Finally got it out! I'm so sorry for my inconsistent updates schedules, but inconsistency seems to work well with me and spend much needed time on the chapter. I am also back in university, so my updates will be a lot more random and unpredictable.
There are few changes I made, yes adding the Chaos of Crystal from the BOOM! Studios series is one. The second is the Sword of Excelsior, it doesn't really make sense for it to be in the middle of a random forest. I thought a temple is more logical and since I'm throwing some references to Greek Mythology, being that I said the crown is from Greece, the unnamed Warrior Goddess in my story is Athena the Goddess of Wisdom.
Third, now I'm adding my own lore to Power Rangers, so this is when deviation begins. The concept of the Morphin' Masters and the Emissaries also belong to BOOM! regarding to the Fates of Power, they belong to me. I am not making senesless change, I only add a change if it's going to really work and fits in with my universe.
To the song Kim is humming in the car, I'm making a reference to the God of War (2018) game. It's called Memories of Mother - Bear McCreary.
Lastly, I don't own the song: Ode To Fury - Miracle of Sound.
Enough of my lengthy rambling. Enjoy Part Two!
"I feel the need to endanger myself every so often."
- Tim Daly
Chapter 8: Once a Ranger Part II - The Power Vault and The Sword of Excelsior
Time: Unknown…
Year: 2006…
Canon: Once a Ranger
(Scene: Location Unknown and Incomprehensible/No POV)
An untouched region far from the boundaries and laws of Space-Time rested, a region created by The Morphin' Masters should anything happen that would compromise their safety in the heart of the Morphing Grid, should The Emissaries fail to protect them. However, as time went on, when civilisations rose and fell, few beings have managed to accidentally enter the Morphing Grid or the region beyond its reach. This region, The Morphin' Masters and Emissaries call the The Netherworld. No man or alien should not be able to enter either regions, but the one loophole that they failed to correct is: be in contact or hold a strong enough power source it can send into one of the said regions. Very few know this knowledge, only a select, chosen by The Emissaries and approved by the Masters themselves are Ninjor - the creator of the Dinosaur and Ninja Power Coins and Dulcea - the Guardian of the Ninjetti and the Animal Spirits, then Grand Sage Zordon of Eltar - the former White Falcon Ninjetti, a warrior, a friend, a husband and father.
The Emissaries watched the blossoming romance between Zordon and Aria of Phaedos, the close friendship with Dulcea and Ninjor. Much to their displeasure as they watched Zordon's life being carried out, he did tell his wife a few things about The Emissaries and The Morphin' Masters; but thankfully, no more than that. The trio of constantly shape shifting spirit rangers observed as Zordon and Aria fell for each other, so much so that Aria went with Zordon to his home: Eltar. While the Elders did not approve, Zordon fought his right to betroth Aria, they saw their love was so strong, they were willing to stand up against tradition. The Yellow Emissary had to admit, it was brave of them. Then their lives went off like a fairytale, they had a nice house, but living humbly among the working class citizens of Eltar and just as their masters predicted: Aria gave birth to a child, a baby girl sadly brought into the cruel universe, which was at war. To protect their child, they sent her forward in time, in hopes that evil, as The Galaxy War raged, they would never find her and use her for their personal gain.
While The Emissaries oversee the going ons of the Multiverse and the Cosmos, they do not oversee the destiny that each civilian is to live for. Destinies and prophesies are written by The Fates of Power, four beings granted the ability to see the future, write prophesies and write out the fate of every single human being and alien alike. There are a lucky few who managed to change their destiny or miraculously avoid it, but it catches up to them eventually. The Fates of Power cannot interfere with Time, but they know what they have written out will be fulfilled at a later point. The prophesy they have written is one that the Power Rangers are familiar with: the Falcon and the Crane, eternal soulmates and the strongest of the Ninjetti. The Fates don't often interact with The Emissaries, but at one single point in time, for the first time in centuries, if not longer; they did. The Emissaries came forward to convince them to rewrite the fate of a certain ranger they have laid out: the fate of the biologist Kendrix Morgan-Corbett. It was mapped out that she was to die at the hands of Psycho Pink when she discovered and retrieved the Savage Sword, while many believed she committed a selfless act, the Pink Ranger did indeed, it is not easy to give up your life for another; Kendrix was destined to die. However, The Emissaries ordered a meeting between them before the Masters to decide Kendrix's fate: whether to rewrite her destiny and allow her to return to the land of the living or keep her in the Spirit World.
The trial was long and gruelling, it lasted up to the point the Galaxy Rangers were nearly finished their journey and ended up back on Mirinoi. After hearing arguments on both sides, the Masters came to an agreement, seeing it is not easy to defeat human perseverance and spirit, on top of taking pity on Leonardo Corbett - the younger brother of Mike Corbett, they closed the meeting. The decision was that The Fates of Power rewrite Kendrix's destiny and allowed her to return home. The Fates warned that this would be the one time and obviously they kept to their word. The fate that was set for the child of Zordon and Aria was a grim one, to live a life of both hardship, happiness and when she thought her life was stable, only death will come to greet her. Unfortunately that piece of parchment of her destiny managed to slip through a small Grid Tear that The Emissaries were quick to fix. It somehow ended up in Zordon's possession, fearing what was set for his daughter, he never told Aria, nor the child's aunt and uncle; so he thought burning the parchment would prevent such a tragic destiny. Sadly, it has done the opposite and set it in stone. Kara of Eltar, sole daughter of Grand Sage Zordon of Eltar and Commander Aria of Phaedos, will die at the hands of the leader of The Armada on Eltar's twilight. Before that, the ones who managed to avoid their destiny altogether were Wesley Collins And Jennifer Scott - the Red and Pink Time Force Rangers.
The humans say that fate can be cruel, that saying is very much true, while The Fates can write destinies of glory, they are capable of tragedy. The Fates can defend themselves all they want, say they are carrying out the duty that The Morphin' Masters set for them, but The Emissaries think they have little emotion to humans and those who live beyond Earth, and believe that mankind is nothing but a plaything of fiends. That is exactly how they see The Fates: fiends, as they happily play on mankind's destiny, like puppets and they are the puppeteers.
The two forces have gone to blows before and it took The Morphin' Masters, who created both, to cease the fight. If a fight broke out, it will strain and shatter the Morphing Grid. Therefore, one of the Masters have been appointed to watch over The Fates and make sure they did not abuse their power. The Emissaries and The Fates of Power never saw eye to eye, especially after they won the agreement to reverse Kendrix's destiny, so she could live a happy, married life with Leo Corbett. Back to the other matter at hand, when it was said some people accidentally entered the Grid and they have accepted the entry of automatons, but humans and aliens are a different story. This particular human being, who was on the hunt for the legendary Corona Aurora, it was unfortunate that his thirst for the truth ended up making him push away the family he loved. Yes, he did it for their protection, Kamdor and Miratrix were after him, there was a cruel twist of fate for him; he was supposed to die by their hands but The Emissaries, the Yellow in particular took pity and went to him, bringing him to the safety of not the Morphing Grid, but the Netherworld. She took pity because she watched his adopted daughter go through one hardship after another and it would completely break her if her father died; it was better to let his daughter hate him somewhat, than be completely broken.
The Red and Blue Emissaries are not easily moved, even though they respect mankind, but the Yellow Emissary has a lot of empathy for the life of mankind, taking particular interest in the life of the Hart Family. She watched as his daughter excelled in school, made friends, put up with bullies and the seeing the beautiful bond between father and daughter. How he became such a role model for her, until he stumbled upon the myth of the Corona Aurora and everything went downhill from there. Between working in a History Museum for some time, then meeting the young and ambitious Andrew Hartford, who is now a Doctor of Archaeology, then leaving behind his research for Hartford and his daughter; he has ended up in this strange pocket region because a higher power took genuine pity on him. For eleven years he was kept in this region, eleven years watching his daughter and her friends become something bigger than themselves. He was proud that his little cub discovered her origins, grimaced seeing the pain and hardship she went through, being unable to get on with her stepfather, shaky grounds with her mother, going from the perky and optimistic girl, to being cautious, scarred and battle worn soldier. It pained his heart that she stopped looking for him, accepting the fact assuming he his dead. The man of age fifty-six put his hand against the holo-image of his daughter, only for it to run through it. He then pulled out a photo of when she was six, the two were having another trip to the mountainside, his child, not caring that he and his ex-wife adopted her, so happy to be with him, her smile was like the sun itself. How could he have been so foolish to throw it all away? He was angry at himself for a long time. He then sighed out loud and spoke, literally into nothing.
"I wish to be with her. I have been here long enough." His voice was tried and weary, he was sick of being an observer of his daughter's life. He now wanted to be a part of it, he missed out on so much. At the corner of his eye, or a flash of red, blue and yellow reflected on the lens of his glasses.
"We have told you numerous times Dr. Hart, the barrier keeping you here is too strong." The voice belonged to that of the Red Emissary. Dr. Hart turn around, seeing The Emissaries once again.
"It is for the barrier to decide, whether to free you or not. Your yearning alone is not enough." The Blue Emissary reasoned.
"Remember, it is I who risked saving you and thus changing your destiny. We are already in the crosshairs with The Fates of Power." Added the Yellow Emissary, "You will be free soon, it won't be long for your daughter's hour of need and only then will the barrier be weak enough, for you to break through." Dr. Hart scowled at The Emissaries, as much as he used to be fascinated by them. He was just tired of being in the Netherworld, he surprised himself that he hasn't gone crazy or lost his mind. The thought of reuniting with his daughter kept him sane for the past eleven years.
