POWER RANGERS: SPACE PATROL DELTA
SPD Memories Series
"Duplicate"
A
Z Tale
This fanfic is a Z focus story. This story takes place shortly after the events of the episode Messenger, Part 2. Feedback is totally appreciated, good or bad.
"And you've had no luck figuring out how to send him back?" Commander Cruger asked her. It had been only a few days since the appearance of the Omega Ranger. Cruger and the rest of SPD were still trying to find a way to get him back to his own time.
He strolled into the Command Center of SPD Headquarters, walking with Kat Manx, who had just been detailing her failed attempts at opening a portal that could take Sam back to his proper time.
"I've tried every trick in the book. This is gonna take a while," Kat said. Noticing Cruger's troubled look, Kat thought she should add "but if there's a way, I'll find it."
Cruger's eyes mellowed at hearing it. That was the resolve, strength and determination he had come to admire in Dr. Manx. At that moment, a detection alarm went off. Hearing it instantly, Kat stepped over to a security console, looking troubled.
"Report," Cruger ordered.
"We're getting an alert of a robbery in progress. Someone just robbed two pedestrians downtown," Kat said, sounding completely surprised.
"Where are the Rangers?" Cruger asked.
"They're in a training session. But, sir, Omega Ranger's downtown," Kat said.
"He's SPD. Relay your data to him and have him respond," Cruger said.
Minutes later, Omega Ranger burst onto the scene aboard his cycle. Seeing a man and woman both looking disheveled and pointing down the street, he brought the vehicle to a quick stop.
"SPD! I heard there was a robbery," Omega said.
The woman spoke up first. "Yes. We were just walking along when all of a sudden my purse...it was just gone."
"She went that way," her companion said, pointing towards a nearby alley.
"She?" Omega was surprised.
"Yes. She was so fast. It was almost like there were two of her, or three. I don't know. It was very strange," the man said.
"Hmmm," Omega thought aloud. He revved up his cycle and sped off into the alley, where he saw a dark-haired woman trying to climbing a fence. She was holding the stolen purse. The thief made it over and continued to run at a fast pace.
Omega hopped on top of his cycle and flipped over the fence in one motion, landing on one knee in front of her, blocking her path and forcing her to stop. He held a hand out, as he rose to his feet.
"Stop right there!" He shouted. He looked up into the thief's eyes and was instantly shocked at the identity of the person standing in front of him.
"Z?" Sam said. His tone of surprise even caught the perpetrator off-guard.
"What did you call me?" the girl said. It was true. She looked exactly like Cadet Z Delgado, his fellow SPD Ranger.
"Z, what are you doing? Did you steal that purse?" He asked.
Clutching the bag closer to her, the woman still looked confused and suspicious of the masked Ranger.
"I don't know what you're talking about. This is mine," She responded.
"I have two witnesses who say otherwise. Z, talk to me. Why did you steal it?" Sam asked.
"I told you. I didn't steal anything and stop calling me Z. My name's Liz. I think you have me confused with someone else," she said, as she tried to walk away. Sam grabbed her arm, when he felt a finger tapping him on the shoulder.
He turned to see Liz! How did she get behind him?
"Hey!" Omega exclaimed.
"See! I don't even think you know who you're looking for!" the second Liz stated. This Liz raised her hands, showing she didn't have any purse. He turned back quickly, to see the real thief long gone down the street.
"Stop! Wait!" Omega shouted, but the girl didn't stop. He turned back to find that her extra self had also disappeared.
"What is going on?" Sam said to himself, wondering why his own comrade and friend had just turned to a life of crime.
"It wasn't ME!" Z said, loud enough for everyone in the Command Center to hear her.
Standing next to her were her fellow B-Squad cadets, Jack, Syd, Bridge & Sky. Z looked completely surprised and dumbfounded by the story that had just been told by the Omega Ranger, as he stood on the other side of the room, with Commander Cruger and Dr. Manx.
"I swear it, Commander. I was training with everyone else," Z said.
"It's true. We've all been together for the last hour," Syd confirmed.
