Pain. Excruciating pain! It was all she felt from the wound in her back. She could barely move, it ached so much. A small gasp of hurt came from her side. "Are you okay?"
"Think so. Hard to breathe."
She shook her head. That Ranger had done a serious number on her companion. Both of them were lucky to be living.
"Is he still alive? Last time I saw him, the Ranger with the staff was giving chase."
"I'm here, unfortunately."
Both females turned to their male friend. He looked to be in the best shape of them all. "Most of my wounds were superficial. I think I threw them off balance enough that they couldn't quite figure out a good strategy." They could hear him struggling against the bonds that held him to the wall. It was to no avail. They had all tried it several times in the past few hours.
"Too bad we can't use those Powers to get us out of here."
A small lock of black hair fell down to the side of her eye. She tried to blow it away. "Even if we could, we wouldn't get far. Sektarus isn't keeping us nourished well enough for much of an escape."
"I'd rather die escaping than spend the rest of my life serving that bastard."
"Speak one more word of dissent and you will be removed, slave!
All three occupants of the prison turned to the lizard-like newcomer. "You wouldn't dare, Akeras," the blonde-haired woman retorted. "Sektarus needs us to use those amulets. Without a soul for them to harness and merge with, they're useless. Even you know that."
The beast only growled as he walked over to her, taking her face in his scaly hand. "Perhaps. But there are other souls in the universe." A long claw trailed it's way down her face. "I could request of Lord Sektarus that he find one and release you into my custody."
"You lay one hand on her and I will rip your insides out and use them to strangle you, you slime-sucking coward!"
Akeras released his clutch on the female and backhanded the captive next to her. "Strong words from one in containment. Perhaps you require more treatment."
The man grinned through a thin trickle of blood. "I don't think so."
Bright sparks flared. A loud *CLANG* sounded. And then, Akeras was unconscious.
There was a pause as the women contemplated what just happened. Their friend saved them the breath of actually asking a question.
"I managed to hold on to an energy needle before we were powered down. I used it to shatter one of my wrist restraints." He was quickly beginning to unlock the other three holding him. "As for exactly how I managed to take down our visitor, well..."
"Lucky shot. Now can you get us out of here?"
He rolled his eyes. "Never a moment of glory."
"Glory later. Escape now."
It took them several minutes to force themselves free. They were about to leave when the black-haired woman stopped, her eyes on the prone form of Akeras. "He could wake up soon and alert somebody that we've escaped." Her colleagues nodded before assisting her in placing the monster into the exact same restraints they had been in moments before.
"Well, hello beautiful!" the male whispered in awe. He swiped a blaster from Akeras' side. "Sardovian scatter-shot melee blaster equipped with fragmentation shells and a silenced function." There was a pause as the weapon was turned and examined. "He's even outfitted it with a pulsing stun blast strong enough to take down a hive of Varox."
"Very nice. Can we go now?"
The three quietly opened their prison door, surprised it wasn't booby-trapped for escapees. They quickly scanned the corridor on both sides, then moved out in the direction they hoped held a teleporter.
They were on the run.
****************************
Kimberly eased herself into the chair, trying to keep as much pressure off of her left knee as possible. Tommy had argued with her nearly all night about attending this meeting. It was a losing battle, though. Trey had said that new data on the Dai'rak was available. They needed as much help as they could get. She knew that that would mean her morphing and going back into battle with them as soon as possible, even if she wasn't back at one hundred percent.
"Good morning, Rangers." Trey strode into the briefing chamber and keyed the doors closed behind him. "I'll get right to the point. During your last encounter with the Dai'rak, I managed to perform a multi-scan on them. The data has proven to be incredibly helpful and could lead to the end of this threat." He aimed a small remote at the center of the table and pressed an activation trigger. A holographic image popped up. "This is a holographic representation of standard humanoid brain wave activity. And this..." He pressed the trigger again, altering the picture. "...is a representation of what the scans picked up on all three of the Dai'rak."
"The patterns changed."
Trey nodded at Aisha. "Precisely. Notice how the patterns of normal mental activity have been slowed down, almost like they're being repressed."
"Gasket," Tommy practically hissed.
Aisha, Kimberly, and Zack were the only ones who weren't clued in. "Gasket was part of the Machine Empire. He made up some kind of brain drain device that screwed Tommy's head up to the point that he thought the Zeo Rangers were the bad guys," Rocky explained.
"Something doesn't add up, though." Jason leaned forward, studying the image. "If this is similar to what Gasket did to Tommy, then it would only last for a short period of time. Tommy broke the control after about an hour. Even without help from anybody, who's to say it would take them much longer?"