"Fine." He snapped, "I'll play your fucking waiting game." For now, Dr. Hart was stuck here until then, but at least he has rekindled hope that his eleven year long suspension will be at an end and soon.
Next Day…
14:20…
Wednesday…
9th August 2006…
(Scene: Andrew's Office, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)
I walked or sort of limped, back and forth with a book in my hand, trying to figure out a way to restore mine and the rest of the team's powers. I can thank god that the accelerated healing has kicked in, my injury is healing faster than what Spencer calculated. The kids yesterday, watched in amazement as the retro rangers fought off Moltor's Lava Lizards, I was impressed myself. Rocky led the team well, they handled the foot soldiers that my team fight on a daily basis, as if they were their own foot soldiers. It was kind of… sentimental to see the rangers of past teams work together, right now, my husband is outside with them and the kids giving them combat lessons as promised. The kids did not want to return to their personal lives and wanted to help in any way they can, it seems like they feel they have a lot to live up for. Bringing myself back to the present, I growled in frustration, dumping the fifth book I went through on Andrew's desk and picked up the sixth. I'm hoping to look for other alternatives, I don't think I can put myself in the situation with the illusion again. All those feelings I buried, I don't want them to be resurfaced again too.
After reading the sixth book, nothing useful and it looks like the only option is to retrieve the crystal. I think it has another name, some call it a Chaos Crystal and are very rare to come by, it makes me wonder how my father got his hands on one. It's going to be a gamble; can the crystal give as well as take? Suddenly, I was brought out of mind when I heard a knock on the door. I told the person to enter, speak of the devil, it was my husband. I put the book down on the desk and smile at him.
"Hey Tommy." I greeted, "Shouldn't you be with the kids?",
"Andrew, Spencer and Mímir, along with your kids asked me to check on you." He laughed nervously. "Also, you should not be putting weight on your leg, Beautiful." Tommy stood next to me, his height clearly towering mine.
"Remember Handsome, I've been through worse. A stab to the leg is not going to stop me." That was when Tommy kissed me, which I returned. I know what he wants, especially that he closed the door behind him. "Really Tommy? Now?",
"Did I ever tell you, you look sexy in green?" He growled, making the hairs on my neck rise.
"Aw, jealous?" I mocked, "That I can pull off green better than you, Rainbow Ranger?" It seems like our hormones were going into overdrive, no pun intended now, again, Tommy lifted me onto Andrew's desk, as we kissed intensely. We tugged at each other's shirts, as we pressed into each other. Neither of us heard the door open and just like eleven years ago, it happened.
"OH MY GOD! MY EYES!" Tommy suddenly pulled away from me, as I quickly hopped down from the desk, seeing Kira at the door. She was… traumatised by the looks of it, or on the verge of gouging out her eyes. I'm somewhat shocked we didn't trigger her Ptera Scream. "Rocky sent me to find you, Dr. O." She said shakily, trying to remove the image from her brain. I decided to throw the shock back at Kira.
"Come on, Kira. I know it's a shock, but I'm pretty sure you done it with Trent." At the corner of my eye, Tommy was trying to muffle his laughter, as Kira glared at me. I think I hit a nerve, as she had a look of carefully forming her answer.
"That's different!" She countered, "This is… walking in on my two former teachers!" Kira paced for a minute or two, then spoke again. "I-I'll um… tell Rocky you're with Dr. Hart. Now, if you excuse me." The Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger was quick to leave us, slamming the door shut. When she was out of ear shot, Tommy and I burst out into laughter. It took us a few minutes to get our shit together and calm down, Rex wasn't with me, he's outside with everyone else.
"Please don't tell Andrew we were about to have sex on his office desk. He might burn it and buy a new one.",
"Our secret is safe, Beautiful. Come on, put the book down and let's head outside." He suggested, "You could do with some air." I sighed, shaking my head, but he's right. Air is not going to kill me. I followed Tommy out of the office, to head outside to meet the other rangers and the Overdrive kids.
14:30…
(Scene: Gardens, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)
Tommy and I walked out to the kids, just seeing Rocky judo flip Mack to the ground. I swear the Ape Ninjetti better not have broken my poor Red Ranger. I had to stop for a moment, leaning on Tommy's shoulder for support to ease the pain in my leg. God damn it, when our powers get restored, Silverback is going to be in for a world of hurt and maybe I might sever his wing, like I did to his brother. During breakfast Dax asked me if I considered having a pair crutches until the stitches could be removed, but I declined. I soldiered through worse pain than this, the most painful I can remember is the landmine on Mirinoi, definitely not fun. Oh yes, I forgot Halyley and Cam have arrived yesterday, the two are already in the throes of repairing our morphers with help from Andrew. Carlos said Andros has picked up Alpha, but they'll be another day or even less before reaching Earth, Andros probably has the Megaship at full speed. To be fair, I can't wait to meet Alpha again, not since… not since Aegis and I left Eltar five years ago. That's alright, we can wait a day. Spencer goes around to make sure we're eating properly and at the end of the day, Andrew promises more pizza. I feel sorry for him, with Ronny here, then add Rocky on top of that, he might order a near-to one-hundred dollars worth of pizza at extra large size. Along with that, I think everyone is getting used to Mímir's presence, the last person to faint was surprisingly Rocky. Anyway, the one thing they're enjoying about Mímir, is the stories he has to tell and it's fun watching them circle around him like children, whenever story time begins. It's actually adorable, they did that last night and I managed to snap a picture. It's one for the photo book, they'll appreciate the memories captured when they see them.
Tommy and I watched as the kids and the veteran rangers shook hands, thanking them for the lessons. Poor Kira is still mortified after witnessing what my husband and I did, she'll recover from that shock, eventually. I mean, she got it easy, just ask poor Billy. Speaking of Billy, I forgot that he came too. I swear to God I'm getting Tommy's swiss cheese brain. He hitched a ride from Hayley and insisted that his darling wife did not need to keep him company. When Billy arrived, Rose was fawning over him, asking about his projects and his work. Poor guy didn't know how to handle Rose until I got her to calm down. She still couldn't believe that I was still close friends with the CEO of Cranston Technologics. Then, to top it all off, because Rose seems to tick off all the boxes for the type of person he was looking for and offered to give her an internship for the duration of… seemingly he found out she was doing her Post Doctorate and along with that, offered to pay off the rest of her expenses. I might have slipped a word as well, I told Tommy that Billy should offer a place to Rose. I promised Rose from the very beginning I would put in a good word for her and a Hart never reneges on a promise. I meant my words. Of course, Rose figured it out and I found myself crushed in a hug after they shortly arrived.
I then heard Rex bounding towards me, with Hayley, Billy, Cam and Andrew. Looks like they all needed fresh air too. I was still leaning on Tommy to take the weight off my leg and I swear, I can see Billy and Hayley roll their eyes behind me.
"Really sis, you should get crutches." I turned after hearing Billy speak, then there was Daedalus sitting on his shoulder. He had a look on his face that said: 'I agree'. Hayley butted in too.
"Even though your stitches are coming out today, Kim; your leg needs to recuperate." Cam rightfully kept quiet, he heard a lot of things about my temper or just doesn't want to step on me the wrong way. All he did was clear his throat and adjust his glasses. Despite his sarcastic and snippy attitude, he's quite the teddy bear.
"Did you guys come here to fix our morphers or mother me?" I grinned,
"Both." Cam snickered, which caused me to glare at the former Green Samurai Ranger. Good Lord, help me if you are watching.
"I hate you all." I groaned, as Tommy patted my back. Suddenly, there was a beeping sound coming from Andrew's device. Looks like, he created something to monitor or get updates from the base below his mansion. He whipped out the device, which looked like a phone from his pocket. I went over to him and looked, definitely activity, and it's Fluious' turn to play. The Retro Rangers knew in an instant duty calls once again, they all followed Ronny inside to board the SHARC. With them gone, the other Overdrive Rangers decided to monitor the fight in the Overdrive Base. I need to get ourselves reconnected to the Morphing Grid and I guess retrieving the Chaos Crystal is our only option. Billy was giving me a look, he knew I was in deep thought, my 'planning' face; last time he saw that was when he was on Aquitar and we spoke over the communication line. It was coming up to the war. While everyone else went down to the base, Cam and Andrew, Mímir included, Billy and Hayley stayed behind. Shortly, I was just the three of us and Tommy, along with my service dog. It was the Blue Wolf Ninjetti to break the silence.
"What's on your mind, Kim? Talk to us.",
"It's completely theoretical, but I know the one object that can reconnect my team's morphers to the Grid and mine." I revealed,
"What's that Beautiful?" Tommy questioned. I turned to him.
"Remember the crystal we used, when we got sent to Earth-X?" His eyes widened.
"The crystal!?" He exclaimed,
"I read up more about it in my spare time. According to the texts father left us, it was also known as a Chaos Crystal." I explained,
"Don't like the name." Muttered Hayley, loud enough for all of us to hear. Yeah, I agree, it is an ironic name.
"Kim, this is risky." My husband reasoned, "We only know that the crystal can take, not give.",
"It maybe our only chance." I argued. Tommy, Billy and Hayley gave me a concerned look, almost as if they're wondering where I'm taking this; but they know the answer already. They can read it on my face. "I need to go home. I have to return to Angel Grove."