"This has to be a mistake," Jack added.
"Rangers, no one's accusing Z of anything. But, we can't ignore the fact that this apparent duplicate looked just like Cadet Delgado and had her abilities, which were also used to commit theft downtown," Cruger explained.
All the Rangers tried their best not to veer their eyes to Z, who still looked very angered.
"I don't understand how this happened, Commander. I'm all here. I can tell when one of my selves is missing. None are. I guarantee it," Z said, feeling the overwhelming need to defend herself, even amongst friends.
"Well, I don't know who she is, but she claimed her name was Liz. She also didn't seem to recognize me," Omega said.
"This is quite a mystery," Cruger stated.
"Yeah and it's one I intend to get to the bottom of," Z said, as she headed for the exit.
"Cadet Delgado, wait!" Cruger called after her.
"What? I have to find her and figure out what's going on," she said.
"And where would you look?" Cruger said. Z gave a defeated sigh. Cruger was right. She wouldn't know where to find her.
"Maybe your old stomping grounds," Sky said smugly. "After all, she seems to be quite adept at your previous occupation."
"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Z said, angrily, as she walked over to face Sky.
"All I'm saying is that it's quite a coincidence that she's a thief and you used to be a thief," Sky said, with a blank face that conveyed his blunt honesty, as well as his feeling of superiority.
"What are you trying to say, Sky? That I'm stealing from people behind everyone's back by using my duplicates? How could you say that to me?" Z said, in a fury.
Syd walked over, putting her arm around her roommate and pulling her to the side. Jack took Z's place in front of Sky.
"You're way out of line, Sky," Jack told him, looking completely serious.
"If we're going to catch this thief, which I assume is the plan, we need to exhaust all possibilities," Sky said, looking past Jack, to Commander Cruger.
"That doesn't mean we're pointing fingers at Z, Cadet Tate," Cruger said, sternly.
Sky sighed deeply and turned to Z. "Sorry," he said, flatly. Z only stared back at him with angry eyes.
"I think everyone needs to calm down," Cruger said.
"I agree," Bridge spoke up. "I mean this is obviously a case of mistaken identity. I mean Sam clearly didn't see what he thought he saw, even though he saw Z."
"What?" Syd said, looking confused.
"There's more than one Z," Bridge said. Everyone in the room gave him strange looks. "I mean, we all know there's more than one Z when she wants there to be, but in this case there appears to be more than one original Z, or in this case, Liz."
Still seeing their silent looks cast upon him, Bridge said, "Just trust me. It makes sense."
"Yeah. In your head," Sky muttered.
At that moment another emergency alert came through the Command Center. Kat checked her monitors.
"We've got multiple robberies in progress downtown at the street market," she said, as she looked up to Commander Cruger. "You don't think...?" she wondered, aloud.
"Rangers, get down there! Find out what's going on," Cruger ordered.
Sky & Bridge marched out of the Command Center, followed by Omega & Syd. Following close behind them were Jack & Z. Falling behind, Jack waited for the Command Center doors to close behind them when he pulled Z's arm, out of the sight of the other Rangers.
"Hey. Don't worry. It's obviously not you," Jack said. Z sighed.
"I can't help but worry. There's someone out there that looks like me and she's stealing. It's hitting a little too close to home, Jack," She said.
"Then, let's hit back," Jack said. Z nods with him and they trot off, catching up with the others.
Downtown, the market is overrun with chaos, as several duplicates of Liz are causing chaos, while one of them stuffs a bag with fruit, vegetables and anything else nearby. Moments later, several engines can be heard getting closer to the scene. The six morphed Rangers run into the crowded marketplace.
"SPD! Stop where you are!" the Red Ranger yelled into the crowd.
Liz turned from her crime spree to see the Red Ranger, flanked by the Omega, Yellow, Blue, Green & Pink Rangers.
"You again?" she said, eyeing Sam.
"That's her!" Omega said aloud, pointing to Liz. She turned to run, but the Red Ranger is there in a moment, grabbing her arm, which forces her to drop her sack.
