<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.
The Power Rangers Fight Back
They arrived together, the dark machine and the silver haired wizard. One called himself Arcana and claimed to be a powerful spell weaver in the service of Lord Zedd, sent on his behalf to ensure that Minion did not claim Earth for himself. The other was a large machine sent by an incomplete Mondo to ensure his interests were protected.
Both had been instructed to render assistance in conquering the Earth, both viewed the other with contempt. For now they had the same purpose and Minion though annoyed by their presence was convinced not to destroy them on the spot.
Arcana with his knowledge of magic would prove useful for some of his project; the Machine Empire's contribution was even more valuable. Minion bid them welcome and allowed them to remain as observers. He intended to prove to them and through them their masters that the situation was under control and that Minion was in charge.
"Alpha, are you ready to continue?" Zordon asked.
"Yes Zordon," Alpha replied. "Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, this is so exciting."
Zordon merely nodded and began the complicated task he knew would help the Rangers in the future. Slowly, system-by-system the Power Chamber shutdown, leaving only the monster alarm activated. Zordon considered switching that off as well, knowing what he proposed would require a vast amount of power. The fact Minion was still on the offensive made him leave the system on just in case.
"Alpha, teleport now," Zordon instructed. Alpha did so, pressing the 'ENGAGE' button on the console before he left. Zordon's tube dimmed and then disappeared, leaving only the computer to carry out its new function.
"Hi-YAH!" Jason cried out, kicking the bag as hard as he could.
Adam was lifted off his feet with the force the one time Gold Ranger applied. ~I'd hate to be the punch bag,~ he thought, adjusting his stance to cushion the continuous impacts. As he allowed his friend to work off his frustration, he glanced around the room, taking note of how his fellow Rangers were performing. Tanya was practicing martial arts with Rocky. He smiled, his best friend was a much better teacher than he gave himself credit for and Tanya's aptitude improved with each session. Kat was stretching over by the balance beams.
Jason stopped his workout and sighed. Tommy was doing it again. He sat on a stool in front of the bar, staring into oblivion. He had been like that almost all the time, waiting for Minion to strike again, worrying about whether or not their powers would be up to the task of stopping him.
After their most recent battle where they had proven capable of stopping Tengas, Putties and Cogs only to have their machines destroyed by Silvo and Brasso, the Rangers had thrown themselves into a full time training regime. Their parents had noticed and complained about their failure to return home over the last week. Rocky especially was having a hard time with his mother, without him to help her, she had been forced to deal with the other children alone. They were ready as they could be, should Minion or his WD Units show up again.
Looking at Tommy, Jason imagined this must have been what it was like for soldiers who had suffered shell shock. Minion and his forces had proven that the Rangers did not have the means to battle them. Minion had taken the Zeo Crystal with ease and had delighted as he had destroyed the Zeo Zords. The Rangers still had their powers for some reason, but they dare not use them in case it was a trick by Minion.
It was like everything the Rangers had ever faced until now paled in comparison even though in his heart Jason knew that Minion was no worse than Rita, Zedd or Mondo. The difference was that Minion had managed to string his victories together, making them seem more impressive than they actually were.
The last attack had been three days ago, it seemed much longer. It seemed odd, the Rangers had thought that the villain would have pushed the advantage, but Minion had just backed off as if waiting for them to recover. ~Or perhaps allow us to fret about when the next attack will come.~
And so they practiced, unsure of when the next attack would come, unable to overcome the advantage their foe wielded with such expertise. Never, before had the Rangers pushed themselves so hard, trying desperately to strengthen themselves as much as they could in the time they had left. They had to resign themselves to the knowledge there would be no further improvement though, they could only train and wait for the next attack.
White light once again filled the inside on the mountain, not only the Power Chamber, but deep into its core. Above the chamber the light filled the remains of the Command Center, which Billy had taken the opportunity to redesign after Cyber Agent's intrusion. Everything vanished, removed by magic as the entire mountain was moved into another dimension. Inside the other dimension the mountain was reformatted, hollowed out by Zordon's power.
