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Megaforce: Dimensions Apart
By
Heir of Emrys
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Chapter XIV
Stranger Ranger - Part II
"Dead or Alive?"
(Vrak's Palace, Dimension Y)
At the Palace Gates a truck pulled up, Goldar exited the guard station and walked to the truck.
He rapped on the window, and was awarded with the window descending to reveal Zurgane sat in the passenger seat and a Grinder at the wheel.
"Zurgane, Vrak has told me of your success against the rangers," spoke Goldar cordially, but his eyes full of rage, bitter had not been the one to finish the Rangers.
"Yes, the rangers are no more," replied Zurgane, nodding his head.
"Where is the rest of the Legion?" asked Goldar, hoping to find a way to discredit Zurgane.
"They are in convoy, they will arrive soon," returned Zurgane, in a tone that would accompany a smug smile, that is if he had a mouth.
Goldar growled, "You are cleared for entry."
The winged monster stalked back to the guard station and pushed the lever to open the gates, infuriated that ever since the last battle with the rangers, he had been demoted to little more that a glorified Putty.
Zurgane nodded to the Grinder in the driver's seat, who accelerated through the now open gates, kicking up a cloud of dust in Goldar's face.
The truck drove the short distance to the Palace Entrance and into what seemed to be a vehicle bay. Zurgane and the Grinder in the front opened their doors and stepped out, followed by four more Grinders clambering out of the back.
Zurgane and the five Grinders regrouped and walked away from the truck, towards the exit of the vehicle bay. They exited and marched down the corridor quickly, avoiding any of the other grunts they passed.
The six found a secluded area and quickly got out of the way of prying eyes. Once hidden the six raised their left wrist and tapped it. In a burst of white light the facade of Zurgane and the Grinders disappeared, leaving the Retro Rangers in their place.
"I am so glad I decided to include holographic projectors in the Battle Boosters," said Adam, very relieved, "I don't know how we would have got in without them, it was a nice little Trojan Horse."
"You weren't the one who had to talk to that Goldar creep," argued Tori, put out she was the one that pretended to be Zurgane.
"I think we're clear," informed Jake, as he peeked out of their hiding place.
"I can't see anything either," added Emma, who was also checking the corridor, her hand unconsciously rubbing her bracelet.
"We should use this as a surprise attack," ordered Wes.
"I left a little surprise in the truck," said Adam coyly, entering a code in his Battle Booster.
Suddenly, the whole Palace rocked, mortar dust and chips fell from the ceiling. A klaxon started up and grunts all began running towards the vehicle bay.
The six rangers slipped out of their hiding places, instamorphing as they did, only to come face to face with Goldar and platoon of assorted grunts.
"I knew you rangers were stupid, but I didn't think you would be stupid enough to attack the Palace again, not after last time!" exclaimed Goldar gleefully, ecstatic that he had found the rangers and a way to regain his former status, "The rest of the Legion is already on its way back, it will be here any minute."
"Didn't you hear Goldar? The Legion were involved in a cave in at our base. Let's just say, none of them are going to be walking away very soon," taunted Wes.
"Grr, that's means I have to destroy you myself! What a shame!" spoke Goldar, sarcasm dripping off his final statement.
"That ain't gonna happen," stated Jake, he and Emma stepping forward.
"Your time is up! You weird, winged freak!" exclaimed Emma, at a loss of words to describe Goldar.
"Gah! You insolent children! I will end you!" shouted Goldar angrily.
"Somehow I don't think that is gonna happen," said Jake, drawing his Mystic Axe as Emma summoned her Ptera Grips.
Goldar screamed in rage and charged own the corridor towards Jake and Emma, who began to run at Goldar in reply.
As they met Goldar attempted to slash the two with his sword, but they dodged it and one when to each side of Goldar. Emma slashed Goldar chest with her Ptera Grips.
Goldar turned to slash at Emma, but was stopped by Jake slashing him across the back with his Mystic Axe. Goldar dropped to his knees, Emma showed no mercy and plunged her Ptera Grips into where his jugular was, causing blood to coming spurting out and Goldar to collapse to the floor, dead.
Emma wrenched the Ptera Grips out the dead body and wiped them on Goldar's wings, "Night night!"
