MMPR Revisited

Green with Evil Sacrifice Part 2

"Trask, we have to make a decision now," said one of the lieutenants, breaking Commander Trask from his reverie. He had been idly listening to the strategists discussing the pros and cons of a new initiative, but his mind had been elsewhere.

"Trask?" the lieutenant prompted once more.

Trask cleared his throat and adjusted his posture, as if seeing the room for the first time. "No," he finally stated.

A barrage of banter erupted among the advisors, but Trask raised his hand to silence them. "No, for now. It's not the right time to approve this kind of initiative."

"Respectfully, Commander Trask, but I disagree," argued Captain Emerson Jones. Trask rolled his eyes at the captain's dissent – it wasn't the first time he had done this.

"You're welcome to do so, Captain Jones. But respectfully, I don't give a sh—"

"Now, now – no need for such vulgarities, Commander. After all, this is still a democracy," Captain Jones interrupted with a sly grin.

"This initiative will allow us to experiment on the recently collected remnants of these abominations. It could give us invaluable insight into what makes these creatures so powerful," Captain Jones continued.

"Yes, Captain Jones, I know this. I have been listening," Commander Trask replied.

"No, sir, I don't think you have. Because if you're hearing this, then there should be no reason you would be denying us the research to stand a fighting chance."

"I believe in the strength of my men to win this battle," Commander Trask stated.

"Well, you may believe that, but there are innocent civilians dead because the strength of your men wasn't enough to protect them," Captain Jones retorted, showing remarkable audacity.

"We're in the middle of a war, Captain. You know there will be unfortunate casualties on the road to victory," Commander Trask responded through gritted teeth.

"Correct, but thankfully you're not the final word on this decision, Commander," Captain Jones declared.

"Not if you're overruled," Captain Jones added, making his intentions clear. Trask glared at him, sensing that Jones had something up his sleeve.

"Are you planning to overrule me, Captain?" Trask asked with a challenging tone.

"That's adorably calculating. But no – not today," Jones replied, pulling out a remote and activating a screen displaying a map of California with numerous "x" marks. "These are some of the recent attacks."

"Yes, and again, all localized," Trask pointed out.

"I said almost," Jones replied, zooming in on one "x" near the Nevada state line.

"No need to block everyone's view, Commander," Jones quipped.

"This hardly counts as a national problem now. It's a desert out there," Trask argued, his voice rising.

"Not to the 200 people who live in that area. Who will speak for them?" Jones countered, manipulating the situation to his advantage.

"What do you want, Jones?" Trask finally asked, cutting to the chase.

"If you approve our scientists, some of the greatest minds of all time, to reverse-engineer these creatures and run some tests, it might give us a clear advantage in this fight. And if not, let's see what the rest of America has to say. I'm sure POTUS won't feel the same about it with the American people terrified."

"The President of the United States is a busy man, Jones. He would have intervened by now if—" Commander Trask began, but Jones interrupted him.

"Then let's vote," Jones proposed. "All in favor?" He and Trask turned to the council, and Trask's eyes widened at the result.


"C'mon Kimberly, we overslept," Trini exclaimed while brushing her hair. They had promised the boys they'd meet at the command center no later than 10:00 AM, but with Kimberly's morning ritual, she knew that wasn't going to happen.

"Coming," Kimberly called out and opened her bathroom door. She joined Trini.

"So your mom thinks we're going to the mall, right?" Trini asked.

"Yeah," Kimberly replied.

"Good, I said the same to my parents. I just want to make sure we're on the same page," Trini said. The lies they had been telling lately were countless but necessary to do what they needed.

"All right, let's do this," Kim said. They both pressed the teleportation button on their communicators and took off. When they arrived at the command center, the boys and Alpha were already hard at work.

"Thank you for joining us," Zack said sarcastically.

"Her fault," Trini said with a laugh and then joined Billy at the monitors. Kimberly walked over to Zack and peered down at his notes.

"Do you guys have anything?" Kimberly asked.

