Chapter 15
Marah heard a beeping sound and for a moment thought she was dreaming, but it was loud and irritating. She slowly opened her eyes to see it was fourteen minutes after midnight.
She looked over at her lover to see he was still asleep. Then she realized it was their morphers that were beeping. She grabbed hers off the nightstand and spoke, "go ahead".
Cam's voice came loud and clear, "we have Kelzaks running rampant in the park".
"Understood" she startled Dustin by hitting him with a pillow, softly but enough to awaken him.
"What.what" he muttered not totally awake.
"Kelzaks are running around" she told him.
They quickly got dressed and joined their friends awhile later all of them bleary eyed. "Since when does Lothor attack late at night?" Tori asked.
"He must be growing more paranoid and desperate" Marah told them.
Just then Kelzaks appeared and surrounded them but as usual they were quickly dispatched. Shane looked at the scene concerned, "Lothor may suspect our plan we have to be on our toes".
"Hey we're the Power Rangers we beat him before we'll do it again".
"Careful rangers you must not get overconfident" Sensei's voice came though on their communicators.
"Don't worry we won't" Shane replied. "Well looks like the battle is over we better try to rest up we'll need every bit of our strength".
High above Vexacus looked up to see Lothor walk in enraged, "those useless Kelzaks got destroyed again".
You should be used to it by now loser, Vexacus thought to himself. Soon he would be able to act on his reason for joining Lothor's crew, so he could destroy Lothor and get back Skyla's power from the Red Ranger.
"That's what happens when you send down idiots to do what you should do yourself" Vexacus told him.
A dangerous look came to Lothor's eyes. "Don't trifle with me Vexacus or I'll make sure you'll end up like Zurgane. Motordrone, and Shimazu".
Then Lothor turned on his heel and walked out. Vexacus watched and seethed. "Soon you will pay" in the meantime he had to destroy Choobo.
The next morning Marah and Tori went on their usual jog. "It might actually be over soon" Marah told her.
"You're not scared?" Tori asked.
"Well a little but the spirit told me to let go of doubt and fear, and he's been right so far".
"I look forward to a normal life and having the other ninjas back".
"Will Blake be going back to the Thunder Academy?"
"He's taking the wait and see attitude but I'm hoping it'll work out in the end" just then a moan caught their attention. It sounded like someone was hurt badly. They followed it to find Choobo.
For a moment Marah suspected a trap but it was the blood that caught her attention, someone had worked him over badly. "Choobo what happened?"
He opened his eyes but they weren't focused, "Vexacus he destroyed everyone soon he will destroy Lothor and then all of you" just then a choking sound came from him and his eyes closed. Then he vanished into nothing.
Tori was the one to speak first, "we better get back to Ninja Ops".
Sensei looked at the monitor, "it is worse than I feared we must move up our offensive, Kapri do you know where the ninjas are being kept?"
"Yes Lothor moved them after Cam got onto the ship but he's probably got everyone on battle alert, he might not have too much security around them". "Good you and Marah will go on the ship, while the other rangers stay down here and be ready for the Kelzaks".
"Won't Lothor notice if he doesn't see Marah with us?" Dustin asked.
"I'll take care of that" Cam replied, "I made a cyber version of me and I can make a simpler version of Marah".
"Very well good luck rangers"
Marah and Dustin walked out of Ninja Ops where the sun was just rising, it had been a long night and it looked like it would be a long day. "Good luck" she whispered.
He embraced her, "you to" neither one wanting to think this could be their last time together. Then Marah released herself from his embrace and joined Kapri who was waiting for her and they walked out of sight together.
Lothor walked back and forth in front of all the remaining Kelzaks, his entire army and he would use all of them, die himself if he had to.
"Today is the day we triumph a day that we've been waiting for and prepared for not just this entire year but years before this time, now go and destroy those rangers!"
Lothor watched in satisfaction as they left the ship, it would be a glorious day indeed and now he was going to destroy Vexacus like he should have long ago.
Shane gasped as Vexacus appeared before him, "I've come for the battlelizer".
"Sorry fish face can't have it" Shane called forth the battlelizer and he and Vexacus went into fierce battle. Lothor watched from above. The Red Ranger would tire him out leaving the rest of it to Lothor.
