TIL I COLLAPSE - PART TWENTY-SEVEN: CAPTURED
SEQUEL TO: ORDINARY WORLD
SUMMARY: Present day, 2005. While looking for answers, Kim becomes a captive of Mindshatter. Can the team get her back and still find out where the DT Rangers are before Mindshatter destroys the city?
DISCLAIMER: Power Rangers is not mine. And you've read this long enough to know what is mine and what isn't. So, the end to that.
A/N: Just read on. I know you are wondering how this set back is gonna end. And I hope I have caught your eye just a little bit more. Don't you just lost all the twists I'm putting in? Well, of course you are, or you would not be reading all of this right now. See you when I do.
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"We got to find them. If we do not, our entire future is at stake. No matter what it may be, the future is in motion and things can change so much, so quickly. We cannot afford to make any mistakes or we could all suffer." -Eclyptyk Neo
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Present day 2005.
The hours felt like days as the unique team of rangers worked around the clock to get things running again in the underground lab. But a full day had passed, and none of them seemed to realize it. They still had no answers to what caused it, or how to get things running again. The entire Ninjetti crew, minus their leader, the legendary ranger, the yellow Zeo 2 ranger and the green samurai ranger. To complete the mix was the technical director of the DT team and the young heir to the man with a huge legacy. Principal Santos had to return to the school to avoid any sort of suspicion. She didn't like the constant eye on her, but there was nothing she could really do if she wanted to keep her job as principal of Reefside High.
Though many of them were not familiar with the technology based around the DT team, Hayley, Billy and Cam worked in shifts with the other members of the team. Many times, they had told young Serena to avoid touching things, but she managed to sneak by and fix a few things without them looking.
Adam had repeated told Kim to ease up just a little, even if she was protesting. He didn't want to put anymore stress on her than need be, but she was making it hard on all of them. He had to give her something to drink, set with a herbal remedy to make her tired as she had retired upstairs to some much needed rest. He told Serena to keep her company, but that didn't stop the young girl from sneaking back down to help out in the shadows. And he had absently went back to work on one of the drives around the lab.
There was just too much chaos that didn't need to be around when their main objective was to get the main hard drive running again so they can continue their search for the DT rangers.
Serena had moved around the chaos as she took a seat at the main computer console. She began to type in a few things into the system, which had still been denied to anyone, including Hayley.
Then the lights in the lab went dark as everyone began to complain about the darkness. But when they switched back on the main drive hummed to life and the access into the mainframe of the computer was up and running again.
"Huh? What the...?" Billy peeked out from his place under a panel of wires. He rose to his feet and raced over to the main computer. He looked down at the young girl who only looked up at him and smiled. "How did...? Did she just get the system running again?"
Hayley walked over to the computer and pushed a button to reveal the DT symbol and the screen showed status of its search through time for the DT team. "It appears so."
Cam joined the trio at the computer shaking his head. "We got a genius in the family." He gently patted the young girl's shoulder commenting on her good work. "Good job, Serena."
The young girl said something in Tagalog and hopped off the chair heading for the stairs. Confusion ran on the faces of the team, unsure what she had said.
"Did anyone catch that?" Rocky scratched his head in confusion. "Cause I don't speak Filipino."
"She said that we shouldn't underestimate her just because she's young," Adam said as everyone turned to look at him. It was clear that they were shocked he knew the language when they knew of one person who understood her, and that was her father. They had no idea about Trent's connection in the foreign language. Adam shrugged absently. "What? When you've been all over Asia you learn a few things about other cultures."
"Fluent?" Rocky looked at his friend, wondering exactly what skeletons hid in the green Zeo 4/black ninja ranger's closet.
"I know enough to say I know the general idea of what she's saying," Adam shrugged again. "But anyway, onto our first objective -- finding the DT team."
The team knew he had a point as the technical advisors took their seats at the main computer console. Adam and Aisha were sent out on the city to see if they could find any evidence out there. Rocky and Tanya hung about in the lab checking on the other systems and their status.
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Out on the city, Adam and Aisha began to trace back the steps of the last battle from the DT team. Aisha used a newly constructed device to reveal any strange energy cources in the area. Adam had his eyes peeled on any danger that could be around.
"I don't like this," Aisha shook her head as a cold chill ran down her back. "I mean, I don't know how this Mindshatter guy is, but he must be tough."
Adam nodded. "He's tricky. We haven't gotten a real victory since he showed up."
"You don't think this could be the end of the line, do you?"
"I doubt it. I mean, where would the other rangers in the future fall into play. I just don't like the feeling we haven't actually gotten anywhere with this war against Mindshatter."
The two came to a stop in the plaza where the DT rangers were last spotted. Aisha continued to scan the area as Adam scanned the area with his ninja powers. But there was something wrong. It was quiet. Too quiet for their taste. And they weren't sure what to make of the situation.
"Why's it so quiet?" Aisha looked around slightly confused. "You don't see this every day."
Adam shook his head agreeing with her. As much as the battle had now been a day ago, he figured life around the plaza would be back to normal. But somehow, it wasn't. "No. You don't." He looked around again reaching out with his ninja powers to see if anyone was in the immediate area, and one was. He let out a sigh as he turned to the stairwell breaking one level of the plaza from another. "Kim, what are you doing here?"
