July 4
The sun beat
down on the small arena that the Black Falcon had reserved for Chelsea's
training. The temperature was easily eighty degrees, and Chelsea reveled
in it, letting the heat sink into her bones. After so many afternoons spent
in the desert, accompanying Tommy and David on various adventures, it would
take more than the dry heat of Briallta to get to her. Dressed in a simple
white T-shirt and a pair of white shorts, she waited patiently as the Falcon
walked out across the hard, barren earth.
"Ecliptor was
right about you," he said admiringly. The last few days had been spent
in testing her knowledge of a number of things, from hand-to-hand combat
to the various arts of stealth. Throughout it all, the Falcon's expression
had remained carefully neutral, but Chelsea had enough experience reading
body language to know he had been pleasantly surprised.
"So do I pass
muster?" she asked. "Will you take me on as an apprentice?"
The Falcon shook
his head. "Kid, it'd be an honor, and that's not the sort of thing I say
lightly. First things first, though. If you're gonna be my apprentice,
call me Duke. 'The Black Falcon' is just a- professional alias."
Chelsea nodded.
"Got it. So what's first on the agenda?"
"Your first
lesson is all lecture, so pull up a patch of ground and get comfortable,"
he informed her, sinking gracefully to a cross-legged position. She followed,
regarding him expectantly.
"I'm gonna tell
you all about the Deshaadra. What you can expect as my apprentice, from
other members, from the Council, and from the galaxy at large. How much
did Ecliptor tell you about us?"
She shrugged.
"Not a whole lot. Just that the Deshaadra are the only organization in
the galaxy to have the respect of both the Alliance and the Council."
Duke nodded.
"I don't do jobs for the Alliance, and the Council wouldn't touch me with
a ten-foot pole, but there are a lot of Deshaadra who work one side or
the other. Since you're looking at being Queen of Triforia, you probably
won't be taking on many jobs, so you shouldn't run afoul of anybody who
works the Alliance. That's the beauty of being my apprentice. Since you
don't belong to a garal, you can pick and choose who you wanna work for-
and with.
"That's gonna
give you an interesting status among the Deshaadra. You're wild, which
means the only authority you have to answer to is the Elders- and me, of
course, but only for the next couple weeks. Unless there's something huge
going down, the Elders will basically ignore you, so you're pretty much
covered. Only thing to remember when you meet another Deshaadra is not
to kill them unless they try to kill you first."
Chelsea threw
him a half-smile. "Sounds simple enough."
"It's a pretty
uncomplicated life," Duke agreed. "Not easy, but uncomplicated. Now, the
Council's gonna be a little leery around you, since you're kind of an anomaly.
You're the first Earth person to enter our ranks, and you're the only apprentice
to serve outside a garal."
"What about
you?" she asked curiously.
Duke looked
away. "My garal- it doesn't exist anymore," he replied softly. "Somebody
refused to do a job for Dark Specter, and- well, you can figure out the
rest. That's why I don't do jobs for the Alliance, no matter what the pay."
"I'm sorry,"
Chelsea sympathized. Duke shrugged.
"You couldn't
know. Anyway, it was a long time ago." Briskly, he stood, helping her to
her feet as well.
"You already
know most of what I'd normally teach you, so I'm just going to concentrate
on the advanced stuff. Some of the more interesting tools of our trade,
some galactic cultural stuff that you'll need to know, and this." Reaching
down to his belt, he pulled a silver cylinder from it's hook. Pressing
a button, a blue beam shot from it, extending for about a foot and a half.
"A light saber?"
Chelsea asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Laser sword,"
Duke corrected. "Traditional weapon for the Deshaadra. I'll be teaching
you how to fight with one, and eventually how to make your own."
Chelsea shook
her head. "Great. I'm gonna be a Jedi."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rubbing his eyes,
Tommy fought to stifle a yawn. "I didn't know holographic maps could give
you a headache," he remarked to the empty war room.
"If you stare
at them for hours on end, they can," replied a voice from the door. Whirling,
Tommy turned to see Lexian regarding him in amusement.
"Give a guy
a heart attack," the leader of the Rangers replied lightly, his breathing
returning to normal.
Chuckling, Lexian
stepped into the room. "I apologize, Tommy. How long have you been in here,
anyway?"
Tommy shrugged,
not quite able to hide his weariness. "I dunno. An hour or two?"
"Wrong," Lexian
corrected dryly. "At least three, because that is how long it has been
since dinner. A meal which you did not attend."
"Oh," Tommy
replied sheepishly. "I guess I got caught up in studying these maps of
Tae Shalrith."
"We assumed
as much. Your Black Ranger asked me to bring this tray and insist you eat;
she seemed to think you'd be more likely to comply with my instructions."
Tommy took the
tray from the Edenite king with a wry smile. "Lillian knows me very well,"
he allowed. Picking up a leg of what looked like chicken, he began to nibble
on it. "You weren't kidding," he continued between swallows. "That place
is like a fortress."
"It is a fortress,"
Lexian replied. "Kramon the Usurper built it when the peasant rebellions
began to spark into a full-fledged war."
"You mentioned
that earlier, and something about the first Masked Rider? What's the story
behind that?"
Lexian let out
a long breath, staring into the distance. "It was a very long time ago,
even by Edenite standards," he began. "A noble by the name of Kramon had
usurped the throne of Edenoi, murdering the entire royal family- or so
he thought. Unknown to him, one escaped, a small boy by the name of Erex.
Erex was only five hundred years old, the equivalent of five years in your
development, and escaped the carnage by crawling out of a sewer pipe that
led to the moat. No adult could have fit through it, and Kramon's soldiers
ignored it during their rampage.
"At any rate,
Erex escaped, and was found and raised by a peasant couple, while Kramon
solidified his reign over the people of Edenoi. Due to the trauma he had
sustained, Erex remembered nothing of his royal birth, and his adopted
parents never knew. Despite this, Erex grew to be strong and noble, a true
prince in spirit if not in station. The injustice of Kramon's reign angered
him, and when soldiers attempted to assault the woman he loved, that anger
grew to rebellion."
Tommy chuckled.
"I've heard stories similar to this one. Looks like Earth and Edenoi have
some history in common."
Lexian acknowledged
that with a nod. "After his fight with Kramon's soldiers, Erex and Laita
fled from the village. Their path eventually led them to a cave in the
hills. However, this was no ordinary cave. It contained within it the Heart
of Edenoi. The Heart is a giant crystal, similar in composition to the
smaller ones implanted in our foreheads, to allow mental communication.
That night, as Erex slept, the Heart called to him. It told him of his
heritage, and charged him to lead the people of Edenoi to freedom. To aid
him in this quest, it gave him a power, drawn from the ancestors of the
Edenite race."
"Insects," Tommy
realized. "The Masked Rider powers."
"Indeed. When
Erex awoke in the cave, he found himself clothed in armor. Awakening Laita,
he told her of what the Heart had shown him, and the two of them left to
begin to foment the rebellion.
"The people
of Edenoi quickly fell in behind Erex, for deception is impossible in the
mind-to-mind link that the crystals create. With a son of the royal house
to lead them, the rebels gained strength and confidence, and Kramon soon
found himself losing control of his kingdom. This was the time he ordered
Tae Shalrith built.
"Eventually,
the rebels grew too strong, and Kramon was forced to retreat into Tae Shalrith,
just as Dregon's forces have done now. For almost a year, the rebels laid
siege to the fortress. Many men died on both sides, but no progress was
made. Finally Erex realized that he would have to go himself.
"He slipped
away under cover of darkness, knowing that Laita would insist on coming
with him if he did not. He entered the castle by a secret passage, and
made his way to the throne room. There, he challenged Kramon, and the final
battle of the war began.
"Both men were
skilled combatants, and the battle raged for a long time, leading them
up stairs and through hallways, until they were on the parapets. The three
moons were full, and the soldiers, rebel and usurper alike, stopped and
watched the two as they fought, silhouetted in the moonlight. Finally,
Kramon knocked the saber from Erex's hand. Just before the Usurper would
have slain him, though, an arrow sped through the air and buried itself
in Kramon's back. Laita, never one to obey orders, had followed her love
into the fortress.
"With the Usurper
dead, Erex was elevated to the throne. He married Laita- over the screams
of his advisors- and their children began the line of kings and Masked
Riders that has continued to this day."
"So you and
Dex are directly descended from Erex, the first Masked Rider," Tommy mused.
"Yes," Lexian
affirmed. "And another interesting point. The various Masked Riders throughout
the centuries have worn varying armors, connected only by an insect theme.
But Dex- Dex wears the same armor once worn by Erex himself."
"And now Edenoi
finds itself throwing off another oppressor, and the battle has come back
to the same place," Tommy remarked. "Let's hope that history will repeat
itself again."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Being a Chameleon,
Carlos was discovering, had certain interesting effects. Since Ninjetti
powers were buried in the life force, practitioners of the art had certain
abilities that Morphin Rangers did not. For instance, they could call upon
certain attributes of their Grid Spirit. Today, Dulcea was teaching him
to blend into his surroundings.
"Close your
eyes and concentrate," she informed him. "Become one with the rocks around
you. Feel what it is like to be a stone. Think of the wind, and the water,
and the heat of the sun."
Carlos did as
he was instructed. For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, he
began to feel different, as if a strange energy was flowing through him.
Opening his eyes, he found that he could barely see his own hand. He wouldn't
have known where it was at all, but he was glowing with a purple light.
Dulcea's mouth quirked.
"Close," she
allowed. "You'll lose the glow with practice."
Meanwhile, Ashley
was exploring an interesting aspect of the powers of the Unicorn. As in
the old myths, the Unicorn had the power to cure poisoning and purify tainted
water. Dulcea had given her a number of vials of polluted water to practice
with, and slowly she was beginning to get the hang of it.
Adam, Tanya,
and Christina were working their way through a meditation kata. The power
of the Ninjetti was such that a Ranger's mind and body had to be in harmony,
or the powers would be ineffective. So all of the Rangers practiced meditating
at least once a day.
Last, Billy
had found himself fascinated by Dulcea's whistling sticks, two nightstick-like
weapons which snapped together to form a bo staff. She had agreed to tutor
him in their use, and found him to be quite proficient with them, for a
beginner. In some ways, they brought back memories of his Power Lance,
the weapon he had used as the original Blue Ranger, so long ago.
Taking her attention
briefly from Carlos, Dulcea looked around the training grounds at the six
Rangers she was preparing to become Ninjetti. It had been so long since
anyone quested for the Great Power... She fervently hoped that she was
not sending Zordon's charges to die. But they really had little choice.
Not if they were going to save Zordon, and by extension their Earth. With
a little sigh, she turned back to Carlos, who had managed to change the
glow to a cerulean blue. It was no use worrying now. Things would work
out as they must.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jamie took a
deep breath, trying to calm herself. For Zarador's first meeting with his
court of advisors, the Rangers had been instructed to morph and remove
their helmets. That, Zarador had informed them, was the Ranger equivalent
of military dress. Jason, of course, had no helmet, but that was a minor
point. Chris had been quite impressed with his first glimpse of his Ranger
uniform. Since the removal of the helmet placed the powers in standby mode,
Chris didn't have to worry about them failing on him. It seemed a little
strange to Jamie that the first time he morphed would be for a ceremonial
occasion, rather than a battle.
Unlike the rest
of the team, she was not dressed in her Ranger outfit. Zarador had thought
it a good idea to play up her Zarakin heritage, and so she wore the dress
uniform of a Zarakin warrior, a heavily embroidered tunic belted with a
wide sash and a pair of loose trousers. The outfit was royal purple, with
silver needlework and a silver sash. A silver lightning bolt sewn over
her heart completed the ensemble. Silver, Zarador had explained, was the
color and metal sacred to the Goddess, and by extension the Power. "We're
going to rub their noses in the fact that you're an avatar of the Power,"
he had informed her. "The Sword of Lightning, most powerful of the Elemental
Blades, accepted you as its wielder. Not only that, but the Shard in the
handle didn't reject you. They'd rather ignore that- it doesn't fit into
their worldview. I want them to be constantly confronted with the fact
that you are Zarakin, a Ranger, and a Swordbearer to boot. It might sway
one or two to my side."
Jamie had drawn
a number of looks as she had strode through the camp on her way to the
meeting. Purple was not a color worn by many Zarakin, signifying as it
did the royalty. But she knew that most of the stares were because even
fewer women wore the garb of a warrior.
Once inside
the meeting tent, the Rangers had been shown to a spot where a number of
low, boxlike seats had been set out for them. Jamie noticed that hers had
been set at Zarador's right, a position that was sure to get her noticed.
She raised an eyebrow at him as she took a seat, and he responded with
a grin.
The nobles and
their entourages were filing in now, and Jamie listened intently as Zarador
explained their identities in low tones.
An older man,
with iron-gray hair and blue eyes was identified as Trath, the lord of
a province known as Belara. "He's a little more than half my age and acts
twice it," Zarador told her quietly. "He's extremely old-fashioned, believes
Rangers are worthy of the highest respect. Unfortunately, he also thinks
women should take care of the children and devote themselves to 'non-taxing'
pursuits. It'll be interesting to see which way this goes."
Not long after
Trath entered, a young man came in, dressed in the garb of a member of
the nomadic zralta riders. He threw Zarador a grin as he sat down. "Jalen
Del Rayar," chuckled the king. "Reminds me of myself at that age. He speaks
for the riders, who are too nomadic to have a real system of government
beyond clan loyalties. His sister rides scout for their clan, much to the
scandal of half the grasslands. He'll almost certainly be on our side."
More nobles
followed, and Jamie carefully filed the names away for future reference.
Altogether, there were seven members of the court: six nobles from various
provinces and Jalen of the riders. Chardin was an old friend of Zarador's;
the two men were of the same age and a similar outlook. Jamie took one
look at the white-haired, silver-eyed man and had liked him immediately.
Sneris of Gant,
on the other hand, she immediately pegged as trouble. Young, with rusty
hair and brown eyes, he would have been rather attractive if he didn't
resemble someone who had just bitten into a lemon. Every time his gaze
fell on Jamie, the puckered expression grew deeper. She had to fight very
hard to keep from crossing her eyes at him.
When Walchis,
lord of Granstil, arrived, Jamie heard Zarador groan under his breath.
"He can't stay awake long enough to hear half a meeting, and half the time
he can't remember what he had for breakfast!" the king told her. "He's
half-deaf and half-blind, but he refuses to step down. His son, Rachis,
is a good sort, though, and he makes most of the decisions."
A young, handsome
man with gray eyes and a shock of blond hair was identified as Larad, from
the province of Trelan. Zarador described him as intelligent and flexible,
but not prone to making rash decisions. He was one of the court members
they most especially needed to convince.
Melchor of Narol
was last, and he immediately sent chills down Jamie's spine. The man had
black hair and black eyes, and unpleasantly sallow skin. But it was the
sly smile on his face that made Jamie wary of him. "Now THERE is a thoroughly
nasty gentleman," Zarador whispered. "You know there's a problem with a
noble when half the planet is hoping he'll be assassinated, and the other
half is actively plotting it."
"Which half
are you in?" Jamie asked quietly, throwing him a smile.
"I go back and
forth," Zarador admitted. "As king, I can't be assassinating my nobles,
but there are times that I am SO tempted..."
Seeing that
all the nobles were finally present, Zarador rose to his feet. "I'm sure
you're all wondering why in the world I've brought guests to this gathering,"
Zarador began. Zarakin weren't much for formalities. "And I'm sure you
can see by their dress that they're Rangers. The problem is this: Zordon
of Eltare has been arrested." That drew gasps from most of the members
of the court. Jamie noticed, however, that Melchor did not seem surprised
at all. Her eyes narrowed, and she began watching the Narolian closer as
Zarador continued.
"These Rangers
need our help and our support. They intend to testify at the trial of Zordon,
as do I. And I also intend for the planet Danata to back them." Taking
a deep breath, Zarador asked a question he already knew the answer to.
"Any objections?"
Chaos ensued
in the tent as five men stood and began talking at once. Melchor, Jamie
noticed, remained seated, watching the scene with satisfaction. Walchis,
of course, just watched uncomprehendingly. Finally, Trath managed to silence
his compatriots and turned back towards Zarador.
