Chapter 7:

Journey of Ages Part III: The Omega Syndrome; A Past Revealed

The sun rose once again over Eltar, illuminating the landscape of shattered crystal spires and broken buildings as the rays of warmth cast their brightening glow over Eltos. The Eltarians stirred from their slumber, waking and going to work burying the fallen and using their magic to rebuild their beloved city. Despite being scheduled to deliver a speech to the people of Eltar in the afternoon, Lorden was not out among his people boosting morale. Many well-wishers had called upon him at his home, but he had asked his housemaster to turn away anyone other than his nephew. He had asked Stone to come to his home at his convenience so he could tell him the truth about his heritage and why he was able to use magic to halt the fall of the building.

Truth be told, Lorden never thought he would have to tell his nephew the truth. He knew that he was being raised on Earth as a normal human, and the odds of the human ever reaching Eltar were slim to none; apparently slim had won. Lorden sat at his marble desk, resting his head in his hands. How was he to tell Stone the truth? It was a hard pill for Lorden to swallow and he wasn't even the one that the story was concerned with. Sighing, Lorden opened one of the desk's numerous drawers and withdrew a crystal. Placing it in one of the desk's holders, he waved his hand over the crystal. It contained an image of Zordon and himself slaving over their work, as usual. The work had been the precursor to the power coins that Zordon had given to the Rangers he recruited in Angel Grove. Smiling, Lorden passed his hand over the crystal again, watching as the image shimmered and changed into another. This was a picture of the two brothers resplendent as Rangers fighting the Balien king Tyran on the plains of Eltar. He remembered the day vividly; the Eltarians, numbering in the mere hundreds, had fought off ten thousand Baliens, holding the plains until the contingent of troops from Aquitar had arrived to bolster their forces. Wiping a tear from his cheek, Lorden waved a shaking hand a final time over the crystal, bringing up an image of a human child, swaddled in a blanket in the arms of his brother. This was the image that he would now have to face.

The image crystal he was viewing had been accompanied by a visit from his dear brother. Zordon had contacted Lorden in secret, asking for a meeting on the nearby planet of Triforia, in the castle of Lord Trey, the gold Zeo Ranger. It was here that Lorden's life had changed forever.

---Start Flashback---

"Welcome to my home Lorden," Trey said, clasping Lorden's offered forearm. "Your brother is waiting for you in the dining hall. Follow me, if you would." Trey turned and led Lorden down the hall of his monstrous castle, finally stopping outside large golden doors engraved with the crest of Triforia.

"Your brother is waiting for you inside, dear friend," Trey said as he patted Lorden on the back and turned to leave. "I'll leave you two in peace. I'm sure you have much to discuss." Smiling, Lorden thanked the Lord of Triforia and opened the doors to see his brother looking into the fire with his back turned to Lorden. Walking into the grand dining chamber, Lorden's footsteps echoed, creating an eerie resonance that disturbed the serene calm of the room. Clearing his throat, Lorden stretched out to rest his hand on his older brother's shoulder.

"Dear brother it's been too long," Lorden said, smiling as his brother turned to face him. Lorden gasped. It was not the fact that Zordon looked weathered and worn, or that he was a shadow of his former self. In Zordon's arms was a baby swaddled in a blanket. Sighing, Zordon motioned for his brother to sit down at the massive oak table that was situated in the centre of the hall. Resting the baby in a cradle in a shadowed corner, Zordon joined his brother at the table.

"Indeed it has Lorden," Zordon said as he sat across from his brother resting his head against the massive headboard of the chair. Zordon was surprised at the fact that his brother had actually agreed to meet him. The fact that he had left Eltar under the circumstances that he did meant that he was one of the Lost, and the fact that Lorden was speaking with him now put him at risk should anyone on Eltar discover that they had met. "I fear that there is little time for me to explain very much to you little brother. Please hear my entire tale before you judge me for what has happened; you are the only one I can trust to tell, as well as the only person who knows. After I left Eltar, I settled in a small town called Angel Grove on Earth. I kept my identity secret from everyone, claiming that I was a new teacher from out of town. However I could not hide my feelings from one of my fellow teachers at the school I was teaching at." Lorden's face paled at the news that Zordon was relaying.

