Revelations: Coming Of The Dragon Master
by Shadow RangerDisclaimer: Even in my wildest dreams I do not own the Power Rangers. They belong to Saban and are used here without his permission. Saban also owns Masked Rider and VR Troopers. Mandarin belongs to Marvel Comics and North Valley belongs to the creators of Super Human Samurai Cyber Squad. UNIT is own by the BBC as does the Master and his TARDIS.
Some of the additional characters i.e. Chelsea and Teddy Oliver, members of the De Santos family, Jamie Zedden and the IGPF belong to Ellen Brand. I have also borrowed the idea of Morphin Warriors and based my description of the Morphin Grid on her series. Thank you for allowing me to use them Ellen:-)
Now for what I do own. The idea for the Full Aspect Morphin Powers is mine, use it if you want. Minion is also my creation. Silvo, Bronzo, and Brasso are my creations named after tins of metal polish. Any likeness between these characters and anybody else’s are purely coincidental.
Anything appearing like -this- is a conversation Sam is eaves dropping. *This* is a telepathic message. [This] is a computerised message. Beetle Borgs are called -colour- Borg. Gem Coin Rangers are referred to as Zeo -Ninja Animal-. VR Troopers are referred to as -colour- Trooper.
On a final note, thanks to Matt for the continued feedback on this series.
Coming of the Dragon Master
JULY 1996
Earth had been under attack from the villain known as the Master for almost three weeks, but right now such matters were beyond Zordon’s thoughts. His Rangers had proved themselves by constantly destroying his plans. Even the return of Zedd and Rita and the rumoured reappearance of the Machine Empire did not concern Zordon at this point. The figure in front of him had his full and undivided attention.
For today the life of a suspect criminal was in the balance and it was Zordon’s job to answer the powerful being’s single and direct question.
“Zordon, as spokesman for the jury I ask you to state the verdict,” the Judge said.
Zordon had sealed himself inside his own personal dimension for the day. Being an active member of the Council as well as mentor to the Earth Rangers could be a strain. It meant he had to juggle his time between politics and his duties on Earth. Today he had one of his least favourite duties, jury duty. Zordon hated being responsible for deciding whether somebody was guilty or not guilty. Luckily he had eleven other members to help him and today the verdict was unanimous.
The evidence had been pretty compelling. In the last ten years Nore had been on a rampage similar to that of young Ivan Ooze. He had attacked worlds along the border of the M-51 Galaxy, offering them innate guidance. Those who refused lost his protection and were normally found to be the victims of a severe environmental disaster within a few days of their refusal. In each case it had been proven the disasters were a result of monsters summoned by Nore.
In the end he had been caught and taken to Erlion to stand trial. It had taken a team of IGPF officers, Senturion Units and Rangers to restrain him. Luckily one of the White Morphin Masters had been able to shield Nore from the power of the Morphin Grid. A special crystal prevented him from reconnecting in the trial room.
Zordon looked at the judge; one of the longest and most respected High Councillors. He had long been force to live with the fact he resembled Master Vile’s demonic form. In truth the three separate faces were invaluable in council sessions, providing a balance and well though out argument to any debate.
“Guilty, High Councillor.”
“Do the jury find any reason for leniency?”
“None my lord, but we request that the sentence of death is not passed. We believe given time General Nore may reform, but the judge should have maximum power to sentence.”
“You’ll pay for this Zordon!” Nore shouted.
“General Nore, you have been found guilty of crimes against life itself,” the Judge said, ignoring Nore’s outburst. “You have perverted the powers given to you by birth for your own selfish reasons. You are a danger to yourself and the Universe. I have no option but to hand down the most severe sentence allowed by Intergalactic Law. You will be taken from this place to Eltare, where the Morphin Masters will strip you of any link to the Morphin Grid for all eternity.
When your link has been removed you will be taken to the IGPF Containment Centre to be held until you show evidence of being willing and able to reform. In handing down this sentence the court is under an obligation to remind you that should you refuse to accept the sentence handed down by this court, the only alternative to incarceration is termination.
May the Power have mercy upon your soul.”
“You will pay for this Zordon!” Nore shouted again. “And it’s Lord Nore, not General Nore!”
“You need pay his words no heed Zordon,” the judge said. “He will not be released until he has reformed and even then he will be in no position to threaten you.”
“I have no fear for myself High Councillor,” Zordon replied. “I only feel sympathy for those whose lives have been ruined by his reign of terror and regret that we were unable to stop him sooner.”
“As always you have managed to get to the point of the matter my friend,” the judge said. “Thank you again Zordon, I do not know where we would be without you wisdom and sense of justice.”
Zordon closed the link from his private dimension to the courtroom, paid his respects to his fellow jurors and returned to the Power Chamber. He felt just the faintest tinge of bitterness that Nore may someday be freed whilst he had been imprisoned for the rest of his life for fighting evil and trying to be a good man.
Still, there was no point in feeling bitter because it would do him no good. Zordon had never regretted the sacrifice he had been forced to make in order to defeat Rita Repulsa. She had betrayed him by breaking the truce he had arranged. In a last effort to ensure she was restrained until a force arose capable of dealing with her evil, Zordon had sealed her inside a Space Dumpster.
The ancient Morphin Masters had decided the Moon surrounding a small planet called Earth would be the best place for the Dumpster to remain. Zordon had discovered soon after that nobody could release him from his timewarp and had determined his best course of action was to go to Earth and protect the planet in case Rita ever returned.
Sometimes Zordon found it strange that Earth had been chosen as the dumping ground for five major villains. Rita had been placed on the Moon and Ivan Ooze was located in Angel Grove away from those who might wish him free. Three other villains had been placed around the globe, their release a constant cause for concern. Zordon could only imagine they chose Earth because it at the time of the earliest imprisonment the planet was without intelligent life, but found it hard to believe they had not foreseen the arrival of human life, given the power Ley Nexuses surrounding the planet.
The result had been ten thousand years spent alone, apart from the occasional council meeting. Alpha Five had been repaired by Lexian after the final battle with Rita and sent to Earth. Alpha had with Zordon’s instruction built the first Command Centre. Together they had watched Earth evolve, careful to avoid detection and never interfering.
General Norquist had arrived on Earth one century after Zordon and the two had formed an alliance of sorts. Norquist had agreed to build a team to service the Zords and Zordon had arranged for Norquist to gain a permit to operate on Earth. Both had kept a low profile until the time was right and Norquist had been able to create NASADA. There he trained Earth’s last line of defence and furthered the development of their Space Program, careful to prevent anybody discovering too much too soon.
Now in the space of a few short years Zordon had gained some new friends and family. From the moment Rita had returned the Rangers had been in his life. The ranks had extended, but finally all his Rangers had their powers and were part of the team. Admittedly having Rita and Zedd to deal with was not fun, but Zordon would not trade his life for anything.
ERLION SPACEPORT,
10 NOVEMBER 1996
The powerful hoverjet stopped in front of the prison transport ship. Inside were twenty of the most dangerous captives in IGPF custody. Some were going to be imprisoned and some had been sentence to termination. No chances were taken with such a major transfer. The IGPF had poured, as many resources as it could into ensuring a full contingent of officers were available for escort duty.
The IGPF’s role in the day to day running of the council planets had developed from a limitation placed upon the Power Rangers. Although they had the full authority of the council to repel invaders who threatened their worlds, the Rangers could not act against the everyday scum who preyed on the defenceless. It had therefore been decided to create a second group with a separate command structure, the IGPF.
Unlike Power Rangers, members of the Inter-Galactic Police Force were not compelled to remain on one world, although they did have officers on each council world as liaisons with the local law enforcement agencies. IGPF officers could travel to any would and patrol space to prevent crimes from running illegal drugs to murder.
Over time a close relationship had formed between the IGPF and the Rangers. Ranger teams handed over captured villains to the IGPF and IGPF agents were sworn to aid a Ranger should he or she request it.
Now a third force had arisen, a hybrid between the Rangers and the IGPF. They had the IGPF’s responsibilities to enforce the rules, but some of the Ranger powers. These were provided through shared technology. So far only ten of the hybrid Galaxy Rangers had been created.
The great Ninjor, using some blank Power Coins had created special badges. Instead of being linked directly to an animal spirit they were linked to the smaller part of the Lightside of the Grid. The Galaxy Rangers had increased stamina, speed, strength and aim. They had been equipped with special energy shields concealed in their left sleeve and a laser pistol with a light sword fitted to the handle. In addition they had access to the strongest handcuffs ever created and anti-gravity repulsors linked through a control panel on their belts.
All ten of the Galaxy Rangers had been integrated into the force of IGPF officers who spanned the Universe. Each of them had extra capabilities activated through the badges. Together the ten were a force second only to the Power Rangers and sworn to defend the innocent against the scum who were ruining their lives.
Inside the hoverjet the prisoners had been arranged according to their destination and restrained as necessary. For some that mean having their arms and legs shackled to the seat, for others it meant being placed in a secured cage and for some it meant before secured in a block of solid carbonate. On board the prison transport special arrangements had been arranged for each captive to ensure they could not get away.
The six Blue Senturion Units snapped to attention as the doors opened. Being cybernetic they were beyond bribery, they were expendable and they didn’t need weapons to stop a revolt. A simple twist of the neck was enough to do the trick to subdue a convict permanently.
The prisoners due for transport looked up as the commander in charge of the transfer stepped into the hoverjet. “My name is Marshall Duros. You will obey each and every instruction I give you to the letter. You will not attempt any form of escape or you will be terminated. Obey the rules and respect the authority of the IGPF officers acting as your escorts and this trip will be over quickly. If you do not obey the rules this trip will be the longest journey you will ever make.” Turning to the officers standing ready behind him he added, “Move them out.”
Forty unarmed officers entered the hoverjet, each of them having signed away any rights should they be taken hostage. Without weapons there was no way their prisoners could steal a gun. Together they escorted, dragged and pulled the prisoners out onto the floor of the spaceport.
“Activate containment field!” Duros ordered, pointing at the hoverjet.
An energy screen appeared across the door of the hoverjet. Inside poison gas was pumped in followed by high intensity laser bolts to kill any organic life left inside, thus ensuring there were no stowaways. Then the hover jet was sent back to the prison by remote control.
“Let’s get these prisoners processed and placed on board people,” Duros shouted. “I want to be out of here within the hour.”
MASTER’S TARDIS/ PALACE, THE MOON
Despite Zedd and Rita’s best attempts they had failed to retake their castle from the Master. Eventually they had given up and returned to their old winnebego along with Goldar and Rito. They were still more evil than they had ever been, but the continuous driving force Minion had provided was gone. Their desire to regain their palace was strong, but they just didn’t want it as much as they might have done two months before.
The Master ignored this fact. Rita and Zedd were not important. Zedd’s preoccupation with a human child was causing him to lose sight of his destiny again. Nor was the Machine Empire, who had been secretly rebuilding on the dark side of the lunar surface a problem. When the time came, the Master knew a certain computer-generated villain from North Valley who could wipe out the machines. His concern was focussed fully on the ongoing war with the Power Rangers of Earth.
To that end the Master had started called in his debts on Erlion and gained access to the day’s prison transport logs. Looking down the list of names he dismissed the homicidal maniacs and drug runners. They were not what he needed to defeat the Rangers. He turned the page and discovered the secure prisoners. Four prisoners had been classed as special cases due to magical powers. The first three meant nothing to him, but the name Lord Nore rang a bell.
The Master had seen Nore’s work up close. The villain was truly an artist and he was exploitable. As the Dark Dragon Master he controlled a portion of the Green Morphin Power and had perverted it to evil. The Master recalled his impressions of Nore. The man was vain, pompous and bigoted. An appeal to his vanity would be enough to turn him to the Master’s service, especially if the Master offered him a small incentive.
Of course there was the small problem of freeing Nore first. The Master knew he could do the job himself if he wished, but that was hardly the activity for the Supreme Ruler of the Galaxy. No, he needed a bunch of well-trained mercenaries to act on his behalf. Preferably mercenaries the Master could dispose of quickly when their task was complete. In the end he had located the Nive’s Nest, a group of mercenaries who acted like a miniature army in their assaults. Their leader, Sencro Nive was the most wanted criminal in the Galaxy.