"Hey. We need to talk," he said.
"Don't you know, I don't talk to SPD. Neither do my friends," Liz said, sternly, sending a kick into Jack's midsection. "Ladies, let's do this!" she shouted.
In that moment, all of her duplicates turned their attention to the Rangers. Within seconds, the Rangers were bombarded with almost a dozen women who looked like Z and fought with the same fierce spirit as the Yellow Ranger.
One of the duplicates tries to punch the Green Ranger, but he manages to grab her fist, stopping the blow. Her other hand flies up, but he grabs that one with his free hand. "Now what?" Bridge asks from beneath his helmet. The duplicate uses her free left leg to plant a kick into the Green Ranger's stomach, sending him falling to the ground, sliding backwards a few meters.
Nearby, the Pink Ranger is trading punches and kicks with another duplicate. She blocks a kick with her arms and goes for a spinning kick, but the duplicate ducks to the ground. She backflips to her feet, but the Pink Ranger knows the moves too well and plants a kick into the duplicate's midsection, sending her flying into a fruit stand.
A few feet away, the Blue Ranger has trouble with two duplicates, as both go for kicks to his stomach, which he blocks, pushing their legs away. They steady themselves, managing to turn back to the Blue Ranger, landing two major punches to his stomach at once, sending him staggering backwards. Omega Ranger jumps in front of him.
"I'll handle this," Omega said.
He jumps at both duplicates and connects with one by the arms, flipping her to the ground. He sweeps the other off her feet, taking her down. A few feet away, Jack & Liz are matching each other blow for blow, until Liz flips over him, kicking him in the back, causing the Red Ranger to crash into another fruit stand, where some people are standing. The collision barely misses hitting them, as they take cover. Liz smiles.
"I guess SPD isn't so tough after all," Liz said, with a sly smile.
"Think again!" Z's shout could be heard from behind.
Liz looks a bit troubled, "That voice?"
She turns, facing the Yellow Ranger. She lets out a battle cry and charges at her, flying into the air and going for a flying kick.
"No!" Z yelled. Before the kick could connect, the Yellow Ranger flips out of the way. "I'm not gonna fight you."
"Then, you're going to lose," Liz replied. She goes for another punch, but Z slides away from it. Liz comes rolling over Z's back, trying to connect with another kick after landing, but Z blocks it. She grabs both of Liz's arms, twisting them behind her.
"You're definitely not one of mine!" Z screamed out.
"What are you talking about?" Liz screamed, feeling the pain of her arms behind her back. The Yellow Ranger released her, pushing her a few meters away.
"Power down," the Yellow Ranger called out and her Ranger suit instantly disappeared to reveal Z. She walked up to a shocked looking Liz. They came face to face.
"What?" That was all Liz could mutter, as she looked upon herself. "How are you SPD? You're...you're..."
"Me," Z finished. "What's going on?"
"I have no idea. I guess I'm really not home after all," Liz said.
"Where did you come from?" Z asked.
"I was gonna ask you the same thing. I'm totally lost right now," Liz said.
The other 4 Rangers gathered around Liz, as her duplicates disappeared back into her body. Omega Ranger helps up some of the pedestrians, making sure they're okay. He helps up a woman in a brown hooded coat, who waves him off, patting him on the arm in thanks. Omega joins the other Rangers, as they power down.
"You're not alone there," Jack said, as he demorphed. Liz looked shocked.
"Jack! You're SPD too?" Liz said.
"You know me," Jack said.
"You're my best friend, or at least you're supposed to be. Something is really wrong here," Liz said.
"Then, why don't we figure it out," Z said, putting a reassuring hand on Liz's shoulder.
"At SPD Headquarters! After all, you are under arrest," Sky said, as he moved closer to Liz.
"Sky!" Z yelled.
"We caught her in the middle of a robbery. We have to take her in," he responded.
"Stand down, Sky! Look, we'll let the Commander sort through all of this. Let's go," Jack said. The Rangers head off, accompanied by Liz.