This is just too easy, he thought to himself laughing. Vexacus stumbled back as the rest of the rangers joined the red one. His vision was weak with the blasts he had taken but he refused to give up. Just then he felt the teleportation beam take hold of him.
"No release me!"
The Rangers watched Vexacus as he vanished only to be replaced by Kelzaks, as far as the eye could see.
Vexacus felt himself fall to the floor and found himself looking up at the smug face of Lothor. "Well well just like old times isn't it Vexacus only I was on the floor and you were the one standing over me".
"You won't defeat me" Vexacus spat out, but to weaken to do anything.
"Oh but I already have" Lothor stood directly over him now and the last thing Vexacus ever saw was a beam of energy coming from Lothor's fist. Marah and Kapri materialized onto the ship just in time to hear a blood chilling scream. "Lothor will soon know we're here" Marah whispered.
"I know that's why I'll keep him busy while you free the ninjas".
"Kapri no you'll never survive".
"You survived him Marah so will I, I told you where you could find the ninjas so go, I'll be all right, Marah I know we never say this often but I'm glad we're sisters".
Marah smiled and tears came into her eyes, "it goes the same way come back safely".
"Yeah you to". With one last look at each other they went their separate ways.
Lothor stood over Vexacus's charred body in triumph, "soon the world will be mine!"
"No it won't" he turned to see Kapri.
"Oh really and where have you been?"
"On a journey that opened my eyes".
Lothor sneered, "Now you're good to I suppose?"
"I'll be there in time". Kapri cried out as Lothor came at her pure evil in his gaze.
"Then you shall pay the price!"
Kapri tried to fight but was no match, Lothor was much stronger and with his anger much more powerful. Finally she was forced to the ground.
"Beg for mercy" he sneered.
Kapri looked at him, "there's a phrase I've picked up on Earth and it's a good one, go to hell".
"You first my dear".
Marah was nearing her destination when another scream came and a chill came through her. Kapri was dead. Marah felt her knees buckle and she fell to the floor. She had lost her sister.
Worst of all was the fact it was by someone they used to look up to.
Marah made herself stand up; I won't let her die in vain!
She quickly made her way to an empty cargo bay and so dozens of bubble-like spheres. Memories came back to her, of the day she had helped the capture all those ninjas.
She had enjoyed herself then but now the guilt overwhelmed her. "Don't worry I'll get you out of there".
"Why should we trust you? You helped imprison us". "My actions will prove myself". She took the devise Kapri had given her and attached it to the control panel, it would take five minutes but it would short out the forcefield and free the trapped ninjas.
Marah felt a blast of icy cold air enter the room and knew what it meant. Lothor had gone down to Earth and if she knew him, he would soon open the Chasm of Darkness. Not if I have anything to say about it.
She arrived onto the battlefield just in time to see the cyber version of herself get totally wasted. She soon morphed into her ranger form and rescued Dustin who was under a dozen Kelzaks.
"Looks like you needed a hand" she told him.
"Every little bit helps" he replied, thrilled to see her.
"We better bring forth the megazords!" that yell came from Shane as some reinforcements arrived, two monsters that Lothor hadn't yet destroyed.
Lothor stood on the ground waiting for Marah's zord to arrive. His two subjects would handle the other rangers but it was Marah he wanted.
She would pay for all her betrayals he would see to that. Then he would torture her slowly and painfully. He smiled as her zord came into sight. He possessed a virus he had captured from a guardian right after he discovered the dark powers.
Now it would finally come in handy.
Marah cried out as her zord stopped moving, "what's the deal?" she quickly contacted the others, "are your zords having problems?"
Shane quickly responded, "Just getting the usual pounding why what's wrong?"
"My controls are sluggish, Cam run a scan".
After a few moments Cam's voice came, "some kind of virus I don't recognize, I'm going to try to get it out, try to hold your own, I'm sending Hunter and Blake to help you".
But their zord was soon intercepted and were soon in fierce battle. Lothor he's doing this, she realized.
"Cam continue working on my zord I think Lothor is responsible for this, in fact I'm sure of it, I'm going to find him".
