A/N: Hey, Ranger Nation! Long time, no see! It's been awhile, but I'm finally back with more episodes - four of them, to be exact, at least at the time this author's note is being written. I'm hoping to have more finished soon so I can maintain my weekly upload schedule, but for the time being you have at least four weeks of new episodes to look forward to! Woot woot!
We're gonna start the second half of the season with something I've been looking forward to for a very long time - the season-requisite team-up special! And just in time for a reader's birthday, too!
Yep, you read that right! Happy birthday to my longtime friend and reader, Deka Novelist! Hope it's a good one :)
Anyway, I hope you guys'll enjoy Part I! I'll see you all in the second author's note once it's over!
Episode 21: When Earths Collide, Part I
Late afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows of the empty college classroom, casting long shadows across its numerous tables and chairs. Doctor K sat at her desk, her face obscured behind a mountain of ungraded assignments. She leafed through the piles, scribbling onto each paper with a pen before licking her thumb and turning them over to reveal the next one. A faint knock on the door drew her attention as Agent Wright hovered in the threshold.
"May I come in?" She hummed, and he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. His eyes landed on the heaps of paper atop her desk, and he hastily added, "If now's not a good time, I can come back later."
"Oh, these? I have until Monday, so they can wait." Doctor K set down her pen, then stretched out her arms and let out a yawn. "I've been at it all morning anyhow. So what brings you here, Felix?"
"Well, I just came to check in, see how things were doing. I stopped by the Lab first, but Cheetor said you were up here," He scratched the underside of his chin, then continued, "I just spoke to my superiors in Langley. They weren't exactly thrilled with my report on the Ball."
"Understandable. The mission did go quite poorly," Agent Wright's lips curled into a halfhearted smirk as she said, "I take it they're shutting us down?"
"No, they're still committed to their end of the agreement. Though to be honest, I've got a feeling the Rangers might be on thin ice." He cleared his throat, then added, "That reminds me; how are the Rangers?"
Doctor K hesitated, averting his gaze and speaking in a clipped tone. "It's hard to explain, but something's changed. There's this...heaviness. A sense of defeat I've never seen in them before. Griffin especially...and it's not just about the mission, either."
"What do you mean?" Felix pressed.
"He's been fighting a battle long before he became a Power Ranger," Doctor K said cryptically. "And it's one I'm not sure myself or the others can help him win…"
"No…!" Griffin's voice was hoarse as he murmured in his sleep. He tossed and turned a few times, then abruptly thrashed like a shark out of water. "Not Wendy... please...no...no...NOOOOOO!"
He awoke with a jolt and thrust himself forward into a sitting position. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he took a series of rapid, shallow breaths and wiped the tears from his eyes. He was pulled back to reality when a burst of laughter spilled from the living room.
He changed out of his pajamas, then emerged from his bedroom and spotted his roommate Thom, who was watching a comedy film with their friend Evan.
"Morning, Grif! Sorry if we woke ya; Evan and I are watching Talladega Nights,"
"You're more than welcome to join us," Evan said, patting the cushion next to him. Griffin didn't respond, so Thom tilted his head back to glance at their friend.
"You doing okay, mate?" Nothing still. "You've felt a bit off lately. Anything you wanna talk about?"
Griffin shook his head rapidly as if he'd been in some sort of haze. His eyes clouded, and he hastily replied, "Nah, I'm good. Sorry, I'm just tired."
"Hey man, don't sweat it," Evan replied. He gestured to the TV and added, "You sure you don't wanna join us?"
"Actually, I think I'll go for a walk," Griffin made for the door, grabbed his gray winter coat off the nearby rack, and slipped it on. He opened the front door, then offered a quick, "Maybe some other time." as he shut it behind him.
Griffin settled onto a bench on an empty tennis court, the wood feeling cold against his jeans. The sounds of the city enveloped him – a chaotic blend of car horns, footsteps, and muffled voices punctuated by the occasional gust of frigid wind. He closed his eyes and let it wash over him; the jumbled cacophony was strangely soothing in its familiarity. He could hardly hear himself think, but for once he considered that a good thing.
He was abruptly shaken from his trance when two people passed by the court. They were in the middle of a conversation, and their voices drew his attention.
"Hey, did you hear about what happened at the Founder's Day Ball?" A guy Griffin's age with jet black hair and gold-framed glasses asked his friend, an overdressed brunette sporting a silver bow tie. "Crazy, right?"
"I'll say! I saw some of that on the news – it was nuts!" His friend replied animatedly, talking with his hands. "The Rangers almost had it under control until an evil Ranger showed up! Like, his suit was a reddish color, but not red red. It was like, I don't know, burgundy?"
"Looked more maroon to me," The guy with the glasses replied.
"Anyway, I heard they got their heads handed to 'em by the evil Ranger, and then he extorted the Mayor!" The guy in the bow tie exclaimed. "Apparently, he left city hall with a metric ton of Energon?"
"Something like that," The black-haired guy said with a nod. "If you ask me, the Rangers are doing a lousy job. From what I heard, the Red Ranger wasn't even there!"
Griffin scowled, clenching his fist so hard his knuckles turned white. As the pair walked out of view, his gaze shifted downward, his eyes burning a hole in the court's acrylic floor. The wind kicked up, and he shoved his hands into his coat pockets.
"Mind if I join you?" Quincy's sudden arrival startled Griffin, who jumped in his seat. The Gold Ranger strolled up to the bench before saying, "Didn't mean to scare ya, just saw you sitting here and thought I'd say hi."
"Hi," Griffin said tersely, his lips curling into a fake smile.
"Well, somebody's grumpy," Quincy teased. "What's on your mind?"
