The Ranger's Initiative

by Lawliet Veneziano

After many years of being protectors now the Rangers are being hunted, and the only ones who can save them are a mismatched and unlikely group. But with the public against them, the military after them, and even their own wanting them taken in, can a group of mismatched ex-Rangers really save the world and their friends? Or will they fail even to save themselves?

20. The Embodiment of the Name

"Excuse me but you are definitely not a king."

"You are not excused."

Kendall regretted all her life choices that could have possibly led to this moment, standing in the throne room of the royal palace of Zandar, surrounded by guards and listening as the same seventeen year old who thought it a good idea to morph when they were supposed to be keeping a low profile now fought with what looked to be the man in charge, a man about her age with a stern and displeased air about him. That was not to mention James and Andros, neither of whom seemed interested in dealing with this situation, and Heckyl who still had the royal princess, the actual princess, clinging to his clothes. Not that anyone would guess looking at her that's what she was but in hindsight it made sense, it all made sense. She knew the palace well and why wouldn't she? She lived there after all.

They were never getting the Energem at this rate.

"He's not the king," Lyta muttered in a low annoyed voice, "He's Phillip, my big brother."

"Lyta come here." The man's tone, even with his sister, was sharp and she held tighter to Heckyl who responded by placing a hand on her head, staring down the one called Phillip. This caused him to narrow his eyes; the tension was physical and more than enough for Kendall to want to speak up, hoping to get some peace and some ground covered.

"Your Highness, I assure you that the princess was never in any danger; we did not kidnap her," she said mentally calculating each word, "In fact-"

"In fact she found you and brought you inside using that ridiculous backway of hers," he interrupted curtly and Kendall froze as he turned his cold gaze to her, "I never thought for a moment that a disjointed group of fools such as you lot looked to be could possibly figure out how to grab my unruly sister and get as far as you did."

Kendall frowned, hands clenching at her sides into tight fists. She didn't expect kindness, not considering how they had snuck into the place, but it seemed he was actively trying to start a fight with them. Andros turned to James, his face even and calm. "Are all Earth royals like this?"

"Like a puckering butthole?" Zack chirped cheerfully to which the red nodded and the prince visibly twitched.

Lyta, sensing trouble, tried to mediate. "Phillip, you deserve that for being such a butt to them."

"Lyta, come here before I call the guards on your new friends."

"You probably never had any, did ya?" Zack quipped smiling at the prince; it looked like a shark's grin to Kendall.

"Alright everyone, how about we dial down the aggression and get down to business," Heckyl chimed in, raising his other hand while still mindlessly patting Lyta on the head, "As fun as it is to watch."

"We're here because we suspect your family treasure is in danger from some dangerous forces," James jumped in, "An alien by the name of Sledge is looking to collect power gems known as the Energems and we have reason to believe the Stone of Zandar is one of them."

Phillip scoffed. "Ridiculous, and why should I believe you? It is more likely you are here to steal it for yourselves."

Kendall stepped towards him, taking deep breaths to keep herself calm. "While it is true we plan on taking the Gold Energem back with us-"

"Aha so you admit-"

"I was not finished." She didn't need to yell, her tone and expression was enough to shush even the pompous prince for the moment, causing him to immediately close his mouth. Kendall continued. "As I was saying, Your Highness, we are going to bring it back with us, because it's safest with us and the other six Energems we have gathered. We're keeping them out of the hands of Sledg and if the one here isn't kept safe, it could only spell disaster."

"You think our security is so lax as to not be able to protect the Stone of Zandar?" Phillip asked.

"It's not a question of lax or not," James tried to assure him, "Sledge's forces are violent and powerful; he's an intergalactic bounty hunter with millenias of experience and monsters to spare, some of which are immensely dangerous themselves. Normal humans won't be able to stand up against whoever he sends."

"So instead we should depend on children who use their powers against those same normal humans."

Zack shuffled some, brow furrowed. "I simply morphed. I didn't actually fight anyone, and I'm not the one who decided to point a spear at an unarmed civilian."

"Also I'm definitely older than you," Andros said frowning lightly, "Lyta is the only actual child here. Zack is a teenager and I simply look like one, there is a difference."

