The Dark Side of the Moon

by Twix3780

When she was twelve years old, Rune Winters met her idol - the Black Mystic Ranger - and was taught to use the dark side of the Moon to her advantage. Now, six years later, she must put those skills to the test as the Nighlok rise from the depths of the Sanzu, and the fight for Earth begins anew. (Book Nine of the THU). In Progress.

30. Serrator's Plan

Drawn out of her room by the sounds of raised voices, Rune rubbed her eyes and wandered into the living room. She was surprised to find her team crowded around the coffee table, talking over one another about Serrator and Deker.

"What's going on?" Rune asked, drawing their attention to her.

Mike raised an eyebrow. "Dude, you look rough, you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, you look like you haven't slept all night," said Antonio.

"Maybe because I haven't," Rune replied, stifling a yawn. Her lack of sleep was why Mentor hadn't woken her that morning for training.

As she reached his side, Jayden wound an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her to him. He, of course, knew of her reasons for lack of sleep, but had kept it quiet from the others; especially when they had questioned where she was during training. It wasn't anything new to see Rune not at morning lessons, but it had been getting increasingly questionable since the island encounter.

"It takes a while to recharge after being trapped in your Dark Place," said Rune, "at least it does for me." She shrugged, unbothered. "Kali says I should be okay in a few days."

Emily offered Rune a sympathetic smile. After they had come home from the island, Mike had asked non-stop about the Dark Place and what to expect if he, or any of them, became trapped there. It took Kali a good three hours to get Mike to understand that everyone's Dark Place was different, and the things they would see, feel, hear, and taste there would be unique to an individual's fear.

Rune, for example, feared being taken over by her Nighlok half - fighting it within her Dark Place had only made her weaker, which is why she had taken longer to wake up. Not to mention she had been hit with a dark magic energy ball from the Master, amplifying her fears of him and herself.

Kali's was a locked fire box where she was trapped with her biological father, a man that loved to taunt her about her past choices and try and get her to realise that they were more alike than she cared to admit.

Emily had realised that night, that her Dark Place would be a place where her insecurities as a Ranger would roam. Her inability to be better than her sister, despite taking on the role of Yellow Ranger and proving that she was worth the status of Earth's Defender.

At first Kevin had tried to put off the Dark Place as an actual place of existence. He rather believed in combating his inner fears by not acknowledging their existence, but after a while even he crumbled and admitted that his insecurities and fears were stronger than his ability to ignore them .He wasn't one hundred percent certain that he could pin down his deepest darkest fear, but he knew if he had to face it, and alone no doubt, he'd struggle.

The only person that hadn't explicitly voiced what their Dark Place would be like, was Jayden. No matter how many times his friends questioned him, he refused to answer. It wasn't until Kali stepped in and changed the subject, did he get a reprieve. The only people that knew his truths were Rune and the Mystic Force, and already that was one person to many in his eyes.

"Coming back to my previous question," said Rune, changing the subject and taking attention off herself. "What you all doing? I thought you had training this morning?"

"We did," said Jayden. "Kevin took out Mike without even trying, and then went off script about something related to Serrator and Deker."

Rune raised an eyebrow at Kevin. "Oh. Have you shared this with Kali?" she asked.

"Kali's not here," said Kevin. "She left early this morning, before anyone got up. Something about an emergency in the Mystic Realm."

"Did she say what the emergency was about?"

Kevin shook his head. "She just said she had to go, but she'd be back tonight," he answered. "As for your question, I couldn't stop thinking about why Serrator is attacking in certain places. I mean, the Island is way off the beaten path. If he wanted our attention, then there are plenty of places to attack in the city."

"What does Deker have to do with it all?"

"When Xandred rose from the Sanzu, Mike said he heard Serrator say something about not needing Dayu," said Kevin, glancing at the green Ranger. "He said he only humbled her, but it was Deker that he was truly after. He has a plan that only Deker can execute."

Still confused, Rune scratched her head. "I'm lost," she said. "Rewind and explain it again."

Kevin took a deep breath. "Serrator doesn't seem like the type of Nighlok to just attack randomly," he said. "I've been keeping a mental map of all the places he has attacked, and this is what I've come up."

"You've been keeping a mental map of all the attacks?" Rune questioned. "Your memory is that good?"

"Yours isn't?" Kevin asked.

Rune scoffed. "No. So glad there's no exams to qualify as a Samurai," she said, sharing an amused look with Mike. He was in the same boat as her.

"You finished the Mystic Academy in a month," said Kevin. "That takes some mentality. You also remember all the streets within the city."