14:45…
(Scene: Underground Base, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/No POV)
The Overdrive Rangers watched on the screens as their predecessors fought the Chillers. Just like the Lava Lizards, they are tossing them around and at the moment, they're fighting them unmorphed! To be fair, with the prowess and dexterity they are witnessing, they would give them a run for their money. The kids watched how the former rangers utilised their environment to their advantage, Rocky, Alyssa and Carlos are doing well for having no superpowers. Kira and Tori, at separate stages were adept in close quarter combat, but then they used their own powers; Kira's was a high frequency super sonic screech, that almost blew their eardrums over the screen and Tori was using crazy ninja powers to control water. However, there was one thing they could all see: fluidity, they worked together despite being from different teams. Neither one was trying to outdo the other. The kids watched as the rangers dealt with the last Chiller, four of them linking their hands to form a cross chain or a small jumping platform. Rocky gave Alyssa the nod, she ran towards them, jumping onto their hands and in synchronised time, they pushed their arms up, giving the White Ranger momentum. Alyssa flew into the air and delivered the final sharp kick to end the last batch of Fluious' Chillers. Smiling at their work, they high-fived each other and decided to return to the mansion. Ronny, inside the SHARC, hovered above them after going into stealth mode, lowered the ropes so Rocky and the gang can attach themselves to be lifted up.
The Overdrive Rangers burst into laughter when the heard Rocky saying he was hungry. Ronny has the best eating partner now, after hearing stories about Rocky, Mack suddenly felt very bad about his dad's bank account. He'll possibly empty out his fortune by the end of this. Mack turned around to see Spencer was gone, it looks like he might have gone off to find their mentor and remove her stitches. The Red Ranger sometimes wishes his mentor would be less stubborn and listen to people, once this is all over, Dr. Hart definitely needs a holiday and he could almost guess she and her husband never had a proper honeymoon either. Hopefully, the Morphing Grid might give her some slack. Shortly, the heard the elevator, watching as Ronny and the Retro Rangers stepped out, stretching after the fight. The kids now see and understand why Dr. Hart pushed them to master close quarter combat without their powers, especially after watching the fight on the screen. None of the team morphed at all, because it wasn't required. Suddenly, they all went silent hearing Rocky's stomach growl, followed by the others, he turned to the younger rangers and smiled. Rose gestured to head upstairs and grab a bite, it's not surprising fighting makes them burn off a lot of calories and they left the base to get something to eat or more like raiding the food supplies.
15:50…
(Scene: Kitchen, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)
Tommy helped my team and the veteran rangers make some sandwiches to stave their hunger, before they empty the food in the kitchen. I ran my hand through Rex's fur to distract myself as Spencer removed my stitches, the wound courtesy of Silverback. It will still need to be bandaged, but I'm out of the danger zone of possible infection. That's a relief anyway and less things to worry about, particularly for Tommy. He just hates it when I get hurt. Even though he knows I can defend myself, he can't help himself when he plays White Knight in shining armour. I heard the last snip of the scissors and the old butler carefully pulled out the sutures. Once that was done, he cleaned my somewhat healed wound with an antiseptic and put on a clean dressing. It might scar, who knows, I think I lost track of how many I have now, but Tommy doesn't care, none of my friends do; they see me for who I am. I stood up again, my injury is still sensitive to pressure being put on it, but it's actually more bearable now. Tyzon placed a sandwich in front of me, which I smiled, taking it from him. The good old ham and cheese sandwich, at Tommy can't mess that one up, his mother did make sure that he can cook for himself before going off to… I think it was Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I'm amazed he hasn't forgotten to attend his classes, but he had Hayley to remind him and I heard she was like a hawk. Tommy told me some of the stories, much to ranger technician's embarrassment. Rose brought me out of my thoughts.
"Dr. Hart, I was wondering… why do you have a dog?" She asked me, "Is he just a pet?",
"Yes, but he's also my service dog." I turned to Tommy, "You forgot to bring his vest, am I right?",
"Maybe." Making us all laugh, so Hayley joined in.
"By maybe, he means he did. It was the same thing he did, when he forgot to set his alarm for his nine o'clock lectures.",
"HAYLEY!" Tommy yelled, out of mortification. Then his face changed, uh oh, looks like Handsome is going to turn the table on her. "You think that's hilarious? I was on hangover duty throughout my three years because you challenged people to a drinking contest!" I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from laughing, as Hayley went as red as Rocky's Ninjetti outfit. Oh god, I really don't want to know their shenanigans in their college years. How bad was it? It makes me somewhat glad that I was on Eltar on for all this. The kids on the other hand, were snickering because they couldn't believe this is same person who is quoted as the 'Longest Serving Ranger'. Then Rocky turned on me, after Tommy had his go on Hayley.
"You're not out of the water, Lieutenant." He grinned, "You started a lot of fights at the inn on Eltar." My rangers turned to me gobsmacked, they didn't think I would be the type to start fights. Hello! I did not start those fights! Thanks for ruining my image Rocky. I covered my face to hide my shame.
"Fuck you, DeSantos." I muttered. Then I turned the tide on him. "What about when Zedd put you under a spell and you goofed around the kid's playground, instead of helping us fight a monster that used to be a Pachinko Machine!" My statement had Tommy laughing, as Rocky sputtered like a car. Alyssa, Kira, Tori and Carlos were all snickering at him. I also turned on my husband. "Then you, Handsome." Tommy gulped. "You and Tanya got zapped, making you two sing for nearly the entire day." Rocky groaned upon remembering that time, during their Zeo days.
"Oh god! It was like listening to a bad musical. Tommy was really, quite the baritone… or maybe bass. Tanya was definitely a soprano." Tommy glared Rocky for recalling that memory. Then Billy joined in too, not wanting to be left out of the fun.
"You think that's bad, Rocky?" He said the Ape Ninjetti, "Try walking in on the two having a major make out session, that almost stepped into further territory! On the paw of my Wolf Ninja Zord! I had to sterilise it for a week!",
"That explains why you couldn't look at the two for a while." He chuckled, getting the image. I saw and heard Kira silently groan, you're lucky you got off easy Yellow Dino Ranger. Tommy and I were blushing fiercely and Hayley actually had a horrified look on her. "Watching the two of you get lectured by Zordon was… undoubtedly amusing to watch." God, now he was smirking. Tommy and I growled at him, our eyes flashing red and green.
"Fuck off!" We both said in harmony. It made the Blue Ninjetti Ranger cringe, but it was primarily the simultaneous glowing eyes. Oh yes, since the kids are here with us, I need to break the news to them. After talking to Hayley and Billy, with Tommy, he has agreed to bring me to Angel Grove to recover the Chaos Crystal. We might be gone for several hours, but if we have to, we'll spend the day. I just hope they can handle things without me monitoring activity. I got the Overdrive Rangers' attention and they looked at me, wondering what I was going to tell them.
"I know a way to relink our morphers to the Grid, but the object required is in Angel Grove or well… outside the city boundaries.",
"Then we'll come with you!" Mack said eagerly, but I shook my head.
"No, you have to remain here. Please kids, trust me.",
"I don't like this." Dax voiced, "None of us do." Tommy spoke on my behalf.
"Trust your mentor, kids. Where Kim and I are going, is something we experienced before. Neither of us want to endanger your lives any further.",
"Alright." Smiled Mack, "Go get that I object. Come back to us, promise?",
"I promise. Thank you for trusting me." I said to them all. "I better pack some spare clothes, then." Getting up from my seat, I headed upstairs with Tommy's help. He said if we have to spend the day in Angel Grove, we can stay over in his parents house or with Kat, once I don't get lectured. I seem to be made out as the worst when it comes to idiotic things, more so than the Reds. We'll think about it on the way.
17:50…
(Scene: Tommy's Car, Road To Angel Grove, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)
It actually didn't take myself and Tommy long to pack, it was only things we needed for the day or perhaps two, you never know. The promised to hold the fort, while Rocky and the rest of the Retro Rangers defend the city during our absence. I really hope my theory is correct, about the Chaos Crystal being able to give and not just take; Billy and Hayley are the same. For all I know, it's our only chance to get reconnected to the Morphing Grid. For my service dog's safety, Rex is staying back at the mansion, much to his dismay, so the Overdrive Rangers and Spencer are tasked at taking care of him. I pray he will not have gained weight when I come back, he's already bigger than the average German Shepherd and that's impressive. I leaned on my head, supported on my hand against the window, as I stared out into the vast road, taking in the scenery. When I was on Eltar, healing, I often took strolls around the fields outside the city walls, it was relaxing and I usually meditated then. On the odd occasion Uncle Ninjor and Aunt Dulcea would join me and when mother could get away from her duties, she did too. This is when I'm not drowning myself in volumes of scrolls and manuscripts in Eltar's archives. With the lack of music or a radio playing, I began to unintentionally hum a tune mother would 'sing', I guess. It sounded like Old Norse and Hela did reveal to me that my parents did visit Midgard at one point. When I thought about it, mother was singing in Old Norse, I guess one of the Gods or Goddesses from either Vanaheimr or Asgard taught her the song. I didn't get any of the lyrics because of the language and I wasn't adept in Old Norse, must add that to my list when I go through ancient texts from Scandinavian countries. As I said, Icelandic is the closest you'll get to Old Norse. The notes though, are unforgettable.
The song, there was something… beautiful, mournful about it, but hopeful at the same time. It was… as if it was meant to bring you peace. I recall when I had a nightmare during the early days of my return after the attack on Reefside, mother sung it to me, to calm me down. It was the first time I heard her sing, it put me at ease and brought me back to the real world. That was when my husband spoke to me.
"What are you humming, Kim?" He asked me, "It sounds lovely.",
"An old tune mother sung, either around home or to bring me back from a nightmare. Apparently, my parents visited Midgard before they had me." I told him and Tommy almost choked.
