A/N: Chapter Two is here! Yay! I hope to update once a week. Maybe more maybe less, it depends. I am open to ideas and suggestions, as I'm always thinking up new ones of my own. This story sort of develops as it goes along so if you know where it's going and what's going to happen, Kudos to you! I don't. Not really. I have a vague idea. So anyways, comments and suggestions welcome.
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine. Anything you don't, a.k.a. The Shadow King, Shades, Crawlers, etc., mine. No money has been made.
Chapter Two: Never Give Up Hope
---Sanctuary, 11:30 am, Sunday, October 3---
Kim sighed as she lay on her bed. She had left shortly after explaining to the rest of Mutant X what she knew. They were taking it better than she had expected; better than they had any right to. Kim had always imagined that when telling her most guarded secret, her history as a Power Ranger, it would be to someone she was deeply in love with. He would tell her his most guarded secret and in return she would oblige him with hers. Funny how that worked out. Instead, she was faced with telling her new team about her old team whom were apparently gone. Yeah, great.
What Billy said was true. As far as she could tell anyways. Far be it for her to have actually kept up with ranger happenings. She had called up everyone she still had a number for. No one answered. Kim had Jesse get a list of all the missing people that had disappeared in concurrence with the creature attacks. She saw all of her former teammates on the list, and then some. There were so many. She hadn't realized the extent of the Power Ranger legacy until now. It was kind of sad really. That all the good that they had done, all the evil they'd fought would be for nothing.
No, not nothing, she decided. She would do everything in her power to get them back. She owed Zordon that much if not more. With a sigh, Kim heaved herself off her bed and walked over to the door. She needed to have a long talk with her teammates.
---Location Unknown, Time Unknown---
The cavern was laced in shadows. The only light came from the hole in the ceiling. Not a very big hole, only about 4 feet across in a shape that could be considered a circle. The sunlight streaming in was the only indication that the occupants had that it was daytime, that there was still a world out there. Of course, the hole was as much of a curse as it was a blessing. The rain that sometimes came would pour through it and create mud on the already dirty floor. The cavern itself left much to be desired for. There were stone formations that served as benches that ran along three of the four walls. The fourth 'wall' was made of metal bars, close enough together to prevent escape. Beyond that was another cavern was as empty as the first one had once been. All in all, the prisoners were not happy with the arrangements.
"How many days has it been now?" Eric, the Quantum Ranger, removed his hands from the bars and walked back over to the group.
"That depends," Tommy, former green, white, red, and the current Black Dino Ranger, replied, "For me, 15 days. Then again, I was the first one so..."
"Is this everybody? I mean, are there any more rangers out there?" Kira, the newest yellow ranger, asked. She watched as some of the older rangers looked at each other uneasily. She also noticed that they looked to Dr. O before they spoke. Having also been in the first bunch caught, Kira had observed the way that all of the rangers, past and present, regarded her science teacher as the unauthorized leader.
"There's only one more I believe. Kimberly, the first pink ranger. I tried to send her a warning, but I relied on her power signature alone. I managed to track her to a place that I thought I could reach her at. I don't know if she got the transmission I sent or not," Billy, former blue ranger, told the rest of the prisoners.
"What does that matter? It's not like one ranger will be enough. Especially one that doesn't even have powers anymore," Eric demanded. The confining walls were making there presence known in his attitude.
"It means there's hope." All the rangers, male and female, past and present, were silent.
---Sanctuary, 11:45 am, Sunday, October 3---
Jesse was not in a good mood. The disk that Lexa and Kim retrieved had been a total bust. There was another report that struck the mutant as odd as well. Bill Cooper, the man that the disk had been 'retrieved' from was reported missing by his family. The person in question should have been found frozen to death in an empty alleyway behind a bar in Las Angeles. Weird, but he'd seen weirder before. Jesse sighed and sat back, taking in all the information that had been thrust upon him in such a short period of time. Before he could resume his work, he heard Kim's voice over the comm link,
"Hey, guys. Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Yeah, sure. What's up?" That was Brennan.
"In person?" There was a split second pause before four answers came back, "Thanks. The Dojo in five minutes?" There were agreements from all around and the link was broken.
