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Chapter 18 – Hijack Form
The Atramentous were a species which hailed from a world utterly without sunlight, its' obsidian skies stretching out above an endless expanse of canyons, craggy cliffs which reached unthinkable heights and vast plains of bioluminescent flora that served as the basis of the worlds' ecosystems. The Atramentous had been the apex predator of their world, clans of winged terrors that descended from the darkness without a sound and hunted down anything that drew breath until change had come in the form of the Dark Empires' invasion of the world.
The atmosphere that prevented light from reaching the surface of the world also had the effect of scrambling all forms of transmission to and from the planet which, to the Lord Zedd of the time had made it a suitable place to place several hidden bases; as a natural consequence of this the Atramentous had needed to be dealt with and had initially been relocated to other worlds within the Dark Empire. Their abilities and ruthlessness had at first been seen as qualities to be preserved and encouraged until it had become painfully apparent that the species as a whole was unwilling to submit itself to the rule of any land-dwellers, instead the Atramentous had been wiped from the face of the galaxy with the exception of prisoners who kept to provide genetic material for blending with Acheron biology and creating hybrids.
Geryon Nox was one such hybrid.
He stood at six feet tall despite a hunched forward and skulking gait, though the crest of swept back bony spikes jutting from his spine gave him a more imposing stature and his skin was midnight black and leathery with a mane of coarse and shaggy crimson fur adorning his neck and back. He stood on digitigrade and birdlike legs which seemed oddly spindly when compared to the rest of his lithe yet powerfully muscled form; bony things ending in a trio of hooked claws with the innermost digit of each foot raised off of the ground. Like all members of the Atramentous species Geryon Nox sported four arms which doubled as bat-like wings, the impossibly long digits each ended in a cruel talon and the species were capable of using one pair of wings for flight whilst using the other to skewer their prey though currently all four limbs were folded at his sides; his head too was vaguely bat-like though twisted and exaggerated in horrible way, his entire skull was rounded and sloped forwards into a large and flattened snout and a mouth which could distend far enough to swallow prey whole and was filled rows of hooked fangs which pulsed and shifted to drag said prey down into his gullet; the mouth also helped with echolocation as a series of nearly undetectably high pitched noises escaped him in a constant stream which fed information back to the oversized and constantly rotating ears adorning his skull. Most Atramentous were entirely eyeless, though Geryon Nox was an exception however and sported two milky white eyes on either side of his streamlines skull though it was arguable how much use they actually were. He was clad in ragged black robes which gave him the appearance of some deathly spectre and sparingly applied armour plates in areas that would not hinder movement or add much additional weight.
His high pitched clicking sounds took on an annoyed quality as he bowed before a hologram projector, though this was quickly reversed as the form of Paradoxa flickered into view.
"Captain Nox" the insectoid nodded curtly as she addressed her fellow hybrid, though it did nothing to lessen the backhanded insult; Geryon had captained the Wraith and his ship had been critically damaged in battle with the Alliances' forces, his captaincy was effectively stripped and this mission was to be either his penance or his death sentence.
"Captain Paradoxa" he nodded in return, his voice being a surprisingly deep rumble as he possessed an entirely separate set of vocal chords for both speaking and echolocation.
"Status report?"
"Our location is secure, though a dozen Putties were lost….a third of our total forces" Geryon explain; he had made his temporary lair within a cave network left by a long forgotten mining operation within the side of a deep canyon which he was perfectly capable of simply gliding from and both the remaining Putties and the ominously named specimen that he had been sent to Edenoi to test could easily climb their way out of.
"Your plan to draw out the defenders of Edenoi proved successful?" Paradoxa asked, seemingly cautiously hopeful "Did the specimen engage them?" before he could answer Geryon sensed movement behind him, within the echoing confines of the cave he could almost see the specimen as slunk through the shadows behind him, still gnawing on the bones of one of its' kills. The creature let a low purr of contentment as Geryon stroked its' fur gently as he answered
"The specimen proved most impressive Captain, the planets' defenders were forced to retreat after one of their number was injured and their armour damaged-"
"But they live" Paradoxa countered smoothly
"For the moment"
"The testing is inconclusive until I see corpses Captain Nox" Paradoxa's voices dripped with contempt as she used his title "Do not allow your fleeting and minor accomplishments to lull you into a false sense of security….You do not have the luxury of reinforcements or air support should you fail, why should the Vanguard Fleet waste a second ship on you after all?"
"Testing will continue Captain Paradoxa" Geryon assured her stiffly, keeping the fury building in his chest from creeping into his voice as he became frighteningly aware of the fact that the insectoid warlord could simply choose to leave him behind on Edenoi once he'd outlived his usefulness to her.
"See that it does" Paradoxa replied bluntly before ending the transmission, the hologram vanishing and sending the cave into darkness once again Geryon Nox pondered his next move, the sound of warbling Putties and flesh being peeled from bone filling the cave as he did so. He would move out once night fell but there were many small and disconnected settlements in the area and eventually he reasoned that he would have more chance of proving the specimens' abilities if he used his remaining forced to attack several places at once, forcing the Masked Riders to split up and cut themselves off from aid.
