Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them.
A/N: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers are and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD.
Thursday March 3rd, 2005 8:19pm ... Reefside, California
"The Eye of Thoron is giving off high power levels. Mr. James said that we had to get the Eye to Cyber space, but he didn't say what condition it had to be in. I say we use the power of the Eye with our disrupters to blast our way out of here," Tempest Ranger said.
"But what if it doesn't count if we don't bring it in as is?" Aqua Tech asked him.
"It won't matter if we all get trapped in here, now will it?"
"I trust you," Spectra ranger said, handing over her disrupter.
"What about you?" he asked.
Aqua Tech ranger sighed, handing over her disrupter. "If that doesn't work, I'm going to…"
"Don't worry, it'll work," he assured her.
Tempest Ranger began working on modifying the disrupter, but the building was falling apart around them. With the ground shaking and debris falling, it was difficult to stay focused.
"Um, any second now would be good," Aqua Tech taunted.
"I'm working as fast I can, its just that…" he was interrupted as a chunk of the ceiling gave way, falling and landing on the disrupter, crushing it on impact. The Eye of Thoron rolled out of the way, and Spectra Ranger leaned down, picking it up.
"Well, so much for that plan. You got anything else in mind?"
"Oh, I know, how about we moan and complain to the only person who was actually trying to do something. I bet that'll work," he snapped in a sarcastic tone.
"Its not looking good for them," Hayley mentioned, watching the situation unfold on the monitor. "Is there anything you can do to help them out?"
Ethan leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "Not this time. My influence in that dimension is limited. If only there were…" he paused. "Wait, theres another player in the game, but their signal is being masked somehow," he moved in closer to his computer. "They're in the underground caverns, and our censors wasn't picking them up until just now. From the looks of it, whoever it is is directly under the building. I wonder if…" he went over the data a little more. "Its Liz."
"It can't be, I thought she was destroyed."
"We assumed she was because we lost track of her, but it looks like she's been hiding in the caverns. It wasn't until she came in such close contact with the Eye that we were able to pick her up," he said.
"Liz is a pro, and she knows the world better than anyone. She should be able to help them," Hayley said.
"I hope so."
The building was crumbling, and they found themselves trapped. The entrance had been completely blocked by debris, and there were no other discernable entrances or exits.
It was Tempest Ranger who stood up as best as he could, walking over to the wall and began feeling around.
"What are you doing?"
"Looking for the weakest point in the wall. I'm thinking if I set my armor on high and you fire you use the Eye, it would cause an explosion big enough to blow a hole in the wall and the two of you could get out of here," he said.
"But a blast like that would take all your life points," Spectra Ranger pointed out.
"I know, it'll probably take all the Eye's power too, but at least you two would get out of here," he stopped at a low point on the wall. "Okay, here it is. When I give the word, do it!" he said.
"You'd do that for us?" Aqua Tech asked.
"Don't turn this into a Full House moment, just do it," he told them.
"Oh great, another guy with a hero complex," a voice said. The three of them turned around where they saw a panel in the floor open and a ranger stick their head out. "If I had a nickel for every guy who tried to play the martyr…" she paused. "I'd have a LOT of nickels."
"Who are you? Where did you come from?" Spectra asked.
"Do you want to stop and play twenty questions, or do you want to get out of here?" she asked.
"I don't know, I'm pretty good at twenty questions," Tempest said sarcastically.
The mysterious ranger disappeared into the hole, allowing the others to follow. The three of them dropped down into the caverns, getting a good look around. Only seconds after Tempest Ranger climbed down, the building collapsed, sealing up the hole completely.
"What is this place?" Aqua Tech asked.
"Underground caverns are all through the city. There's something about the rock formations down here; censors can't get through. Its good for getting around and not popping up on anyone's radar," the mysterious ranger told them as she began to walk.
"Okay, I'll be the one to ask: what the hell is going on? I know the game is detailed, but underground caverns? That's a bit much," Aqua Tech mentioned.
"Haven't you noticed by now that the level of detail here is much more complex than the PC version of the game?"
"I figured it was because the processors Mr. James was using were more powerful than my computer at home," Tempest mentioned.
She shook her head. "No, this isn't a game at all. The game is actually a front, a way for Ethan and Hayley to recruit people on a global scale," she said.
Spectra Ranger stopped dead in her tracks, folding her arms. "I'm not going anywhere else until you tell us who the hell you are and what the hell is going on," she said.
The mysterious ranger stopped, turning around and facing them. "About four months ago, Ethan and his friend Rick began working on a game based on the power rangers. They're goal was to make a fully interactive game with state of the art graphics, but while working on the game, they actually tapped into a completely different world. This isn't a game at all, it's another dimension. The game you're playing right now merely projects you into this world, but there are portals that will allow you to actually reach this plane of existence. We…" she was interrupted.
