Disclaimers: I do not own Power Rangers. However the characters that exist as their children are my creation.
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Their Children
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Chapter 20: A Grave Hour Indeed
"Well then, why are we just standing here?" Tiffany asked. "What are our orders?"
The rangers stood silent as they awaited Zordon's command.
Zordon looked them over once more before turning to Reidyn. He nodded his head to her. Reidyn nodded back and turned to the console. She entered a few commands and the viewing wall changed from the new broadcasts to a map of the world. It then zoomed in.
The rangers looked on in surprise at what city the map zoomed in on. Alex narrowed is eyes. "Ecuador?"
"I don't understand. Why are they attacking from there?" Olivia asked.
"Yeah, what's in Ecuador?" Asked Marcus.
"Wait." Everyone looked to their blue clad friend. Connor continued, "Zordon, how is the government planning to attack Lord Xian?" He asked, already dreading the answer.
Zordon looked steadily at Connor. "I'm afraid they plan to use nuclear missiles." He turned back to Reidyn and signaled her for the next step. "Please rangers, turn to the viewing wall."
The map zoomed in to a mountain top. "That's Mount Chimborazo." Connor stated. "They are going to launch the missiles from there?"
"Yes." Was all Zordon said.
"But why Ecuador, why Mt. Chimborazo?" Tiffany asked from the back. Everyone looked to Zordon for the answer. However, Alex continued to stare at Tiffany. She felt his stare, but ignored it. He thought she looked like she was hiding something, but felt they had more pressing issues at the moment.
"It's the perfect spot." Connor mumbled to himself, but the others still heard him.
"What do you mean Connor?" Sami asked him.
Connor looked away from the wall and to his comrades. "The government wants to attack from a position that puts them closest to the moon."
Tommy scratched his head. "Then why not position themselves on Everest. Isn't it the highest mountain on Earth?"
"The Earth is not a perfect sphere as some would believe. It bulges out at the equator. Mt. Chimborazo is basically a bump on a bigger part of the bulge. That actually makes it 1.5 miles higher than Everest, so that puts them closer to the moon." Connor finished.
"Wow Con-man, is there anything you don't know." Marcus stated with a smirk.
Connor smiled back at him. "Besides even if it wasn't for the bulge, Everest would still be too far, when you consider its latitude. The distance from the orbital plane of the moon around the Earth actually makes Mt. Everest hundreds of miles further from the moon."
"Mount Chimborazo…" Olivia said looking over the map on the viewing wall. Then she frowned, "but… they can't be serious?" He asked turning to Zordon.
Sami nodded her head in agreement. "Okay, so we know why they are attacking from that point, but why nuclear missiles. There's absolutely no way they would reach the moon. And even if it did, the radiation exposure could wipe out a large portion of our population. We would basically be killing ourselves."
"Sami has a point. Why are they doing this?" Tommy asked.
Zordon looked over the rangers. They were scared, he knew. And to be honest, he was scared for them. This would be the gravest moment in their lives. Not to mention they don't have any battle experience to begin with. "Rangers, I know that this is difficult to accept. Your planet's governments have decided that this is best. They've been working on a solution for years since Xian's arrival." He looked to Sami. "They've created a base from within the tip of the mountain right under Lord Xian's nose. In that base, they have a missile, a nuclear warhead designed to reach outer space." He said motioning towards the wall, which now showed the schematics of the missile. "From my understanding, there is just the one." He finished allowing everything to soak in.
Phaedra moved her hands along the console and the view changed back to a map of Ecuador. "You are right to be concerned Sami. We fear that there will be more harm done to your world by the missile. And putting the radiation aside, should it reach the moon, it could very well rip it apart, sending its larger pieces to crush those on Earth." The rangers remained silent. "That is why we are sending you to Ecuador. Your mission is to stop that launch."
"Once they see that the Rangers are really back, then I'm sure they'll postpone this plan." Marcus said with confidence.
Tiffany nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah. It should be a walk in the park. I'm sure they'll listen to reason." She added with a smile.
The rangers nodded their heads. "We won't fail you." Tommy said with determination.
Phaedra smiled at him. "We know."
