Chapter 16 - Kerberos
By the time Singe returned to Earth with Lord Arcanon and their newest companion, he had a solid idea of just the kind of person Kerberos was.
Obnoxiously loud.
From the moment he had been born, Kerberos had sworn fealty to Arcanon, proving himself more obedient and malleable than Mab had ever been. He was a strong and fierce warrior, and Singe could sense that he was powerful from the start.
It was too bad that he was irritating enough to give Singe another damn headache. He'd spent the entire trip to Earth pacing around the small shuttle they'd flown in, eagerly talking about how he'd claim the rest of the Energems for Lord Arcanon. There had been more and more snide comments directed towards Singe for falling to get more than one, but before Singe could snap, their spherical ship hit the Earth's orbit and plummeted towards the ground.
It landed with an impact strong enough to smash through several metres of solid stone, but the three remained unscathed inside. The moment the systems deemed the outside safe to step out, Kerberos gave an eager growl and slammed a clawed, furry hand to the button to open the door.
Leaping out, he ignored the stinging of brighter light and landed just outside of the ship. People stood staring; some with their phones out as they took photos and pictures of the ship and Kerberos. Not that they could be blamed, he had an unusual appearance.
Dark purple fur lined his face and snout, and large wolf ears twitched at every little sound. Just like his hands, his large feet were clawed and covered in the same coloured fur. He was taller than a regular human, and wore a pair of black trousers and a sleeveless tunic that showed off his furry, muscled arms.
"Now this is more like it!" he laughed, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. He'd been cramped on Arcanon's ship, and the shuttle pod was just as cramped and stale. Now he had room to move, and it made him grin, showing off sharp teeth.
When he realised that the people around were still watching curiously and taking pictures, Kerberos gave a low growl. Instantly able to sense the hostility, people began to back away slowly. When they didn't move fast enough, Kerberos let out a guttural snarl that was loud enough to hurt the ears of those closest, causing them to turn quickly and start running in fear. "That's right, run away!" he shouted after them, the furry tail behind him starting to wag in his glee. "Before I use you as my new chew toys!" Kerberos yelled after them. The people ran faster, screaming in fear at the sudden threat.
"Kerberos, must we leash you like the dog you are?" the weary sigh came from Singe, and Kerberos turned quickly to see him and Lord Arcanon emerging from the ship and approaching him. Instantly Kerberos went down on one knee before his master.
"My apologies, master," he said, lowering his head as his ears drooped.
"No need to apologise, Kerberos," Arcanon wasn't as exhausted by the wolf monster's antics, gesturing for Kerberos to rise. "You are here precisely to cause havoc and lure out our foes," he said, and Singe chuckled as Kerberos' smile returned, showing off his dangerously sharp fangs.
In a beat, Arcanon had his hand raised, sending out a blast of energy that connected with the bolt of black that was fired at him, causing an explosion where they collided. Singe grunted and Kerberos raised a furry arm to shield himself from the smoke, while Arcanon barely even blinked as his robes jostled from the shockwave that pulsed out.
There was a light thud, and Arcanon gave a quiet laugh as Mab straightened up where she stood opposite him. Her four large, black eyes were focused on Arcanon, and she carried her sword by her side as she gave a low growl. "Speaking of, it appears one of them was faster than the rest," the warlord chuckled.
"Oh? So that's Mab?" Kerberos wondered as he took in her green armoured form. He snorted, not paying attention to Fury and Wrench as they flanked her on either side. "You let her best you? That's disappointing, Singe," he taunted over his shoulder. Singe growled, but didn't react past that.
"So, you fools decided to return to this planet after all," Mab ignored Kerberos' words, but her four eyes did dart to him briefly. She then snorted. "Even you, Singe, after you were chased away so pathetically by my weaker half. Embarrassing," she taunted.
"He came on my command," Lord Arcanon spoke, his voice betraying nothing of how he felt even as Singe felt his own anger grow. The only reason he didn't show Mab just how strong he was now was because his master's words had stilled him.
"Of course he did. Heavens forbid he do anything without his master pulling his strings," Mab sneered.
"Why you-"
"I will give you this one chance, Mab," Arcanon stopped Singe once more. "Return to my side and swear your loyalty to me, and I will forget about Thana's…transgressions," he offered, and Singe inhaled sharply.
