Chapter Fourteen: The Trouble with Shellshock
1993 AD - Universe M54331Z-B2
"You're a fool for having allowed the Green Ranger back into Zordon's clutches!" Goldar-2 roared at Goldar while they stood in the Dark Dimension.
"It wasn't my fault!" Goldar proclaimed, having given his Temporal Twin the bad news. "Rita sent Green Ranger down to summon Dragonzord. She then got hotheaded and thought she could wipe them all out! Before I knew to be able to go down and stop them, it was too late."
Goldar-2 clenched his fist. He wanted to end his Temporal Twin badly. Destroy him and make sure he never had to see his own self give out excuses like that again. Relaxing, remembering that he would need his clone in his future plans, Goldar-2 regained his composure. Turning around slowly, he nodded.
"We must continue on as planned, brother," Goldar-2 stated, sneaking in the word "brother" to invoke feelings of kinship. "We still have the stronghold you, yourself, lead here in my Timeline. I owe you for taking out my Rita and giving me, er... us leadership over Earth in the United Alliance. With your Power Rangers having six new rangers, we need to sit back a bit and see what our new status quo will be."
"And as for the new powers your Power Rangers have, I think we have an advantage," Goldar said.
"Oh? What would that be?" Goldar-2 asked.
"They are fresh with them. If we strike hard now, we may be able to take them by surprise and finish them off before they learn how to fully use their powers!" Goldar proclaimed.
Goldar-2 nodded. "Yes... I see the wisdom in this! I will go down with Richie at once and destroy them!"
As Goldar-2 vanished in flames, Goldar stood and pondered. But... where did the rangers here get new powers? From another Zordon-like person...?
Not knowing they hadn't succeeded in eliminating Zordon-2, Goldar continued to ponder that while Goldar-2 called upon his Green Ranger. Without much ado, the two of them appeared in downtown Angel Grove. Laughing, Goldar-2 looked out and saw the destruction the Dragonzord and Cyclopsis had done on the city before the arrival of the Thunder Dino Zords.
"The rangers have new zords, but we have cut them off from the Morphing Grid," Goldar-2 proclaimed. "Being the goodie-goods they are, we can get them to appear here if we start to attack."
Richie-2 nodded slowly. "Good idea, boss. They're sure to come running. And with what we've seen of their training, if I don't summon my zord they won't summon theirs. And if that happens..."
"Without their Power Morphers, we'll crush them for good!" Goldar-2 roared victoriously as he shot several balls of flame from his blade into an adjacent building.
Richie-2 laughed as he watched people scurrying out of the building in terror. Brandishing the Sword of Darkness, he decided to not yet morph for fear of coaxing the Power Teens into summoning their zords. Even though he hated them, he respected the way they fought and was deciding that their code to not "escalate the battle" was a good one that we may adopt himself.
From deep in the Power Chamber (under their former Command Center, unbeknownst to Goldar's team), the five Power Teens watched the going ons of Richie-2 and Goldar-2 via their monitor. The Monster Alarm finished blaring as Billy-2 turned it off.
"We gotta get in there and surprise 'em!" Zack-2 said, flashing a grin as he hit one fist into his other hand's palm. "They'll never see it coming! They just said they don't know about our powers!"
Jase shook his head. "No... Let's let 'em think we still don't have powers. When we get them to think they have us on the ropes, we catch them off guard and then lay the hurt on them."
"That is a wise decision, Jason," Zordon-2 stated from his tube.
Kim-2 sneered. "No duh, Big Head."
Furrowing his brow, Billy-2 stepped up closer to the tube and whispered. "Do you perhaps venture that you yourself, Zordon, are not as... honed in the art of mentorship as the Zordon from whom you were given your life?"
"What do you mean?" Zordon-2 asked, confused while the other four teens watched the mayhem on the screen.
"Well... you didn't seem to note that, following Jase's plan, that we would allow more destruction to continue. For the first bit of the fight, while we play the figurative possum, the city and its people will still be at risk. Is this a wise move?" Billy-2 asked with much concern.
Zordon-2 sighed as he glanced to Saba-2. He sincerely had not considered how he was different than the Zordon from Timeline B1. His good friend shook his head and shrugged. Looking back to Billy-2, he smiled.
"I honestly do not know, which may be a sign in and of itself that what you say is true... Billy? Please follow Jason into this battle. If things do not go as planned and there are significant damages due to this, a team re-evaluation will be done," Zordon-2 told his loyal ranger.
Uneasy, but confident in his mentor, Billy-2 gave a sheepish smile and turned around. Making his way back to the team, he could feel his palms wet with sweat. He was very nervous for how the next round would happen. He just hoped Jase knew what he was doing.
"Been a rough couple of days..." Trini-2 mentioned to Billy-2 as he approached the group. "I hope we're up for it."
Billy-2 smiled. "Yeah. Me, too..."
Turning around, Jase stared at his team. "Alright, guys. Back to action!"
. . .
Goldar-2 laughed as he stabbed an elderly gentleman in the leg. As the man fell, crying out in pain and bleeding from his thigh, he noticed the Power Teens arrive out of the corner of his eye.
"Let him go, Goldar!" Jase demanded.
