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Chapter 81 – Countdown To Destruction

The Command Centre of Promethea One, the current focal point of Earths' orbital defences in the ongoing battle for humanities' home-world had remained filled with a tension that permeated the air and gave the vast spherical room a charged atmosphere like that which preceded a lightning storm wherein the various members of the crew overseeing the war for the planet spoke only in hushed whispers as they entered information with hands that trembled with nerves yet despite it all there had been a subtle and undeniable shift in the atmosphere that had followed the arrival of reinforcements from across the galaxy and the gradual turning of the tide that had followed. Hope had returned and the sense of icy, bone deep terror that had filled the Command Centre as those present prepared to make their final stand was slowly replaced with a sense of hope that victory might indeed be possible, that humanity might survive the battle with its' home-world in tact.

"Status report?" Corcus enquired as he came to a halt after pacing around his base of operations, gazing at the hard-light display of Earth and its' surrounding space whilst taking in the vast influx of endlessly updating information regarding the various theatres of war and the forces battling within them that he hoped to co-ordinate; looking across to those acting as his generals he saw that each of them looked as ragged and weary as he felt, the more expressive facial features of humans giving the Aquitian blade-master and former Black Ranger a clear understanding of just how great a toll this battle had taken on their minds.

"We're winning the space battle" Grace rasped out, voice dry and croaking as she double checked information at her disposal once again before considering "Andros and Karone report that they're pushing Empire forces away from the Moonbase and the enemy fleet is being thinned down….It would seem that the means they used to arrive in orbit can't be replicated and that there are no Empire reinforcements coming-"

"An unsupported attack, relying almost entirely on the element of surprise?" Corcus noted, voice suddenly stern as though disciplining a wayward student of the Aquitian warrior caste "Such a brazen assault borders on arrogance-"

"And if Lord Zedd had led his forces from the front it might have worked" Justin noted coldly, cutting off Corcus's words before he could fall victim to his own overconfidence

"The fight isn't over yet" the former Turbo Ranger continued "The Animarium is still taking refugees, the Ninja Academy forces in Okinawa have reported that Zhane is helping lead the counteroffensive there and that the Empire ground forces are effectively pinned….Same story we're seeing everywhere, as soon as we can take out their warships they're ground forces are at a disadvantage but that doesn't mean that things can't go wrong in the meantime"

"You are correct of course" Corcus nodded, mildly chagrined and shamefaced before turning to Billy "What of the other Power Rangers"

"The Aegis Ranger's are holding Lord Zedd off as best they can….they're not fighting in Angel Grove itself so the damage is relatively limited but they can't do this alone and Zebidiah is down" with that the former blue Power Ranger entered a series of commands into one of the consoles he was working at which quickly changed the image being displayed within the central viewing globe of the Command Centre from a depiction of Earth and its' surrounding to that of various helmet feeds and the interiors of cockpits as several Power Rangers, all of those who were able to, answered the communication

"Rangers, what's your current situation"

"Happy to report the New York will be clear of Empire forces within hour!" Eric Myers exclaimed

"Get that warship from on top of us and we have the city" Taylor Earhardt added, confirming that the two of them were working in tandem whilst inspection of each of their feeds showed similar images as the Quantum Ranger and Yellow Wild Force Ranger continued to operate from their Zords, using the power, agility and simple inspirational effect that their war-machines had on the Lightspeed forces fighting in the city to great effect whilst a tactical analysis of New York city would show that the invading forces were being rapidly pushed back towards Central Park where they would be surrounded and, if the vessel that they had deployed from was destroyed dealt with in due course.

"Kendrix Morgan reporting" the voice of the Pink Galaxy Ranger announced her presence "It's tough going but we're holding the Empire forces at bay in Jakarta, they sent lightly armoured and highly mobile squads to the city; once the locals managed to begin erecting barricades and start halting their forward momentum they started to lose the upper hand"

"Understood" Billy answered, studying the feed from Kendrix's helmet and noting immediately that her visor had been cracked in several places and whilst the two remaining Galaxy Rangers had managed to find some brief respite at least for a few moments as they leaned against the barricades that had been alluded to those same barricades were scorched and pockmarked with holes from lasers and other weapons whilst Kai Chen, the Blue Galaxy Ranger had lost his helmet entirely and wore armour that was visibly damaged in severable places. The continuing severity of the situation in Jakarta became apparent as an explosion boomed somewhere in the distance and flung a cloud of dust and debris high into the air.

"This is Max Cooper, Wild Force Blue" the Shark Ranger spoke hurriedly "Merrick and I are continuing evacuation efforts to the Animarium as per Princess Shayla's instructions but we'll help other Rangers if they need us"

"I've just received word from Charlie Morales" Justin interjected "She and Commander Cruger have halted an attack on the Aquabase at Mariner Bay, a small diversionary attack is still being pushed back but Morales is getting Cruger to a medical evac"

"Good" Corcus answered simply, choosing not to give any further thoughts or opinions regarding the traitor Charlie Morales; Billy paid little mind to the conversation and focused on his current duty of co-ordinating the remaining Power Rangers. He double checked all who had given their current locations and then added Zhane and Karone whose situations he was aware of to his mental list before realising that the only Rangers unaccounted for were TJ and Dana who were, to the best of his knowledge still holding the line in Geneva and Earths' latest team of defenders, yet just as the scientists' stomach clenched with dread a young, weary and near hysterical voice spoke

"This is Jack Landors, Silver Guardian….Cadet? Are we still cadets? Red Delta Ranger-"

"Status report Specialist Landors" Billy instructed gently, hoping that his warm tone and the confirmation of his effective promotion would calm the teen, though considering the utter devastation of the city of Seoul that he and his fellow Delta Rangers were surrounded by it seemed unlikely; Jack took several breaths and managed to answer, the older and more experienced Rangers hearing him giving visible winces of pity and discomfort as they silently agreed that this should not have been how a new team were introduced to their role

"We took out that Zord type thing that they were using, Mercy showed up and helped us clear out some of the Putties and we've helped the army where we can" the Red Delta Ranger made a sound of pure frustration "They're using tanks Doctor Cranston, I don't know what more we can do to help, we don't have Zords or-"

"At ease Ranger, you have performed your duties admirably" it was surprisingly Corcus who spoke, striding into view behind Billy and giving his ally a brief imploring look as if to request permission to assume direct control before speaking again.

