Chapter Fourteen --- The Anti-Earth Crystals
"You really screwed up this time, Rito," Goldar said.
"How was I supposed to know it was important?!" Rito whined. "Mr. Ooze shouldn't have left it lying around where children can get ahold of it!"
"It's wasn't lying around!!!" Jenga screeched. "And you aren't a child!!!"
"That's debatable," Rita said.
"Did you at least look at the map before you destroyed it?" Ivan Ooze asked.
"Yeah, I think I did," Rito said.
"Excellent," Jenga hissed. "What did it say?"
"Oh, I didn't memorize it, I just looked at it," Rito said.
"Finster," Jenga said, turning her gaze at the small white alien. "Can you hypnotize Rito and see if he remembers what was on that map?"
"I can certainly try," he said. "Come on Rito."
"The dangerous cargo was none other than the Anti-Earth Crystals," Zordon began. "These thirteen crystals are identical in form to the Earth Crystals, but are a smoky gray in color. The Anti-Earth Crystals were created four hundred thousand years ago at the same moment the Earth Crystals were cut.
"The entire Alliance of Peace gave permission for the carving of the crystals," Zordon said. "However, the vast majority of the work and planning was done by the Alliance of Eltare."
"Your people," Billy said.
"Correct. Eltare, a planet long since destroyed, is my home world. There are only two Eltarians left alive, myself and another I have not had any contact with in over ten thousand years. Actually, it is a distinct possibility that I am the last of my race," Zordon said. He paused for a moment, and then continued. "Eltarians were known for their work with Crystals, as well as Temporal Distortions. It was this knowledge that enabled me to create the time warp that extends between this dimension and my own, private pocket dimension that has kept me alive. However, the information we knew about time was meager compared to what we knew about Crystals.
"The Earth Crystals were originally intended to be the Eltare Crystals. However, four hundred thousand years ago, when your ancestors were just beginning to form a civilization, we learned that Jenga, Emperor Xett, Mistress Revolta, MasterVile, and Ivan Ooze, the five most evil beings in existence at that time, were going to launch an attack on Eltare and destroy us.
"We would have fought back, but all of the manpower in the Alliance of Eltare was already dedicated in the carving of the thirteen Crystals. We thought that if we hurried and created our Crystals, we would pull through the situation unscathed.
"However, the forces of evil had no plans to launch a physical assault. Instead, they attacked us from the inside. Ninjor, Dulcea, myself, and several others you have yet to have contact with, had just developed the concept of Power Rangers a mere ten thousand years prior. That is what we originally intended the Crystals to do, sustain the Universal Morphing Grid. This is one aspect of the Crystals that survived.
"The Master Carver, Helena, had more knowledge of Crystals than any being alive, even those of the carvers of the Zeo Crystals. Jenga and Ivan Ooze summoned up a demon from the very depths of hell. It's identity was unknown. I say it is unknown not because we merely don't know, but because the demon has no true identity. It is an evil being that does not take over the victim physically, but instead turns the victim evil.
"Helena was possessed by this entity, and she became evil. After carving the thirteen Eltare Crystals, she carved thirteen Anti-Eltare Crystals. Her husband managed to expel the demon, but it was far too late. She had created the crystals that would destroy Eltare.
"Helena confided to myself and another Eltarian high warrior that she had altered the Eltare Crystals. If they should all fall in the hands of evil, all forces of good, Eltarian or otherwise, would be destroyed. Also, the Anti-Eltare Crystals were going to destroy Eltare unless quick measures were taken. The twenty-six Crystals were reconfigured to work with a planet that we all thought would never need to be protected by Rangers. That planet was Earth. The thirteen Earth Crystals were created, and I left Eltare, brought them here, had them hidden so that even I would not know their location, and became an inhabitant of Earth. The Anti-Earth Crystals were kept on Eltare.
"We thought all would be well, but Jenga was not satisfied. A full scale attack was launched on Eltare, and with the exception of one person, everyone died. Eltare, however, fought valiantly. Emperor Xett and Mistress Revolta were killed in the attack. The entire planet was obliterated, reduced to nothing but trillions and trillions and trillions of tons of debris. Jenga sifted through the rubble and found nine of the Anti-Earth Crystals. She could not find the other four.
"A few hundred years later, Queen Machina found the other four. However, rather than join forces with Jenga and destroy us all, the Machine Empire broke away from the United Alliance of Evil. This was fortunate for us, until now. The thirteen Anti-Earth Crystals have been brought together, and if they are planted in the location that the original thirteen Earth Crystals were hidden for four hundred thousand years, the Earth will be destroyed."
"Well, we don't know where the thirteenth Crystal is at," Rocky said.
"Right!" Tanya cried. "We'll be okay!"
"Yes," Zordon said, "for now. However, even twelve Anti-Crystals can start the destruction."
"We're gonna have to find these Anti-Crystals as soon as they are planted," Adam said.
"Easier said than done," Alpha said. "The Anti-Crystals cannot be picked up by our scanners. We do know the locations of the first and second Earth Crystals, so that is where the first and second Anti-Earth Crystals will be planted. However, the other ten are a mystery."
"There might be a way around not being able to track the Crystals," Billy said. "We can't track their energy signature, but we can monitor the actions of Jenga and her crew."
"Of course!" Alpha cried. "We can follow their movements, and see where they plant the Anti-Crystals!!!"
"We got a plan," Tommy said.
"Told ya, Finnie ol' boy," Rito said. "I can't be hypnotized."
"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE ATTENTION SPAN OF A TWO YEAR OLD EARTHER!!!!" Finster screeched.
"The politically correct term is Earthling," Rita reminded.
Finster kicked Rito in the shins and stomped away.
"What?!" Rito cried. "Aw, come on, Finster! Don't be mad at me! I'll try harder next time!!"
Jenga stood on the balcony, away from the numerous conversations occurring the main palatial room. Beings who had sworn to never speak again were having jovial conversations. Queen Machina and Rita Repulsa were acting like sisters, and King Mondo, Ivan Ooze, MasterVile, and Lord Zedd joked like they were the best of friends and always had been. Klank, Orbus, and Finster were almost always together, sharing knowledge. Rito Revolto was treating Sprocket like the little brother he had never had, and now that Scorpina was married, Goldar found himself liking her more and more. Only as a friend, as he was oft quoted reminding everyone. Jenga, alone, was the exception. She had yet to bond with anyone present, but that would soon change. For the last fifteen minutes, she had been watching a large ship, shaped like a fish, cruise across the Solar System. "It's about time she's shown up," Jenga said. "I'm gonna go welcome our newest visitor," she said to anyone who cared to listen. Jenga leapt off of the balcony and floated, gracefully, to the lunar surface twenty-five feet below. She extended the environment bubble surrounding the palace to cover her. Not that she couldn't survive on the dead moon without warmth or air, but because she wanted to talk to her friend.
The large, green fish craft slowly landed on the moon. The fish's eye opened, and a silver ramp extended down to the surface of the moon. "Jenga!!!" a bright, female voice called.
"Diva Tox," Jenga said sweetly. "So glad you could join us."
"You know I'm not one to miss a good party," Diva Tox said. "How long has it been? Forty thousand years? Fifty?"
"At least," Jenga said. "How have you been?"
"Well, here in a few months, I'm going to get married," Diva Tox said.
"Let me guess. Maligore?" Jenga asked.
"You know it."
"You always did have an eye for him. I've recently gotten married."
"Really?" Diva Tox asked. "To who?"
"MasterVile," Jenga said proudly.
"Well, isn't that ironic," Diva Tox said. "How did Rita and Zedd take it?"
"Not real well, but that's their problem," Jenga said. "Let me tell you what. I am so glad you're here. I have been so lonely. MasterVile hasn't paid me a bit of attention since we got back from our honeymoon. Would you believe he, Zedd, Ivan Ooze, and King Mondo are just having a grand old time up there? Never mind that they've all spent the last fifty thousand years being sworn enemies. Men are so weird."
"Really," Diva Tox agreed. "Men. You can't live with 'em ...... the end."
"I see you've changed your hair color again," Jenga said.
"Hmm?" Diva Tox asked. "Oh! You mean purple." She pulled her long, slightly purplish ponytail over her right shoulder. "I haven't had green hair for at least forty millennia. But, I guess it's been that long since we've seen each other. I see you still have the blue streaks."
"Of course," Jenga said, "but mine is natural."
"Are you implying mine isn't?" Diva Tox asked good-naturedly.
"No, I'm just saying I don't need magic to make my hair have blue streaks in it," Jenga said with a smile. "Oh, and by the way, tell Elgare, Rygog, and your other goons they can come out. I DON'T BITE!!!" Jenga shouted so they could hear her. "I just ate," she whispered to Diva Tox.
"You heard her boys!" Diva Tox called. The two friends then walked away from the craft.
"Hey Zordon?" Trini asked. "You know of Diva Tox? She just showed up."
"Aye-yi-yi!!!" Alpha cried. "The space pirate!!!"
"According to this," Billy said, reading the information from the monitor set into the console, "the Alliance of Evil ranked her fourth. Let's see, it's Jenga, MasterVile, Lord Zedd, and then Diva Tox."
"What happened to the Machine Empire?" Adam asked.
"After Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd destroyed them, they were bumped to the back of the list," Zordon said. "Rest assured, though, that they will be moving back up."
"This is interesting," Billy said. "Rita is two hundred and third, Goldar is one thousand and twelve, Finster is fifteen hundred three, Scorpina is two thousand twelve, Baboo and Squatt are five thousand six and five thousand seven. Does the Alliance of Good have a rating system like this?"
"Yes they do," Zordon said.
"Who's number one?" Aisha asked.
"The number one and two spots are currently unknown, for one member of the Alliance has not been heard of in over six thousand years," Zordon said. "If this person is alive, I am number two. If not, I am number one."
"Wow," Rocky said. "That's really cool. What's Dulcea and Ninjor?"
"Ninjor is third, or second, and Dulcea is fifth, or fourth," Zordon said. "The Alliance of Evil has absolutely no knowledge of the missing person. It is not known if she is dead or alive."
The Rangers were silent in respect.
"This place sure is busy," Diva Tox remarked. "I still can't believe the Machine Empire has made amends."
"They didn't have a whole lot of choice," Jenga whispered. "Well, while Rygog and Elgare are getting settled, why don't I fill you in on the whole situation? In a while, we're going to plant the Anti-Earth Crystals, and watch the destruction begin."
Jason and Tommy were sparring at the Youth Center. Bulk was spotting Billy on the bench press. Adam and Tanya were using the boxing bag, Trini was engaged in an elaborate Mantis Kung Fu kata, and Kimberly was practicing on the balance beam. Rocky was helping Katherine with her kick boxing, a talent she had that surprised everyone when they learned it. Aisha and Zack were quietly talking at the bar, and everyone else decided to give them their space. Skull was engaged in his usual Youth Center workout. He was watching Kimberly, while trying to make it look like he wasn't.
He knew that Kimberly had dumped Tommy for a new boyfriend. However, that meant Kimberly still had a boyfriend. It just happened to be someone he didn't know. He noticed that Tommy and Kimberly hadn't said more than ten words to each other, at least in his presence. He really did hate to see them like that. Even before they had begun dating, seemingly eons ago, they were really good friends. Now, they seemed very cold and distant. It didn't seem right.
Kimberly gave up on gymnastics. She couldn't concentrate, and Skull's stares were starting to make her self-conscious. She and Tommy hadn't even spoken yet. She realized it was all her fault. Not only had she dumped him for someone else, the person she had dumped him for ended up dumping her. She was completely single again. Kimberly didn't necessarily want Tommy as a boyfriend, again. Besides, he was dating Kat. But she did want him as a friend, again. "Don't think it's gonna happen though," she muttered.
She sat down on the padded mat and propped her head up on her elbows. "I sure screwed things up," she thought to herself.
"You okay, Kim?" Skull asked. He sat down beside her on the mat.
"Yeah, I guess," she said, forcing a smile. "I just feel kind of bummed."
"About what?" Skull asked. "You and Tommy?"
"How'd you know? Kimberly asked.
"You have this look that says either you feel like you've hurt someone's feelings, or you just saw your puppy get run over," he said.
Kimberly smiled. "I really hurt him, didn't I?" she asked.
"He moped for days," Skull said. "Then, he finally got over you, and a few months ago, he and Kat got together. So he's okay now."
"But I'm not," Kimberly said. "I have to talk to him. Do you think I should talk to him?"
"Will it make you feel better?" Skull asked.
"There's only one way to find out," she said. "Thanks Skull."
"No prob," Skull said softly. He watched as Kimberly walked over to Tommy and Jason, said something to them, and then she and Tommy left the Juice Bar.
"Tommy," Kimberly acknowledged.
"Kim," he replied.
"I don't know what to say," Kimberly said. "I really don't. I am so sorry. I met Josh, we dated for a while, and then a friend of mine, Renee, caught him sleeping with her roommate. I had never realized how sheltered Angel Grove has made me. Stuff like that doesn't happen in Angel Grove. I could handle being cheated on, I could handle being dumped, it was his excuse that tore my heart in half."
"What was his excuse?" Tommy asked softly.
In an over-dramatic chauvinistic pig voice, Kimberly grunted, "How can you expect me to date you when you won't even put out? We've been datin' two whole months and I ain't got any action from you. I'm a man and I have manly urges." She shook her head, reliving the angering memory. "I have never been so hurt and mad at the same time. I kind of went ballistic on him, and Renee told me that her roommate said I broke his nose." Kimberly smiled in spite of herself. "I was hurt that Josh had done that to me, but I was even more mad at myself. I dumped a great guy for that waste of flesh."