Back at the marketplace, the woman who was helped by Omega turns around to look at the exiting cadets, revealing that under her hood lies Morgana! She gives a devilish chuckle.
At SPD Headquarters, Liz is guarded but intrigued by the look of things, as the group heads into the Command Center. The doors open and her eyes grow very wide at the sight of Commander Cruger and Kat.
"Anubis! Kitty! What are you doing here?" She yells. The Rangers share confused looks. Kat walks over, with a scanner that she uses to run some instantaneous tests on Liz's body.
"It's all right," Cruger said. "You're safe. Kat's been working on a theory. We just need to confirm it."
After the scan, Kat heads off towards a console, where she loads the data. Meanwhile, Liz is busy staring at Cruger.
"I don't understand. Why would you join SPD, Anubis? Under Gruumm's leadership, SPD killed your wife!" Liz said.
Cruger and the Rangers all give her a shocked look.
"I don't know what you're talking about, young lady. Gruumm has no power in SPD. He's the leader of the Troobian Empire, looking to destroy this planet," Cruger said.
"Commander Cruger's right," Z chimed in.
"The Troobians? The Troobians are our friends. They've been under attack almost as much as the rebels have," Liz explained.
"Hold on. What are you talking about? Rebels? Troobian friends?" Syd said, looking completely confused. "None of this makes any sense."
"It's starting to!" the Rangers heard Kat's voice echo through the room. She returned to the group, with a serious look on her face.
"It turns out my hypothesis was correct. My scan shows that this Elizabeth Delgado is indeed NOT our Elizabeth Delgado," Kat said. "More specifically, she's from an alternate dimension. The internal scan I took shows that her readings are a bit different from our Z. It's like her body's trying to adjust to being in a different dimension."
"Like her body's internal clock is an hour off," Bridge offered.
"Sort of. Except, she's not from a different time, like Omega Ranger. She's from a different reality," Kat stated.
"How did she get here?" Z asked.
"I think that's a question for Liz," Kat said, as everyone's eyes focused on her.
"I don't know. I was on my way downtown to meet up with Jack. He said there was some kind of plan for our next heist. I turned a corner and there was this big flash of light and I guess that's when I crossed over," Liz explained.
"Heist?" Sky repeated. "So you are a thief?"
"We only steal to build up our resources. We've been denied everything, just because we're different," Liz said. "I'm just as human as everyone else, but people like Jack and me have powers and that put us on the receiving end of SPD's tyranny. We're fighting against SPD, with aliens like Cruger & Kat, who have been thrown out of their communities in favor of Earth's cleansing," Liz said.
"This is all very interesting, but shouldn't we be trying to get her back to where she came from?" Syd asked. "I mean, it can't be good for there to be two Z's at once, right Kat?"
"It's true. They both can't co-exist in the same dimension for too long. The problem is, I have no idea how that portal opened and how to trigger it again," Kat said.
"Then you can't help me," Liz said, "It figures. SPD is just as useless here as it is back home," she said, as she went running out of the doors.
"Wait, Liz! Wait!" Z said, as she ran off after her. Jack followed.
Aboard Gruumm's ship, Morgana is standing alongside a monster. The monster's sleek silver skin is metallic in nature. He has gold fierce eyes. Gruumm stands from his seat and looks at both of them.
"So, is the plan working?" he asked.
"Yes, Emperor," Morgana responded instantly. "The dimensional portal worked perfectly, thanks to Balthar here."
The monster let out a slight chuckle, as Morgana pulls out a small device from her coat's pocket. It resembles a remote control, but slightly larger with several buttons on it. Balthar speaks up.
"I told you that my device would do what you needed," Balthar said.
"Well, it appears that it has. However, Morgana, you were unable to bring back our dimension-traveling specimen," Gruumm said sternly.
"I was close, but then SPD showed up," Morgana explained, "This time it wasn't just the Omega Ranger. They were all there. She came into contact with the real Z."
"For my plan to work, I will need that girl. Once I unlock the mysteries of the Rangers' genetic powers, I will be able to use it against them," Gruumm said.