"Soon we'll return to the fleet with my honour restored" he chuckled as he continued stroking the specimen "Perhaps I'll feed Paradoxa to you when we do"
"Is something funny Specialist Jackson?" Dana's voice was enough to make Mercy snap to attention and shamefacedly look anywhere but at the Vice-Admiral who had caught her in the midst of a rare instance of unprofessionalism or lack of focus
"It's just that….with all these rules I realised it kinda feels like a field trip and not y'know….fighting the Dark Empire" the briefing was being held in the long range teleportation chamber which had been repaired following Strike-Squad Alpha's treachery, though the walkway that Tempestus had destroyed was yet to be fully repaired and Dana had been joined by Kimberley and Zebidiah Lord, both of whom visibly struggled not to laugh at the Red Ranger's comment. Mercy braced herself and prepared to reprimanded only to be pleasantly surprised and relieved when Dana merely chuckled
"Be that as it may, it's important information that it would be in everyone's best interests for you to take to heart" Mercy nodded in understanding and tried to focus once again, despite the amused expression Aslaug wore making it very difficult. The Rangers had been awoken early and prior to deploying to Edenoi the five teens had been given an exceptionally dense primer on Edenoi, its' cultural norms and customs as they related to the Royal Household by the former Pink Lightspeed Ranger who now wore the Titanium Morpher as well as several stern reminders that as much as a search and destroy mission they would also be acting as diplomats and their conduct would reflect both Lightspeed and the Alliance as a whole. Before Dana could say any more Kimberley answered a brief message on her communicator and cleared her throat as she stepped forward to interrupt
"Doctor Stewart has transferred mission control systems to Edenoi" she then turned to the Rangers "Whilst on the planet your communications and teleportation as well as general operational oversight will be handled through the Royal Palace rather than the Aquabase when morphed, although your communicators should function as normal, understand?"
"We understand Captain" Mercy assured her, Kimberley nodded and turned to Dana
"We're standing by for your order Vice-Admiral"
"Good luck Rangers" Dana nodded "And may the Power protect you" the words became distorted and echoed in the Rangers' skulls as their bodies were consumed by beams of coloured light.
The teleportation process was the same as it always was, a flash of light and air rushing out from the epicentre of the teleportation stream as the travellers' skin prickled and they were subject to a moment of disorientation that no amount of experience would overcome as they were transported unfathomable distances and into entirely different climates in the blink of an eye.
The first change to be noticed was the temperature; the Aquabase was kept uniformly cool and largely sterile whilst the Royal Palace of Edenoi was as warm as anywhere else on the desert planet and the hazy air had a claustrophobic quality to it which immediately brought a sweat to Aslaug and Rensa's brow and left Tempestus's mouth suddenly dry. The throne room that they had been teleported to was a vast and cavernous structure, part of a palace that was in equal measures built overhanging a cliff which loomed over what had once been a sea and within the hollowed out stone itself. The room, which seemed far too large for such a simple description was clearly ancient and featured artistically sculpted pillars and statues depicting some ancient insectoid deities and various warriors whose helms were styled to evoke those same deities; at the same time the throne room was a marvel of technology that rivalled the Aquabase with ease robed palace guards and Alpha droids standing silently side by side whilst the members of the royal court went about their business dressed in cloaks and garb that gave the air of primitive peasants whilst carrying data-pads and tools that would be at home on an Alliance spaceship, the old and the new existing side by side in a way that Tempestus in particular found comforting; it reminded him of Aquitar.
"Power Rangers of Earth….although I see faces from many worlds. Welcome, I am King Dex of Edenoi"
"We are at your service" Mercy stooped into a low bow before giving a quick salute, whilst beside her the other Rangers gave gestures of similar meaning from their native cultures
"I'm Specialist Mercy Jackson of Project Lightspeed and Earth" the Red Ranger introduced herself to the King of Edenoi before gesturing to her time "Aslaug, heir to the Frost Claw Tribe of Mirinoi, Tempestus of Aquitar, Panthera Cato of Felix and Rensa-Kage of Dread"
"Greetings Rangers, come step forward" King Dex rose from his throne, an ancient yet meticulously maintained thing that could be considered a structure in its' own right crafted from stone and metal that had been modernised as much as the rest of the royal palace, its' arms featuring a multitude of screens and control panels. The Rangers stepped forwards and Dex gestured to the three young men who stood at his right hand
"My sons, Princes Sento, Takeru and Emu"
"Like the bird?" Panthera asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to mask an amused snort
"No not like the bird" Mercy hissed as she glared at her friend, desperately trying to compel the teal-skinned alien to show some respect for authority for once. Mercy's attention was drawn to Aslaug as the Yellow Ranger surreptitiously nudged her arm and gestured towards the middle of the three Princes, a man clad in all black wearing a scowl whom Mercy noted was paying exceptionally close attention to Panthera, following the Pink Rangers' every movement with open distrust
"We didn't mean to offend-"
"You look familiar….which is odd considering I've never met a Felixian before" Takeru stated, the clear yet undefined accusation being levelled at Panthera who merely rolled her shoulders back and tensed, Mercy's heart hammering in her chest as she watched the Pink Ranger's fingers drum against her thigh and remembered clearly the throwing knives that she carried
"Odd considering I've never been in this sector before" Panthera countered calmly "And It's Felidae when there's just one of us, Felixian is a group….it's like calling humans Earthlings, it's just rude" Takeru took a single step forwards before being halted by Sento; the eldest Prince wearing a furious expression. At the same time both Mercy and Tempestus tightly gripped Panthera's arms whilst Aslaug firmly held Rensa in place to prevent him skulking around the side of the room.
