POWER
RANGERS: SPACE PATROL DELTA
YEAR TWO
"CROSSOVER"
"Never!"
It was Doctor Felix's simple response to Charlie's simple question. However, deep down, both Felix and Charlie knew that nothing about their current situation was simple. They had been at this for almost an hour. Charlie hoped that it would be easy, but Felix was proving to be more stubborn than she thought.
"Doctor, I don't think you realize just how...nice I've been these past weeks," Charlie said.
"You? Nice? Again, I say...never!"
"Listen to me and listen closely. You don't have any choice in this. Omallix's plans will go forward, with or without you. There are other physicians that could do what he needs," Charlie stated, harshly.
"I'm not so sure," Felix said, slyly. "I'm starting to understand exactly why Omallix abducted me. His request is something that only I would be able to help with. Your problem is I will never help Omallix...or you."
"And here I thought Ferals had excellent hearing. I hate repeating myself so I'll say this only once more. You have no choice. Omallix wants to know everything about your genetic research on the members of SPD. He wants everything to be fresh in your memory for the next phase of his plan."
"I will never betray Space Patrol Delta," Felix said, sternly. "I'm not like you."
"You insist on pressing my nerves, Doctor. You like playing with fire, but I assure you that the fire from me will pale in comparison to what Omallix will do to you if you don't obey," Charlie stated, plainly and honestly.
"And, what will Omallix do to you when he discovers you were...unable to garner my assistance?" Felix asked with a smile.
"You seem to think my fate is tied to yours. You couldn't be more wrong. You and I serve different purposes. While the results will be the same – the complete destruction of SPD – our jobs are very different. Omallix treasures me for my knowledge and experience dealing with SPD for the last decade that he was locked away. But you are here to serve only one purpose. You will provide the genetic research that Omallix wants and then you will proceed to accomplish the tasks that Omallix has planned for you," Charlie explained.
"You haven't said anything that changes my original answer, Charlie. I won't do it."
"You do realize that refusing Omallix will most certainly lead to your destruction?" Charlie asked.
"Do you remember your SPD orientation, Charlie?" Felix asked, "Every officer, every cadet, every person who joins SPD takes the same oath. That oath includes never betraying the organization that we ally ourselves with. I won't betray them. Cruger, the Rangers, Kat, they've done more to protect and serve this entire galaxy than you or I ever have. The least I owe them is my loyalty."
"You're right, Felix," Charlie said, finally. She began walking towards the door. "I won't betray those I've aligned myself with either. The next visitor you have will no doubt be Omallix. It was nice knowing you," she ended with a smile.
Felix glared at her with contempt, as she exited the laboratory and keyed in her code to lock the doors behind her. Felix just didn't understand the gravity of his situation, Charlie thought to herself. She walked away from the door, but stopped only a few feet away, in front of another door on the right wall of the hallway. This was the room next door to the laboratory, the room that could be seen through the glass window in the lab, the room that was kept in total darkness to prevent anyone from seeing inside...except for Charlie.
She knew what lay inside. It scared her more than anything else that she knew about Omallix. Inside that room was proof that Omallix would show no mercy to SPD and would literally take no prisoners. Charlie put a hand up, touching the door. She sighed.
"Omallix's greatest weapon," Charlie said quietly to herself. Knowing the Rangers the way she did, she knew she was right.
Downstairs, on the first floor of Omallix's base, in his throne room, Omallix sat, watching the large green head of Jintari bobbing up and down, as he played with the control console near the glassed wall that gave them all a view of Earth. Jintari had been working for quite a while on this latest project. It was going to give Omallix even more power and ensure the safety of his home territory.
"Are you almost finished, my green friend?" Omallix asked.
"Yes, lord Omallix. The base's new defense systems are coming online now," Jintari responded.
"Good, I can't wait to try them out," Omallix said.
"Do you really believe SPD would dare try to wage a space battle against you, sir?"
Omallix heard the voice of his right hand monster, Cartiron, as the red skinned creature entered the area.
"From what I've learned from Charlie about SPD over the years, I would say that with them, anything is possible," Omallix said.
"I do not understand why you do not allow me to just return to Earth and destroy them," Cartiron wondered.
"As long as SPD's Command Base has that shield, your firewall is useless against them," Jintari spoke up. It was not a common occurrence. Jintari stayed quiet around Cartiron. While he was confident Omallix would protect him from Cartiron, Jintari was no fool. He was outmatched by the demon, physically, but not mentally. Like all smart creatures, he kept his thoughts tightly hidden.
"You're calling me useless?" Cartiron responded, angrily.
"Cartiron, keep your nerve," Omallix said quickly. "Jintari is right. Until we can find a way around SPD's shields the firewall is useless. But, with Jintari's new torpedoes, we may just catch a few unsuspecting flies in our trap."
"After all, SPD has no idea that this floating science center is now equipped with some very powerful firearms," Jintari said, happily.
However, within the halls of Space Patrol Delta Headquarters, there were quite a few ideas about Omallix's base flying around. Most of them resided within the mind of Dr. Kat Manx. She had been monitoring the base's operations since its departure from Earth and was quite aware of the significant rise in energy aboard the base. A concentrated rise like that meant only one thing to her – weapons.
She shook her head, negatively. From her laboratory computer interface, Kat ran another scan of the area around Omallix's base. It was then that she picked up something strange in nearby space. Kat's eyes widened, as she ran a more thorough scan of the area. Occurrences like these had to be reported, especially when they were so close to home.
She left the lab quickly and soon found herself entering the SPD Command Center. She locked onto her target, sitting at his desk. She walked right over to Commander Anubis "Doggie" Cruger.
"Commander, I picked up something when I was monitoring Omallix's base," Kat reported.
"What is it?" Cruger asked, as he got up from his station and followed her to an aft duty station, where Kat pulled up a visual. Cruger couldn't see much, just a slight ripple effect.
"Sir, I think it's a wormhole," Kat said.
"A wormhole? How can you be sure?"
"Well, I'm not 100 percent certain, but it seems to have the same electromagnetic readings as wormholes we've encountered before."
"Do you think Omallix has noticed it?" Cruger asked.
"I doubt it. He's probably been too busy installing his new defense systems," Kat said, as she pulled up some other readings, showing the power output being generated by Omallix's base.
"With Omallix, I'm sure it's more of an offense system, than a defense system," Cruger said, seriously. Kat nodded in agreement.
"Sir, if this wormhole becomes active, we could have more trouble, especially if we don't know where it leads," Kat said. "If only I could get closer, I might be able to ascertain exactly what we're dealing with."
"I'm not sure about sending you out there, especially now that Omallix has weapons," Cruger said.
"Whether it's stable or not, this wormhole is a unique discovery and it falls within SPD's realm of serving & protecting the galaxy. I just want to take a few scans," Kat said.
Cruger still seemed unbending.
"What if the Rangers come along?" Kat said. "If Omallix starts any trouble, they'll be right there, ready for him. Besides, it could give us an opportunity to find out just what kind of weaponry he's got."
Cruger let out a very deep sigh, followed by a low growl. Kat almost smiled, knowing his behavior all too well. This was a sign he was coming around to her way of thinking.
"All right, but be careful out there," Cruger said. "We can't lose you, Kat."
"Thank you, sir," Kat said, as she headed for the Command Center doors. "Oh and sir, there's one more person I'll need for my team."
On the SPD training grounds, E-Squad was busy running an obstacle course. Kat entered the area and had her eye on the guy in the middle of the group, as they headed towards the end of their training set. The group all went for water bottles. The hot sun caused them all to sweat. Kat waved at her target, who spotted her and came running. Boom was always loyal.