Tommy looked at his feet, unsure what to say or do. "Kim," he stammered. "I..."
"I'm not finished," Kimberly said. "I know you're dating Kat now, and I'm really happy for the both of you. You both really deserve each other. I'm not trying to win you back, I'm not trying to make excuses for my dumping you, I'm just saying I'm very sorry, and I'd like to be friends again."
"I never stopped being your friend," Tommy said sincerely.
Kimberly bit the insides of her cheeks to keep from crying and gave her friend a big hug.
"We now know the original location of the first twelve Earth Crystals," Jenga said. She glared at Rito. "We could plant the thirteenth Anti-Earth Crystal, and get the thirteenth Earth Crystal for our own purposes, but we have a slight snag in our plans." The entire room turned to look at Rito, who was picking his teeth with a small metal spike.
"What?" Rito asked.
Jenga growled deep in her throat and brought her attention back to the Anti-Earth Crystals. "Anyway, the time has arrived to plant the first twelve crystals.
"Goldar," Jenga said. She picked up a small smoky cube. "This one goes to Ireland. And don't worry about the exact placement. I'll teleport you there, and Finster and I have created a circle of energy to lie where the original crystal was at."
"Yes, Jenga," Goldar growled.
"Rita, this crystal goes to Mammoth Cave." She handed Rita a large crystal, nearly the size of a bowling ball.
"Give me the heavy one," Rita griped.
"Zedd, this crystal goes to New Guinae. King Mondo, take this one to the Great Coral Reef."
"I'm a machine, Jenga," King Mondo said. "And salt water is especially corrosive."
"Fine," she said. "Scorpina, take it instead. Mondo, you can take the fifth Crystal to a small cave in northern China."
"That's better," King Mondo said. "Thank you."
"Queen Machina, numero seis is to be planted in a small cave hidden deep in the Andes."
"Numero seis?" Rito asked.
"Number six in Spanish you dolt," Jenga snapped. "Ivan, take this one to a trench in the center of the Pacific. Klank and Orbus, this crystal is to be placed in Germany. Elgare, number nine is to go to Kenya. Rygog, number ten belongs in Switzerland. Diva, eleven in Alaska, and MasterVile, twelve in, well, how about that, also in the Mammoth Cave. But, before any of you go, we have to preoccupy the Rangers."
"How so?" Lord Zedd asked.
"Finster has recreated three of his finest monsters. Eye Guy, King Sphinx, and Scarlet Sentinel," Jenga said. "As soon as the attack is underway, then you can plant the crystals. We certainly don't want those Rangers interfering with our plans."
"Three of our finest?!" Rita laughed. "HAHAHAH!!!"
"But can't they just come along behind us and pick up the Anti-Earth Crystals?" Ivan Ooze asked.
"Nope," Jenga said. "As soon as they are planted and activated, they cannot be moved by anyone. Even us."
"Cool," Scorpina said.
"Very cool," Jenga agreed. "Finster, do your stuff."
Thirteen simultaneous alarms went off in the Youth Center. Ernie smiled a knowing smile to himself, and expected to see Tommy, Adam, Rocky, Tanya, and Katherine, and perhaps Billy now that he was back, disappear. However, he watched as Jason, Zack, Trini, Kimberly, and Aisha left with them. But, that didn't surprise him either. His jaw almost hit the floor with Bulk and Skull left with them. "When did those two become Power Rangers?" Ernie whispered to himself. He shrugged and return to scrubbing the counter, whistling a very familiar six-tone melody.
Thirteen colored streams of light streaked through the air high above Angel Grove. Just a very few seconds after leaving the Juice Bar, the teleportation beams entered the Power Chamber. "What is it, Zordon?" Tommy asked.
"Jenga has unleashed three old monsters on Angel Grove," Zordon explained. "Behold the Viewing Screen."
"Talk about recycling," Kimberly said.
"These guys are old," Zack said. "But, we've beat them before."
"The time has come to reveal the secrets of your new NinjaZords," Zordon said. "They can combine to make one, very powerful NinjaMegaZord, or three separate MegaZords. NinjaMegaZord I is piloted by the Blue and Pink Rangers. NinjaMegaZord II is controlled by the Red, Black, and White Rangers. NinjaMegaZord III is created from the Zords of the Green and Yellow Rangers.
"Billy, Kimberly, Katherine, and Rocky, you must go fight Eye Guy.
"Jason, Tommy, Zack, Bulk, and Aisha, you shall go after King Sphinx.
"And Trini, Tanya, Adam, and Skull. You will protect the city from Scarlet Sentinel. Let the Power protect you."
"IT'S MORPHIN TIME!!!" all thirteen Rangers shouted at once.
"GREEN DRAGON --- RABBIT!!!"
"WHITE TIGER --- BEAR!!!"
"MASTODON --- GIRAFFE!!!"
"PTERODACTYL --- CRANE!!!"
"TRICERATOPS --- WOLF!!!"
"SABER-TOOTH TIGER --- DOVE!!!"
"TYRANNOSAURUS --- COUGAR!!!"
"ZEO RANGER I, PINK --- BUTTERFLY!!!"
"ZEO RANGER II, YELLOW --- GAZELLE!!!"
"ZEO RANGER III, BLUE --- APE!!!"
"ZEO RANGER IV, GREEN --- FROG!!!"
"ZEO RANGER V, RED --- FALCON!!!"
"GOLD RANGER POWER --- LION!!!"
With an overwhelmingly loud crackle of electricity, the thirteen Rangers teleported out of the Power Chamber.
"Aye-yi-yi!" Alpha cried. "Thirteen Power Rangers."
"There it is," Billy said.
"We have to be really careful," Kimberly said. "No matter where we're at, he can see us."
"You guys've beat this thing before," Rocky said. "What's his weakness?"
"His main eye," Billy said.
Eye Guy suddenly turned around so that his main eye was facing the four Rangers crouched down behind the hill. "He's seen us!" Kat cried.
"ATTACK!!!" Kimberly cried. With a resounding hi-yaah, the four Rangers leapt into battle.
"Sie-kyaah!" Tommy cried. He suddenly appeared out of thin air and executed a perfect Power Kick at King Sphinx.
Aisha was next in line. She high kicked him in the chin with her left foot, promptly kicked him again with her right, and flipped away backwards.
Zack ran at Aisha. She dropped down into a crouched position. He stepped onto her shoulders and launched himself over King Sphinx. He landed on the ground behind the blue and gold beast, leapt straight up into the air, and side kicked it in the back.
King Sphinx was forced forward and tripped over Aisha. Jason ran up to the monster, grabbed it by the shoulders, and high-kicked it to Bulk. "He's all yours!!!" Jason shouted.
Bulk cartwheeled backwards as King Sphinx was forced before him. The Gold Ranger planted his left leg firmly on the ground, and brought his right leg up and around, kicking King Sphinx in the head. Bulk flipped away before King Sphinx could retaliate.
"You've made five very fatal mistakes," King Sphinx growled as two powerful wings unfolded from his back.
"She's beautiful," Skull said.
"That's part of her attack," Trini said. The four Rangers stared down at the blue and maroon monster. She gleamed in the midday sun, and carried herself with dignity.
"It looks like a tube of lipstick," Tanya observed.
"It is," Trini said. "If it starts singing, get out of the way."
"What?" Adam asked.
"When it sings, energy notes burst out of her mouth. If they hit you, you're out," Trini explained.
"Say we rush her?" Skull asked.
"Good deal," Trini said. "Her weak point is her legs."
"CHARGE!!!" Adam shouted. The four Rangers jumped over the hill and darted down at the Scarlet Sentinel. The beast gasped and jumped away from the Rangers.
"La-la-la-la-la-la-LAAAAA!" Scarlet Sentinel screeched. A stream of silver and golden musical notes burst from her mouth. Tanya and Skull dove out of the way as the notes hurtled at them.
"This is like something in a video game," Skull said.
Trini flipped over to Scarlet Sentinel and side-kicked her in the chest. Before Scarlet could react, Trini dropped down to the ground and swept her left leg beneath the monster. With a melodious shriek, Scarlet Sentinel hit the ground, giving Trini time to roll away.
"Ki-yaah!" Adam cried, leaping into the air. He landed on top of Scarlet Sentinel just as she climbed to her feet. Adam grabbed ahold of her shoulders and pulled her to the ground with him. Skull cartwheeled over to Scarlet Sentinel and kicked her off of Adam. "Thanks man," Adam said as Skull helped him to his feet.
"Not a problem," Skull said.
Tanya ran up to the monster, pushed off with her left leg, and high kicked Scarlet Sentinel in the chest. Tanya landed on both feet as Scarlet Sentinel stumbled backwards. The lipstick monster tried desperately to regain her composure and sang, "Prepare to diiiiiiiiie!!!!"
"POWER BOW!!!" Kimberly cried. She jumped into the air and fired two pink arrows at Eye Guy. The two arrows pierced an eye on each of Eye Guy's shoulders. He bellowed in pain and immediately clamped a heavy, eyelid over his main eye.
"POWER LANCE!!!" Billy shouted. Kimberly flipped out of the way as Billy ran past her. The Power Lance was held out before him like a ram. Just as the Lance was about to pierce the main eye, Eye Guy grabbed the Lance and flipped Billy over his head. "WHOA!!!" Billy cried. He let go of the Lance in mid-air and landed, several feet away, in a painful pile.
"Billy!" Kimberly cried. She immediately ran to help her fallen comrade.
Rocky brought his hands up to his visor and shouted, "ZEO III ARM BLADES!!!" Two, blue triangular weapons appeared in his possession. He rushed at Eye Guy. Flipping into the air, he slashed at Eye Guy as he passed over the monster. Screaming in pain, Eye Guy tried to hit Rocky, but Rocky was much too fast for him.
"ZEO I POWER SHIELD!!!" Katherine shouted. Her visor began to shine with a pink light. Instantly, the pink circle of light from her visor extended into her right hand and materialized into the Pink Power Shield.
"You're goin' down, Eye Guy!!!" Katherine taunted. She jumped into the air, holding the Pink Power Shield over her head. The Zeo Power overtook her body, and her body became parallel with the ground, seemingly defying gravity. She immediately began to turn, over and over, and flew, straight as an arrow, at Eye Guy. She struck him in his center eye with her Pink Power Shield. Kat's body melted into a streak of pink light, and she teleported over to Billy, Rocky, and Kimberly.
"NO!!!" Eye Guy screamed, both of his hands coming up to protect his center eye.
"You got his main eye!" Rocky cried.
"I got his main eye-lid," Kat corrected.
"More than I did," Billy said slowly, groggy from being slammed into the ground.
"Can you hit his main eye with an arrow, Kim?" Rocky asked.
"One way to find out," Kimberly said, raising the Power Bow up before her.
Aisha and Bulk tumbled backwards. King Sphinx's wings were flapping rapidly, and they were the only two Rangers not able to roll away from his windstorm in time. "SABBA!!!" Aisha cried, sticking her hand out. Sabba materialized in her grip in a flash of white light. "We need some help!!!" Aisha tried desperately to climb to her feet, but the wind was too strong.
"I'll do my best," he said. Sabba left her grip and tried to fly at King Sphinx. However, the wind was pushing against him so hard, he didn't move.
"Let me try!" Bulk cried. "GOLDEN POWER STAFF!!!" From his crouched position against the wind, he pointed the Power Staff at King Sphinx. The emblem at the staff's end opened up, and numerous golden balls of fire shot out. They moved through the wind with the greatest of ease and struck King Sphinx at numerous points on his body. He stopped flapping his wings and hit the ground, giving Bulk and Aisha time to roll out of the way.
"ZEO V POWER SWORD!!!" Tommy cried.
"POWER SWORD!!!" Jason shouted. The two red Rangers rushed at King Sphinx with their Swords out before them.
King Sphinx pulled a sword out of the air and blocked both of their blows. King Sphinx kicked Tommy and slashed at Jason with his sword. Jason screamed in pain and jumped out of the way. Seconds after the attack, his armor blocked the pain, allowing him to regain his composure.
"POWER AXE!!!" Zack shouted. He rushed King Sphinx. He put all of his weight behind the axe and chopped at King Sphinx. With an angry bellow, King Sphinx punched Zack, sending him rolling.
"HEY!!!" Aisha shouted. "YOU MESS WITH HIM, YOU MESS WITH ME!!! SABBA!!!" She ran at King Sphinx, enraged. She slashed at his face and kicked him squarely in the stomach.
"Dang girl," Zack said.
"Let's take this guy out!!!" Jason shouted.
Tommy, Jason, Bulk, Zack, and Aisha ran at King Sphinx from all sides, surrounding him. They brought their weapons down for what they thought would be the combined fatal blow, when King Sphinx suddenly extended his wings and flew straight up into the air.
"Man!" Tommy shouted. "We should have had him!!!"
Trini and Skull ran at Scarlet Sentinel. They leapt into the air and stabbed at her with their Daggers.
"ZEO II NUNCHUCKS!!!" Tanya cried. Immediately, two yellow nunchucks appeared in her hands. She began to spin them with grace and skill that should be accomplished only after decades of intense training.
Tanya stood before Scarlet Sentinel and whipped the nunchucks before her hypnotically. Scarlet Sentinel began to sway back and forth. "ZEO IV POWER HATCHETS!!!" Adam shouted. He ran up to Tanya, jumped up to her shoulders, and launched himself over Scarlet Sentinel. As he passed over her, he brought his Power Hatchets down at her head, sending showers of sparks from each wound.
"EEEEEYAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Scarlet Sentinel sang. She ran at Tanya, grabbed the Yellow Ranger, and threw her over her head.
Tanya screamed as she flew over the monster and at her friends. She slammed into Skull, Trini, and Adam, knocking them to the ground.
"What are they doing?!" Jenga cried. She jumped to the top of the balcony railing and glared at Earth. A beam of blue light shot from each eye, enabling her to see the fight on Earth. "My monsters are losing!!!" She stuck her right arm out and summoned her scepter. "Try this on for size," Jenga snarled. She pointed the scepter at the Earth. Three balls of blue light burst from the sapphire tip and disappeared into the blackness of space.
Kimberly let the arrow fly. Eye Guy attempted to cover his main eye up. Suddenly a ball of blue light sank into his body. With a triumphant bellow, Eye Guy shot straight up into the air, hundreds of feet tall. Kimberly's arrow hit his foot and bounced off.
"Oh no," Kat said.
"We're gonna have to go for the MegaZord," Rocky said.
"Let's do it," Billy said.
"NINJA CRANEZORD!!!"
"NINJA WOLFZORD!!!"
"NINJA APEZORD!!!"
"NINJA BUTTERFLYZORD!!!"
A brilliant flash of blue light exploded in the air above them. King Sphinx landed back on the ground, but he was no longer his normal six feet. "Uh oh," Bulk muttered. "Time for the Zords, right?"
"Right!" Tommy cried.
"NINJA COUGARZORD!!!"
"NINJA GIRAFFEZORD!!!"
"NINJA BEARZORD!!!"
"NINJA FALCONZORD!!!"
"NINJA LIONZORD!!!"
"I've had it with this thing!!!" Trini shouted. "Let's get our Zords!!!"
"Right," Skull muttered, dazed at the creature's sudden, tremendous height.
"NINJA DOVEZORD!!!"
"NINJA RABBITZORD!!!"
"NINJA GAZELLEZORD!!!"
"NINJA FROGZORD!!!"
The Holding Bay doors rumbled open. The sky doors slowly folded back. The flying Zords sparked to life and flew out of the opening. The other nine land Zords moved out of their positions and left the Holding Bay. The two doors closed back up, and the thirteen Zords ran to their Rangers.
"NINJAZORDS!!!" all thirteen Rangers shouted in perfect unison, despite the fact that the three battles were occurring miles apart. "POWER UP!!!" The Rangers jumped into the air and teleported into the cockpits of their Zords.
"I hope this works," Rocky said.
"Can four Zords make a MegaZord?" Katherine asked.
"We're about to find out," Billy said.
Suddenly, the four Zords doubled in size. "Wow!" Kimberly cried. "Was that supposed to happen?"
The ApeZord split in half, producing the lower torso and legs. The Wolf twisted and contorted itself, creating the MegaZord's upperbody. CraneZord split vertically down the center. Each half created an arm. Katherine's butterfly folded into itself and formed a shiny, pink and silver head which clamped onto the MegaZord's shoulders.
The four Rangers slid into the MegaZord's Main Cockpit. Kimberly and Billy sat at the top level, and Rocky and Kat on the bottom. "Let's rock Eye Guy's world!!!" Rocky shouted.
"Right!!!" the others agreed.
Falcon soared overhead as the other four Zords underwent the MegaZord assembly. Cougar and Lion shifted shape and snapped together, forming the lower torso and legs. Aisha's BearZord produced the chest, while the GiraffeZord formed both arms and the head. Lastly, Tommy's Falcon locked onto the back, giving NinjaMegaZord II the ability of flight.
Aisha's chair moved through the dark tunnels through MegaZord's head and emerged in the top center of the cockpit. Tommy sat to her right, Jason her left, and Zack and Bulk were on the level below them.
"POWER UP!!!" the five Rangers shouted.
Frog's legs extended and locked into position, forming the lower body of NinjaMegaZord III. GazelleZord floated off of the ground and separated into two distinct halves, each forming an arm for the MegaZord. RabbitZord leaped into the air and planted itself on top of Frog, producing the chest. Tanya's Zord locked into place, and the Dove twisted and contorted, forming the head. The Yellow Zord came in for a smooth landing on top of the MegaZord.
NinjaMegaZord III took a defensive stance before the Scarlet Sentinel.
Red lights flashed in the Power Chamber; shrieking alarms filled the air. "Aye-yi-yi!!!" Alpha cried. "Zordon! Jenga is having the anti-Crystals planted!!! What are we going to do?!"
"There is nothing we can do until the Rangers return," Zordon said. He shook his head sadly.
The blue and pink MegaZord rushed at Eye Guy, holding the Power Sword out before it. The MegaZord slashed at the monster as it ran past it. Eye Guy stumbled backwards, firing balls of fire at the MegaZord.
"That was a serious hit!!!" Katherine cried as a red light on the control panel before her lit up.
"We have to take him out now!!!" Billy shouted. "Another hit like that and some of our systems will start going off-line!!!"
MegaZord turned around and slashed at Eye Guy again. Eye Guy's body began to explode.
"We got it!!!" Rocky shouted.
"No we didn't," Kimberly said.
When the smoke cleared, only the center eye remained, floating above the ground. MegaZord jumped forward and stabbed through the eye before it could retaliate. It exploded in one final fireball.
"All right!!!" the four Rangers shouted, sharing their customary high fives.
"Forget this!!!" King Sphinx shouted. He unfurled his wings and flew off of the ground.
"Now what?" Bulk asked.
"We go airborne," Tommy said, typing in the needed numeric code to activate Flight Mode.
NinjaMegaZord II lifted off of the ground and darted after King Sphinx.
NinjaMegaZord III high kicked Scarlet Sentinel, causing a melodic outburst from the beast. Before Scarlet could retaliate, the MegaZord punched her and then pulled the Power Sword out of thin air.
"You are no match for *my* Power Sword!!!" Scarlet shouted as a curved blade appeared in her maroon-gloved hand.
"En garde!!!" Skull shouted as the monster and MegaZord began to duel.
"What is that fool doing?" Jenga asked. King Sphinx zoomed near the castle, followed promptly by the black, white, and red MegaZord. "What did ya' bring 'em here for?!" Jenga demanded.
She watched as King Sphinx began to circle the moon with MegaZord II in tow. "No wonder Rita never conquered the planet," Jenga muttered to herself.
"What is the idiot trying to pull?" Zack asked.
"I'm starting to get dizzy," Aisha said as they circled the moon once more.
"Doesn't this thing have any lasers or missiles?" Bulk asked. "We'll never get close enough to use our Sword."
"Activating thrusters," Jason said. The MegaZord began to move closer to King Sphinx.
"What is he doing?" Finster asked.
"Making himself dizzy is all I can see of it," Jenga complained. She watched as the blue and gold streak passed over the palace once more, followed close behind by a red, black, and white streak.
"It's making the whole moon shake," Finster complained as he turned and went back to his lab.
King Sphinx continued to circle the moon. "Hell fire," Jenga griped. She shot a burst of blue light at King Sphinx as he passed over. In a huge explosion, she destroyed the beast. "Idiot," she muttered in disgust.
A tremendous explosion suddenly filled the black void of space. Suddenly, King Sphinx's lifeless head came hurtling toward the MegaZord. "WHOA!!!" Aisha cried, pulling hard on the left control lever. MegaZord II barely steered clear of the flying body parts.
"What happened to it?" Tommy asked.
"Scans indicate the fatal blast came from the moon," Bulk said.
"Guess they were aiming for us," Jason said. "Let's get outta here."
"Right," Aisha said, turning around to head for home.
Scarlet Sentinel staggered forward, greatly weakened. "Let's go for the final blow!!!" Adam shouted.
"NINJA MEGAZORD!!!" the four Rangers shouted. The green and yellow Zord stepped before the monster and slashed down through her body. A dazed look came over her face and she collapsed to the ground before exploding.
Jenga waited impatiently as the twelve demons teleported back, one by one. "What happened to King Sphinx?" Rita asked as she appeared in the palace.
"I destroyed the idiot myself," Jenga said. "Just kept flying around the moon over and over and over again. Got sick of it, blasted him out of the sky." She turned to look at Rito. "Let that be a lesson to you."
As soon as the others were back, Jenga pulled the Thirteenth Anti-Earth Crystal out of a small pocket dimension she had created. "Prepare for the Earth's demise," she said. She let go of the Anti-Crystal, and it remained where it was, floating in the air. She then produced her own scepter. Rita, Zedd, MasterVile, and Mondo followed suit, while Ivan Ooze and Diva Tox merely pointed their right hand at the crystal. "Let's do it," she said. Seven beams of light, red from Zedd, yellow from Rita, Blue from herself, white from MasterVile, purple from Ooze, green from Mondo, and black from Diva Tox, hit the Anti-Crystal. It began to glow with an evil light.
"Excellent," King Mondo growled.
"Hey! You guys!!!" Prince Sprocket shouted. "Look!" He pointed his small, stubby arm at the Earth. They all watched in delight as the numerous white clouds began to turn a dingy gray.
The thirteen Rangers teleported into the Power Chamber. All of them simultaneously pulled their helmets off. "Rangers," Alpha said. "You are too late."
"Too late for what?" Bulk asked.
"The first twelve Anti-Earth Crystals have been planted and activated," Zordon said. Suddenly, a bright red light flooded through the Power Chamber and a previously unused alarm sounded.
Chapter Fifteen -- Elements
"What's going to happen, Zordon?" Tanya asked fearfully.
"The Anti-Earth Crystals will turn the Earth against itself," Zordon explained. "The worst disturbances will probably begin here in California."
"Why?" Trini asked.
"It's the Earth Crystals," Alpha explained. "The Anti-Earth Crystals were designed to destroy the planet, and as such, will attempt to destroy the Crystals that protect it."
"And the Crystals are here," Billy finished.
"We have to do something," Skull said.
"We can warn people," Tommy said. "Encourage people to get in their basements, something. Anything."
"That is an excellent suggestion," Zordon said. "Katherine, Tanya, Rocky, Adam, Tommy, and Bulk. You must morph and go warn various television studios. If you go and extend the warning in person, it will carry more weight than if I were to warn them through our radio systems. The rest of you should go help in Angel Grove as much as you can."
"Let's go guys," Jason said. Seven streams of light, green, red, blue, yellow, pink, black, and white floated out of the Power Chamber.
"IT'S MORPHIN TIME!!!" Tommy shouted.
"ZEO RANGER I, PINK --- BUTTERFLY!!!"
"ZEO RANGER II, YELLOW --- GAZELLE!!!"
"ZEO RANGER III, BLUE --- APE!!!"
"ZEO RANGER IV, GREEN --- FROG!!!"
"ZEO RANGER V, RED --- FALCON!!!"
"GOLD RANGER POWER --- LION!!!"
The six Rangers teleported to Alpha's coordinates. "Aye-yi-yi, Zordon," Alpha said. "What should I do?"
"Prepare the living quarters for the Rangers," Zordon said solemnly.
"Billy and I will go to the Juice Bar," Kimberly said.
"I'll go to Angel Grove Hospital," Zack said.
"I'll go with you," Trini offered. The two teens took off running.
"The wind is really starting to pick up," Aisha observed. The sky was sickeningly gray, and heavy, ominous thunderclouds sat just above the city. "We have to hurry."
"Skull, there are some nursing homes near here," Jason said. "Let's go warn them."
"Right," he agreed.
"I'll go see if I can help at the high school," Aisha said.
"We'll meet up with you later," Kimberly said. She and Billy promptly took off for Ernie's.
"Maybe it was Mayonnaise," Scorpina said.
"I prefer Mustard myself," Squatt remarked ignorantly.
"Her name was not Mustard," Scorpina said. "It could have been Thousand Island."
"I prefer ketchup," Baboo added.
"Hey honey!" Scorpina shouted. "Ivan!!! What was that chick's name?!"
"What chick?" Jenga asked.
"That chick he stole the maps from," Scorpina said frustratedly. "I've decided it was either Mayonnaise or Thousand Island."
Jenga shook her head and walked away. "Ooze," Jenga said as she walked past the purple demon. "Your wife needs you."
Kimberly and Billy had just stepped into Ernie's when a powerful boom of thunder shook the entire building. There was no rain, but plenty of thunder and lightning.
"Ernie!" Kimberly shouted, running up to the bar. "You have to get everybody in the basement."
"What?" he asked, still wiping the counter down.
"There's a major storm headed this way," Billy said. "They expect it to level everything in Angel Grove."
"They who?" Ernie asked. "They haven't said anything about it on the news."
"The Power Rangers, that's who," Kimberly said. "And they haven't aired it yet because the Power Rangers haven't got to the t.v. studios yet."
Ernie's face suddenly went pale. "You got it," he said. "Hey! Everybody!!! We have to go in the basement!!! Come on!!!"
"What do we do Billy?" Kimberly asked. "Where do we go?"
"I don't know," he said. "I guess go warn people in the streets."
Ernie ran back up to the bar. "You guys," Ernie said, "be careful." He smiled a knowing smile and followed the crowd of teens to the basement.
"You don't think?" Kimberly asked. "Could he ... know?"
"We'll worry about it later," Billy said. "Come on." They had just reached the doors when a torrent of rain began to pummel the parking lot.
"Should we morph?" Kimberly asked.
"It might cause undue panic," Billy said.
