oZo
Sabrina walked around the classroom, occasionally pausing to adjust the stance or attack of one of her students. Most were young adults or teens, but there were a few grey heads and tiny kids scattered through the group. The door swung open, and Capricorn slipped inside. Once again, he'd taken the form of Mr. Tumnus.
Sabrina glanced up at the sound. "I'll be with you in a few minutes."
"Fine with me." Tumnus took a seat behind her desk.
Sabrina soon ended the class, dismissing the students. As they filed out, packing away their gear or stopping to talk, the Pink Ranger headed over to Capricorn.
"You got my message?" She asked in a low voice.
"I did. However, I disagree. You're not ready for abstract attacks."
"We're going to attack the Equinox in three days. I need to be ready," Sabrina replied curtly. "Show me."
Capricorn sighed. "We've trained every day for as many as hours as your work will spare. I doubt you'll improve much more without rest—and I mean mental rest, not just rehydration and catching your breath. This energy is difficult to control without the proper mindset."
"And what's the proper mindset?"
"One not obsessed with victory. That may work for the Emperors, but this side of the Morphing Grid will not cooperate easily with that motivation," Capricorn said. "My understanding of it is more academic than experienced, but so far everything has matched up with what I know."
Sabrina snatched up her water bottle and took a quick drink. Wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, she snapped, "My motivation is to save the planet. That should be enough."
The last of the students slipped out, giving the two a funny look as he left. Capricorn gazed thoughtfully at Sabrina.
"Ever since we met, you've had a single focus. The war. Not your teammates, not this class, not starting a new life, just whatever mission you have to complete next in order to defeat the Zodiac Emperors."
"Correct." Sabrina's tone was clipped.
Capricorn shook his head. "That's not healthy. What happens to you when the war is won?"
"That will depend on whether or not I survive."
"Generally speaking, it seems safer to plan for survival than death."
"I'm being realistic." Sabrina took a seat on a folding chair. "The team still hasn't recovered from losing Violet. We're badly outnumbered. The other Emperors are getting desperate. Our odds for this next battle are slim, and I doubt all of my teammates will survive."
At that Capricorn gave her a sharp look. Sabrina only raised her eyebrows. "It's the truth. Better to accept the worst and be pleasantly surprised than hope for the best and despair when it fails. Frankly I'm surprised we've lost so few already. I would have pegged Lidian as the first to die."
". . . Your blunt carelessness rivals some of the things I've heard Cancer say," Capricorn said slowly. "Is that why you've remained so distant from your team? You expect them to die?"
Sabrina didn't respond to that, only took another drink.
"This isn't about protecting the Earth or fulfilling a debt. You're shielding yourself."
She lowered the water bottle. Her voice, when she spoke, was quieter than before. "Word's come back from Terra Venture. My brother is gone. I couldn't see him even on his deathbed, just like with our father. Why would I want to experience that again?"
Capricorn didn't respond for a moment. The noise of a motorcycle engine grew, then faded away into the vague rumble of traffic.
"You should have more faith in your teammates. They're stronger than they seem—especially compared to the Zodiac Emperors." That made Sabrina look up in surprise. "You haven't seen them in these last few months. They've been reduced to desperate, squabbling, selfish fools. Their goals are splintering and they've all but run out of troops. When we take their human recruits from them, they will be crippled. Trust me."
oZo
Virgo sat on her bed in the infirmary, sorting through some potions she'd borrowed from the Equinox's various labs. Unscrewing the lid of one, she poured its thick, green contents into a larger purple bottle, capped it and shook it up. Setting that aside, she unscrewed the lid of another, and began to paint its blue contents on her nails.
Leo's bed creaked, but she didn't look up; the other Zodiac Emperor tended to shift around a lot in his sleep. She finished her left hand and gave it a minute to dry. The growl, however, got her attention. Leo was looking at her with silent venom.
"What is it?" Virgo asked, in a cheerfully inquisitive tone.
"Enough."
