WAR, PART 1.
Zone C. 21:00
3 months—that was the time that had passed since the Power Rangers of Zone C had defeated Ra's Al Ghul. At the same time, they had thwarted his plans to destroy Gotham City. In that time, Commander Wayne had been waiting with much uncertainty for a new threat, keeping a stoic face for the rest of his Rangers. He was sure that the threat he was waiting for was much more dangerous and would soon attack the area, causing the five Rangers to have to stay in that place for a while longer.
However, to his surprise, no threat came in that time. It was the complete opposite. Crime went down. For the first time in years, crimes were not committed as frequently. At the same time, the civilians had relaxed. The calm that seemed like it would never come to them had finally done so. Even the Rangers were feeling more comfortable in the área.
Due to his constant surveillance at night and less attention he gave them after practice, they suspected that the commander was acting distracted by something. Since nothing was happening and he did not disrespect them or demand too much of them, it was not a serious matter.
Obviously, there were still criminal acts committed with disguised people without powers or with somewhat 'ridiculous' powers as people would call them being Gentiles. Among the criminals that the five Rangers had arrested recently was the Weasel, a hybrid between said animal and human that had attacked and killed people near forested areas.
There was also Savant, an expert in weapons and hand-to-hand combat, but not as dangerous as Deathstroke or Deadshot. Calendar Man, a man who attacked every holiday happened to do so on Easter week with exploding eggs and mechanical rabbits that destroyed wires and technological equipment. A guy with a European accent named Javalina turned out to be easy to beat. Even a guy dressed as a musketeer from medieval times had given them very little trouble.
For Commander Wayne, this waiting time was alarming, creating a sense of desperation. He supposed that his Rangers would soon get fed up with his calm attitude and demand a transfer to another area. Even if they didn't, at some point, he would give them the chance to leave this place, allowing them to be Rangers away from him, all the conflicto, and the bad luck brought to their lives.
Even if they weren't Rangers anymore, they would be far away from him and impending danger. What Dick Grayson, his former Blue Ranger, had told him a year ago still lingered in his mind. Yes, they had defeated Ra's Al Ghul, but he knew that it was best for them to go to another area after one last large-scale mission. If not, then he would always live in fear that the tragedy would repeat itself again.
Curiously, Dick Grayson had sent him a video message to congratulate his Rangers, not him, for stopping Ra's Al Ghul. He was still being cold and distant towards him. Obviously, Dick had sent it, but because his girlfriend, Kory, had pressured him to do it.
The commander gave them the post-video call congratulations alone, not wanting them to witness another fight between him and Dick. He had decided to back off. He had shown himself vulnerable in certain instances, but he didn't want them to get used to that. Other than that, waiting for another big threat continued to be his top priority, but it hadn't arrived yet.
In the entertainment room, the five Rangers were relaxing. The day had been calm, like many others. Even Kal had had a good date with Lois Lane. The calm in her city had allowed him to stay with her in her apartment for several nights. This was the best time he had ever had in Zone C, so much so that he had almost forgotten the pact that he had made with Barry to leave the Zone when they became Power Rangers.
In Diana's case, she was beginning to get a little annoyed by the lack of action. Not that she hated the calm, but she hated the monotony. She needed some action, although another part of her annoyance was that Commander Wayne hadn't been there anymore.
Whenever she tried to ask him something, he kept his distance as if he were afraid to speak to her. Diana felt strange about herself. She did not expect to have a relationship with a man, but the commander was the only one who showed her something that was very attractive to her, something that she had not yet discovered. She did not know how to handle it if he always evaded her when it came to personal matters. Out of it, her great combat skills had been increasing even as the training was still demanding.
Meanwhile, John had been having a somewhat awkward time. After the defeat of Ra's and the drop in the crime rate, his wife Mari had told him that it would be a good idea for her and their son Rex to move to Zone C permanently, but he still wanted to be the Red Ranger, so he preferred to pospose it.
He still didn't want them to move until he did. Problem was that he needed Kal to step down. Other than that, there was no other news. He felt good with his teammates, even if he didn't like to admit it. He knew that Barry would make a great show of it if he told him out loud.
