On the Warrior Dome, as the ship finally stopped spinning and tumbling out of control, the emergency systems finally activating the stabilising jets to stop and right the ship, the other systems were going into overdrive. Fire-suppressant sprays had activated and were going to work putting out flames all over the ship. Controls and lights sparked and the low-level emergency lights kicked in, giving them some kind of light to work by.
Most of the corridors were eerily still and quiet. The main stage area was like a war zone. Between the rampaging Skullgator that Monty had set loose before they escaped and the blast which ripped right through, it was in ruins. Debris lay strewn all across the area and the audience, or what was left of them, lay completely destroyed.
Some debris on the stage started to move, and there was a small glow from inside. After a moment, a bubble of energy pulsed outwards, throwing it aside and revealing Cosmo. He had seen the asteroid coming on the screen during the broadcast and had managed to activate a personal force field. It did nothing to help his audience, but it had saved his skin. He started to look around at the scene of devastation frantically, before finally finding what he was looking for. Picking up his top-hat, he dusted it off, before twirling it onto his head.
"Computer, give me a damage report!" Cosmo declared. There was a voice, but it was so faint and crackling that he couldn't make out anything it said. There was another explosion and the computer nearby just fell to the floor. "Well, I suppose that answers that now doesn't it?"
He turned to the back of the stage, where the Galaxy Warriors logo was still hanging and smiled. He had been down before. He had taken this thing from two-bit slug-fests in every slimy flea-pit stationed just beyond the jurisdiction of local law-enforcement to easily the most-watched form of entertainment in the universe! Fans loved a comeback story almost as much as they loved a new champion.
"Well, I suppose now all that's left is to find out who..." Just then, he heard something coming. He looked down the corridor. "...you...you...survived?"
Madame Odious staggered into the stage, her clothing ragged and bleeding from numerous wounds. Her face mask now sported a huge crack that ran right through her left eye. He couldn't see the damage there, since she was holding a hand over it, but considering the amount of blood running down her face and neck, he presumed it couldn't be good. He could only assume that like him, Odious had a personal force field, but even at that, she had been up on the roof of the ship, standing in the direct path of the asteroid! It was a miracle, or depending on one's point of view, the worst luck ever that she had even survived.
"Your concern is overwhelming!" She sneered. "Well, HELP ME!"
"Oh, yes...of course." Cosmo said, coming over to her. In many ways he was hoping she had been destroyed. He had known all along that Odious was the traitor. There was virtually nothing that happened on the Warrior Dome that he didn't know about, and the prospect of the most famous manager in the business turning on her most celebrated champion seemed like the plot twist in the finale that would tip it over the edge into the greatest show that had ever been broadcast! However, he was hoping that when Galvanax found out she would be destroyed. Galvanax would be much easier to manipulate.
"Did you see any...?"
"There are some survivors." She confirmed. "I passed at least one production plant, so we should be able to get some kudabots and basherbots ready to help rebuild my show soon."
"YOUR show?" Cosmo demanded. Odious grabbed him by the throat and started squeezing the life out of him. He now looked into her face, seeing that her one eye was missing.
"Yes, MY show!" She growled. "Consider this a hostile take-over bid! DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT?"
"Am I interrupting something?" Wrench asked, coming into view. Odious just smirked as she saw him. Cosmo started gurgling as he was forced to his knees in her grip. Wrench was there, and more than that, he was now fully re-built, being back to his former peak. Clearly during the chaos, he'd managed to repair himself in this lab.
"Well well, it seems your little tin toady managed to get through this!" She scoffed, dropping Cosmo on the floor. She pulled out her hammer and turned to face him. "If you think I've come this far to let the likes of you...?"
"Oh, I'm not going to do anything." He told her. "Them on the other hand..."
She saw some blazing red eyes appearing in the smoke down the corridor. Heavy, loud footsteps came towards her, and a huge, hulking frame started to form up. As he got closer, other shapes started to form, one some kind of horned daemonic beast, while the other one was...shaped like hearts? She heard a weapon powering up, and the new arrivals broke through the smoke, coming towards her.