The familiar face of Kim popped from her hiding place. As much as a slurpee tried to hide her from spying, the black ninja knew it was more than that. She walked out into the open shaking her head pointing at the man in black. "You know, I am sick and tired of hearing from all of you I am not capable of helping. I am not crippled or injured..."
"But you're pregnant," Adam corrected as the glare grew heavy on him. "I'm sorry, but I have my orders. And so does Tommy. Look, we all care about you. We just don't want you to get hurt, that's all."
"So, we have to watch the DT rangers get their butts whupped while we sit around and do nothing? They're gonna need as much help from us as they do from each other," Aisha stated, making a point about why she had come to help.
"Are you taking her side!" Adam took a step back knowing he could not win against the pink ninja ranger and her best friend.
"Look, I get it. I know now that we may be calling in forces from the past to help out, but we got to realize the dangers here..."
"Like failing to stop Dinoshade from sending them back in time?" Kim countered. "Weren't you the only other ranger in the immediate area who could have done something? What happened to watching each other's back?"
"I was in Blue Bay Harbor looking for Cam. By the time I got back, it was too late. And you can't forget that Billy was monitoring the situation. And he tried to crack the dome, but couldn't. For a guy whose been around alien technology for a long time, he tried and couldn't. Now, don't accuse any of us for trying, but it's even harder trying to balance it with a normal life." Adam just wanted to drop the subject there, but the fire in Kim's eyes grew. And he didn't blame her for being upset. "Look, I get it. And you're right, I wasn't as alert as I should have been about any of this. I'm sorry. But remember, some of us do got a normal life to obtain. We're not teenagers anymore."
"Kinda ironic for something like that to come out of your mouth, Adam. After all the effort you have put in in the last few months, you'd say something like that. Life isn't exactly normal for any of us here. Look, I hate just sitting on the sidelines unable to do anything about this. We all are. It's just this Mindshatter guy has done far too much to destroy us as a team. And..." she caught her tongue unsure of what else to really say about the situation. She did, in fact, send Tommy off into battle to help his teammates, but didn't like the rush in his departure. There was so much she wanted to say. One of them was to tell stories of her adventures with Tommy and the original rangers to their daughter. But that never happened. She looked away, but the posture she stood in made it evident that she was crying. Adam and Aisha moved to pull the small petite woman into their warm comforting arms.
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Island fortress.
Mindshatter paced the room waiting to hear of any news on the situation at hand. He had to admit now that he was able to control Mesogog's thoughts, he felt confident enough to put an end to the rangers. He was also convinced that after one final injection into the body of the dino menace, he was sure that was the one thing he needed to keep him that way. He had enough problems dealing with the wits of Anton Mercer, he was sure he could bend Mesogog more to his whim than the man, Dinoshade walked into the room, obviously more angry than usual. He didn't stop to acknowledge the presence of the hidden figure in the shadows as he bowed before his master. "You dare put that pathetic excuse of a dinosaur before me?"
Mindshatter glared at him as his eyes shot into a fiery red glare. "Do you defy how I run things, Dinoshade?"
"I will not stand for this. That man is just as useless to you as any other human. Isn't that why you came to earth in the first place? To make them all slaves in your army? Why take so long to do it?"
"Because someone failed to take out the group of adversaries that is in my way," Mindshatter growled as he flung his hand out. Under the force, Dinoshade flew across the room and hit the metal panel being crushed against it. "I would have thought since you had a mind of your own you would be smart enough to realize some of the weaknesses in our ranger friends, but you haven't!"
The figure in the shadows moved to the center of the room to stand beside the evil cyber-netic leader of the operation. It was Mesogog, who clearly despised the robotic-dino being crushed against the wall. Mindshatter released the grip on Dinoshade as he fell to the floor in a clamor of metal.
Mindshatter moved to a view screen overlooing activity in Reefside. He saw the trio of rangers in the plaza growling quietly to himself. "As weak as the rangers are against you, Dinoshade, you still haven't brought me the satisfaction I need toward victory."
He called out to his other henchman as Mesogog bowed in turn. "General Mesogog, dispose of the black and yellow ninja rangers.
But see to it you capture our little pink ninja ranger. I have plans for her."
"Yes, Master," Mesogog bowed and left the room.
Dinoshade growled as he slowly got to his feet walking over to his master. "Do you really trust him, Master?"
"As long as he is under my control we have nothing to worry about," Mindshatter said darkly as he nodded toward his henchman.
"Besides, I have plenty of schemes locked in my mind that those rangers will not expect at all."
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Adam had continued the search for any evidence toward the disappearance of the DT team. Aisha and Kim walked the plaza talking mostly about girl things to keep themselves off the subject of worry.
Adam's communicator chimed as he pulled it up to his mouth. "Yeah, what's up?"
"Well, we've ran some tests and there seems to be another lifeform that was involved in that battle aside from the rangers or Dinoshade," Billy stated through the comm.
Adam furrowed his eyebrows as he looked around the area. For awhile, he closed his eyes scanning the area as he tried to pick up on the battle through his heightened ninja skills. He watched the battle rage on, the team falling victim to some killer blows and when all was over a light covered the area, the DT rangers were gone and Dinoshade disappeared through an invisi-portal. "Yeah, I'm sorta getting that, too."
