(We begin one evening. Robbie is sitting atop a hill, looking off into the distance. The wind blowing in his face.)
"My whole life, I've never thought much of myself. My story has been one with too many disappointments. Eventually, I learned to shut out the world just to protect myself. I stood in the background my whole life, because I feared taking front stage would just expose myself as the failure I always thought I was. What my own family thought I was. I mean, why else would they leave?"
Robbie: …
"But in reality, my family never left. I was surrounded by some of the most amazing people God ever put on this earth. They accepted me with open arms, time and time again. When I know I didn't make it easy for them to do so. They took me in, gave the family I never had. They built me up to be the man I've become. But, when I had a chance to pay them back, I let them down."
Robbie: (Looks away, pained) …
"But this story isn't over. And it's time to change that. If this is really my story, then I will make the final chapter one of redemption. I will take all of the lessons they ever taught me, the love they gave to me that they probably shouldn't have and I will use it to rescue them. And I will end this endless war we have fought together, once and for all."
(Robbie's gaze focuses in front of him. He then looks up to reveal the Machine Empire's palace straight ahead, piercing the night sky.)
"My story will have its happy ending. If it's the last thing I do."
(We fade to black. Picking up inside a dark, smoky room earlier in the evening. Robbie is the center of attention of those encircling him.)
Bulk: Okay so tell me exactly what happened the last time you saw them?
Robbie: We had an argument.
Bulk: With all of them?
Robbie: Yeah. It was a pretty nasty falling out. Some of them took it pretty hard.
Bulk: Hm. What was this argument about?
(For obvious reasons, Robbie is trepidatious.)
Robbie: I'd rather not say.
Bulk: It could aide in our investigation.
Robbie: It won't.
Skull: I think that's for us to determine.
Robbie: My words didn't cause them to fall off the face to the earth and not answer any of their family's calls.
Bulk: Then why won't you tell us what you said?
Robbie: It wasn't "Abracadabra." Can we move on?
Skull: You know, if I didn't know better I'd say you had a pretty good motive to be behind their disappearance.
Robbie: Then clearly you don't know better. I wouldn't be reporting it, Sherlock.
Bulk: Sounds like something a suspect would do to throw of off his trail. Where were you the last time they were seen?
Robbie: If I knew that, I'd have a place to start looking rather than sitting here with you.
Bulk: Hmm. Skull, write that down.
Skull: (Taking notes) "Figure out… where they were last seen."
Robbie: (Gets up) You know what, this is a mistake.
Lt. Stone: Let's just all take it easy boys.
(Stone appears from behind and interjects.)
Lt. Stone: Robbie, take a seat.
(After a frustrated sigh, Robbie relents and sits back down.)
Lt. Stone: We're taking this very seriously. I know these kids enough to know that they wouldn't simply go MIA. No, something is up. Bulkmeier, Skullovich, I want you to go to the places they frequent. Ask around to see if they've been spotted. And if not, find out if anything strange happen the last time they were seen. Any altercations or anything like that.
Bulk: Right.
Skull: Yes, sir.
Lt. Stone: Is it just Adam, Rocky, Tanya and Katherine? Is there anybody else that may be missing? I feel like your group was much larger than that.
Robbie: I think that's it. Some people have moved. Trini was with me earlier. And I mean, there was Billy. But he went off to college.
Lt. Stone: Can you verify that?
(He stares at Robbie as if expecting some kind of immediate action.)
Robbie: You mean… right now?
(Stone nods.)
Lt. Stone: If anything, it could cross out the possibility that they're there with him. Or that he's somehow connected?
(The very thought that Billy might be "connected" sounds preposterous. Nevertheless, Robbie leans forward and picks up the phone on Stone's desk to entertain him. Within moments, he's connected to Billy's school.)
"Student admission's office, how may I help you?"
Robbie: Hi, I'm looking for a student? I need to speak to him.
"Name please?"
Robbie: Billy Cranston. He's a freshman.
(He hears typing in the background.)
"Does… he go by another name?"
Robbie: …William Cranston?
(He hears more typing. Then, an extended pause.)
"I'm sorry. I'm having trouble locating this student. Are you sure you've got the right school?"
Robbie: Positive. He was just accepted. He was supposed to start in the spring semester?
"Nothing is coming up."
Robbie: You drove him off in a freaking limo.
"That doesn't sound right, sir."
Robbie: (annoyed) What do you mean?
"We don't provide transport for our students; certainly not in a limo."
Robbie: What? Then who drove him?
"I'm not sure. But I have no records of this student existing."
Robbie: …
"Now is there anything else I can help you with today?"
(Slowly, he hangs up. He looks back up to Lt. Stone. His expression says it all.)
Lt. Stone: Now, I need you to think hard. Can you think of anymore of your friends who may have gone missing?
Robbie: …
Archerina: All of them!
(Meanwhile, on the moon…)
Archerina: I have every last ranger under my control. They went so easily too.
(She looks around in a white, sterile room full of past victims in large white tubes.)
Archerina: Most of them just volunteered themselves to save another.
Rita: (Disgusted) How pathetic?
Archerina: On the contrary. I find it admirable. To do anything to protect the ones you love. To sacrifice even yourself, as a life without the other is a life not worth living. That is an opportunity I wish I had…
(She looks up at an incapacitated Tommy; a metal helmet on his head connected to wires, connected to needles drawing fluids into and out of his veins. Positioned beside him, an incapacitated Katherine; the person he surrendered for.)
Archerina: That, is true love.
Lord Zedd: And their powers?
Archerina: Currently coursing through my veins. And I have more coming too.
(She turns around halfway to face them. The exposed wiring on her cheek reveals multicolored electricity sparking out of it.)
Lord Zedd: Excellent. This has gone better than I could have ever imagine.
Rita: Yeah! Now we can move onto the next phase of our plan.
(Archerina beams with excitement.)
Archerina: I know!
Lord Zedd: Inform the United Alliance and use their resources to initiate a full-on takeover.
Archerina: ...
(Seemingly deflated, Archerina lets out a big sigh. Then walks away.)
Rita: Ooh. We can invite them over for a giant celebration. Ten thousand years in the making! Aahaha!
Lord Zedd: That'll prove we aren't inept. The world is finally ours! All ours!
(They then realize in their bliss that they weren't alone in their victory.)
Lord Zedd: Uh. Archerina's too. She did help us, after all.
Rita: Right. You can have Florida.
Archerina: Huh? (Waves them off) Have all of it. I don't care.
Rita: What?
(Goldar enters the room as she wanders aimlessly around the vast halls, containing many different victims across an indiscriminate number of species species.)
Archerina: Brutish disputes over land. Macho displays of dominance. It bores me. I've never been driven by the shallowness of intergalactic imperialism. I've never been much of a pillager myself either. That is why the rest of the Machine Empire had to go. I knew in the end, our priorities didn't align. I learned as much when they shunned their son for who he decided to marry. I've always considered myself as less of a fighter...