"My lord, certainly
we would lend all required assistance to the Rangers, but- what aid is
needed? We certainly know little enough of this matter. What could we do
that would aid their cause?"
Zarador smiled.
"I'm glad you asked, Trath," he chuckled. He turned, gesturing for Jamie
to stand. She did so, and he looked back at his nobles. "This is Jamie
Zedden, Purple Ranger of Earth. She is also my half-sister. I intend to
claim her as part of the royal family, with all the privileges and prestige
that entails. Also, she is a Swordbearer, wielder of the fabled Sword of
Lightning, and should therefore be considered a part of the King's Guard."
Once again chaos
broke loose. Over all the noise, Jalen caught Jamie's eye and threw her
a wink. She relaxed a bit, reassured that at least SOMEBODY was on her
side.
"My lord!" Trath's
scandalized exclamation flew above the rest. "This is highly irregular!
An Earth child, a Swordbearer? Surely there must be some mistake!"
"No mistake,"
Melchor sneered. "Surely, Trath, you've heard the stories about Zedd's
half-human whelp, who somehow managed to acquire a powerful Blade? Perhaps
the rumors about Zordon's decline are true, if his standards have fallen
so low."
Jamie's eyes
flared at Melchor's insinuations, but before she could react, Zarador's
voice cracked like a whip. "Guard your tongue, Melchor, or you may find
yourself the recipient of a challenge. Lady Jamie is NOT a gentle and forgiving
person."
"That
is an understatement," Jason grumbled. His remark broke some of the tension,
and Jamie cooled off visibly.
"I have earned
my position on the Rangers," Jamie said quietly. "And anyone who wishes
to state otherwise should examine the threats that I have faced. How would
you fare, my lord, if confronted with the demon Nyghtmayr?" Melchor simply
glared at her.
"Last I heard,"
Jalen began easily, "no one who was unworthy could wield an Elemental Blade.
Ralthor built that into them as a fail-safe, right?"
"Zedd held the
Sword of Fire," Sneris pointed out.
Larad shook
his head. "Prince Zedd, yes. Lord Zedd, no. Remember, the instant he changed
to the side of evil, the blade went dormant. At least, that's what all
the legends say."
"You're quite
right, Larad," replied Chardin. "And it's quite obvious that the lady is
quite capable of using the abilities of the Sword to their utmost. The
Sword has accepted her, which more than proves her worth."
Jamie scanned
the room. Trath looked halfway convinced, and Jalen, Chardin, and Larad
were almost certainly swayed to her side. Sneris was still obviously skeptical,
Walchis was oblivious, and Melchor was a lost cause. She sighed.
"There is only
one way to decide her worth," Trath declared. "The Competition, on the
Day of Five Winds. If these Rangers prove themselves in the sight of the
Goddess, then we shall give them whatever support they require. Agreed?"
One by one,
the other men nodded, even Melchor, although he didn't look happy about
it. Zarador sighed.
"Very well then.
In four days time, on the Day of Five Winds, this question shall be settled."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"How're you doing?"
Cassie asked quietly. Kimberly shrugged.
"Can't be worse
than the Isle of Illusion," she replied. "That was not a lot of fun."
The Pink Astro
Ranger looked puzzled. "Isle of Illusion? I don't think I've heard about
that."
"Right. I forgot,
your team doesn't work as closely with Zordon as the previous ones have.
The Isle of Illusion was a place that Rita sent the six of us, the original
six. It showed you the things you were most afraid of, feeding off of fear
and lack of confidence, making you slowly fade from existence. If it hadn't
been for a little guy named Quagmire, we would have been toast."
"What was it
for you?" Cassie asked curiously. "I'm sorry, that was really nosy."
Kim smiled.
"No, it's okay. I saw Bulk and Skull as angels. See, back then, they acted
like a couple of bullies, always pushing us around. I figured if Rita could
make them act like that, she could do anything." She laughed slightly.
"I was pretty shallow back then," she admitted. "But Quagmire reminded
me of the time I had to take on a monster known as the Terror Toad all
by myself, and I got my confidence back."
"You're kidding,"
Skull broke in. "You mean, an illusion of me as an angel was enough to
break you?"
"I told you
I was shallow," Kim shot back. "Could have been worse, though. Tommy thought
we were all putties."
"That would
be painful," allowed Skull. Suddenly the ragged file stopped. "Oh, now
what?" the White Warrior asked in exasperation.
"Fork in the
road," Andros' voice filtered back.
"Salad or dinner?"
Skull winced as Kim elbowed him in the ribs. Soon the six Rangers were
all gathered in the area where two tunnels diverged.
Kat frowned.
"Do you suppose this is another test?"
"More than likely,"
Trini replied. "Check for inscriptions or something."
The six spread
out, and began examining the cave walls for markings. "Hey, I found something!"
Cassie called. "Who's Thomas the Rymer?"
Andros frowned.
"What?" The other five quickly moved to stand behind Cassie, who faced
an inscription on the cave wall.
"Take the road
of Thomas the Rymer," Kat read aloud. "I have no idea what that means."
"The Third Road!"
Skull yelped, causing everyone to turn to him in surprise.
"What?" Kim
asked, speaking for all of them.
"It's an old
poem, or maybe a legend," her boyfriend explained. "I can't remember anything
about it, except that it's about Thomas the Rymer, a song-maker who was
taken to Fairyland by the queen of the Fairies. At one point, it talks
about three roads. One leads to heaven, one to hell, and the THIRD road
leads to Fairyland. That's the one Thomas takes."
"But there's
only two roads here," Trini pointed out.
Kat bit her
lip. "Maybe not," she replied, crossing to the expanse of wall between
the two tunnel entrances. Running her fingers over the rock, she felt a
small, hairline crack running vertically up the stone. "Bingo!" she cried.
"Come on, help me push!"
With six Rangers
placing their weight against it, the stone door quickly swung inward, revealing
a third passage between the other two. "All right!" Cassie yelled.
"Good job, Skull,"
added Andros. Then the six of them moved carefully off down the third passage.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Okay, guys,
that's a wrap," Julia Holochwost instructed, lowering her microphone. As
the rest of the news crew began to load the equipment back into their van,
she grinned to herself. Bunny Bodelle still wasn't speaking to her after
the trip incident, but that wasn't a problem. She had little respect and
less liking for the Charterville newswoman, and considering the condition
the Platinum Purple Beetleborg had been in, she had probably done the world
a service.
"Ms. Holochwost?"
a voice said politely. Julia turned to see the Blue VR Trooper standing
behind her, much to the amazement of the crew. As a Cross World reporter,
Julia had met the VR Troopers before, but this was the first time one of
them had sought her out.
"Yes?" she asked,
raising an eyebrow. "How can I help you?"
"Could we speak
privately?" the Trooper asked. "What I have to say is somewhat sensitive."
She nodded.
"Sure." Turning to the newscrew, she handed the microphone she was holding
to one of the men. "Hold down the fort until I get back, okay, Johnny?"
The sandy-haired
man gave her a thumbs-up. "Right, Julie." She rolled her eyes at him, then
turned back to Blue Trooper.
"Come on, let's
head over there. It's currently reporter-free; no one wants to risk the
wrath of Detective Park."
Blue Trooper
chuckled. Having seen Franklin's father in action, he could more than understand
that. The two of them ducked into the shelter of the building, and he turned
to her. "First off, you have the undying thanks of all of us for tripping
Bunny Bodelle. The Platinum Purple Beetleborg was in NO shape to answer
questions."
Julia shivered,
remembering the shock in the girl's posture, visible even through the armor.
"Will she be all right?"
"She'll be fine,
thank you." That was one of the reasons Blue Trooper had sought out Julia
Holochwost to talk to. She was one of the few television reporters in his
experience that cared more about people than about the story.
"What happened
out there today? Off the record," she hastily amended.
"Off the record?
Shadowborg managed to take control of the mind of the Chromium Gold Beetleborg,"
Blue Trooper explained. "He and Platinum Purple are very close friends."
Julia closed
her eyes. "The betrayal must have been awful," she murmured. Then she opened
her eyes and cocked an eyebrow at Blue Trooper. "What happened on the record?"
"On the record,
Shadowborg has captured the Chromium Gold Beetleborg and released a look-alike
monster in his place. We'd appreciate it if you'd let that get out."
Julia pretended
to look affronted. "You want me, a member of the press, to lie? I work
for Channel 6, not Hard Copy."
"Well, just
say that's what you were told. Enough damage has been done to his reputation
already."
Julia nodded.
"All right, you have a point. You all be careful, now. Earth needs you."
"We will. You
be careful too." Then in a flash of light and circuitry, Blue Trooper disappeared.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"One thing I
don't understand," Carlos began, looking up from the fire. "If we've got
these Ninjetti powers, what's going to happen to our Ranger powers?"
Dulcea sighed.
The seven of them were relaxing in the ruins after yet another strenuous
day of training, talking about everything and nothing. "Well, the only
one whose principal powers will be affected is Billy," she replied. "The
five of you draw from sources other than the Grid, and so there will be
no interaction between the energies."
"It's like with
my Morphin Warrior and Zeo powers," Adam explained. "I can call on either,
but I generally don't call on my Morphin Warrior powers, since they're
not as strong and are useless against the Machines."
"Exactly," Dulcea
agreed. "Like Morphin Warriors, each of you will have a Ninjetti costume,
drawn from your subconscious expectations. You can morph into either your
original costume or your Ninjetti form, depending on the needs of the situation."
"Is Ninjetti
vulnerable to cold iron, the way Morphin powers are?" Christina inquired.
"No, it is not.
You see, Ninjetti will be routed through you, and you are not repelled
or harmed by iron. The power, routed through your human energies, will
be insulated from the effects of iron, so you would be able to fight Mondo's
forces, should the need arise."
"Dulcea?" interjected
Billy. "You said my powers would be affected by the switch. How so?"
"Your powers
are already those of the Morphin Grid, Billy, so there will be some interaction
between them. First of all, your Morphin Warrior abilities will be boosted
to full Ranger status, since the Great Power will be altering the connection
in your spirit. In effect, you will be drawing twice from the Grid, instead
of once. You will have both your Morphin Warrior transformation and a Ninjetti
costume. This is because the Morphin Warrior patterns have already been
established, and the Great Power will create new ones for itself. However,
the power inside you will be tapable from either form, and so you will
be full strength no matter what incarnation you take."
"These Ninjetti
costumes- what will they look like?" Ashley asked curiously.
Dulcea shrugged.
"I am afraid I do not know that, Ashley. They will, of course, be in your
Morphin color, rather than the color of your principal power. Other than
that, there are really no indications. The six of you are not a full, self-contained
team, so the costumes will have no conforming element. It will depend entirely
on the images you hold within yourself."
Tanya, looking
over at Billy, saw him staring deeply into the fire. "This is changing
you, isn't it?" she asked quietly. Billy sighed.
"I don't know
if it's really changing me, Tanya. The Morphin Power is a part of me, and
according to Zordon, it always has been. Maybe it's just bringing out the
parts of me that were hidden deeply."
"Maybe," she
allowed. "For instance, I knew since the day I met you that you were practically
a born leader. I remember how when I first came to the Power Chamber, you
were obviously the one in charge. But with Tommy around, you always seemed
to just fade into the background."
"He needed the
position," Billy told her. "It was his proof that his soul belonged to
him and not to Rita. I used to resent the way he was always the one in
the spotlight, but I've learned better now."
"And you're
also emerging as a leader again," she replied. "Look around you, Billy.
The five of us are following YOU in this. Whoever you're becoming, I think
he's a very worthwhile person."
He threw her
a quick smile. "Thanks, Tanya. Your confidence means a lot to me."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 5
Arms crossed,
Dragon Borg was the soul of immovability as he stared down Roland and Jo.
Since the Astral Borg had no eyelids, it was inevitable that he would win
any staring contest.
"This is my
best friend!" Roland protested. "If you think you are leaving me behind-"
"I'm absolutely
right," Dragon Borg cut in. "You will both listen to me. We have to take
a SMALL group to get in, get Fortunes, and get out. I am not risking Shadowborg
or Nukus being able to bait either of you into a fight. Besides, we are
already down one Beetleborg. I will NOT lose two more. I've lost enough
as it is." The grief in his voice was raw enough to make the two Beetleborgs
wince. Nodding resignedly, they backed away.
"Dex, I would
like you to come with me, please. And you as well, JB. Finally, I think
Tasha, to round out the team. Any objections?" Hearing none, the Astral
Borg moved over to Art Fortunes to go over the layout of the crypt one
more time. Lita, watching, grinned slightly. Dragon Borg was obviously
choosing the more stable heroes for his strike force. She had yet to see
anything ruffle the Masked Rider's calm, and JB Reese was certainly less
likely to explode than his leader. But it was the selection of the Yellow
Turbo Ranger that truly amused her. Despite her smaller size, Tasha had
quickly earned the reputation of being an enforcer.
Noticing Roland
leaning against a console, the psychiatrist crossed the room to him. "You
know he's got a point, don't you?" she said quietly. The Beetleborg nodded.
"I know, and
I accept it. That doesn't mean I have to like it."
"He's not exactly
impartial himself," Lita observed. "What is it between him and Drew? I
remember how Drew was frantic while we were repairing him."
Roland sighed.
"I think," he began slowly, "Dragon Borg is kind of- a substitute for his
dad. Mr. McCormick died seven years ago, when Drew was seven and Jo was
four. Drew's been the man of the house for a long time, and when we became
Beetleborgs, he had to be the responsible one. Dragon Borg kind of- gave
him someone to look up to. I guess it's kind of the same thing for Dragon
Borg. He kind of sees Drew as a son, or at least a student."
Lita nodded
thoughtfully, her eyes fixed on Dragon Borg's green and silver form as
he finished up his talk with Art Fortunes.
"All right,
is everybody ready?" Dragon Borg asked his team. All four nodded. "Remember,
get in, get Les, and get out. Don't stop to indulge your grudges- there'll
be plenty of time for that," he promised grimly. "Let's go."
"Ecto-Phase
Activate!"
"Dune Star Turbo
Power!"
"Trooper Transform!"
Light flared, and the four heroes were gone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"See him?" Black
Trooper whispered. Dragon Borg nodded.
"The gentleman
over by the wall, in the prison uniform. I don't see Nukus or Shadowborg
anywhere around. The lady in the mantis-themed armor is Horribelle, and
the blue thing is Vilor."
"All right,"
Yellow Ranger declared quietly. "Let's get in there and get him."
"Cheer up, Cartoonist,"
Horribelle sneered. "Soon, one of YOUR creations will destroy the Beetleborgs,
and then we'll have the whole world! Why so glum?"
"You have no
idea what you're meddling with," the artist warned. "Even I don't
truly understand what Shadowborg is. I never meant for him to come to life.
He's too unpredictable, too uncontrollable. He's dangerous."
"Not as dangerous
as we are," Dragon Borg declared, stepping out into the center of the room.
While Yellow Turbo and Black Trooper aimed their lasers at the startled
Crustaceans, Masked Rider and Dragon Borg ran across the room, hauling
Les Fortunes to his feet.
"Come along,
Mr. Fortunes," Masked Rider commanded. "We're leaving."
"Great," Les
sneered. "If it's not ONE type of bug, it's another."
Yellow Turbo
shot the cartoonist a look over her shoulder, brandishing her Auto Blaster.
"One more comment out of you, and we'll take our chances stopping Shadowborg
on our own. Get it?"
Les gulped.
"Got it."
"Good."
Still keeping
their lasers trained on the Crustaceans, Yellow Turbo and Black Trooper
backed up until they were standing close to the other three. "I'd love
to stay and chat, but I'm afraid we have other business," Dragon Borg explained,
throwing Horribelle a mock salute. Then they vanished in a hail of light.
"Nukus is NOT
going to like this," Vilor remarked. "You let the cartoonist get away!"
Horribelle glared
at him. "Oh, shut up."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Let me out of
here!" Les growled, hammering at the inside of the containment field. "I
was better off with the Crustaceans."
"Not really,"
Fred informed him. "See, we won't kill you when you've outlived your usefulness."