"Yes, Gruumm," Balthar said, "The parallel dimension that I set the device for should have brought that duplicate Ranger from a world where SPD is the enemy. She will no doubt turn against them."
Gruumm lets out a loud chuckle. Then, he looks back to Morgana.
"I still need her here, Morgana. Go back down to Earth and find her. Bring her to me. I don't care who's with her!" Gruumm shouts.
"Maybe I can help, Emperor," Balthar said.
"Yes," Gruumm replied. "The Power Rangers could use a little distraction."
"As a loyal member of the Troobian Empire, I would be glad to provide it," Balthar said.
Gruumm lets out a maniacal laugh. "It's only a matter of time before my victory and the Rangers' defeat."
Back down on Earth, Liz is sitting under a tree when Z walks slowly over to her. Jack stays back out of the way, watching.
"This looks familiar," Z said aloud. Liz was thrown from her daydream, but barely acknowledged the presence of Z.
"Oh really," Liz replied.
"I used to come here when I was a kid. Whenever I had a bad day, or someone trashed me for being different. I lost a necklace near here once," Z said, as she looked around. She then took a seat next to Liz on the ground.
"We're not that different, SPD or no SPD," Z said.
"We're very different if you ask me. Kids made fun of me too when I was a kid and I used my powers for the first time in front of people. It was an omen. There was nothing but trouble for the rest of my life," Liz explained. Z gave a deep sigh.
"I remember a time when I was in school. The kids made fun of me and I ran. I left a duplicate behind in my place and I just ran, trying to escape. I was so scared that day. Commander Cruger saved me. I had no idea who he was at the time, but that day changed me forever. I gathered the strength to go back and face those people," Z said, with a tear in her eye.
Liz looked at her. She says, "I remember that. The same thing happened to me in my world. Except, I never went back."
"Why not?" Z asked.
"I couldn't fight them. They had the power," Liz said. "So, I quit school. I ran away and lived on my own, until I found Jack."
Jack walks over to the tree, standing above them, as Liz looks at him.
"My Jack looks just like you," she said. Jack smiled.
"Well, my Jack is a great friend. I'm sure yours is too," Z said, while glancing up at Jack.
"That memory changed my life. I always think about it and how things might have been different if I had gone back that day," Liz said. Z puts an arm around her double. They lean their heads together.
Back at SPD Headquarters, the remaining Rangers are still with Cruger, when Kat walks in.
"I may have found something," Kat said, as she walked over to the center console, typing in some information into the computer interface. A map of the city pops up. The Rangers all take a look.
"What is it, Kat?" Syd asked.
"Well, it's not much, but I may have pinpointed the exact spot where Liz showed up downtown," Kat explained, as a red dot began blinking on the map.
"How does that help?" Sky asked.
"Well, if I can run some temporal scans of the area, I may be able to get some readings on the portal that dropped her in our dimension and figure out how to trigger it," Kat explained.
"That's great," Bridge said.
Just then, the alarms blared throughout the Command Center. Kat pulled up the readings, which showed Balthar blasting at innocent people on the streets.
"We've got trouble," Sky said.
"Listen up, Rangers. Bridge & Syd, go with Kat downtown to examine the spot where that portal showed up," Cruger stated, looking at the two. They nod along with Kat.
"Sky, Sam & I will deal with this new threat," Cruger stated, "we'll call for Landors & Delgado if we need backup."
"Right," they all said together.
"Ready?" Cruger shouted, releasing his morpher, as Sky did the same.
"Ready!" Sky responded.
"SPD Emergency!" Cruger called out, leading to Sky's morph, followed by his own.
Downtown, the SPD patrol jeep speeds into the area, with Bridge behind the wheel, driving wildly. Syd is in the passenger seat, while Kat is in the back, holding a scanner.
"Anything yet, Kat?" Syd calls out.
"I think we're getting close. It might help if we were a little more steady, Bridge!" Kat said.
"Sorry. It's just, I know time is of the essence," Bridge said, with a childlike smile of glee, as he sped through the streets.
