"So this Zeo Crystal thing - what the hell does Rita want it for?" Rachel asked.
The day after Rita's attack, the Rangers were assembled in the Command Center on another scorching afternoon.
"It is a source of enormous power, that grows in strength over time," Zordon answered. "Potentially, infinitely."
"And it's right here on Earth?" asked Alycia.
"It...should be, yes."
That was one of the most unconfident answers they had ever heard from Zordon.
"What do you mean?" Nicole asked. "Did something happen to it?"
"Ten thousand years ago," Zordon spoke again. "when the past Ranger team and myself came to Earth to stop Rita from initiating her conquest, we...brought the Zeo Crystal with us. Its immense power was partially responsible for how we were able to seal her away on your moon at all. It allowed us to subdue and contain her. If she's searching for it now, she either wants to destroy it, and ensure it can't be used to lock her away for another ten thousand years...or she wants to use its power for herself after realizing its potential."
"So she wants to turn your own weapon against you - that's smart," Michael murmured.
"It was not a weapon," Zordon corrected. "In ages past, the Zeo Crystal was passed from planet to planet - planets in need - to aid and sustain them during times of great crisis. Crisis of power, of infrastructure; heat generators, food farms, weather shielding. And during times of great war. When I made the decision to bring it with us, no planet needed it at the time."
"And it's been on Earth all this time," Nicole said. "And because of how you are now, you couldn't just go and get it back?"
"That's correct," Zordon said. "But, I have always known exactly where it is - and I knew the best way to keep it out of evil hands was to let it remain hidden. However, if Rita now seeks it...you Rangers must go and retrieve it before she can."
"She wanted us because she thought we knew where it was," Nicole said thoughtfully. "Which means she doesn't know. Isn't it safe, like you said, right where it is?"
"I'm afraid not," Zordon replied, shaking his head. "The Crystal, like your Power Coins, has an energy signature that can be traced - tracked." He hesitated, looking at Nicole with remorse - and determination. "I didn't think Rita had the capability to track you Rangers down before, and that almost cost you your family - your mother's life. I won't make that mistake again. I won't underestimate Rita; the Zeo Crystal must be moved, quickly. It must be brought back here. With her magic as powerful as it is, it's not impossible that Rita could devise a means to trace the Crystal's energy. She's dangerous, and clever."
"Okay, so where is it?" said Alycia. "We'll go get it for you."
"Unfortunately, it's in a place not easily accessible to any of you five."
"Yeah, we'll see - where is it already?" Rachel said impatiently. "I mean shit, you can't just beam us there?"
Zordon eyed Rachel, unblinking.
"What?!" she burst out, throwing up her hands.
"The phrase in your culture is, 'patience is a virtue,' Rachel. Do try and keep that in mind. A Power Ranger needs to have discipline, above almost all else. Restraint."
Rachel glanced around, taking shallow breaths. She clenched her fists, then let them go. "Sure. So, where's your crystal?" she reiterated.
"A place I can't just 'beam you' to," Zordon answered at last, apparently satisfied with her. "The Crystal lies at the bottom of the ocean - in a crashed, but highly sealed starship: the vessel of the previous Ranger team. That which brought them here. The ship is shielded, even to this day, and that prevents me from beaming anyone onto or out of it. There were three ships that came to Earth, ten thousand years ago: the Rangers', Rita's, and my own. This very place you stand in was once my ship - more specifically, the bridge. But it was long since converted into a base of operations."
Chloe tapped at her phone, and her TTS voice echoed loud: "This place is huge. Your ship must have been even bigger when it was whole."
"It was a large vessel," Zordon said, while signing back to her as ever, simultaneous. Something hard for humans to do - you lost grammar, you went slower with it, both Chloe and Zordon had explained before about it - but which seemed trivial for an alien. "But it's now only a quarter of its original size."
"What happened to Rita's ship?" Nicole questioned.
"It was destroyed," Zordon said flatly. His signing hands were equally as brisk, and sharp in motion.
The five Rangers looked at one another.
"So none of us get to go to space," Michael said. "Damn...I was almost excited about something." He gave a rare smile.
"Apologies," Zordon said. "If the need ever arises, I'll find a way to do that for you." He turned his gaze to Chloe, and went on with, "There is something else I've been meaning to do for you. I told you all before that I've learned all the languages of your planet, and I've done my best to keep up to date with how they've changed. I learned them all by the same means you all gained the previous Ranger team's combat experience: direct mind information transfer. If you'd all allow for it, I could give you all expertise in Chloe's American Sign Language - both to converse in it, and understand it. It would allow us all to communicate without troubles or devices like phones, and she won't need to feel so left out any more. I do apologize for that," he concluded to Chloe softly.