Speaking of Barry, it didn't matter if things were very bad or very calm. He almost always had the same relaxed and playful attitude. The only thing he wasn't comfortable with was that, despite being able to spend more time together as a team, Diana still refused to date him. Even if he bought her flowers, chocolates, frozen mochas, triple sundaes, banana splits or chocolate pudding, she wouldn't agree to go out with him.
The only thing that got close to a date was when they decided to leave the base to celebrate Shayera's birthday because the commander wouldn't allow that inside his base. Despite this, Diana told him that he was very nice, but that she considered him a friend, and that was it.
He didn't like that at all, so he replied that at some point she would be more than his friend before going for a little run to relax. Back at the base, Shayera went to his room and told him that he was being dramatic. He should try another approach if he really liked Diana, but Barry had run out of ideas, at least for the moment.
Shayera's training had gotten better. She not only handled the pistol as her secondary weapon, but now she could fight with the sword, not at Diana's level of course, but it was at a higher level than when she had started.
Yes, Diana was her friend, but Shayera was competitive, so she wouldn't give up until she could get to that level. Added to that, she was finding Barry a bit annoying even more so than usual. It was mostly because he still couldn't think of anything to win Diana over, and seeing him a bit sad was more annoying than him being the relaxed cheerful one all the time. But, it wasn't serious. She just hoped he wouldn't be sad for too long.
The tranquility of the group was interrupted when the alarm sounded.
"Cadets, to the conference room now!" ordered the commander.
The Rangers got up and ran to the room where the commander was standing ready to tell them the mission. "Cadets, there are reports that a flying creature is taking people. It's on the roofs of the Diamond District."
"A flying creature? Like a giant pigeon or a mutant bat?" Barry asked.
"It is not known what it is as of yet. The surveillance cameras failed to focus on the creature, but it can clearly fly. Now, take the jets before it escapes," ordered the commander.
"Yes sir. Justice League, actívate!" The five said in unison, transforming. Afterwards, they went to the Diamond District.
Upon arrival, Kal used his super vision and saw that a thirty-year-old woman was being carried away by the creature which was covered in some kind of black cloak. He didn't know what it was. It had wings like a bat, but it definitely wasn't a bat.
"We can shoot, but we could damage it. Shayera, block the way," Kal ordered. He didn't know what to tell them about what he had seen. Besides that there was a hostage, so time was crucial.
"Understood," Shayera said before stepping in front of the creature, making it let out a high-pitched growl before shooting a kind of fire from its mouth that hit the jet's tail wing. "I have a problem. How can it shoot something like that?" she asked herself as she tried to keep steady.
"Go back to base. It's better than crashing in the city," Kal ordered.
"I hate doing this," Shayera said before leaving.
"Does anybody have an idea?" Kal asked. "We need another strategy. The creature is dangergous."
"Yeah, especially now that that thing can spit fire. Bats don't spit fire," Barry said.
"That wasn't necessary, Barry, but I'll attack him. I'm the only one who can attack it without damaging the civilian with an explosion," John said.
"It's okay, John. We've got you covered," Kal said. Seconds later, John ejected and created thrusters to fly at the creature from behind.
Subsequently, he created a hammer and was ready to strike, but the creature heard him and spit more fire at him. John and the others were able to dodge it. John created a boxing fist with his mind and hit the strange creature from above. It caused the creature to drop the lady who began to fall into the void, but she was suddenly supported by a bed that he created with his mind.
Without a hostage, the creature decided to fly faster. The other three Rangers had to follow it by increasing the speed of their jets.
"Wow, I can't believe it's so fast," Barry said.
"What kind of creature is it?" Kal asked.
"I do not know, but it would seem that a creature from the Pit of Tartarus has emerged from it and came to the city to cause destruction," Diana said.
"We haven't seen magic of any kind, novice. Besides, we will find out when we stop the creature," John said through his communicator. He had already left the lady on the sidewalk and then returned to his jet to continue helping his companions.
"Right, John, we'll find out soon," Kal said.
The four Rangers continued to follow the strange creature that kept spitting fire at them, but they were always able to dodge it until it went down to the street and used the cars as a distraction. John decided to stay on top so as not to lose the creature without telling Kal.