Dustin who had been listening finally spoke up, "that's just what he wants".
"I know but I don't intend to be prey any longer, I'll be all right".
She left her zord and entered the forest where she knew the dark powers were kept; just then the battle caught her attention. She looked back helplessly as her zord was destroyed. She clenched her fists, Lothor would pay dearly.
*Don't let the anger overwhelm you, you must focus on your greatest battle yet*
Definitely another sign, she thought to herself.
Lothor approached the chasm and let out a laugh. "Finally after all these years I shall triumph!"
He found the scroll of darkness and recited from it, "Fill me with ultimate darkness!"
A yellow haze surrounded him almost choking at times but he was about to be stopped now. Then everything went dark.
Marah soon came upon the haze, "oh god I'm to late".
"Oh indeed you are my dear" it wasn't a human voice but a raspy one. She turned and gasped.
A human stood before her, looking like Sensei had before his transformation from all the photos she had seen but this was Lothor. She recognized the clothing he was wearing but his appearance had changed.
His eyes glowed red-black while his skin looked scaly. This wasn't like anything she could've ever imagined.
"What are you?" she whispered.
"The new and improved Lothor" he rasped, his human voice vanishing and a raspy sound growing more apparent.
"You won't win the rangers will stop your monsters, in a few more minutes the ninjas will be released, and I'll stop you".
"Brave words little girl but I don't care about the ninjas or if their freed or not, as for my two servants they'll keep the rangers busy long enough for me to harness the darkest powers ever created!"
"I will stop you" Marah whispered.
"Oh really you don't sound to sure now". "I'm not afraid" watching his skin become even scalier and his eyes glow completely red, Marah tried to keep her fear deep down but it was getting harder.
"Oh but I can feel it, you pupils are dilated, your heart beating faster and faster, I've destroyed everybody and everything that has ever gotten in my way".
"I'm still here demon".
"Not for long looks like we're going to have an epic battle". He laughed an all too hideous sound.
Marah tried to look determined, "it's just you and me now".
Lothor smiled, "just as it should be".
Marah heard a beeping sound and for a moment thought she was dreaming, but it was loud and irritating. She slowly opened her eyes to see it was fourteen minutes after midnight.
She looked over at her lover to see he was still asleep. Then she realized it was their morphers that were beeping. She grabbed hers off the nightstand and spoke, "go ahead".
Cam's voice came loud and clear, "we have Kelzaks running rampant in the park".
"Understood" she startled Dustin by hitting him with a pillow, softly but enough to awaken him.
"What.what" he muttered not totally awake.
"Kelzaks are running around" she told him.
They quickly got dressed and joined their friends awhile later all of them bleary eyed. "Since when does Lothor attack late at night?" Tori asked.
"He must be growing more paranoid and desperate" Marah told them.
Just then Kelzaks appeared and surrounded them but as usual they were quickly dispatched. Shane looked at the scene concerned, "Lothor may suspect our plan we have to be on our toes".
"Hey we're the Power Rangers we beat him before we'll do it again".
"Careful rangers you must not get overconfident" Sensei's voice came though on their communicators.
"Don't worry we won't" Shane replied. "Well looks like the battle is over we better try to rest up we'll need every bit of our strength".
High above Vexacus looked up to see Lothor walk in enraged, "those useless Kelzaks got destroyed again".
You should be used to it by now loser, Vexacus thought to himself. Soon he would be able to act on his reason for joining Lothor's crew, so he could destroy Lothor and get back Skyla's power from the Red Ranger.
"That's what happens when you send down idiots to do what you should do yourself" Vexacus told him.
A dangerous look came to Lothor's eyes. "Don't trifle with me Vexacus or I'll make sure you'll end up like Zurgane. Motordrone, and Shimazu".
Then Lothor turned on his heel and walked out. Vexacus watched and seethed. "Soon you will pay" in the meantime he had to destroy Choobo.
The next morning Marah and Tori went on their usual jog. "It might actually be over soon" Marah told her.
"You're not scared?" Tori asked.
"Well a little but the spirit told me to let go of doubt and fear, and he's been right so far".
