Author's note: I know that this story is tending more towards Power Rangers than Transformers at the moment, but never fear my good readers, as the story progresses the Transformers will play larger and larger roles. I had wanted to give both fandoms equal share of the spotight in all chapters, but in order to set up the plot that proved to be more difficult than I had thought..
Starscream had been certain that, short of running into Megatron, his day could not possibly have gotten any worse than it already was. When he found Dirge, alone in storage bay six, he realized that the universe was not done toying with him just yet. All three conehead seekers had been present when the Combaticons were working, and Dirge was the only one that he could find.
He debated passing him up and searching for one of the other two, but that would have been stupid. Wandering around the base would almost certainty cross his path with Megatron's. Like it or not, Dirge was his best option.
"Dirge."
"Yes?" The conehead looked up from sorting his own belongings.
"Are Thrust or Ramjet nearby?"
"Not really."
Well it had been worth a try.
"Then you'll have to answer my questions. You were part of the team unloading equipment in storage bay three two days ago, right?"
"That's right."
"And the Combaticons were unloading equipment at the same time. My equipment."
"Yeah."
"Was Swindle left alone with anything?"
"Uhhh...mighta been."
Starscream resisted a grimace. He was already in a bad mood and Dirge was not helping. The seeker seemed not to care enough about the situation to put any real effort into his answers. Then there was his voice. Each response was given in the same dismal tone as if putting together a sentence was cause enough for Dirge to fall into a horrible depression.
"What do you mean he 'might' have been?" He made no effort to hide his aggravation. Starscream's ire served at least to remind Dirge of the other seeker's rank, so he thought a moment before putting together his next response.
"Well, the Combaticons arrived after we did. They started unloading everything together, but then Onslaught was called away by Megatron for something. So he left Blast-Off in charge. Later Brawl got mad at Swindle for something." Dirge stopped, glancing up at his superior officer. He hoped that maybe this information was enough to satisfy him. Starscream's expectant glare told him that there was more he was supposed to tell. If he were human, he would have heaved a heavy sigh.
"Uhh...well. I think that Brawl and Swindle got into a fight or something. I didn't pay much attention. Swindle said something, then Brawl hit him a couple times...think he knocked him off line." Dirge relayed the information in a tone that would have been better suited for recounting a personal tragedy, perhaps the death of a close friend.
"And then?" Starscream pressed.
"Then we left." Dirge stated simply. Starscream thought he would have used that tone to tell others that Cybertron was going to blow up in a few moments and everyone on the planet was doomed to die.
"Great." Starscream muttered, leaving Dirge to finish his work.
He was convinced that Swindle was the culprit now. Without Onslaught there to instruct them otherwise, the Combaticons must have finished their task and left their unconscious comrade where he had fallen. Swindle would have awoken to a storage bay devoid of anything but himself and other people's equipment.
Perhaps this was a turn around to his bad luck today. Not only was he one step closer to locating his missing weaponry, his next step took him away from Cybertron.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A heavy cloud of silence had fallen over the Command Center. The battle was over and the powerless Megazord had been telepoprted to a safe hiding place. Billy and Alpha were scanning the Megazord, finding out what condition it was in, and hoping that the rays left some kind of residual energy that they could work with. The other Rangers waited with trepidation for the results.
"Well, I have benignant news and unbenigant news." Billy informed. The Rangers responded with blank looks. Billy waited a beat before realizing what was wrong.
"Um...good news and bad news."
"What's the good news?" Kimberly asked.
"The effects of the rays have worn off on their own, and the Megazord has power again."
"And...the bad news?" Zack ventured to ask.
"The Megazord received extensive damage when Bullzeye blasted it. Repairs will take time."
"What were those weapons anyway?" Jason asked.
"Null rays. A Cybertronian design." Zordon answered his query after viewing the data from the completed scan.
"Cybertronian...like the Transformers?" Trini asked.
"That is correct." Zordon said.
"Guys, what are we going to do?" Kimberly worried, crossing her arms over her chest. Tommy put a hand on her shoulder sympathetically.
"Alpha and I will work on analyzing the data from the scan and see if there isn't anything we can do to block the rays." Billy said, already hard at work on the computers.
"At least we still have the Dragonzord." Tommy said.
"Yeah, but one zap with those null rays and it's offline too." Zack dismayed.
