbled, falling to the ground.

"Please, I don't want any trouble," he said as they approached him but they seemed to ignore his pleas. They stepped over the threshold and raised their swords. Scrambling for something to protect himself with, he ended up against what used to be the fireplace. Suddenly his Comm unit made an odd sound.

"DNA scan successful, Teleport in progress."

Zee stared in confusion at his Comm as the strange creatures surrounded him. Just as they raised their weapon, a bright light surrounded him and when it died down he had vanished from view.

The Battleship Dreadnought, Above the planet of Eltar

The dark bridge was silent as the grave. Shadows obscured most of the features save for what looked like some sort of throne in the centre. A dark figure sat in the large chair a serious look on his face as he watched the multiple feeds from the planet below.

A door behind him hissed open and a figure emerged. Black hair obscured her face and her gold armour gleamed in the light from the monitors. She stopped before him and bowed.

"The attack is going as we had anticipated. The fools don't stand a chance against our army."

"Our army?" a deep voice rumbled dangerously.

The woman faltered before recovering. "Your army of course my lord."

"What of the coins?" The voice said, ignoring her reply.

"We haven't recovered them yet but I'm sure its just a matter of ti..."

"Silence," he bellowed standing up. "I need those coins, nothing else matters."

"I understand my lord, I will convey your orders immediately."

With that the dark haired woman left the bridge, leaving the man to his brooding.

"Those coins will be mine."

Seraph's Glade

Slowly Zee sat up, rubbing at his eyes to bring them into focus. He pushed himself up by his elbows and promptly threw up. Brushed his arm across his mouth, he looked up, noticing his surroundings for the first time. He seemed to be in a small room with no windows or doors. There was no anything in fact, just a small platform that he found himself lying on.

"Hello," he shouted, his words echoing around the small room. He strained his hearing but nothing answered back. He lifted an arm to use his Comm but it seemed to be dead.

"What the hell is going on here," he said to himself.

Slowly he stood up and paced the small room. The walls were all a uniform grey colour with no features or markings of any kind. There were no gaps of hinges or anything of consequence. After pacing the room for the fifth time, he angrily slammed his fist against the wall. Immediately, everything changed. The spot he hit glowed with a red imprint of his fist which quickly grew and spread until the whole wall glowed with a deep red light. Zee shielded his eyes until the glow faded and when he moved his arm the wall had become an archway leading into another small room, only this one wasn't empty.

In the middle of the room stood a table with a intricately carved wooden box sat onto. There was also an old fashioned flat screen set into the back wall of the like he hadn't seen in about 10 years.

Hesitantly he walked towards the table and as he crossed the threshold of the room, the screen quickly sprang into life displaying the image of a man in his late 40's. He had the same hair as the boy stood in front of the screen, only a little longer and peppered with grey. His eyes were also the same deep emerald green.

"Dad," Zee whispered.

The man on the screen smiled, although the smile seemed somewhat sad. "If you're seeing this message then the worst has happened and the Alliance has finally come to conquer our world. If that is the case then there is nothing anyone can do to stop them, at least not here. The box you see before you is why they are here and must be kept out of their hands at all costs. I programmed this room to respond to someone of my bloodline in an effort to both protect the coins and my family. Take the box and protect it from the evil it will attract. I'm sorry to place this burden upon you but it is our family's legacy and you must do this. Good luck and may the power protect you."

After saying this, his smiling image faded and Zee was left alone once again. None of this made any sense. His father had been right. After all these years of doubting him and the way they left things… This was all too much for Zee to take in. He looked down at the box and saw a lightning bolt etched into the surface of the lid. Slowly he reached out and placed his hand on the box. Suddenly another platform sprang to life beneath his feet and he felt the family tingling of the teleporter activating.

"Not again," he grimaced before vanishing in a beam of light once again.

The light faded and Zee found himself once again in the ruins of his former home, the exact same spot he had vanished from only minutes before, with the box clutched in his hands. Unfortunately he wasn't alone. The sickly looking humanoid creatures were still surrounding him, their weapons raised as if they had anticipated his return. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the inevitable pain. After a few moments nothing happened. Eventually he opened one eye and saw that the creatures had lowered their arms and were staring at the box in his hands.

They took a step back and the air a few feet away began to ripple. From out of the rippling air strode a cloaked figure. He was huge, twice the size of a normal man and heavily muscled, veins bulging on his cable like arms. He wore a leather harness across his broad chest and had a pike strapped to his back with a wicked looking blade in the hilt. His face was lizard-like with slits for a nose and red-green scales coving his skin from head to toe.

