Syber Series Chapter 3 – Fighting a Loosing Battle

One Week Ago….

It was a warm day in Florida as Kimberly Hart stepped off the plane she had been riding. She was returning from a vacation in Angel Grove that hadn't exactly gone as planned. Once again, simply being in Angel Grove had put her life in danger when Divatox had kidnapped both her and Jason Scott to use as sacrifices to Maligore's power. As scary as it was though, Kim had to admit to herself that she missed being the Pink Ranger, almost as much as she missed her friends. Being back there with Jason and Tommy brought up a lot of good memories that Kim was now having a hard time ignoring.

"Kim!" A voice cried out from the crowd as Kim made her way out of the gate. She didn't have to even look to know who it was. She made her way through and came up to the tall blonde man and smiled as she gave him a hug.

"Eric, I missed you!" She said as she squeezed him tight. "I told you I could get a cab though, you didn't have to come and get me!"

"I know, but I wanted to!" Eric replied as he picked up her bag for her, and they began to walk. "So, how was the trip back? Did you manage to surprise your friends?"

"Oh yeah!" She laughed to herself. She had planned to surprise the others with Jason's help and had done more than surprise them when they discovered she was Divatox's hostage.

"And everything with the shelter went well?" He asked.

"Very! The guys managed to win ten thousand dollars to help keep it open. You should have seen the look on those kids' faces when they found out!" She replied as they made their way out of the airport.

"And how was the rest of the trip?" He asked.

"Oh, you mean the Tommy parts?" She replied as she smiled. "They were good. He's even dating a friend of ours now. You should see them together, they seem amazing!"

"So no hard feelings like you were expecting?"

"Nope, none at all. Which was a major relief!" She answered, leaving out the fact that the danger they were in left little time for her and Tommy to discuss any of their sudden break up anyway.

"Well good! I'm glad you had a great time, and I'm even happier that you're back!" Eric said as he put an arm around Kim's shoulder and kissed her on the head.


Present Day….

Tommy was dreading this visit, almost more than the first time he had gone. When he told Katherine's parents of her disappearance, it was heart breaking to have to do it as a Power Ranger. He wasn't able to console them the way he would have as Tommy, not without giving away their identities. But after they called him and asked him to come over, Tommy knew he would have to pretend like he had no idea what was going on. He was going to have to lie to them and show the hurt and anger of Katherine being taken away from him as well as them, and he didn't know if he could do it.

Of course, it wouldn't take much for him to show those reactions, as he had been feeling them since the moment she was taken. No, the problem would be having to walk in the door with a smile as if nothing was wrong. He hated this part of being a Ranger. Lying to the ones closest to them, even if it was for their own safety and protection.

As he walked up to the door, he barely knocked before it was opened and before him stood Kat's mother. He could tell she had been crying but had put on a brave face to greet him.

"Good morning Mrs. Hillard!" Tommy stated as she welcomed him in. "Have you been crying?"

"I have Tommy, which is part of why I asked you to come over." She answered as she motioned for Tommy to sit on the couch. Kat's father was seated in a chair across from the couch with his head hung low.

As Tommy sat down, he felt their pain and felt even more guilty for what he was about to do.

"Is something wrong? Where's Kat?" He asked as he looked to them both. Kat's mother sat next to him and put a hand on his hand.

"I know this will be hard to hear, but she's missing." She responded.

"What? How? When?" Tommy asked, trying to sound as angry as he felt.

"According to the Power Rangers, she was taken four days ago now." Kat's father answered. "We're not sure why, or how it happened, but apparently she was taken by one of those monsters that likes to attack the world,"

"Why would they take Kat? And what do the Power Rangers have to do with this?" Tommy asked as he stood up.

"We don't know Tommy." Kat's mother answered as her eyes began to water. "We asked the same questions when the Red Ranger came to tell us, and all he knew was that whoever took her wanted to use her as leverage against them."

Kat's father stood along with Tommy and hugged him tightly.

"We didn't want to worry you, but we have no idea if she's still alive or not. And the Power Rangers aren't exactly giving us any other information or help." He stated. "We never should have moved here." He said as he sat back down and buried his head in his hands.

"But, I don't understand, why haven't they saved her yet? I mean, that's what they do right?" Tommy asked as he allowed himself to begin to cry. He knew the answers already, but knew he had to question their actions like any other civilian would do.

"We don't know. There must be more to the story than they are telling us." Kat's mother answered as she looked up to Tommy. "That's why we decided to ask you here and tell you this. We were wondering if you knew anything or any reason why they would pick her? I mean, how can she possibly be important to those monsters?"

