Episode 7: Part 2

Professor Bishop sat back in the comfortable chair of his small office while he watched the falling snow from his window. Despite the age of the old stone Rookery building, Bishop's office felt safe and cozy with its old throw rugs and the glowing warmth of the crackling fireplace nearby. As he turned back to his lesson plans, he heard a knock at the door and looked up in surprise to see Joe slowly enter. "Mr. Hale, come on in."

The Red Ranger gave a glum nod, brushing off some snow from his black pea coat and red scarf.

"I heard about Nick yesterday," Bishop began gently. "How is he doing?"

"Better now," Joe replied sitting down in a nearby armchair, "Thankfully the doctor said he just needs to rest and take painkillers for a week or two."

"And what about you?" the young professor asked fixing his student with a curious look. "How are you holding up?"

The Red Ranger grimaced, "Honestly, I don't know. This is the first time something like this has happened. I don't think it's really set in for us just how dangerous being a Power Ranger is… until now. I still can't help but feel it was my fault."

"Maybe, but all you can do now is to just learn from it and move forward." Bishop said, "If you're going to take it upon yourself to be responsible for the rest of the Rangers, then you need to do so with a clear head."

"But that's just it!" Joe exclaimed in frustration, "I don't want to get everyone killed. How can I even trust myself to make the right call out there without second guessing my every word now?"

Bishop leaned back in his chair and gave a long thoughtful look, "Do you remember my last lecture about Alexander the Great? His soldiers had complete trust in him and believed that he could lead them to victory. Remember that they chose you Joe. I can already see that the other Rangers have faith in you, so there's no reason you should doubt their ability to protect themselves or your own ability to lead them either."

Giving a sigh, Bishop turned his head, "Whether or not we want to admit it, we are at war with these Cambion monsters now. There is very real danger of getting hurt, and everyone is coming to accept that truth. The question now becomes, are you?"

Joe glanced at the professor with a solemn expression before reaching into his backpack. Placing the history books he borrowed back on Bishop's desk, he said, "Thanks for the books Professor. I've still got some thinking to do."

Bishop gave a sigh as the Red Ranger rose from his seat and departed the office, gently closing the door behind him. Cupping his hands, the Professor looked over to his newest stack of research and grimaced. Now was probably not the best time to reveal his newest findings. In spite of its sensitive nature, he could only hope that the Vanguard Rangers would be able to find a way to turn things around soon.

Later that night, Izzy walked toward the dormitory hallway of the girl's wing. She was headed back to her room to go to bed for the evening when she passed the common room adjoining the wings. To her surprise, she found Claire sitting all by herself at a chair near the outside window. The White Ranger was dressed in pajama pants and a white sweater and looked like she had been studying. Instead, her textbook remained open on a nearby desk while she gazed out the window at the falling snow.

Giving a small knock at the door, Izzy poked her head in, "Hey. It's getting kind of late. Shouldn't you be going to bed soon?"

"Sorry," Claire muttered turning in surprise, "I couldn't sleep. I just had a lot on my mind tonight... about everything that happened recently."

Izzy nodded quietly and sat down nearby, "I know what you mean. I was kinda scared too, but I'm glad Nick is going to be fine."

Claire nodded, "I couldn't help but be a little worried about Joe too. He came back late today and hardly said a word at dinner. When I tried to talk to him later, he just said he was tired and went bed early."

"Can you blame him?" the Pink Ranger shrugged, "He saw his best friend get hurt and is probably worried about all of us now too."

Claire sighed, "Maybe. I just wish there was something we could do, you know? I'm afraid he'll do something risky."

The Pink Ranger rose and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You're really worried about him, huh?"

Claire just frowned and looked away sheepishly.

"I think I'm going to agree with Danny on this one," Izzy concluded, "Just give it some time. I'm sure our Red Ranger will come around and figure out a way to beat that monster. Now come on. We both need to get some sleep."

