Unlike many previous attacks, there was no chaos, there were no screaming, panicking citizens, there were no flames, and there were no explosions. Damaras just stood in the city park, waiting for the Rangers. He knew they would come; he didn't seek to draw them out with pointless destruction. He just waited for them to come. They didn't disappoint. As they arrived, he was just sitting on the edge of a memorial fountain, waiting for them. His sword was propped up next to him.
"I thought there were six of you." He commented, seeing them arrive. Troy just looked to him.
"Orion..."
"I'm here!" Orion called out as he arrived. "The nurses..."
His words tailed off, as he looked on Damaras, his blood ran cold, and he fell silent. The others could see him tense up. They knew he sometimes got this way around Armada Generals, but this time...this time it seemed different.
"Ah, so YOU'RE the Silver Ranger." He commented. The others just looked at Orion.
"You've met before?" Troy asked him. Orion just nodded in response.
"This is Damaras." Orion introduced him. "He's one of The Armada's most powerful warriors. He's the one that turned Marv into Argus and..."
He stepped forward, gripping his morpher tightly.
"He was the one that led the assault on Andresia!" He stated. Damaras just lifted his sword into a guard.
"You take things like that personally?" Damaras asked him. Orion just let out a spine-chilling scream as he ran at him, morphing as he went, and launched himself at Damaras with his Silver Spear at the ready.
"Come on, let's back him up!" Troy announced as they saw Orion throwing himself into the battle with a ferocity that bordered on the insane. "If this guy's such a badass, I don't want to take any chances!"
In another part of town, at the Marriott, Kimberly was preparing herself a cappuccino. She was doing it herself because many of the hotel's services had been suspended. Given the recent Armada focus on Harwood, most of the residents had already fled the city, and the hotel was basically only offering rooms and little else since most of their staff had already left town. As she finished, she heard a little cough.
"Mind making one more?" Kat asked her. Kimberly smiled.
"Kat, you made it!" Kim exclaimed, hugging her friend, and at one time, her replacement as a Ranger. "I can't believe you made it!"
"Hey, I wouldn't miss this for the world." She assured Kimberly. "If this is the end, there's nowhere else I'd be."
"So...um...how was your flight?" Kim asked her as she started up the coffee machine.
"Long." Kat answered as she took a seat. "But I doubt it's as long as those guys' trip."
Kimberly's mouth just hung open in shock. While she knew that the Rangers were being assembled, she didn't for one moment think she'd see them.
"Andros?" She asked. "Zhane, Ashley, TJ, Cassie, Carlos...they're all here?"
"When the Son of Zordon calls, people listen." Kat answered.
"I guess so." Kimberly replied. "I guess it's just as well I did all those shifts at Ernie's back in the day."
"Want a hand?" Kat asked. Kim just nodded.
"I have a feeling we're going to need it." She answered. "The Miranoi team just arrived, and they look thirsty!"
Back in the city, the Rangers were finding out the hard way that Damaras' reputation was more than just propaganda. He was punting them around the street with gay abandon as he fought, using every ounce of his humiliation and desire for redemption to fuel him.
Damaras had been a desk jockey for a long time now, but back in the day, he was anything but. There were times he would be sent to a planet single-handed to take out the populace, and accomplish it in a matter of hours. He dashed Troy to the ground with a back-handed smash as he looked over the fallen bodies of the Rangers. Orion got to his feet, clutching his Silver Spear tightly.
"You will pay for what you did to Andresia!" Orion screamed as he ran at him, thrusting Damaras into a wall. Damaras brought his hand down, snapping the pole-arm and punched him away.
"You take these things so personally, I don't even REMEMBER your planet!" Damaras told him. "Do you think I remember every two-bit back-water shit hole I've decimated?"
Jake and Troy were the only ones still in the fight. Everyone else was unconscious. As they ran at him, Troy tossed Jake a blaster, while Jake tossed troy his sabre.
