Outside the B-Spire Clinic, Z Delgado pressed up against the building wall. If her timing was right, and Fae's intel proved accurate, then a shipment containing nanobots would be arriving any moment. The former principle was really the key. Timing determined whether or not this whole plan worked. A second too early or late, and their chance may evaporate. Too many variables This had to be perfect.
She peeked around the corner. A worker in a yellow vest walked left to right across the parking lot out back of the spire, but no sign of the truck. Of course, she would probably hear it coming before she saw it. That could be good or bad. With something big as a truck, it could be difficult to tell just how far away it was. However, looking around the building like she just did ran the risk of exposing herself. So, he ears were the safer bet. Of course, that counted on whether or not hover trucks made the same amount of noise as their combustion counterparts. She shook her head. Too many variables.
Her mind wandered briefly back to her previous life. How many times had she and Jack performed similar heists? If all went to plan, this would be a variation of a plan the two of them had used before. Stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Tommy had said that exact quote to her when she told him about the thievery she used to conduct. He then likened the two of them to a character called Robin Hood, a hero from his time. Z had never heard that name before, but Tommy seemed rather fond of him, so she decided it was probably a good thing.
Time squeaked on by, slowed by the weight of anticipation. The truck should have been there already. Without a watch, nor a way to charge her phone here in the future, Z had no way of knowing the time. That made telling how much had gone by almost impossible, as even the sun hid behind the tall spires. The only clock any of the displaced Rangers regularly had access to was in Fae's car, and that had been left behind in favor of a taxi cab. So, the truck may have been late, or perhaps it was perfectly on time. Z had no idea, and it frustrated her to no end. The variables compounded.
Were it up to her, this operation would have been abandoned already. Too much risk, too many unknowns. They were breaking the law, after all. Every bit of information they didn't have increased the chances of being caught. Something like this wouldn't have been worth it. Necessity itself kept her standing around that corner. They had to get the nanobots to help Adam and Shelby. Failure was not an option, nor was to abort. This mission may have been their only shot. So, Z stayed, despite the nagging in the back of her head.
After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, Z heard the unmistakable sound of a hover engine. That warbling, repetitious noise somewhere between a whine and a fiery whoosh could never be ascribed to anything else. She took a chance at peeking around the corner. A large vehicle—vaguely reminiscent of a cube truck, just missing the wheels—backed up to a spot nearby. In this, the small size of the clinic played to their advantage. There was only one loading dock, and it was close.
Z ducked back into hiding, ears tuned for all the were worth to the sound. A smile stretched across her lips. Even in the future, big trucks had back-up beepers. Comforting, how some things never changed. That played to her advantage. The loud noise made it easier to tell where the truck was, and when exactly it stopped. She thanked her lucky stars.
The beeping came closer, and closer, and closer still. With each beep, Z felt the thump of her own heart. It always happened this way, for her. She could be calm as a summer breeze in the moments leading up to a heist, but the moment it was time, her anxiety sprung up. There would be no opportunity for planning once everything kicked off, no moments of strategy. Action was always largely improvisation. Part of her lived for that thrill, while another—the street-smart side—wished it never happened at all.
The truck came to a stop, and so too did the beeping cease. Moments later, two doors opened and closed, followed by voices and footsteps on the pavement. Two men, one of them cracked a joke and the other gave a kindly laugh, the type someone might offer when a comment is only funny because the jester was a friend. Z heard them open up the back of the truck. Hollow steps walked into the compartment.
She dared to look. One of the men had a nondescript cardboard box in his hands, while the other rummaged through the back. Her eyes caught a glimpse of her quarry, the little white box with red trim, smaller than she expected. It would be simple to just run out and grab it, but that wasn't the plan. No need to alter things just yet when nothing had even happened.
Z kept one eye watching the delivery, exposing herself as little as possible. The corner took up most of her vision. She could only see the fairest sliver of the truck, just enough to fixate on the white and red box. She watched them with intent. To their credit, they were making short work of the admittedly small shipment. As the job went on, it became clear they were emptying from front to back, a pattern she had observed before. This made them predictable, easy to follow.