"You consorted with a human?" Lorden exclaimed, his voice echoing in expanses of the hall. Sighing, Zordon stood and walked over to the cradle to look at the child resting within. "This human infant can use magic!"

"Yes brother, this child is part human and part Eltarian," Zordon said, turning to face his enraged brother once again. Lorden moved towards the cradle and gazed at the baby. It's eyes were closed as it slumbered. Tufts of hair had begun to sprout from the infant's tiny head; the strands of dark hair curled in waves on the child's head. Picking the baby up in his arms, Lorden felt the child stir at his touch.

"Never thought I'd be called uncle," Lorden said as he rocked the baby back and forth, listening to the baby coo and stir as it felt the motion. Zordon smiled and placed his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I can't ask you to take care of him, or even take him to Eltar and place him in the care of foster parents. All I ask is that should he ever seek you out you tell him the truth. His mother's name was Alora, a human teacher from Angel Grove. Teach him of Eltar and tell him that his father loves him, despite the fact that I cannot raise him. I will leave him with foster parents on Earth and pray he lives a life better than I could ever provide." Nodding, Lorden placed the baby back in the cradle and moved to the door to leave the chamber. Turning to look at his elder brother once more, Lorden cleared his throat.

"What's the child's name, brother?" Lorden asked, his voice echoing in the vastness of the room once again.

Smiling, Zordon answered. "Derek. The boy's name is Derek."

---End Flashback---

Lorden had never told anyone of the existence of his nephew; not even his wife or his young daughter. He felt he owed it to his brother to keep the dark secret in hopes that he would never have to face his nephew and tell him the truth about his origins. He had thought that there was a large possibility that his nephew would never even know he was part Eltarian and would live his life as a normal human, never tapping into his magic abilities. It would seem that the Ancients, however, did not want this to be the case. Placing the crystal back into the desk drawer, Lorden left his study and walked down the hall to the stairs that would take him to the lower level of his home. Clara, however, was waiting for her father at the top of the stairs.

"How could you not tell me?" Clara cried, wiping the tears from her eyes. Lorden brought his daughter into his arms, hugging her tightly as he began to explain.

"I couldn't tell you," he began, feeling his daughter sobbing into his robe. "I couldn't tell anyone, for fear of them sending me into exile for speaking with one of the Lost. There was every likelihood that we would never see Derek ever again and that he would live his life on Earth and never even know that this planet exists, let alone that he had magic abilities." Clara's sobbing began to slow as she realized that her father did indeed have no choice. Before he could explain any further, the door crystal chimed, signaling that someone was seeking admittance into the High Councilor's home. Knowing that it was Stone, Lorden hugged Clara and left her to answer the door. Watching his housemaster open the door, Lorden saw Stone standing outside the door.

"Ah, Derek, nice to see you," Lorden said, beckoning his nephew to enter. Stone walked into the home cautiously, not knowing what to expect within an Eltarians home. Extending his hand, Stone greeted his uncle.

"Hi sir." Lorden shook his head as he shook Stone's offered hand.

"Please, Derek, call me Lorden. You're too old for me to be called uncle, and I'd prefer if you called me by my first name anyways. Now, I'm sure you're rather nervous and would like to know the truth. Come with me into the sitting room," Lorden said as he lead Stone down the hall, into a room who's walls were covered in crystals emitting images into the air. Two chairs were situated around a marble table; it was in these that the two sat. Despite knowing that Lorden was his uncle, Stone still had many unanswered questions. He hoped that Lorden's explanation would clear everything up.

"I'm sure you're confused about everything and why Eltarians view humans with such distaste and caution," Lorden began to explain, as he sat back in his chair. "But first, I would like to tell you of your father. Correct me if I'm wrong Derek, but you never knew your real parents did you?"

"I was raised in a foster home, by Joseph and Angelina Stone," Stone replied, remembering the adults that had raised him fondly.