"Hey, Kat," Boom said. He wasn't as out of breath as Kat expected. Boom had really gotten himself into great shape since being reinstated as a cadet.
"Boom, how are things going?"
"Great. We improved on our time. I actually beat my personal best," Boom said, with a smile.
"That's great," Kat responded. "I hate to interrupt your training, but I need your help."
"Really? Well sure. I may not be a gadget-tester anymore, but I'll never forget all the things you did for me and your help in getting me reinstated. Anything I can do to help, I'm there," Boom said.
"Good. I've detected a wormhole in orbit and Cruger's sending me to investigate. You helped me test the electroscanner that I want to use. I'm going to need an extra pair of hands to operate it from the shuttle. Wanna take a ride?"
"Oh," Boom said, looking troubled. "You mean, you need me to leave the Academy?"
"We can't exactly scan it from here, Boom," Kat said.
"I know, but...my training. My squad needs me," Boom said.
"I understand that Boom, but we won't be gone long. A few hours at the most. I'll talk to your squad leader and let her know what's going on. I'm sure it'll be fine," Kat said.
"But, Kat. I don't feel right just walking out on them. When I came back to SPD as a cadet, I agreed to give it my all. I don't just want to abandon them or make them think I'm getting special treatment because you all are my friends. People remember things like that and I want to become a respected officer one day," Boom said, worried.
"Boom, it's all right. This isn't some long-term mission. I guarantee you that they won't even notice you're gone," Kat said. "Please?"
"Okay," Boom said, finally.
About an hour later, B-Squad had assembled in the Command Center, along with Cruger, who was telling them of their mission.
"That's why I want you to take the S.W.A.T. flyers," Cruger finished explaining. "We don't know the extent of Omallix's upgrades to his new base. I want you to take every precaution."
"Understood, Commander," Sky said. At his sides stood Bridge, Quinn, Z, and finally Syd.
"How long will it take before Kat's ready?" Bridge asked.
"She should be ready to go shortly. Boom will be going along in the shuttle to assist her," Cruger revealed.
"Just like old times," Syd said, with a smile.
"Only not," Z said. "Omallix is gonna be right there every step of the way and unlike Gruumm, he's not content to sit right in our backyards and watch our every move. He's always looking to attack."
"That's why I want you to pilot the shuttle, Z," Cruger stated. "You're the best pilot on B-Squad. If Omallix gives you any trouble, you are ordered to return to Earth immediately."
"Yes, sir," Z said.
"I suggest Cadet Gray go in the shuttle as well, to act as co-pilot," Sky said.
Quinn looked surprised.
"What? Why?"
"Because, if we run into trouble up there, Z may need backup at the controls," Sky said, sternly.
"Kat will be there and so will Boom. They can help her," Quinn shot back.
"Look, Quinn. You haven't had the kind of training we have using the S.W.A.T. flyers. I don't think you're ready," Sky stated.
"I'm the Green Ranger. That makes me ready," Quinn said.
"No it doesn't," Sky said, annoyed. "Your abilities may be enhanced by your Ranger powers, but they don't create your abilities. You've had two training sessions in the flyers and they were both simulations, not real space action."
"Commander?" Quinn said, looking to Cruger.
"Unfortunately, Cadet Gray, I agree with Sky," Cruger said. "We don't know what to expect from Omallix's weaponry. Besides, we don't want to make this mission seem too important. Having only three flyers backing up the shuttle may not arouse as much interest from Omallix."
Quinn took a deep breath, knowing he lost that argument.
"Yes, Commander," Quinn said, finally. He looked to Sky and saw the Red Ranger's eyes glaring at him. Questioning Sky certainly wasn't going to get him on his squad leader's good side.
SPD shuttlecrafts came in many sizes. The one employed on this day was the smallest. Built for short-term travel, it resembled an escape pod more than a shuttlecraft. Z didn't care about the size. The controls fit her hands and that was all that mattered. The shuttle lifted off and headed for space. She looked out of the window to her left and saw the blue S.W.A.T. flyer keeping speed with her.
She looked to her right and saw the Pink S.W.A.T. flyer keeping the same pace as blue. She knew that Sky was trailing close behind the shuttle in the red S.W.A.T. flyer. For a minute she felt more relaxed, but it was only for a minute. They entered orbit and she saw Omallix's base looming in the distance. Z would never feel at ease with that menace on the loose. It was his menacing vendetta against Earth that brought Cartiron into the picture and that hellion's actions had led to her best friend's death.
Z refocused on the job at hand, pushing her feelings of hatred out of the way.
"How long until we reach the wormhole's coordinates, Quinn?"
"About two minutes," Quinn said from the seat to her right.
"You hear that, Kat?" Z spoke up. Behind her and Quinn's seats, were two others. Kat & Boom were strapped in. Boom held the electroscanner, behind Quinn. Kat's chair, behind Z, was turned to face the shuttle wall, where she punched in several commands on a computer interface embedded in the shuttle's cockpit.
"Yes. I'm collecting preliminary data as we go," Kat said.
Quinn grabbed his morpher. "Shuttle to S.W.A.T. Red, we're gonna be arriving at the coordinates of the wormhole in about a minute and a half," Quinn said, in a tone that conveyed his current annoyance with his leader.
"Understood, Cadet," Sky's voice shot back. Even though Sky was morphed, Quinn heard very little difference in Sky's voice. It always seemed to have the same tone, especially when talking to him.
The shuttle soon arrived and Z stopped their movement, keeping the craft steady and still. Boom & Kat unstrapped themselves and began setting up her electroscanner. Quinn and Z couldn't help but look out the front windows of the shuttle at the ripple in space.
"That's so weird," Quinn said.
"Never seen a wormhole before?" Z asked.
"No."
"You get used to it after a while. I mean this one's not even active. Wait until you see one that is. The sight is really something," Z said. "This is my third and it never gets boring looking at them."
Quinn smiled. Behind them, Kat pressed a few controls on the scanner and began taking her readings.
"Boom, monitor the system output. We don't want the electroscanner to overload," Kat said.
"Right," Boom said, sighing. Deep down, he wanted to be back on Earth, completing his training. He had his career in his hands and he didn't want anything to stop him from succeeding this time around.
In the throne room of Omallix's base, Jintari stood at the weapons control station when he heard a few beeps. He checked to see what the disturbance was, then quickly hit a large button the console.
"Master, we have visitors. It's SPD!" he yelled.
It took only moments for Omallix to come marching into the area, followed by Cartiron. They walked right over to the glass wall and looked out, seeing the small shuttle, surrounded by three sleek, Ranger-colored vessels. All four vehicles bore the insignia of Space Patrol Delta.
"It's almost too much of a coincidence," Omallix said, proudly. "SPD shows up right after we finalize our weapons system."
"If only I could fly out there," Cartiron said. "I would love to face the Rangers once again."
"You will have your time, Cartiron," Omallix said. "Right now, let's let Jintari have a little fun. Arm the torpedoes."
With a few command sequences punched in, Jintari had the weapons systems online and three torpedoes ready to fire. Inside S.W.A.T. Flyer 2, Bridge's scanners began beeping wildly. He checked out the readings.
"Uh oh," the Blue Ranger said, before activating his comm systems. "Guys, we've got incoming."
"Everyone, evasive maneuvers," Sky yelled.
Within seconds, a round of three torpedoes came flying from Omallix's base. All four space vehicles moved quickly, scattering in different directions. The torpedoes missed all of their targets.
