"Carlos, left!"
Tommy's voice had barely died away before Carlos Vargas spun in the gunner's
seat and obliterated two Dianth fighters. Surveying the battle scene before
him, he bit his lip. It was becoming frighteningly easy for him to take
a shot at anything silver that entered his airspace. Andros had said that
the fighters were computer-controlled, so it wasn't as if he was actually
shooting at people. Still- a real war shouldn't be so much like a video
game, should it?
"Don't think
about it," a voice drifted back from the cockpit. Carlos couldn't see Chris'
face, but the tone in the other boy's voice was very serious. "If you want
to get through this with your sanity intact, just think of them as blips
on the screen."
Carlos nodded,
forgetting for a second that the other could not see him. "If you can do
it, I can do it. Let's kick some tail."
The Gunstar
plunged back into the fray with the speed of a diving falcon. Nearby, other
ships spun and fired on each other, turning the battle into a dizzying
kaleidoscope of metal and laser fire. Out of the corner of his eye, Carlos
could see the other Rangers, each one identifiable from his or her flying
style.
Tommy was a
hot dog, pulling off incredible stunts with ease. Jamie and Jason, his
constant wingmen, had a tendency to shoot at anything that crossed their
range. Rocky was just this side of reckless, while Billy preferred to lure
his opponents into traps and take as many out with one shot as possible.
Kimberly's style
involved a lot of acrobatics, since she could make a ship practically turn
on its tailfin. Lillian was acrobatic as well, but favored sudden dives
as opposed to loops. Andros was almost as much of a hot dog as Tommy, but
his longer experience showed in some of his stunts. As for Chris... As
far as Carlos could tell, the new Silver Astro Ranger was following in
the footsteps of WW II fighter pilots.
Although the
Ranger pilots were never far from each other, there was a great deal of
cooperation between their group and the Starrunner pilots they were assisting.
A persistent Dianth Fighter that Rocky could not shake off his tail was
suddenly blown away. "Thanks, man," Rocky sent.
"No problem,"
the Starrunner chuckled. "I'm not losing ANYBODY I fly with, even if I
did just meet him."
Between the
Rangers and the Starrunners, it looked as if the Dianth ships were finally
routed. Suddenly a green laser shot from the front of the main flagship,
narrowly missing a clump of fighters.
"Whoa!" Chris
cried. "Nobody told me we were going up against the Death Star!"
"Everybody all
right?" Ashley's voice asked over the comm system. The Rangers who were
unable to fly had spread throughout the _Starfire,_ taking over as many
tasks as they could, freeing more of the Starrunners to join the battle.
Ashley had gotten herself installed as Communications Officer for the Rangers,
and was helping direct the battle from the bridge.
"Singed my tail
feathers, but I'm okay," Jamie responded.
Kimberly added,
"That thing packs one heck of a wallop."
"If we don't
do something about it soon," Jason finished, "we are toast."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After all the
explanations and introductions were finally finished, the assembled heroes
of Earth decided to head to Angel Grove Park to try and relax. The assorted
members of the support staff remained behind to discuss the current situation,
and probably, Ryan thought, to offer more realistic, less hopeful appraisals
of their situation.
Currently, the
blond leader of the VR Troopers was sitting under a tree, watching one
of the strangest games of Frisbee he'd ever seen. Drew was attempting to
snag the disk with his telekinesis, Roland was outrunning everybody, and
Jo and Fred had teamed up, the smaller girl lifting the Red Turbo Ranger
into the air to grab the disk. Meanwhile, Kaitlin, JB, and Dex, the Masked
Rider, were using their superior height to try and beat the others to the
Frisbee. However, the Turbo Rangers were small and fast, with excellent
jumping skills. It looked to be anybody's game.
Finally Kaitlin
withdrew from the competition, pleading exhaustion, and sank gratefully
down on the ground next to Ryan. "Did we have that much energy at their
age?" she asked, leaning back against the tree. He shrugged.
"Remember what
we did to the Professor's lab when Grimlord made us kids again?"
"Good point."
She shook her head. "I can't believe this. The twelve of us are the only
thing standing between this Shadowborg and Earth, and half of the defense
force isn't old enough to vote!"
Ryan chuckled.
"That's kind of a sore spot, Kaitlin. How would you feel if everyone kept
second-guessing you, just because of your age?"
"I understand,
I guess. But- this isn't exactly an activity I'd recommend for people their
age."
"Well, they're
obviously good at what they do," Ryan answered. "I mean, the Beetleborgs
have been at this as long as we have, and they're still alive."
"Yeah, I guess."
They sat in silence for a moment, then she got to her feet. "Well, I'm
going to go play some more Frisbee. You coming?"
He shook his
head. "No, I'm going to sit here for a while. You go on."
"Suit yourself,"
she shrugged, and headed out into the field again.
"You like to
be by yourself a lot, don't you?" Ryan looked up to see Drew watching him.
Ryan grinned.
"Geez, do you
turn invisible, too? I didn't even see you leave the Frisbee game."
Drew smiled,
but there was a slightly bitter cast to it. Sitting down next to Ryan,
he shook his head. "No, I'm not the one who turns invisible. And you didn't
answer my question."
Ryan winced.
"Touche," he acknowledged. "I guess I do like to be by myself. It helps
me think." Quickly, he changed the subject. "I still can't get over how
two of Earth's major hero teams aren't old enough to drive. No offense,
but I just thought you'd be- older."
"There are days
I feel like I'm fifty," Drew offered. "Does that count?"
Ryan laughed.
"I know exactly what you mean."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the bridge
of the Starfire, Ashley watched apprehensively as the Ranger pilots
discussed how to best deal with the newest threat.
"I have an idea!"
Billy announced suddenly.
"We're all ears
here, Billy," Lillian replied.
"It looks as
though it takes that laser array some time to power up. Andros and Chris
are our best pilots. We wait until that thing fires again, then the two
of them get in there and take it out."
"Wait a minute!"
Chris objected. "You want me to fly through about a hundred pirate ships,
directly towards the biggest laser this side of Vegas? Are you crazy?"
"Come on, man,"
Carlos teased. "Where's your sense of adventure?"
"I left it in
my other pants," grumbled the Silver Astro Ranger.
"You guys are
the best we've got," Tommy informed them. "If you don't go through with
this, it's gonna be Rangers flambe."
"You'll have
to hurry," Billy continued. "When that thing fires, you'd better get going
like-"
"Like my hair
was on fire and my ass was catching?" Chris interjected. "Billy, you aren't
even going to see me move!"
Ashley chuckled.
Chris certainly had a way with words. Suddenly a bolt of green energy shot
from the Dianth Flagship again, this one aimed directly at the Starfire.
Quickly, she grabbed for a console as the bridge rocked around her. "You'd
better hurry, guys!" she cried over her headset. "We can't take another
shot like that one!"
"Already on
our way," Andros sent back. "Somebody keep those fighters off our tails!"
"Come on, guys!"
Jason yelled. "Let's plow the road!"
With the other
Rangers covering them, Andros and Chris made it quite close to the main
laser array. "Lock on weapons!" Andros ordered. "And- Fire!" Two lasers
shot out, obliterating the array in a huge explosion. Unfortunately, Andros
and Chris were not far enough away, and were caught up in the shockwave
as well.
"Shit!" Chris
cried. "My systems are out!"
"Mine too!"
Andros replied. "We've been caught in the gravity well of that planet!"
The two ships began to spiral down into the atmosphere.
"We're toast!"
Carlos cried. Chris sounded calmer.
"Re-entry's
gonna be a real pain in the-" A burst of static cut him off as the two
ships spiraled out of contact and were gone.
"CARLOS!" Ashley
cried, jumping to her feet. "We have to save them!"
J'neth, also
stationed on the bridge, shook his head. "That's Onyx, a planet completely
controlled by villains. We'd never make it. If they survive re-entry, they'll
have to find their own way back. We've got problems of our own."
"Like what?"
Ashley followed his gaze to a computer screen. It read "Unauthorized teleportation
into main hold."
"I think," he
replied grimly, "we've just been boarded."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fred Kelman had
no sooner grabbed the Frisbee than his communicator went off. Distracted,
he didn't quite get his feet under him as he touched down, and consequently
landed hard on his butt. Any injury he suffered was immediately forgotten
as the rest of the group clustered around him. Justin had promised to make
up enough communicators for the entire group, but until then, the Turbos
were the only ones that had them.
"We read you,"
Fred responded. "What's up?"
"Shadowborg,"
Egon Spengler replied succinctly. "He's downtown, causing a great deal
of rather random destruction and chaos. I'm quite sure this is some sort
of challenge to you."
"He's calling
us out," mused JB.
"We'd better
get down there now," Drew informed the others.
Suddenly Ray
Stantz's voice interrupted them. "Hold up a minute, guys. Franklin, there's-
something you should know."
A chill shot
up the Green Turbo Ranger's spine, and he swallowed hard. "What?"
"Apparently
Shadowborg has crossed paths with the Angel Grove Police Department. He
has a group of cops pinned down inside a parking garage. We think there's
injuries, but- we can't tell how many or how serious."
Seeing Franklin's
face go death-pale, Dex shot Rosa a curious look. Rosa bit her lip. "His
dad's a cop," she explained. "On the 'Monster Squad.'" Reaching out, she
wrapped an arm around her green friend's waist. He squeezed her shoulders
gently, not really seeming to notice that she was there.
"If your dad's
the Detective Park we met this morning, I wouldn't worry," Drew told him.
Jo seconded the idea.
"Yeah, that
guy looked like he could eat Crustaceans for breakfast."
Franklin smiled
slightly. "Let's just get down there and stop Shadowborg before anybody
else gets hurt," he responded. Fred nodded.
"Right." Breaking
up into their respective teams, the twelve assembled heroes moved slightly
apart.
"Shift into
Turbo!"
"Databonders!"
"Ecto-phase
Activate!"
"Trooper Transform!"
Angel Grove Park was treated to a light show the likes of which it had
never seen, a feat in itself, considering all the things that had occurred
there. Then, with another brilliant flash, the defenders of Earth were
teleported downtown.
"Well," Yellow
Turbo grimaced. "I don't think we're going to have any trouble finding
him." A wide trail of destruction surrounded them, leading off down the
street.
"Just so long
as he doesn't find us first," Blue Trooper replied, scanning the area.
"Everybody be
very careful," Titanium Silver stressed. "This guy can take just about
anything we can dish out."
Following the
swathe of crumpled mailboxes, slagged lampposts, and shattered concrete,
the heroes quickly found their target, almost idly trading shots with the
police still trapped in the garage.
"All right,
guys," Red Turbo said quietly, calling his companions into a huddle. "Our
first priority is to get those cops out of that building, and out of the
war zone if possible. Frank, that's your job." Green Turbo nodded, an acknowledgment
both of the command and of the fact that he wouldn't be good for anything
else. Not, at least, until he knew his father was safe.
"I wouldn't
recommend going alone, though," his leader continued. "We haven't seen
any foot soldiers in this attack, but that doesn't mean there aren't any.
Besides, you might need help with the police. Who do you want with you?"
"Roland? We
make a pretty good team," Green Turbo suggested. Titanium Silver nodded.
"I think I'll take Tasha, too. She can bully them into cooperation, even
if they're in shock."
"I have experience
in working with the police, and some first aid training," White Trooper
volunteered.
"Great," Red
Turbo nodded. "You guys get in there, get the cops out, and then get your
butts back here as fast as possible, understand? We are going to need all
the support we can get against this guy."
The four nodded.
"Right." Taking care not to draw Shadowborg's attention, they slipped off.
"Now it's our
turn, right?" Blue Turbo sighed. "We get to be the distraction."
"Could be worse,"
Platinum Purple replied cheerfully.
"How?" Even
while bickering quietly, the two of them were moving to surround Shadowborg,
along with the other six. No sooner had the eight of them formed a semicircle
around their target than Shadowborg turned slowly.
"Well, well,
well," he chuckled coldly. "Eight against one. And I thought Earth's defenders
were supposed to fight with honor."
"This is as
fair a fight as you deserve," Chromium Gold snarled, surprising the others
with the venom in his tone.
"So we meet
again, Drew. I must say, I like the new look better than your old blue
one. Yellow is definitely your color."
Feeling her
brother stiffen beside her, Platinum Purple put out a hand. "Don't..."
she whispered.
"Still taking
orders from your little sister?" Shadowborg asked with mock politeness.
"No wonder you were nearly displaced by that snotty little upstart."
"That's enough,"
Masked Rider interrupted. "We came here to fight, not to listen to you
run your mouth."
"Then it's a
fight you shall have!" With that, Shadowborg leaped forward. Cries echoed
through the square as eight heroes and one very nasty villain did battle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brushing blond
hair out of his eyes, Rick Winslow regarded his partner sardonically. "Trevor,
sit still. I have to bandage this up, and I can't do that if you keep moving."
"It's just a
little laser wound," Trevor replied absently. He had his head craned, trying
to see through the small holes between the cars that formed their shelter.
"You'd think he took my arm off or something." The police detective frowned.
"What is going on out there? I don't recognize half of those voices."
Rick opened
his mouth to make another sarcastic comment, but never made it. Four forms
dropped from an upper level, instantly finding themselves the targets of
a number of police guns.
Titanium Silver
raised his hands. "It's okay, really. We're the good guys."
Green Turbo
couldn't reach his father's side fast enough. "Da- Detective Park. Are
you all right?"
"It's just a
scratch," Trevor replied, indicating the bandage on his arm. "You'd better
see to the guys who are worse off than me."
White Trooper
crossed to where a blond woman, whose badge identified her as a lieutenant,
was supporting the head of another man. The man's leg was bent in the wrong
place, and White Trooper winced as she knelt beside them. "Is this broken?"
she asked quietly.
