High above the Arizona desert, five colourful jets flashed through the bright morning sky. Leading the formation was a sleek red bodied craft with a yellow beaked nose and an eye motif on the side. Inside the cockpit, a fully suited up Mark pushed a few buttons on the control panel, "Red ranger checking in," he called over the radio, "the Hawk Zord's systems looking optimal."
"Copy that," Jazz responded over the radio, "everything looks good our end, all Rangers please complete systems check and prepare for Mission Delta."
At the Hawk Zord rear was a slightly bulkier yellow bodied jet plane with a twin tail fin and silver wings, "Owl zord online," Ricky stated, gripping the control column a little tighter, "finally, something I'm good at," he added with a small grin.
Alongside the Owl Zord in the formation was a long, black bodied jet plane, "Iceman here, everything working fine but the cup holder is a little loose," Harley called over the radio.
"Can you be serious for more than thirty seconds Harley," Taylor scolded over the radio.
Harley snorted, "Fine but if I spill my coffee I'm not cleaning it up."
"His zord has a cup holder," Stevie said from the cockpit of the Swallow Zord. The body was similar in design to the Owl Zord except for the colour and the wings were on top of the main fuselage, "I want one too," she pouted.
"The Condor Zord doesn't have a cup holder," Taylor sighed, "and no, we're not installing one. Stevie, can you confirm all systems go for the Swallow Zord?"
"Think so," the blue ranger replied, "no alarms or red lights which I'll assume is a good thing."
"Yes Stevie, that's a good thing," Jazz answered for the blue ranger, "Rachel are your flight controls alright?" she turned her attention to the white ranger, "I'm seeing extreme inputs to the rudder."
At the rear of the formation was a small white bodied jet but unlike the other Zords, it was pitching up and down erratically, "Yeah, I'm just getting used to how it handles," the Swan Zord began to correct itself, "see all under control."
"If you need a little more time," Jazz said slowly.
"No I've got it," Rachel snapped, "let's get this over and done with."
In the Hawk Zord, Mark sighed and shook his head. The white ranger had already missed three Zord training sessions and they had already delayed this mission once, "Alright, if you're sure," the red ranger began, "Yellow Owl, you're up first," he added.
"Roger that," Ricky pushed down on his control column and descended towards the desert floor, "claw activated," he flicked a switch and a metal claw descended from the undercarriage of the Owl Zord. Spotting a reasonable sized boulder, he manoeuvred the Zord until the claw arm grasped the rock firmly, "Contact," he said, "moving in on target." Banking the Zord to the right, he lined up with an orange painted target in the distance, "Bombs away," he called with glee and launched the boulder, "target eliminated," he added when the rock found it target, smashing it into several large pieces.
"Nicely done Ricky," Jazz cheered over the radio, "you've really mastered your Zord."
"All those hours playing flight simulators during High School must've paid off," Ricky replied.
"You've certainly set the bar high," Mark added with pride, "can you beat that Blue Swallow?"
Stevie scoffed, "Please, you ain't seen nothing yet." The Swallow Zord broke formation and sped toward it's target, three tall orange poles sticking out the desert, "Wing Cutter, fire," she pushed a button on her control column and the wings detached from the Zord. They flew towards the targets, cutting them through half way up, "Oh yeah, nailed it," Stevie clapped her hands together.
"Don't forget the wing retrieval," Mark reminded the blue ranger. The wings on the Swallow Zord were designed to return automatically but the Swallow Zord still needed to be in the correct position, otherwise they wouldn't reattach. He watched as the Zord held position as the wings reconnected to the fuselage, "Two for two, Black Condor your turn," he called.
Harley didn't say anything over the radio, instead he accelerated passed the Hawk Zord and sped towards a large orange rectangle suspended between two cliff faces. Twin laser beams fired from the Condor Zord, cracking the orange target but not fully destroying it. Instead of pulling away though, the Zord continued to accelerate towards the target, "Harley," Mark began hesitantly, "what are you doing?"
"This," Harley replied and banked the Zord to a ninety degree angle and crashed through the target, totally destroying the orange structure. The Condor Zord though was undamaged by the attack, "Battering ram like nose code," he added over the radio, "ain't that what you said techy girl."
"I meant that the nose was solid not that it could be used like a battering ram," Jazz sighed, "try and take care of the merchandise in future."
"Eh, you wanted it gone and now it's gone," Harley shrugged, "I make that three for three boss man."
Underneath his helmet, Mark chewed his tongue, biting down a retort towards the black ranger that he would regret in the future, "White Swan, your turn," he said shortly.
Rachel grasped the control column with a shaky hand and pushed down, "To test the Swan Zord's fire power, the targets will be dropped and you have to shoot them down before they hit the desert, Taylor said over the radio. Spotting her targets off to the right side, Rachel flicked the control column sharply, "You don't need that much input to turn," Taylor reminded the white ranger, "small and smooth inputs."
