CHAPTER 2: TO THE THIRD POWER
By: ALAN WILKINSON
Part One: SIMON SAYS
"It's not plagiarism if you
challenge people to know where it comes from. Then it's a reference."
- Jeremy Ray Logsden
Then:
"What's going on, Ashala?" Aisha asked.
"Another of the lions is sick." The old woman replied gravely. "If this continues, within a month there will be no lions left in this area."
"That's terrible." Aisha sighed, the very thought making her feel sick. Wait a minute. She did feel sick.
"Aisha?" Ashala asked.
Aisha groaned, staggered over to the wall and threw up in the corner. A terrible suspicion seized Ashala. Silently, she took a blood sample from Aisha, and examined it. "Aisha," she said eventually, in a soft voice. "you're infected."
"What?" Aisha asked, the truth slowly dawning on her. Then she threw up again.
"You have the plague..."
Now:
"Thank you all for coming." Dark Spectre rumbled, currently in his Maligore form. He heard Rito snigger, but ignored him. Scorpina whispered something, and Rito clamped a hand over his mouth, shaking in silent mirth. Dark Spectre rolled his eyes as he got the joke. Oh, for crying out loud...
"I knew we shouldn't have let them watch that new James Bond movie." Porto grumbled. Dark Spectre could only agree. "Rito, Scorpina, ENOUGH!" he bellowed.
Rito made a strangling noise then nodded, silently mouthing an apology. With a sigh, Dark Spectre cast an eye over the assembled villainy that made up, as the Terran media had dubbed them, the Evil Space Aliens.
In the unfortunate absence of Lord Zedd, command of the first team (for want of a better word) to invade Earth in general and Angel Grove in particular, had fallen to Rita Repulsa alone. Under her (in a manner of speaking) were Goldar, Scorpina, Rito, Master Vile and Finster. Dark Spectre idly wondered what had happened to Baboo and Squatt. In truth, he hadn't had the heart to ask.
The Machine Empire, led by King Mondo, was the second team. By his side were his wife Queen Machina, his son Prince Sprocket, their footmen Klank & Orbus and to the general surprise of the other villains, Prince Gasket and his wife Archerina. Dark Spectre wasn't, mainly because he'd locked Mondo and Gasket in a room together until they either settled their differences or until they killed each other. The part that surprised him was that both were still alive.
The third team belonged to the pirate queen Divatox. With her were Rygog, Porto and Elgar, who had been 'forcibly' returned to that group. In reality, Elgar was a clone, sent by Dark Spectre to assassinate Divatox if she got out of hand, the real Elgar having died in the same volcano that had birthed Maligore, however briefly. Unfortunately, the real Elgar's personality had begun to re-assert itself, hence the clones brief defection to Astronema's team. Dark Spectre had it on good authority that the problem was dealt with, but he wished he could sure. Elgar had been as much of a nuisance as his aunt was now becoming.
Speaking of Astronema Dark Spectre thought. Since Andros' sister had defected back to the Rangers, command of the fourth team had fallen to Ecliptor, who had gotten out of the Rangers clutches simply by lying to them. Dark Spectre had no doubt that the crystalline scientist-warrior would make a perfect commander. And these four teams, served by a wide variety of Foot soldiers, from Putties and Tenga to Quantrons and Chromites, were only the Anti-Ranger teams of Earth villains. There were, indeed, a few more.
Grimlord, self proclaimed Master of the Virtual World, was first, currently in his human form of Karl Ziktor. It was a title Dark Spectre was happy to let him keep, because he had no use for the place, preferring to stay in the real world. At Ziktors side was Count Dregon, the man otherwise known, much to his annoyance, as Masked Rider's uncle. And just next to both of them was Nukus, Overlord of the Second Dimension, and long term enemy of the Beetleborgs, long term in this case meaning 'over a year', after Vexors previous effort.
This then, was Dark Spectres army, counting allies. He still wasn't sure it was enough.
"My apologies, Dark Spectre." General Havoc, Divatox's brother, entered and sat down next to his sister.
"Quite all right, General. You haven't missed anything." Dark Spectre cleared his throat, and began. "As you know, our mortal enemies, the Power Rangers, have undergone something of an expansion, from six to fifteen, over two and a half their original strength. Once they complete the Zeo team, they will be at 20 members strong, 21 if the Gold Ranger returns. Needless to say, this is a problem."
"No kidding." Rita snorted. "It was bad enough in my day, against Jason and the others. Now we not only have them back, but the new ones as well. It's only a mercy we didn't get Aisha back as well."
"Not going to be a problem." Master Vile smiled grimly.
"How so?" Divatox asked.
"She's been dead for over a year. Of the plague, it seems. Spent her last hours of life vomiting to death."
"Lovely." Rita grinned. "Do the Rangers know?"
"Not yet it seems, but word will get to them eventually. I'd love to see their faces then."
"Ironic isn't it?" Mondo mused. "She leaves the Rangers to cure the plague, and instead, it cures us of her!"
"Awesome!" Prince Sprocket cheered, a sentiment echoed by the rest of the room.
"Which still leaves the original problem." a voice rumbled. A moment later, Dragon Lord, Supreme Ruler of the Dragon Empire and current nemesis of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, shimmered into view.
"Ah, Dragon Lord." Dark Spectre smiled. "Late arrival?"
"Merely a late appearance." Dragon Lord corrected with a smile, taking his seat between Rita and Ziktor.
"Dragon Lord is right." Ecliptor stated. "How are we supposed to fight against eighteen Rangers? Six is bad enough and that's without interference from the other hero factions."
"The VR Troopers will not be one of them." Ziktor spoke up. "They have been inactive for over two years. Ryan Steele and Katlin Star are married, with a baby son. And even if they did try to reactivate themselves, I've been sneaking out my forces under Professor Harts nose for the past year and a half. 52% of Crossworld City is my people, ready for when they're needed. Trust me, do not worry about the Troopers."
"52%. That's a controlling share." Gasket noted.
"I know." Ziktor smiled at the thought.
"Now the bad news." Dregon grumbled. "My nephew is still very much a threat. He even has another level of power: Masked Rider Super Red, a fire demon-like warrior with an Ecto Rifle. There are even rumours of a fifth level: Super White. I don't even want to think about that one."
