A Secret Revealed

Groot lunged forward, smashing the panel! Jason punched the beast, crying out in pain as his fist hit solid wood! Groot then knocked him into a banner! Before he could attack further, Hitomi ran over and snapped a photo, blinding Groot with the camera flash! "Come on", she said as she lead the five teens and the MC outside. "Is everyone OK?", asked Hitomi. Suddenly Groot grew to giant size and busted out of the building, raining debris down onto the street! The MC, Hitomi, and the five teens ducked into an alley as the monster thundered past. Hitomi got her camera ready and ran after Groot. "Where are you going?", asked the MC. "After that monster", said Hitomi as she ran off. "OK", said Jason, "We'll go get help". "Who do you call for this kind of thing?", asked the MC. "Go get the police", said Billy, "We'll try to help everyone on the ground". "Right", said the MC as she ran off. "Alright guys", said Jason, "It's Morphin' Time!" "Mastodon!" "Pterodactyl!" "Triceratops!" "Saber-Tooth Tiger!" "Tyrannosaurus!"

As Groot marched down the streets of Tokyo, he was then hit by tank shells fired by the Triceratops Zord! "OK, Billy, let's lure him to the construction zone", said Kimberly as she flew in on the Pterodactyl Zord. Groot growled as he was hit by tank shells and lasers! As soon as he stumbled into the construction zone for a new skyscraper, the Tyrannosaur Zord attacked and bit his arm! "Zack, Trini, block off the area", said Jason. "On it", said Trini. They parked their Zords near the street entrances, preventing Groot from attack the people fleeing below! Just then, Groot shrank down to the size of a man, and the Zords disappeared! "Rangers", said Zordon over the communicator, "I'm sending you mighty weapons to take care of this threat". Just then, weapons appeared in the hands of the Power Rangers. The Red Ranger got a sword, the Black Ranger got an axe, the Yellow Ranger got a pair of daggers, the Blue Ranger got a double-sided lance, and the Pink Ranger got a bow. As Groot lumbered forward, the Pink Ranger shot him with a laser arrow! Then, the Yellow Ranger slashed him with her daggers! The Blue Ranger then impaled him on his lance, allowing the Red and Black Rangers to use their weapons to slice Groot's head clean off! Hitomi gasped when she saw it, and was about to snap a picture when the Power Rangers disappeared! Then, she got a call on her cell phone. "Hitomi, are you OK?", asked Spider-Man. "I'm fine", said Hitomi, "The Power Rangers took care of Treebeard". "Oh, thank God", said Spider-Man, "I'll be back in Tokyo by sundown. I'll see you later". "Take care", said Hitomi.

Spider-Man sighed with relief as he flew the Marveller back to the mainland. Suddenly, his phone rang. "Good to know your lady is doing fine", said Mamiya. "How do you know that?", asked Spider-Man. "I just have a good feeling about these things", said Mamiya, "You're heading back to Tokyo, right?" "Yes, why?", asked Spider-Man. "Mamiya and I are going to intercept the shipment in Osaka", said Melanie, "From there, we'll head to Apex HQ in Tokyo. There is one more thing, though". "What's that?", asked Spider-Man. "That tree thing didn't break loose", said Melanie, "It was set free". "What!?", asked Spider-Man. "I thought the same thing", said Melanie, "Apparently, its cage was remotely opened. Same with the one in Tokyo." "You know what that means, right?", asked Mamiya. "Yeah", said Spider-Man, "The terrorist attacks on Apex are a false-flag, and somehow, the Power Rangers are involved".

Later that evening, the Power Rangers changed back to their normal attire and went back to the hotel. "So much for the peace conference", said Kimberly. "Indeed", said Billy, "They'll have to either cancel the rest of it or look for a new venue". Just then, they got a call on their communicators. "We read you, Zordon", said Jason. "Rangers", said Zordon, "Alpha and I have made a shocking discovery." "That tree beast didn't break out", said Alpha 5, "It was released". "How?", asked Zack. "We aren't sure", said Zordon, "All we know is that another of its kind was released in Okinawa and that Spider-Man was there to stop it". "It called itself a Machine Bem", said Kimberly, "What's that mean, Zordon?" "The Machine Bems were terrible creatures used by Professor Monster and the Iron Cross Army", said Zordon, "Only Spider-Man has ever beaten them". "Looks like we'll have to find him now", said Jason. "Good luck, Rangers, and may the power protect you", said Zordon.

