<topstuff>
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the respective copyright owner. No money is being made from this piece of writing.
Light in the Distance
Earth
She couldn't take much more. Just like Travis she had been forced to watch others being tortured. But whereas Travis had only been forced to see his teammates suffer, she had been forced to watch as Minion had first beaten her teammates. There had been no turning away from the things he had done to some of the female heroes he had captured. And after he had sliced off Flash's legs, he had thrown them into the invisible bubble where she resided, watching all the action.
She was on the verge of a mental breakdown; the only thing keeping her from losing control was the threat her powers posed should that happen.
"Release them," Minion said, gesturing to the various devices the Rangers had been strapped to.
Bronzo did as he was told, throwing the Rangers to the ground at his master's feet. Minion waited for the Rangers to recover enough to hear his words.
"For the last few days I have tortured you all and enjoyed every moment of it. But now, I think to myself 'am I being fair?' I've had many opportunities to harm you and I have not allowed any of you to take a single shot at me."
Reaching into subspace, he pulled out a collection of fully charged blasters. He threw them to the ground in front of the Rangers.
"For a count of six I will drop my defences and allow you to take as many shots at me as you wish. I should warn you one would be enough to kill me. Should you succeed you will be teleported back to Angel Grove and from there you can go wherever you wish."
"I can see you all need a little encouragement. Travis here will do. Here's the deal, when I reach six either you will have shot me or this poor Triforian."
She regarded the Rangers on the ground. They were teenagers, barely out of high school if she guessed correctly. And here Minion expected them to attack him after all they had been through? No, she quickly realised that was not what he had in mind at all. Minion knew they would not attack, was counting on their experience proving sufficient to stop them from lifting a finger to aid Travis. He wanted them to see their friend's death and know that there had been a chance to save him.
"No," Tommy begged. "Don't do it."
Silently she echoed the Red Gem Coin Ranger's plea.
"One..." Adam stared stupidly at the weapon in front of him.
"Two..." Trey reached out to the blaster. He wondered why everything was suddenly moving in slow motion.
"Three..." Kat's fingers touched his blaster and stayed there, unmoving. He wondered suddenly why he'd put them there.
"Four..." Tommy tried to reason it out. He had the blaster in his hand; all he had to do was shoot. So why couldn't he?
"Five..." Tanya realised she was terrified, afraid of failing, afraid of dying. Sobbing, she let the gun fall.
She sensed that Minion had not lied to the Rangers. A single shot would be enough to kill him. All the Rangers had to do was fire. But there was the problem, after all they had endured and at such a young age, they lacked the enormous act of will to keep fighting.
Just as the blade made contact with Travis's skin, Adam managed to pull himself together enough to start to raise his blaster and fire. The other Rangers spurred on by his lead aimed their weapons as well, but it was too late. As he reached six, Minion extended his hand toward the Rangers, allowing the black tendrils that stretched from his fingers to surround them, preventing them from firing. Then with utmost glee he drew the dagger across Travis's throat, laughing as Travis collapsed to the ground.
Blood pooled across the ground, the Rangers watched in horror as their friend was brutalised while they were incapable of helping him. They struggled against their magical restraints, trying desperately to keep Minion from causing further harm, assuming it was not too late. Minion reached down and picked up his dagger, taking a moment to sample the blood. Standing back up, he drove the Sword of Ragnarok through the fallen Triforian's abdomen, more innocent blood coating the deadly blade.
She was speechless. She had seen many criminals in the past, but this was just cruelty. Magic was one thing, but to kill so coldly and with his own hand on the weapon, spoke of the horrors Minion would inflict on the Earth once he was finished with the Rangers.
"Bastard," she hissed, struggling to maintain a grasp on her emotions, knowing that only Minion would hear her.
"Now, now," Minion warned, focussing his words directly to her. He mentally tightened the magical grip around her; "if you don't have anything nice to say," and here he sent a surge of dark energy through the tendril that held her in place, "DON'T SAY ANYTHING!"
He moved to strike her and stopped, realising that if he killed her then his plans would fail. He needed her out of control and as powerful as she could be. When he was done here, he planned to give her to some of Rita's underlings and once Goldar had enjoyed her for a few days and assuming she survived, she would be ready for the grand finale.
"One down, five to go," he said, watching the Rangers' faces. Yes, he could see their pain. It seemed that whatever tortures he inflicted upon them physically, it was nothing compared to how he could hurt them mentally. "Tomorrow we will try again with a special guest," he promised. "Silvo, take them to the cells. And you witch, have a date with a monkey."
Reefside Next Day
Eight columns of light heralded the arrival of Jason, Sam, Billy, Trini, Kimberly, Zack, Aisha and David, all freshly returned from their successful quests for new powers. They had been expecting some sort of welcome home, but instead found the fall back Operations Center deserted.
"What happened here?" Jason asked as he studied a monitor that showed Minion's forces were roaming through most of the world's largest cities.
"Looks as if our friends may have experienced odds they were unable to compete against and as a result paid the inevitable price," Billy said.
"In other words, they lost a battle and Minion won," Trini translated.
"All right," Jason said, taking charge. "We need information. Billy, you take Trini, Zack and Aisha. Go to the Power Chamber and see if you can get Alpha and Zordon on line." During their time in the various temples, the Rangers had learnt that Zordon was alive. "The rest of us will head to Angel Grove and see what we can learn."
"How much further Billy?" Trini asked as the four Rangers dropped into another service shaft.
So far they had discovered that when Zordon had redesigned Power Mountain to use the teleportation system instead of relying on doors and long corridors he had failed to foresee a time when the teleportation system might be offline. Given that the various rooms were now inaccessible except by squeezing through a number of small passages, the decision was proving inconvenient.
