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©.
Shout out to fallingstar22 for reviewing my story. Also thanks to yamieve for adding this story to their favourites.
Power Rangers: Shift in Time
Chapter 10- Chase into Space (Part 2)
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They had sworn to protect Earth from the forces of Evil…
The five Rangers fell into line as they watched the army approaching. The Rangers could see that they were outnumbered by at least fifty to one, but that would not stop them from fighting until the end. They had a mission to complete, and failure was not an option.
"Let's go, guys!" Said Tommy.
The five Rangers ran down the mountain to the nearest group of Piranhatrons, and the battle began. The Rangers split up as they were each surrounded by a large group of the creatures. In the beginning, things went well for the Rangers, but for each creature they destroyed, more took their place. Soon, the Rangers began to tire. The harder they fought, the more blows they took, and the more they were knocked off their feet.
Suddenly, red and blue lasers tore through the Piranhatrons, as Lightning Cruiser and Storm Blaster arrived to help. The cars were able to take out several Piranhatrons before being surrounded. Soon, the Piranhatrons gained the upper hand, and the Rangers were forced back towards the Power Chamber.
"There are just too many of them!" Shouted Maya, as she and Rocky were forced back to the walls of the Power Chamber.
Rocky kicked away two of the creatures, then called to the others, "We've got to get back inside the Power Chamber!"
The other three Rangers were soon also forced back, and four of them ran inside. With effort, they began to close the outer doors.
"Hurry Tommy!" Shouted Adam, as they slowly pushed the heavy doors closed.
Tommy ran through at the last second. Darting over to the panel, he locked the doors from the inside. The Rangers ran back into the main room, most of them were unsteady on their feet.
Maya, Kendrix and Adam sat down, while Rocky dropped onto the cold hard floor. They removed their helmets, and Maya rested her head against Kendrix's shoulder. Tommy walked over to where Alpha was standing.
"Alpha, do we still have shields?"
"The shields are totally gone. I'm afraid it won't be long before they break through," announced Alpha.
Rocky looked up at the monitors, as the Piranhatrons continued to bang on the doors. Then, for no apparent reason, the creatures started to retreat. The Blue Ranger sat up abruptly, then sprang to his feet.
"They're leaving?"
Adam got up and walked over, stopping next to Rocky. As he watched, the remaining Piranhatrons fled, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. The two Rangers kept watching the screen, waiting for the foot soldiers to return.
Maya raised her head, and turned to face Kendrix. "I knew something bad happened to force the Turbo Rangers into space, but I didn't remember it looking this bad."
Grimly, Kendrix nodded. "If I remember right there the worse is yet to come."
Maya looked disturbed, but before she could reply, Adam called to them. "Guys, they're back!"
The others looked to see the Piranhatrons carrying a battering ram up to the doors. As they charged, a loud bang echoed through the Power Chamber, making the Rangers jump. The Piranhatrons backed up and charged the door again. And again.
The Rangers watched in shock as the Piranhatrons continued to break through the heavy steel doors. Banging and clanging rang through the Power Chamber, making the computers shudder.
"Oh no!" Cried Alpha.
Tommy happened to glance at a computer, and saw a Piranhatron face peering into one of the cameras. "They're on the roof." Just then, the face moved aside for a swinging hammer, and then the screen went dark.
"Rangers, I still might be able to teleport you to safety," said Alpha, as he began to press buttons, but Tommy laid his arm on the panel.
"We're gonna stay with you, Alpha."
There was one final boom, and the Rangers heard noises and shouts coming through the halls.
"They've broken through the outer doors," said Kendrix. Pounding noises thudded through the Power Chamber as Piranhatrons reached the inner doors all around the room.
"You take that door," said Tommy to Rocky, pointing. "Adam, Maya, there. Kendrix, you're with me."
The Rangers ran to different doors, and readied themselves for when the creatures broke through.
"We've got to stand our ground," said Tommy, looking over his shoulder at the others.
"They won't get by us," said Adam, meeting his gaze firmly. The others nodded, Rocky taking a deep breath.
There was a loud explosion, and part of the ceiling fell in. Kendrix had to roll out of the way of falling debris. The room went dark as the lights died. Ropes dropped through the holes, and Piranhatrons slipped down into the room. The Rangers began to fight them off.
It didn't seem too bad at first, because only a few could get in at a time, but then the Piranhatrons pried open the doors and filled the room. The Rangers didn't even have time to draw any of their weapons.
