Chapter 30- Shadow
She had failed. It wasn't something she had never experienced before and never planned on doing again. No one beat Pandora. The Rangers would get what they deserved. Grumm was furious. To her, furious was an understatement. He'd spent the last two hours trashing Krybots in the docks, screaming like a madman. He had even threatened Mora that he would make her into Morgana again if she ever made an alien that stupid again. With that in mind, Pandora doubted that Mora would keep being Mora for long. Not with her latest creations anyway.
She believed in searching the universe for the deadliest and most dangerous aliens and sending them out to battle. To her, the little girl's abilities were only good when Grumm was extremely desperate and had nothing to do but send them to battle his enemies, only to get captured by the Rangers. Just last week, the Rangers had captured three of her aliens, not counting Bugglesworth. He had been the cherry on top of the pie. Although he had given them a certain advantage with the dolls that were now being transformed to fuel, neither Grumm nor Pandora were satisfied with him. He had been expendable, just like the other aliens.
The gears in her evil head began turning to concoct a new master plan. She was interrupted by a beep coming from the computer's observatory. It had been hours since it had started the search and it had finally found something that would make her master proud. She pulled up the image on the window and analyzed the readings. According to the radar, there were some strong energy signals coming from Zora. She smiled smugly. It was exactly the place she wanted to go to.
This was going to be easy, she would shoot two birds with one stone.
She changed into a pair of dark leather pants she had recently purchased, which she expected would be uncomfortable, surprisingly they were not. They made her feel like a warrior. When the vendor told her they were made with the best leather in the whole galaxy, she thought the alien had just been playing with her. Apparently he had not been joking after all. She replaced her black vest and long-sleeved shirt with a sheer, Victorian style blouse with a high collar and long sleeves. She put on her black leather trenchcoat and her knee-high, low heeled botos with laces. She topped off the look with a pin of her brand she had gotten on one of her many expeditions.
She grabbed her bag and vanished into thin air, leaving behind her usual trace of blackened rose petals.
SPD Command Center
Kat was making the last security checkups on the Command Center's computer while the Rangers were gathered around the table, joking about their recent rendez-vous with Bugglesworth. They couldn't stop themselves from making jokes about the fact the creature had actually cried before getting arrested. So much
Z was laughing so hard, she could hardly breathe. "I couldn't believe it. One of Grumm's monster's crying."
"Maybe he was sensitive." Bridge suggested.
"Yeah, overly sensitive. He didn't just cry, he weeped." Jack said, making the others laugh, except for Sky who thought they were just being childish. Whatever had happened was in the past, there was no need for them to keep bringing it up. Besides the fact the jokes weren't funny, he himself didn't find it amusing that they were using the Command Center as their new Rec Room. He was about to suggest to the others to continue their banter on another place when Cruger walked inside. They saluted, but he ignored them and simply snarled. They sat down again. Any amusement they had had been killed by the snarl, no one dared to talk.
"What are you laughing at?"
"We were just…" Bridge answered politely before getting cut off.
"May I remind you that you are in the SPD Command Center. I expect my cadets to behave accordingly. If you want to laugh, go to another place around the Academy." Cruger growled. They all suspected there was something wrong with him, but no one knew exactly what. The first thing that came to the Green Ranger's mind was fleas. His bulldog had gotten fleas once and it was cranky while he had them. He let the thought slip when Cruger turned to Kat, growling at her. "I don't want to hear from you either, Kat. I've dealt with enough today."
Jack got on his feet and glared at him, raising his voice, he stated "You can't talk to us like that. I don't care who you are. If we had actually done something wrong, we'd gladly accept your patronizing, but this is simply ridiculous."
"Standing up for your team, Cadet Landors?" The words to reply got caught in the Red Ranger's throat. He had no idea where the sudden courage had come from. "It's about time you show a shred of that leadership I thought I saw in you because up until this point, I have seen none."
Landors had nothing more to say to him. Next thing they knew, the Commander was ordering Jack to lead his team away. They hesitated at first, but when Cruger shouted "Out!" it was clear he didn't want to see them. Even though she didn't ay anything, Kat knew exactly what was happening, so she followed the Rangers to the Rec Room.
While they left, he turned back and took a longing look at the saber he had bowed to never use again. He was tempted to grab it, but never again. Not after failing not only himself but everything and everyone he cared about.