"Right now, I don't think there is such a thing as undue panic," Kimberly said.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. "IT'S MORPHIN TIME!!!"
"PTERODACTYL --- CRANE!!!"
"TRICERATOPS --- WOLF!!!"
In a flash of pink and blue light, their Ranger armor molded itself around the body of the two teens, increasing their muscularity, reflexes, strength, and fighting ability. "Let's go," Kimberly said. They ran out into the rapidly increasing storm.
"The wind's really picking up!!!" Billy shouted.
"Billy! Look!!!" Kimberly screamed, pointing to the left.
They both watched in terrified awe as a heavy, black funnel cloud lowered itself to the Earth.
"You gotta listen to me," Bulk said to the well-dressed man before him. "All hell is about to break loose. You have to put a warning out."
"This is national television," the man said angrily. "We can't go airing problems you should be taking care of."
Bulk kept the anger he felting growing toward this man in check. "Do people really treat the Power Rangers like this?" Bulk asked himself.
The Gold Ranger, suddenly enraged, grabbed the man by the collar and shoved him against the wall. "You listen to me and you listen to me good," Bulk growled. "My friends have put their lives on the line every day for the last two and a half years for people like you, and you don't even appreciate their efforts. If you don't air the warning now, I will do something that we will both regret."
"Yes sir," the man breathed, pale-faced.
"Thank you," Bulk said. "Do it now."
Aisha ran down the halls of Angel Grove High. Class was still in session, as sixth period had yet to end. "Aisha," she thought to herself, "you are supposed to be in Africa. They are going to have questions as to why you're here. Save yourself the trouble."
Still running down the hall, she summoned her Power Morpher and said just loud enough to morph, "White tiger --- bear." White light consumed her body, and she turned into the White Ranger in mid-step.
The White Ranger hurried into the main office, startling the secretary. "Can I help you?" she asked.
"Yes," Aisha said. "A major storm is about to hit Angel Grove. You need to warn the students." Suddenly, the entire building began to shake. "Or an earthquake," Aisha added.
"This is getting exciting," Queen Machina said. Rita nodded in agreement. What had just a few minutes before been a beautiful blue and white planet was now a gray glob of destruction.
"Fires, earthquakes, volcanoes erupting, tornadoes, hurricanes, and general chaos," Jenga said as she walked up beside the two women. "Ooooh. Makes me all tingly." Two twin beams of sapphire blue light shone from her eyes. Immediately, the smile left her face.
"What is it?" Rita asked.
"Those Rangers," Jenga said. "They're trying to warn people."
"So what good can they do?" Queen Machina asked. "They're fighting a losing battle."
"That's not the point," Jenga said. "Mondo. Ooze. Diva. Zedd and Rita. Front and center!!!" The five beings met up in the center of the palatial room.
"What is it, Mom?" Lord Zedd asked.
"We need to send some distractions for our little friends," Jenga said. "Specifically Billy and Kimberly."
"Why those two?" King Mondo asked.
"Because they seem to be the unofficial leaders," Jenga said. "Tommy might be the leader in position, but the blue and pink Rangers are the ones everybody looks up to.
"King Mondo, prepare some cogs. Diva Tox, get some of your best Pirahnatrons. Lord Zedd, some Tengas and Z Putties. Rita, get some of your Putties from the past in here. Ooze, make us some Ooze Men, and I'll throw in some of my best Wulf Warriors," Jenga explained.
"This should be an interesting fight," King Mondo said.
"Rito, Goldar, Scorpina," Jenga said, "if you desire, you may lead this battalion."
"Would be our honor," Scorpina answered for the three of them.
Kimberly and Billy watched as the tornado slowly melted away. Its damage, however, had already been done. Several blocks of suburbia were destroyed, along with countless innocent lives. "Oh my God, Billy," Kimberly sighed.
Just as suddenly as it came, the rain stopped. The lightning remained, but the torrential downpour ceased.
"Destroy -- the -- Power Rangers," a robotic voice said.
Billy and Kimberly turned around to see a bizarre army marching toward them. Cogs on the front line, Wulf Warriors behind, Ooze Men and Tengas one row behind them, and Putties and Pirahnatrons taking up the rear.
"This day just keeps going from bad to worse," Kimberly said.
"This is Billy. Kimberly and I need help. We've got an entire army about to attack on the north side of Angel Grove," he said into his wrist.
Suddenly, Goldar, Rito, and Scorpina materialized before the army.
"Can anybody hear us?" Billy asked frantically. "Hello?!"
"It's not working!" Kimberly cried. "Zordon! Alpha!"
"Looks like we're on our own," Billy said.
"Well, if anybody can do it," Kimberly began.
"We can," Billy finished.
"Just speak into the camera," the stage-hand said to Katherine. "And try not to cause any undue panic. And remember, this is reaching the entire continent of Australia."
"You know, this isn't really how I intended for this to occur," Katherine said.
"You'll do fine," the lady said. "Okay, miss," she said. "You're on in five. Four. Three. ...."
The Pink Zeo Ranger looked into the camera, took a deep breath, and began her spontaneous warning.
"Aye-yi-yi Zordon!!!" Alpha cried. "I don't think those are ordinary earthquakes!!! And people are dying by the thousands!!! Aye-yi-yi Zordon!!! What are we going to do!!! Population has already dropped to 3.6 billion!!!! AYE-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI!!!!"
"Calm yourself, Alpha Five," Zordon said. "We are doing all that we can do. Check the temperature of the Earth below Angel Grove."
"Right Zordon," Alpha said, hustling over to a nearby console. The scan took only a few moments. "Aye-yi-yi! Temperature has already risen forty-seven point three degrees!!!! Molten rock is being forced up to the surface!!! We're doomed!!!!!"
"Is the molten rock coming up from beneath the Power Chamber's Mountain?" Zordon asked, his voice very calm.
"No, Zordon," Alpha said. "Fortunately, the spell you cast ten thousand years ago is still holding. This mountain is rock solid. However, the Zord Holding Bay could be in danger! The lava can't push up beneath it, but lava can pour down into it."
"Hopefully, any lava that does make its way to the surface will not flow out here to the Power Chamber or Zord Holding Bay."
"I certainly hope so," Alpha said woefully.
"Dear God," Zack said.
He and Trini stood at the mouth of the Hospital Parking Lot. They were both soaked to the skin, but that really didn't seem to matter at the moment. The two teens just stared at the smoking pile of rubble that had once been Angel Grove Memorial.
"Those poor people," Trini muttered in a very small voice. She fought back the tears that tried to break free.
Suddenly, a terrible crack of thunder deafened them both. A multi-forked lightning bolt struck the rubble. Trini dropped to her knees with both hands over her ears. A raging inferno sprang to life almost immediately.
"There's probably severed gas mains around here," Zack said.
"Let's get out of here," Trini said, jumping to her feet. A giant red fireball exploded behind them.
"MASTODON --- GIRAFFE!!!" Zack bellowed at the same moment Trini cried, "SABER-TOOTH TIGER --- DOVE!!!" They were in their armor just a split second before the fireball consumed their bodies.
Aisha screamed as the office split down the middle. She watched in stunned horror as the receptionist and her desk full into the gaping chasm that formed right down the middle of the office. The White Ranger lunged at the falling woman, but it was too late.
"No!" Aisha screeched. She crawled away from the gaping schism in the Earth as molten fire began to bubble out of it.
Jason and Skull stopped two blocks away from the nursing home. "We're too late," Skull said as the tornado continued it's path of destruction. Jason turned away from the horrific site, dropped to his knees, and vomited up everything he had eaten that day.
He suddenly felt so useless. He had become a Ranger to save the planet, and then left for the Peace Conference to continue helping, just in a different way. And all for what? Just to have everyone in Angel Grove die. His mother, father. Emily. "No," Jason said. "No. It can't end like this."
"Jason," Skull said. "We're too late. Now pull yourself together and maybe we can help somebody else." Skull spoke with a tone of voice he never would have dreamed he would use on anyone, certainly not Jason who outweighed him by a good eighty pounds.
"You're right," Jason breathed. He wiped his forearm across his mouth and stood up. "You're right. Sorry for losin' it."
"It's okay," Skull muttered. "There's no use following the tornado's path. I doubt we'll find any signs of life that way."
"You're right," Jason said yet again. "We'll head the other way."
He turned around just in time to see the well-defined boundary of rain. The rain seemed to form a solid wall, and it was slowly creeping it's way into Angel Grove. "Hurricane," he whispered.
"I can't take the time to fight any one of these guys," Billy thought to himself. "Just launch a full assault on as many as you can."
"POWER LANCE!!!" he shouted. He held the Lance in both hands before him and ran into the army of warriors.
Kimberly ran to Scorpina. "I thought you were gone," Kimberly said, throwing a punch at Scorpina's face.
"I'm back and stronger than before," Scorpina quipped, catching Kimberly's fist in her own. She pushed Kimberly to her knees by her fist.
"So am I," Kimberly growled. She yanked her hand back, swept her right leg beneath Scorpina and brought her crashing to the ground.
Billy reached the middle of the group and stopped. He began to spin his Lance all around him, producing sparks from the Cogs, ooze droplets from the Ooze Men, and screams from the Tengas.
"They're actually winning," Jenga said. She blinked, shutting off the twin beams of blue light shining from her irises.
"Jenga," Archerina said. "I request permission to go to Earth and help fight."
"Certainly," Jenga said. Archerina nodded, melted into a pink ball of light, and darted to Earth.
"You okay girl?" Zack asked, running out of the flaming inferno.
"I've been better," Trini said, "but yeah. I'm okay. Where do we go now? What do we do, Zack?"
"I don't know," he stammered. The ground began to crack beneath their feet.
"What now?" Trini cried. The two Rangers jumped out of the way as the pavement began to disintegrate. Suddenly, red lava began to spew out of the numerous spiderweb cracks.
Before Trini and Zack could even comprehend the volcano that was forming beneath Angel Grove, the hurricane was upon them.
"Hey!" Rito shouted, kicking Billy to the ground. "Fight me like a real man!!!"
Billy rolled out of the way as Rito's Sword landed where the Blue Ranger had been a split second before. "Real man don't attack when the other guy's back is turned," Billy snapped, bringing the blunt side of his Lance down across Rito's chest.
Suddenly, blue and white sparks filled the air. Billy screamed and fell to the side. "How about Golden Monkeys?" Goldar asked. Billy rolled away, angry at himself for getting sandwiched between the two henchmen. When it came to intelligence, both were lacking, but they were excellent warriors who weren't afraid to play dirty.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" Kimberly shouted. She fired an arrow at Goldar. The arrow just bounced off of his armor.
"You give pink archists a bad name," a female voice said behind her.
"Who are you?" Kimberly asked, backing away from the pink robot.
"Archerina," the robot said. "Daughter-in-law of the Throne." Without another word, she smashed her own bow into Kimberly's body, knocking the Pink Ranger down with a grunt.
"Now this is much better," Jenga said. She was sitting on the balcony, all alone, with her legs dangling off of the side. "Life is good."
Skull wrapped his arms around a lamppole. "WE HAVE TO MORPH!!!" Jason shouted over the roar of the wind. Skull nodded in agreement. He pulled his right hand closer to his face. Concentrating, he twisted his right hand and simultaneously summoned his Power Morpher from the small pocket dimension Zordon and Alpha had written into his own, personal energy signature. Normally, the procedure was activated by 'It's Morphin Time,' but he wasn't really in the best position to go through the long morphing process.
"GREEN DRAGON --- RABBIT!!!" Skull screamed.
"TYRANNOSAURUS --- COUGAR!!!"
Skull let go of the lamppole and found that the wind scarcely had an effect on him at all. "Zordon," Jason said into his wrist. "Alpha. Jason to Power Chamber. Jason to Power Chamber."
"Why isn't it working?" Skull asked.
"I don't know," Jason said. "Hold on. I'm going to try to teleport." He put his hands on his Morpher Buckle and squeezed the sides, signaling a teleport. However, nothing happened. "Lord help us all," Jason thought to himself.
Archerina placed her foot on Kimberly's chest. Her Bow turned into a Sword, and she prepared to teach the Pink Ranger a lesson she would not soon forget.
"Aren't you going to beg?" Archerina asked.
"I'd rather die than give you the pleasure," Kimberly said. She looked up at Archerina through the black visor on her helmet. From her perspective, it didn't even seem as though she were wearing a helmet. She had her normal field of vision, not impended in the least by the pitch black visor or the pink pterodactyl beak which stuck down through the middle. It was for this reason that it didn't seem her helmet provided any protection. Of course, few monsters actually targeted their heads. Archerina, though, seemed to be intent on inflicting as much painful damage as possible. The pink tip of her Sword was right before her eyes.
Suddenly, a single drop of water appeared on her visor. "Huh?" Kimberly asked. Immediately, the gargantuan hurricane was upon the battle field.
"Water?" Archerina panicked. "WATER!!!! NO!!!!!" She immediately streaked away in pink light.
Kimberly breathed a sigh of relief and got to her feet. The cogs immediately began to break down, reducing the army by one fifth.
"A hurricane," Jenga pondered. "Even Scorpina, Rito, and Goldar aren't strong enough to fight very well in a hurricane." She sent out a spell to call the three warriors back.
Scorpina, Rito, and Goldar surrounded fallen Billy. All three had their Swords raised above his body. Billy was held down by two Tengas, two Wulves, and two Ooze Men. "No no no no no no no," Billy thought over and over. "Not like this.'
