Detonation
The sky became a fiery maelstrom so vibrant and full of crackling energy that it seemed to reach out and touch the huddled warriors like snake tongues, rough and full of hatred for their hopeless attempt to thwart the new master. Canopies of ash and smoke blotted out all signs of the azure sky leaving the creatures of Earth quaking in fear. It was the end of days, and each and every living soul knew that their fate depended on a miracle, one that was hanging in the balance as each second ticked away.
A strike ignited the nearest building leaving a trail of blackened metal and melted plastic in it's wake. Angel Grove was burning, being razed to the ground in an inferno. The Rangers knew that with their final act, they would pave the way for even more destruction amongst it's bloody and broken streets. To save the rest of the world, their home, the place where it all began would take the final blow.
Jason Lee Scott reached the plaza courtyard first, clutching his hand to his chest, feeling his heart beating much faster than he knew was safe, or in fact, ordinary. The power was flowing through him like a mass of tiny bombs, flickering and exploding in his veins. Emily called to him within his mind, her soothing voice and her vibrant smile a beacon lighting the dark and apocalyptic world surrounding him.
Kimberly stepped onto the mosaic next, her breath fleeting and labored. She could feel bile rising in her throat as she gasped and begged the gods to keep her from throwing up what she knew would most likely be more than just the contents of her stomach. She brushed away a blood-caked strand of hair and moved the tiny intercom piece in her ear closer to her chin. With one last deep breath to steady herself, she grabbed Tommy's hand.
Tommy moved next to her, standing like he was going to burst into flames, he cast a knowing glance at Jason, a mute acknowledgement that he too felt the power burrowing through him at an surmountable speed and vengeance.
Zack stumbled forward and righted himself next to Jason, feeling his ankle throbbing in protest and yearning for rest. The tendon was twisted, he could feel the pain shooting up his entire body in a sick pattern that was only made worse by his adrenaline. He saw Angela's face in the back of his mind and reminded himself that if he quit now she would die, and his sons would die in a world where no love existed to save them.
Billy came next, feeling the weight of the power within him, an unfamiliar and exhilarating throbbing sensation. He held out his hand and let the wind brush his fingers free of the ash that had become clumped inside his palm. He blinked and accepted his surroundings with surprising braveness. Cestria was waiting for him, and now he felt that whatever came next he would face without remorse.
Trini stepped forward and accepted the strange feeling that pulsed stronger with each step. She could feel magic in the air of the darkest kind, the static force that made her hair stand on end and her body rebel. Richie depended on her, to save him and to save his son, Antonio. Without her, they would perish and the world would fall.
Rocky and Aisha joined next, together holding off the weight of the wind and the pulsing power within them through sheer strength of will. Aisha called forth the power that she'd learned to harness in Africa, the power of nature to shield them from harm as they made a final stretch toward destiny. Rocky clutched her hand firmly, trying not to lose sight of the endgame. They'd been chosen for this since the day they'd been born and there was nothing in the universe that would stop them.
Holding out their hands together, they welcomed Kat and Adam. Kat accepted Tommy's hand and felt the burden that she was being pressed into the ground under thousands of pounds. She winced with pain and clenched her teeth, struggling to hold composure.
Adam made the final step and the circle was complete. He held on to Zack's outstretched hand and struggled to stand firmly. The blood flow had stopped by now and now all he felt was the overwhelming desire for finality. "Let's do this, Rangers," he urged with all the power he could muster.
Watching them with fear and hope, the other Power Rangers stood with bated breath as Jason and Rocky stepped forward for the start of their final battle.
Jason and Rocky took each other's hands, two men joined by fate to share the greatest burden. "Ready?" Jason asked the other man quietly. Rocky nodded and closed his eyes. "We call upon the power of the Tyrannosaurus !" they called together. Suddenly a vibrant streak of red appeared from the sky and struck them both in the chests. Their eyes flashed red and then with a final act, the powers left them creating a weak vortex at their feet.
Jason backed away quietly and Rocky regained Aisha's hand.
Aisha and Trini broke away and joined in the center. "Power of the Sabertooth Tiger!" A similar flash of brilliant yellow energy flowed through them and joined the swirling vortex.
"Power of the Mastodon!" Zack and Adam intoned, falling back as their powers also strengthened the vortex swirling before them.
"Power of the Pterodactyl!" Kimberly called.