"For now, there is nothing we can do but wait, and stay on guard. I expect that it won't be long before Rita strikes again." Zordon's words drove home the terrible truth of their situation. Rita had the advantage now. If she attacked before they found a way to defend against the null rays, all would be lost.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A festive celebration was taking place on the Moon. The battle was over and, despite Bullzeye's retreat, Rita saw no reason not to consider this a victory. Squatt and Baboo jumped at the chance to act as coordinators for the event. They supplied plenty of fine wine from the LT-68 galaxy, snacks, and they were even so bold as to put up a few modest decorations.
"To the end of the Power Rangers!" Rita held her wine glass up for a toast. Squatt, Baboo and Finster raised theirs as well before each sipped from their glass, or gulped in Squatt's case.
"Those null rays sure did the trick." Squatt said.
"That, and my Bullzeye monster." Finster added.
Rita chuckled happily and poured another glass for herself.
"Yes, soon, very soon, we will crush our enemies completely, and Earth will be under our control!"
Goldar moodily batted a cluster of streamers out of his way as he crossed the room. He felt that the celebration was premature. They should be attacking now, while the Rangers were weak and unprepared. He had suggested as much to Rita, but she dismissed the notion. She assured him that there would be time enough for all of that later. He leaned against the wall, feeling impatient. He longed to abandon the celebration and take up his sword against the Rangers.
"There's nothing wrong with relaxing a little."
Goldar shifted his gaze from the floor. Scorpina smiled at him, holding out one of the two wine glasses she carried.
"We should be attacking now." He said sullenly, accepting the drink.
Scorpina traced a finger up his armored arm and over his cheek.
"Maybe. But we're not. And moping around won't get you your way. So try and enjoy the party."
He growled softly in response and sipped his drink. Despite himself he started to act on her advice and lighten up a little. After all, they did have the upper hand. The Rangers were still a concern of course, but with the ability to put the zords out of commission, what could possibly go wrong?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After their failed attempt to take control of Cybertron, (which had been preluded by another of Starscream's failed attempts to overthrow Megatron) loyalty had been forcefully programed into the Combaticon's systems. They may have been forced to abandon their vendetta against those who had wronged them in the past, but that did not mean they had to like it. The Combaticons established a base of operations away from the other Decepticons, in the middle of Earth's desert. It was rare for any of them to interact with the other Decepticons if not under Megatron's orders.
Today, Onslaught was grateful for their remote location for reasons beyond personal differences with the rest of the army. Specifically, the pile of energon cubes that dominated the entire western corner of the storage bay. Normally he was willing to turn a blind optic to Swindle's activities. Keeping tabs on the Combaticon entrupenuer would have been a full time job. Besides that, Swindle's dealings supplied the Combaticons with much of their energon. His efforts made it possible for them to function without being dependent on Megatron. Something like this however, could not be ignored.
"Care to explain?"
"Explain what?" Swindle responded casually. "I managed to cut a great deal."
"Swindle, what did you sell to aquire such a large amount of energon?" Onslaught demanded.
"Just some weapons." He said with a shrug. "If you find the right buyer, you can sell a basic laser pistol for the price of a fusion cannon. It's all about the sales technique."
"You didn't have this much success selling a few laser pistols."
"The trick is finding buyers that are both stupid and rich."
Onslaught glared at Swindle. Swindle responded with the same unwavering confidence that he presented to the rest of the galaxy. It was exasperating how many times Swindle forced these confrontations. He felt that he gave his solider a considerable amount of freedom with his personal operations. Swindle continued to abuse his generousity, sometimes beyond insubordination to a point of betrayal. There were more times than Onslaught could remember when Swindle's life had been spared only because he was needed as a component to Bruticus.
There was a tense moment between the two. Swindle was no doubt running through a list of possible lies, trying to find something plausable enough to convince Onslaught of his innocence. Of course it had been a long time since Swindle was able to sweet talk his commander. Onslaught knew exactly what to expect from him and how to handle it. Not to mention that every moment of silence cost him the credibility of his lie. At last, Swindle concieded defeat.
"Well, it may have been a little more sophisticated than a laser pistol." The confidence drained from Swindle's face like a deflated ballon as the conflict reached it's inevitable conclusion.
"Who was the buyer?"
"Couple of alien fleshlings."
"And what did you sell them?"
"...null rays."