The white ranger didn't reply, she was too busy focusing on the targets. Suddenly they dropped from their release points and began to fall. Firing her lasers, she took out three of the four orange balls but missed the fourth, "Damnit," she hissed and pushed down on the control column to catch up.
"Not to be a backseat pilot," Jazz said over the radio, "but your pitch angle is far too sharp."
"Jazz is right," Mark added, "at this altitude, if you don't pull up now you won't be able to."
"I've got this," Rachel hissed back in response and fired again towards the falling target. Once again the shot missed, striking a cliff face instead which triggered a rock slide. Attempting to avoid the falling debris, she snapped the control to the left harshly, causing the Swan Zord to bank over so violently to the point that it was nearly inverted, "This is not good," Rachel struggled against the G-Force to correct the spin.
The ground was spiralling towards her and alarms were ringing out but Rachel did seemed to do anything. She raised her arms up instinctively but instead of crashing into the desert, the cockpit window flickered grey, "Simulation over," Jazz's dispondant voice said over the radio.
The cockpit glass swung open to reveal a giant hangar where the five Jet Force Zords sat in a circle. Rachel spotted the control room on the gantry high above and immediately saw the annoyed face of the Major, "Well that was terrible," she commented dryly, "if this had been real, we would be hosing your remains off the desert floor in the hope there was enough left to bury."
Rachel undid her restrains and demorphed, "I'm so sorry, I thought I had it under control this time."
"Clearly you didn't," Taylor snapped, "and unfortunately thanks to your other commitments, we don't have time to reset and try again." Rachel tried to protest but the former yellow ranger held up her hand, "Yes I know I approved it but you assured me that you would put in extra time in the simulator. I haven't checked the logs but if I did, will I see your name?" The white ranger bit her lip and stared at the wall, "That's what I thought," Taylor replied with a sigh, "just go Rachel, we'll pick this up tomorrow," with that, Taylor ripped off her headset, dropped it to the desk and walked out, followed closely by an apologetic looking Jazz.
The white ranger climbed slowly down from her zord, only to be greeted by a grumpy looking Mark, "She's right you know," the red ranger began, "we're only as strong as our weakest link."
Rachel snorted, "Aren't you just a walking fortunate cookie," she barged passed the red ranger towards the locker room area. After pulling her bag from the locker she found her exit once again blocked by Mark, "Outta my way, I've got a meeting that I'm already late for."
"Rachel, you need to start taking this seriously," Mark stated firmly, "if one manoeuvre is out of sync, we won't be able to form the Megazord. You should be running the simulation again rather than selling hair dryers and face creams."
For a couple of moments the white ranger was silent, silently fuming at the red ranger's words. Finally, she calmed down enough to formulate a sentence, "I am taking this seriously," she replied deliberately, "this is the fate of the world we're talking about. But I still need to live, I need to eat and I need to keep a roof over my head. Where do you think the money for that is coming from?"
"The Air Force stipend-" Mark began before he was harshly cut off.
"Covers absolutely jack and you know it," Rachel snapped, "and that's not just me being a celebrity prima donna." She huffed loudly and adjusted her bag, "I'm the only one with a job outside being a Ranger, this is your job, Ricky and Stevie are students and I don't even want to think about what Harley does for money." Mark remained silent, glancing at the floor periodically, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some hair dryers to sell," she added sarcastically, forcefully pushing Mark out the way.
As Mark watched her leave, Harley slinked up behind him, "Smooth," the black ranger began, "did you think that insulting her livelihood was really gonna make her stay?"
"Shut up Harley," Mark groaned, "if I ever want your opinion, I'll ask for it," the red ranger stomped away, leaving a smirking black ranger in his wake.
An hour later in a downtown building, Rachel was pacing in front of a large screen. The building was known simply as The Hub, a place where residents of Aaronsdale could create videos and other creative content without having to pay the extortionate prices of a professional studio. Rachel spent almost as much time here as she did at home.
On the screen was a thin man with greying hair and deep tan, "Look Rachel, we've been flexible with our timescales but deadlines are looming. Estee Lauder are already threatening to pull the plug but I was able to get you an extra couple of days."
"I know Martin and don't think that I'm ungrateful but I really need a little longer," Rachel pleaded with the man, "I'm in the middle of a crisis and just need another week."
Martin steepled his fingers and let out a long sigh, "Rachel, I've been your manager for what, two years now?" the white ranger nodded, "I'd like to think we've built up a strong partnership in that time. I'd like to help but I need to know what's going on," he paused for a moment, "if this is your way asking for help, we can fully fund a rehab program-"
"God no," Rachel almost sounded offended, "I don't drink and never touched drugs, I just need a bit of time to deal with some personal issues."
