THE REVENGE, PART 2.
Gotham City TV Studio, Zone C, 17:20
Ra's Al Ghul, the leader of the League of Shadows, was sitting in an office chair in front of the camera that was off. He was waiting for the moment to turn it on again and transmit his negotiation with the mayor…if he dared to negotiate with him.
It was quite strange how he had managed to invade the television studio, simply infiltrating with many of his ninjas disguised as security personnel to disable it. They left everyone knocked out and locked in the basement with more ninjas who were ready to execute them.
On the other hand, he also hoped that the Red Ranger and the Blue Ranger would come to fight him. He wanted to defeat them live. It would make it easier to convince the population that they were not his saviors and that Zone C is doomed.
There was a sudden noise at the door to his study was slammed. The door made his way towards Ra's, who easily sliced it in half with his green sword. There was some smoke coming in, but when it dissipated, he saw Kal and Diana on their feet, ready to fight.
"Wow, I never thought you guys would be so brave to face me" Ra's said in a monotonous voice to hide the glee he had, because he was finally going to defeat them.
"You are the brave one for attacking our comrades without mercy and believing that there will be no consequences," Diana said.
"Look who it is. It's the Amazon who was able to defeat Lady Shiva, but you will not be able to defeat m," Ra's said. Internally, he was upset that his right hand in the league lost against the Blue Ranger.
"Don't underestimate us," Diana said with a quiet fury in her voice.
"I'm not underestimating you. I'm just treating you as you deserve which is completely worthless," Ra's said. "I think it would be better if one of you goes to save the hostages if you don't want them blown up."
"I don't think that's necessary," Kal said, crossing his arms.
"So, you're going to tell me that you're going to let them die?" Ra's asked, taking him by surprise.
"No, because we left it to someone we trust," Kal answered with a smile.
Just a few seconds later, a large stream of air blew over the studio and hit almost all of the ninjas except the cameraman. It hit Lady Shiva on her arm which knocked her down quickly, but she got up again. After this, Barry appeared next to Kal and Diana. He also crossed his arms and was smiling.
"I think they mean me, Ra's," Barry said.
"It can't be," Ra's said. This had also surprised him.
"How are you on your feet again after being defeated by the great Ra's al Ghul?" Lady Shiva asked.
"Simple, you beat me, something that I did not like at all, but I am the fastest man in the world. That also means that I have a fast metabolism which heals my wounds and injuries faster than you think," Barry replied, giving him a mocking laugh.
"He was the one who rescued the hostages while we kept you distracted," Kal said.
"I think what they mean is failure for you," Diana said with a little less anger.
If it weren't for J'onn, Kal, Diana and Barry would not have saved the hostages. It was while the three of them were on their way to the television studios that J'onn called tol et them know that there were hostages.
Kal knew that he had to take advantage of the surprise factor that Barry had already recovered and was ready for combat. It allowed them to send him to rescue the hostages. The plan was very simple, but in the end, it worked. They ended up surprising the dreaded Ra's al Ghul.
"That does not matter. I will defeat you again, and in front of the entire city," Ra's said, drawing his green sword. At that very moment, the ninja turned the camera back on, focusing the lens on the Rangers.
"Ready?" Kal asked.
"Ready!" Diana and Barry answered at the same time.
"Justice League, actívate!" The three spoke in unison and transformed. Diana and Barry, as usual, drew their swords, but this time so would Kal.
Both Ra's and Lady Shiva ran towards the Rangers who also did the same and began a fight. Diana fought Lady Shiva, while Kal and Barry fought Ra's himself.
Lady Shiva launched her precise attacks against the Blue Ranger, who quickly managed to block them and land a blow on her arms. Her right hand stopped her attacks before leaping back. She grabbed her sword again with two hands and returned to the attack, only this time, she was focusing on pure defense and evasion of attacks.
Diana hadn't noticed any change in Lady Shiva's attack until she stabbed straight ahead. It left her vulnerable for a few seconds, leading to her being slashed on her shoulder that caused her to recoil. Diana knew that her rival was dodging all her attacks, waiting for her to leave a window open. She waited a few seconds to launch quick attacks. However, Lady Shiva was also trained for this, so the combat was very even.
