"Power Rangers: Psycho Matrix"
Book One: "Twisted Rebirth"
Chapter 2: "Why We Fight"
Disclaimer: Zordon, Dimitria, and the Psycho Rangers are not mine. They're Disney's, formerly Saban's. The Psychos' human forms and everything else are mine, though.
Author's notes: For starters, I'd like to say that I don't mean my characterizations of Darien and Faith to represent my views of all Goths. I don't actually have a view, since I don't know enough to make one. Second, I'm going to do my best to keep the Psychos in character even while they're on the side of good. Don't worry; you'll get to see them be tempted to return to the dark side.
The Kiraikure charged at the Psycho Rangers, who just stood there doing absolutely nothing. Suddenly, they vanished. The Kiraikure stood there looking absolutely confounded.
"Where did they go?" Xaran asked.
"Looking for us?" a voice asked.
"Over here!" another voice said, and then several blurs of movement later, half of the Kiraikure were defeated. Standing over them were the Psycho Rangers.
"You obviously know our names, but you don't know much about what we can do," Psycho Yellow sneered. "You're going to wish you'd taken the time to do your homework."
The Psychos fought the Kiraikure at super-speed, beating them with remarkable ease.
"This is so much fun!" Psycho Red shouted. "Granted, they're shit as fighters, but it's so gratifying to be able to strike someone with real hands!"
"You said it," Psycho Blue agreed. "Psycho Axe!"
"Psycho Arrow!" Psycho Pink shouted.
"Psycho Rod!" Psycho Black shouted.
"Psycho Sling!" Psycho Yellow shouted.
"Psycho Sword!" Psycho Red shouted.
The Psycho Rangers tore into the Kiraikure with their weapons, striking, slashing, and blasting. Once they were finished, they turned their attentions to the three lieutenants.
"Do you want to go next?" Psycho Red asked, pointing his sword at Tsukimaru, who drew his own sword.
"You may have defeated the Kiraikure, but their only strength is in their numbers," Tsukimaru replied.
"We shall be far more difficult to beat, if you can beat us at all, that is," Yuna added. She drew a baton.
Xaran drew a staff. "Do you feel like dying anytime soon, Psycho Rangers?"
"We prefer life over death," Psycho Blue said. "The afterlife is not a very fun place for us."
"Then we offer you a choice," Tsukimaru said. "Walk away from this fight or die."
"We could just walk away," Psycho Red murmured to himself. "What reason do we have to fight?"
Does honoring your pledge count as a reason? a voice asked him.
Kieran, Psycho Red thought. My new soul partner.
That's right, Kieran said. You and your teammates swore to Zordon that you would stop Kanika and her forces if you could return to life. You can't go back on your word.
Why shouldn't we? Psycho Red asked. Zordon can't do anything to us now that we're in the living world.
No, he can't, Kieran agreed. At least, I don't think he can. Then again, I've never met him before so I don't really know what he can and can't do. Besides, it's not right to go back on a deal. I know you and the other Psychos are supposed to be evil, but are you without honor as well?
"Have you made up your minds?" Tsukimaru asked. "Or do you need more time to consider it?" He paused for a moment, as if in deep thought. Not like anyone could tell through his helmet, though. "Very well. You have until tomorrow's sunset to make up your minds. Good-bye, Psycho Rangers."
The air warped again, and Tsukimaru and his comrades disappeared in it, leaving the Psycho Rangers in a state of mental conflict. They'd been created for the purpose of evil, yes, but there was something in them that rebelled against the thought of going back on a pledge.
And they weren't sure if it was just their human counterparts' consciences or their own, if they had such.
"We don't have to make up our minds now," Psycho Blue said.
"No, we just have to decide by sunset tomorrow," Psycho Black said. "What a comforting thought."
"For now, our human counterparts have to go home," Psycho Red said. "Their parents might get worried."
With that said the five of them raced back to their respective homes at super-speed. Rather, Red, Blue, Black, and Pink raced at super-speed. Yellow simply sank into a warp in the ground and emerged in Kaitlyn's room.
