Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Saban, Disney, or any other owners of the Power Rangers series. All copyrighted material is property of its respective owners. Power Rangers, all its past and present incarnations, and all its distinctive likenesses are trademarked and copyrighted by Disney and Saban Entertainment.
Power Rangers Militia
Episode
3: Call to Arms, Part 3
Written by Database
Ranger
His fist flew with lightning
fast speed, followed soon after by his knee, delivering a powerful
kick. The rapid fire assault of blows continued on for several
minutes before he finally began to tire. His short dark hair was
dripping with sweat, which flowed freely down his Asian features,
while his exposed and strained arm muscles glistened with moisture.
Deciding that he had had enough of a workout for one day, he showed
mercy upon the badly bruised punching bag and went to go grab a
towel.
It seemed as though he had been spending a lot of time
in the gym lately. After all, considering his present status, there
wasn't much else he could do. Reaching a nearby bench, he sat down
and pulled a small towel out of his gym bag. After he had wiped off
some of the sweat he had accumulated during the workout, the young
man took a few sips from his water bottle to replace the moisture
flowing freely from his pores. He surveyed the rest of the gym, which
was virtually empty. Most of the others would be running drills about
this time. He sighed. I should be with them, he thought.
Lost
in himself, he was startled when he heard someone politely cough
behind him. Turning, he saw two men at the door, wearing identical
black suits and sunglasses.
"Kevin Kahn?" The one on the
right questioned. The young man arched an eyebrow as he stood to face
the two strangers.
"That's me. Is there something I can
help you two with?"
"We need you to come with us," said
the other. "It is extremely important."
"Your country
needs you," the first one added, obviously know the effect that
phrase would have.
Kevin was doubtful for a moment. He was
barely a week into his probation, and suddenly they wanted him back
again?
Fortunately for the two men, that moment didn't last
long. His government apparently didn't know what it wanted, but he
sure did. He grinned and tugged at his sweat-stained red tank
top.
"Mind if I change first?"
Lifting his head up off his pillow, the brown haired young man watched as the door to his cell slid open, cringing slightly at the sound. Seeing someone walk in, he picked himself up off his cot, dusted off his rumpled green dress shirt, and stood to face them. From the looks of him, he had just been awakened from a very relaxing nap, despite his current environment.
"Jack Baines," spoke the suited man in front of him. "I'm here to bail you out." Sighing, she ruffled through her six-inch-thick pile of paperwork. Had it really been only three years since she had taken this job? It felt like an eternity. Another of her many braids fell over her pretty brown face, obscuring her vision. Taking off her orange hair band, she reached to tie her hair back up into pony tail, and wished someone would fall out the sky and take her back to the kind of work she'd done before. Work that really made her feel like she was making a difference. Suddenly, she heard someone knock on the wall of her cubicle.
"Tara Geddon?" asked the man in black. "And first place in the Motocross event goes to... Samantha Harding!" the voice over the loudspeaker announced. The blonde motorcyclist walked up to accept her award, tucking her hair behind her ear and smiling modestly as she did so. Holding the trophy in her hands, she couldn't believe that she had come so far. So much had changed in the past two years. She had changed.
The only thing that could have made the moment better would have been if Kelsey was there to share it with her. The former Yellow Ranger had been such a good friend to her, encouraging her return to Motocross and helping keep her smiling, it almost seemed like she should be up there accepting the trophy with her. What sort of emergency could have drawn her away?
As she stepped down into the crowd, two men in black suits walked up to her. She suddenly got the distinct feeling that her questions were about to be answered. "Got it," he said, snapping shut his cell phone. "They have the fourth one now. Our guy's the last of them. What's the name again?"
"Pablo Diaz."
"Right. Let's find him."
The two men surveyed the library, the multitude of shelves reflecting off their dark shaded glasses. Rounding a corner, they came up on the ancient mythology section, and a young man of Hispanic descent, wearing a black vest over his gray T-shirt and intently reading a very thick book. As they walking up in front of him, he glanced at them over his glasses.
"You two looking for someone?" "I still can't believe I'm doing this," muttered General McKnight, pacing up and down worriedly. "How do we even know these people are qualified? For that matter, how do we even know they can be trusted? You said that the Tormenta are shape-shifters." Billy Cranston watched him calmly from his wheelchair.
"I ran a thorough check on their bio-signatures. If they were Tormenta, I would know. As for their qualifications, they seem to be the only five individuals around with the M-Factor, which means that we really have no choice but to trust them."
"And how do I know I can trust you?" He paused then, leveling his gaze on the mysterious genius who seemed to have started this whole thing.