"We could be way off base, though," Zack interjected. "Maybe they're not your normal run-of-the-mill people. Maybe they've been twisted from the beginning."
"Either way," Trey interrupted. "their fighting style is purely Triforian. I've been able to analyze key elements of their methods and have now programmed a training simulation to adapt you to them. With any luck, when they next show themselves, you'll be ready to counteract every move they make."
Kimberly smirked in anticipation. "We'll be even, then."
****************************
"All clear."
He leaned out into the corridor, sighting along the blaster. "Looks pretty wide open. I think we might be able to make it."
"Make it where?" the black-haired woman asked. "The only teleporter we know of is in the main chamber, with Sektarus and the amulets, which are most likely heavily guarded as well." There was a pause as the trio continued sneaking down the hallway. She stopped. "You've got to be kidding me. That's actually where we're going?! You're insane!"
"That's never stopped me before."
She turned to her other female companion. "Don't tell me you're going to go along with this."
The blonde shrugged. "I suppose it might work. Like he said earlier, better to die escaping than to live in service to Sektarus." She turned to the male. "You know how to use that thing?"
"Almost second nature to me."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
He rolled his eyes again. "Glory later, huh?"
****************************
Akeras hissed. The bonds holding his limbs were exceptionally tight. His throat had been made nearly raw from screaming for someone to release him before he remembered that he had ordered all units away from the cell area. He wanted to leave no chance for the captives to escape. Unfortunately, it seemed his plan worked too well. His claws couldn't reach the restraints and there was no way to unlock them from anywhere within any being's reach. He hissed again. 'The traitor stole power from the amulet, but he won't get far. No one can hold that kind of power without assistance for long. It will begin to take its toll on him soon. And then, the other traitors will be ours.'
****************************
He crouched next to the archway, taking a hand off of his stolen blaster and shaking it a little.
"Something wrong?"
"Nothing. Hand's just falling asleep. Probably from being locked up every day. Are we clear?"
Both women peeked into the large room that awaited them. They nodded.
"Alright. Get to the teleporter and run. I'll relay a distress signal from your location. With any luck the Rangers will pick it up. Tell them everything."
It took a moment for his meaning to register before the blonde managed to say something. "You don't plan on coming with us."
"Look, this isn't the time. Just get going. I'll cover your escape and get out as soon as I can."
"If you think I'm going to just run off and let you kill yourself, then..."
"GO!"
The three of them barged into the main chamber. Cover fire was spread all across, some of it hitting Sektarus' shadowy form. Cries of rage echoed as they ran to one of the consoles and began activating it. A dark violet portal came into existence a few feet away from them.
"Run for it!"
The black-haired woman took a running dive straight through the portal, but the blonde stayed where she was.
"I'm not leaving without you!"
"Get out of here!" He shoved her into the portal and went back to firing into the throng of Battalion members that had begun swarming towards him. A quick flick of a switch and the blaster began spitting out small superheated fragments of whatever material the shells contained inside. His eyes caught sight of the pedestal that held the amulets used to transform them into the Dai'rak.
"Out of the way!" He switched the blaster to stun and began pulsing low-frequency energy into the creatures around him, stepping over the twitching bodies. Claws, tentacles, and all manner of appendages began reaching towards him. He blasted them all back and managed to swipe the amulets, wrapping their chains around his wrist before turning back to run to the portal. The swirling mass of purple grew closer and closer...
Until a large hand clasped around his neck and pulled him off the floor. He found himself looking into a pair of blood red eyes.
"This pathetic attempt at escape will be dealt with soon enough, slave. For now, your services are required." Sektarus reached down to his wrist and snapped one of the amulets off of its chain, holding it up for the man's inspection.
He paled at the sight of the three-clawed talisman. "You will pay for this!"
Silence ensued as energy coursed between the two beings.
"I'm sure."
****************************
A small alarm sounded from one of the consoles nearby. "Trey? We've got something."
There was a tiny burst of static from the communicator, followed by the Triforian's voice. +What is it?+
"A teleportation portal opened up not too long ago out in the park. It's strange, though. I'm only picking up two life forms. Might be a trap, but there's no secondary wavelength coming through, so it's going to either close soon or stay open for reinforcements."
+Alright. I'll get the Rangers on it right away. Think it could be the Dai'rak?+
"Not sure. Could be a decoy. Tell them to be prepared for a hostile situation."
+Copy that.+
****************************
+Rangers, there is a signal coming from the park. Morph and respond. Be prepared for hostile forces to show up soon after your arrival.+
The others looked towards Tommy and Kimberly. Tensions bubbled between the married couple, and it was clear to the entire team.