"All Rangers, Lord Zedd has taken to the field of battle in person in the city of Angel Grove where the Aegis Rangers are fighting him" Corcus's back straightened and expression became even more serious than usual as some grim determination filled his eyes "Were it possible I would aid them myself, however I do not feel that it should fall to a single team of teenagers to secure the fate of Earth….I trust you all agree with me?"

The sun was yet to rise over the city of Geneva and the battle for the former United Nations building located there, a building which had been repurposed as a meeting place for politicians and delegates from worlds all across the Alliance which housed several embassies and consulates continued to rage, though the impact that the arrival of King Dex of Edenoi and his three sons had could not be overstated.

As was currently being displayed by King Dex himself.

The Masked Rider had planted himself directly in the path of the Putties' assault, ordering the soldiers of Project Lightspeed to fall back and assist the evacuation of the interplanetary dignitaries within the building and had been relieved when they had followed his commands out of some combination of whatever kingly bearing and authoritative presence he had developed over the years and their own common sense and understanding of the situation; with the area cleared of any warriors who were not enhanced by either the Morphing Grid or the mystical powers of Edenoi he had drawn his Electro Sabre and its' glowing blade had illuminated the pre-dawn gloom as he leapt from ones mob of flailing, warbling constructs to the next until he stood before the steps leading to entrance of the grand building which had once been considered a palace; perched upon a pile of shattered stone that stood taller than himself as he surveyed the ongoing battle.

The Empires' near endless supply of footsoldiers finally seemed close to bein exhausted, the tide of living grey beginning to thin as Putty after Putty was shattered; King Dex watched as his sons continued to fight alongside the pair of veteran Power Rangers to defend Earth as they would their own home.

Emu, his youngest son who bore the mantle of Masked Rider Ex-Aid fought alongside Dana Mitchell and it seemed as though the young man, more comfortable with his duties as a medic than as a warrior had initially attempted to treat the Titanium Ranger only to be caught off-guard by the continued and unwavering ferocity she displayed towards her enemies and currently Emu was a blur of vivid pink and neon green motion as he flung himself into the fray to deliver acrobatic and unpredictable blows to opponents that came from all angles whilst Dana smashed her way through the tide of Putties with far less flair and showmanship.

Elsewhere in the rapidly dispersing mass of Putties Dex could see his two oldest sons fighting side by side, Sento in the armour of Masked Rider Build delivering expertly timed blows which each managed to send one shattering Putty into several others to trigger a series of chain reactions which left the eldest Prince of Edenoi appearing as the epicentre of countless small shock-waves that ripped through the area whilst behind him, standing back to back was Takeru; Dex's middle child in the armour of Kamen Rider Ghost. Takeru stood with his sword in had and the ground beneath his feet was littered with unnatural scorch marks arranged in ropey, spattering patterns where the sword he wielded even now had torn though Putty after Putty and left their rapidly cooling, pressurised magma cores spilling out onto the ground as he chose to dismember the automatons without mercy wherever he could not simply shatter them with a single well placed blow.

Turning his attention away from his sons King Dex saw that the Blue Astro Ranger continued to fight alone, presently lodging the shaft of his axe under the neck of a Putty he had seized from behind and using the weapon as leverage to hurl the thing over his shoulder and slam it head-first with neck breaking force before driving his knee into the things' chest before it could rise only to be beset by more of the flailing and shambling things a moment later, the first of which was bisected from the skull downwards by a well placed strike. Seeing this Dex decided to intervene and shifted his weight atop the pile of ruined Putties on which he stood before leaping into the air with a yell.

"RIDER KICK!" his voice reverberated unnaturally and the insectoid eyes of his helmet seemed to glow as he reached the apex of his leap before thrusting his leg outwards and hurtling down with the air itself burning around him until he collided with one of the Putties and sent an explosion of concussive force that shattered not only the Putty he had struck but a dozen more around it, yet still the things persisted and if anything were reinvigorated as they rushed at their new opponent with blood red eyes glowing; only for the warbling construct at the head of the pack to be reduced to a fine, gritty dust hanging in the air as TJ intervened, the Astro Ranger and head of Lightspeed charging forwards before delivering a savage haymaker with a fist that glowed with a corona of cobalt light.

"Thanks for the assist your highness"

"Edenoi will always aid its' friends" Dex answered with a tone whose warmth seemed out of place as he drove his glowing sabre through the chest of a Putty "And it truly is an honour to fight beside you….You were Tommy Oliver's successor"

"Then maybe we should have teamed up like this when I was in prime, maybe fifteen years ago" TJ noted almost playfully as he dropped into a spinning leg sweep that sent a Putty toppling forwards directly into the path of Dex's kick; the Masked Rider repaid the favour by impaling his weapon through the leg of another of the constructs and holding it in place which allowed TJ to bury his axe in the things chest as he rose to his feet.

"Indeed, though I would not say that our time as truly passed yet" Dex replied, decapitating a Putty with a flourish only for the conversation to be brought to a somewhat unceremonious halt as the remaining Putties were reduced to fragments of shrapnel one after another, the source of the destruction being Dana who had evidently cleared through her own rabble of animated stone and advanced methodically towards them wielding the Titanium Laser as though it were a shotgun and delivering well placed shots to the chest of each Putty until none remained whilst King Dex's three sons gathered behind her, each of them ensuring that none of the enemy had managed to go undetected.

"Just got word from inside, we're clear. Troops are gonna be pulling out and redeploying where they're needed. We don't have time to stand here talking" whilst the Princes of Edenoi bristled slightly at the tone the former Commander of the Lightspeed Aquabase used both Dex and TJ nodded in silent agreement before the Astro Ranger opened a comm channel to Promethea One, where he knew that the defence of Earth would be orchestrated from.

"Mission Control, this is Johnson. Status update; Geneva is clear and all personnel and civilians are evacuated. Report"

"This is Billy" the voice of TJ's predecessor as Blue Ranger answered him "We're winning the orbital battle which is having an effect on the Empire ground forces' ability to resupply and redeploy. All available Rangers are currently preparing to converge on Angel Grove, Lord Zedd is there and the Aegis Rangers are facing him alone.