Suddenly, white, black, and yellow light flashed above him. He thought his comrades had finally arrived, but an even better situation had presented itself. The three warriors were gone. He was suddenly empowered, and knocked the six beasts off of his body. He leapt high into the air, despite the strong wind and needle rain, and made it to safety.
"I don't know what to do!!!" Aisha screamed over the roar of the wind and crackle of fire. The school was about to be overwhelmed with molten lava, yet she couldn't lead the students outside because of the hurricane. As it turned out, it didn't matter. Just a few seconds later, the school collapsed on itself.
"There's no one left to help, Zack!!!" Trini cried. "I'm going back to the Power Chamber."
"I know," Zack said. The two Rangers stopped and attempted to teleport.
"Wha?" Trini asked. She attempted to teleport again.
"Man, now the Power Chamber," Zack said. "This day just keeps going from bad to worse!"
Billy landed on his back beside Kimberly. He quickly shuffled away from the approaching army. "Billy," Kimberly said, "we can't handle all these guys. People are dying by the thousands all around us. What more harm can they do? I say we get out of here!"
"You're right," he said. They started to run, when the ground began to rumble beneath them.
"Earthquakes and hurricanes?" Kimberly asked sarcastically.
Suddenly, she realized that it was no Earthquake. A large section of the street fell straight down. Billy flipped away from the trouble, but Kimberly was too late.
The Ooze Men, Putties, Tengas, Pirahnatrons, and Wulf Warriors hit a seething river of lava hundreds of feet below the street. Part of the street fell with them, while another part got wedged against some various pipes. It did not fall completely, but it was slanted nearly sixty degrees.
Screaming, Kimberly slid down this slanted section of broken asphalt. At the last second, she grabbed a water pipe. The chunk of asphalt finally broke free, plunging into the lava stream far below.
"BILLY!!!!" Kimberly screamed. The pipe began to bend, lowering her inch by inch to her doom.
"Hold on Kimberly!!!" he cried. However, he had no idea how to save his comrade. She couldn't teleport, and in a matter of seconds, she would fall into the lava far below. She could certainly survive the fall in her armor. She could even survive the scorching river of fire. However, it was moving fast, and he had no idea where it would carry her.
"Thank you very much," Rocky said to the producer at WKTP in New York City. He pushed his belt buckle and waited for the teleport. Nothing. He tried once more. Nothing. "Teleportation is off-line?" Rocky asked himself in horror.
"Help me Billy!!!" Kimberly screamed as the pipe dropped an extra five feet.
"I'm hurrying!!!" Billy called down to her in an equally frantic voice.
He glanced all about him, looking for anything he could use to help Kimberly. He saw a fallen power line and got an idea. Billy pulled his Power Blaster from it's holster and fired at the thick wire. The blue laser sliced clean through it. He promptly shot the wire again at a distance about fifty feet from the first nick. "I've got an idea!" he shouted down to Kimberly. "Just hold on!!!"
"This pipe isn't going to hold much longer!!!" she cried.
Billy ran up to her and, holding tight to one end, tossed the power line down to Kimberly. As soon as it swung past her, she latched hold of the wire and held on for dear life. In just a few moments, he had her pulled to safety. She hugged Billy tightly, not wanting to let go. Despite the hurricane raging around them, he just held her in return.
Aisha ran into Skull. "Skull!" she cried. "Jason!!! The school is gone!!! It collapsed while I was inside it! There's nothing left!!!"
"That's what all of Angel Grove is like," Skull answered. "Nursing homes, suburbs. Business district."
"It's all leveled," Jason said. "And if that weren't bad enough, teleportation and communications are offline."
"Let's find the others," Aisha said. "Maybe Billy know some way to get back to the Power Chamber."
"Sounds like a good idea," Jason agreed.
Zack and Trini found Billy and Kimberly. "It's all gone," Trini said woodenly. "All of Angel Grove."
"The Power Chamber might be gone," Billy said. "We have no way of knowing."
"How will we get back?" Zack asked.
"We can try calling on a Zord," Billy said. "I recommend a flying Zord. At least that way we can travel out to the Power Chamber."
"HEY!!!" a strong voice shouted. "You guys!!!"
"It's Jason," Zack said. "With Aisha and Skull."
The seven Rangers joined up a few seconds later. Billy quickly explained his plan for getting back to the Power Chamber.
"Red Dragon would probably be the best Zord," Zack said.
"Yeah, and it will have room for the rest of us," Billy said. "Do it Jase."
"Right," he said. "RED DRAGON THUNDERZORD!!! POWER UP!!!"
The cannon slowly extended from the Zord Holding Bay. Red Dragon was fired from the cannon and flew into the wind.
"I see it!!!" Trini shouted. Red Dragon flew toward them, despite the lightning, wind, and torrential downpour of rain. "Jason, just get us back to the Holding Bay. Everybody else, we have to line-of-sight teleport into the empty area in the Zord's belly."
"Will that work?" Zack asked. "With the teleportation system off-line?"
"It should," Billy said. "Line-of-sight is activated by the Zords, not from the normal teleport unit in the Power Chamber.
"We're about to see if you're right," Jason said. The seven Rangers jumped into the air and teleported into the Zord.
Skull and Trini had their Power Beams on, providing the only light din the dark belly of the Zord. The Zord finally came to a slow halt, signaling their arrival at the Zord Holding Bay.
"Will line-of-sight still work?" Kimberly asked.
Billy replied by glowing blue. His body collapsed into a thin line of light, and he shot straight down and out of the Zord. The other five followed suit.
Jason took off his helmet immediately. "You guys, we're in real trouble," he said. "There is a lava flow headed straight for the Power Chamber."
"Isn't the Power Chamber protected?" Zack asked. "Something about a spell Zordon cast millennia ago before he was trapped in that tube."
"Yeah, but the Holding Bay isn't," Billy said. "It was built after Zordon was locked away, so he couldn't put a spell on it. But, the hurricane, all that rain, it should solidify the flow before it gets here."
"It's moving too fast," Jason said. "The rain isn't having any effect on it at all."
"Billy, how do we get out of here?" Skull asked.
"Follow me," Billy said. The seven teens ran down a long, winding corridor until they finally reached a nearly vertical stairwell. "Be careful on these stairs."
"I think ladder would be a better term," Zack said as he stepped down onto the narrow, metal steps right behind Billy.
"How far down do these steps go?" Kimberly asked from somewhere above him.
"Only a quarter of a mile," Billy said.
"That's not too bad," Aisha commented.
"Then, we travel straight ahead for about two hundred yards and climb down a ladder that takes us the other quarter mile to the Power Chamber," he finished.
"Man," Skull said, "I don't like this job anymore."
"Neither do I," Jason thought to himself.
Billy led the group into a series of progressively larger rooms. The first rooms off of the ladder were stone walls with dirt floors, but as they got closer to the Power Chamber, they began to show signs of technology. After about an eighth of a mile, the rooms had doors that opened and shut behind them.
"Is it much farther?" Kimberly asked. She giggled in spite of herself when she had a Smurfs flashback.
"Nope," Billy said. "The next room is the Power Chamber." He stepped in front of the silver metal doors which promptly slid open after recognizing his genetic code.
"Thank God," Skull said.
"Rangers!" Alpha cried. "I am so glad you are safe!"
"Why is the teleportation unit off-line?" Billy asked, setting his helmet on a computer console. He immediately began to search for the problem.
"We weren't aware that it was," Zordon said.
"Well, I've found the problem," Billy said. "It was accidentally forced off-line when all hell broke lose up there. The computers are trying to keep track of human lives, and the numerous hurricanes, tornadoes, et cetera."
"Oh no," Trini said, moving over to Zordon's tube. There was a large, rectangular screen just to the left of it. There was a flat map of the entire globe. Red hurricanes, tiny blips representing hurricanes, and numerous other horrific anomalies covered the entire map. But what terrified her was the population display.
"Two point seven billion," Trini said quietly. "Nearly half of the planet has died."
"I will set to work getting the teleportation and communication systems on line immediately," Alpha said.
"How long will it take?" Jason asked.
"The better part of an hour I'm afraid," the robot said.
"That's too long," Billy said. "Zordon, the lava is getting closer and closer to the Zord Holding Bay. We need to move the Zords deeper into the Earth."
"Alpha," Zordon said, "prepare Holding Bay Omega."
"Omega?" Aisha asked.
"There's a holding bay directly below the Power Chamber, only about two miles down. It's large enough for all of the Zords, but we don't keep them there because it's too much trouble to teleport them out of it," Billy explained. "But right now we don't have a choice. Besides, there, Zordon's spell will protect it."
"How do we get them down there without our teleportation system?" Zack asked.
"There's a service tunnel big enough for all of the Zords," Billy said. "We'll have to drive them."
"Skull," Alpha said, "I have DragonZord back on line and programmed to work with your Dragon Dagger. You shall call her from the sea and bring her to Omega Bay."
Skull nodded in agreement. "We have to climb back up that ladder, don't we?" Zack asked.
"Unless you know of another way," Billy said, walking out of the Power Chamber.
"Please hurry, Rangers," Alpha said. "And be careful."
Trini took one last look at the population display before she left. It had already dropped to 2.6 billion.
Chapter Sixteen -- Approaching Fire
The seven Rangers ran into the Zord Holding Bay, slightly winded despite the protective power of their suits. "What's the plan, Billy?" Skull asked.
"Alpha has re-configured the Zords to recognize all of us," Billy said. "We just have to move them down to Omega Bay." A huge trap door in the back of the Holding Bay rumbled open, revealing a dark tunnel stretching down into the bowels of the earth.
"Is that big enough for all of our Zords?" Zack asked.
"It should be," Billy replied. "You might have to bend some of them over, but they'll fit." Billy didn't mind saying that he was more than a little worried about the Giraffe, Super Zeo, and Red Battle Zords. The tunnel had been built long before any of them had even been thought of. "Be careful with flying Zords," Billy reminded. "In fact..."
"I'll get them, Billy," Kimberly volunteered. He was glad to know the flying Zords were in her care. She had, after all, driven ninety-five percent of all flying Zords in the Rangers' Zord arsenal.
"Okay," Jason said. "Let's get 'em movin' guys."
Tommy stepped out onto the balcony of the station's high-rise office. His view of Paris at midnight would have been breathtaking had it not been for the hideous cloud resting just above the city. No teleport, no communication, nothing. "The Power Rangers have lost," Tommy whispered.
Jenga walked across the silent, cold vacuum that comprised the moon's atmosphere. She reached her destination, and stopped. Footsteps of Earthlings, more than twenty years old, remained. She considered destroying them but decided against. She never actually intended to kill the population of Earth. At least not as soon as she had been forced to. "Not that I care," she said aloud, although with no atmosphere, her voice did not carry.
She had teleported to the infamous site to destroy the flag that technically claimed the moon, but decided against it. There was no point in it. With a silent chuckle, she teleported back to the palace.
"Careful," Zack said to himself. "Careful." The shiny black Zord was nearly at the end of the long tunnel. He had the neck bent over and was crawling on its knees.
Billy was close behind him in the Red BattleZord. It was crawling on its hands and knees, as were Super Zeo Zords I through IV, piloted by Kimberly, Trini, Aisha, and Jason. Skull was in the process of calling DragonZord from the raging sea.
Zack finally cleared the tunnel. He moved the GiraffeZord to the back of the Omega Bay, line-of-sight teleported out of the cockpit and started the trek back to the top.
As he ran up the steep two-mile stairwell to the Holding Bay, he had a brief, extremely bizarre thought. "What if the Rangers' were like really fast cars? They could drive little go-carts and run real fast. Maybe even have headlights on their helmets! " he thought to himself. "They could have car zords!" He dismissed the thought as an idiotic quirk.
He made it to the Holding Bay in time to see DragonZord enter the building. The giant machine walked over to a far corner. Skull line-of-sight teleported out of the Zord. "What am I gonna do about this monstrosity?" Skull asked.
As if in cue, a ding sounded and two doors slid open. Billy, Kimberly, Trini, Aisha, and Jason stepped out. "How did you guys get up here so fast?" Zack asked.
"Elevator," Billy said. "Did I forget to tell you."
"Yeah," Zack said. "Would've been nice to know."
"What do I do about her?" Skull asked. "Will she fit in the tunnel?"
"I doubt it," Billy said. "She's the size of a MegaZord but not very flexible. We'll have to wait for teleportation to come back on line and teleport her down there.
"But the lava is really close," Skull said, moving the massive green and black Zord to a far corner of the Holding Bay. He had seen how close the lava was, and did not want to see the majestic Zord destroyed. Even though he had yet to pilot the Zord into battle, and the Dragon was not his guide or Power Source, he was wearing the Green Dragon armor and couldn't help but feel a strong connection with the Zord.
"We don't have a choice," Billy answered. "If it were to get stuck in the tunnel, we'd lose all of our Zords to the lava."
"I'm sure it'll be okay, Skull," Kimberly said.
Skull was thankful for the helmet. He knew his face was bright red due to Kimberly's attention. He forced the approaching forbidden thoughts from his mind.
"Jason, you go first with Warrior Wheel," Billy said. "Kim, you take Phoenix. Skull, Trini, and Aisha, you take some NinjaZords down. Zack, come with me."
"What's the plan, Bill-man?" Zack asked.
"You take the Sphinx and ZeoZord I. You'll have to back down the tunnel with Zord I leading the way. There is a button on the Sphinx's console that will make Kat's Zord tilt back about eighty degrees. That's the only way I can see us getting it down the tunnel," Billy said.
Zack nodded in agreement. He hurried to the Zords and began the careful maneuvering that would get it down the tunnel intact.