This meant in order to get to the power generators the Rangers first had to trek through two miles of service ducts, climb down a ladder and then trek another quarter of a mile to the lower control room. After that they still had to find their way down another six miles to the bottom of the mountain.
There was a rapid descent device designed for Alpha to use, but none of the Rangers liked the idea of falling feet first down a tube for seven miles with only a cargo net at the bottom to stop them. Especially when they knew that the tube had been designed for Alpha and was therefore covered with oil on the inside. Billy could not imagine that Alpha enjoyed the idea of falling that far either. Therefore he assumed the little android had found an alternative method.
Finally they found their way into the lower control room. Billy, surprised to find the room intact and operational, quickly checked the computer to see if there were any other areas that could be used.
After a short time Aisha and Trini had managed to isolate one of the hefty power cables, no doubt planning for when they tried to restore the Power Chamber. With the use of the seemingly independent power supply, they managed to restore some of the basic Power Chamber functions such as internal communications. Billy took the opportunity to advise Jason on their progress.
"Short range teleport is still offline, but we have scanners back. We can start a search now and transmit the results. We should all be able to stay in touch now."
"Understood," Jason replied.
"At last," Minion stated, looking at the broken teens before him. "Your friends have returned," he told Tommy, prodding the boy with his foot, enjoying the whimper as his toes touched against a broken rib.
The Red Gem Coin Ranger looked up at him, his expression a beautiful mix of relief and suspicion. Minion smiled to himself, he was the one responsible for the Rangers doubting themselves. Surely they had felt the massive surge of magical energy that had heralded Jason's arrival.
"Since your friends are back ahead of schedule we'll have to move ahead with the timetable," he announced. "You have two hours to decide who will be the next to die, or I will choose."
With that he walked out.
"Okay Billy, give it a try," Trini called as she finished working on Alpha's damaged circuitry.
"Powering up now," Billy replied from the console that he had jury-rigged to repair the small droid.
Alpha had been so badly damaged during the destruction of the Power Chamber that the Rangers had been unable to attempt repair. Now with a desperate need to access the computer systems, they had patched his databanks into the Power Chamber's computer system.
"1010101010 1001 001001" the computer said as it slowly powered up and interfaced with Alpha.
Billy adjusted the controls and tried again. This time the results were more favourable.
"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, Rangers!" Alpha cried. "You're safe!"
"Alpha, are you okay?" Kimberly asked.
"I don't..." Alpha went quiet as if trying to recall what had been going on. "Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, my body is malfunctioning."
"Um Alpha, your body was kind of destroyed," Kimberly explained.
"Alpha, we need to know what's been happening on Earth," Jason said, interrupting the discussion. They would worry about Alpha's body later. "Can you access any of Zordon's satellites?"
It took a while because Minion's forces had damaged most of the White Master's observation satellites. In the end the android was forced to tap into local news computers and pull out any stories concerning the Power Rangers. "Oh no, Travis!" he called as he attempted to feed the footage into the small monitor.
"How could they just lie there?" Zack asked, noticing that the other Rangers had barely lifted a finger to help.
"After all they've been through I would suspect Minion surmised a lack of aggression on their part," Billy explained. "This was just another phase of the process. They watched him kill a comrade, imagine how they feel."
The others didn't need to imagine. For Jason and Billy knew Trey quite well. The Red Ranger had spent time with Travis after the Tri-union had failed, and while there were differences, Travis had proven himself every bit as noble as Trent and Trey.
~What happened to him when he died? ~ Jason wondered. ~Did he go to an afterlife or did his essence simply return to Trey? ~
"We don't know that he died," Aisha pointed out. That was true, the transmission had ended before the scene had played out. Did Travis survive? Somehow the other doubted it.
"Alpha, was there anything else?" Jason asked.
"I'm just checking the police computers," Alpha replied. "Oh, ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, somebody broke into the Angel Grove Hospital and kidnapped a patient."
"Rocky," Kimberly realised.
David had yet to say anything, he was staring at the image of his brother, clearly hurting, urging him to move.
Minion sensed that the time was right. The Rangers had returned from their quests and now he had his opportunity to crush them just as he had the Gem Coin Rangers. He knew that fully powered Rangers combined with their Gem Coin wielding friends had a slight chance of defeating him. It was not something he wanted to happen. Minion knew the answer was to make an immediate strike and that would mean he had to reserve as much power as possible.
"Silvo, Brasso, come here!"
His two servants appeared before him as always. He looked them over; both were strong and capable warriors and he had no doubt each would give the Rangers a fight to remember. But Minion also knew the Rangers would defeat them.
"Lower all the barriers apart from Stone Henge. It's time to send the Rangers a little welcome home present. Shi'nom, Elder of Darkness, I summon you."
"Yes, my lord," Brasso and Silvo replied, both vanishing to complete their next mission.
"Who is that?" David asked.
The alarm had sounded, warning the Rangers that Minion was aware of their presence. On the screen a humanoid giant with a brown cloak and blue markings around his eyes, was storming his way through a Canadian city.
"Rangers, this is Shi'nom, an Elder of Darkness trained by Master Vile," Alpha explained.
On the screen giant Shi'nom was walking through buildings, happily trashing anything in his way. Lightning bolts from his staff levelled tall buildings while the people ran for cover.
"We need to take care of Shi'nom before he trashes the city," Jason said. "It's Morphin Time!"
"White Ranger Power!"
"Black Ranger Power!"
"Pink Ranger Power!"
"Blue Ranger Power!"
