Chapter Fifty Three: Orange Knight
Weihan steered the armoured shuttle through another clump of debris and sighed. Since leaving the dead world – which he had learnt was Eltare – he had been seeing the results of his loss throughout space. The two aliens had given their names in full – the bat creature was Baboo of Prosem and the blueberry was Squatt of Harkar. They had explained that they were the last of Rita's court and had only survived by fleeing to Eltare and making a living there as joint metal collectors and tour guides. It seemed even the future for Rita and Zedd were bleak as Baboo had explained.
"After your death, Earth was conquered and Xonix split it with his brother. Zedd became increasingly concerned that Xonix was becoming a loose cannon and this was cemented when Xonix announced that he was taking over Zedd's empire. The brothers fought viciously and Goldar killed two of Xonix's other henchmen before being killed. Rita and Finster fled on Zedd's request while myself and Squatt hid in the bowels of the Moon Palace. Xonix and Zedd battled for many hours until Xonix killed Zedd by using your fallen weapon. He then set his sights on turning Earth into a place for the dark and depraved."
Weihan had asked what Earth had become. He wished he hadn't upon hearing the soft answer.
"Xonix transformed it into a floating brothel. A place where all aliens of any size could enjoy the delights of human women in either sexual activities…or other things."
He didn't ask what "other things" meant. He didn't want to. As they neared the planet, Weihan's heart sunk as he looked upon the once green and blue globe that was his home. If such a thing were possible, the planet looked like it had lost hope. Boiling red clouds raged the skies and the light of the sun was shrouded at all times by a large shield that was made up of various colours. Weihan felt the bile creep up his throat as he realised the shield was made out of Zord parts. He could see ships entering and leaving the atmosphere at a near-constant rate and his eyes darted around for any security patrols.
Seeing none, he squared his shoulders and tried to commit every single image to memory. He didn't want to do this and his mind protested, but he had to do it. This was what would happen if he didn't man up and bring a team together. He looked behind him at the two aliens and sighed. They had done so much to help him…even with the meagre amount of information they had shared. He felt obligated to help them in some way, but he didn't know how.
"You two all right? Want to be dropped off anywhere?"
Baboo shook his head and Weihan shrugged. Since leaving the former Council Planet, the two of them had been real quiet. He understood that they wanted to stop this future from happening and had wanted to send a message to the past…instead they drug him through. The both of them thought that finding a positron generator on Earth was a lost cause as the planet had been stripped more times than the best sex slave. Weihan couldn't think like that and he knew where there was one…except he didn't know if the structure was still intact. One thing was certain – he wouldn't morph unless it was an extreme emergency.
The Power Rangers may have been extinct, but the Morphin Grid wasn't destroyed. Weihan could feel its power pulsing through him and could hear it begging to be unleashed. Through repeated questioning, he knew that Xonix had died peacefully in his sleep a few months back and would not be ruling Earth anymore. Slipping the shuttle past a patrol, he began the descent down to the surface over Sydney. Strangely, there was no turbulence and within seconds, they had cleared the thick cover...and he fought hard against the urge to throw up.
Garish signs in all languages imaginable dotted the landscape promising delights and fantasies of every possible kind. Signs proclaiming the sale of the elderly for their "last rites" peppered the destroyed CBD while loud beats pulsed through the air at the strip clubs. Blocking out all the sights and sounds, Weihan concentrated within him for the link that would take him to the Ultra Cavern. Switching on the cloaking mechanism, he piloted the shuttle to a thick bunch of trees on a rare empty expanse of land and set the shuttle down gently. Swallowing a few times, he turned to Baboo and spoke, his voice thick.
"Thank you for telling me what I needed to hear. I don't know what you two are doing, but you don't want to be around me."
Baboo nodded slowly and opened his mouth to speak.
"I hope you will remember this trip when you do go back to your time. Sear these images into your heart and brain for this is what will happen if you fail."
Weihan nodded again and opened the door next to him. Dropping out of the shuttle, he spent a few moments on the ground as it carefully lifted off, smelling the dirt and running his hands over the trunks of the trees. He was dimly aware of the shuttle exploding as the defences re-activated and he smiled sadly. Perhaps it had been their intention all along to help them and die in some way. He shook his head at the grim thought. Maybe it was better this way. Pulling out the device from his pocket, he trudged into the thicket and pulled out his Ultra Crystal. The familiar weight of the lightning-bolt shaped crystal comforted him and made him feel…at ease.
Stashing his crystal in its subspace pocket, he began walking in the direction of the lights. Once or twice he was stopped by the local patrol but he dismissed their concerns by saying he was a lone traveller and his ship had been shot down. The insectoid patrols had let him go after that and soon he was on the outskirts – where all the women lived. Thunder boomed overhead and a split second later, rain poured down and sent aliens running for shelter. He stood in the middle of the shanty town and watched in amazement as dozens of women came out of their hovels to stand in the rain and bathe in it. He felt like he was intruding on a private moment and turned to leave. At that moment, he felt a light tap on his arm and he turned to see a young woman looking at him.
She couldn't have been more than seventeen or eighteen, but the look in her eyes made her look older. She circled him slowly and he wondered what she was doing. By now, a few others had noticed him and were creeping closer. They spoke in hushed voices, but Weihan could hear their words.
"Human male…"
"Not possible..."
"Orange Knight save us…"
At the mention of the Orange Knight, his head snapped up and he looked at the girl who had spoken and was immediately struck by her resemblance to the spirit he had seen in the theatre…and to AJ. She had the same blonde hair, the same green eyes and even had the barest hint of the same accent. Shaking himself out of his shock, he moved closer to her and noticed she didn't slink or shy away. As he opened his mouth to speak, he didn't notice the crowd moving closer to him.
"What do you mean 'Orange Knight'? Who was he?"
The girl cast her eyes down and Weihan swallowed hard. He had to know what the stories were of him…even if it was in this bleak place.
"The Orange Knight was supposed ta be our saviour. He fought hard a long while ago and my great, great, great grandma AJ had said he was a real sweetie. He…he went into battle one day and never saved them again. Stories popped up of Xonix parading a body down the streets, but a few believed that the body wasn't the Knight. We hope he'll return one day from his exile and save us from this Hell. How come you don't know the stories?"
He thought fast.
"I was part of an experimental cryogenic experiment a long time ago and I just woke up. I feel like I've been asleep for five hundred years."
The girl looked at him strangely but shook her head and smiled at him. She took him by the arm and led him to a strangely familiar rock wall. Pulling him close to her, she pressed his hand on the wall and waited expectantly. Weihan had no idea what was happening, except his pants were becoming extremely tight and he was having trouble controlling himself. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard a very familiar beep and the wall moved away to reveal the interior of the Ultra Cavern. He sagged in relief as his eyes scoured the familiar structures, not noticing the girl narrow her eyes in thought.
He had returned.
TBC…
