Power Rangers & All associated trademarks are property of Hasbro
I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.
I am making no money from this.
Chapter 55 – Ministry of Fear
The mission called for stealth.
The twin suns of Mercator had set over the industrialised worlds' Capital City as a blanket of oppressive darkness fell over the twisted spires that reached into the smog-choked and endless shanty towns between them the Rangers had set out from Rocky's safe house, making their way through the city itself and keeping close to the lost veteran Ranger who now walked with a renewed air of authority and quiet control about him, each of the teens realising as they went just how truly bleak and threatening the city became once night had fallen. Gouts of roaring flames and noxious, ominously glowing waste from factories being belched high into the air lit the way overhead whilst the path most directly ahead of them was illuminated by flickering neon signs, glyphs and markings being daubed on walls and doorways in substance that glowed in a wider range and spectrum of colours than human eyes could see whilst the patrons of these late-running business, along with the shiftless, the inebriated and the destitute all glowered at the Rangers as they passed; giving Mercy the unshakeable feeling that this was all some ploy and that they were walking into an ambush though she refused to entertain the idea, much less speak it out loud.
Fortunately though the Ragged Ones, the cloaked and sadistic occupying force that kept Mercator and its' natives under control were seemingly elsewhere; with the Rangers having seen neither them or the misshapen hunting beast Putties that they employed thus far.
They had reached the communications tower and viewed it from the vantage point that Kay and Panthera had initially sighted it from, making adjustments to their plan and waiting until one group of overworked and downtrodden workers were preparing to be replaced by another so that they could make their move during the handover period before the eight of them crept closer to the perimeter walls of the enormous communications tower and now Mercy was pressed with her back against a wall, making herself as small as possible as she hid in an alleyway, waiting for the perfect moment to strike whilst trying her best to ignore the feeling of her heart hammering in her chest and focusing instead on Aslaug's hand clasping her own.
"They're taking too long, I don't like this" surprisingly it wasn't Rocky who had voiced their concerns but Marigold, the Gold Aegis Ranger was admittedly the least experienced of the team and in her current condition with an outfit that had once been pristine now stained and ripped along with the dark rings around her wide and frantic eyes she looked haunted and harrowed. Mercy could easily sympathise with her concerns as she was hardly comfortable with this situation herself and casting her eyes around she saw that Kay wore a mask of stoicism that failed to hide their nerves as they held a slightly trembling Tempestus upright whilst Rocky and Aslaug wore similar expressions of grim determination though it seemed almost certain that their private thoughts were vastly different.
Panthera and Rensa were still absent.
The Pink and Black Aegis Rangers had slunk over a partially collapsed section of wall into the vast compound from which the massive, many branched tower that they sought to infiltrate rose; the two of them having the best night vision and being by far the most adept at going unseen and there had been no sign of or word from them in over ten minutes, causing unbidden thoughts and worries to creep into Mercy's mind; doubts whispering treacherous ideas about her friends having been captured and killed to her despite her best efforts to silence them until a noise above her caused her to jump out of her skin, instinct and training vying for dominance as she tried to both block the unseen assailant and reach for her Morpher in the same instant.
"Relax, it's me" Panthera's low and husky voice announced in a whisper as she dropped into alleyway, giving Kay's hand a reassuring squeeze as she passed them before addressing the group as a whole
"We've taken out the cameras around that break in the wall" she informed them hurriedly "We've got a route into the main tower and Rensa is safe….he's getting ready to cause a distraction; we can do this without Morphing and attracting attention but we get one chance and it has to be now" the news hit Mercy like a physical blow and she needed several seconds that she was painfully aware that she didn't have to process the information before nodding in understanding and taking a deep breath to steady herself before turning to Tempestus who continued to use Kay for support
"You gonna be okay?" the Aquitian shook his head, not in response but in an effort to focus himself, brushing flakes of dried and brittle skin and chitin or cartilage like tissue from the mask of bony outcroppings around his face and taking in a shaky gulp of air himself before finally managing to answer
"I'll be okay" his voice was weak and wavering yet despite this Mercy found herself forced to believe her friend, knowing that she and her fellow Aegis Rangers simply could not afford to wait any longer; with that in mind she spoke again, addressing Rocky and Panthera primarily
"Okay, let's do this" and with that they were in motion; Panthera leading the way with Mercy close behind, the Red Aegis Ranger having Aslaug and Rocky at her right hand and Mari, Kay and Tempestus only a step behind as they rushed out of the shadows and hopped over the section wall that appeared as though something had crashed into it at some point in the past; landing silently within the Dark Empire installation and all but dragged into the cover of darkness once again by Panthera until, mere seconds after springing into motion the seven of them were hidden under a group of parked vehicles and in the darkest recesses available to them, waiting with baited breath for some signal that Rensa planned to give them.
The signal came after, in the form of an explosion of fire blossoming into existence on the other side of the compound.