Zordon smiled as well. He had faith in his children. "Alright Rangers, it is time you-"
Suddenly the alarms on C-Deck started blaring. "Aye yi yi!" Omega screamed from the computer screen he was looking at.
"What is it Omega?" Zordon asked. "Show it on the viewing wall."
They all looked at the wall in awe. "I think our mission just got complicated." Alex stated.
OOOOOOOOOOO
"Hello?"
"Sha! About time someone answered!" The person on the line exclaimed. "Tell me you've found the kids already?"
Aisha quickly turned the speaker phone on. "Tanya? Is everything okay?" She asked as she looked at her friends now worried faces; no doubt mirroring her own.
"Not really. Please tell me you found our kids." The voice pleaded.
"No. We're in some sort of cave or something." Tommy answered her. "Tanya what's going on?"
"You guys are not going to believe this. The attack has been moved up."
"What?" Jason shouted. "Why would they-"
"Wait, there's more. Somehow Xian found out. He's sent Goons down all over the world. They are attacking civilians."
"Guys this isn't good." Zack stated.
"It gets worse. There's a reptilian looking man and some woman leading an army of Goons against military men in Ecuador."
"Ecuador? What's in Ecuador?" Rocky asked.
"Whatever it is, Xian wants it."
Jason sighed. "Tanya, are the kids okay? How about you and the others?"
"The kids are asleep, Cassie's here with me, but Kat just left. I think she's heading to the park."
"Thanks for the heads up Tanya. Keep an eye out. You all may need to go to the basement."
"I will, and guys, please be careful." The line was disconnected.
"So what do we do Tommy?" Aisha asked.
"First, we check in with the others, and then we figure out what happened to the kids." He raised his right wrist to his face. "Billy, this is Tommy, come in."
"Yeah Tommy, getting you loud and clear."
"Tanya just called us from the house." Here Tommy sighed. "There's been a development."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Tanya set the phone back down on its receiver. "Well that's that. All we can do now is wait."
"It's the waiting I can't stand." Cassie says as she shut the drapes and moved away from the window. "I hope Kat gets to the park okay." She started rubbing her shoulders. "I've never felt so helpless in my life."
Tanya smirked at her. "You? I couldn't be of any help if I tried." Then her face turned somber. "If any Goons make their way here, I won't be able to help you fend them off."
Cassie gave her a soft smile. "It'll be okay Tanya." She then turned her attention back to the television. "We'll all be okay." At least, she hoped they would.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Kim, Trini, and Adam huddled around the table, all quiet upon hearing the news. Billy clicked off the radio and leaned back into his chair. Adam backed away the group. "Okay guys, we need to be ready."
"If Xian is attacking civilians, I wonder why we weren't one of the first ones attacked." Kim thought out loud, moving away from the group as well. She looked out into the distance.
Adam frowned. "Let's hope Kat gets here soon. I'd hate for her to be alone when the Goons arrive."
Trini nodded her head in agreement. "It is weird that we would not have heard anything sooner." She placed her hand on Billy's shoulder. "Maybe they are not in Angel Grove yet." She barely finished her sentence before the city's siren went off.
Billy grabbed Trini's hand and moved it to his lips. He gave it a gentle kiss. "Spoke too soon my love." He stated sadly. "Spoke to soon."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"We need to move fast." Tommy insisted.
"Agreed. You will be teleported to Ecuador. We-" Zordon started, but was quickly interrupted.
"Ecuador?" Tiffany exclaimed. "No, we need to help those poor people. They are defenseless."
"But we need to stop this attack before it begins." Sami reasoned.
Tiffany sighed. "I know. But there's an army in Ecuador. They at least stand a chance. They can hold Raptor and Maura back until we get there." She finished, bringing her hand up to brush her face.
"You're bleeding." Alex said accusingly at her. Everyone looked at Tiffany. Phaedra silently left the C-Deck.
Tiffany looked at him in surprise. "What?" He walked over to her and grabbed her hand. Her eyes widened, she had forgotten about the cut. She pulled her hand away from him. "It's nothing. The alarm made me fall out of bed; I must've cut it on something. I hadn't even noticed it, till now." She lied smoothly.
Alex narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure if he believed her. But right now that wasn't their biggest issue. He looked back at the others. "Tiffany's right. We can't just let Xian hurt these people."
