Chapter Six

The alarms all went off simultaneously, and everyone in the Central Chamber automatically turned to the viewing screen at the back of the room.

"Zordon, what is it?" asked Tommy, as the screen flashed to life.

"Rangers, we were correct," the sage replied. "Our sensors indicate that Rita, Goldar and Scorpina have all returned to the Temple of Lothos, accompanied by an unusual energy signature. Also, the Rhinoblaster monster seems to have returned and is attacking Moffat Beach."

"Okay," said Jason, "time's against us, so we split up and attack every problem at once. Billy, you need to stay here and help Alpha. Whatever it takes - find Brendan." Billy nodded, and Jason turned back to the viewing screen. "Junior Team, head into the city and deal with Rhinoblaster."

"He'll fit into an envelope by the time we've dealt with him," Sarah nodded. "Trust us."

Jason smiled. "The rest of us will head back to the temple and stop Rita," he finished.

"And get the light back," nodded Kim.

Behind everybody, the Command Centre alarm suddenly sounded again.

"Alpha," said Trini, "what is it?"

"Ayeyiyi!" Alpha cried. "Rangers, it's Ultramarine, he's back - he just landed in downtown Caloundra!"

"Great, just what we needed," said Tommy. "Talk about lose, lose."

Scott nodded. "We can't fight off all these guys at once," he said. "If we split up too much we'll lose every battle, and we'll never find Brendan in time."

"Scott's right," Kim said. "We can't leave Ultramarine alone in the city, but how are we gonna stop him, with everything else going on?"

At the back of the room, I glanced around the Command Centre and stepped forward. "Don't worry about him," I said. "Ultramarine is mine."

Everyone immediately turned to face me.

"No," Jason said flatly, shaking his head. "No way."

"We don't have a choice here," I replied. "We can't spare anybody. Not between stopping Rita, fighting the monster and finding Brendan. Besides, I've got a score to settle with Ultramarine." I paused, glancing up to Zordon. "Not to mention, he's our only link to Brendan. It's a longshot, okay, but I might be able to get him to tell me where Brendan is. I have to try, right?"

Tommy stepped forward. "Peter, I hate to say it but Ultramarine's beaten you twice already, and the only other time you tried to fight a monster on your own was Gluk. This is crazy."

"I have to agree with Tommy here," Jason said. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

I nodded. "Positive. Ultramarine is a great warrior, but we've spent the last few weeks thinking that's a strength, and it isn't. It's something we can use," I replied. "He fights to fight, to feel good about himself. That's his game. And I know I can get wherever Brendan is out of him."

"How?" Teresa asked.

I glanced over to Jason, and smiled. "By changing the rules."

Jason nodded slowly. "And I can't change your mind?"

"Not a chance," I replied.

"Didn't think so," he said, then rested a hand on my shoulder. "Just be careful, all right? We're not losing Brendan and we're not losing you." I nodded, and he smiled. "Okay, the plan's set."

"Good luck Rangers," boomed Zordon, as Billy stepped across to join Alpha.

"Thanks," the Red Ranger replied, and glanced around the group. "Okay guys, this is for Brendan. Let's go!"

Chaos, destruction, fire - this was where he belonged, Ultramarine reflected, as he carved his wrist blade through a lamppost and blasted a shopfront with his shoulder cannon. The city's central business district was still deserted from Rhinoblaster's attack earlier that day, but even despite the lack of people to terrorise, Ultramarine was eager for the chance to get back to what it was he did best. Although the witch's scheming had paid off, the warrior had always preferred destruction he could taste and feel, not talk and plans in the shadows. But as Ultramarine turned to continue, a voice suddenly rang out, echoing down the street.

"All right Ultramarine, this ends here and now."

Ultramarine looked back slowly to see a lone figure emerging from a smoke cloud, silhouetted against the black cloud of smoke. The figure was taking slow, deliberate steps towards him, and as the figure became clearer, Ultramarine realised who was challenging him.

