Genius Force
Written by: PernDragonrider
Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers. I'm only claiming ownership of the plot for this story. Fictional work for entertainment, no money being made.
A/N: This storyline is the result of an evil, evil plot bunny that wouldn't go away. To fit this into the Power Ranges timeline, it is early fall in the year 2004. The main storyline will take place in 2005 during the time all of us were watching SPD. Thank you to everyone that sent in a review for the first two chapters of this tale. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Okay this chapter jumps back to Adam, Billy, and Justin in the newly remade Power Chamber. Enjoy folks.
Note: Normal thoughts, Evil thoughts, telepathy, emphasized words, "speech"
Chapter Three – The First AttacksBilly and Adam again looked into the compassionate and caring expression of a former friend and colleague that had been dead for almost four years now, she'd been killed in a tragic car accident on September 3, 2001. Justin, Adam, and Billy's faces were covered in tears as Billy softly and reverently spoke the woman's name, "Trini."
"Yes, Billy." Trini's soft voice issued from the hidden speakers in the base of Zordon's tube. "It is me, after a fashion. I've been given a chance to return and help save our world from another evil. This evil is worse than anything Rita, Zedd, or any of the other evils the Rangers have faced over the years. This time the evil is coming from within our own ranks. I don't have the identity of the one we're going to face. I've only been told that this is an old evil and has been growing steadily over the years it's been festering in one of Earth's protectors."
"It's not Tommy is it?" Billy asked with a worried frown and a concerned tone in his voice. "Rita's evil surely hasn't been hanging around through all these years?"
"I don't have that information, Billy." Trini said sadly. "If I did have that information I would have told you. I'm not Zordon or Demitria. I won't speak in riddles or half truths to any of you."
"You're not alive still are you?" Justin asked with a little tinge of regret but mostly curiosity showing in his voice.
"I'm what some would refer to as a ghost, Justin." Trini said with a small smile of regret. "My physical body is dead; but my spirit passed into the Morphin Grid due to my time as the Yellow Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. That is how I've come to be here and been chosen to mentor a new team of Rangers to protect the Earth again."
"What does that have to do with us?" Adam asked with a little trepidation showing in his own quiet voice as he spoke for the first time.
"You're here because you are needed again, Adam." Trini said with a small sad smile appearing on her face. "I realize that you, Billy, and Justin as well as the other two members you must seek out, have all served your time as Rangers and are looking forward to living uncomplicated lives; however circumstances demand that this team be made up of former power holders. We must stop one of our own from destroying our world, us, and themselves in the process."
"New Powers?" Billy asked as he looked from the familiar yet different console he'd been looking at. "A Ranger again?"
"Yes to both, Billy." Trini said with a smile as she caught the delight hidden under the surprise in his voice.
"I can tell Tanya what I'm doing, can't I?" Adam asked looking around the room and feeling the desire to again don the armor flowing through him.
"You may tell Tanya after she is cleared of being the one behind the coming attacks, Adam." Trini smiled slightly as she relayed this information to three of her Rangers. "No one can know until after they have been scanned and cleared. Before you can even begin working on this scanner; however, you must complete your team. You need to contact Cameron Watanabe from Blue Bay Harbor and Ethan James from Reefside. Bring them back here to the… the… Command… " Trini broke off and looked at the three standing at her with smiles of their faces for her uncertainty.
"Go ahead and name the base what you will, Trini." Billy said with a smile for his long time friend's spirit. "Command Center, Power Chamber, or whatever else you choose to call our base of operations will be fine."
"Command Center was always such a mouthful." Trini said with a smile. "I liked Power Chamber much better; so Power Chamber it is."
"Tommy is in Reefside." Justin said with a small frown. "How do we contact someone about becoming a Ranger without letting him find out what we're up to?"
"Very easily, Justin." Billy said with a small devilish smile appearing on his face. "Our Power Chamber is fully operational again. We simply observe the two needed to complete our team and then teleport them here when they are alone and won't be missed."
Billy suited his actions to words and set the powerful computers of the newly restored Power Chamber to scanning Blue Bay Harbor and Reefside for the two men Trini had named moments earlier. The three of them waited and once both Cam and Ethan were alone they were teleported into the Power Chamber without hesitation.
"What the…?" Cam asked as he appeared in the Power Chamber. "Ethan? What are you doing here and where are we?"
"It looks a little like an advanced version of Dr. O's basement." Ethan said looking around in wonder.