"But master!" he shouted, turning to him quickly. Kerberos had tilted his head, looking surprised, while Mab blinked slowly, seeming just as surprised by the offer.
"Silence, Singe. You, who could not defeat Thana, who could not finish off three injured Rangers, have much to atone for," Singe winced, but bit his tongue even as his fire burned inside. He turned back to Mab quickly when she started to laugh.
"I'm not one to bend the knee so easily, Arcanon," she declared, raising her sword. "Thana might be weak, but even she knows it's a waste of time to follow you when we can do things ourselves. So you can take your offer…" Mab's sword began to glow as dark magic swirled around it. "And shove it!" she swung the sword, sending a powerful wave of dark magic towards the three. Arcanon sighed.
"So be it," he raised a hand, and a blast of orange and white energy cut through the dark magic as if it were nothing. The energy slammed into Mab's chest, and she choked as she was lifted off her feet and tossed through the air. Both Fury and Wrench stared as Mab smashed through a wall from the force, causing it to crumble.
"Foolish creature," Singe shook his head.
"Kerberos," Arcanon then turned his attention to the wolf nearby. He was tense, eager to jump into the fight, but waited for orders. It almost made the warlord smile. "Have fun," he gestured. Kerberos howled, and Singe sighed.
"Finally! This is going to be fun!" Kerberos laughed, launching forwards. He slowed when Fury stepped in the way, reluctant but duty bound to the one who led him. In a blink, Kerberos had slammed his knee into Fury's gut, and he doubled over while dropping his sword. "You're not my prey, so stay down," Kereberos' words were cold, and he glanced over at Wrench with sharp blue eyes. The robot yelped and dropped his hand-axe. Kerberos laughed, and shoved Fury to the ground.
"It'll take more than that to take me down!" he looked up just as the rest of the wall exploded, and Mab launched herself at Kerberos.
Heckyl could feel the blood pounding in his ears as he and the rest of the Rangers raced through town. They'd picked up when Singe's ship had crash landed, and had headed straight out there. They'd already received a warning from Ari and RJ about Mab being there, fighting with the strange creature that had accompanied Singe and Arcanon.
He couldn't remember how long it had truly been since he'd last set eyes on Arcanon in person. Not with the White Energem stopping him from ageing. Heckyl hadn't bothered counting the days, months, years as he searched for answers on how to stop Lord Arcanon.
And now the warlord stood in the same town square as him, looking just the same as he had done the day he'd taken the Dark Energem and destroyed Sentai-6.
"Heckyl," it was Ivan who braved putting a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention back to them. It was then that he realised his powers were gathered in his hands, sparking dangerously and forcing the rest of them away from him.
"Deep breaths," Philip was then on his other side, nodding to him. Heckyl was reluctant, but did as he said, trying to calm himself.
"Chase, please, don't do this," they then turned at Olivia's voice, and saw her standing in front of her boyfriend with her hands raised, desperately trying to stop him from jumping into the middle of the savage fight taking place nearby. Mab and Kerberos were trading vicious blows and destroying anything that got in their way.
"But that's…" Chase struggled to keep himself still as he saw Mab take another hard hit. "That's Teddie," he breathed.
"I know. But we need to be careful. There's four of them, and they're all dangerous," Olivia pleaded.
"She's right," Tyler then stepped up beside him, offering a smile. "We'll get Teddie back, but right now we need to be careful. We're not losing anyone to do this," he warned. Chase huffed, but nodded, knowing that he was right.
"We'll do this together," James agreed, nodding to Tyler. The Red Ranger smiled at him, glad to have him on his side.
"Typical that our two biggest showoffs have to be the biggest pains," Shelby rolled her eyes.
"I'm hardly a showoff," Heckyl protested.
"When compared with Chase, yeah. But otherwise…" Riley grinned, earning two glares.
"So, this was all you could muster up to stop me, boy?" Arcanon called over as the group approached, ready to Morph in a beat. "After all this time, a group of human kids? It's a little tragic," he commented, and Singe laughed.
"We're no kids," Shelby snapped, as James in particular looked offended by the comment. "We're the Power Rangers, and we're going to take you down!" she vowed. Arcanon just laughed.
