Conquest of Evil Classic Part 15
by Shadow RangerDark Season 2
Chapter 1: The Iron Bat Man?
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, Spider-man, Iron Man or any other series. They belong to their rightful copyright owners. This is merely a piece of fanfiction.
The Iron Bat Man?
Earth,
A penthouse apartment in the middle of a thriving metropolis, so many cars that it would be impossible to drive them all in the space of a day, a different woman on each arm every night of a week to some of the most expensive restaurants available. Money could not buy happiness, but for Anthony Stark it meant being able to but the things that could make him happy.
Alcoholic, smoker, gambler, womaniser, industrialist, inventor and arms trader. All words that could be used to describe the millionaire that had had the nerve to stand before Congress and make a mockery of those that had demanded his presence. Wise cracking, abrasive, often borderline insulting in his dealings with those who felt themselves somehow superior, Stark was not a man to be taken lightly.
In the days since the Avengers had disbanded, Tony Stark had been busy working on other projects. Actually when he wasn’t out drinking, womanising and having a good time, he was working on improving the many suits of armour hidden away beneath his mansion on the outskirts of New York. Steel had given way to new materials just as simple circuits had been replaced by new methods of controlling the suits.
A recent collaboration with another scientist had led to new methods of deploying the armour in the field. Having seen the Power Rangers and others in action he had realised how cumbersome some of his designs had been. A little open-mindedness and sharing information with Lightspeed had seen exciting results.
“Load schematics for the Iron Avenger.”
There were some projects that Tony had delayed working on. The Iron Avenger was one of them. The large weapon system brought back memories of Minion and the events of that time. It was something he and many others preferred to forget.
~How do you go back to a normal life after something like that?~ he wondered, not for the first time.
Minion and his forced had driven the world to its knees before he was defeated. And for those that had fought against him, it was difficult to forget.
“Access security protocols. If we’re going to do this let’s start by locking the door.”
Stark’s reluctance to repair, rebuild or just redesign the Iron Avenger wasn’t down to the events surrounding Minion. He was well aware there were those within the government that would love to get their hands on a fully functional suit of Iron Man armour without the safety protocols in place. Even SHIELD had not managed to break the security algorithms he had installed. The Iron Avenger was bigger than any of his normal armour and had the firepower to match. It was a piece of equipment he had vowed to never sell.
“Set initial security as Level Four.”
“Level Four has been set, Sir,” JARVIS responded. “Energy grid is now locked to your command.”
Level Four meant the suit would only accept power when Tony Stark used an exact vocal command while wearing an activated suit of Iron Man armour. When he finished the repairs he planned to lock the Iron Avenger to only accept commands from one suit that he would lock behind security that made the Federal Reserve look undefended.
“Begin mapping the damage.”
The Iron Avenger had been wrecked during the battle with the Elemental Beasts, so this was more a case of finding out if anything had survived as opposed to what had been damaged beyond repair. As expected it seemed that the damage had been sever and corrosion had only added to the problem. He realised that now would be a good time to scrap the machine and remove a potential problem down the line.
“It would appear that very little survived,” JARVIS commented as various components flashed up on the screen. “I believe your furry dice are intact.”
“Okay, let’s go back to the drawing board. Start with standard suit and then upscale.”
It wasn’t that simple of course. The Iron Avenger was a weapon system, not a battle suit. It was controlled from a cockpit, not by direct body movements. And the weapons would need a major redesign to work at a larger scale without exploding.
But this was Tony Stark at his best doing the thing that he excelled at. Working the systems he had built to help him build, he managed to work up a suitable blueprint in the space of an evening.
“What is the flight capability?” he asked, watching as the computer flashed through the necessary calculations.
“Zero, Sir,” JARVIS told him. “However with sufficient thrust, a controlled leap is possible.”
So, no hovering. The suit was big, heavy and too cumbersome to continuously switch jets and maintain position. It was a task beyond the computers and would require too many humans working as a team to accomplish. He wanted to limit access to a five man crew at most.
“I have relocated the weapons as requested,” JARVIS advised, bringing up an image of the giant metal hand. In addition to the single energy weapon mounted on the palm, smaller weapons had been placed at the fingertips and knuckles. “And Miss Antoinette is requesting an appointment to discuss her credit card bill.”
Tony sighed. Antoinette Stark was a distant relative that had made several attempts to claim the family fortune before giving up and accepting an expense account. The woman could spend her way through a credit limit easier than a Democrat president, but she was family and he knew it was easier to find the check book and just sign than to try and convince her to spend less.
It was a shame because despite her age, Antoinette had inherited the creativity and genius that made the family rich. He had seen one of her attempts to design a suit of armour and had to admit that some of the features were desirable. It was a shame that she insisted on relying on unconventional methods of powering such designs, namely magic.
~Then again magic is just energy,~ he thought, realising that it would totally bewilder those that sought to use his designs if they had to learn to cast spells as well. “JARVIS, bring up the blueprints for the power core. And then contact Horatio.”
Sometimes it didn’t hurt to think outside the box.
Arkham Asylum, Earth
‘In the game of Life the Joker is wild!’
He had been called a lunatic, a deranged psychopathic murderer that would take pleasure from slaughtering the innocence. And while he would before the first to agree that he was not playing with a full deck, he believed that he deserved some credit for acknowledging it. But alas he received no respect, no respect at all. And it really irked him. More so now he was dead.
In life he had been known as the Joker, a dangerous criminal that had appeared on the streets of Gotham City and made it to the world stage. He had seemingly died a dozen times and had always found a way to return, although for the life of him he couldn’t say how. His most recent death however had been permanent as far as he knew. Which raised the interesting question of how he happened to be alive and sitting in a jail cell awaiting his next opportunity to escape.
Something was missing in his life. That little bit of pain that made existence so much more enjoyable. He liked to think of it as Batman. Where was the Bat? He had been missing for almost as long as the Joker had been dead, give or take a year. One day it just seemed the masked fool and his little friends had simply vanished off the face of the planet.
Oh there had been some sort of incident and Batman had been caught in the middle of it as usual, but as far as the Joker was aware he had not been among the final casualties.
“Come out, come out wherever you are,” he cooed as he floated through the abandoned corridors of the old cell block. “Because ready or not, here I come! Better yet, I’ll hide and you can come and find me. Hahahahaha!”
Gotham City Earth
Being a super hero took a huge strain on the body. Especially when the hero in question was just a man in a mask. Bruce Wayne was aware of the discomfort such activities could cause. His muscles, bones and joints had taken more than their fair share of abuse during his time as Batman. The accumulated knocks had left him crippled, something he publicly blamed on a life of fast cars, loose women and extreme sports.
The comparisons between Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne were well known. Their success in business, their wealth and their vices were a matter of public record. The difference was that while Tony Stark really was a drunken womaniser known to don a suit of armour to protect the world, for Wayne it was an act to cover his secret identity.
Despite being business rivals, there was a healthy respect between Stark and Wayne. Both considered the other competent within their own field. Stark invented things and led teams to bring new products to market while Wayne found the people that could invent things and invested his time and money to make them a success. So when Bruce had received a gift from Stark Enterprises, the gesture was not a shock although the contents were.
“Is that a complete suit sir?” Alfred enquired.
“Stripped of weapons and computer systems,” Bruce commented as he studied the black boot in his hand. “But otherwise it looks genuine.”
He put the boot down, picked up one of the gloves and slipped it on. A sigh escaped his lips.
“Master Bruce?”
“Some sort of active material on the inside,” Bruce answered, “clings to the skin and does… something to the muscles.”
Indeed for the first time in recent history, Bruce Wayne was able to move the fingers on his right hand without discomfort.
“I don’t think Mr Stark did this so you could go drinking with him,” Alfred commented, holding up the helmet.
Bruce chuckled. It was clear that Stark had sent him a complete but unfinished suit of light weight armour. Made of softer material than the Iron Man armour, Bruce had no doubt it was still bullet proof and resistant to swords. It would need to be altered to his requirements, but he imagined that was why it had been left unfinished.
“Looks like we’ll be needing a shopping list,” he said.
Crime in Gotham had been escalating recently, maybe it was time to get back in the game.
There were mixed accounts within the superhero community about Stark’s decisions to distribute armour not only to Batman, but to other superheroes. Ranging from fully metal armour to other more flexible materials, it had been noted that Stark had established himself as a cornerstone of the superhero community; later attempts to bring back the Avengers had seen him call in favours from those he had so selflessly supplied.
Some however saw his gesture as a means of protecting against rogue elements. While testing to establish whether or not Stark did plant failsafes inside his gifts were inconclusive due to the reluctance of the owners to damage them, there were rumours that such a feature was used on two occasions. Many pointed out that the need to deal with possible abuse of his designs was something a man like Tony Stark would have considered.
There was some speculation by those that knew him that Bruce Wayne maintained a threat level database on every superhero operating around the world. Multiple resources and his innate detective skills meant he was easily able to guess the identities of some of his peers. For a man who didn’t like guns, Batman had an impressive number of bullets that could take down some of his most powerful allies.
Some would condemn such preparations as a lack on faith in his fellow heroes. Others would claim that as one of the elders of the hero world, there was a responsibility to make sure that the protectors of the world never became its greatest threat.
“As usual I had the parts made by different parts of Wayne Enterprises and then channelled through other suppliers to one of our warehouses,” Alfred advised as Bruce studied the completed suit.
“And that warehouse just happens to be the one that never got added to the inventory,” Bruce commented as he finished inspecting a piece of sharpened metal that had been cut in the shape of a small bat.
“That’s right. We found the gauntlets were already equipped with a launching mechanism. One thing I’ll say about Mr Stark is that he thinks ahead.” He looked to where his employer was inspecting the paintwork on the chest plate. “I took the liberty of having the – nipples removed.”
“Okay let’s give this a try,” Bruce decided.
Unlike Iron Man’s armour, Bruce’s new costume did not have an entourage of machines to dress him. Nor did it require one since the pieces fitted together like a suit of clothing instead of needing to bolt together like armour. With the speed of somebody used to dressing in confined spaces in a hurry, Bruce was able to don the costume in less than a minute. Pulling the mask into place activated a few of the systems he and Alfred had thought to be useful.
“We decided not to use Mr Stark’s cape,” Alfred told him. “The material looked good, but that was all it did. Now this,” he said handing a piece of material to his employer, “is an electro-sensitive material. You apply a current and it solidifies. Lightweight too. I’ve seen hand gliders made from similar products.”
“News just in: Police and other agencies have been called to Arkham Asylum after contact with staff inside the facility was lost.”
Though they had left the television playing in the background, the report caused Bruce and Alfred to suddenly remember that it was there.
“This couldn’t be a coincidence could it?” Alfred asked.
Bruce shrugged. There was no way Stark could have foreseen such a turn of events, but the timing was definitely something he would question later. First of all he planned to head to Arkham and find out what was going on.
End.
Chapter 2: Spider-Man: The Next Scoop
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, Spider-man or any other series. They belong to their rightful copyright owners. This is merely a piece of fanfiction.
The Next Scoop
New York
Where had things change? Most people couldn’t see it, but for others, like Peter Parker, it was obvious. It had started after the defeat of Minion, when the government had ordered that collective super hero activity on American soil cease. Plans had been made for a new unified group to protect the world, but nothing had been done. As weeks turned to months it had been easy to allow the Power Ranger to handle things. Gradually retirement had been a welcoming idea.
Peter had for a short time gone back to being a masked crime fighter on the streets of New York. But eventually the motivation and the need seemed to vanish. In fact his entire life since the defeat of Minion was at best a blur and the harder he tried to recall what had happened, the harder it became to remember even the important details. It was a mystery, but one he seemed unwilling to solve. And that worried him.
~Although not as much as a summons to the Daily Bugle,~ he thought as he exited the lift and made his way to Mr Jameson’s office.
When Peter had stopped working as Spider-Man, he had also put himself out of work. Jameson paid for pictures of the wall climbing menace and had little interest in Parker’s other work. No Spider-Man, no pay check was the Editor-in-Chief’s final word on the matter. And since Peter was freelance and supposed to turn up when he had something worth selling, it had been a while.
Unsurprisingly the print room staff noticed his entrance and huddled close, waiting for the spectacle that was bound to follow. They had all suffered their employer’s wrath, but it seemed that Peter Parker was capable of pushing Jameson to an even more intense level of anger, normally just by being there.
“Get in here Parker!” was bellowed before the photographer had a chance to knock, causing him to swallow and the crowd to listen all the harder.
Peter did as he was told, reminding himself that he was not an employee and could leave at any time. He was not surprised to find the office was just as he remembered it and Jameson aside from a few more grey hairs, was just the same.
“Remind me Parker, why do I employ you when you don’t show up for over a year?” Jameson asked.
“You don’t, Mr Jameson,” Peter responded, trying to remain respectful. “You told me to stay freelance and turn up when I had something.”
Jameson snorted. He hadn’t gotten to the position of Editor-in-Chief by allowing himself to be hoodwinked.
“You’ve been holding out on me Parker,” he said. “Spider-Man is out there somewhere and you are the only one that can get photos of him. You stop turning up and all of a sudden people start questioning whether there really is a Spider-Man.”
And there it was, the real reason why Jameson wanted him. Spider-Man sold papers, but without pictures, people doubted the stories were true, which given that Spider-Man had not been seen for months was probably the case, didn’t help the Daily Bugle sell papers. Jameson needed photos to prove that Spider-Man was still around, so that his campaign against the wall-crawling vigilante could continue.
“I want photos Parker and you are going to get them for me!” Jameson bellowed, thumping his fist on the desk. Then his voice quietened as he added reluctantly: “I’ll pay you triple the normal amount.”
“Well that’s all well and good Mr Jameson, except I haven’t got any photographs to sell. Spider-Man just hasn’t been around. It’s like he left the city.”
“Left the city?” Jameson yelled before his face turned thoughtful. “Driven out by Daily Bugle and running from the truth, eh Parker? I like the angle.”
Peter could see that Jameson was all too ready to hand himself an award for what he considered a great service… before he remembered his falling sales/
“Well I’m not going to let that web-headed menace loose on some other city,” Jameson growled. “Or country… Yes, we’ve shown him up so much he left the country. Daily Bugle tracks Spider-Man around the globe, imagine the sales.”
He opened a drawer and pulled out a folder filled with newspaper clippings.
“There have been sighting of Spider-Man in Canada, France and Japan,” Jameson explained. “No photographs though. You’re going to track Spider-Man down, find out where he’s been hiding and get the proof. You can start in Japan; there’s enough costumed oddballs there that he would fit right in.”
“I’m sorry Mr Jameson, but I can’t afford to fly around the world on a Spider-Man hunt,” Peter explained.
Jameson grumbled something about ungrateful kids not realising opportunities before pressing a button on the intercom and asking his assistant to come in.
“Book Parker on a plane to Japan,” he instructed. He paused to consider the matter before adding: “Make it a return trip.”
“Yes Mr Jameson,” Brant replied before hurrying off.
“You’ll start in Japan and if you can’t find him there move on to the next country until you do,” Jameson promised. “And if you get me some good photos, I might consider making you a full time employee.”
“Yes Mr Jameson, thank you Sir,” Peter managed before heading out the door.
Jameson’s stared after him for a moment, his face taking on an odd expression before slowly returning to normal as he turned his attention to the day’s news, unaware that he was already a part of a huge story.
End.
Chapter 3: Ch’rell Shock, The Shredder Returns
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, Mutant Turtles or Doctor Who. They belong to the respective copyright owners. This is a fan work and no profit is being made from it.
Ch’rell Shock, The Shredder Returns
Springwood
The past
“Ninja Technique: Ice Carpet!”
Less than two months had passed since Serpenterra had wiped the small town off the face of the Earth. The ground was molten, still cooling from the awesome power the machine had unleashed. To step upon the burning soil would have meant death. Some had already tried to access the lost town only to discover that despite the thin crust that had settled, it could not hope to support the weight of a tiny rodent, let alone a human. That was why as Saki walked over the melting ice he had conjured, Saki was relieved that he had been taught some of the ancient secrets of the Ninja.
The power he had summoned came from the Morphin Grid, channelled through his body and directed with a combination of hand movements, words and mental imagery to generate a moving block of ice on which he could stand as he was transported to the place where the statue of the town’s founder had once stood. The ground steamed as the heat turned the ice to water and the water fell onto the hot ground. Only his focussed mind and determination kept the ice intact as he reached his destination.
“Very good Saki,” his master said when the reached the place he desired. “This will do.”
“Yes master,” Saki acknowledged, dropping to one knee while fighting to keep the ice intact.
His master was unable to assist him in his current form. Once a proud warrior, the alien known as the Shredder had been punished by his own people for heinous crimes. His body had been ripped apart leaving only the brain-like creature within – for Shredder’s race were capable of building bodies for themselves in order to survive their environments. Shredder’s replacement form had been damaged thousands of years later during a battle with the Power Rangers of Earth. Now he sought a new means to renew himself.
“There is great power in this place, Saki,” Shredder mused. “The damage has created a wound in the Earth I can use.”
After their recent defeat at the hands of the Power Rangers, Shredder had been determined to regain his former strength. And the first step to doing so required him to absorb a large amount of heat and radiation. The decimated town was a perfect choice.
“Leave now Saki,” Shredder instructed. “Return when I summon you.”
As he spoke, the Shredder managed to levitate himself from the icy platform, allowing Saki to withdraw to safety. In the past the Shredder had relied upon his own strength, alien technology, alien ninja training and Earthly minions. Now he planned to pool all of those resources together to create a new power that would gain vengeance on his enemies. Superior technology, alien power and ninja magic combined with the evil genius that the Shredder represented. Combined together those forces would make him unbeatable.
Saki was out of sight as Shredder lowered himself onto the ground. The earth beneath him cracked as the surface bubbled violently. Slowly his body was pulled into the inferno as the next phase of his plan commenced.
New York City
September 1998
Saki regarded the smashed remains of his master’s armour. He had been surprised that anything had survived; the Shredder had been fortunate to possess the technology needed to teleport a short distance, but doing so had meant sacrificing the armour and had permanent disabled most of the alien’s technology.
Still Saki had felt compelled to seek out the remnants of his master’s former body regardless of its state. He had always been intrigued by the odd sensations he had felt when touching the metal. It seemed familiar.
“And so it should,” a voice said.
Saki turned with the speed gained through years of practice, his eyes searching for signs of the intruder who had managed to enter without his knowledge. His eyes narrowed as he palmed a weapon ready to teach the intruder a harsh lesson.
The cloaked figure dodged the knife thrown in his direction, flicking the blade that followed it aside with practiced ease. This was not a simple fool, but a skilled practitioner of the fighting arts; he could have easily given the other warrior a challenge. He had no interest of continuing the battle though, simply because he was not certain he could restrain himself from killing Saki if they fought for too long.
“Who are you?” Saki demanded.
“Somebody who knows a lot more about the history of that armour than you Oroku Saki,” the ninja answered. “Or did you believe the lies your master told you?”
“Master Shredder would not lie to me!” Saki snarled.
“Of course he would,” the stranger countered, “if it would gain your services. The Shredder is linked to your family and your master needs that link.”
He could sense that Saki did not believe him and decided a different approach was needed.
“He told you that he was called the Shredder and that he built this armour using his technology. The truth is that this armour was built for a samurai lord in Japan named Oroku Nagi. It is the armour that carries the name ‘Shredder’.”
“Oroku Nagi?”