Meanwhile, Takuya had put away his Spider-Man costume and come home to find Hitomi looking over her photos on her laptop. As soon as she saw him, Hitomi raced over to Takuya and embraced him, planting kisses all over his face. "Enough", laughed Takuya, "Are you OK?" "I've never been better", said Hitomi, "I managed to get one of my pictures on the evening news for a pretty hefty sum. It pays to be a professional in the midst of danger". "I really wish you wouldn't make this a habit", said Takuya, "Spider-Man can't be in two places at once". "Come on, let's see the news", said Hitomi as Takuya flopped onto the couch. "Just earlier today", said a reporter, "a monster calling itself Machine Bem Groot attacked the Tokyo Hall and Conference Center. Luckily for the rest of the city, the Power Rangers, those mysterious protectors of Angel Grove, California, intervened and killed the beast in action". At that moment, Hitomi's photo of Groot fighting the Tyrannosaurus Zord appeared, making her excited as she pointed at the TV. "Yes, I see it", said Takuya, earning him a mocking slap on the arm. "By eerie coincidence", said the reporter, "the conference hall was hosting a peace conference with several young men and women from Angel Grove". They then played a clip of Trini's speech from earlier. "Wait a minute", said Takuya, "I know that voice". "Apex Cybernetics has taken the body of Groot away to be inspected", said the reporter, "CEO Walter Simmons had this to say from his office in Osaka". "We here at Apex Cybernetics are actively working out how to best deal with these alien threats", said Walter, "For now, we will delay any further developments until we are safe". "Inspirational words from Apex CEO Walter Simmons", said the reporter as Takuya turned off the TV. "Where'd you hear that voice?", asked Hitomi. "From the Yellow Ranger", said Takuya, "I think those kids are the Power Rangers". Hitomi looked through her photos. "You might be right", she said, "But look at this". He then saw a picture of Groot's dead body, and on his shoulder was an Apex logo. "I'll investigate this lead", said Hitomi, "You find the Power Rangers and get some answers". "Yes ma'am", smiled Takuya as he saluted. What neither of them knew was that they were being watched.

Somewhere in Osaka, Walter Simmons got out of an elevator and was surprised to see Melanie Sheer and a disguised Mamiya waiting for him on the helicopter landing pad. "I thought you were surveying the outpost in Okinawa", he said. "I thought I'd check in on the shipment", said Melanie, "Can't have another Hogan twins incident". "No indeed", said Walter as he eyed Mamiya, who scratched his fake beard. "Daisuke here is helping with some personal matters", said Melanie. "OK then", said Walter as the helicopter landed in front of them, "Shall we continue this in Tokyo?" "Gladly", said Melanie, "Come on, Daisuke". They got into the helicopter and flew after the plane with the shipment on it.

Back in the command center, Alpha 5 heard a beeping on his computer. "Ay yi yi, Zordon!", he exclaimed. "What is it, Alpha?", asked Zordon. "We have a tachyon pulse near Shibuya", said Alpha 5. "Rangers?", said Zordon. "On our way", said Jason.

The five teens were then teleported to an alleyway, where they then found a large, metal spider with a pulsing, red light. "It looks like a transmitter", said Billy, "But who left it here?" "Me", said a voice. It was Spider-Man! "He knows who we are!", said Zack, "It's Morphin' Time!" The five teens took out their Morphers. But then, Spider-Man yelled: "Spider Strings!" Five spider webs shot out of the Spider Bracelet and grabbed the Morphers! With a hard tug, he yanked them out of the teens hands and they flew into a bag! "Oh no", said Jason, "That guy has our Morphers!" "That's right", said Spider-Man as he leaped down from the alley wall, "and I will only give them back if you answer my questions. First of all, what is your deal with Apex?" "We're here for the peace conference", said Kimberly, "Other than that, we thought you had something to do with the recent monster attacks". "Me?", asked Spider-Man, "I thought you were involved with the monsters". "Seems to me like we've been duped", said Jason. "Indeed", said Spider-Man as he tossed them the bag, "Let's not fight. Let's work together". He and Jason then shook hands. "We'll start with Apex", said Trini, "This isn't the first time we've had to deal with them"…