The policewoman
nodded. "Damn thing snapped it like a twig," she growled. "We never stood
a chance."
"We're the 'Monster
Squad,' Spinelli," the injured man grinned weakly. "What else could we
do? The Rangers were out of action."
"Well, reinforcements
have arrived," White Trooper informed him. Looking around the garage, she
saw Green and Yellow Turbos bandaging wounds and moving the injured into
the center of the room as gently as possible. Spotting Titanium Silver,
she waved him over.
"We're going
to have to set this leg before we move him anywhere," she said in a low
tone. "You distract him, okay?"
Titanium Silver
nodded, moving to take the injured man's hand. "So- what's your name, man?"
he asked.
"Sergeant Charles
Maddox. People call me Chuck."
"Got any kids,
Sergeant Maddox?"
Chuck smiled.
"Two. You know, they're going to flip when they hear about this. They think
the Beetleborgs are the greatest thing since sliced bread." Just then,
Lieutenant Spinelli and White Trooper squeezed his leg, moving the bone
back into position with a sickening crunch. Chuck's face went pale, but
he did not cry out.
Titanium Silver
was impressed. "Tell you what," he said lightly, trying to cover his reaction.
"When all this is over, the three of us will sign a Beetleborg comic for
them, okay?"
"Sounds- good
to me," Chuck panted. Gently, White Trooper and Lieutenant Spinelli moved
him into the center of the floor, where the rest of the police had gathered.
"Power Chamber,
get ready to teleport to the hospital on my signal," Green Turbo instructed.
"Detective Park, can you take care of all the admissions stuff?"
Before Trevor
had a chance to answer, Rick stepped in. "I will take care of the
admissions stuff. Trevor will be admitted with all the other walking wounded."
He grinned. "I'm just dirty. Besides, if I let you spend one minute without
medical care, your wife would put ME in the hospital."
"You're probably
right," Trevor admitted. Looking at Green Turbo, he grinned. "We'll be
fine." With that said, the group of policemen dissolved into white light
and were gone.
"All right,
enough moping around!" Yellow Turbo declared. "The others need our help.
Let's get out there and kick some Shadow Butt!"
"Ohhh, man,"
Carlos groaned, slowly waking up. "I can't believe it. I'm alive!" Re-entry
had burned out most of the Gunstar's systems, and had caused extensive
damage to the outside of the craft, but somehow it had managed not to kill
them. "Chris? You alive up there?"
"I don't think
being dead hurts this much," came the muffled reply. "Think the air's breathable?"
"Since I'm staring
through a hole in the canopy, I'd say yes," the Black Astro Ranger replied
wryly. "Pop the top, will you? We have to find Andros."
"Not to mention
a way OFF this rock." After a few tense moments, the Gunstar's canopy unsealed,
peeling back from the cockpit. Gingerly, the two boys climbed down the
side of the ship. Looking at the wreck, they winced in unison.
"I don't think
we can fix her," Carlos sighed. Chris nodded.
"If she was
a horse, we'd have to shoot her. You think Andros made it down in one piece?"
"I don't know,
but I do know that he's been flying a lot longer than either of us. My
question is, how are we gonna find him?"
Chris pointed
over Carlos' shoulder. "My money is on that column of smoke over there.
Come on!" The two of them took off running. As they crested a rise, they
saw Andros standing a few yards away from his destroyed fighter, watching
as what was left of the wreckage smoldered.
"You all right?"
Carlos asked, coming up beside his leader. Andros nodded.
"Yeah, Carlos.
Come on, we'd better get out of here before the wreck explodes, or before
the people of the planet come to investigate." He began walking. Exchanging
a glance, Chris and Carlos hurried to catch up.
"Where ARE we,
anyway?" Chris asked, coming back alongside Andros. "I didn't exactly check
the map before we crashed."
"We're on the
planet Onyx. It's a sort of haven for villains. The UAE- United Alliance
of Evil," he explained to Chris, "the UAE took it over millennia ago for
use as a rest and recreation zone. It's the most crime-ridden, dangerous
hellhole in three galactic sectors."
"Great," Chris
grumbled. "Shot down over the galactic equivalent of South Central."
"How do you
know so much about this place?" Carlos pursued.
Andros sighed.
"After the loss of KO-35, I followed Dark Specter for almost a year before
he went to Earth. This was one of the places that I followed him to." In
the distance, a town was approaching. Andros smiled slightly.
"Figures. This
is Port Town, the main- heck, the only center of civilization on Onyx.
Our ships must have tried to bring us in here, since it's the best landing
site on the planet."
"Looks like
the backlot for a bad sci-fi Western," was Chris's appraisal. It was a
fairly accurate one. The streets were full of strange creatures, but the
architecture seemed to be straight out of "Gunsmoke." Andros ducked into
an alley, pulling the other two with him.
"I'm going to
scope out the town and see if I can't find us a way off this planet," the
Red Astro Ranger told his teammates. "You two stay in this alley and be
ready to back me up if I need you." Reaching behind a loose board on a
wall, he pulled out a wine-red cloak. "Well, what do you know? Still here."
Dusting it off, he covered himself in it.
"How will we
know if you need us?" Carlos asked.
Andros chuckled.
"Trust me, Carlos, you'll know." Pulling the hood over his head, he slipped
out into the street and was gone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A loud clang
resounded through the street as Blue Trooper slammed into the nearest wall.
Instantly, Masked Rider was at his side, helping him up. "Are you all right?"
the insectoid hero asked, concerned.
"I think so,"
the Trooper replied, standing gingerly. "Man, that guy packs one heck of
a punch."
"Tell me about
it."
While his auto-repair
circuits took care of the damage inflicted on him, Blue Trooper watched
the battle raging in front of him. Pink Turbo had taken position on top
of a dumpster, and was launching bolt after energy bolt from her bow. Unfortunately,
none of them seemed to connect, and a blast from the Shadow Laser sent
her flying.
Platinum Purple
had summoned her Metallix Baton, a staff with prongs on the ends. She darted
in for an attack, only to be knocked away by a casual kick. Masked Rider
and Blue Trooper stopped her before she could hit the wall, but all three
of them tumbled to the pavement.
No sooner had
Shadowborg dispatched Platinum Purple, however, then Chromium Gold attacked.
This match was far more even, as the two of them traded powerful blows
back and forth.
"Wow," Pink
Turbo breathed, limping over to help Platinum Purple to her feet. Nearby,
Masked Rider was doing the same for Blue Trooper. "Drew is PISSED."
"I've never
seen him this bad," Platinum Purple told them. "He's beginning to scare
me."
A fast kick
to the midsection sent Chromium Gold sprawling. He continued the motion
of his roll, barely dodging as the Shadow Claw bit into the concrete where
his head had been. Suddenly a bolt of blue energy sent Shadowborg staggering
back, just long enough for Red Turbo, Blue Turbo, and Black Trooper to
interpose themselves between Shadowborg and his target. Meanwhile, Platinum
Purple and Blue Trooper rushed to help Chromium Gold up. A powerful blast
from the Shadow Laser sent the entire group down.
"Looks like
you guys could use some reinforcements!" Green Turbo's voice called. The
downed heroes looked up to see the last four members of their team rushing
out of the parking garage. Quickly, the newcomers arrayed themselves around
their fallen friends, giving them time to get to their feet.
"I think it's
time we doubled the odds!" White Trooper declared. "VR Kaitlin Doubleteam
Command, NOW!" In a flash of light, another figure appeared beside White
Trooper. The newcomer was an exact duplicate of White Trooper, down to
the white and red armor she wore.
Shadowborg just
laughed. "Thirteen, my lucky number." Pointing towards White 2, the claw
shot from his wrist and buried itself in her chest armor. Laughing coldly,
he reeled her in as a fisherman does a bass, then grabbed her arms and
sent electric shocks coursing through her. The other heroes tried to move
in and break his grip, but Shadowborg just used the Trooper in his grasp
as a shield to keep them away.
However, White
2 was not out of the fight yet. Twisting her wrist, she summoned one of
the double-ended sickles that were her main weapons. "Laugh it- up, ugly,"
she growled. Then with a powerful shove, she embedded the kama in Shadowborg's
chest plate. Releasing her, he staggered back a few paces. White 2 began
to collapse bonelessly to the ground, but Blue Trooper was right there,
and caught her as she began to fall. The rest of the team moved to form
a wall between them and the Shadowborg.
Looking down,
Shadowborg reached up and casually pulled the weapon out of his chest.
Regarding it for a moment, he tossed it contemptuously aside. Still, the
heroes could see sparks flying from the hole it left, proof that the injury
was a bit more serious than had first appeared.
"One battle
does not win a war, heroes," Shadowborg informed them. "I'll be back, when
you least expect it." Turning, he walked into the nearest shadow and was
gone.
"Are you going
to be all right?" Blue Trooper asked White 2. The girl nodded.
"Sure. Once
we retroform all the damage will be gone. After all, SHE'S the original."
Blue Trooper cocked his head at the bitterness apparent in her voice, but
said nothing.
"It's over for
now, guys," Chromium Gold sighed. "Let's go back to the Power Chamber."
"Right," agreed
Red Turbo. "Beam us up, Scotty." The thirteen heroes vanished into flashes
of light, four of them with strange circuitry patterns.
"Turbo Rangers
Power Down."
"Backblast."
"Masked Rider
Power Down."
"Retroform Command,
now." The weariness that all four teams felt was obvious from the lack
of force in their back-transformation commands. However, no sooner had
the power around them cleared than a new problem presented itself. Ryan
and JB simply stared, speechless, at the place where TWO Kaitlin Starrs
stood face-to-face.
Peter raised
an eyebrow. "I take it this is not normal?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"This is the
last place I want to be," TJ grumbled. "I feel like an extra in 'Aliens.'"
TJ, Skull, Adam, and Cassie, being the best shots currently on board, had
been assigned to the team dealing with the boarders in the holds. Currently,
they were making their way through the dark corridors that formed the lower
levels of the Starfire. Skull grinned.
"Well, at least
here you only have to worry about pirates," he chuckled. "Not facehuggers."
Suddenly Adora,
the Starrunner in charge of the eight-man team, raised a hand. "Shh. I
think we've found them. There, in Hold 6A. Weapons ready, everybody." At
her signal, the team moved into the better-lit hold.
"Don't move!"
Adora snapped, leveling her laser at the nine Dianth pirates. Of course,
none of them listened. Instead, they all dove for cover, drawing their
own lasers and opening fire.
"Duck!" Adam
yelled, taking cover behind a stack of metal crates. The rest of the team
did the same. Cassie winced as one bolt came a little too close for comfort.
"Forget 'Aliens,'
Teej. We just walked into 'Lethal Weapon!'"
Quickly, Adam
leaned around the corner of his shelter, snapping a volley of shots off
at the attacking pirates. As he ducked back to safety, he noticed Skull
doing the same thing. It was sort of funny, he thought, how the only member
of the Rangers who had never used an energy pistol was a crack shot. That
was Skull for you, though, always full of surprises.
TJ ducked as
a volley of laser shots went screaming over his head. "This is getting
us nowhere," he remarked. "We could trade shots like this all day."
"You have a
better idea?" Jayce, the Starrunner beside him asked. The young man was
a little younger than TJ, and had brown hair with a white streak running
through it.
"As a matter
of fact, maybe I do," TJ grinned. "Come on!" The two of them dashed across
the hold, to where a stack of barrels stood. "What's in these?"
"Dragontail
Brandy. Expensive, but not deadly- well, unless you drink WAY too much,"
Jayce replied, seeing what TJ meant to do. "Besides, the barrels are very
strong, and it won't hurt the drink too much."
"Good. Help
me push!" The two young men set their backs to the stack and began to push.
For a long second, nothing happened. Then the barrels began to quiver,
and toppled- right in the direction of the Dianth pirates.
It worked just
as TJ had hoped. The rolling barrels knocked pirates left and right, and
directly into walls. Those who weren't KO'd by the barrels found themselves
disarmed and dealing with Starrunners and Rangers all at once. Suddenly,
an arm slipped around TJ's throat, cutting off his wind. The barrel of
a laser pistol placed against his temple kept him from struggling.
"Give it up,
Dianth," Adora snapped, drawing her pistol and pointing it at TJ's assailant.
"You're outnumbered and have nowhere to go."
"Oh, I have
plenty of places to go," the pirate sneered. "Back to the Demon,
for example. How much do you think a Power Ranger would go for on the galactic
slave market?" Before this could register, TJ and his captor were enveloped
in sparkles of light and then disappeared. Starrunners and Rangers looked
at each other.
"Shit," Cassie
grunted. That pretty much said it all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ship shuddered
again as Chelsea ran onto the bridge. "What the heck is going on here?"
she asked, slipping smoothly into the navigator's chair.
"Obviously,
we're under attack," Ecliptor retorted. "Can you take over the radar?"
"Already on
it," she replied, flipping switches. "Trey, what are you up to?"
"I'm weapons
detail," the Gold Ranger responded, not looking up.
"So, who's chasing
us?" Chelsea inquired. "All I see are blips on the screen."
"Varox," Trey
ground out. "I'm more convinced than ever that this is a set-up. Whoever
hired these guys to get me in the first place has got to be behind this."
Ecliptor grunted,
dodging laser blasts as he flew. "I told you, my old enemy Darkonda is
behind this."
"Yeah, but the
only Darkonda I know of is a respected member of the Council. I've
never heard of this guy you're talking about."
"But you have,
Gold Ranger. The Darkonda I speak of IS the one you know. In recent centuries,
the Council has grown lax in checking the background of its members. And
Darkonda is very, very good about hiding his past."