Seconds later it was returned to its previous location outside Angel Grove. Now completely restructured throughout, the important and most vulnerable areas of the Rangers' operation center spaced within the mined areas. For Zordon and Alpha this was the second change in less than a year. A new view screen took pride of place, surrounded by smaller screens that allowed him to monitor multiple events. New rooms were added to extend the simple arsenal, workshop, Zord Bay, Gymnasium and Simudeck Zordon had created during a previous build. For the first time the full facilities of the medical room were activated, just in case the Rangers were injured in their future battles.
The Power Chamber itself had been elevated to a point just below the citadel, allowing the Rangers access from outside. Zordon had removed the old costumes that symbolised the old Morphin Rangers. In their place were a series of coloured tubes.
"Alpha, summon the Rangers and teleport them to the briefing room."
Alpha did as Zordon commanded, working his way around the new consoles. There were eleven workstations in all. Each was coloured to allow different Rangers access. To make things easier for Alpha, Zordon had given the little android a new method of programming the computers. He could now interface directly using the transmitter in his cranial unit.
"They're on their way Zordon," Alpha said as he teleported to the new briefing room with Zordon.
In seven beams of light, the five former Zeo Rangers, the current Green Ranger and Jason, himself a former Gold Ranger, appeared in the Briefing Room. They found themselves sat behind a big table equipped with computers, monitors and hologram display units. At the end of the table was an empty tube. Zordon smiled as his face appeared.
"Welcome Rangers to Power Mountain," Zordon said. "Alpha and I decided it was time to update the Power Chamber and at the same time provide an area where we can discuss the recent events. As you know, Minion has been successful where Rita, Zedd, Vile, Mondo and Prince all failed. He has stolen the Zeo Crystal and rendered the Zords useless."
"I don't understand why he hasn't finished us," Tommy said. "He has access to foot soldiers that were able to beat us and a henchman who would have destroyed Sam had he wanted to. Yet he sends Tengas and Putties after us."
"Then to make it worse he retreats again and again," Adam added.
"I cannot pretend to understand Minion's tactics," Zordon admitted.
"Then maybe we should concentrate on something we can understand," Tommy replied. "Like how we're supposed to fight him without our powers."
"Silvo and Brasso destroyed the Battle Bikes," Kat pointed out.
"Alpha and I have been working on this problem," Zordon assured them. "In the past the Rangers of Earth have used the power of the Morphin Grid and the power of the Zeo Crystal. Now in our time of need we must unify the remnants of your previous powers to create new powers. Behold, the Gem Coin transformers."
"You've got to be kidding me," Tanya commented as the schematics appeared along with the list of artefacts they intended to use to power the Rangers.
"Not at all," Zordon assured her. "When Minion captured the Zeo Crystal, he overlooked the existing connection between the crystal and your powers. Since he has yet to sever the link, we have been able to store some of the energy for future use. Unfortunately should Minion decide to use the crystal, he will disrupt the connection. We do not have enough energy yet to maintain your powers for long periods."
"The computer and the Power Chamber's generators will play the most important part in this task," Alpha explained. "Zordon has activated the secret chamber where we created the White Ranger."
"Alpha has already connected your Zeoniser Crystals to the Power Chamber's generators. It is my hope we can continue to draw energy for some time before Minion discovers and breaks the link." As he spoke, the Rangers were shown images of a complex device on top of the generator. "We will be using as many sources of energy as possible," Zordon explained, "the Power Crystals used to empower the Dino Zords, the Super Zeo Gems and the residual energies from the Zeo Battle Helmets have been connected. But it will not be enough."
Tommy nodded, remembering the occasions when Zordon would boost his failing powers. The energy would not last for long without a constant and renewable source. Science would not be able to keep up with the task. They needed magic.
"How about the Sword of Light?" Adam asked.
"And the Sword of Power," Jason added.
"Indeed, these and many other sources of Morphin and Zeo energy will be combined. Together they will power the Gem Coin transformers," Zordon boomed. "Alpha and I manufactured them from a set of gold medals, similar to the Power Coins of old and a set of magical crystals we were able to locate."
"Will it work?" Sam asked sceptically. Combining magic and technology was a difficult task.