"Understood, we'll be there immediately. Johnson out" with that he turned to Dana and everything about the Titanium Ranger's suddenly stiff demeanour made it clear that she had listened in on the transmission "You heard that?"

"I did" she nodded

"I know you've fought him before Dana" TJ breathed out "I know you were put into retirement by what happened on Unus, if you choose to fall back or lead the counter attack somewhere-"

"Absolutely not!" Dana spat vehemently, voice raw and rasping from damage that had been done to her vocal chords by the atmosphere of Unus that was yet to completely heal "The Aegis Rangers are already there. They're kids, this isn't their war and I'll be damned if I make them fight it alone….we put them on the front line, all of us did; so now it's about time we get out there and join them"

TJ heard her words and found that he couldn't agree more.

Mercy threw herself at Lord Zedd yet again and swung her oversized sword whose blade glowed with the light of a star at the tyrants' unmasked head but was halted as he held out his left arm, which was presumably still flesh and blood beneath his bladed armour and used his arcane abilities much as Zebidiah had previously in order to form a weapon of his own; a swirling nexus of arterial crimson calcifying into an ornate yet savage looking crystalline war-hammer with which he held the Red Ranger at bay despite her exponentially increased power.

"Now!" Mercy barked out splaying the wings of her Battleizer wide and taking her sword in both hands as she bore down on Lord Zedd's weapon to ensure that the two of them remained locked in combat as Tempestus and Aslaug leapt of the broad, flat edges of her wings and used them to vault forwards much as Mercy often used the Aslaug's axe; the Blue Ranger throwing himself into a somersault that led to him delivering an axe-kick to Lord Zedd's collarbone before bracing himself against the warlords' armour and back-flipping away whilst kicking him forcefully beneath the chin as he did so whilst at the same time the Yellow Ranger, her bloodied and beaten form only serving to make her appear more fierce delivered an earthshaking haymaker to Lord Zedd's face that would surely have shattered his nose were he still in possession of it.

"Mercy!" The Red Ranger heard a warning yell from behind her and with a tremendous display of force she spread her new wings and surged upwards, breaking the stalemate that she and the despotic titan her team battled against found themselves in and before Lord Zedd could put his newly released hammer to use an emerald comet came streaking across the quarry and Kay delivered a roundhouse kick which Mercy recognised as being highly reminiscent of one of her own to the shaft of the weapon and shattered it into rapidly fading, incandescent fragments in an instant before landing and immediately launching a sidekick from their left leg the moment they found their footing which struck Lord Zedd in the gut and left him doubled over.

Panthera and Rensa were next to join the fray, the Pink Ranger closing the distance and striking with all of the ruthless opportunism that set her apart from many of her fellow Power Rangers as she seized Lord Zedd's skull in clawed hands, her digits cutting into raw and ruined crimson flesh before driving her knee into his face with such force that the impact reverberated around the quarry and a moment later the Black Ranger rushed in from behind to first land a punishing kick to the back of the armoured tyrants' left knee, buckling the limb and sending him staggering forwards as Rensa launched himself into the air and landed in a crouch on Lord Zedd's back which was in truth a precursor to a crushing two-footed kick directly between the shoulder blades which had been left exposed by the damage to the warlords' armour, the blow leaving the tyrant sprawled face down on the rocky ground.

Until suddenly he wasn't.

"ENOUGH!" the air itself trembled as if in terror as Lord Zedd Raged "I AM LORD ZEDD! SUPREME LEADER OF THE DARK EMPIRE OF ACHERON, EMPEROR OF ALL I SEE AND I WILL NOT BE DENIED MY ABSOLUTION BY A RABBLE OF WHELPS USING RELICS PLUCKED FROM A DEAD RACE!" with that roared declaration Lord Zedd leapt to his feet and reared up to his full, imposing height and flung Panthera and Rensa away in the process; paying them no mind at all as he began to gather what magical power he had left unto himself.

"I don't think so!" Marigold yelled as she levelled her Buster Pistols and opened fire, instinctively knowing that what would follow would bode poorly for the Aegis Rangers and moving to prevent it. Bolts of golden light ripped through the air and struck Lord Zedd in the face with sickening results, the blazing fiery light from the warlords' left eye being snuffed out in an instant as the eye and the flesh around it were destroyed.

Yet Lord Zedd seemed not to care, or even notice.

Instead he began to change, his remains of his armour shattering from the waist upwards to reveal his impossibly muscled form, the crimson flesh stretched over it punctured by countless articles of machinery and littered with a dizzying array of runes and glyphs that had been both tattooed and in many cases simply carved into his flesh; as he gathered his magic those same arcane glyphs began to glow with the same hateful light of his remaining eye which in turn blazed more fiercely whilst his leathery crimson flesh began to darken to a charred and ruined midnight black. From there Lord Zedd's mechanical right arm and the various components which reached from it to his right pectoral muscle began glow with heat, burning a molten orange yet retaining their form as the connection points of the limb burrowed into his magically charged skin like roots made of fire; his curled horns elongated and grew sharper and more jagged as they protruded further in front of his skull whilst his silky black locks became a shaggy mane which cascaded down his back. With his transformation complete Lord Zedd tipped his head back and let out a bestial roar of challenge.

"FACE ME RANGERS!"

Mercy was the first to oblige him and came hurtling downwards from the sky and first delivering a vicious front kick to Lord Zedd's exposed chest which she was stunned to realise did nothing, the sensation being akin to striking a mountain; from there she swung her sword at the neck of the tyrant who had answered her newfound power with an enhanced state of his own; Lord Zedd blocked and though her blade bit into his ward-laden flesh and spilled blood that was no longer black and tar-like but instead was shimmering and iridescent it was clear that the blow failed to harm him in any meaningful way. Mercy quickly flung herself backwards, forcing as much power into her wings as she could muster to narrowly avoid the slashing counter-attack from a clawed hand.

"Okay, we need a new plan" Mercy admitted to her fellow Aegis Rangers as they warily took their positions and braced themselves.