"I… I don't know. There's nothing. We've never even seen the Power Rangers in person before, it makes no sense!" Tommy answered.

"You have to know something!" Kat's dad shouted as he stood up and grabbed Tommy by the shoulders. "You were with her all the time! And now she's gone for four days and you haven't even called?"

Tommy was taken back. He expected a lot from this meeting, but not this. The stunned look on his face caught Kat's father off guard as well.

"You do know something don't you?" He asked as he narrowed his eyes at Tommy.

"I swear, I don't!" Tommy answered as he broke away from Kat's father. "I know you're just trying to find out whatever you can, and believe me, I intend to do the same." He stated. "But, I have faith in the Power Rangers. If they said they're going to save her, they will."

"I know. I'm sorry Tommy. We didn't mean to make it seem as if we were accusing you." Kat's mother said as she hugged Tommy. "We just want our little girl back. How could someone take her from us?" She asked as she began to cry.

"I don't know. But I intend to find out." Tommy said as he made his way toward the door. The emotions in the room became too hard to handle for him any longer. This kind of lying was not what he signed on for. Before Kat's parents could say anything else, Tommy left and teleported home as soon as he was out of their house.


Two days ago….

Kimberly was worn out from the day's workout with her coach, and was never more excited to see her bed when she got home. She hadn't realized how easily taking a week away from training could hinder her progress. For the first time since she first left Angel Grove, she truly understood why her coach had pushed her so hard back in Angel Grove.

She wasn't sure why she kept thinking back to that time though. She knew it wasn't because of the broken relationship with Tommy. And it wasn't because of the friends she was missing either. But she couldn't understand why she was suddenly feeling more and more out of place here. She had devoted her life to the Pan Global games and had actually brought home a silver medal in last year's games. Her coach had her convinced that this year she could take the gold, but after today's workout, she wasn't so sure anymore.

After taking a shower and making a sandwich to eat, she settled in on her couch and turned on the TV. The apartment she had was nice, but still didn't feel like home. But still, she was grateful for it and for finally having a space of her own. As she was finishing the last bite of her sandwich, a knock at her door took her attention away from the TV. When she answered, Eric was at the other side.

"Hey you! What are you doing here?" She asked as she smiled and hugged him.

"Well, I would have called first, but you haven't answered my calls in the last two days." He stated as he entered her apartment and closed the door behind him. Kim looked down sheepishly as they sat on her couch together.

"I'm so sorry, I've just been in training mode pretty hard core. Taking the week off really softened me up and I need to work hard to get back on track." She answered. "Can you forgive me?"

"Of course I can." He answered. "But are you sure that's all it is? Nothing about being home again you want to talk about?"

"Ok, so maybe taking my visit is making me a little homesick, but I'll get over it. I just miss my friends and the life I had there. Being there for even a week made me realize how much I was missing it."

"Well, maybe you should go back more often then. I mean, it is where you grew up, and everyone that matters to you is there." Eric said as he stroked her hair.

"Not everyone." Kim said as she smiled and leaned in to give Eric a kiss.


"I don't think I can do that again." Tommy said to his friends. They had gathered in the park and were sitting together at a secluded bench so he could recount the details of his visit with Katherine's parents. "They were so hurt and scared about not knowing anything. And I have some answers to give them, but I can't do it, not as Tommy or as the Red Ranger."

"I can't imagine." Tanya said as she put a hand on his back. "We'll get through this Tommy. Once we get Kat back, none of this will matter."

"It's scary." Adam stated as they all looked to him. "We've all been kidnapped at some point, but this is the first time we're completely unable to do anything about it. I can't imagine putting my parents through this."

"Me either. Especially after what I went through to get them back." Tanya added.

"Well, maybe next time it'll be me they take. No one to miss me really." Justin stated.

"Justin, that's not true…" Tommy started.

"Sorry, I know that. I was just trying to lighten the mood." Justin said sheepishly.

"We have to do something. We can't keep sitting around waiting for Syberia to make a move. We need to take the fight to her if we want to rescue Katherine." Tommy stated.

"We're not going to be able to do that without a Pink Ranger." Adam replied.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that too. We should get to Zordon. I need to fill him in and we need to make a plan." Tommy stated. The others agreed as they stood up and teleported to the Power Chamber.


"It's amazing to see the subtle changes." Syberia stated as she looked over Katherine's sleeping form. Her features had begun to shift slightly, seemingly strengthening her body. Syberia smiled to herself as she moved her hand along the cylinder Katherine was in. "How long do you think it will take to manifest within her?" She asked to Mallet, who had been monitoring Katherine's vitals and progress constantly since she was placed in this stasis.