"Let's get going, man." Zack held his morpher ready. "We need to get out there."
Tommy looked his wife straight in the eye. "You're staying here, Kimberly."
"No, I'm not." The brunette squared her jaw indignantly. "Once we morph I'll be perfectly fine, Tommy. You're going to need all the help you can get."
"You're not going to be at one hundred percent, Kim. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Will you stop worrying? I want a chance at the Dai'rak just as much as you do. This is just as much my problem as it is yours. Face it, Tommy. I'm going."
"We don't have much time for trouble in paradise, so would the two passengers of the Love Boat please hurry up and set the damn sail?"
Two equally powerful death glares were sent in Rocky's direction. Jason decided to take charge.
"Alright, Kim's going, but she's going carefully." He turned to his 'little sister'. "Don't push yourself unless you know you can make it." His morpher materialized onto his wrist.
"IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"
****************************
"I don't like this. He's being held back too long."
She looked at her blonde companion. "Look, we have to get out of here. He knew the risks when he made the plan."
The comment received her an incensed look. "I can't believe you're willing to just leave him like that!"
"Hey, don't make me out to be the bad guy here. I'm just trying to save our asses while they're still worth saving!"
"Then step away from the portal and let us do our job."
Both women turned to the new voice and froze. Standing before them, in battle formation, were the six Rangers they had battled to near-death.
****************************
"Multiple energy signals closing in fast. We've gotta get them out of here, bro."
"You got it, Jase." Tommy switched over from his helmet comm. "Ladies, if you'll just step away from the portal, we can get you out of here."
"They're afraid. Something's got them spooked bad," Aisha explained. "It's almost like they recognize us, and that scares them."
"There's a friend of ours still in there. We have to help him," the blonde woman explained. "We don't know what Sektarus has planned for him, but we need to get him out of there."
Rocky stepped forward. "Don't worry. We'll take care of it. Just come with us and we'll get you help."
"It's a little late for that, Rangers."
They all saw the owner of the new voice, surrounded by Battalion members.
It was the red-visored Dai'rak of Shadow.
****************************
Akeras howled as his limbs were severed from the restraints. The scream of pain eventually degenerated into a low growl as he kneeled before his commander. "Lord Sektarus...forgive me..."
The black figure smashed a fist into him. "Silence! I have tolerated failure from others, but you...You are my most effective soldier. Explain to me why you have failed to keep the captives captive."
"The male traitor, sire. He managed to steal power from his amulet and used it to shatter his restraints."
Sektarus lifted the creature up. "You wish for a second chance, yes? A chance to take the light haired female as your slave and remove her companions?" Akeras nodded, slightly ashamed that his fantasies had been discovered. "Very well." A burst of dark light shone as the severed limbs reformed themselves on the lizard's body. Sektarus handed his soldier his stolen blaster. "Take a force. Search the desert. Find their base. Destroy it, and if you can, destroy them. Take what you wish, but leave Prince Trey alive. I want to deal with him personally."
****************************
The Dai'rak of Shadow brandished a katana, stepping forward and allowing a group of Battalion fighters to fall in behind him. "You have something that belongs to my lord." He pointed with his katana to the two women standing near the Rangers. "Return the traitors, and you get to live another day."
"Listen to yourself!" the blonde shouted. "Do you even know what you're saying? You hate Sektarus as much as we do!"
"Sektarus is my lord! And he will soon be yours, traitors."
A hurt look came across her features. Tommy posed, battle ready. "Weapons up, everybody! Defensive maneuvers!"
Rocky and Zack took positions near the ladies, using their signature staff and ax weaponry. Kimberly and Aisha staggered themselves just slightly away from the four and used a bow and cannon projectile combo to thin out the Battalion before they could reach them.
Jason and Tommy closed in on the Dai'rak from both sides, swords at the ready.
'He's only got one blade drawn.' Both of their brains made the note. 'But why? Getting a little cocky against two opponents...' The only other explanation would have been that he was protecting something, but that didn't make sense. What did he have to protect?
That question was tucked back into the corner of their minds as they charged. Jason's attack was blocked and used to knock Tommy's weapon high while the Dai'rak swept the other Ranger's legs out from under him. Tommy flipped over his opponent and tried a fierce downward swing. It took enough force to block it that sparks flew from both blades.
Meanwhile, Kimberly and Aisha had been forced back and joined Rocky and Zack in close combat around the two women. Static crackled over their helmet comms. "So, anybody care to tell me what Plan B is?" Nobody answered Rocky's question. "Hello? For crud's sake people, we can't hold them off forever. What is Plan B?!"