Goldar-2 laughed and bowed. Taking a few steps back, he motioned at the old man. He looked to the teens and laughed again.
"I won't lay another finger on him."
"But I will." Richie-2 said, sneaking out from the shadows nearby and stabbing the man through the chest.
"No!" Trini-2 gasped.
Kim-2 clenched her fists. "Why are you doing this!? You're a Human!"
Richie-2 laughed. "What I am doing is setting up my new empire here. Once we're done with Earth, it will be mine while Goldar goes out to conquer the rest of this galaxy."
"You're psychotic," Jase stated with a sneer.
Richie-2 considered that before shaking his head. "I dunno... I think I'm more of your garden variety sociopath. But I'm no psychologist. You guys might know better."
"What are you going to do, Powerless Rangers?" Goldar-2 taunted, breaking the conversation as Richie-2 took his sword out of the man. "Fight us?"
"If we have to!" Zack-2 declared confidently.
"Then come at me!" Richie-2 said with a smirk.
Grabbing a pipe, Jase lunged forward. Richie-2 ran ahead to meet him, all while Goldar-2 rushed the other four. Narrowly missing a decapitation from Goldar-2, Billy-2 fell to his back as Trini-2 kicked Goldar-2 from behind. Staggering ever so slightly, Zack-2 did a nice break dance move to hit Goldar-2's ankles to further his loss of balance. Before he could react, Kim-2 performed an aerial flip, connecting both of her feet with his face.
Slamming into the outside of a building, Goldar-2 laughed. He reached up with his hand and touched it to his mouth, seeing there had been blood drawn from the hit. That caused him to laugh as Jase continued to circle around Richie-2, trying to hit him without getting hit himself.
"You fools!" Goldar-2 proclaimed. "You tried to take me down and with all that work managed only this!? A small cut in my mouth! You have no chance!"
"We will beat you, Goldar!" Kimberly-2 declared confidently.
"Enough!" Goldar-2 roared as he shot fireballs from his sword.
As the four teens flew back from the explosions happening around them, Jase swung his pipe. Rolling to the side, Richie-2 swung the Sword of Darkness and struck the pipe. He smiled deviously as the pipe was cut asunder. Simultaneous with the cutting of the pipe, he threw out a leg and kicked Jase in the chest.
Billy-2 stood up to see Jase staggering back, nearly tripping over Zack-2's body. "You okay, Jase!?"
"Do I look okay, dweeb?" Jase asked, irritated. "No small talk!"
Richie-2 sneered as he saw Jase pull out his Morpher. "What are you gonna do with that broken thing? Throw it at me?"
"It's morphin' time!" Jase yelled out as his answer.
Sneering and getting ready for what he was thinking may happen (because why wouldn't something like this happen to foil his plans?), Richie-2 concentrated on his coin and began his morph as well.
"Dragonzord!"
"Lion!"
"Firebird!"
"Unicorn!"
"Griffin!"
"Red Dragon!"
Goldar-2 spat as he saw the new team standing before** him. "No! How!?"
**Author's Note: Confused? Read the last couple of chapters to see how the rangers of Timeline B2 became the Mighty Thunder Power Rangers, based off the Dairanger!**
"Dragon Rod!" Red Dragon yelled out as his bladed lance appeared in his hands.
"Nunchakus!" Blue Unicorn called out.
"Lion Staff!" The new Green Ranger roared, summoning his new weapon.
"Power Whip!" Griffin Ranger stated, calling forth a cat o' nine tails (a nine tailed whip).
"Spear!" Pink Firebird yelled. "I miss my bow..."
Causing his Dragon Dagger to appear, Green Ranger-2 sneered behind his visor. "We've already beaten two teams, what makes you think a third will be so hard."
"Because we have the power of Thunder," Red Dragon proclaimed. "Attack!"
Goldar-2 and Green Ranger-2 flew at their enemies. As Goldar-2 was going to strike at Pink Firebird, the Power Whip grabbed him around the wrist and stopped him from moving his sword down. At the same time, Blue Unicorn leapt at him and began using his chucks on his torso. All the while Green Lion swung his staff to hit the Green Dragon Ranger-2. Spinning to face him, he began playing his Dragon Dagger to cause Music Magic to create a barrier around him. As Green Lion's staff hit Green Dragon-2, he bounced off and was sent back flying. Before Green Dragon-2 could revel in that, though, Red Dragon slashed him from behind with his Dragon Rod.
"What!? Impossible!" Green Ranger-2 roared.
Red Dragon Ranger laughed. "I guess since we are both using the Dragon Spirit, your barrier is no good against me."
Goldar-2 kicked Blue Unicorn away from him. Flexing his bicep, he ripped his arm down and caused Yellow Griffin to fly off her feet and into the air, slamming into a building. Pink Firebird managed to hit him a few times, but before she could land another blow Goldar-2 blocked it with his forearm while he slashed at her multiple times.
While going for what he hoped was a deathblow, Green Lion lunged forward and hit Goldar-2, sending him flying back. As Goldar-2 was thrown a few feet away, Green Lion fell with the momentum and landed on his stomach.
