Chapter Five
General Ikros
Fire rained down from above, striking the street and the buildings below. Even from the top floor of the prison building, Gordon, Rio, and Commander Roberts could hear the people's screams.
"Get to safety," Gordon said. "Call in the Sky Ace and all reinforcements we can muster."
He turned away and tapped on his morpher. A bright flash lit up the room and Rio briefly saw the back of the red ranger as he raced away. No more than a few seconds passed before the Ace of Spades appeared down on the street, racing at lightning speed to grab every civilian he could and get them out of harm's way.
Commander Roberts switched on his comm. "I need all available units mobilized in downtown New Tech now," he shouted. "This is not a drill. I repeat, alien invaders have attacked New Tech City."
Rio glanced out the window to see a bright red laser blast headed straight for them.
"Look out!" he shouted, grabbing Commander Roberts and pulling him out of the way just as the laser struck. Smoke and fire lit up the world around Rio, ripping the small cafeteria apart. Rio closed his eyes, waiting for it to be over. When he opened his eyes, he found himself completely unharmed, he and Commander Roberts surrounded by a globe of glowing light.
Commander Roberts stared at Rio. "You . . . saved me?" he said.
Rio stared down at his glowing skin, stumbling back from the commander. His motion destabilized the floor they were standing on, causing it all to crumble and take the both of them with it. Rio and Commander Roberts fell several stories, both letting out loud screams. Gordon looked up to see them falling and raced to save them. Rio covered his face as the ground rushed toward him.
Another blast of light burst from him, slowing his descent just enough to avoid serious injury. He hit the ground, rolling to one side. He shook his head and sat up to see Gordon holding Commander Roberts's unconscious form nearby. High above, the alien ship readied another round of laser fire.
Then, suddenly, the laser cannons shut down. They tucked back up into the ship like spider legs as new beams of bright white light shot down from the ship instead, forming a circle all around Gordon and Rio. Rio carefully got to his feet as figures appeared within the light, familiar figures that he had seen before on the news: hulking skeletal figures with gray skin and bladed tentacles, some with large batlike wings.
The Vader Clan.
At their head stood one a bit larger than the rest, with bright green eyes and red feathers. An even larger one loomed behind him, looking almost like a bull with its big horns. As soon as the light cleared, the red-feathered one stepped forward. Its mandibles clacked for a second, and it seemed to Rio almost as if it was processing. Then it said, in perfect English, "Shine. It is I, General Ikros. I have come for you."
The creature extended a clawed hand.
Rio looked down to see the light emanating from his body circulating in his chest. Something inside him seemed to force him forward, as if the thing inside him yearned to reach the alien.
"That's right," the alien, Ikros apparently, said. "Come to me. You need not dwell in that unworthy human vessel any longer."
Rio fought back against his own body, but he felt himself being dragged forward all the same. The alien reached out its fingers welcomingly.
A blast of atomic energy blew the creature's arm off. Ikros pulled the limb back, hissing, as Gordon stepped up in between him and Rio. "You dare?" the alien hissed.
"Get out of here," Gordon said, looking back at Rio. "If they want whatever's in you, there's no way we can let them have it. Get inside the prison. Hurry."
Rio looked back. There was only one way out of the circle of aliens around them, and that was through the destroyed wall of the prison he'd just come from. "Alright," he said.
"You shall die like the rest of your miserable species," General Ikros screeched. He blasted what looked like a bolt of lightning at the ranger. Gordon raised his hands and tanked the blast, absorbing most of it, but the sheer force of it proved too much for him.
Rio turned and ran, not looking back and heading straight for the hole in the wall. He stopped for a brief moment as he saw Commander Roberts lying on the ground nearby. He was tempted to just leave him there, but he didn't want to think about what would happen to him if he did. He started to turn toward him when a pair of enormous hooves slammed into the pavement between them, cracking it.
The huge Vader Clan alien with the horns rose up to his full height, nearly three times Rio's size. "Do not attempt to flee, tiny vessel," its voice boomed. "The sacred relic you bear is the rightful property of my master."
Rio swallowed, looking up at his opponent. One of the first things he'd learned while boxing, it was never a good idea to pick a fight with someone bigger than you, no matter how tough you think you are. All the same, he didn't see as he had much choice but to raise his fists and take up a fighting stance.
"What's this?" the bull alien said. "Are there actual fighters among your species? Or is this the lashings of a cornered rodent?"
The creature balled up its gigantic fist and swung at Rio. Rio did the only thing he could think of, ducking under the swing and rushing forward to strike the monster in the gut. He punched with all his might, a blow that would have laid out even his strongest opponents in the ring. The bull alien, however, didn't even flinch.
"Is that all?" his voice boomed.
A bladed tentacle swung Rio's way. He tried to move but it caught him in the side, sending him flying sideways into a pile of rubble.
"Ow," he said, clutching his side. He rolled over to see the alien looming over him, an enormous hand reaching down and picking him up. Rio struggled and fought against his grip, but it was no good.
"How pitiful," the alien said.
Rio glared at the monster. He looked down at the glow emanating from his hands. It had saved him from attack before. Maybe it could do it again. He tried to tap into the fear and panic he'd felt when the officers were forcing him to the ground, the anger he felt when the chief struck his sister. He tried and he tried and he tried, but nothing happened.
"Foolish creature," the bull said. "Do you think to weaponize the Shine against me? The Shine bears you no loyalty. It will only protect you from harm so that you may return it to us."
