********************** Command Chamber*********************
Ninjor sighed, feeling his mind pull back into his aching body. He vaguely wondered how deep in the dream realm he had been... or how badly he had been hurt. Still that speck of silver light in his mind was closing in quickly.
If Dulcea was here on earth, then things were truly life and death. As long as Ninjor had know the master warrior, she had never left her plateau. If he wanted to see her, he would have to go up from his jungle temple.
With a small groan the ninja sat up. "Oh dear..." he mumbled softly before blinking and taking in his surroundings. While he did not know human technology well, even Ninjor could tell he was in some kind of healing place. "Hello there." He called after a moment, to the only other form in the room.
Skull practically jumped out of his skin in surprise, almost dropping the glass beakers he was holding. "Oh geez, I swear I'm not stealing these. Alpha asked for them."
Ninjor regarded the skinny, nervous human for a moment. 'I never said you were. You are Skull, are you not?"
Skull swallowed hard and nodded, unable to look away. He had never seen anyone like Ninjor before. Not this close anyway. Usually monsters showed up and sometimes chased him and Bulk but... Ninjor wasn't a monster. Ninjor wouldn't hurt him. He was here because he was a good guy.
…like Skull was.
Ninjor chuckled lightly. "Come closer human. I can see you are curious about me and I don't bite...without reason."
Skull did as he was told, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, I should have realized that staring is rude. I'm sorry."
"No need to apologies young one. Tell me, do you know how long I have been recovering?"
"It's been about three days, according to Zordon and the others."
"Is Kimberly?" Ninjor asked, with worry in his voice. He did not see her in medical.
"She's here, she's safe." Skull assured the blue ninja.
"And the key part?"
Skull looked at the floor. "Gone. Tommy sort of lost it in the battle... at least that's what I've been able to glean from you know... over hearing the others. They don't talk to me much, me or Bulk. Only Kim ever treats us like friends but there's more... Billy he's gone too. He went bad on us."
"Dear me, this is indeed troubling news. I must speak to the others quickly." Ninjor hurried off the bed, heading for the door.
"Um couldn't it wait?" Skull called after him.
The ninja master paused. "Wait? There is no waiting. Even now Ivan Ooze could be free."
"Please sir... It's very late and the others, they haven't been sleeping often. Can't it wait even another hour?" Skull pleaded quietly. "Recently Bulk and I have been helping at night when we can so the rangers can sleep." That had been at Zordon's request. The rangers were almost worn through, like a frayed wire about to snap. With Bulk and Skull sharing evening duties, the ranger would have more time to rest and recover and prepare. For the dangers coming.
Ninjor checked his internal ionosphere. The human was right. It was very late indeed, a few hours before dawn. "Yes, it can wait a little. And you may call me Ninjor, no need for such formalities." Ninjor said, returning to his bed. He sat but didn't lay down. "You are a good friend to be so concerned for the others."
Skull blushed, "It's the right thing to do." He mumbled softly.
Ninjor regarded Skull closely. There was something there, deeply hidden but something familiar. "Is anything the matter?"
"You means besides all this?" Skull gestured to the medical lab around them.
"Yes besides all this."
Skull's face was so very sad and vulnerable. "I'm not suppose to tell. Not yet anyway... it would hurt Kim, Bulk said so but... it hurts not to tell. I couldn't even keep secrets from Kim on the moon..." Skull thought back to when he and Bulk were living toys, how sick Kimberly had been after Zedd touched her, how he had needed to help... clean her up...
A gentle blue hand touched his shoulder. "Tell me Skull, what troubles you?"
It was said with such care, such honest concern, that Skull felt himself talking before he realized it, spilling the beans to Ninjor.
About everything...
*********************** Submarine***************************
Goldar lounged on the small cot he had been given. This room was tiny, barely bigger than a closet. He remembered when Rita was at her peak and they had such glories then. He had so much then. A room so large he could fly in it if he chose to, trinkets and trophies of battle, servants at he command. Of course that had been before Zordon of Eltar had put and end to his empresses reign but sealing them all away for ten thousand years.
Having removed his armor, Goldar laid back, uncomfortably trying to keep his wings folded in such a cramped space, as he played with the vial of cure Finster had given him.
