Chapter Eight:
Fight in the Pyramids
A short time later, Kenny and Agent Madison touched down in Giza, a short distance away from the pyramids. Madison touched her visor and scanned the area. "There's a lot of Black Cross gathered over that way," she said.
Kenny scanned with his own visor and confirmed it. "Yep," he said. The pair hurried to the edge of a nearby dune and peaked over. Sure enough, there were the pyramids, hundreds of Black Cross soldiers filling up the valley around them.
The sand started rumbling under Kenny's feet. "Our backup's here," Madison said. She and Kenny turned to see the top of the Ranger Tank rising from the sand behind them, just enough for the top to stick out of the sand. The hatch on the roof popped open and Tammy stuck her head out.
"Hey, guys," she said.
"Hey, Tammy," Madison said. "What's happening?"
Tammy glanced over the nearby hill. "Come inside and we'll talk about it," she said. "Katie and I have been getting everything ready."
Kenny followed Madison down through the hatch, Tammy letting them pass before sealing up the hatch behind them. Kenny had been inside the tank a couple of times during training already, every wall lined with high-tech consoles and equipment. Katie Young stood at a table in the center, several programs and documents open before her.
"We've been spending the last few hours mapping out the inside of the pyramid, based on our own scans and the visuals from the rangers' visors before they were captured," she explained, all business like always. She pointed out a rough map of the inside of the pyramid. "The new structures seem to line up with the pre-existing structures archaeologists have been mapping out for centuries, they're all just . . . different now. As far as we can tell, Joshua, Sean, and Dayton are all still alive, and we detect their vitals right around here." She tapped at one spot on the map. "But they were captured at the command center, here." She tapped at another spot on the map in the immediate center of the pyramid.
Madison looked over the map, her eyes studying every inch of the layout. "I'm sure the Fuhrer expects us to come to their rescue, so there's no doubt we're walking into a trap either way. If we use stealth, we should be able to at least get to the other rangers and get their morphers activated again before we're detected, and then we'll at least have five to fight our way out. The real problem is those numbers out there. It'll be a rough fight if all of them rush in on us."
"We could have Young and Hayes cause a disturbance in the tank while we're inside," Kenny suggested. "That would at least split and distract some of their forces."
Madison glanced up at him. "That could work," she said. She glanced at their comrades. "What do you think?"
For several minutes, the four debated, figuring out a plan and smoothing over the rough details. Finally, Madison straightened up. "I think we've done all we can do, for now," she said. "Our team's in there waiting on us. We shouldn't keep them waiting any longer. Are you coming, Austin?"
Kenny nodded. "Right behind you, Madison."
They headed back up through the hatch and out onto the sand. "Wait for our signal," Madison told Katie and Tammy. "And then give them all you've got."
Katie nodded. "Will do, Peggy," she said.
Madison turned to Kenny. "Let's go."
The pair started up their birdies and switched over to stealth mode, which gave their bodies a strange translucent look as the scenery around them was projected onto the opposite sides of their suits. They soared up and over the dunes and across the valley toward the pyramids.
"Let's aim for the thinner spots," Madison said, veering toward a patch where the soldiers were fewer in number. They sped over the camps, none of the Black Cross below even noticing them. They touched down just outside of the main pyramid in question, a short distance from the entrance.
"Hey, you," a nearby soldier shouted, finally noticing them. He fired off his blaster at Madison, Kenny moving on instinct and blocking the shot, racing up to the guy and knocking him out with a quick strike to the back of the head.
Kenny glanced up, checking around to see if anyone else had spotted them, when he heard Madison shout "Look out!"
Kenny turned just in time to see his fellow ranger take down a second soldier who had been coming at him with a baton. "Thanks," he said.
Madison gave him a smug grin from her image on his visor. "Told you I'd have your back."
Kenny smiled and rubbed his neck, feeling a little embarrassed. He checked around again. No one else seemed to realize they were there. "Come on," he said.
