A/N: A very pleasant Wednesday from the Great State of Texas. Welcome to the main event of the Project Phoenix series. As a disclaimer, this series is inspired by Kctimes2's The Adoption. Before reading this, you should read The Crane's Destructive Path and its accompanying one shot, Granted Wishes.
A/N 2: Busy chapter here. A speech, a birthday, an unexpected threat from an old foe and the beginning of Flammia's final invasion. Chapter title is based off Gary Lewis and the Playboys song "This Diamond Ring."
A/N 3: Couples featured are Jayden/Mia, Memily, Jason/Kat, Adam/Tanya and a slew of other old-school pairings.
A/N 4: Usual disclaimer. Power Rangers doesn't belong to me. Used to be Saban, then Disney, then Saban, now Hasbro owns them.
Chapter 48 – This Diamond Ring
Friday, January 4, 2013
5:00 p.m. PST
Angel Grove Youth Center
Angel Grove, CA
It was just minutes before a widely anticipated speech…the first ever by any Power Ranger, much less a team, to the general public via national television.
All across America, local newsrooms had tried to censor this upcoming speech, to no avail. Many newsrooms privately thought of the Rangers as vigilantes who worked outside regular law enforcement. Some even saw the alien attacks they stopped as staged.
That was shared by some in actual law enforcement too, but fortunately for the Rangers they weren't influential enough to matter. Shawna had talked to Zordon's friend in the FCC, and the Rangers had talked to Cassidy and Devin as well, and it was a go. President Obama and the FCC had approved the speech.
The stations didn't like it, but if they went against the FCC, they would have big issues.
Governments around the world had been alerted they needed to be prepared too, so they also were waiting with bated breath for the Rangers announcement.
The Rangers had talked beforehand, and believed it wise to have the speech in Angel Grove at the Youth Center. They also believed it wise to not have all their identities revealed at this point. That the leaders should be the ones involved.
Thus, it was decided that the originals should be the ones to be involved in the speech…and Jayden, of course, since he was the overall leader. Lauren had asked to come so she was there also.
Shawna would lead off and the rest would follow.
They had just finished huddling up when the cameraman waved at the Rangers as if to say, "10 seconds!"
"Go Shawna," Aisha mouthed as Shawna nodded and stepped to the podium, right as TVs all around the world came on live.
A couple of moments later, Shawna began the speech.
"Good evening, everyone in America and all around the world," she said. "My name is Shawna Hilton and as those who know me locally are aware, I do public relations for minor league baseball."
"More importantly, though, the leaders of the Power Rangers of Earth have brought me aboard their operations as a spokesperson, and it is they who want to address you here tonight."
"Before they address you though, I want to address the worldwide audience that is watching this. The Rangers will tell you more, but intelligence that our operations has gathered indicates to us that future powers that Rangers will wield may be in some of your nations. With that, I will turn it over to our leader, the Phoenix Ranger."
As Jayden stepped to the podium, he was quite aware that he was being watched not just by every Ranger team, but by leaders around the United States and world, and probably other planets too.
He also knew that for many, they were realizing for the first time that the mighty Phoenix Ranger was in fact human.
"Hello, and thank you all for watching," he began. "My name is Jayden Oliver, and I am the Phoenix Ranger and current leader of Earth's group of Power Rangers, which dates back to every team since 1993. At one point I was Jayden Shiba, the 18th head of the Shiba Clan and the Samurai Red Ranger from Panorama City. I am an adopted child."
"That is a long story, but I am not here to talk about that. I am here to talk about the future and what it entails for this planet, and the universe," Jayden said. "At the moment, the universe is quiet. But I feel it will not stay that way for long. At some point, she will attack, and it will be a fight similar to when Astronema invaded in 1998. It is to be determined who will come out on top."
"Just as big a concern, though, is that should we prevail, more evildoers are on the way. According to our sources, a powerful empire not dissimilar from Flammia's forces waits to attack Earth," Jayden continued. "A force called the Armada is waiting for the winner of our final battle and then they will attack whoever prevails. It is our belief that in some of these cities lie powerful artifacts which can be used to stop this force. I will now turn it over to my parents, two of the original Rangers. Thank you."