“Your ancestor. Many generations ago he led a large army across Japan, conquering as they went. He was eventually defeated and his army was disbanded although a few remained and helped him found the Foot Clan to seek revenge. When they were defeated a second time, Oroku Nagi was executed.”
He paused, allowing Saki to absorb the truth about his family’s history, knowing it would help to break down the man’s loyalty.
“Oroku Nagi had never accepted his own mortality. In his life time he selected some of his closest advisers and set them the task of finding him a way to live on after death. The Shredder is the evidence of how close they came.”
He held out his hand toward the armour, causing it to glow slightly.
“The Foot Mystics used the knowledge they acquired to bind Oroku Nagi’s essence to his armour, creating the creature known as The Shredder. He built a new army.”
“The Shredder is the evil spirit that resides in the armour of my ancestor?” Saki asked. He wasn’t certain if he should consider the stranger a fool or a very inventive liar.
“With the rebuilt Foot Clan at his side, The Shredder rampaged once more. And this time it took far more than soldiers to stop him. In the final battle, it took magic and sacrifice to subdue the evil spirit within the armour, preventing it from controlling its metal body. From that moment on it became just a suit of armour.”
A suit of armour with a very powerful and vengeful spirit attached to it. One that needed a living soul to give it the motivation and purpose. Saki was the obvious choice due to his bloodline to help unleash The Shredder’s wrath.
“Sometime later an alien named Ch’rell was deposited on Earth. Ch’rell’s race were little more than large brains with eyes and teeth. On their own world they used telepathy to control their environment. But as a criminal, Ch’rell was banished from Ultrom. On Earth he retained some of his abilities, but needed protection from the unfriendly environment. He found your ancestor’s armour hidden away in storage and used his powers to control it. Later he placed himself inside the armour and added technology favoured by the Jakanja, an alien ninja clan. He claimed control of The Foot and used them to prepare the way for a Jakanja invasion.”
“Then why are these alien ninjas not here?” Saki asked.
There was some genuine interest. His master had mentioned his alien allies and had taught Saki some of their techniques.
“Ch’rell’s people chose to check up on him and realised the threat he could pose to them. They conspired with some of The Shredder’s enemies, leading them to believe that Ch’rell was The Shredder. Together they defeated him and he remained imprisoned for generations. When he was released he once again took control of the Foot Clan and moved to America. It was pure luck that he happened to meet you here.”
The Shredder had grown stronger when the descendent of Oroku Nagi was close by. Ch’rell had used that connection alongside his technology in his portrayal of the ninja warrior known as Shredder.
“And so the question must be asked: do you continue to follow an impostor, or do you claim your rightful place as leader of The Foot?”
That decision would determine what happened next.
Japan
Ch’rell had failed to notice them when he had stolen their master’s armour. They were the Foot Mystics, the priests that Oroku Nagi had commanded to secure his immortality. They had been the ones that had called upon the dark powers and transformed their fallen master into an evil spirit. They had cast the enchantments that had allowed the newly formed spirit to possess the armour of their fallen leader. They had then used their knowledge to guarantee that when their master called, his army would be there to obey.
They had failed and The Shredder had been defeated. They enchantments they had used to allow the spirit to use the armour as a body had been broken, trapping The Shredder within the armour. They had been locked away with the rest of his followers and had been unable to stop the Ultrom named Ch’rell when he had taken the armour. Ch’rell’s time as the Shredder came to an end and it seemed the spirit they had worked to preserve had been lost.
But then the Shredder had reappeared in America, working alongside Oroku Saki, a descendent of Oroku Nagi. Being close to Saki had awakened the slumbering spirit of The Shredder, even as the Ultrom continued his charade. When the armour had been seemingly destroyed in a confrontation with the Power Rangers, Saki had retrieved parts of the armour where the spirit remained.
Now with The Shredder on the verge of returning, the spells that kept his armies secured were failing. The Foot Mystics and the army they had amassed were on the move. Except this time instead of conquering everything in their path, they moved silently through the shadows to cross the sea and reunite with The Shredder.
New York City
Saki drew the sharpened blade across his palm. Crafted from a piece of his ancestor’s armour, it sliced through the skin, drawing blood. Under the stranger’s guidance, the descendent of Oroku Nagi drew a series of runes on the metal armour, drawing mystic energy through his blood and channelling it into the armour, replenishing the evil spirit on his ancestor. Deep within the armour the spirit of The Shredder stirred.
“I Oroku Saki, descendant of Oroku Nagi, claim my heritage. Grant me your power my great ancestor and use my body to claim vengeance.”
The stranger had warned him that it would be impossible to control the armour and claim its power. The spirit known as The Shredder could not be subjugated and if ejected from the armour it possessed, would seek a new form. Instead Saki offered the spirit a partnership between family. He would provide the spirit with a body and the spirit would enhance Saki’s abilities with its own. Together they would recreate the Shredder and revive his army.
He felt the acceptance as the spirit of The Shredder shifted from the armour and bonded with his body. He cried out as the spirit tore through his soul, entwining itself into his essence, uniting them into a single being. The ancient armour his ancestor had built had been reshaped into crude weapons – there had not been enough to act as armour. Forty eight shurikens, a large sword, a pair of sais, and several other weapons had been crudely crafted and placed close to where Saki sat. A set of shoulder spikes, pads and arm gauntlets along with a metal helmet were the best he could manage.
The pain ended as the bonding completed. The armoured pieces Saki had crafted had been infused with The Shredder’s power, transforming them from crude metal plates into formidable armour. The weapons had been honed to a sharp edge and were ready to be used by the new Shredder. The shurikens had been enchanted to further the warlord’s goals. The sword was now a perfect replica of Oroku Nagi’s blade and guaranteed to cut its way through his foes. Each weapon contained a small green gem stone, a fragment from the Soul Stone that had been cut away during the creation of the Soul Gem. While they lacked the powers of the finished article, they shared its ability to channel spiritual energy, a property Oroku Saki would find useful.
“And now, my descendent: we shall be avenged!” the stranger told him.
For the first time Saki had a clear look at the intruders face. It was twisted and malformed, but the resemblance was clear. He had been speaking with The Shredder the whole time.
Springwood
September 1998
The process was complete, the dark energy within the tainted ground had provided him with the fuel his life support technology needed to repair the damage he had suffered. It had taken a long time, but then repairing the damage caused to a brain was not the sort of thing that could be rushed. Fortunately the process had been relatively painless. It had however been exceptionally boring and Ch’rell was eager to take his revenge on those that caused him so much inconvenience.
As he rose through the cooled soil he sent a message for Oroku Saki to meet him. They had work to do and building a replacement body would be the first step. He suspected enough time had passed for his servant to have gathered all the needed materials and secured the facilities needed for manufacture. It was therefore slightly annoying when he reached a suitable hovering height and discovered that Oroku Saki was nowhere in sight.
A little put out that his servant was late, he sent another message ordering him to hurry up. He then waited for the half hour he estimated it would take for Saki to arrive using the ninja techniques he was so proud of. When the ninja failed to arrive he started to worry that maybe he had run into problems. Fortunately the technology that had repaired him had also been upgraded during his time underground. It had been a simple matter to divert some of the energy into thrust, allowing him to move back along the path they had taken many months earlier.
As he did so he took notice of the strange creatures that had arisen from the scorched earth. It was clear the destruction had poisoned the ground in more ways than one. He could count numerous groups of malevolent spirits growing stronger by the day. The plants and animals that inhabited the broken land had been mutated by its power. From the look of some of those he passed even death was not a reprieve from their torment. He had no doubt the ghosts that roamed the city would give anything for a way to leave.
When he reached the edge of the city, Oroku Saki had still not appeared and Ch’rell was forced to accept the likelihood that his servant had abandoned him. He would pay for such treachery but before Ch’rell could track him down there was still the matter of needing a body. With that in mind he flew off down the road, promising himself that Oroku Saki would rue the day he turned his back on Shredder.
End of Part
Chapter 4: Hidden Motives
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, Transformers, Harry Potter or Doctor Who. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This is a work of fanfiction and no profit is being made.
Hidden Motives
Time had passed since Dark Specter had sent his forces away on their mission of conquest. Eager to please the powerful villain, the lesser members of the United Alliance of Evil had made all haste to complete their assigned task. Worlds had been conquered, the populations destroyed and the planets had been prepared for destruction.
And now, as Dark Specter’s trusted servants inspected the various villains’ work before dismissing them, they remained uncertain what Dark Specter planned. For any villain could blow up a planet; it was easier to destroy a world than it was to conquer it and subdue all resistance. Dark Specter had been clear in his instructions that the worlds needed to be taken intact and carefully prepared for destruction. It was clear that he was searching for something, but the question remained: what was he searching for? And more importantly for Rita, Zedd, Divatox and their competitors: how could they claim the prize and use it to their benefit?
Linguay Four
“Your spells are adequate,” Andromeda announced after a prolonged inspection. “You may leave. Dark Specter will contact you when he is ready with your next mission.”
Rita scowled at the casual way she had been dismissed. She could tell that Zedd was equally annoyed and under any other circumstance would have attacked the upstart. But Andromeda was a servant of Dark Specter and while Rita and Zedd were certain that they could defeat the sorceress even if it meant combining their powers, they did not wish to incur the wrath of Dark Specter himself.
“Could you at least tell us what we have accomplished?” Zedd asked.
He knew what the spells were designed to do of course. Once activated the magical runes they had cast around the small world would practically shake the planet apart. He just didn’t understand why Dark Specter had been so insistent that they conquered the planet and prepared it for destruction when they were more than powerful enough to blast it into atoms.
Linguay Four was an old world that had proven popular for those seeking to retire. It produced very little of value but offered fantastic views of a nearby nebula, which attracted artists from across the galaxy. As such it was strategically unimportant and one of the worlds Zedd and Rita would have ignored. So, for Dark Specter to earmark the planet for destruction had raised questions about his motives or his competence… possibly both.
“Dark Specter wishes to examine the remains,” Andromeda told him. Her gaze hardened as she added: “It would not be wise to press the matter. Dark Specter has his reasons.”
Andromeda knew that possessing that knowledge would cost Rita and Zedd their lives. It was part of the reason why Dark Specter had tasked his forces with conquering small worlds and then ordered them to prepare those worlds for destruction. Any villain could destroy a planet, but the prize Dark Specter sought would be lost in the process. The controlled breakdown of a planet allowed for successful extraction, but given the value of the prize Dark Specter did not wish his underlings to start thinking for themselves.
~They are so obsessed with the conquest of one world that they don’t see its true value.~
For the prizes that Dark Specter sought for the worlds he had taken so far were insignificant compared to the power that lay within some worlds. Earth was the most potent, the most desirable and the most hazardous to obtain, but there were other worlds of significant value. Aquitar, Triforia, Mirinoi and Edenoi were just some of those that would lead Dark Specter to success.
“Did you keep the specimens Dark Specter request?” she asked.
Goldar grunted, drawing her attention to a several frozen bodies. She nodded in satisfaction that that part of their task had also been completed. She had no doubt that Rita and Zedd could work out why Dark Specter had demanded an example of every creature on the planet; as a shape shifter, he used living samples as templates to perfect his chosen forms.
“You should go now,” Andromeda advised. “Leave!”
Rita and Zedd had remained, eager to uncover the whatever secret Dark Specter was hiding. They didn’t realise how dangerous that information could be.
Count Dregon’s operation on Edenoi had been in danger of accidentally uncovering the very object that Dark Specter sought. Dregon was fortunate that the rebels led by King Lexian had frustrated his endeavours or else Dark Specter would have ordered his destruction.
Grumbling that they were too important to be treated in such a way, Rita and Zedd teleported away. Andromeda waited until she received word that they were indeed heading for Earth before contacting her master.
“We are ready Dark Specter,” she reported.
“Good work Andromeda,” her master growled in response. “Begin the breakdown.”
“At once, Dark Specter,” she replied. She reached out with her magic, tying it into the many spells Rita and Zedd had cast and took a moment to acknowledge that they were skilled magic users. When she was ready she fed her power into the spell chain and gave it the push needed for it start working. “BEGIN!”
Kerium Seven
Kerium Seven had been a frontier planet on the furthest border of the Galactic Council’s expansion zone. Known for its ore mines and barbaric duelling arenas, along with being home to several dodgy cantinas, it had only had a modest population made up of mine workers and a few service providers. In a few centuries, the elected government had planned to move away from manually operated mines in favour of large surface operated machines.
Sadly, that plan would never become a reality. Kerium Seven had been attacked by the forces of the Machine Empire and had swiftly surrendered. The attack had been so devastating that there had been no opportunity to send a distress signal. By the time the Galactic Council realised that something was wrong it would be too late.
The machines had been ruthless and despite the immediate surrender, they had sent their forces to wipe out all life on the planet. Workers had fled into the mines only to find themselves hunted down by Mondo’s creations. There was no mercy granted other than a swift death.
While Andromeda was inspecting Rita and Zedd’s handiwork, Astronoma had been tasked with overseeing the activities of Mondo and Machina. Where Rita and Zedd had woven their spells together to break their world apart and magically sieve through the remains, the Machine Empire had shown their creativity by building a machine capable of strip mining the planet and separating the remains according to the operator’s desires. The idea was nothing Mondo and Machina had not used before, but the sheer scale of the machinery they had built in such a short time was impressive.
“You have surpassed our expectations,” Astronoma told the metal monarchs as she checked the programming. “This will be acceptable.”
She had not missed the hidden code that Mondo had inserted to report back what the machine was used for. However, such code was easily wiped and she would make certain the Machine Empire heeded the warning not to get nosy.
~It would be a shame if Dark Specter must erase Mondo’s memory a second time.~
Eons ago Mondo had made an unwelcome discovery on the planet Earth. Dark Specter’s agents had taken steps to remove Mondo from the planet with an incomplete memory of what had occurred. Mondo had later blamed the experience on the Sword of Damocles, not realising he had lost the sword during a battle.
“Your task here is complete,” she confirmed. “As soon as you release the activation codes you may depart for Earth. Dark Specter will contact you when he needs your services again.”
Mondo and Machina did not argue and departed peacefully. That they believed they had the means to monitor their machine’s activity and uncover the mystery surrounding their mission sped their retreat.
Once she was certain that they were gone, Astronoma carried out a check on the planet’s population and was pleased to find that the Machine Empire had been thorough in culling the natives.
“Dark Specter, we are ready to begin.”
“Then do so, Astronoma,” came the response.
She bowed and pressed a series of buttons, activating the machinery and sealing the planet’s fate as Kerium was torn apart.
Kirwin
“Why does it have to be this world?” Divatox demanded.
She had already secretly consulted the leading experts and had concluded that as far as planets were concerned, Kirwin was a waste of time. There was nothing of value apart from a few crops that were favoured by some restaurants. Kirwin was a simple agriculture world brimming with simple farmers going about their daily work. There were no precious metals or super ores to be found according to reports. Aside from being extremely fertile the planet had little to offer compared to neighbouring worlds.
Artemis pinned the pirate with a fierce look. She was not in the habit of questioning Dark Specter’s will and had little patience for those that did.
“Dark Specter chose this planet,” she stated firmly. “That’s all you need to know.”
The Dianthe Space Base was a magnificent piece of engineering that would impress even mechanical snobs like Mondo. A floating weapons platform poised to deliver its entire arsenal upon the planet below.
“You have adjusted the lasers, haven’t you?”
“Of course,” Divatox boasted. “Those things will turn that mud ball into atoms with one shot.”
“That was not what you instructed to do.”
Divatox shrugged. “So what if I went a little above and beyond? I’m sure Dark Specter won’t mind.”
Actually, the pirate hoped that her initiative would win her some favour with the Grand Monarch.
“Dark Specter has his reasons for wanting those planets broken down carefully,” Artemis responded, just as dismissively. “So yes, he will mind. Fix it!”
Artemis, Andromeda, Astronoma and Astronema were clones of the Princess of Evil Karone. Andromeda was the magic user having been taught my some of the best sorcerers within the United Alliance of Evil. Astronoma with her cybernetic implants was easily the most technically gifted of the four and heavily favoured the use of technology. Artemis was a trained warrior, skilled with a staff and a sword. She was neither amused nor intimidated by Divatox, despite the pirate’s reputation for making her competition disappear.
“Dark Specter has decreed that you remain here until you have completed the mission he gave you. The longer you take the less opportunity you will have to claim the Earth.”
Earth was all the incentive needed to motivate Divatox. The pirate didn’t understand why the planet was so valuable, but she knew of the riches it contained. And for a greedy self-centred pirate, that was enough. Losing out to Rita, Zedd or Mondo was not an option.
“Fine,” Divatox sighed dramatically. “Porto, get to work.”
“Yes, Captain Divatox,” Porto replied as he shuffled off to undo the changes he had made to the lasers on Divatox’s orders.
Mesa Minor
Linguay, Kerium and Kirwin had been marked for destruction as soon as they had been stripped of life. Mesa Minor had been cleansed months earlier and steps had been taken to keep the dead world quarantined. It was one of three worlds selected to prove a theory of Dark Specter; KO-35 had been one of the worlds selected for the experiment, but subsequent intrusions had led to Dark Specter selecting an alternative target.
After he had been the one to ensure that all life had been exterminated on Mesa Minor, Ecliptor had been shocked upon his return to find that the planet had already started to recover. Small organisms had started to restore the ruined eco-system in an amazing show of resiliency. Ecliptor was not certain if he should be impressed or angered. Either way he knew his findings had to be reported to Dark Specter and he braced himself for his master’s anger.
Shockingly Dark Specter had not been angry about the discovery. If anything, Ecliptor would say that the Grand Monarch had been pleased, although it was difficult to tell given that the shape shifter’s chosen form did not have any features that could be used to convey emotion and a monotone voice that helped cover his meanings.
“You have done well Ecliptor,” Dark Specter stated. “Proceed to Stage Two.”
Stage Two involved the controlled destruction of the planet and everything on it. As he set the Sata Lasers to carve it into chunks that would be broken down further, Ecliptor set his ships scanners to search the remains for unknown energy readings. If Dark Specter’s theory was correct – and given that the world had been sterilised and somehow managed to flourish with life in a matter of months Ecliptor was certain that it was – then Stage Two would reveal the source of that miracle and the promise of limitless power.
Across the galaxy, the armies of the United Alliance of Evil continued to spread, conquering worlds and then destroying them under the supervision of Dark Specter’s lieutenants. Farm worlds, forest worlds, industrials worlds and world filled with floating cities; worlds that were mostly water, gas, flaming beds of lava or those that were a mixture of environments. The planets were vastly different in what they could offer and offered no strategic importance to the United Alliance of Evil. In fact the only thing it seemed that caused Dark Specter to choose Kirwin and ignore a neighbouring world was that Kirwin was populated. If the various villains following his orders had every shared information they would have found that that was perhaps the only thing their targets had in common.
And as his forces – for Dark Specter had no intention of sharing power with those he considered beneath him – carried out his will, he reviewed the evidence Ecliptor and Astronema had uncovered during their missions.
He was very proud of Astronema, she was among his finest creations. When he had selected Karone to be his Princess of Evil, he had created four clones to serve as her honour guard, using embryos stolen from her body and cells from one of his favourite forms. He had grown the four at an accelerated rate to reach maturity, manipulating their minds and memories to give them experiences they had never known.
