The room fell silent as the dust settled and Snide started to look around. This was pretty much the one thing that Kendall had never wanted to happen, the one thing that terrified her more than anything else she could imagine. One of their most dangerous foes was now here, standing right in the centre of their base.
She had always tried not to be too sentimental over things. Things, possessions, places...those were all temporary. She had come into this knowing the day would come when they would all move on, and this place would once more be a simple cave in the ground that just happened to sit under the museum. She had considered at once time once the Ranger battles were over that it would itself be a great exhibit for the museum, and actual cave system running underneath the museum! However, over time many things had occurred that had made this place so much more than just a place of work, than just where she had observed battles and built her weapons.
This place had become as much of a home to the team as it had a base. It was the one place that only they and the people they trusted with their secret knew about. It was a place where they could share their most intimate moments and thoughts and feelings. Just a few feet away was Koda's actual home, the cave he had lived in ever since coming to Amber Beach. When the time came for their most dangerous battle, it was natural that they had brought their loved ones down here. It was a place they felt safe, but now all that was gone.
She cast a glance over into a corner, where Allison had gone to check on Keeper. The ancient alien had been standing almost directly under the hole when the rubble came down, and it looked like a lot of it had hit him. She couldn't tell if he was unconscious, or...she didn't really want to think of the other consequence. Only he knew enough of the full power of the Energems to know what to do once they did get the Dark Energem. He was bleeding from a few wounds, the most troubling of which was the side of his head, which extended most of the way down the left side of his face. Allison cradled his body protectively as she kept an eye on Snide. Kendall turned her attention back to Snide.
Snide strode around the room; looking around judgementally at all they had built down there. His gaze came to rest on the remains of the Greenzilla Egg.
"So, you destroyed the Greenzilla egg!" He snarled as he picked up one of the pieces. Looking around the room, he saw Allison, who was still covered in the goop that would have become a Greenzilla had she not obliterated the egg with a sledgehammer. She gulped as she saw his gaze come to rest on her. He just threw the piece of egg at her. "No matter, I've got something better I can bring back to the ship! Two new Energems!"
Kendall saw him look to the crystal beds, where the Silver Energem was resting. He then turned his attention back to her.
"Once I destroy you, I'll have the Purple AND Silver Energems to add to MY collection!" He told her. He turned sharply, throwing out a pair of power blasts, which destroyed the crystal beds, sending shards flying. Everyone had to protect themselves as the pieces flew everywhere. Kendall saw Betty covering up, deep scratches on her hands bleeding as she tried to protect her face from flying crystals. Kendall got up and ran over to her console, snatching up her helmet.
"I don't think so!" She responded, throwing it at him to distract him as she summoned up her sword and ran to the attack. Snide had threatened everyone she cared about, and had violated the sanctity of her lab. This was her house, and if he wanted to destroy it, then he was going to have to go through her!
In Beijing, Chase was sitting in the Titanozord, catching his breath as he waited for pickup. He saw the Plesiocharge Megazord flying overhead and stood up, stretching out his Zord's arms as it swooped down to pick him up. He breathed a sigh of relief as they headed up into the air.
"Now that...that was a day I would just as soon not repeat." He commented. "How are all you guys doing?"
"Not too bad." Tyler replied through the comm-link. "The zords are damaged, but the self-repair system should deal with the worst of it soon enough."
"It has indeed been quite a day." Ivan mused as he thought about it. "As much as Zandar has changed since my day, I am glad I could protect it one more time."
"I'll just contact the base; let them know we're coming in." Tyler told them. "If we're lucky, they might just prepare a nice welcome home lunch for us!"
"You know what? That sounds just about perfect!" Shelby stated.
"Red Ranger to base, are you reading over?" Tyler asked. He didn't get a reply. "Red Ranger to base, do you read me over?"
"TYLER!" He heard a voice screaming. Allison picked up one of the headsets as she scrambled to avoid the battle going on just feet from her.
"What is that?" Tyler asked. He could only get audio link, the video link to the base didn't seem to be working.
"It's Snide, he found the base!" She screamed at them. "He came looking for the egg! He must have been able to track it!"
"Snide's there?" Chase rushed out in a panic, hearing the fear in his girlfriend's voice. "Allison, you've got to get out of there!"
"That's easier said than done!" She yelled. "Chase, you've got to..."
Suddenly, the communications were cut off. Chase grabbed his console.
