Chapter Nine:

Reign of Fire

The next several days were a dark time for the planet Earth. The flying fortress that had once been a pyramid flew around the world, raining death and fire wherever it went. The rangers tracked it as it hit New York, Tokyo, and Silver City in quick succession, leaving all three in smoking rubble, followed by strikes on several prominent EAGLE bases. The rangers fought back against them every single time, but every time, they were powerless to stop it, the fortress's shields proving too strong for any of their efforts. All of EAGLE's forces were mobilized against the ship, but nothing worked. More death came with each battle, and more destruction. The heads of EAGLE even authorized a nuclear strike against it, but when the smoke and fire cleared, the fortress remained untouched.

Finally, the rangers returned to their base in Angel Grove, tired and beaten. The continued cost of the fight proved too high to keep going. For the moment, the fortress seemed to have stopped attacking cities, floating somewhere over the Pacific and watching as the world licked its wounds.

The rangers stumbled into the juice bar, powering down their suits and taking off their morphers, flopping into the nearest open chairs. Katie, Tammy, Doug, and Harriet rushed out to greet them, bringing fruity drinks out for them to get a little nourishment. The rangers accepted them and nodded their thanks, but were in no mood to do anything more than sit in silence. Tammy sat beside Sean and let him lay his head on her lap, while Katie gave Captain Cage a supportive hug.

On the television nearby, a news program was showing footage of the attack on Silver City, the anchor saying something about how the UN had issued a state of emergency. Along the bottom of the screen, text displayed the names of the areas that had already surrendered to the Black Cross's rule.

Dayton leaned over and put his head in his hands. "It's like the Iron Legion all over again," he said.

"Worse," Sean said. "At least we won most of those battles."

Doug's communicator beeped and he turned away to answer it. "Yes, sir," he said. "Yes sir. I'll tell them." He turned back to the group. "General Kenpachi wants to see you five in his office. Immediately."

All five rangers let out a collective groan. Captain Cage squeezed Katie's hand and rolled to his feet. "Come on," he said. "We have a job to do."

"Yes, sir," the other rangers said.

The five took the secret elevator down into the base and followed the maze to Kenpachi's office door. The general waited for them inside, that same news report playing on a TV hanging on the wall. "You wanted to see us, sir?" Captain Cage said.

"Yes, come in," General Kenpachi said, switching off the TV. "Please take a seat."

The five rangers slumped into seats around the desk, all doing their best to maintain some kind of professionalism. Kenpachi looked them over sympathetically. "I know you're all tired. I'll let you get to bed for a while after we're done here. But . . . we've got to come up with something. We can't just let this stand."

"Don't know how much more we can do," Dayton said. "Thing took a nuke and kept on going."

General Kenpachi nodded. "I know," he said. "We're dealing with technology we've never seen before. Alien technology. We have no idea how to fight it, but we can't just stop now. There has to be something we can do."

He pulled up a few holographic diagrams on his desk, several showing the flying fortress from every possible angle, complete with the internal layout drawn up by Katie and Tammy. Around it floated images of other Black Cross vessels, including a pair of long airships.

"What do we know about these?" the general asked, pointing to the airships.

"Those are supply ships," Captain Cage said, looking closer at them. "Standard vessels for delivering soldiers and weaponry."

"Exactly," General Kenpachi said. He tapped on his desk and brought up a live feed of the fortress where it currently floated. "Our surveillance has shown that one of those ships arrives every hour on the hour, and another one leaves at exactly the same time. How do they get inside?"

The five rangers looked around at each other. Sean shrugged. "I assume the fortress is programmed to recognize them in some way. Maybe a code, maybe there's a blind spot somewhere we didn't see."

"My thoughts exactly," Kenpachi said. "Which means that if we want to get into that fortress, those airships are our best bet."

Agent Madison sat forward. "What are you suggesting?"

Kenpachi tapped the supply ship and made it bigger. "If we can capture one of those supply ships and take their crew captive, we can figure out how they do it. And then we can try to do it ourselves. Our current plan is to launch a decoy attack on the fortress and then capture one of their ships while they're distracted, faking its destruction. We don't have the details nailed down yet, but I don't want you five to worry about it. At the moment, my current orders for you are to go to bed and get some sleep. Hopefully, we will have the plan nailed down and all the bugs ironed out by the time you wake up. Maybe some of you will even have thought of something we missed while you slept. Does everyone understand?"

The five rangers looked at each other. None of Kenny's companions looked very confident, and Kenny certainly didn't feel that way either. "Yes, sir," Captain Cage said.

General Kenpachi nodded. "Good," he said. "Dismissed."

The five rangers got to their feet and shuffled their way down the corridor to their respective quarters. Once Kenny reached his own room, he slumped down onto his cot and fell right to sleep.

Eight hours later, they were gathered once again in the command center, surrounded by every member of the Ranger Project in the base, including Doctor Kuchar. Benton didn't seem to have joined him today.