"You don't. But, like I said before, you don't have much choice." "Does anyone know what this thing is all about?" Jack Baines was one very confused man at the moment. First some guy shows up and bails him out of jail, the next thing he knows he's on his way to city limits of Orange Valley. From the looks of things, he was in a government office building, and he was getting the distinct feeling he had just gotten himself into an even bigger mess than before. The man who had picked him up looked over towards him and arched an eyebrow. Jack raised his hands defensively. "Not that I'm complaining or anything. This definitely looks better than another night in a jail cell. I just want to make sure I'm not jumping out of the frying pan and into the fryer here."
"I'm sure that they will tell us what is going on when the time is right." Looking every bit the military man, Kevin Kahn kept his back straight and his eyes focused forward, not bothering to even glance at the man on his left. He had no idea what this criminal had to do with him, but if the two of them were going to have to be working together, then this new assignment was going to be very unpleasant.
"I have a good idea," Tara Geddon said, trying to hold back a smile. This whole situation was becoming more and more familiar. Five young adults, each picked up by government agents, and taken to a secret location without more than a few words from their abductors. Oh yes, she had definitely seen this situation before.
Both Samantha Harding and Pablo Diaz had remained silent during their respective trips, and that had not changed upon entering the office building with the others. Sam was sure that this had something to do with whatever had drawn Kelsey from the X-treme Tournament, and as for Pablo... the quiet young man had his own suspicions.
The group of thirteen marched down the long corridor, with four agents leading and four more keeping up the rear as they led the five abductees towards what had once been a five-inch thick security door. Now, only a few twisted pieces of metal lingered on the edges of the doorframe. Jack whistled as they walked by, looking over the scorched walls.
"Looks like you guys had quite a security breach, huh?"
After a few more corridors and several flights of stairs, the group had reached a section of the building that still remained unscathed from the attack that had occurred no more than an hour ago. A sleek metal door stood in front of them, with a computer panel to the right of it. One of the agents leaned down to the panel, entering in the private security codes, voiceprint, and retinal scan. The door slid open to reveal a thin, stern-looking man in full military dress.
"I welcome you to the Militia Terrabase," spoke McKnight. "Regretfully, there is no time for a proper tour. The world we know is in grave danger, and the five of you are the only hope it has. What you are about to be shown is to be held in full confidence. If you are willing to accept the task I am about to present to you, then follow me."
Nodding, Kevin stepped forward to follow the elderly general, followed soon after by a determined Tara, a worried Sam, and a curious Pablo. Jack lingered behind, looking around at the agents surrounding him, then hung his head down, sighed, and hurried to catch up with the others as they entered an elevator on the other side of the room. "Welcome to Sector M-5, General McKnight." The silver doors of the elevator slid open, revealing the room that acted as the primary center of command for the entire base. In the center of the room sat a man in a wheelchair, maybe a few years older than the five young adults following McKnight. Lying on his lap was a circular silver case, and standing by his side was a strange humanoid female, dressed in peculiar robes of black, pink, and lavender, with an alien gold and purple crest covering most of her face and scalp. McKnight paused and turned to gesture at the man in the wheelchair.
"People, this is William Cranston. Perhaps he would be the best in explaining our current dilemma, since he and his wife were the ones to bring it to our attention in the first place." The entire group was a bit startled at the word "wife", but chose not to interrupt, though Jack's eyes were wide as saucers.
"Thank you, General," said Cranston, turning to the group. "There isn't much time, so I'll be brief. An evil alien force has come to Earth. They are known as the Tormenta. Their primary goal is to capture an object of extreme power, known as the Star. If they succeed, the results will be disastrous. At this moment, the Lightspeed Rangers and Silver Guardians are battling their forces in the streets of Orange Valley, and we don't know how much longer they will be able to hold out. We believe that the power of the Star is the only thing that is capable of destroying them." He took a deep breath, and then opened the silver case on his lap to reveal the five Militia Morphers and the M-Badges. "The five of you have been chosen to harness this power, and save this world from the forces of evil. If you accept this responsibility, you will become the Power Rangers Militia."
Five jaws dropped open. Even Tara, who had suspected this since she had been abducted from her office cubicle, stood there in stunned silence. She was the first to recover, though, and quickly stepped forward. William Cranston held up the case to her, and she gently reached out to accept the Orange Militia Morpher and M-Badge. Turning to face the others, she flashed a pretty smile.
"This is something I've wanted to do ever since working with Lightspeed. There's no way I'm going to pass up this chance."
The next to step up was Kevin, with a determined look in his eyes and the hint of a grin tugging at the side of his mouth. Something about the center of that case seemed to call to him, as he reached forwards to pick up the Red Militia Morpher and M-Badge. He turned to face General McKnight before he went to stand beside Tara.
"I've been waiting for the opportunity to see some action, sir. It will be an honor to serve both my country and my planet."
Samantha followed soon after. She looked at the Yellow Militia Morpher and M-Badge, and smiled before taking the two devices out of the silver case. She looked up at the man offering them to her with gratitude in her eyes.
"The Yellow Lightspeed Ranger is a close friend of mine. If this will help her and the other Rangers, then I'm in, no doubt."
