Prologue - End of Watch
"No!"
His breathing was heavy. Sweat beaded around his forehead, slowly trickling down and mixing with the traces of blood that dotted his face. Vision in his right eye was slightly blurred. He watched in horror as the sight before him unfolded.
The Command Center.
The stone building hidden in the deserts outside of Angel Grove had been their home for the last two years. What stood there now sent a chill down his spine.
The sound of the explosion had ripped through the air minutes ago, leaving a faint ringing in his ears. The Command Center was now piles of rubble. Small fires had erupted across the ground, slowly burning what remained of their computers. Had Zordon and Alpha made it out before the blast? There was no way for him to know. Not now.
Tommy Oliver inhaled sharply through his nose. His white suit was torn, revealing his battered skin beneath it. The faceshield of his helmet was cracked on the right side, revealing a deep cut under his right eye. The shield of the White Ranger suit was cracked down the center, the emblem of the tiger cracked in half.
He was all that was left.
Jason, Zack, Billy, Trini, Kim. They were all gone. Their bodies were sprawled across the battlefield. Just the through of this brought the sting of tears back to his eyes.
Lord Zedd had gone berserk. Part of it had to do with the return of Rita Repulsa. With the two of them combining their forces, the rangers didn't stand much of a chance. Days ago, he had launched an all-out onslaught on the planet Earth. The Thunderzords were the first to fall. Pieces of the giant metal beasts were now scattered. Soon after the zords fell, it wasn't long before the rangers were picked off one by one.
"You must gather the coins," Zordon had said to him just before the bomb went off. "Gather the coins and hide them. Zedd mustn't find them."
His own Power Coin was too badly damaged. He knew that. He felt the sting against his chest as his shield began to crackle, fading in and out around him. He didn't have much time left. He needed to act fast.
Just one left.
His left hand closed tight around the four coins he already possessed. Taking them from the fallen bodies of his friends, that had been hard. This one, however, was going to be the hardest. That he knew would be. He felt a knot tie tightly in his stomach.
His eyes fell on her. Just as beautiful as the day they met, even now in death. He couldn't fight it any longer. Tears streamed down his face.
"Kim, I'm so sorry."
The Pink Ranger looked almost as if she had been sleeping. Her glazed over eyes and the deep slash across her throat told another story. Tommy closed his eyes and turned his head, trying to get the image from his brain.
Goldar was holding her off the ground by her wrist. Kim's cries were filling the air as Tommy ran towards her. He was too late, however, as Goldar pressed his blade to her throat and slid it across. Her body went limp before it hit the ground.
That image would be burned into Tommy's brain for the remainder of his life. However short that might be.
His shield crackled against his body once more, forcing him back to the present moment. His heart ached as his eyes fell upon her body once more. He felt his entire body tense up as he knelt down beside her. He took in a deep breath and reached his hand deep into her pocket.
He dug around for a few moments before coming upon his prize. The Pterodactyl Coin. His collection was now complete. He held the five coins in his hands and stared down at them. These coins made them think that they were invincible. How wrong they were for thinking that. He knew that now. He knew also that they would be the Earth's only hope.
He turned away from Kim's body and moved as quickly as his battered and bruised body would allow him. He tripped over a piece of debris and cried out as he fell forward. The coins danced through the air and he scrambled to catch them. He breathed a short sigh of relief as he caught all of them. They had to stay together.
This was as good of a place as any, he assumed.
Tommy forced himself to his knees and arranged the five coins on the ground before him. Faint braids of colored energy traced over the coins' inscriptions. The ground beneath him trembled slightly. The coins continued to pulse with energy, as a sort of shield seemed to cover over them.
"Protect whoever might find you," Tommy whispered to the coins.
He ran his hand over the sand, brushing it over the coins. The pulsing light vanished beneath the cover.
"That was a foolish move there, Tommy," The voice from behind him sent a chill traveling up Tommy's spine. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up.
He turned, knowing already who he'd be face to face with. Lord Zedd. Tommy tried to force a laugh, wincing instead from the pain. "Wasn't expecting you to actually show up in the field."
Another crackle of energy danced across the shield. Tommy gritted his teeth as the sting in his chest grew more intense. The shield was almost completely faded away. Tommy brought his hand over his belt, running his fingers over the cracked coin of his morpher. The cracks were growing with each passing second.
"You shouldn't have done that," Lord Zedd said, his fingers curling and uncurling around the handle of his staff. The villain didn't move otherwise. He kept his focus on the White Ranger. "Although I will say, at least yours will be easy to take. Hand it over and I promise I shall make your death quick."
Tommy ignored the pain in his ribs this time, allowing a laugh to pass over his lips. The laugh turned into a cough as he shook his head. He pulled the coin from the morpher, his suit shimmering off his body. His clothes beneath his suit were torn and tattered. Sweat stains covered them.
"My friends gave their lives to protect the coins," Tommy said, his hand clutching over the coin. "The least I can do is the same."
Using the last of his strength, Tommy squeezed hard at the coin. It cracked in his hand, splitting into several smaller pieces. He opened his palm, letting the coin pieces fall. The broken pieces turned to dust as they hit the ground where Tommy buried the other coins. A bright flash of white light quickly washed over the surrounding area.
"Pity," Zedd shook his head. "Although no matter. Your fate was secured long before that foolish thing you did."
Tommy felt the adrenaline pulsing in his body. His breathing quickened as he curled his fists. His fingernails dug deep into his palms, his knuckles turning white. He cried out and charged forward. He leapt into the air, snapping his leg out and landing a hard kick against Zedd's chest.