"Orange Ranger," he grunted, and he began to approach me. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Where's Brendan?" I asked.

Ultramarine shook his head, continuing to step towards me. "I'd tell you on your deathbed, but not a second before," he replied. "And once his power is mine, I'll take my revenge and grind this planet beneath my heel. And the best part is, there's nobody who can stop me."

"No," I said. "There's me."

Behind us, a leaking fuel tank caused a car to explode, but neither of us flinched, our concentration locked on each other.

"Don't make me laugh," Ultramarine grunted. "I've beaten and humiliated you twice, boy. I thought you people would've learned your lesson by now. Guess not."

I held my hand out, and in a flash of orange light, my Power Sword formed in my hand. "I hate to break it to you, but we're not afraid of you, not remotely," I replied. "It must really burn that you lost to a bunch of kids last time?"

His eyes narrowed, but he waved hand his non-commitally. "For all the good it did."

"Yeah, well, what goes around comes around," I said. "Every hurt you've ever caused, I'm here to return to you in full force. I hope you're ready for it."

Now only metres away, Ultramarine raised his arms, his red eyes on fire. "Well then," he growled, "let's have some fun." And with that, both the warrior's wrist blades slid into place, and he took a menacing step towards me.

The northern suburbs of the city had remained unaffected after Rhinoblaster's earlier attack, and people now ran for their lives as the monster rampaged down onto Moffat Beach and continued north towards Tooway Lake, leaving destruction and clouds of sand and debris in his wake. Grinning to himself as the beachgoers around him ran for safety, Rhinoblaster raised his arm and sent an energy blast towards an abandoned lifeguard tower, destroying the structure in a blaze of fire and smoke.

Turning back to the beach, the beast stepped back as three coloured forms suddenly somersaulted down over his head, the Blue, Purple and White Rangers landing on the beach before him.

"Rhinoblaster," said Sarah. "You won't take another step."

Scott nodded. "You wanted a fight?" he asked. "You got one."

Rhinoblaster sneered. "Please," the monster growled, in deep, bellowing tones. "While I don't know where your silver friend is, I do know that to find him, you'll have to go through me."

Teresa stepped forward. "And in about five minutes," she began, "you're going to really regret saying that."

Rhinoblaster roared in defiance. "Then bring it on!" he rumbled, and lowering his head, the monster charged towards them.

The ground shook as the monster approached, but leaping forward, Scott took to the air and landed a kick to the beast's jaw. Rhinoblaster stumbled back with a grunt and Scott spun back around, ducking under a punch and landing another blow to the monster's chest. Rhinoblaster retaliated with a roar, swinging one of his enormous fists for the Blue Ranger's helmet - dodging the punch, Scott struck the beast away with a blow to the ribs. The monster regained his footing and turned back to the Rangers to attack, just as Sarah leaped down in front of him. Blocking a punch, Sarah struck away a low kick and batted away a punch, ducking under another blow and smashing the monster back with a punch to the monster's stomach.

The beast staggered back, but raising his hand, he summoned his sword in a flash of light, before turning back towards the Rangers.

Teresa stepped forward. "Power Whip!" she cried, and her weapon formed in her outstretched hand in a flash of light.

Thundering back towards the White Ranger, the beast slashed high with his blade, but Teresa spun around the slice, struck the monster away with a blow to the ribs and cracked her whip towards the beast's underbelly, the stinging blows forcing Rhinoblaster to retreat. Seeing an opportunity, the beast dodged around the whip, raised his weapon and charged forward, but Teresa wrapped the whip around Rhinoblaster's arm, spinning the monster away from her. Regaining his footing, the monster turned and slashed for the White Ranger - Teresa caught and held the beast's wrist, and raising her other hand, she snapped the blade in two in a shower of sparks. The beast froze, stunned, and Teresa sent him to the ground with a spin kick.

Scott and Sarah quickly joined Teresa, and as their opponent shakily climbed to his feet, the three Rangers raced forward to continue the battle.

