Author's notes - Thanks for reading everyone! ChibiDawn - yeah, I guess the 'abandoned space colony' trope features in a lot of good stories, so this is my entry to the genre :). In my past POV stories, the Rangers have explored so many cool locations here on Earth, so in this one, I really wanted them to explore a really cool, alien environment. Anyway, enjoy chapter! 3 :)

Chapter Three

While Brendan and Kim checked the three hangars, I rested the transmitter on the floor and inspected what I guessed was the computer on the desk. With Lumelian on auxiliary power, I doubted I'd be able to switch it on, and everything with actual words was written in the same alien language we'd been seeing throughout the city. But from all the hours listening to Billy tell us about his computer, I knew there had to be some way of connecting this machine to external hardware. After a few minutes, I found them, odd hexagonal connection points on the underside of the machine. I soon found the right cable on the transmitter and plugged them in.

I stood back, proud of my work, and watched as the lights on the transmitter began flickering when there was a sudden buzzing in my ear. I instinctively brushed the side of my helmet as a fly weaved around me and landed on the desk.

"What the hell?" I asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

I heard footsteps approaching and turned to face my team-mates. Startled by the movement, the fly took off from the desk and disappeared into the shadows of the ceiling.

"You okay?" Kim asked. "We heard your voice. We weren't gone too long, were we?"

"No, there was a … fly," I said, and changed the subject. "How'd you go with the spaceship hangars?"

"Bad news," Brendan replied. "They were all full of giant spaceships, but no sign of the crew or passengers. If everyone did leave here in a hurry," and he gestured around the entry hall, "they didn't fly out."

"How'd you go with the transmitter?" asked Kim.

"I figured it out," I said. "In theory, we should be able to contact home," and I raised my wrist. "Zordon? Alpha? It's Scott."

"Scott!" Zordon's voice crackled through after a few seconds. He sounded relieved to hear from us, but his voice was distant and far away, like he was shouting to us from across a crowded room. Great. Like we needed this to be even harder to figure out. "You're coming through loud and clear."

"But you're not," Kim replied. "We can barely hear you."

There was a second of silence. "That can only mean we're moving out of range faster than I thought," Zordon said quickly. "All right Rangers. Where are you?"

"We made it into the grand entry hall," Brendan said.

"Any sign of why the city sent out the distress call?" Zordon asked.

"We're having trouble finding anybody at all," I replied. "We haven't met or seen anyone. It feels like we're the only ones here."

"There's plenty of spaceships still here, so nobody flew out," Kim said. "The city itself isn't damaged, so it can't have been an attack. There's still air and power, but there's no sign of anyone apart from the three of us."

"Well, us and the fly," I added.

"The what?" Zordon asked.

"There was a fly before," I explained quickly. "Should there be insects inside here?"

"Insect-like creatures exist alongside people almost everywhere in the galaxy," Zordon replied. "Aside from food preparation areas, the city has an agricultural section as well as parks, gardens, a variety of animal life and a network of tunnels to deal with waste. If the city really is abandoned, then yes, animals would be able to move freely between buildings. So it wouldn't surprise me, but I doubt you'll see an aggressive infestation. And that still doesn't explain what happened."

I glanced to the transmitter. "Well you're plugged into the city's computer network," I began. "Can you run a scan or something?"

"We're just trying that now," Alpha replied. "But the readings here aren't making any sense. The computer is picking up vague signs of organic beings, but it keeps telling me that it can't detect any lifeforms."

"Maybe it's just glitching as it warms up or something?" Kim offered.

"Possibly," Alpha said.

Looking out the huge observation windows, my eyes settled on the planet suspended in space. "Just how inhospitable is that planet anyway?" I asked. "Has anything ever lived down there?"

"Early on, several robotic probes were launched into the planet's atmosphere," Zordon began. "They found no living beings, but there was evidence of ancient bones, fossilised in the toxic air. They seemed to be the remains of exoskeletons, presumably from animals long dead."

"Does that mean anything?" Kim asked me.