(She grazes her fingers over one particular tube containing a regal looking figure.)
Archerina: And more of a lover.
Rita: I bet he knew all about that, huh?
(Rita cackles to herself; though Archerina's expression does not change.)
Archerina: He was an obstacle. One that was dealt with.
(The coldness in which she replies makes even Zedd and Rita seem uneased.)
Archerina: Love is all that's ever truly mattered to me. And it's all I lost when my poor Gasket got caught up in his family's meaningless affairs. And now that they're out of the way, I will move onto those who did the deed and actually took him from me.
(Next to the regal figure is a control panel. Above it, a mirror. Which she stares into ruefully. She studies the frayed wires sticking out of her exposed cheek. The unsettling crack in her right eye. She goes off into a distant thought.)
Archerina: I failed you. You were my chance for a happily ever after. My punishment is to never love again. Vengeance will not bring you back, my dear. But it will bring me peace.
(She turns back sharply once more, as if suddenly possessed by something. Then storms out of the room.)
Archerina: I've got preparations to make.
Goldar: She truly is something, huh?
Rita: Tell me about it. With a rack like hers, who cares what her face looks like?
Lord Zedd: Right. Any minute now some poor sap will come sniffing around.
Goldar: (Huffs) Arrrg. You two are unbelievable.
(He storms off behind her, confounding Zedd and Rita.)
Rita: What just happened?
Lord Zedd: Like I said. Another poor sap sniffing around.
(Meanwhile, at the Power Chamber…)
Robbie: Zordon.
(Robbie enters from the front door.)
Zordon: Hello, Robbie. It is good to see you again.
(He looks around. Everything is intact. Alpha greets him with a warm wave.)
Robbie: Yeah. Same.
Zordon: What brings you here?
Robbie: I was thinking a lot about Billy. And the way that he left.
Zordon: Yes, Robbie.
(He then exhales. And reaches for his wrist.)
Robbie: And… I'm here to say goodbye.
(He removes his communicator and Zeonizer, in what reveals itself to be a flashback to a couple weeks ago.)
Robbie: And to hand in these. I won't be needing them anymore.
Zordon: So. This is for real then?
(He nods. Suggesting that this has been an ongoing dialogue between him and Zordon.)
Alpha: Aye, ya, yai. But Robbie. We need you.
Robbie: You know, I don't think you do. We've built an amazing team, with amazing people. Each of them leaders in their own right.
Zordon: Thanks in large part to your work in helping to build this team up.
(Robbie stops for a moment to let the words sink in, but then doesn't directly reply to it as he continues.)
Robbie: And with Tommy on his way back home… I just think it's time I find out what life has in store for me. I need to find my "Ivy League."
(Elsewhere…)
Robbie: …
(Standing outside the Power Chamber, Robbie looks up in the distance. Contemplating going back in.)
"I wanted so bad to not be wrong. That the team was in some sort of danger because I wasn't there. Part of me just wasn't ready to admit it."
(He slowly begins to back away.)
"I wanted more than anything that this be something that could easily be explained. That they were… perhaps planning a surprise party. For my retiring? Or maybe Rita's called back Pudgy Pig who's devoured the entire team. Which is bad, but not enough that I need to return. No, I tried to reason, if I really needed to come back I would've been brought back. I don't need to return. Not for Pudgy Pig."
Robbie: ...
(Elsewhere…)
Pudgy Pig: Yummy, yummy! What have we here?!
(Standing outside a dumpster in the woods, Pudgy Pig is seen digging into his lunch. Walking past him unwittingly is Bulk and Skull, walking down the road. The latter studying a note pad.)
Skull: Alright, first order of business. I've got a list of possible suspects we can start questioning. People with motive.
Bulk: Okay…?
Skull: So far, I have Hannah and the jocks. They've never gotten along with the dweebs. Ernie, who after years of mooching off him, might be trying to collect his debt. And there's that girl in shop class who built a statue of Billy that one time. There's no way she isn't a complete psycho. I mean who does that?
Bulk: Don't forget the little girl Maria and that boy Zack and Jason taught soccer.
Skull: He did learn a little too fast if you ask me. I thought something was up with him.
Bulk: Don't be a dimwit. You're wasting your time.
(Bulk snatches the pad from Skull's hand and tosses it blindly toward the dumpsters.)
"Ow!"
Skull: We've gotta start somewhere, Bulky. Where would you start?
Bulk: Where else? The Youth Center.
Skull: So, you do think it's Ernie?
Bulk: No? But I've got Robbie's deposit and I can't investigate on an empty stomach.
(He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wad of cash. From the opposite end, Ernie approaches carrying several small boxes.)
Bulk: Ernie? What are you doing here?
Skull: Destroying evidence, I see?
Ernie: What?
Bulk: What's in the boxes?
Skull: You sick freak. Is Tommy in there?!
Ernie: (Raises eyebrow) What's his problem?
Bulk: (Rolls eyes) He's got plenty. Ignore him.
Ernie: These are just my papers. Shop's closed, fellas.
Bulk: What?! Already?
Ernie: (Nods) I found a buyer. Paid cash. Didn't even get to my car to hand them the keys before he called in his renovator. Boy, I'd love to have had their contractor.
Bulk: …
Ernie: Anyway, I'm off boys. Gotta pick up the future Mrs. at the airport, then prepare for my new life in the country. Take it easy, boys.
(He pats both of them on the shoulders and walks off into the distance. The duo however, don't get much time to reflect on that before somebody else appears from the direction of the parking lot.)
Skull: (Points) Hey, is that the new owner?
Bulk: I've seen that guy before. Wasn't he the guy that was looking for Billy? We works for the Ivy League.
(Indeed, the same statuesque man that approached Robbie and likely several others around town appears. Still in a black suit and sunglasses, he looks off straight into the sky and adjusts his collar. He clutches bouquet of flowers in his hand.)
Skull: What's he doing buying a juice bar in Angel Grove?
(The man suddenly lowers his head, as if sensing somebody else. Then turns right, where the boys are. Bulk instinctively grabs Skull and pulls him behind the bushes.)
Bulk: Shh. I've got a bad feeling about this. I hope he didn't see us. Just lay low. We've gotta just let him pa-
(Bulk's words are cut off with as somebody hurriedly passes by. Only it wasn't the man.)
Skull: Shh!
Bulk: (Whispers) Wait. Is that…?
(Bulk peeks his head out of the bushes.)
Bulk: Tanya?
(What appears to be Tanya is now walking up the road, holding the same bouquet of flowers.)
Bulk: Somethings not right. We gotta tell Robbie.
(Speaking of whom…)
Robbie: Trini, this is Robbie.
(Robbie is somewhere in the park, inside in phone booth.)
Robbie: I just uh... haven't heard from you in a bit.