"Welcome to the Power Chamber Cameron Watanabe and Ethan James." Trini said calmly and with a touch of a smile showing in her voice.
Ethan and Cam both whirled in shock and surprise as they were spoken to. Cam's sock feet slipped and he would have fallen on the floor if Ethan hadn't steadied him when they both spun to face three other smiling men standing before a woman in a tube surrounded by a faint yellow glow. Both blushed deeply and attempted to cover their barely clad bodies with their arms. "Warn a guy so he can put on some clothes, would ya lady?" Cam asked as he turned away from Trini's gaze as Billy, Adam, and Justin tried to hold in their laughter.
"My apologies for taking you from your beds." Billy said with a laughing tone of voice. "But it was the first opportunity that I could teleport you away from your homes where you wouldn't be unduly missed or seen being teleported."
"Where the hell are we?" Ethan asked looking around. He shivered slightly as the cooler air in the restored Power Chamber flowed over his bare arms and legs. He'd only tossed on an old blue tank top and his boxers when he'd climbed into bed for the night.
"As Trini said, you're in the Power Chamber." Adam said as he offered a dark grey blanket to both Ethan and Cam. "We've been waiting hours for you guys to be someplace alone. I'm Adam Park, the youngster standing there while trying not to laugh is Justin Stewart, and the one in blue by the teleportation controls is Billy Cranston."
"Power Chamber?" Ethan said as he looked around in awe. "Man Dr. O wasn't kidding when he said this place was amazing. But…Divatox destroyed this place. How can we be here now?"
"I am Trini Kwan." Trini said with a slight smile on her face yet her tone was a cross between laughter and ordering. "The Power Chamber has been rebuilt and upgraded to combat a new evil that will soon be launching attacks against the Earth and specifically Angel Grove. You, Cameron, and you, Ethan, complete the team that has been chosen to combat this newest evil. This time it is not an evil that will be easily thwarted by a team of inexperienced Rangers. That is why the five of you have been chosen for this task. We must prevail and save the one that's been corrupted to the side of evil; failure and its horrible results for our world is not something we can even contemplate."
"Wait just a damned second here." Cam said with a slightly angry tone as he looked around the room. "You're saying that a Ranger is going to attack and attempt to take over Earth?"
"Trini's information is very sketchy, Cameron." Billy said sadly yet with a tinge of rising excitement in his voice. "It was and now again is our duty to protect Earth from any evil; including one of our own that's been co-opted for evil's use. With or without powers; we are honor bound, as former Rangers, to do what we can."
"Okay. I can understand that." Cam said with a small smile at Billy's serious yet sad face. "First off, call me Cam, not Cameron. Secondly. I need to get back to the Academy and grab some clothes, let my dad know that I'm going to be gone for a while, and get some files and things from my computer in Ninja Ops."
"Ninja Ops?" Justin questioned and then looked at Trini with a sly smile forming on his face. "We're all former Rangers for this?"
"Everyone here has been a Power Ranger, Justin." Trini said with smile and watched as it dawned on Ethan where he'd seen the other three men in the room.
"You three are friends of Dr. O's." Ethan exclaimed with a large smile on his face. "You were all Rangers with him at one time or another. This is so cool!"
"Billy Cranston, first Blue Mighty Morphin Power Ranger." Trini said as she indicated Billy with a sweep of her hand. "Also first blue Ninjetti/Ninja Wolf Ranger. Adam Park, second Black Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, first black Ninjetti/Ninja Frog Ranger, first Green Zeo and Green Turbo Ranger. Justin Stewart, Blue Turbo Power Ranger."
"Cam Watanabe." Cam said with a smile for the three men before him. "Green Samurai Ninja Storm Ranger. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Ethan James." Ethan said with a huge bright smile and a goodly amount of awe on his face. "Blue DinoThunder Ranger."
"Now that introductions have been taken care of," Billy said with a smile. "Adam you need to get back home before Tanya starts worrying about you and Justin. I will remain behind and begin work on the scanner that Trini mentioned. The sooner we clear our friends; the sooner we can call in extra helping hands when needed. I suggest that the first ones we scan be Cam and Ethan's team. Especially so that we can rule out Tommy."
"Teleport us back to the car, Billy." Adam said with a yawn. "I'll think of something to tell Tanya until we can scan her."
"Wait!" Trini called before Billy could operate the controls on the console he was standing at. "Alpha, please bring them their morphers. This team has been assembled; not for your capabilities in battle, which are not in question; but for your mental prowess. You are now the Power Rangers Genius Force!"
