Play "Falling" by Cryoshell
Instrumental
The screen starts off black. One by one, spotlights come on, revealing the three Rangers looking at the ground. They then lift their heads as the title Power Rangers: Paleo Force shatters through the remaining darkness above them.
Lights out.
Duncan, Brody, and Cooper stand together at the generic quarry, looking at their Zords and smiling.
No one's here.
Kenny is working on a circuit board with a robotic hand sitting on his desk. He grins as he taps the circuit board with a stylus, making the hand twitch.
Hear the silence.
Jane and Brody are together at the hospital, Jane bandaging Brody's leg.
Scent of fear.
All the heroic characters look up to the sky.
You start running.
The view moves up into space, where we see our main villains in their spaceship, followed by a close-up of each of them.
With mistrusting and skeptical eyes.
We get a shot of Cooper, Duncan, and Brody staring down an army of Shadows.
Are you haunted?
The three look at each other before nodding.
I call out.
One by one, they take fighting stances as they ready their morphers.
I'm counting on you.
The screen cuts to black.
Falling.
All three Rangers charge in slow motion as an explosion goes off in the background.
Is this the end of the line, and can we make it in time?
In a rotating shot, Brody slashes Shadows with his Carnage Sword, Cooper shoots them with his cannon, and Duncan blasts enemies with his Switch-Gun.
Falling.
We see Brody, unmorphed, calling out in distress with his arm outstretched.
My world is spinning around. I'm crashing into the ground.
Calios descends from space like a comet and, after landing, steps forward, slowly drawing his sword.
Falling.
Moses folds his arms as three silhouetted figures gather on either side of him.
Now I need you to see it's up to you and me.
The Paleo Force Megazord goes from its default mode to sword-and-shield mode, slashes a monster, then uses its Cryo Slash, making it explode.
I'm counting on you.
Consecutive shots of Cooper doing a Ranger Punch, Duncan doing a Ranger Slash, and Brody doing a Ranger Kick at the screen.
Cut to the end of the song as the music fades out.
The Rangers stand confidently in front of their respective Zords, who roar as the screen fades to black again.
It was around five in the afternoon and a number of people were heading home from work as they normally did. One man was checking the train schedule when he noticed a little boy crying on the sidewalk. Walking over, he asked, "Are you okay?"
The boy sniffled, "I can't find my parents."
"How about I help you find them?" the man offered. "Where's the last place you saw them?"
"They disappeared when we walked by an alley," the boy replied.
The man nodded. "Alright, let's check there first."
And so, the boy led the man to an alley a couple blocks over. Seeing no one, he turned around and—
SHINK
The man looked down to see a pocketknife lodged in his gut, piercing what felt like his lung. His aggressor was none other than the child, whose eyes were glowing red.
"Phew," Duncan sighed as he put his barbell back on its rack. Cooper had invited him and his brother to a gym he frequented, and Brody had dragged him along. Wiping sweat from his brow, he looked over to the side to see what his partners were doing.
Cooper was doing rows with a pair of fifty-pound dumbbells while Brody was jogging on a treadmill.
"One thousand!" Cooper announced as he finished his set.
"There's no way that was a thousand," Duncan deadpanned.
Cooper chuckled at that, "I'm kidding. It was just fifty. Alright, guys, break time."
Turning off the treadmill, Brody panted as he grabbed a water bottle and took a sip. Feeling his phone buzz in his pocket, he checked to see the latest news. "A guy got murdered in an alley. Think we should investigate?"
"I don't know. That sounds like something the police could handle," Duncan said.
While a part of him was skeptical, Brody conceded his brother's point, "You're right. Maybe this is just a regular criminal."
Suddenly, a pair of boxing gloves were dropped into each of their laps. "Well, now that that's settled, into the ring with you two. We're gonna do some sparring," Cooper declared.
"Not it!" the brothers exclaimed at the same time.
"Not how it works," the janitor declared, "Oldest one goes first…Which one of you is older?"
"We're twins, Mr. Cooper," Brody explained.
That threw Cooper for a loop. "Twins? But you don't look the same."
This time, Duncan answered, "That's because we're fraternal twins."
"What's that mean?" Cooper asked.
"It means we're twins that don't look the same," Brody said.
"That's a thing?" the Scotsman wondered aloud. "Can you feel each other's pain?"
"No, that's just with identical twins." Brody rolled his eyes. "And even then…"
Cooper chuckled, "Well then, it won't hurt double if I spar with both of you at once."
The next day, both boys felt doubly sore.
"I can't feel my arms," Duncan complained.
