'TIL I COLLAPSE- PART THIRTY-EIGHT: ROCKIN' INFORMATION
SEQUEL TO: ORDINARY WORLD
SUMMARY: To tie up lose ends, the team discovers more about their future and past than they could have expected.
DISCLAIMER: Power Rangers is not mine, it just isn't. So, stop trying to tell me that I should become a writer for the show. It just won't happen. They don't want someone like me to join the team. I would screw them over and destroy the very concept of keeping it open to the youth of the world. Oh well, maybe that could be a good thing. Yeah, in my mind. Never mind.
A/N: Okay, another one of those past reference things again. Now, look at the title. Think of a rock and what I have left in the summary. Ring a bell? If you have been watching DT than you would know, but either way, read on. And enjoy!
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"I have some vital information that could prove to be what we need to stop this from getting worse. But it is up to each of you to decide whether or not it is good news or bad news. I can only hope that it will help us in the end."-Eclyptyk Neo
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Command Center, Reefside.
Though the fear was finally leaving each of them, theScott family had gotten into the underground lab escorted by the four DT rangers. Relief fell over the rangers in the lab who had awaited their arrival. And greetings were made by all of them. Old friends reunited, but at the brink of a tragic event.
"Well, at least we know you guys are safe," Cam sighed as he ran a few codes on the screen.
"Have you guys gotten anywhere with that disk yet?" Conner asked as he raced over, demorphing along with the process.
"Nowhere beyond these layouts and old data regarding the experiments Tommy and Dr. Mercer have been working on," Hayley replied.
"What about Dr. O and the Space Rangers? Have you heard anything from them?" Ethan asked.
Kim was sitting close to the computer, but had zoned off in her own world as she held onto little Serena. Aisha and Adam had been trying to get to her but she didn't seem to snap out of her trance.
"Is she okay?" Kira looked over at the P.E. teacher in fear.
Adam snapped a finger in front of the pregnant woman, but got no response. He sighed and got to his feet shaking his head. "Unfortunately, we haven't. She looks pretty struck about the whole traumatic events of the other rangers."
"Did anyone tell her about what happened earlier?" Trent asked in a whisper as the black ninja shook his head.
"I don't wanna add to it. She's been under a lot of stress, even for someone who's pregnant. I'm almost surprises she's held on after all that has happened. She really is a strong character, but I think after what happened in Mariner Bay and Turtle Cove, it just created a huge scar in her heart."
The teens exchanged a look as they looked back at their mentor's wife. They didn't know how to tell her that things were gonna be okay. They were having doubts themselves. And they were also worried about the rangers based out in Angel Grove. Did they make it there safely? And what was the status on Wes and Eric? There was a lot of questions going on in their heads and they had no idea how to fix it.
As they looked around the room, they felt the pressure. Among them, veterans to being a Power Ranger. Not that they were either. They were hitting up nearly two years of their lives as rangers which didn't make it any easier for them. But they had to be strong. Show that they weren't hurting, though they were. They knew as rangers it was a huge responsibility, and they knew, as told by their mentor, that no other group of people could ever pull it off like they did. That they were chosen for a reason and had to accept it. They had for this long.
"So, does someone want to brief me on what's going on?" Jason had spoken up to break the silence.
His old teammates looked at him, their heads hung low. Jason moved over to the main computer as he held his son in his arms. Hayley had exchanged a look with Cam before running a few codes to reveal the layouts of the information they found on the disk. They began to explain their setbacks in the battle. The capture of Andros, Trent and Tommy, the release of the psycho rangers, the inability to morph for anyone other than the dino rangers, etc. He didn't want to believe them, but even Rocky and Adam showed him a demonstration as they tried to morph into their zeo suits, but it failed.
"So, where did Tommy and the Space Rangers go?" Katherine asked as she walked over to her husband.
"Back to Angel Grove. Something about filling in lose ends and getting some information up there," Cam shrugged as he tried not to reveal the worry on his face.
"We can't even communicate with them or have any real idea what goes on outside of Reefside. Our findings are only locked on activity within Reefside," Hayley sighed. "It's been really frustrating lately since Billy has been up in Angel Grove for a few weeks now."
