[[ DISCLAIMER: Due to real-life obligations, this series was put on hold. This chapter is in its 2nd phase, and thus lacking prose-wise in some areas. Nevertheless, my writing partner Anish and I agreed to upload it, in hopes of eventually returning to the final draft. ]]
CHAPTER 6 — Double Trouble
They say a man should separate his work space from his personal quarters.
That was not the case with Brute.
During some pseudo-rebellious phase in his short Power Ranger life, the hydraulic gate leading into Brute's laboratory-room had been decorated with a sloppily painted 'Danger! Experiments occuring!' sign; in neon yellow no less. The replica of a skull-and-crossbones underneath the bold lettering made his case all the more bizarre.
"Brute!" Pyre shouted as the gates parted, "Star needs medical attention, quickly!"
Circled by glassy display cases that housed animals of all shapes, sizes and races, the Blue Supersonic Ranger's body lay motionless in the middle of the circular chamber, his sun-kissed forehead streaked with sweat. Similar to Star, Brute's gem was aglow with pale, blue light. His facial features, on the other hand, were serene, as expressed by his closed eyes and parted lips.
"Pyre!" cawed a Gugreid parakeet. "Pyre! Here!" it squawked.
Pyre made to turn, but Brute's voice suddenly called out to her from the opposite direction. "Here! Look here!"
Following her fellow ranger's voice, Pyre's gaze connected with a Nozzurean alligator's on the room's northern corner. "Brute?" she asked, puzzled. "Is that you?"
"Yes!" Brute croaked. "But-"
The crocodile's ability to form words was snatched away. It receded back into an animalistic snarl.
"My possession is going bananas! I can't control it!" yelped a Shes'eah tundra chimp whose display case hung overhead. "I don't-
"-understand!" roared a snow-white Lemmead panther, situated next to the entrance.
Pyre scratched her mane, evidently confused. "I can't make heads or tails about this," she sighed. "Aw, man, how do Xybrian powers even work?!"
Acknowledging the fact that, much like his pets, both Pyre and the Star were in danger of Brute's possession ability, she fled the laboratory-room and headed for the elevator.
Their next destination was the training room; the Volcanic Base's basement.
"I know it's probably not much," she told the struggling Star as she placed her down, "but I hope that, down here, the voices won't be so loud." She paused to swallow and collect herself. "I will come back for you, Star. For now, however, I need to find Ace and Gent."
She made to leave, but came short of the elevator entrance before stopping to spare Star one, final glance from over her shoulder. By the looks of things, she didn't suffer from convulsions anymore, though it was clear to Pyre she was bottling up the pain.
The strong, confident Star she knew now looked so frail and powerless.
"I'll stop this pandemic," Pyre said. Then, with hardened resolve: "I promise."
Pyre had found Ace in the medical bay.
Specifically, she had discovered him inside the cryo chamber.
His expression resolute, Ace was described by Xybrian citizens as 'a hero's sculpture come to life'. In this instance, that metaphor was taken to the most literal extent: Ace stood motionless, despite the biting cold. His once bold, grey eyes were now devoid of color and emitted a smokey afterglow. Similarly to the other Power Rangers, so too did Ace's forehead gem glimmer the color matching his ranger uniform; a glorious red.
"Ace?" Pyre called out as she approached him.
There was no answer.
She tried again. "Chief? Are you okay?"
Belatedly, Ace spoke in a levelled and collected tone. "I see everything."
Pyre scanned him from head to toe and back. There didn't seem to be any reaction from Ace, not in the slightest. Waving her hands, making funny faces, throwing random quips, nothing seemed to faze her leader.
"I see everything," he would occasionally drone.
Pyre pouted and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Well, fine, mister Red Supersonic Ranger, if you do see everything, can you tell me where Gent is?" she said after she'd whipped out the Volcanic Base's holographic, three-dimensional display from her Sonic Morpher.
Ace pointed at the central control area.
"Should've guessed," Pyre sighed as she turned it off. "Thanks," she said and ran to the elevator, leaving Ace behind her.