Unfortunately, Kal and Barry had underestimated Ra's. While Kal had already gained more confidence in his sword skills after Commander Wayne had tricked him with a replica of the Dark Sword. Ra's was on another level compared to his, in addition to the power of the Stealing Sword. That sword was causing Barry to delay all of his attacks or stay still long enough to be attacked. Kal would attempt any type of attack, but this only served to ensure that Ra's always obtained a simple and assured attack.
Kal stepped back, gesturing with his index finger for Barry to circle Ra's. Barry obeyed and began throwing quick punches at Ra's. While doing this, he thought of exchanging the sword for his just as he had done with the hoses from the Joker's laughing gas and oxygen tanks. Unfortunately, to his misfortune, Ra's used the power of his sword and released a shock wave that sent Barry flying straight for a wall.
Kal, Diana, and Lady Shiva fell to the ground from the shock wave, but all three quickly got up and continued their fight. Although, for Kal, with Barry gone, he faced Ra's again, but only to receive cut after cut from the international terrorist who considered him a complete hindrance. Kal, completely desperate, readied his sword for the final blow.
Seeing what the Red Ranger was preparing for, Ra's also prepared the attack of the Soul Steal Sword. Ready, the two ran to the front, and launched their final attacks. This time, though, Kal was the one who received the attack and was defeated, falling to the ground and losing his uniform.
Diana saw it and launched a quick attack with her sword before kicking Lady Shiva in the ribs to attack Ra's. Diana was not confident, but she was furious, so her attacks were faster than usual. Lady Shiva was obviously going to protect the master from her, but Ra's spoke.
"Do not interfere, Shiva. I can handle this ordinary Amazon," Ra's said without breaking eye contact with Diana's attacks before launching an attack that stayed in contact.
"I am not common, no Amazon is common," Diana said before breaking contact with her swords and attacking again. "And it's not a good idea to insult me."
Surprisingly, Ra's was very bored. He couldn't understand how Lady Shiva had lost against this fighting style that was nothing out of the ordinary. Every time she launched an attack, Ra's struck her anywhere on the body where she was uncovered.
Diana was amazed at how fast he could be in sword fighting. It was as fast as Commander Wayne. It wasn't until she received a cut across her chest that she wanted to launch a downward blow. She jumped high and lowered her sword so that she could break the sword or cause great damage to it, but Ra's again invoked the power of the sword. This one got longer, causing a fatal blow to Diana, who fell and lost her uniform as well.
Ra's walked over to Diana and grabbed her by the head.
"You are predictable and slow," Ra's said, offending her more than the previous words from him and Lady Shiva.
"Lady Shiva, you have the floor," Ra's said. She obeyed and the ninja with the camera focused on her.
"Inhabitants of Zone C, if you thought that the remaining Power Rangers can defeat us, then you are wrong," she said with her gaze fixed on the camera. "If you want proof, here are three of the six Rangers, all defeated. They won't be getting back on their feet."
She said this moving her arm to the side, which made the cameraman move the camera towards Ra's and the Power Rangers, but without losing sight of her. "Even with all this, I'm more than sure that some of you still believe in the Power Rangers, but it won't be until we do this."
She said this looking at her master. Ra's grabbed the sword with both hands and began to recite strange words. This made the sword begin to glow green, but even more intense. Ra's kept reciting this before being interrupted by a green bus heading straight for him.
Lady Shiva saw this and ran to Ra's to get him out of the way, interrupting his recital of words.
"They are either brave or very foolish," Ra's said as he stood up together with Lady Shiva, spotting John, Shayera and the Dark Ranger in their suits.
"You're not going to be able to accomplish anything like that, Wayne," he said, very amused to see them making an effort to stay on their feet.
"We won't know if we don't try, Ra's," the Dark Ranger said. After he said this, Kal, Diana and Barry got up and approached their companions.