(Disguised as a casual check-in, Robbie can barely mask a growing panic inside of him that he struggles to contain as he discovers more and more of his friends that are unable to be located.)
Robbie: I'd uh… just like to hear your voice is all. When you get this, call me ba-
(The sounds of the phone picking up on the other end. For a fleeting second, his heart soars…)
Robbie: Hello?
(And then he hears the voice on the other end. That is not Trini.)
Robbie: Oh. Hi Mrs. Kwan. It's Robbie. Has Trini been around?
(There's a pause. He purses his lips when he doesn't like the answer.)
Robbie: Okay. Well, just tell her I called once she's home. Talk to you soon, mom.
(There's another pause.)
Robbie: Right. Sorry, Mrs. Kwan. Goodbye.
(He hangs up. Across from him is a tai chi class. It's a stretch, but he takes a close look. Trini is neither teaching nor in attendance. Trying to desperately calm his nerves he goes for a walk to try and distract himself. He makes it down by the basketball courts. There, he finds a multiracial group of strange teens enjoying a pick-up game; and recognizes nobody. He takes a seat by the bench.)
"You never truly know how much you care about someone until you find you no longer have the chance to appreciate them. What I wouldn't do right now to see that group of cornballs one more time. Maybe actually join in one of their games. Instead of sitting on these benches, as I usually have."
(As Robbie looks out into the court, unable to escape all the moments that he's missed with them, a single tear rolls down his cheek.)
"You know, I think a lot about Zack. At least every day. It's funny, because we were never that close. I don't remember us ever having a substantive conversation. But he was a great guy. And I will never get to tell him that."
(More tears begin streaming down his face as the floodgates open.)
"I think, that's why it took me so long to accept what was really happening. Because, what if it happens again?"
(In the distance, he hears his name called. He finds Bulk and Skull approaching from a distance, and quickly tries to dry his face off.)
Bulk: Robbie. You've gotta come with us.
Robbie: What's going on
Skull: No time to explain, just come!
(They yank him off the benches and pull him away. Moments later, the three go down a now darkened road.)
Robbie: I still don't know why you couldn't just tell me what you saw.
Skull: Because there wasn't time.
Robbie: It's been over an hour. We waited for a bus together. Two buses once you stopped for snacks.
Bulk: My blood sugar was low for your information. And besides, it's better that we just show you.
Robbie: What? My deposit in Ernie's register?
Bulk: Don't be ridiculous.
Robbie: Why else would you be going to the Youth Center?
(They suddenly stop.)
Robbie: That's… not Ernie's.
(They look up into the sky and find something peering out of the trees in the distance. It's the Machine Empire's Palace; relocated to earth. As ominous a sight that may be, at that moment, a look of certainty comes across Robbie's face as figures out where his friends may be.)
"They're inside. And I'm gonna get them out."
Skull: That… wasn't there before.
Bulk: Hey, where are you going?!
(Without saying a word, Robbie heads back in the opposite direction toward town. He leaves behind Bulk and Skull.)
Bulk: (Runs after him) Hey wait, there's more we need to tell you!
(He marches with purpose back home. Not willing to wait for slow public housing elevators, he treks up sixteen flights of stairs. Finally reaching his apartment. He pushes the door open, but nearly falls in as the door was already unlocked.)
Robbie: …
(This confounds him as he doesn't recall leaving it this way. His resolve suddenly evaporates and is replaced with ominous chill running down his spine. His eyes dart around his home. It's silent. Too silent. Someone else is here.)
Robbie: Hello?
(He's met with only an echo. It brings him no solace. His feet suddenly feel plastered to the ground with unease. He finds a bat on the ground and manages to go over and pick it up. He pushes open the bathroom door, then Kat and Tanya's door. Nothing. Finally, he enters his room. It's empty. Laying the bat down, he opens his drawers and starts rooting through them looking for something.)
Robbie: …
(He rips through every drawer, frustrated. Coming up empty. He gets through the bottom drawer, and finds only a photo.)
Robbie: …
(He stops for a moment and studies this picture. It was taken after his 16th birthday when the team threw him a surprise party. Despite every effort to push them away, they've always embraced him. The image eats at his soul as he sits back down on his bed. He feels something underneath and pulls out the flyer to the armed forces, which he angrily throws across the room.)
"My father left me, a disgraced deadbeat, when I needed him the most. He found personal redemption in the military. It cost him his life."
Robbie: …
(He looks back down at the photo. Thinking he may never see them again, he addresses the photo, looking into everybody's eyes.)
"I'd be so lucky right now to be redeemed."
(Suddenly, his heart skips a beat as he hears a familiar tune; his communicator rings.)
Robbie: (Gasps) …!
(He follows the sound and opens up the top drawer. There, he finds his communicator, next to his Zeonizer. He quickly grabs the communicator and answers the call.)
Robbie: Hello!? Robbie here. Come in!
(He gets no response.)
Robbie: Hello? Robbie here? Is somebody there?
(He's met with static. A low pitch voice calls out, but is completely indistinguishable. Still, getting enough confirmation that there is somebody out there, he grabs his morpher and heads toward the door. He then stops, and thinks it better to simply teleport away. A few short seconds later, somebody enters.)
Tanya: Robbie, you in here? I have a peace offering. Thinking you and I can grab some pizza at Ernie's.
("Tanya" enters his room with the bouquet of flowers. A displeased grimace comes across her face.)
Tanya: Damn.
(Just behind her, Goldar follows.)
Goldar: What do we do now?
Tanya: We wait.
(As Robbie travels to the power chamber, thoughts of that previous visit come back to him.)
Zordon: Thank you, Robbie. Thank you for your service and your sacrifice throughout the years.
Robbie: Thanks. And… thank… you. For everything. For four years… you've been like a father to me. Hell, you've been more of a parent than any parent I've had. I just wanted to make clear… that I appreciate everything you've done for me. (Gulps) And I'm sorry.
Zordon: What do you need to apologize for?
Robbie: For ditching.
(He takes another deep breath.)
Robbie: Being named leader of the team… was the biggest honor in my life. It meant the world just that you thought I could handle it. It just… came at a time when I… when everything…
Zordon: You do not need to apologize to me. You have not disappointed me. On the contrary, I could not be more proud of you and all the progress you have made over the years.
Robbie: Yeah?
Zordon: Roberto, when you came to me four years ago, you were an angry teenager, mad at the world. Mad at the injustices in the world. Yet outwardly, you faced it with indifference. Today, you leave my tutelage a caring, empathetic man who would put his life on the line for those he cares about. I am sad to hear your resignation but I had no doubt in my mind that if it truly came down to it, you would still be there.
(The words affect Robbie deep into his soul. Although he doesn't verbalize a response.)
Zordon: The Robbie of four years ago would not be apologizing to me right now. He wouldn't have made a fine leader of this team that I know you would have been. Being able to you grow before my eyes, and to play a small role in that, is one of my proudest accomplishments.