"And what usefulness
is that? I don't think you need me to draw you monsters."
Art shook his
head. "No, Lester, we need you to help stop one. You redesigned the Shadowborg.
We need you to tell us what it can do."
"What?" Les
laughed. "Really, Arthur, I'm crazy, not stupid."
Roland stepped
forward, eyes cold and hard. "Maybe we didn't explain things to you. You
will
help us, or Jo and I will borg and break every bone in your body."
Jo cracked her
knuckles. "I want my brother back, Les."
The cartoonist
swallowed, seeing that the little girl was deadly serious. "What do you
want to know?"
"For starters,
how did Shadowborg get control of Drew?" Ryan asked. "We were under the
impression that the Crustaceans' magical ability was limited to animating
drawings and changing form."
"It is, but
Shadowborg isn't exactly a Crustacean. I redesigned the original, from
what I'd seen on the news, adding a number of interesting things. The best
one, in my opinion, was something I'd seen the Power Rangers fighting.
It was some sort of- living shadow, and it seemed to have the ability to
manipulate minds and emotions."
None of the
other heroes present understood why the Turbo Rangers and Ghostbusters
paled at that revelation. "When was this?" Justin asked carefully.
Les shrugged.
"About a year ago, I think."
"You IDIOT!"
Franklin yelled, startling everybody. "Do you have ANY idea what you did?"
"No!" Les shot
back. "That's why I never drew it up for Nukus. Heck, I didn't know
what it was capable of. I didn't WANT that thing to get out. I even tried
to talk Nukus out of it, once he found the drawing."
"Excuse me,"
Katie interrupted, "but could somebody explain what this means?"
Kaitlin nodded.
"Yeah, we're in the dark here."
Winston sighed.
"Stop me if I make a mistake, okay? It seems that about a year ago, the
Power Rangers faced a creature known as Nyghtmayr, the living essence of
evil thoughts and emotions, and his five minions, the Minor Demons. Well,
there were actually six, but only five showed up at that time."
"There were
eight, total," Rosa interrupted. "We met up with two more, but we'll explain
that later."
"Right." Quickly,
Winston related the story of the battle with Nyghtmayr and the Ghostbuster's
encounter with Angyr. Then Tasha and Justin quickly told how the Turbos
and Tanya had faced the demons Jealysy and Malyce in the realm of Morphyus.
"According to
Tommy," Fred finished, "all of the demons, but especially Nyghtmayr, they
could manipulate emotions, all the dark feelings in your heart, far more
powerfully than what happens under ordinary spells."
"So- what do
we do?" Roland asked. "How did you guys beat the ones you faced?"
"Well, we blasted
Angyr with pure Morphin Grid energy, but he hadn't put anyone under a spell,"
Ray volunteered. "We were just trying to destroy him."
"The spells
of Morphyus Demons are vulnerable to one thing," Franklin explained. "Emotions
of a pure heart. Love, friendship, devotion, that sort of thing. If we
can get through to Drew on that level, we can get him back."
"Well, we can't
do that on the battlefield," JB remarked. "He'd cut whoever was talking
to him to ribbons! Not to mention that we'd have to watch out for Shadowborg
as we did so."
"No, we'll have
to bring him back here," Dragon Borg agreed. "But how? He's an excellent
combatant, and Shadowborg will be right beside him."
Dex cocked his
head. "We have to make him sloppy," the Edenite teen mused. "That's our
only chance. If we get him to make a mistake, we can bring him in. But
how?"
Roland chuckled.
"That's easy. Just get him to lose his temper. Drew gets sloppy when he
gets angry. He forgets everything except going for the jugular."
"Think you could
bait him that well?" Peter asked. Roland shook his head.
"Not a chance.
That's the other problem. Drew's self-control is legendary. It's hard to
get him angry, but when he does, watch out."
Jo grinned.
"I know who we can get to do it," she chuckled. Everyone turned to look
at her.
"Who?" Egon
asked, pushing his glasses back up on his nose.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trey slowly swam
to consciousness, his head pounding like a kettle drum. "What happened?"
he asked, groggily, forcing his eyes open.
"Welcome back
to the land of the living," replied the silver-haired man standing at his
bedside. "You're currently in the sickbay of Ecliptor's scoutship. My name
is Sholtor, and I'm a healer. What's the last thing you remember?"
"The Varox were
attacking the scout," Trey grunted, attempting to sit up. Sholtor quickly
moved to stop him.
"I wouldn't.
You were caught in an explosion. You're recovering from a concussion, not
to mention internal injuries and a number of second- and third-degree burns.
You're lucky you're a Ranger, or you probably wouldn't have made it."
Trey remained
lying down, although not happy about it. "Chelsea! Is she all right? You
said there was an explosion."
"Your fiancee
is fine," Sholtor assured him. "Although half the population of Port Algol
is in a state of depression that she's taken. She's quite a catch. Dating
a Ranger, not afraid of Ecliptor, and now she's in an apprenticeship for
the Deshaadra."
That caught
Trey's attention. "What? A Deshaadra? But that training takes years."
Sholtor shrugged.
"Not for her. I tell you, you're a very lucky man. If she wasn't so devoted
to you, I'd ask her out myself."
Too tired and
injured to throttle the healer, Trey settled for a nice ringing glare.
Sholtor chuckled. "Now, you have to stay in that bed for about six days.
I'll call your ladyfriend and tell her that you're awake." With that, Sholtor
left the room, and left Trey's thoughts spinning around his head. Chelsea
was going to be a member of the well-known warrior organization? He began
to laugh. The Council was just going to LOVE that.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Is it me, or
is it getting spookier in here?" Cassie asked nervously. The strange luminescence
which had lit the caves since the Rangers began their trek was now decreasing
slowly. The six teens were walking closer together now, and Cassie linked
her arm with Andros'. The Red Astro Ranger was suddenly very grateful for
the low light. It hid the blush on his face.
Kat frowned.
"Hey, I don't remember mist coming up in here," she remarked. The others
turned towards her in curiosity.
"Mist?" Trini
asked. "I don't see any mist."
Suddenly Kat's
eyes widened. "No!" she cried, throwing her hands up. "Get away from me!
I'm not evil anymore. I'm not YOU anymore!"
Like a thunderbolt,
the answer hit Kimberly, who groaned. "Heads up, guys. We're facing our
worst fears again," she called. Trini made a face.
"This is getting
old," the Yellow Warrior replied. Suddenly, she too seemed to be staring
at nothing. "NO! God- too high!" She backed herself against a rock, seemingly
trying to merge with it.
"She's afraid
of heights?" Cassie asked. Kim nodded.
"Yeah, but I
thought she'd gotten over it. Trini! Trini, can you hear me? It's just
an illusion!" Trini, however, was deaf to anything but the fear in her
veins.
A low groan
alerted them to Andros' collapse. The Kerovan Ranger was kneeling on the
ground, crying. "Not again," he whispered. "Stars, not another team of
Rangers. Come on, Cassie, speak to me! Oh, please!"
"Kim?" Skull
called. Kimberly turned to her boyfriend, only to see that his eyes were
as distant as everyone else's. "Kim, don't go. Please, don't leave me."
"Oh, Skull,"
Kim sighed, knowing he couldn't hear her. "I would never leave you." Suddenly,
her eyes unfocused as well. "The Green Ranger? No, stay away from me! Tommy,
don't!" Kimberly's arms thrashed as if fighting off an invisible enemy.
"We trusted you!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "How could
you do this to us? Come on, Skull, please wake up! Don't you dare die on
me!"
Cassie watched
helplessly as her friends were consumed by their own personal nightmares.
No matter how desperately she tried to get through to them, they could
hear nothing but the illusions of fear.
"You're pathetic,
Cassie," a new voice said. Cassie whirled to see her parents standing behind
her, watching her with cold eyes. "We never loved you, Cassie," her mother
continued. "Who could? You've never been good enough for us. You're not
pretty enough, not smart enough, not good enough."
"No one loves
you, Cassie," Andros continued, stepping out of the shadows. "I wouldn't
even have made you a Ranger, but you were lucky enough to be around when
I needed a new Pink Ranger. You're nothing but a pathetic little wannabe.
No one loves you, Cassie. Especially not me."
Cassie bit her
lip against the sudden pain inside her. Suddenly, almost as if it were
a dream, she heard Andros' voice. As your friend, I am NOT going to
stand by and let you ruin your life. And again. You'll always have
the four of us as friends.
Her head snapped
up, and her eyes began to blaze. "You're wrong," she confidently told the
illusions before her. "The Rangers DO love me. They risked everything to
save me when Ciaran had me under his control. They've watched my back in
every fight we've ever had with Dark Specter. Maybe my parents really don't
love me, or maybe they just don't know how to show it. But whichever it
is, that's THEIR problem. I'm pretty enough and smart enough for ME, and
that's what counts."
The thunderstruck
illusions faded away before her eyes, reality taking their place. Cassie
found herself leaning against Andros, his arms wrapped around her waist
for support. It was tempting just to stay there, but she forced herself
to pull upright and smiled at him.
"You all right,
Cassie?" Kimberly asked. "First time's the longest, but we were a little
worried when we all came out of it and you were still in."
Cassie shrugged.
"I'm fine, really," she replied. "Let's get moving again, okay?"
The other Rangers
nodded, and the group headed off, soon reaching the exit of the cave. As
they stood, taking in the fresh, open air, Andros leaned over and whispered
in Cassie's ear. "For what it's worth, I think you're beautiful,"
he told her. For a second, she couldn't figure out what he meant, then
she realized that he must have heard her talking to the illusions.
"Thanks, Andros,"
she replied. "That means a lot." More than you'll ever know.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was a nice,
quiet day at Zoom Comics. Heather, Nano's assistant and the object of Drew's
affections, was dusting shelves when she heard the bell which signaled
the door opening. "Sorry, we're temporarily closed," she said, turning.
Then she saw who had entered. "Oh, hi Drew."
Drew smiled,
letting the door shut behind him. "Hi, Heather. Where is everybody?"
"Well, Nano
and Abbie are out running errands, and you'd know better than I would where
Roland and Jo are," she replied.
His smile broadened.
"Not really. So, you're holding down the fort all by yourself?"
Alarm bells
began to go off in Heather's mind. Her instincts were telling her not to
admit that she was alone in the shop, but she quashed them. This was DREW,
for Pete's sake. There was absolutely no reason for her to fear him. So
why did his smile make her blood run cold?
"Yeah, I'm all
by myself, at least for the next few minutes," she answered, shaking herself
back to reality. "Nano ought to be back soon, though."
Drew shrugged,
moving closer. "That's not a problem. I'll work fast."
Heather frowned.
"Drew, are you feeling okay? You are seriously creeping me out."
"I've never
been better," he replied, still advancing on her. Heather realized that
she would soon be cornered if she didn't do something. Quickly, she tried
to dodge past him, but he whirled with more speed than she had ever seen
him show. Grabbing her wrist, he slammed her into the nearest wall, with
just enough force to stun her.
He's so strong!
she thought hazily. There was more power in his grip than any fourteen
year-old ought to possess. Grabbing her chin, he tilted her head so that
she was looking into his eyes.
"You're not
going anywhere, Heather," he said soothingly. His voice was cold, and Heather
thought she saw something black flickering in the depths of his blue eyes.
Suddenly a wave of cold weariness hit her, so much so that she could barely
keep on her feet. If it wasn't for Drew holding her up, she would have
fallen. "That's it," he chuckled. "Why don't you take a nice long nap?"
"What's going
on here?" a new voice cut in. Drew and Heather both looked up to see Josh
Baldwin standing on the steps, watching them with narrowed eyes. A horrible
grin split Drew's face as he let Heather sink slowly to the floor.
"Josh Baldwin,"
he drawled. "Just the man I wanted to see."
In answer, Josh
brought his fists up in a guard position, watching warily as Drew approached.
As Heather's vision went dark, she had time for one final thought. Has
everybody in the world gone insane?
"I've been waiting
for this for a long time," Drew chuckled. Josh swallowed hard. When both
of them were human, he had both the height and weight advantage on Drew.
However, now that Drew was allied with the side of evil, he doubted that
the other would play fair.
Sure enough,
Drew suddenly stabbed his hand out before him. "Databonder! Input card!
Beetleblast!" In a flash of light, Drew became the Chromium Gold Beetleborg.
"There. These odds are a little more to my liking," Chromium Gold laughed.
"Think again,
Drew," Josh snapped. "Remember, you can't hit what you can't see!" So saying,
Josh dusted his hands together, activating his civilian powers and promptly
vanishing.
"Very clever,
Josh," Chromium Gold acknowledged. "Metallix Lancer!" He slowly scanned
the room in front of him. "The problem is- you're wrong!" With those words,
he whirled, bringing his lancer down on what appeared to be empty air.
A cry rang out, and Josh Baldwin flickered back into visibility, holding
his bleeding shoulder and biting back further noise. "That's just the beginning,"
Chromium Gold promised. "When I'm through with you, they'll have to pick
you up with a sponge."
A blinding flash
of light burst into being between Chromium Gold and his target. "They'll
do no such thing," Dragon Borg shot back. "Not unless you get through me,
and I don't think you can do that. This old borg taught you everything
you know."
"I've learned
a few new tricks since then," Chromium Gold responded. "But I'm not going
to fight you today. I'm here for other things."
"Don't- even
think about it," Josh snarled, stancing in front of the unconscious Heather.
Despite his injured shoulder, he looked more than ready to take Chromium
Gold on.
"I think you'd
better leave, before there's more unpleasantness," Dragon Borg agreed.
Chromium Gold
nodded. "I will. But you'll both be seeing me again. Count on it!" In a
flash of shadow, he disappeared.
Josh winced.
"Yeah, I'll see you in my nightmares." Kneeling beside Heather, he looked
up at Dragon Borg worriedly. "Is she going to be all right?"
Dragon Borg
quickly checked the unconscious girl over, then nodded. "She'll be fine,
Josh. In fact, she probably won't remember any of this when she wakes up.
You, however, are in need of medical attention."
"No kidding,"
Josh nodded, cradling his injured shoulder. "Damn it, I just got out of
the hospital yesterday," he added irritably.
"I believe I
have a better alternative," the Astral Borg chuckled. "Power Chamber, two
to teleport in."
Josh barely
had time for "Wha-" before he dissolved into a column of white light.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ouch!" Josh
winced again as Egon ran a strange beam over his shoulder. Jo grinned.
"Don't be such
a big baby, Josh," she told him. "You complain worse than Peter."
The psychologist
sniffed. "I resent that," he replied loftily.
"It burns,"
Josh protested.
Justin, standing
beside the med table, nodded. "That's the sensation of healing, only more
intense because it's sped up. Trust me, I know what it feels like. Don't
worry, you're almost done."
"There," Egon
announced, stepping back. "Good as new, although there will be a small
scar."
Josh flexed
the arm carefully. "Wow. That's some pretty impressive stuff." Hopping
off the med table, he pulled his shirt back over his head. His gaze roamed
around the Power Chamber with all it's assorted heroes. "Not that I'm not
grateful, but why bring me back here instead of taking me to the hospital?
I mean, isn't that the normal procedure?"
"It is," Lita
agreed, "but we're going to need your help for something else, Josh."
Roland nodded.
"We need you to help us get Drew back."
"Me?" Josh raised
an eyebrow. "How am I supposed to help get him back?"
"The plan is
to get him sloppy, to goad him into making a mistake," Ryan explained.
"Jo and Roland say you're better at pushing his buttons than anybody."
Josh winced.
"That's an understatement," he admitted. "We've got a lot of- sore spots
between us, which is probably why he tried to kill me today. But he's a
freaking BEETLEBORG! He could crush my spine with one hand! What am I supposed
to do?"
"I've been working
on that," Art grinned. "Josh, how would you like to be a Beetleborg again?
For good this time?"
Josh's jaw hit
his shoelaces. "You mean it? You can make me new powers that won't dissipate
when Shadowborg is defeated?"
"I mean it.
How do you like the idea of 'Electric Bronze?'"
Jo nodded vigorously.
"Totally cool, Art."
"Yeah," Roland
agreed. "We'd love to have him back on the team."
Josh nodded.
"Then I'm in. It's good to be back with you guys."