"Exchange!" she shouted, and Psycho Yellow disappeared, replaced by Kaitlyn.
"That was a new experience," Kaitlyn mumbled to herself. That said, she went down to see her parents, then went back to her room and went to sleep. As Kaitlyn slept, Psycho Yellow was wide-awake, brooding over the choice Tsukimaru had presented to her and the other Psychos.
The other Psychos were reflecting as well, while their human halves slept.
Why? Psycho Red asked himself. Why should I care what happens to this planet? What reason do I have to fight?
That was a question all the Psychos struggled with. Why should they care if Kanika drained the Earth's life force? What reason did any of them actually have to fight?
"It's sad," Zordon said in the Spirit World, watching the Psychos' human hosts. "They have so much potential to do so much good with their power, but all they know is evil."
"It is not a surprising thing, Zordon," Dimitria said, communicating from the living world. "The Psycho Rangers were created for the purpose of doing evil. They do not know how to be good."
"That is why they had to be bonded to human bodies," Zordon replied. "Not just because they no longer have bodies of their own, but because they have to learn to be good by living among the people they're fighting for."
"They will make the right decision in the end," Dimitria said. "As the humans are fond of saying, 'Biology is not destiny.' The Psycho Rangers may have been created to be evil, but they can choose to reject that and do good."
"Yes," Zordon agreed. "As you know, two of the Rangers I recruited were once evil, but they chose to reject that and do good, despite all temptation to turn back. I am confident that the Psycho Rangers will do the same."
The next day, the Rangers were at school. Instead of sitting with their usual groups, or all by themselves, they sat together.
"So what do we do?" Liam asked.
"About what?" Faith asked.
"The decision," Kieran replied softly. "Keep your voices down. We don't want anyone overhearing us."
"No worries," Darien said. "Everyone here's so freaking noisy it ought to drown us out."
"We can't really decide," Kaitlyn said. "It's the Psycho Rangers' decision to make, not ours."
"What happens if they choose to lay off Kanika?" Liam asked. "We won't ever be able to use our morphers again because once we do, the Psychos will be in complete control. And there's no way we can exert any real influence over them once we're transformed."
Do not speak as if we are not present, Psycho Blue snarled in Liam's mind. We are right here with you, so we are aware of everything you do or say.
"Yeah, and if we have to fight Kanika all by ourselves, we're done for," Faith added. "'Cause there's no way in hell that five normal teenagers can fight those freaks and hope to win."
"Psychos or no Psychos, we have to try, at least," Kieran said. "We were picked for a reason, and Dimitria doesn't strike me as the kind of person who just does these things at random. Something made us special, and while I don't know what it is, I do know that we can't just stand back and do nothing."
"Let's hope the Psychos feel the same way," Darien said, looking at the big clock in the cafeteria. "It's quarter past noon now. Sunset's in seven hours."
The rest of the school day was spent brooding. Actually, the five Rangers brooded over whether their Psycho counterparts would choose to turn their backs on Earth, while the Psychos themselves brooded over whether they should fight or not.
After school, Kieran went home and practiced his karate katas. As he practiced, his father watched him, seeing tension in his moves.
"Kieran," his father said.
"Yeah, Dad?" Kieran asked.
"You're moving like you've got a thousand-pound weight on your shoulders," his father replied.
More like the weight of the world, Kieran thought. Out loud, "Really?"
"When you move like that, it's a sign something's troubling you," his father said. "So tell me what's wrong, man to man."
"I have a really close friend," Kieran said. "He used to be a really bad person, always getting into fights or causing trouble. He's got a chance to turn everything around, prove that he can be a good person, but he doesn't know if he wants to take that chance."
"Kieran, I won't lie to you," his father said. "Change is a scary thing. It's always easier to stay in the same old rut. In fact, I'm willing to bet that the real reason he's scared is because he doesn't really know how to be good. I mean, if I'm right about your friend, getting into and causing trouble is all he really knows how to do. Not that I'm insulting him; it's just an observation. But I'll tell you what I do know for sure: If he really wants to change, he will."
