Crisis on Infinite Earths: Pain of Loss
"All the power in the universe can't change destiny" ~Unknown
~Outskirts of Draven's Fortress…
A portal opens in front of a battalion of robo-rangers. Draven walks through looking up to the sky to see the Ninja Steel Rangers flying on Preston's Dragonzord toward the tear in the sky.
"Those Ninjas are trying to get away and they've stolen my Mega-Arrows" Draven tightens his right fist looking over at the robo-rangers army and walks toward them. "We can't let them escape. Shoot them down!" Draven orders them. The robo-rangers aim their blasters into the sky and fire. Hundreds of beams can be seen scattering across the skies striking the Dragonzord.
"Oh no, we're hit!" Preston says outloud in a panicked voice. One of the countless beams strikes the pink rope that was tied to Brody and the chest. Brody and the chest fall to the ground with each Ninja Steel Ranger getting struck by a beam. The other four Ninja Steel Rangers fall from the sky and slam into the ground, demorphing.
The rangers stagger to their feet with Preston trying to collect his balance and stumbling right into the barrier between dimensions. When he hits it, the barrier flickers showing several alternate realities of rangers across the multiverse.
"It's the dimensional barrier" Preston points out to the team. They gather around peering into the barrier.
"That's why the army's here. They're waiting for it to fall" Calvin reasons outloud to himself.
"Guys! Guys!" Brody calls out wandering around confused looking for his team. The other rangers race to his side leaping over concrete blocks.
"His army's huge" Hayley looks on with a discouraged looking at the sheer numbers of Draven's forces to their measly five.
"Welcome, Ninjas. Meet my Robo-Ranger army!" Draven stands in front of his army. He was unaware that the Ranger Overlords had knocked out about a third of his forces while he was busy fighting the Ninja Steel Rangers. He was also not aware that Billie had trigger the count down to the robo-rangers self-destruction.
Without knowing anything of the Ranger Overlords, other then Jaysin who got away. They gave Draven the biggest middle finger while remaining completely unnoticed at large by Draven and the other rangers. In the same respect, the rangers were unaware of the huge helping hand from their former ranger friend's evil doppelgangers or the advantage they gave them to help them succeeded against Draven's forces. But both forces were ignorant of the growing instability in the Morphing Grid that threaten to unleash an anti-matter wave that threatens the destruction of the Antiverse.
"Oh, and by the way, thanks for returning my arrows!" Draven walks forward moving some wood around from the broken chest that contained the Mega-arrows. There was a loud earth shattering pulse as a tear in the sky becomes even worse. "Ah, and you couldn't have timed it any better" Draven laughs evilly, they all watch the sky turn red.
"No" Aiden backs up looking at the sky then back at Draven.
"Now to shoot my second Mega-arrow" Draven says out loud taking aim.
"No!" Sarah cries out. The rangers all watch in horror as the second Mega-arrow makes the tear bigger and damages veil between realities.
"Soon, I'll be able to shoot my last arrow and invade all the dimensions. Give up, you don't have any chance against my entire army" Draven tells them.
~The Dark Forest beyond Draven's Fortress…
Jaysin holds Billie gently, letting her rest the back of her head against his left arm, while he holds her up with it. He gently tries to use his right hand to hold pressure along her chest to try and slow down the bleeding, but without any medical equipment and no aide coming to them it was all a vain effort. The Arbiter raised his sword to strike down Jaysin and Billie when they heard the pulse. The Arbiter lowers his sword looking up in the sky. Billie glances up and Jaysin just keeps his eyes on Billie trying to think on what he can do to save her.
The Arbiter watches the second Mega-arrow strike the barrier making it bigger and causing the Morphing Grid to become even more unstable. Billie noticed the core on The Arbiter's chest plate flicker erratically and suddenly Billie realized a horrifying truth. She should have been trying to cut his connection to the Morphing Grid rather then trying to use a corrupted version of the Grid to match his power.