"We're Rangers, man. There is no Plan B. You're lucky we even had a Plan A."
"Not the response I was looking for, Zack."
A sudden surge in the attacking forces pressed in on them. Kimberly lashed through them with an energy whip. Beams of black energy sliced through several bodies at a time while Aisha formed two large, bladed discs in her hands and began carving her way through anything that wasn't humanoid.
The Dai'rak charged through the crowd and began heading straight for them, Tommy and Jason close on his heels. He leapt over Aisha and charged through before Rocky and Zack could respond. The Battalion crowded in and held the Rangers back as he knocked the black-haired girl to the ground with a solid blow to the temple and delivered a solid punch to the blonde's stomach, doubling her over. He pulled her head back by the hair and touched the point of his katana to her neck.
"You're getting to be a lot of trouble. It's time you came back to served Lord Sektarus." She gave no reply except for a small wad of spit aimed directly at his crimson visor. "Very well." He unwrapped one of the chains from his wrist and held up the emblem attached to it. "I was hoping you would come willingly, but since that is not the case..."
She saw the amulet coming closer to her forehead and prepared to struggle away. Even a cut throat was better than being forced into a morph again. But the pain she expected never came. Instead, she saw the Dai'rak's katana hand go limp and drop the weapon. She grabbed the amulet and twisted away, sweeping him to the ground and running to her friend.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just a little dizzy. What happened?"
"I think holding onto that energy needle burned his hand out." She held up the amulet. "I managed to get this."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and activate it!"
Tommy and Zack ran by them in a blur, knocking down the Dai'rak and restraining his arms. Everyone felt the rush of teleportation, and soon the Rangers, the Dai'rak, and the two women were gone in a flash of black.
****************************
"Multiple signals starting at the edge of the desert. They've been moving in for the past several minutes."
"Alright. I just brought the Rangers in. Looks like they've managed to get the Dai'rak."
"I only see one."
"In containment, yes. The other two amulets are deactivated for the moment. I think the two women have managed to break out of the mind control. We'll have to find out what caused it."
Sigh. "Whatever you say, Trey. Just find out some answers before we have to entertain some very unwanted guests."
****************************
"Power down."
Six flares of light revealed the Rangers in their true forms. Jason stepped forward and addressed the two women.
"Hi. My name is Jason. I'm one of the leaders of the Rangers. This is Tommy, my co-leader; Kimberly, his wife; Zack, Aisha, and Rocky. Welcome to our base of operations."
The blonde looked around. "It's very impressive. My name is Daniella. This is Sarè." The black-haired woman nodded. "We're the users of two of the Dai'rak amulets."
Rocky's eyes widened in recognition at the blonde. "Holy....you're the one who kicked my ass?"
Daniella turned her eyes downward, sheepish. "I'm afraid so. Please, it wasn't my fault. Sektarus had us under some sort of mind control whenever he made us morph. None of the damage we did was of our own free will."
"Yeah, we kind of figured it was brain-tampering," Kimberly assured her. "Don't worry. It's all in the past. You could say we have a bit of a history with bad people turned good." She gave a sidelong glance at Tommy, who only rolled his eyes in a small showing of good humor. "Just tell us how we can help stop it."
Sarè spoke up. "Just make him demorph. As soon as the energy of the amulet stops recycling the control Sektarus placed on it, Corran will stop."
"Corran?"
Daniella sighed. "He's my cousin. He was the first of us to volunteer for the project, before the invasion."
"So you three make up the Dai'rak."
Both of them turned to Tommy and nodded.
"Okay. Rocky and Aisha, I want both of you to go down to the containment cell and force our guest to power down." He caught a glimpse of worry in Daniella's eyes. "Try to do it with minimal damage to anything in there." The two walked off to complete the orders. "Now, as for how we're going to deal with this..."
"Rangers!" Everyone turned just as Trey walked into the chamber.
"Prince Trey!" The two women kneeled before Trey, heads bowed.
"Stand up. Both of you." He waited until both of them did so before looking them in the eye. "Formalities have no place here. We are all members of the same team now. That is, if you'll join us. We're going to need all the help against Sektarus' forces that we can get."
Sarè grinned. "Any chance to nail that creep to the nearest black hole." Daniella nodded her agreement. "And Corran will agree with us."
"Very well. Then your first mission is going to be one of those chances. A large group of Battalion members are searching the desert, probably looking for us."
"So what do we do?" Zack asked.
"We fight."
A tall brown-haired man walked towards them. "I'm Corran." He looked at Trey, blue eyes meeting brown. "It's an honor to fight under your command, Prince Trey."