Virgo turned back to her potions. Her left-hand nails were now dry, so she started on the right. With a grunt of effort, Leo pushed himself up off the bed and stood, facing the smaller woman. "Enough of your games. You wanted me dead."
"If I really wanted you dead, why are you still alive?" Virgo maintained her casual tone.
"Because you're plotting to kill me as you escape with that cowardly Windjammer."
Virgo looked up sharply, and Leo let out a dark chuckle. "You thought I was asleep, didn't you?"
Slowly, Virgo rose, setting aside the polish. Leo moved to block the doorway, unsheathing his claws. With a sigh, Virgo took up one of her bottles.
"Well, at least we're ready. Aren't we, Pitch?"
Black ooze wrapped around Leo's ankles, pinning them together before the monster could react. He let out a roar of fury and swiped at Pitch, but Virgo was already on her feet. Uncorking one of the bottles she hurled its contents at Leo. They splashed across his face and mane, staining them purple. His roar turned into one of pain; steam crackled up from his face and fur. He pawed at it, falling forward as Pitch pulled his feet out from under him.
"Let's go," Virgo said, grabbing more of her bottles and heading out. She lifted her skirt to step over the struggling Leo. His claws shot out and caught on her dress, stopping her abruptly. Before he could drag her down, Virgo ripped free and bolted down the passage. Pitch was a second behind, uncoiling from the stricken Leo and re-forming to run after her. Leo howled again, the noise echoing through the Equinox.
As Virgo came around the bend, a bronze arm clotheslined her. Her feet flew out from under her and she hit the floor with an undignified oof. Out stepped Libra. Without a word she reached down and caught Virgo by the throat.
"I was foolish to let you live—even more so to not demand that you be restrained, or at least kept separately from Leo. I will not make the same mistake."
As Virgo grabbed at her arm, Libra swung her up and slammed her into the wall. The other woman's nails dug into her arm, drawing coppery blood. Libra only tightened her grip, making Virgo choke. Her feet kicked and flailed helplessly a foot above the floor.
Pitch began to ooze by, but Libra glanced down and saw him. Flinging Virgo aside—she hit the floor with a nasty cracking noise—she made a grab for the insubstantial monster, but missed. He shot down the passage and away. Libra moved to go after him, and tripped over nothing. She swayed and put a hand on the wall for balance.
Virgo, bleeding from her nose and mouth, lifted her head slightly to look at Libra. A raspy, wet chuckle forced itself out of her. At the noise Libra spun around, eyes widening.
"What did you do?" She took a step towards Virgo, but her leg folded beneath her, and she fell to one knee. "What did you—"
Virgo wasn't able to answer her, but Libra realized the answer herself anyway. She looked down at the tiny gashes on her forearm, and then to Virgo's gleaming, newly-painted nails. The two met eyes, and Virgo smiled a little—though there was almost something sad in the expression. Then she let out one last, shuddering breath and was still.
Libra sat back with a thump, cradling her arm. Sagittarius's footsteps thundered up the hall towards her, but she didn't seem to hear. She smiled a little.
"For once in your life, you actually enforce justice, Virgo," she murmured.
oZo
Zeo Blue sat stiffly in the living room, gaze darting around at the half-unpacked furnishings and boxes squashed into corners. Mr. Wildman had only just given up on the idea of getting away from Angel Grove and its troubles, and both he and Casey were too busy to unpack except in spurts, on the weekends.
Zeo Blue's ears pricked up, and she looked towards the door. Casey had promised to talk to her—their—father before letting him see her, make sure he understood where she was. She really didn't want a tearful reunion with a man she didn't remember. Even now it was taking a lot of effort to sit and wait for him to come inside.
The door opened, and Casey entered the room, giving Zeo Blue an encouraging smile. She couldn't bring herself to return it. Behind Casey came a tall, broad-shouldered man. Looking at him, Zeo Blue had to admit to herself that they all looked related. It was the nose, she thought. He stopped up short as their eyes met, stiffening.
