MMPR Revisited

Green with Evil Origins Part 3

After the strange and abrupt attacks by the Putties earlier in the afternoon, the residents of Angel Grove were eager to put it behind them. Most of the residents had grown accustomed to moving on swiftly after such attacks, choosing not to dwell on the damage unless it was unavoidable. The Power Rangers, too, were eager to move forward after the unexpected assaults. With no word from Zordon, they couldn't help but feel a growing sense of concern.

"Trini's not ready for this," Zack commented on his teammate's earlier performance. Billy appeared worried, while Jason remained expressionless, his gaze fixed on the pavement beneath their feet as they walked.

"It would be unreasonable to expect anyone to bounce back so quickly, especially considering the traumatic experience Trini has been through," Billy defended Trini.

"I agree, Billy. It was too soon for Trini," Zack added, trying to diffuse the tension in Billy's tone.

"I feel bad. I should have talked to her about it," Jason said, though he couldn't help but feel that such a conversation would be extremely awkward. Deep down, he suspected that Trini blamed him for Daniel's death.

"Trini doesn't discuss Daniel," Billy noted, aware that every time he broached the topic, Trini either grew extremely quiet or, more often than not, avoided it altogether.

"Not as a friend, but as a Ranger. Should Trini really be out in the field fighting right now?" Jason asked rhetorically. "I think it's too soon for her. Maybe she should sit out the next mission. Maybe she needs some distance from being a Ranger."

"I don't think that would help," Billy replied. "Trini doesn't want to stop fighting evil, and sidelining her might only exacerbate her insecurities."

"But what good will she be if she freezes up during a big fight?" Zack questioned.

"She'll be fine. She just needs more time," Billy assured them.

"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if Rita is losing her edge," Zack mused, changing the subject as they turned the corner toward his house. "Think about it. Ever since our last victory, she hasn't been very active. Maybe we did more damage than we thought!" Billy and Jason exchanged glances and chuckled at Zack's optimism.

"Yeah, there's no way Rita would be defeated that easily. But I do think we set her back a bit," Jason said. "I'm just glad today's attacks didn't completely ruin the Youth Games."

"Well, they did put an end to the Martial Arts segment," Zack pointed out. "Did they declare a winner?"

"No, it ended in a tie. Tommy and I both had four points each. Tommy disappeared after the attack, so they just called it a tie and split the winnings," Jason explained. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment at not winning the full prize.

"Yeah, that match was intense," Zack agreed. Jason couldn't deny that there were moments during the fight with Tommy when he wasn't sure he would come out on top. "Maybe it's a good thing the Putties interrupted it." Jason playfully punched Zack's shoulder, and they both laughed.

Arriving at Zack's house, instead of entering through the front door, they cut through the backyard and headed toward the garage.

"Wow," Jason exclaimed in disbelief, eyeing a white Volkswagen Beetle with an unusual contraption on its roof. "What is that?"

"The Rad Bug," Zack said with pride. "Billy and I have been working on it for a while."

"I'll check the calibrations on the dimension turner," Billy announced before turning to Zack for translation.

"Don't look at me, bro. All I know is this thing can teleport us around the world," Zack explained as he retrieved some rags and a bucket from the garage. He tossed a rag to Jason. "You're going to help make this beauty shine with Zack's wax."

"Zack's wax?" Jason gave Zack a mockingly disgusted look and emitted a retching noise. "Yeah, that'll surely impress the ladies." He playfully threw the rag back at Zack. After about twenty minutes of cleaning the Rad Bug, the back gate of Zack's yard opened and closed, revealing Trini and Kimberly.

"Hey, guys," Trini greeted them.

"Hey, girls. What's up?" Zack asked.

"Not much. We just wanted to see what you guys were up to," Trini replied. Zack nodded and noticed that Kimberly seemed down.

"Is everything all right, Kim?" Zack inquired. Jason also looked up, concerned.

"No," Kimberly replied.

"Tommy," Trini added, preemptively answering the unspoken question. Jason tensed, his jaw clenching tightly.

"What happened?" Zack asked.

"It's just strange. He helped me with the Putty situation, which was unexpected, and then he asked me to meet him at the Youth Center afterward, but he never showed up," Kim explained.

"Well, there was a Putty attack, so it's quite plausible that something came up," Billy chimed in from atop the vehicle.

"Yeah, I hope that's all it is. I hope he's okay," Kimberly said. After an awkward silence, their communicators began to emit a distress signal. They exchanged displeased looks and Jason reluctantly answered the call.