Trey nodded. "Rangers, Dai'rak: Prepare yourselves. The battle's coming to us."
"Think so. Hard to breathe."
She shook her head. That Ranger had done a serious number on her companion. Both of them were lucky to be living.
"Is he still alive? Last time I saw him, the Ranger with the staff was giving chase."
"I'm here, unfortunately."
Both females turned to their male friend. He looked to be in the best shape of them all. "Most of my wounds were superficial. I think I threw them off balance enough that they couldn't quite figure out a good strategy." They could hear him struggling against the bonds that held him to the wall. It was to no avail. They had all tried it several times in the past few hours.
"Too bad we can't use those Powers to get us out of here."
A small lock of black hair fell down to the side of her eye. She tried to blow it away. "Even if we could, we wouldn't get far. Sektarus isn't keeping us nourished well enough for much of an escape."
"I'd rather die escaping than spend the rest of my life serving that bastard."
"Speak one more word of dissent and you will be removed, slave!
All three occupants of the prison turned to the lizard-like newcomer. "You wouldn't dare, Akeras," the blonde-haired woman retorted. "Sektarus needs us to use those amulets. Without a soul for them to harness and merge with, they're useless. Even you know that."
The beast only growled as he walked over to her, taking her face in his scaly hand. "Perhaps. But there are other souls in the universe." A long claw trailed it's way down her face. "I could request of Lord Sektarus that he find one and release you into my custody."
"You lay one hand on her and I will rip your insides out and use them to strangle you, you slime-sucking coward!"
Akeras released his clutch on the female and backhanded the captive next to her. "Strong words from one in containment. Perhaps you require more treatment."
The man grinned through a thin trickle of blood. "I don't think so."
Bright sparks flared. A loud *CLANG* sounded. And then, Akeras was unconscious.
There was a pause as the women contemplated what just happened. Their friend saved them the breath of actually asking a question.
"I managed to hold on to an energy needle before we were powered down. I used it to shatter one of my wrist restraints." He was quickly beginning to unlock the other three holding him. "As for exactly how I managed to take down our visitor, well..."
"Lucky shot. Now can you get us out of here?"
He rolled his eyes. "Never a moment of glory."
"Glory later. Escape now."
It took them several minutes to force themselves free. They were about to leave when the black-haired woman stopped, her eyes on the prone form of Akeras. "He could wake up soon and alert somebody that we've escaped." Her colleagues nodded before assisting her in placing the monster into the exact same restraints they had been in moments before.
"Well, hello beautiful!" the male whispered in awe. He swiped a blaster from Akeras' side. "Sardovian scatter-shot melee blaster equipped with fragmentation shells and a silenced function." There was a pause as the weapon was turned and examined. "He's even outfitted it with a pulsing stun blast strong enough to take down a hive of Varox."
"Very nice. Can we go now?"
The three quietly opened their prison door, surprised it wasn't booby-trapped for escapees. They quickly scanned the corridor on both sides, then moved out in the direction they hoped held a teleporter.
They were on the run.
****************************
Kimberly eased herself into the chair, trying to keep as much pressure off of her left knee as possible. Tommy had argued with her nearly all night about attending this meeting. It was a losing battle, though. Trey had said that new data on the Dai'rak was available. They needed as much help as they could get. She knew that that would mean her morphing and going back into battle with them as soon as possible, even if she wasn't back at one hundred percent.
"Good morning, Rangers." Trey strode into the briefing chamber and keyed the doors closed behind him. "I'll get right to the point. During your last encounter with the Dai'rak, I managed to perform a multi-scan on them. The data has proven to be incredibly helpful and could lead to the end of this threat." He aimed a small remote at the center of the table and pressed an activation trigger. A holographic image popped up. "This is a holographic representation of standard humanoid brain wave activity. And this..." He pressed the trigger again, altering the picture. "...is a representation of what the scans picked up on all three of the Dai'rak."
"The patterns changed."
Trey nodded at Aisha. "Precisely. Notice how the patterns of normal mental activity have been slowed down, almost like they're being repressed."
"Gasket," Tommy practically hissed.
Aisha, Kimberly, and Zack were the only ones who weren't clued in. "Gasket was part of the Machine Empire. He made up some kind of brain drain device that screwed Tommy's head up to the point that he thought the Zeo Rangers were the bad guys," Rocky explained.
"Something doesn't add up, though." Jason leaned forward, studying the image. "If this is similar to what Gasket did to Tommy, then it would only last for a short period of time. Tommy broke the control after about an hour. Even without help from anybody, who's to say it would take them much longer?"