Trent had been sitting by Ethan working around de-coding the disk that Anton had given Tommy. So far, they had cracked it enough to decipher experiments they had been working on and layouts of the island and fortress. Conner and Kira weren't too far behind, making notes of the passage ways trying to lock the maps in their head for future use. But it was clear they were getting frustrated and had no idea about what they weren't getting about the work.
"There has to be more here. This is like old data that really has no real use for us right now," Ethan groaned as he rubbed his temples. He looked over at Trent who was trying to think up more codes for them to enter.
"My father was always good about hiding information. He must have locked them in under all of this to hide it from Mindshatter. I just can't figure out what the password could be to access them." Trent sighed as he dropped his head.
"Well, Serena had been coding in data that linked up to Dr. O's and Dr. Mercer's work before the island was run by Mesogog."
Conner's head was already spinning despite all the codes that had been deciphered. He never could understand the binary language of computers and was glad that he didn't. He wasn't the best person to go to about any of that. "Ever thought about links from Dr. O's past. Maybe there is something locked in there that Dr. O put in but hadn't realized was in there."
Ethan shrugged as he entered in several codes linking to their mentor's past. Places he has lived, college he attended, high school, and even forms of martial art forms he had/could have known. Then the screen went blank.
"Great, Ethan. You just busted it," Kira sighed deeply. "Now what?"
Ethan looked at the screen again, thinking deeply. He wasn't convinced. He looked around the room as everything electronic began to go haywire. The lights dimmed out.
"Ethan! What did you do?" Conner asked among the confused protests of the older people in the room.
Ethan shook his head and shrugged. "You made the suggestion. I just entered it into the computer..."
"Wait! Check it out!" Trent said as he pointed at the screen.
Adam, Cam and Hayley raced over to see what was appearing on the screen.
It read: "The answers you seek lies beneath the surface of a space where someone can enjoy the freedom of independence. The powers you hold will unlock the past, present, and future of a legacy that will forever continue to build."
"What the hell does that mean?" Rocky said as he read the riddle for himself.
Hayley grew quiet as she thought about the statement. Then she turned to the forest entrance as it cracked open to reveal the man behind the legacy of the dino rangers. Everyone stopped to see him standing there as his face grew to a more serious nature. And according to the look on his face, he knew exactly what was going on as if it was all coming back to him after a bad dream.
"Let's take a trip. I'll explain on the way," Tommy spoke in a tone that meant no one should argue with him.
"You really do know how to make an entrance, don't you?" Hayley manages to put a smile on her face.
"You'd be surprised," he chuckled. "Let's move. We don't have much time."
Rocky, Adam and Tanya had taken a few steps, until their steps falters just a bit. The teens racing to their sides to help support them as they all moved toward the forest entrance. "I was right," Tommy sighed sadly. He greeted his best friend with a bear hug. "Glad to see you made it down here in one piece, bro."
Jason nodded. "Yeah, man. Thanks to your team. I don't think we could have stood a chance."
Tommy had escorted them out of the lab, no one saying much of anything. He stopped short as he noticed the lone figure looming close to the main computer. He looked back at the group to see Trent comforting Serena, but knew only one could soothe the tension in the figure remaining. He walked over to the woman he knew as his wife, wrapping his arms around her and laying a kiss on her head.
"Hey, Beautiful. You okay?" he asked quietly.
She held onto him, but said nothing as the tears fell from her eyes drenching his shoulder. He pulled her closer, rocking her softly. For awhile, they had not spoken any words, just enjoyed the company of each other in the room.
"You know what my greatest fear is," Kim barely spoke above a whisper, "to see the same fate happen to you and the teens like the other rangers." She looked up into his falcon alert eyes as the tears welt in her own. "What if it did? I don't know what I would do... I don't want to think about..."
But he had heard enough, didn't need to hear it anymore. He pulled her into a warm, comforting kiss, pulling her as close to him as he could. He felt a kick around his stomach from the round belly that separated them from getting any closer. His own set of tears finally struck his eyes as the thoughts ran through his mind. What if he had been out in battle without the protection of his suit? What if he never returned? So many times he had close calls with Mindshatter and his evil plans.
He broke the kiss as she framed his face in her hands. But the tears didn't seem to stop. "My greatest fear is to never see you again. But what they did was as noble as any hero would have done. They will never be forgotten." He escorted her toward the exit. "C'mon, I need you to hear this too. It's important."
