Chapter Thirty Seven: Utahraptor

Weihan stared at the scene in front of him and sighed.

Again, the Power Rangers had launched into a hopeless battle against an enemy they didn't fully understand. As with before, their zords were defeated. He guessed it couldn't be helped. The Wraith had ripped into them before they could come up with a cohesive strategy and implement it. On the other hand, the plan he had put into action at school hadn't worked out the way he wanted it to…but it had provided him with an unexpected windfall of new information. As he felt his helmet form around his head, he reached inside himself and thought about which Zord he wanted to summon for its debut battle.

It was achingly obvious to him that defeating the Wraith with the same technique as the Ogre wasn't going to cut it…no pun intended. The mirrors on its body would reflect any lasers fired onto it and would make his attack harmless or worse – would reflect it onto the Power Rangers or himself. He had no intentions of dying in a repeated move, so he chose his actions wisely. He could choose his Hydra Thunderzord as it would fit the "mythical animals" theme of the Zords but it didn't feel right to bust that out just yet.

Sitting down on the rocky outcrop, he watched the Wolf Wraith begin crunching into the exposed metal of the Thunder Megazord. His Ninjazord would be a good match for the agility of the Wraith…except it was in the custody of Ninjor in the Desert of Despair. The Chronos Zord was a good option as he could rewind time with it…but he didn't particularly relish the thought of being in two places at the same time. The more he thought about it, the more he knew there was only one choice that could be made.

Standing up, he brushed the sand off his uniform and raised him right hand into the air. Taking in a deep breath, he shouted out six words that came to him naturally.

"I Need Dinozord Power, Now!"

A split second later, a primeval screech ripped through the air. Weihan turned to see the majestic Utahraptor Dinozord thundering toward the battle scene. It looked the same as when he had seen it in the Ultra Cavern, complete with all claws retracted, but in the light of day it gained a new level of life altogether. Summoning his Raptor Sabre, he ran toward the machine and jumped up. He felt a tingling sensation go through his body as the on-board teleportation system brought him up to the cockpit. Taking a few seconds to familiarise himself with the controls, he pulled on the shoulder straps and slid his Sabre into the slot in front of him.

Behind his helmet, his eyes widened as he felt new information pour in from the Grid generated by his Ultra Crystal. He would call it the Ultra Grid for future use as the Morphin Grid was separate…at least that's how he understood that part of Zordon's story. As his hand gripped the control stick his Sabre had become, his nerves flared as the mental link activated and the Power created new pathways throughout his body. If he concentrated hard enough, he could swear he was one with his Zord and could feel the scorching heat of the sand beneath his feet. Jerking the control stick up, his stomach dropped as the Zord leapt into the air, jaws agape.

Swallowing back his breakfast, he resolved not to do that again unless the situation called for it. It was too late to abort the leap so he might as well do some damage. Knowing that lasers would be reflected, he jammed his finger down on a button with a flame on it. He prayed hard that he didn't accidentally hit the self-destruct button but his fears were alleviated as his guide 'spoke' up.

No self-destruct buttons here. For an Ultra Ranger, senseless sacrifice is never an answer.

He made a mental note to remember that but wondered what the button did. He was sure the control scheme was somewhere in the infodump and it would come to the forefront of his mind when he really needed it. His question was answered as a large jet of flame shot out from the Zord's open mouth. As they impacted against the Wraith's armour, it started to heat up quickly and turned white-hot within seconds. Watching the destruction for a few seconds, something nagged at Weihan's mind for a few moments before forcefully rushing to the forefront of his mind.

The Wraith seemed unaffected.

Now, the armour was starting to liquidise and thin rivulets of white-hot metal dripped onto the sand and onto the heavily damaged Thunderzords. However, the Wraith stood there and took the damage unflinchingly. In a matter of minutes, the armoured breastplate of the Wolf Wraith was little more than a pool of molten gold cooling in the sands. It clicked in his mind that what he was facing was a mindless drone and something that had little to none of the Wolf Wraith's original personality. Stopping the flamethrower, he sent a mental command for the Zord to ready its claws.