"I started memorising streets of different cities twelve months before I moved to that city," said Rune. "As for the Mystic Academy, I joined when I was twelve. It took me six years to graduate."

Kevin made an 'oh' face and turned his attention back to the map. "Anyway, I think there is a pattern to Serrator's attacks," he continued. "As for Dayu, why would she attack Serrator if he weren't using her? And Xandred? He was obviously blind to Serrator's true nature, he wouldn't deem him worthy enough to come all the way to the Human realm, otherwise."

Rune shared a look with Jayden. Kevin had a point.

"Look, if we mark the points where Serrator has appeared or sent a Nighlok himself," Kevin continued, inputting each point on the map. The screen panned out, shouting a brightly lit line spreading across the screen.

"They form a line," said Mia.

Kevin nodded. "This isn't a coincidence. Serrator is up to something," he said, looking from one teammate to the next.

"Well done, Kev."

The teens turned and found Kali entering the room.

"I thought you had an emergency?" Rune asked.

"I did. It was concerning your current conversation," said Kali. "I came back to fill you all in, and well," she indicated to Kevin, "seems like Kevin beat me to it."

Kevin raised his head. "What I have is a theory," he said.

"Well, your theory is a reality," said Kali. "Root Core has also kept a track of where Serrator has attacked, and they've figured out what he is up to."

Jayden raised an eyebrow. "Save us the suspense," he said.

Kali smirked. "He's planning on splitting the Earth," she answered. "He needs one more wedge. Somewhere around… here," she tapped a place on the map, adding one last dot to the line, "and he'll be able to slice straight through both our world and the Netherworld."

"But if he does that then the two will cave in on each other," said Rune. "They could both be destroyed."

"Which is why Serrator needs to go," said Kali. "Root core believes he is preparing to deliver his final strike today. Which is the second reason, I have been sent back. My only responsibilities today are to make sure that Serrator does not walk away."

"They want you to destroy him," said Emily.

Kali shrugged. "He's not the first person I've had to eliminate," she said.

~X~

"… yes! What a sight for sore stomachs," said the Nighlok, pacing up and down the street as several innocents lay before him, each one clutching their stomachs and groaning in pain. "This should be more than enough misery. Serrator can create his final wedge in the Earth right here."

He chuckled and turned his back as he approached a crevice. Behind him, appearing in a flicker of black magic, were the Rangers.

"What's happening?" Emily asked, dropping to her knees beside a brown-haired person. "Are you okay?"

The woman shook her head, trying desperately to push herself up. She clutched at her stomach and fell, dramatically back onto the floor.

Kali resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"This isn't good," Antonio said. He spied the Nighlok, pointing it out to his friends.

"Stop right there, Nighlok!" Mike called.

Pausing, the Nighlok turned and cocked its whole body to the left. "Oh, you want in on this too, Rangers?" he asked.

"What did you do to those people?" Antonio hollered, launching himself into the air and striking down with his blade. Mike, Kevin, and Jayden run to cover him, leaving Kali and Rune with Mia and Emily.

Rune looked to Kali for help. "Can't you do something?" she asked.

"Like what?" Kali asked. "I can't heal without a potion, and they weren't hurt with dark magic so absorbing it isn't going to do anything. Our best bet is to destroy the Nighlok."

Mia looked toward where the others were confronting the Nighlok. She sighed as a horde of Moogers appeared behind the boys, all heading in the same direction. "Watch out!" she called.

"Let's help them!" said Emily.

"Right behind you," said Mia.

The pair took off, leaving Kali and Rune to face the Nighlok together.

He chuckled as he faced them. "Hellhound?" he gasped, recognising Kali. "What a treat!"

"You shouldn't be so eager to face me, Nighlok," said Kali, drawing her Magi Staff. She transformed it into its sword mode and rolled it over her hand.

"Incapacitating you is going to be child's play," said the Nighlok, confidently. "Then, all those who oppose Serrator will be off the board. Nothing will stop his main plan."

Kali glanced at Rune. "Some advice? When it becomes laughable that the enemy doesn't realise your skill and ability, that's when you realise they're stupid as well as ugly," she said.

Rune snickered.

"Hey!" the Nighlok griped. "I'll show you stupid!" He raced forward, raising his fist above his head.

Kali raised her sword, blocking the strike and kicking him in the stomach. He stumbled back, his eyes narrowing as she rolled her sword over a second time.

"Is that the best you got?" Kali asked.

"Can I try?" Rune asked. She snapped open her morpher, drew a symbol in mid-air and slashed through it. "Meteorite shower!"

