The Rangers rushed to their Zords, getting themselves strapped in and powering them up for the battle ahead. Zoey took a deep breath as Jax slotted into place, forming the control unit for her Zord.
"That thing is giving off some freaky high power levels." Jax commented. "If I had a digestive system, I'm pretty sure I'd be sh…"
"Believe me, the feeling is more than mutual." Zoey sighed as she started turning on all the systems. There were a few things that needed to be flicked on and off a couple of times to respond, and some of the displays seemed a little wonky. "My Zord's seen better days."
"Yeah, the old girl could really use some more time and TLC." Jax agreed.
"Joanne wasn't joking when she said they weren't 100%." Ravi added, signing on. "If this were any other situation the Grid Battleforce Regulations would insist that they were restricted to the base for repairs."
"Kind of feel bad for it." Smash lamented. "It doesn't feel good taking it out like this."
"Unfortunately we don't have that luxury." Nate chipped in. "If we don't take care of this thing now, there's not going to be a city left to save."
"We've faced long odds before." Steel reminded them. "And if there's one thing we know, it's how to take the fight to the bad guys when they think we're out."
"We may be on the back foot, but so is he." Devon declared, trying to sound confident. He knew that their odds weren't in their favour. In one of his videogames, if he was about to head into a boss area and he hadn't encountered that boss before, he liked to do some grinding first. To get some weapons, healing items and suchlike in order to be able to keep in the fight long enough to figure out what he was up against and devise his strategy. He didn't like the fact he was asking his team to enter a fight against what appeared to be Evox's ultimate weapon so underprepared. "Commander, we're about to head out. Any support you can give would be great."
"I've already got units setting up long range support." She informed him. "I don't know how much good it'll do, but if we can do anything at all…"
"Hey, even a distraction is good right about now." Devon told her. "Alright guys, let's do this thing! Cruise, roll out!"
The Zords launched out into the city, which was already under attack. The sky had darkened under the sheer bulk of Evox's new Zord, and the devastation of his salvos. Devon leaned back in his seat as they approached.
"Jesus, look at the size of that thing!" He commented. "It's the biggest damn Zord I've ever seen."
"I reckon even Titanos would have had to look up at that thing." Ravi added.
"Well, you know what they say, the bigger they are," Zoey sighed, "the more bones they break."
"Come on, let's think positive." Devon told them. He narrowly avoided a massive blast from the rampaging Zord, skidding around to regain control. "That was way too close! What's your reading on it, Cruise?"
"Let's put it this way, if one of those hits, the least of your worries will be what Joanne has to say about your Zords." Cruise said.
"Rangers! You have defied me for the last time!" Evox cackled as he smashed through some buildings. "My Chimerazord is the ultimate weapon!"
"Chimera?" Nate asked as he started checking his systems, trying to analyse the zord before them. "Guys, that thing…that must be what he had Kendall help him to make. It appears to be based on their Dino Zords but…I'm finding multiple DNA strands inside it."
"And they needed a crystal for the transformation." Ravi recalled. "The crazy bastard must have used Kendall's Energem!"
"OK, we know what we're up against." Zoey stated. "Now the question is, what do we do about it?"
"We chip away at it." Devon replied. "Commander, whatever you have out here, now's the time!"
On a building not too far away, Ben and Cole got to the rooftop, bringing a large laser cannon with them. It was a heavy weapon, designed for assaulting armoured vehicles and bunkers. They still didn't know how much good it would do against the Chimarazord, but they knew that right now, anything they had, they needed to throw at it.
"OK, we're in position." Cole stated. "So, how many times have you acted as loading crew?"
"Including this time?" Ben asked. "Um…this would be one."
"Look, the most important thing you need to do is make sure you have power cells ready whenever I need to reload." Cole told him. "You just let me worry about the rest."
Cole whipped off his jacket, throwing it aside, before picking up the cannon and shouldering it.
"Fire team 3, in position." Cole called into his communicator. "Awaiting order to fire."
