Seth froze in his track. "An attack? Who attacked Lisa?" At this point, Seth appeared aggressive, his blood beginning to boil. Satchel And Wick stepped through the automatic door, into the room they were in. The room had completely white walls. A central console sat in the center of the circular room. Buttons and machines lined the walls and on the other side of the room, was the door the two brainiacs stepped through. Satchel stared at the four of them with a puzzled look on his face. Wick, upon seeing them, blushed and slowly scooted behind Satchel. Satchel cleared his throat and said "Umm… Hello. Could somebody tell me what exactly is going on here?" Alistar walked towards Satchel and handed the boy in the silver suit Alex's phone. Satchel looked at the screen and Wick peeked over the taller boy's shoulder as well as she could. Both of them gasp and Satchel gives Alistar a stern look. "Exos," the boy asked? Alistar nodded and Satchel looked down, shaking his head. Stephanie stepped forward, raising an eyebrow. "Exos? Who's Exos?" Alistar stopped in his tracks, taking a deep breath. He set Alex's phone down on one of the machines and began slowly walking towards the center console. He takes a deep breath and then begins talking. "Rangers… There is something I haven't told you. I… am not from this world. I come from a faraway planet, lightyears away from your galaxy. My planet, along with a legion of over fifty other planets, used to serve a superior alien council. This alien council rule dover all fifty planets, giving us resources and other needs. However, to get these resources, sacrifices had to be made. One such sacrifice… came in the form of my home planet. We were not as technologically or militarily advanced as the other planets, so one day, the council came in and ripped my home world to shreds. I was the only survivor, the last of my kind. I knew I couldn't stay within the reaches of the council, so I ran away towards the neighboring galaxy. This neighboring galaxy, was YOUR milky way galaxy. Once I found a planet with similar resources to my own, I decided to take refuge there. I watched humans evolve and eventually name this place "Earth". However, one thing followed me from my home planet and that was my connection to the morphing grid. As I was sitting there, watching humans grow, I was given a message via the morphing grid. I was to go into a special form of cryo-sleep until, and I quote, "The world needed a savior". So, I did. I went into a frozen state of time. My world was peaceful, until I woke up over a thousand years later. Once I awoke, I found myself in the place you are standing in right now. The Beacon. Satchel and Wick were the first people I saw here. Apparently, they had been here for the past fifty years. Something in their blood kept them from aging, keeping them young. Anyways, as I found out moments later after I awoke, the earth indeed needed a savior. The council was still hungry for resources, and it had set it's sights on Earth. My orders were clear. I had to find and summon my new Power Rangers to battle. The morphing grid gave me the five Morphers, telling me my mission. However, the council foresaw this. They had seen the other ranger teams that had defended Earth before and it scared them. So, they sent in a bounty hunter by the name of Exos."
Alistar pressed a button on the center console and a holographic image appeared in the center. The image was of a hulking figure, smirking. His skin was colored a greyish-blue and he stood around seven feet tall. He wore a jagged black vest with a pair of rugged, armored chaps. He had a pair of cowboy boots and a black bandanna over his mouth. His eyes gave a piercing white glow underneath the brim of his pitch-black cowboy hat. In his hand was a gigantic, revolver-like gun, the same symbol that was on Alistar's forehead imbedded into the barrel. The four teenagers walked around the console, getting a good look at the figure. Alistar continued by saying, "Exos is a ruthless bounty hunter who roams the galaxy looking for his next target. He's quick, strong, cunning and, most importantly, extremely dangerous. Unfortunately for you… His next bounty is the Power Rangers. And by the looks of this, "Alistar pulls up the picture that was on Alex's phone, turning it into a holographic image. The aerial view of Lisa's burnt house showed on the screen. Seth squinted his eyes and took a few steps forward. In the huge pile of grey ash, there were three distinct black markings. Two V-like shaped with a downward pointing arrow. The same marking as the one on Alistar's forehead and Exos's gun. Alex rubbed his chin and said "That symbol… What does it mean?" Alistar, his eyes never leaving the image, said, "That symbol is the marking of the council. Anything that is apart or WAS apart of the council has that marking. I was given mine days before my planet was destroyed. That gun was crafted by the council for Exos I imagine. But that symbol means that this was Exo's work." Seth's fist closed and squeezed shut. He was so angry… so furious that someone would attack his friend. After sitting there for a few seconds, Seth let out a growl and walked out of the beacon. He needed to go see Lisa in the hospital and clear his head.