Jayden's parents smiled at him as they, along with the rest of the original Rangers, took center stage.
"To everyone watching, my name is Dr. Thomas Oliver, and I am the longest serving Power Ranger since the line of Rangers was started in 1993. I am also Jayden's father since 1995," Tommy said. "I am here to talk about the final battle itself with Flammia. We are not sure when she will attack, but we have reason to believe that she is amassing her army as we speak and once she is ready she will come full force."
"The question is," Tommy continued, "where will they attack. That, we don't know. They could attack all over the world, or they could attack specifically in cities that had Rangers, like Blue Bay Harbor and Reefside. When Astronema attacked, her attack was limited to Angel Grove, and the planets allied with the Council of Meledon."
"And don't ask what the Council of Meledon is, by the way," Jayden said as he stuck his head back in. "It's a Ranger thing, and with all due respect you wouldn't understand."
Tommy nodded at his son. "Now, I will introduce you to my once again girlfriend, who was freed from a curse not so long ago."
When Kim stepped to the podium, she knew everyone watching would realize who she is and was.
But the truth had to be said.
"My name is Kimberly Ann Hart. I too was part of the original team in 1993, and I'm Jayden's mother. Those of you across the universe might recognize my face – yes, I was that monster who attacked planet after planet. But I was, and will always be, a Ranger first," Kim said. "I'm here to say this. Should I not survive this last fight, as my fate is on the line, please listen to everything Tommy and Jayden and the rest of our friends tell you to do. You may think of us as vigilantes operating outside the law, but we're humans and want your best interests."
Jayden then stepped back up. "Leaders of nations, be aware. We know not where these artifacts are, but they may be hiding out in your countries. Or they may be hiding out in Ranger cities – we don't know yet. Leaders in nations such as the United States, France, Italy China and others should keep your eyes open. We will be in touch."
"Hi. I'm Lauren Shiba. I'm Jayden's adopted brother. To add to his message, citizens of the world, we need your help. If anyone sees anything funny, you should report it to your government immediately so they can contact us," Lauren said as she stepped up.
"May the Power protect the entire world," all of the Rangers said as they stood together, ending the speech.
Undisclosed Location, same time
"DAMMIT!" an ugly, gray, gold and orange tinged alien roared as he watched this. He was hoping to send his sons in, and possibly his new allies, to catch the Rangers by surprise. That was no longer going to work.
His two sons, one a winged gold and blue monster, the other an ugly gold, blue and white monster, cringed. They knew how their father got when he was angry – and he was really mad.
It was going to be doubly tough to beat the Rangers – assuming they survived the final battle with Flammia – if they had the support of their people too.
"So, are you going to help us or not?" the angry alien, known as Emperor Mavro of the Armada, asked his allies.
He had been agitating for the two allies, both estranged Machine Empire robots, to attack the Rangers, but the two had been skeptical before. Oliver and his girlfriend were together again, and their son was at the peak of his powers.
"We are definitely in," a green and steel gray colored machine robot said. A pink and steel gray colored robot with an archer's bow nodded from beside her husband. "We have been waiting for revenge against those brats since 1997. Now is the perfect time."
"Remember, specialized rubies and jewels sold on the black market at stake," Mavro reminded them.
"Yes. All Archerina and I need is the perfect monster…" the male robot said…
"Once we have captured or destroyed them, we can then turn the public against the Rangers and use it to help Mavro conquer the Earth itself," Archerina finished.
February 8, 1997, late afternoon
Los Angeles, CA
It was rare that Jayden had been in Los Angeles itself, so the fact that he was at one of Southern California's biggest shopping malls, even for a guy like him, was overwhelming.
This had to be by far the biggest mall he had ever seen.
He got some curious looks from passers by, but nothing out of the ordinary.
For the previous month since that speech, the Rangers had been surprised by the reaction of both the public and governments around the world.
The public was with them. In fact, thanks to some tips brought back by the civilian public around the world (one of them being Caroline herself), they had gained some leads on where the Ranger Keys might be.
