Chapter 2: The Road Less Travelled.

"What good is that?" Disbelief coursed through Tommy as he asked the same question that was on every ranger's mind. "The powers are gone."

"Wrong," Billy said, swiveling on his bar stool to study the faces of his concerned team. "The dynamic plasmas that were linked to your deoxyribonucleic acid have been nullified allowing you full synchronization."

The rangers looked at each other, then at Billy, then back at each other. Trini had always been the missing link to gap the space between Billy's brilliance and the ranger's reasoning. Exasperated, Billy sighed before trying again. "With Rita's evil purged, the magic she used to curse your powers has been lifted. There is no longer a power drain on the coin."

Jason stepped in first, catching on to where Billy was going. "Ok so Tommy can morph? Big deal." He fished for something in his pocket, a badly scarred gold coin. An embossed tyrranasouras filled the coin. "I've kept this ever since Rocky gave it back to me, and it's worth NOTHING," he stressed the final words. "Does anyone remember it almost killed Adam when he tried to morph. The Morphing Grid is too unstable."

Billy mustered back in. "No, it is not unstable, it is working perfectly fine. Adam almost died because his like our coins were damaged the last time we used them. They don't regulate the flow of power to the user and can have fatal repercussions. Besides, the Grid isn't something that can be destroyed. It's a field of good energy that gives us our powers."

"Like the Force," Zack chimed in. Everyone stared at him. "You know, like in Star Wars. It draws on all life and all that jazz."

"Kind of," Billy agreed. "Except it has nothing to do with life, otherwise right now that would be a serious issue for the Grid. It's more concentrated on the positive ac-"

"Fine, we get it," Jason interrupted. "So how is it that Tommy can morph and I can't?"

"Tommy's coin isn't damaged," Billy resumed. "Originally it ran on Rita's dark magic, but with that gone, we can reconnect Tommy to the Morphing Grid."

"So we get his powers back and then what," Kimberly asked smacking her lips together. "I mean one ranger versus four billion zombies?"

"Who said anything about just one ranger?" Billy smirked.

"You can get us back our powers," Jason asked.

"I can't guarantee anything," Billy said, raising his arms into the air. "But I think I can use the Dragon Coin to trickle feed power back into the other five coins to repair them."

Kimberly looked across the room, "Billy, there are only five us now. We don't have Trini, remember?"

All the rangers hung their heads, it was a stupid comment to make, even for Kim. Of course Billy knew, she was closest to him after all.

He pushed the glasses back on to his face. "I understand that, but the coins operate in tandem of each other so if I can restore one, I can restore them all. Besides, we'll need all the help we can get." He clenched his fists against his legs, the skin tightening even whiter. "For starters, we only have three coins in this room and I still have too much negative proton energy to morph again. "

Tommy had almost forgotten. During their time fighting Master Vile, Billy-already rangerless- had been caught in the explosion in the Command Center. As a result his body was filled with negative proton energy preventing him from reconnecting to the morphing grid. As an extra bonus, his body had begun aging rapidly and he had to be taken to Aquitar to under go treatments in their Eternal Falls rendering him immortal. The only reason Billy had returned in the first place was that his wife, Cestria, had been slain in the final days of destruction before Zordon's death.

"Plus," Billy added. "Adam still has the Mastadon coin so we need to find him. His last report was that he was shoring up the defenses in a town called Reefside. Adding him into the mix gives us five. Aisha still has the Sabertooth coin which puts her in Africa, one of the hotter spots of zombie activity."

"Wait a second," Zack spoke up. "If we are recruiting Adam, that means two Black rangers. How does that work?"

"You'll have to take up the Triceratops power," Billy chuckled.

"What," Zack choked. "Adam should have to."

Jason folded his arms smiling for the first time in a long while. "Why is that?"

Zack raised his arm and began pinching his skin. "See? Black guy equals Black Ranger."

"That's not fair," Tommy giggled. "Adam's already been plenty of different colors anyways. Now it's your turn. What's so wrong with blue," he asked his eyes tracking back to Billy.

"Nothing I guess" Zack said trying to not offend the former blue ranger. Tommy had put him in that rough spot on purpose.

"It will be easier to transfer the powers that way," Billy added.

"Besides," Kimberly laughed. "You'd look great in blue."

"And the Power Lance gives you the best range to fight the Z's with," Tommy added. Originally the Z's had been Lord Zedd's personal putty patrol. Now the name took on a whole new meaning.

Tommy punched his fist into his open hand as euphoria washed over him. Not only was he going to get his powers back, but he was finally going to be able to turn the tide of darkness that had swept across his home.

"So what are we waiting for," Tommy asked impatiently. "Let's go do this."

"I agree," Billy answered. "The satellite connections I've tapped to triangulate the coin are failing quickly, I have a general location, but it could be months before we have this opportunity again. As it is, it would take us weeks on foot to get there."

"That's not fast enough," Tommy said.

"You're right," Billy replied. "We'll have to use the RADBUG."

"I thought the RADBUG was our emergency plan," Kimberly added. "You said there's only enough energy for one or two more flights."

"You're right Kim," Billy said. "But we are coming to the end of the line here guys. Total projections for infection are reaching 80% of the global population. If we are going to do something,we have to do it quickly. As we stand we aren't doing much more than surviving, which to me isn't the same as living."

"Billy's right," Jason said. "It's time we drew our line in the sand. Make our stand, even with only one power ranger, that still shifts the balance in our favor."

Silence washed over the group as they all thought of the ramifications of what would happen next.