"Allison!" He screamed at it. "ALLISON!"
"Snide's in the base?" Shelby gasped.
"We've got to get there, FAST!" Tyler agreed. "Everyone, full throttle!"
Back at the Dino Lab, Kendall struggled against Snide. His skill with a sword was incredible, and his power was beyond anything she had faced so far. He seemed even more powerful than the first time she had faced him when he first showed up all those months ago. Snide drove her back into a shelving unit, and came at her with an overhand, which she only barely managed to dodge, as he sliced through it smashing everything on the unit.
Kendall hit the ground and started to back up away from him as he advanced on her, but then a shot rang out and sparked off his armour. It was quickly followed by another eleven in quick succession. The bullets didn't seem to harm him, but even he was distracted by a slug hitting his armour at high velocity. She looked around to where she could see Margaret ejecting an empty magazine from her Beretta.
"Margaret! Don't..."
"You look like you can use all the help you can get!" Margaret told her, struggling to her feet and taking aim, before opening fire again. "I might not be able to finish him, but I can sure as hell distract him! Even Snide can't ignore a full magazine!"
She emptied a second magazine into him rebounding shots off his chest and off his face plate. Snide screamed in rage as he cast out an energy blast towards her, only for Leanne to rush past and snatch Margaret out of harm's way.
"I'm out!" Margaret told them as Kendall had regained enough composure to return to the fight. "That was my last magazine!"
"Hey ugly!" Sarah called out, running past and lobbing a chemical flask into his face. "Have a free chemical peel!"
He grabbed his face and started screaming as puffs of white smoke rose from his face. Kendall knew that Sarah was gifted in chemistry, and would easily have been able to pick out something that if not deadly to him given his alien physiology would at very least be distinctly unpleasant! Kendall took this opportunity to resume her attack. She managed to get a few telling strikes in while Snide was distracted, but eventually he managed to refocus his efforts on her. He locked blades with her as she drove him into a wall, driving both blades back towards him, trying to drive them right into him.
"You really care about these weaklings, don't you Purple Ranger!" He sneered. "That's a mistake that will cost you!"
He managed to shove Kendall off him, before firing a blast towards Betty. She only just threw herself out the way.
"You will NOT touch my G'MA!" Kendall screamed at him, taking her blaster and opening fire. Snide deflected shots all around, staggering off balance, which allowed Matt to get the drop on him, literally. Matt leapt off a work bench, landing on his back and grappling with the monster.
"I won't hold him for long!" Matt yelled. "Get him now!"
Leanne ran full-pelt at Snide, blurring across the room. Matt let go and threw himself off as she tackled him straight into a rock-face hard enough to shatter it. He got up to his knees, but Leanne kept hammering into his face with hard punches.
"Hiring a vampire? Good call!" Betty complimented Allison as she helped Allison get Keeper to a safe spot. Unfortunately, the advantage Leanne bought them didn't last for long.
Picking up one of Koda's spears, Sledge rammed it through Leanne's abdomen. Her eyes grew wide as he got to his feet, and using the spear, threw her across the room into a rock face, which collapsed on top of her.
"I might have missed your heart, but I can rectify that later!" Snide taunted her, knowing that as she bled out, her strength would weaken. He staggered as Matt came at him, throwing hard haymakers with a rock held in each hand. He grabbed the farmer by the throat, lifting him off the ground.
"Now, this is a spirited effort...shame you don't have the necessary power behind it!" Snide taunted him. "Then again, who does?"
Just then, a figure dropped into the middle of the room. They all looked around to see the new arrival.
"How about me?" Heckyl announced as he fired his power blasts into Snide. The evil alien barely got time to raise a guard, but he was still driven back several feet by the power of Heckyl's blast.
Up on Sledge's ship, they were still waiting on word from Snide's mission on Earth, but as time wore on and Poisandra, who was still pouting over the debacle of her wedding cake, started to get restless. Although he was keen to hear how things were going on Earth, Sledge had shut off all the alarms at her request, and was focused on keeping his fiancée happy. In the end, he decided the only way to do so was to carry on with the ceremony.
Her dress was stained, which she wasn't happy about, but having been cleaned up as much as possible, she was delighted that the ceremony resumed. Without Snide to conduct the ceremony, and with Fury still standing in as Best Man, that meant the job of officiating dropped to the next person down. Which happened to be...