"And the Beetleborgs have gotten Josh Baldwin back." Nukus added. "Electric Bronze. Either of them could provide the Rangers with vital aid and doom us."
"The Turtles as well." Dragon Lord finished. "All five of them."
"This just gets worse and worse." Rita groaned. She could feel another headache coming on.
"And worse." Finster sighed.
"How so?" Machina asked.
"If they're bringing back the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," Finster asked. "What about the green one? Where is the Green Ranger?"
The assembled villains thought about this, and shuddered...
"What's up, Zordon?" Tommy asked as the Morphin Rangers (minus Cindy, Purple Stegosaurus Ranger, who was at college and couldn't get away) materialised.
"Rangers, we may have a problem. When I recreated your coins, I made eight, one for each of your colours, the new purple coin now in Cindy's possession, and both of Tommy's. I had a feeling the Green Coin would be needed. However, it has yet to surface."
"Oh, gods." Kimberly muttered. "You don't think Rita has it do you?"
"Has what?" Justin asked, startling everyone.
"Justin, don't do that!" Trini scolded.
"Sorry. I was helping Alpha 6 with some modifications to the Mega
Voyager."
"Rita may be in possession of the Green Power Coin." Billy said,
filling Justin in as quickly and economically as possible.
"I would hope not, Billy." Zordon said. "But the missing coin worries me."
"It's probably here in Angel Grove." Justin mused, fiddling with the consoles. "We just need to scan for it."
"What do you think we've been doing?" Alpha 5 asked. "But we can't find it."
"What about narrowing the focus width?" Billy suggested, joining Justin at the consoles. "It worked once."
"Might do again." the younger Blue Ranger agreed with a grin.
"Concentrate on the centre of the Nexus and work out." Trini suggested in turn, referring to the maze of ley-lines that ran throughout the universe.
Authors Note: For the uninitiated, let me explain. Where two ley lines (lines of magnetic force) cross, magic is created. The more crossings in close proximity, the greater the effect, and the more magic, what magic circles generally refer to as the Doctor Foster Effect:
Doctor Foster went to Gloster,
In a shower of rain,
He stepped in a puddle,
Right up to his middle,
And never came out again.
Doctor Foster, as it turns out, was a wizard, and had tried to get rid of the rain with magic. Unfortunately, magic isn't 2 + 2 + 2 etc. but 2 * 2 * 2 ad infinitum. Instead of getting rid of the rain, the Doctor's repeated spells only strengthened it, to the point where his spells could self-cast themselves. The storm got worse and worse and worse and would have continued to do so had not another wizard (Zordon, as it happened, from his time warp) finally ended it. Where were we? Oh, yeah...
"It's probably here in Angel Grove." Justin mused, fiddling with the consoles. "We just need to scan for it."
"What do you think we've been doing?" Alpha 5 asked. "But we can't find it."
"What about narrowing the focus width?" Billy suggested, joining Justin at the consoles. "It worked once."
"Might do again." the younger Blue Ranger agreed with a grin.
"Concentrate on the centre of the Nexus and work out." Trini suggested in turn, referring to the maze of ley-lines that ran throughout the universe. She leaned across Justin to get a better look and felt her breasts squash against his back. He stiffened instantly.
Idiot! Trini screamed at herself. She backed off quickly, hoping the others hadn't noticed her lapse in judgement. Unfortunately, they had. "Sorry." she muttered, furious with herself.
"It's okay." Justin whispered back, red-faced, but more from surprise than embarrassment. He'd actually kind of liked it, in fact, and had already developed a small crush on the Yellow Morphin Ranger. Trini's mistake was merely fuel for the fire, obliterating the word 'small'.
The other Rangers smiled and left, leaving the Brains to their work, chuckling to themselves...
Then:
Aisha groaned, writing slowly. She was trying to write one last letter to Tanya, and had been for the past two hours. Unfortunately, she'd thrown up on the last two attempts just before finishing them.
Suddenly she felt an intense pain in her chest. So this is how it ends she thought. She tried to get up, but her legs gave way. She fell to her knees and vomited, covering herself in blood. Her chest seemed to explode... ...and then, nothing.
Now:
"She didn't?" Kat asked, horrified.
"She did." Kimberly confirmed with a grin. "You should have seen her face afterwards!"
"And of course we'll never let her hear the end of it." Tanya mused. "Kat, we'd better keep an eye on Justin, just in case he gets any ideas." No answer. "Kat? Kat, your mouths hanging open."
"Wha? Sorry, it's just..." Kat pointed.
Kimberly and Tanya followed her finger to a young man, about Ashley's age, maybe slightly older, wearing a green gi, practising a kata with the uncertain air of someone who wasn't entirely sure what he was doing.
"He's alright." Kimberly shrugged. "Who is he?"
"Don't know." Tanya replied. "Maybe he's here for the contest."
'The contest' was a charity martial arts contest organised by the Youth Centre to help the local orphanages, including the Angel Grove Shelter, Justin's old home. In it, Tommy, secretly the White Mighty Morphin Power Ranger and publicly a martial arts God, would take on any challenger for two minutes per person. After that time, they would have to pay $10 for every point scored against them. Conversely, Tommy had to pay $10 for every point scored against him. Oh, and the loser of the match had to pay $20. If it was a draw, both paid an extra $10. Currently, Tommy was five challengers down, and had only had to pay $30. His opponents, on the other hand, had contributed almost $400 between them, including the extra $100 for getting their collective butts whipped by the master.
"He's going to fight, Tommy?" Tanya asked. "Good luck."
"Hope he's rich." Kimberly agreed, chuckling.
"Kat?" Tanya asked, noticing their companion's silence.
Kat nodded softly, indicating that she was all right. Inside, her heart was racing. She'd liked boys before, of course and even been attracted to a few of them, Tommy being a prime example. But this was the first time she'd been quite as aroused. As Kimberly and Tanya went back to eyeing up the remaining challengers, Kat surreptitiously slipped a hand into her panties.
"I like that one." Tanya said, pointing to a bald black man in red.
"TJ Carter." Kimberly declared. "I've been checking him out, in a manner of speaking, and he seems reliable, strong, dependable, all the good stuff. The others," she pointed at a man in black and a woman in pink, "are Carlos Vargas and Cassie Chan. Same deal, both model students." There was a long pause as both mentally took another look at the colours and exchanged glances. "You think?"