"But- why me?"
Trey shook his head. "It's not like my arrest would gain him anything."
"It would gain
power, young prince. Control over an ever-expanding portion of the Council.
The Gold Ranger is the only holder of the power to also be a ruler among
his people. Imagine, if he could have you declared unworthy of the powers,
and therefore unworthy of your post."
A chill shot
up Trey's spine. "And he'd surely have a suitable candidate already picked
out- suitable meaning one he could control, whether by greed, or fear,
or spells."
"And Triforia
is one of the major powers in the galaxy. A Gold Ranger and a number of
allied planets, all under his control..."
"He could use
the economic and political power as a bludgeon to get the rest of the Council
to do whatever he wanted," Chelsea broke in somberly. Both men darted her
sharp glances. "Hey, we do have politics on Earth, you know. And it doesn't
seem to work much differently out here. I made A's in Political Science,
thank you very much!"
Trey grinned,
shaking his head. "You never cease to amaze me, Chelse."
"Mmm..." Chelsea
raised an eyebrow. "Ecliptor, I can't find these guys anywhere. They've
just dropped off my screens. Do you think we lost them?"
The ship suddenly
shook violently, as a blip appeared and disappeared, directly behind them.
"I'd say that's
a 'no,'" Trey replied dryly, swinging the cannons around and firing.
"They're cloaked,"
Ecliptor growled.
Another shudder
shook them, and suddenly the weapons panel exploded in a fiery display
of sparks. "TREY!" Chelsea yelled, leaping out of her seat to go to her
fallen boyfriend. Ecliptor gritted his teeth.
"Hang on to
something!" he yelled. "I've got one more trick in this thing!" Suddenly
the world around them began to blur, and Chelsea realized that Ecliptor
had shifted them into hyperspace. She had no attention to spare this information,
though. Her entire brain was focused on the man who lay unconscious beside
her on the floor.
Slowly the world
returned to normal, but Chelsea didn't notice. She was too busy checking
Trey's pulse- irregular and far too fast- and his breathing. He had first
and second-degree burns on his torso and arms, which had shielded his face
at the moment of explosion. His pupils were dilated, and she was afraid
he had a concussion.
"How is he?"
Ecliptor asked, coming to her side.
"Bad," Chelsea
replied, keeping her voice steady with an effort. "If we don't get him
medical attention soon-" she broke off, unable to finish.
Ecliptor was
silent for a long moment, then sighed. "I have an idea." Reaching down,
he picked the unconscious Gold Ranger up off the floor as if he weighed
no more than a feather. Once again, Chelsea was forcibly reminded of how
strong Ecliptor was. If he decided she was a liability... She forced that
out of her mind, following the crystalline being down the hall.
Ecliptor's strides
brought them quickly to the medical bay. A small room with a single bed,
Chelsea wasn't sure how anything there could help a condition as serious
as Trey's. "Take the mattress off the med bed," Ecliptor instructed. Chelsea
did so, and found a cabinet beneath, just deep enough for a humanoid to
lie in. Gently, Ecliptor set Trey down in the cabinet and pressed a button.
A blue glow sprang into being around the unconscious man, pulsing gently.
"It's a stasis
field," the crystalline warrior explained. "It will keep his condition
from deteriorating until we can get him somewhere that he can get treatment."
"Do you have
anywhere in mind?" Chelsea asked. Ecliptor regarded her for a moment. She
had immediately reigned in the fear and uncertainty she felt, and was all
business again. He chuckled.
"As a matter
of fact, I do. And for now, you're my co-pilot."
Chelsea couldn't
keep from making a small face. "Oh, joy," she muttered.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Power
Chamber, shock had given way to questions, as everyone wanted to know exactly
what happened with Kaitlin. Finally, Ryan raised a hand to still the clamor.
Taking a deep breath, he began to explain.
"To make a long,
ugly story short, Grimlord created a device that took Kaitlin's reflection
and made a sort of - virtual copy, who went by Kaitlin 2. She nearly destroyed
us, but we managed to break through the control Grimlord had over her,
and she joined us. Unfortunately, she and Kaitlin began to dissolve, thanks
to a sort of- molecular decay process. After a few misadventures and fights,
we retrieved Grimlord's mirror crystal and rejoined the two Kaitlins. Only
Jeb knocked the mirror to the floor and broke it, keeping Kaitlin 2 from
dissipating totally."
"I existed in
a sort of- virtual buffer zone," Kaitlin 2 explained. "When Kaitlin was
transformed, she could call me into being as you saw, but once she stopped
inhabiting virtual reality, I went back to the buffer. I could see everything
that went on around her, but there wasn't anything I could do about it."
Ryan turned
to her, surprise in his eyes. "That must have been awful. I wish we had
known- maybe we could have done something."
Kaitlin 2 shrugged.
"It was more like I was dreaming, so it wasn't that bad." The expression
on her face hinted that she was holding something back, but Ryan didn't
push her any further.
"So, what happened
to bring you into the real world?" Jo wanted to know. In unison, Ryan and
both Kaitlins turned to look at JB. He shrugged.
"Darned if I
know. Professor, you want to take this one?"
The virtual
image thought for a long moment. Appearing to be a black man in his early
sixties, Professor Horatio Hart had been a close friend of Ryan's father,
Tyler Steele. The two physicists were in fact the creators of the VR Trooper
technology, although most of the ideas had been Tyler's. It had been that
technology that had attracted the attention of Grimlord, an evil being
from Virtual Reality, who had nearly killed Professor Hart, forcing Tyler
to download his mind into a virtual computer. Later Grimlord had kidnapped
Tyler, hoping to use his intelligence as a weapon to conquer reality. Instead,
he had just given Ryan one more reason to see him brought down.
"I believe I
have the answer," Professor Hart mused finally. "Kaitlin 2, when Shadowborg
attacked you, his claw cut into some of the circuits that control retroforming.
Apparently, it shunted the energy so that you simply formed into a normal
human, rather than returning to the buffer zone."
"So, we don't
have to worry about decay?" Kaitlin asked hopefully.
"No. Kaitlin
2 is a completely normal human being."
"In that case,"
Peter interrupted, "we probably ought to have something better to call
you than just 'Kaitlin 2.' Establishing an identity, you know."
Kaitlin 2 thought
for a moment. "How about Katie? It's close enough to Kaitlin for me to
remember to answer to, but no one has EVER called you Katie that I remember."
Kaitlin nodded.
"Works for me."
Lita watched
in amusement as Ryan looked from one woman to the other in confusion. Suddenly
the thoughts that had been chasing each other around all day made contact
and she stood up straight. "You said your last name was Steele?" she asked
suddenly.
"Yeah, why?"
Ryan asked cautiously.
"You said you
were eight years old when Grimlord kidnapped your father, right? And you
were left with your grandparents? Did they ever send you to a psychiatrist?"
Ryan blinked.
Twelve years had blurred some of the details, especially of the time right
after his father had disappeared, when he had been trying to forget most
everything. Suddenly, however, a memory snapped into focus and his jaw
dropped. "That was you, wasn't it? Geez, I'd forgotten all about that!"
"I had too,
until just now. You certainly don't look much like the eight year-old boy
who sat on my couch and ignored me for hours."
Ryan blushed.
"I've grown up since then."
The semi-surprised
silence lingered for a while, and then Peter grinned. "Well, this has been
a day for surprises."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andros made his
way into the Onyx Tavern almost unnoticed, heading over to the bar. Only
a few watchful stares marked his passing, something that subtly reassured
him. It was impossible to go completely unwatched on Onyx- villains were
not trusting people. However, he was unobtrusive enough not to draw a great
deal of attention. Making sure his Astro Morpher was carefully tucked under
the sleeve of his cloak, he levered himself onto a stool.
"What'll it
be?" the bartender asked, polishing a glass in time-honored fashion.
"Onyx Fruit,"
Andros replied, the voice changer in the cloak causing the words to sound
husky and low.
The giant ant
regarded him for a long moment, then shrugged. The juice of the Onyx Fruit
had mild euphoric properties, but nothing nearly as strong as some of the
other concoctions behind the bar. Still, a man who wanted to keep his wits
about him was nothing new, and the bartender fetched the drink without
comment.
"Buy a lady
a drink?" a low voice said in his ear. Andros turned to see a humanoid
woman sitting on the stool next to him, wearing the rather minimal costume
of a dancehall girl. He chuckled to himself. She was certainly pretty,
with pale skin and shining aquamarine hair, and a year ago, he might have
been tempted to carry through with the flirtation. Now, however... She's
got nothing on Cassie, he thought to himself.
"Sorry," he
rasped. "You're not my type."
The woman fixed
him with a pair of violet eyes. "Perhaps I could interest you in- another
sort of transaction, then. I know a great deal about almost everything.
My- customers are often careless with their knowledge."
Andros cocked
his head. "I- might be interested in some information," he replied cautiously.
"What would you be expecting in return?"
"That depends
on you, traveler." As the bartender came around, she ordered a glass of
Meelar water. She took a long swallow. "What would you be willing to give
me?"
That was the
sixty-four dollar question, as humans said. At the moment, he was flat
broke. He generally didn't keep Galactic script on him anymore, and certainly
not during a space battle. Suddenly an idea hit him.
"Information
for information," he chuckled. "Something someone in your business would
find most useful."
"What type of
information? I can't do much with the price of grain on Shilharia, you
know," she told him, amused.
"Information
about the way the balance of power in the Alliance may be shifting soon.
Are you interested?"
She smiled.
"I am indeed, traveler. But let us find somewhere a little more private
for this conversation." Taking his hands, she led him up the stairs to
the second floor, to the sound of a few catcalls from below. Leading him
into a bedroom on the second floor, she shut the door behind him.
"Now, traveler,
what information do you wish?"
"I need to know
what ships are in port, preferably the ones with small crews and light
guards."
She raised an
eyebrow. "Planning to steal a ship, are we? Well, there are a number of
single-person fighters down at the launching pad. You could pretty much
take your pick."
"No good," he
shook his head. "I need something that at least seats three people."
Her expression
suddenly changed. "You- you came down on those ships! Lady Stars, you're
from the Council!" She lunged for the door, but he moved even faster, spinning
her into his arms and covering her mouth with one hand.
"I'm not from
the Council, and I don't mean you any harm," he rasped in her ear. "All
I want is to get off this planet and get back to my friends. Now, I'm going
to let you go. Please, don't scream or I'll have to do something we'll
both regret. Okay?" She nodded, and he carefully released her.
"Who are you?"
she asked, backing slowly across the room. All hint of her seductive manner
had vanished, and he saw that she couldn't be too much older than he was.
Taking a chance, he slid the hood off his head, exposing his face.
"My name is
Andros," he told her. "What are you called?"
"Kylora," she
replied softly.
"Kylora, I don't
want to hurt you. That's not my intention at all. All I want is to get
my friends and go home. Now, what is in port that I could- appropriate
for my own uses."
"Well," she
thought slowly, "there is one ship in that has the capability of breaking
out through the defense grid, one that doesn't require a huge crew. It
was an- acquisition from the KO-35 Space Navy during a battle a number
of years ago."
"The Delta Megaship?"
he gasped, astounded. That was the only craft he knew of that had been
stolen from the Space Navy, at least in recent memory. Kylora nodded.
"Yes, that's
what it's called. It's currently in the possession of Ichori, a fairly
nasty bounty hunter. If you can get the Battleizer away from him, the Megaship
could certainly get you off the planet." She hesitated. "But my price has
changed."
Andros raised
an eyebrow. "What is it now?"
"Take me with
you," she responded. "I don't intend to spend the rest of my life here.
I never wanted that."
"Deal," Andros
replied immediately. "Can you fight?"
Kylora grinned.
"Quite well, thank you."
"Good. Now,
we need to get the Battleizer away from Ichori, and I have a plan. This
is what we'll do."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Katie?" Ryan
asked hesitantly. The heroes assembled in the Power Chamber had begun yet
another of their strategy meetings, discussing every possible aspect of
the last battle, trying to find some flaw in Shadowborg's armor. Suddenly,
Ryan had noticed that Katie was no longer in the group. Going on a hunch,
Ryan had headed for the tunnel that led to the main doors. Sure enough,
Katie was standing on one of the cliffs outside the Power Chamber, watching
as the sun slowly sank down in the west. She looked up at the sound of
his approach, not seeming very surprised.
"Oh, hi, Ryan,"
she smiled. The expression did not reach her eyes, however, which seemed
troubled and so very tired.
"What's the
matter?" he asked, concerned. Quickly, he crossed to stand beside her at
the end of the cliff.
She shook her
head. "Nothing. Everything. It's like- I just woke up from a dream. What
am I supposed to do now? I have no life, no past, no family- I'm not even
a good copy of Kaitlin anymore. Enough has happened that we're different
people."
"That's true,"
Ryan allowed. "But with all the computer geniuses we have around here,
creating a past for you should be a snap. We can't do anything about a
family- but you'll always have the three of us. You may not be Kaitlin,
but you ARE our friend. We would never just abandon you, Katie."
"I know that.
I'm just afraid that real life may be even harder to bear than a dream."
He frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, do you
remember what happened when we first met?"
"I'll say,"
he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "You threw me over a desk."
She chuckled
slightly. "Only after my attempt to distract you didn't work."
"You were going
to distract me by sparring with me?"
"Not exactly."
She shook her head in amusement. "You are a sweet guy, Ryan Steele, but
you can be EXTREMELY obtuse."
"All right,
so what am I missing here? What were you planning to do?"
For a moment,
she didn't reply, just looked at him. Then she reached out, and before
he could react, she drew his face to hers and kissed him soundly. Then
she released him, watching him apprehensively.