"Exactly; a foster home. Your real parents were my elder brother, Zordon, and a woman named Alora, a school teacher. Your father left Eltar just after his 23rd birthday, determined to aid the humans in the threats that would attack the human planet of Earth. He took with him the power coins; devices that would allow normal humans to become Power Rangers by harnessing the power of the ancient creatures that humans called dinosaurs. I saw him once more after he left Eltar, on the planet Triforia, where I learned of your existence and what I would be required to do should you ever find me here. There is little else I can tell you about your past Derek, save that your father loved you very much and wanted to see you raised in as safe an environment as possible," Lorden said, looking at Stone who was fighting back the tears. Lorden stood and walked to one of the images being emitted on the wall and motioned for Stone to join him. The image was of a man holding a case containing five golden coins.

"Is this…" Stone began to say before he was interrupted by Lorden.

"Yes Derek, this is your father. Those are the power coins he took with him to Earth that he gave to the five teenagers in Angel Grove. I helped him develop them, as well as the zords that those Rangers commanded. That is how I knew that your guardian spirit could transform into a force zord," Lorden explained. Stone nodded.

"Well that at least explains that," Stone said walking back to the chairs they had been sitting in moments earlier. "But that doesn't explain a few other things; like why you treated me like a virus when I arrived here." Lorden sighed deeply. Knowing that this question was indeed coming didn't help in answering it.

"There is something you need to understand about Eltarians my nephew," Lorden said slowly, choosing his words carefully, "My people view humans with such caution because we know the extremes they are capable of. Humans have the capacity to do both great good and great evil; build and destroy. We try to avoid meddling in the affairs of all races, not just humans; we enjoy our splendid isolation. When you arrived on Eltar I had no idea that you were indeed my nephew. After all, I hadn't seen you in over a decade. Once I had seen you use magic, I knew that you were my nephew…no other human can use magic. I apologize for your harsh treatment, but it is how we treat all humans, or foreigners for that matter." Seemingly accepting the explanation that he had been provided, Stone moved to the next question.

"How am I able to use magic, other than the fact that I have an Eltarian as a father?" Stone inquired, wondering just what was so different about him.

Lorden smiled as he answered. "The difference is a rather subtle one. Normal humans, like the ones on Earth, have 46 chromosomes divided into 23 pairs. Eltarians, however, have a 24th pair of chromosomes that allows the ability to harness magic. Because your father was an Eltarian, you contain the 24th pair of chromosomes. That is the sole difference between Eltarians and humans, other than the fact that we live on Eltar."

"Then how did you know I was a human if the only difference between me and an Eltarian was part of my genetic code?" Stone said, as he watched Lorden smiled once again.

"Well you weren't exactly dressed like us now where you?" Lorden said as he watched Stone try to suppress a laugh. "In addition to your dress, no Eltarian would ever appear out of thin air with one of the Force weapons on top of the Eltos Fountain. In fact, assuming that you were a human was just an educated guess on our part."

"But if I'm able to use magic, why couldn't I use it when I was back on Earth?" Stone asked, recalling a few situations back home when a fireball or lightning bolt would have been rather useful.

"In truth, that is a question that is rather difficult to answer. Did you believe in magic while you were on Earth?" Lorden asked as he watched Stone shake his head. "Exactly. Part of the ability to use magic comes from the belief in magic. The other part comes from the ability in knowing that you can use magic. You, however, fall under neither of the categories. My best guess is that your abilities were unlocked because of the situation. You needed to stop that piece of falling building debris and your magical abilities chose that point to activate. Some might call it luck, others will call it fate."

Satisfied with the answers he had received, Stone began to pace around the room, glancing at each image that were cast on the walls. Many of the pictures had his father in them; his real father. In truth he had always wondered who his real parents were back on Earth, or at least he had before the invasion. Never, even in a hundred years, would he have guessed that his father was a magic using alien that had developed the Power Ranger abilities and brought them to Earth. Like his life, even his perception of his past had changed. Clearing his throat, Stone turned to face his uncle.