"You're a telepath; I don't know why you're asking,"
"Funny. Weren't you the one who told me being telepathic doesn't give me free reign to just read peoples' minds?"
"Don't start with me," Griffin groused as he folded his arms. "I'm not in the mood."
"This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Wendy, would it?" Griffin glared up at him, and he soon continued, "I told you. If you're scared of losing her too, pushing her away-"
"-isn't the answer. Right. Like saying that just magically makes things easier. Well, news flash, it doesn't!" Griffin stood and whirled around to face Quincy, who he jabbed in the chest with his finger as he shouted, "And if you'd ever lost someone, you'd know that! I..."
His voice trailed off, as did his gaze. "...I shouldn't have said that; you have lost people. I..."
"It's okay," Quincy faked a smile, then placed his hand on his friend's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "I know you didn't mean it."
"Here I've been brooding, and I never even stopped to consider how you and the others feel," Griffin sank back onto the bench and watched his breath swirl into a white cloud once it hit the winter air. "Forgive me..?"
"It's okay, Grif. You're just stressed; we all are." Quincy stared off into the distance and admired the haunting stillness of the cold winter skyline. "Hedgehog's dilemma sure is something, ain't it? Deep down the only thing people really want is emotional intimacy, but the closer we get, the deeper we hurt each other…."
"Way to paint a bleak picture," Griffin let out an amused snort in spite of himself, but his frown deepened as he continued, "It's not like I don't want Wendy to know about Josie. It's just...I mean...where would I even start?"
"Sorry, but our time is up," Quincy elbowed Griffin and gestured to a pool of green energy coalescing in the air above them. The Red Ranger hopped back up to his feet as it solidified into a shapeless blob that then expanded into a large portal. "Therapy hour'll have to wait!"
Three bolts of lightning leapt from the portal and struck the ground, and the portal left a trail of ones and zeroes in its wake as it vanished with a blinding flash. As the binary code fizzled out, a trio of robots emerged from the haze. Each stood where the lighting bolts had struck just moments prior.
"We're here!...wherever here is," said the first robot, who bore a striking resemblance to the Shovel Attack Bot. "Maintanner, where are we?!"
"Scanning...according to my sensors, we're somewhere on Earth-1," replied a silver, red, and green wrench-themed bot. "My theory about the anomaly was correct – it's an interdimensional portal!"
"Those two over there, there's something familiar about 'em..." The third robot, who resembled the Arsenal Attack Bot, chimed in, eyeing Griffin and Quincy intently. A few moments later, he snapped his fingers and shouted, "They're Power Rangers! I can smell the Morphing Grid energy from here."
"You're seeing this too, right?" Quincy asked Griffin, who instinctively dropped into a fighting stance as the other two robots shifted their attention to them.
"Astute as always, Vargoyle! What's say we give 'em a warm welcome?" Shovelloader motioned to Maintanner, who thrust his right hand forward. Streams of orange binary code ebbed from his fingertips, solidifying into a horde of what appeared to be Xanadroids.
"Tronics, attack!" Maintanner commanded, prompting the foot soldiers to draw their weapons and charge toward the duo. Griffin and Quincy exchanged a look, then drew their morphers without hesitation.
"It's Morphin' Time!" They hollered in unison. "Install: CPU!"
They morphed in a flash of light, then worked together to thin the Tronics' ranks. Griffin supersped through the court and slashed them with his saber, while Quincy stood his ground and pelted them with blaster bolts.
"Grif, look out!" Quincy warned, gesturing to a pair of Tronics that had flanked the Red Ranger.
"Oh no, you don't!" Griffin caught them both with a roundhouse kick, then jabbed them in the abdomen once they fell to the ground. A third Tronic crept behind him and lifted its weapon above its head, but Griffin turned and punched it with his free hand. It stumbled backward and bounced off a nearby tennis net, allowing the Red Ranger to finish it off with a super-kick to the throat. With an amused snort, he quipped, "Looks like you've been served!"
"And I thought Ken's jokes were bad," Quincy teased. A pair of Tronics blindsided him, tackling him to the ground. The Gold Ranger kicked them both in the face, then hopped back up and caught the stunned robots with a double lariat. More Tronics rushed him, and he lifted them in the air with his telekinesis. They squirmed and wriggled in a vain attempt to break free as he hacked them to pieces with his saber. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you rust-buckets weren't even trying!"
"You haven't seen anything yet!" Shovelloader shouted, lunging at the Gold Ranger with his shovel arm. Quincy only narrowly evaded the attack.
"You'd do well not to underestimate the might of the Imperial Triumvirate!" Maintanner drew two wrench-shaped weapons and flung them at the pair like boomerangs. Griffin and Quincy cried out in pain as the objects struck them and their armor sparked. "Hahahaha!"
"So you're the Rangers defending Earth-1?" Vargoyle scoffed. He locked blades with Griffin and knocked Quincy aside with an energy blast as he attempted to intervene. Griffin's arm shook as he struggled to hold him back. "I can't say I'm impressed,"
Vargoyle withdrew his blade and kicked Griffin in the sternum. Griffin stumbled back a bit, then clumsily regrouped with Quincy. Vargoyle aimed his blaster at them, and golden light pooled in its barrel as he charged an attack. He'd just started to pull the trigger when another portal opened above him, and a chorus of voices rang from within it.
"Activate: Beast Power!" Five brightly colored silhouettes leaped from the portal, landed on the ground, and assumed a crouched position. As these newcomers stood to their feet, Griffin and Quincy felt their jaws drop inside their helmets.
Standing before them were red, blue, yellow, gold and silver Power Rangers with suits nearly identical to theirs. The only discernible difference between their suits and the CPU Rangers' were the visors, which were all black instead of being in their individual Ranger colors. Griffin and Quincy's confusion mounted as they watched the newcomers spin around to face their would-be attackers.