"Why are they here? You're putting themselves in unnecessary danger," Kal said.
"I can't believe you're so reckless," Diana said.
"It's not safe being here," Barry said.
"I think you're exaggerating," John said.
"We weren't going to let you have all the fun," Shayera said with a few groans of pain.
"Cadets, this is between Ra's and me," The Dark Ranger said with a slightly weak voice. "Moreover, you forget that we saved you from having your souls absorbed by the sword of Ra's."
"What?" the five Rangers cried.
"My sword has absorbed the souls of many of my enemies, and you would have joined them had it not been for the interruption of your useless companions," Ra's replied without emotion.
"Let's save this conversation for later. Now, we must defeat Ra's," the Dark Ranger ordered, raising his sword.
"Right" Kal, Diana and Barry said. "Justice League, actívate."
"Don't think this will be easy again," Ra's said snapping his fingers, causing more ninjas to appear.
"Stop Lady Shiva and the ninjas. I'll take care of Ra's," The Dark Ranger ordered.
"Are you sure about that?" Kal asked.
"I told you this is between the two of us," said the Dark Ranger, looking Kal in the eyes.
"Understood, commander," Kal said. "Attack!"
Kal, Diana, John, Barry, and Shayera were fighting with all their might against the ninjas, but the battle got a bit complicated with the addition of Lady Shiva as a rival, so Diana had to fight her again. However, just as it had been before Diana fought Ra's, the fight was even, and there seemed no way that one of them would be victorious.
Shayera noticed it, so she went to help her friend by drawing a sword and slashing at Lady Shiva. She had to use equally fast attacks to keep her in check, but with the two female Rangers attacking, the fight had become more dangerous for both sides.
Diana and Shayera launched a coordinated attack, not only with their swords but also with jumping from side to side. They hoped that Lady Shiva could not react to these well-armed attacks, because she wasn't fast enough. It wasn't until Diana cut Lady Shiva on the cheek that made her jump back and caress her wound.
"Well done, Amazon, but that's the last thing you will be able to do," Lady Shiva said, making the tip of her sword scratch the ground.
She ran over to the two Rangers, aiming at their necks, but Diana jumped in reverse and Shayera went up, slashing her rival's shoulder. Diana launched two attacks, one to the neck and the other to the stomach of Lady Shiva, but she dodged both.
Diana took advantage of it to kick her in the chest, but the assassin ducked and gave her a sliding kick, which knocked her off her feet. Shayera gave another three blows that distracted the opponent, allowing Diana to get up. The battle continued with the match even.
On the men's side, Kal, John, and Barry didn't have much of a problem dealing with the ninjas…that was until a group of archers revealed themselves on the rafters where the light keepers usually were.
John created a brick wall to protect the three of them. Diana and Shayera were far away with Lady Shiva. Kal saw an opportunity so he jumped up and landed on the rafters and shot his heat vision at them to throw the poles with the ninjas on it. It worked perfectly. The ninjas who were downstairs with John and Barry had to run so they didn't get crushed.
Meanwhile, the Dark Ranger and Ra's Al Ghul continued their duel, only this time the Dark Ranger seemed to be more clever and methodical than fast. He launched quick attacks, but he waited a certain time to launch another, trying to save his energy for a major attack. Ra's knew he was doing this, so he launched faster attacks with his sword which made the Dark Ranger have to move faster and jump. The movements made his wounds hurt.
Ra's kept launching quick attacks to the stomach, shoulders and chest. The Dark Ranger had to back off with each attack until he surprised him with a smoke bomb. It distracted Ra's for a few seconds, giving the Dark Ranger time to rest.
He then grabbed an electric boomerang, attacking Ra's. He saw him coming and stopped him by grabbing it by his hand. He expected him to throw a punch or a kick, but he did not see it coming. Hee was electrocuted by the electric boomerang. It took a few seconds for the leader of the League of Shadows to activate his sword to unleash lightning against the Dark Ranger, who dodged and grabbed his sword again, preparing it once more for the final attack.