The little robot shuffled into the room with a large chest like box. He set it gently on one of the consoles and opened it. Inside were five Power Morphers. Blue, Green, Black, White, and Red morpher nestled inside on a field of shining gold cloth.
"Before infusing each of you with your new Ranger powers; I have to say that I am going against tradition and the leader will not be the Red Ranger." Trini said with some trepidation in her voice.
"We're not going to quibble and squabble over who's the leader, Trini." Billy said with a smile. "You're our mentor and the decisions on team leader and who wears what color are not ours to make; but yours."
"I have a reason for not making the leader red, Billy." Trini said with a smile. "As for fighting over colors; I don't think any of you will have a problem with my choice; except maybe for Ethan and Justin for they will be changing from their previous colors. Take up your morphers and allow the power to infuse you as I call out your names and your colors. Billy the Blue Genius Force morpher and leadership of the team are yours. Adam, the Black Morpher and powers are yours. Justin, the Red is for you. Ethan, the White is yours and Cam the Green is for you. As Zordon once told us, long ago, May the Power Protect you."
"How do we morph, Trini?" Justin asked as he turned the device over and over in his hands nervously. "I mean the Turbo morphers had keys. The Zeonizers were two pieces. What do we do?"
"These seem to be based off of our first Morphers, Justin." Billy said with a smile on his face. "I would assume the morphing stance and cry would be similar when we call for our Ranger powers."
"The morphers are similar to the first ones Zordon gave us, Billy." Trini said with a small sad smile on her face. "However this one is to be worn in place of a watch as I designed them to replace your communicators as well. Just simply touch the button that corresponds to your color and call out "Genius Force, your color, and power on. You will morph and be in your armor."
"Morphinominal." Billy said with a smile and then he looked around as Adam and the others smiled back at him with huge grins.
Billy teleported Ethan and Cam back to their respective bedrooms even as he teleported Adam and Justin to where Adam's green Geo Metro was parked. Billy then turned and looked up at Trini.
"Okay, Trini." Billy said with a slightly confused look on his face but a stern tone in his voice. "Give with all the details that you didn't give out. What's going on?"
"Billy, I have nothing more that I can say about the danger to Earth than I've already said." Trini told him seriously.
"BULLSHIT!" Billy barked angrily as he stalked up to the base of the tube Trini's spirit occupied. "Red has always, ALWAYS, led the team. Why now do I find myself responsible for four more lives as leader and not wearing the traditional color of the position?"
"Billy," Trini said calmly yet with a look of shock on her face that he'd question her like this. "What happened to the easy going friend that never cussed or raised his voice in anger?"
"Trini," Billy said his anger and shock cooling quickly with her question. "He's still in here, but damn it all to hell why me and why for this? How can you be sure that I am not the one you're having us scan for?"
"Simply because you are not the one, Billy." Trini said with a small smile on her face. "Were you the one corrupted by evil then you wouldn't be standing here cussing at me; but destroying this place. That is how I know."
"The other four?" Billy asked as he looked up at her smiling face and felt himself starting to smile with her.
"Clean, Billy." Trini told him truthfully. "You couldn't have gotten past the security measures you and Zordon installed in that emergency access tunnel if any of you were the ones harboring this evil. Cam and Ethan are clean as well or the alarms would have gone off the second they teleported into the Power Chamber's interior."
"So this scanner we are to construct isn't need then?" Billy asked with a touch of disbelief coloring his voice. "All we have to do is teleport in the others and let them be instantly scanned?"
"That would take longer than I fear we have, Billy." Trini answered truthfully. "There is a huge disturbance building in the Morphin Grid. I can feel it growing stronger by the day. A mass teleportation of that many former Rangers is just impossible to accomplish at one time. We'd never know which of them set off the alarms until too late. Even bringing them into the Power Chamber in small groups would take too long."
"How about we just use it for Tanya, for now?" Billy asked as he stepped to the communications console and punched the code for Adam's morpher.
"Very well." Trini sighed seeing that Billy wouldn't back down on that point. "Is there anyone that you and Justin are seeing that we should clear at the same time?"
"Justin is not currently dating anyone; however I have been dating Aisha for about a year now. With your permission I'd like to teleport her here as well." Billy replied distractedly.
"Go ahead and teleport Aisha with Tanya, Billy." Trini sighed in resignation and then smiled at Billy's already falling into the role of leader.
The whine of the teleporters signaled the arrival of Adam, Justin, Tanya, and Aisha in the Power Chamber. Tanya and Aisha's gasps of surprise at seeing the place rebuilt and functional were nothing compared to their screams of surprise when they finally looked at Trini installed in place of Zordon.