"Enough!" Dex boomed, anger written plainly on his face as he turned to his sons "We are amongst allies! I fought along their predecessors as you will fight alongside them….they come here to aid our people and this is how you receive them?"
"My apologies Father" Takeru bowed his head whilst Dex remained silent, silently making it clear that the conversation was not over; Panthera seeing the tension in her friends' faces decided to speak up
"No offence taken your highness, trust me it's not the worst welcome I've had" despite his earlier annoyance King Dex cracked a small smile at the comment, as did his youngest son. Sento wrapped an arm around Takeru's shoulders and led the middle child of the family away from the throne as the Rangers finally reached it
"I apologise for him" Dex sighed before gesturing to Emu who had remained behind "His younger brother was very nearly injured in the fight against the Dark Empire's new monster, it's clearly had an effect on him" Panthera's expression softened upon hearing the explanation; she could appreciate the situation
"Do we have any idea we're dealing with?" Mercy asked, remaining as businesslike as possible "Other than something that taps into the Morphing Grid?"
"Unfortunately not" Emu spoke up "It was on me too fast, none of us got a good look at it before Takeru got it off of me and it vanished"
"Teleported out?"
"No" King Dex shook his head "There were no energy readings to indicate it"
"Then it's still in the area" Aslaug mused
"We can hunt it down" Rensa flashed a grin full of sharp teeth as he followed her train of thought; Mercy remained silent and gave an approving smile as her team-mates added their own input
"The attacker targeted a village before you encountered it, are there others nearby?" Tempestus asked
"There are" King Dex nodded
"Then it may be best for us to split up"
"Groups should be a mix of my brothers and your team" Emu suggested "That way we have people who know that land in each team"
"Agreed" Mercy nodded, pleased that she could seemingly get along with at least one of the Edonian Princes "When do we move out?"
"The attacks have come at or just before nightfall" Dex answered "It would be best for you to be in position at dusk" the Rangers each silently nodded in agreement
"Until then I'll give you a tour of the Royal Palace" Emu offered
"Sounds like a plan" Mercy grinned giving one last respectful bow to King Dex as the Rangers were led away
"I'll see where Sento and Takeru went" the Prince, seemingly of a comparable age to the Rangers chattered "I promise you that he's not normally so insufferable….well not quite" the group proceeded through the spacious halls of the Royal Palace, Mercy smiling as she felt Aslaug's hand slip into hers though she was unable to give all of her attention to the towering girl as she felt compelled to keep half an eye on Panthera, lest the former smuggler do something to earn the ire of their new allies such as steal a priceless artefact.
"How are we going to be searching for this beast?" Aslaug asked, getting the attention of everyone present "We don't know where exactly to teleport to and it seems as though there could be a lot of ground to cover"
"Oh don't worry about that" Emu gave a comically wide smile and a conspiratorial wink "We have our means of getting around"
"OH MY GOD THIS IS AWESOME!" Mercy yelled as she rocketed across the blasted surface of Edenoi at impossible speeds.
Days were shorter on Edenoi than on Earth due to the speed at which the planet rotated yet it had still been several hours until the Rangers and Masked Riders had departed for their mission, in that time the two groups had learned a little of each others' exploits and history; Mercy being impressed with Sento's strategic mind while he was in turn impressed with her ability to inspire and work under pressure. Tempestus had earned himself the respect of each of the Riders with his technical skills only to be left awed along with the other Rangers upon learning that the Ecto-phase Drivers, the transformation devices that each of the Riders wore had been made by the Princes themselves; it had been explained to them that venturing into the deep caverns which housed the necessary crystals and crafting ones' own Driver was a right of passage amongst the ancient order of warriors to which the Royal Household belonged, and that one of the main reasons that King Dex no longer used the powers that had allowed him to defend both Earth and his home world from Count Dregon was that he had inherited them rather than create his own Ecto-phase Driver, a perceived slight against his own honour even if nobody else believed it to be so. Takeru had remained taciturn and glowering, which had only earned him several needling comments from Panthera though the middle child's demeanour had been off-set by Emu, the youngest Prince chatty and exuberant, seemingly happy to have more people who could relate to the responsibilities he bore.