"Midgard!? As in…",
"It's called Earth-10." I grinned, "I know because myself and two of the Overdrive Rangers had to go there, to retrieve Mjölnir.",
"It's better than Earth-X." Tommy replied, keeping his eye on the road. The last thing we need is a car accident. "Still terrifies me to this day. You think the rebels are OK? I won't be surprised if Firebird's army and Ranger Battlions are still around." I brushed a piece of my hair back.
"If I'm honest, I won't be surprised if the Eltarians gathered their belongings and left the battalion high and dry. Firebird was their drive to continue serving.",
"I hope so too." The rest of the car towards Angel Grove was in silence. We were an hour and a half into the drive, somewhat half way till we reach home. It might be a good idea to sleep for the night, then let Tommy refill the fuel tank before heading to the location of the Power Vault. I just pray it's at the exact same co-ordinates, it's a good thing I memorised them. I also hope with all the rangers bunking in Andrew's home, I'll be surprised if it's still one piece, Rocky better not be pulling pranks, otherwise there will be war and I will have a few words with him. My poor service dog is possibly wishing he was with me. My mind further drifted to the vault, will the same illusion spell my father casted be there? Though… there can be variations from one Earth to another, perhaps my father casted a different spell here, maybe that invisible wall won't be there either. God, the Great Power, please let this be a smooth run and it won't involve fighting something, my leg is still recovering and I would be in for a hell of a lecture should Spencer and Mímir find out. No matter what I do, my excursions find a way to reach the ears of my friends and Tommy, along with my cousin. Everything does.
With The Overdrive Rangers…
18:15…
(Scene: Living Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/No POV)
The powerless Overdrive Rangers sat in the living room somewhat bored and were not exactly in the mood to hear another of Mímir's stories. Mack on the other hand, was reading a book, hoping there was another source out there that can recover their powers. The method their mentor is taking is dangerous and she, along with her husband didn't want to put them in further danger. The mansion was quiet because Moltor and Fluious sent out another wave of Lava Lizards and Chillers to attack the city; two attacks in one day, it's an unusual strategy. It was kind of strange for them, their enemies have been attacking the city more and more, rather using the absence of the main rangers to search for the jewels. Well… with the Retro Rangers around on temporary duty, it does put a dent or a delay in their initial plans, so it looks like they're trying to put the veteran rangers out of commission first. They bet their enemies are not happy with Thrax because he didn't take into account the previous teams before Overdrive. For the Power Rangers, there's always backup when needed.
Mack was sitting beside Rose as she worked on her thesis, the technicians were below in the base tweaking their morphers, they're nearly finished, which they're all glad about. They briefly got to meet Andros, after he dropped off Alpha 5 a few hours ago. The Red Astro Ranger couldn't stay, due to political affairs and Alpha is now, already inside the Morphing Grid trying to fix the damaged compartment that stores their powers. Alpha was a little sad he didn't get to meet Kimberly, she was already gone with Tommy, but was glad to see some old, familiar faces and new ones too. Tyzon was busy cuddling Dr. Hart's service dog Rex, who was enjoying the attention, Dax was watching YouTube videos and then Ronny and Will were listening to music. Hopefully by tomorrow or the day after, they'll be back in action and give Thrax and his goons the beating of a lifetime.
Mack suddenly leaned forward when something in the book caught his attention, Rose noticed, putting her laptop down. She leaned over to see what made him curious. On the page was a drawing of a sword and not just any sword, it's the legendary Excelsior. It could be there ticket to getting their powers back. Mack was having the idea they should look for it, they won't be able to sneak out discreetly, but Mímir, Spencer or both could vouch for them. They hate to duck out on the veterans and leave their mentor in the dark. The rangers looked at each other, seemingly to be mentally agreeing with each other, that they should all look for the sword and it would be safer in their hands and as a part of their arsenal, it might even in the fight against Thrax. After much talking among themselves, they came to an agreement, they'll leave early in the morning to find the sword, sneak out before anyone wakes up. However, they decided to tell Spencer and Mímir of their, so the two could cover for them, until they get back, they pray before Dr. Hart and her husband Mr. Oliver. The last thing they want is to be stuck in a lecture by their mentor.
By pure chance of luck, Mímir came walking in, accompanied by Spencer. Looks like Mack's dad is still down in the base, which is good. He might object to their idea. Spencer examined the look on each of the kids' faces and could tell they were planning something and not the good kind, it was more leaning towards the stupid kind. Closing the door and ensuring they were alone, he cleared his throat, wanting an answer from one of them, to explain what they were thinking of.
"Rangers, care to explain?" The kids looked at one another, before turning to Mack. Technically, it is his idea and they're just following their leader, but they agreed to follow him to obtain the sword. There was no way they would let him go on his own, they are a team to the end. Mack sighed to explain their plan, but good old Mímir slips in some snark to lighten the air.
"Wait! Don't tell us!" The tone of his voice was comedically dramatic. "You six are going to do something crackers and pray your mentor won't find out, you have gone on something stupidly dangerous. Am I correct, lass and lassies?" The six rangers mouths were dropped, trying to figure out how to reply to the former advisor of The Allfather. Mímir has practically summed up what they were going to do and to be fair, going after the Sword of Excelsior is dumb on their part. They have no powers and what if Thrax figured out their plan? They'll be in the deep then. Still, they're the Power Rangers, they have learned to work as a team, despite their ups, downs and differences and in the end, it made them closer, become good friends and is making them better people. If Dr. Hart's method doesn't work by some stroke of bad luck, the sword will be their only hope. The Rememberer spoke to them and sighed. "Alright kids, whatever it is you are doing. Come back safe for Kara's sanity and… just be careful. Spencer and I will vouch for you six." The kids sighed in relief, despite his short time with them here, Mímir is someone they can genuinely trust.
"Thanks, Mímir." Said Mack, "We owe you one." With that, the kids grabbed their belongings and ran up the stairs to do some research and planning.
Next Day…
5:30…
Thursday…
10th August 2006…
(Scene: Outside Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/No POV)
After intensive planning the night before, the kids managed to come up with a solid plan, to sneak out of the mansion long before anyone wakes up. They are thankful that they have Spencer and Mímir's support, the two will make up a story for their absence if Andrew and company notices. The person they don't want to notice or even know is their mentor, if she miraculously returns before they do. Mack and his team knows what it is like to get lectured by her, Tyzon is yet to experience that, but he agreed, that he rather not. He would like to be in one piece for his fiancé when he joins her in the afterlife, Dr. Hart might send him there in tiny vials of mercury, with an apology attached to it. Five of the rangers packed up the jeep with any necessities such as food, water, spare clothes and tools; along with the spare Overdrive Defenders. Rose was able to get some down in the base by going invisible, to avoid the hidden cameras and knew where the blindspots were, then Ronny was running reconnaissance around the mansion to make sure no one was up. To their relief, everything is going smoothly and according to plan.
Ronny speeded back after doing another round of recon just to be sure and gave them the all clear. Mack opened the garage door, which surprisingly released little noise, so they are not compromised yet. With that, they all hopped into the seven-seater jeep, Mack took the driver's seat, Rose took the passenger since she was tasked operating the navigation system, while Will, Dax, Ronny and Tyzon took the back. To be fair, Mack was adamant in driving, because they all knew, if Ronny drove, she might have them end up in an overnight jail cell for breaking every single known rules of the road and speeding will be the primary one; taking into account, her record and reputation in the Formula One racing world. With that, Mack inserted the keys into the ignition, turned it on and pressed down on the accelerator. Mack drove the jeep onto the driveway as the garage door automatically closed, turned the wheel and the Overdrive Rangers exited the gates of the mansion, now on their quest to find the Sword of Excelsior. Unbeknownst to them, someone actually spotted them leaving, the person was looking out the window after hearing something and saw the kids just driving off. The guest who saw the Overdrive Rangers leave clicked his/her tongue.
"What are you kids up to?" The witness thought.
Back To Tommy and Kimberly…
6:30…
(Scene: Cranston Household, Angel Grove, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)
Well, Handsome thought it was the brightest idea to go Billy's house to spend the night, before heading out to retrieve the Chaos Crystal. Billy wouldn't have minded us bunking at his place, Kat was there to keep us company, fed, watered and interrogate the hell out of us! When Tommy told her the plan to get mine and my team's power back up and running, she didn't have the claws out, but by god she can rant about my stupidity and Tommy's. Kat said to us right out that we're as bad as each other, on top of the fact I'm wearing his first ranger colour and to top that, she said the exact same thing as Rocky, not word for word, but close. The fact that I'm going to be another Tommy running around if I get my hands on white, red and black. Like I said from the very beginning when I accepted the morpher from Andrew after my capture: expect colour swap jokes. Oh! Following that, I got lectured when my husband told her outright that I am injured, after she saw me walk into her house last night limping, thanks for supporting me Handsome. It's nice to know that there are friends to lecture me, the same way I lecture the kids. I'll be lucky to keep my sanity intact. I'm even amazed that none of the others, apart from Rocky know about my injury.
So, I did have to tell her that, as she served breakfast for us and herself, that Goldar has a brother and that very brother has teamed up with Thrax, Zedd and Rita's son. Kat actually shivered upon hearing that and now, Silverdar is after to avenge his brother's death. Last time I checked, I only knocked him out just after hearing the sniper line was breached. I did see him turn to dust, unless I did wound him severely wound him when I went on that rampage after Bohan's death. No wonder Silverdar is after me, I was the last person to fight Goldar and injure him to the point of death, but father's purification wave finished him off. That explains why his younger brother wants to kill me. After finishing breakfast, Tommy got up to help Kat clear the dishes and did the same, only for a firm hand to push me back to my seat. I looked to see it was Kat who did it and she was giving me a stern glare.