"Look on the bright side. You're gonna be shredded once you work out enough," Kelly said through his morpher.
"Maybe. Only if Mr. Cooper doesn't crush me first," Duncan replied. "Where's Chazz?"
Kelly giggled. "Oh, he's, like, napping. So I got to use your bracelet to watch you guys work out."
"Uhh, okay?" Brody said, feeling weird that a Zord had ogled him. "Well, we should get to class." He let Duncan go in first before speaking into his morpher, "Hey, blue Cryo? Could you go on patrol? I know this sounds paranoid, but I'm still worried there might be a monster on the loose again."
Carl translated the growl of response as an 'Okay.'
Unable to do much else at the moment, Brody entered the classroom.
Because it was the middle of the day, the blue Cryolophosaurus had to stick to the shadows to avoid causing a scene. Remembering that the murder had taken place in an alley, the dino checked there first. Unfortunately, all it picked up was the scent of humans.
Taking another whiff, it noticed that something was off about one of the scents. Following the smell, it found that the scent disappeared into the crowd once it reached the sidewalk, making it practically impossible to follow. It decided to wait, hoping the source of the suspicious smell would separate from the crowd. Sure enough, after several long minutes, the scent moved in its own direction.
As the Cryolophosaurus followed, it saw that the scent was coming from what looked like a regular human child. The Cryo wasn't sure why the boy's scent was inhuman but followed anyway.
The boy wandered off alone to an empty construction site, where he suddenly stopped. "I know you're there. You don't have to hide."
Knowing there was no point in playing coy, the Cryo stepped into plain sight.
Smiling, the child transformed into a monster in a flash of light. Well, sort of. It looked mostly human aside from its head, which had become an oversized camera.
The monster raised a hand. "Kill that thing."
On his command, dozens of Shadows materialized and surrounded the Cryo.
Making the first move, the blue Cryolophosaurus charged, tearing through every Shadow it could get its claws on. Unfortunately, strength in numbers soon began to win out. The blue Cryo roared in distress and, right as it was about to get overwhelmed, its pink and white counterparts arrived on the scene to give it some much needed assistance. The trio of dinos began literally tearing through mooks. They even showed their teamwork, with one crouching so another could use it as a stepstool for a jumping attack.
Once the Shadows were defeated, the three dinos noticed that the main monster was gone. Growling amongst themselves, they decided that the blue and white ones would continue tracking the monster while the pink one would go back and inform the Rangers.
The blue and white Cryos followed the monster's scent to the third floor of an office building. Making their way through the space, weaving around cubicles and potted plants, they scanned the room, trying to spot the monster. Naturally, all the office workers were taken aback by the sight of two dinosaurs in their workplace. But the two Cryos paid them no mind as they stalked through the cubicles like a scene out of Jurassic Park.
Things heated up a bit when a stapler sailed through the air, hitting the white Cryo in the head. Looking around, it set its sights on two men who happened to look exactly alike, down to the wrinkles in their suit jackets.
The two identical men pointed at each other, each exclaiming 'It was him!' and 'He's a fake!'
Without a sound, the white Cryo crossed the room and gave each of them a sniff. Just as it sniffed the second man, he pulled out a box cutter and slashed the dino across the face.
The now-exposed imposter quickly ran to the stairwell, making his way back downstairs with the two Cryolophosaurs on his heels. Following him through another doorway, they were surprised to find an empty room on the other side. He was gone.
Suddenly, they were caught in a flash of bright light. Turning around, they saw the camera-headed monster hiding behind the door.
"Another polaroid for the collection, suckers!" he called out as he resumed running. Exiting the building, he called forth another batch of Shadows and took a picture of them. Then, before the Cryos' eyes, the monster transformed into a Shadow and mixed in with the crowd.
Hoping their hits would land on the imposter Shadow by chance, the dino duo engaged with as many mooks as they could get their claws on. Unfortunately, when it was over, they found that their target's scent was nowhere to be found. While annoyed at having fallen for the same trick twice, the Cryolophosaurs decided enough was enough and gave up.
Watching from afar, the monster chuckled and returned to its normal form.
"Now to have some more fun."
On Calios' ship, the knight observed the situation. "Hmm, those dinos' noses could be a problem for our little gambit. I wonder what we should do about it."
"One of us could go down and stall or even disable the Cryolophosaurs," Factoraze suggested. "This would prevent them from detecting our monster while it is transformed."
"The Rangers won't stand a chance without them," agreed Lensia.
Calios nodded. "Excellent idea. So, who should be the one to go down there?"