"Hurry!" Tanya shouted. She was encouraging the people to get indoors. She continued to yell encouragement, despite the fact that very few people around her understood English.
Hail the size of softballs was raining down on the city. They were not having any effect on her due to her shiny, yellow armor. However, the other people were quickly succumbing to the elements.
Suddenly, a low guttural rumbling began beneath the city. "Huh?" she asked, a split second before Tokyo was swallowed by the Earth, along with its many inhabitants and Tanya.
Sabba carefully guided White TigerZord down the tunnel, leaving Aisha free to help with the other Zords. It seemed they had been working for hours, yet it was actually only forty minutes. Despite the length of time they had been working, more than half of the Zords remained.
Billy looked out at the rapidly approaching lava. He knew they had at least twenty minutes before the teleportation would be on-line, and the lava would be inside the Holding Bay in less than ten. He turned around and saw all of the Zords still waiting to be moved. The DinoZords, DragonZord, the ThunderZords, and several of the NinjaZords. "There is just no way," he said to himself.
"Aye-yi-yi, Zordon," Alpha said frantically. "The lava is almost at the Holding Bay, and the teleporter isn't on line yet!"
"Continue working as fast as you can, Alpha," Zordon said. "You and the Rangers are doing your best."
"I know you are right, Zordon," Alpha said, "but...". A calmer, seldom-used alarm sounded. The robot paused and slowly turned to look at the rotating blue light beneath Zordon's tube.
"Could it be?" the wise old sage asked himself.
The CraneZord drifted down the tunnel. Kimberly held a tight grip on the control lever, cautious not to bump Skull in front of her in his RabbitZord. "Rangers," Alpha said through their radios in their helmets.
"Communication are back online!" Billy shouted happily.
"Is teleport?" Zack asked.
"Not yet Rangers," Alpha said, "and communication is only short-range, but I'm working on it. Alpha Five out."
Kimberly was grateful for the air conditioning within her suit. She was burning up, not due to climate but stress. The CraneZord was just so long, she kept bumping its beak or tail against the tunnel walls. The tunnel was at just the wrong slant to keep the trek difficult.
"Howya doin' back there Kim?" Skull asked as if reading her thoughts.
She jerked with a start, having already forgotten that they could communicate again. The CraneZord's nose slammed into the tunnel's floor. Sparks streaked up all around the Zord. With a cry of fear, she pulled back on the control lever to correct her mistake. Immediately, the nose of the Zord hit the ceiling and the tail end scraped the ground.
"Watch out Skull!" Kimberly cried. The CraneZord immediately began its frantic slide down the tunnel, wedged against both the ceiling and floor of the tunnel.
Red lights began to flash in Skull's cockpit. One of the monitors on his console clearly depicted the CraneZord barreling down on him. The RabbitZord simply could not go any faster. It moved like a real rabbit, traveling by hops. He was having to go at an unbelievably slow pace to keep the hops short. There was only another three hundred feet of tunnel left, but he could not possibly go any faster.
"Hurry Skull!" Kimberly pleaded.
"I am, I am!" he replied in a frantic voice.
Suddenly, the CraneZord slammed into RabbitZord. With a cry from both Rangers, the two Zords tangled up in each other. The Crane's neck bent nearly ninety degrees and Rabbit was forced onto it's front haunches.
Suddenly, a feature seldom-used was activated. Immediate teleport out and demorph. It was used when Rita nearly destroyed them with Cyclopsis, and again when Rito destroyed the ThunderZords. It was normally very reliable, but the only teleportation on-line was line-of-sight.
Billy was next in line behind the crane, and realized he was their only hope.
With two flashes of light, Kimberly and Skull were ejected from their Zords. The two landed, demorphed, in front of the two sliding Zords.
"Kimberly?" Skull asked.
"Run Skull run!" Kimberly shouted. She crawled to her feet and grabbed Skull's arm.
"Why can't we just morph again?" he asked.
"Forty-five second default wait," she said. "Run!"
Billy ran the WolfZord down the tunnel much faster than he should have. He ran up to the Crane and locked his jaw onto the CraneZord's body. He pulled back on both of his control levers, making the Wolf Zord sit down on its haunches. The Crane and Rabbit slowed down but did not stop.
The three hundred feet to the end of the tunnel suddenly seemed very far away. Skull and Kimberly ran down the steep tunnel, the entangled Zords just a few feet behind them.
"Almost there," Kimberly breathed. She stepped out of the tunnel. Suddenly, a sharp pain streaked up her leg. With a cry, she hit the ground.
"SKULL!!" she screamed.
He turned around and saw Kimberly sprawled out on the ground. Her foot was wedged in the small crack where the tunnel and Omega Bay met. Skull slid to a stop and ran back to Kimberly.
"Help me," she breathed.
"Hold tight," Skull said. He wrapped both hands around her ankle and pulled. Kimberly gave a slight cry but pulled free.
Skull suddenly remembered. "Move!" Skull screamed. He shoved Kimberly aside and jumped away.
The green body of the RabbitZord slammed into Skull's legs, flipping him onto his back. The CraneZord, locked into a mechanical embrace with the Rabbit, slammed into the right side of his body, knocking him aside. Lastly, the WolfZord followed them out of the tunnel. The three Zords finally came to a halt.
"Are you okay?" Kimberly asked, rushing over to Skull.
He sat up, cradling his right arm. "I guess," he said. "I think its broken."
"Skull," she said sympathetically. "I am SO sorry."
A blue line of light shot from the Zord, producing Billy. He removed his helmet and crouched beside Skull. "I can fix you up later," Billy said. "Morph, and you'll be in good enough shape to drive Zords."
"Won't that hurt even worse when he de-morphs?" Kimberly asked.
"Do you have a better idea?" Skull asked.
Billy helped him to his feet. Skull produced his Power Morpher in his left hand, shouted, "GREEN DRAGON --- RABBIT!!!" The green armor appeared in a green flash. "At least it doesn't hurt anymore."
"Let's get back to work," Kimberly said.
"It's too late," Trini said through her communicator. "The lava is coming up to the doors."
"We don't have time but for one more trip," Aisha agreed. "You all get up here fast."
"PTERODACTYL --- CRANE!!!" Kimberly shouted. "Let's get up there."
"At least we have the NinjaZords down here," Zack said as the six final Zords journeyed down the tunnel.
"The DinoZords and ThunderZords are all we're losing," Trini said.
"And DragonZord," Skull said sadly.
"I don't see the point anymore," Jason said. "The entire planet is dying. We've always protected the citizens from Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. With no citizens, what is the point?"
No one had an answer.
With a delightful whir, the teleportation system came back on-line. "Aye-yi-yi Zordon! We did it! Rangers, teleport back to the Power Chamber. I am about to teleport the remaining Zords to Omega Bay," Alpha said.
Seven columns of light dropped into the Power Chamber. "You're going to be able to save all of them?" Billy asked excitedly.
"I already have," Alpha said proudly. "Closing the tunnel off ... now." A deep rumbling shook the Power Chamber to its core, telling the Rangers that the tunnel had clamped shut.
A black teleportation stream, tinged with gold, dropped into the Power Chamber. "The world is dying," Bulk said.
"One point four billion," Trini said, looking at the diminishing section of the pie chart that represented human life.
"Skull," Billy said, "give me a few minutes to prepare the med room and I'll take a look at your arm."
"Should I get out of the armor first?" Skull asked.
"I wouldn't just yet," Billy advised.
"Its gonna hurt like nobody's business," Zack said.
Kimberly winced sympathetically. "I am so sorry, Skull," she said truthfully.
"Don't worry 'bout it," Skull stammered. Once again, his face turned bright red, but this time he wasn't wearing his helmet. Kimberly turned just as red and turned away.
Zack took a moment to look at the two Rangers. "Not even," Aisha whispered to him, picking up on his thoughts.
"You ready man?" Jason asked.
"Yeah," Skull said. "Green Ranger, Power Down." The armor dissolved in a green rain of light. His right arm was swollen and red.
"Does it hurt?" Kimberly asked from the doorway.
"Not too bad," Skull said with a forced smile.
Aisha walked up to Kimberly from behind. "Girl, you are needed out front. We can't find the others," Aisha explained. "Alpha needs some extra hands." Kimberly nodded and the two girls walked off.
"Does it really not hurt?" Jason asked, guiding Skull to the med table.
"It hurts," Skull confided, "a lot. But I didn't see any reason in making Kimberly feel any worse." He laid flat on his back and stared at the dull gray ceiling above him.
"Okay Skull," Billy said. "Can you raise your arm up?"
"Yeah, I can do that," Skull said.
"This is gonna hurt, Skull," Trini warned.
"Wiggle your fingers," Billy ordered. Skull did as he was asked.
"Did that hurt?" Trini asked.
"Just uncomfortable," Skull said.
Billy slowly twisted Skull's arm, prompting a loud cry. "I take it that hurt," Trini said.
"Is it broken Billy?" Jason asked.
Billy pulled a small hand-held scanner out of a nearby cabinet and held it over Skull's arm. "We'll know in a minute," Billy answered, "but I think so."
"Adam is in Argentina, Tommy in Paris, Kat in Australia, and Tanya in Tokyo," Kimberly said.
"How come I managed to get back?" Bulk asked.
"You didn't have as far to travel," Zack said, "I guess."
"I think I have a lock on Adam," Zack said. "Trying to teleport ... now."
"The ulna is fractured," Billy said. "Its a clean break though, and should heal nicely."
"Fix it," Jason said. "Pull out one of those little hand-held things you and Alpha carry around and fix it."
"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that," Billy said. "This happened unmorphed in the forty-five second default power wait. Its gonna have to heal on its own. All we can do is put it in a splint."
"Why not a cast?" Skull asked.
"It's swollen too much," Trini answered. "When the swelling goes down, it will need to be tightened, and you can't tighten a cast."
"Okay, Skull," Billy said. "I'm going to give you an injection of bupivacaine in your wrist so we can set it."
"Boopy-novocaine had better mean really strong anesthetic," Skull said.
Billy smiled and slid the needle into Skull's arm.
A few tendrils of green light wafted into the Power Chamber. "This is a slow teleport," Aisha observed.
After about fifteen seconds, a column of green light had collected. It immediately turned into the Green Zeo Ranger. "That was weird," Adam said.
"Here comes Katherine and Rocky," Aisha said. She slammed her hand on the button. A temporary flash of pink light appeared, and Katherine was suddenly dropped from the Power Chamber's ceiling. Fortunately, her pink armor protected her from harm. Rocky immediately teleported into the Power Chamber at a forty-five degree and slammed into Katherine.
"Are you sure the teleporter is working right?" Kimberly asked.
"The Zords were a heavy drain on the system," Alpha explained. "I'll be glad when we're all in the same time zone."
With a powerful flash of red, Tommy was literally thrown into the Power Chamber. He slammed into the glass case which housed the White Ranger's costume. "That was a weird teleport," he said slowly.
Yellow light suddenly filled the Power Chamber, temporarily blinding those present. A huge mound of rocks lay in the Power Chamber. "Tanya?" Adam asked.
"I'm in here someplace," she said.
"Uhm, Alpha," Aisha said warily. "Zordon."
"What is it Aisha?" Zordon asked.
"There is lava seeping into the Power Chamber," she said. She pointed at the corner of the room. Lava was slowly leaking in.
"Activate Gamma Plan," Zordon instructed.
"Right, Zordon," Alpha said. "Everybody shut their eyes!!!"
Suddenly, white lightning began to crack through the Chamber. A wall of white light suddenly passed through the Power Chamber. When it had receded a few seconds later, the Rangers were standing in a newly revised Power Chamber. Except for Tanya. She was lying on her back, this time without the tons of debris.
Jason jumped in alarm as white light passed across the Medical Chamber. "Whoa!" he cried.
"What happened to this place?" Skull asked. The walls were no longer a pleasing blue-green mix but a vibrant shade of silvery white.
"No telling," Billy said, giving Skull's arm a hard yank. He winced in pain and squeezed Trini's hand even tighter. "Let your arm go limp Skull."
"I'm trying," he said, "but it hurts."
Billy gave a final twist and announced, "There. Almost done."
With Jason's help, they had Skull in a bulky green splint in just a few minutes. Billy finished by putting his arm in a bright green sling. "Good as new," Billy said.
"How long do I have to wear this Doc?" Billy asked.
"Six weeks," Billy answered, helping Skull off of the table. "Now let's go find out what happened to the Power Chamber."
In place of the six columns storing replicas of the original Power Suits were five columns of light, red, yellow, pink, blue, and green. The five columns were set up on a slight pedestal. The Power Chamber seemed to be smaller but much better organized.
"What happened Zordon?" Billy asked.
"We used the power of the Earth Crystals to update the Power Chamber," Zordon said from his much larger tube. "The power of the Zeo Crystals is stored within the five Power Columns. It will wait there until things are returned to normal and your super-powered Coins are no longer needed."
"No one has even noticed my new duds," Alpha said with mock disappointment. The robot was slightly taller, the lightning bolt on his chest pointed straight down, and he was super shiny.
"Is that gold, Alpha?" Tanya asked.
"You bet," Alpha Five said proudly. "I guess this means I'm Alpha Six now."
"Same old Alpha underneath though," Trini said. "Right?"
"Of course," Alpha said. "There's only been one Alpha. I've just had six different bodies. After all, my memory is just a super-sophisticated computer program that can be exchanged from one body to another."
"Its more complex than the human brain," Billy whispered to Trini.