"So what happens to me now?" Stone asked, fearing the answer that he would receive from his uncle.

"Well, seeing as you almost single-handedly saved the city, and likely the planet, I'm sure the remaining populace of the city will embrace you with open arms," Lorden said as he moved towards the window of the room to watch the citizens of Eltos gather around the Fountain in preparation for his afternoon address. Sighing, Stone spoke to his uncle from across the room.

"You know I can't stay here Lorden," Stone said as he began to walk to the window. "My place is on Earth. I need to find the Force of Ages and figure out how to bring it back for my friends back on Earth. My planet doesn't stand a chance without the Force and you bloody well know it. And I'll need Clara's help when I get back."

"What do you mean?" Lorden inquired, concerned by the fact that Stone was asking for his only daughter to accompany him back to Earth.

"Clara is destined to be a Ranger," Stone said, trying to sound as casual as possible. Lorden whirled to look at Stone.

"WHAT!" Lorden cried. Stone knew that this wouldn't be easy.

"She's one of the Rangers. You'll ask me how I know, but listen to me first. When I first met Clara, I saw her standing in the Cavern of Power back on Earth, grabbing the weapon from one of the statues. That vision can only mean one thing; that she's meant to be one of the Rangers on Earth. I haven't had a chance to tell her yet," Stone said, moving to leave the room. "Like it or not Lorden, her place is with me and the Rangers on Earth."

"You think I'll just let her go?" Lorden asked, chasing Stone out of the room. Hand on the door to leave the home of the High Councilor, Stone turned his head to speak.

"Frankly, uncle, I don't think you'll have a choice."

PAGE BREAK (once again it's ugly, but it works)

The crowd that had gathered for Lorden's address was…well…massive. It seemed as if every survivor from Eltos had turned up as well as every inhabitant of the planet. Word had spread quickly across the expanses of the planet about the human that had saved Eltos. Rumor had it that the human had used the Force of Ages to morph into a Force Ranger to battle the Baliens and the Gigans they had brought along. The Eltarians had so many questions that they hoped Lorden's address would answer.

Lorden, however, had questions himself. The foremost one was what the hell he was going to say to the Eltarians and, later, to Stone. He had so much to tell his people and Stone, and had no idea where to start. Maybe it was time to tell them all the truth; tell them about Stone, Zordon, and the Force of Ages. Perhaps he should tell the Eltarians of the Balien invasion of Earth and that it was time for the Eltarians to end their isolation and become part of galactic affairs. Before he could decide, he heard the master of ceremony announce his name, calling him towards the podium to make his address. Sighing and clearly his throat, Lorden waved and smiled to the crowd as he stepped up the dais upon which the podium sat. Waiting for the cheers and applause to subside to a reasonable level, Lorden raised his hands to call for absolute silence.

"My dear citizens, friends, and family; I stand before you today a man torn between two ideals who finds himself searching for the right words to say to you all. So much has happened to our planet in the past few days I struggle to find a place to start," Lorden said as he scanned the crowd, looking for Stone. Seeing him a few rows back, Lorden spoke again. "Despite what the other Councilors will say about me, I think it is high time I told you all the truth about a number of things. As many of you know, my brother is one of the Lost. He left Eltar many years ago bound for Earth, taking with him the power to give humans the ability to transform into Power Rangers. What you all don't know is that he had a son born to him by a human female." It seemed to Lorden that at this point every Eltarian gathered gave a collective gasp at the twist they had just heard.

"Similarly, many of you know that myself as well as a handful of soldiers defending Eltos were saved by the golden Force Ranger yesterday," Lorden said as cheers once again erupted from the crowd. "Yes, yes, I know, very exciting. But the truth is that the golden Force Ranger was Zordon's son, and my nephew." Silence followed Lorden's latest comment, which was unsurprising. Opening his mouth to further explain, he was suddenly, and surprisingly, cut off by a sea of cheering, whooping and applause. Lorden couldn't believe what he was seeing, nor could the other Councilors. Eltarians had never cheered for a human, even a half-human before. Maybe it was time…

"So, my people, I will show Stone, our human saviour, where the Force of Ages lies, so that he may return to his planet to save it from the Baliens that are attacking his home. Eltarians, I give you your hero, the golden Force Ranger, Derek Stone!" Lorden said, pointing to Stone and motioning for him to come up to the podium and join him. At a complete loss as to what to do, Stone waded through the small portion of the crowd that was in between him and the dais, shaking hands and being patted on the back.