From his containment
field, Les made a nauseated sound. "Please, spare me the brotherhood and
goodwill," he sneered. Peter cocked an eyebrow at him.
"You stay out
of this," he instructed.
"Do you have
any ideas yet, Mr. Fortunes?" Kaitlin asked.
Art shook his
head. "Nothing beyond the name, really," he replied. Josh began chewing
his lip.
"Then can I
make a few suggestions?" Josh asked. "I think I've found way number 1 to
irritate Drew."
Art pulled out
his sketchpad and sat down. "Shoot."
"Make it look
like Chromium Gold," Josh instructed. "A new and improved Chromium Gold.
I want everything about this suit to say 'I'm your replacement.' That was
the sorest point in our relationship," he explained to the others. "I waltzed
into town and was better at everything than he was, and he felt like he
was being tossed on the scrap heap."
Art began drawing,
and soon a Beetleborg took shape on his paper. It was obviously based on
Chromium Gold, but the armor was more streamlined, and seemed a little
thicker. Colored pencils gave the Beetleborg a bronze and black color scheme,
and soon it seemed ready to leap right off the paper.
"Good," praised
Josh. "Now, for a weapon, can you give me a sword?"
"A Metallix
Saber?" Art asked. "Sure, but why?"
"Leaders of
hero teams ALWAYS have swords," Josh explained. "I remember Drew pointing
that out at one point. Red Morphin Warrior's got a broadsword. The original
Red Ranger, the White Ranger, Zeo Ranger V, Red Turbo, and the new Red
Astro Ranger, they all had swords."
Dex nodded.
"My principal weapon is the Electro-Saber, and Ryan, don't you have a sword
as well?"
"VR Laser Saber,"
Ryan agreed. "Man, I never thought about it, but you're right."
"And Blue Stinger
had a sword, even though it was mounted on his wrist," Josh continued.
"But Chromium Gold has the Lancer. If I have a sword, it'll say as clearly
as anything else that I'm the new leader of the team."
JB looked concerned.
"You're gonna be ticking him off pretty badly. Are you up for this?"
Josh sighed.
"I have to be. If I'm not, Drew stays with Shadowborg- forever."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Temple of
Winds was located almost directly in the center of the Sea of Grass, thousands
of miles from even the most rude outpost of civilization. That meant that
the night sky was untouched by light pollution, and the stars shone unbelievably
bright. On the edge of the Royal area of the camp, Jamie sat, staring up
at the stars, lost in thought. Suddenly a footstep behind her made her
turn.
"At ease," Zarador
chuckled, coming to sit beside her. "A beautiful night, is it not?"
Jamie nodded.
"Stars are always beautiful, even when the patterns are so different,"
she replied. "What do you call these constellations?"
"Well, up there
is one called the King of the Storm," he pointed. "Next to it is Kyar Re
Lartha, the Goddess' tears. Like constellations on your Earth, they're
based on pictures from folklore and legends. This particular one started
as a myth to explain the Thunder Wind, the powerful winds that come up
on the Sea of Grass with little to no warning. The Zarakin word for them
is 'kyshaa.'"
Jamie sighed.
"It's so strange. I feel so at home here, but then it seems so alien. There's
so much I want to know about this place, but I'm not sure I even belong
here."
Zarador took
her hand. "You are Zarakin, Jamie, and nothing can ever change that, for
good or for ill. You will always find the laughter amongst the tears, and
always enjoy a good party or a good fight. But you're also a human, with
all the traditions and beliefs that brings. You have the incredible toughness
of spirit that I have never seen in anyone, even a Zarakin warrior. Your
people keep going, no matter what odds are against them. You can be quiet
and rational if need be, or all action. Never think, however, that you
don't belong here. You are a part of this world and of your own Earth.
And while other considerations may always make Earth home for you, you
shall always be welcome on Danata."
She smiled.
"Thanks, Zarador. I needed to hear that."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 6
One of the delightful
aspects of working the Homicide department in Angel Grove was what the
officers referred to as "swing shift." Because of the low murder rate,
Homicide cops also worked monster-related crimes. And that often led to
them working beats that normally weren't their responsibility. In the years
he had worked in Angel Grove, Trevor Park had investigated twelve thefts
and eight disappearances, in addition to his regular homicide caseload.
Missing Persons immediately reported all disappearances of teens from fifteen
to eighteen directly to the Monster Squad.
"Hey, Park!
Got another missing kid for you to check out," Lt. Montoya called, dropping
a folder on his desk. Trevor sighed.
"Joy. As if
I don't have enough trouble with the Shadowborg rampaging around downtown."
Rising to his feet, he stretched.
Montoya chuckled.
"You should have entered an easier department," she teased. "Like Missing
Persons."
Trevor just
growled half-heartedly at the pretty lieutenant, flipping the folder open.
Upon reading the name, he nearly choked. Cassie Chan? He knew darn well
where she was, and her parents ought to as well. Unless- she hadn't told
them. Now that he thought about it, he remembered Franklin telling him
that Cassie and her parents didn't get along. Mulling that over, he headed
out of the precinct for his car.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trevor carefully
steered his dark green Buick into the Chans' driveway and pulled to a stop.
He grinned, noticing how out of place the car looked. This was a neighborhood
full of Caddys and Beemers. The lawn was perfectly manicured, and the bushes
were neatly trimmed. No doubt about it; this house was not a place where
a lot of living went on.
Trevor knocked
on the door, which opened almost immediately to reveal a well-groomed Asian
man in his late thirties. He was dressed in a white button-down shirt that
looked as if it had been just ironed. Despite his suit jacket and tie,
Trevor suddenly felt rumpled. Quickly, he pulled his wallet out of his
pocket and flashed his badge. "Detective Trevor Park, AGPD. Are you Kenneth
Chan?"
Mr. Chan nodded.
"Yes, I am. Please, Detective, come in." Turning, he led Trevor into the
house. As he followed Ken through the immaculate halls, Trevor couldn't
help but notice that the man didn't seem very frantic for someone whose
daughter had disappeared eight days ago.
The two men
wound up in a palatial living room, done all in shades of white and gray.
Taking the seat Ken Chan offered him, Trevor noticed that the furniture
was spotless. Even the good sofa at his house had a grape juice stain on
one cushion, and there was a burned spot on the back where a Piranhatron
had tried to use Franklin for target practice. Trevor shivered slightly.
For a living room, the place seemed as dead as the surface of the moon.
"Marianne, this
is Detective Park from the police department," Ken explained, as a tall,
elegant woman entered the room. She looked a little more frazzled than
Ken, but still not the way Trevor would have expected. There were no dark
circles under her eyes, and the expression on her face was one of barest
concern.
"Now, you say
your daughter, Cassie, disappeared eight days ago?" Trevor asked, trying
to keep his voice level. Inside, he was fighting to keep down his bewilderment.
Didn't these people care?
Marianne Chan
nodded. "Yes, we think so. At least, that was the first night she wasn't
home for dinner."
"So why did
you wait eight days to call it in? The waiting period to be considered
a missing person is twenty-four hours."
"It's not unusual
for Cassie to spend a few days with one friend or another," Ken shrugged.
"She's rarely gone for a whole week, though."
"And did you
call any of these friends? Check up on her whereabouts?"
"Cassie is a
very responsible girl, Detective Park," Marianne told him. "We don't invade
her privacy by tracking her movements."
Trevor had to
bite his tongue to keep from roaring. No wonder Cassie hadn't told her
parents where she was going. They probably wouldn't have listened anyway.
"What might have made Cassie leave home?" he asked carefully. The Chans
looked at each other in puzzlement.
"I can't think
of a thing," Ken replied honestly. "We've certainly never mistreated her.
I haven't seen any signs of unhappiness in the girl."
Trevor just
shook his head. These two might love their daughter, but they were utter
failures as parents. At least HE had been able to see his relationship
with Adam and Franklin headed into the toilet, even if he hadn't known
why. The Chans would be "progressive parents" until the bitter end. Quickly,
he rose to his feet.
"Well, I'll
ask around, see if anyone has seen her. I wouldn't worry- most cases like
this come back on their own." With a few more words of empty reassurance,
Trevor made his way hastily towards the door. He was afraid that if he
stayed in that house another minute, he would suffocate. As he hopped into
his car, he wondered how Cassie had stood it as long as she had.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It hadn't taken
Chelsea long to get the hang of the laser sword, despite the differences
between it and a traditional blade. Number one, a laser sword had no weight
in the blade. Instead, a slight heaviness in the top part of the handle
told the wielder where the sword was. Two, the blade was cylindrical, tapering
at the tip. Made of coherent light, it was vastly different than anything
Chelsea had yet encountered.
Laser swords
did indeed resemble light sabers from the "Star Wars" movies, but there
were a few differences. The biggest difference was in the color of the
blade. Star Wars light sabers came in either green or red, depending on
whether the Jedi was good or evil. Laser swords, Duke explained, had a
number of different colors, and those colors were often used to identify
the wielder. Chelsea had chosen purple for hers, while Duke's was bright
blue.
Duke had walked
her through the process of constructing a laser sword step by step. Every
Deshaadra warrior had to know how his or her laser sword worked, in case
it ever needed repairs. Chelsea had never been the most mechanically inclined
person, but under Duke's expert instruction, the whole process seemed quite
simple. Once her sword was completed, they added laser sword training to
her regimen.
"You've trained
with a sword before," Duke remarked, calling a halt to their latest match.
Chelsea nodded, slightly breathless.
"Yeah, Tommy,
my brother, taught me. Now there's a guy with a thing for swords," she
chuckled.
Duke grinned.
"You've got a tendency towards two-handed strikes."
"I guess I'm
used to the katana. Those things can be held one or two-handed," she shrugged.
"Nothing wrong
with two hands, as long as you remember that laser swords are not very
heavy. Your opponent can move the blade around a lot faster than a traditional
sword. Let's go again."
Despite the
fact that he was not yet allowed out of bed, Trey had raised such a ruckus
that Sholtor had finally rigged him a hoverbed. The device allowed him
to get around, while still keeping him in a semi-prone position. Today,
he was soaking up the sun on the edge of the training grounds, watching
as Chelsea and Duke began to spar once again. It was amazing, he thought
to himself, how quickly her skills had improved. Her skill at picking up
new techniques astounded all of them, even him. For the first time, he
thought Chelsea might now be his equal in a fight.
"She'd go far
in the Alliance," Ecliptor mused, sinking onto a bench near Trey's hoverbed.
Trey shook his head.
"You'd never
get her, though. Too much honor to come of her own accord, and too many
allies for anyone to recruit her against her will."
Ecliptor laughed.
"And too stubborn for spells," he added. "One trait the Oliver twins do
NOT share."
"Point," Trey
acknowledged. "Although Tommy's pretty stubborn in other areas."
Ecliptor nodded.
For a long moment, the two of them just sat there, marveling at their circumstances.
On any other planet, in any other situation, they would have been at each
other's throats. Today, however, they were content with a somewhat strained
truce. Trey chuckled to himself, thinking about how civil Ecliptor had
been to him recently. There was just something about Chelsea that brought
out the best in people.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 7
Kimberly Hart
was pacing back and forth, practically chewing her nails as Kat, Trini,
and Cassie tried to calm her down. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"
the Pink Warrior asked Kat. The blonde smiled.
"Do you love
him?" she asked, placing a soothing hand on Kim's shoulder. Kimberly nodded.
"More than words
can say. I never even felt like this with Tommy."
Cassie grinned.
"Then you have nothing to worry about, Kim. Besides, I think you're going
to make a beautiful bride."
After their
emergence from the Caves of Alshar, Skull had surprised all of them by
suddenly dropping to one knee and asking Kimberly to marry him. With the
real possibility of death in their future, he had wanted to ask now, before
he lost his chance. After a moment of stunned silence, Kimberly had thrown
her arms around his neck and agreed jubilantly.
Upon hearing
of this, the King and Queen of Eltare had insisted on arranging a full
Eltaren wedding ceremony for the two. Kat, Cassie, and Trini were to serve
as Kimberly's honor guard, while Skull had to make do with just Andros.
Then the royal seamstresses had descended on Kim, already making plans
for a gown that would be the talk of the city for days. With a great amount
of effort, Kimberly had managed to keep the dress fairly simple. Skull,
meanwhile, had escaped the whole thing by opting, on Andros' advice, to
go to the wedding in Morphin Warrior garb.
The dress was
beautiful, a shimmering white with pink accents, and was simple enough
that Kimberly could get into it with only a little help. Then Kat pinned
her hair up on the top of her head, put on a little make-up, and it was
time.
Standing at
the eastern door of the chapel, Skull was shifting from foot to foot. Beside
him, Andros watched in amusement, dressed in his Ranger uniform, but minus
his helmet. "You're worse than my brother," the Kerovan Ranger chuckled.
"My father practically had to tie him up and drag him to the ceremony when
he got married."
"I'm not planning
to bolt," Skull replied. "Where is she? Do you suppose she's not coming?"
Andros shook
his head. "Kimberly loves you, Skull. Besides, she's a woman of her word.
If she says she'll marry you, she'll do it."
"But what if
she's changed her mind?" Skull wanted to know.
"Then she'll
tell you herself. She wouldn't leave you at the altar." Suddenly music
began to play, and all conversation stopped as Kimberly entered the chapel
from the west, the other three girls behind her, all dressed in Eltaren-style
gowns. When the four of them reached the altar, Andros had to nudge Skull
to start him moving. After an interminable wait, Skull and Kimberly were
standing in front of the altar, looking into each other's eyes.
"I can see you
want this to be a short ceremony," the priest chuckled. "So why don't we
skip all the formalities and go straight to the vows."
"Right," Skull
said absently, and continued staring into Kimberly's eyes. The priest's
smile grew wider, and he cleared his throat, startling the groom.
"Oh, yeah, right,"
Skull grinned sheepishly. "Kimberly Hart, I love you more than life itself.
I would give anything I have to you, but I don't have very much. So instead,
I offer my heart and soul. All that I have, all that I am, it's all yours,
forever."
"Skull, I love
you more than life itself," Kimberly replied. Neither of them were sticking
too closely to the traditional words of the ceremony, but it didn't really
matter. "I will never leave you, not this side of life. I will be with
you through thick and thin, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in
health. Whatever I am is yours, for ever and ever."
"Then by the
Power and the great Stars above, I pronounce you married," the priest finished.
"Now, as you say on Earth, 'you may kiss the bride.'"
Skull had already
beat him to it, however, sweeping Kimberly into his arms and giving her
a deep, passionate kiss. After a few minutes, Andros tapped him on the
shoulder.
"You two can
finish this in your room, okay?" Breaking apart, Skull and Kimberly both
blushed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upon catching sight
of the massive walls of Tae Shalrith, Tommy whistled. The ancient fortress
was a huge, solid edifice, towering above the plains like the axis of the
world. Although the stone walls radiated age, they were still more than
intact, promising the rebels a long siege.
"Do you really
think this plan is going to work?" Zack asked anxiously, eyeing the guards
on Tae Shalrith's parapets.
Tommy sighed.
"I hope so, Zack, or a lot of people are going to die taking this place."
That was the fear gnawing at Tommy's guts. With a team of five, or even
ten people, you could watch everybody's back at all times. Ranger battles
weren't like battles in a war; they were closer to the missions of a commando
team. As leader of the Zeo Rangers, Tommy always knew where all of his
teammates were at any point in a fight. But with an army...
He looked over
the lines of Lexian's forces apprehensively, biting his lip. Some rebels
were hauling catapults into position, the ancient weapons no less deadly
for being low-tech. Others were readying laser rifles and other such weapons,
in case the fighting moved to being hand-to-hand. Still others were readying
the infirmary for the inevitable results of battle. Tommy winced at the
reminder of what the day would bring.
Suddenly a gentle
hand fell on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Lillian looking at him sympathetically.
"Don't," she said quietly. "They're not your responsibility. They chose
this fight, just like Zack and I chose to fight by your side." She smiled
slightly. "I know you feel guilty about not being able to save everyone,
but you have to remember, you're only human. Like Rocky would say- 'Who
sees with equal eye as God of all/ a hero perish or a sparrow fall.' You're
human, Tommy, not God. You can't save every sparrow."
