Back in Training
By Shadow Ranger
By Shadow Ranger
Australian Outback
It was really Australia. In truth it was a room created inside of Power Mountain using advanced technology. The image converters allowed the Rangers to see, hear, smell, touch and taste everything they would experience in the Outback. Billy had programmed the room so that the Zeo Rangers could practice with their new powers and teammate.
"Ready guys?" Tommy asked.
"Ready!" Rocky, Adam, Kat, Samantha and Trey answered.
"It's Morphin Time!"
"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"
"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!"
"Zeo Ranger III - Blue!"
"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"
"Zeo Ranger V - Red!" Tommy felt the slight twinge of pain he had experienced since making his deal with the Dark One. Even though Tommy had been partially cured by the defunct Green Power Coin, the toxin was still in his blood.
"Zeo Ranger X - Gold!"
"Activate combat droids," Billy instructed from his place in a hidden bunker.
"Yes Billy," Alpha replied.
A collection of white humanoid robots with blue eyepieces appeared. At Billy's command they attacked the Rangers.
"Begin!" Red Zeo instructed.
The Rangers were outnumbered to offer a realistic training season and to allow them to test their improved combat techniques. This was the first real training session they had had since the Zeo Crystal had been repaired. At first they fought using hand to hand combat. Then they used their Zeo Pistols to cut down the numbers.
"Zeo I Power Weapon!" Pink Zeo called. "Destructo Disk!"
The pink Frisbee like disk turned hollow and grew to double its normal size. The power of the Pink Zeo fragment flowed into the disk as Kat drew her arm back and threw. The energized weapon sliced through the robots.
"Pink Fire Cloud!" She raised her fist to her visor and waited for it to ignite. Then she moved her arm in a wide circle and punched the air in front. Flame shot from her fist and engulfed another machine.
"Shield Mode!" she cried when she spotted a droid about to fire at her. The Power Disc reverted to its normal shape and size, but projected an energy field around her. She casually flipped the disc so it was flat and then took off through the air, spinning as she did so. The disc destroyed anything in its path.
"Zeo Power Whip!" Yellow Zeo called.
With Purple Ranger using the Power Nunchuks, it had seemed logical for Yellow Zeo to take on a different weapon. When Samantha had mentioned her uncles Lion Taming lessons, Billy had reconfigured the Yellow Zeo power to take advantage of her experience. The Power Whip had three basic modes: the basic Bull Whip, the thin but painful Vine Whip and the Bolo Whip. A training program had brought her up to speed and the Power enhanced reflexes allowed her to handle the weapon correctly.
Using the combination of modes, Samantha flailed the droids, disarmed them and finally disassembled their bodies. The tail end of the whip wrapped around a lone robot's head and when she flicked her wrist, the whip pulled tight and sliced the head off the shoulders.
"Shrapnel Spray!"
A small ball on the end of the bolo whip charged with power from Yellow Zeo's Ranger powers. As the ball struck the ground it exploded, releasing the sharp metallic contents in a fine spray towards its target.
"Zeo II Power Punch!"
Samantha leapt into the air and drew her fists towards her helmet. As both fists glowed, she clasped her hands together and delivered a double axe-handled punch to her final opponent's head. The droid staggered a few paces and then crumbled.
"Zeo III Power Kick!" Blue Zeo called.
Drawing power from Zeo Zord III the Blue Zeo Ranger plowed into a group of robots. Its energized foot smelted anything in its path. When he landed, Blue Zeo kept his powered up foot in the air whilst twisting on the other leg. His savate kick landed on an incoming machine and decapitated it.
"Zeo Arm Blades!" he cried.
He used one weapon to disarm the robots whilst the other one caused the real damage. He ducked and allowed the machines to draw near before he extended his arms and started to spin. The blades shredded anything in their path including the unfortunate droids.
"Zeo Power Hatchets!" Green Zeo cried.
There was little finesse to his hacking style as he made his way through the nearest group of droids. He was more selective than his blue teammate and targeted the power units on each machine.
"Power Punch!"
"Power Kick!"
