MMPR Revisited
Terror Part 2
Billy and Kimberly had broken free in Angel Grove, and Zordon had issued a direct order to apprehend them at any cost. This directive left Jason, Zack, and Trini feeling a palpable reluctance. The daunting task of locating their wayward friends loomed over them. When they departed from the command center, their communicators had been rendered useless, most likely thanks to Billy. After splitting up and conducting a thorough search of the Youth Center, Jason and Zack regrouped at the entrance, their expressions clouded by grim tidings. Trini, on the other hand, approached the front counter and signaled Ernie for his attention.
"Hey, have you seen Kimberly or Billy around recently?" she inquired.
Ernie, setting down an order of shakes on the bar, replied, "Not since earlier when they were with you guys. Is everything alright?" Trini didn't want to cause alarm, so she simply flashed a reassuring smile and nodded.
"Yeah, just curious. Thanks, Ernie," she replied before turning on her heel to rejoin Zack and Jason, who wore matching expressions of pessimism. "Any luck?" She scarcely needed to voice the question and wasn't taken aback when neither of them replied. "I don't know how we're supposed to find them; they could be anywhere."
"The silver lining is that they haven't morphed yet. If they had, Zordon would be able to track them," Jason commented.
"Why is that good news? If they morphed, we could find them more easily," Zack retorted.
"Because if they decided to morph, it's likely they would cause some kind of damage or a scene, and we don't need that right now. Who knows how much this darkness has already influenced them?" The thought sent shivers down their spines. With Billy's intelligence and Kimberly's penchant for drama, they could only imagine the trouble the two of them might stir up if they were inclined.
"Trini, is that you?" A familiar voice caught Trini's attention, causing her eyes to widen as she turned to identify the speaker. "Wow, it's been a long time." A young man with medium-length ash-blonde hair approached them.
"Daniel?" Trini exclaimed, her smile tinged with uncertainty.
"It couldn't have been that long, right? Of course, it's me," Daniel said as he moved closer and embraced Trini warmly. Jason and Zack exchanged glances, and Jason cleared his throat.
"Yeah, it's been a while," Trini replied, then introduced Daniel to her friends. "This is Daniel, my best friend from middle school. He moved away just before we started high school."
Daniel shook both their hands, with Jason's grip being notably firm. He cast a protective glance over Trini, though she appeared oblivious. "Why are you here?" Trini inquired.
"My dad got his old job back, so we moved. I just enrolled in Angel Grove High today. I wasn't sure if you'd still be here, so I went to your house, and your mom told me you'd probably be here. I guess she was right!" Daniel laughed. "So, can I get you a milkshake or something? I'd love to catch up!"
Trini smiled, her gaze shifting from Daniel to Jason and Zack, who still wore expressions of concern for their missing friends. "I'd love to, but I can't right now. We're looking for two of our friends for something important. I'll be back later, though. We can catch up then?"
"Yeah, I'd love that. Just come find me when you get back?" Daniel suggested with a smile, and Trini nodded in agreement. With that, he walked away, leaving Trini to rejoin Jason and Zack.
"Your old boyfriend?" Jason teased.
"No, nothing like that. Just a good old friend. Once we've resolved this situation, I'll be more excited about catching up with him," Trini replied.
After approximately an hour of relentless searching, the Rangers found no sign of their missing friends. Billy and Kimberly were nowhere to be seen outside the school grounds, the mall, or the outside recreation center of the Youth Center. The trio of Jason, Zack, and Trini felt their morale sinking.
"I don't know where else to look. If we go to Kimberly or Billy's houses and they're not there, their parents will get suspicious, and we don't need that," Zack voiced their concerns. "If only they would morph." Just as Zack uttered these words, their communicators began to beep urgently. The three of them swiftly exited the Youth Center and made their way to the deserted alley behind it.
"Come in, Zordon," Jason said, holding his communicator up.
"Rangers, Kimberly and Billy have both morphed in Angel Grove Park," Zordon's words hit them hard, filled with both pause and sorrow.
"Zordon, were they seen?" Jason's worry was evident.
"No, fortunately. There is a Putty attack, and both Kimberly and Billy were merely responding to being attacked. If you can subdue them, Alpha can teleport them into a contained cell and administer the cure. But hurry, Rangers, time is of the essence." Jason lowered the communicator, and Zack and Trini turned to face him.