All his subordinates raised their hands.
He sighed, "I should've seen that coming. Well, should we decide with rock-paper-scissors, or by drawing straws?"
Duncan and Brody were working on a math quiz when someone in the class yelled in fright. Looking up, they saw the pink Cryolophosaurus standing in the doorway.
While everyone else was understandably shocked, the teacher just seemed annoyed. "How the hell did you get in here?" he asked. "Shoo! Go on, shoo!"
The brothers were nervous. Besides causing a commotion, the Cryo had the potential to give away their secret identities if it singled them out. The pink dino scanned the room, identifying the Rangers almost instantly. As it began to approach, Brody subtly shook his head. Thankfully, Cooper's mount noticed the hint and exited the classroom. The Rangers had to resist the urge to sigh in relief.
"Well, I guess that matter is settled," the teacher said, somehow unfazed by what had just happened. "Alright, class, back to work."
Once the quiz was over, the students left the classroom only to find the Cryolophosaurus waiting right outside. Emboldened by their teacher's nonchalance and figuring the pink reptile wouldn't hurt them, the students made their way to their respective next periods. However, when Duncan and Brody arrived, they were surprised to see the creature had followed them to the next room, where the teacher of that period fainted at the sight of it. The Cryo simply sat and watched them throughout the lesson.
When that period was over, Jane decided to try something. Walking up to the pink dino, she slowly extended her hand and began petting it. The Cryo growled, warning her against going any further. Jane froze, slowly withdrawing her hand, and the creature went back to sitting quietly.
The pink Cryo followed the class from period to period until school was out. Once the final bell had rung, Duncan and Brody led the dino back to their house, where their Zords could translate for it.
"That's it?" Duncan asked upon being filled in about the monster, "It looks like a guy but with a camera for a head? That's fucking stupid."
Brody opened his mouth but before he could say anything, the other two Cryolophosaurs came through the door and elaborated on the monster's abilities.
"So, it can turn into anything it takes a picture of. Interesting," he commented. He then used his morpher to contact their third member, "Hey, Mr. Cooper?"
"Yeah?"
"There's a new monster on the loose, and we're gonna go out and look for it," the Blue Ranger explained. "Want in?"
"You bet. What's this new monster look like?" Cooper asked. Upon getting an answer, his response was, "That's it? It looks like a guy but with a camera for a head? That's fucking stupid."
Duncan, Chazz, and even the Cryolophosaurs were amused by that. Once the laughter died down, Carl spoke up, "You'll need to take the Cryos with you. They can sniff out the monster even if it's in disguise."
"Okay, but first things first," Duncan said, taking out a coin. "Time to see who goes out on search duty."
"What are you talking about? Aren't we all going together?" Cooper asked.
Brody sighed. "Sometimes Duncan will flip a coin to try and get himself out of Ranger duty."
"Why would—"
"Because he's lazy," Brody finished, cutting Cooper off.
Duncan flipped the coin and caught it. "Okay, heads I win, tails you—"
"Don't even finish that sentence," his brother glared at him. "If it's heads, then you're the one going out."
The ginger teen groaned and checked the result, revealing heads. "Aw, man." He and the Cryos made their way to the door. Brody moved to join them but Cooper stopped him, "You saw the coin. You get to stay home."
"But I can help defeat the monster," Brody protested.
"You relax, lad," Cooper assured him. "From the sound of it, that camera monster should be easy enough to beat. Me and Duncan can handle it no problem." The teen still looked uncertain though. "Trust us, Brody."
Brody sighed, "Alright, I'll stay home. But you guys call if you need help. Got it?"
"Roger that!" Duncan said as he and the rest of the group left the house. Seconds later, however, he poked his head back through the door, "I was gonna get super high today, so, Brody, you're gonna have to get super high in my place."
The younger brother deadpanned, "No."
"Don't let me down!" Duncan called out as he left.
As he and the Cryos made their way through the back alleys, they soon ran into Cooper.
The Scotsman chuckled, "Looks like we had the same idea to sneak around."
"So, uh, do we just let the Cryos find this thing for us?" Duncan wondered.
Cooper shrugged, Duncan took it as a yes, and so the Cryos led them all over town. Apparently, this new monster really got around; its scent was present at the police station, various office buildings, and even residences across town. Wanting to figure out what the monster was up to, Cooper knocked on the door of one of the houses. When he got no response, he opened the door a crack.
"Hello?" he called out, "I'm lettin' meself in, so don't be too surprised."
Upon entering, Duncan and Cooper heard crying and made their way to the living room. There they found a woman holding her son, both of them battered and sobbing.
