The Red Galleon soared over the Manhattan skyline, closing in on the signal. Gia guided the ship down, getting as low as she dared while Noah checked out the scanners.
"Well, something's definitely down there." He told them. "I've got the signal, he's somewhere near Times Square."
"I guess we can't be too surprised that Vekar wanted a lot of innocent bystanders." Jake grumbled.
"Maybe not as many as you'd think." Noah responded. "This is weird...I have his signal, but there's no chatter on the police scanners...the media...there's nothing about an attack!"
"Wait, so Argus has been sent down to Earth...and he isn't doing anything?" Emma asked. "He's just sending out a signal so we know he's here?"
"So, you think he's just calling us out?" Jake asked in response.
"We did kind of put the Prince in the infirmary." Jordan reminded him.
"Uh...actually, he did that to himself." Gia said with a slightly evil smirk. "If I remember rightly, you were kind of getting acquainted with the ground...a lot!"
"Whatever!" Jordan responded. "The point is, the Prince is hurt, are we really surprised his bodyguard is pissed?"
"If he's so pissed, then why isn't he...you know...causing more hassle?" Emma asked.
"We can ask him when we find him." Gia replied. "Noah, is that cannon of yours up and running?"
"Well, I haven't tested..."
"Fine, we'll call that the back-up plan." Gia answered. "Come on guys; let's take this search to the ground."
The Red Galleon started to descend between the buildings, bringing them as close to the ground as they could risk going. The Rangers hit the zip lines, riding them to the ground in the middle of the square. Orion just looked around in awe.
"Wow...now this is...excessive." He commented, seeing all the lights and TV screens. The lights flooded the streets, meaning that even in the dead of night; it was still as bright as in the middle of the day. The Rangers' presence was already causing quite a stir, and people were standing, staring at them.
"If you think this is excessive, you should see Vegas." Emma commented. "I'd hate to think of the damage all the fossil fuels needed to power this is causing."
"We can worry about that later." Jake stated. "For now, we should at least be grateful that because of the lights we can see the whole street. It shouldn't be too hard to see him."
"Yeah...I don't think Argus is really the 'sneak up and launch a surprise attack' kind of guy." Gia chipped in as they formed a circle, standing back-to-back. "But...it doesn't hurt to be careful."
"Oh great, you've got to be kidding." Noah complained as a couple of cops started to make their way over from the station house a little way off. One of them was going to his belt for some hand cuffs. "Really?"
"Let me handle this." Gia told him. "What seems to be the problem officer?"
"You're wanted fugitives." The first of them stated. Gia just sighed. They really couldn't blame some people for still trying to turn them in. The fact was that a lot of people still felt that the Rangers' war was causing more destruction than simply submitting to The Armada's rule. Some people believed that if the Rangers would just go away then there would be peace once more. Others...weren't so altruistic. The price on the Rangers' heads collectively now exceeded a billion dollars! Gia could practically see the cop salivating at the thought of what he was going to do with all that money once he handed them over. "I'm placing you under..."
Just then, the Time's Square billboard started to flicker and crackle. Eventually, they saw the screen shift, and show Argus' face. Everyone in the street turned to stare up at it.
"Rangers, you had the courage to follow me here!" Argus greeted them. Noah strained his eyes, and tapped Gia on the shoulder.
"Look, up there." He told her. Gia looked where he was pointing, seeing Argus on top of the billboard, holding some wires in his hand. "He's hacked the billboard."
"That's...that's one of them!" The cop stammered. "You see what you've done? You brought him here!" Jake just stared at him.
"Dude, are you serious?" He asked. "Do you think we were here sightseeing? He BROUGHT us here!"
Argus dropped the wires and leapt off the billboard. He slammed into the ground in a crouch, the force of the impact splintering concrete and setting off car alarms all around. The Rangers all stood their ground.
"This would be a good time for you to leave." Emma told the cop, who just nodded in agreement as he and his colleagues started trying to funnel panicking citizens away from the area. As Argus stood up, he drew his sword.
"I have been ordered to avenge the Prince." Argus told them. "Prepare to die!"
With that, he launched an energy wave, which knocked all of them from their feet. Jake rubbed the back of his head as he started to pull himself up.
"You know I never thought I'd say this, but I miss the bad guys that make big speeches before the pain starts." He stated, before Argus rushed across, kicking him hard in the ribs.
Up on The Armada Command Ship, Damaras was in his chambers, having left the Bridge to some petty officers while he took some personal time. He lay back on his bed, shutting down his non-essential systems, while he rested his biological components. His work was coming close to fruition, he could feel it. Closing his eyes, he found himself going right back to the beginning.
He was in the Royal Palace back on Vekar's home world, having some repairs done on his cybernetic systems. He looked up as he saw Vrak entering the room.
