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Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. This is a fan work and no profit is being made from it.
Author's Note: Okay folks, this story is basically the closure of a plot point started in Mother Knows Best. Zord wise: Sonic Streaker comes from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, Turbo Express is based on a combination of sources including Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue and Artillatron is from Power Rangers Turbo.
Dark Racers Epilogue
"So the powers are gone for good?" Justin asked.
The four youths that Divatox had attempted to turn into Dark Turbo Rangers - the Dark Racers as she had called them - had gathered with the Turbo Rangers to clear the air. There were no grudges but their fights had turned nasty at some points. It also allowed TJ the opportunity to talk about his time as Divatox's captive; the youth had been lucky that Porto had done everything in his power to distract the pirate from claiming her newest slave.
Cassie nodded. "Zordon says that unlike Rita and Zedd, Divatox didn't take any chances. Our Turbo Keys were programmed to erase themselves should she instruct it. We're lucky one of us wasn't killed when it happened."
"And Porto altered the Keys so that once the template was removed, there is no way to restore them," Franklin guessed.
It had been a difficult few weeks for the Rangers with first the Purple and then the White and finally the Black Turbo Rangers making an appearance. And while it had taken time to defeat them - for Divatox had not made the mistake of using close friends of the Rangers they would be fighting. That had made it more difficult to discover their identities and release them. In the end the brainwashing had been removed and the Dark Turbo Rangers had been released. Sadly unlike previous evil Rangers, they would not prove to be a thorn in the sides of their former mistress.
She looked down at the Turbo Key in her hand. It was barely recognisable. Between Divatox and Porto's manipulations the device had been rendered unrecognisable. In a way she was glad, there would be no pressure for her to use her powers now and with the various villains under the impression that she was powerless, she wouldn't be bothered by their future plots.
What she didn't mention to the Rangers and hadn't shared with Alpha and Zordon during their examination, was that the powers were still a part of her. She lacked the uniform and the weapons that made her a Ranger, but the pathways that had been created to channel the Speed Force remained. She doubted it was detectable by Zordon's scanners or he had simply not been able to detect the energies while dormant, but she had been shocked to discover that she retained the super speed she had previously enjoyed. From the almost guilty looks on her former comrades' faces she imagined they had discovered the same thing. TJ's link was slightly different as his powers had failed before he had used them, but something had happened that had allowed him to ruin the pirate's plans.
"Does this mean Divatox will leave us alone?" Carlos asked. Clearly the former Black Racer was not as certain of their new status.
"If it was Rita you can bet that she'd leave you alone from now on," Justin said. "But with Divatox you can't be sure she won't try something just out of spite."
"Which is why we brought you these," Rosa chirped, pulling out four communicators.
All were a dull grey colour, the one reserved for friends, family and in-the-know non-combatants.
"If you're ever in trouble you can call us," Tasha explained.
The former Rangers nodded and sighed. It was a shame that they would not get to fight alongside the other Rangers, but then maybe it was for the best. If the Universe liked a sense of balance then a large number of Rangers could only lead to a new and more powerful threat for them to face.
"At least we able to put the Zords to good use," Fred joked.
In the aftermath the Rangers had discovered that Porto had not so thorough in protecting the Zords as he had the powers, perhaps because he had added them later and in a rush to please Divatox. The Turbo Express though heavily damaged could be repaired and had been handed over to the Lightspeed Rangers in Mariner Bay. Lightspeed had already drawn up plans to use it in their ongoing fight against Diabolico and his demons. However given the repairs and modifications needed, it would be some time before the rechristened Super Train Megazord would be ready for action.
The Turbo Rangers had kept the Artillatron for themselves. They planned to use it as a heavy duty Zord when the Turbo Zords were not enough. As Franklin had been quick to point out, it made a perfect Carrierzord. They had been unable to access its transformation sequence, but had found a partial Megazord mode just as useful.
Sonic Streaker had not been claimed, but was safely stored in one of Power Mountains hangars where its damage could be repaired.. The Rangers had always considered themselves lucky that most attacks happened near their homes. Sonic Streaker provided the means to confront evil wherever it appeared without having to worry about transporting their Zords.
Porto finished the final adjustments to his latest project. The loss of the Dark Turbo Rangers had been expected and after the precautions he had insisted on taking, the Rangers had not gained from the failed plan. But Divatox was not interested in empty victories and denying the Rangers new allies. She wanted her evil Turbo Rangers and had threatened Porto with all sorts of nasty things if he failed her again. Luckily Porto always had a backup plan.
When Divatox had originally insisted that there should be five Dark Turbo Rangers, Porto had been eager to argue against the idea. He had reasoned with her and even begged her to reconsider. With the failure of one of the sets of powers he had concentrated on perfecting the three Dark Turbo Rangers that remained. However when the plan had reached the point where their defection had been inevitable, Porto had decided to start work on a side project, creating two more Turbo Keys and combining their energies with two of his earlier creations.
And now the powers were finished, the candidates had been selected and the brainwashing had already commenced. Hopefully by the time Divatox found him they would be ready to go. If he was really lucky they would even succeed where their predecessors had failed. But somehow he doubted that. Porto never was that lucky.
End of Part
<post_date>2016-11-30 12:00:01</post_date><post_modified>2022-11-15 14:09:37</post_modified>