"This is Jason. Come in," he said, but all he heard was static. They looked at each other, growing concerned. "Zordon? Alpha?" he called out again, but received only more static. Then, amidst the crackling interference, they heard, "Ra-rangers…" followed by more static. "Rangers – trouble – attack on – Rangers," Alpha's voice alternated between clear and garbled in the midst of the static.

"The teleportation frequency was down," Billy said, his brow furrowed. "This was really strange."

"How else were we supposed to get there?" Kimberly asked.

"The Rad Bug," Zack suggested, glancing at Billy for confirmation.

"Are you sure it's ready, Billy?" Jason questioned, his voice lacking confidence.

"It should be," Billy replied, his voice also tinged with uncertainty.

"How reassuring," Kimberly said flatly.

"It's not like we have any choice," Zack replied, resigned.

"Shotgun," Jason called out.

"Damnit!" Zack exclaimed. Kimberly, Trini, and Zack piled into the back seat, while Jason occupied the passenger seat, and Billy settled into the driver's seat. When Billy inserted the key into the ignition, it started smoothly, but the calibrator on the roof of the car emitted a loud noise, momentarily startling them all.

Billy shifted the vehicle into drive and sped down the driveway, heading through the deserted back roads near Zack's house.

"Will anyone notice us?" Kimberly inquired.

"Doubtful," Billy responded, pressing a green button on the steering wheel. Instantly, the surroundings of the car transformed from a dirt road and high grass to a blue sky dotted with clouds.

"Oh my god," Kimberly exclaimed in amazement.

"Where are we?" Trini asked, bewildered. "Are we flying?"

"Not really. Dimension warping," Billy clarified.

'Flying sounds cooler, though," Zack chimed in. "Man, I'm really worried about Alpha. That message was so weird." Zack voiced his concern just as Jason was thinking it.

"Yeah, can't this go any faster, Billy?" Jason eagerly inquired.

"Affirmative. Hold on, everyone," Billy pressed another button, and the Rad Bug surged forward, prompting all of them to let out a yell. Eventually, their surroundings shifted once more, from blue skies to darkness, and then they arrived in the hallway in front of the main deck of the command center.

One by one, they exited the Rad Bug, taking in their surroundings with disbelief. They entered the command center and were shocked by the extent of the damage to the control panels.

"Oh my god, look at this place," Kimberly gasped, her hands covering her mouth.

"Zordon's gone!" Zack exclaimed, pointing to the dark and empty cylinder that Zordon's head usually occupied.

"Oh, Alpha," Trini sighed, spotting the automaton on the ground, sparks flying out of his back. Billy rushed over to Alpha's side and began analyzing the damage. "How could this have happened?"

"Someone trashed the joint. I bet it was Rita," Zack asserted.

"But how? Zordon said that no one could enter the command center without a Power Coin!" Trini questioned as she leaned down to assist Billy. "How is he?"

"Not good," Billy replied, trying to fix some of the wires protruding from Alpha's backside. "Hold on, Alpha. If I can align some of these, I might be able to put him back together…but I wouldn't go as far as to say it'd be fixing him."

"Anything will do, Billy. We need some answers," Jason urged. "How the hell could this have happened?" Jason's frustration caused him to lash out for a moment.

"We'll figure this out," Kimberly said, placing a hand on his shoulder. However, her attempt to comfort him fell short, and he stepped away from her moments later.

"R-an-gers!" Alpha repeated frantically. Billy tried to tighten the wires, desperate to restore Alpha to normal. "Rangers!" Alpha finally said with more stability.

"Alpha, you're back!" Trini exclaimed joyfully.

"Negative. Semi-operational," Alpha responded, to their collective dismay. "Rangers, there was an intruder."

"When did this happen? Where is Zordon?" Jason pressed for answers.

"The intruder was – the intruder was – Ranger," and then Alpha shut down again, followed by a short circuit in his wires. In a fit of rage, Jason slammed his hands on a console.

All the Rangers were at a loss for words. Zordon, their usual beacon of hope, was nowhere to be found. Billy managed to reroute some of Alpha's wires and plugged him into an undamaged power source. He then walked over to the main console, folded his arms, and contemplated where to begin. Eventually, he delved right in, attempting to repair some of the damaged control panels.

"What are you doing, Billy?" Zack asked.

"If we have any hope of restoring the command center, I need to start here. Everything runs through these systems," Billy replied, getting to work. Soon after, alarms within the command center began blaring.