"Just a hunch... for Trent and Scarlet. But not for Jason yet," Zack replied. Kimberly half-smiled; it was good news, but she wished for some news on Jason.

"Well, it's a start. What can I do to help?" Kimberly said.

"You should go get your arm checked, Kim," Zack suggested. Kimberly rolled her eyes; her injury from the Green Ranger still hadn't fully healed.

"Zack's right, Kim. I have no doubt you could kick some ass, but we're not sure what we're up against, and any surprise could hurt you worse," Billy said. "Alpha, could you help her?" Billy said, and Alpha walked over to Kimberly.

"Certainly," Alpha said and led her down the hallway to the medical bay.

"What were you looking for, Billy?" Trini asked.

"Scorpina's tomb," Billy said, and Trini's eyes widened.

"Are you - why?" she asked after formulating her thoughts.

"Goldar took back her relic. They were trying to resurrect her before the Green Ranger showed up. With Jason out and us vulnerable, it seemed like the perfect plan to make their forces more formidable. Zordon said that she was the worst of Rita's guard," Billy answered, and Trini threw her hands in the air.

"Terrific," she said.

"Yeah – we needed some major firepower to deal with all these new enemies," Zack added. "That's what I was working on. I mean, I'm no Billy, and I didn't know the science behind it, but I was thinking of some ideas."

"Like what?" Trini asked.

"Combining weapons – making new ones," Billy said.

"We had to get creative; our current arsenal just wasn't packing the same punch," Zack agreed. Trini walked over to look at Zack's notes and examined his designs.

"This all looked very complex," Trini said, "Were you sure you could do it?"

"We'd never know unless we tried…" Zack said.

"I think I found something," Billy said abruptly. "It's faint, but our sensors picked up on dark energy. I thought it was our best shot." Trini clasped her hands together.

"I knew you could do it, Billy," Trini said.

"It might have been a red herring…" Billy admitted.

"Any news was good news at this point. I'll go get Kimberly," Trini turned on her heel and rushed off.

"Hey, Billy, I think we should leave Kimberly and Trini out of this one…" Zack said once Trini was out of hearing distance. Billy looked at him incredulously.

"Why?" Billy asked.

"Because Kimberly is still recovering…close quarters with any of Rita's monsters could cause even more physical damage. And Trini…I think she's still…I don't think her head is in the game yet."

"Zack, we were down by one as it was. If we went after them with only half of us, I didn't think we'd get very far," Billy said.

"I know, Billy. But I thought it's what Jason would do." Zack looked over at the hallway and listened to make sure the girls weren't coming out. "How far away is this place?" Billy took a pause before answering, unsure if he trusted his sensors or not.

"A few miles in the mountains, pretty isolated, of course," Billy replied.

"Of course," Zack repeated. "Billy, we can do this."

"I agree, but we should tell the girls first. They have a right to know…" Billy said, and Zack gave him an unsure expression, then he relented, knowing Billy was right.

They waited until they heard the footsteps of the girls and Alpha 5 get up from their seats. When the others joined them, Trini gave them a curious look, suspecting something was up.

"What's going on?" Trini asked. Billy looked at Zack to give the explanation – it was his idea after all.

"We have a lead," Zack said.

"Another one?" Trini asked, confused.

"No, the same one. It's just a lead, though. And Billy and I are going to check it out," Zack said; Trini and Kimberly exchanged glances.

"Ayi-yi-yi-yi-yi…" Alpha said, shaking its head and walking over a monitor, staying out of the fight to come.

"Just you and Billy?" Trini asked, looking at Billy, who was now staring at the ground. "Zack, that's idiotic. The Green Ranger, Goldar, Baboo, Squat, and possibly Scorpina? And you're just going to do what? Stroll in and think you can handle them all?"

"Well said," Kimberly said, looking quite insulted by Zack's request as well.