"What's the matter, Vargoyle?" The other Red Ranger taunted. "You didn't seriously think you'd seen the last of us, did you?"
"We traced your energy signatures and were able to use the anomaly to hitch a ride to Earth-1," The other Gold Ranger explained. "Whatever you're planning, it ends here!"
"Seven against three...I don't like these odds," Maintanner told the others.
"Weren't you just preaching about our Imperial might? Don't be such a coward!" Shovelloader admonished. "I don't care if there's seven or seven hundred of them! We still have the advantage!"
"You sure about that?!" A familiar voice boomed as CPU Blue, Yellow, and Silver dashed into the area, weapons at the ready. They bounded up to Griffin and Quincy, and Kenny continued, "How's ten against three sound?!"
"We don't have time for this," Vargoyle stretched put his arm to hold his two compatriots back. "We should find the Empress and reconvene."
"...Vargoyle's right," Maintanner typed a string of commands into a holographic keyboard on his forearm, then turned to the other two and added, "Let's go."
"Fine. I was getting bored anyway," Shovelloader and the others teleported away, and the two Ranger teams stood rooted to their spots.
"Where's everyone going?" Griffin quipped. "Bingo?" [1]
"Power Down!" The other Ranger team shouted in unison, their suits disappearing to reveal their civilian forms. Griffin's counterpart, an African-American guy with an afro, extended his hand and said, "Devon Daniels. Red Ranger."
"Griffin Steinmann. Also Red Ranger," Griffin and the others demorphed too, and the former shook Devon's hand. "This is too weird..."
Griffin and the others strode down the winding halls of SHU's primary lecture hall, while Devon and his team followed close behind. On Saturday, the campus was dead quiet, with far fewer classes. The silence was broken only by their footsteps, which echoed off the polished linoleum floor.
"So, you guys go here?" Devon asked as he took in their surroundings.
"Yep," replied Griffin.
"What're your guys' majors?"
"I major in English, Ken and Quincy both major in Computers, and Wendy's undeclared," Griffin told him. "As for ALPHA, our courses don't accommodate robots just yet, but if they did, he'd probably major in Energon Consumption. He's practically addicted to the stuff."
"You're exaggerating!" ALPHA countered, lowering his Energon can mid-sip. As everyone's eyes fell on him, he added, "I can quit anytime I want to...starting tomorrow."
The others laughed, and then Griffin said, "What about you guys? What do you major in?"
"Actually, we're not in college," Devon told him.
"What do you do, then? When you're not on Ranger duty, I mean."
"Karate and video games, mostly. You're a big gamer, too, right?" Griffin nodded, to which he added, "I thought so. You referenced RE4 earlier."
Kenny glanced expectantly at Ravi, who brusquely said, "I don't have time for hobbies."
"So those paintings of yours, they're strictly business?" Devon teased, earning himself an elbow to the ribs.
"I volunteer at the local animal shelter," Zoey told Wendy. "I used to work in Grid Battleforce's laundry department, but that was before I became a Ranger."
"I like tinkering with gadgets and computers," Nate chimed in. Quincy nodded in acknowledgment. "Oh, and I really like old movies! My favorite's Blade Runner."
"What about you?" ALPHA asked Steel, who tipped a cowboy hat he was wearing.
"My hobbies include but are not limited to drinking Morph-X, watching human westerns, and admiring my own reflection!"
Everyone laughed again, and they turned the corner just in time to watch Agent Wright accompany Doctor K out of her classroom.
"Doc, over here!" Griffin called out, drawing his mentor's attention.
"Rangers, you're here!... All ten of you," Doctor K crossed the hall, looking Devon and his team over before shifting her attention back to Griffin. "Explain."
The voices of other students echoed from around the corner, and Agent Wright motioned to the nearby broom closet. "Lab. Now."
"Alright, let me see if I'm getting this right," Doctor K paced around the lab and clasped her hands together as the Rangers gathered around her. She turned to Devon, then asked, "You're all from Earth-3?"
"You got it," Devon confirmed. "Coral Harbor, to be more specific."
"Grid Battleforce was experimenting with the Morphing Grid when they found a way to pair its energy with animal DNA. That's where we get our powers," Ravi explained.
"Our enemies are the Mechalius Empire," Zoey elaborated. "They're a race of space-faring cyborgs bent on world domination."
Doctor K tensed up, and realization flashed in Kenny's eyes. "She said cyborgs Doc, not Psi-Borgs." Devon and the others looked at him funny, and he explained, "It's a long story..."
"We seem to be trading those," Agent Wright chimed in. He looked to Devon before saying, "Those three robots, they're generals of this Empire?"
Devon nodded. "They make up the Imperial Triumvirate. Their authority is only superseded by Empress Dioda."
"So that's what they meant when they mentioned an Empress," Quincy observed, stroking his chin. "She sounds like bad news."
"That's definitely an accurate assessment," Nate told him. "They might've wound up here by accident, but trust me. They won't leave without a fight."
Doctor K turned and made her way to the corner, her brows furrowing. She pressed her left index finger and thumb to her chin as Agent Wright followed her. "What's on your mind?"
"Venjix," She said grimly. "Control left the Ball with a substantial amount of Energon. I was already afraid of what he'd do with it if left to his own devices, but if this Empress joins forces with Venjix...it could spell disaster."
A creak echoed through the recesses of the abandoned warehouse as a side door swung open, allowing Maintanner, Shovelloader, and Vargoyle to slip inside. Together, they scanned its interior, and Maintanner compared their surroundings to some sort of readout on his holographic terminal.