He nodded, sliding
an arm around her shoulders. Then he chuckled suddenly. "Look out there."
In the middle
of the activity of the Rebel army, Parker O'Neil flitted from one group
to another, pitching in with the catapults, helping raise earthworks- and
taking pictures of all of it. Lillian laughed. "That's my brother for you.
Sometimes Mom swears he was born with a Nikon in his hand."
"Gonna be one
heck of a story," Zack grinned. Tommy shot him an amused look.
"If we live
to tell it."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the nicest
things about Briallta, Chelsea mused, was the sheer variety of information
in its public library. The shelves were crammed with texts of all sorts,
from books and scrolls to crystalline contraptions designed for races Chelsea
couldn't even begin to imagine. The memoirs of well-known Council members
nestled side-by-side with histories written by the Alliance of Evil. It
was a history buff's paradise.
Luckily for
her, the library kept Eltaren-language translations of everything in their
computer system. No one gave her a second glance as she sat down at a computer
terminal and immersed herself in the history section.
Almost half
an hour later, she realized something odd. Out of curiosity, she had done
a search for the keyword "Earth," and had turned up a number of matches.
However, all six were UAE texts. Not one thing originated from the Council.
Frowning, she called up the first document- and found herself reading the
original Alliance scouting report on Earth, conducted not long after Rita
Repulsa first attacked. Some of the scout's comments were very interesting,
especially his appraisal of the Power Rangers. He referred to them as "A
team of young humans, seemingly inferior in every way to the legendary
teams of the galaxy. Despite this, I wouldn't want to cross them, even
if I had the Darkness itself on my side." She chuckled. Apparently, no
one in the Alliance had taken him seriously.
Why, she wondered,
did Earth present such a tempting target? Considering Rita and Zedd's many
humiliations, why didn't the villains just give up and find someplace easier?
Reading on, she discovered the answer, and was immediately enthralled.
She had always
known that the ley lines of Earth were what attracted trouble to certain
places on the globe. Angel Grove was situated on what was probably the
biggest or second-biggest nexus on the planet. There was, according to
the report, one under a small town in Indiana that might be larger. However,
the scout informed his readers, this was only a symptom of the condition
which truly made the Earth so valuable. It was a probability center for
at least the local multiverse.
Lines of probability,
magic, and power flowed throughout creation. In certain places, they swirled
together, crossing universe boundaries, and making strange things happen.
The Earth was the largest probability vortex anyone in the galaxy had ever
found. It was like the center of a spiderweb whose threads stretched into
the farthest reaches of space, time, and even other dimensions. No wonder
Vile had been able to turn back time without affecting any other world.
The center of the web was insulated from such things, and the change caused
only moderate damage.
Chelsea dropped
her head into her hands. God, no wonder Earth was interdicted. The power
this represented was incredible! It had to scare the Council spitless.
And now, thanks to Darkonda's political sleight of hand, they were playing
directly into the grasp of the Alliance, who would welcome the chance to
have control over such a powerful source.
Quickly printing
out the text, Chelsea shut off her terminal, grabbed the printout, and
strode out the door. She had to talk to Trey about this.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 8
Yawning, Josh
Baldwin plodded into the main room of the Power Chamber. The Ghostbusters
looked up from their coffee at his entrance, and Winston Zeddemore waved.
"Sleep well?"
the older man asked. Josh stretched.
"Yeah, actually.
Those emergency bedrooms are pretty comfortable. I don't even have my own
bathroom at home. Thanks for covering with me for my folks. They'll worry
a lot less now that they think I'm on that camping trip." Catching sight
of Peter, who was still buried in his coffee cup, he grinned. "What's with
him?" Josh asked Egon.
"Peter refuses
to wake up before noon unless absolutely necessary." The physicist's tone
was flat and matter-of-fact, but amusement sparkled in his blue eyes.
"Maybe we should
just hook him up to an IV," Ray suggested, grinning. Somehow, Peter raised
the coherence to stick his tongue out at his friend.
Just then, Justin
Stewart bounced into the room, far more awake than Tasha, who followed
behind him, grumbling. "Morning everybody!" Justin greeted them cheerfully.
Tasha made a face.
"There is nothing
worse in this world than an egghead who's a morning person," she stated,
crossing to where the Ghostbusters sat. "Gimme some of that, will ya?"
"It'll stunt
your growth," Winston warned her, amused.
Tasha gave him
a look. "That's a myth," she growled. "I've been drinking coffee for three
years. Now gimme the pot." Winston did as he was ordered, and Tasha quickly
materialized a mug for herself.
The smell of
coffee quickly drew the rest of the team from their beds- or wherever Dragon
Borg spent the night. None of the other Turbos or Beetleborgs drank coffee,
but Ryan and Lita quickly snagged themselves mugs, as did Art Fortunes.
Les, who had spent the night in his containment field, was not offered
any.
"So, Art, finish
up those Beetleborg powers?" Flabber asked from the tube. The artist nodded,
taking a long sip of his coffee.
"I think so.
I've designed you a Sector Cycle and some Mega Spectra powers, Josh. Since
we got Roboborg, Nukus hasn't done much with Worm Tanks and Jet Fighters,
so I didn't bother with a BV. I figured I can make one later if you really
need it."
Josh nodded.
"Thanks, Art."
"I also have
a surprise," Art continued. "New weapons for the Turbo Rangers. I thought
about new armor, but I didn't want to take the risk of it reacting badly
with your current powers."
Franklin nodded.
"That's probably a good idea. Nasty things can happen when you mix magics."
"Anyway, I basically
kept the design of your Power Weapons, and boosted the strength. Now that
I've gotten the Shadowborg specs from my brother," Les took that opportunity
to blow a raspberry, "I can more accurately design weapons to do some damage.
Fred, your sword should be able to stand up to the Shadow Claw now, and
the rest of you should be able to pierce his armor with your weapons."
"Thanks, Art,"
replied Fred. "We'll need the boost."
Turning to the
Troopers, Art shrugged. "Your powers are so far away from anything I understand,
I didn't want to take the chance on making things worse."
JB nodded. "Probably
a good idea. Even I don't understand how half of our stuff works, and we
don't exactly have time to call Ryan's dad back from Norway."
"However," Professor
Hart broke in, "I have been able to boost the strength of your current
weapons, using the information that we have received. You should be able
to stand up to Shadowborg now."
"Excellent,"
Katie grinned.
"Got anything
for us, Art?" Roland asked, stepping forward. The artist nodded.
"Yes. I upgraded
your Metallix gear, and I also integrated the gestalt weapons system from
the Turbo weapons. A weapon can only hold a certain amount of charge, but
by combining your gear, you can deliver a punch that's four times as powerful.
The only problem is that the whole point of a gestalt system is its ability
to combine."
Jo made a face.
"In other words, it won't work without Drew," she translated. Art nodded.
"Sorry about
that."
Josh shrugged.
"We'd be split up anyway, since I'll be taking on Drew. We'll just have
to save the test drive for when we get him back."
Suddenly an
alarm on one of the consoles began to blare. Lita, sitting closest to it,
made a face. "Looks like you'll get your chance soon, Josh. Drew and Shadowborg
are in Spring Hills, and I don't think they're happy."
"Spring Hills!"
Rosa cried. "That's one of the most populated residential districts in
town! It's full of kids!"
"My house is
smack in the middle of it," Fred replied, his eyes dark with worry.
Dex glanced
up at the plasma tube. "You'd better get cracking on those powers right
away, Flabber. We're out of time."
The phasm nodded.
"Right. April showers bring May flowers, bring our Josh some Beetleborg
Powers!"
A bronze flash
rose from Art's drawings, coalescing into a ball that zoomed to Josh's
hand. The light faded, showing him holding a Databonder. "All right!" Josh
yelled.
But Flabber
wasn't done yet. "Do not worry, have no fear, bring out new Metallix gear!
Like the old, but still brand new, bring Turbo weapons, strong and true!"
Eight more flashes, in the colors of the Turbo Rangers and Beetleborgs,
rose up from the paper, disappearing into the air.
"Where'd they
go?" Tasha asked, looking around.
"They'll come
when you call 'em!" Flabber explained. "Now get going, before somebody
gets hurt!"
"He's right,"
Ryan agreed. "Trooper Transform!"
"Ecto Phase
Activate!"
"Shift into
Turbo!"
"Beetleblast!"
Once again, light flashed, and seven adults and a dog were left in the
Power Chamber to watch- and worry.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Come on, this
way!" George Kelman had to shout to be heard over the noise of exploding
cars and fleeing people. The appearance of Shadowborg and Chromium Gold
had caused a block-wide panic as people tried frantically to get away from
the destruction. At the sight of the chaos, instincts honed by years as
a firefighter kicked in, and George had begun trying to direct people to
safety.
"Glad Fred's
not here," he muttered to himself. "This is NOT a good situation."
"It's just gone
from bad to worse," a cold voice said behind him. Turning, George found
himself face to face with the Shadowborg. For one ridiculous moment, he
wished he had taken Fred's suggestion of a martial arts class. But what
could any human, even a martial artist, do against something like this?
"What's the
matter, human? Aren't you going to run like your friends?" Shadowborg asked,
sounding amused.
"Not much point,"
George replied. "You could catch me in a minute, or shoot me down without
a thought. I'd prefer not to die shot in the back."
Shadowborg chuckled.
"Admirable. Don't worry, I'll make this short." Shadowborg raised his Shadow
Laser, pointing it at George's head. The firefighter stiffened, but refused
to close his eyes.
Suddenly a bolt
of red light struck Shadowborg's hand, knocking the gun away. Both Shadowborg
and George Kelman turned to see Red Turbo, Autoblaster aimed at Shadowborg
and smoking slightly. "Back off, rustbucket," he snapped. "You'd better
get out of here, mister. Now!" George wasted no time, but did as he was
told, running off down the street.
The peaceful
neighborhoods of Spring Hills were in shambles. Cars had been reduced to
nothing but smoldering wrecks, and some of the houses were scorched from
laser fire. This area was not too far from the business district, still
in shambles from Shadowborg's other attacks, and Masked Rider couldn't
help but imagine the devastation was slowly spreading outward from the
heart of the city. Quickly he shrugged it off, returning to the matter
at hand.
"This is the
last time you endanger the people of our city," Red Turbo snarled. "You're
going down, Shadowborg!"
"A most inspiring
speech, Turbo Ranger," Shadowborg chuckled. "What makes you think that
today's battle will be any different?"
"Cause we've
stacked the odds in our favor," Electric Bronze said, stepping forward.
Chromium Gold stiffened as he recognized the voice.
"Josh?" he cried
in disbelief. Electric Bronze waved.
"Hey, buddy,"
he replied sarcastically. "Electric Bronze Beetleborg, at your service.
The team needed a third Beetleborg, so here I am. Guess we don't need you
anymore."
"We'll just
see about that," Chromium Gold promised. "Metallix Lancer!"
"Metallix Saber!"
The double-edged sword materialized in Electric Bronze's hand, causing
Chromium Gold to stop short. Electric Bronze chuckled. "You wanna prove
who's the best? Come on, Drew, you and me. One on one."
"Josh, are you
crazy?" Platinum Purple asked. Electric Bronze shook his head.
"You and Roland
stay here, help the others with Shadowborg," he ordered. Then, injecting
false confidence into his voice, "I can take him with one hand behind my
back."
That did it.
Chromium Gold lunged at Electric Bronze, who parried his maneuver and then,
to everyone's surprise, began running down the block. Chromium Gold immediately
gave chase, yelling at the top of his lungs. "Come back here! I'm going
to rip you apart!" Electric Bronze just laughed and kept running.
Shadowborg,
recognizing the plan to divide the two, started to follow, but found himself
surrounded by heroes. "Going somewhere?" Black Trooper asked.
Dragon Borg
answered him. "I think not." The thirteen then closed in.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once in the ruined
business district, Electric Bronze decided that they were far enough from
Shadowborg, and immediately turned his attention to Chromium Gold, ducking
just in time to avoid a Lancer blow that would have taken off his head.
Blocking with his Saber, Electric Bronze concentrated for a time on just
keeping his skin intact. Then, slowly, he began to make his moves more
flashy, the deflections of Chromium Gold's attacks more humiliating. Inside,
he felt a little sick about using his friend's insecurities against him,
but if it was the only way to save Drew, then so be it.
Chromium Gold
was obviously getting frustrated now. His cuts and thrusts were losing
their finesse, and gaining in pure power. Electric Bronze winced as the
impact from one blocked strike traveled all the way up his arm. Time for
Phase Two.
"I always knew
you were weak," Electric Bronze sneered, trying not to sound as winded
as he felt. "Shadowborg snaps his fingers, and you fall under his control.
I don't know how you managed to stay leader of the Beetleborgs for so long."
"Shut up," Chromium
Gold snarled, managing to land a kick in Electric Bronze's chest. It felt
as if he'd been kicked by a mule, but Electric Bronze pretended to shrug
off the blow.
"Is that the
best you can do?" he asked mockingly, blocking a few more thrusts. "Jo
and Roland deserve better than you for a leader. Maybe it's for the best
that you've gone running off to Shadowborg. They don't have to waste any
more time on a pathetic excuse for a hero."
Chromium Gold's
strikes were completely savage now, and Electric Bronze knew he didn't
have much time. If he couldn't get the other to completely lose his temper,
he would soon be overwhelmed. Drawing a deep breath, he pulled out his
trump card.
"You know, it's
too bad you won't be headed back to Charterville. A lot of people are really
going to miss you. But don't worry about it. I'll be in the perfect position
to convey my condolences to Heather."
THAT did it.
The last of Chromium Gold's fragile control snapped, and he hurled himself
at his opponent. Surging through Electric Bronze's guard, he locked his
fingers around the other Beetleborg's throat and began to squeeze with
all his strength. Electric Bronze felt the world going black around him,
and threw everything he had into one last strike. With one powerful shove
of his legs, he slammed Chromium Gold into a nearby wall, knocking him
completely unconscious.
His assailant's
grip had been broken, but not quite in time. Stress, fear, and lack of
oxygen caught up with him, and Electric Bronze sank into the darkness,
falling beside his friend and enemy. For a long moment, all was still.
In the darkness
beside one of the buildings, shadows thickened, deepened, making a pool.
From that blackness rose the Shadowborg, surveying the scene. "I suppose
this was to be expected," he mused. "However, without Baldwin, they can
never repeat it." Drawing his Shadow Laser, he aimed it at the fallen Beetleborg.
"Goodbye- Electric Bronze," he sneered.
Suddenly a chunk
of masonry came flying out of the shadows, striking Shadowborg and knocking
him into a wall. The startled creature pulled itself upright to see a solidly
built young man standing between him and the two fallen Beetleborgs. "If
you want them, you'll have to go through me," the newcomer declared. "But
I don't intend for any of us to stay around here for long." Placing his
feet so that he was in contact with both Beetleborgs, he rolled up his
sleeve and pressed a button on the communicator he wore there. The three
of them dissolved into white light and reformed in the Power Chamber, to
the astonishment of the adults therein. When the reality of the situation
set in, Lita grinned.
"Bulk, I could
kiss you!" she cried, and did, planting a smooch on his cheek as the Ghostbusters
set about taking care of Chromium Gold and Electric Bronze. Farkus Bulkmier,
known to his friends as "Bulk," just grinned.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Edenite sky
was patched with clouds, turning the light of the three moons into a web
of silver filigree. Around the fortress of Tae Shalrith, the Edenite Rebellion
was encamped, content for the time being to enforce a state of siege, to
keep Dregon's forces from obtaining vitally needed supplies. In the wee
small hours of the morning, most of both sides were locked in slumber,
only skeleton crews to keep the defenses going.
"Ready?" Red
Ranger whispered. Black Ranger studied him critically.
"You are going
to stick out like a sore thumb," she informed him. "Flaming red is NOT
a stealth color."
He chuckled.
"You'd be surprised, Lil. Power Ranger uniforms are- different. They gather
only as much light as you want them to." To Black Ranger's surprise, Red
Ranger's uniform suddenly faded to a deep maroon. Only her enhanced night
vision allowed her to pick up the hue; to anyone else, in that darkness,
his spandex would seem as black as hers.