Negotiations had been quick and straightforward. Nive was not a man known for his negotiating skills. He had simply stated his terms and the Master had agreed. Firstly Nive was to be allowed to keep any IGPF officers or criminals on board the ship that the Master did not want for use within his own organisation. In addition Nive had insisted on his share of any valuable materials found on Earth. The Master had agreed to the simple demands. Unlike most of the mercenaries the Master had dealt with Nive did not want a continued share of the profit or an immediate payment upon completion. Instead he had gained access to Earth after the Master conquered it and secured himself some new pilots.
Together the Master and Nive had worked out a plan to complete their objectives. As they worked the Master decided he liked Nive. _Perhaps I will keep him alive in case I need him again, _ the Master thought. _After all, a mercenary with a brain is hard to find these days. _
ERLION SPACE PORT,
ONE HOUR LATER
It had seemed like an endless process, but eventually all the prisoners had been processed and taken aboard one of the three transport ships the IGPF had decided to use. Each prisoner had been rigorously inspected for foreign objects they might attempt to use to escape. Every cavity and orifice had been check, a long and demanding task considering not all the prisoners and IGPF officers were human.
Eventually it had been completed and Nore was transported on board the third prison ship. Escorted by six armed guards he was taken to an empty area in the centre of the ship. There his guards chained him to a fixed metal chair. A solid cage of titanium alloy was placed around the chair. The bars extended to form a ceiling over Nore’s head and a floor under his feet. Beyond the cage was a second set of energy bars. Four laser beams had been placed on the outside and four Senturion Units positioned around the perimeter. Finally a three-part door opened into a gas filled airlock.
The entire cell had been created to be independent from the rest of the ship. From there Nore could have no influence over the rest of the ship and should any accidents occur the officers could be sure he would not be freed. With the last prisoner in place the organic officers left the cell area, sealing it behind them. Only robotic officers were allowed in the detention areas during flight.
At the signal all was clear the spaceport operators opened the forcefield containing the prison ships. All three craft lifted off and joined their escorts in orbit above the planet. Today in addition to their normal escorts they had four advanced level fighters to assist. The Phoenix, Eagle, Liberator and Scorpio were ready for action. Each ship had been created using Ranger technology donated by the Phantom Ranger of Zordonia. Each ship had been given a special function within the escort.
Phoenix and Eagle were the lead ships; both capable of high speed and long range scans. The Eagle served as the command ship, relaying data back to the ships they were escorting, while the Phoenix was the trouble-shooter, meeting possible trouble makers before they got too near. Scorpio was the troop and supply ship, providing a refuelling bay for those fighters that accompanied the prison ships. Scorpio was virtually defenceless, although it did had the most advanced shielding in the IGPF arsenal, after Liberator.
Phoenix was a large blue and red spacecraft, originally fitted for planetary use. The phoenix was fast mainly because of its small mass compared to most ships. The twin engines at the rear provided most of its thrust, with additional power from the additional engines fitted to the each wingtip. Crew by five the Phoenix was capable of releasing three one-man fighters and transforming into a fortress.
Eagle had originally been designed for exploration. Powered by its four rear mounted engines the ship did not have any defences of its own. However, it did sport the largest holding bay in the fleet and always had a squadron capable of dealing with any attackers. To prevent any suicide gambits wiping out its vital passengers Eagle was able to release the docking bay into space and use its own limited shield to provide protection.
Scorpio was a troop and supply frigate. It was primitive and difficult to fly, but had regenerating shields that put most ships to shame. Scorpio’s main purpose on this transport was to provide a simply rear guard against pursuers. If necessary Scorpio could ram an incoming ship and survive intact.
The Liberator was one of only two ships made in its class. Originally built for the colonists of KO-35 it had at one point been known as the Omega Megaship. The exact designers of the ship were unknown, except they had at some staff been involved in a deadly war. The Liberator had been found with its crew in hibernation by the Phantom Ranger and taken to the secret world inside Zordonia. There they had been revived and trained to form the backbone of the Galaxy Rangers. The Liberator was refitted, but the crew liked the ship and the commander of the IGPF arranged to purchase the craft and have and Zord interfaces removed.
What made the Liberator truly unique was its computer system. On KO-35 the Astro Rangers used an AI unite known as DECA. The Liberator’s computer Zen made DECA look like what Earthlings referred to as a ZX81. Zen was more than a simple computer. He had sub-computers handling every task on the ship and everything was linked back to him. Whereas DECA could only monitor the different parts of the Astro Megaship, Zen could monitor, control and repair any part of the Liberator from almost any damage.
The main design feature about the Liberator was its four-part drive system. The main power and hyper rush system was located at the rear of the ship. From out it resembled a large green ball pulsating with energy. The engines were linked into a long fuselage to the seven-man control bay at the front. From the main fuselage three detached engines were suspended, forming an equilateral triangle. Each engine was the length of the main fuselage, culminating with a powerful weapons array near the front. From the rear the Liberator look like a large green ball, but from the front it looked like a four pronged death machine.
Despite these four powerful ships the IGPF had long accepted that small ships were needed to deal with the fast attack cruisers that sometimes attacked convoy. As a result eight IGPF fights surrounded the convoy at all times. Each craft was a Tri-winged fighter piloted by two IGPF officers. The machines were fast and effective both in and outside of convoy formation. They were hyper rush capable and had an advanced targeting system.
As the convoy linked their computer systems together Commander Duros had a green light. Giving the order to his crew the fifteen strong prison fleet jumped to hyperspace, on course for Eltare followed by the Containment Centre.
_How had it gone so wrong? _ Lieutenant Gallen wondered as he struggled to free himself from his Tri-fighter’s wreckage.
In less than half an hour a simple escort mission had turned into the largest tragedy in IGPF history. It had happened so quickly that Gallen doubted anyone could have done anything to prevent it. Three escort ships and numerous snubfighters destroyed, the Liberator crew forced to abandon ship and then captured, three transport ships devastated, their prisoners whisked away to freedom and worst of all the Galaxy Rangers had been killed.
It had started out as per the briefing, the convoy had jumped to hyperspace and the pilots had settled in for a two-hour journey to Eltare. In Hyperspace the ships were impervious to outside influence, or so they thought. An explosion had rocked the convoy after only an hour. The ships had reverted to realspace, nobody aware of where they were or what was happening.
Communications, scanners and even radio signals had been rendered useless by the explosion. At first Gallen had thought they were under attack, but nobody could have attacked them from outside hyperspace. Then the realisation had set in. It had not been an external attack; it had been a bomb planted in the convoy’s path, designed with the sole purpose of forcing the convoy to re-enter realspace.
The bombing of hyperspace convoys was a rare but often successful technique. Firstly the attacker would find out the path its target was likely to take and pick an area where there were few world capable of helping. Next a high yield gravity generator was position to force any ships to slow down. Normally that would be enough for a pirate ship to attack the exposed craft.
But this attacker had had more sinister motives than robbing a goods transporter. Instead of waiting for a ship to re-enter realspace the attacker had attached the gravity generator to a graphashort bomb. The result was an immediate short circuit in every electrical system inside the convoy.
Then the attack had started. A single ship had appeared, larger than most of the ships in the convoy with the possible exception of the Liberator. It had fired its entire laser battery at the crippled convoy. Even though some of the ships were recovering they never stood a chance. Smaller fighters launched from the larger craft and began to pick off the defenders, ship by ship.
The Galaxy Rangers’ own fighters were trapped inside the Phoenix, not because they were disabled, but because the docking bay doors were jammed shut.
Gallen and his copilot Officer Gort had chosen that moment to try and act. Together they managed to rewire their small ship, freeing it from Eagle’s computer. The moment they did so their ship came to life.
“What now?” Gort asked as they directed their ship towards the nearest attacker.
“We get a message sent to IGPF Headquarters and try to keep as many of those fighters away as possible,” Gallen replied. His words were not as gallant as they sounded. A quick look at his status board had told Gallen that a jump to hyperspace was currently impossible due to the failure of the Navicom.
“Targeting Grid online, shields at sixty percent,” Gort reported, activating the weapons and letting Gallen control their flight.
“Two second burst right yoke,” Gallen said.
As he spoke Gallen activated the afterburners and pulled the ship to the right. Zeroing in on the nearest ship he fired, pitching hard left to lock onto a second.
“We have three ships heading towards us,” Gort told his companion. “One has fired heat seeker.”
“Activate diversion,” Gallen instructed.
Gort pressed a series of buttons and a torpedo was launched, keeping speed just behind them. At the last moment a second torpedo was launched, detonating the first and catching the attacker’s heat seeker in the blast.
Gallen was not done yet. Guiding his small craft towards Invincible, the largest of the three transport ships he attempted to dock. A thought had occurred to him during the brief firefight and he hoped he was wrong. Before he could dock another of the attacking ships moved in.
Gort took a moment to identify the craft they were facing. Similar to the Tri-fighter in the form of its three wings, the craft had no nosecone, the cockpit ending in a simple transparent screen. The fighter had been identified as a Yoke Fighter, used exclusively by a fighter group known as Nive’s Nest.
In the time it had taken for Gallen to realise his plan would not work another four fighters were heading in his direction. Using the wreckage from Scorpio as cover Gallen was able to turn his fighter to face his pursuers. Pushing a button he reset his engines so they fired in different directions. Waiting until the attackers were within range and then pressed the engine engage and weapons fire button at the same time.
Propelled from different directions the fighter started to spin, firing its deadly lasers at the same time. For a full two minutes the fighter continued to spin, shredding the attacking snubfighters before slowing down.
“Gallen, we need to move, now!” Gort shouted as he noticed the large cruiser closing in on them. Too late Gallen activated the engines. The Tri-fighter’s canopy shattered depressurising Gort’s section of the cockpit. Gort was torn out of the hole into the cold vacuum of space.
Gallen had not been much luckier. The fighter had continued moving crushing his legs as it smashed into the remains of another fighter. He had the oxygen to survive, but he knew he would never walk again. Without power and with little hope of rescue Gallen was forced to watch as his colleagues were taken from their ships. He saw a firefight from inside Phoenix, which he assumed was the Galaxy Rangers. Then the fighting had stopped and the attackers had gone, taking the prisoners and guards with them.
Now Gallen lay dying among the remains of his fighter. He doubted anybody would ever find the convoy in time if at all. He had no doubt they had been hijacked as far from the nearest council planet as possible. Even the tiniest movement hurt now and Gallen knew he could not go on. Struggling against the pain he reached for the ejection switch. The remains of the canopy were blown into space and Gallen died.
In fact things had not gone as badly as Gallen had thought. True the prisoners and officers had been taken, but they were alive.
The assault had been the perfect combination of the Master’s careful planning and Nive’s insistence on the excellence of those following him. Together they had calculated the convoy’s exact path and had been able to plant the hyperspace bomb on their course.
The explosion had had three main purposes, but had actually achieved an unexpected plus. Of course they had been left stranded, weaponless and without communications, which was the first aim. At the same time an emergency system had released the cell area from each transporter. It had been easy for Nive’s forces to overrun the cells since the guards had all been deactivated in the explosion. The bonus had been that the explosion had smashed the crystal used to prevent Nore from linking to the Dark Grid. By the time his rescuers had arrived he had already teleported away from his cell to the Phoenix.
Nore had wanted revenge and had decided to take it out on the Galaxy Rangers. They had bravely returned fire and used their limited powers to the best of their abilities. In the end though Nore had mercifully slain six of them, leaving the team’s commander and his three top officers alive. It fell to Nore’s sense of humour to torture his victims. The remaining Galaxy Rangers would have only a limited time to live before the air ran out and with Liberator gone they had no chance of getting away.
Finally Nive had convinced Nore it was time to leave. A small snubfighter had somehow managed to fly long enough to destroy some of Nive’s fighters. The officer had been quickly dealt with and the mercenaries had returned to their original tasks, taking prisoners.
Then their task complete Nive’s group changed course and headed for Earth.
THE MOON,
“Ah, Lord Nore, so good to finally meet you,” the Master said, attempting to sound weak and helpless.