"It's hard to say my Queen. The rate of development is constantly changing. It would seem the human is fighting the changes, even in her slumber." Mallet answered. "But the mental connections are forging through quite quickly. I believe once they are complete, the rest of the transition will be seamless."

"Perfect! Keep me updated on her progress. I need to go attend to our other guests now." Syberia stated as she turned to leave the room.

"Of course my Queen." Mallet answered as he bowed to her exiting form. Syberia moved along the halls of her ship, making her way back to her throne room where she knew the Soldiers were waiting for her. As she entered the room, they bowed before her and moved aside to allow her to sit on her throne.

"So, I take it everything went well last night?" She asked as she looked to each of them.

"Yes my Queen. The Rangers' Zords have been disabled as instructed. They will not be able to call upon them anytime soon to fight against us." Jc answered.

"And you had no interruptions from any of them?" Syberia asked.

"No my Queen, they were completely unable to detect us within their base." Alysa responded with a smile.

"We were even able to get into the Power Chamber while Zordon and the Android were recharging and planted the device you gave us as well." Sanchez added.

"Perfect. The next time they try to disrupt your powers again, it will be quite the show indeed!" Syberia smiled. "I think it's time to put some of these plans to good use. I want you to go down to their city and begin an attack on the citizens. That will be more than enough to draw out the Rangers." Syberia said as she stood before the Soldiers. "Once the Rangers try to disrupt your powers again, everything will fall into place and then, you can call upon your new toys."

"Of course my Queen." Jc answered as they stood together, preparing to leave.

"But first…." Syberia started as she walked toward them. "I'm going to provide you with a small upgrade." Syberia began to touch each of their rings and as she did, they flashed red with power momentarily. "You'll know when to make use of these upgrades, and they should work quite well in forcing the Rangers to do as I want." As she finished with their rings, she moved back to sit at her throne.

"We will not disappoint you!" Alysa said before the three Soldiers began their transformations.


"Look, I know it's going to be asking a lot of her, but right now we need her." Tommy said to Zordon and the others as they convened in the Power Chamber. "I know she'll help us."

"Tommy, no one disagrees that Kimberly would most certainly help us again in our time of need. Her help with Lerigot just recently has demonstrated as much." Zordon responded. "My only fear is in disrupting the life Kimberly has built for herself. A life that she gave this all up for in the first place."

"I'm the last person that wants to drag her back in to this, but what choice do we have? We need to be at full power to even attempt a rescue of Katherine. You said so yourself." Tommy argued.

"I have been running scans on local persons of interest that may be able to take on the powers to help us, with minimal disruption to their lives." Alpha interjected as he began to type some commands into the nearest console. "I can bring up profiles on the viewing screen if you'd like to look some of them over?"

"Maybe they're right Tommy. We should consider all options in this." Adam added.

Tommy looked down and swallowed hard. "It's not just that… This is Kat we're talking about." He stated as he looked up. "Who else can we possibly trust to help us save her other than Kim?"

Before anyone could respond, the alarms began to blare through the Power Chamber, causing everyone to jump to attention. As they worked to silence the screaming sounds, Alpha brought up an image on the viewing screen of downtown Angel Grove.

"Ay yi yi! The Soldiers are back downtown again attacking civilians!" Alpha cried as they watched the viewing screen together.

"Great, what's their plan now?" Tanya asked as the Rangers gathered together.

"I guess we won't know until we go." Tommy answered. "We'll have to continue this discussion after we stop them."

"Be careful Rangers. You know there is likely an ulterior motive to this attack. Keep your guards up." Zordon warned.

"This time we're ready for them!" Adam responded. "Come on guys, IT'S MORPHIN TIME!"

"ZEO RANGER TWO, YELLOW!"

"ZEO RANGER THREE, BLUE!"

"ZEO RANGER FOUR, GREEN!"

"ZEO RANGER FIVE, RED!" As the Rangers finished their transformations, they were immediately teleported into the middle of downtown. Once more, citizens were evacuating, trying to stay as far away from the danger as they could. The Rangers moved quickly to try and help as many people out of harm's way as they could.

"You've finally showed up to play!" Jc laughed as he and the Other Soldiers began to walk towards the Rangers.

"You looked lost, so we figured we'd come help you find your way back home!" Tommy answered as they positioned themselves between the Soldiers and the remaining citizens that were fleeing.

"You are the ones lost, Rangers. We've already proven that we are stronger and better than you, yet you still come to face us and try to stand in our way." Alysa stated.

"As long as we can stand, we'll always be in your way!" Adam shouted.