"Now!" Mercy hissed the gritted teeth "Let's move!"
"Follow me!" Panthera ordered as she slunk out from under the vehicle that the two of them had hidden under, the entire group taking care to stick to the shadows and keep hidden as they rushed forwards once again; not allowing their eagerness to cloud their judgement as they slipped between small sheds and huts and other adjacent buildings to the long range communications tower until finally an entrance could be seen, just as Panthera had promised and it was plain to see that it had been left unguarded by security forces that had grown complacent and disorganised with inactivity; the bases' entire security likely sprinting towards whatever it was Rensa had blown up to get their attention.
Mercy found herself disabused of such notions a moment later when a dull crack pierced the air and a beam of light from some unseen snipers' weapon seared the ground in front of her, forcing her to come skidding to a halt and weave aside with the other Rangers following suit, achingly close to their goal
"ON MY POSITION!" a rattling hiss of a voice called out, the sniper announcing their location on the roof of one of the smaller buildings nearby "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! THE EXPLOSION WAS A DIVERSION!"
"Damn it, we've been made!" Panthera spat venomously "What now?"
"We stick to the plan, there's no choice!" Mercy called back, gritting her teeth as she pressed onwards, steadfastly refusing to look in Rocky's direction and see the disappointment or vindication etched into his features; instead she cast her eyes around as she continued to evade incoming attacks, painfully aware of the fact that enemy infantry was drawing closer by the second as she sought out the sniper that continued to fire on them.
She was allowed a fresh spark of hope as she caught sight of the reptilian alien wielding some unknown weapon a moment before Rensa announced his presence, the emaciated husk of a teen slipping out of the darkness to tackle their assailant from the roof; knocking them unconscious before bolting towards his fellow Rangers with fluid and graceful movements that were strikingly at odds with the rare panicked urgency in his voice
"We need to move, now!"
"COME ON!" Mercy yelled, urging the Aegis Rangers to move faster still until, finally they crossed the threshold of the communications tower, making it inside without being targeted by any sniper though as they did so the first wave of incoming enemies could be seen rushing into view with weapons at the ready.
"Damn it" Rocky growled, hands flying to his newly restored Morpher almost unconsciously "This isn't going well"
"Not a problem" Panthera assured him, pushing her way passed the veteran Ranger and ripping open a control panel for the doors, the first volley of shots ripped through the open doorway and the sound of alien war-cries growing deafening until, with a small smirk at her victory Panthera managed to seal the entrance, the re-enforced and armour plated metal plates sliding into place with a groan and a clank that was followed a moment later by the sound of lasers and other ranged weapons impacting against the sealed entrance to no effect
"That won't hold them forever but it'll hold 'em for now" Panthera informed the others.
"Good" Mercy panted out, catching her breath "Plan's still good….we made it this far, we can make it the rest of the way"
"We just need to find a control room" Kay murmured
"Don't worry Mercy" Marigold stepped forward, squaring her shoulders and setting her jaw in an effort to overcome her fears and be the Power Ranger that those around her believed that she could be "We're with you, we can do this"
"As great as this moment is" Rocky drawled irritably "I'm worried that we haven't seen the Ragged Ones….they should be here"
The moment he spoke the lights were extinguished, casting them into darkness; the sound of doors sliding open and closed throughout the massive tower and footsteps rushing towards them filling the air, punctuated by the sounds of panels within the walls sliding open and the crackle of a communication system being activated.
The enemy had been expecting them and they had walked into a trap.
Cleobis-Radix let out a buzzing, chittering laugh as he studied the looks of fear on each of the intruders' faces; the pincers adorning his bulbous abdomen clacking together as his countless whip and vine like appendages flexed and writhed, the tendrils uncoiling from the appearance of more humanoid limbs that they had been sculpted into for a brief moment; the abominable creatures' eyes shifted in colour with their mood until finally settling on a sickly yellow flecked with a vivid green as they opened an audio channel, one that could be heard throughout the communications tower as whilst he intended to speak directly to the insurgents he was doing so as a performance and show of power for his own followers to heed; another bout of laughter escaping him before he spoke, his voice echoing across the complex
"Alliance insurgents, traitors to the illustrious Empire of the great Lord Zedd and other assorted gutter-filth….You have been captured and your deaths are a foregone conclusion; choose now whether you wish to simply surrender or if you plan to suffer more 'entertaining' fates at the hands of my forces" the aliens' eight eyes shifted in colour once again, settling on a fleshy pink marked with splotches of purple as he watched a young human woman whose curly hair sported red tips begin giving orders; the insurgents had made their choice and it was clear that they intended to fight to the inevitable end. Their pedipalps flexed and a buzzing drone of annoyance escaped them as a camera feed was sent offline, the obvious leader of the group despite being far from the eldest having a teal skinned and violet haired Felidae rip the security away from the wall before the eight of them bolted, heading deeper into the building and ascending through several levels in an impressively short amount of time, the night vision of some of their number and a level of discipline and experience that was rare in ones so young allowing them to not only detect and avoid the hidden weapons systems mounted in the walls that sent bolts of coruscating light ripping through the hallways but also to simply barrel through the first line of defence that they encountered, a small group of security forces armed with small firearms and clad in light armour who could do seemingly nothing at all to stop these unarmed fighters.