He copied the techniques used by the Blue and Yellow Zeo Ranger to attack. Unlike the other Rangers' attacks though, he used less power and maintained the energy to his limbs to cause more damage.
Trey had been holding back on his attacks. The whole purpose of the exercise was to learn, relearn or perfect the moves that went along with their powers. But Trey, like Samantha, had a lot to learn. His powers had changed when he had inserted his Zeo Fragment into the completed crystal. His powers were stronger than they had been and were also intended to complement the other powers.
"Triple Threat!"
Gold Zeo split into three forms. Unlike the previous times when the split had divided his soul, this division was purely on the physical level. His two near perfect copies were independent to some extent, but he maintained overall control and could direct them if he concentrated on doing so.
"Reform!"
His body was reunited with his copies, allowing him to focus some of his attacks that would be weakened under other circumstances.
"Golden Power Staff!" The weapon appeared in his hand and he used it as a club. "Time for a Gold Rush!" The familiar attack of the Gold Zeo Ranger followed. As he charged he cut down the opposition on both sides.
While Gold Ranger was getting acquainted with his powers, Red Zeo was doing the same. He had already tried most punches and kicks that the others used. Now hen was testing his unique powers.
"Star Blast!" The Red Zeo power took the form of the phoenix and flew at the few remaining robots.
"Zeo Power Bomb!" Energy flowed from the Red Zeo Ranger into the sky where it gathered before falling back to the ground. It exploded upon impact and destroyed the survivors. As the smoke cleared the Rangers were left standing in a pile of scrap metal.
"Well done guys," Billy said. "Prepare for phase two!"
The wreckage was replaced by a new set of machines. These were larger and heavily armored. Their enhanced shells repelled the Rangers' attacks. The Rangers were already prepared for this eventuality and had formed the Zeo Power Blaster ready. With the Golden Power Staff acting as a tripod rest, the Rangers fired a single blast. "Tommy, I need to return to the Power Chamber and run some scans," Billy said. "I'll leave the simulation running."
"Okay Billy," Tommy said. He had hardly heard what the Blue Morphin Ranger had said. "We need the heavy artillery guys."
"Zeo Cannon!" they called.
Each Ranger placed a glowing ball inside the firing chamber and lifted the heavy weapon onto their shoulders. They waited for the droids to move closer before firing. The weapon was not built for accuracy, but was more than capable of destroying a large area. As the energy wave struck the ground it vaporised everything in its path.
"We're done Billy," Blue Zeo said into his communicator. "Billy?"
"He went to check on something," Red Zeo said.
Power Mountain
"You called?" Billy asked the Doctor.
"Zordon suggested you would be able to assist me," the Doctor smiled. "I need some help fixing the TARDIS."
Since arriving on Earth, the Doctor had been trying to find the parts he needed to fix his time machine. After extensive searching he had found the part hidden inside a nuclear control system. It had taken a great deal of effort for the Doctor to sneak into the US Security Compound. But he had managed it and successfully removed the parts he needed.
Stealing was something the Rangers had been brought up to believe was wrong. The Doctor had been raised to believe that the Universe was there for the Time Lords' amusement and therefore had only his own morals to guide him. As a result he had always prided himself on a non-violent approach to intergalactic relations. But despite this, he had no objection to taking other people's property if he could claim it was for the greater good.
"We'll need to disconnect the Dimensional Stabiliser from the Forcefield Generator and bypass the Neural Interface," The Doctor explained as he led the Blue Ranger into the TARDIS.
A moment later a golden wave of energy filled the Power Chamber as the TARDIS vanished from view.
The Rangers put their weapon back into its hiding place and moved their hands to their hips ready for teleportation. Nothing happened and Red Zeo remembered that the Training Room, where they were based, was shielded from teleportation. For all intents and purposes they were in Australia, but at the flick of a switch, the surroundings would vanish leaving only a small chamber.
"Command: Deactivate Program," Red Zeo said.
[Unable to comply] the computer answered.
"Let me try," Adam said. "Command: Override Program. Authorization: Green Z Four."
[Program Activated] the computer said.
"Well that worked," Yellow Zeo said sarcastically as the scenery changed to a swamp.
