Chapter 1: Lost in a Locket
Over and over again, Andros felt the cool metal against his fingers. He couldn't bear to open it, because he knew the moment he did the horrible memories would flood out faster than he could possibly handle.
But what good would it do to keep it closed? He could not keep the door the past locked forever. The memories were within him, not within this little locket. It meant nothing, and opening it would help him, not hurt him.
No. He couldn't open it. Not yet, not so soon.
* * *
Astronema looked into the adjacent room, and watched with absolute glee. It worked. They worked! The Psycho Rangers fought much harder than any of her past creations. The Quantrons kept coming at them, but the Psychos fought them off.
Psycho Red fought with much energy and strength. He was determined to do what was asked of him, and he was the most obedient of the Psychos. This was rather ironic considering how disobedient he had been when first created.
Psycho Yellow fought brutally. She was a warrior, out to destroy everything in her path. She was like an independent force fighting to achieve her goal, not caring of the others unless they were helping her more than she was helping them.
Psycho Blue was insane. That was the only way to describe him. He often got confused, which was evident in the fact he missed the most when trying to hit the Quantrons. In addition, he got frustrated when he got confused. He was, literally, psycho.
Psycho Pink was focused, but easily offended. If someone were to take the Quantron she was trying to destroy, she would get quite mad and almost attack that Psycho. But for some strange reason, Astronema seemed to admire her.
Psycho Black was a team player. He always seemed to work with somebody, and once he began fighting a Quantron, he finished it off no matter what.
Astronema watched with respect as her creations showed off their brilliance.
* * *
Ashley watched Andros play with that little gold locket. He tossed it between hands, and from what she knew of him she guessed he was debating whether to open it. Whether to take a peak at what once was.
At what was once almost his again.
She couldn't imagine how painful it must've been for Andros to lose her twice. His sister, Karone, kidnapped and brainwashed once, then coming back. After years of searching, finally coming back. only to be taken away again. Ashley felt for him deeply, she knew he had been through so much and could hardly stand yet another catastrophe in his life.
Tears began to appear in her eyes, as Andros threw the locket to the ground, only to pick it up again seconds later.
But still he did not open it.
* * *
Ecliptor flipped through the papers again and again. He had been obsessing for days at what went wrong with the first Psycho iteration. The more and more he went through the formulae, the experiments, and everything else, he seemed to come to the conclusion it must have been a small glitch in the system, and the error would not repeat himself.
But he couldn't stop because of a small conclusion. Disaster was sure to strike if the defect repeated itself. One miscalculation would lead to an unstoppable team, bent on total destruction. If that were to happen, there would be nothing they could do to stop them.
Frustrated, Ecliptor got up to get a drink. The fault eluded him, but he would find it. He had to.
* * *
Andros continued to toy with the locket. He felt his eyes getting watery, and felt that he had to stop. He put down the locket, and began to get up, but couldn't. To think the picture of her was right there. So close, but so far.
This red ranger, so powerful in costume, was so fragile outside. He stared, broken heart and all, at this little locket that caused him so much grief. It was also his motivation to keep going day after day. yet also the reason he wished he could end it all.
* * *
Astronema looked over the line of obedient Psycho Rangers. These were the ultimate counterparts. Finally, she would give the Power Rangers a match they could not beat so simply. These were the exact inverse, but also their exact duplicates. The Psychos were better in every way imaginable. It was perfect.
And on the other side of the fence, the energy giving them this power was another enemy. Sure, it was not a pronounced enemy, but it was an enemy who she would conquer. Dark Specter, her "lord and master," would soon fall like the Rangers.
Astronema grinned and felt a small charge going through her face. Those metal wires on her cheek again. she still had no memory as to why they were on her face. But she suddenly felt guilty for disobeying her master. Still, nothing could stop her plan now. A door opened and in an instant Ecliptor entered the room.