That would simply not do at all.
Cleobis-Radix's expression, unreadable as it was to most became one of silent anger as he watched his plans meet their first stumbling block, yet it was one he had anticipated and prepared for. Knowing that these attackers intended to use the long range communications system for their own ends the alien had left the festering solitude of his own domain to oversee this operation in person and had brought the Ragged Ones, their hunting beast Putties and dozens of other security personnel here whilst also having the staff sent elsewhere so that they could not be captured or any traitors within their ranks could do no harm. Despite his boasts Cleobis-Radix had no plans to kill the intruders, at least not immediately; he was astute enough to understand that the insurgents would be far more valuable to him alive, living and coherent prisoners with sharp minds filled with information regarding plots against the Empire and the whereabouts of their fellow agitators would make a far more worthy tribute to Lord Zedd than simple corpses and would see him rise to a position of prominence far above the one that he had inherited and so, with a twisted sense of predatory glee he continued to watch the intruders scramble through the darkened corridors before realising that they were progressing far faster than he was comfortable with.
"An admirable effort, scum" Cleobis-Radix buzzed into the intercom system "But no further" with that he reached out with his tendril-like limb and entered a series of commands which caused a series of heavily armoured plates to begin sliding from the walls and ceiling, blocking off the various routes that the intruders could take; the alien taking a moment to relish the particularly terrified looks on each of their faces as one such blast door cut through the middle of the group; leaving the Aquitian, the older human male, the dark-eyed wretch and one of the human females on one side whilst the leader of the group, the towering slab of muscle that accompanied her, the Felidae and the being who looked as though they may be some sort of hybrid on the other.
"You will die here" the alien almost cooed, only for the words to die in his throat and his eyes to shift into a pale grey colour in fright as something he was entirely unexpected for occurred. Flashes of colour filled the hallway on either side of the blast door as seven of the eight intruders, all of them save for the older human male produced devices mounted on their wrists and were transformed into something that Cleobis-Radix had bee entirely unprepared for.
Power Rangers.
"No, no, no" he muttered frantically under his breath, killing the communication feed as he attempted to salvage his plan. He could not relent now, to do so would be certain death and so to would failure yet the fact remained that even with all of the forces at his disposal it was clear that the balance of power had shifted in the enemies' favour; with his mandibles clacking Cleobis-Radix opened a private communication channel to each of the squad leaders stationed throughout the maze-like tower.
"Lethal force! Kill them all! Move to intercept and slay the Power Rangers, we will be rewarded by Lord Zedd himself for our actions here today! Squad One I will move to assist you personally" underappreciated throughout the ranks of the Empire he may have been but Cleobis-Radix was still a Dark Empire warrior and Acheron hybrid and his skills and power would still prove critical, though before he made good on his promise to aid his fellow warriors he had one last task to perform no matter how much he might loathe it, if he were to call for aid from any of the city states neighbouring Mercator he would almost certainly be usurped within a matter of days and his death would be seen as the natural order of things.
And so instead he sent an emergency broadcast out into the stars so that any nearby warships could intervene.
The maximum security prison was one that officially did not exist, the black-site a dirty secret within the upper echelons of Project Lightspeed and the Alliance as a whole that had made many former Power Rangers uncomfortable upon learning of its' existence; seeing the place as something altogether too close to the kind of treatment that the various enemies they had faced would inflict upon their prisoners. As secretive as it was the site needed to be called something, though the tame and unsuspecting numerical designation that it had been given officially was rarely, if ever used as those who worked at or even simply referred to the place had collectively agreed upon a name that had begun to work its' way into what few reports were ever circulated about the place.
The Dark Dimension.
It was not the Dark Dimension that Goldar had once held sway over, though that incorporeal realm did, as far as anyone knew still exist and was merely waiting to be claimed by a new occupant; instead this prison had been named after that place and the name alone was enough to make Sensei Kazama visibly uncomfortable.
This facility was patrolled largely by state of the art robots, whose workings the Fire Academy Ninja had been made intimately aware off by Justin; the robots in turn were monitored by a team of dozens of experts located in a secondary secure facility close by with hundreds of armed soldiers and military hardware on stand by should a full-scale assault or attempt to take control of the machines in order to free the prisoners ever be attempted whilst under normal circumstances the living crew of the Dark Dimension and the inmates would never interact.