“Yes, I believe it is your pleasure,” Nore replied. “I believe I have you to thank for my freedom, I hope you don’t expect me to repay the debt.”
“On the contrary my dear Lord Nore,” the Master responded. “I thought you might enjoy the opportunity for revenge against…” He paused briefly to give his words the desired emphasis. “Zordon of Eltare.”
Nore’s eye sparked as he heard the name of the man he blamed for his incarceration. The Master smiled to himself, noting the way Nore had been baited into displaying his anger.
“Zordon of Eltare?” he boomed. “I would give anything to destroy Zordon of Eltare!”
The Master was silent waiting for Lord Nore to reach his decision. “But I cannot do it yet. I need my swords.”
The Master nodded. For all his arrogance and boasting Lord Nore was actually intelligent. He was also starting to regain his demonic form. Without the swords to guide the power flowing through his body he could not take his true body, but already the shoulder armour he had once worn started to grow on his arms and legs. The Master had expected this and was prepared for the occasion.
“The swords will be ours in no time, unless…” he let the words hang, tempting Lord Nore to ask the question.
“Unless what?”
“Well, Earth is defended by a team of Rangers.”
“Fool,” Lord Nore laughed. “Why should Earth Rangers threaten me?”
“Eight of them are full Morphin Rangers and the others are Zeo Rangers.”
“The power of the Morphin Dragons belong to Lord Nore!” the Dragon Master shouted. “Rangers or no Rangers I shall crush the Earth!”
“Even so,” the Master continued in his calm tone “These Rangers have held off Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd and the Machine Empire at the same time.”
“Show me them!” Nore boomed.
The Master complied with Nore’s demand and showed him a real-time image of the Rangers. Nore studied the fourteen Rangers the Master had told him about. One of them was very interesting to look at, although he could not tell why. Then he made the connection and realised what it was that held his attention. If he had been nearer he would have detected it as a strange odour. On the viewscreen it appeared as a break in his aura. One of the so-called Rangers the Master had told him about had made a pact with the devil and was dying.
Nore laughed despite his best efforts not to. Fourteen Rangers might have stood a chance, but with one of the Zeo Rangers gone the others would split apart.
“Get me the swords and I will deal with Zordon and his pupils.”
As he spoke he could feel the power of the Dark Grid filling his body. Holding his hand out he summoned sour of his fellow prisoners from the IGPF transport.
“First I think we need something to keep the Earth Rangers busy. I summon the four Sentinel Dragons of the Darkness!”
Four stone dragons appeared one in front of each of the inhuman prisoners. Nore’s eyes flashed as he tried to force them to merge with their hosts.
“Perhaps I may be of service,” the Master said softly.
Holding his staff he set the Time Scoop to physically join the dragons’ cells with those of the prisoners. With the physical bond complete the two sets of cells battled for ultimate control of the bodies they now possessed. Soon the dragons had won, transforming their hosts into the demon like servants of Lord Nore.
“Go to Earth,” Nore instructed. “And destroy those Power Rangers!”
The four dragon creatures bowed and vanished. Despite his orders the dragons first had to recharge. They left for Avalon. Now it was time for him to regain his true powers.
THE LOWER VAULTS, GREEN MORPHIN COLLEGE, ELTARE
Kno’ lit the final candle and kneeled before the altar of the Dragon spirit as she had done everyday since she had graduated from the Morphin Academy. That had been over five thousand years ago, when the exploits of Zordon of Eltare were still being told openly within the Green College.
But in recent months Kno’ had had more than the everyday homage to concern herself about. As the head of the Dragon Spirit she had been given the duty of purifying the swords Lord Nore had tainted with his evil. Once they had been powerful artefacts for the Green Body Spirit. Now they were tools of the darkside.
Kno’ had always had a strong like to the Green Dragon not only through her powers, but also through her ancestors. Her people had evolved from a reptile like dragon race into humanoids with scaled skin. She had never heard of such a dragon in the rest of the Universe, but her link to the Morphin Grid was so developed that it could only have arisen through a genetic link.
Kno’ had hoped that through daily meditation she could draw the evil power into her own spirit, where it could be cleansed through inner peace. But the magic Nore had used held the swords under his continued grasp.
“Those swords belong to me I think,” a voice said.
Kno’ turned and as expected found Lord Nore waiting for her. “You dare to enter the Dragon Vault?” she asked. “Such sacrilege is punishable by death.”
Nore flickered between his human and demon form. In the presence of his swords his powers were growing by the second. With an animalistic howl he charged the Green Master.
“Dragonzord!” Kno’ called.
Plated scale like armour formed around her body as she prepared for combat. In her hand appeared the traditional Dragon Dagger of the Green Dragon Ranger.
“Power of the Dark Dragon transform me!” Nore shouted.
Although weakened without his swords, the transformation was quick and effective. He now resembled a black human like dragon. In his hand he held a darkened axe. The Power was now inside him and he used it. He traded blows with Kno’ that would have shattered a human’s body. Despite the power of the Dark Grid Kno’ was able to hold her own due to Nore’s weakness.
“Nore!” a new voice shouted.
While Nore had kept the Dragon Master busy the Master had grabbed the sword. He tossed them to Nore who was immediately renewed. Kno’ tried her best, almost succeeding in taking Nore’s head off with an energised blow. But Nore had no intention of fighting fair. Vanishing from sight he rejoined the Master who fired the compression beam in his staff.
Kno’ screamed as she felt the cells in her body shrinking. She knew there was time left, but with her last strength sent her morpher back to Green College. There was no way she would be responsible for a new evil Green Ranger.
Nore did not care. He was back to full strength and now it was time for revenge.
“Zordon of Eltare beware,” he said menacingly. “Because Lord Nore ruler of the Dark Dragon has returned.”
“Zeo Megazord Saber!” the Zeo Rangers called.
Mondo’s newest monster looked around trying to find a way to escape; he found only death. The saber cut through the monster like he was nothing and the Ranger returned to the Power Chamber.
For most of the team it had been a successful mission, but both Rocky and Tommy had stopped concentrating. In one instance it had meant they were unable to form the Zeo MegaBattlezord. Despite the setbacks though they had managed to emerge victorious.
When they got back the Rangers were surprised to find Alpha scanning both Sam and Jason. Both of them had the strange expression that the others had seen on Tommy and Rocky earlier.
“Zordon, what is going on?” Kat asked.
“Rangers, I have just received word that a vicious criminal known as Lord Nore has stolen the twin Dragon Blades. Jason, Rocky, Sam and Tommy are feeling the presence of the Dragon Master. He is a dangerous foe and I believe it will take all your strength to fight him.”
“Where is he now Zordon?” Jason rasped.
“He is currently on his way to Earth. I believe he has teamed up with the Master.”
“So what do we do?” Sam asked.
“For now all four of you must rest while Alpha and I determine our next course of action. Billy is in the Holding Bay modifying some of the Zords for use on Aquitar. I suggest you help him Adam.” Reluctantly the Rangers teleported away. When they had gone Zordon issued his next set of instructions. “Alpha, access all our data on the Children of the Dragon.”
The little android scurried to obey as Zordon silently prayed his Rangers would be strong enough to beat back their new opponent. _The Master was bad enough, but Dragon Master may be too much for them to handle. _ He pushed that thought as far away as he could. His Rangers would never accept defeat without first trying and Zordon was not willing to let himself give up either. The days and weeks ahead had already seemed complicated with the Rangers planning on freeing Aquitar. Now the situation was starting to look grim.
A faint noise caught his attention. An image of the Dragon Master appeared on the Viewing Screen. “Enjoy peace while you can Zordon. Because tomorrow will be the Day of the Dragon!”
A tiny rip in the fabric of time and space was all it took. The strange object faded three times before stabilising. The light on the top flashed in sync with the sound of grinding gears. After a loud explosion from inside and a cloud of green smoke the object finally settled behind Angel Grove Police Headquarters. Some would say the object would have looked at home there except the American Police force had no use for a Victorian Police Box outside its headquarters.
There was the sound of more grinding gears as the object attempted to escape back into the vortex where it belonged. A man swore in a dialect so old it had been forgotten even on the distant world where it had originated. The swearing stopped; to be replaced by choking as yet another cloud of smoke billowed from the door.
“Of all the times for the TARDIS to breakdown, why did it have to be now?” a voice said. “Sam, are you okay?”
The door opened as a man and a young girl with blonde hair struggled outside. “I’m okay Doctor. What’s wrong with the TARDIS?”
“The Time Rotor must have seized and overloaded the telepathic controls,” the Doctor replied. “Until I can find am replacement we’re stuck here, wherever here is.”
The brown haired man known throughout the many Galaxies as the Doctor frowned as his mind touched two familiar and unwelcome minds. He wondered briefly if the TARDIS had malfunctioned by itself or whether it had received a push in the right direction. The idea was outrageous he realised. Especially with the restrictions President Flavia had put on Celestial Intervention Agency after the Borusa Interregnum. Still the Doctor knew he was not popular on Gallifrey and the two minds he had felt were definitely not among his few trusted friends.
“This place looks familiar,” the Doctor began. “Late twentieth century Earth I should think. Obviously not England though.” His companion laughed at the comment when he illustrated the lack of rain.
Why the Doctor chose to take a young girl with him on his journeys was beyond his peers. Many of them did not understand the Doctor’s reason for doing anything. They had been amazed when he had proceeded inside a years to eliminate the Daleks, Cybermen and Master, but failed to understand why he had not used his power to wipe out the Sontarians and Reutons at the same time.
In truth the only person who knew the Doctor’s motives was the Doctor himself. He kept the young girls with him for no better reason than he enjoyed having somebody around to ask him questions and need rescuing. It was a similar motive to why kids who were only mediocre at sports invited kids who were worse than them to play. It made them feel important.
“Doctor, we’re in the Freak Zone,” Sam told him.
“Freak Zone?” the Doctor asked. He wondered where on Earth the Freak Zone could be and why he suddenly had a bad feeling about being there.
“You know, Angel Grove.”
Angel Grove? The Doctor knew the name but couldn’t remember where from. He knew he had been here before in a previous life, but why?
“Zordon!” he cried happily as the memory returned. He had fought with Zordon of Eltare during the Grid War. If anybody would be able to find a TARDIS repair kit on a backwater planet like Earth that person was Zordon.
ANGEL GROVE
“Doctor, Doctor? Doctor!” Sam shouted urgently. “We’ve got company!”
The Doctor examined the new arrivals. He noted the blank expressions and the small weapons in their hands. He had recently been on the receiving end of a barrage of bullets thanks to a trap set by the Master. He had no intention of allowing that to happen again. “Sam, when I say run, RUN!”
Pushing his companion out of the way the Doctor exploded into action. As the only humanoid with two arms to master Venusian Aikido the Doctor was a skilled fighter. Feet and fists exploded as he expertly disarmed his opponents and dropped them to the ground. He stood back as his attackers struggle to stand. He had seen this sort of brain washing before and he knew what happened enough.
Sure enough the six men bellowed as their bodies contorted into demonic visages. He managed to hold them of for a while before they gain the advantage.
“Hiyah!” Something green landed between the Doctor and his opponent. A quick kick and the attacker was gone. The green figure then kicked two more constantly warning them not to get too near. The Doctor did likewise impressed by the younger fighter’s skill.
When it finally became obvious the attack would not end the green stranger drew a pistol from his side and squeezed off six shots, barely grazing the surface of his attackers’ skulls, but penetrating deep enough to destroy the radio controls implanted in their minds.
The constant stimulation gone zombies dropped to the ground, their bodies showing the signs of what the Doctor and Green Zeo had done to them.
A small box attracted Adam’s attention and he went over to discover the source. After looking it over he decided to take it back to Zordon for analysis.
The sound of shots being fired caused Trevor Park to abandon his reports into the Power Rangers’ latest escapade and run outside, his gun drawn and ready. First thing he noticed was the blue box with the words Police Box written on the top. As far as he knew his precinct had yet to become a museum so that piece was out of context. Second thing he noticed was that the shooting had stopped and six bodies were lying at angels he had never imagined possible. Looking around he noticed two figures, a man and a young girl. Both seemed to be studying one of the bodies, totally oblivious to the armed police and discharge weapons lying around them.