The door was thrust open a second time, and a tall, slender woman strode inside. She bore a striking resemblance to Alt, with light brown skin and shoulder-length brown hair. She was clad in a silver camisole paired with black leather pants, matching evening gloves adorned with silver bands, and black high-heeled boots that accentuated her height. Her most distinguishing feature was her domed, translucent helmet, which resembled a light bulb and flowed seamlessly into a pair of triangular black shoulder pauldrons. Her piercing gaze swept across the room, and her eyes narrowed.
"Well?" She demanded, her voice dripping with impatience.
"T-This seems to be the place, Your Majesty," Maintanner stammered, bowing down to her. He stood straight, gestured around, and said, "This is Venjix's hideout!"
"Yes. It is," Control emerged from the shadows, followed closely by Alt and Delete. He summoned his rapier and pointed the blade at Dioda's neck as she fixed him with a defiant stare. "Which begs the question of what you're doing here."
"You insolent worm!" Shovelloader roared and swatted the rapier out of his hand. "How dare you threaten the Empress?!"
"Stand down! I run an Empire; I'm fully capable of speaking for myself!" Dioda admonished. Her attention shifted back to Control, and she dipped her head. "I am Empress Dioda, leader of the Mechalius Empire. My subordinates and I hail from Earth-3, and we've come to propose an alliance."
"Oh really?" Alt folded her arms, unimpressed. "And what makes you think we'd be interested?"
"I have a plan. One you should find quite tempting," This earned the Empress a scoff from Alt, but she paid her doppelganger no mind. "A plan to destroy the Power Rangers – all ten of them!"
"GO ON." Venjix bellowed, the light from his containment tube filling the room with an ominous red glow. "I'M LISTENING."
"But Father, we don't know them!" Delete squelched. "You can't seriously be considering-"
"I'M PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF MAKING MY OWN DECISIONS, DELETE! I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU REMEMBER YOUR PLACE!" Delete cowered as Venjix continued, "CONTROL'S LATEST ENERGON ACQUISITION HAS BROUGHT ME ONE STEP CLOSER TO INHABITING A PHYSICAL BODY AGAIN, BUT SMALL VICTORIES ARE MEANINGLESS IN THE FACE OF RECURRING OPPOSITION! THE CPU RANGERS HAVE BEEN A THORN IN MY SIDE FOR FAR TOO LONG; IF THE EMPRESS THINKS SHE CAN DISPOSE OF THEM ONCE AND FOR ALL, LET HER TRY IT!"
"Y-Yes, Father…!"
"EMPRESS, MY FORCES ARE AT YOUR DISPOSAL. CONTROL, YOU AND YOUR SIBLINGS ARE TO ASSIST HER IN ANY WAY YOU CAN. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT ALLOW THE RANGERS TO INTERFERE!"
"Considerez que c'est fait," Control replied in French.
"GOOD." Venjix's maniacal laughter shook the building as he shouted, "MARK MY WORDS, RANGERS! YOU'VE DEFIED ME FOR THE LAST TIME!"
A klaxon blared throughout the lab, echoing off its sterile white walls and shaking everyone from their thoughts. Cheetor dashed over to his terminal, and his fingers danced elegantly across the keyboard.
"Doc, I'm detecting break-ins at multiple locations!" He informed her. A city map appeared on the holoscreen, with red dots in five different spots. "Energy signatures match Venjix and Mechalius patterns!"
"Then I was right," Doctor K said gravely. "They're teaming up."
"But what're they after?" Agent Wright questioned, gesturing to the holo map. "A research lab, an old factory, an Energon plant, a NASADA complex, and a military base? It's like they're selecting targets at random."
"They're not," A female voice echoed from the comm-link. Its owner, a short haired, mocha-skinned woman clad in a military uniform, appeared on the holoscreen. They all turned their attention to her, and she introduced herself. "Forgive me for hacking past your security protocols, Doctor K. We're short of time, so I had no choice. My name is Commander Shaw; I'm the head of Grid Battleforce and the Beast Morphers' commanding officer."
"Mom!" Ravi exclaimed, eyes wide. "You know what's going on?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," Doctor K turned to the holoscreen, her interest thoroughly piqued as Commander Shaw continued, "We've dug through our database, and according to our intel, the anomaly that transported the Mechalius and my Rangers to Earth-1 matches the description of a similar phenomenon detailed in the Empire's creation myth. According to this myth, an all-powerful being known as The W'rkncacnter – a 'dreaming god' – created the Mechalius and attempted to conquer the multiverse. This attempt seems to have been thwarted by the Eltarians. They sealed the W'rkncacnter in an artificial sun, then tucked it in a far-flung corner of the multiverse and threw away the key. According to a Mechalius prophecy, the W'rkncacnter's residual energy will one day form an inter-dimensional portal. This 'world-gate' is highly unstable, but it's said that the chosen one will be able to stabilize it and free the W'rkncacnter."
"If I were to make an educated guess, I'd say Dioda believes herself to be this chosen one," Doctor K replied, stroking her chin. "Which leads me to the following conclusion: they must be stealing technology to try and piece together some sort of stabilization device."
"We can't let that happen," Agent Wright chimed in. "We gotta stop 'em!"
"Agreed. Rangers, it falls to you – all of you." Doctor K turned to face them before continuing, "Our adversaries have joined forces, so I think it'd be prudent for us to do the same. You can't be in five places at once though, so the most pragmatic solution will be to split up. Griffin and Devon, I'm sending you to the research lab."
"Right on!" Devon exclaimed, pumping his fist.
"You can count on me, Doc." Griffin nodded.
"Kenny and Ravi, you'll go to the factory."
"When it's all over, they'll say we blue them away!" Kenny joked. Ravi immediately facepalmed.
"Wendy, Zoey, you'll take the Energon plant."