"Wait, is it a purple swirling vortex?" Tempest asked.
"You've seen it?"
"Yeah, when I was playing the game at home. It seemed out of place in the game, and something came floating out. I assumed it was a glitch," he said.
"No, it's a gateway to this world. What you saw was a demonite, demonic foot soldiers to the master," she said.
"How do you know so much about this?"
"When the game originally went online, Rick and I volunteered to test it. When we logged in with our rangers, we were sucked into a portal, and found ourselves trapped inside the game. It took us weeks to discover it wasn't a game at all. Rick was captured, and I've been in the caverns ever since, trying to track him down without being seen by the demonites," she told them.
"Okay, lets assume for a minute that we believe ANYTHING you're saying, how…" she was interrupted.
"Listen girlie, I don't give a damn whether you believe me or not. All I care about is finding Rick and getting out of here," she pressed a button on her wrist, and a holographic map appeared. "According to this, there is only one other person out there, and his power levels are very low. He won't last long, especially if the demonites get a hold on him. We have to help him," she said.
"I'm still stuck on 'who the hell are you'?" Spectra ranger asked.
"I'm Allumier ranger," she said, and then started to walk.
Aqua Tech stared her up and down. "She looks purple to me," she groaned.
"Okay, so this is another world, and these demoniod things are out there. What do you expect us to do?" Tempest asked her.
"Either help me or get out the way. We have a better chance to getting out of here in one piece if we work together," Allumier told them.
"You seem to be forgetting, we're not actually here. This is a game for us, we're not stuck," Spectra ranger pointed out.
"When the three of you stepped into the building I found you in, you inadvertently stepped through a portal. Believe me when I tell you, you're stuck here," she said.
Tempest Ranger tried to log himself out of the game, but with no luck. He glanced around as the others tried, but without success.
"Oh this is just great," he sighed.
The White Blizzard Ranger found himself alone in a desolate part of the city. There was a thick smoke in the air, making it difficult to see anything. Not that there was anything to say; the city was in ruins, and the only thing worth seeing were the lifeless bodies of fallen rangers scattered through out the streets.
After a quick check of his power levels, he knew that it was only a matter of time before he was one of them, but his map wasn't working and he had no idea where he was. He headed north, hoping to come across something… anything. Just then, a portal opened in front of him, forcing him to take a step back. Several entitles floated out of the portals. Based on his initial glance, they didn't have arms, legs, or anything that would resemble any kind of human form, but they seemed to be floating towards him.
He backed up trying to avoid them, but another portal opened behind him, and more entities began to make their way towards him.
"Somehow I think that punching these things isn't going to work," he groaned to himself, deciding to make a run for it instead of trying to fight.
He turned the corner and rushed down the street, trying not to step on any of the other rangers that were laying around. Though the smoke and fog, he saw a building. It was still difficult to see, but he was able to make out the sign on the front of the building.
"Hayley's Cyber Space, I made it," he said.
"Not so fast ranger," a dark, distorted voice told him.
He looked over his shoulder as another portal opened, and a huge figure of a man stepped out. At first glance, it appeared to be a ranger, but judging by the tone of his voice and the way he was approaching him, he wasn't there to help.
"Who are you?"
"I am Belial, general of my master's army and sworn enemy of all that is…" he was interrupted.
"Okay, I get it. You're evil. Is this the part where we fight?" he asked.
"No, this is the part where I destroy you," he said, rushing towards him with his sword.
Blizzard Ranger aimed his disrupter at him, but Belial sliced it in half, and then caught him in the chest with a kick, knocking him up against the wall. Blizzard Ranger made it back to his feet and charged in at Belial, only to be backhanded it back into the wall.
'Another hit like that and its over for me,' he thought to himself.
"Is it too late to call a truce? Maybe work of some kinda peace treaty? Ya know I never really said I was a good guy, so I'm thinkin' we can work something out," as Belial paused, Blizzard Ranger rushed at him with a spin kick, but Belial caught his foot, throwing him across the street.
"You are pathetic ranger," Belial snarled, walking over to him, standing over the Blizzard ranger with his sword. "This ends now, and the master will claim this world and all others. Good will be purged, and evil will rule."
He cocked back with his sword, but before he could swing it, it was Allumier ranger to caught him with a kick to the back, forcing him to stumble forward. Belial turned around, coming face to face with Allumier.
"Allumier Ranger, I was told you were destroyed," he snapped.