"I am uncertain," Zordon confessed.
"Gem Coin technology requires a fusion of magic and technology," Alpha explained. "There are so many things that can go wrong."
"Indeed," Zordon agreed. "Once the power we are able to draw from the Zeo Crystal is exhausted, the Gem Coins will prove useless unless we can find an alternate energy source."
"How about Auric's key?" Jason asked. "We can use it to power the generator unless we need Auric's assistance."
Sam sighed. He knew what Zordon wanted; he knew that Tommy had probably seen through the thinly disguised hints. If he agreed the Rangers would have enough power, but Zordon would regain control of an artefact Sam considered too important to remain in his hands.
"Very well Zordon," he said grudgingly. He had not quite forgiven the White
Master for manipulating his dreams. He produced the Wizard of Deception's wand and offered it to Alpha.
"Thank you, Samoht." Zordon's voice was quiet, he sounded respectful, not victorious. "Using the wand, we will be able to guarantee a constant power supply."
"Let's get on with this," Sam said. "We have work to do."
"Zordon is a powerful wizard and a fine mentor," Minion said, he was speaking to himself. "But he is a fool if he believes that Minion is unaware of the Rangers' activities. Minion can predict their every move. Right now they will be attempting to contact Ninjor in the hope of retrieving their Ninja Ranger powers. But that won't work, Minion is more powerful that a mere
Grid Master. A small group of Rangers have no chance."
He noted the look of awe on Arcana's face. The silver haired spell weaver had been sent to spy on him and had not expected Minion to be so forthcoming. Now after spending time in his presence, he realised that Minion just liked the sound of his own voice.
The Machine Empire's representative had not spoken since his arrival apart from briefly handing Minion a digital message. He watched everything, but had yet to intervene, the only thing that had caused a reaction was when Arcana had made a derogatory remark towards Mondo; it seemed this model was devoted to his king.
Evidently Mondo and Zedd were under the impression that Minion worked for them. Once he conquered the planet, they would fight it out to decide who would rule it. Minion was already working on a way to ensure that would not happen.
"Perhaps it is time to move on," he said calmly as his eyes glowed in anticipation. The Rangers would soon be removed from the picture and then he could have some real fun. "Would you do the honours Arcana, Minion desires a monster that you should be familiar with?"
The spell weaver produced a thick length of wood that he affectionately called a wand. It was a crude piece of workmanship that looked as twisted as Lord Zedd himself.
"I will require the raw material," he said.
Minion nodded absently and handed a piece of metal to the silent machine. "If you please."
There was a crunching noise as the machine crafted a roughly shaped blade that Arcana could use to call forth a monster.
The spell weaver cackled as he lifted his wand, a thick piece of unshaped tree trunk. He pointed it at the Earth and was delighted to see the sword appear in Angel Grove Park.
"Moon of ivory, stars of old,
candlelight that's spun of gold..."
Clouds gathered overhead and the wind seemed to pick up.
"...sky of fire, wind of fright,
bring to me a Nasty Knight!"
Red lightning streaked through the air and hit a tree next to the sword. As the wood shattered the Nasty Knight was returned to life.
"Perfect," Minion said. "Now the fun can begin."
"Feel the Power as it surrounds you," Zordon told them, "draw it into your bodies and trace its path as you look within to find your spiritual link to the Morphin Grid. Tommy, Rocky and Adam, you have done this before. Look into your hearts and reconnect yourselves with the power of the Grid. Katherine this will be the first time you have reached out without Kimberly influence. And Tanya, I know this will be difficult since you have never felt the Power before, but trust your feelings and I am certain you will find your connection."
It was a rushed, foolhardy way to seek out the connection to the Morphin Grid and if Zordon had had more time, he would have sought an alternative. Ideally he should have sent them to one of the many temples throughout the Universe with masters capable of aiding their spiritual growth. He promised himself that once Minion was disposed of he would see to it that they received the training they deserved.
"Take the Gem Coin transformers and merge your spiritual energies with their powers," he instructed, sensing his students as they obeyed him. "Today will mark a momentous occasion Rangers, for the first time the powers of pure Grid magic and Zeo technology come together to create the Gem Coin powers."