Ace's hand hovered back to his hip. "I see everything," he replied.
Pyre's wishes had come true.
Clad in the Black Supersonic Ranger suit, Gent was handling Tensou 5.0's master computer, analyzing footage across Xybria with a bird's eye view. His stoic commitment filled Pyre with an overwhelming sense of relief. Finally, she had come across a Xybrian who wasn't suffering from this seeming gem-power overload.
"Gent!" she exclaimed.
Immediately, the swordsman turned. "Lady Pyre," he called back in his indicative repose.
Pyre ran towards him and hugged Gent tightly. The latter rested a palm on her shoulder; a subtle, knightly act of consolation.
Pyre broke the embrace. "I'm so glad you're alright," she flashed a smile.
"Likewise, fairest maiden," Gent replied. "Alas, tis quite the situation at our hands."
Pyre wiped her nose and cleared her throat. "Any leads?"
"Certainly," said Gent. His words resonated with the same boldness. "Climatic interference on the lower atmosphere. Tis an artificial emission, lady Pyre. As sir Brute would've explained, by breaking the gas down to its compound foundation, I have cometh across a transmission pattern." He keyed a command and the satellite footage focused on a specific spot. Gradually, the image inched closer and closer, clearing in the process.
"Hither," Gent pointed out with his index.
The screen displayed a top-side view of a worn-down warehouse, tucked in the middle of a large ravine. A mild dust storm was raging, causing the image to blur every few seconds.
"An outpost in Purazi, huh?" Pyre wondered aloud. "It's the perfect hiding spot. That's a good start, so let's get going. The faster we leave, the faster everybody will return back to normal. The Carrier Zord can easily traverse Purazi."
Assuming an open-legged stance, Pyre raised the Sonic Morpher before her face. She then rotated her upper body forward and to the left and followed up by straightening again and lifting the morpher overhead.
"Supersonic Yellow!" she called out and the V-crested wrist morpher showered Pyre in radiant light, enveloping her in the garments of the Yellow Supersonic Ranger.
She turned to face Gent, who'd already phased his helmet. "Let's go, Gent," she said, mimicking his gesture.
Gent nodded and the two Power Rangers stormed to the hangar. They skipped the security protocol drill, instead opting to deploy immediately.
The Supersonic Carrier Zord's engines rumbled as the oversized vehicle powered through Purazi's coarse terrain. In stark contrast to Gwenga, Purazi was situated near the planetary equator, and was thus characterized by weathered, dry land; the aftermath of Purazi being the hottest spot on Xybria. Despite that, it was an extraordinarily beneficial site for solar panel farming, the bountiful deposits providing almost every continent on the planet with pure, solar energy.
The only sound that resonated inside the cockpit were the steady beeps of the control panel, pertaining to the Supersonic Rangers' location, as well as their target.
"Hey, Gent?" Pyre asked, keeping her eyes on the road. "Why weren't you, you know, affected? Being a telekinetic and all."
"Elementary, lady Pyre." The Yellow Supersonic Ranger could feel the subtle smile hiding behind Gent's helmet, even when she couldn't outright see it. "I possess absolute control of mine heritage."
"Full control? But how?"
"Such expertise could be achieved under strict tutorship in the Rashon Kingdom. It was made possible during my knightley service to my previous liege, the fair prince Nhema Li'eh. A splendid young fellow, he was."
"That sounds so cool! Is the prince a king now?"
"Nay," Gent replied, his tone now tinged with a drop of melancholy. "The prince perished, along with what would have one day been his noble kingdom."
Silence.
Pyre wanted to apologize, but 'Oh.' was what had come out of her mouth in its place. Gent continued leading the Carrier Zord on a forward path, across a seemingly endless land. He let silence fill the room but for the steady beeping of the control panel.
"On that fateful day, however," Gent spoke again, "sir Ace arrived to Rashon, where he rescued me from the rubble of despair and-"
"Turned you into a Power Ranger," Pyre finished for him, sensing the atmosphere had regained an optimistic undertone. "That's so nice. I guess we both had it rough, huh?"
