<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.
Powerless Rangers
Lord Zedd was not a happy villain. He had not conquered the Dark Galaxy by trusting his allies or allowing his inferiors to override his orders. He had been enjoying a tour of his personal domain with his wife and their entourage, when the bungling Rito had arrived with Finster in tow. From there his day had taken a turn for the worse.
"What are you two doing here?" he had snarled.
Rito had not been in a condition to answer, his body recovering from severe trauma. Finster had looked decidedly nervous.
"Forgive the intrusion Lord Zedd," the monster maker said after a while. "Minion ordered me to bring Rito here."
Zedd glowed red as he fumed at the audacity of Minion. He had left Finster there to ensure the recreated clone did not have any sudden bursts of independence.
Leaving the Earth before he was done conquering it had always been a risky decision. That was why he and Rita had been quick to return from their forced eviction b the Machine Empire. During their absence anybody could move in and take over.
"Rita, we are leaving," he announced. He turned to the Magistrate, the being he had charged with maintaining the Dark Galaxy in his absence. "Send word to Maxell that I want a meeting of the High Council of the Alliance and send Arcana to Earth with instructions to protect my interests; he is to offer assistance to Minion, unless there are signs of treachery. We will return to Earth after the meeting."
"Of course Lord Zedd," the Magistrate replied. "While you are gone, I will arrange for your army to ready itself."
Zedd nodded. Once he had conquered the Earth, his forces would exit the Dark Galaxy and secure the space between to two parts of his empire. Overnight his domain would increase. But first he needed to take care of that upstart Minion.
"Activating containment field," Tommy said.
The five former Zeo Rangers had gathered above the Power Chamber, in the room that once housed the Command Center. Although most of the Power Chamber was now below ground, Zordon and Billy had rebuilt the upper chamber soon after Gasket's Cyber Agent had infiltrated the computer core. Instead of a command area, Billy had adapted the room to serve as a combination of laboratory and repair bay.
Each Ranger was now seated at a console operating the controls as though they had been doing so their whole lives. On a raised pillar in the center of the room was a platform holding the Super Zeo Gems and their Zeonisers. Zordon had managed to find five golden coins that while not Power Coins were similar enough for to be of use.
Currently the large coins had been arranged below the platform and the Super Zeo Gems were floating above the Zeonisers. As Tommy started the containment field, the coins were pushed closer to the platform, a different coloured beam of energy emerging from each of them. As the beams of light struck the platform above the Zeonisers the Super Zeo Gems had started to glow. Waves of energy bathed the various materials causing them to move frantically.
"Energy structure complete," Adam reported from his position. "Morphing grids activated."
Every Ranger had a morphing grid, a field of energy generated by the Power Morpher or in this case, their Zeonisers. Physical matter was they affixed to the energy field, using the grid layout to aid positioning of uniforms, weapons and other items essential to a Ranger. Creating the energy grid was an important step towards their goal of replacing the Zeo powers.
"Begin Phase Two," Tommy instructed.
Kat started the power induction tools settled to one side of the Zeonisers. With small cameras positioned on the tip of each tool to guide her, Kat was able to manipulate the micro circuitry. By doing so she successfully retuned the devices so that the separate energy waves from the coins and the Super Zeo Gems were received and stored by the Zeoniser Crystals. From there the existing technology could be used to control the morphing sequence and regulate the power flow.
It was a delicate task since the Zeonisers had been set to work solely with the Zeo Crystal. Not only was Kat changing the source of the energy, she was increasing the number of sources. Luckily whatever she did to one Zeoniser was duplicated on the others.
"Phase Two complete," Kat said after what seemed like ages. "Ready for final power up."
"Okay, Rocky you start, Tanya you follow," Tommy said.
Both Rocky and Tanya nodded. Activating their consoles, they began to open the energy feeds for the Zeonisers, testing to ensure they were receiving power from both sources. Then they adjusted to flows to avoid overloading and loaded the template files. The Zeonisers glowed as they increased the power levels.