Ryan blinked.
"I get it, I get it." He regarded her keenly. "Was that just a distraction,
or what?"
Katie bit her
lip, looking at him askance. "Well- I thought you were pretty cute, actually.
I didn't want to hurt you, really, but you didn't give me much of a choice."
She sighed. "This is why I both want to be here and don't want to be here.
Do you know how hard it was, watching from that buffer zone as Kaitlin
spent all that time within arm's length of what I wanted so desperately,
and never even noticed? It was driving me crazy. But now, I have a chance-
and I also have to worry about rejection. In some ways it was just easier
being a virtual image."
Ryan was speechless
for a long moment. "Katie," he began carefully, "before I say anything
else, how do you feel about me?"
She sighed,
closing her eyes. "I love you, you idiot," she admitted. "I have since
the moment I laid eyes on you, since coming into the world."
Ryan was silent
for so long that Katie was forced to open her eyes and look at him. He
shook his head. "I don't know what to say," he began. She deflated.
"You don't have
to say anything."
"No, I don't
think I do." Turning her gently to face him, he kissed her softly. They
held that pose as the sun set, the light turned gold around them- and Lita
Kino hauled three interested Beetleborgs back into the Power Chamber.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Oof!" TJ sprawled
flat on his face as his captor pushed him into a cell. He picked himself
up just in time to see an energy field flash across the door. "Jerk," he
growled.
"Thank you,"
the pirate laughed. "Enjoy your stay, Ranger. It won't be TOO long. I'm
sure Dark Specter would be more than happy to meet any price we ask." Still
laughing, the man walked away.
"Hello, stranger,"
a woman's voice greeted him. "What are you in for?"
Turning, TJ
saw an attractive young woman standing behind him. She was apparently in
her late twenties, with long black hair and twinkling blue eyes. Looking
her over, he couldn't help raising an eyebrow at her outfit. She was wearing
a bodysuit of space blue, with a silver star over the left side of the
chest, and a pair of black boots, all normal enough. Completing the picture
was a beat-up leather jacket, exactly like any you might find on Earth.
Somehow, though, it looked a little out of place with the rest of the outfit.
"My name's TJ.
I'm a Power Ranger, and I managed to get on the wrong side of these guys
in a fight. How about you?"
She smiled.
"Lt. Daystar Dianthan, Intergalactic Police Force. And you're obviously
an Earth Ranger, or you would have recognized the insignia. I am in for
having a sense of morals- and the bad luck to be General Havoc's daughter."
"Who?"
Daystar sighed.
"Um- you know who Divatox is, right?"
TJ nodded. "Although
there are times I wish I didn't."
"I know what
you mean," Daystar agreed. "Anyway, Havoc's her brother. He's a cyborg
now, ninety percent mechanical parts, but twenty-five years ago, he was
still mostly organic. My mother was an ordinary member of a trader's crew,
one that the Dianth clan attacked. Havoc took a liking to my mother, and
a year or so later, I was born. My mother was determined that I wasn't
going to grow up a pirate like everyone else on this ship, and finally,
when I was five, she managed to sneak me out when we made planetfall for
supplies." Her expression grew a little grimmer. "She wasn't so lucky.
Anyway, I grew up as a street kid, stealing to survive, living one step
ahead of starvation. One day, when I was about twelve in your years, I
picked the wrong pocket, the head of the IGPF Academy. He gave me a choice.
I could go to a Children's Home- and let me tell you, to a street brat,
those places were worse than a regular jail- or my other choice was to
enter the Academy and become a cop. He thought I could do it, and I would
do just about anything to avoid the Home. So, I entered the Academy and
passed with flying colors. At sixteen, I graduated, the youngest in my
class, and the youngest ever. Unfortunately, the entire Dianth clan considers
me a traitor, and there is a HUGE price on my head. I knew my luck would
eventually run out and," she shrugged, "here I am. I'm just cooling my
heels in here until they get around to calling all the elders back for
my execution."
TJ raised an
eyebrow again. "You seem pretty calm about the whole thing," he observed.
"Well, panicking
never solved anybody's problems," she replied. "Besides, I'm a big fan
of your Earth police movies. That's where I first saw one of these jackets.
Those guys never panic- it's bad for the image."
TJ chuckled.
"Well, I'll agree with you about not panicking, but I don't intend to just
cool my heels in here. There has got to be some way out of this sardine
can."
"They bring
in dinner in about half an hour," Daystar offered. "But there's three of
them, and two are armed with neural stunners. Nasty things, leave you with
pins-and-needles for half an hour."
"Hmm," TJ mused.
"Good thing they didn't search me." Reaching into his pants pocket, he
pulled out a Swiss Army knife. "Never leave home without one. I THINK I
have an idea."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Power Chamber
has a lot of doors. For security reasons, most of them only open out, or
blend into the rock, or come out two miles down the mountain range, but
still, it has a lot of doors. That made it very easy for Kaitlin Starr
to slip out to the eastern side of the building, without ever coming near
Ryan and her lookalike. Now safely alone, she stared blindly at the stars
beginning to appear in the clear desert sky and let the tears come.
WHY?
she asked herself, agonized. Why hadn't she ever said anything to him?
She knew the answer to that one, actually. She had been afraid it would
change things, wreck the friendship they had built between them over the
past twelve years. Besides, she had never really thought he'd find someone
else. It wasn't as if he had never tried- both of them had, actually. She
grimaced, remembering all the failed dates and aborted relationships the
two of them had found themselves in over the years. Ryan Steele had emotional
armor a foot thick, thanks to his father's disappearance and then later
to Grimlord's continual hounding. Even after Tyler Steele had been rescued,
that wariness and distance had not lifted. Sure, Ryan flirted with anything
that looked vaguely interested, but there was never a serious threat there.
It took a special person not to be scared off by walls Ryan put around
his heart, and Kaitlin had never thought another girl would make it. There
were days she was surprised she had.
But now- they
had all seen Ryan and Katie in each other's arms, oblivious to everything
else. They'd only wanted to make sure the two of them were all right, but
had gotten a definite eyeful. What hurt the most, somehow, wasn't just
that she had finally lost her chance at Ryan's heart, but that she'd lost
it to a person who was almost herself. She couldn't help wondering- if
she'd had the courage to tell him, could that have been her in his arms?
Now she'd never know.
"You want to
talk?" a quiet voice asked. Kaitlin whirled, dashing tears from her eyes
as she did so. When her vision cleared, she saw Drew McCormick, leader
of the Beetleborgs, regarding her with a sympathetic expression that seemed
far older than the rest of him.
"I wasn't expecting
to see you here," she managed, sniffling slightly. Drew shrugged.
"I'm no psychiatrist,
but like I told Dr. Kino, this is a subject I know a lot about." Coming
to stand beside her, he sank down to sit on the rocky ground. Kaitlin did
the same, not exactly knowing why. There was something about the boy that
reminded her of Ryan. Part of it, surely, was their uncanny physical resemblance.
With white-blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin, the two boys could have
easily been brothers. It was more than that, though. Both radiated a quiet
surety that went far beyond their years.
"What subject
is that?" Kaitlin asked, unsure of what he meant.
"It's pretty
obvious that you're in love with him, Kaitlin. I figured it out inside
of ten minutes, and I'd bet Lita and Peter knew it the minute they saw
you. It must hurt a lot to know that he's found someone else, and even
worse to have that someone be almost a replacement for you."
Kaitlin raised
an eyebrow at his almost word-for-word articulation of her thoughts. "No
offense, Drew, but you're fourteen years old. How could you know about
this sort of thing?"
He smiled slightly.
"Let me tell you about this girl I know. Her name is Heather. She's smart,
nice, pretty, brave- and she thinks I'm a great friend. A friend and that's
it." He sighed. "People are always telling me I'll get over her, but I
don't think so. It doesn't feel like just a crush- I've had those before.
This is different, more powerful." He shifted. It was obvious that the
next part of his story made him somewhat uncomfortable.
"Now let me
tell you about this guy I know. His name is Josh. He's fifteen now, taller,
stronger, and just all-around more impressive than I am. He's brave, he's
a good leader, and Roland, Jo, and Heather think he's the greatest thing
since sliced bread. He was even a Beetleborg for a while. In fact, he was
the reason we defeated Shadowborg, and he lost his powers doing it, so
now he's practically a martyr. Next to Josh, I'm just a piece of the background.
Trust me, Kaitlin, I know what it's like to lose someone to the "new and
improved" you. But you have to remember, you can't help who you fall in
love with. They didn't do this to hurt you- they didn't have much of a
choice. And they'll always be your friends, no matter how much it hurts
to see them together now."
Kaitlin regarded
him for a long second. "You're sure a lot more grown up than you look,"
she chuckled.
"Sorry to break
up the therapy session," Lita interrupted, poking her head out the east
door, "but it's getting late, and we have to decide on how we're going
to work sleeping over."
Drew got to
his feet, extending a hand to Kaitlin as he did so. She rose as well, and
the two of them headed back inside.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ecliptor, where
are we?" Chelsea asked quietly, looking at the planet in the screens before
her. Except for the different continental shapes, it looked a great deal
like Earth."
"This is Briallta,"
Ecliptor explained. "It's been neutral in the war between the Council and
the Alliance since anyone can remember. Anyone who lands here has to put
aside factionary quarrels for the duration of their stay, by planetary
law. This may be the only place in the galaxy that we can get Trey medical
attention without him being arrested by the Council or assassinated by
the Alliance."
"How are we
going to pay for this, anyway? I'm not carrying anything but $2.85 American.
I don't think that's gonna cover a medical bill."
The crystalline
warrior chuckled. "I have that covered. There's a healer in one of the
port towns who owes me a favor."
"Dare I ask
for what?" Chelsea inquired dryly, strapping herself into the co-pilot's
seat as she did so.
"Depends on
how delicate your sensibilities are," replied Ecliptor absently. He was
beginning the craft's entry into the atmosphere, and was only giving her
half his attention.
Chelsea shook
her head. "I don't think I want to know. Just tell me- do you think he
can help Trey?"
"It all depends
on the severity of the Prince's condition. He's a skilled healer, but-"
"He can't work
miracles," Chelsea finished. The two of them were silent as the scout craft
made its way down to the planet. Rising from his chair, Ecliptor stretched.
"Come on. I'll
take you to see Sholtor, and then I'll give you the grand tour. We'll be
here for a while- you'd better know your way around."
Chelsea followed
Ecliptor out of the ship and through a spaceport that looked a great deal
like any major airport she'd ever seen. Chelsea had always had a talent
with languages, and had convinced Trey to teach her Eltaren, used as a
galactic standard, and Triforian. As a result, she could catch snatches
of conversation as they walked through the spaceport, including a customer
arguing with a commercial spaceline about his lost luggage.
Seeing her grin,
Ecliptor cocked his head. "What is so amusing?"
"It's just nice
to see that some things are the same everywhere," she chuckled.
Outside the
spaceport was a city that resembled many of the cities on Earth. The hovercars
were a different touch, she reflected, and the architecture wasn't quite
normal, but the masses of people going in every direction had the same
energy that she'd encountered a thousand times in Angel Grove. She would
have liked to take some time to examine everything, but Ecliptor's hurried
strides and her own worry for Trey kept her moving along. Soon they came
to a medium sized building in what even Chelsea could recognize as one
of the less select parts of town. Heading up a flight of stairs on the
side of the building, Ecliptor knocked on a tiny door and waited patiently.
"What do you
want?" a voice asked. "Whatever it is, I'm busy."
"It's Ecliptor,"
the crystalline warrior replied calmly. "I'm here to collect on that favor,
Sholtor."
There was a
silence, then the door opened. Chelsea raised an eyebrow. Sholtor was a
good deal younger than she had expected, with metallic silver hair cut
so that it fell into his black eyes. "What do you need?" he asked, sounding
a great deal less abrupt. Then his gaze fell on Chelsea, and he raised
an eyebrow. "My patient? You look pretty healthy to me, although I'm sure
I could give you a- closer examination."
Chelsea just
smiled. She hadn't had many dates in her life- a six-foot black belt for
a twin brother kind of crimped your dating opportunities- but she'd heard
enough propositions over the last four years that one more was certainly
not going to bother her.
"Knock it off,
Sholtor," Ecliptor rumbled, although there was no real exasperation in
his voice. "She's taken. In fact, it's her fiance that's the problem. Maybe
you've heard of him. Trey of Triforia?"
The young healer
raised both eyebrows this time. "What have you gotten yourself mixed up
in, Ecliptor? And does Dark Specter know about this?"
The crystalline
being shifted uncomfortably. "He does now. I'm sort of- AWOL, I believe
the Earth term is."
"Absent Without
Leave," Chelsea translated, looking at Ecliptor in some surprise. "That
must be one hell of a grudge you have."
"I don't want
to talk about it," he growled.
"Look," Chelsea
sighed, turning back to Sholtor. "Trey was injured in an explosion. We've
got him in stasis on the scout ship, and we don't know if he's going to
make it. We need your help."
Sholtor sighed.
"I never could resist a damsel in distress." He looked up sharply at Ecliptor's
snort. "You realize this makes us even?"
Ecliptor nodded.
"Certainly."
"I'll get my
bag."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You don't like
me that much, do you?" Carlos asked quietly. He and Chris had been huddled
in the alley for quite a while. Several times, Carlos had tried to start
up a conversation, but Chris' responses had been pretty much non-existent.
Chris looked
at the Black Astro Ranger and sighed. "Not really," he admitted. "I don't
dislike you, but-"
"I get the picture.
Why? Is it something I said?"
"Not exactly."