All the while, Red Dragon and Green Dragon continued trying to hit each other. The Sword of Darkness connected with the bladed end of the Dragon Rod while its lower half was used by the Red Ranger to block the Dragon Dagger. Dragon Spirit sparked so highly between the two of them them it was visible to them. Pushing off each other, both rangers did a backflip. Red Ranger landed in the midst of his Thunder Power Rangers while Green Ranger-2 landed next to Goldar-2.
"Stalemate... for now," Green Ranger-2 stated as he vanished in a cloud of Green Morphing Energy.
"Thank you for the refreshing insight into your powers. Next time will be the last time," Goldar-2 proclaimed as he teleported back to the Command Center in a flash of fire.
"Not too bad..." Red Dragon stated. "We got a lot of training to do in the morning. I expect to see you all in front of the Youth Center promptly at five. We're going on a five mile run before drills."
"What?" Green Lion asked in shock.
"That's an order..." Red Dragon said as he teleported out.
. . .
Time Warp of Universe M54331Z-B2
Zordon-2 pursed his lips. "I fear Billy is right. Jason, or this Jason, is not cut out to lead the team."
"So Billy, then?" Saba-2 asked excitedly.
"Perhaps..." Zordon-2 stated as he began to focus onto Billy-2's communicator. "Billy? This is Zordon. I need to speak with you urgently. Come to the Power Chamber."
In a matter of moments, Billy-2 was standing in the unfinished Power Chamber. "Yes, Zordon?"
"I have considered your recent encounter with the Green Ranger and Goldar. Jason's tactics caused for an extra life to be lost. We cannot have that," Zordon-2 stated. "But I see a more pressing matter at hand."
"Oh?" Billy-2 and Saba-2 both uttered simultaneously.
"Even with the power of Thunder you five were not able to defeat a team of two," Zordon-2 said. "I believe we need more power."
"How so? I mean... what can we do for more power?" Billy-2 asked in confusion.
"Normally this is something that Alpha would've done... Billy? Go to the control panels and navigate until you find something called the ATTITUDE algorithm. Begin running it. Look through the files of those you will see," Zordon-2 ordered.
"I... I don't understand," Billy-2 said as he began.
"Just as Alpha 5 did for you and your friends, you are to find us a new Power Ranger."
. . .
Universe M54331Z-B1
Rita sat in her room, focusing her Magic. There were many facets to the power she gained from Madame Woe she knew not about, for she had not been trained by Witches or Warlocks. She knew, though, that with hard work and practice she could unlock powers she could had never dreamed of.
"Hello, Rita," A metallic voice stated suddenly.
"What!?" Rita bellowed, leaping up. "Who is there!?"
Jumping up from her bed, she turned to find the king of one of the UAE's Machine Empires, King Aradon, standing before her. Confused, she stared at him in Rage.
"What are you doing in my private chamber!?" Rita yelled out in fury.
"He was called here by Dark Specter," Chynn said, his flaming head suddenly appearing in the room.
"My apologies!" Rita gasped, suddenly dropping to a knee in reverence of Dark Specter's official messenger. "What... To what do I owe the occasion?"
King Aradon laughed. "Dark Specter wishes for me to assist you with Earth."
"But I-" Rita began.
"Hush, hush, my darling..." Aradon stated, cutting her off. "I am not here to take your scheme against Zordon away from you. You continue your efforts against Angel Grove. In the meantime, my machines and I will cripple everything else."
"Makes sense..." Rita said, lifting herself up. "I mean, Zordon and his plans are like fighting nine planetary systems simultaneously... right?"
"Of course," Aradon said as if he were trying to appease a small child.
"And this comes from Dark Specter himself, right?" Rita asked Chynn, suspicious of the origin of all of this.
"From his own mouth," Chynn replied, vanishing as he did.
"Okay, then." Aradon said while pushing a button on his forearm. "I guess I'll see you around the block, neighbor."
As he pushed the button, teleporting onto his main fortress quickly approaching Earth's orbit, Rita yelled in anger. She was greatly bothered by Dark Specter's lack of faith in her being able to take on Earth by herself. She was worried (rightfully) that it was the first step toward her being reassigned from Earth and losing her ability to exact revenge upon Zordon.
Walking over to her balcony, consumed with Rage, she looked into her telescope. She could see the Power Rangers playing basketball down below. Their happiness and gleeful behavior fed her Rage with even more fuel.
"They sit there, happy and playing while I'm up here... losing everything! It's not fair!" Rita roared.
She then stopped and sighed. Shaking her head, she pointed her staff onto the balcony and caused for her rocking chair to appear. The migraine she had (caused by the separate machinations of both Lord Zedd and the Ghost of Darkness [aggravating the strain her Blue Magic gave her]) was getting worse due to her anxiety over the recent news from the UAE. Sitting down softly, she began to fall asleep. As she did, images of blue began to flood her mind. She could see Queen Bansheera and Eye Guy looking at her and many other children from afar. She then saw herself working on equipment on Onyx with Burai, laughing as he flirted with her. She saw him standing on the ship flying off of Liaria as he begged for her to go back with him. She saw as Burai was murdered by Nasty Knight and Goldar, and the blue hue to her dream slowly turned red.
All the while, as she slept, Squatt and Baboo snuck onto the balcony.
