Chapter 14- Rescue Mission Pt. 1
Billy recalled the floor plan of the lunar palace that stood in a large crater on Earth's moon. He was aware that Rita's sorcery had most likely altered the appearance of the floor plan, but figured that she couldn't do much due to the structure design itself. "I think that's just about it," he said, turning to Kimberly.
Kimberly looked at the map, impressed with the detail the undeclared scientist had put into it. "I hope Jason, and the others are all right, Zedd finally has them in his clutches, and it's no telling what he'll do to them,"
"Knowing Jason, Zack, and Trini, they were Power Rangers once, like you and me. They won't give into Zedd's brainwashing," Billy answered reassuringly.
"Billy," said Kimberly. "Jason told me something, before my departure.."
"What did he tell you?" Billy asked.
"He told me that.."
Before Kimberly could reveal Jason's words, Delphine returned to the meeting room, followed by Cestria who kept her face lowered towards the floor, frightened of making eye contact with Billy.
"How is the plan coming along?" asked Delphine, not realizing her interruption.
"It's going well," answered Billy. "I've just finished drawing the map of the palace, and I can only assume that Zedd is holding our friends prisoner in the dungeons, which are most likely heavily guarded. I can't see him loosing three Rangers to a rescue party easily,"
"I'm afraid you'll be on your own," Delphine said with melancholy.
"On our own?" Kimberly asked. "You're not coming to assist us?"
Delphine shook her head with sorrow. "The Hydro Elite are planning an invasion. The Aquitian Central Intelligence Agency have sent a distress call signifying that the Hydro Hog has indeed joined forces with the United Alliance of Evil,"
Billy shook his head. "I thought the Hydro species were a declared independent sanction?"
"They were," answered Delphine. "But with a little bargaining, Dark Specter can acquire anything he desires,"
"Bargaining?" Kimberly asked. "What could Dark Specter possibly bargain to make an entire species join forces with him?"
"Although it wouldn't take much, if you've seen Dark Specter yourself, but he has found the location of Ninjor, one of the original wielders of our Aquitian morphers,"
"Yes," Kimberly said. "Of course, Ninjor is the one who created both sets of our power coins,"
Billy stepped forward and scratched his head. "Delphine..." he said, looking directly at the morpher bound around her glove covered wrist. "You said that Ninjor was one of the original creators of your power, who were the others?"
"Yeah," Kimberly copied. "Did Zordon help?"
"No, no," Delphine responded. "Thousands of years ago, a great battle evoked between the forces of good and evil, on the surface of this very planet. Showing no mercy for our sins, the Great Aquitian Water Lord submerged the planet into its current state. Ninjor was a powerful ninja warrior, he along with four others, Ninjakon, Ninjetti, Ninjizer, and Ninjist constructed our morphers. Aurico, Cestro, Corcus, Tideus, and myself, among other species, had been training under the mythological Morphin Masters, and all five of us were chosen to become Power Rangers,"
"What happened to the other warriors?" Billy asked. "Ninjor never spoke of them,"
Delphine nodded her head. "All five of them ended up on Earth, where they became fascinated with the dinosaurs that inhabited the planet at that time, they built a temple in which they constructed the power coins, empowered with the mysterious species, they were the same coins that you possessed during your days as Power Rangers," she paused for a breath and continued. "A rift formed, when Ninjor broke the code of five,"
"Code of five?" Billy asked. "What do you mean?"
"I was just getting to that," said Delphine. "The five made a pact, that they would keep a tradition of five, in whatever they did. Ninjor, constructed a sixth power coin, based on a legendary dragon he encountered near Earth's oceans," she bowed her head. "It ultimately brought an end to their friendship, and so came the foretold sixth member. Legend tells that each of them went their separate way, leaving Ninjor on Earth, and each constructed their own power sources, but there has been nothing to show proof of that,"
"So that's where the Dragon coin came from," Billy said. "I've always wondered,"
"In anger, Ninjor bottled up the six coins, along with a map to his temple, incase someone ever found it, and cast it out into the depths of the sea," Delphine added.
"That's when Alpha and Zordon found it," Kimberly spoke up.
"Yes, Ninjor and Ninjakon are believed to be the only surviving warriors, and Ninjakon himself was rumored to have built five power morphers based on Air, Earth, Water, Thunde-
Delphine was interrupted by Aurico who entered the room with a worried expression bore on his face. "I've just received a message from a former Power Ranger from Earth..."
"A ranger?" Billy said. "Who was it?"
Kimberly crossed her fingers, hoping that Jason, Trini, and Zack managed to escape somehow, but her hopes were dismantled when Aurico spoke.
"Adam Park," Aurico responded. "Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa have invaded Earth, they've captured much of California already, including the major cities of Angel Grove, and Mariner Bay,"
"Oh no," Kimberly said. "Billy, we have to do something,"
"Where are the Astro Rangers?" Billy asked. "Why aren't they resisting Zedd's forces?"
Cestria, who had remained quiet the entire time finally spoke up. "I know why..." she looked towards Delphine and revealed Dark Specter's plans. "The Rangers have intentionally been lured into the Lost Galaxy by the Alliance, in an attempt to keep them away from Earth,"
"The Lost Galaxy?" Billy asked. "Does such a place even exist?"
Cestria nodded her head. "Yes, it was one of the first successful attempts at isolating a planet by the United Alliance of Evil. Several planets, were warped into this fabled galaxy. It is only reachable through certain rifts in space,"
"How do you know all of this?" Billy angrily asked.
Delphine patted his shoulder. "It's not her fault. Our Cestria has had a difficult past, and has been haunted by her parent's connection to the United Alliance of Evil. Astronema idiotically revealed Dark Specter's plans to her, during a visit the dark princess made to Aquitar,"
"Astronema was here?" Kimberly yelled. "Why didn't you stop her Cestria?"
