~Skybrooke Plaza ~ March, 2015~
In the Plaza, the Rangers were just finishing up a skirmish with a pack of Dusters.
"Stay alert, guys!" Oliver warned. "There's a Horoscopes signal coming from here."
Teddy kicked a Duster into a fountain and replied, "But where is it?"
Daniel and Ben slashed through a few at the same time and stood back to back.
"What difference does it make?" Daniel asked confidently.
Ben shrugged his shoulders. "We've handled ourselves pretty well up to this point."
Clara slammed her Hammer on the ground sending shockwaves around her. "It doesn't pay to be overconfident."
Becca kicked a Duster away from Clara and said, "Boys will be boys, I guess."
Cyber Orange charged up his Tracer and destroyed the remaining Dusters in one blow. "Nothing." He stated with disappointment.
The eight met up in a circle, all suspicious of what's been going on lately. "Is everyone alright?" Oliver asked.
However, a burst of orange lightning falling onto them disproved this notion.
"Who did that?" James asked struggling to his feet.
"Hello, Rangers." Came a sturdy, tough-sounding voice. The Rangers looked around to meet the eyes of a new General. Unlike most of his colleagues, his armor was bronze and bulky. His helmet was shaped like a ram's head and his staff had a cylindrical block on top.
"Who're you supposed to be?" Ben asked.
"I am Aries..."
A twinge of excitement welled up in Cyber Orange when Aries identified himself. "This is my chance." He whispered, gripping his weapon. Without thinking, he leapt forward and slashed down only to be blocked.
"Jumpy, are we?" Aries teased.
"This is my chance... You're going down!"
"I beg to differ." Aries swept his staff upward, making Orange lose balance and stumble past him. With another swing, Aries' staff slammed right into Orange's back, sending him flying.
"Power of Zeus!"
"Power of Poseidon!"
"Power of Pluto!"
Oliver, Ben, and Daniel stood in a straight line as they powered up their Bio-Fields. "Tri-Olympic Burst!" The three sent forth a combination of wind, water, and fire. The elements swirled into a perfect balance of power, striking the General in the chest. However, he brushed it off like it was nothing.
"Child's play." He tapped the bottom of his staff onto the ground, which sent a stream of energy in all directions.
"Power of Minerva!" Clara erected a barrier to protect her friends. Her protection held true for a few moments, but the sheer power of Aries was too much for her. The barrier shattered into pieces, sending the eight Rangers flying off.
"Too easy..." Aries commented as he disappeared.
~Cue Theme~
~TK's House~
TK laid on his bed staring at the ceiling. He couldn't stop thinking about Aries. He picked up his Morpher and dialed for Tyson.
"Tyson, it's me. Aries has appeared."
"That is good. Wait for further instruction."
TK sat up in shock. "Wait? Why? I've found who I'm looking for! I can save Greg!"
Tyson's voice remained indifferent. "No, you must defeat Aries and retrieve the switch. Once you do that, bring it to me so I can properly study its power. With time and luck, I'll be able to isolate its power to heal injuries and help your friend."
At this point, the boy in orange was furious. "But Greg might not have that long! He's slipping!"
"I'm sorry, TK. Stand down; that is an order." With that, Tyson cut off connection.
He was about to punch a wall when a knock came from his door. Quickly composing himself, he cleared his throat and calmly said, "Come in."
Oliver walked into his room with a smile. "What's up, buddy?"
"Oh, hey. Nothing much. How about you?"
"Same, not really doing anything today; thought I'd come by."
"Well sorry, Oliver. But there's something I have to do."
"Great! Let me come with you."
"I've got to do this alone." TK replied reaching for his door.
Oliver placed his hand on TK's shoulder. "I'm your friend, TK. Whatever you're going through, I'm here for you. If you need anything at all, just let me know."
~Mountain Cliff~
TK sat on a cliff overlooking the city. He used his Meta-Ability to make storm clouds gather around. He felt the pull of the atmosphere bend to his will, take form, and lose it, gain strength, grow dim, all of this power with a mere thought.
"I've got to do something..." TK whispered.
"I thought I'd find you here." Came Aries' voice.
"You!" TK growled getting to his feet.
"I haven't come to fight, boy." Aries stated. "I've come to make a deal."
"A deal?" TK asked. "And how do you know about me?"
Aries motioned his free hand to his staff. "My staff is a wonderful weapon; it can heal any injury, as well as make one worse, and it can gain personal information about whoever it touches. I learned who you were when I came in physical contact with you during our battle."
"What do you want?"
"I want you to work for me."
"The Gold Ranger was under a Horoscopes's thumb. Didn't work out so well for him."
"That's because the Gold Ranger knew how to beat Capricorn from the start. I am here for loyalty. See, I can save your friend Greg if you do one job for me."
The offer sounded tempting. TK's better judgment knew that he should wait for Tyson, but the fact that Greg's time was running out made him nod his head reluctantly.
"Good... Here's what I want you to do."