"But we have to stop the attack. If the U.N. gets their way…" Olivia couldn't finish her thought.
Marcus stepped up. "Maybe we can come to a compromise." He said hopefully.
Connor nodded his head. "There are seven of us. Perhaps we should split up."
"That would be inadvisable." Came Phaedra's unyielding voice as she re-entered the C-Deck. She carried a first-aid kit. Setting it down on the console beside Tiffany, she took said girl's wrist and began cleaning and dressing the wound. "You are all very new to this. You work better as a team. You will all be needed in Ecuador."
"We are a lot stronger than you give us credit for. We can easily communicate with each other when morphed. I know we can do this." Sami said, not willing to give up when they could help those people being attacked.
"Look Zordon," Tommy began, "you gave me command of this team. I agree with my comrades. We will split up. Four of us will go to Ecuador, three will try and decrease some of the assault outbreaks happening everywhere."
"I will help with the assaults." Alex volunteered.
"So will I." Tiffany added, as Phaedra finished dressing her finger. To Phaedra she said, "Thank you." Phaedra nodded and stepped away.
Marcus crossed his arms. "I'll help these two out. So I guess the rest of ya will be headed to Ecuador."
Tommy nodded his head. "Thanks for volunteering guys. Remember to only stay long enough to give the people a fighting chance. There are a lot of cities that need your help."
Alex nodded his head. "And when we are needed in Ecuador, don't hesitate to call."
Tommy smirked, "I won't." He then looked at the three that would be going immediately to Ecuador with him. "When we get to Ecuador, we'll need to split up again."
"Do you think that that's best?" Zordon asked Tommy.
"It's the only way. Raptor and Maura are leading an army. Someone needs to stop them. At the same time, someone needs to head to the base in the mountain and speak to whoever is in charge there and stop that missile." Tommy answered. Zordon nodded his head in acceptance of Tommy's reasoning.
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It was dark. Almost too dark to see anything. 'Thank God for the moon and stars.' Kat thought to herself as she stumbled her way through the trees. Normally she would have just driven to the park, as was her original plan. But when she was in her car, she realized the noise and headlights may attract too much attention, so instead she ran.
And ran… and ran some more. 'The park should be coming up soon. I hope.' She stopped at a tree and leaned against it; trying to catch her breath. "Really Kat, if only Jase could see how out of shape you really are." She said to herself, and then smiled a light smile at the thought of her husband.
She then quickly frowned in worry at the thought of her son. 'Alex.' She pushed off of the tree, "I've got to keep going." 'Momma's coming.' She thought to herself as she started running again. Then something flashed in her peripheral vision. "What was that?" She asked in a whisper.
Following the flash, she crept closer only to then pull immediately back behind another tree. 'Putties? Or… er, goons? Why are they out here in the middle of nowhere?' She thought to herself. 'I've got to get to the others.' She snuck back away, and increased her speed to where Billy and the others were.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"How far does this thing go?" Zack asked.
"I hope we weren't supposed to have gone the other way." Rocky added.
"I'm sure we'll come across something soon enough, right Tommy?" Aisha asked the man beside her, still holding her phone as a source of light.
Tommy looked down at her. "Yeah, Aisha, I have a good feeling about this direction." He replied.
"Well, I hope we find something soon." Jason says, before he walks right into a wall. He falls down.
"Jason!" Aisha screams as she scrambles down to help him up.
Jason stands back up with her assistance. "Where did that wall come from?"
Tommy holds up the phone to the apparent wall, but all they see is open space. "That's weird." He presses his palm to the open air and hits a surface. "Woah."
Rocky sighs loudly. "Where's Billy when ya need him?"
Zack shakes his head. "My thoughts exactly."
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The city siren causes Katie to jump up in bed. She moves over to the window and looks out into the darkness of the night. She rubs her eyes. 'What's happening?' She moves over to the bed and gently pushes her bed Bunkie. "Jessie… come on wake up." She starts shoving her a little harder.
"What is it?" Jessie asked sleepily.
"Can't you hear that? Get up!" Katie yells over the siren.
Jessie opens her eyes to see an alarmed Katie. She then hears the siren. "What's happening?"