"We could be way off base, though," Zack interjected. "Maybe they're not your normal run-of-the-mill people. Maybe they've been twisted from the beginning."
"Either way," Trey interrupted. "their fighting style is purely Triforian. I've been able to analyze key elements of their methods and have now programmed a training simulation to adapt you to them. With any luck, when they next show themselves, you'll be ready to counteract every move they make."
Kimberly smirked in anticipation. "We'll be even, then."
****************************
"All clear."
He leaned out into the corridor, sighting along the blaster. "Looks pretty wide open. I think we might be able to make it."
"Make it where?" the black-haired woman asked. "The only teleporter we know of is in the main chamber, with Sektarus and the amulets, which are most likely heavily guarded as well." There was a pause as the trio continued sneaking down the hallway. She stopped. "You've got to be kidding me. That's actually where we're going?! You're insane!"
"That's never stopped me before."
She turned to her other female companion. "Don't tell me you're going to go along with this."
The blonde shrugged. "I suppose it might work. Like he said earlier, better to die escaping than to live in service to Sektarus." She turned to the male. "You know how to use that thing?"
"Almost second nature to me."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
He rolled his eyes again. "Glory later, huh?"
****************************
Akeras hissed. The bonds holding his limbs were exceptionally tight. His throat had been made nearly raw from screaming for someone to release him before he remembered that he had ordered all units away from the cell area. He wanted to leave no chance for the captives to escape. Unfortunately, it seemed his plan worked too well. His claws couldn't reach the restraints and there was no way to unlock them from anywhere within any being's reach. He hissed again. 'The traitor stole power from the amulet, but he won't get far. No one can hold that kind of power without assistance for long. It will begin to take its toll on him soon. And then, the other traitors will be ours.'
****************************
He crouched next to the archway, taking a hand off of his stolen blaster and shaking it a little.
"Something wrong?"
"Nothing. Hand's just falling asleep. Probably from being locked up every day. Are we clear?"
Both women peeked into the large room that awaited them. They nodded.
"Alright. Get to the teleporter and run. I'll relay a distress signal from your location. With any luck the Rangers will pick it up. Tell them everything."
It took a moment for his meaning to register before the blonde managed to say something. "You don't plan on coming with us."
"Look, this isn't the time. Just get going. I'll cover your escape and get out as soon as I can."
"If you think I'm going to just run off and let you kill yourself, then..."
"GO!"
The three of them barged into the main chamber. Cover fire was spread all across, some of it hitting Sektarus' shadowy form. Cries of rage echoed as they ran to one of the consoles and began activating it. A dark violet portal came into existence a few feet away from them.
"Run for it!"
The black-haired woman took a running dive straight through the portal, but the blonde stayed where she was.
"I'm not leaving without you!"
"Get out of here!" He shoved her into the portal and went back to firing into the throng of Battalion members that had begun swarming towards him. A quick flick of a switch and the blaster began spitting out small superheated fragments of whatever material the shells contained inside. His eyes caught sight of the pedestal that held the amulets used to transform them into the Dai'rak.
"Out of the way!" He switched the blaster to stun and began pulsing low-frequency energy into the creatures around him, stepping over the twitching bodies. Claws, tentacles, and all manner of appendages began reaching towards him. He blasted them all back and managed to swipe the amulets, wrapping their chains around his wrist before turning back to run to the portal. The swirling mass of purple grew closer and closer...
Until a large hand clasped around his neck and pulled him off the floor. He found himself looking into a pair of blood red eyes.
"This pathetic attempt at escape will be dealt with soon enough, slave. For now, your services are required." Sektarus reached down to his wrist and snapped one of the amulets off of its chain, holding it up for the man's inspection.
He paled at the sight of the three-clawed talisman. "You will pay for this!"
Silence ensued as energy coursed between the two beings.
"I'm sure."
****************************
A small alarm sounded from one of the consoles nearby. "Trey? We've got something."
There was a tiny burst of static from the communicator, followed by the Triforian's voice. +What is it?+
"A teleportation portal opened up not too long ago out in the park. It's strange, though. I'm only picking up two life forms. Might be a trap, but there's no secondary wavelength coming through, so it's going to either close soon or stay open for reinforcements."
+Alright. I'll get the Rangers on it right away. Think it could be the Dai'rak?+
"Not sure. Could be a decoy. Tell them to be prepared for a hostile situation."
+Copy that.+
****************************
+Rangers, there is a signal coming from the park. Morph and respond. Be prepared for hostile forces to show up soon after your arrival.+
The others looked towards Tommy and Kimberly. Tensions bubbled between the married couple, and it was clear to the entire team.
"Let's get going, man." Zack held his morpher ready. "We need to get out there."