"Triceratops!" Billy called after her, feeling the lingering presence of the great beast nod and accept the swirling vortex.
"Green Dragon White Tiger Power!" Tommy yelled with as much voice as he could find.
"Ape Ninja Power," Rocky started. "Frog Ninja Power," Adam continued. "Bear Ninja Power," Aisha followed. "Crane Ninja Power," Kimberly said with ferocity as Kat joined her. "Wolf Ninja Power," replied Billy. Tommy glanced warily at the vortex, "Falcon Ninja Power!"
The circle began to pulse as the vortex grew with the next gift of powers.
It was then that Zack, Trini, Billy, and Kimberly moved out of the circle and the next ranger joined the group. Tanya took Adam's hand and squeezed softly. She smiled at him and prepared herself for a changed world.
Tommy stepped forward with his remaining teammates. "Okay, you guys ready for one last Zeo memory?"
"Zeo ranger I Pink! Zeo Ranger II Yellow! Zeo Ranger III Blue! Zeo Ranger IV Green! Zeo Ranger V Red! Zeo Ranger VI Gold!"
Jason smiled over at Tommy and the others. "It's been amazing guys." He could feel the last little bit of power leaving him. The flicker of gold passed through him and he joined Kimberly, Zack, Trini, and Billy. Rocky followed, feeling like a part of him had vanished and left something else in its stead.
Kat held out her hand for Cassie, and she stepped into the circle with Ashley, Carlos, Justin, and TJ.
"Okay, guys, let's do this," TJ took Tommy's hand. "Turbo, power up!"
Streaks of red, pink, green, blue, and yellow erupted from them and coursed as expected into the vortex. The colors flickered over the skin of the bearers like glowing rain.
Ashley accepted Andros as he came to stand beside her. Zhane stood beside Cassie in firm determination. A flash of silver entered the realm of the vortex along with a rainbow.
"Come on guys," Andros called, shaking hands with Leo. "It's too late to go back now."
Kai and Damon approached the circle and took places, followed immediately by Maya and Mike. Next came Kendrix and Karone, each feeling the finality of the moment.
"Glactabeasts, may you always light our ways," Maya whispered, feeling the power leave her. The yellow sparks flowed down her fingers and into the magic void that was growing before her.
Carter, Joel, Chad, Kelsey, Dana, and Ryan joined next fortifying the power growing. The darkness in the space around them had receded just slightly and a cloud was visible above where the pillar of light was emanating from the power well.
Wes took Carter's arm as he stepped forward. "Good job," he said quietly.
A matrix of colors erupted from the bodies of the Time Force rangers. Katie felt the weight lift and knew that she would never see her home in the future again. This was utterly final. Trip squeezed her hand harder as the Xybrian bid farewell to his family. Lucas and Eric cast glances at each other, the Quantum ranger at last understanding the hidden words locked away behind Blue's cold stare.
Cole walked forward with Taylor in his arms, her eyes closed. Alyssa and Merrick followed with apprehension, unsure if their powers had the ability to change her fate, or if it would work at all. Danny and Max brought a solemn closure to the form. "We ask you great spirits to grant us this last request. Save her.."
Alyssa touched Taylor's cheek. "Come on," she begged.
"Lion, tiger, shark, bull..."
The flickers of light emitted were enough to temporarily blind those looking at them.
"Taylor?" Danny asked, "we need you."
Open your eyes..
She stirred in Cole's arms, feeling the throbbing pain of the bullet wound. "Take my powers..." she whispered faintly.
A bolt of yellow cascaded from her and into the pool of light.
Merrick heard Shayla's voice. The clamor of the world around him was suddenly a muted bliss. If he believed in angels, there was one hovering above him now with a voice that no goddess could claim. The brush of her kiss was enough to cause an immediate sense of euphoria. When he opened his eyes there was no call of the wolf in his ears, no lingering burden of a life lost to darkness.
"Just let go..."
"Ninja Storm!" Tori, Shane, and Dustin called. "Thunder Storm!" followed Hunter and Blake. "Let's finish this!" exalted Cam.
"This is it guys," Tommy called to his former students. "Ready?"
"Dino Thunder!" Conner yelled, casting an echo over the battlefield. The feeling of the power flowing through him was enough to make him shake uncontrollably in his weakened state. He felt his nose begin to bleed again as he squeezed Kira's hand.