The Nighlok gasped and looked up, his body stumbling backward with his momentum. He raised his arms to cover his face, and possibly attempt to block the meteorite, but Serrator landed before him.

"Return to sender," Serrator said, catching the Meteorite and throwing it back at Rune.

Kali shoved Rune aside, cutting through the Meteorite with her sword and morphin' to her Legendary Mode. "Code Six! Inferno!" she called, wielding her lion staff through the air, and unleashing a barrage of fire balls at the two Nighloks.

Serrator cut through them with ease. "Hellhound!" he sneered. "Stop intruding on things that don't concern you."

"You mess around in my world, Serrator, you're gonna deal with me intruding," Kali snapped. "Your plan ends here, you hear me?!"

Serrator merely laughed. "You think you and those bright minds at Root core have figured out my plans?" he asked.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out," said Kali. "My only disappointment is we didn't figure it out sooner. The points were all there, including the Abyss of Evil. But you didn't have Deker back then."

Serrator looked impressed. "You're right, Hellhound," he confirmed. "Lothor was merely a message. To warn you that a much bigger threat than any you have ever faced before was coming your way — and here I am." He spread his arms, marvelling in his own glory.

Kali rolled her eyes. "Sorry, but I've faced a lot worse than you," she said. "I could name a few on just my hand - Dai Shi, the Master, hell, even Koragg and Imperious. You know what happened to them?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does matter!" Kali interrupted. "Fighting the inevitable will only prolong your suffering. You're at the end of the line. What happened in the past, to the likes of Imperious, Morticon, and all others with a vengeance against me or the Earth, will happen to you, too. It's over, Serrator."

Serrator chuckled. "Very soon the final wedge will be in place, and there is no way you can stop it," he said. "So, no, you're very wrong. Nothing matters from beyond this point. I win, Hellhound."

Kali gripped her lion staff firmly in her hand. She gained and lost too much to allow this insignificant, self-proclaimed King of the Nighloks to decimate all that she stood for, all that she protected. She had fought and destroyed many evils over her years as a Ranger, and she had done some of it with no powers whatsoever. She'd helped open craters, gone against friends and family to make sure that she succeeded. Serrator would not beat her.

"What wedge?" Kevin asked Jayden.

"A wedge of human sorrow and sadness," said Serrator, motioning to the terrified civilians. He then turned to his Nighlok companion. "Go, Pestilox. Squeeze even more suffering from these pathetic humans."

Pestilox bowed. "Suffering humans, coming right up!" he said, walking away.

"No!" the others cried, giving chase.

Serrator stepped between them. "Oh, you're so annoying," he said, holding up his serrated fan and tapping it against the palm of his free hand. He raised it, twisted it in mid-air, and then sliced down with it, unleashing a thin whip of electrical energy.

Kali caught the blast with her sword, absorbing the energy into the blade. She spun it around her head and struck down, returning it to Serrator. The blast hit him in the chest, knocking him back into a wall.

"Go," said Kali. "Stop Pestilox. I'll handle Serrator."

Jayden hesitated, but a nudge from Rune told him that this was something Kali needed to do. He nodded and led the others away.

"Hey, Kid," Kali called, stopping Rune. "Be careful."

"Ditto," said Rune. She took off after her friends, leaving Kali to square off against Serrator, alone.

~X~

"Not so fast!" Jayden called, sliding across Pestilox's path, and cutting him off from the rest of the city. He stopped short, looking behind as the other Rangers arrived.

"We have to stop him from infecting more people," said Kevin. "But how?"

"He struggled when Kali was fighting him," said Emily.

Rune shook her head. "Kali's the Hellhound, of course he struggled, any low level Nighlok would," she said. "We could all attack at once. Once's he out of the way, and Kali's dealt with Serrator, we'd only need energy for a megazord fight."

"Kali has a zord, right?" said Mike.

Rune nodded.

"And she'd have enough reserved energy to summon it," said Mia. She looked to Kevin. "Attacking as one could work."

Kevin glanced across at Jayden. The latter nodded, confirming the plan from afar.

"Alright," said Kevin. "Together. Spin Sword! Hydro Bow!"

"Spin Sword, Sky Fan!"

"Spin Sword, Earth Slicer!"

"Spin Sword, Forest Spear!"

"Spin Sword, Moon Beam!"

As Mike, Antonio, Mia, and Emily leapt into the air, unleashing their own individual attacks at the Nighlok, Kevin and Rune unleashed their own. Kevin pulled back on his bow and fired multiple blue energy pulses through the air, while Rune cracked her whip against the ground.