Andromeda had been taught by the greatest magic users he could find. In fact Dark Specter had magically grafted the teachings of dozens of magic users and thousands of tomes into her infant brain. Astronoma had spent her formative years learning about technology and having her body altered to improve her ability to manipulate such technology. The truth was that the memories she recalled had been a part of the single operation to turn her from human to cyborg. Artemis had endured a brutal upbringing learning from the best warriors he could find. Hours spent inside a machine had given her the muscle memory she needed from fights that never occurred while the false teachings had been fed into her mind.
Astronema had been different. She had been raised at a slower rate than the others and had had real experiences as well as those he had falsified. She had not been given cybernetic implants, but her knowledge was equal to Astronoma, she could hold her own in combat against Artemis thanks to constant training with Ecliptor, and as his personal student it was possible her skill with magic eclipsed even Andromeda. She was everything he wanted his Princess of Evil to be, but she was a clone and as such would never be more than just a creation.
Still Astronema was his favourite among the four clones and was treated with the same level of trust he showed Ecliptor. It was a level of trust that seemed well founded given the report she had sent back from Portacio.
Portacio was a dead world that had been colonised by its space-faring neighbour. Life there had been difficult up until the point Dark Specter’s agents had cleansed it of life and set up a cordon similar to the one surrounding Mesa Minor.
He allowed himself a satisfied smile as he read that the planet remained lifeless, a sight that would have scared any of his servants given the sinister face he had chosen. Mesa Minor had recovered, while Portacio had not. Mesa Minor had been a life bearing planet and Portacio had been a dead world. He was certain that when Ecliptor and Astronema returned, Ecliptor would possess the object he desired and Astronema would be empty handed, proving his theory.
And once he was proven correct in his assumptions, he would give new orders to his forces and the United Alliance of Evil would sweep to victory, bringing him ultimate power. And then he would be ready to stake his claim on the greatest prize of all: Earth.
End of Part.
Chapter 5: Vile Plans
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, Transformers, Harry Potter or Doctor Who. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This is a work of fanfiction and no profit is being made.
Vile Plans
Earth was an interesting planet from a magical point of view. The blue planet contained an incredible amount of magical power, but due to events that occurred during its formation, the source of that power was scattered throughout its structure and suppressed by massive quantities of Cold Iron. It made the Earth one of the least magical worlds with perhaps the highest magical potential.
But there were places on Earth where magic found its way into the real world more easily than others. The humans called them ley lines and had throughout their history developed stories, legends and theories of how and why the intersection of those points corresponded with the strange, the unusual and the magical.
And then there was the child who had been playing with his train set one night as his parents and their new age guests had discussed the nature of the ley lines. His young mind had been distracted and unable to grasp the meaning of many of the words they used, but at night his dreams were filled with trains running along ley lines magic of magical energy. A dream that turned into a nightmare as the brightly coloured magical railway was slowly taken over by the creeping darkness and the beautiful stations that once stood as beacons of light were taken over by a new operator.
It was a simple dream by a lonely child who probably did not realise that his dream was a reflection of the corruption of the Earth’s magic as a dark force prepared to consume the planet in shadow and enslave its people. They had been preparing for a long time and finally it was time to breach the barriers between their dimension and the place where mortal minds awaited them. But for now, they waited.
The United Alliance of Evil’s advance against the universe was progressing as planned. Already a number of villains assigned to system’s close to Onyx had started their invasions; some had already conquered their assigned worlds and were making preparations to complete the remainder of their tasks. Others had been assigned worlds far away from UAE Headquarters and were still travelling toward their destination.
Rita and Zedd had only just entered the system adjacent to their final destination. The Machine Empire was still a considerable distance from their target. And Divatox had allowed herself to become distracted en-route and was not even close to starting her mission.
However for the most part Dark Specter’s plan was proceeding just as he had foreseen. But there were always a few that were unwilling to accept their place in the grand scheme of things, and it was those rogue elements that were about to cause problems for the Rangers of Earth.
Master Vile was not a minor villain. As a powerful demon bound to the willing body of a Sradin male, he had built a powerful empire centred around the M-51 Galaxy. He had never accepted an inferior position to anybody and was unwilling to submit to the will of Dark Specter; Master Vile considered himself above all others including the Grand Monarch of Evil. So, while he had given the impression that he was obediently following orders, he had spent most of his time uncovering the secrets of Dark Specter’s past and clues regarding the Grand Monarch of Evil’s true goals.
“Why are these planets so important?” he asked himself, not for the first time as he looked through list of assigned tasks.
The planets Dark Specter had targeted were of little strategic value and from the reports he had seen offered little resources that could not be obtained elsewhere. Which led eventually to the conclusion that the planets were chosen because they were unimportant.
“A test of loyalty, or perhaps a means of learning who can follow instructions?” he mused before dismissing the idea.
Had Dark Specter ordered the conquest of those worlds, their destruction or even both then that would have been a possibility. But the orders had required his followers to break their targets down without completely obliterating them meant he was looking for something hidden inside the remains.
“What are you after and how did you know that you would find it in those places?” he wondered.
That Dark Specter had so far gone out of his way to preserve secrecy suggested that he was after something powerful.
“Talking to yourself is a sign of madness,” a voice said.
He turned, prepared to blast whoever had invaded his throne room, only to pause when he registered her identity.
“But then you haven’t been sane for a long time, haven’t you?”
“Monastra!”
Monastra Repugna was Master Vile’s former queen and the mother of Rita Repulsa. Although they had separated they remained close – as close as two villains could be. She was experienced in the ways of evil, having married several powerful villains over the course of her extended life. And while she lacked her -ex-husband’s power, she was intelligent enough to grasp that Dark Specter was hiding something from the United Alliance of Evil’s members.
“You were right,” she told him, holding up a small orb, “Dark Specter is after something… And I know what it is.”
“And you would share that knowledge with me, willingly?” Master Vile replied. He was not foolish enough to believe that their goodwill extended that far. They were still competitors and each knew they would stab the other in the back if the opportunity arose. “What’s in it for you?”
“Now is not the time to worry about that,” she answered. “If Dark Specter succeeds his hold on this organisation will be unbreakable. Do you really want to hand over control of the empire we built to that upstart? Besides, knowledge is powerful only as long as you can use it. I have the answers to what Dark Specter is doing, but I need your brilliantly evil mind to find a way to use it. Trust me, it will be worth your time. Have I ever failed you?”
He snorted at the idea of trusting her. Monastra Repugna was every bit as ruthless and evil now as she had been when she had shared his throne on Gamma Vile. He had never allowed himself to lower his guard around her and that had been at a time when she was sworn not to harm him – for he had known at the time that she would have been delighted to rule in his place-, so there was no way that he would lower his guard around her when she could attack him without worrying about a magical backlash. But he was also aware that he needed information and that while Monastra was unquestionably vicious, he would be safe as long as she needed him.
“Very well,” he said. “Show me.”
She smiled wickedly as she pressed the orb to his forehead, certain that he would find the experience enlightening… and just a little uncomfortable.
At the dawn of time and the formation of the universe, there was an object. Shaped like an enormous egg it was made from solid crystal. While there were many arguments about the events that occurred and plenty of myths surrounded the being that emerged from the egg, few wondered what happened to the shell of the egg once it broke apart.
In fact once the shell cracked and the occupant emerged, the egg was left as a floating mass of crystal that was tossed into the cosmos by the explosion known as the Big Bang. While the crystal was not destroyed by the biggest and most powerful explosion ever seen, it shattered into pieces that were carried outward in all directions.
Over time the larger fragments became drawn in by and covered in debris. They became the centre mass of stars, planets and other celestial bodies. Over time the debris grew larger and the crystal fragments were lost within their new homes.
By this strange crystal had a number of unusual properties. For a start all the countless fragments of crystal pulsed with what some would term bio-electrical energy and despite being broken apart at a physical level, the energy link between the many pieces of crystal survived, criss-crossing existence. Secondly the energy field generated by the crystal led to the emergence of new life; the pulsing crystals deep within the hearts of the stars and planets encouraged the birth of the most primitive of organisms, which in turn evolved into more complex and wondrous creatures.
Finally the crystal fragments acted as a conduit for other types of energy. The smaller fragments of crystal, those that were not large enough to bring life to barren rocks in space, were still powerful and over time and with application of heat and pressure became valuable gems of great power; the majority of magical stones, crystals and gems found throughout the universe contained a piece of the original crystal. As the tiniest fragments slowed their journey, the specks worked their way into the cellular structure of the building blocks of the universe, forming a detectable energy grid.
“That is the knowledge that started Dark Specter on his quest of power,” Monastra explained. “Powerful crystals trapped within the bodies of life-sustaining worlds. Imagine what would happen if he could find one of those chunks.”
Master Vile could imagine the power such objects would bring. It also explained why Dark Specter had ordered the careful breakdown of planets. It didn’t explain why had had started with worlds so far away.
“Do you understand what it means?” she asked.
“Of course I understand,” Vile snapped.
And he did. If the information was correct then the broken down remains of the Cosmic Egg had spread throughout creation creating an energy field capable of sustaining life, a mean for the extra-dimensional energies known as the Power to seep through and was the foundation of the energy field that permeated all matter throughout the universe.
“There’s more,” she promised.
Over time the crystals started to break down within the planets that had formed around them and shifted around the surface of those world giving the occupants access to great powers. Most of the fragments also shifted out of phase with the physical universe, making them inaccessible. That was a good thing because removal of the crystal proved disastrous, as one world discovered when their leaders unknowingly exhausted their planet’s crystal core to the point where the planet exploded.
However in some places the crystal remained a physically accessible object. On some worlds the existence of the crystal was even known to the occupants although its true nature was hidden by myth and legend.
“The Heart of Edenoi,” Master Vile guessed.
The Heart of Edenoi was the source of the Masked Rider’s power. It had been suspected that Dregon had been searching for something when his forces had conquered the embattled planet.
“I believe so,” Monastra agreed. “It is likely Dregon was acting under Dark Specter’s orders to locate the crystal, but the activation of the Masked Rider somehow prevented him from doing so.”
Given Edenoi’s current state it was extremely possible that Dregon had either succeeded in his mission or had somehow damaged the crystal core. Or perhaps the activation of the Masked Rider had drained the crystal’s energy so that the world could not heal.
“It explains why Dark Specter is targeting those worlds,” Monastra continued. “He’s testing to see if he can safely extract the crystal, but I believe he does not expect to be successful.”
She believed that the worlds Dark Specter had targeted would fail to yield the crystals he sought. This was just practice for when his forces turned inward and struck at their real targets.
“There’s more, isn’t there?” he pressed.
She smiled knowingly.
“Think about it,” she challenged, “a powerful piece of crystal capable of channelling great power found buried within a world. Does that sound familiar?”
“Impossible!” he retorted. “The Zeo Crystal was not a part of the Moon, it was just hidden there.”
“Was it? Really?” she pressed. “Think about it, carefully. We know that the Zeo Crystal was crafted by those pesky Technomancers, but where did they find it?” She smiled. “Would you like to find out?”
Of all the chunks of crystal, one of the largest travelled far beyond its origin before it was trapped within the formation of a small world that would one day become known as Earth. Due to its size it was expected by the high powers that the planet would become a powerful world filled with life and magic. However, before the planet could solidify, it was struck by another planet; Theia was a life bearing world about the size of Mars that had been knocked toward the Earth by unknown forces.
The collision between the two planets fractured the Earth’s crystal, forming several smaller crystals that were scattered through the planet’s mass. Theia’s life-sustaining crystal also broke up with the majority remaining at the core of the Earth while a smaller chunk was ejected along with a mass of molten rock into space. There the rock cooled and eventually formed the Moon, which while capable of sustaining life eventually became a mostly lifeless rock.
In the aftermath of the collision and the shattering of its crystal, the Earth retained the ability to sustain life and remained inhabited long after the other planets within its solar system died. However as time passed the ability of those born on Earth to use magic was limited and the potential of those that could wield the Power was for the most part, greatly reduced. Another unexpected effect of the impact was that the Earth’s crystals remained physical objects.
The crystal that had been ejected from the collision drifted in space until it was found by a group of travelling monks, who sensing its great potential shaped it into a tool to channel and control the Power and perhaps even tap into the fully power of the greater crystal. When the forces of darkness sought the newly crafted Zeo Crystal for their own ends, it was taken back to where the monks had found it and hidden in the caves beneath the lunar surface.
“Now you have you answers,” Monastra told him. “The Zeo Crystal you have obsessed over for so long is a part of the planet it protects. Obtain it and you will have the means to draw upon the one of greatest powers imaginable.”
She didn’t mention that there were other means to tap into the power of the original crystal. The Zeo Crystal had been crafted by the monks of the M-51 Galaxy, but there were other parts of the original crystal still to be found. Many of the jewels and magical gems had some tie or other to the Xeno Crystal – as she preferred to think of it -, but the Zeo Crystal promised the greatest chance of success. Provided of course that they could secure it.
Master Vile did not answer. He was lost in thought. His quest of secure the legendary Zeo Crystal had started when he had conquered the M-51 Galaxy. He had pursued the monks for thousands of years before learning that the elusive Zeo Crystal had been hidden on the Earth’s moon. It had made him furious to learn that his daughter had discovered its location in the Caves of Deception during her war with Zordon, but her ignorance about its power and being locked away for ten-thousand years had meant she had never told him.
That Zedd had also known of its existence and had dismissed it – for despite Rita’s joke about Zedd’s face, Master Vile was aware that the other villain had never tried to retrieve the Zeo Crystal himself – only confirmed his low opinion of the Emperor of the Dark Zones.
~How could that fool allow to ignore such a power for so long?~
He knew the answer of course; the Earth had a natural magic that seemed to turn even the most evil of villains into incompetent fools. Of course if there was a crystal similar to the Zeo Crystal at work then it made sense that the purifying effects of the crystal would spread around the planet. It made the Earth a valuable but very dangerous target.
~Still if I can retrieve the Zeo Crystal and unlock its power, I can show Dark Specter what it means to be a true master of evil.~
Master Vile knew that while his power was close to rivalling Dark Specter’s, the Grand Monarch of Evil would hold the advantage in a direct confrontation. Just as when it came to magical knowledge and strategy Master Vile held the edge. The two were equals if he was honest, they just excelled in different areas. If either of them got their hands on the Zeo Crystal it was likely that they could tip the balance in their favour.
The question of course was how to go about capturing the Zeo Crystal when there were Rangers using it? And that was before he took into consideration the other Rangers that had appeared since the last time he had visited Earth.
~Of course! I’ll snatch some of those new Rangers, and then brainwash them into helping me secure the Zeo Rangers and the Morphin Rangers! Perhaps I can secure Zordon and his allies at the same time.~
The possibility of gaining the power of the Zeo Crystal, Morphin Rangers and multiple Morphin Masters – some of whom were beings of legendary power – made the venture worth the risk of Dark Specter’s wrath.
~Soon it will all be mine, just as it should be.~
End of Part
Chapter 6: Vile Actions
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, Transformers, Harry Potter or Doctor Who. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This is a work of fanfiction and no profit is being made.
Vile Actions
The Space Skull reached its destination and a spell promptly cloaked it from detection. It had taken more effort to hide his magical presence from Zordon’s monitoring devices as his ship had slipped passed Mars. The Space Skull quickly settled into a geosynchronous orbit above Angel Grove allowing Master Vile to gaze down upon his newest target and appraise the situation.
The truth was that unlike the last time he had visited Earth, he did not have a plan. He knew he wanted to snatch the Zeo Crystal along with the powers of any other Rangers that happened to be around; if he could use the opportunity to capture Zordon and drain him of his incredible energy, so much the better. Unfortunately the plan he had formulated was at best an outline, and now he needed more than just an inkling of an idea.
First there were the eight Morphin Rangers to be considered, with six Zeo Rangers on top of that. Then there were the Turbo Rangers, the much vaunted Dino Thunder Ranger and four additional Zeo Rangers. He had been tempted to dismiss the Lightspeed Rangers as a weak attempt to emulate real Rangers, before realising that the attempt had been very successful. With the addition problems of Masked Riders and other heroes roaming the planet, he knew his task would not be easy to complete.
In his favour, Master Vile had kept tabs on the planet since his last visit and was of both his enemies and a number of potential allies. While the idea of sharing his bounty with others was abhorrent, he was willing to make deals to garner their cooperation. The question he needed to answer was how best to use those ‘allies’?
His original plan had been to capture a small number of Rangers, place them under a spell and use them to capture more Rangers – for he was aware that best weapon to use against a team of Rangers was another Ranger, at least until that Ranger broke free at which point it became a liability. Of course the problem with using Rangers against Rangers was that sooner or later they would break free and turn against their master. The trick was using them to cause as much damage to his enemies as possible and them destroy them before they could join the enemy.
~Of course, I could recreate Blue Globbor and allow him to drain whatever Rangers I capture. Then Globbor can use that energy to draw out more Rangers. And once he has defeated them all, I can use that power to overwhelm Zordon’s defences and break into the Power Chamber… I’m certain Zordon would have used a connection to this world’s energy network when building that wretched citadel. Globbor will be able to drain Zordon and also tap into that energy. And once Globbor has collected all the energy for me, I’ll destroy Dark Specter and place myself as the ruler of the United Alliance of Evil.~
It was not a terrible plan, but it raised plenty of questions. For starters there was the question of which Rangers he would send Globbor to capture, given that such an attack would place all of Earth’s Rangers on alert? Globbor would not be at his most effective until after he had stolen the energy of a few Rangers. Until that time he would be vulnerable.
~And Globbor works best when he is able to sneak up on his opponents,~ Master Vile admitted.
Using the monster to draw the Rangers into the open would place them on their guard and make Globbor’s job harder. No, what he needed was something to distract the Rangers and Zordon while he targeted those that were no longer a part of the active team. The question remained: how?
The Lunar Palace was a mess and Monastra Repugna was not amused. She was aware that her daughter and son-in-law had more sense that to leave it in such a state and concluded that something had broken in. However, after her initial spells found nothing that could be considered alive within the walls of the palace, she had moved on to its repair.
“ET-OOM… VAMATRIAL!”
As the powerful spell restored the palace to a more habitable condition, Monastra was already making her way out of the throne room and into the lower levels, seeking the room where Finster disposed of his failed creations. Although she was loathe to call anything that Finster crafted a failure; more often than not the monsters found inside thise particular storeroom were those Rita had dismissed as useless before giving them a chance in favour of weaker monsters.
Monastra knew that Finster was supposed to use the room as a temporary store and that when the shelves were filled he had clear instructions to turn the contents back into their raw state, saving Rita the need to track down new supplies of magical clay. However, she knew Finster was an artist and very attached to his work. She suspected that he had been working on a few side projects of his own away from Rita and Zedd’s interference. It would not come as a shock to find that he had spent time improving on his rejected models in case his masters changed their minds.
She was pleased to find that Finster had taken enough pride in his work to build shelves to hold his work and had tried to categorise his creations. It made her job of selecting the most promising models all the easier. She placed them on a tray and after making certain she had enough, took them outside the door and placed the tray on the floor.
“Arise!” she commanded as she sent forth a pulse of magic
After being in storage for so long, the magic within the clay had become dormant. It only took a small nudge to reactivate them and the clay statues she had placed on the floor pulsed with life as she fed them more dark magic. While Finster was an artist, his creations relied on the use of a very special type of clay, and either the use of his Monster-Matic or a powerful magic user such as Rita Repulsa. Monastra Repugna lacked such restrictions and could use almost any material to build her constructs; while Finster used the tools of his trade, she could command the clay to take the shape she desired although it meant that her monsters were a drain on her power and lacked the quality of Finster’s work. Using her magic she brought his work to life.
