Episode 8, Chapter 1 – Will

Will awoke to the sound of beeping in his ear and the touch of water on his face. He groaned and dragged himself off his side and onto his knees. That lightning blast had really done a number on his suit. His heads up display flashed in and out of his vision. He felt sluggish. His body ached. But even though it was pitch-black around him, he could see just fine.

The blast had knocked him clear off the roof of the psychology building, so that now he lay hidden behind a line of bushes along the building's front. He climbed to his feet and observed the carnage. The courtyard had been almost completely destroyed during some fight that Will must have missed. Curved lines of black criss-crossed the grass in ugly scars. Through a hole in the wall, he could see a fire growing within the psychology building. The stone path around the fountain was shattered, and the fountain itself was all but obliterated.

The Red and Green Rangers lay on its remains.

Will raced to their sides even though the sudden movement made him go light-headed. "Guys!" he called as he slid to their sides. Rain trickled down the fountain rubble and puddled around the two Rangers. "Hey, wake up!"

"Ugh," Jess mumbled. "Not so loud."

Relief surged through Will. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," Jess said, though she wasn't very convincing.

Zordon, thought Will, do you know what happened here? Where's the professor?

Your fellow Rangers fought an extremely dangerous foe, said Zordon. They have hidden Professor Cranston in the bushes to the east of you.

Is it safe to teleport everyone out of here?

Yes. I will use my Power to bring you all back to the Command Center.

Will stood. Save your strength, Zordon. I'll get myself out of here, but I don't think the others can even stand, let alone teleport. See you in a moment.

Understood. Safe travels, White Ranger.

The Rangers at Will's feet melted into pools of red and green and shot into the sky. To the east, a beam of grey joined them, and the three disappeared south.

Will told his suit to take him back to the Command Center, but it shorted on him, and he didn't budge. He tried again, with the same result.

Zordon, he thought, come in.

Yes White Ranger. Is something wrong?

I think the lightning did something to my suit. I can't teleport.

Alpha is assessing the damage to the Red Ranger suit as we speak. I will bring you back… White Ranger, shield yourself!

Will ducked as an explosion rocked the building behind him. Debris and rain pounded the courtyard, but the biggest pieces fell harmlessly to Will's sides.

Standing atop the building, right where the explosion had hit, was Goldar.

He held the Yellow Ranger by the neck. Ewan's feet dangled five stories off the ground. He looked unconscious. Will wasn't sure, but something told him that if Ewan fell in his current state, his suit wouldn't do much to break the fall.

"Greetings, Ranger!" called Goldar. "So nice to find you all alone!"

"What do you want, Goldar?" Will called back. With every second the rain came down a little harder, and it was starting to get loud.

"A trade, White Ranger! Your puny friend here for your power coin."

Will's mind raced. Every time he tried to scan Ewan to see if he was alright, something blocked him. Rita's work, probably. If it really was Ewan, and if he really was alive, then Will could save his life. He scanned Goldar's waist for any sign of the antivenom for April, but his suit refused to enhance his vision like it used to.

"How do I know that's really him?" he asked.

Goldar laughed. "You don't! That's the fun of it! But you should be grateful, pathetic human. Queen Rita is not pleased that your friends destroyed one of her strongest lieutenants. If she wished, I could summon a hundred Putties into this courtyard and watch them tear you apart, but she has other plans for you."

Putties?

Will wanted to taunt Goldar for not offering to fight himself, but with Ewan hanging over the edge and a possible cure for April resting on Goldar's waist, Will didn't dare anger him further.

Zordon, I need your help. What do I do?

Zordon's response was slow to come, like he didn't like what he was about to say. I cannot make this decision for you, White Ranger, and I cannot teleport you or the Yellow Ranger out of there without bringing Goldar as well.

I understand, Zordon.

May the Power protect you.

To Goldar, Will said, "If I give you my coin, what will Rita do with it?"

Goldar's cackle echoed through the courtyard. "My mistress does not reveal her plans, Ranger, and even if I did know, I would not tell you. Decide, or I take this one back to the Dark Dimension for another thousand years' worth of torment."

Will got the uneasy feeling that Goldar was telling the truth in that last sentence: that Ewan had already suffered greatly at Rita's hands. He wondered why Ewan was still in his Ranger suit and whether or not Goldar had already taken his coin. His hand itched for his pistol. Maybe, just maybe, he could surprise Goldar and somehow save Ewan and steal the antivenom.

But even as he thought this, his HUD faded from his sight and did not come back. No, there would be no surprise. To attack Goldar right now would mean certain death for Will and probably Ewan as well. April wouldn't get her antivenom, and then the twins would be on their own.

Will couldn't save everyone. And right now, there was only one option, a desperate plan that Will had to believe in.

He focused on his hand, and a golden coin shimmered into his palm. The lion engraved on the face roared up at him.

Will held the coin over his head. "Alright Goldar, you have a deal!"

"Heh heh heh! Rita was wrong about you humans; some of you are reasonable! Throw your coin to me, and I'll give you back your foolish friend."

Will hesitated. He hoped this plan would work. If this failed, he and the others were doomed.

"Catch!" he shouted.

He flung his coin high into the air. Goldar immediately dropped Ewan, spread his black wings, and leapt after the coin. Will could already feel his power leaving him, but while he still had the strength he reached into his belt and threw a patch of white mesh onto the ground under Ewan, just as he and the others had when they had saved that helicopter pilot and his cameraman earlier that evening. That all seemed so long ago. Will tried not to think about it. If his plan failed, then he had only been a Ranger for a few short hours. He had to hope that he was right.

Ewan landed in the meshwork and slowly touched down on solid earth. Will heard Goldar let loose a victorious howl before there was another sound like an explosion, and he was gone. Will thought he heard Zordon's voice, but it was so faint that he couldn't be sure. A moment later, his vision turned to white, and he and Ewan raced back to the Antarctic Command Center.