A Nightmare? What had Zedd been thinking. Using Celestial unicorn DNA for a spell was one thing, as they were noble creatures. After all at the time, Goldar was sure that was what Zedd said he had used on Billy but Nightmare DNA? That subspecies of unicorn monster had never been tamed. Could never be tamed!
Even now Billy was down there, still screaming unholy sounds. Punctuated by the echoing clangs as he bashed at the walls, denting the metal. A few putties and phiranatrons had been curious opening the hatch to look and point. After all Nightmares were not suppose to be real.
But Goldar remembered them well. A herd of only three nightmares had destroyed his village when he was barely more than a cub. Rita had been the one to find him among the smoldering wreckage. Even she had never seen such pointless violence.
Evil had rules but Nightmares did not. They were creature of the before time. The time, that existed before the concept of time.
Billy was too dangerous. That Goldar was sure of. No one could control a full blooded Nightmare, though Zedd seemed confident he could control whatever mix Billy was.
Goldar sighed. He had been tempted to tell Rita of this cure to urge her to use it on the former human but no, she would want to use it to make Tommy her slave again. And the fool that Tommy was, he would come willingly to her in exchange for the cure for Kimberly.
Then again if what Scorpina had told him was true. It was possibly Tommy was falling out of love with Kimberly? Goldar shook his head. That seemed almost impossible. Tommy love Kimberly had pushed him into becoming the powerful ranger he was now. He loved that girl, so much he would die for her.
And Goldar couldn't blame him. "Kimberly... if only I could have played with you..." Goldar mused to himself. There had never been a female he had wanted and not had before. This lust for pink energy, it would drive a monster mad if they weren't careful. Some dark nights, Goldar could feel his sanity pulling away if her thought about her for too long. "I wonder if you still sparkle pink ranger? Or are you too much monster now?" Goldar snorted, at least a galactic fire phoenix he could handle. He wondered how hot Kimberly might be and grew hot himself with the thought.
There was only one thing to do. King Mondo would be landing tonight. If all went as planned Ooze would be freed in a few hours.
And if he was as powerful as legend says Goldar would so everything in his power to get in good with Ivan Ooze.
******************** Africa*****************************
"It's beautiful." Katherine mused as she gazed at the thick jungle around them.
"Beautiful but dangerous. We're off the map here Kat." Tommy warned, as he fumbled with the scanner box Alpha had given him. "Darn it! How does this work?"
"Give it to me." Katherine said taking the device and easily switching it on. "Looks like the signal is coming from that direction but..." Kat squinted at the readings. "I can't tell if it miles or meters away."
"Only one way to find out. Let's go." Tommy took point pushing and cutting his way through the thick foliage.
Katherine was thankful for the power packs. She hadn't thought they would need a knife to get through these wood but they had. She knew she should be keeping an eye out for danger but her eyes kept drifting to Tommy. Sweat was dripped down his brow and collecting on his shirt as he sliced through the greenery forging a path for her. His white tee shirt clung to his stone hard abs.
Katherine swallowed hard. Now was not the time to be having physical urges. A few nights away when she had brought it up Tommy had surprised her in agreeing to take things slow. After all they had already been... together a couple of times but after her talk with Billy. Katherine wanted to take a step back and figure what she really wanted.
She vaguely wondered if he had moved too fast with Kimberly and now regretted it. Maybe he didn't want to make the same mistakes with her. Or maybe he really didn't want her romantically and would go back to Kimberly?
Tommy was handsome, but she had dated guys who were just as handsome before coming to Angel Grove. He was protective, and she liked that about him. She she could protect herself but feeling cared for and guarded was wonderful. He was powerful, but that power was a lot of responsibility. Katherine would never be first in his life. Not so long as they both were rangers. He was smart, in his own way.
Even if he had been making mistakes in leading them... Still she would follow him, where ever he lead.
*********************** Desert******************
"Are you sure you got the coordinates right Elgar?" Divatox growled. "Ugh, this dry air is terrible for my glowing complexion."
"I got it right Auntie D. King Mondo should be here any moment."
"You better be right, for your sake." Zedd growled.
Rita stood silently beside her husband as the lights of a ship seemed to glow far up in the sky. King Mondo. she had not seen him since she was younger at the palace of her father. At once point, Master Vile had hinted to his daughter that King Mondo would have made an excellent evil match. They had even been close to being engaged but Mondo at the time already had a few thousand years on the young, relatively speaking, teen Rita but she had rejected him. Begging her father instead to set her out among the stars to make her own evil empire.