"How often does trouble come from somewhere we don't expect?" I replied. "I thought it might be a clue."

"Something weird is going on here though," said Brendan. "How do five hundred people just vanish into thin air? They can't have disappeared. What about security footage or something? Surely the city has cameras. Can't we just play the footage back?"

"That's not a bad idea," said Kim. "Can Alpha just hack their system or something? Like, switch the city back on by remote?"

"It's not something I would've preferred to do," Zordon replied. "And I doubt the city's ruling council will be pleased with us. But like you said Rangers, it might be the only way to unravel this mystery. Alpha, can we manage it?"

"If only it were that simple," Alpha's voice crackled through. "From the readings here, Lumelian's computer system is elaborate and complicated. Wherever you're plugged in, we simply can't do anything from here. There's too many firewalls and failsafe redundancies."

"That's levels of protection," Zordon added.

"I wish Billy was here," Brendan murmured before he could stop himself.

That stung. "I'm sure if Billy was here, he'd come up with something brilliant," I said sharply. "Zordon, is there anything we can do?"

There was a long pause. Alpha and Zordon must've been figuring out a plan. "The central control room," Zordon eventually replied. "You'll find it on the top floor of Lumelian's central tower. If we were physically closer to the main servers, we might stand a far better chance of gaining access to their system. From there, we should be able to switch the power back on and check the city's security footage."

"Sounds like a plan," Brendan said.

"Keep exploring the city as you go," Zordon continued. "There must be some clue as to what happened."

"Okay, we'll unplug the transmitter and talk to you again soon," Kimberly said, and the communicator fell silent. "Let's go boys."

I reached down and unplugged the transmitter. The three of us made our way over to the windows looking out over the lunar landscape. The central building was indeed the tallest, a round tower rising ten storeys out of a large rectangular building. The spire looked like it was connected to most of the other buildings via overhead passages and narrow walkways.

"What do you reckon?" Kim asked.

"I'd say that's the place," I said. "And it should be easy enough to reach. It looks like it's connected to everything else. Let's go."

We set off again, making our way through the deserted city but constantly on the look-out for any sign of danger. Travelling was easier than I expected. The buildings were wide and airy. Every doorway was open, and we'd already figured out how to open the sealed airlocks. As we travelled, we passed empty meeting halls and darkened scientific labs. At one point, we walked through a gigantic indoor garden, passing long banks of plants I'd never seen before with silver leaves and bright blue flowers. In every building were wall panels with blinking lights, rows of computers, flickering monitors and large windows. We made our way through closed-in courtyards and lonely observation decks, some with seats and tables to enjoy the view, others with telescopes and scientific equipment to study the view. We even stepped over moving walkways now frozen in place, and passed small open-air vehicles parked at odd angles against the walls.

We didn't have time to stop and search every room in every building. Heading through a short, narrow building with lots of windows, we stepped into a wide hall and were surprised to see a cascading water fountain under a domed ceiling. On the left was a boulevard of small shops, selling what looked to be food, clothes and tourist souvenirs, while over on the right? We were facing what couldn't have been anything other than a fancy hotel lobby, complete with glass chandeliers, a bar for guests, and a leafy garden against the far wall. We checked for signs of life and found nothing, before continuing on to the central spire.

It was eerie, though, and I felt less at ease the longer we explored in absolute silence.

The twelve of us materialised in the city, touching down on the street and forming a line across the road. About fifty feet in front of us was Father Time. Behind us stood the city centre, bustling with activity in the mid-morning. The monster alarm hadn't yet sounded, which meant there were a lot of people still around. Seeing us arrive, the monster raised his clock weapon and everybody tensed, ready to leap to safety. Strangely, the monster didn't fire despite having a clear shot, and everybody held their ground.

I glanced to the other Rangers. Why didn't he fire?

"Rangers!" Father Time called in a deep voice. As we watched, his faces changed, rotating around his head. He was soon addressing us from his second face. This one had a smooth forehead with defined features. It was a boy's face, about my age, but his smile was cruel and predatory, and his eye was narrowed with malice. "The season of your defiance ends today, and Lord Zedd's rule will last an age!"