"Oh, goody! She's asleep!" Squatt proclaimed as Baboo silenced him.
Continuing her slumber, Squatt and Baboo snuck into Finster's lab. Baboo revealed to Squatt his plan as they made their way to the Monster-Matic. He had sculpted his own Monster, Shellshock, to combat the Power Rangers as a surprise for Rita. It was to be a turtle-like Monster with the ability to send particles out of itself to freeze the Power Rangers and cause them to be a non-factor for Rita in her quest to get to Zordon's research. Giving life to the Monster, the two began preparations to send him down to stop the rangers permanently.
. . .
Finally parking in orbit around Earth, King Aradon looked down upon it and scoffed. "This cannot honestly be the rock Rita is having such a problem conquesting! I have heard legendary tales about her work as a mole in the Alliance of old and how she helped Master Vile bring about the Final Siege. This is quite disappointing."
Stepping forward, Prince Gaskett folded his arms. "I don't know, Aradon... I was on Earth once before with my father and from what I remember, they are a tough bunch."
"I was there too, you dolt!" Aradon said with a sneer. "That was when your father foolishly used the Sword of Damocles before it led to him getting himself destroyed!"
"Yes father," Princess Archerina said, giggling as she nodded. "You were marvelous in that battle!"
"Except for how we lost to Gosei and those other Wizards..." Gasket muttered under his breath.
"What was that, my dear brother-in-law?" A voice asked from the shadows. "Is that a negative tone I hear?"
Sneering, Gasket looked up and scoffed. "No, Nigorl, it's not."
King Aradon's son, Prince Nigorl, stepped out of the shadows. With much bravado he walked over to his brother-in-law and placed a hand on his shoulder. For a good moment they stared at each other, the hatred they felt for one another permeating the air.
"My mistake, then," Nigorl stated slowly.
"Oh, brother!" Archerina cried out with excitement. "Isn't this grand? Another planet to conquer!"
"Yes..." Nigorl stated. "Father? What is our first goal here?"
Aradon nodded. "My son, we are going to go down onto the massive land mass on Earth they call the Antarctic. There we will begin testing of some of our machines to see if our research is correct about Earth's gravity and how our machines will move on the planet's surface. Once those drills are done, we will promptly begin our attack on one of the larger cities of the planet."
"Brilliant," Nigorl stated cordially. "When do I go down to start these procedures."
"Actually, Daddy said I could be the one to do it!" Archerina said, jumping up and down with energy. "Isn't that grand!?"
"Yes... grand..." Nigorl stated with a hint of a sneer in his voice.
"Is that a negative tone I hear?" Gasket asked arrogantly.
"Hmph." Nigorl grunted, storming out of the room.
I am the rightful heir to father's throne. Not that bag of bolts made by Mondo. Father will soon see that... And I will see to it that I make that abundantly clear to him!
. . .
"Zordon of Eltar?" McKnight's voice was heard saying over the audio system of the Command Center.
Furrowing his brow, Zordon looked from the tube at the Viewing Globe. On it was McKnight's face, sitting and looking quite solemn. Zordon sneered. He had been having a rough day and that was not how he wanted to end it. The Rangers had just defeated the Monster Shellshock through a complicated battle involving Trini needing to retrieve a mystical flower that could amplify her Tiger Spirit. What had made things worse was that it was the first mission for Tommy Oliver. He had been told earlier by Zordon in a private meeting that, due to the principal of not escalating battles, that he would only join in on the team's battles once Jason found it appropriate, leaving it up to Jason to feel (as a part of his own training in feeling the promptings from the Order of Meledon) when Tommy's arrival was needed. What had ended up happening was that Tommy had not had his communicator on his person and had entered the battle when it was almost too late. Things had not looked good for the rangers, and their near defeat left Zordon in a sour mood.
"What is it? You do not have my permission to speak to me," Zordon stated coldly.
"We have reports of a new menace," McKnight said as suddenly his image was replaced by an image of Aradon's Machine Empire and their new base in the Antarctic. "I am aware that you were busy with one of Rita's Monsters and judging by the fact your team did not get deployed that you are unaware of this development."
Zordon stared at the image in shock. "That's the Machine Empire of King Aradon. Yes, I must have missed this due to the timing of events. I wouldn't be surprised to know that Aradon sent that base down at the same time as Shellshock, so that I wouldn't hear dual alarms in my base. That was clever of him..."
"Zordon... Angel Grove cannot afford to have the Power Rangers split between two villain factions. It was a close call today against that giant mutant ninja turtle. If this Aradon had tried to attack during this attack... your rangers would've failed," McKnight stated.
Zordon sighed. He knew that wasn't completely true. What would have likely happened, due to the lack of time, would have been Zordon trying to call upon his contacts with the Magic Realm or anyone from the Pai Zhua. But that in and of itself was dangerous, because that would leave the Magic Realm open to an attack or leave the Pai Zhua without the needed people they required to keep Dai Shi imprisoned. And, like he had decided earlier, he couldn't leave the Time Warp for fear of letting Dark Specter know the Meledon Ranger was still active, leading to the UAE coming down to attack Earth in its entirety. Let alone gambling Dulcea's Spirit as it was in a figurative Limbo in the Nothingness.