"Full power, now!" Tommy called.
Tanya and Rocky turned the controls up to maximum, channelling all available power into the morphing tools. This was the most important step, to ensure the devices were capable of dealing with the demands of powering up.
"Damn!" Tommy swore as one of the Zeoniser Crystals fractured, crumbling under the stress of opposing energy flows. "Shut everything down, we'll need to start from scratch."
"That might be a problem," Rocky said. The others followed his gazed to where the coins had fallen.
Tommy felt all his hopes fail when he saw the coins. The intense heat had caused them to distort, which in turn rendered them useless.
"Now what?" Tanya asked.
"Now we go and tell Zordon we've failed," Tommy told her. He bent down and picked up the remains of the coins. "Maybe he can find some more."
He gathered the Super Zeo Gems and gasped as a small shock passed through his body. For a moment the two sources of power were touching each other. Electricity started to arc from the gems to the coins and back again. This had caused Tommy to drop them and when he picked them up the second time he was more careful. Once all the coins were gathered and all the gems had been placed in their container the Rangers teleported away.
"Well?" Minion probed as Bronzo finished the latest of his tests.
"It won't work Lord Minion," the henchman answered. "Serpenterra cannot be powered directly from the Zeo Crystal. Its weapon systems -- could be upgraded to use the crystal, but a direct feed for the drive system would be impossible."
"Suggestions?"
"Keep the power source and change the application," Bronzo answered. "Break the link between the Rangers and their powers; the crystal is still powering them even if they are unaware of it. Then find a way to transmit the energy to Serpenterra."
Minion considered the suggestion. During what many on Earth considered the second world war, the opposing sides had used RADAR as a weapon. While one side had used it for its most common application of detecting incoming aeroplanes, the other side had used it as a means of directing their air raids. In the same way the energy of the Zeo Crystal could be wielded directly or indirectly. Master Vile had used it directly when he had plugged it into the Ninja Zords' weapon systems; the Rangers had used it directly to negate the Orb of Doom's energies. Since then the Zeo Rangers had relied on an indirect application, the energy divided into a different wavelength for each Zeoniser.
Minion's plan had been to install the Zeo Crystal in Serpenterra, expecting the mighty machine to have enough power to destroy the Rangers, crush any resistance on Earth and then perhaps destroy the creature known as Dagsyxx; nobody forced Minion to work for them, not even an ancient entity with enough power to squash him like a bug.
Now that Bronzo had revealed that in addition to burning too much fuel to remain a realistic tool, Serpenterra was incapable of handling the energy the crystal could produce; the machine lacked a suitable reactor and failed to store and release energy in a way that would have compensated for its shortcomings.
That meant that he would have to use the crystal indirectly, which meant he would have to break the link between the Rangers and the crystal.
"Find a way to break the Rangers' link with the Zeo Crystal," he instructed.
"It might tak..."
"Devise a method and Minion will secure the means," he promised.
And while Bronzo was occupied with that task, he needed to ensure that the Zeo Rangers were destroyed once and for all. He had been tempted to send his WD Units back to Earth to finish the Rangers, but had dismissed that idea as premature. Despite defeating the Rangers and preventing support from Aquitar and Triforia, Minion had yet to deal with the other defenders of Earth; the Masked Rider, VR Troopers and Beetleborgs were all active in California. New York also had its own protectors.
In addition there were the Earth's armed forces to deal with. Minion had absolute faith in his creations, but did not want a long battle that might convince civilians to take up arms to defend themselves. His plans for Earth required the planet and its people to be taken alive. He planned to use the people of Earth as hosts for the creatures in the Dark Dimension, his own army of evil. He had even entertained the notion of converting the planet into a mobile space station, using the planet's natural magic to power it.
~First things first,~ he thought. Although the Zeo Rangers were powerless, they still posed a minor threat.
"Silvo," he called quietly. "Send a mixture of Tengas, Putties and Cogs back down to Angel Grove. They are to destroy the Power Rangers when they appear."