Eventually the time had come and the Power Rangers and Masked Riders had transformed into their armoured states, each group being silently impressed with the other before being split into two groups; it had been decided that Mercy and Aslaug would travel with Emu and Takeru to the mountains that the Masked Riders had been venturing towards in their previous encounter with their quarry, whilst Sento would take Tempestus, Panthera and Rensa towards another settlement near to a vast canyon and the two groups would meet in the middle point between the two landmarks; when reiterating her question of how they would be travelling Aslaug was treated to a sneering answer from Masked Rider Ghost, the arrogance of which was revealed to be almost warranted.
The Masked Riders had jet-bikes.
Mercy sat behind Ex-Aid, holding onto the youngest Prince as he rode a machine whose chassis was almost skeletal in design, though any utilitarian aspect it may have had was lost beneath a colour scheme that was predominantly a shockingly vibrant yellow with glossy black and gleaming chrome details; over all the thing could best be described as an artists' interpretation of a futuristic dirt-bike, whose wheels had been replaced with some kind of anti-gravity generators which allowed it skim above the ground. Aslaug rode with Ghost, whose own bike was entirely black and sported a bulkier, more armoured frame with the front of the vehicle being streamlined and at the same time stylised to resemble the horned and skeletal features of some ancient Edonian mount that Riders' that had come before them had rode into battle; on a whim Mercy opened a private comm channel to Aslaug, the wind howling around them as they travelled making conversation impossible otherwise
"Are you loving this as much as I am?"
"I promise that should I ever return to Mirinoi I will introduce my people to these machines" Aslaug answered, her attempt at a solemn tone ruined by adrenaline fuelled giddiness.
"We've got something up ahead" Ghost finally broke his silence, his voice sounding within the helmets of his allies
"Our target?" Mercy asked, hopeful yet apprehensive
"Doesn't look like it" Ghost murmured as he checked the longer reaching sensors of his jet-bike
"Multiple contacts" Ex-Aid added as he followed suit "The stone men from before?"
"Putties?" Mercy almost chuckled "Shouldn't be a problem" Aslaug nodded in silent agreement and within seconds the jet-bikes had crossed the several miles between themselves and the supposed target, Mercy taking stock of the opponents that greeted her as her mount came skidding to a halt
"These look new" she noted before hopping off of Ex-Aid's jet-bike "Doesn't matter though, they'll still go down"
With no more to be said the four of them sprung into action.
Mercy manifested her katana in a pulse of crimson light and surged into the swarm of Putties that stood against them, sparks flying as she parried the blows of four of the automatons and forced them back step by step until they slowly began to surround her; only for the Red Ranger to unleash a maelstrom of destructive blows. She parried the wild slash of the Putty in front of her and as it raised its' shield to its' chest she simply slashed under its' guard and removed one of its' legs and waited for it to flail its' arms in attempt to remain upright before launching a spinning heel kick at its' chest. She used the shattering body of the first Putty to leap onto the second only for it to raise its' own shield which she landed on and used as a springboard to deliver a flying kick to the face of a third Putty which sent the automaton spinning and allowing Mercy to drive her sword through its' unprotected back, shattering its' weak point from behind; from there she launched a wide arcing slash at the fourth Putty, parrying its' bladed forearm as she dropped into a low spinning sweep that kicked its' legs from under it before driving her elbow into its' ribs as she rose to her feet.
Leaving only the second Putty remaining
Mercy made to charge the automaton only to have to roll aside as something hurtled passed her and collided with her target and shattered its' body entirely; she quickly realised that the projectile was in fact the armless form of another Putty which she destroyed with an axe-kick to the torso before turning in the direction the thing had come and finding Ghost with his own sword drawn as he fought a trio of Putties, one of their number being brutally bisected as he ducked beneath its' stabbing attack and slashed upwards. One of the remaining two attempted to bludgeon the Rider with his shield only for him to sidestep around the attack and drive the pommel of his weapon into its' chest before preparing to launch a vicious spinning kick at the final Putty, only to be brought to a halt by the sight of its' body crumbling from a point of impact and Mercy standing over it triumphantly
"Some warning perhaps?" Ghost asked pointedly
"Sure just let me know when you're throwing things" Mercy countered
"Don't stand in the way" he replied, though there was a hint of a bemused chuckle in his voice.
Aslaug cleaved two Putties in half with a single powerful swing of her axe whose blade glowed yellow as a wave of pure concussive force rushed outwards from the blow, leaving two Putties remaining of the dozen that they had encountered. Aslaug made to bring her axe to bear for another attack only to feel an unfamiliar weight land on the blade, she turned just in time to watch as Ex-Aid somersaulted off of her weapon and delivered an axe-kick to the skull of the nearest Putty, following up with a knee to the face which sent it staggering back and a punishing kick to the torso which reduced it to shattered fragments; the final Putty placed its' shield over its' chest and Ex-Aid merely shifted his weight before breaking into a full sprint and leaping into the air as he charged the automaton
"Critical strike, Rider kick!" the Putty simply exploded, leaving nothing behind but a fine dust which soon blended into the rest of the surface as Edenoi as Ex-Aid rose from the crouch he had landed in and turned to Aslaug, the animated eyes adorning his helmet winking at her as he spoke
"Mercy mentioned that she used a similar move before, I wanted to try it" Aslaug said nothing, merely nodded in understanding, she would have greatly preferred to be given warning considering that she had never fought alongside the young Prince before but decided that it wasn't worth the argument.