Inside the shuttle, Boom & Kat were thrown about by the quick maneuver.
"What's happening?" Kat yelled.
"That looked like a torpedo," Quinn said, as he glanced out the window at the passing bolt of energy.
The torpedo continued to travel, until it hit the ripple in space right in front of the shuttle. Suddenly, the space around the shuttle began to shake even more. Kat & Boom regained their footing. Kat pressed in several commands on the electroscanner, taking a reading.
"Oh no. I think that torpedo may have activated the wormhole," she revealed.
Out of the front window, Z & Quinn looked out to see the ripple effect transform into a white spinning vortex.
"I'm turning us around," Z shouted. Quinn went to work next to her, punching in new coordinates.
Meters away, the other three S.W.A.T. flyers had their eyes on Omallix's base. More torpedoes fired. S.W.A.T. Flyer 1 ducked the next round of three and trained his weapons on the hole where they seemed to emanate.
"I'm going for the cannon's shaft," Sky yelled.
Behind him, the S.W.A.T. Flyers 2 and 5 aimed their weapons on the torpedoes coming at them. They fired their lasers, attempting to disperse the energy bursts before they could hit any of them or the shuttle.
Inside the shuttle, Kat & Boom were trying to strap themselves in, as the shuttle made a complete turn. The wormhole was now behind them. Z's sense of uneasiness had grown much like the vortex of the wormhole.
"I'm taking us up to full speed," Z shouted. Quinn nodded. Z engaged the thrusters, but in that second, the shuttle's momentum wasn't moved forward but backwards.
"We're caught in the wormhole's gravitational pull," Kat shouted, as she checked her scanners.
"I'm trying to get free," Z yelled.
The sounds of space battle all around them were instantly replaced with silence. The shuttle was gone.
"What happened?" the Pink Ranger yelled from her cockpit. "They're gone."
"I think they got sucked into the wormhole," Bridge yelled.
"We have to go after them," Sky yelled from S.W.A.T. Flyer 1.
The three vessels turned towards the wormhole, just as more torpedoes came flying their way. One torpedo hit the wormhole once again, this time closing it. Meanwhile, one of the flyers couldn't avoid the attack.
"I'm hit," Bridge yelled. The blue S.W.A.T. Flyer started to spin out of control for a few moments.
Swooping in, Syd took her flyer into a defensive position dispersing the other torpedoes as they came. Sky took his flyer in close to its spinning blue companion. He activated his tractoring systems and locked onto the flyer, steadying its course.
"We have to get back to Headquarters," Sky said, with a major hint of disappointment.
As the flyers headed back to Earth, Sky couldn't help but wonder where his comrades had ended up.
"Sir, I'm sorry. This is all my fault," Sky professed to Cruger in the Command Center.
"No, Sky. You couldn't have predicted what would open that wormhole," Cruger said. "I monitored the situation closely. It appears that Omallix's torpedoes triggered the wormhole's opening and closing."
"So, do we have any way of knowing where the shuttle ended up?" Syd asked.
Cruger nodded his head.
"I guess the best person to find that out is Kat and she's on the other side of the wormhole, which means she probably already knows the answer," Bridge said.
"The only question I want answered is how do we get them back?" Sky said.
On the other side of the wormhole, Z pulled the shuttle into orbit around Earth.
"That was really strange," Z said aloud.
"Yeah, I don't see Omallix's base and I'm not picking up the others' S.W.A.T. Flyers," Quinn said.
"You don't think they were destroyed do you?" Boom asked.
"No," Kat said, as she checked the readings on her computer interface terminal. "We definitely passed through the wormhole."
"But, everything looks exactly the way we left it," Boom said, "well, except for the raging fire fight."
"Kat, do you think we may have landed in another time? I mean the last wormhole we went through sent us back a year," Z said.
"I'm not picking up any temporal variances from the wormhole. I don't think so," Kat said. "It doesn't appear that time's been altered."
"All right. Then, I'm gonna try to land us back at the base. Quinn, contact Headquarters and let them know we're coming," Z ordered.
"Right," Quinn said, as he keyed in the commands. Then, he looked confused. "No one's responding. I mean, I'm not picking up any activity on any of the established SPD channels." He grabbed his morpher. "Sky? Commander Cruger? Anyone hear me?"
"Now, that's strange," Kat said. "I could swear this is the exact same spot where we entered the wormhole, which has completely closed, by the way."
"I just entered the coordinates for the Delta Command Base. I don't think it's there," Z said, shocked.
She pulled the shuttle down into the planet's atmosphere. Everything looked as it should look, until they reached California.
"Oh my god," Quinn said aloud, pointing out the cockpit's front window.
"There's no damage," Boom said, stunned. "It's like Cartiron's firewall never happened."
"Okay, options? Ideas?" Z spoke, "Anyone?"
"I say we head back into space and try to find the wormhole," Quinn said. "Something's not right."
"Unfortunately, we have no way of activating it." Kat said, "The longer we stay up here, the more fuel we're going to burn. We're going to have to land sooner or later."
"All right, we're going down," Z said, "We have a better chance of figuring out what's going on down there than we do up here."
She set the shuttle down in a large parking lot, near the coordinates of the Delta Command Base. The shuttle doors opened and the four stepped out to find that there wasn't a vacant area where the Delta Command Base should be. There were buildings.
"There's no way that Headquarters was ever here," Boom said.
"Guys, I'm telling you," Quinn said, "Something is not right. I just have a really bad feeling."
"No! Stop!"
The sound of a terrified child's yelling voice caught them all off-guard. They all went running off in the direction of the sound. Around the corner of a building, they peered and were shocked by what they saw.
"Sam," Z said, low enough so only her companions heard her. "What's he scared of?"
Then, they saw the image of an old foe walk up to young Sam.
"Broodwing," Kat said.
It was at that moment that Broodwing turned his back on Sam. The boy stood scared behind the alien. Broodwing's arms then went up, as a flurry of laser attacks hit him. The four travelers watched in shock as Broodwing fell to his knees. Sam stayed behind him.
"What the...?" Z said.
Then, five figures came closer to the two. The ones who had fired on Broodwing were the morphed SPD Rangers. Z & Quinn shared shocked looks.
"It's us," Quinn whispered.
With Broodwing on his knees, the Rangers approached. As they got closer, Broodwing reached out to land some punches, before yelling.
"Run, Sammy."
The little boy ran off through an alley, which seemed to catch the Rangers off-guard. They turned their sights back on Broodwing.
"Was he holding Sam hostage?" Boom wondered.
Then, the Rangers all lifted their weapons, firing on Broodwing at very close range. The monster fell to the ground, practically exploding. He was vaporized. The jaws of the four shuttle passengers dropped.
"We have to go after Sam," Z said.
"Okay, you and Kat go," Quinn said. "Boom and I will talk to them. Maybe we can figure out what's going on."
Kat & Z nodded, before running off in the same direction Sam went. Quinn instinctively grabbed his morpher from its holster and unzipped his jacket slightly, tucking it inside, out of sight. They walked out from behind the building to get closer to the action. It was then that Quinn noticed something.
"No containment card?" Quinn said aloud to Boom.
"Who are you?" the Blue Ranger yelled. Quinn & Boom both turned to see the Rangers. They recognized the Ranger's voice.
"Bridge, it's us," Quinn said.
At that moment, the Red Ranger walked straight over and grabbed Quinn by the throat. "What is going on here?" he asked, as he stared at Boom. They all stared at Boom.
