Chapter Twenty: The Battle for Home Base
Sentinel Knight stood up, groggy but otherwise fully recovered from the blast he had suffered from Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa. He looked at the body of the young lady he still knew as Margaret, crumpled on the ground in front of him, still unconscious herself from her own encounter with Lord Zedd just moments earlier. He shook his head in disappointment.
How long has she been in Vile's ranks? What is happening to the Alliance!? He thought, dropping his head in grief.
He then heard a commotion occurring near the Palace. He leapt to the scene, leaving Margaret behind. Upon arrival, he saw a young medic, Priscilla, attempting to fight off legions of beasts trying to attack a fallen Dulcea.
A medic... fighting Tenga Warriors. Now I've seen everything...
With how crazy everything had gotten, seeing a medic protect a Morphing Master was starting to rank low on the scale of things unbelievable.
Priscilla did not know how much longer she could go. As she fought, she thought back on when she had first become a recruit to the Academy. It had been based on her ability to fight. She hailed from the same planet as Orion: Andresia. They routinely had competitions they called "The Battle Roads": The fighting would begin in the capital city, and the top two fighters would move on to the next city. Those two fighters would compete in the next city, and the best two fighters from that competition would move on to the next city, travelling by road, the cycle continuing until the competition made its way back to the capital. Priscilla had won Battle Roads during the four consecutive years prior to being offered a position in the Morphing Academy on scholarship. Once she joined the Alliance, she surprised everyone by not enrolling in the military: she enrolled in their medical program. She had said that although she had a gift for fighting, it wasn't something she saw as more than a hobby. She had always dreamt of helping others as a physician.
That past decision annoyed her slightly at the particular moment she was tackled by two Tenga Warriors, simultaneously. Her ability to fight had "rusted" over time due to being out of the practice.
This is it... She thought as she closed her eyes as she awaited the final blow.
After a moment of silence, she looked up. She had been so focused on preparing for her destruction, she had not noticed the pressure her foes had been exerting on her chest from the "doggie pile" atop her disappear. As she looked around, the only evidence left of the monsters were some flames where the enemies had exploded. In the center of the debris stood Sentinel Knight.
"Now that was showy!" Captain Louse could be heard saying from somewhere on the battlefield.
Sentinel Knight nodded at Priscilla. Leaving the area to let the soldiers sort things out, he walked into the palace. He felt a strong pulse of Morphing Energy from within its walls.
It's not coming from the Morphing Grid. Someone has accessed the Zeo Crystal.
He was anxious to see who had done the deed. He knew only someone with a righteous heart could penetrate his protection barrier, so he wasn't too worried; just more intrigued. Unaffected by the power of Nathadian Magic, he made his way to the cave's end.
What he saw shocked him: a mutated, disfigured being lay on the ground, writhing in pain. On one side of the room were Masters Gosei and Kamen. On the other side was Master Vile and "Margaret", who he presumed had recovered during the time he had saved Priscilla and had made her way in. It seemed as if they were at a stand off.
Master Vile suddenly stopped. His Dark Magic felt a power enter the room he recognized. Rita could also feel Sentinel Knight's presence through her Blue Magic, as well. They exchanged knowing looks. There was no way they could take on two Morphing Masters and Sentinel Knight. They relaxed from their fighting stance.
All the while, Sentinel focused his energies on deciphering the identity of the being in the middle of the room. He was shocked to sense Commander Zedd's life force inside. He also sensed two other powers: one, a darkness he could not comprehend. It was sentient and hungry. The other, a fragment of the Zeo Crystal. It had a slightly familiar energy signature. He could tell it was once based from the Morphing Grid, but over the years after it had fragmented off and grew on its own, it had its own energy reading.
Lord Zedd has Zeo powers... Sentinel Knight thought in horror.
He looked again at the creature's new body. The spell defending the crystal worked, just as it always had. Just as it did with Flurious and Moltor... the enchantment brings to surface what one is on the inside. Lord Zedd is evil. Commander Zedd is good. Lord Zedd, unfortunately, seems to be the dominant force in this "relationship". We must fix this for the sake of the good man trapped inside.
Upon deciding they were going to retreat, Rita turned to Sentinel Knight. "How are you still alive!? Zeddy here and I both zapped you to kingdom come!"
Kamen was still shocked to see the former member of The Top show her true colors. He gripped his Electro Saber tighter, ready for Sentinel's orders to strike.
"There is but one thing that can destroy me. You have no chance at truly defeating me. Now surrender, or face the consequences." Sentinel said firmly.
Master Vile laughed mightily. "Oh, Sentinel! It is too late for you! The pieces are already in motion. Soon, the United Alliance as we know it shall fall and never return!" And with that, Vile used his Dark Magic to teleport away.
Rita performed a curtsy. She then focused her Blue Magic on herself. Instead of using the weaker form, as she had as a member of the Academy to stay under the radar, she used her higher powers. Gosei, Kamen, and Sentinel could feel Blue Magic emanate around her. Sentinel had no idea Margaret had so much power within her.