~Lola's House~
"Alright, see you guys later!" Charlie waved to his friends. The Zettabytes had just finished their practice and the sun was already well into its descent across the skyline. Charlie and Gracie decided to walk together to discuss a new song they had been writing together.
"If we change the chord progression, it would go better with the melody." Gracie explained. Charlie nodded in agreement when they heard something rumble behind them.
"Did you hear that?" Charlie asked stepping back. He looked around in worry just as the last of the sun's rays vanished.
"Hear what?" The sound of swift footsteps passed by them more clearly, causing Gracie's neck hairs to stand on end.. "Okay, that I heard."
Charlie made a reach for Gracie. "I think we-" A swooshing sound cut him off, causing Gracie to panic.
"Charlie? Charlie, where are you?"
A dark shadow flashed in front of her and darted forward. The last thing Gracie saw was a hand making its way to her face, obscuring her vision.
~The Next Day, Skybrooke Park~
Lola and James sat on a blanket in the park on a study date. James was helping Lola study for her Precalculus test. "Use the quadratic formula here." James explained pointing to Lola's equation.
"I see... So I plug in the right numbers like this?"
"Exactly." James grinned at how cute Lola looked when she was focusing on a problem. Her eyebrows furrowed and she stuck her tongue out slightly. After a few seconds of computation, Lola cheered, "Got it!"
"Nice one, princess." James winked in a teasing tone. Lola giggled and lightly smacked James' shoulder.
"I'm gonna get a lemonade from the vendor. You want anything?" She asked standing up.
"An iced tea would be nice."
"Coming right up!"
James smiled, watching his girlfriend make a beeline for the Park Vendor. His pocket vibrated, which alerted him to a text message. He was in the middle of sending a reply when Lola's scream reached his ears.
He darted up to see the girl being spirited away by a twister of wind. She tried to get away, but the vortex had her trapped like a bird in a cage. "James!" She screamed.
"No!" The Ranger shouted sprinting forward. However, before he could reach her, a blast of cold air knocked him off his feet. "Lola!" He darted up once more to see his girlfriend was gone. He immediately opened his Morpher to call his friends.
~HQ~
"Charlie and Gracie are gone too." Becca explained to James after hearing his story.
"Why would someone want them?" Ben asked.
Dr. Kyle pulled up a hologram image. "Here's what our satellite images picked up." The image showed Gracie and Charlie walking down the street. They stopped, detecting something unusual. Within a few seconds, a wave of wind swept Charlie away before nabbing Gracie.
"Wait." Oliver said. "Slow the footage down."
His mom nodded and replayed the footage. Oliver studied the image, waiting for something. "Stop!" He instructed.
The image froze, revealing a dark figure reaching toward Charlie.
"That's creepy." Teddy remarked squinting to get a better look. "It's like a ghost."
Clara shook her head. "But why these three?"
As a response, Karen alerted them to an incoming transmission. "It's being broadcast." She explained. Leonard projected the images on the main screen.
Aries appeared on it, with a confident tone of voice.
"Power Rangers... I believe I have taken something precious from you all. If you want these precious things back, come to these coordinates. I'll be waiting."
"Coordinates locked." Daniel nodded, using his nanobots to find the location.
"Let's go." Oliver led.
Dr. Kyle stopped them. "Be careful, Rangers. There's a high chance that it could be a trap."
"We're all coming back, Mom." Oliver reassured. "Together."
The other Rangers nodded in agreement as they all ran out the doors.
~Skybrooke Warehouse District~
The Rangers, all morphed up, arrived at the Warehouse district. "Which way?" Clara asked.
Daniel studied a digital map pulled up on the inside of his helmet visor. "This way." He pointed. "Warehouse 34."
Teddy and James pried open the doors and entered after their team.
"I thought you'd never make it!" Aries called out in joy. "Here're your little friends." Behind him, Charlie, Lola, and Gracie were tied to a metal beam.
"Let them go!" Becca demanded.
"Come get them. Dusters!"
Oliver raised his Neo-Defender Blaster and said, "Let's take these freaks out quickly."
Following their leader's example, the entire team raised their firearms and blasted away into the Dusters, destroying them with a flurry of lasers.
After the last Duster disappeared, the Rangers swarmed Aries. Teddy got there first and sent a few punches that were blocked. Becca came in with a high kick followed by a combo punch and kick attack from Clara and Ben. The two pushed the General back a few steps, giving James and Oliver enough room to come in with a flying drop kick. They kicked the General's staff and pushed him back even more. Daniel came from behind with his sword and slashed down, nailing a hit on Aries' shoulder.
"Now, guys!" Daniel called out.
"Link-Up Bazooka! Fire!" The Core Rangers landed a powerful hit on Aries bringing him to his knees.
"Excellent..." He complimented. "Excellent team work, excellent power. However..." His staff began to glow a sickly green which spread its light across his body. After a few seconds, it glowed gold then vanished into thin air. Aries stood up without a scratch on his body.
"Not good enough."