The dark lord stumbled backwards, despite anticipating some sort of fight from the final ranger. He released a tiny growl from his throat, more out of annoyance than anger. His grip on the staff grew tighter.
He swung the weapon, the sharp tip slicing at his opponent. Tommy, working strictly off of adrenaline in this moment, jumped back. The fabric of his shirt caught on the blade, ripping the shirt in a clean line just above his belly button. As Zedd swung the weapon once more, Tommy raised his arms to deflect the attack. The blade sliced at his arm.
Tommy groaned through gritted teeth as he felt the warm trickle of blood running down his arm. He sucked in another sharp breath through his nose and went to charge again. Zedd just shook his head.
"Enough of this, Tommy, you're embarrassing yourself."
Tendrils of purple and black electricity shot from the top of the Z of Zedd's staff. The energy blasted against Tommy. He cried out in pain as the blast sent him twirling through the air. He landed hard against the ground, a cloud of dirt and sand kicking up around him.
As he went to rise up to his feet, he felt the sharp kick of Zedd's foot against his ribcage. Tommy cried out once more as he flipped over to his back.
"I'll find those coins, boy," Zedd said as he hovered over Tommy's weakening body. "I've already won this one. You're all that's left. Once the coins are mine, the universe will crumble at my feet. But in the meantime, Earth will do just fine."
"You might have won the battle," Tommy coughed. "But the war is far from over. Someone will come for you. I'm just sorry I won't be here to see you lose."
"Well, at least there's one part of that statement we can agree on."
Zedd didn't bother waiting for a reply. He raised up his staff and brought it down, plunging the blade tip deep into Tommy's stomach. He cried out in pain, the sharp pain intensifying as Zedd removed the weapon. The blood was quick as it began to pool from the wound.
Zedd shimmered away, leaving behind only the echoes of his horrific laughter. Tommy groaned as he forced himself over onto his stomach. Zedd promised him a slow death, and that's what he was getting. His limbs felt weak. But he had to move. He couldn't die here. Not like this.
Using the last of his strength, he found his way over to Kim's body. As he fell forward, his fingers brushed against hers. And there they laid flat as Tommy drifted into his final bout of unconsciousness.
His roar of anger echoed throughout the walls of the Moon Palace.
Zedd entered the throne room and slammed the butt of his staff against the floor. The tubes that enveloped his body began to pulse with red liquid. He raised his staff up off the ground, firing a blast of energy against the wall of his throne room.
"Was that necessary?"
Her voice was shrill, like nails on a chalkboard. He still hadn't gotten used to it just yet. Zedd turned to see Rita Repulsa standing in the doorway. She had a twisted grin planted on her face.
"Let me guess," She said with a sneer. "Things didn't go your way?"
It was moments like these that he almost regretted sending out a scout team to find her and bring her back to him. He might not have particularly cared for her, but he knew that they would be much stronger together. Much to his own distaste; the distaste of Goldar as well. Still, her magic was strong. And it was what they needed to put his master plan into action.
Since her return, she traded her flowing brown dress for a more battle ready look. It suited her. The sleek black suit was trimmed with silver trimming. Her hair was no longer locked in the horned headpiece she once wore, trading it now for a tightly pulled bun adorned with a thick silver hairpiece. She carried her own staff in her hands.
"Silence, you witch," Zedd's voice was laced with venom.
"What's the matter, Zeddy? Couldn't get your hands on the precious Power Coins? Did that Tommy boy outsmart you?" She fought the urge to snicker at him.
"Let me remind you that it wasn't all that long ago that you sought the coins for your own purposes. And you held one in your possession and let it go."
"Please," Rita scoffed with a wave of her hand. "Coins or not, all is going according to plan. The rangers are dead. That fool Zordon and his tin can are gone too. Our combined armies are powerful. No one will try and stop us. All in all, Zeddy, I'd call that a win."
"Stop calling me that!" Zedd spat, slamming his staff against the ground. Sparks of energy shot out, blasting past her.
"Watch it!" She shrieked. She took a step forward, arming her wand. She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts, lowering her weapon down at her side. She smiled once more. "We'll find the coins. But in the meantime, come with me."
She nodded towards the balcony, beckoning him to follow her. Lord Zedd hesitated for a moment. He eyed her cautiously as he took a few steps forward, meeting her at the edge of the balcony. The duo stared out, their eyes focused in on the planet before them. Rita's hand curled over the edge of the balcony.
"The planet is yours, my lord," Those words were laced with sarcasm. Rita shifted her eyes in Zedd's direction. "You've won."
Zedd nodded his head. His own free hand curled over the balcony's edge. "Begin the final assault. This planet needs to learn that it's heroes will not be coming to their rescue anymore."
Rita's head tilted back as she began to laugh. The shrill, maniacal laugh of pure joy. Zedd found this irritating at first, although equally infectious. Despite his best efforts, he found himself quickly joining in.
Their hands met at on the balcony's banister, hers laying flat overtop his.
The year was 1995.
Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa's forces invaded the Earth for the final time.
Without the aid of the Power Rangers, Earth's forces fell within a matter of days. Those who continued to try to fight against it all were instantly put to death.
The Moon Palace was abandoned in favor of Zedd's new palace built in the center of Angel Grove. Bringing his forces to the surface of the planet would help his search for the Power Coins. His search has come to no avail.
25 years have come and gone, humans living under the regin of Lord Zedd. There are those who still remember the time before this, those who never faced such a time. And all this time, Zedd continues his search for the coins.
That search, however, is about to come to an end.