"YOU WILL BURN!" Lord Zedd bellowed extending his hands outwards and setting the air ablaze in a rush of explosive and concussive force that flung six of the Rangers to the ground and left Mercy struggling to maintain her footing as she slid backwards whilst the hard rocky ground of the quarry at the tyrants' feet was reduced to a smoking mass of black glass that glinted ominously in the sunlight. Before the Aegis Rangers could stand, Lord Zedd shattered the glass beneath his saurian, taloned feet as he launched himself forwards at frightening speed and Mercy, realising that none of her friends were in any way ready to defend themselves rushed out to meet him; wings leaving contrails of crimson light trailing behind her and her sword held at the ready.

The promised fateful collision of two unstoppable forces never occurred; instead the air was filled with streak of colourful light and fierce battle-cries.

"QUANTUM DEFENDER STRIKE!" Mercy and her fellow Aegis Rangers were left in stunned awe as Eric Myers, the Quantum Ranger who had been a teacher for Mercy for much of her childhood appeared from seemingly nowhere to slash at Lord Zedd with his sword

"SUPER SILVERIZER!" Zhane leapt from the air and brought his own unique weapon raking across Lord Zedd's glowing form from the opposite angle, being followed immediately after by TJ and Karone; the Blue Astro Ranger delivering a devastating blow with a glowing fist whilst the Pink Ranger readied her blaster and opened fire

"RIDER KICK!" the four Masked Rider of Edenoi fell from the sky like comets to deliver their own signature moves in perfect tandem.

"BRING HIM DOWN!" Taylor Earhardt yelled, the Eagle Ranger clutching her dagger in one hand and sword in the other as she fell on the tyrant before her, joined not only by Max and Merrick but also the Blue and Pink Galaxy Rangers Kai and Kendrix who wielded their own blades.

"Delta Magnum!" Mercy found herself whipping around to see that close by the Lightspeed Delta Rangers had joined the battle and Jack Landors had readied a powerful ranged weapon and opened fire, Sky, Bridge, Z and Syd following suit with hastily created pistols until the ground at Lord Zedd's feet was a blasted and pockmarked ruin whilst the warlord himself was riddled with fresh wound that spilled iridescent ichor over his blackened form until it seemed inconceivable that he could sustain another blow and remain standing.

"THIS IS FOR MY BROTHER YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Dana Mitchell's war-cry split the air as her axe came tearing downwards and whilst Lord Zedd attempted to block the incoming blow the Titanium Ranger's weapon simply cleaved through his mechanical right arm; the blade glowing red-hot as it severed the magically superheated appendage above the wrist.

"Now it's over Zedd!" Mercy declared, brandishing her sword as she stepped forwards; the strain of maintaining her Battleizer form beginning to set in yet in comparison to pain she had previously been in the fatigue was almost inconsequential to her and she flew to the side of the Titanium Ranger, preparing to end her battle as a Power Ranger beside the same commanding officer with whom it had started.

"Nothing is over Ranger" Lord Zedd snarled, his already rumbling and low voice becoming something that was felt more than it was heard, the menacing chuckle that escaped him sending tremors through the ground as he continued

"I have the Dark Dimension….You may have taken the battle today Rangers but my Empire is vast and my forces are unlimited, take what time I allow you to make peace with your impending doom….My forces will strike your worlds in an endless rain of fire and death and you will break beneath my endless might now that I can strike you at will. Until that day Rangers"

The inevitable happened in slow motion, Lord Zedd reached out with his remaining hand and his clawed digits tore through the fabric of reality itself as the tyrant used the connection he had taken from Goldar to step into the Dark Dimension through a freshly opened portal whose edges glowed like heated metal.

"NO!" Mercy yelled and surged forwards without a thought, before any of their fellow Rangers could call out to them or make any attempt to stop them Aslaug, Tempestus, Panthera, Rensa, Kay and Marigold acted on instinct and charged after their friend and leader without a moments' hesitation or any conscious decision being made.

The seven Aegis Rangers leapt into the Dark Dimension and their allies were left dumbstruck and horrified as the portal closed behind them.

The tension that permeated the air of the Command Centre aboard Promethea One was given a sudden and explosive outlet, if not a proper resolution as a streak of cobalt light appeared at some undetermined point in the air before manifesting an armoured, humanoid form with a rush of displaced air. TJ Johnson strode into view and swiftly removed his helmet, forcing himself to retain some semblance of composure and not cast it aside and begin an expletive ridden tirade in demand of answers, though his scarred face bore a thunderous expression and his were filled with intense, glaring fury; whilst many of the Command Centres' crew were silenced and quailed under the silent force his stare carried some of their number were not so easily deterred and amongst them were many of those who currently made up the Mission Control team.

"Vice Admiral Johnson" Grace snapped off a salute "We have the orbital battle in hand, the last few remaining Empire ships are surrounded and taking unsustainable amounts of damage-"

"I have word from ground forces that the veteran Rangers and the Delta Rangers moved to Rendezvous with Mercy's team" Justin interrupted, voice becoming filled with a deep sense of concern that bordered on dread as he added "I can't raise any of the Aegis Rangers to contact them-"

"Where the hell is my son?" Billy demanded, every line of his scarred face speaking to his cold fury

"ENOUGH!" Corcus barked out as he marched into view, staring down his subordinates before nodding his head in acknowledgement of TJ's superior rank and right to assume command before adding "Orders Vice Admiral?"

"We rendezvoused with the Aegis Rangers all right" the Blue Astro Ranger confirmed, voice trembling in equal parts fear at what may yet come if Lord Zedd was not halted and simple rage at the idea of what may be lost

"Lord Zedd retreated, he opened a portal….Damn it he said he has Goldar's Dark Dimension"

"My son said much the same" Billy admitted "It's how the Rangers were able to escape being stranded on Acheron"

"Well now Zedd's trial run was successful he's pulled back, he said his plan was to mobilise the entire Empires' forces on Alliance worlds" the silence that followed that information was profound, all those who heard it being entirely robbed of speech and even coherent thought for a moment until Corcus took a measure of control of himself.