Small fires burned all around the Chamber, as the Piranhatrons not fighting the Rangers were tearing it apart. The air was smoky, and sparks flew from all directions, making it hard to see. The Rangers were so busy fighting the Piranhatrons that they didn't notice Elgar stroll in, until he pulled out a hammer and threw it.
As Tommy turned around, it hit the plasma tube, which shattered into tiny shards. With a shout, Tommy tried to get closer to Elgar, but more Piranhatrons blocked his path. Adam began punching through the crowd as Divatox's nephew opened a silver box.
Carefully, Elgar placed eight flashing devices around the Power Chamber, activating them as he attached them to walls or panels. He ducked as Maya swung overhead on one of the dangling ropes, and dodged Rocky throwing a Piranhatron at him.
"Let's blow this joint," he shouted, with a laugh. "Up, that is!" He set the final device on the doors before walking out, leaving the Rangers still struggling with the Piranhatrons.
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Outside the Power Chamber, Elgar returned to Divatox's side. Columns of smoke were rising out of the Power Chamber. Laughing, Divatox pressed the button on her lap. She and Elgar watched as the Power Chamber exploded, with the Rangers (and dozens of Piranhatrons) still inside.
When the smoke cleared, she and the Piranhatrons began to look through the remains, to find the bodies of the Power Rangers. The rubble was still hot to the touch, torn-up computers spitting sparks. To the pirate's confusion, none could be found.
"Where are they?" Divatox asked.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are," sang Elgar.
Divatox turned to Elgar. "Are you positive the Rangers were inside when it blew?"
"I'm…not sure."
Divatox was livid. "What do you mean you're not sure? Either the Rangers were destroyed or they weren't!"
"It was smoky, I couldn't see anything!" Cried Elgar, as Divatox caught a handful of his collar.
"Find them," warned Divatox.
Rygog and Elgar joined the Piranhatrons in searching for the Rangers. One Piranhatron came close to a particular chunk of rock, behind which a battered Tommy crouched. The Red Ranger, helmetless and scorched, braced himself for a fight.
Just then, there was a loud noise, and a stream of fire shot from the sky. It stopped, hovering, near the ruins. Divatox clicked her tongue and walked over to the ball of fire. It changed into a face with flaming hair.
"Nice entrance, now who are you?" She demanded.
"I am a messenger from the Cimmerian Planet. Zordon has been captured. You, Divatox, Queen of Evil, will leave at once for the Cimmerian Planet."
"Now? I think not. You tell whoever sent you congrats on capturing Zordon, but I just captured the Earth. And I'm not going anywhere!" With a flounce of her cape, Divatox turned to walk away.
"Dark Specter will not be happy!"
Stopping, Divatox turned back around, with a very different expression on her face. For once, she actually looked intimidated.
"Excuse me, did you say Dark Specter?" She asked.
"The Grand Monarch of Evil," said the messenger. Divatox's crew gathered around her.
"Load up, we're going to the Cimmerian Planet," Divatox whispered. Then she turned back to the messenger, wearing a nervous, simpering smile. "You know what? A little vacation to the Cimmerian Planet would be just…irresistible right now. Really, yes, a little R&R. Great idea! Thank you so much for your suggestion," Divatox stuttered.
The flame vanished, and Divatox sighed with relief before turning to face the ruins.
"Don't worry, I'll be back!" She shouted, and disappeared. Her pirates followed her away, leaving the ruins in dead silence.
Tommy climbed out of his hiding place, and for the first time, could fully see the damage done by the explosion. There was nothing left of the Command Center or the Power Chamber, just a blackened pit full of twisted metal and broken rock.
Slowly, the others emerged, and joined him in the centre of the ruins. Their helmets were lost somewhere in the rubble, and their uniforms were torn in several places.
"Is everyone all right?" Tommy asked. There were a few breathless nods.
The teens were surrounded by light, and their uniforms disappeared, leaving them in their civilian clothes, which were also torn.
"Our powers, they're gone!" Exclaimed Kendrix.
Just then, Rocky spotted Alpha in the rubble. The little robot was half-buried, his plating dented and discolored. He wasn't moving.
"Alpha!" He called, pointing out the robot. The five teens ran over, and helped free the robot. He let out an electronic moan and sat up, a little shakily.
"Oh no, the Power Chamber! Yo, what a complete catastro-stroke. This was my home."
"It's gonna be okay, Alpha. We'll get you out of this," said Rocky. They pulled the robot to his feet.
"How could this have happened? Dimitria and the Blue Senturion gone, the Megazords are both destroyed, and now the Power Chamber. What do we do now?" Asked Alpha.
"We have to go to the Cimmerian Planet," said Rocky.