"Dark Sword, final blow," the Dark Ranger said.
"Soul Steal Sword, death blow," Ra's said again taking the sword from him and making it glow.
The two ran straight for each other again, but unexpectedly the Dark Ranger felt pain in his ribs. He stopped and rubbed the spot, but Ra's didn't stop and delivered the killing blow. Again, unexpectedly and at the last second, the Dark Ranger jumped up and landed the final slash on his shoulder, ripping him on the shoulder and part of the torso. It caused him to fall after small sparks flew . The Dark Ranger approached him again with his sword pointed at him.
"Don't try anything, or I'll stick it in your leg," the Dark Ranger threatened.
"You haven't won Wayne. I've only lost because I've allowed you to win, but you can't beat me and you never will. I have no weaknesses," Ra's said, very confident taking the green sword from him again very slowly. Immediately, the Dark Ranger almost thrust the Dark Sword into his hand, but Ra's stopped.
"Don't try to attack me right now, or the souls of your Rangers will be trapped forever," he threatened now.
"What do you mean?" The Dark Ranger asked pointing at his neck.
"You did not realize it, but Lady Shiva used this same sword against many of my enemies and three souls housed are from your three incompetent and deluded Rangers," Ra's revealed, smiling.
This made the Dark Ranger want to thrust the sword into his throat or any limb so that he would feel the pain that he and his Rangers had been through, but this was what Ra's wanted him to do. He would realize that the promise that he maintained it was worthless.
"How I would like to hurt you for what you have done. You took away from me and four Rangers what mattered to us, but that only strengthened us. Even without him here, I will keep the promise that I have made since I joined the League, something that you will never be able to understand," He said before kicking The Soul Stealing sword from Ra's hand.
It distracted him, but Ra's kicked and leaped to his feet. He slammed his two feet into the Dark Ranger's chest, pulling him away from him. All of this had happened with the Rangers seeing part of this.
Fortunately, the Dark Ranger recovered himself and launched two attacks and a punch at Ra's which sent him to the wall. Seconds later, Diana and Shayera managed to give him a blow that sent Lady Shiva to the same place of Ra's, while all the ninjas had already been defeated.
"Super Cannon time, cadets," the Dark Ranger ordered.
"Yes sir," said Kal, taking out his Morpho and pressing the button. The other Rangers did the same and the cannon appeared in front of them.
"Super Cannon, ready," The five Rangers said at the same time.
"Ready, Aim, fire!" they said, shooting the fireball at Ra's. Not wanting to be defeated or suffer great damage, Ra's used the Soul Steal sword to block the attack, with Lady Shiva behind him.
"If you think you've already defeated me, then you better know it's just a taste of what's coming next, Wayne," he said before deflecting the fireball to the ground, creating a large explosion that he used as camouflage to escape.
The Rangers waited for the fire to dissipate, but by the time they went to the blast area, Ra's and Lady Shiva were already gone. Within seconds, another cloud of smoke spread throughout the room, one that Barry helped dispel. They saw that all of the ninjas, including the cameraman, were no longer present.
"Attention, citizens, this was only a minor emergency. You are not in danger. You can return to your activities," he said as he put his sword back in his sheath. Seconds later, he turned off the camera. "Let's go, cadets," he ordered as he walked away.
XXX
C Zone Base, 19:00
"Cadets, good job in the television studios. There were no injuries, the damage in the studios is already being repaired, and the hostages have not shown trauma due to the kidnapping by the League of Shadows. In addition to using the environment to your favor, it shows that you have improved," said Commander Wayne, sitting in his chair.
He could finally rest after another tough battle against his greatest nemesis. "Unfortunately, Ra's and Lady Shiva escaped again, and there is no sign of what his next plan is," he said, being sad internally, but hiding it with his monotonous voice. "And to make it worse, the citizens are very nervous after the transmission of Ra's, so we will have to increase security. It does not take away the fact that you all did a good job."
"Well, it was time for us to do something right," Barry said, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back.