"You guys scared?"
Zack asked, flipping his ax in one hand.
"Petrified,"
replied Black Ranger. "Let's do it."
"You wouldn't
be trying to ditch us, would you?" a voice asked behind them. The three
Rangers turned to see Parker and Daystar, both dressed all in black. Parker's
katana hung at his back, and Daystar had a laser rifle slung over her shoulders.
"This is going
to be dangerous," Red Ranger protested weakly. "You guys don't have any
powers."
"Like that's
ever stopped us before?" Parker wanted to know.
"Besides, Tommy,
you'll need someone to watch your back," continued Daystar. "This is our
chance, and probably our ONLY chance, to win this battle with a minimum
of bloodshed on both sides. If we can get in and drop the fortress' defenses,
this thing will be over before you can blink."
Red Ranger sighed.
Despite his reservations, he knew he'd feel better with the two of them
watching his back.
"All right,
let's do it."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Lexian was right,"
Black Ranger murmured. "No guards on this at all."
"Well, he did
grow up here," Daystar reminded them. "This fortress has been the home
of the Royal Family since the days of Erex. Hell, Lexian probably knows
this place better than anyone currently on Edenoi."
The five of
them had emerged from a secret tunnel into a hall lined with tapestries.
Parker examined the wall hangings intently, noting their excellent condition.
"Well, at least Dregon seems to have a taste for the finer things in life,"
he muttered. "This place should still be set up like a home, instead of
a garrison."
Red Ranger nodded.
"All right. We're going to have to split up here. Parker, how are you with
computers?"
Black Ranger
chuckled. "He can make a keyboard sit up and do the rumba." The reporter
nodded.
"I can find
my way around most operating systems, and I can darn well throw a monkey
wrench into the others."
"Good. You and
Daystar go disable the force shield, then call Lexian and tell him we're
ready for the assault."
"What are you
three going to do?" Daystar asked.
"We're going
to take out the computer defense systems," Red Ranger replied. "Otherwise,
it'll go on automatically when the shield fails, and Lexian's rebels will
be running a gauntlet."
"Good luck,"
Parker said seriously. He and Red Ranger clasped hands for a moment, then
the two groups went their separate ways.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It's hot," Carlos
complained. Ashley swatted him good-naturedly.
"It's a jungle,
Sherlock. What did you expect?"
Tanya looked
around in awe. "These trees have got to be centuries old," she breathed.
Christina nodded.
"I can feel
the age," she shivered. "And we're being watched."
"By what?" Tanya
wanted to know.
Christina shrugged.
"Little things. Birds, small animals. But it feels creepy, just the same."
The Rangers
had set out that morning on their journey to the Monolith and their quest
for the Great Power. Billy led the way, his feet remembering the path from
a journey made in another lifetime. Adam walked beside him, eyes constantly
on watch for dangers.
"You're getting
jumpy again," the Asian boy remarked. "What's up?"
"We're approaching
the half-way point," Billy replied tersely. "There's always an attack about
half-way."
"What type of
attack?"
Billy shrugged.
"Dulcea says it's different for every group. In the other universe, the
six of us were attacked by a rampaging dinosaur skeleton, but I doubt that'll
be the case here."
"I'll tell the
others to keep their eyes peeled," Adam promised.
In a few more
minutes, the six Rangers came to a clearing, with a cave sunk into a rocky
promontory, and a flat, treeless area in front of the opening. Suddenly
Carlos stopped. "Do you hear that?" he whispered.
Ashley shook
her head. "I don't hear anything."
"That's just
the point," Adam realized, his eyes narrowed. "No birds, no insects, no
nothing. There's something here."
In unison, the
teens turned towards the cave opening, as a low, breathy hiss became audible.
Then, slowly, a huge snake slithered into the light. It had a head the
size of any one of the Rangers, and a body thick as a tree-trunk. Sizing
up the Rangers with cold red eyes, it seemingly licked its lips. Billy
swallowed.
"Snakes," he
muttered. "Why did it have to be snakes?" Suddenly the creature lunged
at Adam, who barely escaped as it tried to encircle him in its coils.
"It figures,"
he groaned. "Snakes love to eat frogs!"
The snake struck
again, and this time Adam was not fast enough to escape. Once it had him
in its grasp, the creature began to apply pressure, squeezing slowly, inorexably.
"Hiyahh!" Tanya
wound up, launching a kick into the snake's side. The reptile ignored her,
however, concentrating solely on Adam, who was beginning to turn blue.
"We can't make a dent in this thing!" she cried.
"We have to
keep on trying!" Christina answered her, beating at the snake's head with
a tree branch. Carlos quickly joined her, but their attacks had little
effect.
Meanwhile, Ashley
was frantically scanning the area for anything she could use against the
snake. Suddenly she saw something glimmering inside the cave. "Billy!"
she cried, rushing over to it. "Is this diamond?"
Joining her,
the teen genius examined the crystal stalagmite carefully. "Some sort of
clear crystal," he agreed. Touching the point, he let out a muffled cry.
"Sharp, too," he added, sucking on his finger.
"Can we get
it loose?" Ashley asked. Billy grabbed the sides of the spire carefully.
"It's not part
of the floor- that's a weaker granite-type rock," he replied. "Help me-
we've got to- shift it." Ashley joined him, and the two of them began to
pull at the rock.
"Somebody- get
me out of here!" Adam yelled. "I think I- heard my ribs creak!"
"Got it!" Billy
cried, as the stalagmite cracked into his hands. Holding it by the base,
he ran and leaped onto the back of the snake. "Lights- out!" Billy puffed,
bringing the spire down, piercing the snake's skin at the back of the neck.
The diamond tip cut through the scales, and the snake fell dead, releasing
Adam.
Taking a few
deep breaths, the Frog Ninjetti looked up at his best friend. "Thanks,
Billy," he drawled. "Next time, why don't you see if you can't cut it a
little closer?"
Billy laughed,
and hauled Adam to his feet, careful not to jar his friend's bruised ribs.
"Come on," he said to the group. "One down, one to go."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So when can
we expect a second attack?" Carlos asked, as the six of them trooped through
the jungle.
Billy sighed.
"When we reach the monolith, which won't be long now," he replied. "The
first time, it was four stone gargoyles, but I doubt it'll be the same
for us."
"Anything goes,
huh?" Ashley asked. Billy nodded.
Christina suddenly
pointed ahead. "There! I think I see a break in the trees!"
The six teens
sped up, and quickly found themselves in a clearing, standing before a
carved wall of solid rock. "End of the line," Tanya remarked. Cautiously,
Billy moved forward to lay his hand on one of the gargoyle statues, not
really surprised when it did not react. He turned to go back to the group-
and froze. The other five quickly turned to see what he was staring at,
and most of them stepped back in shock.
Behind them
stood six people, dressed in Ninjetti uniforms, just as they were. In fact,
the newcomers WERE them- with one major difference. There was no color
to them anywhere. The six new Ninjetti looked as if they had stepped directly
out of a black-and-white movie, and their eyes were a hideous blank white.
"End of the
line," Shadow-Tanya echoed. Her voice was Tanya's, yet there was a distinctly
different tone to it. It was cold and menacing, turning Tanya's innocent
comment into a threat.
"Madre de Dios,"
Carlos whispered, crossing himself hurriedly. Shadow-Carlos grinned, exposing
sharp, pointed teeth.
"Can't help
you now," he singsonged, stepping closer. "Time to die."
"I don't think
so," Billy shot back. "Ninjetti! The Wolf!"
"The Falcon!"
"The Frog!"
"The Unicorn!"
"The Chameleon!"
"The Lion!"
In an eyeblink, the twelve combatants were in battle mode, their hoods
and sashes covering their faces. Then the battle began in earnest.
Each Ranger
was quickly attacked by his or her shadow double. Billy and his duplicate
began trading powerful kicks and blows, while Christina found herself circling
her opponent, both waiting for the perfect time to attack. Meanwhile, Adam
and Shadow-Adam were perfectly matched, copying each other's moves with
pinpoint precision.
Carlos, never
the greatest fighter of the group, was almost immediately at a disadvantage
thanks to his double's more ruthless behavior. Suddenly Ashley sailed through
the air, striking Shadow-Carlos with a flying kick. Landing between the
creature and its prey, she was surprised that the shadow did not attack
her. Instead, it simply attempted to circle her and get to Carlos.
"Guys!" she
cried. "They fight best against the person they copy!"
Billy nodded,
processing that information. "Switch off!" he ordered. With a flying kick,
he plowed into Shadow-Adam, giving Adam a chance to rip Tanya's double
away from her. Tanya took the opportunity to tackle Shadow-Christina, and
Christina threw herself at the double of Billy. Meanwhile, Carlos and Ashley
had already switched partners, and so just continued their battle.
Now that the
Shadows were up against someone other than their originals, the fight became
more one-sided. Adam sent Shadow-Tanya plowing into a rock wall, and watched
in astonishment as she dissipated into nothing. Christina, meanwhile, led
Shadow-Billy on a chase, through the trees and across the branches, suddenly
reversing course and striking him with a flying kick. Shadow-Billy plummeted
to the ground and evaporated into mist.
Years of friendship
and extensive knowledge of each other allowed Carlos and Ashley to defeat
their opponents easily, just as Tanya dissolved Shadow-Christina with a
truly powerful hurricane kick. That left only Billy and Shadow-Adam.
The two of them
were all over the clearing, in the trees, up the rock wall, flying through
the air, and swinging through vines. Feeling himself tiring, Billy knew
he had to end the fight now. As Shadow-Adam charged again, Billy grabbed
the copy by the front of his Ninjetti uniform and rolled. He had just enough
time to see the shadow's expression change to one of pure horror before
he launched him into the air with a powerful kick. The shadow flew across
the clearing, splashing down in one of the pools beneath the trees. A horrible
bubbling began, and all six Rangers turned away as the shadow dissolved
in the acid pool. For a long moment, all was silent. Then the rock wall
rolled up, and the monolith emerged from within.
The six Rangers
felt new energy filling them, as their Ninjetti uniforms were transmuted
to their new suits. Each was different, as was to be expected.
Adam watched
in awe as the white and gold trim on his uniform darkened to black, and
the Frog coin hid itself in a pocket on the front of the shirt. "Cool,"
he whispered. "Now THIS is a Ninja outfit."
Tanya's clothing
slowly transformed until she found herself wearing a solid black spandex
bodysuit, with no decoration but a Lion coin on the chest and a gun belt
around her waist. Pulling off the helmet that appeared on her head, she
found that it bore the symbol of the Lion. "I'm still a Ranger," she grinned.
"Guess it's all I know."
Christina found
herself in a white bodysuit under a belted tunic of the same color. Billy
cocked an eyebrow. "Paladin?"
She shrugged.
"Too much D&D as a kid," she grinned.
Meanwhile, Ashley
was staring at her new uniform in a cross between delight and disbelief.
"A sailor fuku?" she asked. Indeed, she was in a short-legged white leotard
with a short blue skirt, a blue bow on the chest, and a blue sailor collar.
Reaching up to her forehead, she found a tiara set with a blue jewel. Blue
knee-high boots covered her feet, blue-trimmed white gloves covered her
hands, and a coin with the symbol of the Unicorn was the brooch in her
bow. Carlos whistled, and she glared at him.
He himself was
wearing a white body suit with purple gloves, boots, a purple half-helmet,
and a purple shoulder yoke. He shrugged. "So I used to watch "Voltron"
as a kid," he explained.
Last was Billy,
who found himself in an armored version of his original Blue Ranger uniform.
The others looked at him in astonishment as he removed his helmet and shrugged.
"This is what I think of when I think of the Great Power," he explained.
"It's what the Rangers wore in that other dimension."
"Let's get back
to the ruins," Adam suggested. "I think we need to rest and talk to Dulcea
before we move on." The others agreed, and the six of them trooped off
through the jungle once again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"See it?" Black
Ranger breathed. Zack nodded.
"And I also
see the five dudes standing guard," the Black Warrior replied. "What's
the plan, Tommy?"
Red Ranger sighed.
"Hit 'em fast and hard," he replied. "That's all the plan we have. That
room's too well lit to sneak into."
The computer
bank for the automated defense systems sat in the center of the room, sunk
a full level below the doors to the room. A catwalk ran around the edges
of the room, and one ladder led down to the floor below. On that catwalk,
as Zack had said, five bruisers were standing guard, looking very unhappy
and quite ready to take it out on unlucky intruders. Black Ranger drew
her Zeo Pistol, throwing a glance at Red Ranger as she did so. "We have
to have the element of surprise," she told him. He nodded, although she
could tell he wasn't keen on the idea of an ambush.
"Set it on 'stun,'"
he ordered her. "Remember, they're living beings, not monsters."
"That's debatable,"
she replied under her breath, but did as he ordered. "Ready?"
"Go!" A hail
of Zeo Blaster fire shot from the door, cutting down two of the guards
immediately. Two of the remaining three opened fire, while a third headed
down the ladder, heading for the alarm button. "Shit!" Red Ranger cried.
"Lillian, stop him, and get that computer down!"
"On it!" Black
Ranger shot back. Ignoring the ladder, she simply leaped over the catwalk
railing to the floor below, her Ranger abilities allowing her to absorb
the fall without injury.
Meanwhile, Red
Ranger was laying down a blanket of cover fire, allowing Zack to dash from
the door and tackle one of the guards, knocking the laser from his hand.
The second turned to aid his comrade, making his first mistake. Red Ranger
plowed into him from the side, sending the two of them rolling over and
over again.
The last guard
had just reached the alarm button when Black Ranger caught up to him. "Oh
no you don't!" she growled, grabbing onto him and hauling him backwards.
The two of them struggled for long minutes, slamming each other into walls
and consoles with little regard for anything around them. Finally, Black
Ranger managed to get her opponent into a neck lock, but the guard, sensing
he was losing, managed to get a hand free and slap the alarm button. Instantly
a klaxon began to blare, causing Zack and Red Ranger to look up from the
two they had just knocked unconscious.
"Shit!" exclaimed
Black Ranger. Quickly, she knocked her opponent's head against the wall,
sending him into unconsciousness. Dropping him, she ran over to the main
terminal for the keyboard and started typing furiously.
"Lillian!" Red
Ranger called, leaning over the catwalk rail. "We have about thirty seconds
before this place fills up with Dregon's goons!"
"Tell me something
I don't know!" she shouted back. "I have half a minute to pull off a miracle,
so I'd appreciate it if you'd stop bugging me and watch my back!"
Zack gulped,
and moved back to back with Red Ranger as Dregon's minions swarmed into
the room. "It was nice knowing you, Tommy," he remarked. Red Ranger nodded.
"Same here,
Zack." Then the wave of warriors was upon them.
Time quickly
lost all meaning for Zack. He had no idea how long he had kicked, punched,
chopped, and generally caused havoc for the goons attempting to get down
the ladder. Behind him, Red Ranger seemed to be everywhere at once, calling
his Power Sword and causing all sorts of troubles. He was dimly aware of
Black Ranger's triumphant shout as she deactivated the computer, followed
by the sounds of wrecked machinery combusting as she unloaded her Zeo Pistol
into the banks. Then, with a war cry worthy of the Valkyries themselves,
she leaped up to the catwalk and joined her two friends. Now they were
fighting to get out of the room with their lives intact.
We won't
be able to keep this up forever, Red Ranger thought to himself. He
had long ago passed adrenaline, and was now fighting only from sheer stubbornness.
His limbs felt like lead, and if he had been unmorphed, sweat would have
been pouring from his body. Suddenly a kick caught him in the small of
the back, and he sprawled headlong on the floor. Looking up, he found himself
staring into the business end of a blaster, and knew his fight was over.
Curiously enough, he was too exhausted to feel anything but mild regret.
A bright flash
of light, and the blaster before him suddenly disintegrated. A flying body
knocked the Plague Patroller holding it away. For what seemed like an eternity,
Red Ranger could only stare in dull surprise. Then a hand came down, and
helped him slowly to his feet.
"King Lexian?"
he asked in surprise. For indeed, his rescuer was the king of Edenoi, still
holding a smoking energy pistol. The aged man smiled slightly.
