Volume IV – Nemeses

Chapter 25—Born Again

Gabriel

"I thought you said Cronus imprisoned him eternally in a virtual prison where his mystical powers would be useless."

I glanced at the reptilian creature in front of me, his giant head twitching curiously. I had half a mind to slap it to see if it bobbled.

But I suppressed my violence fetish and formed an answer. "He was imprisoned," I said to Mesomorph testily, "in a virtual prison. As I'm sure you're aware, Thomas Oliver is all over the virtual world. From what I can gather, he must have been trying to create another Morpher or a Battleizer, and used the codename Zeta to do so. After all, it's another Greek Letter."

Mesomorph ran his index finger and thumb over his jaw-line as he thought. "Very interesting."

I let my eyes wander past Mesomorph and fall on the holding cell at the far end of the room. "So what do we do with him now?"

"Well, Angel," Mesomorph hissed, "I have my own ideas."

He tapped a few keys on a computer console and a diagram appeared on his view screen. He typed in a few strokes with his crimson colored talon-like nails, and several letters of the Aleph Beyt appeared on the screen before us.

"These are some of the most genetically advanced Aleph Beyt formulas I've ever created" he informed me. "You see, each Guardian of the Aleph Beyt only becomes a guardian after being injected with my genetic enhancements. Unfortunately, the original hosts proved too weak to handle their power, and thus met with…tragic outcomes." He seemed to linger on his last few words before he pressed on. "It was then that I learned that these formulas needed to be controlled by something—something that would allow the host to access or contain the formula at will." His golden eyes turned to me. "Something like…a Morpher."

"You're going to make them into Morphers?"

"I have tried," he corrected me, "but the procedure continually fails. I have discovered I need some sort of catalyst—something that can dilute the formula and turn it into actual Morphing Energy. And I believe that something may be the blood of this Seraph."

I suddenly caught on to the genius of his plan. "That could definitely work. After all, it was the Seraphs who harnessed the energy of the Morphing Grid. The energy that should have been mine."

For a second, I was confused at where my last few words came from. I was confused about how I'd gotten here. Then I remembered. I was no longer Gabriel Xavier. I was The Angel, heir to the throne of Cronus and last hope of the Chrominite race.

"Yes," Mesomorph said slowly, staring at me, "your power. And you will have it. I only require a small favor from you."

"And what's that?" I asked him.

"Bring me six suitable hosts for my Morphers. I will work on the devices while you're gone."

"Anyone in particular?"

He grinned, a truly unsettling sight. "As a matter of fact," he said, rummaging through a drawer

and producing a wrist-watch like device, "I have the 6 pre-programmed into here. According to my data, they have links to the Rangers."

"So they're friends of the Rangers?" I asked, liking this idea more and more.

"Friends, acquaintances—I made sure they can easily associate themselves with the Rangers. We want to know our enemies well."

I clenched my fists. "That we do."

He clicked a few keys on his keyboard and brought up an article from a gossip magazine on his computer. "I figured you should know what's going on in the outside world. You've been asleep for so long that you probably don't know."

My eyes narrowed as I read the article. It was about my—Gabriel's—adoptive human parents. The journalist responsible for the article had inquired about my sudden absence from school, to which my—Gabriel's—dad responded "he's studying abroad."

"What?" I roared, suddenly infuriated. "They cover up my death with this?"

Mesomorph tried to play the role of sympathy, but his eyes gave way to malice and manipulation. I knew he was trying to get me to hate my—Gabriel's—parents. But he didn't need to try hard. I was the Angel. I wasn't Gabriel. I hated them anyway.

Or did I?

"Re-enroll at Reefside," Mesomorph said, his clawed hand resting on my shoulder, "I have already forged the necessary documents. Enlist the help of 6 students, and you will finally have just a fraction of the power you deserve. Then, we will be one step closer to achieving your glorious destiny of wiping out the Eltarians. Once. And. For. All."

—25—

"You have a re-enrollment, Dr. Oliver," I heard the secretary say. I glanced around the room. With my new vision, it looked horribly rundown.

"Send him in, please, and email me his file."

I saw her reenter the lobby and waited for her to email my file. She then ushered me inside before I shut the door. Tommy was looking over paperwork at the moment, so I sat silently and waited for him to look up.