The plan worked, the Rangers finding themselves hampered by vehicles on the street, causing them to slow down and miss the creature. John took advantage and followed the creature slowly, making sure not to be seen until the creature finally stopped. It spat lava into a sewer, and entered. Obviously, if Killer Croc had still been around, the creature would have met a horrible fate, but now they had to go down again.
"Kal, I followed the thing when he thought he'd lost us. He has entered the sewers. What do we do?" he asked.
Something told John to follow and stop the creature alone, but the time had passed that had made him respect Kal more. That, and also that he didn't want another punishment from the commander.
"Stay there and we'll get there fast. We already have your coordinates," Kal ordered.
John got out of his jet, nearing the entrance to the sewers. He waited for half a minute before the other three Rangers arrived in their jets. The three got out and met John.
"Good job, John," Kal said.
"Yeah, how did you know it would do that?" Barry asked.
"It wasn't easy to deduce. I knew that he would use the vehicles to prevent us from following him, so I anticipated it," he replied.
"Okay, time to go in," Kal said. "Diana…Barry, I think you better get your guns out."
"You don't need to tell me. This possible demon will not take us down easily," Diana said as she drew her sword.
"I will wait to enter. I'm the fastest," Barry said.
"You don't need to remind us, Barry. Let's go," John said.
"Stop, shouldn't we wait for Shay?" Barry asked.
"I want to, but that creature is dangerous and the last thing I want is for it to kidnap someone else," Kal said before jumping down, followed by the others.
Fortunately for them, this section of the sewer had more concrete than the section where Diana managed to beat Killer Croc at his own game. Using his super vision, Kal seemed to find it, telling the others to follow him. They obeyed without making the slightest noise. They didn't want to be heard by the creature.
Upon reaching the location, everyone could see that the creature was still wearing its black cloak and hood, but the important thing was that it was moving its hands towards an object that was on the wall. That object was just as strange. He must have brought it with him. It was clear that they had to question him, but first, they had to knock it down.
All four of them knew this, so Kal gestured for Barry to go first. Barry obeyed, running at it and hitting the strange creature hard. He sent it falling into the water. The other three Rangers followed, but they had to dodge the fire the creature spat at them again. Kal knew he had to fight the creature with equal power, so he fired his heat vision at the creature. He knocked it back and burned his cloak.
The creature turned around and tossed away the cloak that had almost burned to ashes, revealing its true appearance. It was not a demon as Diana had speculated, or at least, not a demon that she would recognize from all the images she had seen. She had known many from Themyscira and Greek mythology.
This creature had wings, but they were metallic like its torso. It's legs were dark yellow while other parts like its hands, feet, stomach, and head were dark in color. There was bright blue in a few places like lines as if they were the veins or arteries of his body. The most worrying thing was that he had sharp teeth but had no eyes, similar to a movie where the aliens called Xenomorphos had the same head.
"What the hell is it?" Barry asked.
"I don't know. I've never seen anything like it," Kal replied.
"Wow, so it's not some devil you've seen, is it, rookie?" John asked.
"You don't need to point it out," Diana said, annoyed.
The discussion was interrupted when the creature snarled at them before spitting lava at them again. Now, though, it attacked them by flying at them. Everyone dodged it as John created a sword with his mind, making it difficult for the creature to fly. Kal took the opportunity to shoot his heat vision at his chest, making it crash against the wall, and falling to the ground with sewer water.
Diana approached the creature with her sword in hand, ready to attack the creature if it got up. As she expected, the creature rose. Diana swiped at the creature with her sword, but it barely noticed, picking Diana up and slamming her to the ground. The creature would have spit fire at her if Kal hadn't fired heat vision at it again.
The creature was wounded, but it charged at Kal who struck it hard, sending it back against the wall. The creature reared up again to hit Kal, but was hit by a headshot from Shayera.
"I don't like it when you decide to leave me out of the fun. I think you already know that, though," Shayera said, somewhat amused by the situation when she stopped pointing her gun.
"I think you shouldn't have shot him. I could have knocked him out," Diana said, half smiling. She liked that she had arrived, but she stopped the creature before she did which was frustrating for an Amazon.
"Well, even if that had happened, I think he would have just snarled at us or spit more fire, fledgling," John said. Approaching the lifeless body of the creature.