"Okay, they're definitely a little tougher than normal Putties" Mercy noted as she and Ghost made their way over to them, voice filling with pride at her own wit as she added "They need a name, I say we call 'em Claymores"
"I'm sure Justin will be pleased" Aslaug chuckled softly
"Focus!" Ghost snapped "They weren't out here for no reason" despite her annoyance at his tone both Rangers admitted that Takeru had a point, Mercy nodded to Ex-Aid
"Emu, can your jet-bikes' scanners pick up anything else nearby?" the youngest Prince quickly rushed to his vehicle and put the idea into practice, panic creeping into his voice as he spoke
"One signature detected, its' moving around us"
"We're being stalked….it's been hunting us" Aslaug noted, raising her axe
"Form up" Mercy whispered, reassured by the Yellow Ranger taking her now customary place at her right hand.
Eventually something stepped out of the dust and haze, prowling on all fours only to rear up onto its' hind limbs as it neared them; leaving Mercy and Aslaug stunned and horrified as it did so.
The specimens' face, upper torso and legs had been encased in armour made of some dark metal that had clearly been shaped to evoke the Power Rangers own armour, countless cables, blinking lights and vials adorned the vest like armour that encased her chest, for she was clearly female. She stood at a little over seven feet tall and a tail swished behind her, a mechanical replacement covered in barbs to replace what had been amputated; her forearms had been similarly replaced and the specimens' hands now ended in hands which featured serrated talons, each blade two feet long. A mane of violet hair trailed from her skull down to her shoulder-blades, each hair standing on end and bone spikes jutted from her shoulders which, along with her height and obscenely muscled physique indicated that the Specimen had been injected with Acheron genetics in much the same way Strike-Squad Alpha had been.
Most horrifying of all however was the fact that the flesh that could still be seen was a familiar shade of teal
"This is why you've acting weird with Panthera?" Mercy demanded of Takeru, an undeniable accusation in her words "Because you were attacked by another Felidae!"
Masked Rider Build had not had the luxury of using his own jet-bike as he led the Blue, Pink and Black Rangers towards the canyon with the sun rapidly setting, instead they had used an open topped, levitating transport more suited to moving cargo that if Sento was entirely honest was little more than a flying sled.
It seemed that the unsuitable transport and howling dust-storm limiting both visibility and hearing were to be something of an omen to indicate the way their hunt would proceed as before they had reached their destination the group had found themselves blind-sided by a Putty of a variety that the Power Rangers were unfamiliar with hurling itself at their transport and bringing them crashing to a halt.
"Well this is embarrassing, we just walked into the most simple trap ever" Panthera noted irritably as she manifested her blades in twin flashes of magenta light in response to a dozen Putties surrounding them and slowly advancing
"Most certainly not groovy" Tempestus concurred as he twirled his staff.
"You know what we need to do!" Build barked and charged forwards.
The Putties collapsed to the ground before he could reach them, each of their heads falling from their bodies. Stunned he turned to the Rangers just in time to see Panthera catch her blades which had been joined at their handles to form a throwing weapon, he was brought back to his senses by the sight of Tempestus and Rensa using their own weapons to chatter the chest-plates of the Putties which despite their decapitated states continued write and flail and he quickly joined in by crushing several of the automatons underfoot.
"Felt like I had to prove a point" the Pink Ranger snorted as she sensed the Prince's gaze on her
"You didn't, but it was appreciated" Build answered "Even if that was a little anticlimac-"
"GET DOWN!" Rensa's usually quiet voice was raised to a panicked bellow and both Panthera and Sento leapt and rolled aside just as something dove at them from above, ripping through the space they had occupied with a quartet of bladed limbs and tattered robes billowing around them before finally coming to a halt
"Rangers fighting alongside Riders" Geryon Nox rumbled as he took in the sight of his adversaries "Presenting your heads to Lord Zedd will see my honour restored and Paradoxa removed from my place at the head of the fleet"
"I would have given you the same offer I gave to your stone men, submit to the authority of King Dex of Edenoi and be escorted to the Royal Palace" Sento's tone became more furious with each word as he added "But then your pet monster attacked my brother!" he rushed forwards without warning and brought his fist back for a blow to Geryon's snout; only four the bat-like Acheron hybrid to sink all four of his clawed and winged limbs into the cracking and desolate ground, bracing himself as opened his maw wide and the air visibly warped with the force of the booming sonic attack he unleashed.
Masked Rider Build hit the ground with a thud, his ears ringing and waves of nausea washed over him as the twin visors of his helmet tried to recalibrate themselves, leaving his vision filled with scrambled images and static.
The Rangers rushed into the fray as Geryon ripped his limbs from the ground and collided with their opponent with earth shaking force before he could take a single step towards the downed Rider; Rena parrying a pair of limbs with his daggers and Tempestus holding the remaining pair at bay with his staff whilst Panthera delivered a crushing kick to the monsters' chest, sending Geryon staggering back wheezing before leaving him hissing and spitting in pain as she dragged one of her blades across his face.