Alpha came running into the main room from a small side lab when the screams of Aisha and Tanya echoed off the walls of the Power Chamber while Adam, Justin, and Billy quickly jumped to catch them as they fainted. "Should have warned them a little." Billy said sheepishly as he eased Aisha down onto the floor and accepted the phial of smelling salts Alpha quickly produced for him and Adam.
Both Aisha and Tanya came to coughing because of the smelling salts and looked at each other and then at the three men. "What the hell is going on Adam Park?" Tanya demanded as her husband slowly helped her to her feet.
"Seems that a new baddy is coming back to attach Earth, Tanya." Adam said with a small frown of worry on his face. He looked up at Trini and his voice was shock filled as he said, "I thought we couldn't tell anyone that hadn't been scanned yet? Don't tell me Billy has already built something?"
"No I haven't, Adam." Billy replied to Adam's question before Trini could. "Trini said that she knew that you, Justin, and I were in the clear because we made it through all the old security measures. Ethan and Cam were cleared when they were teleported into the Power Chamber. I just took it upon myself to teleport Aisha and Tanya here to clear them quickly. Now you do not have to lie to your wife about what you are again doing and I don't have to try and lie to Aisha either."
"Justin's the red ranger?" Aisha questioned as she finally registered the colors of their combination communicators and morphers. "How come he's leader over Adam and Billy, Trini?" She demanded with a large amount of rancor in her voice as she glared at the women now Zordon's traditional place.
"Justin is the Red Ranger of the team, Aisha." Trini said with a small smile for her friend. "However, due to the circumstances of the evil that will be attacking Earth in the very near future; Red is not the leader of the team, Blue is."
"Oh, okay." Aisha said and then looked at Billy's left wrist and paled when she saw the blue band that was wrapped around it. "Oh my." She said quietly as she simply stepped up and hugged Billy tightly. "You take care of yourself, Bill."
"I will, Sha." Billy said as he kissed her cheek and returned the tight hug.
"So who else is part of this team?" Tanya asked and the was shocked again when Cam teleported in almost hidden behind piles of computer disks, stacks of file folders, and a large duffle bag that he held in his arms. "Sorry wanted to get back as soon as I could." Cam said and then sighed tiredly when the stack of CD cases fell over with a loud clatter.
"Tanya, Aisha," Billy said with a smile as Justin and Alpha started gathering the now scatter CD's and stacking them into more manageable piles. "This is our Green ranger, Cam Watanabe. Cam this is Adam's wife Tanya, first Yellow Zeo and Yellow Turbo Ranger. This is Aisha Campbell, second Yellow Mighty Morphin and first Ninjetti/Ninja Yellow Ranger."
"Two yellows?" Cam asked with confusion as he looked for morphers on the girl's wrists and then looked even more confused when there was only large bulky gold watch looking devices with Yellow stripes on them.
"Unfortunately there were two morphers for Genius Force stolen from Trey of Triforia; where they were constructed and held until needed." Trini said with a sigh. "I believe that the forces of evil were responsible for the theft; however until they are found we must assume the worst for now."
"Great two evil rangers possibly showing up like Tommy first did." Billy said with an exasperated sigh. "Not something I wish to consider at this time, Trini. Can our connection with you be severed like it was with Zordon and if I can I will begin working to adjust the security protocols so that only those who's DNA matches the ones scanned can enter into our base."
"Adjust the protocols anyway, Billy." Adam said with a grim look on his face. "Only allow those cleared for now. Better to play if safe rather than have Trini's spirit and our base trashed like you guys told us about Tommy doing when he was controlled by Rita's evil spell."
"Good idea, Adam." Justin said stepping over to the security console. "Billy is it all right if I flush all the old ranger's access and just leave the seven of us authorized for now? We can add signatures back in as we scan and clear people."
The whine of the teleporters went off to reveal a ragged looking Ethan being held tightly by an enraged Tommy Oliver. "But, Dr. O!" Ethan was heard saying as they appeared. "I can't tell you what's going on. You know I would if I could, but…" Ethan's voice trailed off as his science teacher and former DinoThunder mentor and teammate gasped in shock as he released Ethan's neck and fell to his knees in shock.
"Trini?" Tommy gasped his question and almost prayer as he went down slowly. Ethan managed to grab his teacher and keep him from going all the way to the floor. "Why did Dr. O faint?" Confusion reigned in Ethan's voice as he eased his mentor to the floor.