"Well, we are all here and accounted for," Zordon said. "Alpha Six, why don't you show the Rangers' to their quarters."
"Our quarters?" Rocky asked.
"Angel Grove is gone," Kimberly said.
"Our families," Rocky said woodenly.
"Do not be alarmed, Rangers," Zordon said. "If being Rangers has taught you nothing else, it has taught you to never give up hope."
The Rangers nodded, not fully understanding what he meant, but too tired and depressed to press him for more details. "Do not worry, Rangers," Zordon thought to himself. "Help will be here soon."
Chapter Seventeen -- Zordon's Mentor
The thirteen rooms were of a very bizarre design. They were only about eight feet wide and eight feet long. Immediately upon entering the room was a set of steps. The steps led to the "bed." The bed was the room. It completely filled the back six feet of the room, stretching from wall to wall. Each room had a smaller side room attached. It consisted of a shower stall, a toilet, and a closet for Alpha's synthesized clothing. There was a larger living area for them to share that even had a smaller version of Zordon's stasis tube so he could join them.
"This is really cool, Alpha," Adam observed as he checked out his room, decorated entirely in shades of green.
"Why is Zordon acting so strangely?" Katherine asked.
"I don't know, Rangers," Alpha said. "He isn't telling me much either, and what I do know he has told me not to tell."
"I can't believe my parents are dead," Rocky said sadly.
"I don't even know why we bother anymore," Jason moaned. "The planet is dying. We don't have anything left to protect."
"Aye-yi-yi!!!" Alpha said excitedly. He wished he could tell the Rangers what he knew, but Zordon had sworn him to secrecy. Well, she would be showing up soon, and she would take care of everything.
Zordon looked at the darkened Power Chamber. Alpha Six was standing in his chamber, slowly recharging his battery. He was wearing a traditional sleeping hat and clutching a little teddy bear. He smiled at the creature who acted so much like a robot at times and then humanoid at others. Zordon often wondered what went on in the little android's head. He knew for a fact that even Alpha One had been capable of feeling emotions. Alpha Five, the mechanical body that had survived the longest, felt love, guilt, humor, sorrow, fear, grief, and virtually any other emotion intelligent life felt. Who knew what went on in the head of Alpha Six. "Does Alpha have a soul?" Zordon wondered. He could feel and voluntarily produce all of the necessary emotions. He just didn't have a blood and flesh body.
Suddenly, a few tendrils of silver light began to waft through the Power Chamber. "She's here," Zordon said to himself excitedly. A soft breeze blew through the room. The tendrils of light slowly organized themselves into a circle. It carefully lowered to the floor. Clear light began to shine up from the portal that had formed on the floor.
She suddenly rose up out of the glimmering portal. She was just as beautiful as Zordon remembered her. Her hair was long and flowing. Her hair, in fact, was the only physical feature which kept her from looking like an Earthling. Her hair was a beautiful royal blue. She wore a long angelic white gown. It draped the floor and extended past the tips of her fingers. A white sash covered her nose and mouth, showing only her vibrant green eyes.
The woman was not physically in the Power Chamber. She was in another dimension. Wavy lines of light covered her body. It was as if one were viewing her underwater on a sunny day. The silver portal on which she stood quickly shrank, reducing itself from an eight foot diameter to one that was just large enough for her to stand on it.
The woman raised her hands up to her face and pulled her sash down, revealing a beautiful face. "Zordon of Eltare," she said softly.
"Catalina of Eltare," Zordon replied. "Welcome to Earth."
Ivan Ooze, clad in a dark purple sleeping shirt and night cap in place of his usual extravagant purple robe, walked out to the balcony. Jenga, unable to sleep, sat on the edge of the railing. "Do you smell that?" Ivan whispered.
Her face was turned away from him. Blue and green flames danced across her eyes. Fangs had grown in her mouth, and her tongue was forked. Jenga was angrier than she had ever been in her entire life.
"Yes I do," she growled in a demoniacal voice. "She's back."
"I thought you had killed her," Ivan said, almost fearful of Jenga's potential fury. "After I was imprisoned."
"I thought I had," Jenga said in the same deep voice.
"What are you going to do?" Ivan asked.
"I haven't decided yet," Jenga answered. "But I'll think of something."
Ivan Ooze nodded and retreated into the dark corridors of the palace.
Jason walked out into the darkened hallway. The only light was from the main living area, and the small lights on the floor which led to the Power Chamber. He was sure he had heard something; he just wasn't sure what.
"I'll go up to the Power Chamber," he told himself, "and when I see nothing there, I can go back to bed." He had planned it to be a quick trip, and didn't even bother getting dressed. He wore only his red pajama bottoms, his usual nighttime attire. "It was probably Alpha just bumbling around in the dark," he thought.
He quickly made his way up the inclined spiral hallway. The three section door sensed his arrival and immediately separated, permitting him entrance.
The Power Chamber was very dark. Even the Zeo Power Tubes were barely glowing. The greatest source of light came from Zordon's tube. It provided just enough light for Jason to see the visitor. He had many questions to ask. He just decided to get dressed first.
Billy was standing in the hallway. "What's going on?" Billy asked groggily.
"Just a sec," Jason said. He hurried to his closet, found his pajama top, and pulled it on. "Follow me."
"Who is she?" Jason whispered.
"I've never seen her before," Billy whispered back.
"Do you think she's an intruder?" Jason asked.
"There aren't any alarms going off," Billy said. "Let's just go ask."
"I don't think its any of our business," Jason answered.
"It's okay," the woman said suddenly. "You can come in."
Billy and Jason cautiously entered the Power Chamber. "Billy and Jason," Zordon said, "meet Catalina, the only other Eltarian alive."
"Hi," both men said sheepishly.
"Hello," Catalina said. "I am aware that your universe is in grave danger."
"Earth especially," Jason said.
"Yes," Catalina said, "but do not worry. Everything will be okay. You should go get your rest. Tomorrow will be a very busy day."
Jason and Billy did as they were told.
"Good morning all," King Mondo said happily when his internal computer system revived him the next morning.
"It's not really such a good day," Jenga said. Ivan Ooze was relieved that Jenga no longer looked like a demon straight from the depths of hell. She was back to her usual beautiful self.
Rita Repulsa staggered out of her room, adjusting her cones. "Strike a pose," Prince Sprocket said good-naturedly, prompting a smack on the head by his mother's fan. Rita Repulsa smiled at the attention, thankful that someone had finally noticed.
"Madonna is queen," Rita sighed.
"What's your excuse?" Rito asked. Rita promptly smacked him with her wand.
Archerina and Scorpina walked out of a side hallway. The two were quickly becoming good friends. "As soon as everyone is present," Jenga said, "I have some news to tell you."
Gasket and Lord Zedd soon trudged into the main room. Diva Tox and Elgar were close behind. Baboo and Squatt wandered up from the basement. Finster emerged from his laboratory, along with Klank and Orbus. "Where's Rygog?" Diva Tox asked.
"And monkey boy?" Jenga asked. "And MasterVile?"
"MasterVile was sleeping in," he said as he appeared beside his wife in a swirl of black light.
"Oh geez," Diva Tox said. "Look up."
The entire room looked up at the ceiling. Rygog and Goldar were hanging from the ceiling by their feet, sound asleep.
"Since when does Goldar sleep up there?" Rita asked.
"Since we took his room," Scorpina said with a mischievous grin.
Jenga shot two balls of blue light from her fingers at the ceiling. With a scream, Goldar and Rygog dropped straight down.
"Now that we are all awake," Jenga said, "I am afraid I have some bad news to announce. Our number one enemy has arrived."
"Thousand Island," Scorpina said coldly.
"Yes." Jenga paused for a moment and then shouted, "No! Catalina."
"THAT'S IT!!!" Scorpina cried. "I knew it was some type of salad dressing!!!" Jenga growled deep in her throat. "Catalina is a type of salad dressing, is it not?"
"What color?" Elgar asked.
"Red," she answered.
"Oh yeah, red," Rito said. "I like orange, myself."
"ANYWAY!!!" Jenga bellowed, "Catalina is here."
"Our side is showing up, though," Diva Tox said. "My science engineer, Porto, will be here today."
"True enough," Jenga said, "but we have to make a plan."
"I prefer white," Elgar said.
"White what?" Jenga asked, trying desperately to keep her anger in check.
"Salad dressing!" Elgar exclaimed.
"WHY ARE YOU ALL STILL TALKING ABOUT SALAD DRESSINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"You have to excuse Elgar," Diva Tox said. "His father is missing a chromosome."
Jenga ran her hands through her hair. "The next henchmen who says ANYTHING will be turned into a doorstop!!!!!!!"
The room was silent for a few seconds. "Does that include us?" Squatt asked.
With a horrific growl, Jenga swung her head to stare at the short blue beast. He immediately cowered behind an equally frightened Baboo.
"Now does anyone have any ideas?" Jenga asked. Rito started to say something, but Jenga promptly held her hand up. "Any GOOD ideas?"
Rito thought for a second, and then said, "No, I guess not."
"Do I have to do everything around here?!" Jenga asked.
"It is very good to see you, again," Alpha said. "Until yesterday, we thought you might be dead."
"I've been out of the loop for some time," Catalina said. "But I don't mind. I've seen things no one else has."
"We have yet to find the thirteenth crystal," Zordon said.
"That could prove a problem," Catalina said thoughtfully. "Scans haven't located it yet?"
"Negative," Alpha said.
"Shhhhhh," Goldar encouraged. Baboo, Squatt, Elgar, Prince Sprocket, Scorpina, and Goldar followed a sleep-walking Rito through the labyrinthal palace.
"Doesn't take him long to fall asleep," Squatt thought out loud.
Rito stumbled up to an open window. With a snort, he jumped out of the window. He disappeared in a burst of black fire. "Let's go!" Scorpina cried. She swept her sword in a wide circle, and the six beings disappeared.
Kimberly was watching a video tape of cartoons in the living area on the large television set. She had never felt so bizarre in her entire life. She knew that all of her family and friends were either dead or dying, but she didn't feel too much despair yet. It was almost as if a voice in her head ordered her not to give up hope.
"Mind some company?" a voice asked. She turned around on the couch and saw Skull in dark green pajamas standing in the doorway.
"Yeah, sure," Kimberly said with a smile. She patted the cushion beside her. Skull smiled eagerly and joined her.
The two sat in total silence for a few moments. "I sure wouldn't have ever planned on this," Skull said.
"On what?"
"Me being a Power Ranger," he answered.
"Oh," Kimberly said. She gave Skull a quick glance. He had stopped putting handfuls of gel, or whatever it was, in his hair, and it was cut much closer. "A welcome change," she thought to herself. "Tommy and Josh both had long hair." She suddenly stiffened up. "What am I talking about?! I'm not dating Skull!"
"You okay?" Skull asked, yanking her from her thoughts.
"Yeah," she answered. "Just thinking."
She caught a quick glimpse of his left ear. He wore a simple gold hoop as opposed to the six-inch dangly jobs he had worn in the past.
"What am I doing?!" she shouted at herself. "This is Eugene Skullovich! I am NOT checking Skull out. Although the past eighteen months in the Police Academy really has filled him out." With a silent scream at herself, she jerked her attention back to the television.
"Does your arm hurt?" she asked, anything to get away from the voice.
"A little," he admitted, "but Billy said it will stop hurting in another day or two. Then it will itch."
"I am so sorry," Kimberly said.
"Don't be silly," Skull said. "It wasn't your fault." They were both silent for a moment. "I wonder what my parents would think about this," Skull thought out loud.
Kimberly laughed. "I can hear your dad bragging about it right now," she said. His father, Reverend Herbert Skullovich, often brought the Power Rangers up in his sermons. He always mentioned them in a positive light, something that very few religious leaders did. Most saw the Rangers as a threat to religion. Reverend Skullovich viewed the Rangers in the opposite light. To him, they were proof positive of an omnipotent deity.
"Can I ask a private question?" Kimberly asked.
"Shoot," Skull answered.
"Isn't Skullovich a Jewish name?"
"Yeah, its Jewish," he answered, "but we aren't. My great-grandfather was Jewish, and he married a Catholic, and so on and so forth until you end up with my dad, the Baptist minister."
Kimberly yawned and stood up. "I think I'm gonna go back to sleep," she said. "Thanks Skull."
"Night Kimberly."
"Good morning beautiful," Zack said, giving Aisha a quick peck on the lips.
"Mmmmm," Aisha purred. "Are we an official item yet?" She curled up on the couch beside him.
"I'd like to think so," Zack said.
"Good," Aisha said, snuggling up against his body.
"What are we gonna do when this is over?" Zack asked. "And we have to go back to our private worlds."
"They have mail in Kenya," Aisha said. "It takes an extra week to get to our village, but still."
"Letters, huh?" Zack asked.
"Unless you know of another way," Aisha said. "Besides, I'm just staying there for another four years. That's when my grant runs out."
"I thought you stayed there after the Zeo Quest," Zack said.
"Technically I did," she said. "But in real history, I went there on a five-year grant from Angel Grove University. It will guarantee my acceptance into their Veterinary Program."
"Four years?" Zack asked. "Okay. In four years, I'll retire from the Peace Conference, and come back to Angel Grove."
"Then, we can start making serious plans," Aisha said with a bright smile.
"I just thought of something," Zack said. "The Peace Conference has probably been canceled."
"Don't say things like that," Aisha said sternly. She knew he was right though.