"This is no time to party, Cadet Allen. With them still free, Zone C is still in danger of a large-scale threat, so we can't let our guard down "Commander Wayne said annoyed, but it wasn't compared to what he was going to say. "And it seems they forgot that you, Cadet El and Cadet Prince almost lost their souls to that sword" He said, holding back his anger, but, deeply, he had been afraid of losing his Rangers.
This made the Rangers reconsider. At first because they had overlooked that Ra's almost killed them, but mainly, because they did not know what that sword was doing.
"So that sword steals souls?" Kal asked.
"Yes, that sword is energized with a strange chant that makes it shine and steals the soul of anyone nearby, and in this case, you were going to be those people" Said the commander staring at them.
"Have you ever seen that sword steal a soul?" Shayera asked.
"No, but I have heard the legend," said the commander, but he was not sure if he could tell them what Ra's had told him. However, after the reaction Kal had had with him after finding out the truth about Lois Lane, he knew it was better to speak up. "Besides that Ra's said that the souls of the three Rangers who died because of me are in that sword" He said being a little slow.
The Rangers were shocked by this data, not only did they know that three Rangers were trapped in a sword, but that the commander was being more open with them.
"So you're going to try to free them?" Diana asked.
"I don't know, Prince, but for the moment we must focus on stopping Ra's and keeping area C safe. If there are no more doubts, they can leave," said the commander, wanting now to end this conversation.
"Commander, I have a question," Kal said.
"Go ahead," said the commander.
"Well then, I saw that you had Ra's at your mercy, but I'm surprised you didn't take advantage of him to do something like attack him in retaliation for what he did to you and the other Rangers," Kal said. The commander practically got up and approached the Rangers, as if all his pain had disappeared.
"This goes for everyone. In the Justice League, we all have the same mission, and that is to maintain security and bring justice to everyone. Here we never seek our own benefit or kill anyone, that is up to the laws. They understand?" He asked still quite angry. All the Rangers didn't know what to answer, so they just nodded their heads. "We never seek revenge for an issue, we don't do that, and if you cross that line there is no going back, so don't ask me that again. Understood?" He finished again with a question. Again, all the Rangers nodded, but could not speak. "Then it is better that you retire" He said going back to his chair.
It took the Rangers a few seconds to move after the commander's words.
You were a bit extreme with them," J'onn said approaching the commander, and he was quite annoyed with his actions.
"They had to learn that revenge is not our way of acting, they cannot fall that way J'onn," the commander said.
"You could have said it in a better way. You shouldn't have vented at them like that," he said, still annoyed.
"I could have fallen at that moment, J'onn," the commander said, feeling that his entire body was shaking just thinking of that. "I could have killed him, I wanted revenge for that, especially when he told me that the souls of Tim, Jason and Barbara are in his sword."
"Maybe, you could free them, but that doesn't take away from the fact that you were very tough on the Rangers. You have to control that," he said.
"He almost beat me, mentally. I'm not up to the task," he said, his hands on his head.
"You have to be calm, Commander. You saved your Rangers from the same fate as before, and avoided becoming what you are always against. Therefore, I suggest that you focus on how to beat him, and how to treat the Rangers better," he said, putting his hand on his shoulder.
The two of them stayed in that position for a few minutes until he calmed down. This day had been rough, but now both he and his Rangers needed rest, and he needed to improve as well.
"By the way, I'm going to be more attentive when it comes to injecting you sedatives," J'onn said to cheer him up a bit. This at least elicited a small laugh from the commander.
XXX
Meanwhile, the five Rangers were in the entertainment room, sitting and quiet, but not calm. They were resting from the hard battle, but now their minds were delicate.
"I never got to think of it that way," John said, being the first to speak.
"I don't think anyone considered it that way," Shayera said, trying to calm things down a bit.
"I never thought he would hurt anyone, but what he told us was terrifying. I hope I don't see him again until tomorrow," Barry said, showing his nerves.
"I hope so too. Guys, I'm sorry," Kal apologized.
"Why?" Diana asked.