Pablo was right behind Sam, and after she had stepped aside to join Kevin and Tara, he walked up to accept his new responsibility. As he looked down at the Black Militia Morpher and M-Badge he held in his hands, he spoke aloud at no one in particular.
"After all these years of studying monsters, I can hardly believe that I'll finally be helping defend the world against some real ones."
Pablo took his place with the others, leaving Jack by himself. Out of the five of them, he seemed least comfortable with this situation. He had never been a hero before, and there were already a few people out there who thought him a villain. Shifting from foot to foot, he looked up at Cranston, looking him square in the eye.
"Why me?" he asked. "Why trust this power to someone like me?"
The man in the wheelchair chuckled a bit at this question, as though it had some sense of nostalgic value. He smiled at Jack reassuringly.
"Because there are only a select few that can use the power of the Star, and you are one of them. Trust me; the power would not accept you unless you already had the power to do some good in this world." The last bit was what got him. The power to do some good in the world. This was what echoed through Jack's mind as he accepted the Green Militia Morpher and M-Badge.
"Well," he said, grinning as he walked over to the others. "I have to admit, this place looks a lot better than prison." Jack and the four other newly designated Rangers now stood in a line facing General McKnight, each of them pocketing and M-Badge or strapping a Militia Morpher onto their right wrist. He nodded towards them, then called out to a pair of scientists who had remained unnoticed until now.
"Fairweather. Rawlings. I think it's time to introduce our new recruits to the Terra Cruiser."
"The what?" voiced Jack, as the pair stepped up behind General McKnight.
"Your ride," replied Clarke Fairweather. "Follow us." Parked in front of the Rangers was a sleek blue vehicle, designed to seat a driver and four passengers, no more, no less. A huge black wheel was at the front and the rear of the Terra Cruiser, with a stylized silver M adorning the front bumper. Each seat was colored, indicated who was meant to sit in it, with red in the front, orange and yellow in the middle, and green and black taking up the rear. Clarke proudly introduced the new Rangers to his creation.
"I like to think that the Militia project has picked up where Lightspeed left off. While the Lightspeed Rangers have the Rescue Rover, you will ride the Terra Cruiser into battle. This new vehicle is faster, more maneuverable, and better shielded. It will get you where you need to be, when you need to be there, and see that nothing happens to you in between." As he spoke, the Rangers each got in their seats, matching up the seat colors to the Morphers they had chosen.
"When you get there," Angela spoke up, "morph immediately. We don't know how much longer the others can hold out, so we can't afford to waste time. Your Milidisks are in your M-Badges. To morph, insert the disk into the side of your Morpher and call out the activation code, 'Armed and Dangerous'. You'll know what to do from there."
"Will do," said Kevin as he finished securing his safety belt. "Now I have a question. How do I drive this thing?"
"You won't have to," replied Clarke, walking over to a nearby control panel. "The coordinates are programmed into the Cruiser. All you need to do is sit back and enjoy the ride." He hit a few buttons and the five passengers were startled as clear panels slid up and out of the side doors, curving up to meet at the bar that ran along the center of the Terra Cruiser. Between the windshield, doors, and panels, they were completely protected, and effect gave their vehicle an even sleeker appearance than before. Another few taps and a circular door opened in front of them. They heard a hum as the engine revved up, and suddenly they were off like a rocket through the exit tunnel.
"WOOOOOHOOOO!" Jack cried out, as the tunnel twisted upwards, and another circular door opened in front of them, revealing clear blue sky. The Terra Cruiser shot up into the air, then landed smoothly on the streets of Orange Valley. Behind them, the exit tunnel closed up, leaving no clue that five people in a rocket car had just been launched out of the center of Nectarine Park. After nearly two solid hours of fighting Necrons, the seven Rangers weren't just tired, they were exhausted. They had all pushed their powers and their bodies to the limit, but nothing seemed to put a dent in the Tormenta army. Far too many times now, a Ranger had been saved by a lucky shot by a Silver Guardian. Despite being unpowered humans, the defense force was an immense help. From the sidelines, they were able to keep the Necrons from overwhelming their leaders and the Lightspeed team. Unfortunately, they were running low on ammunition, and things were looking grim.
"Carter! Watch your back!" Wes cried out, shooting down a Necron before it was able to slash the Red Lightspeed Ranger with its Spinal Scimitar.
"Thanks!" replied Carter, just before parrying another attack with his V-Lancer. After slashing the creature across the chest, he paused a moment to grab his own. His heart was pumping a mile a minute. He looked over at Chad, who was fighting bravely to protect Kelsey. The Yellow Ranger had been knocked down by one of her opponents, and had not yet regained enough strength to get back up. It was strange to see the usually energetic girl lying on her side like that, but he didn't have much time to worry about her before yet another attacker came at him from the right.