Oliver confidently stated, "Then we'll keep hacking away until you power down."
Aries laughed, "I'll believe it when I see it."
"Ready for another round, guys?" Oliver asked.
"More than ready." Clara nodded.
"Let's go!" However, before the Rangers could charge, the ground under them exploded from an incoming attack. The force caused all the Rangers to fly upward into the air and land on their backs. They were still Morphed up, but found it hard to move.
"Guys!" Gracie shouted with a tear stricken face.
Teddy coughed, "What happened?"
Oliver forced himself up with his Track Saber digging into the floor. "Is everyone okay?"
Aries laughed in glee as he watched six of the Rangers writhe on the ground in pain.
The Red Ranger's blood began to boil as he gripped his sword's hilt. "Stay down, guys. This one's mine."
"Oliver, wait!" Ben shouted trying to reach out to his friend. It was too late; Oliver sprinted forward with his sword and clashed furiously with Aries, who was still laughing like a maniac.
"Power of Zeus!" Oliver chanted, empowering his blade with red electricity. As his weapon clashed with Aries' staff, lightning flowed from the blade, flying in random directions causing explosions all around.
"This'll finish it!" Oliver remarked bringing his blade down. Suddenly, a blast of wind pushed him into a metal beam.
Cyber Orange crashed through a window and landed in a kneeling position.
"Cyber Orange." Oliver sighed in relief. "Are you..." The boy stopped talking when he saw that Cyber Orange turned to face him and raised his Tracer. The Ranger said nothing as he adjusted his fighting stance in a way familiar to Oliver.
"What're you..."
Without warning, Cyber Orange let out a battle cry and struck at Oliver. The boy did his best to defend himself, but he could only do so for so long. Resisting the urge to attack back, Oliver asked, "What're you doing? Why?"
Finally Cyber Orange spoke. "You said all I had to do was ask you for help, Oliver! Now, I need your help!"
"I knew it..." Oliver breathed back in realization. He swung his own blade to knock Orange back. "I always knew!"
"Then you won't mind helping me!" Orange charged forward more aggressively. "I need to take you down to save Greg!"
Inside his helmet, Orange heard Tyson ordering him to stand down.
"I won't." He stated to his commander.
Tyson tried cutting off his power, but Orange's force of will was overriding the manual controls.
Oliver blocked a front strike and parried Orange's Tracer. As a reflex, the Red Ranger swung his blade around and charged it with electricity. He was about to nail the Orange Ranger in the helmet when he stopped a few inches out.
Orange took this opportunity to disarm Oliver and insert his Drill Booster. Like in fencing, Orange stabbed forward and struck Oliver in the heart. The drill shaped energy burst through the boy, making him stand frozen.
"Oliver!" Ben screamed at the top of his lungs. "Oliver, no!"
"No!" Clara yelled just as loud.
Teddy, Becca, the Casey's, Charlie, Lola, and Gracie were speechless.
Oliver coughed, trying to speak. A swirl of red lights demorphed him. The boy's mouth curved into a small smile as he whispered, "TK... We're friends..." With that, the boy's chocolate brown eyes faded and he fell onto his back, motionless.
Up in space, Tyson punched a wall. He slammed his hand down on the control keys, causing Orange's transformation to lift.
"TK?!" Teddy demanded. "It was you the whole time?"
"How could you?! After everything we've been through!?" Becca added.
"You don't understand." TK half whispered. "I had to do this." With that, he walked away from the warehouse.
Teddy tried charging after him, but Aries sent a force wave that knocked him onto his back, demorphing him. Another force wave was sent at him, but Becca, James and Daniel stepped in front of him to block it. The strain made them drop to their hands and knees, causing them to demorph as well.
Aries laughed, "This is the end!" He sent yellow energy ropes from his staff that wrapped around the demorphed Rangers.
Before he could take a step forward to demorph Clara and Ben, the roof to the Warehouse was taken off. The Dozer Zord circled the building from the sky. Tyson's voice rang out. "Rangers Blue and Yellow... you must take Ranger Red's body and run." The Zord fired three beams down on the first three Rangers and lifted them to safety.
"What about the others?!" Clara asked.
"They have been bound by Horoscope energy. I cannot break them free without risking your safety."
With that, the Dozer zord flew away with Clara, Ben, and Oliver on board.
Aries shrugged his shoulders. "I guess four isn't so bad."
On board the Dozer, Ben cried into Oliver's chest soaking the fallen Ranger's shirt. "No... it's not real... it's not true..."
Clara, for the first time, broke down taking both of the boys into her arms. She coughed and hiccuped and also for the first time, didn't know what to say to reel herself or her friend in. The two had lost their Red Ranger, their leader, their friend... their brother.
A/N: Seriously, what's up with me and Ranger death? Just goes to show that not everyone can survive the life of a superhero... I'm kidding!
Next time: After saving Greg, TK begins to regret his decision! Meanwhile, Tyson gives Clara and Ben a way to save Oliver before it's too late! What'll happen next?
Mission 30: Before I Go