"YOU WILL BLEED FOR THAT!" his wings unfurled and his clawed feet sank into the ground, bracing him as he flapped and unleashed a gust of wing strong enough to force back the Black and Blue Rangers, isolating Panthera as he folded the vast wing membranes away and lunged at her, stabbing with all four arms and forcing her back as she blocked frantically, sparks flying as the hybrids' claws struck her blades.
"Pathetic!" Geryon taunted even as she forced his upper arms aside, he sunk his lower arms into the ground and unleashed another sonic attack that flung Panthera to the ground, her visor cracked by the concussive blast and her sensitive hearing leaving her reeling even as her suit struggled to filter out the worst of the noise.
"And now you-"
"Voltech finish, Rider kick!" Panthera was barely aware of what happened, all she knew was that a moment later Build was pulling her to her feet and Geryon Nox lay some distance away, sporting a deep gash along the right side of his face that bled profusely
"Thanks" she choked out, struggling to stand on shaky legs even as their opponent dragged himself to his feet once again, wings unfurling.
"I can't use that again for a while, so I hope you have a plan" Sento answered simply, clearly trying to keep the concern out of his voice.
"I might" she murmured before opening a private comm channel to Rensa and Tempestus who had begun to flank Geryon who seemed to pay them little mind, focusing instead on the Rider who had bloodied him
"No more parlour tricks and light shows?" he demanded before flapping his powerful wings and flying towards where Build and the Pink Ranger stood. Before the monster could reach them Tempestus lunged forwards and held his staff out horizontally to hold the monsters' upper limbs at bay
"Fool!" Geryon's lower arms arced around to skewer the Blue Ranger only for a howl of pain to escape him as those limbs were suddenly pinned to the ground and their membranes torn by the Black Ranger's daggers, Rensa having worked his way behind their opponent
"TEMPESTUS MOVE!" Panthera ordered as she combined her curved blades once again and hurled them; the Blue Ranger struggled to break free of his grappling with Geryon only to be released as the spinning projectile ripped through one of the hybrids' upper arms and left him shrieking in agony until he was silenced by its' return flight back to the Pink Ranger's hand.
Geryon's form remained statuesque for a brief moment before crumpling to the ground, his head rolling away and spilling viscous dark blood over the barren earth
"Be ready" Panthera murmured, halting Build's congratulations before they could begin
"This is usually where a Dark Empire ship fires a mutagenic grenade, I hope our Zords are fully repaired and on standby" Tempestus explained, sensing the Prince's confusion. The tension mounted for several moments before seeming to peak and then dissipate as it became apparent that the Dark Empire were not intending to resurrect their slain warrior this time
"Your vehicle doesn't seem to be too badly damaged" Rensa noted conversationally as he flipped the hover-sled upright
"Good" Build nodded "Because that wasn't what my brothers and I fought"
"You should contact them" Tempestus suggested, Sento nodded once again and opened a comm channel and the Rangers knew that something was wrong by the way he visibly stiffened before he exclaimed
"THEY'RE UNDER ATTACK, WE NEED TO MOVE!"
They were being overpowered.
The reality of the situation as Mercy was flung to the ground and came rolling to a stop, the display of her visor flashing several warnings as she struggled to breathe through the overwhelming pain in her chest. Kimberley and Justin had explained to the Rangers that whatever they encountered on Edenoi would be able to channel the Power through the Morphing Grid in the same way that they did, but the description seemed distant and clinical in comparison to the reality of the situation; each blow that the Felidae specimen, powered by both their mutations and the cybernetic components which clearly served as conduits to the Morphing Grid felt as though it ignored the armour of the Rangers and Masked Riders that fought it entirely.
"MERCY GET UP!" Aslaug's words rang in her ears and the Red Ranger slowly, painfully rolled onto her chest and forced herself onto her hands and knees as she watched the battle continue
"Omega Drive, Rider Kick!" Takeru's attack lit up the now pitch black sky like a lantern, his voice almost lost beneath the howling wind. The ground shattered and cratered beneath his feat as he struck it yet it did nothing, the specimen had already managed to roll aside with catlike agility and sat in a crouch for a fraction of a second before pouncing, Masked Rider Ghost held his sword overhead to keep the mechanical talons of the cyborg at bay only to be sent staggering clutching at his now cracked helmet by a blow her her barbed tail which snaked beneath his defences; quickly followed by the specimen leaping onto his back and planting both feet firmly beneath his shoulders.
The ground Cracked again as Ghost struck it with a resounding thud.