"Let's see what we can do about that!" Jc cried as the Soldiers launched themselves at the Rangers.

Jc made it to Tommy first, jumping into a spinning kick that connected with Tommy's head and sent him tumbling back. As Adam tried to send a high kick to Jc's head to force him back, Sanchez grabbed his leg and used it to lift Adam and toss him away from the others before turning to Justin and backhanding him, forcing him to stumble back as well. Jc quickly turned and sent a side kick into Tanya's stomach, sending her flying backwards to land in pain at Alysa's feet.

"Come now little girl, let's have some fun!" Alysa said as she grabbed Tanya and forced her to stand and began throwing punches that Tanya was having a hard time contending with. Alysa began to laugh as she attacked, becoming less and less focused on her movements and enjoying the struggle Tanya was putting up. Tanya took advantage of this and when Alysa dropped her guard just once, Tanya shot out and nailed her in the side of the head with a strong high kick that forced Alysa backwards.

"Zeo Power Clubs!" Tanya cried as she summoned her weapons, two yellow clubs connected almost like nunchakus. She spun around and began to go on the offensive, using her momentum to add power behind her hits as she swung her weapons into Alysa over and over again. Her final hit caused Alysa to fall to the ground and Tanya flipped backwards and regarded her. "Having fun yet?"

"Oh, I'm about to!" Alysa stated coldly as she began to stand. She quickly spun around and in a bright flash of pink light, produced her weapon in her hands. "BRACHIOSAURUS SPIRAL STAFF!" She cried as the long staff appeared. It was pink with etched details of yellow along the length of the staff, and at one end was a small spiral tip, and the other had a much larger spiral tip that began to spin and spark with power as Alysa smiled at Tanya behind her helmet.

Elsewhere, Sanchez was contending with both Adam and Justin at the same time. They had recovered quickly from his initial attack, but even with both attacking him together, they were finding it hard to break through his defenses. They could tell he was mostly trying to keep them distracted and not trying to put either out of commission just yet.

"Zeo Power Hatchets!" Adam cried as he summoned his weapons. As they appeared, he immediately began to attack Sanchez trying to make an opening for Justin to strike.

"Zeo Power Axes!" Justin cried as he called upon his weapons as well. Doing so provided just enough distraction to Sanchez for Adam to get the upper hand and land a strike to Sanchez's chest. As he recoiled, Justin came in to strike, hitting him in the arm and then also landing a blow to his stomach that made Sanchez double over and drop to the ground.

"Justin, you need to go help Tommy. I can handle him from here." Adam ordered as he began to step toward Sanchez. As Justin nodded, Sanchez stood and spun around in place as a green light flashed from his hands.

"STEGASAURUS DISCUS!" He cried as his weapon materialized in his hands. It was a large green disc with yellow etching on its face, and large spikes protruding from it. It was rounded just enough to double as a shield, which Sanchez hoisted and tossed to Justin, connecting with his midsection and sending him to the ground before it bounced back to Sanchez's hands. "I didn't say I was done with you two yet!"

Behind them, Tommy had been contending with Jc, both skilled and neither seeming to get the upper hand in their fighting. As Tommy would go on the offensive, Jc would defend perfectly, and the same for Tommy when Jc would strike at him. Sensing that this style would get them nowhere, Tommy decided to lax his defenses. As Jc began landing hits, he stepped up his attack striking faster and faster as he went. Finally, Tommy saw an opening and side stepped an over directed punch from Jc to come back around and land a solid hit to Jc's face, forcing him to tumble backwards on the ground.

"Zeo Power Sword!" Tommy called as his sword materialized in his hands. He jumped forward and struck Jc in the chest several times as he was getting up, forcing him to fall to the ground in pain. Taking advantage, Tommy jumped up hoisting his sword in the air and brought it down with all his strength to Jc.

"VELOCIRAPTOR CLAWS!" Jc cried as he summoned his weapons in a bright blue flash and managed to block Tommy's attack at the last moment. His large blue claws were attached at his forearms and covered the rest of his arms, with the claws overhanging his fist a good deal. Each claw was as big as Jc's chest and had the same yellow ornate etching as the other weapons had. Enjoying the surprised reaction of Tommy, Jc used his free claw to sweep at Tommy's leg, causing him to fall to the ground. Jc then brought his claw up and struck hard at Tommy's chest. As Jc stood, he delivered a hard kick to Tommy's midsection that sent him skidding across the road painfully.