Gent inclined his head to that.
"Can I-" Pyre began, but quickly stopped herself. It took her a moment to consider her phrasing, something she didn't often do.
She started over. "Can I tell you something?"
"Anything, dearest." Gent was a pillar of calm and collected concentration. His grip on the steering wheel was steady and his voice milky smooth, welcoming Pyre to elaborate.
"I'm concerned about my powers," Pyre confessed. "You know, that they'll never be invoked and I'll never be like you guys. There hasn't even been a second where it seemed like it'd pop up."
Pyre made to scratch the back of her neck, feeling for a mane that was trapped inside her helmet. She went on. "I try making up for it with physical strength, but it can only take me so far. Being a Xybrian, your powers are a part of you, right? If I dont have powers, then who am I?"
Gent reached for the control panel and turned off the radar. The loud, monotonous beeping stopped. He relaxed his press on the pedal and the Supersonic Carrier Zord slowed down as a result.
"I cannot admit otherwise, lady Pyre." His voice, no matter the sternness, always retained a sense of gentleness. He removed his helmet by tapping at its side, then he turned to face her. That unique, trusting aura in his eyes perfectly complemented his knightly background.
"Xybrian heritage," he went on, "will forever include strength of spirit. And yet, though it be forever part of every Xybrian soul, this power need not define us. Tis what our actions are for."
In the proceeding silence, the two rangers allowed for that final sentence to sit. They drove on, gazes fixed beyond the glass windscreen.
It was Pyre that broke the silence. She reached for her helmet, phasing it out of existence. "Gent?" she asked.
"Pardon?"
She looked at him with almond eyes that brimmed with assuredness. "Thanks."
Gent huffed. It was an odd way to laugh, but an expression of humble joy nonetheless.
"All in a knight's duty, fairest maiden."
"We're here!" Pyre exclaimed as she and Gent hopped out of the Zord, landing right in front of the abandoned warehouse. "Man, these villains sure like hiding in empty buildings."
"Quite convenient, if I may add," Gent replied.
"True. No innocents to worry about." Pyre cracked her knuckles. "Just him and us."
Suddenly, the Sonic Morpher on her wrist came to life with a buzz of static. "Rangers! Hey-yo, what happened here?!"
"Well, tis our lucky day," Gent joked.
Pyre chuckled before lifting her morpher close to her helmet and activating the voice imprint. "You're done charging, Tensou?"
"Yes, yes! My batteries are fully charged for the rest of the month. Talk about a grim coincidence though! When I woke up, Brute was creature-hopping and Ace had turned into a popsicle inside the cryo chamber!"
"Tis an enemy's foul act," Gent spoke to his own morpher.
"Hey-yo, I see! Can I help with anything?"
"Whatever is that dastardly compound composed of, old friend?"
"On it!"
Clicks and clacks emanated from the other end of the network. The steady flow of keyboard tapping took several seconds to conclude.
"Success!" Tensou 5.0 beamed. "Hey-yo, it's an extremely potent lethargy. It affects the brain signals upon inhalation and tampers with the Xybrian power flow, fluctuating it out of control!"
"So it causes instability?" Pyre commented. "Great highs and extreme lows?"
"Yes, you are correct, Pyre! And you guys are right on top of the source!"
Pyre's mind immediately darted to the kids in the park. Innocent and carefree, how she watched them running around and enjoying their youth. Her thoughts raced ahead in time, taking her to the moment Star had first collapsed.
Her pained moaning resounded with deafening cacophony.
"That creep," Pyre spoke through gritted teeth. "All the people he's caused to suffer…"
"Lady Pyre," Gent made to step forward. "This bodes ill. I advice caut-"
But it was too late.
A searing-hot laser blast collided with Pyre, the ensuing explosion sending her flying to the dust-filled barrenness. Gent turned to the warehouse entrance, now torn to pieces by what he imagined to have been the villain's attack.
Standing his ground, Gent confronted the enemy.