"Yellow Ranger Power!"
"Red Ranger Power!"
"Purple Ranger Power!"
"Green Ranger Power!"
This was the first time that they had morphed as a team, the first time they would discover their new uniforms. They were pleasantly surprised. Their costumes retained the dinosaur theme of the original Rangers of Earth, but their boots and gloves remained in their Ranger colours. Their helmets were identical in shape despite their varying colours, each shaped to resembled that of the original Red Ranger's helmet. The diamonds on their chests were white, or black in the White Ranger's case, and held a gold circle in the center where their chosen animal appeared. A series of smaller diamonds ran up the outside of their arms and legs. The tops of their boots, edge of their gauntleted gloves and belts were gold and they each wore a Blade Blaster on the right-hand side of their belts.
Green Ranger kept his traditional shield and protective bands, White Ranger had a similar shield and the diamonds on his arms and legs were slightly sharper. Both Rangers had a sheath on their backs, Green to hold his Dragon Dagger and White to contain his weapon, which he had called the Drago Sword.
It was then Pink Ranger asked the question the others had not considered. "Guys, we have like four sets of Zords and one monster. Which set do we use?"
"Well technically the only Zords we have are the Ninja Zords," Blue Ranger replied. "The Thunder and Dino Zords will take time to be recreated and Shogun Zords and Battle Borgs need to be redesigned."
"Okay," Red Ranger said. "We need Ninja Zord power, now!"
A beam of light shone from each Ranger's chest into the sky, combining at a distant point and calling forth the Ninja Zords from the Temple of Ninja Powers. In the sky above eight Zords appeared, not the prototype Ninja Zords the Gem Coin Rangers had been forced to use, these were the fully functional Ninja Zords that the original Ninja Rangers of Earth had used. The Rangers felt themselves being teleported into their Zords.
"All right Rangers log on," Red Ranger said.
"This Zack, back in black and ready to attack," Black Ranger said from inside the Frog.
"Billy here, all systems nominal," Blue Ranger reported, glad to be back in the Wolf again.
"Bear Zord powered up and ready," Yellow Ranger called in.
"Hey, who put this Michael Bolton tape in this Zords stereo?" Pink Ranger said from inside the Crane, realising she shouted "Kat, why?!"
"Hawk Zord ready for action," Purple Ranger called.
"Panther Zord online." The Green Ranger's comment was more to himself than to the Red Ranger.
"Whoa!" The shout came from David who was the only Ranger who had never operated a Zord before. As a result he was finding it difficult to keep control of the Falcon.
"David relax and let the Power guide you," Yellow Ranger advised.
White Ranger did as he was told and found he was able to regain control. "White Ranger back in control, Falcon Zord ready for action."
"Bring them together," Red Ranger said. "Ninja MegaFalconzord!"
"Ninja Battlezord!" Green Ranger called.
The Crane started to fold to form the head while at the same time the Frog transformed to become the legs and the Bear converted to become the Ninja MegaFalconzord's upper body. The already modified Ape and Wolf joined onto the Bear to form the arms as the Crane linked on to become the head. Then the whole upper body joined onto the Frog as the Falcon Zord linked onto the back. Hands formed over the Ape and Wolf's heads.
The Panther Zord transformed to stand upright on its hind legs. The head rotated downwards to become the chest and the front paws became the arms. The Hawk Zord's wings and head folded into the body as the Hawk Zord joined onto the shoulders of the Panther to become the head of the Ninja Battlezord. The Panther's tail converted into a Power Sword as Purple and Green Rangers slid into the cockpit ready for action.
What followed was a fast paced high impact battle. The Ninja MegaFalconzord held Shi'nom's staff to one side allowing the Battlezord to use its sword. With a cry of pain Shi'nom struck back with an assault of lightning bolts. It took a while for the Rangers to shake off the effects of Shi'nom's attack as he charged them.
"Battle Strike!" Green and Purple Rangers called.
The Ninja Battlezord gave a short spin and drove its Power Sword into Shi'nom's chest. As it stopped spinning the Zord ducked out of the way as the Ninja MegaFalconzord descended using its double power punch. Shi'nom exploded as the Zords celebrated their victory.
Devils End, England.
The Master stood over the altar hidden in the caverns under the old church. Once before he had tried to use the power within the caverns to gain control over a being of near infinite power. He had failed. This time, the Master had taken no chances. He had found an object that would allow him to access the demons of a distant realm and turn them to his bidding. Now if he could just solve the box's puzzle.
Power Chamber
The alarm sounded as it detected yet another disturbance in Angel Grove. Alpha adjusted the monitor view, using the subroutine he had developed during the last few hours. Although the android wanted his body back, the direct link to the computer made things much easier. On the monitor Billy and Kimberly stared at the familiar figure running from a pack of metallic hounds.
"Its Dex!" Alpha cried, recognising his creator's grandson.
"Alpha, can we teleport him here?" Trini asked.
"What's going on?" Jason asked. He had been arranging the rebuilding work with Billy.
"Who is that?" Zack asked.
"Dex," Kimberly and Billy said together.
"Dex is the rightful Prince of Edenoi and holder of the Masked Rider powers," Billy explained. "We met him a few years ago and helped him to fight off an attack from his uncle."
"And now he needs your help again," Alpha said. "Please Rangers, I owe Lexian so much."
"Of course," Jason agreed. "It's Morphin Time!"
"White Ranger Power!"
"Black Ranger Power!"
"Pink Ranger Power!"
"Blue Ranger Power!"
"Yellow Ranger Power!"
"Red Ranger Power!"
"Purple Ranger Power!"
"Green Ranger Power!"