"Don't believe everything you hear," she said, running towards him and landing a side kick. Tempest Ranger gave him a leg sweep at the same time, knocking him off his feet. Belial was down, and Aqua Tech ranger picked up his sword, pointing it at his throat.
"Don't move, or we'll be havin' bad guy kabobs for dinner," she said.
Spectra ranger turned to her. "Bad guy kabobs?"
"You're suppose to say something witty like that, it's in the superhero handbook," she said.
"What? Chapter three: corny one-liners?"
"I didn't have a lot of time to work on it, okay?"
"You may have the advantage this time rangers, but my master will rise, and soon, evil will reign," Belial said, disappearing in an orange stream of light.
It was Tempest Ranger who walked over to Blizzard, helping him up.
"You okay?"
"I wouldn't be if it wasn't for you guys. Thanks," he said.
"So here we are, Hayley's Cyber Space. We made it," Spectra said.
"Did anyone find the Eye?" Blizzard asked.
"Yep, but I'm not going to use it. We all worked together to get it this far. It wouldn't be fair for one of us to keep it for themselves," Tempest said.
Allumier walked over to the door, opening it.
"After you guys," she said.
The five of them walked into the café, only to find it completely deserted. There were no chairs, no bar, nothing. It was simply an empty space, devoid of everything. They turned around to discover that the door they'd come through was gone, and they were surrounded by a vast nothingness.
"Well, that was… creepy," Tempest said.
"Welcome rangers," a voice said.
They turned around as Ethan was standing in front of them with his arms behind his back.
"Mr. James? You're in the game too?" Spectra asked.
He shook his head. "No, I am simply projecting myself into the game so that all of you can see me. There is much I have to tell you and not a lot of time to do it," he said.
"What the hell is going on here?" she asked.
"Everything Allumier is true, but there's a lot more to the story. I did use the game to find a group of rangers to combat the demonites, but there is much more than just a group of demons trying to take over their world. I'm prepared to tell you the whole story, but before I do, I'm giving all of you the chance to walk away from all of them right now. Agree to stay, and I'll tell you everything," he told them.
It was Tempest Ranger who stepped forward first.
"I'm in," he said.
"Count me in, too," Blizzard Ranger said.
"I'm not leaving until I find Rick," Allumier said, stepping forward.
"I've come this far, I might as well," Spectra said.
There was a pause as they waited for Aqua Tech ranger's response. "Oh come on, like I'm going to say no? I was just going for the dramatic pause," she said.
"I'm glad to see that all of you are willing to stay. It means a lot to me," Ethan said.
"But what about the game? Aren't there people watching us right now?" Spectra asked.
"I took care of that already. As far as everyone is concerned, the game has been over for an hour. They were watching a completely different simulation, a prerecorded game that had nothing to do with what was really going on," he paused. "I guess I should start at the beginning," he took a deep breath. "A few months ago, I was the blue dino ranger. My friends and I defeated Mesagog and saved the city, but it wasn't until after Mesagog was gone that I discovered another evil force at work. Are any of you familiar with the Nemesis Triangle?" he asked.
"I read about it once on the internet, but I thought it was just a rumor or something," Blizzard ranger brought up.
"Its not a rumor, it exists. The triangle is a gateway from our world to another, a demon world. There were three powerful demons trapped there by a wizard named Lerigo; Maligore, Dark Specter and Demorielle. The Turbo rangers destroyed Maligore almost ten years ago, and Dark Specter was destroyed during the invasion of Earth a few years back. Until now, Demorielle had been dormant, but there was an unusual buildup of energy in their world, and she saw her chance to escape," he said.
"Wait… she? This Demorielle is a chick?" Aqua Tech asked.
"Yes, and probably the most powerful of the three. In order for her to travel from her world to ours, she needs to collect all of the Eyes of Thoron. There are three of them in total, and once in place will open a portal stable enough for Demorielle to come to our world. If that happens, the world as we know it is doomed," he said.
"We have one of them," Tempest said, presenting Ethan with the Eye.
"The other two are already in the possession of Demonites, and they will stop at nothing to get the third. My original plan was to find three rangers to help defend the Eye and stop the invasion, but the five of you have proven that you're an effective team," Ethan said.
"So what's to stop these demon things from coming after us and taking the Eye?" Spectra asked.
"The Eye will be taken to our world, where it can't be detected by Demorielle. She will send possessed humans to search for the Eye, which is why it is imperative that none of you reveal who you are, not even to one another. If you did, it would only give Demorielle what she needs to find the Eye. She'll send Demonites after your friends, your families, anyone she thinks is important to you to convince you to give her the Eye. When the five of you leave here, you cannot tell anyone what you've been told here, or that each of you are rangers," he said.
"Do we get zords? And weapons?" Tempest asked.