"Is it me or was the Commander's behavior weird?" Z asked perplexed by what she had just witnessed. Normally, Cruger was friendly yet strict. He had never spoken to them this way.
"It's just stress, Z. Besides he has a point, the Command Center is not a place to laugh to be laughing in." She raised her eyebrows at Sky's statement. The look in her eyes made him take back his words. "Ok, his behavior was strange and it was totally uncalled for."
"Back when Cruger and his colleagues founded the first SPD in his home planet, Sirius, they were attacked by Grumm and the Troobian Army. He lost everything during that fight." She took a deep breath and crossed her arms. "That doesn't mean I support his behavior. The way he spoke to you was simply terrible. I'll try to talk to him."
"Let's just hope he listens." Sky muttered.
The Terror
The trip to Zora had been short for Pandora. She expected it to last longer due to the complications. No such complications existed; she had gathered everything she needed and not only that, she had also gathered a new ally that would help her accomplish her next plan. She spotted Mora by the Observatory and made a gesture for the girl to follow her to Throne Room. Once inside, she revealed what, more specifically who, she had brought back.
"Look who I found hanging out at an auction house in Zora."
Grumm's eyes lighted up. He was either extremely angry or happy. Pandora hoped it would be the latter. "Benaag."
"We meet again, Emperor." The dark creature bowed its head and sneered. "I see you have humans doing your dirty work now."
Neither of the girls appreciated the disrespectful commentary. When Pandora had spoken to Benaag at the bar for the first time, she noticed the hate in his voice when he spoke to her. It was clear he hated human. Too bad for him. If he was staying, he would be collaborating with them on a daily basis to defeat the Rangers. And she knew that no matter what his feelings were towards humans, they all had a common objective. Destroying Earth and SPD was their mission.
Pandora rolled her eyes and decided to ignore the comment. She didn't expect less from a criminal. Mora, on the other hand, simply lost it. "We've accomplished more in 6 months than you have in five years, hose head. Don't make me angry or you will pay the consequences."
Benaag let out a loud laugh and mocked the girl's voice. Annoyed, she wiggled her finger and gestured for him to move closer. She put her mouth to his ear and instead of whispering something, she blasted him. He fell back, stunned by the attack. Both girls gave themselves a high five and grinned. "How's that for a human, Benaag?"
Turning her attention back to Grumm, Pandora suggested "If we are going to defeat SPD, we need to destroy it piece by piece."
"Your plan better not be like the last one or I will…"
"Imprison me in an asteroid, lock me in my room, send me out to Savage, make me play with Mora for more than an hour, clean the ship, clean your stinky shoes…" She trailed off. "There is nothing you can possible threaten me with anymore. And if you remember well, I'm the best chance you've got at beating Cruger."
She had a point. "Fine, spit it out!"
Mora spoke up next, like they had rehearsed the speech before coming in. "We take out their leader. Without him, they're nothing but a bunch of whiny cadets."
"Since this is your plan too, I really hope it works." He got up close to Mora's face, his eyes illuminated and full of rage. "If it doesn't, I will turn you back to the way I found you."
The little girl nodded and clutched her doll in fear. Benagg left after she told him exactly what to do. Broodwing appeared seconds later. "You called me in?"
"We need a distraction."
Lucky for her, she didn't have to plan anything anymore. Broodwing had already planned out his strategy. When they heard it, they were more than satisfied. After agreeing to her part in the plan, Pandora left to the Observatory, carefully calculating her moves. That's when she noticed something very interesting on the screen. Her lips curled into an evil smile.
"Hello Z, we meet again."
Earth
Z had gone out to the park for a run to clear her head of everything that had gone down earlier in the day. She could understand more than anyone what it felt like to be stripped of everything you once loved. It had only been a few years since she had become an orphan. Luckily, Jack had come into the picture only a couple of years after she had turned 16. Offering his kindness and friendship, she took it without hesitation. They had been friends ever since. It was getting hard being the only girl in the team. She had always hung out with boys, but when Syd came into the picture, it was a breath of fresh air. They could gossip and had conversations about things they couldn't talk about with the guys present. Every moment they had was cherished by Z, more than Syd would ever know.
As she stopped to rest, she couldn't help but feel someone's eyes on her back. She turned back and saw nothing. Maybe she was just imagining things. Lately, it had been happening a lot. She removed the though from her head and continued running towards the hills. She planned to sit down and watch the sunset. There was nothing more calming or more beautiful than witnessing a sunset. A blast that was intended for her but instead hit a tree made her forget about her plans.