Kim nodded slowly as she wiped away her tears, locking her hands within her husband's hand. His protective embrace gave her the strength she needed to move on.
Time passed slowly.
The entire array of rangers had followed the black DT ranger and the DT technical director to the cyber cafe. The team was made up of the original black and red ranger, the Ninjetti crew, the Zeo rangers, the space rangers, the two Time Force rangers, the green samurai ranger, the DT team and a technical director with an eye on the rangers past and present and a little girl who was living up to the standards of being surrounded by the ranger legacy.
No one could really speak, mostly to themselves, unsure what to make of the gesture. They had no idea why they were there. Or what was really going on, but could only trust their word.
They went into the back room as Hayley pulled out a keypad hidden underneath her work desk. She entered in a code and a secret hatch had opened up on the far end of the room. Tommy had indicated they head down there as he began to file out the information he had obtained while at NASADA.
They followed the staircase down to a cool dark cave, luminated only by the hue of light escaping a rock in the center of the room. As they continued down, the Space Rangers and the three active Zeo rangers' steps seemed to falter more.
"...I had gotten word from Anton on the other side that Mindshatter had traveled to the Gamma-Tri system to obtain the powers he needs to drain us of our ranger powers," Tommy continued despite the faltered steps in his friends.
"The Gamma-Tri system. Wait, wasn't that the...?" Zack began as he looked over at his old teammates. The words slowly registered something in the back of his mind.
Each of their eyes fell on Tommy as they came to a stop around the rock, circling it. Kim still stood at his side, holding his hand much tighter as he looked away.
"Where Rita obtained the energy she needed to take my green ranger powers away? Yes, that's the same system, Zack," Tommy spoke as if every word hurt to say.
"But how did he know?" Jason asked.
"That is news I still have yet to discover."
"But he knows more about us than we could ever really understand about him," Andros said almost as if it was his fault to begin with. He groaned quietly as he almost hit the ground, but Ashley caught him. "I feel so weak."
"So, what's the rock for?" Ethan asked as he watched it glow in a hue of green. As he walked closer to it, he felt a buzz run through him.
"Ever heard of the universal morphing grid? The one that connects the powers of a ranger to the morphing energy at its primary source. You're standing right in front of it, Ethan," Hayley informed the teen.
"So, that rock houses the very powers and knowledge of the entire ranger legacy?" Conner asked in shock as he looked over it again. "No way."
"Now, this is only theory. But if we don't want Mindshatter to snatch the powers away from the rest of these guys, they have to give them up. Just because they can't morph doesn't mean that he still can't get ahold of them. And I'm talking to everyone," Tommy looked at the predecessing rangers in the cave.
"Give them up?" TJ repeated in confusion.
"In the past, I had given up my powers to Jason to avoid Rita getting ahold of the green ranger powers. It worked. When powers were passed down to another, we had handed over our coins and energy to another. Just as I handed my over to you TJ," Tommy spoke as he circled the rock. "But with this, it will enable your powers to only be transferred to another energy source until the grid has been reset."
"And this energy source, you can't just expect me to hand over my powers not knowing where it will go to," Eric protested.
Tommy shook his head. "No. Your powers will be in good hands. It'll be with me. And the other dino rangers." There were a few confused looks and fear running over the rangers. "You guys can't morph. What good will you be out there? You'll be fated to the same destruction as the other rangers. I will not let that happen. Not again. We are the only ones who now stand a chance against Mindshatter. The choice is yours, rangers."
A silence fell over the entire line of rangers from the past. Tommy moved to see fear run over the younger rangers. They didn't know what to believe. They have dealt with powers they could not believe. They were fused together with the help of the ancient ninja. They're gems could produce powers so big, connect them in ways no one else could ever understand.
"Are you sure about this, Dr. O? I mean, this is only a theory. What if it doesn't work?" Kira asked.
"You guys are strong. I don't think I've ever seen a stronger group of rangers. Your dino gems will protect you. Just remember what we've already been through as a team," Tommy spoke.
"Whatever it takes," Conner said slowly as he nodded.
The team looked at him, knowing he was right. They were the only thing keeping Mindshatter from completely ruling the world. They were the only hope for the planet.