They were also having an easier time deciphering whether keys were real or fake. Clearly the Armada had planted fake keys to try and distract the Rangers, but that wasn't working.
Most places in Southern California where they went, Ranger teams received unanimous support. It hadn't taken long for word to filter out, with the consent of the Ranger leaders, the identities of the rest of the Rangers, from beginning to end.
Oddly enough, the fact the Rangers were human like everyone else played a big role in achieving the support of their peers.
But today wasn't supposed to be about Rangering.
Today, his aunts Aisha, Kat and Jen had brought him to the mall. No one knew, of course…his father was at school and Kira was keeping Kim distracted. His mother's birthday, her first since being freed from her prison, was six days away.
Fittingly enough, on Valentine's Day.
They had spent about 20 minutes in the Jared store, and had seen several things they liked, with nothing standing out.
Until Aisha spoke.
"Jayden, guys, over here!" she called out. Instantly, Jayden and Kat, who were not far away, joined Aisha and Jen where they were standing.
"Just my opinion, guys, but I think we have ourselves a winner," Aisha said.
One look at it, and Jayden knew she was right.
One look, and it just spoke to him. As if someone had put it there for him to grab. The diamond was pinkish red, and it was almost as if he could see his two parents in their Zords themselves within the diamond.
"Yes. That's the winner," Jayden said.
The group looked around for a few more minutes but could not find anything that could beat it. They'd found the winner.
A few minutes later, they had paid for it, and went on their way to get snacks before hitting the road back to Reefside.
However, they had no idea they were about to have a most unwelcome audience.
Undisclosed Location
"I can see you have your eyes on that ring, Gasket," Archerina said.
"Yes. That is the monster I have in mind for the Phoenix Ranger and his friends," Gasket responded. "When I create the Diamondbot from that ring, that will be the end of the Rangers."
"That is your grand solution? Ridiculous!" Emperor Mavro hissed.
"Relax, Mavro. A reminder that I was reluctant to take this alliance in the first place as the Phoenix Ranger is really tough," Gasket responded. "But he can't, and won't, beat my monster. My monster will turn them into diamonds, every last one, and then I will sell them and be very, very rich."
"For your sakes, you had better be right," Mavro responded.
"Prince Gasket is always right," Archerina said.
"If you want that ring so bad, just send your Cogs in!" Prince Vekar added.
"Not yet. Because the morons on Earth support them. Those morons would tattle on the Rangers that I'm attacking. I have to wait for them to be away from the public," Gasket said.
He wouldn't have to wait long.
Los Angeles, CA
This mall was always bustling, but somehow there was a brief moment, when the Rangers walked outside, when the mall was busy enough inside that no one was going in or out.
"That's weird. No one's going in or out," Kat said.
"Rush hour and everyone going in at once," Aisha said. "I'm sure there will be more coming in soon."
To the Rangers great surprise, an invisiportal suddenly opened up in front of them. Out walked a platoon of metal machines that made Kat gasp.
"Oh my God," Kat said, hand going in front of her mouth. "The Machine Empire is dead. It can't be."
"You know them?" Jayden asked.
"They're Cogs. Foot soldiers of the Machine Empire. And extremely dangerous," Kat informed her godson.
"We better call for backup then," Jayden said. He was about to touch his communicator when he was grabbed from the side.
He was being mugged, but he noticed that two of the Cogs who were holding him were reaching into the bag he was still holding. And he knew what was in there.
"Guys, help!" he shouted. "I can't morph. They're after the ring!"
"I'm coming, Jayden," Jen said as she ducked two Cogs. "Time for Time Force!"
At the last possible second, the Cogs who were holding Jayden were slashed by Jen's chrono saber, freeing him from his metal prison.
He gulped deep breaths for a few moments as that was brutal, as Jen knelt beside him.
"You OK?" she asked him.
"Yeah. Just give me a few seconds," Jayden said, then stood up. "I'm serious. We need bigtime backup. Those Cogs were after that diamond ring."
"I'll alert the others. Give me the bag," Jen said. "You know that this is going to spoil the surprise right?"