"This is impossible," the Yellow Ranger spoke. Her voice, however, did not match Z's. She glanced at the Green Ranger, while she was speaking.
"You're right," the Green Ranger said, as he stared directly at Boom, who thought the voice sounded strangely familiar.
"I think we should take them back to Headquarters and show the Commander. Something fishy's going on here," the Pink Ranger spoke. It was definitely Syd's voice.
"We'll have a team come out and tow their shuttle to the base," the Blue Ranger said.
Within seconds, Boom & Quinn were thrown into handcuffs and carted off by a group of SPD Rangers that had just broken SPD's code of justice. Their thoughts swirled. These Rangers didn't judge Broodwing. They simply fired on him. And why was Broodwing free to begin with? As they were loaded into the back of a paddy wagon, with the SPD letters on it, a hidden pair of eyes watched from behind a nearby dumpster, taking in everything that had happened.
A few blocks away, Kat and Z were hot on the trail of young Sam, who seemed to be running in and out of alleys.
"Sam, wait! It's me!" Z yelled.
The boy stopped and looked back for only a second. Their eyes met and then the boy ran off around another corner. Z and Kat kept running. They turned around the corner and Sam was standing in the middle of the large alleyway, staring at them.
"Sam," Z spoke. "What happened back there? Did Broodwing attack you?"
Without a word, the boy used his genetic powers to cause himself to disappear. Z and Kat exchanged confused glances. They walked to the spot in the middle of the alleyway where Sam had been standing.
"What is going on?" Kat asked, aloud.
"That's what we'd like to know."
A familiar voice was heard. They both looked around, as almost a dozen figures, wearing long brown hooded cloaks surrounded them, quickly. Kat and Z exchanged glances again, but this time they both looked worried. Sam appeared with them, standing next to the one who had spoken. Sam had lured them right into a trap.
It was then that the speaker pulled off his hood. Kat & Z both sighed in relief.
"Commander," Kat said, with a smile.
"What did you call me?" The large blue Sirian, named Anubis asked, curiously.
Then, the others began removing their hoods. They saw Supreme Commander Birdy, Dr. Sevarus, Dr. Felix, Sgt. Silverback and many more aliens in the group. Kat was stunned when one hood dropped revealing a woman who looked exactly like her. The female quickly cowered behind Birdy. But, none of them wore SPD regulation clothing. They were dressed in rags, tattered and worn.
"Something strange is going on here," Kat said.
"You can say that again."
Another voice spoke up. Coming through the crowd of aliens, were two more cloaked figures. They walked a few steps in front of Cruger & Sam and stopped. The speaker removed his hood and Z almost fainted at the sight.
"Jack," Z said, in what was almost a shocked whisper. "How?"
"I think I may know the answer to that," his companion spoke, before removing her hood to reveal an exact duplicate of Z.
"You're me," Z said.
"Not quite. Z? It's me...Liz," the girl spoke.
"Liz? Oh my god," Z said, as she looked to Kat, who seemed to be putting the pieces together already.
"The wormhole deposited us into an alternate dimension," Kat said.
Their last encounter with Z's duplicate was in their time, after she had been brought through a dimensional wormhole by Gruumm's forces last year. Kat then realized the wormhole in orbit must have been of the same variety. Z, however, wasn't thinking about that now. Without hesitation, she ran up to Jack and put her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
"I'm so glad to see you," Z said, as a tear ran down her cheek.
All of the gathered aliens, and the three humans, exchanged troubling looks.
Quinn was thrown inside a holding cell inside SPD Headquarters. The entire journey here was still confusing the hell out of him. His hands were still cuffed behind him. It was then that he realized he probably could have still reached his morpher, had he not hidden it inside his uniform jacket. His co-prisoner, however, was still standing outside the cell, with the still-morphed Rangers.
"I told you," Boom said to them, "We're cadets with SPD Earth. I don't know what the situation is here, but this is all a big misunderstanding."
"He's telling you the truth," Quinn said, "So why don't you let me out of here so we can talk."
The Red Ranger walked up to the bars and glared at him. His resemblance to Sky, even when morphed, was uncanny.
"You be quiet. You already dishonor this place by wearing those clothes, which, by the way, are a sad imitation for the real uniforms around here," Sky's voice spoke.
The Rangers all turned their attentions to the uncuffed Boom.
"Misunderstanding?" the Blue one spoke in Bridge's voice, except it was dark and showed no signs of Bridge's light-hearted nature. "You have no idea. You called me Bridge. I haven't been called that in...years."
"SPD Officers are addressed by their rank and last name, only!" the Pink Ranger spoke, seriously.
"Like I said," Boom spoke, "It's all a big misunderstanding." He felt extremely uneasy around them.
"Oh, I think it's more than that," the Green Ranger spoke, before the group demorphed together.
Quinn & Boom once again found themselves shocked. Their uniforms were jet black. The SPD insignia, however, was just where it was supposed to be. Their badges were very different. The image of the dog, the historic symbol of SPD's beginnings, was changed. It was replaced with a dual-horned image. It was definitely alien to them. But, it was the faces of these officers that truly shocked them. Just as they figured, Sky was red, Syd was pink and Bridge was blue. But that was where the similarities in the team ended. The unmorphed Yellow Ranger sneered at them.
"Morgana," Boom said, aloud.
"It's Officer Morgan!" she shouted back. It was definitely Morgana. She had the long, dark hair, the thick accent and even the purple lightning bolt symbol on her cheek, traced in black.
The identity of the Green Ranger floored both Quinn and Boom. It was like some funhouse mirror image. Twisted, different, but still familiar. Boom could barely bring himself to say the words.
"You're...me," he said.
"Correction," the other Boom stated. "I'm me. I don't know who the hell you are, but imposters will be dealt with just the way criminals are – phased out of existence."
His tone was low, serious. Boom couldn't believe it. He was an SPD Officer, not even a cadet.
Then, the doors to the room that held the holding cells opened. The five Officers all saluted their commander. Quinn felt the intense need to rub his eyes. He had to be dreaming. This was all too...wrong.
"Commander Gruumm," Tate spoke. "Broodwing has been defeated. We found these SPD posers in the heart of the city."
Gruumm walked up to Boom, staring him in the face. Boom couldn't believe it. Gruumm, clad in the uniform of an SPD command officer, was their leader?
"Mmm," Gruumm grunted. "This is strange, indeed. We appear to have two Officer Booms."
"Uh, actually," Boom spoke up, through his scared look, "As I was trying to explain to your...officers, I'm just a cadet, in what I'm assuming is a different SPD."
"A different SPD?" Gruumm said, "You mean you come from another branch of SPD, off-Earth?"
"Not quite," Boom said.
"Boom, be quiet," Quinn said, instantly realizing this probably wasn't a situation where full disclosure was a good tactic. "Don't tell them anything else."
Gruumm let out a burst of laughter, as he walked over to the cell that held Quinn. "You are in no position to refuse any of our questions."
"That's what you think," Quinn said to Gruumm, before turning his attention back to Boom. "Remember your training, Boom. We're in unfamiliar territory."
"Right," Boom said.
Gruumm looked back at the new Boom. Then, he looked to his Officer Boom. "Officer Boom, why don't you show our guest around SPD Headquarters. See if anything jogs his memory," Gruumm ordered, before heading for the exit. "As for our other...visitor, he will remain in custody until we can sort out this matter."
"...and that's how we found ourselves here," Kat finished the story.
She & Z had been brought to an abandoned underground train station, where they had learned a lot more about their comrades here, than they expected. A fire had been started. It was nightfall and a chilly wind had invaded the area.