"No pressure," Ethan shook his head, trying not to show his fear. "I mean, we're like the only ones who stand in the way of Mindshatter and totally annihilating Earth or run it for himself. Yeah, that's great..."
"Are you scared?" Trent looked over at him.
Ethan caught his breath, shaking his head. But it was clear in his stance that he was frozen solid with fear. "I'm petrified. I mean, I have my whole future to worry..."
Tommy stopped the teen in blue by putting a hand on his shoulder. "Be strong. Ethan. Mindshatter is tough, but he lacks something we all have. A soul and a spirit to fight for what we believe. The powers will always protect you, no matter what."
"It didn't protect the other rangers," Conner said mostly to himself, but nothing the others couldn't hear.
Tommy sighed, knowing the teen in red was right. But they had to move on. He had to find comforting words for them, or they would never make it in this war. "What the others rangers did was more than enough to prove they still care about the protection of Earth. They put their lives on the line, just like we've done for two years, for others. They didn't die out of selfishness or greed. They died for the nobility of being heroes. For going beyond themselves and sacrificing themselves for others. That's what they will be remembered for. That where this legacy will go. As long as there is evil there will always be good to fight back. That is life. That is our life and we've been chosen to take that responsibility to fulfill it to the best of our abilities."
He moved away from the teens, giving them some time to soak up his words. And like always they were glad to hear those kinds of words to keep them going. They knew he was right, and could never deny that his title as a ranger carried a lot of respect from the others.
With no other objections, the dino rangers took their place around the rock. The rest of them placed their very morpher or coin that housed the powers on a designated part on the rock. The rangers who had houses the ancient power of the ninjas stood a step back from the dino rangers, forming a diamond in front of them.
One by one, in the given order they had obtained their powers, the dino team placed their hands on the very center of the rock where a crystal had been sighted. The instant they had all locked their hands in place, they felt a jolt of energy run through their bodies.
Struggling with the power, the rock began to glow with the colors that now were locked on its structure. The dino team groaned under the energy from each of the coins and morphers as it began to feed into them, melt into their own morphers.
The rest of the rangers, feeling the drain from inside as if a part of their soul had been pulled away, taking out the burden that was linked with it. The Ninjetti Rangers faltered, nearly losing their steps as the other rangers assisted in keeping them upright.
The dino rangers groaned and moaned as they could no longer hold their own, falling against the rock for support. The entire cave glowed brightly with a white light that forced everyone to shield their eyes.
And when the dino thunder rangers had opened their eyes they had found themselves in a white void. Each had stirred, looking around and getting to their feet trying to make sense of what was going on.
"What's going on? Where are we?" Conner asked as his voice echoed through the void.
"I feel different. Almost energized," Ethan looked down at his morpher as it glowed in a hint of blue. He flexed his arms feeling a rush of energy take over his body. He could almost hear the echoing cry of the wolf rang in his head.
"Dino rangers," a voice boomed over them. They looked around in confusion, unsure what to make of the voice they heard. "Welcome to the space between reality and your link into the universal morphing grid. It is here where you can unlock your past, present and future as power rangers."
"There is such a place? Trent looked around.
"Yes. by combining your dino gems, you will be inputting your knowledge for future generations of rangers to see. As well as open the doors for you to see your own look into the future. Do you accept?"
The teens looked over to their mentor, who was just as confused as them. Tommy walked over to them and could only shrug as he pulled up his morpher. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. The others followed suit, hoping he was right about this entire thing.
The energy around each of them, matching with their respective ranger color, began to melt and form an energy source in the center of them. They groaned under the impact and watched as the void was dropped and they found themselves in a city.
"Something tells me this isn't Reefside anymore," Tommy spoke quietly as they looked around.
As he looked over at his teammates, he noticed that they were all looking more ghostly then he would have liked.
Then a figure, whose face was a hint of orange set in a geometric shape, entered the plaza. He threw a small ball into the air as it disburst to reveal an army of robotic-like figures with a drill-like weapon on one hand. There were no facial expressions, blocked out by a several circles and a red one
in the middle of their forehead.
"Oh man, crybots. Rangers, let's go," a voice said in the distance.
"Huh!" the teens turned their heads toward the direction of the voice. Their eyes grew wide with shock as they looked over at their mentor. Tommy could only shrug.