A crevice appeared, spreading across the surface of the pavement, and opening a hole beneath the Nighlok's feet. He stumbled as the concrete gave way beneath him.

"No!" the Nighlok howled.

"Jayden, catch!" Rune called, tossing her Bullzord disc through the air. She watched as Jayden snatched it up and slotted it into the black box.

After a conversation with the Bullzord, it had agreed to allow the other Rangers to be command it when Rune was indisposed, and while she was a key player right now, she also knew that Jayden had the best advantage to take out the Nighlok.

The Nighlok howled as a flaming bull trampled him and he lost his grip in the edge. He plummeted down in to the crevice, screaming as flames raged upwards and engulfed him. As the Nighlok exploded within the Earth, the crevice sealed itself.

"Yeah!" Mike and Antonio cheered, high fiving one another.

Rune turned to the others. "We're not finished yet," she said. "We need to get back to Kali."

"She's right," said Jayden, re-joining them. "Pestilox may be gone, but Serrator and Deker are still out there. Kali may be the Hellhound, but she can't stop the Earth splitting if she fails to destroy Serrator."

The others nodded and retracing their steps, made their way back to where they had first encountered Pestilox.

~X~

Kali glanced at the civilians to her left. They had started to sit up, not weighed down by any aches or pains. Some looked confused, others relieved. One even commented about how the pain in her stomach was no longer there.

"Looks like Pestilox met his end," said Kali, returning her attention to Serrator. "What do you say to that?"

"I say, it doesn't matter," said Serrator. "My plan is already in motion. The blue light you just saw, it's already in the Earth. The people of this city may be safe again, but their fear and sorrow are all I wanted, and I have it… and I have him."

Kali spied Deker over Serrator's shoulder, and her body tensed in preparation of what was to come. Serrator hadn't made a move toward her since the others had left, and she could only assume that he was gearing up to strike the Earth open, but first he needed Deker.

"Add that to the fact that Pestilox was my final wedge," Serrator added, chuckling. "Thank you, Hellhound, you just succeeded my plan for me."

Kali swallowed. She raised her hand, snapping her fingers and the civilians to her left disappeared.

"You can send them as far away as you want, Hellhound, there is no where I can't reach them now," said Serrator. "You protected this planet for so long, now you'll be the reason it is destroyed. Thank you." He bowed to her.

Kali grit her teeth. She refused to let it end like this.

Turning his attention away from her, Serrator set his sights on Deker. "I take it you are here to claim your rightful sword, yes?" he asked.

"It is what you promised," Deker said, pointing the sword he was currently using at Serrator.

"And you shall have it," Serrator agreed. "But first, I require one final favour from you."

"Favour?" Deker repeated.

"Just a little one," Serrator nodded. "The one to crack open the world must be someone that feels the pain of both sides, but belongs to neither. This part was supposed to belong to the Little Nighlok, but she's been corrupted by good." He sneered at the thought. "Therefore, it falls to you."

Kali snorted. "Second best," she said, her gaze finding Deker's. "He doesn't even seen you as a first. Second best to someone who was born too good."

"The Little Princess was born for once purpose and that was to service the Netherworld," Serrator hissed. "She was supposed to be the Nighlok that brought our kind into this world, uniting us under one banner of Evil. She was you but for darkness… and you corrupted her."

"I tend to do that a lot," said Kali. "You know what else I do a lot of? Ruin plans. Like this one. He doesn't care about, Deker. He doesn't care about you little honour code, or your quest to find the perfect fighter. He doesn't care about your life as a human or a Nighlok, and there's still time for you to pick a side."

It was Serrator's turn to laugh. "Pick a side? No side wants you," he said to Deker. "That was proven years ago when you cast out from both. They learn the truth and then they turn on you. The Humans don't trust a Nighlok, and the Nighlok can't trust you because you're human."

"The Mystic Realm will accept you!" said Kali. "You'd be surprised of the people that walk its realms. Fairies, Elves, Humans, Goblins, Trolls - species have even started to intermix, and there are creatures there that once fought against me. Creatures, people, born to the darkside, but became good in the end. You don't have to live in the shadows, Deker, you can embrace your dark half and use it for good."

"But I'm not good," said Deker.

Serrator grinned. "No, you're not," he said, shaking his head. "Prove it. Strike the Earth, split it in half. Take your revenge on the two worlds that cast you into the shadows."

The ground shook.

Kali stumbled in her surprise and looked down, a blue light surged beneath the concrete, growing brighter and brighter the closer it got to the surface.