~Now we will show those brats why they should not mess with Monastra Repugna,~ she thought, remembering the previous times the Rangers of Earth had thwarted her plans. They would pay for their victories and she would make certain that it was a hefty price.
Now if she could just shake the feeling that she was forgetting something.
London, England
Autumn 1998
It was not Angel Grove, but Katarina Petronov knew that the streets of London could be just as dangerous. She was not certain what had drawn her out into the night, but she had learnt to trust her instincts. Her wandering had taken her away from her student house and toward the shopping precinct. Aside from the odd car the streets seemed deserted, unusual for a Saturday night.
“Ello luv, fancy a drink?”
She turned to face the young student, her eyes roving over the punk clothing and spiky hair. Instinctively she knew that he was not what he appeared. His clothes were old and dated, his hairstyle no longer in fashion. Her left arm moved behind her back, checking to make sure that the pouch she had secured there before leaving the house – for she had promised her grandmother that she would never leave home without – was still there.
“The pubs are closed,” she replied, looking both ways before crossing the road. She walked a little faster, encouraged by the sound of foot steps behind her.
“Ah come on luv, jus’ a lil’ drink,” he urged as his mate made an obscene gesture.
During her time as a Power Rangers, she had developed a sense of when something wasn’t right and while she could not say exactly what had set off her unease, she knew that it was more than just a few lewd remarks. In fact his conduct had made her lower her guard, almost writing him off as nothing more than a drunken thug. Given her promise to never escalate a situation unless provoked, she decided that removing herself from the area was her best option.
~Maybe if I can get a few streets away I can contact Zordon or teleport.~
While it would be an abuse of the teleport system, she was certain that her pursuers would think twice if Zordon sent Rocky and Adam, or Tommy and Jason – or Jamie – to speak with them.
She rounded a corner and groaned when she found herself in an alley way. What she had assumed was another road had turned out to be one of the service roads for a shopping centre. The high brick wall was topped with razor wire to discourage vandals and the heavy metal door was locked. Which meant that the only way out was the way she had entered and she didn’t need to turn around to know that her was blocked by the pervert and his mates.
“I know we might seem a bit scary, but once you get to know us… you’ll be part of the family,” he explained and has he spoke he moved his hand, drawing her attention to his slightly webbed fingers. “We like to keep things in the family,” he added as an afterthought.
She backed as far along the alley as possible, her eyes searching for a way out. Unfortunately it seemed her only options were to go up onto the rooftops, down into the sewers, or through the thugs. And why had it suddenly gotten light?
“Come on luv, no need making this harder than it has to be. Me mates and I ‘aven’t ad a drink and a bit of female company in a while. You’ll love us, once you get to know us. No? Oh well, I tried. Guess we do this the hard way.” His body crackled with energy and in place of the skin-headed student, there was a Putty Patroller in a neatly tailored suit complete with bowler hat and umbrella. Disturbingly it’s face was adorned with a huge grin and it remained capable of speaking English. “Bring her!”
His companions’ had also changed although their clothing had remained the same as before. Some of them carried umbrellas, some bore wooden clubs and at least one had a rolled up newspaper. Although she had very little experience with this type of foot-soldier, she felt it was not normal.
Katarina’s right palm tapped on the pocket of her jeans before she assumed a defensive stance. Intensive training with Rocky and Jason meant she was confident in her abilities even when outnumbered. As one got a little too close and tried to grab her, she lashed out with her feet, catching him in the chest and propelling him into two of his companions; now that they had all transformed, she didn’t feel the word friends applied.
“Now there’s really no need for this to get violent,” their leaded admonished. “All we want is for you to join us… and I’m sure if you just calm down we can do this the easy way.”
Her hand reached behind her back and emerged gripping a silver coloured whip.
“Where were you hiding that?” he asked. It appeared that he was the only one capable of human speech. She suspected he was not what he seemed to be.
“Deep pockets,” she offered as they took the opportunity to charge.
During her time as the Silver Zeo Ranger, Katarina had grown adept at using the Silver Zeo Power Whip in battle. And just as Jamie Zedden had access to her blade even when she wasn’t morphed, so the Silver Zeo Ranger had found a way to access her Zeo Power Weapon when in civilian form. Her training and practice had helped her become an expert in wielding the weapon to its full potential even though she couldn’t energise it when unmorphed.
With a flick of the wrist, the whip extended and coiled around the neck of one of her attackers. Its hands naturally reached for its neck, dropping the rolled up newspaper it had been carrying. She gave a tug to pull him off balance and then a jerk of the whip that lifted it into the air. A sharp pull and the Putty crashed into the paving slabs. Katarina cracked the whip and looked up ready for her next opponent.
With that the remaining Putties charged. The narrow alley worked to her advantage; there were only so many of them that could fit at any one time. Her whip allowed her to drag some of them forward and discourage others from advancing. But while she managed to take down some, their leader remained unharmed.
Then they started using the objects they were carrying as weapons. She had never expected to have to use a whip against an umbrella. Some used them as swords with blades attached to the tip while others wielded them as clubs. One even threw his bowler hat; given the way it sliced into the wall, Katarina was relieved that it missed her. The change in tactics and the danger it posed left her with little choice but to morph.
“It’s Morphin Time!”
Once morphed she made quick work of the Putty Patrollers before turning her attention to their leader. She ducked back to avoid a swipe from his umbrella and then flipped over his leg as he tried to delivery a high kick. The blade that had appeared on the tip of his shoe sliced through the wall at the back of the alley. As she landed she turned and managed to clip him on the side of the face.
“What are you?” she asked as she ducked a punch.
Instead of answering, the monster pressed the attack, forcing her to back up. She deflected a blow from his umbrella and ducked back in time for the knife tip on his shoe to miss. But an energy blast knocked her off her feet. She leapt back up and kept fighting, well aware that her back was against the wall. And that was when a large blue hand reached out and grabbed her.
“Sorry luv, I’m a Nice Chap, but my friend Globbor here needs a drink of your energy. Nothing personal, just business.”
Blue Globbor had been waiting for his opportunity and as soon as the Silver Zeo Ranger moved into reach and was distracted, he struck. He started draining her energy as soon as he grabbed hold of her, breaking down the protection of her uniform and draining just enough of her life force to render her unconscious. She demorphed as the monster moved forward to grab her and teleported back to its master.
In the Power Chamber, Zordon and Alpha were unaware of Katarina’s plight. However, the computer had alerted them to the unexpected activation of the Silver Zeo Ranger.
“Alpha, locate Katarina,” Zordon instructed.
The small robot obeyed, using the computer and Zordon’s satellite network to trace the Silver Zeo Ranger. However the search proved futile as the computer was unable to zero in on her location.
“Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!” Alpha exclaimed as an alarm sounded. “Something is wrong with the Silver Zeo powers. They’re being drained.”
“Quickly Alpha, disconnect the Silver Zeo powers from our systems,” Zordon ordered. “And then summon the Turbo Rangers. I have a suspicion that they will be needed.”
Somewhere near Angel Grove
“Brachio Staff, Firestorm!” Nathan Oliver called.
While he had managed to control his powers, it was only through constant practice that Nathan Oliver continued to unlock the secrets of the hybrid powers. It took concentration and willpower to tap into the abilities of the Dino Thunder Ranger, and even greater determination to control those powers once uncovered.
Today he had opted to practice outside of the Power Chamber, believing that the more vulnerable environment would force him to keep tight control over the energy he unleashed.
The Firestorm was not a powerful attack. In fact it was such an underwhelming weapon that it required him to concentrate to turn it into something mildly useful. Any loss of concentration, the slightest lack of focus and the flames would turn against him. And since he was not morphed, they would likely consume him.
“Such a waste of potential.”
Nathan turned around. He had thought that he was alone. Obviously he had been wrong. Before him stood a knight accompanied by a collection of sword-handed Putties. The knight carried a weapon that looked like a cross between a sword and an axe.
“Get him!”
One thing Nathan Oliver did not lack was fighting skills. He had been raised to fight and since arriving in his new home had had trained with his fellow Rangers. He had gotten his butt kicked too many times to mention, but those defeats had pushed him to improve. Armed with the Brachio Staff, he was able to quickly subdue most of his attackers.
That left him facing their leader. The knight raised his sword and blocked a blow from the Brachio Staff with his shield. A low powered blow from his sword sent Nathan tumbling backwards. Dark mist erupted from the knight’s sword, trapping Nathan as his body was dragged to the ground.
“Now Globbor!”
Right on call the monster struck, draining the power of the Dino Thunder Ranger as the knight teleported them away.
“Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, first Katarina and now Nathan!” Alpha moaned as the Power Chamber recorded the activation and sudden drop in the Dino Thunder Ranger’s power. “And the computer has detected a drop in his power levels as well.”
“Hurry and contact the Turbo Rangers, Alpha,” Zordon urged. “I will attempt to locate the other Zeo Rangers.”
“Yes Zordon,” Alpha replied.
Crossworld City
Lillian O’Neil knew that she had been tricked moments after she had dismounted her motorcycle. At speed the accident had looked serious, but upon closer inspection she had realised that it had been staged. So when the victims turned into Putties, she was unsurprised and after pulling a short stick from her motorcycle boot, easily defeated.
That was when the monster appeared. It resembled a rat with a hard hat and a shovel on its right arm. In its left hand it held a stick of comically labelled dynamite. Lillian had seen enough and decided to even the odds.
“It’s Morphin Time!” she cried as Tunnel Rat charged. “Shadow Ribbons Strike!”
As soon as she had morphed into the Black Zeo Ranger, Lillian had summoned her Zeo Power Staff. Ribbons of dark energy shot from the staff, coiling around the monster’s limbs.
“Freeze!” she commanded and the shadow ribbons froze the monster in place.
With a cry of victory she plunged the tip of her staff forward, striking the frozen monster and causing it to explode. But before she could celebrate a blue hand wrapped around her. Blue Globbor had struck again.
Somewhere
“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in London anymore,” Christina Collins remarked as she took in her surroundings. From the overly clean streets to the green sky, she felt she was fully justified in assuming that she had been transported somewhere.
She cast her mind back to a few minutes earlier when she had entered the lift in the block of flats where she was staying. Nothing had seemed wrong. The lift had descended for the normal length of time at the usual speed. The doors had opened as expected and she had walked down the steps and out through the front door of the converted hotel… and found herself in a strange place.
“Zordon?” she called into her communicator. She received no response. She tried to teleport, but nothing happened.
She looked up at the sound of someone approaching. Except instead of one person, it was a troop of Putty Patrollers led by what appeared to be a cross between an armadillo and a large lamp.
“It’s Morphin Time!”
White Zeo hardly finished activating her powers when the bulb in Light Armadillo’s chest lit up, blinding her. Before she could shake off the effects, Globbor used the opportunity to snatch his fourth Power Ranger in a row. As Light Armadillo’s bulb dulled, the street returned to normal, the illusion was cancelled.
In the time it had taken Master Vile’s monsters to drain and capture two more Rangers, Alpha had succeeded in contacting the Turbo Rangers. The five teenagers had been quick to respond and had rapidly moved to assist Zordon and Alpha in tracking down the missing Rangers.
“Um Zordon, this says that the White and Black Zeo Rangers activated their powers,” Tasha pointed out.
“I just lost all sign of Lillian,” Frank added.
The five Turbo Rangers exchanged looks, seemingly holding a conference without speaking.
“We need to find Jamie,” Fred decided.
“I’ve got her,” Rosa reported. “She’s still in Angel Grove.”
“Alpha, activate the Viewing Screen and check on her condition,” Zordon instructed.
Alpha did as he was told and the Turbo Rangers watched as the Purple Zeo Ranger found herself surrounded by Putties.
“Alpha, can you teleport her here?” Justin asked.
“I’m sorry Justin, something is preventing me from doing so.”
“Probably the same thing that stopped the others calling for help,” the Blue Turbo Ranger guessed.
“Well if we can’t bring her to the Power Chamber, let’s go and help,” Fred decided. “Shift into Turbo!”
Angel Grove University
One thing that could be said for Jamie Zedden: she didn’t fight fair. Surrounded by a group of assailants, she had not hesitated to hit them where it hurt. A thumb to the eyes seemed to work just fine regardless of whether or not the eyes were actually there; a knee to the groin could bring anybody to their knees if they possessed the correct anatomy or could imagine that they did.
And unlike Globbor’s other targets, Jamie had the advantage that she had not been transported to a strange location. She was still in Angel Grove and Zordon had already started to investigate the strange activity surrounding the White, Black, and Silver Zeo Rangers, and the Dino Thunder Ranger. So before long her plight had caught Zordon’s attention.
Sure enough, by the time she had summoned her sword and started to increase the ferocity of her attacks against her opponents, the Turbo Rangers had arrived to help her.
“Rita and Lord Zedd again?” Yellow Turbo asked as she punched one of the Putties. “I thought we’d seen the last of them.”
Jamie shrugged as she bashed another on the head. Now was a good time to either leave or morph. There were no civilians around and she knew it would look odd if she was seen fighting alongside the Power Rangers.
“Ah Rangers, I was warned you might show up,” a voice said.
The Rangers turned toward the voice and found themselves confronted by two monsters. The one that had spoken resembled an ant with a bazooka on his right arm. Next to him stood a mammoth-based creature with some sort of elaborate helmet and a hour glass on the end of its trunk.
“Now we get to destroy you,” the other added.
“Oh yeah?” Yellow Turbo challenged. “Why don’t you come her and say that?”
The monsters took the bait and attacked. The Turbo Rangers raced forward, intercepting the pair with Yellow, Blue and Green Turbo pushing the ant monster off to one side while Red and Pink Turbo corralled the mammoth monster away. Using their speed they were able to avoid the ant monster’s firepower.
“Oh you Rangers think you are so fast,” the ant monster growled. “Dimensional Mammoth, show them what real speed is!”
“Ug ug, yeah Antagonist, sure thing,” Dimensional Mammoth replied as he waved his trunk, rotating the hour glass as he did so.
Suddenly the Turbo Rangers found their enemies were able to move faster as it became increasingly difficult for them to move. In truth the two monsters were moving at normal speed and Dimensional Mammoth’s spell was slowing the world around them.
Seizing on the opportunity, Antangonist raised his weapon and fired, blasting three of the Turbo Rangers. It then turned to the other two and fired before preparing to blast the whole group.
“Oh no you don’t!” Jamie warned from outside the effects of Dimensional Mammoth’s spell. “It’s Morphin Time!”
Once transformed into the Purple Zeo Ranger, Jamie unleashed a bolt of lightning that shattered the hour glass and released the Rangers. The Five Turbo Rangers were quickly back on their feet and returned fire on Antagonist. Working together the six Rangers soon had the monsters on the defensive once more.
“Turbo Crash!” Red Turbo called.
The five Turbo Rangers seemed to run away only to turn suddenly and head directly for the two monsters. Even as Antagonist fire, Dimensional Mammoth tried to get out of the way. Neither were successful as the speed enhanced force of the Turbo Rangers knocked them from their feet.
“Let’s finish this!” Red Turbo decided. “Turbo RAM!”
Purple Zeo raised her sword ready to strike and Globbor took advantage of the situation to grab the Purple Zeo Ranger and drag her away.
“Hey!” Pink Zeo protested.
Antagonist took advantage of the distraction and blasted the Turbo Rangers, just as Dimensional Mammoth found a new hour glass to stop them from reacting in time. Globbor reached out and grabbed the five younger Rangers as well, taking them all to Master Vile. What had started as a plan to capture one Ranger had ended up with six victims. The boss would be pleased.
The attack on Jamie had alerted Zordon to the problem, but when the monsters had vanished taking the Purple Zeo Ranger and the Turbo Rangers with them, there had been a distinct lack of clues. At that time he had called the other inactive Rangers, hoping that there had not been any further abductions; he now suspected that the unusual readings from the White, Black and Silver Zeo Rangers, and the Dino Thunder Ranger, had been explained.
That somebody could attack four Rangers and hide those attacks from him was deeply disturbing. Even though they were not a part of the active team and their powers were not tied as closely to the Power Chamber’s systems as some of the others, he knew that there should have been some warning. Christina, Katarina, Jamie and Lillian were all Zeo Rangers, with Jamie having additional powers due to her heritage and Lillian having access to an aspect of the Zeo powers the others could not touch. And Nathan… Nobody was sure of the extent of Nathan’s powers because they had yet to unlock his full potential. However he was certain that at present Nathan Oliver was the only thing limiting Nathan Oliver’s progress.
To capture one Ranger was not unheard of, but five suggested a powerful villain was behind it. The abduction of the Turbo Rangers though had exposed the identity of their foe – for despite the distortion that had appeared toward the end of the fight the Turbo powers were actively monitored. He knew of only one monster with the ability to drain their powers in such a way, and only one villain capable of creating him.
Master Vile was satisfied with the performance of his creation and the monsters Monastra had provided. The capture of the Turbo Rangers had been an unexpected show of initiative from Globbor and had provided him with a new plan. Even now the Zeo Rangers and Dino Thunder Ranger were being drained by Blue Globbor.
The Turbo Rangers however were not needed for that part of his plan and the possibility of bending them to his will for even a short time and using them to grab just one more Ranger before his control slipped was extremely tempting.
The Zeo Crystal negated the effects of spells that turned people evil and since Christina had been connected to the Zeo Crystal that ability had extended to the whole team. In addition Jamie’s alien heritage and stubbornness would require the use of magic that Zordon would detect. Combined with the mental barrier that had slipped across the Black Zeo Ranger’s mind the moment she had lost consciousness and a feeling that he would fail to turn the Silver Zeo Ranger to his side using magic, and he had decided against using them in such a way.
As for Nathan… the boy’s mind was perfect manipulation. Master Vile could sense so many flaws and means of bending the Dino Thunder Ranger to his will. There was just one problem: Nathan Oliver was already under the effects of long term mind control. It had taken a few failed attempts and a close examination to realise the boy had been mentally conditioned from a young age. And while many of those instructions no longer applied and he could live a normal life, they effectively stopped his mind from accepting the level of control Master Vile sought. Simple spells were possible, but the Dino Thunder Ranger would throw them off quickly because his mind already belonged to his creators.
But the five Turbo Rangers were young and despite having faced things that children their age should never have faced, they were mentally undamaged. He had no doubt that his creations could manipulate their young minds and that even the closeness of their friendship was something he could use against them. And even if it only lasted a short time, Master Vile imagined it would be sufficient to snatch maybe an extra Ranger or two.
~On second thoughts I’ll turn them over to one of Monastra’s friends,~ he thought.
His former partner was friendly with a number of witches that excelled in ensnaring the minds of others. And if they were successful, he would allow them to work their charms on the older Rangers… assuming the Rangers survived that long.
Power Chamber
For the first time since the senior Rangers had returned from Aquitar and Zordon had returned from the Galactic Council, the Power Chamber was full. Adam, Billy and Trini had commandeered some of the computer terminals and were trying to find clues about their missing friends. Unfortunately Zordon’s decision to monitor only the active Rangers while allowing the others privacy as they went about their lives meant that there had been no record of what had happened to them.
“What about Nathan?” Zack asked.
“He was practicing at the time he would have vanished,” Aisha answered. Then her eyes lit up as she realised what her team-mate meant. “If he was morphed there’s a chance the computer recorded images from his helmet.”
