- Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, 200X -
"Find him! Whatever it takes!"
Run. That was the only thing on his mind as he barreled through the rapidly deteriorating hallway. Explosions wreaked havoc in the once calm building, great concrete slabs falling to the shaking floor with harsh, thunderous thuds. Fire and lightning licked at his heels, threatening to burn away the thick fabric of his trousers. He dodged each possible obstacle with skilled movements, jumping, rolling, and side-stepping with a hungry fervor, determined to save himself and the precious cargo held tightly against his chest. Behind him, inhuman screeches soared above the din, accompanied by the harsh, hissed demands of something. He wasn't quite sure what it was, having seen the creature only in passing. The only characteristic he could glean from his attacker was the overly large head laden with ugly yellow, incredibly sharp fangs. It was a sight to behold and one the man had no desire of seeing up close and personal. He also had no desire to agree to the creature's demands, the growled shouts echoing through the collapsing building. Swift footsteps from behind him forced the man to run faster, deftly rolling over a particularly large slab of concrete. He didn't dare look behind his shoulder. The man didn't think he could bear seeing the sight.
His pursuers were his own creations, after all.
The man sharply turned the corner, gritting his teeth in pain as he accidentally slammed into the dull, grey wall. He kept a firm grasp on his cargo despite the mistake, taking a quick cursory glance to ensure he hadn't lost any in his haste. Satisfied that he hadn't lost any of the glittering baubles, the man continued his escape. As an increasing number of explosions went off behind him, he found it increasingly harder to avoid the obstacles threatening to terminate his run prematurely. The grotesque groans of his pursuers ringing in his ears, the man rolled underneath an angled slab of concrete with swiftly decreasing finesse, fatigue finally rearing its ugly head. It took all of him to continue running, to continue his escape. If not for himself, for the safety of Earth. It wasn't the time to pause and take a breath, especially with the threat of bodily harm hanging over his head. Not for the first time, the man cursed his memory. If only he had remembered his morphers; Zeo Ranger V could really help right about now. Instead, he had to rely on his own human abilities which, while of a higher caliber than most, were much more fickle. Overexertion was on the top of that list; if the man escaped with his life - when, he corrected himself - he was definitely going to be sore.
The stairs. The appearance of the stairs meant that he was almost out of the water. He didn't let himself get happy at this discovery however, if only to not cause the universe to change its mind. Nearly tripping over the top step, the man narrowly dodged a bolt of yellow tinted lightning. It instead hit the grey concrete with a bang, leaving a large, jagged burn mark. Shit. It was close. Not having time to examine the scorched wall any closer, the man continued his descent down the stairs. The footsteps got louder and louder, the heavy thuds shaking the already splitting floor. They were getting closer, much closer than he would have liked. Unfortunately, his lead diminished as he slammed into yet another sharp edge of the wall, the constantly changing light making it increasingly difficult to see the path. Another strike of lightning headed his way, the man barely making the evasion. It crashed into the wall right next to is ear, the scorch mark much larger than the previous one. The scent of ozone stung his nose, causing the skin to crinkle in disgust. Beside himself, his breath began to quicken. Ever since his Zeo days, lightning and him didn't mix.
As if reading the man's mind, the creature with the sharp teeth laughed. It was a harsh sound, rough and jagged like a stalagmite. The man had to fight the urge to wince at the sound, not wanting to show any weakness in the sight of the enemy. Defiantly, he whirled around to face the creature head-on, holding his cargo so tightly his knuckles began to turn white. It seemed the creature could sense his discomfort, his fiery orange eyes alight with malicious mirth, "Now, now, Dr. Oliver. Afraid of a little lightning? A shame," The creature roughly hissed, like a snake poised to attack. The creature was surrounded by the much smaller but still deadly pursuers, their eyeless heads twitching unnervingly. Brown eyes locked on the long, sharp claws that composed the creatures' left hands before locking on to the monster's own unnervingly bright orange. Dr. Oliver wasn't quite sure if he liked the light that was dancing within them.
"Give me the gems and maybe you'll escape with your life," The creature spat poisonously, the smaller monsters clicking and shrieking. In response, Dr. Oliver simply grinned. It was a hard smile, bordering on a sneer. It was one that spoke many stories, ones that he himself didn't want to revisit. Rolling his shoulders back with a satisfying pop, the man leveled the creature with a glare.
"Over my dead body," He retorted, equally as venomous.
"That could be arranged."
Dr. Oliver took that statement as a sign to run, immediately pivoting on his heel. This turned out to be a good idea. The creature brought his hands up above his head, lightning dancing across his wickedly sharp red claws. At an unspoken mark, the lightning exploded into the ceiling, the mere force of the energy creating streaking cracks throughout the ceiling. Large chunks, some nearly the size of rottweilers began to rain down with a renewed fervor, the shaking of the ground becoming too intense to stand. Laugher began to flood the corridor as the creature ordered his drones to resume their pursuit of the man, inhuman shrieks signifying their assent.
