Chapter 3 – Powers

Tommy flew through the air for the third time in less than two minutes. The monster was too strong/way/ too strong. Somehow Mesogog had done something different, because the team was being smashed flat by the monster and the Tyrano-drones. And curiously, neither Mesogog's chief minions had appeared, nor had the monster done any kind of idle threats. It had simply appeared with thirty or so of the drones accompanying it, and started destroying things.

And now it had its eyes, all six of them, fixed on the DT team. The black Ranger wanted to taunt it, but taunt a thing that was systematically cleaning the floor with them wasn't a smart move. Conner was out for the count, and his un-morphed form was being protected by Kira. Ethan and Trent were trying to deal with the drones, which apparently were also in the stronger side of the balance.

The most experienced Ranger of all times managed to score a good hit with his Staff, but it apparently just made the monster get angrier. What the heck was going on? None of this made any sense.

He backed up a bit, the monster circling him from a bit afar, and the Ranger took the opportunity to look around. Kira was fighting hard with quite a few drones around her, but from his point of view and her reaction times, the evil beings would win in no time. Trent was faring a little better, somehow his stronger powers making him able to still fight, but Ethan was being pummeled by quite a lot of claws and feet, not even his skin would hold for so long.

Tommy focused back on the monster at his front, just in time to dodge part of a stone wall that the monster had ripped off the ground. Feeling his powers wane, he realized he would have just another chance before the monster would . . .

With not enough energy to power up the Staff's special attacks, he would have to try straight physical damage. So, he ran in the direction of the monster and tried to jump and score a hit on one of its eyes. And what the monster did surprised him even more, because it dodged the strike, and in a feat of speed, it grabbed the Brachio Staff and pulled, hard. Tommy was yanked, straight into the path of an impossibly strong fist. The punch caught him right in the middle of the chest, and even with the protection of Ranger armor, he felt something give way inside of him. He flew backwards once again, landing on the grass some twenty feet behind him, sans his Staff. The monster threw it away, far away.

Without energy, Tommy reverted to his human appearance, and he instantly grabbed his chest, which was hurting as if on fire. He was a bit more resilient than a normal human, but one straight punch from the monster and it would be bye-bye Ranger. He looked around, and Trent was the only one still standing.

That's when a strong hand grabbed his shoulder from the back. He was so weak that he didn't even flinch from the surprise. He looked to the hand and straight to the face of a smirking Bulk.

"I'll handle it from here," he said, and walked straight to the monster, with sure steps. The monster, confused by the actions of the single human, looked dumbly at him, who stopped at arm's length.

"This is going to hurt," the human said, smiling. The genetic monstrosity was about to laugh, when a human-sized fist connected to its belly.

The monster flew backwards, farther than even Tommy had flown, and it landed in a heap, its hardened skin showing a dent where the fist had connected.

"Holy Mother of . . . " Tommy said, his mouth hanging open almost to the floor. The drones, seeing the monster hurt, decided to defend him, forming a semi-circle in front of it. The first ones to attack Bulk were dealt so fast that Dr. O had difficult in seeing him move. Then, instead of attacking one-on-one, the biomonstrosities ganged up on him, in duos and trios. They could instead throw feathers, for all the effect it had on the man. He dodged and hit with strength and speed that the paleontologist had never seen before. He apparently was stronger than a Ranger, faster, and maybe even stronger than a few super-monsters he had faced in the past.

The remaining drones backed up for a while, checking the enemy with renewed caution.

"You can go now and live to fight another day, or I can finish this up. Your choice," Bulk said, not even breathing hard.

The monster looked around, and with quick thinking, decided to take its losses and report back to its master, disappearing with the drones in a stream of green energy.

Bulk looked back to Tommy, who had approached his fallen team members, and was helping them to stand up. He approached and helped Kira, while Trent dealt with Conner.

"How did . . ." Dr. Oliver started asking, still too surprised with Bulk's power.

"I'll explain everything after we help your team. Right now, I have just one question for you," he said, putting the still out Kira in a fireman's carry.

"What?"

"What are the Rangers powers?"