Author's Note: Because I feel bad I've not updated this in awhile, I'm posting the entirety of "Earth Fights Back" and the SPD tribute for you guys!
CHAPTER 34: Ultimatum/Earth Fights Back
Emma wasn't sure how she got commandeered into passing out drinks for the construction workers and painters at the mall, but it wasn't helping keep her mind off Troy. "Keep up the good work," she told a couple of painters, who grabbed the glasses of water off her tray like they were in the desert. As she walked through the crowd of people helping to sweep glass and pick up debris, she almost ran into Gia, who was righting a potted plant next to a bench. "Hey you," Gia greeted Emma. "Fancy running into you. I thought you and Troy were at school?"
"We were, 'til he disappeared," Emma replied. "I don't know where he went, and his mom can't raise him on her cell."
Gia frowned. "I'm sure it's nothing. He's been acting a little weird the past couple days though." She looked around. "Things have been quiet. It's nice to put stuff together again. Shows the Armada we won't give up."
"Adversity brings out the best in us," Emma repeated Mr. Burley's words. "Is Jake around?"
Gia pointed. "Yeah, he's helping them paint the balcony level," she said, pointing up. Emma looked over to see Jake guiding a paint bucket on a pulley up to some painters on some scaffolding. He looked over at the two girls and smiled. "Hello, ladies."
"Looks like you could use a little break," Emma said in response, and handed him a plastic cup of water. Jake downed it like a shot.
"Jake!" The three teens turned to see Ernie coming toward them, holding a rickety green box. "I am glad to see you," he told the Green Ranger. "Jake, I have a very special assignment for you." He handed Jake the box. "I don't trust anyone else to do this."
Jake shrugged, looking at the girls. "Duty calls," he said, as Ernie ushered him away.
Noah bumped his way past a few onlookers watching the cleanup effort, holding his computer bag close. There had been a few reports of looters and small robberies, and what was on the computer was precious cargo. He bumped into something large, soft and white. "Oh, sorry." He looked up to see a giant cup of frozen yogurt with a bright red cherry on top. ERNIE'S BRAIN FREEZE was written on it in bright neon lettering.
"Noah?" the cup spoke. A small flap opened in the front and Noah's jaw dropped.
"Jake?"
Jake's eyes darted around. "Yeah. It's me. I'm just helping Ernie out. Don't tell the girls."
Noah tried to come up with a witty response, but shook his head. "I have something really important to tell you guys." He grabbed one of the skinny white hands that stuck out from the side of the cup.
"Dude! No! Come on, Gia can't see me like this!" Jake protested.
Noah rolled his eyes. "Let's go, they've seen you in worse situations."
"Like what?" Jake frowned.
Noah thought about it for a second. "Like you with a pencil up your nose?"
Jake winced. "Good point. All right, fine." Noah led him over to a bench, where Gia and Emma were sitting, both with a cup of water in their hands.
Gia laughed. "Hi Noah. How cute! It's Mr. Brain Freeze!" She got up and pulled the flap aside, revealing Jake's startled eyes. "Wow," she choked out, trying not to laugh. "I have to admit, Jake, you've got guts walking around the mall like that!"
Before Jake could make a retort, Noah held up a hand, as he pulled his computer out of the other. "Check this out. I've been working on memorizing the ranger database that Gosei gave us. Look at these cool Zords." He turned the computer screen so they could see a split-screen shot of a bright red, futuristic police cruiser, and a bright blue machine that looked like an V-22 Osprey, with double rotors on either side of it. "These are from the SPD Rangers."
"SPD?" Gia asked.
"Space Patrol Delta. Rangers from the future," Noah pronounced with a grin.
"I thought these were powers from past teams," Emma said, sounding confused.
Noah shrugged. "I dunno," he shrugged. "All I know is that their keys are in the command center, so they're ours to use."
"Sweet!" Jake pronounced, a little too loudly. Gia hit him where his stomach should have been, but her fist barely dented the fabric of the costume.
"New powers. New Zords," Emma grinned.
"The better to kick alien ass with," Gia replied with a smile.
"Wait 'til Troy sees this," Jake added. Then he frowned. "Where is Troy, anyway? I haven't seen him all day."