"Do you have any suggestions, McKnight?" Zordon asked. "I can assure you SHIELD, let alone the armies of this planet, could do anything to Aradon."
"Through hundreds of hours of research, we have finally honed our own power morphers to tap into the Morphing Grid," McKnight revealed.
"You cannot trust Rex!" Zordon blurted out. "I don't know how he knows what he knows, but terms like 'Morphing Grid' are supposed to be unfamiliar to you Humans. He cannot be trusted, and I cannot allow you to have morphing technology!"
"Calm down and listen!" McKnight barked. "I do not question Rex's loyalty to my country. All he does, he does for the good of Mankind. As you can see here, my morphers are what will save us all from this predicament. You and your team continue protecting Angel Grove. My team will handle Aradon."
"You cannot possibly think you are capable of doing this!" Zordon scoffed. "You are a species ill equipped to handle a foe like Aradon!"
"Then why did you pick people from my species to battle Rita!?" McKnight retorted.
"I... I have access to-"
"The ATTITDUE algorithm?" McKnight asked with an arrogant smile.
"But... but how!?" Zordon gasped.
Saba, meanwhile, broke his silence. "We have to get the Hall of Legends after Rex immediately. This has gone too far."
"Never mind that, Zordon. I use my alogrithms to recruit my rangers, just as you did. They will be up to par. Give us lowly Humans at least a chance to show you what we can do!" McKnight demanded.
Zordon sighed. He remembered his impulsive, younger self. How determined he had been to prove he could be the head of Research and Development. Then how he had gone against the consent of the remnants of the United Alliance to form Team Victory with Tria, Dulcea, Yoral, and Trinity. He remembered how all of those decisions by someone who, technically, wasn't qualified had actually created good in the universe. How, even though he was being manipulated by The Guardian and Zordon-A (who he did not agree with when it came to morals), he had done good things. Even though Rex's morals were questionable at best, Zordon could sense (both through his own intuition and what the Order of Meledon was prompting to him) that McKnight's intent was truly set on saving the world.
"You have your shot, McKnight. I will be watching. I will end your operation once things go badly. This is your chance, then," Zordon stated.
"What!?" Saba cried out.
"You will not be disappointed," McKnight answered as he ended the transmission.
"Why did you do that!?" Saba gasped. "It's a suicide mission!"
"So was it when I dove at the Orb of Doom back on Onyx," Zordon stated. "So was it when Tria, Dulcea, and I went alone to Liaria to try and save the Greatest Treasure in the Universe. One led me to meeting The Guardian. The other led to me getting the power of the Meledon Ranger. Sometimes we need to take a step into the darkness if we are to succeed. Let us give them a chance. I feel this to be the right thing. At least with McKnight... we need to trust him. Give him a chance."
Saba sighed. He knew it was impossible to argue with Zordon whenever he got his "impressions" from the Order of Meledon. He threw his paws up and sat in the sand.
"Okay, then. Let's see where this goes."
. . .
McKnight sat at a table with a pile of papers next to him. His countenance brightened as Dr. Angela Fairweather walked in. She smiled and greeted him cordially as he invited her to sit.
"Angela, I... You know about the project we have been working on, right? The morphers?" McKnight asked.
"Yes, of course. Though I still don't agree with Alphabet Soup," Angela said, smile fading. "Really, I... I don't think it is right. I know I have said it time and time again, but these are children."
"And if you say another word, it will be treason," McKnight stated, smiling not leaving his face. "Now, about project Global Strike, we are ready to go online."
"What!?" Angela asked in shock.
"The young duo of Mora and Rose found the final piece," McKnight stated. "Now, Dr. Fairweather... you know there are many roles on this team that need to be filled. I want to offer you an official role."
Fairweather's stomach was in knots. She had been wanting badly to be an adviser on Global Strike. She knew that if she were to be able to have any sway for change within Alphabet Soup that she would need to have a role of leadership on some team. She knew how much Global Strike meant for Alphabet Soup, and she had been doing her best to help it get up and running so that she would be selected to help run it. From there, she hoped to gain more and more influence until she could put a permanent end to the use of children in the government experiments.
"I accept!" She blurted out.
McKnight chuckled. "Wait until you hear! But great! Follow me."
It felt as if she were walking on air. She could hear her high heels clinking with each step on the cold, metallic floor beneath her as she followed General McKnight from the lab to a side room. She watched as he used his high clearance badge to get her into a room she had never been in before. As the door slid open, she saw a small group of people she knew gathered around a table.
"Angela..." McKnight stated. "Here is the advising team. We have the handler for Global Strike who will be this young agent here, Michael Corbett. Technical support for the team will be with Dr. Harlan. Captain William Mitchell will lead the team as a sort of 'mentor', while his young daughter Dana will be his assistant."
Angela smiled. "This is fantastic! It will be an honor to work with you all as... actually, what is my role, sir?"
McKnight beamed as he turned to her. "You, my fair lady, are our first Power Ranger!"
The room began to spin. Angela felt as if she had been hit by a truck. Never in a million years did the thought of that phrase ever being uttered to her crossed her mind. Regaining her composure, she shook her head and stared at McKnight.
"What are you talking about!?" She demanded.