Only observations? Psycho Red asked silently. Your father has a remarkable amount of insight into our situation.
That's my dad, Kieran replied. He's got a master's in psychology, so he really knows how to get into people's heads and figure out what they're really like and what they're all about. To his father, "Thanks."
"You're welcome," his father said.
Darien handled his problems the way he always did, by shutting himself off from everyone and listening to his music. The CD of the day was Korn's Issues. The song he was currently listening to was the twelfth track, "No Way."
So I came too far.
To end up this way.
Feeling like I'm gone.
Feeling there's no way.
Darien heard a knock on the door. Sighing in annoyed resignation, he removed his headphones and opened the door. "Hi, Mom."
"Hi, Darien," his mom said. "Care to eat?"
"Sure," Darien replied.
As for Kaitlyn, she was talking to Eden after another practice. "So, Kait, what's eating you?"
"Choices," Kaitlyn replied.
"Choices?" Eden echoed.
"You ever feel like you know what you have to do, but it's someone else who has to make the decision?" Kaitlyn asked.
"I say let them make their own choices," Eden replied. "You can't decide for them, and you can't force them to decide the way you want."
"What if it's a bad choice?" Kaitlyn asked.
"Then whoever you're talking about has to live with it," Eden replied. "But there's always such a thing as second chances. And it's never too late to make the right choice, even if the last one was wrong."
"Thanks," Kaitlyn said.
"What are friends for?" Eden replied. "By the way, we have a performance at eight tonight at Club Madness. Try not to be late."
"I'll make it," Kaitlyn said.
Faith looked at the time on her computer monitor. "Not much time left. Only half an hour till sunset."
She got up and went downstairs to the front door. "Where you going so soon, little woman?" her father asked.
"Out," Faith replied, and opened the door to depart.
"Can you at least say where you're going so your mom and I don't have to worry?" her father asked.
"The mall," Faith replied.
"As long as you come back in one piece by eleven," her father said before Faith walked out the door.
Kieran was walking downtown when he saw a car tearing down the street at a speed of 70 mph. Unfortunately the speed limit was 65 mph.
And there was a little girl in the car's path.
"No!" Kieran shouted, and ran down after the little girl, unconsciously activating his morpher. "Psycho Spirit Exchange!"
There was a flash of red, and in a blur of motion, Psycho Red was on the sidewalk with the little girl in his arms. He handed her to her parents.
"Oh, my baby!" her mother exclaimed, hugging her, tears of relief in her eyes. "Are you ok?"
"Yes, mommy," the little girl replied.
Psycho Red turned to leave, but was stopped by the little girl tugging on his gauntleted hand. The leader of the Psycho Rangers turned to look at her.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Thank you," she replied.
Psycho Red felt a strange elevation in his mood. It was as if those two simple words had brightened his whole entire outlook on life. "You're welcome," he replied. He knelt down and hugged her, surprising himself.
"Thank you," the girl's mother said.
"You're welcome," Psycho Red said. He released the girl gently and then was gone in a blur.
That's why we're fighting, Red, Kieran said to him. Not simply for the entire world, but for people like that little girl and her parents. We're fighting to keep them safe.
Psycho Red remembered the brightening in his mood when the little girl had thanked him, and nodded. Such purity and innocence had to be preserved, protected. It didn't matter what he was. But that little girl looked to be the light of her parents' life, and maybe in the future, she would be the light in a lot of people's lives. That light had to be protected at all costs.
Psycho Red made it to the downtown area where Kieran and the others had agreed to meet. He looked at the sky. The sun was about ready to set. He could see the sky turn a conflagration of beautiful colors.
Out of the increasing shadows cast by the fading day, Psycho Red saw Darien, Liam, Faith, and Kaitlyn arrive.
"Psycho Red?" Faith asked.
"That I am," Psycho Red replied.
"Have you made your choice?" Kaitlyn asked.
"I just saved a little girl," Psycho Red replied. He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "And it felt good."