"Guys, we have to be careful not to hurt Billy and Kimberly if we can avoid it. I can't believe it's come to this…" Jason clenched his fists. "If I could get my hands on Rita, I swear I would—"
"Jason, stop. Don't let anger cloud your judgment. We can handle this. Rita hasn't won anything," Trini interjected. "We have to hurry."
"It's Morphin' Time!" Jason exclaimed.
"Mastodon!"
"Saber-Toothed Tiger!"
"Tyrannosaurus!" As their transformations completed, Zordon teleported them to Angel Grove Park, where Billy and Kimberly were battling a group of Putties. Jason dashed into the midst of the chaos, heading toward Billy. "Guys, I'll get to Billy; you two go after Kimberly!" Billy, being morphed, held his own in the fight, but Jason could see that his friend was struggling and that his shoulder was still injured. "Billy!" Jason called out to catch his attention. He leaped into the air, flipping over two Putties to reach his friend.
"What the hell do you want?" Billy's tone was low and angry as he brushed off Jason's assistance. He raised his hands, summoning his lance and attacking the Putties on his left and right.
"Billy, come on, we have to get you back to normal," Jason urged as he kicked a Putty aside and turned to face his friend, hoping to reach him through reason.
"Back to normal?" Billy laughed bitterly. "What is normal? A better fighter, perhaps?" Jason found himself baffled. "I wouldn't be where I am now if I were better. Maybe, as our leader, you should've taught me to be better," Billy struck a Putty across the chest. "Better at fighting," he continued, tripping a Putty and impaling its stomach. "Better at defending. Just better!" Billy swung at Jason, who narrowly evaded the attack.
"Billy, snap out of it, man. This isn't you," Jason insisted, but this time, Billy struck him, causing him to stumble to the ground.
"Get out of here, guys. You're wasting your time," Kimberly shouted as she blasted a group of Putties. Trini and Zack circled around her, struggling to figure out how to apprehend her. Trini began attacking a Putty that got in her way, and Zack finished it off with a blast to the head.
"Kimberly, enough is enough. Come with us!" Zack touched her shoulder, only to have his hand swatted away.
"Don't touch me," she threatened before kicking him in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain. "I told you not to touch me!" she growled.
"Freeze! Hands up!" They all turned to see police officers surrounding the park.
"Not now…" Trini muttered under her breath. "Guys, we have to hurry this up!" Trini grabbed a Putty by the arm and swung it around, hurling it into two approaching Putties. As a Putty attempted to punch her, Trini executed a full split with her right leg in front and her left in the back. She delivered a powerful punch to the Putty's stomach, then leaned over and swung her left leg over, sweeping the Putty to the ground before disabling it with a well-placed elbow to its neck.
Zack leaped into the air, grabbing one Putty by the neck with his hands and another by the neck with his ankles. He forcefully twisted his body, slamming both Putties to the ground. As Zack got up, he was greeted by a sharp pain in his arm, followed by the sound of a gunshot.
"Ahh, damn it!" Zack cried out in pain, clutching his arm. Fortunately, his armor protected him from any break in the skin or blood, but the pain was intense. More gunshots rang out, and the other Rangers managed to dodge them. "They're opening fire; we have to get out of here!"
"Not without Billy and Kim!" Jason insisted.
"Kimberly, they're shooting at us; we have to leave!" Trini positioned herself in front of her friend and placed her hands on her.
"Hands off, Trini!" Kimberly pushed Trini's hands away and kicked her. "They're not the only ones with firepower!" Kimberly laughed. "Power Bow!" Her weapon materialized in her hands, and she pulled back the bowstring.
"Kimberly, don't!" Trini pleaded.
"Sorry 'bout it," Kimberly released the bowstring, and a pink arrow sliced through the air. "Sorry, I'm not." The arrow pierced the hood of a police car, sinking into the engine and causing it to explode on impact. This triggered a chain reaction, as one police car after another erupted into flames, sending officers scattering throughout the park, some propelled through the air by the explosions, others fleeing in fear.
"Kim, what have you done?" Trini gasped. Jason and Billy ceased their struggle and watched in awe of the explosions. Without delay, Jason activated his communicator.
"Trini, what happened? You've got to stop her. Now!" Jason shouted, then turned around just in time to evade another attack from Billy.
"I'm trying, Jason!" Trini replied, getting to her feet and holding her hands in the air. "Power Daggers!" She sprinted toward Kimberly and thrust one of her daggers forward, but Kimberly blocked it with the edge of her bow. Trini swung her other dagger, but Kimberly ducked under it at the last moment. In response, Kimberly delivered a kick to Trini, who leaped back to avoid it.