"We'll be leading an assault on the fortress," Kenpachi said. "This assault will only be a diversionary tactic, as our real target will be one of these supply ships here." He pointed to a diagram of the same ship they'd discussed the day before. "Rangers Red, Blue, and Yellow will be part of the assault group, and they will be joined by three EAGLE fighter squadrons and two naval squadrons. Dr. Kuchar's research submarine will be in the area, so they'll be helping out as well. Rangers Pink and Green, you'll hold back until a supply ship arrives. Once it's within the battle zone, I want you to board it, take the crew, and upload the ship's databanks onto our systems. You will not be taking the ship itself. We want you to start its self-destruct, and then those outside will make it look like the ship merely got caught in the crossfire. If we captured it, they'd never trust that ship and never let it through again, so there's no point. Just grab the crew, grab the files, and get out. Understand?"

Kenny and Agent Madison nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good. We'll be heading out at eighteen hundred hours. Be ready."

The rangers then spent the next hour going over their instructions and getting ready in their prep room, their support team assisting them. Harriet helped Kenny strap on his morpher and go over some last minute details as Agent Madison sat nearby, Tammy helping her through some stretches. "Guess we're going to be working together again, eh, Madison?" he said, smiling at her then quickly adjusting his smile, remembering what she'd said about her old friend's smile.

Madison glanced up at him just in time to notice him shifting his mouth around. Her eyes scanned him for a second. "I guess so," she said before averting her eyes. After a second's hesitation, she added "Call me Peggy."

Kenny looked up at her in surprise. Agent Madison looked back at him, shrugging a little. "We are teammates after all," she said.

Kenny smiled. "Alright," he said. "I'll do that. And you can call me Kenny."

A slight smirk crossed Peggy's face. "Will do," she said.

An hour later, the five rangers stood together in the loading bay, their suits activated and their visors glowing with activity. Behind them, soldiers raced back and forth, making sure everything was ready to go. On Kenny's visor, General Kenpachi's face popped up, squeezed in between Captain Cage and Sean. "Rangers, whenever you're ready," he said. "Our mission is a go."

The rangers turned as one and faced the shaft leading out to Angel Grove. "You are free to take off in three, two, one!"

Kenny and his team started up their birdies and shot off up the shaft, flying out over Angel Grove and then the Pacific Ocean. As they flew, a squadron of EAGLE jets flew up alongside them.

"Ranger team, come in," a new face said, popping up on their visors. "This is Lieutenant O'Shea. My squad and I will be your flight partners today."

Captain Cage nodded to him. "Thanks for the help, Lieutenant O'Shea."

As one, the rangers and jets flew over the ocean at top speed for over an hour. Finally, the enormous fortress appeared on the horizon. "There it is," Captain Cage said. "You all know your assignments?"

"Yes, sir!" the four rangers shouted.

"Good. Break!"

The rangers and jets all shot off in different directions, racing up to the fortress as hundreds of gun turrets opened fire at their approach. Kenny and Peggy joined the mix too, enough at least to not draw attention to themselves, but not firing on the shielded palace like the rest of their companions were. As they flew, another EAGLE squadron appeared from the East, bearing the insignia of the Hokkaido branch as a squad of naval battleships approached from the South. From the waves below, Kenny picked up another shape rising subtly from the water, not quite high enough to break the surface.

"Hey, hey," Benton said, his face popping up on Kenny's visor. "I heard I was going to be seeing you today."

Kenny smirked. "Hey, Benton," he said. "Glad to finally be working with you."

"You keep doing what you're doing up there, buddy. We'll be down here, scanning the shield for any irregularities, see if we can't figure anything out that way. You know, in case your mission comes up empty."

Kenny smirked. "Yeah, no chance of that happening."

"Kenny," Peggy said, interrupting them. "It's our time."

Kenny looked around to see that a single airship was on its way, speeding in fast from the south. "Right," he said. "See you, Benton."

Benton grinned. "See you, buddy," he said. "Good luck out there."

Kenny and Peggy both tapped their morphers, turning their suits translucent once again. "Let's go," Peggy said.

The pair broke away from the battle and raced to meet the airship, landing on its back and latching themselves onto it just over a hatch. "You keep watch," Peggy said. "I'll scan for traps."

"Got it," Kenny said. He looked around as she worked, watching the battle still raging nearby.

"Okay, we're good," Peggy said a few seconds later. "And there are no soldiers in the hatch's immediate vicinity."

She dug her fingers into the seams around the hatch and ripped it from its hinges, tossing it away to the ocean below. "Come on," she said, diving inside. Kenny followed and they landed in a small area between rows and rows of crates full of weaponry. Peggy turned in a circle, scanning the whole area.

"Five total," she said. "Three out here as guards. Two up in the cockpit. We've got to take them all hostage."

"Got it," Kenny said. He pointed to the rear of the ship. "I'll take this guy."

Peggy nodded. "I'll get this one." She pointed in the opposite direction.