In eight columns of coloured light the Rangers teleported to save the alien who would prove to be a valuable ally in the future. As they directed themselves to surround the Masked Rider, they appeared and burst into action.
Pink and Blue Ranger stayed with the weakened Prince whilst Red and Green Rangers battled the now humanoid hound and Yellow, Purple, White and Black Rangers battled the WD Units that had appeared.
"Billy, how do we beat these guys?" Yellow Ranger shouted.
"Try the weapon I have been working on," Blue Ranger suggested.
Yellow Ranger did as her friend suggested and a silver pistol appeared in her hand. Not sure what to do, she pulled the trigger and was thrown backwards by the force of the shot. Orange powder covered the WD Units, leaving a trail of red dots on the Viventallum skin.
"Strike three dots and they're down," Blue Ranger called.
At first Black Ranger was going to ask whether it was that simple, but when he looked at the Troopers in front of him he realised the dots were in different places on each Trooper.
"Let's improve the odds Rangers," Red Ranger called, noting they were outnumbered, especially with two Rangers covering Dex. "Billy, Kim, get him out of here."
In columns of pink, blue and clear the two Rangers teleported their friend to the safety of the Power Chamber.
"Power Sword!" Red Ranger called.
The more powerful version of his original weapon appeared at his command. Although Jason had lost some of his impulsiveness during his time at the Peace Conference and as Gold Ranger, the Red Ranger had lost none of his skill with a sword. As he attacked the hound, Green Ranger waited for an opportunity before calling on his own sword.
"Dragon Fire!" he called as he pointed the sword towards the henchman. A ball of green fire emerged from the tip of the sword engulfing Brasso.
"Black Ranger Thunder Clap!" Black Ranger called.
As he kept three WD Units away using his unique fighting style black clouds started to form over the Troopers' heads. Lightning bolts shot from the cloud, striking multiple points on each Trooper's body. As three dots were hit a chunk of metal fell away from the Trooper, leaving it deactivated.
"Power Daggers!" Yellow Ranger called. The sharp and deadly daggers appeared in her hands.
Aiming carefully she threw them at two of the WD Units advancing on her. The daggers bounced off the metallic skin and returned to her hand. She threw them again with similar results. The third time she threw them her plan became evident. With three spots hit the WD Units shut down.
"Rolling Thunder!" she called.
Yellow clouds surrounded the WD Units and as she brought her hands together the clouds released their full power. The WD Units crumbled from the head to toe.
Purple Ranger meanwhile was making use of her distance attacks. Striking out with her Power Whip she ensured none of the WD Units could get close enough to use their superior strength. She still had to duck when one of the Troopers decided to use a javelin against her. Drawing her Blade Blaster she targeted the dots on each Trooper and fired. One by one the Troopers shut down.
White Ranger had quickly discovered the hidden abilities of his sword. After making a series of movements, it generated a collection of magically charged arrows, which shot toward the waiting targets.
Brasso had appeared sometime after the fighting had started. He prided himself on his skills with his personal weapon. So far he had used it to block, trip and stab the Green Ranger. Despite their improved battle skills they were no-match for him. In a flash of silver Silvo appeared beside his fellow soldier.
"I didn't think I'd be seeing you again Green Ranger," Silvo said.
Sam winced as he remembered the last time they had face each other. But this time he was a full Ranger and he had the advantage. The Green Ranger was in full control and soon Silvo realised that he was defeated.
Stronger and now impervious to Brasso's spear, Red Ranger still maintained his speed advantage over the Viventallum henchman. As Brasso lunged forward with his spear Red Ranger moved to the side, lifted his opponent into the air and let him drop to the ground. The Power naturally enhanced each punch or kick he landed. As he lashed out with a thrust kick, Brasso was sent flying into the back of Silvo.
"No!" Minion shouted. "They shall not win. Silvo, Brasso, use the hound as raw material and grow!"
Black light surrounded Brasso and Silvo as they started to grow larger. The fallen WD Units vanished as the two henchmen tried to flatten the Rangers with their feet.
"Billy, Kimberly, we're going to need you," Red Ranger called. "We need Ninja Zord power, now!"
As Blue and Pink Rangers reappeared next to their fellow Rangers a beam of light shot from their chests. In the sky above the eight Ninja Zords appeared, answering the calls of their respective Rangers.
"Okay Rangers, bring them together," Red Ranger instructed. "Ninja MegaFalconzord!"
"Ninja Battlezord!" Green Ranger called.
The Crane started to fold to form the head while at the same time the Frog transformed to become the legs and the Bear converted to become the Ninja MegaFalconzord's upper body. The already modified Ape and Wolf joined onto the Bear to form the arms as the Crane linked on to become the head. Then the whole upper body joined onto the Frog as the Falcon Zord linked onto the back. Hands formed over the Ape and Wolf's heads.
The Panther Zord transformed to stand upright on its hind legs. The head rotated downwards to become the chest and the front paws became the arms. The Hawk Zord's wings and head folded into the body as the Hawk Zord joined onto the shoulders of the Panther to become the head of the Ninja Battlezord. The Panther's tail converted into a Power Sword as Purple and Green Rangers slid into the cockpit ready for action.
Green and Purple Ranger insisted they be allowed to take on Silvo. Both had been on the receiving end of his strikes in the past and enjoyed the opportunity to get even. That left the Ninja MegaFalconzord to deal with Brasso.
Brasso charged the large Zord with his spear, hoping the run it through with a single blow. The MegaFalconzord responded by lifting off the ground, extending its left leg out fully and performing a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree spin. The spin caught Brasso in the side of the head, throwing the henchman to the ground.