"Could be." Tanya reasoned. "Let's see how they do." She sipped her smoothie, thinking. "Cassie kinda looks like a cross between you and Trini. If you and her had a daughter that's what she'd look like."
"Don't even go there." Kimberly muttered. "Bad memory."
"Speaking of offspring," Tanya added dryly, deciding not to ask. "are you finished?"
Kat blushed, but shook her head, whimpering softly. A few moments later, she relaxed and nodded, taking a deep breath. "Sorry." she murmured. "But that guy has really gotten under my skin."
"Under something, anyway." Kimberly chuckled. "Besides, I think TJ's up first." she added casually, enjoying the agonised look on Kat's face as she digested these words.
As it turned out, TJ was beaten 3-2, Carlos was wiped out 4-0, and Cassie managed a 1-1 draw, mostly by staying on the defensive and letting Tommy do all the attacking.
Then it was the new guy's turn. "And now, ladies and gentleman," Ernie announced, "the final challenger, Simon Skullovitch, cousin of our own dear Skull, recently moved here from England."
The two fighters eyed each other up. "Oh, boy." Simon muttered. The theme from Quantum Leap played through his mind, unbidden. Oh, shut up. he thought.
"Good luck..." Tommy said, offering his hand.
"Thanks," Simon replied, taking it, "You too."
"...and may the best man win."
"God, I hope not." Simon joked.
And battle was joined. Tommy tested the air with a few rapid-fire punches, advancing. Simon, in turn, waited until Tommy was close enough before lashing out with a sloppy but lightning fast kick to the chest. Caught by surprise, Tommy hit the floor. Man, he's fast. Watch yourself Thomas.
Simon helped Tommy up, and the two squared off again. This time, Tommy attacked with a series of spin kicks, a move he'd previously tried on Jason. Simon waited, waited, then ducked into a leg-sweep which took Tommy's own leg out from under him. With his other leg still in the air, Tommy hit the floor again. Smart, too. Don't leave yourself so vulnerable.
"And that's 2 points to the challenger. This could be the end of the line, folks." The next exchange lasted much longer, almost half the remaining time. In the end, Tommy floored Simon with a side-kick. "My luck returns to form." Simon quipped.
"You can surrender if you want." Tommy teased.
"I'm still winning 2-1. No chance!"
"No, wait! Tommy pulls one back." Ernie announced. "This is great news for the pride of Angel Grove."
"Nice nickname." Simon observed dryly.
"Let's go." Tommy retorted sharply. He knew when he was being insulted. But there was a smile on his face.
"Bring it." Simon rejoined.
"He's good." Tanya remarked. Kat nodded. More to the point, Simon seemed to be using his innate speed to make up for the relative lack of skill, making it hard for Tommy's attacks to connect. And whatever the others might say, he was definitely cute, in an unlikely sort of way. She bit her lip as her nipples hardened under her bra. Down, girl She chided herself. Another series of blows commenced, until Tommy managed to sucker-kick Simon in the ankle, tripping him. "2-2, with five seconds to go. This is it folks."
"Who do you think's gonna win?" Kimberly asked.
Tanya just shrugged, but Kat froze. "Guys." she said softly. "Look."
They looked. "I don't see anything." Kimberly griped.
"I do." Tanya whistled.
"You think?" Kat asked.
"Possible."
"What?" Kimberly asked hotly.
"What's he wearing?" Kat prompted softly.
Kimberly looked. "It's just a karate gi." she muttered. Then it hit her.
A green karate gi.
Simon was wearing green.
"No way." she breathed. "No fucking way..."
"Language." Tanya chided absently.
"Australian." Kimberly retorted.
The referee gave the signal, and Tommy moved in to attack. Simon dropped into a roll, then launched himself into the air, spun and hit Tommy with what looked like a mid-air roundhouse kick. Tommy spiralled away and hit the floor. Hard. "Awarding one point." the referee stated, looked at Tommy and added "Out of Bounds. Awarding one point. Winner: Simon Skullovitch."
The winner in question was too busy picking Tommy up of the floor. "Sorry." he apologised. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard."
"Nah, it's ok. Good hit." Tommy replied, getting up. "What was that, anyway?"
"Leapfrog Kick." Simon explained with a grin. "I've been practising that one."
"So I see." Tommy sighed, rubbing his jaw. "Come on, I want you to meet a few friends of mine."
"Apparently, so does she." Simon noted as Kimberly intercepted TJ, Cassie and Carlos, both groups heading for the same table.
Tommy started first: "Ok, Tanya, Kimberly, Kat, I'd like you to meet the guy who just beat me up. Simon, this is Tanya, Kimberly and Katherine, plus whoever Kim's about to introduce."
"A pleasure to meet you." Tanya said, trying not to laugh.
Simon shook Tanya's offered hand. "Likewise."
"Yeah, anyone who can take on my ex-boyfriend and win is worth meeting." Kimberly joked.
"Thank you. I think." Simon said uncertainly. They shook anyway.
"Hey." Kat murmured, unable to think of much else to say.
"Hey." Simon replied dreamily. You're some-ones girlfriend, aren't you? He took her hand for slightly longer than necessary, only to realise Kat was trying to do the same thing. Oh, boy. That theme music started to play again.
Kimberly gestured for everyone to sit. By simple chance (and a little
manoeuvring by Tanya) , Simon ended up squashed next to Katherine. There was
another brief round of handshakes as Kimberly introduced TJ, Cassie and Carlos.
"You know, we're running out of things to say as we shake hands."
Simon quipped as he shook hands with Cassie. It wasn't exactly a great quip,
but he was somewhat distracted by the feel of Kat's warm thigh against his own.
"So, what's this about?" TJ asked.
"Gloating?" Simon suggested, happy to be the joker of the little group. He exchanged a glance with Kat. Under the table, his free hand rested on her thigh, stroking it softly.
Tommy ignored him. "Actually, we have something to tell you." He glared at Simon, daring him to comment and then glared even harder when he saw Kat and Simon making eyes at each other.
"Which is?" Carlos prompted.
Suddenly close to three dozen Cogs and Quantrons (each) materialised, sending most of Ernie's customers fleeing for their lives. The rest got up slowly, then dissolved into strange black- suited robots with gold faces - Grimlord's Skugs. One final teleport, and... ***
Then:
"Aisha."