The feeling of intense tension left their bodies as quickly as it came, the five colors correlating into a brilliant strand that cast itself into the spiraling power well.
Tommy looked over at the other Rangers and felt himself collapsing inward. It was heartbreaking to feel so much of his life melt away. The connection to the morphing grid that he had held onto since his time as a young high school freshman was gone and had left only the faintest trace of its presence. The comfort of Kimberly's hand on his back was the only thing that kept him from feeling totally numb. The world was ending and he was losing himself to save it.
"Watch out!" he heard someone yell from across the green. "We have company," blared through the Ranger's communication devices.
Sky and Jack stepped forward with Syd, Z, and Bridge. "Sky Tate to Anubis Cruger, do you read. Commencing detonation of SPD B squad morphers."
Their backs arched, the SPD Rangers began to feel their powers strip away. Z clutched tightly to Syd's hand and trusted wholly that what made them strongest was not the enhancements they had once commanded, but the power within.
"Time to add a little Power Rangers magic," Nick whooped as he and his team entered the circle around the swirling power well. Xander, Chip, Vida, &Madison nodded and felt the power lift them slowly off their feet for a brief second when time stood still.
"Operation Overdrive," Mack started, "let's do this."
Will could suddenly feel the surge of power running through his body and into the void and the quick jolt as at last it left him completely. Rose blinked as she realized that she would never morph again. Ronny shook out her hair and felt the electric buzz of the field, she felt like an overcooked hot dog. Dax looked more wired than usual with a horrid blue tinge raced down his face. Tyzonn resisted the urge to completely melt down as the electricity ran course through his quicksilver blood.
"Let's finish up," Casey called to the Jungle Fury team.
Lily and Theo nodded. RJ and Dom stepped up the plate without a response.
As they stepped away, RJ stayed rooted. He stared over at Casey and nodded.
Casey closed his eyes.
"Zordon..."
"It's not your time..." Anubis Cruger said, stepping out of the shadows and running toward the maelstrom.
Sky looked wide eyed as his commanding officer cleared the final feet between him and his destiny.
Just as he was reaching out to touch the swirling cloud, a figure in black stopped him.
"Neither is it yours." Gavriel turned toward Cassie, gave her one last glance, a final goodbye, and stepped into the void.
The amazing light that followed as the last team surrendered their connection to the morphing grid was enough to blast the surrounding enemy soldiers to atomic particles invisible to the human eye. The power well began to expand at a rate that even Billy could scarcely fathom. Each of the Rangers fell to his or her knees under the wave's massive power. Catching their breath, they rose to greet a new city, devastated but empty of the bloodthirsty tyrants that had come to destroy so much more than just a small California suburb.
Reaching skyward, Karone caught one of the thousands of tiny flakes of magic floating down over them as they waiting out the storm. "Zhane," she whispered, taking his hand and closing it over the remnant of their powers. He smiled down at her.
It was as if the sky raining down on them, telling them to accept the change to come. Life for all of them would never be the same. What had begun in the year 1993 was now ended, and yet promise that rangers would come again to Earth lived on in the faces that now stood amongst the veterans. Schuyler Tate, strong and able, gave them assurance that SPD continued the legacy of the Power Rangers, and that it would do so for many years to come. Time Force, born in a changed future nearly a thousand years , promised that out of the ashes of SPD a new order would arise.
When the mystical energy at last evaporated, they were left standing in a world that was not their own, it was mangled and torn apart. It was their greatest sacrifice. The screams of the dying pierced their temporary calm and bodies lay broken on the charred ground. The people of Angel Grove returned to normal time as a brilliant flash of white light signaled the destruction of the ship.
"Oh my God," Dustin whispered, feeling the true weight of their decision for the first time.
Hunter reached out and grabbed his shoulder, to steady himself and provide comfort.
"Simply put," Zack started, "this is the biggest f'up of our lives."
"We didn't have a choice," Tommy told him quietly. "As hard as it may be, these people had to die so that others could live. We made the right choice. Everyone else in the world will wake up safe tomorrow because of this."
"Does it make this right?" Kelsey asked defiantly. "We should have died instead."
"And that would have proved what?" Ryan replied. "Who would have saved the world then?"
"Someone," Lily said wistfully. "All our power and this was the best we could do."
"How many billions of lives did we just save?" Eric called out angrily. "Isn't that enough to make you guys realize that we did good today?" he looked down at Taylor's limp body lying in his arms. "Don't any of you dare start feeling sorry for yourselves."