"Wait! Stop!" Kat yelled, as her scanner began to beep. Bridge brought the vehicle to a halt. Kat jumped out with her scanner. Bridge & Syd followed. They were led to a secluded area, where the scanner let out an even louder sound.
"Kat, what is it?" Syd asked.
"This is it. This is where the portal opened. I'm getting some intense readings," Kat said, "I just hope we can get it to open again."
Elsewhere, Balthar is blasting at a passing car, which goes spinning out of control, hitting another. Then, a voice was heard behind him.
"Who do you think is gonna clean up this mess?"
Balthar turns to see Shadow Ranger, flanked by the SPD Blue Ranger and Omega Ranger.
"Not me! Who's gonna make me? You?" Balthar said, boldly.
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem," Omega Ranger responded.
"Yeah and it's time to clean up the streets," Blue Ranger said.
"And take out the trash," Shadow stated, drawing his Shadow Saber and jumping towards Balthar, hitting a devastating slash. Balthar went flying into one of the previously attacked cars. The monster manages to get back to his feet.
"You didn't think I came alone, did you? I'm too smart for that!" Balthar said, aloud, as a group of Blueheads and Orangeheads arrived on the scene, going after the other two Rangers, while Shadow keeps his sights on Balthar.
Back downtown, Kat is still scanning. Bridge & Syd survey the area, looking around.
"Kinda quiet, don't you think?" Bridge stated.
At that moment a group of Krybots are deposited into the area. Bridge & Syd take fighting stances.
"You had to say it!" Syd said to Bridge. Then, she turns to look in Kat's direction. "Kat! We've got company!"
Kat looked back long enough to see the Krybots start attacking Bridge & Syd.
"I see! I'm almost finished with my scans. I just have to..." Kat said, as she turned around and was cut off in mid-sentence by the kick from a Krybot, sending her crashing to the ground. Her scanner goes flying. A Krybot picks it up.
"Now, that's not nice!" Kat said. She gets to her feet and lets out a hiss of anger. She jumps at the first Krybot. She lands behind him, tripping him with a leg sweep.
The other Krybot attacks, still holding the scanner. Kat reaches for it, blocking the soldier's attempted blows at the same time. She lands a powerful kick to the robot's shin and grabs her scanner back. She sprints off towards the patrol jeep, passing Syd & Bridge, still fighting off the others. Bridge sees Kat jump into the jeep and continue her scans from afar.
"I think Kat could use a little more cover," Bridge shouts to Syd. She kicks a Krybot away and nods to Bridge, who grabs his morpher.
"Ready?" Bridge asked.
"Ready!" Syd shouts.
"SPD Emergency"
The Green & Pink Rangers are instantly morphed and continue to battle the Krybots. In the jeep, Kat kicks a Krybot away as he approaches the jeep. She stands on the driver's seat and continues to scan, but too many Krybots begin trying to climb in. She settles into the driver's seat and revs up the engine. She puts it in reverse and goes speeding backwards, causing the robots to fall away. She switches gears and takes off towards the portal's former location. She continues her scan.
Back in the park, Liz & Z both get to their feet.
"Are you feeling any better?" Z asked.
"I'm feeling like I want to go home," Liz said.
"Well, hopefully, Kat will be able to take care of that," Jack spoke up.
"Not soon enough, I'm afraid!"
The trio turned to see the voice belonged to Morgana, flanked by a group of Krybots.
"Attack!" She screamed. The Krybots went on the offensive, going after Jack & Z. The two trained Rangers made themselves battle ready.
"Stay back," Z told Liz, before she ran into the group of Krybots, kicking and punching her way through them, along with Jack.
With the two cadets distracted, Morgana grabbed Liz from behind and teleported away with her. The Krybots were soon gone as well. Jack & Z met back at the tree, seeing Liz was gone too.
"No! Morgana took her!" Z shouted.
At that moment, Jack's morpher sounded. He answered.
"What's up?" Jack asked.
"Uhhh, Jack, we could use a little assistance downtown," Bridge said, as he kicked away another Krybot, only to have two more attacking from behind.