"It sounds like a wonderful place," Anubis spoke. "I wish our home were more welcoming."
"How did it get like this?" Kat asked.
"Yeah," Z chimed in. "I mean Liz told us a little bit about this place. Gruumm's running SPD Headquarters. You guys aren't Rangers."
"It is a very long story," Anubis said.
"No one tells it like you do, Anubis," Birdy spoke up.
"All right. About twenty years ago, Earth began opening its doors to beings born on other worlds. Soon after, SPD was established. In the beginning, they told us all that SPD was designed to "protect and serve" the galaxy. Well, they didn't tell us that SPD's real job was to watch us aliens," Anubis explained. "To make sure we were following the rules. Over the years, the rules became more and more harsh on everyone. SPD sought to segregate us, separating us from the regular population. Then, our territories got smaller and smaller. When we crossed the wrong streets, SPD was there to arrest us. Gruumm's brand of justice gained more acceptance, as he preyed on the fears of the humans. He told them that we posed a threat to their idyllic existence. But, they don't know the full story."
"What are they missing?" Kat asked.
"The reason many of us came to Earth to begin with was to escape this kind of tyranny. Gruumm's people were oppressors. They destroyed the lives of many people on dozens of worlds. Now, he masks his oppression behind the guise of protection for humanity. The people believe him and not us, because we're too different," Anubis said.
"But, Gruumm's not human either," Z said. "How's he getting by and what about Liz & Jack & Sam? You guys are human and yet you're ostracized too?"
"The people of Earth see Gruumm as a savior, out to help them," Anubis said. "He's the only alien in SPD. Everyone else is human. It's SPD's way of proving to the Earth that it isn't against alien life, just against the life that has invaded Earth and committed imaginary crimes. He killed my wife right in the middle of the marketplace, claiming that she was a thief."
"That's horrible," Kat said, sadly.
"And the tyranny of SPD stretches even further than just aliens," Liz spoke up. "A few humans have developed odd abilities over the years, like me, Jack and Sammy. They claimed it was the fault of the alien newcomers. We were branded freaks and thrown out of our homes, just like they were."
"This cannot be happening," Z said. "I would never have imagined that it was this bad."
"Believe it," Jack said, angrily, as he stormed out of the gathering place. Z watched him go.
"We need to get word to Boom and Quinn," Kat said to Z.
She whipped out her morpher, which brought a few gasps from those gathered around the makeshift fire. She opened it and spoke.
"Quinn, it's Z," she said, but there was no response. She gave Kat a troubled look, as seconds passed by. "Quinn, can you hear me?"
Little did they know, Quinn could hear them, but with his hands in cuffs and the morpher closed & tucked inside his jacket, he couldn't respond.
"Look, Quinn, I don't know if this is getting through to you, but we've learned that we're in an alternate dimension. So, you & Boom might run into people that look and sound like people we know, but it's really dangerous out there. Be careful," Z said, as she looked back at Kat. "I don't know why he's not responding."
"You said your friends were going to speak with the Power Rangers?" Anubis asked.
"Yes," Kat answered.
"Then, I'm afraid you may never see them again," Kat's double spoke for the first time. Kat had a feeling that was a bad sign.
Inside SPD Headquarters, Officer Boom walked with his chest out, shoulders up and a smile on his face that even scared Boom, who walked beside him through the halls. Every cadet they passed bowed their head at the sight of the Green Ranger. Boom had a feeling none of them even noticed the officer was traveling with a double of himself.
They arrived at the Officers' common room and stepped inside. Boom immediately noticed how drab it was. There were a few paintings on the walls, a monitor screen and some chairs that didn't look very comfortable.
"This is where we come to relax," Officer Boom said, as he sat down in one of the chairs and folded his arms, looking content.
"Okay," Boom said, as he sat in a chair across from his identical twin. "So, it seems like the other cadets really...uh..."
"Respect me?" Officer Boom finished.
"Well, I was gonna say fear you, but I guess that can be considered respect," Boom looked unbelieving. "Tell me, how long did it take you to get all the way up to B-Squad?"
"B-Squad? Please, I was in B-Squad after my first year. A-Squad came a year later. I was an officer less than three years after enlisting with SPD," Officer Boom bragged.
"Wow," Boom looked impressed. "That's amazing. I've been trying for years."
"You need confidence, my good man," Officer Boom said. "I can tell you have ambition, but you back down too easily. I could see that in the holding room, when you just bowed to that other imposter."
"Cadet Gray is not an imposter," Boom said.
"He's also not an SPD Officer, either," his double spoke.
"Yeah well, he's still the—" Boom stopped himself before telling his double that Quinn was the Green Ranger. Maybe that was too much information.
"He's still the what?"
"He's still...higher ranked than me. He's on the B-Squad. That's big where I come from," Boom explained.
"You can't let anyone stand in your way and that means you can't just bow willingly to anyone who shouts orders. I can tell already that you're better than him."
"I don't know about that," Boom responded, "Besides, you take orders from Sky, I mean Officer Tate, don't you?"
"Oh, everyone takes orders from Officer Tate. He's Red Ranger for a reason. He knows the fight that we have on our hands more than anyone," Officer Boom leaned over, getting closer to Boom. "Officer Tate is the best. He's proven himself as Red Ranger. He's got to be the only person I know that didn't even let family stand in the way of SPD's mission."
"What are you talking about?" Boom asked.
"Officer Tate discovered that his brother had those weird alien powers. Somehow they infected him. Officer Tate did what he was supposed to. His brother refused to admit he had a problem and he refused to submit to treatment to cure his illness. When that happened, Tate didn't let his personal feelings get in the way. He did what he had to do to keep Earth clean."
"What did he do?" Boom asked.
"He killed him. He left Tate no choice," Officer Boom said. The words chilled Boom to the bone. In that instance, he was glad the Sky he knew back home didn't have a brother.
"You said the aliens infected him?"
"Yes, that's what SPD is all about. We bring in the aliens when they step out of line and break the rules. Over the years, they've managed to infect other humans and they manifest their infection with these...defects. Odd things that no pure human can do. That kid on the street can transport himself around with the wave of his hand. We can't let those kind of deviants loose on the city. It will only infect more people."
"Defects? Deviants? You're talking about people with genetic abilities," Boom said, looking confused.
"Yes. There's no place for them in this society. That's why SPD was started. Only the purest of humans are chosen to become officers."
"But, Sky and Syd and Bridge, they all have genetic powers," Boom blurted out.
Officer Boom looked stunned.
"What? No, they don't."
"If Sam has his genetic powers here, then they must too. It all happened during some experiment involving their parents years ago," Boom explained.
"That's not possible. I've fought by their sides for years. They're all pure human, the purest souls I've ever seen."
"I don't think that's true," Boom said, "The same goes for Morgana. She's not even human!"
"You're a liar," Officer Boom said, "This tour is over." He grabbed Boom by the arm and led him out of the common room.
Z entered the train car and found just who she was looking for. Laying on a cot, with his arms behind his head and his legs crossed at the ankles was Jack Landors. Deep down, Z knew it wasn't her Jack Landors, but the resemblance was too much for her to ignore.
"You know, staring isn't very polite," Jack said.
Z smiled.
"Since when do you care about being polite? Liz told me that you're thieves," Z said, as she came closer.
Jack sat up on the side of the cot.
"We steal because it's the only way we survive, thanks to SPD," he said.
Z stopped a few feet away from the cot and remained standing. She didn't want to get too close. She didn't want him to be too real.
"Did she tell you about our SPD?"