Zeo Blue watched him intently for his reaction. His hands clenched at his sides, then unclenched as he let out a slow breath.
"It really is you."
Zeo Blue said nothing. With a sigh, Mr. Wildman took a seat on the recliner opposite the sofa Zeo Blue sat on. Casey hesitated, then joined Zeo Blue. She seemed even twitchier than the Blue Ranger felt—of course, this being Casey, that wasn't unusual.
"Casey told me that . . . what they did to your memory." Mr. Wildman looked down at his hands, apparently gathering his thoughts. "So I'm a stranger to you. I'll try not to overreact or anything—"
"It's okay," Zeo Blue interrupted. "I know you want to help me. I won't push you away just because I can't remember you." Her father looked up, and she met his gaze steadily. "I want to make this work too."
He smiled at last, though his eyes seemed misty. "Thanks."
"So . . ." Casey put in, shifting in her seat, "Where are we going to put her? I mean, my new room is pretty tiny, and there aren't that many more in the house."
oZo
Aries, Gemini, Cancer, Sagittarius, Aquarius and Pisces sat around their council table, silent. By the gaps were overpowering, just like the deathly stillness of the empty ship around them.
"We can't keep fighting like this," Aries said at last. "The longer we've kept this war going, the more the Rangers have taken from us. If we want to survive we have to win, and soon."
"I agree," Cancer said. "Before this alliance gets any worse than it already is."
"Says the one who nearly beheaded Leo," Aquarius said, in a bored tone of voice.
"Don't start," Cancer snapped. "All of us have failed miserably so far—you in particular. What did you think you were doing, turning the humans into aquatic creatures? How are they supposed to conquer—"
"A planet composed of 70% water?" Aquarius replied.
Gemini buried his head in his hands with a groan.
"And almost none of said water inhabited. We're not fighting the dolphins."
"You never even attacked the Rangers," Sagittarius put in, "Nor have you done much of anything since you passed out of alignment. Who are you to judge the plans of anyone else?"
"Don't you start," Cancer snapped. "If you hadn't coddled that disgusting offspring of yours for so long we never would have lost the Blue Ranger!"
Sagittarius's fist slammed down on the table with a boom. "Do not speak of Ophiuchus that way! He sacrificed everything for us! If the rest of you hadn't treated him like a worthless child and destroyed his faith in us, he never would have helped the Rangers in the first place! His death is on you, not me."
Cancer shrugged, pincers akimbo. "Fine, what's another dead idiot?"
"Aaand here we go again," Aquarius said to herself.
"Enough."
Pisces' tone was quiet, but cold. The rest of the Zodiac Emperors fell silent, and looked to the fishy monster. He rose from his place, and looked around the group. "The Rangers will attack soon to try and retrieve our army. They would be fools to bring anything less than their full team. Therefore we have eight foes to plan for. We still have an army, and one they will be very reluctant to harm. We have the advantage."
"He has a point," Cancer admitted. "But we can't get too cocky."
"I doubt cockiness will be an issue at this point," Sagittarius replied.
"Nope, Taurus and Leo used the last of that up," Aquarius said. "Are we done? I'm hungry."
"Which reminds me, we're almost out of supplies," Gemini said.
"What?" That finally got Aquarius's attention; she bolted upright.
"We've had the humans on half-rations for weeks and we're still about to run out." Gemini shrugged helplessly.
Aquarius groaned and slouched back again. "Okay, how do we kill the Rangers?"
oZo
Four of the Super ZeoZords and the Red Battlezord hovered just outside the Earth's atmosphere. The moon, angled away from them, looked dark but for the fingernail-crescent of light, its horns pointing away from the Earth. They had a decent idea of the Equinox's sensor range thanks to Capricorn, and according to him this distance was far enough to avoid detection.
"Everyone knows the plan?" David asked.
"If we didn't, we'd have figured it out after the fourth explanation," Ezra said, though his tone was relatively subdued. "Let's get this over with before we're discovered."
