<topstuff>
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to their respective copyright owners and are used here without permission. No money is being made from this fic.
Authors Note: This is an alternate universe from the television show with an alternate timeline.
Fall of the Zords
Less than a week had passed since Minion had had his first battle with the Rangers and his most recent punishment from Dagsyxx. He had spent the time since then preparing for the next phase of his plan. And as he had worked, sculpting the creatures that would lead to his victory from various materials, he had ranted about his unfair treatment by his self-appointed master. "How dare he dictate terms to Minion?"
Finster shook his head sadly and continued to work on more of his creations. Minion had been asking the question over and over again and although sympathetic, Finster couldn't understand why Minion was so upset; the villain had been less than forthcoming in his answers. From what he had managed to piece together, Dagsyxx had been the one responsible for Minion's return from the dead. He had given Minion a task and had recently punished Minion for following his own agenda.
He wasn't really felling sympathetic toward Minion. This Dagsyxx, clearly a villain of some considerable power was clearly Minion's superior and given his recent actions, expected to be obeyed, just as Zedd expected Finster to follow his commands. If Minion had been powerful enough to destroy this Dagsyxx, he would have done so. Since he was pacing back and forth, cursing the other villain's name, Finster assumed he didn't have that much power.
He had also noticed that Minion had taken to referring to himself in the third person. While at first it amused him, it also highlighted a possible mental problem that in Finster's mind could prove disastrous.
"These creations are no use to Minion at this time," Minion said, eyeing Finster's work critically. "Maybe after Minion defeats them they may prove useful; you do have an eye for the hideous Finster. Minion will be calling on your services later. Perhaps--."
"Hey," Rito shouted as he entered the workshop. "Where have Ed and the others gone?"
Minion grinned and without warning lashed out at Rito; Rita's brother made a perfect target for him to vent his frustration. The back of his hand made contact with Rito's chin resulting in a sickening crack followed by a thrust to the chest with the palm of his hand. Rito's chest shattered as Minion drove his hand into the bone. When it reached the other side, Minion grabbed the mutant's backbone and used it to lift Rito off the ground.
For a moment Minion seemed to enjoy the cries of pain he could hear emanating from Rito. Then he grew tired with the demonstration and threw Rito to the ground.
"Minion will tell you this once and only once," the villain hissed as Rito tried to pick himself off the floor. "If you ever interrupt again, you will be pulled apart, bone by bone." To emphasise his point Minion stomped on Rito's skull. "And his name is Zedd, not Ed!"
Finster watched the display with interest and not a little fear. If he was lucky then Minion would take out all his aggression on Rito. If however attacking Rito made Minion feel too good, the villain might decide to attack him as well. Finster knew Rito could recover, but he doubted he would be able to take that sort of abuse.
"Finster!" Minion shouted.
"Yes Minion?" Finster replied nervously.
For a moment Minion had been tempted to kill the monster maker. ~But that would be a waste of a good mind,~ he thought.
"Take that thing," he said pointing to Rito, "to Lord Zedd. Maybe he can use him on his home world. Tell him Minion will deal with the Rangers himself."
In his mind Finster considered arguing. Rita and Zedd were in charge after all and they had told him to remain. On the hand, if Minion really wanted him out of the way, he could execute him and tell Rita and Zedd some story about Finster betraying them.
"As you wish," Finster said.
As Finster moved over to where Rito was lying, Minion summoned the Sword of Darkness and used it to send the two fools to join their family. Then he turned his attention to more important matters, namely the creation of some more suitable followers.
During the time he had spent pacing back and forth spouting countless obscenities, Minion had been busy crafting the bodies of his new servants. They had been made by encasing a body he had sculpted using a living metal called Viventallum in an outer skin made from a second metal. Minion had used silver for one and brass for the second model. He pointed the Sword of Darkness at the lifeless creatures and used the power of the Morphin Grid to overlay a series of enchantments that turned the lifeless statues into living creatures.
"You are Silvo," Minion told the silver henchmen, his favoured follower.
Silvo had been forged to resemble of muscular humanoid. He had been gifted with wings, but unlike Goldar's, who could use them to fly, his were not aerodynamic. A levitation spell made it possible for him to use the metal wings as aerofoils. On his left hip he wore a samurai style sword. Although he was programmed to use it sparingly, this was his most potent weapon.