The silence stole upon them again. Onslaught did not want to believe what he was hearing. If these fleshlings decided to attempt a conquest of the Cybertronions in the future, they had a valuable weapon for their cause. They could have already taken the null rays apart, figured out how they worked... Perhaps he was over reacting, but even so there was still Megatron to worry about. When he discovered what Swindle had done, it would mean the end of the Combaticons.
"Do even realize what you've done!" He raged. Swindle looked away, trying to keep the annoyance out of his expression. It certaintly would not help his position to let Onslaught see that. "You've given them a weapon to use against US!"
"Not given..." Swindle tried to speak in his defense. "I wouldn't give anything..." He gestured to the pile of energon cubes.
Screaming and raging was not how Onslaught dealt with problems. He forced himself to take a moment and calm down. This situation was one more thing added to the list of 'worst things Swindle had ever done'. He called in the rest of the team. They would have to find a solution together. He began pacing the length of the storage bay as the team assembled around the energon pile.
Blast-Off entered the room, followed by Brawl. Vortex had been on guard duty, so he was the last to respond. The door slid open to admit him, but he hesitated at the entrance. Onslaught was too lost in his musings to notice.
"We need to deal with this quickly. Before Megatron finds out." He muttered aloud.
"My thoughts exactly."
An unmistakable and certaintly unwelcome voice broke his train of thought. Onslaught turned his attention towards the door. Vortex finally entered the room. Following close behind was Air Commander Starscream.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"We need to deal with this quickly. Before Megatron finds out."
"My thoughts exactly."
The Combaticons reacted to Starscream's presence with hostility, but that much was to be expected. Before long they realized the need to work together to resolve their problem. Without Megatron finding out. The scene continued to play, diplayed on the monitor. After they finished their discussion and left the room, the camera angle shifted. The monitor displayed a small opening in the roof, then moved through that into open sky. Then over the desert and behind a large sand dune. The camera circled a large blue robot before coming to a stop.
"Excellent Soundwave." The monitor displayed the Communication Officer's face, seen through Lazerbeak's eyes. "Stay with them and see what they do."
"As you command, Megatron."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jason, Tommy, Kimberly, Zack and Trini found themselves at the Angel Grove mall. They had lingered at the Command Center for awhile, but quickly found that there was little for them to do. Billy suggested they wait elsewhere, promising to contact them if he made any progress. Jason did not like the thought of someone else working to solve the problem while he waited around doing nothing, even if that someone was another Ranger. So he decided to use the time productively and try to devise some kind of strategy against Bullzeye. Almost everyone at the juice bar was a regular, including themselves. When you know everyone in a building to some degree or another, holding a private conversation becomes a daunting task. The mall offered a certain amount of anonymity. An environment where they could blend in with the rest of the weekend mallrats.
As it turned out, it wouldn't have mattered one way or another. The team spent their time sitting in the food court in gloomy silence. Each Ranger was lost in their thoughts, wracking their brains for some tactic to suggest. After an hour of fruitless pondering, a silent unanimous conclusion had been reached. They were stuck unless Billy provided some new information.
"Well, look at this lively bunch."
Kimberly sighed as Bulk and Skull invited themselves over to the group.
"Yeah. Lively." Skull added with an amused chuckled. "What's the matter Kimberly, don't have enough money for the new pair of shoes you wanted?"
"Guys, now is really not the time." Kim warned.
"Don't worry." Bulk reassured. "We have the answer to your problems."
"I seriously doubt that." The stress of the situation had even Zack sounding close to exasperated.
"Now now, you don't even know what it is we have to offer." Bulk said, sounding like he was starting a sales pitch. Smiling confidently and nodding, he turned to look at his friend. Skull returned the confident smile and nodded along with him. After a moment Bulk nudged Skull in the side, irritated that he had missed his cue.
"Coming from the two of you, it can't be anything good." Trini said.
Skull finally realized what Bulk wanted and undid the zipper of the long trench coat he was wearing. Reminiscent of stereotypical swindlers offering faulty knock off brand watches from a display set up inside their jacket, Skull had pens, pencils, candy and cheap toys hanging inside of his coat.
"Bulk and Skull's bargain bin." Bulk proclaimed. "Each item only fifty cents. Fifty cents cheaper than their retail value. So, can I interest you in anything?"
"How is it you can afford to sell that stuff cheaper than the store?" Trini wondered.
"Uh...well." Bulk seemed at a loss for an explanation. He looked at Skull in hopes of an inspired answer and realized that Skull was looking to him for the same thing. "We...got a discount."