"Alpha, Alpha come in it's Jaysin! Billie's hurt! Prep the med bay now!" Jaysin was holding up Billie's right hand with his leaning in speaking into her communicator. The Arbiter looks down at Jaysin stabbing his sword into the ground and brings up a touch screen on his right gauntlet hitting a few buttons on the display.
There was an ear splitting static sound and the communicators on each Ranger Overlord went dead. Jaysin's eyes widen looking up at The Arbiter placing his right hand over Billie's wound.
"What did you do?" Jaysin demanded to know.
"I jammed your signal. Now you will be trapped here in the Antiverse with no way home" The Arbiter explained. Billie's eyes widen when she heard that. Bloody tears ran down her eyes.
"Jay...sin…" Billie weakly turns her head to Jaysin reaching up with her left hand and placing it on his cheek. Jaysin turns his attention to Billie.
"I'm going to save you Billie! Don't worr-"
"Run...get to...the other...rangers...before it's too late…" Billie weakly tries to warn Jaysin with what strength she had left.
"What? No, Billie! I'm not leaving you!" Jaysin protested. "Your my girl...forever my girl…" Jaysin said weakly. Billie smiles sweetly.
"Grid...unstable...weather or not...the rangers...close the barrier...this universe will...be destroyed…by antimatter...wave…" Billie says in a very weak voice. The Arbiter just stood there not even surprised by the disturbing information Billie revealed. "Get out of here Jaysin...Live...Live for us!..." Billie's voice trails off, her head turns off to the side and her arm drops to the ground.
The Arbiter watches Jaysin's facial expression change to one who just realized he had lost everything that mattered to him. Jaysin held Billie tightly and close to him. Sociopaths, unlike Psychopaths are capable of forming some social attachments and are capable of some empathy for others. However, for Jaysin, Billie was his family, and he loved her as much as he loved himself. Her dying in his arms, failing to save her, failing to stop The Arbiter, knowing the antiverse is about to be destroyed with no way for him to get home, and the thought of being the leader who abandons his fallen comrades to save himself wounded his pride. it all hit Jaysin all at once, so much anger, hatred, and rage exploded within him. He leaned forward holding Billie's body, his eyes shut as he yells out silently in his powerless rage.
The Arbiter just stood there watching him feeling a very disturbing change happening within Jaysin. The Arbiter notices a faint golden light appearing and disappearing around Jaysin's hands while he screamed out silently to himself. Jaysin took a deep breath and opens his eyes looking back up at The Arbiter, the glow disappearing from his hands...
~Outskirts of Draven's Fortress…
"Ninja Reveal!" unified voices echo behind the Ninja Steel rangers. Colorful clouds of smoke pop up as Tommy and Wes, with the other rangers show up standing on the concrete slabs.
"Huh? What?" Draven looks on with a surprised look.
"There odds just improved" Tommy smiles pointing at Draven.
"Unbelievable!" Brody said outloud.
"There are ten of them!" Hayley counted. Everyone else looked hopeful and relieved.
"Now that's what I call Ranger Power!" Preston says in an excited tone. Brody smiles taking a few steps forward.
"Anybody know what time it is?" Brody smiles. At the same time Jaysin gently lays Billie's body to the ground looking up at The Arbiter pulling out his Morpher.
"Forfeit your coin or forfeit you life" The Arbiter warns him one last time…
"It's morphin' time!" all the rangers say in unison. Each ranger transforms on the spot and strike their heroic pose. In the dark forest however, Overlord Red makes a last ditch effort to escape from the righteous fury of The Arbiter...
"Rangers ready!" They all call out.
"Your invasion ends here, Draven!" Rocky points and calls out. Draven grunts outloud pointing at the rangers.
"Attack!" Draven orders his army to attack the rangers. They all let out yells and charge one another with a savage fight breaking out in the open field. Amongst the chaos in the field of battle Draven picks up the third Mega-arrow. "My victory is just a matter of time" he snickers to himself, believing in his heart he could not lose...