"Magical Source: Degenerator!" Rita cast the spell on herself and teleported away.
Sentinel Knight turned his attention to Zedd. "Gosei? Kamen? Drag Zedd out of here and contain him quickly. I will work with General Miller and the other troops to ascertain the damages."
Outside, Risp and Filcar, who had travelled to the Moon with Sentinel Knight and his crew, gathered their unit together with General Miller's unit. The medical team on hand administered to the wounded.
"I don't believe we got out of that one alive..." Filcar said, shaking his head.
Risp nodded, looking into space with her normal stern look. She held her arm in a makeshift sling. "Yeah... I wouldn't have thought following Zedd would've led us back to the artifact..."
"Well, we are sure glad you were here. Fate definitely had a hand in this!" General Luka Miller said, walking up to the two.
They saluted her while Captain Louse followed behind casually. They exchanged words about the difficulties of the battle they had just encountered.
Captain Louse laughed a bit before adding, "You know... all of this for a dumb crystal! It's absurd!"
Filcar nodded. He remembered when he had helped pull the crystal out of the ground.
Yeah, just some dumb crystal... Now Zedd is possessed by an alien force and Rahp is who knows where. Maybe Vile and his men may have finished them off before coming here... Filcar looked to the ground sadly.
It was the only conclusion he could come up with: Vile appeared on the Deserted Planet, had beaten Zordon and his unit, including Rahp, and ripped the information of where the Zeo Crystal really was. The scenario made perfect sense to him. He didn't know that Vile had actually never fallen for the bait of the Deserted Planet. He knew not Margaret had informed her father about the plan and had helped him find out where exactly to go to get to the Zeo Crystal, leaving a diversion for Zordon and the others on the Deserted Planet.
As she thought, Cestria (one of the medics and Master Orion's personal nurse) arrived with Priscilla to tend to the needs of the higher ranking officers as they had gathered to talk. Risp shook her head as Priscilla went to help her.
"No, I'm fine."
"Really, it's ok, I-"
"I said I'm fine! Listen, I know it's hard for you medics to understand, but we just went through a lot here and-"
"Silence!"
A new voice said, entering the gathering. It was Master Dulcea. Everyone straightened up and saluted her.
"At ease. Now you listen, Commander Risp. Outside of the mere fact these brave people came here to ensure people like you don't die from wounds, this medic here saved my life!" Dulcea pointed to Priscilla.
Priscilla looked away, embarrassed to have caused a scene and make herself noticed.
"She is a fine fighter, and I'm sure could even teach you a thing or two about combat. Look up her records on your ship. I think you'll be surprised by what you see." And with that, she stomped away, furious at the little mind Risp uncharacteristically had just displayed.
"My apologies... to all the medics here." Risp said. She realized she was in the wrong and was grateful to have been corrected so quickly.
Cestria continued to minister to Filcar's wounds, pretending not to notice. Louse and Luka, miraculously unscathed, looked around as if to pretend they hadn't noticed anything.
A man in a green lab coat walked into the area, breaking the awkward silence. "It's time we headed back on the ship. Sentinel Knight said everything has been secured here and the majority of us can go. That includes all of my medics." He added that last piece at the end to drive his point home. Cestria and Priscilla hurriedly packed their things and started toward their ship.
"Yes, Doctor Goier." They both said. He awkwardly tried to straighten his lab coat.
"Hey, Doc?" Captain Louse stopped the man as he walked away.
He stopped and turned to his old friend. "Yes, Marvin?"
"We still on for dinner tonight?"
Doctor Wilson Goier smiled. "Of course!" He bowed to Marvin and Luka as a send off. "See you soon!"
Finster stared at the men lined up in front of him, contemplating them. The Edenites only stared, not one thought of individuality in them. Some had signs of their insect DNA showing: a hooked claw on one, antennae on another, and it went from there. Of the various problems they had, they all shared one: they had lost their free will. Finster had gone over his data from the experiments and couldn't quite figure out what the problem was. All he knew was that when he administered a certain amount of the serum he created, the subject would become completely subservient.
Scorpius stared at the men, considering the possibilities as he stood next to Finster. "So, they'll do anything I tell them to do?"
"That is quite correct, Commander. They are at your beck and call." Finster said. He returned to his table to grab some data to show Scorpius.
"Hmm... I could work with that. Anyway, is that all you could grab from that..." Scorpius tried to think of a word for the Dark Lord's membrane. "...husk... from the Dark Cloud?" Scorpius asked, becoming a little deflated by the fact he may not be able to garner any power from said membrane, which they had procured from the Alliance's battle with the Dark Lord on Mirinoi.
"That is just what I am grabbing now. You see, by studying the genetic coding from the membrane, I-"
"I don't care. Do you have anything for me, or not?"
"Yes. Yes, I do." Finster turned to a corner of the lab Scorpius had provided him, and pushed a cart to the center where the commander stood.
He pulled off a tarp, proud to be unveiling one of his finest works. Scorpius stared, wide eyed at what he saw. It was a massive object, with what appeared to be an opening into it. Finster then began explaining what the object was in front of the corrupt commander.