The five Senior Rangers raced across the desert plain, their feet pounding the ground, as the Temple of Lothos loomed above them out of the mountain ahead.

"No putties this time," said Trini, as they approached.

Beside her, Jason nodded. "No time for them, Rita already has everything she needs." With the temple entrance only metres away, the Rangers fell into the mountain's shadow, and Jason turned to the Black Ranger running beside him. "Zac, make an entrance."

Behind his visor, Zac grinned. "You got it," he replied, and leaping into the air, his momentum carrying him forward, Zac slammed both boots against the huge temple doors. The ancient hinges stood no chance, the doors splintering free and falling forward, Zac riding them down as they crashed to the ground in a cloud of dust. Without slowing down, the other four Rangers raced in after him, joining Zac in the temple entrance and summoning their Power Weapons with a thought.

They took in the temple's interior in an instant - Rita back on the raised ledge before the two stone gates, her wand in one hand and what looked to be a cloth-covered bottle in the other, Goldar and Scorpina on either side. Hearing the doors come crashing down, the three immediately spun back around to the team.

"Rangers," Rita said, her expression a mix of annoyance and amusement. "You figured it out. I'm actually impressed."

"The light, Rita," said Tommy. "Hand it over."

Kimberly nodded. "That's an actual being in there."

Rita sneered. "I know," she said, "and it will bow down before me just like the rest of you." The witch paused, and looked around. "And you know the great thing about this place? It comes with its own minions."

Throwing the cloth to the ground, Rita raised the jar to reveal the light inside, the walls of the temple suddenly lit with a blinding glare. Rita smiled, and muttered a low chant beneath her breath - as the Rangers watched, showers of dust and dirt began to rain down from the four statues towering over them, and soon, each of the stone warriors had stepped away from their posts - with rock joints cracking like ice breaking, they all slowly stepped towards the Rangers.

"Take your time," Rita nodded, and lowering the glass jar, turned back to the stone gates.

Jason turned back to the Rangers. "Kim, get the light. Everybody else, spread out!"

"Right!"

The five Rangers charged towards their rocky opponents, Kimberly somersaulting right over the statues as they each attacked one of the Rangers behind her. Jason ducked as a massive rocky fist swung for his head, dodging another punch and striking away a third, before spinning his sword above his head and carving the blade straight through the statue's torso. Beside him, Tommy was trading blows with his rocky opponent, stepping around a punch from the right, batting away a low swipe and forcing the statue back with a blow to the chest. The statue stumbled back away from him, and the Green Ranger leaped forward with a jump kick, the blow instantly shattering his opponent.

Across the temple, Trini spun around a swipe from her opponent and somersaulted to the side over a second blow, throwing a dagger as she landed. The statue quickly dodged around the weapon, but while it was distracted, Trini leaped forward, aiming a palm strike straight for her opponent's chest and reducing the statue to rubble. A few metres away, Zac spun under a blow and swung his Power Axe as he turned, carving a huge crack in the statue's shoulder. Turning back, the statue swung both its rocky fists for the Black Ranger, but Zac leaped back over the move, spinning the barrel of his axe as he landed.

"Rock on," he said, and pulled the trigger.

Sounds of combat filling the temple behind her, Kim approached the stone ledge where Rita was standing, and quickly weighed her options. To climb either staircase meant going past Goldar and Scorpina, and she'd lose precious seconds trying to fight her way past either of them. Straight up was her only option.

Hesitating a second longer, Kim leaped forward, gaining a foothold on the wall of carvings long enough to step up to an overhanging statue, before somersaulting from there up onto the ledge, landing only a few feet behind Rita. Goldar and Scorpina immediately raised their swords and stepped towards the Pink Ranger, but in one smooth motion Kim raised her bow and fired a volley of arrows into the rocky wall above them.

An avalanche of rubble crashed down over the ledge forcing the two warriors back as Rita spun around to find the source of the commotion - as she turned, Kimberly darted forward and grabbed the jar, wrenching it out of Rita's grip. Holding it tightly, she backflipped back off the ledge, through the air and down to the other Rangers, landing amidst the remains of the shattered statues where Zac and Jason immediately held their weapons in front of the jar.