"Guess who's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!" Poisandra said in a disturbingly sweet sing-song tone. "Ooh, Wrench wasn't kidding, it IS a TV show! I've always wanted to be on TV!"
"...I couldn't be so sure." Wrench replied. "I'd like to introduce you to Sledge, Poisandra and Fury, my..."
"Cram it tin-man!" Sledge growled, shoving him aside, aiming his canon directly at Odious. "Now...how about we find somewhere we can talk?"
Down on Earth, the Rangers and Viera were all gathered around a campfire outside the Romero place. While the house was still standing, it had been quite some time since anyone actually lived there and it was simply in no state for anyone to actually prepare a meal in there. Mick had borrowed the truck to take Victor and Monty home, and to have a little talk with them to try and ensure they knew how important it was they kept what they knew to themselves. Dane was sitting in the middle as they all listened intently to his story.
"When I destroyed the Nexus Prism Star, the blast nearly destroyed me." Dane told them. "I was sure I was done for. I felt the heat, and saw the flash and then...then all I knew was peace."
"Peace, quiet, warm..." Brody said, remembering his own few, short moments in that place. "It was like...nothing would ever be bad or uncomfortable again."
"So how did you know you weren't just dead?" Calvin asked. Dane pulled out a locket, looking to the picture inside.
"Because if I was, she would have been there." He told them. "I didn't know where I was, but I knew that my story wasn't over. I didn't know how to get out or what I was doing there, but I knew that someday I'd be back with my boys."
He clapped Levi and Brody on the shoulders and smiled.
"And then I appeared, and I found out you had become these amazing young men!" He told them. "I can't tell you enough how proud I am of both of you, or what it means to see the men you've grown up to be."
"And to think when Brody kept saying you were the greatest ninja ever we all thought it was just a kid bragging about his dad." Preston said without thinking. He found himself receiving an elbow in the ribs. "Hey! I wasn't the only one...!"
"It's alright...Preston is it?" Dane asked, trying to remember the names he had only just started to try and learn. Preston nodded. "I would have been sceptical too."
"Well it has to be said, without seeing the other Wind Ninjas in action, I for one don't think your son was exaggerating." Hayley stated. "I mean, you were kicking ass out there!"
"Hey, you were all doing great too!" Dane complimented them, looking to Brody. "You've taught a really good team there son. I'm not sure I could have done a better job myself!"
"I just...I can't believe that its really over." Calvin stated. "I mean, Galvanax was such a huge part of our lives and now..."
"I...don't think it's over." Sarah sighed. "Psycho Green is still out there, remember?"
"And we still have to find a way to send Viera home." Hayley added.
"Not to mention figuring out a way to help her with the revolution." Levi chipped in.
"Wow, way to bring down the party." Calvin said with a sulk. "If I never see that Psycho Green guy again I'll be a happy man!"
"But that's still a lot of power for some random person we don't know to be running around with unchecked." Brody reminded them. "We have no idea what he..."
"...or she!" Hayley chipped in. "What? A girl can be a super villain too!"
"Or she." Brody corrected himself. "Is planning to do with that power."
"Now I just feel depressed." Preston sighed.
"Well, the first rule of conflict is never to fight an enemy on their terms. Always force them to fight you on yours." Dane answered. "The ninjas always worked best when their enemies were forced to make the first move. That message we sent to the press should be airing soon, so he'll know soon enough he'll have to make the first move if he wants to face you. Just lie low for a little while, enjoy the peace. If he wants a fight, he'll show up again."
"So, what do we do in the meantime?" Hayley asked. Dane just smiled and reached behind him, picking up a guitar.
"What's a party without a little music?" He asked. "Come on 'Levi', let's see what those pipes of yours can do."
He, Levi and Brody all started to strum away on their guitars, playing a very familiar tune. The other Rangers all started to sway as they listened to the song. Dane led off with the song he had written for his sons so long ago.
"I'm with you,
When you're far from home,
I'm still with you,
A family bond that can't break!"
He nodded to Levi, who was still and would always be his eldest son Aiden to him, no matter what he chose to call himself.
