Fealdor skittered nervously down the empty corridor. He tightly clutched selected reports in his hands as he made his way to the main lab, all the while silently cursing Elsa's interference in his head. She knows I'm not ready. That snake is just trying to undermine me! For although Elsa had retained the most human appearance of Mesagog's underlings, she was also the most cold-blooded.
Fealdor's appearance was the most reptilian of the minions. His green scaled head and limbs most closely resembled an overgrown iguana. He was grateful that he had retained opposable thumbs in the transformation, otherwise holding something as ordinary as the reports in his hands would be difficult. He was also grateful for the dexterity in his hands allowing him to continue to use computers for his research. He did not know how he'd get by otherwise.
He chose to garb himself in a simple robe, in a similar style to the one Mesogog wore, but brown in color. Finding shirts and pants to fit his oddly shaped limbs was not worth the time or effort. And though clothing was no longer necessary for warmth, it allowed him to maintain a level of modesty that helped him hold on to some part of being human. But, it was best not to linger on that train of thought.
When Fealdor entered the lab, Mesogog, Elsa and Zeltrax were waiting; Mesogog was seated in his throne-like chair with Elsa and Zeltrax standing to his right. Elsa wore a smug smile, anticipating the enjoyment of watching someone else fail for a change. Zeltrax stood by impassively with his arms folded across his chest. Fealdor paid them no attention, choosing instead to be wholly focused on Mesogog and what he had to present – which was precious little thanks to Elsa's interference. Maybe with some luck, Mesogog will be satisfied with what little I can show him…and he'll let me continue.
Fealdor made a sketchy bow. "My Lord Mesogog…"
Mesogog tipped his head to the right and intoned in his raspy voice, "Elsa tells me you have been working on something, Fealdor. Why have you not shown me?" There was menace and warning in the simple question.
Fealdor skittered over to a console. Bobbing his head in an obsequious manner and keeping his eyes downcast, he replied, "My lord, my research is incomplete. I did not want to approach you until I was sure I had developed a plan that would not fail. You deserve nothing less, my lord."
Fealdor snuck a glance at Elsa and Zeltrax to see if that verbal volley had made any impact. Zeltrax growled softly and Elsa grimaced; neither wanted to be reminded of their repeated failures.
"You are correct in your assessment, Fealdor. Failure is unacceptable…and will be severely punished, as these two can tell you." Zeltrax shifted uncomfortably. Elsa attempted to keep her expression neutral – it was unwise to anger the Master with a display of disapproval. She crossed her arms and leveled an icy glare at Fealdor, practically daring him to succeed where she had failed.
"Yes, my lord." Fealdor wasn't sure exactly what he was agreeing to there, but keeping Mesogog appeased was always a good thing.
"What is this research you have been doing? And how will it help us overthrow the Rangers?" Mesogog asked impatiently.
Fealdor swallowed nervously. He was starting on shaky ground – he was not trying to overthrow the Rangers, but to circumvent them. He launched into his explanation hoping he would get far enough to engage Mesogog without angering him. "Master…I have been researching the energy potential of the Rangers in order to power the crystals you've gathered and create a new world order. The energy output of an average human is nothing compared to an active Ranger. Rangers are a potentially more potent power source than the dino gems you've been seeking for so long. After all, it's the gems that unlock the power potential that the humans who become Rangers already possess."
Mesogog hissed and cocked his head to the left, but did not interrupt. Fealdor pushed on. "The experience we've had with the Rangers has demonstrated that they are difficult to beat, and nearly impossible to catch. Elsa and Zeltrax have proven that." Fealdor couldn't resist throwing that in there.
"Continue!" demanded Mesogog impatiently.
Fealdor shifted through his files and pulled out the ones for Angel Grove and Stone Canyon. "I have begun to scan the humans in the towns were the former Ranger teams were most active. By comparing the scans to scans of the current Rangers, I should be able to identify former Rangers by their energy signatures. They won't be as strong as the active Rangers, but they should still be there."
Elsa could contain herself no longer. "Should be able to identify? Should be as strong? Have you nothing to present other than things that "might" or "could" be?" She sneered at him.
Mesogog did not reprimand Elsa for her outburst; Fealdor did not take that as a good sign. He decided to be frank. "This is exactly the reason I had not approached you with this plan, my lord. It is incomplete and not ready for demonstration."
Mesogog nodded. "Incomplete though your plan may be, it does have some merit." He waved a hand imperiously at the view screen. "Show me. I want you to scan the Rangers and the humans around them. I want to see the differences in the energy signatures you speak of."
Fealdor nodded in acquiescence, and tried not to visibly show his overwhelming relief. It helped his morale tremendously to note that Elsa looked about ready to spit bricks. He turned his attention to locating the rangers. From the looks of it they had gathered to listen to the Yellow one sing. Again. Could they find nothing better to do with their time? Human teens were a mystery.
Fealdor focused on the Red and Blue Rangers – they were seated at a table together, though not next to each other. He called up the energy scan readings on an adjacent screen. "You can see here, " he pointed out, "that even when they are powered-down the Rangers have extremely high energy readings." Fealdor turned his attention to the others at the table. "Now for comparison, I'll scan the humans they're seated with, and you'll be able to see the difference for yourselves."
Fealdor scanned the other two boys and the girl seated with the Rangers. Their readings came up on the screen in a split view next to the Ranger readings. Fealdor blinked in confusion, and his heart began to hammer in his chest. He redid the scan quickly, but the results came up the same. It was not possible.
Elsa slunk closer. "What? Did you scan the Rangers twice? I don't see the difference."
"Wait. Hold on…" Fealdor excitedly targeted another table of humans – a very blond girl and her dopey looking companion. Their readings came up in another, smaller screen next to the Ranger's scan. "This one…these two…this is what "normal" humans register as." Fealdor pointed to the screen with a shaky hand. "But these – the two boys and the girl…I can't believe it…" After all the research he'd done on all the towns where former Rangers could potentially be, Fealdor couldn't believe that these three just fell into his lap.
Mesogog oozed out of his chair and glided over to the viewing screen. On closer inspection one could see a difference between the Ranger scans and these others. But the differences were not great – the energy potential was enormous. "Interesting…" was Mesogog's comment. "It appears fate has stepped in to assist you with your plan, Fealdor. Perhaps success has been waiting for you."
For a moment, Fealdor was thrilled. Then reality came crashing in. He'd spent all of his time attempting to find former Rangers, so he was unprepared for what to do with one once he'd found them. And the readings on these three, they were far stronger than he'd anticipated former Rangers to be. It made no sense – they were no longer active…where was all of that Power coming from?
Mesogog turned to Zeltrax. "I want you to capture those three…"
"Wait, my lord!" Mesogog executed a dizzying turn and peered directly into Fealdor's face. He was not pleased at being contradicted. Fealdor gasped and took an involuntary step back. "Please, my lord. Give me one more night. This turn of events…I was never expecting…" Fealdor took a deep breath to try and get a hold of himself.
"If you can just give me until the morning…I'll know much more about these three. Now that we know who they are, we can track them. Please, my lord…this close to success, I don't want to rush in…"
Though Mesogog would never admit it aloud, Fealdor's caution did have merit. The potential energy that the three teens possessed was enormous, but it would be wasted if they were not ready to harness it. "You have until morning, Fealdor. Learn what you can. Tomorrow we attack."