"It's not like that, Trini. Don't make it like that," Zack said. "Kimberly, you're still hurt. I had no doubt you could kick some ass, but we're not sure what we're up against, and any surprise could hurt you worse."

"I'll be fine, Zack," Kimberly argued.

"And Trini... I think she's still... I don't think her head is in the game yet," Zack added.

"How dare you. Zack, you are not the leader of this team, and you do not get to make these decisions. When have I ever not had your back?" Trini said, her voice raised.

"If Rita turns Scarlet and Trent evil and they're attacking me, are you going to fight back?" Zack asked bluntly. Trini hesitated.

"That's because they're innocent," Trini replied.

"And history has shown us that innocent or not, if Rita has influence over you, you are an enemy. Because they won't hesitate to fight back," Zack said. Trini looked to the ground, a single tear falling from her face. Billy wondered if Zack had gone too far, but Zack didn't let up.

"I'm sorry if this hurts. It wasn't my intention, but we had to be smart. Rita was being smart. She was playing at our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities, and we had to be smart to get some traction in the fight. We had lost Zordon, they had Jason, and now Trent and Scarlett. We couldn't keep fighting with two hands tied behind our backs," Zack said. Trini still didn't say anything. Kimberly stepped forward and put her arm around Trini.

"Billy, could we see you guys from the viewing globe?" Kimberly asked.

"Once we morphed, affirmative," Billy replied.

"Good. We'll stay, and we'll be watching. If we saw you guys getting your asses handed to you, we were going in after you," Kimberly said, her voice stern.

"Deal," Zack said, knowing he had won a difficult battle; he just hoped he wouldn't regret it. Trini looked up and nodded her head, indicating approval of the deal.

"Alpha, teleport us to these coordinates," Billy instructed.

"Right away," Alpha responded.

"It's Morphin' Time!" Zack called out, holding his morpher in front of him.

"Mastodon!" Zack called out.

"Triceratops!" Billy called out.

In the heart of a beautiful mountain range, there was a cave with dim light emanating from it. Billy and Zack arrived through teleportation and scanned the area for any Putties – none in sight, for now. However, it didn't make the situation any less dangerous.

"Yeah, I got a bad feeling about this place," Billy said, looking at the inviting dark stone entrance. A girl's scream echoed from outside. "Scarlett," Billy muttered.

"Okay, we've got to go in guns blazing. Power Axe!" Zack summoned his weapon.

"Power Lance!" Billy called out, holding two short lances after modifying his weapon. "Let's do this." With weapons at the ready, they stepped into the cave, their determination burning bright.

"Alright, let's get this going," Zack declared as he and Billy charged into the cave. They turned the corner at the entrance and were met with the sight of Baboo and Squat gathered around a tomb containing Scorpina's remnants. Candles were lit and floated around them, while Goldar stood above, his sword menacingly raised over Scarlett and Trent, who struggled helplessly.

"Stop!" Trent cried out as they both fought against their restraints. Zack transformed his Axe into shotgun mode and unleashed a barrage of blasts at the golden griffin. The shots hit Goldar, sending him flying backward into a rocky wall with a loud scrape of his metal armor against the rocks.

"Power Rangers!" Baboo hissed through gritted teeth. Trent and Scarlett couldn't help but smile in relief.

"Miss us?" Zack taunted. Squat, however, charged forward with little control over his large frame in the confined space. He tripped over his own feet and rolled toward the Rangers. Both Zack and Billy leaped over the bulky creature, and Zack, with his shotgun mode, fired two shots at Squat, rendering him unconscious. "Double-tap."

Billy rushed forward to confront Baboo, the bat-like creature raising his claws as he charged at the Blue Ranger. Baboo brought one of his claws down, but Billy swiftly ducked, countering by jabbing one of his short lances into Baboo's abdomen, causing the creature to cry out in pain.

"How dare you strike me!" Baboo growled, delivering a swift kick to Billy, knocking the ranger away. Baboo clutched his wounded abdomen in pain and retreated behind Scorpina's tomb. Zack aimed his shotgun at the creature and pulled the trigger. Goldar intercepted the blast with his sword, redirecting it into one of the cave walls, causing rocks and debris to cascade down.