"Why did this thing have this?" Barry asked grabbing the item the creature had placed on the wall. It was a box with a very strange design. It was divided into four parts, all yellow that was divided by black lines, but it had a red circle in the middle. "Shayera…Kal, do you know what this is?" he asked them, showing them the box.
"No, I've never seen anything like it. In the short time I was on Krypton, we didn't have any information about this design that I know of," Kal answered while he tried to find a point or something that would help him to identify it, but it didn't work.
"Thanagar does have technology and we are ready to fight against anyone, but they never told me anything about this design, if they even knew about it," Shayera replied.
"Well then, J'onn will have to analyze it," John said before using the Morpho. "J'onn, we're in a sewer. We stopped the creature, but we don't know what it is or where it came from. We need a truck to take it to you, plus there's another item you might like to investigate."
"Understood, John," he replied. "Come out of the sewer with the creature's body so you can take it to my lab along with that item you just mentioned."
As he carried the body of the deceased creature on his back, Kal had remembered the pact that he had made with Barry. He was anxious to know if the commander was going to tell him that this was the moment he could leave Zone C. Yes, he loved Lois and his friends, but the desire to leave the area was still there. He would fix everything in time but the first thing was for the commander to tell him.
10 minutes later.
Upon returning to the base, the Rangers went to J'onn's laboratory, finding Commander Wayne at his side. He was attentive to what the Martian was saying.
The commander was undeniably nervous. Finally, the big threat had arrived, or the creature he was seeing in front of him was just the first thing before a big attack. He had never seen anything quite like this, so he knew it was important to have all five of his Rangers here. It was time for one last mission. He had a slight hope that his Rangers had finally learned more about what it took to be a Ranger, and how to get along better.
"Rangers, I have no data on this creature," J'onn said. Strangely, he was more courteous to this creature that they still didn't know what it was than the Rangers themselves. "At the moment, I have not found any information. However, the box they brought may have what I'm looking for. Unfortunately, it will take me a while to figure out what it is or if there is any information."
"It's okay, J'onn. The important thing is that we stopped this creature. Now, we may find out what he was doing before you attacked him. The fact that this thing would have taken that lady without explanation is worrying," the commander said without looking at his Rangers, hoping they would take the threat seriously, but Kal destroyed that hope when he began to speak.
"Please, this thing has been defeated. It was surely an alien beast that had come to eat people. We stopped it, and now this device isn't going to do anything," he said calmly.
The commander quickly turned his gaze to him. "Cadet, we don't know what this thing is, or why it had this box, and we don't know what it does either. The best thing is to be prepared before anymore sightings," said the commander. "Therefore, at ten o'clock in the morning, everyone will go on patrol throughout the city. Cadet El, to the Industrial District; Cadet Prince, Coventry and to Burnley; Cadet Stewart, Pioneers Bridge and Diamond District; Cadet Allen, Fun Mile and the Bowery and Cadet Hol to Park Row," he ordered.
"Seriously? I think we already have this matter resolved," Kal said.
This exhausted the patience of the commander, who approached him until he was in front of his face. "It's obvious that you still haven't learned to be a real Ranger. The other cadets have learned it better than you. Therefore, you will do what I order, and you will go out on patrol because you are the Red Ranger, or I will make you pay in a way far worse than I have done before," he threatened through clenched teeth. "Now back off," he said before going back to J'onn.
The others wanted to say something, but the commander was already very upset. Diana thought about speaking to him, but she didn't like what Kal was doing, so she decided to obey this time. Once she left, the others followed her.
"You were harsher than necessary, Commander," J'onn told him.
"He still hasn't learned. He may be a leader, but it's obvious he's more interested in leaving. He will be able to get rid of me when we stop this threat," said the commander. He suspected that J'onn might say something by way of complaint or wisdom to make him reconsider what he told Kal. "If what we believe is true, it's better to have all five cadets here, J'onn. We wouldn't have the time to prepare a new squad."
"Good point, but I hope you don't scold him like that again. You know that he gets irritated easily when you deny him something," J'onn said.
"I want him to be a good Ranger, J'onn, and sometimes I have to do that, especially if I want to keep Zone C alive against this threat. Once we stop this, he can go," he said in a somewhat emotionless way but because he really would be frustrated with himself and Kal. If he didn't learn what it was like to be a Ranger before he left, he would have failed as a commander and as a teacher.