Alpha quickly accessed the last few minutes of Nathan’s training session. He hadn’t been morphed at the time, but he had been using the Brachio Staff, which to prevent abuse of the Power was monitored.
“Those monster look like something Rita would send,” Tommy observed.
“Indeed,” Zordon agreed. “I have matched some of them to designs Finster had once documented but never used in battle.”
“The use of Putties does make Rita a likely culprit,” Billy commented.
“You are correct Billy, however the presence of one monster has confirmed that if Rita is involved then she is not acting alone. Rita and Zedd have been reported attacking worlds on the far side of the galaxy. However, I believe that we are looking for somebody they would know very well.”
“Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!” Alpha exclaimed.
“Oh no,” Kimberly said.
“Not him,” Aisha added as the Viewing Screen show the appearance of Globbor.
“Indeed,” Zordon rumbled, “while few villains use Putty Patrollers, only Master Vile is capable of creating the Blue Globbor.”
It was Tommy spoke and summed up the collective feelings of his team-mates. “Aw man, we’re in trouble.”
End of Part
Chapter 7: Vile Methods
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, Transformers, Harry Potter or Doctor Who. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This is a work of fanfiction and no profit is being made.
Vile Methods
Onyx
The results had not been as Dark Specter had predicted; both Ecliptor and Astronema had returned from their missions empty handed. He had checked their work and had found that both had been extremely thorough despite being kept in the dark about the object he was seeking. As much as he wished it were not the case, the only explanation for their failure was that his theory had been wrong and the fragment of crystal he had expected to find within the body of life sustaining worlds simply did not exist.
“Explain!” he rumbled.
Today he had chosen the form of a Vipertooth, a large black dragon with piercing red eyes and a single fang. The smoke that billowed from his mouth as he spoke caused the scientist to cringe back.
“You were the one that informed me my information was correct,” he continued. “So how is it that you were wrong?”
Sorren was a trusted servant who had spent many centuries in Dark Specter’s service; he had not known he had been in Dark Specter’s service until the Grand Monarch of Evil had revealed himself. In that time he had developed new weapons that the UAE had already started to use in its slow conquest of the Universe. Dark Specter did not believe the scientist would lie to him even if doing so would save his life.
“All the evidence you showed me confirmed your theory, Dark Specter,” he replied nervously – he was well aware of the hungry look on the dragon’s face-, “they should have found something. Unless…”
“Unless you were mistaken?” Dark Specter asked, leaning closer. He did not appreciate being made a fool of, even if nobody would ever learn of his mistake.
“Yes,” Sorren replied with a gulp. “That is to say: no. It is possible the fragmented pieces crystal merged with whatever planets they encountered, but the impact placed them out of phase with this dimension. That would explain the inability to detect it when scanning.”
Dark Specter’s mouth opened and for a moment Sorren believed that his master would destroy him. Instead the shape shifter paused and considered the possibility that his servant was correct. If the crystal had reached the planet and then had shifted out of phase with reality, then simply destroying the planet would not be enough to retrieve the fragment. In fact, by destroying the planet his forces would have released the crystal from the effects of gravity and ruined any chance of retrieving that particular fragment.
“So it is beyond our reach,” he rumbled.
“Yes,” Sorren hastily agreed. Before noticing the look of disappointment on his master’s face. He rapidly reconsidered his words and decided that giving the Grand Monarch hope would grant Sorren a greater chance of survival. “That is to say: no. If the collision was sufficient to knock a fragment out of phase, a similar impact could be used to retrieve it. Your records indicate at least one instance where this has happened. All it would take is a large collision… or a very powerful explosion.”
Dark Specter briefly considered crashing an asteroid into a random planet to test the theory. He was certainly powerful enough to do such a thing.. But doing something so overt risked exposing his plans. No, this required a different approach. Luckily he was a patient being and his underlings were creative enough to build him the means to accomplish such a task. He could wait a while longer.
“Of course the problem would be the time needed to repeatedly use such a method…” Sorren mused. “Perhaps if you retrieved a fragment of sufficient size you could use it to draw on the energy from the rest without needing to shift every fragment back.”
“The bigger the fragment, the greater the power?” Dark Specter asked.
“No. That is to say: yes. The fragments of the Xeno Crystal were supposed to remain connected as a vast energy network. So the larger the fragment, the more energy it could draw.”
If Dark Specter had been correct, then the largest fragment of the Xeno Crystal – the crystallised shell of the cosmic egg from which existence was born – had become scattered within the planet known as Earth during and event that had led to the creation of the Zeo Crystal. That was why the Earth seemed to attract so many villains; it was why he had always intended to rip the planet apart.
Dark Specter hadn’t considered the possibility that the Zeo Crystal’s energy came from a link to the original crystal, which was odd given that the existing theory suggested the Morphin Grid and other universal energy flows existed because of the crystal.
“You will find a way to retrieve a fragment,” he ordered.
The need for such a weapon was an unexpected setback and mass production would take much longer than he wished. But if he only needed a single fragment… He would need to test it to be sure.
“Build two,” he instructed. “You will test the first and if successful bring the other to me… You will speak of this to nobody.”
As Dark Specter left, Sorren breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had been spared his master’s wrath. For now.
Doing nothing was the most difficult thing a Ranger could do when their friends were in trouble. With the Turbo Rangers, Dino Thunder Ranger and four of the Zeo Rangers missing, presumed kidnapped by the diabolical Master Vile, they knew it was a matter of time before the villain made his move. In the meantime with their weapons checked, Zords prepared and Zordon’s satellite network focussed on finding their friends, there had been nothing to do except wait.
“You want us to leave?” Zack demanded, outraged at the suggestion.
“There is very little you can do until Master Vile acts or we locate him,” Zordon responded reasonably. “Alpha and I are more than capable of operating the Power Chamber and conducting a search. You however will need to be rested if you are to face Master Vile’s forces.”
“He’s right guys,” Tommy said after some thought. “I don’t like it; it doesn’t feel right relaxing while our friends are in danger, but we know how powerful Master Vile is… I remember what he did.”
“If we find any sign of them, Alpha and I will contact you immediately,” Zordon promised. “In the meantime it might be a good idea to warn Detective Park about his son.
There was some grumbling but the teenagers agreed and reluctantly teleported away.
Ten Power Rangers had fallen in less than a day; Master Vile was satisfied that his quest to secure the power of the Zeo Crystal for himself was off to a good start. At his direction the monsters that had been used for their capture and the Putty Patrollers that had survived the encounter had been set to work clearing an area of the lunar surface close to the Lunar Palace.
He had used his magic to raise five pillars of moon dust and at his direction the monsters had hollowed out one side to create a cavity large enough to hold a human. Master Vile had instructed Globbor to connect himself to those cavities, allowing the monster to drain the energy of those trapped within. And then the four Zeo Rangers and their Dino Thunder ally had been placed inside and secured.
Master Vile had then put his space skull back into orbit around the Earth and had sent out a massive burst of evil energy that he suspected would cause Zordon no end of problems with his monitoring equipment. With the White Morphin Master effectively blinded, Master Vile knew the Rangers would be seeking their friends by looking for the space skull instead of scanning the Moon.
And while one group of Rangers were being drained of energy that he planned to use to help prevent the possibility of outside interference, the five Turbo Rangers had been taken to a chamber within the Space Skull. There they had been secured to the wall by organic tendrils that were a part of the Space Skull’s living structure. A starfish-like creature had been placed on their faces, allowing Master Vile’s associate to begin the task of controlling their minds.
“Shanara?” he asked as he observed the Pink Turbo Ranger struggling against her bonds. It was not the typical movement he associated with a prisoner trying to break their bonds, more the panicked reaction of a body and mind that were enduring unspeakable torture.
“Patience brother,” came the calm reply. “You know that this is a delicate and drawn out task; that is why you begged for my help.”
Her name was Shanara, a Sradin female that had once been the devoted sister of the man that the demon known as Master Vile had inhabited. Master Vile had spared her life and corrupted her soul, empowering her with his magic and turning her into a faithful advisor. Over time her devotion to the being she still considered and loved as her brother had not diminished, but she had become a pale imitation of the kind woman she had once been and unquestionably evil.
Shanara served a purpose in Master Vile’s kingdom. She was the one that had been charged with the task of crushing the rebellious thoughts of his citizens. And after thousands of years she had developed ways of turning those that would rebel against their ruler into the obedient servants he deserved. She had overseen the education of some of Maser Vile’s most trusted lieutenants, and had been an obvious choice to break the Turbo Rangers.
Of course she had refused his request the first time, her loyalty to his dynasty far greater than her devotion to the man himself. It had been the personal request for help by the Mistress Repugna that had caused her to agree to lend her services; Shanara and Monastra had been friends long before Monastra had married Master Vile. In the end Shanara had agreed and it seemed she was already seeing results.
“You were correct: their powers accelerate not just their bodies but also their thought processes,” she told him. “They managed to shake off my usual methods before I had finished casting.”
The Power of Turbo accelerate the processes of the human body. It helped the Turbo Rangers to heal from physical wounds and limited the effects of spells. It also made it easier for them to fight off some forms of mind control.
“Luckily,” she gestured and the starfish convulsed causing the Turbo Rangers to thrash even harder against their restraints, “I have other methods.”
As he watched the Red, Green and Pink Turbo Rangers trembled under the onslaught of her mental manipulation, he noticed Blue and Yellow Turbo appeared unresponsive.
“Justin was yours the moment I started to show him scenes of his friends turning on him,” she commented.
Not quite true, it had been an odd combination of three of the older Rangers rejecting him and two mocking him for proving them correct. It seemed that not all of the senior Rangers had approved of the younger teens taking over the fight.
“And once his mind broke it helped me establish a hold on the others. Little Yellow there took a more extreme approach, but soon succumbed without him to shield her.”
The Turbo Rangers were younger than most teams, but had a friendship that ran deeper than the older teams. And their powers provided a link between them that the other teams did not have, allowing them to move and fight at high speed while being aware of their surroundings. It allowed them to share a collective mind at times, which in combat was a valuable asset. Sadly Shanara had found a way to use that bond against them, using it to stir the negative emotions she needed for her methods to work.
Tasha had been more difficult. The Yellow Turbo Ranger had experience of dealing with emotional manipulation. Her experience with the Shadow Empire had shown her how to overcome such things. With Justin in her power, Shanara had used that link to find Tasha’s weakness. Even then the Yellow Turbo Ranger had fought back and it had taken an exceptionally powerful spell to break her defences.
With two Turbo Rangers in her power she had turned her attention to Franklin and Rosa. It had been Mistress Repugna that had suggested using the boy’s father against him. Although the Green Turbo Ranger had managed to shake off her first attempt, she would win. BY the time they were needed she expected to have all five Turbo Rangers at her comand.
“Impressive work Shanara,” Master Vile praised. “And in such a short time. The others have proven more troublesome?”
“Yes, especially their leader,” she admitted. “No matter, once he understands his team have fallen to your power he will realise his ‘shortcomings’.”
Vile laughed. Shanara it seemed had managed to pinpoint the smallest kinks in the Rangers’ mental defences and was not above using them. “Very well. I will send down some monsters to draw the Rangers out. When I do, have Justin and Tasha ready for an ambush. If the others are ready at the same time… so much the better.”
“As you wish, Master Vile.”
Multiple alarms sounded inside the Power Chamber as the Rangers arrived.
“Zordon, what’s happening?” Trini asked.
“Behold the Viewing Screen!” Zordon answered.
The massive screen had been divided to show different scenes as Tunnel Rat, Antagonist, Light Armadillo and the Dimension Mammoth attacked. Dimensional Mammoth was in Stone Canyon, Light Armadillo was attacking Briarwood, Tunnel Rat was in one of the abandoned quarries outside a city near Angel Grove, and Antagonist had been sent to the small town of Blue Bay Harbour; Nice Chap had been sent to Mariner Bay to prevent the Lightspeed Rangers from intervening.
“This is not good,” Kimberly said as they watched the monsters rampage. “Guys this has to be a trap.”
Master Vile’s forces would have created far more carnage had they attacked as a single force. The fact he had spread them out meant that he wanted the Rangers to divide their forces. And no doubt while they were vulnerable he planned to have Globbor attack.
Kimberly is correct: it would appear Master Vile has ordered his monsters to attack in multiple locations to force you to split up. No doubt he is aware that working together there is little you cannot accomplish. You will need to be wary of an ambush. Remember that Master Vile is well versed in the ways of evil and Globbor is capable of striking in an instant.”
“We don’t have much choice,” Tommy stated. “If we try to deal with them one at a time they could cause some real damage. We’ll just have to keep our eyes open for any tricks.”
“If Master Vile sends Globbor to attack we might be able to locate his ship,” Billy commented. “I think I might be able to recalibrate the Power Chamber’s scanners to detect Master Vile’s hiding place. But I’ll need some help.”
Trini volunteered to stay behind.
“I suggest Tommy, Samoht, Trey and Jason each lead a team,” Billy advised. “Trey, Adam and Tanya should go to Briarwood, Samoht, Aisha and David to Stone Canyon, Jason, Zack and Kimberly deal with that rat thing, and Tommy, Kat and Rocky should head to Blue Bay Harbour.”
“All right guys,” Jason said. “It’s Morphin Time!”
“Green Ranger Power!”
“Purple Ranger Power!”
“White Ranger Power!”
“Black Ranger Power!”
“Pink Ranger Power!”
“Red Ranger Power!”
“Zeo Ranger I – Pink!”
“Zeo Ranger II – Yellow!”
“Zeo Ranger III – Blue!”
“Zeo Ranger IV – Green!”
“Zeo Ranger V – Red!”
“Gold Ranger Power!”
The Rangers teleported away in twelve columns of light, leaving Billy and Trini to their work.
Master Vile watched as his plan unfolded. With the Lightspeed Rangers and their allies suitably distracted in Mariner Bay, he concentrated on the others. It was no surprise that the assorted Ranger teams made short work of his monsters; they were secondhand creations and rejects that his daughter had refused to send into battle. They had successfully drawn the Rangers into the open and the trick now was to keep them occupied long enough for his little surprise to strike. Speaking of which…
“Pink Tornado Slash!” Pink Morphin called.
Using the power of the Mind Aspect, she called forth a gust of wind that picked up the loose stones around her. As she gestured the stoned formed a whirling blade of wind and stone that she slammed into Tunnel Rat.
The monster recoiled before using his shovel arm to bat the stones away.
“Rolling Thunder!” Black Morphin cried, unleashing an attack that caused the monster to be struck from all sides by thunder and lightning.
“Tyranno Fist!” Red Morphin bellowed as he channelled the power of the Body Aspect into a single punch.
Tunnel Rat was sent flying back into the rock face, causing stones to crash down upon him. He came to his feet to find the three Rangers readying their Power Weapons for the final blow.
Light Armadillo appeared to have two abilities: the power to curl into a nigh indestructible ball and the power to create shadowy minions to fight on his behalf. While the former was a nuisance, the fact the object he created the shadow creatures from crumbled to dust after a few minutes, made the second the more deadly weapon.
He sent his shadowy creations against the three Zeo Rangers and while they were distracted, rolled himself into a ball and threw himself in the Rangers’ direction.
Green Zeo leapt over the ball shaped monster before drawing his Zeo Pistol and firing. The shots had little effect but did change its direction enough to buy Yellow Zeo the time to duck. The shadow creatures she had been fighting were not so lucky and had been flattened by their own creator.
There had been reasons why Light Armadillo had never been used by Rita. It had been created during a period that Finster had been experimenting with a creature he had captured. After he had finished the model he had feared that Rita would discover the origins of its power and either punish him or worse send it to Earth and risk Zordon discovering his crimes; there were certain rules that the good guys clung to and even villains chose to follow.
However, the monster had other weaknesses that Finster had feared would make it easier for the Rangers to defeat. There was the unfortunate matter that it lacked control over its ability to transform from its ball form, which placed a limitation on the time it could remain in a ball before being forced to revert to its normal form. When he had later created the Soccerdillo, Finster had given his monster control over its ability to ball-up.
In its normal form, another vulnerability became evident: the lamp on its chest was a powerful weapon that could generate intense bursts of blinding light and scorching heat in addition to creating the shadow minions. Unfortunately Finster had designed the weapon to be so effective offensively that he had forgotten to provide it with protection. And due to its importance, Light Armadillo often spent so much time protecting it that he forgot to use it as a weapon.
“Zeo II Power Weapon!” Yellow Zeo called as she summoned a pair of yellow clubs.
She ran toward the monster, dodging a from his chest ray. Her clubs struck his feet and ankles, causing him to hop on one foot while holding the other leg. As she slotted the two clubs together and drew them apart again, they were joined together by a thin chain, allowing her to use them as nunchakus. She took a swing for the monster’s head, causing him to lift both his hands to block the assault.
“Zeo IV Power Hatchets!”
As Yellow Zeo assaulted the monster with her weapon, Green Zeo leapt into the air with his hatchets at the ready. As Light Armadillo raised his hands to protect his head, Green Zeo descended and drove his weapons into the monster’s chest.
“Where’s my brother?” he demanded as he repeatedly pummelled the monster. But Light Armadillo either didn’t know or stubbornly refused to answer.
The fragile lamp that granted Light Armadillo the majority of his offence, shattered. And as Green Zeo continued to attack with his Power Hatchets and Yellow Zeo pummelled him with her weapon, he was unable to curl up into his protective shell. And as the two Rangers held him in place, Gold Zeo had lined himself up to deliver the finishing blow.
“It’s Time For a Gold Rush!”
Dimensional Mammoth knew that he was a reject. He didn’t even have a real name. Finster had referred to him by a design number with Dimensional Mammoth being a simple description. He had been created during the period when Rita had been banished and Lord Zedd had dismissed Finster’s services as unneeded.
After the Rock of Time had been destroyed by the Power Rangers, Finster had visited the spot where it had stood. His search had yielded a few pieces of the rock that had survived the blast from the Power Cannon. He had ground those remains down to create the sand needed for Dimensional Mammoth’s hourglass. However, he had had no desire to anger Lord Zedd by revealing his actions and had left the monster unfinished. Later he had managed to locate a tiny shard of the Orb of Doom and had add it to the mix giving Dimensional Mammoth a potent weapon.
With a wave of its trunk the monster shifted the sand within its hourglass, creating ripples in time that aged the city of Stone Canyon and made its buildings crumble. The citizens affected by its temporal waves found themselves either rapidly aged or turned into children. As they struggled to escape the disruptive vibrations from the hourglass seeped into the ground, threatening to shake the city apart.
It was at that moment the three Rangers arrived.
“Power Stick!” Purple Ranger cried as she vaulted into action, her heavy staff forcing the monster to stop its spell on concentrate on her.
Meanwhile Green Ranger tried to stabilise the buildings long enough for White Ranger to help a few stragglers to safety.
“Oh no you don’t Rangers,” Dimensional Mammoth warned. “I’ll make you so old you won’t be able to fight back.”
“Oh yeah? Try this on!” Green Ranger replied. “Dragon Fire!”
A ball of green flame shot toward the monster, causing it to shield its face. The ball of fire did not cause any real damage, but as it opened its eyes the monster panicked as White Ranger sliced through the end of its trunk with Saba.
“Let’s finish this!” Green Ranger ordered. “Dragon Dagger!”
“Power Stick!” Purple Ranger added.
“Saba!” White Ranger concluded.
“Combine!” they called together.