For a moment, Chris was reluctant to go on. But the whole mess wasn't really
Carlos' fault... "It's because you're dating Ashley. We've been friends
forever, and sometimes I kind of slip into the "big brother" routine. Especially
after what happened with her last boyfriend. Ben. When she first met him,
he seemed like a really nice guy. Heck, even I liked him. But what neither
of us realized was that he was really jealous. He didn't like her spending
time with anybody other than him, especially not guys. And when he got
mad, he got violent. He's the main reason her family moved out of Dry Creek,
because he didn't like the news that she was breaking up with him. Anyway,
after him, I've been kind of reluctant to trust anybody Ashley's with."
"I can understand
that," Carlos conceded. "But I would never hurt her, in any way." Carlos
grinned suddenly. "If I did, TJ, Andros, and Cassie would kick my butt,
and the rest of the Rangers wouldn't be far behind."
Nodding, Chris
chuckled. "I've noticed that." Suddenly a commotion from across the street
caught their attention. "I think that's Andros' signal," the Silver Astro
Ranger said dryly.
"What tipped
you off?" Carlos inquired, leaping to his feet. Suddenly a form clad in
a red cloak came flying through the tavern window, followed by a woman
in a minimal green bodysuit. From the door came a six-foot lizard wearing
purple coveralls and waving a sword around. It was yelling incoherently,
even through the translation effect of Ranger powers. Behind it, a number
of other villainous types were laughing and making remarks, as three other
lizards joined the first.
"Ki-yah!" With
a flying kick, Carlos plowed into the first of the lizards, just before
it reached Andros's side. "I swear, we can't take you anywhere!" he yelled,
pivoting to punch another of the lizards in the face.
In the back
of his mind, Carlos took the time to be grateful for the forethought to
wear civvies on this mission. His clothes might look strange to the assembled
villain types, but at least they didn't scream "Power Ranger."
"Missed me!"
Chris grinned, ducking a lizard's tail swipe. Kicking out with one sneakered
foot, he landed a shot on the creature's rear end, dumping it flat on its
face.
Kylora, meanwhile,
was a whirlwind of action, especially as the owner of the tavern began
to convince some of the other villains to get involved in the fight. After
all, none of them particularly wanted the "entertainment" flying the coop.
"Hands- OFF!" she grunted, snapping a powerful kick into a bat-creature's
face.
"We can't keep
this up forever!" Andros yelled, blocking the head lizard's punch. "Ichori,
why don't you just lie down for a while?" A powerful uppercut put the creature
down for the count. "We have to make a run for it!"
"This way!"
Kylora yelled. She took off running, the three men close behind. Leading
them on a winding path through the streets and alleys of the town, she
quickly lost their pursuers. "Well, Andros, you certainly know how to show
a lady a good time."
"Oh, guys?"
Andros panted. "This- is Kylora. She's- coming with- us."
"Charmed," Chris
replied between breaths. Carlos just contented himself with a nod.
"What- was all
that- about?" Carlos managed finally. Andros winced.
"Apparently
Satrachian Dune Walkers are touchy about losing at dice," he explained.
"Especially when it loses them the keys to their spacecraft."
"Ichori- the
guy in purple," Kylora explained, "accused Andros of cheating. Which, I
might point out, you were doing."
"Telekinesis
has its uses," Andros chuckled. "Anyway, a fight broke out, and the rest
you know."
"I see," grinned
Chris. "So, got us a way off this dirtball?"
"Hopefully.
We'll probably have a re-match with Lizard-boy and friends, though. I'm
sure even they'll be able to figure out where we're going."
"I'm sure the
tavern owner will be searching for us too," Kylora added. "It's not good
business to let your property get away."
"Then I suggest
we keep moving," finished Carlos. "A moving target is a lot harder to hit."
With that, they began to move again, at a slower rate this time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dark Specter
was in a foul mood. His most trusted lieutenant, Ecliptor, had disappeared
and joined forces with Trey of Triforia, of all people, for some business
of his own. That had irked Specter, but not greatly. Ecliptor had served
him long and loyally, and could be allowed a few jaunts on his own. As
long as the warrior had a good reason when he returned, Specter would be
willing to ignore the borderline treachery.
No, it was not
Ecliptor's disappearance that rankled so badly. That was just the icing
on the cake. First, this upstart Nukus, not even a member of the Alliance,
releases a creature that does what Specter himself couldn't do- send the
Power Rangers running home with their tails between their legs. Of course,
he only had five to deal with, not twenty-six, Specter reflected. Still,
this "Shadowborg" was a definite threat, and something had to be done.
So Dark Specter had summoned the other villains of the area to a conference,
and THAT was when the worst of the frustrations had started.
Grimlord, the
virtual being who constantly opposed the VR Troopers, had ignored the message
altogether. In truth, Specter had expected no more. An Earthbound villain,
Grimlord had no knowledge of who or what Specter was, and was probably
not a great loss. But Divatox- she had responded to his summons, all right,-
with a derisive jeer.
"You're telling
me that the 'Great and Powerful Dark Specter' is threatened by a walking
tin can? The Rangers'll turn him into so much scrap metal, just like they've
done every one of our plans, any of us. Call me when it's over so I can
laugh in your face." Then she had terminated the connection.
Dark Specter
could feel what passed for his blood boil at the thought. He knew, of course,
that over time, Earth's villains became near-useless buffoons. He even
knew why it happened. The power of the ley lines, those lines of natural
magic that made Earth such a tempting target, could expand on the good
in even the hardest of hearts, and eat away the edge of the blackest evil.
But he was Dark Specter! He had taken every precaution against the power
of the lines. It stung to realize that in the minds of those around him,
he had become just another victim of the Earth.
And the villains
who had shown up... They were almost as much of an annoyance as Divatox.
Mondo and Gasket were bickering loudly, as usual, while Rita was screeching
at anything within range. Count Dregon, eternal enemy to the Masked Rider,
was standing in the corner with a long-suffering look on his face. Far
too evident was the hole in the group, caused by Zedd's defection to the
side of the light. Dark Specter shook his head.
"These
are the cream of the Alliance?" he asked in disbelief. Astronema, standing
next to him, just shrugged. Dark Specter had been extremely testy recently,
and she didn't want to take the chance on upsetting him. That had- unpleasant
consequences.
Sighing, the
shapeshifter turned to his "guests." Raising his hands, he called for their
attention.
They ignored
him.
He tried again,
and still there was no response. This was the last straw for the Monarch
of Evil. Currently in the form of a Loongari, a human-sized black dragon,
he began to blur until he had assumed the form of Maligore, Flame of Destruction.
"THAT- IS- ENOUGH!"
he roared, his voice shaking the chamber. THAT did it. The four villains
looked up from their bickering in astonishment, and their assorted henchmen
slunk further back into the shadows surrounding the room. Assured of the
four's attention, Dark Specter shrank back down into his Loongari form,
raking them all with piercing green eyes.
"Now," he began,
in a far more reasonable tone. "To business. It seems as though this "Nukus"
may actually achieve what we, so far, have failed to do. If he succeeds
in destroying the Rangers, we will be laughingstocks of the entire UAE.
To lose Earth to another member is acceptable, if not desired. But to lose
it to a DRAWING- that will simply not do."
Rita snorted.
"None of us have ever been able to defeat those Power Brats. He'll fail
as well. He can't even defeat those Beetleborgs he's supposed to be taking
care of."
"I have heard
of this Nukus," Gasket interjected. "He is a formidable strategist. This
'Shadowborg' he has loosed on the Rangers is of far more advanced design
than even my own monsters."
"Not that that's
saying much," Mondo muttered.
Dregon sighed.
"Would you two please shut up?" Turning to Specter, he continued. "Gasket
is right about Nukus, though. He is an excellent planner who has been plagued
by weak monsters, a condition which has been remedied by the Shadowborg.
However, the Rangers have responded by forming an alliance with the other
heroes located in the area, my nephew among them. This will increase their
strength exponentially."
"So, as the
humans say, it's still anybody's game," Specter mused. He grinned, not
a pleasant sight on a dragon. "Very well! We'll let Nukus play his game.
Should he defeat the heroes, we can- eliminate the problem and compete
for the planet in our usual fashion. Should the Rangers defeat him, everything
goes back to normal. Is this acceptable?"
Buffoons though
they were, none of the four villains were stupid. That, they left to their
henchmen. All four agreed to Specter's plan without delay.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Are you sure
this is going to work?" Daystar asked skeptically.
"No, but do
you have any better ideas? Look, it's our only chance." Using his knife,
TJ had pried the cover off a wiring box. After some very careful rewiring,
everything was in place. "I can't believe they were so careless," he marveled.
"They didn't even search me."
"They probably
ran you through a scanner on your way here. Your knife was too small to
register as a weapon, so they didn't think about it," Daystar explained.
"Shh, here they come."
Outside the
cell, three muscular pirates were approaching. "Dinner time," the one in
the front smirked. "Hope you like Selanian squid."
Daystar made
a face. "We could be chewing that stuff from now 'til the Grid collapses
and never make a dent!"
"Would you rather
starve?" he asked, reaching out to deactivate the force door. The lights
dimmed as an intense current arced through him, dropping him to the ground
and burning out the door.
The instant
the door opened, TJ was in motion, launching himself into a perfect flying
kick. He plowed into the first pirate long before the other man could bring
his stunner to bear. Soon the two were embroiled in a heated hand-to-hand
battle.
Meanwhile, Daystar
was more than holding her own. Four years of police training, plus twelve
years on the force made her a formidable opponent- especially when she
fought dirty.
Dropping his
opponent, TJ turned to see Daystar casually slam her adversary into the
nearest wall, allowing him to slump to the floor. "Come on," she grinned.
"Let's see if we can't find the teleportation bay. Then we can both go
home."
After a few
minutes, they did find the teleportation bay. They also found six armed
pirates guarding it. Diving behind a console, Daystar pulled out the blaster
she had 'borrowed' from one of their unconscious guards. "Can you work
one of these?" she asked.
"The blaster,
yes," TJ replied. "The teleporter, no!"
"Then take this!
I'll set up a jump to the Starfire. We're only gonna get one shot
at this, so let's make it good!" While TJ covered her, Daystar began typing
coordinates into the teleporter, ducking occasionally as a stray shot grazed
her ponytail.
"Hurry it up!"
TJ yelled. "I'm running out of ammo!"
"Keep your shirt
on! I'm going as fast as I can!" Daystar replied. "There!" Behind them,
the teleport pad whined to life. "It's ready! Go, go!" The two of them
took off, diving onto the pad and disappearing just as a huge explosion
ripped through the room. Daystar had left her family a little present.
The two of them
rematerialized in a heap on the bridge of the Starfire. "Ooof- get
off me!" Daystar groaned, pushing TJ to the floor. "I hate fast teleport
jumps."
"TJ!" The Blue
Astro Ranger looked up just in time to be hugged tightly by Cassie. "You're
all right! We were so worried about you!" Pulling back, she blinked. "Who's
your friend?"
TJ grinned.
"It's a long story, guys."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was late,
and getting close to bedtime for a good half of the Power Chamber's occupants.
After the events of the day, though, no one was particularly eager for
sleep, considering the likelihood of nightmares. Currently, all eyes were
focused on Dr. Egon Spengler.
"Considering
that the Shadowborg is a step up in terms of ruthlessness from anyone any
of you have faced before, I think that it would be best if as many of you
as possible spent the night here. This place is built like a fortress,
and is more than adequately equipped with sleeping quarters and other such
necessary facilities. The four of us certainly won't be going back to New
York, but I don't know how each of you will be affected by this idea."
Ryan shrugged.
"Kaitlin and I each live alone, and nobody's going to be looking for Katie.
As for JB- why don't you call your parents and say you're spending the
night at my place. We've certainly done it before."
JB nodded. "Yeah,
I think they'll buy that. Heck, we've spent weeks living like that, so
even if it runs long, they'll understand. What about working at the dojo?"
"I'll just call
Tao and ask for a leave of absence. He'll understand- he always does. And
it's our slow period anyway. He can handle the classes by himself for a
while."
Kaitlin nodded.
"Yeah, I can probably get the same deal from Woody at the paper, especially
if I tell him I'm on the heels of a big story. And what could be bigger
than Shadowborg?"
Art shrugged.
"I was going to stay up late and see what I couldn't come up with in the
way of extra gear for everybody. Might as well do it here."
Drew nodded.
"That's a good idea, Art."
Fred shrugged.
"For tonight, we can just say we're sleeping over at Frank's. Your dad
will cover for us, right, Franklin?"
"He always has.
But that won't work for tomorrow, or the next day. What will we do then?"
Rosa chuckled.
"Camping trip. All of our parents know Lita, and the shelter people think
pretty highly of her, too. If Detective Park hints that she's taking us
on a week-long camping trip to get us out of the city..."
"Very devious,"
Winston congratulated her. "Think they'll buy it?"
Lita nodded.
"They should. I wonder- do you suppose we could do something similar for
your parents?" she asked the Beetleborgs.
Roland chewed
his lip. "My mom and dad are away, and won't be back for a while. You'd
have to get it past Nano, my grandmother. She's pretty sharp."
"Well, how about
I go too?" Peter asked. "I am fairly well-known, so she'd be a little more
likely to trust me than a woman she's never seen before, and between the
two of us, we can fast-talk almost anyone."
Drew nodded.
"Use the 'getting out of the city' hint, at least when you talk to my mom.
If it's for Jo's and my safety, she'll jump at it."
"Just your mom?"
Peter asked casually. Drew nodded.
"My dad died
a long time ago. It's just the three of us now."
Ray nodded.