"One more thing before you go," J'onn added. "I feel like there is something inside this box. I may have to use telepathy to see what it is hiding."
"We don't know anything about this box or this creature, J'onn. I will allow you to use it as a last resort." He said before leaving. He was worried about this matter.
In the entertainment room, the Rangers were upset by how Kal had acted. John, Shayera and Barry had thought that he was going to punish them.
"When are you going to stop running away from Ranger responsibilities just because you don't want to?" John asked.
"Yeah, Wayne gave us an order, but it's not like virtual training on the ice, Kal," Shayera said.
"I don't want any more punishment from the commander, Kal. Please stop doing it," Barry said, being the nicest of all.
"He's right about this, Kal. A demon-like thing kidnapped a woman, one we've never seen. You just want to run away from work. Don't be so obstinate," Diana said.
"Hey, that thing was unique. I don't think anymore are coming. I think city surveillance is overkill when they have surveillance equipment," Kal replied.
"If there are more things like that, then you better be prepared, brave and responsible leader," John said sarcastically.
"Yes, but it's just doubling security. We might fall into a trap like with Ra's Al Ghul," Kal said.
"Well, that's a good point, but you could have explained it to Wayne so he doesn't punish us," Shayera said.
"I did not do it because this is still too extreme. I don't think there are more like that and we're just wasting our efforts for nothing," Kal said.
"We're not losing anything. We're just standing guard in case something happens which is common on Themyscira. I thought my sisters had taught you that when we went there," Diana said.
"That's not necessary. I understand the importance, but the commander is still overreacting. I already remembered why I wanted to leave the area when I had the opportunity," Kal said, growing desperate.
"What did you say?" John asked.
Diana and Shayera couldn't talk. Kal knew that he had already given himself away, so he spoke.
"That I want to leave the Zone when I have the opportunity," he repeated.
"Why do you want to leave?" Diana asked.
"It was began early on when we started being Rangers, Barry and I made a pact to…" Kal was saying before Barry punched him in the shoulder. Shayera noticed this, so she turned to her friend.
"Did you know that too?" she asked him. Barry also knew that he had no way out anymore, so he spoke up too.
"Yes, Kal and I made a pact to leave the area when the opportunity presented itself," Barry said, looking directly at Shayera. She hated it when he looked away from her. Diana and John were now looking at him angrily as well.
"You didn't want to talk to me because I didn't tell you that I was a princess and you hid this from us?" Diana asked, even more furious.
"That was when we stopped Two-Face, Diana. We didn't know much about us, and being here had already been worse than we thought in just a few days. It was best to leave the Zone earlier," Kal replied.
"I did it for the same reasons as Kal, but also because he's my friend. Actually, I thought about telling you, Shay, but I forgot after a while," Barry added, slightly hoping this would calm things down. It didn't obviously work.
"So you wanted to give up the Zone even after defeating Ra's?" John asked.
"I wasn't giving up. I just wanted another better chance. Wayne said it himself: no one stays here if they don't have to," Kal said.
"Can not be. Just leaving because you don't like it is just terrible, Kal. Dick had a better motive than you," Diana said, almost as if he wanted to hit him.
"It's a pact, I can't break it. I know I have Lois, but I've wanted to leave since day one, Wayne still doesn't respect me in these situations, and despite the calm, I still don't see a possible future to stay" Kal said, upset by how the others were attacking him, but he did not see that he had really acted terribly.
"Then you can go to Tartarus whenever you want, Kal. As long as you stay here, I will not follow your orders again," Diana said before leaving angrily.
"I thought I could respect you, but now I see that you are less respectable than I thought, Kal, and so are you, Allen. I still don't understand why Wayne chose you as the Red Ranger. Don't follow me at all," John said, looking first at Kal and then at Barry, before leaving.
Seconds later, Shayera approached them and gently placed her hands on both of their shoulders to give them an electric shock, making them jump for a few seconds.
"I thought we were friends. As Diana said, I will no longer follow your orders. At least Wayne did something right in dividing us up," Shayera said, keeping a hard face.