Funny how things change once you save their planet, Stone thought with amusement.

Standing beside his uncle, Stone waved to the gathered crowd, smiling.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Stone said to Lorden, speaking out of the side of his mouth.

"Tell them the truth about what's happening back on Earth," Lorden suggested, just loud enough to be heard about the crowd's cheering.

"Uh…hi" Stone said into the crystal that Lorden had been speaking into, "I don't really know what to say…I mean a few days ago I was the strangest thing you all had seen. I come from Earth, a planet invaded and besieged by the Baliens that threatened your planet yesterday. My home doesn't have the beauty that your city does. It might not have the crystal spires or the shining walls and fountains that your city does but my home is beautiful to me. I don't know how I got here, but I do know why I'm here. I was sent here to find and harness the Force of Ages and return with it to save my planet. But I don't think I can win the battle on Earth alone with the other Rangers," Stone said as he felt his courage coursing through his veins. "I ask you now as a friend, not a hero or a Ranger, to aid me and my planet. We might not understand each other's cultures or live on the same planet, but we share this galaxy. And I know that if you can change and accept me that my people can change and accept you. Are you with me!" Stone screamed, raising his fist in the air to the tumultuous roars and cheers of the gathered Eltarians. Looking at his uncle, Lorden smiled, wiping the tears from his eyes. Walking back towards the amplification crystal, Lorden spoke the roaring crowd.

"We will assemble a grand army of Eltar to aid the humans in their plight against the Baliens. It will take time, dedication and training, but we will stand beside the humans on Earth as soon as we are able. Now, I believe I said that I would lead my nephew to the Force of Ages," Lorden said as he turned towards the Eltos Fountains. Raising his hand at the monstrous waterfall of the Fountain, Lorden spoke the words of the incantation that would part the water leading to the mouth of the Cavern of Ages. The rumbling waters began to divide from the center outwards, revealing the entrance. The crowd of Eltarians gasped at the sight, as they had never imagined that the fabled Cavern of Ages would be under their beloved city. Looking at Stone, Lorden lowered his hand and spoke with a smile.

"Well what are you waiting for boy? Your destiny is waiting."

PAGE BREAK

Life had returned to some semblance of order on Earth with the Baliens suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of the Rangers and the Bastion Guard. The humans living at Backwater University had been living in relative quiet for the past few days, settling in to their new surroundings and getting the hang of living in the fresh air again.

Life for the Rangers, however, had been anything but tame. Between setting up the defenses of the University, attending Council meetings, and training able bodied humans to fight, the Ranger had been lucky to catch a few hours of sleep everyday. Chris had taken over the defense council, organizing the placement of heavy weapons and the deployment of troops. He had commissioned Striker to help him, as the man could fix anything you put in front of him. They had scavenged the nearby military bases for anything usable and had been quite lucky. A dozen serviceable vehicles and 20 or so heavy guns, including surface to air missiles, had been found hidden underground in an alcove that Chris and Striker had discovered by chance. Over the course of the past few days, the pair had hauled the artillery back to the University and scattered them around the campus on strategic defense points. The vehicles were kept in one of the parking garages along with the vehicles that were from Bastion. As a whole, the vehicles were referred to as the cavalry, with numerous teenagers and adults stepping forward to be soldiers associated with the cavalry unit.

The hospital on the University campus had been filled almost to capacity, with the sick and elderly being watched over with care, nursing them back to full health. This was where Zoe was in her element. Although her medical knowledge was rather exceptional, she found more enjoyment from the fact that she was simply helping people get better. Despite her average stature, Zoe's heart was the size of a giant. She had gotten very little sleep over the past week; it seemed to the other staff of the hospital that she was always exactly where the crisis was occurring, or exactly where she needed to be. Focused on her tasks, Zoe's generosity and kindness never wavered. Similarly, her thought never wavered from Stone.