"Tommy!" Tanya yelled as she watched him struggle to stand. Her distraction was a welcome opportunity to Alysa, who drove the large spiral end of her staff into Tanya's chest, causing a hail of sparks to erupt. She came back around quickly with the other end and swept Tanya's legs out from under her, causing her to crumble to the ground as well. Alysa stabbed her staff into the ground, causing a violent ripple of power to shake the ground and send Tanya flying into Tommy. As they collided and crashed to the ground again, Justin and Adam were quickly flung on top of them from a well-placed strike of Sanchez's weapon.

"How do you like our new toys?" Jc asked as the Soldiers regrouped, watching the Rangers struggle to stand.

"Not bad. Let's see how they hold up against ours!" Tommy stated as they all grabbed their swords and blasters from their holsters and combined them to make their powered up blasters. They quickly took aim and fired at the Soldiers, but Sanchez reacted faster and blocked their blasts with his discus, causing the blast to fire back upon the Rangers. They all erupted in sparks as they crumbled to the ground and felt the full pain of their blasts.

"I grow tired of playing with these mosquitos." Alysa stated as she turned to Jc and Sanchez. "Let's have some real fun!"

"I agree! I think it's time to show them our other toys!" Jc answered as they each put their weapons away and raised their hands to the sky.

"WE NEED DINOZORD POWER NOW!" They all shouted as a blast of light raised from each of their rings and shot up into the sky, where all three lights combined and flashed white, creating a large portal in the air. As the wind whipped around, three large Zords descended from the sky and crashed to the ground causing tremors to wreak havoc on the surrounding area.

"Oh my god, they have Zords!" Tanya yelled as the Rangers finally found the strength to stand and stared ahead to the massive Zords.

"I guess we know what Syberia did with our Turbo Zords." Adam answered.

"We need to call our Zords now!" Tommy stated to the others. "We'll use the Super Zeo Zords to try and contain these!" They stood together and raised their hands to the sky.

"WE NEED SUPER ZEO ZORD POWER NOW!" They shouted. They immediately knew something was wrong. Usually when summoning their Zords, the Rangers could feel a burst of power from within themselves, as the activation of the Zords rejuvenated their power. But at the moment, nothing was happening.

"What's going on?" Justin asked as they looked to each other.

"Something's definitely wrong!" Adam answered. "Alpha, what's wrong with our Zords?"

"Ay yi yi Rangers! They aren't responding to any commands!" Alpha replied from their communicators.

"Alpha, how is that possible? We just got them back online yesterday and everything was in perfect working order!" Tanya cried.

"I just don't know Rangers! I've tried everything I can to bring them online and nothing is working!" He replied.

"Then we need to try the feedback surge again. Maybe it'll disrupt their powers enough to disable these Zords before they can do any damage to the city!" Tommy ordered.

"Right Tommy! Activating surge now!" Alpha responded.

Suddenly all hell broke loose. The Rangers gripped their helmets as their bodies erupted in sparks of fire and they collapsed to the ground. Their suits began to flicker in and out before dissipating completely, leaving the Rangers on the ground unmorphed and in severe pain.

"We thought you might try that nasty move on us again, that's why we made sure it would backfire in a spectacular way while we were busy disabling all of your Zords last night. Now you know what it feels like." Jc spat as he and the others stepped forward. "You are no longer a concern for us. Say goodbye to your pathetic city Rangers!" He cried as the three Soldiers turned away and jumped into their Zords.

Jc made it to his first, a large Blue Velociraptor. It was the shortest of the three Zords, and stood on two large hind legs, with its forearms held up near its broad chest and a long tail behind it. As he settled in the cockpit, he pressed his ring against a panel before him that caused his Zords eyes to flash blue before it let out a thunderous roar across the sky.

Alysa blew a kiss in the direction of the Rangers as she jumped up to her pink Zord, easily the largest of the three. It was a large Brachiosaurus that stood high on four legs with an elongated neck and large tail that whipped behind it. As she landed in her cockpit, she also pressed her ring against a panel before her that caused her Zords eye to flash pink as it let loose a loud roar as well.

Sanchez ignored the Rangers completely as he jumped into the sky to enter his Zord. It was sized in between the size of the other two, sitting lower to the ground and shining green. It had large spikes along its entire backside, cascading all the way down its tail, ending in a large mass of spikes at the end. As he entered his cockpit, he pressed his ring against a panel before him that caused his Zords eyes to flash green as it reared up and howled in the air before stomping down on the ground causing it to shake around him.

As the Rangers found the strength to stand together, they watched helplessly as each of the three Zords began to move away from them and turn their attention to the city before them.

"Man, this can't be happening!" Adam cried.

"These guys just keep getting stronger and stronger!" Tanya added as she bent over holding her stomach.

"We need to get back to the Power Chamber, now." Tommy replied as he looked to the others.