He was panting, and although he looked tired it was obvious he was exhausted
"Greetings my princess," Ecliptor said with an obviously phony cheerful voice, "Did you call?" Astronema smirked a moment, lost in thought. Finally she spoke.
"Yes, Ecliptor," Astronema replied, "Can you please explain to me how the mind reading feature works?"
"Of course, my princess," Ecliptor said and began his explanation. "Using specially placed neurons in their artificial brain I constructed using the energy source you gave me, they will absorb any mental wave pattern that touch their hands. When a mental wave pattern is picked up, it will be duplicated and sent to the brain while the original pattern stays with the owner. The result is when the Psychos absorb the Power Rangers' mental waves the Power Rangers will only feel woozy but maintain their original thoughts. In addition, the Psycho Rangers will know everything about the Power Rangers."
Astronema nodded and smirked. In truth she was only half listening, with the rest of her mind thinking of how in just one month's time she would have the universe under her thumb.
* * *
Andros opened the locket slowly. At first he closed his eyes, but after a few seconds he realized he had to look. He saw that happy picture of him and Karone. This was before any tragedy had entered his life. They were just two unsuspecting children, not aware in just a few years they would be mortal enemies, one out to kill the other.
Suddenly, Andros wasn't in the bridge anymore. He was in the Engine Room just days ago, and Karone was right there. He took the memory all in.
Karone was confused, still uncertain of if she made the right choice.
"Am I what you dreamed?" Karone asked, "Am I anything like you expected? Like the sister you remember?" Andros just grinned.
"I'm just so glad to have you back," Andros said happily. "You don't know how long and hard I've searched for you. But now we're together, and no evil kidnapper can take this away again."
Andros cringed. He was back on the bridge now, tears rolling down his cheeks. How wrong he had been. He never wanted to remember again.
* * *
The Psycho Rangers marched out, ready to fulfill their mission. Astronema just watched. She was just waiting for Ecliptor, who was still doing some work in the lab. Suddenly, he rushed in.
"My princess," he panted, "If my calculations are correct. the Psycho Rangers aren't ready. We made a terrible mistake." Astronema rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to let a minor flaw set her whole plan back weeks.
"Listen Ecliptor, that mutant gene we put in there is fine," Astronema tried to convince him, "It's SUPPOSED to turn them into monsters. It will use more energy and give them more power. And it isn't used when it's not need. Don't worry." Astronema sent the Psycho Rangers on their way.
They morphed, one by one, into what their ranger counterparts would like, with one exception. They were not Power Rangers, and therefore they would not have the same color arrangement on the front of their uniforms. Instead, the five squares were blood red. With just that one change, they looked absolutely evil.
Perfectly evil.
"No," Ecliptor replied, "It seems that due to a small glitch in their artificial brains, the more energy they receive the more insane they will grow. According to what I concluded, the first symptoms will be strong determination to fulfill their goals, then disobedience, and eventually madness." Astronema just sighed.
"Trust me it will work out," she assured him. "The Psycho Rangers will be a success." Just then the Psychos traveled down to Angel Grove to begin their havoc.
"I hope you're right."
* * *
Andros was back in the Engine Room. He didn't want to be, but the memory invaded him like a parasite. He saw Karone almost in tears, not sure of her own identity. Then he felt himself say, so painfully.
"It's alright. We have all the time in the world now."
He was back in the bridge, back in the present. He closed the locket and held it in his hand.
Ashley finally walked in, after watching him so intently. She knew he needed comfort. She knew he needed someone, anyone, to tell him it would be alright. Even though Ashley knew Andros knew it would be alright, she had to tell him. That was all he needed.
"Hey," she said softly, "still worried about Karone?" Andros nodded solemnly. He tried to be stern, and hide any evidence any water was near his eyes.
"I'm okay," Andros replied, "Thanks." He was thankful he had somebody like her.
"What do you say we take a break down at the Surf Spot?" Andros smirked, and they left the room.
The two Power Rangers left the room so unexpectedly. They didn't realize that the madness had just begun.
