A/N: Short chapter to set up the first confrontation between Rangers and Xonix. And I know the prophecy sounds cheesy.
Chapter Twenty Four: The Blood of the Innocent
Location: The Ultra Cavern, Sydney
Something was on the horizon. He could feel it. It wasn't the feeling he had felt when Apollonia was sent down or even the feeling he had that drew him toward his destiny. It was more a feeling of pure dread with a small amount of shock mixed in. An ancient being whom he had never met knew his name and had created the mechanical marvels around him. A glance to his left caused him to stare eye to eye with a giant orange and brown Basilisk while looking to his right was his Dinozord. That was what was causing the shock. Well, that and the thought of having to leave the planet to go to another planet to retrieve his missing Zord. However, something nagged at the back of his mind.
Where was the feeling of dread coming from? It felt like his stomach was twisting in knots. If there was an attack coming, what would he do? What could he do? He was supposed to be at home – asleep. He was sure his mum would freak out if he wasn't at home. Then again, he could probably try to divert or deflect any incoming teleportation signatures…but he wasn't sure where they would go. Practice was a good thing but at 11PM it was the last thing on his mind. Weihan shrugged his shoulders as he prepared to teleport back home.
Whatever it was, he was sure to hear about it sooner or later.
Location: The Command Centre; Angel Grove.
A dark tremor roused Zordon from his rest. Blinking the drowsiness from his eyes, he looked around the darkened chamber. There was nothing on the screens to show what had caused the tremor. Worrying about the departed Rangers, he stretched out his senses to encompass the world – trying to find their bio-signatures. They were still at the Peace Conferences; settling into their dorms it looked like. So they were all right…but where did the dark tremor come from?
Scans of the Moon came up blank – with Lord Zedd having expended most of his power trying to stop the Power Transfer, Zordon didn't expect many attacks from the self-styled Emperor of Evil. However, from the purported "Dark Side" of the Moon; there was a lot of activity. Something was being built on the surface, but the level of power and menace it radiated was enough for him to stop looking. There was only one answer to the question of who was building something: Xonix. Thoughts of that monstrous being lead him to think about the mysterious Ranger who had appeared not less than two weeks prior. Of course, he already knew it was Weihan under that helmet – thanks to his visit in the Past. His Rangers hadn't known and as such, bombarded him with questions.
Flashback
The six teens looked up at their mentor in shock. They had heard the news of a monster attack in Australia and seen fuzzy footage that looked like another Ranger. This Ranger was different though; he was more brutal and actually sliced off the monster's limbs. He didn't seem to care about the surrounding areas and he seemed to take great delight in defeating the monster and teleporting out without a word. Questions flew fast and furious and the sage didn't know how to answer them all.
"Who is he?"From Tommy
"Friend or foe?"From Jason
"How is he fighting with fire? Is he the one from the prophecy?"
The room silenced and all eye turned to the asker of the question – Kimberley. The petite gymnast looked to be deep in thought as she recited the prophecy they had struggled with.
"In times of darkness, the warriors six will fall,
One city shrouded in pure evil,
One flame will rise,
One flame will win…what if this Ranger is the One Flame? He controls fire easily, we were defeated battling that thing and Angel Grove wasn't the target of the monster."
Zordon was silent as he seemingly processed the information. He knew that the prophecy had other verses to it and they were in his databanks. The only issue with showing the Rangers the rest of it was that it didn't end on the high note of the first verse. Sighing, he addressed the Rangers.
"Rangers, there is something you should know. There is more to the prophecy, but it does not bode well for us. The rest of it goes:
The Flame will burn brightly as he journeys through the night.
An unexpected trip will force him to see the Light.
Twelve flares in total there will be
Joined with the six warriors over the sea
A battle will be fought and a battle will be lost
Comrades will be found with a lot of cost
The fight will take the flames around the bend
And up until the World's End"
End Flashback.
With the revelation of the last two verses of the prophecy, the Rangers had fallen silent and pushed the information to the back of their mind. He supposed that he would have to tell the new members the full prophecy soon. He could feel the time was nearing.
The alarms sprang to life suddenly, shattering the still air with harsh noise. Alpha tottered out of his recharging booth and an electronic swallow issued from him. Without saying a word, he looked up at Zordon and nodded once. The ancient sage cursed under his breath. He didn't want to do this, but fate had forced his hand.
"Alpha, contact the Rangers immediately."
Location: George Street; Sydney.
In the city, three was still activity. People came in for the late shift, bidding farewell to the people leaving. Men at bars drank beer and leered at the women walking by outside. Council workers started blocking off streets for late night roadwork. Uni students went into clubs, karaoke bars or into the cinemas for a late night screening. Even the police were on the streets; keeping an eye out for any trouble caused by drunks. They thought they were ready for anything.
They were wrong.
In a bright flash that temporarily lit up the entire street and surrounding buildings, an invading alien force appeared. Pausing only for the tiniest of moments, they raced towards the defenceless people. Screams filled the air as claws and teeth shredded flesh and rocklike fists pulverized bone. And amidst the chaos and destruction, Xonix laughed.