"But you must be careful," Alpha warned, "the two power sources were never intended to mix in this way."
"Alpha is correct. I am afraid a great deal of the energy transferred to your Gem Coins will be lost maintaining the transformation. This will mean that you may actually end up weaker than using the Zeo powers."
"We'll have to risk it if it means the chance to bring Minion down," Tommy said. The Zeo Rangers heartily agreed.
"How do we do this anyway?" Rocky asked and the Rangers realised for the first time that their knowledge was not instinctive.
"First you must initiate your links to the Morphin Grid," Zordon told them. "They will aid the process."
The Rangers did as they were bid, using their residual or in one case never used powers. Although there was no real transformation, a faint aura could be seen around them as they embraced their powers.
"Tommy, don't do that!" Rocky complained as Tommy's aura flared with angry streaks of green and white. The Blue Zeo looked like he'd just had a heart attack.
"Yeah, I nearly wet my knickers!" Kat glared at her sometimes boyfriend, ignoring the mild snickering her words produced. Tommy had the decency to look sheepish.
"So did I." Alpha quipped. "And I'm a robot." That got a chuckle from everyone.
"Rangers." Zordon said simply. Tommy watched as they began again, admiring the results. Rocky's aura was red, Adam's was a calm mixture of black and yellow that resembled the pattern of a wasp; Kat's aura was mellow pink and Tanya's was a fiery yellow.
The alarms sounded throughout the Power Chamber, exactly on cue. On the Viewing Globe an image appeared of the Nasty Knight surrounded by Putties.
"Looks like Minion has decided to strike again," Adam said.
"We need to hurry this up," Tommy said. "What's next Zordon?"
"Alpha, activate the generator and redirect the energy to the Gem Coins," Zordon ordered.
The Power Chamber vibrated as the volatile mixture took place. The generators that were acting as conduits groaned with the increased strain as Alpha worked feverishly to prevent an overload.
Finally after minutes of nervous waiting the vibrations stopped and the noise was reduced to a faint hum. The smell of burnt ozone filled the Power Chamber.
"Now I guess we get to find out if these powers work," Adam said without enthusiasm.
"Wait!" Alpha cried. "Before you morph, you must use these."
He handed each of them a dermal patch, which he would later explain would feed into their nervous system to allow the computer to send them what in the past had been an instinctive knowledge.
"It's Morphin Time!" Tommy called.
"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!" Kat called
"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!" Tanya cried.
"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!" Rocky yelled.
"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!" Adam called.
"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!" Tommy finished.
The combination of the two power sources had a strange effect on the Rangers' appearance. At first they were dressed in white, then slowly their Ranger colours appeared over the top. Soon they were fully morphed. They wore their Ranger colours with white gloves and boots with bands around their upper legs, arms and chest; the tops of their gloves and boots were silver and they wore a white belt complete with holster. On their white chests they each wore a small golden coin along with the thin wires that controlled the energy flow throughout their costumes.
For a moment there was some disorientation as they came to understand the changes to their powers. Then, they teleported away, leaving behind a worried mentor, who was distracted by the ramblings of a distraught Alpha Unit.
"Alpha, what is the problem?" Zordon asked.
"Ai-yi-yi, I can't help feeling that this is the beginning of the end for the power of Zeo."
Zordon could not reply to that. In one way the android's fears were well founded since Zordon was starting to consider that the Zeo technology had been compromised. Unknown to the Rangers, their mentor was seeking alternative powers, but had so far come up empty handed. Instead he watched as his Rangers teleported away, hoping the adjustments to their powers would be enough.
The Nasty Knight had teleported to an abandoned quarry outside of Angel Grove and was waiting. Some monsters would have started on a rampage, but the Nasty Knight was experienced enough to realise that just appearing would be enough. Once he had started to pose a threat to by blasting a few storage sheds he was content to await their arrival.
When they finally showed up, the Nasty Knight was disappointed to discover these were not the same Rangers he had faced before. Nor did the match the Zeo Rangers he knew Rita and Zedd were fighting. Squatt had been kind enough to keep him up to date on the enemy, but obviously the henchman was as incompetent as always.