The five waited for the sun to finish setting, and as the sun set over the horizon, the air warped in front of them. Tsukimaru, Xaran, and Yuna stepped out of the warp.
"I see Psycho Red, but I also see four human children where his teammates should be," Tsukimaru said.
"We do not want to deal with pathetic human children," Xaran said. "We want the Psycho Rangers."
"You want Psychos?" Faith asked. "You're going to get Psychos. And speaking of Psychos, I'm about ready to get psycho on you for calling us pathetic."
"Cool it, Faith," Psycho Red said.
"Screw you," Faith said to Xaran. Then with Darien, Liam, and Kaitlyn, "Psycho Spirit Exchange!"
Four flashes of multicolored light later, Psycho Black, Psycho Blue, Psycho Yellow, and Psycho Pink were standing in place of their human spirit companions.
"Have you made your choice, Psycho Rangers?" Yuna asked.
"We've decided," Psycho Red replied. "And the answer is . . . well, we'll just have to show you our answer, won't we?" He looked to the other four Psycho Rangers. Jade lightning gathered in their hands.
"I don't believe this," Yuna said.
"Believe it, bitch," Psycho Pink sneered. "We refuse to be slaves to evil again. And that is all you are under evil: slaves."
"We will not go back to being used for someone else's schemes!" Psycho Yellow declared.
The Psycho Rangers raised their hands and fired the green lightning gathering in them as one. "Jade Lightning Attack!"
The Jade Lightning Attack was a very potent and potentially crippling attack. Unfortunately, it never got a chance to hit the three lieutenants, as the air in front of them warped, sucking up the blast.
"Do you realize the magnitude of the jeopardy you five have placed yourselves in by opposing Kanika?" Tsukimaru asked. "Had you chosen to walk away, I might have been able to put in a good word for you with her, maybe convince her to let you fight alongside us. However, since you've obviously been infected by that virulent affliction called goodness, we have no choice but to destroy you."
The air in front of the three lieutenants warped again, this time spewing the Jade Lightning Attack. The blast struck all five Psycho Rangers, knocking them off their feet.
"I never knew our attack could be that strong," Psycho Black said.
"Always feels different when you're on the receiving end, doesn't it?" Psycho Yellow asked.
Psycho Red got to his feet, the others following. "You wanna play like that? Fine by us. Psycho Sword!"
"Psycho Rod!"
"Psycho Axe!"
"Psycho Sling!"
"Psycho Arrow!"
"Let's take them down!" Psycho Red shouted. That said, the Psycho Rangers attacked, Red fighting Tsukimaru, Black and Blue fighting Xaran, and Yellow and Pink fighting Yuna. Red and Tsukimaru clashed swords, fighting at super-speed and leaping all over the place. Black and Blue took their Rod and Axe to Xaran, who countered with his staff. Yellow and Pink fired their Sling and Arrow at Yuna, who blocked with her glaive.
"You're tough," Yellow said to Yuna. "But guess what?"
"We're tougher," Pink finished.
"Really?" Yuna asked. "Kirai Glaive Triple Slash!" In a blur of motion, she slashed the female Psycho Rangers three times.
"Bitch," Pink snapped and fired her arrows at Yuna. Yellow joined in, firing her Psycho Sling.
Meanwhile, Blue and Black were fighting Xaran. Blue spun at super-speed, slashing Xaran with his Axe. Black struck Xaran with his Rod.
"Enough of this childish game," Xaran said. "Kirai Staff Speed Strike!"
In a blur of lightning-fast motion, Xaran struck Blue and Black so many times that you couldn't even count, and he was moving so fast you couldn't even see it coming.
Psycho Red and Tsukimaru fought, their swords clashing.
"You're strong, Psycho Red," Tsukimaru said. "Unfortunate that you choose to serve the side of good. We could always use warriors like you."
"Operative word being 'use,'" Psycho Red retorted. "I've been used before, and I don't intend to return to that anytime soon." He emphasized that with a particularly hard slash.