Over and over again, Andros felt the cool metal against his fingers. He couldn't bear to open it, because he knew the moment he did the horrible memories would flood out faster than he could possibly handle.
But what good would it do to keep it closed? He could not keep the door the past locked forever. The memories were within him, not within this little locket. It meant nothing, and opening it would help him, not hurt him.
No. He couldn't open it. Not yet, not so soon.
* * *
Astronema looked into the adjacent room, and watched with absolute glee. It worked. They worked! The Psycho Rangers fought much harder than any of her past creations. The Quantrons kept coming at them, but the Psychos fought them off.
Psycho Red fought with much energy and strength. He was determined to do what was asked of him, and he was the most obedient of the Psychos. This was rather ironic considering how disobedient he had been when first created.
Psycho Yellow fought brutally. She was a warrior, out to destroy everything in her path. She was like an independent force fighting to achieve her goal, not caring of the others unless they were helping her more than she was helping them.
Psycho Blue was insane. That was the only way to describe him. He often got confused, which was evident in the fact he missed the most when trying to hit the Quantrons. In addition, he got frustrated when he got confused. He was, literally, psycho.
Psycho Pink was focused, but easily offended. If someone were to take the Quantron she was trying to destroy, she would get quite mad and almost attack that Psycho. But for some strange reason, Astronema seemed to admire her.
Psycho Black was a team player. He always seemed to work with somebody, and once he began fighting a Quantron, he finished it off no matter what.
Astronema watched with respect as her creations showed off their brilliance.
* * *
Ashley watched Andros play with that little gold locket. He tossed it between hands, and from what she knew of him she guessed he was debating whether to open it. Whether to take a peak at what once was.
At what was once almost his again.
She couldn't imagine how painful it must've been for Andros to lose her twice. His sister, Karone, kidnapped and brainwashed once, then coming back. After years of searching, finally coming back. only to be taken away again. Ashley felt for him deeply, she knew he had been through so much and could hardly stand yet another catastrophe in his life.
Tears began to appear in her eyes, as Andros threw the locket to the ground, only to pick it up again seconds later.
But still he did not open it.
* * *
Ecliptor flipped through the papers again and again. He had been obsessing for days at what went wrong with the first Psycho iteration. The more and more he went through the formulae, the experiments, and everything else, he seemed to come to the conclusion it must have been a small glitch in the system, and the error would not repeat himself.
But he couldn't stop because of a small conclusion. Disaster was sure to strike if the defect repeated itself. One miscalculation would lead to an unstoppable team, bent on total destruction. If that were to happen, there would be nothing they could do to stop them.
Frustrated, Ecliptor got up to get a drink. The fault eluded him, but he would find it. He had to.
* * *
Andros continued to toy with the locket. He felt his eyes getting watery, and felt that he had to stop. He put down the locket, and began to get up, but couldn't. To think the picture of her was right there. So close, but so far.
This red ranger, so powerful in costume, was so fragile outside. He stared, broken heart and all, at this little locket that caused him so much grief. It was also his motivation to keep going day after day. yet also the reason he wished he could end it all.
* * *
Astronema looked over the line of obedient Psycho Rangers. These were the ultimate counterparts. Finally, she would give the Power Rangers a match they could not beat so simply. These were the exact inverse, but also their exact duplicates. The Psychos were better in every way imaginable. It was perfect.
And on the other side of the fence, the energy giving them this power was another enemy. Sure, it was not a pronounced enemy, but it was an enemy who she would conquer. Dark Specter, her "lord and master," would soon fall like the Rangers.
Astronema grinned and felt a small charge going through her face. Those metal wires on her cheek again. she still had no memory as to why they were on her face. But she suddenly felt guilty for disobeying her master. Still, nothing could stop her plan now. A door opened and in an instant Ecliptor entered the room.
