The Outsider: Suicide Mission
One Day After Chapter 2 Three Days Before Chapter 6
Josh
When I knew Joe was okay I left her room. He signs were stable and she would be fine. The restraints I put on the bed would keep her from getting up and hurting herself for a few days. I walked down the Hallway of the deserted high school and lit up a cigarette.
"You know that's against school rules?" came a voice from behind me.
I turned around and saw Kira and Dr. Oliver. I took a hit and exhaled.
"I really doubt any of the teachers will care," I said sarcastically, "Besides you Dr. Oliver."
He stared at me for minute and walked over with a vanilla envelope. He had a job for me to do. Something told me it was a tough job also.
"I've heard you're the man to go to for suicide missions," he said, "You're better at getting out of them alive than anybody. Well I have one for you."
I opened the envelope and saw a picture of the reason I had been a Beetleborg originally before taking up the Mantle of the Outsider. Shadowborg. He was alive and walking. And killing as the photographs showed.
"Tommy if you want me to take this guys on without powers," I started, "Then you're out of you head. I might be able to go through and survive a suicide mission, but that is not exactly the type of mission I can make it out of alive."
He smiled and motioned for me to continue looking through the photos and files. I did as I was asked. After flipping through a few more of Shadowborg and several of the warrior Rangers I realized there was a box in all of the pictures. I was being guarded. I flipped through a few more and found out what it was. The Bonders. They were still in existence.
"Maxis wants to create his own Beetleborgs," Tommy said, "As you can tell he has already brought back Shadowborg as the Captain of the Guard for now. I don't want those bonders getting into the wrong hands. Right now they are DNA locked, but that will only keep Maxis from using them for so long. I need you to go in there and retrieve them. Yours is there also, so getting out might be easier than getting in. One final note, these are the original bonders only from what information has told us. As you know Drew and Roland were captured with their platinum ones and Joe's was damaged in her escape, however having these might very well come in handy."
"It always is," I said, "So is this a solo mission or do I have a team?"
I was assigned my team. A total of three people. One of them was a blond man by the name of Ryan Steele. I looked over his file in the computer banks. Most of it was censored. However, there were parts that did tell me something. For one he was a master black belt in Karate. Perfect. I could use skills like that. I was a decent Martial artists but most of my skills where in weapons anymore. This guy would be able to provide some muscle and skill.
The second one was a former Power Ranger. The original Blue Ranger Billy Cranston. A hard hitting martial artists as well, but also a computer expert. Though he no longer had his powers he to would be a top expert for me. Espcially when it came to getting past the security this place had to offer.
The final Member was a mystery man to me. A Ranger, but never really a member of the team, the Phantom Ranger. He possessed great strength and invisibility. Why they needed me was beyond me. Still I had been asked to do this assignment and I planned on doing it.
We started off at a strategic point on top of the main building in Reef Side. I looked through the scope of my laser rifle. Ten guards. Three security bots. That was only what was visible also. I had no idea what was inside, but I had an idea.
"Security on the outside isn't that tough," said Billy, looking through a telescope, "That's only alarm wise anyway."
"Any idea how to get in?" asked Steele.
"I'd say Phantom," replied the former Blue Ranger.
"Negative," I replied, "They have inferred. They'll be able to pick up a very big cybernetic organism within four hundred feet of that place."
Phantom nodded in agreement, "It is true. With the inferred outside I'm useless for this part."
Steele walked over and pulled out a gun with a scope on it. I looked over at him and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Not trying to pick out anybody," he replied, "I'm trying to do what you're doing and get a look at the scenario."
I nodded and continued to look through. At this point Steele and I sniping them off might be the only answer we have. With all of the electricity and alarms they had it would take a powerful EMP…
I looked over at the Phantom Ranger and asked, "Can that little jewel you have create EMP's. Ones that wont knock out you circuitry, but could take out that building, if not for only a few minutes?"
He nodded, "Yeah it should."
Billy looked over at me, "That's brilliant. Fifteen minutes is about all we would need to get into the building. From there we could split up and find the Bonders. Our Communicators have been designed to withstand high level EMP's. That way when we find it we can contact which ever group hasn't found it and make our way out of there."
The blast hit and we made a mad dash. Billy and Phantom went first while Steele and I stayed behind and picked off the human guards. After we were halfway through with them, I told Steele to go on. The bastard wouldn't listen.
"Go," I said, "That is a direct order."
He looked at me for a minute before he took off. Then I returned to work offing the last members of the guards outside before taking off myself. I love my job. I caught up and entered the door of the building right as the effects of the EMP wore off.
"Alright, Tommy told me that if we split up it would be in groups of twos. It would be me and Steele in group one Billy and Phantom in group two. We look until there is nothing left to look for and when we find it we let the other group know right away and get the hell out of here. You understand?" I explained to the group. They all nodded and we headed off.
I took out my .45 and headed down the hall. Steele followed with a laser pistol out. We started our search of the area. Billy had given both me and him a little gadget that would pick up power signatures. The problem was this place was crawling with them. Mostly lower level colorless rangers. But there were several greater blips on the Radar that indicated hi concentrations of energy. Psycho Rangers and Shadowborg most likely. As well as the Bonders.