Joel and Dana were side by side, firing outward with their Rescue Blasters while Eric used the sword form of his Quantum Defender to fight off any enemies who managed to get in too close.
"I can't believe that even the Mega Battles didn't put a dent in these guys!" the Quantum Ranger exclaimed.
"I know," said Joel. "All mine managed to do was slow me down!"
"We can't keep this up much longer," panted Dana. "We need help!"
On the other side of the street, Chad overheard his fellow Rangers' conversation, in between the blows he was trading with his opponents. Looking over his shoulder at his fallen friend, the Blue Ranger shook his head and spoke quietly.
"We don't need help," he told himself. "We need a miracle."
Right at that moment, a streak of blue came tearing down the street, twisting and turning to avoid the Rangers and Guardians, while at the same time knocking over as many Necrons as possible. It skidded to a halt at the edge of the battlefield, and the fighters saw that it was a two wheeled vehicle, sleek and streamlined, with a clear elongated dome protecting the five humans inside. Supports immediately dropped down to keep it upright, as the dome split and slid into the side doors. Kevin, Jack, Tara, Sam, and Pablo leaped out, looking very much like they had just ridden the world's fastest roller coaster. In truth, the ride in the Terra Cruiser had been far more intense.
"Need some help?" asked Samantha. At her voice, the Yellow Lightspeed Ranger lifted up her head. Behind her visor, Kelsey's eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the speaker.
"Sam?" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"We're the reinforcements!" Kevin told her, showing his M-Badge. He looked back to the others. "You guys ready?"
"Ready!" they replied, brandishing their own M-Badges. Then, in unison, all five flipped open their Badges to reveal their quarter-sized silver Milidisks. They removed the Disks, and in one smooth motion closed their M-Badges, bringing the handheld devices up over their left shoulders and sliding their Milidisks into their Militia Morphers.
"Armed and Dangerous!" they cried into their Morphers, then thrust their Badges out in front of them. The Militia Morphers glowed red, green, orange, yellow, and black, then each shot a beam of light that went right through the hand of its wearer, charging up the M-Badge. Streams of white and blue light shot out of the M-Badges, and the five young adults were quickly ensconced in spheres of light, while the Power Rangers and Silver Guardians looked on in astonishment. Within those spheres, transformations were taking place.
Kevin's sphere was tinged with red, and inside it, he was amazed to see his M-Badge dissipate into energy and travel up along his arm, leaving behind a white glove with a red stripe that covered his entire thumb. The Militia Morpher was left unchanged, embedded in the white material. The glove ended, its edge trimmed with blue, but the energy continued to travel up his arm. As he brought his fist up to his face, blue material formed on the rest of his arm, until it reached his shoulder, which was quickly covered in white. The energy traveled along the right side of his body, continuing the formation of blue material all the way down his leg, where a white boot formed that was of the same style as the glove, trimmed with blue and with a red stripe down the front.
It was then that the energy left him. He dropped his arm to his side and watched as it shot off his foot in the form of a red ball and merged with the sphere of light. Suddenly he was surrounded with red. He crossed his arms over his chest to brace himself, as the ball of energy shot back at him and hit his abdomen, pulling the sphere of light along with it like a vacuum. Kevin absorbed it all, the uncovered half of his body glowing bright red until the entire sphere had disappeared, and he dropped his arms down to reveal his new form.
He was no longer Kevin Kahn. On his hands and feet were white gloves and boots, trimmed with blue and striped red, with the Red Militia Morpher embedded in the right glove. The right side of his body was covered in blue, the left side red. His shoulders were sheathed in white, and a white belt encircled his waist. Hanging from the right side of the belt was a holstered laser pistol, while on the left was a sheathed dagger. Adorning his belt buckle was the Red M-Badge. Over his heart was an emblem of a red jet flying through a blue circle, and underneath it was a horizontal bar of five colored squares, red, green, orange, yellow, and black. A thick black line separated the red side of his body from the blue, traveling up between his legs, beneath his belt, and up towards his right shoulder, before changing direction sharply to sweep over his left shoulder and down his back.
His neck was white, leading up to a red helmet that covered his entire head. Where his mouth once was, there was now a featureless piece of silver metal. Above it was a black visor, shaped very much like a stretched out "V". To either side of the visor was a circular silver earpiece with a red "1" imprinted on it. The white plate shielding his forehead was marked with a large red "M", identical to the one marking his Militia Morpher and M-Badge. Sweeping his fists out in front of him, he announced his new identity.
"Red Militia Power Ranger!" he called, opening his fists and crossing his arms over his chest before stepping and leaning forward with his arms swept out behind him like wings.
Behind and to the right of the Red Militia Ranger, a green sphere of light disappeared to reveal another figure. His uniform matched the Red Ranger's, except that the red portions had been replaced with green, and his visor was an oval, with a thick green vertical line coming halfway down into it. On the side of his helmet was a green "2", and the emblem on his chest showed a green tank plowing through a blue circle. As he swept his fists forward, the one who had formally been Jack Baines identified himself.