"Alright, how can I help you?"

He finally looked up and I saw him furrow his eyebrows.

"What's up, doc?"

"Ga-Gabriel?"

"Oh, am I? Take a closer look." I smirked as I leaned in. "Notice anything different?"

My sarcasm must have left him speechless, because different was an understatement. My brown hair was noticeably shorter, though not by much—and since I no longer felt like some stupid 16-year-old boy, I had lost the ridiculous fringe covering my eye. Both of my vibrant blue eyes stared back at Doctor Oliver goadingly, just begging him to say something about the fact that I was taller, slightly more muscular, and—most importantly—alive.

"W-what are you doing here?" he asked lowly.

"I'm enrolling in school."

"You know what I mean, Angel," he snarled.

"Unfortunately for me, this guise is still necessary, so I'm going to school," I sighed. "Is that a crime?"

"Mass murder is."

"I haven't hurt anyone, Doc," I said innocently. "Yet."

"I don't know what you're playing at," he said heatedly, "but I know what you're capable of. I will not put this school in danger by having you walk freely around it."

"You don't really have a choice, now do you? Because if I don't go to this school…no one will."

Our eyes met as mine flashed. He knew I would destroy the school if I had to…or if I could. Truth be told, only a mere fraction of my power had been restored with me.

"Fine," he said flatly, exhaling heavily through flared nostrils and tight lips. "But you leave my students out of this, including the Rangers. If you want to fight them, you can do it on the battlefield."

"No problem."

I stood, tossed my papers to him, and walked to the door. "Tell Kira and Brad I said hello."

With that, I was gone. Out of his office, out of the building, and onto the sprawling high school campus. In the center of the courtyard, I could hear the deafening racket of lunch.

Perfect.

It was lunch time.

All of the students would be spread out across the campus, but I wouldn't have to go far to find the students I needed. I did, however, want to avoid the Rangers for the time being. From where I was standing, I could see a few of them: Matt and Aaron.

And they were talking?

As I looked closer, I was further surprised. Beth and Grace were chitchatting like they were the best of friends, and Amy was sitting awfully close to Jay. They all looked happy. They were all getting along.

What the hell is going on? I wondered to myself.

A lot had obviously changed.

I ignored the change in the social hierarchy I had once known and scanned the area for anyone I knew might interact with them. I wasn't too familiar with Reefside Central students, but I was learning quickly.

I glanced at the watch-like device Mesomorph had given me and activated it's computer system.

First on the list was Brianna Smith, a petite blonde with deceiving hazel eyes. From her data, I could see she was a Reefside Central student who had done some modeling work with Grace. It also showed that she played several sports and danced.

The next two were Mark Sanders and Kevin Gerringer. I knew them both from Reefside, and they were football teammates of Aaron and Jay. Not to mention, they both knew the identities of the first five Rangers. "Sanders" as he was known by his friends, was a massive, sandy haired linebacker for Reefside's football team—I could see the physical advantage of recruiting him. Kevin was a true leader and a true All-American athlete with dark skin and a buzz cut. Due to his participation in sports, he could also be a good physical addition.

And then there was Kevin's girlfriend, Melissa DePew, a Reefside Central student. Not only was she an old friend of Patrick's, she was co-captain of the swim team. The two were rumored to have dated before Patrick dated Amy, but I didn't care about that. All I cared about was the fact that she knew some of the Rangers. And if she knew Kevin, she would know Jay and Aaron by association.

Melissa's best friend was Michelle Meyers, an Asian American senior from Reefside who was also the daughter of Eric Meyers—one of SPD's most heralded officers. I smirked to myself. Corrupting her would be easy. Not to mention, she was Matt's ex-girlfriend. And they were both on the swim-team.

I sighed, satisfied with Mesomorph's choices. There was only one more student to find, and that was Joshua Anderson. Amy's cousin. Mesomorph had specifically mentioned how important he would be. I didn't quite know why after reading his stats. He was a lean, good-looking guy, I guess—brown hair, blue eyes, and relatively tall. But I didn't see what made him so special. He was on the soccer team, but not particularly good, and his grades seemed average at best. But then I read his school records. The kid was a computer genius.

Now I saw why he was important to Mesomorph.

I set off across the campus to find my prey, hoping I could avoid the Rangers all the while.