At that moment, Hitomi was getting out of a taxi when a haggard man approached her. "Help me", he said, "They're after me!" "Who's after you?", asked Hitomi. "Them", said the man as he pointed to three guys with guns trained on Hitomi. She turned to see the man remove his beard and take out a gun. Then, a limo pulled up and a door opened. The men forced Hitomi into the limo and drove off to the Cyber Pyramid, Apex's headquarters. "Package is on the move", said one of the men, "Bringing her to the Cyber Pyramid as we speak". "Excellent", said a voice over the phone, "Bring her to the observation deck". What no one realized was that Hitomi had activated a tracking device. All she had to do was wait for either Spider-Man or the Power Rangers to come to her aid.

Meanwhile, the Power Rangers managed to catch Spider-Man up on everything so far. "So the common connection is Apex", said Spider-Man, "Seems like they've managed to reverse engineer some of the Iron Cross Army's old tech and are using it to make new monsters. But why?" "Apex has made it clear they're anti-alien", said Kimberly, "After what Rita did, I'm hardly surprised". "So Apex must be creating weapons of mass destruction to take us out, and you as well", said Jason as he pointed to Spider-Man. Just then, Spider-Man tensed up. "What is it?", asked a worried Zack. "My Spider-Sense is tingling", said Spider-Man. He opened the lid on the Spider Bracelet and saw a beeping light. "My friend is in trouble", said Spider-Man, "Can you help me find her?" "Without a doubt", said Billy, "I've always wanted to help you. You're my hero". "Thanks, Billy", said Spider-Man as the Spider Machine GP-7 rolled up, "I'll track the signal to where it's going. I'll have a signal ready for you to come after me". "Sounds like a plan", said Trini, and with that, Spider-Man raced off.

Hitomi was lead to an observation deck, where Walter Simmons was waiting with a glass of whiskey in hand. "Welcome, Hitomi", he said, "Make yourself comfortable with my other guests". She then saw Melanie and Mamiya lead into the room, with one of the guards making a point to rip off the fake beard Mamiya had on. "Melanie, why did you tell Interpol here my scheme?", asked Walter calmly. "We're supposed to work with the government, not be above it, you son of a bitch", said Melanie spitefully. "Au contraire", said Walter, "As Trini said earlier, we need to be prepared for when things get worse, which they will. Both Spider-Man and the Power Rangers were able to beat some of my beasts, but now, it's time for the main event". Just then, an alarm went off.

Deep in the pit below, the ground opened up to reveal something on a rising platform. It was a cyborg dragon with a square head that had a metal crest, scutes that curved inward with laser cannons attached, a long, whip-like tail capped with a steel blade, a metal right arm with three fingers, a flesh arm with four fingers, and metal armor on its legs, arm, and parts of its tail.

(Blumenkranz-Cyua)

"I give you Serpentera", smiled Walter, "Made from the decayed body of the dragon Fin Fang Foom and assorted cybernetic parts. We actually have a fully robotic back-up just in case. A marvelous design is it not?" "Yeah, the guns are a real turn-on", said Hitomi, earning her some strange looks from Melanie and Mamiya. "Let's see what it can do", said Walter as he pushed a button. They then saw another Groot emerge from a door deep in the pit! When he tried to attack Serpentera with his claws, the cyborg fired his rockets, blasting off his arm! Then, Serpentera grabbed Groot by the shoulders and blasted his head off with his flaming blue breath! "Holy shit", said Melanie. "And that is only a sample of its power", said Walter, "The real test will be against Spider-Man and the Power Rangers". Just then, he saw the Spider Machine GP-7 pull up in front of the Cyber Pyramid. "Now it begins", said Walter.

To be Concluded…