“Freeze!” Trevor shouted. “Put your hands where I can see them without any sudden movements!”
“Officer,” the man said, “This is not what it seems.”
“How do you know how it seems?” Trevor asked. He quickly became aware of a third figure on the scene. He recognised him as one of the Zeo Rangers who had been making his life more difficult for the last year. “I should have known,” Trevor muttered as Green Zeo vanished. “Bring them inside.”
Trevor Park was nothing if not a good cop. He prided himself on his job and ensuring he got the whole truth. He knew he could not haul a Ranger in even though he sometimes wondered what would happen if he tried. The man and the girl seemed to be his only source of answers at this time.
ZORD HOLDING BAY II, POWER MOUNTAIN,
TEN MINUTES EARLIER,
“From the top guys,” Billy instructed.
“Right!” the five Zeo Rangers and Zeo Bio called together. “Sky Zords, power up!”
“Drop Zord now!” Kimberly, Tanya and David called.
“Log in Rangers,” Red Zeo ordered.
One by one the Rangers checked in that they had control of the Zords. “Passengers on board and loaded,” Tanya noted.
“Okay, begin primary merger,” Billy said over the commlink.
With the Drop Zord taking centre position with the White Sky Zord in front, Black and Blue Sky Zords on the left and right and Pink, Yellow and Red Sky Zords forming he rear the Rangers perfected a triangle formation.
“Activating Mega Drop Zord protocols,” Billy advised. “Put it together!”
The Drop Zord’s wings extended down under the Black and Blue Sky Zords. The nose cones of both Zords retracted and their wings detached. As they dropped onto the outstretched wings of the Drop Zord metal clamps locked them in place.
“Kim, you should now have complete control of the engines on the Blue and Black Sky Zords,” Billy advised. “Turn it up to full power.”
Kim complied and the Drop Zord increased its power again. Meanwhile the Pink and Yellow Sky Zords had lost a wing and attached themselves to the now wingless Red Sky Zord. The four detached wings reconfigured themselves into a single wing gliding over the three planes.
“I have control,” Rocky stated, hoping his time in the Red Dragon would be enough to complete this task. Pressing the button he guided the three Zords so the Red Zord lock into position behind the Drop Zord, the Yellow Zord merging with the rear of the Black Zord and the Pink doing likewise with the Blue Zord.
“Kim, control is yours, beginning final lockdown.”
As rocky spoke the wing on the Yellow and Pink Zords folded upward allowing the solo wing to lock into place on the upturned wingtips. The four discarded wings from the Blue and Black Sky Zords join to form two larger wings and locked into place on the Blue and Black Sky Zords. As one the Zeo Ranger and Aisha teleported to the Drop Zord’s cockpit and waited for Tommy to finish the procedure.
“Tommy, cut the power back a bit or we’ll never get near!” David shouted.
Tommy complied and the nose of the Drop Zord opened to consume the rear of the White Sky Zord. As the nose closed up Tommy hit the final controls to seal the joints. The skin of the Sky Zords reformed to create a single large aircraft.
“Sealed for space flight,” Trey reported.
“Thrusters online and responding,” Kimberly confirmed.
“Oxygen and environmental controls active,” David said.
“Take us up Tommy!” Billy ordered.
Obeying his blue teammate Tommy pulled back on the dual controls aiming the plane for the atmosphere. “Deep Space conversion is running.”
“Switch to solid fuel boosters,” Kim instructed.
“Online and active,” Aisha responded.
The Mega Drop Zord seemed to twist as the thrusters cut in. Tommy struggled against the forces threatening to rip the Zord apart.
“Billy, I’ve got a rip in the left wing seal! I’m losing cohesion.”
“Trying to compensate,” Adam responded adjusting the metallic skin to seal the rip.
“No good,” Tommy reported. “I’ve lost control we’re falling back to Earth.”
“End Simulation!”
Billy slammed his fist into the console. It was bad enough that they couldn’t use Pyramidas to get to Aquitar due to the planet’s affect of Trey, but now the Sky Zords had failed to convert to space mode. With the Dragon Master on the loose Billy wanted to get the job done quickly.
Whilst the other Rangers helped Billy reset the experiment Adam went to the main chamber. On the Viewing Screen he could see a man and young girl under attack
“Zordon,” Alpha reported, “One of them is Gallifraen and read ad the Doctor.”
“Shall I go and help him Zordon?” Adam asked.
Zordon considered for a moment then decided since all the Doctor’s enemies eventually became a threat to Earth, the Rangers could act. “Be careful Adam and may the Power protect you!”
“Zeo Ranger IV – Green!”
OUTSIDE AGPD HEADQUARTERS,
By the time Adam arrived the Doctor had already disarmed his opponents. Adam jumped in and quickly knocked them down, but they kept coming. In the end Adam drew his Zeo Pistol and fired a series of six shots before going off to investigate a small box next to a police box.
He heard a noise and looked over to see his father arresting the Doctor and the girl. _At least they’re safe, _ he thought, teleporting away.
MYSTICAL ISLE OF AVALON SUB-DIMENSION, GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND
In the midst of the sleeping island a force stirred. During the darkest times of human history its occupants had lived, watching down on man and guiding them on their path. They had died as traitors to their kind for they had obeyed the will of the Black Dragon and attacked the humans. Now in death they once again heeded the call of the Dragon Master and following their pledge of total and undying obedience the four Sentinel Dragons returned to live.
Four plots of Earth lifted from the ground to expose the decaying bones of Nore’s servants. From the pits of hell fire ignited to consume the bones. As the fire ceased the rebirth began. Moving slowly at first but with ever-increasing speed the bones clicked back into place. Muscles formed in the joints followed by the scaled skin of the dragons. Smoke emerged from their nostrils, as they stood upright and looked to the sky. Raising their arms they regain the armour they had lost in death.
In their humanoid form they looked almost human except for the scales and the skin colour. One was a deep red, similar to somebody left in the snow far too long. The second was a light blue. Ice dripped from his nostrils where the smoke emerged. The third was a dirty brown. Large than the others he was used to fighting without having to think. Finally their leader, the green scaled dragon emerged.
After checking themselves over the four dragons left for where their master had summoned them. From there they went to Angel Grove for the fun to begin.
On the Moon the Master and the rapidly changing Lord Nore watched the events unfolding on Earth. With luck the Rangers would soon combat the Sentinel Dragons and discover the truth about their powers.
Detective Trevor Park looked deep into the eyes of the brown haired man sitting opposite him. They had arrested him three hours ago for the murder of six other men. So far every answer the man had given only served to raise another question.
“We’ll start again,” Detective Park said. “What is your name?”
“I am called the Doctor,” the man replied.
“Your full name,” Trevor insisted.
The Doctor thought for a moment. It had been a while since he had been asked to give his full name and had been unable to divert the question. “Doctor John Smith,” he said finally, choosing the most common name he could think of.
“Well Doctor Smith, it seems that the young lady who was with you…”
“You mean Sam?” the Doctor asked enthusiastically, always happy to help the authorities with any small problems and generally transforming them into big problems. “Lovely girl, English you know.”
“Well this Sam has been spinning us quite a story about space travel and vampires need I go on?”
“She told you all that?” the Doctor asked. “That’s terrible! That’s not meant to happen for another six months.”
“Now look Doctor,” Detective Morris intervened. “We don’t have time for these games. So why don’t you tell us why you and one of the Power Rangers saw fit to murder six innocent men?”
“Innocent? I hardly think so. Those men attack us. If it had not been for that Green Ranger… Did you say Power Ranger?”
“Yes,” Trevor said, “Power Rangers.” He had been hoping to leave the Power Rangers out of the interview. Somehow the mysterious Doctor Smith was weird enough without being exposed to the so-called heroes of Angel Grove.
The Doctor was shocked. He had sensed the Master and the Rani on Earth, but had assumed they were just up to their usual schemes. Things must have been very bad for Zordon to bring in a group of Rangers. Aquitar was the nearest Council planet and the Doctor could not see a team of Aquitians lasting very long on Earth. _Maybe Triforia or Eltare, _ he thought.
“Hey!” Morris shouted as the Doctor placed his hand into his pocket. It had taken the best part of an hour to empty those pockets and was still stuff inside.
“Just getting some identification for you Detective,” the Doctor said. Now he knew the situation was serious he was determined to make a quick exit and speak to Zordon. Fishing out an identity card he handed it to the detective.
“And this is you is it?” Detective Morris asked. The face on the pass bore no real resemblance to the man sitting opposite.
“Oh it was in a former live,” the Doctor’s voice seemed to change for a moment. “Now go and called the Brigadier. There’s a good chap.”
Trevor stared at the Doctor’s face for a moment. It had changed briefly into a thicker face with white hair. Trevor blinked and he was looking at the Doctor again.
KNOCK KNOCK!
Trevor opened the door to the interview room to see a younger officer waiting for him. He also noted Adam standing to one side.
“Excuse me sir,” Officer Harker said. “Your son insisted on talking to you about the murders.”
Nodding Trevor escorted Adam to a private room leaving the Doctor with Officer Harker. “Okay Adam, what’s this about?”
“Dad, you have to trust me on this. You need to let him go.”
“And why should I do that Adam?” Detective Park asked. He had thought for a moment Adam was interested in the Doctor’s companion, but his son had only said they had to let the Doctor go. “As far as we know six men were murdered outside this station by the Doctor and the Green Ranger.”
Adam sighed. After returning to Zordon and showing him the box he had found and the describing the stranger in detail Zordon had asked him to get the man out of prison. Adam had known that could cause a problem. Luckily his Green Zeo uniform had recorded the incident from the time he arrived.
“This will prove it,” Adam said. “It’s a tape from the Green Ranger’s helmet camera and shows how they died.”
“How did you get this?” Trevor demanded.
“The Rangers gave it to me,” Adam lied.
Trevor remained silent as he placed the tape in a video recorder and watched the fight. He saw the man moving like lightning throwing his attackers around and disarming them. He saw the Ranger appear and help the man hold his own before firing a series of shots. The footage stopped for a second to be replaced by a detailed printout of the trajectories of each shot. Finally the footage restarted and showed the final moments of the fight when the attackers had collapsed.
“Did the Green Ranger give you this?” Trevor asked, pointing to the screen and quickly adding, “That Green Ranger?”
“Yes Dad,” Adam replied.
“I will need him here to say he did before I can take your word for it,” Detective Park stated.
“You have the video, why do you need him?” Adam asked.
“Look Adam, there are six dead men lying in the city morgue. The homicide rate in Angel Grove is practically zero. So when there is a suspected murder I AM expected to investigate fully. Now, I am asking you where is the Green Ranger?”
Adam closed his eyes in thought. Zordon had given him permission to do what he needed to do, but it did not alter the fact he was about to reveal a major secret to somebody outside of the Rangers. Finally making up his mind he walked over to the door and locked it. Turning back to his father he noted the puzzled look on his dad’s face and almost laughed.
“It’s Morphin Time! Zeo Ranger IV- Green!”
Trevor Park’s jaw dropped. One moment he had been watching his son lock the door. Then his son had turned to face him, made some fancy hand movements and transformed into the Green Ranger. To say he was shocked was an understatement. Not because he did not think Adam could do such a thing, he knew his son to be a brave and sensitive young man, but because of his own narrow minded view of the Rangers. Trevor had always assumed the Rangers were college kids adept at showing off. This would take some thinking about.
“Harker, release both the Doctor and his companion. My son will be wanting to talk to them.” Trevor regarded his son before opening the door. “We’ll discuss this later,” he said leaving Adam to power down.
POWER MOUNTAIN,
As Adam returned with the Doctor the alarms sounded. The other Rangers quickly appeared gaining a raised eyebrow from the Doctor when he noted their age.
“Rangers, Lord Nore has sent down his Sentinel Dragons to destroy Angel Grove,” Zordon told them.
“We’re on it Zordon!” Tommy and Jason exchanged glances and almost laughed. “It’s Morphin Time!”
“Zeo Ranger I – Pink!”
“Zeo Ranger III – Blue!”
“Zeo Ranger IV – Green!”
“Zeo Ranger V – Red!”