The prison had been made to house Dark Empire prisoners of war after all and housed only the worst offenders; spacefaring pirates, Empire grunts most other interplanetary threats that were captured could be processed and face some form of justice but each and every prisoner here had personally overseen the ending of millions of lives.
With the sole exception being the woman Kazama was searching for.
"I can't believe they have a human in here" he murmured
"After what she did, there's no other place for her….except perhaps a shallow grave" the reply came from Kazama's side and the speaker was largely hidden from view, his lithe frame clad in an entirely black outfit which seemed to be an odd union of classic ninja attire and state of the art tactical equipment, a sword slung across his back and held in place by a bandolier which also fixed a laser rifle and several grenades to his chest, the cowl covering his face being adorned with night vision goggles. The man beneath the cowl was Genko Adachi, long time friend of Kazama's, alumni of the Shadow Ninja Academy and former Black Ranger of the second team of Power Rangers to use the moniker 'Ninja Storm'
"A fair point" Kazama nodded before casting his eyes around again, searching in vain for any sign of where his target might be; the facility was utilitarian and minimalist but not in the futuristic way that many Alliance establishments favoured, instead of gleaming chrome and pristine white every surface here seemed to be a shade of drab grey; featureless walls illuminated by flickering lights and the faint glow of energy fields whose constant thrumming was the only sound to be heard and had likely driven more than one prisoner to insanity formed a never-ending maze which spanned for miles both above and below the ground in a location that Kazama was truthfully unsure of; the corridor was lined with cameras and other sensors that were currently being tricked by some magic of Genko's, the Shadow Ninja being adept in arts that Kazama found frankly unsettling and the cells of the various prisoners, each cell modified specifically to contain the alien held within.
The sound of metallic footfalls alerted Kazama to an approaching robotic guard and suddenly his heart was in his throat and years of training came rushing to the fore, clamping down on his fears the Fire Ninja widened his stance and mastered his breathing has he held his hands ahead of him, the first sparks of what would soon become a raging inferno flickering into existence around them until he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.
"No, there's no need" before Kazama could react he felt Genko tug him towards the nearest wall and the Fire Academy Ninja caught the briefest glimpse of a modified Alpha droid before being pulled in a portal that the former Black Ninja Ranger had opened, a swirling void that deposited them silently in another identical hallway that could have been mere feet away or several miles with no way to tell, the sound of roared threats and fists impacting against protective barriers informing Kazama that their arrival had been noticed by at least one of the prisoners, even if none of the aliens could see out into the corridor
"We need a plan" Kazama said simply, Justin had warned him that this task would be difficult but it seemed he had underestimated it still
"I have one" Genko assured him, the former Ranger having grown to become his former mentors' equal in the intervening years "Wait here"
with that the Shadow Ninja opened another portal and slipped away, with Kazama being entirely unsure where until he heard muted talking from inside one of the cells and realised with a sinking sense of horror that his old friend was attempting to reason and bargain with a captured Dark Empire Commander or some other interplanetary despot whose crimes were too great to comprehend.
And then there was the unmistakable thud of a body hitting the floor and Genko appeared in a fresh swirling vortex of darkness.
"What did you do?" Kazama demanded, both shocked and undeniably impressed
"I brought snacks" Genko answered simply, in a tone that made it very clear that beneath his cowl he was wearing a smugly satisfied smirk before adding "I guessed we'd have to talk to someone and I guessed that prison food being garbage is universal, so I traded information for snacks….Which I may or may not have laced with a 'very' powerful sedative"
"You can be scary sometimes Genko, you know that right?" Kazama chuckled, a feeling of nostalgia striking him as he was reminded of just how unorthodox in his tactics Genko had been as a Power Ranger.
"This way" the former Black Ninja Ranger said simply gesturing towards a corridor that, whilst being indistinguishable from the rest of the prison somehow had the feeling of being deeper in its' bowels
"You're sure?"
"The prisoners are allowed out to eat in small groups" Genko answered as he led the way "They're under heavy surveillance but she's the only human here, people talk and some of the prisoners are telepathic; word got around about the Alliance traitor….They keep her isolated" with that harrowing thought the two of them continued on in silence, Kazama reaching into the folds of his own Ninja attire to produce the small, easily hidden and remotely activated teleporter that Justin had made specifically for this purpose; the faint tug in the back of his mind as Genko used ever more power and struggled to blind and deafen the various security measures informing him of just how high risk his target was considered to be until finally they reached the end of a dimly lit hallway with only a single, matte black painted and heavily armoured door ahead of them.
"This is the place, I'll get you in and keep watch….Security apparently patrol four times an hour here"
"Got it, I'll be as fast as possible" Kazama nodded, stepping forwards into the whirling portal of shadows that Genko created and shuddering at the sensation of being plunged into icy nothingness as he did so. When he emerged he was inside the cell and was promptly confronted with its' lone occupant whom he realised looked different to what he had been expecting.