"Thanks Wonder Twin Number One," the black ranger commented and the red inclined his head in recognition.

Kendall rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Point is the Energem is in danger and so is everyone here."

Phillip still looked unconvinced and she wondered how stubborn he had to be, and what disaster needed to hit before he'd listen to them.

"You haven't told me why you think the Stone of Zandar, which has been in my family for generations, is this Energem thing you speak of," he spoke and the others looked at each other.

He had a point of course and Heckyl wondered if Kendall would really remove from her bag and show off her precious E-tracer and if Phillip would even take it as evidence. Neither seemed likely; she hadn't even really wanted to take it off the ship but the device had a hard time tracking anything from outer space and she and Shelby still hadn't successfully increased it's search perimeters without also risking it being hacked. And based on the way he continue to regard them, it seemed more likely he'd still think of it all as a trick.

"We can always compare it to another Energem." James luckily seemed quick to act on the comment and he pulled his Aqua Energem out from under his shirt, hanging off the same sort of magnetic link and leather cord as Tyler and the others wore. It sparkled and twirled slowly, causing Lyta's eyes to widen in fascination.

Phillip looked surprised as he saw it but did his best to hide it quickly, shaking his head. "Nonsense; you could have found out what the Stone looked like and made that to try to trick us."

"I really don't like you," Heckyl said bluntly and felt Lyta move closer to him.

James furrowed his brow. "You really think we'd do something like that?"

"I do not now any of you people but considering how you snuck into my home, and based on the news we hear about what's going on in the States, I have reason to trust you either," the prince responded.

"Brother!" Lyta exclaimed but he seemed to prefer to ignore her, snapping his fingers to call the guards back into the room. She screamed as one pulled her from Heckyl's side and he very nearly blasted the man by instinct, feeling a spark of anger and sorrow that filled his gut for a second there. He barely could make out grumbles from Snide, and caught himself throwing a death glare at the guard. James oved towards the others, him and Andros both glancing around as they were surrounded. Kendall alone kept eye contact with Phillip, her stony stare matched with a further icy look. Heckyl took stock of their situation, taking a very deep breath before grabbing Zack by the back of his clothes, dragging him closer and throwing him off kilter before turning to Andros.

"Get us out of here." The red looked at him then nodded, opening his communicator to set the teleportation command. The guards and regals could only watch as the five disappeared in a flash of colored light.

Lyta blinked a few times before tearing herself out of the guard's grasp; she glared at her brother, an unmeasurable amount of words passing through those few seconds. Quickly though she ran from the room, followed by a few concerned guards. Phillip stayed stoic though, simply watching her.

Yet stuck in his mind eye was the vision of the gem hanging from James' neck and the implications that came if that was perhaps not a trick after all.

Ileana was surprised when Kendall's group returned their faces ranging from exhausted to obviously pissed as they walked into the cafeteria. Heckyl, who had been keeping a hold on Zack since before he walked in, practically dropped the boy into a seat and the ancient warrior sipped her tea. She watched as RJ approached them, the teacher checking each before stopping at Heckyl.

"What happened? Why are you back so early?" Something definitely strange was going on; she could tell they were riled up about something and the retrieval of another Energem should have brought happiness and excitement. Yet even Zack seemed subdued.

Then there was the problem of the monsters they knew had been on the way to get the Gold Energem themselves. No matter how capable the three Rangers of the group were, that at least should have taken more than the roughly hour and a half that they had been gone. Then there was the air around them: stale, angry, Kendall looked half ready to hit something. A general unpleasant and uneasy aura that as RJ spoke, only seemed to dissipate enough for Heckyl not to glare at him but he still looked tired.

"The pompous bratty prince of Zandar happened," Kendall said coldly, "We just wanted to take the Energem somewhere safe and he..."

James, who seemed unhappy but calm enough, shook his head. "Negotiations fell through for the most part; Prince Phillip didn't even seem to be listening to us. He made up his mind the moment we snuck into the castle."

"Sneaking in probably didn't help your case," Illeana commented, taking another sip,"But considering what we've had to do thusfar, none of us have the right to judge you."

"Maybe if we try again to explain the situation," RJ offered softly.

Heckyl brushed it away. "He's far too stubborn; it would be like talking to a brick wall."