"Everyone?" David asked.
"It's time to go," Tayisa said.
"Now or never." The shrug was almost audible with Lidian's voice.
"Enough waiting! Let's finish off the rest of them!" Casey sounded as eager as ever.
Violet didn't bother speaking; Super ZeoZord III took off towards the moon. One by one, the others followed, summoning their Zeo Power Weapons as they went. As they came closer and closer, the Equinox itself grew visible. It looked like a squat, ugly beetle resting on the grey, pockmarked moon. It didn't move as they drew nearer.
The Riders' ships broke off from the rest of the group, flying towards a nearby crater. Ezra's ship had recorded the earlier scans so they had a good idea of how to access the Zodiac Emperors' prison. As they went, the five Zords fanned out. Super ZeoZord III was the first to attack, throwing one of its axes at the ship. It sparked against the hull, gashing it as it fell loose.
On the other side of the ship, the Red Battlezord opened fire; its Gatling guns raked the ship's hull, leaving black scorch marks. Something finally did move on the surface; someone shot out one of the doors. As they went they began to grow, until a giant-sized Sagittarius stood beside the Equinox. Raising his bow, he took aim and let fly. Super ZeoZord IV swerved aside, but the arrow struck its arm. Sparks bled from the hole.
"I'm okay!" The Green Ranger called, though his Zord's hand seized up. The handle of its Zeo Power Hatchet creaked ominously.
Already Sagittarius had fired a second shot, this one at the Yellow Ranger's Zord. She went straight up and back, avoiding the arrow, but the next caught her Zord in the foot. One of its jets coughed and went out, trailing smoke. The Zord started spinning.
"Woah! This is fun! Hang on, I know what to do—" Before the Zord could go out of control, its pilot managed to right it.
Sagittarius was taking more time than usual choosing his targets, even though the quiver on his back looked full. The Red Battlezord ended its attack on the ship to fire a few volleys in his direction. Unfortunately, before they could hit a wave of water swept up around Sagittarius, absorbing and extinguishing the lasers. The mass formed itself into a giant Aquarius, who scowled at the Rangers.
"I really hate doing this . . ."
"Then why keep doing it?" Casey landed her Zord. "I mean, Capricorn—"
"Don't talk about Capricorn!" Aquarius yelled. "He's a selfish old jerk!" She sent a wave of water towards Super ZeoZord II with a sweeping gesture. The Zord tried to brace itself, but the wave yanked the top layer of dust off the ground, making it stumble. The Zord pitched forward and landed flat on its face. At once the water swirled around it as it struggled to get up.
"Leave her alone!" Lidian hurled his other hatchet, but Aquarius let it pass through her without even acknowledging it. Super ZeoZord IV swooped down towards the liquid woman, but had just as much luck trying to hit her with its fists as its weapon.
"David! We need you!" He yelled
As the Red Battlezord moved to help, something slammed into it from behind. It swerved and spun around; the giant version of Aries stood behind it, head lowered. It butted the Zord again, denting its hull. The Red Battlezord opened fire. The lasers did seem to hurt Aries, and he roared—but seconds later the wounds closed again. The golden fleece cape was doing its work.
All this time Super ZeoZord III had kept up its attacks on the Equinox. The axes didn't seem to be getting through. Super ZeoZord I hurled its Power Disc at the ship, but a massive pincer intercepted it halfway. Cancer looked over the pink disc, then tossed it aside with the crustacean version of a shrug.
"Rangers' weapons are always so strange. Childish, too; hardly your style."
"Did I ask for your opinion?" Super ZeoZord I swung a punch at the crab monster, who blocked the blow. The serrated edges of his claw began to crinkle the Zord's hull like aluminum foil.
"No, it's just another sign that you, and your colorful little friends, are in far over your heads this time."
oZo
Trivia: I'm legitimately unsure if Pitch survived this episode, or whether one of the other Emperors blew him out of the sky further down his escape. Probably the latter since he's not a very pleasant person.