Tommy looked his wife straight in the eye. "You're staying here, Kimberly."
"No, I'm not." The brunette squared her jaw indignantly. "Once we morph I'll be perfectly fine, Tommy. You're going to need all the help you can get."
"You're not going to be at one hundred percent, Kim. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Will you stop worrying? I want a chance at the Dai'rak just as much as you do. This is just as much my problem as it is yours. Face it, Tommy. I'm going."
"We don't have much time for trouble in paradise, so would the two passengers of the Love Boat please hurry up and set the damn sail?"
Two equally powerful death glares were sent in Rocky's direction. Jason decided to take charge.
"Alright, Kim's going, but she's going carefully." He turned to his 'little sister'. "Don't push yourself unless you know you can make it." His morpher materialized onto his wrist.
"IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"
****************************
"I don't like this. He's being held back too long."
She looked at her blonde companion. "Look, we have to get out of here. He knew the risks when he made the plan."
The comment received her an incensed look. "I can't believe you're willing to just leave him like that!"
"Hey, don't make me out to be the bad guy here. I'm just trying to save our asses while they're still worth saving!"
"Then step away from the portal and let us do our job."
Both women turned to the new voice and froze. Standing before them, in battle formation, were the six Rangers they had battled to near-death.
****************************
"Multiple energy signals closing in fast. We've gotta get them out of here, bro."
"You got it, Jase." Tommy switched over from his helmet comm. "Ladies, if you'll just step away from the portal, we can get you out of here."
"They're afraid. Something's got them spooked bad," Aisha explained. "It's almost like they recognize us, and that scares them."
"There's a friend of ours still in there. We have to help him," the blonde woman explained. "We don't know what Sektarus has planned for him, but we need to get him out of there."
Rocky stepped forward. "Don't worry. We'll take care of it. Just come with us and we'll get you help."
"It's a little late for that, Rangers."
They all saw the owner of the new voice, surrounded by Battalion members.
It was the red-visored Dai'rak of Shadow.
****************************
Akeras howled as his limbs were severed from the restraints. The scream of pain eventually degenerated into a low growl as he kneeled before his commander. "Lord Sektarus...forgive me..."
The black figure smashed a fist into him. "Silence! I have tolerated failure from others, but you...You are my most effective soldier. Explain to me why you have failed to keep the captives captive."
"The male traitor, sire. He managed to steal power from his amulet and used it to shatter his restraints."
Sektarus lifted the creature up. "You wish for a second chance, yes? A chance to take the light haired female as your slave and remove her companions?" Akeras nodded, slightly ashamed that his fantasies had been discovered. "Very well." A burst of dark light shone as the severed limbs reformed themselves on the lizard's body. Sektarus handed his soldier his stolen blaster. "Take a force. Search the desert. Find their base. Destroy it, and if you can, destroy them. Take what you wish, but leave Prince Trey alive. I want to deal with him personally."
****************************
The Dai'rak of Shadow brandished a katana, stepping forward and allowing a group of Battalion fighters to fall in behind him. "You have something that belongs to my lord." He pointed with his katana to the two women standing near the Rangers. "Return the traitors, and you get to live another day."
"Listen to yourself!" the blonde shouted. "Do you even know what you're saying? You hate Sektarus as much as we do!"
"Sektarus is my lord! And he will soon be yours, traitors."
A hurt look came across her features. Tommy posed, battle ready. "Weapons up, everybody! Defensive maneuvers!"
Rocky and Zack took positions near the ladies, using their signature staff and ax weaponry. Kimberly and Aisha staggered themselves just slightly away from the four and used a bow and cannon projectile combo to thin out the Battalion before they could reach them.
Jason and Tommy closed in on the Dai'rak from both sides, swords at the ready.
'He's only got one blade drawn.' Both of their brains made the note. 'But why? Getting a little cocky against two opponents...' The only other explanation would have been that he was protecting something, but that didn't make sense. What did he have to protect?
That question was tucked back into the corner of their minds as they charged. Jason's attack was blocked and used to knock Tommy's weapon high while the Dai'rak swept the other Ranger's legs out from under him. Tommy flipped over his opponent and tried a fierce downward swing. It took enough force to block it that sparks flew from both blades.
Meanwhile, Kimberly and Aisha had been forced back and joined Rocky and Zack in close combat around the two women. Static crackled over their helmet comms. "So, anybody care to tell me what Plan B is?" Nobody answered Rocky's question. "Hello? For crud's sake people, we can't hold them off forever. What is Plan B?!"
"We're Rangers, man. There is no Plan B. You're lucky we even had a Plan A."