"Are you sure you don't want us to bake a new cake first?" Curio asked his mistress, looking over to the mess in the corner, which some viviks were doing their best to pack ruined crumbs and pastry back together and cover it over with icing. Fury just face-palmed.
"That'll take HOURS!" Fury grumbled.
"Exactly!" Poisandra protested, looking to her friend/pet, patting him on the head. "It's taken me 65 million years to finally drag this one down the aisle; I'm not waiting a minute longer!"
"I don't want to wait another minute either my sweet pudding!" He responded, before glowering at Curio. "Hurry up and get on with it!"
"Yeah, he can get me another cake later!" Poisandra told him, looking lovingly at her beau. "On our extended honeymoon! I think about a million years should be good."
"You want me to give up work for a MILLION YEARS?" He roared. "But...but...all those contracts! I just got sent an offer by Galaxy Warriors to find them new contestants..."
"Now you listen here buster, I've waited 65 million years for this, the least YOU can do is take some time off work!" Poisandra huffed. Sledge just sighed.
"I suppose you're right dear." He answered. "Go ahead."
"Now, do you Poisandra take this man..."
"I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO!" She rushed out, interrupting him as she threw her arms around him. "A million times I DO!"
"And do you Sledge, take this woman to be your awfully dreaded wife?" Curio asked him.
"I do." Sledge replied.
"Then by the power invested in me by you, Poisandra, Fury, this ship, the toaster, the repair bots, the viviks, the Spikeballs, the monster that keeps eating the urinal cakes, the..."
"JUST GET ON WITH IT!" They both snapped at him impatiently.
"Yeah, I want to get to the honeymoon!" Poisandra said suggestively, sliding a hand under Sledge's jacket. He grabbed Curio, lifting him off the ground.
"If you don't want me to turn you back into a couch, just get on with it!" He responded in haste, being eager to get to the extra-marital activities. Curio just gulped.
"I now pronounce you man and wife!" He answered. "You man kiss the bride...though...I'm not ENTIRELY certain how you would manage that."
Poisandra squealed in delight as Sledge picked her up in a bridal carry and a vivik turned on the wedding march once more. They were about to leave, but Poisandra pulled in close.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" She asked him. Sledge looked confused for a moment until she held up the fourth finger of her left hand.
"Ah, of course!" He replied, looking to Fury. "Well Best Man, get the ring out the book!"
Fury went to the book and opened it, but found the ring was missing.
"It's gone!" He yelled in panic, expecting Sledge to go ballistic. Poisandra started screaming, seeing her wedding ring was missing, at which Sledge dropped her on the floor and picked up the book, inspecting it closely and shaking it, hoping it would fall out.
"Where is it?" Sledge roared. "Everyone fan out! Search every inch of the ship! No one rests until we find it!"
Back in the museum, Heckyl was keeping Snide busy while the team regrouped. They couldn't believe that he had come to their aid in their time of need. They ducked and took cover as blasts fired all around the lab, wrecking equipment and causing more rock-falls that raised concerns the whole cave was about to come down, dropping the museum right on their heads!
"You've chosen the wrong side Heckyl!" Snide yelled as he launched an attack towards him. Heckyl created an energy shield that just about held the power of his blasts at bay, but they could see the strain on his face from his efforts.
"I can't hold him for long!" He told them. "Kendall, you have to finish him now!"
Kendall loaded her Dino Charger into her sabre, before leaping into the air, aiming to slice Snide clean in two. He saw her coming and re-doubled his efforts with his blast, which send Heckyl and Kendall both tumbling to the floor.
Kendall fought for breath, and she could feel her own blood choking her as Snide came over. She reached for her sabre, but he kicked it away, before grabbing her, throwing her up against a wall, back to her feet. He grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground, choking the life from her.
"I had hoped to make you watch, but perhaps it'll be almost as much fun letting you think about what order I'll send them to meet you in." He sneered at her as her face turned beetroot red. "Perhaps I'll send your little G'Ma. Maybe the vampire...or perhaps it'll be the boyfriend. So many choices."
He brought back his sword, preparing to swing it.
"Don't worry; you won't be alone for long!" He taunted her, but before he could swing, he felt something stopping his sword. He looked back, seeing Matt had grabbed hold of the blade.
"I guess the boyfriend has made the choice for me!" He told her, dropping Kendall to the floor, who just started coughing. He tried to pull the sword from Matt's grip, but Matt just held on, powering through the pain as the blade started to cut into him.