When she turned back, she saw Pandora. "Hello Z."
"What do you want?"
"Does every little visit I pay you have to have an ulterior motive?" The Ranger wouldn't even answer that. All her visits had an ulterior motive. She would just cut straight to the chase. This girl got on Z's nerves. "Just tell me what you want."
The villain summoned her weapon and caught Z off guard, sending a couple of waves of energy her way. She groaned upon hitting the floor. She morphed and got up from the floor, ambushing the other girl. The permanent smirk on Pandora's face gave her the creeps. To save herself some time and space, the Yellow Ranger used her blaster on Pandora a few times. She sighed in relief when she was her fall to the ground, clutching her stomach.
"Z, help me." She wasn't going to fall for her tricks. The girl lifted her head from the ground, her eyes and her hair had changed. She squinted and swore that the girl on the ground was none other but her best friend. She rushed over to the figure on the ground and helped her up.
She got back on her feet and recited a few words in a language Z didn't recognize. She laid eyes on her silver bracelet. The bracelet's symbols illuminated themselves as the girl pronounced the words. Seconds later, a battle suit similar to Morgana's covered the girl's body. It had some pretty noticeable differences, though.
This suit was a darker shade of purple and from the looks of the helmet; it had been inspired by a bat. A pair of bat ears protruded from the top and four silver fangs topped off the visor. Z seriously hoped that it wouldn't have wings.
She set aside her fear and rushed into action. She would not show any fear to her enemies. Not today, not ever. She used her blaster several times, hoping to at least disable her. The other girl, even though she wasn't short of weapons, blocked the majority of the shots and disposed of her weapons. She was confident she could the Yellow Ranger without anything to help but the suit. Z was amazed at Pandora's ability to withstand pain.
Pandora extended her arms and lifted herself off the ground slowly. Z was taken aback when the girl flew straight at her, slashing her with the blades hidden in her wrists' armor. The Yellow Ranger was now the one in the ground. She groaned, trying to recover. Upon discovering that Pandora had disappeared, she grabbed her morpher but before she could say anything to her friends, a figure came diving straight at her from the top of the trees.
She demorphed. Pandora lowered her helmet and shoved something into Z's hand. It was a sphere of some kind. "Be sure to give that to Cruger."
As Z laid eyes upon her, she noticed her eyes and hair had turned back to normal. She wondered about what had happened. Had it been a trick? Maybe, maybe not. It had looked like it was actually Sydney begging for her help. Hang in there, Syd. Z though to herself.
The Command Center
Z arrived almost stumbling from all the parts that hurt in her body. She could barely speak from the shortness of breath. She handed the sphere to Dr. Manx and pointed to Cruger.
"Message." Noticing he condition, Bridge helped her sit down. Trying to get information out of Z was proving to be impossible. The lack of air and the exhaustion in her body had taken almost all her energy. They turned their attention when a holographic message began playing. Cruger immediately snarled upon seeing who it was from. "Benaag."
Kat put a hand on his shoulder to remind him where he was and his position. He had always admired that quality in her. It was incredible how she could make someone feel better without even saying any words.
"Hello Doggie. I hope you haven't lost your touch because of all these of years of inactivity." Benaag smirked at his last sentence. "I'm sorry for not sending this earlier. I was training, you see, training for our last battle. If you refuse me, you'll see the consequences." The message ended.
"I was afraid it would come to this." Kat left the room for a moment and came back with a box. "I made it for you."
"I won't do it." Snarled Cruger.
"Doggie, please! You can't send the Cadets to fight him. They're just kids." She understood how hard it was for him. With all the atrocities Benaag had commited against Doggie, for him to actually was a crazy idea. But sending a bunch of kids was the craziest idea she had ever heard coming out of his mouth. She would simply not allow it to happen. She would even lock the doors of the Command Center if it was needed.
Cruger had clearly gone bonkers. "They were kids, Kat."
"I know you're scared but you can't allow what happened in Sirius to mark your entire life." She declared, a little more fervently this time. "Do this for Isinia."
Cruger growled louder than he had ever done before. "Leave!"
"They have a right to know, you stubborn old dog." Kat insisted in hoped that this would make him realize how ridiculous he was sounding. "I'm going for a walk. When Doggie is back, he can come find me."