"I may no longer
be Masked Rider, but I am an excellent shot," he explained. Looking around
himself, Red Ranger saw that the room was alive with Edenite Rebels, easily
cleaning up the last of Dregon's troops. "Tae Shalrith is under our control,"
Lexian explained, "thanks to the five of you. Edenoi is finally free."
"Good," Red
Ranger nodded. Then his exhaustion caught up with him, and he collapsed
at Lexian's feet.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I've got a bad
feeling about this," Chris grumbled. TJ shot him a look.
"Thank you,
Captain Solo," the Blue Astro Ranger replied. The Rangers were warming
up under the morning sun, preparing for the match they were soon to participate
in. The Zarakin warriors had already set up a make-shift arena for the
competition, and spectators had already begun to gather.
Finishing her
sword routine, Jamie stopped and looked up at the sky, which was a clear
and cloudless blue, the sun barely a handswidth above the horizon. "Gonna
be a scorcher," she remarked to Jason, who stood beside her. He nodded.
"Yeah. You up
for this?" he asked, concerned. She threw him a smile.
"I have to be,
don't I? How about you guys?"
He shrugged.
"We're doing five on five. At least we'll have people to watch our backs.
It shouldn't be too different from a putty fight."
She nodded.
"You think Chris is up for this?" The Silver Astro Ranger was definitely
the least experienced of the group, despite the intensive coaching in hand-to-hand
that he'd been receiving.
"As long as
he sticks close to TJ, he should be fine," Jason replied. "Those two are
practically an inseparable team."
"They remind
me of you and Tommy," she chuckled. Their conversation was interrupted
by Chala, who came to tell them it was time for the competition. The two
followed her into the arena, joined by their other companions. The six
Rangers and four Swordbearers took up positions to the right and left of
Zarador, who stood at one end of the oval arena.
"People of Danata,
today we are gathered to witness a trial by combat," Zarador began. "These
six Rangers have requested our help in a battle not of weapons, but of
wits and words. Before we will lend them our support, however, they must
prove themselves on the field of combat. Let the first match begin!"
Five of the
Rangers filed out into the arena, leaving Jamie to stand by Zarador's side
and watch anxiously. Next, five warriors from the various provinces appeared,
arranging themselves opposite the Rangers. The two sides bowed their heads
in respect, and the battle began.
Jason quickly
found himself singled out by a bruiser almost twice his size. It was a
change for Jason to be the weaker of the pair, and at first he found himself
at a disadvantage. Then some of the tricks Chris had shown his teachers
kicked in, and Jason began an elaborate dance, avoiding each of his opponent's
strikes and always landing a punch as he did so. The blow was never hard
enough to hurt, just enough to frustrate.
Meanwhile, Rocky
and Katarina were working together like a well-oiled machine. Katarina
found herself opposite a lithe, agile young man, while Rocky was paired
with a gentleman who was average in every respect- except fighting ability.
However, the pair didn't confine themselves to traditional techniques,
and switched opponents often, Katarina attacking with powerful kicks, and
Rocky throwing in a few punches for good measure.
Chris and TJ
were working off a strategy they had dubbed "Bait and Switch." Chris would
get one of the two warriors they were paired against to attack him, then
lead him right into one of his ally's attacks. Then TJ would hit them both
with a powerful strike.
As the battle
raged on, Jamie could hear the tide of public opinion shifting to favor
the Rangers. The cheers for the five Earthlings became louder and louder,
as first one, then another Zarakin warrior tapped out. Finally, only Jason's
adversary was left.
Jason's hit
and run strategy was finally having its desired effect. As his opponent
grew angrier and angrier, he grew tenser and tenser, until his muscles
were cutting off most of his oxygen, and a lot of his movement. Jason had
watched the other's attacks grow shorter and sharper, and knew the warrior
was on the brink of collapse. Suddenly he launched a hurricane kick, catching
his opponent in the side. The large man crashed to the ground like a falling
tree, and lay there panting, waving a hand to show that he'd given up.
For a moment,
all was still. Then Jason walked over to his fallen opponent and offered
him a hand up. The man accepted, but it took both Jason and Rocky to help
him to his feet. "Good fight," the Zarakin grinned. "My name is Ral. Next
time- can I be on your side?"
Jason laughed.
"Deal," he replied. The ten warriors left the arena to the cheering of
the crowd.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I never thought
I'd say this, but Bulk, thank God you showed up when you did," Fred sighed.
The thirteen heroes had returned to the Power Chamber after Shadowborg
had managed to teleport away from them, and had been filled in on the events
of Drew and Josh's battle. Both Beetleborgs had been force-backblasted
by Flabber, and Drew was secured to a table under heavy sedation. Josh
had regained consciousness a few minutes ago, and was stable, although
shaky. His hands kept going to his throat, and Peter got the impression
that Josh's near-strangulation had been a lot closer to the real thing
than he let on.
Bulk shrugged.
"I was in the neighborhood- helping get people to the shelters and all,
and I ran across the scene. I don't know a lot, but even I can tell when
something's bad news. So, you gonna introduce me?"
Rosa chuckled.
"Guys, this is Farkas Bulkmier, "Bulk" to most people. He knows all of
our identities, and he's been a big help to us in the past."
Quickly, the
heroes went around the room, introducing themselves, although Josh and
Art had to handle things for Jo and Roland, who were far too busy keeping
vigil over their sleeping friend. Then they filled Bulk in on the events
of the battle so far. The former bully paled considerably upon hearing
what Shadowborg had been based on.
"Nyghtmayr?
Now there's a name I never wanted to hear again," he muttered. "Do you
think you can break the spell on your friend?"
"We're going
to have to try," Josh sighed. "But I think I'd better stay out of this.
Thanks to Shadowborg's control, the only emotion I evoke in him is anger."
"How soon can
we bring him back?" Kaitlin asked, looking at Lita. The psychiatrist checked
her watch.
"That dose of
seconal I gave him should be wearing off soon," she replied. "Brace yourself,
Mrs. McCormick- this won't be pleasant."
Joyce smiled
wryly, watching as Peter and Winston tipped the table so that Drew was
standing upright. "It hasn't been so far; why should it stop now?"
Drew's eyelids
began to flutter, and the non-Beetleborg related occupants of the room
quickly moved to the edges, giving the others room to deal with Drew. A
pair of glares from Peter and Winston warned Les to keep his mouth shut
as Drew slowly came to awareness.
"Wha- where
am I?" he asked groggily, sounding a great deal like the old Drew. Then
his vision cleared and his eyes blazed. He tried to pull away from the
table, but the straps held fast. His mouth twisted, and he spat out a word
that made his mother cover Jo's ears. "You can't hold me like this forever,"
he promised dangerously. "Let me go, and I won't rip your head off."
Roland took
a deep breath. "I'm not going to let you go, Drew," he replied, his calm
surprising even himself. "I know Shadowborg's filled you up with pain and
anger, until you can't even think straight, and all you want to do is lash
out. But I'm your friend, Drew. I'm not going to let you hurt yourself,
no matter what it costs me."
Drew laughed,
but it was a cold, bitter sound. "My friend? Some friend you are! Where
were you when I was fighting Shadowborg alone? Or all those times Nukus
nearly had my head on a pike? You're nothing but a liability on the battlefield,
and off it, you jump ship the minute someone cooler comes along!"
"That's not
true!" Jo broke in. "Drew, we love you! You're my big brother! With Mom
having to work so much, you practically raised me!"
"You think I
want that?" Drew snarled. "Spending all my time with an annoying little
sister trailing after me? All I've EVER done was look after you! And what
do you care? You left me behind!"
Joyce stepped
forward. "You say we don't care, Drew? Let me remind you of a few things.
How about your tenth birthday party, when Roland, Jo, and I spent HOURS
planning a surprise for you? Or the time Roland and Jo risked everything
to stop the Firecat before you grew fur permanently? The shots they've
taken for you?"
"Remember all
the good times we've spent together?" Roland continued. "Hanging out at
Zoom, eating Nano's cooking, just hanging out at Hillhurst?"
"Racing our
Sector Cycles down the road, for a 'test drive?'" Jo added. "Or Art, drawing
us new powers, KNOWING it would make him a target for Nukus?"
"Drew," Dragon
Borg began, his voice gentle. "I know how easy it is to just let go, and
to let your pain take over. But you must remember, there are people who
love you very much, who are waiting and hoping for you to come back."
"Go to hell,"
Drew growled. "You don't care about me! None of you care."
"What's wrong?"
Roland asked in frustration. "Why can't we get through to him?"
"Because it's
not us he hates," Art replied, an expression of understanding dawning on
his face. "He hates himself. He refuses to believe that we could love him
because he can't believe that he's worth it."
Up until that
moment, Josh had stayed back out of the way, not wanting Drew's dislike
of him to jeopardize the recovery effort. Now, however, he moved to the
table and quickly began undoing the straps that held Drew in place.
"Josh, are you
nuts?" Roland cried. "He'll kill you!"
"Trust me,"
Josh replied, undoing the last restraint. "I know what I'm- urk!" The instant
he was free, Drew lunged at Josh, wrapping his hands around the other's
throat. The force of Drew's attack knocked them both against a console.
Art and Dragon Borg started forward to pull Drew off Josh, but a quick
headshake from Josh stopped them.
"I'm going to
kill you," Drew snarled. "Slowly and painfully, and I'm going to enjoy
it."
"No, you won't,"
Josh replied. Drew's grip on his throat was not yet tight enough to impair
speech, and his voice was calm and rational. "You can't. Shadowborg can
do a lot of things, but he can't change who you are. All he did was open
a floodgate in you and let all the bad feelings come out. You're not a
murderer, Drew, and I'm going to prove it."
"What do you
mean?"
"I won't fight
back. You want to kill me, go on and do it. Snap my neck, beat my face
in, squeeze 'til I turn blue. I won't lift a hand to stop you. But you
can't do it, because that's the one thing Shadowborg cannot make you do."
Dark eyes locked
with blue, as Drew stared at Josh in fascination. Seeing this, Josh continued.
"You blame yourself, don't you? You always do. Well, let me tell you something-
it's not your fault. Shadowborg is a Minor Demon, a creature DESIGNED to
bring out the worst in everybody. The only way you could fight it would
be to be perfect, and nobody's perfect. God, Drew! You walked into Shadowborg's
grasp, KNOWING you could and probably would die! You gave up your own chance
of escape for Jo and your mother! You're not a failure, Drew, you're the
biggest damn hero I ever knew."
Drew shook his
head. "Shut up," he yelled, his voice wavering. "I'm not going to listen
to you lie anymore!"
"Then why don't
you just end this here and now?" Josh asked. "Go on, Drew, it'll be easy.
Finish me off, go back to Shadowborg. You'll finally have revenge for everything
I've done to you, all the times I was an insensitive idiot. You'll be king
of the mountain- heck, you'll even have a clear path for Heather." Drew
just stared at him, and Josh's voice softened. "You can't do it, can you?
You're too stubborn to give Shadowborg your soul. You've got too much courage
to bend to him forever. It's why we love you, all of us."
"All of us,"
Dragon Borg repeated quietly, gently pulling Drew away.
"All of us,"
echoed Joyce. She folded Drew in her arms, and Roland and Jo quickly did
the same. Art and Dragon Borg each laid a hand on one of his shoulders.
For a long moment,
nothing happened. Then Drew began to sob, throwing his arms around his
mother furiously. Joyce, Roland, and Jo quickly joined him.
"I'm sorry,"
Drew whispered. "So sorry, so sorry."
"There is nothing
to be sorry for," Dragon Borg replied. "To conquer the darkness in your
heart is not an easy thing. I am very proud of you, lad."
Drew looked
up in astonishment, then threw his arms around Dragon Borg's neck. "You're
alive," he choked. "I thought- I couldn't stand it if you'd left me too."
"Never in a
thousand years," Dragon Borg replied, holding Drew tight. Joyce smiled
wistfully at the image.
Josh, watching
from the sidelines, was startled to feel a tug on his sleeve. Looking down,
he saw Jo standing next to him. "That had to be the bravest thing I've
ever seen," she told him quietly.
He shrugged.
"I knew he wouldn't do it."
"Then why are
your knees shaking?" she asked with a grin. Josh looked down to see that
she was indeed correct, and threw her a sheepish grin. Suddenly, to his
intense surprise, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. After
a moment, he hugged back.
"It's going
to be all right, Jo," he whispered. "I promise."
She pulled away.
"I hope you're right," she sighed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I'm supposed
to fight HIM?" Jamie asked, astounded. She had just been informed that
her challenger in the trial by combat was Melchor of Narol, and he'd chosen
swords as his weapon. "I do not like this at all. He doesn't seem to be
the type to soil his hands with this type of work."
"He's not,"
Zarador replied grimly. "And the only weapon available to him is a perfectly
normal sword blade. He doesn't HAVE a magic one, Elemental or Gem. None
of them would accept him. But he is an excellent fighter."
Jamie bit her
lip. "He's up to something," she decided. "Is it possible to cheat in one
of these matches?"
"Certainly,"
Zarador replied. "But any infraction of the rules would be immediately
visible. For instance, you can't morph, or use the Lightning powers of
your blade. Really, none of the methods of cheating are all that subtle."
She sighed.
"Watch my back, and be ready to raise a stink if he crosses the line,"
she instructed. Then she headed out into the arena and faced Melchor.
He was smirking
again, and Jamie knew he was up to no good. Pretending that she didn't
notice, she raised her sword to her forehead and saluted, as he did the
same. Then, at a referee's signal, the two attacked.
Melchor was
good, Jamie realized. He lacked neither in strength nor agility, and wasn't
a slouch in the brains department. Ducking one of his swipes, she rolled
away, launching a kick at his knees as she did so. He dodged, however,
renewing his attack as she jumped upright again.
A sudden hooking
strike knocked Jamie's sword from her hands, and only a lightning-fast
backflip saved her from having her throat torn out by the backswing. Grabbing
her sword again, she regarded her opponent with narrowed eyes. This was
not supposed to be a fight to the death, as evidenced by the crowd's boos
over Melchor's attacks. She had an awful feeling that one of them wouldn't
be walking out of that ring that day.
Blocking a powerful
swipe, Jamie launched into a lightning flurry of counter-blows, causing
Melchor to take several steps back. Suddenly she hooked his feet out from
under him, causing him to land on his rear end. Presenting her sword at
the tip of his throat, she raised an eyebrow.
"Do you yield?"
she asked. The question was really a formality. He had lost, and she wasn't
going to kill him if he said no. The fight was over, both in her eyes and
those of the judges.
"Never," he
hissed, his hand going to a medallion at his neck. A sudden schlooping
noise behind her made Jamie throw herself to one side without looking back.
Suddenly a huge fist made of rock crashed to the ground where she had been
standing. Turning, Jamie saw a vaguely humanoid creature, made entirely
of mud and stone. Beside it, two more were pulling themselves out of the
ground. As Melchor laughed insanely, Jamie found herself surrounded by
a veritable army of the things. She grinned.
"Rock and roll
time, boys." Tightening her grip on her sword, she threw herself into the
battle.
"JAMIE!" Jason
yelled, leaping into the arena. The other Rangers, Zarador, and the four
holders of the Elemental Blades were right behind him. They plowed into
a battle that quickly appeared to be hopeless. Not even the elemental powers
of the Blades seemed to have any affect on the mud creatures. Suddenly
Jamie got an idea.
"Time to stop
these things at their source," she mused. Using a falling mud creature
as a springboard, she launched herself over the ranks to land in front
of a fleeing Melchor. The tip of her sword presented at his throat made
him stop quite abruptly. "I want to know why you tried to kill me," she
growled. "And I want to know now."
Cowed by the
expression on her face, Melchor began to babble. "I was hired to stop anyone
coming to help Zordon. I- you seemed the most important of your Rangers-
I thought it would stop your team."
"Who hired you?"
she asked. Melchor opened his mouth to reply, but never managed it. The
medallion still around his neck began to glow red, and the words choked
in his throat. Then the glow grew stronger, and the Narolian noble slowly
faded out of existence. With the medallion and its master gone, the mud
creatures collapsed back into the dirt they came from.