"Then we must send word, prepare defences and evacuations all across the-"

"No" TJ interrupted waving his concerns aside and driving at the core of the matter "We need every available mage, contact the Triforians, the Liarian refugees damn it if the people of Furrous are still alive and the Aegis Rangers helped them then they owe us this! We need to get into the Dark Dimension and then collapse it-"

"What's going on?" Billy demanded, certain that a crucial piece of information was being withheld

"The Aegis Rangers" TJ said simply, pausing for a moment and forcing his next words through clenched teeth "When Zedd tried to escape they went after him, for all we know they're still fighting in the Dark Dimension itself"

"Then damn the magicians!" Billy spat, the former Blue Ranger marching towards the exit of the Command Centre "Get out of my way and let me get to my lab! We don't have time for ancient texts and rituals! If humanity can split the atom and recreate Eltarian technology then damn it all I will find a way to tear reality itself open and access the Dark Dimension by hand! HE IS NOT TAKING MY SON!" the blistering fury in Billy's voice was enough to make those stood closest to him physically recoil as though they might be burned by the white hot rage that he radiated and the Power Ranger turned scientist stormed towards the exit with his footsteps echoing as he sought to remake what was possible once again, only to be halted by TJ's words, orders addressed to the Command Centre as a whole as even the head of Project Lightspeed would not seek to stand between Billy and his current objective.

"Incoming transmission from Dana, get it on the Viewing Globe, now!" Billy turned and watched as the orders were followed and the battle in space was pushed to the back of everyone's mind, the individual Captains of the defending warships being trusted to finish the matter as the hard-light and holographic image shifted to what the Titanium Ranger saw as a live feed from her helmet was established

"Good lord, what happened to you?" Grace demanded, utterly aghast as the image of Zebidiah Lord came into view and Billy found himself unable to blame her as the recently restored sorcerers' cybernetic body was, put simply an utter mess; one of his arms was missing from the elbow down, his entire stance and posture spoke of some excruciating levels of internal damage though most harrowing was his face, the artificial skin and hair of which had been simply burned away to reveal a scorched mechanical cranium beneath.

"My son, whilst a dishonourable wretch is certainly a most capable warrior" Zebidiah noted, even his customary aloof tones being affected by the severity of the situation "Tempestus got me to safety as the battle grew more intense, much to my own vehement protestations-"

"The Aegis Rangers are trapped in the Dark Dimension with Zedd" TJ interrupted quickly, the mention of the Blue Aegis Ranger focusing his mind.

"I am aware of the situation" Zebidiah assured him "Though thankfully it would seem that the Aegis Rangers were not as hasty in their actions as you thought"

"Kay dropped something at my feet when they passed me, I didn't notice it initially" Dana admitted, joining the conversation that her own comms were being used for and holding her hand up to display a stone figurine carved with runes in a language which no member of Mission Control recognised, Zebidiah however did

"That is a relic from the world of Furrous-"

"The same one the Aegis Rangers used to return from Acheron" Billy interjected, rejoining the conversation as he stepped back into the Command Centre for at least a moment

"Precisely" Zebidiah confirmed "And with it I can open the Dark Dimension myself and pull the Aegis Rangers to safety, or allow our allies here to fight alongside them….It will simply take time"

"Make it happen Zebidiah" TJ answered sternly, grimacing as the gravity of the situation imposed itself on them all once again.

"The Aegis Rangers are fighting for their lives to buy the whole Alliance a little more time, just like Tommy did" the Astro Ranger continued "Let's make it count this time"

The assumptions of Zebidiah Lord and his colleagues within Mission Control were correct in that the Aegis Rangers had found themselves within the Dark Dimension that had once been Goldar's domain, the seven of them willing to lay down their lives in an attempt to finally put an end to Lord Zedd. They had of course seen the vast expanse of nothingness somehow more all-consuming that the gulf of space itself that Lord Zedd had transformed the Dark Dimension into so that he might deploy his forces more efficiently during their previous escape from the Acheron palace with the aid of Canis, the now presumably former pirate and mercenary; despite this however the Aegis Rangers still found themselves momentarily taken aback by the sheer impossibility of their surroundings.

It was a vast and intense darkness, yet there was a ground upon which to stand even if it were near impossible to identify as it mirrored the void above it including the distant galaxies and constellations which seemed to be both incredibly distant and yet at the same time so close that they could be plucked down and held in ones' hands as perspective and dimensions were warped within the parallel reality; Mercy however found her mind sharply focused by her surroundings and turned quickly to her fellow Rangers in a state of panic only to allow herself a sigh of relief a moment later, she had feared that whatever atmosphere existed within this place might be as poisonous as that of Acheron itself and lethal to those of her team whose helmets were cracked or Aslaug whose helmet had been lost entirely however it seemed not to be the case.

Such good fortune was proven to be in short supply when, an instant later Lord Zedd fell upon them.

"TO THE DEATH IT IS THEN RANGERS!" the warlord bellowed as he leapt into their midst from seemingly nowhere as if he were not constrained by the limitations of whatever forces and laws of nature existed here with his voice echoing unnaturally due to both the Dark Dimension and his own transformation.

"BRING HIM DOWN!" Mercy yelled, forcing every ounce of power she could from her Battleizer and hurtling towards Lord Zedd with her blade thrust forward to skewer the warlords' heart; Zedd countered by thrusting his right arm forward and used what remained of the limb to block the attack before performing an artless facsimile of a backhand to drag the Red Ranger off balance and from there he lashed out with his left hand, his palm striking the flat of Mercy's enlarged sword and shattering its' surface into a shower of iridescent red embers before he seized the right wing of her Battleizer, metal screeching against his now exposed claws before the mechanical appendage was warped and crushed into an unrecognisable heap at which point the tyrant lifted his opponent into the air with his remaining hand worried her as a dog might do to their prey until the wing was finally torn away and Mercy was sent hurtling.

The other Aegis Rangers did not take this idly however and leapt in battle despite the apparent hopelessness of their situation, Rensa pounced into their and Tempestus attacked from below; the Black and Blue Rangers moving in perfect synchronisation yet achieving nothing as Lord Zedd first ducked under Rensa's attack and used the motion to drive his elbow into Tempestus's knee, tearing a scream of pain from the Blue Ranger and audibly breaking his left leg even through his armour which rippled and fluctuated under the force of the blow but ultimately held. Without hesitation Lord Zedd simply surged up to his full height once again, a murderous light in his remaining eye as he drove his curled horns into Rensa's gut as the Black Ranger fell and leaving him curled prone on the ground with his armour rippling around the point where it had breached as he clutched a bloody wound to his abdomen.