Katie rolls her eyes. "That's what I'd like to find out." She grabs Jessie's arm and pulls her out of the bed. "Let's go." She says dragging her to the door, which bursts open when they reach it. "Andy!"
Andy stands in the doorway. "Hey guys, come on! Something bad is happening." He shouts then heads to the stairs with the girls following behind.
OOOOOOOOOO
"Okay Tanya, we need to move." Cassie says walking back into the living room. "Kim and Tommy have water and blankets down in the basement. I've taken some food and flashlights down there already."
Tanya rose from her seat. She turned off the TV. "Good, let's grab the kids and head down." No sooner after she finished that sentence said kids came marching down the stairs. "Hey there guys just in time." She said as Jessie ran into her arms.
"Where's my mom?" Andy asked, while Katie went to her mom.
Cassie smiled at Andy, "Your mom went to help the others with something."
"Mom, what's with all the noise?" Katie asked.
Cassie looked at her daughter unsure of what to say because she did not want to alarm her. She looked to Tanya for help. Tanya stepped forward. "Hey guys, we are just going to go in the basement for awhile, okay? We'll answer your questions down there, but we better move now." Tanya said, leading the pack to the basement door.
Katie looked at her mom. "Mom?"
"Listen to your Aunt Tanya. I'll explain everything, I promise." Cassie said gently.
The kids followed the adults into the basement, unsure as to what would follow next.
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"Kim! Look out!" Adam shouted as he dodged an attack to his right.
Kim looked up and immediately back flipped to avoid being tackled. "I'm getting too old for this." She said under her breath. She did a roundhouse kick to a Goon. "Seriously, I don't remember it being this exhausting." She stated trying to catch her breath.
"Well Kim, we were younger then." Trini said with a smile, which was quickly wiped off as she was shoved in the back. "And a lot faster." She mumbled, angry with herself for getting hit. She turned around and did a punch kick combo.
Billy was off to the side doing a series of punches and kicks. He was keeping the Goons away from the equipment. "We have to make sure they stay away from the device!" He called out to the others. He was then knocked away.
Adam saw this and immediately took Billy's place to keep the equipment from being damaged. While he was fighting the machine started beeping. "On no."
Kim looked over at Adam, "What's going on?"
He looked up alarmed. "The portal is closing."
Trini ran over to Billy to help him. She turned to Adam at hearing his declaration. "We need to contact Tommy." She said, looking at Billy.
Billy nodded his head, "Yes, I-"
"Guys!" They all turned to see Kat running up to them.
"Kat!" Kim exclaimed, "Boy am I glad to see you!" She said as she punched another Goon. "These guys just won't give up."
Kat jumped into the fight smoothly. "Glad to be of help."
They continued to fight with the Goons, being sure to keep them away from the table and its equipment. For veteran rangers, they were holding their own pretty well.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Connor, you will head with me to the base. Sami, you and Livvy will help the military against Maura and Raptor. Alex, Tiffany, and Marcus will assist you once they've helped where they can. We will keep the communication line open." Tommy gave out the orders. Everyone nodded their heads.
Alex looked at Marcus, Tiffany and then back at Tommy. "Well, if it's alright with you, we'll be on our way."
Tommy nodded his head, "Be careful." He told them, but his eyes remained on Tiffany. She fought a blush.
"We will." Marcus stated.
Olivia gave Tiffany a hug. "I guess I'll see you later." She smiled at her friend.
"What, I don't get a hug?" Marcus asked astonished.
Olivia grinned, "Remind me at our victory party."
Marcus grinned back. "Bet."
Tiffany looked at Omega. "Can you teleport us each to one of the top three cities that needs us the most right now?"
"Aye, yi, yi, will do Tiffany!" Omega stated before starting the teleportation sequence.
She smiled a thanks, before disappearing in a flash of pink.
The remaining rangers looked to Tommy. He looked at them with a grim look. "I guess we better head out as well. Omega, send us to Ecuador."
"Aye, yi, yi, sending… to Ecuador." And with that, they disappeared in a flash of color.
Zordon stared at the space they just inhabited. "May the power protect you, my Rangers."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
AN: Another day another chapter. I'm hoping to end this fic soon. At least this chapter in the new rangers lives. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.
As always…
… PLEASE REVIEW!
I think I've mentioned how happy it makes me. ;-)