McKnight smiled. "Well, your physical aptitude tests every month fall within the range of the parameters and your name popped up on Harlan's computer."
"I am more than thrilled to have you as one of my rangers, Angela. I have a deep respect for you and your work," Captain Mitchell said with a smile.
"This... this is insane!" Angela gasped. "I... I can't!"
"You are the best candidate for the job," Harlan confirmed.
"What about Clark!? Not only is he just as smart as me, but the man is muscle bound!" Angela argued.
"He scored well, but you are ranked higher than him according to my algorithm," Harlan stated. "Your personality is better suited than his to lead the team."
"Lead!? Oh, this just keeps getting better..." Angela said as she dropped onto a swivel chair.
"Dr. Fairweather... We do not have time to get the rest of your team," McKnight stated. "Right now, as we speak, an alien threat is in Antarctica doing what appear to be drills. We have readings that one of the robots on the continent is actually sending out radio waves to gather intel on one of our compounds in Japan. We need you to go down there incognito and take it out."
"What!? Alone!?" Fairweather asked.
"Please remember you are speaking with a superior officer..." Harlan said as a pseudo aside as he began typing into his desktop.
McKnight smiled. "I understand you are taken off-guard, but this is your duty to this country and I am giving you an order. You are going alone because there seems to be a massive field protecting the area. Even if we get ships in, their aerial rockets will rip through our jets."
"We can get you in using the Morphing Grid itself as a teleporting conduit," Captain Mitchell stated. "And I will be in your helmet the whole time, guiding you. I trust you, and I need you to trust that I will be there for you."
Dana, Bill's daughter, listened to the conversation quietly. She was intrigued by everything going on in the room, but couldn't believe Angela's reactions. She wondered why a person wouldn't leap at the opportunity at becoming a superhero. She then wondered if it was due to her being barely a teenager and if there was some maturing that would happen in her life that would lead her to understanding Angela Fairweather better. She knew not, and decided not to dwell on the subject, choosing to continue to focus on the matter at hand.
Realizing she had no way of refusing the offer save she desired a court marshaling, she stood up and looked at General McKnight in the eyes. "Sir, how do I start?"
Handing her a ring, he stated, "Place this ring on any of your fingers. All you need to do is say your Ranger designation while pushing the button on the ring and you will instantly morph."
"And what is my designation, sir?" Angela asked, sounding confident though she felt overwhelmed.
"Striker America. Now morph and Harlan will be able to teleport you to your destination," McKnight stated.
Nodding her head while slipping the ring onto her finger, she breathed out slowly. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves. Never in her life, not even when she had applied for her PhD program at the age of seventeen, had she been so nervous. Swallowing hard, she pushed the button on the ring.
"Striker America!" Angela proclaimed.
The group in the room watched in awe as Pink Morphing Energy enveloped Angela. In a flash, she had become the first Human made Power Ranger. She looked down at her suit***, shocked. She then looked to the group and struck a pose.
***Author's Note: Her suit is that of Battle Fever J's Miss America - ShinySephiroth***
"What do you think!?" She asked, suddenly excited and full of adrenaline.
"That's a lot of leg showing," Mike Corbett said with a snicker.
"The helmet looks kinda scary," Dana found herself blurting out.
"Dana!" Captain Mitchell grunted, ushering his daughter to keep quiet.
"Huh?" She asked, turning to look into a mirror. "Ah! I look like a freaky doll! What's going on here!?"
Harlan looked around in confusion. "What? I thought it was a good design..."
"Never mind that. Harlan? Teleport her out now," McKnight ordered.
"Sir, yes sir."
Pursing her lips, Angela turned and folded her arms across her chest. Suddenly, the only thing she could see around her was a bright pink light. She could feel herself floating, or falling... she couldn't tell which. She had been turned into pure Morphing Energy and was being teleported to Antarctica. Then, in an instant, she was flung into a mound of ice.
"Ouch... watch the landing!" Striker America protested, getting up and dusting ice off of her.
"Sorry..." She heard Harlan say through her helmet communicator.
"Wow... this spandex is skin tight yet I don't feel any cold!" Striker America proclaimed in wonder.
"It's not span- never mind. I'm just glad you like it," Harlan stated.
"Okay, Fairweather. You're going to want to head fifty feet to your right and then make an immediate left. As you turn that corner around the glacial deposit, you should see what looks like a giant, metal armadillo," Bill Mitchell said.
At that, Striker America paused. "Wait, huh?"
"Just go. As you turn the corner, strike immediately," Mitchell continued.
"With what?" Striker America asked as she started forward again.
"Your morpher will send information to your mind. You will know once you need to." Captain Mitchell stated before turning off his microphone and looking to Harlan. "That will happen, right?"
Harlan nodded. "You can trust me. I learned from the best at Bio-Lab. It will work fine."
Pursing his lip, Mike Corbett watched on the screen. "I hope so..."
Breathing in deeply, Striker America rushed to the spot. She turned the corner and as she did, she found herself getting the image in her mind of throwing knives. Focusing, Pink Morphing Energy erupted from her hands as she jumped into the air and threw the energy at her target. They traveled through the air to the giant armadillo before turning into knives. Landing, she saw them land on the machine, stabbing it.