---Sanctuary, 11:50 am, Sunday, October 3---
"So, what's the problem?" Shalimar asked when they had all arrived. Kim took a deep breath,
"All of those people who were captured, the rangers, well they're my fiends. Some of them atleast. I have to do something. I can't just sit here and let whatever's got them get away with it. I understand if you don't want to help me because really, it's not your business; but I could really use you guys help."
"Kim you're part of the team now. Your problems become our problems. Trust me, I've had first hand experience," Brennan told her without hesitation. The Mutant X nodded in agreement. Kim looked at them. She really hadn't expected them to help her.
"Thanks," the rest was cut off by Lexa,
"Don't thank us yet. We may not even be able to find your friends much less rescue them."
"It's always the glass half empty with you isn't it?" Jesse looked at the molecular mutant.
"Hey, someone has to be the realist here."
"Alright you two," Shalimar admonished, "Does anyone know where we start? I somehow don't think that whoever...whatever's behind this is going to just surrender to us without a fight."
"Kim's thermal powers didn't work on the creatures. If that holds true to the ret of us, not only would we be going in blind but defenseless as well," Lexa told the others.
"First things first, we need to figure what those things were. It's easier to fight if we know what we're dealing with. I've been looking at samples that I got off the Helix. I can tell you that these things are not human. Nor have they ever been. I don't know what any of the stuff is that they're made of though. It's nothing I've seen before," Jesse shook his head, frustration apparent in his voice. He looked towards Kim, "I don't suppose you have any idea what they are?"
"No," Kim titled her head to the side thoughtfully, "But I may know where we can find out. Jesse, you and Lexa stay here ...yes Lexa, here..., and keep looking at those samples. See if there's anything you missed. Shalimar, Brennan, I don't suppose you're up for a little trip?"
"I'm already there," the elemental mutant grinned.
"Where are we going?" Shalimar asked as they all exited the Dojo.
"Billy, the guy in the transmission, kept a lab in his garage when we were rangers. If I'm not mistaken, it looked like that was where he was in the transmission. I don't know if he'll have anything, or if the lab is even there after he was attacked, but it's the only place I know to look." Kim explained as the three parted with their teammates and headed towards the hangar bay.
---Location Unknown, Time Unknown---
The Shadow King walked into the cave occupied by three of his best Shades. As one they sank to the ground, heads bowed in respect, fear, and awe. The King, looked at the creatures that knelt before him. They were not human, though some may look it. Shades were the advanced form of Crawlers, the creatures that made up most of the assault force. Unlike Crawlers, however, Shades were specially trained in one particular thing. Most were warriors, trained to wield weapons and lead an attack. Some were for other purposes. One of the ones that knelt before him now was a tracker by the name of Crevan. Crevan had been the one responsible for finding all of the rangers. The Shadow Kind addressed him now,
"Crevan, I have an assignment for you," he hissed, his voice low and cold.
"Anything that my lord wishes," the tracker Shade replied without raising his cloaked head.
"There is an item of great power that needs to be found. The Zeo Crystal is the only source of energy that the rangers have used, that has eluded me so far. I have new information regarding the matter now," with a wave of his hands, two Crawlers stepped out of the shadows holding an unconscious human man. "This man has information that might prove to be very useful. I want you to get it from him. He may be persuaded to join our side, if not, kill him. When you have the knowledge you need, begin the search," he waved his hand and the Crawlers began to move towards the exit still holding the man. "You are dismissed."
"Yes, my King," Crevan rose and followed the Crawlers out. There was silence again. The Shadow King regarded the other to Shades before him. Braeden and Keir were warriors, trained to lead an army of Crawlers into battle.
"I will need a distraction when the time comes to retrieve the Zeo Crystal. Another attack on the last ranger would be best. You will go when I give the signal. Have Crevan tell you where she is. This time," The King's voice dropped to a deadly whisper, "She will be captured or you will pay the consequences. Dismissed."
"Yes, My King," the two intoned before beating a hasty retreat.
"Soon," The Shadow King muttered when they were gone, "Soon."
---Angelgrove, California, 12:15 pm, Sunday, October 3---
"This is the house?" Brennan asked as they approached the comfy looking white building.