"Whoa!" Blue Zeo exclaimed as they fell into the quick sand that had appeared beneath them.
"Billy, we need some help here," Red Zeo said.
"Help me!" Pink Zeo screamed as she felt something wrap around her leg and start dragging her under.
"Kat!" Gold Zeo cried. He held out his Power Staff for her. "Grab on!"
"Zeo Pistol!" Red Zeo cried as he pulled his sidearm and aimed at a nearby tree. The weapon sizzled as the sand caused it to jam."
"It's pulling me under!" Pink Zeo warned.
"Samantha, use your Power Whip," Green Zeo suggested.
Yellow Zeo did what she was told and managed to hook the weapon around a tree trunk. Before they could use it to their advantage, a huge snake flew into the air. Its tail was wrapped around Kat's foot and as it returned under the sand; Pink Zeo was taken with it.
"Bloody Hell!" Yellow Zeo yelled.
She had only been with the Rangers for a short time, but had seen many monsters before joining the team. As the Doctor's latest assistant she had faced some of the worst evils in the Universe. But even so she had never seen a snake as large as the one that tore her whip from her grasp.
"Hold on Kat!" Green Zeo called as Red Zeo summoned his Zeo V Power Sword and attempted to slice it in half.
"Mmph mmph - mmph mmph!" Pink Zeo called. The sand that caked her helmet muffled her words.
The snake reappeared a moment later and exploded. Pink Zeo followed, throwing the end of the snake's tail aside as she did so. Her helmet vanished as she gasped for air.
"What happened down there Kat?" Red Zeo asked.
"I gave him indigestion," Pink Zeo quipped, holding up a Gem Coin Blaster.
"How did you get that?" Yellow Zeo asked. She had yet to learn the ins and outs of the Ranger powers and had assumed they only had their sidearms and Zeo Power Weapons.
"Billy connected his arsenal to the Morphin Grid and Zeo Crystal," Pink Zeo said. "As long as you know what you need and it's been connected to your powers, you can call on any weapon in the arsenal."
"You should see the place," Adam added. "We all thought it was just a large room, but it actually goes on for miles. Billy and Alpha are serious collectors."
"Um guys, not to interrupt or anything, but we should probably get out of this sand," Rocky said.
Before the Rangers could do so the scene vanished to be replaced by the metal walls of the Training Room.
"Billy must have fixed it," Red Zeo said. He had spoken too soon. When he finished, the setting changed yet again.
TARDIS
"Okay Doctor!" Billy yelled.
On his back surrounded by wires and electronic components he had never seen before helped Billy to feel at home. He was currently in the TARDIS' Auxiliary Console Room. The Doctor had sealed off the main room due to a problem with termites. Still as Billy soon discovered, whatever happened in one room was repeated in the other room.
Down the corridor and to the right, the Doctor sat in an equally complex pile of cables. The panels on the wall had been removed to allow easy access. He silently wished he knew how to configure the TARDIS so all the important parts were together.
"Switch on!" he shouted back to the Blue Ranger.
He heard the familiar hum return and the TARDIS seemed to grow a lot friendlier as the hundreds of subsystems came to life. He checked the circuit he was repairing and after receiving a nasty shock decided he needed to do more work. "Switch off Billy!"
Billy turned off the console and once again the TARDIS was removed from reality.
"Oh man, this is too much!" Red Zeo complained.
A new environment had been created. This time it featured a few of the monsters the Rangers had faced in the past. Peckster, Silo and a Varox stood ready.
"Divide and conquer," Green Zeo suggested.
"Right," Red Zeo agreed. "Green and Blue handle Peckster, Pink and Gold deal with Silo, and Yellow and I will take care of the bounty hunter."
As the other couples moved away, Red Zeo allowed his partner to attack whilst he stayed back slightly. Even though he was not sure what was happening, he knew that Samantha needed the chance to familiarize herself with her powers. Her fighting style was unique, relying more on precision than power. She hardly threw any punches, using open handed chops to do the work. He watched as she threw the Varox towards him. He used a drop kick to bring it down.
"Zeo V Power Sword!"