"What happened?" Duncan inquired.
The mother and child were surprised by his presence. "W-Who are you?" the woman asked.
"We're, uh, lookin' for someone," Cooper sort-of explained. "We thought we'd ask around. But like me friend asked, what's the matter with you two?"
Gathering herself, the woman answered, "It was my husband. He just went crazy and started beating us for no reason."
Duncan and Cooper looked at each other; they had a good idea of what this meant.
Duncan asked the woman, "Do you know where he is now?"
"No, I have no idea. He just took off," she responded.
"Looks like we're back to square one," Cooper said before telling the woman, "I hate to have to break this to you, ma'am but that wasn't your husband."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"There's this new monster we're trackin'. He can take on other people's appearances. I think he did that with your husband and, if he's anything like the other monsters we've fought, he probably killed your man just for kicks," Cooper explained somberly. "I'm sorry."
Horrified by the news, the woman broke down in tears all over again along with her child.
"Come on, Duncan," the Pink Ranger beckoned.
As they walked outside, Duncan asked, "So, we just keep looking around?"
"Seems that way," the janitor replied. Suddenly, his morpher buzzed to life. "Hello?"
"Guys!" Brody yelled, "The monster's here!"
That caught the duo's attention. "Where?" Duncan asked.
"At the intersection of Jay Street and Z Street," the Blue Ranger explained, "But he's moving fast, come on!"
Cooper nodded. "Alright, we're on our way." Right as he and Duncan mounted their Cryos, a large object descended from the sky, landing right in front of them and creating a massive divot in the earth.
Out from the crater stepped the three-armed robot Factoraze. Without a word, the enemy boss aimed his cannon arm at the Cryos and opened fire.
The Rangers barely dismounted in time as the blasts hit their steeds, who fell to the ground instantly. Angered that their partners had been injured, the two morphed and brought out their respective weapons. However, to their surprise, Factoraze stepped to the side and gestured for them to move along.
Duncan asked the obvious question, "Aren't you gonna fight?"
"My objective was merely to disable your steeds," the robot explained. "Now that I have, you may pass."
Cooper narrowed his eyes. "I don't buy it. No way you would just let us walk by."
"I would and I am," Factoraze replied before adding, "Every moment you spend here in disbelief is a moment that could be used to help your comrade."
That finally persuaded the duo to put aside their doubt and take action. "You go help Brody. I'll tend to the Cryos and join you in a bit," the Pink Ranger declared.
"Why can't you go instead?" Duncan asked.
Cooper put a hand on his shoulder. "Family comes first, lad. Now get goin'."
The White Ranger hesitated but quickly conceded. Having no means of transportation, he was forced to run to the location his brother had named. After several minutes, he got there only to find Brody fighting with…another Brody.
"Oh, come on, not this cliché!" Duncan shouted in annoyance.
"In hindsight, we should've seen it coming," one Blue Ranger responded while strangling the other one.
Duncan facepalmed. "Let me guess, you let him take a picture of you while you were fighting him?"
The Brody that was being strangled drew his Switch-Gun and shot his aggressor off him. "Something like that."
Several minutes earlier
Brody was sitting at home, watching TV. He honestly didn't have much else to do, having already finished his homework. That made him sigh, "I always get on Duncan's case for being lazy, but I don't really have anything going on myself."
"You could always look for a hobby, Mother," Carl suggested.
Brody nodded at that. "You're right. Maybe I could go to the gym like Mr. Cooper does."
Before the conversation could go any further, he heard tapping on the window. Turning around, he was shocked to see the camera-headed monster standing right outside. Dashing out the door, he confronted it and asked, "How long have you been out here?"
"Just got here," the monster chuckled, its voice sounding the speech function on a computer.
Preparing to morph, Brody asked, "Let me guess, you have a very unintimidating name, don't you?"
The monster scoffed at the notion, "That's ridiculous! My name is plenty intimidating! I'm Focus Pocus!"
Brody just shook his head before calling out " Henshin!" and morphing. He drew his pistol and was about to fire when Focus Pocus stunned him with a flash photo. The brief burst of light blinded the Blue Ranger for a second. When he regained his vision, he was surprised to see that the monster had transformed not into him but an anthropomorphic mosasaur.
This didn't deter Brody, however, and he opened fire.
The transformed monster used his tail to swat the shots right back at him.
The Blue Ranger was knocked on his ass as a result. "Where'd you find something like that to take a picture of?" he complained.