"Fuck!" The good doctor shouted with renewed vigor which bordered on fright, becoming much more focused on his footing rather than his cargo. It was because of the shift of attention that his hold on his belongings began to loosen, the glittering baubles bouncing against each other. He tried to ignore the laughter that continued to assault his eardrums, along with the booming footsteps that signified his pursuers were still on his tail.
The corridor continued to twist and turn as the man made his escape, resolutely ignoring the urge to look over his shoulder. The shaking of the ground caused his balance to become off kilter, his shoulders banging into the steel-like concrete like it was their occupation. The man could already feel the bruises that would litter his body later today, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Pain meant that he was alive and being alive meant he still had a chance.
Another set of steps and continued dodging later, Dr. Oliver's desperate eyes finally landed on his savior. The large, iron doors had been blasted open when he had first arrived at the building, his first inkling that something was horribly wrong. What had first put a pit of dread into his stomach morphed into a feeling of relief, the man forcing his sore legs to carry himself faster. The ground continued to split and crack, crumbling into dark pits with each step the man took.
Fifteen feet, ten feet, nine, eight, seven. He was almost there. At the five foot mark, a noise caught his attention. Sharp eyes trailed towards the ceiling, watching in trepidation as spidery cracks shot through the grey material. It creaked ominously, dust falling like a thunderstorm and littering his dark attire. With one, terrifying groan, the ceiling started to collapse, causing the man's eyes to widen in terror. Shit. Shit. Shit.
He jumped, just barely making it over the threshold before the rocks came crashing down. Landing on his back, the man watched as his exit became blocked off. He sighed in relief, looking down at his chest. The feeling was short lived, however, when he noticed he was missing two key things.
"Fuck!" He roared again, scrambling to his feet. The man searched wildly, eyes peeled for flashes of red and yellow in the lush green of the woods. No. No. No. After seconds of panicked searching, the man turned disbelieving eyes towards the blocked off entrance. The man contemplated his options: return to the building and search for his missing belongings or leave. The decision was made for him when the forest floor began to shake violently, fire and lightning streaking into the sky from the destroyed building.
The island was collapsing. He had to get out of there.
The man could only hope that the gems were completely destroyed. He wasn't quite sure when he lost them, but he could only hope that they were crushed underneath the rubble. Anything was better than being in the wrong claws. He looked down towards the remaining gems, finding a bit of solace in the remaining crystals. At least these were still in the right hands; Dr. Oliver wasn't quite sure what he would do if they were lost as well. The roar of the wind told the man that he'd best be getting a move on, the inhuman shrieks of the creature's drones carrying along the breeze. More were on the way.
He pivoted on his heel, not looking back towards the building he considered a second home. At least everyone had evacuated the premises weeks ago, ordered by Dr. Anton Mercer, a close friend and colleague of the man. The demand had been sudden but it seemed to be a blessing in disguise. Dr. Oliver himself would have never returned if it were not for the gems.
Footsteps signified that he was no longer alone, dark shapes jumping through the trees as Dr. Oliver continued to run. Much like the building, the ground was shaking violently, splitting apart the forest floor like Moses at the Red Sea. He took extra care in avoiding these new pits, as well as making sure to not trip over any roots. The groans of the drones were getting louder now, sounding as if they surrounded the man. He continued to run, carefully watching his pursuers in case they went on the offensive. However, they seemed to be biding their time. Dr. Oliver didn't want to be there when they decided to attack.
Thorns and debris scratched at his legs and arms as he ran, small streaks of blood streaming down his exposed skin. The once blue sky was swiftly turning slate grey as dark storm clouds began to coalesce, threatening lightning and pummeling rain. They brought about a breeze that threatened to topple the man and his treasure, but he kept his footing straight and even. He was getting to the end now, already smelling the salty seawater. The crashing of the waves was loud and proud, almost deafening the shrieks and cries of the drones in the trees. The ocean meant freedom. The ocean meant safety.
Dark forest quickly made way for rocky terrain, the roots fading away into jagged rock and dried grass. The dead foliage crunched underneath his heavy boots as he neared the edge. He stopped right at the drop off, breathing harsh as he looked at the slate grey ocean, angry waves crashing against the dark outcropping. The drop wasn't too harsh, only about twenty feet, but Dr. Oliver was still a bit antsy. Was it really worth it, diving to his possible death? The monstrous yelling of the creature that brought about this destruction told him the affirmative. Dr. Oliver needed to live. The gems needed him to live. With one last look at the quickly deteriorating island, the man jumped off to salvation.
He struggled to stay afloat as he watched the island sink in an inferno of fire and lightning, only smoldering once it fell below the unforgiving sea.