Power Rangers: Fusion
Episode IX: More Power?
Zeke carefully soldered the last wires to his device. Upon completion the biggest smile he had ever had came onto his face. It was short lived however when he remembered he had to test the device. He turned the switch to the 'on' position and focused on the power meter. Slowly it rose which was already a good sign.
At least it's drawing power from the morphing grid. Now let's see if it draws enough power.
The power meter slowly rose to the green level which Zeke designed to indicate optimum draw from the morphing grid.
"SHE'S ALIVE!" Zeke shouted in excitement.
'She' was a blue pre-diamond the size of a computer tower with the output and control device fixed to the top of it. Zeke operated a hoist and set in on a forklift. Zeke excitedly jumped into the seat of the forklift and slid his sunglasses on as he drove the forklift through the halls of the Fusion Temple. When he arrived at the control chamber he jumped out.
"Zeke! What is the meaning of this?" Master Fireseed scolded.
Zeke simply smiled. "This is a device I've been working on for almost two months that will allow you to survive without the Blue Fusion Morpher."
Master Fireseed's expression appeared dumbfounded. "Why's the pre-diamond so big?"
"Well, whatever you and Zordon did to make such small pre-diamonds handle such large amounts of energy was magic which is something I know nothing about. Give me a break, I'm working with science here."
Master Fireseed chuckled delightfully although still in awe of Zeke's accomplishment.
"I'm gonna install it. It'll only take a few minutes," Zeke said as he got to work.
In an hour maybe a little more, Zeke was done.
"I can feel it. I'm feeding off the morphing grid but not through the Blue Fusion Morpher. Zeke! You're a genius!"
Zeke took a bow. "Too kind, master, too kind."
"No, Zeke," Fusia said, "he is right. You do deserve much credit for this."
"Thank you, Fusia."
"Zeke, I don't know how to thank you," Master Fireseed said.
"Call Tommy and give him a room," Zeke replied casually.
"I'm afraid I can not. Tommy is only to be called when needed. He has things he has to do on Earth."
"Like what?"
"Much like you, he has taken guardianship over it. You of all people should understand his position."
Zeke pondered this for a moment. "Yes, I suppose you're right. As always, master."
"The fifth spot will be reserved for a Ronian."
"That's where you're wrong, master," Zeke said doubtfully.
"I have the feeling one will surface someday."
"I came in twenty years ago and no human has since, I seriously doubt it."
"And your lack of faith will be proven wrong, you'll see."
"I hope you're right but I know you're wrong. We should get Tommy to send another ranger."
"We'll see. Now, go."
Zeke looked confused. "Go where?"
"Celebrate your invention with the others. They deserve it especially after what you put them through."
"What're you talking about, master?"
"We both know how...'focused' you become when you're working on something. I think they deserve something to make up for it."
Zeke shrugged and climbed into the forklift. "I'll think about it," he said as he drove off.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Twenty years?
Alyssa couldn't believe her ears. She was going to the control chamber to talk to Master Fireseed about Andrix's lack of activity in the last month but she almost doubled over when she heard that and decided not to ask at all. Now she was on her way to Kira's room. She opened the door.
"Hey, what's the problem, you look like you've seen a ghost," Kira said.
"Close enough, I'm going to get Andros, there's something we need to talk about. Meet in the cafeteria."
Kira nodded as Alyssa turned and headed to Andros' room.
After she retrieved him they all sat down in the cafeteria. The cafeteria wasn't big like the word implies. There were a couple tables and a bar. The robo-drones cooked just about anything you could think of but Alyssa didn't choose this place for the food, she chose it because she knew that out of all the places to go in the temple, this is the least likely.
"So, what's the big news, Alyssa?" Andros asked.
"Zeke was talking to Master Fireseed about something and then he said that in the last twenty years, he's been the only human volunteer," Alyssa explained.
"Maybe you heard wrong?" Kira suggested.
"Oh no I didn't. I know what I heard."
"Well, maybe he said it wrong?"
"No, you know Zeke, when he says something, that's exactly what he means."
Kira paused. "Yeah, you're right on that one."
Suddenly, the two women looked at the silent Andros.
"What're you so quiet about?" Alyssa asked.
"It's possible," Andros responded simply.
"What?" Kira and Alyssa said in unison.
"That Zeke could be a lot older than he actually looks."
"How?" Kira and Alyssa said once again in complete sync.
Andros cracked a smile. "Now that I think about it, I've had the Red Astro Ranger powers for a long time and I haven't aged a day either."
"How could you not notice something like that?" Kira asked.
"Ever since I got my powers I've been too busy fighting evil to really notice. It is very possible that ranger powers in general grant immortality."
"How do you figure?" Alyssa asked.
"The only other person I can think of that has exposed himself to ranger powers for long periods of time is Tommy," Andros stated
"And he's always looked so young. Damn! I thought it was because he was in shape!" Kira exclaimed.
"Maybe we should ask Master Fireseed?" Alyssa thought aloud.
"Or maybe you won't have to."