"Zordon?" Aisha tried to stand, but couldn't. Instead, she seemed to be floating in space...somewhere. "Where am I?"
"You're in my time warp." Zordon explained, appearing behind her. "I used my magic to...intercept you."
"I'm dead, aren't I?" Aisha sighed.
"I'm afraid so. But it need not be entirely permanent...exactly. There is...a solution."
Aisha had known Zordon long enough to hear the distaste in his voice. She also knew she didn't want to stay dead. "What do I have to do?"
In reply, Zordon held up a large ruby. "Even Rangers die." he explained. "including those who are not Rangers in the traditional sense. You know of the Masked Rider, of course. But the Masked Rider legacy began almost three million years ago, with Erex, the first king of Edenoi. It is he who created the Masked Rider powers and also this ruby, known as the Phantom Ruby, for the day he would need it."
"What does all this have to do with me?"
Zordon laughed, somewhat bitterly. "Aisha, please have patience. Let an old man tell his story... "When Erex lay dying, mortally wounded in battle, his essence was bonded with the Phantom Ruby, intended to house his spirit so that it would not be lost forever when he died, much like the Spirit Stones of the Eldar. " "However, the Phantom Ruby did much more than that. It resurrected Erex, and yet, in his heart, he knew he was dead. More than that, he found he could use the Ruby to tap the Morphin Grid and transform himself into a unique kind of Ranger. Thus, Erex was not only the first Masked Rider, but the first of the Phantom Rangers."
"What happened to him?"
"Erex was officially dead, so the Masked Rider powers were given to his daughter, Ellen, the first Queen of Edenoi. As Phantom Ranger, Erex travelled the universe, somehow appearing exactly where he was needed, helping out where he could, a kind of intergalactic Batman, for want of a better term. Thus the legend of the Phantom Ranger was born, the truth known only to the few Morphin Masters Erex could trust with his secret."
"Including you?"
"No. This was long before my time, or even Ninjor's. I was let in on the secret much, much later." Zordon took a deep breath, then continued... "As one of the undead, or so he believed, Erex was only immortal, not invincible. An evil being, Lord Raye, one of Lord Zedd's ancestors, managed to destroy the Phantom Ranger, but the body was never recovered. Unsurprising, since there was never actually a body to recover, only a spirit which finally could rest in peace."
Aisha shuddered. "So what happened to the Ruby?"
"No-one knew, until the Phantom Ranger re-appeared, ten years later. It seems that upon the death of it's host, the Phantom Ruby returned to the Morphin Grid until a new, suitable and, above all, worthy host became available. And so the legacy of the Phantom Ranger has continued, And now falls to you."
"What's the catch?"
"As you may have gathered, more so than any other Ranger, the Phantom Ranger's identity must remain absolutely secret. You may tell no-one about this, with no exceptions, not even the other Rangers. No-one."
"Can I say no?" "I'm afraid not. The Ruby has already chosen you. Not even I can override it."
Aisha sighed and took the Phantom Ruby from Zordon's hands. It looks like I'm going to stay dead after all... ***
Now:
"Oh, fuck!" Simon yelped expressively, staring at the robot army, his heart pounding.
"It takes some getting used to." Tanya explained wryly. Then they saw the last figure.
"Ecliptor!" Tommy growled.
"Hello, Rangers. I had a change of heart. Destroy them all!"
"Rangers?" Simon asked, surprised.
"Yeah, we are." Kat sighed.
"Wow. Cute and super-powered." Simon found his gaze almost magnetically drawn to her breasts.
Excuse me? a familiar voice in the very back of his mind asked. You do have other problems right now...
"It's Morphin Time, guys." Tommy commanded. "TIGERZORD!"
"DRAGONZORD!" Simon snapped in turn, exactly on cue. This surprised everyone, heroes and villains alike. Simon just shrugged. "So that's what that does." he deadpanned, morphed into the Green Dragon armour.
"MASTODON!" Zack called, resuming the sequence as the other Rangers variously ran and teleported in.
"PTERODACTYL!" Kimberly agreed.
"TRICERATOPS!" Billy invoked.
"SABRE-TOOTH TIGER!" Trini cried.
"TYRANNOSAURUS!" Jason summoned.
It is at this point that things got slightly confused, as Justin quickly handed Cassie her morpher. Ashley did the same for TJ and Carlos. Fortunately, The Power took over and told them what to do:
"ZEO RANGER I, PINK!" Cassie called.
"ZEO RANGER II, YELLOW!" Ashley cried in agreement.
"ZEO RANGER III, BLUE!" Justin summoned.
"ZEO RANGER IV, BLA...GREEN!" Carlos summoned as the Zeo IV Shard's natural colour reasserted itself.
"ZEO RANGER V, RED!" TJ invoked.
"ZEO SHARD POWER!" Jamie commanded, hoping she didn't look too much like She-Ra as she held the Sword of Lightning
"GOLD RANGER POWER!" finished Trey. There was a brief pause in the mass transformations as the rest of the Lightstar Rangers formed up next to Kat and Tanya.
"LET'S ROCKET!" Andros commanded. "RED LIGHTSTAR POWER!"
"BLUE LIGHTSTAR POWER!" Rocky yelled, slightly louder than was entirely necessary. Nobody minded.
"BLACK LIGHTSTAR POWER!" Adam summoned.
"PINK LIGHTSTAR POWER!" Kat invoked.
"YELLOW LIGHTSTAR POWER!" Tanya cried.
"SILVER LIGHTSTAR POWER!" Zhane called.
"PURPLE LIGHTSTAR POWER!" Karone finished.
As one the Morphin Rangers slammed into the enemy. Technically their powers should have been ineffective against their metal foes, due to the 'cold iron repels magic' bit, but with the Rangers receiving new coins, Zordon had managed to correct this little bug, thanks to some sound advice from Dulcea. Sorry. Where were we?
As one the Morphin Rangers slammed into the enemy. The Lightstars and the Zeos weren't far behind. Soon the air was filled with the glorious sound of evil getting its ass kicked. The only interruptions were the odd cries of "SPIRAL SABRE!" or "POWER AXE!" as some of the Rangers called for their weapons.