"Yeah, of course she did. I have to admit I didn't really believe her. None of us did at first. We thought she had been taken by Gruumm's people and brainwashed to try to get us to believe SPD were the good guys," Jack explained.
"But, she convinced you?"
"She's my best friend. I guess I realized that a person can believe some pretty tall tales, if they come from the right person," Jack said. "And hey, look. She was right. I guess I get to thank you in person."
"Thank me? For what?"
"For helping her get back to us in one piece," Jack said.
He extended a hand for Z to shake. She stared at it for a long moment. She never thought she'd be in a position to touch Jack again. She took his hand in hers. He pulled her closer, forcing her to sit next to him.
"So, am I anything like the Jack in your dimension?" he asked.
"Yeah," Z said, as she began to sob, uncontrollably. "Maybe a little too much."
"Hey," Jack said, as he put an arm around her. "What's with the water works?"
"It's...nothing," Z said, trying to stop her descent into sorrow.
"What did you do to her?" Liz's voice came from the door to the train car as she entered.
"Nothing. I swear," Jack said, as Liz came over and knelt beside them.
"Z, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I mean you guys don't deserve this," Z said. "There has to be something you can do to fix this situation with SPD. You can't just sit by, living day to day. You have to fight back."
She decided at that moment to push her feelings aside and help make life better for this Jack, since hope was lost for hers.
In the Command Center of this altered SPD, Commander Gruumm sat at his station, wearing his classic expression of...nothingness. His emotions were always unreadable, until those deep red eyes glowed.
Before him, he & his honored A-Squad listened as their Green Ranger told them of his last meeting with the extra Boom.
"I don't understand why he would say something like that," Officer Boom said. "You guys don't have genetic powers, do you?"
Officers Drew, Carson, Morgan & Tate all stared at each other, sharing confused looks.
"Of course we don't," Officer Morgan spoke up quickly.
"Boom, listen to me," Tate spoke. "I was here before any of you and you know what I did to earn my reputation around here. If there was the slightest hint that any of the Rangers had those defects brought by the alien scum, I would have destroyed him or her myself!"
"I didn't think so," Officer Boom said. "He just sounded so honest."
"He is obviously from somewhere sinister," Commander Gruumm spoke up. "He is trying to turn you against us, Boom."
"He must be dealt with, him and his...friend," Officer Tate said, gravely.
"What do you mean?" Boom asked.
"We must not be too hasty, Officer Tate," Gruumm said. "I will consult with the Supreme Commander on this matter. In the meantime, Boom you should take a walk and clear your head of this nonsense. We will make sure that the truth comes to light."
"Yes, Commander," Officer Boom stated, before exiting.
With him gone, a deep, intense growl of anger came from Commander Gruumm. "I cannot believe this is happening!"
"Commander, we have to take care of this, as soon as possible," Officer Tate said.
"Yes. Boom's catching on. If he learns the truth and tells the world that we have powers..." Officer Drew said.
"I know!" Gruumm cut her off. "SPD will unravel around our ears if the truth about A-Squad comes to light."
"We have to keep calm here," Officer Carson said. He was always the most levelheaded of the group. "Cooler heads will prevail. I mean Boom isn't gonna believe some imposter over us. We're his friends. He trusts us."
"Carson's right," Officer Morgan spoke up. "He did seem to be convinced of our honesty when he left."
"That's a good thing," Tate said, "I'd hate to have something...bad happen to our Green Ranger to protect our secrets."
"In the grand scheme of things, Boom is insignificant," Gruumm said. "He can be easily replaced. However, with all of these strange visitors popping up, it is better if we keep him close, for now. His duplicate, however, must be eliminated."
"Both of those...newcomers need to be taken care of," Tate stated.
"Then, make plans to handle it...carefully. We do not want word of their existence getting out," Gruumm ordered.
The A-Squad Officers marched out of the Command Center. Once the doors closed behind them, Officer Morgan leaned over to her comrades. "Do you think we should have told him about the kid?"
"No," Tate said quickly. "Hopefully, we won't have to."
In the underground train station, across town, Kat entered a train car. It was not as well lit as some of the others. There were trinkets and pieces of machinery inside. It looked almost like an antique store. Kat looked around and noticed a painting. It was beautiful. She picked it up.
"It's delicate," a low voice spoke.
Kat turned quickly in reaction to it. It was the female who looked just like her.
"Hello, there," Kat said, warmly.
"Hi," her double responded. She seemed so quiet and timid. It was an odd sight for Kat, who seemed to be able to walk into a room and fill it with confidence quickly. "I heard you say that you're a doctor," she inquired.
"Yes. A scientific doctor, actually. My patients are usually machines, robots, things that require batteries," Kat said, with a chuckle.
Her humor was lost on this one. She seemed afraid to smile.
"Are you all right?" Kat finally asked. "You seem a little...fragile."
"I'm sorry. It's just that there's not much to smile about around here," she responded.
It was then that Kat realized just how different their two dimensions were. She took a deep breath and walked over to her dimensional double.
"We weren't formally introduced. I'm Doctor Kat Manx," Kat said, extending her hand.
"Oh, I'm Kitty," she said, as she reluctantly shook Kat's hand.
"Is this where you stay, Kitty?" Kat said.
"Yes, most of the time," Kitty said.
"You've accumulated quite a lot of things here," Kat said.
"It's Piggy. He's always bringing me things from his trips into the city," Kitty said, with a rare smile.
Kat looked a little surprised. "Piggy? I didn't see him out there with the others."
"He's off on another one of his trips. He's one of our best. He knows how to stay hidden from SPD. He's our eyes and ears out there. If it weren't for him & Broodwing, I don't think little Sammy would have made it home," she explained.
Kat continued to look around at the things that Piggy had brought to Kitty. Her eyes rested on a machine in the far corner. She walked over to it and picked it up, looking very happy.
"Do you know what this is?" Kat asked.
"No," Kitty said. "I'm not very technical. I don't know what half of these things are that Piggy's brought here."
"This is a phase variance stimulator," Kat revealed. "I wonder where he got this. I mean, it doesn't seem to me that this kind of technology would just be lying around in the city."
"I don't know. Is it a good thing?"
"A very good thing. No offense, but ever since we arrived here, I've been trying to figure out a way to get us back to where we belong. A torpedo was fired and it hit the wormhole, triggering the vortex to activate. Torpedoes carry a specific phase variance as part of their energy output. The electroscanner on the shuttle picked up the phase variance when the torpedo hit the wormhole we were studying. If I can recreate the conditions that caused the wormhole to open then, I might be able to send us back through," Kat explained.
"That sounds very complicated," Kitty said, giving her a confused look.
"Let me put it this way, Kitty. With this phase variance stimulator, I can recreate the effect of a torpedo hitting the wormhole," Kat said, with a smile.
"And that will help you get home?"
"I hope so," Kat said, with a smile.
Outside of the train car, they heard a bit of a commotion. The two exited, seeing all of the alien rebels and Sammy gathered by the fire. Z, Jack and Liz stood in the middle of the group.
"You can't let SPD treat you this way," Z was saying. "You have just as many rights as they do. If Gruumm can sit on his high horse in SPD Headquarters, surely you can live out in the open."
"She's right," Liz said. "It's just like I told you when I came back. We have to stand up and fight. We can make things better."
"Anything's better than sitting around here, wallowing in our misery," Jack added in. "We have to do it for our fallen comrades. We have to do it for Broodwing and Isinia and everyone else who died out there at the hands of SPD."
Kat joined Z, showing her the phase variance stimulator.