"You will remain seated, young lady." I opened my mouth to object, I just want to be helpful! Kat gave me the gesture to zip it. "No excuses! Kim, your leg is still healing after you got fucking stabbed. Rest your leg!" I sighed, crossing my arms.
"Fine.",
"Good. You do remember that Aegis decided to move back here with Cassie, so don't make me call your cousin." She threatened. Oh… yeah… I kind of did forget that, last year Aegis managed to save up enough money to buy a house here in Angel Grove, so Cassie could be nearer to her family. Anyway, Reefside isn't a long drive compare to San Angeles which is a land locked city than a coastal one. Therefore, he won't have much trouble commuting to Reefside and back, neither will Cassie, plus; their move is underdstandable, Aegis met Cassie while she was in High School living here. There was something he loved about Angel Grove, more so than Reefside. Tommy and I get away with it because we live in seclusion, within the woods nestling outside Reefside. Anyway, I held my tongue to not answer Kat any further, I already got the claws a few weeks ago when myself, Mack and Rose returned from Midgard. Then Kat spoke again. "So, why is it that you two are here?" Tommy jumped in to explain.
"Kim and I heading to the Power Vault. It should be in the exact same location as the one on Earth-X. Kimberly needs the Chaos Crystal to relink her's and her team's morphers to the Morphing Grid.",
"However, the nature of the crystal is completely theoretical. All we know from our experience on Earth-X is that it is capable of taking back the Power." Kat sighed out loud, holding her head. It looks like we have given her headache. I just realised I sounded like her husband Billy.
"Sometimes, I think Kim, you are more stupid than ten Red Rangers combined after that Forever Red mission." I was about to argue about that statement, Tommy tried to defend himself, even though she can be right, but we were stopped. "I'll go with you two. You'll need an extra pair of eyes and ears, plus a ranger just in case.",
"I don't want to endanger you, Kat. The help is appreciated though." I smiled. Kat got up to the hidden safe in the kitchen, that concealed behind a painting. The safe looked complex and is definitely Billy's design. She typed in the password of the safe, which it accepted and the safe door unlocked. Kat pulled her Zeonisers and left her Wind Chaser Turbo morpher and key untouched, she admits that she prefers the Zeo Powers over the Turbo and wishes that Cassie kept them. Well, we really can't to afford to waste any more time, for all I know Thrax could be onto us. Kat sealed the safe, placing the painting back over it. Everything else was pretty much tidy, our belongings were in the car because we only planned to stay for the night.
Kat helped me back to the car as Tommy locked up the house for her. The Pink Zeo Ranger chose to sit in the back, as Tommy climbed into the jeep. He turned on the ignition as I typed the co-ordinates I memorised into the GPS and with that, we took off.
Two and Half Hours Later…
8:50…
(Scene: Power Vault, Desert, Outside Angel Grove, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)
Tommy screeched the car to a halt after we reached our destination. Jesus, I wasn't expecting my husband's old racing skills to kick since there wasn't heavy traffic and of course, we turned onto a dirt road. It wasn't long before we made it to the desert and he was free to hit the accelerator. I turned back to check on Kat, she looks a little green after that experience, but she managed to collect herself. We unbuckled our seat belts and got out of the jeep, Tommy locked his car and stuffed the keys into his pocket, also grabbing some flashlights. From the distance, I could see a single stone sitting right where the steps of the vault should be. Huh? Just like Earth-X, there does seem to be some form of consistency between Earths, but always keep in mind for variations. Neither Tommy nor myself know if that creepy illusion chamber will be there. Kat was staring at me as I walked with them. The Morphing Grid is still working wonders, my leg is still healing and I'm not limping that much anymore. I turned to Kat to ask what she was looking at.
"Sorry, it's still weird seeing you in green." She giggled, "You spent five years wearing pink and now this." My husband was chuckling with her too.
"I guess I was starting to grow out of pink." I teased. We stopped at the stone marker, so I got down to work to see where the switch on it was. I ran my hand along the stone until I felt the button and pushed it. Kat actually yelped, as the stone stairs revealed themselves while the sand sunk. She was amazed that my father built this, to be fair, even I am too. Where he got the resources is beyond me, unless the vault is actually older than it looks. Once that was done, we headed for the front entrance, which, as we expected was sealed by a password protected door. I pray the password is the same. I typed in the dates of birth of mine, mother's and father's and pushed enter. The passcode was accepted, thank god everything is going smoothly for now, the door opened allowing us to enter. Switching on the flashlights, we stepped inside.
As we walked through the chamber, Kat was admiring the architecture and the designs on the walls, looking at the murals, paintings and the stone carvings. They all depicted Eltar's history and victorious battles. My home planet's entire history, right here on Earth, father most likely left it for me; he knew that he wouldn't be here to tell my birth home's past, but this place would. I wonder did he leave a family tree here too? I would love to know who my grandparents and great-grandparents were, including my ancestors. I'll have to come here another time, we're here for the crystal, not history unfortunately. It wasn't long for us to reach the central chamber, the main chamber will be further inside. Inside, it was just like Earth-X, we saw the old Thunder Slingers and the Sword of Light, on the other side were volumes of manuscripts from various times of Eltar's past. Definitely coming back here.
"This place is amazing!" Kat exclaimed, really admiring the interior, running her hand along the slingers and the sword. She quickly withdrew her hand from the sword with a hiss. "It's still sharp.",
"No shit, Kitty Kat." I teased, making her roll her eyes. I guess my level of snark and sarcasm developed a little more when I was in the army. The soldiers will do and say many things to roast you, so you have to quickly master wit to roast them back. Learn that and the results are extremely satisfying. I put quite a few soldiers in their place and sputtering like a car as their comrades laughed at them. You have to roll with the punches when hanging out with your comrades. Tommy walked over to the entrance of the next chamber to see if that invisible wall is there, he put his hand up to it and about to press firmly. Suddenly, when he pushed his hand forward, his whole body went forward without warning! Tommy fell flat on his front. Kat and I ran over to see if he was alright. Kat helped him up.
"Was not expecting that. Looks like that's the first difference discovered." He said. Good, no walls, which means we can all pass through. Pointing our flashlights forward, we walked through the corridor to reach the next chamber, well… the main chamber, I guess there's only two chambers in this vault. After walking for five minutes, we found ourselves in the second chamber, Tommy and I noticed it was very different to Earth-X, way different. No illusion spell, so it seems like father was being merciful; however, he did something completely different. In front of us was a single pillar of brilliant white light, I mean it's almost white as or whiter than Tommy's Tigerzord ranger suit and Falcon Ninjetti outfit. Well then, there's the second difference. What the hell does my father expect us to do with this?
Kat stepped forward, to touch the light, unfortunately, it electrocuted her, making her recoil her hand. I tried and so did Tommy, but none of us could do it. Is the crystal inside the light? That's one way to keep it safe, too safe, actually better than nearly psychologically scarring myself and Aegis. How are we supposed to get it? It's not allowing Tommy and Kat to touch and it certainly is not allowing an Eltarian like me either. What are going to do? We need that crystal. Kat suddenly found an inscription on the floor, but said she couldn't read it. It's in my native tongue, that explains why she can't read it, I have been teaching Tommy Eltarian, but it's slow work.
"Can you read it out, please?" Kat asked. I nodded and began to translate the the words on the floor.
"The light accepts the purest of hearts within unity. White is the symbolism of protection and understanding. Enter the light to find yourself and that you seek." Tommy and Kat were frowning at the cryptic wording, either father wrote this or he found a passage and wrote it on the floor. I wish father was still here, I had so many questions, but I can talk to mother too.
"Maybe you and Tommy can enter it. 'Purest of hearts within unity' and isn't the colour usually symbolised in marriage?",
"Kat's got a point there, Beautiful." Said Tommy, agreeing with Kat.
"How? The light electrocutes us if we touch it." I countered,
"Then we fight it and push through." He smiled, with little or fear on his face. I held Tommy's hand, squeezing it.
"I trust you. Let's do it.",
"I'll stay here and make sure no friends of yours attempt to intrude." Kat said to us, preparing herself to morph at a moment's notice. I guess it was a good idea to bring her here. Myself and Tommy approached the light, both of us putting our hands against the light. It began to electrocute us, but we fought against it and like Tommy said: push forward and push we did. Slowly but surely, it felt like our bodies were being burned from the inside, we continued moving though, engulfing ourselves into the light pillar and our entire surroundings went literally white.
With The Overdrive Rangers…
11:30…
(Scene: Forest, Outside San Angeles, California, Earth/No POV)
After reaching the borders of their destination, it was clear the forest was too dense to travel by car, so the kids resorted to go the rest of the journey by foot. Rose was handling the GPS, and so far, they were on the right track; it'd be just quite a long walk. From what Mack read, the Sword of Excelsior was kept inside a hidden temple, in a stone altar, guarded by the mythical unnamed Warrior Goddess. It was theorised that it was the very sword that King Arthur wielded, the legendary sword Excalibur, the weapon he used to lead The Knights of the Round Table to battle. However, Excalibur was retrieved from the lake, given by the Lady of the Lake that resided there, but that was all the way in England back in ancient times or it supposedly happened. How did Excelsior find its way here? Did something happen that Arthur was unfit to wield the weapon for good? Was it actually a gift by the Warrior Goddess? Are the texts about King Arthur and his Knights actually a lie? In her spare time, Rose listened to a recorded podcast from the university Dr. Hart got her Post Doctorate from. She was doing a seminar to another group of Final Year undergraduates and one comment she made, actually popped out to her: 'History is not as black and white as we all assume. As a historian, reading texts; always keep an open mind and be prepared to question the writer, the philosopher, the scholar, the poet. For all we know, they may be biased, prejudiced, blindly supportive of one side. The texts could be lying to us, therefore our history could be incorrect, if that is the case; then where is the truth?' Dr. Hart could be right, the legend of King Arthur could be a lie or some parts is a lie, perhaps Merlin is an excellent and loved advisor, but may not be a sorcerer.