—25—

"Gabriel!" someone shouted at me.

I groaned inwardly.

I knew exactly who was calling my name without even having to turn around.

It was Jay.

I had already made my rounds to the various students, bribing them with my parents' fame and fortune. All I had to do was promise them a party. And all they had to do was meet me after school.

I guess I should have known the lunch period was almost over. I should have known one of the Rangers would spot me. I just didn't think it would be Jay.

When I was still just Gabriel, he had become one of my best friends. I remembered him complaining a lot about how he and Aaron had grown apart, but I remembered him always offering to do something with me. It was weird. He and I were from different parts of the social spectrum, but he welcomed me in with open arms. Part of me thought it was because he knew about my relationship with Beth and he wanted to get me alone to kick my ass. But as time went on, he revealed it was because I reminded him a lot of his little brother.

Apparently, his little brother was "a little off," he said.

I never knew whether or not to take that as a compliment or an insult, even though he always insisted it was a good thing.

"Gabe, is that you?" the Yellow Ranger called to me again.

I closed my eyes and tried to keep my anger in check. I shouldn't have been so angry that he didn't save me. I wanted to become The Angel, right? This was my destiny, wasn't it? So why was I so pissed? Why was I so hurt?

The courtyard was emptied out now, most kids heading to class. The lunch bell had already sounded 2 minutes ago, and no one wanted to be caught wandering the grounds without a late pass. Except the Rangers.

They had Doc Ol to excuse them from everything.

My fists balled.

"Dude!" Jay half-shouted, ecstatic. "You came back!"

Jay was running toward me now, his arms outstretched and his face lit up with joy. He should have known by the scowl on my face that I didn't want a fucking hug from him. He should have known from The Prophecy that I wasn't Gabriel anymore. He should have known I didn't want to be his friend.

My body shook just barely as I built up the Cronus energy in me—not much, but enough. It began to manifest, a harsh, invisible barrier surrounding me and beginning to expand like a transparent wall of fire.

"Jay, stop!"

Prince Aaron to the rescue.

The white ranger dove through the air, side-swiping Jay out of the way of my barrier projectile and tumbling into the grass with him.

"What the hell, dude?" I heard Jay roar.

My energy levels died down, my hair no longer flying through the wind. My shield blast had decimated several trees in the background and incinerated three dumpsters. The other Rangers were making their way toward us now, my attack having caught their attention.

But I was only interested in one of them.

Beth.

It was so much harder seeing her up close. Seeing the shock on her face when she saw me. Seeing her teal eyes sparkle with fear and wonder, and her sunset-colored hair swaying slowly in the wind.

Why did she have to be here?

I saw her lips whisper my name disbelievingly.

And then I heard Aaron barking questions. More like demands.

"What do you want?"

"Now Aaron," I finally said, my voice lethal, "is that anyway to greet an old friend?"

"Gabriel was my friend. You're not him."

"Aaron, wait," Beth begged him.

"No!" he shouted quickly. "You guys don't understand what he's become. You don't know what he can do."

"Why don't you fill us in, then?" Jay asked bitterly, still angry about being tackled by Aaron.

"You can't see his energy," Aaron answered, his eyes never leaving mine, "but I can feel it. It's because he's of Chrominite descent and I'm of Eltarian descent. Our energies are like complete opposites."

The other Rangers looked at him oddly, and I guessed they were just noticing the difference between themselves and Aaron. They had no idea, yet.

"He's not Gabriel," Aaron finished up, still staring at me. "Gabriel is gone. He just looks somewhat like Gabriel."

I frowned deeply as I thrust a ball of Cronus energy.

I wasn't expecting Matt to intercept it.

"I can't see your energy," Matt shot at me, "but I can hear it." He flicked his left ear cockily. "Super-sonic hearing."

"I see you've all been training," I commended him.

"You could say that," Beth finally spoke up, standing up straight and bravely.

"And you're my replacement?" I asked skeptically.

"The suit looks better on me."

"I wouldn't know."

"Tell us what you want," Grace ordered bluntly.

I held up my hands innocently. "Just an education."

Maintaining my pose, I materialized a couple orbs of energy and flicked them at the Rangers without warning.

