I don't own Power Rangers. Rick, Rebecca, Louis, Zara, Alex, Joe and Jin were created by Jetman21, Thewhatzupwriter26, RushQuake, GoseiShinkenPink, decode9, TimmayIsAwesome and Gadget the Critic, respectively. Ted, Cronos and the Professor were created by me.
AN: Okay, so I was going to release all four parts of this current arc in one go. However, writing all four concurrently was getting confusing. So, instead, I give you part one now, and part two either tonight or tomorrow. Parts three and four will follow in the next couple of weeks. Just thought I'd open by updating you guys on that now. R&R, please, no flames.
...
Alex, Rebecca and Zara walked through the mall. Zara wasn't a fan of all the girly shopping stuff, but the other two girls were in their element, even if they weren't necessarily the girliest of girls. They'd just come out of the ninth boutique of the day, Alex and Rebecca now laden with bags from various stores, whilst Zara had a single bag, from a Wal Mart where she'd picked up some new plain black t-shirts. Three of them for ten dollars.
"Do you two ever stop?" She finally spoke up as they went to enter the tenth store "We've been here for four hours!"
"So, two more and they'll all be closed." Rebecca said with a smile "Then we can go."
"Exactly." Alex said with a grin, her face falling as a beep came from her pocket, the three of them quietly moving to one of the quiet areas, Alex pulling out her morpher, pressing the comm. button "What's up?"
"Alex, I could use your help in the lab." Ted's voice came through "The Professor's working on some super secret project, so I'm stuck repairing the zords after last week."
"I'm on my way." Alex sighed, lowering her morpher before handing her bags off to Zara "Take those, I'll pick them up from yours later. Thanks, you're a star!"
"But-" Zara said, before Alex pressed a control on her morpher and teleported away in a streak of green energy "And she's gone..."
"Come on." Rebecca said, grabbing Zara by the arm and dragging her off towards the store they'd been about to enter "She might be gone but I'm not."
"Oh joy." Zara said sarcastically as they entered the tenth store.
...
Alex teleported into the Command Centre, finding herself in the zord hangar. She looked around briefly, before seeing Ted's legs hanging over the edge of a raised platform under his zord, a red mechanics jumpsuit visible with the top half hanging loosely from his waist, a dirty white vest on his chest.
"Starting with your own, I see." She said, laughing slightly as he sat up too quickly and head butted the bottom of the Zord, sliding out and rubbing his head "Sorry, but that was kind of funny."
"Glad one of us liked it." Ted said, climbing down the ladder attached, moving over to the lockers and pulling out a green jumpsuit like his own, tossing it to her "Suit up. Unless you want to wear a designer top and skirt to do maintenance?"
"Turn around." She said, waiting until he complied before beginning to change "What's the damage like?"
"The Transport, jet and choppers all took the brunt of the beating." Ted said, being tapped on the shoulder by her when she'd finished changing "The other four zords all took varying degrees of damage, but they're more towards what could be called operable."
"What if the city gets attacked in the meantime?" She asked as Ted lead her to the platform, gesturing for her to climb up, smirking as she said "Nuh-uh. Eyes front, soldier."
"Seriously?" Ted said, rolling his eyes as she nodded, beginning to climb up "Yes, ma'am."
"Good Red Ranger." She said, as if talking to a dog "So we're starting with this one?"
"Professor's orders." Ted said as he watched her climb up, giving her a hand up onto the platform "He tells me everything will be fine, but he still wants at least the Rev Max up and running ASAP."
"Better get to work then." Alex said, sliding under the zord "Hand me a multi tool will you?"
"Basic or super techie version?" Ted asked sarcastically, handing her a silver device with pale blue energy running along it to the tip, giving it the appearance of a pencil "Hold on, I forgot something in the lab. I'll be right back."
Ted quickly got back onto the ladder, sliding down it, before running out of the hangar towards the lab.
...
The Professor stood in the lab, various simulations running on holographic projections all around him. He'd been running simulations since Ted had left him to go and work on the Zords. The Chrono Megazord should have just about been able to match the Jet Rev Megazord, it shouldn't have been able to surpass it. The Professor would have to make sure that his new project was superior, before the Rangers started asking difficult questions.
He finished running the current simulation, before disengaging them, setting the assembly drones to begin putting the project together. As he did, he heard the doors open, turning to see Ted.
"Theodore," He said, putting on a smile "what can I do for you?"
"You're being friendly, it's weird, I don't like it." Ted said quickly, before moving to one of the terminals, crouching down and pulling a bag out from underneath "I forgot something from my bag."
"What's that?" The Professor asked as Ted found a small box "One of your tools?"
"Way more important." Ted said, grinning as he said simply "Lunch."
The Professor rolled his eyes. Ted's obsession with his stomach was something that irritated him on more than one occasion. However, there was no time to think about it as the sirens went off, the Professor bringing up a projection of the city, showing not one but two attack locations.
"What is it?" Ted asked, opening the box and pulling out a cheese and pepperoni sandwich as he ran over, taking a bite, speaking through a mouthful of food "What's going on?"
"Don't speak with your mouth full, Theodore." The Professor said "Buzzers are attacking the motorcycle track, and there's a larger group attacking down town."