He glanced disdainfully at Zee until his eyes rested n the box and an excited longing look appeared in his reptilian eyes.

"Give it to me," he growled deeply, "and I will spare you life."

Zee looked between the monstrosity before him and the box in his hands, holding it closer to his chest instinctively.

"I... I cant do that?" Zee stammered as bravely as he could.

"You will do as I say human. Hand it over now or I will simply take it from your cold dead corpse."

Zee shrunk back as much as he could against the remains of the fireplace. He looked down at the box, desperate for a way to get away in one piece. For a moment, he considered the lizard-man's request but something on the box caught his attention. The lightning bolt etched in the lid wasn't the only thing there as he had first thought. At the end of the point of the bolt was a small yellow-gold stone. It blended in with the wood of the box so much so that it was barely noticeable, at least not unless light glinted off it. Staring at the small jewel, Zee felt an overwhelming need to touch it. Slowly he reached out a finger and as it brushed the surface everything went straight to hell.

The jewel flashed and a surge of energy burst out of it in a wave. The Lizard-man was thrown across the room and the alien soldiers were instantly incinerated by the energy. The box was now glowing with a white hot energy as it rose from his hands and began to spin like a spinning top. The energy built around it until suddenly it burst outwards again, creating a portal of energy that hung in the air in front of Zee.

The portal shimmered with white energy but at the centre was an image. It seemed to be of a park with trees and people walking around. There was no sign of the devastation that had rained down upon his world or of the alien creatures.

Zee hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do. Then he heard a shuffling and saw that the Lizard-man was up and about looking angry as hell.

"Get away from there now," he bellowed searching for his pike that had fallen somewhere amongst the rubble.

Seeing no other alternative, Zee stood and took one more look around his surrounds. Anywhere was safer than here for now, he had no choice. The box was hovering in front of the portal and as he walked up to the doorway he grabbed it. He approached the opening and with only a moment of hesitation, he stepped through into the unknown.

Angel Grove, Earth

Ryan stalked through the park, heading for the home. He thoughts were still on the confrontation he had had with Nathan back at school. Sara had meant well, he knew that but still he was angry with her for stepping up to Nathan. People at school already thought he couldn't look after himself and as for his father… That didn't even bare thinking about. The great Jason Lee Scott couldn't have a wimp for a son that was for sure. Not that his father had ever said as much but sometimes the way he looked at him…

Ryan shook away the thoughts and continued his march for home. As he passed a dense grove of trees a strange sound caught his attention. It sounded like a high pitched whine and as he listened it seemed to be getting loader. He moved into the grove and saw an amazing sight. At the centre was a glowing ball of light. It was small at first but getting bigger. Suddenly it exploded outwards, knocking Ryan to the ground. Looking up he saw that the ball had become some sort of opening. On the other side stood a white haired guy about his own age. Dirt and grime covered his torn, unfamiliar looking clothes. They were a metallic silver and of a design he had never seen before, at least not outside of a science fiction movie anyway.

He watched at the boy came closer to the portal before grabbing something and diving through the opening, falling to the floor right next to him. Ryan moved over to him, rolling over to reveal the boys face, his eyes half closed. He was mumbling something and held a wooden box tightly to his chest.

"Quick… Help...their coming..." he whispered before falling unconscious.

Unsure what to do, Ryan looked around for any help but he seemed to be alone. What could he do? Then he thought of his Dad, he might know what to do. The opening seemed to be shrinking in front of them as Ryan put an arm around the unconscious youth and half pulled, half dragged him out of the grove to safety.

After the two young men left the grove, the portal continued to shrink. Just as it seemed like it might collapse completely a figure came into view and dove through the portal, landing on the ground near where the boys had been only moments before. He stood up and watched as the portal vanished with a frown.

Pulling out a device from his belt, he used it to scan the surroundings. The readings seemed to annoy him as he angrily shoved it back where he had got it from. Then he lowered his body until he was on all fours. Slowly he began to sniff at the ground where his prey had been lying only moments before. After a few moments a wicked smile revealing row upon row of sharp white teeth sprang up on his face.

"Gotcha," he hissed.

To be continued...

Authors Note

Well here is the first chapter of the story. It's gone through a number of rewrites but I'm pretty happy with the results. Things might seem confusing, especially with the references to Eltar, but all will revealed in the next two episodes. It will all make sense in the end I hope. Thanks to the people who have already read, reviewed and favourited the story so far. I hope you continue to enjoy it and please let me know what you think about episode 1!