"Why not just straight up steal it?" Trent walked in with a toothbrush in his mouth, followed by Kira who kept trying to take it away from him; as the duo walked further in, closer examination showed that it was very much not his own.

Andros frowned at him. "Yes because that won't hurt our reputation further, stealing a priceless national treasure. It's not like we don't have enough problems with having the United States denouncing us as criminals and monsters; let's add a small European nation to the fun."

"Sarcasm does not sound quite right coming from you somehow," Trent commented; he yawned and Kira snatched the brush away while he was, "Look, I'm not advocating more trouble, we have enough of that as it is, but we can't leave the Energem there. Especially if Sledge's group could get to it first."

"We didn't see any monsters near the palace but it's probably a matter of minutes or hours until they show up and start causing trouble," Kendall said running a hand through her hair.

"I'm honestly a little concerned about why we didn't see any evidence of trouble," Zack chimed in; his expression was thoughtful but there was bother to it and he rubbed his chin, "Monsters aren't normally that considerate or lowkey. It's not like Ri-" he froze, glanced around then continued on, "Like Rita from my universe. There has to be a reason they're so quiet despite us knowing they're there."

RJ nodded. "It may be a good idea to return to Zandar, not to go get the Energem but to check up on the information we have. I mean all we know is that monsters were sighted but no one has been hurt or anything; there's no reports of property damage, just normal peaceful stuff."

Kendall deposited herself into a chair, setting her bag beside her. "I'll stay here if you plan on going out again; I wish to look into finding the Pterazord since we're fairly certain of the location of the Gold Energem right now, then get to work on making the Plesio Charger next."

"Plesio?" James inquired raising an eyebrow.

"Yes; according to Keeper the Purple Energem is bonded to the soul of the Plesiosaurus. Shelby is collecting the necessary data for fossil placement but I still need to do the modifications to make a proper Dino Charger. Not to mention I still haven't made your chargers either, James. We haven't had a battle needing them but considering our lives right not it's better to be safe than sorry."

Zack got up, dusting himself off. "That's fine by me; it's safer for you here anyway, and if we cross that prince's trail safer for him too probably. We're only going to be checking up on things though and best you not be there to get attacked by monsters."

"How many of us are needed then?" Kira asked, shoving her toothbrush into her pocket for now, "More or less I mean."

"I'm definitely going." Heckyl got some looks as he spoke up but he chose to mainly ignore them, shrugging. "Better than standing around, and it's not like I'm defenseless. RJ has been training me just like Tyler's team and I'd like to think I've gotten pretty capable at protecting myself."

RJ smiled and Snide snarked from the other side of Heckyl's psyche. The blue haired alien had an uncomfortable feeling, unsupported by evidence save his own shoddy instinct. Sledge was a fool and his prisoners were feral imbeciles; stealth and espionage was far from any of their strongsuits. Yet despite not attacks the Renegades seemed intent upon thinking there was reason for concern and it wasn't like he could say absolutely that he knew everything about everything. He had been locked up in solitary for quite a while.

"Fine by me as long as you are careful," Trent mused, nodding as he checked his morpher.

Zack turned to the white. "Sounds like you're coming too then?"

"Unless you have a reason that I shouldn't? Or can't?"

"Nope." The black gave his amicable smile and Trent returned it; Kira looked between them and sighed some. "No one answered my question though."

James shrugged slightly. "We don't know what we'll be dealing with but the three of them should be fine. Trent is a veteran after all and seems capable enough."

Andros seemed to agree. "Surveillance doesn't require an army; it's better with just a few individuals who can move more freely."

"If we need assistance then we'll make sure to call for it," Zack assured them and he headed towards the door with Trent and Heckyl in tow, "Though I sure hope we won't need it."

It smelled like smoke. A forested area, the same area they'd first teleported to, give or take a few feet in this or that direction. The first thing they noted was the smell of smoke, faint and seeming to be wafting from the north. That and the muffled sounds of voices raised.