Marigold forwent the use of her pistols in a fit of rage and simply charged at Lord Zedd with a war-cry on her lips which drew nothing but a scorn filled chuckle of derision from the tyrant as he held his left arm out before him, the now blazing runes etched into his blackened flesh glowing brighter still before he unleashed a single burst of pure, focused arcane power which ripped through the darkness and struck the Gold Ranger in the centre of her chest with enough force to not only halt her but flip Marigold over several times in the air before she struck the ground, armour smoking and rippling and she struggled to breathe.

Another assault came an instant later and Lord Zedd swung the ruined remains of his right arm wildly as he pivoted at the waist to strike at the exposed head of the Yellow Ranger as she delivered a powerful strike to his wounded flank, Aslaug once again proved her capabilities as a fighter as she covered her face and chest with her arms whilst at the same time weaving under the attack however Lord Zedd's follow up blow was a front kick that struck true, talons raking into her armour before the simple power of the blow sent her soaring backwards before striking the ground several times and rolling to a stop and as the Yellow Ranger struggled to rise the warlord saw that the right arm hung limp and lifeless where it had either been broken or dislocated.

"FATHER!" Kay addressing him as such was enough to give Lord Zedd pause and as such the Green Ranger's first blow landed successfully, a savage haymaker from a fist wreathed in emerald fire that sent Lord Zedd staggering back as it smashed against the charred flesh and bone where his left eye had once been.

In response Zedd let out a primal snarl before lashing out with his remaining hand to seize Kay by the lower edge of the Dragon Shield and hoist them into the air before thrusting forwards and driving skull into their helmet, not only shattering it entirely but also tearing and mangling the Dragon Shield until it was a warped and ruined mess which hung loosely from one shoulder as more of a hindrance than a piece of armour yet still the Green Ranger would not accept defeat and tried to spring to their feet which Lord Zedd countered by closing his taloned hand around their throat

"PUT THEM DOWN-" Panthera's attempt to lunge at the Warlords and strike at this face was halted by two magical attacks in rapid succession, the first being a simple concussive wave of force which ripped from the air and the second being a roaring burst of fire wrapped in lightning spat from Zedd's fanged maw which struck the Pink Ranger like comet and flung her backwards.

"Look upon the future child!" Lord Zedd declared proudly and with a sense of finality as he gestured to the Dark Dimension with his severed arm whilst keeping Kay firmly in place

"Look upon my vision for the galaxy!" he roared, voice becoming more intense with each word "And know that you could have been a part of it!"

"I wouldn't want it!" Kay spat back, voice strained by the pressure of their fathers' claw at their neck "Your vision is nothing-"

"MY VISION IS ORDER THROUGH POWER!" Zedd roared "My vision is a galaxy made peaceful through unity in ways your precious Alliance could never achieve! A galaxy brought under Acheron rule and shaped by a single, all-powerful will! A galaxy razed and remade in my image from its' best parts while my enemies lie dead at my feet!"

"We're not dead yet!" Kay heard a voice that could only have belonged to Mercy from above and both they and Lord Zedd glanced upward to see the Red Ranger had taken to the air with what remained of her Battleizer and was now falling upon Lord Zedd to deliver a colossal punch, her right fist glowing like a star as power flared and warped around it. The warlord responded by aiming the molten remain of their mechanical right arm and letting a scream of equal parts rage and agony as they channelled their dark and hateful powers into the mangled limb and used it as a weapon; the arm was destroyed from the shoulder downwards as a bolt of black lightning whose darkness seemed somehow orders of magnitude more total than the void around them surged forwards; the two powerful attacks connected and seemed to warp the reality of the Dark Dimension with their raw destructive force before Mercy was flung back, landing in a crouch with her armour scorched and damaged yet the Red Ranger sprung to her feet and charged forwards again without pause.

And Kay saw their opportunity

"Mercy now!" they called out, forcing as much of the Power of the Morphing Grid into their aching and battered body as they could and then pushing themselves further still, their inhuman pink and black eyes glowing as they summoned the Dragon Blade in their left hand and threw it into the air as Mercy leapt before grabbing Lord Zedd's arm with both hands, prising the clawed limb away from their neck and holding the tyrant in place.

"You should have kept your-" the mockery that Lord Zedd meant to offer his intended heir before delivering a final, killing blow was cut short as Mercy's battle-cry echoed through the darkness and the warlords' remaining eye widened, the hateful blazing light that poured from it flickering for a moment as the Red Ranger fell upon him and drove her cousins' sword through his heart.

Lord Zedd dropped to his knees

"It's over!" Mercy exclaimed, voice raw and tearful through exhaustion that felt as though it transcended her physical body "It didn't have to be this way-"

"Nothing is over!" Lord Zedd snarled, blood trickling from his mouth as he spoke even as the arcane fire in his eye continued to fade and his voice grew faint yet at the same time Mercy watched his flesh continue to attempt to repair itself, sizzling and being burned anew by the Dragon Blade which now shone with green and red light buried in his chest

"Nothing is over" Zedd repeated "I still live and I will conquer all-"

"No Father, you won't" Kay managed to force the words out through clenched teeth, every breath a battle of wills as they placed a hand on Mercy's shoulder and through an act of sheer, relentless determination poured their own power directly into her.

"Not with us here" the low and gruff voice that joined them was that of Aslaug who released her grasp on her own broken and twisted arm to place her still functioning hand on Mercy and channel the power that the Morphing Grid gifted her with into the Red Ranger and a moment later a sound of pure fury, tinged with something resembling fear escaped the wounded warlord as Panthera, Rensa, Tempestus and Marigold each joined them in turn and placed a hand on Mercy; channelling power into a single point as they often did when using the Power Blaster, yet to a far greater extent as the Power itself responded to their need and left all seven of the Aegis Rangers with armour that glowed in the darkness until Lord Zedd was confronted by a blinding corona of light that he knew would signal his end.