"Yeah, this is it. It doesn't look like anyone's home," Kim muttered as she peered through the window."
"There's not," Shalimar agreed, her feral senses confirmed her statement. She hopped off the porch and moved in front of the garage. With a quick glance up and down the street, she lifted the door. It slid up smoothly after the first initial tug and came back down just easily after they were all inside. With her sharpened eyesight she found the light switch and flipped it on. The sight that met them was total destruction.
"Damn," Brennan whistled, "Those things sure did a number on this place."
"I hope there's something here," Kim sighed as she began to pick through the debris that littered a table.
"What exactly are we looking for?" the feral wanted to know as she too began to search through the rubble.
"A disk, papers, notes, anything that may give us a clue as to what's going on," Kim replied. They continued in silence for a good twenty minutes before Brennan spoke,
"Hey," The two girls turned to look at the elemental. He held up a notebook. The pages were torn and the writing was nearly illegible. Kim took it from him and began to flip through. It was mostly formulas and charts that she couldn't make heads or tails of. She was about to give up and just take the thing back to Jesse when a page caught her eye.
"These creatures are known as Crawlers," Kim read out loud, "They are the army of the Shadow King. They remind me of the putties that we used to fight. They're the things responsible for the disappearance of the other rangers. I don't know exactly what the Shadow King wants with all of us but I do know he wants us out of the way for something. Something big." Kim stopped reading. The other two were looking at her expectantly.
"Well," Shalimar demanded.
"Well what? It ends. He must have stopped writing there," Kim responded.
"Something big," Brennan mused, "Do you think he knew what that 'something big' was?"
"I don't know. But if I know Billy, I'm sure he had some theories. Which," Kim added, "are probably in here." She held up the notebook. Brennan nodded and held out a disk.
"This was next to it."
"It's probably more research. We should get this stuff back to Jesse," the thermal looked around the room, "There's not much else we can do here." The other two nodded. Shalimar opened a comm link,
"Jesse, you there?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"We've got some notes on those creatures. Apparently they're called Crawlers. There's also a disk here but we don't know what's on it," Kim informed him.
"Any luck with the samples?" Brennan asked.
"No," That was Lexa, "Jesse's right. Whatever these things are made of, it's not found on Earth."
"Hopefully these will shed some light on them then," Kim replied.
"Hopefully," Jesse agreed, "I won't know until I have them though. You better get back here quickly. We don't know when those things, Crawlers, will attack again."
"You mean if they attack again," Shalimar let the garage slam shut and the three mutants took off towards the Helix that they'd parked a block over in a soccer field. There wasn't anyone using the field at the time but that didn't mean that there wouldn't be now. The faster they left, the better.
"No, I mean when. We've established that they want former rangers," Jesse continued, "I don't think that they're just going to give up after one try. Especially if Kim's the only one they need."
"Point taken," the feral told him, "We'll be there shortly." With that she ended the link.
"We should hurry," Brennan advised, "We don't want some kid running into the Helix."
"It's not like they can see it," Kim pointed out. They had left the jet on stealth since it was parked in the middle of a neighborhood.
"Do you really want people running around talking about a an invisible jet?" He asked, bemused.
"Oh. Yeah, that could cause problems."
"So could that," Shalimar gasped as she pointed ahead of them. There, standing in the middle of the street stood ten Crawlers and another creature. The other creature called out to them,
"I am Braeden, Warrior Shade. Surrender now!"
"I don't care if you're the Queen of England!" Kim snapped.
"If you want Kim you'll have to go through us first," Brennan yelled. With a flick of his hand the electricity that had been building up was launched at the nearest Crawler. It fell to the ground, dazed. A second later it was up again, and very angry. It charged towards Brennan and this seemed to trigger the rest into action. Kim threw up her arms and froze them all.
"Come on!" she said as she began to sprint up the street towards the Helix, the other two right beside her, "That won't hold them for long."
It took half a minute longer for the Crawlers to through the freeze this time. Light weakened them. By the time they had, the mutants had already reached the relative safety of the Helix.
"We can't leave them down there," Kim said, "They're in the middle of a neighborhood. Someone will get hurt."
"Look," Shalimar pointed down as the Helix flew over the spots that they had just stood. The Crawlers and Shade were no where to be found.