"How dare you?" screeched Rita. "Goldar, Scorpina, get them!"

The two generals leaped down off the debris-strewn ledge towards the five Rangers, but Kimberly smiled and reached for her communicator, vanishing with the jar a second later. The four remaining Rangers lowered their weapons, and Goldar and Scorpina froze, glancing uncertainly back to Rita.

"Imagine that," said Jason. "No light. Game over, Rita."

With an expression of pure fury, Rita's eyes flashed, but suddenly the witch smiled. "So it would seem," she said. "But even with the light, it won't help you find your silver friend or stop Ultramarine, will it?" The Rangers froze, and Rita laughed. "A pity - for all your bravado, for all your cheap talk, you still lose," and raising her wand, the three villains vanished from the scene.

"It ain't over yet," said Jason, and looked to the other Rangers. "C'mon guys, let's go..."

The two of us stood eye-to-eye in the deserted battleground, silently staring each other down in a tense standoff. I didn't know whether I could beat Ultramarine, just that I didn't have to, if things went the way I hoped. But Jason wouldn't have let me leave the Command Centre if he didn't think I could do it. He had faith in me, and for the moment, that was enough.

Ultramarine broke the tension and made the first move.

He charged forward, slashing his blades for my stomach - I stepped around the left blade and blocked his right blade with my sword, batting it away before swinging for his chest-plate. Ultramarine blocked my sword with his left blade, spinning around and attacking me with a wide diagonal slice. I caught and struck his blade away, before landing several rapid blows to his stomach. Ultramarine recovered quickly but I pressed forward, slashing with every step. Blocking and countering my attacks, the warrior lunged forward with a horizontal slash. I brought my sword down onto his blade, effectively halting the weapon's arc and striking it away, but Ultramarine sent me stumbling with a heel to the stomach.

I quickly found my footing and turned back to the warrior, more determined than ever to match him blow-for-blow. He lunged forward with his right blade - I somersaulted over him to safety, but Ultramarine spun around on the spot, slashing with both blades. I carved my sword back towards him in a straight diagonal stroke, intercepting both blades and striking them away before ramming the handle of my weapon into Ultramarine's stomach with all my strength. He grunted angrily and his left blade flashed towards me - I raised my sword, blocked the blade, struck his right blade away, and slashed my blade down his chest armour. Sparks rained down from the blow as my blade carved through his armour, but Ultramarine charged forwards through the cloud, slashing with every step and forcing me back.

The battle raged on furiously. Lunge, block, duck, slash, parry, the blades were all moving at an incredible pace - had there been any casual observers, the battle would have appeared as a continuous, steady blur. Ultramarine slashed his left blade at my head, and as I ducked the move he swung low, forcing me to jump back and over as the blade swept under me. Around us, buildings and cares were burning, casting crazy shadows all around as the two of us continued trading blows.

I swung for his chest, but he blocked the blow and lashed out with a horizontal stroke. Spinning around the move I retaliated with a wide slice, but Ultramarine was too fast, blocking the move, countering my attacks and slashing again and again, forcing me to back up. I blocked his right blade but with his left he landed a glancing blow to my shoulder, and I cried out as I quickly backed out of range. He continued forward relentless, his blades slicing through the air, and although I struck away his left blade, he brought his right down across my chest, and even as I stumbled back in a cloud of sparks and smoke, Ultramarine fired with his shoulder cannon, the blast lifting me off my feet and sending me back through a shop window where I crashed to a stop.

Ultramarine lowered his arms and stepped back. "If you surrender now, I'll end this quickly," he said. "But I'm enjoying this, so either way I'll run with your decision."

Picking myself out of the rubble, I climbed out of the ruined shop and took a step towards him. "Enjoy this," I said, and raising my blade, I charged towards him.

