Disclaimer: Power Rangers is the property of Saban.
A/N: Turns out that beta-ing Thundersnow didn't work out. There were too many ideas I inherently dislike, and surprisingly, StarWriter0303 wanted to write her own story, not have me write it. We're both happy with this arrangement, by the way. Between my new cashiering job, CLEP tests every other week, accompanying various violinists, and NaNoWriMo, I'm happy to knock something else off my To-Do List.
o◊o
"Mitch, have you got the monkey wrench?" Quentin called, scratching his nose and leaving a streak of oil across it. His voice echoed around the cavernous room inside Mictlantecutli's step pyramid, in which lay the wreckage of Mitch's Eagle Zord.
"No," the Black Ranger shouted back from the cockpit. He looked down at the tools in his hands, and just shook his head. "The monkey wrench looks like what again?"
"The grabby black one like from Clue!" Quentin called.
"No—wait," Mitch ducked and squeezed past his seat. Digging under one console, he pulled out the wrench and held it up. "Found it!"
"Thanks!" Quentin said, snatching the tool out of Mitch's hand. The Black Ranger recoiled, startled, and scrambled to his feet. Leaning on the console, Quentin rested his chin on his folded arms.
"Are all monster fights like the one we had?" He asked.
"Are you going to get back to fixing the Zord?" Mitch asked, turning back to a console.
"I'm declaring a break," Quentin replied. "Or we can talk while we work."
"I don't want to," Mitch muttered. He flipped onto his back, slid underneath a console and began messing with the loose wires hanging underneath.
"Why not?" Mitch stopped, and sighed.
"Because I don't like people, and I hate small talk," the Black Ranger said.
"You don't like people?" Quentin laughed incredulously. "That doesn't even make sense!"
"Look," Mitch said, sliding out to fix Quentin with a glare, "Would you please just leave me alone?"
Quentin looked silently back at him. The bluish torchlight glinted off his equally blue eyes, and his sandy hair.
"No," he said at last, unfolding his arms and standing up. "Can't be a teammate and an island, and I'm not going to let you try."
"I'm flattered," Mitch said dryly, and went back to work. With a shrug, Quentin went back to working on the Zord. There were a few minutes of quiet wiring and repairing work, broken only by grunts, clangs or Quentin's whistling.
"Why did Quetzalcoatl come out good? The last Teotl to pop up after the Z-Wave was evil," Mitch called.
"He did wake up in the Z-Wave—he just decided to take a little world trip when he changed," Quentin shouted back, audibly grinning. "How he found me, actually." Mitch nodded, and went back to work.
A few minutes later, both Rangers were distracted by a mini-tornado of black ash descending from the ceiling. It materialized into Mictlantecutli, and Mitch and Quentin got up. The Teotl looked around, and nodded with approval at the progress they'd made.
"Come to Azteca Command as soon as possible. We have something important to perform," he said, and disappeared again.
"Is he always this chatty?" Quentin asked Mitch.
"No—for Mictlantecutli, that was practically a speech," Mitch replied, dumping a handful of tools into the nearest toolbox.
After they'd put everything where they could find it again later, the two boys headed down to Azteca Command. The other Rangers and Teotl were already there, except for Tammy. Glancing around awkwardly, Quentin leaned against a pillar. Quietly, T Lock got his attention and gestured to his nose. Quentin touched his, found the oil and wiped it off with his sleeve, mouthing "thanks" at the Blue Ranger.
"Sorry," Tammy gasped, darting inside. "Had something—important."
"It matters not," Tezcatlipoca said, standing up straight and grasping the hilt of his sword. "Line up." The Rangers obeyed, and Tezcatlipoca began pacing. "Huitzilopochtli and Quetzalcoatl are not the last of the old ones to awaken. We can feel the others stirring—and these have not felt the Z-Wave."
"But we can fix it the way we did with Huitzilo—whatever his name is, right?" T Lock asked.
"Yes, however, the only reason Huitzilopochtli did not consume you was because he already knew that you were my chosen one," Tlaloc said. "The others have less self-control."
"But you can fix that," Tez said, looking Tezcatlipoca in the eye. The Teotl nodded. Silently, the six Teotl faced their Rangers, and held out their hands. The Rangers could feel the energy crackling from their palms.
Tez was the first to reach forward and place his hands on Tezcatlipoca's. He started, and both their hands glowed scarlet. Mitch and Quentin followed suit, as did the others. Alexandria let out a startled noise, and T Lock body-shivered.
The Rangers all let go at once, and looked at their hands. On their palms glowed Aztec seals, each in their own color. After a few seconds, the marks faded, but they could still feel the new power coursing through them.
"You now wield a larger portion of our power," Tezcatlipoca said. "Any Teotl will know who you are, and you will have enough strength to not endanger your lives in converting them."