The pair crept their way down the pyramid to the entrance where two guards were stationed. Neither even budged as they crept up and struck them in the back of the head just like they did their fellows. Kenny and Madison carefully laid their bodies along the side of the pyramid and stepped into the ancient tomb.
"Whoa," Kenny said.
"Whoa," Madison repeated.
The inside of the pyramid looked nothing like what Kenny typically imagined. No dusty sandstone walls or long dark corridors. It had all been replaced by walls of a strange black-and-purple metal that curved and twisted and seemed to breathe at certain points.
"How is this even possible?" Kenny asked.
"I don't know," Madison said. Her face grew deadly serious. "But they're going to pay for it." She pulled up the base's map on her visor. "This way," she said, leading Kenny down one corridor.
As they worked their way through the base, Madison tapped on her morpher for a second. Her suit began to shimmer before Kenny's eyes, and within seconds she had changed into a typical Black Cross soldier. Kenny curiously tapped on his own morpher, working out how to do the same and punching in the command. Now camouflaged, they made their way through the base, following the route Madison had memorized to a large membrane-like door.
"The rangers should be through here," she said. She tapped on it but it didn't budge. "Locked." She glanced around and spotted a pair of soldiers heading their way. "Come with me. Act natural."
Kenny followed her lead as they strolled down the corridor, approaching the other two soldiers and greeting them genially as they passed. Once slightly behind them, Kenny and Madison turned and knocked the two soldiers out with a single swift strike. Madison quickly started rifling through their uniforms, finding and pulling out a pair of key cards. "There we go," she said. "Try those."
Kenny stared at her, a little taken aback by how natural this kind of thing seemed to his comrade. Madison looked a little embarrassed. "I have some experience with this."
Kenny felt it best not to ask. He took the key cards and tapped them to the door, which flashed in response and peeled open like a membrane.
"Yes," Madison said.
The pair stepped through into what looked like a makeshift prison. Captain Cage, Sean, and Dayton were all there, out of their ranger suits, trapped behind membrane walls just like the door.
Kenny and Madison dropped their disguises.
"Guys," the three rangers said, getting up and running to their cell walls.
"What are you doing here?" Captain Cage asked.
Madison shushed him as she tapped the key cards to his cell and released him while Kenny kept watch on the door. He knew an ambush was coming but he didn't see any signs yet. Behind him, Madison and Captain Cage released the other two.
"You really shouldn't have come," the captain said. "You could have been captured too."
"We're not going to just leave our team hanging," Madison said.
Kenny glanced back at their three companions. "Where are your morphers?" he asked.
Dayton rubbed his wrist. "Fuhrer took them. I don't know where they are."
Madison scanned around. "Looks like they're still in the command center. This way."
She switched back to her soldier disguise and led the way from the room. The three other rangers followed her, all falling into place as if they were being led as prisoners. Kenny followed, switching back to his own disguise. After only a few turns, Madison led them to a massive membrane door.
"This should be it." She tapped her cards to it, and it opened just like before. The rangers stepped through into a massive command center.
"Whoa," Kenny said again.
"Whoa is right," Dayton said, stepping up beside him. The room was huge, full of computing machines and high tech equipment unlike anything on Earth, all made of the same black-and-purple metal as the base itself. A golden sarcophagus sat on a pedestal in the very center of the room, a standard Egyptian sarcophagus just like any other Kenny might see inside a pyramid, except this one had the red, blue, and yellow morphers hooked up to it, energy flowing from them into it and making it glow.
Sean squinted at the coffin. "What the—?"
A dry laugh filled the room. "Well, well, well," a soft, soothing voice said. "It looks like the set is complete, just as I had hoped."
The five rangers looked up to see a hooded figure in a blood red robe standing on a balcony above them. Kenny recognized him instantly as the Fuhrer. On his visor, he saw a scowl spread across Madison's face.
"You!" she shouted, taking a step forward. "Diego killed you. How are you still alive?"