Early the next morning, Nick woke up and grunted from the dull ache in his shoulder. Popping a couple painkillers and taking a sip of water from the glass at his night stand, the Green Ranger looked around his dorm room in surprise. At the other end of the room, Joe's bed was already empty and the sheets were folded. Everything else looked to be order, except the Red Ranger's coat was gone, most likely along with his wallet, phone, and Keyrune.

As Nick rolled out of bed and curiously looked around the empty room, he wondered where his friend had gone, or what he was possibly going to do.

Meanwhile, Joe shivered and huddled in his winter coat as he patrolled the cold city streets of Hyperion Falls. It was an early Saturday morning and the city was beginning to come to life again as the light of the winter sun peeked past the buildings. Although there was a part of him that wanted to just be alone for now, that same part of him thought what he was doing was crazy too. It had been his hope that he would be able to track down the demon Baphomet and put a stop to the Cambion before any more innocent people got hurt. He knew it was dangerous, but this was also a personal grudge now.

Upon nearing the colorful lights and decorations of the city's shopping district, he looked down to find a small pair of purple fuzzy mittens on the ground. As he bent down to pick them up, he looked up as a small girl no older than five years old came running up to him. She was bundled up in a winter hat and coat and wore a big friendly smile on her face, "You found my mittens! Thanks mister!"

The Red Ranger smiled gently helping to put the mittens on her hands, "You should be careful kiddo. It's cold out here."

Moments later, the girl's father approached. "Laurel, don't go running off without me!"

"Look Daddy, this nice man found my mittens!" Laurel called proudly showing them to her father.

Turning to the Ranger the man sighed, "I'm sorry for the trouble sir. We were just shopping and Laurel dropped her mittens a few minutes ago."

"It was no trouble," Joe smiled giving Laurel a gentle pat on the head before her father lifted her back up into his arms. "Though isn't it a little early to be shopping? The stores must have just opened."

Laurel grinned brightly and waved her arms, "We were getting an early Christmas present before we visit Mommy!"

The father hushed her and explained, "We wanted to surprise my wife. She had been in the hospital after a recent monster attack."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Joe said feeling a twinge of guilt. "Will she be ok?"

The father nodded in relief, "She'll be fine, and it looks like she'll get discharged before Christmas, so we're just happy about that."

"It's becoming pretty dangerous around the city nowadays." Joe agreed, "I hope you both stay safe."

"I have faith in the new Power Rangers that showed up here," the father replied. "Even if my wife got hurt in the crossfire, we both know that they're doing their best to protect the people."

"I've seen them up close once," Joe sighed, "They're pretty amazing people."

At that, Laurel piped up, "Hey mister, I love the Power Rangers too, especially the Pink one. She's really pretty! If you ever see them again, can you tell them hi from me?"

Joe nodded and smiled, "Yeah, sure thing kiddo. And I hope your mom feels better soon too."

Just as he said goodbye to the family, several panicked cries were heard coming from the plaza as several small fires erupted from the outdoor shopping stalls. Joe turned in shock to see the demon Baphomet stomping through the plaza, terrorizing people and firing gouts of fire at storefronts from his horns. As the last of the fleeing people cleared out, the Cambion laughed, "Run now mortals! You won't know true fear until Lord Gideon arrives!"

He was immediately silenced as a bolt of fire struck him in the chest, staggering him a moment. Looking up, the horned demon growled in fury at the lone figure confronting him in the plaza, "And just who are you?"

Joe scowled and held out his red Keyrune, "Does this answer your question?"

"Red Ranger," Baphomet grinned drawing his mace, "You're back... and all alone. Have you come to pick up where we left off?"

"I've come to end you for good," Joe retorted. In a flash of light, the morphed Red Ranger stood before the demon and leveled his saber sword.

"We will see," the Cambion laughed charging forward across the empty plaza.

The sound of clashing steel weapons rang out as the Red Ranger and the demon exchanged blows in the winter air. While Baphomet possessed greater size and strength, Joe countered the advantages with his speed and agility. As the battle raged, neither combatant was able to land a blow and they locked weapons again.