"Yes master," Silvo said, disappearing to carry out his task.
Tommy and the others arrived in the Power Chamber. Although they were no longer powered, Tommy had thought it best if they could find some sort of disguise to keep their identities secret. Soon al five Rangers were wearing some old spandex-based costumes Alpha had managed to make with the replicators in the Power Chamber. Alpha had also managed to scrounge some old helmets for the Rangers to wear.
"Now all we need are some weapons," Rocky said.
"I have something to help you there as well Rangers," Alpha said. Pressing a button on the console, he teleported the Rangers to a secret vault hidden deep beneath the Power Chamber.
"Oh man," Tommy said as he looked around. "I didn't realise we had such a large collection."
Around the room were all the weapons Billy had ever built but had never connected to the Rangers' powers. Tommy made his way over to the far corner where he discovered the first set of motorcycles Billy had attempted to build for the Might Morphin Power Rangers; there was one set intended for use during the time of the Dino Zords and another set that he assumed were for use when the power of Thunder had been used. Checking the power supply he found all five vehicles were in working order and capable of morphing into powerful weapons. They had obviously been one of Billy's projects during his time in the Power Chamber.
Rock and Adam meanwhile had managed to find some energy rifles. Each gun measured about ten inches and was grey in colour. Adam tested one of the guns and found it was self-aiming.
"Look at this," Rocky said, pointing to the small cartridges Billy had carefully labelled. "Fire, Freeze, Stun bolt, Exploding Shells, Laser and Gel. He didn't just make one gun, he made every type of rifle we'd ever need."
"Check this out," Adam said, pointing to the set of five devices Billy had placed next to them. "It says here these will act as a disruption field against Cogs. That might slow them for a bit."
"Guys!" Tanya shouted from the other side of the room. "I think I've found the heavy artillery."
The other Rangers found Tanya standing in a smaller vault marked 'DANGER'. On her right arm she had attached a Gatling gun. A metal casing surrounded her shoulder continuing as a metal sleeve down her arm. The cannon was mounted on the end and activated by a small trigger. The armour changed colour to blend in with her clothing.
Now armed with the weapons and bikes they had managed to find, and the personal weapons Tommy had discovered, the Rangers left to take on the Cogs, Putties and Tengas that Minion had sent to Earth.
In the Power Chamber Alpha 5 was in danger of burning out his circuitry due to stress. "Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, they're gone!"
"What are gone?" Zordon asked, taking his attention off the Viewing Globe for a moment.
"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!"
"Alpha," Zordon said. He received no response and decided to take desperate action. "Alpha Five, if you do not calm down, I will arrange for Billy to give you a service."
"I'm sorry Zordon," Alpha said when he had finally calmed down. "The Super Zeo Gems and the coins we used in the experiment have vanished."
"Calm yourself," Zordon instructed. "The coins and Super Zeo Gems are fine, I have simply teleported them to my dimension."
"Sorry Zordon, I'm just so nervous. If the Rangers lost the Super Zeo Gems now that they no longer possess the Zeo Crystal..."
"That is indeed a disturbing thought Alpha. Luckily I believe I have found the solution to our earlier problems. Prepare the computer to resume the power up sequence."
"Okay Rangers, divide and conquer," Tommy ordered.
After teleporting to a spot just outside of Angel Grove Park the Rangers had summoned their bikes. Thanks to Billy's design the bikes had adapted for their new users. The vehicles, which the teens had simply named Attack Cycles were now colour coded for each Ranger. The Green, Blue, Pink and Yellow Attack Cycles were all based on a motorbike and sidecar design. The Red Attack Cycle resembled a cross between the Shark Cycles and Zeo Cycles.
"Power them up," Tommy instructed. Flicking the power controls on his bike he crossed his fingers and hoped the portable power cells they had found would last for a while.
"Tommy, they're spreading out," Tanya warned.