The pair split up, Kenny hugging the edge of the wall as he crept toward his target. He was about to slip up behind him and take him out when the guard turned at just the wrong time. "Intruders!" the guard shouted, seeing Kenny. "The rangers are—"

Kenny tackled the guard, wrestling him to the ground and knocking him out before he could get another word out. He got back to his feet and tapped his helmet. "That's one," he said.

"Good," Peggy said. "I've got mine too. Just one more to take care of."

"Right," Kenny said. He looked around, scanning for the third guy. Before he could even turn his head, though, someone grabbed him from behind, working a metal bar around his throat and pulling back tightly. Kenny reeled back, struggling against the guard's grip. Normally, this would have been easy, and Kenny would have gotten out of it in less than a couple of seconds, but something on his feed caught his eye.

A bright blue laser was starting to build at the very bottom of the fortress, aimed directly at Benton's submarine below. Kenny struggled, trying to call out to warn the sub, but the bar on his neck kept him from getting the words out. The laser fired, blowing right through the sub and tearing it in half. Kenny's eyes widened in a panic. He pummeled his opponent hard in the stomach with his elbow and broke free of his grip.

"Benton!" he shouted. "Benton, come in!"

A square flickered to life on his screen as Benton's face appeared amidst a sea of chaos. "Kenny!" he shouted. "They hit the ship. We're going down. I can't—"

The line went dead as a wave of water rushed into view, swallowing up Benton and the crewmates behind him. Kenny tapped his earpiece again and again. "Benton!" he shouted. "Benton!"

While he was distracted, the Black Cross soldier he'd been fighting got back to his feet and lunged at Kenny again, striking him in the head with the bar he'd been using to choke him. Kenny reacted quickly, grabbing the bar with his right hand and twisting it until it broke. The soldier reached out and grabbed Kenny by the throat, trying to choke him by hand this time. Kenny grabbed his wrist and was about to overpower him when something struck him right in the back of the head.

The soldier collapsed to the ground to reveal Peggy standing behind him. "Are you good?" she said.

"Yeah," Kenny said. "Thanks."

He turned his attention back to Benton. The images was still gone, and a surge of panic ran through his body. "They hit the sub," he said. "We've got to go help them."

He started up his birdies and took off toward the escape hatch. "No!" Peggy shouted, jumping after him and wrapping her arms around his waist, forcing him back down to the floor.

"Let me go!" Kenny shouted, struggling against his fellow ranger as she maintained a strong grip on him. "We have to save them."

"Dayton's taking care of it!"

Kenny focused his eyes long enough to see that the yellow ranger had, in fact, broken away from the fight and was now searching below the surface for survivors. All Kenny could see in every direction was twisted and burning chunks of metal. "But I have to save Benton!" Kenny shouted.

"He knew the risks when he joined EAGLE," Peggy shouted back. "You have a job to do."

"But he's—"

"And if you don't do it, even more people will die than just him!"

Kenny stopped. He knew she was right, but he didn't want to just turn away. Peggy loosened her grip on him and lifted him up, putting her arms around him and holding him as he started shaking. "He's my best friend," he said.

"I know," Peggy said, pressing her helmet against his. She looked up at him and their eyes met through their visors. "I know."

Kenny closed his eyes and clenched his fist. She was right. He had to get this job done. He just had to hope against hope that Dayton found him. "Okay," he said. "Let's do this."

Peggy nodded. "Good," she said. She got to her feet and held her hand out. "Come on," she said.

Kenny accepted her hand and let her pull him up. They headed for the front of the craft, stopping at the door to the cockpit. "Looks like they're both still in there," Peggy said, scanning the inside. "It doesn't seem like they know we're here yet."

Kenny positioned himself in front of the door. "Let's change that, shall we?" he said. He dug his fingers into the door just as Peggy had with the hatch earlier, channeling all his anger into tearing it off its hinges and throwing it against the nearby wall. Inside, the Baseball Mask, complete with brand new baseball bat in hand, stood with a Black Cross pilot.

"You!" the Mask shouted. "What are you doing in here?"

He hefted his bat and charged at them. Kenny, in no mood to play, caught the bat in one hand and crushed it like he had so many days before.

"Oh, come on," the Baseball Mask said. "That's my second one."

He balled up his fist and tried to punch Kenny in the gut, but Peggy raced in and grabbed him by the wrist, twisting him in one fluid motion and slamming him against the control panel. "Call headquarters!" the Mask shouted to the pilot before yelping as Peggy twisted his arm harder. The pilot reached for his comm system, but Kenny beat him to it, striking him in the back of the head and ripping the system clean from the console. He pulled out a small flash drive and plugged it into the dash, activating it with his visor and downloading all of the ship's data.

"Here we go," Kenny said once it was finished, removing the drive. He looked at Peggy and held it up. "We've got it."

Peggy nodded. She shifted her hold on the Baseball Mask and tapped her earpiece. "Josh, we're done here. We're ready to go when you are."