"There they are!" shouted a voice, causing the rangers to turn and look.
Vexacus was stood at the end of the corridor the rangers had come from, a small army of grunts behind him.
"I thought you were destroyed!" spat Tori.
"Vrak graciously opened the Abyss of Evil, hence my return, which will allow me to destroy you!" retorted Vexacus.
"You're wrong, you will be destroyed!" shouted Tori, charging at Vexacus, powering up her Battlizer at the same time.
Wes turned to face the large group of grunts Goldar had brought with, who were stood at the opposite end of the corridor from where Tori was fighting Vexacus. They seem to be unsure what to do now their leader was dead.
"Adam, Emma, Jake, you guys that out those grunts," ordered Wes, pointing the leaderless foot soldiers, "Jen and I'll help Tori."
Adam nodded, taking the leadership role, "On it!"
The Black, Green and Yellow Rangers began to run down the corridor, weapons brandished, as the Red and Pink Rangers charged in to help the Blue Ranger.
Jake slashed a Putty across the chest, right on the Z, destroying it, "I kinda miss my Snake Axe."
"You realise you are the one with the magical powers, right?" asked Adam as he the blasted three Kelzacks to dust.
"Oh. Yeah!" spoke Jake, tapping a code into his Mystic Morpher, causing his Mystic Axe to transform into the Snake Axe.
"Now this is a real weapon!" exclaimed Jake, his familiarity with the Axe proving to very bad for any grunts that got in his way.
Emma ducked a clumsy swing from a Loogie and stabbed in the chest with one of her Ptera Grips, "I don't know, the Ptera Grips have kinda grown on me."
Suddenly Jake caught sight of a familiar insectoid monster runs away from the battle. It was Yuffo, the monster they had defeated when they gained their MechaZords. He was trouble, he was an avid scientist and his goal was to experiment on humans. His survival in this dimension must have lead to the differences between the two dimensions.
The Green Ranger turned to Emma and Adam, "We've got a runner, he could be going to get reinforcements."
"Right, you go after him, me and Emma can hold down the fort here," instructed Adam.
Jake nodded and charge through the horde of grunts, cutting down any that got in his way. The Green Ranger sprinted after Yuffo, who was running as fast as his oddly shaped legs would take him.
The monster came to a set of metal doors, with a keypad at the side. Yuffo typed the code in and the doors slid open. He slipped through and the doors began to close again. Jake skidded to a halt in front of the doors, only for them to slam shut.
"Nice try, bitch!" shouted Jake, raising his Axe and smashing it into the keypad.
The wiring short-circuited and the doors opened. Jake grinned and stepped inside, his Ranger Suit vanishing as he did.
"Some sort of neutralisation field?" asked Jake to himself, frowning as he did.
Jake looked around what appeared to be some sort of lab for Yuffo, who was nowhere to be seen. He raised his Snake Axe, which hadn't disappeared, and called the Shark Bowgun, holding it in the other hand.
Two pods mounted on the wall grabbed Jake's attention, he walked over and wiped the condensation off the glass. Jake jumped back in shock, dropping his weapons.
"No! No! That can be possible!" gasped Jake.
It was Cam, wearing the singed and dirtied clothes he had been wearing two years ago, when the Retro and Mega Rangers launched an assault on this very same Palace, give or take, considering a large part of it was blown up.
Jake only recognised Cam from photos he had seen. Recovering from the shock, Jake wiped the second pod and was meet with the sight of Kira, her supposed fatal stab wound gone, leaving only a hole in her tee. In fact, both Cam and Kira seemed to be completely healed, not a scratch on them.
Jake quickly booted up the workstation next to the two, desperately searching for a release button.
"You can't help them," called a female voice mockingly from behind Jake.
The Green Ranger span around to face the voice's owner, accidentally pressing a button on the console as he did.
Out of the shadows a female figure stepped out, revealing a herself to be of medium height and long blown hair, tied up in a ponytail.
"Who the fuck are you?" questioned Jake, falling into a fighting stance.
The woman laughed, "It is truly ironic, you don't know who I am, but your counterpart had feelings for me."
Jake quickly put the pieces together and growled, "Charlie!"