---Command Center Wreckage, Noon, Sunday, October 3---
"It is here," Crevan the tracker Shade told the others. Among them included Keir, and his group of Crawlers. "It is buried somewhere amidst the rubble."
"What are you waiting for?" Keir bellowed at the Crawlers, "Get to work!" In an instant they were tossing aside stones that once were part of the Power Rangers greatest defense. Crevan had gotten the information that he needed to track down the elusive Zeo Crystal. It was located where the Command Center/Power Chamber once stood. Somewhere, beneath the shattered stones lay the powerful crystal. He could feel it pulsing, just waiting to be released again. And it would too, if the King had a say in it. It would just be, slightly different. Suddenly, Crevan pointed to a Crawler directly to his left,
"It's just under you. Get it," he commanded. He may not be a warrior, but he ranked just as high when it came to Crawlers. The creature scurried to obey. With the lifting of a final rock, the Zeo Crystal glowed brightly. The Crawler nearest to it let out a shriek and disappeared in a puff of smoke. The others backed up, keeping their distance. Crevan had no such qualms. He strode forward and placed a bag that he'd been carrying over the crystal. The light dimmed, and then went out. He picked up the bag, Zeo Crystal still in it, and turned to the others, "Let us get back to our King." And then, they were gone.
---Location Unknown, Time Unknown---
The Shadow King walked into the cavern and up to the gate that held the prisoners. He unlocked the door and motioned to the five Shades that were with him. Each walked in and grabbed a person amidst screams and struggling. Finally one after another, they exited the cage, victims tight in their grips. The rest of the prisoners could only watch helplessly as their friends were dragged off to who knows where. The Shadow King stepped forward,
"Don't worry about your friends," he hissed, "You will see them again." He turned and walked towards the exit. When he got there he stopped, turning his head to look at them, "Although, you may not like what you see."
End of Chapter 2
Yes, the five rangers are ok. Physically anyways. As I'm sure most of you have guessed, they are to be turned evil. If there is a specific ranger you want to see evil then review and tell me. There will only be five. Three guys and two girls. It can be any ranger except, obviously, Kim. I don't care if they were evil before or not, but they do need to be someone I can work with. I have some people in mind already but I can be persuaded. Toodles!
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine. Anything you don't, a.k.a. The Shadow King, Shades, Crawlers, etc., mine. No money has been made.
Chapter Two: Never Give Up Hope
---Sanctuary, 11:30 am, Sunday, October 3---
Kim sighed as she lay on her bed. She had left shortly after explaining to the rest of Mutant X what she knew. They were taking it better than she had expected; better than they had any right to. Kim had always imagined that when telling her most guarded secret, her history as a Power Ranger, it would be to someone she was deeply in love with. He would tell her his most guarded secret and in return she would oblige him with hers. Funny how that worked out. Instead, she was faced with telling her new team about her old team whom were apparently gone. Yeah, great.
What Billy said was true. As far as she could tell anyways. Far be it for her to have actually kept up with ranger happenings. She had called up everyone she still had a number for. No one answered. Kim had Jesse get a list of all the missing people that had disappeared in concurrence with the creature attacks. She saw all of her former teammates on the list, and then some. There were so many. She hadn't realized the extent of the Power Ranger legacy until now. It was kind of sad really. That all the good that they had done, all the evil they'd fought would be for nothing.
No, not nothing, she decided. She would do everything in her power to get them back. She owed Zordon that much if not more. With a sigh, Kim heaved herself off her bed and walked over to the door. She needed to have a long talk with her teammates.
---Location Unknown, Time Unknown---
The cavern was laced in shadows. The only light came from the hole in the ceiling. Not a very big hole, only about 4 feet across in a shape that could be considered a circle. The sunlight streaming in was the only indication that the occupants had that it was daytime, that there was still a world out there. Of course, the hole was as much of a curse as it was a blessing. The rain that sometimes came would pour through it and create mud on the already dirty floor. The cavern itself left much to be desired for. There were stone formations that served as benches that ran along three of the four walls. The fourth 'wall' was made of metal bars, close enough together to prevent escape. Beyond that was another cavern was as empty as the first one had once been. All in all, the prisoners were not happy with the arrangements.