"Billy, please tell me that's you and not an actual distress signal," Jason implored, but the expression on Billy's face remained unchanged. Jason realized that Angel Grove was under attack. "I can't believe this. It was a precise strike. How long has Rita been planning this? While we've been enjoying some downtime, she's been plotting world domination!" Jason's frustration erupted.

"Jason, you need to calm down," Trini urged, speaking on behalf of all of them. "Billy, is there any way you can try to get the viewing globe working?"

"Affirmative. I think I'm close," Billy replied, tying some wires together. The viewing globe flickered on and off, displaying distorted images that formed and disappeared over several minutes. Finally, a clear image of Goldar appeared, followed by images of Squat, Baboo, and what seemed like hundreds of Putties.

"Great, Goldar," Zack sighed. "Looks like he's at the beach."

"At least he hasn't entered the city yet," Trini noted, pointing to the viewing globe. "But look!" She directed their attention to the globe, where they could see several Air Force jets in the sky, firing at Goldar and subsequently being destroyed by him.

"Oh, man. This just keeps getting worse. There's no way we can take them all out with that much interference," Zack said.

"We have to try. They can't win without us," Jason declared. "Billy, we need to get down there."

"I thought you might say that," Billy said, though his confidence seemed lacking. "The problem is the teleportation system. It's not fully operational."

"So we're stuck here?" Kimberly asked.

"Negative. I can get us out, but I can't guarantee that I can get us as close as we need. And I also can't guarantee that we can get back. We'd have to be in range, which isn't really something I can predict," Billy explained, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Great, so we're going out there blind," Zack said with frustration, to which Billy nodded in agreement. "This is a real mess, you guys!"

"We don't have a choice," Jason asserted. "Look, we need to take out Goldar and eliminate as many Putties as possible. Once the beach is secure, we'll regroup and try to figure things out."

"Alright, the teleportation system is as ready as it'll ever be," Billy said, his voice laced with determination. Jason drew his Morpher and held it aloft.

"It's Morphin' Time!" he called out.

"Mastodon!" Zack shouted.

"Pterodactyl!" Kimberly chimed in.

"Triceratops!" Billy yelled.

"Saber-Tooth Tiger!" Trini proclaimed.

"Tyrannosaurus!" Jason declared. With their Morphin' complete, Billy initiated the teleportation system, and the Rangers were sent soaring through the air, landing roughly a mile away from the beach. Goldar was in their sights, as well as the wreckage of numerous fighter jets.

"Not too shabby, Billy," Zack remarked.

"Yeah, we're closer than I expected," Billy replied with a hint of relief in his voice.

"We still have some ground to cover, Rangers!" Jason urged. "Let's move!" With that, Jason led the way, and the others followed. They quickly realized that despite Goldar being a mile away, the battle was already upon them; Putties were everywhere. Jason wielded his blaster, taking out many Putties with precise shots. He dispatched one with a shot to the chest before converting his blaster into dagger mode and delivering a final, neck-slashing blow.

Billy and Trini teamed up against a group of Putties, with Billy staying close to Trini, who had a momentary freakout earlier, according to Zack. If Trini had any lingering issues from earlier, Billy couldn't discern them. Trini blasted one Putty and executed a high-kick to another's neck, knocking it backward. A Putty attempted to tackle Trini from behind, but Billy shot it in the head.

"Nice shot, Billy," Trini complimented him just before unleashing her lightning-fast jabs into another Putty's abdomen.

Zack and Kimberly adopted a similar strategy, working together to tackle their own batch of Putties. Zack handed his blaster to Kimberly, doubling her firepower, while he engaged the Putties hand-to-hand.

"They just keep coming, don't they?" Kimberly observed after dispatching nearly thirty Putties and making little apparent impact.

"Kim, keep 'em off me!" Zack called out, feeling overwhelmed by the Putties surrounding him.

"I'm trying!" Kim replied, blasting one Putty in the head and kicking another back. A surprise punch from a Putty to her back caused her to fall forward onto her knees. Another Putty kicked her blaster from her hand and knocked her to the ground. Kimberly managed to eliminate the closest Putty with her remaining blaster, but she was immediately swarmed.

"Fire!" a familiar voice shouted, drawing the attention of Kimberly and Zack. They saw Commander Trask, standing alongside an elite squadron of soldiers armed with firearms. The soldiers opened fire on the surrounding Putties, causing the golems to collapse lifelessly.

"Whoa, that's unexpected," Kimberly remarked, picking up her other blaster and rising to her feet.