"Ethan," Trini started and was cut off by Billy. "Trini died in a car accident in early September of 2001, Ethan. Tommy's reaction will probably mirror everyone of our former teammates and associates that know of her death."
"Oh," Ethan said and paled a little when he looked toward where Trini was floating in the large tube in the center of the Power Chamber's main control room. "You're a ghost?"
"Some would call my current state that, Ethan." Trini said with smile as Tommy's coughing signaled his return from his faint.
"What the HELL is going ON!" Tommy demanded as he jumped up and again looked at Trini floating calmly in a faint yellow glow where Zordon's head would normally have been.
"Obviously something to do with needing a new team of Power Rangers." Billy said calmly in response to Tommy's demand. "Unfortunately it looks as though Angle Grove will again be under attack if Trini's presence in Zordon's customary place along with the rebuilding of the Power Chamber is any indication, Tommy."
"Shit!" Tommy said looking at the matching 'watches' on Ethan, Cam, Justin, Adam, and Billy's left wrists. "You need a hand with anything, you call me." Tommy told Billy sternly. "I don't give a damn if you haul me out of class full of students. You grab me!"
"Well Tommy's clean, at least." Adam sighed and then looked at the smiles on Aisha, Tanya, Justin, Cam, and Ethan's faces.
"What do you mean by I'm clean?" Tommy asked and then seconds later gasped in shock. "Oh shit! It's a Ranger that's behind this evil isn't it?"
"Unfortunately it is, Tommy." Trini replied with a sad tone. "There is a huge surge of evil energy building the Morphin Grid. The first attacks will come within a week at most. I don't have any idea of who the evil former Ranger could be; I just know that the one corrupted to evil is a former Power Ranger. I do not even know what color they wore to narrow down the search parameters with."
"Well color wouldn't help much, Trini." Tommy said looking around at the five men he'd worked with as Rangers at one time or another in his long and illustrious career as a Power Ranger. "I mean what if it was me yet you knew the color to be, say black. Who would think to scan me since most of you don't know I was just recently the black DinoThunder Ranger? No one would and I remember all too well what it was like under Rita's control. I'll do anything you need to assist you in finding and freeing a fellow Ranger from evil's grasp."
"Okay." Justin said from where he'd gone back to his duties after smiling at Tommy earlier. "All the old DNA access levels have been purged from the system. Now the only way for someone not here at this moment to get into the Power Chamber is for Billy, Cam, Adam, Ethan, or me to bring them in with us. Deep level cellular, molecular, metabolic, and brainwave scans have been engaged to automatically activate whenever that happens. If any abnormalities are detected the teleportation signal will be diverted into a containment forcefield instead of appearing in the main control room with us."
"Good work, Justin." Billy said proudly and that's when Tommy noticed that Justin's 'watch' was red; yet Billy was in charge and his was blue.
"Why the change in leadership color, Trini?" Tommy asked as he looked up into her face.
"Because the need is there, Tommy." Trini said with a smug tone of voice. The smugness in her tone was tempered by the look she bestowed down upon Tommy that spoke volumes of its own.
"Because the person that's been turned to evil is a former Ranger and would expect the leader to be in red." Tommy said thoughtfully as he looked around at the people in the room when his gaze fell upon Justin a new respect shown from his eyes for the once little boy that stepped up and became a valuable teammate during the era of the Turbo powers. "This person will concentrate their attacks on the Red Ranger to incapacitate or handicap the team by taking our their leader. Justin; you know that a ton of bad stuff is going to come your way wearing that color, don't you? Can you handle that kind of heat?"
"I realized it the second Trini told us that the traditional color for the leader was changing, Tommy." Justin said with a grim yet confident expression on his, now, handsome adult features. "I'mable to handle whatever this new threat to Angel Grove and Earth decides to bring my way. I learned how to be a Ranger from you, Adam, Tanya, and Kat while also extending that teaching to Carlos, TJ, Ashley, and Cassie when the time came for the Passing of the Torch to a new set of Rangers under Demitria. I had a black belt in karate at that time, Tommy. I believe I will be perfectly capable of dealing with anything I have to during my time as the Red Ranger of Genius Force."
"Genius Force?" Tommy asked then smiled as he saw that Trini had aptly named and chosen her team of Rangers. "You chose well, Trini, and a more perfect name couldn't have been found for this gathering. Ethan, you know if you need any technical help that Haley will give it happily; just give her a warning before teleporting her out of the Cyber Space; okay?"