Tommy checked his scanners and saw that whilst the Tengas had remained in the park, the Putties were heading towards the Youth Center and the Cogs were spreading out through the rest of the city.
"I'll take care of the birds," Kat said. Before anyone could argue, she had already started to drive off.
"Okay, Rocky and Tanya take the Cogs, Adam and I'll deal with the Putties and then catch you up."
"Right," the other Rangers called as the set off on their mission to protect Angel Grove. Tommy started his weapon systems before taking off after Adam.
Kat angled her Attack Cycle and rammed into the flock of Tengas. As expected most of them flew clear of the bike, but a few tried to slow her and were torn to shreds by the powerful wheels. Turning the bike to make a second pass, Kat realised that she would not be able to make contact with the Tengas since they had remained in the air.
Drawing her hand blaster Kat loaded a Fire Pack, took aim and fired. With the nearest Tenga acting as the target, the blaster adjusted its power level to ensure that as the beam hit the bird it exploded into flames. The odour of burnt feathers filled the air as the Tenga struggle to remain airborne, setting fire to its neighbours as well.
"Get her!" the leader called.
As the Tengas swooped towards her Kat changed the blaster's power pack to Ice. Instead of aiming directly for the birds, she fired at the ground in front of her. As the Tengas landed, they found themselves frozen in place. Kat fired another shot to freeze the birds, then threw a stone at the ice statues. The statues cracked and crumbled into tiny pieces of ice.
"Oh great," Kat said to herself as more Tengas appeared.
Using their increased speed Tommy and Adam made it to the Youth Center before the army of Putties. As they waited Tommy called for Ernie to evacuate everybody from the front of the Youth Center. Ernie did not need to be told twice and soon there were no civilians in the area.
As the Putties drew nearer Adam activated his bike's special features. The connecting bars between the bike and sidecar extended outwards, pushing the sidecar away from the bike. Adam shifted position to sit upright as the sidecar was raised off the ground, the bottom opening and remoulding to extend the sides. Eventually the sidecar was positioned over the bike and rider.
Luckily for Adam the whole conversion process was balanced to ensure the bike did not tip over. When he was certain the sidecar was in the correct position, he pressed the button on his handlebars. The shell of the sidecar dropped onto the bike, locking itself into position. The wheel that had been used to support the sidecar dropped next to the bike's own wheel. With a series of clicks the wheels were joined by an axle and moved outwards to provide extra support for the increased weight.
Finally a set of laser cannons emerged from the machines sides. At the front a triple barrelled rocket launcher appeared. A protective screen covered the newly formed cockpit.
"Let's see them deal with this," Adam said.
"Not bad," Tommy said, taking a moment to admire Billy's handiwork. "Watch this," he told Adam as he activated his own weapons.
Channelling the power of the Morphin Grid, Tommy's bike started its own transformation. The wheels duplicated themselves and extended away from the bike. The headlight transformed into a single cannon. Tommy felt his legs being drawn back behind him as steel panels formed around them. The front windscreen extended to protect Tommy from any forward attack. The wheels started to spin at speeds impossible for an ordinary bike.
With the front wheels spinning forward and the rear wheel spinning in reverse, the bike started to lift off the ground. When it was floating six inches off the ground Tommy flicked a switch and the wheels dropped from vertical to horizontal positions. Miniature thrusters mounted under each of the wheels activated to keep the bike hovering. Finally a set of heavy weapons attached themselves to the bike and a pair of thrusters appeared on the back of the bike.
"Here they come," Adam called.
"Let's get them," Tommy responded.
Together the two Rangers charged the Putties. While Adam drove into the Putties, Tommy used his thrusters to knock the Putties over. Within a few minutes they had managed to get all the Putties into a state where they could no longer stand upright.
"Particle Stream, fire!" Tommy called.
A thick beam of light erupted from the nose cannon. Flicking several buttons Tommy fired his side cannons as well. The Putties in front of him were soon reduced dust.
"Triple Shock!" Adam cried.