Although he couldn't see it, three claws on each hand fluidly slid out of their sockets and glinted dangerously in the sun. On the feet of the Zord, two claws also slid out. To anyone watching, the absence of the 'killing' claw would be puzzling if they knew their Dromaeosaurids. Flexing its new weapons, the Dinozord roared out a challenge to the mindless Wraith which was answered a second later. Holding onto his breakfast, Weihan made the agile Zord leap forwards with arms and claws outstretched. The Wraith flung its arms out to meet the attack and managed to connect both of its fists on the Dinozord, sending it tumbling back. The Orange Ranger's world went spinning as he tried to get his Zord back on its feet frantically. Finally succeeding after a few failed attempts, the Zord circled the Wolf Wraith warily.

"Hello Ranger."

Weihan blinked in surprise before steeling himself. The voice that had come out was nothing like what he had heard back in Sydney. It wasn't as growly, gritty or resembling anything like shattering glass. In fact, if he thought about it more, it sounded a lot like…

"Xonix. Possessing your monster are we? Makes it easier for me to destroy you here and now!"

From the cockpit of the Tigerzord came a shocked shout and was closely followed by the frantic voice of the White Ranger.

"What? Stop! This isn't the way of the Power Rangers!"

Weihan wanted to blast the White Ranger and make him shut up. He was suddenly very glad there were no rules holding him down and making him second-guess his actions. Targeting the White Tiger Thunderzord with his weakest laser, he fired off a warning shot that struck the downed machine on its back.

"You have your rules. I have none. I do what I want to do…and why the fuck am I wasting my breath with you?"

Shaking his head, he focused his attention back to the Xonix-possessed Wraith. He didn't know how the alien was doing it and he didn't care. If the Warlord was stupid enough to come down and possess his monster…well, he wouldn't have to worry about assembling a team in the future.

"Foolish Ranger. My energy is powering this shell, thanks to an ancient ritual I stole from the planet Minxtras."

Minxtras…and that would be the name of some plant he would probably never set foot on. Dismissing whatever complaints the Power Rangers had, he focused his sights on the Wraith…Xonix…thing in front of him. Sensing a shift in his mood, the killing claws finally slid out of their sockets and began charging with energy. Whipping up a cloud of sand and dust, the mighty machine ran forward with its mouth open. Twin jets of fire shot out of its maw as the Wolf Wraith feebly attempted to defend its head from the searing flames. Whatever game Xonix was attempting to play wouldn't work on him.

In one fluid movement, the Dinozord leapt up and kicked the Wraith's chest with both legs; sending the monster flying off the downed Thunderzords. Standing protectively over them was the Utahraptor Dinozord and it bellowed out another challenge to the Wraith. Hearing none in return, Weihan narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the control stick and moved a finger over one of the buttons. Activating the Zord to Zord communications system, he spoke directly to the other Power Rangers.

"This is how an Ultra Ranger rolls. CLAW SHRED!"

As the Zord rocketed off, Weihan rolled his eyes at the attack name. Well, if he was perfectly honest with himself it wasn't the name that was a problem…just the whole business with calling it out. It probably made sense in alerting the enemy to its imminent destruction, but it felt really idiotic. As he pressed the button on the control stick, he vowed to have a minimum of attack calling in the future…except if there was a situation that really called for it. As he was musing, he noticed that the claws had become sheathed in some sort of laser coating.

Nearing the Wraith, the Dinozord reared up and slashed its chest with two powerful swipes from the front claws and then turned to let its tail strike the monster. Swallowing down his breakfast one more time, he launched the Zord into the air and readied the final blow. Maybe it would be better if he didn't eat so much in the mornings…but it would depend on what time Xonix sent down future monsters. He certainly couldn't fast all the time. Maybe soup would be a viable option. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it…again. Seemed like he was building a lit of bridges he'd have to cross in the future. That either made him a bad planner or an architect.

Faster than the Wraith could see, the Zord came crashing down, leading with its killing claws. As the claws ripped through the Wraith's upper chest, the front arms came crashing down on its shoulders. As the inertia drove the claws down deeper into the dying monster, the head on the Dinozord came up and around and down onto the neck of the Wraith – where the jugular vein would be on any normal being. As the jaws snapped shut, the charged energy surrounding the claws released into the Wraith in the blink of an eye. Detaching the Zord's claws from the Wraith, the Orange Ranger raced away a split second before the Wraith froze, turned into a solid sand sculpture and exploded.

Smirking under his helmet, his eyes suddenly widened as he noticed the time. Opening up a private communication channel to Zordon, he explained his situation to the ancient sage.

"You must do what you wish, as you are the future."

TBC…