"I look forward to a normal life and having the other ninjas back".
"Will Blake be going back to the Thunder Academy?"
"He's taking the wait and see attitude but I'm hoping it'll work out in the end" just then a moan caught their attention. It sounded like someone was hurt badly. They followed it to find Choobo.
For a moment Marah suspected a trap but it was the blood that caught her attention, someone had worked him over badly. "Choobo what happened?"
He opened his eyes but they weren't focused, "Vexacus he destroyed everyone soon he will destroy Lothor and then all of you" just then a choking sound came from him and his eyes closed. Then he vanished into nothing.
Tori was the one to speak first, "we better get back to Ninja Ops".
Sensei looked at the monitor, "it is worse than I feared we must move up our offensive, Kapri do you know where the ninjas are being kept?"
"Yes Lothor moved them after Cam got onto the ship but he's probably got everyone on battle alert, he might not have too much security around them". "Good you and Marah will go on the ship, while the other rangers stay down here and be ready for the Kelzaks".
"Won't Lothor notice if he doesn't see Marah with us?" Dustin asked.
"I'll take care of that" Cam replied, "I made a cyber version of me and I can make a simpler version of Marah".
"Very well good luck rangers"
Marah and Dustin walked out of Ninja Ops where the sun was just rising, it had been a long night and it looked like it would be a long day. "Good luck" she whispered.
He embraced her, "you to" neither one wanting to think this could be their last time together. Then Marah released herself from his embrace and joined Kapri who was waiting for her and they walked out of sight together.
Lothor walked back and forth in front of all the remaining Kelzaks, his entire army and he would use all of them, die himself if he had to.
"Today is the day we triumph a day that we've been waiting for and prepared for not just this entire year but years before this time, now go and destroy those rangers!"
Lothor watched in satisfaction as they left the ship, it would be a glorious day indeed and now he was going to destroy Vexacus like he should have long ago.
Shane gasped as Vexacus appeared before him, "I've come for the battlelizer".
"Sorry fish face can't have it" Shane called forth the battlelizer and he and Vexacus went into fierce battle. Lothor watched from above. The Red Ranger would tire him out leaving the rest of it to Lothor.
This is just too easy, he thought to himself laughing. Vexacus stumbled back as the rest of the rangers joined the red one. His vision was weak with the blasts he had taken but he refused to give up. Just then he felt the teleportation beam take hold of him.
"No release me!"
The Rangers watched Vexacus as he vanished only to be replaced by Kelzaks, as far as the eye could see.
Vexacus felt himself fall to the floor and found himself looking up at the smug face of Lothor. "Well well just like old times isn't it Vexacus only I was on the floor and you were the one standing over me".
"You won't defeat me" Vexacus spat out, but to weaken to do anything.
"Oh but I already have" Lothor stood directly over him now and the last thing Vexacus ever saw was a beam of energy coming from Lothor's fist. Marah and Kapri materialized onto the ship just in time to hear a blood chilling scream. "Lothor will soon know we're here" Marah whispered.
"I know that's why I'll keep him busy while you free the ninjas".
"Kapri no you'll never survive".
"You survived him Marah so will I, I told you where you could find the ninjas so go, I'll be all right, Marah I know we never say this often but I'm glad we're sisters".
Marah smiled and tears came into her eyes, "it goes the same way come back safely".
"Yeah you to". With one last look at each other they went their separate ways.
Lothor stood over Vexacus's charred body in triumph, "soon the world will be mine!"
"No it won't" he turned to see Kapri.
"Oh really and where have you been?"
"On a journey that opened my eyes".
Lothor sneered, "Now you're good to I suppose?"
"I'll be there in time". Kapri cried out as Lothor came at her pure evil in his gaze.
"Then you shall pay the price!"
Kapri tried to fight but was no match, Lothor was much stronger and with his anger much more powerful. Finally she was forced to the ground.
"Beg for mercy" he sneered.
Kapri looked at him, "there's a phrase I've picked up on Earth and it's a good one, go to hell".
"You first my dear".
Marah was nearing her destination when another scream came and a chill came through her. Kapri was dead. Marah felt her knees buckle and she fell to the floor. She had lost her sister.