The three-barrelled rocket launcher fired, dispersing its shells over a wide area. The Putties decided they had had enough and ran away. Adam turned to see Tommy beating the remaining Putties on foot. He was using a hollow red staff Adam assumed he had found in Billy's vault.
"Siek-yah!" Tommy shouted as he decapitated the last Putty and remounted his bike. "We'd better find the others."
"They're spreading out," Tanya said as she studied the Cogs on her radar. "Rocky, we need to keep them inside their current grid or we won't be able to take them."
"Why don't you take the perimeter and I'll pick them off from inside?" Rocky suggested knowing Tanya had the faster bike.
"Okay, but be careful," Tanya warned. "We don't have our powers to protect us anymore."
"Hey, it's me," Rocky replied with a grin.
"Exactly," Tanya muttered. Out loud she called, "Weapons, now!"
The bike and sidecar separated, the sidecar splitting into parts. The bike's stand lowered to stabilise Tanya as the bike morphed. The rear wheel of the bike detached while at the same time joining with parts of the sidecar to form a rotor blade. The sidecar wheel transformed into a smaller rotor and attached itself to the rear of the bike by means of an extended axle. The larger rotor attached itself to the front of the sidecar. The front, back and sides of sidecar then formed over the bike while the base of the sidecar split in half and formed two skies. When the transformation was finished, Tanya was sitting in a miniature helicopter.
Next a cannon attached itself to each ski and a smaller rifle appeared on the end of each handlebar. The Gatling cannon Tanya had found earlier attached itself to her shoulder ready for action. Starting the rotors, she raced off to prevent the Cogs from spreading out.
Rocky didn't bother activating his weapons. Instead he headed towards the point from which the Cogs were spreading out. As he went, he stopped every so often to place a small device. If his plan worked and Billy had been right he hoped to be able to shut down the Cogs without too much fighting. The idea of being without his powers was scary, but Rocky had vowed to defend his planet and that was an oath he took seriously.
"Weapons mode, now!" Rocky called as he finally caught up with the Cogs.
At his command the bike and sidecar separated. Time seemed to move slowly as Rocky was thrown into the air, his arms and legs spread. The bike and sidecar broke into smaller parts, the three wheels forming a base and locking onto his feet. The armour from the vehicle attached itself to Rocky's body encasing him in a solid shell. A double-barrelled cannon formed on his chest, a pair of rocket launchers attached to each shoulder and a pulse rifle formed on each arm.
Rocky tried his new mode out and discovered it was surprisingly versatile. Apart from his feet he was able to move without restriction from his armour.
With a thought Rocky activated the devices he had placed. The Cogs froze as the devices transmitted a shutdown command. With the Cogs disable Rocky chose his targets and fired. Soon a pile of scrap metal surrounded him.
A small flashing light showed more Cogs moving in from behind. Turning to face the new threat Rocky released a barrage of blasts from his pulse rifles.
"Fire One!" he ordered.
The rocket launcher on his right shoulder locked onto the center of the Cogs. The rocket struck its target, throwing the inoperative Cogs to the ground.
"Time to help Tanya," Rocky said to himself as his wheels carried him towards his fellow Ranger.
"Don't you guys know when to quit?" Kat asked as she blasted another Tenga.
Kat was fighting a losing battle and she knew it. Every time she defeated one Tenga, several more appeared. She pulled the trigger again and sighed as she realised the power pack was empty once again.
"Damn!" she swore, smashing the now useless weapon into the nearest Tenga. Without her powers she knew she could not fight unarmed for too long. "Weapons mode, now!"
Kat felt herself teleported into her sidecar. A glass screen closed over her forming a cockpit. As the screens inside came to life Kat saw the twin cannons emerge from under her sidecar and at the same time small wings spread on either side.
"Launch!" she ordered.
The rocket like craft was launched into the air, allowing Kat to match speed with the Tengas. One by one she targeted the Tengas and one by one the Tengas were reduced to a pile of feathers.