"I'll try, Dr. O." Ethan said with a small smile for his teacher, mentor, teammate, and friend. "Can't give any guarantees; but will do my best. Looks like I've got a lot to learn about how things work around here, though. How did you know THAT button on my new watch would bring us here?"
"I would presume to guess that since Trini based our morpher communicator combination off of my original design for the first wrist communicators that Tommy would be familiar with the design enough to hazard a guess as to what that button was for, Ethan." Billy told Ethan with a smile.
"Oh, okay." Ethan said with a small smile in return. "Just wasn't sure exactly where Dr. O and I would wind up when he pressed that button while demanding to know what was going on."
"Don't worry about it, Ethan." Adam said with a smile for his teammate. "Tommy's bark is much worse than his bite. But I want to know how you knew something was going on with Ethan?"
"Haley and I were down in the Dino Lab, which is my basement, cleaning up and restoring everything we could after Zeltrax trashed the place just before we got rid of him and Mesogog too." Tommy answered calmly yet his face bore a large smile. "Haley had just gotten the main computer back online when you teleported Ethan away from Reefside. Haley used his communicator to track where he was taken. When she said that he'd been taken to someplace in the mountains outside Angel Grove I was so relieved I think I scared her just a little bit when I told her that Ethan was in good hands and that I'd go to his apartment and wait for him to get back."
"So when Billy sent me back home," Ethan said with a forlorn look on his face. "There's Dr. O standing in my bedroom and glaring daggers at me while demanding to know what the hell was going on."
"Sorry Ethan." Tommy said and he smiled at the others. "Why did Justin change the security protocols, Billy? Only someone with a Genius Force morpher… " Tommy stopped and then looked up into Trini's sad face. "The bad guy has access to a morpher?"
"Possibly two morphers, Tom." Billy replied for Trini without thinking. "Trini told us that two of the morphers were stolen from Trey. He had them constructed from plans Trini gave him and he was safe guarding them. He has no idea who could have taken them, according to Trini."
"Possibly two evil rangers?" Tommy asked with growing concern rising in his slightly panicked voice. "Your going to need back up, Bill. Ranger powered back up. I can still morph into Zeo Ranger five, so Tanya and Kat should be able to do so too. Rocky, Kim, and Aisha should still have access to their Ninja powers. The Astro Rangers, Lightspeed Rescue, and two of the Time Force Rangers still have morphing abilities too." Tommy stopped talking and then looked around at the varying degrees of uncertainty in the faces of the five new members of Genius Force. "SHIT!" Tommy spat out in anger. "You can't trust a one of them until you they're cleared. Damn it all to hell and back! Don't ever let me get my hands on this evil ranger cause I'll kick his ass all the way to Triforia and back for causing this mess!"
"Tommy," Trini said calmly and without rancor or even anger in her tone. "We do not know if this former Ranger is working for evil willingly or not. What if it turns out to be Rocky, Kat, Kimberly, or Jason? Will you still want to take out your anger on one of your dearest friends?"
"No!" Tommy spat out angrier than ever. "Damn this is fine mess you've been saddled with guys. I'll help anyway I can and with anything you need me for. I know where most all of the retired Rangers from the Astro Rangers to the Wild Force Rangers can be found or how to contact them. I'm sure Cam and Ethan can get their former teammates to submit to the scans without too much hassle."
"Your help will be invaluable in contacting the teams, Tommy." Trini said with a small smile of gratitude showing on her expressive and lovely Asian features. "For now everyone should go home and rest; tomorrow will be soon enough to start on the task of designing and constructing a portable scanning device that will do the level of scanning we must to detect the hidden evil."
"All right, we'll all meet back here at… " Billy said and was stopped when the attack alarms started ringing and the Power Chamber was filled with flashing lights and sirens. "Adam, start the scans! Justin, get the images up on the screen! Tommy, you, Aisha, and Tanya stay here until we know what's going on. The consoles are just slightly different, but shouldn't present a problem with you doing my old job."
"On it." Tommy said as he, Aisha, and Tanya each manned a console and freed up Justin and Adam to join Billy, Cam, and Ethan watching the viewing globe.
"What the heck are those things?" Cam asked as the picture on viewing globe cleared to show a vaguely man shaped blob of metal with the head of ugly looking bird, the hands were somewhat deformed and only on hand could clearly be seen the other looked like it was encased in a spherical, spiked metal ball. The legs were clearly robotic in nature and were mismatched gold and silver colored.