"Great, jokes," murmured Sarah. "He's one of those." Standing beside her, Brendan contrived to look hurt.

"How do we get to the clock without making ourselves targets?" Kim asked.

"We work together," Tommy replied, reaching for Saba.

"And we start with some cover," Jason added. He reached for his blade blaster and aimed for the monster's clock weapon.

The monster's eye grew wide, and he clicked his fingers. "Time for some putties!" he shouted. A small army of the stone-faced grey warriors touched down on the street in front of him.

"Now we don't have a clear shot?" I said.

Jason returned the blaster to its holster. "Neither does he," the Red Ranger replied. He stepped forward, his pace increasing to a jog, and the rest of us instinctively followed. "Juniors, clear a path. Seniors, go for the clock!"

"Right!"

The street erupted with the sounds of frenzied combat as the six of us younger Rangers charged into the crowd of putties. But as the warriors scattered, the six Senior Rangers raced towards the menacing figure of Father Time. Zac and Kim took to the air, falling towards him with powerful side-by-side kicks. But the monstrous clock was faster than he looked, stepping around Zac and striking Kim away. He spun to face Jason and Tommy, raising his blaster and firing. The two Rangers leaped to safety and the beam caught a palm tree that froze in the breeze behind them. The monster growled in annoyance as Billy and Trini dropped down before him. Dodging their attacks, Father Time lashed out with his blaster and sent the two crashing into a parked car.

A young family had been hiding behind the car. No longer safe, they leaped to their feet and sprinted down the street in a blind panic. Trini glanced from the monster to the civilians.

"Get out of here!" she shouted. "Get inside!"

Billy pointed to a hotel lobby a few metres down the road. "Over there! Go!" he called. But in their moment of distraction, Father Time raised the clock blaster to where they

were standing. In a flash of blue, Billy and Trini were frozen in place.

"Two down," Father Time said triumphantly.

"No!" shouted Kim. A few feet away, she and Zac leaped for the monster. But as Father Time turned, he raised his clock weapon and froze the Black and Pink Rangers in their tracks.

With the putties defeated, Peter, Sarah and Teresa charged across the street in a desperate dash to get to the clock weapon before Father Time could fire. The monster raised the blaster but Sarah was already there, striking the monster's arm aside and slamming her elbow into his face. Barely fazed, Father Time struck the Purple Ranger back in a shower of sparks. Even as she fell, Peter grabbed at the clock, but the monster dodged around him and sent the Orange Ranger stumbling with a low kick. Before either of them could recover, the monster shone the clock blaster at them and froze them. Teresa saw she was in danger and leaped to safety, only to be frozen a few feet above the ground.

The pendulum in the monster's chest glowed blue the entire time.

The rest of us regrouped. We closed in on Father Time, approaching from all sides. With no easy target, he spun between the five of us and roared defiantly. Ian leaped forward with a high kick then quickly danced back out of range. A second later, Brendan swung low, diving to safety as I aimed a rapid blow for the monster's stomach. Father Time recovered fast, sending me crashing with a blow from the clock. He spun around as Brendan and Ian attacked again, but a flash of blue froze them in place.

Before Father Time could regain his bearings, Jason and Tommy attacked side-by-side, working together to keep him off-balance while steadily wearing him down. Tommy sliced high with Saba, forcing the monster back, while Jason struck his arm away to keep him from a clear shot. Pressing forward, Tommy slashed Saba for Father Time's body, and the monster dropped the clock with a howl of pain. Jason sent the monster crashing with a powerful kick, but as the clock hit the ground it flashed blue one last time. A second later, the Red and White Rangers stood silent.

"Jason!" I shouted helplessly. "Tommy!"

Picking myself up off the ground, I looked from my frozen team-mates to where the monster was climbing to his feet. In a panic, I dived to safety behind a nearby bus shelter, rolling to a stop and holding my communicator to my helmet.