"How many days has it been now?" Eric, the Quantum Ranger, removed his hands from the bars and walked back over to the group.
"That depends," Tommy, former green, white, red, and the current Black Dino Ranger, replied, "For me, 15 days. Then again, I was the first one so..."
"Is this everybody? I mean, are there any more rangers out there?" Kira, the newest yellow ranger, asked. She watched as some of the older rangers looked at each other uneasily. She also noticed that they looked to Dr. O before they spoke. Having also been in the first bunch caught, Kira had observed the way that all of the rangers, past and present, regarded her science teacher as the unauthorized leader.
"There's only one more I believe. Kimberly, the first pink ranger. I tried to send her a warning, but I relied on her power signature alone. I managed to track her to a place that I thought I could reach her at. I don't know if she got the transmission I sent or not," Billy, former blue ranger, told the rest of the prisoners.
"What does that matter? It's not like one ranger will be enough. Especially one that doesn't even have powers anymore," Eric demanded. The confining walls were making there presence known in his attitude.
"It means there's hope." All the rangers, male and female, past and present, were silent.
---Sanctuary, 11:45 am, Sunday, October 3---
Jesse was not in a good mood. The disk that Lexa and Kim retrieved had been a total bust. There was another report that struck the mutant as odd as well. Bill Cooper, the man that the disk had been 'retrieved' from was reported missing by his family. The person in question should have been found frozen to death in an empty alleyway behind a bar in Las Angeles. Weird, but he'd seen weirder before. Jesse sighed and sat back, taking in all the information that had been thrust upon him in such a short period of time. Before he could resume his work, he heard Kim's voice over the comm link,
"Hey, guys. Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Yeah, sure. What's up?" That was Brennan.
"In person?" There was a split second pause before four answers came back, "Thanks. The Dojo in five minutes?" There were agreements from all around and the link was broken.
---Sanctuary, 11:50 am, Sunday, October 3---
"So, what's the problem?" Shalimar asked when they had all arrived. Kim took a deep breath,
"All of those people who were captured, the rangers, well they're my fiends. Some of them atleast. I have to do something. I can't just sit here and let whatever's got them get away with it. I understand if you don't want to help me because really, it's not your business; but I could really use you guys help."
"Kim you're part of the team now. Your problems become our problems. Trust me, I've had first hand experience," Brennan told her without hesitation. The Mutant X nodded in agreement. Kim looked at them. She really hadn't expected them to help her.
"Thanks," the rest was cut off by Lexa,
"Don't thank us yet. We may not even be able to find your friends much less rescue them."
"It's always the glass half empty with you isn't it?" Jesse looked at the molecular mutant.
"Hey, someone has to be the realist here."
"Alright you two," Shalimar admonished, "Does anyone know where we start? I somehow don't think that whoever...whatever's behind this is going to just surrender to us without a fight."
"Kim's thermal powers didn't work on the creatures. If that holds true to the ret of us, not only would we be going in blind but defenseless as well," Lexa told the others.
"First things first, we need to figure what those things were. It's easier to fight if we know what we're dealing with. I've been looking at samples that I got off the Helix. I can tell you that these things are not human. Nor have they ever been. I don't know what any of the stuff is that they're made of though. It's nothing I've seen before," Jesse shook his head, frustration apparent in his voice. He looked towards Kim, "I don't suppose you have any idea what they are?"
"No," Kim titled her head to the side thoughtfully, "But I may know where we can find out. Jesse, you and Lexa stay here ...yes Lexa, here..., and keep looking at those samples. See if there's anything you missed. Shalimar, Brennan, I don't suppose you're up for a little trip?"
"I'm already there," the elemental mutant grinned.
"Where are we going?" Shalimar asked as they all exited the Dojo.
"Billy, the guy in the transmission, kept a lab in his garage when we were rangers. If I'm not mistaken, it looked like that was where he was in the transmission. I don't know if he'll have anything, or if the lab is even there after he was attacked, but it's the only place I know to look." Kim explained as the three parted with their teammates and headed towards the hangar bay.