The dino rangers watched as five figures suited up in color-coordinated suits stepped into the plaza. It was made up of a red, blue, green, yellow and pink ranger. Each suit held a specific number clad in black on the left side of their suit, possibly by rank. Their helmets almost resembled that of the space rangers and time force rangers, but the visor seemed to make the design of ears, if one could describe it. A small badge marked their helmets and right bicep with the marking of a dog's head and the word 'police' on the top. The SPD log on the right side on their suit on the chest.
"On it," the blue ranger spoke up as he pulled out his blaster.
And the army of crybots, raced into battle with the ranger team. The dino rangers backed away for a moment, only to realize that their bodies were not present to those in the plaza. But even if they weren't, they dodged the attacks, moving away and gawking at the new equipment and rangers before them.
Minutes passed as the strange man with the geometic face was left alone. Those robotic-soldiers had fled the scene.
The red ranger stepped forward holding out a badge-like device marked with the same dog head on his suit. "Let's see what the patrol morpher says about you. Judgement mode, activate."
The dino rangers watched as the device opened up. A light escaped from it blinking between a red X and a green O. Then it stopped on the red X.
"Guilty," the red ranger stated as he pulled out an object that looked like a bone. "Ric, catch!"
A robotic dog barked, sprung into the air to catch the object, as it transformed into a powerful weapon. The rangers assembled behind it, locking on their target. The red ranger fired, but their aggressors re-tailated with his own attack, locking with the other flying bolt. The bolt grew in size overtaking that of their enemy's. It hit the figure head on as he went flying through the air and onto the ground hard. He barked out an insult and disappeared in a flash.
"He got away again," the pink ranger protested.
The red ranger stopped her, holding her back. "Don't worry, Syd. He'll be back."
"Um...guys, we got bigger problems," the green ranger said as he pointed to the skies.
A huge robot had gone on a rampage through the city. A drill jutted from where its hands should be and one centered on the middle of his forehead like a rhino.
"Dr. Manx, we could use a little zord power out here," the yellow ranger stated into her morpher.
"Zords on their way." came the reply.
The rangers disappeared into a flash and as the dino rangers raced out of their hiding place to see what was going on. A megazord classified under the control of this ranger team was doing battle with the robot. It moved through the city at a speed seen in the Matrix, dodging laser fire and jumping past debris like there was no problem.
"Whoa! No way," Ethan breathed. "That megazord is amazing."
"And did you see those suits?" Conner whistled as a light smile passed his face.
Time passed. The battle was won by the rangers. The dino rangers couldn't help but cheer them on, even if they couldn't be seen. But then the world around them morphed and melted as they now stood in what appeared to be an abandoned arena. It looked like it hadn't been in use, a demolition derby arena.
They saw a bird-like figure clad in important clothing stroll into the derby. He pulled out a sword, holding it ready for any attacks that came his way. He muttered something, but couldn't quite be understood.
Then they heard a rev of an engine and saw a figure race into the area on a sorta rusty-like cycle.
The figure on the bike had glowing red eyes, a skull-like head with horns jutting out the side of his head. But one seemed to have been cut off or deformed. It was clear an evil aura ran over his entire body.
"I asked for Doggie Cruger, not this pathetic excuse for a commander," the evil being bellowed.
"You'll be dealing with me, Gruumm, Supreme Commander Birdy," the bird began to say, but the evil being growled throwing him to the ground.
Out of nowhere a suited figure on an ATV shot through the area, raining laser bolts on the evil being, sending him back. "I'm here, Gruumm."
"Shadow ranger!" the bird protested.
"You're mine, Cruger," Gruumm growled as he got on his bike and went after the mysterious ranger.
Beside his enemy, the two teased each other with the skills of running their vehicles through lasers set by the other. Battling side by side, head on and against the debris in the area. But in the end, the one that stood tall was, in fact, this shadow ranger. The evil being came crashing to the ground as the shadow ranger stopped a few feet in front of him, pulling out his sword.
"Go ahead, Cruger. Destroy me," Gruumm teased.