"How are things looking?" Vrak asked him. Damaras just looked to the arm that the droids were in the process of fitting. It wasn't the first time he had lost that arm in battle; he had lost his last biological limb in decades ago. It was something of an occupational hazard, even as one of the Armada's leading generals. Although he tended not to take the field himself if he could help it, he was no stranger to getting directly involved.
"The replacement should not take long." Damaras told him. Vrak looked to the droid, taking a tool from it.
"Leave us." He told the droid. Everyone knew that among his many talents, Vrak was exceptionally skilled with technology. He sat with Damaras and started to work on his arm.
"So, this is not the first time you have had this arm replaced is it?" He asked. Damaras just nodded.
"This will be the fifth." He responded.
"And the second this year if I am not mistaken." He stated. Damaras nodded again. "That is quite a worrying trend. Your forces seem to take significant losses."
"My Lord..."
"I see the budgets. Your fleet spends more than five times any of the others on replacement troops." He continued. Damaras just looked to him, hearing this damning assessment.
"My Lord, we have had severe misfortunes..."
"I think it is more than just misfortune." Vrak told him. "The only misfortune you have had is being assigned to my brother."
Damaras just looked at him, feeling slightly nauseous in some of his few biological systems.
"My Lord, it is..."
"My brother is a moron!" Vrak interrupted him. "I have shut off the surveillance in here, you can speak plainly."
"Prince Vekar is...lacking in tactical ability." Damaras said, trying to phrase it as diplomatically as possible, still thinking that Vrak was possibly trying to assess if the questionable success rates of his fleet were down to him, and holding him to account. "He can be rash, and sometimes his enthusiasm causes him to make snap judgements..."
"I said you can speak plainly." Vrak told him. Damaras took a deep breath.
"I believe the problem is your brother." He told him honestly. "I am his tactical advisor, a position I earned by expanding the Empire on behalf of his father a great deal, but since being assigned to the Prince's fleet...losses have increased dramatically! He constantly ignores my advice or..."
"Then if you could, you are saying your recommendation would be to remove the Prince!" Vrak summarised.
"I believe that would be the best tactical option." Damaras told him. "I am not the only one that believes so. Many commanders have no faith in the Prince to lead them."
"Really?" Vrak asked him. "You know, what you speak of is treason."
"My Lord?" Damaras asked, suddenly becoming worried. Was this really a ruse to get him to admit to treasonous thoughts? Was he going to be accused of trying to blame his failures on the Prince? He immediately started to thinking about how he could get out of this situation. Perhaps if he was willing to bear witness and name some of the others that had such thoughts, then he could beg for mercy and simply be banished. Vrak picked up a piece of armour after finishing with the circuitry, and put it in place, beginning to clip it into place.
"I have served beside you, I know of your abilities." Vrak told him. "I think we can both agree on the causal factor."
"I never meant..."
"Perhaps you are onto something." Vrak suggested. "After all...it's not like he is the ONLY Royal."
"But...he is the heir!" Damaras stammered. Vrak just smiled.
"There is a way to rectify that now isn't there?" He asked. He handed Damaras a communicator. "This will allow us to stay in contact."
"My Lord, what do you want me to do?" He asked. Vrak just smiled.
"We must ensure that when the deed is done, no one will mourn him." Vrak stated. "I have been assigned to go with the Warstar. Once I am finished with them, I will contact you. In the meantime, continue to serve my brother as you have."
As Vrak got up, and prepared to leave, Damaras took a moment to process what he had said. Vrak was indeed a far better leader, and a preferable choice for a monarch than Vekar. He knew what had to be done, but he knew how dangerous a proposal it was. Anyone that even INSULTED the Prince would face the prospect of execution. An attempt on his life was a different matter altogether.
"Lord Vrak!" He called out. Vrak just stopped in the door way. "Could you really...your own brother?" Vrak just smiled.
"After what I already did to my father, what's one more relative?" He asked in response.
Damaras was drawn back to the present as his communicator crackled into life. He saw one of the droids on the bridge as he turned on the screen.
"What is it?" He asked. "Why did you disturb me?"
"Sir, we wanted to update you on the progress." The droid told him.
"Progress?" He asked.
"We have found Argus' signal on Earth." The droid explained. "He is battling the Rangers as we speak..."
"Argus is WHERE?" He roared.
"Sir?" The droid asked. "You didn't know...?"
"I ordered no attack!" He yelled. "What the hell is he doing?"
"He is fighting the Rangers." The droid replied. "It appears he attacked them."
"I'll be there shortly!" He responded, heading for the door and making his way down the corridor. He had not ordered any attack; in fact he had ordered Argus to stay on the ship! He didn't know how he had managed to defy him, but he definitely wanted to find out.