I slashed at the warrior with a wide diagonal stroke as I approached. He ducked back out of range and I continued forward, spinning around and slashing for his torso. He struck away my sword and swung for my stomach with his left blade - I blocked and countered the attack, raising my sword above my head and slicing forward. He raised his arm, halting my blade in a shower of sparks, and withdrawing his right blade, he slammed his open palm into my chest, the blow sending me crashing back into a wall where I collapsed to the ground.

But even as I staggered to my feet, the warrior was already thundering towards me with his right blade raised, and he slashed the weapon towards me before I had the chance to defend myself - I quickly leaped to safety, but as I turned back to face him his shoulder cannon roared to life, the blasts slamming me back in an explosion of sparks and fire.

"What's the matter?" he asked with an amused tone, watching me climb to my feet. "Am I too much for you? I thought I didn't scare you."

I didn't answer, my attention focussed on Ultramarine's shoulder cannon. Our blaster shots bounced off him, and while he had that cannon he had an advantage I couldn't get around. Tightening my grip around my sword, I paused a second before leaping towards him, on a course that took me straight past him. Ultramarine froze, confused, and by the time he realised what I was doing it was too late - flying towards him, I rammed my sword straight through the blue barrel of the cannon, instantly destroying the weapon.

I dropped to the pavement, found my footing and spun back around - despite being rocked by fiery explosions from the remains of his cannon, Ultramarine turned back to face me, his eyes burning bright with hatred. Raising his blades, the warrior stepped back towards me and attacked - I blocked one blade and narrowly dodged the other, but before I realised it, he'd forced me back and pinned me to the wall behind me, the two blades at my neck.

"Now that," he growled, "was a really bad idea."

My heart racing, I nodded. "Is this close enough to my deathbed?" I asked. "Brendan, where is he?"

Ultramarine laughed a dry, hoarse sound. "The last gambit of the truly desperate," he said. "I don't think so. Although..." He paused, and I held my breath. "I can tell you would've really appreciated the artwork."

Bingo. I'd got him.

Gritting my teeth, I slammed both fists into his chest armour with all the strength I had left, bringing my sword back up across his chest-armour as he stumbled away, the warrior staggering back in a cloud of fire and smoke.

With Ultramarine dazed from the attack, I raised my wrist to my helmet. "Alpha, Billy, I got it. Brendan's in a cave somewhere," I said quickly, "some place with Aboriginal art, or rock carvings or something, and probably some place pretty close."

"Thanks Peter," came Billy's voice. "Do you require any assistance?"

"No," I replied. "Just find Brendan," and the communicator fell silent.

Across the battlefield, Ultramarine's gaze rose from my communicator to my helmet. "You... you..." he muttered, barely able to speak through his fury, "you tricked me."

I shook my head. "No trick to it," I said. "It was all you, Ultramarine. You just couldn't resist the opportunity to brag. To tell someone how good you are." I paused, stepping towards him. "And it suddenly occurs to me, Ultramarine, that if you really were such a great warrior, you wouldn't need to spend so much time and energy trying desperately to prove it."

Ultramarine stepped back in shock. "Who do you think you are?"

"Better than you," I replied, "regardless of everything else. Put a toad in a suit of armour with a couple of fancy swords, and guess what? He's still just a toad."

Shaking with fury, Ultramarine stepped back towards me. "Believe me boy, you will pay dearly for that," he said, but then stopped, his eyes growing wide. "Because I suspect the rules are about to change."

Without warning, the entire street was lit with a blinding glare, and I raised my arm to shield my eyes as a line of shining silver rapidly began advancing across Ultramarine's armour, rising from his boots to his helmet and steadily replacing the original dark blue. After a few seconds the storm of light faded, leaving Ultramarine in a suit of bright silver armour, and he held his arms up in wonder before turning to face me.

I stepped back in disbelief. It was too late. The other Rangers hadn't reached Brendan in time, and the power Brendan had as the Silver Ranger now belonged to Ultramarine.

"As I was saying," the warrior growled, his voice low and dangerous as he steadily closed in.

"You lose."