“Zeo Ranger X – Gold!”
“Zeo Bio Armour – Online!”
“White Ranger Power!”
“Black Ranger Power!”
“Pink Ranger Power!”
“Blue Ranger Power!”
“Yellow Ranger Power!”
“Red Ranger Power!”
“Purple Ranger Power!”
“Green Ranger Power!”
“Well old friend it seems you’ve been busy since my last visit,” the Doctor said adjusting some of the sensitive scanning equipment.
“And you have changed many times as well Doctor,” Zordon replied.
“Still refusing to leave that timewarp then?”
“If I were to leave the only place I could go is Eltare,” Zordon said. “My Rangers need me and I cannot abandon them.”
“No, no of course not,” the Doctor replied. “Oh, this is Samantha Jones, a young student of mine.”
During his time in the Command Centre and later the Power Chamber Zordon had always noted the faces of those who noticed him for the first time. All the Rangers had been shocked, sometimes even in awe of a vast head floating in a plasma tube. Sam was different. She showed no sign of surprise and even just a tinge of pity.
*Still picking up the pretty ones I see,* Zordon said to the Doctor via the telepathic link.
Out loud he said: “I am honoured to meet you Samantha.”
“Eltarian?” Sam asked looking at Zordon but directing the question to anybody who would answer. As normal Sam’s inquisitive nature was emerging just as it did first time she forced the Doctor to take her on a trip. She had matured a lot since then. Having to face death on numerous occasions does that to a person.
Saw was also in the unique position of being six months outside of her time zone. To her this was the past.
“Yes, he is Eltarian,” the Doctor replied. “One of the Morphin Masters.”
“Oh,” Sam said. Now she was impressed.
“I take it the Master is the reason you chose Earthlings to become Rangers?” the Doctor asked.
“You know as well as I what the human spirit is capable of,” Zordon replied. “I have watched this planet for ten thousand years and have seen them grow into the society they have today. Besides, Aquitians would not last very long on this world. We tried, but they had to return home.”
“As for the Master he is only the latest of a string of villains to try to conquer Earth. Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd and the Machine Empire have been trying to take-over this planet for a while now.”
“And I thought Daleks and Vampires were the worst that could happen,” Sam stated.
Zordon remained silent for a moment, reaching out his senses to touch Sam’s mind. What he found was a spirit that protected others and worked to maintain peace. _The perfect Yellow Ranger, _ he thought.
The red Sentinel Dragon opened its mouth and let loose a burst of flame to incinerate the nearby cars and buildings. It had been years since the last time he and his brothers had been free to serve the Dragon Master. The human he had been merged with added to his homicidal nature causing him to enjoy the destruction even more.
Looking around he could see his fellow dragons were enjoying the activity even more than he was. Moving toward the harbour district the he stopped. There at the bottom of the harbour he could sense another dragon, older and more powerful than the four Sentinel Dragons put together. His soul had been placed in metal and bonded to a human. And he was aware of the Black Dragon being near Earth.
The four Sentinel Dragons started to feel fear for the first time since their release. Here was perhaps the one thing that could stop them unless they acted immediately.
“Pleu’dar, freeze the waters and let our adversary remain in his grave,” the lead Sentinel instructed.
The blue Scaled dragon known as Pleu’dar stood straight and pointed at the water below. Unlike most of his fellow dragons he could breath more than just fire. Opening his mouth he breathed towards the docks, freezing the water, the machinery, the buildings and the workers.
Breathing in for a second blast Pleu’dar felt something strike his back. Looking around he saw Red Zeo pick himself up off the ground where he had bounced after striking the dragon.
“LOOKS LIKE SOME LITTLE MONKEYS HAVE DECIDED TO PLAY WITH FIRE,” Craken, he red skinned dragon boomed as he took in the fourteen Rangers assembled with weapons drawn ready for combat. “I THINK THEY NEED TO COOL OFF A BIT.”
Pleu’dar was only too happy to oblige, shooting another blast of ice at the Rangers, this time the droplets forming into projectiles.
“Bio Field – Full Ranger!” Aisha called.
From the power of the combined Zeo Crystal channelled through the Bio Armour Aisha generated a forcefield. The ice bullets shattered on impact, as the Rangers stood ready for combat.
“Drake, take them!” Craken shouted.
Like Goldar, Drake had wings when he wanted them. Unlike Goldar he was still in the habit of using them in combat. Fly forward he passed through the Bio Field and grabbed Aisha in his talons before flying off.
“Blade Blasters!” Red Ranger called. “Fire!”
Eight blasts illuminated the sky as the Rangers tried to bring the Dragon down without hurting their teammate.
“Zordon, is the hop scotch teleport working?” Rocky asked.
“Yes Rocky,” Alpha replied.
Without a word Rocky teleported to the airborne dragon. Drawing his Zeo Sword he stabbed the dragon in the back. Not hard enough to kill the blow made the dragon howl in pain and drop its prisoner. As Aisha teleported away Rocky was thrown to the ground, landing with a sick crack. In a flash of light the Blue Zeo Ranger was gone.
“Trini, teleport back to the Power Chamber and make sure Rocky’s ok,” Red Ranger ordered. “David go as well in case they need you.”
“Hellfire!” Green Ranger called pointing his sword at Pleu’dar. Green fire shot from the blade engulfing the dragon in its power.
ROAR!
The fourth Sentinel Dragon had not wasted time fighting the Rangers face to face. Instead it had moved behind them. With a loud battle cry it ran into its prey, knocking Rangers left and right as it made its way through their ranks. It had grown a razor sharp tail and used it to knock the Rangers to the ground.
“Time to bring in the heavy artillery,” Green Ranger said. “Battle Armour!”
“Battle Armour!” Red Ranger shouted in agreement.
“Bio Weapons – full power!” Aisha called.
“Power Weapons ready,” Pink Ranger said drawing her bow.
“Zeo Power Weapons!” Red Zeo called in agreement.
The Rangers charged, their weaponry bouncing off the dragon’s armoured hides.
“Zeo I Fire Cloud!” Pink Zeo called.
“Cosmic Cannon!” Black Ranger yelled after missing Craken on two occasions with his Power Axe. Switching the axe to Cosmic Cannon mode he fired a single shot to knock Craken away to the spot where Green Zeo and Purple Ranger were waiting.
“You hurt my friends, I hurt you!” Green Zeo shouted angrily. “Zeo Power Hatchets!”
“Power Nunchuks!” Purple Ranger added.
Slipping the chain from the Nunchuks around the dragon’s neck she held him there until Green Zeo landed a double blow between the eyes.
Red Zeo and Red Ranger targeted Drake next. Between Jason’s Battle Armour and Tommy’s rage the dragon was quickly forced onto the defensive.
“Bio Burst!” Aisha called from somewhere under Terranak, the brown-scaled dragon.
The chest panel of her armour opened and a blast of pure Zeo energy engulfed the dragon. Angered Terranak lashed out with his claws, ripping through the armour and into Aisha’s abdomen. In a ten coloured flash Aisha was gone, but not back to the Power Chamber.
MASTER’S TARDIS, THE MOON
“This is going better than planned,” the now fully charge Lord Nore commented.
“Of course it is,” the Master replied. “Two Rangers injured, the White and Yellow Rangers are busy with their blue friend and Adam…” He took a moment to look at the way the Green Zeo Ranger was fighting. There was a lack of concentration and skill caused by his anger. “Adam seems to be having problems as well. Tell the Sentinels to take out the Purple Ranger next.”
This was better than the Master had hoped. After weeks of relying on Huntrax to finish off Aisha Lord Nore had managed it in a day. The Zeo team was lacking in numbers and the Master intended to take Adam out without hurting him. _Losing Rocky and Aisha is bad enough, but losing Tanya as well? This is too good! _
“Maybe we should step this battle up a bit,” Lord Nore suggested. “Grow my Sentinels, grow!”
Flames circled the four Sentinel Dragons causing them to grow.”
*Do not fear child, you shall not be harmed here.*
_What? _ Aisha awoke to find herself floating in a void of white light.
*You are safe here Aisha.*
“Where am I?”
*You are inside Zeo Crystal. You must remain here until your Zeo Bio Armour is repaired. Then you must leave.*
Aisha looked down suddenly aware of the pain in her stomach.
*Do not fear, inside the armour you cannot be killed. The suit just needs to regenerate you.*
“How long?”
*A few minutes, no longer. Rest now.*
Trini, David and Rocky appeared in the Power Chamber at the same time, the latter nearly comatose. The Doctor was quickly next to them, using his basic medical skills to help stabilise the boy.
“Zordon, will he be alright?” Trini asked.
“His back was broken in the fall,” Zordon said. “Although the Power will prevent permanent injury and his Ranger healing will speed up recovery he will need to rest.”
“Why don’t you two return to the battle?” the Doctor suggested. “We’ll look after Rocky.”
“Back to action!” Yellow and White Ranger called together.
“The truth now?” the Doctor asked looking at Zordon.
“Rocky is risking permanent damage by remaining morphed. However, I fear the disruption to his system might kill him if he is force demorphed.”
“Hold on,” the Doctor said.
Digging through his extremely long pockets he finally found the small whistle he was looking for. Putting it to his lips he sent a small subspace signal to his oldest companion.
The signal had been received inside the TARDIS. A telepathic link established to alter the controls for a short trek through space. Over his lives the Doctor had finally managed to control the short leaps necessary to move the TARDIS to the Power Chamber.
With its gears still groaning the TARDIS vanished from outside AGPD Headquarters to reappear almost instantly in the Power Chamber.
“Still a police box?” Zordon asked when the TARDIS arrived.
“I haven’t had time to fix it,” the Doctor lied.
In truth he had given up attempting to repair the Chameleon Circuit on his target after his last attempt had failed. He had thought about taking it back to Gallifrey for repair. After all, as ex-President of Gallifrey and the Time Lord who was responsible to the extinction of the Daleks the Doctor assumed the people of Gallifrey would repair his TARDIS. Whether he wanted to return to his homeworld was another question.
“Quickly Sam, help me move him inside,” the Doctor said. “We need to find a Zero Room to help his recovery.”
“I thought you disposed of the Zero Room after Logopolis,” Alpha Five said.
The Doctor winced at the mention of the world he had condemned to death by allowing the Master to follow him. The lives of innocent Logopolians and thousands of worlds had been extinguished thanks to the Master’s greed for power. Even after sacrificing his own life to save the rest of the Universe the Doctor still felt guilty about causing the disaster.
On regeneration the Doctor had used a Zero Room to aid his recuperation. To escape a trap shortly afterwards the Doctor’s assistants had been forced to jettison twenty-five percent of the TARDIS’ internal mass. The Zero Room had been one of the rooms jettisoned.
“Not to worry,” the Doctor said. Moving to a control board he produced a keyboard from beneath the console. “Just a few changes to the configuration and we have one Zero Room.”
A door opened in the side of the console room and the Doctor, Sam and Alpha carried Rocky inside. Inside the room the Doctor closed the door creating a zone away from the interference of the outside world. Magic and science were totally absent from the room. Even the laws of physics did not apply.
“Relax Rocky,” the Doctor whispered.
As the Blue Zeo Ranger relaxed his pain faded. Slowly his mind cleared to the pointed where it was dangerous to remained morph. Away from the influence of the Zeo Crystal the Blue Zeo Ranger demorphed.
The four dragons grew their individuality showing as they did so. Drake’s green skinned form changed from humanoid to dragon. His powerful wings grew larger as his mouth became more pointed. The legs and torso thickening with sharp talons forming on his feet and hands.
Pleu’dar also grew wings. Not the big powerful wings of the air dragon, but the short and stumpy wings allowing him to swim through water. Fins developed on the feet and front paws. A large blue horn emerged from the tip of its nose.
Terranak formed into a quadruped, its scaled back giving it strength. His tail elongated with a sharp point on the end. The claws on the tip of his four stubby legs. The head hinged to attack from any angel the Rangers knew if he dragged them down there would be no way back up.
Craken underwent a major change. When he had transformed he was a large red dragon with a yellow under belly. A second head had grown into place as well as two very powerful wings. Claws grew from his feet and a lethal triangle formed at the tip of his tail. Through enlarged nostrils he blew jets of smoke, his two horns glowing with energy.