Then the device he held in his hand began to go haywire. He raised it up to see the readings watching as the device picked up the energy residing around those that was once in the area. A light indicated the color of each of the DT Rangers and Dinoshade, but then it blurred and another image came up. Adam watched as it began to take shape on the small monitor, and he nearly collapsed to the ground when he saw what it made. "Oh man, you guys are not gonna believe this? You guys getting this analysis I'm transmitting back?"
"Yeah, we're getting it, Adam, but..." Billy began.
"Zeltrax!" Hayley cut him off before he could say anymore.
"But how?" Adam shook his head. "You guys mind running a scan and see what you can find?"
"Don't have to tell me twice, Adam. Something is not right about this at all," Hayley stated. It was clear in her voice that she wouldn't make any hesitation to find answers. Things had just gotten harder to fingure out.
But then an invisi-portal opened up and a swarm of cybots surrounded the trio, pistols raised. Adam raced over to Aisha and Kim, who already shielded Kim from danger.
"Hey, guys, mind sending Rocky and Tanya down for some help? It seems we ran into a bit of trouble," Adam stated as he lowered his wrist communicator.
"They're on their way, Adam," Cam nodded. "We'll get to work on the analysis."
Aisha and Adam looked at each other before looking back at Kim. It was clear that as much as she wanted to help, she knew the danger that came with these guys. And though Aisha wasn't too familiar with how these cybots were, she knew they were bad news.
"Great. This is all we need," Adam sighed. "Kim, you know I'd hate to do this to you, but..."
"Go find a safe place to hide?" she finished as she slowly moved up the stairs. "Yeah, I'm there. Be careful, you guys."
"Yeah, I'm sure we'll be just fine," Aisha answered in a light sarcasm.
The two ninja rangers moved against the cybots, using what ninja skills they knew to attack. They were quick-witted. They had the experience to keep the cybots moving on their enemies with some frustration. But as they had managed to driven them back, more seemed to arrive out of nowhere to surprise them.
And unlike the other cybots, these knew where the ninjas were gonna plant each of their moves as they sent them to the pavement. It was as if they were analysis their attacks and now using it against them as they were being tossed about like rag dolls.
But the area exploded with a new line of laser fire as the cybots pulled back and the familiar suits of the Zeo 2 and Zeo 3 rangers plowed through the area to shield their friends.
"Hey, you guys all right?" Tanya asked as she helped her yellow counterpart to her feet.
"Better late than never, I have to say," Adam nodded as he used his best friend as a support beam to stand up.
But by that time, the spirits of the frog and the bear had joined to battle to pre-occupy the cbyots gving the rangers some time to re-group.
"Well, suit up, buddy. See you on the other side," Rocky grasped his friend's shoulder.
Adam nodded as he gave out the morphing call to the Zeo powers. His wrist flicked as the zeonizer appeared on each one and flipped his hands into place to morph. Aisha had called out to the ancient ninja form as she had melted into her ninja suit for some more protection. And as the sequence was completed and a new line of lasers rained down on the four rangers, they broke formation and went into battle.
The cybots moved quick, but not quick enough against the skilled rangers. They knew their marks, realized their mistakes and wanted to fix any errors and report back to the lab as soon as they can.
But after some time, the rangers couldn't hold their ground. They were being trampled by the numberous amounts of cybots.
As soon as a few went down, more and more came charging in bigger numbers. With more power and much more aggressively. They weren't quite sure how much more punishment they could take and not give up in the end. That was the last thing they needed. Was to surrender to a bunch of robotic excuses for trying to rule the world.
Rocky launched himself into the air despite the signs of fatigue running down his face. But as he tried to register a flying kick, several cybots opened fire on him and he came crashing hard to the ground.
Adam had his own hands full as he used the cybots line of attack on their own. As soon as one attacked, he pushed another in its way as a shield to protect himself. But soon, his plan was failing and he had hit the ground beside his friend.
Tanya and Aisha had tried a more subtle approach. They took it slow and steady in a frenzy of yellow ranger teamwork. The fire and grace that only came to the yellow rangers alone gave them the upper hand for some time, but failed in the end. They ended up beside their friends, tired and weap.
"Okay, these guys just don't know when to quit," Rocky stated as he winced.
"They don't call them robots for nothing. They're like the Energizer Bunny only with big guns and spikey appendages," Aisha cracked a joke.
"No time for jokes. Look, we should be able to take them...but there's just some thing not right about this picture," Adam shook his head as he thought a moment about the situation.
"Like what?" Tanya asked.
Then they heard screaming. And they all knew who it came from. Rocky and Adam sprang to their feet leaping over the stairs to the lower level of the plaza. They landed with ease on the lower level as Tanya and Aisha weren't too far behind. They raced over to where the screaming had occurred, seeing their friend in pink struggle to break her grip within Mesogog's strong arms.
"You're mine, pink ranger," Mesogog hissed with satisfaction.
"Ever heard of a breath mint, Mesogog?" Kim waved her hand over her mouth as she tried to twist free. "You know, it wouldn't hurt every now and then. You're girlfriend would be very upset to find you with such bad hygiene."
"Silence!" he hissed as he tugged her into the shadows.
