A/N I don't own the Power rangers, characters or plot but anything that is unrecognisable does belong to me. Copyright goes to Saban©.
This story goes out to Fallingstar22, she has reviewed my story faithfully since the beginning and I am very grateful.
Power Rangers: Shift in Time
Chapter 9- Chase into Space (part 1)
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Later that same day, the five teens were sitting in the Youth Center, watching the newest space shuttle return to Earth on TV.
"Roger, Mission Control, we're down to Range Two-Nine."
"Copy that, shuttle, vector is Three-Five; you're go for landing." The shuttle tilted down towards the runway, landing gear unfolding.
"Roger, touchdown in three, two, one, contact. Main chute deployed."
"That's confirmed, shuttle. Nice landing and welcome home. Ground crew will meet you at the end of the runway," Mission Control replied over the radio.
"There you have it; the mission of the specially equipped space shuttle seems to have come to a successful end, and now let's go live to Mission Control," said the reporter. The camera cut to NASADA base, where a collection of reporters swarmed around a man in uniform standing at a podium.
"Let's meet General Norquist, mission control commander for NASADA," said another reporter.
"The mission was a complete success. Our next goal is the longer range exploration of space..." The TV faded into the background as the Youth Center noise picked up again, now that the excitement was over.
"So how you feeling, Kat?" Maya asked Kendrix, as she shot Tommy a look. Tommy blushed and hung his head, making the others laugh.
"You don't even want to know how many times he called me Jason," Rocky said, and looked to Adam. "Right, Zack?"
"Hey, nobody's perfect," Adam said.
"Thank you." Tommy was starting to look a little irritated. Suddenly, the Rangers' communicators beeped. Slipping away from the crowd, they teleported to the Power Chamber.
"What's up, Dimitria?" Asked Tommy.
"We are receiving an urgent message from Eltar."
"Yo, it's breakin' up," said Alpha, and typed in a few hasty commands.
"Eltar?" Asked Maya.
"The source of all our powers," said Rocky. Zordon's face appeared on the Viewing Globe, but as Alpha had said, the image was crackling and starting to fade.
"Rangers, I wish it was under better—" began Zordon, but the signal was weakening fast.
"Boosting signal gain," said Alpha.
"…Eltar is under attack…so far we have resisted their advances…though you may be tempted to come to our aid, you must stay and protect the Earth…and Rangers, beware, there is…" Zordon faded into white noise.
"Alpha, begin a long range scan. Perhaps Zordon was trying to warn us of an attack," said Dimitria.
"I'm on it."
"Beware of what?" Wondered Tommy. Just then, an alarm began to sound. Rocky nearly rolled his eyes at the perfect timing.
"Oh, something's enterin' the Earth's atmosphere," said Alpha.
"Is it a monster?" Asked Kendrix.
"It's not just a monster, it's massive, maybe even bigger than a Megazord," said Alpha. Kendrix bit her lip; from the look on her face, she remembered something about this fight. The others glanced at her, but she didn't say anything.
"Yeah, well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall," said Adam. The team gathered, raising their morphers.
"Ready?"
"Shift into Turbo!"
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The Rangers teleported to Angel Grove Park, where the monster was supposed to land, but they couldn't see anything.
"Hey! Look up there!" Rocky pointed up to the sky. The others followed his finger, and saw flashes of red lightning in the sky. Just as abruptly as it had appeared, the lightning stopped, and an enormous monster appeared before them. It was red, spiky and huge, much bigger than the Megazord, with an evil-looking golden face.
"I am Goldgoyle, and you are about to be destroyed, Power Rangers!"
"A little overconfident, don't you think?" Said Maya to the others.
"I had hoped for more worthy adversaries, you're all so puny, but…" Goldgoyle abandoned his sentence to shoot red lightning out of his eyes. The strikes hit the Rangers, causing a massive explosion which knocked them off their feet. The rangers struggled back up.
"Man, this guy means business!" Said Adam.
"Then it's time to show him that we do too!" Said Tommy.
"We need Rescue Megazord Power, now!"
The five rescue Zords rumbled into sight, and the Rangers teleported. The Zords began to unfold and join, forming the Rescue Megazord. Goldgoyle watched, amused.
"That's better: now I can have some fun while destroying you!"
He fired lightning out of his eyes again, but the Rescue Megazord jumped out of the way. Rolling, it fired its weapons at Goldgoyle and landed safely back on the ground with a boom.
Before they could launch another attack, Goldgoyle sent out two vine-like arms that grabbed the weapons. They sent bolts of energy through the Megazord, and their weapons exploded and fell to the ground in smoking pieces. The Rangers were nearly thrown out of their seats.
"Aww, did I break your little toys?" Mocked the monster.
"We need artillery power!" The weapon from their other Zord appeared, and they took aim at Goldgoyle. "Artillery power, fire!"
The blasts hit Goldgoyle, but had no effect on the monster: he just laughed.
"We need more power!" Said Tommy.
"We don't have any more," said Adam.
