Chapter Sixteen

"I think I'm getting something," said Billy. He turned the speaker volume louder.

"...anyone out there?" came from the speaker.

"That's Hayley!" said Kira. Everyone gathered around. Kira, Trent, Conner, and Ethan all began talking into the microphone simultaneously.

"What is that?" Hayley said to herself. She adjusted the microphone and pressed a few buttons. She heard muffled words combined with static. Hayley continued to adjust the buttons. Now she heard a lot of voices at once. She recognized them. "Kira? Trent? Conner? Ethan?"

"She hears us!" cried Kira. She leaned in closer to the microphone to talk over the other three. "Hayley? Are you okay? How's Dr. Z's house?" Ethan and Conner shoved Kira out of the way as Trent took a step back. They both began talking into the microphone.

Hayley heard Kira, but didn't understand anything that she heard afterwards. "Conner, Ethan? Can you guys slow down a bit? I've got no idea what you're saying."

Ethan and Conner stopped talking. Tommy walked in front of them to the microphone. "Hayley, it's us. All of us. And we've picked up some other former rangers. We're gonna be touching down approximately--" Tommy looked Andros and then the screen. "--twenty yards away from the house. We should be there soon."

"Alright, Tommy," answered Hayley. She looked at the computer screens and typed a bit. "That's good, there appears to be no major damage there."

Andros nodded. "Prepare for landing." Everyone sat down and strapped themselves in.

"Whoa, I think it's worst over here," said Bulk as they drove into Reefside. He and Skull looked around.

"Where do you think we could find Tommy?" asked Skull.

"I don't know, Skully," answered Bulk. "First we've got to find someone. Anyone."

"You guys okay?" asked Andros. "Sorry for the rough landing. I wasn't sure how the terrain would be after..."

Everyone nodded. "I still like this way better than teleportation," said Ethan. They all filed out of the ship.

"You guys had me so worried!" cried Hayley. She was about to run up and hug them when she noticed their ninja suits. "You guys have got a lot of explaining to do."

"We'll do that later," said Tommy. He gestured toward the space rangers. "That's Andros, Ashley, Cassie, TJ, Zhane, and Carlos. The space rangers. TJ took over after me when I gave up my Turbo powers."

Hayley nodded. She extended her hand to them. "Nice to meet you." They each took it and exchanged greetings with her. "So, what's been going on? I've been completely out of the loop. All I know is that...well, everything is getting destroyed. I know Reefside, Angel Grove, Stone Canyon, Mariner Bay, LA, and San Francisco. I don't know where else."

Tommy grimaced. "Pretty much everything. And everywhere. Even KO-35, Andros and Zhane's home planet. And Liaria. And who knows where else."

"You guys found the power, though, right? Have you guys found Mesagog and his allies?"

"Yeah, we found the power. And we know who Mesagog's working with, but we haven't found them yet. I think they're hanging out at Mesagog's lair. Mesagog apparently brought back all of our old bads. The ones who were destroyed that day when Andros," he gestured towards Andros, "shattered Zordon's energy tube."

"So who are they?"

"Well, Rita and Zedd, Divatox, the Machine Empire, and..." Tommy trailed off, looking at Andros again.

"And my sister, Karone," finished Andros. "Only they turned her back into Astronema."

Tommy nodded. "And they're all united in an alliance of evil under Dark Spector."

"Who was the reigning Grand Monarch of Evil when he was destroyed," continued Andros.

Hayley nodded. "So..."

"The only way to find Mesagog and the others is to find Mesagog's lair," said Jason. "Tommy, do you know where to go?"

"I do," said Trent. "I could go there and try to get them to..."

"No." Tommy and Jason cut him off.

"It's too dangerous," said Jason.

"But I've been there before," argued Trent.

Tommy shook his head. "That was only with Mesagog. And Elsa and Zeltrax. Now everyone's there. You won't stand a chance, Trent. I won't risk it."

"You won't be, Dr. Z," started Trent.

"Dr. Z?" asked Hayley. Tommy looked at her and shook his head.

"I am," he continued. He held up his wrist. "I'll risk it and I'll call you if..."

Tommy shook his head again. "No, I'll go. They want me, they'll get me."

Jason shook his head. "They want all of us, Tommy. If you go, I'm going."

"Me too," Aisha and Kim said in unison. Adam and Rocky nodded along.

"You could count me in too," said Billy.

"And don't forget about us," added Kira, gesturing to Conner and Ethan.

"And you didn't call us for nothing," added TJ. "We're going too."

Tommy shook his head again. "His lair isn't that big, if the eighteen of us go, along with all the bads that are there..."

"Then we've got to lure them out," said Rocky. "A final showdown."

"They've got Zordon, Tommy," said Kim. "We need to go and save him. And Alpha."

Tommy looked around. "How do we lure them?"

"HELLO???" yelled Bulk.

"IS ANYBODY HERE?" yelled Skull.

They heard their voices echo. Bulk shook his head. "Doesn't sound like anybody's around."

"There are people in Reefside," drawled Mesagog. "Two of them."

"We know who they are," said Zedd. "Goldar--take care of them." Goldar bowed and disappeared.

Skull looked around. In a flash, Goldar appeared before him. His eyes widened and he began tapping Bulk furiously.

"Stop Skull, I'm trying to see if anyone's here."

Skull continued tapping Bulk. Goldar laughed. Bulk turned around with wide eyes. "Remember me?" asked Goldar.

Alarms began to blare at the lab. "What's going on now?" asked Ethan.

Hayley looked at the screen. "I don't believe this. It seems that there are two people at the park who are being terrorized by...a gold monkey."

"Gold monkey?" said Kim. "Goldar?" She ran next to Hayley. "Yeah, it is. And that's Bulk and Skull."

"Just like high school now, isn't it," said Zack.

"Perfect," said Tommy. "Let's go."

"Goldar?" asked Bulk.

"That's right!" he answered.

"What are you doing here?" asked Skull.

"The question is, what are you guys doing here?"

Bulk and Skull looked at each other. "Umm," they said in unison.

"Goldar." They heard someone else enter the conversation.

Bulk and Skull turned. "Tommy! We've been looking everywhere for you!" They looked behind him and saw seventeen other people running after him. "And Jason, Billy, Zack, Kimberly, Aisha, Rocky, Adam, TJ, Cassie, Zhane, Ashley, Carlos, and Andros." They looked at the teenagers. "And we don't know you guys."

"You guys should leave, Bulk," said Kim. "It's not safe here."

Bulk looked at Tommy and the space rangers. "I know. The Power Rangers will come through. But we're gonna help them."

Jason shook his head. "No, you guys better leave now."

Tommy nodded with a certain look in his eyes. Bulk and Skull got the hint. "Okay, I guess we'll be leaving now then." They began to walk away and quickly hid in the last traces of bushes near where the rangers were.

Tommy turned to Goldar. "Tell Dark Spector, Mesagog, Rita and Zedd, and everyone else that we'd like to see them. Here and now."

"It's already begun, Tommy," answered Goldar. "The world will be destroyed. The world IS being destroyed."

"Now, Goldar!"

Goldar looked at all the rangers. "Even with your new powers, you will not be able to defeat us! But I will tell them and return. Hopefully, for your demise." Goldar disappeared.

"They said that they want to see us," said Goldar. "All of us. I left them waiting at Reefside Park."

"Well," said Mesagog. "We can't leave them waiting."

Everyone who was in the room disappeared in a flash.