"Tell the others to head down town." Ted said as Alex came running in "I'll meet them there. Alex, can you handle a few buzzers?"
"Piece of cake." She said, grabbing his sandwich and the box it had been in, putting both on the console "You won't be needing those."
"Don't eat my sandwich, prof." Ted said, smirking as he and Alex both pulled their morphers "Rev Max, power up!"
...
Alex teleported onto the motorcycle track, seeing people running away from the attacking Buzzers. She saw one of the Buzzers knock a woman carrying a small child to the ground about ten metres from her, jumping in the air and hitting the creature in the stomach, knocking it back before helping the woman up.
"Get out of here." She said, the woman nodding before running away, carrying her child whilst Alex turned to face the Buzzers "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to pick on women and children! Now I'm mad!"
She pulled her swords from her belt, shifting the handles around, the triggers for the blaster modes popping out as she did. She began taking shots at all the Buzzers, taking half of them down. As she did, a trio of them got behind her, grabbing her by the arms and throat and pushing her to her knees, making her look up as a creature with an insectoid head, a scorpion tail with a cannon and stinger on it and a pair of gigantic, metal pincers where the hands would be on a person.
"Ooh, I've got me a Green Ranger!" The creature said, it's voice sounding like a cliché cowboy "Well, I'm going to have some fun here!"
The creature drew back its tail. As it did, a blast of golden energy impacted it in the side, before identical blasts hit the Buzzers holding her. She looked up in time to see the Gold Ranger stood there, holding his two blasters in his hands, both trained on the creature.
"You come in Gold too?" The creature said, laughing "Must be my lucky day!"
"It is." The Gold Ranger said simply "You get to be killed by me."
The Gold Ranger charged forward, slashing at the creature with the blades on the bottom of his blaster barrels, having his blows stopped by the tail and claws. As his latest series of blows was blocked, he brought a leg up, kicking the creature between the legs, staggering it. Alex stifled a laugh as she watched that point.
"Are you going to gawp or are you going to help?" The Gold Ranger asked, combining his two blasters into a large rifle and taking aim "Forget it."
He fired a large ball of golden energy at the creature. As it exploded he turned and began to walk away, separating his weapons and returning them to their holster as he did. Alex ran after him, moving in front and barring his way.
"Wait." She asked "Why did you help me?"
"Maybe I have a thing for damsels in distress." He said with a small inward laugh "Don't concern yourself with the why. We're on the same side, this time. We won't be every time."
"But why not?" She asked "Why are you against us?"
"I don't have a choice." He said, a hint of sadness in his voice before he buckled over in pain, screaming before being teleported away in a golden beam.
"Guys, we need to talk." Alex said, pressing two fingers to her ears "What's your status?"
"Busy." Came Rick's reply, followed by a gasp "And it just got worse..."
...1 minute earlier...
Ted, Rick, Rebecca, Louis and Zara fought the group of Buzzers, each using their personal weapons to strike at the foot soldiers. Ted and Louis ended up back to back, whilst Rebecca and Zara ended up in a similar position, Rick laying down suppressing fire.
"We're getting our butts handed to us!" Rebecca said, looking to Ted "Tell me you've got a plan?"
"Yeah!" He said, pausing for a moment, before slashing his sword at a pair of Buzzers who were approaching him "My plan is... To come up with a plan!"
"Quit being moronic, Ted!" Louis said, slamming his hammer down on another Buzzer "We need an actual plan or we're done!"
"I hate to agree, but..." Zara began, sweeping a leg under a Buzzer that attacked her "Actually, no I don't! We do need a plan!"
"Guys, we need to talk." Came Alex's voice through the comm. system "What's your status?"
"Busy!" Rick yelled, before a blast of silver energy and a bolt of bronze energy took down the Buzzers attacking the Rangers "And it just got worse..."
Cronos and the Bronze Ranger walked through the smoke that was left by their attacks on the foot soldiers. Finally, they stopped in front of the five Rangers. The Bronze Ranger looked to Cronos for a minute, apparently waiting for something. He got a nod.
That was all he needed. He charged the five Rangers, smacking Ted to the floor hard with his energised gauntlets, before kicking Louis in the chest, sending him flying. As Rick raised his blaster to fire on the Bronze Ranger, he was instead struck by a bolt of bronze energy fired from the left gauntlet, before a similar blast impacted both Rebecca and Zara.
"P... Professor..." Rick said weakly "Get us out of here!"
The five Rangers were teleported out quickly. The Bronze Ranger looked at Cronos.
"We should go after them!" He said "We can destroy them, and then-"
"No!" Cronos yelled, pressing a control on his morpher, causing the Bronze Ranger to buckle over in pain "Remember which of us gives the orders here, Mr. Ika. I can do this with or without you."
"Yes sir." The Bronze Ranger said coldly as he stood up "What are your orders?"
"Await instructions." Cronos said, pausing "Leave."
The Bronze Ranger muttered something under his breath, before teleporting out in a streak of orangey red energy. As he did, Cronos pressed a control on his morpher, de-morphing. He looked around and sighed. Collateral damage was far too high when using the neural controllers; his two protégés were out of control. He'd need to talk with their creator about fixing that.