Snide swung Matt around, pinning him against the wall, and started to drive the blade slowly towards his throat. Despite the pain, despite the blood running down his forearms from his hands, Matt struggled against the blade, at which Snide was forced to apply his second hand. Further and further, he drove it back towards his throat, aiming to slice his head from his shoulders.
"You know, this heroic nonsense might have impressed her. It's a shame she gets to watch you die!" Snide taunted him. "See how heroes are rewarded!"
"That's my thoughts exactly." Matt replied as a light shone in his eyes. Snide looked down in shock as the sword was actually starting to get driven back towards him! Energy started to swirl around Matt as he tensed up every muscle. By the time he had enough room, Matt reared back his head and drove it forward into a hard head butt, but by the time it connected, it was more than just flesh and bone that hit Snide.
"What the...!" Allison gasped.
"Oh man, that is AWESOME!" Sarah gasped, grinning brightly. "I so want one of those suits!"
All of the others looked on in surprise to see standing before them, the new Silver Ranger!
Silver...STRIKE!" Matt called out as he powered up his fist, slamming it into Snide's face and sending him flying back into the back of the cave.
"You think one more Ranger...?"
He didn't get to finish his thought as Matt pulled out his Dino Blaster and opened fire, hitting him with blast after blast, utilising the skills he had earned in a lifetime on the farm, shooting predators that threatened their produce and game for their meals. Kendall pulled out her blaster and joined him, chipping away at Sledge's armour as well. He let out a scream as his armour finally failed him and one of Kendall's blasts caught him straight in the abdomen through a gap their combined efforts had created, forcing him to his knees.
As Heckyl and the others started to regain their composure and stood before him, Snide realised his advantage had left him. If he was going to defeat them, he needed more power! He needed the Magna Beam, and even he knew that he couldn't call for that indoors!
"THIS ISN'T OVER!" He screamed, running from the base. The team started to relax, finally letting their facade of strength fade. They were all spent, having given Snide all they had left. As Allison, Alessandra, Margaret and Betty went to dig out Leanne, Matt went over to Kendall, pulling off his helmet and offering her a hand. She accepted it, allowing him to help her to her feet.
"That was...wow...I had no idea." Matt told her. "I used to think working on the farm was hard work, but this...I have no idea how you guys even get up every morning!"
"You...you..." Kendall started to stammer, gesturing to his suit, unable to form a coherent thought into an actual sentence. Matt just nodded.
"Somewhere in the battle, when we were all getting our asses handed to us...I saw the Silver Energem in the rubble. It just started glowing, like it was calling out for someone to take it." Matt told her. "When I saw Snide holding you, when he was threatening you...I came running...and the Energem just came to me."
Kendall threw herself into Matt's arms, pressing her lips to his as he held her tightly. Margaret smiled brightly.
"Well it's about damn time!" She commented.
"Nicely done Doodlebug." Betty said approvingly.
As they parted, Kendall could feel her heart racing. A smile crossed her face despite her injuries, despite the fact that they now knew that the base was no longer safe for them. All she could do was stare into his eyes and know that in his heart, she was the one thing that mattered more to him than anything else.
"Um…excuse me." Heckyl interrupted them, tapping Kendall and Matt on the shoulders to get their attention. "I don't mean to be 'That guy', but Snide IS getting away, and now that he's weakened, this could be the best chance we have of destroying him and the Dark Energem!"
"Wow, leave it to the rebound guy to spoil the moment." Margaret stated, earning herself a look from Heckyl. "No offence."
"None taken." He responded a little coldly. "So, what do you say?"
"He's right." Kendall conceded, looking to Matt. "This is the best chance we've got, now that he's on his own and he's on the run!"
"Right." Matt said, taking up his helmet and looking to her with a smile. "Riley always told me this Ranger stuff had no respect for personal lives."
"We...um...we will talk about this." Kendall said, as much as a question to him as a statement of reassurance. She felt completely vulnerable in this situation, having laid so much of her heart on the line. "Raincheck?"
"Raincheck." He replied. "Are you coming Heckyl?"
"I'm responsible for Snide being released into this universe." Heckyl answered. "It seems only right that I be one of the ones to take him out of it."
"Look after Keeper and Leanne!" Kendall called out as she snatched up her helmet and started to make her way to the door with Heckyl and Matt. "We'll be right back!"