"Rachel I'll be honest with you," Martin began, "things move much quicker these days. Anyone with a camera can become an influencer these days. Twenty years ago company's could've given more time because brand reps were hard to find. Now they can find people without having to leave home." The white ranger ran her hands roughly through her blonde hair, "I'll do what I can," Martin continued, "but I can't make any promises, I'm sorry kid but that just how things are these days."
Rachel sighed, "Thanks Martin, just do what you can," he closed down her laptop and slumped into a bean bag chair. She'd started her YouTube channel as a High School freshman who wanted to post a few fun videos to the internet. Five years later, her face was known all over the world. She'd visited every inhabited continent and it still surprised her how many people recognised her.
To begin with it had been fun, sharing her make up and hair styling tips and being rewarded financially. Now it was more like a business, the creativity had gone and pressure to deliver was greater than ever. At some point, it had stopped being fun. She mixed things up occasionally with fitness videos but that just led to backlash from company's and even some followers. She had been pigeonholed as a fashion influencer and short of shutting everything down and starting again, nothing was going to change.
Realising she was too frustrated to be creative today, Rachel packed up her things and left The Hub. As much as she didn't want to face Mark and the Major today, working on her control of the Swan Zord was a greater priority than making a video.
Stepping out into the sunlight, Rachel was greeted by the sound of car horns. Heavy traffic wasn't unusual in this part of the city and initially she walked on without think about it further. When she approached the intersection though, she spotted the traffic lights flicking between red and green rapidly, "Must be broken," she shrugged.
Suddenly the sound of a horn followed by the crunch of metal echoed through the streets. Turning around, she saw two cars that had collided at another intersection. They were quickly joined by two further cars from the adjacent roads as others were swerving frantically to avoid the pile up. Once again the traffic lights were flicking between the various colours, "That can't be a coincidence," the white ranger commented and immediately began looking for signs of the Vyglass.
Almost immediately she saw movement from an alley across the street. Carefully she picked her way between the stationary cars and into the shadows. The alley was a dead end but standing at the far end was the probable culprit, a green scaly monster with various traffic signs moulded into body armour. His head was also modelled after a traffic signal except it was positioned horizontally, "So, you're the one causing trouble," Rachel said to the monster.
Before it could answer, a soft set of footsteps approached slowly from behind. A feminine figure in a black and white body suit, headdress and a black veil obscuring the lower half of her face was walking deliberately towards the white ranger, "You may go Road Warrior," the woman called.
"Are you sure Princess Lena?" the monster asked.
"I am more than capable of handling one Power Ranger," Lena replied confidently. As the Road Warrior disappeared into a nearby electrical cable, the black and white suited Princess began to move towards Rachel, "You don't seem surprised that I know your identity white ranger," she asked.
"I just assumed your twerp of a brother told you," Rachel retorted, "I'm struggling to see the family resemblance though."
Lena chuckled softly, "You cannot begin to understand the Vyglass, human," she spat the last word and summoned a broad sword into her hand, "Let today be your first lesson."
"We'll see," Rachel called on her morpher, "Jet Force, Take Flight," she called and morphed into her suit. Her Jet Sword appeared instantly and she charged towards the Vyglass Princess.
Despite their intensive training sessions, it was clear that she was outmatched by the warrior in black, "Is this the best Jet Force has to offer," Lena sneered, "have you even used a sword before?"
Rachel struggled to parry a series of strong blows from Lena and she could feel herself being pushed back towards the edge of the alley. With her back literally against the wall, she decided a change of tactics was needed, "I'm much better with this," she unholstered her Jet Blaster and unleashed a series of shots against the Princess, all of which found their target.
The laser barrage staggered Lena but she wasn't going down that easier, "That wasn't smart," the Princess growled and unleashed a burst of energy from the tip of her mighty blade. Rachel ducked just in time as the attack blew a huge hole in the wall.
Ducking falling bricks and stone, the white ranger spotted a large opening away from the tight confides of the alley. Deciding to live and fight another day, she spread her wings and attempted to fly away. Princess Lena though saw this coming, "No you don't," she hissed, grabbing one of Rachel's legs and plucking her out the sky. With a swing of her arm, she slammed the white ranger brutally into the wall. Before Rachel could find her bearings, Lena viciously swung her sword in an upwards motion across the white ranger's chest.
The force of the blow knocked Rachel across the alley and into the other wall. The attacks where too much for her armour and her suit disappeared, leaving her in a bruised and bloodied heap on the ground. She tried to get to her feet but her legs were too unsteady and she fell back down, "I admire your fighting spirit," Lena stalked towards her prey, placing her blade underneath the white ranger's chin.
Rachel steeled herself for the killing blow but it never came, "The end will not come today white ranger," Lena continued, "I want you to fester in the misery of your defeat as it eats you away slowly from the inside." She lowered her blade and slowly turned away, "Say hello to the red ranger for me," she added before disappearing. Rachel slumped to the ground unconscious as the last of her energy escaped her body.