"You can't keep running away! The past will keep haunting you if you don't take stand against your fears!"
She left without another word. The Rangers were amazed by the way Kat had stood up to the Commander. No one dared to say anything, except maybe for Jack, but to actually walk out on the Commander you had to have guts.
She was beyond furious. His stubbornness was escalating. She understood him more than anyone in the world, but this was simply not how he behaved. He had become a coward at the wrong time. The Rangers needed him now more than ever and he was in the Command Center, shouting orders like a dictator instead of actually listening to them. As for Isinia, she didn't regret saying her name, as much it could have hurt her friend, they needed to know about what had really happened that night. That was the crucial part.
She stopped in her tracks when Pandora appeared before her, wielding her new blade and suit. Now she understood what the other meant when they about the girl. Having only seen pictures of the new version of Rogue, Kat hadn't thought that she would look this scary. Her cold eyes and that smirk gave her chills. The girl cocked her head and summoned a small army of Krybots. "Get her!"
At first, she let a pair drag her all the way to concrete column. Once she was close enough she placed her feet and elevated herself, making an impressive backwards flip to get away from them. With her claws bared, she began attacking. She grabbed one of them by the arm and lifted herself from the ground, kicking the second Krybot with her leg. It stumbled backwards. It was a shame it hadn't been destroyed completely. She fended off the other attacker with another kick with the same results. She wanted a morpher for herself badly. She smirked at her thought. Her as a Ranger… only in dreams.
For someone so passive, Pandora had to admit that Doctor Manx had very good fighting skills. If she hadn't been in Cruger's team, maybe Grumm would have been interested in hiring the doctor. It was a shame she had to get killed. That's what you get for allying yourself with the wrong people, she thought. As the battle continued, the feline seemed to have the upper hand. A tiny spark of hope for Pandora emerged when the two Krybots finally overpowered their enemy. Just as she was about to pat herself on the back, her plan shattered before her. Out of nowhere came a robotic dog who had taken the robots out with one single move. She groaned. There would be no more distractions, no more obstructions. She closed her eyes and gathered a large energy blast, potent enough to destroy it. The blast hit RIC while he ran to Kat. "RIC!"
"If you want things done, do them for yourself." The villain grabbed Kat by the arm and put a pair of handcuffs around her wrist. She summoned an Orange Krybot. "Carry this pile of trash" She pointed to RIC. "to our location. I will use it later."
Kat could feel the tip of a blade on her back, so she began walking. It was in these moments that she really wanted to be more than a Doctor. After almost an hour of walking they finally stopped at the base of a mountain. There was a truck, probably stolen, she guessed. The girl motioned for her to get in. She did as ordered. "See, General Benaag, I'm not that useless."
"No, but you're still a human."
"And you're still ugly." She closed the door of the truck and locked it. Kat was placed on silver chair by a couple of Krybots. Three silver poles forming a perfect triangle surrounded the chair. Pandora pressed a button. A strong force field now prevented her from escaping. "I brought her and a way to deliver your new message yet you manage to keep nagging me about being human."
"Apart from being human, you are also extremely annoying. You and that little girl should be imprisoned on a meteor." His eyes searched her body. "No wonder Broodwing hates you."
"For your information, Grumm already tried that and it didn't work. I escaped after luring two of the guards inside my cell." She sneered and grabbed one of the holocams the Krybots had stolen. Getting the footage she wanted, she placed the ball on RIC's mouth and gave a small jolt to its system to get it running. "Don't take this the wrong way but after ten takes, you still don't get any prettier."
Benaag was getting tired of this pest Grumm called an ally. He didn't understand how the Emperor could have fallen so low. Hiring humans and not enslaving them, losing one of his horns had affected him more than Benaag thought possible. The little girl was just a fly buzzing in the background, Pandora was a pest. He had really sunk to a new level in his desperation.
He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall. The girl groaned, trying to break his grasp with her tiny hands. It was of no use, he was much stronger than her. He got close to her face, too close for her own liking.
"You're nothing but a piece of trash Grumm picked out of pure pity and desperation. You can pretend all you want but you will never be a Troobian." The words of the general even hurt Kat. He carried her around and finally placed her on a chair beside Doctor Manx's. She gasped for air when he let go. Even inhaling air hurt her throat, she was sure she would have a bruise tomorrow. "When Grumm takes over, there will be no place for you. I'll spare him the chore of getting rid of the pests by doing it myself."