I rounded a corner stopped and turned around placing my back to the wall. Steele stopped and asked in a whispered voice, "What is it?"
"Three colorless," I replied as I put the silencer on my gun. Steele nodded and placed his laser to a lower energy setting.
We went around the corner and I popped one of them in the back. The bullet didn't even make it past the armor. Shit. Steele got two shots off and the other two fell to the floor. The third turned around just in time for me to unload my clip. It took every bullet left but he finally went down.
"Guess I might want to use an upgrade," I said under my breath.
Steele and I moved the three corpses into a couple of closets. I put the .45 up. It was fine against monsters but they normally were not armored. Or if they were it was never that well. Still the blaster was more what I needed for this job. The rifle I had used earlier was hi powered and did more damage, and even though the .45 would work it would have to be in very close quarters combat.
We continued our search and then finally we found the area we were looking for. There were four strong signatures on there as well as four even stronger ones. Three Psycho's and Shadowborg was my guess. Great…just great.
"Well call Billy and Phantom and tell them we're going to need their help. Espcially Phantom. We need someone with powers here to help us," I said.
Steele looked at me and said, "You already have one with you."
I stared at him blankly. "What the hell are you talking about?" I asked
"Ryan Steele, VR Trooper," He replied, "I'm the leader of that team. Tommy Assigned me for when we split up. Trust me when I say you have some help already with you."
"Well this is some good news," I said, "Still call the Phantom. Two super powered beings are better than one."
He nodded. The call was made and with in an hour they were there. Billy explained that they had run into a small patrol and had to deal with them.
"Alright guys, listen," I said, "There are three Psycho Rangers and Shadowborg behind that door. Now none of us have had any real contact with them. I've seen what they can do from past videos but still that does not give any of us expierence. Shadow on the other hand I have fought on more than one occasion and I know his moves. If I can get to my bonder I'll handle him."
They nodded in agreement. We busted the door in and saw the enemy standing there. The Red, Yellow, and Black, Psycho Rangers stood there as if waiting for us. The Shadowborg looked in our direction.
"Well, well, well," he said in a cold mono tone voice, "They send a powerless super hero, a powerless ranger, an unknown, and the Phantom Ranger. I feel insulted."
Steele was the first to speak. "Yeah well it's about to get more interesting," he said. He pulled out a necklace with a shouted, "WE ARE VR!"
Light flashed and standing before me was the leader of the VR Troopers. He wore a full armor that was split down the middle. Half was Red based the other half was blue. The helmet looked as if were robotics. It almost seemed like he was.
I pulled out my blaster and fired a shot right at the head of the Shadowborg. It didn't do much, if anything. He came at me and blocked a kick he tried to deliver. I punched right at his chest and hurt my hand doing so, only knocking him back. This was no good and I knew it. Time for Plan B I thought. Make for the bonder.
Phantom had his hands full with the Black and Yellow Psycho Rangers. He pulled out his blaster and delivered a few select shots. One of them went flying backwards. The other delivered a Kick to his face. Damn.
Steele and the Red Psycho were going at it. Steele delivered several lightening fast kicks to the fake ranger. He then shouted, "LASER PUNCH COMMAND!" With that his fist glowed and he punched the Red one right in the face. Cracks appeared on the face mask and Shards flew off of the side.
Billy jumped in and helped me with Shadowborg. He was tough and had managed to out maneuver me. If I went right he was there to deliver a kick to the ribs. (Several of them I felt crack) If I tried to jump he would grab me and throw me down. Billy showed up and shouted, "Ninja Ranger Power!" Suddenly he was cloaked in a blue uniform of a ninja. He Deliver a quick kick that knocked Shadowborg backwards.
"Am I the only guy on this mission without powers?" I asked.
"Not for long," He replied, "Look." He pointed to the box now unguarded.
This would most likely be my only chance and I took it. I ran over opened the box and pulled out my Bonder. I placed the teleporter on the box and the rest of them flew off. Now it was show time.
"BEETLE BLAST!" I shouted. The armor appeared on me. I was now longer The Outsider. I was The White Blasterborg. I concentrated my energy and focused on the target of Shadowborg. The laser cannon was charged and he looked at me just in time to say, "Oh shit."
I fired the blast and sent him through several walls. I then shouted, "Time to move out troops!"
In a flash of light we were gone. Teleported back to Reef Side High School. We had a victory. We had had so many defeats in the last year, and even though our victories had been few we now had another one.
Tommy and Kira were waiting there. They had smiles on their face. I powered down and walked over to them.
"How's Joe?" I asked.
"Aside from being severely piss that you tied her to the bed so she wouldn't hurt herself when she got up," Kira replied, "She's fine."
"Good," I said, "I've got something in that box that will make her feel a whole lot better and possibly even forgive me."
I walked over to the box, pulled out her old bonder, and headed for her room. She stared me down and shouted, "You've got some nerve coming in here! I swear when I get out your dead! I am going to beat the ever living shit out of you for this!"
I opened my palm and handed her her old bonder. "Not quite flowers," I said, "But I know how much you hate those."