"Ecliptor," Simon challenged, on a serious Power High by that point, "you and me!"
"With pleasure." Ecliptor drew his sword.
"DRAGON BLADE!" Simon commanded, calling for the Dragon Dagger's sword mode; a powerful broadsword a lot like Jason's, which the Red Morphin Ranger was currently using for Cog demolishing.
"He's going to get himself killed!" Tanya scowled, not referring to Jason. The blades of Good and Evil met as Simon and Ecliptor fought it out. However, like Tommy before him, Ecliptor had underestimated Simon's sheer speed, and reeled back under a hail of blows.
"Or maybe not." Tanya realised. Kat just smiled.
"DRAGON BLADE, IGNITE!" Simon invoked as the Dragon Blade's blade set ablaze and charged to full power, in full Death Move mode. Leaping high, he spun and cut Ecliptor in half. Still not quite sure what had hit him, Ecliptor collapsed and exploded. With their leader destroyed, the rest of the army hastily teleported away.
"Nice kill." Tommy complemented as the Ranger's powered down. "Where did you find the coin?"
"It found me a few days ago." Simon explained.
"Well, it looks like you're one of us now." Kimberly said. "All of you."
"Cool." Simon grinned. "Very cool." TJ enthused, grinning from ear to ear. "Man, I always wanted to be a Ranger."
"Can we say no?" Carlos asked wryly.
"It's a little late." Simon pointed out.
"I say we do it." Cassie decided. The others quickly nodded agreement.
"You sure you don't want to be on my team?" Andros asked Simon. "Anyone who can beat Ecliptor solo, I want by my side"
... And then there were twenty-two (Eight Morphin's, Seven Lightstars, Seven Zeo's).
Destiny told that the number would soon reach 23.
Fate guessed 24, for a very different reason...
With reality itself currently in a state of uncertainty, Neither of them were necessarily right
"Damn, damn, damn!" Ecliptor growled, storming into the room.
"That had to hurt." Rito observed. "Three Ranger teams, all at once? Not fun."
"That is not what annoys me, Rito." Ecliptor growled. That...whelp defeated me without even trying!"
"Relax, Ecliptor." Finster said. "Everyone has a weakness."
"Not this one. He's faster than I care to think about. He's like an irresistible force."
"Yes, and you know how you deal with such a force?"
"No. How?"
Finster smiled. "Distract it..."
Then:
They found out what was causing the plague eventually. With the help of the Power Chamber, in secret, Aisha had finally managed to create a vaccine for the plague. She'd done it.
She also had the dubious pleasure of attending her own funeral. Only her family and a few local friends were present. Her mother wanted to send word to Tanya and the rest of Aisha's friends, but Aisha herself had told her not to, using Zordon's magic to appear in a dream. The less the Rangers knew, the better.
Aisha Campbell was dead.
Phantom Ranger lived on.
Two weeks later, Divatox journeyed to Muranthius, intending to awaken the demon Maligore and destroy the Earth. It was what Zordon referred to as a focal point in time.
In one universe, the Power Rangers Turbo were born, destroying Maligore with their new Turbo Megazord.
In this one, they accomplished the same task with Super Zeo Megazord.
But in both universes, Rocky injured his back, making way for Justin to join the team. And in both universes, Phantom Ranger watched the events unfold. When he was needed, he would reveal his existence to the Ranger's. It was only a matter of time...
Part Two:
INHERITANCE
by Alan Wilkinson
Present day
"Hey, guys." Simon asked, approaching the girls table. "Have you seen Kat?" It was about half an hour after the fight, and all the Rangers had pitched in to help with the clean up. But all the time, Simon had found himself thinking about Kat. His (frankly embarrassing) lack of sexual experience had meant that even sitting thigh to thigh with her had practically set his skin on fire. And to actually stroke that thigh...
"Why do you ask?" Tanya asked mischievously. She knew exactly how Simon felt about Katherine, and was privately wondering how long it would take the Green Morphin Ranger to get into the Pink Lightstar's underpants. Judging from Kat's own actions, not long.
"Bite your tongue." Simon told her. Tanya's _expression was unsettling, to say the least.
"I think she went out for some air." Trini said.
"Thanks." Simon smiled, then leaned forward and quickly kissed her on the lips. As he straightened up again, he caught Tanya's eye, smiling thinly at her confused _expression. You haven't got me pegged yet, Yellow Ranger. he thought at her, and got the great satisfaction of watching her face light up in shock. He grinned evilly at her, then walked away before she could think of a response. Ok, that was fun! he chuckled to himself. Kissing Trini hadn't been bad either...
"Ok, he's a cutie." Kimberly mused.
"Yeah." Trini sighed, then blushed when she realised what she'd just done.
"Guys." Tanya said, fear in her voice. "I heard him. In my head. Without involving my ears."
"I wondered why you looked so shocked." Trini replied calmly.
"You knew?" Tanya asked.
Trini nodded. "I was talking to him earlier. He's a low-level telepath. And a high level pyrokenetic."
"Wow." Kimberly said. "He really is a dragon."
"He doesn't breathe fire." Trini scolded. "He throws it."
"Colour me stunned." Kimberly shot back playfully.
"I don't know guys." Tanya said. "There's something about him. I mean, how did he get his powers in the first place?"
"She's got a point." Kimberly realised. "Trini, remember the Evil Green Ranger?"
Overhearing, a thoughtful _expression crossed Simon's face. If only they knew... ***
One Week Earlier...
Simon tossed and turned in his sleep, having many dreams, usually short and with varying degrees of weirdness.
"Simon." a voice whispered. "Wake up, Simon."
"Who is that?" Simon asked sleepily. An image of Freddie Krueger popped in his head and he snapped awake all the way. Of course, if it was Krueger then he was still asleep, but he could debate that one later.
"Who's there?" He demanded, working his way into a crouching position.
"My, we are spunky, aren't we?" the voice chuckled. "All fired up and nowhere to go."
Story of my life Simon thought. He hated being a virgin, but wasn't going to give the mysterious presence the satisfaction of telling him.
"Who are you?" he demanded. Which he mused, would probably be more impressive if it involved clothes.
The voice laughed."Oh, you know me." It said. "You've wanted to be me all your life" The figure stepped out of the darkness, revealing the form of the Green Morphin Ranger. And Simon was under no illusion's about which one.