"You all made a grave mistake coming here," Goldar threatened, leaping over Scorpina's tomb and landing in front of Billy and Zack. He brought his sword down, and the two rangers used their weapons to meet his in a deadlock.

Goldar exerted his weight, pushing against the deadlock and knocking the rangers back. Billy regained his footing first, swinging one of his lances at Goldar, who parried the attack. Goldar then kicked Billy in the abdomen, bringing him to his knees. Zack rushed in with his power axe, swinging it around over his head and delivering a powerful blow to Goldar's chest plate. Goldar grunted but retaliated by grabbing Zack by the neck, a move that Zack quickly realized had been allowed by Goldar.

"Stupid ranger…" Goldar muttered, tightening his grip around Zack's neck.

"Not that stupid," Zack choked out, reaching for his blaster with his free hand and opening fire on Goldar, who had no choice but to release him. Zack swiftly jumped into the air, delivering a powerful kick to Goldar's chest that sent the creature tumbling backward, rolling over Scorpina's tomb.

"Take this!" Baboo yelled, throwing a blue energy ball at Billy, hitting him and sending the Blue Ranger flying back into a wall. Zack took a quick shot at Baboo's hand, causing the bat-like creature to cry out in pain. Zack rushed over to Billy and helped him to his feet.

"Are you alright, man?" Zack asked.

"Affirmative, but I might need Alpha to hook me up to something when I get back – morphine more than likely," Billy replied with a wry smile.

"Was that your form of sarcasm?" Zack quipped.

"Yeah…I tried," Billy admitted, getting to his feet and picking up his lances. "We have to get Trent and Scarlet down."

"Yeah, any ideas?" Zack inquired.

"One," Billy revealed. "Give me a boost." Billy jumped into the air and landed on Zack's hands. Zack pushed Billy upward, and as Billy reached the peak of his jump, he clicked on his communicator, activating the teleportation button. Surrounded by blue lights, he reached for Trent and Scarlet, managing to grab them before teleporting them all to the ground.

"Far out," Zack exclaimed, running toward them. "Are you two okay?"

"Yeah, now that you're here," Scarlett replied, relieved.

"Seriously, I thought we were dead up there," Trent added.

"You're not going anywhere!" Goldar yelled. "Putties!" He raised his sword, and several golden lights appeared around them, taking the form of the golem foot soldiers.

"Damn it…" Zack cursed.

"One way or another, these humans will bleed for my beloved, Scorpina!" Goldar proclaimed.

"Like hell," Zack retorted, turning his Axe into shotgun mode and blasting the cave ceiling over Scorpina's tomb. Rocks and debris fell, and Goldar yelled in panic.

"No!" Goldar shouted, panicked. With him distracted, Zack turned his attention to the Putties and began taking them out one by one.

"Stay close," Billy instructed as he decapitated a Putty with one of his lances. "We're almost out!" Slowly but surely, they made it to the exit, only to be stopped by the sudden appearance of Squat, who emerged from the ground growling.

"You're not going anywh-ahh!" Squat stopped speaking and fell face-first, revealing Kimberly and Trini – morphed – holding their blasters up.

"You guys!" Zack said, a sense of urgency and disappointment in his voice.

"Save it, we just made your job a lot easier," Trini responded, not arguing with that logic. The four of them rushed out of the tunnel, with Goldar yelling in the distance behind them. Once outside the cave, Trini pressed her communicator. "Alpha, we're ready for teleportation!" The group was surrounded by a cascade of lights and then suddenly disappeared.

When they reappeared, they were in front of Trent's house. Expecting a relatively quiet reception, they were instead met with several news vans parked outside, reporting on Trent's disappearance.

The crowd gasped, and suddenly, reporters and crew members poured out of the vans.