He was panting, and although he looked tired it was obvious he was exhausted
"Greetings my princess," Ecliptor said with an obviously phony cheerful voice, "Did you call?" Astronema smirked a moment, lost in thought. Finally she spoke.
"Yes, Ecliptor," Astronema replied, "Can you please explain to me how the mind reading feature works?"
"Of course, my princess," Ecliptor said and began his explanation. "Using specially placed neurons in their artificial brain I constructed using the energy source you gave me, they will absorb any mental wave pattern that touch their hands. When a mental wave pattern is picked up, it will be duplicated and sent to the brain while the original pattern stays with the owner. The result is when the Psychos absorb the Power Rangers' mental waves the Power Rangers will only feel woozy but maintain their original thoughts. In addition, the Psycho Rangers will know everything about the Power Rangers."
Astronema nodded and smirked. In truth she was only half listening, with the rest of her mind thinking of how in just one month's time she would have the universe under her thumb.
* * *
Andros opened the locket slowly. At first he closed his eyes, but after a few seconds he realized he had to look. He saw that happy picture of him and Karone. This was before any tragedy had entered his life. They were just two unsuspecting children, not aware in just a few years they would be mortal enemies, one out to kill the other.
Suddenly, Andros wasn't in the bridge anymore. He was in the Engine Room just days ago, and Karone was right there. He took the memory all in.
Karone was confused, still uncertain of if she made the right choice.
"Am I what you dreamed?" Karone asked, "Am I anything like you expected? Like the sister you remember?" Andros just grinned.
"I'm just so glad to have you back," Andros said happily. "You don't know how long and hard I've searched for you. But now we're together, and no evil kidnapper can take this away again."
Andros cringed. He was back on the bridge now, tears rolling down his cheeks. How wrong he had been. He never wanted to remember again.
* * *
The Psycho Rangers marched out, ready to fulfill their mission. Astronema just watched. She was just waiting for Ecliptor, who was still doing some work in the lab. Suddenly, he rushed in.
"My princess," he panted, "If my calculations are correct. the Psycho Rangers aren't ready. We made a terrible mistake." Astronema rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to let a minor flaw set her whole plan back weeks.
"Listen Ecliptor, that mutant gene we put in there is fine," Astronema tried to convince him, "It's SUPPOSED to turn them into monsters. It will use more energy and give them more power. And it isn't used when it's not need. Don't worry." Astronema sent the Psycho Rangers on their way.
They morphed, one by one, into what their ranger counterparts would like, with one exception. They were not Power Rangers, and therefore they would not have the same color arrangement on the front of their uniforms. Instead, the five squares were blood red. With just that one change, they looked absolutely evil.
Perfectly evil.
"No," Ecliptor replied, "It seems that due to a small glitch in their artificial brains, the more energy they receive the more insane they will grow. According to what I concluded, the first symptoms will be strong determination to fulfill their goals, then disobedience, and eventually madness." Astronema just sighed.
"Trust me it will work out," she assured him. "The Psycho Rangers will be a success." Just then the Psychos traveled down to Angel Grove to begin their havoc.
"I hope you're right."
* * *
Andros was back in the Engine Room. He didn't want to be, but the memory invaded him like a parasite. He saw Karone almost in tears, not sure of her own identity. Then he felt himself say, so painfully.
"It's alright. We have all the time in the world now."
He was back in the bridge, back in the present. He closed the locket and held it in his hand.
Ashley finally walked in, after watching him so intently. She knew he needed comfort. She knew he needed someone, anyone, to tell him it would be alright. Even though Ashley knew Andros knew it would be alright, she had to tell him. That was all he needed.
"Hey," she said softly, "still worried about Karone?" Andros nodded solemnly. He tried to be stern, and hide any evidence any water was near his eyes.
"I'm okay," Andros replied, "Thanks." He was thankful he had somebody like her.
"What do you say we take a break down at the Surf Spot?" Andros smirked, and they left the room.
The two Power Rangers left the room so unexpectedly. They didn't realize that the madness had just begun.