"Presence detected. Damaged. Cyborg Armadillo entering combat mode." The machine stated, turning around and outstretching its hands.
Striker America got into a fighting stance, feeling her heart beating at what felt like a million miles per hour. "C'mon! I can take you on!"
Instead of reaching out to attack her, the machine began to dig extremely fast through the ice and burrow itself underground. Striker America began to look around, confused.
"Huh? Where did he-?"
"Angela! Look out below you!" Captain Mitchell yelled.
It was too late. Cyborg Armadillo leapt up from under the frozen surface and delivered a swift uppercut. Flying through the air, Striker America landed in a heap. Doing a quick kick, she jumped from off her back and onto her feet.
"Whoa! That hit was powerful." She muttered, feeling the jaw of her helmet.
"C'mon... c'mon..." Dana found herself whispering, grabbing at the armrests of her swivel chair.
"Target not terminated. Strike." Cyborg Armadillo said as it tucked its body into a massive ball.
"Run!" Mitchell cried out as he saw it roll toward her, picking up speed.
"Uh-oh..." She gasped, turning around and sprinting ahead of the ball. "It's gaining on me!"
"His speed is increasing exponentially!" Harlan gasped.
"Attack it!" Mike yelled.
"She can't! It's going too fast!" Harlan yelled back. "If she even touches it, it'll be as if it sucks her in and she'll get steamrolled!"
"Get out of its trajectory!" Mitchell screamed.
"I'm trying!" Striker America answered. "He's just so mobile and agile! I can't shake him! I think he has me on some sort of tracking system. Oh... wait! I got it! When I say now, teleport me behind him."
"You got it!" Harlan replied.
Clenching her teeth, Striker America began sprinting harder than she ever hard. As she did, she saw her target destination: off the edge of a glacier. Closing her eyes, she kept running until she couldn't feel any ground beneath her.
"Now! Now!" She cried out.
She opened her eyes and found herself still falling. In a panic, she turned around and saw the balled up Cyborg free-falling just behind her. Her plan had been simple: make the thing gain so much momentum that it couldn't stop before falling over the edge with her. Only problem was... she was supposed to have teleported already.
"What's going on!?" She demanded as she flew closer and closer to the icy depth of the glacier.
"Got it!" Harlan gasped as he succeeded in teleporting her out.
As Cyborg Armadillo slammed into the base of the glacier below, crushing itself upon impact, Striker America found herself landing gently on the ground. Harlan had slowed down her descent so that she had not reached terminal velocity after the teleportation.
"What happened!?" Striker America demanded.
"A bug, but I fixed it." Harlan said sheepishly.
"I could have been crushed!" Striker America screamed.
"I fixed it! I fixed it! I'm sorry!"
"You're sorry!? You-agh!" Striker American yelled as she felt a laser blast hit her in the gut.
As she flew onto her back, she looked up. Pulling herself onto her feet, she found herself a few yards away from Archerina. Standing her her bow and arrow ready to shoot again, Archerina laughed.
"And who are you? Miss Hussy?" Archerina asked, her voice caked with hidden anger and resentment.
"Whoever you and your people are... leave my planet now or suffer the consequences!" Striker America warned, getting into a fighting stance.
"Wrong answer!" Archerina said, letting a laser arrow loose.
Doing a handless cartwheel, Striker America dodged the arrow easily. Landing on her feet, she threw several Morphing Knives at Archerina. The villainess used her bow as a deflecting object and swatted all but one away. The one she missed landed deep into the servos in her shoulder.
"Agh!" She cried out, dropping her bow. "Machinemen! Attack!"
Suddenly, several black clad robots appeared from seemingly out of nowhere. Getting into a fighting stance, Striker America readied herself as they lunged at her. Throwing a kick to hit the first one, she found herself rather abruptly being teleported out of the area and back to Alphabet Soup.
Landing back in the conference room, she looked around in confusion. "Huh!? What happened?"
McKnight stepped forward. "You accomplished your mission. The machine getting our intel from our Yokohama branch was dealt with. There was no reason for you to go toe to toe with them once you had gotten outnumbered."
"What's to stop them from doing that again? They will start like that next time knowing I ran!" Angela said quickly as she demorphed.
McKnight smiled. "I'm glad to hear you are excited for 'next time'. And as for that inevitable next mission, yes you are correct. That's why we need to up our numbers."
Smiling himself, Captain Mitchell stood up. "I am very proud of what you accomplished! You proved that you are the right pick for the leader of this team! Your next mission is a little less... dangerous."
Putting on a face of determination, she nodded. "Well, what is it then?"
Mike then stood up and smiled. "You and I are going out to recruit the rest of your team! First stop: Kenya!"
. . .
Sitting down at his computer, McKnight used the program Harlan had "borrowed" from SHIELD and contacted Zordon. He sat, listening to the sound of his upgraded modem dialing up before connecting to the Eltarian Wizard. Before long, his monitor was showing him the view of the Command Center from the point of view of the Viewing Globe.
"Well done, McKnight," Zordon was heard saying.
"Thank you, Zordon," McKnight answered. "We are going out now to recruit the rest of the team."