History is really a lot more complex than mankind thought, her mentor is really ahead of her peers, but she guesses it could be why some other peers may possibly feel threatened by her. For all she knows, they felt threatened by Dr. Hart, all they see is another Dr. Kevin Hart and if they wanted to, ruin her reputation and perceive her to be as crazy as her adoptive father. Rose looked down at the GPS to make sure they were on the right track, they still were, it's just a long walk. Another comment made by her mentor at her seminar a few years ago came to her mind: 'Truth. It's an abstract word and is not as simple as it sounds. In history, what is the truth? Truth can be manipulated in a way it appears to be the truth. Within truth, there is lies, the texts you read could be wrong. I like to call it false truth, so the question is: where is it? This is why I think we need to work together more with archaeologists, they seek the truth too. We are different professions, examine evidence in different methods, but we have the same goal. It's truth. We are searching for the truth and it may take years, most of will be dead and leaving the next generation to continue our work. However, I think at some point, we will achieve absolute truth and have an encyclopaedia of Earth's history.' Dr. Hart was not scared of asking hard questions, deviating from her peers, being the black sheep. It's no wonder other historians were afraid of her, they were scared of looking into the impossible. Nothing seemed to have scared their mentor, the Green Ranger always looked up to her dad, who was also a historian. He gave her a sense of fearlessness, to never be scared of the unknown, history was always about the unknown, it's no surprise why the two were so close to each other before disaster struck the unfortunate Hart family.
Suddenly, Rose was brought out of her thoughts when the GPS began beeping, indicating they have reached their desired destination. To their dismay, it only led them to a cliff face. At the bottom was solid ground, so it appeared that they were… standing right on top of the temple. They turned to Will and Tyzon who were carrying the excavation and climbing gear, therefore, they began to set up, so they could safely scale down the cliff. It took them thirty minutes to set up three climbing ropes, so it meant two on each one. They took a further ten minutes to get into their harnesses and ensure they were securely strapped to them, last thing Mack needed was getting a team member killed and enduring his mentor's wrath. The Red Ranger volunteered to go first, with Will following him as they attached the hook onto the rope. They began to scale down and it appeared everything was alright, so the remaining four followed. They finally descended the cliff face, detaching themselves from the rope and dumped their harnesses at the foot of the cliff. They were further disappointed at the fact it appeared to be an ordinary cliff, but Mack wasn't easily convinced, there had to be something unusual and Rose was one hundred percent sure the GPS is not lying and is updated to the latest software. Getting an idea, Mack began to knock his hand against the rock and repeated it several times, if the temple was right below them, the entrance is somewhere along this rock face, but it is just well concealed; almost hidden too well. The leader continued to knock against the rock, until he heard a hollow 'thud' and some small rocks coming loose, he turned to the others and got them to listen in case he heard wrong and he certainty didn't, they all heard the hollow, echoing sound. It was the entrance, someone or something covered it up, to prevent anyone from finding it. Mack stepped back and focused on using his super strength to use himself as a battering ram and surprisingly, the wall was quite weak. Pulling himself up, the others entered, now finally glad they were one step closer to their goal. The Sword of Excelsior was within their fingertips, they just hope the Warrior Goddess is friendly and will be somewhat charitable.
Meanwhile…
11:55…
(Scene: Main Chamber, Power Vault, Desert, Outside Angel Grove, California, Earth/Tommy's POV)
I opened my eyes, to find myself in the light pillar. This is so strange, of all things in my career, apart from Mímir, this is the craziest. I turned to my left, whatever way I looked, on the pedestal, was the Chaos Crystal, the item Kim needed to relink her team's morphers to the Morphing Grid. Wow, it's beautiful, a disturbing shade of bright green compare to the one on Earth-X, are there different variations of the same crystal? I stretched out my hand to take it, but instead, I was given a shock and I recoiled my hand. Great, how are we supposed to get it now? I called out for my wife, but I got no reply. Something is wrong, I called out Kimberly's name again, still no response, my panic began to increase. Kim was just with me when we entered the light pillar! That was when something unexpected happened, another figure approached me, it was not Kimberly, I was staring at myself; except his eyes were glowing green and not brown, he was wearing normal clothes and not his ranger suit. It's my alter ego.
"Dragon." I simply greeted, "What are you doing here?",
"To explain the situation." He replied, "Yes, you figured the first part out to enter the light. Unity in one sense symbolises matrimony and those of pure hearts.",
"And the second?",
"Is unity within yourself, not just each other. You have learned to make peace with yourself, accepted me as a part of yourself. A dark side, you often don't want to admit." I growled at Dragon, getting frustrated with his riddles. What has this got to do with Kim not being by my side?
"What has all this got to do with Kimberly?",
"Unlike you and I, Kimberly has not accepted her alter ego Firebird. It's no wonder they fight each other for control. They have learned to compromise, so that's a start. Tommy, what is the definition of an alter ego?" I clenched my fist, wishing to punch Dragon's face in, as much as he and I have an understanding, he can be so frustrating and irritating.
"Having a secondary or alternative personality." Then I paused, realising Dragon's words and he saw it. He knew I understood where he was coming from.
"Firebird is not just an alter ego, she's another side of Kim. A deadlier and brutal side of her.",
"I guess there is nothing exactly pure about our loved one's heart. She survived a war, made difficult decisions, is capable of taking a life. If she wanted to, she could have just gone and killed all of the Overdrive Rangers' enemies." Dragon pondered, "Angered, she didn't hold back in trying to kill Miratrix, neither when she stabbed her sword through Boreas' heart for betraying her. He should have been put on trial, but your wife denied him that. Do you still love her?" I nodded my head at him and got right into his personal space, which he seemed unfazed at.
"I love her, regardless. I love her, for both her light and dark side. In the end, she's still my wife." I said to him, "Her actions don't make her a killer, a murder. My wife is a survivor!",
"I pray she learns that lesson quickly. The shield protecting the Chaos Crystal will only allow you to both retrieve it, once she finds unity in herself.",
"Kim will make peace with Firebird, as much as I hate her. She can do this." I sat on the floor in a meditative position, to pass time as I wait for Kimberly.
With Kimberly…
(Kimberly's POV)
I spent what felt like an eternity trying to find Tommy. We certainly entered the light together, how is it we ended up separated upon entry? The passage did say those of pure hearts within unity can enter the light, still it wasn't a painless experience and it is something I don't want to go through again when this is over. Once this whole adventure is over, Tommy and I are taking a long, overdue honeymoon. After we got married, I threw myself into my father's research to help Andrew. I couldn't help but feel Tommy was a little peeved, but he decided that we can wait, it did give him the excuse to save up on a little more money for our holidays. Well then, back to the main question: where the fuck is my darling husband? That was when I heard a voice and it certainly did not belong to Tommy. I turned to see Firebird, why am I not surprised? My body language became stiff, ready to fight.
"Will you loosen up?" She sighed, "I'm not here to fight.",
"Ha! Am I hearing right?" I said bitterly sarcastic, "Is this the same alter ego that made me hurt my friends, cause hundreds of thousands worth of property damage to Reefside and left an uncertain number of people dead and burned to ashes?",
"How long is it going to take for you accept that we are one and the same?" I gave Firebird a hard shove, before glaring at her, as my eyes flashed red.
"I am nothing like you." I snarled, like a feral animal.
"Your past actions speak for themselves. You took lives, even without my influence, there is a fire within you, just like mine, seeking someone brave enough to tame it. Ever hear of a passage written by an Eltarian poet? Ode To Fury?" I stayed quiet, of course I never took much attention to the poetry section of my home planet's archive. My silence was a confirmation that I never heard of it. I know what an ode is, though. How does Firebird know it then?
"What is this poem… I mean ode?",
"It's supposed to be sung, but I am a terrible singer, unlike you." Firebird teased, there was a glint in her glowing red eyes that she was trying annoy me and evoke a response. Firebird began the ode.
"Bellows of pain
And scraping of chains
The echoes they taunt and deceive me
Oceans of blame
And rivers of shame
The fury it never leaves me
Grief in the snow
The winter of woe
Has come here to judge and bereave me
Lock up the rage
It rattles the cage
The fury it never leaves me
Always within
To lurk in the skin
The wounds ever aching so deeply
Try as may
To hide it away
The fury it never leaves me."
I sighed annoyingly at Firebird. What has this got to do with us? What is the meaning behind it?
"I don't understand.",
"Then listen." She simply replied and continued.
"Long I've suffered the hunger
Long I've silenced the cry
Long I've fled from thunder
To ascend
Still I try
To carry the pain
To keep it contained till the end
To carry the pain
To keep it contained till the end
Pour out the anger and hide it away
Lest it spill to the blameless and lead them to pain
In the steel and the rags I will cover the shame
So the innocent need not to be judged in my name."
"Then that line repeats, followed by the chorus and the first verse, which I rather not waste my breath over. Do you see it's meaning?" Firebird asked me, "I'm here because I help you unleash the anger that you rather keep buried. Isn't buried anger a lot more dangerous than anger being released?" I let out a barking laugh, a cold one too.