“We need Ninja Zord power now!” the Morphin Rangers called.
“Let’s show him them the power of the Ninja MegaFalconzord!” Red Ranger instructed.
“Ninja MegaFalconzord Power Up!”
“Ninja Battlezord Power Up!”
The Crane started to fold to form the head while at the same time the Frog transformed to become the legs and the Bear converted to become the Ninja MegaFalconzord’s upper body. The already modified Ape and Wolf joined onto the Bear to form the arms as the Crane linked on to become the head. Then the whole upper body joined onto the Frog as the Falcon Zord linked onto the back. Hands formed over the Ape and Wolf’s heads.
The Panther Zord transformed to stand upright on its hind legs. The head rotated downwards to become the chest and the front paws became the arms. The Hawk Zord’s wings and head folded into the body as the Hawk Zord joined onto the shoulders of the Panther to become the head of the Ninja Battlezord. The Panther’s tail converted into a Power Sword as Purple and Green Rangers slid into the cockpit ready for action.
The four dragons responded instantly. Terranak swiped the Megazord with his tail whilst Craken and Pleu’dar delivered a barrage of fire and ice. Super heated joints rapidly cooled and frozen armour instantly melted transformed the Zords into crippled war machines. Drake swooped from the sky lifting the Ninja MegaFalconzord into the air and dropping it to the floor.
“Zeo Zord V!” Red Zeo called.
Once seated inside the phoenix Tommy targeted Drake’s wings.
“Jason, we need to split them up,” he said moments before an ice blast froze the controls and the Phoenix crash to the ground.
“We’ve got to get it together guys or Zordon’s going to be looking for some new Rangers,” Jason noted.
“Zeo Rangers, return to the Power Chamber immediately.”
“Zeo Rangers, return to the Power Chamber immediately.”
Aisha woke for the second time aware that her wounds were healed. Looking around in the darkness she could see an old woman in a rocky chair, a white crystal by her side.
“You have come a long way Aisha Campbell,” the woman said. “First the Griffin, then the Bear and now the power of Zeo. You have served well as Yellow Ranger and you have made an excellent trainee in the Bio Armour. But this is your destiny Aisha Campbell. For you are neither Zeo nor Morphin. You will never be Turbo or Astro. You are the carrier of the team. She who must adapt with each change of power.”
“Who… who are you?” Aisha asked.
“I am the Astina, the only holder of the Morphin powers to become one with the Zeo Crystal. I was its guardian before I died and passed that responsibility. I am the only one who knows the truth about your destiny Aisha. If that is you are willing to accept it.”
“What must I do?” Aisha asked.
“Do you remember child when you returned to active duty? Do you remember Zordon would not reveal your colour or spirit animal? Do you remember how you felt the Zeo power rejecting you? The Power never rejected you child. You alone are destined to unite the powers of Grid and Crystal, Machine and Space.”
“You are the Brachiosaurus strong and dependable, the Turtle defensive and sure, the Shark beautiful and deadly and the Pyramid a refuge for the exhausted warrior. You are the most under used Ranger and often underrated, yet you are the key to the other powers. You are the ninth Ranger, the Grey Ranger.”
The woman placed her hand on Aisha’s head. Her hand glowed as Aisha’s power drained to nothing. In the woman’s other hand the crystal glowed until filled with Grey energy. Four Power Coins appeared depicting the Brachiosaurus, Turtle, Shark and Grey Ranger. The four coins merged together forming a Power Ball into which Astina placed the Amber crystal. Closing her hand the collection of five separate powers merged to form a single Power Ball.
“Go now Grey Ranger. Your world needs you. Remember to defeat the darkness you need only to increase the light. Fight the Black Dragon with your heart and you shall be victorious.”
Aisha closed her eyes feeling the new powers flowing through her body. Her mind made contact with her spirit animals; the guides that until now had operated without the aid of a Ranger. Titanus and Tor the Carrier Zords that had always seemed sentient and Pyramidas, assumed to be the Gold Ranger’s Zord simply because he knew how to work it.
“Grey Ranger Power!”
Aisha’s eyes snapped open as she felt the power of the Dragon, Mastodon, Pterodactyl, Triceratops, Sabre-toothed Tiger, Tyrannosaurus, Raptor and Stegosaurus merge with her powers. A light so bright she had to close her eyes engulfed her body as she felt herself merge with the Red Dragon, Lion, Tiger, Pegasus, Firebird, Griffin, Unicorn and Spider. The light dimmed as she felt the familiar presences of the Ninja Powers. She felt them all, the Ape, Wolf, Bear, Crane, Panther, Hawk, Frog and Falcon. The eight colours Red, Green, White, Purple, Blue, Black, Pink and Yellow surrounded her representing the Ranger Aspect of the Morphin Grid. Just when she thought she had been given all the power she could hold she was filled with the power of Pink Oval, Yellow Balance, Blue Triangle, Green Rectangle, Red Star, Purple Hexagon, Silver Heptagon, Black Octagon, White Circle and Gold King.
As the many flashing colours faded and merged they formed a single band of grey, which engulfed Aisha from head to toe. As the light vanished she found herself in the uniform of a Morphin Zeo Ranger. The Plastoid alloy coated her body allowing full movement while offering the protection afforded by Morphin, Zeo and Bio powers. On her hip was an empty holster offering a choice of Blade Blaster or Zeo Pistol. Her helmet was blank showing neither a Zeo symbol nor Morphin signature. On her chest was the Power Ball with a picture of a Pyramid hovering just above.
Aisha suddenly felt fulfilled. She was beyond Morphin and Zeo. She was the most underrated Ranger and yet when she was needed like the Carrier Zords she meant the difference between defeat and victory. She knew at that time she never needed to worry about losing her powers. Whenever a new power was discovered on Earth she would be a part of that team. The Power was hers and right now she needed to help her friends before it was too late.
“Back to Action!”
“Zeo Rangers, return to the Power Chamber immediately.”
Rocky’s eyes snapped open. All pain was gone. Somehow the Ranger healing had been working overtime and his back had healed to the extent where what had been a serious break was now little more than a bruise that would be subdued when morphed.
He had heard Zordon’s words and knew it was time to get back to work. He just hoped the others were holding out all right. Pressing his communicator he teleported back to the Power Chamber, not even sure where he was to begin with.
POWER CHAMBER
The Doctor and Sam had not been idle during their time in the Power Chamber. Whilst Zordon had been telling Samantha stores about Rangers of Earth the Doctor had been searching for some equipment to jury rig a replacement part for his TARDIS.
“Who built those vehicle Zords?” he asked as he re-entered the chamber.
“Billy,” Zordon replied.
“Billy, as in William Cranston?” the Doctor asked.
“You have heard of him?” Zordon asked. He knew the skills of the Blue Ranger were well respected, but to have reached all the way to Gallifrey was amazing.
Further discussion was cut short as Rocky, Trey, Tommy, Kat and Adam reappeared in the Power Chamber. A quick reunion took place between the Rangers and the now recovered Rocky.
“Rangers, I have discovered a way to stop Lord Nore’s advances. You must capture the twin Dragon Swords before his power increases. Without the power of his swords Nore will weaken and so will his creations.”
“There’s only one problem,” Adam noted. “Nore is on the Moon and protected by the shield around Rita’s castle.”
“May I see it?” the Doctor asked. He stared at the image on the screen for a few moments before speaking. “What’s wrong with that picture?”
The Rangers looked at the image on the screen wondering what the Doctor was talking about. Sam was the first to notice. Her mind still open to the possibilities that exist when you travel with the Doctor. Despite the minor mishap in Chicago with the vampires she still maintained absolute faith in the Doctor.
“It’s a fake,” she said. “Like putting a large box around a smaller box and forgetting to close the lid fully.”
“Alpha, where are the scanner controls?”
“Here Doctor,” the little android replied.
Moving to the control panel the Doctor began some rapid rewiring so complicated that only Billy could have explained the purpose. Although whether even the young genius could understand why it worked or how to duplicate the procedure was another matter.
“And a quick alteration to the stability signal,” the Doctor muttered. “And we should begin to see what we shall see.”
Turning the power up the Doctor repeated a trick he had learnt at the academy. For a short time a grey box replaced the image of Rita’s Castle.
“A TARDIS!” Sam realised.
“Help me fix the TARDIS and I will take you inside the shield,” the Doctor told the Rangers.
“Samantha Jones,” Zordon said as the others entered the TARDIS. “I have a favour to ask of you.”
“Shogun Megazord!” White Ranger called from inside the battered Ninja MegaFalconzord.
In the distance the eight Shogun Zords started their run across Angel Grove, transforming as they did so into the oversized Megazord. The Black and Purple Shogun Zords transformed into the legs, the Blue Zord creating the lower torso, the Green and Pink Zords merging into the upper torso, Yellow and Red Zords forming the arms leaving the White Shogun Zord to fold into the head.
Teleporting to their new Zord White and Purple Ranger targeted Pleu’dar. Ice blasts reflected off the hardened body of the Zord.
“Shogun Spin!”
The powerful Zord started to spin like a top building potential energy for future release. The natural movement allowed by the spin push the Zord towards the monster. Both its hands grabbed the monster as its increased momentum pushed it into the sky. With Pleu’dar now stretched over its head the Megazord stopped, turned upside down and dove into the ground. All the stored energy was released in all its explosive force. The Megazord stood to see the remains of the monster struggle back to its feet.
“Shogun Megazord Sabre!”
The flaming sword made a swift movement from left to far right. As the sword arced its way back to its starting position the Terranak interfered, driving his tail into the path of the sword. The flames extinguished as they hit the heavily armoured hide. The distraction was enough for ice dragon to drive his horn into the Megazord’s chest.
The four dragons teamed up for a moment battering the Zord before throwing it to the ground near its Ninja counterparts.
It had taken a few minutes and resembled a piece of modern art, but the Doctor assured the Rangers the parts they had fitted together were more than adequate to make a combination jammer and Time Rotor.
“I still don’t see why you need an old teabag Doc,” Sam said.
She had seen the Doctor create some pretty impressive equipment before, but this was beyond even her unlimited faith. She knew the Doctor was a genius even if he was not the inventor he had been a few decades ago.
“You’ll see Sam,” the Doctor reassured her. To the Rangers he added, “Shouldn’t you be getting ready?”
“It’s Morphin Time!”
“Zeo Ranger I – Pink!”
“Zeo Ranger III – Blue!”
“Zeo Ranger IV – Green!”
“Zeo Ranger V – Red!”
“Zeo Ranger X – Gold!”
“Your turn Samantha,” Zordon said from outside.
“Zeo Ranger II – Yellow!”
“Welcome to the team Samantha Jones,” Zordon said. “As a Ranger you must agree to three rules or lose the protection of the Power. Never escalate a battle unless forced to do so, never use the Power for personal gain and never reveal your identity without the permission of a Morphin Master. Adam’s father is now aware of his identities and we will deal with that later. But none may know you are a Ranger.”
“Let’s go people,” the Doctor said.
The door of the TARDIS closed and the Rangers were on their way.
“Arrrrgh, dammit!” Red Ranger swore as Craken released the tail of the Tyrannosaurus and sending him crashing into the Raptor.
Having failed with the speed of the Ninja Zords and the size of the Shogun Zord the Rangers had chosen to try endurance. With Dragonzord trapped under a sheet of ice Green Ranger was operating the Stegosaurus and Raptor whilst Red Ranger concentrated on the more familiar Zords.
“Spike Attack!” Green Ranger shouted.
The spikes of the back of the Stegosaurus glowed as the tail fired at the lead dragon. Meanwhile the Triceratops was charging at Terranak, Mastodon was using its freeze cannon of Drake with Pterodactyl diverting the winged dragon’s attacks and Sabre-toothed Tiger pouncing on Terranak allowing the Raptor to pounce.
“Let’s show him the power of the Dino Megazord!” Red Ranger called as the dragons slowly regained the advantage. “Dinotank Power Up!”