The Battlezord and Silvo were equally matched in size. As Silvo tried to slip his sword beneath the Battlezord's defences the Zord responded with a punch to Silvo's chest.
"Battle Strike!" Green and Purple Rangers called.
Silvo had seen the effects of the Battlezord's attack and wanted no part of it. In a flash of silver he left the area, leaving Brasso alone against two powerful Zords.
Brasso knew he was outnumbered and decided a change of tactic was required. The metal skin appeared to melt as it transformed. Spikes appeared around the shoulders and knees. The spear in his hand transformed into a trident, which he threw at the rapidly approaching Zords.
The trident struck the Ninja MegaFalconzord in the chest producing a shower of sparks. Blue Ranger checked and reported they had suffered slight damage, but not enough to slow them. Brasso followed up by firing the spikes on his shoulders at the Battlezord.
"Take us airborne," Red Ranger said.
Pink Ranger took control of the Ninja MegaFalconzord and launched the Zord into the air and acted to divert Brasso's attention, allowing the Battlezord to attack.
"Battle Strike!" the Green and Purple Rangers called a second time.
As Brasso looked back towards the Battlezord the other Rangers took the opportunity to move in from behind and grab hold of his arms. Now locked in position Brasso fell victim to the Battlezord's sword. As he staggered away the MegaFalconzord launched into the air to finish its opponent, driving both fists into the henchman's body to destroy the Brasso.
Power Chamber, A few hours later
After securing Dex in the medical bay at Reefside, the Rangers had contacted the Stewart family in Leewood to tell them he was safe. Dex rarely stayed there, but it gave him an address to use while on Earth. Billy had gone to find a way to coat any future WD Units they encountered with the chemical to highlight their weaknesses. Jason, Sam and Zack had gone to try the Simulation Deck elsewhere in the Reefside building, leaving David, Aisha, Kim and Trini together. Trini excused herself saying something about tracking Billy down. David and the others hung around the Power Chamber for a while before leaving for their homes.
With the Rangers gone the rebuilding of the Power Chamber continued. Alpha used the opportunity to transmit a signal to guide the other Zords to Earth. He just hoped they would not be needed.
Minion's Island Two Days Later
He was behind schedule and Minion was getting impatient. He had refrained from attacking the Rangers for a couple of days, giving them a chance to come to terms with their victory over his WD Units. At the same time he had slowed the torture of the Gem Coin Rangers in case he needed them. The loss of Brasso had been a severe blow and highlighted a need to deal with the new Rangers quickly.
~Or at least their Zords,~ he thought. ~Yes, Zords make the Rangers. Take the Zords and the Rangers will fall.~
"Silvo, come here!"
"Yes master?" Silvo asked.
"Go to London; I want the city levelled. Take eight Nega Rangers with you, and if the Rangers dare to show up, let them experience what the Nega Rangers can do."
"As you wish," Silvo said as he vanished.
Minion's mind returned to more pleasant tasks, such as breaking the former Zeo Rangers. Killing them was still not enough. Minion wanted them to suffer more and to go on suffering long after he had finished with them. Perhaps it was time to test them again.
"Bronzo!"
"Yes Minion?" Bronzo asked as he appeared.
"Recover the remains of Brasso."
"As you command," Bronzo said disappearing.
Silvo led the Nega Rangers on a firelight tour of London. Making their way toward the Houses of Parliament, they took the opportunity to destroy some local landmarks. Their activities did not go undetected by Alpha who sent the Rangers into action.
"Hold it right there!" Red Ranger ordered.
"What do you want?" Nega Red asked. "We already beat your friends."
"You beat a team of half-powered Rangers," Blue Ranger shot back.
"And now you get to face the real thing," Black Ranger added.
"Because you have no idea who we are," Yellow Ranger stated.
"We're the Power Rangers," Pink Ranger told them.
"And you are history," White Ranger finished.
Green Ranger didn't need to say anything. He drew his blade Blaster and waited for the uncertain Nega Rangers to attack. After a moment's hesitation the Nega Rangers moved.
At first the battle was similar to the first fight between the Gem Coin Rangers and the Nega Rangers. Then the Rangers started to fight back, shifting the battle in their favour.
"Power Sword!" Red Ranger called.
After a brief battle with Nega Red he took his opponent of his feet and drove the Power Sword into Nega Red's armour. Nega Red collapsed to the ground; the Power Sword still embedded in his chest. Before Red Ranger could celebrate Nega Red pulled the sword clear and threw it to the ground before striking his enemy with a backhand.
Yellow Ranger and Nega Yellow circled each other cautiously, trying to figure out the other's skill and range of attack. Whilst Yellow Ranger relied on Kung Fu, Nega Yellow swift strikes to throw the Yellow Ranger around. As Nega Yellow grabbed her though, Trini teleported away. Seconds later she kicked Nega Yellow in the back of the head.
White Ranger was the most inexperienced on the battlefield and was having trouble fighting against Nega White. When the battle changed from strength to mental powers, David realised just how much he needed to learn.
"Concentrate White Ranger." David had been struck so hard by Nega White's barrage he had forgotten what Dulcea had taught him. "Just let the Power guide you. See your enemy's power and deflect it with your mind."
White Ranger did as he was told, imagining a circle of white light protecting him from Nega White's attack. With a slight nudge he sent the power flowing the other way.
White Ranger looked around as he heard the shouts of Green Ranger fighting his Nega Ranger counterpart. Nega Green had drawn a weapon resembling the Dragon Dagger and was swiping wildly at Green Ranger. The Green Ranger responded by using his magic powers to strike the Nega Ranger with electricity. Both of them performed a flying drop kick, striking each other in mid air. Both fell to the ground, neither one moving.