Matt jumped in front of Aaron, who suddenly seemed worn out, and threw up a barrier of swirling winds. I watched my invisible energy spheres get lost in the gusts of spiraling winds, and waited for his skill to die down. I was more curious as to why Matt had to defend Aaron.

Then I noticed him holding his side. And I noticed the spot of dark red beneath his white t-shirt.

Blood.

"Still wounded, Prince?" I taunted. "I see Patrick's love-tap did quite the number on you."

"Don't worry about him!" Jay said defensively.

"Aw, still looking after him?"

Jay was silent.

"You're chasing cars, Jay. Stick to Amy."

The rest of the group (except Amy) looked completely confused, but I felt a singe of heat as he shot a fireball past my face.

"First one's a warning," he growled.

I heard the sharp clicks of high heels and instantly powered down.

Not a second later, a teacher rounded the corner, her face taut and strict.

"Shouldn't you all be in class?" she asked tersely.

"We were just leaving," I said coolly, walking away briskly.

—25—

"Why are we here?" Sanders demanded, rattling the impossibly inescapable cage surrounding him and the other 5 recruits I'd brought from the school.

It's not like they could fight their way out of teleportation beams. And no way in hell was I going to show them where they were being taken. Mesomorph's location had to remain absolutely secret until the right time.

At least, that's what he kept saying, anyway.

Speak of the devil.

"Greetings," he hissed as he appeared from a shadowy doorway.

All six of them immediately silenced, a few of them gasping but not daring to say a word.

"I am Mesomorph," he continued, stepping toward them, "Leader of the Aleph Beyt and future savior of mankind." He glanced at Sanders. "You are all here to help me help you."

"How so?" Michelle managed to ask, despite her shaken composure.

"You see, I have noticed the potential you all share and can tell you have all hidden your dreams of becoming more powerful…more successful," Mesomorph responded, his clawed fingernails tracing the bars of the cage. "Each of you is a star in your own way, ranging from sports to intellect. Furthermore…you have liaised with the correct people. "

"What do you mean?" Kevin wondered. "The correct people?"

Mesomorph seemed to stop and ponder the question, probably to see just how much he should reveal. "What if I were to tell you that the Rangers you are familiar with—the Cyber Squad Rangers—were not actually fighting for the greater good? What if I told you they were just Eltar's newest way to control the fate of the Earth and keep us under their watchful eye?"

"I'd say you were crazy," Sanders fired. "And I know this for a fact."

"Oh, really?" Mesomorph mused sarcastically. "Is that why you've become such a valued ally to them?"

"I wasn't picked to be a Ranger," he said back, "so why would they?"

"Patrick wasn't a Ranger either. They kept him around."

Sanders fell silent.

"You were disposed because you didn't share their goals. They sought only to bolster their ranks with those who fit their Eltarian vision. But I wish only to help the world evolve."

"Really?" Joshua Anderson, Amy's cousin, asked. "And how are you gonna do that? By locking people up in a cage?"

Mesomorph grunted at his outburst. "Your anger will help in this matter."

"Oh, trust me, Lizard-Man; that's not anger. If you want anger, why don't you open this cage. Then I'll show you anger."

Mesomorph laughed. "As amusing as that would be, I must decline. However, I do have another offer for you. For all of you."

He made his way over to the middle of the dimly lit room and commanded a console to come up through the floor. In the middle of this pedestal-like console were 7 microchips, each inscribed with different letters.

The Morphers.

"These are the Mecha Morpher Microchips," Mesomorph told them. "If you join me, these Microchips will reward you with power beyond your wildest dreams—control over the elements, inconceivable weaponry, mind-blowing zords. I only ask that you help me remove my obstacles so that we can pave the road for mankind to take its place at the top of the universe. So that we may remove the Eltarians from power and free ourselves of their ever-present oppression!"

The room grew silent.

Kevin sighed. "Not this shit again."

"No," Mesomorph said breathily, "not again. These Morpher Microchips are nothing like the Eltarian technology you encountered before. As I said to Sanders, I do not feel it is my place to decide who is worthy of the power. It has always been my opinion that those who seek power take it."

With that, he held out his hand and the locks on the cage seemed to fly open.

"So take it."

The six teenagers exchanged doubtful glances.