"All fire teams, you are free to fire at will." Commander Shaw instructed them. "Fire at will."
Cole took careful aim, before opening fire.
In the Chimerazord, Evox watched as beams came flying for him from rooftops across many city blocks, hitting the hull. The Chimerazord barely flinched under the impact, its power was far too great to be phased by such comparatively weak weaponry, but the beams kept coming, making it hard to focus on what was ahead.
"Pathetic insects, don't you know you're only delaying the inevitable?" He hissed, trying to locate a target. He focused on one building, opening fire, at which the top four levels disappeared in a hail of rubble.
He didn't see the Beast-X Megazord coming, slamming into the side of one of its many heads, rocking the machine violently.
"Alright, that got his attention." Devon commented. Nate opened fire from his Megazord, raining fire into the many faces of the Chimerazord.
"We're definitely distracting it, but I don't think we're doing any real damage." Nate stated. "Its power levels are barely affected."
"We just need to keep up the pressure!" Devon told them as the Megazord leapt into the air, seizing one of its heads and holding on for dear life, hacking into it with its sword. "Come on guys, we've got this!"
"He's not happy, that's for sure." Zoey said as she wrestled with her controls, trying to hang on while the Chimerazord thrashed around in an attempt to throw them off.
"Guys, look out!" Ravi screamed as the Megazord slipped a little, allowing one of the heads to grab it in its jaws, before throwing them through a row of buildings. The three Rangers struggled to regain their bearings.
"OK, that was a bad one." Devon acknowledged. "Joanne, give us a damage report!"
"It'd be a shorter list telling you what isn't damaged." She told him. "Devon, you need to get out of there. Another shot like that and you'll be obliterated!"
"We can't give up!" Nate yelled. "If we don't force him from the city, there's not going to be anything left!"
"Maybe we don't have to force him anywhere." Devon mused as he racked his brain for a solution. "Guys, split up."
"Split up?" Ravi asked.
"You heard me, split up!" Devon repeated. "We need to get him out of the city! Since we can't force him anywhere the best thing we can do is lead him."
"You want to get him to chase you?" Zoey asked him. "Devon, if we split up, we lose a lot of our power! If we take a hit, we're done for!"
"Then we're not in much different a position than we are now!" Devon answered. "Disengage, I'm going to get his attention and get moving. I'll send co-ordinates to the rest of you, just take any shots you can while we lead him away from the city! Meghan, deploy the Beast-X King Zord! I'm going to need all the help I can get!"
"OK, let's give him some cover while he does his thing." Ravi said as the Zords split up.
The Zords engaged in a deadly game of hit and run, forcing Evox to divert his attention one way, then another, all while Devon got his Zord ready for his part of the plan.
When The Beast-X King Zord appeared, it converted to bike mode, at which Devon's Zord leapt onto it. He fired several shots into it, unleashing all the power he could, destroying the eyes on one of its many heads.
"You'll pay for that!" Evox roared.
"You want it? Bring me the bill!" Devon answered as he sped away. The Chimerazord sprinted after it, forcing the other Rangers into evasive action. Zoey's zord flew too close to a building, the rotors clipping it and sending it spinning to the ground.
"ZOEY!" Nate screamed.
"I'm…I'll be alright." She assured him. "You guys go on."
"Zoey…"
"I'm going to have to do the rest of this on foot." She told him, converting it to Jackrabbit mode. "I'll catch up!"
"Whatever you have in mind, Devon, I hope it's good." Ravi sighed, shifting gears as they set off in pursuit.
Back at the base, Blaze and Roxy were watching anxiously on monitors in the Command Centre, while Commander Shaw and General Burke followed the action. Meghan and Joanne were manning the Zord stations.
Blaze noticed how worried, Roxy looked. They all looked worried, but for her, she was watching the man she loved, the father of her unborn child, risk his life in a massively outclassed Zord, hoping that one lucky shot wouldn't tear through him like crepe paper. He came over, putting his arm around her.
"Roxy, you need to relax." He told her. "This isn't good for the baby."