The other rangers called out to their friend, but were stopped by a swarm of cybots. Pistols leveled and fired. The rangers hit the ground in pain as the cybots surrounded them again. They heard the echoing cry of their pink counterpart, who was still struggling to break free.
"This is getting real old, real fast," Rocky said in a low breath as he slowly peeled himself off the ground.
"Try telling that to them'cuz they mean business," Tanya stated as the cybots inched closer to them.
For awhile, none of them moved wondering if this was really the end of them. But with what little strength they had managed to muster, they got to their feet and pile drove their way out toward Mesogog and his prisoner.
Adam and Aisha tackled the dino menace to the ground just as Tanya and Rocky had shielded their unarmed friend behind them.
They quickly asked if she was fine and she had answered with a nod. They quickly joined their friends in battle, each of them guarded Kim in turn.
But Mesogog would have none of this. He let out a roar that shook the air, making the team lose their balance. His eyes grew to an even darker shade of red as he approached them. And as each of them tried to attack, they stopped shrot of him, guarded by a force field, or wall, he had planted before them. And with his arms raised, lifted them off the ground and flying across the area to distant walls. Leaving him alone with the pregnant gym teacher.
Kim slowly got to ther feet, but stood her ground. As much as fear ran through her for the new darkness she saw in the man before her, she knew there was still hope for him. "Anton, it's me. Kimberly Hart-Oliver. I am the wife of your friend, Tommy Oliver. We can help you. But you gotta help us, too. You have to fight it."
Mesogog didn't seem to hear her. It was like he was in a trance. He only had so few objectives, one being to eliminate any and all threats toward him or Mindshatter. "You will be destroyed!"
Kim took a small step back, but forced air back into her lungs. She didn't want to give up on him. She knew, or felt, the struggle and confusion. The plea and the protection the man was trying to obtain. "Anton, please. You have to try."
"Anton is gone," Mesogog hissed. "He was far too weak. The punishment nearly killed him. He is but one man who can't fight to survive anymore."
"Then let us try and help," Kim pleaded.
By now, Mesogog had her in his grip again. The grip had squeezed on her forearms as he looked down on her. His red eyes glaring to darkness and rage. The air around them grew heavy. "No one can help you now, pink ranger."
"Not if I can help it," a hooded figure stated as it launched into a flying kick.
It registered with the dino menace's chest as he fell back. The hooded figure shielded Kim behind him as he broke into a fighter stance. By now, the other rangers were slowly recovering from the toss, but they were still weak and trying to keep the cybots at bay.
Mesogog growled as he got to his feet. The hooded figure turned to look at Kim just as Adam raced over with some confusion.
"Are you all right?" the hooded figure asked the pregnant woman.
She nodded solmenly as a little smile passed her face. "I'll be fine."
"But..." Adam protested pondering who was behind the hood.
Just as the thoughts had crossed his mind, the masked figure pulled the hood away and quickly turned to see a charging Mesogog come their way. The red space ranger nodded a greeting to his ranger counterpart as he and the green Zeo 4 ranger moved as one against Mesogog.
For awhile, they had kept him back. Out of reach for Kim, but the cybots weren't too far behind to keep them on the defense as Mesogog came charging again. This time he managed to strike Adam down hard, pinning him down with the heavy step of his boot. Andros tried to tackle Mesogog, but he was ready for him. He picked up Adam and tossed him onto the charging red space ranger. They hit the ground hard, pinned down in pain for some time.
Tanya, Aisha and Rocky were still stuck trying to keep the cybots out of their hair, but it wasn't working. Every approach had ended with one of them going down hard. They were always on the defense, never on the attack.
"Can someone please tell me why this is taking so long to end?" Aisha asked slightly impatient with the fact of no one retreating.
"How about you don't ask and get as far as you can without hurting yourself too badly or even dying?" Rocky stated.
"Oh that's re-assuring. Thanks, Rocky," Aisha said sympathetically with some sarcasm.
"Look, as far as I could tell, either they're going or we're going. And I'm not about to be the one to go," Tanya stated as she jumped between the two.
What they needed to do was focus more on the fight at hand rather than the future outcome of it. They had looked back at their friends, realizing the presence of the red space ranger among them. They had looked at each other with some sheer confusion, but it wasn't too bothersome when they were just glad he was there.
Adam and Andros had slowly found their footing again. Mesogog didn't give them a chance to breath as he trampled the red space ranger to the ground. Adam jumped on the dino menace, trying to pull him free from his friend, but couldn't find a way to push him off. Mesogog hissed under the strugle from the Zeo 4 Ranger and grabbed him, sending him into another distant wall.
Andros tired to scrambled out of Mesogog's grip, but could find no one. He even tried to level his pistol, but Mesogog was there to swipe it away. The darkness running through his heavy gaze made Andros feel a little more vulnerable. He was like a predator on his prey. On his kill as he could feel the icy breath run down his neck. Andros pushed some weight into his body and tried to push up, but Mesoggo only came crashing dwon farther on him. He was trying to take the wind out of the red space ranger.
Then the cry, almost like a warrior cry, echoed through the area as Kim sprang onto Mesogog's back. She tried to pull him back, but it was enought to re-direct his direction to his main objective. Mesogog turned to the P.E. teacher and grabbed her, pinning her against him as his eyes bore down on her.