Getting into his truck, he sped down the road. Part of his speeding was his want to get to Lisa, but the other part was his pure rage at Exos. Once he reached the Swedish American hospital, he asked the receptionist where Lisa was. Once he got to her room, he paused in the doorway. She was still unconscious, which worried Seth. The doctor, who was in the room with Lisa, turned and looked at Seth. He smiled and said "Yes, hello. Can I help you?" Seth nods and says "Yah. I'm her best friend… is alright if I get a moment alone with her?" The doctor shrugged and said, "I don't see why not. Just, don't expect a response. She's still knocked out cold. Something hit her in the head pretty hard. She could be out for another couple hours." Seth nodded and the doctor left the room, shutting the door. He walked a few steps forward and knelt down next to her bed. Lisa's chest rose and fell with the steady beat of her breathing. He got teary eyed seeing his friend like this, slowly reaching up to grab her hand. Her… closed hand. Wait. Why is her hand closed? Using a bit of force, he opened up her fist. Inside the palm of her hand, there was a note. His heart began to beat as he slowly uncrumpled the note, reading what it said. His heart, however, stopped when he read the words. "You found my clue. Now come get me. Only the ashes will reveal who is truly stronger." At the bottom of the note was the symbol of the council, revealing the note to be Exos's. Seth's hands began to shake and he began to scream inside. First, he almost killed his friend and now Exos was mocking him?! Seth crumpled up the not into a fist, squeezing until his knuckles turned white. He threw the note on the ground and stormed out of the hospital. Getting into the truck, he had nothing but anger in his eyes. Speeding past every car on the road, he had one destination in mind. "Only the ashes will reveal who is truly stronger." Exos was at Lisa's house.
As seth pulled into the gravel driveway, the spot where Lisa's house used to be was almost haunting. Seth grabbed his Delta Morpher from the front seat of his truck and placed it in his back pocket. Just as he was about to get out of the car, his phone buzzed. Looking at it, he saw that he had five new messages from Stephanie. "Seth, are you okay?", "Seth, are you there?", "Hello", "Seth. No. Don't do it. Alistar told us you were going to fight Exos." And "Seth! Seth, don't do it! He will kill you!" Seth stared at his phone for a second, almost disgusted by the messages. He threw his phone in the passenger side and stepped out of his truck. Walking out to the middle of Lisa's back yard, he spread his arms. "Alright Exos! Here I am! Come and get me!" There was no answer. Crickets chirped softly and the breeze softly blew through his hair and across his red shirt. The fact that there was no response only made his heart beat faster. He got angrier, his blood boiling even more. He slammed his foot on the ground and yelled "EXOS YOU COWARD! COME OUT AND FIGHT ME!" Nothing. Complete silence. At least… it was for a second. "Heh… it's hard to take you humans seriously when you get so worked up." The voice sounded deep with a slight robotic tone. Seth, not being able to pick up where the voice was coming from, snarled to himself. "And it's hard to take you seriously when you won't be a man and show yourself." A cackling laugh came from somewhere and the voice replied back. "Ah, but you see, I am no man. I am much more. I am stronger… I am faster… and I am deadlier than any human could ever be." Seth lowered his head, the anger inside of him almost making him burst. His hands trembling from anger, he softly and sharply hissed, "Then prove it, coward." There was silence for a few seconds before a thump was heard, like a heavy object being dropped on the ground. As Seth took a look from the direction of the thump, his eyes widened. Coming out of the forest, pushing trees out of the way, was Exos. He stood a good foot and a half taller than Seth, his stature muscular and threatening. His eyes pierced at Seth and he took a few steps forward. Seth tensed up as Exos said, "So. YOU are one of the infamous rangers that I'm hearing about? You don't look like much. You humans are so… tiny." Seth smirked and pulled out his Delta Morpher from his back pocket, spinning it in his hand. "Not just any ranger. I am the Delta Force Red Ranger!"