"No!" Minion shouted. "This cannot happen. They are unpowered; how can they be winning?"
He looked down at the battlefield below. Somehow the Rangers had found some new toys. He had no doubt they were Billy's designs. For a brief moment he considered sending some WD Units down to fight, but decided his henchmen could use a workout instead.
"Silvo, Brasso, come here!"
"Yes master?" both servants asked as they bowed before their creator.
"The Rangers have managed to destroy our troops. Go down there, destroy their toys and then finish them!"
"Yes master," the two henchmen said as they headed for Angel Grove.
"We did it!" Rocky said excitedly as the Rangers regrouped in the park.
"Yeah," Tommy said. "Good job guys."
After mopping up the remaining foot soldiers the Rangers had ensured the city was safe before heading back to the source of the disturbance.
"You know if this was Rita and Zedd or Mondo, he would be sending a monster about now," Rocky said.
No sooner had he spoken, then Silvo and Brasso appeared in front of them. "You had to say it didn't you," Tanya muttered.
"This is going to be fun," Brasso proclaimed as he turned his attention to the nearest Ranger. He charged at Tanya, grabbing her helicopter by the skies, preventing her from getting away. While he held the vehicle, Silvo struck it with his fist. Between them they tore the vehicle apart.
"Get away from her!" Rocky shouted. He unleashed the whole power of his weapons, causing Silvo to release Tanya.
Silvo responded by charging at Rocky, lifting him above his head and power slamming him to the ground. From nowhere a silver sword appeared in his hands and he started to try to slice and dice the former Zeo Ranger. He was stopped when Kat slammed her vehicle into his legs.
Brasso meanwhile had managed to cripple Adam by breaking off his front wheel. Tommy tried to use his thrusters to force Brasso to move, but only succeeded in making the henchman mad. Twisting around Brasso threw Tommy to the ground. His bike lost power as Brasso drove his foot into the side.
"Regroup," Tommy called.
The Rangers abandoned their weapon systems and gathered a short distance away. Tanya handed her blaster to Kat as the Gatling cannon once again appeared on her arm.
"Fire!" Tommy ordered.
The weapons were powerful, but had been designed to work with powered Rangers; not humans dressed to look like Rangers. As a result the only effect the blasters had on Silvo and Brasso was to make them laugh.
"You want fire?" Silvo asked. "Try this."
Lasers shot from Brasso's eyes, hitting the ground where the Rangers were standing. He watched with satisfaction as the Rangers were thrown into the air.
Tommy landed hard, rolling to reduce the impact. His first instinct was to get back to his feet, but instead he took a moment to find out where he was in relation to the others. Rocky and Adam were lying next to each other barely moving. Kat and Tanya were some distance away, neither attracting the henchmen's attention.
"Now we finish this," Tommy heard Silvo say. He looked up in time to see the edge of Silvo's sword pointed at his neck.
"Time to die little powerless Ranger," Silvo sneered.
Without further conversation both henchmen raised their swords and prepared to carry out an old-fashioned execution. Tommy looked up as he saw the henchmen about to sacrifice him. The blow never landed though as Silvo and Brasso stumbled forward as something struck the backs of their necks. For a moment they forgot about Tommy and turned to face the Ranger who had dared to strike them. In a flash of green the Green Ranger's Power Sword connected with them a second time. Sam wielded his weapon with skills developed over years of training.
Going low he used the hilt to strike Brasso in the face before swivelling to kick Silvo in the chest. "Fireball!" he called.
An orb of green fire exploded from his hands, striking both henchmen at close range. Silvo and Brasso decided they had had enough and retreated back to the Moon, leaving Sam to deal with the injured Rangers.
A few minutes later the Rangers were back in the Power Chamber. Zordon and Alpha had retrieved the remains of their weapon systems and vehicles, but the majority was beyond repair.
"At least we beat them off for now," Rocky said.
"Until the next time," Tommy pointed out. He turned to look at his rescuer. "Thanks," he said.