"We promised Dimitria we'd stay and protect the Earth," said Kendrix.
"Protect it from who? Divatox is gone now," answered Rocky.
Maya shook her head. "She's gone now, but when she comes back, we'll be sitting ducks."
"You're right, we've got to stop Divatox before she comes back," said Tommy. As he spoke, Alpha walked away from the group, gazing around at the wreckage.
"But without the Power Chamber—without our powers?" Asked Kendrix, looking from one Ranger to the other.
"How are we supposed to chase her anyway?" Added Adam.
"Yo I gotta get this…" said Alpha, causing the teens to turn and look. Alpha was trying to move a metal support to get something from under it. The teens ran over, and Rocky and Tommy lifted the beam.
"We need the black box," said Alpha. Tommy knelt down, and cleared away some rubble to reveal a small, dusty black box. He picked it up, and brushed off most of the dirt before handing it to Alpha.
"Alpha what is it?" He asked.
"This box holds the power decoder." Alpha turned it in his hands, making sure it was undamaged.
"What does it do?" asked Adam.
"It has all the secret codes. We're gonna need it."
"What we need right now is to find a way to go after Divatox," said Rocky, clenching his fists.
"I have an idea that might work—but it will be tricky," said Kendrix, frowning in thought. She started to walk away, and Maya followed her. The three guys looked at each other before following the two. Alpha stayed behind, digging through the rubble for anything salvageable.
Kendrix walked all the way through town, finally stopping outside the NASADA building, and waited for everyone to catch up.
"Okay, here's my plan. I used to work here, and I still have my old security card, so I can get myself and someone else inside the building. Then we can find General Norquist and tell him that the Power Rangers require a shuttle to take them to the Cimmerian Planet."
"I'll go with you," said Tommy.
"Okay. We'll contact you if and when the shuttle is ready, and we'll meet you on board." The others nodded, and Kendrix and Tommy turned and entered the building.
She swiped her card at the entrance, and she and Tommy walked inside. Kendrix calmly headed through the building to the Command Tower, where a shuttle was being prepared for a mission into deep space. In spite of the urgency, the two couldn't help but be impressed by the place. They got a few odd looks, but the scientists and security recognized Kendrix, and a few even greeted her.
Kendrix looked around the room, and spotted General Norquist. She approached him and saluted, before asking to speak with him in private. The general nodded, and walked into the hallway with Kendrix and Tommy.
"Sir, a few moments ago, the Power Rangers contacted me and said that they are in need of help. They were attacked by a space pirate, Divatox, who has now fled into space. They require a shuttle capable of deep space travel in order to follow her and stop her before she returns to Earth to cause further destruction upon this city. They know that you are running a test flight today of such a shuttle, and asked if they could use it."
General Norquist looked at the pair for several moments before answering. "Why should I believe you? If the Power ranger do indeed need my help, then why did they not come to me themselves?"
Kendrix looked over at Tommy, unsure if she should tell him the truth, Tommy just shrugged, so Kendrix leaned in close to the General, and whispered in his ear. Norquist straightened, and glanced down at Kendrix's morpher.
"Follow me." Leading them back into the Command Center, he stopped at a microphone. "There's been a slight change in plans. The shuttle course needs to be reset immediately."
Kendrix smiled at Tommy, and turned back to Norquist. "Thank you, sir." He gave them a curt nod. The pair then walked out of the room and headed for the exit.
"30 seconds to launch," a voice rang out over the PA system.
As Kendrix ran, she contacted the others. Thankfully, their communicator watches relied on Billy's technological wizardry, not the Morphing Grid, and they still worked perfectly.
"Guys, Tommy and I did it. The General has given us the shuttle currently on the pad, and it's ready to take off. Hurry, we don't have much time."
"20 seconds to launch."
Kendrix and Tommy reached the tarmac, and broke into a run, heading for the shuttle. They could already see white-coated scientists moving away from the takeoff site.
"15 seconds to launch,"
Their footsteps thudded up the metal ladder, and the two were relieved to see the other three teens and Alpha already inside.
"10, 9, 8…"
Kendrix fumbled a little with her buckles, and Adam reached over to help. The shuttle hatch slid closed and sealed with a hiss.
"7, 6, 5, 4..."
Everyone sat back and tried, badly, to just relax for takeoff.
"3, 2, 1."
Nobody spoke as the shuttle lifted off, even though their minds were full of questions. What were they going to do now? How could they carry on without any guidance in space—especially after what had just happened? How could five mere teenagers with no powers stop Divatox and save the Earth once again?
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