Chloe cocked her head at the screen's alien signing hands, and looked at the others. It was clear on her face what she was thinking: Would you? Would you all do that for me?
"Zap our brains," Rachel grinned. "Right here!" She put a finger to her forehead.
Zordon nodded, closing his eyes. The screen flickered, the air crackled.
A white light pulsed on each of their foreheads (causing Rachel to draw her finger away with a shocked cry of, "I didn't mean it literally!").
Nicole looked to Chloe, who looked back at her. Hopeful, expectant. Wishing, really.
Chloe hesitantly signed at her.
And Nicole understood it. Just seeing it, just looking, the symbols and motions and the way her eyebrow was quirked, the way her lips quavered...it all just flowed in her brain, becoming reality and words. Meaning. Depth. As easily as if she'd done it her whole life. Like reading any english written book, reading those symbols and becoming words in her mind. Things she knew.
Nicole knew, too, that she could respond back now. She raised her hands, and much like with the fight against Rita, her body sort of did it on its own - but also, of her conscious choice. She signed back to Chloe, answering with, "I understand you."
Chloe smiled, and she signed the first letter of her name, then brought a finger to tap her lips of cherry lipstick. She looked up at Zordon with sparkling eyes. Then she opened her mouth and spoke aloud. "Thank you!"
It was simple, but it was different. Pronunciation, the pause - almost...like a very thick accent, Nicole thought. It was almost unintelligible, she also thought - but she would keep that one to herself. As well as the thought that maybe it was a little...cute. Chloe had a cute voice, alright. Nicole seemed the only one to think so about Chloe, however - the others were shifting, and flushed with varying levels of discomfort.
Zordon began to sign to Chloe, but Rachel interrupted.
Rachel waved at Chloe, and then just flippantly signed, "You're welcome," when the girl looked at her.
Michael looked at his own hands, making slow signs, his expression one of concentration. But an easy focus. He smiled, nodded to himself, and said, "This is pretty cool." He repeated himself to Chloe in ASL, more confidently.
She smiled at him, and answered back, "You have no idea." Chloe turned to Zordon, signing up at him. "Let's go get your crystal now. If you can't beam us right to it, can you get us close enough to reach it on our own?"
"I could, but that would be dropping you all into the middle of your ocean," Zordon signed back. "Without any technological assistance."
"Do our suits work in water?" Rachel said.
"While the Ranger armor was designed to function in a multitude of environments, the depths of an ocean was not one of them," Zordon told her.
"So how in the world do we get to it?" Alycia wondered, sighing.
"The old fashioned way?" Nicole suggested, hesitant. "We could drive to the coast, and take a boat out - try to scuba dive. If you can at least tell us exactly where it is?" she directed at Zordon.
"I can," he replied. "But you would all still be putting yourselves at risk - especially with...low level Earth technology."
"Well, it's our only choice, seeing as you didn't bring alien scuba tech with you on this big broken ship of yours," Rachel retorted. "You want the crystal back? We'll get it our way."
"Of course," Zordon said steadily. "I'm only...concerned for your safety, Rachel. All of you."
Rachel suppressed a sigh, her cheeks flushing. "Yeah? Well, thanks...not that it helps..."
"If we're together, we'll be fine," Chloe signed, her lips pressed tight. "That's what teams are for. We handled Rita together; we can handle a trip into the ocean." She hesitated, then she gave a wide smile. "I've always wanted to scuba dive. I've never been to the ocean before."
"Me neither," Michael put in, signing to her. He paused, then looked down at himself, as if startled by his own actions. Instinct, natural. A dissonance of mind, Nicole knew well - knew how it felt. He shrugged, gave Chloe a smile of his own. "My mom would never take me, so I'll go with friends."
"Friends," Chloe repeated.
"Friends," signed Nicole, certain.
Rachel looked at them, then at Alycia. "Yeah, fuck it - I guess we can't do all this and not be friends going forward, can we?" she signed, careless as could be.
"I'm always glad for more friends," Alycia signed happily.
They all stood silently, staring at each other a minute.
"Awesome - so we're friends," Nicole signed, making first move. "Now let's figure out a real, solid plan to reach the ship in the ocean. Boats and scuba diving is a nice general idea, but we need to figure out the details."
The others stared at her. Then, they looked to Zordon.
Zordon gave a nod toward Nicole, simple and silent.
"Does anyone...have any ideas?" Nicole signed quickly, blushing. "I'm open to anything." Naturally fallen into the role or not, she had no real idea how to be any kind of leader! But she felt like any good leader would listen to her teammates' opinions and thoughts. Wasn't that just good work ethic? It worked well enough in school, anyway...