"Sit tight, Bridge. We're on our way," Jack said, turning to Z. "We gotta go."
"What about Liz? We have to get her back!" Z said. Jack grabbed Z gently by the arms, looking deep into her eyes.
"We'll save Liz. I promise. But right now our friends need us," Jack said. Z nodded. They rushed off.
Downtown, the Green & Pink Rangers are outnumbered by the Krybots, while Kat is struggling in the jeep to keep them from getting their hands on her scanner. Then, the already-morphed Red & Yellow Rangers run into the area, taking a look around.
"You help Kat," Jack said to Z.
"Right!" She shouted back, before heading off towards the patrol jeep, where she slashed at the Krybots surrounding the vehicle with her Deltamax Striker, slicing through them quite easily. She climbs aboard, checking on Kat.
"You okay?" the Yellow Ranger asked. Kat nods, as she checks her scanner once again.
"I'm just not sure if this thing is gonna work anymore, though. It might have been our only way to get Liz back to her dimension," Kat said.
Under her helmet, Z shed another tear.
Aboard Gruumm's ship, Liz is standing in front of Gruumm's throne, as he sits before her. They stare at one another.
"So, we finally meet," Gruumm said.
"It's a pleasure I could have lived my whole life without," Liz said angrily, as she looked around.
"I don't know what you mean. We can be friends, just like in your dimension," Gruumm said. Liz gives him a confused look.
"I don't know what you're talking about. The head of SPD is my enemy!" Liz said, sneering at him.
"The head of SPD?" Gruumm said, not believing her. "That's impossible!"
"In the past couple of hours I've learned that anything is possible, even things I never would have imagined," Liz said.
"Well, I will show you enough pain to last you a lifetime, if you refuse to join my ranks," Gruumm said.
Liz gave him a serious look, as she pretended to ponder his words. She looked around and caught a glimpse of Morgana watching a display of Balthar fighting with Shadow Ranger in the city, while the other Rangers were facing Troobian soldiers. She then saw something in Morgana's hands. It was Balthar's portal device. Liz turned back to Gruumm.
"It doesn't look like SPD is faring too well," She said.
"They will see their end soon enough. Without my help, you will have no way of getting back to your home. Just tell me what I need to know and then I will send you back," Gruumm said, with a light grunt.
Liz thought. "What do you need to know?" she asked.
"Tell me everything about your genetic powers. How do you control them? Can you create an army? An army of Yellow Rangers that can destroy SPD from within?" Gruumm said, with a hint of happiness that proved he was drunk with power and wanted as much of it as he could get.
"I can tell you..." Liz started to speak. She looked back at the monitor of the Rangers' battles and at the device in Morgana's hands. "I can tell you this. I can make enough of me to get out of here!" She shouted.
Gruumm jumped up from his seat, grabbing for his staff to target her, but the staff was gone, held by one of Liz's duplicates off to the side.
"You meddling trouble-maker. You will pay," Gruumm said, as he went to grab Liz, only to have his arms blocked by two more of her duplicates. "Morgana!" Gruumm called out.
Morgana turned away from the monitor to see half a dozen versions of the girl, fighting with Gruumm. Morgana ran over to join the fight when she met a thunderous kick to the midsection that sent her flying backwards onto the floor. The portal control device went flying, only to land in Liz's hands. She heads for the nearest doorway and looks back.
"See ya!" she said, as she ran away, this time running for the right reasons.
Down below, still battling Balthar and the soldiers, Shadow Ranger and the Blue & Omega Rangers are starting to struggle. Balthar fires a blast that sends Omega Ranger flying through the air and crashing into a parked truck. The Blue Ranger slashes at Balthar with his Deltamax Striker, only to be punched off his feet. Balthar charges at Shadow Ranger, before he can pick up his fallen saber. Balthar gains the upper hand, until he's shot from behind, allowing Cruger to toss him to the side. Shadow Ranger looks up to see the arrival of the shooter, the Red Ranger, followed by the Green, Pink & Yellow Rangers.
"Mind if we join in, Commander?" Jack asked.