"Zordon!" I said. "Zordon, everyone's been captured! What do I do?!"

Following a wide hallway beside a moving walkway that now lay idle, the three of us finally stepped into the ground floor of the central tower. We were greeted by a wide gallery with brightly-coloured banners hanging from the ceiling. Immediately to our left was a row of what had to be elevators, while on the right was a sweeping staircase that disappeared into the ceiling. Kim was just about to point to the stairs when she noticed something. Just past the stairs was a wide space filled with tables and chairs. What looked like a bar faced us from the opposite side of the room, while giant floor-to-ceiling observation windows gave diners a sweeping view of the lunar landscape and the starry vista above.

I was about to ask why we'd stopped when I noticed all the tables had plates of food on them. It was the first sign of recent human habitation we'd seen all day.

Brendan noticed as well. "Is that like a restaurant or something?" he asked.

"More like a galley, I guess," I said. "Should we take a look?"

"I think so," Kim replied. "C'mon."

We split up and began quickly sweeping down the aisles. The majority of the tables held half-eaten meals with drinks that were half-empty. Reaching down, I gently touched a piece of well-cooked steak.

"The food's cold," I said. "Whatever happened here, it happened a while ago."

"But it was quick," Kim said. "Look at it. They were halfway through lunch."

We continued exploring the room. Kim vaulted the bar to check the kitchen, while I reached the end of the aisle and turned to the panoramic window. I was about to look away when I caught sight of my reflection in the glass, the Blue Ranger small against the infinite black of space with millions of stars behind him. Billy once told me that the stars we actually see are only a fraction of the true number of stars in the galaxy. There were thousands, maybe millions more, but their light hasn't reached us yet. I didn't recognise any of the constellations from here, but there were so many more stars than the ones visible from our backyard in Currimundi. The thought of home being so far away made me sigh. A few aisles away, Brendan looked up.

"You okay?" the Aqua Ranger asked, and stepped towards me. "We'll figure this out dude, don't worry about it. I'm sure nothing really bad has happened yet."

"It's not that," I said. "I was thinking, the Universe is just so big. Sometimes it's too big. Do you ever feel like it's just, I don't know, hopeless?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"There's always something horrible around the next corner," I said. "It's like, the twelve of us show up to fix things, but they never actually stay fixed. It's a hopeless task."

Brendan looked away, not sure how to respond. "Dude, I had no idea this was getting to you so much," he said finally.

"Me either, to be honest," I said.

Brendan frowned behind his helmet. "Do you think the Rangers don't matter?"

I shook my head. "Not at all," I said. "I get that we're important, I know why Zordon gave us our Power Coins."

He supplied the next, obvious word. "But…?"

"But do you ever feel like we don't make much of a difference in the long run?" I asked. "Whatever horrible thing happened here, we'll deal with this, and then some other horrible thing will show up, and then some other horrible thing will show up, and when does it ever stop? Is that all that life is? A never-ending series of disasters?"

I looked away. Brendan didn't reply for a long time, and I figured he was coming up with his next punchline. But he raised his gloved hand and rested it awkwardly on my shoulder.

"I guess I don't think about it like that," he said. "See, for me?" And when he spoke next, I heard a tone in his voice I'd never heard before. "Whenever Alpha and Zordon send us into battle, it's all about finding the bad guy and stopping them. Helping people who are lost. Standing up for the little guy. And maybe you're right, you know, of course you're right. Maybe there's always gonna be some new jerk out there who wants to hurt people. But for everyone we protect, for every person we save? I like to think it makes all the difference in the world." Brendan turned to meet my gaze. "Does that make sense?"

"Yeah," I said softly. "I guess it does. That's a good way of looking at it."

Brendan was about to continue when Kimberly joined us. "Boys?" she began. "I didn't find any clues in the kitchen. Let's keep going."

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, and Brendan and I turned after the Pink Ranger. "Sorry," I said. "Right behind you," and we jogged after her, leaving the deserted galley behind us.

To be continued.