---Location Unknown, Time Unknown---
The Shadow King walked into the cave occupied by three of his best Shades. As one they sank to the ground, heads bowed in respect, fear, and awe. The King, looked at the creatures that knelt before him. They were not human, though some may look it. Shades were the advanced form of Crawlers, the creatures that made up most of the assault force. Unlike Crawlers, however, Shades were specially trained in one particular thing. Most were warriors, trained to wield weapons and lead an attack. Some were for other purposes. One of the ones that knelt before him now was a tracker by the name of Crevan. Crevan had been the one responsible for finding all of the rangers. The Shadow Kind addressed him now,
"Crevan, I have an assignment for you," he hissed, his voice low and cold.
"Anything that my lord wishes," the tracker Shade replied without raising his cloaked head.
"There is an item of great power that needs to be found. The Zeo Crystal is the only source of energy that the rangers have used, that has eluded me so far. I have new information regarding the matter now," with a wave of his hands, two Crawlers stepped out of the shadows holding an unconscious human man. "This man has information that might prove to be very useful. I want you to get it from him. He may be persuaded to join our side, if not, kill him. When you have the knowledge you need, begin the search," he waved his hand and the Crawlers began to move towards the exit still holding the man. "You are dismissed."
"Yes, my King," Crevan rose and followed the Crawlers out. There was silence again. The Shadow King regarded the other to Shades before him. Braeden and Keir were warriors, trained to lead an army of Crawlers into battle.
"I will need a distraction when the time comes to retrieve the Zeo Crystal. Another attack on the last ranger would be best. You will go when I give the signal. Have Crevan tell you where she is. This time," The King's voice dropped to a deadly whisper, "She will be captured or you will pay the consequences. Dismissed."
"Yes, My King," the two intoned before beating a hasty retreat.
"Soon," The Shadow King muttered when they were gone, "Soon."
---Angelgrove, California, 12:15 pm, Sunday, October 3---
"This is the house?" Brennan asked as they approached the comfy looking white building.
"Yeah, this is it. It doesn't look like anyone's home," Kim muttered as she peered through the window."
"There's not," Shalimar agreed, her feral senses confirmed her statement. She hopped off the porch and moved in front of the garage. With a quick glance up and down the street, she lifted the door. It slid up smoothly after the first initial tug and came back down just easily after they were all inside. With her sharpened eyesight she found the light switch and flipped it on. The sight that met them was total destruction.
"Damn," Brennan whistled, "Those things sure did a number on this place."
"I hope there's something here," Kim sighed as she began to pick through the debris that littered a table.
"What exactly are we looking for?" the feral wanted to know as she too began to search through the rubble.
"A disk, papers, notes, anything that may give us a clue as to what's going on," Kim replied. They continued in silence for a good twenty minutes before Brennan spoke,
"Hey," The two girls turned to look at the elemental. He held up a notebook. The pages were torn and the writing was nearly illegible. Kim took it from him and began to flip through. It was mostly formulas and charts that she couldn't make heads or tails of. She was about to give up and just take the thing back to Jesse when a page caught her eye.
"These creatures are known as Crawlers," Kim read out loud, "They are the army of the Shadow King. They remind me of the putties that we used to fight. They're the things responsible for the disappearance of the other rangers. I don't know exactly what the Shadow King wants with all of us but I do know he wants us out of the way for something. Something big." Kim stopped reading. The other two were looking at her expectantly.
"Well," Shalimar demanded.
"Well what? It ends. He must have stopped writing there," Kim responded.
"Something big," Brennan mused, "Do you think he knew what that 'something big' was?"
"I don't know. But if I know Billy, I'm sure he had some theories. Which," Kim added, "are probably in here." She held up the notebook. Brennan nodded and held out a disk.
"This was next to it."
"It's probably more research. We should get this stuff back to Jesse," the thermal looked around the room, "There's not much else we can do here." The other two nodded. Shalimar opened a comm link,
"Jesse, you there?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"We've got some notes on those creatures. Apparently they're called Crawlers. There's also a disk here but we don't know what's on it," Kim informed him.
"Any luck with the samples?" Brennan asked.
"No," That was Lexa, "Jesse's right. Whatever these things are made of, it's not found on Earth."
"Hopefully these will shed some light on them then," Kim replied.