"Green Militia Power Ranger!" he cried out, also crossing his arms in front of him, but then stepping forward and down and swinging his fists out in front of him like a battering ram.
On the opposite side of the Red Ranger, the orange sphere cleared to show a distinctly feminine figure. Her uniform was identical to the other two, except orange where the others had been green and red. Her visor was shield-shaped, squared at the top, but curving down to a point at the bottom, and the number "3" marked her silver earpiece. A V-2 Halftrack roared through the blue circle of the emblem worn by the one who had been Tara Geddon.
"Orange Militia Power Ranger!" she yelled out, sweeping her arms forward and then crossing them over her chest like the others before stepping back and turning her body sideways, her left fist stretched out in front of her while the other was held ready at her belt.
Behind and to the left of the Orange Ranger, where Samantha Harding had stood, the yellow sphere released another feminine figure, one dressed in yellow. Her visor was a rectangle with rounded off corners, and she had a "4" imprinted on the side of her helmet. A charged Humvee in a blue circle was her emblem.
"Yellow Militia Power Ranger!" she announced, dropping into a pose as the others had, stepping forward and down to bring her left forearm in front of her and her right fist to her waist.
Lastly, opposite the Yellow Ranger, behind and to the right of the Green, the black sphere of light dispersed. Where Pablo Diaz had been was now a male figure in black. A white line outlined his "X"-shaped visor, and a black "5" was on his earpiece. On his emblem, a helicopter chopped its way through its blue circle.
"Black Militia Power Ranger!" he said, following the lead of the others, then stepping and leaning forward with his left forearm in front of him and his right arm stretched out behind.
The five transformed individuals then broke their poses, reversing the motions they had just made and declaring to everyone the name of their new team.
"Power Rangers... Militia!" The battle was joined. The Militia Rangers were now proving themselves to be valuable fighters, and the Rangers that were there before now fought with renewed hope and strength. The Silver Guardians were out of ammunition, and quickly found themselves unneeded, as they watched the new team split up and join forces with the others.
Back to back, the Black Militia and Green Lightspeed Rangers fought bravely. Pablo reached towards his belt to unsheathe a blue-hilted silver dagger with a golden "M"-shaped guard, while Joel reached for his Rescue Blaster.
"M-Dagger!"
"Rescue Blaster, Baton Mode!"
Joel parried a Necron attack, then spun away so his partner could slash it across the chest. To the surprise of all three, the attack left a deep cut in the creature's chest armor that did not heal. The Green Ranger shook his head and looked at the man standing beside him.
"Looks like you fellas got here just in time!" Sam had immediately run over to aid Chad and Kelsey. The Yellow Lightspeed Ranger was finally back on her feet, but both she and the Blue Ranger had suffered heavily in this battle.
"Hey guys! Line up some for me!"
"You got it!" they replied, each dodging an attack, causing two of the Necrons to collide between them. The moment they did, the Yellow Militia Ranger ducked down into a roll, kicking both soldiers square in the chest as she brought her feet around, then flipping back up into a fighting stance. In all the chaos, Carter and Dana had gotten thrown in together, along with the Orange Militia Ranger. As the trio was quickly surrounded by Necrons, the two Lightspeed Rangers drew their Rescue Blasters. Tara reached for her right hip and pulled out a blue laser pistol marked with a golden "M".
"Rescue Blasters!"
"M-Pistol!"
"Let's do it!" they cheered to each other. Back to back to back, the three Rangers rotated around, stunning the Necrons with their Rescue Blasters, and then taking them down with powerful blasts from the M-Pistol. By the time they stopped spinning, not one of those Necrons were left standing. The Green Militia Ranger was doing his best to fight off the creatures attacking him, hacking, slashing, and stabbing with his M-Dagger as best as he could. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, as one of them nailed him with a kick to the stomach. He dropped to his knees, and looked up to see a Spinal Scimitar come swinging down towards him. Before he even had a chance to react, the blade was parried by the Quantum Ranger, who then followed through with a kick to the creature's midsection.
"Thanks," Jack said, getting up to meet his rescuer.
"You just learned one of the most important rules about being a Ranger," Eric told him. "Never be afraid to ask for help."
The new Ranger nodded in understanding, and the two dove back into battle together. A blur of red moved swiftly through the sea of skeletal soldiers. The Red Militia Ranger had joined up with the Red Time Force Ranger, and the two were proving to be a formidable fighting force. Wes delivered a sidekick that sent one Necron flying straight into Kevin's roundhouse, knocking it to the ground with a satisfying thud. Using the momentum from his kick, the Militia Ranger followed up with a punch to the gut of another Necron, and then flipped it over his shoulder.