Immediately the Pterodactyl, Mastodon and Triceratops reverted from their true form into the tank like Zords they had been during the original Rangers’ time. Gone were the powerful moving legs or wings to be replaced by fixed wings and tank treads. The Sabre-toothed Tiger lowered itself to the ground, its tail end transforming to create a socket for the body. The back end of the Triceratops also folded over and the two Zords moved together.
Next the Mastodon transformed and split to form the cannons and front shield, joining the front and rear of the Tyrannosaurus. At the same time the Tyrannosaurus joined with the Triceratops and Sabre-toothed Tiger as the Pterodactyl slotted into place behind the Tyrannosaurus’ head.
Normally that would have finished the transformation, but with two extra Zords there was a bonus for the Rangers. The Stegosaurus opened to allow the Raptor to slot inside. The heads and tails of the two Zords forming cannons at the front of the combined Zords now sliding along the ground without legs. The sides of the Zord flipped outwards towards the front causing the spikes to face forward.
Now racing in front of the Dinotank the sledge stopped to allow the Dinotank to take up position on the behind the cannons and spikes.
“Fire!” Red and Green Ranger called together.
The new and improved Dinotank stopped dead and fired like a miniature Ultrazord. Drake soared skyward his tail of fire, Craken folded his wings to protect himself, Pleu’dar was knocked to the ground under the intense fire and Terranak just stood taking the worst of the assault and showing little reaction.
“Switch to Battle Mode!” Green Ranger ordered.
“Power Sword!” Red Ranger called in agreement.
From the still fallen Ninja Zords Billy watched the battle unfolding before turning to Black and Pink Rangers. “I think you’d better power up the Thunder Zords.”
DOCTOR’S TARDIS
The high pitched screech that had accompanied the TARDIS’ dematerialization halted as a green light indicated the TARDIS had reached its destination.
“Doctor?” Sam asked.
“”We’re just outside the real castle,” the Doctor replied anticipating the real question. “We’re going to have to walk a short distance to find a way in.”
“On the Moon?” Sam asked incredulously.
“On the Moon,” the Doctor agreed. “Your suits will maintain an atmosphere.”
“What about you?” Kat asked.
“Different anatomy,” the Doctor replied. “I can survive without oxygen for a while.”
Stepping outside cautiously the Rangers made their way towards the castle. Red Zeo took the point followed closely by Yellow and Pink Zeo. The Doctor was next, constantly aware of the chance of ambush. Blue and Green Zeo moved carefully, the bond between the two friends stronger than ever. And Gold Zeo took up the rear.
“How do we get in?” Red Zeo asked.
“How did you get into the castle before?” the Doctor asked.
Tommy thought back to the times when either he or Jason had been forced to enter the castle. He knew about the main entrance and the top entrance. Kat also remembered her time in Rita’s service and the few rare occasions when she had pleased the old witch.
“There’s an underground entrance with no door near the base of the castle.”
“Split up,” the Doctor instructed. “If the entrance is open we can get into his TARDIS.”
The Pterodactyl, Raptor and Stegosaurus detached from the Dinotank. The tank manoeuvred so it was standing up on the Triceratops and Sabre-toothed Tiger, which now formed the legs. The Tyrannosaurus detached from the legs for a moment so the Raptor could form the lower torso. As the Tyrannosaurus reconnected to create the upper body as the head folded down to reveal the face of the Dino Megazord. The arms formed by the Mastodon hung by its side as the Pterodactyl slid into place to form the chest plate.
The legs, head and tail of the Stegosaurus retreated into the Zord’s body, the Zord lying like a semi-circle of spike metal. The body opened and folded outwards to form a spiked disk to which the Mammoth shield attached. The whole shield flew into the Megazord’s left arm.
“Megazord Activated!”
“Thunder Megazord Power!” Pink and Black Rangers called.
The recently recreated Thunder Zords surged into life. As the Pegasus, Griffin and Unicorn formed the legs and lower torso the Spider, Lion and Firebird formed the upper body, arms and head.
Meanwhile the Red Dragon converted to humanoid mode and sat astride the Tiger Zord, a combination proven to succeed. Once again the Rangers attacked and once again their Zords were crushed by the teamwork between the four Dragons.
“Red Dragon Thunderzord Power!” Red Ranger called; noting it was the only Zord still able to move. “Now it’s time to make this battle dragon versus dragon.”
“I’m with you Jason!” Green Ranger called. “Dragonzord!”
Holding his sword aloft Sam heard the familiar tune of the Dragon Dagger floating over the harbour. Quietly he hoped this was going to work.
THE MOON,
The six Rangers along with the Doctor moved down the passage well aware that the Master knew of their presence. The entrance they had walked through had closed as soon as they were all inside preventing their retreat. The feeling they were being herded ever present as the corridors changed to push them in different directions.
At some point the Ranger turned a corner seconds before the corridor was blocked trapping the Doctor in another part of the TARDIS.
“Ah, the Zeo Rangers,” Lord Nore sneered. “Six of Zordon’s best Rangers.”
The now fully powered Dragon Lord drew his twin blades and attacked. Pink, Yellow and Green fell as he moved at lightning speed to drop them. Gold put up resistance, Golden Power Staff blocking twin swords for a short time before Nore drew his blades together and dropped him like a stone with a bolt of energy. Now faced with Blue and Red, both angry and strangely confident.
As they fought the two Zeo Rangers quickly found they could anticipate the Dragon Lord’s movements and trap him between them. Zeo V Power Sword proved no match for the Dragon Blades, nor did the Zeo IV Arm Blades. A kick to the throat did prove effective, stunning the Dragon Lord long enough for both Rangers to deliver a low punch to the stomach.
“Zeo IV Power Spin!” Blue Zeo called.
His attack did little except allow the other Rangers time to recover. In the end that was enough as Green and Pink Zeo grabbed Nore’s arms allowing Yellow Zeo to discover her powers for the first time.
“Zeo II Power Punch!”
Another Power Punch from Green Zeo followed along with a succession of Kung Fu kicks as the aggression built up over the day was released. Anger driving him forward the Green Zeo Ranger found new strength. Anger that he had been forced to reveal his identity to a man who hated everything the Rangers stood for. Anger that Aisha had disappeared. Anger that his best friend had nearly died. And anger that he was forced to fight yet again because evil would not leave the Earth in peace.
Against such emotion the Dragon Lord had no defence. Instead he looked for a way to escape. In the end he settled for a hostage. Driving the swords into the ground he created a shockwave, which threw the Rangers aside. Moving quickly he grabbed Yellow Zeo and held his sword to her neck.
“I’m tired of playing by the rules Rangers. I wanted you powered down and your weapons on the floor now or I will slit her throat!”
The remaining Rangers exchanged glances, well aware that they had no choice. “Power Down!” Their morphers were quickly on the floor followed immediately by Sam’s morpher as she returned to civilian clothes.
“Well, this is nice,” a new voice the Rangers knew to belong to the Master. “Six Rangers in one go. Thank you for bringing Aisha to me Rangers. How did you get here anyway?” It was then he noticed Samantha. “What, a new Yellow Zeo Ranger? This is intolerable!”
He thought for a moment about ranting, then he decided he would join Nore and that they could take their aggression out on the Rangers.
Whilst the Ranger had disappeared the Doctor had not been idle. Following a hunch he made his way to the console room of the Master’s TARDIS and from there into a storeroom. He knew the Master had gone too far this time. He was no longer looking out for himself. The Master had joined the forces of darkness and had no right to remain a Time Lord.
The Doctor thought about what he could do, but only one idea appealed. Since the Master wanted to rule the Universe the Doctor would give him a Universe to rule. First though he had to make some alterations to the internal configuration.
A TARDIS is infinitely big and capable of swallowing a Universe. The Doctor used this knowledge to create a trick to fool the Master. First though he needed to get the Rangers out and destroy Lord Nore.
Split into two teams the Rangers tried to fight without their powers. For Sam this was a far cry from the minor skirmishes she had in school in England. The Master seemed to have a desire to kill a Yellow Ranger and aimed for her at all times despite Kat and Adam interfering.
Tommy and Rocky lay unmoving both cut by Lord Nore’s sword. Tommy was aware of the fight and his need to get beck into the combat. He felt like he had without his Green Ranger powers whenever they faded.
Suddenly the words of Zordon, “You will always be a Power Ranger” floated into his mind. Could he still have the Power? Looking deep inside Tommy sought the part of him that was a Power Ranger. Three spirits presented themselves, only one correct. Closing his eyes he allowed the Power to flow, building until he was ready.
“Dragonzord!”
A flash of green light filled the room. When it cleared, Tommy stood garbed all in green. Loose green pants, a green tunic top, green split-toed ninja boots, and a green headband. In his hand was a green-handled katana. Set into the middle of the chest of his uniform was a large golden coin, emblazoned with the symbol of the Panther. Smiling wickedly, Tommy, now the Green Morphin Warrior turned towards the stunned Dragon Lord and hefted his katana. “Let’s rock.”
Both the Dragon Lord and the Master froze in fear. They never expected a Morphin Warrior. Tommy used the advantage, pushing the Dragon Lord back and switching his attack to the Master, giving his fellow Rangers a chance to recover.
Trey and Sam looked on in wonder as Tommy did what he did best, kicked ass. Rocky, Adam and Kat exchanged nervous glances, nodded their assent and followed their leader’s example. Searching out their personal power and calling its name they were once again empowered.
“Red Dragon!”
“Frog!”
“Crane!”
Rocky’s Morphin Warrior uniform appeared around him, arming him with a mighty broadsword. Rocky was decked out in a ninja outfit sans hood. The boots were split toed. He wore a white and red bandanna.
Adam transformed no longer the powered down Green Zeo Ranger to become the Black Frog Morphin Warrior. Dress in the costume of a Ninjetti the coin on his chest was covered by a removable piece of fabric.
Kat’s transformation was less impressive. A thin no frills body suit covered her from the neck down. No other colour or fabric present the uniform clung to her body. In her right hand she held a small bow.
With Trey and Sam backing them up against a rapidly retreating Master, Adam and Kat attempt to regain their Morphers. Tommy and Rocky concentrated their powers on the Dragon Lord, driving him further back.
“You should have taken your punishment,” Tommy spat. Left foot planted, elevate right left; draw knee back and push.
“Urgh!” Nore grunted as the kick connected.
“If you’d served the time you had a chance to reform,” Rocky added. Drop low, draw back fist and throw forward all power behind the blow.
Nore brought his swords down to block another attack. Stupid! Rocky stood upright, fist angled and connecting with Nore’s chin.
“This doesn’t have to end like this Nore,” Tommy told him. “Surrender and we’ll see to it you’re handed over to the authorities.”
“Never!” Nore cried, sword slicing in attempt to decapitate the nearest Ranger.
“You were warned,” Tommy told him. Grab wrist swing sword.
“”We didn’t want to do this,” Rocky added. Grab other arm swing broadsword.
As his hands hit the ground Tommy and Rocky picked up the Dragon Swords and placed them inside their own sub-space pockets. The other Ranger had grabbed their Morphers and all six returned to Zeo Ranger mode just as the Doctor rejoined them and the Master chose to eject them onto the Moon.
The Master scrambled to his control room, desperate to triumph. He ejected the Rangers and the Doctor onto the Moon’s surface hardly noticing his adversary’s presence. He watched as Nore’s hands floated into space before activating the Time Scoop and forcing Nore to show his true form.
Then he decided to move his TARDIS for a short time, certain he would return after the Rangers had finished off Nore or vice versa. It did not matter which.
His shock when the TARDIS started groaning turned to panic when he realised it was shrinking. The console vanished, a result of the Doctor’s sabotage. He was sending the Master on a short trip with no returns.
ANGEL GROVE
The four dragons felt the difference as their power faded. The Red and Green Rangers now in their own dragons were winning. Dragon Zord had thrown Terranak away and was dealing with Pleu’dar. Red Dragon had ground Drake and was drawing Craken away. If the rangers could get their Zords back online they stood a chance of victory.
She had watched long enough. The Zords had done their job. Now they needed help to finish. Help to recharge and help to finish the task. Grey Ranger teleported into battle for the first time.
“Carrier Zords, Power Up!”
The Rangers looked up and noticed. The Zords looked up recognising their saviours. The four Sentinel Dragons looked up and knew death had come to Angel Grove.