"You are the soldier," Minion told his creation. "You are more than a match for any mere Ranger, and with my foot soldiers to back you up, a one machine army."
Behind Silvo a group of smaller machines had been constructed. They were made from unrefined Viventallum that allowed them to move and to remain aware of their surroundings while not exhibiting the behaviour patterns of Silvo. They had blank plates over their faces and seamless bodies. Every time they moved their bodies reformed, thus eliminating the need for muscles or motors. Minion decided that the best way to judge the weapons he had provided for his troops was to send them into battle.
"WD Units, you will obey Silvo's commands unless Minion decrees otherwise," he said.
The foot soldiers nodded their understanding; lacking the ability to speak, that was the best they could accomplish. Minion turned his attention to the immobile second henchman. "You are Brasso, bodyguard of Minion and second in command of my army."
Brasso was more streamlined than Silvo. He was slightly taller, definitely thinner and had a differently shaped head. In his hands he held a short staff tipped with a blade on each end. After testing the weight he put it away and returned his attention to Minion.
Finally Minion turned to his last creation. With Finster gone Minion decided he was in need of a monster builder. He had decided to create someone with the combined knowledge of Finster and Klank and the imagination of a human.
The result was a human body with cybernetic implants. Minion had already selected the memories his creation would possess and had implanted all the necessary knowledge. The parts of the brain dealing with emotion had been removed, creating the second most evil mind on the Moon, ever. Finally Minion connected his creation to the castle's computer. The result was a lethal killer who was forever tied to the computer and could never turn against its master.
"Bronzo, I have a special task for you. I want it ready for use as soon as I take away the Rangers' powers."
"Yes master," Bronzo replied.
Bronzo and Minion left the chamber to discuss the newly created henchman's first task.
"Sam, why do you hide from them?" the voice asked.
"I thought I'd heard the last of you," Sam said angrily.
"You know I cannot leave you," the voice replied.
"But, I accepted who I am," Sam protested.
"No," the voice replied. "You accepted you are the clone of Thomas Oliver. You have accepted that you are the Green Ranger. But you have not accepted your true role in the Rangers' lives. The Green Ranger is not destined to remain an outsider who hides when the battle is over. He is a comrade they know they can rely on."
"They don't need me," Sam said. "They have the Green Ranger to back them up and they have Sam as a friend. They don't need me."
"So you have not learnt," the voice said. "You are still scared of being rejected. They will need you soon."
Sam's morpher appeared in front of him. "Morph!" the voice commanded.
Sam did as he was told. "Dragonzord!"
"Good," the voice said. The image of the Green Ranger appeared as it had a few days before. "Hold out your sword, Sam. It is time you witnessed your future."
Sam summoned his sword, noticing the head of the dragon was glowing green and held it out towards the image. The image reached out and grabbed the sword, sending a blast of energy into Sam's body, accompanied by flashes of unwinding events. Sam collapsed to the floor.
"Ow," Sam muttered as the blast caused him to wake from his dream state.
He was in his house in Angel Grove. Downstairs he could hear the family he had created moving about, living their made up lives. Sighing, he decided to get up, all the time remembering the vision he had had just before waking.
Shaking his head, Sam decided to go to the Youth Center. At least there he could keep an eye on things in case he was needed.
Minion sat cross-legged on the floor, his two glowing eyes closed. He had never learnt meditation and seemed incapable of entering a deep trance, despite having studied the theory. Natural telepathy was not something he had inherited from the original. In the end he was forced to use magic to extend his senses. He used his suddenly awakened mind to touch the minds of his enemies.
One by one he felt their presence in the Morphin Grid, some stronger than others. Tommy, the often guilt-ridden leader, so close to losing it and yet able to draw strength from his friends to hold on. Rocky the fun loving goof ball, a deadly adversary and one of the most innocent Rangers. Katherine Hilliard once Rita's pawn against the Rangers; Minion could feel so much good in her he seriously doubted Rita's spell ever had a chance. Tanya Young the most inexperienced Ranger. Minion considered her for a moment. Although she had a strong will, she was the weak link among the Rangers. Finally, Adam Park a warrior with a strong sense of honour and skill.
Every one of them was going to fight to the end, but that did not concern Minion. The end would come for them soon.