"Chronosabers!" Turning around, he saw Wes summon his twin weapons, delivering a powerful spinning slash across the chests of three Necrons.
"Good idea!" Kevin exclaimed, drawing his M-Pistol, then switching it over to his left hand so he could draw his M-Dagger. Spinning around, he slashed one enemy across the chest before blasting another in the shoulder. The tide had now turned in the Rangers' favor, as the Necrons quickly found themselves clustered in the center of the street, surrounded by a dozen Power Rangers. The Red Militia Ranger stepped forward, wielding both M-Dagger and M-Pistol. He looked to his teammates.
"I say we finish this!"
"Right!" they all agreed, as they too drew their weapons. They then each slid the blade of their M-Dagger into the back of their M-Pistol, until the dagger's "M"-shaped guard locked in between the golden "M"s on either side of the pistol, causing the M-Pistol's barrel to extend, doubling in length.
"Militia Blasters!" they all called out, as they aimed for the center of the circle. "Fire!"
Despite their incredible healing capabilities, the Necrons were unable to withstand five laser blasts fueled with the power of the Star itself, and the creatures were reduced to dust. From their remains, the souls that had been used to create them swirled upwards and into the sky. The Power Rangers and the Silver Guardians held their breaths in disbelief for a moment before breaking out into celebration. Everyone cheered and patted the new Rangers on their backs, congratulating them on a job well done.
The celebration was short-lived, though, as a sudden impact shook the ground beneath their feet. Their heads whipped around to see a massive beast standing in the middle of a nearby intersection. It was wearing golden chest armor, and silver fur ran all along its body. Over its face was a sneering golden mask, carved to look like a jackal. The creature was soon joined by two more strange beings. The one that landed to his right looked like a man wearing billowy pants and black chest armor, but his skin was marred with deformed faces, and he wore a frowning black mask. Landing to the left was what appeared to be a woman in a purple gown, but she was far too thin and pale, with long claws and a smiling white mask.
The Rangers stared in stunned silence for a moment before the Black Ranger stepped forward.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"Who ME?!" the massive beast roared, pounding its chest. "Me Beast General ANUBALON!"
"And I am Lord Typhus," spoke the male creature to his right.
"And I am Lady Azala," added the female.
"We TORMENTA!" announced Anubalon proudly.
"Then you are the ones responsible for all this!" accused Kevin, stepping up beside Pablo. Azala chuckled in response.
"That's right," she said. "We were the ones who set loose the Necrons."
"And you will pay for destroying my creations," Typhus told them sternly.
"Us have big surprise for you," Anubalon rumbled.
"It's a new friend of ours," said Azala.
"And an old friend of yours," finished Typhus. With that, a fourth creature leapt down from the rooftops. This one was silver and gold, and most definitely male. Its muscles might not have been as intimidating as Anubalon's, but this monster appeared to be a far more formidable fighter. It had white boots and gloves trimmed with broad bands of gold, and a golden belt with a circular buckle. A broad golden stripe traveled up its abdomen and split at its chest to merge with the two huge shoulder pads that extended a foot beyond each arm. In its hand was a huge silver battleaxe with a black and gold blade. Covering its head was a silver helmet, with a black visor trimmed with gold, shaped like an enormous "V", and extending from its chin to a foot beyond the top of its head. Where its eyes would be, it wore a black eye mask with a white gem between the eyes. When it spoke, its voice sounded like cold steel.
"I am Neo-Titan."
The Pink Lightspeed Ranger gasped, recognizing the voice and its owner despite all the twisted distortion. The others looked back at her, not understanding.
"Dana," asked Wes, "do you know this guy?"
"Yes," she replied, trembling. "It... it's Ryan. It's my brother."
Carter whipped his head back around, realizing the truth of his teammate's words.
"Alright, Tormenta, what have you done to Ryan?"
"He meet master," Anubalon chuckled. "Master make him better. Make him strong. Make him TORMENTA!" With that, he began laughing maniacally. "Now we make him better too!" He continued laughing as Azala stepped up in front of him, and began to swirl her arms around in a strange, seductive dance, singing a strange siren song as she did so. The Rangers looked up to the sky, and watched in horror as the souls that had been released from the Necrons descended back down towards them. They swirled around Azala, until Typhus stepped forward and let loose a deep bellow. Extending his right hand forward, he drew them all into the mouth that opened in his palm. Spinning around, he issued a blast from his left hand straight into Neo-Titan's back. The former Ranger arched his back in pain at first, then began to accept it, allowing the souls to feed into his body, increasing his size and strength, causing him to grow. By the time all the souls had been released into the monster's body, Neo-Titan towered above the Rangers, exceeding the height of every building in the city.
"Aw, man. I wish I hadn't left my Q-Rex at home!" Eric groaned. "No!" McKnight shouted, slamming his hands down on the console. "I was afraid this would happen! We're not ready for this!"
Billy looked over at him, his brow creased with worry.