Heckyl put it down to the reflexes of a Power Ranger, how fast both younger boys took off into a run, and for himself he called it morbid curiosity and a wish not to be left behind. But the outlaw knew the smell of fire that grew stronger the further they went, a distinct sort of smoke that called forth memories he was certain of as well as ones that felt almost like a nightmare he'd already mostly forgotten. The trio ran, they ran hard and they ran fast, and none were surprised by the sight that greeted them at the end of the woods.

The palace was ablaze, an inferno that seemed strange and impossible to Heckyl's senses. They had only been gone minutes, yet the walls were crumbled and the grounds destroyed, the main building breaking down with each passing second.

"Zack, call for Tori, now!" Trent barked, morphing quickly himself; the black nodded and started to put in the call, his voice half shaking as he called for backup, for help, for anything.

Nasty, exuberant voices sounded clamored from nearby and Heckyl's attention turned to the monsters, different than the ones who they fought in Amber Beach but no doubt Sledge's lot. One saw him in return and his eyes narrowed, fingers sparking wildly. They'd only been gone a small amount of time and yet this had happened; even he didn't really understand why but it angered him, really truly angered him.

"Trent," he said in a low dangerous tone, drawing his attention; the outlaw pointed out the monsters.

He knew exactly what he was doing and there was a sadistic glee in the fact that it was Trent who had come down with them, with his darker aspects and moral greyness, the man who seemed to both revel in the fight and hated every second of it. Yet in this moment he seemed more than happy himself to give into baser instincts and he wasted not a moment, drawing his weapon before attacking. A fight broke out, though bloodbath seemed closer to what Heckyl was watching in the moment before he had turned back to the flames. Those were continuing to grow and spread, threatening the forest, and he wondered if anyone was alive inside the palace; some people started to rush out, maids and servants, coughing and gasping as they tried to take in the clear air.

Yells erupted and he turned to see more of the Renegades had arrived, all the Rangers morphed, all the allies rushing to tend to the ones who got out on their own. Tori froze seeing the damage but she shook her head and started trying to put out as much of the fire as possible. Heckyl had to admit to some pity for her, which weakened as a strange pink and a similar yellow, Mystic Force he supposed, took up positions near her and joined her in dousing flames. That was at least a little better.

Lauren and Hunter ran into the building with the Mighty Morphin trio, the Energem empowered dino team led by Tyler went to assist Trent; all around was activity and noise, more people dragged outside to safety, A familiarly annoying voice coughed loudly and sputtered, and Phillip was deposited by Hunter in front of a less than impressed looking Kendall. He looked up at her, his appearance a mess and covered in ash, and Heckyl watched with fascination. And surprise as she started checking the prince for burns, tending any injuries he had and coaxing him, well more like bullied him, into drinking water.

An older couple was brought out by Billy and Abby, followed by guards who looked like they had been trying to fight the flames as well. The woman spoke between gasps of air, "Where is Lyta, where is my daughter?"

The princess was nowhere, not with the guards, not the servants, not even Lauren who brought more people out carefully. Abby looked to Kendall. "Tommy's still inside, checking for survivors but it's getting harder and harder to get around."

"How does one castle burn down so quickly?" the green in question ran out, carrying an unconscious woman on his back.

"Tommy, did you see a little girl, goggles like mine, maybe in her single digits still?" Heckyl inquired and got a look of confusion in return, followed by a shake of the head.

It wasn't surprising and he told himself he didn't care. Except he did feel bothered by the thought of a child still being inside, and between the fighting and the noise, the Rangers yelling to each other, flames barely being held back and Snide demanding to come out, the outlaw looked up.

And saw a window open on the upper floors, and something catch the light as it flew through the air, a twinkle of gold. His eyes widened and he yelled without thinking, "The Energem!"

Others turned and it was Kira who managed, with some difficulty, to get to where the object fell. She returned with it in her cupped hands, and as she showed it to them, the familiar appearance of an Energem twinkled back at them, identical to all others save for it's golden color unmarred by ash.

"The Stone of Zandar," Phillip said as he stared at it, his mother fanning herself beside him; his expression was confused at first but quickly became frantic as realization hit him, causing the color to drain from his face and his gaze to move back towards the still open window, "Lyta!"

"She...she threw it to us?" Kendall asked incredulous.

"She has to be up there then," Billy offered brow furrowed.

"How are we going to get to her?" Abby asked, "We have to get her but the building, it's..."