Reaching out further Minion searched for the other Rangers who might be able to help them. Trini Kwan and Zachary Taylor, both skilled fighters were in Geneva, unaware of the danger their friends were in. Kimberly Hart was currently training for the Olympics. Minion checked and discovered Angel Grove was a long way from her thoughts. Billy Cranston was beyond his reach having escaped Aquitar, a situation he promised to remedy as soon as possible. Lord Trey of Triforia was somewhere in space. It was difficult since Trey's energy was split between three entities. All the Rangers friends were either unaware of the fate their friends were about to endure, or unable to do anything about it.
That left two minds for Minion to check. The first was Jason Lee-Scott. If anybody could help the Rangers, it was him. Minion sensed the strong body and spirit he had always felt when around the boy. Upon closer inspection he dismissed Jason as a minor threat. True the boy was strong, but his power was almost gone. A brief morph and it would all be over for the former leader of the Rangers.
It was the second mind, which concerned Minion. He knew the Green Dragon Ranger was on Earth, but had no idea who it was. Without that information he could not touch the Ranger's mind. There was something else about that Ranger. A feeling he had had once before, but could not place.
Dismissing the thought as irrelevant he summoned Silvo. "Send a batch of WD Units to Earth, now!"
Silvo bowed low and gestured to the nearest Trooper. A portal opened and the WD Units stepped through.
Minion's attack had shaken the Rangers and their allies. Since the first encounter they had been on their guard, but with the lack of a follow up assault, Zordon had finally decided that they needed to relax for a while.
"Heads up Tommy," Rocky called, throwing the Frisbee towards his friend.
Tommy jumped into the air, spinning as he caught the Frisbee and threw it towards Tanya. "Nice throw," he said as he landed.
Jason sat back against the tree, watching his friends having fun. Normally he would have joined them, but today he was too tired to play. At first they were going to hang out at the Youth Center, but when Rocky turned up with his siblings and their friends in tow it had been decided to go to the park instead. Eventually what had started off as a meeting between seven friends had been transformed into a small party.
"Is this a private party or can anybody join?" Kat asked as she sat next to him.
"Please," Jason replied, indicating a spot.
Kat sat next to her friend. While he continued watching the game of Frisbee she chose to watch Samuel Revilo and David Trueheart sparring. Surprisingly neither was able to gain the upper hand. ~It's like watching David and Tommy,~ she thought. Under his brother's supervision David had improved his skills and was now as good a fighter as any Ranger.
Over the time she had grown to know him Kat had been amazed by how different David was. While Tommy always seemed to have some darkness within him David was filled with light. ~Stop thinking like that,~ she told herself. ~You're meant to be Tommy's girlfriend.~
"David's good," Jason noted, startling her back to reality.
Kat was about to reply when a silver spear struck the tree, just missing her head. As quickly as possible the two teens were on their feet, searching for the source of the spear. Another five spears hit the ground not far from where she was standing.
In the sky over Angel Grove a black masked face appeared, which Tommy easily recognised from their past encounter. In the background were three metal beings. One was silver and the other two were bronze and brass. Tommy's eyes went wide as the image grew larger, revealing the Sword of Darkness in his hand.
"Citizens of Earth, pay attention. I, Minion proclaim myself as your new ruler. Minion expects a quick and efficient surrender. Resistance shall result in termination."
The image faded and Jason once again looked around, trying to spot the source of the spear. He soon found it, fifty metal soldiers had appeared in a circle around the park, cutting off any route that the Rangers might have used to escape.
"We're going to have to fight," Jason said. He had tried his communicator and found the teleport function jammed. "Let's go."
"Right," Kat agreed.
While Tommy, Kat, Adam, Jason, Tanya, Sam and David formed into a circle defending the younger children, Rocky was searching for a way to get the innocents clear.
"When I say now, run," he told Chelsea Oliver.
Tommy's sister nodded her understanding, catching hold of the younger DeSantos children. Next to her Franklin Park and her younger brother Teddy had managed to organise the others so the strongest fighters were on the outside, protecting the younger children.
"Can't you just teleport us out?" Chelsea asked.
For a moment Rocky considered trying again, but decided against it. Now was not the time to rely on the system miraculously working. Instead he whispered back, "Jammed."