"They look like a cross between a Tenga, a Putty Patroller, and Cog." Adam said with a grimace at the things, as they seemed to strut around the park destroying everything in their path. "They're trashing the park!"
"Guys look at this!" Tanya called and view on the large screen changed to show what appeared to be Lord Zedd standing behind the cobbled together monstrosities that were trashing one of Angel Grove's largest parks. "That can't be Zedd?" Billy gasped, as the shadowy form seemed to waver slightly. "The Zordon wave returned him, Rita, Divatox, and Astronema to their human forms. Can you clear up the signal Tanya or do you need help?"
"I can clean it up a little, Billy." Tanya said with a frown. "There's some kind of distortion field in place around him or coming off whatever he's wearing."
"That kind a looks like a version of the exoskeleton Zedd used to wear." Tommy said looking up at the screen for quick second.
"More like a powered armored suit." Justin said suddenly. "Like a zord, only human sized."
"Okay, feed us what information you can. We've got to get out there and keep them contained in the park before they venture further a field and do more damage to the City." Cam said sternly.
"It's Morphin Time!" Billy called out and brought his left arm from behind his back as Adam, Justin, Ethan, and Cam mirrored his move and his shoulder width apart spread legged forward facing stance exactly.
"Genius Force, Blue, Power On!" Billy called and was surrounded in a bright blue glow that died quickly to reveal an armored Ranger in a uniform that looked exactly like his first Blue Ranger armor.
"Genius Force, Red, Power On!" Justin called out next and he stood there looking down at suit of armor he'd only seen displayed in the Power Chamber until it was destroyed. "Cool!"
"Genius Force, Green, Power On!" Cam came next and Tommy had to watch as Cam disappeared in a green glow. Tommy was slightly disappointed when the familiar golden v-shaped shield was missing from over the Green Ranger's chest as well as the gold wrist bracers were missing too.
"Genius Force, Black, Power On!" Adam called and Aisha, Tommy, and Tanya smiled as the dark glow around Adam died reveling him standing there in an almost exact duplicate of the first Black Ranger's armor.
"Genius Force, White, Power On!" Ethan said sternly as he was the last to morph into a completely white armor with black diamonds: an exact reversed image of Adam that stood next to him. "Wow!" Ethan said in shock as he looked down for the first time.
The only differences that the other rangers that had worn these uniforms before could see was that the helmets didn't reflect an animal's visage, but seemed to look something like what an exposedbrain would. The five teleported away in streaks of colored light that matched their ranger colors while Tommy, Adam, and Tanya returned to the scans.
Once they'd arrived at the park where the seemingly cobbled together henchmen were tossing around benches and garbage cans with abandon; the Genius Force Rangers meet them in a small clearing between picnic sites and the battle was joined. They soon discovered that even though their foes appeared to be conglomerations of three separate henchmen that they were extremely strong, agile, and tough to take down. They fought fiercely and soon there were no foes left in once piece. That's when the hidden, armored, man stepped into the light where he could finally be seen. Billy gasped at the terrible visage of something that looked to be Lord Zedd's former demonic face twisted and overlaid with something that resembled the image of Ivan Ooze as well.
"Welcome Rangers," The man growled in a voice that was clearly mechanically distorted. "I see you took care of my constructs rather easily. I will have to make them tougher for our next encounter. The Earth will be mine and you and all that have come before you will be nothing but dust and memories! I am Redigore and the you shall fall to my power!"
"Not while were able to do anything about that!" Justin said stepping forward into the leader role before Billy could do or say anything.
"Tommy," Billy whispered into his helmet's microphone. "You did record his little speech didn't you? We might be able to get rid of the distortion and find out who this is without too much trouble."
"Recording everything that goes on out there, Billy." Tommy replied on the helmet only channel.
"Oh I'm quaking in my boots." Redigore said with a contemptuous and deriding tone of voice clear even in the distortion. "The team's leader want to challenge me to a battle. Not today pipsqueak. I just wanted to see if my henchmen were capable of getting through your defenses. Good bye."
Redigore and all the pieces of his destroyed henchmen were engulfed in a slightly purple tinged beam of light that teleported them away and left the Genius Force Rangers standing there in varying stages of shock. Before any of them could say anything they were teleported back to the Power Chamber.
"That was most definitely not what I'm used to an evil being doing." Justin said as he powered down with a grim and determined look covering his face. "Next time I'll just jump him before he can get away!"
"What was it that Redigore said just after I asked if you were recording everything, Tommy?" Billy asked and then looked at Tommy's white, shock stricken expression.