"Do you have any way to help them? Zords? Anything?"
"Of course we do! The Militia project originally began as a Zord experiment. They were intended to work off the technology that was pioneered by the Lifeforce Megazord over three years ago. The whole point of creating the Rangers was to have pilots that could withstand the extreme physical strain of piloting such a Zord."
"Then why don't you send those Zords out now?"
"We haven't had a chance to test them! We never had pilots before!"
"Well, you have five pilots now, General. I think it's time for that test."
General McKnight struggled with himself for a moment before looking up at the monitor again. He nodded as he made his decision.
"Open communications channel." "We need to get him away from the city!" Wes told his partner.
"Right," Eric replied. "TF Eagle!"
"Strata Cycle!"
The two thrust their fists up in the air as two portals opened in the sky. From one came the Quantum Ranger's sleek white jet, while the Red Ranger's red and silver hover cycle flew through the other. The two Time Force Rangers leapt up and onto their vehicles, flying off in hope of somehow saving the city. Meanwhile, the Lightspeed Rangers were trying to comfort Dana, and the Militia Rangers were having a meeting of their own.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Samantha asked aloud. "We can't just stand by and do nothing."
Before Kevin could respond, a voice came through loud and clear in their helmets.
"Rangers," General McKnight told them. "You need to return to the Terra Cruiser."
"Retreat, sir?" Kevin asked.
"No, quite the contrary. Just get in there and place your M-Badges on the consoles."
"Right. Let's go, guys."
"We'll be right back, Kelse!" Sam shouted over to the Lightspeed Rangers as the five of them ran back to their sleek vehicle and hopped into their color-coded seats. In front of each of them was a computer console with a triangular indentation. Reaching for their belts, they each removed their M-Badge and placed it in the console in front of them. Suddenly, the panels slid shut again, and they were off, racing down to the harbor.
As they neared the water, they watched in awe as an enormous ship emerged from the waves, bigger than any aircraft carrier. They braced themselves as they launched off the edge of the pier and onto the deck of the skip, where yet another access tunnel opened up. Inside the ship, they were greeted by a mechanical female voice, much like the one they had heard in the Terrabase.
"Welcome to Fortriton, Power Rangers. Prepare for ejection."
"Ejection?" Jack asked nervously. He was suddenly answered when the Terra Cruiser came to an abrupt halt, its panels opening to reveal five large color-coded tubes, one over each of their seats. Each seat then shot up and into a tube, bringing each Ranger along for the ride. The thrill ride lasted only a few seconds before each of them were deposited in a separate cockpit.
Kevin looked down at his control panel, which had remained attached to his seat the entire time, and was now linking up to the larger panel of the cockpit. He read the screen in front of him, and announced his status to the others over his comlink, hearing his teammates doing the same.
"Milizord 1, online!" said Kevin.
"Milizord 2, online!" said Jack.
"Milizord 3, online!" said Tara.
"Milizord 4, online!" said Samantha.
"Milizord 5, online!" said Pablo. Fortriton lifted up above the waters, and sailed through the skies. It did look very much like an aircraft carrier, except for its size, and the long laser cannon mounted on its deck. Hoverjets beneath the hull allowed it to rise above the city, as five compartments began to open up. The starboard side of the deck opened up, and out flew Milizord 1, a sleek red jet, styled after an F-15. The starboard side of the hull released Milizord 2, a powerful green tank, which hit the ground running. The front of the hull opened next, letting out Milizord 3, a huge V-2 Halftrack hauling an enormous missile. The port side of the hull then opened, and Milizord 4, a yellow Humvee, sped out and joined the other two earthbound Zords. Lastly, Milizord 5 lifted up and out of the port side of the deck, modeled after an Apache helicopter.
The five Milizords raced along the outskirts of town to the nearby mountain range, where the two Time Force Rangers had managed to lure Neo-Titan. They were still flying around the giant deformed Titanium Ranger, taking random shots to irritate him into following them. They had managed to keep just out of his range up until this point, but after a full day of fighting, they were growing weary, and it was only a matter of time before they were swatted out of the sky.
"Stand down, guys!" Kevin told them over the comlink. "The cavalry's here!"
"Whoa!" exclaimed Wes, seeing the Zords heading towards them. "You got it guys!" He and Eric twisted off to the side, flying back towards the city.
"Alright, Rangers," General McKnight instructed them. "This is your first test of your new Zords, so don't try anything fancy. It will take time to accustom yourselves to the physical strain, so I want you in and out before you begin to feel any weakness. Initiate Militia Megazord sequence now!"
"Right, sir," Kevin replied. He looked down to see his hands trembling a bit on the controls, and his eyes opened wide in shock. Concentrating hard, he steadied himself and called out to the others. "Let's do it!"
"Initiating Militia Megazord!" they cried in unison.
