"War Part 3"
Staring Team: Ninjetti/Thunder
"What? That cannot be!" Grayson yelled back.
"I'm afraid it is. The Tyrannosaurs Zord has been destroyed and I detect no ejection pods" Yui responded.
"What do we do?" Amelia asked as she Zord shuck from the impacting blasts of fleet they had just broken through.
"We continue with our mission. We can only avenge them in combat" Diana replied sternly.
"I still am not used to this strange magic. How long until we reach the great passageway?" Yui asked.
"Our allies called it a wormhole Yui and from what I can tell we will arrive at current speed in three hours. No sign of pursuit" Diana read her instruments as best she could.
"What are they doing? Why not chase us if they want our medallions?" Darios spoke in confusion.
"Because old friend they know they don't have to, another army of evil awaits ahead of us" Diana sat and removed her helmet, closing her eyes and taking in a hard breath "I suggest you all prepare yourselves as best you can. These may be our final hours."
"Well…we are already in the heavens" Grayson commented.
The tension was eating away at Adam as he descended through the clouds. As ordered he and the Phoenix Zord were heading toward the North American continent awaiting the battle they knew would come.
"All that training huh?" He spoke into his radio to Katherine "I'm like a leaf. I mean…this time we could all really die. You know…there was always that chance but even the disembodied head doesn't think we have a chance in hell this time."
He sat in silence but for his churning equipment as there was no response "Kat?"
"What? Oh sorry" came the Australians reply "I was miles away. Thinking about home."
"You're from Melbourne right?" He asked nicely.
"Yes. When the sun shines bright enough it reminds me of home, of my Dad and how he took care of me all those years after my Mother died."
"Oh…" Adam awkwardly responded "I'm sorry."
"What? No! Think nothing of it, it's rather par for the chorus among our little army. No…he's a good man."
"When did you last see him?"
"Since we last took a break from all this, several months I would say. Luckily with me being at college age he buys that that is where I am…for now."
"Ah yes, I told my folks brought the same thing. You know we don't get to talk much do we? I could visit Melbourne with you some day after all this is over, grab a drink."
"Don't flirt with me Adam. I have enough of that from Joseph" she straightened with a sigh and pressed a few buttons above her head.
"I'm not! I mean…sorry I just was being friendly is all" he stayed in silence for a few moments, fiddling with a few things and checking his readouts "So…you scared?"
"Not really" she let out a calm breath.
"Me neither" Adam cleared his throat and straightened out his Zord for a direct approach, seeing the surface appear as the clouds dissipated.
The Lion and Phoenix shot through the sky like two fighter jets, the back of the legs shooting out engine backfire from the Lion as the Phoenix glided majestically in its element. Then in a terrible moment those maneuvers and engines cut off.
Alarms began sounding in Adam's cockpit as he snapped to life, moving around and pressing whatever he knew to see what the problem was.
"What the hell?" He asked and looked down at the main display where a dorsal schematic of the Zord has turned red with the some of the other controls and read "System override?"
As suddenly as the engines and power had stopped they came back online but now on automatic pilot. Adam pressed the consoles frantically in a panic and tugged hard at the throttle to no response. Now he was really panicking.
"Kat, can you still hear me?" Adam asked as lifted out his chair to check an overhead panel closer.
"Yes Adam. We appear to be on automatic pilot" came the reply.
"Yeah I know. Looks like…New York. Why are we being sent there? Zordon's doing? I'll try and contact the base."
"Long range communication is down. I suggest we sit tight Adam until we know what is happening."
"Easy for you to say. I'm going to try and tinker with a few of these controls and see what happens."
"Adam I wouldn't mess with those consoles. We don't have any clue how this technology works."
Adam ignored her and was now out of his safety harness and chair leaning down before a paneling, he looked over it for a moment and reached out to the sides and tried to remove it. There was a prompt jolt of electricity causing him to yelp, taking back his hands.
"Lockdown mode active. Access to key systems denied" The voice of the onboard computer spoke.
"What did I say" Katherine spoke as he sat back in his chair.
"Yeah. Sit tight. Good idea" he replied and let out a sharp breath, shaking his head and sat back.