"Wrong Green Ranger." he replied tightly.
"Oh, I don't think so." the other chuckled.
"What do you want?" Simon asked.
"What do you want?" the other countered.
"Besides the obvious?"
"Including the obvious." the Evil Green Ranger replied, amused. It knew.
"Well, I want to get laid, and...I want people to respect me."
"No." the other replied. "You don't. You want people to fear you. You want people to cower in your wake, instead of making fun of you."
Simon winced. It had him there.
"I can give you strength, I can give you power. You have an interesting mind, Simon Skullovitch and I can show you how to use your...abilities to get any girl you desire."
Simon looked at it, his defences crumbling. "What do I have to do?"
"Take my hand." ***
Present day
Kat sat, looking at the stars but not even seeing them, her mind elsewhere, sitting on the same bench she'd materialised on just before Kimberly fell off the balance beam, the memory bringing a tear to her eye.
"Hey, Kat." She looked up to see Simon, heading her way. Her heart began to race. She quickly wiped the tear from her eye, hoping he hadn't noticed. Ironically, it was that very action that betrayed her.
"What's wrong?" Simon asked, sitting next to her and putting his arm around her. The instant he did, it occurred to him that he was being too familiar, but Kat didn't pull away.
"Sorry." she said. "Just some bad memories."
Simon's eyes strayed, glancing down Kat's top, taking in her creamy skin and ample breasts, her shapely body and her long, luscious legs. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, meeting her gaze.
Despite her mood, Kat hadn't missed Simon giving her the once over. Is he checking me out? She thought back, remembering the way his hand had stroked her thigh just before the shit had hit the fan. Even through her jeans, it had been a wonderful experience. Ok, stupid question.
As briefly as she could, she told him everything: About her capture by Rita, using a Tenga posing as a boy named Scott; About her role as P.C. (Park Cat), sent to spy on the Rangers - which mostly involved watching Kimberly and Aisha french-kissing on the couch; About being trapped in the vortex with Tommy; About knocking him out and stealing the Falconzord; and about finally shaking off Rita's spell, just in time to see Kimberly fall off the beam.
"When I saw her lying there, not moving, I just felt horribly guilty, that it was all my fault. When I could finally move, I...I threw up." Kat trailed off. Simon pulled her close and kissed her hair. "Go on."
"I called an ambulance, and she pulled through. But I still remember the guilt. I tried to make up for it, any way I could."
"And you're still trying?" Simon guessed. Kat nodded and Simon sighed. "Look, you're not Xena. You've been a Ranger for what? Two, three years? You've made up for it a thousand times over by now."
"Don't guess, it's true."
Kat smiled at him. "Thanks for listening. It's really sweet."
An alarm went off in Simon's head. "And you're dating Tommy." he sighed, all his insecurities flooding back.
Kat looked at him, confused. "What makes you say that?"
"From the way he was glaring at me just before all hell broke loose."
Got it that time Kat thought.
Simon must have thought she was coming on to him.
And are you? a treacherous voice in her head asked. It was right, too. She wanted Simon, badly.
"We broke up." she told him. The relief on Simon's face was comical, but quickly replaced by curiosity. "Why'd you break up?"
Kat sighed. "When I was Rita's servant, part of my mission was to get between Tommy and Kimberly. I am... attracted to him, but I still don't know if it's real or not. But I know I'm not in love with him. So, just before Rocky injured his back, Tommy asked me to go steady. I turned him down."
"And Justin joined the group." Simon mused, remembering what Trini had told him.
"Yeah. I remember he had such a crush on me. He even kissed me one day."
"Really? What was he like?"
"Better than Tommy." Kat admitted. Simon snickered at that. "But there was no spark. And I'd have gotten in a lot trouble for dating a twelve year old."
"Yeah, I guess."
"He took it pretty well. Better than Tommy did. He didn't speak to me for a week afterwards."
"Well, if you didn't love him..."
"It's...more than that."
"It gets worse?"
"Every time I look at Tommy, I remember what it was like being evil. And it sends shivers down my spine. I don't want to have to remember that."
"Ah..." Kat looked at Simon, surprised by his sudden stricken look, his face paling considerably. "What's wrong?"
"Do you know how I got my powers?"
"Most of us have been wondering." Simon buried his head in his hands for a moment, thinking. With difficulty, he told her how the Evil Green Ranger had appeared in his room and spoken to him, how his offer had seemed so tempting. Kat stared at him, trying to digest this. She just couldn't understand. The boy before her now looked like he wouldn't hurt a fly. Of course, the boy before you now wants to get in your knickers an inner voice commented. That thought sent a quite different shiver down her spine. Then she remembered what Simon had been like in the battle, his savagery against the Cogs, Skugs and Quantrons, and his sheer glee battling Ecliptor, destroying the crystalline warrior without a thought. Her stomach rolled and for a moment she thought she would be sick.
"What happened?" she managed to ask, keeping her voice level. ***
Then:
No! You can't!
Simon's _expression didn't change. -Who are you?- he asked.
You the voice responded. Part of you, anyway.
-Why shouldn't I?- Simon retorted.
You know better than that! the voice responded. You don't want to be respected or feared. You want to be loved!
-Though 'respected' would help- Simon replied dryly.
Fair the voice acknowledged. But not feared. You're not trying to be Batman here. You're going to be a Ranger. A Ranger doesn't hide in the darkness, but shine in the light, defending Truth, Justice and the...well, you get the idea.
-Truth, Honour, Justice, Loyalty- Simon commented. -The Thundercats Code.-
Exactly. Wrong superhero team, but the principle is the same.
-Ok,- Simon thought, convinced. -What do we do?-
Do you see the gold device on his belt?
Simon bit back a retort and simply replied -Yes.-
That's his morpher, the source of his powers. Without it...
Simon smiled grimly. -Got it.-
"Well?" the Evil Green Ranger asked, seeing the smile. The entire conversation between Simon and the voice had taken less than a second.
Before the Evil Green Ranger could react, Simon moved, faster than either of them thought possible, the morpher in hand in an eye-blink. With a cry of surprise, the Evil Green Ranger demorphed into the form of it's original host, a tall teenager with tanned skin and a pony tail.