"Is that a trick question? It doesn't matter. Anger and fury is like fire, controlled or not people get hurt in the end." Firebird began to circle me in an authoritative manner, but I stood there unfazed, not to be threatened by my alter ego. It's strange just to see her talk, Firebird wouldn't hesitate to attack and kill you on the spot unless… she does have a point. Perhaps… Firebird is there to help me let out pent up anger that I rather lock away. She maybe right, the two of us are not so different from each other, we act as a counterbalance. I rather lock up and bury my anger, Firebird releases it; is this why Aunt Dulcea does not want to separate her from me? Is Firebird actually… me? Even without Firebird… I seem to hold… no qualms about using brutality on my enemies, I tried to kill Miratrix without a second thought. "Why do you think, you and I always fight each other?",
"Because you're evil. Maligore created you, I didn't ask for this.",
"His flames may have given me life, but I was always a part of you. Darkness resides in the purest of hearts. I am you, I'm just the side you can try to reject all you want. In essence, I am your anger and I am your fury." Firebird paced around me once more, before speaking again. "How did you feel when you attacked Angel Grove? Did it feel good to release the anger you buried? Anger is just not an emotion, it is a fuel to make you more powerful.",
"While hurting others in the progress?" I growled, remembering when Zedd put me under a spell and sent me down to attack my home. It was when I discovered my true heritage and I wasn't in the position to comprehend it. For some reason, it did feel good, releasing fifteen years of buried anger, I can't believe I buried it that long as a teenager.
"It is unavoidable." Firebird hummed, "As you said, anger is like fire, people will get caught in the crossfire regardless, but as I said, it makes you stronger. Not everything is so black and white, Kara. You can't save or protect everyone. I thought Countdown taught you that." I stayed quiet as I glared at the Crimson Ranger. "Time is ticking Kara. I'm going to ask you again: are we different from each other or more alike than you think?" I held my tongue, carefully analysing the question before answering her. I really hate hard questions.
Back With The Kids…
13:00…
(Scene: Main Chamber, Temple of the Warrior Goddess, Outside San Angeles, California, Earth/No POV)
The Overdrive Rangers made their way through the passages of the temple, while admiring the interior. It was clear that those who built it in honour of the Warrior Goddess had much respect for her and to the point she was worshipped. They examined their surroundings, there were several different rooms housing books, scrolls and manuscripts that they knew their mentor would love to pour over, if she were with them. They figured once everything goes back to normal and if their enemies decided to stay quiet for a while, they would love to hear stories about their mentor when she was younger. They already got one clue that she was a little rowdy were due to her taking part in brawls, which doesn't exactly match the personality of Dr. Hart which is: patient, caring, a bit of a spitfire but somewhat motherly, though haunted by her past. It wasn't long for the six rangers to reach the main chamber of the temple, which was illuminated by fire torches, so they turned off their flashlights and searched the room.
To their surprise and delight, the Sword of Excelsior was there, resting on a stone altar. At least this isn't some sword in the stone scenario. The sword was beautiful to look at, a green emerald sat in the centre of the hilt, splashes of red in appropriate places and the weapon was entirely coloured in gold, except where the sharp edges are, which is silver. The forge master put love and care into the blade. Mack stepped forward, reaching out to take the sword off its altar, only to be thrown back into Will and Dax by an invisible force.
"Ow." He groaned, "What on Earth was that?" Mack shook his head to shake off the shock of being thrown off his feet. The other three helped them onto their feet. Before any of them could speak, they were suddenly blinded by bright light and when it died down, they stood face to face with the Warrior Goddess. She was a warrior no doubt, decked out in armour that scarily reminiscent of Greek design, the Spartans perhaps and the fact the goddess wore the Spartan hoplite, which can be identified by its distinct traverse horsehair crest that was on the helmet. The goddess also carried a shield, strangely with an owl on it, that Rose noted mentally. The Warrior Goddess removed her helmet and her blue eyes were icy cold, as she stared down at them. She began to speak to them, in a language they couldn't understand.
"Ποιός είσαι? Δηλώστε την επιχείρησή σας. (Who are you? State your business.)" Everyone gulped, now scared. The goddess was speaking in Greek, she's not just any goddess, but a Greek goddess! The question was which one? Rose had another look at her shield, it had the face of an owl, is it who she thinks it is? When the Greek goddess wasn't getting an answer from them, she into a stance and lowered her spear. "Μιλήστε τώρα ή θα επιτεθώ! (Speak now or I will attack!)" For Mack and Rose, after seeing Dr. Hart go toe to toe with the Norse Goddess of the Dead, they certainly don't want to fight this one. Rose took a chance, stepping forward, hands facing up as a sign of peace, she just hoped the goddess is bilingual.
"Don't attack, please. You are Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and tactical warfare, right?" The goddess loosened up on her stance, turning to the Pink Overdrive Ranger.
"Yes, I am she." Athena answered, thankfully in English. "I am astounded you found my temple, but why do you seek the Sword of Excelsior?" Mack stepped forward to explain their situation.
"Athena, my name is Mack. It was my idea to seek the sword. I thought it may have the power to restore our own." The goddess of wisdom sighed.
"You are not wrong, the sword is powerful, but not powerful enough to restore your powers and reconnect them to the Grid.",
"You… know about the Morphing Grid?" Asked Dax,
"The Morphing Grid not only stores the Power the rangers use, but it connects us all, including the Multiverse. It's just some Earths cannot tap into its powers and is the Grid's way of maintaining balance. You can't have too many rangers running around on a cosmic level." The warrior chuckled, "You are all very brave to seek the temple and usually I am quick to kill those who intrude or trespass." She gestured to the bones and skeletons of fallen warriors, wearing corroded armour, making the kids wince. Had Rose not spoken and identified the Warrior Goddess as Athena, they all might have been added to the kill count. "I shall relinquish the Sword of Excelsior, it will be safe in your hands. Let me warn you, be careful with it. It is the only weapon capable of striking down the Sentinel Knight, but it can restore him his physical form.",
"Thank you, Athena. We will use the power of the sword wisely." Said Mack. Athena waved her hand to remove the barrier protecting the sword, allowing the Red Ranger to take it with careful ease. Despite the short length, it was more of a short sword, the weapon was quite large and there was a little weight behind. The rangers smiled at the goddess, thanking her once more for hospitality and turned to leave, only for to call out once more. They turned.
"I have one more gift and it is for your mentor." The kids all had a look of shock on their faces. How does Athena know of their mentor? "I did see her taking the Corona Aurora. It was I who moved it to Scotland, thinking it would be safer there." Athena handed Rose an arm bracer that looked to perfectly fit around their mentor's forearm. "Your mentor is smart, she'll figure it out." Without warning, Athena quickly brought up a visual to show the Overdrive Rangers that their new friends are having trouble. They were piloting their Drivemax Megazord, but weren't faring well against a revived monster that should look familiar. It is thankful their actions went unnoticed, they would have put the temple in danger. "Help your friends. I will teleport you all to your vehicle." Athena summoned a burst of energy, chanting in Greek and then fired a beam at the six rangers. They all vanished in gold light, back to the border of the forest. "Καλή τύχη, καπετάνιοι. (Good luck, rangers.)" And Athena vanished from the temple, supposedly back to Mount Olympus in Greece. Outside, the wall Mack knocked down rebuilt itself, to hide any evidence of a temple entrance behind it. Athena served her purpose to protect the sword from those unworthy and that she did. Her presence was no longer required.
13:20…
(Scene: Power Vault, Outside Angel Grove, California, Earth/Katherine's POV)
I was thrown to the sandy ground by Silverdar. Huh, so that's Goldar's brother, he's more of a gorilla than a monkey, but he's certainly a sibling. Creepily, he bears the gold wing that Kimberly severed on Eltar. I guess he came here to steal the crystal from us. That was when I morphed and managed to push him out here, away from the light pillar. I've been fighting Silverdar for the past twenty minutes, Tommy and Kim were in the light for ages, I wonder what's keeping them. Silverdar raised his sword to hack me down, but rolled away and threw my Zeo Shield like a frisbee into his stomach. The shield returned to me, followed it up with a Pink Fire Cloud. Oops, I think I singed his feather, he certainly did not like that. The silver armoured gorilla charged at me, yelling he will get rid of me first, then kill Kara of Eltar for taking his brother away from him. Shit Kim! Already built up a list of enemies? I need to hold back Silverdar a little longer, for Tommy and for Kim. Just please hurry you guys! I quickly raised my shield to block an attack, pushed back Silverdar and slammed him with my primary weapon. Once again, we clashed.
Back With Kimberly…
(Scene: Main Chamber, Power Vault, Outside Angel Grove, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)
"Time's up, Kara. What is your answer?" Firebird asked me. I took deep breath, I had long enough to form an answer. I looked at my alter ego, but I wasn't glaring at her, for once, she actually speaks the truth. That is my answer.
"You're right. We are the same, it's like Yin and Yang. However, yes there is darkness inside me, but I know, deep down inside you, there is light. You are a part of me, as I'm a part of you." I shifted my weight onto my right leg, from my left. "No wonder my aunt refuses to separate us." I finished. With that, I stretched out my hand, waiting for Firebird to accept it.