For a while the Rangers were able to take advantage of the confusion and land some of their hits. The sudden change from sword and pistol to a simplified Blade Blaster shook them at first, but they quickly saw the advantage of having a multipurpose weapon. After a few minutes the Knight tried his old trick of destroying their weapons. The Rangers had a fall back plan and after summoning a large black shield to protect them, the called for their Zeo Power Weapons.
Except their Zeo Power Weapons were not there. Instead each found they were holding a coloured staff. As the Knight charged instinct took over and they fought back as if they had held the weapons for years instead of minutes. At one point the staffs touched and combined with the shield to form a weapon. They aimed it at the Knight and watched him fall.
"The Rangers have new powers," Minion said simply as the Nasty Knight fell.
"It was to be expected, Tommy never did know when to quit."
He moved over to the side of the throne room, revealing a metal sarcophagus. He ran his hand over the plating, allowing some of his power to seep through the seals as he did so.
"This is one of Bronzo's creations, the Monster Reconstitution Capsule," he explained to Zedd and Mondo's representatives. "A little magic and a memory of a monster... and voila, one regenerated monster freshly plucked from the Dark Dimension."
He opened the chamber and the monster walked out.
"Once he was Silverhorns, although I think Siphon suits him better," Minion explained to his audience. "Go to Earth, draw out the Rangers and fight them."
The monster enthusiastically obeyed.
"Aw man, can't we take a break?" Tommy complained.
"Computer says it's called Siphon," Tanya reported.
"Looks more like Silverhorns," Adam commented.
"Or Repellator," Rocky added.
"If it is based upon the Silverhorns monster, it's capable of stealing energy from virtually any source and then firing it back," Zordon warned.
"Can it steal energy from the Gem Coins?" Tommy asked urgently.
"We do not know at this point in time," Adam answered.
"Aye-yi-yi! Be careful Rangers!" Alpha cried.
"What if we need to call our Zords?" Katherine asked.
"There are no Zords," Zordon replied. "Try to end the battle before you need the Zords."
"Right," Tommy said. "It's Morphin Time!"
"Zeo Ranger I - Crane!"
"Zeo Ranger II - Bear!"
"Zeo Ranger III - Ape!"
"Zeo Ranger IV - Frog!"
"Zeo Ranger V - Falcon!"
The five Rangers teleported out of the Power Chamber.
" Alpha, how long will it take to recreate the Zeo Zords?" Zordon asked.
The small android gave an answer from where he was accessing the computer console.
"That is too long," Zordon declared. "We must begin looking for alternatives."
"Right Zordon!" Alpha said. "I just don't know what to do."
"Stay calm Alpha, panicking will not help the Rangers," Zordon said. "Perhaps you and Jason should look in the storage bay and see if there is anything we can use. Sam should remain here, as the only Ranger with a Zord, he is the Earth's only hope should Minion decide to make his monster grow."
During a fit of jealousy, Prince Gasket had created his own fleet of monstrous machines based on the Zords of the past. The Rangers had successfully defeated the duplicates and the remains had been captured to prevent Gasket repeating the exercise. Unfortunately the Rangers had yet to ensure that all of Gasket's programming had been removed. As such, the machines were deemed unsafe.
"Aye-yi-yi, Zordon," Alpha muttered. "I hope we can find something."
As he left, Sam was watching the battle. Unlike the first fight, this did not seem to be going well.
"Now that's one UGLY tick," Tanya remarked upon seeing the Siphon.
"Angel Grove Park, a monster attack... makes perfect sense," Rocky quipped.
"Who are you calling ugly?" Siphon growled. It pointed a clawed hand at Katherine. Pink energy suddenly jumped the gap between them. Kat groaned in pain until Tanya physically removed her from the monster's sight using a shoulder block. Siphon shifted his aim, striking the Yellow Ranger in the back. Tanya's body was lifted off of the ground, her arms and legs dangling freely.
"Tanya!" Kat cried. She pulled her Blade Blaster from her holster. "Let her go!"