"You're gonna have to do better than that, Trini!" Kimberly taunted, twirling her bow provocatively.
"Kimberly, please, don't make me do this," Trini implored once more, but Kimberly responded with laughter.
"Do you honestly think you can take me?" Kimberly leaped into the air, her bow swinging down forcefully. Trini hurled her daggers upward to block it and used Kimberly's momentum against her, tossing her aside. When Kimberly landed gracefully on her feet, she immediately lunged at Trini again, landing a high kick that struck Trini's helmet. Trini retaliated by thrusting her daggers forward, and Kimberly gracefully performed backward aerials to evade each attack. Once she landed, Kimberly pulled back her bowstring and released an arrow, striking Trini directly in the chest and causing her to collapse to the ground.
"Trini!" Zack sliced a Putty in half with his axe and tried to rush to his fallen comrade, but he was met with an unexpected obstacle—two police officers armed with nightsticks. "You've got to be kidding me," he said, his tone flat.
"Stop, or we'll be forced to subdue you," the first police officer warned.
"You guys need to focus on the real threat!" Zack retorted.
"One of your group fired at us," the police officer responded angrily.
"You shot at me first, if you want to go there. I don't have time for this!" Zack rushed forward, leaping over the police officers, and sprinted toward Trini. To make matters worse, another wave of Putties, led by a giant, green, toad-like monster, appeared. Zack activated his communicator. "Jason, it looks like Rita sent down a monster."
"Oh man, things can't get any worse," Jason muttered under his breath. Tired of Billy's relentless attacks, he raised his hand to the sky. "Power Sword!" He countered Billy's lance and managed to push him back. "I'm really sorry about this, Billy." Jason spun and delivered a kick to Billy's shoulder, causing him to crumple to the ground, crying out in pain.
"Asshole!" Billy cursed loudly, clutching his injured shoulder. "I underestimated you, Jason. I never would have expected you to resort to cheap shots." A wave of grief and guilt washed over Jason, but he took a deep breath to push it aside for the moment.
"You left me no choice, Billy. We have to get you back to normal," Jason replied, reaching down to help his friend up. "Zordon, Billy is ready for teleportation, hurry!" Within seconds, a blue light enveloped Billy, and he vanished. "That's one down." Jason rushed toward Zack, who was fending off the next wave of Putties and Rita's new monster.
"You all look so delicious!" the Toad monster exclaimed with terrifying enthusiasm.
"I don't like where this is going," Zack said and transformed his axe into shotgun mode. "I'm about to wreck these Putties' lives up." He began blasting the Putties into oblivion.
"We won't be able to beat them without Billy and Kim," Jason realized. He pulled out his blaster with his free hand and used both weapons to attack. He sliced through a Putty with his sword and finished it off with a point-blank blast to the face. Jason was taken aback when one of Kimberly's arrows struck a Putty, but by this point, Kimberly was firing at anything that moved. "Trini, get to her!" Jason instructed.
"Alright, round two." Trini picked herself up and charged at Kimberly once more. She thrust both of her daggers at Kim, but Kimberly deftly blocked them with her bow.
"Give it up, Trini," Kimberly laughed. But then, Trini delivered an unexpected kick to Kimberly's side, knocking her off balance. She followed it up with a backhand to Kimberly's helmet, causing her to spin. Kimberly quickly regained her footing and attempted to kick Trini, but Trini caught her foot and tossed Kimberly backward. Taking advantage of Kimberly's vulnerability, Trini hurled both daggers, hitting Kimberly squarely in the chest. Kimberly cried out in pain and fell to her knees.
"Kimberly, I'm so sorry." Trini's voice trembled, and her throat tightened. Tears streamed down her face, but she couldn't wipe them away; she had to deal with them. "Zordon, Kimberly is ready," she sniffled and grabbed Kimberly's wrist, and seconds later, she was teleported away. Trini tried to regain her composure for the moment, but she still couldn't believe she had been forced to fight—and hurt—her best friend. She picked up her daggers and ran toward Jason and Zack, who were locked in a direct confrontation with the Toad monster. "Kim's with Zordon."
"Good. It had to be done, Trini," Jason said in a comforting voice.