Using his brute strength to force Joe to his knee, Baphomet snorted, "You really think you're going to avenge your Green friend? Once I'm done with you, I'm going to do the same to the others."

With an angry cry, the Red Ranger, parried the demon's mace aside and spun sideways, slashing the monster in the side. The Cambion staggered in surprise from the provoked Ranger and recoiled as Joe knocked his mace aside and hammered him with another furious slash.

Waving his arm, the Cambion called out, "Magogs! Help me!"

The Red Ranger stopped in surprise as a squad of Magog foot soldiers were summoned and momentarily distracted the hero. Giving a laugh, Baphomet regained his footing and aimed his horns at the Red Ranger, "This is it for you Ranger!"

As he swatted a minion away, Joe turned in horror and raised his guard just as Baphomet's fire blast exploded in front of him. The violent force of the blast threw him to the pavement and the stunned Red Ranger rolled to a stop, demorphing. Baphomet loomed over Joe and laughed as the Ranger looked up with a bruised face covered in soot and scrapes.

"Did you really think you could best me alone human? I'll destroy you, just like Lord Gideon will do to your arrogant race."

In an instant, Baphomet roared as another Ranger dove from above and smashed his skull with the powerful blow of a warhammer. The Cambion flew backwards amid a cloud of sparks and shattered horn fragments while 4 morphed Vanguard Rangers stood in defense of their downed friend.

"Nick… everyone, what are you doing here?" Joe grunted rising to his knees.

The Green Ranger reached down with his good arm and helped his friend up. "Making sure you don't try to go off on your own and do anything stupid."

"He's right," Danny chimed in, "We're a team now and we shoulder the burdens together."

"Besides," Nick added with a wink, "Claire got pretty worried and told us you had a bit of a hero complex anyway."

As he said that, the maimed Baphomet rose and gave a furious roar at having both his face and horns mangled. Summoning a large horde of Magog soldiers to assist him, he shouted "Destroy those Rangers!"

For a moment, the Rangers froze at the sight of so many enemies. Turning to Joe, Nick muttered, "That's an awful lot of Magogs. I don't suppose you have a plan, do you?"

The Red Ranger smiled slowly, "Yes. But I'm going to need my Companion Cavalry to do it."

"What are you talking about?" Izzy frowned in confusion, but Claire snapped her fingers in sudden realization.

"The Battle of Gaugamela Iz! We'll use the same tactics Alexander did: block the grunts and rush the leader."

Danny reached for his gladius, "Sounds pretty risky… but I think it just might work."

At that, Joe stepped forward to take the lead, "Everyone… I'll place my life in your hands, if you're still willing to put your lives into mine."

"Always," Izzy answered.

"Like you even need to ask," Danny laughed softly

"In a heartbeat," Claire nodded in agreement.

"We're right behind you," Nick grinned cracking his knuckles.

"All right then," Joe said with growing confidence as he raised his Keyrune, "Let's take it to them! Vanguard Ascend!"

In a flash of brilliant light, the Red Ranger reemerged with his weapon leading their roll call.

"The Radiant Torch, Vanguard Red!"

"The Swirling Tempest, Vanguard Blue!"

"The Rumbling Mountain, Vanguard Green!"

"The Stinging Blizzard, Vanguard White!"

"The Dancing Whirlwind, Vanguard Pink!"

"The Light of the Past and the Hope of the Future! Power Rangers!" they chorused.

As the five heroes stood together, the Magog soldiers recoiled backwards, intimidated by the radiant light and rising courage of the celestial Rangers.

Brandishing his sword, the Red Ranger pointed it forward, "Vanguard, Take Flight!"