Robbie: Wow. Thank you… thank you Zordon.
Zordon: I understand you are facing great uncertainty in your life. And I know some parts of your future may look bleak, but always remember: Not all who wander are lost.
Robbie: …
(He nods. Then turns to give Alpha a hug.)
Robbie: I-I should go. Goodbye. Here, (Hands over Zeonizer and communicator) take this.
Zordon: Keep it. You never know when you might need it again.
(Robbie slowly nods, then heads for the exit. In the present time, he enters through that very same entrance only to be immediately smacked in the face with fumes that quickly fill his lungs.)
Robbie: (Coughs violently)...
(Perplexed and worried, he waves his hands in front of him to try and navigate a path in front of him.)
Robbie: What's happened here?! What's going on?
(He isn't met with a reply, which only troubles him further.)
Robbie: Alpha? Zordon? Anybody?
(The ominous feeling growing deep in his stomach returns the longer goes without a reply. Finally hits the examination table. He feels somebody there, but they're covered by a black sheet. He reaches for the end and slowly pulls it over.)
Robbie: Alpha?
(Alpha lays atop lifeless atop the examination table and looks as if he was placed there. There's no resistance to any movement of his body as Robbie tries to awaken him. It looks as though he's pushing an inanimate object. Robbie's heart begins to sink as the apparent becomes more and more obvious.)
Robbie: Alpha...? Alpha wake up! Alpha, please... wake up...
(He calls out his name, but he won't be met with a response. His desperate cries grow futile. Alpha was no longer with him.)
Robbie: …
(Robbie's blood begins to rise. His fists balling up tightly. His grief turns to anger, then rage.)
"Whoever is doing this, whoever is targeting my friends, they will regret the day they left me behind. If the Empire is behind this, then the Empire is as good as finished."
(Suddenly, a rusting sound is heard from within the room. It becomes clear that somebody's back there, and they didn't want to be found.)
"Sad day for you."
(Robbie looks around and finds a discarded wrench on the floor. He picks it up and starts to bellow out aggressively.)
Robbie: Who's back there? Reveal yourself, now!
(He's met with no reply, which only makes him angrier.)
"I won't fall for any of the Empire's tricks. And if I have to bash in the head of some imposter disguised as my friend then that's what's gonna happen. No one plays tricks on me."
(He slams the wrench against the counter, as if firing a warning shot.)
Robbie: Show yourself, coward! Own up to what you've done.
(He makes his way around the corner of the console, ready to bludgeon in whomever is on the other side. His arm raised and his eyes bulging, when somebody finally stands...)
Trini: (Arms raised) ...
(It's Trini. And she seems equally bewildered to see him here. Then relieved.)
Trini: Robbie? Thank goodness you're okay.
(She runs toward him and nearly jumps on him with a tight hug. Robbie reciprocates, but visibly looks to be struggling to make sense of this.)
Robbie: Trini, what's going on here? What happened to the power chamber? Alpha... he's...
Trini: Gone Robbie. (Sniffs) Alpha's gone. And it's all my fault.
Robbie: What?!
(She collapses onto the floor, bawling into her knees. Robbie hasn't any idea what she means by that. "What happened?" he thinks. If she's responsible for this, why would she admit it? Is this even really Trini?)
Robbie: …
"If this is a trick by the Empire, it's a good trick."
(Meanwhile…)
Rita: What?! What do you mean you can't make it?!
(From inside the palace, Rita communicates with her father from the Empire's communication orb.)
Master Vile: (Sighs) Yes. Sorry kitten. I've got this... really big work thing. A conference I've got to be at in another galaxy.
Rita: Which galaxy?
Master Vile: Oh, you've never heard of it. It's a fly-over galaxy; no place exciting really. Strictly business.
Rita: I thought you were retired.
Master Vile: Yes. It's actually a... medical thing darling. I lied. I didn't want to worry you. You see, I'm dying, kitten...
Rita: I don't believe this. I'm finally gonna get my big moment and my father's a no-show. This is just like all those dance recitals you missed.
Master Vile: Now, now. I'm sure it won't be half a brutal as those were.
Rita: ...
Master Vile: Cheer up. I'll buy you something nice afterwards, yes? Gotta go. Kisses.
(He disconnects. A defeated Zedd enters.)
Rita: My dad's not coming.
Lord Zedd: Well at least there's some good news in all this.
Rita: What's that supposed to mean?
Lord Zedd: I just called most of the alliance. Nothing but excuses.
Rita: So nobody's coming?
Lord Zedd: I bunch of stammering maybes. Some guy named Slob Goblin said he's coming, though I'm pretty sure it's a fake name.
Rita: What about Dark Specter? Did you try his secretary?
Lord Zedd: She laughed at me. Apparently a planet's not considered conquered until it's (air quotes) "actually conquered."
Rita: (Huffs) I never liked her anyway. Hasn't she ever heard of a sure thing?
Lord Zedd: I don't know. Have we really become the intergalactic joke of the Alliance? I mean, do you think perhaps our time has come and gone?
Rita: Nonsense. We hit a rough patch, sure. But so did Napoleon when he conquered earth.
Lord Zedd: We also weren't Dark Specter's pet like he was.
Rita: Don't worry. They'll be here, if they all know what's good for them. This will be the start of something big. And after our big bash, no one will take us for granted again!
(Just outside, the parking lot to the Youth Center has been repurposed. With a large stage at the center, surrounded by fancy tables and seat. In the midst of it all, though Finster scrambles to corral both Rita and Zedd's monsters to help get everything together.)
Finster: Oh my, this is utter chaos. There's no way we'll be ready in time. And who put the pig in charge of catering?! Oh my...
Archerina: Is it done?
(As he passes by, Archerina is seen addressing Rito.)
Rito: (Salutes) Yes ma'am. The Alien Rangers and the gold ranger were taken care of.
Archerina: And their powers? Have they been extracted?
Rito: Have they been what?
Archerina: Extracted.
(He scratches his head.)
Archerina: Did you take their powers?
Rito: Oh, kinda hard to do that when you're flying away in a spacecraft.
Archerina: You mean you didn't confirm their deaths?
Rito: Uh. I mean. I'm sure they're dead. You should've seen their ship go down. Nobody survives a drop like that. I mean unless they teleported out of there or something.
Archerina: ...
(Archerina doesn't move a muscle. She just stares daggers into him, which with the cracked eye and frayed, exposed wiring is quite unsettling.)
Rito: You okay? You don't look so hot.
Archerina: ...
Rito: Uh, I mean you're beautiful. Sexy even.
Archerina: ...
Rito: In a Hentai school girl way. But the weird kind.
(Finally, she reaches over and grabs him by the throat.)
Archerina: You better listen up. Put away the joke book and go back to the crash site. Do not return here until you've seen six bodies and I have their powers. Do I make myself clear?!