As the teen spun around in shock, Simon slashed it with his sword before he even realised it was there, opening up the teen's belly and spilling his entrails onto the bedroom floor. The teen dropped to his knees and glared at Simon, his eyes blazing green fire in defiance.
"I will be a Ranger." Simon told his foe. "But on my own terms."
Despite obvious pain, the teen chuckled. "Oh, you'll make a perfect Evil Ranger, carving up your opponents and leaving destruction in your wake."
"I'll be better than you." Simon remarked. "You lasted what? Two, three days?"
"Four." the teen replied, standing, though blood still poured from his body. "And you'll have to go through me first."
Simon brought the sword up. -May I?- he asked.
Do it the voice replied.
Simon met the teen's gaze. "There can be only one." he quipped. He swung, feeling a brief pressure as the kantana sliced through the teens neck... ***
Simon awoke with a start, momentarily disorientated.
-Figures it was a dream- he sighed. -Bloody good one though.-
He looked around, then saw the object on his night stand. His morpher. He picked it up and examined it.
-So how do I use it?-
All in good time the voice replied. You'll know.
-Will I still get laid?- Simon couldn't resist asking.
I'll see what I can do the voice chuckled. A shave might help. ***
Now:
"When I saw Tommy at the Contest; Well, I was a little surprised. But I, er, realised that he was the good one. Trini filled in the rest." Simon looked at Kat, sadness in his eyes. "I'd better go."
"Don't be silly." Kat said, stopping him. "You were tested, but you made the right choice and..."
"No!" Simon overrode her. "let's not beat around the bush. I am the Evil Green Ranger, for better or for worse."
So that's it Kat thought. He thinks that because he's the Green Ranger, I won't like him. She was suddenly sorry for what she'd said and could think of only one way to put it right. She kissed him, slowly caressing his lips with her own. After a moment of surprise, he returned the kiss, his tongue slipping into her mouth, his hand touching her breast. Almost that same instant, they leapt apart as if electrocuted, a yelp escaping Kat's lips.
"Sorry." Simon muttered, blushing as he realised what he'd just done.
"It's ok. Just surprised me." Kat said. She met his gaze and smirked. "Actually, it felt rather nice."
Simon kissed her again, running his fingers through Kat's hair. "You might not want to hear this, but everybody has evil inside them. And you definitely have an evil streak, my dear kitty-kat."
"Oh, don't." Kat grimaced. "That's what Rita used to call me." She saw the look on Simon's face and frowned. "What?"
"Rita's first words upon her escape: 'Oh, don't leave, you'll miss my coming out party.'"
They exchanged glances and burst out laughing. After they calmed down, they drew close and kissed passionately. It was love. It was very love.
Simon hand cupped Kat's breast through her shirt, more confidently this time. Kat took his head in her hands, taking control of the kiss as Simon groped her gently, almost like he was kneading bread dough. She cursed the fact that she was wearing a bra, but it didn't seem to be giving Simon any trouble. Simon brushed his lips against hers, his hand reaching to pull off her T-shirt. She stopped him.
"Simon, we can't make love." she said, unable to believe her own voice. "We'll be caught."
"Half the fun." Simon muttered. But, though disappointed, he understood. "So." he added. "Where do we go from here?" ***
"Simon was so totally checking you out!" Kimberly grinned. "It was so obvious!"
"I know." Kat smiled. "We've got a date planned for tomorrow, work permitting." She didn't have to say what kind of work.
"That was fast." Trini noted, smiling.
"Which reminds us." Tanya said. "What are you going to do about Justin?"
"Avoid him." Trini replied firmly.
"You know he has a crush on you." Kat added.
"I know, I know." Trini groaned. "Hopefully he'll get over it. Until then I think I'll just stay out of his way."
"You won't be able to do that forever." Tanya pointed out. "What then?"
"I don't know." Trini admitted. What she didn't admit was that she kept flashing back on the feeling of having her breasts squashed against Justin's back.
To her horror, it had felt rather good...
Interlude
by: Carl Turner * * *
Kimberly Hart, Katherine(Kat) Hilliard, Trini Kwan, & Tanya Sloan were jogging through the park with an old friend of Kim's, Cindy Roberts, who had just moved there from Florida. They were telling her about the new Zeo Rangers, and the new Green Morphin Ranger, Simon Skullovitch.
"Take 1 college exam, and you miss everything! Damn, I wish I was there! I'd love to give these Purple powers a test run." Cindy griped.
"And finding the original Purple coin, on top of that. Zordon's got that locked up in the Command Center. If Rita ever got her hands on that..." Tanya started.
Kat added "...they could create a whole new set of coins, and make their own twisted, evil Rangers. DEFINITELY not my idea of fun!"
"How are the other new guys handling it?" Cindy asked.
"Like you, Cindy, they can't wait. Right now, it's like a new toy to you, but soon, it'll be like old hat." Trini whispered, her thoughts turning to 2 different subjects: Billy Cranston, & Andros. At least, those were the thoughts she could live with.
"{You're thinking about both of them again, aren't you?}" Kimberly whispered low enough that only Trini could hear. Before she could respond, their communits went off.
Jason's voice blasted "Teleport to the Youth Center NOW! We've got trouble...Scorpina &...you won't believe this...Catman trouble!"
Trini responded "We're on our way!"
Kim shouted to Cindy "You wanted to meet Simon, and try out your powers, looks like you're finally gonna get your shot at both! Teleporting NOW! They vanished in various Pink, yellow, & purple hues of light. * * *
Once there, the 3 teams ran into Scorpina...and a group of new footsoldiers called catmen. They were terrorizing the patrons of the Center.
"Time to go to work, people!" Tommy shouted.
"You said it! IT'S MORPHIN TIME!" Jason shouted.
"TIGERZORD!" Tommy started.
"DRAGONZORD!" Simon quickly added.
"MASTODON!" Zack chimed in.
"PTERODACTYL!" Kimberly cheered.
"TRICERATOPS!" Billy cried.
"SABRE TOOTH TIGER!" Trini invoked.
"TYRANNOSAURUS!" Jason bellowed.
"STEGOSAURUS!" Cindy demanded. She felt the power flow through her for the first time. It felt glorious!
The Lightstar Rangers quickly followed.
"LET'S ROCKET! RED LIGHTSTAR POWER!" Andros started.