"I doubt it," with his derisive words, Arcanon turned back to watch Kerberos and Mab. "I have something far more entertaining here. But so you don't interfere…I have a surprise for you. Now!" he held up the book in his hand.
Behind the rubble and out of sight, Kerberos turned at his master's call. With Mab struggling to get back to her feet, he grinned, and lifted his head. The howl he gave echoed, and a moment later the ground began to shake.
"What?" Koda frowned as the team barely managed to stay on their feet.
'Guys!' as the ground continued to shake, Arianna suddenly contacted them. Tyler grabbed his Dino Com to see what was going on. 'The Silver Ranger's energy signature just popped up in your location!' their eyes widened as Arcanon smirked to himself, hearing them. 'It's weak, but it's definitely there,' she warned them.
"Jeremy? But…where?" Chase quickly scanned their surroundings for some sign of his old friend, but there was nothing. Before he could try to figure anything out, a massive shadow suddenly fell over them as something seemed to almost blot out the sun.
Towering above them was a massive, silver Dino Zord, and it was moving straight towards them. They all backed away, stunned at the sudden appearance.
"That's…the Titano Zord?" Shelby recognised the massive Zord. Linked to the Silver Ranger, there should only have been one person able to command it. Jeremy.
"Move!" Tyler yelled, pushing everyone to run as the Titano Zord changed into a battle mode, and slammed a fist against the ground where they had been standing. The power behind it shattered the ground and lifted the team off their feet, tossing them in different directions as Arcanon just laughed, now piloting it himself.
"But how?" Riley wondered.
"Forget that!" Chase shouted as he pulled the Green Ranger up. "We need to Morph and get our Zords in now!" he yelled.
Arcanon found himself amused by the fight the Rangers gave against the Titano Zord. Even with eleven of them, they struggled against the one Zord, which seemed to tank everything they threw at it.
Singe watched from the ground, enjoying alternating his attention between the Dino Charge Rangers being completely overpowered by Lord Arcanon, and Kerberos knocking Mab around like she was barely any trouble at all.
"He's toying with her…good," Singe chuckled as Mab's back slammed against the wall. She staggered, barely able to stay standing as her sword lay uselessly several feet away. She spat out a glob of blood as she glared at Kerberos, who was grinning widely as he stood opposite her. He was waiting for her to move again, giving her the chance to catch her breath, and it only annoyed Mab more.
"Stop looking down on me!" she snarled, lunging forwards. Kerberos dodged, grabbing her arm to swing her away. Disorientated, she couldn't defend as his claws raked across her chest and she fell into a pile of rubble.
"You're fun, I'll give you that. But just give up. You can't win, and weak attempts like that are just boring," Kerberos warned her, not moving as he watched her. There was a cold look in his eyes as he watched Mab struggle to get up.
"I told you…" she growled, pushing herself up and out of the rubble, only to fall to one knee. "To stop looking down on me," Mab warned, full of rage that only grew the more she was beaten by the wolf-like monster.
Then the familiar jolt of pain from just below her collarbone made her jerk, and the black outlines of her armour began to glow. "No! Stay…in there, you fool!" Kerberos cocked his head, watching as Mab stood and shuddered at the pain that flooded her body at the sensation of another trying to take over.
In a flash of light, Mab was gone, and Teddie stood in her place, breathing heavily as she barely managed to remain standing. Her body ached, and not just from transforming back. Mab had taken a hard beating, and those injuries transferred over to Teddie like the rest.
"Damn you Mab, you should have let me take over sooner," Teddie hissed, glaring at Kerberos. To her surprise, his bloodthirsty look had be replaced by a look of surprise.
"That was almost like…" Kerberos murmured, before shaking his head. He glared at her. "Who are you?!" he snarled, not understanding the reaction that had stirred deep inside. Something about the young woman standing opposite him was strange, and it almost made him nervous. "You-" he stopped as pain ripped through his head. "No! Get out…of my head!" Kerberos put his clawed hands to his head as the pain travelled through the rest of his body. "You little rat, you're not-" with a screech, Kerberos' entire body lit up silver, transforming in a beat.
When the light faded, Jeremy stood in his place, only to fall to his knees a moment later as he breathed heavily. Filthy and exhausted, the Silver Ranger could only focus on steadying his breathing as the pain started to fade.