"Are you all
right?" Jason asked, running up to Jamie. She nodded, leaning on him slightly.
"Yeah. But-
I could use a long nap." With that, she promptly collapsed into his arms.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 9
Kat was staring
out one of the windows of the palace suite assigned to her. So lost was
she in the vista of Elarus' skyline that she didn't notice as the door
swung open behind her.
"Hi, Kat," Kim
said cheerily, entering the room. Kat turned slowly, smiling as she saw
her friend.
"Hi, Kim," she
replied. "What's up? I thought you and Skull would still be enjoying your
honeymoon."
Kim blushed
pink. "We are," she replied with dignity. "We're spending as much time
with our friends as we do with each other." Then she grinned wickedly.
"Of course, in the evenings, I get him ALL to myself."
The two Pink
Rangers shared a giggle, and Kat indicated one of the comfortable stuffed
chairs located in the room. "Have a seat, Kim. Was there anything you wanted,
or did you just want to gossip?"
"Gossip is good,
but- Kat, are you feeling okay? You've been kind of- distant since the
wedding, and you seemed distracted before that. Is anything the matter?"
Kat sighed.
"I don't know. I guess I was just thinking about David."
"You miss him?"
"A lot," Kat
nodded. "I can't help wondering if I'll see him again- if any of us will
see each other again. I mean, if Trey's suspicions about this trial are
right, our losing might well result in a "convenient" disappearance. And
we don't even have any guarantee that everyone will make it to the trial.
I'm just-wondering."
"Anything unsaid?"
Kim asked gently. Kat shook her head.
"No, nothing,
really. But- I've known for a while that he was the one for me, Kim. The
one I want to spend the rest of my life with. We've talked about it, and
neither of us wants to get married before we finish college, but we've
made all these plans. I'm scared I won't get back to fulfill them."
Kim covered
her friend's hand with her own. "I'm scared, too, Kat. There are so many
things Skull and I still want to do, and there's a real chance that we
won't be able to do them. But you just have to look back and see that you've
had some good things in the past."
"I'm just- afraid
of leaving him alone," Kat confessed.
"David's strong,
Kat. If he lost you, he could go on. I'm not saying he doesn't love you,
or that it wouldn't hurt him to lose you. But he could live with the loss,
and he would never hold a grudge against you for putting Ranger business
above your life together. He's been a Ranger- he knows how it comes before
all else."
Kat sighed.
"Thanks, Kim," she smiled, getting to her feet. Kim followed suit, wrapping
her friend in a brief hug.
"Any time. Now
let's go out in the courtyard. Cassie and Trini are whipping the boys'
butts."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Kid, you've
done in one week what half the galaxy can't do in six years," Duke chuckled.
"You blew through the training, mastered building a laser sword, and have
me gasping for breath. It's with the utmost pleasure that I promote you
to the rank of full warrior in the cadre of the Deshaadra." He bowed, and
handed her her laser sword. She bowed back, accepting it gravely.
The promotion
ritual, with Duke's usual lack of ceremony, was being carried out in front
of Ecliptor's scout, on the landing pad. Ecliptor watched with his usual
impassive expression, but Chelsea thought the crystalline being's posture
looked just the slightest bit smug. Trey, by contrast, was beaming with
pride and making no attempt to hide it.
"There's two
more things I wanna give you. First off, your dress uniform." He grinned,
handing her a folded length of black cloth. "Traditional garb for the Deshaadra.
It'll make a real impression on the Council. We had it made to your measure."
"And just how
did you get my measurements?" she asked in mock disapproval, casting a
glance at Trey. The Triforian Prince pretended to hide behind Ecliptor,
who simply rolled his eyes.
"The second
thing," Duke continued, deciding not to get involved, "is this." Extending
his hand, he passed her a pendant, an exquisitely carved onyx falcon on
a silver chain. "It's an apprenticeship mark. It proves that I'm the one
who put you through your training. Even though the Council won't hire me,
it ought to impress the hell out of them."
She took it
gently, clasping it around her neck. "Thank you," she smiled. "For everything."
Then, quickly, she threw her arms around him and gave him a quick hug.
The battle-hardened warrior blushed, then quickly threw glares at Ecliptor
and Trey, who were snickering slightly.
"Thank you,"
he replied quietly. "You're the closest thing to family I've had in a long
time."
"If you ever
need me, you know where to find me," she told him seriously. He nodded.
"And if you
ever need me,- I'll find you. Now get going. You'll have to hurry if you
want that rustbucket to make it to Triforia in time to prepare for the
trial."
She nodded,
kissing him on the cheek and joining Trey and Ecliptor as they headed back
into the scout ship. This had been a week she was never going to forget.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ever since his
return to the defense force, Drew had been unusually quiet, saying little
and occasionally casting glances at his sister and best friend. Lita Kino
sighed. She'd seen far too many shadows like the ones in Drew's haunted
blue eyes. Looking over at Peter, who stood beside her, she knew that he'd
seen it too. "Flip you for it?" she said quietly. Peter grinned.
"I wouldn't
dream of depriving you of this professional opportunity, Dr. Kino," he
chuckled. "Seriously, you've got more experience in this area than I do.
Go get him."
Shaking her
head, Lita crossed to where Drew was standing. The blonde boy was simply
staring at nothing, letting the aimless conversations filling the Power
Chamber wash over him. "Drew?" Lita asked softly, laying a hand on his
shoulder. His eyes slowly swam into focus.
"Huh? Oh, hi,
Dr. Kino. What's up?" he asked, his voice listless. Lita fixed him with
a stern green gaze.
"First of all,
didn't I tell you to call me Lita?"
He shrugged,
and managed a weak smile. "I'm not used to calling adults by their first
names. It took me a while to even get Art down. Was there something you
wanted?"
"Yes. I think
we need to talk, Drew. You can't shrug off what happened to you- none of
you can." She sighed, reflective for a second. "Peter and I are going to
be very busy," she remarked to herself, seeing the Ghostbuster had taken
Jo aside and was talking to her earnestly. Then she looked back to Drew.
"Let's go outside, okay? It's getting a bit claustrophobic in here." He
nodded, and the two of them headed for the main entrance tunnel.
"Sure is gorgeous
out here," Drew remarked. Closing his eyes, he soaked up the late afternoon
sun. "I didn't get nearly enough sunlight this week," he continued. "Spent
most of my time down in that crypt."
"What were you
doing, when you weren't fighting the others?" asked Lita carefully.
Drew shifted,
seeking a more comfortable position on the rocks he was leaning against.
"Practicing, mostly, but- I also spent a lot of time talking to Shadowborg."
He shivered. "I don't think anything scares me more, now that I'm back
in my right mind, than how friendly he seemed. He was always being sympathetic
about how everyone in my life left me behind, but I didn't need any of
them now."
"Hmm. Sounds
to me like Shadowborg was trying to take Dragon Borg's place as your surrogate
father," Lita mused.
"It was working.
It all made sense to me at the time. Of course, I wasn't thinking straight.
I was hurt and angry, and he made sure I stayed that way- with him the
only out." Drew's eyes opened, and Lita suddenly found herself fixed by
an intense cobalt gaze. "I told him everything, Lita," he said quietly.
"All about the Rangers, the Troopers, Masked Rider- everything I knew."
The psychiatrist
nodded. "That would explain why he knew Ryan's identity, earlier." Then
she cocked her head and looked at him sharply. "You feel like you failed,
don't you?"
"I did fail,"
replied Drew, not meeting her eyes. "He just snapped his fingers, and I
fell under his control."
"Nukus has never
used mind control on any of you, has he? And the Magnavores never did it
either."
Drew shook his
head. "No, not really. Vexor fed Jo a Jekyll-and-Hyde potion once, but
it made her more of a brat than truly evil. Why?"
"Because I can
tell that you don't really understand it. The Troopers, Masked Rider, the
Rangers- they've all been under spells or fought friends under evil control
at some point in their careers. This sort of thing- it's far too powerful
for you to just shrug off, especially Shadowborg. Les BASED him on a creature
that is literally evil personified. The Rangers have had several run-ins
with creatures of that kind, and they couldn't fight the spell either."
She had seen how the other heroes in the defense force respected the Power
Rangers, and she could see her argument was getting through to Drew.
"Drew, do you
remember the Evil Green Ranger?" Lita asked suddenly. Drew blinked.
"I don't think
anyone in the 'Freak Zone' doesn't," he replied. "Guy practically tore
the Rangers apart."
Lita nodded.
"Did you see in the papers how he was under Rita Repulsa's control?" At
Drew's nod, she continued. "Well, not only did the Rangers trust him enough
to let him join the team, when his powers failed, they made him the White
Ranger, and the new leader of the team." Her voice softened. "I'm not saying
dealing with this is going to be easy, Drew. I'm saying that your friends
trust you, and love you, and will stand by you without a hint of hesitation.
The hard part is going to be trusting yourself. Will you let me help you
with that?"
For a long moment,
Drew simply looked at her, then he smiled. "You bet, Lita. Thanks."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 10
"There's still
members of Dregon's forces hiding in the hills," Donaeus reported, "but
nothing the King's Guard can't handle. The rebuilding efforts have begun
all over Edenoi. The war is finally over, King Lexian. Edenoi is free."
Lexian nodded.
"But we must never forget those who sacrificed themselves for this end,"
he replied. "Once the basic needs of the people are met, we should erect
a memorial to them. Donaeus, can you take care of that?"
The young man
bowed. "Of course, your Majesty," he grinned.
"I had thought
Dex would be here to see this day," Lexian mused. "It seems strange to
know that he is fighting for your Earth while you have helped to liberate
our home."
Tommy shrugged.
"Edenoi's war is over, but I have a feeling that the war between Dex and
Count Dregon will continue for a while yet."
Nodding, Lexian
surveyed the cavern base with a sigh. "There is so much to be done still.
We must rebuild Edenoi from the ruins, and lead it back to prosperity."
"Yes, your Majesty,"
Donaeus returned, "but your advisors and court are more than capable of
such things for a while. Now you must turn your attention to Zordon, for
if he falls, all the galaxy will follow."
Lexian laughed.
"Very true, Donaeus. I see why Dex relies upon your counsel so much. In
the future, I will do the same." Then a smile crossed his face. "And speaking
of counsel, Rangers, you said that your Turbo Rangers were left with minimal
support staff?"
Lillian nodded.
"Yeah. With Justin, Egon, and Ray, they ought to be all right with the
computers, though."
"Perhaps I can
offer some assistance." Turning, he led the group to a cave that opened
off the main cavern. Inside was a huge barrage of computer equipment, things
the Rangers had never seen, even in the Power Chamber. Suddenly Tommy recognized
one of the items.
"Hey, isn't
that the torso to an Alpha unit?" he pointed. He knew that King Lexian
had designed and built the Alpha series of robots, but he hadn't expected
to see one in stages of assembly.
"It's the prototype
for the series, actually," Lexian replied. "Now, if I know Council procedures,
they've sent a shut-down command to Alpha 5, since he is an accessory to
Zordon's crime. Unfortunately, Alpha robots are not considered sentient
under galactic law. If Zordon is found guilty, it is unlikely that Alpha
5 will ever be reactivated."
"Can you do
anything about it?" Parker asked anxiously. He knew the Rangers regarded
the robot as a sort of little brother, and even he liked the little guy.
The image of him being inert forever was not a comforting one.
"Certainly,"
Lexian replied absently, searching through his workbench. "I created and
programmed the Alpha series, although I was as surprised as anyone when
they became self-aware. Still, I do have access to their core programming-
including a certain back-door I slipped in there. With the proper codes-
and a subspace transmitter- I can have Alpha 5 running again quite quickly.
Ah!" Pulling out a black box, he began fiddling with some dials and keys.
Finally, it beeped, and he stepped back in satisfaction.
"There, I've
sent the reactivation code. It may take a while- subspace transmissions
are not instantaneous, and reactivation itself takes time- but Alpha 5
should be on-line again soon."
Zack smiled
in relief. "I guess everything's ready- let's hit the shuttle and head
for Erlion."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Now leaving
Eltare's orbit," Cassie remarked, checking the bridge readouts absently.
"Good thing this ship can hold a lot of people, considering that we have
four other Rangers, eight Morphin Masters, the royal family of Eltare,
and their entourage on board."
"And we're still
the only two people who know how the bridge works," Andros chuckled. "The
others are wonderful people, but I wouldn't trust them at the controls
of this ship."
Cassie shrugged.
"More work for us, but not a whole lot. And I don't mind being alone on
the bridge with you."
Hearing that,
Andros quickly began to scrutinize one of the readouts. It wouldn't do
for Cassie to see him blushing. "Where is everybody, anyway?"
"Last I saw,
Kat and Trini were in the gym, pumping iron," Cassie replied, coming over
to check one of the monitors. The two of them were now standing side by
side. "I don't think you have to ask where Skull and Kim are."
Andros smiled
at her. "Those two are very lucky to have found each other," he mused.
"Love like that only comes along once in a lifetime."
"Are you thinking
about Deanara?" Cassie asked quietly. Andros startled.
"Actually- no,"
he replied, somewhat surprised. "I loved her, but- not like that, I don't
think."
Cassie cocked
her head, smiling mischievously. "So what ARE you thinking about?" she
prodded.
This time Andros
could not control his blush. You, he thought to himself. Aloud,
he simply responded "I'm thinking I ought to check the engine room, make
sure the engines are in good condition." Then he ducked out the door, leaving
a puzzled Cassie behind.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Standing in the
ruins of the Ninjetti Temple, the six Rangers faced their tutor Dulcea
one last time. Billy bowed to her. "Dulcea, thank you so much for everything
you've done for us," he began. "I don't think any of us will ever forget
you or your time here."
Dulcea smiled.
"And I thank you, Rangers, for breaking my loneliness and for restoring
my faith that there are those worthy to claim the Great Power. And most
of all, thank you for your tireless devotion to Zordon. It is good to know
that there are others who will stand by my friend when I cannot."
"You can," Carlos
replied, "and you do. By helping us gain these powers, you stand beside
him as surely as if you were going to the trial."
"Thank you,
Carlos. Your words mean a great deal to me. Rangers, you are now Ninjetti,
pure of heart and soul. Never let the darkness control you, or you may
find your powers will fail, leaving you vulnerable. But if you are strong
and continue to fight for the light, I have faith that you will overcome
all the obstacles placed in your path." She smiled again. "Be strong, Rangers.
I know that Zordon's choice of you will be born out."
The Rangers
bowed to her once more, then dissolved into their various teleport streams
and streaked up into the sky, headed for the Delta Megaship which orbited
above.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Find anything?"
Jamie asked as Zarador walked into the main lounge of the Mega Winger.
The king of the Zarakin shook his head.
"Nothing. No
records, no nothing. Whoever hired Melchor to throw a wrench in this mission,
he covered his tracks pretty well."
"So who took
over the province from him?" Rocky wanted to know.
"His son, Deceter,
is a pretty good sort. The people will follow him, and he doesn't seem
to know anything about Melchor's dealings."
Just then, the
door to the bridge hissed open, and Chris came out. "I put her on autopilot,
so we should be okay for a while," the Silver Astro Ranger informed them.
Sinking down on a chair, he regarded his friends interestedly. "So what'd
I miss?"
"Not much,"
TJ replied. "You know, whoever this is must be pretty well connected,"
he mused. "I mean- to bribe and/or browbeat a Zarakin noble, to know someone
would be headed to Danata in the first place, and to set this type of thing
up in the first place."
Zarador nodded,
rubbing his forehead. "I hate government intrigue," he complained. "I always
have. I think it's pretty obvious that the brains behind all of this is
most likely a Council member. Unfortunately, I can name about ten off the
top of my head who might be capable of it."
"Can we count
on any allies?" Jason asked.
"I think so,"
Zarador responded. "Lexian, certainly, although as a friend of Zordon's,
I'm not sure how much weight his opinion will carry. But he's a good man
to have at your back in a fight."
Katarina grimaced.
"Good. Because a fight is exactly what we're headed for." No one could
argue with her. The feeling of an onrushing confrontation was something
they all knew too well.
Zarador sighed.
"Bright Lady preserve us," he muttered. "We're going to need all the help
we can get."
The End... for now