The mouth of the wormhole opened in a display of dazzling, swirling light. Diana gasped at its beauty for a tranquil moment before straightening up and shifting in her seat, preparing herself for combat. She reached onto her dashboard and took her helmet, placing it down and over upon her head and face.
"Entry in 3…2…" came Yui's voice "1."
Their vision of space was overtaken as the swirling beams of light filled there screen, moving around each other to form a sort of tunnel which they twisted and turned through at sheering speeds, no end in sight until finally a black circle approached and...they were once again in black, white sprinkled space. However the stars were now in very different formations.
"This is not ours stars" Grayson commented.
"Is everyone alright?" Diana asked.
All replied at once and Diana immediately went to work checking all of her systems for damage. She had studied the schematics of this craft since she was a child and new every system, every bolt that had welded it together. She only wished others had paid more attention to theirs. But this as the others would say would have to be their 'crash course.'
Suddenly a proximity alarm began to sound in the cockpit and she rushed her hands around the instruments to check why.
"We have incoming craft" She spoke "many of them."
"These must be the evil machines we are here to combat" added Grayson.
"Then they will find nothing in this direction but death" Diana said firmly and prepared her Zord for battle, turning it toward the readings.
New York City. A regular afternoon for most as the streets were jam packed with traffic complete with horns and yelling of various kinds and dialects. The streets were also filled with masses of people each going about their lives as they normally did. It had been a long time since there had been any attack on the city and life here had returned to normal. And of course this was New York where if half the town was on fire the other half would simply complain that the trains were late.
From ahead there was a crackle of thunder and from it the Red Dragon Zord descended. Inside its head cabin Rocky was pulling, pushing and bashing at his controls to try to get them operational.
"What the hell is going on?" He asked as a new alarm sounded this being the proximity alarm.
He looked across and saw the Griffin and Pegasus Zord appear. Rocky frowned and tried what he could to open a channel, hoping his Zord would allow it.
"Guys, it's Rocky. I have no control over my Zord and since you're here I take it things are the same your end" He spoke, not really expecting a response.
"Hey boss man its Joey. Yeah same here. One moment we are in space the next we are headed for New York. Can't get in touch with the base to see if its computer head either" came Joey's response.
"Same shit" Aisha added.
Rocky sighed as he sat back in his chair. Then suddenly a high pitched siren let off, louder than any began and upon his screen it read "Ejection Sequence Commencing."
"Oh shit" Rocky cursed
Before he could react the roof of his cabin had opened and he was airborne falling hard until his chair build in thrusters shot out and lowered his descent. He held his eyes shut and held on the best he could as the chair finally stabilized and lowered, his feet finally touching the ground. He quickly reached up and unhooked his harnesses, rolling out of his chair and onto his knees. He then raised his head and noticed where he had landed; right in the middle of the street. Cars had screeched to a halt in front of him and people were talking, shouting and approaching with caution. Slowly he stood, gathering himself and looked beyond the crowd seeing the others approaching from two sides in their two groups. Joey and Aisha were the first to break through the crowd, which was no problem as they parted, and reached him.
"What the fuck is going on?" Joey yelled out as he stopped next to his team leader.
"Is everyone alright?" Asked Katherine as she and Adam came from the other direction.
"We are all here except for the white guy" Rocky nodded as he looked around.
The group then looked up to sky just in time to see their Zords disappearing in various directions on the horizon. The Red Dragon's tail the last to be seen as entered a cloud.
"Did our Zords bail on us?" Joey asked "if they did I am personally gonna tear out their AI."
"No," Rocky shuck his head "something else is going on here."
Adam looked around now noticing the crowd.
"Umm…guys. Why is everyone looking up?" Adam asked nervously.
The Rangers raised their heads to the sky again this time their eyes widening as black and grey forms in the distant sky grew closer to reveal…battle suits. Large ones and many of them. The large robotic humanoid forms began to shadow the big apple, their landing of little significance as their feet crushed whatever they happened to descend upon. The large arms then raised and began firing.
The crowd around the Rangers began screaming, everyone panicking, screaming and running as building and monuments were reduced to rubble at the touch of the powerful blasts of light and energy. Large Gatling guns were also mounted to the upper forearms, opening fire and killing hundreds in moments.