The six demons appeared in a swirl of light on a sandy hill in Egypt. The Great Pyramids were only a few hundred feet away. The entire was sky was a dark black cloud. Rito continued to stumble across the desert. "Has he been here before?" Scorpina asked.
"Not that I'm aware of," Goldar answered. They continued to follow him.
"Good morning Billy," Katherine greeted, stretching her sleep-sore muscles.
"Good morning Katherine," he answered. "Sleep well?"
"I guess so," she answered. "That was a strange bed."
Billy nodded in agreement. "This hallway is what messes me up," Kat said. The hallway immediately curved around into a spiral immediately after branching off from the Power Chamber. After one and a half twists, it straightened out and stretched down at about a thirty degree angle. The bedrooms lined the straight portion of the hall. Jason and Billy were at the top and Tanya and Aisha were at the end. Immediately after their bedrooms, the hallway opened up into the living area.
Suddenly, Zordon's booming voice flowed through the hallways. "Rangers, please report to the Power Chamber immediately."
"I wonder what its about?" Kat wondered.
"The lady!" Billy cried. "Let's hurry!" He grabbed Katherine's arm and yanked her up the hall.
Billy was disappointed to see that the mystery woman was not there. The thirteen Rangers, all in various stages of dress, eventually were all together in the Power Chamber. Jason shot Billy a sideways glance, to which Billy replied with a shrug.
"Rangers," Zordon began, "I have wondrous news for us all. The ultimate embodiment of good, the last female Eltarian, has arrived. I present to you my mentor and teacher, Catalina of Eltare."
The silver outline of a bare foot suddenly appeared about two feet off of the ground before Zordon's tube. As it neared the ground, the outline continued moving upward, drawing the rest of her body. A split second later, the foot touched the floor. Immediately, the outline filled in, producing a beautiful woman in a white robe with royal blue hair. Her hair was accented with the occasional royal blue strand, as well as royal blue sparkles throughout.
"Wow," Bulk muttered.
"She's beautiful," Kat whispered.
"Welcome to Earth," Billy said, stepping forward to represent the planet. He extended his arm.
"I'm sorry," Catalina replied. She stretched her own arm out and passed it through Billy's hand. "I'm not in this dimension."
"Where are you?" Tommy asked.
"I'm out of the loop," she explained.
"Is that why you look all hazy?" Rocky asked.
"Yes," she answered. No one, including Billy, really understood what she meant. She didn't elaborate though, and no one pressed for details.
"Understand when I say this I mean no disrespect," Jason said, "but how can you help us?"
Catalina smiled a big smile.
"I need something good," Jenga said. "Something real good. I need the best monster there is!"
"Permission t' speak, m'lady," Klank said.
"Permission granted," Jenga said.
"We ha' a beast known as the ClobberBot," Klank said proudly. "We were gonna send 'im into battle when we were blayne te bits by Zedd an' Rita."
"ClobberBot?" Jenga asked. "Boy, people around here don't put much effort into naming monsters anymore. But go ahead. Send him to Earth."
"She taught me everything I know," Zordon said proudly.
"I used to oversee Rangers myself, on the planet Triforia. But I was in a truly horrific battle, and I was knocked out of this dimension. The Lord of Triforia took the mentoring job for himself, and that duty has been passed down from parent to child for millennia.
"That was the last I was heard of in this dimension, until now. I spent several millennia unconscious. I woke up a few thousand years ago, unaware of who I was or where I was at. I met a very nice man named Sigma. He was also out of the loop, but he taught me to use that to my advantage. I am currently trapped in a very small pocket dimension that has a very distorted sense of reality. Time passes for me normally here, but I require no sustenance, nor oxygen, or even sleep. Sigma explained to me how this dimension of mine works. I can go anywhere at all, just not in a physical body. I don't know what I would have done without Sigma."
"Will Sigma be showing up?" Tanya asked.
"No," Catalina said. "He is very busy elsewhere. He hasn't even had a chance to visit me in about three years. I keep meaning to go visit, but kept putting it off. Then, I sensed the activation of the Anti-Earth Crystals and hurried here to help."
A series of alarms suddenly went off. Catalina jumped, used to a much calmer environment. "Aye-yi-yi!!!" Alpha cried. He hurried over to the console and began to analyze the information. "It's from the Machine Empire! The beast is known as ClobberBot. It is about to attack New York City."
"Is there anyone left alive in New York?" Zack asked.
"There are some people left," Alpha said. "But you will have to hurry. A hurricane is rapidly approaching from the Atlantic."
"Then why don't we just let the hurricane destroy the monster?" Jason asked.
"You have to," Catalina said.
"But," Jason sputtered.
"Go," she said seriously.
"Can we at least get dressed first?" Rocky asked. Catalina shot him a look that let everyone know she was serious.
"IT'S MORPHIN TIME!!!"
"Man," Rocky griped. "Out here saving a dead world in my underwear."
"Just hope you don't demorph," Tanya said.
ClobberBot was nowhere to be found. The Rangers had broken up into two groups to find it.
"This place is trashed," Bulk said. He ran out onto a hardened slick of lava.
"He's sure to be around here someplace guys," Tommy said. "Let's hurry and find this beast."
"POWER SCAN!!!" Billy and Jason shouted in unison.
"POWER BEAMS!!!" Aisha, Trini, and Skull followed. Aisha and Skull took the lead, and Trini held up the rear. It was around ten o'clock, but the clouds that covered the sky prevented any light from getting through.
"Bill," Jason said. "I'm getting readings from the east."
Billy turned his gaze to the east. Immediately, data began to scroll across Billy's field of vision. "I got your back, man," Jason said. The seven Rangers began to walk toward the supposed monster.
Rito walked down the darkened pathways. Prince Sprocket was leading the group of followers. The lights on his head provided the only light in the pyramid.
The hallway suddenly opened up, revealing a large chamber. Various artifacts filled the room, including one urn which seemed to glow with its own internal power. Rito slowly stumbled toward the urn. He stopped before it, reached in, and pulled out a glowing white crystal. With a cry of surprise, Goldar rushed forward, snatched the crystal from the still sleeping Rito, and shoved him aside.
Goldar looked at the gleaming crystal. It was cut like a pair of unfurled wings. "Oh my goodness," he breathed. "The missing Earth Crystal." He immediately vanished and teleported to the moon.
Scorpina immediately swung her Sword above her head, causing the others to teleport as well.
"There it is!" Jason shouted.
"Guys, we found him!" Zack shouted into his wrist. "He's in what's left of Central Park!"
"We're on our way!" Rocky answered.
ClobberBot was as wide as he was tall. He had two powerful arms, whose hands were covered with numerous spikes and claws. His eyes were wide and red, gathering information and determining its attackers' weak points.
The thirteen Rangers quickly gathered into a circle around the machine.
"What's this?" it thought. "I was designed to fight five, maybe six, Rangers. Not thirteen. Ah well, it'll just be more of a challenge."
Goldar was running as soon as he hit the ground. "Jenga! Jenga! Look what Ri-, er, uhm, look what I found!!!"
Jenga hurried to Goldar, and immediately dropped to her knees in shock. "The crystal," she breathed. "Oh my."
Adam high-kicked ClobberBot, deftly avoiding his dangerous hands. He immediately jumped backwards, landed on his hands, and quickly kicked the machine with his feet.
Kimberly pulled back on her Power Bow. A shimmering pink arrow floated in the bow. She was waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike one of ClobberBot's computerized eyes.
Aisha slowly circled ClobberBot with Sabba held out before her. Zack circled in the opposite direction with his Power Axe. ClobberBot fighting style was very different from any previous monster. When he was attacked by a group, he just freaked out and started swinging his hands everywhere, injuring everyone. The Rangers were attacking one at a time, rapid fire.
Adam jumped away, and Bulk darted in.
Squatt had quickly tired of everyone's ravings over the Crystal. Sure, it was pretty, but it glowed so bright it hurt his eyes. The short, blue henchmen was instead standing on the balcony, watching the battle through the RepulsaScope.
"He's gettin' whooped up real bad," Squatt said. "Uhm, Rita? Zedd? Jenga?"
He wobbled over to the group gathered around the glowing crystal. "Uhm, you guys?"
"Hush Squatt," Elgar whispered.
"Oh hush yourself," Squatt snapped. "Rita, I think you need to..."
"Not now, Squatt!" she cried.
"But," he began. He paused. "Can I borrow your wand then?"
"Why?" she asked.
"Uhm, Rito has his head stuck in the toilet again," he lied.
"Fine," she said, handing him the staff that was two feet taller than he was. "Just be careful."
Squatt hurried back to the balcony, passing a still sleep-walking Rito on the way. He pointed the staff and concentrated. A yellow blast of light suddenly burst from the tip. It struck the railing, obliterating it. Squatt was knocked backwards from the impact. He rolled over, climbed to his feet, and stared at the destruction he had caused. "Uh oh," he muttered. "Oh well. I'll blame it on Rito."
He thought back, trying to Remember how Rita had done it. After thinking for a few moments, he suddenly remembered and shouted, "Make my monster GROW!!!!!!" He held the wand like a javelin and threw it off the balcony. It quickly disappeared into the blackness of space.
Squatt smiled at his actions and hurried over to the RepulsaScope to watch the battle.
A distant memory was triggered by the faint whirring sound that was slowly becoming louder and louder. "What is that?" Rocky asked. Rita's staff appeared in the sky and quickly grew larger and larger.
ClobberBot looked up just as the staff struck him. The staff bounced off of his metallic head. ClobberBot's eyes dimmed, and he toppled over.
The thirteen Rangers paused. The machine had been deactivated by the device that was supposed to make it grow.
"Rita's aim must be off," Zack finally said.
"Apparently so," Kimberly added. They all continued to stare at the downed monster and the staff.
"Now this is just ridiculous," Tanya said.
"Should we go ahead and destroy it?" Skull asked.
"I think that's against the Code," Trini said.
Billy crept over to ClobberBot. He opened the compartment on the back of its head. The deep dent from the impact had severed several crucial components.
"Do we go back to the Power Chamber?" Bulk asked.
"What do you normally do when this happens?" Skull asked.
"This has never happened before," Jason replied.
"Uh oh," Squatt muttered. "Uhm, uh, hoo boy." Squatt suddenly had one of the few ideas he had ever experienced. He hurried over to Rito and guided him, still asleep, to the balcony. He waited a few seconds, and then smacked him. "Rito! Rito! Look what you did in your sleep!!!" Squatt lied convincingly.
Rito peered into the RepulsaScope. Rito looked at his fellow henchmen. "Aw man! Ed and his mom are gonna be real mad at me! You have to help me Squatt!"
"Okay okay," Squatt said. "We'll go to Earth, you distract the Rangers, and I'll use the wand to fix the monster."
"Right!" Rito agreed just before they teleported away.
"Hey!" Rito shouted.
"Rito!" Adam shouted. "What are you doing here?"
"Tengas!" Rito shouted. Several dozen of the large birds suddenly appeared all around him. "ATTACK!!!"
The Rangers quickly began to defend themselves from the birds.
Squatt appeared beside the fallen ClobberBot. He picked up Rita's staff and pointed it at the machine. Fortunately for Squatt, the staff knew what to do. Yellow light flowed from the tip. With a flash of light, ClobberBot was reactivated. ClobberBot jumped to his feet and looked for the Rangers.
"Hey buddy," Squatt said. "Wanna grow?"
"Yeah!" ClobberBot said excitedly in his deep voice. "Then I can get those Rangers good."
"I hope this works," Squatt muttered under his breath.
Rito and the Tengas vanished just as quickly as they came.
"This is the weirdest battle," Zack said.
"ClobberBot is back in action!" Rocky cried. He pointed at the now-gigantic machine.
"We need NinjaZord Power," Jason said.
"NOW!" the others affirmed.
Just a few seconds later, the thirteen Zords were flying toward New York.
"Let's go for the big one, guys," Tommy said.
Immediately, the Zords began to organize themselves. The three MegaZords quickly formed. MegaZord I separated down the middle to form the two arms. MegaZord III formed the legs, and MegaZord II produced the body.
"That is a big MegaZord," Aisha said in awe.
It wasn't any taller than previous MegaZords, but it made the MegaShogunZord look anorexic. "Let's do it!" Billy shouted. The thirteen Rangers teleported into the cockpit.
The cockpit was divided into three sections. Blue and pink Rangers were seated in the upper left, green and yellow in the upper right, and red, black, and white in the center bottom.
"Let's see if we can get in sync and send this beast back to Jenga!" Aisha shouted.
"Right!" the others agreed.
Squatt quickly fixed the balcony. He then hurried the wand back over to Rita.
Jenga held the two crystals, one clear and the other gray. "This gives me a wonderful idea," she said. "A wonderful idea."
"So," Squatt said, "howya been?"
All present turned to stare at the ignorant henchman.
The thirteen Rangers ripped their helmets off and started their ritual congratulations celebration. Catalina was impressed at their enthusiasm.
"How was your new MegaZord?" Alpha asked.
"Awesome," Aisha said eagerly. "ClobberBot never stood a chance."
"I don't think ClobberBot was working right," Skull said.
"Yeah, that first bonk on the head messed him up," Kimberly agreed.
"Well, now that the monster is destroyed, I'm going to shave, shower, and get dressed," Rocky said.
"Before you go," Catalina said, "I have something you might like to know."
"What's that?" Tommy asked.
"It won't be simple, and provided we do get the necessary equipment, I still might not be able to pull it off," she said.
"What?" Bulk asked, his excitement growing.
"I may know a way to restore the Earth and all life on it," she answered simply.