Exos jumped back a few steps and curled up into a ball, recoiling from the sight of the Morpher. Seth smirked, seeing that Exos was scared. "No! No please! I didn't know that you were the Red ranger! Please, please don't use your power on me!" Seth smirked and took a few steps forward. Exos backed up a bit and said, "No, please. I really don't want you to use your power on me! You know, the power that you only got… a day ago." With that last little bit, Exos stood up, laughing maniacally. Seth stopped in his tracks, backing up slightly. "Wh.. what?" Exos smirked underneath his bandanna and said, "Kid, you got that Delta Morpher yesterday. I've had eons upon eons of experience. How do you possibly think that you can stand a chance against me?" Seth stepped back, shying away for a second. Exos huffed and said, "Hmph. That's what I thought. Just as pathetic as your friend." Seth stopped backing up, his heart giving a hard ping in his chest. His hand tightened around the Delta Morpher. He began to breathe heavily, rage weaving through his veins. He gave a wicked smirk and said, "Hey Exos. Do you know what time it is?" The villain rolled his eyes and replied, "Oh please. Enlighten me." Seth's eyes, now pulsing with Red energy, shot a glance at Exos. Seth smiled and said, "It's High Noon!"
Breaking the Delta Morpher into its two separate cylinders, he angled both hands in opposite directions. He made the red circle and the numbers 1- 12 appeared. He stepped through the circle, going into his Ranger Outfit. The circle came up and over his head, forming the mask. He slammed a foot on the ground, spun around, threw a punch and then ran a finger against the brim of the cowboy hat on his mask. "Spirit of the Ranger! Delta Force Red!" Seth once again felt the surge of power coursing through his body thanks to the suit. Exos gave a wicked grin under his bandanna, his eyes narrowing at the red ranger. "Excellent." Is all he said, holding up a hand to give the "Come at me" gesture. Seth let out a roar and raced towards Exos, his speed doubled. He reared back and threw a powerful punch. Grinning, Exos side-stepped the punch. Grabbing Seth by the wrist, he spun in a circle and used his momentum to throw Seth into a nearby tree. Seth hit the tree hard, collapsing to the ground. Even with the armor, he felt the power behind Exos's throw. He tried to get up, but the villain was already upon him. Picking up Seth by the back of his neck, Exos slammed the red ranger back into the ground repeatedly. Seth's body was filling with pain, and he felt blood gracing his bottom lip. Exos, picking Seth up again, Threw him against another tree. Seth lay on the ground, unable to move for a few seconds. His suit began to glow a bright red before vanishing into a puff of red sparks. Now back to his human form, he wriggled in pain on the ground. Exos cackled and strutted over to Seth. Placing a boot on Seth's chest, Exos looked down at the fallen red ranger. He reached into the holster on his side and pulled out the same gun Seth had seen earlier. He aimed the barrel aright at Seth's forehead. The gun began to charge up, a blue light forming in the center of the barrel. Exos gave a grin and leaned down, saying, "Here lies the Red Ranger. He died as he lived. Weak and Alone." Exos let out a loud laugh before suddenly being soved off of Seth. Struggling to stand up, the boy in red looked around at what had shoves Exos off. Standing in between the bounty hunter and Seth was a pair of dark blue cowboy boots. Seth's eyes trailed upwards to look at a figure clad in a blue jumpsuit, black diamonds going up his spine. Running up to his side were two more figures in colored jumpsuits, one pink and one green. The three Rangers stood defensively in front of Seth. Chris's voice comes from the blue ranger, saying, "Alright! You two get Seth out of here. I'll distract big, bad and ugly." Stephanie and Alex both say, "Right" before each grabbing one of Seth's arms. They drag him back to his truck as Chris engages battle with Exos. The bounty hunter was back on his feet now, ready to square off against the blue ranger.