Titanus the powerful Dinosaur stood ready. Tor the often underrated and unappreciated Shuttle Zord preparing to recharge its fellow Zords. Zenith, the Great White Shark, larger than any Zord prepared to help. The Grey Shogun Borg stood astride the shark’s back.
“Power transfer begin!”
Power flowed from the Carrier Zords into the stricken Zords restoring them to life. The fallen Megazords started to glow as they stood back up.
“MegaDragonzord, full power!”
“Super Ninjazord!
“Mega Thunderzord, full power!”
“Tiger Zord, Warrior Mode!” Saba called taking control of the Zord.
“Mega Shogunborg, full power!
The Dino Megazord and Dragonzord teleported to where Pleu’dar was lying. The Dragonzord opened up to fit around the Megazord. Green and Red Ranger took aim and prepared for what was to follow.
The Thunder Megazord and Tiger Zord teleported to where Terranak was waiting. The upper body of the Thunder Megazord detached long enough for the Red Dragonzord to merge with the other components. Thunder Saber drawn the Pink and Black Ranger waited to make their move.
The Hawk Zord detached from the Panther Zord, connecting to the back of the Falcon Zord, which had in turn detached from the Ninja MegaFalconzord. The Panther folded as the Hawk and Falcon finished their link up hovering in the air so the Hawk and Falcon could join with it. The rear of the Megazord opened to allow the Hawk, Falcon and Panther combination to rest inside. The Panthers face appeared just under the Bear.
Waiting inside Yellow and Blue Ranger check their systems, noticing the new configuration marked Ninja Ultrazord. All systems were go, ready to take out Drake.
White and Purple Rangers crossed their fingers hoping this first time attempt to create the Shogun Borg would work.
“Here they come,” White Ranger remarked as he saw the Battle Borgs running towards them. Merging in the same way as the Shogun Megazord the Battle Borgs formed the slim lined version of the Morphin Ranger’s heavy artillery. The Shogun Megazord opened to allow the Mega Battleborg inside. The surprise now ready the Mega Shogunborg was ready to finish off Craken.
Silence reigned across the battlefield. Everybody knew what was about to happen. Nobody wanted it to happen, but the dragons charged and the fight began.
THE MOON
Lord Nore had transformed into a powerful Black Dragon intent on destroying the Rangers. By this time Tommy and the others were tired and determined to end the fighting.
“We need Zeo Megazord, Super Zeo Megazord, Red Battlezord and the Warrior Wheel, now!”
Tommy knew as the four Zords appeared and the Doctor vanished into his TARDIS that he was probably over reacting. He also knew he would not have been able to bring the Warrior Wheel and Battlezord to the Moon without the Super Zeo Megazord to carry them.
“Super Zeo Zord X!” Gold Zeo called.
“Zeo Ultrazord!”
Pyramidas, the Zeo Megazord, Super Zeo Megazord, Red Battlezord and Super Zeo Zord X combined the latter holding the Warrior Wheel.
“Lock on and fire!”
Observers on Earth and many other planets would have seen the bright flashes followed by the explosion as the Rangers finished the dragon. In victory they teleported to Earth.
The Super Ninja took off after Drake. A brief air to air battle took place before the Zord caught the dragon and threw him to the ground. A few more punches and Blue Ranger considered the beast subdued enough for the Ultrazord.
“Ninja Ultrazord Power Up!”
Zenith rolled across the ground mouth opened ready to swallow the Super Ninjazord. It stopped mere feet from the Super Ninjazord, opened up to reveal its vast arsenal and allowed the Zord to move into place.
“Fire!” Blue and Yellow Ranger called, smiling as the Ultrazord destroyed the air dragon.
Black and Pink Ranger didn’t need to use the Ultrazord. Instead after crushing Terranak the Thunder Megazord powered up the Thunder Sabre and the Tiger Zord added its own energy blast. Terranak barely had time to blink.
“Dino Ultrazord!” Green and Red Ranger called.
The Mega Dragonzord stepped into Titanus and the giant Zord fired. Pleu’dar tried to counter with ice seconds before exploding.
With only Craken left the other Rangers teleported to the Mega Shogunborg. The dragon of fire put up a good fight at one point grounding the Megaborg. It was then that the Rangers triggered the release and the Mega Battleborg appeared, lance in hand to drive through the dragons’ underbelly.
“Shogun Ultrazord!” the eight Rangers called as the Mega Battleborg climbed back into position.
They had been expecting Titanus to appear. Instead the Grey Shogun Zord moved into position, lifted the smaller Megaborg up and placed it inside. The SFC appeared on the Zord’s right arm.
“Fire!”
Craken felt a slight tingling as the SFC started on its journey of destruction. Locating the tiniest weakness in the dragon’s body it started to stretch and pull the cells apart. The dragon grew concerned as it felt the heat starting to build deep inside. Cells exploded as the SFC did its job. The tiniest hole grew bigger by the second. By now it was too late to stop. The dragon looked down, realised what was about to happen and screamed. The explosive chemicals in its chest merged with the heat from the laser. A brief spark and it was over. Craken exploded. The Rangers were victorious.
“Look!” Yellow Ranger pointed.
On the ground below Lord Nore was trying to transform again. Not quite destroyed he had teleported from the Moon at the last moment.
“I’ll take him,” Aisha’s voice said.
The Rangers looked to the source of the voice and laid eyes of the Grey Morphin Zeo Ranger for the first time.
“Hiyah!”
Grey Ranger landed in front of Nore as the other Rangers returned to the Power Chamber. Summoning her Power Weapon Aisha waited to see if Nore made a move.
With a high pitched screech Nore charged the Grey Ranger. A grey staff appeared in Aisha’s hand and connected with Nore’s face. He tried to fight but Aisha quickly subdued him and waited for Zordon to send him bank to the IGPF. Then in a flash she was gone.
POWER MOUNTAIN,
THAT NIGHT
“Congratulations Rangers,” Zordon said. “Not only has Nore been defeated, but thanks to the Doctor the Master has been vanquished.”
Zordon beamed with pride at his young students and friends. The Doctor was going to be on Earth for a while a to repair the TARDIS. That meant Samantha could remain as Yellow Zeo. Tommy and the other Zeo Rangers had discovered an important secret that would one day open the door to greater power. And Aisha, Zordon knew he had sensed a great power in her future. But as the ninth Ranger she was beyond even his wishes.
With the Master gone Zordon hoped the Ranger could prepare for Aquitar in peace.
SHRINE OF THE DRAGON, ELTARE
The four silent figures entered the Shrine of the Dragon. Already gathered were the Morphin Masters of the Red and Green Morphin Colleges. Held on the floor was the handless form of Lord Nore. The four figures walked past him and up to the altar.
Turning to the respective members of their colour they called “It’s Morphin Time!”
“Red Dragon!”
“Green Dragon!”
“Red Ranger!”
“Green Ranger!”
Stepping forward Tommy and Rocky reached into their pocket dimensions and pulled forth the twin Dragon Blades. Handing them over to the Red and Green Ranger they watched as Jason and Sam drove them into the alter, never to be used again.
“Thank you Rangers of Earth,” the Hawk like Red Morphin Master in charge of proceedings said. “I ask one more thing of you. You are of the Red and Green order. We ask that you share in the correction of the wrong Lord Nore has done. His actions have disgraced us all. It is fitting that we be forced to punish him.”
Indicating for the Red Ranger to stand on one side and Green Ranger to stand on the other he gestured for all assembled to join hands. At the far end of the room a human male dressed in green held hands with Tommy on one side and Rocky the other. Rocky noticed they had formed a circle around Lord Nore who was now cringing in fear.
“Lord Nore,” Red Ranger said. “By order of the Council of Worlds I Jason Lee-Scott have been instructed to carry out punishment.”
“You have perverted your Morphin Power,” Green Ranger continued.
“And used your powers to cause death and pain to millions,” Rocky said.
“Since you have abused your powers they will be stripped from you,” Tommy said in a commanding tone. “The Light shall shield you from the Dark Power and the Dark shall deny you the Light.”
“Let it Begin!” the four humans said together.
Red and Green energy surrounded Lord Nore as the Rangers and Masters present followed the Earth Rangers lead. A line of black energy surround Nore. As the Red and Green continued to magnify the Black energy faded marking the end of his dark powers. Nore glowed red and green as he was purified of the Power within just as water drives air from the soil.
Then the energy faded, leaving Lord Nore kneeling on the floor cold and alone. No longer could he touch the Morphin Grid and yet he could feel the Power just waiting for him to access it.
“Now you will be set free,” Tommy said. “There has been too much death ad suffering for us to keep you. You will have to live with what you’ve done and the knowledge you will never again touch or use the Power. You are banished from Eltare and Earth.”
Finished the Rangers relaxed and absorbed Nore’s power. The speeches the Morphin Masters had written had worked well. Nore was now broken to the extent where he would need to rebuild his life. Tommy wished him every success.
ZORD HOLDING BAY II,
SIX MONTHS LATER
“From the top guys,” Billy instructed.
“Right!” the five Zeo Rangers and Zeo Bio called together. “Sky Zords, power up!”
“Drop Zord now!” Kimberly, Tanya and David called.
“Log in Rangers,” Red Zeo ordered.
One by one the Rangers checked in that they had control of the Zords. “Passengers on board and loaded,” Tanya noted.
“Okay, begin primary merger,” Billy said over the commlink.
With the Drop Zord taking centre position with the White Sky Zord in front, Black and Blue Sky Zords on the left and right and Pink, Yellow and Red Sky Zords forming he rear the Rangers perfected a triangle formation.
“Activating Mega Drop Zord protocols,” Billy advised. “Put it together!”
The Drop Zord’s wings extended down under the Black and Blue Sky Zords. The nose cones of both Zords retracted and their wings detached. As they dropped onto the outstretched wings of the Drop Zord metal clamps locked them in place.
“Kim, you should now have complete control of the engines on the Blue and Black Sky Zords,” Billy advised. “Turn it up to full power.”
Kim complied and the Drop Zord increased its power again. Meanwhile the Pink and Yellow Sky Zords had lost a wing and attached themselves to the now wingless Red Sky Zord. The four detached wings reconfigured themselves into a single wing gliding over the three planes.
“I have control,” Rocky stated, hoping his time in the Red Dragon would be enough to complete this task. Pressing the button he guided the three Zords so the Red Zord lock into position behind the Drop Zord, the Yellow Zord merging with the rear of the Black Zord and the Pink doing likewise with the Blue Zord.
“Kim, control is yours, beginning final lockdown.”
As rocky spoke the wing on the Yellow and Pink Zords folded upward allowing the solo wing to lock into place on the upturned wingtips. The four discarded wings from the Blue and Black Sky Zords join to form two larger wings and locked into place on the Blue and Black Sky Zords. As one the Zeo Ranger and Aisha teleported to the Drop Zord’s cockpit and waited for Tommy to finish the procedure.
“Tommy, cut the power back a bit or we’ll never get near!” David shouted.
Tommy complied and the nose of the Drop Zord opened to consume the rear of the White Sky Zord. As the nose closed up Tommy hit the final controls to seal the joints. The skin of the Sky Zords reformed to create a single large aircraft.
“Sealed for space flight,” Trey reported.
“Thrusters online and responding,” Kimberly confirmed.
“Oxygen and environmental controls active,” David said.
“Take us up Tommy!” Billy ordered.
Obeying his blue teammate Tommy pulled back on the dual controls aiming the plane for the atmosphere. “Deep Space conversion is running.”
“Switch to solid fuel boosters,” Kim instructed.
“Online and active,” Aisha responded.
The Mega Drop Zord seemed to twist as the thrusters cut in. Tommy struggled against the forces threatening to rip the Zord apart.
“Billy, I’ve got a rip in the left wing seal! I’m losing cohesion.”
“Trying to compensate,” Adam responded adjusting the metallic skin to seal the rip.
“Uploading new commands,” the Doctor said over the commlink.
“Looking good guy,” Samantha added from her station.
“We have a green light!” Tommy called. “All systems go. We’ve done it!”
“End simulation!” Billy called. “We’re ready to go. Next stop Aquitar!”
End of Part