She had been mid push-up when Kazama had entered her cell yet the young woman had lost a considerable amount of the muscle mass and definition that she had once possessed, her figure now being thin in an unhealthy way that was only made more noticeable by how pale her skin had become with the lack of sunlight, her brown hair had been cut and cropped close to her skull in what was presumably a standard prison haircut whilst her cheeks appeared hollowed and sunken and dark rings around her eyes exaggerated her wary gaze
This was Charlie Morales, former commander of Alpha Squad; heir apparent to Commander Anubis Cruger turned traitor to the Alliance and humanity.
"Fire Ninja...Why?" she managed to croak out, her voice a hoarse and almost metallic rasp after being unused for so long, yet the sharp alertness of her gaze and the fact that she could identify Kazama so easily made it clear that he mind had not deteriorated; he stepped forwards and carefully placed the teleporter on the ground between before speaking.
"Hello Charlie" his voice was entirely devoid of warmth and his gaze held nothing but contempt for the traitor "Things have gone very, very wrong….And you have a chance to redeem yourself"
A Putty exploded into shrapnel as Mercy's katana tore through its' chest and midsection as she continued onwards.
She, Aslaug, Panthera and Kay had morphed the moment they had been separated from Tempestus, Marigold, Rensa and Rocky with the intention of breaking through the blast door that had separated them only to find themselves unable to do so, Kay and Marigold had both unleashed their considerable firepower yet the Green and Gold Aegis Rangers Rangers had seen their energy based attacks unsuccessful and with their separation it was impossible for the Power Blaster to be formed; footsteps rushing towards them and orders being barked in an alien tongue and both sides of the blast door informed the Rangers that time was not on their side and that they needed to act; at this point Rocky, who was yet to use his newly remade Morpher had promised Mercy that he would keep her friends safe and the two quartets of Rangers had split up, each of them taking separate routes in their attempt to reach a control room from which they would be able to contact the Alliance.
Both groups had run into resistance however.
"We've trained for this! Mercy barked "Keep pushing through!" the four of them burst into another long and darkened corridor though her eyes had steadily become accustomed to the gloom with the aid of her visor, a series of blast doors cutting off various branches and possible escape routes caused each of their stomachs to plummet until they saw that their were stairwells and signage that Kay would likely be able to read.
The problem was the warbling swarm of Putties that barred their way.
"Let's go!" Mercy yelled as she charged, the Putties that stood against them were of the regular variety, upright and humanoid with the arcane light that filled their eye sockets piercing the gloom though whether there was a Dread Forge somewhere in this city or the automatons had been made elsewhere was impossible to say. The Red Aegis Ranger crashed into their midst with devastating force, her sword vanished in a shower of incandescent crimson embers as she thrust her right arm out to block the wild swing of the first Putty, the strike sending her arm sailing over its' shoulder before she grasped it by the back of the head and pulled the automaton forwards as she leapt into the air, silencing the first Putty's chattering as she drove her knee into its' chest. Several more were on her in an instant and she continued her assault without hesitation, landing amidst the debris that had been a Putty a second before and launching a spinning back kick at a second Putty, the blow slipping through the automatons' sloppy attempt at defence and crushing it entirely, from there Mercy was a force of nature laying waste to all around her as she carried her spin into a vicious left backhand to the jaw of a third Putty that was then shattered as she drove her right elbow into its' torso before she clenched both fists together and swung a hammer-blow into the abdomen of the fourth, leaving it doubled over long enough for the Red Ranger to vault over it and deliver a flying kick to a fifth Putty before whirling around and crushing the still prone construct with a spinning kick and a flourish that sent rubble ricocheting off of the walls whilst Mercy sought out a fresh target.
Panthera was close behind Mercy and the Pink Aegis Ranger was as precise and devastating in her attacks as always, striking without warning or mercy. The first chattering construct was felled when Panthera vaulted off of the wall beside her and seized the thing by the skull to drag it to the ground where she proceeded to slam it bodily into the floor until its' from crumpled and shattered; without pausing she launched a series of low sweep and elbow strikes into the Putties that attempted to swarm over her, blows that would have left a living opponent with broken limbs and internal bleeding yet merely left the warbling masses of living stone stunned for long enough for her to deliver a series of crushing elbow strikes and rake her armoured claws through the central Z plate of each automaton, leaving her stood in the centre of a ring of rubble and debris.
Aslaug was as straightforward in her approach as ever, letting out a fierce battle cry as she charged into the Putties that had managed to slip through the onslaught of Mercy and Panthera and simply drove her shoulder into the entire body of the first construct she reached, her attacks came without the grace and fluidity of Mercy's fighting style or the controlled brutality of Panthera but their wild ferocity combined with her sheer power gave them a quality all of their own and the Putties could do nothing to stand against her; a dozen or more stony bodies being reduced to crumbling masses of shapeless debris in mere moments as she rampaged through them, her fists, feet, knees and elbows claiming several Putties with each blow until finally the Yellow Aegis Ranger had brought herself level with Mercy and ended her attack by completely nullifying a group of automatons that lunged at them both, kicking the lead Putty in the chest and sending it hurtling backwards into the rest of its' allies to cause a chain reaction of destruction.