"Oh please, you think THIS scares me?" Damaras asked as he let out a power blast. Troy and Jake tumbled away, de-morphing as they did. Damaras had given everything, he was running on fumes, but he had finally taken all the Rangers down. He walked over as he saw Troy starting to get up.
"Go Go..."
"You will NEVER morph again!" Damaras yelled as he swiped the morpher from his hand, before elbowing Troy in the face. He slumped forward, at which Damaras caught him.
"Your world is built on compromise; I think I have a deal you may want to consider." Damaras stated. "You surrender without reservation, and we'll give you back your Red Ranger!"
"Troy, NO!" Emma screamed. Jake ran at him, swinging wildly, but it was too late, he had already teleported away. He turned and looked at the others, who were struggling to get up.
"Jake." Emma said as she finally got to her feet. "JAKE! We need you!"
Jake made his way over and started to help Emma with the others.
Up on the Armada Command Ship, Troy was tossed to the floor, dismissively as Damaras came back into the room. His hands were bound behind his back, so he had no way to defend himself as his forehead hit the floor.
"The Red Ranger." Damaras stated. "My gift to you, Your Highness."
"I asked for no gifts." Mavro growled. "I asked for..."
"This is Earth's greatest hero. He is the example to which they all aspire." Damaras explained. "If we offer him up..."
"The Earth will surrender to save him." Mavro stated. Troy was already pushing himself to his knees with his forehead.
"That's not likely." He stated bluntly. "The Earth will never submit. They'll fight on, with or without me!"
"That is so inspirational." Mavro answered, looking to Damaras "Would you be so kind as to shut him up?"
Damaras punched Troy hard across the jaw, knocking him out cold. He looked to the Emperor.
"I intend to do...what the Earthlings call...a Press Conference." He stated. "I will tell them they have 24 hours to surrender, or I will execute the Red Ranger."
"And once those 24 hours are up?" Mavro asked.
"I'll execute him anyway." Damaras answered. Mavro just laughed.
"Then go, take some of my troops with you!" He stated. "I want to see how this ends!"
In the Goodall house, Jake and Louise were running between members of the team, tending to their injuries. While Jake wasn't exactly a stranger to the whole situation of seeing someone he cared about hurt, it had been a LONG time since they had been this low.
Damaras had really done a number on them. He didn't remember exactly how he had been taken out of the fight, he could remember something about gattling cannons under his cloak. As he handed Gia a cup of water, his head snapped to the TV which was showing a news broadcast.
"Earthlings, listen closely!" Damaras began as he broadcast his message across every available channel. "The fate of your world depends on it!"
He stepped away from the camera allowing the people to see Troy, hanging beaten, bloody and defeated, his hands bound behind a cell phone tower.
"We have your Red Ranger." Damaras continued. "You're most revered and trusted fighter! You have one hour to surrender all your forces or he is history!"
"Don't do it!" Troy yelled. "It doesn't matter what happens to me, just keep fighting..."
Damaras slammed a fist into his face, knocking Troy out cold. He looked back to the camera.
"One hour to decide, live or die." Damaras stated as he cut off the feed. Louise looked to Jake.
"I have to go." He told her. "It's now or never!"
With that, he ran out of the room Louise just sighed.
"I have a feeling I'll need another first aid kit." She commented.
In another part of town, in a hotel lobby, the television was looping the announcement from Damaras, keeping people informed. As she put down her glass, she chuckled.
"So, how much of this do you think is the reason the room rate is only 29 dollars a night in the Marriott?" Lily asked. Tori just shrugged.
"I reckon at a hundred per room Hartford would have sprung for it." She answered. "So...like old times?"
"I really hope so." Lily answered. "I really long for the days when we won."
Back at the cell phone tower, Damaras was pacing. He had two Kingsmen and a handful of X-borgs with him for support, but this was his plan. As an alarm went off, he looked up to the Red Ranger.
