Chapter 17

Silver Meaning

10,000 years ago

Had it been a moment, a day, an eternity? It was impossible to know. Time had become inconsequential. There was no counting, numbers merely were. They existed as abstractions, meaningless without application.

Karone was gone, and all meaning went with her.

Meaning was fragile, it could be changed, broken, or even forgotten. It needed protection. The machines existed as those meaningless numbers. Gears and switches had brought them into physical existence.

Past, present, and future held no meaning in the grid. The vast distances between islands in space were no more than an instant away. Life crawled out of the warm wet places, striving for equilibrium, fumbling for purpose. And before they could find it, they were consumed.

Karone was gone, and strength, and pain, and warmth had gone with her.

The machines swept over the entire universe, sucking the fire out of every star. They converted all matter into more of themselves, swallowing countless galaxies. They did this for trillions of years.

And when they had finally stolen the last mote of dust and burned the last of the universe's energy, they stopped. There was nothing else to do because there was nothing else. Their program ran into a terminus. They waited trillions of years for new instructions. None came before the universe tore itself apart, a meaningless end.

Karone was gone and the man named Zhane had gone with her.

Zordon had lead every ranger in the universe in a time immemorial, but that was not his original name. He had shed his old identity to become someone new, an apotheosis. He became the ideal to every ranger that came after him.

Now it was his time, and he had his purpose. An end, he was the premature end of the Machine Empire's program. The Zedd. That's who he would be. He was Zedd.

Zedd would become a personal mentor for every worthy power ranger. He would embody the ideals that had been hammered into him, independence, strength, individuality.

Meaning required physical form and Zedd returned to the body he had long abandoned. The silver spears holding the body in place shattered inside him. They were nothing to him as he had become. He stood, remembering every tiny gesture and great exertion. The Morphing Grid was fully open to him, access to infinite power.

It did not matter how long it had been or even where Zedd was. The only thing that mattered was his purpose. It would not change or break. He would not forget it.

Zedd's spear formed in his hand. On one end, the tip that would pierce into the heart of the Machine Empire. On the other, Zedd formed the universal symbol of the Power Rangers, a jagged bolt of lightning. They would know who would bring their end.

He held the entire power of the Grid in his hand. With it, he would construct a zord. Metal and carbon pushed through the planet. The matter rearranged itself to serve its own need. A cosmic, all-consuming dragon to hunt them down. Serpenterra.

Pink Showdown

Kim and her friends sang along to the music that blared through her car. "Weeeeee are the champions, my friends." She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so light.

"And we'll keep on fighting, to the end." Kim swayed while driving down the freeway. Jason spread his arms. "We are the champions." In the rear view mirror, Trini had her lighter out. A flame danced on the end of it. "We are the champions." Even Billy was smiling, singing his heart out. "No time-"

Kim's blood ran cold. Everyone stopped singing all at once. Billy's smile dropped, becoming confusion. Jason looked at Kim. Trini squinted through the sunroof. The song kept playing. "for losers. 'Cuz we are the champions..."

"Do you guys feel th-"

Something landed on the hood of Kim's car. Time slowed. The back flipped over the front. Jason was already activating his armor. Kim brought hers out too.

The instant before the car hit the ground, Kim kicked the door off and jumped out. She stepped onto the ground as gracefully as if she was getting off an escalator.

Zedd stood there, his foot resting on the ripped-off front end of Kim's car. Several other cars screeched to a stop in the middle of the freeway to avoid them.

Billy, Trini, and Jason stood next to Kim. Together, they took a breath and marched toward Zedd. They were going to end it this time.

"The machines passed through the Sirius System two hours ago. They have tracked Earth's transmissions and are on their way here. You cannot stop them as you are."

"Yes, we can." Jason's strength radiated through Kim. The others felt it too.

Zedd's shoulders dropped in regret. "I once thought I could. At the end of that life, I was powerless before them." He looked back up, at them through his visor. "Just as you are before me."

"We are not powerless," Jason said. Kim's armor strengthened somehow, she could feel light gleaming through her.

"Let's kick this guy's ass," Trini said.

Zedd shook his head. "They took the one I loved. And once the stone holding you down is shattered, only then you will know true power."

Jason growled, igniting his sword.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kim asked.

An energy blast hit Kim in the chest. Her vision went white and she hit something hard. The something crumbled around her.