She felt hurt by this. The friends she had spent so much time with were playing behind her back to quit the job she was doing. it had been taken seriously ever since she had arrived in the area, though she felt foolish for not noticing it sooner.
Kal and Barry just sat there, quiet for a few minutes before going to their bedrooms.
In the conference room, the commander had watched as his Ranger team had split up again. He could only shake his head in frustration. The cadet that he had chosen as the Red Ranger was now the one that had divided his team again.
The important thing now was to know if the threat that he believed was coming was going to attack soon. He knew that this division would bring problems, but, it was not the time to intervene. Everyone was in a bad modo. It was better to let it rest until tomorrow.
Elsewhere, two creatures identical to the one that had been stopped by the Rangers were putting two boxes identical to the ones the creature had previously tried to put in the same sewer spot. Once the job was done, some kind of portal opened and the creatures entered it.
The next day. 12:00
The morning had been very tense for the first time in a long time for the Rangers. John, Diana, and Shayera had iced Kal and Barry over breakfast before they went on patrol.
They had been watching for a long time, but there was nothing new. Obviously, the five Rangers started to get bored, but it was necessary, or at least until the commander told them to go back to base. They didn't want to go back to base because of how tense the atmosphere had become.
Diana was the most angry with Kal and Barry. They had been total hypocrites to her. She knew that Kal hadn't liked coming to Zone C since the day she met him. She thought, oddly, like Commander Wayne, that he would like it here after a while, especially after Ra's Al Ghul had been defeated.
She felt just as betrayed by them now. The reasons he had given were worse than the ones she had told them when she apologized for not telling them that she was the Princess of Themyscira. She hoped that they would react later or at least apologize for it, but she was still angry enough to not want to talk to them.
While she continued with the tour through the areas of the city, Diana saw that an ice cream man was near her, so she stopped the car and went towards him. She asked him for a strawberry ice cream. He gave it to her and put it on the League's account. The commander wouldn't see anything wrong with her asking for ice cream, or at least that's what she thought.
Ice cream was what always put her in a good mood, so there was no better time to eat it than now. She didn't know why, but ever since she'd arrived in Man's World, ice cream had been her favorite food. It was so delicious which made it so addictive to her.
The calm of eating her ice cream was interrupted by a strange sound. Diana looked towards where she had heard the sound. It was up above a small restaurant. It looked like it was some kind of portal. Diana stood still, staring at the portal, waiting for something to happen.
She knew this was not good. What she expected finally happened, and not one, not ten, not a hundred, came out but hundreds of the same creature that she had stopped yesterday. There was a huge army, something many would not have wanted to fight, but Diana was an Amazon.
Despite herself, she dropped her ice cream and used her Morpho to pull out two swords. Once that was done, she jumped on the charge.
"Come fight, beasts," Diana said before beginning to slice up all the creatures that were coming to attack her, or that were also trying to take people away.
A few minutes later, Diana realized that she had to ask if the others were okay. This was worse than they had imagined. She took out her Morpho and called out to the others, including the commander and J'onn, dropping a sword.
"Commander, friends, there are too many of those things in my area, do you have problems too?" she asked.
"They showed up like a plague of roaches, but they take more than a shoe to kill," Barry said as he kept running.
"There are too many. Where did they come from?" Kal asked as he used his heat vision to destroy many of the creatures.
"I don't know, but we won't last long like this," John said as he fired missiles at them that he had created.
"Yes, and now having to fight and talk to you is too much," Shayera said as she shot, punched and dodged shots from the creatures in her area.
"Cadets, I don't think anyone can help us," Commander Wayne said.
"What do you mean by that? Won't you help us?" Kal asked, close to being annoyed with him. If he didn't help them, that would be terrible.
"I mean that no squadron is going to be able to help us. This is happening all over the world," the commander answered.
Well, I suppose that you are not liking this version that I have planned for Superman, but, I consider that this is necessary to make the leap to be the one that we all love. I thought about putting it in another time, but it didn't feel like the right thing to do. There had to be consequences for Kal and Barry, so I knew it was better to put it in this chapter.
Outside of this, I am very sorry for the delay, but I continue to do my best to deliver the great fight that is coming. Do not forget to write me a comment with your opinions, and follow the story if you like it.
Thank you very much. Until the next chapter.
NEXT: WAR, PART 2.