"I can't believe it took you nine years to accept that." She smirked, "Now, we no longer have to fight. You can call upon me whenever you wish, but remember I am still your evil side.",
"I know." I said back and she shook my hand. Firebird burst into flames, her fire surrounding my body, before dissolving into me. I finally realised what the passage meant, it wasn't just unity between myself and Tommy, in a sense yes, but it was unity within yourself. The passage said to 'find yourself' and in a sense, it was finding balance, a balance I lacked, the balance Tommy had with Dragon. I refused to do so, because I treated Firebird as a separate entity and not someone who is a darker side of me. I also couldn't forgive her for destroying Reefside and killing people, but I wasn't any different during the war and its campaigns before I was stationed back on Eltar. Turning back, I felt some sort of wall, it's separating me from something. Focusing, I drew my hand back and punched the wall, it shattered away like glass and behind it, was Tommy. Seeing me, he quickly stood up as I ran over to him, locking my arms around him.
"I take it you found balance between you and Firebird." He said to me,
"She and I are not so different after all." I sighed. Looking over, I saw the Chaos Crystal sitting on the pedestal. It appears different to the one Aegis and I saw on Earth-X, but that is it. Walking over, Tommy warned me about a barrier surrounding it, but I told him we'll pick it up together. The two of us reached out for it, taking either side, it appeared the barrier wasn't even there and we carefully lifted it. Suddenly, the bright light vanished and we found ourselves back in the main chamber. Tommy let go of the crystal, so I could hold it better, that was when we heard an explosion outside. Fuck! Kat! Tommy and I raced outside to see what was happening.
By the time we exited the vault, I saw Kat firing her blaster at… is that Silverdar!? He landed on the ground, clearly having suffered the claws of the Kat. He saw me, but instead of fighting all three of us, he leaped into the air and fled. Just like his brother, when things get too hairy, just run away with your tail between your legs. Kat turned to us and powered down, hugging us and glad to see we were alright. She saw I had the crystal in my hand.
"It took you two long enough to get it." She joked,
"Sorry, I was making some amends with Firebird." Kat wasn't sure whether to take it seriously or not and chose not to question.
"Some things are better left unsaid." Laughed Firebird and I fought an eye roll, because Firebird is being her snarky self, as usual. I thought I was snarky at times, but Firebird turns the snark dial to one hundred.
"So, I was wondering if I could come back to the mansion with you two? I'd like to see Billy again.",
"No problem, Kat. Let's head."
Three Hours Later…
16:30…
(Scene: Underground Base, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/No POV)
The Overdrive Base filled with laughter as the Retro Rangers congratulated the younger rangers for saving them after the latest attack. They admitted, some of them could have called their own Zords, but they had the Overdrive Zords at their disposal, so they ought to use them. They needed what Rocky quoted 'Megazord Power' and unfortunately, Rose forgot to get the five to run a Zord simulator so they can get used to them and the controls. However, the software and the controls used were too different, though Carlos had little difficulty, it was still different to the Astro Megazord. The six rangers explained how they went to retrieve the Sword of Excelsior, while it saved them all, it won't restore their powers. Next, they heard the elevator ding, figuring out quickly that must be there mentor and her husband. Looks like they're only back from their own quest, it was a good thing for the six Overdrive Rangers they got back before their mentor did, even though they were already busted by Kira, who so happened to be awake when they left. She was kind enough to keep it quiet, but said she, including Rocky, Carlos, Alyssa and Tori won't be there to save them from Kimberly's lecture. Hayley, Cam and Billy hummed in agreement, including Alpha who was after fixing the compartment that stores their powers. When Andrew heard, he certainly would not be saving their hides and… well… Spencer and Mímir were not holding onto promises that they would avoid Dr. Hart's wrath. Last thing now, is to hopefully avoid a lecture and relink their morphers to the Grid.
The elevator door opened, revealing Dr. Hart, her husband and to their surprise, Katherine Hilliard-Cranston, Dr. Billy Cranston's wife. They sure do remember her from last time. The trio stepped out, they all saw the green crystal in Dr. Hart's hand, it must be the Chaos Crystal she was talking about. There's only one chance to relink their morphers, there cannot be any mistakes or errors, if it doesn't work, the journey was all for naught and the Overdrive Rangers are no more. Kat walked over to Billy and locked him in a hug, kissing him. Kim on the hand, saw an unusual object on the table, it was a sword and she asked about it. Mack braved Dr. Hart, if anyone should be lectured, it should be him. It was his idea.
"This, is the Sword of Excelsior. I sought it out, thinking it could restore our powers. It was my idea, don't blame the others." However, Kim wasn't mad at Mack, she was mad at everyone. They went after a mythical object without their powers and abandoned their post inside the mansion.
"YOU KIDS DID WHAT!?" They knew in an instant she was addressing them all. Tyzon tried hard not to turn himself into mercury, now he is witnessing Dr. Hart's famous lecture modes. So now he understood why no one wants to experience them. "Are you six stupid or what!? I should have you all running thirty laps around the mansion!" Rocky stepped forward, braving his little sister's temper and stood to defend the actions of the young ranger team.
"Kim, I know what they did was stupid, but those kids saved our asses out there, when we were getting pummelled." Kim let out a sigh and turned to the rangers, who she sees as kids.
"Is this true?" She questioned them all and they were quick to nod their heads. "I'll let you all off, you saved the veterans and that's what being a ranger is about." The kids cheered, high-fiving the other rangers as Tommy, Kat and the technicians laughed, as well as Andrew, Spencer and Mímir. Kimberly signalled them to be quiet, though. "But, you are all banned from pizza for a week." Then the base erupted into complaints and protest. "Do you want me to make it two weeks?" They all silenced themselves agreed to the one week pizza ban, it was better to suffer that punishment than make it a two week torture. Tommy was at the side chuckling, Kim's military demeanour is showing through. Now, it was time to see if the morphers will reconnect to the Grid. Before that happened, the Sentinel Knight appeared, Mack recalled Athena saying the sword can kill him, but right now, it will restore his physical form. They all decided to that first, Mack picked up the sword and stood behind the knight. The sword began to levitate on its own and moved through the knight's ghostly body, Rose caught the sword, and when the light died, the Sentinel Knight; the Keeper of the Corona Aurora, stood there, not as a spirit.
"It actually worked!" Mack exclaimed,
"I thank you for restoring my physical form. You have my gratitude, call on me during your time of need." The knight turned to the mentor of the rangers, holding the Chaos Crystal. "Hand me the crystal and the rest of you place your morphers on you." They did as the Sentinel Knight instructed. Mack, Rose, Ronny, William and Dax picked up their morphers, while Kim and Tyzon strapped theirs onto their left wrist. Their new ally held the crystal in front of him, some sort of energy came from his hand and fired it into the crystal, a beam, seven separate energised beams exited the crystal and struck the morphers. Shortly, the light died, they looked at their morphers and it still looked the same. Did it fail? "Now morph." He ordered. Looking at each other, the did what he said. Mack led the morphing sequence.
"Overdrive Accelerate!" Seven different coloured lights surrounded their bodies; Mack - red, Ronny - yellow, Dax - blue, Rose - pink, Will - black, Tyzon - silver, and Kimberly - green, the colour some of her friends are still trying to get used to. It still made Tommy proud of his wife though. The light dimmed and the rangers, plus their mentor were back in the suits they nearly missed getting back into. The Overdrive Rangers are back in action. The Retro Rangers were admiring suit, especially Kimberly's. It was almost similar to Tommy's Green Ranger suit, with all the armour. Tommy was admiring it too. They all took their helmets off.
"That is fucking awesome." Said Hayley, looking at Kim and her ranger team. Kimberly certainly pulls off the green well, almost better than Tommy. Rose quickly left their side to grab an object and handed it over to Dr. Hart, who was frowning.
"We met Athena inside the temple, getting the sword. She said you'd figure out how to use." It appeared to be an ordinary bracer, with a dome in the centre. The historian made a note to ask the kids for a full debriefing on their quest for the sword, they actually met Athena! She was actually jealous of them. Kim took the bracer, putting it on her right forearm since her morpher was on the left. Once it was securely placed, everyone stood back thinking it could fire a projectile or something like that. Kimberly raised her arm and to their shock, a shield unveiled itself. Kim was actually smiling.
"Like to see Silverdar and Thrax hit me now." The shield sheathed itself, then Kat crossed her arms.
"Looks like I'm not the only shield user now, hm?",
"Sorry Kat." Kim answered jokingly. That was when the alarms went off, it seems like Thrax and his evil alliance are out for one last showdown. Kim looked at her team and knew it was the perfect time to team up with the Retro Rangers. The kids and the other temporary team had the same idea. She was staring at Rocky, who was grinning eagerly.
"It's motherfucking Morphin' Time."
To Be Continued…
Next Time
The twelve rangers: the seven Overdrive Rangers and the five Retro Rangers stood on the opposite side of the Evil Alliance, facing Thrax, Silverdar, Kamdor and Miratrix, the Fearcats, then Moltor and Fluious.
"You guys are going to regret messing with the rangers!" Mack said…
Kimberly stared at Mack in a frantic manner. Who's idea was it to exchange embarrassing stories!?
"Mack! Keep your fucking mouth shut!"…
"Hey babe." Some random guy said to Rose in a ridiculously flirtatious manner. "Drinks on me and we can have a good time." Before she could answer, a person behind him came to her rescue and tossed the creep over the bar counter. His friends came to his rescue and chaos ensued inside the bar. "Rocky wasn't kidding." She muttered, recalling what he said…
Apologies about the dialogue again. This is what happens after you realise you singly write 16K+ words minus the what's to come and the footnotes. So, I finally introduced Kimberly's father Kevin Hart and he's been residing in the Netherworld, thank you BOOM! again, for a good couple of years. His role will be more prominent in another chapter, so he will be reunited with Kim.
The final battle won't happen till Part Three, just hang tight while I write it. If you like what you're reading so far, Follow and Favourite to be notified fast and if you have something to say, leave a review.
Bye!