"Okay, we can set that in motion in the morning. For tonight, everybody's
staying here except the Beetleborgs?" Taking off his communicator, he gave
it to Drew, while Egon passed Roland the one he was wearing. "These will
let us contact you in the morning," the occultist continued. "We can teleport
you back here then."
Drew sighed.
"I have the feeling it's going to be a long night."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nukus looked
up as the Shadowborg reformed in the dark shadows at one end of the crypt.
"Where have you been?" the Crustacean leader asked curiously. "You retreated
from your defeat in Angel Grove hours ago."
"I had some
repairs to take care of, and then I did some research. With so many heroes
in the game, I had to get a bit more knowledge." He chuckled coldly. "Things
are going to get interesting."
"I'd say they
already have. You managed to stand up to thirteen heroes today. That's
not bad, even if you did have to retreat."
"Next time,
things will be- a little different."
"I have another
assignment for you, if you're interested."
Curiosity tinged
Shadowborg's dead voice. "Oh?"
"The Beetleborgs
have a sort of- second line of defense, currently protecting Hillhurst.
They're known as the Astral Borgs. I want you to destroy them, utterly.
There will be no more reinforcements for our young heroes."
Shadowborg leaned
closer. "Tell me all about them."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Four pairs of
eyes surveyed the Delta Megaship's landing pad from the edge of the spaceport.
Chris was humming the theme song to "Mission: Impossible" under his breath,
although only Carlos got the joke.
"So, do we have
a plan, or do we just go in there and break some heads?" Carlos asked quietly.
"Carlos, you're
with me. We're going to hotwire our way into the ship, while Kylora and
Chris distract our lizard friends. Think you two can do that?"
Kylora chuckled.
"Not a problem. Come, Chris. I have an idea."
"I've waited
my whole life to hear a beautiful woman say that," Chris chuckled, following
her off. Carlos and Andros began sneaking closer to the ship, waiting for
the distraction.
"Four of them,"
Chris counted. "I seriously hope this plan of yours is a good one."
"Trust me,"
she grinned. "Follow me." The two of them began walking across the concrete
of the landing pad, Kylora swaying and hanging all over Chris as if she
were drunk. Quickly catching on, the Silver Astro Ranger made his steps
a little more hesitant, and leaned a little more on her. Without looking
up, he could feel the lizards closing in, predatory habits getting the
best of them. A few yards closer, and-
"Surprise!"
Before the lizards could react, their would-be prey had turned the tables
on them. An uppercut from Chris and a powerful kick from Kylora simultaneously
put two lizards flat on their backs. The other two, given more time to
react, were better able to hold their own in a fight. The battle was a
furious blur of punches, kicks, and tail swipes. Finally, a triumphant
shout from Carlos indicated that the door locks had been defeated. The
four lizards temporarily incapacitated, Chris and Kylora took off running
for the ship, as their opponents groggily rose off the ground behind them.
With a dive, the two of them made it through the bay doors just as they
rose. Running up the nearest corridor, they soon found themselves on the
bridge.
"Fasten your
seatbelts and return all tray tables to their upright position," Carlos
grinned, waving at a couple of chairs. "It's going to be a bumpy ride!"
No sooner had
Chris and Kylora strapped in than the ship rocketed up through the atmosphere,
blasting through the defense net and leaving the planet Onyx behind. The
bridge was consumed by a sudden relieved silence. Then Chris grinned. "Can
we do that again?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The monsters
of Hillhurst keep odd schedules. Unlike most of their kind, they are perfectly
comfortable being awake in the day, at least within the confines of the
house. In fact, they have no set pattern of activities whatsoever- except
perhaps the daily half-hearted attempt to eat the Beetleborgs. They sleep
and wake whenever they feel like it. This explains why, at 11:45 PM, Count
Fangula, the house vampire, was embroiled in a cutthroat game of checkers
with the gruff mummy, Mums. Wolfgang, the werewolf, was curled up on the
rug in a light doze, while Frankenbeans amused himself with a children's
picture book. Little Ghoul, the last of the group, was nowhere to be seen,
which was just the way the rest of the monsters liked it.
"Sure is quiet
without Flabber here," Fangula remarked, not looking up from the board.
Mums nodded.
"Yeah, or those kids. I'm actually sorry they didn't show up today- I didn't
have any lunch."
Fangula made
a face. "If this keeps up, we're going to have to- ugh- raid Flabber's
pantry."
"It wouldn't
be the first time." Suddenly Wolfgang sat bolt upright and howled. The
monsters quickly covered their ears.
"Ow!" Frankenbeans
whined. "Ears- hurt!"
"What is his
problem?" Mums asked the vampire. Fangula was quite probably the only person
who could understand Werewolf.
"And tell him
to shut up!" a girlish voice screeched. Wolfgang's howl had drawn Little
Ghoul out of her basement, an unusual feat in and of itself.
"He says he
smells something- evil," Fangula translated, frowning. "Evil, and familiar."
"Oh, like he's
never smelled anything evil around here!" Mums replied sarcastically. "We're
MONSTERS! Plus we've had Magnavores and Crustaceans trooping in and out
of this place for two years!"
Wolfie howled
again, nodding frantically. Fangula paled considerably, something Mums
would have sworn was impossible. "He says- he says he recognizes it now.
It's- Shadowborg."
Mums gulped.
"Oh brother."
"Would someone
like to fill me in on what's going ON AROUND HERE?" Little Ghoul asked,
switching from sweet to shriek in mid-sentence."
"Shadowborg
is an evil Beetleborg, created before you moved in with us. He quite nearly
destroyed everything," Fangula explained. "Nukus must have sent him to
attack the house! He's certainly tried that tactic before."
"And we don't
have any Beetleborgs to protect us this time!" cried Mums.
Little Ghoul
cocked her head. "Hold that thought- I'll be right back." Turning, she
dashed down the stairs.
When she came
back up, she found the other four peering through the boarded-up front
window. "Do you see him?" Mums asked.
"There!" Frankenbeans
pointed to where moonlight glinted off the silver portions of the Shadowborg's
armor as he strode towards the house.
"Good thing
I know where Flabber keeps these in case of emergency," Little Ghoul smirked.
The other monsters turned to see her holding the four Astral Coins in her
hand. "Come on, we don't have all century!" she grumped. Quickly, they
hurried over. Fangula took the Lightning Borg coin, Mums took the Fire
Borg coin, and Wolfie took the Lady Borg coin, leaving Little Ghoul to
call on Dragon Borg. Then the four of them flipped the coins in the air,
and the Astral Borgs materialized.
"What seems
to be the problem?" Dragon Borg asked, looking around him.
"There's an
evil Beetleborg getting ready to attack Hillhurst," Mums explained. Dragon
Borg looked out the window.
"Ah, yes, I
see," he replied. "But why summon all four of us?"
"Because he's
really, really tough," Fangula explained. "Shadowborg's the only
one of Vexor OR Nukus' goons that ever came close to defeating the Beetleborgs."
"Trust us, you're
going to need all four of you to take him on," Mums added.
"Then let's
go," Fire Borg suggested. "The longer we wait, the more likely he is to
attack."
The four Astral
Borgs ran out the door, arraying themselves in front of the steps. In the
sky, a full moon shone brightly, illuminating the scene as Shadowborg and
the Astral Borgs faced off.
"We will allow
you to go no further, Shadowborg," declared Dragon Borg. "If you turn around
now, you will not be harmed."
Shadowborg simply
laughed. "I haven't come all this way just to back off from you, Astral
Borgs," he informed them.
"Why are you
here?" Lightning Borg asked warily.
"I have come
to destroy you." Faster than thought, Shadowborg drew his laser and fired,
the powerful blast knocking Lightning Borg off his feet. Spreading out,
the other three Astral Borgs began to surround their adversary. Moonlight
flashed off metal, and the slaughter began.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Between the valor
of the Starfire's pilots and the large explosion in the computer
room of the Demon, things were going well for the Rangers and the
Starrunners. The small fighters were being mopped up, the Dianth boarding
party had been unceremoniously transported back to their ship, (helped
along by the occasional kick in the pants from Cassie,) and it was obvious
the semi-crippled Demon was preparing to move out. The mood on the
bridge of the Starfire was cautiously optimistic.
"Fleetleader,
sir!" a young radar operator suddenly yelped, pushing his glasses back
up his nose. J'neth was beside him in a flash, TJ, Daystar, and Ashley
close behind.
"What is it,
Presto?" J'neth asked.
"I don't know-
but it's BIG," the boy replied. "It's coming from the direction of Onyx."
"Could it be
the others?" Ashley asked excitedly.
"I dunno, but
it's way too big even for a Gunstar," Presto informed her.
"Lana, hail
that ship," instructed J'neth.
"Yes sir," the
brunette comm officer responded. "Attention unknown vessel, this is the
ship Starfire. Identify yourself and your mission immediately. I
repeat, this is the ship Starfire. Identify yourself and your mission
immediately."
For a moment,
there was only silence on the bridge. Then a very familiar voice came back.
"Keep your shirt on. I have to figure out how these things work, first!"
"Chris!" Ashley
cried. "Are you all right?"
"Nothing's bleeding,
burned, or broken. Let's leave it at that, okay?"
Carlos suddenly
broke in with a chuckle. "He's got a black eye from where a lizard punched
him, that's all."
"Would you give
me that?" There was a moment of garbled sound, as if Andros was snatching
the transmitter from his friends. "This is the Delta Megaship, formerly
the property of the KO-35 Space Navy- with a few stops along the way. Permission
to dock?"
J'neth grinned.
"Permission granted. I guess all that galactic gossip is true. Earth Rangers
really CAN work miracles." He turned to the Rangers on the bridge. "Come
on, let's go down to the hold and meet them. Lana, tell the rest of the
team the good news, all right?"
"Will do, sir,"
she chuckled.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...Pain...
fear...moonlight on metal... Drew sat up suddenly, gasping for breath.
The nightmare that had chased him from sleep refused to follow, and all
he could remember were bits and pieces. Looking around his darkened bedroom,
Drew was suddenly struck with just how many shadows even a tiny nightlight
cast. Each one could be a doorway for the Shadowborg. "Great," he muttered
to himself. "I'm fourteen years old, and I'm going to wind up sleeping
with the light on."
"Drew?" a small
voice asked from the doorway. Turning, Drew saw his sister standing there,
looking smaller than usual in her t-shirt and shorts.
"What's the
matter?" he asked, jumping out of the bed and going over to her. "Couldn't
you sleep?"
"I had this
awful dream," she replied. "I don't remember what it was, but- I know Shadowborg
was in it."
Suddenly the
phone beside Drew's bed rang, and he dived for it before the ringer could
awaken his mother. "Hello?" he asked, having a good idea who it was.
"This is Roland,"
the voice confirmed. "I just had this awful nightmare, and there's no WAY
I'm going back to sleep. The funny thing is- I can't remember anything
about the dream." Drew frowned. He wasn't surprised that the three of them
were having nightmares after the events of the day, but all at the same
time? And Roland almost always remembered the dreams he had. It was rare
that he couldn't remember.
"I think we
need to get out to Hillhurst," Drew decided. "This is too much of a coincidence
for me. Borg and meet us out there as fast as possible."
"Will do," Roland
replied. Drew hung up the phone and turned to his sister.
"Better get
dressed," he said quietly. "He stole our powers once, and I don't want
to be caught in my pajamas if he does it again." She nodded and headed
back to her room. Pulling a pair of jeans out of a drawer, Drew changed
quickly, a cold finger of dread making its way down his spine. Whatever
was going on here, he didn't like it already.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Above Hillhurst,
the full moon continued to shine peacefully down. The scenes it shone on,
however, were not nearly so peaceful. Fire Borg and Lightning Borg lay
unmoving on the ground, barely recognizable due to a large number of cuts
and laser blasts. Their circuits were still and cold, no more sparks arcing
along them. Over by the steps, Dragon Borg knelt, cradling Lady Borg, the
last of his companions in his arms.
"You'll be all
right," he told her, his voice choking slightly. "I promise, we'll have
you as good as new in no time."
She shook her
head slightly. "No," she replied, the hint of a sad smile in her voice.
"I am- too badly damaged. Before I go, I must tell you- it was an honor
to know you and to fight by your side. The same holds for the Beetleborgs.
Tell them- please-" Her voice was growing weaker as she fought to keep
aware.
"I shall," Dragon
Borg vowed. "And the same is true for me to you."
Lady Borg sighed
a little, and then her body went limp as the light behind her eyes died
out.
"No," whispered
Dragon Borg, bowing his head. "Oh, please, no."
In the middle
of the destruction, Shadowborg stood, undamaged by any of the attacks that
had been aimed his way. "How touching," he laughed. "If I had a heart,
it would be breaking by now."
"If you had
a heart," Dragon Borg snarled, rising slowly to his feet, "I would rip
it from your chest myself."
"Such heroic
sentiment," chuckled Shadowborg. "Cheer up; you'll be joining her soon
enough." Raising the Shadow Laser, he pointed it at his target. Too badly
damaged to try and get out of the way, Dragon Borg simply raised his chin
and waited for the final blow.
"NO!" A voice
cried, simultaneous with the laser blast. Chromium Gold was at Dragon Borg's
side, even as the other fell to the ground, his chest plate smoking. In
front of them, Platinum Purple and Titanium Silver formed a barrier between
the fallen Astral Borg and his attacker.
"I'd love to
stay and chat, kiddies," Shadowborg informed them cheerfully, "but I have
other business to attend to. Another time." The shadows at his feet seemed
to swallow him, and then he was gone.
As the adrenaline
of the confrontation cleared from their systems, Platinum Purple and Titanium
Silver truly saw the battlefield for the first time. Titanium Silver froze,
staring motionlessly at the scattered parts which had once been three of
Earth's bravest defenders. Platinum Purple, on the other hand, quickly
backblasted, turned, and quietly threw up.