"Not at all!" Shadow Ranger responds.
Now, joined by Omega & the Blue Ranger, the seven Rangers stand together, as Balthar gets to his feet.
"Ready Rangers?" Shadow Ranger calls out. The group lets out a fierce battle cry, "Hyaa!"
The Green & Blue Rangers spring into the air, coming down on Balthar, slashing him with their Deltamax Strikers. He staggers. The Yellow & Pink Rangers follow suit, catapulting off the two guys' shoulders and hitting their own Deltamax strikes. Balthar is taken off his feet, but manages to stand again. The Red Ranger, however, comes flying through the air, nailing him with more shots from his Delta Blasters. Omega Ranger is next, as he flies through the air, adjusting the throttle on his Omega morpher and hitting a powerful shot to Balthar's stomach. The monster is down.
"Ready to surrender?" Jack asked.
"Never!" Balthar responded.
"Then, you're going in the hard way!" Shadow Ranger shouted from behind him, catching Balthar off-guard. He turns, only to be met with a finishing slash from the Shadow Saber. Balthar crashes to the ground in a ball of fire.
"It's judgment time!" Shadow Ranger shouts, as he pulls out his morpher. The red "X" seals Balthar's fate and Shadow Ranger uses his morpher to capture the monster inside a containment card.
At SPD Headquarters, Cruger is heading towards the Command Center, walking with the other six Rangers, all demorphed except for Sam.
"So, Kat managed to complete her scan?" Cruger asked.
"She did, but she's still not sure it will help, since she wasn't able to figure out how the portal worked," Z said, somberly. "It doesn't help that Gruumm now has Liz. We have to help her, Commander."
Jack put a reassuring arm on her shoulder, as the Command Center doors opened and they walked in to find a surprising sight. Inside, Kat stood at the main console with Liz at her side. Both were smiling.
"Liz! You're okay," Z said, as she ran over, hugging her apparent twin.
"Gruumm's no match for me," Liz said, with a sassy tone & smile.
"But, how?" Jack asked.
"Let's just say that Gruumm didn't know what he bargained for when he met me & my duplicates," Liz said.
"That's not all," Kat added. "Liz managed to escape with this." Kat showed the group the portal control device. "Thanks to the scans I took, I should be able to use it to send her back to her proper dimension."
"Looks like you found your way home all on your own," Z said.
"Not exactly. I never would have had the courage to stand up to Gruumm if it weren't for you, Z," Liz said. The two hug again, as Jack smiles, with the others.
Sometime later, the SPD patrol jeep pulls up to the street where the hidden portal is located. Jack is driving, with Kat in the passenger seat. Z & Liz are sitting together in the back. Omega Ranger's cycle is not far behind. They all walk over to the right spot.
"You sure this is it?" Z asked.
"It looks like it," Liz offered.
"Yes. It should work," Kat said, as she pressed a few buttons on the device, which triggered a portal to open up.
Liz took a deep breath and turned back to Z.
"Thank you, Z. You made me realize that running doesn't help anything. I need to stand up for what I believe in. Maybe it's time the Gruumm in my dimension learned just what my powers are all about," Liz said. She hugged Z.
"I'm gonna miss you," Z said, "It was a little weird at first, but you're all right, girl." They smiled together.
"Don't hog all the good-byes, there," Jack said, hugging Liz. "Say hi to the other me when you see me."
"I will. Believe me. All of this is gonna take quite a lot of explaining," Liz said, as she walked towards the portal after waving to Kat & Sam. She entered and within moments, the portal was gone.
"So, Kat," Omega said, "Do you think you might be able to rig that thing to get me back to my time?"
"Unfortunately, it looks like it was only designed for dimensional travel, not time travel. I'm sorry, Sam," Kat said, somberly. She walked off towards the patrol jeep. Omega Ranger lowers his head.
"Hey, Sam," Z said, causing him to look up at her and Jack. "We'll get you home too. Anything's possible."
Underneath his helmet, Sam smiled. He joined his two friends and they walked off together.
THE END