"Very well, then. But be warned: I have worked too hard to protect this planet and the artifacts upon it. I am bringing you in, loosely, to be a part of my operation. You will receive visits from time to time from some of my associates to help you. Please stay vigilant. And please... don't trust Rex more than you are."
As Zordon finished speaking, McKnight nodded. "Stay strong, Zordon. Until we speak again."
"May the Power protect you," Zordon was heard saying as McKnight ended the transmission.
Sitting alone at his desk, he was lost in thought. Was Zordon right about Rex? He didn't know, but so far Rex had done good things for the country. For the time being, he was going to ride things out. The only thing that mattered at that point in time was to make sure Global Strike put an end to King Aradon.
. . .
Pouting as Professor Cog tended to her damaged shoulder, Archerina vented to her husband, father, and brother about what had just occurred on Earth. She was beside herself that one of the lowly Humans had the audacity at not only approaching her the way Angela had, but also at attacking her.
"Oh, the next time I see that Power Ranger... I will rip her limb from limb!" Archerina promised.
"I'm sure you will, sweetheart." Aradon stated, nodding his head.
"The Humans think they can get away with this!? They have another thing coming!" Gasket proclaimed, brandishing his sword.
Nigorl waved his hand about at that, looking at Earth from the window of the room. "The most interesting thing to me is how Earth seems to have another Power Ranger on it, unassociated with the team we saw Zordon handling in his fight against Rita. Quite interesting, really. From where do you think she hails?"
"What does it matter!?" Gasket asked in anger. "She will rue the day she crossed paths with my lovely wife."
"Yes... but wouldn't it be wise for us to find out why she was there? She had the flag of one of this planet's countries on her uniform. And she didn't target the main base. She attacked our Cyborg who was collecting data from that military facility of that large island they call Japan," Nigorl said. "I... I postulate that this Ranger is Earth-made. Sent there to defend their own information from us."
"Interesting development..." King Aradon said, turning around to leave the room. "Thank you for that insight, my son. You are a good and wise general."
Wise enough to be king of this empire... Nigorl thought as his father left the room before shooting a quick, knowing glance to Professor Cog.
Slowly, silently, Aradon marched down the busy corridors of his space station. Suddenly turning left, he placed his finger into a slot on a door. After reading it, the door opened up to him as Aradon was the only one allowed into the room. Walking up to a massive, wall sized monitor King Aradon input a code. At that, the face of Lothor appeared on the screen.
"Welcome to my direct line. President of Lothor Industries speaking. Oh, King Aradon! How great to see you again. How is that United Alliance going on over there?"
Aradon scoffed. "Dark Specter still has me relegated to being back up to that incessant Witch, Rita Repulsa."
"Well, now that's a shame. Ever consider joining a... different league?" Lothor asked facetiously, since he didn't want anyone knowing of his secret allegiance to Emperor Mavro.
"What, the Armada? Ha! Mavro is a joke compared to Dark Specter. I'd be better off joining that lowlife Scorpius in that slow running, daughter driven borefest he has going on wherever he is." Aradon said, sighing and putting his feet on the table beside him as he began to balance on his chair.
"Well... how can I help you?" Lothor asked, changing the subject quickly. "According to my records your accounts are all caught up with their payments, my dear friend."
"I actually need to make a new order," Aradon stated. "I have come up with a new snag in my current operation and I would like to add some firepower to my arsenal."
Lothor smiled. "Ooo, I like the sound of that. What are we looking for, then?"
"An improved metal alloy," Aradon stated.
"Are you sure?" Lothor asked. "The one I'm supplying you with is already quite durable... and expensive."
"I want to make a good impression on Dark Specter. He has always seen me as lesser than Mondo. I want to eradicate Earth's forces as soon as possible. Then and only then will I prove that I am the better Machine King." Aradon stated, slowly taking his feet off the table and setting his chair upright. "That I am the only true Machine King."
Lothor smiled as he finished tallying up the cost for the metal upgrade. Sending an invoice to his sales staff to type up for him, he looked to Aradon and nodded.
"Oh, why of course you'll show them who's the best," Lothor stated. "I have my utmost faith in you! And my staff will contact your accounting department and they'll handle the money thing. Don't worry. We have this all taken care of. Just relax and watch as your empire becomes invincible."
Aradon nodded. "Thank you, Lothor. You've always been a good friend."
"As have you, King Aradon. Goodbye, now," Lothor stated as the transmission ended.
Standing up slowly from his desk in his office, Lothor laughed. Now to make sure Dark Specter doesn't gain any more power. If he takes Earth, there is no way Xelleb and Mavro will ever be able to take down the United Alliance...
Typing into his computer, Lothor called up his trusted general, Zurgane. "Are you there!?"
"Yes, my lord," Zurgane replied quickly.
"Find out how to contact Earth," Lothor stated. "I have some upgraded weapons to give them to counter whatever the Machine Empire will throw at them..."
"Yes sir!" Zurgane stated before signing off.
Soon the Armada will control the universe. And from there? Then I will be so embedded into their infrastructure that they won't even notice when I strike. I will destroy everything Xelleb has been working for and get my revenge on her Nathadian blood. Then I will take their empire and use it to finally get back my baby... the Greatest Treasure in the Universe!