"The Earth is more important," Jayden said, to which Jen nodded and made the call for help.
Within a few more moments, numerous streaks of light touched down all at once, revealing the rest of the Ninjetti, Dino Thunder, Space, and Ninja Storm teams.
"Man, these guys again?" Rocky asked as he kicked three Cogs away from his wife. "I thought these guys were scrap metal!"
"So did I but here they are," Kat said. Tommy nodded, but was far more concerned about the way his son was acting as he attempted to keep four Cogs from Kim.
"I can tell you're acting off key," Tommy said, looking at his son hard. "What's wrong?"
"They're after my Valentine's Day gift for Mom, Dad," Jayden said, concern in his voice. "It's a diamond ring. Jen's doing her best to protect the bag but they won't let us get free."
"We'll take care of it," Tommy said. "Guys! Don't let those metal heads get near Jen! That bag she's holding is really important!"
Unfortunately, the Cogs chose that exact moment to fire at the Rangers, showering them with sparks. Before they could get up again, they'd grabbed Jen, smothering her in a vice grip.
Two of the Cogs reached into the bag and found what they were looking for, after which they went and put it on the grass not far away, but far enough where the Rangers, once they saw what happened, would not find it in time.
Before Jen knew it, she was let go of and the Cogs walked back through the portal.
Jayden then walked over to the bag they'd brought out of the store and looked through it in horror.
His worst fear had been realized. The Cogs had got what they came for.
Kim could see her son was fidgety, so she addressed the situation right there. Taking her helmet off, as the Rangers no longer needed to keep anything secret, she said, "Jayden, what's wrong?"
"Those metal pieces of crap…they…they ruined my Valentine's Day gift to you," Jayden said as he took his helmet off too. "I was going to get you a diamond ring…we just bought it. It was going to be a surprise."
"We'll take care of it…we always do, Jayden," Kim said. "No one and nothing is going to mess with my Valentine's Day. Thank you for trying to make it special."
"Aw, isn't that sweet?" a clearly male, mechanical voice said. The Rangers turned all at once, and their heads dropped when they saw a reddish-pink colored robot walking towards them.
Most of its body was solid diamonds, but the huge diamond forehead and the big diamond in the middle caught the Rangers attention immediately.
"So, it's the legendary Phoenix Ranger," the thing mocked. "You won't be so great when I'm through with you. Prepare to face the might of The Armada and Prince Gasket and Archerina!"
"Shit!" Rocky said. "Those tin heads survived the Countdown!"
"And will be the product of your demise! I am Diamondbot! Come and get me, Rangers!"
"Think again, tin can!" a female voice said as a barrage of water came hurtling at the monster but he was able to roll out of the way in time. That attack heralded the arrival of the Mystic Force Rangers. In moments, the rest of the Ranger teams had gathered too.
Dark Fortress Mark II, same time
"Well, well, well," Flammia smirked. "Looks like we got some unexpected help which bought us some time."
"Yes, but the Rangers are supposed to be ours. That tin can Gasket could ruin everything!" Vipera ranted.
"True, but you know how those brats are. They will find a way. That monster looks tough but they'll find a way as they always do. Best yet, this monster won't beat them but may expose some weaknesses."
"And if the Rangers should happen to lose?" Nepa asked.
"Then we will move in and I will finish off those metal heads, and the Armada, myself," Flammia said.
Los Angeles, CA
"We got the call," Rita, already morphed, said to Jayden. "It seems that Gasket doesn't know when to stay down."
"Yeah, well we're gonna put him down and tell Gasket not to mess with us," Jayden said. "Good try, Aunt Maddie. Shame that didn't work. Let's cut this diamond for good."
"I'd like to see you try," Diamondbot laughed as he shot a shower of pink diamonds at the Rangers.
A shower of sparks ensued, leaving the Rangers struggling to get up. Most notably, the Rangers looked down at their suits.
"Holy shit," Jason said, looking at his uniform. "Those things cut right through my uniform!"
Several other Rangers were seeing this problem. The Phoenix powers protected Jayden, but seeing the cuts on the uniforms of his parents, aunts and uncles made him realize how much of a threat this monster was.