Now it was Samantha's turn to watch as her leading took over the battle. His attack was more aggressive and showed the confidence and commitment she lacked. Elsewhere the other Rangers were making short work of their opponents and seemed to be having a bit of fun while they were at it.
Suddenly the three monsters started to grow. They were not tall enough to warrant a Megazord, but were too powerful for the Rangers to handle on foot.
"I call on the power of the Defender Wheel!" Blue Zeo called.
The wheel, housed inside of Zeo Zord V, was supposed to belong exclusively to the Red Zeo Ranger. However, after the Minion incident, the weapon had been tied into all their powers. As he climber into the oversized hamster wheel, Blue Zeo felt he was able to handle the three monsters.
"Engage!"
While Rocky was handling the monsters, the other Rangers were trying to find an explanation for what was happening.
"Billy must be away from the controls," Green Zeo stated. "Otherwise he would have stopped the simulation at phase two."
"How many phases are there?" Pink Zeo asked.
"Five," Green Zeo answered. "The last one is meant to be Zord sized monsters."
"So Billy changed the program," Gold Zeo deduced.
"Or the computer did," Red Zeo said. "The program is adaptive."
"So what happens next?" Yellow Zeo asked.
"We wait for Rocky to finish," Red Zeo said.
TARDIS
"One more time!"
Billy swore as the Doctor's yell caused him to bang his head on the console. For the most part the TARDIS was back together. _And not a moment too soon. _ After they had removed the TARDIS from reality, Billy had recalled his friends were stuck in the Training Room with a program that would probably have ended some time ago. Since the door was locked from the outside he doubted they would have been able to leave. _They're probably getting bored. _
"Doctor, what does this red light mean?"
The brown haired man poked his head around the door and looked at the console.
"Oh no," he said. "That's why the new wiring isn't working. We didn't remove the TARDIS from reality; we removed the whole of Power Mountain! Everything we've done will have an effect on the Power Chamber and any transporter based systems."
"Doctor, the Zeo Rangers are in the Training Room," Billy said.
"We need to hurry," the Doctor said.
"Well I guess it's better late than never," Green Zeo said as the monsters finished growing.
"We need Zeo Zord power, now!"
The Zeo Megazord and Warrior Wheel quickly finished off the monsters. Just as the Training Room reappeared and the door opened.
"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, are you all right Rangers?"
"We're fine Alpha," Tommy confirmed as the Rangers powered down.
"What happened?" Rocky asked.
"The Doctor and Billy's attempt to repair the TARDIS caused the computer to malfunction," Alpha replied. "We didn't know you were still here."
"Well, at least we got our workout," Rocky said.
"And the TARDIS is fixed," the Doctor said as he emerged with Billy not far behind.
"What will you do now?" Samantha asked. She was worried she would be left behind again.
"Don't worry," the Doctor said. "I'll be staying here for a while. We still need to fine tune the console."
"Oh man is that the time?" Tommy asked, looking at his watch. "I'm late for Karate class!"
With that the Rangers teleported away, leaving the Doctor and Zordon alone. When they were gone the Doctor turned to Zordon with a questioning look on his face.
"You knew where they were," he said to the White Morphin Master. "That's why the part suddenly appeared, so I would get Billy out of the way."
"Guilty as charged," Zordon laughed. "I had to be certain the Rangers could deal with the unexpected."
"Well, there was no harm done," the Doctor conceded. "And I'm sure your faith in your students has been restored."
"Indeed Doctor," Zordon replied. "I never doubted their abilities, but I had to be certain."
"And Samantha?"
"Has proven herself to be a valuable member of the Zeo Ranger team. I am certain that she will fulfill the role of Yellow Ranger. I can see why you chose her as a companion."
"I think she chose me," the Doctor said. "I felt as if I had been abducted."
"A very rare occurrence for you old friend," Zordon noted.
"Now I have another question for you," the Doctor said. "Why did you need to test the Zeo Rangers? They've proven themselves in battle countless times."
"I had a feeling that they would needed shortly against an enemy they would never expect," Zordon said. "I had to be sure they were ready."
"And now?"
"Now we can only hope for the best," Zordon remarked. "Things are about to change and I am not certain the change will be for the better."
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