One by one the packages exited the truck, progress which inched ever closer the prize. The stacks vanished, deposited inside where they were likely picked up by a clinic employee. Each removed box brought upon her the moment of truth, until finally one of the men picked up the nanobots. The moment he exited the truck, Z pulled a yellow handkerchief up over her nose. She slipped around the corner.
She created four clones of herself. The men, understandably alarmed at the sight of this, immediately began to shout at her. Z ignored them, focused on her task. One clone pushed the less important of the men into the back of the truck and pulled down the door, containing him him inside. The second clone closed the loading dock, sealing themselves inside so Z banished it. The third grappled the man with the nanobots. As it took him to the ground, the real Z yoinked the box. Target in hand, she kept walking as if nothing happened. The other remaining clone outside added to the dogpile keeping the worker indisposed. He would have to stay like that until the bots were away.
Z did her best casual walk all the way to the end of the platform, a distance which felt much longer than it really was. The deliveryman cried out for help,and one of the clinic employees did come over to see what was the matter, but she would be far too late to affect much change. Z had already gotten away. This next part was, honestly, the easiest step.
Resolute footfalls stopped at the end of the platform. Arms outstretched, she dropped the box over the side. Without skipping a beat, she herself then also clambered down. She stepped off, spun halfway around in midair to catch the lip, let herself swing for a moment, and then dropped the rest of the way, thirty feet right into the waiting arms of Flynn. He caught her in a big bear hug before depositing her onto the platform below where she had just committed theft. To their right, Tommy finished up tearing into the box. He removed the secure medical containers, several plastic vials full of clear fluid, and put them in his pants pockets. The red and white receptacle, no longer needed, was ripped into pieces and handed to Flynn, destined for his own pockets.
Now gathered, the three of them walked their way back to the nearby parking lot they'd told their cabbie to wait in. As they went, Z took her handkerchief off and stowed it away. She then stripped off her grey SPD jacket in favor of the yellow tanktop beneath. The overgarment wound up tied around her waist. This was the best she could do to make herself appear incognito. Hopefully, they'd be away before this nonchalant disguise was tested.
Z had to physically stop herself from looking this way and that as they walked. The best way to give themselves up was to look like they had something to run from. Her Ranger instincts screamed at her to keep aware of the situation, but many more years of experience allowed her to tramp those desires down. Tommy, on the other hand, had no such control. He was such an adorable goody two-shoes, the way he constantly peered left and right. He'd probably never stolen a rock from the ground, let alone medical supplies. When he whipped his head around to look behind them. Z elbowed him in the ribs.
"Chill," she said. "Act natural, or you'll give us away."
"See, I wish you hadn't said that," intoned Flynn. "Now I'm too aware of what I'm doing."
"Yeah, how am I supposed to know what natural is," added Tommy.
"Just forget that you did anything," Z made it sound so easy.
"Forget? They're in my pocket," insisted Tommy.
Z shook her head. "It's a good thing we don't have too far to go."
The trio walked along this platform in a straight line to their escape vehicle. Tommy, to his credit, at least kept his gaze forward. Flynn did much the same, except with a little bit of added fidgeting. It would have to do. They were great guys, incredible Rangers, but awful thieves. Not everyone was cut out for a life of crime, after all. At least their little bit of conversation helped them blend in a little bit more.
Despite herself, Z couldn't help the rush that built slowly in her heart as they traveled ever onward. When people made claims about how good it was to be bad, this was likely what they meant. Her old self would have thought this part was actually fun, not just rewarding or necessary. One could easily get addicted to the sensation, the accomplishment and self-satisfaction. Many of the criminals she now helped to bring down likely struggled with the same feelings, but just lacked the discipline to overcome them. Treating crime like an addiction might help a lot of people. Z, however, was not a criminal psychologist, and so she couldn't feasibly make those kinds of calls.
Eventually, the three of them reached the parking lot they had arrived at the scene upon. Z had consulted a holomap before departing, and chose this location as their staging area specifically because it was close to the clinic, yet not at the establishment itself. This allowed them a quick getaway which was not tied to clinic security cameras. The aesthetic of the lot, however, drew speculation from the bunch.
