Chapter 6

It was about 10:30 pm as Betty climbed up the ivy on the side of her house and onto the roof of her porch so she could sneak through the window of her bedroom. As she was closing the window her door opened. Betty spun around worriedly and saw her father.

"Where were you?" Hal asked.

"I was… with friends," Betty replied.

"Chuck again?" Hal inquired.

"And others," Betty answered.

"But you're all home safe?" Hal questioned her.

Betty was wondering what was up with all the questions from her father.

"Yeah, why?" Betty replied curiously.

"There was a murder," Hal responded. "It's all over the local news."

"A murder? Who was killed?" Betty asked worriedly.

"Abby Flynn, the jewellery store owner," Hal answered. "It happened apparently just as she was closing up for the night."

Betty's eyes went wide. The jewellery store would have had a lot of gold. There was no doubt in Betty's mind that this was Rita.

"Well I wasn't anywhere near the jewellery store tonight," Betty told him.

"I'm just glad you're safe, and that your mother didn't catch you sneaking in," Hal said.

"Yeah, I think the only thing worse would be if an eons old space which was planning to destroy the world," Betty stated with a chuckle.

"That is… oddly specific," Hal commented.

"Sorry, it was from this, uh movie we were watching," Betty lied.

"Okay," Hal said no entirely convinced. "Well until this murderer is found I want you to be home by nine, understood?"

"Yeah, okay," Betty agreed.

"Alright, goodnight then," Hal said.

"Goodnight dad," Betty said.

Hal left, closing the door behind him. The moment he was gone Betty grabbed her phone and called Jason. He answered on the second ring.

"Betty, what's up?" Jason asked.

"Is Cheryl with you?" Betty asked.

"Yeah, she's just in the next room," Jason replied. "Why?"

"Rita's struck again," Betty replied. "She hit the jewellery store."

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

"Shit," Jason said breaking the silence.

"We need to stop her," Betty said. "Tonight."

"But we can't morph yet," Jason said.

"We're just going to have to take our chances," Betty replied.

"Okay but we don't even know where she is," Jason stated. "If she's this Gold Killer the police haven't managed to find her yet.

That was certainly true. Riverdale may have had a small population of just a few thousand but it was spread out over a large area.

"Well we know she's going to be looking for gold," Betty said. "So maybe a pawn shop or…"

"McDonald's," Jason blurted out.

"What? What does food have to do with this?" Betty asked.

"The Golden Arches, the nickname for McDonald's," Jason clarified. "I'm guessing that unlike Alpha, Rita hasn't really had much time to catch up on everything that's gone on in the past who knows how long. So I'm willing to be she might not know that the Golden Arches aren't really gold."

"That is clever," Betty said. "But nobody really call them the Golden Arches anymore."

"I can handle that," Cheryl said suddenly coming on the phone.

"Cheryl?" Betty asked in surprise.

"I know a guy that works the night shift at the radio station," Cheryl explained. "I can get him to drop some golden arches references. If she's near a radio she'll probably hear it."

"That's as good a plan as any," Betty said. "I'll call Chuck and you call Veronica and we'll meet up at McDonald's."

"See you there," Jason said.

Rita walked along the empty streets of Riverdale until she came to a store. She looked up at the sign which read, Pawn Shop: We Buy And Sell Electronics, Gold, Everything!

"Mmm, yes gold," Rita hissed with excitement.

She walked over to the door but found that it was locked. She pointed her staff at the door and it suddenly exploded inward. Rita then stepped inside and looked around. All around were old CRT TV's and radios, electric guitars and harmonicas, rings and necklaces.

Rita went to the jewellery first. Very little of it was actually real gold, but what was there she absorbed into her staff. Rita wondered why there wasn't more gold in this establishment which claimed to have it. She looked over at the various electronics.

"Perhaps one of these primitive machines will tell me where to find more gold," Rita said aloud.

She pointed her staff at a radio.

"Tell me where to find gold!" Rita demanded.

The radio crackled to life playing some kind of music.

"I want gold not music!" Rita yelled at the radio

"That was Sugar by The Archies," the voice of the DJ said. "And if you're craving some sugar head on down to the Golden Arches, McDonald's to get a McFlurry."

"Golden Arches… McDonald's…" Rita repeated slowly. "I must find this McDonald's and use these Golden Arches to make my Goldar!"

Rita turned and headed for the exit only to see a police car pull up and skid to a stop having been alerted by the store's alarm when Rita had broken in. Two police officers got out of the car quickly and immediately pointed their weapons at Rita.