Aiming its missile up into the sky, Milizord 3 launched it high into the stratosphere, then slammed on its breaks and rolled over. The cab folded over the back section to form feet, then the back section folded over to form knees, as the entire Zord split down the middle. Milizord 5's side missile launchers folded back to merge with its tail, while Milizord 2's turret was ejected and bonded to the side of the helicopter. The Black Ranger's Milizord then twisted around, its tail splitting and separating, then bonding with Orange Ranger's Milizord to form a giant set of legs. Milizord 4's grill folded up and over its hood, as the back end of the Zord slid into the front, shortening it. It then split cleanly down the middle, each half attaching itself to one side of Milizord 2. Lastly, Milizord 1 swooped down, also splitting in half. The rear engines of the Red Ranger's jet connected to the front ends of the Yellow Ranger's divided Zord.
The newly formed three-Zord unit then flew into the sky, using red wings of Milizord 1 to guide it over the legs formed by Milizords 3 and 5. It slowly came down, with Milizord 5's cabin sliding into the bottom of Milizord 2. As it did, a head rotated out of a compartment inside the Green Ranger's Zord. While this was happening, Milizord 1's cockpit halves rotated into its body, while two fists rotated out. The arms and shoulders formed by Milizords 1 and 3 rotated downward, while the treads of Milizord 2 swung inward to cover the empty compartment, and Milizord 5's rotors swung upward and joined to form a "V" over the chest. The final touch was the golden horn that slid out of the center of the stylized "M" on the top of the Megazord's head, which had a pair of golden eyes and a silver mouth cover.
Reaching for its waist, the Megazord grabbed the sword grip that slid out of Milizord 2's turret and pulled, just as Milizord 3's missile returned from the sky. Catching it with its hand, the Megazord opened up the missile, transforming it into a shield, marked with the stylized "M". Hefting the sword it drew from the turret, and pulling its shield close to its body, the giant robot assumed a fighting stance, and lighting crackled.
"Militia Megazord!" the Rangers shouted, as their seats slid into position in the centralized cockpit in the head of the Megazord.
Neo-Titan charged them, wielding his massive battleaxe and slashing downward.
"Militia Mega Shield!" Tara declared, as the blow was knocked aside by the Megazord's shield.
"How about you put that weapon down?" Pablo said politely, as a giant fist smashed down on the monster's arm, causing him to drop his axe.
"You will pay for that!" the monster threatened them, before kicking the Megazord hard in the chest, causing sparks to fly. Inside the cockpit, the Rangers struggled to maintain control.
"Man, that guy really packs a wallop!" Jack exclaimed.
"Look out, here he comes again!" alerted Samantha, as Neo-Titan attempted another kick. This time they were ready for him, though, as they knocked aside the monster's foot with their sword, bringing it back around to slash him across the chest.
"It's time to finish this!" Kevin announced, as they brought the sword up high.
"You wouldn't dare destroy one of your own," the metallic monster said as it held its chest, gasping for breathe.
"You're not one of us," Tara told him.
"You're just a monster," said Pablo.
"Who's captured one of our friends," Sam continued.
"And now it's time to cut him loose," finished Jack.
"Ready, guys?" asked Kevin.
"Militia Megazord Saber, Star Strike!" they all cried out, as the Militia Megazord brought its Saber down and to right, then up and to the left, across, down and left, and then up and right to carve a star of light in the air.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!" Neo-Titan cried out, as the Star Strike flew through the air, slicing through him five times before he fell to the ground, exploding in a burst of energy. From the blast emerged all the souls that had been contained inside his body, as well as the eyepiece of the Mask of Malice.
The Lightspeed Rangers arrived in the Rescue Rover just in time to watch the burst of energy collapse back on itself, coalescing into a human form on the ground.
"Ryan!" Dana cried out, leaping out of her seat before the vehicle had even come to complete stop. The other Rangers joined her, as did the Time Force Rangers, and the Militia Rangers leapt down from their Megazord. Together they all demorphed, and watched as Dana helped her brother up to his feet.
"Ryan," Carter asked him. "Are you okay?"
"I am now," he replied, before turning to face the Militia Rangers. "Thank you, for setting me free." All thirteen Power Rangers were celebrating their victory down in Sector M-5 of the Militia Terrabase. General McKnight had felt that the other seven Rangers had earned the right to see his facility, even though he generally disapproved of outsiders.
Ryan, Carter, Joel, Chad, Kelsey, Dana, Eric, and Wes bid farewell to the new team. They realized that only the Star would be able to defeat these new enemies, and that the Earth was being left in good hands.
On the outskirts of everything, a young man sat in a wheelchair, his wife standing by his side with her hand on his shoulder.
"Well, my love," Cestria said to him. "You did it. You're back helping a Ranger team again. How does it feel?"
Billy paused for a moment, surveying the happy scene, and smiled as he grasped his wife's hand.
"It feels... like home."
The End...
...of the Beginning...