A sentient red mushroom trudged out of the warehouse on fibre-bundled legs of corded roots, glinting like steel. Huge spores decorated its umbrella-shaped armor plates, with bundles of the yellow eggs shackled around its wrists and ankles. From within a protrusion in its chest that resembled a head, a single, deep blue eye stared at the Black Supersonic Ranger.
Gent backflipped away from the monster so as to stand by Pyre's side. "Lady Pyre!" he called out.
Supersonic Yellow had already raised herself. "Don't worry, Gent," she said. "I'm fine, just very, very angry."
"Power Rangers," the alien monster breathed. Green gas was seeping from its pores, floating upstream. "I am Zaruko, the rebellion leader of Planet-48. Come to me, Hanoi's lackeys!" it roared and Silencers burst from the sandy dunes. They slid and tumbled down the steep slopes to group around Zaruko in a loose formation.
"For my planet, I will eradicate you!"
As one, Zaruko and the Silencer horde charged. Pyre and Gent readied their weapons, the Supersonic Flute and Supersonic Saber respectively, shifted their stances and met the attack head-on.
The gorge had erupted into a battlefield, with the Black and Yellow Supersonic Rangers serving as the eye of the storm.
With backs pressed against one another, the rangers used each other's momentum to block, dodge and parry Silencer claw swipes and pincer-sword swings. In turn they used that force against their enemy, unleashing powerful strikes that forced the Silencers to flip over and crash down to the ground.
Pyre found a window of opportunity. "Gent, cover me!" she cried and hopped on his shoulders, using the swordsman as a springboard to frontflip toward Zaruko.
Not even sparing the seconds needed to land, she struck with a barrage of kicks, each boot stamp pushing the monster back and multiplying the sparks gushing out of his deformed, mushroom-like carapace. With a final, reverse-axefall kick, Pyre flipped backward and landed with feline grace.
"Let me guess," she sneered as she straightened, keeping her fists raised, "you're some kind of freak show with a sick sense of 'justice'."
"You fool!" Zaruko snarled. "You cannot begin to understand my struggle!" He came at her with twisted, spindly roots for fingers, struggling to claw at her with sluggish movements.
"I don't care to find out," Pyre objected, successfully dodging every hit and hitting back with her Supersonic Flute, piling on the damage she'd already inflicted beforehand. "You've hurt children! For that, I'll never forgive you!"
She curled her elbow, pulling her arm back and shooting it forward with piston-like lethality. Her fist smashed onto Zaruko's bulbous eyeball, the power behind the blow strong enough to steal the ground underneath the monstrosity's feet.
"How do you like that?!" Pyre taunted.
The injuries were starting to take a toll on Zaruko. "You think I don't know?!" Zaruko roared as he struggled to get up. "There's so much guilt, but I cannot back down! Me and my people have worked for ten, long years in hopes of living again! I…" He paused to throw his head back. "I want us to be free again!" he cried out to the sky.
So strong was Zaruko's testament, it overpowered the sounds of battle on the other end of the ravine, where Gent was thinning out the Silencer mob. With superb swordsmanship, he maneuvered blows so that they swept past him, and in turn he advanced, answering back with precise thrusts. His collected might skewered every Silencer foolish enough to line up before the tip of his blade.
"Free, you speaketh?!" he intruded.
With a gallant cry, Gent left the fray in a spinning leap, sunlight bouncing off his Supersonic Saber as it collided with Zaruko's mushroom armor, the blow pushing him back. "Knightly Code of Conduct, rule number thirteen," he declared, shifting his stance so that his heels clicked. "Respect thine enemy, but absolve him not of punishment."
"In other words, bucko," Pyre carried on in Gent's steed, "there's no way we're letting you get away with this!"
Zaruko responded with a defiant warcry and came at the rangers with reckless abandon. Pyre and Gent readied their weapons, Supersonic Yellow taking a page from her fellow ranger's book and patiently awaiting for the perfect opportunity to counterattack.
"There!" she shouted.
Pyre struck first. She pivoted on her heel, pirouetted and extended her occupied hand. A bright, yellow streamer rolled out of her Supersonic Flute, enveloping Zaruko. With a poised pull, the streamer tightened around the creature, holding it at bay.