The mosasaur was on him in an instant, planting its foot on his chest. "Sometimes it pays to have dangerous friends." In this new form, his voice no longer sounded mechanical, allowing smugness to seep through his tone.
Rather than responding verbally, Brody switched his gun into its sword mode and slashed Focus Pocus's ankle.
The monster stumbled back as a result, clutching its leg. "Ah, dammit, that hurt—Ironically, now I've gotta run. Bye!"
And so, he retreated, turning back into his normal form in the process. However, due to his injury, he was moving slowly enough that Brody could easily keep up.
As he ran, Brody raised his morpher to his face, with Cooper's voice on the other end. "Hello?"
"Guys!" Brody yelled, "The monster's here!"
There was a brief exchange, after which Duncan and Cooper said they were on their way. Hanging up, Brody returned his attention to the monster, who chuckled maliciously.
"Now we can have some REAL fun." Just like that, Focus Pocus transformed into a perfect copy of the Blue Ranger.
The real Brody made the first move, charging his fist with energy and rushing in. "Ranger Punch!" he called out.
The fake Ranger blocked the strike with his arms but was still sent flying.
Brody advanced on the imposter, only for his enemy to pull one of his legs out from under him, making him fall. The fake then got on top of him and began strangling him when suddenly, they heard Duncan shout, "Oh, come on, not this cliché!"
Back to the present
Before Duncan could guess who was who, one of the Brodys pulled the other into an unwilling square dance, making it impossible to tell.
Duncan pulled out his pistol, "Well, looks like I'll just have to shoot you both. Nice knowing you, Brody."
"NO!" both of them shouted. The one on the left said angrily, "Figure out a way to decide!"
"Okay, okay," Duncan conceded, "Uh, start rambling about Kamen Rider stuff. That's something the real Brody would do."
The Brody on the right spoke up first, "I do not ramble about it that much, but okay." He began counting his fingers, "DJ Sagara got off too easy in Gaim. It annoys me that Black and Black RX get treated like separate Riders when they're the same damn person. Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight was good enough to start a franchise in America. And Kamen Rider Shin should've gotten a sequel if for no other reason than to see where the plot would've gone."
"…Yeah, I didn't follow any of that, which means you must be the real Brody!" Duncan declared, firing at the now-exposed imposter.
Brody continued the attack, summoning his Carnage Sword and slashing the monster several times. The accumulated damage caused Focus Pocus's transformation to cancel out. As he struggled to get to his feet, the Blue Ranger commented, "You know, now that we've actually got you in a straight fight, you're really not that tough."
"That's to be expected," their foe replied. "After all, combat isn't really my forte."
"Then what is?" Duncan asked.
Focus Pocus groaned. "What do you think? In the past twenty-four hours alone, I've abused families, embezzled funds, and committed police brutality with my impersonation skills!" he ranted with a sick sense of pride. "Hell, if I manage to kill you guys myself, I can run your names through the mud too! Just as long as you smile for the camera—"
"Not happening," Brody growled. He charged and leapt at the monster, his foot glowing with ice energy. "Ranger Kick!"
Right before the attack hit its mark, Focus Pocus transformed into a human child. His last-ditch effort to gain their pity was naturally undone after the finishing move landed.
As his body twitched and sparked, he spat out his last words, "Don't go thinking…that this is…the end!" With that, the monster finally exploded.
Seconds later, Cooper arrived on the scene. "Aw, man, did I miss everything?" The other two Rangers nodded. "Oh well, let's go home."
Late in the evening, the Branson Brothers were enjoying an episode of Jackass when the show was cut off by a news bulletin.
"We interrupt your program with this breaking news," the reporter announced, "Earlier today, we received a photograph from an anonymous source. The Power Rangers, figures of debate for the past two months, have been caught in what looks to be a blatant act of murder."
The screen then cut to a side-angle picture of Brody using his Ranger Kick on Focus Pocus—in the brief instant that he had turned into a child.
The boys leapt out of their seats. "What the hell?!" Brody got out.
The reporter on the TV went on, "The photograph has been confirmed to be unedited. Folks, we may need to keep our doors locked from now on, because if the Rangers will target some random kid, then who else could be next on their list?"
"Haha!" Calios clapped as the news unfolded. "That payoff was so worth the setup! Nice job, Moses."
The anthro mosasaur nodded, recalling how he had pulled off the frameup, hiding on the sidelines as the Rangers battled Focus Pocus, ordering a Shadow to snap a picture at the perfect moment, just as the Blue Ranger had launched his finishing move.
With the click of a button, they had created false evidence to discredit their enemies. Everything had gone perfectly according to plan.