"Let's kick some ass!" Wendy hollered, high-fiving Zoey.
"Quincy, Nate, I'm assigning you to the NASADA complex."
"I won't let you down, Doc," Quincy told her.
"We'll get the job done." Nate echoed.
"That only leaves the military base. ALPHA and Steel, I'll leave that to you."
"The only thing stronger than me is two of me!" Steel declared, earning a laugh from the others.
"The fates of both our worlds hang in the balance," Commander Shaw warned. "Remember that."
"Rangers: move out!" Doctor K commanded, and each Ranger linked up with their counterpart and marched towards the exit.
Wendy and Zoey were halfway up the stairs when the former came to a sudden halt. She turned and made her way over to Griffin, who tilted his head.
"You okay…?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," She averted his gaze and rubbed her right forearm with her left hand. "...Good luck. Be careful out there."
"Yeah, I will." Griffin offered her a small smile once they reestablished eye contact. "You too, Carrot Top."
"I guess we should go now." Wendy swallowed thickly, and her cheeks went pink. "...Blockhead!"
She turned tail and ran after Zoey, who ushered her through the door. Griffin remained rooted to his spot and only moved once Devon slapped him on the shoulder.
As the sun set and the moon took its rightful place in the night sky, Griffin's sedan wound its way up the mountain road that led to the research laboratory. While Griffin busied himself with driving, Devon cast his gaze out the window, ostensibly serving as a lookout.
"Soooo Grif, I couldn't help but notice you and that Wendy girl having a bit of a moment back at the lab," Devon waggled his eyebrows as he added, "What's that about?"
"W-What?! Nothing, I...Wendy, she's...we're just friends!" Griffin sputtered. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, and his face turned fire engine red.
"Relax, man. I'm just messing with you," Devon chuckled. He cast a quick look at the passing scenery, then turned his attention back to his counterpart. "But seriously, she seems like a great girl. You should ask her out sometime."
"I wish it were that simple," Griffin's face fell as he continued, "I've been burned before, and I'm not sure I'm ready to take that risk again. Losing someone you care about…it can really mess you up."
As Griffin eased on the brake and parked the car behind a thick cluster of trees, Devon turned off the radio and said, "Look, I don't know what you've been through, but I'll tell you this – you can't let your past dictate your future. If you like Wendy, you should go for it – better than spending the rest of your life wondering what could've been, y'know?"
"...Maybe you're onto something," Griffin eventually replied.
Just then, a massive explosion erupted out of nowhere. Their eyes flicked to the laboratory wall, which had just been hit by a large energy blast. A shimmering silhouette leapt from a tree and uncloaked to reveal Vargoyle, who made his way inside as alarms started blaring.
"We gotta go!"
They hopped out of the car and supersped after the robot. The on-site security guards gawked in confusion as twin scarlet blurs whizzed past them and vanished just as quickly as they'd appeared. The Red Rangers sped through a hall that ran along the length of the facility, then ducked behind a partition and peeked into the nearest lab room. They watched Vargoyle stomp past a terrified scientist and make his way to a computer terminal, which he attempted to unlock.
"ACCESS DENIED," A computerized voice echoed from its speakers, and Vargoyle let out an amused snort.
"So they were smart enough to lock it...good. I was afraid this wouldn't be any fun," He reached for his belt and produced an electronic device that he snapped onto the side of the terminal. He pressed a button on it, and a waterfall of binary code flashed onscreen as it began to hack past the network's security. "Maintanner's ICE-pick should make short work of their protocols."
"We gotta stop him before that thing finishes," Griffin whispered to Devon, who nodded in agreement. They brandished their morphers, and Devon pulled a strange red trinket out of his jacket pocket. Griffin gestured to it and said, "What the heck is that?"
"Morph-X Key," Devon said as if it were obvious. "You don't have one?"
"Why would I use a key to morph?" Griffin wrinkled his nose. "That's stupid." [2]
Devon brushed this off, and they proceeded to morph. Griffin twisted his morpher's dial and pressed its button while Devon inserted his key into his own morpher.
"Install: CPU!"
"Activate: Beast Power!"
Red light flashed through the window, and Vargoyle spun on his heels as CPU Red and Red Cheetah burst through the glass with their weapons drawn.
"You again?" Vargoyle dodged a swing from Griffin, who he swatted across the room. He then locked blades with Devon, who dug in his heels and grit his teeth inside his helmet. "You don't know when to quit, do you?"
"Ask a stupid question!" Devon broke through his defense and swung wildly at the robot, who met each strike with one of his own. Their blades clashed repeatedly in a shower of sparks.
"Don't forget about me!" Griffin said, pulling himself to his feet and dashing toward them. Before he could reach them, though, a familiar maroon silhouette materialized in front of him. He raised his saber and narrowly managed to block a swing from CPU CTRL. His arm quivered as he attempted to hold the morphed Avatar back.
"Bonjour!" Control greeted his nemesis with an audible smile. "Miss me?"
"Can't say I have!" Griffin delivered a mighty left hook to his opponent, then spun around and attempted a roundhouse kick. Control deftly avoided the attack by teleporting behind Griffin, who ducked just in time to evade an incoming jab. They locked blades again, and both Red Rangers gave it their all as they dueled with their respective rivals.
Meanwhile…
As he took point, Ravi kept low to the ground and stealthily approached the derelict factory. Kenny followed closely behind, leaves crunching under his feet as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"Looks like this is the place," Ravi studied a readout on his morpher and compared the coordinates he'd been given to the GPS app on his phone. He slipped his phone back into his pocket, then motioned to Kenny. "We don't know what we're up against yet, so we should move in as quietly as possible."