Saba slid onto one end of the Purple Ranger’s Power Stick just as Green Ranger’s smaller blade connected with the other end, forming a twin bladed staff. Purple Ranger took the combined weapon and jumped into the air. Green Ranger and White Ranger joined hands, creating a platform that propelled the Purple Ranger toward their enemy. The combined weapon glowed in an energised mix of green, purple and white light as it descended upon a monster that suddenly wished that it was somewhere else.
Antagonist was a fairly simple monster compared to some of Finster’s creations. A humanoid ant with a large cannon on its upper right arm. It lacked the flaws of some of Finster’s rejects but had never been submitted to Rita for use because Finster had considered it an artistic failure. It’s design did not incorporate any special abilities, it did not have any traits that would help it in battle. It was just a monster ant and Finster hated it.
So when given the the opportunity to fight for Rita Repulsa, the monster had been extremely enthusiastic. More so when it found out that it now served Master Vile. Its weapon did not have any special effects on the things it hit, but it caused damage anyway.
Blue Zeo had already discovered that the ant’s weapon packed a punch. He had jumped towards it intent on delivering a blow with his Zeo Power Weapons, when Antagonist had lifted its weapon and fired. Blue Zeo had found himself bouncing off the sidewalk. It was an unwelcome reminder that he still had a bad back.
Before the monster could take the initiative and attack Blue Zeo, Pink Zeo had joined the fight. Her Zeo Power Weapon easily deflected a shot from his arm cannon. And her Zeo Pistol proved that she had some firepower of her own. The monster backed up as the blast hit it in the chest.
As Red Zeo moved in to help, the two Rangers were able to keep the ant from firing another shot. They kept him off balance with Red Zeo using his Zeo Power Weapon in an attempt to hack its arm off.
“Defender Sphere, Activate!”
The Defender Wheel had been damaged during a battle with a powerful monster. When the weapon had been rebuilt it had been modified and after the Turbo Rangers had become the active team, it had upgraded to take advantage of their speed. The Defender Sphere was the result.
As Blue Zeo loaded himself into the launcher, he was aware that the new design would prove more of a challenge than the old design. The Turbo Rangers were not as physically powerful as the Zeo Rangers, but they were able to move at greater speed for longer periods. Blue Zeo started to wish he had not eaten so much the day before.
Then he remembered that this monster had been one of the things responsible for his sister’s disappearance. That was something he would not forgive.
“Engage Defender Sphere, Now!”
Red Zeo and Pink Zeo moved out of the way as the Defender Sphere crashed into Antagonist.
Master Vile watched as his monsters were slowly defeated. This had been the moment he had been waiting for.
“Now!”
A blue blur slammed into Gold Zeo, taking the veteran Ranger off his feet. At the same time a yellow fist connected with Yellow Zeo’s helmet, knocking her to the ground. As Green Zeo turned to face their attackers, he found himself confronted by two of the missing Turbo Rangers.
The two Rangers did not give Green Zeo the opportunity to appeal to their true nature. They attacked, using their speed to combat their more experienced opponent. While Green Zeo was reluctant to fight back against a fellow Ranger, their programming meant they had no such qualms. A brutal double punch to the chest nearly broke through the Ranger’s uniform. It proved sufficient to forcibly demorph him.
“Adam!” Yellow Zeo cried, jumping between the two Turbo Rangers and her boyfriend.
She held her Zeo Pistol at the ready. While she had no desire to hurt her friends, she knew that while wearing their uniforms she needed only to pull her strongest punches. The Power of Turbo would protect them.
Still it quickly became clear that against two Turbo Rangers she had little hope of winning. Justin was a better martial artist than she could hope to be, even with the training she had received. And Tasha was just vicious; the Yellow Turbo Ranger simply moved toward her with punches and kicks.
“Guys, you have to listen to me,” she tried. “Master Vile is controlling you. You have to fight it.”
Her words fell on deaf ears as the Turbo Rangers continued their assault and she found herself disarmed. Her eyes widened as she looked down to see Yellow Turbo had taken her Zeo Pistol. Yellow Turbo had the Zeo Pistol in one hand and her own Auto Blaster in the other. Both were resting against Yellow Zeo’s midsection as Yellow Turbo pulled the triggers.
Gold Zeo had by this time recovered enough to rejoin the battle, but it seemed the Turbo Rangers had had enough. They fired their side arms at the ground under Gold Zeo, striking a gas main. As he picked himself up following the explosion, he saw them grab Adam and Tanya. Then they vanished.
Yellow Turbo threw Adam to the ground in front of Master Vile. Blue Turbo followed suit with Tanya. Both had proven that Shanara’s twisted control had been a success. Neither had fought her spell even when their fellow Rangers had appealed to them. Of course the spells that filtered out any such appeals had helped with that.
The Putties had moved in quickly to grab the fallen duo before they could fight back. With three Putties securing them and the Turbo Rangers hovering in readiness to land what would be a fatal blow if they resisted, neither Zeo Ranger was in a position to try and escape.
“Take them to the cells,” Master Vile instructed before turning his attention to where Pink Turbo and Green Turbo had engaged their targets.
Antagonist staggered back from the impact of the Defender Sphere. It had survived the attack, mostly thanks to it armoured hide. It had retaliated by firing rockets from its left shoulder, which Pink Zeo had skilfully deflected. As Pink Zeo and Blue Zeo held the monster in place, Red Zeo had energised his Zeo Power Sword and driven it into the prone monster, finishing Antagonist once and for all.
The ground around the three Zeo Rangers exploded as they found themselves under attack. Green Turbo stood on top of a building with the Thunder Cannon in hand. He fired again and the Zeo Rangers were forced to jump for safety.
That allowed Red Turbo Ranger to strike. As Pink Zeo landed, Red Turbo attacked with his Turbo Power Sword. The blow knocked her off her feet and caused Red Zeo to move in to help. That had been exactly what Red Turbo had been hoping for as Green Turbo fired again and intercepted the leader of the Zeo Rangers.
However the Zeo Rangers were not defeated. Blue Zeo engaged both Green Turbo and Red Turbo, relying on his experience to combat them. Unlike Green Zeo, Blue Zeo did not hesitate when he attacked. He knew how capable the Turbo Rangers were and that their powers would protect them from most attacks. As he fought he he was unable to stop Red Turbo from teleporting Tommy and Kat away.
“Guys, you need to fight this; you are better than this. We’re your friends,” Blue Zeo tried as he landed a heavy kick to Red Turbo’s head.
With a quick flurry of punches he managed to disarm Green Turbo. It was clear that whatever spell the Turbo Rangers were under had taken away Franklin’s ability to strategise. Normally the Green Turbo Ranger would have had a backup plan. His last blow seemed to do the trick as Green Turbo fell to the ground and demorphed.
It was then that Rocky realised that he had made a mistake. Green Turbo had had a strategy all along. Rocky had assumed that Red Turbo and Green Turbo had been working alone. He had not stopped to think that it was unusual for Green Turbo to fight without Pink Turbo at his side. So he was unprepared when Pink Turbo attacked using Turbo Wind Fire.
If it had just been the energy attack, Rocky would have had a chance, but it seemed that whatever spell they were under meant that the Turbo Rangers were no longer concerned about each other’s wellbeing. And as a result, the Blue Zeo Ranger was forced to stay in place to shield Fred and Franklin from injury.
Pink Turbo charged her brother, discarding the Turbo Wind Fire in favour of her Auto Blaster. Blue Zeo had drawn his Zeo Pistol and returned fire, guiding their battle away from the fallen Turbo Rangers. Unfortunately that gave Fred and Franklin the opportunity to morph again and join the attack. Now Blue Zeo was seriously outnumbered.
The three Turbo Rangers charged their fists and delivered a crippling blow to Blue Zeo’s chest. Despite his best efforts, Blue Zeo could not hold out and his fallen form was promptly teleported away.
As soon as Tunnel Rat had been destroyed, a new threat had made itself known. The monster’s destruction had triggered a spell Monastra Repugna had placed upon him, transferring his essence into the surrounding rocks. The result was a rock monster capable of throwing parts of itself at at the Rangers.
Black Ranger knocked the rocks aside with his Power Axe, allowing Pink Ranger to attack with her Power Bow as Red Ranger moved in from behind with his Power Sword. Together the three Rangers used teamwork to overcome the monster’s strength.
Blue Ranger and Yellow Ranger chose that moment to arrive. They had been waiting for Master Vile to spring some sort of trap and believed that this was it; had they delayed a few seconds they would have known of the attack on the Zeo Rangers, but it was too late to help there.
“Ideas?” Red Ranger asked as he drove his foot into the monster’s knee, slowing it down for a time.
“Maybe if we expose it to extreme temperatures,” Blue Ranger offered.
“He means we make it really hot or really cold,” Yellow Ranger added.
“I call on the power of the Mastodon!” Black Ranger cried, concentrating on his link to the mighty Zord that was a part of his powers. “Mammoth Shield!”
A smaller version of the shield normally worn on the Megazord’s arm appeared in Black Ranger’s hand. The Ranger held the shield aloft, shooting a spray of freezing gas from the end of its snout. The rock monster was frozen in place.
“Okay, let’s finish this!” Red Ranger called. “Power Blaster!”
The five Rangers rapidly formed the original version of the Power Blaster. They fired and the frozen monster exploded. They had not expected the resulting shower of stones that rained down upon them, burying them. As Red, Yellow and Pink Ranger struggled to fight their way free, Globbor took the opportunity to sneak up on Black Ranger. The Ranger struggled briefly before collapsing and was promptly teleported away as Globbor decided to try for a second Ranger.
He zeroed in on Billy as the Blue Ranger tried to lift a heavy boulder that had trapped his leg. The monster was about to snatch the injured Ranger when Yellow Ranger freed herself and intervened. Her Power Daggers knocked Globbor’s hands aside, but the monster decided that a Ranger was a Ranger and grabbed her instead.
As Globbor and his new prisoner vanished, Red Ranger managed to free himself from the stones. He was too late to stop Globbor from escaping and had to settle for releasing Pink Ranger before the two of the moved to help a distraught Blue Ranger.
The moment Dimensional Mammoth had been destroyed, the Rangers had found themselves under attack. Master Vile had not wanted them to interfere with his attempt to grab the Zeo Rangers, and so he had sent as many Putties as he could spare to keep the three Rangers busy. Enhanced by the magic of Monastra Repugna, the foot-soldiers successfully forced the Rangers to split up.
“Hello Samoht.”
It should not have been a surprise to step through a doorway and find himself in an unfamiliar place. He had been teleported many times before. But there had been no sensation of moving, it was as if he had just naturally stepped into a new location. He was not surprised to find the door he had stepped through had vanished, along with the rest of the campus.
“Do I know you?” he asked.
Standing before him, sword in hand was a tall silver-helmeted knight with red eyes. A black flexible material was covered with silver metal plates with blue highlights. His belt, wrist braces, knee pads and ankle braces were gold.
“I’m sure I’d remember that face.”
“Funny guy,” came the response. “We’ll see how funny you find it after I defeat you.”
“If that’s the way you want it,” Green said, summoning his Dragon Blade.
“We’ll see,” the knight promised as he charged.
Samoht had over two centuries of training and his own form of magic to call upon in addition to his sword. He was not going to go down without a fight. While he was outnumbered, his sword made short work of slicing through the Putties while a ball of green fire kept the knight at bay.
“If that is the best you can manage, this will be over sooner than I hoped,” the knight mused.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Green Ranger said as he blocked a slash from the knight’s sword. “Let’s see if I can offer more of a challenge. Green Fire!”
The power of the Morphin Grid flowed into his fist as he stepped closer to the knight and delivered a firm punch to the chest. The knight was thrown back but soon regained his footing.
“Return Strike!”
The knight did not have a name although Finster had considered calling it Rebound. He had been an early prototype that Finster had rejected after Rita had made it clear that her monsters needed to be offensive and not defensive. It had been designed to take the brunt of an enemy’s attack and then reflect the energy back at its opponent.
The result was that Green Ranger was hit by his own attack just as more Putties came to Rebound’s aid. As Samoht struggled against them, he was gripped by multiple hands and teleported away.
“Purple Ranger Strike!”
“White Ranger Strike!”
Rebound had no time to prepare for the combined blow from the two remaining Rangers. As two balls of energy connected, the monster was destroyed, leaving the Rangers triumphant.
Master Vile had not expected his scheme to be so successful. The Turbo Rangers had proven a master stroke that had landed him five Zeo Rangers to drain. But the addition of Trini, Zack and Samoht had added to the his victory. Now he could not only drain the power of the Zeo Crystal, but he could also tap into the power of the Morphin Rangers.
All his plans were coming to fruition and soon not even Dark Specter would stand against him.
Power Chamber
The surviving Rangers had regrouped. Trey had been injured by the Turbo Rangers and Billy was still bruised from the rocks. In a single strike Master Vile had managed to take away eight of their friends in addition to those he already held.
“Zordon, we do not have a choice,” Trey argued.
It had not taken long after they had arrived back at Power Mountain for the computers to detect Master Vile’s attempt to tap into the power of the Zeo Crystal. Trey had been quick to suggest disconnecting the Zeo Crystal, preventing Master Vile from gaining control of it. He would be able to drain the energy that remained in their Zeonisers but little more.
However Zordon had been reluctant to do so because without the Zeo energy to sustain them, the Ranger’s lived would be in jeopardy. The Rangers’ link to the Zeo Crystal had changed following their encounter with Minion. The powers had become linked to them physically and from the few tests that had conducted, had altered their bodies to accommodate the power.
The downside was that once the Power of Zeo entered their bodies, it could not be separated from their life energy. That meant that as Master Vile drained their powers, he was also killing them.
Already the monitors that tracked the health of Katarina, Christina, Lillian and Jamie showed that they were in serious danger. If Master Vile continued to siphon away their powers it was likely they would die. Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Tanya and Katherine were showing a slower decline, likely because their link to the Zeo Crystal had not been interfered with.
“If Master Vile gains enough power he will be able to take control of the Zeo Crystal,” Trey continued.
“I fear you are correct Trey,” Zordon answered. “Once Master Vile has drawn sufficient power from the Zeo Crystal, he will be able to take it for himself. However, severing the link between the Zeo Crystal and the Rangers’ Zeonisers would allow Master Vile to drain their bodies. If that happens and we cannot retrieve them, they will likely die.”
Zordon and Alpha had already reduced the link between Katarina, Lillian, Jamie and Lillian, and their Zeo sub-crystals. It had not been so easy to limit their powers since their powers had bonded with their bodies. And it had been impossible to cut the link between Nathan and his powers since the Power Chamber could only monitor and had little control beyond a little guidance.
“We need a way to find them,” Jason declared.
The others nodded.
“Billy, isn’t there some way you can track them through their Zeonisers?” Kimberly asked.
“I have been unable to locate their Zeonisers or communicators,” Billy told her. “However, I might be able to track the energy from the Zeo Crystal now that Globbor is draining it. But to be successful the link will need to be maintained.”
“Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!” Alpha cried as one of the consoles started beeping.
“What is it?” Aisha asked.
“It appears that Master Vile has started to drain the power of the Morphin Rangers,” Zordon replied.
“Samoht’s vital signs have deteriorated,” Alpha added.
“When your new powers were created, they were bound to your bodies,” Zordon explained. “Any drain on those powers would risk damage to their bodies.”
“We need to get them back!” Jason declared.
It was an obvious remark and he knew it, but saying it made him feel confident that they would find a way and that they would not give up until they found a way.
The Power of Turbo, derived from the extra-dimensional energy source known as the Speed Force, provided many advantages for those that used it. Not only could those that drew upon its powers move faster, their healing was enhanced beyond the accelerated most Rangers enjoyed. Their senses and perceptions were enhanced to the point where when the Turbo Rangers worked together, they could counter a threat before it arose.
Shanara was an old and skilled manipulator of mind and senses. She had turned the most vocal opponents of Master Vile into loyal servants. Altering the brainwaves of five children had been simple in comparison. And with the added precaution of shielding them from the words of their former allies, the result was five loyal servants. Or so she thought.
While she had found a way to work around their apparent immunity to mind control, she had been wrong to assume that her spells would last. The moment they had morphed into battle their powers had started to counter her handiwork. By the time the confrontation was over, their minds were starting to break her hold on them.
And even as Master Vile gloated of his victory, one of the Turbo Ranger’s hands twitched as he raised his Auto Blaster and did something that risked putting an end to the villain’s sinister scheme.
Somewhere on the Moon, there was an explosion.
End of Part
Chapter 8: Vile Traps
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, Transformers, Harry Potter or Doctor Who. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This is a work of fanfiction and no profit is being made.
Vile Traps
“Well this isn’t the Youth Center,” Fred commented as the overweight man on the piano finished making some joke about his mother-in-law and started to play Oh Susanna, very badly.
The other Turbo Rangers nodded. Wherever they were it was a dive. Drunken patrons were slumped over their tables and a loan gambler juggled a set of playing cards, dropping the odd card at random as his addled brain was unable to keep up with his own movements. And yet despite the state of the occupants there was not a drop of alcohol in sight; a quick peek into one drunkard’s metal cup revealed that he and the rest of the bar’s clientele had been drinking smoothies the entire time.
The lights flickered as the pianist continued his almost-in-tune party piece. A neon sign on the window flashed to life every now and then before fading away again. There was no doubt about it, this was not the sort of place they wanted to be.
“Is this the best we could get?” Tasha demanded before grabbing her head and wincing. “Sorry guys.”
“It’s okay,” Franklin Park assured her. “I think this is all we could come up with. It was a spur of the moment thing.”
Justin and Rosa nodded, the former not able to trust himself to start speaking without throwing up. Rosa looked pale, but was clearly not suffering as much.
They were the Power Rangers Turbo, defenders of the planet known as Earth. And if their surroundings were any indication, they were in major trouble. For the dingy bar where they had collapsed, was a representation of their collective minds, drawn together by their powers. It was this shared mindscape that allowed them to work together at a level other teams struggled to achieve. Normally their surroundings were much nicer, but then their current mental state was far below par.
For the Turbo Rangers were under the control of Shanara, an evil associate of Master Vile. She had attacked their minds and found the flaws she needed to manipulate them. Justin had been in her thrall the longest and it showed from the poor health of his mental self. But despite her success in controlling the Turbo Rangers, Shanara had been unable to break their shared bond or stop their powers from working to break her hold. What was left of their free will had retreated to the only refuge they could find, which had taken the appearance of their current surroundings.
Now that they had gained a suitable level of self-awareness, they also became aware of the banging on the door and the flashing lights outside, a manifestation of Shanara’s enchantments as they tried to break through the Turbo Rangers’ final refuge
“We’re not going to be able to stay here much longer,” Franklin declared.
The others nodded. The longer they remained in their shared space the greater the drain it placed upon their bodies. And with Shanara’s enchantments in place, they risked losing themselves.
“We need to do something,” Fred urged as the banging intensified.
“Face it, guys, we’re not going to be able to get ourselves out of this,” Tasha groaned. She had been under Shanara’s control for a while, although not as long as Justin.
“We only need to regain control long enough to get a message to Zordon,” Fred countered.
“I think Master Vile would have blocked our communicators,” Franklin told him. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t get his attention.”
With that the plan, such as it was, was devised. The Turbo Rangers would make a final push to regain control of themselves just long enough to cause as much chaos as possible in the hope that it would draw Zordon’s attention. After that they could only hope that help would be sent their way.
The music had stopped, the lights had dimmed to the point where they could only see each other; the drunken patrons had vanished along with most of the furniture, a sign that their mental haven was about to disappear.