The air around Kay was charged like the moments before a thunderstorm as the Green Aegis Ranger extended their open palm and fired a beam of emerald light into the skull of an oncoming Putty, leaving magma spewing from the stump of its' neck before kicking the thing aside as its' headless form continued to thrash and flail with only marginally less coordination; from there they saw that the Red, Pink and Yellow Rangers had the situation largely in hand and they proceeded to advance on the nearest stairwell, securing the way forward by crushing any of the few remaining Putties that were foolish enough to draw close, their glowing fists ripping through the animated stone with ease as Kay fought with calm and deliberate motions until finally they were sent reeling back by the force of something colliding them at great speed, the Dragon Shield protecting them as jagged claws raked against its' surface in a shower of sparks.
"GET DOWN! Panthera called out, giving Kay a moment to weave aside as the Pink Ranger's curved blades ripped through the space that they had occupied and struck the figure that had lunged at them, the Green Ranger only truly realised upon watching the thing collapse into ruin that they had been assaulted by one of the snarling and misshapen hunting beast Putties.
The realisation sent a wave of cold fear through them, which spread to his allies a moment later as the sound of snarling filled the air. Several more of monstrous constructs stalked into view appearing from the same stairwell that the Rangers had intended to use with the clawed limbs scratching the ground and their glowing eyes lighting the darkness around them, proving that the Rangers were on the right track but making it clear that they would not be allowed to advance without consequence and though the hunting beast Putties had slipped their chains the sound of clanking and rattling metal still followed them as a group of three figures stepped into view, their forms hidden beneath the tattered rags they wore and each of them exuding silent menace.
The Ragged Ones had come to collect their bounty
In her comparatively short tenure as a Power Ranger Marigold Utahima had become well acquainted with the sensation of fear, nothing in her training having prepared her for the roiling maelstrom of dread that had steadily become her norm no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the plummeting of her stomach with each reveal of the Dark Empire's plans and the quiet whispering of doubts and worries in the back of her mind whenever she attempted to relax; yet in the twisting and darkened hallways of the communications tower Mari had morphed and once again the fear had been pushed away, thoughts that she was merely a poor stand in for the woman intended to carry her Morpher and memories of previous of previous failures being silenced.
She was a Power Ranger and fear was beneath her.
Time seemed to slow and bend both around her and to her whims as she moved, weaving around incoming laser-fire with speed and fluidity that defied what was possible, the golden cloak of her armour swirling around her dramatically as her Buster Pistols manifested in her hands and she took aim. Her targets were the group of admittedly well trained Dark Empire footsoldiers ahead of her; the visor of her helmet, encased in the stylised jaws of the Winged Lion of planet Leslie handled the darkness with ease and allowed her to see her surroundings. She along with Rocky, Tempestus and Rensa had searched for a different route towards where the control rooms were expected to be with Rocky's hard-earned experience of Dark Empire design principles having to suffice in place of Panthera and Kay's expertise; their progress had been slowed by this and only delayed even further by the near endless waves of attackers that threw themselves at the four Rangers at regular intervals, the latest of which was made up of a small group of alien infantry, fighters plucked from various species within the Empire who had positioned themselves at the far end of the corridor that the Rangers had been attempting to traverse and revealed the trap that they had laid when they had detonated a series of flash-bang and smoke grenades before unleashing a small mob of Putties from behind the various doors that lined the hallway.
Fortunately Putties were little threat to a Power Ranger in any circumstance.
Mari's pistols flashed as she opened fire, bolts of blinding light ripping through the air and ionizing the acrid smoke as it struck each of the enemy infantry in turn, armour that would have held against almost any other onslaught being rendered useless, leaving the aliens falling to the ground in rapid succession whilst the Gold Ranger herself remained largely unconcerned with the Putties until one of their number came rushing towards her; flailing in an attempt to knock her weapons aside only to meet its' end as she blocked and drove her elbow into the circular plate of its' chest before casting her eyes around and searching for her allies.
Tempestus, whilst clearly not at his best was faring far better now that the power of the Morphing Grid was flowing through him, bolstering his body as it had Marigold's mind; the Blue Aegis Ranger fought without his weapon and without much of his usual inhumanly fluid grace yet still the space around him was littered with the remains of felled Putties and Mari found herself staring as another was added into the heap of ruined stone, one of the rapidly thinning number of warbling automatons managing to land a punch on his helmet that echoed through the hallway with a resounding clang only for Tempestus to carry the momentum of the blow into a low spinning sweep, kicking the Putties' legs from beneath it before seizing one of them as he sprung upwards thereby slamming the construct into the ground before ending it with a crushing knee-strike.