Rito: (Gagging) Crystal...
Archerina: So help you if you fail me, I will crush your bony neck where you stand. Do you hear me?!
(She shoves him backwards. He stumbles to the ground.)
Rito: Loud and clear...
(He gets up and runs off. Everyone around them looks taken aback, but pretends to go back to work as if nothing happened. Unfazed, Archerina looks off into the distance and speak to herself.)
Archerina: I will not fail you love. Not again.
(Back at the power chamber, Robbie attempts to comfort Trini, but still needs to know who he's dealing with.)
Robbie: Okay, sweetie... listen to me. I know this sounds strange, but I saw some things go on today. And I need to know it's really you.
Trini: ...
Robbie: I'm gonna ask you some questions. That only you know. Trini, what's my last name?
Trini: ...Clemente?
Robbie: Where was our first date?
(She hesitates, which worries him.)
Robbie: Trini?
Trini: (Sniffs) That depends. Technically, we our first date before we started dating. Atop the StegaZord.
(He looks to be relieved, but still isn't sure.)
Robbie: Okay, and what country am I from?
(She exhales.)
Trini: What country am I from?
Robbie: ...
(He sits beside her.)
Robbie: Guess I'll take your word for it.
(He puts his arms around her consolingly.)
Robbie: So what happened here? How is this your fault?
Trini: Well (Sniffs), it started two days ago…
(Cue to a flashback of just a couple of days ago. Following Robbie's big blow up with Tommy, he decides to run after him to make things right. Trini gets up too and locks the door behind him. She turns around to address the last customer still seated.)
Trini: Ma'am, we're about to close up.
(The woman looks up at her. Then slowly gets up from her seat.)
Woman: But I know what I want now.
(Without saying another word, her skin slowly starts to peel back and her hair recedes into her head. Revealing a dis-repaired Archerina. A blade, her late husband's, appears in hand.)
Trini: …
"Archerina appeared. She'd shapeshifted to disguise herself. She was there all along. She wasn't alone either."
(Beside Archerina, Goldar appears on cue.)
Trini: (Gasps)...! Goldar?! But I... I don't understand…
(Unable to grasp in the moment how one of Rita's henchmen is working alongside the Empire, Trini instead flies into defensive mode. She throws a chest high kick at Archerina, who barely flinches.)
Archerina: How cute.
(She grabs Trini by the throat and easily picks her up as she's pinned to the wall.)
Archerina: Your grade school kicks may have worked on the putty patrollers, yellow ranger. But I have the power of every friend you've ever made.
Trini: …
Archerina: I could end your life my merely willing it to happen.
(Trini gags and gasps for breath. Her legs flailing in the air.)
Archerina: But instead, I offer you a proposition. I've been watching you Trini Kwan. And I must say I admire your work. Your dedication to peace and love. Admirable. Join me.
Trini: ...
Archerina: Together we can make your life's work a reality. We can achieve the peace you strove for in Switzerland. Before it was ripped away by Mondo's brutish attack. We can get even with him. We can end the Empire's reign once and for all, so you don't have to live in fear. We can end the need for power rangers and give you your happily ever after. Isn't that what you want?
Trini: (Gagging) What's your catch?
(While still suspending Trini in midair, she leans her face in, and quiets her voice.)
Archerina: I need you to kill Robbie. He needs to pay for what he's taken from me. I don't care about the others. They're leverage. Do this for me, and I let the others free. And you get your wish of world peace.
Trini: …
Archerina: You've let him go once to achieve the greater good. Do it again.
(Trini grows still, no longer flailing her limbs. Archerina slowly puts her back down, in the hopes that she'll consider her offer. Instead, without hesitation, Trini spits in her face.)
Archerina: ...
Trini: Did you really think I would accept that?
(Without moving an inch, even to wipe her face, Archerina replies.)
Archerina: I did, actually.
(With sheer mental will, Trini is lifted from her feet and thrown over the counter without Archerina lifting a finger. Trini slams against the stocked shelves then falls to the unprotected concrete floor with everything falling on top of her.)
Goldar: Impressive, I must say, madam.
Trini: Ahhh!
Archerina: Quick sucking up and bring her to me.
Goldar: Yes madam. Of course.
(Trini writhes in agony upon impact, but knows she can't stay in the home spot for long. Clearly outmatched, she tries to drag herself out of view.)
Archerina: Suit yourself, Mrs. Clemente. I'd simply planned to use you to send a message to my true target. But how I accomplish that is irrelevant to me.
Trini: ...
Archerina: You chose your ultimate fate, yellow ranger. Remember that.
(Trini manages to drag herself behind a milk fridge and cowers for dear life. Her heart racing as she knows her efforts are futile, but her instincts have taken over.)
Goldar: Come out come out wherever you are? The service in this restaurant is really lacking. Hehehe.
Trini: ...
(She tries to control her breathing in the desperate hope that he'll pass her by, though she braces for the very worst. It grows silent. Trini doesn't make a move, too afraid to even open her eyes. Finally, she does. And she's met eye to eye.)
Billy: Trini?
Trini: AHH! Wha- Billy?!
(Billy sticks his head into the crevasse. A look of concern in his eyes.)
Trini: What... what are you doing here? I mean, (Exhales) thank goodness...
Billy: I was in town. I saw you were in danger. I must've scared them off. You're safe now come out. We need to tell Zordon and make sure the others are safe.
(He offers his hand. Relieved, she's reaches out to accept it. That is until she realizes...)
Trini: Wait.
Billy: ...?
Trini: The doors locked.
Billy: GET OVER HERE.
(He reaches inside and tries to yank her out by the collar. She lets out a horrified shriek and sinks herself further and further against the back wall in a futile attempt to stay away. That is until...)
Goldar: Uh, Archerina... we have company!
Billy: Huh?
(Robbie appears at the front door. A look of panic in his eyes, but for totally different reasons. He takes a look inside and finds that the store appears closed. Confused, but not questioning it, he leaves. Behind the counter, Trini remains sunken behind the milk fridge, hyperventilating. Back to the present.)
Trini: If you hadn't shown up, I'd...
(Robbie wraps his arms around his visibly shaking fiancé.)
Robbie: It's okay. You're safe.
Trini: We're not. And the other's. They aren't. This is my fault. I could've stopped her.
Archerina: There's no way you could've fought her off on your own.
Trini: But I... I could've said something. I could've told Zordon and Alpha. I could've told you. And instead…
Robbie: Why didn't you?
Trini: I... I just wanted it to be over. I wanted so hard for it to just be a bad dream. I just wanted a normal life again. But with you. Without fear of losing…
(She doesn't complete the statement, likely because she hates how she sounds saying it.)
Trini: I was so stupid. And selfish. And I was only fooling myself.
Robbie: …
"I'd beat her up over this, if the story didn't sound so familiar."
Robbie: That's why you volunteered to help out here. You felt guilty.