“We can do this,” Fred urged. He received a few grunts of agreement. “Shift into Turbo!”
As Master Vile gloated of his victory, one of the Turbo Ranger’s hands twitched as he raised his Auto Blaster and did something that risked putting an end to the villain’s sinister scheme.
Somewhere on the Moon, there was an explosion.
Power Chamber
“I found them!” Billy proclaimed, drawing the attention of the other Rangers.
After returning from Master Vile’s ambush the six Rangers had set about locating their missing friends while Alpha and Zordon had worked to slow the villain’s attempts to steal the Power of Zeo.
“I detected an unusual energy emission that caused the expulsion of natural material without a known natural cause,” Billy explained.
“You saw an explosion on the monitor,” Kimberly guessed.
Billy smirked. “Affirmative.”
He adjusted the controls, repositioning some of Zordon’s satellites to an area of the Moon not far from Rita’s Palace. There they saw a small fire burning and a multicoloured blur moving around. However, it was the words: “HI GUYS” that had been blasted into the lunar surface that gave them a clue they were looking in the right place.
“Master Vile managed to subdue them before I could teleport them,” Billy continued, ” but I was able to lock onto their energy signatures.”
“We can track them!” Jason realised. “Good work Billy!”
“So, what now?” David asked.
“We get in, grab our friends and get out,” Trey answered before looking to Jason for confirmation.
“No more than two of us together,” the Red Ranger added. “Master Vile will probably know the moment we get there. We don’t want to be boxed in. If anything goes wrong, grab whoever you can and teleport back here.”
The others nodded.
“Ai-yi-yi, good luck Rangers,” Alpha said.
There was so much that could go wrong, so many of their friends in danger and despite Jason’s orders, they understood none of them were going to leave until they had recovered all their comrades.
“All right, guys. It’s Morphin Time!”
“Pink Ranger Power!”
“Blue Ranger Power!”
“Red Ranger Power!”
“Purple Ranger Power!”
“White Ranger Power!”
“Gold Ranger Power!”
“Teleporting now!” Alpha told them as they vanished in columns of light. After they had gone the little robot moved to one of the other stations. “I hope they will be okay.”
“As do I, Alpha,” Zordon rumbled before emerging from his tube; since the Rangers had free him from his time warp and restored his body, Zordon had been able to leave his plasma tube at will, but usually remained inside as it allowed better access to the Power Chamber’s systems. “For now, we must prepare for the worst. Activate defences.”
Despite the sudden rebellion by the Turbo Rangers, which had been rapidly quashed when Shanara had exerted her control, Master Vile was pleased with the progress of his plans. Lillian, Christina, Katarina, Jamie and Nathan had provided a great deal of energy before the drain had started to affect their health. Now the drain had slowed but their deterioration had not. It was a question of how much power he could siphon from their husks before they died.
The other Rangers had been just as satisfying to watch as Globbor stole their powers and their life energy. The monster had not held back and despite having spent less time in his grip, they were almost as weak as their friends. Tanya was coughing up blood and Zack looked extremely pale.
“Do you like your accommodations, Rangers?” he asked as he walked into the room where they had been secured. The organic chains suspended them from the wrists at a height where they needed to stand on the tips of their toes to support their weight. It was a form of passive torture that Master Vile had found to be especially effect at breaking his prisoners over the centuries. “By now Zordon will have learnt my intentions and discovered a way to stop me. I wonder if he would really sacrifice all of you to thwart my plans.”
Every Ranger that served under Zordon was linked into the Power Chamber’s systems. It allowed the Rangers to share upgrades to their powers as well as access to the communications system. However, that link could also be manipulated by Zordon to send energy to the Rangers in times of great need.
“I’m sure you all believe that Zordon would never do such a thing,” he continued, “but I assure you Zordon is willing to make sacrifices to protect the universe. He could stop me right now by sending a surge of power through the Power Chamber. Trust me, it would be a painless death.”
He could see the outrage on their faces, the denial that they couldn’t quite bring themselves to make. Of course, none of them were really in a condition to speak.
“I wonder who he will replace you with?” he continued. “Oh, you didn’t know… this little drain will no doubt damage your powers permanently. You will be of little use to Zordon, assuming he doesn’t simply sacrifice you.”
He studied the Rangers, hoping that his words would cause worry or despair. Alas it seemed that their faith in the mentor was stronger than he had hoped. Not that he was surprised given that Zordon had rarely taken actions that would cause his students to question his motives.
“It doesn’t really matter. One way or another your lives will end whether it is by Zordon’s mercy or Globbor’s – hand.”
He threw his head back and laughed, sending a jolt of magic into the walls that caused the Rangers’ bonds to draw them higher. Their reactions ranged from cries of agony to exhausted whimpers. One or two were so drained that they couldn’t bring themselves to respond.
“Vile!”
Shanara had appeared next to him, bypassing the spells he had placed to protect the room from outsiders. He didn’t question how she had accomplished such a feat; Shanara was practically family in a twisted way. Instead he gave her his full attention, aware that she would not have disturbed him without cause.
“I thought you should see this,” she told him before drawing a symbol in the air.
An image appeared showing four morphed Rangers as they made their way through the Space Skull and another two as they tried to sneak across the lunar surface.
“Instruct the Putties to wait at the end of this corridor,” Master Vile instructed. “There is a break here and the Rangers will split up. The Putties can handle two of them and you can use our new Turbo slaves to handle the other two.”
“What about the ones outside?” Shanara asked.
“I will deal with them, sister,” Monastra answered as her face appeared in place of the Rangers. “With your permission of course, Master Vile.”
Master Vile chuckled, granting her permission and noting, not for the first time, that the women in his life were deliciously evil.
Red Ranger, White Ranger, Purple Ranger and Pink Ranger made their way through the corridors until they reached a section that branched off in two directions. White Ranger and Purple Ranger continued along one path while Red Ranger and Pink Ranger took the alternative route.
As they set off they were unaware of the enemies waiting for them up ahead, but when Red Ranger noticed that the corridor they were in was getting darker and Pink Ranger alerted him to the light up ahead, he realised it was a trap. By that time, it was too late to avoid it as the Turbo Rangers closed in.
White Ranger unleashed a burst of energy that threw the Putties off their feet. It was a draining technique that tapped directly into the Morphin Grid. But it was surprisingly effective and with help from Dulcea and Zordon, he had gone effective at drawing upon and directing the Power. Behind him Purple Ranger was just as effective with her Power Sticks. Between them they cut an easy path through their opponents.
“Ninja Technique: Falcon Arrows!” White Ranger called, drawing upon one of his spirit animal to conjure feather-edged blade. He drew upon the Power to paint a series of arrows in the air before gesturing in the Putties’ direction. The arrows connected, turning them into clay dust.
“Body Technique: Burning Clubs!” Purple Ranger cried, feeding the Power into the handheld weapons.
“Saba!” White Ranger called before drawing the enchanted sword. “CHARGE!”
Blue Ranger made his way toward his captive friends, shifting in and out of cover as he silently progressed across the lunar surface. Guided by the instincts of the Wolf, Billy was confident that he would not be detected… Unlike Trey.
The Gold Ranger in comparison had not attempted to be stealthy and had charged forward, challenging Master Vile and his forces to attack. While doing so made him an obvious target, it was clear that his intention was to allow Billy to make his approach unnoticed. So, it was not a real surprise when something hit the ground in front of him and he was throw off his feet. Although the moon dust forming a wall around him was new.
“Going somewhere Gold Ranger?” Monastra Repugna asked from where she had been observing him.
“I am going to rescue my friends,” Gold Ranger replied as he used the Golden Power Staff to break free.
“Rescue them? I think not. But you will be joining them soon…” She turned, aiming at where Blue Ranger was hidden and unleashed a ball of energy. “That goes for you too, Blue Ranger!”
She clicked her fingers and the ground started to shift, shaping to her command to form an army of Golem Soldiers. Both Rangers found themselves surrounded as she gave the order and her warriors closed in.
“Tricera Shield!” Blue Ranger called.
Since they had unlocked the full potential of their Ranger powers, the Morphin Team had discovered that they could access more than just their original weapons. While Pink Ranger had found herself a deadly whip and a set of daggers to use at close raid, Blue Ranger had unlocked a shield shaped like the head of the Triceratops. Not only did it protect him from harm, he could use it as an effective battering ram as he abandoned any attempt at stealth and charged at the constructs.
“… Gold Rush!” Gold Ranger called before he too charged forward, striking out at Monastra’s creations. His weapon made short work of the stony creatures just as Blue Ranger Tricera Shield hoisted several to the foot-soldiers out of the way.
But as one construct crumbled, two more took their place and the two Rangers rapidly discovered that the creatures were closing them in. Monastra raised her hands and to the Rangers’ surprise, drew upon the energy collected above their captive friends.
“Uh oh,” Blue Ranger comment as they tried to dodge the sudden attack.
This time when the ground exploded around them, there was nowhere for them to run. A quick spell was the only thing that stopped them from suffocating as their unmorphed bodies were exposed to the lunar surface.
Red Ranger had started to regret all the training sessions he had held with the Turbo Rangers the moment they had turned those skills upon him. Outnumbered five to two the Red Ranger and his Pink Ranger companion had found themselves trapped by five fully powered warriors who had no problem with striking their former allies. Meanwhile Red Ranger had been forced to pull some of his strongest blows and Pink Ranger had discovered that Pink Turbo could match her speed.
Pink Ranger kept close to Pink Turbo, preventing her opponent from using her Turbo Power Weapon, while doing her best to stay away from Yellow Turbo’s punches. Luckily it seemed that whatever control Master Vile had exerted had limited their ability to fight creatively. Not that that was a great help given their training.
Red Ranger blocked a punch from Red Turbo and jumped over an attempted leg sweep from Blue Turbo. Unfortunately, that left him exposed to an elbow in the back from Green Turbo. He stumbled forward and managed to kick Blue Turbo aside, but Green Turbo took the opportunity to switch targets to Pink Ranger.
Kimberly realised that she was penned in. Her Power Bow was of little use at close range. She ducked low to avoid Green Turbo’s sneak attack and caught him with a kick under the chin. Her success angered Pink Turbo who renewed her attack with a flurry of kicks. Pink Ranger blocked them and even managed to land a few strikes of her own before realising that concentrating on Pink Turbo had allowed Yellow Turbo to get close enough to land a powered-up punch.
Jason fought on, but he was exhausted. Against three Turbo Rangers he had struggled. With Kimberly down, he was faced with all five Turbo Rangers. As Red Turbo and Blue Turbo landed a punch, he had to admit that he was proud of how they had progressed. When Green Turbo and Pink Turbo joined in he knew that the end was near but was determined to fight to the end. He blocked Yellow Turbo’s strike, refusing to make it that easy, but Blue Turbo used the opportunity to strike and Red Turbo followed.
~I hope the others are okay,~ he thought as Green Turbo levelled the Thunder Cannon in his direction and fired. His helmet shattered as he powered down. The Turbo’s had won.
“This is too easy,” Purple Ranger noted as they fought their way through another group of Putties.
So far, they had fought their way through Master Vile’s troops. They were under no illusion that he knew that they were heading his way and had prepared for them. They were just waiting for the trap to spring.
Saba sliced through the last Putty as they reached a door. The two Rangers took a moment to catch their breath while contacting their friends.
“Jason, we’ve reached a door at the end of the corridor,” White Ranger reported.
“Trey, Billy- how close are you?” Purple Ranger asked.
There was no reply, but they realised the others were likely still fighting. White Ranger pushed the button to release the door and they discovered how wrong they were.
“I’m sorry- your companions are a little tied up right now,” Master Vile laughed as he gestured to where Billy, Jason, Trey and Kimberly were being restrained by the Turbo Rangers. “And now you can join them. Turbo Rangers… attack!”
“Mind Technique: Healing Blaze!” White Ranger cried.
All White Rangers held some level of healing ability. For Tommy that ability had been mostly untapped, but David had received more than the rudimentary training Zordon had been able to give during the early days. The White Ranger powers allowed him to heal small wounds and with guidance, provide additional healing. However, it was the purifying aspect of the power that he chose to employ, reaching out to the Turbo Rangers to cleanse their minds.
Purple Ranger did not wait to see if White Ranger was successful. As his technique caused them to hesitate, she attacked. It took only a moment for the more experience ninja to take out the younger team. At which point they turned their attention to Monastra, Shanara and Master Vile.
The two Rangers easily closed the gap between them. Purple Ranger blasted Shanara off her feet before she could act. White Ranger deflected a blast from Monastra back at her, eliminating her from the fight before levelling Saba at Master Vile’s throat.
“This is where you let them go,” White Ranger announced.
Master Vile chuckled. “No dear boy, this is where you realise that you should have been paying attention. Globbor, Drain them!”
The blue monster appeared and beams of blue shot from his body. They hit the chained Rangers, who groaned. They hit the Turbo Rangers, who twitched. It hit Purple Ranger as she shouted a warning. It hit David, who bellowed with rage as he realised what had happened. Monastra and Shanara screamed as they too were hit.
There was a flash as the energy returned to the monster. Aisha and David collapsed to the floor and demorphed. Everyone except Vile and his monster passed out. t was an unquestionable victory.
“Bring Shanara!” shouted Vile, picking up Monastra as he and Blobber headed to the throne room just next door.
As they entered, a pair of thrones arose from the floor, one to each side of Vile’s own. Vile set his former queen upon the left-hand throne as Globbor placed Shanara securely upon the right-hand seat.
“Give me the energies, quickly,” he ordered. Enough time had passed for Globbor to gather the energies from each of the Rangers they had captured. Combined with the large ball of energy they had drawn from Lillian, Jamie, Katarina, Christina and Nathan, he was certain he had enough.
Vile gently stroked Monastra’s face, holding the multi-coloured manifestation of the Power in his other hand. Then he did the same for Shanara, returning enough precious energy for both women to recover.
“Rest, my dears. I shall handle the rest.”
The spell he chose was ancient and powerful, but wasted much of the energy he held. He spoke the words carefully, concentrating on his destination as he used the magical equivalent of a battering ram to smash his way through the seals and barriers that had been erected to ward against evil. As the dark and twisted power conjured by his words tore through the space between locations, a portal opened. Master Vile laughed triumphantly as he stepped toward his destination: The Power Chamber.
The moment Master Vile stepped through the portal, the restraints holding the Rangers had vanished, allowing them to collapse onto the floor. There was no doubt that they had failed. Master Vile had stolen their powers and used them to go after the bigger prize: the Zeo Crystal. As the Turbo Rangers huddled together, the Rangers sought comfort in each other, seeking the strength to stand once more. But the fact was they were all severely injured from the energy drain and capable of doing little more than laying on the ground.
Katarina, Christina, Jamie, Lillian and Nathan had joined them. It seemed that when Master Vile left, the atmosphere outside had vanished and they had been teleported to the nearest place where they would be killed by loss of a habitable environment. It the Morphin and Zeo Rangers were in bad shape, their friends were much worse.
“White Ranger Power!” David tried, hoping that he could summon at least the healing power needed to stabilise his friends. His power failed to respond.
It was clear that they were in trouble. Before long Master Vile would return with the Zeo Crystal; Tommy worried that when he did so he would have absorbed Zordon’s powers too.
Alpha Five positioned the last of the security drones and waited. If Zordon was correct then they knew where Master Vile would create an entrance. Then it would be down to the drones to keep the villain from progressing further. Alpha expected them to fail.
The portal appeared, setting off multiple alarms. There was a crackle of energy as Master Vile stepped forth, glancing around in triumph.
“Attack!” Alpha ordered.
Even if he had expected them to lose the battle, Alpha was taken aback by how quickly Master Vile dealt with his opposition. A single blast and the four droids were reduced to scrap metal as Vile turned his attention to Alpha.
“Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!” Alpha screamed as he was thrown across the Power Chamber.
“And now that annoyance is dealt with,” Vile mused as he zeroed in on the Zeo Crystal, surprised that it had been left in the open. “I shall claim my prize.”
The Zeo Crystal pulsed with light, warning him away, but he ignored it.
“Oh, don’t worry. Once you’re in my possession I intend to fully abuse your powers,” he promised.
“Not so fast Vile!”
A bolt of white energy struck the villain, knocking him away from the pedestal where the Zeo Crystal rested. Vile hissed in pain as the pure magic tore away at his evil form.
“Zordon,” he greeted. “I didn’t know you still had it in you… my spies told me you relinquished the Great Power!”
Zordon had indeed relinquished the Great Power on Aquitar, but had discovered afterwards that he could still call on it in times of need. It was an exhausting process that required meditation and the Ley Lines beneath the Power Chamber to fully control. He knew that outside of the Power Chamber the Great Power would grow unstable and he would rapidly suffer the side effects of using it.
“Well, this is a bonus. Globbor, drain him!”
“Sure Boss!” Globbor replied, reaching out toward the White Master.
Zordon however had other plans as he fired a second bolt of energy through the Zeo Crystal, knocking Globbor through the portal and causing Master Vile to stumble.
“You were a fool to come here Vile!” Zordon rumbled as he drew upon the Power before unleashing a third and find blast toward the Zeo Crystal. The energy interacted with the power of the Zeo Crystal, activating its purifying properties toward the villain.
Vile raised a hand to block the onslaught, but just like Globbor he was lifted off his feet and propelled through the portal, coming to rest at the foot of his own throne.
And now it was Zordon’s turn to enter enemy territory. He stepped through the evil portal, noting as he did so that it would not remain open for long. He ignored Master Vile and Globbor since they were stunned and made his way to where the Power told him he would find his students. When he did so he found that some of Mistress Repugna’s creations had found their way in and were intent on murdering his team.
With a thought he summoned the staff he had used long ago against Rita’s forces. The weapon allowed him to push his opponents aside. When he was in the centre of the room he drove his staff into the floor, sending out a massive pulse of magic that blew the golems to pieces.
“Zordon?” Tommy asked, a little too weak to see clearly.
“Quickly Rangers, we must leave this place,” Zordon told them. He was aware that the connection to the Great Power that had granted him additional strength was starting to fade. When it did he knew he would feel the magical backlash and that this was not the place to deal with it. “Gather around!”
It was a struggle, but in a short time the Rangers that were capable of standing had gathered their weaker friends into a circle. Once they were all there Zordon concentrated on the Power Chamber and they teleported away, just as the portal collapsed.
Master Vile knew when he was beaten. And he was far from defeated. As he awoke on the floor of his throne room he picked himself up and stepped over a fallen Globbor to sit upon his throne. The Rangers were gone and the Zeo Crystal was once again beyond his reach. But as he looked upon the massive pool of energy he knew that this fight was not over yet.
“GLOBBOR!” he commanded, sending a jolt of dark energy into the sleeping monster.
Globbor grunted and sat up, groaning as he tried to remember what had happened before he noticed the displeased look on Master Vile’s face and settled for silence.
“Take this and destroy Angel Grove,” Master Vile ordered as he shoved a ball of energy in the monster’s direction, “Those Rangers should still be down and out, but if not, then this will draw them out.”
“And if it does?” Globbor asked.
“Finish them!”
“Sure Boss,” Globbor saluted and then teleported away.
The Rangers had barely moved after they returned to the Power Chamber. Lillian, Christina, Katarina, Jamie and Nathan had been sent straight to the Medical Bay deep inside Power Mountain where they had been hooked up in suspension capsules that would gradually feed their exhausted bodies energy. Samoht had joined them, his magically created body having suffered from the effect of losing its energy.