"This is it. We have to stop this!" Rocky called out and stood ready to fire his boots rockets.
"What the bloody hell are we going to do?" Asked Katherine "we can't fight these things without our Zords!"
"We can dam well try" Rocky said and shoot off into the sky.
"Well…always wanted to be remembered for something" Joey sighted to himself and followed. Adam and Aisha soon followed and finally Katherine.
Rocky descended upon the heads of one of them withdrawing his blaster and firing as he landed on right shoulder, aiming for the cockpit. Most of blast simply ricocheted off of the advanced metal but a couple managed to cause a few splinters of damage. But the damage could be comparable to that of a mosquito bite. At its pilots command the large construct begun shifting its shoulder finally able to throw him off and then move is arm sharply back towards him as he fell, sending him flying back hard and fast. Rocky was just able to stable himself to survive as he crashed into a townhouse, disappearing behind the rubble.
Joey maneuvered up behind one and withdrew his sword, the large suit however simply turned and fired its Gatling gun, shooting him out of the sky then turning and doing the same to the approaching Aisha.
Aisha smashed hard into the pavement cracking it. People dispersed around her as she groaned and pulled herself from the hole, checking herself and keeping her hands on her ribs as she looked over and saw Joey lying not far away.
"Joey!" She called out and began running as best she could toward him.
By time she had arrived he was also and held out his arm to signal he was ok.
"Well…" he groaned "that was a bad idea. What next? Maybe we can scratch their paint."
"This is bad!" The Yellow Thunder Ranger said "this is fucking bad!"
Joey was about to reply but then stopped staring up in silence at the sky.
"What?" Aisha demanded.
"It's about to get a whole lot worse" Joey spoke without moving his eyes from their target.
She frowned and turned her own head to match his eyes and saw exactly what he talking about.
"Is is ok if I mess myself and go home now?" She said with a fearful tone.
Rocky was able to grab the side of what remained of the wall and pulled himself up, stumbling forward and shaking off what remained of the first floor rubble. Luckily no one was home this time. He then looked out and halted in his tracks as he also saw what his comrades had spotted. Up ahead lowering in its humanoid battle form was the colossal Serpentera, landing with a thud that shook the ground and scattered birds everywhere. Rocky fell back with the impact, bracing himself on part of the remaining wall and continued staring up at it in awe and fear.
"Well…"he finally let out "if this is it then I intend to make a difference."
With that he reignited his thrusters and shot off towards the Zedorian flag ship that now stood tall shadowing the entire city in its wake.
As he approached he saw other similar streaks in the sky of various rainbow colours. All of the Thunder Rangers were descending upon it. Their only hope now was to get inside the ship and disable anything they could find.
"Today's a good day to die!" Joey voice crackled over their helmet radios.
The Falcon Zord was struck by a hard impact to its left wing, spinning out of control for a moment and righting, firing several return shoots that destroyed the benefactor of the damage.
"I took a hard hit!" Grayson called out "we need to activate our assembling sequence."
"No!" Diana shot back "that's what the Dinosaur Rangers did and they are dead."
Diana however stopped speaking as she soon had problems of her own, two machine vessels flanking either side of her, firing their cannons of the sides facing the Ape Zord. She reacted quickly maneuvering to lower it and watching in satisfaction as the two ships discharges annihilated each other. She did not have time to celebrate however as she came up upon another ship, taking a hard shot that detached her Zord's right arm. She cursed in her own language and returned fire promptly with everything she had and ducked the Ape down as the vessel exploded.
Yui piloted as the bear moves in and fired several shots from its hands and feet, destroying another but paying for it as two fighters swung in and fired several shots tearing hard into the yellow and silver back area. Yui let out a cry as his cabin sparked and went dark. He moved in under the emergency lighting, tapping every working button around him to try and restore some power.
"Fellows my craft is lifeless" he communicated and hope it got through.
Yui stopped and looked up swallowing hard as he saw a capital ship approaching from ahead, charging its weapon. Yui decided to face death like a warrior, letting out a breath and preparing himself. Suddenly there was a pulsing flash of light and the ship ahead shattered into explosions. Overhead the Wolf Zord flew a very welcome voice speaking to him.