"Oh, crap," Kimberly muttered, echoing the others' sentiments. Trent rushed forward.

"Mom!" His mother and Brent were on their front porch; Ms. Redford's face was red with disbelief and joy to see her son returned. Brent looked at the Rangers from afar, an expression of gratitude painted on his face. Billy smiled.

"Power Rangers, over here," called a news reporter running toward them.

"We've got to go," Zack said. "Alpha, we're ready to come back." Zack spoke into his communicator.

"Affirmative," Alpha replied.

"Wait," Scarlett said, giving Zack a hug. "I don't know who you are, but thank you for saving us." Zack nodded.

Seconds later, they disappeared as they were consumed by the same lights. When they arrived in the command center, they took off their helmets and collectively exhaled.

"Who knew the press would be there?" Kimberly said.

"I guess it makes sense, but we need to be more careful," Zack said.

"At least it paints the Power Rangers in a positive light, right?" Trini asked rhetorically. It was clear they all agreed. "Well, it's a small victory, but we needed this."

"And you guys prevented Scorpina from being awakened. That's a big deal," Kimberly added.

"Yeah, about that – I'm sorry if I seemed rough on you guys earlier," Zack apologized. Kimberly and Trini exchanged glances, slightly surprised at Zack's apology.

"Zack, it's okay. You guys were in and out. Your plan made sense. We only came to help at the end because we saw Goldar summon the Putties," Kimberly explained.

"I know, but it's important that you know how important each of you are to this team. Ultimately, it will take all of us to defeat Rita," Zack was about to continue when Trini put her hand on his shoulder.

"Zack, we know. It's okay," she said. "Jason's not here, and you've stepped up to the plate; I couldn't do that. Let's just now focus on finding Jason…he needs us now," Trini said warmly, and Zack responded with a smile.

"Where do we start?" Kimberly asked.


"Damn them!" Goldar yelled, throwing a piece of debris at a Putty, knocking the golem back. "They escaped with our sacrifices! We need blood – innocent blood!"

"Goldar, we can always go pick another human!" Baboo suggested.

"No! Rita gave her power to this ritual; there is a window of opportunity that is slipping away!" Goldar slammed his sword down onto the ground, causing the cavern to shake.

"Now, now, Goldar – throwing a tantrum is no way to get what you want," a cool, familiar voice sounded from the cave entrance. Goldar scoffed, annoyed.

"What are you doing here?" Goldar hissed. The Green Ranger appeared before them, carrying his sword of darkness.

"I've come with a gift," the Green Ranger said.

"I don't want anything from you," Goldar replied.

"It's really unfortunate that you feel that way because I have what you need." The Green Ranger opened his free hand, revealing a vial filled with crimson liquid.

"Blood…" Baboo murmured, marveling.

"But whose is it?" Squat asked. Goldar remained quiet, his eyes fixed on the vial. His gaze then traveled upward to the Green Ranger.

"Is that from –"

"You know whose it is," the Green Ranger cut off Goldar. "There was more, but this was all I could gather on short notice." The Green Ranger held out the vial for Goldar to take, and after a few quiet seconds, Goldar accepted it, pouring a little bit of its contents over each relic.

"Excellent," Baboo cooed.

Once the blood made contact with each remnant, they began to ascend and come together. A red energy emitted from them, creating an oval-like shape that eventually took on a corporeal form: a large, beating gray circular tissue. A scorpion emblem appeared on top, and it inserted its stinger into the tissue before vanishing.

"What's happening?" Squat asked.

"Silence!" Goldar commanded. There was a heartbeat-like sound from the tissue, and then a hand burst out from the top of it, the pale hand covered in a mixture of blood and slime. Goldar grabbed her hand, and slowly but surely, Scorpina began to emerge. Her exposed form was pale and thin, her long black hair falling down her back. Finally, she let out a gasp of air, as if she were breathing for the first time.

"Scorpina…" Goldar said in disbelief.

"Hello, my love," she greeted, opening her cold, dark eyes.