"SILVER LIGHTSTAR POWER!" Zhane added.
"BLACK LIGHTSTAR POWER!" Adam sang out.
"BLUE LIGHTSTAR POWER!" Rocky declared.
"YELLOW LIGHTSTAR POWER!" Tanya invoked.
"PINK LIGHTSTAR POWER!" Kat shouted.
"PURPLE LIGHTSTAR POWER!" Karone summoned.
The zeo team quickly got into the act.
"ZEO RANGER 1, PINK!" Cassie shouted.
"ZEO RANGER 2, YELLOW!" Ashley declared.
"ZEO RANGER 3, BLUE!" Justin cried.
"ZEO RANGER 4, GREEN!" Carlos added.
"ZEO RANGER 5, RED!" TJ finished.
Within seconds, Scorpina & the catmen were getting their asses handed to them. Lightstar & Zeo creamed the majority of the catmen without working up a sweat.
The remainder fell to the Morphin Rangers, who decided not to play around. "ULTIMABLASTER, GUYS!" Jason shouted.
Zack: "COSMIC CANNON!" Tossing his axe up, it went into cannon mode.
Kimberly: "BATTLE BOW!" It landed at the handle of Zack's cannon.
Trini: "DYNA DAGGERS!" They landed on either side of the cannon, under Kim's bow.
Billy: "LIGHTNING LANCE!" It, too landed next to the daggers.
Cindy: "SONIC SLINGS!" They landed on top of the bow, on either side.
Tommy: "SABA SABRE!" Hooking up to the back, it made a 2nd handle.
Jason: "SCATHING SWORD!" The sword hit the top of the weapon.
Simon: "DRAGON DAGGER!" The dagger landed on top of the sword.
Together, the 8 yelled "POWER RANGERS!"
The catmen & Scorpina screamed. "You know how much I paid for this interstellar armor?"
"You were gypped!" Cindy sneered. As one, the Rangers shouted "FIRE!"
One 8-color blast later, the catmen were finished, & Scorpina was in severe pain. Staggering to her feet, she whined "Next time, Power Pigs!" then faded back to the moon.
Satisfied, the Rangers went outside. Then Andros shouted "POWER DOWN!" In seconds, their armor dissipated in rainbow light.
Kat looked at Simon very greedily. Cindy soon saw why.
-Wow. This guy is like Nicholas Brendon.only shorter and with more facial hair. No wonder Kat wants him that bad!- Cindy thought. She went over to Simon. "Hi. Cindy Roberts."
"Hey. Simon Skullovich." I wonder if anyone told her she looks like Keri Russell, before she cut her hair? he thought. Then, he thought to himself: Keri Russell? That's what happens when I let Kat pick the movie...
Cindy's thoughts went back to Jason. The Red Ranger had been occupying her dreams since she first met him, and it looked like she felt the same way.
A voice whispered in her ear "You're nuts about Jason, aren't you?" It was Simon.
"How did you..."
"Some things are just too apparent, even to someone as brain-dead as me. Tell him. I know for a fact he wants to take you out to dinner some time. Besides, he told me."
"I'll do just that. Now, what about you and Kat?"
"Kat?"
"You were saying about being all too apparent? Talk to the woman."
Simon chuckled. "Kat and I are already beyond that point, thank you very much. But with Rangering and all, it's a bitch finding the time."
"Getting off the subject of dating, how do you like being a Ranger?" Cindy asked.
"Awesome beyond measure. How about you?"
"First time, and I love it. Sorry I had to miss out on Ecliptor's return. Damn college exams! I also have to go visit my family in Florida in 3 days. This stinks! Wish I could tell them about my...new daytime job."
"I have a feeling they'd freak. Mine would. Besides, you know, rule No. 3."
"Right. Never reveal your identity."
"You know the original coin is safe at the Command Center." {Hopefully} Simon added under his breath.
"Yup. Nothing will happen to it there." Cindy told him.
"Famous last words. But, it's as safe as Zordon and Alpha 5 can make it." Simon added.
"You know, Simon, I have a feeling that this is just the beginning, and that we're all going to be good friends."
"I know the feeling. Let's get back to the others."
At the same time, Kimberly & Zack were talking to Trini. She had a decision to make...Billy or Andros.
"ANDROS?!?" Zack said in shock. Kimberly however, gave a knowing grin. Trini was now looking intently at the Ranger from KO-35. Kim tried to bring Trini's attention back to them. "TRINI!" she shouted.
"Uh, yes?" she rushed.
"You're gonna have to make a decision soon. Kim and I know, 'cause we have to make the same choice. Who?" Zack frowned.
"What do you mean? For Kim, there's Tommy, and for you, there's Angela. Who else could there be." Trini stopped when she got this look from her 2 friends. "NO WAY! BOTH OF YOU!"
"Yeah. We're stuck on who we want to be with. Trini, we don't want you to fall into that same trap. It's a real bitch to get out of." Kimberly explained.
Simon and Cindy overheard and came over. "Kim, you're right." Cindy said. "Having that choice to make is a real pain. You and Zack are her friends, and you don't want to see her hurt. I understand that, but you're going to have to trust her judgement on this. As for the 2 of you, I always thought you'd make a great couple. Give it a shot, and see what happens."
Zack then grinned. "How about that new Italian place?"
Kimberly giggled "I'd like that, IF Simon asks Kat out."
Simon gave a knowing smile. "Deal. Just name the time and place and guarantee there won't be any monster attacks."
"No lie." Zack muttered, remembering how many of his dates with Angela had been ruined that way.
Trini smiled, then hurried "I have to catch Andros. Later, guys."
"Oh dear." Simon sighed as they watched her go.
"What is it?" Kimberly asked.
"Ashley asked Andros out ten minutes ago." ***
Meanwhile, at the Command Center, an invisible figure glided almost effortlessly through the place, until it hit upon it's quarry: the original Purple coin. "Gotcha!" the person whispered to himself, and slinked out of the center. "True, there was now a Purple Morphin Ranger, but hers is a new coin. This original has never been used. And with this coin..." Chuckling to himself, he went out of the building, and teleported away.
Dedicated to the memory of Duke Brown (1975-1999), one of the coolest people I've met on the 'net. May the power protect you, my friend, now and forever.
The End... for now