Chelsea nodded and watched as the circle of friends moved outwards, drawing their attackers towards them.
"Now!" Rocky shouted as he saw the break in the soldiers.
Chelsea and the others ran as fast as they could. As soon as they were clear of the WD Units they were teleported to the monster shelter.
"You and Sam go next," Tommy told his brother.
"No way," Sam said. "We all go together."
"He's right," David agreed. "You guys are going to need all the help you can get." He waited until Sam had turned away before adding to Tommy, "At least until I can get Sam clear so you can morph."
"Look out, here they come!" Jason shouted.
Zordon and Alpha had been watching the events unfold from the time Minion appeared. Despite Alpha's best attempts he had been unable to teleport David and the human known as Sam to safety.
"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, Zordon I can't teleport the Rangers out either," Alpha reported.
"Calm yourself Alpha," Zordon advised. "Tell the Rangers to morph. Minion's forces are too powerful to face without their powers."
Alpha looked at the Viewing Globe, noticing the extra human in the area. "Zordon, there's someone with the Rangers."
"Tell them to morph Alpha," Zordon commanded. "We can limit the damage afterwards. Their lives are more important than any secret." ~Besides,~ Zordon thought to himself, ~David might be able to cover for the Rangers so they can morph without their other friend finding out.~ In his heart Zordon knew it was a long shot, but still worth hoping for.
"Tommy, Zordon says that you are to morph immediately."
Alpha's voice came over the communicator loud and clear. The Rangers and Sam had formed a circle and were trying to keep the attackers at bay. David was inside the circle, protecting an injured Kat from further harm.
"I'll be okay," she assured him. "Accelerated healing is kicking in. But I don't think I'll be able to fight."
David carefully examined her leg. Even though he wasn't a trained doctor, it was obvious that it was broken.
"Take this," Kat whispered, handing David her Zeoniser.
David took the Zeoniser and strapped onto his wrist. Immediately he felt the power telling him what to do. Standing up he joined Tommy and the others.
"We'll explain later," Tommy promised Sam. Morphing in front of a civilian was not something he wanted to do, but with one team-mate down he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. "It's Morphin Time!"
"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"
"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!"
"Zeo Ranger III - Blue!"
"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"
"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"
"Gold Ranger Power!" Jason called.
"Dragonzord!"
The Rangers looked round in time to see Sam morph into the Dragon Ranger. As his sword appeared Dragon Ranger let loose a battle cry and tried to hack the nearest WD Unit's head off.
"Well that solves that problem," Gold Ranger said to his leader as they drew their own Power Swords and charged in after him.
"David," Blue Zeo shouted as he joined the fight. "Cover Kat and try to stay under cover."
The acting Pink Zeo Ranger nodded in agreement, drawing his Zeo Laser Pistol just in case. He was glad he did not have to fight, even with powers. He was also relieved because although his uniform was determined by the Power and not by him, unlike Jason, at least the Zeo Crystal had adapted for the fact he was male and removed the skirt.
"Ugh!"
David turned towards the source of the noise and saw two of the machines holding the Gold Ranger while a third machine pummelled him with punches. There was a loud crack and David could see Jason demorphing, his powers exhausted.
"No!" Pink Zeo shouted, summoning the Zeo I Power Shield.
As the three machines turned to face David he threw the disklike shield at them. Sparks flew as it made contact with their metallic bodies before bouncing harmlessly away. The Green Zeo Ranger had used the diversion to attack all three WD Units with his Zeo IV Power Hatchets. Although the attack failed to cause any real damage, it managed to convince the machines to attack him instead of his fallen comrade.
Minion's satellites relayed the battle on the planet to the Lunar Palace. The fight had barely started and already two of the Rangers were out of action with a third untrained Ranger trying to defend them. In addition the Gold Ranger had exhausted his powers and Minion now knew the identity of the Green Dragon Ranger.
Minion then checked on his own troops. So far none of them had fallen in battle despite the Rangers' best efforts. If this kept up he would soon have an easy victory.
"Silvo, tell your soldiers to increase their attack to full power," Minion instructed.
Adam was desperately outnumbered. Even if all the Rangers were available, the odds would have been difficult to beat. With Jason and Kat out of the fight and David looking after them Adam found himself fighting multiple WD Units. He barely ducked as one of the robots fired a weapon at him. He looked at the ground where the object had landed and realised it was a spear, at least as long as his arm.