"Oh don't worry about grabbing her," RJ said sweetly and getting stares in exchange he continued, "Heckyl just ran inside."

They turned in time to catch a glimpse of the tail of his coat as it fluttered behind his retreating form, flicking at the flames that soon swallowed up his entrance. None of them moved to follow, just stared in various levels of disbelief until one, Phillip, finally spoke, "Aren't any of you going after him?"

"He's the one who went in; I'm hoping he has a plan," Abby said evenly.

"He's my student; he'll be fine," RJ said.

"That...does not garner much confidence in me somehow," the prince answered; the violet wolf merely chuckled.

RJ left, tending to others who seemed to need help, and left those who had seen the blue haired man run into a burning building to ponder and stand around. Phillip and his parents, the king and queen, all still needed medical attention; the Renegades could only do so much. Abby muttered something under her breath and helped Tommy with his passenger, leaving Billy alone to stare into the flames. So much destruction had been wrought in the last eight or so months; he saw Briarwood in the flames, Tommy's house, his old home, the fighting in the streets of Ocean Bluffs, the destruction of the Ninja Academy. But this was the most simple it got and even as things burned, he heard Tori call out in relief as they managed to put out the fires that had consumed the gardens, leaving only dead skeletons of plants behind. The building though still was burning and inside it was Heckyl and a little girl and he didn't want to look away, he didn't want to risk jynxing it. They had to come out, they had to.

"Billy," someone's voice spoke and he started, looking around quickly; he knew it had to be an illusion. There was no way it was real.

"Look!" That time was definitely reality; it was Abby, as real as it got, and he returned to his vigil.

There was an explosion, part of the building gave way, and Billy felt his heart sink for just a second. He didn't even realize that more had come to stand by him again, watching and waiting as the royal palace burned to the ground: Trent who carried his sword a little too tight, Phillip who seemed intent on not letting his emotions show on his face, Abby who held tight to James' hand, and RJ who alone seemed hopeful. And a figure that came from the madness, panting hard and holding tight to a small frame with one arm, holding onto someone else with the other; Heckyls' eyes were hidden by his goggles but his expression was clear, pained, exhausted, and yet determined. His clothes were burned and his hair was full of ash almost enough to mask the usually vibrant blue streaks; he took a few steps towards them, away from the mess, before finally his legs gave out. He dropped the one he was dragging; he did now however let go of the child, holding her still even as he nearly fell flat on his face.

For their credit it was RJ and Billy who caught him, and it was Annie who, after some gentle coaxing, managed to make the man release the girl; Lyta too was a mess and her family rallied around to fuss, only to be shooed off by the Pai Zhua woman who took her to lay her down and check her over properly. Heckyl turned his face up at the two wolf Rangers and RJ pulled the man's goggles off him with a smile.

"Hey," RJ said softly.

"Hey," Heckyl answered; he coughed harshly, dust and blood expelling from his lungs. He winced then whispered, "Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Billy assured him, and patted the man's back carefully, "You...you really got her, you saved her."

RJ glanced over at the other one Heckyl had brought, a monster it seemed with a cat like appearance. "And you grabbed someone else on your way out."

"Is that Fury?!" Kendall exclaimed, seeming far less excited about that than anything else.

Heckyl smiled, a weak sort of smile that soon turned to pain; his body spasmed and RJ pulled him close, his eye catching the tattoo that glowed and pulsed upon the man's neck. Quickly he hid it, holding Heckyl carefully as he turned to Billy. "Billy, I think we need a mass retreat. Heckyl needs to get to the med lab, as does a lot of people here."

The blue blinked then nodded his agreement, going to inform the others of the decision. RJ knelt there with Heckyl, holding him carefully and squeezing his arm. He whispered, "Hold out just a bit longer, just until we can get back to the ship. You're okay, we're all okay; we saved everyone, you helped save them. You're a hero, Heckyl, no matter what anyone else might try to think. No matter what you might think."

RJ didn't know if Heckyl even heard him. He was fairly certain that by the time they had all started teleporting back to the Megaship, bringing along the civilians and royals who had been saved as well, that the blue haired man was already long gone to this world. But then again he didn't need him to hear either.