"You've done enough damage, Mesogog," she stated trying to hold her ground. But his gaze had sent cold chills down her back unlike any other evil being she had encountered.
"You're coming with me," Mesogog turned and dragged the small petite woman with him.
Andros was still recovering from his injuries as he tried to get to his feet. He called out to the two as he watched Mesogog disappear into the shadows. An invisi-portal opening up above them. And as time slowed and he had some strength to get to his feet, his eyes met with the determination and fear of the pink ranger. As he raced toward Mesogog and his captive, it was already too late. They had disappeared through the invisi-portal.
And soon after, the cybots followed. Leaving behind an eerie silence after a raging battle. Andros looked up at the sky briefly before slamming his fists into the pavement as he came crashing to his knees. It was clear he was upset at their loss. They all were when the other rangers had met him in the center of the quiet plaza.
Now, de-morphed and back in their civilian form. It fell silent among the five rangers for some time. They were all in pain. They were in shock. They were speechless. They felt helpless and weak.
"Now what? We can't just walk right into the fortress and free Kim," Rocky finally broke the silence. But the tone in his voice had indicated frustration and failure mixed with anger.
"If we don't get Kim back, Tommy will kill us," Aisha had to correct knowing how protective the legendary ranger can be over any matter regarding his wife.
"Hey, Andros. How did you know to come here?" Tanya had to ask as the other rangers greeted him in turn.
The man with his own legacy looked at the other rangers and let out a deep breath. It was clear that something was troubling him, but they didn't know what. "I got a distress call. Tommy sent one out to any and all available rangers. But that's not all. I may have some more information on this Mindshatter guy and what he really wants with Earth."
"Like what?" Adam asked growing the most interested in the finding.
"I'd rather not discuss it here in the open. We should go back to the lab," Andros suggested as he slowly moved out of the plaza.
"Hello?" Aisha had to stop her friends from taking anymore steps. "What about Kim? We can't just leave her to Mindshatter or Mesogog. Who knews what they'll do to her."
"Until we can figure out a safe passage into the fortress, we'll have to think of something else," Adam directed. "But we'll get her back. Hopefully before we find the others."
"Find the others?" Andros repeated with confusion in his voice. "You mean Tommy isn't around?"
"Why do you think we were fighting?" Rocky asked slightly annoyed.
Andros nodded slowly as he put two and two together. He directed the team out of the plaza. He knew they couldn't do much for Kim if they stayed here. They needed to get some more devices and running fast in order to keep things squared away and as calm as possible.
The team turned and raced for the underground lab hoping to learn more on the situation.
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Underground lab.
The five rangers had returned to the lab, each of them in their own world full of guilt, confusion, anger and loss. What had them all steamed, though was the fact that Mesogog had managed to capture Kim and they failed to stop him. Now, they didn't know what to do or how to get her back.
As soon as the five rangers -- Adam, Aisha, Andros, Rocky and Tanya -- filed into the lab, they were met by the concern looks of the technical advisors.
"What's up?" Billy asked slightly confused.
The five rangers exchanged a look, unsure if he knew of the loss or if he was trying to avoid it. They didn't want to know or tell them the truth.
"We lost her," Rocky said simply.
"Lost her?" Cam repeated. And it was clear he didn't know at all.
"Mesogog took Kim," Aisha finally said to stop the silence.
"What!" the three technical advisors were on their feet. It was clear they were shock.
"But I thought she was upstairs," Hayley stated.
"Well, it seems she wanted to head out into town and got caught up in our battle," Rocky shrugged.
"And then Mesogog showed up. Luckily, Andros was there, but Mesogog got the upper hand and we lost Kim," Tanya said.
Billy let out a sigh as he collapsed into his chair, shaking his head. "Like we don't need more to worry about and then this comes up."
"Do you guys have any idea what Mesogog or Mindshatter may want with her?" Cam asked trying to elaborate on the situation.
Then the communicator chimed as everyone turned to the main computer console. It was Jason with a huge smile on his face.
"Hey, guys. Guess whose got another heir to the Scott clan?" he asked as the smile grew bigger.
"Lemme guess, Kat gave birth?" Adam asked.
Jason nodded. "Baby girl. Nicole Rachel Scott. 7 lbs, 8 oz. In good health."
"Well, congrats, Jason. But this isn't quite the good time," Billy stated.
"Why? Where's Tommy? Need to give him a be-lated birthday what's up," Jason protested. He looked about the room noticing the presence of those in the room. "Okay, where is Kim and Tommy? And my teenage DT buddies?"
"That's what we're trying to say, Jason. They're not here," Hayley said.
Jason grew more serious. "Okay, you guys got a lot of explaining to do."
"Kim was captured by Mesogog. Tommy and the other DT rangers were trapped somewhere else in time and we don't know where. And we're still trying to figure out why Mesogog snatched Kim," Billy stated.
"Bait," Andros stated before anyone else could say anything. Everyone turned to look at him, wondering what he really did know on the situation.
"Bait! Whoa, now, why does that sound familiar?" Jason shook his head.
