AN: Not much to rewrite and add in this chapter either, unless you haven't been keeping up with Rangers of Equestria…

Chapter 10 – Out Of The Frying Pan…

Simon groaned in protest. He was over his shock at seeing Kat fully healed, but he didn't deserve to be dropped on his head. He had a lot to think about – including he own faults. He picked himself up off the ground and looked around. Ronny and Weihan were standing over him with barely suppressed mirth on their faces, while Kat was looking at them with a mixture of disdain and shock. He guessed that made up for the numerous bruises all over his body. Abruptly, he was pulled up by Weihan, who searched his face with a piercing glare.

"Cadet Carville, you are dismissed. Get yourself healed up and think about what we discussed. I expect you to have changed your attitude next time."

Simon nodded once and then strode out the door. He would fix his wounds later, but he had some serious thinking to do. All his life, he had strived for greatness. His father had expected the very best for him and he had done the old man proud. He fought hard, brushing off anyone who got in his way. He knew he was the best…but now he had met his match. He was under the command of one of the Greatest Rangers of all time – and he had reacted badly. He had wanted total supremacy of the Ranger project – to be the Red Ranger. To achieve the position his father had been – the Original Red Ranger. He didn't think Weihan knew who his dad was; he had kept his paternity a closely guarded secret from all prying eyes. To the outside world, he was the son of two middle-class managers and was trying his absolute hardest to do his best. In reality, he was the son of Jason Scott – one of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. His father had told him his secret as soon as he was old enough to understand his legacy. He had to do the best he could be: to be Red.

Red – the prestigious colour his father had been given. Simon had looked at all the articles in the library at his house. With the spirit of the might Tyrannosaurus Rex, there was no challenge that couldn't be taken down easily. He had enrolled into the TinyWarz Battle Program for one reason and one reason only: to be one definition of the Red Ranger. But now, after hearing what Weihan had been through, he started faltering in his quest. True, he had pretty much failed in adhering to the Ranger Spirit in the first battle, but that was due to a few growing pains. What he needed now was advice from the one person he could trust – his father. He turned into his small room, the door sliding shut behind him quietly. On the walls were posters signifying the greatness of the colour Red…the Zords, the Weapons – all of it. On a small corkboard were articles detailing the exploits of the various Red Rangers in their various victories and losses. In the centre was an article copied off an old website that explained what had happened the day his father's Zord had been destroyed.

He moved to the small "study" and sat down heavily on the bench. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair and sighed. He had let himself down as a person – let alone a Ranger. He needed advice and to Hell with what he looked like. His eyes turned to the communication screen above the grey desktop. Nodding to himself, his hands skimmed over the keyboard – translating into words, symbols and icons on the screen.

It was done. All he had to do was wait for a reply.

Weihan watched Simon's retreating figure and let out a soft sigh. He knew he had been a bit too harsh – but he had to be. He had to drill in the core principles of being a Ranger into his head – or they'd be done for. He turned and met the soft brown eyes of Ronny. He knew what she was thinking and he allowed a wry grin to creep onto his face, before speaking. His tone was friendly, but his words conveyed the seriousness of the situation.

"It was bad, but I have to knock some sense into him or all of us could be dead next time. Not just from Drakor's attacks but from the rogue Bandits as well. You need to work as a team to successfully defeat the problems; be it a rogue squadron of Mekas or a random monster battle."

She knew he was right. Due to ¼ of the TW combat group's involvement, planetary patrols were becoming less infrequent – and less planned. Hundreds of thousands of credits worth of units had been destroyed by Bandits and Sha'Kahr alike. Even more disturbing was that Bandit drop ships had been seen touching down on Hadaes – some as close as within 60km of the base. Fortunately, they were only light scouts and intermediate bases, but it wouldn't be long before the real dangers came. Ronny was worried. Apart from herself and Weihan, they had no one who could successfully pilot a Zord or Meka into battle. She wasn't sure if the various TW members would willingly defend them – seeing as they were the centre of the Bandit invasion. As she mentioned this to Weihan, she saw him nod in understanding. His voice was strong and held an undercurrent of determination.

"I am well aware of the situation, but I have a solution. When Simon comes back, you three will be going on a small scouting mission – inside vehicles similar to what your Zords will be."