"Takeru!" Emu launched himself at the Felidae, Aslaug's warnings drowned by the wind and his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. He leapt into the air and attempted to land a powerful kick on the cyborgs' skull; he was rewarded by her taloned fingers wrapping around his leg and tearing gashes through his armour before sinking into his flesh, drawing a cry of pain and surprise from him as he was hurled aside and brought rolling to a stop in the distance. The specimen pressed her advantage, stalking away from Ghost who seemed to be unable to move and extending her arms forwards; as her clawed hands balled into fists compartments at the top of each of the mechanical limbs slid open and a pair of laser weapons were deployed with a whirring mechanical sound. Ex-Aid was still struggling to rise and would be entirely unable to avoid the oncoming barrage, the contented purr that escaped the specimen seeming to prove that they understood this fact.
And then she fired.
Aslaug hadn't made the decision to run consciously, her instincts had taken over and her feet had carried her forward with her senses only returning to her fully as the first laser blast struck her square in the chest, leaving smoking crater in the silver, diamond shaped armour plate of her Ranger suit. She held her ground but the next impact forced her axe from her hands, the pristine white of her suits' right arm being scorched and burned as a bolt of light struck her bicep, golden yellow armour suffering the same fate as she was struck in the left side of her abdomen, right thigh and finally as she sunk to her knees another bolt of light ripped past her head and gouged the left side of her helmet whilst all the while her visor displayed warnings that her armours' integrity had been compromised by the blasts. Burning agony consumed most of her awareness and time slowed to a crawl whilst her own laboured breathing echoed within her helmet as the specimen advanced towards her, collapsing its' lasers and flexing its' serrated talons in preparation for a killing blow
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Mercy's terrified scream brought Aslaug back to reality with unforgiving clarity as she was powerless to act and forced to simply watch as the Red Ranger charged from the left. A precise downward swing of her katana tore through the faceplate that the specimen wore and revealed a face that had been left relatively unscathed by the mutations wrought by Acheron genetics, Aslaug noted that the Specimen would have looked very much like Panthera were it not for the pronounced canine teeth that reached almost to her chin and eyes that had been transformed from glistening amber to fiery red. The specimen was far from defeated and as Mercy spun, intending to decapitate her foe in a single swing the specimen reached out and caught her arm and Aslaug was barely aware of the grief stricken howl that escaped her as the cyborgs' free hand lashed out, talons ripping through Mercy's armour and burying themselves in her chest.
There were a few moments were the passage of time seemed meaningless, measurable only by Mercy sliding from the specimens' now bloodstained claws and collapsing to the ground, convulsing as she struggled to fight or simply breathe her morphed state flickering in and out of existence around her as her connection to the Morphing Grid fought to keep her alive; Aslaug dragged herself across the blasted ground inch by agonising inch, heedless of her own pain in a desperate attempt to place herself between Mercy and the specimen which stalked around her, preparing to deliver a killing blow.
"Voltech finish, Rider kick!" the disembodied words seemed senseless to Aslaug until she saw the Felidae that had laid them all low be sent hurtling backwards, landing in a crouch and snarling as Masked Rider Build rose to his feet and turned to his brother
"Emu! She needs help right now!" the eldest Prince turned to Aslaug as the youngest limped and dragged himself closer "He's a medic, your leader is strong….she'll be okay" Aslaug paid little heed and simply ripped Mercy's helmet away and stroked her curly hair
"Stay with us" she urged as the Red Ranger's unfocused eyes sought her through her own visor "Stay with me"
The sound of the specimen letting out a primal roar before charging again demanded the attention of all present and Sento braced himself, preparing to hold the line.
Then the cyborg was brought to a halt by a spinning blade tearing through the air before flying to the hand of the Pink Ranger who landed in a crouch between them. Panthera rose to her feet and quickly discarded her weapons before removing her helmet and uttering words that seemed to remove the air from the wasteland that they fought in
"Acinonyx….Acinonyx stop it's me, it's your sister, it's Panthera" the cyborg peered at the smaller and younger Felixian, cocking its' head in confusion and it seemed for the briefest fraction of a second recognition before it let out a piercing shriek and kicked Panthera aside.
When she rose to her feet again, her sister was gone.
Authors Notes:
Okay boom, two chapters into Arc Five and we get the reveal of what 'The specimen' is.
Is it really a cliffhanger if everyone saw it coming? Perhaps not, but don't worry I've got more lined up.
And remember….Acinonyx is only a proof of concept; what do you think the finished product is going to be, because I'm sowing seeds and leaving hints.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we:
More literal world-building, it's honestly becoming one of my favourite parts of writing this story.
Geryon as in the monster from Greek mythology with too many arms and bodies.
It took me a while to decide what the Officer Paradoxa sent to accompany the specimen would be but "Bat-Monster with stabby limbs and too may arms" just came to me from nowhere.
Paradoxa's surreptitious culling and relocations of anyone who could cause her problems, like other Acheron hybrids continues.
Attacks on random villages serve no purpose other than to get the attention of the Masked Riders.
Mission control is doing their absolute best to make sure that the Power Rangers, who are contractually teenagers with attitude don't cause an interplanetary diplomatic incident and Mercy is being a total dork.
Important to note that Justin, Zebidiah and Kimberley have seen none of what happened in this chapter, as mission control was transferred so they'll be relying on second-hand accounts.
Again my idea for the Edenoi aesthetic is a mix of Wakanda and the Jedi order and I wanted to try and convey that Jedi and general Star Wars feel in its' design.