"Now, I cannot take credit for the template I had to work with. Whatever form of evolution that caused this creature to come into being must've been incredible. Natural selection at its best! I do take credit for this piece of work, though. I took your species into account for inspiration on the implementation of its use. This entire matrix is comprised of the Dark Cloud's membrane. I created a vascular network that pumps the serum I created from the... goo... we procured from the Dark Cloud as well. I also ensured it will not cause you, once you enter it, to become subservient like the other subjects." Finster concluded proudly.
"So... do I just walk in?"
"Yes. You just walk in and you will begin a mighty transformation! You will be embedded with powers that should rival Lord Zedd's, as he calls himself now."
"Excellent. I think I will do just that." Before walking in, he thought of something. "I have a daughter... I see a lot of potential in her... is there any way this works... twice?"
Finster shook his head. "No, it will not. Not without some tinkering! Once you enter, it will be useless unless I pump more of my serum into it. If you wish, I will refill it once you have finished your ascension to greatness!"
Scorpius thought of his daughter. She was in her early twenties. She had just entered the Academy on an Edenoi scholarship, since they were trying to encourage Edenites to pursue life outside of what Edenoi had to offer. Although once a utopia, Dregon's constant and random attacks all but halted any progress Edenoi had, even going so far as causing it to regress in some facets of their economy.
His daughter, Trakeena, was rising the ranks quickly and making a name for herself. Everyone said it made sense, seeing who her father was. He had much pride in his daughter. He loved her with every ounce of his being. He knew that with the power of Lord Zedd he could rule the universe with an iron fist. He could create a universe in which his daughter would have anything she could ever desire.
He turned to Finster and smiled. "I would appreciate you refilling this... thing... then."
"Cocoon, sir."
"Excuse me?"
"My device. I have named it simply as a cocoon."
He smiled again. "What a fitting name. I, Scorpius, enter the cocoon a mere grunt for the United Alliance. The being who will emerge, though, will be a god!"
Laughing, he crawled into the cocoon. The serum pumped through the veins Finster had re-networked around the membrane that once housed the Dark Lord. The solution of liquid that had once pumped through the Dark Lord was mixed with lifestream. It was Finster's chemical creation based off his studies and calculations. It had begun taking effect. Scorpius could feel the power grow within him.
Finster stared at his benefactor's silhouette from his lab bench. He smiled to himself and began writing.
I am a good scientist. He thought simply.
"Twenty... Twenty Globbor. That's just ridiculous." Rahp said, finally sitting down after having defeated his enemies on the Deserted Planet.
Zordon nodded. "Vile definitely didn't want us coming out of that one alive."
"For those of us that did come out alive..." Rahp shook his head, disappointed with how things turned out. He held onto the gauze around his bleeding forearm.
Michael sat down next to Rahp. They were on a ship headed back to the Morphing Masters' headquarters. They had just battled what had possibly been the toughest fight they had ever encountered.
"How many men did we lose?" Michael asked, curious after Rahp's rather emotional statement.
"I haven't had the heart to count yet. I know at least twenty..." Orion answered.
He thought back at the difficult decision he had to make back in the battle. Orion had asked Rahp during the battle what his recommendation had been in regards to attacking the Globbor. Each of the Globbor had junctioned to a soldier. All twenty of them had been wearing distorted masks based off their prisoner.
Orion hadn't wanted to act, possibly harming soldiers, unless their own commander was okay with it. The soldiers around him said if they themselves were those soldiers, they wouldn't want anyone to hold back and to just do what was necessary to destroy the Globbor.
"Better to be destroyed than be a slave..." Many had muttered. A phrase common during the war that had occurred on Decrof, before Margaret revealed the Globbor's weakness.
Rahp thought about it for as long as he felt he could before giving the okay to Orion to attack the Globbor. Orion led the troops in battle against the Globbor. It was tough. Troops, trying to save their comrades, fell in the process. It was a grisly sight. They knew full well that every time they attacked the Globbor, the soldier junctioned to them would suffer as well.
Using his light power, Orion had jumped atop Lightning Cruiser. Riding up into the sky, he threw himself into the clouds, causing the clouds to dissipate when he ignited his Morphing Energy. With the clouds gone for a short time, the sun shined through. The solar energy weakened the Globbor, giving the troops enough time to destroy the twenty Monsters. Unfortunately the pain that came with the destruction was too much for those connected to the fallen foes: each person suffered aneurysms and brain clots. After seizing for a moment, they all were pronounced brain dead by the medics on the scene.
Tideus, one of the medics, tended to Master Orion. Because Cestria had been specifically requested by Dr. Goier to go with his team to follow Sentinel Knight on their quest to search for Lord Zedd, Orion had requested another Aquitian to be his personal healthcare provider. Tideus was the one chosen. "I like their ways." Orion had said.
Zordon looked to the ground. His mind was abuzz with the chaos he had seen since becoming a Morphing Master. His thoughts stopped on what his role might be in all of the events unfolding throughout the universe.
So much evil. So much destruction. I must help put an end to it all, before it is too late...