The Rangers could only sit and watch as the monster drew energy into a ball and blasted them. Panels sparked all around as the Rangers were tossed about in the Megazord. Before they could regain any remaining power, the monster formed another ball of energy and hit them again. Before the Rangers could react, the Megazord fell to the ground.
"We've got to find a way to get back to our feet," said Tommy.
Pulling herself up in her seat, Kendrix added, "yeah!"
Adam and Kendrix sent the rest of their remaining power to the Megazord, and it was able to stand. Laughing, Goldgoyle blasted them with his lasers again. The Rangers tried to keep the Zord on its feet, but it fell, crashing into the side of a mountain.
"We're down to half power!" Warned Kendrix.
"And the shields are offline!" Said Maya.
"We've got to get back up," said Tommy.
"Kendrix reroute the auxiliary power," said Adam.
The Pink Ranger was already typing in the commands. "Right!"
Once she had finished, Tommy was able to pull the Megazord back on its feet.
"The servos are back online," said Rocky.
The monster blasted them again, and the Megazord stumbled.
"We can't take much more of this!" Said Adam, as another set of controls shut down with a whine.
"We have no choice," said Tommy. The Megazord swung a punch, but it bounced off Goldgoyle's hide.
"All systems are failing!" Said Kendrix.
"Divert the power from the weapons systems!" Said Tommy
"Weapon power's gone," protested Rocky. "We can't defend ourselves, we're sitting ducks!"
The monster fired again, and fire erupted everywhere. The Megazord stopped, and creaked as it swayed in the wind.
Then, Kendrix got an idea. "I'm going to try to divert the power manually."
Tommy looked at her. "No, it's too late. The Rescue Megazord is too badly damaged—and I doubt Goldgoyle will wait for us to make repairs. We can't let him win! We have to stop this right here and right now!"
"But how do we do that?" Asked Rocky.
Tommy was grim. "We move in close to Goldgoyle and self-destruct the Rescue Megazord." Nobody said anything for a moment. Deep within the Megazord there were ominous rumbles, and the ground quivered as Goldgoyle took a step towards them.
"He'll never expect that," said Kendrix at last. "That's brilliant, let's go!"
The five Rangers got back in their positions, and slowly steered the damaged Megazord close to Goldgoyle. The monster came in close. Tommy activated the self-destruct, giving the Rangers just enough time to call on the Turbo Zords.
"10, 9, 8…"
"Turbo Zords, power up!"
"7, 6, 5, 4…"
The Rangers quickly filed out of the Megazord. Goldgoyle picked it up as Tommy dropped out the back hatch. Its innards rattled as he shook it.
"3, 2, 1—"
They cleared the Megazord just as it exploded. Landing in the Turbo Cars, they readied for whatever came next. There was an evil laugh.
"Nice try, but you can't finish me that easily!"
The Rangers looked up in shock. As the smoke cleared, it revealed Goldgoyle without a mark on him.
"Oh man, it didn't work. All right, guys, bring them together," ordered Tommy.
The five cars linked up to create the Turbo Megazord, and Goldgoyle watched, amused.
"Ready? Let's do it!"
Turbo Megazord Saber!" A sword materialized in the Megazord's hands. They used the spin attack on Goldgoyle, but he saw them coming.
The monster laughed. "Goodbye Rangers!"
He tried to hit the spinning Megazord with a lightning blast, but the Megazord jumped aside. Landing in just in front of Goldgoyle, the Megazord rose up to Goldgoyle's eye level. It still spun madly.
"Full power now!"
The energy whirling around them turned golden as the Megazord spun even faster. It hit Goldgoyle and passed right through him, but didn't harm him.
"No way!" Cried Maya.
Adam shook his head. "I can't believe it!"
"This has been so entertaining, I'm almost sorry to see it end. Almost." Goldgoyle hurled a massive ball of energy at the Megazord. It was slammed to the ground, explosions tearing through the hull. "And I was told the Power Rangers were tough!"
Kendrix groaned. "All systems are down."
"I can't believe this is happening," said Maya.
Tommy growled angrily. "Wait I have an idea—let's get out of here now!"
The Rangers exited the Megazord, and quickly hit the ground as another explosion blew off its head.
"So what's your idea?" Asked Maya.
"I'll show you. We need Turbo RAM Power, now!" Goldgoyle was busy eviscerating the Turbo Megazord, and paid no attention to the small combination of Power Weapons that flew to the Rangers' aid. "Kendrix, set it to detonate on impact." Darting over to the machine, Kendrix got to work.
"But, Tommy, the Turbo RAM Cannon isn't even going to make a dent in this guy—at least not from this distance," said Adam.
"Right, but I'm not going to be at this distance."
Kendrix finished and turned to the others. "All right, it's ready, Tommy, but what's your plan?"
"This." Tommy gestured upwards as if summoning another Zord. "Lightening Cruiser, Jet Mode!"
The red racecar swooped out of the sky, skidding to a halt in front of the team. Tommy had them load the RAM Cannon on Lightning Cruiser. Climbing in, he took off, heading straight for Goldgoyle. Now the monster noticed him coming, and stood up, staring in disbelief at the little red car.