"Yeah, five finger." Skull said, then burst into amused laughter.
Jason stared at the pair in disbelief. "You guys shoplifted from the dollar store?"
The rest of the table gave the two similar looks. Obviously sensing that there was no profit to be made here, Bulk stood. Skull's laughter ended abruptly when he was hauled to his feet by the collar of his coat.
"Zip it." Bulk hissed at Skull, angry that he had let the information slip. Skull seemed to miss the point of his scolding however and instead zipped up the trench coat. Bulk sighed, choosing not to comment. Instead he addressed the others. "We don't have to stay here and listen to these accusations. We'll take our business elsewhere."
Bulk and Skull started away, making it the length of almost three tables before they accidentally bumped into a couple of people coming from the other direction. The pair stumbled backwards and collided with another table. The table over turned, falling to the floor along with Bulk and Skull. Two plates of noodles and orange chicken spilled off of the table onto their heads.
Despite their situation, the Rangers could not help but laugh. Everyone who had witnessed the incident joined in. Even the two who had lost their lunch found it hilarious. Two members of mall security who were passing by came to investigate the commotion. When they spotted the two noodle covered teens at the center of the scene they made their way towards them.
Bulk muttered moodily under his breath, pulling noodles from his hair. Then he spotted the mall security coming to a halt in front of him.
"Dollar Market said that two kids shoplifted some stuff from their store." The mall cop informed them. "Two kids matching your descriptions."
"That's absurd." Bulk protested, rising carefully to avoid slipping in the mess on the floor. "We've never stolen anything in our lives."
"Right." Skull agreed, following his best friend to his feet. The items in his coat had been secured rather precariously however, and many ended up being jostled loose by the fall. When he stood, more than half of their stolen inventory rained out from under his coat to join the mess of chicken and noodles on the floor. The mall cops sighed, shaking their heads. Each took one of the teens by the arm and led them away from the food court.
There was a lingering sense of amusement at the Ranger's table as the situation resolved. It was soon dispelled by Jason's communicator. He glanced at the others before activating the device. The rest of the group huddled around to hear.
"This is Jason."
"Come back to the Command Center." Billy said, sounding pleased with himself. "I think I found the answer to our problem."
Sweeter words could not have been said at that moment. The team quickly left the food court and dodged into the nearest service corridor. Relieved to find it empty, they teleported away from the mall.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Five multi colored streaks of light marked the arrival of the other Rangers at the Command Center. Billy barely had time to register their presence before he found himself surrounded. They crowded him, eager for good news.
"How do we defeat Bullzeye?" Zack asked.
"I..." Billy began.
"What's your plan?" Kim wondered.
"Well..." Billy tried to say.
"Are you sure it will work?" Trini asked.
"I'm not..."
"Guys." Jason managed to take a point of authority and put an end to the chaos. "Billy, what did you find out?"
"Well, Alpha and I examined the energy left by the rays." Billy said, relieved that he was able to finally explain. "We ran some simulations based on the data we gathered and were able to, in theory, construct a defense against them."
"What's that?" Trini asked.
"We should be able to use the morphing grid to shield one of the zords, thus deflecting the energy of the null rays."
The tension that had been alleviated by the hope of salvation returned with a sudden fierceness over the group. The Rangers looked at each other uneasily, not sure of what to say. The proposed solution sounded just as dangerous as the initial problem. They all knew the dangers of overloading the moprhing grid. Risking the grid meant risking the loss of their powers. Billy understood these dangers just as much, if not more than the rest of them. This meant that either he deemed this course of action safe...or that there was simply no choice but to employ such a dangerous tactic.
"Billy...are you sure?" Tommy was the one to put a voice to their apprehension.
"There is a certain risk involved." Billy admitted to the obvious. "But with the simulations we ran I don't think that we will have to divert all that much power in order to make the shield."
"Unfortunately, there is no other option." Zordon said.
Tommy nodded in reluctant acceptance. The sentiment seemed to be shared by all of the other Rangers.
"Let's hope it works as planned." Alpha said, hurrying over to the view screen. "Bullzeye's come back!"
"Tommy. The Megazord still needs to be repaired. You must fight him with the Dragonzord." Zordon hated to send one Ranger out alone, but there was no choice.
"Right." Tommy agreed. He morphed into the Green Ranger and teleported down to the city.