Andros cleared his throat slightly upset at the interruption. "Just like Mesogog. To lure us out into the open as much as possible and hopefully put an end to us. Mindshatter's first main objective was to try and take the best warriors of each planet and create his own army out of them and rule the universe with an iron fist. But since we're so stubborn about joining, like many, he is trying to pick the best out of us and turn us over. Make his warriors believe that his friends are really his enemies and turn on them. He would prefer to see us destroy each other rather than he do it."
"Okay, now that we got that squared away, any idea on how we could get Kim or possibly Anton back?" Rocky asked.
"That's not even half of the story. I can only imagine that you guys have little or no information of this Mindshatter guy, do you?" the red space ranger asked.
"And lemme guess, you do?" Cam asked not too surprised with the little smile that passed the red space ranger's face.
"Mindshatter is as he puts it an intergalactic being from the outskirts of space just trying to find his way in life. Not entirely true. He was more of an experiment gone wrong. Extremely wrong. He was supposed to be some universal soldier. Help out where he was needed, even be an aide for the Power Rangers. Meaning he can heal upon injury quickly, he could kick major tail, even have the powers of mind control and he was literally unstoppable. They couldn't control him. He was only supposed to be controlled by a super computer, but he outsmarted it and obtained his own mind. He was in control. And when he found out what power he really had he went out into the universe and began to destroy if he could not rule. Luckily, he was the only one. They had assembled an army of armored soldiers, the cybots, against him, but they didn't stand a chance and he had turned them onto his side. And that's when his reign began."
It fell silent as he looked at each of the rangers. It was clear that it was a lot to take in. But he wasn't even done. There was a whole lot more information he had to give. He waited for them to take in all of the news hoping it wouldn't freak them out completely.
"So, he's really some experiment that went wrong?" Cam asked breaking the silence. It was clear he was developing a theory around the situation.
"Why does that sound strangely familiar?" Rocky shook his head as he looked at his teammates. They all knew what he was talking about considering a certain dino menace.
Andros nodded, confirming the truth. "That sums it up."
"And he was supposed to be an ally for us rangers?" Aisha asked as Andros nodded again. "Question, though. You said he was an experiment. It had gone wrong and he maintained his own mind and power. But who created him?"
"Zordon," Andros said simply as he took a step back.
The original rangers looked at each other in shock. Knees seemed to lock and bodies sway with confusion. They were speechless as they looked over at Andros. They didn't want to believe it, but the look in his eyes ahd told them enough. He was right.
"Zordon?" Jason had to repeat just to make sure. "No way. There's just no way he would do something like that."
Andros looked away slightly ashamed as he nodded. "When he had returned to Eltar, he had began experimenting with 'Project: Universal Soldier'. This Mindshatter guy was supposed to help you guys out with Divatox and other threats in the future. But it never was completed since Zordon was captured. He wasn't merely captured for destruction, but also because Dark Specter and Astronema had learned about his new project. They wanted information on it. Astronema had kept Mindshatter locked away on her ship hoping to one day find that answers she needed to control him. But eventually, and somehow, he had escaped and fled to the outskirts of space. He waited and watched from the distance waiting to strike, analyzing his enemies as they came and went. And like I said, by the time the cybots were able to track him down, he had turned them into his own army. With them, he felt it was nearly time to strike. Only months ago, he had stumbled onto the planet of Mirinoi. The Lost Galaxy Rangers fought bravely. They did all they could do to stop him, but..." Andros caught his breath for a moment. "they never made it back."
The room fell silent again as heads dropped. Though none of them were officially associated with the LG rangers, they knew of the sacrifices and hardship they had gone through. Thousands of people from Earth had left on Terra Venture to find new worlds to inhabit. They landed and now stayed on Mirinoi, the planet that Maya lived on and where the Quasar Sabers were located.
"There was an epic space battle," Andros continued even among the hanging heads. "Zhane had followed Mindshatter -- a name he had chose simply to state he meant business -- and found out he was going to attack Mirinoi. He had teamed up with the Lost Galaxy Rangers along with about hundred other cybots. And they battled above the planet of Mirinoi. They fought, but none of them had returned. Mindshatter's army was now down to 200, which was sorta a good thing. When the people of KO-35 had not heard from Zhane, they feared the worse and sent a distress call to me on Earth. By the time I and the other space ranger had got out there, it was too late. Mindshatter had fled and we returned to Earth waiting until he would attack again."
"And here he is in good ol' Reefside, California," Adam sighed as Andros nodded.
"Well, I guess this changes things a little bit," Billy nodded as he began to file out what they now knew for the red space ranger to confirm. "So, Mindshatter was an experiment gone wrong that was supposed to help us, the power rangers, out in battle?"
Andros nodded.
"And Zordon was behind the creation of it, but it was the people of Eltar who had completed it or as much as they could before Zordon was captured?" Hayley asked as the red space ranger nodded again.
"And Mindshatter was with Astronema for some time. And both she and Dark Specter was hoping to use him as an ally to destroy us, but he somehow fled into the outskirts of space," Aisha stated more than asked.
"The cybots were created by the people of Eltar to find Mindshatter, but they were re-programmed and now work for him," Rocky said as it was falling into place.
"And then he was going to rule the universe with an iron fist. Take the best warriors from each planet if they didn't destroy each other first or he destroy them. He started out with Mirinoi and none of the Lost Galaxy rangers or Zhane came back," Adam said.