"Wow," T Lock breathed, flexing his fingers.
"Thank you," Tammy said, looking up at the Teotl.
"We still have to cut ourselves?" Mitch asked.
"We can't change the spell, only make it safer. Yes, the Teotl will only be drawn by shed blood," Tezcatlipoca said.
"Fine," Mitch muttered.
o◊o
In the benighted desert outside San Orlando, a flaming meteor rocketed out of the sky. It slammed into the sand with a thump, blasting it in every direction. As the smoke and sand blew away, the flames died down, leaving a dark figure lying in the crater. It was a male Teotl, huge and dark. He stirred, and the quiver of arrows on his back rattled.
Inside her dark dimension, Itzpapalotl glanced at the scene through her magical window, and smirked to herself.
"Hello, Mixcoatl," she addressed the Teotl, knowing he couldn't hear her. "The heavens have been pure chaos since you left. It's been wonderful—still, at the moment, a hunter is just what I need."
She turned to an obsidian table, which Dark Stars were busily covering with vials and bottles and strange-looking objects. Brushing through the crowd, the Tzitzimime Queen selected a clear flask of red fluid, and poured it into a stone bowl.
"Nobody will sacrifice to you, poor dear," she continued to the unhearing Mixcoatl, "But fear not, I have something that will strengthen you, until you can find the right pair." She continued adding ingredients, humming quietly to herself. On the screen behind her, Mixcoatl struggled to his feet and staggered towards the distant lights of San Orlando.
Finally, Itzpapalotl picked up the bowl, her claws scraping its sides. Turning to a bone cape draped over the table, she poured the greenish liquid over it. It hissed as it made contact, and the bones darkened to a very shiny black.
Setting aside the bowl, Itzpapalotl lifted the cape and tossed it towards the Earth. It fluttered down, gleaming like obsidian. Mixcoatl heard it coming and whirled, firing an arrow in its direction, but it bounced off the bones. Then the cape draped over him, and began to glow.
With a roar, Mixcoatl rocketed upwards, growing giant-sized with a blinding blue-white flash. He turned once again towards San Orlando. Watching, Itzpapalotl began to laugh, as the archer advanced on the human city.
o◊o
T Lock vaulted into the Crocodile Zord's cockpit and closed the hatch. Looking up, he watched as Tlaloc magically began opening the top of the step pyramid. Early morning daylight poured in, as the four sides unfolded away from him.
The Blue Ranger flipped a row of levers, and listened anxiously as the Zord hummed to life. He saw the Snake Zord zip by, and the Crocodile Zord began to move. It went just as smoothly as before its near-destruction, and T Lock quickly relaxed.
The Fox, Jaguar and Eagle Zords joined T Lock and Quentin in the charge towards San Orlando. Temazcalteci had fortunately decided not to trash her own Zord. Hopefully, it wouldn't take long for the Teotl to help Alexandria to finish her own repairs.
Mixcoatl was easy to find—he was shooting skyscrapers in the financial district. He whirled as the Zords arrived, and without even pausing, sent a shaft at the Eagle Zord. Mitch caught the arrow in the Zord's beak, and snapped it neatly in half.
"Um, probably not a good idea to taunt this guy," T Lock said.
"Who's taunting?" Mitch retorted.
Growling, Mixcoatl loosed a volley of arrows at the Zords, which tore into their hulls with fountains of sparks. The Jaguar Zord had taken one through the eye, and began pawing at it, roaring. Swooping down, the Eagle Zord began clawing at Mixcoatl's eye—just as the Teotl unhooked a net from his belt. Throwing it over the Zord, Mixcoatl dragged the Eagle to the ground and pinned it under one massive foot.
Quentin zigzagged into the fight, and the Snake Zord latched onto Mixcoatl's leg. Swinging around, the Teotl caught the Zord just behind the head and tore it free. As nearly black blood streamed down his leg, Mixcoatl held up the writhing Snake Zord and tossed it away. Quickly regaining control, Quentin turned the Snake Zord around and shot back towards Mixcoatl.
Grasping a handful of net, Mixcoatl swung the Eagle Zord up into the Snake Zord's path, and an explosion set the net on fire. Flapping wildly, the Eagle Zord tore free and took off, trailing fire and smoke as it went.
"Guys, guys! We can do the Megazord now!" Alexandria exclaimed, as the Dove Zord swooped in.
"Timing—you don't have it," Mitch said, landing the Eagle Zord on a skyscraper roof. "At all."
"Tactless, yet rude," Tammy commented.
"Everyone just stop trying to be witty and form the stupid Megazord!" Tez yelled. The Jaguar Zord finally managed to tear the arrow out of its eye, leaving strings of wires dangling down its face.
"Sheesh, fine," Mitch said.