"You are fools" he managed to wheeze out, finally being forced to accept that his power was fading "I remade the Dark Dimension in my own image….I will not be beaten here, not by any who wish to live at least-"

"You're lying" Rensa hissed

"No Ranger" Lord Zedd managed to laugh, though his voice sounded unhinged even to his own ears as he turned his focus back to Mercy "I took Goldar's soul, I took control of the Dark Dimension and I tied it to myself so that none may use it if I fail….Defeat me if you dare, you will perish alongside me Ranger. Are you willing to make that sacrifice?"

"Yes" and without a moments' pause the Red Ranger unleashed the power that had been steadily building up within her in a single blast of brilliant white; Mercy felt her Battleizer fail her first as it was simply overloaded by the intensity of energies it was forced to handle, from there the Red Ranger felt her armour begin to flicker in an out of existence and her vision shifted from the display of her visor to her own natural eyesight several times before darkness began to set in at the corners and reality itself grew dim.

The light subsided and as her consciousness began to slip away Mercy was aware of two things; firstly that the entire Dark Dimension had begun to tremble and shudder as the tyrants' final warning was proven to be the truth.

The second that was Lord Zedd was no more, the light had purged every trace of his body from existence.

The quarry outside of Angel Grove, which had only moments earlier been the incongruous location of a battle for the fate of the galaxy, the latest and most spectacular of many battles between Power Rangers and their foes to occur there was filled once again with Power Rangers and whilst the enemy they had intended to face had departed the electric sense of tension and suspense that filled the air had not dissipated, quite the opposite in fact, the veteran defenders of the galaxy each found themselves gripped by a deep and unwavering sense of dread that clutched at their chests and whispered bleak and unwelcome thoughts from the back of their mind despite their best efforts to keep their composure.

"How long is this going to take?" the snarled demand came from Merrick the Silver Wild Force Ranger whose entire form seemed to vibrate with barely contained fury and apprehension as he stalked over to where Dana Mitchell stood, the Titanium Ranger suddenly acutely aware of the way that Taylor and Eric; both of whom were still morphed and holding their swords at the ready shifted their weight as if to leap into action at a moments' notice.

"Zebidiah is doing everything he can" Dana raised her voice and spoke clearly enough to address the entire quarry as she gestured to the critically, terrifyingly battered and damaged form of the revived sorcerer who now levitated several feet above the ground in his customary cross-legged sitting position as he gathered his remaining magic to himself and attempted to use the relic crafted by the people of Furrous for its' intended purpose. Merrick merely let out a growl in response before answering.

"He needs to hurry up" the Wolf Ranger looked away for a moment "I promised the Green Ranger a reckoning….more importantly the little pups shouldn't face Lord Zedd alone"

"Zebidiah will come through for us" Zhane interjected, the third silver Ranger present making his way over and speaking with a voice that struggled to convey a sense of optimism despite his obvious misgivings.

"At least this witch stayed and fought" Merrick snorted, a low snarling sound of derision more fitting of Zen-Aku escaping from the back of his throat.

"Enough!" Taylor snapped as she made her way over, Eric at her side at the other assembled Rangers, both veterans and the Lightspeed Delta team close behind "There's no sense arguing among ourselves"

"Agreed" Dana nodded "TJ Left to gather more intel and resources, Dex and his sons left for their ship to spread word to planets out of Alliance comms range….If the Aegis Rangers don't stop Zedd, or if we don't well…." she trailed off and let the unspoken implication hang in the air, silencing and sobering her fellow Rangers with the realisation that this, possibly more so than any climactic supposed final battle that they had endured thus far was a single fight with ramifications that would alter the course of the future for better or for worse.

Then the moment ended as Zebidiah broke out of his trance like meditative state

"Are you-"

"There's no time for words" the sorcerer declared, his pitch black eyes which swirling with ever-changing specks of shimmering light like mirrored, miniature cosmoses instantly began to glow and the Rangers gathered around him, the Titanium Ranger, the Delta Rangers, the Quantum Ranger, Pink and Silver Astro Rangers, Pink and Blue Galaxy Rangers and the Yellow, Silver and Blue Wild Force Rangers were all suddenly forced back by an outpouring of magical power as Zebidiah extended his remaining hand with the alien relic clutched in it; an aura a visible power flickered into view around him and cracked and flashed like lightning whilst in a single, warping bass note rattled through the ground until finally with a haunting scream the fabric of reality itself was torn asunder as the sorcerer who had once been Lord Zedd forced his way into Goldar's Dark Dimension to save the Power Rangers.

And immediately realised that something was terribly wrong.

"STAND CLEAR!" he bellowed as he was forced to use his unnatural abilities to root himself to the ground; the portal that he opened was a whirling and shrieking vortex with arcane energies cascading out of it in unstable waves and pulses whilst at the same time dragging everything towards itself

"What's happening?" Dana demanded "Is this Lord Zedd?"

"No" Zebidiah answered slowly, painfully aware of the time his considerations were costing them "Whatever this is, everything I know of the arts tells me that it is not something being done intentionally, this is-"

"That's all I needed to hear, either follow my lead or don't; it's your call" with that Dana sprung forward and much as the Aegis Rangers had done only a short while ago she leapt into the Dark Dimension without a second thought; being relieved though slightly less surprised than she would have thought upon realising that Zebidiah Lord had indeed followed her into this hellish void.

For that was what the Dark Dimension had become

"That foolish child could not leave well enough alone….he's rendered this entire dimension unstable!" the sorcerer declared, his words both scathing and laced with terror as he stared out into the vast nothingness filled only with alien constellations that matched no known stars only to see those same ephemeral lights being consumed by darkness or erupting into multicoloured flames whilst the ground beneath their feet pulsed and thumped with the irregular urgency of a dying heartbeat and shards of tangible darkness ranging in size from merely flakes of paradoxically physical nothingness to vast swathes of their surroundings rained down upon them like shattered glass before disintegrating before they could come into contact.

"Up ahead!" Dana barked, gesturing with the blade of her axe and showing that whilst Zebidiah had been studying the madness his offspring had wrought to make his invasion possible the Titanium Ranger had located the Rangers up ahead, the vivid colours of their armour standing out in the darkness and illuminated by some unnatural light which touched nothing else in a further mockery of the laws of nature. Dana sprinted ahead and Zebidiah followed, surreptitiously using his magic to propel them both faster until they reached the Aegis Rangers.