"Rangers, once again you have proven why I was correct in selecting you. You have fought without your powers and defeated Minion's forces. In addition, I have some good news for you."
The Rangers were all ears.
"Forgive us master," Silvo said as he and Brasso kneeled before Minion. "We have failed you."
"Indeed, you have performed at less than optimal capacity. However, the intervention of the Green Ranger was an inconvenient and unforeseen occurrence. Under the circumstances, Minion forgives you."
~What am I saying?~ Minion wondered. ~I am not Billy. I am Minion, soon to be ruler of the Universe. I AM IN CONTROL.~
Finally certain he was back to normal Minion returned to henchmen.
Bronzo had found a way to break the link between the Zeo Crystal and the Zeonisers. It would take a great deal of energy to accomplish such a task. Luckily the Earth provided for his needs; the planet was crisscrossed by lines of the extra-dimensional energy that could sometimes be recognised as magic. On any other planet these lines would have bled into reality, but the Earth was also blessed with an overabundance of Iron, a material that could block magic. As such, the Earth was lacking in extra-universal energy except for places where two or more lines of energy crossed, creating a nexus point. These points were known to contain vast amounts of energy, energy he could use for his own purposes.
But where to strike? California was an obvious target since it housed several nexus points and the Angel Grove nexus, a very special point of energy. Angel Grove was unique because its nexus point was crossed by the lines of energy that led to all other points of power in California. In effect Angel Grove was more of a central hub in a vast network of energy conduits. Mariner Bay in the southern part of the state and Blue Bay Harbour were slightly smaller but each held a link to the Realm of Hell. Reefside, Charterville, Urbana City, Crossworld City, Leewood, and even the small town of North Valley were just some of the major focal points in the area. There were other less defined areas such as Sunny Dale that made California an attractive target. Unfortunately with so many points of natural energy gathered in such a small area, heroes had a way of emerging when least expected. Minion did not wish to exert more magic than he had to for this task, so for now California was out of the running.
The same could be said for other sites within the United States. New York, Carolina and Washington State along with Indiana, Idaho, Ohio and Seattle were all potential locations for his plans. In fact the United States as a whole was just a list of possible targets. Unfortunately they were all too close to the Power Rangers for his tastes. Somewhere overseas would serve him better.
Possible countries flickered through his mind. He was no expert on the lines of natural energy that crisscrossed the Earth. He didn't know all of the nexus points although he had studied those in America to assist his invasion plans. He used Zordon's satellites to zero in on sites in Africa, Egypt, France, China and Japan. He chose Stone Henge in England because of the monument's history as a place of ceremony. Other sites would follow once he decided where to attack.
"Minion has another task for you two on Earth," he said. He pointed to the target and simply added, "Go!"
With his henchmen out of the way Minion took the time to reassess his position. The Rangers were defeated, he was sure of that. And despite their best efforts they had only succeeded in defeating a mixture of second-rate foot soldiers and causing his henchmen to retreat. With Silvo and Brasso in the process of securing him a position on Earth he would soon be able to energise Serpenterra. And then, Minion knew it was a question of time.
~Next time, I'll send down some monsters and trash that city.~ His eyes glowed brightly as he considered all the things he intended to do to those Rangers before he killed them.
For once the entire Youth Center was silent. Throughout the world people had tuned into their local news. Tommy and the Rangers watched as Cassidy Cornell delivered her report.
"And this is the scene from Angel Grove just hours ago. The world owes a great debt to Angel Grove's heroes, one we can never repay. This is Cassi..."
The news report was over cut by another broadcast. The two pictures merged with each other to be replaced by a black masked figure. "This world belongs to Minion now. Surrender or the planet shall die at Minion's hand."
~This guy is bad,~ Tommy thought. ~I just hope we're up to the task.~
~So do I Tommy,~ Zordon thought, picking up on Tommy's thoughts. ~So do I.~
End
<post_date>2021-08-15 13:22:50</post_date><post_modified>2022-10-01 15:08:25</post_modified>