Rensa fought in his regular Morphed state, either unwilling or simply reluctant to utilise the unrivalled power that his Battleizer afforded him and instead fought as he always had, using a brutal blend of speed, technique and unfettered animal savagery that was highlighted as he crushed the chests of two Putties at once by simply pouncing at them like the predatory monsters that stalked his home-world.
It was Rocky however that gave Marigold the most cause for alarm, the older Ranger fought a trio of Puttied at once and his limbs appeared as little more than a blur of motion, visible only as they impacted against stone bodies; the first Putty was destroyed as a maelstrom of jabs landed on its' torso yet before it could collapse under the barrage it was kicked backwards, its' crumbling body distracting a second Putty enough for Rocky leap over it, delivering a punishing aerial spinning kick before destroying the third Putty that had been flailing and chattering in search of an opening with a spinning backhand. What had truly stunned Marigold however was that all of this had been done in his unmorphed state.
"Why haven't you Morphed?" the Gold Aegis Ranger demanded incredulously, Rocky barely seemed to acknowledge her and instead scanned his surroundings as he dropped into a ready stance with practised ease, muscles coiling before he finally deigned to answer
"We never used to Morph for Putties, we should save our Power for when something worth it shows-"
"ONE HAS ARRIVED!" the voice that filled the air was a buzzing chittering drone, as though an entire swarm of furious insects had spoken at once, the sound echoing and seemingly coming from everywhere at once before the speaker revealed themselves fully in a nightmarish show of force.
None of the Rangers were ready.
Cleobis-Radix had been present the entire time, using the smog of the smoke grenades his infantry had thrown to move into position, his myriad vine and tentacle like limbs unfurling from the tightly woven masses sculpted into a bipedal form as he slithered and crept along the ceiling and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike; as the Rangers frantically glanced around in surprise the Acheron hybrid sent their hooked and barbed tendrils slithering down along the walls of darkened hallway and seized all four of his enemies in a single attack, flinging them to the ground and smashing their bodies against the walls and ceiling with thundering impact before casting them aside and focusing on a single target. The Blue Aegis Ranger's Morphed state flickered and wavered around him before finally failing to reveal that the Aquitian beneath it was clearly ill and suffering; the stench of rot driving Cleobis-Radix into a frenzy and the weakened state of his victim to much to ignore, the foul creature lowered himself from the ceiling above Tempestus with a twisted and murderous smile on his face as his segmented body curled in on itself so that the jagged pincers adorning his elongated abdomen could be brought to bare; the Blue Ranger was powerless and his death would have been a victory that saw Cleobis-Radix earn the respect of Lord Zedd himself.
Then a blur of motion halted his ambitions.
"It's Morphing time! Blue Thunder Dragon!" the words left Rocky DeSantos of their own accord, the Power itself speaking through him as he activated the cobbled together Morpher that Tempestus had crafted for him; the Morph was a strange thing by the standard of Power Rangers and seemed unstable somehow, taking a moment to begin as a low thrumming bass-note filled the air and a grid of deep blue light seemed to wrap around the veteran Ranger before a flash engulfed him.
What stood in the grizzled mans' place when the light subsided however was truly awe inspiring.
The Blue Thunder Dragon Ranger was both unique, belonging to no team of Rangers and yet at the same time a perfect combination of the two Power Rangers that Rocky DeSantos had been until this point. The deep blue of the armour shone with a vibrant, electric blue light as though it were lit from within and was broken up by a white belt, boots, gloves and diamond pattern running around the torso that resembled the armour of Earths' original Power Rangers, yet each section of white armour was highlighted with a golden trim, laden with detailing that was clearly based on the Zeo Ranger suits and the gold armour also extended to broad and rounded shoulder pads. The twin inspirations also carried over to the helmet of the suit which featured the sculpted mouth and perfectly triangular visor of the Blue Zeo Ranger yet around, in the fashion of the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers was a snarling maw, that of the Dragon Thunderzord that the helmet was stylised to resemble; golden horns trailing behind the helmet and fangs reaching down into the glossy black surface of the visor whilst in Rocky's hand was a weapon that shone with the same aurora of power as his armour, a halberd that appeared as though the original Power Sword had been fitted to the tip of that same Dragon Thunderzords' staff.
"Another Ranger?" Cleobis-Radix buzzed "Another corpse to present to Lord Zedd" Rocky merely pointed his halberd at the alien, relishing the feeling of the Power filling him in a way he had not experienced in twenty years and his voice boomed and echoed as he spoke
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Cleobis-Radix, despite being an Acheron Hybrid and not so easily cowered complied with the demand, his whip-like limbs retracting and knitting themselves into facsimiles of more recognisable appendages as the alien took on a fighting stance, long lashing fingers splaying wide and the pincer of his tail arching over his head as his compound eyes shifted colour to a furious magenta. Rocky paid little attention to the monster and turned instead to Mari and Rensa, both of whom seemed awed to be in the presence of this newly reforged Power Ranger
"Help your friend….I'll handle this"
Author's Notes:
And now the ball is properly rolling.