"Hands up!" one of them ordered.

Rita ignored them and calmly exited the store.

"I said hands up lady!" the officer repeated. "You're under arrest for breaking and entering."

"You will tell me where I can find the Golden Arches," Rita said as she pointed her staff at the officer and continued to ignore his commands.

"Is she serious?" the second officer asked his partner.

"The Golden Arches, where are they?" Rita demanded impatiently.

"Lady, you need to put down that staff now and put your hands in the air," the first officer commanded.

Rita growled and in the blink of an eye managed to close the fifteen feet between her and officer grabbing him by the throat with one hand.

"Where are these Golden Arches?" Rita demanded angrily.

Just then the sound of three gun shots rang out. Rita turned her face not so much angry but instead rather annoyed and looked at the second officer who was pointing his gun at her and shaking with fear at the fact that Rita was still standing despite having just been shot three times.

Rita banged the end of her staff on the ground twice and the ground near the second officer began to rumble. As the second officer looked down he watched the road around him literally rip itself apart. The chunks of road then began to clump together and form two huge 8 foot tall humanoid shaped figures.

"Kill him my putties," Rita said.

The two putties grabbed the second officer and began to literally rip him apart, dismembering him limb by limb painfully. Soon there was nothing left but a limbless torso.

"Now, tell me where I can find the Golden Arches," Rita asked for the third time.

"Uh, it's that way, that way," the terrified first officer replied pointing desperately.

Rita smiled and then with just the flick of a wrist threw the officer clear across the road and through the window of a barber shop, where he laid motionless. Rita then turned and headed in the direction that the officer had indicated the two putties following her.

"So we're going to sit in a McDonald's parking lot and hope that Rita shows up because she doesn't know anything about human culture?" Veronica asked.

Veronica along with Betty, Jason, Cheryl and Chuck were all at the Riverdale McDonald's in the parking lot sitting around Betty's van and Cheryl's car, which was a '92 Ford Mustang.

"Yeah, that's the plan," Jason replied.

"Okay, second question, am I the only one that thinks this is a stupid plan?" Veronica asked.

"Well I wouldn't call it stupid," Chuck replied. "But the odds of it working are stupid long. And what's probably going to happen is I'm going to get caught in this parking lot and end up grounded till I'm fifty."

"I think you're exaggerating a little bit there Chuck," Betty said. "I mean when you're fifty…"

They were all distracted by a noise from the street. All of them looked to see a woman carrying a large golden staff with a green stone in the head of it walking towards the restaurant.

"Ah, the McDonald's!" the woman declared happily. "Now where are the Golden Arches?"

"I take it all back," Veronica said. "This plan was brilliant."

"It's only brilliant if we're able to stop her," Cheryl said.

The five of them made their way towards Rita and stood in her path. Rita paused where she was and looked at them tilting her head and making strange hisses and clicking noises as she did.

"One… two… three… four… five…" Rita counted slowly. "Are you the new Power Rangers?"

The five Rangers just stood there ground saying nothing, all of them too nervous to speak.

"You are mere children," Rita said. "Killing you will be all too easy."

Rita raised her staff and charged at the Rangers. Betty took a deep breath and then ran towards Rita and the other Rangers followed behind her.

Betty and Rita met and Betty kicked at Rita only to have her kick blocked by Rita's staff and Rita to knock Betty away with an elbow to the gut that sent Betty flying into Jason knocking him over. Chuck was next to reach Rita but she smacked him upside the head with her staff sending him rolling for more than twenty feet.

Cheryl and Veronica then tried to double team Rita with Cheryl going high and Veronica going low. However Rita was far more nimble and acrobatic than she appeared and she deftly dodged their attacks before knocking both girls away a jumping double kick.

"Some Rangers," Rita said with a chuckle as the five of them got back to their feet. "You can't even morph."

As the Rangers were getting to their feet they watched as green armour began to form on Rita's body, spreading onto her arms and legs. However there looked to be gaps and cracks that left her skin exposed. It crept up her neck looking to cover her face but then stopped. Rita looked down at herself a little confused and then looked at the green gemstone on her staff.

"Looks like you can't morph either," Chuck said.

Rita growled in annoyance.

"Maybe not, but I don't need to morph to defeat you," Rita stated.

Rita scraped the end of her staff along the ground. The Rangers looked on with amazement and worry as the ground literally pulled itself up and formed into dozens of the Putties that they had been training against.

"Oh shit," Veronica muttered.