Kat smiled. She was feeling much better after being healed – and was seriously looking forward to the scouting mission. From searching the main database, she knew that one of the Zords would be modelled after a Katana Meka – but given more long-range weaponry. The other Zords would be modelled after various Mekas and tanks – but there was one folder that had caught her eye. It was labelled "Primal Zords". She didn't know what those were, but she wanted to know more. She coughed once, and then slid off the tabletop – she could see that Weihan and Ronny needed some time together. Besides, she needed to call Tommy and Kim to tell them the news. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, her brow creasing.

"Hey Commander, where's Pie?"

Weihan blinked and swallowed hard. He hadn't seen hide or hair of the blonde cadet since the debriefing – but he had a good inkling of where she had gone to. The experimental Silver Morpher was almost complete anyway – he just needed someone for it to bond to. The Zord and weapons had been fully integrated into its internal subspace storage so it was ready for use. The thought of that much power in the hands of a loose cannon was…well, he couldn't find words to describe how bad that thought was. It was a good thing only three people knew of its existence – himself, Ronny and Frizz. He had also started carrying the Silver Morpher in his pocket. A moving object almost nearly threw the pursuer off balance. He blinked, realising he still needed to give an answer but paused.

He also wished he knew where the Morpher had come from. He had taken to telling people that he had been the one to create it and that it drew from the supposed Shadow section of the Morphin Grid but he had serious doubts. True, he had taken it apart to see what had made it tick and that had given off the impression that he was creating it but that 'dissection' had thrown up more questions than answers…and one large issue that seriously needed to be addressed. He wished for the millionth time that he had created a wrist-mounted version of the Dimensional Doorway communicator but explaining pony Rangers to various people got old really fast. He also hoped Pie_Masta turned out to be Pinkie Pie in disguise but he had never been that lucky.

"As far as Pie is concerned, she's a minor threat. She's shown an unnatural fascination with the whole Ranger Project from Day One. She is not to be approached at any cost. Now, why don't we get a head start on seeing your vehicles?"

Ronny stared wide eyed, while Kat smiled. Trust Weihan to know what would make her happy – well, moreso than seeing him. Weihan gently took Ronny's hand and led her out the door – Kat trailing behind. Something about the whole Pie scenario still seemed off to her – like they weren't getting the full story. She shrugged off that thought and walked faster – to keep up with Weihan and Ronny.

As the trio left the Command Area, they failed to notice a shadow hiding behind a console.

Or that it followed them.

The communication screen crackled once and then flared to life. Simon leant forward as the fuzzy image slowly condensed itself into the form of his father. The man still had closely cropped black hair, hard eyes and a squared jaw. When he spoke, it seemed like God himself was speaking to him.

"Son, this had better be good."

Simon swallowed and then started telling his father what had happened so far. His surprise at being selected for the Ranger program, dismay at his team mates, anger at being Yellow and the disastrous first mission. When it was over, he sighed heavily at his father.

"Dad, I've tried to be like you so hard. Every single time I do that, I get knocked down. I don't understand – why am I like this?"

On the other side of the connection, Jason Scott rolled his eyes. He knew that Simon looked up to him immensely; more than any son should. He paused for a minute to let the information seep to his brain. Simon had been chosen for an elite group of Power Rangers – dedicated to protecting the TW Battle Group from the Sha'Kahr Overlord Drakor. He had been overlooked to be the Red Ranger, due to his arrogance and temper. Somewhere along the way, there had been a battle with a villain allied with Drakor and a group of Quantrons where Simon had fucked up, letting a team mate be gravely injured. And to top his madcap adventures so far, he was being led by Weihan Liang – the Greatest Ranger Ever...after Tommy of course. He sighed and opened his mouth to speak, his voice tired and thin.

"Son. I'm not going to lie to you. What you did was something no ranger should ever do: you abandoned a team member in need. This is completely inexcusable. As a Ranger, your thoughts should be on your team mates at all times, whether or not they can handle themselves."