Somehow Black Ranger had been driven back towards the Thames. He knew that was not a good idea, especially if there were more Nega Rangers lurking around.
"Power Axe!"
Using his dance moves to keep the Nega Ranger guessing Black Ranger finally attacked, striking Nega Black in the hip. Converting to Cosmic Cannon mode he opened fire.
Nega Black laughed as he pulled out his own axe and swung at Black Ranger. Zack ducked, grateful that his armour was stronger than the original Ranger uniforms. A second blow from Nega Black almost decapitated him. As the Nega Ranger prepared for a third attempt Black Ranger used his powers to summon a new attack of his own.
"Black Ranger Thunder Clap!"
Black Ranger used the disruption caused by his attack to open fire with his Cosmic Cannon a second time. This time Nega Black fell down.
"We have to keep them away from the Parliament," Blue Ranger shouted as Purple and Pink Rangers moved to his side.
For Blue and Pink Ranger it was a team they had perfected during their early days as Rangers. Purple Ranger complemented the team by following Blue Ranger's lead. Together they provided cover against Nega Blue, Purple and Pink's assaults, allowing Pink Ranger to aim and fire her arrows.
Nega Blue and Purple copied their counterparts whilst Nega Pink returned fire. It became obvious the Nega Rangers were not as seasoned as the Power Rangers were. Although they were able to work together, they had not mastered being able to read each other's moves. The result was Nega Pink being struck when Nega Purple failed to cover her.
"Enough playing," Nega Blue said, his voice sounding like Rocky. "Nega Guns!"
Together the Nega Rangers charged; their blaster shots burning into the Rangers' armour. Launching into the air, the Nega Rangers pounced on their Ranger counterparts.
Pink Ranger discovered that at close range Nega Pink was the better fight. Nothing she did seemed to penetrate the Nega Ranger's defences. Nega Pink casually dismissed Pink Ranger with a flick of her wrist.
Purple Ranger and Nega Purple were involved in a match of whip versus Nunchuks, both of them aware of the other's intentions. Purple Ranger remembered that Nunchuks were used as a bludgeon for close attacks. If Nega Purple got close enough and decided to use the weapon in that way, Purple Ranger would not be able to defend herself.
Nega Purple was equally aware of the threat from Purple Ranger's whip. Twisting the handle of her weapon, she revealed a set of spikes set into the handle. With the blades fully revealed they resembled a small chain mace.
Purple Ranger saw what was coming, but it was already too late to react. The chain mace cut into her armour allowing Nega Purple to disarm her opponent.
"Heeyah!"
Blue Ranger drove his shoulder into Nega Purple, driving her away from Purple Ranger and giving his teammate time to recover. Noticing that Nega Blue was in pursuit Billy decided that a change of uniform was in order.
"Ninja Ranger Power!"
Once in his ninja outfit Billy called on his ninja powers to help him. After Earth Swimming to a position under Nega Blue he emerged, Power Lance in hand. Spinning the lance as he emerged caused Nega Blue to collapse to the ground.
Nega Blue punched Billy in the stomach as he got to his feet. "We're not done yet Blue Ranger," he promised. "We're going to have a lot of fun together you and I. Right before I finish you."
"Not today you won't," a voice said.
Nega Blue turned to see the other Rangers with their Blade Blaster drawn and ready to fire.
"Nega Blue, withdraw," Silvo ordered as he vanished along with the other Nega Rangers.
"I'll be back Billy," Nega Blue said as he vanished. "You can bet on it."
This was not how Minion had planned things, the Rangers were not supposed to win their first battle, let alone a fight against his Nega Rangers. He had made the mistake of allowing the prisoners to watch the battles and could see a glimmer of hope in their expressions. Even when he had strung the body of Travis in front of them, he had been met with looks that promised payback instead of the despair he had hoped for. It was becoming obvious that they still believed that he could be stopped even if they died in the process. Perhaps it was time to remind them of how brutal he could be.
"I hope you're watching all this," he said to his captive. He could feel her lack of control, made obvious as the hairs on his neck stood on end. This would push her over the edge and then the Rangers would pay. Then his pain would end.
"And now we return to our earlier discussion," he told the captive Rangers. "Have you made your decision? Any of you willing to give up their life so the rest can live for an extra day or two?"
They didn't answer, he could see the determination in their eyes as they stared up at him. Tanya was scowling at him in disgust; Trey looked murderous.
"Why can't you just give up Rangers?" he asked. "Why do you force me to take such actions? Does it make you feel better to know that I have to torture another innocent just to make the might Tommy Oliver admit defeat?" He turned to Silvo. "Bring them!"
With the Rangers in tow Minion teleported to Stone Henge. It was night there, the moon was high, offering the only illumination. For Minion the atmosphere created by the darkness would only add to their despair as he used magic to light selected areas of the ancient monument most notable a large stone altar he had erected.
"You refused to choose, so I chose for you," he told them, gesturing to the large stone where Rocky had been place, his arms and legs bound to the rock. He tossed a blaster in front of each of the Gem Coin Rangers. "I trust you remember the routine here. I count to six and then I kill your little friend, unless of course you shoot me first. I suggest you don't make me waste my efforts in repairing his previous injuries."
It had not taken much effort to repair the damage to Rocky's back, a tiny burst of magic had been sufficient to jump-start his Ranger healing. He hoped that seeing their friend in good health would make it even harder for them when he died.
He summoned the Sword of Ragnarok and pulled his smaller dagger from its hiding place. As he started to count it occurred to him that this time the Rangers didn't appear scared. If anything they appeared determined. Still, it was too late to reconsider.