He put a belt around her waist. It was identical to Kat's. Before she could do anything, a force field pulled her back to her seat. She turned back to the feline and groaned. "When I get out of here, I'll…"
"You mean, if I get out of here. By the looks of it, Cruger won't come. Just like he didn't come for her." Kat hissed in reply, hoping Doggie would come to his right mind. Benaag disappeared and the girls were left alone inside the truck. Kat averted her eyes to the young girl. "I shouldn't have trusted him. From the beginning, I noticed he hated our kind, but I never thought…"
Kat completed her sentence, "He would kill you." The girl nodded and put her head on her hands, taking deep breaths. Moments later, she straightened up. The woman took a good look at her and noticed the baby blues and the golden curls. She immediately spoke up, "Syd?"
"Kat, I don't have much time. I need…." She groaned and her eyes closed for a few seconds before reopening them, revealing the same dead eyes and dull hair Pandora had. "That was strange."
The girl shrugged and smiled. Despite the fact that she was talking to a villain, they both needed to get out. There was no way they would get out without destroying the force fields. Despite several attempts to break the wall with her powers, Pandora was still inside. Both fell back on their individual platforms when the truck began to shake violently. They had nothing to hold on to. Several seconds later, it stopped.
"What was that? An earthquake?"
"Worse." Pandora answered grimly. Since there was nothing else to do but sit there and wait, she began telling Doctor Manx about the needles. No harm could come of it since both were trapped there without any means of communication.
An hour later, RIC stumbled inside the Command Center, falling down upon arrival. He shut down completely and released the ball. "RIC!"
She passed the holo-mail on to Bridge so he could play it. Before he could do anything, the ground began shaking for the second time in an hour. They had received images from the cameras of a needle that had been placed at the central square. Up until now, 6 needles had already been installed. Boom had taken over Kat's duties while she had gone. As clumsy as he was, he was honestly trying to do his best. He could tell Cruger wasn't happy with his performance.
Once the shaking subsided, Bridge played the message. Benaag's image popped up on the message. "If you're not brave enough to face me yourself Cruger, them maybe this might give you a little incentive." The camera switched to Kat's face.
"It's a trap!" She warned him.
"You should listen to her more often. Maybe if you hadn't been so stubborn, she wouldn't be here." The angle of the camera lowered and pointed to a belt. "If you don't come to the Canyon by 6 and face me, well, let's just say that there will be no more Doctor Manx."
The message ended with the line "Don't let history repeat itself Cruger."
"What does Benaag mean by that, Commander?"
"I'm afraid Kat didn't tell you the whole story." Doggie turned to them and sighed before continuing his story. "Sirius wasn't the only thing that was taken from me. My honor, my courage, my will to fight disappeared after I discovered that I was the only one that had survived the attack. Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, I heard Isinia, my wife screaming in the distance."
The Rangers stayed silent, taking in his story. Sky shed a tear for the Commander and wiped it away quickly. "Krybots surrounded me and I had to take them out to get to her. Then I heard one final scream and everything felt silent. He killed my wife. I never found the body."
Z put her hand on his shoulder and expressed her condolences. "We're all very sorry for your loss, Commander."
Boom whistled loudly and pointed at the screen. He certainly didn't know how to be discrete. The results for the tests he had run on the needles were finally back and they were not good. "We can't let them place that needle. If the computer is right, its placing would result in major seismic activity that could destroy the city."
That was when Cruger decided what to do. It was time to stop being a coward. Not only for himself, but for the whole city he vowed to protect. He grabbed the sable and opened the box Kat had left him. Inside, laid a gray morpher she had specifically designed for him. He took it in his hands and stared at the Rangers. He gave Sky orders to use the magnets on his Delta Runner to lift the spikes while he took care of Benaag at the canyon. Without protest, Sky morphed and slid to his chopper.
"The rest of you, go help him out as well."
"Sir, Z and I can go with you while Bridge helps Sky." The Red Ranger.
"This is my battle, Cadet Landors."
NewTech Canyon
He arrived at exactly 6 PM. He scanned the area, looking for any discrepancies. Benaag would sure have a trick up his sleeve. Not knowing exactly what it was would turn out to be a huge problem later on, he suspected. The fog would make it hard to see in battle. He'd been through worse back in Sirius. Nothing would stop him from getting Kat back.