"Oh, so you do know who I am," spoke Charlie levelly, her eyes glinting with malice.
"How could you do that, how could betray them?" questioned Jake, grabbing his discarded Snake Axe.
"Very easily, my master ordered me to," replied Charlie, Yuffo coming out of the shadows after her.
"Master? Vrak?" uttered Jake, a disgusted look on his face, "I knew Vrak was sick, but this is a whole new level."
"I do as my master commands," spat Charlie, her eyes briefly glowing red, "And that includes destroying and keeping Phase Two safe."
"Phase Two?" asked Jake, confused.
"You and your girlfriend's predecessors," answered Charlie, nodding in the direction of Cam and Kira, "Yuffo here has some experiments to run on them, to make them the perfect soldiers. He rescued them from the wreckage of his Palace, he healed them."
Jake raised his Axe, "Small question. If that's 'Phase Two', what the hell was 'Phase One'?"
"THIS!" came a deeply mechanised voice from behind Jake.
The Green Ranger span around to face the speaker, only to see a figure in black and silver, lion themed armour.
"Who the hell are you?" asked Jake, tensing at the sight of the figure's gun pointing at him.
"AM I ROBOKNIGHT, GUARDIAN OF EARTH, DEFENDER OF THE WILD!" boomed the figure.
"Doesn't that mean you're on my side?" questioned Jake, still on edge, the blaster pointing at his chest.
"YOU HUMANS HAVE POLLUTED THE PLANET!" replied RoboKnight coolly, "YOUR AUTOMOBILES HAVE CAUSED NOTHING BUT DAMAGE, YOU KILL EACH OTHER IN POINTLESS WARS, YOU HAVE PLUNDERED EARTH'S NATURAL RESOURCES. MOST IMPORTANTLY YOU 'POWER RANGERS' SEEK TO DESTROY EARTH."
"We're trying to fucking save it!" shouted Jake angrily, his rage overtaking for the first time since he and Emma started their relationship.
"ILLOGICAL! WHY DO STOP VRAK FROM HEALING THE EARTH?" asked RoboKnight, tilting his helmeted head, his visor glowing red.
"Vrak is trying to help the Earth, he's trying to rule it!" argued Jake.
Charlie laughed from where stood, "As interesting as his conversation is, I'm afraid I must lea-"
The former Red Ranger dropped to her knees and held her head, screaming in pain.
Hearing her screams were in fact genuine Jake ran to Charlie's side, dropping his Snake Axe.
"Are you okay?" asked Jake.
Charlie raised her head, looking weak, and spoke in a weak voice, "End it. End me. I can-can't go back. I can't go back to being her."
"Who's her? What do mean?" asked Jake desperately.
"Vrak he's controlling me, I can't control what I do, what I say. He made me turn against the other rangers, my friends, most importantly, he made me betray Jess, he knew it killed me inside to betray," Charlie paused, "To betray the one I loved. I used to be evil in the future, I was recruited by Vrak and infiltrated the Ranger Base, but I became compromised, I fell in love."
"Don't worry, I'll help you, I'll get you out of here," spoke Jake, beginning to lift Charlie, her toned body making her deceivingly heavy.
Jake looked up at RoboKnight, "Please! I need your help, she's innocent, just help me save her!"
But RoboKnight remained still, his visor began to flick between red and black rapidly, before settling on black.
RoboKnight strode to Charlie and Jake and took the former in his arms easily, "I will protect her, with my life."
Jake smiled genuinely, "Thank you."
"You are welcome," spoke RoboKnight, nodding his head.
Suddenly Yuffo appeared behind RoboKnight's back and slammed a metal taser-like object into RoboKnight's back, reverting him to his previous state, before Jake could react.
RoboKnight dropped to the ground, Charlie falling out of his arms. Jake quickly snatched his Snake Axe up and sliced Yuffo across the chest, killing him.
"Analyse that!" muttered Jake, before returning to Charlie's side.
Jake shook the former ranger, but to no avail. Just as Jake stopped Charlie's hand shot up and grabbed Jake's neck, crushing his windpipe.