"There are people out there now who need our help," Damon added. "We might not have our powers anymore, but when has that ever stopped us from following our hearts and doing our duty?"
"He's right," Alyssa replied holding Taylor's hand. "There are people in Angel Grove who still need us. We have to keep fighting until every person who can be saved has been."
"We have a sworn duty to protect these people to the best of our ability," RJ called. "If we give up now there will never be redemption for us."
"Let's go Rangers," Shane called. "Split up and scour the city for survivors. We can meet up here again later."
"Right," Jason answered, taking charge again. "Let's go people."
Wes took Eric's arm and accepted Dana's decision to stay with them until they found a place with medical supplies where she could work. Carter hugged her briefly before taking off with Chad. The unspoken words between them carried knowledge that the danger was not yet over.
Moving with a new sense of invigoration, the teams spread out over Angel Grove to search for survivors of the massive attack.
A moan from under a steel girder brought Rocky running toward an elderly man. "It's okay," he promised. "I'm going to get you out of there." He brought Jason to his side and between them they heaved, of their own will to save a life, and succeeded. "Come on, man," he told the victim, "Everything is going to be all right."
Shaken but safe, the man wobbled to his feet and wandered off to grab his dog who stood near the warped steel, his tail wagging.
"There's someone over here!" Aisha called, looking under a concrete slab that had fallen against a wall creating a tiny bubble of safety. Tommy and Billy rushed to her side helping her move chunks of rubble out of the path of the young woman inside. She had survived the attack unscathed by sheer luck.
It was she who had to stop and ask Aisha if she was all right, the blood from Adam's wound having started to drip over her jeans.
"I'm going to check this building," Trini told Kimberly as she moved toward a large hole in what had once been the door of a functioning credit union.
"Wait just a minute," Kim told her anxiously. "Just let me catch my breath a bit."
"Are you okay?"Trini asked her quietly, realizing not for the first time that Kimberly's energy level was below normal. "You've been acting kind of weird these last couple of days, not very much like the Kim I know."
Kimberly faked a smile. "Hey, don't worry about me, I'm fine." She stood up and moved over to Trini's side, taking her hand. "Let's go."
Trini narrowed her eyes. "If you're sure..."
"Fine," Kimberly promised her.
The inside of the credit union was decimated. What had once been teller booths was now a pile of splintered wood and broken light bulbs. "I don't think anyone is alive in here," Trini started.
"Do you smell that?" Kimberly asked, sniffing the air that she knew was coated with propane.
"Smell what?" Trini asked, feeling her eyes start to water.
Kimberly realized that she had seasonal allergies and her nose was likely out of commission. "Gas," she told her.
The smell had permeated the entire building.
A loud cough from the door behind them sent the women straight into the most dangerous part of the building. Neither of them noticed the tiny spark igniting in the main hall as they rushed to find the child trapped inside.
"I just don't feel like I can go yet," Damon told Kai as they worked. "I keep feeling like we owe these people to stay."
"If we don't go back Mirinoi will never be able to rebuild itself. This is important."
"We've been working on that base for years now and we hardly ever get to come home. It just feels right, you know, like a piece of cake you find in the back of the refrigerator."
Kai smiled, "Yeah, I know. I miss my family too. I wish I could tell them what I've been doing all these years. I wish they could be a part of my life. A part of me wishes that Terra Venture had never happened, but it did and we were a vital piece of something extraordinary."
Damon thought back to the moment he'd first stepped onto the decks of the massive city-ship and seen what the world had been hiding. The few lucky people who had gotten a chance to know it existed had also been the ones unlucky enough to see its fall. "She was definitely a piece of the future. I still don't believe it."
"I wonder if we'll see something like her again," Kai said thoughtfully, "In a commercial capacity."
"In a non-blow-up-things way?" Damon tossed away a brick.
Kai nodded.
"What are you guys talking so seriously about?" Mike asked, bringing over a bottle of water for each of them he'd taken from a broken vending machine.
"There are absolutely no limits to what the military can accomplish."
He smiled. "Yeah, they can make Leo a man."
He turned and looked over to his brother, who was carrying a little girl toward Kendrix.
"No, I mean the things we've done in the past decade alone. It's so unreal what we've seen and what we've done."
It was an experience that, through the good and bad, was something they wouldn't ever forget.