Back in Times Square, the Rangers struggled against Argus, taking hard shots as he cut through them. Although they had fought him before, he had always been distracted somehow. He had another agenda, another objective to focus on. His systems seemed to always identify the primary objective as over-riding everything else, something that had been used to their advantage before. When Noah had injured Vekar before, Argus had immediately called off his attack to evacuate the Prince to safety. Unfortunately, this time, it seemed like they WERE his primary objective, and he had no distractions.
Jake and Emma spiralled through the air, smashing through a store front as he turned his attention to Gia, who was coming up fast, firing her blaster. He deflected the shots with his palm, before hacking her down with his sword. Gia was only just able to roll away before he could follow up to finish her off.
"Damn, he's tougher than I remember." Noah complained. "I think he was holding back!"
"Well that's comforting." Jordan said as he leapt at Argus. He managed to score some superficial shots to his opponent, but Argus soon hooked his sword, throwing it away. He powered up his blade, and sent him flying up into the air. As he landed, Noah and the others assembled around him.
"Noah, call up the cannon." Gia told him.
"Gia, it's untested..."
"Does anyone have a better idea?" She asked. Noah nodded in understanding.
"Cannon!" He called out. They all just stared at him as it appeared in his hands. "What?"
"Cannon?" Jake asked. "You called it 'Cannon'?"
"I've not tested it yet, it hasn't gotten to the naming stage yet!" He replied. "Now, everyone grab it!"
The device was designed to look like the Red Galleon, with handles for them all to hold. Noah took up the trigger position.
"Alright, hold on tight, this thing will have a hell of a kick." Noah warned them. "Orion, be ready with your blaster in case this doesn't work!"
Noah started to charge the cannon, taking careful aim at Argus. He just stared them down, preparing his sword to repel the attack.
As the cannon powered up though, they all saw a bright light starting to blink.
"Oh no." Noah grumbled.
"Noah, is it supposed to get this hot?" Emma asked him.
"What's happening?" Gia asked him.
"A bad thing, a VERY bad thing!" Noah told them. "Guys, it's going to blow!"
Gia snatched it away from them, throwing it straight at Argus, hoping to at least cause some damage as it blew. Argus swung for it, at which it blew, sending out a blast that shattered windows and sent everyone to the ground. By the time the smoke cleared, they could see he looked a little charred, and some sparks were coming from his sword-arm, but he was still on his feet. He just stared them down. They all watched as he started to power up his sword.
"Now, this is how it should be done!" Argus told them, carving a flaming x shape in the air. "Solar Flare!"
Casting out his ultimate attack, Orion barely managed to throw himself clear as it hit home. The others all hit the ground and de-morphed. Orion looked to Argus, and saw that the attack had taken a lot out of him too. His arm was hanging loosely. He rushed towards him, leaping high into the air, powering up his Silver Spear.
He threw it down with a huge yell, slicing through Argus' sword arm, tearing it from his body. He snatched it up as he landed, swiping Argus to the ground with a huge swipe. He converted his Silver Spear into blaster mode, placing a key into it, and turning it, powering it up. He levelled the blaster at Argus' head.
As he prepared to fire, he stopped as he levelled it at him.
"Orion, you've got him." Gia stated. "Finish him off!"
Orion tightened his grip on the handle, his finger tightening around the trigger, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He had to know..."
"The Solar Flare...I've seen it before." He told him. "How do you know it?"
"Orion, pull the damn trigger!" Noah yelled.
"Finish him!" Jake called out. Orion's hand started shaking as the thought occurred to him. He looked at Argus' fallen body, and took a deep gulp. His arm dropped, meaning he was no longer aiming at Argus.
"Orion, what the hell are you doing?" Jake screamed. Just then, Argus swept his legs out from under him with his hand, dropping him to the ground. He rolled over Orion, grabbing his helmet in his one remaining hand.
"You should have finished me when you had the chance!" He called out. He smashed the back of Orion's head off the ground, shattering his helmet. He de-morphed, lying completely helpless beneath his opponent.
Argus stared at him, unable to figure out why, but something buried in his memory, something beyond his programming was speaking to him, like he knew who this was.
In a flash of light, he disappeared, leaving the Rangers behind. Emma just looked to Orion.
"Orion, what happened?" She asked him.
"I...I...I couldn't do it." He told her.
"You had one of the most powerful and dangerous opponents we've ever faced on his back, and NOW you grow a sense of restraint?" Jake asked him. "What the hell man?"
"I couldn't do it because..." His words tailed off. "Because Argus...Argus is Marv."
"Marv?" Emma asked.
"Look, we can talk about this later." Gia told them. "I'd really rather not be here when those cops get back."
With that, they all drew their zip-lines, heading back to the ship. They had barely scraped their way out of that battle. They needed a new plan if they were going to face Argus again.