Charlie laughed, her eyes glinting red again, "Did you really think you could help little poor Charlie, Vrak's brainwashed slave, Grumm's own pet Red Ranger? Well you can't, she out, I'm in!"
Like a child finished with an old toy, Charlie tossed Jake away, who slammed into a wall and rolled over.
Charlie climbed to her feet and helped RoboKnight to his feet, "Kill him."
RoboKnight bowed, his visor red once more, "YES MISTRESS!"
After giving her last order to RoboKnight, Charlie stalked away, out of the doors, locking them behind her.
RoboKnight walked towards Jake slowly, his blaster raised at his prey, "Time to die, Green Ranger!"
"That isn't gonna happen," disagreed Jake, rolling to the side, snatching up his Axe.
"Foolish ranger!" uttered RoboKnight, his voice as it was when he helped Jake, but his visor was still blood red.
With that RoboKnight unleashed a superpowered Victory Charge at Jake's chest. The Green Ranger quickly raised his Axe to reflect the would-be fatal blast back at RoboKnight, just clipping his helmet, smashing it open.
Jake found him staring at a face similar to his own, but different in many ways. Whilst Jake had longer, unrulier hair, the other had closely cropped hair.
"You really hadn't figured it out?" spoke Jess almost disbelievingly.
Jake paled, "How are you-
"Alive? Vrak saved me from the explosion, he healed my body and repaired my armour," said Jess.
"What has he done to you?" breathed Jake, in shock.
"Vrak has enlightened me, he has shown me the true path," said Jess, his eyes flashing gold.
"Great he brainwashed you too," muttered Jake, gritting his teeth.
"Less talk," stated Jess as the broken helmet reassembled itself, "MORE FIGHTING."
RoboKnight began charge at Jake as the latter pulled out his Mystic Morpher.
"MAGICAL SOURCE, MYSTIC FO-"
Before Jake could finish his morph, RoboKnight slammed into his, sending them flying.
Jake rolled and watched as his morpher slid along the ground, over to the other side of the room. The Green Ranger quickly searched for his Snake Axe but realised the magic that summoned it must had run out.
Jake quickly felt into his pocket for one of the morphers he had repaired. Jake then remembered he had entrusted the Thunder Morphers to Emma and chose to protect the Red Chrono Morpher instead, which, as it was coded to Wes's DNA and this situation, as much use as a chocolate teapot.
Fortunately Jake caught sight of the Shark Bowgun, only metres away, where he had dropped it earlier. He snatched it up and rose to his feet, the Bowgun pointed at RoboKnight.
"YOUR INFERIOR WEAPON CANNOT HARM ME!" exclaimed Jess.
"You wanna bet?" questioned Jake, pressing the trigger.
A beam of energy shot out and hit Jess on the shoulder, dropping him to one knee. Jake slowly approached the immobile figure, Bowgun raised.
Suddenly, RoboKnight leapt up, ripping the Bowgun from Jake's hands and kicking the Green Ranger away.
"YOU. ARE. PATHETIC!" shouted RoboKnight, crushing the Bowgun and tossing it away.
Jake leapt to his feet and called his Shadow Sabre, Jess transforming his Vulcan Cannon into the RoboBlade. The two charged at each other, blades clashing.
Thanks to Jess's boosted strength he quickly forced Jake back and kicked him away again, the Shadow Sabre flying across the room.
RoboKnight began to walk towards Jake, his feet slamming on the concrete floor. The Green Ranger reached his hand, out towards the Shadow Sabre, desperately trying to recall his weapon.
RoboKnight came up to Jake's bruised and bloodied body and picked him up by the scruff of his neck, opening his visor.
"Time to die!" exclaimed Jess, tossing his counterpart into a rack of weapons.
Jake rolled over, glad he hadn't be wounded by any of the weapons, as Jess had wished.
"You just won't DIE!" shouted Jess, his visor closing up again.
Jake reached around for a weapon, his right hand finding the hilt of a sword and his left finding the grip of a spear. The Green Ranger used the weapons to pull himself to his feet.
As he raised the weapons he felt warmth shoot up his right arm and ice cold up his left. He swung the silver spear in a circular motion, stopping to read the name engraved on it.