Simon swallowed hard. He wasn't used to criticism this harsh coming from his father…even if the words had a ring of truth around them. His anger lessened, while his guilt and resolve grew. He knew his father was right: being the First Ranger had taught him a lot of hard lessons. His stories had been chock full of morals on how to live life and make the most of things but how was he supposed to make the most of this situation? The Commander clearly didn't like him and seemed to favour the girls more. His frustration was evident in his voice.

"Dad, it's not about the team. It's the Commander. He showers the girls with praise while he pushes me past my limits. If I was Red, I would –"

Jason hit the screen, breaking his son's rambling off. He knew Weihan was forcing his son to grow, but he didn't know if Simon knew it. Weihan had always been more decisive than both himself and Tommy combined; whether it was Zord battles or what to eat. That wasn't to say that Jason wasn't concerned with Weihan's behaviour. With a new threat and a new girlfriend, his friend seemed to be pushing everyone around him to the limits. Unfortunately, that was normal for him, so that wasn't the real issue here. He suppressed a chuckle as he wondered if his friend recalled the conversationthey had had in the Zord bay all those years ago. He sighed, realising he was getting off track in his mind and needed to address the real problem.

"Son, you are the best in all you do. You've achieved the highest honour anyone could achieve: to be a Power Ranger under the command of one of the Greatest Rangers ever. So you're not a Red. The colour doesn't matter. What does matter is the way you deal with this. There are evils in the world that no one but the Rangers can stand up to. This…Drakor, is one of them. The Power chose you for a reason. It gave you the colour Yellow for a reason. Accept that honour and move on."

Simon closed his eyes resignedly. He knew his father was right. He was being stupid because he hadn't been chosen as the Red Ranger. While he hadn't understood the honour of being chosen by the Power then, he understood and cherished it now. There was just that matter of his feelings for Ronny – which he confided to his father. Jason rolled his eyes yet again, marvelling that they hadn't fallen out yet and hit his forehead in total exasperation. When he spoke, his voice was hard and firm.

"Simon Scott-Carville, listen to me."

Simon stiffened and swallowed hard. Never before had his father used his full name in such a dark tone. He wondered what line he had overstepped this time. Undaunted, his father continued.

"If you truly honour and respect both your Commander and the Power, you will stay away from her. She is already taken by Weihan and judging on what I've heard of her, they'll make a good match. Answer me one question. Do you respect both Commander and the Power?"

Simon nodded. If anything, this was driving home the fact that Ronny was off limits to him. Then again…there was always Kat. His musing was cut short by a harsh, barking alarm – the proximity alarm. It was a very rarely used alarm, at least this side of Konu, but it spelled trouble. Simon swore under his breath and turned to look at his father. To his surprise, Jason had an understanding look on his face.

"Go. Remember – the Power protects always – not just those who wear the armour."

Simon nodded once, closed the communication and ran out the door. Whatever it was, he was sure he could handle it without morphing.

Weihan grinned, pleased with himself. He had Ronny and Kat struck speechless at the sight of their combat vehicles. He just needed the technicians make a few more minor adjustments, and they would be ready for the Transfer. In reality, the Transfer would only take another 15 minutes. His enhanced Ranger sense told him that something big was coming up very soon. He just hoped that Simon and Kat would be able to control them. First times could go really well…or be a disaster. He winced internally – remembering his first few attempts to control the Cerberus Zord, glancing at the thickly armoured doors that led to Hadeas' rocky surface.

He had to admit: the builders and technicians had truly outdone themselves.

Under the skilled guidance of three of the TW Battle Group's most skilled technicians, seanymemory, AznBoi01 and flip, three massive marvels stood in front of them. A black and green Leopard Assault Tank and a yellow and grey Cobra Attack Hovertank sat on either side of a massive red, black and white Katana Meka. To the untrained eye, the Leopard and the Cobra looked similar to their normal incarnations – if a bit bulkier. The Katana was the standout. Its energy blades had been replaced with metallic blade shaped hands, the legs seemed sturdier and the head looked detachable. Even stranger to the two Rangers was the TW Rangers symbol emblazoned on the chest. Ronny looked at Weihan, who had a troubled look on his face. She gently asked him what was wrong. He sighed.

"It's Dryken. I swore I destroyed him completely…but now that he's back, who knows who else could be back? Some might be brazen enough to steal the experimental Morpher."