Once Tommy was close enough, he launched the Cannon into Goldgoyle's mouth. It exploded inside of him with a deafening blast, and all of the Rangers ducked. Once the smoke cleared and the ringing faded, Goldgoyle was finally gone.
Tommy landed Lightning Cruiser near the others and jumped out with a whoop. "We did it!"
The others were just as relieved the battle was finally over. However, looking around, they realised how much it had cost them. Both Megazords and their Power Weapons were gone. If another large monster came, they would be left defenseless.
"We've got to get to the Power Chamber," said Tommy.
The five Rangers gave one final look at the fallen Zords, and then teleported away.
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Back on the Subcraft, Divatox was throwing a party for all of her minions. Elgar and Rygog were absent, but the rest were having the time of their lives.
Taking the microphone, Divatox addressed the group. "The Power Rangers are running, and they won't quit running until I, Divatox, run them into the ground! Today the Megazords, tomorrow…" she raised her glass.
"Tomorrow the Power Chamber," finished Rygog, waddling in.
Divatox lowered her glass. "What do you mean?"
Elgar barged in, shoving past Rygog. "Yep, I found it."
"I found it," said Rygog, pushing Elgar out of his way.
Divatox's face lit up in excitement. "Are you absolutely sure?"
"Yes and the best part is the rangers are inside!" Divatox squealed in pure delight. The monsters gathered in the room mumbled among themselves. Licking her lips, she spoke.
"Ready the armies. Today the Power Rangers go down in history!" She let out a dramatically diabolical laugh.
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Back in the Power Chamber, the Rangers finished explaining to Dimitria about the loss of both Megazords. Alpha 6 looked on, clearly worried and jumpy.
"Unfortunately, their destruction could not be helped. But now I have grave news for you. The planet Eltar has fallen to evil forces."
"What about Zordon?" Asked Tommy. All of the Rangers looked alarmed.
"Is he ok?" Asked Adam. "We've got to go and help him!"
"No. If you go, Divatox will take over the world. The Power Rangers are the Earth's only defense against her." Divatox's voice was firm.
"But Dimitria, if we don't go to help Zordon, who will?" Asked Kendrix.
"I will go to Eltar with the Blue Senturion. Together we will try and help Zordon." Now the Blue Senturion stepped forward, folding his arms, his armor clinking a little.
Rocky moved forward. "But when?"
"Immediately." The rangers just stared at her, then each other, unsure of what to say or do.
"Don't worry Rangers, we will be as cautious and safe as we possibly can."
"You can count on us, Dimitria. We'll protect the Earth," said Tommy.
"I have no doubt." Dimitria's voice warmed with pride. "Against the darkest danger, when all hope is lost, if ever you bow your heads, raise them high again, for you are the Power Rangers." Dimitria's tube glowed blue.
"Goodbye, Dimitria," said Tommy.
"May the Power protect you all." And with that, Dimitria was gone, along with the Blue Senturion.
The rangers stared at Dimitria's empty tube with heavy hearts. Tommy turned and walked away, beginning to pace the floor. His footsteps were the only sound in the room. Rocky who always had some remark to lighten the mood, was strangely silent. Adam watched Tommy, waiting for him to say or do something. Maya looked over at Kendrix, who shrugged. Neither girl knew what to do, or even if there was anything they could do.
But before the Rangers could even fully process what was happening, alarms started going off. Alpha 6 reached the monitor first, and threw up his hands in horror.
"Oh no, we've been discovered!" Cried the robot. The Rangers ran over and looked at the monitor. What they saw was not a pleasant sight.
Literally thousands of Piranhatrons were scaling the mountainside heading straight for them. Behind them, Divatox sat beneath a set of flags, watching with her minions. Tommy folded his arms, Rocky and Adam exchanged looks, Kendrix bit her lip, and Maya covered her mouth with a hand.
"How did they find us?" Asked Maya.
Rocky shook his head incredulously. "Look at all of them!"
The Rangers stood in silence, waiting for some kind of command from Tommy. He just stared at the screen, watching as more and more Piranhatrons climbed up towards the Power Chamber. His expression was unreadable.
"They're going to be all over the Power Chamber in a couple of minutes," said Kendrix.
Finally Tommy seemed to come to a decision. He turned to face them and spoke. "We have to go out and face them." Then he headed for the door, shoulders squared.
"Bu...bu…but there are way too many of them," Alpha 6 said.
"We can't wait for them to attack us. Everybody ready?" Tommy glanced back at the others. The other four teens simply nodded. Yes, they would be seriously outnumbered, but they had promised to protect the Earth, no matter what. "Alpha, open the outer doors."
"Yo, Rangers, be careful out there." Without turning around, he pushed the button to open the outer doors. He watched as the five Rangers ran out to face the approaching army, and added, "Dimitria would be proud."
The Rangers ran through the outer doors, ready to face their biggest battle yet. This was the largest group of Piranhatrons they had ever taken on. They didn't know how it would end, but they knew that had to try.