Andros looked away, nodding slowly. As painful as it was to tell them the news, he still held his ground. But they ocould tell he was hurting on the inside. Zhane was his best friend, and the only silver ranger in existence.
"I'm sorry about Zhane," Adam said as he put a hand on the space ranger's shoulder. "We all are about him. And the Lost Galaxy Rangers."
"Yeah," Andros said. "They died in the line of duty. That's really what matters. They fought their way to protecting the universe."
"Okay, so what about the strange electronical disturbance?" Cam asked hoping they could get back on the subject of Mindshatter.
"I told you guys that Mindshatter was supposed to be controlled by some super computer, but he had outsmarted it. Now, he has topped technology of this time, way beyond our time. In order to avoid getting outside help, he had placed a force field around the planet. But now that Mindshatter has mastered technology beyond what Earth can provide, he has the upper hand. No transmission. No distress call. No one enters or leaves the atmosphere. If they do, he'll know or it'll just be destroyed by the force field," Andros said. "So, we're sitting ducks. We're on our own for this."
"But how do we defeat him? I mean, there is a way to defeat him, right?" Tanya asked.
"There is. We can either re-program the cybots. Their initial objective was to track Mindshatter and dispose of him and anything associated with what he's done or created. Or we can try to overwrite or overload his system. He is still, after all, a machine. And without people like us, machines could not run," the red space ranger said.
"So, where does Dinoshade fall into place?" Aisha asked.
"Created by the people of KO-35, Dinoshade was supposed to match up against the cybots and put an end to Mindshatter. Literally self-destruct upon contact with Mindshatter, but somehow, his thoughts were jumbled. And now, we are looked at as the enemy. Mindshatter is hoping to create his own evil power ranger team to go against us. But of course, that is still in works. But he knows more about us then we think. He knows about the other rangers on Earth. Not just the DT team or me and the space rangers. He knows about the original teams, Zeo, Lightspeed Rescue, Time Force, Wild Force and Ninja Storm. All of us. He's just working patiently, waiting for the right time to attack."
"No way! That's impossible," Rocky shook his head.
"Why do you think the cybots are capable of attacking you guys with ease and you haven't come up with a real victory?" Andros asked as the team bit their tongue. "He can read minds, and he can control them. And remember, he outsmarted a super computer that was meant to control him."
"You're making that sound like he can't be defeated," Tanya said.
"No. He can be defeated. We just having found a really good weak spot to attack him at."
"So, what about the whole concept with the spikes? You can't begin to tell me that was also Zordon's idea," Aisha said.
"It wasn't. You can thank the DT team for that and their idea of Super Dino Mode," he stated as eyes grew wide again. "I told you the guy's been analyzing our moves and our actions as soon as he got the information."
"And how did he get the information?" Hayley asked.
"What about Zeltrax? How does he tie into this?" Adam asked as he remembered the data he had collected earlier.
"Zeltrax! He's back?" Jason shook his head, not believing it.
"Or so we think. We haven't been able to tie his appearance with the disappearance of the other rangers," Hayley stated.
"We're still looking into that," Cam said.
"What if he tipped off Mindshatter," Aisha suggested.
"Maybe. But until we get more answers we can't assume anything," Andros shrugged. "And that's where I'm at a lost. I don't have all the answers, you know."
"But you seem to have all of this information on Mindshatter," Rocky shot back.
"And that's where it stops. I don't know what else I'm leaving out. But this is what I've learned, and if we don't find a way to destroy Mindshatter before he outsmarts us then no one else will have a chance to stop him."
"That's not a good pick-up line on our behalf. All of this is on us," Jason sighed. "Well, have fun, guys. You know I'd love to help out, but I got a family to worry about..." He was about to sign off.
"Who says we're done giving you some information, Jase?" Rocky stated.
"Yeah, I'm sure you want to know about Tommy's kid, Serena," Adam added.
Jason stopped for a moment, his finger wavering over the ENTER key to end transmission. He looked at his friends with confusion and shock. "Tommy has a kid?"
"Huh? Wait, Tommy has a kid?" Andros had to repeat to make sure he had heard it right.
The rest of the team looked at each other and smiled, knowing there was a good amount of information that needed to get passed along to the other rangers throughout the world.
-XXXXXXXXXX-
Island fortress.
Mesogog had casually walked into the main room with Kim in full sight as he escorted her in. She tired to hold her cool, not wanting to show any sign of fear, but when she caught sight of the leader of the evil operation, Mindshatter, her control had wavered.
Mindshatter raised his head slowly as his eyes began to glow with a hint of red as he got off the chair and approached the lone pink ranger. He bowed respectively toward the small petite woman before saying something. "You look a whole lot more tougher than you really seem. But I sense your fear. It's almost like fuel to me."
"I like what you've done with this place. Icy cold metal everywhere. It seems to fit you quite well, Mindshatter," she shot back with some wit of no fear.
"So, you've heard about me. Of course, you have. Those DT Rangers are to thank for that."
"What'd you do with them?" she asked as she felt some confidence run through her. "If I find out you..."
"They're fine. For now. But they won't be when I decide to destroy them in the past. And your entire legacy will be destroyed before it ever began," Mindshatter stated cooly.
"Don't bet on it. We'll stop you before you do it," she said.