Ronny's eyes widened a fraction, while Kat's eyebrows shot up. She had pored over the restricted files for hours and had never come across any mention of an "experimental Morpher" and wondered if it was related to the Silver Morpher. She said as such, and watched Weihan's shoulders sag minutely. From this, she could see that what he was going to say was big.

"The Silver Morpher is highly unstable. While it has a strong links to the Universal Morphin Grid, those links are mostly on the dark side – but it is not inherently evil. The bearer can choose to be good or evil. If it is used for evil, it will be a force to be reckoned with."

Weihan sighed, tugging on the collar of his jacket. What he was saying was extremely classified, but he trusted his Rangers: Simon included. He also knew that he was telling them the 'theme park' version of the history of the Morpher but they would take it as fact. Simon had a confidante, he just wasn't sure who but he hoped the Yellow Ranger wasn't spilling out classified information to civilians. His mind flashed back to the last time that had happened and he suppressed a shudder at what had happened to Michael Warwick. He hadn't ruled out any former Rangers – but he didn't know if he had connections to any. He drew in a deep breath and continued.

"The Silver Morpher is a unique piece of machinery, drawn on from various alien technologies. It is 100% customisable; able to adapt to any situation and any obstacle. It is, simply put, a masterpiece. Fortunately, this Morpher is kept on my being all the time. This much raw power in the hands of someone other than me…even I don't want to think of what could happen. You've all read the reports on the Green Dragon Ranger, the Ninja Thunder Rangers and the Quantum Ranger, so you know what power can do to a person."

The two Rangers nodded mutely. They knew what he was talking about: the most famous cases of Power Corruption…and the first stages of Morphin Madness. The Green Dragon Ranger had been totally corrupted by the evil power he held and the Ninja Thunder Rangers were brainwashed into holding the Power. The Quantum Ranger – Eric Meyers – however, was a totally different story. He had taken the Quantum Powers for the sake of having more power than the Time Force Rangers. He had pushed past the Power's mental control eventually, but at first he had been more dangerous than Evil. Weihan sucked on his front teeth and nodded once. He took in a deep breath.

"These combat vehicles are what you will be using for training purposes. In the unlikely situation of a Bandit dropship in the next 5 minutes, you won't have to use them immediately. Kat, your vehicle is the newly designed Leopard Assault Tank. We've reinforced the armour, revamped the shield generator and increased the payload of the main cannon. It is a force to be reckoned with. Just…don't pull the black lever until I tell you."

Kat nodded mutely, staring up at the enormous Leopard. Being a relatively new unit and fresh off the production line, she hadn't seen it being used in battle all that much…though she had read the post-battle reports. It exuded an air of deadly power, with its three turrets ready to shred anything in its way, even the treads looked different, sturdier, stronger and looking like they could crush ore deposits within seconds. She couldn't find an explanation for the horizontal seam near the cockpit though. A glance to Weihan showed that he wouldn't be saying anything else on her vehicle.

"Ronny, you will command a redesigned Katana Meka. You'll see that the blades have been revamped – allowing humanoid hands…albeit in the shape of blades. Due to its lack of long range weapons, we have permanently fitted a Crusader Long gun into it. Also…don't push the Red button on the control console. At least…not yet."

Ronny stared up at the Meka before her. She could see that the hands were blade shaped, but still could grip things. The only thing a bit out of place was the turret on its left shoulder but she supposed it had a fine degree of asymmetry to it. She couldn't find words to describe it – it was an utterly magnificent machine. She was so enamoured by it, she almost didn't hear the proximity alarm begin to wail. Weihan snapped into action, running to a viewscreen to see what was outside. What he saw was a monstrosity that reminded him strongly of the Fearcats. The robot was in the shape of a Beast Meka, with the "arms" of a Battleaxe and the legs of a Claymore. From a nearby corridor, Simon skidded in – almost losing his balance as he stopped. Weihan whirled around to face them, his gaze zeroing in on Ronny.

"It's time. I'm sorry you don't get to take them out on a trial run first, but time is of the essence. Simon, you're in the Cobra Hovertank. It's bigger and bulkier, but moves as fast as a Lightfoot. I'll keep track of your progress here. Don't morph until you know what you're dealing with."