"Yeah, but I won't turn down help right now," Zack added.

Jason single-handedly decimated the protective circle of Putties around Baboo and Squat. He leaped into the air, landing a kick to Squat's face that sent the large blue creature tumbling backward. Then he turned his attention to Baboo, who tried but failed to claw Jason. Jason grabbed Baboo's arm, pulled it forward, and delivered a powerful kick to Baboo's side, causing the creature to cry out in pain.

Squat tried to launch a sneak attack from behind, but Trask subdued him by striking him over the head with an electric baton. Baboo managed to squirm away before Putties surrounded Jason, preventing him from reaching Baboo.

"Wasn't expecting help from you," Jason said to Trask, who scoffed in response.

"Help? I just want the pleasure of taking you down myself," Trask replied.

"When will you understand that we're the good guys?" Jason retorted, blocking a Putty's attack and then kicking it aside.

"Good is subjective. And irrelevant. You're mediocre vigilantes at best," Trask countered.

"Well, for mediocre vigilantes, we seem to be doing a better job at protecting Angel Grove than you," Jason said defiantly.

"You'll be brought to justice one way or another," Trask warned.

"Until that day, watch your back," Jason cautioned.

"Is that a threat?" Trask asked.

"No, literally, watch your back!" Jason leaped over Trask and eliminated a Putty that was poised to attack Trask from behind.

"Commander, we need more air support!" a voice came through Trask's radio. Jason looked up at Goldar and could barely make out the figure through the smoky atmosphere.

"That's my cue to exit," Jason declared. "Guys, we need Dinozord Power, now!" Jason shouted, holding his hand toward the sky and summoning his Zord. "Tyrannosaurus!" The ground trembled, and the Tyrannosaurus Zord emerged. He glanced around and spotted the other Zords arriving as well. Jason leaped into the air and was immediately transported into the cockpit of his Zord. "Rangers, power up your crystals! We need Megazord Power, now!" Jason retrieved his Power Coin from his buckle, forming the red Power Crystal and inserting it into the ignition.

"Megazord sequence has been initiated!" the Zord's AI announced. They all interconnected, and the Rangers were teleported into the central cockpit within the Megazord's head. "Megazord, activated!"

"Alright, guys, let's take down Goldar!" Jason called out. Goldar initially seemed unaware of their presence, giving the Rangers the upper hand. "Let's summon the Power Sword!" Billy entered a code into the Megazord's database, and the Power Sword materialized before them. "Hey, Goldar, did you miss us?" Jason taunted, catching the golden warrior's attention just moments before they landed a successful hit.

"You'll pay for that, Rangers!" Goldar roared as he readied his golden blade. He swung it down, clashing with the Power Sword.

"Predictable," Billy remarked, pressing a button that caused the Megazord to kick Goldar and send him plummeting into the ocean.

"Nice one, Billy!" Jason cheered. Goldar reemerged from the water, growling.

"You pathetic Rangers. You have no idea what awaits you," Goldar taunted.

"Awaits us?" Kimberly repeated, perplexed.

"What does he mean?" Trini questioned. Goldar started to laugh before vanishing into thin air.

"Whoa! Where did he go?" Trini shouted, and panic began to set in. A small, bright green light appeared near the base of the beach, catching their attention.

"What's that?" Zack asked, squinting at the distant figure. It seemed humanoid but was too far away to discern clearly. The figure leaped onto the Megazord, landing firmly on its head.

"It's on top of us, whatever it is!" Zack cried out.

"Security breach! It's in the Megazord!" Billy added, and suddenly, the cockpit's rear door swung open, revealing another Power Ranger – a Green Ranger.

"Who are you?" Billy inquired, getting up from his seat. However, the Green Ranger remained silent and instead kicked Billy in the stomach, sending him tumbling over. The other Rangers rushed to intervene but were overpowered and thrown out of the cockpit, one by one. First Billy and Kimberly, then Zack and Trini, and finally Jason.

All five struggled to their feet, their attention fixated on the Green Ranger, who landed gracefully on the ground.

"Damn, how did this happen?" Zack wondered aloud, helping Trini stand.

"Guys, is he a Power Ranger?" Trini asked, perplexed.

"Why would he attack us?" Kimberly pondered. The Rangers were flooded with questions, but one thing was clear: there was a Green Power Ranger, and he wasn't on their side.

"You're finished!" the Green Ranger declared, charging forward to confront all of the Rangers single-handedly.