"Folks cleared out of here, didn't they?" Flynn observed.
"It's definitely a lot emptier than when we arrived," agreed Tommy.
And it was. When they had touched down in their chartered taxi cab, this public parking lot had been at least half full, if not more. Now, almost all of the vehicles were gone. Those that were there sat in spread out spaces. The only one of note was a bus to the left.
"The cab's gone, too," said Z.
"I don't like it. Heads on a swivel, guys," Tommy instructed.
Almost in prefect unison, the three Rangers lowered their posture just slightly and began to creep forward, as if that made them any harder to see. Unlike before, when Z went out of her way to make it look like she didn't care about her surroundings, she now very much cared. Along with her companions, she looked slowly left and right, searching for any sign of the enemies. There were none, however. That was, until Z looked right again.
A noise from her left caused her head to whip around in that direction. Out from behind the bus walked a Fiend and his entourage of green-skinned black armored goblins. In a similar fashion, the fiend as well was a walking suit of armor, an empty possessed hulk with nothing at all inside. It carried a great mace, a giant bar with a handle just big enough for two hands. The rest of the massive weapon was dedicated to a long rod with studs.
"That's far enough, Rangers," the Fiend said. The two sides faced off.
"Did you... hide behind that bus just so you could make a grand entrance?" Flynn asked.
The fiend ignored him. "My name is Baron, not that it matters. You won't be around long enough to remember it."
"How do you know who we are?" Tommy made no attempt to deny his identity.
Baron pointed right at him. "Your reputation precedes you, Legendary Ranger. Your cab driver recognized you, and like the good little citizen he is, he called the proper authorities. My boys and I set up this trap for you, in the meantime."
"Your traps need work," criticized Flynn. "I mean, we could easily just turn around. You didn't put anyone behind us."
"Run, if you want. It'll just prove to the world what cowards you are," challenged Baron.
"We won't be running. Not today, not ever. You'll wish you'd never come here. Ready?" Tommy lifted his morpher arm diagonally across his chest.
"Ready!" Z and Flynn did the same.
"It's Morphin time!"
"Mythos Rangers, all for one!" The Power Rangers covered their respective gemstones while holding their Mophers over their heads, before bringing them down to point at Baron and reveal the gems. Flashes of their hues overtook them, and in an instant they were transformed, no longer just simple humans, but heroes in colorful suits.
"Power of the Phoenix, Mythos Ranger Red!"
"Power of the Unicorn, Mythos Ranger Green!"
"Power of the Kraken, Mythos Ranger Blue!"
"Attack!" Baron ordered.
The goblins rushed past him, charging at the humans. The Rangers did the same, springing toward them as they summoned their weapons in flashes of respectively colored light.
Three goblins came right at Z, one further forward than the others. She deflected this one's overhead swing and let it continue charging past her. She then spun and twirled her weapon, cutting through the left and then right goblin just behind the first one. The Blue Ranger whipped around to take out the one that had surpassed her a moment before it could recover.
She ducked beneath a slice that tried to cut her from behind and then jabbed her trident behind her back under her left arm. Z rose with a half turn back around and a weapon flourish that took out another goblin. A following downward swipe and a stab secured two further victories.
Another encroaching goblin swung a shortsword down at her. Z trapped the blade between the tines of her trident and yanked right, forcing the goblin to chop down one of its comrades. She then stepped forward and kicked her trapped quarry in the ribs. It doubled over and stumbled back, abandoning its weapon. Z finished it off with a bonk to the back of the head.
As this goblin fell, it so too revealed the animated suit of armor fiend, who had managed to find her in the din of battle. Z wasted no time. She jumped over the goblin as it hit the ground and sprinted at Baron. If the authorities had been alerted, then more were likely on the way. They had to finish this and leave, quick.