The Fuhrer spread his arms. "Now, now, little Pink Ranger," he said. "You didn't think a little water could really finish me off, did you?"
Madison growled and started to move. Kenny moved to stop her, but Captain Cage got to her first, placing his bare hand on her shoulder and holding her back. Madison glared at him, and he glared back until she relented.
"What is all this, Fuhrer?" the captain shouted. "What are you doing here in this pyramid? What are you doing with our morphers?"
"Oh, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," a new voice said, this one deeper and more gravelly. From both sides of the room, two Masks emerged from the shadows. One was clearly the Volcano Mask Kenny had seen in a hundred newsreels, with a stone face sculpted to look like a scowl and a regal uniform patterned after the old Nazi regime. The other looked like a cheap baseball mascot, with a big rubber baseball head and swinging around a heavy metal bat. Both looked like they were itching for a fight.
"As much as I'd love to answer your questions, Rangers," the Fuhrer said, "I'm afraid I've entertained you far too much. It's time to end this." He raised his hand and shouted, "Get them!"
Membranes peeled open all around the room as Black Cross soldiers poured inside, surrounding the Rangers on all sides. Kenny and Agent Madison locked eyes through their visors, the same thought passing through both of their heads. "Protect the others," Madison said.
Kenny and Madison took up defensive positions around their three unarmored comrades as the soldiers surged toward them. They fended off every foe that came their way, using their fists, their bodies, and their weaponry to take them all down. The other three helped fight where they could, but Kenny was keenly aware of just how vulnerable they were.
"Where are the rest of our soldiers?" he heard the Volcano Mask shout over the crowd.
"There's a disturbance outside, sir," an officer up on the balcony shouted. A screen behind her showed the dunes surrounding the pyramid, the Ranger Tank barreling over them and demolishing the Black Cross camps, several squadrons trying their best to fend it off. Kenny allowed himself a small grin.
"Very clever, rangers," the Fuhrer said. "But not nearly clever enough."
The fight continued. Black Cross soldiers struck from every angle. Kenny and Agent Madison fought hard, pushing their enhanced speed and strength to the very limit. They managed to take every blow, but they couldn't help but notice that several hits were getting way too close to their comrades.
"We can't keep this up," Captain Cage said. "We need our morphers."
Dayton scanned the crowd. "I've got it," he said. He patted Kenny on the shoulder. "Cover me, Greenie."
He dashed through the crowd, barreling through the nearest soldiers like a charging football player. Kenny followed, taking down any soldier that tried to follow. Dayton had almost made it to the nearest morpher when he took a strike from a baseball bat to the gut, bowling him over.
"Dayton," Kenny shouted, racing up to him.
The Baseball Mask stood over him, swinging around his bat with cocky body language. "How do you like that, Owens?" he said, a younger voice coming from inside the big rubber mascot head. "That's what you get for destroying my first suit and leaving me for dead."
Dayton held his stomach and squinted up at him. "Leon?" he said. "Is that you?"
The Baseball Mask chuckled. "The name's not Leon anymore."
Dayton struggled to his feet, Kenny helping him. "What's with the costume?" he said. "Did they run out of all the good ones?"
The Baseball Mask looked down at himself. "No," he said, his voice sounding a little defensive. "I mean, it's none of your business."
Dayton stifled a laugh. "But you look ridiculous."
The Baseball Mask snarled. "You won't be laughing when I use this bat to bash your skull in."
Dayton rolled his eyes. "Sheesh. I can't believe we were ever friends."
The Baseball Mask swung his bat around. "Trust me. I was never your friend."
"I know," Dayton said, getting down into a wrestler's stance, ready to meet him head on. "But we were yours."
The Baseball Mask charged at Dayton, raising his bat and swinging for his head. Kenny moved quickly, grabbing the bat in midair and squeezing, the metal beam crumpling under his strength. Kenny yanked the weapon from the Mask's grip and punched him hard in the gut, sending him flying backwards. He had no time to celebrate, however, as a proximity alert lit up on his visor.