"Hopefully," Jesse agreed, "I won't know until I have them though. You better get back here quickly. We don't know when those things, Crawlers, will attack again."
"You mean if they attack again," Shalimar let the garage slam shut and the three mutants took off towards the Helix that they'd parked a block over in a soccer field. There wasn't anyone using the field at the time but that didn't mean that there wouldn't be now. The faster they left, the better.
"No, I mean when. We've established that they want former rangers," Jesse continued, "I don't think that they're just going to give up after one try. Especially if Kim's the only one they need."
"Point taken," the feral told him, "We'll be there shortly." With that she ended the link.
"We should hurry," Brennan advised, "We don't want some kid running into the Helix."
"It's not like they can see it," Kim pointed out. They had left the jet on stealth since it was parked in the middle of a neighborhood.
"Do you really want people running around talking about a an invisible jet?" He asked, bemused.
"Oh. Yeah, that could cause problems."
"So could that," Shalimar gasped as she pointed ahead of them. There, standing in the middle of the street stood ten Crawlers and another creature. The other creature called out to them,
"I am Braeden, Warrior Shade. Surrender now!"
"I don't care if you're the Queen of England!" Kim snapped.
"If you want Kim you'll have to go through us first," Brennan yelled. With a flick of his hand the electricity that had been building up was launched at the nearest Crawler. It fell to the ground, dazed. A second later it was up again, and very angry. It charged towards Brennan and this seemed to trigger the rest into action. Kim threw up her arms and froze them all.
"Come on!" she said as she began to sprint up the street towards the Helix, the other two right beside her, "That won't hold them for long."
It took half a minute longer for the Crawlers to through the freeze this time. Light weakened them. By the time they had, the mutants had already reached the relative safety of the Helix.
"We can't leave them down there," Kim said, "They're in the middle of a neighborhood. Someone will get hurt."
"Look," Shalimar pointed down as the Helix flew over the spots that they had just stood. The Crawlers and Shade were no where to be found.
---Command Center Wreckage, Noon, Sunday, October 3---
"It is here," Crevan the tracker Shade told the others. Among them included Keir, and his group of Crawlers. "It is buried somewhere amidst the rubble."
"What are you waiting for?" Keir bellowed at the Crawlers, "Get to work!" In an instant they were tossing aside stones that once were part of the Power Rangers greatest defense. Crevan had gotten the information that he needed to track down the elusive Zeo Crystal. It was located where the Command Center/Power Chamber once stood. Somewhere, beneath the shattered stones lay the powerful crystal. He could feel it pulsing, just waiting to be released again. And it would too, if the King had a say in it. It would just be, slightly different. Suddenly, Crevan pointed to a Crawler directly to his left,
"It's just under you. Get it," he commanded. He may not be a warrior, but he ranked just as high when it came to Crawlers. The creature scurried to obey. With the lifting of a final rock, the Zeo Crystal glowed brightly. The Crawler nearest to it let out a shriek and disappeared in a puff of smoke. The others backed up, keeping their distance. Crevan had no such qualms. He strode forward and placed a bag that he'd been carrying over the crystal. The light dimmed, and then went out. He picked up the bag, Zeo Crystal still in it, and turned to the others, "Let us get back to our King." And then, they were gone.
---Location Unknown, Time Unknown---
The Shadow King walked into the cavern and up to the gate that held the prisoners. He unlocked the door and motioned to the five Shades that were with him. Each walked in and grabbed a person amidst screams and struggling. Finally one after another, they exited the cage, victims tight in their grips. The rest of the prisoners could only watch helplessly as their friends were dragged off to who knows where. The Shadow King stepped forward,
"Don't worry about your friends," he hissed, "You will see them again." He turned and walked towards the exit. When he got there he stopped, turning his head to look at them, "Although, you may not like what you see."
End of Chapter 2
Yes, the five rangers are ok. Physically anyways. As I'm sure most of you have guessed, they are to be turned evil. If there is a specific ranger you want to see evil then review and tell me. There will only be five. Three guys and two girls. It can be any ranger except, obviously, Kim. I don't care if they were evil before or not, but they do need to be someone I can work with. I have some people in mind already but I can be persuaded. Toodles!