The six Zords are running through the jungle. The Fox and Crocodile fold up, their heads forming the feet, their bodies the legs. The Dove and Eagle's wings slide back and fold into the upper arms, their heads becoming the fists. The Jaguar crouches, and his limbs slide into the newly-formed Megazord limbs. The Snake Zord leaps into the air and splits open, attaching to the Megazord's body like armor. The Jaguar's head drops back, and the Snake's lands there instead. Its jaw drops, revealing a silvery face with gold-glowing eyes.
"Sun Ascension Megazord!"
"How cool is this?" T Lock exclaimed giddily, looking around the group cockpit. Quentin was seated between him and Tez in the upper tier of the cockpit, with Mitch and the girls in front as usual. They faced the Teotl, who did manage to look impressed by the change.
"You really picked the wrong town to mess with, Mixcoatl," Tez called.
"Megazord Tepoztopilli!" Quentin shouted. With a green flash, a massive flat-bladed spear edged with obsidian appeared in the Megazord's hands, and the robot twirled it.
"Who said you could do that?" Tez snapped.
"Dude, monster, that's permission," Quentin replied, gesturing to Mixcoatl.
"He isn't a monster; we don't want to destroy him, just force him back down!" Tez retorted.
"Fine, whatever," Quentin replied, shrugging.
Mixcoatl finally began shooting at them, and twirling the Tepoztopilli, the Megazord deflected every shot back at him. Moving quickly, Mixcoatl managed to avoid most of the direct hits—but the arrows that gashed him drew blood instead of sparks. One struck Mixcoatl in the thigh, and he fell to one knee with a grunt. Swinging the Tepoztopilli back, the Megazord brought it down on the Teotl's back, flattening him to the ground.
"Downsize!" Tez growled, pricking Mixcoatl's throat with the spear's edge.
"We're trying to help you!" Alexandria called, as the Teotl glared defiantly at them. "The other Teotl picked us to be their chosen ones, and it's our job to defend this city!"
The Rangers and Mixcoatl gazed at each other silently for a long minute. Then Mixcoatl cried out, and with a flash, changed back into a seven-foot man.
"So, no big kaboom to break in the new Megazord?" Quentin asked, crestfallen.
"Just shut up," Tez snapped, leaping out. The others followed, and the Megazord began disassembling itself. The Zords stayed, waiting patiently for the Rangers.
"Xochiquetzal Arrows!" Alexandria called, and flipped the knife around.
"I'll do it," Tez said, coming up beside her.
"I can," Quentin countered.
"Don't even start—I'm going to," Alexandria said. Then she paused, and with a nervous little noise, began peeling off one of her gloves.
"We should take turns," Tammy suggested. "I suspect we'll have to do this in the future as well."
Alexandria paused, grasping the blade in her left palm, and looked over at Mixcoatl. Sucking in a deep breath, she sliced her palm open with a squeak of pain, and started right for the Teotl. The other Rangers watched.
Panting, Mixcoatl pushed himself up on one elbow, and looked at the advancing Pink Ranger in confusion. She stopped right in front of him, knelt down and held out her hand. Mixcoatl's eyes flicked from it to her face, hidden behind her helmet. Then he reached forward and grasped her hand.
There was a blinding pink flash, and both Alexandria and Mixcoatl fell back from each other, winded. Now Tammy darted over and began checking the pair over.
"We need to get them back to Azteca Command!" She shouted at the boys.
"Fine. Quentin, Mitch, T Lock, help Mixcoatl, I'll take Alexandria," Tez ordered. Then he realized that Mitch was no longer there, just as the Eagle Zord took off for the temples. With a growl of frustration, Mitch went to Alexandria.
"Where'd Mitch go?" Quentin asked T Lock, as they went to the Teotl.
"No idea. He does this a lot," T Lock replied, slipping a shoulder under Mixcoatl's arm.
o◊o
In her lair, Itzpapalotl let out a roar of fury and caught the nearest Dark Star by the throat. With one swift gesture, she slashed its gut open and threw it into a bone pillar, where it disintegrated. Still trembling with anger, Itzpapalotl glared at the screen. The Rangers' Zords took off back towards Azteca Command, and Itzpapalotl tore the illusion apart with three strokes.
Turning back to her table, Itzpapalotl blew the mist away from a long, narrow trencher of black liquid. She ran a claw through it and held it up, watching the goop drip off her talons. Something stirred under the liquid, and Itzpapalotl glanced down at it.
"Not yet, my darlings," she hissed, tapping her claws on the side of the trencher. The liquid's surface calmed. "Not yet, but soon."
o◊o
Trivia: In this chapter's original draft, Itzpapalotl disguised herself as a human and magically marked Quentin and Alexandria so Mixcoatl would hunt them down, based on the way the Aztecs would sacrifice a man and woman to honor this god.