"Tommy," Green Zeo called to his leader. "Those spears are inside them."
The Red Zeo Ranger nodded, taking his attention off his opponents long enough to nod. That was all the time the WD Unit needed. It moulded its hands into sharp edged blades and slashed at the Red Ranger.
As Adam was distracted seeing his leader fall, he failed to notice the WD Unit sneak up behind him. Before he could react, it punched him to the back of the neck. The Green Zeo Ranger looked up to see the WD Unit preparing to fire another spear, this time at his head.
Yellow Zeo had summoned her Nunchuks and had started to bludgeon the nearest opponent. Then after freeing one end of the weapon she struck out, using the chain to increase the momentum. As the solid club struck, the WD Unit's neck Yellow Zeo drew her Zeo Pistol and fired. The machine fell backwards, stunned by the attack.
As Yellow Zeo prepared for the next target it grabbed her from behind. Tanya found herself deposited on the back of her neck, the Zeo suit absorbing some but not all of the shock. She looked up, unable to move as another WD Unit prepared to hit her.
"Any bright ideas?" Blue Zeo asked.
"Yeah," Dragon Ranger replied from his position at Rocky's back. "Teleport out of here as quickly as possible."
In back-to-back formation they had managed to hold their own against the machines, but were fading fast. Looking around Rocky saw Tanya being driven into the ground.
"Duck!" Blue Zeo shouted.
As the Dragon Ranger moved to obey his blue companion leapt over his back, driving his Zeo Power Axe into the WD Unit's chest. As he pulled away, Dragon Ranger pushed his Blade Blaster into the damaged patch and fired. The WD Unit collapsed as the Blade Blaster's energy ripped through to emerge from all directions, effectively slicing it in half.
"I don't believe it!" Blue Zeo complained as he noticed the WD Unit still moving, despite being cut in half. As he watched the two halves rejoined.
A silver spear struck the Blue Zeo Ranger in the shoulder, allowing more of the metal warriors to fall on him. ~This is bad,~ he thought as his helmet cracked under the constant pounding.
"Enough!" Minion shouted.
Before him was a scene many villains had only ever dreamed of. The Power Rangers were almost all beaten. The only exception was a newcomer, who Minion intended to humiliate before killing.
"Silvo, call back the WD Units," he ordered. "Then go to Angel Grove and destroy the Green Ranger."
Silvo looked at the screen. All the other Rangers had been beaten down, leaving only the Green Ranger facing twenty WD Units. The machines fell on top of the Ranger, punching and kicking him into submission. An evil smile formed on Silvo's metallic lips.
"As you wish master," he said as he left.
Minion couldn't help smiling under his mask. He had known what Silvo was thinking and was pleased his henchmen were intelligent enough to know when they had an advantage. Whether Silvo could use that advantage remained to be seen.
"WD Units, dismissed!" Silvo shouted as he appeared.
As the silver soldiers moved to obey, Silvo stalked the Green Dragon Ranger, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him into the center of the park, away from his friends. As Silvo moved away from the area Zordon was able to lock onto the fallen Rangers and teleport them back to the Power Chamber.
Sam forced himself awake. Silvo's initial assault had injured him more than the WD Units and he could already sense his attacker getting near.
Silvo waited until the Dragon Ranger got back to his feet before kicking him in the stomach and power bombing him into the ground. Lifting the Ranger by the neck, he started to choke the Ranger in unconsciousness.
"Fireball!" Sam shouted.
His hand erupted with green fire, catching Silvo off guard. Instead of dropping the Ranger however, Silvo drove him into the ground. With the Ranger down he continued to pummel him until Silvo could see blood seeping from a hole in the Ranger's armour. Kneeling next to the Ranger, Silvo opened Sam's helmet exposing the boy's face. Drawing his fist back, he awaited Minion's permission to continue.
A portal opened a Minion stepped through. Silvo bowed to his master and taking the hint disappeared.
"ZORDON!" Minion shouted.
Zordon turned his attention Viewing Globe. When Alpha had managed to teleport the Rangers back to the Power Chamber, Alpha had sprung into action. Thanks to the little droid's actions the injured Rangers had all been demorphed and stabilised. Most were suffering from broken bones, although in one case Zordon had had to use his powers to help heal internal damage.