The others battered her with dozens of ideas and suggestions at once.
It was after an hour of back and forth, arguing and discussing, that Zordon finally intervened to stop all of it.
"Rangers!
Everyone looked at him (save for Chloe, who looked only because they had, taking her cue from them).
Zordon eyed them all, and gave a great sigh. He began to address them all, vocally and through signing. "Any methods you could come up with would simply be too dangerous for this task. Therefore, I must do something for you all that I'd hoped to avoid...until you were truly ready. And hope that you all will not disappoint me."
"What is it?" Nicole asked.
"In addition to the armor and weapons of a Power Ranger...there is a technological asset available to all of you that surpasses them all. Something to be used to defend and protect the innocent and good in the universe, something to be used with utmost care and restraint. Something I've kept dormant in the bowels of the Command Center...until they might be needed."
"Just tell us!" Rachel huffed.
"They are called Zords - colossal bio-mechanical robots. To be piloted by a team of Rangers; one for each Ranger. Though, they are themselves possessed of a certain spirit, giving them semi-sapience of their own. They are all linked to your Power Coins, and the Coins themselves are required to activate and control them."
"You're saying we get giant mechs?" Michael asked, staring in wonder.
"Something like that," Zordon nodded. "Each Zord takes on a unique form, in accordance with the planet they are used on, and the current team of Rangers that possesses ownership over them. For you all, they would likely take the form of Earth animals."
"Can theses Zords go underwater without problems?" Nicole questioned.
"They can," Zordon replied. "They should be easily capable of opening up the ship, and retrieving the Crystal to bring it to the surface - and back here to the Command Center."
"And you don't have giant war machines you want us to train against, do you?" Rachel asked flippantly. "With these mechs?"
"Unfortunately, I don't," said Zordon evenly. "I'd rather not send any of you blindly on such a mission, but I have little choice. You'll have to familiarize yourselves with the Zords on your own, and trust in your training and instincts to guide you." He hesitated, glancing aside; a large bulkhead door slid open to their left. "Proceed through this hallway, and you'll find the Zords' hangar bay. There, your Coins will resonate with the appropriate Zord; just let them guide you."
"Why didn't you just tell us about them from the start?" Rachel demanded.
"I wasn't sure any of you were ready for this - but, as I've said, it seems we don't have the choice to wait and see," Zordon sighed. "Please, proceed to the hangar."
The Rangers took their Power Coins from their Morphers, and moved as one through the new, open doorway.
Through the metallic hallway, with its glowing lights along the walls and the floor, bathing it in a dim blue light.
Rachel strode past them all to the front, forcibly taking a lead. Her Coin was clutched tight in her fist.
Alycia shook her head at her; Michael moved clear for her, shoulders cringing; Chloe gave an irritated look at Rachel's backside; and Nicole...well, she wasn't sure what to do about it. So she let it go, for now.
Besides, Zordon didn't say anything either, and he was following them all; his visage was rippling across the right wall, holographic display flickering and shimmering as it slid swiftly down the hallway.
When they reached the far end, another thick metal door slid open, and a vast darkness was revealed.
Not even the light spilling out from the hallway reached too far into the area.
A moment passed, and bright white lights flared to life in the chamber, revealing the true extent of its size.
"Woah!"
It was an absolutely massive, empty chamber of alien metal, rounded at the corners, and where ceiling and floor met walls. It was as large as a baseball stadium - maybe two!
Inside the chamber were what could only be the Zords: colossal hunks of alien metal, of curves and spikes, and thick gleaming glass (or some alien equivalent to glass, at any rate).
Nicole could make out limbs, maybe big wings on one, segmented and metallic, with glowing white lights in-between the armor.
"What are they supposed to be?" Chloe signed, stepping forward. "They don't look like anything from Earth."
"Not at present, no," Zordon signed back, giving her a faint smile. "They've remained in the forms given to them by the previous Ranger team, for all this time, in hibernation. But, once you've bonded with them, they should assume more familiar forms to you all - creatures of Earth."
Chloe nodded, and she turned her Coin over in hand as she took further steps into the vast hangar bay. The Coin began to glow pink; she headed right for the nearest Zord, almost in a trance. Her expression was...purely mesmerized, with a bit of awe to boot.
Rachel followed her trajectory, then about-faced and stalked off for the second nearest hibernating Zord.
Nicole, Alycia and Michael looked at one another, and then they each silently chose a Zord of their own to try and approach.
Nicole had just reached hers, Coin held out before her, when a rumbling shook the hangar, and a great pink light exploded nearby. She whirled, staring into a nearly blinding light of pink! She covered her eyes until it faded, and then lowered her hand to stare.