"That's enough!" Kim said. Using Tommy as leverage, she leapt high into the air and aimed her bow right at the center diamond on its chest. It was nothing more than a hunch on her part, but the shot connected dead on, causing the monster to howl in pain and crash to the ground.
"Nice shot, Mom," Jayden said as he and his mother high fived. It seemed the Rangers had regained command.
"Now you've made me mad!" roared Diamondbot as he stood up. "And I think I'll take my anger out on your son's friends, Pinkie!"
Before anyone could respond, he turned towards the Samurai team and launched a pink beam from his center diamond, which had been damaged but not destroyed.
"Look out!" Lauren cried as she pushed Rito out of the way. The other four Samurai Rangers were not so lucky. They were hit head on and suddenly disappeared. Jayden gasped and almost as if to answer his question, Diamondbot summoned a whip and lassoed four colored diamonds into his hand: pink, green, yellow and blue.
"Nice collectibles," he said smugly. "And I can't wait to add more."
"Guys! Don't get hit by that beam! He just turned four of my friends into his keepsakes!" Jayden said.
"I'll stop this clown!" Tommy said as he leapt towards the monster, angry at what happened to his son's friends.
"I don't think so, technicolor!" Diamondbot cackled as he fired his beam again. The beam hit dead on, and when the smoke cleared, Tommy had suffered the same fate. His was a multicolored diamond, although it favored more white than any color.
"Tommy! Shit!" Jason howled.
"Retreat, guys. He's way too powerful right now!" Jayden said as he pulled Kim out of the line of fire – Diamondbot's latest beam had just missed her, then activated his communicator. "Rhiannon, get us to the chamber!"
"Got it, Jayden," the female voice of Rhiannon said. Moments later, teleportation beams took the Rangers away, right as Diamondbot had fired his beam at the Ninjetti, just barely missing.
Chamber of Command
Angel Grove, CA
The Chamber of Command in Angel Grove, without warning, was complete chaos. A day that was supposed to be mundane had gotten dangerous in a hurry – and it had come without warning.
It appeared The Armada had come to Earth for the same reason any other group of villains did – to conquer it. And Prince Gasket of the Machine Empire and his wife, Archerina, were working for them as bounty hunters, so to speak.
Everyone was asking questions a mile a minute until Jayden whispered something to Kira.
"Cover your ears, guys," Kira suddenly said, unleashing her Ptera Scream right after. That got everyone quiet in a hurry. "Jayden wants to speak."
Everyone looked at him and even though he was having trouble keeping his emotions, he described the events of the day as plainly as he could. The cat was "out of the bag" so to speak.
As he so plainly described it to end his speech, "my gift to my mother was turned into a monster that has my friends and Dad."
After a moment, he spoke again, "The only reason why I'm not a COMPLETE wreck is I know we can get them back. Logic would dictate that if we destroy that monster, his powers will be reversed."
"I should think so, yes," Billy said.
"Yeah, they're Machines, but even then, our friends wouldn't be diamonds if it weren't for that monster. Besides, that monster is really a product of The Armada. Destroying him should reverse the effects," Rhiannon said.
"And Mom gave him a pretty good beating," Jayden said. "We need to watch that battle and see if that shot by Mom was indicative of a weakness."
"When that guy shows his face again, we'll be ready for him," Billy said. "I think we should all go home in the meantime."
Everyone agreed and teleported home, knowing to be ready again when the time came.
Saturday, December 9, mid-morning
1492 Valencia Drive
Reefside, CA
Despite the setback of the previous day, if anyone expected Jayden to be deterred by yesterday's events, they had another thing coming.
He had gotten up early and as per usual, trained, then went out for a run. But he was pretty carefree. He knew someone would figure out a solution – whether it be Billy, Justin, Cam, etc.
And sure enough, right as Jayden was finishing his morning run, he heard his communicator chime.
"Go ahead," he said.
"Jayden, we may have something," Billy said. "Could you come to the Chamber, please? Your Mother is already here."