"ZORDON!" the voice boomed a second time. "Minion knows that you can hear, Zordon!"
"I am here Minion," Zordon replied. "What do you want?"
"Your little Power Pukes left something behind," Minion sneered. Reaching down he pulled up the battered Green Dragon Ranger, now bleeding from several wounds. Sam's helmet had been destroyed, placing the armour into standby mode. Minion placed the Sword of Darkness across Sam's neck.
"What do you want Minion?" Zordon asked.
"A simple trade," Minion replied. "You give me the Zeo Crystal and Minion will return this piece of trash."
Zordon thought for a moment. Every part of him wanted to send the Rangers back out to destroy Minion, but he did not have that option. In addition he doubted they would be able to either beat Minion or free their friend. Faced with an impossible choice Zordon did the only thing possible under the circumstances. ~I cannot sacrifice someone just to hold onto a power,~ Zordon thought. ~If I do, then I don't deserve to hold it anymore.~
"Very well Minion," Zordon said. "I will teleport the Zeo Crystal to you. But be warned, if you harm him, you will be destroyed."
"As you wish Zordon," Minion hissed with a mock bow. "As you wish." He picked up the crystal when it appeared. "Now, you shall see that Minion is a creature of honour. Take him back."
In a flash of green the prisoner was gone. Minion allowed himself to smile. While Zordon was busy caring for the injured Green Ranger, he would ensure the Ranger's were even less of a threat. He had taken their powers, now he intended to take their Zords. That would ensure that when Bronzo had finished his work the Rangers wouldn't stand a chance.
Alpha ran the medical scanner over Sam's unconscious form. He had tried several times to monitor the young Ranger, but although Alpha was able to heal some of the wounds, the scanners refused to detect the Green Ranger's presence. To make matters worse, Zordon had been unable to forcibly demorph the Ranger.
"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, nothing is working Zordon," Alpha reported.
"Keep trying," Zordon instructed.
"Yes Zordon," Alpha replied, returning to his work.
A small alarm sounded in the Power Chamber causing both Zordon and Alpha to investigate. The control panel, which the Rangers used to control the Zeo Launcher, was operating by itself. Already the Zeo Megazord, Super Zeo Megazord and Warrior Wheel had been loaded for launch.
"Alpha, eject the Zeo Launcher before the Red Battlezord is lost as well!" Zordon boomed. As he spoke, he noticed the other Zords had already been launched.
Alpha pushed the buttons on the console, causing the Zeo Launcher to eject from the Zord Holding Bay and explode near the bottom of the mountain. Zordon realised the Rangers would probably never use those Zords again. ~The Rangers will probably never use the Zeo Crystal again,~ he thought.
"Sam, wake up!"
Sam opened his eyes to find himself hovering over the medical table in the Power Chamber. As he looked down he could see the battered the remains of his body and Alpha desperately trying to help him.
"Am I dead?" Sam asked.
"No," the familiar voice said. "But if Zordon and Alpha cannot heal you, you will be."
"Why are they not healing me then?" Sam asked.
"Because you do not want them too," the voice replied. "They want to help you but cannot do so while you are hiding from them. Only you can save you life, and to do so you will need stop hiding and reveal yourself."
Sam thought about the choice he faced. If he removed the spell that hid him from the Ranger and everybody else then he would survive. But if he did remove the spell he risked losing the people he cared most about and being alone again. For a moment he was tempted to just keep the spell and die, but what then. The Green Powers would be lost and the Rangers would be in even worse shape than they were now.
~I caused Zordon to give up the Zeo Crystal,~ he thought. ~How can I quit before I have made amends?~
"At last you have seen sense," the voice said, once again taking the form of the Green Ranger. The voice changed to resemble someone Sam had come to respect over the years. The image flew into the Plasma Tube causing its inhabitant to smile, "Welcome back, Sam."
"Ah, there you are," Minion said as the three large Zords appeared.
While Zordon and Alpha had been otherwise occupied, Minion had manipulated the energies of the Zeo Crystal, using their link with the Power Chamber's computer system, which had been compromised by Cyber Agent months before. He had ordered all the Zords to launch, but somehow Zordon had managed to prevent the Red Battlezord from being lost. For what he had in mind though, it did not matter.