"I think I may have also found a way for us to get back home," she said aloud.
"That's great," Liz said.
"But, we still need to find Boom & Quinn and get back to the shuttle," Kat said.
"That will be easier said than done."
Everyone turned towards the entrance to the underground tunnel to see the figure that belonged to the voice.
"It's Piggy," Kitty spoke up, with a smile.
Piggy came closer to the group in the fire light.
"Piggy," Anubis spoke. "We thought you had been killed."
"I escaped. Unfortunately, Broodwing didn't," Piggy said, as he patted Sammy on the head. "It was a good cause, though. I managed to see your friends get arrested by SPD. It looked like they were headed for Headquarters. They took your shuttle there, as well," Piggy said to Z and Kat.
"Looks like we have a Command Base to storm," Z said. "We could use some help," she said to the assembled group.
"We're in," Jack said, smiling at her. He then looked to Anubis and the others. "Aren't we?"
A throng of agreeing voices came were heard. Kat & Z smiled to one another.
"It's going to be tough, though," Piggy said. "SPD outnumbers us, three to one."
"And, they have powers," Sammy spoke up. The child rarely said a word and the group all looked to him when he did say something. This was only the second time that Z & Kat had heard the boy speak since they got there.
"What do you mean, Sammy?" Birdy asked.
"I saw them. That's why they were chasing me. The Power Rangers have genetic abilities, just like me and Liz and Jack. I saw them use them," Sammy explained.
"Of course, they do," Z said. "Things aren't as different here as we thought. SPD has been lying to the entire planet."
"They preach about cleansing the Earth of scum like you and defects like us," Jack said, loudly. "But, they're all hypocrites. We have to stop their power play and unmask them for the liars they are. Tomorrow morning, we take back our freedom."
Cheers were heard amongst the group. It was time to come up with a plan of action and give these rebels a fighting chance.
It had been an uncomfortable night for Quinn, as he sat on his cot and leaned his head against the wall, unable to really sleep. He was still handcuffed and had not even been fed. Part of him hoped to hear from Z again. He knew the sound of her voice would convince him that things weren't as hopeless as they seemed. The call hadn't come.
In the next cell over, he heard Boom snoring. He couldn't believe it. Then again, Boom hadn't been cuffed, like him. He was his only hope, Quinn thought to himself.
"Boom!" Quinn yelled, loud enough to wake his comrade.
Boom was so startled that he turned over quickly and fell off the cot in his cell, hitting the floor with a thud.
"Ouch," Boom said, rubbing his face. "Good morning, Quinn."
"Yeah, listen, Boom, did you get through to your other self? I mean he hasn't been back here since last night."
"I don't know. I tried to tell him about the Rangers having genetic powers, but he refused to believe that he was being deceived," Boom explained. "He seemed really angry."
"Okay, well we can't just wait here. I have a feeling those Rangers are as ruthless as they look and if my hunch is right, they aren't gonna want us around for too long, so listen. The first chance you get, you have to disable the bars to my cell and uncuff me," Quinn said.
"What makes you think I'll have that chance?" Boom asked.
"Because, the other you didn't handcuff you. Some part of him must believe you."
As if on cue, the doors to the holding room opened. Officer Boom marched in. He walked right over to Boom's cell and deactivated the bars, which disappeared. He grabbed Boom by the arm and began heading for the door. Boom wrestled his arm from Officer Boom's grip.
"Where are you taking me?"
"I'm taking you to Commander Gruumm. I want you to tell him your ludicrous story. He'll be able to truly ascertain if you are telling the truth," Officer Boom spoke.
"No, he won't," Quinn said, "It's so obvious. You must be some kind of idiot not to see what's right in front of you."
"Quinn's right," Boom said.
"Quinn's right? There you go again, Boom, listening to people. You need to form your own opinions, grow a backbone and stand up for yourself," his double said to him.
"You're one to talk," Boom said. He had enough. "You're blindly following Gruumm and Sky and believing whatever they tell you! At least I know that Quinn is telling me the truth and has my best interest in mind. Can you say that about your A-Squad buddies?"
"I'm through talking to you," Officer Boom said, "We're going to see the Commander."
He grabbed Boom's arm and began pulling him towards the door. That's when Boom stopped resisting. Instead, he pushed his double right into the wall by the door. Officer Boom hit the floor with a thud. Boom ran over to the controls and disabled Quinn's cell. Within seconds, he had uncuffed him.
"That was a very bad move."
They turned to see that Officer Boom was back on his feet, with his sidearm blaster drawn, pointed directly at them. Boom took a deep breath and lunged at his double, believing that he wouldn't truly fire on someone so familiar. He was right. They wrestled over the weapon, until Cadet Boom got his hands on it, pointing it at the officer.
"Now, who's the one in control?" Boom said, with a smile.
"Still me," Officer Boom said. Within an instant he was morphed into the Green Ranger.
Boom's smile turned to a frown, quickly. The Green Ranger walked up to him and took the blaster, tossing it against a wall. He lifted his fist to pounce on Boom, when another hand grabbed the fist. Officer Boom looked to see it was gloved, just like his. It was another morphed Green Ranger!
"I don't think so," Quinn said, from beneath his helmet.
He threw Officer Boom's arm away from Boom and the two Green Rangers traded quick blows. They grabbed hold of each other and threw themselves against the walls of the room. Quinn pushed Officer Boom away, then scored a thrust kick that sent the other Green Ranger flying into the cot inside Quinn's former cell. He got to his feet quickly, but Quinn dove at him, tackling him back into the cell. Then, a laser beam came piercing through the cell. The two Green Rangers split apart, looking at the singed wall behind them. They looked out of the cell to see Boom holding the laser blaster again.
"Boom, what are you doing?" Quinn yelled.
"Thanks," he said quickly, before blasting the other Green Ranger. "I just needed to know which was which."
Quinn came out of the cell and patted Boom on the back. "Good job. Now, let's get out of here. This ain't home."
Quinn headed for the door. Boom looked back at his double before running off behind the real Green Ranger.
Inside the Command Center, Gruumm sat at his station when the doors to the Command Center opened and two officers brought in a prisoner. Gruumm laughed loudly, telling the officers to leave this one to him. They obeyed, but seemed surprised at the request. The doors closed behind them and Gruumm came closer to the alien.
"Piggy, so good to see you," Gruumm said.
"Thank you, Commander," Piggy said, with a smile. "Sir, the rebels are planning an attack. I only managed to stay a few miles ahead of them. They're on their way here. It appears that Sammy saw your Rangers use their powers."
"No!" Gruumm yelled.
"Yes," Piggy revealed. "That's not all. Those imposters you took...well, there were two more. They managed to rally the rebels and they're coming here to rescue their friends."
"I will have the Rangers ready for them, along with a special surprise!" Gruumm said, as he marched over to his command console and pressed it, alerting the Rangers that he wanted to see them. He let out a deep sigh. With his back to Piggy, he spoke. "Thank you, Piggy. You have always been a loyal servant to SPD, working undercover. Your information has allowed us to do so much."
"Why thank you, Commander Gruumm," the rebel traitor said, gallantly.
Gruumm turned back around to face Piggy. "I have a feeling this will be our final battle against the rebels and that means that your services will no longer be needed," Gruumm said, before grabbing a blaster at his station and firing, vaporizing Piggy instantly. Gruumm let out another chuckle. "Come, rebels, to your doom."