"One..." He watched as the Rangers showed little sign of moving.
"Two..." Adam twitched, a slight movement that seem insignificant.
"Three..." Adam's movement was shown as he shifted his weight and fired. The other Rangers joined in, their shots targeted directly for his head and chest.
"No more deaths," Trey said coldly as he levelled his blaster and fired again.
Had Minion been an honourable creature he would have been dead. Fortunately for him his word meant nothing and while freely given, he had shown time and again that he would break his promise at a moment's notice. Just before the energy bolts reached him, a dome of Viventallum appeared, absorbing the shots before disappearing back into the ground.
"I had hoped for more," he said dismissively. The dome disappeared, replaced by WD Units that gripped the Rangers' arms and held them in place as Minion moved to the stone.
"Not this time!" Tommy growled. "Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!"
His Gem Coin Transformer had been lost, destroyed by Minion within hours of their captivity. Yet somehow Tommy managed to draw on the Power once more, shaping it with his will to form his uniform and Gem Coin Blaster, which he rapidly aimed and fired.
The others followed suit, calling on their powers, much to Minion's dismay. Trey concentrated on the Golden Power Staff and was relieved when it appeared in his waiting hand.
"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"
"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!" As soon as she had transformed, she blasted the bonds holding Rocky, Allowing him to join the action. If they were going to die, they would go down fighting
"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!" He didn't know what his friends had been through. He wasn't even aware of what had happened to Travis. He was just fighting to stop Minion.
"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"
"Gold Ranger Power!" Trey called. He was doing this for Travis. The death had had a deep effect on him, but now was not the time to break down. He was probably the one who realised that they would all need a lot of help was it was all over.
Minion couldn't believe they were fighting back. They were not supposed to be able to fight back. They had been weakened, humiliated and tortured beyond compare. So why did they keep coming back?
Once again the Rangers were acting as a team and overcoming the odds in order to fight him. Despite their exhaustion their anger drove them onward. They seemed immune to his powers as they attacked with both their Gem Coin Blasters and their swords. Realising he was losing and suffering from the pain in his head, Minion was growing desperate.
"Silvo, Bronzo, WD Units, destroy them."
The henchmen attacked as Minion tried to gain control over the pain. The Rangers were free, their friends had returned and if he didn't do something the Earth would soon be saved from his invading forces. He cried out as that last thought sent a wave of agony through his body. His sanity, questionable to begin with, seemed to take a holiday as he was transformed into the unicorn-horned wolf-headed armour that he had worn when claiming the Sword of Ragnarok.
Yes, the sword, it was time to reveal that weapon's greatest and final power. When he was done, the Rangers would never challenge him again. A flash of light signalled the arrival of Jason and the others, but his concentration was elsewhere as he teleported once again, this time to Angel Grove Park.
When Alpha had detected the sudden surge of energy, the Rangers had been astounded to see their allies fighting back against Minion. They had teleported immediately, ready to help them as necessary. As they arrived, Minion had retreated, robbing them of the chance to destroy him. But with Silvo, Bronzo and the WD Units on the scene the battle was far from over.
"Billy, do it!" Red Ranger instructed as he summoned the Power Sword and charged into battle.
Blue Ranger produced a small ball of glass and threw it at the Viventallum-based warriors. The glass exploded, covering those involved in the battle with red dust that ate away the protective oxide layer and left behind the exposed and potentially brittle Viventallum. Drawing his Blade Blaster he fired three shots and put his first WD Unit down. That was the signal for the others to become involved.
"Hit three dots and they're deactivated," Zack told the Gem Coin Rangers.
With that the battle was joined.
Jason and Tommy found themselves facing Silvo, the more powerful machine having designated the Red Rangers as the most important targets. The red gas had affected Silvo just as it had the WD Units, meaning that once they hit three of the exposed weak points, he too would shut down.
Tommy selected a flame pellet, which exploded on impact and no matter how Silvo tried, it could not be extinguished. Meanwhile Jason's Power Sword kept the Viventallum warrior from fighting back. He tossed Tommy his Blade Blaster and ducked as the Red Gem Coin Ranger fired.
Bronzo was a coward, there was no denying that fact since it was an essential part of his personality program. So when it appeared that the Rangers had the upper hand, he had wisely chosen to duck out of the conflict. But before he did so he had ensured that he had a reason to retreat and collected a sample of the dust. Then he would develop a counter measure and the Rangers' new attack would prove useless.
He teleported back to Minion's island and was surprised to find that his master had gone to Angel Grove instead. However there was someone on the island, an unwelcome guest in the cellblock.
Figuring he could handle one intruder, Bronzo summoned the island's remaining WD Units to assist him and set off to seize the trespasser.
The Master was frustrated. The puzzle was a complex mathematical structure, but at times it seemed as if it made itself more difficult for him to solve. The first face had been simple, but the fourth was causing him serious problems. There was another way to reach the other side of the doorway that the box represented, and that was to force Minion to continue with his suicidal scheme. And the way to do that was to tip the odds in the Rangers' favour.
"I have a proposition for you," he stated, not bothering to introduce himself. "I can restore you, all of you - well most of you," even he couldn't help the dead or the seriously injured, "if you agree to fight Minion and his forces."
They nodded, some eagerly while others had to force themselves to acknowledge his offer. Upon their agreement they were bathed in pink light as their bodies were healed. At first he had wanted to reverse the damage, but healing it proved a less stressful approach.
He was finished just in time as Bronzo entered to find a collection of angry super heroes all itching for a fight.