(She again covers her face.)
Trini: I thought I'd summon the courage at some point to speak up. Tell them what I knew.
(He looks around the room. Something still doesn't add up here.)
Robbie: But wait... if you didn't destroy the power chamber. Who did?
(It then hits him. There was somebody else in this room when he last left it.)
Robbie: Jason!
(Cue to another flashback to just a few hours ago. Tommy was in danger as every monster Zedd and Rita had ever been responsible for had risen from the dead to attack Angel Grove. Trini, in a misdirected act of boldness was determined to do something to help.)
Trini: Where's my morpher? I have to go down there and help.
Zordon: Trini, you only put your own life in danger if you go down there. I must insist that you stand down. You will not survive if you attempt to morph again.
Trini: Then I'll go without it.
(She storms out dramatically through the back. She heads for the main entrance through the dark hallways, but takes three steps before stopping and coming to the realization that she's totally helpless.)
Trini: I can't go out there… What am I thinking…?
(For a fleeting moment, she thinks, it felt good being a hero again. Something catches her attention back in the main room, as several loud banging noises and sounds of a struggle draw her back in.)
Trini: (Gasps) Oh my God! What's happening?!
(She watches in horror as the power chamber has quickly erupted into flames before her eyes. The control panels have been ripped apart and tools thrown everywhere. The culprit was currently pinning down Alpha.)
Trini: Jason! What are you doing?! Let go of him!
(He ruthlessly rips off Alpha's back cover, yanks out his motherboard. He drops it to the floor. And before she can react, he's already begun stomping away at it, destroying the core of Alpha's being. He never breaks eye contact with Trini. Zordon's voice begins to cut in and out. Horrified she tries to spring into action. Zordon's voice cuts in and out as he pleads with Trini not to interfere.)
Zordon: Trini. You (inaudible) leave this instant. Protect Robbie. This must be the work of (inaudible). He (inaudible) grave danger. He is our only hope. Protect him at all costs.
(Alpha drops to a knee, Trini can only look on in stunned silence.)
Alpha: Trini! Trini help me. Heeeeeeeeeeelp meeeeeeeeee!
(Alpha's words turn incoherent. His chest suddenly and spontaneously combusts. He drops to the floor, lifeless. Back to the present...)
Trini: I saw it happen. I saw Jason take Alpha…
Robbie: It wasn't Jason.
Trini: I left to look for you. But... I couldn't find you. I was worried you were... you were... So I came back here. To try and bring Zordon back. But I can't even do tha-
"R-rangers!"
Robbie: Zordon!
(They both shoot up.)
Zordon: It is good to (inaudible). Thank you for your assistance, Trini.
Trini: Hang on, let me see if I can fix the audio.
(She messes around with the dashboard. Moments later...)
Zordon: Thank you, Trini. Much better. Robbie, I can attest that Trini is indeed telling the truth. This is the work of Archerina. I should have seen the warning signs. Thankfully, Jason, or whomever was disguised as Jason, merely cut off my feed. Allowing me time to do some research during my time away from your dimension.
Trini: What do you know about her?
Zordon: Strikingly very little. She is not, nor has she ever been registered under the United Alliance, nor do I see any land that belongs to her or many articles with her name. Archerina claims to be Royalty from the "Rosebud Galaxy." However no record of such a place exists.
Trini: Hmm.
Robbie: And these articles?
Zordon: Mention her in mere passing. Mainly due to some relatively high profile relationship she was in. What is funny, is that upon record of these relationships ending, many of her former lovers decide to "flee" to another galaxy. Only to never be heard from again. Many around them, such as family members or new lovers also meet an untimely end.
Trini: That's weird.
Zordon: It isn't. This paints the picture of a master sleuth. And a very dangerous woman. What she is doing now appears well within her wheelhouse. I am afraid the others are in mortal danger, if the same fate hasn't already befallen them that has befallen...
(They bother slowly turn toward the examination table.)
Robbie: I get it.
Trini: Is there anything that can be done to save him? I've tried everything.
Zordon: No Trini. He is gone. It pains me deeply to say this. But once his core is irreparably damaged, he is cannot be restored to the Alpha 5 we knew.
Robbie: She is gonna pay for this.
Trini: Robbie...
(He expected trepidation from Trini. He tries to remain measured in his reply.)
Robbie: Trini. I need a moment, alone with Zordon. Please.
(While becoming increasingly nervous, she understands the situation and has to put her personal demons aside. She slowly walks over, takes her husband to be hands, softly kisses him on the cheek and steps outside. Once she leaves, he turns to Zordon. His fists balled.)
Robbie: Zordon, I just need you to point me in the right direction. Tell me how to get inside the palace, tell me how to rescue my friends and give me whatever weapon or tool I need to kill Archerina. She's played her last con game. She messed with the wrong planet.
Zordon: I understand how you may be feeling, Robbie. But a situation like this requires a more thoughtful, and less emotional approach.
Robbie: I'm not looking for a lecture. I have one singular reason for standing here right now.
Zordon: I understand. However, I cannot send you out there without a clear mind and a plan. And I sense great distress in your heart.
(Robbie replies, with clenched teeth.)
Robbie: Zordon, if I was here, none of this would've happened. Alpha would still be alive. I would've caught on right away something was wrong, and we could've stopped it together. This… this is on me. And I'm gonna make it right. If it's the last thing I do.
Zordon: I hear you, but I must implore you, do not fall down the pit of guilt and despair. Do not let your emotions cause you to do something reckless that endangers your own life.
Robbie: But Zordon, they're my friends. They have to be okay. They just have to be.
(Once again, tears begin to fall again. He becomes frustrated with his own vulnerability, but he continues; cracked voice and all.)
Robbie: If anything happens to them, I just can't live with myself. I'll do whatever it takes. They just need to be okay.
"I was serious. I was willing to die if that's what it took."
Robbie: I can't live with that on my conscience otherwise.
Zordon: Listen to me, Roberto. What happened to the team is not your fault. What happened to Alpha is not your fault. What happened to Zachary is not your fault. You are not solely responsible for everyone's well-being for the rest of their lives. Being a ranger is not a prison sentence. You are allowed to pursue your dreams.
Robbie: …
Zordon: What I do not want is for you to willingly throw your life away, because of some misguided idea that it's the honorable way to redeem yourself for what has happened. We will find a way together to retrieve your friends. But do not minimize yourself and what you mean to others. You have a lot more to live for than you may understand. One of those reasons just left this room.
(He turns toward the door. He concedes in a quieted whisper.)
Robbie: So what's the plan?
Zordon: Let us reconvene in the morning. I must think about this carefully. And I will try and aid you with as many resources as I can.
Robbie: Thank you. I- won't let you down.
Zordon: You never have.
(He walks out. As the passion of his diatribe fades, he walks outside and is met eagerly by Trini.)
Trini: Robbie... what's happening?