Worst of all was the fact it was by someone they used to look up to.
Marah made herself stand up; I won't let her die in vain!
She quickly made her way to an empty cargo bay and so dozens of bubble-like spheres. Memories came back to her, of the day she had helped the capture all those ninjas.
She had enjoyed herself then but now the guilt overwhelmed her. "Don't worry I'll get you out of there".
"Why should we trust you? You helped imprison us". "My actions will prove myself". She took the devise Kapri had given her and attached it to the control panel, it would take five minutes but it would short out the forcefield and free the trapped ninjas.
Marah felt a blast of icy cold air enter the room and knew what it meant. Lothor had gone down to Earth and if she knew him, he would soon open the Chasm of Darkness. Not if I have anything to say about it.
She arrived onto the battlefield just in time to see the cyber version of herself get totally wasted. She soon morphed into her ranger form and rescued Dustin who was under a dozen Kelzaks.
"Looks like you needed a hand" she told him.
"Every little bit helps" he replied, thrilled to see her.
"We better bring forth the megazords!" that yell came from Shane as some reinforcements arrived, two monsters that Lothor hadn't yet destroyed.
Lothor stood on the ground waiting for Marah's zord to arrive. His two subjects would handle the other rangers but it was Marah he wanted.
She would pay for all her betrayals he would see to that. Then he would torture her slowly and painfully. He smiled as her zord came into sight. He possessed a virus he had captured from a guardian right after he discovered the dark powers.
Now it would finally come in handy.
Marah cried out as her zord stopped moving, "what's the deal?" she quickly contacted the others, "are your zords having problems?"
Shane quickly responded, "Just getting the usual pounding why what's wrong?"
"My controls are sluggish, Cam run a scan".
After a few moments Cam's voice came, "some kind of virus I don't recognize, I'm going to try to get it out, try to hold your own, I'm sending Hunter and Blake to help you".
But their zord was soon intercepted and were soon in fierce battle. Lothor he's doing this, she realized.
"Cam continue working on my zord I think Lothor is responsible for this, in fact I'm sure of it, I'm going to find him".
Dustin who had been listening finally spoke up, "that's just what he wants".
"I know but I don't intend to be prey any longer, I'll be all right".
She left her zord and entered the forest where she knew the dark powers were kept; just then the battle caught her attention. She looked back helplessly as her zord was destroyed. She clenched her fists, Lothor would pay dearly.
*Don't let the anger overwhelm you, you must focus on your greatest battle yet*
Definitely another sign, she thought to herself.
Lothor approached the chasm and let out a laugh. "Finally after all these years I shall triumph!"
He found the scroll of darkness and recited from it, "Fill me with ultimate darkness!"
A yellow haze surrounded him almost choking at times but he was about to be stopped now. Then everything went dark.
Marah soon came upon the haze, "oh god I'm to late".
"Oh indeed you are my dear" it wasn't a human voice but a raspy one. She turned and gasped.
A human stood before her, looking like Sensei had before his transformation from all the photos she had seen but this was Lothor. She recognized the clothing he was wearing but his appearance had changed.
His eyes glowed red-black while his skin looked scaly. This wasn't like anything she could've ever imagined.
"What are you?" she whispered.
"The new and improved Lothor" he rasped, his human voice vanishing and a raspy sound growing more apparent.
"You won't win the rangers will stop your monsters, in a few more minutes the ninjas will be released, and I'll stop you".
"Brave words little girl but I don't care about the ninjas or if their freed or not, as for my two servants they'll keep the rangers busy long enough for me to harness the darkest powers ever created!"
"I will stop you" Marah whispered.
"Oh really you don't sound to sure now". "I'm not afraid" watching his skin become even scalier and his eyes glow completely red, Marah tried to keep her fear deep down but it was getting harder.
"Oh but I can feel it, you pupils are dilated, your heart beating faster and faster, I've destroyed everybody and everything that has ever gotten in my way".
"I'm still here demon".
"Not for long looks like we're going to have an epic battle". He laughed an all too hideous sound.
Marah tried to look determined, "it's just you and me now".
Lothor smiled, "just as it should be".