Chris rushed forward, trying to take Exos out at the legs. Exos simply grabbed Chris by his mask and lifted him up in the air. Struggling to get free, Chris was helpless against the bounty hunter. Stephanie rushed towards Exos, but the villain simply reared back and threw Chris at the pink ranger. Hitting it's target square on, both of them went flying back a few feet. Alex, who had managed to sneak up on Exos, jumped on his back and wrapped his arms around the bounty hunters neck. The villain let out a cackle as he grabbed Alex by the arms, slamming him to the ground. He reared a fist back and sent it flying towards Alex's face. Chris, who was back on his feet and upon Exos now, spun around and kicked the fist out of the way. Alex used this to push his feet against Exos's chest, sending the villain back a few steps. Stephanie jumped into the air, trying to bring her heel down on Exos's head, but the villain was too quick. He grabbed the pink ranger by the ankle and spun around, throwing her towards a tree. Chris, seeing this, jumped in the air and caught her, breaking her fall. As they landed, Stephanie looked at Chris. "You… You caught me." Chris nods and says "Well. You caught me earlier. Thought I would return the favor." Both of them looked at each other for a second before Alex snapped them back to reality. "Hey guys! Sort of fighting for our lives right now!" Chris and Stephanie stood up, standing next to Alex. Chris looked at both of them and said "Alright guys. Let's finish this poser!" They both nod and all three of them rush towards Exos. Exos smiled and pulled out his hand cannon. Aiming it at Stephanie, he took one shot. It hit her square in the chest, but it didn't hurt her at all. Instead, her suit began to glow a pink and then vanished into pink sparkles. Stephanie, now back to her normal form, looked around. "What? No. NO!" she said, panicking. Chris looks at Alex and says, "Alex! Get her out of here!" Seth watches as Alex jumps backwards a bit, grabs Stephanie and brings her to where he was laying. Stephanie just sat there, frantically hitting her Delta Morpher, which was dimly blinking pink. Chris was now upon Exos, rearing back another punch. Exos, however, was expecting this. He caught the boy by the wrist. Exos kicked the inside of Chris's leg, making him kneel down. Letting out a low cackle, the bounty hunter slammed a punch right into the back of Chris's shoulder. Chris let out a cry of pain before Exos lets go of Chris. The blue ranger wriggles on the ground, clutching his broken arm. Exos picks Chris up by his ankle and throws him at Alex. Both of them slam into each other and hit the truck, their suits vanishing into their respective colors. Alex was wincing in pain, trying to sit up and Chris was wriggling on the ground, letting out frequent cries of pain and holding his shoulder.
Exos holsters his gun and walks towards the de-morphed rangers. He stood still and shook his head. "Honestly," he said, his eyes narrowing at the four of them, " I expected more from "Earths greatest protectors". But you're pathetic. All of you! You don't even have to right to call yourselves Rangers." Suddenly, a booming voice came from above and a chill goes through the air. "EXOS! THAT'S ENOUGH!" the voice says, coming from above. A figure in a white robe floats down, standing in front of the four of them. Alistar. Exos lets out a cackle, adjusting his hat. "Well I'll be! If it isn't the traitor himself! Come to see me take your rangers, are you?" Alistar shakes his head and says, "No. I'm afraid my rangers are going nowhere but back to their headquarters." The bounty hunter pulls out his gun and spins it around his finger, smirking. "Is that so? And how exactly are you planning to get them out of here?" Alistar smirks and pulls something out of a pocket in his robe. A small gauntlet with a white star where the top of the hand would be. He smirked and said, "Just like this. It's high noon!" Alistar traced a star with his palm, a white line following his movements. He grabs one of the corners of the star and throws it. The star soars up into the air and then stop when it is over Alistar. Coming down over him, he is in a white jumpsuit with black diamonds going down his back. He had a white cape on and white cowboy boots with black markings. His helmet was a bit different. The cowboy hat had a black rim on the top and there was a star on the top. His visor came down to several jagged points, almost like icicles. Alistar struck a pose and said, "Wisdom of the Ranger! North Star Ranger!" Exos smirked and cracked his neck. "Oh. THIS should be fun." Alex weakly said, "Oh man… this is gonna be sweet! Get him Alistar!" The white ranger turned around and shook his head. "I'm afraid that you won't be seeing this fight. You are going back to base." Seth weakly stood up and said, "No way! We won't let you fight him alone!" Alistar waved his hand and a light shone on all four of them. The white ranger softly said, "I apologize. But I'm not giving you a choice." The bright light's glow intensified and intensified, blocking all vision from Seth's eyes. Once the glow subsided, Seth found himself in the beacon again. Looking left and then right, he saw the other three were also back at the beacon. He smiled and was about to say something, but he felt dizzy. His knees wobbled for a second before giving out from underneath him. He collapsed to the ground, feeling the cold floor on the side of his face. The world began to spin, until finally, everything went black.
End of Book One: "Red"