Two chapters left to go for this arc, things are gonna pick up pretty rapidly.
Now once again I feel like there should be something here, like I'm forgetting something but oh well.
That being said, let's summarise shall we?:
Really leaned into setting the scene at the start, just flexing how dystopian this place really is.
Mercy should have trusted her Red Ranger senses.
Mari is still the rookie of the team and that's not gonna change any time soon.
Of course they sent Rensa and Panthera to scour ahead, they're the natural choice.
Did any of you believe Tempestus when he said he'd be okay?
What else would the signal be, of course it was an explosion.
Nice save from Rensa, I just imagine him pouncing on people like the Raptors in Jurassic Park.
Okay, I feel like I could have made the fight towards the tower an entire chapter all on its' own as the pushed across the no mans' land but I feel like it would have actually detracted from it; I wanted to it be a frantic mess of an operation followed by the oh shit moment of the lights going out and making the scene last longer wouldn't have worked.
Cleobis-Radix is a little bitch, but he gives a good ultimatum.
See, he's a smarter villain than what Power Rangers usually gives us and that's the kind I enjoy writing; ones with actual plans and ideas, even when they have faulty information.
I originally planned for the separation to happen when the lights went out but I felt that scene was going on a little too long and that it might actually better to see just how casual Cleobis-Radix was with it.
He didn't know that they were the Power Rangers, now he does and the plan has had to change immediately; those changes include calling for back up from Dark Empire forces off-world….Now, who do we know who was basically sent into exile at the end of the last arc?
Of course the maximum security black-site in a Power Rangers story is called the Dark Dimension, also yeah Goldar's place is still there.
Shadow Nina Academy, former Black Ninja Storm Power Ranger….of course he wears a suit that's a mix between cliché ninja garb and splinter cell.
I really enjoy the Ninja Storm Rangers using their elemental abilities; also what Genko does isn't strictly teleporting, it's more like the rifts and portals that Lord Zedd rips open but on a much smaller scale and range.
So…..there's definitely a potential spin-off regarding the second Ninja Storm team and hell, since I mentioned a brief second Lightspeed team and "Lightspeed Black" being a covert ops Ranger, even a possible team up.
I'm sure you could all guess who we were going to see when I said Alliance traitor.
Billy's plan is to find the Rangers who were last seen trying to get onto a Dark Empire ship to escape a shattering moon, who better to get involved than Charlie; one of humanities' best covert ops specialists who has boarded more Dark Empire ships than anyone else.
Of course there's more blast doors corralling them; but once Cleobis-Radix leaves the control room that'll stop happening.
Standard Putty fight, not too much to say really; Mercy is a standard Power Ranger style fighter, Panthera breaks limbs and fights dirty, Aslaug is a tank and Kay adds their extra power into their attacks by default.
And now the Dark Empire's elite troops have showed up, time for a boss fight.
I should probably do more character study moments for Mari
The Putty fight for the second group was shorter and I'll be entirely honest it's because I wrote the rest of the chapter during the weekend and the last scene in smaller intervals after work during the week; but it was enough to convey the Ranger's character, Mari is highly capable, Tempestus is off-form and Rensa is just a beast.
And of course Rocky doesn't morph to fight Putties, why would he.
The bad-guy was there all along, he was literally hanging from the ceiling waiting to drop down like a creepy, fleshy Glados.
Yeah Tempestus's Morph failed because he was already on the verge of collapsing and it was taking more from him just to stay upright.
AND THERE IT IS, this is what you were all waiting for right? Rocky's new Morph.
Okay, it's the Blue Thunder Dragon because obviously Rocky was the Blue Zeo Ranger and the Red Ranger; except he didn't pilot the Tyrannosaurus Zord so I felt like it could either be the Red Dragon or the Ninja Ape Zord and one of those things is decidedly cooler than the other.
So basically you're looking at an MMPR suit, with gold shoulder pads, the gold detailing from the Zeo suits around the white bits and the blue Zeo helmet with the triangular visor but with the Dragon Thunderzord mouth sculpted into the top of the helmet….And he's got a halberd and the entire suit glows
Also I think the whole "Unstable Morph" that was also a slight homage to the way the Zeo Rangers Morphed was a nice touch.
So, second boss fight has started….Believe me when I say I've got more tricks in store for you.
Thank you to Blue Legends for their review on the last chapter.
I'm glad you like my world building, it's one of my favourite parts of writing if I'm honest.
You were right to be worried.
So….How excited are you now?
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.