As he talked, the Rangers were entering their vehicles, but they could still hear him. He turned away from the viewing console and moved to the Command Station. In front of him were screens showing the cockpits of the vehicles, hull integrity readings, fuel consumption ratios and the array of Commands that he could use. He was always fascinated by the Commands system: to input a Command to a unit or enemy and instantly watch the results. Of course, he knew how the technical aspect worked – an Aquitian telepathic interface coupled with subspace transmitters acquired from Onyx. In times when he couldn't get to the Command Station, vehicle pilots and crews could issue Commands on their own vehicles, but with a "cool down" period in which the systems reset themselves with some advanced commands having a cool down period of up to thirty minutes.

Ronny entered the cockpit of her Katana by way of a high-speed elevator platform, while Simon and Kat just climbed in. Ronny was amazed at the simplicity of the Mekas controls which consisted of a steering wheel similar to her Control Driver in the Overdrive Zords. On the sides of the wheel were buttons, presumably to control and fire the weapons. The "Big Red Button" was in the centre of the steering wheel. She sat down on the high backed seat and was strapped in automatically by two shoulder harnesses. To her left were screens showing engine temperature, energy distribution and shield reserves, while to her right were the controls for speed and her life support systems. As the Meka prepared for launch, the viewscreen in front of her flared to life – giving her a real-time image of the Holding Bay. Weihan's voice sounded from hidden internal speakers.

"So far, it's standing still. I don't know if this is a lure to get you out there, but be prepared for anything."

Kat nodded – even though she was sure that Weihan couldn't see her. Her Leopard cockpit was in a very small space – as though it had been an afterthought. Just like Ronny, she had the same controls – the only difference being the addition of a small black lever on the right side. Over the speakers, Simon's voice blared out – excited and curious.

"Hey, Commander, what's up with the Yellow lever? I'm not going to touch it, just what is it?"

"Don't touch it yet. To tell the truth, that function hasn't been fully integrated into the system yet. So don't push or pull on the buttons or levers in your colour. Agreed?"

The three Rangers gave varying sounds of commitment. Satisfied, Weihan ran his fingers over various buttons and dials, releasing numerous maintenance hoses from the vehicles. He licked his lips once, and then pressed a button. Instantaneously, the powerful Ultra Energy engines thrummed to life, producing an all encompassing roar. It sounded like an earthquake and it felt like one.

"Powering up Zo – vehicles…NOW!"

Despite the increasing noise, Ronny smiled to herself. She had caught Weihan's slip. Their vehicles didn't look like the usual vehicles she had seen on the briefing. They were heavier, bulkier – Zordlike. They were armoured heavily – almost if they were to be brought into a high impact area…like an escalated monster battle. Grinning to herself, she watched as the doors slowly swung outward, revealing the red soil of Hadaes. Mechanics, technicians and workers scrambled out of the way of the machines. From his place at the Command Station, Weihan exhaled slowly. The surface of Hadeas was similar to Earth – the only difference being a 25 percent increase of oxygen. In fact, the only planet without a breathable atmosphere was Konu. Weihan keyed his microphone and spoke.

"OK guys. This is it. Rangers, roll out!"

The Leopard and Cobra instantly responded, rolling off their platforms – crushing a few new recruits unfortunate enough to still be out in the open. The Katana Meka moved after them, running at full speed. He could hear the excited yells from the Rangers as they moved away from the base. He touched a button and spoke to Ronny on a private channel.

"Ronny, I don't know what's out there, but I'm trusting you'll keep everyone safe. Something about the robot throws me off a bit, so be careful."

Ronny nodded, despite the inertia restricting her movement somewhat. She eyed her readings and saw that everything was in the clear. She, too, had fears of what the robot was. Ever since Dryken had seemingly returned from the dead, she wondered who else could have returned. She still had nightmares of being tied up, at the mercy of the Fearcats – watching as they drew their army from the Mirrored Portal. She knew that the Fearcats were now history – defeated by a last-ditch shot from the DriveMax Ultrazord, so theoretically, she had nothing to be worried about.

But as the three vehicles approached their target, Ronny felt the fear creep up on her once more.

TBC…