Z leapt in the air and stabbed down at the fiend, who sidestepped out of the way, turning around to follow her as she surpassed him. She got to her feet in time for Baron to lash out a wide lateral arc, which Z faded back from. He took a big step after her, passing the grand mace behind his back to come again from his right. This one, Z blocked. The fiend disengaged, and before Z could retaliate, he brought his weapon straight down. The Blue Ranger leaned back, watching the mace as it missed her by less than an inch. It hit the ground with a sharp crack. The moment it did, Z shifted her momentum forward, placing her lead foot upon the haft of the mace. She spun upon the mace, using it as a pivot point for a massive spinning kick. Her heel collided with the monster's temple, forcing him into a roll over one shoulder in a desperate attempt to keep his balance, but he abandoned his mace in doing so.
Z pursued him, stabbing with her trident. Now unarmed, Baron stood from his kneel to avoid the first stab. Z adjusted and came again. Newly free hands allowed Baron to literally slap away the attack. The momentum this created turned the thrust into an overhead chop which the fiend avoided by a quarter-turn. Z turned her weapon flat-up and whipped it around backhand, trying to slash at Baron, only for him to duck beneath it. Z twirled the trident into another thrust. This time Baron dodged and caught it with both hands. The much stronger fiend had no trouble yanking Z forward, straight into an outstretched fist to her visor.
The Blue Ranger reeled from the attack. As she did, Baron ripped her weapon away and discarded it. He surged at her with a left-right combo of hooking punches. Z blocked both before countering with a lunging uppercut, which did not connect but served to arrest Baron's advance.
This led into a flurry of hands. Z was a whirlwind of motion, simultaneously mesmerizing and impossible to follow. The fiend did his best to match her, but being such a heavy suit slowed him down. It didn't take long for Z's fists to find purchase. However, the punch she buried into his ribs had no effect. Indeed, Baron acted as though he hadn't been hit at all. Baron countered with a looping hand, one that Z avoided. She then winged a pair of hits into his helmet. Baron turned his head with the impacts, but moved not otherwise. Before Z could react, he hit her across the chest, trialing sparks behind his open hand. Another hit sent Z flying.
Z rolled across the pavement to land on one knee. This wouldn't work. A beast made of metal could easily shrug off simple punches. Z should have realized that earlier. It seemed so obvious, in retrospect. She would have to hit him harder. Thankfully, as a Ranger, she had an ace up her sleeve, and advantage Baron did not. Her weapons could be summoned at any time. As the fiend charged at her, Z touched the sapphire on her morpher. In a flash of blue, her trident returned to her.
Z thtrust upward, trapping Baron's neck between two trident tines. The fiend stood bolt upright, stuck and helpless. The Ranger began to sprint, forcing Baron to match her steps. The heavy monster, however, could not. He fell on his back. Z adjusted her stance and grip to keep him pinned to the ground while she continued to rush, now grinding him into the pavement so that sparks flew from the sickening metallic scrape. When she'd built of enough momentum, Z let loose a war cry and flicked her weapon upward with all of her might, launching Baron across the ground. He slid on slowly to a stop. This was the opening Z wanted. She held her trident low in both hands off to her left side.
"Kraken Crush!"
A saltwater wave carried her forward, blinding speed on a rushing torrent. Baron got to his feet just before the water rushed over him. The trident made contact with his helmet. As he fell backward and Z passed him, the wave came to carry him away. Sparks and lightning ripped through, attracted to Baron's metal body. Z landed, spinning as she skidded to a stop just in time to see the water dissipate, leaving Baron on the ground, singed and defeated.
Tommy and Flynn, having finished off their portion of the goblins, joined on either side of Z. While they did, Baron managed to haul himself up to one knee. His empty, eyeless helmet took a glance at the Rangers. With an enraged grunt, he punched the ground.
"You Power Rangers think you're so tough. Let's see how strong you are when I get serious!" Baron produced a vile of thick green liquid and held it to his lips.
"No, wait! Not on the platform!" Tommy shouted at him, a hand extended.
But it was too late. As Baron began to grow in size, he stood and kicked off the platform. His increased mass coupled with the change gave him the momentum he needed to clear the buildings and land in the street before either his weight crashed through the spire or he collided with the level above. Seemed he wasn't entirely unhinged. Either that, or Avanth would have been angry if he caused undue damage to the city. Either way, Z breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well, that could've been a lot worse, at least," said Flynn with a shrug.