"Let's do this," Batman growled. The revitalised JLA charged forward, Flash leading the way with his freshly regenerated legs.
The Master laughed as he watched them go. Soon they would discover that there was no quick fix for the injuries they had suffered. The Flash's legs, like Green Lantern's hands were gone, the replacements the Master had provided were temporary at best, but would last long enough to put pressure on Minion.
"Titans go!" Robin cried. This was the first time they had a crack at Minion's forces.
"Beetle Bonders, Beetle Blast!" Jo, Roland and Drew called.
"Ectophase Activate!" Jesse yelled.
"Trooper Transform!" JB, Ryan and Kaitlyn called. Servo was on his feet, his circuit damage repaired.
"Avengers Assemble!" Captain America bellowed, leading his team ready for the attack.
The other prisoners stayed back, their willingness to fight diminished by their ordeal. Minion it seemed had managed to break some of Earth's heroes.
Hawk Girl's mace crackled with energy as she slammed it into the nearest WD Unit. While she chose to take them down one or two at a time, the Flash raced around the machines, creating a vortex that threw them into the air. Green Lantern generated a scythe that he used to slice his way through the opposition. Woman Woman's lasso turned one of the WD Units into a spinning weapon.
Starfire had learnt early on that her powers could not harm the Viventallum-based warriors directly. However that did not stop her from aiming at the surrounding area and using the environment to damage the machines. Changling changed rapidly between oversized rhinoceros and a large bird capable of lifting the machines into the air. Cyborg with his repaired body used his sonic blasts to scatter the WD Units out, making them easier targets. With his staff at the ready, Robin pitched the WD Units into Changling's path.
Batman found himself in a bad position as two WD Units had transformed their hands into axes and were attempting to cleave him in two. An electrified Batarang took care of one unit and he managed to use one of its axes against the second. The third however had aimed for his back.
"Not so fast, chrome dome," Spider-Man drawled as he threw a ball of impact webbing at the machine. "Try a little web in the eye."
The web slinging hero tied the machine's feet together and with a little help from Batman, it toppled over.
Dr Henry Pym pressed a button on his wrist, injecting himself with a growth chemical. When Lord Zedd had first attacked the Earth, one of his bombs had failed to explode. Henry had taken the container, analysed its contents and then found a way to alter the effects to allow the subject to either increase or decrease in size. Although it worked as a gas, he preferred to use it as a potion injected into his arm. The result was that Pym could grow through the use of a potion, transforming himself into the ten-foot tall Goliath. Although he could grow taller, he needed all his strength for the fighting.
Janet Pym refrained from using her variant of her Pym's original formula. She did however activate her bio-electric generator, creating a field of energy that allowed her to produce wings and emit a powerful sting effect. Although ineffective against WD Units and less potent when she was human size, she managed to get the robots' attention.
Then they attacked together. She switched between sizes and acted as a distraction while his greater strength and size allowed him to smash his way through the robots.
Iron Man drove a fist into one WD Unit's head, breaking both the robot's skull and his hand in the process. The energy emitters in his gauntlets cut through the machines' outer shells. Tony was feeling vengeful, knowing that for all those prisoners who had broken free, there were others who were in dire straits on other parts of the island.
"Watch your back, big shot," Hawkeye warned as one of his acid-filled arrows pierced the chest of a WD Unit that had been sneaking up on the Avengers' paymaster.
As the two hardheaded heroes bantered back and forth, they layed waste to any robots that dared to cross their path. Vision and the Martian Manhunter had formed a different sort of partnership, phasing through the WD Units, shorting their circuitry as they went. Then as Vision altered his density to that of hard diamond, J'Onn used his impressive strength to leave a hole in one of the Viventallum unit's chest.
Captain America, first generation super soldier and, if the government could actually prove his origin, wanted fugitive, threw his mighty shield. The Adamantium disk didn't cut into the Viventallum, but the weight of the spinning shield helped to clear a path in much the same way that Robin had done.
"Lightning Fist Command!" Servo called, energising the plasma cells in his hand. His punches left holes in any WD Units he touched. And this time there was no surprise villain to attack him from behind.
Blue Trooper summoned his sword and attacked Bronzo. Blue Beetleborg was hot on his heels. Together the two warriors pressed in on the leader of Minion's forces.
"Laser Ray!" White Trooper snapped. She fired off as many shots as possible, covering JB as he shifted into position.
Green and Red Beetleborg were helping by forcing the WD Units into range, using their weapons to cause as much damage as possible.
"VR Techno Bazooka!" JB called.
He fired off a shot, which ripped through the WD Units. He and White Trooper joined Red and Green Beetleborg and their Masked Rider comrade to destroy the rest of the machines.
"Stinger Drill!" Blue Beetleborg bellowed as he and Blue Trooper finished Bronzo, ending the battle.
"Skybase Command!" JB called. It was time to get out of there.
The assorted heroes were transferred to the ship and relative safety.
"Professor?"
"I'm online Ryan, it is good to see the four of you are safe."
"We need a trace on Minion," Servo stated. The professor complied. Then they set course for Angel Grove and a final showdown with Minion.
Minion could sense the odds were against him. Somehow Silvo and Bronzo had fallen and from what he could tell, most of his Viventallum Troops had either been deactivated by the Rangers or buried when the VR Troopers had destroyed his beloved island.
"It doesn't matter," he tried to convince himself. "Nothing matters, this is the end of the Power Rangers, the end of all this silly resistance. I hope you survived Tommy-boy because everything you value is about to come to an end."
To be continued
<post_date>2021-08-15 13:23:06</post_date><post_modified>2022-10-01 15:08:31</post_modified>