Everybody jumped and turned towards the cold voice that belonged to Zeke. To add to the scare, Zeke's face was completely hidden in the shadows with the exception of his glowing yellow eyes.
"So, is it true?" Alyssa asked.
"Yes, Andros is correct, most ranger powers stop aging. Very rarely is a threat around long enough for people to feel the effects but sometimes...sometimes they are."
"Why didn't you tell me...I mean, us?" Kira asked.
"You didn't have to know, it's not important," Zeke replied coldly.
"So how old are you?" Andros asked.
"Forty-one."
The entire group gasped at his response.
"Now do you understand why I wanted to fight alone, why I'm so cold, and why I'd rather be left alone? Everything around me is temporary and I'm the only thing permanent. It's enough to drive anyone insane."
Zeke exhaled hard and left the cafeteria. The group was silent for at least a good minute until Kira got out of her chair and left. Another minute of silence came.
"So, how old are you?" Alyssa asked Andros.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zeke walked into his room and didn't bother turning on the lights or closing the door since he already knew Kira wasn't far behind. Not because he heard her or smelt her but because he just knew. His assumption was proven correct when Kira threw the door open and flipped the light on.
"Ahh!" Zeke cried as the light hit his eyes.
"Oh, shit, Zeke! I'm sorry I completely forgot!" Kira yelled as she slammed the lights off then brought them to a dim.
"It's alright. What do you want?"
"Excuse me, do I have to ask?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I should have told you," Zeke said annoyed.
"You're damn right you should've! Why didn't you?"
"At first, I didn't tell because I was planning on fighting the battle alone anyway but then you came along and..."
"And what?"
"I just didn't want what's going on between us to change."
Kira sat down on the bed and wrapped her arms around him. Zeke felt better already but was still pissed that Alyssa had eavesdropped.
"You don't have anything to worry about, nothing's changed."
"Kira, I'm twice as old as you and you know about it. Things have changed."
"No, they haven't. You're still the same stubborn, sweet man I met before."
Zeke shook his head.
"Look, you still got those beautiful yellow eyes and your dark hair," she said as she ran a hand through his hair, "and those soft kissable lips."
Kira kissed him and Zeke felt so much better he grabbed her by the hip and dragged her to her back. Kira giggled as she hit the bed. Zeke went in for another kiss when both their morphers beeped. They both looked over at their morphers and then at each other.
"Andrix has awesome timing, doesn't he?" Kira said.
Zeke simply nodded and flipped his morpher open. "Better be important."
"Just who the hell do you think you're talking to? Get to the control chamber immediately!" Master Fireseed shouted.
"Yes, master," Zeke replied obediently.
He closed his morpher and saw that Kira had a huge smile on her face.
"What?" he asked.
"You're in trouble," she said teasingly.
"Oh, that's it," he said as he slammed a pillow into her face. "Let's go, sounds urgent."
Before getting up Kira threw the pillow and hit Zeke in the back. Zeke grabbed his red sunglasses and put them on. They walked through the halls and Kira grabbed his hand. Zeke smiled but couldn't help but think that this was going to go away just like everything else but for some reason, he just didn't care.
They got to the control chamber where the others were.
"What's the problem, master?" Zeke asked.
"Andrix is up to his games again," Master Fireseed said.
"What, just your run of the mill monster?" Andros asked.
"That's already full grown," Alyssa commented.
"No," Zeke said, "he's always got some sort of plan."
"This is true but you must eliminate this threat quickly," Master Fireseed said.
"Right," Zeke said. "It's fusion time! Wolf Fusion: Red!"
"Raven Fusion: White!"
"Ram Fusion: Black!"
"Rhino Fusion: Green!"
They morphed into their ranger forms and went through a red portal that Zeke created. They came out the other end in Scale Harbor on top of a building.
Zeke lead the other rangers in the Zord Kata. "Red Wolf Fusion Zord!"
"White Raven Fusion Zord!"
"Black Ram Fusion Zord!"
"Green Rhino Fusion Zord!"
The armor on their bodies left them and formed together to make their animals and then they transformed into their Zord forms. Each of them opened a portal into their zord. Zeke sat down in his cockpit and immediately hit the comm button.
"Let's do it guys! Fusion Megazord activate!"
Zeke reached over and turned the knob that engaged the docking sequence. Green Rhino became the body and legs, Black Ram became the left arm, Red Wolf became the right arm and White raven completed the transformation as the head. The demon looked similar to an elephant except he stood upright, had dark green scales and bat wings but his head is what resembled the elephant. Zeke wasted no time advancing on the monster, giving him a right hook followed by a left uppercut. The demon swung his trunk around smacking the megazord in the face and then ramming his charcoal colored tusks into its chest.
"Damn this Elephiend!" Alyssa cried.
"Elephiend?" Andros asked.
"It just came out," Alyssa replied.
"It suits," Zeke said as he struggled with the controls.
The megazord jumped back and then sent a roundhouse kick at Elephiend. Elephiend blocked and then did a sweeping kick that Zeke managed to leap away from.