The shadow ranger stopped a moment, lowering his sword. His suit seemed to have an extra armor and shield that the other rangers. It was of a hint of grays, blues and blacks. His number was coded as 00 on the left side of his chest with a huge 1 before it. And his helmet was marked with the actual design of ears jutting off of it aside from the visor. "No. Let this be a lesson to you, Gruumm. You took away my home planet of Sirius and everything I know, but you won't take away Earth. S.P.D. will prevail. I guarantee and promise that."
"We will see, shadow ranger. You won't stand a chance against me," Grumm got to his feet and disappeared. "This will be a long battle with many surprises." His voice echoing.
The dino rangers could say no more as the image disappeared and they were left in the white void yet again.
"Oh man, that was crazy," Ethan shook his head.
"By storing your knowledge into the grid, you can now access the past, present, and future," the voice boomed. "Like you, their fates were chosen to join the power rangers legacy and do away with evil. In a world set not too far from now, aliens and humans co-existed on Earth in peace until a renegade alien race known as the Truvians had come to take Earth for themselves."
"And everything was nice and peaceful before they showed up. It's kinda cool to know that aliens and humans co-exist with one another," Kira said.
"An academy known as Space Patrol Delta was Earth's newest breed of police officers. Five were chosen among them to become the new protectors of Earth after the "A" Squad Ranger Team was reported missing in action."
"No way. This changes everything," Trent shook his head. "We just saw the future of our legacy."
"Meaning this isn't the end of the line," Conner announced as he looked over at his mentor. "And that we have to find a way to destroy Mindshatter before he destroy us."
"I don't get it," Ethan shook his head, as eyes fell on him. "How come we got to see the distant future, but not the future of us?"
"The future is always in motion. But their fates have already been decided, just as yours was before you had a chance to stop it. Be wary of what the future brings, Power Rangers. It lies in your hands. May the Powers Always Protect You."
The white void slowly dimmed out and when the dino rangers looked around, they were back in the comfort of the cave. They had exchanged a set of confused looks as they looked around them to see the exhaustion on their ranger counterparts.
Tommy moved closer to the rock, trying to pull one of the zeonizers free, but it didn't budge. As he looked over the rock again, it seemed all the other coins and morphers were stuck in place, meaning only one thing. He looked over at the other rangers as they slowly pulled themselves to there feet, looking over themselves. He caught eye of the glowing mass on his wrist as he felt the surge of energy run through him. The mix of powers inside him.
The other dino rangers looked at their own morphers, seeing the glowing mass over their wrists. And as they flexed their arms, they felt the new wave of energy run over them. They heard the animal spirits of the ninja friends. And they knew they were up to doing anything now.
"It has begun," Tommy spoke quietly.
XXXXXXXXXX
Island fortress.
Mindshatter growled in rage as he watched the flame on the candles blow out. The color of the candles dulled out and he knew they were now useless. He slammed his fists into the wall as the looked at the remaining five candles. "Oliver is smarter than I thought. He has figured out how to guard the powers of his friends. Well, those dino rangers won't be so lucky. I will make sure of that."
He left the room to recollect his thoughts, he clenched a hidden object under his cloak as he left. Another figure emerged from the shadows, a hint of glowing eyes escaped from it as he looked intently at the five untouched candles. Dinoshade walked up to them, holding a hand up to them, but as he did, was thrown back by an electrical bolt.
Mesogog caught a hold of him as they hit the ground. "Mindshatter has put a shield around them. I can't get through."
"We need to get those candles or your friends won't be able to survive." Dinoshade replied. "Not against him."
"Whatever it takes. But for now we must retaliate. Re-group," Mesogog headed for the door as Dinoshade followed.
Two more figures emerged from the hidden shadows. The blue and yellow psycho rangers. And they had heard everything, but kept it to themselves as they left the room and headed the other way.
"The battle has begun," psycho blue barked.
to be continued...
A/N: I gotta build that suspense again. Why? Because the end draws near and that huge epic battle is about to go down. But wait, did I just hear Dinoshade in need to help Mesogog out? Did Mesogog finally get around to him? I know, a lot of questions are going through your mind. So, keep an eye out. See you when I do. Yeah, I know. I didn't quite get those scenes from SPD quite right. AU, okay? I ain't into it all too much, but I still watch it. That's what it is there for. So, I'm out for now. See you next chapter. May the Powers Always Protect You.