Chapter Fifty Two: Rangers Extinct
Weihan was in Hell.
He was sure of it. It seemed like there wasn't a single living thing around him. Buildings lay around him totally destroyed. Robotic parts lay strewn everywhere and only the wind sang its lamentations. He dropped his Sabre to the ground; hearing it clatter once before disappearing back into its subspace pocket. The sky overhead was choked with thick black clouds and lights roved overhead in lazy patterns. The portal behind him had long since closed and he stared at the destruction around him. Shakily inhaling, he forced his legs to move and he walked down the dark pavement that once must have been pure white. He didn't understand what he was seeing. He knew that he would be alive and well in the future, or the past, but this was…something he didn't fully understand. Hearing a noise up ahead, he crouched flattened himself behind a large chunk of masonry and waited.
After a few seconds, two…things stumbled into view. One looked like a tall vampire bat with a monocle and the other was a short and squat…blueberry troll hybrid thing. He felt some degree of recognition as he saw them, bit couldn't remember their names. Both were talking to each other in quiet voices but Weihan tapped into his Ninjetti spirit to enhance his hearing.
"They'll be back. It's only been about five centuries since it happened. They've got to come back to see what that energy surge was."
The blueberry nodded in agreement and poked at something it held in a hand. Whatever it was, it looked broken in some way.
"But what do we do then? The positron generator is destroyed so whatever we pulled through can't go home again."
Pulled through? Pulled through what? And five hundred years had passed since what? He wanted answers and wanted them now. Silently, he snuck around the rubble until he was right behind the tall one. Leaping out, he slid his right arm around the creature's neck as the short one squawked and fell back. Tightening his hold, his eyes narrowed at the blueberry.
"Who are you? Where am I? What happened here?"
As the tall one struggled to break free, Weihan could see the short one's eyes focus on his face and narrow in thought. A split second later one of the lights washed over them and the blue one's mouth dropped open in shock. It stammered and backed away, while reaching for a snub nosed pistol on its belt. Not wanting the shot to draw anymore monsters to them, the Ranger let go of the tall one, vaulted over its head and grabbed the short creature by its rubbery neck. He glanced over at the tall and narrowed his eyes as the bat monster fell over in shock.
"Can't be…you were killed. I saw it."
Unceremoniously releasing the blueberry troll, Weihan spun around and summoned his Raptor Sabre and pointed it at the bat creature. Seeing the weapon up close, the thin monster squeaked and scooted away from him. Behind him, the blueberry rubbed at its throat and spoke five words that made his stomach turn to lead.
"You're supposed to be dead…"
Whirling around at the distant sound of engines, he squinted through the smoke to see a slowly moving vehicle move towards them. Seeing the two monsters become more agitated, he sighed and rolled his eyes. He needed answers, but the only source available was from the two of them. Monsters or not, they knew what had happened to the world around him. Sending his Sabre back into its pocket with a flash, he bent over and grabbed the upper arms of the two cowering creatures and ran away from the approaching vehicle. Eyes scanning for possible cover, he chanced upon what seemed to be an old monster shelter and kicked the door in. Throwing both monsters in, he dove in and barricaded the opening as best as he could. After hearing the vehicle slowly rumble past, he looked at the two monsters – only to find them hunched over the same small hand-held device he had seen earlier.
"What the fuck is going on here?"
The tall bat creature turned to face the Ultra Ranger and held out the device. Weihan warily took it and examined it. It looked like a jumble of wires and parts to him, but there was a small metal tank the size of his thumbnail that looked – for lack of a better word – busted. Turning it over, he could see a keypad and a crude screen. On the screen was a date that made his blood turn cold – September 17, 1998. Turning suspicious eyes toward the two aliens, he spoke in a low voice.
"What is this? And why the fuck does this damn thing say today's date?"
The bat creature spoke up nervously.
"That date is one from exactly five centuries ago. By your reckoning, today would be September 17, 2498. A few weeks after this date in 1998, Xonix sent down a tough and dangerous monster. After thirty minutes, you were dead and Xonix destroyed the Ultra Powers. He paraded your body down the main roads and started hunting down your family across the globe. A day later and everyone you knew was dead."
Weihan felt his knees go weak and he staggered back. He didn't feel the bat steady him or lead him to a reclining couch. He couldn't believe it, no, he didn't believe it. There wasn't a thing that Xonix could send down that he couldn't beat easily. He didn't need to drag other people into this – even if there were other Crystals for them. He would step up to the plate and crush anything that came at him. Seeing the denial in his eyes, the bat monster shook its head sadly.
"Stop whatever bravado thoughts you have. The monster Xonix sent down was death incarnate. You needed help and in the last few seconds of the battle, I think you knew it. As for what the device is…it's a portable time hole generator but the positron generator was damaged. There is only one location where the last one is known to exist."
"Earth."
Weihan said it flatly and unquestioningly. Wherever he had landed, it wasn't his home planet and he knew it in his heart. It was confirmed by the two aliens nodding in unison. Sighing, he looked out one of the windows at the destruction around him. Five centuries had passed and he was dead but not really…and he should stop thinking about that before he ended up with another migraine. He opened his mouth to speak when a voice rang out from the blueberry's wrist.
"The last pocket of resistance has been destroyed. The Power Rangers are forever extinct!"
Weihan shuddered. Power Rangers…extinct forever. His skin crawled and he swallowed hard. He wanted to go back to his own time and stop this from ever taking place. To do that, he needed to go to Earth. Using a Zord was right out unless he wanted to be hunted like a dog. Long range teleportation was a no-go as well. He turned to the cowering aliens and spoke.
"Show me how to get to Earth. Now."
TBC…