“The constant drain on the life force has broken down the energy centres of their bodies,” Alpha had explained. “Too much energy, too quickly and they could die.”
It was very similar to warming up a person suffering from hypothermia. If not done correctly there was a risk of the body going into shock and the heart stopping. It was only due to the Power that they had survived so long.
Those that remained were just as tired, the link to their powers severely weakened by Globbor’s draining effect. Even those that had only been exposed to the monster’s power for a short time found their bodies refusing to respond due to exhaustion. The preferred remedy would have been sleep, but it seemed Master Vile was determined to push his advantage.
They groaned when the alarm sounded.
“This is not good guys,” Zack moaned. He had made it to a crouched position and was holding onto one of the consoles for dear life.
“We need to get out there,” Fred stated. The Turbo Rangers had had the least exposure to Globbor’s power, but their small bodies had been just as badly affected as their older friends after longer exposure.
“I doubt we could get all of us back on our feet right now,” Tommy observed.
“And even if we could, piloting a Zord would be out of the question.”
“We have to try,” Jason urged. “Billy, is there anything we can do?”
“I believe if we combine our collective energy we can recharge one of our number,” Billy said.
“You mean like when you fought Madame Woe?” Kimberly asked.
“Affirmative. If we combine the energy we can super charge one Ranger for the duration of the battle.”
“Alpha and I can reconfigure the Zeo Crystal for a short to time to restore one Zeo Ranger,” Zordon offered.
“That just leaves us,” Franklin pointed out as the Turbos looked at Justin for an answer.
“Lightning?” he offered.
“I have a better idea,” Fred answered. “Zordon, teleport us to the Turbo Carts.”
It was decided after some debate that Jason would be the Morphin Ranger to fight Globbor and that Tommy would do the same for the Zeo Rangers; bother Rangers piloted Zords that were capable of single combat.
“Let’s do this!” Jason cried. “We call on the power of all ours combined…”
“Black Ranger Power!”
“Pink Ranger Power!”
“Yellow Ranger Power!”
“Blue Ranger Power!”
“Purple Ranger Power!”
“White Ranger Power!”
Jason hesitated. Something told him that in his current state it would be unwise to call upon all the aspects of the Red Ranger power. For the first time since he had regained his powers to help in the fight against Minion, he would need to choose. He closed his eyes, allowing the Power to guide him to his true form. He wasn’t surprised as his eyes snapped open and he yelled: “Tyrannosaurus!”
“Ready Alpha?” Tommy asked. “Zeo Ranger V – Red!”
In two columns of red light they teleported into battle.
“So, what’s the plan?” Tasha demanded.
The five Turbo Rangers were still not morphed, but had positioned their Turbo Carts at the top of the mountain. They were facing downwards and extremely grateful for the powerful brakes.
“Simple,” Fred answered, “we drive down the mountain, build up speed and then morph.”
“The speed would help to charge out Turbo Keys,” Justin agreed.
“Or make us go splat when it doesn’t work,” Tasha groused.
“It’s this or coffee,” Fred answered, making a face.
Four of his friends made similar faces as they started to drive forward. Tasha mumbled something about liking coffee and then followed. The Turbo Carts built up speed and despite the rocky terrain, maintained a smooth course. Just as they were nearing the bottom of the mountain, Fred gave the word.
“Shift in Turbo!”
The Rangers pulled their Turbo keys from the slots on their dashboards and inserted them into their morphers. The sudden spike of energy was enough to bump start their powers, reconnecting them to the Speed Force. And almost as soon as their bodies were reconnected, they found the damage Globbor had done was reversed as their energy levels recharged.
“Turbo Zord Power, Now!”
“Damn!” Aisha exclaimed.
Jason and Tommy were not doing so well and the entire team winced as the Tyrannosaurus was slammed into the ground. The Red Battlezord was also down. It had tried to punch the monster with little effect.
“We need to get out there,” Rocky stated. “Zordon, is there any way we can recharge long enough to help?”
In truth the only thing that could help their condition was sleep and perhaps some sugar. Still it was clear that even with a boost from their friends, the two Red Rangers were having a hard time holding Globbor back.
“I can infuse you with some of my own energy,” Zordon rumbled. “However, this is extremely dangerous and the risks to yourselves.”
“Yeah, we get it,” Adam replied. “We don’t have much choice Zordon, do it!”
“Very well Rangers, prepare yourselves,” Zordon instructed before unleashing a torrent of white energy.
The Rangers were bathed in the white energy, restoring some of their strength. It was not enough, but it would do.
“Alpha, prepare the Zeo Megazord for launch,” Adam instructed.
“I don’t think we’ll have time to assemble the Megazord when we get there,” Zack mused. “We might have to rely on single for Zords this, guys.”
The other Morphin Rangers nodded in understanding.
“Pyramidas will be there if you need it,” Trey promised.
“It’s Morphin Time!”
The left fist of the Turbo Megazord smashed into Globbor’s face, knocking the monster back. The Turbo Rangers were not in a good mood and it showed in their aggressive style. As they used the Zord’s seldom utilised arm cannon to keep Globbor off balance, Red Ranger could direct the Tyrannosaurus back to its feet.
And then the rest of the Zords arrived. First came the Zeo Megazord. Then the Dino Stegazord comprised of Zords belonging to Purple Ranger and White Ranger. The Mastodon, Triceratops, Sabre-toothed Tiger and Pterodactyl were hot on their heels; with Jason already in battle it had not been possible for the Morphin Rangers to form the Megazord. That was rectified when the Triceratops had rammed into the monster and pushed it far away. The Zeo Rangers took to opportunity to merge their Zords.
With the Dino Megazord, Dino Stegazord, Zeo Mega Battlezord and Turbo Megazord online, the Rangers started to take the fight to Globbor once more. The monster was tough, having used the power it had stolen from them to tap into both the Morphin Grid and the Zeo Crystal. However, the four Mega Zords stayed on the offensive and the Turbo Rangers’ anger at the way they had been used, intensified their assault.
“Everybody back up!” Green Zeo ordered suddenly.
The Rangers did as they were told, moving their Zords out of danger as Pyramidas loomed over the monster and unleashed a barrage of lightning.
“Turbo Spinout!” Red Turbo commanded.
The Turbo Megazord charged at the monster at full speed. Suddenly, as the Turbo Rangers braked, they made a short shift to the left followed by a greater shift to the right. With the momentum shifted by the braking, the Megazord centre of gravity shifted, causing the machine to spin. The blade struck Blue Globbor repeatedly as the other Zords added their own finishers.
With a scream of defiance, Globbor fell to the ground and exploded.
Suddenly, the visage of Master Vile appeared. It towered in glorious true to life hologram over the city.
“This is not over Rangers. You should have just given in. It would have saved you in the long run. Now you will truly suffer.” Then he was gone and the Rangers stood victorious.
It was not the best of victories. The Rangers had returned to the Power Chamber and had almost collapsed. The Turbo Rangers had been rushed off for an emergency session with Dr Lita Kino to help them start to understand what had happened to them. It wouldn’t be a quick fix, but previous experience had taught them that not dealing with such events would lead to problems later.
Some of the Rangers had been sent to the Medical Bay where they would remain for a few hours at least. The Power had protected them in battle, but the injuries they had sustained during their time as Vile’s guests needed attention. The others had been ordered to rest. There was no other fix for their exhaustion.
After the immediate care of the Rangers had been dealt with, Zordon and Alpha had started work to determine how much damage had been done to their powers. The Turbo Rangers had had minimal exposure to Globbor and after Fred’s successful method of reconnecting to the Speed Force, their powers seemed to be back to normal.
The other Rangers were not so lucky. The drain upon the Zeo Crystal had placed it under great strain. Its energy channels were already reforming, but it would take time to reach its previous potency. The Morphin Rangers would also suffer the effects of the drain for some time. It was not the energy that was the problem, but the way Globbor had drawn the energy. He had taken far more than the Power Balls could supply in such a short time.
While it was a matter of concern, Zordon knew that the Morphin Rangers would recover. Once the Power resumed a normal rhythm, they would be back to normal. Of greater concern were the five Rangers that Master Vile had been using to protect his base upon the Moon. They had been subjected to a sustained draining of their powers that had inflicted damage upon the energy centres of their bodies. Unfortunately, he believed that he would have to ask that they did not morph until their powers had fully stabilised. For Nathan that could be a very long time.
The same was true for Samoht. His magical nature meant that the loss of so much energy had threatened his survival. Once he had had time to recover and his link to the Morphin Grid had re-established itself, his body had recovered. However, his magic was still unstable and Zordon had ordered him to refrain from morphing.
Fortunately, both the Zeo and Morphin teams were reserves and could take the time to recover from their experiences. Steps would be needed to protect them from Master Vile if he decided to try the same plan again. Although he doubted the villain would be that unoriginal.
It did make him wonder what Master Vile was after?
Monastra and Shanara had recovered after a few hours. Neither had been pleased with Master Vile’s method of dealing with the Rangers although both had appreciated his actions to save their lives. They were less pleased to learn that the Rangers had escaped and Globbor had been destroyed.
“Fear not,” Vile told them. “This is only the beginning. There is more than one way to find what we seek.” He paused in thought. “It has been a while since I considered making a new throne world. This world will do nicely.”
He would take over the planet and then find the fragment of the Xeno Crystal that lay within. And once he did, even Dark Specter would bow to his will.
End
Chapter 9: Titanium Victory
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. They belong to whoever holds that copyright. I also do not own Doctor Who, which belongs to the BBC.
Titanium Victory
Mariner Bay,
“Let’s take it up a notch,” Red Lightspeed said. “Super Train Megazord, Initiate!”
The Super Train Megazord was rapidly formed, its powerful weapon systems brought online and ready to face off with their demonic foe.
“Gattling Blasters!”
A high pitched whine filled the air as the Zord discharged the weapon on its right arm. Diabolico however was unaffected even as the left arm of the Megazord unloaded with its full battery of rockets. Indeed as the Megazord continued to fire upon him, Diabolico merely laughed and marched toward them.
A single shot from the demon’s staff was all it took to fell the Megazord. Sparks erupted around it as the metal giant toppled to the ground. Diabolico seized the opportunity to finish the metal warrior with the sharpened blade that formed one end of his staff.
“No!” Red Lightspeed gasped as he gripped the controls.
The Megazord responded, its giant right hand catching the weapon before it could reach them.
“Don’t you know when to give up?” Diabolico growled as the Megazord forced its way back to its feet.
“Yeah, never!” Red Lightspeed replied.
“Well then,” Diabolico chuckled as the Megazord forced him to step back, “Let me show you real power.”
The head that made up the demon’s midsection glowed with power. The star in the forehead pulsed with red light while the eyes glowed green with power. A blast of energy fired from the mouth area, knocking the Super Train Megazord backward. For an instant the Megazord stood still while its legs tried to redirect the control signals that had been lost, along with a vast section of the Megazord’s torso. Then reality seemed to catch up with the massive machine as it tumbled backwards.
Around Mariner Bay, Lightspeed personnel had been busy while the Megazord had been losing its fight with the stronger demon. Technicians backed by armed soldiers ran miles of cable through the city streets and positioned equipment in predetermined positions. Even as the Megazord collapsed from the tremendous damage it had endured, Lightspeed’s electricians busied themselves testing circuits.
Inside the Aquabase, Miss Fairweather received the final confirmation that everything was in order.
“They’re ready, Sir,” she reported softly.
Next to her, Captain Mitchell nodded his approval.
“Tell all personnel to clear the area and send in the Lightspeed Rescue Zords,” he instructed. “It’s time to put an end to this.”
“What, the Rescue Zords?” Green Lightspeed asked, unsure what was happening.
“Does that mean he have to abandon the Super Train?” Blue Lightspeed added.
“There’s not much we can do from here anyway,” Pink Lightspeed stated as Yellow Lightspeed worked to control the fires that had broken out in the cockpit.
Red Lightspeed considered their situation for a moment. The Super Train Megazord was much more powerful than the Lightspeed Rescue Megazord, but it was too badly damaged to be of further assistance… unless they could restore its firepower and move Diabolico into the path of its weapons.
“We’ve got no choice,” he said finally. “Move it.”
Transferring between Zords was a quick but dangerous matter. For just a few seconds they were left exposed to their massive enemy. Fortunately he had chosen to ignore them. With a few well practiced movements, the Rangers were inside the relative safety of their Zords and the Lightspeed Megazord had been formed.
“Megazord go, Lightspeed!”
With a few whistles and clicks, the Megazord had been formed. The steam from the powerful pistons that locked the head section to the main bulk of the body ceased as the mechanisms locked into place.
“Lightspeed Megazord Saber, Ignite!”
Even it full power it appeared their weapon was ineffective against the demon. A fact he quite happily confirmed.
“Your puny saber is useless against me,” he told them after shaking off its effect. “All of your pathetic weapons put together are no match for me; for I, Diabolico, am invincible.”
His chest pulsed with energy to emphasize the point before blasting them with more of his energy.
“That blast just took the Zords beyond their safety limits,” Fairweather warned.
“Activate the system and then instruct the Rangers to pull back,” Mitchell replied. “The effects should give them time.”
“But Sir, this could be our only chance,” Fairweather protested.
Captain Mitchell hesitated. The weapon they had erected would only work once against Diabolico and would alert the demons that their human foes had uncovered knew knowledge. But the lives of the Rangers were on the line and that was too high a price for defeating a single demon.
“Sir, we have incoming,” one of the technicians reported. “It’s the Max Solarzord.”
“Ryan?” Ms Fairweather queried as she exchanged a worried look with Captain Mitchell.
On the screen they could see the Max Solarzord’s firepower knock Diabolico aside.
“Max Solarzord, back in action and at your service,” they heard Titanium Ranger announce.
“Ryan, you can’t be up there,” Captain Mitchell called over the communication channel. “The cobra…”
“It’s okay Dad,” Titanium Ranger assured him. “The cobra is history and so is the curse.”
They could hear the cry of jubilation from Pink Lightspeed at that news.
“Get the Solarzord Control Centre online,” Mitchell ordered. “I want full systems support ready for when he needs it.”
Meanwhile Ms Fairweather had settled in front of her console and was rapidly inputting commands.
“Now we’re going to show Diabolico some real fireworks,” she muttered. “All teams, we’re going for integration.”
“Activate sound system,” Mitchell ordered.
“The Titanium Ranger?” Diabolico asked in disbelief as he shook off the effect of the energy blasts and watched the Lightspeed Megazord grab onto the Max Solarzord and lift into the sky.
Before he could react however the city came to life with an eruption of sound. Lightspeed’s operatives had trailed miles of speaker wire throughout the city, linking it to powerful amplifiers and massive speakers on top of vehicles that could have passed for miniature Zords.
“Zie-Fee-ZAH!”
The word boomed through the city, followed by equally loud chants that seemed to carry and emphasize the word.
“What? Impossible! How did you learn that?” Diabolico demanded as the volume increased.
The words hurt his ears, forcing him to hold his head as his powers seemed to abandon him.
“Rangers, he’s vulnerable. Activate Battle Booster!” Miss Fairweather instructed.
Inside the Megazord, Red Lightspeed obeyed. “Initiating Lightspeed Solarzord sequence. Three-five-six activate!”
The Lightspeed Megazord released its grip on the Max Solarzord, freefalling back toward the ground as the shuttle rotated and seeming broke apart.
“Magna-locks are online!” Yellow Lightspeed reported as parts of the Max Solarzord were repositioned around the Megazord, forming armour that slid over the metal robot.
“Connection made,” Titanium Ranger confirmed, “Systems are running in synch.”
As he finished speaking, the combined system of the newly formed Zord came online, activating the thrusters in the machine’s feet and saving them from a nasty impact. As Green Lightspeed took control of their flight, Yellow Lightspeed and Blue Lightspeed used their control over the arms to fire at the demon.
“This can’t be happening,” Diabolico groaned, his rage allowing him to tune out the effects of the sound system. “I told you, I am invincible.”
“Invincible enough, you’re still a demon,” Pink Lightspeed snarled. “And even the most powerful demon can be conquered if you know his name.”
And there was the truth, laid out for the demon to understand. The humans had discovered his true name, the source of his demon power. If used in a single battle it would allow a single combatant to negate his power, but Lightspeed had been clever and had used their knowledge of demon lore and the wisdom Zordon had provided. Instead of simply using his name as a one-time weapon, they had embedded it into a faux ceremony similar to that used by those trying to summon demons from other dimensions. The words, the chanting, bound a part of his power allowing them to plead their case.
But it was not a true ritual and Diabolico was not trapped in another dimension. And that meant that with sufficient rage and more than a little concentration, he was able to break through the spell and unleash his full power at the Lightspeed Solarzord.
What Diabolico had not expected, but should have been prepared for, given his knowledge of the Titanium Ranger, was that the Lightspeed Solarzord mimicked the energy absorbing attributes of the Titanium Ranger’s weapon.
“Ryan, channel the energy into the weapon systems,” Fairweather instructed.
Titanium Ranger did as he was told, causing a pair of large cannons to appear on the Lightspeed Solarzord’s hips. These were the machine’s main weapons, capable of emptying all the power contained within its energy cells as a single discharge. And the chant Diabolico had been listening to had enraged the demon so much, he had fired everything he had in their direction.
“Diverting all remaining power to secondary weapons,” Blue Lightspeed confirmed.
“This can’t be happening,” Diabolico repeated as the Zord glowed with power.
“Sure it can…”
Whatever Red Lightspeed said was lost as he pulled the trigger and unleashed the Rangers fury at the creature that had dared to attack their city.
“Fire!”
And the Lightspeed Solarzord opened fire, emptying the stored power in a barrage that ripped into the demon. It was over in a matter of seconds, but the damage had been done. Diabolico’s weakened body crackled and sparked as he tried to withstand the devastating blast. His staff dropped to the ground as he raised his fists in defiance, but it was a fruitless effort.
“You have done the impossible,” he conceded as he felt his body reach breaking point. “You have defeated the mighty Diabolico. But be assured that Queen Bansheera’s forces with avenge me a thousand fold. And don’t think for a moment this little trick of yours will work again.”
That much was true, despite its effectiveness the naming of the demon had revealed the knowledge they possessed and the means they used to wield it. In the city below the lesser demons were making certain that the massive sound system Lightspeed had utilised would not be used again.
Then it seemed Diabolico accepted his fate as he toppled forward and exploded, leaving the Rangers triumphant.
The Lightspeed Rangers had emerged victorious, but their mission was far from over. With the Titanium Ranger on their side they had gained a valuable weapon in the fight against Queen Bansheera. But the demons were more than just Diabolico and their devotion to the queen had never been stronger. With the fall of one, a new leader would step forward to destroy the human civilisation and restore the world to the demon paradise it had once been.
But for now the Rangers had earned their celebration and for the Mitchell family it was a chance to rebuild the bonds that the demons had tried to break.
Jinxer stood upon the site where Diabolico had fallen, chanting in an ancient tongue. For Queen Bansheera demanded the total devotion of her subjects and not even death would spare Diabolico from her service. Fortunately for the former leader of the demons, Jinxer had not been instructed to revive the fallen villain, only to claim what remained of his power. How Queen Bansheera planned to use that power remained to be seen, but JInxer had more than a few idea and gleefully chuckled as he imagined the look on the face of the human traitor when he realised that his betrayal had only made the demons stronger.
End of Part
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