Kneeling at
Dragon Borg's side, Chromium Gold was peripherally aware of his sister's
violent illness, and of Titanium Silver gently supporting her as she was
sick. But all of his attention was focused on the far-too-still body in
his arms, and the realization that he had failed. If they'd been a little
quicker, if he'd thought to bring the Astral Sword and coins to the Power
Chamber, if he'd made any one of a thousand decisions, this might not have
happened. But it had, and it was all his fault.
Suddenly a vague
thrumming beneath his hands caused Chromium Gold to start. "Roland! Jo!
I think he's still alive!"
Titanium Silver
was at his side instantly. "You might be right, Drew," he agreed. "This
moonlight makes it hard to tell, but it looks as if Shadow Borg's blast
might have just missed the power generator. Probably his aim was thrown
off when you yelled."
"Let's get him
back to the Power Chamber," Jo suggested. Her face was pale, but her voice
was steady. "Maybe Dr. Spengler and Dr. Stantz can help him."
"It's gotta
be worth a try," Chromium Gold agreed. "Hit the communicator and bring
us in." In a strange flash of light, the four Borgs disappeared, leaving
only wreckage behind.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Carlos!" The
Black Astro Ranger had barely gotten one foot inside the hold when Ashley
pounced on him, wrapping him in a tight embrace. Then she pulled back,
glaring at him. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, Carlos Vargas!"
He grinned.
"You've got a deal," he told her fervently. Looking up, he saw Daystar
standing behind TJ and grinning. "Who's she?" The uniform was definitely
not Starrunner issue.
"Daystar Dianthan,
IGPF," she introduced herself. The mention of the police brought a squeak
from Kylora, who suddenly attempted to hide behind Andros. Daystar raised
an eyebrow. "Did I say something wrong?"
"She's from
Onyx," Andros explained. "But she did help us get away."
Cocking her
head, Daystar moved around Andros, gently turning Kylora to face her. "Honey,
I'm not going to arrest you just because you came from Onyx." Taking in
Kylora's wardrobe, especially her bare feet, her face hardened. "What-
exactly were you doing before you threw in your lot with these guys?"
"I- worked in
a tavern," Kylora admitted, not looking up from the ground.
Daystar shook
her head. "What happened to your parents?"
"They were traders.
Our ship was attacked- I wasn't very old."
Daystar cursed
softly. "That part of your life is over now," she said quietly. "You don't
ever have to go back there again."
"I don't?" The
hope in Kylora's voice was almost heartbreaking.
"No," J'neth
replied, stepping in. "You can stay here, with us, if you wish. The Starrunners
are always ready to welcome a new face."
Kylora smiled,
something which lit up her entire face. "I'd like that," she said shyly.
"A lot."
As J'neth led
Kylora off to show her around, TJ turned to Daystar. Cold anger was rolling
off the woman in waves, and her blue eyes seemed to be pure ice. "I really
hate my relatives," she snarled.
"Did- I miss
something here?" Chris asked, looking from one person to another.
"Daystar is
rather reluctantly related to Divatox and the rest of the Dianth Clan,"
TJ explained.
"And out of
all the despicable, underhanded space scum in the universe, only the Dianth
Clan has a stranglehold on the galactic slave trade," Daystar continued.
Carlos shook
his head. "I guess people don't change that much wherever you go, huh?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"How's the repairs
coming, Ray?" Peter asked quietly.
Ray Stantz looked
up from the delicate circuitry he was repairing. "He's a lucky- guy," the
occultist replied grimly. "Half an inch to the left, and he'd be missing
a power generator. Drew's interference came just in time."
Peter sighed,
leaning against a console wearily. "Try convincing him of that," he sighed.
The three Beetleborgs had returned home, headed once again for their beds.
He doubted, however, that any of them would get to sleep for a long time.
"No thanks,"
Ray chuckled. "You're the psychologist around here."
"And you're
the tech. How are you and Egon doing? Is he going to make it?"
Stantz sighed.
"I wish I knew, Peter. This design- it's not like anything I've ever seen
before. It's almost like a- a cybernetic nervous system! And Art Fortunes
isn't a lot of help, either. He may of designed these guys, but he wasn't
really thinking about the nuts and bolts when he did it. It's like trying
to thread a needle in the dark."
"Just keep at
it," Peter grinned tiredly. "If anybody can pull this off, it's Dr. Spengler
and Super Stantz." The dark-haired Ghostbuster cocked his head. "You're
enjoying this, aren't you?"
"No!" Ray protested.
"I don't mean
Shadowborg ripping people to pieces, I mean the whole thing. Beetleborgs,
Power Rangers, new and exciting technologies, and being a part of the big
good vs. evil thing."
The younger
man sighed. "I guess so," he admitted. "It's just- so exciting! It feels
like I'm a part of something important, something special."
"I'm not trying
to make it sound bad, Tex," Venman replied easily. "It's a perfectly normal
reaction. Ask any one of these kids, or the Troopers- heck, ask Art when
he wakes up. They'll all tell you they feel the same. I'd be more worried
if you weren't enjoying it. That's just not like you, Ray. I'M even
enjoying this- although if you tell anyone, I'll deny it."
Ray grinned.
"I don't have to tell anyone. I think Dr. Kino's already figured it out
for herself."
"She's a sharp
lady," Peter agreed. "Too bad I don't date inside my profession."
Ray just shook
his head and returned to his repairs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Where are we
going?" Andros asked. The Red Astro Ranger had barely finished being welcomed
back by the rest of the Rangers when J'neth had taken him aside and told
him there was something he should see. The Starrunner seemed amused rather
than worried, with Andros took as a good sign. Now, though, as they made
their way through the ship, Andros was beginning to get a little confused.
"Holding bay
B," J'neth chuckled. "I have a surprise for you, sort of a thanks for all
the help your Rangers have given us during the Dianth attack."
"If it wasn't
for us, there wouldn't have been a Dianth attack," Andros reminded the
other man.
"We were coming
through this area anyway," replied J'neth, dismissing that point. "And
the Dianth never miss a chance to attack us. It's not a great relationship.
If it hadn't been for your Rangers, we might have been seriously overwhelmed."
As they talked, they finally came to a large set of sliding doors. Punching
in a code, J'neth grinned at Andros as the doors slid open, revealing the
most beautiful ship the Kerovan Ranger had ever seen.
"THAT'S your
thank you?" Andros gasped. Slightly smaller than the Astro Megaship, the
silver craft was approximately half the length of a full Megazord. Sleek
and streamlined, she was obviously designed for speed and maneuverability.
"She's all ready
to go, Fleetleader," a voice called. Andros looked in the direction of
the speaker and saw what resembled nothing so much as a four-foot-tall
Tyrannosaurus Rex. Of course, most Tyrannosaurs didn't wear violet coveralls
or hold wrenches in their hands. Andros quickly identified the newcomer
as a Chugach, a saurian species who were the best mechanics in the known
galaxy.
"Andros, this
is Bugsy, the chief of my mechanic's crew," J'neth introduced him.
Andros raised
an eyebrow. "'Bugsy?'" Chugach names were unpronounceable by any human
throat, and so members of that race usually picked nicknames if they left
their planet. This one was a little unusual.
Bugsy shrugged.
"The ship picks up Earth satellite feeds. You oughta meet my brothers."
The Chugach turned back towards the ship. "Hey, guys! Come out and meet
the new owner of the bird we've been working on."
There was a
scrambling, and four more Chugach, with slightly different colorations,
came out into the main parts of the bay. "These are my brothers. Bubba,
Bruno, Buck, and Benny."
"They have a
thing for the letter B," J'neth explained needlessly.
Buck, in the
yellow coveralls, cocked his head. "Nice to meet you," he greeted Andros.
To complete the slightly ridiculous image, he was speaking with a decided
Western accent. "We've given the thing a complete overhaul. Your dynotherms
oughta hit approximately two hundred, she's got laser reticulars, and-"
Bruno cleared
his throat. "You wanna run that by us in plain Eltaren, Buck?"
"Oh- she's fast,
fairly well-armed, but not a gunship. This lady is based on the hit and
run strategy."
"And that kind
of work's not cheap," Benny added. Bugsy rolled his eyes.
"But you are,"
he responded. "Quit hitting the man up for a tip and get back to work."
Andros shook
his head. "I don't know what to say."
"Thank you is
always good," Bubba contributed, picking up a wrench. Andros chuckled.
"Thank you.
Thank you all."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Last stop,"
Lita Kino remarked. That morning, she had made her rounds, explaining to
the guardians of each of the Turbo Ranger the concept of the camping trip.
With Shadowborg on the rampage, the adults were only too glad to get their
children out of harm's way.
Then, picking
up Peter, she had driven to Charterville to tackle the parents of the Beetleborgs.
Nano Williams had given the two of them the third degree, but Peter's charm
was effective even on black-belt grandmothers. Constructing a careful edifice
of half-truths, Peter convinced Nano that the Ghostbusters were involved
in the effort against Shadowborg, and that Lita, a "trusted colleague"
would be taking the children out of the city for their own protection.
"I feel like
a heel," Peter grimaced. "We're telling these parents that their children
will be far away from the action, when they're really going to be charging
into the thick of it."
"Would you rather
tell them the truth, and give them all heart attacks?" Lita asked, smiling.
"You have a
point, Dr. Kino."
"Come on, let's
go," Drew said impatiently. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we
can go back to the Power Chamber and check on Dragon Borg."
Lita and Peter
exchanged glances, then the four of them headed up to the door. Taking
a deep breath, Lita rang the bell.
After a few
seconds, the door was answered by a pretty woman with blond hair and the
same piercing blue eyes as Drew and Jo. Seeing her children standing on
the doorstep with two adults, Joyce McCormick raised an eyebrow. "Is there
some sort of problem?" she asked cautiously.
"Not really,
Mrs. McCormick," replied Lita. "We just have a proposal to discuss with
you."
"It's cool,
Mom," Jo replied. Joyce looked at her daughter.
"Well- won't
you come in?" The entire group moved into the living room. To Lita's amusement,
Drew sat down in one of the chairs, while Jo sank cross-legged onto the
ground by his feet. Lita and Peter sat side by side on the beige couch,
while Joyce took one of the other chairs.
"Mrs. McCormick,
my name is Lita Kino, and this is Dr. Peter Venkman. I'm a psychiatrist
who has worked closely with Stone and Crystal County child services."
"And I catch
ghosts for a living," Peter put in.
Joyce nodded.
"Yes, Dr. Venkman, I've seen you on the news a few times. However, I'm
fairly sure there are no ghosts in this house."
Lita smiled.
"Actually, Dr. Venkman is a friend of mine, along as a character reference
of sorts. I've been asked by the Angel Grove child services to lead a camping
retreat for the next week, in part to get children out of the battle zone.
Since Shadowborg originated from Charterville, there is some concern that
the fighting may break out here as well, and I have been asked to take
some Charterville children on the trip as well."
"Can we go,
Mom?" Drew asked. "It's supposed to be really cool. Jo and I signed up
for it at the community center, but we need your permission. We've already
met some of the other kids."
"Roland's going,"
Jo added. She knew that if anything would convince her mother, that would.
Joyce thought
about that for a minute. "Well- if Nano said it was all right, I suppose
it's okay."
"Great!" Drew
cried, getting to his feet and kissing his mother on the cheek. "Come on,
Jo, let's go get our stuff." The two children thundered up the stairs,
leaving the adults to make small talk.
"So, the children
will be gone for a week?" Joyce asked. "I hope that's all it takes to get
this resolved. I've grown accustomed to all the Beetleborg-related ruckus
going on in this town, but Shadowborg is something else again. He's perhaps
the only one that really scares me, even though I've never seen him face-to-face."
"He scares me
too," Lita replied truthfully.
A few more minutes
of light conversation, and Drew and Jo were back, full backpacks on their
backs and sleeping bags tucked under their arms. Peter grinned. "Take your
stuff out to the car, guys, and we'll head out, all right?"
"Right," Drew
agreed. Both of them knew that the kids would simply teleport themselves
and their gear to the Power Chamber when they had the chance.
The children
thundered out the door, and Lita and Peter rose to their feet.
"It was nice
meeting you, Mrs. McCormick," Lita informed her, extending a hand.
"Same here,
Dr. Kino, Dr. Venkman," Joyce replied, taking it. "I'll see you in a week."
"I wouldn't
lay any bets on that," a cold voice said. The three adults turned to see
Shadowborg standing in a shaded corner of the room.
"Oh, shit!"
Peter blurted, gently moving Joyce behind him. "Lita, get Mrs. McCormick
out of here. I'll slow this guy down."
"I think not,"
Shadowborg chuckled, drawing out his laser. Peter didn't think- his instincts
knew quite well what to do. In a shimmer of green light, he was clad in
his Morphin Warrior uniform, just as Shadow's laser struck him in the chest.
He flew backward into a wall. Lita and Joyce, who had ducked behind the
couch, winced in sympathy.
"Out the door!"
Lita hissed. "Now!" The two women made a break for it, but Shadowborg was
too quick for them.
"Now, now, ladies,
the fun's just starting." A casual cuff sent Lita flying across the room,
where she struck a bookcase and slumped to the floor, still. Peter growled,
levering himself to his feet. His green eyes almost seemed to glow with
a light of their own. The Ghostbuster was still shaky, however, and another
shot from the Shadow Laser sent him to his knees. Then Shadowborg turned
to the last person in the room. Joyce McCormick was backed up against a
wall, trying desperately not to panic. Reaching out, Shadowborg grabbed
her wrist, pulling her closer.