She didn't say anything, instead just shivering nervously. Blaze held onto her.
"How are the Zords holding up?" Commander Shaw asked.
"They're pretty banged up, but they're holding together." Joanne answered. "Barely."
"They're out of the city." Meghan told them. "They're leading them way into the woods."
"What the devil are they doing?" General Burke asked.
"I've learned better than to question Devon." Commander Shaw told him. "I may not always see what he's up to, but he always has something in mind."
"Wait, the direction he's going…" Meghan said, looking at her display, making some calculations. "He's heading in the direction of the Black Ops Bunker!"
"Well, at least it's well away from the city." Commander Shaw answered. She then noticed Blaze holding onto Roxy. She made her way over, putting her hands on her shoulders, causing her to look up at her.
"Whatever happens, we need to keep faith." She told her. "If there's a chance, no matter how small, I know my son will come back to you. He has far too much to come back for."
"I really hope so." Roxy whispered quietly.
Back at the site of the battle, Devon came to the clearing by the Black Ops bunker, his Zord leaping off the Beast-X King Zord and taking up a defensive stance.
"Meghan, take the controls." Devon told her, knowing she would have remote access to the Beast-X King Zord. "Lion Mode, hit and run, with me!"
He converted to Cheetah Mode, darting through a barrage of blasts from the Chimera Zord, pouncing and scoring a raking hit with its claws the entire length of its back. The Lion Zord did the same.
"Guys, I could really use you all out here!" Devon told them. "ETA!"
"About two minutes." Zoey told him.
"Alright, I'll try to hold that long." Devon answered.
"You're getting desperate!" Evox hissed. "You have nothing that can defeat the Chimerazord!"
"Hey, you're talking to a guy who defeated the Lord of Cinder with a dagger." He said with a wry smile, trying to sound confident. His systems were sounding alarms all around, and he knew that his Zord was massively underpowered. At best, he was going to inconvenience Evox, but as long as he had anything left, he was going to keep going. Both Zords darted around, scoring glancing hits wherever they could, trying to unbalance the Chimerazord. Evox let out a roar of frustration.
"Stay still, damn you!" He yelled.
"Yeah, I'm gonna take a pass on that." Devon answered. Just then, Ravi broke through the treeline, his Zord slamming into the Chimerazord's hind legs, staggering it.
"Nice timing!" Devon complimented him. "Nate, Steel, help Ravi keep him off balance!"
Nate launched his crane hook, wrapping it around the Chimerazord's hind legs and pulling backwards, while Steel hit a bombing run across its back.
"That should give him something to think about!" Steel blurted out.
"Devon, this is all great and all, but we're still just pissing him off more than doing any actual damage." Ravi told him. "We need the Ultrazord."
"Not yet!" Devon told him. "If we bust it out now, we just give him one big target. Right now he's struggling to hit us."
"But we're not doing…"
"Trust me!" Devon interrupted him. Ravi settled down into his seat, taking a deep breath.
"OK, whatever you need." Ravi answered.
"I just need one thing." Devon stated. "Commander, open the doors!"
"Wait, what?" She asked.
"The hangar, open the doors!" Devon told her. She didn't know what Devon was thinking, but she turned to Joanne and nodded. Joanne punched in a few keys.
"Black Ops Hangar opening." She told him. "But we don't have anything in there."
"Not yet we don't!" Devon replied. "Alright, guys, follow my lead!"
They all watched as Devon rushed for the Chimerazord, dodging blasts on his way in, but suffering a few glancing blows on the way. He fought with his controls as he launched at it, slamming into one of its faces and clawing at it. The Chimerazord staggered backwards.
"What is he doing?" Ravi asked. "I got the hit and run, but this…this is just suicide…"
"No, I get it now!" Nate said, pointing at his screen. "He's driving him back! Guys, pour it on!"
They all followed Devon's lead, hitting the Chimerazord when they could, avoiding annihilation by mere inches as they went. Nate had to recoil as his control panel sparked.