"I choose a star,
Its light leads me home,
To be with you,
A family bond that can't break!"
The others then all joined in, adding to the chorus. This might have been the Romero family song, but that didn't mean to say the family hadn't gotten bigger.
"Together we are family,
Every day now, we grow stronger,
In our hearts now and forever..."
Over in the Foster house, Trevor was whistling in a care-free manner as he put the finishing touches to a spaghetti bolognaise. He had been stressed, and had been thoroughly shaken by his flashbacks, but now, he was starting to feel a little more at ease. He had a lot building up over recent times, between his frustration over the Rangers wrecking the city every other day, his 'suspension' from active duty and his newfound power, things had been spinning out of control for him for some time. Now though, as he started to smell the ingredients coming together on his favourite meal, he was starting to think, maybe this was all he needed. Maybe Laura had been right that all he needed was some time to himself. In fact, now he was starting to think perhaps calling in sick tomorrow wouldn't be the worst idea either.
The door opened and he smiled, knowing that he had timed things perfectly. Laura was always home around this time.
"Trevor?" She called through as she started to look for him.
"I'm through here!" He called out. She came in, at which he immediately grabbed her and kissed her. It was only as they parted he noticed something curious.
"Trevor, are you alright?" She asked him.
"Never better!" He declared. "You know, I really ought to listen to you more often, a day off was just the thing I needed!"
"You're...you're really feeling alright?" She asked him.
"Well, I did have a little bit of a freaky dream when I fell asleep reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." He chuckled. "I will NOT do that again! I swear I have no idea what Lewis Carol was on when he wrote that thing, but..."
He saw the look on her face.
"Why would you think I wouldn't be?" He asked her. Laura immediately started to look uncomfortable and he could see her starting to mentally back-pedal furiously.
"Oh...nothing...nothing." She said to him. "Hayley texted to say she's doing something with her friends tonight, she'll be home late. Oh, is that your bolognaise? It smells..."
"Laura, what happened?" Trevor asked her. She just looked a little panicked.
"Um...it was just...you know what the news is like." She told him. "I was just...being a worry wort. Oh, is that the good homemade garlic bread I can smell?"
"Laura, what happened?" He asked her again. Laura looked a little defeated as she headed to the couch, picking up the TV remote. She turned on the local news.
"And finally, our main story again, the Power Rangers in a spectacular battle outside of the city have seemingly destroyed Galvanax and his ship, which looks like it may have brought to an end his devastating war against Summer Cove!" The newscaster announced. "Summer Cove Public Network was lucky enough to receive this recording anonymously from our saviours!"
The image then switched to a location that couldn't be identified. It was a field, but there was nothing in the background. No buildings, no trees, no roads...great care had obviously been taken to ensure there were no landmarks to identify where the video had been shot. In the frame, the six Rangers, Red, Gold, Yellow, Blue, White and Pink were standing.
"People of Summer Cove. By now no doubt you'll be aware of the battle that took place a little outside your city." The Red Ranger began. "Rest assured, when we realised the enormity of what was coming we did our very best to lead the battle out of the city."
Trevor tensed up hearing this.
"We can report that the battle was indeed against Galvanax, and I can say with all confidence, we were victorious. His reign of terror is finally over!"
The Gold Ranger stepped forwards.
"The alien ship that's been over our heads now was destroyed." He continued. "The war is now over, and that is why we're making the following announcement."
"We know that not everyone is pleased to see us, and many of you have reasons to dislike us." The Red Ranger stated. "We apologise for any harm that was caused, but now that we're no longer needed, for the good of Summer Cove, the city we love so much, we've taken the decision to stand down."
Laura looked to Trevor worriedly. He was so tense he was starting to turn bright red and looked like his veins were in danger of exploding.
"All going well, this is the last time you'll see us." The Red Ranger told them. "But rest assured, if we're ever needed again, we'll be there. For now though, since our war is over, we're going to step aside and leave things to the proper authorities. We will no longer risk the safety and wellbeing of our home with our presence."