Robbie: I'm going in. I have to rescue them.
(She bites her lip worryingly, but doesn't reply.)
Robbie: Look, I know you wanted this to be over. I did too. I mean, I do.
Trini: ...
Robbie: But we can't get that, not until Archerina is taken care of. She won't let us have that. She's specifically targeting me. And she'll continue to hunt us down. She'll hurt everyone I care about. And if she hurts the others... I won...
Trini: She won't.
Robbie: …
Trini: We'll see to it.
"We'll?"
(She nods.)
Robbie: No. Trini, I can't let you do that. This is way too dangerous. And you don't have any powers. This is my mess to fix. And I'm gonna fix it. But if something happens to you…
(He stops, unwilling to even fathom the thought.)
Robbie: Trini, I gotta be real, the odds me getting in there, succeeding and getting out alive are not in my favor.
Trini: Correction, they're not in our favor. Robbie, I'll follow you to the moon if I have to.
Robbie: ...
Trini: This isn't just your story. You and I have travelled this road together. They're my friends too. We both share this burden. I have to see this wrong made right. And I have to stand by your side till the end. As your wife.
(Without saying another word, he slowly inches toward her, and hugs her lovingly.)
"I was wrong about my family. I have the best damn family anyone could ever ask for. And now more than ever, I have to do this. I will succeed. And I will survive."
Robbie: …
"And, here we are. The last chapter in my story."
(Back in the present, Robbie looks off and studies what's before him, where the palace pierces an otherwise empty, dimming skyline.)
"And hopefully, the start of ours…"
(He's shortly joined after by Trini, who walks up beside him and sits down next to him. She turns his attention away from the palace and instead toward the bright orange sunset to the east.)
Trini: Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?
(He looks at it briefly, then turns to look her in the eyes.)
Robbie: I have.
(She smiles. Then leans her head on his shoulder.)
Trini: What have you been thinking about this whole time?
Robbie: About what's in store for us. After graduation.
Trini: ...
Robbie: You?
Trini: I'm planning a wedding!
(He grins.)
Robbie: When you're doing seating arrangements, make sure you put the guys down on my side. I'll seem pretty light otherwise.
Trini: Sure thing.
(They look off together silently. Enjoying the last bit of serenity before morning.)
Robbie: Can you believe it's all gonna come down to this?
Trini: What do you mean?
Robbie: I mean everything's coming down to the two of us. The most unlikely of the rangers to be the last two standing in the end; with the while world on their shoulders.
Trini: ...
Robbie: I mean I doubt many people will even know I existed in twenty years. I don't have the big showy personality of a guy like Tommy or Jason. Neither of us will likely be fawned over in the future as "ranger legends." We never got much shine, we never got cool shields...
Trini: "We never got a cool theme..."
Robbie: I was gonna get to that, yes.
Trini: (Snickers) You're never gonna let that go, are you?
Robbie: Hey, I don't see Tommy sitting on this hill. What good is his theme doing him now?
(She laughs.)
Trini: Well, I'm satisfied with the career I had as a ranger. I helped a lot of people. I made some great friends.
(She tugs at his arm pointedly.)
Trini: And I met the love of my life.
Robbie: Sadly he started dating your cousin so you had to settle for me instead.
Trini: Robbie...
(She nudges him softly, as if to say "knock it off." She continues.)
Trini: And as for being remembered as a legend. Well, in twenty years, let's ask your friends if they remember what you're about to do for them. That should be enough.
Robbie: It is.
(The two say nothing else, as they continue to enjoy each other's company in a warm embrace. With the unsightly tower in their peripherals, they instead choose to look at the beautiful sunset directly in front of them.)
"I will not lie to you, Robbie..."
(The next morning…)
Zordon: …for what you are attempting, in the face of what you're attempting, you are facing long odds. Nearly impossible perhaps, but it is not completely without hope.
(Inside a disheveled, but operating power chamber, Zordon gives one final briefing to his last remaining ranger, who is heard but remains off camera.)
Zordon: I conducted some power readings of the person posing as Jason. If this was indeed Archerina, then she is dangerously unstable. The Zeo Crystals of earth were not meant for her physiology and she has five of them surging through her wires.
Robbie: Which means she's a ticking time bomb.
Zordon: Correct. She is, without question, the most powerful enemy we've ever faced to date. But if you are somehow able to draw out a long battle, she will begin to crack. It isn't much, and is hoping for a lot, but it is your best window to potentially stop her.
Robbie: (Nods) That's all I need.
Zordon: It is strangely short sighted of her to horde these power crystals. I doubt even Mondo would attempt such a thing. I do not know if she isn't aware of the possible consequences, or if she does not care and has no plan to live much longer.
Robbie: Well, I can help her with the latter.
Zordon: Should she be destroyed, the Zeo powers will be gone with it; including yours. You will need to evacuate once this starts, as this will trigger a seismic implosion; similar to the Zeo purge. Anyone in this vicinity will be wiped out.
Robbie: Understood.
(He turns to leave, but Zordon isn't finished.)
Zordon: Good luck Robbie. Your courage in the face of adversity is truly admirable. Now more than ever, may the power protect you.
(He takes a second to let the phrase sink in, before he turns to leave.)
Robbie: Thank you Zordon. For everything.
Zordon: And whatever happens out there, know that you are not alone.
Robbie: I know. I have you looking over me.
Zordon: That is not what I mean.
Robbie: ...
(Back in Angel Grove, where the Youth Center used to be…)
Lord Zedd: Where is everybody? Ceremonies starting.
Rita: They're probably stuck in traffic.
Lord Zedd: In outer space? Don't be a fool. They're clearly ditching us. And why shouldn't they, look at us! We're a clown car of rejects.
(He points around the parking lot, where Pudgy Pig in a bowtie is currently wrecking the buffet he helped set up. Magnet Brain is inadvertently pulling in several cogs as he moves about. And the Eye Guy is on the ground, feeling around for a large pair of glasses just out of reach.)
Lord Zedd: These monsters aren't deadly tools of terror. Scooby Doo wouldn't be scared of them.
(Passing by is Photomare, whose acting as the photographer for the event. Until she trips and falls; exploding on impact.)
Finster: (Distressed) Oh my, the help is getting thinner by the minute.
Lord Zedd: The Alliance doesn't take us seriously, and honestly. What's the point of all of this? I mean, what do we really want with the earth?
Rita: To conquer it?
Lord Zedd: I get that. But why?
(She thinks about it.)
Rita: Oh my god. Are we just stupid cartoon villains?
Lord Zedd: Indeed we are.
(While Zedd and Rita have an existential crisis, we find Trini hiding in plain sight within the crowd. She reaches for an earpiece.)
Trini: I'm in position. Incognito.
"Great."
Trini: What's your status?
"In position."
Trini: Good. Remember. You are here for extraction. Only on my command.
"Roger."