A dark figure came out of the fog and stepped into the light. Benaag. He growled and stepped close enough to observe him. Seemed like the years hadn't affected him one bit. He looked exactly like he had done back in Sirius. Cruger he was still as strong. The more he would enjoy defeating him if it was a fair fight. He wasn't going to get ahead of himself, Grumm's allies were strong. He was too.
"Where's Doctor Manx?"
Benaag extended his arm toward the direction of a truck on the canyon's road. He blasted the front of the truck, forming a hole large enough to see that Kat was inside. She was trapped behind a force field. If Boom had been right, his main concern was to get that belt off Kat's body before the timer struck 0. If not, her body's particles would disperse. That meant she would be gone forever. "Before you can battle me, you must prove that you're a worthy opponent."
"I'm not here to play games, Benaag!"
"I make the rules here, Cruger! Don't forget that with the press of a button, I can make your dear friend disappear forever." He pointed to a pair of Krybots holding two separate controls, each with a red button. Another hole was punched in its surface, revealing Pandora sitting inside the truck. That answered the question he was about to ask. "A former student of yours, I believe."
"No." He stated firmly. Pandora had never been his student, Sydney was. This was certainly not her.
"Then you won't have a problem with me destroying her instead of Doctor Manx." Cruger stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn't let Benaag hurt someone else, especially not the girl he had vowed to save and get back. Even if Cadet Drew wasn't present, it was still her body inside that force field. He shook his head and finally said, "I won't let you take another life, no matter who it is. Tell me what you want."
"Before you can battle me, you must take out a hundred Krybots." He stepped aside only to reveal the largest flock of robotic soldiers he had seen since that dreadful night at Sirius. Lucky for Cruger, he wasn't alone in this. When the general ordered them to attack, he was more than prepared. He exposed the morpher Kat had made for him. "SPD Emergency!"
He would forever cherish Benaag's reaction to his new upgrade. Benaag certainly wasn't expecting Cruger to have any tricks under his sleeve. "Did I forget that you only have an hour or your friend disappears?"
Cruger felt confident now that the tables had turned. This was his chance to prove that he still had it in him. He wouldn't be a coward anymore. He couldn't forget for who he was doing this for. He tightened the grip on his Shadow Saber and literally began ripping apart the Krybots like they were just a piece of paper. Both angered and passion fueled his body into winning.
His wild slashed did everything from completely mutitaling the Krybots into pieces of junk to splitting them in half. Kat cheered on him from her small prison. "Come on, Doggie!"
Encouraged by his friend, he continued his rampage until no Krybot was left standing. He walked away from the rubble and immediately engaged in battle with his enemy. He tried the same technique that he had with the Krybots, ignoring the fact that his enemy was equipped with powerful lasers. After a single laser blast sent him to the ground, Benaag let out a cackle and began mocking him. "Doggie Cruger on the ground. Looks like history's about to repeat itself. The clock is still ticking and you have only a few minutes before she turns into nothing."
"Doggie!" Kat shouted. She was desperate. The clock on her belt read a mere five minutes. The other girl was just sitting there, crossing her leg like there was nothing wrong. Didn't she realize she was about to die.
"Tapping the walls won't get you out." Pandora was right, Kat took a seat and put her head between her hands. Crying wouldn't get her out either. She needed to stay positive.
"Come on, you can do this!" She cheered even though her whole body was shaking.
Had it really been that long since the fight had begun? To him, it had just been a few mere seconds. It was time for a new strategy. He stood up and adjusted his grip. He hoped it would work. The Shadow Ranger began running toward Benaag, holding his saber in front of him. When the general fired his laser, he stopped and put his other hand on the tip, holding it horizontally.
At first, it seemed that his strategy was to absorb but the blast. How Benaag had been wrong.
Seconds ticked away as Doggie fought. Kat was about to burst into tears when something amazing happened. With just 10 seconds left, Doggie sent the laser blast her way, shattering both the force field and the belt. She sighed and smiled. She would have to celebrate later; Pandora was now the one in trouble. She walked to the console in front of her and deactivated the other platform's force field. When the mechanism was off the other girl's body, she let out a huge sigh of relief. Doggie had not only saved one but two lives.
"Thank you, Doctor Manx." Pandora said gently. "I'm in your debt."