"Devon, whatever you're planning, we need it to work fast!" Nate told him.
"Don't worry, we've almost got it!" Devon assured him. "Just a little more!"
With that, the Chimerazord started to stumble, scrambling with its footing. Ravi noticed what was happening, it had backed up into the hangar doors.
"Devon, you really think the Hangar can hold it?" He asked.
"Hopefully long enough!" Devon answered. The Chimerazord struggled to hold on, taking the full on assault of all of the Zords.
"We've almost got him!" Devon called out. "We just need one big hit…"
"I think I have just the thing!" Zoey answered. "Out of the way!"
She leapt high into the air with her Zord, before coming down, taking heavy fire on the way. Both of the Jackrabbit Zord's hind feet slammed into the Chimerazord, driving it downward into the hangar. It fell back with a huge crash, hitting the bottom.
"It's not big enough!" Ravi stated. "It's still…"
"It's big enough for our purposes!" Devon answered. "Commander, close the doors!"
Commander Shaw gestured to Joanne, who hit the commands. The doors closed over, metal grinding and protesting angrily as the doors came to the sides of the Chimerazord, unable to close fully. Now, only its two forelegs and its heads were exposed. Its forelegs flailed about, trying to find a target, while its heads were all forced to look up into the sky, its blasts harmlessly sailing into the heavens.
"Devon, you clever bastard!" Ravi whooped, seeing what he had done. "It's trapped!"
"It's not over yet, that isn't going to hold it for long." Devon reminded them. "Alright, NOW it's time for the Ultrazord!"
They all came together, forming into the Ultrazord once more. The power levels all increased, as they prepared for the attack.
"Alright, we're not going to get another shot at this." Devon reminded them. "It's basically only the paintjob holding these things together now!"
"Then we make it count!" Zoey agreed. "Jax, everything we have!"
"You know it, Zoey!" He yelled.
The Ultrazord bore down on the Chimerazord, its spear glowing brightly as it sliced into it, again and again. Devon looked at the display as it relayed information to him, looking for potential weaknesses as they sliced through armour.
"There, the energy core!" Devon told them.
"Devon, that thing is gonna blow!" Ravi told him. "It'll wipe out our Zords too!"
"Then just hope the ejector seats are one of the few systems that still work!" He answered. "Ultrazord, STRIKE!"
They all held onto the controls, which shuddered ominously as they struck home. The warning system went into effect, before all of the Rangers' seats were snatched backwards, pulled out of the cockpit. The Rangers and the Beasbots were all launched from the Zords, landing hard on the ground, rolling painfully to a stop moments before the Zords exploded devastatingly. They all watched as the doors of the hangar finally closed, slicing what remained of the Chimerazord free. The field all around them was strewn with smouldering and flaming wreckage of all the Zords. They all started to get up cautiously.
"Everyone alive?" Devon asked.
"Debating how much of a good thing that is." Ravi grunted. "But…yeah, we're still alive."
"Guys, look at that!" Nate said, pointing to the wreckage. It started to move. They all prepared their weapons.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding!" Steel muttered. "He's still kicking after all that?"
The wreckage fell aside, and Evox stumbled free. He started to make his way towards the Rangers, lurching forward in shuffling, uneven steps.
"Even after all that, he's still going!" Zoey complained. "What's it going to take to...?"
Just then, he stumbled a little. His eyes flickered and went dark, before his body pitched forward to the ground, completely still. They all approached cautiously.
"Nate?" Ravi asked nervously. "Is he…?"
"I think his body's taken too much damage. It's rebooting." Nate told them. "The energy readings say he's still alive."
"But he can't do anything?" Devon asked.
"Not for a while." Nate replied. "Guys, I think I might be able to finish him for good."
"What do you need us to do?" Devon asked.
"We need to get him back to my lab." Nate answered. "Before he reboots."
"Alright, we got this far." Devon said, pulling off his helmet and throwing it aside, catching his breath. "Commander, we're going to need a pickup…the Chimerazord is finally down."