"Mrs. McCormick,"
he chuckled. "So nice to make your acquaintance." Then the two of them
sank into the shadows and were gone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"This is going
to be really weird," Rocky remarked. Adam nodded.
"Tell me about
it. This is probably the most we've ever been split up."
Rocky shifted,
looking at his best friend. "So, what do you think Phaedos is like?"
"Well," Adam
replied, "Billy's memories say that there's a lot of rocky land, and also
a lot of jungle. I think we're going to have our hiking cut out for us."
"At least we've
got the girls along," the Blue Zeo Ranger grinned. Not knowing how long
the separation would be for, Andros had constructed the teams so as to
place boyfriends and girlfriends together. His assigning Cassie to his
own team had produced a few grins from the rest of the Rangers, but she
seemed to think nothing of it.
Billy was leading
Adam, Carlos, Ashley, Christina, and Tanya to Phaedos, the most mysterious
of the four planets, in the Delta Megaship. All they had to guide them
were Billy's false memories of a trip there, a trip taken by his other
self in an alternate universe. However, the six of them were quite skilled
at working together, and Billy seemed confident in his team.
Meanwhile, tackling
Danata, the home planet of the Zarakin race, were Jamie, Jason, TJ, Chris,
Rocky, and Katarina, in the newly acquired Mega Winger. Andros had been
careful to select the less- uptight members of the team for the socially
uninhibited Zarakin. Jamie, of course, was close kin to the current king,
although it was not perhaps a relationship she would want to advertise.
But her usual mode of behavior was so close to the Zarakin norm that Andros
figured she could pass unnoticed among the people with no problem at all.
The Astro Megazord
Shuttle, the smallest of the four conveyances, would be headed to Edenoi,
which was the closest of the planets. Tommy would be leading that expedition,
as one of the few Rangers present who had actually been there before. Lillian,
Parker, and Zack were accompanying him, as well as Daystar, who had flatly
refused to leave her newfound reporter friend behind. Since Daystar was
quite familiar with Edenite Court behavior and manners, the Rangers had
decided that having her along would be a good idea.
Lastly, Andros
would be piloting the Astro Megaship to Eltare to gain the support of the
Royal Family. Besides Cassie, he would also be taking Kim, Skull, Trini,
and Kat, all calm, rational personalities similar to those of the planet
Eltare. Plus, since the planet held the White principle of the Grid in
high esteem, Skull might well be able to buy some respect that Andros could
not.
All throughout
the main holding bay of the Starfire, farewells were being said.
Everyone realized that this very well might be the last time they saw each
other, and the good-byes reflected that. The girls were hugging anything
that came into sight, while the male Rangers generally contented themselves
with handshakes and forearm clasps.
All the male
Rangers except for Jason and Tommy, that is. They had started with the
usual handshake and light banter, but neither could really sound unconcerned.
Finally, Tommy looked at his oldest friend with deep sincerity.
"I'm only going
to say this once, Jase, because I know how dumb it sounds. But- I am going
to say it, just in case we don't make it back. You've been my friend for
five years, through thick and thin and things I can't even talk about.
You never once let me down or backed away when I needed help. It's an honor
to have known you, man, and- aw heck," Tommy sighed. "I love you, you know
that?"
Jason grinned.
"Yeah, I think I did. And I love you too, Tommy. You've always been like
a brother to me, and you always will." With that, Jason pulled Tommy closer
and gave him a quick, fierce hug, which Tommy returned. Then they pulled
apart, Tommy regarding Jason with his trademark half-smile. Jason just
shook his head.
Turning to the
crowd around them, Tommy cocked an eyebrow. "What are you all looking at?"
he asked in mock aggravation. "Let's get to those ships and get going!"
The four teams of Rangers quickly split up to their separate vessels.
Then, firing their engines, the four ships sped away into the blackness
of space.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A flash of green
light suddenly filled the Power Chamber. When it faded, Peter Venkman stood
in the middle of the floor, dressed in his Morphin Warrior jumpsuit and
holding an unconscious Lita Kino in his arms. "I need a little help here!"
he called, tension in his voice. Instantly, Ryan and Winston were there,
lifting the psychiatrist out of Peter's arms while Justin and Rosa wheeled
over a table. The three men laid Lita gently on the table, as Ray, JB,
and Egon left their repairs of Dragon Borg.
"What happened?"
Ray asked anxiously.
"She took a
header into a bookcase," Peter replied. Leaning heavily against a console,
he flashed again, returning to his normal attire of jeans and a green T-shirt.
Justin quickly
pulled out a hand-held medical scanner and turned it on the unconscious
woman, while Egon did the same for Peter. Irritably, the dark-haired psychologist
waved him away. "I'm fine, Egon. I hit a wall, but I was morphed. I'm okay."
"She's going
to be all right," Justin reported, relieved. "One hell of a headache when
she wakes up, but she'll be okay, thanks to the Green Coin."
"I think this
color is more trouble than it's worth," Peter grumbled, just as the Beetleborg
and the three missing Rangers ran in from the direction of the sleeping
quarters.
"We heard the
alarm," Franklin informed the others. "What's the matter?"
Suddenly Fred
caught sight of Lita lying on the med table. "Lita!" he cried, rushing
to her side.
"Chill out,"
Jeb told him. "The lady took a header, but she's gonna be okay."
"What's going
on here?" Drew asked, as Kaitlin and Katie teleported in, their hands full
of shopping bags. They had gone to the Charterville Mall that afternoon
to pick Katie up a whole new wardrobe. Drew's features suddenly hardened
remembering where Peter and Lita had been. "What happened?" he asked, turning
towards the psychologist.
Venkman sighed.
This was not going to be easy for any of them, especially not Drew and
Jo. "Shadowborg happened," he replied reluctantly. "Lita and I were on
our way out the door when he showed up. I don't think he had any idea who
we were- until I morphed. He blew me into a wall and pitched Lita into
the nearest bookcase."
"What about
our mom?" Jo said in a small voice.
Peter ran a
hand through his hair, unable to meet her eyes. "He took her with him,
Jo. I couldn't stop him."
"What?" Drew
cried, his skin going dead white. Beside him, Ryan laid a hand on the younger
boy's shoulder. Better than anyone in the room, he knew what Drew was feeling
right now.
"We're getting
a transmission," Egon frowned, as a console beside him began to flash.
"Put it on the
main screen," Fred ordered coldly. "I have a feeling I know who's calling."
The main viewscreen
lit up, showing the face of the Shadowborg, as Fred had surmised. "Greetings,
heroes of Earth," the evil Beetleborg chuckled. "Ready to surrender yet?"
"Where's my
mother, you bastard?" Drew snarled.
"Watch your
language, little boy. You don't want Mommy to wash your mouth out with
soap." The image changed, showing Joyce McCormick tied to a stalactite.
She was dirty and frightened, but seemed unharmed. Then the picture went
back to Shadowborg.
"Now, I'm sure
you're wondering why I called. There's some- unfinished business between
me and the Chromium Gold Beetleborg. Therefore, I'm issuing him a challenge.
Come to the Charterville Cemetery in one hour- alone. If you don't- your
mother will regret it very much." With that threat, Shadowborg's transmission
winked out, leaving a seething Drew staring at the screen.
"I'll be there,"
he promised quietly. "And YOU'LL regret it very much."
"Drew," Jo began,
"I'm coming with you."
The leader of
the Beetleborgs shook his head. "You heard what he said, Jo. I have to
go alone."
"Are you nuts?"
cried Tasha. "That guy nearly ripped the three of you apart before. He's
at least twice as powerful now! This is suicide!"
"I'm not putting
my mother in any more danger," Drew replied.
"I have an idea,"
Professor Hart said suddenly. "I seriously doubt that Shadowborg intends
to meet Drew at the specified place. Too much chance of an ambush, should
Drew disregard the conditions. More likely, he'll be teleporting him to
a shielded location."
Franklin grinned.
"So we put a wire on him and track him!"
"Then we can
teleport in and give him back-up," Katie finished.
Winston shook
his head. "One person, no more. If Shadowborg sees an army, he'll take
Mrs. McCormick out before we can react."
"I'm going,"
Jo said firmly. Flabber cocked his head.
"Jo, are you
sure that's such a good idea?"
"Flabber, this
is my mother. I'm going." There was no contradicting that tone.
Fred sighed.
"Then I'd guess we'd better get to work on that tracker. We don't have
a lot of time."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chromium Gold
looked around Charterville Cemetery nervously. Once, a long time ago, he
had sort of liked this place. The peace had reached out to him every time
he'd come to visit his father's grave. Then the Magnavores had set up their
base here, and the atmosphere changed to one of oppression. Now that Nukus
was in residence, the evil that could be felt in the area was overwhelming.
"I'm here!"
he called, scanning the area warily. "Where are you!"
"Step into the
portal, Beetleborg." Shadowborg's voice seemed to come from everywhere
and nowhere. Suddenly a black portal, seemingly made of solid shadows,
irised open in front of Chromium Gold. Nerving himself, the Beetleborg
stepped through.
An instant of
disorientation, the sensation of freezing cold, and then he was through,
in a cavern that could have been located in any of the cave systems that
undercut Charterville. Standing in front of him was Shadowborg, and farther
back in the cave, Joyce McCormick was chained to a stalagmite.
"I'm here,"
Chromium Gold repeated quietly. "Now let my mother go!"
"Backblast,"
was Shadowborg's only response.
Chromium Gold
frowned. "What?"
"Backblast.
I want her to see you without the armor."
"You fight dirty,"
Chromium Gold growled, but there was a note of defeat in his voice. "Backblast!"
In a flash of light, Drew McCormick stood in the cave, glaring up at his
adversary.
"Drew?" Joyce
gasped. The boy looked up.
"I'll explain
everything later, Mom," he promised. Then, under his breath, "If there
is a later."
Standing straighter,
he glared at the evil Beetleborg in front of him. "What now, Shadowborg?
Is it easier for you to kill a fourteen-year-old kid than a full-fledged
Beetleborg?" Drew didn't know whether the creature before him had any pride
to wound or not, but he had to keep Shadowborg's attention on him. He had
just spotted the purple-and-red sparkles which signified that Platinum
Purple had teleported into the cavern, behind Shadowborg.
"You misunderstand
me, Drew. It was never my intention to kill you- at least, not this time
around. I learn from my mistakes, you see."
"And what did
you learn?" inquired Drew, shifting. He didn't like where this was heading
at all.
"That you would
make me a far better ally than an enemy," Shadowborg replied, taking a
step towards the boy.
Biting her lip,
Platinum Purple barely stopped herself from crying out. Slowly she moved
behind the stalagmite holding her mother prisoner. "Shh," she cautioned.
"Just hold on, Mom. I'm going to get you out of here." Since Shadowborg
had forced Drew to backblast, she saw no reason to keep her identity a
secret.
Meanwhile, Drew
was regarding Shadowborg in total shock. "Nukus must have fried your brains
when he brought you back," Drew laughed. "Me, join you? Not in a million
years!"
"No? Think about
it. At last you'd be free of a responsibility you don't want. No more looking
after a little sister who leaps before she looks. No more bailing out a
best friend who constantly gets in over his head. No more having to be
the sane, rational one when everything is going crazy."
Drew shivered.
As much as he hated to admit it, some part of him was responding to the
things Shadowborg was saying. And the soothing cadence of the creature's
voice was making it hard to think. "You're wrong," he replied, without
as much conviction as before. "I wouldn't want things different."
"And think of
the power. No more being treated like a second-class citizen simply because
of your age. You would be the one in command, in control." Seeing Drew's
resistance weakening, Shadowborg moved in for the kill. "And think about
Heather."
Drew jerked.
"What do you know about Heather?" he growled.
"I know she
never pays you the slightest attention. But I'd bet the Chromium Gold Beetleborg
would impress her. You could tell her all about yourself- and get rid of
the last obstacle to everything you want. Josh Baldwin." Drew's eyes flashed
at the mention of that name. Seeing that, Shadowborg chuckled.
"Humans have
a saying. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' Baldwin is certainly an
enemy to both of us. Don't you think we should be friends?"
"Josh- isn't
my enemy," Drew protested. His words were growing thick and his eyes were
dark.
"No? He stole
your friends, muscled his way onto the Beetleborgs, and took the heart
of the woman you care for, all without a second thought. He has never done
anything but upstage you and make you look bad. He cares nothing for you.
As long as he exists, you will always be second-best, second-rate. Join
me, and together we will wipe him off the face of this planet."
In the back
of the cave, Platinum Purple was growing desperate. "We don't have time
for stealth," she growled. "Hold real still." Grasping the chains, she
pulled hard, ripping them apart and setting her mother free. Unfortunately,
the noise of the rending metal caught Shadowborg's attention. Whirling,
he spotted them, and seemed shocked for the first time that Platinum Purple
could remember.
"Jo!" Drew cried,
trying to focus through the dark fog in his mind. "Get Mom out of here!"
"What about
you?" she called back, stepping in front of her mother as Shadowborg raised
his Shadow Laser.
"I'll catch
up," he assured her, lying through his teeth. "Go!" In a flash of light,
Platinum Purple and Joyce McCormick were gone. Drew, left behind, collapsed
to the ground as his vision began to grow dark.
"Very heroic,"
Shadowborg sneered, coming to stand over him. "They may have escaped, but
that doesn't matter. I have you."
Drew had to
admit to himself that Shadowborg was right. As the darkness reached up
to claim him, he had time for one last thought. At least Mom and Jo
are safe. Nothing else matters anymore. Then Drew slumped to the ground.
The light in his eyes went out, and the cavern was filled with Shadowborg's
mocking laughter.
The End... for now