Chloe was standing before a sleek, hot pink mechanical...bird? Big, long wings, with sharp clawed digits on the ends of them. Sharp talons on the feet. And the head was elongated and thin - a clear cockpit was visible where the eyes and forehead would have been.
It wasn't a bird, Nicole realized. It was...
"A dinosaur?" Nicole spied Chloe sign to herself, gazing up at her Zord with a big smile.
A light humming noise filled the chamber, and everyone turned to see a metal sphere zipping through the air. It shimmered with blue light, and Zordon's image was projected before it. The drone flew right to Chloe, and Zordon signed to her. "Wonderful, Chloe. A Pterodactyl, if I'm not mistaken. A form fitting for your place on this team: you will be the swift and true, the eyes above for your teammates."
Chloe gave a respectful nod, signing a quick "Thank you," to him.
Nicole smiled at Chloe and waved to her, excited for her; Chloe gave an excited wave right back, and then did a twisting backflip on the spot for good measure! Nicole felt a warmth in her palm, and glanced down to find her Coin glowing dark purple. She set her gaze on the Zord before her, and began to walk forward with hand outstretched.
Her palm, with the Coin laid in it, pressed to the smooth metal of the giant alien robot. It began to glow with a purple light, and it shifted under her palm, like a kind of living metal. Flowing and morphing, a liquid but not quite...
The light faded, and Nicole was facing not an unidentifiable alien creature, but instead something really familiar. Another dinosaur.
Land-based, muscular and bulky, with a long tail, and a crown of spikes and a hard plate sweeping back from the forehead. The nose had a huge horn on it.
It was jet black and shiny, with dark purple highlights of neon, pulsing gently.
"A Triceratops," Zordon stated, the drone drifting over to Nicole. His expression was pleased. "The speed, strength and power to lead your team from the forefront, but the durability to stand amidst the chaos and command as you see rightly. An excellent form for this Zord, and for you, Nicole."
"Thank you," Nicole said earnestly - proudly.
Alycia got a Saber-Toothed Tiger, shiny and dark blue - the smallest Zord, but extremely fast and agile to make up for it, Zordon said. To make snap decisions and act if need be, no hesitation and no delay.
Michael got a Mastodon, which was not technically a dinosaur, either, but it was what it was. A form of pure power and strength, to defend against the strongest attacks, and remain steadfast in face of the greatest threats and trials.
Rachel...got a Tyrannosaurus Rex - something she was over the moon about. A powerfully offensive form, but durable enough to stand at a place in-between Nicole's and Michael's Zords. It was also the tallest Zord, towering over the rest. But it had speed to keep up with the others, and the dexterity of its arms going for it to help out in dangerous situations.
"Alright, let's take these babies for a test drive!" Rachel exclaimed, pumping a fist. "How the hell do we get up there? Do we have ladders?"
"You may climb or jump your way to the cockpit," Zordon began patiently. "Or, if you connect with your Zord via neural interface, you should be capable of triggering a very short-range teleportation system, that will bring you right into the Zord's cockpit. It works by relaying with the Command Center and-"
"Yeah, great! T-Rex, here I come!" Rachel bent her knees and leapt straight up. She flew, and flew, higher and higher - higher than any of them had ever gone before. Than any of them had even realized they could go!
But, apparently, they could.
Rachel did a frontflip at the height of her arc and landed atop her T-Rex Zord's head. She knelt down and did some fiddling, and then she disappeared down a hatch into the cockpit. Visible through the window, she sat in a high-backed seat in the compact cockpit.
The scarlet T-Rex began to hum and glow with red lights along its body, and it began to move.
The head rose up, the little arms flexed. The huge feet stomped. It tossed its head back, opened its jaws, and a stream of red flames burst from its mouth to billow against the high ceiling.
The flames died after five seconds of clearly panicked control fiddling from Rachel. The Zord's head lowered and the jaws clamped shut. She gazed down at them all with wide eyes - then, glanced up at the ceiling with cringing shoulders.
There was a massive hole melted right through the ceiling - through alien metal, and through pure rock and earth, exposing the hangar to a wide pillar of sunlight, and the T-Rex to a cascade of dirt and dust alike.
Everyone looked to Zordon. Breaths held.
Zordon closed his eyes and shook his head, a heavy sigh escaping his alien mouth. "This is why I was reluctant to allow you access to your Zords so early on. Rachel: get out, right now. Power down!" he shouted, his voice booming through the hangar bay.
Rachel, seeing Zordon well and truly pissed for the first time ever, obeyed without any backtalk - for once - and with a suitably shameful look on her face.