"Get down!" he shouted, pulling Dayton down just as a projectile blazed past them and struck the wall, exploding on impact. They turned to see the Volcano Mask bearing down on them.
"You didn't think I'd just let you take them, did you?" he said.
"No," a new voice said. "But you let me."
Everyone turned to see Sean standing on top of the sarcophagus, the red and yellow morphers in his hands, the blue one already strapped to his wrist. "Josh, Dayton, catch!"
He threw the morphers through the air. Their respective rangers caught them and strapped them on as quickly as they could. "It's morphin' time," Captain Cage shouted. All three hit their activation buttons and bright light filled the room. Once it had cleared, three more rangers stood with Kenny and Madison, their suits fully operational once again. On Kenny's visor, the three faces of his comrades popped up alongside Madison.
"Let's do this."
Kenny and Dayton charged the Volcano Mask together as Sean jumped down on him from atop the sarcophagus. Across the room, Madison and Captain Cage worked together to fight the hordes surrounding them. As they fought, all five rangers came together, standing back to back as they used their respective weapons against their army of foes. Madison used her sonic disruptor, disorienting her foes so that Captain Cage could lash them with his whip and reel them in, allowing Dayton to take them down with his short baton. Kenny sent out his boomerang to take down those in the back while Sean sniped any who tried anything funny with his bow.
Soon the five stood in a pile of unconscious bodies, the Volcano Mask and the Baseball Mask the only two still on their feet but both pressed against the wall and watching the rangers carefully.
"You're next, Fuhrer," Madison shouted, looking up to where the red-robed figure stood on his balcony, carefully stepping backwards towards an exit. Madison started up her birdies and launched herself up toward him.
"Madison, no!" Captain Cage shouted.
Madison reached the Fuhrer in a split second, grabbing him by the cloak as he struggled to get away. With a mighty tug, she tore the cloak from his body, revealing what hid inside.
Kenny's eyes widened.
"What the hell?" he heard Dayton say.
Whatever the Fuhrer was, he wasn't human. The figure rose up to ten feet in height, four long tentacles unfurling from all four sides of its face, covered in segmented black armor that allowed the tentacles a full range of movement. The face was a grayish-green, with a wide thin mouth under a pair of flaring nostrils connected to it. The eyes were bright red, unlike any human eye, and they glowed slightly. The head was attached to a thin, almost robotic, insectoid body with long fluid limbs ending in three-fingered hands the same grayish-green as the face.
"Whoa," the Baseball Mask said.
Agent Madison stared at the creature. "What are you?"
The Fuhrer looked down at himself. "Ah, well," he said. "I suppose it was bound to come out sooner or later. I suppose you'd call me an alien."
"An alien?" Sean said, his brow furrowing on Kenny's visor.
"A being from another world," the Fuhrer said. "Sent here thousands of years ago to prepare your primitive race to usher in a new golden age under the rule of a fair and benevolent queen."
He turned his strange eyes on Madison. "But first, I need to remove all obstacles that dare to stand in our way." He lashed out with his tentacles, faster than the blink of an eye. Madison tried to get away, but he was faster than her, wrapping around her and lifting her off the ground.
"Stop him," Captain Cage shouted. Kenny and his fellow rangers drew their guns, firing at the Fuhrer. The blasts didn't seem to affect him that much, but he still recoiled just enough to release Madison and send her flying over the balcony.
"I've got her," Kenny said, running forward just in time to catch her, both crashing to the ground.
"Volcano Mask," the Fuhrer shouted. "The transformation is complete. Activate the fortress."
The Volcano Mask didn't respond at first, simply staring up at his master's true form. After a long moment, he nodded slowly. "Yes, sir."
He turned and tapped something into the nearest console. The ground started to rumble under the rangers' feet and it felt like they were rising into the air.
"What's happening?" Madison said, getting to her feet.
"Oh, you'll see," the Fuhrer said. "Very soon, you'll see. But first, I think you'll want to get yourselves out of here."
