The Return of the Green Ranger, part 1
From just one week more than a year, to just a day or two after a week. Damn I'm putting stuff out like crazy these days!
A few days later...
Adam sat on a park bench, eating some hot dogs as he watched the construction people finishing the demolition of a building that had been ruined in the giant battle. Kat was next to him, sipping on some lemonade.
"I know there's no helping it when we're fighting giant monsters, but shouldn't we be helping to fix that? As the Power Rangers? I mean, if nothing else, we could at least move raw materials around a lot faster and help the workers save on transport costs."
Adam fervently shook his head, and swallowed after a moment. "No, I asked Billy something like that a year or so ago, and... I forget exactly what he said, but the basic idea I picked up is that this kind of collateral damage from a battle presents a lot of opportunities for the construction industry, and that includes the drivers that ferry stone and other materials from Point A to Point B. So if we tried to help in the rebuilding, we could actually potentially put a lot of hardworking people out of their jobs."
Kat frowned, and took another sip. "...It hadn't ever occurred to me like that. I still feel guilty, though, for not even trying to clean up after the damage we've caused."
Adam took another bite, chewed, and swallowed. "I understand how you feel, but I remember this one time - about a week or so after Rocky, Aisha and I became Rangers ourselves - that we got to meet the Mayor. We got to shake his hand, have a nice chat, and then he told us not to worry about repairing the city. He said that just being there to protect it is enough."
Another sip. "I guess, but that doesn't mean I have to like it..."
Adam finished his last hot dog, stood up, and tossed his remains into a public trash can. "That's just the way it is, Kat. But to be honest, I never really liked it either."
Kat followed him. "What about that boy Billy found? You know, Shinji? How's his recovery coming along?"
"The Command Center's emergency medical facilities were able to get him stabilized yesterday, and then after that he was sent to a regular hospital. I think Billy said he was going to visit him a bit later on, or something."
At that moment, the duo's communicators started beeping. Casting a look around for any potential eavesdroppers, the two quickly ducked into a copse of trees before answering. "Adam and Kat here. What's going on?"
From the other end of the connection came Zordon's voice. "Rangers, swarms of Putties are attacking the city in multiple locations! Come to the Command Center at once!"
Adam narrowed his eyes at the news. "You got it, Zordon."
He and Kat promptly vanished into black and pink energy beams, as they went to coordinate with the others at the Command Center...
A little while earlier, on the moon...
Rito and Goldar were lazing around the throne room, miserable in the sun's blazing heat. Eventually, Rito spoke up.
"Y'know, Goldie, those Power Pipsqueaks really make me mad!"
"Everybody hates the Rangers, you idiot. And stop calling me that!"
"I know, but still! The way those twerps always win every single time... Why, I wish we could just hit 'em with our own Power Ranger, see what they think of that!"
Goldar growled in thought. "Actually, we do still have the Green Ranger powers that we got back from that do-gooder Tommy a year or so ago..."
Rito smacked his fist into the palm of his hand. "I know! Let's kidnap some random human, brainwash him, make him the Green Ranger, and send him after the other Rangers! No, wait! Even better, let's make an evil clone of that goody-two shoes Tommy Oliver!"
"WHY, THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA, DEAR BROTHER OF MINE!"
Upon realizing that Rita Repulsa had entered the room, Rito and Goldar immediately snapped to attention. ...although Rito began sniffling and crying as he asked, "Really sis? Do you... do you really mean it?"
"Of course I do! After all," Rita began...
Goldar winced, and immediately regretted ever contributing to the previous conversation.
"...IT WORKED SO PERFECTLY EVERY OTHER TIME WE'VE TRIED TO FIGHT RANGERS WITH RANGERS!"
Goldar's grimace intensified when his Evil Empress rounded on him specifically.
"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHAT HAPPENED THE LAST TIME WE PUT THE RANGERS AGAINST A BRAINWASHED TOMMY OLIVER WITH GREEN RANGER POWERS?!"
"...he joined the-"
"HE JOINED THOSE SIMPERING FOOLS, AND HE'S BEEN A GIANT THORN IN OUR SIDE EVER SINCE!"
Never in his life had Goldar been so relieved to see Lord Zedd enter the throne room. ...unless Zedd was about to start yelling at him next, in which case he wasn't relieved at all-
Pain was the only thing left in Goldar's mind, as Rita started repeatedly smacking him and Rito over the head with her staff.
"Patience, my Queen! As much as I love to see you abusing these simpering idiots, they may actually have stumbled onto something of use to us."
Rita paused in the abuse of her subordinates mid-swing, looking at Zedd with her staff just inches from another hit to Goldar's noggin. "What's that, Zeddy?"
Zedd slouched down on his throne, and began stroking his chin in thought. "As often as not, those wretched Power Punks triumph because of their indomitable strength of will. I believe the humans call it..."
Zedd looked for the words he wanted, found them, and spat them out like a vile curse. "...heroic resolve."
The Galactic Emperor of Evil paused for a moment, to allow everyone else to properly express their disgust at the idea.
"Rather than pit them against a brainwashed minion as we've done before," Zedd continued, "imagine if we could turn that incredible willpower on itself. We've fought Rangers with Rangers and failed, but this time...!"
Zedd let out a sinister chuckle, before it escalated into booming, terrifying laughter. "THIS TIME, WE'LL DEFEAT THOSE HEROES WITH A HERO OF OUR OWN!"
As Rita, and then Goldar... and then several minutes later, Rito... each caught on to Zedd's plan, they each joined in his villainous glee.
Some little while later, the Command Center...
The six Rangers stood about in the Command Center, reporting in that they'd finished with all of the Putties in Angel Grove.
Eventually, Billy spoke up. "This doesn't make any sense. Rita and Zedd sent a small legion of Putties, but we never found any kind of monsters."
Adam scowled in agreement. "Yeah, and they weren't really doing much either. Sure, they caused a lot of chaos, but it seems like they didn't have any kind of goal..."
"This is most troubling," Zordon said. "It may be that the Putties were merely put forth as a smokescreen."
Rocky tilted his head, not immediately getting it. "A smokescreen?"
Kat's eyes widened. "If they were just a distraction, so that we wouldn't notice what Rita and Zedd's real plan was..."
Adam smacked his fist into his palm. "Then this whole episode was some kind of trap, and we fell right into it? Man, that stings!"
"Do not fret, Rangers. Even if we're in the dark about Rita's and Zedd's present scheme, your efforts today saved many lives that could otherwise have been lost. Remember that, and be proud."
After a moment of silent contemplation, Tommy raised his head. "Guys, Zordon's right. We might have gotten a lead on their plan if we'd held back, but there's no telling how much damage those Putties could have done if we hadn't put a stop to them. We did the right thing. And whenever Rita and Zedd decide to spring their little trap on us, we'll make sure and be ready for 'em."
The other Rangers nodded one by one, as they accepted their leader's consolation.
? ? ? ?
A mostly-recovered Shinji Ikari blearily opened his eyes, and was immediately confronted with what looked like a blue ogre wearing gold armor.
He screamed. The monster laughed.
Shinji panicked and attempted to move away... but found himself chained to a table. Eventually, he remembered how to speak. "W-what's going on?! Where am I?!"
The only response was a cackle that sent chills of terror down his spine. Casting his gaze about the room for the source of the hellish sound, he found a woman in a huge robe and a bizarre headdress.
"You thought you'd be waking up to a chat with one of those Rangers, boy, BUT YOU WERE WRONG!"
The sorceress pointed at herself with her thumb as she haughtily declared, "IT WAS I, RITA REPULSA!"
Review, please?
...incidentally, I've been planning for this since about chapter 4.