"Calm down, young one," Aurico motioned at Kimberly. "Cestria has explained her sins to us, and she was only haunted by the notion that Astronema would reveal her past to us,"
"I'm sorry," Kimberly stepped backwards, embarrassed by the Red Ranger's lecture. "I'm just upset over the capture of my friends, and now I learn that Earth has been invaded,"
"Is there any way possible to send a transmission to the Astro Rangers?" Billy asked.
"Not if they are indeed stuck in the Lost Galaxy," Delphine answered. "Hopefully, they'll seek the help from a local planet, but unless their Kerovian friend has knowledge of the rift exits, then they could be stuck there forever,"
Kimberly turned to Billy. "Then it's up to us," she said. "We were Power Rangers, we know how Zedd works."
"I don't think so Kim," Billy said. "Two powerless humans, against Zedd's legion of monsters? We'll be destroyed within milliseconds,"
"No Billy," Kimberly said. "We do have power, don't you remember what Ninjor taught us?"
"Ninjor? Huff! Ninjor has turned out to be a selfish coward, who turned away his friends..." Billy answered.
"No, Billy. I don't care what she said about Ninjor," Kimberly referred to Delphine. "He was always there when we needed him, and before Alpha's malfunction.."
"Malfunction?" Billy asked. "What happened to Alpha?"
"That's right..." Kimberly said sadly. "You don't know....he was captured by Astronema, and held prisoner on the Dark Fortress. They must have fried his circuits, because he was gone within minutes I'd discovered him,"
Tears fell from Billy's eyes, as he'd just lost someone who he considered a family member. "What did Alpha say to you?"
"He reminded me of the words Ninjor gave us when we received our Ninja coins," Kimberly answered. "The power was from within, and I used it, and it worked!"
"How is that possible?" Billy asked. "Goldar destroyed our power coins, you saw that with your own eyes,"
"How do you think I escaped the clutches of Astronema?" Kimberly asked him.
"So it really does work?" Billy asked himself.
"Yes," Kimberly nodded. "And if we're going to save the others, and the planet, we'd better leave now,"
Billy nodded at his friend, as Cestria dashed forward and threw her arms around him. "No Billy! Please don't leave me," she cried.
The former Blue Ranger sighed, and returned the hug, realizing her true innocence. "I'll come back...I promise," he kissed her head, and turned towards Delphine. "Can you arrange a cloaked shuttle to transport Kimberly, and myself to Earth?"
Delphine nodded. "It's already been prepared...ready for takeoff,"
Billy looked towards Kimberly and nodded his head. "Let's go,"
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The sun slowly arose from behind the mountain peaks which outlined the growing city of Angel Grove. Excitement was in the air, for the city's based space exploration program NASADA would be sending their first astronauts to a strange planetoid that had entered the Earth's atmosphere.
Fourteen year old Kimberly Hart looked into her bedroom mirror, disgust dawned her face, as she yawned trying to decide what to wear. She picked up a pink jumper and held it up to her chest, but angrily tossed it back down onto the bed.
"Ugh, like this totally worthless," she said. "No matter what I wear, Jason is always going to see me as a sister figure,"
The telephone rang and Kimberly hurriedly picked it up. "Hey Trini!" she said excitedly into the receiver.
"Hey Kim," answered Trini Kwan, Kimberly's best friend. "Are you excited?"
"Yes!" Kimberly answered. "Freshman year is going be great, all of the cute upperclassmen football players, gotta love it!"
Trini laughed. "You and guys....but it won't be any fun for me though, I have like one class with you,"
"Have you considered getting you schedule changed?" Kimberly asked.
"Several times, but I've heard that Principal Kaplan isn't too keen about freshman changing their schedules their first year at Angel Grove High,"
"Well that sucks," Kimberly said. "My mom told me I need to stop being so concerned about shopping, and start watching the news...which reminds me, it's about to come on,"
"All right," Trini responded. "Are you coming to the Juice Bar after school today?"
"Yeah," Kimberly answered. "Billy is going to join Jason's Karate class, I thought maybe we could be there for support,"
"Okay, see you there,"
Kimberly put down the receiver and walked over to her small television, the news was just beginning.
"Hello, I am Christopher Herndon reporting live from downtown Silver Hills," Explosions could be seen from behind the news crew, as citizens scurried across the streets in terror from an unseen source. "We have updated coverage from the alien invasion that occurred hours ago, when an un-identified space craft landed in a forest area a few miles outside of town, the source of the craft have just entered the city.
The camera flashed to a scene of a muscular man, clad in steel armor, with spikes penetrating from one side of his shoulder pads, followed by a female dressed in white spandex, with hot pink hair flowing down the side of her face.
"Wow," Kimberly said to herself. "Am I watching the news, or am I watching a new science fiction movie?"
Hidden deep within the mountains, inside of a building with unique architecture, an one-dimensional being trapped in a time warp known as Zordon appeared magically in a large blue tube that centered a circular room that gave the feel of outer space.
"Alpha, I sense a great disturbance in the Morphin Grid," the great sage said to a small robot who stood diligently facing a sphere that played the same news broadcast from Silver Hills. "All is not what is seems,"
"Ayi yi yi," the robot answered. "Yes, from what Kimberly told us during her visit in the 1800's, none of this was supposed to happen,"
"You are wise, my robotically built friend," Zordon answered. "Something from the future is trying to disrupt the flow of time,"
"What are you going to do Zordon?" Alpha 5 asked.
"Open a contact frequency with a future police agency called Time Force, we have to act before these time travelers create a flux in time,"
"All right," Alpha answered, as he punched in a few keys on the control panel.
To Be Continued