She wondered if he would remember her.
There was no more time for thinking of the past. As in a flash of light King Mondo, Queen Machina and a whole mess of cogs arrived along with a purple blueish egg wrapped in magical chains so powerful she could feel there binding from here.
"Well let's get this over with." King Mondo said loudly forgoing any greetings. He snapped his metal fingers and a cog with a bag came to his side. "Who has the key part and who gets the money?"
Zedd growled but for the moment kept his temper in check. "A little cordiality wouldn't be re-missed Mondo."
Queen Machina opened her metallic fan and fanned herself. "We're not here to be cordial. We're here to free Ivan Ooze."
"Elgar, give them the key part." Divatox ordered.
"Right uh... here you do... and I'll just take that." Elgar tossed the key to one cog while pulling the bag of money from the hands of the other.
"Finally! Once Ooze is free, he will be indebted to me and me alone." Mondo mused.
"He's as powerful as Dark Spector... or so they say..." Machina laughed slightly. "If I were you I'd start preparing to bow to us."
"What?! Bow to You!? Never!" Rita screeched.
Zedd glowed red. "If anyone deserved to have such power it is us! Putties attack!"
"Cogs destroy them!" King Mondo commanded.
Divatox frowned, not to be left out she shouted. "Phiranatrons go!"
It was quite the fight, no one force seeming to get the upper hand, but it was enough of a distraction. Golden armor hands found the completed key from where Mondo had dropped it and without a moment hesitation, shoved it into the locked chains.
"Goldar! What are you doing!?" Zedd shouted.
"Getting the glory I deserve that you never gave me."
"Goldar! YouTraitor!"
The chain bust off, disintgrating in an amber light as the egg split open released a slime of purpse good that quickly took shape. The new comer looked once at those around him and spoke. "Ladies and Gentlemen! The Ooooze Is Back!"
"He's so handsome!" Rita spoke without thinking. Ooze was dripping, literally, with power.
"Finally a real man." Divatox adjusted her outfit. "Hi, How are you? I'm Divatox, pirate queen, single, maybe you've heard of me?" She said approaching Ooze only to be grabbed back by Rita as Zedd and Mondo both tried to push to the front but it was Goldar who spoke first.
"Mighty Ooze, it was I, Goldar, that freed you. I simply ask that you take me on as your humble servant in your plans for universal conquest. Perhaps starting with this planet and its power rangers lead by Zordon of Eltar."
At the mention of Zordon's name, Ooze screamed to the heavens, lightning flowing from his hands. "I will destroy Zordon of Eltar and all he holds dear."
"I am Lord Zedd, and destroying Zordon is my purpose, him and those bratty teen rangers of his."
"Sorry, " Ivan ooze smirked, "But I'm not sharing. Back of the line."
"Why you!" Zedd raised his staff to strike Ooze only to suddenly find himself and Rita trapped in a snow globe.
"Oh dear, darling I suggest a retreat?" Queen Machina said, vanishing with King Mondo and the cogs who were still functional.
Divatox was trying to sneak away when Ooze's voice called to her. "And just where to you think you are going?"
Divatox turned and gave a worried smile. "Oh no where Master Ooze. Just to check on my Nightmare in the hold of my ship. Haven't fed him yet today." It was the first thing she thought to say.
Ooze shook the snow globe in thought and Divatox could hear Rita and Zedd shouting as he did so. "A Nightmare you say. And tell me, do you know where the little power ranger and ugh.. Zordon, are hiding?"
"Well no but..."
Then I have no use for any of you." Ooze raised his hand to strike.
"Wait no! Auntie D! Tell him the old blue ranger is the Nightmare."
Divatox hit Elgar hard. "Quiet you fool."
Ivan dropped his hand. "Well that is interesting. Let's see this beast of legends. Come Goldar."
Divatox bowed, "Yes, yes of course. Right away."
Goldar smirked as he purposefully ran his shoulder into Elgar as he passed.
The other monster said nothing, after all what could he say?
Goldar was currently employed by Ivan Ooze. Though with some planning. Elgar just might be able to change that.