The creature tightened his grip on Rio, turning to where Gordon and the Vader Clan general still fought. "Lord Ikros," he said. "The vessel has been contained."
Ikros looked up. His mandibles clicked excitedly. "Well done, Bofala," he said. "Now, bring him to me."
"No!" Gordon shouted. He raised his arm to shoot at Rio's captor when a horde of Vader Clan soldiers surged upon him, holding him down and forcing him back. Rio fought as well, beating at the giant hand that held him as he was lowered to Ikros. The general laughed and held out his clawed hands.
"Come to me," he said.
The glow inside of Rio moved to his chest again, yearning to get to the general. "No," Rio said, straining to get away from him.
A loud explosion rang through the city as a shot struck the alien vessel above. Rio looked up to see the Sky Ace flying in, blasting the ship with lasers before raining down more fire from above, striking the hordes of Vader Clan soldiers and freeing Gordon from their grip. Another laser struck Bofala, knocking him back as Commander Roberts appeared, shooting the monster's wrist and making it loosen just enough for Rio to slip free and fall to the ground.
Gordon raced to the pair. "Are you both alright?" he said.
Rio held his side, where a lot of blood was spilling out. "I've been better," he said.
"Come on." Gordon put one arm around Rio and another around the commander. He flexed his powerful legs and launched himself into the sky, flying straight up to the Sky Ace and into a hatch. Doctor Kuchar and a team of medics rushed to their side the moment they touched down.
"The military's arrived," Doctor Kuchar told Gordon as Rio and Commander Roberts were led away to be patched up. Through one window, Rio could see the battle raging below, EAGLE tanks and fighters flooding the street and fighting back against the Vader Clan. He watched as Bofala swung his fist and sent one tank flying.
"They're after me," he said. "We've got to get out of here."
A bright red flash shot into the sky as the general Ikros spread a pair of feathery wings and landed hard on the hull of the Sky Ace. "You will not take the Shine from me," he screeched, slashing at the hull with his claws.
Far below, Ivan stood in his cell, watching as the battle raged on his small television, explosions rocking the prison even all the way down here, Ivan's two guards staring up at the ceiling in terror. Ivan watched as the small figure of Gordon Cherry leapt up into the Sky Ace.
"You!" he shouted, pointing at his guards. "You have direct contact with the rangers, correct?"
The guards looked at him in confusion but nodded. "We do," one said.
"Then get me in contact with that airship immediately."
The guards looked at each other. "I don't think we can—"
"Do you want to survive this battle or not?" he shouted. "Get me in contact with the rangers now!"
Back on board the Sky Ace, a soldier hurried into the medical bay where Commander Roberts and Rio were being treated. "Commander, Ivan Callahan has demanded to speak with you," she said. "He said it's urgent."
Rio sat up, holding his bandaged side, as Roberts took the call. "What do you want, Callahan?" he shouted.
"Sorry to bother you, Commander," the Black Cross leader's voice said. "But I noticed you were having a spot of trouble."
The ship rocked as General Ikros slammed Gordon into the ship's hull as they battled outside.
"You noticed, did you?"
"You do know what they're after, right?" Callahan asked.
Roberts hesitated, glancing sideways at Rio. Rio nodded and said, "Me."
"Oh, good," Callahan said, his voice perking up. "The boxer's right there. That is correct, Mr. Higueras. Or rather, they want what's inside you. You can run and retreat right now, and they will likely follow you, sparing this city the horrors of war, but my guess is they will never stop chasing you."
Commander Roberts scowled. "What's your point, Callahan?"
"My point, Commander," Ivan said, "is that, unless you plan to hand the boxer over and suffer whatever consequences are sure to follow, your only option is to do as I recommended. Find the Fuhrer's sanctum at the North Pole and figure out how to remove that glow from our friend's body."
A loud explosion rocked the ship as Gordon blasted General Ikros in the chest and sent him flying. Rio and Commander Roberts both watched as the general's wings flared and he righted himself again, coming back for a second round.
Commander Roberts looked anxious. "If you think we're going to let you out of that cell—"
"What's more important to you, Commander?" Ivan said. "Stopping the slaughter of innocents, or not risking the chance that a one-armed former terrorist goes free?"
The commander gripped his comm, looking uncertain. He glanced up at Rio for just a moment. Rio looked down. "I'd rather take the chance than stay here and let more people die," he said. He wasn't certain if it was quite his place to give an EAGLE leader advice, but he had to say something.
The commander looked at Rio for a moment. Then his eyes drifted to the battle raging outside. His face softened.
"Fine," he said. "We'll transfer your cell, but you're staying inside it. And I want no trouble, Callahan."
"You have my word, Commander," he said.
Roberts rolled his eyes. He switched the comm off and started shouting orders. "Contact the prison. Tell them to transfer Callahan's cell to the Sky Ace. Then make sure Mr. Cherry and Dr. Kuchar are notified about what's happening. Then get us out of here as fast as you can."
Not two minutes later, the entire square glass cell containing Ivan slid into the Sky Ace's bay, Gordon flying in right behind it. Ivan crossed his arms and looked at them smugly. "Glad to see you finally saw reason," he said.
The ship rumbled as it turned itself around, rocketing off straight north at top speed. Rio joined Gordon, Doctor Kuchar, and Commander Roberts at a screen as they watched the Vader Clan soldiers beam themselves back up into their mothership to chase after them, leaving New Tech devastated but free from war once again.
"Keep us at full speed," Commander Roberts ordered the pilot. "Don't let them catch us until after we've reached the pole."