Kim sucked air into her collapsed lungs, her vision blurred. Something bright was in front of her. Her eyes squeezed shut and the light filled her vision with the red. She couldn't look away from it. People were yelling.

She shook off the dizziness in her head three times. She was still alive, and her team needed her.

They were fighting. Zedd jumped from rooftop to rooftop, baiting them. Jason, Trini, and Billy took turns taking the bait. They slashed at him for only a moment before switching off. They thought they were tiring him out, but they were actually were giving him exactly what he wanted.

Kim pried the metal and plastic off of her. She got to her feet and instinctively summoned her bow.

A lump built in her throat just looking at it. She had failed before because of it, she couldn't lead from behind.

Her mind went to their first encounter with Zedd. Jason needed her to keep Zack and Trini from escalating the battle, Rule 2. She remembered she had slung her bow and wanted to punch him as hard as she could.

And that's what she would do, the thing no one else could, fight synchronized with Trini, Keep Zedd away from Billy, lead alongside Jason. She felt the breeze swirl through her body.

Yes, she would give them whatever they needed. Jason and Trini were taking turns attacking, she would back them.

Kim launched herself back into town, landing next to Billy. "He's destroying the buildings. Billy, get everyone to safety."

"I can do that," he said. He jumped down to the street, helping the civilians below.

Kim closed the distance between herself and the fight, but something made her stop. Jason and Trini didn't need her up close just then, they needed a distraction.

Kim nocked an arrow onto her bowstring and exhaled. She held it on Zedd and waited for her moment to strike.

Jason slashed against his spear. Zedd countered with unimaginable strength, bellowing some taunt about how he was weak. Kim hadn't known the pressure he was under, it made her blood boil, but she kept her shot in place.

Trini came from the side and smashed Zedd into the roof of the building. She slammed her fist into him again and jumped away.

Zedd rose from his position for the respite, and Kim launched her arrow. He swiped it with his spear before it could touch him, and it exploded in his face. Kim didn't know what he packed them with, but Billy's ideas could not be denied. The chaos gave Jason and Trini a chance to recover and Kim a chance to close in.

Kim took a breath and landed on the roof.

Jason clashed with Zedd again. He kicked Jason in the chest and off the roof.

Kim charged right at him, her arm cocked back to hit him as hard as she could.

Zedd shifted his position to counter once she got in close.

At the last moment Kim flipped into the air spinning upside down and twisting to avoid his attack. He swiped, not making contact. She landed behind him giving Trini the perfect opportunity.

Trini stabbed her sais between the gaps in his armor. Zedd stumbled and Kim kicked him in the head. He stumbled the other direction.

Jason had jumped back onto the roof and moved so the three of them had Zedd surrounded.

Kim saw the next attack coming. A bright white ball in Zedd's hand, the same attack Tommy had used to take their armor away. He slammed it into the floor. A shockwave rocked the building.

Kim flipped out of the way, but it hit Trini and Jason. Trini was thrown back by the force of the explosion. Jason's armor phased in and out over his body. He grunted with his fists clenched, keeping his armor from overloading.

"Billy, we need you back here," Kim said. "Switch out with Trini." She knew she would have to hold him by herself for at least a few seconds so Billy could reach them and Jason could stabilize his armor.

Kim understood her role on the team. Everyone needed something, and Kim had to know what it was and how to give it to them.

Kim nocked an arrow on her bow and aimed it at Zedd. "Did you call me a rock?"

Zedd regarded her. "The stone holding Jason down." He turned toward Jason, still struggling against the effects of Zedd's shockwave. "You are the person stopping him from realizing his true potential."

Jason reignited his sword, his hand shook, whether from anger or the lingering effects of Zedd's attack, Kim didn't know.

"And yet, you are the reason he fights with the ferocity he does. This is weakness."

Billy jumped onto the roof and activated his Power Lance. It sparked with lightning and he held it at Zedd.

Zedd hit Billy with some kind of beam, knocking him back.

Kim loosed her arrow. The blast gave Jason a chance to attack. Kim followed. She was going to punch that stupid visor until it dented.

AN: I know this has taken me a long time to update. There are three chapters remaining. Look for Chapter 18 next month. Many of you are not going to like me, but I promise it will all make sense when I'm done.