"Is that really how you wanna do this?" Kenny yawned and stretched out his arms behind his head. "Cuz I gotta be honest, stealth's really not my style."
"Yeah, I kinda picked up on that," Ravi turned to face him, then added, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm curious: Why'd Doctor K choose you to be the Blue Ranger?"
"I don't know. I guess I was just ready and willing, is all," Kenny shrugged. "What about you? Your Mom's the head honcho at Grid Battleforce; did that have anything to do with it?"
"If you're insinuating I'm only a Ranger because of nepotism, I highly resent that," Ravi exhaled through his nose, his lips curved into a slight scowl. "One of the many phases of Project Ranger involved an exhaustive search for potential Ranger candidates. That's how the team was put together – the original one, anyway. Out of everyone who wound up becoming a Ranger, I'm the only one who was supposed to."
"Interesting," Kenny stroked his chin, then mumbled to himself, "So *that's* why you act that way…."
"I'm sorry?" Ravi bristled.
"I was just thinking out loud, sorry." Kenny threw up his hands and said, "I didn't mean anything by it; you're just a little...distant towards Devon and the others. I'm guessing that's 'cause they weren't supposed to be Rangers or whatever."
"...I've never meant to come off that way, y'know," Ravi sighed and cast his gaze to the stars. "I was really close with Blaze and Roxy, the people who were supposed to become Red and Yellow. Ever since Dioda put them both in a coma, I guess I've just been scared of getting attached again. I'm also afraid of letting down my Mom...I love her, but being her son and subordinate can be nerve-wracking."
"I can definitely relate. My folks were pretty hard on me growing up."
"How'd you get through it?"
"I guess one day I just realized that I'm my own person," Kenny told him. "You're not always gonna meet everyone's expectations. You shouldn't go outta your way to disappoint them, but still, it's something to keep in mind. To be the best version of yourself, you have to be yourself. You feel me?"
"Actually, yeah," Ravi replied as he cracked a rare smile. "Y'know, I think I misjudged you."
"Don't sweat it, man. Nobody's perfect. Now, c'mon, let's get inside while we still have the element of surprise."
"It's a little late for that!" A familiar voice shouted, startling the pair. They turned and spotted Shovelloader, who stood at the mouth of the factory. He was flanked on either side by Tronics, who pushed carts filled with metal scrap. Shovelloader's gaze settled on Ravi, who he addressed by saying, "I see you've brought a friend, Blue Ranger. Were you too afraid to face me on your own?"
"Please! Like anyone could be scared of you, you over-sized Tonka truck," Kenny shook his head, his lips curled into a jovial grin. He readied his morpher, then asked Ravi, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
Ravi nodded, then brandished his own morpher and drew his Morph-X Key. "Activate: Beast Power!"
"Install: CPU!"
Motes of blue light clung to their bodies, then coalesced to form their Ranger suits. CPU Blue and Blue Gorilla summoned their weapons and ran to meet Shovelloader as he charged them and raised his shovel arm above his head.
"What's the matter?" Kenny taunted as he and Ravi worked in tandem to block his attack with their sabers. "Seeing double?"
"You're not as funny as you think you are!" Shovelloader roared, sending them both flying with kicks to their sternums.
"Woah…!" Ravi hollered clumsily as he landed on his back. He hopped back up to his feet, then turned to Kenny. "Cover me. I've got a plan!"
"Go for it!" Kenny traded his Analyzer for his Aperture, which he used to pelt Shovelloader with blaster bolts. Ravi seized the opportunity and dashed to the base of a nearby mountain. His fists glowed bright green as he slammed them into the craggy surface, which splintered into smaller, jagged pieces. He picked up the biggest boulder and lifted it over his head, then tossed it in Kenny's direction.
"Go long!" He hollered, prompting Kenny to leap into the air and kick the boulder toward Shovelloader. The boulder shattered, and a shower of shrapnel struck the robot's armor and caused it to spark.
"Oww! Why, you-!"
"Guess he's not a fan of rock," Kenny shrugged his shoulders, then looked to Ravi and said, "You up for an encore?"
"Enough!" Shovelloader thrust out his hand and fired a volley of lasers from his palm. The duo scrambled to avoid the projectiles, and he closed the distance and struck them repeatedly with his shovel arm. "I'll crush you!"
Elsewhere…
As the skeleton crew of District 4's Energon Production Plant settled in for the night shift, Wendy and Zoey used their superagility to hop the fence. They ducked behind a storage shed to evade a patrolling guard, then vaulted into the air and attached their morphers' grappling hooks to a nearby guard tower once the coast was clear. The duo rappelled up onto its roof and dropped down onto a catwalk that connected the building to the main facility.
The door before them swung open to reveal another guard, and they hastily scrambled over the railing and hung from the underside of the catwalk. The Yellow Rangers held their breath as the guard surveyed the landing above them. After deciding everything was to his liking, he turned and started down the opposite path. Wendy and Zoey sighed in relief, then pulled themselves back up and used their powers to slip through the still-cracked door.
"Doc, we're in," Wendy tapped into the comm-link, raising her morpher to her face as they quietly crept along the catwalk. "No sign of baddies yet, but we'll keep our eyes peeled, over and out."
"So this Energon, it's an experimental form of alternative energy, right?" Zoey asked Wendy, who nodded. "I thought so. Back home, we use a similar compound called Morph-X. Comes straight from the Morphing Grid."
"Huh. Neat," Wendy scanned their surroundings with her morpher, using its 'Analyze' mode to search for anything amiss. Nothing came up, so she looked to Zoey and said, "You mentioned you used to work in Grid Battleforce's laundry department. How'd you go from that to being a Ranger?"