All the while Gent leaned on his front foot and grasped the sword with both hands. Channeling the entirety of his might into a single, almighty chop, he leapt on Pyre's shoulders, copying her previous maneuver to propel himself at Zaruko.
"Combined attack!" the Yellow and Black Supersonic Ranger cried out as one. "Double Trouble!"
The Supersonic Saber fell.
It cleaved the Zaruko, the gash so deep and fatal his tampered physique was showered with a rush of successive sparks-explosions. Pyre retracted her Supersonic Flute's streamer and turned her back to the monster.
Rejoined with Gent, they presented their weapons in a triumphant pose.
With a final scream, Zaruko was swallowed by the ensuing explosion.
Now writhing on the dust, his body not quite on the verge of imploding, a voice resonated in Zaruko's head.
"You're not taking this seriously," it cooed. The voice was female and menacingly alluring; an evil temptress that may or may not have been Zaruko's consciousness granted physical form.
"I did my best," the monster wheezed.
"Right," the voice dragged out the syllable. She was mocking him. "Remember, Zaruko, you have a last resort."
Zaruko's blue eye hovered over to his left hand. Behind the layers of bulging spores, a red band was strapped around his wrist. "Press it," the temptress commanded, as if she shared sights with him. "Remember: If you fail, your allies are goners. I wonder whose fault would that be?"
Her words were coated in frost and ruthlessness, enough to force a quick recovery out of Zaruko. As the fog in his head cleared up, he grunted vigorously until he'd gotten up. Biting back the pain, he ripped the spores on his wrist off and flashed the red bracelet at the Supersonic Power Rangers.
"For my family and people!" Zaruko shouted and slammed the red button.
A giant, white-skinned robot suddenly landed outside the gorge.
Devoid of any features, it craned its head down. It opened its huge mouth and fired a tractor beam at Zaruko, lifting the alien off the ground. He thrashed as his body was converted into particles and absorbed by the abhorrent machine, which in turn copied its form to the most minute detail.
"Gigantification?" Gent questioned.
Pyre sighed. "And here I thought this day couldn't get any weirder."
"To the Supersonic Carrier Zord!" Gent suggested.
Pyre gave him a thumbs-up and the two rangers jumped back into their Zord.
"Deploying missiles!" Gent announced, pushing a button next to his steering wheel. The Carrier Zord's cargo turned at a forty-five degree angle, revealing twin rows of boxed missiles. Pulling on the handbrake, Gent applied pressure to the pedal in short bursts, allowing for a continuous launch of missiles. Impacts flashed across Zaruko's gigantic figure, though they were clearly not enough to beat him.
Zaruko kept exuding more of his power-fluctuating gas. It swarmed around the Carrier Zord.
Nothing happened.
"I don't get it!" the gigantified alien abomination roared. "Why is it not working on you two?! What do you have that the rest of the Xybrians don't?!"
"That's the thing," Pyre countered from within the Carrier Zord's cockpit. "I don't have powers, and I don't need them. So long as I have my friends, I'm invincible!"
"Well," Gent argued, "not quite."
Pyre was quick to cover the mic linked to the external speakers. "Gent, shh!"
Gent let out a composed huff. "It's time to transform!"
"Aw, man!" Behind her helmet, Pyre was pouting. "I hate multitasking. Whatever!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "Here goes nothing!"
Together, the two rangers declared, "Transform!" and in unison pressed a button on the Carrier Zord's control console.
A call to action signalled from the Volcanic Base, which prompted Tensou 5.0 to manually launch the Supersonic Fighter and Jeep Zords. The robot assistant breathed life into the massive vehicles by feeding them cosmic energy from the Morphing Grid, powering up their powerful engines and launching them at the designated location via the base's Zord Transference Cannon.
Arriving at their destination from the sky, the Zords shifted their form mid-flight, rotating in all the right places and combining at their ends to form the Supersonic Megazord. The brilliant 'V' emblazoned on the robot's sternum promptly came alive, radiating with the necessary energy to summon the Planetarium Blade.