"We need Megazord power!" Tommy declared.
The Rangers passed their hands over their gems and then raised morphers to the sky. "Mythical beasts, arise!"
Fire, wind, and water in the sky brought on the arrival of their mechanical companions, those creatures they fought alongside in their most dire moments. The Phoenix extended its two legs and straightened them to stand on before the talons retracted in favor of regular boots. Its wings folded into openings on the sides. The Kraken Zord's tentacles retracted so that a mannish forearm and hand could extend. It attached to the right side of the Phoenix, forming an arm and shoulder so the pointed fins protruded slightly higher than the head. The Unicorn bent and twisted to form the other arm. As it attached, the horn came off. It lengthened and formed a handle to slide into the waiting Kraken hand. To complete the change, the Phoneix head collapsed into the chest in favor of a head wearing a classic flat top great helm, red in color and gold around the black visor.
"Templar Megazord, standing by!"
The robot and the fiend stood off, each metallic in their own ways, massive titans in streets barely wide enough to accommodate them. Baron had managed to regain his great mace, as the enemies always seemed to do when they grew in size. Z manipulated her controls gave the sword in Templar's right hand a nice flourish, just to get a feel for the weapon. It had been a good few days since the last time they were in the Megazord.
"Careful, this guy's tough," she said to her companions. "I had to get creative to hurt him."
"Then we'll have to think outside the box," determined Tommy.
In light of keeping the momentum in their favor, Templar moved forward to open the bout. Baron matched this movement in kind, twirling his mace to hold it high in one hand as he charged. The two met, and the fiend was faster in his attack. He brought another hand up to the mace before crashing it down. Templar deflected the swing to once side before slicing upward. Baron whipped his weapon around to block low before disengaging and swinging high laterally. Templar blocked, stepped in, and punched. Baron took a step back to absorb the impact, and received a stab to the chest for his efforts.
Sparks flew, and Baron took another step, but his metal carapace wore no damage. Templar tried again. They cut diagonally. Baron blocked. The Megazord then came from the opposite direction faster than Baron could move his heavier weapon. The Unicorn Lance dragged down his chest with its normal spectacular display, but this time Baron didn't move at all. Instead, he used this moment to create an opening. He hit Templar in the shoulder and then gave a push kick that forced them back a few steps.
"I see what you mean," Flynn said.
"Keep fighting, he can't be invincible." Tommy spurred them on.
Templar stepped up, once again within distance of Baron. The fiend struck downward, twirled his weapon with the momentum, and came down a second time. Templar deflected both with smooth motions before retaliating with first an upward slash and then a horizontal cut, both across the chest. Baron, confident in his armor, made no attempt to block these attacks. Instead, once they were over, he whapped Templar in the chest. The Megazord flinched from the attack and threw out a desperate front kick while the sparks still fizzled. While Baron did falter from this hit, he was not hurt enough to cease in hitting Templar atop the head. The Megazord faded back and then dropped, forced to one knee by the strike.
"Go for the gaps!" Flynn said. "If this guy is just a suit of armor, then he'll have chinks. His visor and armpits should be weak."
"On it," Tommy confirmed.
Baron came at them, closing the way before the robot could stand. He raised his weapon, bringing it down with a brutal chop. Templar put their weapon up, blocking with a hand braced behind the blade. In a great heave, Templar compressed their body before pushing upward. Baron was heavy, but the difference in their strength was negligible at this size. The fiend was forced to retreat, or else lose his balance. Templar came at him, and he struck down to keep them away. Templar stepped in to block early. This put him within range to plant a fist underneath Baron's arm.
For the first time since the fight began, the fiend reacted to a hit. He grunted in pain and stepped back. Though his helmet had no expression, the bewilderment in the way he looked at them was plain to see. Templar allowed him no time to recover. They closed in and stabbed at the other arm with a slight upward angle. The tip of the Unicorn Lance slid up that metal armor to bury in the pit. A fountain of sparks sent Baron reeling back.