"Like the bird?" I make no excuses.
Aslaug is basically tribal royalty, she's been in these situations before so of course she's the one to spot someone side-eyeing them.
I'm sure you all knew where this was going the second Takeru/Ghost mentioned that Panthera looked familiar.
Mercy will never make the mistake of forgetting Panthera's throwing knives.
I've caught myself using Felidae which is what Panthera was originally introduced as and Felixian, so I've put a rule in place for referring to natives of Felix.
Ghost has middle child syndrome.
The plan was straightforward, with plenty of room for adaptability.
That transition between scenes was funny in my head.
The stuff about Riders making their own belts isn't canon but it's some world building that explains where the Riders come from because it was never actually explained and why Dex isn't still acting as the Masked Rider….It was inspired my Jedi building their own Lightsabers as a right of passage.
The jet-bikes are based on each riders' canon motorbike, I changed it because a) the bike and car had AI in Masked Rider so it's not a stretch in terms of technology. b) it's cool.
Build has one, we just haven't seen it yet.
Aslaug has a leather jacket, now she wants a bike.
I wanted the first fight featuring the Riders and Rangers working together to involve them getting in each others way as they tried to get used to each others' style and Ghost seemed like the ideal candidate to portray this.
Ex-Aid tried to copy one of Mercy's tricks just by hearing about it (Seriously I'm thinking about making jumping off of Aslaug's axe one of her trademarks if it isn't already) and Aslaug did not appreciate it.
And we get to see his Rider Kick, because he didn't use it last chapter.
The sword and shield, armoured Putties are called Claymores now.
The Specimen's cyborg armour being built like Ranger armour was just for aesthetic, the fact she's been mutated with Acheron DNA isn't. Remember that Project Crucible was related to creating Rangers, but not concerned with things like the creating Morphers….are you starting to get an idea of what's actually being tested here?
The return of groovy and other assorted outdated slang.
The Putty fight could have dragged on and honestly the whole battle with them and Geryon Nox was a distraction that I didn't need to keep going for any longer than it did.
It's also an excuse to show off just how much more proficient Panthera has gotten with that blade throw that she used on Triforia.
"Felt like I had to prove a point" I mean the suspicion was there whether Sento wanted to admit it or not….she might not have done herself any favours in the long run.
Dramatic entrance from Geryon.
Build would have been so bad ass with that line if he hadn't been blown off his feet with one hit.
The fight was short, fast-paced and nasty; exactly as it should be.
And that's how you do it, pile bodies on them until they can't shake free.
Just to be clear, there will be no Megazord fight this volume.
So because the specimen uses the Morphing Grid her attacks are actually effectively negating the Ranger's armour; think of it as AT Fields rubbing against each other if you watched Evangelion.
In my head I imagine her helmet/faceplate looking like the Transformers: Siege toy Apeface in beast mode….Google it.
I also wanted her to be vastly stronger than the others, I may explain it more in a later chapter but in my head her Powers are similar to the Psycho Rangers relative to the Astro Rangers, with a similar explanation as whom I often reference offered in his story "Dirge"
Both Riders got their armour damaged, Ghost's helmet cracked and Ex-Aid's leg armour got ripped apart.
I said in Arc 02 that Aslaug was the sort of person who would throw herself in front of enemy fire to cover someone, you thought I was joking….Luckily the lasers aren't channelling the Morphing Grid the way those melee attacks were or Aslaug would be Swiss cheese.
If Mercy hadn't cut that faceplate off Panthera might have gone for the kill shot and that would be a whole different kind of angst.
Ranger down, I repeat Ranger down.
Emu is a medic because he was a doctor/medical student in Kamen Rider.
Build really was ready to go down fighting there, he knew he wasn't gonna win in a one on one.
And there it is, the plot twist that I'll freely admit you all probably saw coming…..Now let the angst commence in full next chapter.
Thank you to Jen425, SumoSnipe, 'Hi' and Super ShadowHenshin for their reviews on the last chapter.
Poor Panthera indeed.
Thirsty Mercy indeed and I love how much people love these two oblivious dorks.
Ex-Aid's driver is straight up jarring.
Yeah Sento is the oldest because his actor just radiates Big Brother energy compared to the other two.
"I submit to your wisdom my Lord" or as I say at work "I wouldn't know boss, I just work here"
Would you believe that I randomly remembered the episode with sick Kimberley going solo with a monster but utterly failed to realise it was the same episodes as the crossover; so in this story they were two separate events and Kimberley was present on Edenoi with the other Rangers.
Masked Rider had a pretty sleek and minimalist look that the new Riders don't have but Build, Ghost and Ex-Aid have very clear aesthetics that I specifically wanted to look like a group of individuals rather than a uniform team like the Rangers.
I would love a Big Bad Beetleborgs reboot….Hell I worked the Ninja Turtles into this with a cameo, I'm sure I can slide them in somewhere.
Thank you for reminding me that Ferbus exists, I had managed to repress all memories of the creature since 1996.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.