"Grant me an opening, Gent!" Pyre urged her fellow ranger. "Work your magic!"
"Indubitably!"
Using the steering wheel as a controller, Gent pushed forward, evoking the Megazord to aggress on their opponent. The two colossal figures grappled, but Gent could read their opponent like a book. He broke out of the deuce with ease, exploiting the staggered Zaruko to assault him with three swipes of the Planetarium Blade, the consecutive chops unleashing a shower of sparks.
"Perfect!" Pyre exclaimed and turned her own steering wheel sideways, ramming the Supersonic Megazord's fist on Zaruko's protrusion of a face.
The collision made the alien see stars. Pyre pulled at her controller, causing the Megazord to throw an uppercut that propelled Zaruko into the air.
Pyre turned to Gent. "The finisher's yours, Gent!"
"Nay, lady Pyre," Gent countered. "Tis ours."
To that, Pyre grinned. "Together now!" she cried.
Reaching the peak of his arc, Zaruko started to plummet, building up momentum as he descended. The Supersonic Megazord raised the Planetarium Blade over its head, awaiting with utmost diligence.
Overhead, Zaruko roared, "Curse you, Power Rangers!"
"The finisher!" Pyre and Gent declared in unison. "Grand Divide!"
The gigantic blade came down, releasing a grand slash that rippled with energy. Enhanced steel connected with mushroom armor, scraping against Zaruko's carapace with such force, it created a blinding flash.
A brief moment after the light had dissipated, fading as abruptly as it had arrived, Zaruko burst into an explosive backdrop for the Supersonic Megazord; a bombastic acknowledgement of the Supersonic Power Rangers' victory.
"Please, Star!" Brute followed after the Supersonic Pink, his palms flat and pressed against each other before his chest. "Please! You have to help me do check-ups on my pets! I bet they're worried sick! Please, please, please!" he pleaded, bearing his gritted teeth for further emphasis.
"You can be so childish sometimes," Star sighed, keeping an ice pack pressed against her forehead. She thumbed her chin, giving the matter some thought. "Fine," she conceded. "Just give me a minute to gather my strength."
"Alright!" Brute cheered, but was quickly silenced when Star placed her index in front of his mouth. "I'll start the timer," he whispered, tapping at his Sonic Morpher.
"I didn't mean it literally," Star sighed. Still, when she watched Brute get all giddy, she couldn't help but produce a weak smile.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the control room, Pyre and Gent were engaged with Ace.
"I had foreseen all of it," Ace said, his deep-set eyes giving away no hint of distress.
"Seriously?!" Pyre groaned. "Should've guessed. You're a seer, after all."
Ace nodded. "I apologize I couldn't help out more. Still, I'm glad I didn't lose my composure."
To that comment, Pyre's gut reaction was to burst out laughing.
Ace quirked his brow. He crossed his arms. "What?" he asked, genuinely curious as to the Yellow Supersonic Ranger's reception.
Gent huffed. "Forsooth, sir Ace, for not even I can begin to ascertain the thought of my liege raising his voice."
"I guess so," Ace gave in, letting his comrades have their fun, sharing in their joy with a content grin.
"Hey-yo, rangers!" Tensou's voice resounded from the corridor as he waddled into the control room. He was holding a tray twice his girth, topped with a diverse assortment of treats. They ranged from sour, yet nutritious vegetables, to protein-rich meats and ornate confectionaries.
"You should eat up and regain your strength!" the robot said. "There's many more fights awaiting you in the future!"
"Tensou!" Brute's head peeked out from behind a monitor. "What did you do?! Those were meant for my lovelies!" With swift movements, he leapt over the machinery and stormed over to his friend, snatching the tray from Tensou's hands.
"Papa's coming, dearies!" Brute cried and made a run for it.
"Not on my watch!" Pyre hollered and ran after him.
The sounds of their chase rung along the long corridor. Ace, Star and Gent grouped up and collectively shook their heads at their younger colleagues.