Chapter Four – The Power

Spurex was tired of waiting. His master had fully reformed and was looking better than ever…if you could call it that. His face had…solidified, leaving him unable to talk normally. Needless to say, when Drakor had found this out, he was pretty blasé about it. Spurex had panicked, until he heard his master's voice echoing in his head, silencing him. If anything, Drakor's telepathic voice was more powerful then it had ever been. It boomed out, sending his minions running away in fear.

Another rude shock was the fact that Drakor's lower torso had been severed sometime before he was imprisoned. Spurex had gone into another panic attack – which did not reflect well upon him – until he had an idea. Cobbling up pieces of scrap metal and circuitry, he was able to create a set of strong, sturdy and perfectly serviceable legs for him. Drakor had praised his efforts and had then left to find out where Zordon had gone to. Whoever Zordon was, it was a mystery to him. He had grown up hearing stories about the great warrior Drakor was and how he had vanquished all in his path. Of course, he had to keep up that act as everything had to be preserved to keep the time loops in check. The slightest deviation could potentially spell the death and destruction of everything.

Patience was a virtue, his mother kept telling him. He was patient enough, but any and all delays were truncated with a well placed laser blast. He was basically exhausted, between the panic attacks and his construction work; he was dead on his feet. To make matters worse, his maturation spikes were due out any day now. Of course, that would mean extra damage for his enemies, but they would hurt like hell when they burst out. He rolled his shoulders in irritation as his various trips through created time portals had his spikes bursting out and then retracting in almost like clockwork. His ears perked up at the sound of a fist impacting against an electronic console. He sighed, shaking his head.

Zordon was probably dead anyway, so why worry?

Drakor stared at the screen in total and utter shock, before punching the console he was working on. Zordon of Eltare – the being who had imprisoned him – was dead. Had been dead for the past eight years. He couldn't believe it. He was dead – and by the hand of a Ranger no less. His motivation for revenge had totally been swept out from under him. Well, not totally.

The Rangers were still around. He knew that if it weren't for those four Rangers, he would have escaped Zordon's wrath. He clenched his fist tightly, not caring that the metal dug into his skin. Those Rangers were probably all dead by now and he had forgotten what they looked like anyway but the principle was still the same. He shut his three eyes and sighed. He had to work out a plan of action. He had all but forgotten about Spurex – his ever loyal general. How he had survived unscathed throughout the years was strange, but he didn't want to question his good fortune just yet. He was sure that the planet above would be of use to him, but it was filled with new sights, sounds and meat sacks.

He didn't want to fall into he villain cliché, but he had to do something. The Universe had all but forgotten his name and the power he once held. The scattered reports on the Intergalactic grapevine had continued mentioning of some unknown factor called 'Xonix'. He vaguely recalled some being called Xon'ixia, but to think they were one and the same was pathetically laughable. Shaking his head once more, Drakor's hand rose to stroke his immobile jaw. He needed to see what the beings on the planet above could do and that meant he needed to figure out the first order of business. Many of his contacts were most likely destroyed, but he knew of a few that would have survived and the planet name which would have kept them safe.

Onyx.

Location: Konu

Weihan took the case from Pie_Masta and then nodded once. The new recruit got the message and left quickly, closing the door behind her. He looked at the closed door and sighed. Pie was a wonderful recruit, but she was under suspicion for a number of things, including theft. He knew that somewhere deep down, she was a good person, but until she realised it herself…there was no hope for her. It was almost as if she had embraced deception as a way of life but, somehow, he didn't think so. He turned to Ronny and the recruits and started to speak. In the small room, his voice boomed out – like Zordon's once had.

"What I am about to tell you is a secret to all but the highest ranked people, both here – on the HQ ship – and on Earth. Millennia ago, a morphological being known as Zordon fought an interstellar war against an evil sorceress named Rita Repulsa. For Rangers alike, this is of no surprise. However, during that war, Rita enlisted the services of a brutal warrior. Billions of lives were cut short by his hands – he showed absolutely no mercy in what he did. That warrior was Drakor."

He could have sworn he heard a pin drop. It was clear that no one – not even Ronny – was expected to hear that. Looking over at her again, he noted how cute she looked when she was in shock. He shook himself out of it. This was not the time to be fantasising over how she would be like in bed. Closing his eyes, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and tried to concentrate on the problem at hand. He could fantasise about her later and, if he played his cards right, could even experience it first-hand. After all, AJ was…no, he wouldn't think about that now. opening his eyes, he took in a breath and pened his mouth again.

"Not much is known about the Ranger team that caught him – only that they were well trained in various martial arts…and that their Yellow Ranger was a bit of a prick. Our words, not theirs."

A ripple of laughter went through the group and they relaxed as one. Ronny leant back into his arms and stared at the case in his hand. She had wondered what Mr. Hartford had to do with what was happening out here. Gazing at Weihan, she noticed – for the first time – the strain he was under. He had a light coat of sweat on his skin and seemed to be twitching more than usual. The twitching was due to the ever-changing nature of his Power. He exhaled slowly and then spoke. His voice was softer than usual, but – due to the small room – echoed loudly.

"A while ago, I discovered that the Morphin Grid was attempting to expel a solid mass from within itself. After some deep digging and heated conversations with various members of the Eltarean government, I discovered that Zordon had trapped Drakor within the Light side of the Morphin Grid. It took a large loss of energy – brought about by his sacrifice – to weaken the energy prison. Now that Zordon is dead, Drakor will need information and, due to his stubborn pride, he will not ask for it from Xonix. This gives us time before he attacks. It is time to give you the Power. Veronica Robinson, step forward"

Ronny carefully disengaged herself from his arms and stood in front of him – for the first time staring into his eyes. What she saw drew a muted gasp out of her. She saw that he did love her as much as she loved him and a silent promise to explain what had happened during the mission and the short gap between asking for their former PR officer's address and his sullen mood after. She also saw determination, strength, fierce loyalty to his friends and team and compassion. She knew that no matter how much training you had, no matter how many books you read – you weren't a true leader until you held compassion for lives other than your own. She waited patiently, as he expertly undid the latch on the case – with one hand. She briefly wondered what else he could do with his hands, before composing herself. What was in the case, took her breath away.

There were only three of them, but they bore the signature mark of the Overdrive Rangers: the red and black compass hands were soothing in their familiarity. They were shaped like the Trackers, but didn't have a cover. Instead, they had a trapezoidal screen above a circular keypad. The flywheel was still the same and she supposed its only function was to access their morphing powers. She watched as Weihan gently picked up one of the Trackers, set the case down on one of the vacated chairs and stepped closer to her. His voice held the strongest note of pride and love she had ever heard.

"Veronica Robinson – Ronny – you have defended the Earth and the Corona Aurora against countless foes who wished to seize it and against monsters that only wished to destroy everything. You had your powers used against you, you had to watch the people you love get hurt, you had to endure the hardships and pressures that only a Yellow Ranger could have handled. However, that was not your highest potential."

She wondered what that meant and wondered if he had talked to Andrew recently. Those words had a chilling familiarity to them – but coming from Weihan's mouth, she welcomed them. He pressed the Tracker into her hands, covering them with his own. He stared into her eyes and knew that she was the one for him…now that AJ was off the table. She had strength, beauty and a grace never seen since Kim or even Rachelle. He carefully watched Simon out of the corner of his eye. His reaction to his next words would determine what colour he was given.

"Ronny Robinson, I – Weihan Liang, the Orange Ultra Ranger – am truly honoured and delighted to have you as the Red Ranger."

TBC…