"Each of you will be given the powers you incorporated into your rangers. Tempest Ranger, you will control weather in all its forms. Spectra Ranger, you will have the ability shadow powers," he said.
"Shadow powers? You mean like stealthy stalky stuff?" she asked.
"I wouldn't have put it quite that way, but yes. Blizzard Ranger, you will control ice in all its incarnations. Allumier Ranger wields the power of light, and Aqua Tech Ranger will control water," Ethan explained.
Blizzard Ranger raised his hand. "Wait a sec; if I have power over ice in all its incarnations, doesn't that include water? And if it does, why do we have a water ranger?" he asked.
"Each of you possess elemental powers; ice, water, darkness, light, weather. Alone you are all a legitimate force, but combined, you're…" he was interrupted.
"Captain Planet?" Spectra asked.
All of them couldn't help but laugh.
"As long as my tights are that dorky, it's cool with me," Tempest mentioned.
"Don't make light of these powers. Once you learn to harness them and work together, you will be one of the most power ranger teams to have ever existed. It will take time to master your abilities, and when you do, Demorielle won't stand a chance," Ethan told them. "But for now, go get some rest."
"Wait a sec; I'm not going anywhere until I find Rick," Allumier said.
"Who is Rick?" Aqua Tech asked.
"Rick, the Red Predator Ranger, and Allumier Ranger were the original beta testers for the game. They were trapped in here, and Rick was captured by Demorielle's foot soldiers. We still have a lock on his signal, so we know he's alive, but until recently we didn't know Allumier was still alive. She went underground and we couldn't track her. The Predator Ranger will serve as the leader of the group, but first, we have to rescue him," Ethan said.
"Am I the only one who thinks that weird? I mean, if this guy is suppose to be the leader, how did he manage to get himself captured?" Tempest asked.
"Rick has been in here for months, and when he first came in we didn't know what was going on. It's a miracle he's survived this long, and his experience in this world makes him the perfect person to lead you. Make no mistake, this won't be over until we have all three of the eyes and we destroy them. Demorielle will come after you relentlessly, using anything and anyone she can to get to you. She has no remorse, no soul, no conscious, and will destroy you if she gets the chance," he told them.
"Okay, we get it. She's evil," Blizzard ranger said.
"We need to go after Predator Ranger now. Demorielle won't be expecting us to come after her, and that gives us the advantage," Allumier pointed out.
"I agree, but not right now. This is a lot for all of you to take in, and none of you are ready for a full on assault. Go home, get some rest, and tomorrow, we'll make our move," he held his hands out, and a box materialized in his hands. He opened the box, revealing morphers. "These are your virtual morphers, you'll need them to open a stable portal to this world, and it will give you your ranger powers. It will also serve as communicators to each other and to me. Remember, it is of the utmost importance that no one know who you are. Keep these morphers with you at all times, but show no one," Ethan explained.
Each of them reached in the box, taking a morpher, taking a minute to look at it.
"Kinda looks like a cell phone, but without a flip," Aqua Tech brought up.
"Do I have free long distance?" Tempest asked. The others looked at him strangely. "What? I was being funny."
"This isn't a laughing matter. The fate of this world and every other rests squarely on your shoulders. All of you will have to be at your best if this is going to succeed," he said.
"But wait, when we leave, won't we all see each other? I mean, we're all in Hayley's Cyber Space right now. We're bound to see each other," Spectra mentioned.
"Each of you at some point stepped through a portal in the game, transporting you into this world. None of you are in the café anymore, and when you leave here, none of you will be together," Ethan said.
"What? How is that even possible?" Blizzard asked.
"I could explain the quantum mechanics began it all, and how the inter-dimensional gateways trans –molecularized your bodies into this world, but it would just confuse you," he said. "For now, just go home and get some rest. I'll contact each of you tomorrow," he said.
"So how do these work? How we activate this…" before Aqua Tech could finish her sentence, she disappeared.
"Its voice activated, so when you when you want to contact one another, just call them by name and they'll respond. When you want to open a portal to either return home or to enter this world, press the button. The button is designed only to work in conjunction with the ranger it was given to. The second you picked your morpher, it combined itself to your ranger energy," Ethan told them.
Tempest ranger pushed the button on his morpher, and disappeared. Blizzard ranger followed suit, and disappeared as well. Allumier ranger nodded at Ethan before she disappeared, leaving Spectra ranger alone with Ethan.
"I couldn't help but notice there were two more morphers in that box. Is there something you're not telling us?" she asked him.
"Actually, there is, but I'll reveal everything you need to know when the time is right. I promise."
Spectra ranger nodded, then pressed the button, disappearing.