She fired her weapon and the blaster fire of the other Rangers soon joined the single pink beam.
"Fire again," Kat urged.
"Right!" Tommy, Adam and Rocky shouted in unison. The Red, Green, and Blue Rangers took aim and fired, this time pinpointing their attacks so they connected at the same location.
Siphon sent a powerful yellow blast at Tanya. The connection was broken, and she was thrown backwards. "And now for the rest of you," he growled. The four beams that were striking the beast from the Blade Blasters suddenly backfired. All four weapons exploded in their hands, knocking them a few feet backwards.
"Are you okay Tanya?" Adam asked, hurrying over to his girlfriend's side.
"I think so," she moaned.
"Blade Blasters are powered back up," Tommy said.
"Yeah and we all saw how well they worked last time," Rocky said sarcastically.
"So what now?" Katherine cried.
"We can't fight with blasters," Tommy said. "So we'll just have to use the blades instead."
The Rangers exchanged brief nods before following their leader into battle. "Yeehah!" Rocky exclaimed.
"It was to be expected," Minion said as he watched the Rangers break their comrade free. "They could have destroyed him if they hadn't been so concerned about their friend."
"You say that as if you wanted him to be destroyed," Arcana pointed out.
"If they had destroyed Siphon while he was connected to Tanya, he would have destroyed her powers. Never doubt that Minion plans for all eventualities."
Tommy leapt high into the air, his blade tucked in a reverse grip beneath his arm. As he flew past Siphon, he whipped the blade around, rolled across the ground and then sprang back to the attack, this time putting his entire weight behind the blow. Rocky and Adam followed suit, crossing their blades for extra strength. They were surprised when the monster managed to grab Adam's arm as he tried to move away and used him as a human shield against Kat.
"Unify!" Tommy called as Adam rolled away.
Kat and Rocky joined their weapons with their leader's weapon and after charging a sphere of energy, released it. They quickly reconfigured their weapons to blaster mode and opened fire. Siphon was struck soundly by each energy blast. The beast stumbled backwards, but was a long way from going down.
"Well," Minion said as the after effects of the blast lifted. "That was... disappointing."
He could imagine the looks on the Rangers' faces as they realised their attempted finisher had simply been shrugged off. Their attack had been surprisingly aggressive and as a result they had succeeded to stun Siphon. But given the monster's special ability, he doubted there was any way a single shot could destroy him.
"Perhaps it's time for the Rangers to face up to their problems," he said.
Arcana promptly aimed his wand at the Earth and sending down a surge of energy. The results were rapid as Siphon threw off any signs of injury and started to grow.
"Fire!" Tommy called, this time with five Rangers instead of three.
Siphon reacted by jumping into the attack, underestimating the power the Rangers had placed behind their shot. The Rangers had poured all their energy into that single combined shot and as the ground around him exploded Siphon wondered if perhaps he had made a mistake.
Then a new wave of energy struck him and he had the urge to reach his full potential. "So long Rangers, I'm going up in the world."
"We need to get back to the Power Chamber now," Rocky said. Nobody argued with him.
"Zordon, Minion made Siphon grow. We need the Zords," Kat said.
"I am aware of the situation Kat, but Alpha and I have been unable to restore the Zeo Zords."
There was a pause.
"Zordon found a solution," Jason told them. He looked uncomfortable.
"You got a Zord functioning, that's great," Tommy said, not understanding why Alpha and Zordon seemed so negative.
An image appeared on the Viewing Screen, a tall silver Megazord that caused the Rangers to groan in unison. They remembered it well, they had destroyed it themselves and were surprised that this had been the easiest Zord to repair.
"You have to understand," Sam explained. "This was just lying around in the remains that Zordon retrieved from Gasket's Zord fleet. Compared to deprogramming all of Gasket's booby traps, this was easy. We didn't realise... well you know, it looks so real. If we'd known it wasn't a proper Zord."
"This is the best we have?" Tommy asked. "A repaired prototype copy of the Ninja MegaFalconzord?"
"Looks hideous," Tanya remarked. "Is that really a Zord?"
"It's the best we can do," Jason said. "And maybe we should call it the Ninja."