"To those that supported us, thank you." The Pink Ranger stated. "To everyone else, we wish you nothing but the best and hope one day you find it in your hearts to forgive us for any wrong we may have done you inadvertently."
"Ninjas out!" The Red Ranger announced, at which there was an explosion and they all disappeared in a puff of smoke. As the news came back, Laura approached Trevor cautiously.
"Well...that's a good thing right?" She asked him. "The monsters are gone, the Rangers..."
Trevor just stormed from the room, heading for the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Laura just sighed.
"Nicely done Laura." She muttered. "I really hope they keep their promise."
Meanwhile, up on the Warrior Dome, Wrench and Cosmo were sitting on the floor outside what was left of the Executive Lounge. Wrench had been hoping that bringing back Sledge would garner him enough gratitude that the hulking bounty hunter would destroy Odious, leaving the way clear for him. Unfortunately he had forgotten just how little gratitude meant to his former employer.
"What is going on in there?" Wrench grumbled. "They've been talking in there for ages!"
"Oh, they're no doubt thrashing out some kind of deal." Cosmo told him matter-of-factly. "I imagine soon Sledge will help her fix this place up in return for a ship to go along his merry way."
"Stupid jerk!" Wrench stated, kicking a piece of rubble down the hallway. "I brought him back! He was just a smear on the inside of his mask without me! He should be..."
"You've learned a valuable lesson in negotiation my boy." Cosmo stated. "Which is why I allowed you to bring that lumbering bronze-plated oaf back."
"Wait...what?" Wrench asked. Cosmo just looked to him unconvinced.
"Come with me." He told him. "I think you're finally ready!"
He led Wrench back to his office, shutting the door behind him. He grabbed the cocktail shaker and a couple of bottles which hadn't smashed, beginning to mix himself a drink. As he did so, he pressed a button on his desk, at which a hologram formed up before them. It was a dark throne, made of foreboding black stone. Sitting on it was a figure, that although his suit had changed since the last time he had seen him, Wrench instantly recognised. Then again, people tended not to forget the one that had cut off their arms and legs.
"DRAKKON!" He squealed.
"That's LORD Drakkon to you!" He corrected him. "Why is this fool here?"
"I believe he is finally ready." Cosmo told him. "I believe he can be of use to us in the future."
"So be it." Drakkon said dismissively. "So long as he doesn't get in the way of my plans, you may keep your little toady. What is the progress?"
"Progress?" Wrench asked, looking around at the wreckage. Cosmo just smiled.
"Well, there were a FEW surprises, I suffered a few more losses than I'd expected, but it'll just make my comeback all the more miraculous to my fans." Cosmo said, pouring himself a cocktail. "Those humans Odious kidnapped really did a number on my ship."
"You...you KNEW about that?" Wrench said in shock. Drakkon sat forward in his throne.
"Are you sure this one is as smart as you think?" Drakkon asked him.
"Well, he did bring back Sledge just like I was sure he would." He answered.
"You knew about that too?" Wrench asked him. Cosmo just waved him away.
"And Odious suspects nothing?" Drakkon asked.
"She was short-sighted even before she lost her eye." Cosmo chuckled.
"Then everything is going exactly as we planned." Drakkon said with a chilling note of elation in his voice. "She'll be encountering her first 'ally' shortly. In the meantime..."
"...continue to let her believe she's in control." Cosmo concluded. "And when we make our move?"
"Exactly as I promised, you will run my state media." Drakkon assured him. "Exclusive broadcasting rights across ALL universes!"
"Thank you my lord!" Cosmo stated. The transmission ended, and he looked to Wrench who was standing completely in amazement. Cosmo just smiled.
"How many times Wrench? Virtually NOTHING happens on this ship I don't know about! EVERYTHING that has happened has done so because I allowed it!" He told him. "Do you REALLY think that human could take me down with a single punch? Do you even think he could have touched me if I didn't let him?"
He sparked up a cigar and took a drag, before taking a sip.
"By the time this is over, I'll be the sole name in broadcast media in this or any other universe." Cosmo told him. "This next season of Galaxy Warriors is going to be the best one ever!"