"Glacies, ice?" spoke Jake, quickly translating the Latin to his shock, before reading the name of the bronze sword, "Ignis, fire?"
Jake looked back up and raised the weapons as RoboKnight stopped in front of him.
"You will be defeated," stated Jess dangerously.
"I'm not too sure, but with these weapons I'm pretty sure I can stop you, I don't even know what they do," spoke Jake, his confidence returning.
RoboKnight laughed, "You could never stop m-"
Jake halted RoboKnight by slashing him across his chest with the sword, sending Jess flying across the room, into the far wall.
Jake chuckled, "So that's what they do."
The two weapons in Jake's hands glowed gold and disappeared, leaving a Bronze Parker Pen in his right hand and a Silver Bracelet on his left, just below the bracelet Emma made him.
Jake clicked the pen and it grew into the very sword that had just disappeared. He twisted his wrist and the spear returned to his hand.
"Awesome," muttered at he returned to their mundane forms of a pen and bracelet.
"THIS ISN'T OVER!" shouted RoboKnight as he pulled himself from the rubble.
"It sure feels like it," returned Jake, "You have to break free of whatever spell Vrak out you under."
"You're right, it is over," stated RoboKnight, opening a panel on his wrist to open and reveal four multicoloured gems.
"The Dino Gems, bar Yellow, Cam entrusted me with these before we attacked Vrak, I used them to power up my suit and give me the civilian powers they hold," informed Jess, his whole helmet fading out of existence.
"What's that to me?!" shouted Jake back.
"All of them, except the black. Cam transferred the power into the Green Mystic Morpher, and the civilian power to whoever uses it, namely you!" replied Jess, raising the wrist with the Gems.
"Well, you ain't getting it!" snarled Jake defiantly.
"That's where you're wrong, I am!" spoke Jess, pressing a button on the panel, "Now, I think you have something that belongs to me."
A stream of black energy shot out of Jess's wrist, splitting into two, one hitting the discarded Mystic Morpher and the other latching onto Jake's chest, sending him to his knees, crying out in pain.
"The Black Gem will drain the power that facilitates your invisibility, then it will drain your very life force," said Jess, smirking at first before his smile faltered.
"I-It's no-ot too lat-te," begged Jake, his body racked with white hot agony.
Jess quickly recovered and sneered at Jake, "You are a fool to think I would turn against my master!"
Out of the corner Jake saw the black beam stop sucking the power out of the Mystic Morpher, just as he felt the beam move onto stealing his life force.
"Not much longer, JAKE!" called Jess, grinning.
"Not on my watch!" shouted a voice as the Mystic Axe, broke the black beam, right in front of Jake, rebounding it on a wall.
Jake collapsed onto all fours and looked up to see the Green Mystic Ranger stood there.
"Cam?" questioned Jake, his voice rasping.
"The one and only," replied Cam, powering down and helping Jake to his feet, "You accidentally triggered the release system on the pods."
"Thanks for the save," replied Jake, "How much did you heard?"
"Enough to work out who we should be fighting," spoke Kira, from where she stood by the pods.
"We know the story, you and Emma," added Cam, "Vrak regularly came down here to thaw us out and gloat."
Kira walked over to the other two, "I think we'd better get out of here, Jess seems to be losing control."
Cam and Jake looked over to where Jess was knelt on one knee, his face scrunched up in pain.
"Go. Now!" ordered Jess, "I can't hold the change back much longer."
"I think this belongs to you," said Cam, offering the Mystic Morpher to Jake.
"Keep it, you're its rightful owner. I was just keeping it warm for you," replied Jake, shaking his head.
Cam nodded and pocketed his Morpher, "Let's go! Now!"
"I couldn't agree more," said Kira, beginning to push Cam and Jake towards the doors.
As the three reached the doors Jake caught sight of the Shark Bowgun and Shadow Sabre on the floor, both badly damaged. Jake recalled his weapons and continued walking.
"We need to meet up with the others," spoke Jake, the other two nodding and the three make a quick exit from the lab, Jess reverting to his evil state and calling his helmet back into place.
"I COULD DO WITH A GOOD GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK," spat RoboKnight, following after the other three rangers.
-Megaforce-
Edited 02/11/14