"Billy, he said almost exactly what Ivan did the first time we confronted him." Aisha said in a small amount of shock. "He can't be back can he? We destroyed him with that comet, didn't we?"
"That is not, exactly or completely, Ivan Ooze." Trini said with a great deal of concern as the results from all the scans played over the interior of Zordon's tube where only she could see them. "There are human life signs showing in the scans; but they are so distorted by two different evil energy signatures as well as a very twisted and weak Ranger power sign that it is impossible to determine anything from these scans. Even taking each signature and looking at them separately; the computers cannot glean enoughinformation to tellwho is in that disgusting looking armor or what evil could be the corrupting influence."
"We're not going to build just one scanner, Trini." Billy said with determination in his voice. "We're going to build multiples. The quicker we scan the other Rangers, the sooner they can be told of the menace that has threatened them as well as our world. We have to start now!"
"Can the teleporters bring someone in without one of you being with them?" Tommy asked as he looked directly at Ethan.
"Not anymore Tommy." Justin said with a frown.
"What are you proposing, Tommy?" Billy asked calmly his anger suppressed for now.
"That Ethan go to Reefside and bring Haley here to help you guys build these scanners, tonight." Tommy told Billy with a small bite of his old command tones leaking into his very angry voice. "The more hands you have helping the quicker it will get done. Haley is good, Bill. She's the one that took your notes and files and built the DinoThunder morphers, weapons, and vehicles. She also worked with Anton and me in creating the Dino Zords the team used."
"Go and get Haley, Ethan." Billy said with a tired sigh. "Tommy is right and he, Tanya, and Aisha can watch and help her out while we get some rest. Those things were tough and we've already been warned they're going to get tougher."
"All right." Ethan said before teleporting out without powering down. He returned just a few minutes later with a shocked and surprised Haley holding his hand. Ethan released her hand and then he powered down.
"What in the world?" Haley asked and then her eyes almost bulged out when she saw Trini in Zordon's old warp tube. "Oh my. I take it that a new team has been created?"
"Welcome to the Power Chamber and base of operations for the Genius Force Power Rangers, Haley." Trini said with a small apologetic smile on her face. "We are in need of your technical assistance it seems."
"I'll help anyway that I can." Haley said and then smiled when Tommy led her over to a computer console.
"For once, Hales," Tommy said with a bit of humor in his voice. "I get to teach you something about a computer. Come on the team needs to rest. We can work out what's needed and then once they've had a few hours of sleep; we can get to work building the scanner."
Billy, Ethan, Justin, and Adam left the room. Cam stayed behind to speak with Trini for just a moment.
"Trini?" Cam asked quietly as Haley was going over the files Trini had Tommy give her to read.
"Yes, Cam." Trini said with a smile. "What is it?"
"I've got a cyber version AI of myself that might be able to help if he's compatible with your computer programming. He might be able to do something to help Haley or try making sense of those scans while the team sleeps. I can download him in just a few seconds if you give your permission."
"Go ahead Cam." Trini said with a thoughtful expression showing on her face. "Just be sure to partition off the partition of the computer's memory that you put him into. I do not want an AI running rampant in the entire core."
"All right, but he might get past your firewalls no matter what I do." Cam said with an apologetic tone. "He's an AI version of me. I programmed him, originally; but he's grown since then."
"Do it anyway, Cam." Trini said with a smile for Cam. "Any assistance we have at this point gets us that much closer to keeping Angel Grove and the Earth safe for another generation."
Cam downloaded Cyber-Cam into the mainframe of the Power Chamber's computers and gave him strict instructions not to venture where he wasn't allowed before he joined his teammates in much needed sleep.
Cyber-Cam, Tommy, Aisha, Haley, Tanya, and Trini worked for six hours before the Genius Force team joined them. Three hours later, a design for a portable scanner powerful enough yet small enough to scan someone without giving away what was happening was residing in the computers of the Power Chamber.
Haley, Tommy, Aisha, and Tanya retired to the living quarters Trini had caused to be included in the Power Chamber, as the forces of good and the power of the Morphin Grid rebuilt it once more, while Billy, Cam, Ethan, Justin, and Adam began construction of their first prototype device.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX End of Chapter XXXXXXXXXXXXX
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, leave a review, please.
Next chapter returns to the past and the Astro Rangers and Jason's travels to Ryan's Comet. What they find and what happens will throw you completely for a loop.
Until then, May the Power Protect You. Pern