"By the way, do you have a name?"
Trini: I am Charlee, Empress of Nam.
(Pan back to reveal that she is in a full on pseudo dominatrix outfit. Adorned with chains and a small pistol in her hand.)
Skull: No, I mean do you have a name for the baby? That is the reason why you're engaged, right?
(Cut to reveal that she's communicating with Bulk and Skull, from inside a stakeout van in the distance.)
Trini: No. Logging off.
Skull: How about Rex? Angus? T-bone?
(Trini wanders about, trying to blend in. Her attention shortly turns to a side door however. She thinks to get a jump start in her retrieval and approaches the door guarded by a single monster; a giant rubber ball with arms, legs and sunglasses.)
Trini: Excuse me. I need to use the bathroom.
Bouncer: …
Trini: Hello?
Bouncer: Go behind the tree.
Trini: Uh. I kinda need some privacy. I'm a girl.
Bouncer: The Lipstick didn't have any issues.
Trini: Come on. This is serious. I'm gonna explode.
Bouncer: The you can join the rest of Finster's monsters.
Trini: …
(Meanwhile…)
Skull: …Buddy, Spike. Precious is good too. For a girl.
Bulk: She's logged off. And it's a baby, dimwit. Not a dog. They'll probably name it after a family member or something.
Skull: Those were family names…
Bulk: Just keep your yap shut and pay attention. We're just here to stall until the power rangers arrive. Once they create a diversion, Trini will go inside and rescue the dweebs. So just be quiet and wait for the cue.
Skull: Right. Robbie's gonna be so peeved that he's missing out on this.
Bulk: Or that we've actually found them and he'll have to pay us the full amount of our fee.
(Something catches Bulk's attention on the screen in front of him.)
Bulk: Hang on. Our frequencies are getting scrambled. We've got noise.
"I need everybody's attention, now!"
(Amidst the chaos, Goldar takes the stage. Confounding Zedd and Rita.)
Rita: What? What is he doing?
Goldar: I have an announcement to make. I wanted to make this announcement in front of the entire United Alliance, but it seems they're smart enough to stay away from any disaster Zedd and Rita cook up.
Lord Zedd: Get off the stage!
Rita: Boooooooo!
Goldar: I have had an enlightening. For years I've followed orders from two bozos who couldn't run an Applebee's. I listened, blindly, to order after order for a senseless and directionless regime. I swallowed my pride and my better judgement. All the while they stole everything that mattered to me.
Trini: …
(Trini, captivated by this exchange, momentarily stops what she's doing and turns toward the stage.)
Goldar: I listened to my heart then my wife Scorpina might still be alive. Instead she was nothing but a pawn in the hand of the worst Chess players in intergalactic space.
Lord Zedd: You're like a broken record, Goldar.
Rita: Yeah. And I'd avoid biting the hand that feeds you. You work for us.
Goldar: Then consider this my resignation.
Lord Zedd: Again with this? Doesn't he do this like every year?
Goldar: My true motives now are to avenge those who have taken away from me what I love. One by one.
Trini: …
(Trini continues to look on, until Goldar slowly turns, and points directly at her.)
Goldar: Starting with you.
(Stunned, Trini's heart skips a beat as she realizes her disguise isn't fooling anyone and that she is in a space with every monster she's ever created. She's tapped on the shoulder. She turns around and is instantly struck with a blunt object, taking her out. In a haze before she goes dark, she looks up to see the Bouncer, turning into Archerina. She's holding her husband's blade.)
Archerina: …
(Moments later, she awakens.)
"Nam. Do you really think I'm stupid?"
(Trini rubs her head as she tries to reorient herself. She rises to a knee and finds that she's been placed at the center of the stage. She's surrounded by an audience of monsters effectively a barricade to her escape. Archerina looks straight across from her. A chilling expressionless stare.)
Archerina: Big man to throw his girl in harm's way. Guess you didn't mean so much to him.
Robbie: You don't know a thing about him.
(Archerina cracks a small grin, and looks to take a deep breath before a metamorphosis begins. She changes shape right before Trini's eyes.)
Katherine: No, but I do.
Trini: (Gasps) …
(She changes again.)
Tanya: I do too.
(She changes again.)
Kimberly: I consoled him when you broke his heart.
Trini: You too?! They got you too?!
Kimberly: (Twiddles fingers) You know, Robbie says you were always threatened by me. "Everybody loved the white girl," huh?
(And she changes again…)
Billy: Except, you know that's not true. I… um…
Trini: Billy… (Turns away) Archerina, stop this. Show yourself.
Billy: I- but I stepped aside so you can have each other. Because I knew he made you happy.
(And again…)
Aisha: I could never measure up to you. So I became the object of ridicule. I just wanted to fit in. I just wanted to help people, you know?
Trini: …
(And again…)
Tommy: I saw him grow into a leader. Which he only did when you left. When you stopped holding him back.
Trini: This isn't real. None of them are actually saying this.
(And again…)
Adam: Then I saw him throw it all away. When you came back.
(And again…)
Rocky: Do we not matter? Were we just props in your love story? What about us? You knew were in trouble and you stalled. You wanted us out of the way.
Trini: Stop it! You're none of these people.
Rocky: I'm all of these people. I'm all of their anger and disappointment. Their heartache and suffering. I share all of their feelings and oh, there are many. You will face them as they exact revenge for what you've done.
Trini: I'm sorry! I let each of you down.
(She morphs once more…)
Jason: Sorry isn't good enough.
("Jason" marches over and grabs her by the throat.)
Jason: You will pay for what you've done to us. And with your spilled blood, he will pay for what he's done to me. You will die for his cowardice!
(In a swift motion, "Jason's" arms swing back as Gasket's blade materializes, he then points it directly into her abdomen and motions to finish her without hesitation. That's when…)
Jason: Huh?!
(A loud, unexpected mushroom cloud builds directly to their right in the crowd, the explosions spread to the right and then to the left of the original blast, which clears out several rows of monsters. Stunned, Archerina puts Trini down, who immediately scurries away. She morphs back to her original form.)
Archerina: What's going on?! Finster, what is wrong with your monster?!
(The answer soon becomes apparent. The remaining monsters on that side step away, clearing the path forward for a team of party crashers...)
Archerina: What?! Alien rangers?! Gold ranger?!
Trey: And that's not all.
(Then they step aside, down the middle, as a seventh figure enters. Without a clear view of who it is, the person walks down past the rangers and past any monsters without a care of what they could do. The person then walks on stage. And stares down a stunned and visibly shaken Archerina.)
Robbie: You wanted me, Archerina. You've got me.
(It's the brown ranger, here for one last battle.)
Robbie: But you should really be careful what you wish for. Cause you're about to get it.
Archerina: ...
(He strikes his signature pose as part one concludes.)
Robbie: Zeo Zero, Brown!
To Be Continued
"Go brown ranger, go go!"