"So be it, Psycho Red," Tsukimaru said. "Time to give you a taste of what I can really do. Kirai Sword Multi Slash!" Moving so fast that even Psycho Red was taken unawares, Tsukimaru slashed him repeatedly.
The male Psychos were left seriously battered while the females were barely holding their own against Yuna.
"If you must know," Tsukimaru said to Psycho Red, "I slashed you a maximum of twenty-five times. Even though it happened so fast, it certainly didn't happen so fast that you didn't have time to feel them all."
"Shall we finish them?" Yuna asked while fending off Yellow and Pink.
"Yes, let's finish them," Tsukimaru replied. The silver trim of the black blade of his sword separated in half, framing the black blade. Xaran attached his staff to the underside of the sword. Yuna added her glaive, sharp end forward, to the top of the sword. Then she and Xaran stood next to Tsukimaru.
"Kirai Cannon!" all three lieutenants shouted. The cannon powered up, preparing to be fired. "Kiraiha!"
A wave of black energy struck the Psycho Rangers, knocking them down and leaving them in no condition to get back up. Nevertheless, they tried.
"Oh, look, there's some life left in them," Yuna sneered.
"Apparently, we didn't beat them hard enough before," Xaran said.
"I commend you, Psycho Rangers," Tsukimaru said. "Not many have the tenacity that you do." This was said as he watched them struggle to rise to their feet.
"This . . . is not . . . over . . . yet," Psycho Red snarled through the pain.
"You're right, Psychos," Tsukimaru said. "It's not over yet. That was just a taste of your future if you continue to oppose us." The air warped behind him and his comrades and they stepped back through it. "Farewell for now."
The Psychos finally managed to stand on their feet. "Damn it," Psycho Pink said. "We lost."
"Why did you decide to fight for good?" Psycho Blue asked his red teammate.
"When I saved that little girl," Psycho Red replied, "I felt good. You wanna know why? Because in that moment, I knew that we could be so much more than we once were. I knew that we could make a difference, regardless of our past. That's why we're going to fight, so we can make that difference."
"I hate to interrupt that rousing speech, Red," Psycho Yellow said. "But Kaitlyn is almost late for a performance at Club Madness."
"We'd better hurry," Psycho Black said. That said, he, Blue, Red, and Pink joined hands with Yellow and they sank through a warp in the ground, reemerging in Kaitlyn's room. Psycho Yellow picked up Kaitlyn's guitar and slid her arm through the strap, securing it to her waist. She joined hands with the other Psycho Rangers and they warped into the shadows across from Club Madness.
"Exchange!" the Psycho Rangers shouted, allowing their human selves to take over again.
"I feel like crap," Faith said. "Even though it was Psycho Pink who took the beating and not me, I still feel like crap."
"They're bonded to us now," Liam said. "Whatever pain they experience, we feel."
The five teens entered the club and Kaitlyn introduced the other four to her band.
"So what's your band's name?" Kieran asked.
"Gold Thunder," Catrina replied. She looked at the time. "We're going to perform now. Would you like to come backstage with us after?"
"Sure," Darien said.
Kieran, Darien, Liam, and Faith went onto the club's dance floor and watched Kaitlyn perform with Gold Thunder. After it was over, they came backstage to hang out.
Meanwhile, Kanika watched the Psycho Rangers' vessels in her ship. "We've drawn first blood," Kokure said.
"Yes, we have, sister," Kanika agreed. She looked to her lieutenants. "Good work. But why didn't you destroy them when you had the chance?"
"It has been a long time since we encountered opponents of their strength," Tsukimaru said. "We wanted to keep them around for a while, just to amuse ourselves."
"Very well, then," Kanika said. "Have your fun. But our goal is to take Earth's life force. Do not let your fascination with the Psycho Rangers divert your attention from that task."
"We will not fail you, Princess Kanika," Tsukimaru said.
To be continued . . .
Next: The Psycho Ranger vessels learn that friendship transcends high school social status and meet a boy who is not all that he seems to be.