"I know," she responded, still burdened by guilt. She and Jason rushed to assist Zack, who was narrowly dodging the Toad monster's strikes. Despite its large, bulbous size, its movements were surprisingly agile and unpredictable. Saliva dripped from its open mouth, making Zack cringe in disgust.
"Dude, that's just nasty," Zack muttered as he pulled the trigger of his axe shotgun, blasting the Toad monster directly in its mouth and sending it tumbling backward.
"Nice shot, Zack!" Jason cut through a Putty and joined Zack.
"Thanks, but I thi—" Before Zack could finish his sentence, the Toad monster bounced back up and struck him squarely with its bloated gut, sending him flying feet-first into a nearby tree.
"Zack!" Jason yelled in alarm. He raised his blade and immediately began slashing the creature left and right. Trini joined the fray, stabbing repeatedly with her daggers. In response, the Toad monster sprang into the air and swung its long arms at Jason and Trini, knocking them both to the ground.
"You look especially tasty," the Toad mused, its grotesque tongue extending from its mouth, saliva dripping onto the ground.
"What the..." Jason was momentarily stunned by the sight before him. He quickly regained his composure, standing up and holding his sword defensively.
"Now, now. Don't resist. I don't want to play with my food too much," the Toad chuckled, bouncing closer to Jason while its tongue snaked toward him.
"Jason, watch out!" Zack shouted, pushing Jason out of the way just in time. The Toad's tongue wrapped tightly around Zack, squeezing him mercilessly.
"Zack!" Jason yelled, but his voice was drowned out by Zack's painful grunts. The Toad's mouth widened considerably, and its tongue retracted, pulling Zack inside before closing shut. Jason raised his blaster, firing relentlessly, but it had no effect. "Zack! Let him go! Let him go!" Desperation crept into Jason's voice, and only Trini's firm grip on his arm prevented him from rushing toward the monster.
"Jason, we need to get back to Zordon," Trini urged, pressing her communicator to teleport them both to the command center.
"Zack! No!" Jason shouted, pounding his fists on the ground.
"Jason! Jason, you need to calm down," Trini said, embracing him from behind and not letting go until he had regained some semblance of composure.
"Zack isn't lost, Jason." Zordon's words took a moment to register, and when they did, relief washed over both Jason and Trini.
"Zordon, are you sure?" Trini's voice trembled.
"Yes. This monster is indeed a creation of evil, but those it consumes aren't lost. Its insatiable hunger has spawned a separate dimension to store its victims. It's deeply troubling that Rita decided to resurrect this monster because, last time, even she couldn't control it."
"Why would Rita create a monster she couldn't handle herself?" Jason asked, frustration evident in his voice.
"The stakes are higher this time, Jason. While my previous warriors were formidable, they didn't pose the same level of threat to her and her army as you five do. It's truly an act of desperation," Zordon explained.
"So, how are we supposed to defeat it this time?" Trini inquired.
"I don't have an answer at the moment. Alpha and I have been devising plans since we detected the creature entering Earth's atmosphere."
"It would be immensely helpful if we had Billy assisting us," Alpha interjected, placing a device on the ground.
"Alpha, where are Kimberly and Billy?" Jason's tone grew urgent.
"They're currently recuperating in the medical bay. The antidote worked well, and they're regaining their strength. I managed to further aid Billy's shoulder—it's not fully healed, but it should suffice for now," Alpha replied, scratching its head.
"Good. Zordon, I can't shake the guilt of having to harm Billy like that. Are you certain he'll recover?" Jason questioned.
"Yes, Jason. These actions, while regrettable, were unavoidable. Rita unearthed a profound darkness within both of them, and if left unchecked, they could have wrought even more destruction," Zordon assured him. The command center's alarms blared, and the viewing globe displayed the Terror Toad devouring police officers and even some unfortunate Putties that crossed its path.
"Oh man, Zordon, this is getting dire. With law enforcement involved, how can we possibly defeat it?" Jason turned to face Zordon, his arms crossed.
"This won't be an easy battle, Rangers, as you're well aware. But it is possible. I believe local law enforcement will see it in their best interest to aid you in rescuing their fallen comrades," Zordon responded.
"We have to go down there. It's causing so much harm," Trini urged.
"I understand it's difficult to witness, Trini, but attempting to attack without a plan would do more harm than good. You need to act as a united team to stop it," Zordon advised.
"Damn, we really need Billy and Kimberly to wake up," Jason lamented as he and Trini watched helplessly, unable to intervene as the carnage unfolded before them.