With a shout, all five Rangers charged forward with their weapons in a wedge formation. As they collided with the first wave of Magogs, Baphomet watched in awe as the heroes mowed down handfuls of troopers at a time. On one end of the battle line, Danny and Nick halted the foot soldiers, pushing back with their spear and hammer. At the other end, Claire and Izzy thinned out part of the Magog line with a withering hail of icy arrows and blaster fire. Having created a momentary gap in the Cambion line, Baphomet looked in surprise as the Red Ranger burst through the gap with a winged leap and charged directly at him with his weapon

While the Cambion line faltered, Joe shattered Baphomet's mace with a furious sword blow and hammered the monster again with a follow up strike. As the demon reeled, Joe raised his saber igniting it with a brilliant swirling fire.

"This is for Nick, and every other innocent person you demons have hurt."

Charging forward, the Red Ranger brought the blade down on Baphomet in a finishing blow, "Radiant Smite!"

The horned Cambion howled as the sword tore through him and he fell backwards, exploding in a great cloud of fire and brimstone.

Seeing their field commander utterly destroyed by a single Ranger, the remaining Magogs gaped in fear, dropping their weapons. As expected, the demoralized foot soldiers turned to flee from the other Rangers, back to the safety of the shadows where they came from. Giving a great sigh of relief, Joe lowered his weapon with a smile as the last of the Magogs retreated and his friends rushed over with a victorious cheer.

"I think professor Bishop would be really proud right now," Danny laughed. "Proud that we actually paid attention in his class."

"Not as proud as I am to call the four of you my friends," Joe smiled putting his hands on Danny and Nick's shoulders. Glancing at the quiet ruins of the city plaza, he gave a tired sigh, "It's been a long week guys. Let's go home."

That evening, the five Rangers gathered in Joe and Nick's room for a little impromptu celebration. A small stack of DVDs sat near the television in the corner as it played a marathon of movies while Danny, Nick, and Izzy started to pass around snacks, popcorn, and soda cans.

Meanwhile, Joe waited on his bed impatiently as Claire sat with him, dabbing the scrapes on his face with peroxide and cotton cloth.

"Well, aren't we a sorry pair?" Nick grinned to his roommate. "I've got a bum shoulder and you look like you lost a boxing match."

"Too bad the monster didn't hit you in the mouth instead," Joe retorted with a smirk, "Then I could have a little peace a quiet. Oww!"

"Sorry," Claire apologized pressing the peroxide cloth to his cheek. "I'm almost done."

After a pause, Joe turned to the others, "Actually, I'm the one who should be saying sorry. I gave you all a scare when I went off on my own too. It was pretty stubborn and reckless of me. Can you guys forgive me?"

"No worries," Danny called, "You just needed to remember that we still believed in you. That's how we won that pretty spectacular victory today."

"That reminds me," Joe mused, "Izzy, I was told to tell you that you're very pretty."

The Pink Ranger blushed a little in surprise, "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Sorry," Joe corrected himself, "It seems we Power Rangers have a growing fanbase. I met a little girl in the city this morning and she thinks we're really cool... especially you."

"Well, what can I say?" the Pink Ranger laughed flipping back a strand of her hair, "It's not easy looking this great and saving the world at the same time."

Claire sighed and rolled her eyes turning back to her patient's cuts, "You know, the White Ranger is pretty cool too. Did she say anything about me? Or did you mention it maybe?"

"Err, no. I didn't... sorry Claire." Joe answered apologetically, "Oww! What the hell? You did that on purpose now!"

"Sorry, it slipped," Claire replied innocently before giving a mischievous grin and holding up the cloth.

Joe stared at her incredulously for a moment before breaking out into laughter. As the others joined in, he took a seat as Danny passed him the popcorn. Professor Bishop was right. Things wouldn't get any easier and the battles would only become more dangerous. But he also knew that as long as the five of them stayed like this... the way they were right now, there would be no doubt that the Vanguard Rangers would be able to find a way to secure a lasting peace.

A/N:
That ends Episode 7. With the Dino Charge hiatus ending soon, I'll do my best to update this story on a semi-regular basis, especially since we'll be moving into a more plot driven arc next. In the meantime, feel free to fav, follow, or leave any comments. Thanks for reading everyone!