"Come on, we're the only ones who can stop this," Betty said trying to push aside her own fear.

Betty charged at the Putties leaping at the nearest and giving it a Superman punch as hard as she could to its center of mass. The Putty burst apart into rubble but there were still so many more.

Emboldened by seeing Betty the other four rangers charged into battle. Veronica ran at a Putty and ducked as it tried to swing an arm at her before connecting with a roundhouse shin kick at the Putty's waist. Her leg broke all the way through and the Putty fell to the ground and crumbled into pieces.

Chuck ran at another and went low and grabbed its leg ripping the leg right off. However the Putty still stood hobbling about on one leg. However Chuck then hit the Putty's head with its own leg and smashed the head off causing the Putty to fall to pieces.

Jason and Cheryl charged a small group of Putties driving them back with kicks and punches; however the twins soon found themselves encircled. The two of them then grabbed hands and Jason spun around on his heels swinging his sister around. Cheryl lashed out kicking at the putties as Jason spun her, the force enough for her to cause six Putties to crumble apart.

Betty was destroying another Putty with a stiff spinning back elbow when she looked around and didn't see Rita.

"Where's Rita?" Betty called out.

Jason spotted Rita heading towards the entrance to McDonald's.

"She's heading inside," Jason said. "There're still some staff members inside, I'll stop her."

Jason ran after Rita while the other four continued to fight the Putties. He quickly closed the gap to Rita jumping nearly fifteen feet to try and attack her from behind. However at the last possible second Rita turned and hit Jason in the chest with an open palm strike knocking him to the ground at her feet.

"You foolish little boy," Rita taunted him. "You cannot stop me. I will reform my Goldar and take this planet's Zeo crystal."

Rita raised her staff over her head and gave a menacing smile. Jason raised his hands desperately to try and defend himself.

Nearby Betty destroyed yet another Putty, this time with a flying knee as she fought her way towards Jason as she saw he was in danger. However she was sure she would be able to make it on time.

"Time to die little Ranger," Rita said.

She swung her staff down aiming towards Jason's head. Just then there was a red flash and then a clang. Rita looked to see a familiar sword had blocked her staff.

"Zordon?" Rita asked.

Rita looked up from the weapon; however it was not Zordon holding the sword but Betty, now morphed in her Red coloured armour. Jason scrambled to safety as Betty swung the sword at Rita and Rita parried with her staff. The two traded blows until Rita was able to kick Betty back.

"You will not stop me from taking the Golden Arches," Rita said.

"You can have them," Betty replied. "Since they're not actually gold, they're plastic."

Betty pointed at the big McDonald's sign. Rita looked up at it and realized she had been tricked.

"No!" Rita shouted angrily.

Rita screamed again and she banged her staff against the ground repeatedly.

The ground began tearing itself apart as more than a hundred new Putties formed.

"This is not over Rangers!" Rita said.

The Rangers were torn between chasing after Rita and stopping the Putties. The Putties were the more immediate danger and they set about doing what they could to destroy them. With Betty now morphed and armed with the Power Sword it proved relatively easy, but by the time they had Rita was long gone.

"Well that could have gone better," Betty said as she de-morphed.

"Yeah but it also could have been worse," Cheryl stated. "You saved Jason."

"Not only that you morphed," Veronica added.

"How'd you do it?" Chuck asked.

Betty thought for a moment.

"I guess… I guess it was out of a desperate desire to save Jason," Betty replied.

"Maybe that's the key," Jason said. "We need to want to save somebody else."

"Yeah…" Veronica agreed. "I mean up until right now I don't think I really truly believed that any of this was real. I mean I knew we had powers and what not, but I didn't think that this was really a life or death situation."

"I don't think any of us did," Cheryl said.

"That must be what was holding us back," Chuck stated. "We didn't really believe. I mean it sounds corny and all but…"

"So what do we do now?" Jason asked.

"We need to track down Rita," Betty replied.

"Yeah but she could be anywhere," Veronica said.

"Well then maybe we should go see Zordon and Alpha," Cheryl suggested. "Maybe they have some way of finding her?"

"Yeah, I kind of had the feeling that those two didn't want us to fight Rita until we could morph," Chuck agreed.

"Yet that was the very thing that triggered it," Betty said with a chuckle.

"Come on let's get out of here before the cops show up," Jason said. "Last thing we need is to get stuck answering questions."

Things are now coming to a head. The rangers can finally morph (or at least Betty can) but will they be able to stop Rita before she reforms Goldar? Find out in the next chapter. Please Review!