"Alyssa, engage homing missiles!" Zeke shouted.
"Targeting," Alyssa said as she activated her targeting reticule. "Locked and firing!"
The megazord spewed a cluster of missiles from its left palm that struck the monster. Zeke saw this as a great opportunity and leapt at the monster giving him a drop kick and then another roundhouse upon landing and then crouched into a sweeping kick that sent Elephiend to the ground.
"Nice one, Zeke!" Kira shouted excitedly.
Elephiend rolled over and wrapped his trunk around the megazord's leg and put the end of the trunk onto its leg with a suction sound.
"Oh, no! We're losing power for some reason," Kira panicked as her meters were dropping.
"What?" Zeke shouted.
Kira tapped away on her control pad. "We're losing it through our legs!"
"He's sucking us dry!" Andros shouted.
Zeke piloted both arms and grabbed the trunk of the Elephiend and squeezed as hard as he could. Elephiend couldn't hold for long and finally let his suction trunk go but he wasn't through. He grabbed the arm of the megazord and forced him to the ground while using the leverage to pick himself up. Elephiend used his trunk once again to suck the power from the megazord.
"Dammit! We're losing more power!" Kira shouted.
"Enough of this!" Alyssa shouted as she took the key from her belt and put it into the keyhole on her control pad. "Gecko Zord! We need you!"
Still on the ground, the megazord extended its hands and in a burst of light, Power Ball four came and cracked open to reveal the Gecko Zord.
"Manual override," Alyssa said as a set of controls sprouted from her console.
The Gecko Zord scurried over to the Elephiend and jumped onto his trunk and sunk its teeth in. Elephiend shrilled and tossed the Gecko Zord away with his trunk. Zeke took the opportunity to spin the megazord to its feet and then send a right and then a quick left followed by a jump kick to Elephiend's head. Elephiend stumbled back but didn't quit as he did a jumping roundhouse that sent the Megazord to the ground leaving it open once again for power suction and Elephiend had no problem taking the opportunity.
"Shit!" Zeke shouted.
"What the hell are we gonna do?" Andros asked aimlessly.
"Look, it seems when he's sucking power he can't even move," Alyssa pointed out.
"So?" Zeke asked.
"We get rid of Black Ram and use the Gecko Zord's Gecko Power Blaster to finish him," Alyssa responded.
"Then hurry," Zeke commanded.
Alyssa nodded and took the controls of the Gecko Zord. Black Ram detached from the megazord and transformed into its ram form. In its place the Gecko Zord transformed and docked forming the left arm of the megazord.
"Gecko Power Blaster formation activate!" Alyssa shouted.
The fist that was on the left arm came in and was replaced by the jaw of the Gecko Zord forming the Gecko Zord's head. It opened its mouth and a barrel came from it. Alyssa guided the targeting reticule of the blaster at Elephiend.
"Gecko Power Blaster! Fire!"
A purple beam of energy shot from the barrel and blew the head of Elephiend clean off his shoulders. The rangers erupted in a roar of triumph.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zeke and the others got back to the control chamber of the Fusion Temple.
"Great job, rangers. Especially you Alyssa, you demonstrated great improvision," Master Fireseed said happily.
"Thank you, master," Alyssa responded.
"There's one thing that bugs me," Andros said suddenly.
"Two power absorbing demons in a row. I was thinking the same thing," Zeke said.
Andros nodded in agreement.
"That does seem strange. Fusia, check the morphing grid, are we gaining that power back after the demons are destroyed?" Master Fireseed commanded.
"Searching...no, we never gained back the lost power," Fusia responded.
"Which means Andrix is up to something bad," Kira said.
"And on top of that, we're weaker than before," Alyssa added.
"We have got to be careful," Andros said.
"I agree. We got to stick closer together so we're not left alone when something comes up which means every time one of us decides to go into the city or do whatever we have to have one of the others with us," Zeke instructed.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Zeke, I'm surprised. You wanting to be alone all the time," Master Fireseed said.
"No sense in risking our own lives."
"Yeah especially your old one," Alyssa said jokingly.
The glance that Zeke shot her told her immediately she had crossed the line. She sunk her head low in regret.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrix walked into Arial's lab with yet another orb containing more power raped from the morphing grid.
"Excellent," Arial said upon sight of the orb this time swirling with colors of red as well.
"Will this be enough or will you have to waste another one of my good troops to get more?" Andrix asked impatiently.
"Trust me, Andrix. The demon I'm going to create with their powers will be so powerful they won't know what hit them."
"How long is it going to take?"
Arial sighed. "Since I'm building a demon from complete scratch as I did the dragon brothers, it's going to take a while but the rangers are weak from the power extractions so they're vulnerable."
"Except for the Blue Ranger," Andrix said with an arched eyebrow.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
"Yes, let's hope. You had better not mess this one up Arial, not after all the trouble I went through to get you that power."
"You won't regret it I assure you."
"I had better not," Andrix snarled as he shut the door of the lab.
THE END