And took in the sight that greeted them.

Each of the them were battered and bloodied, Aslaug's already wounded face now accompanied by a right arm which she clutched to herself whilst Tempestus could simply no longer support his own weight on his broken leg and Rensa drew in shaky, hollow and rattling breaths whilst blood from his wounded abdomen spilled over his hands. Marigold and Panthera wore armour that was largely intact but so heavily burned and mauled that it was clear that the pair would be a patchwork of internal injuries. It was Kay however that Zebidiah honed in on, his Grandchild had shed the devastated ruins of their Dragon Shield and the fact that their helmet had been broken and removed allowed him to see their sheer terror in the Green Ranger's inhuman eyes

"She keeps slipping in and out of consciousness, I don't know what to do" it was clear who they were talking about as sprawled on Kay's lap, with wide open but glassy and unfocused eyes was Mercy, the Red Aegis Ranger; her armour had failed and she now lay motionless with her right arm a mess of raw and bloody, burned flesh from the hand to just beneath her elbow whilst a thin trickle of blood fell from her nose.

"Damn it" Dana hissed before ripping her helmet away and crouching beside them "I'm a doctor let me check her vitals" with that she put skills that she had not truly used in well over a decade to use to check Mercy's breathing and pulse to get some sort of sense of her condition yet before she could complete this task she felt a weak, yet urgent grip on her shoulder and was stunned to see that the clearly heavily wounded teen had reached out with her wounded hand and seized her by the shoulder; whilst Mercy's eyes were still wide and glassy it was clear that the Red Ranger was lucid and coherent as she managed to force words out in a dry, rasping and simply broken voice.

"We….we did it. Lord Zedd…..gone" with that she collapsed backwards, eyes finally falling closed with a slow sigh escaping her as she lost consciousness again.

"Rest easy Ranger….Your mission is complete and you did us all proud" Dana breathed out, swallowing a lump in her throat and forcing herself to ignore the sudden stinging of her eyes

"Is she-"

"She's still with us" Dana cut off Aslaug's panic before it could begin, suddenly becoming stern as she added "But she needs immediate medical evac, all of you do"

"Then allow me" Zebidiah interjected "This place is falling around us, the Dark Dimension will not last much longer and I doubt we can come back the way we came….But I believe I can use it for its' intended purpose one last time"

"Good" with that Dana retrieved her helmet and donned it so that she could open a comms channel "Mission Control this is Mitchell, lower your shields and prepare for an unregistered teleportation to Promethea One; I have the Aegis Rangers, urgent medical attention required" there was a pause where the Titanium Ranger was no doubt given a hastily formed litany of questions which she quickly waved off as Zebidiah clutched the alien relic and silently tried to convey the sentiment that time was of the essence; finally Dana spoke again and uttered words that would no doubt echo throughout the entire Alliance.

"The Aegis Rangers defeated Lord Zedd. The war with the Empire is over, now we're coming home"

Author's Notes:

And that, ladies and gentlemen is the end of the final battle.
Not the end of the story however as I still have one more chapter and an epilogue to go.
I find myself comparing this finale with that of my largest story "FADE: Legacy" which I am genuinely proud of and I'm unsure if I achieved the same thing here, I just hope you all enjoy it.
Also, I'm writing this at the end of February but I don't think I'll actually be done uploading the story until the middle of May….Which is mildly amusing to me.

But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Back to the command centre and we can see that there's a tone shift.
To paraphrase Mohammed Ali, it's not arrogance if you can do it.
As you can see the other Rangers are doing their job well, I actually elected not to show the resolution of the Doggie and Charlie against the monster fight because it wouldn't have really added anything and there was already a lot to write.
The Delta Rangers are having one hell of a first day on the job.
Just the image of King Dex/Masked Rider standing on top of a literal pile of Putty remains was great.
The fight scene was with the Rangers Riders and Putties was fun to write but the comment of "Maybe we should have done this fifteen years ago needed to be said".
Dana has no patience and no chill.
And that's two more heading to Angel Grove.
Okay so he's lost the sword, you really think Lord Zedd can't pull another weapon out?
Mercy with her Battleizer on her own isn't enough to beat Lord Zedd, but with a full team behind her?
Marigold took an eye out, props to her.
Of course Lord Zedd has a final form of his own, of course he does.
AND THERE'S THE MONEY SHOT….Big team-up from everyone ending with Dana taking Lord Zedd's right hand.
The moment where everyone gathered was partly inspired by Avengers Endgame and partly by the end of SPD where reinforcements arrive but I didn't want that to be the ending, the final showdown had to be between Zedd and the Aegis Rangers so he made a tactical retreat.
Yeah the sense of dread is real and it should be, if Zedd made it back to Acheron it would have been game over.
Billy just going ape-shit was great.
Zebidiah's alive still, but in bad shape.
Props to Kay for thinking ahead.
Oh you thought the shiny new Battleizer was immune to getting wrecked?
And yeah, Rangers are getting absolutely vibe-checked now with broken limbs and everything.
Zedd's rant to Kay and then blowing his own arm apart with the force of an attack was cinematic in my head.
Lord Zedd told Zebidiah "You should have kept the shield" before impaling him, he was about to tell Kay "You should have kept the sword" right before he got impaled….Cinematic parallels.
Rigging the Dark Dimension to collapse if he can't control it is definitely something Zedd would do.
Mercy was never gonna hesitate on taking the shot, and that's the end of Lord Zedd.
Look having a battle for the fate of the galaxy in a quarry is weird okay, it just is.
Of course tensions are high.
The Aegis Ranger's first mission ended with Kimberley using the Titanium Morpher coming to their aid, the end of their story had Dana doing the same thing.
How to show the Dark Dimension collapsing was something that took a while to figure out 'cos it can't just fade to black.
And that's why I had Dana charge in, she's the medic.
"The Aegis Rangers defeated Lord Zedd. The war with the Empire is over, now we're coming home" Is there anything else that needs to be said?

Thank you to SailorChronos1 for their review on the last chapter.
Hearing that my style was enough to convince you to venture into a new fandom is a high compliment indeed.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review