~Some choice,~ Tommy thought, ~a Megazord that cannot separate or we sit back and allow Siphon to destroy the city.~
Of course he wanted to take the Zeo Zords into battle. They were tried, tested and had been built by Zordon and Alpha. The Ninja despite being rebuilt, had been built by Gasket and was the result of a scheme to duplicate the Rangers' Zords.
Rocky and Adam did not feel as strongly as their leader. They were uncomfortable with the idea of piloting something that resembled their Ninja Zords so closely, yet was only a pale imitation. They did however feel that a Megazord was preferable in battle to five solo Zords. Teamwork and the ability to combine forces had always been the Rangers' strength.
For Kat the emotional argument was slightly reversed. She had never been at home with her Ninja Zord, feeling that it belonged to Kimberly. Therefore her attitude to the Ninja was not filled with the same animosity that Tommy, Adam and Rocky felt. To them this machine was a sick and twisted joke at their former machine. For Kat it represented a way to fight back against Siphon.
And for Tanya there was no real argument. Her Zeo Zord was a gun on wheels, extremely limited in battle especially if the Zeo Zord responsible for drawing her into combat was damaged. The Ninja was mobile and though technically not a Zord, stood a better chance of success in her opinion.
"If it helps you to decide, the Zeo Zords will not work with those Gem Coin things," Jason said impatiently. "The Ninja will work with anything."
That pretty much settled the argument for them. The Rangers knew what they needed and that in the end, defeating Siphon was far more important than their personal preferences.
"Back to Action!" Tommy called. He didn't like this one bit.
The battle had been surprisingly quick; the Ninja and monster had clashed briefly before the machine had used its speed to out manoeuvre Siphon. They had used the modified Power Sword without energising it to skewer Minion's creation. Siphon had fought back briefly, draining the Zord's power, but had been unable to control the Gem Coins' unpredictable energy.
"Deploy wings!" Tommy ordered.
The mighty wingspan of the Ninja extended to maximum length, priming the tiny thrusters mounted on the tips. The legs bent slightly to provide the propulsion needed to get airborne. Once the thrusters kicked in though there was little chance of it crashing back to Earth.
"Claws extracted," Adam reported as a set of steel blades extended from the Wolf arm.
"Ninja Power Dive!" the Rangers called.
The Zord shot into the air before diving straight towards the monster. It passed through easily, its claws making short work of Minion's creation. A powered up sword that finished off the monster soon replaced the claws.
"He failed," Minion sighed. "It seems that Tommy and his friends have retained some of their good luck when dealing with Minion's creations."
Arcana looked disappointed, the Machine Empire's representative seemed unmoved by events.
"I admit I underestimated the Rangers' resolve," he told them. "But no matter. When Brasso and Bronzo complete their task, I will be able to break the link between the Rangers and the Zeo Crystal
"With its powers at my disposal Serpenterra will bring this world to its knees."
"Impressive words," Arcana told him, a hint of amusement in his tone. "A shame you don't have the results to back them up. Maybe you should stick to words and let others control the action."
Minion's eyes flashed, angry red light threatening to burst forth and incinerate anything in his path. The Sword of Darkness was in his hand as he advanced on the elderly wizard. A swift flick and the blade snapped the wand from his hand.
"And who would you suggest control the action, Arcana? You perhaps? Minion thinks not. You are here at Minion's invitation and your welcome has expired. Pray that your life does not also end here."
"I - I am here only to advise," Arcana managed.
"See that you never forget that," Minion told him, no sign of amusement in his stance. "You too, General. If you want to stay, you will remember your place. Minion has a role for both of you in his plans, but overstep your boundaries and there are others who would perform equally well. I had hoped that the promise of Serpenterra would convince you of Minion's ability."
He raised his arms and extended his hands, silently communicating with the greater powers of the Universe, making deals with magic that would bind him in body and mind. Let the Ranger have their victory, they'd fought for it after all.
"Savour it well, Rangers," he whispered, "for it shall be your last."
End
<post_date>2021-08-15 13:22:51</post_date><post_modified>2022-10-01 15:08:25</post_modified>