"Got it. On my way," Jayden said.
A few minutes later, he showed up in literally his workout clothes. People in general just laughed – if there was ever a more carefree, loose guy in the room they hadn't found him.
"Well it's apparent that yesterday didn't bother our leader," Rito said.
"Yeah, well, if you came looking for the Oliver guilt complex you're in the wrong place but you guys already know that," Jayden said. "I've done things no one else can do – now Gasket wants to get involved in my business. He's going to get it up his behind too."
Kim was thisclose to saying, "watch your mouth young man," but she loved the swagger and confidence too much.
"And I think we have something that might help," Billy said. "There's a catch though."
"We watched the fight and you were right, that diamond in the center is his weakness. It's where he gets his power from," Justin said. "Theoretically, destroying that diamond destroys his power and should release your four Samurai friends and your father."
"The problem is, he's still a machine, as it turns out," Billy said. "If Gasket and Archerina make him giant, then the Ninjazords, nor any other Zords, can beat him."
"There is ONE that Jayden COULD control that can," Adam said. Billy snapped his finger and looked at Jayden hard.
"Yes. The Red Battlezord, which your father controlled, can theoretically beat this monster. But you're going to have to be at your mental best, Jayden," Billy said. "That Zord relies on a mental link."
"Piece of cake," Jayden said.
"Be warned, Jayden," Rhiannon said, "I sense his power level rising because when he turned those Rangers into diamonds, it gave him strength. There is a chance if you don't destroy him in the next fight – you may never see your father or friends again. Don't get hit by that beam either, obviously."
"Right. He's going down though," Jayden said. "I want you all there as witnesses to see what I do to jackasses who stick their nose in my business."
They wouldn't have long to wait.
Two hours later, about noon
Chamber of Command
He was about to arrive in the mess hall to get something to eat when he heard his communicator chime.
He nodded. It was showtime.
Chow time would have to wait.
"Yeah?" he said into his communicator.
"Our diamond friend is back. He decided to show up in Reefside. Already enlarged. Hayley's freaking out because he's near Cyberspace," Kira said.
"Well he's about to get a nasty surprise. Get your asses to Reefside so you can see a demonstration of what I do to interlopers who get in my way," Jayden said.
"You got it," Kira said as Jayden got set to morph. Either Gasket and Archerina had a way of making their monsters grow or they'd brought back Klank and Orbus. Either situation was not good.
"Crimson Ranger Power!"
Downtown Reefside
Hayley gasped from inside Cyberspace.
She could see right outside the window. Diamondbot's center diamond, as powerful as ever, was starting to glow with energy and was directed right at her business.
That was, until a beam of energy came hurtling at Diamondbot and crashed into him, sending him sprawling to the street. The attack never came.
Hayley breathed a sigh of relief as the Zeo Red Battlezord stood on the street ready for battle. Jayden was here, and just in time.
And she saw something else.
Ranger after Ranger lined up on the street outside to watch the fight.
It was no secret the Phoenix Ranger didn't lack for confidence. It was, to her, an indication that he wanted the other Rangers there as witnesses. He was going to make an example of this clown.
Meanwhile, outside, Diamondbot stood up and glared at his opponent.
"Back for more, Phoenix Ranger? You couldn't handle me last time so you ran like a scared rabbit!" he laughed.
"It's you who's going to wish you ran when I'm through with you," Jayden responded. The monster charged the Zord in anger. Bad mistake.
Rapid fire punches came from the Red Battlezord, staggering the monster constantly. Unlike the previous day where the Rangers were on the defensive, today it was Diamondbot who was on the defensive. The last punch sent him sliding about 10 feet down the street.
Jayden then pressed a button and the pistons on the Zord's wrist began to glow. A continuous barrage of energy zoomed towards the monster, and more specifically, at the center diamond on its chest. He could see that the attack was having the desire effect, but felt he needed a little more.
He concentrated deeply on the psychic link, which unbeknownst to the monster was adding more impact to the Red Battlezord's attack. The Ninjetti powers couldn't destroy the monster singlehandedly, but against the Machines they could be used to complement an attack.