"It seems being a hero doesn't mean much on this planet." Damaras commented.
"I told you before; the Earth will keep fighting, with, or without me." Troy shot back. Damaras came in front of him, levelling his sword at his throat.
"That is a theory I'm willing to test." Damaras stated. Before he could do anything though, the sword was sent spinning from his grip by a power blast. He looked across as Jake was standing, his blaster in one hand, his helmet in the other.
"YOU DARE?" Damaras roared.
"Yeah, I dare!" Jake answered. "And who dares wins right? Let's see how bad you really are!"
"Are you want to do this little boy?" Damaras asked as he picked up his sword. Jake just nodded as he adopted a guard.
"Go for it!" He snarled.
Back at the Marriott, some more guests arrived. As they started the process of checking in, a man with spiky hair came over.
"I'm guessing you're Jayden." He greeted him. "My name is..."
"Dr. Tommy Oliver." Jayden interrupted him, shaking his hand. "I wish it was under better circumstances, but I guess I'm honoured to meet you."
"So...it's you?" Tommy asked. "I thought your Red..."
"Lauren's on maternity leave." Jayden told him. "Trust me; you don't want to be in the same ROOM as her these days...hormones."
"I remember that." Tommy chuckled. "So...can I get you all a drink?"
"We'll be down in a few." Jayden replied.
Back at the site of the main battle, Jake hit the ground yet again. He was quickly learning that Damaras didn't earn his reputation on hot air. He actually had a lot of game. The Green Ranger snatched up his blaster, levelling it his way.
"Give up Green Ranger!" He snapped.
"Would you?" Jake asked. He just shook his head.
"Then I suppose we have to see this through to the end!" He answered. Jake blasted the two remaining Kingsmen either side of Damaras, before throwing his blaster aside, gripping his sword tightly.
"I guess we will!" Jake answered as he ran at him.
Back on the Armada Command Ship, Redker and Mavro were watching the battle as an X-borg served them wine. Mavro gulped it down as he saw the events unfolding before him.
"Your highness, these humans seem to be trouble." Redker stated. "The Green one is keeping pace with Damaras, that..."
"That just means that for once I've found a planet that will put up a decent fight!" Mavro told him. "The Eltarian..."
"Your Highness, we should..."
"You will NEVER dare to tell me what I should do again!" Mavro roared. He looked back to the screen. "These Rangers are...interesting."
Back at the site of the battle, Jake screamed as he launched himself into the air, his sword slicing down towards Damaras. The General caught it with his hand, which started slowly leaking blood.
"You should be proud Green Ranger; it has been decades since anyone drew blood from me!" Damaras stated bluntly. "Of course you...you're just...human."
Jake's breathing was already laboured, and he was sure that he was on his last legs, but he couldn't give up. He just looked to Damaras.
"If you think it's over, why don't you come and finish it?" Jake asked. Damaras came up, raising his sword, ready to strike Jake's head from his shoulders. He was staggered as he was hit in the chest with a barrage of power blasts.
Jake took the opportunity, snatching up Damaras' own sword and sliced him from crotch to forehead in a single blow. Damaras pitched backwards, before exploding. The others surrounded Jake.
"Dude, you were..."
Jake didn't say anything though; he just tossed down his sword and walked away.
Later in the day, Jake was standing on the porch of his parents' house. He was staring at an old photograph that was taken back in the day when all that mattered in his life was soccer. Things were so much easier then
He looked up as he heard the door opening.
"I was wondering when you would come." Jake commented.
"I wanted to give you some time." Troy answered. "Jake, you did an amazing job today..."
"Yeah, that's cool." Jake answered. "By the way, we are alone right?"
"Well...yeah." Troy answered. Before he knew what was happening, he was lying on his back, cradling a broken nose. Jake stood over him.
"Allison told me what happened." Jake told him.
"Jake!" Troy called out as the Green Ranger walked away. "JAKE!"