"So sure are you? Even among the young and old there are so many of you that are confident enough to think you can destroy me. I don't assume you ever heard of the Lost Galaxy Rangers?" the lord of cyborgs asked as he turned to one of the view screens.
Mesogog had pushed her forward to watch the screen. And set right before her eyes was an epic battle with the LG Rangers above the planet of Mirinoi. Cybots had attacked their megazord as the rangers - Mike, Leo, Maya, Damon, Kai, Kendrix and Zhane - had done battle with them. They tried to keep them at bay while it appeared that Dinoshade was battling Mindshatter.
When they thought that it was a victory, Dinoshade and turned on them and destroyed them all, point blank range in a line of deadly laser blasts. None of them survived. And as the familiar cruisers to the Space Rangers began to file into the area, Mindshatter and his new army had turned and fled before they could stop him.
Kim looked away trying to control the tears from falling, but as she looked up to mee the gaze of Mindshatter, they fell. "You killed them."
"They were hardly a challenge after I managed to take control of Dinoshade," Mindshatter said abruptly. "And if the other rangers don't cooperate with me, they will suffer the same fate."
"So, why didn't you destroy the people of Mirinoi?" Kim asked bluntly.
Mindshatter turned away. "I have my reasons."
Kim thought for a moment. Did he merely have a heart for those not under the ranger code? Or was it something else? "So, what do you plan to do to me?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Mindshatter motioned for Mesogog to take her away.
Mesogog did as he was told as he left the room with the prisoner. They walked quietly down the hall, Mesogog still having her in full sight.
"So, Anton. How do you feel about that guy turning your old fortress into a metal box? Must be frustrating to find someone stronger than you trying to take out the rangers?" Kim began hoping to get through to the dino menace behind her.
The way he had handled her was bothersome. She had remembered that Elsa had told her that Mesogog really only warned her to stay out of the battle. That he possible did care about her, and that somewhere locked in the dino mind was Anton trying to break free.
"He is my master. I only follow his orders," Mesogog said simply.
"Yeah, right," Kim scoffed. "I bet you're really plotting against him. You wouldn't want someone made of nothing but metal to control the world you wanted to dominate. C'mon, admit it, Mesogog. You're only putting up an act to make him believe that."
Mesogog turned Kim around, pinning her against the wall. He looked into her eyes. The darkness was only lifted a little, but it was enough to tell her that there was something there. That she was getting through to him. "It's far too dangerous for you to understand."
"I think after seeing that epic battle with the Lost Galaxy Rangers and Zhane sums up he does mean business. But that won't stop us from destroying him. He is after all nothing but a machine, is he not? Would you let someone like that control you? You're still flesh and bone, even if you aren't exactly human at the moment. Let us help you, Anton," she pleaded hoping it could trigger something inside him.
"Before you can help me, you'll have to help each other. Find the other rangers," he said slowly as the control was finally becoming his own.
"So, you do have a change of heart, Mesogog? Tell me where to find them," she asked.
He looked away and shook his head. The struggle became more evident between who was controlling who in the dino menace.
He hit the ground groaning in pain, fighting the control. He could hear Mindshatter's voice run through his mind, but the man inside -- the dino-man inside -- was trying to break free. Kim fell to her knees trying to shake him out of it. "He's too powerful."
"I can't do this on my own, Mesogog. I need your help. We need your help," she stated loud enough for him to hear. He had to drill it into his head, but she knew it was the only way to get through to him and that's what she wanted. "C'mon, Anton. Please. He is only a machine. You can be our inside man in this operation."
"It is dangerous," he said quietly.
"Danger is part of our lives every single day. Danger could be as simple as stepping out of the house. No one is safe, but only if you really believe that."
She had touched his shoulder again, but as she did. It fell silent. He set his eyes on her, never letting it go as the darkness returned. He slowly got to his feet and roughly pulled her to her feet. He escorted her through the hall and into a dark room, tossing her inside. For a moment, he stood in the threshold of the door as she looked around it.
It was a small room. A small cot-like bed stood to one side, a desk against the center wall. A small light shined from above and it smelt of murky metal slowly rusting. It was similar to Anton's room on the fortress.
"I'll see what I can do. But it will be difficult to ensure your release, Mrs. Oliver," the dino menace stated with a bow.
The door closed shut and Kim was left alone in the darken, damp room. As frightened as she was to find out what Mindshatter was going to do to her, she could almost put trust in the dino menace. That underneath it all, the man – Anton Mercer – was still inside fighting. And perhaps, Mesogog did have a change of heart that would be beneficial to the team in the future.
To be continued...
A/N: Whoa? Mesogog having a change of heart? There is no way. He's evil. But remember, it was Anton who created him. Look, either way if you want answers I'll give them to you in the future. And trust me, it isn't what you expected. What about the origins of Mindshatter? Surprised? I hope not extremely, but I told you I had to give some reference to the past. It would only be right. And if any of you are in fact, Star Wars fans, it is semi-related to that. Try and figure it out if you can, cuz I ain't telling you. And I know this is off-topic, but I was kinda hoping to get some reviews on some of my other work, especially the Star Wars stuff. (May the Force Be With You All!) But until next time, see you when I do. Isang diwa. And May the Powers Protect You Always.