"It was one heck of a promotion, that's for sure." They both shared a laugh, and then Zoey continued, "I guess I was in the wrong place at the right time. I'd just caught Devon breaking into GB HQ, and on my way to report him to Commander Shaw, we both waltzed right into the Empire's first attack. Dioda knew about Project Ranger, and she hit us right as Blaze, Ravi, and Roxy were prepping to morph for the first time. She incapacitated Blaze and Roxy, then almost killed Ravi before Devon and I stepped in. We activated the Red and Yellow morphers, and it was off to the races...anyway, what about you? How'd you become a Ranger?"
"Well, I needed to submit an essay for one of my courses, but my Aunt and Uncle's WiFi was on the fritz so I had to upload it from the computer lab. I went to the lady's room, and when I walked back out, we were under attack. Griffin tackled me to save me from an energy blast to the face, and after Doc K scared off the Keyboard Attack Bot, she chose Grif, Kenny and I to become Ranger Operators."
"Gotcha. Griffin's your guys' Red Ranger, right?" Wendy nodded, and she added, "This is gonna sound weird, but I saw the way you were looking at each other in the lab, and...you like him, don't you?"
"...Damn, is it that obvious?" Wendy rubbed the back of her head as her face flushed. She let out a small sigh before continuing, "It's kind of a moot point, to be honest. He's had his heart broken before, and I can tell he's not over it yet. Anyway, I have no idea where my life's heading in general. I mean, I haven't even picked a major! Am I even ready for a relationship? ...I honestly don't know."
"He may've been hurt in the past, but that doesn't have to define your guys' future. If it's meant to be with you two, then it'll happen. When it's meant to." Zoey told her. "As far as your major goes, don't sweat it. I don't have my life figured out either, but I'm following my own path. Life's a marathon Wendy, not a race. Just take it one step at a time. You'll figure out where your finishing line is eventually."
"I guess I've never really thought about it that way before...thanks, Zoey."
"Hey, don't mention it. Us girls gotta stick together," A feminine growl erupted from somewhere beneath them, and their gaze snapped to the ground floor. Their eyes landed on Alt as she manhandled the plant's workers, tossing them around like rag-dolls. The female Avatar brandished her twin pistols and held the lead worker at gunpoint. Zoey promptly turned back to Wendy and said, "We've gotta help 'em!"
"Time for a good old-fashioned cat fight," Wendy smirked, pulling the sleeve of her sweater down to reveal her morpher. "Install: CPU!"
Zoey quickly followed suit, raising her own morpher before inserting her Morph-X Key. "Activate: Beast Power!"
Wisps of yellow energy licked their bodies, forming rough outlines that solidified into their Ranger forms. CPU Yellow and Yellow Jackrabbit leaped from the catwalk, gracefully cascading down to the ground floor. They aimed their blasters at Alt, who whipped around to face them while maintaining her grip on the lead worker's neck.
"Get away from him you bitch!" Wendy hollered. [3]
"Ladies," Alt's eyes glowed with contempt, and she tossed her hostage aside and aimed her pistols at the pair. She fired a rapid series of blaster bolts at them, saying, "Be sure to send me a postcard from the afterlife!"
"We've got better things to do tonight than die!" Zoey shouted defiantly as she and Wendy took evasive maneuvers. Wendy dove behind a piece of machinery and planted her back into it, using it as cover and occasionally poking her head out to return fire. Zoey leaped up into the air and did a front flip, sailing over the sea of projectiles as she attempted a flying kick. Alt vanished just before her foot made contact, then teleported behind Zoey and swung at her with her pistols' bayonets. Zoey spun on her heels and narrowly ducked to avoid the attack. She hastily summoned her saber and used it to block Alt's second swing, her arms trembling as she struggled to maintain her defense.
"We've never met; this is Winston. This is Julia," Alt motioned to both her pistols with her eyes, her lips curling into a smirk as Zoey began to show signs of fatigue. "And I am Alt! I'm pretty good."
"Not good enough!" Wendy boomed, tossing her saber at the Avatar like a throwing knife. Alt winced as the blade sunk into her back; she disengaged Zoey and holstered her blasters to remove the blade from her artificial flesh. It rippled as she tossed the weapon to the floor, and she dashed towards Wendy with a mighty yowl. Zoey retrieved her blaster and rushed to join Wendy as she broke into a run; both sides fired wildly at one another as the plant workers looked on anxiously.
Concurrently…
Quincy slipped through the shadows, doing his best to remain hidden as he tailed a technician through the NASADA building's first floor. Nate followed close behind, and his eyes darted around the room as he struggled to stay quiet.
The Gold Rangers watched as the lab tech scanned his ID on a keypad-controlled door, unlocking it and granting him access to a different wing of the facility. It slid shut behind him, and a few moments later, Quincy padded over to the keypad and began to fiddle with it.
"ACCESS DENIED," Nate's gaze snapped to speakers nestled in the ceiling, and Quincy clicked his tongue.
"Yeah, I figured as much..." He shrugged off his backpack and unzipped it to retrieve his laptop and a small toolkit. He used a screwdriver to pry the keypad open, then fished around until he found a USB port amongst the forest of exposed wires. After connecting his laptop to the port via a two-way cable, he opened it and turned it on. He cracked his knuckles, then set to work, his fingers dancing elegantly across the keyboard as he typed a string of code into the terminal. "Don't get comfortable; we'll be in any second now," Sure enough, an electronic 'ding' echoed from the speakers a few moments later, and the keypad lit up green.
"ACCESS GRANTED," Quincy put his laptop away and slung his backpack over his shoulder as the door slid open again. He motioned to Nate as he slipped through. Nate reluctantly followed him, glancing at a security camera mounted in the corner of the ceiling.
"I disabled the cameras," Quincy told him. "Feed's on a ten-second loop; they won't know we're here."