"Fight me!" Minion commanded, manipulating the machines into switching to autopilot. After teleporting the Zeo Crystal to a safe place Minion prepared himself to destroy the Rangers' prize weapons.
Before any of the three Zords could react, Minion rushed them with his sword. Using the power blade he knocked the Warrior Wheel, attacking in robot-mode, to the ground.
Minion had spent time studying the Zords the Rangers had used since Zordon first recruited them. After watching their battles he had managed to learn the weaknesses of each of the Megazords.
The Dino Megazord had been quick and had been able to take abuse well, but lacked the strength and firepower of the future Zords. The Dragonzord had been more powerful, but lacked any finishing manoeuvres. Ultimately they had been destroyed not through the act of an enemy, but because Zordon had failed to enhance them.
The Thunder Megazord had the raw power, but was unable to survive a sustained attack. The Tigerzord was powerful, but was reliant on the cooperation between Ranger and Saba. In the end it had been their lack of endurance, which had drained them to the point where Rito had been able to defeat them. Minion wondered what would have happened if Zordon had given the Rangers access to the real Thunder powers, instead of allowing them to draw the power through their Dinocoins.
The Ninja Megazord and Ninja MegaFalconzord were the most agile of the Zords, but neither Zord was unable to defend itself against swords. The Shogun Megazord and Shogun MegaFalconzord were powerful and heavily armoured, but lacked the speed to defeat the faster monsters. Together they had made a good set of Zords, complementing each other well. Unfortunately the Ninja Zords' reliance on the Falcon Zord meant that when Zedd had stolen it all the Ninja Zords had been disabled.
Then came his current opponents. It was easy to find the weakness with the Zeo Megazord or the Red Battlezord. Both had been added to the Ranger's arsenal after they had gained their powers. As a result they only drew part of the power from the Zeo Crystal. If Minion had had the opportunity to face the Red Battlezord, he would have simply aimed for the cockpit. The machine was designed for Tommy only and a quick laser bolt through the glass cockpit would have ended the Zord's attack. The Megazord was at least a challenge, but Minion knew all he had to do was ground the Zord and it would be as good as scrap.
The Warrior Wheel was vulnerable when switching between modes. Minion had already damaged it, but now he planned to take advantage of its other weakness. While the Zord was down, he intended to ensure he knocked out the other two Megazords, thus eliminating its finisher. The Warrior Wheel did not have an effective solo assault.
As he was analysing his opponents the Zeo Megazord and Super Zeo Megazord had already moved into attack. The Zeo Megazord had activated its Battle Helmets. Minion had laughed as he was hit by the various assaults; even the Zeo Megazord Sabre had barely scratched him.
"Zeo Cannon!" Minion called, bracing himself as the cannon attached itself to his shoulder.
Minion fired the weapon once, blast a hole in the Zeo Megazord's chest. As the Zord collapsed Minion aimed the cannon again, this time channelling the full power of the Zeo Crystal into the blast and fired. The Megazord exploded, parts of its chest exploding over the ground as it was swiftly teleported back to the Power Chamber.
Twisting around to face the Super Zeo Megazord, Minion fired again. The blast caused some damage but the Super Zeo Megazord had been created to take more than the Zeo Cannon could give. In disgust Minion smashed the Zeo Cannon into the Super Zeo Megazord's head.
Minion had spent a long time studying the Super Zeo Megazord. It had a number of weaknesses, but none Minion could exploit to their full extent. Instead he had looked at the Zord's weapon and had discovered the combined swords generated too much power for even its wielder to use at full power.
He laughed as the Megazord struck him the first time, gesturing for it to try full power. The Zord complied and Minion saw his chance. Grabbing hold of the blade he pushed it back towards the Zord until it made contact with the Megazord's head. Minion continued to push, slicing through the Megazord. Gradually the sword started to cut through the body, emerging at the base of the body.
As the Super Zeo Megazord fell to the ground in two halves, Minion picked up the combined sword and used it to chop away the Zord's arms and legs. Finally he drove the sword into the head of the Megazord. As the Super Zeo Megazord was reduced to the Super Zeo Gems from which it was first formed, the sword disappeared with it.
"Just you and me then," Minion said as the Warrior Wheel got to its feet again, beckoning him to attack with his hand.