Brianna was the first to step out of the cage. "My parents have always disagreed with the Xeno Rights Movements. They've always feared that humanity had already been infiltrated by aliens and that it was only a matter of time before we were extinct." She reached for one of the microchips as she said, "I want to evolve."

Immediately, her dirty blond hair flew up around her face as blue energy surrounded her. The Microchip floated above her head as the symbol inscribed it on it seemed to laser itself onto Brianna's forehead. It glowed a bright blue before fading. And then, as if the whole process wasn't weird enough, the Microchip seemed to summon Brianna's cell phone from her pocket, before latching onto it. Immediately, the phone began to transform.

When it was done, Mesomorph grinned. "Congratulations, Blue Mecha Ranger."

The 5 remaining recruits stared in disbelief, Sanders and Kevin sharing twin expressions of doubt.

"I want some cool powers," Melissa piped up, fixing her hair. "And these Ranger suits better look cool, too."

And suddenly, they were all stepping out of the cage. Curious. Eager. Greedy.

When all was said and done, one Microchip remained.

Mesomorph looked at me. "You performed as expected, so I will do the same." He extended his hand to the last Microchip, ushering me towards it. "Your destiny awaits."

Hesitantly, I reached for the last chip. My palm wasn't even 6 inches away before the chip flew towards me, white energy sparking off it like a firework. The energy encompassed me, swirling around anxiously as it filled me up. I felt my Cronus powers peak, felt my body burning like the face of the sun. The Microchip above my forehead was blinding, the symbol etching into my skin and sending its power through my veins.

When it died down, a cell phone-like device was in my hand.

"What the…?" I muttered.

"Allow me to explain your new powers to you," Mesomorph offered. "Mark Sanders, I reward your powers are that of Aquos: lord of water. You will use the power of Aquos as the Mem Black: Aquos Mecha Ranger."

Sanders was uncharacteristically quiet as Mesomorph moved on to Michelle.

"Now, Michelle, You will embody the Archetypal Dalet Aleph Beyt guardian and utilize the powers of Naturos. From this moment on, you are the Dalet Pink: Naturos Mecha Ranger."

He continued on, explaining to Brianna and Melissa that they would be the Vav Blue: Tundrus Mecha Ranger and Heyh Yellow: Spiritos Mecha Ranger. Kevin became the Yod Red: Lunarus Mecha Ranger.

"Joshua," Mesomorph then said, "Gabriel—you two will operate as the team's most powerful members. Joshua, your…technological advantage will grace you with more power when utilizing the power of the Zayin Aleph Beyt Guardian. You are the Zayin Green: Technos Mecha Ranger."

Josh nodded, grinning from ear to ear.

"And Gabriel, you are the team's leader. You have experience as a Red Ranger on the opposing side and the most knowledge of our Eltarian foes. The powers I have given you stem from that of the Aleph Guardian—forefather of the Aleph Beyt. You will use these powers as the Aleph White: Solaris Mecha Ranger."

We were silent as Mesomorph looked us over.

"Let us find your Zords, shall we?"

We all nodded, solemn suddenly. I knew why. I knew the "guardians" as Mesomorph called them, were really the genetic enhancing formulas being injected into our bodies via the Morphers. I knew the chemicals inside them were fighting to control our minds.

But I was no mere human.

I fought it.

I would not be controlled.

I would play along.

Mesomorph led us through the compound, and we walked in silence for nearly ten minutes. Mesomorph had turned them—us—into the perfect soldiers. I didn't object. I didn't mind.

When we reached our destination, we stared up at giant looming figures. They were purely metallic, resembling gigantic assault vehicles that were merely modeled after animals.

"As I list off your Zord, please familiarize yourself with it and its abilities; you will find ample instructions and data tracks within your Mecha Morphers," Mesomorph said, his voice reminding me of a military leader. He let on like some crazy human extremist, but he was quite sane. He wasn't all about the mystic mumbo jumbo that the Eltarians embraced.

"Sanders: Mecha Mammoth. Michelle: Mecha Pteranadon. Brianna: Mecha Torosaurus. Melissa: Mecha Smilodon. Kevin: Mecha Allosaurus. Gabriel: Mecha Dinofelis. And Joshua: Mecha Dracozord."

"When do we get to test these powers out?" Sanders asked, his voice tense as he scrolled through the data on his phone-like morpher.

"Immediately."