Templar pursued him. Baron struck downward three times, sloppy flowing bludgeons in a desperate attempt to keep the robot at bay. Templar dodged the first two by slipping to either side of the street. They swung upward to knock the third one away. While their sword was still held high, they grabbed it near the tip with their free hand. This allowed them the dexterity needed to shove it right between Baron's eye slit. Many big steps carried the fiend away as he cried out. Heavy feet fumbled. He fell to one knee.
"Let's do it, guys!" Tommy called.
"Templar Megazord, Tournament Rush!"
On the feet of a flaming burst, Templar rushed forward. They clashed with Baron, striking as they passed him by. Z made sure to aim for that eye slit, hoping to direct the attack inside it. Sparks erupted from all around Baron, forced out of the overlapping layers in his armor. The fiend gave one final shout before he fell over forward, exploding the moment he lay flat. He was tough, but not tough enough to resisted the awesome might of the Power Rangers.
Their enemy vanquished, a hard-fought battle won, the Templar Megazord celebrated. They raised the Unicorn Lance up above their heads at the full extension of their arm, and then slowly brought it back down to a relaxed position.
Before the smoke had settled, and in hopes of using it as a distraction, the Rangers dismounted. The three jumped from the cockpit behind Templar's visor. The momenty they did, elemental flashes carried the Zords away to wherever it was they lived.
Tommy tried to direct them toward an alleyway before they jumped. None of them could risk being recognized again. Such a narrow passage gave them the best chance at remaining hidden. When they touched pavement, after a moment to check their surroundings, they powered down.
"So, now what?" Flynn asked.
"We can't take another cab," Tommy said. "It's too risky."
"I know that, but we have to get back somehow," countered Flynn.
"We could walk. It's not that far," Z suggested.
"Too many people. Any one of them could recognize us," denied Tommy.
"We can't have Fae come and get us, either, because she has to watch the prisoner," Flynn added.
"I know." Tommy clearly didn't like it, if the way he thew a hand up and turned away was an indication.
"Wait, I have an idea." Z held her morpher to heir mouth. "Fae, I hate to ask, but we need a big favor."
A moment passed before the voice of Fae crackled through the morpher communicator. "Alright, go ahead."
"Can you wire us some money to rent a car?" Z ripped off the band-aid with no preamble.
"What? Why?"
"Our cab driver sold us out. People are starting to recognize us." Flynn spoke into his morpher.
"Me specifically," Tommy added.
Fae paused. "I was afraid that might happen, but this is sooner than I thought."
"Avanth knows who we are. He probably has our faces everywhere," said Tommy.
"The propaganda machine is in full swing, then," agreed Fae. "I can't wire you money because you don't have a smartchip, but I can rent one for you and just put it in a fake name."
"Smartchip?" Intoned Flynn.
"They're the new thing, like an old-fashioned smartphone but with a neural-optical interface."
"Smartphone?" Tommy added his own confusion.
Fae sighed. "I'll explain later. There's a Lord Percival Rentals on B-Spire. Are you still nearby?"
"Not sure. We're in an alley, but we should be," Tommy said.
"Alright, I'll rent from there. Good luck, guys."
"Thanks, Fae. We owe you one," Z said, terminating the conversation.
Slowly, with caution, Tommy led them out of the alley. They were, indeed, near B-Spire, just on the ground level. As they walked, Z had to once again remind them to act natural, though for a different reason this time. That the cab driver recognized Tommy threw a monkey wrench into everything they were trying to accomplish. He was a legend, of course, so it made sense that someone would know him sooner or later, even without Avanth making them public enemy number one. They would have to be a lot more careful from here on out. Cities were probably a no-go for clandestine work like stealing medical supplies. Looking for nodes within them might also prove difficult. They would have to stick on the outskirts of society, only delving deeper in when they knew for sure the location of a target. Z ran a hand through her hair. Too many variables.
AUTOR'S NOTES: Been working on other stuff, and was honestly a little bit stuck with this one. As such, it's been a while since I wrote a proper fight scene. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy them. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but part of the reason why this fic exists is to give me an excuse to write fight scenes that are connected to a narrative. I do love Power Rangers, make no doubt about that. It just so happens to be the perfect medium for a story with plenty of conflict.
Please remember to leave a review. They motivate me better than anything else.