"What do you mean?" Captain Cage demanded.
"I mean a force field will be projecting itself around the base shortly after takeoff. It will be completely impenetrable in or out. So unless you want to be trapped here, I suggest you get moving."
Kenny and the other rangers looked at each other. They looked around the room, seeing both the Volcano and Baseball Masks slipping through membranes and out of the room. Up on the balcony, the Fuhrer slipped through a membrane of his own.
"They're getting away," Madison shouted.
"There's no time," Captain Cage said. He scanned the area around them. "They're right," he said. "A force field is starting to form. I detect we have less than a minute."
"Can we get outside in time," Sean asked.
"I don't think so," the captain said. "There's still soldiers in our way and they won't let us go without a fight."
Agent Madison's eyes lit up on her square. "Wait, will these help?"
She produced the keys General Kenpachi had given her back at the base. Captain Cage's eyes lit up as well. "Yes," he said. He accepted the keys, plugging one of them into his morpher. Light burst from it, lighting up a space on the floor in front of him, lines racing here and there and forming the shape of what looked like a motorcycle. The bike became more and more solid, taking on more and more definition, becoming one of the most high-tech bikes Kenny had ever seen.
Finally, the bike became completely solid, the nanites switching to a red color to match the ranger that summoned it. "We only have three," Captain Cage said. "The other two aren't finished yet." He tapped on the controls on the bike. "But we can do this."
The side of the bike started to shift and change, the nanites swarming to form a sidecar, complete with all sorts of weaponry and equipment attached. "If two of you want to take the gunner positions, we should be able to make it out."
Dayton's face lit up. "Ooh, me!" he said. "I'll take the gunner position."
Agent Madison looked over the bike skeptically. "Yeah, I'll take gunner too," she said. "I'm not much of a motorcycle person."
"Alright," Captain Cage said. He tossed the other two keys to Sean and Kenny then tapped on his own bike to put his sidecar away. "I'll take the lead and clear out as much as I can. You two follow and bring your comrades with you."
"Yes, sir," both Sean and Kenny said. They plugged the keys into their own morphers, and, within seconds, two more bikes stood before them, one blue and one green to match their summoners.
"Let's go," Dayton said, hopping into Sean's sidecar as it formed.
Kenny straddled his own bike and looked at Agent Madison. "You good to ride with me?" he asked.
Madison smirked up at him and nodded. She climbed into his sidecar. "Let's go."
Sean and Dayton blazed from the room after Captain Cage. Kenny and Madison followed. The bikes handled like a dream, taking every corner like it was nothing, their individual segments shifting around so that every part moved like it was supposed to. As they raced through the halls, several soldiers tried to stop them, but Madison and Dayton took them down from their gunner stations.
Finally, they reached the door they had come in through. The air was starting to shimmer just beyond it. "Hold on!" Captain Cage shouted, as the three bikes put on a burst of speed and blazed through the door, flying out into the open air high above the dunes below.
"Whoa!" Kenny shouted.
The bikes sped toward the barrier. Kenny and the other rangers cringed as the air grew more and more distorted. For just a moment, they met resistance and found themselves trapped hanging between the earth and sky. Kenny pressed the gas as hard as he could, and after a split second, he and the other rangers broke free, careening toward the ground at top speed.
They collided with the dunes, the bikes shifting around and cushioning their occupants to absorb the shock. Kenny hit the brakes and he and his fellow rangers screeched to a stop.
"What in the world?" Dayton said, as the five rangers stared up the pyramid hanging in the air above them. As they watched, bright lights spread along the edges of the pyramid and the walls broke apart, the four sides opening outward as huge turrets rose from inside, massive guns pointing in all directions. A huge castle made of a thousand moving parts rose up from the center, turning what had been a monument to an ancient people into a massive flying fortress.
Boosters flared on the underside of the pyramid and it sped away into the sky and out of sight.
The five rangers stared at each other. "That's really not good."