The children that had traveled from Bastion had been sent to the on-campus daycare to be kept amused, taught, and, mainly, to be kept out their parent's hair. This was where Johnny was in his element. Johnny had never known that he was good with teaching and amusing children with activities. He told the children stories from movies and TV shows to the extreme amusement of the children; after all, they had never heard of Star Wars or the Lord of the Rings, so the children were enrapt with the tales of adventure that Johnny spun within their minds. He also taught them math, writing, and physical activities to keep them in fighting form should the extreme circumstance when they would have to bear arms arise.

The Rangers had gathered in the dining hall after a long day of work; barely having enough energy to lift the forkfuls of food off of their plates. After a few mouthfuls of food, the Rangers found the energy to speak.

"So how's life treating you guys these days?" Johnny said, wiping gravy off of his mouth. Chris belched and took another swig of cola from his cup.

"Well if I ever see another heavy artillery gun that I have to tow to this bloody place I'm going to vomit," Chris said, picking up another drumstick off of his plate. Both Johnny and Zoe laughed in between bites, knowing how much Chris hated manual labour.

"I'm actually enjoying working in the hospital…I feel as though I'm contributing to everyone getting better and settled here. But I can't help thinking that something's wrong," Zoe said, resting her utensils on her plate and leaning back in her chair.

"What do you mean by that?" Johnny said, placing his plate on the dish tray that would be taken to the kitchen for washing. Zoe stood, stretching her muscles and walking to one of the many windows of the hall.

"The Baliens haven't attacked in days; not even a Skyclaw patrol has come our way. It's almost as if the Baliens have lost all interest in us," Zoe said with a worried sigh. Before Chris could tell her to enjoy the peace that had found them, the door to the hall burst open. Into the hall strode Striker, red in the face, presumably from the run over into the hall.

"Striker, what's wrong!" Chris cried, immediately rising from his seat and rushing over to see the Councilor. Striker clutched at one of the nearby chairs, catching his breath in deep wheezing breaths.

"We've found something," Striker said in gasps, "On the outskirts of the campus. They're humans…well at least some of them used to be humans. They're sick…real sick." Before anyone could tell her to stop, Zoe was out the door, on her way to the campus hospital to do whatever she could. Chris and Johnny helped Striker back towards the heart of the campus, listening to the Councilor's report of where the humans had been found. The humans had been wasting away almost to the point where an onlooker could watch the skin fall off their bones. On those that still had flesh on their arms, there was a discernible tattoo of the omega character, leading the Council to believe that these humans were from the dreaded Omega Camp. At first glance, the virus was like none anyone had ever seen, meaning that as of this moment, there was no cure.

PAGE BREAK

"I don't believe it," Zoe said, pulling herself away from the microscope. The gathered assembly hovering around her waited with baited breath for the analysis of the virus. "This virus attacks the chromosomes of our cells. It starts at the 23rd pair and works its way down. It doesn't attack animals because their genetic make up is different than ours. It seems almost as if the virus hunts for the 23rd pair and can only begin its attack if it finds them. I can only think of one reason this virus has been created…to destroy every last member of the human race." A few of the older Councilors fainted and landed on the ground with a thud. Chris moved over and lifted the fainted onto nearby chairs.

"If that's the case, then we have to get these corpses out of here. If we make contact with these bodies, even if in advertent, we can get sick," Johnny said, carefully lifting one of the corpses off of the examination table with a sheet between his hands and the bones of the dead human.

"Stupid boy, we're already all infected! We've already been too close to the body," Councilor Browning, ever the skeptic and pessimist, cried.

"You know Faymore, if this is the minimum intelligence required to be on the Council I figure I'll nominate myself next time there's an opening," Chris said, turning to glare at Browning. "If the virus was airborne, we'd all be falling apart where we stood by now. The virus was likely injected into these humans' bloodstream. What we need to focus on now is destroying any stock of this virus that the Baliens have at Omega."