"Not the response I was looking for, Zack."
A sudden surge in the attacking forces pressed in on them. Kimberly lashed through them with an energy whip. Beams of black energy sliced through several bodies at a time while Aisha formed two large, bladed discs in her hands and began carving her way through anything that wasn't humanoid.
The Dai'rak charged through the crowd and began heading straight for them, Tommy and Jason close on his heels. He leapt over Aisha and charged through before Rocky and Zack could respond. The Battalion crowded in and held the Rangers back as he knocked the black-haired girl to the ground with a solid blow to the temple and delivered a solid punch to the blonde's stomach, doubling her over. He pulled her head back by the hair and touched the point of his katana to her neck.
"You're getting to be a lot of trouble. It's time you came back to served Lord Sektarus." She gave no reply except for a small wad of spit aimed directly at his crimson visor. "Very well." He unwrapped one of the chains from his wrist and held up the emblem attached to it. "I was hoping you would come willingly, but since that is not the case..."
She saw the amulet coming closer to her forehead and prepared to struggle away. Even a cut throat was better than being forced into a morph again. But the pain she expected never came. Instead, she saw the Dai'rak's katana hand go limp and drop the weapon. She grabbed the amulet and twisted away, sweeping him to the ground and running to her friend.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just a little dizzy. What happened?"
"I think holding onto that energy needle burned his hand out." She held up the amulet. "I managed to get this."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and activate it!"
Tommy and Zack ran by them in a blur, knocking down the Dai'rak and restraining his arms. Everyone felt the rush of teleportation, and soon the Rangers, the Dai'rak, and the two women were gone in a flash of black.
****************************
"Multiple signals starting at the edge of the desert. They've been moving in for the past several minutes."
"Alright. I just brought the Rangers in. Looks like they've managed to get the Dai'rak."
"I only see one."
"In containment, yes. The other two amulets are deactivated for the moment. I think the two women have managed to break out of the mind control. We'll have to find out what caused it."
Sigh. "Whatever you say, Trey. Just find out some answers before we have to entertain some very unwanted guests."
****************************
"Power down."
Six flares of light revealed the Rangers in their true forms. Jason stepped forward and addressed the two women.
"Hi. My name is Jason. I'm one of the leaders of the Rangers. This is Tommy, my co-leader; Kimberly, his wife; Zack, Aisha, and Rocky. Welcome to our base of operations."
The blonde looked around. "It's very impressive. My name is Daniella. This is Sarè." The black-haired woman nodded. "We're the users of two of the Dai'rak amulets."
Rocky's eyes widened in recognition at the blonde. "Holy....you're the one who kicked my ass?"
Daniella turned her eyes downward, sheepish. "I'm afraid so. Please, it wasn't my fault. Sektarus had us under some sort of mind control whenever he made us morph. None of the damage we did was of our own free will."
"Yeah, we kind of figured it was brain-tampering," Kimberly assured her. "Don't worry. It's all in the past. You could say we have a bit of a history with bad people turned good." She gave a sidelong glance at Tommy, who only rolled his eyes in a small showing of good humor. "Just tell us how we can help stop it."
Sarè spoke up. "Just make him demorph. As soon as the energy of the amulet stops recycling the control Sektarus placed on it, Corran will stop."
"Corran?"
Daniella sighed. "He's my cousin. He was the first of us to volunteer for the project, before the invasion."
"So you three make up the Dai'rak."
Both of them turned to Tommy and nodded.
"Okay. Rocky and Aisha, I want both of you to go down to the containment cell and force our guest to power down." He caught a glimpse of worry in Daniella's eyes. "Try to do it with minimal damage to anything in there." The two walked off to complete the orders. "Now, as for how we're going to deal with this..."
"Rangers!" Everyone turned just as Trey walked into the chamber.
"Prince Trey!" The two women kneeled before Trey, heads bowed.
"Stand up. Both of you." He waited until both of them did so before looking them in the eye. "Formalities have no place here. We are all members of the same team now. That is, if you'll join us. We're going to need all the help against Sektarus' forces that we can get."
Sarè grinned. "Any chance to nail that creep to the nearest black hole." Daniella nodded her agreement. "And Corran will agree with us."
"Very well. Then your first mission is going to be one of those chances. A large group of Battalion members are searching the desert, probably looking for us."
"So what do we do?" Zack asked.
"We fight."
A tall brown-haired man walked towards them. "I'm Corran." He looked at Trey, blue eyes meeting brown. "It's an honor to fight under your command, Prince Trey."
Trey nodded. "Rangers, Dai'rak: Prepare yourselves. The battle's coming to us."