It was nice to know she had some decency left. Kat watched as Pandora walked out through the hole in the truck. A couple of blasts later, the back door opened. "It wasn't safe to get out the other way. We're even now."
Kat nodded. If she had stepped through the hole, she would have fallen to her death. The girl had strange way of settling her debts. The Doctor would just take whatever she could get. She stepped without fear and continued walking until Pandora stopped her.
"Stay here, you'll get hurt." Very strange girl, Kat thought to herself. The girl crossed her arms and watched the battle from a distance along with the Doctor. Cruger continued running until he got a clear shot to his stomach. He slashed him in a diagonal motion. Benaag had finally fallen. "Oh how the mighty have fallen."
The alien groaned and got on his feet once again. Seeing red, he launched himself against the Shadow Ranger. What a big mistake. After a clean and swift slash, the mighty general fell. This time he wouldn't get up again. Cruger wouldn't give him the chance. Clicking on his morpher, he let the judgement of General Benaag begin. "You are accused of the destruction of five planets, of atrocities committed all throughout the galaxy and of killing my wife, Isinia Cruger."
The verdict was in: charged guilty for the first accusations but innocent for the last one. Puzzled by the answer, Cruger looked at him for an answer. "You're fool, Cruger. You think you know everything!"
He'd had enough. He clicked on his morpher after obtaining the two guilty charges. Seconds later, General Benaag's image had been encased inside a containment card. Kat picked it up and gave it to him. "Thank you, Doggie."
The Cadets arrived seconds later. They couldn't help but marvel at Kat's new creation. The suit was a dark gray, with details in red. His matching helmet even had space for his ears. It was simply amazing. They joined the Commander and Kat. "I hear congratulations are in order, Cruger."
They turned back at the sound of Pandora's voice.
"What do you want?" Jack asked aggressively.
"Calm down, Red Ranger. I have no business with you." She walked closer, forcing everyone to adopt a defensive position. She scoffed and walked right past them. "Thank you for taking care of that traitor. Grumm will be happy to hear the news. As for you, Rangers… I hope you plan on getting stronger. The needles were just the beginning."
She took a step back and vanished in front of them. To say they were all perplexed by her statement was an understatement. She was right, if Benaag had been this tough, they couldn't begin to imagine what would be next for them. They had to get stronger.
Even though Benaag was locked away, one question plagued Cruger's mind. Who had killed Isinia?
The Terror
"You lying sack of bones!" Pandora shouted upon entering the throne room. "I know about your little scheme with Broodwing and Benaag. I found the money in the truck…"
Grumm's eyes lighted up. He sent a bolt her way. It was intended to shut her up. She barely dodged it. "What are you talking about?"
"I know you paid Benaag to have me killed. You and Broodwing both."
He stood up from his throne and put a hand on his shoulder. "You really think I would do something like that?"
"Actually yes." She answered defiantly.
"I need you." It sounded like a sincere confession to the girl. "You and Morgana are the only ones I trust. Unlike Broodwing, you have no secret agendas."
She rolled her eyes and nodded. She replayed Bennag's words from earlier. No wonder Broodwing hates you. She had never liked Broodwing. He lied as often as he got Grumm new 'allies'. But for now, it was better they kept their feelings to themselves. As much as she hated to admit it, having him on evil's side was an advantage. As long as he kept doing his job without any more stunts like that one, they wouldn't have a problem.
The ship suddenly began shaking violently. The girl was thrown halfway across the room, hitting her head on the nearest wall. As the shaking subsided, she found her balance and got back on her feet. The lights had gone out. A familiar eerie green glow engulfed the room. Grumm grunted. She couldn't decipher of the look in is eyes was one of fear or anger.
"Leave now!" He screamed. She nodded and ran out of the room. She noticed the rest of the ship's lights had remained intact. She was tempted to press her ear against the door. It would be unwise if she did, if Grumm caught her… she didn't even want to imagine.
Inside the room, Grumm struggled with words. "We'll get them, Magnificence. Cruger will get defeated. Earth will be destroyed."
The room shook violently once again.
"We have almost everything we need."
Satisfied by his answer, the lights went on again. He began thinking of different strategies to defeat his enemies. This had to be done quickly or he feared something very bad would happen to him. Earth had been by far his most difficult challenge yet. He hated Cruger.
It was critical that now more than ever, he got an advantage. He feared that next time, Omni wouldn't be so patient.