"And how to propose to do that without getting infected yourself?" Browning sneered.

Chris opened his mouth to give the councilor a scathing reply when Johnny intervened to avoid a lengthy argument.

"There's no way any of us would willing send a group of unprotected soldiers into Omega knowing that there is the chance that they could become infected and die, let alone come back here and infect everyone else," Johnny said, moving to position himself between Chris and Councilor Browning. "Us Rangers will go and check it out."

Browning sniffed at the young Ranger's suggestion. "And how are you Rangers going to avoid being infected?" Even Johnny was beginning to lose his temper at this point.

"Browning, you are possibly the dumbest woman I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. We wear helmets in our Ranger forms," Chris said, moving his head so that Browning could see his face over Johnny's shoulder. Blushing and muttering under her breath, Browning removed herself from the room. Faymore sighed, shaking his head at the brashness of the female councilor.

"You're sure about this then?" Faymore said, turning to face the three Rangers. "You realize the danger that this…Omega Syndrome could cause you?"

"Not like we have much of a choice," Chris said, sedating the anger that Browning had brought out in him. "But all in all we stand the best chances of surviving whatever's waiting for us in Omega besides the virus."

"Even if we die at Omega destroying the virus, thousands are saved. That's the point. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," Zoe said removing her lab coat. Johnny simply nodded his assent. Faymore smiled.

"I figured you would say that," Faymore said, as he walked towards the automatic doors of the laboratory. "This being the case, I'd suggest that you visit Striker in the garage. He's got a few presents waiting for you."

PAGE BREAK

Striker heard the ping of the elevator reaching the garage level. Straightening himself and turning away from his workbench, Striker faced the elevator doors. The dull metallic doors opened to reveal the Rangers in their human states.

"So I take it you'll be going to Omega to find the source of the virus?" Striker said with a smile as he moved to greet the Rangers.

"No, we're here to take in the lovely ambiance," Chris said sarcastically smiling. Zoe, Johnny, and Striker all laughed heartily at Chris' usual humour. The garage was littered with spare parts, tools, nuts and bolts. Lining the edges of the garage were vehicles that Striker had recently repaired and were ready to go into active use. The vehicles themselves, however, were parked in no particular semblance of order other than that they were only along the edges of the area.

"Nice parking job there Striker," Johnny said, pointing to the numerous vehicles pointing every which way.

"This coming for a kid who's not even old enough to drive," Striker said with a chuckle. "So you're probably wondering what this surprise I've got for you is." The Rangers nodded. "I thought so. Gather around me, and I'll show you." Striker moved towards a large sheet covering three large objects that were creating peaks under the sheet. Obediently, the Rangers shifted to stand beside Striker and the sheet.

"I figured you would need a way to get to Omega that was a little less inconspicuous than riding those mythical animals. That's why I designed these," Striker said as he yanked the sheet covering the objects. Under it were three motorcycles; one blue, one yellow, and one black. They were each fashioned to the Ranger's respective guardian spirit, with weapons welded onto the frames for offensives. The Rangers ran their hands over the cycles, letting out low whistles. "I call these the Spirit Cycles. Hope you like 'em."

"Like them? I love mine!" Zoe said as she straddled the cycle and started the engine. The 1000cc engine roared to life, as did the other cycles as the Rangers started them. Chris glanced at Johnny as the black Ranger revved the engine.

"Wait, how do you know to start a motorcycle?" Chris said, looking towards a smiling Johnny.

"I used to race these on weekends," Johnny said, brining the motorcycle up on one wheel.

"Boys," Zoe muttered, turning the cycle to the exit door of the garage. Chris and Johnny lined themselves up beside her, revving their engines as the metallic shutter trundled open. Speeding off into the night, the Rangers prepared themselves for whatever awaited them at Camp Omega and the deadly virus it contained.

Author's Note: Sorry about this latest chapter taking so long. I've been really bogged down with schoolwork. The next chapter shouldn't take so long to be posted. Please read and review!