"I'm in," Zack said, thrusting his fist into the center of the group. "It's not like I've got anything else better to do with my time."

Jason smiled as he returned the gesture adding his own fist. "Glad to see buddy."

One by one, the others joined hands, Tommy the final one. "Let's take back our planet."

The rangers broke, heading off to grab miscellaneous gear to cram in the RADBUG. They were ready quickly with weapons and rations packed when Billy walked out from behind a curtain..

"They aren't Ranger suits but they are the next best thing. They're a light Kevlar-composite blend. They have their weakness in the joist for flexibility and I haven't exactly field-tested the, but every edge counts right? Plus I even colored in the piping for nostalgia.

Each of the rangers grabbed their appropriate color and put them on.

"See," Zach cheered. "Black baby, that's what I'm talking about. I'm like a ninja in this thing."

Tommy deflected one of his mockful karate stances and laughed. "Enjoy it while you can because you know it won't last."

"Shotgun," Zack said.

"That's ok, I prefer a rifle myself," Billy said.

"No man," Zack said. "I got front seat."

Everyone laughed as the team pushed the RADBUG into position on the lift, raising the car back into the real garage. Everyone climbed in as Zack paused.

"Do you hear that," he asked.

"I do," Billy said.

The two climbed out from the front seats and went to the garage door opening peep holes to see out. In front of them was a sea of zombies.

"There must be hundreds out there," Zack said.

"They must have tracked one of us," Billy returned. "In the joy of the news, I got lazy and forgot to set the perimeter defenses.

They walked back to the car to tell the other rangers.

"Just run them down with the RADBUG," Jason suggested.

"That won't work," Billy answered back. "There are too many delicate electronics on the shell, if even one of them gets tweaked, we could veer off course or worse, just simply explode."
"Then one of us has to be a decoy, and lead them off. Then get back to the car," Kim added.

Zack was the first to volunteer. "I'm the fastest person we got. I'll get them out of our way." He grabbed his two sawed off shot guns, pistols and axe and closed the door before the rangers could protest.

He slapped the button to the garage door and shook his body as if warming up. He looked back and gave a thumbs up before ducking under the door. Instantly they were on him. He unloaded both his shot guns forward blowing back a wall of undead. Dropping the guns he leaped through the hole he had created rolling to his feet and unsheathing his axe. The heavy weapon twirled around him as he danced through the zombies. Heads severed cleanly as his blade sliced through flesh and bone, it showed no hesitation. Finally seeing an open lane, he darted through, rounding the corner and screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Hey you boneheads, follow me!"

They watched Zack round the corner hearing him lure the zombies away. Slowly they turned to follow their assailant until all were out of sight.

"OK, go go go," Kim hurried.

"Right," Billy said, turning the ignition. Nothing happened.

"What's wrong," Jason asked.

"I don't know," Billy stuttered. "The energy flow is disrupted." He tried to turn the car again. He was greeted with the same choking response.

"I have to flush the current capacitor load," Billy said. "It must have frozen the system. It's going to take at least 45 seconds for a new charge to build."

"Just do it," Jason said, climbing out of the back seat and stepping outside of the car. "I'll cover you guys.

Seconds later Zack, was rounding the opposite corner, his lap completed. "They're all over the place," he said between gasping breaths. "Let' go."

"We can't," Jason said checking the safety off his rifle and raising the sight. "Not yet at least."

"Man, this figures, can't we ever catch a break?" He unholstered his pistol. A few zombies began trickling in, those that saw Zack on his initial run and not a part of the main group. They went down fast and efficiently before their guns.

"We're going to get boxed in again," Zack said. "We need to get the RADBUG out on the main street so at least it can maneuver."

"You're right, you push the car, I'll stall them," Jason said.

Zack placed a hand on his friends forearm. "Jason, you're stronger than me, you need to push the car." Their eyes met, conveying what was really being said better than their mouths.

They broke and Zack was off in a flash. He turned back to smile and yelled, "Besides, the black guy always goes first, wouldn't want to ruin that now."

He vanished back around the corner and Jason went to work. "Put the car in neutral Billy!" He pushed with all his strength. The RADBUG was heavier than it looked. Finally on the street, he looked back to see Zack locked in battle, zombies clawing all around him. He raised his rifle, aiming for zombies in the further ranks rather than risk hitting Zack.

Tears of anger fell as fast as bullets breached the rifle.

Finally the RADBUG, started with a soft rumble. Jason Retreated back and climbed in closing the door.

"Where's Zack," Tommy asked.

"He didn't make it," Jason grumbled. "Billy go."

"What," Kim screamed. She turned back in her seat to look out the window. "We have to get him. We have to save him."

"Kim," Jason yelled within the tiny confines of the car. "We can't."

Kim continued to look back finally seeing Zack's axe swath through another group of zombies. She smiled, hope filling inside her. That's right Zack you're almost free. Just keep fighting. Finally, a hole opened and for a moment, she could see the Black Ranger, the armor peeling off him. A zombie knocked him down landing him on one knee and using his axe as a brace. He looked up one last time, directly at her and smiled as the gap plugged back up with undead.

"No! Zack!" Kim struggled with her seatbelt. "Get me out of this car I can save him."

A large explosion resonated behind them before anyone could argue. Kim looked back to see a crater where she had just seen her friend moments before. Pieces of zombies flung everywhere.

"Zack," Tommy whispered.

"Billy, get us out of here," Jason ordered somberly.

The RADBUG lifted off in the dusk flying out of the city as the moans of zombies replaced with stifled tears.