With one last finishing burst of concentration, he gave the attack just a bit more power. That last little bit shattered the center diamond on the monster's chest, rendering him powerless.
"My center cut!" he shouted. "You're gonna pay for that, Phoenix Ranger!"
"Wrong," Jayden said. "You're about to regret you ever messed with the Power Rangers."
The Zord then leapt up into the air and spun around, charging itself with red energy before hurtling towards the monster. The attack connected, destroying the monster in a massive explosion.
"Nice try, Gasket, but you lose again," Jayden said, smiling as five streaks of colored light zoomed towards Reefside. The explosion had indeed reversed the effects of Diamondbot's spell, returning the four Samurai Rangers and Tommy to their normal state.
Undisclosed location, same time
"Curses," Gasket muttered. "They found a way again."
"That did not go well," Archerina said.
"We'd better retreat for now to save ourselves before the Armada destroys us for what just happened," Gasket said.
Moments later, the Armada could see the two retreating.
"Too bad," Mavro said. "But they served their purpose. That was just enough of a distraction for us to possibly get a head start. Once we get ahold of the Keys, the world will be ours."
Five days later
Angel Grove, CA, early evening
After that surprise attack, things had calmed down rather quickly. The Rangers were rather upbeat, although they knew what lay ahead.
They had gone so far as to call a press conference the Monday after the fiasco with the diamond ring and all but thank Prince Gasket for that tuneup. He and his friends at the Armada had, unwittingly, done the job of keeping the Rangers focus sharp. That monster had forced Jayden to free some of the Rangers, including Jayden's father himself.
The ring itself was OK though. It had basically been unharmed…although it needed a little polish, some of Rhiannon and Rita's magic had taken care of that.
They'd gotten more good news this week too. After weeks of consultation with Orion and others, Ninjor had briefed the Rangers, also on Monday, and said that the power of the Phoenix, Falcon and Crane combined could locate where the Keys were.
The Armada would know too, but chances were, Ninjor said, they might already know where they were thanks in part to Gasket's distraction.
The bad part was, they'd have to wait until if they beat Flammia. But at least they could plan.
In the meantime, the Rangers were celebrating a very nice Valentine's Day dinner in a very upscale restaurant just outside downtown. Tommy's mother Elizabeth, along with Rocky, had worked with people they knew to secure these reservations. A few Ranger teams said they were preoccupied, but most had made it.
Kim, in between bites of her food, was looking in awe at what Jayden had given her and what she almost didn't have because of Gasket's interference.
"It's gorgeous, Jayden," she said with reverence. "It's not your fault that the surprise you were trying for was ruined by that tin can."
"Yeah, but like I said, I could almost thank him for that," Jayden said. "That was a tough fight, but we survived, are better for it and you still got your gift."
"I love your father and Jen giving me the latest fashion magazines, but I really appreciate that my son knows how to go big," Kim said. "If I don't survive Flammia's invasion, then I impart on you to keep that attitude. It will serve you well, my son."
"We'll all survive, and live to see the future line of Rangers continue to protect this planet," Jayden said, looking at his mother, who was in tears. "Happy birthday, Mom, and happy Valentine's Day."
February 22, 2013
Dark Fortress Mark II
"I believe we are sufficiently ready, are we not?" Vipera asked her Mistress. Vipera was beyond restless.
She knew that this next battle was it, that either the Rangers and their Phoenix (and his parents), or the darkness would come out alive. They had to make this one count.
But she wanted to attack now. Sitting around for the last few months, for her, wasn't doing anybody any good.
They saw what Gasket had tried to pull – the Phoenix, of course, had made mincemeat out of his monster once he'd figured out the monster's weakness, just as her mistress predicted he would. They really were the only team that could beat him.
"I believe so. Let us proceed to Earth!" Flammia said.
A loud cheer went up from her still vast army. The waiting was over. The moment of truth had arrived.
It would take about a week, but when they arrived, they were going to unleash hell on Earth.
Review box is at the bottom. Please review/follow/favorite if you don't mind. Thanks. The next chapter is the final battle. There are two more chapters to go.