Emma reached into her bag. "I'm going to check on him," she said. "I don't like that we haven't heard from him and he hasn't answered his parents." She pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number. She listened for a few minutes.
Hey, you've reached Troy. I'm not available, leave a message.
She looked over at Gia. Gia shrugged. "Maybe he wants to be alone."
Troy could hear his cell phone ringing and his fingers stretched to reach for it. Unfortunately, his phone was in his jacket pocket, and his hands were currently tied behind his back, tethering him to a support beam. He was sitting on the floor of some warehouse. It was quiet around the area, he couldn't hear any signs of civilization.
"Your jacket is ringing," the voice from the beach told him, and Troy glanced over to see the guy tied to a second beam a few feet away. The guy seemed completely unfazed by the fact that he'd been kidnapped by aliens. If anything…he kind of looked happy. Or, really relaxed. Not scared, or worried, or freaking out like a normal person would've been.
"Yeah. I can't reach it though," Troy grimaced. He tugged on the ropes, but all it got him was rope burn for his trouble. "Are you okay?" he asked the guy.
"Oh you know, I've been better," he replied easily. "I could seriously go for some toast." He looked at Troy. "What about you?"
"Head hurts a little," Troy replied. "Do you know where we are?"
"No," he replied, a little less brightly. "I woke up in here, same as you."
Troy blinked, thinking back to the beach. "What do they want with you anyway?" Troy wondered.
"Another really really good question," the man responded. "One I don't have an answer for." He frowned. "And that bothers me a little bit."
Heavy footsteps echoed off the concrete floor, and Troy looked up to see a large figure step into the room with a bunch of X-borgs. He was half red, half blue, vaguely reminding him of Mr. Bones in Burley's office. It was the same monster from the beach, and like before, it blew straight past Troy and hauled the guy in green up by his shirt, pressing him against the beam.
"Take it easy," the guy in green said. "This is my only green shirt. Well, actually, it's not, I've still got one from the academy, but it's the only green shirt I brought with me-"
Troy watched the tall alien commander press a button on a panel on his wrist. There was a shimmer in the air, and then Troy's eyes widened at what materialized. Twelve giant missiles, silver and pointed and deadly. They were resting on a boxy-looking platform.
The guy studied them. "Wow. Nice. They look like AIMs. Except these are a little larger. And a little pointier. And-" The X-borgs cut him loose, and the alien general shoved him and he fell awkwardly into the panel. One of the X-borgs secured a pair of shackles around his ankle, then threaded the chain to a ring at the bottom of the box, limiting his range of movement to the area around the box.
"Their targeting system needs to be reprogrammed," the alien general informed him. "To these coordinates." A hologram appeared on his arm and he held it out to show the man.
"Those are latitude and longitude," the guy mused. "Moscow, Shanghai…Washington DC…" He looked up at the general. "No way," he said, his easygoing voice suddenly turning deadly serious.
"We know who you are," the general told him. "Do it, or this one will pay the price." He pointed a spiny finger at Troy. Troy glared back at him.
The guy in green looked over at Troy. "I won't help you do this," he told the alien. "No way. Obviously, you know who I am. You messed with the time stream to get me on the beach. So you know that I won't help you. I'd rather get destroyed than help you."
"I was told you were a smart one," the general responded. He turned to the X-borgs and nodded, and a number of them went outside the warehouse. "But if you don't do it, I'll send them into the city. All those people putting that pathetic city back together…so vulnerable…"
He looked back at the man. "Your choice." His tone was deadly.
"Don't do it, man," Troy said. "My friends can handle those X-borgs."
"How about a hundred? A thousand?" The general looked at Troy, then to the guy at the panel. "Your choice."
He sighed. "Well, gosh, when you put it like that..." He glared at the general. "You made a big mistake," he told him, turning his back to the general. He took a deep breath, then opened up the control panel on the box. Satisfied, the general stepped back, and over to speak with some of the X-Borgs.
Troy strained at the ropes around his wrists. "Who are you?" he asked. "Why do they want you? And what did they say about the time stream?"
"Oh, that," the guy in green shrugged. "I'm a Power Ranger. From the future."
Troy blinked. "Wait. What?"