Faster than Minion expected the Warrior Wheel launched at him. A series of fists connected with Minion's chin. Minion laughed as he took all the punishment the Zord could dish out.
"My turn," he said.
Minion snap kicked the Warrior Wheel's knee, following up with several punches of his own. Lifting the Zord over his head in military press, Minion jerked his arms back to his sides. He threw the top part of the Warrior Wheel onto the ground in front of him, before dumping the legs on top.
He raised his hands in victory as he watched the remains of the Warrior Wheel disappear. "ZORDON! If I'd known it was going to be this easy I'd have attacked before!"
Reaching out Minion summoned the Zeo Crystal and held it above his head as a sign of victory. For the second time he had taken the powers from the Rangers. This time they would not get them back. Time was now on his side and that was all he needed.
When Tommy awoke Zordon asked him to join David and the others in the main chamber. As he entered the room Tommy was glad to see his team was still alive. The Rangers healing powers had taken care of the worst of their injuries. And with a little help from David and Alpha they had all regained consciousness.
Conspicuous by his absence was Sam. At first Tommy thought maybe the Green Ranger had left. Then, he noticed the blocked off area of the chamber where the medical table was located.
"Zordon, where is Sam?" Jason asked.
"Rangers, I have some bad news for all of you," Zordon said. "When you were teleported here Minion assaulted Sam and used him to gain control of the Zeo Crystal. He has since destroyed all the Zeo Zords with the exception of the Red Battlezord and has damaged the Zeo Crystal so it cannot be used."
"The good news," Zordon continued, "Is that Sam is going to be all right and that we have today gained a powerful and wise ally."
The blocked area of the chamber vanished, revealing Sam in his civilian clothes. By dropping his power he had allowed Zordon to discover his true identity, but at the same time had managed to conquer his fear of discovery.
"Sam Revilo, will you please reveal your true identity to the Rangers?" Zordon asked. If Sam refused then Zordon had no intention to tell them. He hoped that his reaction had helped.
Sam placed his hands over his face and slowly moved them around. As he did so the other Rangers gasped. Sam's face became that of Thomas Oliver when he had first arrived in Angel Grove.
"Hi," Sam said sheepishly, "Remember me?"
For a moment nobody said anything. Most of them were too shocked to say anything; Tanya just didn't understand what was happening. None of the Rangers had ever thought to fill her in on their history and although she knew Tommy had once been the Green Ranger she had never been made aware that he had a clone.
Finally, Tommy spoke. "How can you be here? I left you in 1795."
"More to the point," Adam stated, "I thought two Tommy Olivers in one time would damage the Morphin Grid."
"Look, I can't tell you everything about the time Collective, because I don't know everything," Sam said, returning to his usual look. "I do know I am the clone you left in Colonial Angel Grove, the same guy who helped when Minion took your powers last time. I stayed in the Eighteenth Century and lived there until the present. I don't think the timeline applies anymore."
"Indeed, since Sam has not returned to this time zone, but has instead lived for the last two hundred years the effects on the Morphin Grid no longer apply," Zordon explained.
"What about your disguise?" Rocky asked.
"I retained the magic from the Wizard of Deception's wand," Sam answered. "I am now one with the magic. I am literally the Green Ranger."
"Rangers, I am afraid there is nothing more you can do here," Zordon said. "I suggest you all go and try to get some rest. I have a feeling you will need you strength soon."
As he watched, the Rangers leave Zordon turned to his assistant. "Alpha Five, begin Plan B."
"Yes Zordon," Alpha said, hurrying to complete his task.
While Billy worked Zordon started to plan for what was to come. Minion had in the space of a day managed to hand the Rangers their first defeat. For some reason the new villain had not continued to attack, deciding to retreat. Zordon reached out with his mind, touching each of the Rangers. ~Rest my Rangers,~ he thought, ~I fear the worst is yet to come.~
With trembling hands Minion placed the Zeo Crystal in its new home. The charging sequence would take a matter of days and the latent heat generated would speed up the incubation period. After that he would have a force at his disposal, so destructive that neither the Rangers nor Dagsyxx would stand in his way.
End
<post_date>2021-08-15 13:22:50</post_date><post_modified>2022-10-01 15:08:25</post_modified>