"The power is surging," said Serrator, gleefully. He pressed Urumasa into Deker's open hand. "All it takes is one strike. Unleash all that pain and anger and shatter the world."

Kali, Deker, and Serrator turned to the sound of approaching footsteps, and Kali threw out her arm, conjuring a shield between her, the two Nighloks, and the other Rangers.

"Kali!" Rune called, pounding against the shield with her fist.

Kali ignored her and turned her attention back to the situation at hand. She met Deker's gaze over Serrator's shoulder and could've sworn she saw him wink at her. She frowned, head turning with no will of its own. What was he playing at?

"No," Deker told Serrator, which only confused Kali more. "All I want is my sword." He attempted to wrap his fingers around the hilt, but Serrator pulled it away just in time.

"Of course, you do," said Serrator. "This is why I factored the sword into the plan. Have you ever wondered why you are so attached to this thing? Why it acts like an anchor to you? Why you've been dying to get it back since it was destroyed?"

Deker narrowed his eyes.

"It's because all your years of pent-up anger and rage is locked inside it's blade," Serrator continued.

"What?" Deker asked, stunned.

Serrator laughed. "The only way to release yourself from your suffering is for you to take your sword, and strike before this wedge explodes," he said. "Trust me. With one quick slice your curse will finally be over and you'll be free."

"Free," Deker murmured, eyes closed as he savoured the idea. "Free at last."

"You'll never be free of him," said Kali. "You may break the so-called curse you have, but you'll never be free. If Serrator lives, he has some form of control over you. That sword is just the foundation of what he could give you and force you to do."

Rune stared at Kali. Why was she trying to talk Deker down off the ledge? What had she missed while she had been fighting Pestilox.

"Have you ever stopped and considered who made you a Nighlok in the first place?" Kali asked. "Who ruined your life?"

"Nice try, but he knows it was I who saved him," said Serrator.

Kali ignored him, her focus solely on Deker. "Do you know why you can't remember your life before you became half Nighlok?" she asked. "You were married. I didn't just invite you to the Mystic Realm because it is a place that will accept you, Deker, I invited you because it is your home! You and your wife lived in the Mystic Realm, you had a child who grew up to be a Mystic Knight. Many years ago, your home was attacked and you and your wife almost died, but she was forced to make a deal with a Nighlok to save her life, and the life of her husband."

Mia glanced at Rune. "That's the story Daisuke told us," she said. "He didn't mention the mystic realm."

Rune shrugged. "Maybe he assumed we knew," she answered.

"Your wife, Dayu, retained her memories," Kali continued. "But you were forced to forget. All so he," she thrust her head toward Serrator, "could one day use your anger and resentment for both worlds for his own agenda. If you do as he says now, you'll never be free of that torment. You won't get those memories back, and you'll have died for nothing."

Deker cast his gaze down and shook his head. Dayu, his wife? A child? Why couldn't he remember any of this? Why couldn't he remember a time where he had once been happy? Settled in a home with a family? He looked up, just in time to see Serrator unleash another barrage of energy pulses at Kali. She blocked them with her Lion Staff.

A low distant grumble echoed and the ground shook violently again.

The blue light surged upward with intense speed, bursting through the concrete, and spiralling into the air.

"Kali!" Rune called, pounding harder against the shield. It shimmered as the energy surges smashed against it in waves.

Kali took a deep breath, snapped her fingers, and the Samurai team disappeared. She knew she'd get hell from them later, but the fact that they were away from here and a little safer, was all that mattered to her.

A second surge of power spiralled out of the ground a fair distance away, and Kali watched as a third glow appeared further away still. The Earth was splitting before her very eyes, and there was nothing she could do about it. Her mission was to stop Serrator, not seal the a Nighlok-created gate, she didn't have that kind of power.

"This is just a taste of the awesome power that is to be unleashed," Serrator said, proudly surveying his hard work. "Listen, you can hear the Earth cry out. It is ready to be carved in two, and you, Deker, are the only one that can make it happen."

Serrator leapt into the air, hovering above the crater in the ground beneath him.

Kali lowered her Lion and Staff and took a hesitant step toward Deker. She wasn't completely sure where he stood, whether it was with her or with Serrator, he hadn't fully accepted either of their attempts to persuade him; but what she had told him was the truth.

"Here is the weakest point along the line," said Serrator, pointing at the creator before Deker. "The world is crumbling as we speak. Use your sword, unleash all that locked up anger and resentment. Punish this world for the crimes it has caused you. Complete your end of the deal and seal the fate of the Human world right here, right now."

TO BE CONTINUED…