Outside the entrance to SPD Headquarters, the morphed Yellow Ranger marched up to the entrance, dragging her cuffed prisoner. All she had to do was nod to the two guards and they immediately opened the doors for her. Just as she & her prisoner stepped over the threshold, two duplicates of Liz came out of nowhere, nailing the men with swift kicks to the gut. They fell to their knees and were pounded with double fists, taken down. Liz reformed herself into one, as Jack and the other rebels came out of hiding, grabbing the security officer's weapons.
The joined Z and Anubis inside. "I have business to take care of," Anubis said, as he ran off.
The morphed Yellow Ranger came into the lobby further, flanked by Jack, Liz, Birdy and the rest of the rebels, with two notable exceptions. They didn't get far when they saw four figures standing in their way.
"Well, look what we have here," Officer Morgan said, with a sneer. "I thought I was the Yellow Ranger."
"Now, I know this isn't right," Z said, from beneath her helmet, as she saw Morgana.
"Rangers, ready?" Officer Tate yelled. The four all grabbed their morphers.
"Ready," Carson, Drew & Morgan yelled. Within seconds, the SPD Rangers of this world were standing in front of the rebels.
"Only four?" Jack said, "I think we have you outnumbered."
"Don't bet on it," Tate grunted from beneath his helmet. "Meet the new wave of SPD security drones."
At that moment, dozens of robots stormed into the area. Z recognized them instantly.
"Krybots!"
"We wanted a challenge," Jack said, from beside her. "Let's do this!"
The rebels ran into battle, along with the Yellow Ranger, who immediately went gunning for her counterpart. The two Yellows traded kicks, punches and insults, as they brawled back and forth. Nearby, Jack was in a heated battle of his own against the Red Ranger, while Liz used her duplicates to her advantage against the Pink Ranger. Birdy held tight to his acquired blaster, firing against Blue, while the other rebels fought the Krybots, using whatever skills they had and weapons they found in the area.
On the level below this raging battle, the shuttle bay was quiet and empty, but for only a few seconds. Then, the three figures appeared, seemingly out of thin air. Between the two identical females, stood the small boy, Sammy. Looking around, Kitty was amazed, while Kat knew this was exactly where they needed to be. She looked down at Sammy.
"Thanks for the ride, Sammy," Kat said.
"I did good?"
"Very good," Kat said, as she located the shuttle that brought her here. She activated the controls and stepped inside, followed by Sammy and Kitty, who carried the phase variance stimulator. Kat set it up and began working on a way home.
Inside the Command Center, Gruumm watched the battle playing out on his monitors. He grunted loudly, as he saw his Red Ranger crash into a wall trying to dive after Jack, who phased through that wall seconds before.
"Things not going the way you planned?"
Gruumm raised his head quickly, seeing the arrival of Anubis.
"You!" Gruumm yelled.
"You killed my wife. You deceived this planet and we're not going to take it anymore. It's over, Gruumm. We're going to expose you and your Rangers for the fakes you are!"
"We will see about that!" Gruumm growled, as he grabbed his blaster, firing it at the doorway.
Anubis used his canine reflexes to dive out of the way of the attack. He got to his feet, as Gruumm was heading straight for him, with his weapon draw. The big blue dog scored a quick leg sweep, sending Gruumm to the floor. The blaster went flying, but landed right where it needed to be. Anubis caught it, as he stood over Gruumm's body.
"It's all over, Gruumm," Anubis said.
Then, the doors to the Command Center opened once again. Officer Boom appeared there, weapon drawn. He walked onto the scene, looking confused.
"Get him, Boom," Gruumm ordered.
"Don't listen to him, Officer," Anubis spoke. "He's the real enemy here."
"I don't know who to trust anymore," Officer Boom said confused, as he moved his weapon between the two aliens.
"Trust me, Boom!" Gruumm spoke. "I made you who you are!"
"Trust your heart," Anubis countered.
Officer Boom took a deep breath and made his choice. His laser blaster fired on one of them.
In the lobby of SPD, it seemed the rebels were winning the fight. Z traded sword attacks, as she & Officer Morgan both had their Deltamax Strikers drawn.
"There's only room for one Yellow Ranger around here," Morgan sneered from beneath her helmet.
"You know, I was just thinking the same thing."
The Yellow Ranger was popped from behind and fell to the ground. Z looked up to see that her Green Ranger was the culprit.
"Quinn?"
"In the flesh," he said, as Boom was seen right behind him.
"It's Jack!" Boom said loudly, as he pointed.
"Yeah, it is," Z said, as she fired on the Red Ranger attacking him. He fell to the ground.
"Go," Jack said to her.
"But, Jack..." Z started to say something, but couldn't find the words.
"Go," Jack said. "We got this. I promise."
"Z, we gotta go," Quinn said.
"Goodbye, Jack," Z said, as she ran off with her two comrades. Quinn & Boom descended the escalators quickly, but Z turned back one more time to see Jack fighting for what he believed in and her alternate self fighting there right beside him, just like it should be.
Minutes later, the shuttle was prepped and ready to go. Kat had the equipment working and Z started the engines. Outside the shuttle, Kitty and Sammy watched the craft take off and exit the Command Base. Once in orbit, Kat activated the phase variance stimulator. They all breathed a sigh of relief when the wormhole appeared. Z took the shuttle straight into the vortex at full speed.
Inside the SPD Command Center, the sensors were triggered. Cruger, Sky, Syd & Bridge gathered around the aft console at the sound of the alert. Bridge's hands swiftly passed over the controls and he pulled up an image.
"The wormhole's opening," Bridge shouted.
The shuttle came flying through, causing sighs of relief and cheers amongst the group.
A few hours later, they were all assembled there, together again.
"We were so worried," Syd said.
"Yeah. We're glad you guys are okay," Bridge chimed in.
"Thanks," Z said. "It was quite an experience."
"Yes," Kat agreed. "Not one we'll soon forget."
"I guess sometimes it's easy to forget the kind of freedoms we fight for around here, not just against Omallix, but against all injustice," Quinn added.
"It sounds like the experience in the alternate dimension will have some lasting effects for all of you," Cruger said.
"I still can't believe we were evil," Bridge said, looking at Syd.
"It sounds like good prevailed in the end, though," Sky said.
"I hope so," Z said, as she thought back to the last moment she left Jack behind. "We may never know the outcome of the rebel's fight."
While the group continued their discussion, Quinn noticed Boom leave the Command Center, quietly. He followed him into the hallway.
"Hey, Boom. What's up?"
"I don't know. I guess I feel kinda stupid. When I first saw the other me, I was proud that he had accomplished my dream," Boom explained. "I saw what was possible, you know?"
"It's still possible, Boom," Quinn said. "For what it's worth, you're a better officer than your double was and you're not even an officer yet."
"Yeah, but he was supposed to be different. He turned out to be just like me, gullible and easily-swayed."
"You're not gullible and you definitely weren't swayed by Officer Boom's lifestyle, were you?" Quinn said, "You never know, Boom. Maybe you had a bigger impact on him than you think. Like Z said, we don't know what happened after we left."
"I guess you're right."
"He's not you, Boom. He was never you," Quinn said, before rejoining the others in the Command Center.
Boom stood there in the empty corridor, wondering.
High above Earth, aboard Omallix's base, the evil villain stomped down the hallway of the second floor, heading towards his destination. He arrived there and keyed in the proper command codes to open the door. Inside, Felix turned and his jaw dropped at the sight of his true captor.
"I understand, doctor, that you don't want to cooperate with me," Omallix said. "I guess we're going to have to work on that."
Felix looked genuinely frightened, as the doors to the laboratory closed behind Omallix, who was walking towards him.