"I was the one who made him furious and treat us like that, even though he crossed the line again," she replied.
"Yes, you were the one who started to ask, but I interrupted you and told him. I made him tell us that, but he also crossed the line," Diana said.
"That's true," Barry agreed.
"Yes," John said.
"However, I think we should keep justice more in mind. From what I could see, the commander almost got revenge on Ra's, but something stopped him," Shayera said.
"Okay, then let's avoid doing something like that. Although, I think, after what he told us, I don't think I can do it," Kal said.
Everyone agreed.
After a few minutes they went to dinner. They had a friendly and very relaxed chat. At least they had a chance to rest and reinforce the confidence that the citizens of Zone C were regaining towards the Power Rangers
XXX
21:30
Commander Wayne was sitting in his chair watching over the city, but as this was happening his mind wandered. He wondered what would have happened if he, Shayera, and John hadn't arrived in time to save Kal, Diana, and Barry. He couldn't bear to lose three Rangers again. He had sworn to himself that he would not let his Rangers die, but with them being defeated and with the Soul Stealer sword in hand, it was very difficult to keep that promise. Furthermore, he was still unsure whether he could go ahead with the mission to stop Ra's Al Ghul without wanting to exact revenge. He was very sure of himself, but at times like this he felt weak.
"Believe in yourself, if not, no one else will." He remembered the words that Alfred, the base scientist before he died, had said to him. He just hoped this was enough to keep him straight.
"Is he going to stay here?" Diana asked entering the room.
"I'm always alert, it doesn't matter if I'm asleep, Prince" The commander told him without turning around. "However, it is better that you go to sleep so that it does not affect you when fighting" He ordered in a very subtle way.
"Not until he looks me in the eye for what I have to say," She said, very sure of herself. The commander didn't want any more conversations with anyone, but, knowing Diana, it was obvious that she wouldn't leave until he did as she said, so he turned around.
"So what do you want to tell me?" He asked.
"Have you already done it? Have you killed?" She asked, showing some insecurity. She wanted to know if he had already done it, but because she was intrigued by how he spoke when that happened.
"No," he said in a whisper, but without losing sight of her.
"So how is he so sure that this is harmful?" She asked.
"You ask me that, but because in Themyscira they have no problem with it, right?" He asked. Again, he had discovered her.
"Well, they always said that it was not a bad thing, but as long as it was totally justified, like in a fight to the death, the kind that were occasionally done or when a man landed on our shores" She replied, looking away sometimes. To her surprise, the commander got up again and approached her.
"No matter the reason, no matter what situation you are in, and no matter what that person did, killing someone is never justified" He said firmly.
"What if there is no other option?" She asked again.
"There is always another option, Princess. If you ever do that, you become as bad as them, and after that, you will continue to do it with anyone, and, after a long time, you will wake up, you will look in the mirror and you will see that revenge has become your life" He said, staring at her and crossed his arms.
"Got it, Bruce," she said. "But with this, with this I still believe that something else happened to you so that you are against that" She said looking at him carefully.
"We have sworn to bring justice, not revenge, Prince, and we cannot break that oath, that's all," he said, returning to her chair.
"Well then I think I'll ask you again at another time" She said leaving.
As she left, Diana felt that the jealousy she had had about Lois dating the commander had dissipated. However, she still wanted to know more about him, she wanted to spend more time around him, but she couldn't believe this was happening to her again. For the moment, she left, knowing that the commander's answer to go back to her chair was to hide another answer, so she would come back at another time to ask him one more time.
Meanwhile, Commander Wayne was somewhat confused. This talk with his blue Ranger turned out to be quite a tense one, but it felt… good. It felt good that she didn't judge him, but she wanted to hear from him, but she hoped this wouldn't happen again. He wanted to keep any secrets that didn't involve the league or the Rangers to himself, plus he couldn't allow himself to get too personally close to the Rangers from him.
However, this was not the point. The really important thing was the next attack that someone was going to launch in the city, but this was going to be in a very different way from the previous ones.
NEXT: A LITTLE GAME, PART 1.