"I have you covered my friend" came Amelia's voice.
"Amelia if we get out of this I will promptly mate with you" Yui grinned and as rushed quickly to return power to his craft.
"I think not" Amelia replied quickly "get yourself back online. We have several readings incoming."
"Right" he nodded, trying to calm his disappointment by convincing himself he would die this day.
"We are blessed. They were not expecting this assault, we have to continue to use that element and make sure non cross through the passageway" Diana's voice radioed to each of them.
The city of New York was in panic, so many dying around the screaming survivors as the world could only look on. Terror on this scale was never imagined by any of them, minuets ago their worries were reduced to paying the rent and their romantic interests. Now they watched in horror as their city was dismantled building at a time and their neighbors and fellow man melted and died in agony at their side.
Overhead of one of the many battle suits a media helicopter passed over, the side door opened and a camera aimed toward the sight.
"Ladies and Gentleman" the reporter said with tears in his eyes "I can only describe what I am seeing as 'it'. The it we always worried about, the it we always feared but why most of thought it would come from each other it instead came from the stars. And while our armed forces and appointed protectors fall we all wonder where are the strange masked outsiders that saved us before? Where are…"
"Look out!" A voice screamed off camera cutting him off.
The reporter turned just in time as the Helicopter tried to escape and was hit with a blast of energy, all feeds from it going to static.
Below the head of the humanoid formed Serpentera an airlock opened and from the darkness of this ominous craft stepped its ominous commander. Lord Zedd. He stepped out; wincing at the light but then straightened and continued walking forward to the edge of the level so as to look down upon the destruction he has brought. Upon his scaled body and metallic armor lay a microphone like device that broadcast his voice clearly for all in the state to hear, all in the world thanks to the media.
"People of this insignificant Rock you call 'Earth'. I am Lord Zedd and I claim this planet for my Empire. From this moment forth you will be ruled by my hand, from this moment forth your lives are mine to grant or forfeit. I have defeated your champions you called the 'Power Rangers' and have disabled their allies…"
"Not quite" came Rocky's voice as he descended to land with a jolt ahead of Zedd, followed behind him seconds later by the other four "this ends now."
"Young fool. It has not begun" Zedd snarled as his flanking men moved in to attack and he held up his hand to stop them "your friends, the first Power Rangers, are dead…"
"Liar!" Joey yelled back.
"I personally fired the shot that destroyed their 'Tyrannosaurus Zord'. Besides if it were not true then how would I be here on your planet?" Zedd's cheek muscles moved under his mask as he smiled, seeing them as they looked at each other and seeming to except it.
"As I was saying; they are gone, your other team, the new ones, will also be destroyed by the Machines, your Zord's will not answer your call. What is it you intend to do?"
"I can start by killing you" Joey let out in anger and raised his blaster, moving forward toward him.
"No" spoke a voice behind him "your won't."
The others turned in shock as Katherine turned her blasted and fired point blank at the back of Joey's head and watched coldly as he fell to the ground, dead. Katherine then walked forward and turned, standing beside Lord Zedd as the others barely had chance to even speak. Confusion turning to despair, despair turning to anger.
"Katherine……you! You..!" Rocky finally mouthed.
"Ah yes the last piece that has fallen into place thanks to my dear Bandora" Zedd gloated "Katherine is mine, she always has been. Now surrender yourselves and your power to me or I will kill the rest of you and take the coins from your corpses."
Within the bowls of Serpentera its darkened corridor walls pulsed, red liquid traveling to various parts of the ship like blood. The lighting was only what was necessary and designed to accommodate and reflect its commander. The black metallic walls gleamed only as the pulsing lights reflected upon them. Along one of these such corridors in an insignificant area of the ship a patrolling solider of the empire walked, unarmed and not ready for combat. He however found it, falling to the ground as a red blast shot across from far behind and killed him instantly without chance to scream. From where the blast had just come a boot stepped forward followed by a figure in red armor, Jason the Red Ranger. Behind him he was then joined by the rest of his team. Billy was hunched over, holding himself in pain but they were alive and they may be the last hope for the planet called Earth.