"But wait, doesn't that mean they won't see the baddies coming either?"
"What do you think we're here for?" Nate's lips creased into a frown, and Quincy added, "Don't worry; I'm sure the rest of your team is doing fine."
"How do you keep-"
"Telepathy," Quincy said, cutting him off. "Their names keep popping up in your thoughts. Zoey's in particular, it's come up at least five times since we've been here. Do you-"
"I'm not really looking to have this conversation right now…!" Nate hid his face, his cheeks turning pink.
"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Quincy threw up his hands, then shifted his attention to the ceiling as a klaxon blared and alarm lights flashed. "Break's over; time to motor!"
He sprinted down the hall with Nate hot on his heels. They readied their morphers, with Quincy holding down his trigger and Nate inserting his Morph-X Key.
"Install: CPU!"
"Activate: Beast Power!" Golden light enveloped the duo. CPU Gold and Gold Mantis turned the corner just as Delete finished attaching one of Maintanner's ICE-picks to the computer controlling the door to a NASADA storage room.
"Stop right there!" Quincy and Nate trained their blasters on the robots, who turned to face them.
"Rangers! We wondered when you'd turn up," Delete remarked. Maintanner thrust out his hands, and streams of orange binary code flowed from his palms and solidified into a small squadron of Tronics.
"Here, have some Tronics to play with!" The wrench-themed General crowed.
"You always were a coward, Maintanner!" Nate swapped his blaster for his sword, using it to block an incoming swing from a Tronic. He swatted its weapon out of its hand, then slashed it diagonally across the midsection before turning to Quincy. "What now?"
Quincy fired a few rounds at the Tronics, then raised his left hand, pressing his index and middle fingers to his temple. He used his telekinesis to lift the robots off their feet, and they flailed their legs and arms in a vain attempt to break free as he charged them with his sword. "On me!"
Nate followed his lead, cleaving the robots in half as they dangled in the air. Once they'd disposed of the Tronics, they set their sights on Maintanner and Delete, who groaned in annoyance and reluctantly drew their weapons.
"If you want something done right, do it yourself…" Maintanner grumbled, spinning his wrenches in his hands and using them to deflect Nate's strikes. Quincy fired wildly at Delete, who dodged the incoming blaster bolts and swung his whip at the Gold Ranger.
Deep Underground…
Electricity leaped from Dioda's fingertips as she strolled through the military base, zapping soldiers into unconsciousness as they vainly attempted to slow her advance. At the end of the hall, she thrust out her palms, blowing a hole in the wall before her with a massive energy blast. She then stepped through the opening and into a storage cache.
In the center of the room laid a display case housing some sort of gauntlet; her eyes lit up once she spotted it, and she began to make her way over. However, she stopped in her tracks when she felt a presence behind her.
"I should've known you'd come to stop me," ALPHA and Steel kept their blasters trained on Dioda as they stepped into the room, and she raised her hands above her head before adding, "You've got me right where you want me. Now what?"
"Step away from the case!" ALPHA barked, motioning to her with his blaster. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, so just turn around and back away!"
"...Wrong answer," Dioda spun around and shot wire-like tendrils out of her fingertips, forcing them to dive out of the way in either direction. Once they were back on their feet, she reached for her hips, drawing twin pistols remarkably similar to Alt's. She aimed one at each of them and said, "Your move!"
"Hard way it is," Steel snapped his fingers, and his Morph-X Key materialized in his left hand. He looked to ALPHA before adding, "Ready?!"
"Ready!" ALPHA held down his morpher's trigger as he shouted, "Install: CPU!"
"Activate: Beast Power!" Steel boomed, slotting his Morph-X Key into his Striker Morpher.
Silver lightning crackled over every inch of their chassis', covering them in a metallic sheen that coalesced into their Ranger suits.
Dioda opened fire, filling the air with dozens of blaster bolts. CPU Silver and Silver Scarab summoned their swords to deflect the projectiles. Dioda snapped her blasters together to form a double-edged sword, locking blades with the two Rangers as they lunged toward her.
"You cannot stop what has already been set in motion!" She shouted, expelling a sudden burst of energy that sent them flying backward. As they landed on her back, she threw her head back and laughed maniacally. "Your destruction is the will of god! And I am its instrument!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: Annnd that's part one. If you've seen Go-Busters you probably already know what inspired this, but for those not in the know, Go-Busters' post-season V-Cinema was a team up movie with an alternate reality version of the Go-Busters team, and that's what this is (very loosely) adapted from. I've made no secret of the fact I wasn't a huge fan of Beast Morphers, but it had a lot of potential imo, and I thought a team up with an AU version of the team was the right way to go.
It was either that or adapt Go-Busters vs Gokaiger, and considering Megaforce's unpopularity (among other things...), I felt this was the better option.
Anyway, what'd you think? Feel free to let me know in a review; positive, negative, or anything in-between, I'd love to hear your guys' feedback! I'll be back next week with part two, but in the meantime, stay safe and may the power protect you - always!
[1] - I started working on this team up right after finishing my first or second playthrough of the RE4 Remake, and I couldn't resist the temptation to steal Leon's iconic Bingo line. Sue me.
[2] - I saw an opportunity to poke fun at Beast Morphers' hamfisted and incredibly off-theme collectible gimmick and decided to take it. Why a tech or animal-themed team needs to morph using keys of all things is beyond me but hey, if you like it more power to ya, this is just a goofy little gag I wanted to throw in.
[3] - Kenny's not the only one who can make pop culture references! (For those who didn't catch it, Wendy's line here is a paraphrased nod to a famous line of Sigourney Weaver's from the climax of the movie "Aliens". I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it, but if you know, you know.)