"You…you changed," the soft voice was familiar to Jeremy, and his blue eyes widened. He knew that voice. Daring to look up, he saw Teddie standing opposite him, and for a moment it felt like his heart stopped.
Beaten and bruised, Teddie looked just as exhausted as he did. Whatever his other half had done, it had been brutal, and it made his chest tighten in anger. Tears stung at his eyes as he stared at his friend, who he'd been so worried about. Yet she stood there, staring at him with no recognition on her face.
Before he could think to speak, a painfully loud rumble shook the ground and made him flinch. Both looked up sharply, and found the Ptera Charge Megazord on the ground with the Titano Charge Megazord standing over it.
"No!" Jeremy screamed before Arcanon could deliver a final blow. Instantly the Titano Megazord stopped, a fist just above the chest of the Ptera Charge Megazord. "You are not using my Zord to hurt people!" Jeremy yelled. He and Teddie watched as the Titano Megazord rumbled and ejected Arcanon, sending him tumbling towards the ground.
"What? How did you stop the Zord?" Teddie's question made Jeremy turn back to her. He pushed himself to his feet wearily, swaying where he stood. Jeremy then took a step towards her, only to stop when he saw her tense.
"Teddie…it's me. Jeremy," his voice was a desperate croak, staring at her as he prayed she would remember. Instead, a dark look crossed her face, and her body language turned defensive.
"I don't know who you are," Teddie spat, ignoring the glimmer deep inside that scared her. "But as I have to keep telling people, I am not this Teddie person," she snarled, and dark magic gathered in her hands. Jeremy backed away, his hands going up quickly.
"Please, don't do this," he pleaded with her.
"You've been trying to kill me the last few minutes," she growled as the magic swirled in the air. "Turnabout's fair play," as she raised a hand, Jeremy jerked and his hands went to his head.
"No…" he whimpered, curling in on himself. His body flashed with silver light, and in a moment he'd transformed back into Kerberos.
"I told you to stay in there," Kerberos growled, breathing heavily as he turned a glare on Teddie. "And I told you to stay down," he took a step towards her, but Teddie threw out her hand and the dark magic moved with her. It slammed into Kerberos in a blast, and tossed him backwards.
"And I'm as much of a pushover as Mab," she replied, glaring back at him.
"Ted!"
"Teddie!" two more voices shouted out, and she turned on reflex as she recognised the voices. Instantly her scowl grew as she saw the Black and White Rangers running towards her.
"Stay out of this!" with a swing of her hand, she caused a wave of magic almost like a shockwave at the pair. They braced themselves, but the power behind it sent them flying. Both Chase and Heckyl crashed to the ground and demorphed, and Teddie huffed.
"Foolish brat!" her eyes widened, and she turned to defend herself from Kerberos, only for his large hand to wrap around her throat. Unable to breathe, Teddie struggled as he lifted her off her feet, watching as she kicked her feet uselessly in her struggles.
"No!" Chase struggled to try and get up, only to fall again.
"Enough, Kerberos," Arcanon's growl had the wolf look around. Embarrassed but unharmed, the warlord stalked over with Singe behind him. "She may yet be of use," he told him. With a growl, Kerberos dropped her. Teddie fell to her knees, coughing violently as she clutched her throat. As she struggled to breathe, Singe grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet, making her cry out in pain, which only made him laugh.
"Stop!" they turned as Heckyl pushed himself up and threw out a bolt of energy. However, Arcanon deflected it with a wave of his hand and laughed.
"Little runt," Kerberos started forwards, but Arcanon stopped him.
"He's not worth the time," he told the monster, who huffed. Arcanon glanced over at Heckyl again, who glared back at him. "I think you've grown weaker since we last saw one another," the words made the White Ranger's eyes widen, and his arm fell to his side. "And you," Arcanon glanced at Kerberos as he turned and started to walk away. "Focus on keeping that boy buried," he warned. Kerberos' ears and tail drooped.
"Yes, master," he spoke softly, following as Singe dragged Teddie away.
"Teddie!" Chase pushed himself back up, only to freeze when she met his gaze with a furious look. When he didn't move, she turned her head away, and was yanked away.
The Silver Ranger arc really took a while for me to get through. Fun time!
Hope you liked it!
Please review!